should imagine a possibility of it seeing what the name of David Lot Salomon till this day suffer for it As a blur in faire cambrique so is this alway cast upon him as his shame God doth not usually upbrayde his people But this he alway casts him in teeth withall yet this Caution I adde by the way It is not lawfull hereby to condemne whom God hath justified but to cover it rather for our parts But for caution to others the Lord will rather make a Record of it and hang it on the file then it shal be forgotten And when we heare the uncharitable imputations of men fret not at them but say God is in it he will keep it on foot he will checke the soule with it and caufe the guilty therof to possesse the sin of their youth as Iob did If God shall conceale the shame of any guilty of this sin let them prayse him and make an end of all in his privy Chamber of mercy and Repentance that so his open judiciall proceeding in court may be stopped Let this also adde some weight of terror and divorce thee from this sin whip the slaves backe with this rod But the son will be drawne by love So much for this second of Meditation The third and last is to practise somewhat And this is the mayne of all other helpes to rid us of this muscheefe And it consists of sundry particulars Touching all which let the Reader understand that they properly concerne such as have beene actually defiled with uncleannesse in one kind or other And these men are either guilty of their Crime during their estate of ignorance and unregeneracy or else such as have revolted from that grace which they have either soundly or seemingly received To both I would give some advise and first to the former To that then which hath beene abundantly spoken of the Terrors of God against this sin let this only be added That all those men whose hearts God shall touch for it doe lay them close to their hearts that as that pearking presumptuous Asahel was met with and pierced in the fifth rib by Abners speare so may these wild creatures be in their ventrous provoking of God Surelie such a giddy lightnes is in every uncleane heart yea the religious they cannot be solid when as they would they are so drunken with this sin except the law or else that old Simeon speakes of which must open and let out the thoughts of many hearts do let out these wild and unbrideled affections And as that Asahel 2. Sam. 2. being once darted through was tame enough and stopt in his wantonnes so let thy soule be earnest with God to step out of his ordinary way to make an high sence and sharpe hedge of Thornes which he doth but for few in this kind yea to set an Angell before the doore of that harlot shaking a sword that thou mayst no more venture to returne This will not bee till a fire bee thrust into thy soule to feele the intolerable wrathe of God upon all Whoremongers which may so sting thee that as a man scalt or burnt hath small joy or mirth so the feeling of thy selfe in the suburbs of hell may cause thee to feele small list or edge to thy former occupation Hell my freind is no paynced sire on the wall such as thou seest in Alehouses to make drunkards merry but is kindled with the breath of God who hath vowed to bee a terrible judge and consuming fire to all defilers of themselves with whores or harlots single or married yet entreat him that this terror of his may not be extreeme and desperate as his was of whom I last spake ending in violent laying of hands upon himselfe and preventing of Repentance but rather breake the force of lust pull down thy jollity that it may bee as sad an object to thee as was the murthering of the Lord of life to Peters hearers Act. 2. 37. And not onely so but stoop and quaile under this terror of God wee see prisoners at the barre doe not descant or quarrell with the Iudge all their language is confession and supplication for why They know the Iudge hath them at advantage their lives stand at his curtesie Do thou likewise Will God judge Adulterers Stoop then at his barre hee can save or destroy Other Iudges admit appeale themselves may and must be judged their judgements may bee questioned disannulled they sit but upon the breath and life of a man Not so the Lord hee is Iudge of the high Court a Soveraigne King and Iudge If hee once passe sentence no revocation it toucheth the life of thy precious soule This should affright all uncleane persons What suing and seeking is there to the Iudges of spirituall Courts if they threaten but the sheet Oh! but here 's a greater Iudge that can damne thee in hell for ever No bribes prevaile here he is like that enemy of Babell who should scorne all gifts and bee above gold and silver Submit therefore under his hand confesse thy damnation is just lie prostrate upon the earth with thy mouth in the dust and say oh thou the Soveraigne God of the Creatures enemie of all uncleane wretches if thou send mee to hell I have nothing to alleadge if I perish I may thanke my selfe thou hast power to destroy Tremble at this Soveraignty doe not quarrell nor shift with him there is nothing to be pleaded save meere favour I can say nothing why the sentence of death should not be pronounced against me Secondly seeing all repentance stands not in a preparative go on be earnest with God to give thee a glimpse of hope in the Lord Iesus who was made all sinne and this by name not onely for David but for the nature of man and for thine and hath satisfied the wrath of this Iudge that he might say deliver him I have accepted a ransome The law of Moses knew no such attonement stoning and strangling was the end of it As the Iudge tells some felons that the law hath no mercy for them their sinnes exceed it so here But the Gospell affords more grace refuseth to pardon no sinne no offence which the soule can be humbled for I grant this will not easily enter so debauch't a spirit to dream of a possibility of such a grace For when that conscience which was so deeply benummed is once stirred to the bottom it becomes as sensible as ever it was senselesse before and while conscience holds under bondage it s no easie thing to fee such an hope of grace by the Gospell But yet in this thy amasement utter losse an despaire in thy selfe thou must wait upon God who can sustaine thy bottomlesse spirit from sinking altogether till in due time he open a crevis of light into thy dark dungeon And when it shall please him to turne thine eie towards some likelihood of finding mercy in the
is a lesser degree of grace under this onely appearing in the seed tender and weake and that is of such as although they reach not so farre yet have their eye toward this bridegroome counting him one of ten thousand comparing selves with such as are married to him thinke themselves far inferiour wish their case were so happy abhorre their own treachery count the feet of such beautifull as wooe them to Christ thinke highly of the offer love to be such friends of the Lord Iesus and children of his Bridechamber full of tears affections and desires after it Even these are not to be excluded neither there is hope of such that they may come to be married to Christ in due time therefore it were unequall that for meere lacke of time and training they should be rejected rather if better faile in ordinary providence there being sufficient ground to hope that their little is in truth I dare not deny but a contract with such may be lawfull and the Lord may cover defects in mercy especially if the more forward party be industrious to improve a little to a greater measure in the other if the weaker party be teachable and in either of both there be a selfe-denying heart if God crosse their hopes to lye downe meekely at his feet humbled for sin the cause thereof and patiently taking up and bearing their crosse till God amend it By all this it appeares that Marrying in the Lord requires good consideration and that they who so marry have laid the foundation of future honour beforehand And who doubts but it had need be so for what hope is there that they who never sought it before should ever light upon it after Honour requires good breeding and it is a stud which except it subsist upon a good ground-cell will soone lye in the dust Rash and sudden attempts in this kinde doe but make way for shame and reproach onely marrying in the Lord prepares the soule for the worke it hath her tooles in readinesse to fall to the trade whereas the contrary is still to seek yea the very method of the Apostle in this Epistle shewes no lesse for he speakes of no marriage businesse before he have fully opened the doctrine of faith he layes that for the bottome and then comes in and tels such their Marriage is honourable Faith then is the hand and wheele which must frame a vessell for honour prepared as for all other so for this worke of marriage And in truth as it is all Religion upon point so it is the marriage ring which makes the soule one with the Lord and this ring is beset with many rich jewels all of them serving for the honour that is the well carrying and discharge of marriage duties One jewell is humility and selfe-denyall whereby the heart is tamed and humbled to this worke with all subjection and freed from that rudenesse and rebellion of spirit which makes it fit for nothing but it owne will and ends but this grace levels it to the obedience of this ordinance Another jewell is peace whereby the soule is so calmed and pacified within it selfe in the point of pardon and Gods favour that it can beare any affronts even as the shooes or brasse boots of the Souldier can walke upon rocks or pikes and feele no hurt so an heart well a paid in the Lord is calme and able to cleare the coast of all distempers and to goe through discontents and crosses such as an unquiet spirit cannot A third is purity which cleanseth the soule of many bad humours very unequall for marriage selfe-love pride disdaine wrath heart-burning jealousies and conceits and makes a man much fitter for marriage A fourth the last which I will name is righteousnesse that is the fellowship with Christs holy nature by which the soule partakes the properties of Christ qualifying it with wisedome influence strength meeknesse patience holinesse cheerfulnesse long-suffering and compassion which graces as they make him a meet head and husband for the Church so they make married couples meet heads and helpers for each other Faith I say doth draw from Christ all such abilities and graces as may prepare the soule to all the services which the marriage estate cals for Even as the spokes or staves of the wheele strengthen it for the good motion of it so doth faith strengthen this great master-wheele of conversation which is Marriage Reas 2 Againe except the honour of Marriage be forelaid in the entrance when the minde is free and impartiall how should it be like to be provided for in marriage it selfe Alas marriage hath her handsful of trial what grace is already wrought in the soule marriage will finde a gracious heart work enough at the best for it iâ— given to exercise grace It is not given to worke grace without singular mercy doe occasion it but to exerciâ—e it for what abundance of other distractions doe there fall out in this estate which as the Apostle tels us keepe off the soule from sitting close and comely to God The necessity of marriage-occasions are such as compell the parties each to please other in the matters of this life So that except single persons have well bethought themselves and fitted themselves with a stocke to live upon they will finde it an hard thing to act a true part on this stage upon the sudden rather they are like to finde except God alter it marriage to pul them from God to carry their spirits to worldlinesse unsetlednesse cares feares temptations lusts sometimes on the right hand by baits to carnall ease and jollity and otherwhiles on the left to snares and distempered passions of anger and impatience neither of which extremity favours religion but kils and damps it taking up all the time and leasure of the soul from attending the best things or at lest causing it to attend them lesser as good never a whit as we say as never the better Reas 3 Besides these reasons what hope have we that when we forsake Gods way he will be found of us in ours How just is it for him to forsake us and give us over to our owne by-ends and respects in our marriages and to suffer us to defile our selves more and more that as we entred badly so we should live worse and end worst of all As Paul saith The wicked waxe worse and worse deceiving and being deceived so may the Lord plague ungodly marriages by themselves and scourge them with their owne whip so that the husband should be deceived with the bad qualities of the wife and she by his one defiling the other more and neither doing any good to the other Wee see it thus daily uncleane men doe but teach their wives their trade that they might match them in their kinde carnall proud and bad wives draw their husbands to the like evils one must please another by concurring with
