Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	day_n	earth_n	let_v	5,301	5	4.4500	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77267	The penitent pilgrim bemoning his sinfull condition. Faith appeares vnto him affording him comfort hope seconds that comfort charity promiseth him in this vaile of missery to cover all his scarlett sins wth: [sic] ye white robe of mercy, & conduct him safly to ye kingdome of glory. By Io: Hall	Brathwaite, Richard, 1588?-1673, attributed name.; Hall, John, 1627-1656, attributed name.; Herdson, Henry, attributed name.; Le Blon, Christof, d. 1665, engraver.	1651 (1651)	Wing B4275aA; ESTC R224400	106,709	434

hope of future happinesse this very promise of long dayes might have brought thee to Obedience But alas this was the lowest of my thoughts the least of my cares I desired in mine Heart to be the Master of an estate before Nature would allow me it I took my portion and went away into a farre Countrey And there I plaid the riotter till I became a miserable Begger Then and never till then did I consider what I had done For by this time had I forgot my Fathers House So long and so sweetly had I been ●ulled in the Lappe of Sin But having now reap'd the fruites of my Disobedience I begun to have a remorse of Conscience and to have some small sensible feeling of repentance But never till such time as I had fed freely of those empty huskes of vanity and found my selfe so miserably poor as if I return'd not back to my Fathers House I might of necessity perish there were no remedy Nay I must to my shame confesse it that such was my disobedience and so crooked my will amidst my greatest necessities that this my aversion from evill and conversion to good rather proceeded from want of meanes then sincerity of will For had my Portion continued the arme of Sin had been nothing shortned And yet had my want brought mee to this naturall consideration as to thinke with my selfe what Parents were What benefits I had received from them how they had done for mee what I could never possibly do for them How Creatures endued onely with sense by a naturall instinct bore that tender love and obedience to their Parents as in their age they foster'd them on their wings they carried them desiring rather that they themselves should perish then their Parents suffer which gave a being unto them But these Considerations onely floated upon the Waters of mine heart they never sunck A naturall pronenesse to obey the Lusts of my Flesh hung such heavy poizes on the Wings of my Obedience as they kept me from mounting desiring rather to dye then wholly to leave my rebellion Thus was I never weary of transgressing till my transgressions became weary of mee Neither was I sensible of what disobedience meant till I was brought to a Consideration of it through want Wo is mee How could I promise to my selfe length of dayes when I had disseised my selfe of that promise by my disobedient wayes How could I be lesse then rejected of my Father in Heaven who had borne my selfe so disobediently to my Father on Earth How could I look for an inheritance falling so desperately into all disobedience O my deare Lord to whom Obedience is better then Sacrifice call mee now home unto thee Let me no longer run on in my rebellious Course Like a Childe that feareth to be beate let mee tremble at thy judgments Like a Child that flyeth into his Fathers lappe let mee kisse thee for thy mercies Correct mee O Lord but not in thine anger for how shall I stand in thy displeasure O I know as there is no Sonne whom a Father will not correct with the rod of his love so is there no Father who has not a desire to deliver his Sonne Correct me O Lord as thou art my Saviour oh let it never be in thine heavy displeasure CHAP. 18. His contempt of the Second in his practising mischiefe against his Neighbour ONe may commit murder and shed no blood The very thoughts of our hearts may become Conspirators against our Neighbour and so wee murder him in our desires Caine slew his brother Abel which made him turne Runnagate by flying from Gods presence O how often have I staine my brother in conceiving cruell thoughts which reflected upon his life fame and substance O how often have I in mine heart wished a sudden end unto mine Enemy And yet I was perswaded hee was not well prepared for death when I wished this unto him so as my desires were bent to murder him both in soule and body by wishing him so sudden and unprepared a death in his departure from the body Yea I will confesse against my selfe and with much bitternesse of heart will I acknowledge it that neither rich nor poore have beene freed from those murdering imaginations which my corrupt heart had secretly nursed For if he were rich I murdered him with Envy And in this act not only him but my selfe Wasting and eating up my owne marrow consuming my owne strength and falling away with a languishing desire of others ruine Againe were he poore I to my power murdered him by holding from him the staffe of bread when I might have