quaeries in a forraign land when it is more need to make enquiry into my owne sinfull and deceitfull heart to see what is done there in matter of reformation repentance and amendment of life And therefore now though we are far remoted in the body yet let us be present in spirit and prayer and although you are retyred to a place of more privacy and where your eyes I hope doe not see such abominations to vexe your heart with as ours doe yet pitty us and pray for us and on the other side be not oh be not so secure nor put your confidence in your select company nor in those remoted woods and solitary mountaines but remember what befell unto Lot that was righteous Lot whilest he lived in Sodome but when he would fly out of Zoar to a solitary cave in the mountaines with his two daughters he committed those abominable sinnes there that his soule would have abhorred once to have thought on in Sodome and therefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall our help is in the name of the Lord that hath made heaven and earth who is able to help us in all places and at all times and so beseeching the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ the shepheard of his sheep through the bloud of the everlasting covenant make us perfect in all good works and to doe his will working in us that which is pleasant in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be prane for ever and ever Amen Even so I take my leave and rest Your loving and sinfull Cousin Iohn Spencer England Iuly 9. 1635. I pray remember my respective love to my gracious Cousin your loving wife who hath given such a testimony of her love unto you and the reverend opinion she hath of your honourable Calling and commend mee to the rest of my Cousins and to so many of our Christian friends as you think fit A charitable Consideration of new-Englands plantation We read in holy Writ and Law Leviticall That if a man dyeth having no child at all His neerest kinsman by the right of Aliance Shall take both the Widdow and the Inheritance To raise up seed to the dead and by doing well Continue still his Brothers name in Israel Fair England of the Northern World the great renowne Having late made Vnion with the Scottish Crowne Thereby involving her title with great Brittaine And so lyeth obscured in that golden chaine We to continue the name of our Brother In great America hath rais'd up another The Almighty God grant that ever may remain An ornament to England a terror to Spain FINIS JOHN SPENCER Mtr. Brightman a little he died translated the Canticles into verse whereupon I wrote these verses TH' heavenly song of that bright man Whereto he tun'd his latest breath Much like a silver shining-Swan Presag'd thereby his present death A goodlier song was never seene And few such singers left there been But you faire Signets which still remaines By pure streames of sacred Truth Washing your wings from sinfull staines With mournfull tears and dolefull ruth Lest you should him too much deplore For you this song he left in store Never therefore let the prophane With sinfull lips and hearts impure This sacred Song once dare to name Lest they damnation doe procure Let them with Toads their croaking make Till they doe their sins forsake But you deare Children of the light Whose lips are tun'd to sing this praise Oh labour still to shine more bright And therein spend your happiest dayes That when your dear Lord shall appeare He may you finde a Spouse most cleer FINIS Iohn Spencer A charitable Supposition Of Mtr. Brightmans sudden Dissolution No marvell though so bright a man His glorious life in Heaven so soone began For long his soule had languish'd in great griefe To see Gods chosen Flocke to want their best reliefe And cruell Wolves dumbe dogs and lordly Masters Set in the roome of Christ faithfull Pastors Therefore his deare Lord seeing his servant thus distrest Took him away unto his everlasting rest FINIS Iohn Spencer Here lyeth inter'd Sarah Spencer the vertuous Wife of Iohn Spencer and Sarah his Virgin Daughter Both so goodly faire and curteous As few such Sarahs will be found hereafter Blessed be the Lord God of Heaven and Earth That made them so renouned both in life and death A Coppie of a Letter sent to a great Lady MAdam my great care of your everlasting happinesse and my respective love to my reverend Cousin Mr. Lee who now is dead in the Lord and therefore must cease from his labour and from those holy endevours whereby he did labour to plant grace in your heart in your tender yeares and whereof you then gave such excellent hopes that in the Autumne of your age he should have seen a plentifull increase of that blessed fruit and many goodly sheaves of pietie and happinesse to his great comfort in the Harvest but it pleased God the great Lord of the Harvest to take him away as from other evils to come so likewise from those griefs that would have wounded his heart to see those flourishing hopes so nipt and withered in your spring-time it pleased God to make me partaker of his last prayer and to close his eyes Oh that it might be his blessed pleasure to make his Spirit to be redoubled on me that I might be the better able to admonish and exhort you to reform that which is amisse in you and disgracefull to your holy profession I meane in respect of your outward carriage and appearance with so many fond fashions and garish attires as to deale plainly with you were more meet for one of painted Iezabels profession than for a Lady of your worth and more fit to furnish a pedlers pack than to make open shew of them in the Church of God and in the Assembly of the Saints whereas things should be done with comelinesse and decencie and therefore he commandeth that no woman should be covered because of the Angels 1 Corinth 11.10 and that women should pray with their heads covered But if this be a comely covering to have a womans head covered with dogs haire or goats haire and cats dung and painted fethers judge you for my owne part the Word of God wherewith you shall be judged condemnes it as odious and abominable but it may be you will say it is the Gallants fashion and what if the Venetian Curtizans have brought up that fashion must the religious Ladies of England follow that fashion God forbid the Children of God must not fashion themselues after the world Rom. 11.2 But they must fashion themselvs according to the rule of Gods Word and then Madame marke what fashion you must be in 1 Timoth. 2.9 10. Likewise also the women that they array themselves with shamefastnesse and modestie not with broidered haire or gold or pearls or costly apparell but as becommeth the
