Worldly Business which probably hath more of his Heart attending that than his Ear hath which heareth the Word of GOD. There is a time for all things saith Solomon but he who can find it no otherwise than thus indeed finds a time for nothing Sect. 11. The Weaver mixeth his Colours too when he hath a Piece to make of several Colours to the best Advantage for Beauty Party-coloured Garments were an Old Fashion 2 Samuel 13.18 Genesis 37.3 now where such a web is to be made the Colours must be rightly Ordered Mixed and Disposed one in Relation to another The Christians active Righteousness is also a Garment of Divers Colours his Duty made up of Various Duties and he never makes his web True or Beautifull if he doth not rightly dispose his Duties of several Colours Giving to GOD the things that are GODS and to Caesar the things that are Caesars rightly ordering himself in his or her Duty to Husband Wife Servants Master Parents Children Political Rulers Or to GOD if he doth not mix his Prayers with Praises his Reading with Hearing the Word Preached and all with Receiving the Lords Supper That 's the true Christian that rightly disposeth his Duties of the several Colours so as there is a due Proportion of all and a comely mixture of them all Sect. 12. The Weaver hath his Warp and his Woof his warp is the Foundation the woof is Superinduced by the Shuttle Now to make his Piece well 't is necessary the Warp be first laid and be sound and good and the woof must bear a proportion to it too Men skilled in the affairs of the world will tell us that the more * of the same kind homogeneal they both be the stronger the web is They say Webs of Silk and Yarn mixed are not so strong as those wholly of either Be that as it will a Christian must have his Warp and his Woof too His VVarp must be a Knowledge of the Truths of GOD His Woof Action upon that Knowledge That the Soul be without Knowledge is not good saith Solomon Proverbs 19.2 How can they believe in him of whom they have not heard Romans 10. Assoon can a Weaver make a Piece of Stuff without a warp as a Christian live an Holy Life without a skill in the Principles of Faith Yea and it must be a sound Knowledge too he must be skilled in the form of sound words else he buildeth without a Foundation or upon one that is False I know GOD in the Methods of his converting Providence begins two wayes working sometimes from the Heart to the Head first affecting the soul which being inflamed with a Love to GOD by and by looks to know the wayes of GOD more perfectly sometimes GOD works from the Head to the Heart reflecting Pieces of our Knowledge upon our Consciences but both wayes whaâ— I say is true A course and series of good and spiritual Actions must be directed by a knowing Head and an Head replenished with a sound Knowledge in spiritual Propositions I know that hay and stubble may be heaped upon a good Foundation and where it is so the Apostle hath told us the work will suffer Loss and the workman if he be saved will be sayed as through fire but it will be hard to make a good Building where the Foundation is but Hay and Stubble Nor will our spiritual web be strong if there be not a proportion betwixt the warp of Knowledge and Woof of Action where Knowledge is not sanctified and experimental the Action will bear a proportion to it and not be truly spiritual But where the Soul is filled with Knowledg and that of a spiritual sanctified Nature being turned into Faith and the Action is truly Spiritual in its Principal End as to the Manner of the Performance there is the True Piece of Righteousness there the wrap and woof are both of the same Kind that work and that alone will be accepted and receive the Crown-Seal of Well done Good and Faithfull Servant The Poem Best Trade which gives least time to sin Which souls can least be idle in Mettals with which we nothing doe Soon rust so souls when idle too The VVeaver hath his Market where He Buyes and often Payes too dear For a good peniworth he payes His soul in needless Yeaes and Nayes VVith which his heart doth not agree He thinks he puts a fallacy Vpon his Chapman and doth cheat Himself whiles for a little meat VVhich perisheth Integrity Is changed for Hypocrisie Vain man hath parted with his hope His souls sheet anchor for a rope And that of sand for hope doth break VVhen truth in heart man doth not speak Unto his neighbour or doth ill Psal 15. VVho doth such things and hopeth still To the holy Hill to come builds on No promises foundation VVhat need so many words when few VVe confess best because most true VVhat if my Chapman will do so Must I serve his corruption too Who grudgâ—â—â— scolds the final word Religious souls cannot afford Giving another Quid pro quo When doing it will souls undoe But do I think the market dear Grace-market is not so for there I without price buy better ware Yet like ill husbands