fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire The oppositions intended in Scriptures are diligently to be observed upon mistaking whereof errour followeth upon neglect maimed obedience For example The Apostle in teaching that there is but one God the Father and one Lord Iesus Christ doth not oppose the Father to the Son nor the Son to the Father for either is God either Lord but both to all whether Creatures or Idols So where Christ bids his Apostles baptize them that beleev he doth not exclude their infants but such as beleev not the Gospel being preached unto them Likewise where Paul saith of the incestuous man that he was rebuked of many he opposeth not many to all as some conceav but to one viz. himself Lastly He that will expound the Scriptures ought in honour of the graces of God bestowed upon other men and in conscience of his own infirmitie with the holy use of other means to joyn the reading and searching of the commentaries expositions of such speciall Instruments as God in mercie hath raised up for the opening of them and edifying of the Church thereby remembring alwaies that the Word of God neither came from him nor to him alone He that depends too much upon other mens judgment makes as if the Word of God came not to himself at all He that neglects it as if it came to him onely Of which two evils the latter is so much the worse as arrogancie in a mans self is more odious both to God and men then either slacknesse in examining or dulnesse in discerning or excessive fear of departing from the opinion specially receaved of others It is strange and lamentable that in the great profession of the Scriptures made in our dayes so many should be ignorant of the difference between the Law and the Gospel of which two heads the Scriptures consist making the Gospel nothing els but a more favourable and easie Law and thereby transforming grace into nature a promise to be receaved into a commandment to be fulfilled and the offering of new life even the life of Christ into the exacting of old and due debt onely God as an absolute Lord gives his holy Law saying Do this and live and therein properly exacts obedience as a naturall debt of the reasonable creature thereunto enabled by creation But as a gracious Father publisheth the Gospel in it offering help to the miserable and helplesse creature and working withall according to the election of grace power will to receav the help and hand offered This if many considered as they ought they would not as they do plead the power of mans free-will in Spirituall things against the free grace of God nor exclude as some of them do the infants of beleevers from the covenant and baptism of the Church as though God could not shew grace because they cannot shew free-will to receav it The utmost ordinarie means of revelation of Gods will for mans salvation and happines is the Gospell When the Law written in mans heart by creation was almost worn out God gave it written in tables of stone But life and freedom from sin and death being impossible to the Law in that it was weak through the flesh and all men by it whether considered as written in tables of stone or of the heart by creation comming short of the glory of God it hath pleased the same God by the Gospell of his son Christ to provide a gracious remedy that the sick to death by the justice of the Law might be cured yea the dead revived by the grace of the Gospell and mercy of God therein And other remedy besides and beyond this for the obteyning of salvation God hath not revealed He that fulfils not the righteousnesse of the Law violates Gods justice but remaining obstinate against the grace of the Gospel also he despises with Gods justice his mercy and his authority in both And what remains for such but a fearful expectation of the work of his terrible power of the revelation of his wrath from Heaven against all specially such ungodlinesse of men For if the word of the Law spoken by Angels was steadfast and everie transgression and disobedience receaved a just recompence of reward How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation of the Gospel which at first began to be preached by the Lord and was confirmed to us by them that heard him CAP. IX Of Authoritie and Reason AVthoritie leads us to the Authour of a thing and bids us rest in his word whether for credence to his relation or obedience to his commandment Reason wils us to look to the thing it self and to the arguments for or against it taken either from common sense or naturall principles and conclusions or other undoubted grounds of truth or goodnesse of matter The ground in Authoritie is in a sort personall in Reason reall It is a kind of impeachment of Authoritie to examine the Reasons of things so is it a prejudice to Reasons work to call Authoritie to counsell save onely when God speaks for then the Authoritie justifies the Reason and Reason bids receav the Authoritie and do all things commanded without reasonings The Authoritie and credit of him that relates a matter whether man or Angel yea or God himself makes it not the truer in it self but the more readily to be beleeved by them that hear it The testimonie of God in his Word that in the beginning he made the World of nothing and will judg men and Angels at that day by Iesus Christ is onely therefore true in it self because God indeed hath done the one and will do the other but is therefore by us to be beleeved as true because he so testifies in his Word Divine Authoritie is to sway with us aboue all Reason yea Reason teacheth that God is both to be beleeved and obeyed in the things for which man can see no Reason And hence it is that the Lord hath so severely punished mens transgressing his Laws of Ceremonies and Divine Institutions called by the Schoolmen voluntarie precepts for that in commanding of them Gods absolute Authoritie most clearly appears and mans pure obedience in observing them Humain Authoritie hath more or lesse weight according to the worth of the person or other circumstances But as the moneys of all men high and low good and bad are alike so are the Reasons The meanest mans Reason specially in matter of Faith and obedience to God is to be preferred before all Authoritie of all men I say specially of Faith yet not excluding other subjects For though I will and ought to do some things simply because I am commanded yet I will not therefore simply beleev that any thing is good in it self And albeit I am bound to obey humain Authoritie in sundry things for the commanding of which I know no Reason yea know there is no Reason yet know I Reason for mine
a flipperie way bids him hold him fast by his hand lest he fall which he also puts forth unto him yea wherewith he takes hold of the Childe that so by communicating his strength with him he may stand and not fall The Lord that saith unto his Seek ye my face and gives them a heart to answer Thy face Lord do we seek gives ech of them also when he warns them to stand fast and not to fall away and the like to answer effectually Lord by these thy Commandements thy Seruant is warned to stand fast and to beware lest I fall away as hypocrites do And whensoever God either promiseth unto men or purposeth in himself absolutely an event touching any his good work in or by them he withall both purposes and promises and accordingly affords them both means conuenient and skill and will to use them and therewith an answerable blessing upon them for infallible successe In regard of this grace of perseverance the truly godly haue an advantage above Adam in innocencie He receaved to himself at the first his portion of grace and goodnesse from God being made after his Image and full freedom and power both to use and encrease it But instead thereof he soon mispent and lost all by transgression God therefore as a gracious and wise Father hath prouided better against our misgouernment and made Christ Iesus our Head and Feoffer of trust for our state of grace that he in whom dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily might still furnish and supply us as we have need lest we having all put into our own hands as Adam had should mispend and cast away all as he did And so the same Christ our Lord and Head partly by his mediation and intercession with the Father partly by the continuall supply of his Spirit assisting us in our weaknesses and recovering us in our falls and partly by his Divine power restraining the enemies of our Saluation most faithfully preservs us in the grace of God not suffering the living members of his body to be plucked from it nor the habitation of his holy Spirit wholy and for ever to be possessed by his and his elects enemie Satan The Scriptures speak of mens falling from the grace of God as they do of their receiving it When the Apostles entitle particular Churches or persons Saints sanctified in Christ partakers of the heavenly calling and such as in whom God will perfit the good work begun in them untill the day of Christ as it is meet to speak and judg of them all they do not so judg and speak in respect of the inward truth of the things as certainly being in their hearts which they neither did nor could ordinarily know for God onely knoweth the hearts of all the children of men the things of a man no man knoweth save the Spirit of a man which is in him but according to the outward appearance and profession made in word and deed So when they speak of the falling away of particular Churches or persons from God they are to be understood as they mean and mean as they know that is according to the outward appearance and profession which men formerly have made and then do make leaving to God and mens selvs which onely know them the inward and hidden things of the heart which too many causlesly make shew of sometimes deceaving themselvs and sometimes others and sometimes both till the time of revelation of hidden things come And whereas weak Christians might unhappily stumble at the revolt from Faith and holynesse formerly professed by many as if there were not that stablenesse satisfaction and comfort in the Gospel and grace thereof which it promiseth the Lord in great wisdom and mercie removes this stone of offence out of their way by intimating plainly that those Apostates were never truly and throughly made partakers of the Gospels grace from the former profession whereof they had unfaithfully declined Thus the Holy Ghost teacheth that the ground what shew soever it made in which the seed sown was either withered by persecution or choaked by worldly cares or pleasures and which brought not forth fruit to the harvest was never good but either stonie or thornie ground that they whose Faith was overthrown were not vessels to honour but to dishonour nor truly built upon the steadie foundation of God nor of them who had the seal of his Spirit nor were of his known ones that those who fell away and crucified to themselvs the Son of God afresh were but formerly as the earth which drinks in the rain which comes oft upon it and yet brings not forth hearbs but thorns and briers that they who bring in damnable errors and they who follow their pernitious waies both the one and other departing from the holy Commandment delivered unto them and turning the grace of God into wantonnesse were at their best but as dogs though having for a time cast up their stomack and vomited and as Swine washed from their mire and as Iude saith ungodly men of old ordained to that condemnation and crept in to wit into the Churches unawares and to conclude that they which went out from the Apostles and Churches by heresies and profanenesse were not to wit truly and indeed of them before Thus Gods wisdom and mercie provides a shield of Faith against the fierie darts of mens hypocrisie and perfidiousnesse wherewith otherwise the tender hearts of weak Christians might be deeply wounded by Satan CAP. VII Of Religion and the differences and disputations thereabout ONely men of all Earthly Creatures are capable of Religion which is also so naturall unto all men how barbarous soever that rather then any Countrey Citie or Family would want whereon to bestow their devotions they would worship they know not what yea which is more that which they do know not onely to be base and vile as stocks and stones but also hurtfull and evill As then Religion in the generall is naturall and false Religion of corrupt nature so is true and Christian Religion by supernaturall revelation For how can that worship of God please him which is not according to his will And who knoweth Gods will but by revelation of his Spirit But vain men are readie to deem God like themselvs imagining that the things which please them please him as well Herevpon the Heathens have devised to themselvs Gods and Goddesses of Theft Murther and all manner of filthinesse And even Christians in name at least because the Kings and Lords of the Earth account themselvs honoured by their Subjects when they entertain them with pompous shews and pageants of wittie devise are readie fondly to imagine that their wittie specially stately devises and fancies please the Lord himself as they do them and therein denie unto him his two properties of simplicitie in the things and power in appointing them But if we will give God his
