the same to many good ends and purposes as to the benefit of themselves their family the common-wealth the Church and in all respects to the glory of God and so can truly enjoy much pleasure and felicity therein and embrace the same as a blessing and gift of God as a little foretaste of that honour and glory which they expect to enjoy in heaven And by this good and divine use of honour to bee excited to search taste see and enjoy in some measure even on earth that heavenly honour and glory is that which I principally intend to discourse of in this Section This terrestriall honour and happinesse is a little reflection from the lightening wherewith heaven illuminates divine soules directing them to the acquisition of the true source and fountaine of all honour glory and happinesse by the aide of these small springs and rivolets Let then the excellency and splendency of this terrestriall honour stirre us up to view search and enjoy that eternall honour and glory of heaven which in the sacred Scriptures is called a kingdome in divers places the kingdome of God and of heaven Mat. 3.2 and 6.33 c. A heavenly kingdome 2 Tim. 4.18 A kingdome prepared for and to be given to us Mat. 25.34 Luke 12.32 A crowne which in expectation and in divine glorious and heavenly contemplation and so in vision wee may already have and are advised to hold fast Rev. 3.11 and wee are by that Prince of Kings Iesus Christ already made and called Kings and Priests unto God his father to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen Rev. 1.5 6. Great men ambitious men despised men all men harke to this heavenly language which most certainly tels us we may and bids us seek to possesse such a Kingdome such a crowne such honour and glory as if we were truly capable thereof would make us even on earth so high and heavenly minded as even to disdaine in comparison thereof the most glorious earthly honour but only so farre as it may serve to the furtherance and increase of this heavenly honour and glory and then should we bend all our choisest desires and endeavours to seek this honour and glory of God of heaven But by the way let me say or rather let the sacred Oracles of God tell us that before this honour is humility Prov. 15.33 Isa 57.15 Mat. 6.5 Luke 1.52 1 Pet. 5.6 and divers other places We should deny and esteeme our selves as the Laodiceans wretched miserable poore blinde naked Rev. 3.17 and so denying our selves wee should looke up to Christ Iesus our Redeemer and Saviour and as hee counsels us ver 18. buy of him pure gold white rayment c. all divine and heavenly graces and so thereby live well graciously piously for to such as so live is this honour and glory promised Psal 84.11 and 91.14 15 16 and 149.9 Rom. 2.7 10. So then though we must deny our selves yet in Christ Iesus if we be endued with his heavenly graces and so live well we ought to think our selves rich honourable happy and illustrious even in the sight of God and Angels Isa 43.4 that we are as Kings children and all-glorious within Psal 45.14 faire as the moone cleere as the sun and terrible as an army with banners Cant. 6.10 even the sonnes of God and heires of the kingdome of heaven Iohn 1.12 Gal. 4.6 7. 1 Iohn 3.2 Kings and Priests unto God Rev. 1.6 Such honor have all his Saints Psal 149.9 So then let our designes be so high and heavenly even as to acquire a kingdome a heavenly kingdome the kingdome of God Mat. 6.33 Luke 12. In him let us seeke for glory honour immortality eternall life Rom. 2.7 We all desire to be honourable and the way so be most truly and highly honourable is to seeke for this immortall glory of heaven which is indeed the poore and despised mans only hope and life and ought to be the well reputed and noble mans onely ambition and this hope this desire if divine and heavenly enough and the acquisition thereof is by Gods grace sufficient to ennoble even the most despised man on earth with honor and happinesse far more worth then this world can give or imagine What now if the dishonourable slaves of sinne and wickednesse those whom God himselfe hath branded with the ignoble names of swine Mat. 7.6 and dogs Rev. 22.15 who neither see nor know those heavenly dignities honours and glories of the Saints of God should trample those divine pearles of grace and barke at those heavenly honoured men yet let us be contented we know 't is the nature of the beasts and curs so let them wallow in their filth and snarle at us still it matters not while we are so happy as to know these truths oh would they were so happy also that we are so honorable as to be the servants of God yea his sonnes and heires of the kingdome of heaven as hath been shewed And yet further now lately searching those heavenly Oracles I find that God is pleased so to honour us as to call us so farre as we are good and happy his owne image Gen. 1.27 Col. 3.10 yea the very divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 the temples of the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6.19 6.16 wherein God himselfe dwels Isa 57.15 1 Iohn 4.12 13 15 16. the beloved of God Cant. 1. c. the glory of God and of Iesus Christ Rom. 3.23 2 Cor. 8.22 With divers other honorable glorious and heavenly excellencies enough to make us exceeding joyfull and very gloriously high and heavenly minded even in the midst of all the reproaches and abuses that the devill and all his imps can imagine against piety and pious men and so to contemne the same even as we would the barking of a bitelesse cur or rather as hath bin said before to esteem the same as heavenly musicke and blessings since it doth serve but to increase this our heavenly honour and glory Mat. 6. 