by a wife Entrance marrying in the Lord and aptly in the Lord as also by wise watching to the Duties both of common nature reaching to them both and in speciall pertaining to either let mee conclude the whole treatise with an item to both sorts First all ye that are apt religious joint worshippers of God who love each other are chast and consenting in the generall also who in speciall are understanding provident respective husbands subject helpfull gracefull wives Let me say this unto you both I doubt not but in the reading of my former treatise you willingly heare of other unhappy couples your selves better married But which of you in thus reading looke up to God or acknowledge such a blessing with due thankfulnes Which of you do but suppose as it is not amisse to suppose what might have bin or what may bee or say within your selves If â—he Loâ—d had not provided better for some of us then we deserved then we desired given us good companions before ever we knew what the misery of bad or the worth of good ones meant yea if he had not beene better to us most unworthie then he hath beene to more worthie then our selves whom he saw fitter to beare to profit by the crosse then our selves were oh what had become of us Oh! Nabals Laâ—ecs Zippora's Iebazels had swallowed up our souâ—s spirits peace welfare thrift and all The continuall vexitions of bad heads daily dropping of bad wives had oppressed us Alas And why hath the Lord done this Surely not for any good hee saw or foresaw in us but because he knew how unmeet we were to honor him under such a chaine Why then do wee not more magnify his providence and wonder at his love who hath so guarded us There being so few apt couples in the world that our lot should bee to light upon no unapter there being so many bad ones that wee should light upon no worser Is not this mercy Was it a golden blessing at first in our owne sense and confession and is it become a leaden one now after ten twenty thirty yea fourty yeeres experience Doe rich Pearles fall in price Could such mercie be better spared now then it might thirty yeeres a goe Have we had the stock of good marriage now 20. yeeres and come far shorter in the Tribute of praise thanks and fruit then when we first entred There be 4. ages of each marriage through the sin of the marryed the first goldeÌ„ the next silver the third brasse the last yron At first couples begin with precious affectioÌ„s to God to each other join much in duty cleave closely each to other mutually excite each other to zeale good works and pay their vowes well then nextly Gods part weaknes and decayes and they hold mutuall marriage-love hardly Then thirdly both Gods part and their owne faile too and they waxe fulsome and formall in both But lastly and before they die the Devill will faile of his will but he will make them both loose carnall profane and scandalous consider this how many Marriages of great hope and solemnity have by these Declensions proved starke naught at last when indeed they should have proved best and by degrees come to perfection Let it bee a sad Item to such as enter well to beware lest they trust too much to their owne wisedome and strength which will lay them in the durt ere they be a ware Againe how little do wee condole the unhappines of mismatcht couples Yea even Christians better then our selves Rather readie to disdayne and scorne them then to condole and pity them As those two Aaron and Miriam fell a cavilling at Moses for his Aethiopain wife Why Had he not sorrow enough before Was this to mourne with him or rather to adde more burden thereto Was it not from God And were they to quarrel at it Even so it fareth with many That which should provok teÌ„dernesse love fellow-feeling compassion in men rather causeth disdaine indignation alienating and estrangement of heart deserting of fellowship Why I pray Do they stoop under their burden so deeply that they are oft ashamed to complaine and dost thou trample upon them Dost thou judge them afflicted of God and humbled for sin Knowing thy wisedome and choice was no whâ—t better Thy successe only was happier in providence No but as thy selfe in the like affliction wouldst be handled so deale thou Bear their burden associate their persons use all meanes to reconcile their spirits to compound their differences to reduce them to mediocrity and indifferency of affâ—ctions many couples had prooved happier if even such as were neerest them had not rather made them objects of abhorring then of compassion A great sin and meane to aggravate yea exasperate those seedes of evill which disproportion at the first was like to kindle too much Pray pray rather for mercie and strength to guide and carry them through For how hardly couldst thou digest those morsells once which must bee their daily diet Wilt thou eate thy sweet bits alone and so little wish them to such as want them wholy Once a man enjoying sweet marriage thought seriously of another friend that never married a viling himself as base in respect of him that seemed to be above the need of that which himselfe could neither well want nor thankfully improove How much more shouldst thou then pray for such as would faine enjoy that which no creature can help them withall Moreover if not our worth but rather our weaknes hath mooved the Lord to shew us this mercy how doth the sense of our weaknes humble us How do we esteeme of the grace of God in such as although but ill married yet do walke more wisely under that crosse and do grow daily more humble and wary and purge out much drosse out of themselves which perhaps the blessings of God purge not out of us but rather make us sleep securely in the love of them As pride hipocrisie selflove and sensuality what if we whose portion is better do yet make a slighter matter of it and turne it into wantonnes How just were it with God to bereave us of our sweet companions leaving us to passe the rest of our daies either in solitarinesse with snares so that we should bring our gray heads to the graves with dishonor as many have done or in marriage more sad and sorrowfull the latter part of our life then ever it was comfortable in the former part thereof Could we well brooke such sawce and sower hearbs yet fit for such as have eaten our former dainties with such unthankfulnesse verily the experience I have had of second or third matches which have betided some husbands have made mee to thinke of our Saviours words to Peter when thou wert young thou girdedst thy selfe and went at thy pleasure But when thou art old another shall bind thee and lead thee whither thou wouldest not Surely when
way of promise follow this worke hard It belongs to the hopelesse not to such as turne this hope to a snare Beg of the Lord to turne a terrified heart into a melting one that it is which must mould an uncleane soule to a cleane and chast one no hammer can doe this mercy must dissolve it in the fornace of grace Lin not till thou feele that heart which hath beene drencht in the sweetnesse of lust to bee steept in bitternesse over head and eares for thy wounding the Lord of life and his Virgin-pure flesh to death by thy unclennesse Looke not upon other sinners thy selfe wert murderer sufficient of his sacred person thou soughtest to destroy his Godhead as well as his flesh if it had beene in the power of thy sinne though there had been no other sinner in the world thou hadst beene enough And shouldst thou not care for thy base lust sake to kill not a man onely an innocent Vrija but the person of the Sonne of God If this melting spirit be wrought in thee by the spirit of grace thou shalt behold him ' as pierced willingly and of his owne accord for thee who didst as little deserve it as Judas the Traytor but yet seeing thou hast a melting heart which he wanted and canst with Peter weepe bitterly it s a signe that the curse shall turne to a blessing yea thou shalt see God so ordering the matter for thee and Christ so giving up his soule to the speares point of wrath for thee that thine eie shall behold another sight that is an enwrapped hope of forgivenesse in this satisfaction of his and of life in his Resurrection so that now thine horror shall turne to hope And know it only this glimpse of Sun-shine in thy dungeon of feare can dissolve thy hard heart and prepare thee for pardon Thirdly let this hope rip up all the seames of thine uncleane heart and all that filth which lay hid in the entralls thereof never like to have come to light had not God revealed it and uncased thee Let I say this seed of hope discover that which an habituall love of thy sinne would have smothered for ever For this opening and ingenuous confessing of thy sinne will make way for further mercy It s none of thy worke but the spirit of grace that makes way for it Now a franke heart is put into thee to be as open as ever thou wert close before yea and to take as much paines with thy selfe how thou maist give glory to God in a full confession and turning up that cursed poake of falshood from the bottome pouring out all thy sinne as ever thou tookest care before to sweare thine heart to an hellish secrecy It s with thee as with a woman who hath many old peeces of gold and jewells lying by her which she is loth to forgoe although shee might thereby make a summe for the purchase of faire house and land yet perhaps rather then quite forgoe the purchase she will fetch them all and poure them downe upon the table So when hope of mercy offers it selfe oh the pearle thereof exceeding all petty shreds wil make thee freely disburden thy soule of whatsoever loads it thy most beloved lusts I speake not now of abandoning the habits of them that 's mortification following after but of the cleere intention and meaning of thy heart to abandon without any base hollownesse Oh! thou desirest now to spare God a labour