yet he was not a man of sins Though we cannot equalize his holiness yet we should imitate his holiness As it is the same light which shines from the body of the sun in its meridian and which breaks forth in the dawnings of the morning There 's the same water in the streams that bubbles up at the spring-head Summa religionis est 〈◊〉 eum quem colis Lactant. There should be such a conformity between the life of Christ and the life of a Christian as there is between the Counterpain and its Original As face answers to face in the water so should life answer to life in the Scripture What he was by nature that we should be by grace He that was a way to others never went out of the way himself A holy life is a chrystal glass wherein Jesus Christ beholds his own face In our Sacramental participations we shew forth the death of Christ but in our evangelical conversations we shew forth the life of Christ An excellent Christ calls for excellent Christians And why should we â—ay his yoke is heavy when he says his yoke is easie He went about doing good Acts 10. 38. As he was never ill imployed so he was never unimployed Jesus Christ submits his person to be judged by his actions If I do not the works beleeve me not If I act not like a Saviour do not take me for a Saviour Thus should it be with a Saint Never take me for a Christian if I act not like a Christian If men finde no more among Saints then they find among men they will say Here is a man and a man and not a man and a Christian Man naturally is an aspiring piece and loves to be nearest to those that are highest Now a Christ that did more then others calls on Christians to do more then others Methinks you should take as much delight in those precepts that enjoyn holiness as in those promises that assures happiness and be as willing to be ruled by Christ as you are willing to be saved by Christ To the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight Psa 16. 3. Was it so in his time and shall iâ— not be so in our time The New Testament out-shines the Old as much as the splendor of the sun doth the brightness of the stars If you live under more glorious dispensations you should have more gracious conversations As he is so are we in this world 1 Joh. 4. 17. As he was so should we be on earth and as he is so shall we be in heaven If there be no congruity between Christ and you in holiness there will be no society between Christ and you in happiness That 's the fourth 5. The Disciples of Christ must do more then others because they are more lookt upon then others If once a man be a Professor the eyes of the whole world are placed upon him Because our profession in the world is a separation from the world Beleevers should condemn those by their lives who condemn them with their lips Teach me thy way O Lord and lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies Psal 27. 11. Heb. Because of my observers or propter insidiatores meos because of those that lye in wait for me If you walk in the unpaved road of licentious loosness the world will not go backwards like Shem and Japhet to cover your nakedness but they will march forward like cursed Cham to uncover your nakedness They make use of your weakness as a shield to defend their own wickedness Men are merciless in their censures though God hath more equitable scales and wil give grains of allowance to his own gold A true Christian though he be a Dove in Gods eyes yet he is a Raveâ— in theirs An unholy conversation pâ—lls off the jewels from the beautiful Queen of Religion Sin allowed of in a Saint it s like a slit in a piece of cloth of gold or like a crack in a silver bell The foulest spots are soonest seen in the fairest cloaths The world will sooner allow its own enormities then of your infirmities The loose walkings of Christians are the reproaches of Christ Si Christus sancta dâ—â—uisset sancta à Christianis fierent qualis secta talis sectatores Quomodo bonus magistor eujus tam pravos videmus Discipulos as Lactantius brings in the Heathens ubraiding the Nations So much malice is there lodged in sinners as to reproach the rectitude of the rule for the obliquity of their lives who swerve and vary from it Now your pure lives should hang a padlock upon their impure lips who throw the dirt of Professors upon the face of Profession One hour of the suns eclipsing attracts more eyes to view it then all its illustrious shinings Dr. Whitaker reading that fifth of Matthew breaks forth into these words Aut hoc non est Evangelium aut nos non sumus Evangelici Either this is not Gospel that we Christians profess or else we are not Christians that profess the Gospel The curelty of the Spaniards to the Indians made them cry out Quam malus Deus iste qui habet tam malos servos What an evil God is this that hath such evil servants Gods Jewels should cast a sparkling lustre in the eyes of others One scar may stain the beauty of the fairest face It was a glorious Encomium given of Zachary and Elizabeth They were both righteous before God walking in all the commandmâ—nts and ordinances of the Lord blam â—â—ss Luk. 1. 6. As they were harmless in their actings so they were blameless in their walkings Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world Jam. 1. 2. If you would keep your selves unspotted from the world you must keep your selves unspotted in the world Christians such even threads should be spun by you as none might fasten a snarl upon you That 's the fifth 6. Ground is Because if you do no more then others it will appear that you are no more then others Vna actio non denominat fidelem It is not one action that makes a Beleever no more then its one Swallow that makes a Summer As there is none so evil but may do some good so there is none so good but may do some evil Every being nath its proper acting and where we do not finde the working we may deny the being You would be thought to be more then Publicans and Sinners what and yet act no more then Publicans and Sinners Ye shall know them by their fruits Mat. 7. 20. By the leaves the tree is seen but by the fruit the tree is known The hand of the Dyal is without in going as the wheels of the clock are within in moving Where the heart is of a good constitution the life will be of a fair complexion When the
overcast with cloudings or like a budding flower in the spring which a warm day opens a little and a cold day shuts again if God blesses us in taking as well as in giving let us blesse him for taking as well as for giving That is a rare Artist that can play well upon a broken instrument Ah soule view the sin for which thou art lashed and thou wilt never complain of the rod with which thou art lashed To be impatient with thy affliction and patient with thy corruption what 's this but to be angry with the medicine which should heal thee and in love with the poyson which will kill thee There are two things very hard to flesh and blood One is the foregoing of sinful pleasures And another the undergoing of sorrowful pains Beloved Avibus alas praesecamus ne altiùs longiusvè evolent et Deus opes vires imminuit et nobis aufert ne insolenter nos propter dona ejus efferamus Sibel Conc 6. p. 118. it is in mercy to us that God removes mercy from us He doth not wound a Saint to kill him but he wounds a Saint to heal him 'T was the Commendation of a gracious person that though he was sometimes full of pains yet he was at all times full of patience he was often found mourning under his corruption but never found murmuring under his affliction some can rejoyce in any thing but in Christ and grieve for any thing but for lust Misprision is that which heightens affliction O doe not think that God is a plucking up of the tree by the roots when he is but lopping off its lu xuriant bowes that he is demollishing of the superstruction when he is but laying of a right foundation Deus in ardentem calamitatum fornacem nos mittit ut peccatorum nostrorum sordes expurget Id. in limine ejusdem Conc. that he is nipping of the flowers when he is but plucking up the weeds that he is laying fallow of the land when he is plowing of the field that he is putting out the light when he is but snuffing of the candle Providence hath a beautifull face when it puts on a black mask God hath the fairest ends in the fowlest wayes The bottle may be dipped in the water when it is not drowned in the water though the earth be dirty under your feet yet the heavens are not cloudy over your heads You may read the marks of a father in the stripes of his children Every twig of the black rod is but to draw his Image upon you Could we but bury our friends alive we should not mourn so much for them when they are dead did not the having of riches take our hearts the losing of riches could not break our hearts Son of man behold I take away the desire of thine eyes with a stroak What though he take a wife out of your bosom so he take her into his bosom You may hug a creature with so much hardness as to kill it with kindnesle and wither your sweetest flowers by smelling too often at them God doth but take that out of the hands of his people that keepes him out of the hearts of his people He that mingles his passions with his afflictions is like a foolish patient that chews the pills he should swallow down He that carnally disturbs his soul for the losse of his substance casts away the kernell because God hath taken away the shell If the tree stand and yield us fruits let the wind blow away it's