will not spare My time and strength for that to buy At a cheap rate Eternity Let me dear markets Lord improve To raise the price of thy great Love Within my Heart to hast apace To the better market of thy Grace Which clotheth naked Souls for nought But what to nakedness them brought Help me my Works Yarns to Scowr with brine Of Poenitential tears Not mine But of thy gift too Let thy Blood Then Dye them Blessed Jesus These Foul tears will not cleanse them of Grease Let true End Principles be twin'd With a right manner holy mind Let my first and last Actions be Twisted in like sincerity Thus let me live and still walk on Twined in Saints Communion Sorting my Actions so that all May in their proper order fall Ordering their Colours so as I A Christian Life may beautify Lord give me a right warp Teach me What thy Truths what thy Statutes be Lord let me never build upon What is not thy Foundation And help me too as to my woof Or I shall never make good stuff Thus when my piece comes off my Loom I praising thee shall bring it Home My GOD shall have it all and He For ever shall my Master be CHAP. IV. The Art The Yarn being thus prepared the Weaver fastneth the Warp unto his Beam and divideth it his filling Boys prepare the Yarn for the Woof winding it on quils or pieces of reed which he afterwards puts into his Shuttle in order to his Work The Meditations Sect. 1. A Christians Web is his Holy Life made up of the many threeds of righteous Actions the Warp of which we have before found to be the Doctrine of Truth This too must be fastned about the Beam of the Loom 'T is
THE Weavers POCKET-BOOK OR Weaving Spiritualized In a Discourse wherein Men employed in that Occupation are instructed how to raise Heavenly Meditations from the several parts of their Work To which also are added some few Moral and Spiritual Observations relating both to that and other Trades By J. C. D. D. Promissio Sanctificat omnia et reddit pretiosa in conspectu Dei neque quicquam tam minutum fieri potest in vocatione Divinitas ordinata quin Deo placeat Luther T. 4. in Gen. in c. 46. Job 7.6 My days are swifter than a Weavers Shuttle Isa 38.12 I have cut off like a Weaver my Life Printed in the Year 1695. To his Honoured Friends Bernard Church Esq and John Richars Gentleman Aldermen of the City of Norwich Worthy and much Honoured Friends THE design of the following sheets will be so obvious to every Eye upon the reading of them that many words to expound it to you will be perfectly superflous it will easily be its own interpreter both to you others besides what is needful upon that Subject I shall more fully discourse in my Epistle unto the Reader My business to you is but to give you an account of my Entituling you unto it For which it were enough to say That God hath so blessed you both in that occupation which I make the Theme of the following discourses as that it hath brought you in not only a Livelihood but such an Overplus as hath capacitated you not only to serve your Generation in the Offices relating to and the principal Conduct of that Trade but in other great Employments The one of you hath not only served the City wherein you are in the Offices of Sheriff and Alderman that you both have done but also in the Office of Mayor and that the other too hath not donâ— the same is only from his own Reluctancy and also represented this famous City in the Highest Court of parliament But also because you are great Examples of that Piety Sobriety and Goodness of Temper to which as you will find I have in the following sheets observed this course of Life in mens youth doth much tutour and dispose them and in being or having been the heads and conductors of all that are busied in that Occupation you have Entitutled your selves to all those Discourses which may tend to the Moral or Spiriual Improvements of it You will by the following discourses see you have no reason to reflect with any blushing upon the way in which you were in your youth trained up you have eminently served your Generation before you fall asleep The employment of your Lives hath not been a making Silver-shrines for Diana it hath not been a service to the Luxury Pride and Wantoness of the Generation in which you lived it hath not been an Apocryphal ' Employment it hath been the Employment of a good Dorcas only you made the Stuffe which possibly other pious and devout Souls made up It hath been an Employment that hath had a good end and design upon which in the morning you could warantably go and pray to God for a Blessing and in the evening say Prosper thou the work of our hand upon us Lord Prosper thou our handy-work An Employment which hath kept you at home watching over your Families and which hath brought you in a Livelihood and given you a Station in the world if beneath Envy yet above Pity What hath enabled you to Employ the poor to give portions to