sprout at length they grow to a Wood and thicket which cannot by any strength or force in us be rooted up However we must not dispaire but know that custome may be weak n'd by another which is better and our Crowne will be the more precious and sweet unto us the harder our fight is with our sins and infirmities and we may promise to our selves the victory if we sight under Gods shield if desiring to be conquerors we grapple with our vices and begge of God in our prayers to help and assist our weakness Let but Mâ—ses strike the waves of the Sea with his Rod God will take care for the rest and Israell shall pass safely over Ex. 14. when the Aegyptians shall be drown'd The Amorâ—â—e and the Canaanite shall be driven out of our coast if we do but inure our selves to fight and often skirmish with our enemies Sit still we may noâ— in sloath and Idleness Iob 7. The life of man upon earth is a warfare sayes Iob let no man trust himselfe for none has a more dangerous and treacherous enemy then himselfe with whom to make a truce is not very safe Neither can it be secure for us to lay downe our weapons and shut them up in our Armories untill we put off our flesh and lay that up in our Graves He that has a desire to get the victory over his Adversaries must perpetually watch and sleep in his Armes Saint Cyprian sayes excellently to this purpose It is the greatest pleasure to a man to have overcome his pleasures neither can there be a greater and more noble victory then that which we obtaine over our lusts and affections for he that overcomes his enemy is indeed the stronger but this is in respect of another but he that overcomes his lust is stronger then himselfe in that he overpowers his owne weakness The Musitian never leaves handling his Jarring strings untill he has reduc'd them to an harmonious concord And a man predestin'd to salvation never ceases to allay the tumults and reconcile the differences between Reason and his affections till he compose the quarrell in a religious peace If we may beleeve Plato our body is as it were an Harp our Reason the Harper or Musitian who now playes upon these strings anon upon those sometimes it has to do vvith the eyes sometimes with the Tongue in proposing certaine Lawes and prescriptions to both now it stops the cares then it binds the hands and is still employed in managing and ordering the senses sometimes an affection of Luxury begins to rise this is presently suppress'd by casting upon it the bridle of Chastity At other times an affection of impatiency does start up and swell like a blister or bile Reason lets not this alone but launces it and le ts out the corruption Saint Paul was a skillfull Musitian as appeares by that confession of his 1 Cor. 9. I chastise my body and bring it into subjection And thus Gods elect ones are principally employed in tuning their Instruments in winding up or letting down the pins Now they strive with their Anger then reprehend Envy now they stir up and awaken their drowsinesse by and by they bridle their Laughter and wantonnesse and if griefe be predominant they mitigate it with lenitives with the comforts that do spring and arise from Gods promises and the consideration of his providence With the forenam'd and like strings of passion Reason like a good Artist is ever busied remitting some and intending others till all at length they become harmonious free from debate and dissention Those that are mark'd for heaven Gods chosen people never give way to their loose affections They are the greatest Admirers of other mens vertues and the hardest Censurers of their owne infirmities and ever shew the least pity to themselves for if upon a privy search and enquiry into their owne bosomes they find any unlawfull desire or any lust that domineers in their brests they presently sentence it to death and Crucifie it This therefore is a signe that we are predestin'd to eternall life if we crucifie the flesh with its imbred vices and lusts They that do this belong to Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be ascribed as is most due all Glory and Honour from this time forth and for ever more Amen SYMBOLVM XII Moderatio affectuum Sub te erit appetitus eius et tu dominaberis illiut Genes 4. AN APPENDIX To the twelve Signes of PREDESTINATION Concerning the paucity or small number of those that are predestinated to salvation SAint BERNARD shall put an end to the former discourse Ser. 2. de Oct Pasel who sayes the Lord knowes who are his and he only knowes whom he hath chosen from the beginning of the World But what man is there that knoweth whether he deferves love or hatred Therefore if it be certaine that a man in regard of his daily infirmities cannot be alwayes certaine of his Salvation who then will not be much delighted when one shall offer to his consideration the signes of Election And what rest can our Spirits find in themselves untill we have gotten some sure testimonies that