paynefulnes the labour is soon over and gone whereas the goodnes and reward thereof remayns behinde Proud folk despise labour and them that use it And so it would be thought by many far meaner then Iosephs brethren a disgracefull question to be asked as they were by Pharaoh Of what occupation they were And this difference I have observed for the matter in hand that whereas in plentifull countryes such as our own it is half a shame to labour in such others as wherein art and industry must supply natures defects as in the country where I haue last lived it is a shame for a man not to work and exercise himself in some one or other lawfull vocation And in truth there is more comfort to a good man in that which he gets or saves by his labour and providence and Gods blessing thereupon then in that which comes to him any other way For he considers it not onely as a fruit of Gods loue but withall as a reward of his obedience unto Gods commandement of labour and travayl to be undergone in this world of the children of men It is a blessing upon every one that feareth the Lord and walks in his wayes that he shall eat the labour of his hands And he that without his own labour eyther of body or mynde eats the labour of other mens hands onely and lives by their sweat is but like unto lice and such other vermine Let every godly Christian in his place say with Christ I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work Longa quiescendi tempora fata dabunt It is a great blessing when God gives a man grace and wisdom to take payns about things first lawfull and secondly profitable The diligent in evill are but like the divill who compasseth the earth and that like a roaring lyon seeking whom he may devour Such do best when they do least The life of others is iâ— quieta inertia buesying and oft times troubling both themselvs and others with things altogether unprofitable like the kings of Egipt in building their Pyramides to the mispending of their own mony and peoples labour I have known divers that with the tithe of the study and payns taken by them had it been rightly improved and to profitable uses might have benefited both themselvs and others far more then they have done with all their diligence and that with good meaning also Labour spent upon things eternall must not be counted lost or too much seeing temporall things of any worth are not usually obteyned without it And surely if heaven and happines could be had with so litle payns and trouble as the world reckons it were strange if they were worth the haveing And yet how many might obteyn the pearl of Christ promised with lesse payns then they take for earthly and transitory things which yet oft times they are disappointed of yea I add then many take for hell which their wickednes brings upon them unavoydably Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for that meat which endureth unto eternall life sayth Christ our Lord. CAP. XXVII Of Callings THE effectuall calling of a Christian is that by which the Lord first differenceth actually and in the person himself the elect from the reprobate and by which the called approacheth and draweth nigh unto God that calleth him and that takes away his sin which separated betweene the Lord and him both by justifying and sanctifying him This generall calling of a Christian is incomparably more excellent and honourable then any particular calling and state whatsoever By it we are blessed with all spirituall blessings in heauenly things both for grace glory It alone is properly an holy calling hallowing all other callings which also are so far lawfull and lawfully used as they further it and not otherwise If the excellency of it were well weighed rightly prized no man honoured therewith should be thought worthy to be despised for any other meannesse nor without it to be envyed for any other excellency how glorious soever in the worlds ey These two mayn priveledges of Gods providence the elect before their effectuall calling are made partakers of aboue others The former that into what other or howsoever otherwise greivous sins they fall yet they are kept by the power of the Lord from sinning against the Holy Ghost of which there is no forgivenes And this the Apostle insinuates where he testifyes of himself that before his calling by grace he was a blasphemer and pers quuter but doing it of ignorance in unbeleif he obteyned mercy which if he had done of malicious knowledg he could not possibly have done The second priveledg is that though such a man may fall into great dangers so as there is oft but a step between him and death yet still God will rescue and keep him alive till he be effectually called to the participation of his grace in Christ witnesse the Iaylour in Philippi God calls a man actually in tyme as he hath chosen him in his eternall decree that is as he hath purposed to call and save him in due tyme. And if there be a particular and effectuall calling of some above others then was there undoubtedly a particular election or purpose from eternity in God so to do except we will say that God doth that in tyme which he did not from eternity purpose to doe And if the Lord work no otherwise in calling of any to the grace of Christ then by outward means and motives so leaving them as some say to the freedom of their will to determine it self by chusing or refuseing the grace offered in the gospell then are many wicked men so liveing and dying more bound to the Lord for his work of grace towards them then are divers his holy and faythfull servants The reason is because many of the former have been made partakers of the outward means and motives of grace in preaching of the gospell godly examples and education in far greater measure and more ample and excellent then many of the latter have been Neyther are the true servants of God by this doctrine to go so far in humble thankfulnes to God as did the prowd Pharisee in the Gospell who thanked God that he was not like the Publican and other sinners For whatsoever els they have cause to thank God for by these mens gospell they have cause to thank themselves and not God that they are not like other men who haue been made partakers of as great and ample outward means and provokations of grace as they have been A lawfull calling is necessarie for every lawfull work the generall calling of a Christian before we can perform any Christian work aright and so a particular calling to this or that state of life before we perform the works thereof The inward calling is requisite in regard of God who knows the
In wiveing and thriveing take counsayl of all the world and so men had need But in this busines affection so far over-rules reason in the most as they could willingly make their choyse without the counsayl of their nearest and wisest freinds Herein therefore freinds should be officious and forth putting and that both in love of their freinds and for their own sakes also who so oft as their freind marryes make an adventure and the same full of danger whether they shall not wholly or in a great measure loose their freind which is oftens seen Herein parents specially must both preserv the right which God and nature hath given them and do the dutie which the one and other hath layd upon them as accounting their children theirs most of all other things Whom if they this way bestow conveniently and in due time they provide well both for them and themselvs For them in preventing two dangerous evils uncleannes and unfit matching For themselvs according to the saying of Democritus that he who gets a good husband to his daughter findes another son as he looseth his daughter that gets an ill one The vertue of the wife is the housbands ornament so is the housbands the wives much more And therefore Philons wife being demanded why she alone went so plainly apparreled made answer that her housbands vertues were ornament sufficient for her If her practise were a rule and that housbands vertues were to be measured by their wives homelynes in atâ—yre eyther fewer housbands would be thought vertuous then are or more wives â—ound soberly apparreled then are After goodnes fitnes in maryage is most to be regarded that so much that as for a pare of gloves or yoak of oxen two alike though meaner both of them are fitter and better for use then if the one were more excellent So in this maryage pare and yoak the woman best qualifyed is not alwayes the best wife for every man nor every man the best qualifyed the fittest housband for every woman but two more alike though both meaner sort better usually And according to this Pittacus being demanded by a freind what kinde of wife he should marry answered one fit for him Fitnes of years is requisite that an old head be not set upon young shoulders nor the contrarie which is worse Fitnes in estate lest the excelling person despise the other or draw him to a course above his reach Fitnes for course of life and disposition unto it the dislike whereof in either by other breeds many discontentments Lastly agreement of affection and inclination what may be to all good persons and things Onely it is good if the one be too fierie-hoat and suddeynly moved that the other can cast on the more cold water of forbearance But now seeing there is seldom or never found such conformitie betweene man and wife but that differences will arise and be seen and so the one must give way and apply unto the other this God and nature layeth upon the woman rayther then upon the man although the man should not to much look for it nor use all his authoritie ordinarily at least which none but fools will doe As the glasse sayth one though never so rich of gold and pearl if it represent not the face of him that looks into it is not to be regarded so neyther is the wife how well endowed soever otherwise except she frame and compose her self what may be unto her housband in conformitie of manners Many common graces and good things are requisite both for housband and wife But more specially the Lord requires in the man love and wisdom and in the woman subjection The love of the housband to his wife must be like Christs to his church holy for qualitie and great for quantitie both intensively and extensively Her person and whatsoever is good in her he must love fervently mending or bearing if not intollerable what is amisse by the former of which two he makes her the better and himself by the latter And if her faylings and faults be great he by being inured to bear them patiently is the fitter to converse quietly and patiently with other perverse persons abroad as Socrates sayd he was by bearing the dayly home-brawlings of Zantippe Neyther sufficeth it that the housband walk with his wife as a man of love but before her also as a man of understanding which God hath therefore affoarded him and means of obteyning it above the woman that he might guide and goe before her as a fellow heyr of eternall life with him It is monstrous if the head stand where the feet should be and double pittie when a Naball and Abigail are matched together Yea experience teacheth how inconvenient it is if the woman have but a litle more understanding though he be not wholly without then her housband hath In the wife is specially required a reverend subjection in all lawfull things to her housband Lawfull I mean for her to obey in yea though not lawfull for him to require of her He ought to give honour to the wife as to the weaker vessell But now if he passe the bounds of wisdom and kindenes Yet must not she shake of the bond of submission but must bear patiently the burden which God hath layd upon the daughters of Eve The woman in innocency was to be subject to the man but this should have been without all wrong on his part or greif on hers But she being first in transgression hath brought her self under an other subjection and the same to her grevious in regard of her housband oftens unjust but in regard of God alwayes most just who hath ordeyned that her desire should be subject to her housband who by her seduction became subject to sin And albeit many proud women think it a matter of scorn and disgrace thus to humble themselvs to God and their housbands and even glory in the contrarie yet therein they but glory in their shame and in their housbands shame also and whilst they refuse a crosse chuse a sin of rebellion both against God and their housbands Which shall not escape unpunished from God though many fond housbands nourish them therein and by pampering and puffing them up by delicate fare costly apparrell and idlenes teach them to despise both them themselvs and all others Mariage hath divers ends that make it convenient and one that makes it necessarie for the most which is the preventing of that most foul and filthy sin of adulterie And this brand it deservs in speciall manner seeing he who coupleth himself with an harlot becomes one body with her which cannot be sayd of him that consorts with a theif or murderer or drunkard in their sins as also for that such a one sins against his own body Not that he sins not against his own soul too or that all others sinning sin not against both body and soul but in regard of