leaves To blesse God for mercies is the way to increase them to blesse God for miseries is the way to remove them No good lives so long as that which is thankfully improved no evill dyes so soone as that which is patiently indured He that praises God under prosperity hath paid his debt but he that praises him under adversity hath made him a debtor God can make a plaister of a disease and bring soundness to the inward man by the sicknesse of the outward man If he stops up all your light it is but to make you fairer windows When the starrs shine not the Sun appeares repairing the loss of lesser lights with brighter beams In the losse of a withered nosegay you may smell at flowers fresh on the stalke Beleevers when their candles are put out they can fetch their light from the Sun and when their streames are cut off they can drink their waters at the spring Animus vari is coarctatus aerumnis subtilissimè ad altissumum Deum alâ invocationis ardenti◠elevatur Id. Ibid. The birds of Paradise make the swiftest flights when they have the smallest feathers These Nightingals warble out their pleasantest tunes when they set their breast against the thornes It 's said of Ruben that he went up to his fathers bed How many times doth the creature intercept the respects which we do owe to our Creator and then no wonder if he break the Cisterne to bring us unto the fountain Under all your losses be you found blessing of God and after all your losses God will be found blessing of you 15. Principle that you should walk by is this The longer God for bears not finding amendment the soarer he strikes when he comes to judgment Divine patience is a thing that is to be adored but divine patience is not a thing that is to be abused We usually take his forbearance for our acquittance because we sin unpunished we think there is no punishment for sin it is one thing to for bear a debt but it 's another thing to forgive a debt Because sentence against Homines plerumque in sceleratiora proruunt vitia et impudentiùs assuescunt malis quòd non subitò contra illos divina proferatur sententia tardiusque illorum flagitiis irascatur Deus Arbor in loc an evill worke is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evill Eccl. 8. 11. Because he goes on to spare them they go on to provoke him As he adds to their lives they adde to their lusts What 's this but for a man to break his bones because he thinks to have them set by a skilful Chyrurgion You are in debt to Justice but mercy stops the Arrest of vengeance Many other have been taken from the earth by a sudden Arrow darted from Heaven as Zimry and Cosby unloaded their lusts and their lives together Because Justice winks men think it's blind because it is delayed they imagine it is denied because he doth not reprove them for their sins therefore they think he doth approve them in theirsins But know that the silent Arrow doth more mischief then the roaring Cannon The patience of God though it be lasting yet it is not everlasting The Sword of Justice it s dipt in the Oyle of Mercy but it s better some parts should be dismembred then that the whole body should be destroyed He that being often
he carries with him The Disciples of Christ as they are more then others so they should do more then others A Heathen may move beyond a Sodomite but a Christian must move beyond an Hypocrite Though the naturally dead can do nothing yet the spiritually dead may do something Though they can do nothing as to the obtaining of the grace of life yet they may do something as to the using of the means of life Cicero complains of Homer that he taught the gods to live like men but grace teaches men to live like gods Great persons they are like bells which whilst they are rising strike apace but when they are up are set and strike no more or like flowers which by change of soil degenerate into weeds Thus the highest mountains are the barrenest grounds It s sad that we should live so long in the world and do so little good or that we should live so little in the world and do so much evil All creatures have their several essences according to the creatures essence is the creatures actings Trees are in their bearing as they are in their being Other creatures are not more below a sinner then a Saint is above a sinner Man is the excellency of the creature the Saint is the excellency of the man Grace is the excellency of the Saint Glory is the excellency of Grace Believers are among others as Saul among the Israelites higher by the head and shoulders They are but base-born to them that are twice born What is the lowest shrubs in the bottom of the valleys to the highest cedars on the tops of the mountain Stars that are placed in the highest orbes give the clearest lights Trees planted by the rivers of water yield the choycest fruits They who look for a heaven made ready should live as though they were in heaven already Grace doth not only make a man more a man but it makes him more then a man The primitive Christians were the best of men though they were but men at the best None were more lowly in their dispositions and none more lovely in their conversations Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation Gen. 6. 9. He was not a sinner amongst those that were Saints but he was a Saint amongst those that were sinners Who would ever have looked for so fair a bird in so foul a nest In a field of wheat there may spring up tares A Saint is not free from sin that 's his burthen a Saint is not free to sin that 's his blessing Sin is in his soul that 's his lamentation his soul is not in sin that 's his consolation And the Lord said unto Satan Hast thou considered my servant Job Job 1. 8. Why what was there in Job that was so considerable there is none like him in all the earth Though there was none so bad as Job in heaven yet there was none so good as Job on earth He was a man so like unto God that there was never another man like unto him Beleivers in the world they are the Non-such's of the world It was the saying of a gracious soul hearing of the far goings of Hypocrites Let Hypocrites go as far as they can in that which is good I will follow them and where they can go no further I will go beyond them A Christian is not only to do more then all other men will do but he is to do more then all other men can do Whatsoever is not above the top of Nature is below the bottom of grace Some there are that believe and work not others there are that work and believe not but a Saint must do both He must so obey the Law as if there were no Gospel to be beleived and so believe the Gospel as if there were no Law to be obeyed It s by faith that our works are justified but it s by works that our faith is testified A Christians work doth not lie in beleeving or in doing but in beleiving and in doing There are Four sorts of things First Some things that are neither good nor pleasant as envy and detraction The eclipsing of anothers sun will never make our own to shine with brighter beams O pare off those envious nails that are ever scratching those faces that are fairer then your own Why do you wound your selves with those plaisters that are laid upon your brethrens sores Or weep at every showre of rain that falls besides your own corn Who would grudge an Ox its fat pasture which doth but fit it for the slaughter Or the Malefactors progress through the meadows which conducts him to the gallows Thou hast never the less for others having of the more and others have never the more for thy having of the less Leahs fruitfulness was not the spring of Rachels barrenness Secondly Some things are pleasant but not good as sin and transgression This Bee carries honey in its mouth but a sting in its tail When Jael brings forth her milk and her butter then beware of the nail and the hammer Death is in the pot whilst you are tasting of the broth The fish by leaping at the bait is catcht upon the hook If the cup be sinful we must not taste it if the cup be lawful we must not carouze it Reason forbids either the tasting of known poyson or the being drunk with pleasant wine Sin it is like a river that begins in a quiet spring but ends in a tumultuous sea Thirdly Some things are good but not pleasant as sorrow and affliction Sin that 's pleasant but unprofitable sorrow that profitable but unpleasant God by affliction separates the sin that he hates so deadly from the soul that he loves so dearly They are not to take our spirits out of our flesh but to take our flesh out of our spirits They are not to pull down the tabernacle of Nature without us but to rear up the temple of Grace within us Waters are purest when they are in their motion and Saints are holiest when they are in affliction A foul feskue may point us to a fair lesson Some children never learn their books but when the rod is on their backs By the greatest affliction God doth give the sweetest instruction Though you may resist the Judgements that are laid before you in the word yet you cannot resist the Judgements that are laid upon you by the rod. The purest gold is the most ductible that 's a good blade that bends well without retaining its crooked figure Fourthly Some things that are both good and pleasant and they are gracious operations A Beleivers bed of graces is more fragrant then a bed of spices He that gives his Image to us he loves his Image in us Finally my brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise think on these things Phil. 4. 8.