six and also to seven you may look back without a regret and rejoyce in the fruit of your Labours seeing many a sober Tradesman that you have bred many a poor person that you have clothed Your days my worthy and honoured Friends are in a great measure past and when you look back upon them you will say they are past Swifter than your Shuttles your week is almost at an end and you who have had many a piece of Stuff at the end of the week brought home to you must in a few weeks or months or years be gathered to your Fathers be no more Your works will follow you and your selves must carry home to the great Lord of Heaven earth the Web which you have Weaved May it please the Lord to bless these Discourses to you both that they may but any way conduce either to augment your comfort in a reflection upon the work which you have already done or help you to throw your Shuttles well as to the remnant which you have yet to do that when you cary all home you may hear that blessed voice Well done good and faithful servant thou hast been faithful in a little I will make thee a ruler over much enter thou into thy masters joy which is and shall be the prayer of him who is Your most faithful and affectionat Friend and Servant in the Work of the Gospel J. C. TO THE READER And more especially To the Masters Wardens and Assistants in the Corporation of Worsted-Weavers relating to the City of Norwich together with all my worthy Friends whether Masters or Journey-men employed in the Art and Mistery of Weaving AT last my worthy Friends I have found both leisure and advantage to testifie both to you and to the World the great value and respect which for more than twenty years that is ever since I understood any thing of you I have had as for very many of your Persons so for that Occupation wherein you dayly are employed so great I will assure you that for these twenty eight years I have hardly been consulted by any Friend about the disposal of a Child whom I have not advised to your Trade and but that in the Education of a Child Nihil invita Minerva the Genius of the Child ought to give a principal Conduct I will assure you next to the immediate service of GOD in his Gospel from which these times deâ—erred me unless I had had enough to have left them to have enabled them to do it freely I had devoted my Sons to your Fellowship nor would any thing have more pleased me as to any Son of mine than to have seen him fancying one of your Looms For I have either taken false Measures which yet I think I have not or no Employment which I have in my Eye hath superiour advantages to you if equal with you to serve all the Nobler Ends of Mans Life Were I so be your Orator I think I have Topicks enough by me to perswade any Person that nothing can commend a Trade to a VVise-man but what is to be found in Yours some of those things you will find enlarged upon in the first of my Observations in the following Sheets My thoughts that it was pity that such a number of Persons employed in so excellent an Employment as you are should want any Advantages to help you from Looms unto Heaven is that which your hath engaged me in this Service a Design which for some
not enough to have Truth in our Bible and Books and a Notion of it in our Heads it must be fastned to our Souls which is alwayes done by Faith we must be Rooted and Grounded in Faith as well as in Love Propositions of Truth are many times but Probationers to the Soul and never admitted into its Fellowship A Man may know that Proposition of Truth from which yet he withholds his Assent is Men may detain the Truth in Vnrighteousness not living up to their Principles so they may retain the Truth in Vnbelief not fixedly and steadily agreeing to those Notions of Truth they have heard and learned Knowing is one thing agreeing to the Truth of what we know is another yea agreement is one thing and a steady fixed agreeing to it is another So that a Christian will strive earnestly and contend for it as another thing The Faith of many Christians is described by an Heathen Tully I mean Tusc quest lib. 1. Nescio quomoda dum lego assentior cum posui librum et mecum ipse de immortalitate animorum coepi cogitare assensio omnis illa elabitur When they read the holy Scriptures when they hear the Messengers of GOD interpreting them comparing Scripture with Scripture and from strength of Reason confirming Propositions in them they cannot but agree the things to be truth but as soon as the Books is out of their hand and the sound of the Preachers word is out of their Ears they begin to doubt whether any thing be Truth which they have read or heard and indeed no better is the Assent of any who by the mighty working of the Spirit of GOD have not Faith wrought in them hence it is that their Faith is neither Fruitfull by Love and Good Works nor steady in it self There is no need at all that to secure