breakers of their word haue a roome in heauen reade the fifteenth Psalme But what should I speak of a roome in heauen when indeede they ought to haue no roome amongst ciuill men on the earth nay nor yet among the heathen for it hath beene accounted so great a shame for a man to breake his promise that hee would rather die then it should be sayd that he were one of those But pray thou priuately and faithfully and God will not onely giue thee power to keepe thy promise with men but thou shalt also haue grace to keepe thy word and promise thou hast made to Almighty God to forsake the diuell the world and thine owne filthy affections Which will shew openly that thou art the seruant of God and that God hath bestowed his manifold graces and blessings vpon thee as Christ sayd vnto Peter Flesh and bloud hath not taught thee these things but my Father which is in heauen So euery one that beholdeth thee will know that neither the diuell the world nor thine owne flesh hath bestowed these gifts on thee but the Father which is in heauen Blessed be the name of Christ for his bountifull goodnesse bestowed vpon mankinde he did not onely bid men pray and promised they should bee heard but also told them to whom to pray and because men durst not goe to God alone hee bad them goe in his name and promised that he would be there with them and hee would be a Mediator which none else could doe and hee would make peace betweene God and them and therfore any might boldly come to him hee teacheth them where to aske priuately and what to aske the Holy Ghost without the which weare fire-bands of hell but if we haue him we are Saints in heauen euen ioyned to Christ and as his members and yet hee fearing all this would not serue it was his greatest mercy to shew vs more concerning two men which were praying and made vs acquainted how they prayed and how they sped Christ saith There was Pharisie and a Publicane went into the Temple to pray The Pharisie was one that thoght himselfe a iust man and despised others The Publican accounted himselfe a sinner openly knowen The Pharisie stood vp and prayd and sayd I thanke thee oh Father I am not as other men are nor like this Publican I fast twice in a weeke and giue tithe of all that I haue Now you may see who they bee that say I fast or we fast as if they should say I feare it shall neuer bee known that it is I or we that fast and pray and pay tithe of all that we haue and that we deale iustly and keep the commandements But the Publican stood a farre off and durst not look vp to heauen but smote on his breast and sayd Lord be mercifull to mee a sinner Heere you see wee must humble our selues and confesse our sinnes for Christ saith Hee went away iustified rather then the other for hee that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted and hee that exalteth himselfe shall bee brought low Also hee willeth alwayes to pray and not to waxe faint saying There was a certaine Iudge in a city which neither feared God nor reuerenced man and there was a widdow in the city which sayd Doe me iustice against mine aduersarie but he would not for a time yet afterwards hee sayd Although I feare not God nor reuerence man yet will I doe her iustice lest at the last shee chance to weary me And the Lord sayd Heare what the vnrighteous Iudge saith and shall not God auenge the cause of his Elect which cry and call day night vpon him And therfore pray continually And doe not thinke my sonnes that I haue spoken too much of prayer for as I sayd before without it wee haue no promise to obtaine any fauor of God nor yet to be kept frō any euill by God and therefore doe it You must needes also bee thankefull to God for his mercies in Christ most humbly thank Christ who hath thus mercifully taught you to pray and giue God thankes who hath brought you into the world in such a time when as you may bee taught to pray according to his word and I beseech him that you may pray according to his counsell CHAP. 33. No certaine rule for priuate prayer NOw I would haue you know that priuat praier is for euery mans priuat vse and therfore there is no certaine rule neither can words be set downe what ye should say for though we be all sinners yet some are more troubled with one sinne some with another and some are troubled because they cannot bee troubled so much with their sinnes as they desire which sort Christ calleth vnto him saying Come vnto me all yee that labour and are laden and I will ease you But although all sinnes dwel in vs and wee are subiect to them wherfore Christ saith Yee had neede watch and pray Yet there is in euery one of vs some one sinne that will draw to a head beare som rule in vs and will not bee subiect nor subdued to the Spirit as the childe of God would haue it but then hee goeth to Christ and craueth his assistance and yet sometime the sinne will ouercome him and then he goeth and confesseth his sinne againe and craueth pardon confessing withall his owne weakenesse that hee should bee ouercome of so vile and base an affection And thus euery one ought to seek by praier to God to get victory of that sinne which otherwise would ouercome and destroy him body