relieved him by grating and grinding the face of the needy by oppressing him injuriously by laying heavier burdens on him then hee could beare O how can I remember these and sinke not downe with the horror of them Can I think that just God who heares the Orphans cry and bottles up the Widowes teares will not avenge himselfe of these things Can hee tender his little ones not revenge himselfe of those who make a prey and spoile of his little ones O no my Lord I know my guiltinesse is not hid from thee Nay I know well thou hast thy Bow ready bent and thine Arrowes in thy Quiver to shoot at the malicious and evill doer even at him that is of a subtile and deceitfull heart How then may I make my peace with thee How may I find favour in thy sight what shall I bee able to answer for my selfe against those my many Accusers While here one proves how I sought his life and with many bitter imprecations discovered my malice unto him Another accuseth me with impeaching his good name that precious perfume of every good man The third of his Substance saying that my wishes were often that he might be rest of it or it of him or that I my selfe might enjoy it with the losse of him Thus like a cruell and bloody Nimrod have I hunted for blood And though I did not actually shed it yet in desiring it and not seeking where I might to prevent it I cannot plead lesse then that I am guilty of it Now my fact is so foule that should I with the poore condemned Prisoner demand my Booke I could not hope to have the benefit of it yet there is a Booke wherein I have read what may afford mee much comfort by it At what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sinne from the bottome of his heart I will put away all his wickednesse out of my remembrance saith the Lord. It is the Lord that hath said it even he who as hee is gracious in his promise so is hee faithfull in his performance Hence is my trust that though my sinnes be as red as scarlet the blood of the Lambe will make them white Though my garments bee all red as those who came from Bosro my Saviour has in store a white roabe for me As white as the snow of

said There is no God For hadst thou reteined in thee one thought of God thou wouldest have trembled to have done that which thou hast done against the Majesty of God Nay whereas he has told thee that there is but one God and him shalt thou serve Thou hast made to thy selfe many Gods one to fullfill thy pleasure another to advance thee to honour another for filthy lucre Oh how can I remember this without heavinesse of heart To leave him who gave me beeing To leave him who is my portion without whom I have no beeing O my good God do not leave mee for what am I without thee or what can I do unlesse thou helpe mee All the Gods of the Gentiles are Divels It is thou Lord onely that hast made Heaven Earth Thou onely O Lord art my God Those Gods who have not made Heaven and Earth let them perish from Heaven and Earth let Heaven Earth praise that God who hath made Heaven and Earth CHAP. 14. His breach of the Law touching the second Commandement BRing forth thy golden Calfe thy treasures of Horeb thy Dagon thy Moloc Tell me hast thou not reared these Idols in thine heart These were but made of Gold and Silver these are the Metalls which thou doest honour Where the treasure is there is the heart Oh upon how unworthy a Subject hast thou bestowed it Oh that thou hadst razed those moulten Images those graven Idols too long ingraven in thine heart which thou so unhappily adored Oh that thou had seene into the vanity of this painted Earth What a folly it was for an unthankfull people to set them up a God in the Image of a Calfe that eateth hay And art thou any Wiser in thy generation Of corruptible things hast thou made thy Gods and on those who could not helpe themselves hast thou relyed What daily sacrifices hast thou offered to those moulten Images These kept thee awaking when thou shouldst sleepe These made thee fearefull to Dye These made thy thoughts strangers to thy true God Oh how bitter is death unto him that putteth his trust in his riches O hatefull Idolatry to be so unhappily wealthy as to make a reasonable Soule to do worship unto vanity Gehazi became a foule Leper by making himselfe such an Idolater O my loose thoughts whither do yee hale mee nay to what fearefull conclusions have yee already brought mee Reason told mee besides that weake beamling of grace that darted upon mee that there was nothing in these but vexation of spirit How the love of the Creature took mee off from loving my Creator How bowing to these so hardned my heart as it could finde no knees to bow to heaven O depart from mee yee workers of iniquity yee drawers of mee to Idolatry In you have I found nothing but vanity Vaine in your promises but lighter in your performances Yee and none but yee brought mee to forget God from whom commeth all good and to fight under his Banner who was a profest enemy to the Crosse of my Saviour But alas where shall I turne mee where may I fly for succour in this