thereof in this case that you will not suffer it to bee abused and disgraced by the reproachfull taunts of any insulting Skinner man that knowes better how to scrape ten groats out of a translated sheep-skin than how to repair the losse of unvaluable Learning so long captivated in a loathsome prison I dare not say as St Paul said to Philemon in the behalfe of his prisoner Onesimus if he hath hurt thee or oweth thee ought put it on my account but I will rather put you in remembrance what our Saviour Christ saith unto Simon Peter There was a certaine Lender which had two Creditors the one ought him an hundred pence the other fiftie when they had nothing to pay he forgave them both which of them therefore tell me will love him most Simon answered and said I suppose him that he forgave most and he said unto him thou hast truly iudged And so I say unto Sir William Litton the more you shall forgive your impoverished prisoner the more you shall increase his love unto you and thereby you likewise shall make the splendor of your charitie and true nobilitie more clearly appear unto others consider what I say and the Lord give you an understanding heart to doe that which may be most for his glorie and your everlasting comfort and so I take my leave and pray for your happinesse on earth and everlasting happinesse in Heaven JOHN SPENCER A Coppy of a Letter to Mr. John Harvy My Lord St Iohns Steward GOod Mr. Harvy considering how dangerous the opposition of great men may bee both to Church and Common-wealth and scandalous amongst those that professe the Gospel of peace I have therefore made bold to use some endevours to qualifie and allay the heat of some unkindnesse which lately grew betwixt my Lord St. Iohn and my Lord Wentworth and to that end used many perswasions hard intreaties to them both and found my Lord St. Iohn so nobly disposed in it that he told me for the thing it selfe hee thought it not worth a matter of unkindnesse but that which troubled him was that he should bee so much mistaken in his judgement esteeming my Lord Wentworth so loving and faithfull a friend unto him To this effect I did much endevour to remove that conceit of mistaking and reduce his Lordship to his former good opinion of my Lord Wentworth and disired that hee should passe by that as an error of a young man and so ground his opinion upon the former and future carriage of my Lord Wentworth towards him then upon the fayling in one particular which hope gave some satisfaction unto his Lordship therefore I pray doe you second that with your best perswasions as occasion shall give you opportunitie and let us not be discouraged to deale therein because they are great men for God hath ordained weake things of the world oft times to confound the mighty And we may observe in the overthrow of Benhadads mighty army at the siege of Samaria whereof he made such proud boasts the overthrow was given by a small number of 232 of the servants of the Princes of the Provinces 1 King 20.10.17 So likewise when Naaman that great Commander was so discontented with the message that the Prophet Elisha sent him to wash him seven times in the rivers of Iordan the good councell of his servants prevailed with him and stood him more instead then if he had had the whole army of the King of Aram 2 King 5.11 and therefore let us use our weake meanes and leave the successe unto the powerfull God of heaven and earth who is able to make the lyon and the lambe and the faulcon and the dove to live peace able together unto whose gracious protection I doe commend you and so rest Your loving Friend Iohn Spencer IN the raigne of King Iames of famous memory passing through the Pallace yard I saw two men very much urging one another to goe over into Saint Georges field to fight one was M. Phillips the Queenes footman the other was M Newman my Lord Chamberlaines footman the English man a Protestant the Irish a Papist I used many perswasions to pacifie the busines betwixt them but M. Phillips said it was impossible to satisfie him till they had fought but I would by no means suffer them to fight but I would be M Phillips his second and my Lord of Hollands footman should have been M. Newmans second they should have fought with single swords and I had a single sword also When they saw that I would not leave them the Irish man asked what religion I was of I said I did beleeve to have salvation onely by the infinite merits of the death and passion of my Saviour Iesus Christ and so I hoped he did likewise then I demanded what religion he was of that could warrant him to fight in such a quarrell he answered happy man be his dole In the end they were contented that I should have the hearing of the businesse betwixt them so we went to a Taverne in Kings street where they fell out at Tables and drew their swords but the servants parted them and upon the examination of the servants that did appeare that the Irish man did the wrong to the English man and called him boy and that was the word of disgrace that M. Phillips would never be satisfied till he fought with him therefore I did order that M. Newman should acknowledge that he had done M. Phillips wrong and that he was sorry for it and then M. Newman cryed mercy and then they embraced one another and with such expressions of love that they would live die together in defending one anothers quarrels to this effect and as it pleased God I parted this dangerous quarrell without drawing my sword the Irish man was a proper tall man but M. Phillips was young but a brave spirit ANd now that I am upon the point of peace-making give me leave to give some few directions for the better effecting of this charitable worke 1. Humbly pray unto the God of peace and lover of concord to give you wisedome and direction and frame the hearts of the contending parties to unity and concord then get them into bond to stand to the arbiterment 2. Conferre with the parties alone by themselves and then use all the strongest arguments you can to weaken the party you speake unto by telling him what advantage his adversary hath of him his great friends his able parts and resolute minde and use the like arguments to the other 3. Try if a wife a childe or friend may not be a fit agent to perswade in these differences 4. Consider what a happy and pleasing thing it is in the sight of God and good men to see neighbours to live together in love and unity But in my long trading in these charitable businesses I will declare unto you two very rare and unusuall means which I have made use of A gentleman of great worth