1 Pet. 4.13 14. Now then let us raise up our thoughts and desires from this terrestriall to the heavenly glory let it be our onely ambition to rest in Gods favour on earth and to be crowned with eternall glory in heaven And in the meane time let us often pray with Moses O Lord we beseech thee shew us thy glory Exod. 33.18 and often endeavour already to soare aloft upon the wings of faith and divine contemplation unto this heavenly glory those everlasting heavenly glorious crownes and thrones which wee shall hereafter possesse Let this earthly glory and honour be an help to direct our soules thither and to learne the excellency of that infinitely transcendent eternall glory of heaven from which this earthly as a little bright reflection doth proceed And as children by the use and view of toyes and trifles such as they apprehend are encouraged to learn and doe thereby espy the way to greater excellencies and after seeing the vanity of those toyes
bee received with thanksgiving c. vers 4.5 I have written formerly against Popish superstitious refusall of the good use of meates and therefore not now to write thereof onely methinkes that the first five verses of this chapter 1. Tim. 4. is sufficient in this respect to give any reasonable Christian good satisfaction Therefore let not us superstitiously despise and refuse the good use of such gifts and blessings of God but rather in a good and temperate manner use them to the health and welfare both of our bodies and minds as hath beene shewed and as here Saint Paul adviseth us to the praise and glory of God And since our Country and condition affords plenty and variety for our entertaine Oh let us bee very thankfull to our most gratious Creator for the liberall use of these his creatures and acknowledge this unexpresseable mercie that we have not yet according to our demerits endured that grievous and insupportable misery of hunger and famine which other Nations Kingdomes Countries and Families have suffered but have foode both corporall and spirituall even Gods plenty And in the midst of our dainties and varieties let us sometimes remember the misery wherewith poore hungry people are tortured Heaven might have given them plenty and us want Oh then let us especially at seasonable times bestow some part of our plenty on their miserable wants Blessed are such as give of their bread and meate to the poore Prov. 22.9 Ezek. 10.7 Luke 14.13 Yea Jesus Christ himself takes this as done unto himselfe and will reward the same of his free grace with a heavenly Kingdome Matth. 25. Then shall the King say come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you for I was an hungry and yee gave me meate c. vers 34.35 Oh blessed soules that releeve Jesus Christ in his poore members And let the sweetenesse pleasantnesse and benefits of these terrestriall externall felicities excite us to seeke for and taste of that heavenly Manna of divine grace which is so excellent that many Saints of God even in this life have and doe enjoy a continuall feast within them which is the tranquillity of a good conscience And indeed these pleasures of eating and other the like enjoyances which are but little rayes glimpses and reflexions of eternall heavenly delights doe principally serve to this purpose to enlighten and guide us to the search and acquisition of that fountaine that ocean of all true delights and sweetnesse that bread of life God himselfe and of his heavenly pleasures and felicities which wee may already taste of in some degree for in the Church of God in his divine service love and goodnesse there is plenty of spirituall dainties He allowes more to his family then ever Solomon allowed daily to his Every day is to them a continuall feast a Christmas day a feast above that of Ahasuerus that of the Roman Galba or of Lucullus a feast in his holy Mountaine of Syon a feast of fat things full of marrow c. Esay 25.6 Wisedome hath killed her Oxen already hath mingled her Wine hath furnished her table and most lovingly invites us to come to eate of her bread c. Prov. 9.2.5 There is the milke of the word the bread of the Sacrament the Oyle of the spirit that heavenly unction which cheeres the countenance and divinely glads the hearts of the Israel of God There the faithfull espoused soule the Bride of the Kings sonne is invited and led into his faire banquetting house and into his pleasant garden of Myrrhe and spices eates Honey with the