time of danger I have fled from him who had comfort in store for mee and polluted my Soule with spirituall Idolatry It is best for mee to leave my selfe and to leane on him who gave himselfe for mee My Soule is of too precious a price to be left to such a keeper as will betray her to her enemy for a moments pleasure O my sweet Saviour receive thou mee into thy bosom Decline my affection wholly from adoring these Moulten Images of worldly vanity Let me imprint thee my crucified Iesu in my heart so shall I ascribe all honour to him whom I love best my blessed Redeemer CHAP. 15. His transgressing of the Third in prophaning Gods name VIle Worme filthy dung Sinfull dust darest thou prophane his name at whose voice the Mountaines shall quake tremble at the breath of whose nostrills the high hills shall be melted the mountaines shall be laid levell with the valleyes the whole foundation of the Earth shall shake and be removed And yet unhappy Pilgrim thou feared'st none of these things Thou went'st on in Dishonouring his Name nay in minting new Oaths as if the reprobate had not already found out enow to dishonour his Maker And these thou held'st a great grace to thy discourse For the imaginations of thy deceitfull heart were so set on mischiefe as thou heldst Deepe Oaths the breaths or accents of a brave spirit the strength or sinnews of any discourse This made thee consort and keepe company with the Dames of the time for with this title are they highly pleased to suck from them this profane venom this spawne of the most odious senselesse Sinne that ever the Divell suggested Senselesse indeed For there is no one Sin which either one way or another affords not some vaine delight unto the Sense whereas this Sinne is so senselesse of any such Object as it onely affrights the Conscience Affright yea and worthily may it affright Seeing Gods judgements shall never depart from the Swearers House Stand amazed poor miserable Pilgrim while thou hearest this Put thy selfe in the Ballance and tell mee whether during all these dayes of thine unhappy pilgrimage thou hast not practised this Sin Sometimes in deceiving thy Brother with subtile Contracts binding the value of thy commodities with an Oath to enforce him to beleeve what thy Conscience told thee was not true Sometimes in thy good resolves calling God to witnesse that thou hast fixed thy resolves on this and if God please thou meanest to effect it and thou wer 't perswaded that it would please God that it should be effected meane time thou either weakly failed in what thou intended or else never meant to performe what thou so ceremoniously vowed Againe how earnestly hast thou sworne and herein taken his blessed name highly in vaine that thou wouldst not sleepe till thou hadst revenged thy selfe of thine Enemy And far more constant wer't thou in pursuit of this ill then in performing ought that was good How deepely hast thou vowed to procure thy pleasure which enjoyed how carelesly were thy vowes regarded with what coldnesse rendred Thou hast read how such prophane Transgressors as these should be taken away from the presence of God never to see his face And yet for all this wouldst not thou lose the glory inglorious glory of one Oath for the forfeit of such a prize Not one part or Member of thy glorious Maker thy sweet Saviour but must bee piece meale rent torn divided to have thine hatefull humour satisfied That precious Head that was with thornes crown'd must bee affresh pierced That precious Side which was with a Speare pierced must be againe wounded Those broad-spreading Armes so cruelly racked Those pure Hands so pittifully nailed must be anew opened Those humble Feet which were so unmercifully bored must be againe pounced Every wound must be revived

task was wearisome to thee and thy mind was elsewhere wandring and would not stay with thee and canst thou now thinke that so rich a kingdom would keep it selfe for thee when thou wouldst neither knock that it might be opened to thee nor seeke that it might be found of thee Health thou know'st well commeth not from the clouds without seeking nor wealth from the clods without digging And yet Heaven must be got without knocking or seeking But great prizes are not to bee so purchased For as Heavens Gate is straite and few there be that enter so are our tribulations to be many that we may be of that few that shall enter But I heare thee now cry out as one that had some sense of his sinne and of the losse hee has incurred by sinne Woe is mee I cannot looke upon this Earth I tread on without blushing nor can I thinke upon Death without sorrowing nor the day Iudgement without trembling nor of Hell without shaking nor of the joyes of Heaven without astonishing For Earth I loved it so well and well might I blush at my selfe for for bestowing my love so ill as the remembrance of Death became sorrowfull For by it I understood how I was to be brought to Iudgement of all others most fearefull and from thence as having nothing to answer in mine owne defence I was to bee