of proclaiming thy sin before men and Angells and if it were meet as it is where Gods ordinance may prevaile thou wouldest chuse that place ratherest to shame thy selfe in where the solemne presence of God his Angels and Church are gathered together Still I speake with caution if thy sinne have broken out publiquely but if thou hast kept it secret thou art not tied to make thy self publique nor to take witnesse except thy hard heart require it to confesse to others for the breaking thereof the reason is because the way of Church-correction for open sins is one and the Evangelicall correction of the spirit of Christ in private is another But usually these sinnes are open and therefore openly to be proclaimed in confession as in the committing If mercy have toucht thee at the heart never so little it will worke in thee as Gods voice in the Whale when she vomited up Jona upon the drie ground thou shalt no more take care what become of thy lust so thou maist be rid of it nor who shame thee so thou be shamed and sinne have her due Thou takest more care how God may be honoured in the abhorring of thy rebellion how others may be flaited from the like how thine owne heart may be melted upon melting not how thou may maist scape in an whole skinne and lie hardened in thy stie of uncleannesse No rather shall litter and whelpes and all be raked together and cast to the dunghill I tell thee of a sollemne thing rarely seene yet I will not say I have not seene such a confessing spirit Ephraim had it when shee smote upon her thie the Publicant the Prodgall the Theefe on the Crosse and here and there as a berry left upon the bush I have seene such as uâ—fained Penitent but when I did so I never pleased my selfe with any object like it I was almost ravisht with it and tooke it as a reall marke of the Lords pardoning of it in heaven which was so performed on earth And good cause for what shouldst thou care to nourish that in thy selfe which thou purposest for ever to be divorced from Therefore here on Lord say thou comes the most tainted Adulterer that ever lived These were my first allurements to silthinesse such and such companies I haunted such baites for my lust I maintained so many base harlots married or single I clave unto Such were the places I frequented the filthie Sonnets I sang the musique dauncings revellings and wantonnesse I was defiled withall yea such and such were the colors whereupon I hardned my heart in sinne such fees such bribes such perjuries such friends in Courts and Proctors I corrupted with mony and in this confusion I had lien for ever had not mercy cast an eie upon me No day no Sabbath or season of worship came amisse no light of conscience could beare downe my sinne no shame of world no patience of thine long winking at me no good education no hope of my friends no terror by thy judgments could disswade I sinned against all Here therefore I uncase my selfe oh Lord Against thee thee Lord have I done this villany in it selfe morall in me spirituall and in an high degree I was ever tainted even from the womb and this my sinne is but one of a thousand which the forge of my heart hath sent forth If for this thou hadst drown'd me in perdition even in the act burying mee up in the bed of my lust thou hadst beene
just yea thy deserting of my spirit cutting off my daies and sending me into the hottest place of hell had beene little enough for me But oh if thou shalt wash this spot away and cleanse me with hyssop I shall be whiter then the snow what I am is not the thing confusion belongs to me for it it s all I can plead But there is mercy with thee that thou maist bee feared and some little hope hath opened my heart to confesse my sinne as rather relying upon thy word then upon my owne feares that thou wilt deale rigorously and of mine owne mouth as thou moughtst condemne mee Fourthly thou must not thus walke onely with thy Penance fagot upon thy shoulders and the sheet of thy shame upon thy back as one shut out and excommunicated from the Assemblies upon whose face thy father hath spit But thou must set before thine eyes a double promise One this That if the Lord shall once accept thee all thy former sins shall never bee so imputed as to cast thee off Looke that place in Jeremy full of Comfort If an harlot be divorced from her husband shall he returne to her any more No surely But loe thou Adulterer thou harlot you have defiled the Bâ—d which I made Honorable yet I will deale better with you returne and I will accept you sayth the Lord And what upon thaâ— Surely it shal bee with thee in my accompt as if thou hadst never sinned The Lord will open to such a fountaine for sin and uncleannes This may seeme as a cable to the eye of a Needle such mercie for so gracelesse a wretch yes bee encouraged for the Lord lookes not at the greatnesse of the sin if thy Traytors heart distrust him not but at the expression of his owne grace and getting himselfe a name in pardoning it that where sin hath abounded grace might abound much more A dog will catch at this moisell and poison himselfe for he will sin to try a conclusion But this must not east off a poore penitent soule who hath sinned alreadie and beene carried by the streame of his Sensuality Neither must an hypocrite be bolstred nor yet the grace of God to his own frustrate And secondly consider What thou hast beene the Lord lookes not at he beholdes thee in his Son as washed purified therfore wil bee honored even by these members which have most served the lusts of thy uncleannes The Lord delights to see it so if once the property bee altred Witnesse Mary Magdalene so highly honored by Christ to bee the first witnesse of his Resurrection and so enrolled in the book of God that wheresoever the Gospell should come her Name should be honorable How did our Lord Iesus admit her to come to his body and with those eyes handes wherewith shee had beheld embraced those tresses and forelocks which had allured so many uncleane lovers yet he was content to be washed annointed and wiped what exceeding love is this thus to restore an Adulterer to his blood and to entertayne him to that dignity and service which he had forfeited Try thine owne heart in this Case no other Medicine save this made of the blood of Christ can satisfy for thy sin nor wash off the guilt and stayne of it Beleeve this promise apply this blood and this wil bee a true seed of abhorring it for ever Fayth will carry thee to the Crosse of the Lord Iesus tell thee thus I have seene him bleed and breath out his last conflict with wrath and overcome it for the full expiation of thy uncleannes if it could have overcome him thou hadst lost the day for ever but seeing he got the victorie thy sin shall not damne thee so long as he prevailed against death and hell for thee Christ onely can make a divorce between thee and thy sin Till he shed his pretious blood in the defiance of sin the soule and sin could never be made Enemies Onely death which separated his soule and body asunder can divide them If then thou seekest no other morrall shifts nor carnall Popish waies of abhorring this sin at least dost rest in no other all is well Thou takest a sure course to part with it for ever I Come in therfore and claspe to this pardon offred thee in the promise sue it out and apply it to thy soule Perhaps thy base heart will chuse rather to lose it then to take it Gods way But consider since God will not stoope to thy way and there is but one way to come to him bee it never so unwelcome stoope to that way and come in Any way of thine own dawbing with untempered mortar will please thy flesh better then this But seeing in them thou must perish by this thou maist bee saved to use Esai's wordes in the promises there is continuance in the other lying vanity cleave to this and know this onely can satisfy God and change thy lepers skin therfore venture upon this If thou canst possibly perish in beleeving this perish yet know much more sure it is thou must perish except thou beleeve If thou like those nasty lepers sit still in the city die thou must no shift of it here thou mayst live value thy life at no greater rate then the life of a desperate man is worth if elswhere there were hope thou mightst shrug at it But worse then thou art thou canst not bee if thou finde more favour then thou deservest count it for a vantage But howsoever do not preferre assured death before hope of recovery nor lose it for venturing Fiftly rest not here neither but if more mercy be shewed thee then thou lookedst for for God is best to a sinner when he is past pleading then let this perswade thee to follow him for further Grace I meane when the guilt of thy Conscience is gone sue to him for Repentance for the mortifying and subduing the rage power defiling and snaring property of thy sin And begin with the roote kill there first begin not with Adoni-bezek at the fingers endes Christ stabbes the old man at heart first As himselfe told the Pharisee nothing which comes from without can defile the man But that which defiles the man comes from within From the heart proceed as other sins so uncleannes and all the fruits Therefore either purge the roote first or else let all alone Thou shalt fynde this a new worke Yet that faith which hath washt thy Conscience and inner man from guilt and feare and hell Can purge thee a second way from all slavery to thy lust Mercy will act the part of a Priest it will both set an eternall oddes betweene thee and thy lust And it will mortify thy Concupiscence dayly till it be quite dead It will trvely set thee on mourning Truely worke thee to an hearty indignation against thy selfe It will teath thee the art of sinne detesting which no wit of man no skill of
