all our businesse on worldly thinges But Gods Spirit teacheth the godly a better forme of barganning The kingdome of Heauen is a precious Iewell It endureth when all these worldlie trifles will evanish and wee finde it without a price The Mercat of it is cryed free without money Ho euery one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and hee that hath no money come buy and eate yea come without price Isa. 55. 1. These wise Merchants shall rejoyce for euer before God who vnder termes of buying and selling hath freely giuen them eternall Life where the foolish seekers of the world shall euer lament their neglect of this free Mercat and the losse of their labour their fruite and of themselues It is good to leaue the worlds folie to it selfe since we cannot cure it let it not spoile Grace in vs The wicked losing their soule for their bodie lose body and all together The godly losing all for God their Soules saue themselues fullie Hee is no loser who hath God for his portion and him selfe in Soule and body unite to God in Christ. Thinges worldlie come not in this compt before wee were wee had them not and in the Heauen wee shall not haue them Their vanitie not use are as a not beeing to vs. Where God filleth the heart there is no roome to desire or receiue them on so miserable conditions Let them fall to these who are like to them dust and dust doe well agree whē we shall enjoy God for euer 54. The loue of good and hatred of euill SOme things there be which I cannot loue and some thinges which I cannot hate I cannot loue Sathan for he is Gods enemie Nor Hell for it is his House Nor Sinne for it is his worke And the more neere that Sinne is to mee the more I hate it In the godlie more than in the wicked And in my selfe more than in any These againe I cānot hate God because he is Goodnes it selfe Nor the Heauen because it is his dwelling and reward Nor his Grace because it is his Image both the causes of that loue and the work of it is from himselfe I loue them because I loue him and it is his will and worke in mee to loue them I thanke God I cannot hate them who haue true Grace I mislike their faults and shall disgest their injuries but my Soule cannot hate them who loue God and are beloued of him His Image and Grace where euer I see it though in my professed enemie commandeth my dearest affection all their injuries cannot so grieue mee as the conscience of my sincere loue to them comforteth mee By this I know that I am translated from death to life because I loue the Brethren 1. Iohn 3. 14. But there can bee none assurance of his Loue and Grace where the Sainctes are hated His loue is shed abroad in our heart not to remaine there but to run out to embrace them whom hee loueth neither am I beloued of him nor haue parte of that in shed loue if I hate them who so are beloued of him are inclosed in his heart agree in Iesus Christ as they are such cannot hate one another This is our victorie ouer their corruptiō our own that notwithstanding of their injuries we loue them deerelie God loued and choosed vs when he saw vs his enemies in the masse of lost mankynde And now loueth vs when wee offend him daylie How then can the heart sensible of this loue hate anie that is so loued of God If wee doe so wee hate Gods Image and loue in the Sainctes in our selfe and in God may justly doubt if we be the Lords beloued 55. The best Lotte hath some want EVerie mans Lot is mixed with some want And GOD hath so wiselie temperated all estates that no man hath all blessings and no man lacketh all crosses If we haue some blessings we lacke other Yea our miscontentment can make wants where none is and augmenteth these which possiblie are Wee take on vs a creating power and that in euill How oft doe wee compleane of that Lotte which is good in it selfe and better than wee are either worthie to receiue or wise to use aright Many haue so large a Lotte that if it were diuided in an hundreth partes it would content some hundreth persons and euerie one of them possiblie is more worthie and would bee more thankfull than he who hath it all alone with miscontentment The smallest Lot with God if there can be any small with him is a large Lotte And the greatest Lot without him if there can bee any great without him is extreame lacke Hee lacketh nothing who hath God for his portion and he hath nothing who lacketh him God carueth not sparingly to that Soule to whom hee giueth himselfe and in that case it lacketh nothing but to know that Lotte and enjoye it God hath indeede wisely tempered our Lottes but the error of our desires and miscontentment is our owne and yet hee bringeth good out of that error His care is to keepe vs euer loose from the earth If wee found all our desires contented heere wee would forget to seeke a better Lotte in heauen Let euery lacke chase vs to seeke a supplie It is a daylie and hourely earand to God by prayer Wee cannot finde it in this life let vs seeke it where it is Our Lot on earth