377. Riches the grâ—at danger of them if not well used 401. The great danger that attends them 497. Very dangerous in getting of them 583. Riches honours c. the different use that is made of them 570. The uncerâ—ain comfort of Riches 601. Riches their uselesnesse in point of calamity 646. The dangerous use of Riches 651. Riches of Christ inexhaustible 652. A Rich Man had rather part with God then his gold 39. A Rich Fâ—ol described 71. A vain Rich Man 125. A Rich Man is Gods Steward 129. Rich poor Men 165. The unprofitable Rich Man 242. Rich Men to consider their beginnings and be thankfull 334. The wicked Rich Man's sad condition at the time of death 376. Rich Men to be mindful of what they have received 456. How to be made truly rich and truly Honorable 463. An uncharitable Rich man no Heavenly-minded 482. Better to be honestly then hastily rich 496. A Rich Man pleading poverty condemned 531. Riot and excesse condemned 291. Rulers and Governors are the supporters of a Common-wealth 29. Rulers actions exemplary 32. Rulers sins hasten the ruine of a State 38. A good Prince or Ruler no advantage to a bad People 106. Rulers and Men in Authority subject to many failings in Government 405. Rulers Magistraâ—es c. to be men of publique spirits 651. S. SEven Sacraments of the Papists not of divine Institution 27. A special Sacrament-duty to blesse God for Christs death 76. Sacramental Bread and Wine how better then ordinary 104. How to receive benefit from the Word and Sacraments 149. How to benâ—â—â—t by the Sacraments 152. Worldly thoughts to be set aside before the Sacrament 171. Sacramental Bread and Wine how differenced from others 267. The great danger of Sacriledge 51. 438. Sacriledge never thrives 60. Sacriledge cursed with a curse 61. Sacriledge condemned by the example of Cyrus 70. 588. Sacriledg justly rewarded to take heed of it 311. Sacrilegious persons condemned 671. The safety of Gods people 480. A singular Saint is a pretious Saint 14. Saints in glory what they hear and see 189. Invocation of Saints and Angels condemned 554. Salvation is the Lords 172. No salvation but by the mercies of God in Christ Jesus 423. Sanctification not perfected all at once 94. Sanctification not wrought all at once And why so 144. Sanctification wrought by degrees 181. The Schismaticks abuse of Scripture 59. The excellency of the Scripture in its fulnesse 70. Scripture-knowledge the onely necessary knowledg 89. Speciall places of Scripture marked with Gods speciall authority 103. Harmony of the Scriptures 116. The excellent connexion of the Scriptures 138. The holy Scriptures not to be jested withall 145. The power of Gods Word the Scriptures 158. How to read the Scriptures and Books Apocryphall 160. The Scriptures Rhetorick 160. Manna the Heavenly food of Gods Word how to relish it 114. Severall varieties to be found in Scripture 220. The Scriptures are but a dead letter without the operation of the Spirit 220. The Papists abuse of Scripture by Traditions c. 223. Scripture-comforts the onely true comforts 264. Scripture-knowledge to be put in practice 266. 283. Excellency of the Scripture-phrase 280. The great usefulnesse of Scripture-phrase 282. Scriptures not to be plaid withall 302. True comfort onely in the Scriptures 325. The holy Scriptures to be made the rule of all our actions 373. To be valued above all other writings 436. How it is that so many deceive themselves in their not rightly searching the Scriptures 384. The Scriptures discovering sin and Satan in their colours 392. The Scriptures onely to be rested on 510. The Books of Scripture to be preserved above all other books 535. To blesse God for the revelation of himself in Scripture 537. To keep close to the Word of God especially in troublous times 549. And in seeking after Christ 643. Men and Women to be knowing in the Scriptures 605. The great danger of not keeping close to the Scriptures 625. The praise-worthiness of reading and enquiring into Scripture 653. Scholers not to be unthankful to the University that bred them 78. Scholers to mind their books 40. No personal Security to be had in the time of publique danger 9. 170. Security in time of danger condemned 101. The great danger of security in times of danger 116. God chastiseth his Childrens security 142. Carnal security reproved 249. Security the cause of all calamity 570. The Secrets of Gods Counsâ—ls not to be pry'd into 27. Dangerous to pry into Gods secrets and Counsels 162. Not to consult with Gods secrets but his râ—â—vealed Word 335. Curious inquisitors into Gods secrets deservedly punished 554. The Sectarian schismatical seducers to be avoided 629. Sectarian subtiâ—ty Diabolicall delusion 630. The doctrine of seducers dangerous 227. Selfishnesse condemned 33. Self-praises condemned 35. Self-examination required 53. Self-tryal smooths the way to all other tryals 112. Self-conceited Men blame-worthy Men 129. Self-conceitednesse condemned as dangerous 151. The giving up our selves an acceptable sacrifice unto God 154. The folly and danger of self-conceitednesse 180. The benefit of Self-examination 207. The danger of self-confidence 275. Self-seeking Men reproved 277. 375. Men of self-ends condemned 278. How it is that the self-conceited vain-glorious Man deceives himself 336. Self-conceitednesse in matters of Religion condemned 340. How far Self-safety may be consulted 543. Self-denyall the excellency thereof 635. No Man a loser by giving himself up to God 645. Men to be careful in the choyce of servants 483. God hardly accepting of late service done him And why so 678. Men created for the service of God 652. Backwardnesse in the service of God reproved 398. No worldly thing must hinder the service of God 575. How it is that Men fail so much in the service of God 626. Service performed unto God must be personal 589. Service to God must be like Himself 58. Rash inconsiderate service of God condemned 340. Service of God is persect freedome 378. The Ministers repetition in Sermons warrantable 82. The difference betwixt Sermons preached and Sermons printed 110. 639. A Sermon preached many years before may be the means of Salvation many years afâ—er 115. A good Sermon not to be so much questioned as practised 183. A Sermon not done till it be practised 253. How to recover spirituall sight 82. Sicknesse immediately inflicted by God 506. Commendable Silence 332. 668. The Silent Christian is the sound Christian 23. Silence in the cause of Gods honour condemned 478. The Simonist discovered 627. Slandering of our brother the danger thereof 134. Slanders of Wicked Men not to be regarded 238. Slanderers discovered 286. Not to be â—econciled to God before we sleep is very dangerous 83. The great danger of sleeping out Sermons 552. The sloathfull Christian described 217. Sloathfulâ—esse and luke-warmnesse in Religion fore-runners of evill to come 334. Spiritual sloath in the wayes of God reproved 398. Man to be a sociable communicative Creature 316. The different conditions of Men in
let them stay at Iericho till their beards be grown till they be well principled and enabled for the great work of the Ministry Many seem to be willing yet are loath to die A Gentleman made choice of a fair stone and intending the same for his grave-stone caused it to be pitched up in a field a pretty distance off and used often to shoot at it for his exercise Yea but said a wag that stood by you would be loath to hit the mark Thus many men build their Tombs prepare their Coffins make them death's-headrings with memento mori on them yet never think of death and are very unwilling to die embracing this present world with the greater greedinesse A Minister to be able and well furnished CAleb said to his men I will bestow my daughter upon one of you but he that will have her must first win Kiriath Sepher i. e. a City of Books he must quit himself like a man he must fight valiantly And certainly he that will be one of God's Priests an Ambassador of Christ a true Minister of the Word and Sacraments must not be such a one that runs before he is sent that hath a great deal of zeal but no knowledge at all to guid it But one that is called of God that hath lain long before Kiriath Sepher that hath stayed some time at the University and commeth thence full fraught with good learning such a one and such a one onely is a fit match for Caleb's daughter fit to be a dispencer of God's Word and Sacraments Dangerous to be sed uced by fals-Teachers ARistotle writeth of a certain Bird called Capri-mulgus a Goat-sucker which useth to come flying on the Goats and suck them and upon that the milk drieth up and the Goat growes blind So it befalls them who suffer themselves to be seduced by hereticall and false Teachers their judgment is ever after corrupted and blinded And as it is said in the Gospel If the blind lead the blind both fall into the ditch Tongue-Prayer not the onely Prayer IT is said that David praised God upon an Instrument of ten strings and he would never have told how many strings there were but that without all doubt he made use of them all God hath given all of us bodiâ—s as it were Instruments of many strings and can we think it musick good enough to strike but one string to call upon him with our tongues onely No no when the still sound of the heart by holy thoughts and the shrill sound of the tongue by holy words and the loud sound of the hands by pious works do all joyn together that is God's consort and the onely musick wherewith he is affected The way to have our Will is to be subject to God's Will IT is reported of a Gentleman travelling in a misty morning that asked a shepheard such men being greatly skilled in the Phyâ—iognomy of the Heavens what weather it would be I will be said the shepheard what weather pleaseth me and being courteously requested to express his meaning Sir â—aith 〈◊〉 it shall be what weather pleaseth God and what weather pleaseth God pleaseth me Thus a contented mind maketh men to have what they think fitting themselves for moulding their will into Gods will they are sure to have their will The excellency of good Government IT hath been questioned and argued Whether it were better to live under a Tyrannous government where everâ— suspition is made a crime every crime capital or under an Anarchy where every one may do what he lift And it hath been long since over-ruled That it is much better to live under a State Sub quo nihil liceat quà m sub quo omnia A bad government rather then none So then if the worst kind of government be a kind of blessing in comparision What then is it to be under an able Christian Ruler One that doth govern with counsel and rule with wisdom and under such Judges and Magistracy that do not take themselves to be absolute the Supream Authority but confesse themselves to be dependant that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like the Centurion in the Gospel and to give an account not onely to him that is Judge of quick and dead but also to the higher Powers on Earth if they should chance to forget themselves We must learn to live well before we desire to die AS old Chremes in the Comedy told clitipho his son a young Man without discretion who because he could not wring from his Father ten pounds to bestow upon his Sweet-heart had no other speech in his mouth but emori cupio I desire to die I would I were dead But what saies the old Man first I pray you know what it is to live and when you have learned that then if you be a weary of your life speak on Thus they that are so hasty to pronounce the sentence of death against themselves that wish themselves in their graves out of the world must first know what belongeth to the life of a Christian why it was given them by the Lord of life to what end he made them living souls what duties and service he requireth at their hands by that time these things are rightly considered they will be of another mind A negligent Christian no true Christian. IF a man should binde his son Apprentice to some Science or occupation and when he had served his time should be to seek of his Trade and be never a whit the more his Crafts-master in the ending of his years then he was at the beginning he would think he had lost his time and complain of the injury of the Master or the carelessness of the servant Or if a Father should put his Son to school and he alwaies should continue in the lowest Form and never get higher we should judge either great negligence in the Master or in the Scholar Behold such Apprentices or such Scholars are most of us The Church of God is the School of Christ and the best place to learn the Science of all Sciences Now if we have many of us lived long therein some of us twenty some thirty some fourty some fifty years c. and some longer and we no wiser then a child of seven Were it not a great shame for us What no forwarder in Religion then so O disgrace And may we not be condemned of great negligence in the matters of our salvation Hypocrisie may passe for a time undiscovered MAud Mother to King Henry the second being besieged in Winchester Castle counterfeited her self to be dead and so was carryed out in a Coffin whereby she escaped Another time being besieged at Oxford Anno 1141. in a cold Winter with wearing whitâ— â—pparel she got away in the snow undiscover'd Thus some Hypocrits by dissembling Mortification that they are dead to the world and by professing a snow-like purity
practick much more How many be there whose memories are richly stored with excellent rules of life whereof in their life they make little or no use Their memory doth not â—ffer them when they have occasion to be doing as if they had never known Commandemenâ—s or Creed they live like Inâ—idels or sons of Belial Wherefore as the eye of the body neâ—deth the light of the Sun to raise and convey the visible species unto it Even so doth the eye of our understanding need the light of the Sun of Righteousnesâ— to stir up and present unto it the Principles of grace whereof it hath need in the well ordering of our life without this actual grace our Memory will never make use of the habitual Contentment keeps up the Soul in the saddest of conditions A Marriner when he is at Sea let him have never so much provision in his Ship yet if he be thousands of leagues from the shore or in a rode that he shall not meet with a Ship in three or four moneths if he have never a lanthorne in his Ship nor any thing whereby he can keep a candle light in a storm he would be but in a sad condition he would give a great deal to have a Lanthorn or something that may serve instead of it when a storm riseth in the night and he cannot have any light above board but what is presently puffed out his condition must needs be lamentable Thus many men can keep in the light of comfort when there is no storm but let there come any affliction any storm upon them their light is soon puffed out and then what shall they do But when the heart is once furnished with the grace of contentment as it were the lanthorn on the decks of the ship it will keep comfort in the spirit of a Man it will keep up a light in the soul whatsoever storms or tempests of temptations shall come into it and keep out whatsoever may damp the comfort or put the light out of it Outward blessings do not alwayes make a blessed Man WAs Abraham rich so was Abimelech Was Iacob rich so was Laban too Was David a King so was Soul Was Constantine an Emperor so was Iulian Was Iohn a Disciple so was Iudas Thus Riches Honours and Preferments though the blessings of God yet they are no demonstrations of a blessed Man What a wise good God have we Lest any man should take them to be ill they are bestowed on them that are good and lest any man should reckon them for the chief good they are likewise cast upon the wicked A wicked man hardly drawn to examine himself IT is reported of the Elephant how unwilling he is to go into the water but being forced he puddles it lest by the cleerness of the stream he should discern his own deformity This is the condition of every wicked man he is loath to look into himself had rather put the candle out at the door then go with it into his house to make any discoveries there either he thinks he is so good as he needs not examine or he thinks he is so bad that he is loath to examine himself Pride the complement of all sins AS Tertullian calleth the Commandement that God gave Adam in Paradise Matricem omnium praeceptorum Dei The Matrix or wombe of all the Commandements of God And as Theodoret calleth Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A very Ocean of all Divinity And as some have called Rome Epitomen Universi An Epitome or Abridgement of the whole world So it may be said of Pride that it is the sum of all naughtiness and a very Sea of it a complicated sin there is no sin almost but Pride participates with it It is a kind of Idolatry Hab. 1. 