you look fresh and orient in the eyes of spiritual Christians that judge of the trees of righteousnesse by the fruits of righteousnesse The enjoyment of this world is neither an argument of Divine anger nor an evidence of Divine favour Therefore do not judge your selves by your wealth but by your works not by the Bags of Gold you have in your hands but by the Seeds of Grace you have in your hearts The ambitious man shall leave all his greatnesse behind him when the religious man shall carry all his goodnesse with him Let Christianity be your shop to trade in and Eternity shall be your bed to rest in Every grace that is here exercised shall there be glorified The Lord Jesus Christ shall not only see the travels of his soul but you shall see the travels of yours Christians Either let your works be according to your profession or else let your profession be according to your works Never put on the fair suit of profession to do the fowl work of corruption God will cut down those degenerate Vines that bear nothing but sowr Grapes The lusts of the flesh are pleasurable where the works of the flesh are visible Sirs The Gospel doth not only require that you should be diligent Christians but that you should be excellent Christians By the singularity of your actions you may prove the sincerity of your persons The Race is short in which you run but the Prize is great for which you run Let not us sow such barren Lands in which we loose our time and pains I wish that this gail of Divinity may speed your Vessel to the Haven of Felicity And when God gives in more of himself to me I shall give out more of him to you in the mean time it shall be my highest ambition to be instrumentall to others conversion Who am and ever desire to be a Lover of him that is a Saviour to us Yours in the Lord Jesus William Secker A Table of the chief Contents of this Treatise THe Text opened The Doctrine raised viz. That singular Christians must perform singular actions First Why it is that Christians must doe more then others 1. Because more is done for beleevers then is done for others Page 14. 2. Because they stand in a nearer relation to God then others p. 17. 3. Because they profess more then others p. 21. 4. Because every beleever is to be conformed to his Redeemer p. 25. 5. Because they are more lookt upon then others p. 28. 6. Because if you do no more then others it will appear that you are no more then others p. 31. 7. Because they are to be judges of others p. 33. 8. Because they expect more then others p. 37. Secondly What it is that Christians must dâ— more then others 1. To do much good make but little noise p. 41. 2. To bring up the bottom of our lives to the top of ouâ— lights p. 49. 3. To prefer the duty he owes above the danger that he fears p. 55. 4. To seek the publick good of others above the private good of our selves p. 64. 5. To have the beautifullest conversations amongst the blackest persons p. 75. 6. To choose the worst of sorrows before you commit the least of sins p. 82. 7. To be a father to all in charity and a servant to all in humility p. 93. 8. To mourn most before God for those lusts that appear least before men p. 105. 9. To keep our hearts lowest when God raises our estates highest p. 117. 10. To be better inwardly in substance then outwardly in appearance p. 125. 11. To be more afflicted at the Churches heavinesse then we are affected with our own happinesse p. 132. 12. To render the greatest good for the receit of the greatest evill p. 139. 13. To take those reproofs best which we need most p. 149. 14. To take up all duties in point of performance and to lay them down in point of dependance p. 159. 15. To take up our contentment in Gods appointment p. 167. 16. To be more in love with the employment of holinesse then with the enjoyment of happinesse p. 178. 17. To be more in searching our own hearts then we are in censuring others states p. 187. 18. To set out for God at our beginning and to hold on with God untill our ending p. 193. 19. To take all the shame of our sins to our selves and to give all the glory of our services unto Christ p. 207. 20. To value a Heavenly reversion above an earthly possession p. 215. The Application 1. For the erection of singular Principles 2. For the direction of singular Practices First For the erection of singular Principles The first Principle That whatsoever is acted by men on earth is eyed by God in Heaven p. 225. 2. That after all your present receivings you must be brought to your future reckonings p. 230. 3. That God bears a greater respect to your hearts then he doth to your works p. 242. 4. There 's more bitternesse following upon sins ending then ever there was sweetnesse flowing from sins acting p. 248. 5. That there is the greatest vanity in all created excellency p. 254. 6. That duties can never have too much care bestowed upon them nor too little considence placod in them p. 265. 7. That there 's no obtaining what is promised but by fulfilling what 's commanded p. 273. 8. That its ill dressing our selves for another world by the Looking-glasse of this world p. 282. 9. That where man is so diligent as to do his best there God is so indulgent as to forgive his worst p. 290. 10. That inward purity is the ready road to outward plenty p. 296. 11. That all the time God allows us is little enough to fulfill the task that he allots us p. 307. 12. That there can never be too great an estrangenâ—ent from defilement p. 317. 13. That whatsoever is temporally injoyed should be spiritually improved p. 344. 14. That we are to speak well of God whatsoever ill we bear from God p. 354. 15. That the longer God forbears not finding amendment the soarer he strikes when he comes to judgement p. 360. 16. That there 's no measuring of the inward conditions of men by the outward dispensations of God p. 366. 17. That we should cleave the closest to that good which is the choicest p. 374. 18. That it is our present businesse to make sure of our future blessednesse p. 380. 19. That integrity is the best security p. 385. 20. That the sweetnesse of the Crown that shall be received will make amends for the bitternesse of the Crosse that may be endured p. 390. Secondly For the direction of singular Practices 1. If you would doe more then others then you must know more then others p. 399. 2. Would you do more then others then love morethen others p. 407. 3. Would you doe more then others then pray more then others p. 413. 4. Would you do more then
