The True Christians Test OR A DISCOVERY Of the LOVE and LOVERS OF THE WORLD In Two Parts I. Of MAN Considered in his Moral Capacity in an Hundred Meditations Derived from 1 John 2. 15. II. Of MAN Considered in his Political Capacity in Forty nine Meditations Derived from 1 John 2. 15. Non dubium est quam illud magis amemus quod anteponimus Salv. In so saying thou reprovest us also By Samuel Shaw Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed by Thomas James for Samuel Tidmarsh at the Kings-head in Corn-hill MDCLXXXII To the Right Honourable THEOPHILUS Earl of Huntingdon Lord Hastings Hungerford Botreaux Molyns and Moyls RIGHT HONOURABLE WHen Men are once firmly perswaded of the certainty of another World and do verily believe the Doctrine of Eternal Life revealed in the Holy Scriptures of God there is all reason in the World methinks to conclude that the first Enquiry should be How they themselves shall become partakers of it For who can be imagin'd to be sincere in his belief of so Glorious and Blissful a State that takes no thoughts how he shall obtain it or not so many thoughts as what he shall eat and drink and put on that sits down contented having given himself that cold answer which was once given to the Mother of Zebedees Children It shall be given to them for whom it is prepared Therefore to justifie the sincerity of their belief most Men do fancy to themselves something or other that will entitle them to this happiness though not so much perhaps because they account it so blessed a thing to obtain as dangerous and shameful to miss of it Amongst the many particulars that men do imagine will give them a claim to Everlasting Life The Love of God is one of the greatest and as much pretended to as any It is so Universal a Plea that I scarce think there is any Man who calls himself a Christian but he will make it Not to love God sounds so ill that it makes the Ears of the most Profligate Christian to Tingle when it is charg'd upon him But notwithstanding all these pretences to the Love of God it is most Evident that a great part of the pretenders are indeed strangers to it inasmuch as they may be convicted of the Love of the World which is inconsistant with it To find out and cast out therefore the Love of the World must needs be the most important Enquiry and Endeavour of Man of every man in the World Your Lordship will easily believe me if I tell you that although Men be never so great and high in the World if the World be great and high in their Hearts the Love of God is not in them Although Men have never so much of this worlds Good if at the same time they be unmerciful and uncharitable the Love of God dwells not in them This is expresly the Apostle James his Doctrine But to speak a little the closer though a man be instructed in all Wisdome and furnisht with all Variety of Arts and Sciences that he can name all things as properly as Adam or discourse of their Natures as learnedly as Solomon if yet the Love of the World be Predominant in him he is but a vain pretender to the Kingdom of Heaven a great stranger to the Life of Angels Though a Man know and believe all the wonderful Doctrines deliver'd in the Holy Book if this Faith do not operate to the purifying of the Heart from the Love of the World he is at present as far from having a true title to the Kingdom of Heaven as they of whom the Apostle gives this Character That they Believe and Tremble In a word though a Man be a Member of the Purest and most Reformed Church be never so Orthodox in his Judgment never so constant and specious in External Acts of Worship never so even and blameless in his Conversation never so exact in Works of Righteousness and abundant in Works of Charity and Mercy if yet in his heart he prefer the World before God he will be interpreted a Lover of the World and consequently an Enemy of the Father I do verily believe my Lord that I do here present you with a Treatise written about the most Important Enquiry in the World They are Morning Meditations stollen from the ordinary Employment of my Life which I do present to the World meerly to advance the Love and Honour of God amongst Men and do Dedicate to your Lordship in a grateful acknowledgment of your kind Respects to me and in Testimony of the Honour that I bear to your Lordships good Design of promoting Piety and establishing Peace in this Nation I beseech your Lordship favourably to accept the Oblation and I heartily pray God that as his Providence hath made you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very Illustrious amongst the English Families so by his Grace you may ever approve your self Tam re quam nomine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh how Blessed and Honourable a thing will it be found to be sooner or later to be a Sâ—ncere and Ardent Lover of God! To his good Grace and Guidance I heartily recommend your Lordship and rest My Lord Your Honours most humble Servant SAM SHAW The True Christians Test OR A DISCOVERY Of the LOVE and LOVERS OF THE WORLD In Forty nine Meditations Derived From 1 John 2. 15. The Second Part. Of MAN Considered in his Political Capacity By Sam. Shaw Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed by Tho. James for Samuel Tidmarsh at the Kings-head in Cornhill MDCLXXXII To the Right Honourable THOMAS Earl of Stamford Lord Gray of Grooby MY LORD I Have little more to recommend me to your Lordship than that I am your Countreyman and Neighbour which yet is a Relation that your singular Humility and Affability is not wont to despise though in a person otherwise despicable ethough But your Lordships Love of and great desâ—re to serve the Interest of your Countrey does recommend you abundantly to the World and does tempt me to speak of it in this Dedication My Lord I intend not a Panigyrick of your Lordship which they that are acted by a Worldly Spirit and design Worldly Advantages might think worth their while to contrive May your praise be of God and not of Men And of God I am sure your praise will be if you be a Predominant Lover of him I beseech your Lordship to strip your self of all your Worldly Quality bâ—t an hour or two whilst you peruse the black Characters of a Lover of the World and the just Motives to the Love of God and then whatever exceptions Learned or Witty or Worldly men may make against these Meditations which I believe will be many if you do not judiciously account the Love of God to be the highest Honour and purest Happiness of Man I will be content how loath soever to be accounted not to be what really I am Your Honours Most humble Servant SAM SHAW THE HEADS Of
will not starttle nor make any impression upon them or they will a little open their Eyes and inquire into themselves and ask whether they be lovers of God or of the World I foresee the greatest part of Men into whose hands these Meditations shall fall will be secure and unconcern'd as they are under the weightiest Doctrines and loudest Thunders of God It is the Nature of worldly Love to stupifie it drowns in perdition it choaks the Word it makes Men Blind and Bold Senseless and Secure It Stiffles Choaks Deadens takes away all Heart and turns Men into meer lumps of Earth But perhaps there are others some others that will inquire Well be it so yet I suppose that the power of Self-love is so great that the inference they will make will be one of these two Either Oh I love God and therefore am not a lover of the World or Oh I am not a lover of the World therefore I love God MEDITAT XVII What it is to Love God BUt possibly there may be some ingenious Inquirer that with Philip will ask and say Shew us the Father and it sufficeth To him Christ answered Have I been so long with you and sayest thou shew us the Father As if he had said the invisible God is seen in me I am the Image of the Father So I say to these God is invisible but the Image of God is visible in the World The Image of God idneed is seen in the whole Creation and the Power Wisdom and goodness of God are to be observed and admired therein But especially it is to be admired in Man Man is more especially the Image of God and if we say we love God whom we have not seen and love not our Brethren whom we have seen we deceive our selves More especially it is to be observed in good Men Therefore is the Love of God so often described by the Love of the Brethren and of the Saints But principally True Goodness is the Nature of God God is Goodness Truth Love Holiness and he that loveth the World more than these is the Idolater and Adulterer here spoken of If any Man habitually in his Judgment or Affections prefer the Pleasures Profits or Honours of the World before Righteousness Goodness Truth and Holiness he is dead accursed I suspect that the Love of Christs Person is mostly a Notion amongst Men To follow his Example to imitate his Graces to copy out his Perfections is to Love him For although we have not heard Gods Voyce nor seen his Shape at any time yet if his Word abide in us we love him John 5. 37 38. He that loveth Christ must keep his Commandments If any man therefore prefer the world before the Commands of Christ before the favour of God or the peace of his own Conscience so far he is a lover of the World The son of the bond-woman and of the free cannot cohabit fleshly wisdom and the grace of God cannot at the same time predominate The love of God is a nature not a rapture or extasie much less a Mechanical thing Acted only upon the Stage of Fancy MEDITAT XVIII Of the false love of God BUt what is the love of the world so pestilent so malignant so poysonous that no love of God will grow by it in the same Soul Yes there may be a great deal of spurious love love of a false kind more properly called flattery than friendship Men may fancy they love God much and may cry God forbid but they should love him above all things Perhaps there may be some true love in a weak degree true I mean in opposition to dissembled Physically true for why may there not be a true love that is not saving But he that loves God aright as the supream good must needs love him with a supream and superlative affection But be it true or no in a Physical sense that love of God is not highest doth not prevail nor predominate that is easily crusht cast out gain-said If the Tares get above the Corn and smother it if the cares of the world choak the word those tares and cares are pardominant The men of Keilah made love to David perhaps they had some real kindness for him but their kindness for Saul was greater so that if he offer'd himself they would cast forth David and his men The love of God and the love of the World are inconsistent And that appears from the nature of the objects which are contrary the one to the other As also from the nature of love If any man love the World must be understood of a prodominant love then the love of the Father is not in him must be understood of a predominant love also God being the chiefest good the love of him must be the highest and strongest or else it is not such as the object requires If a Woman love her Husband well yet if she love him not above any other man she does not love with a right conjugal love which ought to be strongest of all others The proper and acceptable love of God must needs be predominant otherwise it is not fitted to the nature of the supream good Now it is impossible there should be two predominant loves in the same Soul at one and the same time MEDITAT XIX Of Predominant Love BUt it will be askt what goes to make a Predominant love Love yea even the love of God is capable of intention and remission There are those that depart from their first love in a great measure The Spouse was one while sick of love another while so lazy and languid that she would not so much as arise to open to her beloved when he knockt Particularly by how much worldly love prevails by so much Divine love languisheth and is invalidated They are like the houses of Saul and David the rise of the one is the fall of the other and they cannot be both supream in one Israel They are like a pair of Scales in this as the one rises the other falls but they differ in this that they are never equally poys'd A Predominant Love must be most intense in degree habitual and durable The intenseness of the love of God is so describ'd as I never read any thing like it Luk 10. 27. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul with all thy strength and with all thy mind How many All 's are here And yet if we had ten thousand times more powers and principals we ought to love God with them all too It is an emphatical translation of that elegant Text of the Apostle Rom. 5. 5. The love of God is shed abroad in our Hearts which if I might Periphrase upon in Scripture Phrase I would call it a covering of the Soul as the Waters cover the Sea The Soul of a lover of God seems to its self too scant to comprehend the supream good wishes its self wider and larger Oh that