may be furnisht with such a booke and every high Sheriffe of every countrey provide a Preacher to visit the prisoners once every week for it is pittifull to see how they are neglected A Copy of a Letter to M. Hutchinson to whose hands King Iames committed me after I delivered unto him the petition for the Sabbath MY very loving and kind Keeper although you have been long out of sight yet you have been oftentime in minde and often in my thoughts and prayers unto God for you as I had good cause when I remember the great care and love that you and M. Hutchinson did shew unto me when I was prisoner in your house Oh that it would please the Lord to make me as happy a prisoner unto you as Saint Paul was unto his Keeper at Philippi whereof you may read in the sixteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles who at Saint Pauls first comming into the prison was in such a woefull estate of a persecuting Infidell yet that night being terrified with the earthquake and feare of the losse of his prisoners would desperately have murthered himselfe but Saint Paul having pitty and compassion upon him cryed out with a loud voice Doe thy selfe no harme for we are all here and then with feare and trembling he fell downe before them and brought them out of prison and said Sirs what must I doe to be saved and Saint Paul preached unto them to beleeve in the Lord Iesus and he and his houshold should be saved and so through the Lords great mercy they were converted and baptized and greatly reioyced that he and all his house beleeved in God Now though I have not seen you so desperately minded to kill your selfe with your sword for feare of my escape yet I must needs say I have seen you ready to wound your soule with fearefull swearing and excessive drinking and how greatly this may endanger your soule and body also you may consider of it You remember well that the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine and Saint Paul doth testifie that drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Galat. 5.22 but of these sinnes I have admonished you of when I was with you and through the Lords great mercy found some reformation thereof in that I did see you refraine from such excessive drinking and sometimes abstaine an oath and reprove others for swearing I know that is a hard matter suddenly to cast off such growne sinnes and those whereunto you have been so long accustomed but on the other side also I know it is an easie thing unto our omnipotent God to set your feet into the way of peace Oh therefore unto that mercifull God to convert your soule and to set your feet into the way of peace Oh therefore pray unto that blessed Lord and importune him with earnest and zealous prayer day and night untill he hath wrought in you that blessed worke to give you grace not onely to see your sinnes but give you also true repentance and godly sorrow for them that you may now loath them more then ever you loved them and utterly detest and abhorre them though they be as deare unto you as your right eye and as profitable unto you as your right hand yet cast them off and cast them from you for it is better for us to enter into the kingdome of heaven so maimed and spoiled of our sinnes then to enjoy them here for a short time and then both soule and body to be cast into hell fire where there is weeping and wailing in everlasting darknesse And now that you may escape those everlasting torments and attaine to the kingdome of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof you must settle your selfe to the constant performing of those holy duties of prayer and hearing the word of God and you must take unto you that Christian resolution that no feare of mans displeasure nor the mockes and scoffes of wicked men should make you never to neglect the same I meane you must not be ashamed to goe to Sermons nor to keep holy the Sabbath-day nor to pray with your wife and servants though all the drunken companions in Kent should rayle or ieere at you for the same but remember that those that are ashamed of our Lord Iesus Christ and of his holy service on earth he will be ashamed to owne them in the day of judgement and leave them to their devillish masters and to those hellish torments which he hath prepared for such base slaves that doe preferre the service of the devill before the service of God And then will they cry unto the mountaines to cover them and to hils to fall upon them rather then they would heare the dreadfull sentence of Goe ye cursed into hell fire prepared for the devill and his angels and the wofull execution that followes thereupon to be closed up for ever in utter darkenesse and there to be tormented with those damned spirits where instead of their carousing and filthy speaking they shall have weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for evermore and never shall behold the face of any man nor heare the voice of any creature to yeeld them comfort but as they delighted themselves in swearing and staring in cursing and raging so they shall have their fill thereof among those raging and furious damned spirits and yet shall not procure one drop of water to coole their tongues although they be tormented in those hellish flames as you may read in the example of Dives Saint Luke 16.29 and then my loving Keeper is it not much better with Moses to chuse rather to suffer afflictions with the children of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season and then to goe to everlasting torments And what if you be mocked and pointed at for a Puritane and be counted a mad man because you separate your selfe from the company of blasphemous wretches and abhominable drunkards and doe now resolve to serve the living God with an honest heart nay what if you should be persecuted and imprisoned for his name-sake Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets and holy men of God in former times and so likewise did the Iews persecute our Lord Iesus Christ and said he was mad and had a devill And if they dealt thus with him our Lord and Master shall we looke for a greater priviledge nay let us with a holy resolution arme our selves to encounter with all their temptations and with the blessed Apostle rejoice that we are accounted worthy in such an honourable cause and to be made like unto our Saviour Christ in any sort for he entred into his kingdome of glory through many tribulations I am a little the more earnest upon this point because even while I was with you I feare there were some that did with scoffing and geering seeke to discourage you in those good courses whereunto you were so