then he can quench them As sheep amongst briars are injurious unto their fleeces so Saints among sinners do an injury to their graces Be not unequally yoked together with unbeleevers for what fellowship Non debetis jugum ducere cum infidelibus quia alius habitus est in vobis alius in illis in vobis quâ—dem est habitus justitiae in illis verò est habitus in quitatis Aquin. in loc hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness And what concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath beleiveth with an Infidel 2 Cor. 6. 14 15. To see a Saint and a sinner associated with one another is to see the living the dead to keep house together Christs doves Peccatum adeò sacile alios unvadid ut nulla pestis tantopâ—re acrem inâ—icere possit 〈◊〉 â—ar 〈…〉 wil be sullied amongst the pots By the evil the good may sooner be corrupted then by the good the evil can be converted The finer bread in the oven partakes of the courser but seldom doth the course partake of the finer If you put an equal proportion of sowre vinegar to sweet wine the vinegar will sooner sowre the wine then the wine will sweeten the vinegar That is a sound body that is healthful in a pest-house It s as great a wonder to see a Saint so good amongst those that are evil as it is to see a sinner so evil amongst those that are good In the salt sea the fish retains its freshness amongst the noysom weeds the rose preserves its sweetness the fire burns the hottest when the weather is the coldest It was the saying of a Christian as often as ever he came amongst the ungodly He returned less Vt ligna arida igni admota cito flammam concipiunt sit bomines ob naturae corruptionem aliorum improborum exemplis facillinie impelluntur ut secure eadem committere audeant Idem ib. a man from them then he was before he came to them It is a singular thing for Saints to carry it so amongst sinners as to do much good to them and Theodosius tame â—si in ipsâregiâ natus educatusque erat nihil tamen ex illa educatione omn no contraxit mollitiae tarditatisve Socr. Eccl. Hist l. 7. I 22. to receive no hurt from them to touch pitch and not to be defiled If we cannot help them it s their unholiness if they hurt us it s our unhappiness By keeping of evil company men are like those that walk in the sun tanned insensibly Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your father which is in heaven Mat. 5. 16. Light abides pure though the air in which it dwels be corrupted yet it admits of no corruption Men may defile themselves in the light but they cannot Non mediocris titulus virtutis inter pravos vivere â—onum inter ma lignantes innoce tiae retinere caendorem moâ—um lenitatem Bern. in cant serm 48. defile the light it self The sun shines all over an unclean world and yet is without uncleaness How many are there that are like dirty swine in the fairest meadow like Judas that instead of being a Disciple amongst Devils was a Devil amongst Disciples Good company it brings fire to Vivitur exemplis magis quam legibus kindle our graces when they are freezing but bad company it brings water to quench them when they are flaming Some observe that those are the sweetest flowers that grows nearest the stinckingest weeds The Poets affirm That Venus never appeared so beautiful as when she sate by black Vulcans side And Stevens face never shined so gloriously in the Church where all were gracious as before the Council where all were vicious How will that fire subdue dry fuel that hath prevailed against the green Needs must that jewel be glorious in the sun that glitters in the shade There are many men that can suit with any men they can be Professors amongst those that are Professors and scorners amongst those that are scorners These are like the Planet Mercury in the horoscope of mans Nativity that is good in conjunction with those that are good but evil in the conjunction of those that are evil Every man loves to be a man that is beloved and is apt to take pleasure in them who do take pleasure in him but take heed of ceasing to be good Christians that others may think you good companions It s hard to be conformed to the world in the outward man and transformed to God in the inward man to be an outward Heathen Noscitur ex socio qui non dignoscitur ex se and an inward Christian It s a Spanish proverb Tell me but where thou goest I will tell thee what thou doest And our English Proverb will English this Proverb That birds of a feather will flock together To be too intimate with sinners is to intimate that you are sinners And being let go they went to their own company Acts 4. 23. To whom should beleevers joyn to but beleevers There is no trusting the tamest natures let but the lions out of their fetters and they will soon show you their bloody natures How darest thou be found lodging in that house where God himself is not found dwelling There is no sleeping with dogs without swarming with fleas It s a royal Diadem that Christ sets on the head of his Spouse As a Lilly All the States Societies of men upon earth being compared to the Church are but like thorns unto Lillies and Roses without all beauty and delight unpleasant and harmful plants Pemble in his serm on 2 Caâ— 1. amongst thorns so is my Beloved among the daughters Cant. 2. 2. There are many thorns that are amongst the Lillies but few Lillies that are amongst the thorns How rare a spectacle is it to see a beleever keep his beauty in the midst of Blackamoors to be like Solus ipse diversâ ambularit viâ virtutem malitiae praefereus c. Chrys hom 22. in cap. â— Gen. Noah a new man in an old world If Lot had been polluted with Sodoms sins he might have been consumed in Sodoms flames It s ill breathing in an infectious air Satans progeny loves not to go to hell without society It s better to be with Philpot in his colehouse then with Bonner in his Palace A man may pass through Ethiopia and yet be unchanged but if he remains there he will be discoloured Ecclesiastical history saith Illius enim uxor prior irretita-laqueis Ariani â—rroris irretivit ipsum adduxit ad communem secum in barathrum casum Theod. Eccl. Hist lib. 4. cap. 12. of Valens the Emperor that by marrying an Arian Lady he was himself ininsnared in that wicked opinion Come out of her my people that you be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Rev.