are not of the World Whether it be meet to hearken unto God and believe him or Man let us now judge We may easily suppose Man to be bribed and blinded in his own case What the judgment of God is we shall soon discern in his Word by which we may briefly examine all the Ages of the World The primitive state of Man no doubt was a state of pure and Divine Love As the Creator is said to take pleasure in the workmanship of his Hands so doubtless the rational Creature delighted himself in his Creator and in him only admired himself and the rest of the Creation But this lasted not long Alas how soon did the worldly Spirit begin to prevail Cain the Heir of the World chose the World for his portion and the love of the Father his Grandfather was not in him For if a Man love not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen The Old World neglected Righteousness and the Preacher of it We read what their main study was they were intent upon Marrying Building Planting and such like sensual entertainments and chose that part till they were taken away from it If we consider the Antediluvian World we shall find that it had but few Men in it but who were worldly Men. Next take a view of the World that follow'd the Flood and resolv'd that the Flood should never follow them I mean the Babelites and the Men of that Age the Sensual Nimrods the Capacious Giants the Idolatrous Canaanites Amorites Perizzites and the rest of that Herd and what can we find amongst them but Worldliness Violence and Uncleanness But there was another Seed and sure that was all Holy I mean the Children of Abraham the Seed of Israel no it is too evident that all Israel were not Israelites indeed witness the many hundred thousands that lusted after the Flesh-pots nay the very Onions and Garlick of Egypt that prefer'd their Bondage before the promised Land and the free exercise of their Religion Follow them into that Land and take notice of their great Idolatry and other Iniquities committed frequently and almost generally under the Government of their Judges Nay view them under the Government of their best Kings and take an account from David's own mouth and you will find that even then there wre many that said Who will shew us any good or if you will in English Metre the greater sort craved worldly Gods Not long after the Israelites were so bad that the poor Prophet thought that he was left alone a Worshipper of the Father In the days of the Prophet Jeremiah rich and poor and all were so universally apostatiz'd that by crying a good man up and down the streets of Jerusalem one was not to be found Jer. 5. in prinâ— In the days of the Son of Man the best sort of Men reputed were Lovers of the World more than of the Father or if you will have it in our Saviours own words They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God they received honour one of another And how men stood affected in the following times his Followers will tell us one Apostle declaring That all men sought their own things and another complaining That the whole world lay in wickedness And if the world be so mended in these dregs of time that none of this Breed are left we shall need to expect no new Heavens nor new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness But alas we are so far from that refinement that we must still cry out as they of old O curvae in terras animae coelestiam inanes MEDITAT XXIV Who are Lovers of the World in general THere are then nay there are many Lovers of the World But what Jehu will now appoint us a Sacrifice for the Worshipers of Baal for they skulk amongst the People whereby we may discern them Give them an invitation an encouragement lay a bait before them and we shall find them out In general it is certain That in the matters of doing and suffering there are multitudes to be found In doing They that account any of the known Commandments of God so heavy ungrateful and troublesom that they wilfully refuse to do them are Lovers of the World The Lovers of God do whatsoever things he commands them Joh. 15. 14. they follow the Lamb let him lead them whether he will Abraham that Friend of God is fam'd for his chearful obedience in hard and grievous things as in forsaking his own Land to go he knew not whither and in sacrificing his beloved Isaac Oh severe Command but oh Angelical Obedience To the Lovers of God his Commands are not grievous Loving Paul whom the Love of Christ constrain'd was ready to do any thing to take any pains for the Name of Jesus and the honour of it In case of Suffering They that will not quit all worldly interests rather than disown Christ or wilfully and deliberately violate a known Commandment are Lovers of the World more than of God Sufferings try men If ye seek me if ye cleave to me saith God let these things go leave your hold of the world quit your worldly interest This is so frequently inculcated in the Gospel that it seems needless to bring any particular proof Those famous general Texts are enough if they be but glanc'd at If any man take not up his Cross he cannot be my Disciple If any man will not deny Father and Mother House and Lands for my sake he is not worthy of me If a man will not cut off his right hand and pluck out his right eye for Christ he is not a Lover of him MEDITAT XXV Of the Lovers of the World more particularly BUT because dolus latet in universalibus I will consider more particularly that if it may be some one or other may be convicted If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him I will consider the World in a Physical and in a Theological sense Man in a Moral and Political Capacity and God under all those Notions in the 17th Meditation Consider the World in a Physical sense and it is certain that whosover loves admires enjoys the World and the Beauties thereof in a way of opposition to God or competition with him or indeed separation from him is not a right Lover of the Father However beautiful the Fabrick of the World is we ought not to love it in opposition to God not esteem the Creature in a way of derogation from the Creator It 's true a Man may with Jannes and Jambres say Digitus Dei est hic and seem to own the goodness and power of God in the Creation and yet be a meer Egyptian But yet no true Israelite will say Digitus Dei non est hic no Lover of the Father will exalt the power of natural causes so as to exclude the Author of them It becomes a Royal Society to admire the King
after his own Image or God who made him poor for even Poverty it self may be called the Gift of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As if he should say Shall he be reproached or wronged whom the Master of the Family has employ'd in the meanest Offices of the Family It is not the Servants Fault that he is so mean if any man reproaches he reproaches not so much him as his Master The Foot cannot help it that it is not the Head Most Men are poor of God's making but if any make themselves poor it is not for any Man to oppress them nor for every Man to reproach them neither For Reproach is a sort of punishment which every Man may not inflict There are several sorts of Oppression in Goods in Money as they that detain the hire of the Labourer in racking of Rents in selling making Men pay the more for their Necessity in Rights in Liberty c. some of which I shall have occasion to meditate of hereafter and therefore will dismiss them at present MEDITAT XXXV Of Bribery THey that take Gifts to pervert Justice or favor any Cause in Judgment are Lovers of the World for they prefer it before Truth and Righteousness I do not think that every Present is a Bribe but I think it is safest for a Minister of Justice not to take Gifts at all lest he should be corrupted There is certainly a wonderful power in Gifts to blind the eyes even of the wise Exod. 23. 8. Every man saith the wise man is a Friend to him that giveth Gifts which argues the great interest that wâ—rrldly profit hath in the heart of man and consequently how hard and noble a thing it is to be purged of worldly Love Giving is indeed Noble Beatius est dare quam accipere Giving to the Poor is a God-like Act but either to give or receive Gifts for the perverting of Justice is abominable Bribery in this respect is generally a greater sin than stealing in that stealing is mostly committed by men that have need and Bribery commonly by them that have none The lesser the Temptation the greater the sin Bribery may be committed in many things besides money the Bottle and the Bag do speak as corrupt Language as the Purse And there are many kinds of indirect Bribery per alium as bad as that which is direct and per se There is a kind of Bribery in Ecclesiasticks that hunt after popular acceptance and Chaplains that preach pleasing things or stifle Doctrines that they know will be unpleasing however edifying to gain Preferment which if the Law would allow the Exposition might perhaps more properly be called Simony than Bribery Yea there is a strange kind of blasphemous Bribery that men use towards God I doubt the greatest part of worship in the world is intentional Bribery Some go about to bribe God with their Prayers and Fastings and Forms of Devotion some with their Alms and Acts of Charity as they of old did with their Oblations and Sacrifices of whom the Satyrist speaks wittily Illorum lachrymae mentitaque munera praestant Ut veniam culpis non abnuat ansere magno Scilicet tenui Papano corruptus Osiris Nay it is to be feared that however precious a Doctrine Faith is there are many that under the Notion of believing do indeed go about to bribe the Justice of God with the Righteousness of Christ as indeed all those do who lay great stress upon the Righteousness of Christ and themselves take no care to be Righteous Although our Apostle hath so plainly told us That he that worketh righteousness is righteous There is also a great deal of Political Bribery in the world when Councellors Senators or other Trustees betray that Sacred thing their Trust for money or moneys worth Perhaps some of this will fall in when I come to consider Man in his Political Capacity if it should not I know it is easie for any man to enlarge upon it in his own Meditations MEDITAT XXXVI Of thâ—se that offend in the undue degree of seeking Riches UNder the Notion of Unjust are comprehended not only those that use undue means but also they that use due means in an undue manner to get worldly Riches and these are equally Lovers of the world These are of two sorts either such as offend in the degree or such as offend in the season of seeking the world They offend in the degree who although they follow Merchandize or Trades in themselves lawful yet pursue them so ardently so eagerly with so much intenseness of mind which is an excess of diligence as idleness is a defect of it that they plainly appear to make the world their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and other things their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the world their God and the things of God a by-business They invert our Savours divine counsel and seek first the world which is the alia spoken of in Mat. 11. or rather aliena to the Soul but as for