16. a kind of drunkenness Esay 48. 9. a kind of Sacriledge Esay 26. 12. a kind of Murther Hab. 2. 5. c. Thus as Aristotle saith out of Theognis That in Justice all vertues are couched 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 summarily so it may be said of Pride that in it all vices are as it were in a bundle lap'd up together A meer Souldier an Enemy to peace WE read in Plutarch of one Demades who by profession was a maker of Coffins and he was banished out of the City of Athens for wishing that he might have good trading that wise State truly interpreting the language of his wish as desiring some epidemical disease his private profit being inconsistent with the publique flourishing of the Common-wealth So those people who are undone and cannot live but by undoing of others who live by the sword who as Demetrius by this craft get gain desiring a perpetuity of War for their possession certainly wish no good either to Church or State where they are but must needs be State-Barrettors to keep the sore alwayes raw betwixt the Prince and People Mortalities Memorandum ORigen after he had chosen rather facere periculose quà m perpeti turpiter to burn Incense to the Heathen Gods than to suffer his body to be defiled by a Blackmoor and the flower of his chastity which he had so long preserved to be some way blasted at a Church in Ierusalem goeth into the Pulpit openeth the Bible at all adventures intending to preach upon that Text which he should first light upon but falling upon that Verse of Psalm 50. But to the wicked saith God what hast thou to do to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldst take my Covenant in thy mouth which contained his suspension shutteth his book speaketh not a word more but Comments upon it with his tears So me thinks when any man shall read that Text Man goeth to his long home and the 〈◊〉 go about the streets In which he shall find his capitall doom written he cannot do better then follow that Fathers president and shut up not onely his book but his mouth also and seal up his lips and comment upon the coherence with distraction the parts with passion the notes with sighs the periods with groans and the words with tears For alas as soon as a Man cometh into his short booth in this world which he saluteth with tears he goeth to his long home in the next world And the mourners go about the streets Worldly men look after worldly things IT is storied of Henry the fourth of France asking the Duke of Alva if he had observed the Eclipses happening in that year he answered That he had so much business on Earth that he had no leisure to look up to Heaven A sad thing it is for men to be so bent and their hearts so set on the things of this world as not to cast up a look to the things that are in Heaven nay not to regard though God brings Heaven down to them in his word and Sacraments yet so it is most men are of this Spanish Generals mind witness the Oxen
the Farms the pleasures the profits and preferments that men are so fast glued unto that they have hardly leisure to entertain a thought of any goodness Goodness and Greatness seldom meet together IN our natural bodies the more fat there is the lesser blood in the veins and consequently the fewer spirits and so in our fields aboundance of wet breeds aboundance of tares and consequently great scarcity of Corn And is it not so with our souls The more of God's blessing and wealth the more weeds of carnality and vanity and the more rich to the world the less righteous to God commonly What meant Apuleius to say that Ubi uber ibi tuber but to signifie that pride and arrogance are companions to plenty And what made Solomon to pray against fulness Prov. 30. but to shew that as they must have good brains that will carry much drink so they must have extraordinary souls that will not be overcome with the world Goodness and greatness do seldom meet together as Asdrubal Haedeus said in Livy Rarò simul hominibus bona fortuna bonaque mens datur Who is the man except it be one of a thousand Cui praesens faelicitas si arrisit non irrisit but if the world ran in upon him he would soon out-run it Perseverance is the Crown of all good actions WHatsoever is before the end it is a step whereby we climb to the top of salvation but it is not the uppermost griece whereby the highest part of the top may be taken hold of A man may be tumbled down from the ladder as well when he is within a round or two of the top as when he is in the midst or below the miâ—st And a man may make Shipwrack when he is within ken of land as when he is a thousand miles off What had it profited Peter to have escaped the first and second Watch if he had stuck at the iron gate and had not passed through that also VVho maketh account of land-oats that shead before the Harvest or of fruit that falls from the tree before it be ripe It is not to begin in the spirit and end in the slesh not a putting of the hand to the Plow and looking back but a constant perseverance to the end that shall be crowned Prayers of the godly the unanimity of them WE read of Ptolomeus Philadelphus King of Egypt that he caused the Bible to be translated by seventy Interpreters which seventy were severally disposed of in seventy several cells unknown each to other and yet they did so well agree in their several translations that there was no considerable difference betwixt them in rendring the Text an argument that they were acted by one and the same spirit Surely then it must needs be a great comfort to all good Christians when they shall call to mind what seventy nay seventy times seventy yea seventy hundreth yea seventy thousand which are peaceable in Israel which on the bended knees of their souls pray daily unto God for peace And though they know not the faces no not the names of one another have neither seen nor shall see one another till they meet together in Heaven yet they unite their votes and center their suffrages in the same thing that God would restore peace and order both in Church and State and to every particular member therein that we may yet live to have comfort one of another who no doubt shall have a comfortable return of their prayers in Gods due time The powerful effects of Rhetorical Elocution THe breath of a man hath more force in a Trunk and the wind a louder and sweeter sound in the Organ-pipe then in the open air So the matter of our speech and theam of our discourse which is conveyed through figures and forms of Art both sound sweeter to the ear and pierce deeper into the heart there is in them plus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more evidence and more efficacy they make a fuller expression and deeper impression then any plain rough-hewen long-cart-rope speeches or language whatsoever can do A Caveat for unworthy Communicants MR. Greenham in one of his Sermons speaking of Non-residents wisheth that this Inscription or Motto might be written on their study-doors without and walls within on all their books they look in beds they lie on tables they sit at c. The price of blood The price of blood The like were to be wished for to all that have been bad Communicants that in great letters it were written on their shop doors without walls within on all their doors on their day-day-books and debt-debt-books and whatsoever objects are before their eyes The guilt of blood the guilt of blood even the guilt of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ who dyed for them Every good Minister to speak a word in season opportunely EVery Husbandman as he hath so he observeth the seasons to sow his seed and his ground to cast his corn into some he soweth in the Autumn fall of the leaf some in the Spring and renewing of the year some in a dry season some in a wet some in a moist clay some in a sandy dry ground as the Holy Ghost speaketh He soweth the Fitches and the Cummin and casteth in Wheat by measure Esay 28. 25. Thus the spiritual Husbandman dealeth with the husbandry of his God he hath his seed for all seasons and for all grounds and all hearts some for the time of judgement some for the time of mercy some for the season of mirth and mourning as wet and dry seasons some for the birth and burial as for the Spring and Fall some for them who sorrow in Sion and some for them that rejoyce in Jerusalem Esay 6. 2. Pardon of sins the onely comfort A Traitor that is condemned to death may have the liberty of the Tower to walk in and provisions of meat and drink appointed at the States charges yet he takes little comfort in either because his Treason is not pardoned and he expects daily to be drawn to execution Thus a man that hath the advantage of all these outward things if he want assurance of the pardon of his sins and of Gods love in Christ Jesus to his soul they will be but as miserable comforters to him and he cannot take any true delight in them The difference betwixt Sermons preached and Sermons printed SErmons preached are for the most part as showres of rain that water for the instant such as may tickle the ear and warm the affections and put the soul into a posture of obedience hence it is that men are oft-times Sermon-sick as some are Sea-sick very ill much troubled for the present but by and by all is well again as they were But printed sermons or other discourses are as snow that lies longer on the Earth
to the eye diversity of objects If thou go to it in decent and seemly apparel shalt thou not see the like figure if dejected and in coorse Rayment will it not offer to thy view the same equal proportion Do but stretch thy self bend thy brow and run against it will it not resemble the like person and actions Where now is the change shall we conclude in the glass No for it is neither altered from the place nor in the nature Thus the change of love and affection is not in God but in respect of the object about which it is exercised if one day God seem to love us another day to hate us there is alteration within us first not any in the Lord we shall be sure to find a change but it must be when we do change our wayes but God never changeth such as we are to our selves such will he be to us if we run stubbornly against him he will walk stubbornly against us vvith the froward he will be froward but with the meek he will shew himselfe meekly yet one and the same God still in vvhom there is not the least shadow of change imaginable Adversity rather then Prosperity is the preserver of Piety PLutarch in his Book of Conjugal Precepts maketh use of that knovvn Parable hovv the Sun and the Wind vvere at variance whether of them should put a man beside the Cloak vvhich he had upon his back vvhile the wind blevv he held it the harder but the Sun with the strength of his beams made him throw it away from him And Ice we know that hangeth down from the eves of the House in frosty weather is able to endure the stormy blasts of the sharpest Nothern wind but when the Sun breaks our it melts and falls away Thus it is that Adversity and Necessity are rather preservers of Piety then plenty and prosperity Prosperity makes many men lay aside that clean vesture of purity and innocency which they buckled hard to them while they were trained up in the School of Affliction prosperity melts them down into vanity whilst adversity lifts them up into glory The thought of Gods omnipresence a great comfort in affliction THere is mention made of a company of poor Christians that were banished into some remote parts and one standing by seeing them passe along said That it was a very sad condition those poor people were in to be thus hurried from the society of men and to be made companions wth the beasts of the field True said another it were a sad condition indeed if they were carried to a place where they should not find their God but let them be of good chear God goes along with them and will exhibite the comforts of his presence whithersoever they go he is an infinite God and filleth all places Thus as every attribute of God is a breast of comfort not to be drawn dry so this of his omnipresence is none of the least that he is both where we are and where we are not he is in the midst of our enemies we think that they will even swallow us up alive but God our best friend is with them to confound all their devices and insatuate their Counsells our friends our relations of Wife and Children if they be taken hence God is with them and God is with us too on all occasions in all conditions he is ordering all things for his Childrens good The downfall of Piety and Learning to be deplored BOys Sisi the French Leiger in England enquiring what Books Dr. Whitguift then Archbishop of Canterbury had published was answered that he had onely set forth certain Books in defence of the Ecclesiastical Government and it was incidently told him beside That he had founded an Hospital and a School at Croydon in Surry uttered these words Profectò Hospitale ad sublevandam paupertatem erudiendam juâ—entutem sunt optimi libri quos Archiepiscopus scribere potuit Truly an Hospital to sustain the poor and a School to train up youth are the worthiest Books that an Archbishop could possibly set forth And certainly such was the piety such the charity of former times that in this Kingdom of ours a man might have run and read in many such Books the Founders bounty and Munificence witnesse those Ramahs those Schools for the Prophets those Colledges in both the Universities so well filled so orderly governed and so richly endowed But of late how faintly did those streams run which were wont to make glad the City of our God How were those breasts dryed up that once nurst up so many Kiriath-Sepher made Kiriath-Havala a Kingdom of learning fairly onwards on the way to be made a Kingdom of ignorance and Seminaries of sound learning and saving knowledge likely to be Seedâ—plots of barbarous ignorance and intolerable presumption The exceeding bounty of God WE read of a Duke of Millain that marrying his daughter to a son of England he made a dinner of thirty courses and at every course gave so many gifts to every guest at the Table as there were dishes in the course This you 'l say was rich and Royal entertainment great bounty yet God gives much more largely Earthly Princes are fain to measure out their gifts why because their stock is like themselves finite but the Treasury of God's bounty is puteus inexhaustibilis never to be drawn dry It is he that gives the King his Royalty the Nobleâ—man his Honour the Captain his strength the Rich man his wealth c. And as Nathan said to David If all this were too little he would give yet much more To wait with Patience God's leisure DAvid being assured that he should see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living did not faint but expect with patience the time appointed Psal. 27. 13. The Husbandman patiently expecteth the time of Harvest The Mariner waits with content for wind and tide and the VVatch-man for the dawning of the day So must the faithful learn patience in all their troubles not to make haste or mourn as men without hope but tarry the Lords leisure and he in the fittest season will comfort their drooping souls He that shall come will come and will not tarry Heb. 〈◊〉 To be mindful of the day of Death IT is written of the Philosophers called Brachmanni that they were so much given to think of their latter end that they had their graves alwayes open before their gates that both going out and coming in they might be mindful of their death And it is reported of the women in the Isle of Man that the first Web they make is their winding sheet wherewith at their going abroad they usually guird themselves to shew that they are mindful of their Mortality And thus though we have not our graves digged before our eyes nor carry about us the ugly gastly picture of death yet let us carry