haled to Hell a place dismall and dolefull And consequently to forfeit all my title and interest in Heaven which could not chuse but astonish mee being a place so joyfull This I like well in thee for this knowledge of thine infirmity may bring thee to look for remedy and by degrees to find recovery Ioyne then with mee and offer up thy prayer to the Throne of grace that He in his mercy would looke upon thee Gracious God though I bee altogether unworthy to lift up mine eyes unto heaven or to offer up my prayers unto thee much lesse to be heard by thee yet for his merits and mercies sake who sitteth at thy right hand and maketh intercession for me reserve a place in thine heavenly Kingdome for mee Deare Lord in thine House are many Mansions O bring me thither that I may joyne my voyce with those voyces of the Angels and sing prayses to thee who sittest in the highest Heavens for ever CHAP. 70. With the Remembrance of these Hee becomes afflicted in Spirit O But yet I find my soule like dry ground where no water is wheresoever I turne mee I find affliction and misery on all sides encompassing mee O what shall I doe where shall I fly to For behold while I take my selfe aside from the world into some with-drawing roome purposely to forget the world and prepare my selfe for the joyes of a better life while I say I beginne to commune with my owne thoughts in the secret Chamber of mine heart I become so affrighted with the representment of those foure last Remembrances as I wholly forget what I intended to speake my tongue beginnes to cleave to the roofe of my mouth my spatle is dryed within mee those active faculties of my soule leave mee and mine understanding departeth from mee O Death Death How bitter is the remembrance of thee O how mee thinkes thou summons mee and like a surly Guest breakest in upon mee nay uninvited resolvest to lodge with mee And presently I feele my selfe wounded and so mortally as not to be cured O how my divine eye-sight now darkneth my painting breast beateth my hoarse throat rutleth how my teeth by little and little grow black and draw to them a kind of rust how my countenance growes pale and all my members stiffe how every sense and faculty failes how my wasted body threatneth a speedy dissolution yet desires my poore soule to bee a Guest still though there be cold comfort to bee found in such a forlorne Inne but what are all these terrors of Death to that fearefull day of Iudgement when at the sound of the Trumpe all flesh shall rise where none may be exempted but all judged O me Death is nothing unto this For what comparison betwixt a Death temporall and eternall And such shall be the sentence of every Reprobate amongst which I the chiefe O how terrible will that great Iudge appeare to such as in this life would neither be allured by his promises nor awakened with his judgements O how dolefully will that voyce sound in their eare Depart from me I know you not And how ready will that officious Iaylor bee upon the delivery of this heavie sentence to hale them to utter darkenesse a place of endlesse torments where the cursings and howlings of Fiends and Furies shall entertaine their melodious care ougly and hideous sights shall entertaine their lascivious eye loathsome stenches their delicious smell sulphur and brimstone their luscious taste graspings and embracings of snakes their amorous touch Anguish and horror every sense where those miserable damned soules shall be tormented both in their flesh and spirit In their flesh by fire ever burning and never decaying and in their spirit by the worme of Conscience ever gnawing and never dying where there shall bee griefe intolerable feare horrible filth incomparable death both of soule and body without hope of pardon or mercy And now to cloze with the last the losse whereof exceeds our sufferings in all the rest O to consider how I unhappy I have not onely got Hell the Lake of horror and misery but lost Heaven the place of endlesse joy and felicity O what heart can consider it and not resolve it selfe into a Sea of teares in contemplation of it For what may the wretched soule thinke when she lifteth up the beames of her mind and beholdeth the glory of those immortall riches and withall considereth how shee has lost all those for the poverty of this life O how can shee bee lesse then confounded with anguish how can shee doe lesse then rore forth in the affliction of her Spirit Againe when shee shall cast her eyes below her and take a full view of the vale of this world and perceive how it was but as a mist and presently looking above her admires the beauty of that eternall light shee presently concludeth that it was nothing else but night and darkenesse which shee here loved O how shee fainteth faltereth and fruitlesly desireth that shee might but have some small remainder of time allotted her what a sharpe course what a severe manner of conversation would shee take upon her what and how great promises would be made by her with what strict bonds of devotion would shee seemingly tye her But this must not bee granted her as shee had her full of pleasures here so must shee now bee tormented for ever O how my Spirit with the remembrance of these becomes afflicted O who will heale mee for I am wounded O my gracious and deare Lord out of thy boundlesse compassion looke upon my grievous affliction Keepe not

