in being righteous as he is righteous that is by casting off the old man which is corrupt thorow deceivable lusts and to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse This casting off and putting on doth teach us that there is in us something that befits us not to retaine if we will be the true Sonnes of God not by reputation amongst men but by imputation in Christ What is to he cast off and what is to be put on is plainely expressed in the Apostles words namely to cast off all deceivable lusts which includeth all things forbidden and to put on righteousnesse which implyeth a spirituall indowment of all heavenly graces among which none is of that singular force vertue and effect as is zealous and hearty prayer in faith unfained which none can effectually make but such as have put on this new man For the old man knoweth not how to pray being clothed with corruption and blinded with the mist of ignorance The new man onely shaped in holinesse knoweth to whom when in whom for what and how to pray all which circumstances are duely to be considered in Prayer and yet none of these doth the naturall man that is the olde man truely apprehend and consequently the lip-labour that he pretendeth to bestow in prayer is not onely not profitable but sinfull To pray unto God with the lips for any corporall benefit and yet to have tâ—e eye of the heart fixed in confidence upon naturall meanes is a kind of spirituall Adultery For what man is he that having a wife outwardly affable using words of love unto him and yet her heart set upon another man will not think her a faithlesse and unchaste wife And is God lesse jealous thinke wee who craveth our hearts when we shall worship him in words and outward shew of works when our Consciences cannot but tell us that we aske that of God which we inwardly believe more probably and possible to be obtained by meanes without him Is not this a fasilfying of our faith and dissembling of our prayers Is not this a manifest breach of the Law that sayes we shall have no other Gods but JEHOVAH As also not to take his Name in vaine as they doe which call upon him with their lips their hearts farre from him God requireth not our prayers because he hath neede of them as a service beneficiall or profitable unto him but because we have need of his graces and blessings and that he loveth us in his beloved Sonne he willeth us to pray unto him for every spirituall and corporall blessing And although it be true that he knowes whereof we have need yet in common reason he that wanteth and disdaines to ask he is not worthy to receive that whereof he hath need And heavily it will befall them who having received so many blessings at Gods hands are no whit the more moved to love him And so many threats for their unbeliefe and ingratitude and yet not moved to feare him Will they not be drawne then from their deceiveable vanities Will they rather then for lesse then an Aple or a messe of Pottage disclaime their Birth-rights and lose that Kingdom and Crowne so dearely purchased for the faithfull Nay were losse of it all it were not so horrible If a man missing the good promised could avoid the danger threatned it would something mittigate the dispairing Conscience and ease the troubled minde If after death there were neither life nor death If a man might have no being nor feele nor endure torment though he had no comfort it were a kinde of ease to the carnall minde that knoweth no other heaven then the profits and pleasures of this life Nor feareth other Hell then the misery penury and afflictions of the same But the case is otherwise They that misse the Kingdome of heaven by not beleeving the promises of God by not praying unto God for direction in the course of their lives may assure themselves though they seeme not yet to beleeve it that there remaines for them and attends them the god of darknesse and the Angel of Horrour and of Torment But possesse thou me my sweet Soveraigne and raigne in my body by obedience to thy Lawes and in my soule by confidence in thy promises Frame my tongue to praise thee my knees to reverence thee my strength to serve thee my desires to covet thee and my heart to love and imbrace thee And as thou hast formed me according to thine Image so frame me according to thy will And as thou hast made me a vessell by the stampe of thy creation to serve thee here on Earth so make me a vessell of Honour by the priviledge of thy grace to serve thee in thy everlasting Kingdom sweet Father I beseech thee Comfortable Sentences for such that are afflicted COme and let us returne unto the Lord for he hath torne and he wâ—ll heale us he hath smitten and he will bind us up Hos 6.1 I know O Lord that thy judgements are right and that thou in faithfulnesse hast afflicted me Psal 119.75 We have had the fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence spall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of our Spirits and live for they verily for a few dayes did chastice us after their owne pleasure but he for our profit that we might be partakâ—rs of hâ—â— holinesse Heb. 29.10 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation make way to