we are predestinated to eternall joyes Faithfull and true is the word most worthy of all acceptation which commends unto us infallible testimonies and pledges of our salvation In this word indeed there is ministred comfort to the Efect and all manner of excuse is taken from the reprobate For when the signes and markes of our predestination are discovered he that neglects them is manifestly convinced that he disregards the state of his Soule and makes nothing of Heaven the Land of the living By right such a man ought to blame none but himselfe who will not understand nor be saved God has not by a blind Chance predestined these to Heaven and those to Hell knowne unto the Lord are his workes from the beginning of the world Act. 15. Prosp Resp 3. ad Object Gal. And Prosper saies That good men are not necessitated to perish because they are not predestinated but therefore not predestinated to life because God foresaw that by their wicked deeds they would deserve death Li. 1. ad simplic St. August consents with Prosper in this God saies he did not hate Esau as a man but as a man full of sin or as a notorious Sinner For God hates nothing in man but sin he saies also in another place thus It is sin alone that obstructs our way and stops our passage to Heaven We all hasten and post to one end or marke and there be divers paths and maine wayes in which we move and run to that end and many perish in their race The way that leads to life is narrow and thorny The way of perdition is spred with Roses soft and easie it is a descent into pleasant valleyes whereas the other is climbing up of high and rugged Mountaines Truth it selfe or Christ who is the
come to these reverend and holy mysteries and that the seldomer we come we shall tast and find a greater sweetnesse in them At other times hee proposes to us the example of others who seldome communicate and yet are thought good Christians Againe sometimes hee stires up his Instruments to vex and disquiet us with opprobrious speeches that so he may prevent and hinder â—s sometime he presseth our thoughts with the lumber of worldly businesse or troubles our heads with vaine and wandring thoughts and afflicts our hearts with the anguishes and terrors of a guilty Conscience if all these will not doe then he stirres up in us strife and hatred against our friends and Neighbours by all which meanes he detaines our soules from all love and affections to Goâ— and holy duties and makes our prepararion to the Sacrament hard and difficult and full of paine and vexation Some he deceives thus hee perswades out of a pretence or shew of Religion to deferre that which they know ought not to be omitted Thus this Grand Impostor being of a Serpentine nature winds and turnes himseife into divers shapes and trickes sets upon us with his cunning wilds and delusions And hence it is that delay followes upon delay and one good purpose and resolution upon the neck of another whilst wee deferre from day to day from weeke to weeke nay from yeare to yeare to come to Christ in this heavenly Supper nay which argues our wickednesse and sinfull corruption we seldome come to this banquet but when we are driven and forc'd to it by the Lawes compultion We find Recorded Luk 14. that a certaine man made a great Supper and bad many Verse 16 and sent at supper-time his Servant to say to them that were bidden Come for all things now are ready And they all with one mind began to make excuse One said hee had bought a farme another Oxen a third reply'd that he had maried a Wife No man is at leisure when he is to come to Christ who is lively represented in the supper of the Eucharist To pretend the care of Wife and Family is an excuse that carries with it some plausibility yet indeed it is attenced with great folly shall we not for one houre lay aside all worldly thoughts and distempering cares the care of our Farmes Oxen and Wives and what else is deare and precious to us that so we may the better imploy our selves in the study and performance of those things which concerne the eternall good and welfare of our soules If wee were call'd to plow or to some such toylesome worke there would be some reason for it if wee should choose rather to sleepe then digge but being invited to sit down at a feast with Christ where wee have none other food but his owne body and blood to withdraw our selves from this banquet to shunne this Feast is certainely a signe of an impudent madnesse If wee did fly from an angry God wee should shew that we descend from Adams race and lineage Gen. 3. but to flye from an appeased and mercifull God from a God that invites us with all love and sweetnesse to his Table adornd vvith heavenly dainties to turne from so good a God is the property not of men but beasts But that our excuses may not vvant their varnish and colours vve do not palliate and cover our faulty Idlenesse vvith filthy and illegall pretences vve pretend not our Thefts nor the