The mean is best Vertue 's Chayre O Lord thou hast often by thine own example encouraged us to follow the meane and to avoid vices and extreams For first in the blessed Trinity thy place is in the middle room In our Redemption thy place is a middle room for thou art the mean between us and thy Father In thy Fathers congregation thou hast the middle room for for thou art that middle Arch in Gods Church that doest couple together Jew and Gentile The place of thy birth was a middle roome the heart of the world The time of thy birth about midnight Thy passion not farre from mid-day The place where thou suffâ—redst a middle roome between two Theeves one upon the right hand and the other upon the left Thy peaceable abode after thy rising from death in the middest of thy Disciples Therefore Lord there is no fitter place for thee to dwel in me than in my middle which is my heart made to be thy seat and thy holy Temple Sparke 20. O Lord I beseech thee to dwell in my q Eph. 3.17 heart by thy holy Spirit Let every vertue be a middle room in my heart for thy gracious self to lodge in and grant that I never decline from thy Commandments either to the right hand or to the left x Prov. 4. Let my faith Lord be a meanes to apprehend thee and thy merits and be thou still a mean to reconcile me unto thy Father y 2 Cor. 5. Rom. 5. Eph. 2. that being justified through thee we may have peace wi h God the Father To whom with thee and the holy Spirit in unity of Godhead be all praise and glory for ever and ever Amen Sect. XXI Crosses Christians coats IT is partly suspition The Christians Coat that they that at no time have crosses have at all time no Christ For indeed we find but few of God's children void of all trouble For either they are troubled in their reputation as Susannah was or crossed in their children as Ely was or persecuted by their enemy as David was or wronged by their friends as Joseph was or tormented in their bodies as Job was or restrained in their liberty as John was For indeed the good man is but as it were the but of the wicked whereat they shoot their sharpest headed Arrowes Sparke 21. O dear Father lay upon us any misery so it be in thy mercy any punishment in thy pitty r Jer. 10.24 Psal 6.1 correct us O Lord yet in thy Judgement not in thy fury least we should be consumed and brought to nothing t Job 2.8 O Lord if it be thy will to let us ly sick in the ashes with Job or imprisoned in iron with Joseph Å¿ Gen. 29.20 or persecuted with Enemies with David l 1 Sam. 22.1 or pinched with hunger like o Luk. 15. the prâ—digall son yet Lord be not angry with us for ever If heavinesse endure for a night let joy appear in the morning Grant good Father that we may with patience expect and see the blessed Jubilee of thy free mercy through Jesus Christ our dear Saviour Amen Sect. XXII A Christian the best Artist AN upright Christian is a Musitian A Salve for every sore a Physitian a Lawyer and a Divine to himself For What is sweeter musick than the witnesse of a good conscience What is better Physick than abstinence and patience What deeper counsell in Law than in having nothing to possesse all things And what sounder Divinity than to know God whom he hath sent Jesus Christ Sparke 22. O blessed Jesus let my musick be peace o Rom. 14.19 of conscience and joy d 14.17 in the holy Ghost My Physick the blessed potions and restoratives of thy precious blood My Policy to keep thy statutes And my Divinity to know Christ and him crucified and in the end with joy to behold him glorified for the merits of his bitter death and passion Amen Sect. XXIII Of spirituall blindness IT is most certain good Lord that spirtuall blindnesse is farre worse than corporall The borne-blinde For to want the eyes of angels is worse than to want the eyes of beasts for whereas the bodily blind is led by his Servant his Wife or his Dogg the spiratually blind is misled by the World the Flesh and the Devill Yea the bodily blinde will be sure to get a seeing guid but the spiritually blind followeth his own lust which is a blinde guid so falleth into the ditch The bodily blinde feeleth and acknowledgeth his want of sight and imperfection but the spiritually blind thinks no blame nor blemish in his sight The bodily blind supplieth his want of sight oft by feeling as Iasac a Gen. 27.11 did but the spiritually blinde though he feels the flashing yet never avoids the flame of hell fire To conclude the bodily blind accounts them happy which see but the spiritually blind despiseth the seers Sparke 23. O Lord open our blind eyes that we may see our wickedness and by our wickedness our weaknesse and by them both our accursedness For good Lord thou knowest that of our selves we are stark blinde For The naturall b 1 Cor. 2.14 man perceiveth