that is joyful more happy and an estate that is doleful less heavy It should be between Christians as it is between Lute strings that are tuned together when the one is touched the others tremble Beleevers should neither be proud flesh nor dead flesh Fellow-members have always fellow-feelings Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them Others woes are our warnings their desolations are our informations I am the man that hath seen afflictions by the rod of his wrath Lam. 3. 1. He suffered least in his own person as being under a royal protection But though he was freed from the bill of mortality yet he was filled with the bowels of sympathy Though they were the Jews desolations yet they were Jeremiah's lamentations That is the eleventh 12. Singular thing is the rendring of the greatest good for the receiving of the greatest evil Mariners look for a storm at the seas when the waters begin to utter a murmuring noise Theodosius the Emperor being moved to execute one that had reviled him answered That were it in his power if his enemies were dead he had rather restore them to life then being living to put them to death They say by the Laws of the land that Noble men have this priviledge that none of them can be bound to the peace because it s presumed that the peace is bound to them Noble dspositions will never engage themselves in quarrels and contentions He makes a good market of bad commodities that with kindness vanquishes discourtesies For a man to conquer anothers person and be led captive by his own passions what is this but to lose the Palace of a Prince to gain the Cottage of a Peasant A spark of fire falling upon a solid body expires immediately which lighting on combustible matter burns furiously God hath bound every believer in Gospelcords to his good behaviour Julian the Apostate knew this when he struck them on one cheek he said Their Master taught them to turn the other Yea his Souldiers would take away their cloaks and tell them They must part with their coat also A carnal man may love his friends but it s a Christian manthat loves his enemies But I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you Mat. 5. 44. Ad patientiam vocat qui patientiae est He calls us to patience who is patience it self It s unnatural to hate them that love us but it is supernatural to love them that hate us A sinner he can do much evil but he will suffer none a Saint can suffer much evil but he will do none He that takes up fire to throw against his enemies he will but burn his own fingers A peece ill charged Inimiâ—um seris teipsum jam lethaliter laesisti et hoc est Prunas è foco rapere sed omnium primò sibi manus amburere dein alios iis perfundere Drex Sig. 9. p. 84. instead of hitting the mark does but recoil on him that shoots it You should overcome others cruelty with your kindness If Injuries be our enemies forgiveness must be our weapons How many have had their bloods seen because they would not have their backs seen Mens actions towards others are usually excused by others actions towards them As we are wont to say fallere fallentem non est sraus There is a frenzie of the heart which turns men out of their patience as well as a frenzie of the head that turns them out of their prudence A sinner is so far from taking two blows without giving one that he will give two blows without taking one To forget an injury is more then nature can promise but to forgive an injury is no less then grace can perform Patience affords us a shield to defend our selves but Innocence denies us a sword to offend others If ever thou hopest thy charity should live after thee let others injuries dye before thee It s written in the law of Mahomet That God made the Angels of light and the Devils of flame Sure I am they are of a hellish constitution that delight in the firy flames of contention Be ye angry and sin not Ephes 4. 26. Anger it should not be a black coal fetcht from the Devils kitchin but a bright coal kindled on Gods Altar It should be like fire in straw that is as suddenly quenched as it is easily kindled He that would be angry and not sin must not be angry but with sin Let not the sun go down upon your wrath neither give place to the Devil if you carry your passions to bed with you the Devil will creep between the sheets and why should any give place to him that will croud in to fast of himself What shall thy life be mortal and thy wrath immortal is it not better to give place to an offending brother then to a destroying Murderer I know that a person is as unfit to receive Counsel in his anger as a Patient is to take Physick in a feavor how many are there that say they can forgive an injury who cannot forget an injury these are like those that pretend to sweep the house but leave the dust behind Nobilissimum generosissimum vindictae geaus est ignoscere cum possis ulcisci longe glorio sius est tacendo vincere inimicum quam respondendo Drex ibid. the door when ever you give your brethen a discharge make your hearts set their hands to the acquitance We must not onely break the teeth of malice by forgiveness but pluck the sting out of its tail by forgetfulness to lade our memories with the sence of injuries is to fill that chest with rusty iron which was made for refined gold When the pot of Malice doth boyle over its time to take it off from the fire Yet if the Sea of sinful nature be quiet it s no for want of foam but for want of a storme Can you look to fare better in the world then he that was better then the world A Christian should wish well to them who wish ill to him Aristides when two came before him he that accused the other said This man accused thee at such a time to whom Aristides answered I sit not to hear what he hath done against me but to hear what he hath done against thee Others they render evil for good but we should render good for evil therefore if thine enemy hunger feed him if he thirst give him drink for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head Rom. 12. 20. As the nature of man must not make his vices to be loved so the vices of man must not make his nature to be hated he that loved us when we were enemies commands us to love our Enemies Father forgive them they know not what they do Luke 23. 34. He gave his blood to drink by them who gave gawl and
vinegar to drink to him God spreads a large table every day and the most that seed at it are his Enemies the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb and the Leopard shall lye down with the Kid and the calfe and the young Lyon and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them Isai 11. 6. The Lord Jesus as he can kill the dearest lust so he can tame the wildest beast It s onely a patient Christ that can make us patient Christians as our passions were the cause of his so his passion is the cure of ours and he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the Sea Peace and be still and the wind ceased and there was a great calme Mark 4. 39. Whilst he lay down the storme rose up whilst Christ was resting the ship was tossing but when he spake they held their peace shall not the troubled Ocean become a bed of rest for him who layes the beames of his Chambers in the waters shall not he clip the wings of the wind that rides upon the wings of the wind For if ye forgive men their Frustra Deum propitiars sibi quarit qui citò placari proximo negligit Bern. â—e in t dom c. 51. trespasses your heavenly father will also forgive you but if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses Matt. 6. 14 15. Without forgiving there is no forgiveness how can you expect to have pounds remitted to you when pence are not remitted by you If there be moysture in smaller drops there 's more in larger showers well may we shew mercy to others for Gods sake who shows mercy to us for his own sake I have read a story of one who imbrued his hands in his own blood because his armes were not long enough to reach his Enemies Dearly beloved avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath for it is written Vengeance is mine and I will repay it saith the Lord Rom. 11. 19. And they stoned Steven calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit and he kneeled Stephano pro inimicis oranti coelum panditur velut si ad nobile hoc spectaculum coelites omnes sint intenti Drex Christ zod p. 82. down and cryed with a loud voyce Lord lay not this sin to their charge Acts 7. 59 60. Could living men do worse to a man that 's dying or a dying man pray better for men that are living Ludovicus saith The world hath been already destroyed by water for the heat of its luxury and it shall be again destroyed by fire for the coldness of its charity To do evil for good is humane corruption to do good for good is civil retribution but to do good for evil is Christian perfection this though it be not the grace of nature yet it is the nature of grace Why should this dead dog curse my Lord the King let me go over I pray thee and take off his head 2 Sam. 16. 9. As if he should say Seeing he will not keep his tongue in his mouth why should he keep his head on his shoulders but marke the answer vers 10. And the King said what have I to do with you ye sons of Zerviah because the Lord hath said unto him Curse David Who shall then say Wherefore hast thou done so David was so far from biting at the stone that he doth not bark at the hand by which it was thrown the back of charity is able to carry the burden of injury without either being moved with violence or being removed from patience Though God suffer not his people to sin in avenging their Enemies yet he suffers not the sin of their Enemies to go unavenged anger rests in the bosome of fools Proverbs 12. 