satisfieth vs not but our Lot in heauen shall fill vs with contentment It is perfect in it selfe and craueth that wee bee perfect for it If in the midst of so manie lackes wee seeke perfection in the earth wee proue the lacke of wit more than of a sufficient Lot all lackes tell vs and command vs to seek supply in God who onely is All-sufficient 56. Danger of corruption daylie THere is none houre wherein we can say that wee are free of danger and yet not so much of outward accidents as of inward surprysing of our Corruption The more aduanced in Grace the more is that danger both in it selfe and to our feeling Other see our infirmities and they are more grieuous to our selfe than of before This is a bitter Experience that when wee haue lamented our slippes renewed our vowes and chastened our selfe in an holy griefe for them they breake out vnder our hand Scarcelie is our heart calmed from a former griefe when it is conceiuing either the same or a greater infirmitie These Canaanites liue still in vs they are left as a mater of our Exercise the whetstone of grace and a Spurre of Prayer Wee cannot cast thē out but we should put them vnder tribute It is best to hold our eye cōtinually on our corruption that it break not out or bee grieued for that out-breaking Daylie danger is a lesson of the necessitie of a daylie guarde And since that danger is most from within our best Guarde must bee from without Nature in vs that worketh our woe cannot prouid our
the loue of God his word and worshippe and by the exercise of his mind soweth such a seed of Grace that old Age hath not a beedrole of folies to repent If wee learne the wayes of God in our Youth when wee are olde wee will not depart from them If hee fill vs with mercie in the morning of our time wee shall bee glad and rejoyce all our dayes That is a commendable Youth which is olde in Grace and sauoureth of the wisedome and holinesse of the Antient of dayes And that is a glorious olde Age which waxeth new in Grace and in the newnesse of a glorious eternitie As that gracious Youth endeth in a more gracious olde Age so that olde Age shall end into and bee succeeded with an endlesse Glorie 12. Deuotion Obedience are pleasant twinnes DEuotion and Obedience are pleasant twinnes Deuotion begetteth Obedience and is increased by it when the Spirit is bent on God all the Graces in it are at their highest extent It cannot containe it selfe but in affecting him and delighteth it selfe most sweetely both in powring out it selfe tenderly on him in a large receiuing his influences At that tyme all impediments of Obedience are remoued and the greatest spurres added to set vs fordward Then we answere him with a ready heart Speake Lord for thy Seruant heareth Soft wax is easilie stamped and hot yron easilie forged so the softnesse of a deuotious heart is plyable able to God As it droppeth out tender affections so it will yeelde obsequious actions to him Disobedience commeth of hardnesse but the heauenly warming of GODS loue turneth that hardnesse in a willingnes and affectuousâ—nesse to him As hee powreth in it the senâ—e of his loue so it powreth out it selfe in all powers on him againe So long as it is in this temper God can command no vnpleasant thing to vs though otherwise it were impossible yet it is welcome because of his will This disposition in it selfe is a great degree of inward Obedience in so great a forsaking and going out of our selfe to bee one with him What a gladnesse is it to haue the occasion to testifie our loue to God by Obedience And this daughter of DeuotioÌ„ doth nourish her mother The conscience of Obedience doubleth Deuotion We cannot satisfie our selfe in wondring at Gods goodnesse who hath blessed vs with the grace of sincere Obedience that his Grace is not common in commanding onelie but a speciall and returning Grace turning vs home to him in doing that which his commanding goodnesse exacted Deuotion tyeth vs to God and that for his infinite goodnesse in himselfe his sauing goodnesse communicate to vs And beeing in so sweete bands how can wee better discharge our selfe of them than by honouring him in holy Obedience And the more wee discharge our selues the more are wee bound Euery degree of sufficiencie to obey and euery act of Obedience increaseth Deuotion The more Grace that God giue vs for Obedience the more we loue him cleaue to him as the fountaine from whom all good floweth and the end to which it returneth These twinnes both liue and die together A dry and a withered heart voyd of Deuotion is also barren of Obedience and lacke of Obedience lacketh the testimonie of strong obeying Grace and the matter of new and greater Deuotion Hee that would haue them both let him begin at Deuotion and the other will follow A constant and tender Affection to God meeteth not his commaÌ„ds with disobedience These twins are feete to goe to God wings to flee to Perfection The first is a bond of our union and the second a proofe that wee stand