and in the hands of young men if there be not counsayl at home and in the breasts of the aged And as some fruits are ripe before others and divers fit for divers seasons of the year so God and nature hath so ordayned that the bodyes of young men should be ripe in their youth fittest for bodily employments by reason of their naturall heat and spirits and the counsayls of old men in their age through their long experience and observation Things go well where both do their parts in societies It is worthily sayd of one that Childehood should be manly that is not without all wisedom and age childe-like that is without pride and arrogancy Yet may the aged above the younger sort chalenge and use a kinde of authority and confidence in their words caryage So is there to be permitted unto childhood that childeishnes which without violence to nature the God thereof cannot be driven from it Many in pride striving and streyning to have their children men and women too soon and ere they be full boyes and girls force them above their pace and eyther cause them to tyre as discouraged or occasion them to content themselvs in after time with certayn manly forms without substance unseasonably forced upon them in their childehood Fruits ripened by art before their time are neyther toothsom nor wholesom So children made men when they should be children prove children when they should be men Notwithstanding stubbornnes and corruption cannot too soon be forced out of them Neyther is half that libertie to be given to the younger sort which they would take not knowing nor being easily brought to beleiv how slipperie their state is till they come to feel it by their fals which if they did they would not complayn with the foolish young man in the poet that all parents keeping any hand over their children though for their good are injurious unto them As all men are to honour all men because they are men and made after Gods image so should the younger sort specially be trayned up to a bashfull and modest reverence towards all and cheifly towards their ancients Which so well becomes their mayden years as that the phylosopher accounts blushing a vertue in young folks though a fault in the aged Many parents desire to have their young ones trayned up in such exercises and courses as may inbolden them But they should for the most part provide much better for them specially in our audacious age if they got them held constantly in courses of modestie and â—hamefastnes that so Demetrius might have his wish in them which was that young folks would reverence their fathers at home all men abroad and themselvs being alone The Apostle writeing to Timothie warns him to fly the lusts of youth If Timothy who was brought up in the knowledg of the Scriptures from a childe and who had profited so well therein and whose place in the church was so eminent for the teaching and governing of others stood in need of such advertisement and warning what warning can be sufficient for ordinarie young people to eschew and fly from such lusts and vanities as to follow after them and unto which the heat and heedlesnes of youth carryeth them It is indeed a great mercy of God when young persons get over that their slipperie and inexperienced state without eyther such publique scandall or secret wound of conscience as the scar whereof they carry to their graves with them How much more and greater a mercy is it when they receav the grace to consecrate their youth and best dayes to God in holynes offering their souls and bodyes as the sacrifices of young lambs unblemished upon the Lords altar Wicked men who hate goodnes both in youth and age use to say young saints old divels But the truth is young divels old Beelzebubs for the most part To whom yet if God in singular grace vouchsafe repentance in after age what a corasive will it be to the heart of such a convert casting back his eyes to his youth consumed in lusts and vanitie to think how great dishonour he hath brought to Gods name and hindrance to others salvation which he may repent of but cannot redeem On the contrarie sweet is the remembrance in old age of a youth led in true vertue and godlynes Some would enjoy both the honour of age and liberty of youth But curled grey hayr is not comely Eyther state hath its benefit and burden alotted of God He that obteyns the benefit must be content to bear the burden Young men must be content to want the honour which is due to the aged of their order otherwise in regard of the image of Gods eternitie which they bear And so must the aged be content to forbear even the lawfull libertie delights of youth Multitude of years should teach wisdom sayth young Elihu in Iob to his three ancients And this the younger sort should with reverence and may with good reason look for at their elders hands considering their long experience and manifold advantages above them for the getting of wisdom This wisdom makes their age honourable indeed and their grey head a crown of glory being founded in the way of righteousnes whereas an elementarie old man having no other argument to prove that he hath lived long but his grey hayrs and wrinkled forehead is a contemptible and ridiculous creature How many such a b c old folks are there in the world whose grey hayrs promise wisdom knowledg and to whom opportunitie and means of atteyning it hath not been wanting who yet being proved and known will appear very babes in understanding and such as for that skill had need to begin to live againe This is not meerly a want of wit in them or of the love of knowledg eyther but withall a curse of God upon them usually punishing a lustfull and rechlesse youth with a doltish age in whom the proverb is true in another sense Ab equis ad asinos Such of young horses become old asses A wise man should live well in youth and before old age come that he may dye well in age if it come and may be ready for death as the white regions are for the harvest and so may both wayt for it and even meet it the more boldly in the way of such vertuous actions as expose unto it For though youth likelyhood of long life should make none withdraw from any good duety or doe amisse for fear of danger of losse of life yet age should though in course of nature the more fearfull upon ground of good reason wisdom and grace make men the more ventersom of that in a good cause which God destiny will deprive them of ere long though other men let them alone as Solon was bold upon his old age to oppose himself to Pisystratus the tyrant One adviseth to be old
certain destruction We must therefore in this scrutiny neither trust our selvs nor any other creature but God alone in the testimony of his Word Spirit which knows makes known the minde of God and by which we may unerringly learn First what the tokens of his love are and secondly who they are which partake of them and thirdly that we our selvs are of that blessed number Now amongst them all there is none so certain and infallible though those of feeling be more joifull as the gracious work of true repentance in the mortifying of the old man in his sinfull affections and in the quickning power of Christs Spirit to willing though weak obedience to all Gods Commandments As we may certainly know that the Sun shines by the beams and heat thereof below though we climbe not into Heauen to see so may we haue certain knowledge of Gods gracious love towards us without searching further then our own hearts and waies and by finding them truly and effectually turned from sin to God As God may so far hate some evill in a person for example the Adultrie of David and other sins accompanying it as to punish the same severely in this World and yet not hate the person himself so may he on the other side love some good in a man so far as to reward it highly in this life and neverthelesse not love but hate the person-in whom it is found as may be seen in the zeal of Iehu for the Lord against wicked Ahab and his House And if our narrow and partiall hearts can upon occasion hold and preserve this difference between persons and things how much more may and doth the same right well stand with the distribution of rewards and punishments made by the most holy and wise God As then when the Lord manifests some signes of his anger at us and hatred against the evils in us we must take heed we conclude not presently that therefore we in our persons are hated of him and cast-awaies except the evils raign in us without repentance so must we on the other side take more care considering how by selflove we are commonly in more danger thereof that we câ—oclude not of the love of God towards our persons from everie effect of some kinde of love and likeing of some particular good things in us and not except those good things be such as make us good also as Faith and holines do trans-forming us as it were into their Nature and kinde as in the Parable of the Wheat and Tares the good Seed is expounded the Children of the Kingdom because they grow of the good Seed of the Gospel and by their regeneration as it were turn verie Word and Spirit CAP. III. Of Gods promises THe promises of God are a kinde of midle thing between his purpose and performance of good unto them whom he loveth And as wicked Iezabel could not satisfie her hatred of Elyas the Prophet in intending evill to him and executing it upon him in time as she could unlesse with all she thundred out against him terrible threatnings in the mean while So much lesse can the love of our good God satisfie it self in a gracious purpose of good towards us in his heart and actuall performance of it accordingly in due time except with all he make it known unto us before hand both for our present comfort in the knowledg thereof and for the ground of our hope and expectation of the good things promised and accordingly to be receaved at his hands in their time He haveing by his promise bound over unto us both his love and truth and other Attributes for performance And herein the Lord provides verie graciously for his poore Servants who are oft-times brought into that distressed state both outward and inward as they have verie litle els save the promises of God wherewith to comfort themselvs Which yet are sufficient if we improve them as we ought considering first his love moveing him to promise and the unchangeablenesse of it secondly his wisdom directing him to promise nothing unfit thirdly his power enabling him and fourthly his truth bindeing him to all performance In regard whereof God hath made himself a debtor though not by receaving from us yet by promising unto us promise being as we say due debt God ever performeth what and as he promiseth and not one good thing for another as some think no not Heauenly for Earthly nor a greater good for a lesse For howsoever so to do might stand with his bountie and goodnesse yet his truth bindes him to his Word which is Truth Spirituall good things necessarily accompanying Salvation he promiseth absolutely unto his other good things ordinarily upon condition Which considering that through our abuse of them they may prove prejudiciall to our Spirituall man if so be the Lord should promise absolutely as the former it were many times indeed not to promise a benefit but to threaten a hurt rather And truly we may observe in the dangerous fals miscariages of the wise Salomon unto whom temporall good things were absolutely promised in the fullest measure and accordingly performed how graciously our wise and good God provides for our slipperie state in scantling his promise of good things of that kinde to our Spirituall skill and care of useing them for the advantage of our true and eternall happinesse We are therefore first to beware that we expect not absolutely temporall prosperitie lest by so doing we both wrong the Lords truth and our own Faith in the things promised indeed by doubting of them because we have failed of obtaining of other things by us presumed of but not promised by the Lord. Secondly We must as firmly beleeve and expect the performance of temporall promises as the Lord hath made them as of eternall For albeit his loue do not manifest it self in like degree in promiseing both yet his truth is alike bound to exhibit both being once promised Neither is that person in earnest with God who pretending Faith for eternall good things yet dare not trust his Word for temporall Such as despise Heavenly things and loue earthly usually pretend their trusting of God for the former of which they are indeed profanely secure but will trust themselvs and their own fingers for Earthly which in truth they set by I must therefore thus conclude with my self touching those matters Seeing God hath promised all good things to them that love him If this or that bodily good thing good in it self be indeed for my good I shall receave it from him in due time And if I receave it not it is a reall testimonie from him that indeed it is not good for me how much soever I desire it As Gods goodnesse shines most clearly in his promises so mans perversnesse abuseth and misapplieth them above all other parts of his Word A great many divide Gods promises from the other parts of his revealed