any in such a desperate estate to mend so much in a short time and so returned unto his father and is a more active man and of better discourse then ever he was Margaret Russell a Yeomans daughter of good worth a young woman and very beautifull fell into a great mellancholly and attempting to make her selfe away she was in love with a Baker and the Brownistes had tamperd with her fell likewise into a humour to famish her selfe with whom I took the like course to feed her she was a woman of that strength and nimblenesse of her ioynts as I seldome are met with the like she was very resolute to famish her self so I was carefull to break the points of the knives but Except the Lord keepeth the citie the watchman watcheth but in vain For our harvest cart coming home and many of our neighbours with the same we went to prayer and song a Psalme as our usall custome was they fell unto such chear as it pleased God to blesse us withall and the table being being furnish't Margaret Russell sat downe at the table end upon a threshold near the store house and he that attended her being set at the table and making merry with our neighbours my wife and I being in another roome with some other young women Alice Pentlow my wives servant having been at the market and put on her holy day girdle and knife that had a sharpe point she went the store house to cut some victuals and brought a piece of pastie in her hand Margaret Russell made an haighing and held out her hand as though she would have the pasty but when she was within her reach she snatch at her knife and Alice made a pittifull scritch and cryed out Marget Marget and held the knife in her hand as fast as she could but the other being to strong for he stabd her self twice into the throat so I run into the hall and wrencht the knife out of her hand and one of them was directly upon the throat as if one had stickt a pig and bled grievously and we expected hir death presently and therefore kneeld down and prayed unto God for her and did earnestly entreat her to cry unto God for mercy but she seemed not to regard it but rather forc'd her selfe to make it bleed more I wished them to bring her to the hall door and give her ayre and there we kneeld about her at last I bid on bring me a mallow stalk and search the wound and found it slip along by her winde pipe and so used some meanes to staunch the bleeding and heald the wound within few dayes she went home with her father and after grew into great bravery and I heare is lately richly married and that her father gave her two hundred pound the Lord give her grace to repent of her sinnes and praise him for this mercifull preservation A Discourse of mad Dogs and the danger of their biting with some directions to cure the same I Came to Cambridge to my brothers Master Edward Spencers as I take it upon a Friday towards the evening that night I went not into bed but towards morning fell asleep and was much troubled with a dream that I was at the receiving of the Sacrament and when the Minister delivered the bread he was taken suddenly in such a maner that he could not come at us I was much troubled to think what we should do in such a case but it pleased God I waked and then was free of that feare My brother came presently after and desired me to go with him to see a friend that could not live but till eight of the clock it was Master Twells his son that was then Major my brother tould me a strange discourse of the manner of his sicknesse about a moneth before had a little dog that bit him by the finger and repelled the skin and bled a little and healed up againe the little dog grew mad upon wednesday the young man found him very ill and went to two or three of the cheefest Doctors of phisick and they used their best indeavours but could not prevayle but the young man grew worse when I came into his chamber I found his mother weeping and lamenting and two or three attending on him he was a proper tall young man spake strongly and very religiously with great apprehension of the ioyes of heaven oh that some good man would further me with their prayers I saw him so well disposed desired his father to send for some Divines to pray with him but he desired me to satisfie his desire since he made the motion to me and so rather then it should not be done I prayed with him the young man seemed to be greatly affected therewith and made great expressions of his ioy and comfort he was very hot and dry but durst not drinke for then he thought he should presently die and now let me tell you something that hath relation to my troublesome dream the morning before I came young Master Twels was very desirous to receave the Sacrament of the Lords supper and resolved to drink the wine though he died for it and so the Sacrament was administred unto him and they thought some of the wine went downe but they had much a do to keep life in him I tould his father that I feared he would fall into more extremities but advised them not to binde him for that would make him worse but I tould my brother that if his sicknesse grew upon this occasion he would be mad I would have made him a bath of milke and plunged him in it over head and eares and let it run in at his mouth at his nose and his eares and in this desperate case put it to that adventure for otherwise there was no hope but they had sent that morning to a skilfull man to advise with and was loath to make triall of it till they heard from him and I was loath to presse it in such a desperat case so in the afternoone I returned home but my brother told me that night he fell into a great rage and madnesse and in his fits barked like a mad dog but some houre or two before he dyed it pleasd God to restore him to his sences againe and he spake very religiously and prayed earnestly unto God to pardon his sins so departed Now to give some directions in such dangerous cases first pray unto the God of heaven to blesse the meanes and if the party so bitten with a mad dog be near the Sea let them with all speed throw him into the Sea water and plung him over head and eares and wash the wounds thorowly with the Sea water if that cannot be had then take the liver of the mad dog and make poridg of it and let them eat the liver and the broath as long as it lasteth and take the hair of the mad dog and make tents of it and put it into the holes that
