others have exceeded against God in their transgressions as Job hath it and the judgements both spirituall and temporall of our times else we may be equally destroyed and sure shall not keep a faithfull Journall There is a book of three leaves thou shouldest read dayly to make up this Diary the black leaf of thy own and others sins with shame and sorrow the white leaf of Gods goodnesse mercies with joy and thankfulnesse the red leaf of Gods judgments felt feared threatned with fear and trembling But what needs this waste may some say of time and paines it's too strict and precise a practice a hard saying at least a duty too legall for Gopel liberty Answ 1. Gods law is a law of liberty to a gracious heart None of his commands grievous yea and each command requires not only the duty it self but the help and means to that duty to be observed as Divines generally hold Now this Diary is a Directory and help to praise and thankfulnesse yea indeed to the whole practicall part of Religion The Pharisee was thankfull for spirituall mercy and our righteousnesse by Christ must exceed Scribes and Pharisees upon the penalty of the losse of heaven Luk. 18. Mat. 5. 20. 2. Nor is this imposed on all upon pain of damnation or so exacted as the totall of all mercies providences must be registred Who can number the stars or sands Gods blessings or our sins the most eminent of the first magnitude are to be noted down as all our sins are to be laid to heart but especially the most hainous 3. If thou fearest to be overstrict in practicall godlinesse sure without fear thou wilt be soon over loose and carelesse thou fearest not to be strict for thy estate and outward concernments why art thou lesse carefull for thy soul many not exact in casting up their books they have cast them up thy Audit will be strict so should thy accounts be 4. Lastly the ingenuity of grace in the soul cals for thus much not only to endevour what may safely carry thee to heaven but that which may most advance Gods glory and thy souls prosperity and happinesse God kept a Diary in the Creation of the world Gen. 1. to president this practise to us Yea he keeps a Book of Remembrance for us that think upon his name he numbers our hairs bottles our tears writes us upon the palms of his hands forgets not any of our works of love to his name Registers our names in heaven and shall we write down his name works love in water in the dust on earth Shall he lay up our drosse and not we his gold Shall he remembring us blesse curses to us and shall we by ingratitude and forgetfulnesse of him curse his blessings to us He hath called us to inherit a blessing and to blesse them that curse us and shall not we blesse our blessed God that blesses us So much the more now as we expect and desire some settlement of truth and peace Bring in your tallies of old if you look for new mercies to be put upon your account But why do I detain thee so long without in the portall of a Preface go in set thee close to this divine Arithmemetick sums are best cast up in solitarinesse retire into thy self set thy heart on Gods wayes to thee and on thine own wayes to him I heartily desire thy thriving in this spirituall soul-trade Study not only the notionall Numeration Addition and Multiplication of particulars recited and set down in this Christian Journall but above all look to the rule of Practise which in this is the true Golden rule indeed I may say to conclude of this Book as one of the Scripture They are words to be lived and practised not read only And as another of the 119 Psalm They are good and true Catholicks indeed who follow both sound faith and good manners This musicall lesson of Praise and Thankfulnesse must be well practised Which that thou mayest do both make thy Journall and thy life and journey to heaven answerable to such a Journall go to him and set out in his strength Who is the wonderfull numberer as Daniel styles him who can teach thee to number thy dayes sins Gods dispensations to thee and others yea and how to profit by all even the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Way Truth and Life without whom we can do nothing and by whom we can do all things In whom craving thy prayers and praises for him that is lesse then then the least of all his servants and mercies yet is and rests Ironmonger-lane London Octob. 12. 