firme in that union with him 13. Holy necessities are no distractions ALl distractions are not of alike nature some directlie marre our proceeding as businesse without our Calling other are seeming distractions a â—â—â—â—nesse in some other part of our Calâ—â—â—â—g then wee haue presently in hand These last are not properly distractions but rather preparations When a Pastour is going to the Pulpit it is not distraction to visite a sicke person but rather a sanctification for the publicke work Our task is to bring soules to God and sicknesse is a conuenient tyme for it Reaping in the haruest is as pleasant to the labourer as his sowing and to deliuer people in the hand of God on their death-bed is a closing of our labours about them Wee sow the seed of the Word out of the Pulpit and finde the fruite of it in their affliction I haue often found in conference with the afflicted and in the way going and comming from them moe points of Meditation than possibly in moe hours of reteerdnesse Gods ordinances doe further one another and Obedience to them hath euer a blessing following it It is no distraction that separateth vs not from the end nor turneth vs out of the way Grosse distractions are more dangerous yet if true Grace bee 〈◊〉 we shall aduance our selues more 〈◊〉 after them and rouse vp our strength and double our care for redeming our losses A well set Soule is sharpened by distractions turneth that impediment in a spurre Some steppes backward make vs aduance further in our leaping The Soule that toucheth good but occasionally is soone loosed from it but being tyed to it then incident distractions cannot separate but augment our earnestnesse of that union If wee wedde our selfe to good for eternall enjoying no temporall distraction can diuorce vs from it Hee who is alwayes about his Fathers busines shall neuer bee distracted 14. Fruitfull Experience EXperience findeth vs fooles and maketh vs wise if our folie bee curable wee can neither thinke euill to bee so euill as it is neither good so good till Exâ—â—â—ience teach vs The craft of SathaÌ„ the euill of sinne the strength of our owne corruption are best knowne by proofe to assay them is to eate the forbidden fruite and a newe degree of knowledge of good and euill The sweetnesse of Gods Grace the sauing power of the Gospel the tendernesse of Gods mercy and the worke of his holy Spirit are best knowne by Experience This is a sort of eating of the Tree of Life Our best is to eschew Experience of euill I care not how oft I haue proofe of good but it is madnesse to cast vs in the Experimenting of euill but if our foolishnes bring vs on new assayes the next is to take in a new affectioÌ„ to that euil new care to eschew it In what measure wee flee the proofe of euill let vs seeke the Experience of good though euery houre giue vs a new taste of Grace wee shall euer finde a new sweetnesse in it and when perfection commeth it shall exceede all our bygone knowledge and proofe Euery Experience with a new degree of light bringeth a new affection and stampeth the heart with a new hatred of euill and desire of good Experience is an ordinar remeede of folie but if wee amend not thereby there is
in a blind man Light and life are best together The first is the sweete eating of the Booke Ezech. 3. 3. The second is the bitter disgesting of it The one giueth Grace contentment in secret the other proueth the sinceritie of that Grace to man For our owne joye the first hath a sufficiencie but for the edification of others and our confirmation in our calling and election The second is necessar If naked knowing bee sufficient Sathan is a most perfect creature Hee excelleth all men in the knowledge of good euill but is behind all men in affecting them He knoweth not good to loue seeke it nor euill to hate and flee from it but his affections actions are set crosse to his knowledge Hee is in that same degree of wickednesse that hee is in excellencie of vnderstanding His searching and pearcing wit hath purchased him the name of an vnderstanding Spirit but his wickednesse calleth him Sathan an enemie to God The union and worke of both craueth some solide and inward ground Outward meanes may occasion them and inward motions set them on worke but they cannot haue a constant byding in vs without a byding ground and principle The life of God is this ground What supernaturall thing we doe without it is but hypocriticall or occasionall and easilie intermitted The Fountaine of this life is God himselfe and where this Fountaine is there is sufficiencie for Theorie practise Without him our professing is hypocrisie our minting vanitie and our actions will die and end in their beginning Wee can doe nothing that is good without him and with him wee shall bee able to approue our selfe in a liuely Theorie and a well grounded practise As without Christ wee can doe nothing Ioh. 15. 5. So I am able to doe all things through the helpe of Christ who strengtheneth me Philip. 