like the fruitfull Vine comfortable aswell as fruitfull His children like the Oliue plants profitable and beneficiall as well as many Godlinesse is good for all things it hath the promises of this life and of that which shall bee and these promises must needs bee fulfilled An holy conuersation of life a well ordred and religious carriage in the whole frame of life this makes life sweet all the comforts of life cōfortable If thou walke in Gods wayes he hath vndertaken to make all you do prosperous Lo a sure way of attaining as much happinesse as this lower world can yeeld For why doth God send troubles but to correct sin and to redresse disorders and to draw men to godlines If they follow godlines of their owne accord by hearkning to the coūsel of his Word fewer afflictions will be needfull and fewer shal be sent for he corrects not willingly but as Parents giue bitter draughts to their children euen for the health profit of their children But secondly the man wife that would liue cheerefully must loue each other tenderly and plentifully Much heartie and holy loue to one another will sweeten all crosses and keepe out the worst and greatest crosses Let the husband loue his wife as Paul enioyneth and let wiues be louers of their husbands as the same Apostle prescribeth charity wil couer al things and hope al things beleeue all things and suffer all things and so wil mend very many things y◠else would surely go amisse Wherefore striue more to store thine heart with loue to thine yoke-fellow then to fill thy coffers with gold and siluer for grace is more auaileable to felicity then wealth and charitie is the King of graces And that you may loue each other in large quantity and after a spirituall manner pray often each with other and each for other that will breed much loue Do much good to the soules of each other and you shall not chuse but be kindly affectioned one to another Thirdly instruct your children and seruants in the feare and knowledge of God labouring to make them Gods children and seruants and then they will proue to you good children and seruants or if they proue otherwise the testimony of your consciences that your diligence hath not been wanting to make them such will comfort you much in their badnesse Dutifulnes and obedience to God wil come attended with dutifulnes and obediēce to you care of pleasing God will breed care of pleasing you a good cōscience towards their chief Gouernor wil beget a good carriage to you their inferior gouernors If pietie dwell in your hearts and houses it will chase the greatest troubles out of dores keep the rest from breeding much vexation And if you seek to plant and water it in your families it will likely grow there or if it should not yet the doing of dutie wil comfort the hart though successe be wanting to endeauour Lastly for your estates let your harts be moderate your hands diligent Labour about the things of the world else an idle person must walke vpon an hedge of thornes Loue not the things of the world else a person greedy of gaine shall trouble his owne house The diligent hand will bring sufficiencie and the moderate heart will bring contentment and then the troubles of a mans estate must needs be made few and easie He that for Gods sake applieth his calling and not for wealths sake shall haue Gods fauour in his calling and either shall not be crossed or shall not be vexed by crosses So haue we shewed you as good directions as we could to keepe afflictious out of doores But no care will altogether shame them You must therefore set your selues in the second place to beare them patiently and not to faint vnder them nor to be distempered by them Neuer vnwish marriage for the cumbers of marriage Had-I-wist is seemely in no mans mouth O that I had neuer married is a most vndecent thought in an husbands hart a fond word in his lips Why should our wils oppose Gods will when he hath made it knowne vnto vs Paul saith before Art thou joyned to a wife seeke not to be loosed A valiant souldier doth neuer repent of the battaile because he meetes with strong enemies he resolues to be conquerour and then the more and stronger his foes the greater his honour So must the husband and wife resolue to conquer the troubles of marriage and vse the buckler of patience against the blowes of aduersitie that they may conquer But here also you will aske how and I must tell you how The meanes to get patience in the cumbers of the wedded estate are chiefely these first to resolue you must and will bee patient secondly to pray that you may bee patient thirdly to consider your comforts as well as your crosses and fourthly to looke vp to God as the Author and Heauen as the end of your troubles A firme purpose of will to doe or suffer any thing doth greatly fortifie the soule Hee that often thinkes I am bound to beare my part of trouble quietly seeing