Honey-combe drinkes wine with milke yea eates and drinkes abundantly of these heavenly dainties Cant. 5. Oh if wee were but truely capable to relish the sweetnesse hereof we should bee extasied with divine joy Yea our beloved Saviour Jesus Christ himselfe offers knocks cals and if we will open unto him he will come into us and will sup with us and we with him Rev. 3.20 Oh what heavenly cates viands and dainties can they want whom God himselfe pleaseth to come in unto to dwell with and to feast withall What happinesse may they enjoy with whom the God of all happinesse is present yea who may enjoy God himselfe for I am the bread of life saith our Saviour Iohn 6.48 which came downe from Heaven vers 51. And he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever vers 58. yea hath eternall life vers 54. It seemes we begin eternall life already enjoy Heaven on Earth in some degree yea God himselfe within us vers 56. Oh happy thrice happy infinitely Eternally happy are such men then who can taste of and enjoy this bread of life this heavenly bread of eternall life Oh sweete Saviour give us daily this bread Let us especially endeavour to taste and feede on this divine food by faith in our hearts when we repaire to the Sacrament thereof even with sweetest heavenly joy and thanksgiving Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for he satisfieth the longing soule and filleth the hungry soule with his goodnesse Psal 107.8.9 Oh taste and see that the Lord is good Psal 34.8 The young Lions doe lacke and suffer hunger but they that seeke the Lord shall not want any good thing vers 10. To proceede let this happinesse of eating make us often mindfull of that celestiall eternall love-feast the Lambs Supper Rev. 19.9 where Heaven shall bee our banqueting-house the Angels our attendants and Jesus Christ our Bridegroome and where we shall enjoy millions of pleasures for ever Then shall we be abundantly satisfied with the pleasures of Gods owne house Psal 36.8 Then shall we everlastingly feede on that most delitious Manna the foode of Heaven the sweetnesse of eternall joy and happinesse which if we could but truely thinke of even in this life it were sufficient to charme our spirits with sweetest divinest heavenly pleasures The sweetest delights are divine and heavenly and the way to relish them beyond all sweets is often to muse and taste of them for having our soules often contemplating and tasting such delitious heavenly dainties the same extracteth from thence this vertue to bring us into a ravishment of delights How many men have been so transported in the divine contemplation of the sweetnesse of God and of his heavenly excellencies as they have seemed already to feast on the joies of eternity O my sweet Lord let me also I pray thee often feast of thy heavenly joyes thou knowest my soule desires to taste of no delights but thee in thee and for thy glory and since all goodnesse all sweetnesse and the fulnesse of all delights is only in thee for what is Heaven oh Lord without thee let my soul I desire thee be filled with thy sweetnesse and then surely I shall enjoy the delights of Heaven within me THE FIFTH PARTITION Of Drinking SECTION I. The benefits of Drinking in generall also the abuses and extent thereof in this drinking Age. MY
Treasure of divine Grace without the same all other riches are worth nothing with it even a poore small estate is sufficient to make a man truely rich contented and happy Hee that gaines Heaven though earth should allow him nothing shall â—et have plenty abundance and that fâ—r better then the earth can produce or man imagine Heaven is an object of consolation to the poorest and most miserable And certainly the more grace here the more happinesse there And since many poore men servants and others are more gracious and more pious then some rich men they shall be also crowned with coelestiall glory when the other richer ones shal perchance be excluded or in a lesse degree glorious Poore Lazarus though miserable and despised on earth is now in heaven triumphing enjoying infinite eternall treasures Poore men if you have grace learn then to be sweetly contented Doe not murmur at the abundant riches and prosperities of some vitious men Do but consider as King David did how they perish and come to a fearefull end and you will have no cause of the least repining envy Me thinks even in pity you should thinke they have need of some happinesse here that shall have nothing but woe hereafter And since you are heires to an heaven of eternall riches and happinesse O be you sweetly contented with this your owne happinesse and rather pitty then envy theirs God himself seemeth to have an especiall care of poore men aswell as rich if they be his servants As appeares in divers places of the sacred Scriptures As for example The Lord heareth the poore Psal 69.34 Hee is favourable unto them and preserveth their souls He will deliver them and their bloud is deare in his sight Psa 72.12 13 c. Hee avengeth and maintaineth their cause Psal 140.12 The Gospell is