Holiness of Life Men should bring it into the description of Faith and so make an innovation in Divinity which alwayes according to the Scripture distinguished Faith and Love for Holiness which is Love in the Fruit is a necessary consequent of true Faith either respecting the Proposition of the Word or the Person of the Mediator Can he be thought indeed to believe that Arsenick is Poyson who yet freely takes it into his Belly Or can any be judged to trust in a Friend for a kindness who hath promised it but upon the condition of some performance which he refuseth to do It is I say from this that the Propositions of truth are not fastned in the Soul that Men walk not according to the light of them Ephesians 4.14 and that they are tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the sleight of Men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive Every breath of wind would disturb the Weaver and every idle hand would trouble him if his warp were not fastned to his Loom Every wind of Doctrine and every Ignorant idle Seducer disturbeth that Souls Profession of Truth who hath not the Proposition thereof by Faith fastned unto his Soul 2. The Weaver divideth his warp that it may serve several intendments The deliberate Christian divideth the Propositions of Truth of which his Soul is possessed Some refer to speculation Some more immediately to Practice Some inform him what GOD is what CHRIST is what He hath done and suffered what the holy SPIRIT is what Heaven and Hell are c. others more immediately refer to Practice informing the Soul what it ought to be both towards GOD and towards Men. These Precepts concern him as a Magistrate This concerneth him as a Minister These things concern him as a Father these as a Child These Propositions contain the Will of GOD concerning Him as an Husband These concern the Woman as a VVife These concern him as a Master The other as a Subject or as a Servant And this is necessary that he may be Holy in all manner of Conversation For Holiness is a lovely spotless Fruit that grows up from the revealed will of GOD concerning us as the Root and as this Root sends forth many Branches so the Fruit of Holiness must be seen in every Bough in every Relation and Circumstance of his Life 3. The filling-boys prepare the Yarn for the Weaver by winding it upon several Reeds and Quills which being filled he teacheth to the VVeaver sitting in his Loom and ready to go to work VVe suppose our spiritual Weaver fixed in his Loom ready to say with David My Heart is fixed O GOD my Heart is fixed resolved to walk with GOD in all the Duties of Holiness having sâ—id with David Psalms 119.57 Thou art my Porâ—ion O LORD I have said that I will keep thy words We suppose him also to have wound his warp â—bout his Loom to be not only possessed of a due Notion of Divine Truths but to have his Heart rooted and grounded in them giving a fixed and steady Assent unto them and now every Relation every Neighbour every New Providence every Action of his Life becomes as a filling-boy to him affording him matter to work upon reaching him a Quill or Reed to work with The Subject gives the Magistrate an opportunity to work the work of GOD by Executing Justice and Judgement without respect of Persons knowing that he judgeth not for himself but for the LORD c. The Magistrate doth the same for the Subject giving him an opportunity to fulfill the will of GOD by Honouring the King and being subject to the higher Powers because ordained of GOD. The VVife gives the Husband advantage for his spiritual web of Righteousness by loving Her as CHRIST loved his Church 1 Peter 3.7 by walking before Her as a Man of VVisdom and Knowledge Ephesians 5.25 Colosians 3.19 1 Peter 3.1 And the Husband requires his VVife by giving her the like advantage to shew her self obedient to the Commands of her Father which is in Heaven by reverencing her Husband endeavouring to win him by her Conversation by loving him and being subject unto him as her own Husband Titus 2.4 5. 1 Peter 3.1 Ephesians 5.22 23. c. Is he that sitteth in this spiritual Loom a Father how easily may he see every Child he hath about him with one of these Pipes or Quills in his hand offering him for his work of Righteousness an opportunity to be obedient unto GOD in bringing him or her up in the Nurture and Admonition of the LORD and not provoking it to wrath Ephesians 6.4 in minding it of its Covenant in Baptism made with GOD in teaching it or them the Statutes of the LORD diligently when he sitteth in the House when he walketh by the Way when he lyeth Down and when he riseth Vp according to the Law of the LORD Deutronomy 6.7 Is he a Child he may see his Parents mutually serving him in his spiritual work giving him advantage to please GOD by Obeying his Parents in the LORD for this is right Ephesians 6.1 Is