euery man aliue hath his portion in troubles and seeing we haue brought troubles vpon our selues and seeing these troubles are but short and light in comparison of those we haue deserued and therefore I wil euen buckle my shoulders to the burden and not giue way to shrinking this man shall find that an hard loade will lye lighter vpon a resolute heart then an easier burden vpon an irresolute spirit Whatsoeuer a Christian man doth constantly tell himselfe that hee hath great reason to doe shall haue much good by doing and must needs doe or doe worse and therfore inacts this statute in his mind By Gods helpe I will doe it that shall he be able to doe in good measure and God will passe by his failings Doe thus much for the matter of patience inure your minds to thinke much of the reasons that should induce you to it and vpon those reasons to conclude that through the gracious assistance of God you will be patient and you shall be so But resolutions without prayer are presumptuous and God doth vse to chastice presumption by making it find its owne weakenesse Wherefore you must pray much and often as well as resolue Strong resolutions ioyned with strong supplications cannot bee in vaine Lord must thou say by nature I am impatient apt to fume and fret or else to faint and quaile but O let me be strengthened with all might according to thy glorious power vnto all long-suffering and patience with ioyfulnesse Lord strengthen me against all infirme and impotent fallings of heart against all furious and violent risings of spirit and seeing thou hast brought me into marriage inable mee to beare the burdens of marriage The frequent renewing of such acknowledgements of our owne feeblenesse and petitions to be fortified by the might of Gods Spirit will cause that wee shall find the grace of God
eternall glory in Heauen Name me a man that is noted to haue bewailed the sinnes of others and I will bring you a ground out of Scripture without doubt or question that he is saued so can it not bee said of those that haue mourned for their owne sinnes For in truth the fiercenesse of an euill conscience terrifying the soule with the feare of hell fire may stirre vp such griefe and make an vnsanctified man complaine bitterly that hee hath sinned in such or such a thing as Iudas in betraying innocent blood That naturall affectioÌ„ which we beare vnto our selues may also make vs sorrowfull fort that which we cannot but see will bee harmefull to our selues euen where no grace at all doth dwell But to sorrow for publike offences and for the sinnes of those that are no way neere vnto vs but as the common bands of Humanitie and Christianitie haue vnited them there can bee no motiue at all imagined except the true hatred of sinne and the true loue of God and man which no man can haue but from the Spirit of our Lord Iesus Christ dwelling in him Desperation and horror without Grace may procure teares for ones owne faults nothing but holinesse can procure them for others A man may lament his owne sinnes and not hate them hee cannot lament the common sinnes but out of an hatred of them Wherefore let the people of God make much of these teares and preserue them as it were some hot and comfortable licour for their vse against the day of temptation that when the weake faith shall bee assaulted with manifold obiections it may haue this token of truth to alleage for it selfe against which there can bee none exception and let the people of God endeuour to be frequent in this exercise o mourning for the common sinnes that they may abound in comfort afterwards and be filled with ioy in stead of sorrow for alwaies holy sorrow ends in ioy Wee may not make our selues so carelesse of our spirituall estate as to lose a good dutie but must put al the Graces that God hath giuen vs and the effects of them to the best vse improouing them all to the encrease of our faith in God and our spirituall reioycing in the assurance of his loue It will make vs constant in good duties if wee shall find them to doe vs much good Let these sorrowes be much profitable and comfortable vnto them O Christian soule as indeed they ought and out of these weeping promises gather these gladsome conclusions I am sure I am Gods child I am sure I am a member of the same body that Dauid was a member of I am sure I partake of that Spirit that dwelt in him I am sure that sinne shall not mortally infect me that I shall not bee drowned in the publike Iudgements that God will either spare the Land for the sake of my selfe and other like mourners or at least that himselfe will make prouision for my welfare in the common woes I shall laugh when others are punished for sin because I wept when they committed sinne God will bee my shelter and refuge in the time of trouble and hee will not giue me ouer to the destroyer for often haue I caused and often doe I