in our hearts the true picture of our death a sense of our mortality a consideration of Eternity and in all our doings to remember our latter end and then we shall never do amiss Eccles. 7. 36. The ruine of the Churches enemies to be desired THe Landgrave of Hesse a mild and gratious Prince but whose clemency was much abused being cast by adventure on a Smiths forge over-heard what the Smith said all the while he was striking his Iron Duresce inquam duresce utinam Landgravius durescat And truly the presumption of some amongst us is such in corrupting the truth with their books and opposing it with their heresies that all true-hearted Protestants are generally of the Smiths mind to wish those sons of Belial that flie-blow Religion and blast the Laws of the Kingdom with their stinking breath placing their greatest piety in the greatest mischiefs they can bring to Church and Common-wealth may feel the mettal harder that by a just law is tempered for such kind of spirits as they are of The necessity of Catechising BEda maketh mention of one returning out of England to Aidanus a Religious Bishop in Scotland complaining that the people little profited by his preaching to whom Aidanus answered that it was perhaps because he did not after the manner of the Apostles give them milk first i. e. principle them well in the foundation of Christian Religion And it is most true that super structures must needs down where the ground-sills are not well laid that the onely way to encrease knowledge is by knowledge of the Principles of Religion being thus grounded there will be an ability to judge of truth and false doctrine so that men will not so easily be carryed about with every wind of doctrine as the prophane and ignorant multitude be such as are tiling the house when they should be laying fast the foundation such as think they move in a circle of all divine knowledge when God knows they know little or nothing at all Time well spent THere is a story of a certain holy Man who at first had led a dissolute life and chancing on a time into the company of a godly honest man was so wrought on by his holy perswasion such is the force of good Society that he utterly renounced his former course of life and gave himself to a more private austere moderate and secluse kind of living the cause whereof being demanded by one of his old consorts who would have drawn him such is the nature of evil company to his usuall riot and excess he made this answer I am busie meditating and reaâ—ing in a little look which haâ—h but three leaves in it so that I have no leisure so much as to think of any other business And being asked a long time after whetâ—er he had read over the book replied This small book hath but three leaves and they are of three several colours red white and black which contain so many mysteries that the more I meditate thereon the more sweetness I find so that I have devoted my self to read thereon all the days of my life In the first leaf which is red I meditate on the passion of my Lord and Saviour Christ Iesus and of his pretious blood shed for a ransom of my sins and the sins of all his Elect without which we had been bondslaves of Sathan and fewell for hell-fire In the white leafe I cheer up my spirits with the comfortable consideration of the unspeakable joys of the heavenly Kingdom purchased by the blood of Christ my Saviour In the third leafe which is black I think upon the horrible and perpetual torments of Hell provided and kept in store foâ— the wicked and ungodly Here 's a good man a good book and a good example well met together Would but the men of this world carry this book of three leaves in their hearts and meditate often thereon it would restrain their thoughts bridle their affections and center all their words and actions within the limits and boundaries of the fear of God but alas men like Nabal are so busied about white Earth red Earth and black Earth in gathering and scraping of transitory trash or have so prostituted their affections unto carnal pleasures and delights that they spend their time like Domitian in catching of flyes or like little children in running after butter-flyes so that they have little or no leisure to think either of God or any goodness and so on a sudden the Sun of their pleasure setteth the day of their life endeth the night of their death cometh and like a man walking in the snow not seeing his way they chop into their graves before they be aware A child of God is best known by his affections to God A Father lying on his death-bed called three children to him which he kept and told them that one onely of them was his natural son and that the rest were onely brought up by him therefore unto him onely he gave all his goods but which of those three was his own son he would not in any wise declare VVhen he was dead every one pleaded his birth-right and the matter brought to tryall the judge for the making if possible a true discovery took his course He caused the dead corps of the Father to be set up against a Tree and commanded the three sons to take bows and arrows to shoot against their Father to see who could come neerest to his heart The first and second did shoot and hit him but the third was angry with them both and through natural affection of a child to a Father threw away his bow and would not shoot at all This done the Judge gave sentence that the two first were no sons but the third onely and that he should have the goods The like tryall may be made of God's children Can the drunkard be God's child that gives him vineger and gall to drink No he is a child of the Devil Can the blasphemous swearer that rends God in peices and shâ—ots him through with his dart as it is said of the Egyptian when he blasphemed that he smote or pierced through God's name Levit. 24. 11. No he is a Devill incarnate whereas a child of God is discovered by his affections to his God he makes conscience of an Oath his tongue is the trumpet of God's glory he possesseth his vessel in holiness and if at any time he sin against God as who is it that doth not If he chance to shoot at God a bitter word and unclean thought a sinful act it is as Jonathan did at David either short or over seldom or never home In a word such is his care his zeal his love to his God that if he sin by infirmity he returns by Repentance immediately Iudges and Magistrates are to be the Patrons of Justice IT is reported of a Lord Maior of London that giving order to an
those times when the Roman Common-wealth was almost consumed with mutuall and civill jars he would have built a Temple Iovi positorio wherein men should have deposited and layen down all heart-burnings all quarrells before they entred the Senate How necessary were such a place for the Magistrates Ministers and People of these times For Magistrates before they come into any places of publique judicature where they may meet and lay down all private thoughts all prejudicate opinions that so Iustice and Iudgement may be duly and conscionably administred For Ministers before they preach in publique where they may teach themselves the lessons of self-denial and self-seeking that so the Kingdom of Iesus Christ may be advanced For People before they touch the Mount before they come to hear the word preached or to partake of the blessed Sacrament where they may lay aside all carnall and worldly thoughts all prejudices of the Ministers and Ordinances that so the word of God and the professors thereof be not evil spoken of That Magistrates Ministers and People may be so peaceably minded that the God of peace may delight to dwell amongst them How it is that we may hate our Enemies IT was a true Norman distinction that William the first made when he censured one that was both Bishop of Bayens and Earl of Kent And his Apology to the Plaintiffe Pope-ling was this That he did not medle with the Bishop but with the Earl Thus in the matter of hatred and envy We must hate our enemies as David did his How is that Odio perfecto with a perfect hatred love their persons but hate their vices medle not with them as they are friends or acquaiutance but abhominate their uncleannesse c. Riches ill gotten never prosper SAlis onus unde venerat illuc abiit saith the Latin Proverb The burthen of Salt is returned thither from whence it came The occasion was this A Ship laden with Salt being torn by wrack let the Salt fall into the Sea from whence it was first taken So for the most part Goods gotten by spoil or plunder are usually lost in the same way Vespasian's Officers that by rapine and exaction filled themselves like spunges after they were full were squeezed by the Emqerour And it is dayly seen that the spoiler is himselfe spoiled and that which was gathered by the hire of a Whore returneth to the wages of an Harlot Mich. 1. 7. The excellent connexion of the Scriptures of God THe Heathen said That there were three things impossible to be done Eripere Iovi fulmen Herculi clavam Homero versum to pull Iupiters Thunder-bolt out of his hand Hercules Club out his hand and a Verse from Homer for they thought there was such a connexion between Homers Verses that not one Verse could be taken away without a great breach in the whole Work But this may much more be said of the Scriptures of God there is such a coherence such a connexion such a dependance that if you take away but one Verse the whole will be marred all the Books of Scripture being like a chain linked together except the Book of Solomons Proverbs which is like a bag full of gold Rings every verse being one entire and distinct sentence God the onely delight of his children LEt Iacob but hear that Ioseph his son is yet alive he hath enough If the King come home with freedom honour and safety Ziba may keep the Land let him take all Mephiâ—oshtch is satisfied Could but the son of Hamor match with Dina his Circumcision shall be endured and though the daughters of the Country be denyed him yet shall he be well contented Give but Rahell children and she will not dye And let Simeon see his Saviour and he will dye Thus let God's children enjoy but him the subject of their affections tide life tide death come what can come whatsoever befals them they are contented he is the onely object of their love and he it is in whom their soul principally delighteth wherefore in the enjoyment of him they have all they would have A faint-hearted Christian described SOme freshwater Souldier standing upon the shore in a fair day and beholding the Ships top and top-gallant in all their bravery riding safety at Anchor thinks it a brave thing to go to Sea and will by all means aboard but being out a league or two from the Harbour and feeling by the rocking of the Ship his stomack begin to work and grow sick and his soul even to abhor all manner of meat or otherwise a storm to arise the wind and the Sea as it were conspiring the sinking of the Vessel forthwith repents his folly and makes vows that if he but once be set ashore again he will bid an eternal farewel to all such Voyages And thus there be many faint-hearted Christians to be found amongst us who in calm dayes of Peace when Religion is not over-clouded by the times will needs join themselves to the number of the people of God they will be as earnest and as forward as the best and who but they yet let but a Tempest begin to appear and the Sea to grow rougher than at the first entry the times alter troubles raised many cross minds of opposition and gain-saying begin to blow they are weary of their course and will to shore again resolving never to thrust themselves into any more adventures they would have Christum but not Christum crucifixum Christ they would have by all means but Christ crucified by no means if the way to Heaven be by the gates of Hell let who will they will not go that way but rather sit down and be quiet Diligence in our callings commendable PLiny relateth of one Cressinus who from a very little piece of ground gathering much wealth and much more then his neighbours could from a greater quantity of land was thereupon accused of Witch-craft But to defend himself he brought into the Court his servants and their instruments of labour and said Veneficia mea Quirites haec sunt My witch-crafts O ye Romans are these these servants and these working tools are all the witch-craft that I know of I say not to my servants go and do this or that but come let us go do it and so the work goes on Well it is the deligent hand that maketh rich It is diligence and industry that makes any man excellent and glorious and chief in any condition calling or profession Seest thou a man diligent in his way he shall stand before Princes Different measures of Grace in different persons AS Abimelech's Souldiers some cut down greater branches some lesser according to the proportion of their strength And as St. Paul's Mariners some were saved on boards some on broken pieces of the Ship Even so amongst Christians some in their approaches unto God carry a greater some a lesser confidence
you which he applying to himself besought St. Augustine to strengthen him in the Truth as Christ commanded Peter Tu conversus confirma fratres which task he so well performed that with a little travell in a short space two twins were brought forth to the Church at one time Thus the VVord of God whether heard or read Non ut sonus non ut litera not as it is ink and paper not as it is a sound or collision of the Air but as it is an Instrument of God and the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1. 16. maketh the man of God perfect 2 Tit. 3. 17. It frameth and mouldeth the heart it printeth it like a stamp melteth it like wax bruiseth it like a hammer pricketh it like a nail and cutteth it asunder like a sword A good mans life preserved for the good of others RIvers of themselves would run the straightest and directest way to the Sea as being greedy to pay tribute unto their great Master the Ocean but God in his wise disposal of all things hath set here a Mountain there a hill in the way that so by turning and winding now this way now that way and going further about they might enrich the earth as they pass along with fertility and abundance Thus a good man and a good Christian man having but once tasted of Gods love O how he desires to be dissolved and to be with Christ he prayes but still with reference to Gods will that his hope may be turned into fruition his faith into vision and his love into perfect comprehension but God in his providence hath resolved upon the negative that his dayes shall be prolonged to do good unto others that he may be serviceable in his place to him and his Country The great difference of both good and bad in life and death THe Hawk flies high and is as highly prized being set upon a pearch vervel'd with the gingling bells of encouragement and carryed on his Master's fist but being once dead and picked over the pearch is cast upon the dunghill as good for nothing The Hen scrapes in the dust not any thing rewarded when she is alive but being dead is brought as a choice dish to her Master's Table Thus wicked men are commonly set in high places and prosper in this life and good men lye groveling with their mouths in the dust as the very underlings of the world but being once dead the one is cast into the dungeon of Hell the other advanced to the Kingdom of Heaven the one is into Abrahams bosom whilst the other is tormented with the Devil and his Angels Opportunities of sin to be avoided ST Augustine in his Confessions maketh mention of his friend Alipius that having resolved with himself never to look upon the Fencers prizes was up on a time through the importunity of his friends drawn along to the Theater where these bloody sports were performed protesting that he would keep his eyes shut all the while and not so much as once open them yet it so fell out that upon a sudden great shout of the people be looked about to see what the matter was whereupon he became another man and altered his former course so that his hatred to the sport was turned into love and liking of it It is opportunity we say that makes Thieves