not the things that be of God and knowes them not because they are spiritually discerned Lighten our eyes O Lord that we sleep not in Death Awake thou us b Ephes 5.14 from sleep raise us up froÌ„ the dead then give thou us light grant Lord that we may c John 12 35 36. walk while we have the light least the darkness come upon us Therefore Lord open thou the eyes of our understanding that we may believe in the light O good Lord seeing that we trust in thee that art the tru light d Eph. 4.17 18. let us not walk as other Gentiles blâ—nded in vanity of minde having their cogitation darkened and being strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them But we being once darkness and now are made light in thee x Lord Psal 5.8 let us henceforth walk as the children of light that we may see perfectly and attain that eternall light in the Kingdome of glory through Jesus Christ Amen Sect. XXIIII The Drunkard the greatest Self-Enemy The danger of Drunkennesse OF all men the Drunkard is the greatest Enemy to himself A malicious man is a murtherer of himself The Prodigall man a Thief to himself The Voluptuous man a Witch to himself The Covetous man is a Devill to himself But a Drunkard is all these to himself Namely a Murtherer to his body a Thief to his purse a Witch to his witt and a Devill to his Soul Sparke 24 O Lord give me the spirit of Sobriety and grant that I be not drunken with wine wherein is a Eph. 5.18 excess Lord let me never make a god of my belly b Phil. 3.19 but ever be moderate
Mat. 25. O God thou seest how my sins have taken such hold f Psal 40.15 upon me that I cannot look up to thy holy place Lord break the chains of my sins and let the pitifulnesse of thy great mercy loose me from the bondage of sinne the fear of death Rom. 8.1 the misery of this wretched life from the terrour and rigour of thy law that I may believe and feele that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Lord grant that we maybe fellow Citizens with the Saints and never look for a resting place here but let me say and sing with thy holy Prophet If I forget thee O Jerusalem let my right hand forget her cunning yea If I remember thee not let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I prefer not Jerusalem in my q Psal 1â—â— mirth Sect. VII Of the Kingdome of Heaven The Kings Palace THe place of Joy and the eternall rest of the Saints of God is described unto us in the Word of God by four speciall names above the rest whereby we may guess at the happiness therein contained namely by the name of a 2 Cor. 12. Paradise of a b John 14. House a c Heb. 12. City and a d Mat. 5. Kingdome It is called a Paradise to shew that it is as a Garden or Orchard of all sweet pleasure and delight But least we might imagine by the name of Paradise that the place of joy is but as a Garden adjoyning to a backside or a place by some corner of a house It is called a Princely House or Palace where many mansions and chambers be where besides a Garden there are also Halls Parlers Chambers Galleries Banquetting-houses and all other Lodges of pleasure but because a house though never so great cannot contain any great company or extraordinary multitude whereby we might be induced to believe that there can be but very few that can be saved for want of roome in heaven therefore the place prepared for us is also called a City which containes many Houses many Palaces many Temples many Orchards and such like places fit to contain and entertain many millions of Saints and Angels but least we should imagine that a City may be little and not spacious enough for the Sonnes of God and such as follow the Lamb therefore it is not called onely a Paradise a House or a City but a Kingdome yea the Kingdome of Heaven in comparison of which the whole earth is but as a point So that the Saints of God shall not onely be â—â— a Garden or Paradise of all delight but also in a Palace of all pleasures In a City of all good Government acquaintance and familiarity yea in a Kingdome of all Glory and Majesty where every Servant of God shall be his Sonne and every Sonne a Citizen and every Citizen a crowned King to raigne with the King of Kings for ever Sparke 7. O God seeing there is with thee such a Paradise of pleasure q Psal 84.1 grant that I may not love this earth nor the vain delights therein and seeing thy House and Palace hath so many roomâ— and mansions f John 14 â— let me not delight too much in building houses here upon earth as if I meant to stay here for ever r Psal 49 11. but with the Patriarchs m Heb. 11 10. Prophets and Apostles be content with such tents and mansions as may best put me in mind of thy dwelling And seeing that holy and heavenly Jerusalem is so great and glorious d Psal 84.1 let not me look here g Heb. 11.9 