by this he doth whatsoever he pleaseth in the Heavens and in the Earth The former will which stands in commanding promiseing and the like may be and is too oft resisted and made ineffectuall by men this latter neuer possibly except men be stronger then God By it his power availeth to make things to be which were not to continue them that are to work all good and to order all evill unto good And as the works of Gods power according to his will are manifold so hath he wrought them all in wisdom For notwithstanding both the absolutenesse of his will and infinitenesse of his power in regard whereof one saith It is more becoming God to ascribe any power to him then to make him impotent yet is he neither wilfull in willing nor unwealdy in working By his wisdom he not onely eternally and infallibly knoweth himself and all Creatures that are or can be and what either he or they or both together will do or can do and that upon supposition of whatsoever can be supposed but both willeth and doth in time himself what he willeth and doth it also for good cause and to good purpose and accordingly either on the one side hinders or on the other sustains effects and orders everie motion of everie Creature By exerciseing these Attributes God worketh all his works whether immediate by himself alone or mediate by the creatures which he useth of all kindes and everie one according to his kinde whether good or evill reasonable or without reason By Gods works I mean all things whatsoever are in the World or haue any being and existence In nature For He hath made the whole World and all things therein In him we live and move and have our being He giveth all to all things And of him and through him and for him are all things As he gives being unto all things that are by communicateing the effects of his being with them so is there nothing either so casuall in regard of men as that he directs it not or so voluntarie as that he determines it not Nothing so firm but he sustains it nor so small but he regards it nor so great but he rules it nor so evill but he over-rules it Neither can any of the works of God possibly be other then verie good and righteous seeing they are all wrought by the exerciseing of his holy will divine power and godly wisdom And if a simple man ow the honour to him that is of greater wisdom and understanding then himself to think upon occasion that the other hath reason for that which he speaks or does though he in his shallownes cannot reach unto it how much more do all men and Angels ow this honour unto God to beleev alwaies that whatsoever he saith is true and whatsoever he doth good and righteous though they discern not the reason of it Some of the works of God are such as we can rather admire at them then discern of them Some again are such as at which proud flesh is ready to repine and murmur Amongst the works of Gods most wise and powerfull providence upon bodily things it is most admirable that the Heavenly bodies the Sun Moon and Starres should by their influence and operation have such power and effects upon the bodies here below as to change order and dispose the Ayer Earth and Water with all things framed and compounded of them as they appear to do by Scripture sence and experience Yet if we consider besides the two greatest lights and most powerfull agents the Sun and Moon the numberlesse number of the Stars their huge greatnesse the varietie and excellencie of vertues wherewith they are furnished far above the most precious Pearls or any earthly quintessence and with all these the infinite power and wisdom of him that made and constituted them it will not seem incredible unto us that the least suddainest naturall change in the Ayer Water or other Elementarie bodies should be wrought by the position and disposition of the Stars and Celestiall bodies Neither doth this at all diminish or detract from the honour of the Lord in governing the World but rather amplifieth it as it ads to the honour of the skilfull Artificer so at the first to frame his Clock or other work of like curious deuise as that the severall parts should constantly move and order ech other in infinite varietie he as the Maker and first Mover moveing and ordering all Where yet this difference must alwaies be minded that the Artisan leavs his work being once framed to it self but God by continuall influx preservs and orders both the being and motions of all Creatures Here also we except both unnaturall accidents and specially supernaturall miraculous events which are as it were so many particular creations by the immediate hand of God In them that are made partakers of the grace of God the remainders of corrupt reason is readiest to rise up at the work of Gods providence in the prosperitie of the way of the wicked and workers of iniquitie especially if they themselvs be pressed with any singular afflictions as we may see in David Ieremy and other But the same men of God who were in their persons present exampls of humain frailtie do in their writeings by the Holy Ghost affoard us matter sufficient for Divine comfort and direction As first that before we come to plead with God how his works are righteous we know and acknowledg them all to be righteous that so we may learn how and wherein their righteousnesse consists Secondly that God is both as good to those whom he loves in their afflictions as in their prosperitie and as wroth with his enemies in their momentarie prosperitie as if his rod were already upon their backs Thirdly that he hath appointed a day in which he will right whatsoever seemeth crooked in the mean while and will fully and for ever recompence both the good and evill In the expectation of which day and of the work of the Lord in it we should satisfie our selvs for the present and suspend our thoughts till the manifestation of his righteous Iudgment therein In them that desire to establish mans righteousnesse rather then Gods either righteousnesse or power fleshly reason is most apt to quarrell partly that work of Gods mercie by which he freely justifies a sinner and partly those his just dispensations upon which followeth the Creatures sin and miserie for sin But for the former It stands not with the riches of Gods mercie and grace whereof he would make full manifestation in the justifying of sinners to borrow any thing of mans merit but well becomes his bountie freely to bestow both the gift and hand to receav it For the latter It must be considered that Gods work so far as it is his is good as well in the sinfull doings or miserable sufferings of men as in their most holy and happy estate The
a man to professe a Religion by working it first in his heart If the order in Israel be objected it may be answered First that the Land was holy as no Land now is that one Nation seperated from all other Nations to be the Lords peculiar people as no Nation now is the Kings types and figures of Christ as no Kings now are and Secondly That none were in truth compelled to the Israelitish Church and Religion but being of it whether Israelites or Proselites were to be cut off from the Lords people and destroyed out of Land for presumptuous sins or working iniquitie or for not serving God with all their heart and might Kings by this course would come short of the number of Subjects in whose multitude their honour stands and unto Churches few or none could possibly be added If it be further objected that men may be by the Magistrate constrained to the outward acts of justice honestie and the like though destitute altogether of the inward vertues It may be answered that these serv properly and immediately to preserv civill societies of which Magistrates are properly Kings and Lords and so do obtain their proper ends if the verie outward things be done though never so unwillingly But of Religious actions the proper end is not civill societie nor is attainable but by Faith and devotion in the heart of the doers Lastly To that of the Father that many who at first serv God by compulsion come after to serv him freely and willingly I answer that neither good intents nor events which are casuall can justifie unreasonable violence and withall that by this course of compulsion many become Atheists Hypocrites and Familists and being at first constrained to practise against conscience loose all conscience afterwards Bags and vessels overstrained break and will never after hold any thing Yet do I not denie all compulsion to the hearing of Gods Word as the means to work Religion and common to all of all sorts good and bad much lesse excuse civill disobedience palliated with Religious shews and pretences or condemne convenient restraint of publike Idolatry so as this rule of reason holds its place viz. that the bond between Magistrate and Subject is essentially civill but Religious accidentally onely though eminently For conclusion of this matter Let the godly Magistrate consider that as there is no Church-state and profession so truly Christian and good in which too many may not be found carried in their persons with a Spirit plainly Antichristian so there is hardly any Sect so Antichristian or evill otherwise in Church profession in which there are not divers truly though weakly led with the Spirit of Christ in their persons and so true members of his mysticall body With whom to deal rigorously for some few aberrations of ignorance or infirmitie were more to please Christs enemie in the oppressing of the person then Christ in so repressing his failing in some particulars specially if they be not fundamentall As then the Christian Magistrate hath his power of Magistracie from God which his Christianitie servs to sanctifie and direct so undoubtedly he is to use it for God and his honour that in his true worship in which he is specially honoured and against the contrarie yet with these two cautions First That as the greater sins of other kinds do not so violate and dissolv the marriage-bond as adulterie doth by reason of its direct opposition thereagainst so neither do Idolatry or Heresie how great sins soever in themselvs so outlaw a Subject civily as do Seditions Murthers Adulteries and the like directly violating and disturbing civill societies The second is That no authoritie of man may bring into or uphold in the Church either Doctrine or Ordinance of Religion or person which last is not lightly to be regarded seeing the other two serv for it unto which the Lord in his Word hath not first given testimonie of approbation for that use seeing Magistrates are not Governers against nor besides but under God in their Dominions CAP. VIII Of the holy Scriptures THe Holy Scriptures are that Divine Instrument and means by which we are taught to beleev what we ought touching God and our selvs and all creatures and how to please God in all things unto eternall Life I speak of beleeving things seeing Faith comes by hearing for els we know things touching God by that which we see feel and discern in and by his works We are led to the knowledg of God in his Power Wisdom Goodnesse Iustice and Mercie by his Works both without and within us And whensoever God either doth or suffers a thing to be done though not so much as insinuated formerly in his Word we then know it to be his will that such a thing should be as certainly as if he had expresly revealed it before in the Scriptures I speak of pleasing God in all things First because entire obedience so far as humain frailtie will permit is the immediate end and use of the Word of God and the way and means to Salvation Secondly to meet with that dangerous presumption of doing that which is necessarie to Salvation as many use to speak though with affected ignorance of and apparent disobedience to many of Gods Commandments Who knoweth with how little God can and doth save many being faithfull in learning what they can and in observing what they know Though much more be necessarie to such as have means to know more And thirdly because it is no childe-like but a bastardly disposition to take care for serving God no further though alas all be little enough for that then to be sure of the Fathers inheritance The heart of a man is then assured before God and hath a warrant from Heaven against eternall confusion when he can say with good conscience that he hath respect to all Gods Commandments God would have his will written that is his Word to become Scripture partly for more certaintie of truth to men and to preserv it the better from being corrupted as all make account that things set down in black and white as they speak are most firm partly for accord and unitie of Churches and Christians in the same truth who if they differ so much notwithstanding they use the same rule what would they do if their rules were different or uncertain and partly for more communitie seeing Books and Writings may easily both be dispersed whither the voyce of Teachers cannot come and also be read in private by Christians when they are apart from their Teachers Neither all things which the Prophets of God wrote were written by Divine inspiration but some of them humainly as their humain affaires common to them with other men required Neither was all wherein they were divinely inspired brought into the publike treasurie of the Church or made part of the Canonicall Scriptures which we call the Bible no more then all which they spake was spoken by the Spirit