and soule for euer and euer CHAP. 34. Diuers men troubled with diuers sinnes SOme are troubled most with enuie some with pride some with anger some with couetousnesse and some with sloth c. All these with a companie that attend on them set vpon euerie man but one must be captaine then ouercome the captaine and all the army will be discomfited In warres if the Captaine preuaile the souldiers will ruinate the Cittie euen so it is with sinne if the chiefe sin getteth the victorie it will let in a great number of enemies that wil neuer leaue vntill they haue vtterlie ruinated and brought to confusion the whole bodie and soule of a man and therefore euerie one ought to pray to God for helpe and assistance against his greatest temptation for if we ouercome that the rest will flie as S. Iames saith Resist the diuell and he will fly from thee And this will be a great comfort to any man when hee seeth his enemy cannot triumph ouer him then the diuell shall haue no cause to laugh in his face nor the world to left behinde his backe neither can his owne affections braue nor vpbraid him but hee shall haue a greater comfort then this for by obtaining this victorie he shall bee sure to bee seruant and souldier to the most worthy Captaine that euer was Yet hee must acknowledge that hee got the
Then too too late for to repent you see she doth begin Therefore see you noridle be this I would haue you know Be sure still that the ground be good whereout the Plant doth grow Then gather well and lose no time take heed now you doe see Lest you be vnprouided found as was the idle Bee D. L. THE MOTHERS Blessing CHAP. I. The occasion of writing this Booke was the consideration of the care of Parents for their Children MY Children when I did truely weigh rightly consider and perfectly see the great care labour trauaile and continuall study which Parents take to inrich their children some wearing their bodies with labour some breaking their sleepes with care some sparing from their owne bellies and mâ—ny hazarding their soules some by bribery some by simony others by periurie and a multitude by vsurie some stealing on the Sea others begging by Land portions from euery poore man not caring if the whole Common-wealth be impouerished so their children be inriched for themselues they can bee content with meate drinke and cloth so that their children by their meanes may bee made rich alwaies abusing this portion of Scripture Hee that prouideth not for his owne family is worse then an Infidell euer seeking for the temporall thinges of this world and forgetting those things which bee eternall when I considered these things I say I thought good beeing not desirous to inrich you with transitory goods to exhort and desire you to follow the counsell of Christ First seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse and then all these things shall be administred vnto you CHAP. 2. The first cause of writing is a Motherly affection BVt lest you should maruaile my children why I doe not according to the vsuall custome of women exhort you by word and admonitions rather then by writing a thing so vnusuall among vs and especially in such a time when there bee so manie godly bookes in the world that they mould in some mens studies while their Masters are mard because they will not meditate vpon them as many mens garments moth-eate in their chests while their Christian bretheren quake with cold in the street for want of couering know therfore that it was the motherly affection that I bare vnto you all which made me now as it often hath done heretofore forget my selfe in regard of you neither care I what you or any shall thinke of mee if among many words I may write but one sentence which may make you labour for the spirituall food of the soule w ch must be gathered euery day out of the word as the children of Israel gathered Manna in the wildernesse By the which you may see it is a labour but what labour a pleasant labour a profitable labour a labour without the which the soule cannot liue For as the children of Israel must needs starue except they gath'red euery day in the wildernesse and fed of it so must your soules except you gather the spiritual Manna out of the word euery day and feed of it continually for as they by this Manua coÌ„forted their harts strengthened their bodies and preserued their liues so by this heauenly Word of God you shall comfort your soules make them strong in Faith and grow in true godlinesse and finally preserue them with great ioy to euerlasting life through Faith in Christ whereas if you desire any food for your soules that is not in the written Word of God your soules die with it euen in your harts and mouthes euen as they that desired other food dyed with it in their mouthes were it neuer so dainty so shall you and there is no recouery for you CHAP. 3. The best labour is for the foode of the Soule OH my Children is not this a comfortable labour Our Sauiour Christ saith Labour not for the meate that perisheth but for the meate that endureth to euerlasting life and yet I see and feare you shall see how many there bee that crosse Christ in these words nay rather crosse