hypocrites can teach thee It will intercept all thy succours of lust thy provision to fulfill thy lustes When the Court is pulled downe who needes to feare suires in it It will cause thee not morally but from a Principle of grace to shunne all meanes motives provocations and snares of uncleannes which the Devill shall straw in thy way That so the oile being gone the flames may vanish It shall change thy uncleane thoughts affections eyes eares into cleane and pure ones If thy harlot meet thee and say It is I thou shalt answer but I am not I not my selfe Another is become that in mee which my cursed selfe was wont to bee The signe is pulld downe the Alehouse is let to a man of trade no more harlots nor adulterers come there new Lords new Lawes all old things are done away behold all things are become new I am redeemed with a price not to be mine owne if my Lord and Master will endure lust if any accord betweene Christs body and an harlot aske him leave and I obey else I am not my owne Oh! this Grace shall bring thy lust to the horns of the Altar binde it thereto with cords cut the throate of it with the sacrificing knife of the Priest Thy Priest will teach thee to do that office very handsomely to let out the ranke blood of thy lust and the strength and sway which it bare in thee yea it shall drag thine uncleane heart to Golgotha and naile it to the crosse of thy Priest with the same nailes which nailed the body of Christ It is happier to find out those Implements Crosse blood nayles tombe and all then ever Helen was or any Popish relique-monger and to make use of them too to better end then at this daie that Popish Covent of Friats do who have hired those places of the Turke built Temples Altais and silver floores in honor of the Passion It shall cry in thy soule Oh lust I wil bee thy death oh Concupiscence I wil be thy destruction The sting of fin is death and the strength of lust is the law But thanks be to God in Iesus Christ who hath condemned sin in the flesh mortified it by the flesh of his holy body hat neither guilt nor dominion might prevaile Pursue the victory the Lord is with thee thou valiant man and in this thy strength fight and lin not while through thy Captaine both sin and luste die in thee Sixthly returne to the Lord with full bent of soule to renounce all cleaving to the flesh and to cleave to him without seperation That grace which hath killed lust will quicken the life of purenesse in thy soule it will indeed make thee a tâ—ue Pentient not only to renounce uncleanes but to embrace a Chaste spirit and live a Chaste life to returne to God in a contrary practice of unblameablenesse all thy daies so farre as weaknesse will permit As he tooke off from thy jawes the yoke of servitude so he shall make his owne joake easie and his burden light He shal bee as one that layeth meate before thee thou shalt be so preserved by the sweetnes of grace that all the sweetnesse of lust of adultery of lascivi usnes shall stinke before thee so that they shall never have hope to recover thee into their possession any more And what then remayneth but when lust knowes not what to doe with thee then thine eare be bored with Gods awle that so thou maist bee his servant and walke in purenesse and holines all thy daies The Lord blesse this maine Direction with all other unto thee and remember none but Christ can heale this sore And so much for the former branch of Counsell to them who are onely guilty of the sin I passe lastly to the other who have revolted from this Grace once obteyned Lastly therefore if thy uncleannes be yet of a deeper die as beeing a revolt from the Grace of God and the vow of thy spirituall baptisme once made then know the Cure is somewhat different from the former Here then Remember that the seed of God in his dyeth not Therefore if once God hath awakned thee out of this thy relapse and the dead sleep of security under it which if he love thee he will do by some three string'd whip or other which hee shall make for thee as once he did for those defilers of his Temple by some crosse or stirring terrors of the word in thy soule then take Davids course Beseech the Lord first that the despaire and extreame horror which an ill conscience sicke of a relapse might worke in thee through unbeleefe added to it may gratiously bee kept off and so thine heart may be stayd from utter departing from the living God upon feare that he is wholly departed from thee Secondly remember that the covenant of God cannot be repealed it comprehends thee when thou canst not it Therefore apply those mercies of old and be comforted Thirdly take heed lest Satan confound and oppresse thy spirit by the conscience of thy base revolting sinning against such mercies and snarling thy soule with so many successive evills as thou hast heaped upon one another without an heart to get out For its an easie thing to lose a mans spirit and selfe in the divells maze Fourthly with a penitent heart for thy trechery that thou shouldest kick up thy heele against former mercies and covenants behold that promise of which I formerly spake and apply it unto thy soule as thou art able knowing that whatsoever Satan hath to gainsay the Lord Iesus was made all sinne both of rebellion against and also revolt from God that thou mightst be his righteousnesse and recover it having lost it Fifthly let the affliction of thy soule so deeply cease upon thee till through mercy it have soaked into thee and pierced thee as deepe as thy sinne hath peirced God as the tent must go as deepe as the sore is festered and fetch out the bottome scurfe content not thy selfe with such an humbling as thy slight heart would admit For this is one attendant of this sinne to be light and wanton and not to bee able to bee serious Therefore set thine heart to it mocke not God make not the remedy worse then the disease that thou shouldest even be fetcht in againe by Satans clawes ere thy repentance is finished which were to unsettle the work of God in thee and worke thy heart to a despaire of recovery It hath beene the portion of many uncleane ones never to get a serious spirit If therefore thine heart be once downe hold it as if thou shouldst keepe corke under water and trust it not pray thus withdraw from me all objects of vanity and teach me thy law gratiously Arraigne accuse condemne thy selfe judge thy selfe lest God judge thee and till God raise thee be content to lye low beare the indignation of the Lord because thou hast sinned and be
their humours and all for a penalty upon such as sleighted Gods ordinance to marry in the Lord that so the thing they sought might be a snare unto them True it is oftentimes the Lord orders it otherwise for the elect shall be brought home by one meane or other be they never so ill married the Lord can turne poyson into a medicine if he please and sin to good But it is ever best to seeke God in his way the question is not what God can doe but what he doth or will doe ordinarily Sure it is ordinarily these doubtful irreligious and clandestine matches are as basely carried as entred upon repentance it selfe being hard to get for the sin at firstâ— much lesse amendment of errors but rather an hardned heart an unsavory going through-stitch swallowing up much sorrow and none to pitty them that pittied not themselves in hasting sorrow upon them Reas 4 Lastly marriages are full of disproportions Now religion is fittest to levell and equall them of all other I confesse it to be the way of God that such equality as possibly can be attained should be in this condition as of yeeres education disposition breed estate and the like as in the next point shall appeare But what is more common then disparity in all yong are married to old rich to poore untaught to well trained harsh to amiable and the like How shall this be levelled Surely no way except religion compound it I doe not alway say it can for Religion it self hath no warrant to enter upon unequall marriage howbeit if it be so religion can best set all straight and eaven or else nothing can It is not her wealth which can procure content with a prophane froward wife it is not a good nature which will purchase love to a wastefull improvident wanton woman that playster is not broad enough for the sore No outward complement can ease or levell an inward unequalnesse onely grace can doe it if it may prevaile Grace will say thus Thy wife was but poore but she is loyall chaste wife provident saves her portion in seven yeeres that which makes her thus shall goe for her portion Thy husband is but a plaine man hath no great learning is none of the sweetest tempers but harsh and rough But religion shining through these clouds makes the best of an hard bargaine both of them perhaps are passionate and sudden but because Gods bridle is presently in their mouth their wants are the easilier endured And as I say this of marriage in generall so in particular of second matches wherein either incumbrances by former marriage children or the world frowning or suspition of fraud either way or in a word unsutable successe to expectation if in the throng of these religion step not in to mediaâ—e and moderate the controversie how endlesse may the breaches be But for all this Truth cannot want cavils or queries for first doe we not say some see very many couples doe very well who never observed any such strict course but hap't by better chance then good skill upon one another I answer you have lighted so perhaps rather in a negative way that you are free from many evils which pester others then in an holy positive way of grace or if so it s rather a lot of mercy then any good forecast of your owne if it be as you wish thank God who hath borne with your sinfull tempting of his providence and swerving from his way howbeit one swallow makes no summer neither ought it to prescribe a president unto others ten misse where one hits well And secondly I say all honour and successe in marriage must not be esteemed by outward league and peace together Ahab and Iezabell accorded but how in mutuall combining for wickednesse and idolatry Still swine eat up all the draffe sometimes and if outward peace attended with wealth ease and welfare cannot hinder a prophane heart contempt of the Ordinances Sabbaths and wayes of God what advantage is it for a good marriage But it is objected put case that God converts them to himself I answer his mercy is the greater but yet so free that it cannot certainly be rested upon The grace of God which turnes all to their good whom he hath eternally loved must be no pretext for sinne Object 2 Againe others come in and cavill tush what need you be so nice grace may come in due season no time past and when it comes it never comes amisse I answer grace is precious at all times after marriage as well as before if a man were sure of it but what ground have any to presume of it without some word for it much more being against it God may be patient and say No time past but neither is he tyed to it and besides they that tempt him are most unlike to speed well Walke in his way and then indeed no time past God may yea and will convey his grace to a poore soule that waits for him Object 3 But its further objected the best by their leave have failed in their godly attempts and found worse wives then they sought I answer yet they may have peace in this that they have sought God to the uttermost he hath hidden himselfe from them in this particular as the Prophet said to the Shunamite but they have peace in their endevour and therefore have no cause to give God over but to hang upon him still to finde mercy in another way that is in the bush burning and not consumed that is that by your prayers God hath reserved mercy for them and meanes to grace their enterprises at last doing that for them in marriage which he did not before If the Lord please to heare them at last it shall be well and to such this free grace of his belongs who though they have bin disappointed a while yet it is in their obedience and so includes an hope of further audience and supply from heaven But I conclude if any carefull ones have yet miscarried surely ten times more have done so for lacke of it Object 4 But many religious ones may have perilous qualities and so dishonour marriage Answ If this be done in the green tree what shall be done in the dry what shall become of such as without restraint even out of the abundance of their evill heart bring forth such fruit with full purpose Adde to this their evill qualities come not from religion but because they are not religious enough to bridle and mortifie their lusts It s because they drowne the power of their religion in their owne sensuality and will detaining the truth in unrighteousnesse and no doubt such would be much worse if religion did not now and then step out to moderate Object 5 But if you tye us to such strictnesse to marry onely in the Lord what shall become of those persons that are not in the Lord. I answer Take you no thought for them take
