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A54501
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A dying fathers last legacy to an onely child, or, Mr. Hugh Peter's advice to his daughter written by his own hand, during his late imprisonment in the Tower of London, and given her a little before his death.
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Peters, Hugh, 1598-1660.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing P1697; ESTC R32303
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33,960
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130
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to pray in praying fast in fasting so to read in Reading Many doutbless take up a cursory trade to read out the Cries of a defiled or rackt Conscience I say Read with delight not as under a load or as a Labourer who waits for the shadow of the Evening which you shall never do unless your Heart be connatural with the Word and therefore remember as Justification takes away Guilt and Punishment Sanctification takes away the Power and Filth Glorification takes away the presence of Sin So Effectual Calling takes away that jarre that is betwixt the Soul and the Law of God by reason of Sin the Called of God read but their Fathers blessed Will in reading his Word his Testament his Legacies his Precepts his Threatnings against Sin c. all which his Childe dilights to hear and read This one Book well read will answer any Question or Case and you 'l finde Solomons Proverbs the best Politicks and Christ crucified the best Divinity But in reading the Scriptures let me reach out this Experience When you have prayed over your purpose that way then in every Chapter first minde the Method then note the hard things you understand not and get helps to clear them to you And Lastly gather out the chief Doctrines oâ— Lessons then in reading onâ— Chapter you may understanâ— many And if you read the Bible with the Annotations oâ— some Divines or the Dutcâ— translated it will not be amiss I have formerly commended to you a Little English Library in this kinde which I now fear your so much altered Condition will not give you time to be vers'd in However Remember David Psal. 119. how every Vers. almost shews Love to the Word And truly you may be assured you shall upon mine and your own Experience finde that you shall have no more Christ nay God Spirit Faith Peace Comfort than you have Scripture Nor will you have any Christ a Saviour that is not a Scripture Christ Oh that the Word may dwell plentifully in you my poor Child 4. Pray continually is the Apostles Counsel to the Thessalonians And for this you may have far better helps then from my unworthy unable self There are many helps to Devotien Mr. Baxter Burrows Gurnal Bridg c. Yet you shall have what I promised even my Experience I hope you know That Prayer is the breathing forth of holy Desires or lifting up the Soul upon God or asking the Things we need from God in and by Christ according to his Holy Will not without Confessions and Thanksgiving This Work must have Time Seriousnesse Composure And this take undoubtedly That Prayers can never fly high where the Person is not accepted can have no strength without Faith About this Duty I must let you know There are Three Miscarriages usually First before the Duty Unpreparednesse Unsuteablenesse reaking hot out of the World Self sin into that service as if men could leap into Gods bosome out of the Devils lap Before Prayer you need to study God your self and the way to him John 6. You need to take a time when he is most like to hear even when he is inditing for you and puts Words into your mouth Hos. 14. The Second Failer in Prayer is When you do not watch to Prayer O the Hurreys of our Hearts the Thorowfare that carries crooked Thoughts through us the Vanity Folly Obliquities of our Spirit As the Heart must be whipt to the Duty so it must be bound fast to it How few pray how many say words Oh How many say their Prayers backwards call him Father who is not their Father would not have his Name hollowed nor his Kingdome come c. 3. And Lastly After this duty there is either an aptness to be proud And adde another Note as if the Lord was in our Debt or upon miscarriage in point of Inlargement we grow weary and peevish and call for our Prayers again if we succeed not as Lovers for the Portion not the Person call for their Love-Tokens back Look on Th. Goodwin on Isa. 55.6 7 8. Be plain and honest with God shew your Sores and his Love to you You cannot be so bad as he is good With the old Martyr I cry Pray pray pray My dearest Child Regard no injury in thy heart 5. Keep a constant Watch upon your whole man for which much hath been written as Mr. Reyners Rule for the new Creature Mr. Brinsleys Watch and many others from the Thonghts and affections to all cases almost But since I promised the Addition of my Experience to your Self I have held that very True noted by David yea by some Heathens That our Life is seventy Years half of which time spends its self in Eating Drinking and Sleeping the Remainder is Thirty Five and of that you may allow the first Fifteen even for Child-hood till when ordinarily little is minded that is solid then Twenty only are left of the Number and of them even half spent in by-business and then tell me how little do we live How needful is it then that you be upon your Watch continually when so many Silver Brooks run by many Doors unregarded It is hard to Watch most are very Drowsie The Disciples themselves could not Watch one Hour My Advice is That mainly you Watch your self in what you are And where you are These Two go far in your Watch to see your self in a good Estate And to be where you should be in your Duty and Employment argues a curious Eye and a careful Head But to be very accurate in your Watch and to keep off from troublesome Anneares keep a Book by you I mean it litterally in which every Night before you sleep you set down on the one side the Lords gracious Providence and Dealings with you and your dealings with him on the other side This Watch well kept fits for Prayer Fastings Sabbaths Sacraments and Death upon which Judgment follows I pray Watch so That Thoughts Affections Head Heart Hand Foot and all have a share in and benefit by the Work The Flesh and the World in all the Pleasures and Profits of them send up fumes to the Head occasioning sleep Therefore the Lord is forced to keep us waking by Affliction as the Thorn to the singing Bird David sought God early The Three Women early looking after Christ Remember thy Creator betimes And this Watching is the Circumspect Walking Ephes. 5.16 Look round about you continually as if you walked with God as Enoch before God as Abraham or after God as David he walked in God's wayes If you do not Watch you will be Tempted I say Tempted The Lord watch over thee that thou mayest watch my dearest Child 6. For thy growth in grace I am the more zealous because 2 Pet. 3.18 the Apostle propounds it as a Cure against all the Errors of the wicked For this also there are divers helps as M. Symmons his Cure to Distressed Consciences a Choice Piece and many others But