the mad dogs teeth made and this I saw in experience by one Richard Haines a tall young man pursued a mad dog a mastie neer the place where I dwell and standing at the gap the mad dog would come thorow clasped him in his armes intending to hold him tell his fellows came but the dog bit him very grievously in his side and about his belly they gat the mad dogs liver and made poridge and stuffed the wounds with the hair and so through Gods blessing the mad man did very well Crabs clawes and lobsters claws beaten to pouder and put into butter-milk or drinke is very good It is for the zeal of Gods glorie the desire to yeeld comfort unto poore afflicted soules and love of my country which moves me to write upon this subject Samuel 16.23 And so when the evill spirit sent of God came upon Saul David took an harpe and played with his hand and Saul was refreshed and was eased for the evill spirit departed from him NOw the question is wether this distemper and distraction grew out of some inordinate affection which proud ambitious covetous and amorous men are subiect to fall into the only help in this case is to pray unto God to give them humilitie and patience to submit themselves unto Gods will and faithfully beleeve that God will turn all crosses and losses to the best Rom. 8.28 Againe consider what thy sinnes have deserved and thine own unworthinesse of the least of Gods mercies despise the world and prise heaven this is the only musick to cheat the heart Secondly if it were some naturall in disposition or distemper Pheniticall timpheticall then materiall drugges might rectifie the humour so a sensible musick might recreate the spirits so a man preferre the spirituall and inward remedies but the corporall and outward also are not to be neglected as mirth good company or any comendable recreation is not to be refused but undoubtedly it was an absolute madnesse or melancholy fury with some intermission in which time he could hear advice and do mischief those mischeivous actes of mad men are both guilty before God and punishable also before men when the force of reason is not totally transported and extinquisht Again if it were a meer obsession that daibolicall spirit troubled and vexed him and because the divell is Gods creature and at Gods comand he may be said to be an evil spirit sent from God now in case of demonaicall obsession and affliction I cannot conceave what naturall power musick or melodie sick can have for the profligation or repulsion of devils and seeing a created Art hath properly not farre upon any proternaturall habit unlesse musick doth delight the sence and so draw attention and so alter the passion but I resolve it thus this musick cured Saul not as musick but as Davids musick no musick but Davids musick could do it otherwise seeing Saul so much hated him he would not have been so much behoulding unto David having many other cunning Musicians in the temple but their musick made him more mad God was pleased to work such an effect to bring him into favour with the king A TRACTATE OF MELANCHOLIE IT is my love to my Country which incites me to write upon this subject And since Almighty God hath been pleased to make my studies and labours fortunate in this kinde I have here presented them to the publike view hoping that some may receive good by my directions as many have done by practice I do not promise an addition to learning in this respect nor do I doubt but my long experience may adde somewhat to others readings however this good the understanding reader shall receive when as he shall by my faithfull relation know the effects of those means which I have used he shall either be emboldned to use the like or inabled by judgeing them to find out a more exellent way although I goe not accuratly to work because I intend to be short and only positive avoiding the more questions yet to avoide confusion I will observe this order First I will speak somewhat of the humours in general secondly somewhat of the four chief in particular Thirdly will set down a method 1. For knowledge of those things that any wise concerne the melancholy humour 1. Of the humours in generall MAns body may be divided into such parts as are contained or such as do containe them those which be contained are of a fluid and liquid substance the other may be called the subject or vessels wherein these are kept and do cohere which otherwise would be as water spilt upon the ground To omit the parts containing those which be contained are humours and spirits Concerning spirits let it suffice to know that they are a thin aieriall vapours substance the chief instruments which our soul worketh withall those which be inplanted and fixed in our solid partes from our first generation be the seat of our native heat and the bond of soul and body those which be after added to the former are first naturall in the liver conveied in the vains to the habit of the body secondly vital made in the lest cavity of the heart partly of the naturall spirit and partly of the air which we suck in and runneth by the Arteryes through the whole body Thirdly Animal made of the vitals in the braine thence diffused by the sinewes into the body stirring up sense and motion therein A humour is either Radicall or adventitious that is necessary to the constitution of a thing this to the preservation thereof Here is a fat aieriall oyly substance inplanted inbred an inherent in the body from the conformation thereof this we call Radicall moisture or naturall Balsome and compare it to a candle there is likewise an inbred and innate heate which word does not signifie a naked quality but a substance indued with this quality which our most wise Creatour hath made sensible to our touch so long as the life lasteth this heat is the instrument of the soul and is likened to the flame wasting the candle the coexistence of these two in the heart chiefly is the beginning and continuation of life this is that perpetuall fire that continuall light although it never flame which hitherto the Chymicks have in vain laboured to imitate and blow up or kindle when nature saw this heat ever feeding upon consuming that moisture she thought good to adde oyl to the lamp and provided wayes to repaire what was spent this she appointed should be done by the use of meat drinke c. The humour thus generated is called Adventitious because it is added to the former now whether the faculties flow with this humor or no I will not here determine All those humours which are continually made to renew so much of the Radicall moisture as is dayly spent are first primairly such as proceed from the second publique concoction the liver of these to be accounted alimentary or fit to nourish viz.