transcendent The world is now a dayes become a great snare each yong one scarce out of the shell tickles himselfe with the proposall of great hopes to himselfe and telling him His fortunes are great and he may marry in so and so high a degree and what is so high but his hopes may equall And thus not looking at his base beginnings and unlikelihoods of any thing but puffing up himselfe with offers with conceit of his owne worth he growes to thinke the world too narrow to chuse in And never I thinke was the spirit of the male-sex so vast as in this age wherein the multitude of the female sexe and the contempt thereof hath brought it to passe that every boy new out of his prentiship values himselfe by the scores and hundreths although scarce worth a groat besides his occupation And the most men deeme none be they never so religious which in our Fathers dayes would have bin counted rich matches fair or good enough for him except beauty and wealth in an higher degree then common make them so In so much that except parents overstraine and halfe exhaust themselves to dowre their daughters be they otherwise never so well brought up and deserving they lye by as no body Quest But what will some say Doe you envie our lot to be better now then in former times or is it unlawfull to marry to wealthy ones and our betters Answ I answer If God lay out a portion for you without your politicke ambitious seeking and such an one as whose portion in grace equals her estate yea such as in judgement desire you for your religion although you are inferiour otherwise I deny not but friends consenting it is lawfull God hath brought such a vantage to your hands But what is this to mens covetous and proud desires As one once said of his second match I will now have a gallant whatsoever it cost me and so he had such a one as he fancied But by that time he had wintred and summered her a while his bladder was so prickt that he sadly wisht he had one of his former wives sise and fashion as plaine as he then thought her to be I conclude thus overweene not your selves when there is little worth in you to equall the meanest women or husbands but moderate your spirits and marry in the Lord. Nothing hinders but the Lord and outward meanes may concurre as the case may stand and then the question is ended But if it be so that a match of 500. pounds be offred with the Lord and another of seven or eight hundreth without him or at least without any apparent hopes of him what then shall be done I answer other conditions being concurrent in any tolerable proportion despise the greater offer and take the lesser counting the misse of thy gaine happy and the gaine of her grace with that losse more happy Buy thy wife in such a case if thou be wise and let it appeare that Gods oracles are no tyes with thee If her price be above pearles I trow thou who wilt not part with a little gold or silver for it art well worthy for thy betraying her for a little pelâ—e to betray thy selfe to sorrow and to have bag and baggage and all Tell me in what marquet couldest thou traffique so well as to game a pearle for a little silver doubtlesse thy silver would not recompeâ—ce thy losse if thou shouldest chuse it with a farre lesse bargaine The times have bin wherein the man was to bring a dowry to the woman though I think they held not long I am sure Christs marriage is such to his beloved thinke thy selfe to be the man and aske thy selfe if not what thou wouldest give yet what thou wouldest forgoe for a good companion I thinke the dayes were never so rare for marriages in this kinde as now and yet the sorrowfull fruit of the contrary should bring this choyce into date againe It s a custome we know for men ambitious to buy honour rather then want it yea glad they are if they can so come by it Do you so Marriage is honourable buy it whatsoever it cost you and be glad you can get it so Let bad customes be no prescriptions and set a good one against a bad Fourthly let the Lord be much solicited by prayer both ordinary and extraordinary for this blessing beg hard for it rather then want I said before pay for it and now I adde pray for it pay and pray too and thinke it worth it Let the Lord see that your soule is deepely in love with it and will not be denied seeke to honour him for ever for it and count it not every mans case and you shall see what answer he will make you If prayer will not get it try if importunity will prevaile come for a wife as she Mat. 15. came for her daughter and refuse any nay this is the way to get it God will grant it thee rather then be wearied and yet he loves it with importunity Either God will heare you or else give you a reason which shall satisfie you which I adde because I beleeve that exceeding good marriage were not good for some that seeke it it would puffe them up and hurt them they rather need exercising marriages But this know God will not part with his jewels so easily as not to be sought to for them this blessing is like to that Ezek. 36. which the Lord so promised to give his people as yet he would besought too by them for it Commit thy way to Iehova and he shall effect it If thy wife be to thee as Samuel was a sonne to Hannah a wife of prayer thou maist the more rejoyce in her and say with Iacob Loe the wife which the Lord in mercy hath given his servant To the pure all are pure each gift is sanctified by prayer else if thou doe onely light well by accident as Nabal upon Abigail she shall be but a dry morsell to thee without favour or favour thou shalt finde her as he did a snare to thee 〈◊〉 helplesse helper God depriving thee of the staffe of â—read the true good of a good wife not onely a dry pit but even an encrease of thy judgement It is said Abraham called Eliezer his servant in this weighty businesse of chusing a wife for his son Isaac bidding him to put his hand under his thigh a solemn adjuration for assurance that he would not chuse him an heathenish wife but one of Terahs family the best which then could be had though not as it ought beyond the river how much more oughtest thou to put thy hand under the Lords in this case of thine owne marriage vowing that if he will provide a Rebecca for thee and make thy voyage prosperous thou wilt discerne as reall a providence as Eliezer saw in meeting of her at the well Is there never a wife for thee
said the parents of Sampson but thou must needs goe among the uncircumcised Vow it that if God will betrust thee with one that is religious though another should be laid against her yet thy load-stone would draw the former Fiftly adde hereto the advice of the most judicious and impartiall friends that thou canft come by for though two eyes are too few yet he that will advise in this case must onely judge with one that is a single eye and looke but one way Such is the subtilty of sutours now a dayes that though their merit be never so small yet they will so goe to worke that their credit shall be good forestalling the truth by their interest either in a good Minister or man of note if they be but morall they will engage them by gifts if religious by seeming devotion to thinke well of them It s a sad thing to thinke what bad matches have bin made by the mediation of the best men being first deluded Alas how easie is it to make charity and credulity to be on mens sides the best have bin deceived about this businesse But the third person who neither soweth nor moweth by the bargaine is fitter to judge of this game then parties are And be assured that true intelligence is not easily come by in these interblending dayes yet as I have said thou hast a promise that God will hide no secret from thee if thou be his friend so that thou dost not pervert thine owne way and stumble at the offence which thou layest before thy selfe to thinke with erring Samuel that the annointed of the Lord is before him when it s no such thing but thy carnall conceit we easily beleeve that to be which we would have to be The judgement of the Church either is infallible in this kinde or else it s safter erring with it then hitting well without it Great is the cosenage of dissembling parties when they set themselves to sale by religious semblance Machiavels maxime is all in all viz. soundnesse of religion is difficult to be had and quits not the cost in the worlds esteeme shewes are easie and will serve the turne even as well Hence it is that few walke humbly and plainly most are content with shewes As that Scholler of Cambridge said If I may get my degree I have that I came for let learning goe where it will so these I am now upon sale hill if I be once sold I have enough And I should offend many honest hearts if I should discover what I know touching the humours of some malecontents in this kinde especially of the female sexe basely pretending that their conscience is the ground whereas it s but a stalking-horse serving to scrue themselves into some good opinion for marriage whereas their turnes not being served but their ends crossed they have bewrayed themselves in their colours to be but counterfeits A spirit for the nonce is needfull in this discerning worke therefore let inquistion be narrow and wise among them that are neither neerest the blood nor to the advantage by such a match Sixtly be very observative and carefull in your mutuall parlies together to marke the spirits of each other having first begged of God an understanding heart The eare saith Elihu trieth words as the furnance doth mettals the foole beleeves every thing but the wise ponder sayings So doe you And as I said of the helpe of other mens eyes and wits Establish thy thoughts by counsell for in the multitude of councellours there is peace so I say to your selves trust not so to others as to put and dash out your owne eyes and braines but consult with wisdomes oracle and aske it of him who gives and upbraides not There is a spirit in man but the inspiration of the Almighty gives understanding as Paul saith the spirituall man judgeth of all things and is judged of none so here onely adde this They who have bin very wise in and for others yet in their owne case and this of affection especially have failed much and the proverbe is verified here Once all men have doted Put difference therefore betweene smooth words and neat passages of wit or conceits that come onely from the braine and betweene sound grounds planted in the heart Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speake to a wise hearer It s hard for a barren heart to dissemble fruitfulnesse or for a well-seasoned to seeme unsavory Question each with other not concerning persons but things not about preachers or Sermons or duties of religion or circumstances onely of abuses and corruptions of time for who is not up to the eares in this now adayes but concerning the reall worke of the Word by name how the Law hath quelled a proud heart and stopt the course thereof in evill how it is brought so low and to such a tamenesse as to crouch to God for the crums that fall from his table to be low in her selfe and lay aside all her ornaments glad to be equall to them of low degree and the like Looke not at the gifts of each other but try whether a meane opinion of our selves encreaseth as knowledge encreaseth aske each other what the nature of a promise is wherein the nature and life of faith consists Also how faith purifies the heart kils the strongest lusts and passions quickens the heart by a principle to all holinesse meeknesse patience mercy to the distressed and sorrow for the sinnes of others If these seeds be planted in the spirit they will subdue it unto God yea they will set a new frame within and make the countenance to shine And whereas it s objected Object few can so fully satisfie themselves in the degrees of each others grace Answ I answer try the substance and let degrees appeare in time it s well if grace in youth can creepe though it cannot goe though the forwarder it is the better if in the want of great measure yet the savour of these things breake forth out of the cloud and where bashfulnesse and modesty is the veile to cover some graces their 〈◊〉 parts be clothed with the more honour I know 〈◊〉 better care-marks to chuse good couples by then humility and modesty Despise not a little if these two be for as the Prophet saith There is a blessing in it Observe also how providence swayeth your mindes to or against each other observe each others disposition parts naturall guises and behaviour that which one thinks comely another distasts and some disproportion and unsympathy herein may cause religion to be meanly thought of And to end remember that this businesse borders much upon the outward man beware therefore that neither outward defects doe weaken nor their abilities doe forstall thy judgement either way from the due weighing of the best things in the ballance to or fro Slight defects will soone be supplied by religion