purpose hereafter to cause that streames of teares shall descend from mine eyes because the sonnes of men doe tread his Statutes vnder-foot I haue not onely wept for mine owne sinnes which feare of shame in the World or damnation in Hell hath made many a dissembler doe I haue not alone wept for the faults of my children and neere friends which also carnall affection hath made many a carnall man to do in some cases I haue not only wept for the faults of others that were harmefull to my selfe and my friends as self-selfe-loue wil make any man to doe but I haue wept for the generall sinnes of the whole Land for the sinnes of the high and low for the sinnes of strangers that knew mee not and enemies that loue mee not for the sinnes of any of Adams sonnes that I knew to haue sinned because they kept not Gods Precepts Blessed be the Lord that hath made maine heart in such a measure soft and tender I am in his Couenant seeing he hath created an heart of flesh within my body and I am sure that none but a fleshy hart will make the eyes to shed teares for the violation of Gods testimonies by other men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS Errata Page 5. line 20. for fretting reade fettering p. 17. l. 13. f. 1. 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pray you conceiue of these my words as nothing contrarie to those I spake in the former point for this exhortation and that belong to different kinds of men If thou beest one that feelest in thy selfe a necessitie of marriage if thou beest one whose bodily constitution is such that the best meanes wil not otherwise keepe thy mind in a well-contented chastitie then lay aside all the feare of troubles and pray to God to prouide thee of a fit yoke-follow fellow and accordingly endeauour after his counsell and with his blessing to enter into this estate But if thou find power ouer thy selfe and canst be master of thine owne will and hast the ruling hand ouer thine owne affections so as though some motions doe arise within thee yet they be neither many nor violent nor any but such as quickly with a little abstinence and feruent prayer thou canst quench and keepe downe frō breaking forth into a flame of sinfull wishes or attempts now doe thou consider of Pauls speeches embrace the more easie kind of liuing Gallop not into a brake of thornes from which thou canst find no way out and bee not ouer-venturous to rush vpon trouble Let not a certaine foolish wearinesse to bee vnder gouernment let not a fond conceit that it is a reproach to thee to continue so ancient a Maid or Batchelor let not a veyne of enuie to see others wedded and thy selfe their elder liuing single let not the desire of accomplishing thine owne desires or of following the example of others let not a lothnesse to labour for the gift of continencie let none of all these things nor any like to them perswade thee to flie to marriage that is to say to leaue rest and ease and runne vpon trouble Beware my brethren of accounting that a carnall reason which you see to be Gods reason Saint Paul argues thus Better bee single if you can without sinne because marriage is a state of more affliction It is you see a godly holy spirituall reason beseeming the pen of him that was inspired from aboue we may well take boldnesse to inforce it vpon your thoughts and to tell you that you erre exceedingly if you count it either a weake or a fleshly reason for wee all confesse that the God of Heauen vseth neither false nor weake reasons You may perhaps tell me that Paul meant it of those times of persecutions and not of all times indifferently But I can certainly tel you that you shall find he meant it of all times indifferently though it be principally true of such times The present necessitie is not to be restrained to the dayes of open persecution but enlarged to the distresses of this present life for else the argument had been vnfitly framed for the state of the Corinthians seeing at this time they were not assaulted with any such tēpestuous weather Wherefore I will be bold to vndertake to perswade all you vnmarried people Widdowes Maids Batchelors Widdowers if you can without the farre greater mischiefe of burning that is to say of being carried away with vnsubduable wishes of this kind to keepe you as you be and not to procure miserie to your selues by a needlesse change of your estates You may perhaps imagine that the comforts of marriage will abundantly requite the troubles So all things seeme faire afarre off which are not so neerer hand but if you will be well aduised before you conclude you shall find that indeed the comforts are not worth the troubles For I pray you what be the comforts you talke of A wife children these two be all and yet I haue told you before that often these two bee the greatest cumbers of marriage so that these are but vncertaine comforts