he a Master he may see his Servants thus serving him with such opportunities to give unto them that which is just and equal knowing that they also have a Master which is in Heaven and if he be a Servant his Master gratifies him with the like opportunity of Obedience unto GOD while he obeyeth in all things his Master according to the Flesh not with Eye-service as Men-pleasers but in singleness of Heart fearing GOD doing whatsoever he doth heartily as to the LORD knowing that of the LORD he shall receive the Reward of the Inheritance for he serveth the LORD CHRIST Colossians 3.22 with good-will doing Service as unto the LORD not to Men Ephesians 6.7 Not answering again not purâ—oyning but shewing all good fidelity that they may adorn the Doctrine of GOD our SAVIOVR in all things Titus 2.10 Being subject with all fear not onely to the Gentle but to the Froward 1 Peter 2.18 The like may be said of all Relations yea every Providence of GOD every Natural and Civil Action of Humane Life supplies the Spiritual Weaver with Pipes to do his work by 4. The Weaver puts the Pipes or Quills which the Boys have fillell with Yarn for him into his Shuttle the hollow of his Shuttle in order to his work My Son saith Solomon if thou wilt receive my Words and hide my Commandments with thee c. Proverbs 2.1 why should not the hollow of the Shuttle put me in mind of the secret places of my Heart where the Spirituâ—l Weaver too must fasten every Pipe that he makes use of to compleat his VVeb of Righteousness It is not for nothing that we have in holy writ the Man according to GODS own Heart so often saying I will meditate on thy VVorks and in thy VVord Psalms 119.78 and 48.23 and 15.148 Psalms 77.12 He that never meditateth about his Duty with respect to every Providence every Relation is never like to do it The Weaver that intends to work puts every Pipe into the hollow of his Shuttle and makes it fast there whoso intendeth the performance of his spiritual work must go and do likewise VVhen the Providence of GOD gives him a New Relation he must be meditating what now is the will of GOD concerning me what is my Duty towards this VVife this Child this Servant and the sense of this Duty must be upon his Heart Meditation is the Soul 's Stand upon its Object The will of GOD in every Circumstance of his Life must not onely be received in his Understanding but hid in his Memory engraven upon his Heart and Affections set continually before his Eyes He will otherwise weave his Spiritual VVeb no better than the Weaver could weave his Cloth or piece of Stuff without a Pipe in his Shuttle Oh how many are there that neglect this they have a Duty to do in every Circumstance of their Lives a Duty toward their Relations a Duty with respect to GODS Providence as it is diversified to them but either they know it not being ignorant of the Scriptures or they remember it not or they love it not the Pipe is not in the Shuttle they can make no work Their Life is indeed a Life of Action they are throwing the Shuttle all the day long People of busie Heads and Hands but their time is spent as Seneca complained either in doing Nothing or in sinning which is a doing what is worse than Nothing or in doing other Things which signifie Nothing either to GOD'S Glory or their Eternal Happiness or in doing Things which though materially Good are formally Evil bonum non bene good Things spoiled in the Doing and all this for want of putting the Pipes in the Shuttle understanding the will of GOD concerning them under these or these Circumstances then hiding it in their Hearts and setting it before them as the Rule of their Lives and Conversations 5. Once more methinks I cannot but observe how the VVisdom of Divine Providence hath made VVork for all the Children of Men that as there was no Beggar in Israel so there need be no Beggars in England How many doth a single VVeaver imploy of all both Sexes and Sizes It must be an adult Man must VVeave but VVomen must Spin for him and Children must fill his Pipes It is the Reproach of England that there are so many Beggars in the Streets thereof when GOD hath furnished it with one little Beast whose Profit if improved would set them all to VVork and afford them Bread in the Sweat of their Face That we are full of Scandalous Beggars is not because the Providence of GOD hath not laid out VVork enough or the Trading of England is so little that it will not set them to it nor because the legislative Power hath not provided sufficient Laws but because they are so ill executed by inferiour Officers and Parents are suffered to bring up their Children in Idleness O England spit out thy Flegm shake off thy Sloth Honour GOD in the Substance and Increase which He hath given Thee It is nothing but Lust and Sloth that fills Thee with such Prodigious VVickedness and Reggary The Poem What this poor Child at my Command Doth reaching Pipes fill to my hand Which I first