16. Where there is the most indignation there is the least discretion no men do more sweetly put up disgraces from others then such as have learned to despise themselves Make not an Enemy of thy friend by returning him evil for good but make a friend of thine Enemie by returning him good for evil that 's the twelfth 13. Singular thing it s to take those reproofes best which we need most It was the saying of a heathen though no heathenish saying that he that would be good must either have a faithful friend to instruct him or a watchful Enemy to correct him Who would wound those that intend their cure or like him the worser that would make them the better The flaming sword of reprehension is but to keep thee from the forbidden fruit of Transgression Let the righteous smite me and it shall be a kindness and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyl which shall not break my head Psal 141. 5. Let him smite me as with a hammer so the word signifies it coming from the root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is usually rendred he Rober. Key to the Heb. Bible did beat or knock he did not as the Papists commend their holy water highly but turn away their faces when it is sprinkled upon them a Boanerges is as useful as a Barnabas Am I become your Enimy because I tell you the truth Gal. 4. 16. Light is pleasant yet offensive to sore eyes honey is sweet though it makes wounds to smart but we must not neglect the actions of a friend for fear of drawing upon our selves the suspition of an Enemy It s better to lose the smiles of men then it is to lose the souls of men thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart nor suffer sin to lye upon him He that love a garment hates the moaths that fret the garment Rebuke a wise man and he will love thee but rebuke a scorner and he will hate thee Prov. 9. 8. Reproof slides from a scorners brest as water doth from an oyled post and who would sow those barren sands where he shall lose both his time and pains All that we can do at such houses is to write A Lord have mercy on them at their doors Instead of loving a man notwithstanding injuries these will hate a man even for his courtesies Next to the not deserving of reproof is the well taking of reproof It s a holy kind of Martyrdome to bear reproofs patiently Most persons are like gauld horses that cannot indure the rubbing of their sores or like Bees that as soon as ever they are angry put forth their stings There 's a great deal of discretion to be used in reprehension A word will do more with some then a blow will do with others A Venice glass is not to be rubbed so hard as a brazen kettle the bending reed is more easily bowed then the sturdy Oak Christs warfare needs no carnal weapons dashing stormes wash Non asperè quantum existimo non duriter non modo imperiofo ista tolluntur magis docendo quam jubendo magis monendo quam minando Aug. ep 64. ad Aur. away the seed when gentle showers
Duties they are not destroyed by Christ but they must be denied for Christ The Master and the Servants may dwell together in one family provided that he have the higher chambers and they the lower rooms Who hath first given to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again Rom. 11. 35. When a glass reflects the brightness of the sun there is but an acknowledgement of what was not an addition of what was not A câ—rious picture praises a beautiful face not by communicating what it wants but by presenting what it enjoys As God hath never the less for the mercy he gives so he hath never the more for the duty he takes Man is such a Debtor to God that he can never pay his due to God yea the more we pay him the more we owe him for our payments It s Christ only that is the righteousness of God to man and its Christ only that is the righteousness of man to God We are so far from paying of the utmost farthing that at the utmost we have not a farthing to pay That man will be a miserable spectacle of vanity that stands upon the weak feet of his own ability 15. Singular thing is To take up our contentment in Gods appointment Others as they do the things that God dislikes so they dislike the things that God doth If Israel have not meat for their lusts they are weary of their lives They are delighted with their corruptions but perplexed with their conditions which is as if a man should be in love with his malady and out of love with his medicine They study more how to gratifie their humors then how to satisfie their hungers They complain of the shooe when the disease is in the foot They that think too highly of their deserts will think too meanly of their estates It s even the task of God to satisfie the desires of man not that it argues a weakness in Gods power that can do all things but a wickedness in mans nature that is not pleased with any thing There is no man but hath received more good then he hath deserved and done more evil then he hath sustained Therefore he should be contented though he see but little good and not discontended though he suffer much evil Let your conversation be without covetousness let not covetousness be within your conversation for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13. 5. Set but the seal of faith to the bond of truth and he that hath said it will maintain thee in the want of maintenance A wicked man when his purse grows light his heart grows heavy When he hath something without to afflict him he hath nothing within to support him But a Christian Tu cum crescente tuo marsupio crescit pariter animo cum decrescente decrescis tristitia contraberis cum illud exinanitur latiâ—a solveris aut certè superbiâ inflaris cum impletur in Bern. Cant. ser 21. is more troubled that he should be discontented at any disappointment then that he should be disappointed of any contentment I know both how to be abased and how to abound every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need It s hard to carry a full cup without spilling or carry a heavy load without breaking To walk in the clear day of prosperity without wandering or in the dark night of adversity without stumbling but which way soever the wind blows a skilful Mariner knows how to turn his sails and meet it They who have learnt to abound without rioting will learn to want without murmuring Non est in adversis timidus qui non est in prosperis dissolutus Repenting is the work of a Christian man but repining is the work of a carnal man How many men are there that look upon their greatest blessings as upon the greatest burthens Though their estates are like a fruitful Paradise yet their hearts are like a barren wilderness These are like spiders that suck poyson out of the sweetest flowers and by a devillish chymistry extract dross out of the purest gold They sin in the midst of mercies as Adam did in the midst of Paradise Outward prosperity cannot Nam divitiarum atquâ—sitio quidem laboâ—â—s â—â—ssessio vero timoris amisso plena doloris invenitur Bern. de pers sust c. 12. create inward tranquillity Hearts-ease is a flower that never grows in the worlds garden The ground of their trouble is not because they find not enough of the creature but because they finde not enough in the creature They plough up the level ground of their injoyments into the wrinckled forrows of their disquietments They have greatness enough in their possessions but not goodness enough in their dispositions Some are satisfied under the hand of God because they are not sensible of the hand of God they are without any fretting because they are without any feeling A certain Stoick speaking of God said What God wills I will what God wills not I will not A Christian though he have a will of his own yet it becomes not a Christian to own his will The wisdom of the flesh is as fit for guiding as the will of the flesh is fit for governing None but such as live under the seduction of the former will live under the dominion of the latter We are not to be troubled for this that we have no more from God but we are to be troubled for this that we do no more for God They who judge their estates are too low we may judge their hearts are too high A whole World contents not Alexander when a sâ—rry tub suffices Diogenes Christians the Lord is well pleased with your persons and will not you be well pleased with your conditions there 's more reason that thou shouldst be in love with it then that he should be in love with thee Beleivers should be like sheep that change their pastures at the will of their Shepherds or like Vessels in a house that stand to be filled or emptied according to the pleasure of their owner he that sailes upon the Sea of this world in his own bottom sinks at last Never were any Saints their own Carvers but before they had done they cut their own fingers As every thing is a great mercy to a man that is afflicted so every thing is a good mercy to a mind that is contented A covetous man is fretful because he hath not so much as he desires but a gracious man is thankeful because he hath more then he deserves It s true I have not the sauce but I merit not the meat I have not Habenies alimeala non delectamentaâ— indâ—monta non ornamenta Goâ— in loc the lace but I deserve not the coat I want that which may support my dignity but I have that which may supply my indigency having food rayment let us therewith be