foulenesse of our Adulteries to be the cause of our abstaining from this heavenly Feast but our excuse is fram'd and built upon colourable and honest things For it is no sinne to marry nor to take care for ones Family to buy Cattle and purchase Land is a point of good Husbandry But I pray tell mee what good will all these things doe thee what profit wilt thou reape by them if in cleaving to these thou loosest God thy chiefest good and endangerest thy salvation Wee must take care when we pamper the body that we starve not the soule and he that purchases a Farme or buyes a field with the losse of heaven is a worse foole then he was of whom we read in the Gospell who cared more for a full Barne then hee did for God When wee are Invited to dine or sup with some great man we lay aside all businesse for that time and whilest wee converse with God the King of Heaven and Lord of the Angells at this supper of the holy Eucharist Farmes and Oxen and Wife are to be neglected all businesse and worldly cares are to bee silenc'd and suppressed yet we often times proceed to that impudent bouldnesse that we feare not to say wee cannot come we should speake more truly in saying wee will not so long as we persever in this bold Impudence can vve hope to purchase Gods favour or tast the sweet of his goodnesse Ah wretched soules miserable men that wee are hurtfull to none more then our selves vvee freeze with could and yet shun the fire sick vve are and contemne him that can cure us and the more need vve have of a Physition by so much the lesse vvee feele and are sensible of our malady and sicknesse Wee loath svveet Manna and hunt after stinking Onyons Exod. 16. God in times past commanded the Israelits to gather Manna every day but to rest on the Sabbath And vvee God be praised have our Manna far more precious then that of the Israelites We have the vvord and his Sacraments this Manna vvee may freely use so long as vvee have breath in our Nostrills before death surprise us and our soules be translated to enjoy an eternall Sabbath vvith God and his holy Angells But poore deceived Wretches vvee follow our first Fathers steppes Adam sayes Gerson would not when he might eat of the Tree of life justly therefore was he punished afterwards he could not when he would even so wee whilst wee may will not accept of mercies and herein we betray our proud and contumatious Arrogancy wee post and fly with all hast to rich mens Feasts but wee are hardly drawne and that seldome to the Table of Christ wee are not more drousie and lesse active in any one thing then in that which is the maine even our soules salvation In other matters wee shew an active agility in this only a senseles and dull stupidity which that God Almighty may correct and amend in us he sends us to the Ant an example of Industry and diligence Prov. 6. Go to the Ant thou stuggard Behould her wayes and be wise She by the very guidance and Instinct of Nature knowing that food is not to be got in Winter gathers her food in Harvest and prepares her meat in Summer Thus ought we to doe with more care and circumspection of thoughts out of a religious providence and prospection to our soules good should provide in the Summer of our flourishing youth in the Harvest of this life that vâ—â—t cum that
spirituall food which may bestead and comfort us in the Autumne of our old Age and in the could winter of Death Christ Commends unto us this Immortall food Jo. 6.51 where he sayes He that eateth of this Bread shall live for ever This bread is his body crucified upon the Crosse He that feeds on this bread by the mouth of Faith applying to his soule for pardon of his sinnes the merit of his Saviours death and passion that man shall never see death shall escape damnation And they that are predestinated to Eternall life doe labour for this heavenly and soule quickning food more then the Glutton does for delicacyes whose Belly is his God Christ when hee gave us this vitall bread this precious morsell charging us to communicate oft when he said Doe this c. intended not it should be slighted with a prophane neglect Our ordinary food our daily repast keepes the body in life and strength which otherwise by meanes of our naturall heat would be impay'rd and presently consum'd No lesse but rather greater vertue is in this blessed Sacrament of Christs body and blood by meanes of it the life of our soule is preserved which otherwise would be wasted by that devouring heat of our impure lust and concupisence which rages in the best Therefore Innocentius his Counsell may here take place We must beware sayes he least by dâ—â—e ring too long to receive the blessed Sacrament the food of life we incurre the hazard of eternall Death St. Hilary gives us the same advice Let us feare seast being abstracted or separated from the body of Christ i e. never communicating with the faithfull in the holy Eucharist we be hereafter severd and banishd from God our Saviour