Look what a clear fountain is to the thirsty what a shade to the scorâ—hed Traveller such is occasion to a man that is accustomed to do evil He that walketh in the Sun is suâ—e to be tan'd he that toucheth Pitch shall be defilâ—â— Physitians may converse with sick men and cure them but if their diseases be dangerous contagious they will not easily adventure on them lest that in curing others they should kill themselves Vices are of the same nature and vitiouâ— persons and places are alike dangerous and therefore to be shunned How the good and the bad look upon death in a different manner A Child at School when he seeth one riding Post through the streets as if he would run over him or tread upon him cryeth out But when he perceives that it is his Father's man sent to bring him home from School all the feaâ— is past then he laugheth and rejoyceth So whilst men are in the state of nature they look upon Death as an Enemy as a spoyler as one that would bereave them of all their worldly delights but being once the sons and daughters of God by adoption then they apprehend Death as their Heavenly Father's man riding on the pale horse sent to bring them home from a prison on Earth to a place of perfect liberty in Heaven The confidence of much knowledge an argument of no knowledge THales sent the golden Tripos which the Fisher-men took up in their Net and the Oracle commanded to be given to the wisest to Bias Bias to Solon and then they had but seven wise men and if you will but believe the times there are now hardly so many fools to be found If such a thing were now to be had we should all fight for it as the three Goddesses did for the golden apple we are so wise We have now women Polititians women Preachers Preaching Souldiers Teaching Tradesmen Children Metaphysitians every silly fellow can square a Circle make perpetual motions find out the Philosopher's stone interpret the Revelation of St. John make new Theoricks new Logick dispute de omni scibili Town and Country are now so full of deified spirits divine souls that you may sooner find a God than a man amongst us we think so well of our selves and that is an ample Testimony a sufficient demonstration that there is a great deal of folly much ignorance much indiscretion to be found amongst us Afflictions follow the godly man close in this world HE that goeth towards the Sun shall have his shadow follow him but he that runneth from it shall have it flie before him So he that marcheth with his face towards the Sun of Righteousness that setteth himself to do the things that may be without offence to God and Man shall be sure to have afflictions close at his heels as for him that hath his back upon Christ that maketh a Trade of sin his sorrows and vexations of spirit like the shadow are still before him in this world but they will be sure to meet him in another How to read the Scriptures and books Apocryphal WHen Moses saw an Egyptian and an Israelite striving together he killed the Egyptian and saved the Israelite Exod. 2. 12. But when he saw two Israelites striving together he laboured to reconcile them saying Ye are brethren why do ye strive So when we read or see the Apocryphal books or Heathen story or Popish traditions contradicting the Scriptures As for instance Jacob cursed Simeon and Levi for murthering the Sichemites Gen. 49. 7. And Iudeth blessed God for killing
are many People that find out more mysteries in their sleep than they can well expound waking The Abbot of Glassenbury when Ethelâ—â—ld was Monk there dreamt of a Tree whose branches were all covered with Moâ—ks cowles and on the highest branch one cowle that out-toâ—t all the rest which must be expounded the greatnesse of this Ethelwold If they dream of a green Garden then they shall hear of a dead corps if they dream that they shake a dead man by the hand then there 's no way but death All this is a kind of superstitious folly to repose any such confidence in Dreams but if any man desire to make a right use of dreams let it be this Let him consider himself in his dreaming to what inclination he is mostly carried and so by his thoughts in the night he shall learn to know himselfe in the day Be his dreams lustfull let him examâ—â—e himself whether the addictions of his heart run not after the byas of Concâ—piscence Is he turbulent in his Dreams let him consider his own contentious disposition be his dreams revengefull they point out his malice Run they upon gold and silver they argue his covetousnesse Thus may any Man know what he is by his sleep for lightly Men answer temptations actually waking as their thoughts do sleeping Consultation with flesh and bloud in the waies of Heaven is very dangerous LOok upon a Man somewhat thick-â—ighted when he is to passe over a narrow bridge how he puts on his spectacles to make it seem broader but so his eyes beguile his feet that he falls into the brook And thus it is that many are droâ—â—ed in the whirle-pool of sin by viewing the passage to Heaven onely with the spectacles of 〈◊〉 and blood they think the bridgeâ— broad which indeed is narrow the Gate to be wide which indeed is straight and so ruinâ— themselves for ever The sad condition of adding sin to sin Mr. Fox in his Martyrology hath a story of the Men of Cockâ—am in Lancashire by a threatning command from Bonner they were charged to set up a Rood in their Church accordingly they compounded with a Carver to make it being made and erected it seemed it was not so beautiful as they desired it but with the hard visage thereof scared their Children Hereupon they refused to pay the Carver The Carver complained to the Iustice the Iustice well examining and understanding the matter answers the Townsmen Go to pay the Workman pay him get you home and mark you Rood better if it be not well-favoured to make a God it is but clapping a pair of horns on 't and it will â—erve to make an excellent Devill Thus when any man adds one sin to another when they add superstitious dotage covetous oppression and racking extortion to their worldly desires whereby they gore poor Mens sides and let out their very heart-bloods they shall find no peace of God to comfort but Devil enough to confound them Preaching and Prayer to go together IT is observed by those that go down into the deep and occupy their business in great waters that when they see the Constellation of Castor and Pollux appeare both together then it is the happy omen of a successfull voyage but if either of them appear single actum est de expeditione there 's small hope of thriving Thus it is that when Preaching and Prayer do meet together and like Hippocrates's two twins live arm in arm together not all praying and little or no preaching as some would have it nor all preaching and little or no praying as others would have it then is offered up that Sacrifice which unto God is made acceptable For praying and no preaching would not so well edifie his Church because where Visions fail the People perish and preaching without prâ—yer would not well beseem his Church which is called an house of prayer but both together will do exceeding well the one to teach us how to pray the other to fit us how to hear Man losing himselfe in the pursuit after knowledge Extraordinary HOunds that are over-fleet often out-run the prey in the pursuit or else tyred and hungry fall upon some dead piece of carrion in the way and omit the game Thus Man who onely hath that essentiall consequence of his Reason Capacity of Learning though all his time he be brought up in a School of Knowledge yet too too often lets the glass of his dayes be run out before he know the Author he should study hence it is that the greatest Epicures of Knowledge as Children new set to School turn from their lessons to look upon Pictures in their Books gaze upon some hard trifle some unnecessary subtilty and forget so much as to spell God How great a part of this span-length of his dayes doth the Grammaticall Critick spend in finding out the Construction of some obsolete word or the principal verb in a worn-out Epitaph still ready to set out a new book upon an old Criticisme How doth the Antiquary search whole Libraries to light upon some auncient Monument whilst the Chronicles of the Lord who is the Ancient of dayes are seldom looked into all of them so wearying the faculties of their understandings before hand by over-practising that when they come at the race indeed where their knowledge should so run that it might attain it gives over the course as out of breath before it have begun Slanders of wicked men not to be regarded LIvia wrote to Augustus Caesar concerning some ill words that had passed of them both whereof she was over-sensible but Caesar comforted her Let it never trouble you that Men speak ill of us for we have enough that they cannot do ill to us And to say truth above Hell there is not a greater punishment then to become a Sannio a subject of scorn and derision Ill tongues will be walking neither need we repine at their violence we may well suffer their words while God doth deliver us out of their hands Let it never trouble us that Men speak evill of us for we have enough that they can do no evill to us And withall whilst that the Derider dasheth in a puddle the dirt flyes about his own ears but lights short of Innocence the Mocker that casts aspersions on his brother over night shall find them all on his own cloaths next morning How to be truly Humble EPaminondas that Heathen Captain finding himself lifted up in the day of his publique triumph the next day went drooping and hanging down the head but being aked What was the reason of that â—is so great dejection made answer Yesterday I felt my selfe transported with vain glory therefore I chastise my selfe for it to day thus did Hezekiah thus David thus Peter and many others And so must it be with every truly humbled Man If he have not the
beware of Relapses in sin THe Workmans first care is to lay the foundation sure ne corruat left it fall like the house built on the sands the next to perfect the roofe ne perpluat that it do not rain through and rot the principals The Poet did put no lesse virtue into Tueri than into Quaerere nor will the Lawyer pass a Conveyance with a meer Habendum but he will have a Tenendum too The Physitian ends not the cure of his Patient with the cure of his disease but after all minds the preventing of a Relapse And so must we though we stand take heedlest we fall beware of Relapses in sin St. Peters Cavere ne excidatis is but an exposition of his Masters Memores estote both as fortifications against Recidivation we may fall therefore let us look to our standing we may be lead away the Devil will ventureto try us therefore let us not budg nor give him one foot of ground but if he beckens one way be sure to take the other He labours to trip up our heels and it must be our care to take heed of falling And as we desire to have our faith blessed into vision our hope changed into fruition our love into perfect comprehension our Repentance comforted with pardon our Charity crowned with glory and all our services rewarded with eternal life let us keep the Graces of Gods holy spirit ever in breath and motion alwayes in the Ascendent climing higher and higher till they come to the top of immortality And as when Rivers towards their end approach near unto the Sea then the Tide comes and meets them So when the course of our Piety draws near to the end of our life God comes and meets us comforts us with a taste of Heaven before our death and gives us after death the everlasting possession of it through Iesus Christ. Excellency of the Scripture-phrase EUripides saith the Orator hath in his well-composed Tragedies more sentences then saying And Thucidides hath so stuff'd every syllable of his History with substance that the one runs parallel along with the other Lysias his works are so well couch't that you cannot take out the least word but you take away the whole sense with it And Phocion had a speciall faculty of speaking much in few words The Cretians in Plato's time however degenerated in S. Paul's were more weighty then wordy Timanthes was famous in this that in his Pictures more things were intended then deciphered And of Homer it is said that none could ever peer him for Poetry Then how much more apt and apposite are these high prayses to the book of God rightly called The Bible As if it were as indeed it is both for fitnesse of terms and fulnesse of Truth the onely Book to which as Luther saith all the Books in the World are but waste-paper It is called the Word by way of eminency because it must be the But and boundary of all our words And the Scripture as the Lord Paramount above all other words or writings of Men collected into Volums there being as the Rabines say a Mountain of sense hanging upon every tittle of it whence may be gathered flowers and phrases to polish our spceches with even sound words that have a healing property in them far above all filed phrases of humane â—locution Christian Apparrelling THey that put on the Lord Jesus are cloathed with a fourfold garment First With a Garment of Christs imputed Righteousness 2. With a Garment of sanctification 3. With a Garment of protection 4. With a Garment of Glory The first Garment may be called a winters Garment quia tegit because it covers us The second a summers Garment quia ornat because it adorns us The third a Coat armour quia protegit because it keeps us safe The fourth a wedding-Garment quia admittit because there 's no admission to the supper of the Lamb without it The first three may be called our work-aday suits because we must put them on all the dayes of our lives but the fourth our Holiday-suit because we must not put it on till the week of our Pilgrimage in Baca be ended and the Saboth of our eternall rest in the new Jerusalem begun Changing of this life for a better no matter of griefe IF a Man should come to a Merchant and of two stones laid before him the one false and counterfeit the other true and precious and laying down the price of the worser should get the better Would ye think the Merchant had dealt hardly with him No he could not but would rather admire his love and courtesie in the bargain In like manner there are two lives proposed to all Men the one temporall the other eternal both these he sets to sale but he sels us the eternall Why then like silly Children are we sad because we have received the best it being a great favour to be taken from the evill to come Drunkennesse Whoredom c. the generality of them amongst us THere is a tale of St. Bridget that she heard the blessed Virgin say to her Son Rome is a fruitful Land to whom he answered sed zizaniae tantum onely fruitfull of tares And as Hugo Cardinalis said of Innocentius when he departed from Lyons in France That whereas there were four stews at his coming thither he had left them but one urbs tota lupanar that one reached from one end of the City to the other Thus it is that Drunkards were heretofore as rare as Woolvs in England now they are as common as Hogs Whores were like Owls onely night-birds now they keep open house pay scot and lot with their honest Neighbours Heretofore we had but some Families of Papists Schismaticks and Sectarians now there 's whole Colonyes Streets Lanes and Parishes of the brood of that spotted Harlot and crooked Generation Ministers to preach plainly as well as learnedly to the capacity of their Hearers IT is observable that the profoundest Prophets accommodated themsâ—lves to their Hearers capacities as of Fishes to the Egyptians droves of Cattle to the Arabians Trade and traffique to the Tyrians So our blessed Saviour tells his Fishermen that they shall be Fishers of men And after many plain Parables to the People as if the father the essential word had been at a losse for a fit word familiar and low enough for our dull and shallow apprehensions Whereunto saith he shall we liken the Kingdom of Heaven Yea the Evangelists spake vulgarly many times for their Hearers sakes even to a manifest incongruity In after ages those two great lights of the Church St. Augustine and St. Ambrose the one confesseth that he was fain to use some words sometimes to those Roman Colonies in Africa where he preached that were not Latine as ossum for os dolus for dolor floriet for florebit to the end they might
