of evill Prov. 1.33 He shall deliver thee in six troubles yea in seven there shall no evill touch thee in famine he shall redeeme thee from death and in warre from the power of the sword thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it commeth Job 5.19 20 21. He will honour those that honour him and bring forth their righteousnesse as the light and their judgement as the noone day Prov. For I will have respect unto you and make you faithfull and multiply and establish my Covenant with you Levit. 26.9 And he will love thee and blesse thee and multiply thee he will also blesse the fruit of thy wombe and the fruit of thy Land thy corne and thy wine and thine Oyle the increase of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheepe Deut. 7.13 Thou shalt know that thy seede shall be great and thy off-spring as the grasse of the earth Job 5.25 The Lord shall increase you more and more you and your Children Psal 115.14 Thy wife shall be as the fruitfull vine by the sides of thy house thy Children like Olive plants round about thy Table yea thou shalt see thy Childrens Children and peace upon Izrael Psal 128.3.6 I have been young and now am old yet have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread he is ever mercifull and lendeth and his seed is blessed Psai 37.25.26 The just man walketh in his integrity his Children are blessed after him Prov. 20.7 I will power my spirit upon thy seed and my blessiâ—g upon thy off-spring and they shall spring up among tâ—e grasse as willowes by the water courses Esay 44.3.4 Aâ—d their seed shall be known among the Gentiles and their off-spring among the people All that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed which the Lord hath bâ—essed Esay 61.6 I will give them one heart and oâ—e way that they may heare me for ever for the good of them and of their Childâ—en Jer. 32. â—9 The Children of thy Servants shall continue and their seâ—d shall be â—stablished before thee â—sal 102.28 Though hâ—nd joyn in hand the wicked shall not bâ— unâ—â—â—â—shed but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered Prov. 11.21 In the feare of the Lord is strong confidence and his Children shall have a place of refuge Prov. 14.26 All thy Children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy Children Esay 54.13 For God will shew mercy to them that love him and keepe his Command ments Meditations and Resolutions PRide is the greatest enemy to reason and discretion the greatest opposite to pride for whiles wisdom makes Art the Axe of nature pride makes nature the Axe of Art The wise man shapes his apparell to his body the proud man shapes his body by his apparell T is no marvel then if he know not himself when he is not to day like him he was yesterday And lesse marvell if good men will not know him when he forgets himself and all goodnesse I should feare whilst I thus change my shape least my maker should change his opinion and finding me not like him he made me reject me as none of his making I would any day put off the cause of my apparell but not every day put on new fashioned apparell I see great reason to be ashamed of my pride but no reason to be proud of my shame Hipocricy desires to seeme good rather then be so honesty desires to be good rather then seeing so The worldlings purchased reputation by the sale of desert wise men by desert with the hazard of reputation I would do much to heare well more to deserve well and rather lose opinion then merit It shall more joy me that I know my self what I am then it shall grieve me to heare what others report me I had rather deserve well without praise then do ill with comendation There is nothing more certain then death nothing more uncertain then the time of dying I will therefore be prepared for that at all times which may come at any time must come at one time or another I shall not hasten my death by being still ready but sweeten it It makes me not dye the sooner but better Had I not more confidence in the truth of my Saviour then in the traditions of men poverty might stagger my faith and bring my thoughts into a perplexed purgatory wherein are the poor blessed if pardon shall be only by expence Or how is it hard for a rich man to enter into Heaven if mony may buy out the past present and future sins of himself his deceassed and succeeding progenie It Heaven be thus sould what been fit has my poverty by the prise alreapy paid I find no happinesse in roome on earth T is happinesse for me to have roome in Heaven Nature bids me love my self and hate all that hurt me Reason bids me love my friends and hate those that envy me Religion bids love all and hate none Nature sheweth care Reason wit Religion love Nature may induce me Reason perswade me but Religion shall rule me I will hearken to Nature in much to Reason in more to Religion in all Nature shall make me carefull of my self