to open the door to me he is a great enemy to Sloth and Idleness causing men to watch their hearts and keep the door of their mouths he makes them rise betimes in the morning to call upon God and to read God's Word and pry into it very diligently and also to do what they can to brydle all the unruly passions of their hearts he will cause thee to incline thy ear to what Conscience saies and make thee tremble at his Reproofs and Accusations when you sin against God if you will but take his Councel He will also cause thee to go to hear Sermons and not to sleep when you come there nor neglect nor slight Convictions nor be careless and remiss in any duty and will put thee in a way to kill the Old-man with all his deeds Thoughtful O Sir this is the Friend I want and blessed be God I have found him I am resolved to make use of his help and assistance continually Now Old-man look to your self Laborious I hope will do your Business and I shall quickly prevail and open the door to True Godliness Upon this he became very diligent in attending upon all the means of Grace Moreover by the help of Endeavour he cut off some one or two of the Members of Old-man that cursed body of sin and prayed Morning and Evening eschewing all open Prophaneness and scandalous Sins and would not speak at random with his Tongue nor neglect to hear one good Sermon if possible he could get an opportunity and became mighty just in all his dealings and commerce with men But soon upon this Apollyon by the treachery of Old-man raised up another Enemy which had almost insensibly undone him his Name was Self-righteousness a very great Enemy to True Godliness which Godliness soon perceived and called upon him to open the door for it appears he had not received him yet Godli Thoughtful What is the cause of this great neglect what shall I not yet be received O what a long time have I stood at your Door what is the matter now Thoughtful Truly Sir I concluded now the door had been open by the help of my good Friend Laborious for I have done what he required of me Godli No no Thoughtful I am still kept out Wilful Will and Old-man have beguiled you and have let in another dangerous Enemy whose name is Self-righteousness this was he that quite undid poor Legalist and will ruine you too if you take not heed I would not have you to slight Endeavour but not to make an Idol of Endeavour If you be found in your own Righteousness you will be lost by your own unrighteousness Duties can never have too much of your diligence nor too little of your dependance 't is not the salt Seas of thy own Tears but the Red Sea of Christ's Blood must wash away thy sins You owe the life of your Soul to the death of your Saviour If you have no better Righteousness than what is of your own providing you will meet with no higher happiness than what is of you own deserving you must take up duties in point of performance but lay them all down again in point of dependance There is as much cause to fear you now as ever there was before what will you do Thoughtful Lord help me what shall I do indeed O how are many deceived who think it is an easie thing to be saved sure I shall never obtain to a state of Grace and true Conversion Upon this a melancholly and very dangerous fellow called Despond fell upon him and almost knock'd him down nay I perceive he broke some of his Bones wounding him so grievously that he was left a bleeding in such a sort that he concluded there was no hope of life At this he was wonderfully overwhelmed with trouble and that which grieved him most of all was to think that all this time not only True Godliness but Christ himself also waited at his door Godliness perceiving what a sad condition he was in spake to him after this manner Godliness Poor Thoughtful do not give way to Apollyon that cursed Prince of Darkness for 't is he who hath stirred up that cruel enemy Despond to take away thy Life that bloody villain hath sent many thousand Souls to Hell Come though thy own Righteousness is worth nothing being but like filthy rags yet Christ's Righteousness is sufficient to cover thee and his Blood to heal all thy Wounds Your great business is to believe viz. Wholly to go out of your self and relye upon Christ's blessed Merits and know assuredly that that very moment you do cast your self by a lively act of faith upon Jesus Christ I shall come into your House Thoughtful Christ's Righteousness hath more worth in it to save you and raise you up to Heaven than your own Unrighteousness has weight to cast you down to Hell You say you are a great black and bloody sinner but you can be but a sinner and Christ died for sinners and never any threw themselves by an act of true faith upon him but were saved by him alas he died for the chiefest of sinners and do you not hear him say Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Sir He that believes not makes God a liar for he hath said in his Son There is life and Salvation for you and all that come to God by him Thoughtf O that I could believe my sins my sins No sooner had Godliness shewed him what it was to open the door and laid before him the necessity of Faith in order to union with God but Apollyon with the Old Man and other cursed enemies began to cause dreadful Combustions in his house for nothing doth the Devil fear more than true Faith and Thoughtful finding it very hard to believe Wilful-will being such a stubborn crooked and perverse fellow also Apollyon tryed