open to receav advice from us as conceiving that we neither are forward to crosse his designe nor caried against him or it in passion contempt or unadvisednesse CAP. XXI Of Thoughts MEn say Thoughts are free and pay no tribute and this is true being understood of mens Custom-houses where they cannot be searched but as they bewray themselvs by some outward signe either word or work But so much the more watchfull we had need to be in our selvs over those close commodities lest we willingly feed a filthy though secret sinck within us which in time will shame us before men as it stinks in the mean while where it is in the Nostrils of God and men for it Besides if we do evill in word or deed men may help us either by contrarie examples or friendly reproofs or hatefull upbraydings or just punishments but against sinfull and unsanctified thoughts we have no help but from God alone and our selvs by his grace to whom alone they are known Everie thought of evill is not an evill thought but onely such as to which we adjoyn either consent of will or at least delight of affection For besides the thoughts of or about evill which are either in pure speculation or naturall consideration of the thing or with aversenesse of affection from the matter thought on there are thoughts meerly by suggection from Satan who being a Spirit and having such affinitie of nature with our Spirits and Souls can unite himself in his suggestions with our imagination after a manner by us unconceavable and offer unto us thoughts of great evill which yet we may by grace so resist as that they are to be accounted his sin and our crosse onely who are constrained to bear such temptations as we are compelled oftentimes to hear and bear the ill counsell of wicked men his Instruments with sin in them and grief in our selvs but without our sin if we no way hearken unto them yea with commendation both in the one and other in the victorie of Faith which we obtain over them Indeed we are too readie to receav such suggestions as tinder is to take fire specially being subtilely fitted by Satan to our speciall inclinations and occasions and so must be more carefull either to prevent them by nourishing in our selvs an abhorring of them or to quench them if they arise by the stream of Holy meditations running in our hearts They whose words and deeds are faultie and evill and yet plead their good hearts towards God are like malefactours who being convinced of theft or the like naughtinesse by plain evidence to their faces do appeal to the testimonie of such persons for their purgation as they know cannot be found If the hearts of such men could be seen of others as their works and words are they would appear worse then they as they do to God who seeth them There is no evill in the mouth or hand which was not in the heart first as the stream in the Fountain Neither can the flesh be corrupted except the mind be corrupt first Men judg of our thoughts by our words and actions but God of our words and works by our thoughts accounting the thing whether good or evill as done in his sight if once it be resolved on in the purpose of the heart Thus Abraham offered up Isaack by Faith and Iudas did that which he meant to do And as God judgeth of us and of our doings so ought we to do our selvs The thoughts of the righteous are righteous And by these good and evill men are best and trulyest differenced one from another Whereas all outward works ly common and are many of them oft exercised equally by good and bad No outward works are so good but Hypocrites have done them at times And few or none so evill but some godly haue at some times by temptation faln into them But how alike soever the outward faces of such sinfull actions be the difference is great in the heart of the doer and is so seen of God to be at the verie time of the doing and by after and better fruits in their time so manifested unto men afterwards to have been at that time when in the outward evill act no such difference could appear But our onely comfortable course and that by which our hearts are assured before the Lord is to provide that in them may run constantly so strong a stream of holy purposes and setled thoughts as may both overbear the contrarie current of our flesh and lusts and also carrie with it our outward man to all good and godly practises CAP. XXII Of Speech and Silence MAn is endowed above beasts especially with reason and with speech to uttet it without which his reason how deep and profound soever were little more profitable unto others nor many times to himself neither then a Spring hidden in the ground Hence the tongue is called the Index of the mind and as by the Index we know what is in the Book so do we by the speech what is conceaved in the heart Out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh And so readie is the passage from the heart to the tongue as that what is conceaved in the one is usually brought forth by the other neither doth any outward thing so soon bewray a man as his words Though Iacob brought his Brother Esaus hands and neck and meat and sauce and smell to his Father Isaak yet could he not bring his tongue and voyce And though a man put upon his hands the Gloves of dissimulation and the Shoes upon his feet and mask his face never so cunningly yet can he hardly so tip his tongue but in a short time a wise man will discover him discern whether he be good or bad specially whether he be wise or simple Great is the affinitie between the heart and mouth And so the Second Person in Trinitie is not called the Work but The Word of God Salomón in his Proverbs compares the speech of a wise and righteous man to a Tree of Life and to a Fountain of Life and to many other pleasant and profitable things Which must teach both them that speak to preserv pure that Fountain and to prune dig about and manure with all diligence that Tree that it may bring forth fruit to the hearers And so must it teach them that hear not to neglect that benefit but to admit and receav the words of truth and wisdom as seed by which they also may conceav and bring forth good fruit A word spoken in due season is like Aples of Gold in pictures of Silver And so a wise man must provide that his words be not onely Gold for their worth but also framed to silver-like opportunitie There being a time when nothing a time when something but no time when all things are to be spoken That which is generally spoken of a blessed
magnifie his mouth above measure and the weight of the matter and draw Hercules his hose upon a childes leg which the wise King counted no matter of commendation And besides affectation in which men strain the strings of their eloquence to make persons or things as good or bad or as great or small not as they are but as the speaker can I have known some by an abused benefit of nature and art so impotently eloquent as that they could hardly speak in prayse or disprayse of person or thing without doubling and trebling upon them superlative synonomies of honour or disgâ—â—â—e Such Oratours would make notable market-folk in crying up their own wares which they meant to sell and in making other mens which they would buy double nought Both length and shortnesse of speech may be used commendably in their time as Mariners sometimes sayl with larger-spread and sometimes with narrowergathered Sayls But as some are large in speech out of aboundance of matter and upon due consideration so the most multiply words either from weaknesse or vanitie Wise men suspect and examine their words ere they suffer them to passe from them and so speak the more sparingly But fools pour out theirs by talents without fear or wit Besides wise men speak to purpose and so have but some thing to say The other speak everie thing of everie thing and thereupon take libertie to use long wandrings Lastly they think to make up that in number or repetition of words which is wanting in weight But above all other motives some better some worse too many love to hear themselvs speak and imagining vainly that they please others because they please themselvs make long Orations when a little were too much Some excuse their tediousnesse saying that they cannot speak shorter wherein they both say untruly and shame themselvs also For it is all one as if they said that they have unbrydled tongues inordinate passions setting them a work I have been many times drawn so dry that I could not well speak any longer for want of matter but I ever could speak as short as I would Some have said that hurt never comes by silence but they may as well say that good never comes by speech for where it is good to speak it is ill to be silent Besides he that holds his tongue in a matter that concerns him is accounted as consenting Indeed lesse hurt comes by silence then by speech and so doth lesse good Some are silent in weaknesse and want either of wit to conceav what to speak or of courage to utter what they conceav or of utterance where the other defects are not They of the first sort are not desperately foolish seeing they are sensible of their own want which is half the way to mending it there being more hope of such a fool then of a man wise in his own conceipt that is thinking himself wiser then he is Besides such have the wit to cover their folly and a fool whilst he holds his tongue is accounted wise whereas a babâ—ing fool proclaims his foolishnesse For the second though it be a miserie for a man to be compelled to keep silence when he would speak and that the prison be strait where the verie tongue is tyed yet he wants not all wit who can for fear of danger hold his tongue and not make his lips the snare of his Soul Some again are silent in strength of wisdom and others of passion As deep streams are most still so are many of deepest judgment through vehement intention of mind upon weightie or doubtfull matters whereas the shallower are lowder and more forth-putting And here the testimonie which Spintharus gave of Epaminondus hath place that he met with no man in his dayes that knew more and spake lesse Again in some vehemencie of passion and affection dams up the passage of speech The grief is moderate which utters it self that which is extream is silent So Absolom hating his Brother Amnon to the death spake neither good nor evill to him Lastly there are who can bridle their tongue in discretion and know not onely how to take the time to speak but also the time to keep silence which surely is no small commendation in a wise able person And this the Phylosopher knew well who when all the rest of his fellows being ech to present the King with some notable sentence or other were forward to utter everie one his ware desired of the Kings messenger that it might be certified in his name that he had skill to hold his peace when others were forward to speak CAP. XXIII Of Books and Writings WRiting is the speech of the absent and even he that gives a writing into the hand of another to be read by him thereby after a sort sequesters his person from him and desires to speak with him being absent and that to his advantage if his personall presence and speech may endanger either contempt or offence The Lord God in providing that the Books of Holy Scriptures should be written effectually commended the writing and reading of other Books touching all subjects and sciences lawfull and lawfully handled For though the difference be ever to be held between Divine and humain writings so as the former may worthily challeng absolute credence and obedience as breathing out onely truth and godlinesse whereas the other are not onely to be learned but judged also yet even in humain writings the truth in its kind is taught commonly both more fully and more simply and more piously then by speech For howsoever the lively voyce more pierce the heart and be apter to move affection and that to the receaving of truth and goodnesse not onely by love and liking but by Faith also and assent for Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God yet men seldom take either the pains or time to lay down things in speech which they do for publike writings neither can any possibly either have the obportunitie to hear the tythe of that which he may read for information or take the time for the full understanding of things remarkeable spoken which in private reading he may do Besides men are commonly in their writings both freer from passion in themselvs and from partiall respect of others then in their speeches And hence it comes to be said of dead men that they are the best councellors to wit in their Books wherein they are freest from affection one way or other Lastly though the Father found some in his time who because Christ had said Thou shalt not swear thought they might do that in writing which they might not do in speech and confirm Idolatry with their hand so they professed it not with their tongue yet it is usually found otherwise and that men are or would seem to be more religious in writing then in speech Who ever shall finde a black-mouthed blasphemer