but hurtfull to none Reason shall make me wise for my self but harmlesse to all Religion shall make me loving to all but not carelesse of my self I may heare the former I will harken only to the latter I subscribe to somthings in all to all things in Religion A large promise without performance is like a false fire to a great peece which dischargeth a good expectation with a bad report I will fore-think what I will promise that I may promise but what I will do Thus whilst my words are led by my thoughts and followed by my actions I shall be carefull in my promisâ—s and just in their performance I had rather do and not promise then promise and not do I cannot sâ—e two Sawyers work at a pit but they put me in mind of the Pharisee and the Pubâ—ican the one casts his eye upward whiles his actions tend to the pâ—â— infernall The other standing with a dejected countenance whiles his hands and heart move upward 'T is not a shame to make shew of our profession so we truly professe what we make shew of But of the two I had rather be good and not seeme so then seem good and not be so The Publican went home to his house rather justified then the Pharisee When I see leaveâ— drop from their Trees in the beginning of Autumne just such think I is the friendship of the world whiles the sap of maintenance lasts my friends swarme in abundance but in the winter of my need they leave me naked He is a happy man that hath a true friend at his need but he is more truly happy that hath no need of his friend When I see the heavenly Sun buried
and an abject Then shall the memory of misery patiently sustained be sweet when in the meane while the wicked shall sobb and sigh Then shall the godly rejoyce and be glad but the reprobate shall howle and weepe Then shall the afflicted more triumph then if continually he had been in joy Then shall the base apparell be glorious and the proud attire infamous Then shall the poore Cottage be more commended then is the guilded Pallace praised Then shall constant patience more prevaile then all the power of the world Simple obedience shall be more commended then then all the subilty of man Then shall a cleare and good conscience more rejoyce a man then profound skill in Philosophie The contempt of Riches shall doe more good then all the riches in the world then shall a zealous Praier bring more delight then ever did fine Cates. Thy silence kept in thy life time shall more cheare thy heart in that time then long babbling good works then shall be respected then copy of sweet words And then shall thy paines taken to reforme thy maners more delight then could all the pleasure in the world Wherefore learne in this life to suffer small things that in the world to come thou maist escape great and grievous dangers Try first in thy life time what thou canst suffer after thou art dead and if thou canst not endure but light things in comparison now how wilt thou beare afterwards everlasting torments And if now so little paine can make thee impatient what will the fire of Hell doe For perswade thy selfe thou canst not be twice happy that is to enjoy thy pleasure in this life and raigne too with Christ in the world to come Now suppose thou hadst lived hitherto in perpetuall honour and pleasure what good would these things doe thee if thou shouldest dye out of hand Seest thou not how all things are vaine save onely to love and serve God for he which loveth God with all his heart feareth neither death nor paine nor judgement nor damnation for perfect love maketh a man wâ—th boldnesse to appeare before God But marvell it is not though he which delighteth as yet in sinne doth both feare death and the day of judgement Notwithstanding if the love of God cannot allure thee unto godlinesse yet let the feare of hell fire drive thee from wickednesse But if neither the love of God nor the fear of Hell can better thee one jot then look not to stand in a good estate long but quickly to fall into the snares of Sathan And gentle Reader if none of these perswasions â—ill prevaile with thee mark well his ensuing discourse that followes Of the paines appointed for sinners after this life AMongst all the meanes which God useth towards the Children of men to move them to resolution aâ—ainst sinne whereof I intreat the strongest and most forceable to the common sort of men is the consideration of punishments prepared by God for rebellious sinners and transgressors of his Commandements wherefore he useth this consideration often as may appear by all the Prophets who do almost nothing else but threaten plagues and distruction to offendors And this mean hath often times prevaled more then any other that could be used by reason of the naturall love which we bear towards our selves and consequently the naturall fear which we have of our own danger So we read that nothing could move the Ninivites so much as the foretelling