4 13 Yet not I but the grace of God which is with me 2. Cor. 15. 10. 48. The ambitious man dieth of his disease DOubtlesse Ambition is foolish and God in Iustice doeth crosse it in the greatest designes But the humble man is truely wise and God casteth more humane respect on him than hee desireth The Ambitious man hunteth after honour but it flyeth from him What euer bee his worth in this hee is vnworthie that hee thirsteth honour It is not guided by blind Fortune but by a seeing prouidence and flyeth from them who proudlie affect it and waiteth on them who modestlie decline it He fetcheth and sucketh wind out of euery Airth but when he seekth it most there is greatest calme both in respect of his desire and indeed What is lacking that way hee supplyeth it by his owne breath of vntymous selfe praise but that auaileth not all mens breathing in a shippe will not fill the sailes hee is the more vile in the eyes of the wise the lowder hee proclaime his owne supposed vertues The humble man neither intendeth nor affecteth honour yet it followeth him As the shaddow followeth the bodie so doth true honour to true worth Hee hath more of that gale of winde than hee craueth and the more it blow hee is the more dejected his care is to keepe him from schelues and rockes before so faire a winde God is witnesse to his Soule that heerein hee hath a secrete dejection and still compting himselfe the vilest sinner in the earth Hee wonders at that mercie that hath so vndeseruedlie blessed him and knoweth not how to beginne to bee thankfull Hee is more pensiue how to pay the debt of gratitude to God than puft vp in taking it on And saith with Dauid Who am I Lord God and who is my Fathers house that thou hast brought mee hitherto And finding himselfe vnable to thanke God as hee ought and would hee calleth God to witnesse his earnestnesse to honour God What can Dauid say more to thee For thou Lord knowest the heart of thy seruant And the more hee is swallowed vp in that sweet drowning sense of Gods loue hee is the nearer to true exaltation Hee feeleth then the trueth of that Martyrs word who said HEE THAT PRAISETH MEE SCOVRGETH MEE of the word of God That hee resisteth the proude and giueth grace to the humble 49. Good Spirits are most free of passions GReat Spirits haue least passions but base Spirites are most passionate The first is aboue their businesse and not soone moued the other is vnder all accidents and perplexed in euery thing The one as a large vessell containeth easilie water cast in it and the other as a small vessell runneth ouer If the power of Princes were in the hands of priuate men or the passions of priuate men in the hands of Princes the world could not stand But God hath wisely separate them that power without passion may bee profitable and passions without power may bee harmelesse The highest Mountaines haue least storme and wind on their tops but the raines and tempest ouer-run the low hilles valleyes There are few worldly Princes but in Grace wee are called to this heauenly principalitie to command our passions The holy Spirit maketh the Soules of the truelie sanctified as the fleece of Gideon They are free of passions and perturbations while others are drowned in them Broken water is in the shallow Seas But the deepe Seas haue a soft swelling and not these violent breakings If wee bee translated from Nature to Grace wee are aboue the surprysing of accidents and bitternesse of injuries and so are secured from the violence of our owne passions Our heart is in the secret of God and our head aboue the Heauens while our state or body is buffeted on earth our Soules enjoye a pleasant serenitie in the face of GOD. 50. God alone better than all HEe shifteth much needlesse labour and prouideth great contentment who closeth himselfe with God alone To deale with man alone beside God is both an endlesse fruitlesse labour If we haue coūsel to aske helpe or benefite to obtaine or approbation to seek there is none end with man For euery man we must haue sūdrie reasons motiues and what pleaseth one will offend twentie as many heads as many wits and fansies No man can giue contentment to all or change himselfe in so many fashions as he shall encounter humours And yet it is more easie to take sundrie fashions than to bee actiue in them Hee preasseth to lift water in a sife and sand in open fingers who thinketh so to carrie himselfe as to please all He is prodigall of the peace of his soule and carelesse of good successe who maketh man either his rule or his rewarder That Spirit must bee rent asunder that applyeth it selfe to the contrarietie of mens opinions Mans bodilie senses both ruleth and ouerruleth his reason therefore as hee seeth men and not God so he preferreth seene man to an unseene GOD But when hee shall see God in the clouds at the last day all mankynd present they shall all bee