appointed to be preached to them Luke 4.18 They are blessed and intituled to the kingdome of heaven Luk. 6.20 And in this kingdome surely the Prophet intendeth when he saith That God raiseth up the poore that he may set him with Princes even with the Princes of his people Psal 113.7 8. O then deare soules Though you be as poore as ever Iob was yet lift up and so lace here your dejected spirtts Here is cause enough if you bee capable thereof to make you exceeding merry and rejoyce for ever You see that God himselfe taketh an especiall care of you and that all his graces and blessings all the eternall treasures and felicities of heaven are exposed to your aswell as to the rich mans aime That infinite fountain of all riches and happinesse God himselfe gives and offers himselfe and his heavenly blessings to bee possessed and enjoyed of the poorest soule that will by a divine lively faith apply this happinesse to himselfe Insomueh that you cannot wish greater riches or happinesse then you may enjoy in God in heavenly Treasures Be ye therefore contented and rejoyce even in poverty and let no man too much feare the losse or grieve for the want of riches since there is or may be such blessednesse in a poore estate This discourse of Contentment I thinke so necessary as I am yet unwilling to leave the same My meditations extend themselves yet further Why should we feare the losse or grieve too much for the want of riches which are so weake and worthlesse as they cannot so much as mitigate the least paine much lesse deliver us from death or by infinite degrees satisfie our divine soules which are as farre beyond them as heaven is above earth They are even capable to eie desire infinite and eternall happines heaven and God himselfe But riches are altogether insufficient to bestow upon us true and lasting happinesse They have wings and fly away as the wise man saith Prov. 23.5 One day saw Iob the richest and the poorest man of all the East And millions of men have found the truth of this by experience that riches are most uncertain undurable And although it be true that in themselves they be something both in respect of time and worth and much to be esteemed in their good use even as the gifts and blessings of God and from which doth spring many good and excellent benefits as hath been declared in the first Section yet in comparison of the eternall riches of heaven in God himselfe they are even as nothing not to be regarded but altogether vaine variable undurable and fugitive unconstant as the moon brittle as the glasse frayle as Ice momentary as thought in such comparison The possessors of them are also vaine fading and undurable The mighty Craessus of whom it is said the Mines seemed to serve for a coffer the Indies for a cabinet and the Ocean for a new river of Pactalus is dead What is now become of Cyrus of Alexander of rich Gobrias Pollicrates Lucullus and the rest of those who are registred in the catalogue of rich men and of their riches Death hath taken them all away Be contented then fret not envy not and as King David saith Bee not afraid when one is made rich for when he dyes he shall carry nothing away Psal 49.16 He is even as vaine as fraile as undurable as his riches But rather let us lift up our soules since the riches of the earth can no way satisfie them to those infinite and eternall riches of heaven to God himselfe And when our souls solace themselves in those divine exhillerations which do and should often cheere and elevate a Christian heavenly minde Oh how poorely may we think of such drossy toyes as are earthly riches in comparison of these heavenly It is certaine also that no men can take greater pleasure and felicity even in earthly riches then such who are able when they please to contemne them even as vanity in comparison of heavenly treasures This divine contempt of them puts away all feare of the losse of them all distraction about them and so makes us enjoy the same more freely Besides it is a most excellent pleasure to our soules to know themselves so high so heavenly as even when they please upon good occasion to contemne the world in such heavenly respects Let me yet goe on further in this happy discourse of Contentment There is saith King Solomon that maketh himselfe rich yet hath nothing Prov. 13.7 And who is that thinke you Surely it is the contented pious man Saint Paul saith Godlinesse with contentment is great gain For we brought nothing into this world and it is certaine we can carry nothing out And having food and raiment let us be therewâ—th content 1 Tim. 6.6 7 8. What remaines then but that we seeke these true and permanent riches which are contentment and divine graces whereby wee shall possesse heaven and God himselfe That saying of Philosophers is most true That he is most rich who is most contented and therefore it is strange that some have put this apparant truth into a Paradoxe when nothing is