they are held but tricks of youth But hee could cry forth in the anguish of his spirit I have had a desire to perish O Lord I have had a desire to perish O how the sense of sinne makes the least seeming sinne appeare heavy O what may I thinke of my selfe who have gloried in these things A graine of sand though it bee light yet much sand laid together will presse us And a drop of water though it be light yet many waters gathered together may drowne us O what heapes of sinnes and those no small sands have I raised with those Giants as if they had beene Mounts to menace heaven So I might cunningly make a prey of the poore and colour my sinne with faire pretences I had mine end farther I sought not It was the eyes of men that I feared I tooke no compassion of others misery neither were mine eyes on him who is the Avenger of the poore and needy I perceived likewise in these Tents of Kedar where I was too long a Sojourner how there were other thefts and of an higher nature being such as stept up boldly to the Altar And these were Symoniacall Contracts and I understood how no thefts were like these holy thefts for gaine nor yet detected of lesse guilt Conscience was made a thing of equivocation Rich Donations according to their name seem'd to be given but they were sold and that so cunningly as if the Conscience had beene as senselesse of sin as Man was of himselfe it might have past with impunity And in the perusall of these mee thought I could have brookt well to have beene sharer but in these I was no actuall offender though much against my will for I was no impropriator In impairing likewise the fruits and offerings of the Church I had a desire to have an hand albeit I knew this to be taxed for a great offence by the Prophet and such as God did highly hate Will any man saith he rob God yet ye have robbed me but yee say wherein have wee robbed thee In tithes and offerings Whence hee straitly chargeth them to bring all manner of tithes unto his store-house that there may bee meat in his house By this I understood that there was a Snare to the Man who devoured that which was holy Yet while the Snare was in readinesse I went on in my wickednesse When I saw a Thiefe I run with him nay before hee practised that trade I could tell him that as to digge would bee a toile and to beg a shame so to take where opportunity gave way would shew a brave spirit Thus was it not sufficient for mee to perish alone without drawing others into the same ginne My life became their line which being crooked brought them to as untimely an end Thus did I see and seeing fall and falling bring others to bee sharers in my fall O my gracious Redeemer as thou lookt with the eye of pitty upon the good Thiefe as thou rewarded his late conversion and short confession with the promise of a Paradise a place of endlesse consolation vouchsafe to cast thine eye upon mee and save mee The Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence let it be my holy theft to lay hand upon it to suffer all things for it that as thou sufferedst all torments to procure me it so I by suffering with thee and for thee may enjoy thee in it CHAP. 21. His breach of the Fifth in suppressing testimonies to witnesse a truth or suborning witnesses to maintaine an untruth NEver was there sinne of higher quality that admitted more impunity Wheras I might have performed an office of Christian charity in giving testimony before a Magistrate to settle my Neighbors estate or in clearing his good name or in vindicating his cause from a powerfull injurious Adversary were it in my selfe or any other I have laboured to suppresse the testimony closed with the worser party and so for mine own ends strengthned an injury Or if this failed being so well practised in evill I would not stick to suborne witnesses to maintaine an untruth and by false oathes to suppresse a truth And yet I thought with my selfe who could bee safe if such hatefull Agents could be safe if it were sufficient to accuse who would be found innocent yet whether it were for gaine or spleen or to purchase a powerfull friend Truth must bee out-countenanc'd because private ends were made to beare it The excellent speech of that Heathen might have wrought much on mee for it well deserved to be ever printed in my memory who when his friend came unto him desiring him to take a false oath in a cause of his which highly concern'd him made answer you must said hee beare with me I cannot shake hands with truth so easily There are many friends to be gotten if I lose you but if by forswearing my selfe I lose the favour of God I cannot get another there is but one God I had heard of the fearefull judgements likewise of many false Accusers suborned