and may proue otherwise But say that they prooue in the best sort yet I assure you that they are farre too light to ouer-weigh all the leaden weights of trouble that lye in the other scale If a wife be vnto thee a remedie against sinne and a preseruatiue against fornication I yeeld indeed that the good that thou hast by her doth farre more then recompence all the miseries that marriage bringeth with it and if thou haue lawfull children in Wedlock to saue thee from hauing mis-begotten children in whoredome now thy children doe sufficiently requite all thy paines care trouble about them and thine estate for them But if thou hast the abilitie of containing and couldest without danger of sinne forbeare Matrimonie I am in mind that all the comfort which the best husband or the best wife and the best children can afford thee by their best loue dutie and good affection can no more counteruaile the troubles of marriage then the childs smiling and laughing in the morning can counteruaile the Nurces breach of sleepe all night If it were otherwise Pauls argument were not good He disswades marriage to them that can containe because it is more troublous If it brought comforts beyond the single estate which did exceed the cumbers it bringeth beyond that estate our Apostle had made a feeble and ineffectuall reason for who cannot say that what brings more profit then losse must be done though it bring some losse And what brings more comfort then trouble must rather be done though it bring some trouble Indeed you must conceiue that the Apostle here doth speake of things as most times and vsually they fall out not intending to point at euery particular paire of wedded people that euer shall be but for the most part for the far greater number of mē Marriage is a fea that yeeldeth more tossing then the land would doe by farre You may thinke then How commeth it to passe that so many doe marrie continually I answere First because the most are led by example or passion and doe that in haste which they repent by leisure And againe The Lord that intends to store the World and made man not to take ease but to doe seruice though it bee with trouble doth not afford to most men the gift of continencie But all those men or women to whom this singular and excellent gift is afforded let them take their rest when God giues them leaue and not beare a yoke when they may go free Some will obiect that we seeme to set Gods honour below troubles for Marriage encreaseth mankind the encrease whereof is more to Gods glorie I answere these persons That Paul was as carefull of Gods glorie as they can bee and yet he disswadeth Marriage and forbare it And I answere againe That what children shall bee borne in the World or what encrease of men shall store the World is one of the secret things that I am not to care for but may enioy the rest that God allots me though thereby I forbeare to encrease his number onely if he call mee to marrie then am I with willingnesse to seeke his honour in that kind of life Wherefore againe and againe let Virgins remember Paul and keep them where they be where they
Saints ought to abound in fernent loue to the diuine Maiestie in regard both of those infinite excellencies which are in his holy nature and the innumerable demonstrations thereof as also of those great and many benefits which they themselues doe receiue from him This loue cannot be separated from an earnest desire that he may be honored serued obeyed and in word and deed acknowledged and respected according to his owne worth and greatnesse and the multitude and greatnesse of his mercies Now there is such a naturall sympathy betwixt the affections of mans heart and they are so mutually subordinated each to other in their workings as it is not possible but that loue to any person and desire that he should be well dealt withall must needs rayse vp griefe and sorrow vpon the beholding of the quite contrarie For loue must needs beget hatred and abhorring of those things that tend to thy hurt and dishonour of the partie loued because he that loueth cannot choose but esteeme and account them euill yea and very euill and if that thing bee present with any man which he hateth and reputeth euill it must of necessitie stirre vp in him a measure of sorrow proportionable to his hatred Wherefore this griefe must beare witnesse to the truth of that loue which we say wee beare vnto the liuing God and must iustifie all those protestations which wee are ready to make of hauing abundant good will vnto him For it is in vaine to say we loue if we bring not forth the effects of loue It is but painted and imaginarie fire which yeeldeth forth neither heate nor light so it is but tongue-loue and lip-affection which is good for nothing but to beguile our selues and make vs better conceited of our selues then there is cause that produceth not the true