the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness they are very indifferent They work out their livelihoods with more fear and trembling than their salvation give all diligence to make their callings and the effects of them sure but little or none to make their calling and election sure They pull and hale the World as with Cartropes they rise up early sit up late eat their bread in carefulness waste their strength spend their age in toil and sorrow perhaps shorten their days with immoderate labour and will be found at last to be felo de se For a man may be a Murderer as well by employing his hands too violently for himself as by laying violent hands upon himself They are resolv'd to secure their worldly interest but they will trust God with their souls as if they hoped those would fare well enough in course To trust God with our souls is good but to pretend to do it and in the mean time to neglect them our selves is a prophane kind of Faith Men do not thus trust him with their Bodies or Estates The Faith that rightly trusts does also love and work and work by Love MEDITAT XXXVII Of those that offend in the undue season of seeking the World THey offend in the season of seeking the world who follow their worldly Employments in any season that ought to be devoted to the service of God by his special command Concerning the special season of Prayer we have nothing certain that I know of though it is most proper and seemly to begin every day with God most reasonable that the devout ejaculation of Thanksgiving or Supplication should take place of worldly Cares and Contrivances and should keep house in the soul at night when they are all dismist A Dog is a mans servant which he turns out of doors at night when he takes his children to bed with him the Dog may not enter in in the morning without leave till the door be opened for him whereas
no great matter whether it be believed or no or may as well be confirm'd and believ'd by a bare assertion will wish they may never see the Sun more never open their hands more that the drink might never go through them the meat might be their poyson that they might never stir more might be hang'd that God would judge them or that they might never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven if such a thing or such a thing be not so or so This I'm sure is more than Yea and Nay it is highly foolish and indeed prophane Mans knowledge is fallible his Memory frail Senses deceitful And if this thing should prove otherwise then thou wicked man out of thy own mouth thou shalt be condemned so shall thy Judgment be There are instances of Gods taking such men at their words but I need not insist upon them It is an argument that men stand not in awe of God when they dare invocate his Judgments and challenge his Justice Secondly But when upon no occasion at all to confirm nothing men will dare God to damn them oh horrible and impudent impiety These men have not so much mercy for themselves as the devils They pray'd that they might not be tormented before their time these pray that they may Of these sure if of any unbeleevers it may be properly said that they are condemned already Thirdly It is worse than no occasion when men use cuâ—sing in design to commend themselves to acceptance as an ornament and imbellishment of speech Secondly Of others 1. When ever and anon upon every small provocation or offence men will passionately call for venveance lay the Pox or Plague upon others or it may be send men to the devil upon no other errand but to tell him they are making hast after them 2. When upon no provocation in no passion but in a familiar jocular way men curse one another nay with the same breath curse their friend and swear how much they love him 3. It is by some reputed a piece of familiarity You must take it as a kindness especially if you be an inferiour that they will be so great with you as to curse you Sic sâ—lent beare amicos There is another sort of prophane cursing inferior to all these a cursing in Short-hand Many men are asham'd to curse in words at length but boggle not to do it in Characters and Abbrevations If these men know the true original of these Characters and the meaning of them it is all one as if they spoke in words at length If they do not but yet suspect them it is bold it is an adventuring upon an appearance of evil which is flatly forbidden Suppose they suspect nothing of this meaning in these common words If they have no meaning they are idle words and that is bad enough And if they profoss sincerely they know not what they mean they proclaim themselves fools that know not what they say It is a miserable shift to embrace foolishness and madness to avoid prophaneness But it is to be suspected that they that mince the matter do know the meaning of these characters well enough how else could they apply them so patly so seasonably as they do One may know they stand in stead of a curse because they come in the order and place of one When I hear a man say a pound on him or a shackle on him for I am much beholden to him and he has much befriended me then I will believe he knows not what he says It seems to be cleanly and charitable to wish men in Heaven and that God had them But I have heard it come out of as prophane mouths and with as spiteful a design as any curse Blessed God who blessest us daily communicate to us of thy gracious nature that we also may bless and not curse let us never presume to reckon our selves a part of Christs purchase till we find our selves actually redeemed from our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers MEDITAT LIV. Of Idleness AMongst sensual or phantastical pleasures or a mixture of both Idleness must be ranked The greatest sensualists are usually most idle yea though they take more pains in pursuit of their pleasure than other men in their honest employments It is strange that Pleasure should be painful and Idleness operose yet so it is Whosoever is not ordinarily well employ'd in good business is idle Such is the generation of all those that play away sleep away chat away visit away their time from day to day or who fearing lest time should not pass away fast enough make use of that sovereign Receipt called Pastime This Idleness turns man into a Cypher makes him insignificant and surely I do not know a greater reproach to man than to be unprofitable An idle person is convicted and shamed by the whole Creation in which there is nothing insignificant or useless I am persuaded the Devil himself would account it a shame to be idle he seems to glory in his activity Job 2. though it be in mischief The Sun never rises nor sets the Year never begins nor ends but it is to the reproach of the idle person We have all great cause to lament the idleness and playfulness of our Childhood and Youth and the many idle hours and days that we have spent in which we have been no Factors for God no one the bâ—â—â—er for us nor we oâ—r selves been betteâ—ed Some say They have no Trade they have nothing to do And are they too old to learn Can they no way assist their Neighbor by Head nor Hand Can they not read good Books write good Letters or give good advice Oh how is the want of Education to be lamented Parents teach their Children nothing when they are young and so they are good for nothing when they are old Hinâ— illâ—e 〈◊〉 But have they indeed nothing to do but to dress and feed themselves How do many of them live then They live of their money But what they cannot eat money No but they live upon Usury And will that excuse Idleness Or rather Is it not a monstrous thing that the Money the silly inanimate Metal should be active and the man idle Therefore O Man thy Money shall be thy Judge The brightness of the Usurer's Money shall be a Witness against his Idleness as well as the Rust of the covetous Hoarders against them If the Money-man would turn his money or part of it into some kind of stock or other and trade therewith buy and sell and maintain Commerce in the World he might serve the publick good and at least have the comfort of being an example of righteousness But still it will be pleaded We need noâ— work To which I answer If the Command of God make a Necessity all have Need. Men should not be employ'd only to get wealth to themselves but as Members of the Publick they ought to be doing some good God never gave Men
In our hearts to love or esteem any vile person be he of what Civil Capacity he will before them that fear the Lord be their Civil Capacity never so mean is as good an Argument of an unsanctifi'd mind as the contrary is of a Citizen of Zion Psal 15. 4. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned In this Courtly Age it would be lookt upon as an unmannerly behaviour in the Prophet who would not vouchsafe to look towards the King of Israel 2 Kings 3. 14. But certainly it is worse than unmannerly to have the greatest respect and kindness for them that are not at all of Israel MEDITAT LXXVIII Of Flattery THis brings me to think of the foul vice of Flattery which although it be not always an Estimation of men for men often flatter those whom in their hearts they disesteem and despise yet it would be thought so and is as worldly as the other An humble behaviour indeed is ornamental soft answers are good and useful To approve or commend a good man or a good action is so far from being simply evil that sometimes it is duty and may serve good ends But it requires a great deal of wisdom For First It easily mingles it self with something evil and is corrupted by Covetousness Slavish fear or Self-love Men may most set off themselves and study to endear themselves most when they commend other men Secondly It is easily perverted to ill ends and may as soon make me prouder as better Commendation therefore must be given Justly Seasonably Proportionably and should be mixt with the remembrance of God as Paul's was to Philemon ver 4 5. Flattery is sometimes gross in words commending evil and calling it by good names assenting to every thing at a venture or denying without reason Magnifying some little thing beyond its desert and extenuating some foul fault into a meer peccadillo or unavoidable infirmity Sometimes it is more fine and subtile in actions in a crouching truckling over-obsequious behaviour I need say no more of Flattery than that it is First an argument of a mean and slavish mind The truly generous mind that adores truth knows not how to give flattering Titles Secondly that it is of most mischievous consequence and very pernicious in its effects because it inâ—â—â—â—â— Princes Courts and Great Mens Houses Flatterers by blinding the Judgment of Princes do at once put out the eyes of a Nation For they lead â—hose out of the way who when they are misled cause the rest of the world to err We know how fatal it prov'd to Ahâ—â—â— when his Chaplains the Prophets and the Courâ—â—◠〈◊〉 together to deceive him Go up and prâ—sâ—â—◠〈◊〉 the Prophets Let thy word be as one of 〈◊〉 says the Courtier And with what indignation God does 〈◊〉 the daubing of these Prophets and their putting 〈◊〉 under mens heads and arms the Prophet Ezekiel does acquaint us Lord what is man or his power who can onely kill the body that I should fear and flatter him in any thing that is hateful to thee What Profit or Preferment can I expect from man that shall Countervail thy dishonour or the prejudice done to truth and holiness by sordid Flattery or sinful Complyance Oh that the interest of God and Religion be exalted in my soul far above all these petty carnal Considerations And oh that the Messengers of God would seriously examine whether they be not the servants of men of the worst part of men even their lusts by imprisoning the Truth lest it should fly in some honourable or worshipful face whether they do not tremble to speak of temperance before incestuous Felix or whether they can take such fair leave of their Patrons as Paul took of his Ephesians I have kept back nothing that was profitable to you MEDITAT LXXIX Of Worldly Business UNder this Phrase The World is comprehended also the