THE EVENING-STAR Appearing to the SAINTS Directing them to celebrate their Holy Rest even the Sabbath-day not from Morning to Morning nor from Midnight to Midnight but from Even to Even according to the Word of God First written in a Letter at the earnest Request of a Friend for his satisfaction concerning the beginning of the Sabbath Day And here published for the generall good of all that profess Christianity and in order to the rectifying of some things in the late Act concerning the observation of the Lords Day There is an Epistle to the Parliament in the Conclusion tending also to the taking away of the Popish Prelaticall and Antichristian Presbyterian-Penalties contained in sevrall Acts and Ordinances of Parliament which have been and still are put in execution against the best sort of religious Protestants Unto which is also anexed A new Christian Creed built upon the old foundation of the holy Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ being the cheef Corner Stone By SAMUEL CHIDLEY Cler. London Printed by John Clowes 1650. The Preface and Epistle Dedicatory To the Saints on earth Grace Mercy and Peace be multiplyed Beloved AS Jehovah hath chosen you to be his holy special and peculiar People above all the people that are upon the face of the Earth * Deut. 7.6 14.2 Exod. 19.5 Isa 56. Rom. 10.12 so he hath given unto you signs Sacraments amongst which the Sabbath is a sign between him and you to testifie That he is Jehovah which sanctifieth you * Exod. 31.13 17. Therefore ye are commanded to Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy * Ex. 20.8 From the Creation of the world God did appoint one day of seven to be a Sabbath not onely because he had rested on the seventh day from all his Workes which he had created and made * Deut. 31.17 Gen. 2.2 But that both man beast might have rest and resreshment also * Deut. 5.14 which thing remaineth substantially unto this day as sure as God is merciful who hath not left it to the wills of men but hath established this Liberty upon the grounds of certainty In old time God did institute the seventh day for a * Ex. 20. â—0 See â—r Ansâ—orth's â—ranslaâ—ion Sabbath but there was not that desirable perfection in it for acception as was upon the first day of the wick the morrow after the Jews Sabbath which was higher and more honourable because of the Wave-sheaf * Lev. 23.10.11 1â— and first fruits ** verâ— 15 21 then presented before the LORD those lively Types of Jesus Christ who is the first fruits of them that sleep * 1 Coâ— 15.20.23 who rose from the dead on the morrow after the Sabbath As therefore the Jews were to observe it as a Sabboth and a holy convocation by solemn Proclamaion it was to be unto them And they were to do no servile work therein * Lev. 23.21 So must the Christians now in the dayes of Christ our Lord * Psa 110.31 who honoured this day by his presence in the midst of his Disciples after his Resurection upon the first day of the Week * Joh. 20 19. and eight days after that * er 26. even upon the second first day * Lev. 23.15.16 he came again gave them more fuller manifestations and confirmations of his Resurrection breathing on them that they might receive the Holy-Ghost and after his Ascension into Heaven sent down the Holy-Ghost upon his Disciples on the fiftieth day which was the morrow after the Jews Sabbath * Acts 2.1 And on the Lords day also he ravished with his spirit that Disciple John whom he so dearly loved before his death And then and there in the Isle of Pathmos he im parted that great Revelation which is called The Revelation of Jesus Christ which he had received from the bosome of the Father * Rev. 1.1 10. This first day of the week is the day of Christs power * Psalmâ— 110.2 on which day the disciples met together to break bread and to practise the other Ordinances of God for the setting forth of Jesus Christ who holdeth his Ministers in his right hand and walketh in the midst of his Churches * Acts 20.7 1 Cor. 16.2 Rev. 1.12 13 20. 2.1 7.16 This is the day of our holy solemnity to be kept in Sion the City of the Saints solemnities upon which day our Lord Christ was made perfect * Luke 13.32 Heb. 5.9 an High Priest for ever not after the Law of a carnaâ— commandement but after the power of an endless life * 7.16 then the stone which the Builders refused became the head of the Corner â— Ps 118. Then the right hand of Jehovah was exalted and did valiantly Then Christ said I shall not dye but live and declare the works of Jehovah * Ps 118.18.19 For although for a little while as precious seed he lay in the heart of the earth yet through the quickning Spirit of God which came upon him as the dew of Heaven he arose and sang and Jehovah was then his strength and song and also became his Salvation * v. 14. This day is a joyful good day This Sabbath is a delight holy of Jehovah honourable * Isa 58.13 Ps 118.22 it is the day of his marvelous doings This is the day which Jehovah hath made * ver 24. our God hath entred into Covenant with us this day * Isa 54 9 10. to give us the sure mercies of David * Acts 13.34 This is the wedding-day of Jesus Christ with his beloved spouse * Isa 54.5 it is his Coronation-day the day of his espousals and the day of the gladnes of his heart * Cant. 2.11 O come then and let us be glad and rejoyce in it with him and let the voyce of joy and rejoycing be heard in the Tabernacles of the righteous Is not this the great Market day of our souls wherein there is Proclamation made Ho every one that thirsteth come unto the waters of life And he saith moreover Hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight it self in fatness incline your ear come unto me hear and your souls shall live And I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure Mercies of David * Isa 55.1 3. And the spirit and the Bride say come and he that heareth saith come and let him that is a thirst come And whosoever will let him take of the Well of the water of life freely * Rev. 22.17 O how sweet are the Christal streams of the Christian Brooks which proceed from the Throne of God and of the Lamb And how pleasant and pretious is the Tree of Life on either side the River of Righteousness the meat where of is good for food and the leaves thereof for Medicine Blessed are