it the best use he made of it was to play with it In like manner the Lord of heaven and earth gives a man a deare wife a delightfull companion wherein a man takes great pleasure sometimes to make her goe sometimes to see her sleepe and some unkind wretches delight to scourg them with bitter words and to justle them by cursed usage the Lord of wisdome seeing either our too much doting affection on the on side or our to much contempt on the other side or else to try our disposition how willingly we would part with that he hath so freely bestowed upon us takes away this delightfull play-fellow from us And we then for the most part behave our selves like sullen boyes and murmure and repine against the proceedings of that gracious Lord that doth all things in infinite wisdome and judgement and therefore is evermore holy in all his ways and righteous in all his works who giveth and taketh in his appointed time and therefore unto him be all praise glory and thanksgiving for ever and ever Amen Amen In this heavy affliction in parting with so deare Beautifull and Vertuous a wife I Have found by lamentable experience that as we draw neere the Irish climate so we have to much Irish nature in us For they are comonly very fond loving to their foster children too rebellious to their governours God the great commander of Heaven Earth gives unto a man a wife to foster to make fit for the court of Heaven as the King of England should commit his son to a noble man in Ireland to be brought up till he be fit for his owne Court but this foster Father having got the possession of this princely child finding it some comfort and great honour unto him and yet withall a great care and a continuall watchfulnesse required for feare the child should miscary in his hands The King seeing his fit time sends for his sonne home to his owne Court and sets him in his owne presence and gives the foster Father an honourable reward for his loving care and paines taken notwithstanding the fosterer of this noble child is mal-content and fales a mourning and murmuring because he is freed of his great care even so the King of Kings gave unto me a beautifull and blessed child to foster and hath now freed me of that honourable charge with full assurance that he hath taken her into the Court of Heaven where she injoyes the highest happinesse in the presence of his glorious Majesty he hath likewise given me an honourable reward for my slight care and attendance of Gold silver friends Aliances and many divine things of her gathering for the comfort of my soule Notwithstanding al this yet I have behaved my self like a murmuring and unthankfull Rebell towards my dread Soveraigne because he hath taken away his owne deare child and my deare charge O Lord what will become of so vile a Rebell and such a murmuring wretch But Lord good Lord for thy deare sons sake Pardon my sinnes and consider my frailty and heale mine infirmities that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Amen Lord Iesus Amen A Speech Master Spencer made upon this occasion their was a great discontentment and quarell betwixt Sir Iarrad Harvie and his neighbours of Carington about a Levie had not the God of peace framed their heartes to peace by the powerfull sermon that Master Saule that famous Preacher and the great importunity of Master Spencer which tooke such happy successe that they lived together like loving Friends untill the death of that valiant Knight who 's death was much lamented and he lies their interred in a Magnificent Tombe in Mr. Sauls Text was Behold how good and how pleasant It is for Brethren to dwell together in unite Psal. 133.1 MY Christian friends and loving neighbours you may well thinke that there is some extraordinary occasion that makes me thus farre from my owne Parish Church and assure your selves to there is For I have heard of some differences and discontentments that have beene betwixt this noble Knight Sir Iarret Harvie and you his neighbours of this Parish I must needs confesse I was much grieved to thinke that there should be such discord and opposition among those whom I did so tenderly affect on both sides you as my loving neighbours that dwell so neere the place where I was borne and received my first breathing and this noble Knight not onely our Countryman but also a man of great worth and valour who for the good service that he hath done to his Prince and countrey with the losse of his blood and the danger of his life in so many brave adventures in the warres both in Spaine and in the Low-countrys and against the Rebels in Ireland may justly challenge a great deale of love and respect not onely from us his native country-men but also from this Nation and the whole Kingdome and therefore to receive unkindnesse and disregard from you in this place whither he is retired in his old age to doe good and to end his dayes in peace like a good Souldier of Iesus Christ I say to receive unkindnesse and disregard from you must needs be a great discomfort and no small provocation to a well restrained mind and therefore to qualifie discontentments of this quality it is no easie matter For the word of God doth teach us that the discord of brethren are like the barrs of the gate of a City strong and hard for flesh and blood to beate through and so I finde in searching into these businesses that there are to many barrs that will keep out these happy guests of vnity and amity which I so much desire to bring in amongst you and therefore doe beseech the great God of Heaven that is the God of peace and lover of comfort that he would vouchsafe to breake in sunder these Iron barrs of revenge and hard conceit and frame your hearts to meekenesse and to suffer the word of exhortation with patience for Sir Iarret Harvie as a Souldier and standing upon the point of honour cannot passe by such wrongs oppositions as it may be as he conceives hath beene offered unto him For in that litle experience that I have had I know in the point of honour and being opposed by an enemy a souldier must make way to revenge though he runneth upon the point of the sword and marcheth against the mouth of the Cannon and so likewise the Country People to be contradicted in their ancient customes to be drawn out of their road way though an other way may be better and more commodious it is so hard a matter to prevaile with us as is seene by dayly experience But if it please Sir Iarret Harvie to lay aside the resolution of a man of warre and to take unto him the disposition of a Christian Souldier and to follow the direction of that blessed Lord and great commander under whose