Work Employment and Business of the World To prefer the Business of this World before God denominates a predominant Lover of the World God has indow'd Man with active Principles designing him for Business To be active is to be like God who is life it self He is not an idle Spectator enjoying himself and minding nothing else neither doing good nor evil as some prophane men in the Prophet imagin'd him but he is good and doth good An idle and unactive life is unmanly and infamous No station does exempt men from Business Gentlemen and Ladies have their Callings There is Business accommodated to all sorts of men Having already of Idleness I will say no more of it here but this A good man must needs love Business as it is a Vehicle of Grace For how can a man exercise Righteousness Mercy or Charity without Business The necessities of humane life are so many either our own own or other mens that it is impossible any man should be idle but who is of an idle sensual temper To prevent mistakes I will first consider what is not to prefer the business of the World before God To be diligent and industrous in our Callings with a good design is not it To be more in worldly Business than in heavenly is not it God himself has allow'd six dayes to one To employ our hands in working more than in lifting up to Heaven is not worldly If we speak properly To observe due measures and propound right ends in worldly Business is Conformity to the Will of God and heavenly God acted like himself in the Creation of the world as well as in the Redemption of it and so do godly men in employing themselves about worldly Objects as well as spiritual The Angels are as well in Heaven when they are employ'd upon Earth in preserving the goings of the Saints as in their most immediate Contemplations To give the Precedency to worldly Business as to Management and Action is not simply and always it A lesser Business and more ignoble may be prohic 〈◊〉 more necessary than a greater and preferrible to it The Necessities of the Body may take place of the Conveniences of the Soul To do every thing in its proper season is a point of high Wisdom and indeed Religion Let us always remember that Religion is in the due management of worldly Business as well as otherwise To do Works of Necessity or Charity on the Lord's day is not it To have a reverend esteem for that day is good and necessary Religion flourishes in a Kingdom or a Soul as that is observed But yet there may be a Superstition in it which our Saviour by his Example and Doctrine has endeavor'd to heal The Sabbath was made for man and must give place to him But let all take heed they do not create Necessities or pretend them as I doubt too many of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Physical and Chyrurgical Tribe do To put ones self upon Business to offer ones service for the good of a Neighbor to meddle in other mens matters uncall'd by
society of men where there is not need of wise mens advice and interposition which some invidiously brand by the Phrase of putting their fingers into the fire To these wise men one may well apply the Text It is better to put a finger into the fire then having all ones fingers safe to be cast into hell-fire For that it will come to Take and cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness Mat. 25. 30. The particular account of the servants wickedness is his Slothfulness and Unprofitableness Poor Fools One would pity them that have a Prize put into their hands and know not how to improve it But these wicked wise men who will pity that have a prize put into their hands and will not improve it Every man ought to esteem all his endowments as a common good in which all mankind has some interest He that wrapt up his Talent in a Napkin was to his Lord as if he had imbezzeled it The Covetous of whom it expresly said that God abhors them though they have neither Child nor Brother and have ab undantly enough for themselves yet are griping and heaping and love riches for riches sake And are not they somewhat a-kin to them that scrape together a great deal of Wisdom and Learning merely for their own pleasure and satisfaction by which no body shall be the better but themselves and indeed themselves the worse for to him that knows to do good and does it not to him it is sin The industry of the Bee is to be commended in gathering Honey but her sensuality in eating it all up and invidiousness in for bidding others to partake of it spoils her Character To bring forth a cluster now and then will not serve to denominate a man fruiâ—ful There must be a proportion between Wisdom and Communication To whom much is given of him much shall be required The Heavenly Wisdom is full of good fruits Communication is the wise mans Charity Such as I have I give thee The poor wise mans Charity was his advice Eccles 9. And it is almost as good in earnest as it was in jest Sâ—ire tuum nihil est nisi c. Lord settle this persâ—â—asion in my heart that I was not born nor any way accomplisht for my self alone and that nothing is to be sought or desired as an Ornament and Embellishment of my own particular Being but as a common good which every one that needs has some title to as well as Iâ— And that although it is a pleasant life to live in the meditation and love of God yet that an active life and a life of communication is no less amiable and loving too Oh give me a store of things new and old to communicate a free heart to communicate them and an aptitude to do it that I may neither be an empty Vessel nor as a full Vessel sealed up nor as a Vessel unsealed but wanting vent but full free and having a faculty to communicate MEDITAT XC Of Partiality and Partial Wisdom TO value any Party or Person more than Truth or Equity is a Branch of Worldly Love and a Symptom of a Worldly Mind God is an Impartial Estimator and will be an Impartial Judge He has often declar'd himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we ought to resemble him He will neither favor the Rich in judgment nor pity the Poor but Righteous and Unrighteous shall divide the World Oh that this Doctrine were thoroughly believ'd Great men would not then think of breaking thorough then as they do now and poor men would not hope to skulk and be overlook'd It is not Partiality to esteem one man above another according as they are valuable for true worth To value men or things according to Truth as they deserve is a Perfection God does so Different dealings with men is not sinful Partiality when they deserve to be differently dealt with To discriminate between a Penitent and Tender-hearted Offender and an obstinate one in administring Correction is a sort of Justice not Partiality because gentle usage and a moderation of Punishment is due to their temper But to estimate Persons by any carnal or secular Consideration or to favour them for selfish and Worldly Advantages or to prefer the maintaining of a Party because it maintains us the Defence of an Opinion because we have espoused it before Truth and Righteousness is Partiality Partial Wisdom finds out Wiles and Ways to excuse that in a mans self which he would condemn and punish in another and to punish that in one whom he hates which he would not punish in himself or any person beloved Thus partial was the Patriarch Judah he had a mind to punish that Fault in his Daughter-in-law which he himself was most guilty of Bring her forth and let her be burnt Partial Wisdom instructs men to find out Arguments to defend a Party that they live by a Craft that they get their Wealth by an Opinion that Custom or Worldly Interest commands them to support What is all that witty Rhetorick that cunning Logick which the Papists use to defend the way and Doctrine of the Church in whose bosome they lie and are kept warm but so many Instances of this partial Wisdom They seek the prosperity of Babylon meerly because in her Prosperity themselves do prosper Lord Grant that Truth may be the Standard by which I may weigh and measure estimate and judge of all things That I may know no interest but the interest of Righteousness to command my apprehensions and sentiments no worldly Bias to pervert the regular and steady motions of my judgment or affections That I may judge of all things as they are and of those that are according to God! MEDITAT XCI Of Hypocrisie in General HYpocrisie is an artificial kind of Lying God is Truth and he abhors Hypocrites and Hypocrisie that is they are directly contrary to his Nature The general Notion of Hypocrisie is pretending to be and have and do what one is not hath not doth not This is not simply and in it self evil Have we not read what David did 1 Chron. 14. and that by Divine Command and the Israelites in the Civil Wars against Benjamin how they pretended to run away but did not and yet were guiltless Nay God himself sometimes makes things to seem otherwise than they are as when he made the waters to seem like blood to bring in the Moabites to Battel and made the Babylonians to hear noise of War when there was no Enemy But this Hypocrisie becomes sinful by Accident by some ill Attendants or ill Designs in the Action It is not absolutely sinful for a man to dissemble his person for a wise man to seem as if he understood not for a fool to seem understanding for a rich man to dissemble his riches or a poor man his poverty Christ Jesus himself sometimes conceal'd his purposes and made shew of the contrary as in the case of the Disciples going to Emmaus
confesses Luke 3. 23. The preaching of the Gospel is call'd foolishness 1 Cor. 1. 2. only because it was so in the judgment of the wise men of the world We read of Clouds without water and wandring Stars Jude 12 13. whereas Philosophers will not yield that those are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but say they are meer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor properly Stars but inflammations of the dry Air extended resembling falling Stars Ivory is often called the Elephant's Tooth wherein Varro saith The Scripture accommodateth it self to the Vulgar Opinion affirming that they are Horns having their root in the temples of the Beasts and bending down thorow the upper Jaw rise again and so resemble Teeth It is evident that Ivory is softned by Fire which does not agree to Teeth but Horn. The Text seems elsewhere to speak out Ezek. 27. 15. and calls them the Horns of Ivory It is said Mark 6. 48. that Christ would have passed by the poor distrested Disciples when he only seemed as though he would Paul's Shipmen deemed that some Countrey drew near to them Acts 27. 27. that is indeed that they drew near to some Countrey spoken according to appearance like that of the Poet Provehimur porta terraeque urbosque recedunt They come from the end of Heaven says the Prophet Isa 13. 5. A Speech borrow'd from the opinion of the Vulgar who following the judgment of their Eyes think that the Heavens are but Hemispherical and do end at the utmost parts of the Earth upon which the extremities of Heaven seem to them to rest With Allusion to which Vulgar Opinion how false soever the Mountains are said to be the Foundations of the Heavens 2 Sam. 22. 8. and the Pillars of Heavek Job 26. 