faults 't is then good hope that we repent and become new better men as King David Saint Peter Saint Paul Saint Augustine Mary Magdalen and infinite others have done who had as great faults and perchance farre greater then we yet after seeing and being ashamed of their ill courses they repented became new men famous Saints So let us endeavour as farre as wee may to imitate all good and excellent men 'T is said of Themistocles that he was a vaine and vitious youth but after he made the world amends by his worthy deeds A generous and modest shame keeps us from doing ill and makes us strive to excell in all good things insomuch that such as are possest therewith are like to be the best men of fewest faults And of all others these are they who are most like to do great and worthy matters while obstinate shamelesse people who impudently maintaine and go on in a course of vice wickednes without remorse are like to come to dishonour and ruine Such men indeed however they may bee esteemed in this world noble brave gallant blades yet while they remain unconverted in such vitious courses they are base and dishonourable servants and slaves to their owne disordered lusts and affections Whereas in a wise mans eyes there cannot be a greater honour to a man even in this world then to become of such a noble temper and free spirit as to conquer his irregular affections and to returne from vitious unworthy courses into the wayes of divine grace and vertue which makes a man to become Lord of himselfe in this life and at the end thereof by Gods grace guerdons him with eternall honour in the heavens And it seems God himselfe and Angels rejoyce at this There is more joy in Heaven saith our Saviour for one Sinner that repenteth then ninety and nine just Persons which need no repentance Happy are we and with everlasting honour and glory shall we be crowned if we be occasions of such joy in heaven Now a few words concerning dishonourable and despised men in generall Oh what pitty it is to thinke how many hard and evill-hearted men there are in the world who being somewhat richer and perchance therefore onely better esteemed in the world doe very insolently scorne contemne mocke scoffe reproach and abuse poore men of a low and meane degree But sirs thinke I pray Oh thinke that God might justly have made you the poorest meanest and most despised man in the world and that it shewes a very maligne and satanicall heart unjustly to despise reproach mocke abuse insult over and so adde to the griefe and misery of such men who are already most low contemned and miserable But let such low despised men know that God himselfe who is most just sees their misery and wrongs and will one day redresse the same And if they can be patient and goe on in well-doing they shall hereafter be crowned with glory honour immortality eternall life Rom. 2.7 And 't is most like however they may thinke otherwise that disgrace infamy and contempt makes many men the better especially frees them from pride vaine-glory insolency ambition and also makes them more humble and meeke And with such God himselfe dwels Esa 57.15 He promises them grace and exaltation 1 Pet. 5.6 There are very many gratious promises in the sacred Scriptures to the meeke and humble The kingdome of heaven is theirs Matth. 6.5 where they shall be crowned with eternall honour and glory and set with heavenly Princes Psal 113.7 So if they can be the better and more humble for their disgrace wrongs and low condition their light momentary affliction shall worke for them a farre more exceeding eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 Such heavenly glory and honor as is not worthy to be compared with their disgraces and sufferings in this life Rom. 8.18 Despised men you whom the world scornes and reproaches how happy how honourable are you if you be vertuous and pious Since God himselfe is your father and the kingdome of heaven your reward since it is your fathers good pleasure to give you a kingdome Luke 12.32 Feare not then but rejoyce for you have so much cause of joy if you can see it enough to make you unexpressably yea infinitely and everlastingly joyful To you Christ himselfe shall one day say Come you blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world Matt. 25. Be then but Gods servants and you are most honourable freemen His service is perfect freedome Then however you may be despised disgraced and miserable in this world yet are you such of whom the world is not worthy Heb. 11.36 38. most illustrious and honourable even in the sight of heaven You are the sonnes of the most high God guarded by Angels and feared by devils Eternity and the kingdome of heaven are prepared for your honour and glory Can you or dare you wish greater honour and happinesse Who will not say then but such men are most happy and right honourable Concerning poore despised men you may see or collect more consolations before in the first partition and fourth Section Let us then bee contented and not too much feare the losse of honour or grieve for the want thereof since there may bee such happinesse even in the good use of Reproach Contempt and Dishonour To discourse yet further concerning this