we that never cease to sin should never cease to partake of the holy Communion But this is our malady this one thing is our chiefe let and impediment Rather then wee will cease to sin wee forbeare to come to the blessed Communion We had rather desert this heavenly Table then shake hands and bid adew to our petulant wickednesse wee are unwilling to be led sweetly as it were by the hand from our pollutions and impurity to an holy conversation and practise of piety Wee beleeved once the lying Serpent perswading us that we shall be Gods but we give no credence no beliefe to God assuring us that if we frequent this caelestiall banquet Wee shall be converted and changed into his divine nature through the Sanctification of his blessed Spirit Consider what Christ promiseth He that eateh my flesh and drinketh my blood Joh. 6.56 dwelleth in mee and J in him Wee heare Christ promising but we do not readily beleeve him Christ commands us to doe this in memory of his death and Passion upon the Crosse And no doubt his will is that we often do this We conceive that his praecept is equall and just but we contrary to what Christ intended will not perswade our selves that this Commemoration is often to be celebrated All the ancient holy Fathers advise us in their writings to come often to this feast Their Counsaile does not displease us but our Corrupt and vitious custome prevaile with us All the holy Martyrs and Confessors in the Primitive times have shind before us in their Godly example inviting us to the practise of those Saint-like and Religious duties The light of their piety shines in our eyes but we will not conforme our selves to them by a Godly imitation of their vertues But to discover farther the corrupt perversenesse of our natures let us put case That as oft as A man received the Communion he were to receive withall a thousand Crownes If this condition were annexed to his duty there were no need of any Rhethoricall expressions to allure him those Arguments dressed in Gold would command his obedience by a sweet force and unresistable violence On these termes of conjuring we should rather want a staffe to keepe the rude multitude off then a goade to prick them on Oh the blindenesse of man we cannot see Gold but our affections are inflam'd with a love and desire of it because wee consider not that mine that rich treasure which is wrapped up and onteinedhidden in the blessed Sacrament therefore it is by us entertaind with neglect and vilified That vast masse of Gold in both Indies compard with this unvaluable Jewell is but dirt and mudde It is beyond the pitch of the sublimest understanding to set upon it a true value and estimation For by vertue of this holy Eucharist or Christs body and blood crucified represented to us in it our sins past of what nature or degree so ever are blotted out of Gods booke sins to come are prevented the strength of our imbred vitious corruptions is weakned our understanding is enlightned Our will and affections stirred up and incited to the desire and love of God and goodnesse our conscience is cleard being disburthened of its heavy load And by meanes of it we are furnished with spirituall Armature against the Devill It corroborates our Spirits that we faint not in adversity It sustaines and supports our natures that wee fall not in prosperity It confirmes us in the way of Godlinesse with constancy and patience Lastly by the holy Eucharist we receive a pledge of future glory and by it we get a rich purchase the contempt of death and desire of heaven the moderation of affections and loathing of our vices and a love of vertues the victory over our selves and perseverance in good workes But one may object I dare not come by reason of my great pollution my thoughts are vaine my heart is uncleane and not wâ—rmd with the love of God therefore I dare not come to the holy Communion This excuse is either bad or to no purpose for the more wicked thou art the lesse is thy accesse to it to bee deferr'd Art thou uncleane come first bewailing thy sins The â—ucharist is a pure and living fountaine it will wash away thy staines Art thou sick come for it is the only medicine and Antidote whereby the maladies and diseases of thy soule may be cured Art thou pinch'd with an holy hunger after righteousnesse Come for the Eucharist is the bread of Angells Is thy Soule benumm'd with a deadly chillnesse with a Lethargy of sin defer not to come for the Eucharist is such a fire such an heavenly flame that will warme thy spirit and enflame it with devotion Do thy spirituall Enemies the Divell or the Flesh molest and vex thee distrust not but come for here is an Armory out of which thou may'st fetch weapons to wound and subdue any of thy Ghostly Adversaries Art thou sad and consumd with wasting griefe Here is Wine that maketh glad the heart of man Desirest thou delicacies certainely there are not better then these which are exhibited in this banquet and cheares the heart of Kings Art thou in love with thy heavenly Country dost thou long after it in thy desires