afoot yet will rayther chuse to ride Secondly to free us from such temptations unto sin as povertie puts many upon Thirdly that they may minister unto us and ours more plentifull matter of exerciseing vertue and goodnes specially of mercy towards the poore and them in need God could if he would eyther have made mens states more equall or haue given every one sufficient of his own But he hath rayther chosen to make some rich and some poore that one might stand in need of another and help another that so he might try the mercy and goodnes of them that are able in supplying the wants of the rest And the richer sort that make not this account know not wherefore God hath given them theyr goods and are as poore in grace as rich in the world Both poverty and riches if they be in any extreamity haue their temptations and those not small In which regard Agur prayes God to give him neyther of both but to feed him with food convenient for him And in truth the middle state is freest from the greatest danger eyther of sin or misery in the world as Icarus his father told him that the middle way was safest for his waxen wings neyther to be moystned with the water nor molten with the heat of the sunne And of the two states the wise man insinuates in that his prayer to the Lord that the temptations of riches are the more dangerous Povertie may drive a man to steale or deal unjustly with others and after to lye or it may be and as the Holy Ghost insinuates by swearing to take the name of God in vain to cover it But if a man be rich and full he is in danger to deny God and to say in pride and contempt of him in effect as Pharaoh did who is the Lord For hardly doth any thing cause the mynd to swell more with pryde then riches both by reason of the ease and plenty of worldly good things which they bring with them as also of the credit which rich men or their purses have in the world and both those specially if they have gotten their wealth by their own art or industrie He that is proud in a poore estate would in a rich be intollerable before men as he is in the meane while abhominable in Gods sight He that is humble in a prosperous is a good scholler of Christ and hath taken out a hard lesson which the Apostle would haue Timothy to charge the rich withall which is that they should not be high minded nor trust in uncertayn riches From rich mens pride in themselvs ariseth commonly contempt of others specially of the poore I have known Nabals who in my conscience have thought that all that were not rich were fools notwithstanding any eminencie in them of gifts or graces But thus to mock or despise the poore is to reproach God that made him so and besides if the person be wise and godly as he may well be for any bar that his povertie puts against him it is withall to despise the image of Gods wisdom and goodnes in him But for us considering how the truly wise by the spirit of God pronounceth that the poore who walketh in his uprightnes is better then he that is perverse in his way though rich as also that a poore and wise child is better then an old and foolish king we should have that strength of fayth against sense and carnall reason as in all resolvednes to prefer an honest or wise poore man before a rich Naball Besides though still the rich man be and will be wise in his own eyes yet the poore that hath understanding searcheth him out and by searching oftens findes that litle witt being imployed wholy thereabout and lesse grace servs to get wealth with A poore and playn person seeing a Dives ruffle in silcks glitter in gold and silver is half readie to worship him as a petty God many times But after findes by his speech and other caryage by which a fool and wise man are differenced that if he had so done he had but worshipped a golden calf God sends poverty upon men to humble them both in the want of bodily comforts and specially in regard of the contempt which it ever casts upon men in the worlds ey And blessed indeed are they who by povertie and other worldly crosses are humbled so as to become poore in spirit not being of those of whom the complaynt is that they are humiliati not humiles As if a rich man be humble he is not of the rich of the world so if a poore man be proud he is not of the Lords poore and blessed ones Some are of opinion that none but rich folks can be proud But the pride of many as was said of Diegenes may be seen through their rags And who ever saw any prouder then some such worms as in whom no others could discern any thing outward or inward saving the divell that should make them so God in his good and wise providence many tymes sends poverty and other calamities upon such to restreyn them whose overswellings of pride if they enjoyed a prosperous state would make them both odious and troublesome to all societies There be some who out of a kynde of naturall diligence patience parsimony and contentment with mean things seem so fitted for a poore and mean state as that if they were ever pressed with want they would ever be good and vertuous but being rich and wealthy are eyther base mynded or arrogant in the eyes of all men There are also who by their kynde and courteous disposition seem so fitted for prosperitie and plentie that if they ever enjoyed it they would be no meanly good people and yet falling into a poore and needie condition they appear not onely impatient but unconscionable also But the truth is that howsoever some be fitter for the one estate then the other and so carry it better to the world yet he that is not in his measure fit for eyther is indeede fit for neyther The Apostle had learned and so must all good Christians with him both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need He that is not faithfull in a litle would not be faythfull in a great deal and so for the contrary He that is impatient or unhonest in poverty would be and is wanton or arrogant or otherwise faultie though more closely in aboundance neyther is any broken with an afflicted state save he who is too much inveigled with a prosperous He again whose course is either to high or too low in plentie would never keep a mean in want The over-valuation of riches drives divers men to divers yea contrarie appearances some to make themselvs rich though they have nothing and others to make show of poverty though they have all aboundance The former so much esteem
indeed he is in a miserable case considering unto how many calamities all mortall men are subject against which they can neyther promise themselvs before hand nor finde in time other sufficient remedy then this of patience which is a salv for all soars and the same also so approved that though it make not miseries cease to be miseries yet it keeps the person that hath it and suffers them from being miserable Yea as deadly poysons may be and are so mixed and tempered as they become in cases more wholesom then meat so do calamities deadly in themselvs tempered with patience become better then their contrarie delights Sicknes with this is better then health without it and poverty so tempered then riches otherwise and so all the works of Gods justice unto which the faythfull are lyable are better to them then any work of his mercy to others Lastly so absolutely necessarie is this grace and the use of it for all Christians as that the Apostle tels the beleeving Hebrews and other beleevers in them that they had need of patience that having done the will of God they might receav the promise With which accords an others exhortation that patience may have its perfit work in the Saints that they may be perfit and intire lacking nothing A man would think in reason that he who hath done the will of God and been carefull in all things to keep a good conscience towards God and men should have nothing lacking for the receaving of the promised reward But the wisdom of God tels us that we must first doe our duetie in all things and then afterwards suffer evill with patience before we receav the reward promised In which our patient suffering for or in the way of righteousnes we please God more if it may be then in our former weldoing as Christ our Lord performed the greatest work of his obedience unto his father and of our redemption therein by his innocent and patient suffering of death Of all manner of crosses none are so hard to bear by Gods servants without despayr as those wherein the Lord seems to theyr sense and reason to be their enemy by reason of some strange and unusuall working against them as we have Iob for an example Nor any so hardly born by them without inordinate stirring and spurning again as those in which a man must be a meer patient using as they call it that passive patience and may or can say or do nothing in defending himself or offending an adversarie A blow or wound receaved in fight or action is scarse perceaved But if a man must sit still and suffer himself to be bobbed on the mouth or as the Prophet sayth must give his back to the smyters and his cheeks to them that pluck of the hayr or must be coupt up alone in a dungeon or prison where none may come at him this goes near him and tryes his patience and how he hath hearkened to the Lord God the holy one of Israell saying In returning and rest shall ye be saved in quietnes and in confidence shall be your strength Where mens injuries are joyned and concur with Gods providence in a crosse there the flesh and fleshly passions take more libertie I haue known some who have atteyned to a good measure of patient bearing calamities and crosses by other ordinarie hand of Gods providence and yet have been most impatient of any prejudice or damage by mens injurious dealing And this may seem not to want reason To be stirred against God for a crosse is divelish against unreasonable creatures brutish but hath a shew of manlines for a man to be stirred against a man that injuries him But be the shew what it will the truth of the ground for the most part is that pride causeth this swelling of the heart against him who is deemed to injurie us specially if we conceav it to be out of contempt whereof all men are impatient Against the pang of impatiencie this way it is best we labour not to overvalue our selvs nor easily to think that others dispise us and as we have Iob for a pattern of patience so to follow his steps who looking through the violence and wrongs of men the Sabeans and Chaldeans beheld by the eye of fayth which sees a far of Gods providence as the soul of the worlds body and ruling all things in it and thence took instruction for quiet and patient submission unto the Lord seeing saying in all the outragious practises against him by the divell and wicked men that God who had given had taken away CHAP. XXXVI Of Peace THE Hebrews by comprehending under the name of peace all both safety prosperitie whether bodily or spirituall do shew therein how both pleasant and profitable a thing peace is for all persons and societies And though to strive contend yea and wage war also be in cases and at times not onely lawfull but also necessarie yet are they never so much as tolerable for themselvs but onely for peace as the launching of the wound is for the cureing of it From peace with God through the forgivenes of sins by faith and a good conscience aryseth peace with a mans self with the angels with all men after a sort yea with all creatures in the world Such a one is in league with the stones of the field and at peace with the beasts of the field sayth Eliphaz Yea his very enemies sayth the wise man are at peace with him I add that though he be burnt in the fire drowned in the water or otherwise killed yet that fire water and other instrument of his bodily destruction and therewith all other creatures are in a kinde of secret league with him and do even in killing him bodily work for his spirituall and eternall good And if they which are at peace with a king have his subjects at peace with them how much more shall Gods servants and people have all the creatures in heaven and earth at peace with them for their true good by the favour of him their absolute king and Lord. God to shew how peaceable man should be hath denyed him such instruments of offence and naturall weapons as many other creatures are furnished withall of which some have horns some hoofs some paws some tushes some talents But alasse how hath sin armed man with hatred and mallice and they with weapons of violence and destruction so as more men are destroyed by men then by all other creatures When the Lord would shew himself to Elijah he did it not in the great and strong winde nor in the earthquake nor in the fire but in the small still voyce which came after them And when he would have a temple built to dwell in he would not have David build it because his hands were full of bood though of Gods enemies but Salomon the king of peace In the building of which there was