subject of Contentment in respect of honour also Why should we feare the losse or grieve for the want of outward pomp and honour since although it be true that in it selfe and in the good use thereof it is of much worth and excellency as hath been shewed yet in comparison of the eternall glory and honour of heaven it is to be esteemed even as nothing either in respect of time or worth Insomuch as in such comparison it is more glory to despise honour then to attaine it to contemne and be above the world then to conquer it the rather since after such attaining and conquest a man knowes not what to doe with it and after a moment of time in comparison of eternity it passeth away from man or man from it Yea some have found that honour hath been rather a losse then a gaine but an occasion of envy jealousie opposition stormes and sometimes of poverty or death it selfe Witnesse those worthies Themistocles Phocian Aristides Scipio Cicero Seneca Socrates and divers others Many also have found the same but honourable servitudes and troubles All earthly things shew to us perchance better then they are and sometimes the devill also may tempt us as he went about to tempt Christ and so in our contemplations shew us the kingdomes and glory of the world but not the dangers troubles cares feares and vigilancies thereof Thus especially hee tempts ambitious men but many men who have duely considered these effects of honour and how the same may often hinder peace quietnesse also divine studies and resolutions have rather
and looking above them doe even contemne them in comparison of the more excellent things which then they know So let us as children in Gods family make a good use of this earthly honour and be thereby encouraged and excited to learne and search the way to the eternall glory of heaven of which this is but a shadow And when we are grown wise and skilfull men in rhe knowledge of divine things Let us then in comparison endeavour to be above and even contemne these toyes and trifles of the world for such is earthly honour even in it's greatest excellency in comparison of the heavenly honour and glory and then let us untye our selves from the overmuch and vitious desire of terrestriall honor which can never satisfie us and with a desire full of sprightfulnesse love and joy elevate our thoughts to heaven to eternity for certaine it is that those souls which doe often contemplate the heavenly glory and doe well know the excellency thereof are often raised farre above all the greatnesse of the earth inasmuch as eternity is above time and infinite glory above a shadow thereof And in these contemplations they are often so transported and raised beyond and above themselves as if they were then capable of terrestriall and humane vanities they would not know themselves while their souls doe thus direct their lookes desires affections and contemplations wholly to God himselfe to heaven Insomuch that while their spirits are so raysed in such divine thoughts and illuminations they doe seeme very gloriously then to despise all the honour and greatnesse of the earth and with unexpressable delight to marke out the thrones of their honour in the kingdome of heaven where they know that a crowne of immortall glory shall for ever environ their heads And in these divine thoughts and elevations they are often even astonisht with such wonderfull delights and happinesse as they can finde neither measure nor limits in these divine glorious amuzements heavenly irradiations and elevations of spirit So not being able to find any thing on earth worthy of their greatnesse they have designed the crowne and set up the throne of their honour and glory in the empyrean heaven To conclude Let it alwaies be our glory to glorifie our fathet which is in heaven Mat. 5.16 Ier. 9.23 They that honour me I will honour saith God 1 Sam. 2.30 Psal 9.14 15 16. O how honourable how happy is he whom God is pleased to honour Teach oh Lord this secret divine language to my heart to desire onely thy honour thy glory and that I may glory onely in thee who art mans soveraigne glory yea onely true happines Let me esteeme this honour this glory this happinesse as heaven already The third PARTITION Of Conjugall Love SECTION I. Of the excellency of such Conjugall or Marriage Love in generall and the miseries of the losse and want thereof KIng Solomon saith a prudent wife is from the Lord Prov. 19.4 From the beginning of the creation saith our Saviour God made them male and female for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they two shall be one flesh Mar. 10.7 Mat. 19. So it appeares God himselfe is the Author of this lawfull conjugall or marriage-love And therfore in respect of him the Authour to be very well esteemed accordingly Therefore in his sacred word by King Solomon he saith Rejoyce in the wife of thy youth c. See Prov. 18.2 Eccl. 9.9 and by Saint Paul Husbands love your wives as Christ loved his Church So ought men to love their wives as their owne bodies for he that loveth his wife loveth himselfe Eph. 5.25 