and proper fruites of loue Furthermore wee doe know and confesse Loue to men that our loue to God must alwayes bee ioyned with the loue of our brethren euen of all that are made of the same flesh with our selues I meane our hearts must bee settled in a liking of them and desire of their welfare as of Gods creatures to whom he hath pleased to vnite vs in many bonds For though the Lord doe allow yea and command vs to hate the workers of iniquitie as they well deserue because they commit hate-worthy actions yet this hatred must not be any habituall inclination or motion of the will to their hurt but alone a stirring vp of the affection of dislike against them or not brooking them in regard of the euill which they commit which may well stand and must euer be ioyned with the vertue of Christian charitie whereby out of a liking of them as Gods creatures we are alwayes prompt and ready to wish and seeke their good Now if we do thus loue them must it not needs grieue vs to see that which we know to be harmefull and mischieuous to them Loue cannot choose but breed a fellow-feeling compassion a sympathizing commiseration and sensiblenesse of the losse euill damage miserie of the partie loued Wherefore sinne being as in the next reason we are to shew a most dangerous and hurtful thing to the soules of them that commit it it cannot but call for our sorrow yea much sorrow and many teares whensoeuer we behold it Againe Loathing of sin euery Christian man should haue his heart possessed with a loathing detestation and hatred of sinne that being indeed the first and principal and most immediate obiect of hatred we may call it the chiefe odious thing in regard of which alone it is lawful to hate other things neither is any thing further hatefull then as it doth some way or other participate of sinne misery being alone hatefull so farre as it is an effect and concomitant of sinne from which if it be separated as in the case of suffering for wel-doing it is euen louely and desireable but whatsoeuer doth sauour of sinne in as much as it is sinfull is hatefull also and therefore the Word of God commands vs to be haters of euill And if a man doe neuer so much forbeare sinne out of other considerations of the inconueniences that insue it not out of a loathing of it in as much as it is a contrariety to the will and glory of God the chiefe good for indeed sinne alone is properly contrarie to God as hauing no manner of dependance vpon him nor similitude of him nor any other relation to him but alone as contraries be relatiues and as crimes haue reference to the Iudge that is to punish them I say if in this respect of loathing sinne as sinne wee forbeare it not our forbearance of it is not a thing formally good it is not truly nor sincerely good but alone good inshew a practice of hypocrisie a carcasse or painting of goodnesse It being then a thing so absolutely needfull to hate sinne as that wee cannot say we haue Gods Image vnlesse we resemble him in this for hee hateth sinne with a perfect hatred it is therfore also necessarie that we grieue for sinne for the presence of a thing lothsome and detested cannot be separated from griefe griefe being nothing else but a contraction and paining of the heart at an euill thing present and that must needs bee confessed euill which is accounted hatefull So then we shall falsely affirme that we hate euill if we sorrow not to see it committed There are some things which in nature a man abhorreth and cannot away withall as some cannot endure a Cat some a Mouse some a Frog or the like now when such a loathed thing doth of force and whether he will or no draw neere to any person experience will tell vs how grieuous it is vnto him hee cryes and shreekes and starts and shewes an extremitie of the passion of sorrow and if he cannot flie from it his whole body will weepe as it were in a kind of cold sweat as if the weeping of the eye were too little So if sinne be amongst the number of things that we cannot away withall that we do loath detest and haue in abomination we shall surely testifie our abhorring it by a sadnes heauines deiectednesse contraction contrition troublednesse falling melting and mourning of our spirits when wee cannot choose but see it committed for betwixt grace and sinne there is as true an antypathy as betwixt a mans nature and a toade And therefore so much grace I meane sanctifying Grace as we haue in vs so much sorrow must we needs haue for sinne So haue you the first reason of the point consider the second which wee fetch from the nature of sinne CHAP. III. Containing another reason of the doctrine gathered from the nature of sinne Reas 2 SInne is of all things in the World the most and greatest euill From the nature of sinne which separating the person in whom it ruleth from the Sea and Fountaine of goodnesse We may call it after a sort the