which live in Kings houses as our Saviour saith and by continuance of time he so affecteth their minds and so tendereth their skins that they neither can nor will indure the hardnesse of harden no lin is leath weake enough for their silken yet sinfull skins it is to be doubted whether the sending of a second Jonas would bring these Harlots to a shirt of haire and these peoples silk and sattin to sackcloath Thus their sense affecting softnesse it cometh to passe that all labour is terrible and hard most uneasie and unpleasant so idlenesse becometh the habite both of bodie and mind and now is this party fit for the Devills purpose To conclude this deceit of our senses the Devill like a cunning fisher laboureth to hang us with a hook baited with sensuall objects and having gotten his hook in our jawes he doth not like some unskilfull Angler by and by strike to the hazard of hook line rod fish and all but rather draggeth and draweth us up and downe in the Sea of our sensuall contentment or water of our wickednesse till at the last he hath drowned us in our own element that so the rest of our hearts may be forgotten and the peace of our minds buried in perpetuall oblivion The second engine whereby the peace of our heart is hindred through the craft of the Devill is the exercise of our fantasie upon its object which fantasie or imagination of ours Satan feedeth with a thousand fancies and and foolish imaginations of imperfect shapes sometimes he deceiveth with the conceit of learning either this art or that language in the perfection whereof he perswadeth us lieth much contentment But if humane speculation be not able to satisfie the mind then he hath a more deceitfull invention to deceive us and that is the propounding of some forme of religious exercise And hence it is that he hath begotten so many new inventions in the Sect-makers of our times as in old times he hath done heretofore This is a Sea and a Labyrinth of distraction here the poor soul findeth a beginning but hardly any end for this religious knowledge is so variable through the multiplicity of curious wits and contentious spirits Sect-makers for the most part that the life of man is too short to take a view of this variety Moreover this exercise savoreth so of duty and obedience that men are afraid to neglect the earnest exercise thereof But well doth Satan see how to puffe up the mind in the acquiring of such religious knowledge and so to keep the mind in the acquiring of such reasonable formes of service that the poore soule may never passe further then the outward court of bodily performance nor once looke within the most holy place Thus hath he blowne and puffed up many which in their externall performance and knowledge doe even feed and feast themselves as men in dreams supposing themselves to have all things and yet indeed have nothing but onely a bladder full or rather a braine full of windy and wordy conceptions So fruitlesse is all speculation and knowledge in respect of quieting the soule or heart for as shall be shewed the soule cannot communicate with any such comprehensible thing but onely with God which is a Spirit and able to fill the Soule with his presence and so quieteth the restlesnesse thereof as it remaineth to be shewed in the eleventh place where we shall speake of the Harbour or Haven of the Hearts Happinesse and shew it to be God himself CHAP. V. Of the hearts deceit in the conceit of happiness IT is the conclusion of the Prophet Jeremiah Chap. 17. Vers 9. that mans heart is deceitfull above all things and true it is that mans heart is not more cunning either in simulation of good or in dissimulation of evill towards others then it is in this selfe-deceiving in seeming to it selfe happy in a most haplesse condition but because S. John saith ch 20. v. 21 that every mans condition is such as his heart doth assure him of Object Here may some object that our hearts cannot deceive our selves though it may deceive others and this objection is strengthned by that place in the Corinthians know ye not your own selves that Christ is in you except you be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 by which two places it seemeth that every mans owne heart can truly tell him what his estate and condition is whether good or ill Moreover if we should deny this that mans heart is able to give him true testimonie then should we crosse this truth that the conscience is a thousand witnesses and so should we be forced to run into this absurdity of proving our inward condition and estate between God and us from and by some marke and note from without in the outwards of our conversation whereas to say as the truth is all is in the outwards of our conversation according as it is in the inward of our hearts and all mans