28. Let me here againe make a short though perchance very necessary digression Since God himselfe as hath been shewed is the Authour of this Conjugall true Love and commends the same unto us I doe intend God willing to write on of this Subject though all the severe Grandsires and Stoickes of the world should frowne and the more nice then wise people turâ—e aside their heads and though envious malitious people should pine and grieve exceedingly at such loving felicities though over-doting sottish and brain-sicke Lovers should be toucht to the quick in this ensuing discourse and therefore kicke and though whoremasters should be gall'd and lash though Momus or jeering Coxecombes should carp and scoffe at this subject of Conjugall Love and though meere earthly sensuall fooles should not see or conceive the good and divine use thereof which is principally heavenly Love of God And I protest I shall in this discourse principally endeavour to please God the Authour of this Love that is to doe good for I know all goodnesse pleaseth him and what better and more necessary endeavour then to increase this so good and necessary happinesse of Conjugall or Marriage-Love in the world from which springeth so many good and happy effects therein as in this the next the fourth and fifth Sections of this Partitioâ— I intend to shew more largely And in the next place I would gladly also please all vertuous pious men and of them especially true-lovers which I hope I shall the rather since I have formerly been much encouraged by such and since I have followed and learned the substance of this Partition of many wise and worthy Authours who have formerly written of this subject done much good thereby and are deservingly commended for the same And lastly I write this to please and recreate my selfe also amidst more serious studies and occasions Now therefore let the said severe Grandsires Stoicks over-nice people envious malitious men over-doting sottish brain-sicke Lovers carping scoffing geering coxcombs meere sensualists or any other vitious men for such onely I thinke will frowne looke aside pine grieve be angry barke stir kick lash carp scoffe soulely detract or remain still meere sensuall fooles I care not since I have endeavoured and shall endeavour to doe this good hereby It matters not to me what such men say While I please God good men my self enjoy And since God the Authour of this Conjugall Love hath commended the same unto us in such a sweet amiable and pleasant manner as is said Prov. 5.18 c. Eccles 9.9 Ephes 5. and divers other places and also in the Canticles and elsewhere even in a misterious and divine way therefore if I or any man endeavour to shew and increase this happinesse and to do this so necessary good in a pleasing â—â—d harmelesse manner what wise well disposed man who but some rugged discontented envious carping maligne spirited men will be displeased therewith I wonder why any should be so maligne as to dislike grudge or envy the felicities of lovers I protest I wish that all the true-lovers and married men in the world might enjoy as much pleasure and felicity in their loves and wives as they can wish and thinke of though it were upon this condition that my selfe should lose all my joyes hopes and
ends they endeavour to possesse one another that change and variety is good though indeed it carries away the minde from all goodnesse and true love and so divides and cloies it that it hinders all true and most delightfull pleasures in love and is often an occasion of shame and of divers diseases alwaies of sadnesse repentance or greater mischiefs but these things are not talked of or perhaps scoft at till by wofull experience they finde and feele them But these inducements to unlawfull lusts and whoring they think are no faults but fine devices and mirth while they speake but over the fields and under the Rose as by the names of trickes of youth playing with Mistresses grafting of hornes Cuckoldmaking and the like fine words which they often use and leave out adultery whoring knaving and such words as being too plaine too grosse and spoiling all the mirth though yet there be some impudent brazen-faced dissolute knaves that over their pots and among their Companions will even bragge of and glory in their Whoring and wickednesse Let us now briefly view the miseries of such unlawfull Lusts and Whoring The same often causeth to the bodies of many men loathsome diseases as Pox Gout Sciatica Convulsions Aches and divers others It usually causeth dulnesse and weaknesse Whoredome takes away the heart Hos 4.11 and often shortens life Clorus having done Floreta's work she said I make no question Sir but you are paid And he was paid indeed but to his cost Paid with a Pox he was his life he lost By reason of this unlawfvll Lusting Whoring and Knaving many men consume their estates in Feasts Banquets Revelling Pride and Gifts thinking therby to seeme magnificent and please their Minions who when they have emptied their Purses and as the Divell serves Witches suckt away their best