escape that yee may be able to beare it 1 Cor. 2.3 For his anger endureth but a moment in his favour is life weeping may endure for a night but joy commeth in the morning Psal 30.5 He will not alwaies chide neither will hâ— keep his anger for ever Psal 103.9 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous least the righteous put forth their hands to iniquity Psal 125.3 For yet a very little while and mine anger shall cease in their destruction Esa 10.25 Come my people enter into thy Chambers and shut the doores about thee hide thy selfe as it were for a little moment untill the indignation be over-past Esay 26.20 For a small moment have I forsaken thee but in great mercies will I gather thee in a little wrath I hid my selfe from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer Esay 54.7 8. For I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwaies wroth for the Spirit should faile before me and the Soules which I have made Esay 57.16 For I am mercifull saith the Lord thy redeemer and I will not keepe anger for ever Jer. 3.12 So will I make my fury towards theâ— to rest and my jealousie shall depart froâ— thee and I
failed and fallen their own bosomes would tell them thus but the way how they might be restored never fell into their heathen thoughts This was a worke that God declared onely to his own peculier by the immediate revelation of his Word Will For the manner how God would be worshipped no Naturalist could ever finde it out till he himself gave directions from his sacred Scripture In the first Chapter to the Romans St. Paul grants That they may know God through the visibilities of his works but for their ignorance in this he sayes The wrath of God is revealed against them because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God but turned the glory of the incomparable God to the similitude of the Image of a corruptible man and of birds and of foure-footed beasts and of creeping things And these three things the Scripture teacheth us which else we could never have learned from all the Books in the world Thus we see for Morality nature still is something peart and vigorous But in the things of God it is confirmed that shee is thick sighted and cannot see them Can a Flye comprehend man upon the top of a Monarchy no more can man comprehend God in the height of Omnâ—potencie There are as well misteries for Faith as causes for reasons This may guide me when I have to deale with man but in divine affaires reason shall wait on Faith and submit to her prerogative The Conscience is great but God is farre greater then it Of mans Imperfection .. OF my self what can I doe without the hazzard of erring nay what can I thinke nay what can I not doe or not thinke even my best business and my best vacancy are works of offence and errour uncomfortable constitution of man that canst not but be bad both in action and forbearance corruption mixeth with our purest devotions and not to performe them is neglect When we think not of God at all we are impious and ungratefull when we doe we are not able to think aright Imperfection swaies in all the weake dispatches of the Palsied soul If the Devill be absent our owne fraileties are his tempting Deputies If those forbeare the meritorious world claps our cheeks and fonds us to a cozening faile So which way soever we turne we are sure to be bitten with the one or the other head of this Cerberus To what can we intend our selves wherein there is not a Devill to entrap us If we pray how he casts in wandring thoughts or by our eyes steale away our hearts to some other object then God If we heare he hath the same policie and prejudicates our opinion with the man or part of his doctrine If we read he perswades to let reason judge as well as Faith So measuring by a false rule he would make us beleeve Divinity is much short of what it shewes for If we doe good works he doth poyson them with Pharaisisme and make us by overvaluing lose them If we doe ill he encourages us to a continuance and at last accuses us If nothing we neglect the good we should doe If we sleep he comes in dreames and wantonneth the ill inclining soule If we wake we mispend our time or at best doe good not well So by bad circumstances poyson a well intended principall Even actions of necessitie wee dispatch not without a staine We drinke to excess and the drowning of the braine We eat not to satisfie nature but to overcharge her and to venerate the unbridled spirits As a Mill wheele is continually turnd round and ever drenched with a new streame so are wee alwaies hurried with successions of various sinnes Like Arrowes shot in mighty windes wee wander from the Bow that sent us Sometimes we thinke we doe things well but when they are past we are sensible of the transgression We progress in the waies of vice and are constant in nothing but perpetuall offending You may see the thoughts of the whipping Satyrist how divine they are Nature is motive in the quest of ill Stated in mischiefe all our ablest skill Cannot know right from wrong till wrong be done Fixt nature will to condem'd customs run Vnchangeably who to his sins can set A certaine end when hath he ever