testimony to himselfe must be drawne from within as we must give the Church and the world testimony from without This being granted that the heart doth give found testimony of a mans estate and condition between God and him how is it then said that the heart is deceived in the conceit of happinesse To which I thus answer by a comparison A Merchant or any other man that tradeth in the world hath good skill in Arithmetick or the art of numbring by vertue whereof he is very able no man better to cast up the account of his estate and so to know truly what he oweth and what is due to him from others notwithstanding he partly through carelesnesse and partly through fear of beholding the ruine of his condition foreseeing that he is not so rich as he could wish and as the world doth judge he doth neglect the precise examination of his estate and so esteemeth his estate though bad yet much better then it is for whereas he judgeth himselfe worth little it proveth in the conclusion that he is ten times more in debt then all that he hath is worth Where now is the fault is it want of skill in numbring No it is the want of the exercise of that skill even so it is with our hearts they are able to give us true testimony of our estate with God but most neglect to take a true triall of themselves for the reasons aforesaid And so it cometh to passe that the heart is deceived in the conceit of happinesse Now that the danger of this rock may be avoided let us consider how this deceit is framed where we will observe two things First what is the ground of this deceit And secondly the manner how it worketh The ground of this deceit is an incredulity concerning this hearts happinesse for it is hard to find a man that believeth historically the quietnesse and happinesse of the heart as it is to be considered to tell men that there is a rest and peace in God passing
seated in all men a certaine Character of his divine power which divine power seated in mans soule doth hinder mans heart from contentment in anie created good and doth cause the soule to re-aspire to that summum bonum the chiefe good in God himself Hence it cometh to passe that man is easily perswaded that his chiefe good doth not consist in any naturall or bodily parts or sensuall exercises though through strength of sensuality man be wholly for the most part sensually exercised The truth of this is plain in the confession of most prophane and ungodly who in words do expresse that their hope is in God above all unto which they are forced by the power aforesaid Now when man in the power of the naturall conscience and by vertue of this divine Character is forced to fly from all its sensuall pleasures as unable to give it any contentment then he leaneth upon the reed of his Religion such as it is better or worse if his religious exercises be more cold or neuterly then his conceit and so his decit is so much the lesse if his religious exercise be more devout and zealous then his conceit and deceit is more strong for as much pride doth alwaies attend such verball knowledge and bodily exercises But lest some should stagger at this doctrine as though the overthrow of all religious exercises were intended and as if all religious exercises may deceive I will therefore shew how this false florish of religious exercise doth deceive and so conclude how that the body and truth of Religion neither doth nor can deceive The manner how this religious florish doth deceive is by reason of that sympathy and agreement which is in part between such bodily exercises and the true Religion But more especially in respect of that sympathy which is between such bodily services and that naturall disposition to Religion which is in every mans heart for as before was said there is by reason of the divine Character in mans soule a disposition to adore or worship somewhat as more supreme or excellent then it self Now mans understanding being darke yea darknesse it selfe man doth entertaine such a forme of religious exercise as it seemeth best to the darke and blind reason being spurred on by that sparke of Divinitie which remaineth in the Soule or Conscience notwithstanding this reason which is darke being set a work by the instinct of nature is never able to reach anie sound or supernaturall truth although it should by literall learning and Clerk-like cunning dive never so deep into Scripture-learnednesse but contrariwise it reacheth a forme of knowledge and a forme of bodily working and worship ship either this way or that way as it seemeth best to everie mans reason and judgment to understand the Scripture learning For though all Sects say they will be guided by the Word of Truth yet is the Word of Truth one as God is one and they may according to their severall constructions of Scriptures and conceits of their owne wisdome seem to make good their opinion all which formes of religious exercises of knowing and obeying being comprehensible to mans reason doe carrie in them a certaine likenesse unto that naturall disposition which is in man to be religious so man in this estate and condition is still in the outward Court of bodily Service having more or lesse zeale of GOD but not according to knowledge that is not according to that supernatural knowledge which cometh from above called by S. James wisdome neither do any such bodily works know God according to the verie truth It is life eternall to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent But this knowledge is not in speculation or verball discourse but it is