theÌ„selues for contrary to our blessed Sauiours counsell they labour for the meats that perisheth and in the meane time they lose the foode of euerlasting life This my beloued sonnes and deare children this is the cause that maketh mee so much to feare you and those who hereafter shal come of you because I see so many that regard not the words of our Sauiour Christ who came from the high Throne of God and preached to vs and prayed for vs and tooke our flesh vpon him and kept it without sinne refusing no company healing euery sicknesse and disease fed the hungry gaue pardon to euery sinner that would but aske it dyed for vs indured the paines of hell for vs yea more then this euen in our owne flesh hee ouercame sinne death and hel yea and more then that also hee carried our flesh into Heauen in the sight of many and there keepes it and is become a Mediatour for vs in it hee ioyned himselfe to vs in our flesh as it is written He tooke our flesh vpon him he taught vs to ioyne our flesh vnto him by faith that Where hee is there wee might bee with him also and if wee will not follow him that hath done all this for vs and much more then I can write or declare how vnthankefull shall wee shew our selues My deare Children haue I not cause to feare the holy Ghost saith by the Prophet Can a Mother forget the child of her wombe As if he should say Is it possible that shee which hath carried her child within her so neere her hart and brought it forth into this world with so much bitter paine so many grones and cries can forget it nay rather will shee not labour now till Christ be formed in it will shee not blesse it euery time it suckes on her brests when shee feeleth the bloud come from her heart to nourish it Will shee not instruct it in the youth and admonish it in the age and pray for it continually Will shee not be afraid that the child which shee endured such paine for should endure endlesse paine in hell Could Saint Paul say vnto the Galathians that were but strangers to him concerning the flesh only he had spent some time amoÌ„gst them to bring them to the professioÌ„ of the truth from which hee feared they would fall and could hee I say write vnto them My little children of whom I doe trauaile againe in birth vntill Christ be formed in you And can any man blame a mother who indeed brought forth her childe with much paine though she labour againe till Christ bee formed in them Could S. Paul wish himself separated from God for his brethrens sake and will not a mother venter to offend the world for her childrens sake Therefore let no man blame a mother though she something exceede in writing to her children since euery man knowes that the loue of a
theron it doth the soule no more good then meate and drink doth the body being seene and felt and neuer fed vpon for as the body will dye although in see meate euen so will the soule for all the hearing reading of the word if that ye doe not meditate vpon it and gather faith and strengthen it and get hold of Christ which if ye doe Christ will bring you to the kingdome of his Father to which you can come by no meanes but by faith in him CHAP. 8. The sixt cause is to perswade them to teach their children THe sixt reason is to entreate and desire you in some sort to commaund you that all your children be they Males or Females may in their youth learne to read the Bible in their owne mother tongue for I know it is a great helpe to true godlinesse And let none of you plead pouerty against this for I know that if you bee neither couetous prodigall nor idle either of which sins will let no vertue growe where they come that you need not faile in this but if you will follow the commaundement of the Lord and labour sixe dayes and keepe the seuenth holy to the Lord and loue him with all your heart soule and strength you will not onely be willing but also able to see them all brought vp to read the Bible Salomon that was wise by the Spirit of God sayd Remember thy Creatour in the dayes of thy youth And ye are also commanded to write it vpon the walls of your houses and to teach it your childern I know sayth God that Abraham will teach his children and his childrens children to walke in thy commandements Also I further desire you because I wish all well and would be glad you should do as much good as could be in the wildernesse of this world that if any shal at any time desire you to be a Witnesse to the baptizing of their childe that then you shal desire the person so desiring to giue you his faithfull word that the child shall bee taught to read so soone as it can conueniently learne and that it shall so continue till it can read the Bible If this will not be granted you shall refuse to answer for the child otherwise doe not refuse to be a witnesse to any for it is a good Christian duety Moreouer forget not whether you answere for the child or no to pray that the child baptized may receiue the holy Ghost with all other children of the faithfull especially vvhen you are where a child is baptized for it is your duty to pray for the increase of the Church of God Pray for the peace of Ierusalem saith the Psalmist let them prosper that loue