hath more fruitfull remarkes in one day about his tendernesse than a secure Soule in a constant health in all his lifetime I had rather vndergoe the bodilie infirmitie than want the daylie spirituall profite It is a sort of spiritualizing our bodilie life when all the hours of it are sought obtained possessed and spent on God and these frequent infirmities are tolerable that bring so spirituall a life both to Soule and bodie Profane men abuse the strength and health of their bodies to sinne They take it as an instrument and measure of their iniquitie So long and so farre doe they offend as their bodie serueth them This is a giuing of their bodie to bee a weapon of vnrighteousnesse and a sacrificing of themselues to the Deuill Heereafter they will wish that their strong body had beene tyed to the bed continuallie But tendernesse in the godlie turneth all their thoughts and care to immortalitie Strength and health of body is Gods blessing but our corruption abuseth it either to needlesse businesse or in grosse actes of sin Tendernesse is a crosâ—e but where it is sanctified it is a bridle to hold vs from sinfull workes and a spurre to Deuotion It sendeth vs oft-ten to God when possiblie wee would bee worse exercised as oft as it humbleth it selfe to God among other sutes it putteth in the hand of our Spirit the supplication for health and sanctification of that tendernesse There is no crosse that either more occasioneth or causeth a serious preparation for death than bodilie weaknes WheÌ„ they find daylie the coards of their tabernacle loosing and the pillers of it bowing they deale with God for a Mansion in heauen That weaknesse may possiblie hinder them from some bodilie worke in their calling but it stayeth them also from many bodilie sinne and holdeth them euer vpon the maine point how they may be cloathed after this life with glorious immortalitie As abused strength posteth to Hell so sanctified terdernesse creepeth to Heauen 81. Matter of continuall ejaculations NOne obseruing Spirit can want new matter of continuall prayer to God If hee be secret he filleth his heart in reteardnesse If he goe abroad it is forced on him What difficultie shall wee find to converse with men What ignorance in our selfe to foresee and weakenesse to eschew foreseene or secret inconvenients When God may desert vs for a time and leaue vs to the counsell of our heart like Ezechiah or Sathan surpryse vs by passion or deceiue vs by allurement These and the like shall giue vs matter with Nehemiah to send vp pearcing ejaculations to God It is necessar wee euer bee requesting God that wee neither offend nor bee offended of other The least libertie of our thoughts may draw vs to grieuous inconuenients There is no sure Guarde to vs our heart but by a speciall guarding Grace and that guard is most close about vs when wee feele the neede of it and are earnest with God for it So long as there is euill in the world malice in Sathan weakenesse in our selfe and goodnesse in God wee cannot want matter of continuall prayer That same light that seeth the necessitie directeth vs to the Fountaine where it may bee helped And the goodnesse of God perswadeth vs of a supplie Our necessitie is great and God hath promised to heare when wee call his mercie and trueth in Christ are chiefe grounds of my perswasion But I am greatlie confirmed by a secondarie meane when I am conscious in all my doing with man that I seek nothing but Gods glorie mans good mine owne Saluation Wee draw neere to the Throne of Grace with boldnesse when our hearts are purged from euery euill Conscience The gift and libertie of feruent ejaculations are the worke of God in vs Hee will doubtlesse answere that desire which his owne Spirit worketh Wee neede not in such stratnesse of time and businesse looke so much to the shortnesse of our ejaculations as to their feruencie Pluralitie of businesse lacke of time and throng of companie seeme to cut off the possibilitie of these short prayers But indeede they beget and bring them foorth Gods intercourse with the godlie Soule knoweth no such impedimeÌ„t Moses distresse at the red Sea forced out these secret cryes and God answered him to his desire The searcher of hearts heareth these secret and pearcing prayers and will answere them openlie They are not so much in voice as in groanes and these groanes are not separate from the heart but in it and the heart in them immediatelie thrusting it selfe on God A free desire goeth out in words but a restrained and suppressed desire doubleth it selfe as a sparkle of fire is hotter when it is couered with colde ashes 82. Complementing is a windie fulnesse COmplementing in speach is a verball Idolatrie it is counted a perfection in talking but is indeed the quintessence of pratling and vnworhtie of a free and ingenuous minde The giuer and receiuer are both deceiued the first speaketh that which hee meaneth not and the other troweth that which he exspecteth not At titling men haue armes and facts of hostilitie without wrath they breake their speares on other intend none hurt so complementing