in my Shuttle hide Then weave my Web and am supplied With new ones by and by untill I my intended Task fulfill That every Providence Divine That every Period of Time Each new Relation Actions all Within my Sphere what-ere doth fall Doth to my Soul still offering me Renewed Opportunity To weave my Web of Righteousness That Men see not my Nakedness LORD give me in my Heart to hide Thy will and make it there to abide Thy will concerning me in all Periods of Life and things that fall Vnto my Shame Each circumstance May make me with thy help t' advance In Holiness Teach me t' improve All Pipes whether of frowns or Love Watching advantages to do The whole of what thou call'st me to And whiles thy Providence O GOD Bringeth me Pipes thy Staff thy Rod All fill them for me Let them be Accepted and wrought out for thee I stay not Lord for Pipes O may My busie Soul make no delay In work Work party-coloured With here a child's their father's threed Here let an Husband's duty run And there a Master's threed well spun All knit together by the band Of Love to thee and thy Command That when my Weaâ—ing time is gone My LORD may say to me Well done Beyond my Task I can do nought Let that but to an end be brought Which cannot be without thy skill Although thy self my Pipes dost fill CHAP. V. The Art The Weaver being thus prepared for his Work setteth himself to it swiftly throwing his Shuttle with one hand which he catcheth with the other not without some motion and imployment of his whole Body The Shuttle leaving a threed at every Cast of it betwixt the divided parts of the Warp which he uniteth to the other
rendring to all their Dues Tribute to whom Tribute is due Custome to whom Custome Fear to whom Fear Honour to whom Honour The Minister of the Gospel throws his Shuttle to his People Preaching the Word of GOD in season and out of season with all Faithfulness Diligence Boldness In Meekness instructing those who oppose themselves Fleeing also Youthfull Lusts being Vigilant Sober of good Behaviour given to Hospitality apt to Teach not given to Wine no Striker not greedy of filthy Lucre Patient no Brawler not Covetous c. On the other side Their People return the Shuttle being Obedient in the LORD to those who have the spiritual over-sight of them Laying apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and with meekness receiving the engraffed Word which is able to save their Souls being doers of the word and not hearers only Oh what rare and beautiful webs of righteousness are made at these double Looms when they thus work according to the divine rule happy is the people that is in such case Men shal certainly say this People have the LORD for their GOD. The Poem How swiftly doth my Shuttle fly To th' other hand and by and by Returns to th' other hand it first did throw Stops not at all nor yet moves slow But as it moves a threed doth stay To be united by the slay Vnto the Web. All our days here Swifter than Weaver's Shuttles are Saith holy Job souls cannot rest Idle at all but work what 's best Or worst They cannot move but some New actions stays upon the Loom Adding still to their Web and must At last be judged just or unjust According to them all when done So will the Judge's Sentence run For life or death The whole must be Judged by the All-seeing Eye What care had I of thoughts need take Of Words of Actions all these make My Web as it is true or not So will the wages I have got Be unto me at last Then Watch My drowsy soul Let no sleep catch Thine Eyes Let nothing thee betray To what in the great Judgment-day Will not abide My head my hand Mine Eyes my feet move at Command Of my quick soul Each act their part While I am in my Weavers Art The head contrives the hand doth cast The Shuttle feet do move as fast All is at work the nimble Eye Observeth how the Shuttles fly Should I not this work Righteousness With my whole man is that work less In labour or in price Then shake Thy self my soul Let each power take It's part Command the Members too That each of them their part may do Think not GOD will be served by A pious Tongue or devout Eye Nor by a false pretending heart He must have all and every part Doth a threed break doth thy soul sin Do what it can Oh look back â—hen And by Repentance make that good Which nothing but thy Saviours Blood Can expiate Repentance may Pardon obtain buâ— no scores pay My soul see that thy Tempels be Always before thy face Oh see Thou workst from Faith love holy Fear These will thee keep thou shal not Erre Thy work will streight and even be Nor shalt thou move incertainly My soul learn how to work alone And how with a companion Who doth not work of every kind Himself will not approved find CHAP. VI. The Art The Weaver in Weaving sometimes finds a Threed defective in the Warp mostly through the negligence or other infirmity of him that wound the Warp on â—e not discerning