content 1 Tim. 6. 8. you have the flesh of the creatures to fill your emptiness and the fleece of the creature to cover your nakedness T is storied of a woman who when she was sick was askt whither she was willing to live or dye she answered which God pleased but saith one if God should refer it to you which would you chuse truly saith she if God should refer it to me I would refer it to him again A Christian is to submit to the will of God disposing as well as to the will of God commanding to be what he appoints as well as to do what he approves that man obtaines his will of God who subjects his will to God A contented heart is never out of heart It s an even sea in the midst of all storms it s like a tree in Autum which secures its life when it hath lost its leafes It was a rare expression of a Religious person Put off your cares when you put of your cloaths so shall thy rest strengthen thy labour in the day and thy labour sweeten thy rest in the night It is not meet that patients should prescribe rules to their Physitians Worthy Mr. Hern lying upon his death-bed his wife making much womanish lamentation what should become of her and her children Peace sweet heart saith he that God that feeds the Ravens will not starve the Hernes If the child be jealous of his Fathers affection he will quickly be dubious of his Fathers provision till we can find hearts without polution we shall never find estates without vexation Heaven only is the place where all is joyful and hell only is the place where all is doleful in the former there is nothing but happiness to be expected in the latter there is nothing but heaviness to be indured But the most golden condition here is set in a brazen Torch there is no gathering a rose without its prickles till we come into Immannels land If there were nothing but showers we should then conclude the world would at length be drowned and if there were nothing but Sun-shine we should then conclude the world would at last be burned Our comforts would be a Sea to drown us if our crosses were not a planck to save us By the farest gales a sinner may sail to destruction and by the feircest winds a Saint may arive at Salvation I know that when our conditions are necessitous then our corruptions do often prove impetuous and rage the more because stopped by the dam of poverty so that if God does not help us seasonably we are apt to help our selves sinfully if he be not stretching forth his hand of goodness we are thrusting forth our hands to wickedness But remember that contentment without the world is better then the world without contentment there are two things that make a Christian the first is to speak well of what God is the second is to think well of what God does What gets the dog by the biting of the stone but the breaking of his teeth thou murmerest because thou art in want and therefore thou art in want because thou murmurest Thou art impatient because thou art afflicted and therefore thou art afflicted because thou art impatient The skilful Pilot knows what winds will best blow us to our harbour an unquiet patient makes but a slow recovery turbulent storms doth but lengthen the voyage Contentment it s the best food for a sound man to preserve him and it s the best Physick for a sick man to restore him it s like the gilt of the pill that makes a man swallow it down without tasting its bitterness or like the Philosophers stone that turneth whatsoever it toucheth into gold it will make a cottage look as fair as a palace He Nonqui parùm habet sed qui Plus cupit pauper est is not a poor man that hath little but he is a poor man that hath little but he is a poor man that wants much and in this sence the rich are often poorest and the poor are often richest Give me such Christians as will receive no more good then God will give them and will suffer no less evils then God will have them when the fire is kindled how is it quenched not by the pouring of oyl upon it but by the removing of fuel from it sivis esse dives non est pecuniae adjiciendum sed cupiditatibus detrahendum Confinement is the way to contentment when you cannot raise your estates as high as your hearts then level your hearts as low as your estates but godliness with contentment is great gain 1 Tim. 6. 6. This is too precious a seed to grow in every soyl although every godly man is not contented yet every contentented man is godly the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want Psal 23. 1. showers falling from a cloud may be diminished when waters issuing from a spring are continued Methinks the child should suck quietly when although it takes not in the whole brest at once yet the milk is spinning out to return a further draught after the former is gone down As Seneca said to his friend Polybius Never complain of thy hard fortunes so long as Caesar is thy friend so say I to a beleiver Never complain of thy hard fortunes so long as the Lord Jesus is thy friend Let your condition be never so great it s a hell without him let your condition be never so flat it s a heaven with him Who can say he injoyes any thing that wants Christ or that he wants any thing who injoyes Christ Should not Hagar be content though the water was spent in her bottle when there was a well so near that 's the Fifteenth 16. Singular thing is this To be more in love with the imployment of holiness then with the injoyment of happiness a Christian cares not so much for the receiving of golden talents as for the improveing of gratious talents Others they prize the wages of Religion above its works but a Christian prizes the works of Religion above its wages Give me the Preacher that prefers his labour above his lucre the flock he keeps before the fleece he gets Others their services are like dyals that are set by the sun of self respects they serve God that they may serve themselves upon God he loves not religion sincerely that loves not Religion Mortificationem simulant ut simplicibus imponant sub pietatis praetextu praedam ali quam capiant Stapl. in Dom 5. post Pent. tex 1. superlatively Israel is an empty vine he brings forth fruit unto himself Hos 10. 10. Empty and yet fruitful fruitful and yet empty thus that fertility which sprouts out upon the account of self has nothing but vacuity in the account of God How many are there that deal with Religion as the Carpenters do with their Ladders that whilst they are building carry them up and down on their shoulders but when they
our life to a day Infancy is as it were the day breake youth is the Sun rising full growth is as the Sun in it's Meridian and old age is as the Sun setting by the light of the day let us doe the worke of the day O that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that doe belong to thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes Luk. 19. 42. The dews of grace is falling whilst the day of grace is dawning O how just is it that they should misse of heaven at the last that never seek for Heaven till the last That God should deny them his grace to repent that abuse his grace to sin It 's a Maxime Omne principiatum sequitur naturam principiorum every thing hath an aptitude of returning into the Principle of its beginning as the Rivers that have their eflux from the Sea have their reflux to the Sea Out of the dust man was formed and therefore into the dust man is turned Sirs How much of your lives is gone and yet how little of your works are done You tender plants will you spend your youthfull lives in following of your youthfull lusts will you hang the most sparkling Jewells of your yeares as pendents in the Devils ears The Aegyptians sold their funerall balms in the Temple of Venus to shew that where they prayed for their nativity they might not forget their mortallity O you fresh pictures will you not be hung in Heavens gallery do you not know that the blossome is as subject to nipping as the flower to withering and the spark to extinguishing as the flame to expiring Veins brimmed full with blood may be emptied by an accident as soon as those that are leakish with old age As there 's none too old for eternity so there 's none too young for mortallity In Golgotha there are sculls of all sizes You are but green enough for reformation that are gray enough for dissolution tell me how wilt thou live when thou diest that art dead whilst thou livest every step that your bodies take it 's towards the earth O that euery step your souls take might be towards Heaven We sin as well in not doing the good commanded as in doing the evil prohibited The Vine that bringeth forth no Grapes shall be cut down as well as the Vine that bringeth forth wild Grapes There 's no countermining against the death of the body without us but by undermining of the body of death within us O how sad is it to be taken out of the world before we are taken off from the world To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts Heb. 3. 