1655. thy soul-friend and servant in him our common Saviour John Fuller In Reverendi viri Mr. Johannis Bedle Tractatum pium eruditum viz. Grati erga Deum animi AStronomi populo colllecta Diaria vulgant Theiologi haec reliquas vincit Ephemeridas Dat chartis loca visa suis spontaneus exul Alter ut incertos dirigat inde pedes Ad superas Coeli namque hîc via lactea sedes Hinc pia mens foelix carpere discat iter Scribitur heu nimiùm vitiatur casta papyrus Nugarum levium pondere praela gemunt Quas bis tinctorum vel quas lymphata Trementûm Secta parit libros jurgia dura replent At pietas candorque nitent hâ—c Codice pectus Exhibet authoris pagina quaeque sui Quicunque inspicies è nato nosce parentem Ore refert patrem Quod docet ipse facit C. G. Books lately Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the signe of the Three Crowns over against the great Conduit at the lower end of Cheapside DR Richard Sibbs his Commentary upon the Second Epistle to the Corinthians published for publick good by Tho. Manton in Folio Mr. John Cotton his Exposition on the First Epistle of John with Doctrines Reasons and Uses in Folio There will be shortly extant a Book Entituled Cathechizing Gods Ordinance or A short Treatise concerning that Ancient approved and soul-edifying Ordinance of Catechisme by Mr. Zach. Crofton Minister of the word at Buttolphs without Algate London in Octavo Curteous Reader THou mayest expect within a short time to see published some new Pieces of Mr. William Fenners who was so famous when living and his works though he is dead hath such a sweet though silent voice T. P. ERRATA PAge 3. l. 27. though r. thought p. 5. l. 22. favour r. favours p. 9. l. 6. put out all after the word Journies l. 7. r. in the second verse p. 16. l. 4. for huge r. whose l. 6. for are r. if p. 18. l. 10. and a reall p. 26. l. 1. for praise r. paines p. 44. l. 17. for lanes r. caves p. 45. l. 3. r. from strength to strength THE JOURNALL OR DIARY Of a Thankfull Christian NUMB. 33. 2. And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandement of the Lord. CHAP. I.
of religious parents servants that have lived much in religious families and people that have lived long under a powerfull fruitfull Ministery but are not bettered Secondly such as seem to be good but are not that can transform themselves into the shape of Saints who have the voyce of Jacob and the hands of Esau that speak like the Lamb but are ravening Wolves Oh! how hath Religion suffered under the pretence of Religion in later times Thirdly such as have been good at least in the hopes of many but are not These are trees whose fruit withereth without fruit twice dead and plucked up by the roots The first are civill persons that have no faith too good for the Devill but not good enough for God The Lord deliver us from such for they may prove unreasonable because they have no faith The second sort are Hypocrites and the third Apostates the most bitter enemies to â—olinesse and the power of godlinesse Such was Iulian the Apostate It is said that tame Foxes if they break loose and turn wilde will do more mischief then any Iulian was once a Christian and a forward professor but turning back to Heathenisme drew more from the Faith by fraud then any of his predecessors did by force Baldwine and Bolsack turned Apostates and were hired by the Papists to write the Life of Calvin and proved desperate adversaries to the truth Parsons and Harding had sometimes a taste of the truth but falling away proved most bitter enemies to the Church of God The greatest enemies that any man can have are those of his own house He was of the society of Jesus that betrayed him Such Apostates are not onely injurious to others but in conclusion are the greatest enemies to their owne souls To fall backward is more dangerous to the body and to apostatize is most dangerous to the soul What became of Iulian the Apostate his Vicisti Galilaee which taking a handfull of blood and flinging it up into the air against Christ told all the world that his end was miserable If any man draw back saith the Apostle my soul shall have no pleasure in such Henry the fourth King of France after his revolt to Popery was perswaded by a great Duke about him not to readmit the Jesuites into the Land who had been justly banished by the State He answered Give me then security for my life and thereupon admitted them and gave them one of his owne houses for a Colledge but did that secure him certainly it did not the Jesuites would never trust him for first one by their procurement stab'd him in the mouth and after that another to the heart and that was the end of so great an Apostate And surely he that draws back from the God of truth must needs embrace error if from the God of wisdome will be a fool if from the God of happinesse cannot but be miserable This is a great sin but not that sin 4. So that if I may take liberty to expresse my thoughts with humble submission to better judgements I am of opinion that not onely an unwillingnesse to submit unto but a most violent opposition against the Kingly government of Jesus Christ in his Church by his owne officers and ordinances is the sin of this present generation It is very observable that the offices of Christ have met with strong opposition some in one age and some in another more apparently Some times have been more notorious for the opposition that was made against his Propheticall office as when the Circumcellians defaced and burnt the Scriptures