the power of God making known to the soule that power of love which passeth understanding for God is love and he that knoweth God knoweth love and he which loveth not knoweth not God 1 John 4.8 This knowledg of God is wrought by the finger of God in the emptying of the soule of putten-on forms of knowledg which are according to the darknes of naturall understanding and by making high things low the soule that is rich poor in the best of her performance so that now the soule is naked and stript of all her naturall power is brought to the carkas and body of truth God himself without figure or forme not knowable to the understanding which judgeth only of species but by act of communion made known to the soule in the experimental acquaintance which the understanding perceiveth not by discoursing of it but by being subdued in it This man having acquaintance with God his heart is established with grace not with meates he knoweth the secrets of the Kingdom of God which are to many Clarkes great parables and so is this man truly resolved that the Kingdom of God commeth not by observation nor consisteth in meate or drink but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost This is that Body of Religion which deceiveth none and is received but of some CHAP. 7. Shewing the Symptomes of the conceited happiness But that the conceit deceit of the heart may more fully appear let us consider what be the signes of such supposed peace The signes of this supposed happiness are no lesse divers then are the degrees of such false perswasions for as men are more or lesse in the degrees of this false perswasion according to the degrees of their literall knowledg and bodily working so do they giue severall signes Symptomes of their hearts deceit all which respecting breâ—ity I shall comprehend under four heads First a more gross sensuall life Secondly a more close sensuall life Thirdly a verball vaine boasting of Religion Fourthly a most excessive exercise and bodily performance in things religious together with mutation in the formes of such services The first signe to be conceived which is the gross sensuall life is most proper to the vain and prophane multitude for albeit they have as hath been shewed a forme of religious Exercise wherein nuterly and coldly at certain times they exercise themselves and in which performance they place their hope of happines yet it is most plain that the way of peace they never knew seeing their more then bruitlesse life is so visible to all men Some of them prosecuting their humours with most fearfull and blasphemous Oaths calling into their carnall minds the parts and passions of our Saviour Christ as his body blood wounds c together with a most â—rophane using of he name of the most high God nor being satisfied with this blasphemy they dare proceed to higher impiety in swearâ—ng by the Creatures and most commonly by which is least known of men namely the soule a fearfull sinne yet very common in these Northern parts and that which doth aggravate this their sinne is the carnall occasion them hereunto moving meeting them amongst their pots and pot-Companions which to name were needles
endles To this we may adde that worldly wollowing of the coÌ„mon worldlings in all sensual pleasures eating till gluttony and drinking till drunkenness Others in their apparell braving it and out-braving it not only according to but much exceeding their meanes though still short of their ambitious minds Others there be which persecute their luxurious and beastly pleasures in which they manifest the emptiness of their hearts Thus in short the common prophaneness of the rude multitude doth plainly shew that there is no peace established in the heart seeing that notwithstanding their religious exercises they lye drowned in sensuality in which secretly their hearts seeke and for a while finde peace And here let us note by the way that the emptiness of mans heart in the want of God is the spur to all prophaneness and ungodliness whatsoever whether more gross or more close The second Symptome or signe of the hearts emptiness is a more close sensuall life and this is to be applyed to the civill honest man and to the most part of the verball professors of Religion for it is true that some men partly for feare and partly for shame do take the bit of reason into their mouthes and with the reynes of discretion they bridle and refrain the grosser part of sensuality so that the world can not tax them of whordoms drunkenness blasphemies c. notwithstanding those which have eyes enlightened by the light of grace may plainly see and perceive that these men live in a very sensuall life But it is more closely and covertly then the prophane man doth for some are wise to do evill saith the Prophet and such are all close sensuall livers who by crafty wyles work their wickedness These close sensuall livers declare the love of their hearts to the sensuall objects by secret self-seeking in all matters of moment and high consequence for if we mark them they do cunningly steale praise and commendations to themselves and underneath communicate with increase of riches sumptuous buildings curious dyet in all which the peace of their heart standeth not in God and but that these things are maintained to the contentment of their sensuall appetites their hearts would break with grief and sorrow through the emptines thereof And though these wise men carrie their sensuall life so close that they are not so commonly perceived as the gross sensualls are yet doth it so