met Blushes once from his hardned forehead throwne Who is it sins and is content with one Surely there will not a man be found that is able to answer to these quaeries Their soules have ceeled eyes that can see nothing but perfection in their own labours It is not to any man given absolutely to be absolute I will not be too forward in censuring the workes of others nor will I ever do any that I will not submit to judgement and correction yet so as I will be able to give a reason why I have ordered them as the world sees Of truth and bitternesse in jests JT is not good for a man to be too tart in his jests bitterness is for serious potions not for healths of meeriment and the jollities of a mirthfull feast An offensive man is the Devils bellowes wherewith he blowes up contentions and jarres But among all passages of this nature I find none more galling than an offencive truth for thereby we run into two great errors One is we childe that in a loose laughter which should be grave and savour both of love and pitty So we rub him with a poysoned oyle which spreads the more for being put in such a fleeting suppleness The other is we desend to particulars and by that meanes draw the whole Company to witness his disgrace we break it on The Souldier is not noble that makes himself sport with the wounds of his own Companion Whosoever will jest should be like him that flourishes at a show He may turne his weapon any way but not any more at one then at another In this case things like truth are better then truth it self nor is it lesse ill then unsafe to fling about this wormwood of the braine Some noses are too tender to indure the strength of the smell And though there be many like tiled houses that can admit a falling spark unwarm'd yet some again are covered with such light drye straw that with the east touch they will kindle and flame about your troubled eares and when the house is on fire it is no disputing with how small a matter it came it will quickly proceede to mischief Anger is but a step from rage and that is wildfire which will not be extinguished I know wise men are not too nimble at an injury For as with fire the light stuffe and rubbish kindles sooner then the solid and more compacted so anger sooner inflames a foole then a man composed in his resolutions But we are not sure alwayes to meete discreete ones nor can we hope it while we our selves are otherwise in giving the occasion Fooles are the greater number wise men are like Timber trees in a wood here and there one
will not professe to love a man In adversity how few will shew it that they doe it indeed When we are happy in the spring-tide of abundance and the rising floud of plenty then the world will be our servant then all men will flock about us with bared heads with bended bodies and protesting tongues but when these pleasing waters fall to ebbing when wealth but shifteth to another stand then men looke upon us at a distance and stiffen themselves as if they were in Armour least if they should comply us they should get a wound in the close Adversity is like Penelopes night which undoes all that the day did weave 't is a misery that the knowledge of such a blessednesse as a friend is can hardly be without some sad misfortune for we can never thorowly try him but in the kick of malignant chance and till we have tryed him our knowledge can be called but by the name of hope What a pitifull plight is poore distempered man in when he can neither be happy without a friend nor yet know him to be a true friend without his being unhappy Our fortunes and our selves are things so closely linked that we know not which is the cause of the love that we finde when these two shall part we may then discover to which of them affection will make winge when they are covied together we know not which is in pursuit when they rise and breake we shall then see which is aimed at I confesse he is happy that findes a true friend in extremity but he is happier that findeth not extremity wherein to try his friend Thus the tryall of friendship is by finding what others will doe for us But the tryall of faith is by finding what we will doe for God to trust him for estate when we have the evidence in our Iron Chest is easie and not thankes worthy but to depend upon him for what we cannot see as 't is more hard for man to doe so 't is more acceptable to God if it be done for in that act we make confession of his Deity We know not in the flowes of our contentednesse what we our selves are or how we could neglect our selves to follow God commanding us All men will be Peters in their braging tongues and most men will be Peters in their base denials but few men will be Peters in their quick repentance When we are well we sweare we will not leave him in our greatest sicknesse but when our sicknesse comes we forget our vowes and stay when we meet with blowes that will force us either to let goe our hold of God or our selves then we see to which our soules will cleave the fastest And of this tryall excellent is the use we may make if we finde our faith upon the test firme it will be unto us a perpetuall banquet If we finde it dastardly starting aside