11. Because it seems as if the Heavens rested upon them as upon Foundations or Pillars But to return from this Digression The Devil is the God of this Warld and all his Followers are worldly men These for Method sake I will briefly meditate of under three Ranks viz. the Servants the Children and the Confederates of the Devil By Servants of the Devil I mean Idolaters that serve dumb Idols as they are led and know not the living God By his Children I mean all that imitate him and are of his wicked nature though they be not Idolaters By his Allies I mean such as are in a formal Covenant with him who consult his pleasure and act by his power and skill To the first he is a kind of High Priest by whom they expect Reconciliation and Atonement to the second a King and to the third a Prophet so he is the Prophet Priest and King of worldly men MEDITAT XCIV Of Idolatry THat the Servants of the God of this World are worldly men will not be doubted by any but possibly it will be doubted who are his Servants All wicked men that love 〈◊〉 work the Works of darkness and uncleanâ—â—css 〈◊〉 â—ndeed his Servants but they are in Scripture also call'd his Children therefore I shall refer that general consideration of them to that Head More especially Idolatry is the service of the Devil and Idolaters are his Servants It is most generally supposed that the Apostasie and Ruine of the Devils was their aspiring to be as God And the highest pitch of Pride is described by this This was the Satanical suggestion that prevail'd with Eve to eat the forbidden Fruit Ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil Though the Devil mist of it then and miscarry'd fouly in his attempt yet such is the pride of his Nature and his Envy and Malignity against God that still it is his desire to be taken for a God He has prevail'd with many so to be esteemed and worship'd if not for Love yet for Fear as they report of the Indians that worship him Ne noceat lest he should do them a mischief He has put off himself to some as a great Benefactor to Mankind and so has obtain'd a reverential Worship The Devil at Delphos had obtain'd so much Reputation as that the People generally consulted him about future Contingencies which is a Divine Honour and Sacrifice to him there and elsewhere It was the Pride of the Devil that suggested to the Philosophers a twofold eternal Principle Boni Mali to make himself an Anti-Deity rather to be the God of Mischief than no God at all And from the same proud Nature it was that he directed all the ancient Heathens to feign a God of Hell as well as of Heaven a Pluto as well as a Jupiter Whether it was his Pride or Malice that put him upon tempting Christ to fall down and worship him I cannot tell but certainly he must needs have an high opinion of himself that durst make such a bold motion to the Son of God Yea 〈◊〉 him to be such a Fool as not to know him to be the Son of God it must needs argue a proud conceit of himself to suggest such a thing to any Son of man that was in his right wits It must be confest this is the grossest sort of Idolatry and possibly some will deny that it is posible that any should be so gross as to commit it But the Apostle puts it out of doubt saying The things that the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to Devilâ— not to God There are indeed other sorts of Idolatry more common when men worship the Sun and Moon for Gods or intentionally and yet remotely worship the true God by the medium of Images made with hands To think these Images are Gods is exceeding gross And yet it should seem by the Prophet Isaiah as if some were so gross as to esteem them so But suppose they only fansie that these Images are only inhabited by some special presence of the Deity still it is Idolatry and an interpretative worshiping of the Devil for it is a service that God has forbidden and the Devil invented Nay suppose these Images to be only Monitory and to be of no further use than to put in mind of God or to excite Devotion yet how can it escape the Brand of Idolatrous Will-worship For who has required this at mens hands Yea who knoweth not That God hath flatly forbidden the worshiping of him by the likeness of any thing in Heaven or Earth or under the Earth This I suppose was the Case of the Golden Calves which no one ever imagin'd to resemble the Deity nor to be inspired or inhabited by them only they served to put in mind of God and excite Devotion And yet this Mcscholatrye was cursed and abhorred of God and so were all those that were addicted to it And art thou so gross O my Soul and so sunk into matter that thou canst not see God except thou look out at the eyes of the Body Canst thou not direct thy Devotions to the invisible God except thou fix thy corporeal sight upon matter Be asham'd O Noble Spirit of the imputation of such grossness and
our Lives a doing of God's Will and a preparation for his Kingdom But yet I dare not conclude it to be a Symptom of predominant worldly Love when I hear David crying in some case O spare me a little c. For when we urge the predominant Love of God as absolutely necessary we do not mean by predominant that it should be in the strictest sense perfect The Love of the meanest Saint is predominant and the Love of the devoutest is imperfect There are many other mistakes about the predominant Love of the World which are occasionally met with and corrected in the aforegoing Meditations Lord Suffer not my inflamed heart to rest in the lowest evidences of a predominant Love to thee no nor to be at rest till it arrive at the highest Demonstrations Expressions and Exercise thereof Though the consideration of Sincerity and Predominancy may sustain and comfort me yet let nothing short of Perfection content and satisfie me Oh Almighty Love wrap up my amorous Soul in thy Self And Oh cast forth thy Cords of Love and draw the estranged Souls of men unto thy Self Pity the infinite numbers of prodigal Apostates that have forsaken the Bread of their Fathers house and like Swine feed upon empâ—y Husks those many Noble Souls all of them like so many Kings by their Câ—â—ation that â—s it were with their Thumbs cut off 〈◊〉 gathering Crâ—m for their sustenance Restore their maimâ—d Faculties and lift up their Heads out of Prison change their Prison Garments and let them eat Bread before thee 〈◊〉 And Oh grant that all the Lovers of the Father may be judicious and regular in their own Devotions and charitable towards the Devotions and Affections of their Brethren Amen Amen MAN Considered in his POLITICAL CAPACITY PART II. MEDITAT I. Of the False Despisers of Riches IT is too too evident that the many sorts of persons before nam'd are in the judgment of God Lovers of the World even all that prefer the Profits pleasures Honours Persons Business Fashions of the World before God that is before Righteousness Truth Peace Publick Good Holy Order Charity Purity and the Sacred Will of God But because there are really many of these that will not yet acknowledge themselves to be such let us examine a little more closely to find out if possibly who they are that lie under this black character and to whom it doth agree And now I will a little examine Man considered in his Political Capacity for in that he is more discernable than in his Moral And here methinks I hear a Generation of Monastical People whether Papists or Protestants it matters not blessing themselves and saying It is apparent that they of all People in the World are no Lovers of it They are so far from coveting the Riches of the World that they give away all they have and reject the kindness of those that would give them more They embrace Poverty as a great Perfection and Nakâ—dness as an Ornament It was a high Character of them That took joyfully the spoiling of their Goods But what Perfectionists are these that spoil themselves The Disciples of Jesus were mortified men who reckoned two Coats superfluous but these Evangelists are even weary of the Incumbrance of one Nay they seem to out-vie the Son of Man himself of whom it is said That he had not whereon to lay his Head As if he stood in need of some House or Artificial Conveniencies whereas the cold Earth everywhere affords these hardy Soldiers of his a sufficient Bed and the spangled Heavens a Canopy To all which great Pretensions I only suggest these two or three Inquiries 1. It is highly reasonable that these Pretenders to a Contempt of Worldly Riches do inquire into themselves Whether in Deed and in Truth they do what they seem to do Whether there be no Fallacy Hypocrisie or Juggle in this Matter For we have read of those that pretended to part with all to the Church who yet kept back for their own dear selves and by laying their money at the Apostles feet seem'd to trample it under their own who yet for all their seeming Faith and Contempt of the World did not so strip themselves of all but that they kept a Rag for a sore Finger Ananias and Sapphira are Examples 2. It may be proper to inquire Whether some of the Heathens themselves whom you so undervalue as the Refuse of men have not done as much as all this comes to This I take for granted according to the Logick of Divinity it self that it is but a sorry Perfection in a Christian that does not excel all that can be found in a Heathen Mat. 6. 32. If they seek after these and these things it becomes Christians to seek after higher if they do such and such things it behoves Christians to do greater Now I suppose it is an easie thing to find many men as perfectly and voluntarily poor amongst the Heathen Philosophers as amongst Christians amongst the Cynicks as well as the Hermits as much Contempt of the World to any mans thinking in a Tub as in a Cloyster But it will be said These men did not neglect the World out of a pure design therefore 3. It will not be amiss that these Christian Contemners of the World do examine their Principles and Ends for if this voluntary casting away of the World be only a Trick to draw and convert the eyes of the World to themselves and to procure an estimation of mortifi'd men or a piece of Bribery to merit or purchase the Rewards of Heaven or a design to get Riches by a pretended Contempt of them or a Cloak for Idleness that they may eat and drink of the Best without doing any thing for it chusing rather to eat their Bread in the sweat of other mens Brows than of their own If any such things as these I say happen all this Contempt of the World is spoiled and becomes contemptible in the eyes of God nay indeed it proves to be a Device for the more effectual maintaining of the Worldly Life And who knows but that it may so happen or rather who knows not that it does Contempt of the World must be impartial and regular or else it will not pass for Devotion And if a man predominantly love the World in any branch of it he 's justly denominated a Lover of the World however he may seem to despise it in many other branches of it It is a sorry shift to endeavor to be thought to despise the Riches of the World and in the mean time to be enslaved to worldly Ease and Idleness to some men it is the greatest sensual pleasure in the World to do nothing Has not the same God who commanded us not to covet nor love the World also commanded to work and get our Livings Oh but they have spiritual Work to do What Merchant so industrious as they that compass Sea and Land to make Proselytes And did not Paul