farre appeare to the godly wise as to bewray the emptiness of their hearts in God and in Christ and often times God doth discover these Hypocrites that they shall drink either to drunkenness or to fulness and some times their close-carried luxury breaketh out to a publique declâ—ring wherein the contentment and peace of their hearts did stand when they seemed to the world to be at rest in God This close sensuall life is a manifest signe of the hearts emptiness The third signe is a vain glorious bâ—asting in religious performances such as are publique prayer and Thanksgiving reasoning and disputing of Religion framing of a sorrowfull countenance pittifull formes of speech abrupt eiaculations smiting of the breast rowling of the eyes upward towards Heaven with a passionate moving of the hand to which is annexed many a sigh and groane Rom. 8.26 which are not those inutterable ones proceeding from the spirit But those Pharisaicall ones proceeding from vaine glory Thus the body being artificially framed and all the members and motions thereof fitly composed to a seeming-holy declaring of a very zealous condition Now the corruptions of the time are blamed the Antichristian Government of the Church is condemned the condition of the prophane is highly adjudged and in all this himself secretly justified Now though such things as I have named do in the nature thereof arise and proceed from true zeale yet do they carry the party into his private Chamber or closet or other secret place where the soule doth inwardly mourn for the corruptions of it self and others Jer. 13.17 as witnesseth the Prophet in a phrase worth the noting Our Saviour Christ doth in express words forbid the sad countenance and the disfiguring of the face and doth appoint secrecy as the upper place of all religious performance Mat. 6.16 For well knew our Saviour Christ that that heart which was full in God needed not the eccho of vain glory to supply its want But the truth is that all such frothy and windy foolishness is a plain declaring of the hearts emptiness For then do Hogsheads sound lowdest when they have least within them The fourth and last signe is an excessive exercise of religious performance together with the mutation of such exercises And this St. Paul did perceive to be the very God of some men in his time and therefore telleth Tymothy that he might instruct others that bodily exercise profiteth little and as some reade nothing and doth oppose thereunto godliness 1 Tim. 4.8 as being another thing then bodily exercise saith that it is profitable c. But such is the mystery of iniquity at this day that many men know no other godlines but bodily exercises and can hardly admit of any distinction between them These bodily exercises the exces thereof is manifest to be manifold in all sects and sorts such as is their often fasting often seeming to pray I say seeming for many pray and pray not because prayer is nothing else but the conference of the soule with God as well saith St. Augustine To this we may adde the bareing of the knees the putting on a shirt of hair whipping scourging much preaching to the wasting of the spirits and consuming of the body and this is called a constant performance of duties These exercises are mutable and variable according to mens knowledge and the streame and straine of that Ministery under which they live so that all sorts have their severall services yet all bodily and for the most part only bodily And it must needs be so for men having no rest nor peace in God do labour to establish a peace to themselves in the multiplicity of bodily exercises hence it is that if they omit their service they have no peace all that day and if they perform their devotions then they have peace whereby it is plain that their peace is only in bodily working And it cometh to passe that so many gawdies must be run over so many prayers and repetitions must be used so many Chapters must be read so many Psalmes sung c. or otherwise the heart is unquiet Now these men hearing of any new way of worship which cometh in the cloak of Scripture-learning and hath a shew of truth founded from the letter of the bible which worship seemeth more devout and zealous then that in which they are established as it will easily so appear to a zealous and devout bodily worker especially if the teacher of that new way can but frame a sad and demure countenance and with a grace lift his hand
and his eye towards Heaven with some strong groane in the declaring of his newly conceived opinion and that he frequently used this phrase of the glory of God c. these men I say are by and by of another opinion supposing to themselves that God hath made known some further truth unto them for they are unestablished in any way and are constrained to tast of all waters if they be zealous in the bodily workings for of such I speak and not of prophane worldlings nor of luke-warme professors but of devout zealousnes such as have a zeal of God but not conform to knowledge Now all this excessive bodily working and the varieties thereof do plainly shew and declare the emptiness of the heart for as much as the true worship of God is more inward and spiritual as God himself is a spirit The true service of God is in a profound silence and inward intention towards God declared to God by groanes which partly the soule cannot and partly it will not express And if this truly devout soule fall into any bodily exercise as often it doth such as is the uttering of the mind to God by vocall tearmes then is he in