to heare the word but to remember and practise what we have heard What good will a mans meate doe him if he casts it up so soon as ever t is sent to his stomack The Mother of our Lord the Virgin Mary is highly commended as for many other vertues so chiefly for this Luk. 2.19 that she kept all the words of the Angell in her heart J have hid thy word within my heart that I might not sin against thee sayes David They are compard in the Gospell to good ground vvho hearing the vvord of God retaine it in a good and Luk 8. honest heart and bring forth fruit with patience for indeed as to read and not understand so to heare and not retaine in memory vvhat vve heare is vaine and fruitlesse and savours of great negligence We ascribe folly and madnesse to that Painter vvho having dravvn vvith great paines and much cost a curious Picture in Colours shall aftervvards dash it and vvipe it out vvith his sponge So unseemly is it for a Christian to heare and bury vvhat he has heard in the grave of Oblivion Therefore let every one of us endeavour so to remember that our memory be not dull and drowsie but Active and strong in its commands to doe that which wee have lok'd up in our memory the treasurie of the head If yee know these things happy shall ye be if ye doe them Ioh. 13. No man went to heaven ever for his knowledg but for practise And he that refuses to know what he ought to doe will never execute or performe his duty The holy Scriptures are the pure and living fountain of saving knowledg And although divers draw Waters out of this fountaine not once or twice but many times without intermission yet it can never be drawn dry there will be Water still even Water of Comfort to refresh every thirsty Soule Such is the quality and condition of this rich Mine that the deeper you dig and dive into it it vvil afford the more profound mysteries concerning God and our salvation The holy Scriptures are a spring of ever-living Water affording to the weary Soule inward refreshings and heavenly consolations Now as the Ant gathers her food in summer to sustain her in the hard Winter so a good Christian whose heart burns with the fire of devotion in the time of peace gets a stock out of Gods Word on which hâ—e feeds in the dayes of Tribulation It is manifest by dayly experience that the contemners of the Word have been and are so punishd by God that they themselves and others seeing and feeling Gods heavy Judgement for this sin have accknovvledged and confessed his Justice It is Gods will and pleasure we should submit our selves so farr as to be willing to be taught one by another King David vvas a most wise Prince in many things the holy Ghost was his instructer he knevv full vvell that Adultery and murder vvere forbidden in the vvord yet he never repented of these sinns until he vvas quickned and stirred up by Nnthans instructions Christ had prcached to Paul out of heaven when he repressed his raging cruelty with this reprehension Saul Saul why persccutest thou mee Notwitstanding this Christ sent Ananias to instruct him in the way to heaven Act 8. The Angell told Cornelius that God had accopted his Prayers and Almes and with all sent Peter from Joppa to informe his understanding when the Eunuch was sitting in his Chariot and reading the Prophet Jsaiah An Angel was not sent from God to be his Master but Philip. Moses whom a man may justly term Gods Secretary who was privy to his secret Councells yet as if he had beene a Child without knowledge he was taught and that with sharp and bitter speeches by his Father in Law a stranger how to Govern the people in peace and without all danger Christ himself vvho is the eternall Wisdome of his Father did sit in the midst of the Doctors Learning and asking them Questions There is no Sex on State no condition or calling exempted by God from hearing of Sermons But thirdly thou maist object and say I am one of the learned I shall heare no new thing I know before hand what the Preacher will deliver in his Sermon Here we may discover the pride of humane nature which is skilfull and witty to deceive it self But let me move to such a man this question who was ever so old and learned who was not ignorant of many things might be further in structed But suppose thy self to be a man furnished with all kind of knowledg and to excell all men so farr in understanding that thou canst not come home more learn'd from a Sermon But what say you to the will and memory may not it bee mov'd this stirred up and quickned Does not that sometimes need to be reformed this to be confirm'd and strengthen'd Nothing so easy as for the memory to be deceav'd and for the will to run into mistakes and errors embracing evill for good and shunning good for evill unlesse both memory and vvill be supported by daily helps vvhereby the former may be made firm and the