the Prophet had enjoyned thee some great thing shouldst thou not have done it much more to wash and be cleane So I say if the service were farre greater wouldst thou not admit that when the scope is Marry and bee happy Oh but is it enough say these that we be precise in worship and religion and in our conscience to God but we must be so strict in marriage So strict how strict wouldst thou not take as much paines for a purchase Nay for a good Horse or a good Hawke wouldest thou presume both were good enough if price enough were set upon their heads No sure but the rather thou wouldest looke to thy bargaine So doe here thinke not a wife unquestionable because of her price enquire of her true value when thou art married and art stung with his or her unquietnesse unfaithfulnesse uncleannes oh then what injunction should be put upon thee which thou wouldst not yeeld unto to be eased of such a burden in a right way But I cannot promise thee thou shalt prevaile then so well as thou maist prevent it now Doe as some Gentlewomen doe they will take no maids to traine they will have them trained to their hand or else none What will not a foole doe out of season to shunne sorrow when he hath smarted but in season that he might not smart he will not stirre a joynt nor wet his finger To verifie that of Salomon To the foole God gives toile and vexation for his portion because he wil not be wise for his own ease But I have before purposely handled this point I willl trench no more upon it So much for this use of reproofe A second use then to finish all is exhortation to contracted couples to prise their contract for the use of it I shall not need to joy them of it that now they have their desires accomplished that will come alone but let it be their care to sactife themselves and their marriage for time to come It was the custome of the Church of the old Testament to offer sacrifices to God upon solemn occasions as upon solemne meetings of the family when warres were attempted upon any speciall service of God to be performed as fasting thanksgiving Sabbaths circumcision of the children recoveries from sicknesse enjoying of any blessing Hezekia and Jonah deliverd offered sacrifices made songs and vowes Marriage therefore being a speciall change of estate such as befalls once in the life should have no lesse solemne preparation for entrance into it The entry of yong ones into this condition cannot but amase the thoughts and possesse the spirits and powers of the soule more then ordinarily striking jealousie into them least their succes should not answer their expectation and they should not be happy in each other So that upon whom should all this care and burden be cast save Iehova who hath said to married ones as well as others In nothing take thought but in all things commending your selves to God by prayer and and cast your care upon him for he careth for you Let this be your care even the promise of God Yea in the verse immediately following this text of Marriage the Apostle meets with this corruptions in couples let not your conversation be in covetousnesse for he hath said I will not faile thee nor forsake thee It is no easie thing to stirre up a dead heart to reflect meditations of our future estate take this time therefore now the thoughts and passions of of the soule are up in armes now the iron is hot strike some impression of God faith in his alsufficiency and providence into your selves And as the Lord of the Mannor at each alienation comes in for his herriot so now at this your change pay God his fine the best jewell of all you have devote your selves give up your soules to him with mutuall consent rest not in the praiers of others but set close your selves to the Lord in your own supplications both apart and together without seperation Astronomers call the twelve days of the Nativity Criticall for the twelve moneths of the whole yeare the daies of your entry upon marriage should be even such for looke how the constitution and frame of them is so may you expect the time of your marriage will be either for Gods use and the honor of your marriage or for your owne ends Vnblest entrances have naughty successes Recognize with your selves what the solemne opinion and hope is which the Lord his Church and your selves have conceived of you Tremble to thinke how wofull a defeat it were to frustrate them and your selves Acknowledge God to be the ordainer of this estate looke what rules he hath directed you unto for an happy life in this kinde muse of them set your hearts unto them and let them sinke deeply into your hearts take the Lord as a solemne witnes of your intents and purposes to walke by rule as you looke for peace And by strong resolutions bind your fickle hearts as with cords to the Altar and pray God to set his seale to them that they may prove as good silver in the performing as they seemed in the promising And more particularly these two things I advise you unto First looke what especiall base distempers and lusts you have found to sway in you either formerly or since your purpose of marriage labour to purge them out that you may not carry defiled bodies or spirits into the married estate As Physitians at the end of a disease give their patient a clensing potion to expell all scurfe of bad humours remaining so doe you you are entring into a pure and honourable estate honour it before by burying all your Idols and cashiering your base lusts that they crowd not in with you into the wicket of marriage lest if you shall dare to carry an uncleane froward covetous discontented and unsavoury heart with you into that estate the Lord shall accurse you and make them as Judas his sop unto you to defile you for ever after To the pure all things are pure but to the impure every thing even the very minde and conscience are defiled Secondly look what feeble seeds of knowledge and grace were sowne before marriage you ply and attend them carefully for time to come Promise yea secure the Lord beforehand that no contentment of flesh no humouring of each other no reaching at commodity shall so forestall you that this worke of God should be forgotten by you rather lay all sacrifices by the Altar and renew your Covenant both Gods with you and yours with him tell the Lord thus When my husband my wife first met me I was very busie in grounding my selfe in the principles of knowledge the sight of sinne to humble me the truth of the promise to cast me out of my selfe upon the armes of mercy I was occupied about the doctrine and use of regâ—neration union and the new creature now
he bids it who better knows the use of it the danger of the contrary then such silly ones as we Commands of God are folemne things especially such as serve for a trench for a fortresse a fence to hedge in an ordinance He that dares violate it shall pay for it sweetly Therefore set your heart to obey this rule and say its life or death It s the crutch of your lame limbs if that faile you must fall if the shores breake the house ruines Obey God out of love discerne his sovereignty in this charge love him and love one another If thou love me feed my sheepe saith Christ to Peter If you love me keepe my commandes saith he to them all And if you love me love each other saith the same voice to couples Doe not dally with such edge tooles Say not oh man what shall I loose my liberty and tie my selfe to a woman nor she shall I forgoe my will and tie my selfe to an husband is not the world broad and large yes but as full of sorrow and woe as its wide and broad without this preservative It is a good hard theame I grant to handle I will therefore reach out one or two motives in particular to each party and because arguments for time past as former covenants made great affections in the first heat of youth like May bees file away and are soone forgot I will mention such as afford themselves daily to couples in the course of their life To the man I say thy wife is bone of thy bone and flesh of thy flesh She is another selfe woman made of man taken out of thee a glasse to behold thy selfe in when the Lord brought this Modell of Adams selfe unto him consider how naturall how pretious how welcome she was what is not thy wife as naturall an object to thee Secondly thy wife so oft as thou lookest upon her is a deserving object of love and compassion she hath done that for thy sake which thou wouldst not have done for her for she hath not onely equalled thee in forsaking her father and mother and family that she might be one flesh with thine but she hath forgone her name and put all her state and livelyhood into thine hand if thou stick to her she is well if thou forsake her she hath put her selfe out of all her other succours Her subsisting is imperfect in her self it s wholy substantive and real under God in thee As the Lord Iesus speakes of the eie that all the sight of the body is within it if therfore that be darke how great is that darknesse So if thou desert thy poore shiftlesse wife and leave her mends in her own hands how great is that desertion Thirdly consider how much labour is put upon a weake vessell daily in diligence in stirring up the commodities of the house in attendance upon children and family and such providence as is required of her Her trouble is great in the peculiar acts of marriage great are her paines in conception in her bearing in her travaile and bringing forth in her nurcery and bringing up till they be out of hand at least and some women exceed others in this kind for some shift off this work carelesly and commit their babes to strangers as if they were too good to nurse them when as yet their breasts are full and their bodies strong whereas others put forth themselves to the uttermost and therefore deserve double affection Consider oh man if not the drudgery of thy wife in this kind if there were not a command and promse to make it sweet then that finger of God and providence disposing so that a weake one should doe that with patience and cheerefulnesse as a worke of her place which all thy strength were not able to turne thy hand unto Love her for