their Females Maidens that had not known Men to the Lusts of the Sons of Behal For ought I know it was in just judgment of God that Lot was left to commit Incest with those Daughters of his whom he was so forward to prostitute to other men But to play the Pander or the Pimp for money is sure filthy Lucre if there be any in the World and to sell at the same time both Humane Souls and Bodies must needs be the Merchandize of Babylon What is predominant with those Parents or Guardians think we who although they do not dispose of Children into Callings and Imployments absolutely unlawful yet into those that are apparently dangerous and ensnaring and which a well confirmed Christian can scarce manage safely Or commit them to the Tuition of ignorant carnal prophane Masters that can teach them nothing that is good save their Trades and it is ten to one will teach them many things which are naught Or that dispose of their Children as Servants into such Families where they shall never have either Precepts or Examples to lead them to Vertue many Temptations and Inducements to Sin and Sensuality and in the mean time Employment only for the Hands and Entertainment only for the Back and Belly Whether these People be acted by a worldly Spirit or by the Spirit of God is easie for any man whose eyes are open to discern For do not they proclaim that they prefer the Body before the Soul and meer Living before Living well Although this be not down-right destroying them because the grace of God may miraculously intervene and preserve the poor Children in the midst of Fire yet it is no Thanks to these merciless Tyrants that put them in for they devote them to destruction I do not see but that they are as much guilty of Murder as David and of a worse Murder than he whom yet the kindest Divine that I have met with would never undertake to excuse who though he did not fall upon Uriah himself yet placed him in the Fore-front of the Battel and then deserted him And therefore the Spirit of God the best Casuist sayes plainly That he slew him with the Sword of the Children of Ammon And although these Parents do not themselves put out the eyes of their Children yet if they dispose of them into an Enemies Countrey and let in the Philistines up on them to do it if they resign them up wholly to an ignorant carnal and graceless Society they are as treacherous as Delilah though ere while they were fond of them and hugg'd them in their Bosomes and dandled them upon their Knees MEDITAT XV. Of Persons that Marry and give in Marriage MArriage is now become necessary to the greatest part of Mankind and is made warrantable yea and honourable too by the Ordination of God I have already allow'd its just praises to a Single State vide Meditat. 2. and I hope there are many that live in that State pure and undefiled But to oblige our selves or any that are under our power so to live I doubt proves a Snare to many and perhaps an Inconvenience to all But besides those that vow Virginity upon a Religious Account there are a great many that prolong the Single State of their Children in despight of their Inclinations upon a Worldly Account in the grosfest Sense And what can I think of those Parents who knowing the Inclinations of their Children of a just Age Constitution and Discretion and having fair opportunities of Matching them comfortably do yet constrain them to pass the Flower of their Youth as the Apostle stiles it and to stay for so many Hundreds or Thousands before they will part with them I know there are a great many shuffling Excuses but to prefer Portions or Jointures an Honourable or Worshipful Alliance a particular Serviceableness to our Selves or to our Affairs before that Peace Purity Satisfaction and Contentment which is in a desired Conjugal State must needs be a Symptom of a Worldly Mind If these Parents do not behave themselves harshly and bitterly against their Children according to the Apostles Phrase Eph. 6. 4. yet I am sure they behave themselves unseemly towards them according to this Phrase elsewhere It does not belong to my Meditations at this time to shew the mischievous consequences of such restraint whether Whoreing and Wantonness inconvenient and pernicious Matching of themselves uncomfortable Melancholy Diseases and perhaps Death it self But I am heartily sorry to find this Symptom of Worldliness there where it ought least of all to be found The lord pity all those who never saw that they offended in this matter till it was too late to see it Of the like Character are all those Parents and Guardians who by Threatnings or other Severities by perpetual Importunities and Solicitations do force their Children for meer Worldly Respects to accept of Matches against their Inclination and Approbation If there can be any Ravishing of a Maid without Deflowring her this is it and it is the more abominable because it is Parents Ravishing their own Children And we need not wonder to see so bad consequences of so bad premises no wonder if they prove to Love where they Marry not who were forced to Marry where they Loved not But of all kinds of violences methinks Self-forcing is the most unnatural and merely for the Love of Land or Money to commit a Rape upon ones own Reason Judgment Affection and Discretion is next to Barbarous nay I question whether there be any thing in Barbarity like it It was good Policy and is brought for an Example of good Oratory Sic Sacrilegus sic Fur sic Flagitiorum omnium Vitiorumque Princeps ac est bonus Imperator But how it should be good Divinity or how it should ever be the language of the heart of any Divines She is ignorant of the things of Religion proud carnal vain and many ways unsuitable but yet she will make me a good Wife for she has so much Land or so much Money That this I say should be the Language of any Christians heart I should be loth to believe but how shall I help it For what pretence can I have for my unbelief when I do see so frequent Examples before my Eyes Does not every Body every day see Men and Women professing Religion Marrying or Giving themselves in Marriage to Mates that are little else than Enemies to Religion plainly preferring the advancement of their Estates and Worldly Interest before their spiritual Advantages and the comfort of their Souls or indeed Lives either Oh but they themselves know no hurt by them they have better thoughts of them Love is blind Would to God Christian People would deal sincerely with themselves and then let any of these answer and say whether they run upon Marriage or blind fold or no. If not then they have either observed or enquired And if both upon observation and enquiry they have found nothing very desirable
be thought not to lose the day without having taken much pains to get it Nay some I have known so Faithful forsooth to the Person that chose them that they suffer themselves to be bound up and engaged not to yield a â—ot furâ—her thâ—n he shall give them leave though Righteousness or the reason of the thing require never so much Rare Faithfulness to their Friend indeed but shameful Unfaithfulness to God and their own Consciences He that accepts of the Office of an Arbitrator upon these terms before-hand laid down betrays a great meanness and vanity of mind and he that acts by these terms afterwards betrays a great deal of Cowardice and Falsity It seems not very improper to this Head to think a little of Electors who by their Votes and Suftrages are concern'd to chuse Officers Magistrates Members of Parliament or the like For these Electors are a kind of Arbitrators determining the Case between Competitors This is a Business of great Importance all will confess as upon which the right observation of Laws and administration of Justice and Judgment and consequently the welfare of a Kingdom does much depend To have no Regard to the Qualifications of the Person to be Elected but to Vote at a Venture to Vote for him that speaks first or comes next without any Regard to his fitness for Counsel or Business is a Point of great Folly To be led by the predominant consideration of Relation or Dependance or to be acted by Humor or Pleasure of other men or by a respect to private Thanks or Rewards or Entertainments not regarding the just Qualifications of a Person fit to manage such Employment seems to add Baseness to the Folly and argues a mind preferring Private Consideration before the Publick Good that is the World before God Neither is Slavish Fear a less Worldly Principle The poor Heathens are to be pitied who worship the Devil for fear he should hurt them But to advance men whom we suspect to be of a hurtful Nature into a Capacity of hurting us for fear of being hurt by them is a Nonsensical Folly fit to be chastened If I should under this Head take occasion to reflect upon the Generality of Jury-Men at Assizes and Sessions it would make this Meditation bulky and bitter For all of those that proceed not according to Evidence that act not from Judgment and Conscience that knowingly favor the Nocent through foolish Pity base Covetousness Worldly Love or Slavish Fear or oppress the Innocent because he is Poor Friendless Speechless a Stranger or an Enemy do proclaim themselves to be Lovers of the World more than of God And O Lord how loud is this Cry It reaches to the ends of the Earth and goes up to Heaven MEDITAT XX. Of Landlords and Tenants THe Holy Psalmist somewhere sayes Psal 115. 16. The Heavens are the Lords but the Earth hath he given to the Children of Men which is not to be understood according to the sense of the prophane Poet Jupiter in Coelis Caesar regit omnia Terris as if God had thrown the Earth out of his Hands and would take no more care of it or had committed it wholly to the Arbitrary Government of men For still it is true that The Earth is the Lords and however he have granted the possession of it to men yet himself still keeps the Propriety and the Rich are his Tenants and the Poor his Under-Tenants Now amongst those children of men to whom God is said to give the earth some have so little a portion of it that they may say with him that was rich but for our sakes became poor That they have not where to lay their heads or at best they can challenge no more of the Earth for theirs than where they may lay their dead bodies But yet in this unequal distribution there is no iniquity neither For although God dividing the Earth amongst Men do not proceed by the Law of Gavel-kind yet he has made provision for his poor Under Tenants having charged his Landed Tenants which we more improperly call Landlords to see that they be not starved nor so much as opprest It is true and proper speaking to say that God has appointed the rich all the rich to be Overseers of the poor and has declared that he accounts them his enemies whosoever are not their friends If any of you have this worlds good and see his brother have need and shut up his bowels against him how dwelleth the love of God in that man 1 Joh. 3. 17 God has not left it at the liberty of the rich whether they will administer to the poor or no but has as much oblig'd them to charity towards them as to Justice towards one another And it is not to be doubted but that the poor have as good a right to some part of our Estates as we have to the rest And for ought I know this may be one Principal reason of that saying of our Saviours call it Prophesy or Promise The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have always with you that there may be an opportunity for the exercising of Charity and that they that have Mammon may not want a way of doing good with it and making themselves friends of it If it be so that the first Worldly Blessing is to be Rich I think the next is that there are Poor about us The noblest use that can be made of riches is to give them away according to that Golden Sentence that it seems our Savior was often wont to use Beatius est dare quam accipere And I am sure the properest Object of Giving are those that have Little or Nothing of their Own But who can persuade the Mammonists of this world that this is good Divinity Alas how few live and act as if they believed it Oh wretched and barbarous Guardians that in stead of putting on Cloaths upon the Naked Skin pull off the Skin from the Flesh that live in all manner of Pleasure and Wantonness spending profusely upon their Lusts of Playfulness Intemperance or Uncleanness and in the mean time Exact the Money of their poor Tenants whereby these Provisions may be made for the Flesh How dwells the Love of God in that Man whose Hounds and Horses and it may be Whores too are Fat and Fair-liking and in the mean time his poor industrious Tenants and their Children so nearly related to their Landlord are almost ready to perish for want of Bread The Poor in general as Men are nearlier related to us by the Law of Nature than Dogs and Horses as Christians they are still nearer A-kin to us and as Tenants seem to be related to their Landlords in a Political Capacity and to be as it were of their Family For who can think otherwise but that God in distributing the Kingdoms and Lordships of the Earth intended that Kings should take all their Subjects to be their Children as to Paternal Care and Landlords should esteem their Tenants as their