other freed from erroneous conceits that so vve may serve God sincerely in all holines and righteousnesse Therefore it is not only profitable but also necessary for all men to frequent the Church and to heare Sermons The wicked have need of preaching that they may be corrected and their lives amended The good and Godly that they be not corrupted the Ignorant that they may be taught the learned that they may be admonish'd that they may learne some new thing or recollect in their memories old things which they have formerly learnd A wise man will heare and encrease in Wisedom and the eare of the wise seeketh learning That Herod who was so famous for his wicked impiety yet he was not so barbarous and foolish but that he would heare Iohn Baptist his Court Chaplain joyfully and willingly and when hee had heard him do many things gladly In this Herod there was not only a willingness to heare but also a long and unwearied patience for he could not have done many things according to Saint Johns praescriptions unless he had heard him oftentimes concerning divers and many particulars Neither are we to imagine that John the Baptist did only repeat or set downe in a Catalogue and rebuke the Kings vices but to have dealt with him by Reason and Argumentation that so he might not only point at the Tyrants faults but also disswade him from them The adultery of that King and many other hainous crimes such staines could not be wiped out by one or two Sermons each crime required one or more for its purgation A Soule that is hardned in wickedness such was Herods is to be assaulted and shaken with divers batteries Thus did Iohn the Baptist and notwithstanding all this Herod heard him gladly And although Iohn did publikely cast this in his teeth
and openly affirme to his face that it was not lawfull for him to have his Brothers Wife and undoubtedly prov'd this by a continued and long discourse yet Herod heard him willingly Such and so great was Herods desire to heare the Baptist who did not spare the Tyrant did not cover his other sinnes with the Mantle of Silence Saint Luke witnesses as much where he sayes When Herod the Tetrarch was rebuked by him for Herodias his Brother Philips Wife Luk 3.19 and for all the evills which he had done Hence we may inferre that Saint Iohn did freely inveigh against Herods tyranny his many murthers and Tributes which he had coveteously collected and prodigally wasted upon his ungodly Lust yet for all this Herod heard him willingly So great was Herods patience at the rebukes of this Preacher that he was neither offended at his first Sermon which was more vehement neither at the second nor at the third nor at many others that followed but still heard him willingly Saint Iohn never seemd to Herod to have preach'd too often or too long neither was he condemned for his plaine expressions or blam'd for his sharpenesse in his bitter Invectives but Herod heard him gladly and did many things according to the Baptists instructions and if he had but persevered he should have had no cause to complaine of his unhappiness for the Truth was fully revealed unto him which stood him in no stead for want of perseverance Seneca once lamented the want of freedome in declaring the truth in his times Lib. 6. de Ben. I will tell you what great men stand in need of sayes he and what is wanting to those who abound in all worldly pleasures and contents They want a man to tell them the truth See you not sayes he there how a desire of regaining their lost liberty hurries some men into ruine whilest there is noâ— a man to be found who by his disswasions will divert them from posting to destruction But now asâ— that friends so call'd do frequently practise is to flatter and deceivâ— others by their soothing speeches and all for their owne ends and advantage Saint Iohn did not so by Herod but shewed himselfe to be a Monitor of so candid a brest and of so free an expression that to conceale the Truth and to tell a lye was all one to him He therefore daily and hourely sounded this in the Kings eares Herod it is not lawfull for thee it is not lawfull for thee c. where are now those delicate ones men of Itching eares who if they suppose themselves to be struck at but with one little word and that too wrested or not well understood they are ready to fly in the Preachers face and avoyd the Pulpit They are worse in this respect then Herod the parricide and Adusterer who did shun many a sin at the Baptists preaching which â—hey do not but contemne their miâ—â—isters Doctrine and shun their Sermons which might be a mediâ—ine to heale their vices thus did â—ot Herod by Iohn Baptist That man joynes hand with the Devill who is so proud that he thinkes he â—as no need of the hand of an helâ—er And he commends a Scholler â—o be taught by a fool who acknowledges none but himselfe for 〈◊〉 Teacher But whoever he be that â—s so wise in his own conceipt as â—hat he scornes to be taught by