his Chamber or place of most private repose and his door shut or at least himself hid from the eyes of men as much as may be And if by his place or degree in the Church or Familie he be urged to performe duties Religious either more or less publique then in such performance be laboureth more to forget such affected gestures and actions as is the sadness of the countenance c. then any way to frame his body thereunto and so serveth God in more depth of spirit and heart-cleaving to the love of truth Hence it cometh to passe that when the bodily performers behold this mans service they by and by judge him weake or cold in religious exercises but the wise in heart perceive that he is inward with God CHAP. 8. The hearts progression towards true happiness NOw in the eight place we are to consider the progression or going forward of the heart to true happiness in the handling whereof we are to observe a very speciall and peculiar difference between this eight Chapter and all the former for all the former parts have their use and exercise in a natural man but this and consequently all that follow is proper to the elect Children of God for thus the case standeth that the naturall motion of the heart declared in the second Chapter doth press mainly towards rest but it is so violently interrupted and hindered by the enemy Sathan in the subtill use of those Engines the objects of our senses and phantasies spoken of in the fifth Chapter that the heart of the naturall man can never find any out-gate from his sensualities and formalities or make any progression to any properly called supernaturall good but sticketh still in one created good or another either more grossely or more closely to a sensuall life or at least standeth inlived in the bodily performance of some religious exercise according as it hath been declared in the Symptomes of the conceited happiness Chap 7. but contrariwise the heart moved by the finger of God though for a time it may be hindered by created contentments as was Salomon yet at the last it breaketh out as a prisoner from the prison from all those things wherein it was insnared And as a Ship having a faire wind waigheth Anchor and delayeth not so the soule in feeling a sweet gayle of grace filling her sayle which is desire doth put forward for a more happy Haven then yet she hath been acquainted withall And this is the progression of the heart toward true happiness In handling whereof let us consider 4. things First the truth of the assertion that there is such a progression Secondly in the nature of it and wherein it doth consist Thirdly the consimilitude that is between this man and a natural man before this Progression Fourthly the dissimilitude that is between this man and all such as have not entered their foote into this progression For the first that there is such a progression and out-going of the heart from sensuality c. it is most cleare in Salomon who for a time did wallow and sport himself in all sensuall delights and in them expected a rest to his soul but at the last was forced to confesse that all is but vexation of the spirit he maketh progression toward the feare and love of God as his book of retractions doth declare The prodigall Sonne did for a time seeke contentments in vanity at the last set saile towards his Fathers house St. Paul doth not unaptly point at such a progression when in the Philipians he saith Phil. 3.13 he did forget those things which were behind and did reach forth unto those things which were before And though in speciall manner he hath respect in that place to the degrees of Christianity and in the further conforming of the man to the Image of Christ yet cannot Paul have forgotten that out-going of his heart from all that fleshly and worldly glory wherein according to the flesh he had cause to rejoyce verse 4. of that third Chapter doth that place give a slender confirmation of this truth where Paul saith that when he was a Child he spake as a Child c. But when he came to be a Man he put away Childishness The truth of this expression is so well known to the soule experienced in the truth of Godliness that it needeth no proofe and the Mystery of it is so great â—nd so farre above the naturall â—an that it is altogether hyperâ—olicall and incredible The second point is to shew the â—ature of this progression what 〈◊〉 is and it standeth in two â—hings First the putting off of all â—onceipts and comprehensible â—ood Secondly in putting on pure â—esire towards the unknown and â—omprehensible good For the first The Child of God is brought to a true dissilence distract in all his carnall â—nd created confidence whether â—hey were sensuall pleasures or externall religious exercises or â—oth And as we read of the Snake that creeping through a hedge she leaveth her skin behind her even so the Christian heart iâ— truly stript of all putten-on contentments either in this thing or in that thing and so is become truly poor miserable and naked so that notwithstanding he could say aâ— St. Paul If any man have causâ— to rejoyce in the flesh much more lâ— yet will this man glory in nothing save only in infirmities that to the shame and confusioâ— of his own face And thus will the Kings Daughter he forsaketh his Fathers house and with Abraham leaveth his native Countrey to seeke dwelling in a Land as yet unknown The second point is putting on of desire The poor soule beaten by the ministery of Christ out of its contentments is now dissolved into desire and is nothing else in sensuality but pure