hath friendly words without loue As jesters breake their jests on other so doe Polititians their smoakie wishes praise They liue by that smoake but modest Spirits are tormented with it That mist fleeth moste among men of least true worth Where that flatterie is mutuall then two birds of one feather â—lee together and two horse of one itch doe nippe other It is a pitie to see men teach their tongs to speake lies to labour to be trusted more than vnderstood But they trow not themselues how shall other men trust them No maÌ„ can justly craue more credite to his speach of other thaÌ„ himself giueth to it or if he doe he must conceat stronglie that hee dealeth with a foole Hee mindreh one thing and speaketh or rather soundeth the contrare Hee knoweth his Heart thinketh not what hee speaketh and therefore hee taketh the floorish of faire speech to supplie the want of trueth His heart must fetch the reasons of his owne perswasion from his mouth and measuring others by himselfe hee thinketh that many faire wordes shall beguile them as well as hee beguileth himselfe with them They are no more vexed to coyne their wordes than I am to keepe my countenance when I heare them Ingenuitie of affection goeth plainly to worke The more care to fill mine eares with officious offers the lesse credite they finde in mine heart I thinke their Spirit is so spent in that vapour that there is left neither spirit nor life in their affection This sort of lying is not vulgare but with a singular mode Poets haue libertie to lie and for keeping their Rythme they are licenced to quite Reason oft-times There is none odde veine of Poesie without some degree of abstractnes of Spirit the strictnesse of meeter looseth them from
of his Children The testimonie of my justification Son bee of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiuen thee The Seales of mine Election and calling in the â—ruites of the Spirit These and the like are excellent newes their matter is good and glorious Their delight is great and constant Though they were heard euerie houre yet they are euer fresh and new to the New man They fall neither vnder stalenes in themselues nor loathing to mee but their last hearing delighteth mee as much as the first hearing As for other matters I rest not on them as Newes but obserue in them the prouidence of God how he ruleth the world by ouer-ruling the malice of Sathan and madnesse of man to his owne glorie and good of his Saintes to make them new and to put in their mouth a new song To bee grieued with Nebemiah when wee heare of Ierusalems desolation and rejoyce when wee heare of her prosperitie is a marke of Grace in the New man When all trifling Newes shall bee ended God shall put a new Song in his mouth to praise him eternallie The Soule enstamped with Newes of Grace turneth all occurrent Newes to that better and biding substance 87. The comfort of Calumnies ACalumnie is the Deuils minde in the mouth of Man and his arrow shot by mans bow Hee lendeth him his lyes and malice borroweth his tongue to vtter them He hath this name from traducing and thrusting through the fame of the godlie His first and maine care is by temptation to destroy their Conscience and if hee preuaile not in this hee turneth him to their name that hee may rent it by Calumnies whose Conscience hee could not defile by temptation This is his policie against Gods dearest Children they are most hated of him who are most beloued of GOD Hee careth not to make euill reports of his owne and counteth no great gaine to defile the face of a Moore but all his care is to blamish the face and stenzie the name in whom Gods Grace shineth cleerelie Hee knoweth that treasure in them is giuen for his hurt Hee cannot stay God from giuing it to his beloued but hee turneth him to the next to make it fruitlesse to other Hee cannot stay a daylie and fresh increasing of that Grace but hee prâ—asseth to make it distastfull to man that so it may bee fruitlesse Surelie hee loseth not all his labour though hee be ouercome by the Saints whom hee calumniateth yet hee ouercommeth them who doe calumniate them It is a fearefull thing to lend to Sathan the Heart for deuising the Eare for hearing and the Tongue for vttering of Calumnies and in all to disgrace the Grace of GOD in his Children and make it fruitelesse to themselues Where Sathan hath set his porter of prejudice though Christ himselfe were on Earth that Soule would take no good of him It is a deuilish worke to enuy the Grace of GOD but more to deny it and most of all to disgrace it Wee finde heerein a great proofe of that particular worke of Conscience in justifying vs At other times wee can content vs with common and slender examining of our selues but being so falslie misconstrued wee are put to a second and a stricter tryall which vpon the cace of our tryed innocencie endeth in a notable seale of the holy Spirit Hee both approueth our first innocencie as good seruice to God and our suffring for it