for any abiding City nor greedily gape for the Kingdome and preferments of the world seeing such a Kingdome is prepared for me that is like a well governed City a strong Palace or a Paradice of pleasure But when I walk in my garden let me desire thy Paradise when I sit in my house let me think of thy Palace when I tread in the town let me remember thy holy City and when I see the glory of the world and this earthly Kingdome let me seek thy Kingdome and the righteousness thereof Mat. 5. through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. VIII We must serve God in our prime and best time IT is a rule most certain in Reason and Divinity Abell's Oblation That man ought to yeeld his love and service to God as Creatures do give their love and service unto us who by the Ordinance of God do yeeld us both love and service in the best fashion or else man would not accept it And therefore the trees do not onely give their fruit willingly but such fruits as are seasonable sweet and delectable otherwise if they were bitter rotten and unpleasant we would not care for them For we ought to give our love and service to God when it is seasonable sweet and pleasant or else God will not accept of it Sparke 8. O gracious God as thou hast made me in the best fashion p Gen. 1. Psal â— Col. 3. more excellent than all other Creatures thy holy Angells excepted So grant I may yeeld the sweeter love more pleasant service than they by how much my Creation excelleth theirs Let me not bear leaves q Mat â—1 Mark 11. but fruits and those fruits which are most sweet and pleasant in thy sight Let my prayer be fervent r 1 Cor. 14. my zeal burning a Psal 69. and 119. 2 Kings 10. my faith unfained b Mat. 9. 1 Tim. 1. my fear filiall d Psal 86. my obedience child-like e Luke 2. my almes cherefull without ostentation and my whole life a pattern f Mat. 5 1â— for my posterity through that true pattern of all purity Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. IX Our love to God Sorrow's Antidote or Salve AS sorrowfulnesse is the death of the body and the grief of the soul so joy is the life of both For where there is no joy there is no life and where there is all sadness there is nothing but death For as the Soul's life consisteth in joy so the death thereof in sorrow So that he which hath true joy hath life but he which loveth his God in heart unfainedly hath true joy And seeing this joy doth arise from the love of God onely and from none other therefore it followeth that to have all our love all our good all our content and all our delight yea and all of life is to have the love of God And seeing the love of God I mean our love to God is within man that is in his will heart and affection it followeth therefore that to seek all our love all our life and all out contentment we need not to go out of our selves Spark 9. O gracious God teach me to have this treasure within me namely to love thee with all my heart d Deut. 6. with all
and substance to our members it putteth us in minde that we received our flesh from man when we think of our heart which giveth vitall and naturall heat to our members it puts us in mind that we received our Soul from the living God Lastly when we think of our head that giveth sense and motion to our bodies it maketh us remember how that we receive in our last generation all sense and motion of grace from our head Christ And calling this to minde we must remember that every Christian is a threefold brother unto us First by man as having all of us our flesh from one and the same man Adam Secondly by God as having all our souls infused into our bodies by one and the self same God And thirdly by our Redeemer as having all of us that be Christians received all grace and good motions from one and the same Christ God and man Therfore we ought to love all as brethren in the flesh but love them the more as brethren in Soul but love them best of all that are brethren in grace unto us for whosoever is our brother in grace must needs be our brother in soul and body likewise And therefore a Christian is no half brother or base broâ—hâ—r Sparke 13. O Lord That we may be perfect grant that we may be born b Joh. 3.5 again of water and of the spirit And because our first generation in the flesh is foul and filthy lustfull and lawless grant we may d Rom. 8.13 mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the spirit and subdue the rebellion thereof O Lord beget us again in thy Son e 1 Joh. 5.1 Joh. 3.3 Christ after thine own f Ephes 4 23 24. Image in righteousnes and true holiness of life O Lord grant that as the first Adam by his flesh g 1 Cor. 15.22 corrupted all thy children so the second Adam by his flesh may save all thy children Good Father seeing we are made h Gen. 1.27 by thee and