So did the Papists who made it death for any Protestant to have and read any part of the Old or New Testament The same grand Hereticks have made their Injunctions Precepts Traditions of equall authority with the Word of God So did the Councel of Trent at their fourth Session Some times have been more infamous for the opposition that was made against the Priesthood of Christ who made peace for us by his Death and still maintains our peace by his Intercession Thus the Papists have mightily opposed Christs Priesthood by their doetrine of Justification by Works their figments of Purgatory works of Supererogation prayers to Saints Every man say they must suffer for his owne particular yea the works of one may suffice for another So say the Rhemists in their Annotations Rom 8. 17. Col. 1. 24. But these times are such as do more cleerly fight against the Kingdome of Christ and herein cunningly they strike at the root and undermine all his offices the end whereof viz. his Kingly office being to support the Priesthood and Prophesie of Christ in their vigour and efficacy that as a Prince and Captain of salvation to the Elect he might bring them to God A practicall vigorous open opposition of Christs Kingly office exercised in his ordinances was never more eminent then in these days Wherein there are so many Gallioes or Gadarens Gallioes that care not for those things as either too far below their greatnesse or too heavy a yoke to put their necks under or Gadarens who say plainly We will not have this man reign over us but desire him to depart out of the Countrey who are not only an unwilling but a rebellious people in the day of his power The reverend and learned Ministers of London met together in their Provinciall Assembly in their Vindication of this government to use their owne words say as much We are not ignorant that this government hath many adversaries The ignorant person hates it because it will not suffer him to go blindfold to hell the profane person hates it because it will not suffer him to eat and drink his owne damnation by unworthy coming to the Lords Supper the Heretick hates it because after two or three admonitions it rejects him the Jesuite hates it because it is an invincible bulwark to keep out Popery the Schismatick hates it because the main designe of it is to make all the Saints of God to be of one lip one heart and one way And above all the Devill hates it because if rightly managed it will in a short time blow up his Kingdome And indeed hence are all our miseries and mischiefs Church-discipline is like the hem to the garment rend off that and how soon will all Religion ravell cut to nothing It is like the hedge to the Vineyard if that be pluckt up how soon will the Boar out of the Wood and the wilde beasts of the field devour it What a company of Hereticks and Schismaticks break in upon it all that passe by the way pluck it Antitrinitarians Antinomians Antiscripturists Socinians Familists Quakers c. would dig up this Vineyard by the very roots How are Christs ordinances despised the authority of the Scriptures questioned Gods faithfull Ministers misused They were never more learned more pious or more painfull and yet never more scorned and undervalued then at this day All Sectaries and Schismaticks though
the rock their Prince Priest Prophet their sacrifices their whole service yea the very Land of Canaan was a type of heaven and was not their voyage a type of our pilgrimage their journey from Aegypt to Canaan a signe of our passage from bondage to liberty from darknesse to light from a vale of tears to thee joyes of heaven See this parallel in six passages 1. They were brought out of Aegypt with mighty hand and we are delivered from the slavery of sin Satan by the arm of the Loâ—d The Creation of the world Sun Moon and Stars are the work of Gods fingers and all the great things he doth for us in the world are but finger-work in comparison of ouâ— Redemption by Christ that is indeed thâ— work of his arm 2. They had many and mighty enemiâ— that stood in their way and opposed them The Aegyptians and the Amalekites Sihon the King and Og the Giant and we in thiâ— way fight not with flesh and blood alone but against principalities and powers against the râ—lers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickednessâ— in high places 3. They had a red Sea to passe thorough and we our temptations and tryals to passâ— over for all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 4. They had a bunch of grapes in the wildernesse and we a taste of Gods goodnessâ— in this present evill world It is sometimes fair weather over head though foul under feet we have peace with God though trouble in the world When Joseph dealt roughly with his Brethren yet even then they carryed home corn and money in their Sacks As it is never so well with us but we have cause to be humble so it is never so ill with us but we