as a just matter of our gloriation Hee who offereth vp his Soule and bodie in a Sacrifice to God must resolue to bee crucified in his Name daylie by Calumnies and these daylie blowes are an argument that his sacrifice is acceptable to GOD because Sathan rageth at him who serueth God vprightlie hee knoweth that Conscience within is repleate with God and his peace therefore hee laboureth to rent their Fame without whose inward peace hee cannot trouble It is better to haue him molesting vs without than possessing vs within The godlie Soule so afflected goeth to God in the bitternesse of Spirit appealing him as a Iudge of their cause in the Conscience of their innocencie They commit their cause to him and prayeth for pardon to their injurers Their innocencie is both the occasion cause of calumnies with the Deuill and the soueraigne remeede of them with God and their own Consciences Herein they haue a triple conformitie with Christ Hee was innocent and yet hee was calumniate and prayed for his injurers Better it is to endure the scourge of the tongue than want this triple conformitie Why should we not glory in so cleare an Euidence of Gods speciall loue Sathan taketh both the cause of his hatred the measure of it from the loue of God Hee hateth them most whom God loueth most Hee had moe calumnies and euill tales against Iob than against many thousands in his time Hee was a thorne in his eye because hee was dearelie beloued of God and acceptable to him It is then the glorie of the Sainctes to bee calumniat Rejoyce and bee glad when men revile you and speake all manner of euill against you for my sake falslie Mat. 5 11. It is a token Sathan hath not preuailed against our Conscience but is now in his flight when hee renteth our Name As strength of Gods grace keepeth the Soule in temptation so the Conscience of innocencie will comfort the heart vnder Calumnies The haile showre of Calumnies proueth on Gods part a speciall loue to vs and on our part true happinesse in that his loue and vigour of his Grace in vs ouer-commingâ— Sathan And on Sathans part a double malice for that our double happinesse And in the calumniator a double miserie one in beeing the Deuils instrument in calumniating the Saincts the other in defrauding themselues of the fruite of Gods Grace in them whom they traduce The best refutation of Calumnies is not by word but by deede GOD and our Conscience seeth our innocencie let men see it in our life When Gods Grace shineth in vs as a light before men then we refute realy our traducers and proclaime them lyers to the world 88. Men are blind and quicke sighted in their owne cause EVery man is both blinde seeth best in his owne cause Hee knoweth the circumstances of his deedes but is blind in the question of his right Selfâ—-loue maketh him ingrosse his person in his deede and transchange his deede in his right And so confounding right and deede in his owne person to take all as good The Lawes of God and man must giue place to his opinion and humour they are either close forgotten or beeing applyed to him hee is made the rule and they must suffer such construction as his selfe-loue appointeth It is kyndlie to an erring minde to nurish the owne birth As it erreth in directing a couâ—se so in approuing of it when it is done It is no more fordward to deuise it than pertinacious to defend it herewith is joyned a more fearefull sinne that
weake meanes Clay layed to Clay Dust vnto Dust and the shaddow of Death a refreshment of wearines Our nourishment is but dust and our sleepe an image of Death and Death in end must dissolue that dust that standeth vpon so base pillers and is so oft wrapped vp in the image of it Though the first worke of our nourishment bee to susteene the bodie in life yet in a second worke it furnisheth matter of diseases and so of Death And though our Sleepe in it selfe refresh vs yet it is a presage and an earnest of a longer sleepe in Death If Sicknesse fasten on the Body for remeede thereof I take on another disease Medicine is indeede a gift of God a necessitie to Nature an enemie to the corruption of it and haâ—sh and vnpleasant to the integritie of it yet when I render my selfe to it I embrace a lesser Death for avoyding a greater One dolour is a remeede to another dolour And all is but an off-putting for a time Mortalitie is so seased in the bodie that our life is stollen through innumerable diseases and deathes and in end a yeelding to Death This is the miserie of a mortall bodie in the circle of daylie and vnavoydable necessities and at last in despite of all their supplies a necessitie of Death The Soule is more burdensome in this lumpish bodie rent asunder with corruption and passions their distresses more oppressing it than these paines did the bodie It is now forced with temptation if it bee strenthened it is in danger of pride for deliuerie The remeede of one temptation is turned in the matter of a worse The naturall powers in their worke doe trouble