the breach of the Threed Sometimes also a Threed breaketh in the Striking if it happeneth in the former the Weaver Supplieth it by another Threed in its Room If it breaketh in the Striking he brings the two Ends together and goeth on in his work When he hath wrought a Plate then he looks it over with an Instrument picks it out and brusheth off the loose knots So goes on till he hath finished his Web Then he Cuts it off the Loom The Meditations 1. THE Spiritual Weâ—vers Warp is his Credenda the several Propositions of Faith and Truth which are wound upon his Soul partly by the Exercise of his Reason upon Natural Principles partly upon the Revealed will of GOD in his Word For the Candle of the LORD in our Souls is dighted both these ways Reason working upon Natural Principles will conclude That there is a GOD who made Heaven and Earth that he must be Eternal infinite just and Holy c. That to him must be given account of our thoughts words and Actions That Man hath an Immortal Soul c. But there are many more Propositions of Truth which Reason working from Meer Natural Principles will never Discover yet are Concluded from Reason upon this Hypothesis That those Sacred Books which we call the Scriptures contain the Revealed Will of GOD and are the words of Him who cannot Lie Now as Naâ—ural Light is not the same in all but varieth according to the Capacity of a Man to Exercise his Reason and the Helps he hath for it so also there is a vast difference in Mens Conclusions from Scripture-Principles Every Man is not alike able to search the Scriptures nor hath the like Advantage from Forrein Help nor is so able as another to compare spiritual Things wiâ—h spiritual There is not a greater Difference in Faces than there is in the Sentiments and Opinions of Pious Souls who all have set up to themselves the same End viz. the Glory of GOD who dayly Beg of GOD to Lead them into all Truth and would not willingly believe a Lie and necessarily there must be so unless it would please GOD that all Men should be Born with the same Wit Reason Parts and Arrive to the same Degrees of Learning and have the same Helps of Instruction Now it is impossible that the two Contradictory Parts of the same Proposition should be True Hence of Necessity every Spiritual Weaver will at last be found to have some Threeds in his Warp defective Some indeed more some less but all some Nemo sine Crimine vivit Optimus ille qui minimis urgetur saith Horace There is none liveth who hath a right Apprehension of every Divine Truth And this Reflection were but Men possest with Common Humanity would oblige them to bear each with his Brother There will not be found a guiltless Person to throw the first Stone at his Neighbour Neither is any Mâ—n Infallible Nor is there upon Earth any Infallible Judge why do I then Judge and condemn my Brother may not he by the same Right Condemn me Is there not the same Distance from him to me Stand where he will as from me to him who shall judge betwixt Us shall the Church or any Authority of Men Determine betwixt Us The Church indeed yea the Civil Magistrate may Determine that nothing be Published within their Territories contrary to what they apprehend the will of GOD But certainly no Man can make an Hair
of Truths Head White or Black Truth will be Truth and Error a Lie when Men have said what they can nor is any particular Church more Infallible than a Pope My following a Multitude in an Error will no more excuse me than the following of a Multitude to do Evil. I have no Judge under Heaven as to my Practice above my Conscience It is indeed my Duty to Hear the Church Reverently to Examine what it saith Diligently and to believe it as my Conscience tells me it doth or doth not agree with the Holy Scriptures Our Spiritual Weaver then may be assured that there are several Threeds Defective in his Warp And therefore stands highly concerned to be ever and anon casting an Eye upon it Examining the Various Propositions which he hath embraced for Truth and upon which he Buildeth and Directs his Practice But it is very possible that he may not be able to put in better Threeds when he hath done He is a Bruit no Man that can Believe what he Listeth or whatsoever his Neighbour would have him to Believe All a Christians Duty in this Case is 1. To Examine and Prove Propositions to hear on both sides to compare Things Spiritual with Spiritual c. 2. To have the Perswasions to himself in which he hath Faith different from the Church in which he Lives 3. To Beg of GOD to Lead him into all Truth and to Reveal what as yet is not Revealed to him and to Pardon his Mistakes and not to Conceal any Truth Revealed to him in Unrighteousness Which doing he may be assured we have an High-Priest can have Compassion our Infirmities Vpon those that are Ignorant as well as those otherwise out of the way Yet I fear some Errors of