Losse and Sense Are the great things charg'd on thee here To reade and minde and minde my Dear From him who grieves he hath no more But Words to leave Christ be thy Store 33. And because I know not how the door of Oportunity may stand open or shut the Day drawing near of Tryal I shall give you an account of my Self and dealings that if possible you may wipe off some Dirt or be the more content to carry it in which I shall mainly apply my self to these late troubles I was the Son of considerable Parents from Foy in Cornwall my Father a Merchant his Ancestors driven thither from Antwerp for Religion I mean the Reformed my Mother of the same Town of a very ancient Family the Name Treffey of Place or the Place in that Town of which I would not boast These lived in very great abundance their Losses at Sea grew very great in the midst of which Losses my elder Brother being at Oxford I was sent to Cambridge and that Estate I had by an Uncle I left with my Mother and lived at the University and a little from thence about eight years took my Degree of Master of Arts where I spent some years vainly enough being but 14 years old when thither I came my Tutor died I was expos'd to my shifts Coming from thence at London God struck me with the sense of my sinful estate by a Sermon I heard under Pauls which was about 40 years since which Text was The burden of Dumah or Idumea and stuck fast This made me to go into Essex And after being quieted by another Sermon in that Country and the Love and Labours of Mr. Thomas Hooker I there Preacht there married with a good Gentlewoman till I went to London to ripen my Studies not intending to preach at all where I attended Dr Gouge Sibs and Davenports Ministry with others and I hope with some profit But in short time was forced to preach by importunity of Friends having had a Licence from Dr. Mountain B. of London before and to Sepulchers I was brought by a very strange providence for preaching before at another place and a young man receiving some good would not be satisfied but I must preach at Sepulchers once monthly for the good of his Friends in which he got his end if I might not shew vanity and he allowed Thirty pounds per Annum to that Lecture but his person unknown to me he was a Chandler and dyed a good man and Member of Parliament At this Lecture the Resort grew so great that it contracted envie and anger Though I believe above an hundred every week were perswaded from sin to Christ I wish I may not be judged for saying so There was six or seven thousand Hearers and the Circumstances fit for such good work But I am tender there I had some trouble who could not conform to all and went to Holland where I was five or six years not without the presence of God in my Work But many of my Acquaintance going for New-England had engaged me to come to them when they sent which accordingly I did And truly my reason for my self and others to go was meerly not to offend Authority in that difference of Judgment and had not the Book for Encouragement of Sports on the Sabbath come forth many had staid That good man my dear firm Friend Mr. White of Dorchester and Bishop Lake occasioned yea founded that Work and much in reference to the Indians of which we did not fail to attempt with good success to many of their souls through God's blessing See Bishop Lake's Sermon 1 King 8.37 who profest to Mr. White of Dorchester he would go himself with us but for his age for which we had the late Kings gracious Patent Licence and Encouragement There I continued seven years till sent hither by the Plantation to mediate for ease in Customes and Excise the Country being poor and a tender Plant of their own setting and manuring But coming hither found the Nation imbroiled in those Civil Discontents Jars and Wars and here was forced to stay though I had nothing to support me but the Parliaments Promises And not being able in a short time to compass my Errand studied with a constant purpose of Returning and went with the first to Ireland most of your London Godly Ministers being engaged in Person Purse and Preaching in this Trouble I thought Ireland the clearest Work and had the Pay of a Preacher then and afterward as I could get it I was not here at Edge-hill nor the Bishop of Canterburies troubles or death Upon my Return was staid again from going home by the Earl of Warwick my Patron then by the Earl of Essex afterwards by the Parliament who at last gave me an Estate now taken away I had access to the King about my New-England business he used me civilly I in requital offered my poor thoughts three times for his safety I never had hand in contriving or acting his Death as I am scandalized but the contrary to my mean power I was never in any Councils or Cabal at any time I hated it and had no stowâ—ge for Counsel thinking all Government should lie open to all nor had penny from any General but lived in debt as now I am nor had means for my Expences what I had others shared in I confesse I did what I did strenuously though with a weak head being over-laid with my own and others troubles never was angry with any of the King's Party noâ— any of them for being so though the Parliament-Authority lawfull and never studied it much have not had my hand in any manâ— bloud but saved many in Lifâ— and Estate The Parliament iâ— 1644 gave me the Bishops Book valued at 140 l. which I intendeâ— for New England being a part 〈◊〉 his private Library which wiâ—â— all mine own I have often offereâ— for 150 l. the mistake about theâ—â— was and is great for they nevâ—â— were so considerable And theâ—â— were my gettings who never aiâ—ed to be rich nor ever had meaâ— to reach it The Changes grâ—â— as you see a Commonwealth found but thus altered I staid so long at White-hall contented with any good Government that would keep things together till the breach of that they call Richards Parliament and then I removed and never returned more but fell sick long and in trouble ever since never was summoned but once by the Council which was in April about Books of which lying sick I craved of the President of the Council to excuse me who sent unto me he had and I gave him an account of the Books but hearing that my Estate was gone and I indebted was private and did purpose so to live and so to die having a resolution which I kept never to meddle with State-matters but either here or in New-England to spend my old age in looking into my Grave and Eternity and never had to do with any