i Joh. 3.3 born again of thee let us have no strife between us for our Fathers sake because we are brethren grant us to love our brother whom we see daily to love thee whom we have not seen least otherwise we be judged of thee to remain in death and counted as k 1 Joh. 3.14 15. Murtherers and man-slayers Therefore give us grace to love our Christian brother more for his father's sake for his own sake for Christ's sake and for thy Image sake than our brother cosen or kinsman in the flesh For by this love towards our brother we shall be known to be thy l 1 Joh. 2.3 disciples Grant us therefore sweet Jesus that we may follow thee as thy Disciples m Ephes 4.11.2 and as dear children walking in love as thou hast loved us and given thy life for us Grant this O Father for thy son and our Saviours sake Jesus Christ Amen Sect. XIV Christ our chiefest felicity VVE count him most happy The feliciâ—â— of the faithfull that hath all things at will wants nothing then most happy are we that are in Christ for he is all in all unto his servants For if we have wounds and would have them cured he is the best Phisician If we be wronged our Master is most just If we be poor our Master is Lord of Heaven and Earth and will not see us want If we fear death he is life If we would go to heaven he is the way If we be in darknesse he is the light If we desire to be nourished he is our meat If learning he is wisdome If strength he is power No marvell then though David had rather be a door-keeper in the house of such a Master than to dwell in the Palaces of Princes Sparke 14. O n Mat. 8.20 sweet Jesus thou wast poor q 1 Cor. 1.5 Luke 1 to make me me rich Thou wast stript stark naked to clothe my nakedness Thou hast spilt thy precious r Mar 15.46 Math. 26.28 blood to make a plaister for my putrified wounds Thou becamest a t Phil. 2. â— servant in earth among sinners that I might be made a King in heaven among Saints Sweet Saviour I honour thee and humbly embrace and kisse the wounds of thy hands and feet I esteem more of thy Crown of thornes thine hysop thy reed thy spunge thy spear thy vineger than of any princely Diadem I am more proud of thy thornes and nailes than of all Pearls and Jewells And I account thy Cross more splendent and glorious than any Princely Crown Teach us O Lord to know thee as we ought for thou art the way the truth and the life without a way men walke not without a truth men know not without a life men live not Be thou therefore still the way for us to walk in the truth for us to stick unto the life for us to hope in For indeed thou art the way inviolable the truth infallible the right way the chiefest truth and the truest life grant we never wander from thee never hope but in thee nor never learn but to know thee our onely Saviour Amen Sect. XV. Of Christ's Passion O Good Lord A Soveraigne Salve why doth not my heart bleed for my sins to think how often my Saviour bled for them First being but young and tender eight dayes old when he was circumcised Secondly when he was condemned and scourged Thirdly when he was nailed and crucified on the Cross And Fourthly after his death his side was pierced and his very body wept water blood for my sins And Fifthly in his bloody sweat when every member wept and melted for me Sparke 15. O dear Saviour make me sorry that I am no more sorrowfull for my sinnes For if my teares were in quantity like the Sea If my sighes were like the smoake of a furnace If my sobs could pierce the hardest Diamonds and my wailings like thunder yet have I still cause to weep sigh sob bewail my manifold sins Good Lord make my mouth to be filled with thy praise my eyes with tears for my offences and my heart to bleed with sorrow for my sins O Lord by thy blood b Mat. 9 3â— heal the bloody issue of my sins and through thy precious blood wash and cleanse me from all my sins c 1 Joh. 1.7 that through the blood d Rev. 7.14 of that tender Lamb the garments of our filthy spotted flesh may be made white through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. XVI Of the holy Ghost's operation O Blessed comforter it was thy divine will to shew thy self to thy children in four sundry forms for our comfort and instruction First like fire to manifest thy love and power Secondly like a cloud to manifest thy pitty and compassion Thirdly like a Dove to declare thy patience and peaceableness Fourthly like tongues to shew thy wisdome and eloquence For as the