witnesses and hatefull Suborners what miserable ends befell them how they were discarded from the company of all good men how they were to weare some badge or marke of distinction that every one might know them and knowing abhorre them Yet was this path so much bette as I could not but thinke that there was some gainefull thing in it or else it would not be so much frequented And the common Road was ever held the nearest and securest And so indeed I found it the nearest to destruction and so little safe by being secure as my security brought me to the brinke of perdition Indeed I tooke occasion sometimes to talke with my selfe whom I ever found my greatest foe and by communing with mine owne heart to sift search my selfe throughly how I stood affected And even in the breach of this Commandement I thus reasoned Tell me Pilgrim dost thou know what in this case thou oughtst to doe and shall the follicitancy of a powerfull friend prevaile so farre with thee as to bring thee to doe what thou oughtst not to doe Hast thou not to doe Hast thou not a friend within thee whose favour thou art to preferre before all friends without thee And will not this deare bosome friend of thine thinke much that either for love hatred dread or reward thou shouldst despise her nay sell her and by this meanes make thy nearest friend thy Accuser And I begin to inquire what friend this might bee And I found right soone how it was no other then my Conscience who howsoever I bore my selfe to her would deale faithfully with mee and justly as I had deserved at her hands either accuse or excuse mee This was likely enough to have wrought some good effect upon me but alas worldly respects made me forget my best friend So as shee who should have stood in the gate and spoken for me is now become mine Enemy Sweet Iesu thou against whom so

I comforted by her for her sweet and comfortable advice had so cheered me as with that patterne of patience and that with great vehemence I cryed forth in this manner through the hope and assurance which I had in my deare Saviour I know that my Redeemer liveth and that with these eyes I shall see him And now I begun to wonder at mine owne weaknesse how I could so much as have the least distrust or diffidence in Gods goodnesse how I could suffer my spirit to be so uncomfortably drenched and drowned in the depth of misery having so free accesse to the Throne of mercy Againe how in this surging Sea of affliction where every worldly wave threatneth ruine I durst presume to play the Mariner and saile without mine Anchor Finding then so soveraigne a cure for my care Such sweet solace to mine anguish so present a repreve against death so fit a receipt to my griefe I thought good to returne to the Lord with my whole heart returning thanks unto him from whom commeth my helpe and on whose gracious compassion have I grounded mine hope My morning and evening Incense have I therefore resolved to offer that in an acceptable time hee would be pleased to receive my prayer teaching me how to suffer and by suffering to conquer and conquering to render to the Lord of Hoasts all honour O my mercifull Lord God who bindest up the wounds of every contrite and truly penitent Sinner suffering him not to bee tempted more then hee can beare but of the abundance of thy compassion givest him an issue out of his temptation Make mee ever with a religious feare so to put my trust in thy mercy as I may never be swallowed up of my misery And seeing wee are saved by hope give unto mee such a saving hope as neither too much confidence may make me presume nor the too perplexing consideration of my many sinnes bring mee to a despaire of pardon Bee neare mee deare Lord in the houre of my visitation let the enemy have no power over mee but so shadow mee under the wings of thy mercy that the remembrance of thy judgements may rouse mee sleeping the memory of thy mercies raise mee waking to render praise unto thee as my hope is in thee my helpe from thee O Lord everlasting CHAP. 73. Charity promiseth him in this vaile of misery to cover all his scarlet sinnes with the white roab of mercy and by keeping her company conduct him safely to the kingdome of glory BVt our daily experience confirms this to be so true as nothing can bee truer A Worldlings mind is apter to be transported with the light gailes of presumption then to be over-poized with any weights of a contrary nature Man becomes so apprehensive of the sweet promises of comfort as hee not onely forgets his former unhappy condition but even himselfe So subject is hee to surfet of that which was only given him to allay his discontent and to retaine in him a thankfulnesse to him from whose bounty he received that benefit This it seemes charity feared much would befall mee So as one day with a comely affable and gracefull presence me thought shee appeared unto me not so much to increase my comfort as to prepare my mind rightly to use it For she found me subject to no such dis-consolate humour but refreshed with joy above measure which