that impression of divine wisedom which thou seest stamped upon her what man were able to endure that clamor annoiance and clutter which she goes through without complaint among poore nurslines clothing feeding dressing and undressing picking and clensing them what is it save the instinct of love which enableth her hereto Who hath taught the poore bird even a seelie Wren to make her so curious a neast as exceedes all art of man to effect Is it not the naturall instinct which love hath put in her so oughtst thou to nourish that love in thy wife which puts her forth to all her marriage service If God were not in her spirit she would cast it offten times ore she would goe through stitch with it as she doth It s the best requitall which can be given her from man to helpe digest so many sowre morsels sad businesses all too little For it must bee the Lord who must tell her That although she beare her punishment in her childbearing yet it shal be sweetened by mercy for shee shal be saved therby obteyne more glory therby through faith patience then shee who beares not But above all the grace of God in so fraile a creature the wisedome of the spirit shining in her wordes counsells actions examples should bee most admirable of all and the chiefe loadstone to draw affection from the husband as in Davids esteeme of Abigail in that kinde may appeare The like may be sayde of the man to draw respect and honor from the woman if she bee not degenerate and to love her husband For why In him may shee beholde yet more manifest steppes of Gods image then in her selfe They say there is in some kindes as much of the Creator in the Ant as in the Lyon in the former excellent skilfulnes in the other power and majesty So here In the man shines out more authority government forecast soveraignty then in the woman By the man as shee at first received her being so still she enjoyes from him countenance protection direction honor in a worde under God light and defence To these adde They entred their league solemnly but they shall part sadly A time there is to embrace but there shall bee a time farre from embracing Improve it well therefore love live and leave Bitter else will the review bee of a life past representing the fruits of a lovelesse marriage a tedious pilgrimage whereas the memorie of a loving husband or wife shall allay the bitternes of death to the survivor And indeed if that indenture which couples first make solemnly to God to keepe this sacred knot inviolable and unstayned were well kept this darling would grow up in the house as that poore mans onely lambe did wherof Nathan tells David which eate with him at the Table slept with him in his bosome and was to him as one of his children so Bathsheba and Vrya are described so deare I say should this pledge bee to them both and through it they each to other strongly fenced before hande against all occasions of the contrarie for that which preserves
wastfulnes that all the labour of the wife at home cannot damme up the waters They spending and spoyling more abroad in an houre then the woman can patch up or redresse at home in a weeke and so outstrip her way by their owne till all be brought to ruine Oh! the misery of such wives that suffer should I say or rather husbands that procure it but indeed both one and other Others leave their houses at large committing all to wynd and weather to sinke or swim while they follow their lustes companies pleasures without controll Thus wofully inverting the method of God injuriously laying a double loade upon the weaker party till her shoulders cracke againe who yet undertake it to shun utter debt and yet at last fall into it neverthelesse To these adde another sort of such as enter into marriage without any calling at all having brought this snare upon themselves by neglect to learne the trade of their youth for vanities sake and serving their lustes and so although they repent them of their folly yet still they are destitute of skill in their vocation and so expose themselves to a vaine wearisome course of life to many snares and temptations as this for one basely to live upon usury and wanting skill to bargeine buy sell eyther they must live upon the stocke till it be spent and then runne up and downe shifting hanging upon every mans sleeve or else live upon the sweat of other men while they live idly so that of all other members of the Common wealth they are most uselesse to themselves noysome to others Thirdly others who under colour of religion and zeale waxe carelesse in matter of Providence and in a diligent watching to their calling and lawfull employments thinking it a veniall error yea a prayse to them that having somewhat to take too yet they are not worldly to whom it may be replyed Neither are you provident husbands to mainteyne your families for know ye that faithfull attendance to a calling is farre from worldlynes that is rather the honor of a Christian husband to be provideÌ„t Nay some will run out froÌ„ their shops Trades as men weary of worke from house to house hither and thither and all under colour of religion as to heare Sermons ten or twenty miles off in the weeke day their wyves and children beeing unprovided the whiles and beeing poore men and behind hand abide by the 3. or 4. daies in places to confer to repeate Sermons to utter some gift of their owne as their memory or Prayer or broach some new point of their owne devising or lament the evills of others â—hings good in their kind and within their compasse but as they handle them most odious and unseasonable And thus tâ—ey delude such as are simple mynded Christians rob them of their goods under these colors by their craving comâ—layaing or borrowing wheras children and wife at home famish and themselves by such bad custome more and more wax unfit and disabled for the worke of providence whereas during this time they might have gain'd more at home by labour then they can scrape up by their ill courses besides the reproach to religion These are inordinate livers Fourthly others not having beene train'd up early in some lawfull trade of life are faine to take up base and dishonorable waâ—es and shifts to live upon as to get licenses for Ale-houses to set up houses for tipling dicing and pleasures others shrowding themselves under the wing of great personages set up Bowling-allies to toll in the Gentry to pastimes which they are much more prone too then to workes of charity and so they withdraw inhabitants from their trades spoile their servants with idlenesse and toll in poore men of the country to drinke and spend their monies and when the raine hinders their sports then to their cardes and dice within And such are the remedies of men who having spent their youth in idle service must live upon the sin of others and the overthrow of the country Others through idlenesse play the vagabonds and take their vagaries seeking their fortunes within or beyond the seas or play the Parasites to Gentlemen serving all their turnes for their advantage and most sinfully betraying them to wickednesse Others spend their time in devising and living by their wits cleaving to young heires dissolute spendthrifrs to fill their bellies Nay how many heires themselves who might have subsisted comfortably either in their Parents familieâ— or upon their inheritances and followed their callings with successe and blessing yet falling upon lewd companions and waxing loose and unâ—rideled in their manners either match themselves basely and contrary to their Parents aimes or if married better abandon wife and children give themselves wholy to whoring gaming riot and wasting of their substance till they have stript themselves of meanes wit and honesty to the unspeakable vexation of Parents if they live to be witnesses and of the utter desolation of soules and bodies wife and posterity How is the country pestred with such vermin How doth the Divell by this meanes uphold his Kingdome for he hath fit covers for such cups and hereby gather kites to the carrion fits them with sherkers and horsleaches who by flattering and admiring them for their bounty squeeze out all from them and leave them as Gulls Oh ye fooles how long will you delight in eating and devouring your owne flesh will no perswasion enter till as Sampson was from his Dalila so you be haled from your lusts and like fooles to the stocks that is from taking of purses by the high way and such cheats you be haled to prison to the gallowes to hell it selfe without mercy stop you Oh! you Parents cease your raking and scraping up of goods for such spendthrifts or for you know not what ends for the encreasing to bee sure of sorrow to your selves while you live and of sinne when you are gone Doe good with that you have lâ—â—t God sting you in those children and childrens children for whom you as basely hoard as they power our sinfully Sooth them up no longer in their sinne who are liâ—â— to bring your hoare heares with sorrow to the grave Fifthly how many husbands are there who by their heady improvidence either borrowing to stock themseves more then ever they can pay or selling their wares underfoot to procure present monies by which a while they feed their Creditors do for a short time set up their top sailes a while bearing it out with other mens wealth and when they can hold no longer then they leave them in the lurch many such wretches ruining the whole families of many better husbands then themselves with their wives and children More fit in truth to be hang'd up then to pester a Common-wealth and some other maintaine their state and pompe by such desperate courses even under a colour of religion causing hundreths
stand its owne ground nor rest in one place cleave to one taske For the bent of spirit to one settled object studie calling or lawfull object will divert the vaine minde from frothie fancies and ideas of uncleane thoughts companies and allurements A spirit whose banks runne full of employment will hardly be unsettled but holdes Satan at staves end Aske thy gadding roaving heart whither she will whence shee comes and what is her busines as watchmen do Roagues Examine the ground and warrant of thy journeys travailes errands and wandrings up and downe forsaking thy station and family Set thy kinfe to thy throate if thou bee an Athenian dayly lusting after new places companies pleasures meetings and delight And whatsoever savors of carnall and sensuall desire know it cannot but threaten mischeefe and dispossesse thee of thy watch I speake still of such as in appearance have given their names to Chirst even these for I judge none let every man judge himselfe have so sarre taken liberties to themselves in the brink that they have fallen into the water One of them once much pleasing himselfe in admiring the features and beauties of women and stroaking the cheekes of one with Wantonnesse was by his wiser neighbour warned therof saying These crimson faces so he cald them will sadly cost you the setting on one day and so it fell out soone after for such an aspersion was soone after cast upon him whether true from man or just with God as brought his hoary head to the grave with sorrow To teach all such gnats to beware how neere they fly to the candle lest they bee burnt And thus much for inward abhorrings As touching outward I will repeat nothing before said in the chastity of Prevention onely whatsoever occasion threatens any affront to the fort of