might and majesty both now for evermore Amen Sect. LVII Trust not unto a rotten stick HE that trusteth to his own strength leaneth on a rotten stick For we see the skilfullest Wrastler sometimes have a fall the cunningest Fencer to have the foyle the stoutest Cantain killed the best Rider under his horses feet the nimblest Swimmer sunk under the water the best wits perish and the wisest men erre Sparke 57. O Lord God let me acknowledge my weaknesse and not presume on my strength For it is better to trust in thee than to put any confidence in Princes O Lord in thee have I trusted let me never be confounded Amen Sect. LVIII The best increase THe Husbandman's field doth bring him for every grain sometimes thirty sometimes forty sometimes sixty and sometimes an hundred sold If God so blesse our bodily labour How much more will he bless the labor of our souls If therefore we sow in tears we shall reap in joy If we sow in the Spirit we shall reap of the Spirit life everlasting For he that first seeketh the Kingdome of God and the righteousness thereof shall have all other things added unto it Sparke 58. O Lord give me grace to labour in the Spiâ—it to seek thy Kingdome to lay up treasure in Heaven that when the generall harvest shall come my eyes may be waking my lamp light and my self as a sheaf of wheat gathered into thy farne through Jesus Christ Amen Sect. LIX The Servant's access to his Lord. MAny a man is sain to travell farre to see a great man and to suffer many dangers and perhaps when he comes to his journeys end he shall find either his Lord from home or not at leasure perhaps dead or if alive not willing to pleasure him It is not so with God For if I come once to Heaven to see my Lord and Master my dear Father and best Friend as Mary and Joseph after their journey found him in the Temple amongst the Doctors so shall I be sure to finde him in his holy Temple amongst the Angells yea I shall be sure of such kinde entertainment that I shall never think of my paines and labour in coming or once dream to returne Sparke 59. Lord give me grace to be stedfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as I know that my labour is not in vain in the Lord. Lord I will come unto thee and seek thee whilest thou mayest be found I will knock and â—â—ll at midnight at thy mercy and though I have no friends either to plead my cause or to preferre my petition unto earthly Lords yet dear Father I have an advocate in thy Court that will both plead my cause and pitty my case even thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Sect. LX. Soon ripe soon rotten THere is no flower that will not fade no fruit that will not corrupt no garment that will not wear no beauty which will not wither no strength which will not weaken and no time so long but at last will pass I cannot see these vanish and not say that my self must pass The flower of my youth is gone already my best fruits are corrupt my time passeth while I speak of it Sparke 60. Lord teach me to number my dayes that I may apply my heart to wisedom and have understanding in the way of godliness For the longer time thou givest me the more I have to answer Lord make me ready at thy call and sweet Jesus pay my debts for me Sect. LXI The best Pattern O Lord I need no better Master to teach me than he that is my Saviour For by his nakedness on the Cross I may learn to clothe me By his Crown of thorns how to adorne me By his Vineger and Gall how to diet me By his prayer for his Murtherers how to revenge me and by his whole passion for me how to suffer for him Spark 61. Lord give me grace in all my actions to learn of thee to be mercifull as thou art mercifull meek as thou art meek holy as thou art holy true as thou art true and faithfull as thou art faithfull Let me honour thee as a Creator love thee as a Redeemer and expect thee as a Saviour And in the mean while let me rest in thy peace that I may rise in thy power Sect. LXII Take heed how you walk LOving Father what time so ever I bestow out of thy service I bestow it on my self am a Thief because I rob thee of thy due And if I be more enamoured with any of thy blessings than with thee I commit Adultery and take another God before thee And if I spend good houres in evill actions to bad purpose then I commit Treason against thy Majesty Sparke 62. Give me grace most loving Father to serve thee in righteousnesse and holinesse all the days of my life to love thee with all my heart with all my strength and with all my soul and to do say nor think either in merriment or sobernesse but those things which may please thee and advance thy glory Sect LXIII The last Enemy THere is no Enemy which a man cannot avoid either by flying forward retyring backward or standing still hidden or disguised or at the least by prayer but death For if we go forward we meet death if backward it meets us If we stand still it is coming upon us Yea whether we sleep or wake go or stand all is one we must needs meet death Therefore we must be resolute and prepare our selves for this last enemy from whom we cannot fly It is but a bug-bear it hath