such occasions as this seldom fall out And certainly for women in Masks and Shewes to be apparel'd as men and men as women hath been alwaies a thing distastfull to them which are more sober minded as Tertullian condemneth it directly Nullum cultum à Deo maledictum invenio c. I find no apparell saith he cursed of God but a womans in a man according to that of Deut. 22. 5. especially in Showes and Plaies further adding out of another place Non amat fâ—lsum Author veritatis c. The God of verity loves not falsity every thing that is counterfeit before him is a kind of adultery Sorrow that is true is for the most part silent ST Bernard bewailing Gerhardus the Monk and his dearest brother saith At his death my heart failed me sed feci vim animo with much ado I dissembled my griefe lest affection should seem to overcome religion and whilst others wept abundantly Secutus ego siccis oculis invisum funus my self followed with dry eyes the happy Hearse by-standers with watry cheeks admiring whilst they did not pitty him but me that lost him Indeed whereas tears and words fail the blood leaveth the cheeks to comfort the heart and speech giveth place to amazement They are small miseries when he that hath them can presently tell the world of them Sorrow that is true is for the most part silent That observation of St. Peter is good Flevit sed tacuit he wept but was silent as if his eyes would in some sort tell what his tongue could in no sort utter The known Law of any Nation to be the rule of Obedience IT was the observation of a wise but unfortunate Peer of this Nation at the time of his Triall before an honourable Assembly That if a man should passe down the Thames in a boat and it be split upon an Anchor and a Buoy being not set as a token that there is an Anchor there that party that owes the Anchor should by the Maritime Law give satisfaction for the dammage done But if it were marked out then he must come upon his own perill And thus it is that the known Lawes of a Nation are made the rule of obedience to the People the plain Law and Letter of the Statute that tells where and what the crime is and by telling what it is and what it is not shewes how to avoid it For were it under water and not above skulking onely in the sense of some musty record and not divulged no human providence could avail or prevent destruction No true cause of Rejoycing in this world THere is a story of a certain King that was never seen to laugh or smile but in all places amongst all persons at all times he was very pensive and sad His Queen being much troubled at his melancholly requested a brother of his that he would ask him what was the cause of his continuall sadnesse He did so The King put him off till the next day for an answer and in the mean time caused a deep pit to be made commanding his servants to fill it half full with fiery coals and then causeth an old rotten board to be laid over it and over the board to hang a two edged sword by a small slender thread with the point downwards and close by the pit to set a table full of all manner of delicacies His brother comming next day for an answer was placed on the board and four men with drawn swords about him and withall the best musick that could be had to play before him Then the King called to him saying Rejoyce and be merry O my brother eat drink and laugh for here is pleasant being But he replyed and said O my Lord and King how can I be merry being in such danger on every side Then the King said Look how it is now with thee so it is alwaies with me for if I look about me I see the great and dreadfull Iudge to whom I must give an account of all my thoughts words and deeds good or evill If I look under me I see the endlesse torments of hell wherein I shall be cast if I die in my sins If I look behind me I see all the sins that ever I committed and the time which unprofitably I have spent If I look before me I see my death every day approaching nearer and nearer unto my body If I look on my right hand I see my conscience accusing me of all that I have done and left undone in this world And if I look on my left hand I see the creatures crying out for vengeance against me because they groaned under my iniquities Now then cease hence forward to wonder why I cannot rejoyce at the world or any thing in the world but continue sad and heavy Thus did but men consider their estates then would they find small cause to rejoyce at any thing which the world shall present as a thing delectable but rather employment enough for Argus his eyes yet all little enough to weep for the miserable estate wherein they stand by reason of sin and wickednesse Controversies especially in matters of Religion dangerous ON the Tomb-stone of the learned Sr. Henry Wotton late Provost of Eaton Colledge it is thus inscribed Hic jacet hujus sententiae Author Pruritus disputandi fit scabies Ecclesiae Here lies the Author of this sentence The itch of Disputation becomes the scab of the Church And very true How is Religion in a manner lost in the controversies of Religion For who is there that had not rather seem learned in the controversies of Religion then conscionable in the practice of Religion and that sets not more by a subtle head then a sanctified heart that had not rather disputare quam bene vivere dispute well than live well So that distraction in Religion becomes destruction of Religion Daily Examination of our selves the comfort of it SEneca tells of a Roman that kept his soul as clean as the best housewife keeps her house every night sweeping out the dust and washing all the vessells examining his own soul Quod malum hodie sanâsti qua parte melior es What infirmity hast thou healed what fault haste thou done and not repented in what degree art thou bettered Then would he lie down with O quà m gratus somnus quà m tranquillus With how welcome sleep and how quiet rest do I entertain the night And it were to be wished that all men would do the like to keep a day-day-book of all their actions and transactions in the world to commune with their own hearts and not to sum up all their words and works in the day passed with an Omnia bene as Church-wardens were wont to do when they gave up their presentments then would their nights rest be quiet and then might they lie down in safety for God himself would keep them Repentant tears
at first spread his glorious banner Act. 11. 26. that they might freely meet there and publiquely joyn together in the service of their God The motion he could not but know must be exceedingly unwelcome to the Emperor because he was an Arrian and so it proved For the Emperor tore his Petition and bade him ask something else but Terentius gathered up the torn pieces of the paper and said Hoc tantum desidero c. This I ask as a reward of my service and I will ask nothing else Here was a â—ree spâ—rited Man a true Christian Souldier that sum'd up all his service for the publique in an humble Petition for the Churche's good Dic mihi Musa virum Sâ—ow me such another Do men improve their Interest in great ones and make such use of opportunities as may conduce to the good of Gods cause and Religion They do not It is too too apparent that Men are too much byassed too much 〈◊〉 ended seeking quae sua non quae Christi their own things not the things of Iesus Christ preferring their own private gain and Worldly profit before the advancement of Gods true Religion Gods Omnipresence the consideration of it to be a restraint from Sin IT is the perswasion of Seneca to his Friend Lucilius for the better keeping of himself within compasse of his duty to imagine that some great Man some strict quick-sighted clear-brain'd Man such as Cato or Laelius did still look upon him And being come to more perfection would have him to fear no Mans presence more then his own nor any Mans testimony above that of his own Conscience and addes this Reason because he might flee from another but not from himself and escape another's censure but not the censure of his own Conscience Thus did but Men set God before their eyes and alwaies remember that his eyes are upon them it would be a notable bridle to pull them back and to hold them up when they are ready to fall into any Sin it would make them to watch over themselves that they did not do any wickednesse in his sight who is greater then their Consciences and so upright in his Iudgments that though Conscience may be silenced for a time and give no evidence or be a false Witnesse to the truth yet it is impossible to escape his sentence either by flight or any appeal whatsoever The holy Scriptures to be valewed above all other Writings JOsephus in his book of the Antiquities of the Iews maketh mention of one Cumà nus a Governor of Iudea that though he were but an Heathen and a Wicked Man yet he caused a Souldier to be beheaded for tearing a Copy of the Book of Moses Law which he found at the sacking of a Town And venerable in all Ages and amongst all Nations have been the books that contained the Laws either of their Belict or Politie as the Jews their Talmud the Romans the Laws of the twelve Tables the Turks their Alcoran and all Pagans the Laws of their Legislators And shall not Christians have then an high esteem of the holy Scriptures and deem them as the good old Christians did to be the Miroir of divine Grace and Mans misery the Touchstone of Truth the Shop of remedies against all evill the Hammer of Hereticks the Treasury of Virtue the Displayer of Vanities the Ballance of Equity and the most perfect Rule of all Truth and honesty Men to be forward in frequenting the Ordinances of God IT is a note of Mr. Calvin's upon that Text Seek ye my face Psal. 27. 8. That Superstitious People will go on Pilgrimage to the Image of such a Lady or such a Saint or to visite the Monument of the Sepulcher at Ierusalem and they will go over Mountains and through strange Countries and though they be used â—ardly and lose much of their estates sometimes in perils of false brethren other times in the hands of Arabian Robbers they satisfie themselves in this I have that I came for Alas What came they for the sight of a dumb Idol a meer nothing If they then will endure such hardship for the sight of a meer empty shadow How much pains should we take to see God in his Ordinances What though the way to Sion lie through the valley of Bacha Surely when God moves the hearts of Men to joyn with his People a little difficulty cannot hinder them they will be content to go through the valley of tears so as they may appear before God in Sion they will go through thick and thin rather then not go to Church at all And thus as it is prophesied of the Church of God that she should be called Sought out i. e. sought unto or sought after Esay 62. 12. It is heartily to be wished that it might be so a place had in high estimation and regard which out of respect and devotion Men would repair and resort unto encouraging others also so to do saying Come let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord that our hearts may be refreshed with the consolations of our God in the way of his Ordinances Experimental Knowledge the onely Knowledg IT is well known that the great Doctors of the World by much reading and speculation attain unto a great height of Knowledge but seldom to sound Wisdome which hath given way to that common Proverb The greatest Clerks are not alwaies the wisest Men It is not studying of the Politiques that will make a Man a wise Counsellor of Estate till his Knowledge is joyned with experience which â—eacheth where the Rules of State hold and where they fail It is not book-knowledge that will make a good General a skilfull Pilot no not so much as a cunning Artizan till that knowledge is perfected by practice and experience And so surely though a Man abound never so much in literal knowledge it will be far from making him a good Christian unlesse he bring precepts into practice and by feeling experience apply that he knowes to his own use and spirituall advantage The Church of the Gospel it 's amplitude above that under the Law THe Samaritans Inne was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it gave entertainment to all strangers Luk. 10. 34. In S. Peter's sheet were all sorts of Creatures four-footed Beasts and creeping things Act. 10. 11. The Net mentioned in S. Matthews Gospel caught all kind of Fish Chap. 13. 47. Ahashueru's Feast welcom'd all comers Esth. 1. 4. Such is the Church of the Gospel in its amplitude The Prophetical Gospel was hedg'd in and limited within the pale of Palestine but the Apostolical Gospel is spread over the face of the whole Earth Then it was lux modii a light under a bushell now lux mundi the light of the World Then the Prophets sang In Iudaea natus est Deus In Iury is God known his Name is great in Isâ—ael but now
whereof hath been a great inlet to Idlenesse negligence and ignorance in the study of Divinity Blessednesse of the Poor in spirit in the matter of Hearing Gods Word IT is fabled that when Iuno on a day had proclaimed a great Reward to him that brought her the best present there came in a Physitian a Poet a Merchant a Philosopher and a Beggar The Physitian presented a hidden secret of Nature a prescript able to make an old Man young again The Poet an Encomiastick Ode of her bird the Peacock The Merchant a rare hallow Iewell to hang at her ear The Philosopher a book of strange Mysteries The poor quaking Beggar onely a bended knee saying I have nothing that is worth acceptance Accipe meipsum Take my self Thus it is that many come unto God in the hearing of his Word with prescripts of their own they have receipts enow already they care for no more Others like the Poet come to admire Peacocks the gawdy Popinjayes and Fashionists of the time all to be dawb'd with gold and silver Feathers Others like the Merchant present Jewels but they are hallow they come with criticall or hypocritical humours like Carps to bite the net and wound the Fisher not to be taken Some like the Philosopher bring a book with them which they read without minding the Preacher saying They can find more Learning there then he can teach them But blessed are the poor in spirit that like the Beggar give themselves to God Iuno gave the reward to him and God gives the blessing to these It is a poor Reverently devoted heart that carries away the comfort Godlinesse in the humble dust of adoration that shall be lifted up by the hand of Mercy Christ to be our Example and Pattern of Imitation in life and death ST Hierome having read the life and death of Hilarion one that lived most Christianly and dyed most comfortably folded up the book saying Well Hilarion shall be the Champion that I will follow his good life shall be my Example and his godly death my President How much more then should each of us first read with diligence the life and death of Iesus Christ and then propound him to our selves as the most absolute pattern for our Imitation resolving by the Grace of God that Christ shall be the copy after which we will write the pattern which we will follow in all things that he hath left within the sphear of our Activity so also in that necessary duty of Preparation for death He did so Iob. 14. and we must do so For as in shooting there is a deliberate draught of the bow a good aym taken before the loose be given so if ever we look for comfort in death we must look at death through the preparation for it The greatest of things wrought by God without means AS when Gedeon was to fight with the Midianites pretending that his Army was but a few How many hast thou saith the Lord So many thousand They are too many The Lord will not have them all but commands them to be reduced to one half and yet there were too many the Lord would not work by them they were too strong At last he comes to make choyce of them by lapping in the water then they came to three hundred Men to fight against three hundred thousand For it is said they covered the Earth like Grashoppers And now the Lord begins to work by these Men. And how doth he work by Weapons No but with a few broken pitchers in their hands and they had the day of it the Midianites be delivered up into their hands as a prey This