banner we have vowed manfully to fight that is to learne of our Saviour Christ to be meeke and lowly love our Enemies and to pray for them that persecute us And you on the other side to lay aside the peevish froward disposition of corrupt Nature which makes us so prone to rebell against God and to reject his commandements and so likewise makes us so wilfully to oppose our Superiours to disdaine their good councell wilfully run in those courses that tend to everlasting destruction as like the men of Sodom who said unto that holy man Lot that had deserved so much of them yet when he perswaded them from that furious and beastly rage in pressing upon his house to offer violence upon his angelicall guests they cried out against that good man away with him they said he is come alone as a stranger and shall he rule judge we will now deale worse with him then with them But you know what became of them the Lord preserved his servant Lott and safely conveighed him out of the City and smote the outragious men with blindnesse and the next morning caused fire and brimstone to raine downe upon them utterly consume them their city this instance I bring to shew what we are when we are led by the unruly Passions of our sinfull nature but now I speak to men I hope of wisedome and such as God hath endewed with grace and that will teach us to deny ungodly lusts and to behave our selves charitably that if any man be fallen by occasion into any sinne yee which are Spirituall restore such a one with the Spirit of meekenesse considering thy selfe least thou also be tempted Gal. 6.1 And therefore I besech you if any heere have fallen by any such suddaine passion or caused others by their provocations O let them now acknowledge their errour unfeinedly desire to entertaine one another with all love and cheerefulnesse and assure your selves as it is the honour of a Souldier to be the first that entereth the breach and for the country-man that hath the first blow at the Ball so it will be the honour of a Christian man that shall now shew himselfe most forward to acknowledge his error and to seeke a holy reconciliation A PRAYER which Master Spencer doth use ordinarily in his familly Morning and Evening which he doth earnestly desire might be zealously and devoutly performed in every family in this Kingdome that are not provided of a better O Lord open our lipps and teach us to pray that wee may humble our soules and truely repent of all our sins for our Lord Iesus Christ his sake in whose holy name onely wee presume to come unto thee to bege and crave mercy in thy sight O Most Heavenly Father and gracious Lord God the Father of our Lord Iesus the God of mercy and salvation wee poore creatures doe humbly prostrate our selves before the throne of mercy confessing and acknowledging that we are miserable sinners conceived in sinne and brought forth in iniquity nay wee must acknowledge wee stand guilty of that originall sinne of our first parents for the transgressing thy holy holy Commandements and eating of the forbidding fruit plunged themselves and their posteritie unto shame and confusion their Soules and bodyes to be tormented in hell fire with the Devill and his Angels in utter darknesse and in that miserable estate thou might have left us all to perish in our sinnes but this is not that we have to answere for But we have made our selves seventy times the Children of the Devill more by our actuall transgressions in violating all thy holy lawes and Commandements both with vile thoughts wicked speeches and abominable actions which we have done in the sight of men to the great dishonour of thy holy name and the utter damnation of our own soules and the greatly endangering of others by our evill example and that not onely in the time of Ignorance and practise we have desperatly and Presumptiously gone on in those wicked courses which our Conscience have accused us and thy sacred word condemned us and therefore thou mightest have cast us off in thy heavy displeasure never more shewed pitty upon us but exposed us to the heaviest judgement this world could afford of plung pestilence utter madnesse and despaire and when we have passed all the miseries of this life then to cast us downe in utter darknesse with the Devill and his Angels to be tormented in everlasting darkenesse but good Lord good Lord pitty us and shew mercy upon us and teach us to bewaile our sinnes and truely to repent us of them before we goe hence and be no more seene and that we may finde mercy and favour in thy sight remember us oh remember us with that everlasting love of thine towards us in sending thy eternall sonne Christ Iesus our blessed Saviour and our everlasting Redeemer to take upon him our humane nature in all thinges sinne onely excepted to become the sonne of the blessed Virgin Mary and so both God and man in one person to accomplish the glorious worke of our redemption by leading a most pure and holy life by fulfilling all thy holy Commandements in one absolute and perfect manner that he might free us from that death and damnation that our sinnes have justly deserved and by his death and passion and those bitter torments and again which he suffred upon the crosse which neither the tongue of man and Angels is able to expresse and shedde his precious blood even unto death which is of that infinite value to make satisfaction for the sinnes of the whole world and of that infinite vertue to purifie our soules and consciences and make them as pure and undefiled as if we never comitted any sinne and rose againe the third day according to the Scriptures and is ascended into the highest heaven and there sits in all glory at the right hand of God and triumpheth over all the enemies of our salvation Hell Death damnation and shall come from thence to judge both the quicke and the dead and hath oppened the Kingdom of heaven to all beleivers we doe beleive Lord help our unbeleife and give us grace to use all holy meanes that we grow more in faith then ever we have done make us more zealous for thy glory more devout in prayer and zealous in good workes more carefull to keep holy the Sabboth and come more reverently unto thy holy ordinances and walke dilligently and faithfully in our calling and worke in our hearts an everlasting hatred against all sinnes and the sins especially that wee are most prone unto by nature and those whereunto the Devill doth so eagerly tempt us and allure us and those sinnes which wicked and ungodly men that run the headlong course to hell and damnation do inforce perswade us but Lord let them never prevaile with us and ours to give any liking and allowance thereunto but ever let us