as melancholick monks do So for others the lesser helps and provocations of grace they can have from them with whom they are occasioned to converse they are to be the more frequent with God in the personall exercises of pietie but so as they take heed that they wrong not father and mother by their Corban nor make a speciall calling of the common works of all christians Others are grown more out of kinde who take greater delight in the following and fellowship of horses and hauks and dogs then in mens companie Such have drunk deep of the cup of Circes by which she is said to have transformed men into beasts That which was Nabuchad-nezzars punishment they make their cheif pleasure As God hath established fellowships and communities of men to procure their mutuall good and to fence them the better on everie side against evill so sin and wickednes being the greatest and onely absolute evill christians are most bound by vertue of their association to help and assist within the bounds of the callings in which God hath set them their brethren and associates against it according to that of the Phylosopher He that bears with the vices of his freind makes them his own Hence all Israel was punished and is sayd to have sinned for not preventing or reforming one Achans transgression The sin of another how near soever unto me cannot defile me because he doth it for then that which neyther goes into a man nor comes out of him might defile him but when eyther I doe something for the furthering of it which I should not do or neglect something which I should perform in my place for the preventing or reforming of it by these means I become accessorie eyther before or after the fact and not otherwise Although it be to be desyred and that unto which we are bound as humanitie our speciall places and occasion will permit that we converse onely with such as eyther may make us better which is wisdom or which we are like to make better which is charity yet will a good and wise man make good use of all companies Amongst the good he will learn to love goodnes the more amongst the evill and most amongst the worst the more to hate evill But yet notwithstanding there is a difference In evill company we see what to avoid which is good but in good what to follow which is better Besides there is danger if of no worse thing lest the edg of our zeal against evill should be taken of if we be occasioned continually to be grateing against it The spirit of grace and goodnes had need to be strong in him that is not tyred with continuall struglings and stryvings with the mallice of others He that at the first with righteous Lot vexeth his righteous soul dayly with the wicked deeds of them with whom he liveth yet will in time be in danger to be vexed dayly lesse and lesse with them as things growing by custom more familiar to him Also there is a second danger lest living amongst fools or wicked persons we cōtent our selvs with the litle model of goodnes or wisdom which we have because we are some body in comparison of them as he that hath but half an eye is a king amongst them that are blinde whereas amongst the wise and good we have still matter of imitation and provocation to aspire unto greater perfection in goodnes I conclude with that of the father If men good and bad be joyned together in speciall bond of societie they eyther quickly part or usually become alike Friendship eyther takes or makes men alike Much acquayntance shews eyther great imployment in the world which puts men necessarily upon the acquayntance of many or great ability and endowments which draw the acquaintance of many to a man for their benefit or an ambitious heart which seeks to be known and acknowledged by many or an idle head that hath litle els to do but to occupy it self in seeking or getting freinds As many who if they walked alone would by reason of their richer apparrell be thought men of better estate then they are and others meaner then they are by reason of their russet coats who yet both are discerned of what condition and rank they be by their companions and consorts so the vertuous or vitious dispositions of men are much discovered by the company which they affect and with which they sort with most gladnes and content For like will to like whether good or evill There is a difference between love goodwill and freindship We may love other things besides men bear good-will to the persons that know us not but we have freindship onely with men and that with mutuall consent arising from mutuall love and goodwill for our mutual good Now though divers other contracts be more streyt in severall relations yet is there in this of freindship a kinde of inwardnes arising from conformitie of judgment and affections the conjunction of the minde being the nearest kindred by which persons are more streitly tyed together then any other way There is a freind sayth Salomon that sticketh closer then a brother And Moses passing from brother to child and from childe to wife placeth her as near as the mans bosom but a freind nearer as reckning him as his own soul. Such a freind Ionathan was whose love to David passed the love of women Him whom we are to take so near unto us so constantly to keep and so freely to communicate withall we must not lightly make choyse of nor as the manner of many is by meeting together at a feast or playing a game at bowls or tables or lodging in one Inn but eyther after long experience and having as the proverb is eaten a bushell of salt together or upon some singular and extraordinary motive or tryall And as Christ committed not himself to the Iews because he knew their hearts so neyther are we easily to commit our selvs to men because we know not their hearts We are wisely to judg before but freely to credit after the knot of freindship tyed yet so as we try the wisdō secrecy faithfulnes of our freinds in smaller matters before we trust them in greater as men use to try whether their vessels will hould water or no before they put wyne into them And albeit that christian love which is the bond of perfection and first fruits of the spirit be due to all christians from all yet are not all fit freinds for all of that fellowship David notwithstanding the many worthyes in his kingdom had specially Husha◠the kings freind and so had our Lord whilst he lived upon earth specially Iohn among all the twelv the disciple whom he loved This speciall affection to one above the rest in Christ was holy yet humayn Many complayn of the perfidiousnes of freinds how vilely they have been used by them
between Ioseph and his brethren David and King Saul and many mo verifying that of the wise man Everie perfection of work is the envy of a man from his neighbour By means whereof it also hurts its owner many tymes by a kinde of unnaturall rebound as it were from the envious and that so violent as none but God in heaven can stand against it Not Adam in paradise agaynst the divels envy nor David against Sauls nor Christ against the Pharisees And in this regard a mediocritie in any good is the more thankfully to be accepted from God considering unto what danger this way all eminencie exposeth a man The highest trees are soonest and soarest shaken with tempests The best remedy for preventing envy by others is to carry a low Sayl in the most prosperous gayl that can blow and to ascribe the good a man hath rayther to any other cause then to himself or his own wit industry or worth any way Therein he least disparageth others that want it and so frees himself best from their envy at him CHAP. XLI Of Slaunder HE is a Slaunderer who wrongs his neighbours credit eyther by unjust raysing or upholding an evill report against him Of which two viz. the raysing or receaving a false report seeing that if there were no receavers there would be no theevs one of good skill in discerning doubteth whether is more damnable We must then get amongst others this mark of him that shall sojourn in the Lords tabernacle and dwell in his holy mountayn that we neyther rayse nor take or hold up a reproach against our neighbour Though the North winde be not alwayes to be wished because it driveth away rain yet is an angry countenance to drive away a backbyting tongue As a man may be wounded in his body with the sword taken out of his own handâ— so may he in his credit by the injurious relation of the very thing which his hand hath done or tongue spoken And the same also sometimes being good in it self and eyther wrested to some other sense then he intended as were the words of Christ by false witnesses or craftily made an opportunitie whereupon to build some false but colourable insinuation of evill as was Davids being at Nob with the High priest by Doeg Sometimes also being evill as when men without just and necessarie occasion blaze abroad the faults of others eyther in idlenes for want of other talk or of hatred by way of revenge or in flatterie to please other men or in envy as grudging at their good name And it may wel be thought that persons oftner calumniate others of love to themselvs then of hatred to them thinking therein to build their own credit upon the ruines of other mens which is as if one to make his own garment seem the fayrer should cast mire upon his neighbours Some slaunders are such as confute themselvs in the eyes of all reasonable men as eyther being so great or so senselesse as are incredible or when the known qualitie of the person accused fastens a slaunder upon the accusation as did Platoes with Diogenes when he heard one accuse him of evill Some also there are which turn to the advantage of the slaundereds credit afterwards namely such as a litle time will plainly manifest to have been false and feyned For then they who before have wronged them through credulitie will hold themselvs their debters for amends afterwards which also it may come to passe they may make them by not beleeving some ill though just report of them in after time Slaunderers of any others may rightlyest be called divelish seeing the divell hath his name of Slaundering He sometimes slaunders God to men as to Eve of envie in the beginning sometimes men to God as Iob of hypocrisie and continually man to man by his venemous instruments thus anotamized in their parts by the Apostle Their throat is an open sepulcher with their tongue they have used deceipt the poyson of asps is under their lips whose mouth is full of cursing and bitternes And truely it may be he should not much misse the mark that affirmed slaunders and false reports to have raysed as great and many quarrels amongst equals conspiracies from inferiours and from superiours violent oppressions as all injuries in truth offered or other provocations whatsoever Men commonly with one stroak wound or kill but one whereas a slaunderous blow reacheth to many He wounds himself with his own slaunderous tongue his mouth making his flesh to sin He wounds him in the ear to whom he slaundereth specially if credulous as the most are in receaving false reports And as for him whom he slaundereth he wounds him in his good name though him onely by suffering evill the former two as workers of it and withall oftens makes way by so doing for further wrong to be offered him eyther by himself or others Thus Maximinus the tyrant set awork certain vile persons to accuse the Christians of heynous evils that so he might persequute them with more shew of reason like as men when they would have their dogs killed give out that they are mad David never complayns of the sharpnes of the swords of the Philistims or other enemyes but of the sharp swords of the tongue of slaunderers he oft and piteously complains in the book of the Psalms as peirceing deeper then the former And yet for fence against those sharp swords God hath put into the hands of his innocent servants two bucklars the one inward viz. a conscience upon due knowledg and examination excusing before God and this is of proof The other such a conversation before men as may ward our credit and good name from being wounded in the eyes of such as know us and are equally mynded and such as are not apt eyther greedily to devour or lightly to admit slaunders and vituperies raysed against us Yet if the divell could by the serpents slaunders impeach the credit of God himself with our first parents in their state of innocencie no marvayl if his serpentlike instruments can prevayl with sinfull men women this way even against Gods faithfull servants We must therefore prevent slaunders what we can bear what we cannot avoyd and alwayes be mindefull by earnest prayer as well to commend our good name to God that he may take charge of it as our persons and estates Better never accused then quit though after the clearest and most honourable manner that may be seeing after a bold slaunder something ever will stick behinde by which the ignorant of the truth will be abused and adversaries take advantage to upbrayd But how great soever matter of greif or shame unjust slaunder causeth yet he that is reproached for well doing hath the spirit of glory resting upon him and being innocent may say that the evill is not against him but against another whom the slaunderer takes him