Faith are Damnable such as Infer an Impossibility of the Soul that is Possessed of them to do those things which the Scripture makes Necessary to Salvation Faith and Repentance Whether any other or no is more than I know 2. The Weaver finds many a Threed Break in the Striking yet is his Web not spoiled by it But when it Happens he stops looks back and lays up and Re-unites his Threeds and goeth on in his work Thus doing though there be many a Real Breach yet the piece comes off is approved Merchantable and passeth we have before considered all the Thoughts Words and Actions of a Christians Life as our Spiritual Weavers Striking Infinite are the Threeds that break in it The Righteous sinneth seven times in a day who can tell how oft he offendeth He who thinks he can keep the whole Law of GOD in Thought Word and Deed is not more to be blamed for his Error than for his Ignorance If he knew what Holiness that Holy Rule requireth he would never say so It was because the Pharisees did not know that GODS Law which saith Thou shalt not kill forbade as well Rash Anger and ill Words as Bloody Actions That they thought they could fulfill it And if the Popish Doctors did not give a Jejune Interpretation of a Divine Law no way Concordant to Holy Writ they would never tell us of a possibility of works of Supererogation or that any hath Oyl enough in his Lamp for himself and others which was what the wise Virgins in the Parable denied Our Threeds the LORD Pardon them will break and do break every day What help in this Case but to cast our Eyes back upon our Actions to take care ut ultima respondeant primis to bring the Ends together again by Repentance to make up the Breach by an Exercise of Faith on the LORD JESUS to resolve in GODS strength to take more heed for the Future This doing though what is done cannot be undone yet for the Satisfaction of CHRIST it shall be reckoned as undone and our VVeb of Righteousness accounted as perfect and accepted of GOD. The Soul is not made one who never sinned That is impossible and importeth a Contradiction but it is made as one that had never sinned that is its Sins shall never hurt it 3. The Weaver when he hath wrought a Plate so they call so much of the Web made as can at once lie before his Eye he looks it over picks it Brusheth off the loose Knots so I think they call the little parts of Wooll or Yarn picked off how fitly doth this prompt the Spiritual Weaver to his every day work of Self Examination Every days thoughts words Actions make him a plate of Work Some Unevenness there will be in it his Conscience Spiritually Enlightened is the Instrument he must use to Pick his VVork by Something will be found too much in his Affections Passions Words Pretences c. even in his best Actions to be pickt out by a Penitent Heart Disclaimed Abhorred cast from him as a filthy Râ—g Something to be Brusht off as no part of his Spiritual Web yea as a Noisome fly which will make his whole Box of Precious Ointment to stink He never proves a good work-man who is not as good and as Diligent at picking as at throwing of his Shuttle He never makes a good Christian who is not as good at Examining his ways as walking in a seeming Course of Piety and Righteousness Often Reckoning we say makes long Friends Often Reckoning with GOD and our own Conscience will keep GOD and us long Friends and our own Consciences long Friends unto us Oh that every good Christian would Remember at the End of every day My days work is now done but still I have it to pick and then retire into his Closet and use his Conscience to reflect upon his Actions and see if it be so far as his light will guide him according to the Divine Rule How much would this Contribute to the Evenness of a Christians VVeb and help him in the close of his life to say after Hezekiah LORD Remember how I have walked before thee in Truth and with a Perfect Heart 4. This whole work must be done till our piece comes quite off the Loom Self-Examination Repentance Watchfulness are not the works of a day or a Month or a Year but of our whole Life No work for Lent or Ember-weeks or Fasting-days only but the work of every day every week The good Christian can never find a time for a Carnival Travellers tell us that in the Popish Countreys particularly at Venice the VVeek before their Mortifying time of Lent is called by that Name a VVeek given up to all Manner of Lust Luxury Gaming Lewdness and Prophaneness as a preface to their Mock-fast that is to follow which make their Lenton-weeks an undue Proportion of time for the Disgorging their Polluted Souls of the Preceeding Crapula These are ill Spiritual VVeavers that spoil more of their work in one week than they can again make good in many The work-man in the LORDS work who needs not be ashamed is quite another thing He is alwayes at work either Weaving or Picking either working or looking