his skill many other wayes to undo him so that he was hard beset but when Apollyon saw none of those wayes were like to do he laid before him the outward danger he would be in if True Godliness was embraced he told him he was like to suffer great Persecution it being the portion of all who entertained True Godliness in so much that his very life might be in danger but Godliness comforted him sweetly with many precious promises telling him also he had such a glorious Retinue to attend him which he would bring into his House with him that he need not to fear any difficulty provided that he would but let him in but he seeing he was not able to open the door his enemies being too strong for him notwithstanding his own strength To his joy he told him there was one friend of his whom if he could prevail with to come into his assistance he would soon make the way clear and open the door Who is that said Thoughtful Godliness then discovered immediately the excellency of his
to me are unholy quarrelsome given to strife debate and contention falling out with their Neighbours making causeless disturbance in the Town Place or House where they dwell I do this day disown them and indeed I fear 't is they who have in part exposed me to reproach and contempt in these evil dayes I am accused also with Sedition and Faction and for being the chief ring-leader of Sects c. But I may well say with my old friend St. Paul who was accused by Tertullus in like sort being called a pestelent Fellow and a mover of Sedition c. Acts 24.5 I am clear from this evil Charge neither can they prove this Accusation against me I have been travelling up and down in most parts of the earth for almost six thousand years and 't is strange were I really guilty that none should come forth and prove it against me Therefore know ye that the Doctrine I True Godliness the Off-spring of Jehovah the darling of Heaven do and ever did teach upon this account is this viz. That Husbands ought to love their Wives Wives to obey their Husbands Children to honour their Parents and Parents to carry it wisely towards their Children and to bring them up in the fear and nurture of the Lord. Servants to obey their Masters and Masters to carry it well towards their Servants and Neighbours to live in love one with another and Subjects to obey their Prince Did I not ever teach this Doctrine viz. That all Men ought to be subject to Principalities to obey Magistrates and to be ready to every good work Tit. 3.1 And if Christians at any time are by their Superiors required to do such things that they conceive are contrary to the Word and Will of God then I bid them patiently to suffer and not to resist but to learn of my blessed Master who when he was reviled reviled not again and when he suffered he threatned not But palpable 't is if men are bound to submit to their Superiors in all things in Divine matters whatsoever then the Apostles were faulty who in spiritual things cry'd out Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken to you rather than God judg ye Besides this would cause Persecution for ever to cease and charge all the Martyrs in every Age of the World not only with disobedience but also with folly and then also it would follow whatsoever Religion in any Nation the chief Magistrate thereof does set up must be subjected to which sure no wise man will say ought to be done therefore I am for rendring to Caesar the things which are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods Mark 12.17 But these things are not the whole cause of my Lamentation but there are many other reasons Alas I am not only abused and laid under reproach and infamy by my open enemies but also basely slighted by many of those who pretend love and respect to me most indeed now a dayes do but complement me they speak me fair to my face but their hearts are not with me Was there ever more Godliness professed and less practised and more without doors and less within Did ever Pride Covetousness Vain-glory Self-love Slavish-fear Carnality and Luke warmness attend any People who called themselves Christians Saints and Members of Christ as in these days There are some who profess love to me that I am ashamed of they do me more wrong than the open profane I may cry alas and call long enough upon many in these dayes nay beg as it were upon my bare knees to be entertained by them and all in vain for they will not mind me nor take me in I meet indeed with nothing but feigned promises from the most of people I will open to you Sir I intend to let you in I am resolved to embrace you hereafter c. And thus I am put off and slighted from day to day O How long have I waited at the doors of some of these deceived Souls even till they are grown old and all to no purpose for I have seen death often seize and carry them away before I could get into their houses that so I might save them from Hell where now 't is to be feared they are O with what unkind dealings do I meet withal Is it not sad that Vice and Vngodliness should be by many so countenanced and I hated resisted and contemned in every place almost by every body for Riches contemns me Poverty dislikes me Youth derides me Old Age will not know me Legalist miscalls me and Formality playes the hypocrite with me and the Babylonians seek to take away my life I have a multitude of enemies and but a few friends But in the midst of my Lamentation the thoughts of those glorious promises of God