was a wonderful act of the great God who not tyed to means wrought out Victory by his own arm It is true that means and second causes he hath much honoured in the World and commands them to be used but when he comes to effect great things such as was the Redemption of Mankind by Christ such as shall be the Resurrection of the dead at the last day then such means and causes as seek to set him forward he rejects them and works not by them but the clean contrary The greater stench the bodies have sustained in the grave shall work it unto greater sweetnesse and the greater weaknesse it had the greater strength shall accrew unto it and wondrous puissance shall God work unto that part that lacked honour according to his blessed dispensation in all things Not to be Angry with our Brother A Railing Fellow fell very foul upon Pericles a Man of a Civil and Socraticaâ— spirit and he left him not all the day long but continued till he had brought him to his own doors in the Evening somewhat late at Night He all this while not returning one unbeseeming word commanded one of his Servants with a Torch to light the brawler home to his house Thus did he by the dim light of Nature And therefore if a brother offend us upon ignorance let us neglect it if upon infirmity forget it if upon malice forbear it upon what terms soever forgive it as we would have God to forgive us It is a saying That every Man is either a Fool or a Physitian so every Christian is either a Mad-man or a Divine A Mad-man if he give his passions the rein a Divine if he qualifie them The Natural Mans blindnesse in Spirituall things WHen Xeuxes drew his Master-piece and Nicostratus fell into admiration of the rarenesse thereof highly commending the exquisitenesse of the work there stood by a rich Ignorant who would needs know what he had discovered worthy of so great applause To whom Nicostratus made this answer My Friend couldst thou but see with my eyes thou wouldst soon see cause enough to wonder as well as I do Thus it is that the dear Children of God have inexhaustible treasure even in the midst of their poverty transcendent dignity in the midst of their disgraces heighth of tranquillity in the very depth of tribulation their pulse and Locusts relish better then all the Gluttons delicious fare their Sheep-skins Goat-skins and Camels hair wear finer then all the Purple and soft rayment the Worlds hate makes them happier then all the applauses of the Capitol Now the sensual carnal Naturalist sees none of all this he perceives not the things of the spirit neither indeed can he for they are spiritually discerned no Man knowes them but he that hath them but had he spirituall sight were but the scales fallen off from his eyes as they did from S. Paul's at the time of his Conversion then he would clearly see and say as the same S. Paul did That though we suffer tribulation in all things yet we are not distressed we are brought into perplexities yet we are not forsaken Negligent Hearing of Gods Word condemned A Servant coming from Church praiseth the Sermon to his Master He asks him What was the
so eeven in his sight that they may seem to be but one And doubtlesse we cannot come to true happinesse without the Knowledg of God through Faith in Christ We shall sink into endlesse errour unlesse we believe God the Father and God the Son to be the same in substance the same true and living God who is our onely Pilot to guide us in this way and teach us all things if all things then this Truth the ground of Truth the Knowledg of the Father and the Son Christ Iesus blessed for ever God a jealous God of his Honour VVHen the Empresse of Constantinople had let slip some words of Contempt against the Valiant Narses that she would make him spin amongst her Maidens It so enraged the injur'd Captain that he protested in his anger he would weave such a web as all their power should never be able to undo And thereupon in a deep revenge brought the Lombards into Italy Thus if the generous of all other injuries can least bear disgraces can it possibly be imagined but that if we speak contemptibly of Gods power if undervaluingly of his Wisedome if complainingly of his provisions if murmuringly of his providence or if impatiently of his corrections but that we do all things that we can to disgrace him and that he will be highly provoked for the same Christ freely discovering himself to all that truely seek him WHen Ennius sought his Friend at his house and asked his servant where his Master was the Master said to his servant Tell him I am not at home Which speech Ennius over-heard but took the answer from the servant Next day the same Man comes to Ennius his house and asked his servant where his Master was Ennius spake aloud Tell him I am not at home What sayes he will you deny yourself with your own tongue Why not said Ennius I believed when but your Man told me you were not at home and will not you believe me which say so myself Thus the Ministers and servants of Iesus Christ should shew Christ to all that diligently seek him but if there be any such as that servant which denied his Masters presence when he knew where he was as some which for belief in God bring Men to Romanam Ecclesiam Catholicam the Romane Catholick Church for Faith in Jesus Christ to Papa non potest errare the Pope cannot erre yet Christ is like Ennius he cannot deny himself he shewed himself to those wicked trayterous Iews that sought his life and surely he will make a gratious discovery of himself to those that truely seek him Sin to be looked on as it is fierce and cruel IT is usual with us to conceive of a Lyon or a Bear or a Dragon as indeed they are fearfull and terrible beasts but if we should see them painted on a wall they would not in the least dismay us though the Painter should use and bestow the best of his Art and the utmost of his skill in the laying of his colours to make them look most fierce And why because we know they are but painted And thus it is that the most of men look upon Sin as a dead thing onely painted out by the Oratory of witty Preachers and therefore they are nothing at all troubled But if they should chance to meet a living Bear or Lion in some open place gaping and ready to devour it would amaze them Just such is Sin of a murthering destroying Nature let every Man labour to see the life of it the danger of it the fierce gaping mouth of it and then it will make them to run for safety by repentance The book of Scripture to be preserved above all other books FRancis the first King of France questioned Budeus a good Scholler of his time that if all the Volumes in the World were doomed to the fire what one would he have his answer was Plutarch's works because they had the impression of all sciences And Thomas Aquinas chose rather to have Saint Chrysostome on Saint Matthews Gospel then the huge City of Paris Here now was a couple of Schollers choice But if the like Quaere were put to a sincere downright Christian his reply would be Epistolam Creatoris ad Creaturas the Epistle of the Creator to the Creature i. e. the book of holy writ not Lipsius de Constantia not Seneca de tranquillitate animi nor Boethius de consolatione animae would he make choice of but the holy Scriptures knowing very well that in them he shall find the way to everlasting life Sin and the Sinner very hardly parted OBserveable is the story of Phaltiel David had married Michol Saul injuriously gave her to another When David came to the Crown and was able to speak a word of command he sends for his wife Michol her husband dares not but obey brings her on her journey and then not without great reluctancy of spirit takes his leave of her But what Was Phaltiel weary of his wife that he now forsakes her No he was enforced and though she were gon he cast many a sad thought after her and never leaves looking till he sees her as far as Bahurim weeping and bemoaning her absence Thus Carnal and Unregenerate Men though for fear or some other Reasons they shake hands with their Sins yet they have many a longing heart after them they part and yet they are loath to part assunder Hence it is that as the Merchant throws away his goods in a storm because he cannot keep them So they in the times of sicknesse and distresse when the Sea grows high and the Tempest rageth when they begin to apprehend what Death is and what Hell is and know unlesse the Vessel be leighed they cannot be safe then they are hard at work heave overboard their Usury their drunkennesse their swearing and such like stuffe not out of hatred to them but love to themselves For if they could but continue in their Sins and be saved when they have done they would never part with them all How it is and why God loves us THe Ethnicks feign that their Gods and Goddesses for some lovely good loved certain Trees Jupiter the Oak for durance Neptune the Cedar for stature Apollo the Laurel for greennesse Venus the Poplar for whitenesse Pallas the Vine for fruitfulnesse But what should move the God of all gods to love us poor Wildings in this Fools Paradise here below Trees indeed but such as Saint Jude mentions corrupt fruitlesse twice dead and pluck'd up by the roots S. Bernard resolves it in three words Amat quia amat he loves us because he loves us The root of Love to us lieth in himself and by his communicative goodnesse the fruit is ours Naturall perswasions the invalidity of them in the point of true believing A Roman writ to Tully to inform him in something concerning the Immortality of the Soul Tully writ
back again unto him Evolve librum Platonis et nihil amplius est quod desideres Read saith he but Plato upon the same subject and you will desire no more The Roman returned him answer Evolvi iterum atque evolvi c. I have read it over saith he again and again but I know not whence it is when I read it I assent unto it but I have no sooner laid the book out of my hand but I begin to doubt again Whether the Soul be Immortal yea or no. So it is with all perswasion from Natural principles as to that extent of Doctrine it would perswade us of the perswasion that ariseth from them is faint and very weak It is true that Nature hath principles to perswade the Soul by to some kind of assent As that there is a God and he must be worshipped Look upon me saith Nature I have not a spire of grasse but tells thee there is a God See the variety greatnesse beauty of my work Read a great God in a great Whale or Elephant A beauteous God in a glorious flower A wise God in my choyce of Works Behold a God in the order thou hast seen in me See him in my Law written in thy heart From these and such like things Nature bequeaths a kind of Faith to the Soul and learns it Credere Deum to believe that there is a God but this is far from Credere in Deum Faith in the point of true believing Christ's Humanity asserted AS Alexander the Great however the Popular sort deified him yet having got a clap with an Arrow said Ye style me Jupiter's son as if immortal sed hoc vulnus clamat me esse hominem this bloud that issues from the wound proves me in the issue a Man this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bloud of Man not of God and smelling the stench of his own flesh asked his Flatterers If the gods yield such a sent So it may be said of Iesus Christ our Saviour though Myriads of Angels and Saints acclaim he is a God ergo Immortal And a crew of Hereticks disclaim him to be a Man as the Manichees denying the truth of hiâ— Humanity the Marcionites averring that he had a phantastical body Apeâ—â—es who conceived that he had a sydereal substance yet the streams of bloud following the arrow of Death that struck him make it good that he was perfect Man of a reasonable Soul and humane flesh subsisting Sinners crucifying the Lord of life daily THere is a story of one Clodoveyus a King of France that when he was converted from Paganism to Christianity while Rhemigius the Bishop was reading in the Gospel concerning the Passion of our Saviour and the abuses he suffered from Iudas and the rest of the Iews he brake out into these words O that I had been but there with my Frenchmen I would have cut all their throats In the mean time not considering that by his daily sins he did as much as they had done And thus it is that most of Men all sinfull Men condemn the crucifiers of Christ for their cruelty but never look into themselves who by their daily sins make him to bleed again afresh The proud Man plats a Crown of thorns upon his sacred Head the Sweater nails his hands and feet the Scorner spits upon him and the Drunkard gives him gall and Vinegar to drink Our Hypocrisie was the kisse that betrayd him the Sins of our bodies were and are the tormentors of his body and the Sins of our Souls were they that made his Soul heavy to death that caused the withdrawings of his Father's love from him and made him in the heavinesse of his panged Soul to cry out My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me To blesse God for the Revelation of himself in the Scripture IT is recorded of Ptolomey King of Egypt that however he had then gleaned up two hundred thousand Volumes he sent Demetrius the Keeper of his Library to the Iews to have a Copy of their Law the Book was sent and Seventy learned Men along with it that they might translate the same into Greek Ptolomey sets them to work puts them into severall Cells or Chambers that they might not converse together After some time and large expence every one returned his papers not varying in the least from the truth of the Original Such was the Love that Ptolomey had to the Law of God at that time that he spared no cost or pains till he had it being called the Septuagint at this day But how are we then bound to blesse God that we need not send so far or spend much to have the Book of the Law and the Gospel too the whole Scriptures not onely in our houses but in Gods house where they are read and orthodoxally expounded that it is but opening the casement and light flowes in upon us so that if the height of our thankfulnesse to God and the best of our desires be not thereto to know and to do we are not worthy the name of Christians Ranters Roaring boys c. their conversion not confusion to be endeavoured THeodoret maketh mention of the antient Donatists that they were so ambitious of Martyrdome as they accounted it that many of them meeting with a young Gentleman requested of him that he would be pleased to kill them He to confute their folly condiscended to their desire on condition that first they would be contented to be all fast bound which being done accordingly he â—ook such order that they were all soundly whipt but saved their lives Thus when we hear such as they call Ranters Roaring Dammy-boyeâ— c. wish that God would damn sink or confound them hope that God will be more mercifull then to take them at their words and grant their desires and withall heartily desire that he would be pleased sharply to scourge them and soundly to lash them with the frights and terrors of a wounded Conscience the pain whereof would be so grievous unto them that they would without all doubt revoke their wishes as having little list and lesse delight to â—aste of Hell â—ereafter Christ the true Light THe Rabbines have a conceit concerning Noah that whilest the window of the Ark was shut he made use of some resplendent stone by whose rayes the objects of the sights presented themselves to the Organ of the eye being as it were the light of some Lamp or Candle unto them However the conjecture may be curious yet true it is that Christ is that stone which albeit the builders refused is now become the head of the corner a bright shining stone at whose presence the Moon is darkned and the Stars withdraw their light he is that lux illuminans at whose approach the light of the Moon becomes as the light of the Sun lux innata that true light that light of life not lux