have cause to be thankfull 5. They had a mixed multitude went up with them and we have sheep and goats in the same fold wheat and tares in the same field corn and chaffe on the same floor goâ—d fish and bad in the same stream Saints and Hypocrites in the same visible Church In the Ark amongst eight there was a Chaâ— â— Christs family amongst twelve there was a Judas in the primitive times amongst he seven Deacons there was a Nicholas Our est Congregations are mixt companies 〈◊〉 heaven only the Assembly shall consist of oly ones the spirits of just men made perect 6. Lastly they had a Journall of all Gods mercies and why not we a Diary of ll Gods gracious dealings with us If this ast hath nothing of type in it I am sure t hath of president for whatever was writâ—n before was written for our learning CHAP. II. The matter whereof a Journall or Diarâ— is compounded and first Nationall and publick IN the prosecution of this Subject in hand I would do these two things 1. Discover the materials whereof this Journall doth consist 2. Shew the manner how it is to be used For the materials they are twofold 1. Either Nationall and more publick 2. Personall and more private For those that are Nationall and of publick concernment they may be reduced to these five heads 1. Take notice what Kings and Princes what Magistrates and Governors have ruled over us for commonly Such Prince such people They that come of the yeelding Willow and not of the sturdy Oak as a Marquesse of Winchester had wont to say will yeeld with the Time and ever be of the Religion of the King their Master They can be Pagans under Diâ—cletian the Heathen â—mperor and Christians under Constantineâ—he â—he Reformer Such again will turn Ariansâ—nder â—nder Constantius the Heretick Backsliders â—nder Iulian the Apostate and with Jovinianusâ—or â—or preferment turn Orthodox Hence the Ancients were wont to place the statues of â—heir Princes and Patriots neer their founâ—ains intimating thereby that if their Magistrates were good they were the spring-heads of much happinesse to the people but if wicked the originall of misery and mischief If wicked Jeroboam set up idols Regis ad exemplum all Israel are made to sin through his example If Hezekiah be forward in reforming Religion so are the People When certain Embassadors praised the Lacedemonian Souldiers for their good order in being well regulated by Martial discipline who were before mutinous and injurious one of them answered Nos iidem sumus qui ut nuper sed alius nunc nobis est Dux We are the same we had wont to be but now we have another Generall That Nation is happy that can say of their chief Governor as one of Saul's Courtiers spake of David when he commended him to his Master He is a cunning player on the Harp a mighty valiant man and a man of war and prudent in matters a comely person and that which made all excellent the Lord is with him He is a great Souldier and a good Scholar like another Caesar that did as much by Arts as by Arms he is a wise States-man and as religious as noble so ruling over men that he is just ruling in the fear of God Goodnesse and Greatnesse when they meet together in the Grandees of the World huge swelling titles in their Coyns and Charters are accompanyed with grace and godlinesse are like a ring with a rich Diamond that raiseth the price of it very high Oh! how winning and prevalent are such mens examples He that carries a light in a dark evening in London seldome goes alone and that ship in the Navy that hath the Lanthorn and sets out the light shall not want followers It is so in a good example though given by a mean person but if the light of Magistrates so shine before men that they may see their good works how do they glorifie God and indevour by all means to walk in those wayes And the reason is because Subjects study the lives of their Princes more then their laws and esteem their examples as currant as their coyn Hence it is that as their personall virtues are publick ornaments so their proper vices are a Kingdomes injuries 2. Observe what that Religion is that by those Magistrates is imbraced and how the truth is countenanced or opposed by them Charls the Great was wont to set his Crown upon the Bible as Canutus sometimes put his Diadem upon the Rood both thereby intimating that as all honor was due to â—d so true Religion was the best basis for â—overnment and that Piety was the best â—licy The Lions that upheld Solomon's â—rone were of pure gold A Princes Reliâ—on should be pure not polisht it should be â—defiled before God as well as pretended in e â—ight of men And indeed the best way 〈◊〉 facilitate the affairs of State for the best â—vantage of a Common-wealth is to carry 〈◊〉 Religion and seek the glory of God in â—e first place It is observable that the Isâ—elites in their journey to Canaan went no â—ster nor no farther then the Ark. And when â—ey returned from Babylon to