Ward and constituent Members of their Family In the distribution of the Holy Land God gave no lot to Levi whom yet he loved as well as any of the rest intending that the Levites should be maintained at the Charge of the respective Tribes amongst whom they resided It is partly thus in the distribution of the World where God could easily have made provision of Land for every man and have made all the Inhabitants of the Earth Freeholders but he has past by one Tribe even all the Poor of the Earth on purpose as it seems to employ the Care and Charity and Pity of their Brethren about them It is a reasonable Maxim in Law Cujus est lucrum ejus est damnum That he that receives the Gains should bear the loss according to the Custom of the Holy Common-wealth that he that bought the Land should also charge himself with the Widow and content to have Ruth for his Wife so should every man who inherits or purchases a Lordship consider with what stock of poor Tenants it is charged and take care that by some honest means or other they be maintained But how dwells the Love of God in those Landlords who never considering the Charge that God has laid upon them nor the Relation wherein their Tenants stand to them exact the utmost worth of the Land by their good wills allowing nothing for the labor and pains of the Tenants nor for their Hazards nor Losses neither It is a Prerogative competible to God alone to do what he will with his own For all men are Stewards and ought to eye the Will of God more than their own It is true indeed every Landlord may yea and ought to make the best of his own But then if it must be considered in what sense his Lands are his own sure I am they are so his own that he must give an account of the management of them to a higher Landlord And it must be considered what it is to make the best of ones own He makes the best of his Estate Not who improves it and racks it to the utmost Penny Not who studiously adds Land to Land and Lordship to Lordship Not he who lays up Goods and Monies for many Years But he who puts his Estate to the best Use and improves it to the best Ends that does most glorifie God with his substance who loves to give rather than to receive Go now Gentlemen and in God's Name make the best of your own And how dwells the Love of God in those Landlords who purchasing or inheriting open Lordships where from Generation to Generation many poor Families partly by their Labour and partly by their Right to Commons have lived comfortably do inclose them to their own proper use without any just respect to the meaner sort that have some small interest there or any charitable respect to the poorest of all and so drive those away from them whom Christ has foretold they should always have with them Job speaks somewhat Rhetorical of the First-born of the Poor whom he would have disdain'd to have set with the Dogs of his Flock this is he would not have them his Shepherds But these men by a barbarous Metamorphosis turn the Poor of the Land into Dogs of the Flock a Shepherd and his Dog supplying the place and employment of many Families It was a grievous Complaint when they cry'd Jam Seges est ubi Troja fuit The Complaint is as just though the Poetry be not so good Jam Canis est ubi Seges erat And how dwells the Love of God in those Landlords who when by their severe Usage they have made their industrious Tenants poor or when some extraordinary hand of God hath touch'd them and made them uncapable of punctual payment presently cry Let all that they have be sold and payment made of cast the insâ—fficient Tenant into Prisâ—n let him not come out thence till he have paid the utmost farâ—hing and let his Wife and Children seek their Bread in dâ—sâ—late places or starve the whâ—le Good God thou hast not dealt so with prodâ—gal Mankind who have spent their primâ—â—ive substance and stock in riotous living and by their own faulâ— reduc'd themselves to Husks but â—â—st provided a Ransome for them and put a fresh Stock into their hands to trade with And what mercy can be expect who shews no mercy to his Fâ—llâ—w-servant He shall have judgment without mercy c. But on the other hand as Landlords do too frequently offend through Pride Luxury Covetousness or Cruelty so the Tenants through Idleness and Knavery do no less demonstrate themselves to be Lovers of the World more than of God It seems by the Prophet Malachi That God himself may be Rob'd sure I am Landlords are often defrauded and many by the Idleness and Carelesness of their Tenants in not paying their Rents or by the Greediness and Kâ—avery of their Tenants in impoverishing and dilapidating their Lands and Houses are very much wronged and perhaps by frequent such Abuses straitned and made less capable of paying their Debts keeping Hospitality or befriending their other industrious Tenants that deserve well For the Poor to oppress the Rich is not so usual but it is as certain a Symptom of a Worldly Mind as for the Rich to oppress the Poor MEDITAT XXI Of Tradesmen SOme are of Opinion concerning Trades as the Apostle speaks concerning the Law 1 Tim. 1. 8. That they are all good if a man use them lawfully Which for ought I know if it be meant of the Trades that are allowed by Law concerning which the Law has made Rules and to which the Law has annext Priviledges is very true But yet these two things must be confest That all Trades are not alike self and laudable nor may every Age and Temper be committed to any Trade indifferently Tradesmen are a very substantial and useful part of a Nation and their way of living seems preferable to the living of Gentlemen or Husbandmen as requiring more Industry than the former and more Ingenuity than the latter The All-wise God doth instruct them to discretion Bezaâ—â—l and Aholiab did receive the Spirit of Architecture from him as well as Saul the Spirit of Government But yet as if they were not beholding to him how great a part of them do prefer the World that great Anti-Deity before him So do all they that make the getting of Wealth and the raising of themselves or their Friends or Children to a singular and unwieldly Greatness the main and highest end of all their Occupations little or nothing respecting Charity to the Poor or the Good of the Publick And so do they who by making false or unserviceable Wares put a Cheat upon Mankind and elude the Necessities of the World instead of relieving them What can be more directly a preferring of Private Gain before the Publick Good And so do they who by Lying or Equivocations by dark Shops or false Weights or
zeal did so transport him that one would almost suspect it was beyond discretion he stirs up the multitude against them he argues the Case with them he presses it upon their Consciences from two or three weighty Considerations and at last condescends to Intreaty I pray you let us leave off this Usury And yet all the Usury of Money that they were guilty of was but the hundreth part ver 11. How zealous may we suppose this good Governor would have been against the twentieth part which is esteemed kind usage in these days When David describes the man whom God will accept he requires that he be a man that puts not out his Money to Usury Psal 15. 5. And when the Prophet Ezekiel describes a man whom God will for ever reject he describes him by giving forth upon Usury and taking Increase Ezek. 18. 13. And again describing a People whom God will judge he describes them by their taking Usury and Increase Ezek. 22. 12. Where by the by we may do well to take notice of one of the angriest Phrases that I think do occur in all the Scripture Ver. 13. Behold therefore I have smitten my hands at thy dishonest Gain These Commands are very plain and express one would think these Promises very great and precious and these Threatnings very dreadful He had need of the reason of an Angel certainly who shall go about to evade the sure Word of Prophesie And yet how plainly soever these things are delivered there is this further to be observ'd in the delivery of them that both in that 25th of Leviticus and 5th of Nehemiah the taking of Usury and the not fearing of God are Phrases to the same importance and it is as much in plain English as to say He that takes Usury has not the Fear of God before his eyes Oh fearful Character Is there any man in the World who would in cold blood be content that this should be predicated of him A like observation is to be made from both those Texts in Ezekiel How light a matter soever this licentious and wanton Age makes of Usury scarce assigning it a place amongst the Venial Sins and poor Peccadillo's of Life this inspired Prophet ranks it with and for ought I can perceive makes it equal in complexion and stature to Dishonouring of Parents Oppression Prophanenesâ— Sabbath-breaking Whoredom Incest Murder and Idolatry If I had never so good opinion of the Lawfulness and Innocence of Usury and were able to discourse never so Learnedly and Rationally in the defence of it yet I profess this Black Regiment of Comrades that go along with it in a List of God's own drawing up would scare me from owning it or taking acquaintance to it Me Comitum Vestigia terrent It is a pretty strange expression of the Prophet Jeremiah Jer. 15. 10. Wo is me my mother c. I have neither lent upon Usury c. yet all the People curse me I have somewhere read a Paraphrase upon these words to this purpose If I had been an Usurer indeed or some such notorious Pest to Mankind it had been no wonder that every mans hand should have been stretched out and every mans mouth opened against me But this is my astonishment That I am no such Person yet they Curse me they use me no better than though I were the vilest of men I hope for my Friends sake that this private interpretation of the words is severe though a Learned Doctor of our own adheres to it and do much rather embrace the sense that the Learned Glassius gives of them who acknowledges a Synechdoche Speciei in the words and so paraphrases them thus I have had no dealing in the World which usually is cause of fallings out yet the People Curse me I have somewhere read it pleaded on the behalf of Usury That it is no where condemned by Name in the New Testament Suppose this to be true methinks it is but a small Consolation and should yield but a small Encouragement to the Usurer The Holy Bible is divided into four Parts Moses and the Prophets and the Book of Psalms and the New Testament May we think it safe to do a thing forbidden in three of these because it is not spoken of in the fourth I doubt I may say conceruing the Usurers that plead this as our Saviour concerning the surviving Brethren of the Gospel-Glutton If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither would they hear though the Gospel should speak the same thing And what Are false Weights and Measures too become Lawful under the silent Gospel though so thundered against by the Law and Prophets Has the silence of the Gospel given a toleration to Perjury Blasphemy and False-witness-bearing too If it be said That these things are forbidden in the Gospel under the general Name of Injustice and Unrighteousness it may be retorted That Usury also is condemn'd under Uncharitableness and Oppression I remember Bishop Jewel grounds his severe Discourse against it upon 1 Thess 4. 6. But what though the Word should not be there and that it should not be forbidden by the plain hateful name of Usury if the same thing be forbidden and reprov'd by some other Phrase is it not as bad for the Usurer And what else can be forbidden by the Phrase Of not hoping for any thing again from what we lend which occurs in Luke 6. 35. Lend hoping for nothing again This cannot well be interpreted of not expecting so much as the Principal again for that would make the Charity to be Giving and not Lending and that Christ had spoken of ver 30. And yet there must needs be some sense in the words being the words of one that spoke nothing in vain It can be no less than this then that we must expect nothing over and above nothing resulting from the kindness and this the Composition of the Verb with the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will fairly allow if not inforce in the judgment of any good Grammarian I am not ignorant that the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is said to be used sometimes to signifie Despairing Neither am I ignorant That there is nothing spoken in words so plain and easie but that the Wit and Learning of Men especially when it is call'd in to aid their Worldly Interest may perplex and pervert it But it is a great satisfaction to me to consider That all the Translators of the Gospel into all Languages that I understand do Translate the word by Hoping for Nothing again or from thence and not one of them that I know of by Dâ—spairing Nothing And those Translators are suppos'd to be of the most Learned Persons in every Nation as every Body knows they were in our own But for once to gratifie these Criticks I will see what sense can be made of the 33 34 35 Verses put together if we Translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Despairing Nothing or Not Despairing Our Saviour is earnestly exhorting his