to attemper shee begun to impart her mind unto mee after this manner It joyes mee much good Pilgrim to see you thus brought from death to life But it were well for you so to moderate these comforts which you have received as not to lose your selfe lest you might deprive your selfe of the benefit of this comfort You may doe well then herein to imitate the Fly which putteth not her feet into the great Masse of honey but only taketh with her tongue so much thereof as serveth her turne and no more lest by doing otherwise she might remaine taken and drowned therein Too much honey cloyeth and too much of comfort drowneth Moderate then these as you tender your invvard peace Time has beene vvhen the very least beameling of these comforts which now so plentuously reflect on you would have infinitly refreshed you for your spirit was wounded within you present delights and future hopes had wholly estranged themselves from you Stand then in feare lest by abuse of these some worser thing befall you Many by being unhappy have become happy but very few have attained true happinesse by being in this world ever happy Now then as my sister Faith has in these spirituall comforts grounded you And my younger sister Hope has in these confirmed you So shall it be my care who am their poore contemptible sister to prepare you for them as they have prepared them for you that such choyce receipts may be applyed to that end for which they were ministred and your comforts such as the issue of them may not be repented After this discourse of hers I desired much to know her name for being as shee professed sister to those two Ladies from whose advice I had received so great comfort I wondred much at her Habit for though her presence were comely her countenance lovely her behaviour sweetned with a well-beseeming modesty yet her apparell was but meane Which she observing with a quick delivery and composed gravity shee thus answered mee You must not gather by my Habit what I am For I weare the worlds livery such as shee is pleased to bestow upon mee with no lesse content then shee throwes it on me with contempt For many yeares together have I beene the Rich-mans Almoner yet never to this houre did I increase my store for all the service I did him I required no other wages of him but to take his poore Hand-maids counsell which was To make himselfe happy with his owne But alas I found Simonides saying too true The vertuous did more frequent the doores of the rich then then the rich of the vertuous The poore were vertuous and repaired to the doores of the rich but the rich were vicious and would not open their doores to the poore I observed how vertue was accounted such a treasure as 't was held more fitting to be out of the world then in it whereas riches held that reputation amongst men as men were held of no reputation without it But you desire to know my name and you shall have it but I pray you doe not imitate the fashion of this present world by loving one worse when you hear it Neither am I a fitting Consort for you unlesse my two Sisters have wrought some good effect on you For charity is cold and such Companions are not easily entertained nor such Guests kindly received where the one bids us give that we may receive the other bids us give all that we have and when all that wee have is given to expect our reward in heauen But this sowing of bread upon the water is

of too hard digestion to a foolish worldling and yet it must be sowne upon the water or your harvest is lost for ever Let mee then second what my deare Sisters have proposed as your discomforts were by them not onely allayed but with assurance in Gods promises confirmed So heare what charity the Worldlings out-cast will doe unto you to make you perfect throughout for Him who will receive you I have never yet beene known to bee more ready to promise then performe Yet shall the promise which I make unto you bee of infinite consequence for it shall make you eternally happy in the performance You are here planted in a vaile of misery where I promise to cover all your scarlet sinnes with the white roabe of mercy Nay I will yet goe a little farther to conferre on your peacefull progresse the higher honour If you will deagne to leave the world and receive mee who am despised of the world If you will I say leave her society and bid adue to her blooms of vanity by keeping mee company I shall conduct you safely to the Kingdome of glory Nor let it be the least of your feare that I promise above my power For as my sisters imparted their love unto you in cheering comforting and confirming you So shall you find no lesse alacrity in mee in perfecting what they have so happily begunne in you For I must tell you neither would I have you thinke that this proceedeth from any vaine glory being that which could never challenge the least affinity with true charity that though my sisters may seeme to have priority in list and number yet am I to challenge precedency in respect of dignity and order This that vessell of Election confirmed