same make clearely appeare unto them thy everlasting mercy towards them in our Lord Iesus Christ their blessed Saviour and Redeemer and that his precious blood doth cleanse them from all their sins and make them as pure in thy sight as if they continued in their happie estate of innocency and let thy grace bee sufficient for them to support them in all their aflictions And confound the power and malice of the Devill and all his devilish devises whereby hee labours to drive them to dispayre and to lay violent hands upon themselves and make him feâ—re and tremble with the consideration that all these evill thoughts and wicked suggestions which hee puts into our hearts shall be set upon his own score and adde to his greater damnation in utter darkenesse and hell fire Blesse all our Christian brethâ—en that are visited with the Plague and other mortall diseases comfort their soules and worke in their hearts godly sorâ—ow for all thâ—iâ— sinnes and that they may cry mightily unto the Lord for mercy before they go hence and be no more seen and give them faith to beleeve in our Lord Iesus to bee their Saviour and everlasting Redeemer and that his precious bloud that cleanseth from all their sinnes and that hee will vouchsafe to bee unto them advantage both in life and death O blesse we beseech Thee our distressed brethren that are in distraction raging madnesse fury those that wee have taken the speciall care custody of whether present or absent oh stay them from laying violent hands on themselves or others thou that art the God of infinite wisdome and power that stillest the raging of the Seas and the madnesse of the people stay those raging fits and set their feet into the way of peace Blesse all our Christian friends Father Mother sisters and brothers those we have taken the speciall care and custody of wife children and servants and other our neighbours and friends amongst whom we live grant that wee and they may labour to keepe our soules and bodies pure and undefiled and make our houses the houses of prayer not a den of theeves and keep us from all infection of Idolatry popery and prophanenesse and if it shall please thee to bring us to such an honorable triall grant that wee may witnesse thy truth with our best bloud And now good Lord in the name of our Saviour Iesus Christ we praise magnifie thy holy name for that everlasting love of thine towards us in sending our Lord Iesus to be our Saviour for all those blessed comforts revealed unto us in thy sacred word for comforting our soules when wee have been so neer the point of despaire raysing our weak bodies when wee have been so neer the point of death and set our feet in the way of peace when we have been running the headlong course to damnation and blessed our labours and made us a meanes to yeeld comfort to any of our destressed brethren and sisters and blessed bee thy holy name that hath enabled us to write this book unto our gratious King good Lord blesse it that it may tend to thy glory to the confounding of Antichrist and his friends and the comfort of our afflicted brethren in their afflicted state And blessed be thy holy name for blessing us with the good things of the land thou hast given us the first and second raine and caused the earth to bring forth hearbs for the use of man and fodder for cattle and caused our vallies to stand so thicke with Corne and Wheate that wee have cause to tell of thy goodnesse all the day long and sent us peaceable dayes that we might receive the fruit of the Earth in due season notwithstanding the feare and terrour of the Schottish Armies hast given such holy wisedome to our gracious King to compose those dangerous warres with honour and safety to both Nations and blessed be thy holy name for continuing thy holy word unto us thy holy sacrament and thy holy ordinances unto us and blessed be thy holy name that continues our gracious King unto us and our great Counsell of Parliament and us with comfort and confidence that thou wilt be graciously pleased to make a holy reformation on both in Church and Common wealth and rise up with all holy indignation to root out all Idolatry popery and all prophannesse and Papeists Atheists and Anabaptistes that doe so oppose thy truth authority government of our gracious King oh convert their hearts or else confound their devices and bring them to their well deserved ends And blessed be thy holy name that hast done such great thinges for us in discovering those horrible treasons and rebellious Idolatry popery and prophanesse and so confounded them and brought many of them to their shamefull and well deserved ends And blessed be thy holy name for thy gracious providence over us this night that we have not perished in workes of darknesse that wee have not fallen into despaire raging madnesse that thou hast not suffered our houses to be burnt downe with flames of fire or our enemies to possesse our gates and now good Lord what shall we render unto thee for all thy mercies shewed towards us still take up the cup of salvation and still entreat thy mercies to be continued towards us this day and for evermore and that wee may be the better for thy service and the workes of our calling sanctifie all the faculties of our soules and all the parts and members of our bodyes make our will ever liable to thy will our understanding apt to conceive of those misteries of our salvation and our memories apt to retaine all holy lessons good directions that we may make use of them in our lives and conversations sanctifie all the affections of our hearts our love that it may be setled upon thee and thy sacred word our feare that it may make us feare and tremble to commit the least sinne or doe any thing that might tend to thy dishonour or the hurt of our neighbour and sanctifie our anger that it make us zealous for thy glory and boldly to reproove sinne both in our selves and in others and sanctifie our sorrow that it may be termed into a godly sorrow for our sinnes and the abominations of this land And sanctifie all the partes and members of our bodyes that our eares may be dilligent to heare the word of God and all good councell that our eyes may be dilligent to see and observe thy glorious workes in the creatures and to admire thy infinite wisedome and power in the creating of them and thy mercy and goodnesse in preserving them for our use and comfort our speeches that they may be gracious and tend to thy glory and the edifying of one another in our holy faith and keepe us from lying and swearing that whereunto by nature we are so prone and sanctifie our tast and smelling that wee may not abuse them to drunkennesse and gluttony and sanctifie our handes that we may imploy them dilligently in our calling and that they may be ready to defenâ— the poore Fatherlesse Widows sanctifie our feet that they may be swift to heare thy word to visit the poore in their afflicted state and sanctifie our bodyes that wee may keep them pure and undefiled all the dayes of our life for these and other graces which we stand in need of Lord mercifully supply them for our Lord Iesus sake in whose most holy name in whose most holy wordes we pray unto Thee as our blessed Saviour hath taught us saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. FINIS