concerning what he hath said of me in the latter dayes does revive my heart for though I have few to plead my cause or to clear my innocency and am like to be run down by Apollyon and his spurious Off-spring Lust and Vngodliness yet I see my day is a coming when sin shall be ashamed and iniquity stop her mouth Psal 107.42 When the Holy of the Lord shall be esteemed honourable and it shall be a reproach to be wicked Though I am now slighted I shall then be prized Jehovah will make my Glory to shine forth In the midst of all Nations and my Children shall flourish in every place and in that day none shall dare to open their ungodly mouths against me nor shall I need to travel up and down to seek for entertainment For the knowledg of the Glory of the Lord shall cover the Earth as the Waters do the Sea In that day there shall be upon the Bells of the Horses Holiness unto the Lord and the Pots in the Lords House shall be like the Bowls before the Altar Yea every Pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be Holiness unto the Lord of Host and all they that Sacrifice shall come and take of them and seeth therein and in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite in the House of the Lord of Hosts Zach. 14.20.21 Nay and this also adds to my joy in the midst of my sorrow this longed-for-day is near and hastens greatly 't is but a little while and there will be a great alteration in the World the Angel who enlightens the Earth with his Glory will suddenly cry Babylon the Great is fallen is fallen Rev. 18.13 2. CHAP. VIII Shewing how True Godliness after this Travelled towards the City Jerusalem near to which was a small Village called Religion in which dwelt one Mr. Legalist at whose Door he knocked shewing the Cause also why he did not entertain him GOdliness having hitherto happily escaped with his Life thought it now full time to leave those Parts where he had Travelled up and down a great while and suffered many hardships being generally baseâ—y slighted and contemned by all wheresoever he came and
THE TRAVELS OF TRUE Godliness FROM THE Beginning of the World to this present Day in an apt and Pleasant ALLEGORY SHEWING The Troubles Oppositions Reproaches and Persecutions he hath met with in every Age. TOGETHER WITH The Danger he seems to be in at this present Time by Vice Papistry and other Grand Enemies Also where he makes his last and final Abode By B. K. Author of War with the Devil and Sion in Distress The Third Edition carefully Corrected London Printed for John Dunton at the Raven over against the Stocks-Market MDCLXXXIV London Printed for Iohn Dunton at the Black Rauen In the Poultrey over against y e stocks market 1683 Babilon Apostates Apostate Godlines Knowledge Faith Love â—incerity Order discipline Thoughtfull Religion Ierusalem THE EPISTLE TO THE READER IN this Tract is shewed the many Snares and Temptation that attend both Riches and Poverty Youth and Old-Age together with the chief Reason why most Men of all Ranks and Qualities are such great strangers to True Godliness The Legalist and Formal Hypocrite may also here see the danger they are in Moreover True Godliness is opened in his own primitive Internal and External Beauty and Glory being vindicated from all those foul Calumnies and Reproaches cast upon him in this and former Ages With his sad Lamentation in respect of the prevailing power of Vice Ungodlines and that great danger he seems now to be in by Papistry and other Enemies Also the usefulness and necessity of Consideration and the Creatures utmost care and diligence in order to their Conversion is clearly evinced with the chief means nature and excellency thereof Together with the cause and dismal Consequences of Apostacy c. If thou art a Saint read with delight but if thou art an Enemy to True Godliness read and tremble For the happy estate of the one and the miserable condition of the other is here set out before your eyes In this Treatise you may see the little cause the one has to mourn in the worst of Times and the other to rejoyce what times soever they live in I hope none will be offended because True Godliness is here presented in an Allegory sith the Holy Scriptures abound with them and so fully justifie our practce herein However 't is now exposed to publick view and since it hath its Birth in such a juncture as this I expect it will meet with different entertainment but whatsoever censures it passeth under yet if but one soul reaps real benefit by it it will requite me for my pains I can say it hath been sweet to me in writing God grant it may prove so to thee in reading and I shall say no more but shall leave it to the Blessing of Jehovah in whom I still remain through infinite Grace Thy Souls Friend and Servant B. Keach THE TRAVELS OF TRUE GODLINESS CHAP. I. Shewing what true Godliness is as also his Pedigree Original and Antiquity TRUE Godliness being of late as well as in former daies become so great a stranger to most men and indeed not known but by a very few in the World I shall in the first place before I Treat of his Travels and of the Entertainment he meets with where he comes give you a description of him and the rather because many persons I perceive are subject to so great an errour as to take Mortality for him and others out of ignorance to say no worse Rail and ignominiously call and abuse him by the names of Singularity Stubbornness Pride and Rebellion as if he were not fit to live or have