when he said Now abideth faith hope charity these three but the greatest of these is charity Neither shall you need to receive any other description for the portraiture of my feature or quality of my nature then what that glorious Champion hath already returned to you For tell mee have you desire to bee informed in what most concerns you to bee edified in what most imports you It is not knowledge but charity that must worke this good effect in you For knowledge puffes up but charity edifieth Or would you bee perswasive in Oratory or powerfull in prophesy or an usefull Almner for your soules safety you must necessarily bee accompanied by Charity or you are but as sounding brasse or a tinkling Cymbal Your power to remove mountaines shall not remove in you the least Mole-hill of your sinne Your bestowing all your goods to feed the poore shall not make your soule rich these cannot profit you if charity doe not accompany you Seeing then the tongues of men and angels are but tinklings and very sounds without charity knowledge becomes fruitlesse without the edifying helpe of charity prophesies bee they never so mysterious Sciences bee they in their owne nature never so commodious are altogether unprofitable without charity Let all your things be done with charity Follow after charity Above all things put on charity Above all things have fervent charity for charity shall cover the multitude of sinnes Adde to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse charity For the end of the commandement is charity And now seeing I have here given you a full draught of charity by a due examination of your selfe you shal easily find whether she be in your heart or no For by these divine effects you shall find her to be yours and she possessed of yours charity suffreth long is kind envies not charity vaunteth not it selfe is not puffed up You shal likewise know even by your outward behaviour whether or no you have received charity or given her harbour for Charity doth not behave it selfe unseemly seeketh not her owne is not easily provoked thinketh no evill You shall perceive likewise by the very joy of your heart whether charity have taken up there her lodging For shee Rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in the truth Lastly you shall gather by your constancy whether or no you hold correspōdency with perfect charity For charity never faileth Well may I then conclude with that glorious Light of the Eastern Church where charity is present no good thing can be absent wher charity is absent no good thing can be present Againe There is not any thing be it never so little but being done in charity it is esteemed for great And there is nothing bee it never so great but being done without charity it is accounted little To cloze then all in one seeing Charity is one in all Wee see how all signe themselves with the signe of the Crosse how all answer Amen all sing Alleluia all are baptised all obey the commands of their Mother the Church yet are not the children of God discerned from the children of the Devill but by Charity If then you desire to live learne to love you are now in your Iourney towards your Countrey keepe me but company and I shall safely conduct you to a City where there raigneth perfect Charity It is not to be exprest what infinite content I tooke in the sweet discourse of this divine Consort For me thought I felt a fervorous heat or glowing within me So as I desired nothing more then to reteine her still in my company But having told me that shee had many places to goe to and that in her absence I might find occasions in every place to remember her for I could not possibly give the least entertainment to my afflicted Brother but I might become her Remembrancer which I should not feare to see plenteously rewarded hereafter with a longing eye after her I tooke my leave of her Desiring no greater solace then to bestow the small remainder of my time in her service and resolving in all humble manner ever from that time to become her faithfull Almner Deare Father thou who art perfect Charity purifie my heart throughout that I may prepare a roome therein fitting to entertaine thee Though Charity grow cold in the world let my desires become so wained from this present world that my Charity may witnesse for mee that I am preparing for an other world Give mee a liberall heart that freely communicating to the necessity of thy Saints and constantly relying on thy promises through a firme Faith and Hope reposed in thee I may at last come unto thee and of a poore Pilgrim become an happy Citizen in thy Kingdome there to sing Alleluia amongst those glorious Saints for ever more CHAP. 74. He takes comfort And now wearied with sojourning longer in Idumaea he turns to Canaan SO ineffably sweet were these comforts which I tasted and so plenteously flowing were those Fountaines from whence they were derived as I gathered thence if there were such comforts in the day of mourning what would there bee in the day of rejoycing If such spirituall delights