7. We have but a day wherein we are called to repent and therefore should repent whilest it is called to day None sings so sweetly as the Turtle upon the Churches Walls and all that he may even constram sinners unto himself He is the deafest Adder that stops his ears to the voice of the sweetest Charmer The Lord hath made a promise to late repentance but he hath not made a promise of late repentance If the Tap be not now thawed it may be for ever frozen A pardon is sometimes given to a Thief on the Gallows but he that Quòspectas quò te extendu Omnia quae ventura sunt in incertojacent Seneca ubi prius trusts to that sometimes hath a Rope for his wages Boast not of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Prov. 27. Man is such a pur-blind creature that he cannot unerringly see a day before him O see the ending of one day before thou gloriest in the beginning of another Many a mans dayes deceives him they passe away like a shadow by Moon-shine that then appears longest when it s nearest to an end Thou mayest not have halfe a day to live Dum floret aetas dum viget animus operemur bonum cùm enim vita ista transierit auferetur tempus operandi Arbor in cap. 6. ad Gal. ver 10. who thinks thou hast not lived out halfe thy dayes up and be doing least you be for ever undone The night cometh wherein no man can work The Grave is a Bed to rest in but not a Shop to trade in There 's no setting up under ground for those that have lost their time above ground When the soul in death takes its flight from its loving maite they shall meet no more till the general Assises 2 Cor. 6. 2. Behold now is the acceptable Vide Gor. Arboreum in loc time behold now is the day of salvation Now is the time for grace to accept of you and now is the time for you to accept of grace Opportunities they are for eternity but opportunities they are not to eternity Mercies Clock doth not strike at the sinners beck Where the means of grace is greatest there the day of grace is shortest Thou mayest be unhappy all thy dayes for the neglect of this dayes happinesse It was the sad cry of one My life is done but my work is undone O that you would imploy the small remnant you have of opportunity for the obtaining of the whole peece of felicity Make Hay whilest the Sun is shining and hoyse up Sails whilest the wind is serving Let this be thy living day the next may be thy dying day Seek the Lord whilest he may be found call upon him whilest he is near Isa 55. 6. Sirs The sufferings of eternal death are but the Issue of the slightings of eternal life Methinks the worth of such Pearls of price should sparkle in your eyes Will you let such a Sun set on earth by the beams of which you should walke to Heaven No disease is more fatal then that which doth reject Cordials What asad thing is it that such rich Mines should be opened and not a penny of this treasure fall to your share Some are gone so far in the way of sinning that there 's small hopes of their returning How much time did God bestow upon you before ever you returned any of that time to him It 's good to have an Ark prepared before a Deluge come in which you may be overwhelmed Man must do what he can and leave God to do what he will Though you cannot create the breath of the Spirit yet hang out your Sails to entertain it Though you cannot make the Pool of Bethesda healing yet lye at its mouth and wait for its stirring The longer a building goes to ruin the more cost it requires for reparation Remember that God can as easily turn you into the dust as he could take you out of the dust Delayes are numerous O but delayes are dangerous Who will look for water from a drained River Or that wealthy Grapes should grow upon a withered Vine For a man to make his best work to be his last work what 's this but as if an Husbandman should be putting in of his Plough for the sowing of his
return to God evil for good When we gather the fruit we should cast our eyes upon the root when we are refreshed by the flowing stream we should reflect upon the springing fountain A load of earth hath sunk many a man down to hell and the richer he hath been without doors the poorer he hath been within Your estates if they be not wings to mount you up to Heaven they will be weights to sink you down to Hell That 's a serious observation of a great Traveller that notwithstanding all the Religious pretences of the Conclave of Rome that the Indians have brought more of the Spaniards to worship their gold then ever the Spaniards have brought of the Indians to worship their gods The former have made more infidels then ever the latter made Christians The mercies that God gives to our bodies are but baits that are laid to catch our souls He tries the vessel with water that he may fill it with wine Every stream leads a beleever Fideles singuli beneficio aliquo accepto oculos mox animosque sursium ferunt ac benefactori gratias agunt Sibel con 8. in to the fountains head The more Gods hand is enlarged in blessing of him the more his heart is enlivened in the blessing of God Where the sun of mercy shines hottest there the fruits of grace grow fastest In the book of nature we may view the God of nature The creatures are like an Instrument ready tuned to praise God but it 's a beleevers hand that must make Musicke upon them A Saint as he hath a heart to seek God for what he promiseth so he hath a hand to serve God with what he possesseth The greater wages he receives the better work he performs The more a Merchant adventures at Sea the greater returns he expects at Land They that hold the largest Farms they should pay the greatest Rents the tallest Vines should ever yield the sweetest grapes and it is sad that ever that should prove a true prediction Qui majores terras possident minores sensus solvunt that they who have the largest crops should send into Gods house the fewest Tythes There is a retaliation of good for evill this is admirable of evill for good this is abominable of good for good this is laudible of evill for evill this is blameable The Aprill showers that makes the grasse grow and the flowers sweet do likewise cause many croaking frogs to come forth Those Rivers that receive their rise from the Sea return their waters back again into the lap of the Ocean All you have is derived from God let all you have be returned to God Gen. 38. 28 29. And it came to passe when she travelled that the one put out his hand and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread saying this came out first and it came to passe as he drew back his hand that behold his brother came out Beloved we have not longer enjoyed our blessings then we have abused our blessings which gives us cause to fear though the child of mercy hath put out his hand yet it will goe back into the womb again and the child of judgment will come Ingratitudo est ventus urenssiccans fontem pietatis rorem misericordiae fluema gratiae Ber. Ser. 51 super Cont. forth in its stead 'T is a divine saying of devout Bernard That ingratitude is a parching wind which dries up the spring of bounty the dew of mercy and the current of clemency Man he was made the last of all the Creatures that he might contemplate the rest of all the creatures When you lift up your eyes towards the heavens and see them hung with lights O think if there be so much beauty in the Suburbs what is there in the City what 's the footstoole which he makes to the Throne on which he sits when you see the evening starres that are in the skies think of that morning Star that is in your hearts When you sit down to your dishes let this be the first of your messes how happy are all the kindred of Christ that shall eat bread in the kingdome of Christ Those are the rarest feasts where there are the Royallest guests When you see the fowls of the aire how swiftly they glide through the yielding elements and the waters in the river hasting to their Originall Ocean O then think with how much speed the little rivers of opportunity are posting to the great Sea of eternity When thou art cloathing of thy body with variety reflect how the eternall word put on the suit of thy humanity how mercy undrest it self to cover thee with its garments When you are casting off your cloaths think of the putting off your Tabernacles be going to your beds as if you were going to your graves and so close your eyes in one world as you would open them in another when you are creeping between the sheets then think of your winding sheet When you view the plants that are in your orchards then think of the plants that are in Christs Orchard It 's not more delightsome to see plants bearing of fruits to us then it is to see Saints bearing of fruits to him When thou beholdest the stately buildings the shady groves the Cristal brooks the pleasant meddows of wicked men then think with thy self if sinners goes away with such large messes what shall be the Benjamin's portion If the children of the concubines have so great a gift what shall be the inheritance of the children of promise if the dogs fair so well under the Table how are the children feasted that sit at the Table Give me that eye that can see God in all and that hand that can serve God with all That 's the thirteenth 14. Principle that we are to walk by is this That we are to speak well of God whatsoever ill we bear from God The mud whilst the water is quiet lyes at the bottome but when it is stirred creeps up to the top Every Cock-boate can swim in a shallow River but it must be a strong Vessel that ploughs the curled ocean Job nihil attendens proprium solam domini respicit et commemorat voluntatem talem suae gratiarum actioni terminum ponens sit nomen domin benedictum Titeiman in loc The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away and blessed be the name of the Lord Job 1. 21. He gives before he takes and he takes but what he gives The hourglasse of outward happiness is soon run out to day Job is the richest man in all the east to morrow Job is the poorest man in all the world yet his heart was like a fruitfull Paradise when his estate was like a barren wildernesse though God burnt up his out-house yet he left him his pallace standing Outward mercies they are like the Sea that have their flowing tides and their ebbing waters or like the skie that sometimes is full of clearness and at another time is