a being in the World he being rendered a make-bate a seditious and common disturber of all Kingdoms Cities Towns and Villages wheresoever he comes and is entertained Yea such a factious and quarrelsome companion that he is indeed the only cause and stirrer up of all those unhappy differences divisions troubles and miseries that are this day in the world This being so I conclude nothing is more necessary than to take off that ugly Mask or Visard which his implacable enemies have put upon him and clear him of all those soul and unjust slanders and cursed reproaches of the Sons of Belial that so he may appear in his own original primitive and spotless Innocency that none may be afraid of him or be unwilling to entertain him nor ashamed to own him and make him their bosome-companion Know ye therefore in the first place That Godliness consists in the true and right knowledg of Divine Truths or fundamental principles of the Gospel which all men ought to know and be established in that would be saved without Controversie great is the mystery of Godliness God manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World and received up to Glory These great Truths of the Christian Religion are called Godliness many men conclude 't is no matter what faith or principle they hold and cleave to provided they do but live a sober and honest life doing to all men as they would be done unto supposing that the whole of Religion and Godliness consists in these things but alass they are greatly mistaken Godliness is another kind of thing than they imagine it is impossible to receive or entertain True Godliness whilst we shut out of doors the Essentials of the Christian Religion and instead thereof imbrace Superstition Errour and Heresie there being damning principles as well as damning practices 2 Pet. 1.2 3. Now should any demand further to hear more particularly what those principles of divine truths or fundamentals of Christian Faith be which are the Essentials of True Godliness 1. I answer the Doctrine of the Blessed Trinity or the three distinct Subsistances in the Glorious Deity 2. The Unity of the two natures in the person of Christ viz. that he is really God and man in one person David's Lord and yet David's Son David's Root and yet David's Off-spring 3. The Doctrine of Attonement or that plenary satisfaction and reconcilliation the Lord Jesus hath made by his glorious understaning on man's behalf 4. The Doctrine of Justification by Faith alone or the imputation of Christs Righteousnes to those who do believe 5. The Doctrine of Regeneration Resurrection Judgment the World to come c. Now I say in the true knowledg of these and such like principles of divine truths and being truly established in the stedfast belief thereof does True Godliness in part consist But secondly Godliness as to his inward and more hidden parts and power is a holy conformity to these sacred and divine principles which natural men may understand Religion by but True Godliness consists in the light of supernatural truths and life of Grace God manifesting himself in the light of those glorious principles and working the life of supernatural grace in the soul by the Holy Ghost it consists in the saving and experimental knowledg of God and Jesus Christ in having all the evil
Arms and spend their daies in Tears and Weeping hearken not to him for he will certainly infuse sad thoughts into your Mind and give you nothing but Gall and Vinegar to drink 2. He said moreover Consideration had made many men go besides themselves and if he did adhere to him about this Affair he would be distracted 3. He insinuated also that if he did seriously muse upon this Matter or give place to Consideration so that Godliness came to be let in he would be undone and utterly ruin'd the Times were such Worldly Cares proved as great an Enemy to Consideration as any of them for he could not seriously muse or think upon Eternity or the present condition his poor Soul was in he was so hurried in his Mind about the affairs of this Life nay no sooner at any season that he set himself to ruminate or ponder them in his mind but Worldly Cares would expel and drive such thoughts away Old Companions and Carnal Company did greatly abuse Consideration by endeavouring to make him out of love with a virtuous Life These labour'd to fawn him into Misery and tickle him into an eternity of Torment they turn'd Religion and Godliness into a Jest and made the Precepts of the Gospel matter for Railery and told him that those men that seemed most serious were the most seditious and that their Profession savoured of nothing but of Pride Singularity and Hypocrisie Now after they had spoke their Pleasure and almost silenced nay quite routed poor Consideration his Mind was so fill'd and hurried about many things which Godliness though not yet let in over-heard and presently took them all up and answered them one by one And first he spake to this purpose Honest Thoughtful I would not have thee to be discouraged by those ill-bred Fellows thou hast within to slight poor Consideration for he is thy very good Friend and as able a Counsellor as most in this Town Moreover very great Inconveniences also have alwaies followed those who have unadvisedly gone about to slight and contemn him Nay I must tell thee most of all those great Miseries and heavy Judgments that have befallen Nations Cities Towns Churches and particular Souls hath been occasioned through