lost his sting we need not fear Sparke 63. O Lord prepare thy servant to die Grant I may live the life of the godly that I may die the death of the righteous For what man liveth and shall not see death O Lord how precious in thy sight is the death of thy Saints for they sleep in thee and cease from their labour Grant Lord that I may put my house in order and joy that I must dye Sect. LXIV The insatiable Worm I See that all the Creatures and worms of the earth can live onely upon some kinde of food that comes from the earth either upon grasse hay or corne or upon some fruits of trees or herbes But man is from the earth and yet all the Creatures of the earth will not suffice him but he must go to the Fowles of the ayre and the fishes of the sea for daintie and all too little to satisfie his appetite So that if he had as many dishes as he lived dayes he would both desire and invent novelties Sparke 64. O Lord let me not pamper my body dayly with delicates but prepare my soul with dutifull obedience to feed on the heavenly Manna of thy word That having meat and drink to suffice nature I may learn therewith to be content Let his diet that was but a loaf and a fish with a cup of
cold water teach me to be content with the least of his blessings and to give him thanks knowing that man liveth not by meat onely but by every word that proceedeth from thy mouth through Jesus Christ our Saviour Sect. LXV Good Neighbours THe childe of God hath some comfort in adversity above all others because all his neighbours are his father's tenants at wil and hold both life and land of him during his pleasure Therefore he that is God's childe shall finde some that love the Lord of their life and land and will be ready to yield relief and comfort unto his son David was not unmindfull of this when he said I have been young and now am old yet I never saw the righteous forsaken nor their seed begging their bread Nay if all men should forsake Gods elect the bruit creatures would succour him at need for rather then Elias shall starve the ravens will feed him rather than Jonas should be drowned the Whale will preserve him rather than Daniel should perish the Lions will comfort him Sparke 65. O Lord Thou art my Father I am thy child but good Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee I am not worthy to be called thy son O make me as one of thy hir'd servants let me not want the thing without which I cannot serve thee For Lord in thee is my trust let me never be confounded Amen Sect. LXVI The sickness of the Soul THe diseases of the body as the Ague the Stone the Pox the Palsie the Plague Impostumes c. Are cured either by Physick tract of Time or ended by Death But the diseases of the soul as Pride Envie Malice c. are cured neither by Time Physick nor Death but onely by the blood of Jesus Christ therefore seeing the diseases of the soul be so incurable and the Physick so precious we had need to be watchfull of our selves that though we have a sick body yet a sound soul Sparke 66. O Lord my soul is sick with divers diseases my wounds great and my Malady grievous heal mâ— therefore O Lord for my bones are vexed yea heal my soul for I have sinned against thee speak the word Lord and thy servant shall be healed Sect. LXVII Paul's desire THey that live most honestly will die most willingly For willingly doth the traveller question about his Inne Often casteth the Apprentice when his years will expire Many times will the woman that hath conceived wish her delivery And he that knows his life to be away to death and his death the doore to joy will often covet to be dissolved and to be with Christ Sparke 67. O Lord while we breath here grant that we may live in thee and departing hence we may live with thee for ever being sound in faith and strong in hope looking with chearfullness for the day of our departure and the joyfull appeareing of thy Son Jesus Christ our Redeemer and in the hour of death Lord let thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation Grant this O Lord for thy sonne and my Saviour thy Lamb and my loving advocate Jesus Christ the righteous Amen Sect LXVIII The Sinner's Wound EVery worldling sometime or other is sorry for the vices he followeth as the drunkard for his drunkennesse the whoremonger for his uncleanness c. But the godly man never repents him of any vertuous action For when did any man repent that he did relieve the poor who was sorry that he kept himself chast who ever had cause of grief because he did not rob or steal who ever repented him for being patient humble mercifull sober honest and faithfull But sinfull actions leave a sting behinde them which hardly can be cured whereas Godly deeds how bitter soever they seem in the doing yet being done instead of leaving a sting