knowing the weaknesse we may strive to senew it with a stronger nerve so that it ever is either the assurance of our happinesse or the way whereby we may finde it without this confidence in a power that is able alwaies to aide us we wander both in trouble and doubt Infidelity is the cause of all our woes the ground of all our sins not trusting God we discontent our selves with feares and solicitations and to cure these we run into prohibited paths Unworthy earthen worme that can thinke God of so unable a nature as he will suffer such to want as with a dutifull indeavour doe depend upon him It is not usuall with man to be so base and canst thou beleeve that that most Heroicall and Omnipotent infinitenesse of his will abridge a follower of such poore toyes as the accoutrements of this life are Can a Deity be inhumane or can he that graspes the unemptied provisions of the world in his hands be a niggard to his Sonnes unlesse he sees it for their good and benefit Nay couldest thou that readest this whosoever thou art if thou haddest but a Sereptine Widdowes Cruce of Gold couldest thou let a diligent and affectionate servant that ever waited on thee want necessaries Couldest thou endure to see him shamed in disgracefull raggs nipt to the benumming with the Icie Thumes of Winter complaining for want of sustinance or neglected in time of sickness I appeale to thy inward and more noble acknowledgement I know thou couldst not O perverse thought of perverted man and wilt thou yet imagine thou canst want such things as those from so unbounden a bounty as he is Serve him and but beleeve and upon my soule he will never faile thee for what is most convenient O my God my Refuge my Altar and my soules Anker I begge that I may but serve thee and depend upon thee I need not begge supply To the other two thou givest without asking thou knowest for my selfe my soules wishes are not for a vast abundance If ever I should wish a plenty it should be for my friends not me I care not to abound in abounding and I am perswaded I shall never want nor necessaries nor conveniencies Let me finde a heart dutifull and my faith upon the tryall stedfast and I am sure these will be ground enough for sufficient happiness while I live here Of Censure T Is the easiest part to censure or to contradict a truth for truth is but one and seeming truths are many and few workes are performed without errours No man can write six lines but there may be something one may carpe at if he be disposed to cavill Opinions are as various as false judgement is from every tongue a severall Men thinke by censuring to be accounted wise but in my conceit there is nothing layes forth more of the foole for this you may ever observe they that know least censure most And this I beleeve to be a reason why men of precise lives are often rash in this extravagancy their retirednesse keeps them ignorant in the course of businesse if they weighed the imperfections of humanity they would breath lesse condemnation Ignorance gives disparagement a louder tongue than knowledge does wise men had rather know then tell frequent dispraises are at the best but the faults of uncharitable wit any Clown may see the furrow is but crooked but where is the man that can plough me a straight one The best workes are but a kinde of Messalany the cleanest Corne will not be without some soyle no not after often winnowing there is a tincture of corruption that dyes even all mortality I would wish men in workes of others to examine two things before they judge whether it be more good than ill and whether they themselves could at first have performed it better If it be most good we doe amisse for some errours to condemne the whole who will cast away the whole body of the Beast because it inheld the Guts and Ordure As man is not judged good or bad for one action or the fewest number but as
he is most in generall So in workes we should weigh the generality and according to that censure If it be rather good than ill I thinke he deserves some praise for raising Nature above her ordinary flight Nothing in this world can be framed so intirely perfect but that it shall have in it some delinquencies to argue more were in the compriser if it were not so it were not from Nature but the immediate Deity The next if we had never seene that frame whether or no we thinke we could have mended it To espy the inconveniences of a house built is easie but to lay the plot at first well is matter of more repute and speakes the praise of a good contriver The crooked lines help better to shew the streight Judgement is more certaine by the eye then in the fancy surer in things done then in those that are but in cogitation If we finde our selves able to correct a Copy and not to produce an Originall yet dare to deprave we shew more Criticisme than ability Seeing we should â—ather magnifie him that hath gone beyond us then condemne his worth fâ—â— a few failes Selfe examâ—nation will make our â—udgement charitable 't is from where there is no judgement that the heaviest â—udgement comes If we must needs â—ensure 't is good to doe it as Suitonius writes of the twelve Caesars tell both their vertues