thee CHAP. 9 The seuenth cause is that they should giue their children good names THE seauenth cause is to entreate you that though I do not liue to be a witnesse to the baptizing of any of your children yet you would giue me leaue to giue names to them all For though I doe not thinke any holinesse to be in the name but know that God hath his in euery place and of euery name yet I see in the Bible it was obserued by GOD himselfe to giue choyse names to his children which had some good signification I thinke it good therefore to name your children after the names of the Saints of God which may bee a meanes to put them in mind of some vertues which those Saints vsed especially when they shal read of them in the Bible and seeing many are desirous to name both their owne children and others after their owne names this will be a meanes to increase the names of the Saints in the Church and so none shall haue occasion to mislike his name since hee beareth the name of such a Saint as hath left a witnesse to the world that hee liued and dyed in the true faith of IESVS Christ. The names I haue chosen you are these Philip Elizabeth Iames Anna Iohn and Susanna The vertues of them that bore those names and the causes why I chose them I let passe and only meane to write of the last name Susan famoused through the world for chastity a vertue which alwaies hath been and is of great account not onely amongst the Christians and people of God but euen among the Heathen and Infidels insomuch that some of them haue written that a woman that is truly chaste is a great partaker of all other vertues and contrariwise that the woman that is not truely chaste hath no vertue in her The which saying may well be warranted by the Scripture for who so is truly chaste is free from idlenesse and from all vaine delights full of humility and all good Christian vertues who so is chaste is not giuen to pride in apparell nor any vanity but is alwaies either reading meditating or practising some good thing which she hath learned in the Scripture But she which is vnchaste is giuen to be idle or if she do any thing it is for a vaine glory and for the prayse of men more then for any humble louing and obedient heart that shee beareth vnto God and his Word who sayd Sixe dayes thou shalt labour and so left no time for idlenesse pride or vanity for in none of these is there any holinesse The vnchaste woman is proud and alwayes decking her selfe with vanity and delights to heare the vaine words of men in which there is not only vanity but also so much wickednesse that the vain words of men and womens vainenesse in hearing them hath brought many women to much sorrow and vexation as wofull experience hath and wil make many of them confesse But some wil say Had they onely lent an eare to their words they had done well enough To answere which I would haue euery one know that one sinne begetteth another The vaine words of the man and the idle cares of the woman beget vnchaste thoughts oftentimes in the one which may bring forth much wickednesse in them both Man sayd once The woman which thou gauest mee beguiled me and I did eate But wee women may now say that men lye in waite euery where to deceiue vs as the Elders did to deceiue Susanna Wherefore let vs bee as she was chaest watchfull and wary keeping company with maides Once Iudas betrayed his Master with a kisse repented it but now men like Iudas betray their Mistresses with a kisse repent it not but laugh and reioyce that they haue brought sinne and shame to her that trusted them The only way to auoid al which is to be chaste with Susanna and being women to imbrace that vertue which being placed in a woman is most commendable An vnchaste woman destroyeth both the body and the soule of him shee seemeth most to loue and it is almost impossible to set down the mischiefes which haue come through vnchast women Salomon sayth that her steppes lead to hell
in your vocation and be sure you pray morning and euening and at noone and at all times heare and read the Word of God meditate on that day and night and follow Christ and take holde on him by faith let that be all your care and for your bodily goods take no care If you dare not trust God with your bodies who feedeth them as you see euery day how dare you trust him with your soules which you cannot well discerne by reason of your earthly nature You haue a promise for your bodies if you wil serue God and keepe his Commandements and yet many dare not trust him they vvould serue him with all their hearts if they durst trust his Word If they should loose their mortall bodies it were but a small matter for they must haue an end And for your soules you haue but his Word and promise vpon condition that you follow Christ and take hold of him by faith now if you neglect the condition the promise is void and yet you say you durst trust God with your soules vvhen you neuer goe about to keepe his Commaundements you neuer follow Christ nor take holde of him by faith nor haue you any experience by your bodies for you neuer durst trust Christ. David saith I haue killed a Lion a Beare and therefore I dare venture on this vncircumcised