any â—ut himself that man shewes that â—he has more pride then wit Neither can there be in him the love of â—ertue in whom there is setled an ungodly hatred and neglect of that â—eavenly Doctrine which if heard with faith and good Attention is able to translate our soules to that â—lace from whence they came Aloaâ—hing to heare the word preached â—s the beginning or first step of our â—eparting from God Neither can â—e be said or thought to love God who rejects those wholesome precepts contained in his word Thâ— touchstone tryes Gold and thâ— thoughts of mens hearts are revealed by the Gospell of Christ Iâ— discovers unto us that we shall be judged not only by our workes buâ— also by our thoughts which if sinfull are breaches of Gods holy Commandements Delight therefore in Gods word heare and keepe it Treasure it up in thy memory and practise it in thâ— life SYMBOLVM VI. Auditio verbi Dei Audiens sapiens sapientior erit Prouerb 15. Embleme VII Almes-deedes And hee gaue euery man comande ment concerning his neighbour Eccle 17. v. 14. The seventh signe That a man is in the number of the elect is a bountifull and free heart shewing it selfe in Almes-deeds and mercy to the afflited This the Author sets out by a Plant which is call'd Tabaccus under it these words out of ECCLESIASTICVS 17.12 God hath given every man a Commandement concerning his Neighbour THis Plant hath many soveraigne vertues it is famous for it's cure of wounds and Vlcers Poverty is the bodyes Vlcer sore and grievous Sin is the Vlcer of the soule far more dangerous Almsdeeds joynd with faith in Christs merits conduce much to the curing both of our Bodyes and Soules Put on sayes Saint Paul as the elect of God bowels of mercy Col. 3. in which words he requires not only the hand of the giver but also the affection Psalm 41. Blessed is the man that considers the poor and needy the Lord shall deliver him in the time of trouble This is ratifyed and confirmed by a Syllogisme taken out of Gods word it is this He that borroweth is servant to the Lender but the rich and allsufficient Lord of Heaven and Earth in and by the poor borroweth of man The conclusion is evident The minor proposition is proved by Salomon Prov. 18. He that hath mercy on the poor lendeth unto the Lord which is the same with this the Lord borroweth of him that takes pitty of a poor man Saint Aug. in one of his Homilies presents Christ unto us thus begging an Almes Give me of that which I have bestowed on thee I desire only mine owne Give and restore I have bin thy benefactor now make mee thy debtor and let me find thee an Vsurer Thou givest to me of thy temporall Goods I will restore to thee eternall I will restore thee to thy self when I shall give my self to thee in glorifying thee hereafter both in soul and body Greg. Naz. Soares as high in a lofty expression Shew thy selfe a God to the distressed imitating Gods mercy for a man resembles the deity in nothing more then in being pitiful to the poor whom God has left and bequeathed to thy care that thou shouldst be to him as a God i. e. Iob. 29. an help and comforter I was a Father to the poor and when I knew not the cause I sought it out diligently I was an Eye to the blind and Feet to the lame So the holy man Job commends to us his charity for our imitation Tobit who was most deare to God sayes thus in
sentenc'd to that place of torments and by vertue of thy merit my nature was sanctified my vvill changed But if it were so as indeed it cannot be that I must choose one of these two either to be happy that thy just will should be frustrated or damned that it might be executed and fullfil'd I proclaime and pronounce to the praise of thy Justice that it were better for me to be damned that so thy will o God may be in me ratified But o eternall goodness I know am perswaded that thou willest not my death because thou therefore vvould'st have thy Son die upon the Cross that I might not dye an eternall death which is a perpetuall banishment from thee the fountaine of all bliss Wherefore I beseech thee deare Father by the merits of the bitter death of thy Son preserve me from the bands of eternall death Behold the wounds behold that blood that precious blood which was shed for me and by which thy Iustice was satisfied who would'st not spare thy Son that I thy poore servant might be redeem'd from destruction O King immortall and of eternall glory do with me novv what thou pleasest and so sanctifie my vvill that it may yeeld it selfe to be govern'd by thee in all things The Issues of thy will shall be sweet and pleasant to me Whatsoever thou willest most gladly will I doe Psal 106. My heart is ready O God my heart is ready Such servants the great Lord of heaven does love who observe their Masters nod with so vigilant an eye that the will of their Lord is their Law and rule by which their lives and Actions are regulated who likewise can with cheer fullness say It is the Lord let him