12. But however say the Defendants Usury is only forbidden towards the Poor by the Law therefore it is permitted towards the Rich by which it appears that it is not simply and absolutely forbidden It is confest that the poor are nam'd in Lev. 25. and Exod. 22. but it must also be remembered that elsewhere there is no mention of the poor at all but the prohibition is general The Psalmist and the Prophets say nothing of the poor but flatly and without exception condemn Usury Secondly It may truly be said that any man even a rich man when he is constrain'd for his necessary occasions to borrow of his Neighbour is Pro hic nunc as they speak for that present time poor Thirdly The poor are therefore nam'd when they are nam'd because they are the people necessitated to borrow and most subject to oppression He that argues thus Usury is only forbidden towards the Poor therefore it is permitted towards the Rich may as well argue from the words next before Exod. 22. 22. We are onely forbidden to afflict the Widdow and the Fatherless therefore we are allow'd to do what wâ— will at those that have Husbands and Parents or from Deut. 27. 18. We are forbidden to cause the blind to wander out of the way therefore we may safely misguide any that have Eys in their heads What strange work would such kind of Arguing make We are commanded plainly in Deut. 18. 7. to lend to our poor Brother therefore according to these Mens Logick we are not to lend to the Rich Well be it so Now when we lend to the poor we are expresly charged Exod. 22. 25. to take no Usury of them it will necessarily follow then that no Usury at all is lawful In a word if it be good Logick or Divinity to say Such a man is a rich man Usury will not much hurt him it will indifferently serve to justifie the Robber as well as the Usurer and the ingenious Hind and Bracy shall go nigh to be Cannoniz'd MEDITAT XXXI Other Reasons for Usury considered THe next attempt is to prove That though Usury should be condemn'd in the Old Testament yet it is not in the New I have already proved Usury forbidden in the New Testament both by the precept and practice of that Holy Author of that Testament and proved that this is no good Argument though it could not be prov'd the Allegation that I am now to consider is this There is no intrinsick Evil in Usury the Laws against it are onely Political binding the people of the Jews and no further concern us than as oppression is found therein And this is further prov'd by this that Usury was permitted to the Jews towards Strangers As for the former part of this Argument it is gratis dictum that the Law against Usury was judicial And methinks it should make any man of any tenderness of Conscience vehemently suspect that there is something immoral in Usury when he finds it ranked by the Psalmist and the Prophet Men of more than Legal minds amongst the most notorious Immoralities such as Idolatry and Murder What if any Papist or other should say That the Laws against Worshipping of Images and of keeping one Sabboth in a Week were only Judicial and concern'd the Jewish Politie onely must these Commandments therefore lose their morality God forbid is it not more reasonable to conclude that there is something intrinsically evil in Usury because the great and wise Law-giver has so flatly forbidden it and so severely threatned it then to conclude there is none because we can see none They say this Judicial Law binds no further than the Reasons of it do bind no further than there is oppression in it And who can tell but that God does account all Usury to be more or less oppressive because he has forbidden all The gracious Lawgiver whose name is Love better knows what are the several violations of Charity than we do and he makes Usury to be one setting if so plainly in opposition to Charitable tending Thou shalt be Charitable and lend but thou shall not put to Usury Neither doth it hinder Usury from being in its own nature evil and oppressive because it was permitted to the Jews to exercise it upon strangers There is nothing sure more unrighteous than Stealing and yet there was a time when the Supream Law-giveâ— who gives no account of his ways to us permitted yea and bad the Israelites to spoil the Egyptians And why might not he as well permit his people to spoil the Heathen Nations by usurious Lending as he had before permitted them to spoil the Egyptians by deceitful Borrowing and yet Usury remain in its own Nature oppressive It would be a strange boldness to draw into example all things that at any time God hath permitted unto men for a time by reason of the hardness of their hearts or dispense with by vertue of his infinite unaccountable Prerogative of transferring Rights from one to another from Laban to Israel from Egyptians to Israelites Is it not more fair to infer that if the Law onely allowed Usury to Strangers who were by the just judgment of God to be weakened and kept under in slavery and poverty the Gospel whose every line breaths love and mercy and the holy Author of it who has broken down the Partition wall and made all the world Brethren do allow it towards no body at all But if you will have strangers still I hope you will not find them amongst Christians so that if there be any place left for this Merchandize of Money the Usurer must transplant himself into Africa or America and trade there and try whether by that merciful means he can convert any of those strangers unto the Faith of Christ If it be pleaded That in reason a man may do what he will with his own and make the best he can of it It will readily be answer'd That man has properly nothing of his own the propriety is in God and we are but his Stewards and he has appointed us how we shall lay out his goods he has forbidden us to use them intemperately or improve them unjustly No man may kill himself with a Sword though it be his own nor play the Whore-master with his own Maid nor the Drunkard with his own Liquor It is true a man may make the best he can of his own Money but not the most he can of it This churlish Principle will preclude all Charity and justfie the most covetous Worldling who shuts up his bowels against the poor They seem to plead strangely for Usury who reduce it to the head of letting out to hire and match it with letting out of Lands or Houses for Rent If they would compare it to a Mans lending his Neighbour a Loaf of Bread and afterwards requiring as good a Loaf back again and a good Shiver over and above for his eating that Loaf which he lent him to eat it
and Sweetness and Beauty and Bravery of the World in our apprehension that we may look upon them as things unsuitable inadequate inferiour to our Noble Natures meer Husks and Trash Dust and Gravel in Comparison of the proper food of Souls Display thy Divine Excellency Sweetnesâ— Fullness Infinite Goodness Suitableness and Allsufficiency to us that we may be throughly convinc'd that thou art altogether lovely and that all other things yea Heaven it self are to be loved for thy sake Let thy good Spirit move upon our Affections and overshadow these Souls so long till it have impregnated them with Divine Love Whether Love be like Water do thou shed it abroad in our Hearts till it overflow all our Faculties as the Waters cover the Sea or whether it be like Fire let the Breath of the Lord Blow it up into a victorious and irresistible Flame Grant good God that this Love of Thee may express it self in the Faith Love and Obedience of thy Blessed Son Jesus in the Entertainment and Prosecution of the Motions of thy Holy Spirit in a sincere Love of all Men in a singular Delight in the Saints in the constant preference of Truth Righteousness the Establishment of Peace and Order the Advancement of the Gospel the Favour of God and our own Consciences before Riches Honours Pleasures Self-pleasing the Favour of Men the Propagations of Parties and all Worldly Interest whatsoever in the preferrence of the Peace and Holiness of our Souls before the gratifications of the Body and the securing of a happy Eternity before the serving of Time Finally I beseeeh Thee O my Gracious Father be daily adding Fewel to this Holy Fire maintain and encrease this pious Ardor Keep us in thy Love waiting for the Mercy of Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life Be daily winding up these Heavy and Lingring Hearts unto Thy Self and carrying on these imperfect Longings till thou hast ripened them into Perfect Lively Fearless Endless Love and Delight in thy Heavenly Kingdom for the sake of the Son of thy Love who hath loved us and given himself for us that we might give our Selves to Thee To him with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Thanks Love and Obedience for evermore Amen FINIS Books Printed for and sold by Samuel Tidmarsh at the Kings-head in Corn-hill THE Triumphs of Gods Revenge against the Crying and Execrable Sin of Murther to which is added Gods Revenge against Adultery A Chronicle of the Kings of England from the time of the Romans Government and continued unto the Fourteenth of his now Majesties Reign by Sir Richard Baker The Court of the Gentiles Compleat by Theophilus Gall. The Use of Passions written in French by I. F. Senault and put into English by Henry Earl of Monmouth A Treatise of Peace and Contentment of Mind by Peter Du Moulin Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty A Treatise of Sacramental Covenanting with Christ shewing the ungodly their Contempt of Christ in their Contempt of the Sacramental Covenant by J. Rawlet An Explication of the Creed the Ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer with the Addition of some Forms of Prayer by John Rawlet Artificial Versifying a New Way to make Latine Verses whereby any one of ordinary Capacity that only knows the A. B. C. and can count 9 though he understands not one Word of Latine or what a Verse means may be painly Taught and in as little time as this is Reading over how to make Thousands of Hexameter and Pentameter Verses which shall be true Latine true Verse and good Sense by John Peter price 6d stitcht Day of Doom or a description of the day of the great and last Judgment with a Discourse about Eternity Christian Directions shewing how to walk with God all the day long A Word â—o Saints and a Word to Sinners The Young Mans Guid through the Wilderness of this World to the Heavenly Canaan shewing him how to carry himself Christian like in the whole course of his Life All three by Thomas Gouge Tables for the use of the Excise Office whereunto is added an Introduction to Decimal Arithmetick and a short Treatise of Practical Gauging also the Excise-mans Aid by John 〈◊〉 Directions with Prayers and Meditations for the worthy receiving the Blessed Sacrament by the famous Charles Drelincourt A Help to English History containing a Succession of all the Kings of England the English Saxons and the Britains the Kings and Lords of Men and Isle of Wight as also of all the Marquesses Earls Bishops thereof with the Description of the places from whence they had their Titles Martial Epigrams Helvicus Colloquia Ovidii Opera Caesars Commentaries Erasmii Collâ—quia Ovidii Metamor cum Not. Farnabii Seneca's Tragedies Virgil. cum Not. Fornab Greek Testament of a full Character