and their vices unpartially and leave the upshot to collection of the private minde So shall we learne by hearing of the faults â—o avoyd them and by knowing the â—ertues practise the like Otherwise we should rather praise a man for 〈◊〉 little good then brand him for 〈◊〉 more of ill we are full of faults by nature we are good not without our care and industry Let us never forget but consider with good attention for what intent and purpose God created us and thiâ— world for our sakes and in placing us therein as Lords of the same for nothing made it selfe so nothing was made for it selfe nor to serve it selfe The Heavens we see doe serve the Ayre the Ayre serveth the Earth the Earth serveth the Beasts the Beasts serveth man And then is the question Who man was made to serve for seeing he was not made by himselfe it is not likely he was made to serve himselfe but his Creator who created him and all things else for his use True faith is the ground of things hoped for and the evidence of things that are not seene Prayer is an humble request made unto God in Christ with the lively and feeling affection of the heart faithfully beleeving to receive what we religiously desire Let a man never thinke to come to the Kingdom of glory except he enter in at the gates of grace Where truth is not invested grace is not in the heart A gracious man is lovely to himselfe and sin makes him loathsome to his soule and afraid of his condition Let us use our Profession as it should be not to have an upper Garment to cover a naughty heart but to labour more and more to put off the old Man and not to make Religion a cloke and vaile of Hypocrisie for besides all the sinnes we have to make Religion serve our turnes it makes our sinnes the greater When a mans Religion shall be a cover to his sinfull courses that inâ—reases his sinne and makes his sinnes abhominable A good Conscience is a Casket to keep Divine truths in and when we have gotten soule-saving truths let us keep them by a good Conscience When we doe any thing let us reason thus Is this becomming my Religion And say thus to our selves I should walke worthy of Christ and as it becommeth the Gospell for what is the ornament of a Christian but the graces he hath All the beauty we have is to be religious Many there be that can talke well and discourse well but for inward graces they never looke nor regard and it is this that upholds many Christians they see Religion is respected of those of whom they desire to be had in some esteeme but God sees their Hypocrisie and they shall have their reward What seasons Warre but the hope of Peace The troubles and Tempests at Sea but the hope of the Haven The labour and cost in sowing but the expectation of Harvest Shall not we much more indure a little labour here for endlesse happinesse assured to us hereafter this is much forgot But here is the pitty men labour sweat taking paines and travell here spare no cost and all this to goe to Hell to heape up wrath against the day of wrath The Devill has more servants in his barren and fruitlesse service then God gets with all promises and good things that he so liberally bestowes upon them Observe the good motions of Gods Spirit in thee further them to the most advantage in thee turne them to present practise lose nor delay them not for else the Devill will steale them away from thee If we doe any good the deed is Gods if we will it the will is Gods and then we please God when we will that which God wills and not when we doe that which God wils not Wee ought to bee as thankfull to God for any sinne he keeps us from as for any good he causes us to perform for there is not any sinne that another hath committed but if God had pleased I might have committed it Light is a heavenly quallity So is the Word of God holy pure transforming godly men to its own likeness to be heavenly his bread is from heaven his affections desires thoughts indeavours are heavenly his way is upward he is heavenly minded while he is on earth he is in heaven Light makes a thing ful of Evidence all the world cannot perswade a man contrary to that he sees so doth the Word of God discover to us our estates in grace and so severely as all the world cannot shake the foundation of our Faith Therefore if we desire to be lights let us communicate with the chiefest light As the Sarres are ever in the presence of the Sunne and from his light they receive theirs Be sure thou placest thy selfe in Gods eye continually secondly use the meanes use the glasse of Gods Word thou shalt not onely see thy estate therein but by it thou shalt be transformed into Gods Image other glasses have no such power like this mirrour of the Gospel it makes us like God because it hath the Spirit of God ever to accompany with it whence it is called the Word of light True patience is a fruit and effect of repentance and humiliation for sin True patience is likewise the fruit of Faith True patience is a fruit of our obedience unto God and of a heart subdued and made able to yeeld unto God in all things Yea it is indeed a chiefe part of our obedience unto him Patience perforce as we call it without all reference to the will of God and