behind them they minister a sweet comfort unto the doer Sparke 68. My blessed God give me evermore grace to avoid evill and to do good to hate the works of darkness which causeth nothing but shame grief repentance and to put on the Armour of light that may shield me with comfort and save me from confusion Sect. LXIX The Christian's Primer-Book HE that will be a Scholar in Christianity may take Mount Calvarie for his school the Crosse for his meditation Christs wounds for his letters his stripes for his comma's his nailes for his full points his open fide for his book and to know Christ and him crucified for his lesson Sparke 69. Lord open mine eys that I may know thy son Jesus Christ and him crucified Grant I may enter into life through theneer and living way which thou hast prepared that is through thy bloud and passion so that no tribulation nor anguish nor persecution neither hunger nor nakednesse neither perill nor sword neither death nor life may separate us from thee to whom be praise and glory both now and ever more Amen Sect. LXX The Courtier 's walke COurtiers desirous by following Prince's Court to benefit themselves and to raise their house for them and their posterity ought to be carefull to know the right way by which they may be exalted being but earthly men seeing there are but four ways ordinarily whereby all heavy things here below may be promoted first By art at the water that of it self is heavy and by nature runs downward is by skil and knowledge not onely drawn up as high as the fountain from whence it first sprang but far higher Secondly by nature's ordinary course in things here below as in trees and plants whose tops do mount up so much the higher above the earth by how much their roots are lower and deeper in the earth Thirdly by vertue power of the celestial bodies as those vapours that are exhaled up by force and vertue of the Sun-beames Lastly by force and violence used here below to drive things upward as when an arrow is shot up from a strong bow a stone from a sling or a bullet from a piece by which violence things suddenly mount up but doe as suddenly fall again In like manner are men exalted here upon earth Some by art learning and industry exalt themselves and their houses not onely as high as the fountain of their bloud linaege but far above them as Moses Solomon c. have done some again by their humble service to God and their Prince do root themselves to low in the earth that their fair boughes and branches of their name and posterity grow extraordinarily in height above others and by reason of their sure and sound rooting continue longer before they either fall or decay And so did Christ and his Apostles exalt themselves some like the vapours are immediately drawn up on high by the celestiall power and pleasure of God by his extraordinary mercies to try them as Lucifer Saul Herod Nabuchadnezzar c. who if thâ—y be earthly watery and impure vapours are cast down again after a while
5. to the end that being justified by his grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternall life which hope maketh us not ashamed I humbly beseech thy Fatherly goodness to illuminate the eyes of my soul that I may clerely see what the hope of those is Whom thou hast called to the incorruptible inheritance of thy glory And as thou hast in many of thy workes printed the true character of our resurrection so fix fasten the same for ever in the heart and soul of thy servant that I be not as a man without hope either of my own glorification or of theirs that sleep in thee 1 Cor. 15. that in the end this body of mine being renewed and to my soul in farre more glorious manner reunited I may in the society of Angells being co-heir with the glorified Spirits shine as the Sun in glory and be fully united unto Christ the true Son of righteousness and the first fruits of the resurrection And let this holy meditation and the hope to enjoy that full and perfect contentation so possesse my soule and senses that it may be my thought my pleasure delight labour and care to attain to that perfection through Jesus Christ Amen Sect. CIV God's wayes are not our wayes THere is a Speech of Socrates greatly commended by St. Augustine De consens Evang. l. 1. c. 18. Vnumquemque sic câ—li oportere quomodo ipsum colendum praeceperat that is Every god was to be honoured as he himself had given in Commandement which sheweth by the judgement of a Heathen that no man must serve his God after his own lust but after Gods Law not after our owne reason but after God's direction Least otherwise the Lord cry out upon us saying Who hath required this service at your hands For is it reason that we should serve an earthly Master after his own will and not serve God after his owne Law Therefore certain it is that our good meanings in Gods service makes not alwayes our doings good neither is our Zeal a rule whereby we may measure out either our faith or good workes but only the known will and pleasure of God There wanted not a good intent or meaning either in the Isralites when they made a golden Calfe Exod. 3.24 or in Nadab or Abihu whâ—n they offered strange fire or in Saul when he spared King Agag or in Vzza when he put his hand to hold the Arke or in Jehu Levit. 