blood they leave them to poverty want shame and misery These Lusts and Whoring have also in all Ages beene occasion of much jealousies strife dissention disturbance and subversion of multitudes of persons families townes and kingdoms The same hath bin the ruine of strong men as Sampson of wise men as Solomon of Priests as Helies sonnes of Elders as in the story of Susanna Histories are very full of Examples in this kinde as of Caracalla the Emperour Childericke the first of that name King of France Teundezillus King of Spaine Redoaldus King of Lombardy Mulleasses King of Thunis Abusahid King of Fesse and his sixe sonnes of Tarquin Antonius Cleopatra Appius Claudius Alexander Medices Duke of Florence Galleatius Duke of Millaine Peter Lewis Duke of Placentia Ione Queen of Naples and others innumerable The same was an occasion of the destruction of the old World of Sodome Gomorrah of the Sychemites of Troy of Persepolis of Spain in the Raign of King Rodericke and of many other Townes and Countries From this root of unlawfull Lusts springeth also to the soule of man a multitude of Evils and Miseries such as commonly attend fornications Adulteries Incests Rapes and the like From hence commeth Cares Feares Jealousies Perplexities Enmities Contention hatred heartburnings Paines Sadnesse Dulnesse and sometimes fiery dotâ—ge madnesse breach of of Vowes Treacheries Duels and murders are hereby occasioned Shame and Repentance is certainely the end thereof or worse Despaire and everlasting misery without Reconciliation to God through Christ our Saviour Thus it appeares though these unlawfull Lusts may seeme to promise much as the Harlot did to the young Man to take their fill of Love Prov. 7.18 Yet this filling proves but emptinesse or rather fils the heart full of Evill Sorrow and misery The same brings forth but a Wind-egge a Moone Calfe some imperfect Embrio or Monstrous Birth as Shame Melancholy Sorrow Diseases Misery and perchance Ruine both of Body and Soule for an Whore is a deepe ditch c. Prov. 23.7 and 22.14 And hee that goeth after her goeth as an Oxe to the slaughter as a Foole to the Stockes and till a Dart strike through his Liver c. Pro. 7.22 23. So though the same seemeth to be pleasant as Honey and Oyle at first yet the end is bitter as Wormewood and sharpe as a two edged Sword saith King Solomon Prov. 5.4 and her house is the way to death and hell verse 5. and chap. 7.27 Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Hebr. 13.4 and will be a swift witnesse against them Mal. 3.5 Reade also Prov. 6.32 33. Iob 31.12 1 Pet. 2.11 1 Cor. 6.15 1 Thess 4.3 and Col. 3.5 The serious Consideration of all these evils and miseries may justly cause men speedily to repent amend and for ever greatly hate and endevour to avoyd such unlawfull Lusts You Courtiers and others who thinke it a trimme peece of glory to get a Mistresse and a Ladies favour forsooth you who esteeme and call your Minions or Whores divine and caelestiall names and would like Adam give Paradise if you had it for an Apple venture heaven to satisfie your base and unlawfull Lusts you that adore these Victimes and thinke your selves most happy when you can tempt the chastity of these female creatures and overcome them to your Lusts what doe you but with Ixion embrace a cloude for Iuno What doe you enjoy and adore but a Crust full of Corruption that must shortly rot and turne to Putrifaction What a thing is this a peece of Clay quickned with life adores a Snowy dunghill but there shall come a time when the crust of your pleasures shall be broken and you shall see what shame griefe dulnesse aches diseases evils and miseries lies within what have you done but acted the Devils stratagems which he hath taught you Thinke what horror you shall suffer at the day of judgement unlesse you repent and amend Other Remedies usually prescribed against these unlawfull Lusts are A moderate coole dry and sparing diet fasting prayer continuall action in some good businesse or imployments and to be alwayes studying contemplating or thinking of other good matters especially of heavenly things But one of the best and most usuall Remedies for such as are of an unruly temper is lawfull Conjugall Love and Marriage for such desires should be contained in the chaste breast of one Companion onely and that in the way of Marriage Who doth otherwise transgresses the Lawes of God of Nature of Nations of Families and of Justice Hee breaketh faith trust and constancy brings in uncertainties jealousies discontents and as hath beene shew'd a multitude of evils and miseries Let therefore married men endeavour to love their Wives as much as they can and let Batchelours if they may marry such as from their hearts they can truely Love for true Lovers as I conceive may take more pleasure in the enjoying one another then if they might possesse the Love and society of as many Minions and beauties as they can desire in the world for why diversity of Loves as in objects to the sight hinder intire and true pleasure in any And wee know that one dainty