Philistine If he had suffered the Lion and the Beare to haue ouercome him hee had neuer ouercome the Giant then had he neuer bin made the Kings sonne So if thou wilt ouercome that great Goliah thou must first kill the Lion and the Beare thou must first ouercom the temptations of the world if thou meanest to ouercome the diuell and so bee made the Kings sonne of heauen CHAP. 39. Against immoderate care OVr Sauiour saith Care not for to morrow let tomorrow care for it selfe the day hath enough with his owne griefe Heere you see that our Sauiour pitties you that you will take such care and willeth you that you should not take care for the next morrow because you do not know whether you shall liue till then or no for Christ sainh Thou foole this night will they take away thy soule from thee As if Christ should say I thou dyest with taking care for this world thou losest the kingdome of heauen and thou shalt lye burning in hel fire Then doest thou not shew thy selfe a foole to take so much care for this world since thou knowest that hell fire is before thee and thy goods are behinde thee and thou knowest not who shall inioy them If thou thinkest thy children shall thou knowest not whether they shall liue or no or spend and waste them wickedly as thou perhaps hast gotten them or whether they shall bee other waies depriued of them or no. A thousand wayes may separate thy sonnes and their goods asunder thou knowest not but that the world may end thou knowest not what shall become of thy goods or whether any body shal inioy them or not and to say the truth some of you make sure worke that none shall inioy them for whosoeuer getteth thē were better bee without them if they bee not gotten in the feare of GOD and then they cannot bee enioyed in the faith of Christ for it is vnlawfull to haue stolne goods in thy house and thy goods may bring a punishment vpon thy children and therefore thou art a foole to take any care at all for or about these things and thou art a foole because thou doest care yea and spend all thy care about these things Thou knowest if thou doest not spend thy tune in the feare of God which is but the beginning of wisedome and in the faith of Christ which is the end and finishing of wisedome thou thy selfe thy body and thy soule shal lye burning in hel fire for euer and euer and there is no meanes for thee to be deliuered Thou maist turne thee and tumble thee in the fire of hell and canst neuer get out wonder at thy selfe that thou wert such a foole to take care for those things which thou shouldest neuer know what became of them and take little or no care for thy self when thou knewest thou shouldest come to this miserable and wretched ende that should neuer ende Here in the world none dare call a rich-man foole but Christ saith he is a foole that setteth his heart on these worldly things But if by taking care for worldly things he misse heauen fall into hell hee will call himselfe a thousand millions of fooles that omitting better things he would take care for this world which is worth nothing nay it is worse then nothing for his own conscience wil tel him if he had had nothing hee should haue cared for nothing and so hee might haue serued GOD and gone to heauen and hauing something his care was so much to compasse more that indeede he had gotten nothing but euerlasting torment And now he knoweth not what to doe sometimes he thinkes I would I might creepe thorow tenne thousand hells and bee ten thousand millions of yeares in crawling thorow them to go to Christ and then get faith take hold on Christ for he knoweth now that none can come to God but by faith in his sonne for the which hee would now take all the paines that could euer bee deuised to obtaine that faith in the end and yet he thought whilest he was in this world that one Sermon in a moneth would haue serued him to haue gotten that faith but hee seeth he would not beleeue the word of God for Gods owne word willed him that he should not labour for the meate that perisheth but for the foode of euerlasting life And least hee should doubt of these things which God saith Christ saith Consider the Lillies of the field they labour not neither spinne they I say vnto you that Salomon in all his glory was not cloathed like one of these If God so cloath the grasse which is here to day and to morrow is cast into the furnace will hee not do much more for you Oh yee of little faith Heere Christ tels them that will not beleeue his promise and follow his counsell they are of little faith And the holy Ghost telleth vs that faith commeth by hearing of the vvord preached and Without faith it is impossible to please God and there were neuer any saued but by faith nor there were neuer any damned but for want of faith For the holy Ghost saith Hee that commeth to God must beleeue that God is and that he is a rewarder of them thot seeke him He did not beleeue that God would prouide for him in this world and saue him in the next because he wanted faith And he wanted faith because his delight was not as Maries was to leaue his worldly affaires to heare the Word preached Hee could not pray that hee might profit by the