it the ImaginatioÌ„ runneth out in phansies the Mind in inquiring is vexed and tortured by scruples The Will in inclyning declining and suspending is not so much delighted with good as crossed with the euill object and that work of it is a toyle to it selfe and to vs The Affections sette contrare Feare Sorrow Hatred tormenting vs and Hope Ioy and Loue busying vs more in their object suspended remoued hurt or destroyed than they doe in the enjoying of it Neuer any of these sweete affections in vs alone but their coÌ„trare is fixed on them while wee are in hope or joye and enjoying of God wee feare to lose that joye and sorrow commeth in with that feare But the torment of temptatioÌ„ is intolerable that Satan doth so far preuaile in vs as to stir vp our inbred corâ—uptioÌ„ that our corruption doth yeeld to him we our selues in a perpetuall trouble either watching ouer temptions that they surprise vs not or resisting them when they are moued or repenting for them when they haue preuailed to our insnaring And the Conscience aboue all sette on a continuall worke to direct vs aright in all our wayes to try our obedience to her direction and if wee haue failed to torment vs in our arriegning before Gods Tribunall and the feare and sense of his wrath to come How can I either delight to dwell in this Bodie or carrie about so grieuous a burden as this A vile prison an hole of Serpents and Coâ—katrices A body of earth and a bodie of sinne and death in it a masse of corruption euer stirred of Sathan and breaking out of it selfe Heere is a burthen insupportable a labour without end The sense of it selfe is enough to the sensible Soule to mourne for abyding in it and to cry VVoe is mee that I abide so long in Mesech or dwell in the tents of Kedar And miserable man that I am who shall deliuer mee from this bodie of Death It is impossible that perfect happinesse can lodge in so miserable a creature It craueth a Soule and bodie perfect and free of all euill therefore I must bee dissolued ere I bee perfected the Soule purified in God from all sinfulnesse and the bodie refined in the earth from all frailtie and so the whole man freed of all miserie Though fleshly Selfe-loue sometimes blind mee to desire to abide in this body yet a bettâ—r loue of my selfe in GOD biddeth mee desire to bee dissolued that I may bee perfected The greater light the greater libertie in visiting these Mansions in Heauen and adoring my God who hath prepared them for mee The greater libertie the gearter desire to bee out of this bodie wherein so long as I dwell I am absent from God and these Mansions where I long to enjoy him This is the miserie of a sinfull Soule And though our Soâ—le had peace our bodie constant health yet our Lot is vnder continuall changes Our Husband and Wife Parents and Children Friendes and Familiars are subject to Sicknesse and Death Our name is subject to Infamie and Calumnies Our goods layed open to mans deceit or violence and to Gods most free and just Providence They are either with holden from vs or taken from vs or if they remaine with vs they decay So wee are either chastened with a simple want of them or a losse or a change Our Lotte in it selfe is a blessing of God but this change and decay is a matter of griefe and feare As though God did augment our Lot for this end to augment the marke for his Arrowes and the matter of our griefe There is nothing whereof wee can say that either wee shall haue it long or in that same state wherein it is now It is either subject to want in measure or change in standing There is none houre wherein we are not either vnder a sorrowfull remembrance of bygone Calamities or vnder sense of some present or vnder a fearefull foresight of Calamities to come This is the miserie of a changeable Lotte All these miseries God hath layed vpon man to humble him thereby Ecclesi 1. 13. and to make him wearie of this present life For man that is borne of a woman is of a short continuance and full of trouble Iob. 14. 1. Hee is borne to trouble as sparkes flee vpward Iob. 5. 7. If wee found full and constant prosperitie heere wee would desire to remaine in this life There is neither necessitie nor desire of a better life in them who find all things according to their heart in this life But God hath so tempered the Cup to his dearest Children that it hath more gall and worme-wood than honie and more sowre than sweete Our life is short in it selfe and made shorter by grieuous Calamities If wee count onlie that tyme for our life wherin we haue beene free of Feare of Sense or memorie of euill it will bee shorter than the naturall course of life if all bee well examined scarcelie shall the best liuing finde so many peaceable houres as his naturall life hath dayes God knoweth that naturallie wee are giuen to nest in the world as birds To roote in it as Trees sit fast in it as Rockes Therefore hee changeth our Lotte and crosseth our contentment that hee may both loose vs and keepe vs loose