their great neglect to hearken to Consideration This was the cause of Israels ruine of old God by his merciful Providence sent to them by his Prophets to advertise and warn them of their perilous estate and condition by reason of their sins and not only told them of their imminent danger thereby but also revealed the true Causes thereof and how they might easily provide Remedies for the prevention of it but they refused to lay it to heart or give way to Consideration about it which made Jehovah to bewail their future misery after this manner O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end Among other Causes of their dismal Calamities none is more general or often alledged than the lack of Consideration and 't is through this means as by a common snare and deceit of the Adversary most men fall into sin and reject me and are holden also perpetually in Satans Bonds to their destruction and perdition men go on in their abominable Lusts Pride Oppression Excess of Riot Drunkenness and all manner of Debauchery without considering what the end of these things will be Wo unto them saith the Lord that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink and continue until night till Wine inflame them and the Harp and Viol the Tabret and Pipe and Wine are in their Feasts but they regard not the work of the Lord neither Consider the operation of his hands Their cursed Lusts and beastly Sensuality brought them to neglect Consideration and Inconsideration brought them to the pit side or brink of Hell Propterea captivus ductus est populus meus quia non habuit scientiam saith God in the same place by the Prophet therefore and for this cause is my people led away captive c. for they have no knowledge no understanding of the time to come no Consideration of their danger He that will not lend an ear to Consideration renders himself little better than a Brute and what follows this folly and madness Therefore saith the Holy Ghost Hell hath enlarged her self and opened her mouth without measure and their glory and their multitude and their pomp and he that rejoyceth shall descend into it A brutish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this when they wicked spring as the grass and when all the workers of Iniquity do flourish it is that they should be destroyed for ever The Oxe knoweth his Owner and the Ass his Masters Crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Negligence Carelesness Ignorance and want of Consideration as it brought Jerusalem down wonderfully so it hath been the bane and common perdition of unthinking and wretched man from time to time and will be yours if you hearken to these evil enemies of your Soul and suffer Consideration to be expelled your Tabernacle Why at this day are there so many people who drink up iniquity as the Fish drinks Water that commit all manner of Sin all outrages all injustice all turpitude treading down the poor and contemning me True Godliness without remorse of Conscience or dread of God's wrath and fearful vengeance that doth pursue them but for the lack of Consideration of that which is like to be their reward and punishment for all their abominable doings in the end Thus saith the Lord Consider your waies Consider your doings Consider this ye that forget God least he tear you in pieces and there be none to diliver you I but they will not consider it nor lay it to heart they will not know in this their day the things that belong to their peace but inconsiderately put the evil day far away and harden their hearts against God provoking him to draw his Sword and cause his hand to take hold of Judgment for nothing doubtless can be more intolerable in the presence of the Almighty than this iniquity sith he hath published his Law declared his pleasure against ungodliness charging all to bear it in their minds to ponder it in their hearts to study and meditate upon it both day and night at home and abroad when they rise up and when they lie down to make it their cogitation and rumination continually c. And O that men should ever notwithstanding all this contemn it and make it no part of their thoughts but rather flee the knowledg thereof God makes his complaint and denounceth Judgment but no man as the Prophet Jeremiah sheweth will enter into Consideration nor mind why the Land mourns none cry out What have I done All men alas are set upon their own courses and run on in the same with as great vehemency and fierce obstinacy as a
pit they do not think it hard to dig into Hell yet they think Consideration hard who would teach them a way to quench that fire they do not think it hard to be oppressed by a bloody Usurper and yet they think Consideration hard which would help them to shake him off O fools and slow of heart they that have courage to meet an Army in the Field and have confidence to laugh at the glittering Spear and Shield they that have courage to plow the Sea to face the mouth of a Canon to stand a volley of Shot to fight Duels to endure the noise of Guns to hear the clashing of Swords and Spears and lie on the cold ground many nights together to have an Arm or Leg cut off have they courage to do all this and shalt thou think Consideration about these great things too hard for thee Contemn the thoughts of being overcome by this deceitful and timerous fellow Difficulty Secondly As to what Deficiency says that thou art a man of a weak understanding alas thou canst perceive that Gold is better