strawes sticks mud or filth that it holds Thus it is with most Mens Memories by Nature they are but as it were pertusa dolia meer riven tubs especially in good things very treacherous so that the vain conceits of Men are apt to be held in when divine Instructions and gracious Promises run through trifles and toyes and Worldly things they are apt to remember tenacious enough but for spiritual things they leak out like Israel they soon forget them Psal. 106. 13. Sin the remainders thereof even in the best of Gods Children AS in a piece of ground even after the best and most accurate tillage some seeds and roots of those noysome weeds wherewith it was formerly much pestered will still remain and will be springing up be it never so sedulously never so assiduously managed So after the gracious work of Regeneration there will be a smatch of all Sin in some degree or other hence it it that Methodius an ancient Bishop of the Church compares the inbred corruption of Man's heart to a wild Fig-tree growing upon the wall of some goodly Temple or stately Pallace whereof albeit the main trunk of the stem be broke off and stump of the root be plucked up yet the fibrous strings of it piercing into the joynts of the stone-work will not utterly be extracted but will be ever and anon shooting and sprowting out untill the whole frame of the building be dissolved and the stone-work thereof be disjoynted and pull'd in pieces Four sorts of Men undertaking the work of the Ministery MArcus Antonius de Dominis that shufling Archbishop of Spalato then Dean of Windsor and furnished with a fair Mastership besides would needs put on for a good fat Parsonage in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of that Church Dr. Thomas White the same that founded Sion Colledg London being one of the Prebends opposed the motion hinting to the greedy Bishop the unevennesse of his desires by telling him that there were four sorts of Men that undertook the work of the Ministery quorum pascere quidam nec volunt-nec valent quidam valent sed non volunt quidam volunt sed non valent quidam et valent et volunt some that neither would nor could discharge it some that could but would not some that would but could not some that both would and could And thus it is that some are to be found in the midst of us who such is their ignorance that they neither will nor can divide the word aright such as leaping from the shopboard leave sowing of garments to make a rent in the Church or if by chance they looked upon the university they think themselves as suâ—ficiently inspired with the gift of Prophecy as he did with the gift of Poetry thaâ— dream't upon the top of Parnassus Others there are such is their unworthinesse that can but will not that are able but sloathful in the work of the Lord and look more after the Fleece then the Flock committed to their charge some also such is their unhappinesse that would but cannot as hindred by some natural imperfection in the want of Utterance weaknesse of Memory or the like Other some again such is their glory that both can and will deliver the whole truth of God preach in season and out of season to the great comfort of themselves and those thaâ— hear them How the Heart of Man may be kept up steady in troublous times TO make a Ship ride steady in the midst of a tempe stuous Sea Four things are required First she must be well-built strongly well-timberd not weak artificially well-moulded not tender-sided Secondly she must be down ballasted with some sad and ponderous lading Thirdly low-masteâ— and low-built may be added too for high-carved and Tant-masted Ships wilâ— fetch way in a stresse Fourthly Sure Anchor'd by which means though moved she may be said to live and keep her station Thus the Heart of Man if ever we think to have it steady and fixed in the midst of troublesome times if eveâ— we labour for stable and composed spirits that whatever Hurricano storms or raging Tempests come down upon the World upon the Church upon the places where we live or upon our selves we may be able to ride it out We must be built upon a sure foundation and that is Jesus Christ well timberd with sanctifying Graces down ballasted with sound Iudgment and true Christian direction Low-masted to be humble and lowly not heady and high-minded And lastly sure Anchored having a sound solid and substantial Faith Faith not fancy Hope not like that of the Hypocrite which shall be cut off Iob 8. 13. 14. To keep close to the word of God especially in times of trouble IT is reported by Mr. Fox of one Gregory Crow a Seaman that being wracked at Sea and having cast all overboard he kept his New Testament about his neck and so floating upon his broken mast was after four daies discovered by some Passingers taken off all Frozen benummed and as it were sodden by the continual washings of the water but which was most observeable he kept his book close to him Thus if ever we intend to keep our heads above water in the Sea of this troublesome World we must be sure to keep close to the Word of God and not to suffer it to depart from us let money wares Ship and all go ere we forego that So likewise in all our doubtfull Cases whether Vowes Oaths Marriages dealing with Men entercourse with God or any difficulty whatsoever go to the Law and to the Testimony for resolution being glad that God hath found out a way to cast the wavering scale and to direct our conversation Faith a sure Anchor-hold in time of distresse AN Anchor being let fall it passeth through the Water and violently maketh its way through all the waves and billows never staying till it come at the bottom where taking hold of the ground which lyeth out of sight thus by a secret and hidden force staying the Ship so as though it be moved yet it is not removed but still keepeth her station Of such use is Faith to the Soul of Man when it is in a stress tossed with the waves and billows of Temptations and trials threatning to swallow it up Faith breaks through all never resting till it come at God himself who is invisible and taking hold upon him by a secret force it stayeth the Soul and keepeth it from being driven upon the rocks or sands of desperation An Anchor it is and a sure Anchor tâ—at 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Sheat Anchor which the Soul must trust to which it may ride and live by in whatsoever stress can come down upon it The exceeding love of God to Mankind admirable IT is reported of a certain Merchant in London that he made much of a poor Cobler that dwelt near him and did as good
to play before him promised them a great Reward having plaid a long time they expected their pay but he told them they were paid already since as they had pleased him with Musical sounds so he them with windy hopes of Reward But God deals not so with his servants he feeds them not with vain hopes but sure accomplishment of his gracious promises there being a Reward for the Righteous and he Faithful that hath promised it who saith Behold I come quickly and my Reward is with me Rev. 22. 12. God onely to be served WHen the Souldiers had chosen Valentinian to be their Emperour they were consulting how they might joyn a Partner with him To whom Valentinian replyed It was in your power to give me the Empire when I had it not Now I have it it is not in your power to give me a Partner Thus if God be our God Mammon must be our slave He that is the servant of God must be Master of his Money If God be our King he must be our King onely for the Bed and the Throne brook no Rivalls God must be our God alone Aequum est Deos fingere ac Deum negare It is all one to chuse new Gods and to deny the true God No let the Heathens chuse new Gods and forsake the true God but let every good Christian say Thou O Father of Mercy and Lord of Heaven and Earth be my God and my onely God for ever and ever To be at Gods will and disposall is the best condition IT is storied of a young Virgin that at a great Princes hands had the choice of three Vessels One whereof was Gold richly wrought and set with pretious stones and on it was written Who chuseth me shall have what he deserveth The second was of silver superscrib'd thus Who chuseth me shall have what Nature desireth The third was of Lead whose Motto was this Who chuseth me shall have what God hath disposed The former pleased her eye well but not her understanding It offered what she deserved She knew that was just nothing therefore refused it The second considered offered wâ—at Nature desires She thought that could be for no solid good For Nature desires such things as please the carnall lust This she also refused The third had a coorse outside but the sentence pleased her well offering what God had disposed So the Faithfull Soul put her self upon Gods Ordinance and chose thaâ— The Virgin is Maâ—s Soul The Golden Vessel is the Worlds riches contentfull enough to an avaritious eye Too too many chuse this but being opened it was full of dead Mens bones and a Fools bable to set them down for very Ideots which cleave to the present World and at last have all their hopes rewarded with Folly The silver Vessel is the lust of the Flesh those fond and vain delights which Concupisence so much hunts after So saith the Motto It gives what Nature desireth This Vessel opened was full of wild fire and an Ironâ— whip intimating that God will scourge the lustfull with the whip of Judgments as diseases of body infamy of name overâ—hrow of estate and vexation of Conscience The leaden Vessel is as the sense and sentence declares it The blessing of God The chuser of it shall have what God hath disposed for him shall be contented with the providential penny that comes in daily And in a blessed happy condition is that Soul that makes this Election for opened it was found to be full of Gold and pretious stones every one more worth then a World the immortal graces of Gods Spirit The Virgin chose this and she was married to the Kings Son and so shall every Soul that makes the like choice No matter though it seems lead without and glister not with outward Vanities it is rich within the wealth thereof cannot be valued though all the Arithmetical Accomptants should make it their design to cast it up Neglect in the Hearing of Gods Word dangerous HErodotus hath a merry tale of a Piper how he came to the water side and piped to the fishes but they would not dance then he took his net and caught some of them and being thrown upon the land they began to leap and skip up Nay quoth the Pipeâ— I offered you Muâ—â—ck before and you would none now you shall dance without a Pipe Thus it is that most Men commonly regard the songs of Sion the preaching of Gods Word as some men do Musick heard late at midnight in the streets whilst they are in bed perhaps they will step to the window and listen to it a while and presently to bed again step from the couch of their lusts to Church hear the Sermon commend the Preacher for a good Man and then to bed again lulling themselves in their former security but let such know that if God have given them Musick and they will not dance if God have afforded Orthodoxall Preachers and they will not hear as Christ reproved the Iews they shall mourn in sadnesse for their obstinate refusall of proffered mirth and say with heavinesse of spirit There was a Prophet amongst us How Sins may be said to out-live the Sinner IT is said of a Lawyer that resolving not to be forgotten he made his Will so full of intricate quirks and quillets that his Executors if for nothing else for very vexation of Law might have cause to remember him Thus the Incloser of Commons sinneth after he is dead even so long as the poor are deprived of that benefit He that robbbeth the Church of a due and so leaves it to his heir Sins after he is dead even so long as God is made to lose his right The unjust decree of a partial Judg may out-live him even so long as the judged Inheritance remains in a wrongfull possession but eâ— contrà we say of a charitable good Man that he doth good after he is dead his alms maintain many poor Souls on Earth when his Soul is happy in heaven Heaven to be alwaies in our thoughts IT is reported of a Reverend Preacher that sitting amongst other Divines and hearing a sweet consort of Musick as if his Soul had been born up to Heaven took occasion to think and say thus What Musick may we think there is in Heaven Another taking a serious view of the great pomp and state at Court upon a Collar-day spake not without some admiration What shall we think of the glory in the Courts of the King of Heaven And thus must we do as we read the book of Nature be still translating it into the book of Grace as we plod on the great Volume of Gods works be sure to spell on the word of use of instruction of comfort to our selves the spiritualizing of Earthly things is an excellent art And that 's a happy object and well-observed that betters the Soul in grace A
Weak ones his little ones sins of weaknesse and infirmity which if once admitted will soon unbolt the dores of the heart let in all the rest of their Company and so make a surprisall of the Soul and endanger it to all Eternity Not to admit of delayes in Religious performances EXcellent is that comparison of St. Ambrose If saith he I should offer thee gold thou wouldst not say I will come to morrow and fetch it but thou wilt be sure to take it out of hand yet Redemptio animae promittitur nemo festinat the Redemption of our pretious Souls more worth then thousands of gold and silver is daily offered and no man hastneth to lay hold thereon How true may this speech of the Father be returned upon the cunctators such as procrastinate in the matters of Religion For Earthly things no Man will take time till to morrow but is very hot in the pursuit never resting till he have one way or other compassed them yet for spirituall things such as accompany salvation most Mens states are Weak and like Men ready to break are taking order for two three four six Monthes time and so as far from making satisfaction as ever Humility appeaseth the wrath of God incensed IT is recorded of an English King Edward the first that being exceeding angry with a servant of his in the sport of Hauking he threatned him sharply The Gentleman answered that it was well there was a River betwixt them Hereat the King more incensed spur'd his horse into the depth of the River not without extream danger of his life the water being deep and the banks too steep and high for his ascending yet at last recovering land with his sword drawn he pursues the servant who rode as fast from him but finding himself too ill-horsed to out-ride the angry King he reyned lighted on his knees and exposed his neck to the blow of the Kings sword The King no sooner saw this but he puts up his sword and would not touch him A dangerous water could not hold him from Violence yet satis est prostrâsse his servant's submission pacified him Thus whilst Man flies stubbornly from God he that rides upon the wings of the wind posts after him with the sword of Vengeance drawn but when poor dust and Ashes humbles it self and stands to mercy the wrath of God though ever so much incensed is soon appeased A faint-hearted Christian described A Certain Colliar passing through Smithfield and seeing some on the one side hanging he demands the cause answer was made For denying the Kings supremacy on the other side some burning he asking the cause was answered For denying the reall presence in the Sacrament Some quoth he hanged for Papistry and some burnt for Protestancy Hoyte on a Gods name â—hil be nere nother Such an one is every timerous faint-hearted Christian another Gallio a new Nichodemus that would fain steal to Heaven if no body might see him one that owes God some good will but dares not shew it his Religion is primarily his Prince's subordinately his Landlord's Whilst Christ stands on the battlements of Heaven and beckens him thither by his Word his heart answers Lord I would fain be there but that there is a Lyon or a Bear some trouble in the way All his care is for a ne noceat let him but sleep in a whole skin then omnia bene whether right or wrong all 's one to him The Devills hard dealing with the ensnared Sinner IT is not unknown how the Spanish Index deals with Velcurio who commenting on Livy saith That the fifth age was decrepit under the Popes and the Emperours The Index favourably takes out the Popes and leaves the Emperours wholly obnoxious to the imputation Thus the Devill winds out himself at the last from the wicked refusing to carry the burthen any longer but leaves it wholly to their supportation he that flattered them before with the paucity