Chastity and the preseving of the whole man in integrity and honour renounce it And so much for the first of the foure heads of counsell against this sinne of uncleannesse to wit Abhorring of somewhat be spoken The second counsell is to meditate of somewhat And whereof Surely of such things as might helpe to quash and quell lust and that partly concerning the sinne it selfe and partly the penalties thereof And both these specialls of Meditation must be attended with two properties in generall First that this meditation be wise and secondly that it bee deepe First I say wise for I would have this noted that some things are of that nature that some kind of musing of them is rather an incensing of the heart unto the sinne then any checking thereof As are all such evills as border upon the sensuall appetite and concupiscible faculty of which sort especially is this sinne of uncleannesse Many complaine that they muse much of the odiousnesse therof that so they might abhorre it But they finde it more and more to follow their hand and to snare their spirit And so the remedy proves much worse then the disease And it fares with such as it doth with two men at variance who put their quarrels to comprimise But when wise men should set them at one they fall on ripping up all circumstances of unkindnes offered each to other that they part worse enemies then they met and so make the wound incurable So here men meditate of the sensuall and carnall occurrents of this sinne their base meetings words gestures unchaste lookes and acts under pretence of a purpose more fully to detest and abhorre them But by this meane the divel casteth fire into the drie powder of their concupiscence and inflameth them to it the more The reason is because the sense and fleshly familiarity of the thoughts doe prevaile against the spirituall hatred thereof So it fares in other temptations of an hideous nature as Atheisticall thoughts against the Majesty of God or blasphemous thoughts against the Scriptures or the essence and Attributes of God the basenesse whereof the more we plod upon especially while Satans wild fire is in the spirit the more we are snared therewith Therefore in such cases as these the practice of Elisha to the servant of Jehoram is to be followed Wee must pray against the tenacity thereof and force our selves to handle such thoughts roughly at the doore and in no sort to give place to them as knowing their Masters feet is not farre behind them Tosse not thoughts off and on about passages which tickle the fancy and wind in deeplier into it then it can bee rid thereof yea though they were most irkesome to it But take up the sinne in the whole lumpe and bundle muse of the bitter roote whence it comes as David did in his Meditations Incense thy soule against the body of corruption whence it flowes that wherein thy Mother conceived thee and thence descend to the fruits of it as the wound which it leaves upon the conscence the wrath of God which it pulls upon it selfe the curse of it how it makes all the soile barren blastes and wastes the grace of God or the least shew of any Keepe it thus at staves end but tamper not much with pitch lest we be defiled Such unwise meditation is not water to quench but oile to encrease the flame Secondly let this meditation be deepe and solemne both about the properties and the penalties of this sinne Touching the former the first meditation about it is how spirituall a wickednesse it is especially under the Cospell It s like Absaloms incest commited shamelessely in the sight of the Sun before all Israel It doth not onely sin against morall light of the naturall conscience but also against the grace of God and the remedy offered therby For the grace of God hath appeared to all and teacheth them to denie all ungodlinesse and fleshly lusts and to live soberly godly and purely in this present world Davids adultery was a morall act but yet inseparable from spirituall wickednesse for he resisted conscience in point not of morall light onely as any heathen might doe but of grace and mercy from God teaching him to abhorre it Yea this very thing was the thing that made the Lord so severely punish it both then and after even because hee fought against his spirituall light embracing a lust and the sweet of a base heart with the losse of that sweet mercy of God which he had tasted Yea against that sweet communion with God which hee had formerly enjoyed both which hee knew would bee wasted hereby as also that hereby the spirit of God was displeased and vexed with this rebellion and the effects thereof and hâ—s conscience gulled downe and defiled with sensuality and security yea hardned by the deceitfulnesse of sinne And hereby the enemies of God were caused to blaspheme God his worship and the generation of the righteous For our better conceiving of this point in my judgement the most weighty of all to gaster a soule from such Abomination let us observe how the holy
handes whole flesh is defiled with this sin Who sees not the unsutablenesse hereof So that as the leper was wont to be shut out of company to have his lips sown up scarse suffred to breath to try out unclean so here This sinner shuts out himself from God in that he cannot approach to him with auy member without loath somns I speak not this to exclud any Penitent from the free grace of God though God who gives each penitent grace gives not each sinner to be Penitent for Rahab Bathsheba Tamar yea a worse theÌ„ al Mary Megdalene found mercy sorecoverd the honour of each member but I speak odious the sin is in peculiar Let it therefore bee a second Meditation against it Thirdly meditate of that wofull seperation which it maks inwardly betwixt God and the soule Few see this But if union with God be the roote of all other Previledges and a restoring us to our integrity what then is seperation from him and cutting off from the fountain save a curse Now who so is one with an harlot is cut off from God For how can a man bee at once a member of an harlot and a member of Christ Know you not that who so is one with Christ is one spirit And what is he then who is one with an harlot Can he with and in the same spirit be united to one and to other at the same time Doth he not what lieth in himselfe to disjoynt himselfe for ever from God who is joined with an whore Is it so easy to unlinke the chayne of uncleannes and to be knit to God who is once enchained in the band of this sin Or can there be communion and influence mainteyned with God while fellowship continues with Harlots Is purenesse and filthines so easily reconciled A spirit of of holâ—ies with a spirit of Adulterie What communion betweene Christ and Beliall Or how can two walke together except agred If theÌ„ the spirit be sadded grieved what joy can it have to walke with the soule Where was Davids fellowship with God become when he had defiled himself with what a conscience thinke wee did he walke What peace joy going in and out with God had hee Or why doth he so crave for the spirit and for washing and renned grace save that he felt them withdrawne from him And if the Spirit of Christ be gone what is the Name of Christ and of Communion worth Perhaps many an Adulterer pleaseth himselfe in this that he is not yet cast out from the church But why is he not cast out Is Gods judgment changed Where then is that censure become of which Paul speaks of That ye beeing gathered together with my spirit in the Name of the Lord Iesus deliver such an one an uncleane wretch unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his soule may be saved in the day of the Lord Iesus Is not here solemne excommunication against uâ—dcleannes urged Neither let any cavill and say This was in a case of high degree of this sin For Gods netres take all open sinners in foule kindes bee the degrees what they what else meaneth that speech Withdraw your selves from every brother who walketh inordinately How Except by the censure excommunicating him from Communion of Sacraments and secret fellowship Thus once it was But the sin of man interverting the Censure disanulles not the Ordinance If such bee not cast out the greater is the shame of Neglecters and the offender hath the greater wrong And say that he bee not formally cast out by Discipline hath hee not really cast out himselfe by his Desert As he once sayde of his Bookes That they were published and they were not in effect for none could understand or be the better for them so say I. They are in Communion and they are not locally by intrusion not spiritually not by acceptation so that save for his pleasing himselfe sinfully he is never the better for it For why Doth not Conscience within tell him All who would thrive by the Ordinances must cast up their gorge So saith Peter Casting out all superfluity as new borne babes covet the sincere milk of the word to grow by And are not all things uncleane to the uncleane Doth not such a mans spirit say to him as God to Elya what dost thou here Elia Why takest thou my word pure as my selfe into thy mouth hating to be reformed Minister into thy mouth hearer into thine eares beeing both in thy body and spirit polluted Can wrath or doubting as the same Apostle speaks hinder the lifting up of pure hands and must not an uncleane conscience much more Can such a swine comming into the Assembly to Sermon or Sacrament thinke himselfe to bee in his place Doth he not tell himselfe a Stewes an whores bosome are fitter for thee then such a place as Gods house Now if outward Communion which yet many a sinner will buy with his mony or thrust himselfe into boldly bee so unproper for him what then is Communion with the Graces of God with his Saints with the Duties of both Tables Hath such an one any joy in his soule peace with God delight in his Service exercise of graces as seale faythe meeknes compassion patience Or can he lay claime to an holy example Are not these irkesome objects to such more fit to teare them in peices to thinke themselves cut off then to comfort them So then let this bee a meditation of great weight to gaster the soule from all uncleannesse or to humble it beeing fallen to consider what a Gulfe it sets betweene the Lord and the soule so that one cannot come at the other And woe bee to him that is alone All ordinances all duties all graces speaking thus to him If God helpe not how can I helpe thee with the Barne or the winepresse Influence being wanting presence gone what can second comforts availe Doe not all issue from union with the head Doe not all Conduit-comforts rise and fall with the fountaine Except then thou carest not for God for his spirit or Christ beware of uncleannesse For that laies-all Channels of the spirit dry embarrens the soule of all heavenly savour making it as carelesse to have it as it is empty of it And these three may serve for a short discription of the nature of this sinne and how wee may derive Arguments from thence to deterre us from it Now to the penalties Touching which they are either spirituall or outward For the former the Reader may partly gather what the spirituall burthen is which God lates upon it by that which before I said of the nature of it For if it be so defiling and hardning a sinne and so seldome is found in the way of repentance who should not be afraid of it Who is so stupid as seeing a drove of Adulterers going towards the den of the Dragon the Divell I meane with their foresteps and observing