than Glass or Rattles and that Pearls are better than Pebbles thou art able to perceive thou art mortal and must die and dost know when a Bone is broke 't is good to have it set and that Food is good for thee when thou art hungry and that 't is good to get Clothes on to hide thy nakedness and art not able to consider the need there is of food to feed thy Soul and Clothes to cover the nakedness of thy Soul and that it is good to get Grace to enrich thy Soul Art able to find out how grievous 't is to be cast into a furnace of fire and canst not think that 't is worse to be cast into a fire that cannot be quenched Nay and have not weak and simple ones in their own eyes and in the eyes of others too attained to the skill of Consideration about their eternal state nay and have wonderfully outdone the wise and learned ones of the World in it too Knowledge is easie unto him that hath Vnderstanding Wisdom gives subtilty to the simple and young Men Knowledg and Discretion When Wisdom entreth into thine Heart and Knowledg is pleasant to thy Feet Discretion shall preserve thee and Understanding shall keep thee Thirdly As for what Sloth saith thou hast cause to abhor him for he is a beggerly Villain and deserves to be drove not only out of thy House but out of the Town and World too for he never did any man the least good cast him out as a Vagabond How now Thoughtful wouldst thou not take pains Remember the sloathful person shall beg at Harvest and have nothing Through his means and Idleness his Brother thy House is ready to fall through and thy Vineyard is grown all over with Thorns and Nettles and yet he would not have thee consider thy danger till 't is too late to escape it Oh how many have lost their souls by this bloody wretch What good comes of Idleness Besides do you not see how the men of the World hate him They will not hearken to him but will in despight of him consider of fit waies and means to get Bread to eat and Clothes to put on nay and seek out through great industry rare projects to get store of Riches and wilt thou be drawn away by him from thinking on the ready way to be made rich great and renowned for ever 'T is the diligent hand that hath the Promise thou must seek for Wisdom as for silver and search for her as for hid Treasure Nay and do not think neither I put too great a burden upon thee for thou maist perceive thou needest not to take greater pains about this inestimable Jewel than the men of the World take to get the perishing things of this Life nay if men did bestow half the labour about the good of their Souls as they bestow about getting the World and providing for their bodies what happy creatures might they be Fourthly As touching what that timorous faint-hearted Fellow Danger laid before thee in respect of letting in Melancholy this is a meer deceit for there is a vast difference between serious Consideration and destructive Melancholly a man is not therefore sad because he will not Swear Rant Whore and be Drunk Consideration will let thee see that those men who are taken so much with vain sports and merriment have the least cause to rejoyce of any men in the world Jollities are as one observes much like Attila's Nuptials whose Wedding-Day proved his Funeral Who would hazzard an Eternity of Joy for a Moments time of vain and empty pleasure None can rejoyce so heartily as he that hath God for his portion and hath his Name written in heaven Consideration will let thee see that whatsoever vain men may say prate and boast of touching Joy and Pleasures yet there is no delight and felicity like that which is found in the waies of True Virtue that Goodness is the best security and that the Joy of the whole Earth is Mount Sion that in this Garden are the sweetest Roses the most odoriferous Flowers the most Fragrant Plants Roses which have no Prickles underneath not like carnal Delights whose Flowers fade and wither away nor like the frotthy mirth which the laughter of Fools affords Consideration would let thee see that those serious persons who look dejected and melancholly to a carnal eye have Joys within which no stranger intermeddles with and as little as they make of chearfulness yet they carry in their Breast that which can make their life a perpetual Jubilee 2. They are Fools that account the life of a Christian Madness and his inward peace an aiery fiction none is such a Phanatick as he who cherishes a Serpent in his bosome that will certainly sting him to death who never sows yet thinks to reap a good crop at harvest that may have glorious Robes to cloath him and yet values his own nasty Rags above them or else chuse to go naked who hates and seeks to destroy his best friends for the sake of whom he is not destroyed who thinks to go to Heaven and yet walks the direct way to Hell Can there be greater Madness than to prefer a Stone before Bread or feed upon Husks with the Swine when there is all good things to be had if they would but seek out for them Can there be greater madness than to value a base Lust above God Christ and eternal Glory 3. Whereas Danger tells thee to obstruct Consideration from opening to me of the evilness of the times and that if I am let in thou wilt be undone know then if I am kept out there is no way to escape but ruin'd thou wilt be no danger like Soul-danger he can never be undone that hath God for his portion and Heaven for his inheritance lose thy Soul and what hast thou more and unless thou consider the