do what he pleases There is nothing better then to feare God nothing sweeter then to take heed to the Commandements of the Lord. Eccl. 23. God delights in those servants who observe his precepts and keepe his commands with all care and diligence Who are ready at his beck to obey and bow when he would have them bend who likewise though most afflicted can in one day cheerefully even a thousand and more times cry and say with heart and voyce God's will be done and let him doe whatsoever he pleases Thus whatsoever these good men will God wills the same for they most constantly and reselutely will not that which they know God wills not but hate and abhorre it By this meanes such holy minded men obtaine what ever they desire because they desire nothing else but this that they may conforme themselves wholly and onely to Gods good will and pleasure They know how true that is which St. Hierome once said when he writ to Paula concerning the death of Blaesilla God is good and all that a good God doth must needs be good Neither doe men who are well minded who have good and holy wills account any thing evill which comes from a good God Are they in health They give thanks for this to their maker Are they rich even in this they acknowledge the vvill of their Lord and praise their loving Father Are they bereav'd of their deare friends by death They lament and bewaile their loss but because they know this to be the good pleasure of their Lord they sustaine and suffer it with a joyfull mind and are contented Is their onely son taken from them This is hard but to be endured because he is taken away by that God from whom he was sent or rather lent Does poverty which is a sore burden lye hard upon them or sickness which is heavier then that does contumely or contempt afflict their patient soules doe whole troopes of Injuries provoke their spirits for all this and in these great extremities they suffer no other speeches to fall from their Tongues but this What the Lord hath pleased so hath he done and it is well done God be praised God be Blessed for it With such sanctified and reformed wills ever subjected to Gods the righteous are settled and staied as it were with an Anchor in the mid'st of many Tempests Stormes and Changes which shake the minds of those that are not built upon Christ who is a strong foundation But the godly relying upon Christ his all sufficient merits and throwing themselves upon God by an entire subjection to his vvord by suffering vvhat he vvills and doing vvhat he commands standing in this holy posture of their soules they expect their last houre the houre of their change and think every misfortune and calamity short and little that shall be seconded vvith an happy state and condition which shall be eternall and never have end SYMBOLVM XI Voluntatis in bonum propensio Inclinaui cor meum ad faciendas justificationes tuas in aeternum propter retributionem Psal 118. Embleme XII Moderation of our passions Thy desire shall be subiect to thine husband and hee shall rule over thee Genesis 3.16 The twelfth signe IS The moderation of our affections set out by a vvell-tuned Lute The vvord or motto annexed to it GEN. 3.16 Thy desire shall be subjest to thine Husband and he shall rule over thee i.e. The sensitive appetite shall be subject to the command of Reason THey that be Christs have crucified their flesh with the vices and lusts thereof Gal. â— So sayes St. Paul Elegantly Saint Bern. commenting upon Christs words inviting us to come unto him He that will come after me let him deny himselfe It is sayes hee as if Christ had said He that desires to enjoy mee let him despise himselfe and he that would do my will must learn to forsake and break his owne We may be wearied in the fight but after victory we shall be crown'd And this is the way to gaine life to die daily to our selves and to mortifie our affections where and in whom they live there reason is dead And therefore holy David prai'd thus unto the Lord. Psal 119. Open mine eyes that I may see the wondrous things of thy law As if he should have said I know o Lord that in thy law are hid and conteined great and sublime mysteries but I am a poore sinfull man cumbred and pressed vvith the burthen of my flesh subject to divers affections and lusts neither am I Ignorant how great is their power and strength they molest my thoughts and blind my understanding Doe thou therefore of thy goodness open my eyes and dispell the mist of error which is spread in my foule by meanes of my affections Concerning these raging passions Seneca sayes not amiss Ep. 85. et 116. It is far more easy to stop their beginnings then to master or rule their violence for as the body that is cast down headlong from an high Tovver has no command of it selfe nor power to resist or stay its selfe before it falls to the ground even so the mind if it has thrown itselfe upon any base passion if it hath yeelded it selfe captive to any untamed