not so much as our affections do encline but that on the contrarie we wholly abhor from it in the very first rising we may gather it to be rayther by suggestion from Sathan then of our own concupiscence And as it is not in our power to avoyd the outward presentations of evill by wicked men to our eye or ear but we are compelled oftens to see and hear their unlawfull works and words as did Lot the Sodomites so neyther seemeth it to be in our power to avoyd the bare thoughts of evill which are not alwayes evill thoughts by Sathans Suggestions but that he being a spirit and spirituall wickednes can present them to our spirits more effectually then can any man object and offer outward and corporeall provocations to our outward and bodily senses As Christ our Lord after the glorious testimonie given of him by his Father from heaven and by the Holy Ghost sitting upon him in the form of a dove and by Ihon the baptist both in word and deed was immediately led into the wildernes by the spirit to be tempted of the divell so must christians make account after the speciall testimonies of Gods love receaved of some singular combat of temptation for their tryall wherein if they overcome the love of God is thereby as it were sealed up unto their hearts Holy men therefore prospering in vertue must exult and count it all joy when they fall into divers temptations and are exercised in them by the divine providence for the tryall of their fayth and therewith of Gods gratious power which is perfited in their weaknes this way There are none of Gods servants but in the case of temptation have reaped the fruit of his singular providence towards them sometimes in preventing such temptations as if they had come upon them in their full strength would have been most like if not clean to have overthrown them yet to have caused their greivous fall by which they have through Gods providence sitting at the stern glyded as a ship by the side of a rock sometimes in guyding them even in the verie midst of temptations compassing them about like so many sands and sometimes by helping and haleing them off even when they have stuck fast and been ready to sinck in them Many have been the bodily dangers known and not known which by Gods good providence we have escaped but how many more those that are spirituall in which we had been utterly swallowed up a thousand times if his gratious hand from heaven had not releived us Now besides those common to all everie person hath his speciall temptations arising eyther from his temper of body or sex or age or education or custome or state or calling or company or other occasion against which he must watch most carefully as men use to watch in the gates of a câ—ity beseiged and in such other places as in which the enemy is likest to make his assault in which if we quit our selvs as men and stand fast we shall have our part in his comforts who sayd I was upright with him and I kept my self from mine iniquitie Some have thought it a wise Christian course in the confession of our secret sius resydeing in the heart unto God not to use the outward voyce for fear of acquainting Sathan with them thereby and so of advantageing him to tempt us by applying himself to that wherein he seeth us likest to sin As it is certain that he knows not our hearts at all as God doth by immediate insight but gathers them by the motions and manifestations of the body so considering that he himself is the originall of all evill mediately or immediately it is like he is for the most part acquainted with his own work in men And so it is good wisdom in us to prefer the best manner of acknowledging our sins to God for the advantaging of our repentance before the fear of discovering our corruption to the divell Christ our Lord teaching us to pray that God would not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evill one would warn us not to lead our selvs into temptations nor to deliver our souls into Sathans hands which yet we do by affecting familiaritie with wicked men which are as it were his brokers by omitting duties of religion publiquely or privately or doing them unfruitfully by neglecting our speciall callings and doing nothing and thereby giveing him opportunitie to tempt us to do evill and lastly by opening too wide the windows of our outward senses towards allureing objects By these means we not onely tempt God to leav us but the divell after a sort to tempt us We have a promise that if we resist him he will fly from us but that is when he assalts us and not when we challenge him as it were with his own weapons wherewith he hath foyled so many He that thus puts himself within the reach of his paws shall hardly scape being torn in peices by him Let us commit our selvs unto Gods safe keep-in all our wayes but not come in Sathans way lest we advantage his mallice and put our selvs out of Gods protection As the saylers skill is seen in carrying his ship through a storm so is the strength of fayth in vanquishing dangerous temptations Yet must we not measure the state of a man too much by that which befals him in some or other such dangerous tryall There are few so evill but have at times their temptations that I may so speak to some particular good by which they are caryed lesse or more that way and few or none so good but on the contrarie have temptations to evill in which at times something humayn befals them Now to judg of mens persons according to some such few particulars contrary to their generall course were partiallitie The wicked fall not into evill but lye groveling in evill The godly fall sometimes by occasion but God is faythfull who with the temptation maketh a way for his to escape by their renuall of repentance and victorie of fayth And though in those their wrestlings they get a wrench and limp afterwards as Iacob did yet they have power and prevayl and go on as he did in their way CAP. XLVII Of Conscience EVerie mans conscience is as it were a second God within him both to judg of his actions within and without him and also of his person and personall state and whether in it he be accepted of God or not And surely a great good work of God it is that he hath created and set such an overseer as this conscience is in the soul of man by which if he doe any thing amisse he is checked in secret that so by repentance he may finde mercy at Gods hands And how good is it sayth one that this worm should be felt whilst it may be killed and gnaw for a time that it may be
betimes that so we may be old long But who would desire to be that loâ—g which is but a long infirmitie Save as age accompanyed with wisdom and godlynes ads authoritie to the aged for the more effectuall enforceing of these and the like vertues upon others CAP. LXII Of Death NAturall death stands in the separation of the soul from the body spiritúall of the soul and whole man from God in respect of grace eternall in respect both of grace and glorie with the sense of the contrarie evils By sin death in all three degrees came into the world For albeit God onely have immortalitie and unchangeablenes from and in himself and that all creatures and so man with the rest in regard of his elementarie body be subject to change save as they do depend upon him that uncreated beeing and are susteyned and upheld by the word of his power and by a continuall influx from him yet God having engraven his image in man did both so temper his body and order all creatures under his providence for him as that nothing but sin could possibly impeach his life or welfare By his sin he actually lost spirituall life and the right both to temporarie and eternall The first death is a naturall evill the second a spirituall the third both For although in regard of the universall and of Gods supernaturall ends it be better that a man bee to be continued though in eternall miserie then that he should cease to be altogether yet in regard of the persons particular as better eye out then ever akeing better never to have been born or by death utterly to be abolished as the bruit beasts are then to live and continue alwayes accursed and miserable By naturall death divers men how like soever they have been in their temporall state become most unlike in their eternall the wicked miserable without hope and the godly happy without fear And by the same death both they and all other in other things altogether alike how unlike soever they have been in them formerly After death remayns no naturall or civill relation as of father son housband wife or the like all these are for this life onely The liveles earth unto which the body returns is altogether uncapable of them so is the soul being a spiritual substance whether in heaven or hell With them in glory after the end of the world God shall be all in all and men shall be like the angels neyther taking wives nor giving in mariage nor remayning maryed Peter and Paul neyther are nor shall be Apostles there neyther is the virgin Mary Christs mother there but they onely remayn those persons which sometimes upon earth had these states and relations upon them If there be any naturall or bodily difference after death it is that the bodyes of the richer sâ—inck the more by reason of their greater fulnes and aboundance whilst they lived And for the good and bad which are mingled together in this life but cannot agree death parts them for ever being hastened of the Lord that the godly dying may no more be vexed with or by the wicked nor the wicked any longer persequute the godly If men should live alwayes in the world or but so long in our age as did the first patriarks to what a height would many come in worldly happines or misery How extreamly rich would many be how many extreamly poore How mightie and powerfull some how dejected and depressed many more But the wise providence of God is to be honoured herein by which it comes to passe that the more men are set to drive things to extreamitie the lesse time should be allowed them for their courses one or other in the world Onely man being both mortall and reasonable can think of his death Not the angels for though they can by understanding conceav of death yet are they by their spirituall state set without the reach of it nor bruit beasts though mortall because it is not perceaved by sight or other sense but being a privation to wit of life is onely discernable by understanding If a beast see never so many of its own kinde slaughtered before its eyes it fears not death which it sees not though it may fear the instrument which it sees or other terrible and sensible object And hence it comes to passe that the more brutish men are they have the lesse thoughts or fear of death for the most part It is appointed unto men once to dye ordinarily and after this the judgment I say as the Apostle means ordinarily for some dye not but are changed onely Some dye twice as Lazarus and others This death which will certeynly once come and with it eternall and unchangeable happines or miserie we should alwayes bear in mynde as if Phillips deaths head were set before us For though the thoughts of death be not sufficient to rayse the heart to heavenly things yet are they so avaylable to draw it from earthly which is first to be done as no thing is more then the frequent and serious meditation thereof We should think seriously of that part of our life which remayns unfinished that we may provide things necessarie for it and also of our death that we may cut off superfluityes and use that moderately which we must not use long The saying Nothing more certayn then death and yet nothing more uncertayn then the hour of death is common and commonly abused The certayntie of it should teach us moderation in the use of the world and all worldly things and that we abuse them not because the fashion of this world passeth away But contrary-wise many take hereby occasion to lay the faster hold of it eyther in the profits thereof for themselvs or theyrs or pleasures saying let us eat and drink to morrow we shall dye And whereas God would have us ignorant of our last day and hour that suspecting it alwayes we might alwayes be ready we are apt on the contrarie because we know not the certayn tyme to be the lesse ready at all times and which is worse not to take warning neyther as we ought by any or all those known messengers of death which are reckned three 1. Casualâ—ie 2. Weaknes and 3. age the first shewing our death to be doubtfull the second and third to be near and at hand Hardly any so old but thinks he may yet live a year or so sick but that he may live a day longer Not onely the foolish but even the wise virgins are too prone to slumber if the bridegroome defer his coming a litle Few regard the good counsayl given to account every day the day of our death and as that wherein we are it may be to appear before the Lord. Few watch because they know not what hour the Lord wâ—â—l come as all are warned But the servant that so doth and is