of their sins now takes them in the lurch and over-reckons them he that kept them so long in the beautiful Gallery of Hope now takes them aside and shews them the dark Dungeon of despair and ingrossing all their iniquities in great text-letters hangs them on the curtain of their beds feet to the wracking amazement of their distracted and distempered Souls The great Folly of costly Apparel LOok upon a Man that dwels but in a borrowed house expecting every hour when he shall have warning to avoid he doth not trouble himself to bestow any cost either in repairing or trimming up thereof because he hath no time in it no Lease for tearm of years to come Such is the condition of every living Man his body is but as it were an House lent unto the Soul from whence it looketh daily and hourly to depart Why should he then be so carefull to cloath this body with rich and brave Apparell when God knows how soon it must be laid down in the Earth there to rot and perish and in the mean time neglect to adorn and beautify his pretious Soul with Heavenly graces which is immortal How the wounded Sinner is to be cured THere is a story nothing worth but for the Morall of a great King that married his daughter to a poor Gentleman that loved her But his grant had a condiâ—ion annexed unto it that whensoever the Gentlemans side looked black or he lost his Wedding Ring he should not onely lose his Wife but his life also One day pursuing his sports he fell into a quarrel where at once he received a bruise on his left breast and lost his Ring in the scuffle The Tumult over he perceived the danger whereinto his own heedlesnesse had brought him and in bitternesse of Soul shed many tears In his sorrow he spied a book which opening he found therein his Ring again and the first words he read was a Medicine for a bruised side it directed him to those hearbs whereof a plaister applyed would not fail to heal him He did so was cured was secured Thus applied The great King of Heaven marries to Man poor Man hiâ— own daughter Mercy or eâ—eâ—lasting kindness but threatens him that his side musâ— not look black his heart must not be polluted with spiritual Idolatry nor must he lose his wedding Ring love to God and his Saints least he forfeit both Gods mercy and his own salvation Man in pursuit of Worldly affairs quarrels with his Neighbours and scuffles with Contention So his heart gets a bruise looks black with hatred And Charity his wedding Ring is lost in these willfull turbulencies and Vexations What should we do but mourn Lo God in his goodnesse directs him to a book the holy Gospell then the spirit helps him to his Ring again his former love and to heal his bruise prescribes him these speciall herbs of Grace Repentance Thankfulness and Meekness which being well applied will keep his Ring of
like considerations as in Saul Iehu Iudas Demas the Scribes and Pharisees c. Riches of Christ inexhaustible IT is said of a Spanish Ambassador that coming to see that so much cryed up Treasury of S. Mark in Venice fell a groping at the bottom of the Chests and Trunks to see Whether they had any bottom And being asked the reason Why he did so answered In this among other things my Masters treasure differs from yours in that his hath no bottom as I find yours to haâ—e alluding to the Mines in Mexico Peru and other parts of the Western India So it may be said and Scripture History and Experience do abundantly testifie That Mens Baggs Purses Coffers and Mints may be exhausted and drawn dry but the Riches that are to be found in Christ Iesus have no bottom all his baggs are bottomlesse Millions of thousands feed upon him and he feels it not he is ever giving yet his purse is never empty alwayes bestowing himself yet never wanting to any that faithfully seek him Men created for the service of God AS we see Birds make their nests and breed up their young beasts make a ssâ—ffle for their fodder and pasture Fishes float up and down Rivers Trees bear fruit Flowers send forth their sweet odours Herbs their secret Virtues Fire with all its might ascending upward Earth not resting till it come into its proper center Waters floating and posting with their waves upon the neck of one another till they meet in the bosome of the Ocean And Ayr pushing into every vacuity under Heaven Shall we then think or can we possibly imagine that God the great Creator of Heaven and Earth having assigned to every thing in the World some particular end and as it were impressed in their Nature an appetite and desire to that end continually as to the very point and scope of their being that Man the most noble Creature for whom all things were made should be made in vain as not having his peculiar end proportionably appointed to the noblenesse of his quality yes doubtlesse that God that can never erre nor over-see in his Works hath allotted unto Man the Worship and Service of himself as the main object and ayming point whereto he ought to lead and refer himself all the dayes of his life Prudentiall part of a Man to do as well as he may PAlinurus in the Poet finding that he could not sayl against the wind into Italy steered his course by the approbation of Aeneas into Sicily a place where they had before been friendly entertained Thus it is a great point of Wisdome the onely prudentiall part of any Man who when he cannot sayl by a fore-wind where he would and happily where he should to tack about and sayl by a bowling or side-wind or at leastwise to cast anchor where he with most safety may however to strike sail rather then perish in the storm and to sit down contented with what he can do when he cannot do what he otherwise would Gods dwelling in the Soul that truly fears him IT hath been an usual observation that when the Kings Porter stood at the gate and suffered none to come in without examination What he would have that then the King was within But when the Porter was absent and the gates open to receive all that came then it was an Argument of the Kings absence So in a Christian such is the excellency of the Fear of God that when it is present as a Porter shutting the doors of the senses that they see not hear not what they list it is an Argument the Lord of that house even God himself is within but when this Fear is away a free entrance is given to all the most dissolute desires so that it is an infallible demonstration of Gods removall from such a Soul The praise-worthinesse of reading and enquiring into the Scripture MAny have thought Agesilaus that most wiâ—e and excellent King of Sparta ' worthy of all commendations that he would never go to bed not rise up before he had looked into Homer whom he called Amasium suum his Sweet-heart but others have extolled Alphonsus King of Arragon for reading the Scriptures fourteen times over with glosses and expositions And the Emperor Theodosius the second for reading Prayers and singing Psalms every Morning with his Family Nay Scipio Africanus was thought worthy of commendations that he had usually in his hands the books of Xenophon's Institution of Cyrus which yet were rather written according to the form of a just Empire then the truth of the history O but how much more praise-worthy are they that read and enquire into the holy Scriptures such as with David make the Law of God their delight and Counsellor such as consult those blessed Oracles of Truth and with those noble Bereans are upon the search Whether the things spoken or any otherwise delivered as concerning God be so or not Act. 9. Truth of Religion lost as it were in the crowd of many Religions AS ingenious Florists to pick the purses of witty persons delighted with their art have so heightned flowers by transplantations preparations of mold adumbrations of them at unbenigne seasons of the year by cutting their roots and sundry such not uncommendable feats of their skill so that out of one single root of a Lilly hath come forth an hundred and odde blowings and amâ—ngst Roses gilly-flowers and Pionies incredible Varieties So out of the doctrines the glorious and pure doctrines of Faith which the Apostles and their Followers comprised in Repent and believe there is put forth such an Ocean of points of Religion and all of them pressed on the People to be believed that that it is hard to find Truth in the crowd of contests about her and easie to mistake as Mary did the Gardiner for Christ Error for Truth both pretending their Ius Divinum's their authoritative confidences as their just titles to Mens beliefs and blaming Men as restive and sottish if they resign not themselves to a senselesse and universall credulity When all this while the truth of Religion is in the heat of so much contention and in the midst of so much contradictory Profession as it were quite lost and over-clowded Ministers of all men not to be found trucking for Preferment IN the time of King Rufus there was an Abbots place void and two Monks of the Covent went to the Court resolving to bid largely for it The King perceiving their covetise lookt about his Privy-chamber and there espyed a private Monk that came to bear the other two company and looking on him guessed him the more sober and pious Man The King calling him asked What he would give to be made Abbot of the Abby Nothing Sir quoth he For I entred into this profession of meer Zeal to the end that I might more quietly serve God in purity and holinesse of Conversation
torment the Wicked 73. Afflictions if any thing will make us seek God 455. A good Man is bettered by his Afflictions 74. 174. 445. A true Christain the more he is Afflicted the better he thriveth 79. Afflictions and crosses not to be sleighted 84. Afflictions crosses c. a surer way to Heaven then pleasures 85. How it is that afflictions lye oft-times so heavy 632. Afflictions to be looked on as coming from God onely 93. Afflictions lead to Heaven 97. 452. Afflictions add unto the beauty of a Christian 105. God by afflictions drives us to Heaven 114. The thoughts of Gods omnipresence a great comfort in affliction 118. Afflictions follow the godly Man close in this World 159. Gods tryall of his children by afflictions 202. 215. God afflicts his Children for their good 227. Afflictions happen both to good and bad but to severall ends 241. God onely to be eyed in the midst of afflictions 286. Not to be daunted at afflictions 296. Not to rejoyce at the afflictions of others 308. God afflicting his Children for the improvement of their graces 325. Not to be troubled at afflictions because God intends good by them 356. God afflicting his Children to try their sincerity 403. Gods children afflicted to make them perfect 406. Men to be prepared for Afflictions crosses c. 408. When lighter Afflictions will not serve God will send heavier 410. Afflictions the comfortable use that is to be made of them 441. Christ the best shelter in time of Affliction 530. Afflictions Gods Love-tokens 599. Not to wait Gods good time in Afflicting us dangerous 609. Not to be altogether taken up with the sense of Afflictions 633. Afflictiâ—ns though grievous yet profitable 660. Not to murmur under Afflictions and why so 662. Comfort nearest when Afflictions are at highest 669. How it is that Age becomes truly honorable 331. The dissolution of all ages past to be a Memento for Posterity 100. Get but God and get all 47. All things come from God who is therefore to be praised 181. All sin to be repented of and why so 315. Almsâ— giâ—en to the poor are the givers gaâ— 31. Alms-giving how to be regulated 402. Ambition proves its own ruine 41. The poysonous nature of Ambition 82. The great heat of Ambition 622. Anabaptistical spirits their madnesse 416. Angels ministring unto Gods people for their good 322. God is not to be provoked to Anger 16. Not â—o answâ—r one angry word with another 305. Not to be angry with our brother 485. Not to take notice of every angry word that is spoken 547. Not to contiâ—ue angry 72. 165. 196. How God is said to be angry with his children 86. Antinomians compared to Thieves 46. Their madnesse 576. The great danger of Apostacy 619. Wantonnesse in Apparrel â—eproved 167. Excesse of Apparrel condemned 192. 642. Christian Apparrelling 280. Men and Women not to wear each others Apparrel 292. The vanity of gay Apparrel 446. The great â—olly of costly Apparrel 594. Apparrel whether richer or plainer the necessity thereof 646. No Appeal from Gods tribunal 141. The poor distressed Man's comfort by his appeal unto God 198. Gods comfortable appearance to his people at the time of their death 554. The whole Armour of God to be put on 115. The best Christian is the best Artist 137. Not the Assurance but the joy of Salvation gives content 81. Assured Christians must be patient Christians 351. God so ordering it that few or none of his people live and dye without assurance of their salvation 352. Assurance of Gods love the onely comfort 370. Atheism advanced by the distractions of the Church 152. Atheism condemned 243. Atheism punished 242. Aâ—heism will unman any Man 303. Atheisticall wicked men at the hour of death forced to confesse Gods Judgments 476. The great danger of relying upon forraign ayd and assistance 580. B. BAptismal water the power and virtue thereof 186. Bapâ—ism renounced by the lewdnesse of life and conversation 321. Children of persons excommunicate to be baptized 470. How it is that Godfathers and Godmothers undertake for children in Baptism 495. Infant-baptism asserted 557. To be careful of our Vow made in Baptism 605 Better live amongst beasts then beastly-minded Men 161. God to be consulted at all times but more especially in the beginning of all publique concernments 1. The paucity of true Believers 398. Bitter spirits are no gracious spirits 21. Blamelesnesse of life enjoyned 113. The sins of Blasphemy and swearing the commonnesse of them 122. Blasphemous language condemned 230. A good Neighbour is a great blessing c. 6. Governors as they are qualified are a curse or a Blessing to a People 9. A little with Gods blessing goes far 11. Blessings turned into curses 63. The blessing of God more to be eyed then our own endeavours 70. The Ministers blessing after Sermon to be attended 71. Gods blessing upon the means doth all 92. 581. Outward blessings do not alwayes make a blessed Man 107. A blessed thing to have God for our Lord 136. God hath a peculiar blessing for his children 169. Gods spiritual blessing upon a Mans employment in his calling 200. To rely upon the blessing of God notwithstanding all opposition 611. The blessing of God attending on people listning to their own Minister 638. To blesse God for all 453. The Devils aym to strike every Man with spiritual blindnesse 12. The Sinners wilfull blindnesse condemned 281. Spiritual and corporal blindnesse their difference 414. The naturall Man's blindnesse in spirituall things 485. The guilt of innocent Bloud crying to Heaven for vengeance 19. Bloudy-minded Men condemned 130. A Caveat for bloudy-minded Men 611. The greatest boasters the smallest doers 434. More care for the Body then the Soul condemned 11. 552. The Sinner's care is more for the Body then the Soul 171. Deformity of body not to be contemned 193. Young Schollers to mind their books 40. Scandalous and seditious books and pamphlets fit for the fire 295. Books of Piety and Religion testimonial at the great day of Judgment 476. The several books of God sleighted and neglected by the most of Men 656. The bountiful goodnesse of God to his children 606. The exceeding bounty of God 119. The borrowers duty and comfort 612. The sin of Bribery condemned 332. 373. The word Brother how far extended 172. Not to be over-carefull for the place of our buriall 592. Busie-bodies condemned 136. 147. A busie-body described 285. C. THe great danger of taking up a false perswasion of our effectual Calling 353. The certainty not the time of our spirituall Calling to be so much looked into 260. 612. The necessity of Catechising 119. Weak ones how to be catechised and instructed 133. Catechising an excellent way to instruct Youth 422. Distrustâ—ull cares reproved 125. Censurers condemned 20. Not to censure others but look to our selves 46. Censures not to be regarded 69. The Worlds hard censure of the godly Man 128. How it is that one Man censureth another 225. To