10. when he would needs joyn the worshipping of Jeroboam's goldens calves with the worship of the true God of Israel Sparke 104. O gracious Father as in our godly endeavours we intend thy service and not our own so grant good Lord that in the doing thereof we may alwayes have thy will for our warrant thy law for our levell and thy commandments for our direction Give us grace dear Father to shun and avoid all those things be they never so good in mans sight which thou either hatest or hast no pleasure in And that we be not blinde servers of thee running after our own inventions grant us true understanding and knowledge of thy word which is the glass of thy will that seeing therein both thy will and our own weakness we desire thy grace to perform that which thou hast commanded us through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. CV A Caveat for the Demas's of our dayes THat Caveat of our Saviour to his Disciples should be his Saints care namely to endure to the end that we may be saved Mat. 10.22 and so to run that we may obtain and not to look back with Lots Wife or to faint in our journey or be weary of well doing For to what purpose is it that the Marriner sayls prosperously and obtaines a rich prize if he sink or suffer Shipwrack before he arrives at the haven of his own home That a Christian be laden with many Craces and obtain the rich pearle of the Gospel and be fairly imbarked for heaven if afterwards he suffer Shipwrack of his faith What availeth it a Captain to march hotly with Jehu to fight manfully with Jonathan if he turn his back with Ephraim before the end of the battaile For us to encounter Satan if we suffer him to sâ—yle and conquer us If the Souldier shall fly forth of the field revolt from his Captain forsake his colours run from his company and turn to the enemy he disgraceth his profession disableth himself for the Trophies of honour and meriteth condigne punishment O Lord we are thy souldiers the Church is our field Christ Jesus our Captain thy word and Sacraments are our colours the communion of Saints our company he that shâ—ll fly forth of this field revolt from this Captain forsake these colours run from this company and be found fighting under Satan's conduct dishonoureth his christian profession depriveth himself of the Crowne of glory and incurreth the danger of God's heavy Judgement For if we have given our names to Christ served in his camp 2 Tim. 4 9. 2.17 taken pay in his wars and yet play the carnall Apostates with Demas the Hereticall with Hymeneus and Philetus the scornfull with Julian the Emperour the spightfull with Alexander the Copper-smith their remaines small hope of receiving any comfort by the bloud of the Lambe and Christ's eternall Sacrificâ— but rather extream terrour in the expectation of his fearfull sentence small probability of being cleansed in his precious bloud but rather a sore possibility of being devoured by a violent fire For he onely that fights the good fight finishes his course 2 Tim. 4.7 and keeps the faith can expect the Crown of righteousness Sparke 105. O most mighty and mercifull God which art able to give more than we can deserve or desire for thy tender mercies sake keep me poor weakling and unconstant waverer from the shame of backsliding and defend me from the dreadfull sinne of Apostasie Keep me by thy power that I fall not restore me by thy mercy when I am fallen preserve me by thy grace that I never finally fall away take not thy holy spirit from mee but establish me with thy free spirit that I may be settled and confirmed in thy truth that being effectually sanctified in thy Kingdome of Grace I may be eternally blessed in the Kingdome of Glory Through the merits and mercy of thy sweet Son and my sole Saviour Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. CVI. The Christian Weather-Cock Psal 65.7 THe wavering Professor is not unfitly compared unto the waves of the sea Esay 17.12 It is the Lord that stilleth the raging of the sea and the madness of the people So delighted with novel ies so full of alterations is the fickle faith and the temporizing profession of the palsie shaking members of the Church that there be no waves so restless no winde so mutable Acts 28. no creature so changable while the Viper hung upon Paul's hand he