them of their eminent destruction 〈◊〉 And St. John Baptist although hâ— came in a simple and contemptiblâ— manner yet preaching unto the peoplâ— the terrour of vengeance to come and that the Axe must be put to the Rooâ— of the Trees to cut down for the Fire all those which did not repent he moved the very Publicanes and Souldiers to feare which otherwise are people of very hard mettall who camâ— unto him upon this terrible Embassage and asked what they should doe 〈◊〉 avoid these punishments After therâ— that we have considered of death anâ— of Gods seveare judgements whicâ— insueth after death and wherein every man hath to receive according tâ— his works in this life as the Scriptuâ—â— saith it followeth that we consider aâ—so of the punishments which are appointed for them that shall be founâ— faulty at that account Hereby 〈◊〉 leastwise if no other consideration wâ— serve to induce all Christians to thâ—â— resolution of serving God for if everâ— man have naturally a love of himselfe and desire to conserve his own case then shall he also have feare of perill whereby he is to fall into extreame calamity This expresseth Saint Bernard excellently O man saith he if thou have lost all shame which pertaineth to so noble a creature as thou art if thou feele no sorrow as carnall men doe not yet lose not feare also which is found in every beast we vse to lead an Asse and to weary him out with labour and he careth not because he is an Asse But if thou wouldest thrust him into the fire or fling him into a ditch he would avoid it as much as he could for that he loveth life and fâ—areth death Feare thou then and be not more insensible then a beast feare death feare judgement feare hell This feare is called the beginning of wisdome and not shame or sorrow for that the spirit of feare is more mighty to resist siâ—ne then the spirit of shame or sorrow Wherefore it is said remember thy end and thou shalt never sinne that is remember the finall punishments which are appointed for sinne after this Thus farre Saint Bernard First then to speake in generall of the punishments reserved for the life to come If the Scriptures did not declare in perticular their greatnesse unto us yet are there many reasons to perswade us that they are most severe dolerous and intollerable For first as God is a God in all his works that is to say great wonderfull and terrible so especialâ—y he sheweth the same in his punishment being called for that cause in Scripture the God of justice as also God of revenge wherefore seeing all his other works are all full of Mâ—jestie and exceeding our capacities we may likewise gather that his hand in punishment must be wonderfull also God himselfe teacheth us to reason thus in this manner when he saith and will ye not then feare me and wiâ— yee not tremble before my face which have put the Sandâ— as a stop unto the Sea and have given the water a commandement never to pas e its boundâ— no not when it is most troublâ—d and the floods most outragious As who would say If I am wonderfull and doe passe your imagination in these works of the Sea and others which you see dayly you have cause to feare me considering that my punishments are like to be correspondent to the same Another conjecture of the great 2nd severe Justice of God may be the consideration of his infinite and unspeakable mercy the which as it
failed and fallen their own bosomes would tell them thus but the way how they might be restored never fell into their heathen thoughts This was a worke that God declared onely to his own peculier by the immediate revelation of his Word Will For the manner how God would be worshipped no Naturalist could ever finde it out till he himself gave directions from his sacred Scripture In the first Chapter to the Romans St. Paul grants That they may know God through the visibilities of his works but for their ignorance in this he sayes The wrath of God is revealed against them because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God but turned the glory of the incomparable God to the similitude of the Image of a corruptible man and of birds and of foure-footed beasts and of creeping things And these three things the Scripture teacheth us which else we could never have learned from all the Books in the world Thus we see for Morality nature still is something peart and vigorous But in the things of God it is confirmed that shee is thick sighted and cannot see them Can a Flye comprehend man upon the top of a Monarchy no more can man comprehend God in the height of Omnâ—potencie There are as well misteries for Faith as causes for reasons This may guide me when I have to deale with man but in divine affaires reason shall wait on Faith and submit to her prerogative The Conscience is great but God is farre greater then it Of mans Imperfection .. OF my self what can I doe without the hazzard of erring nay what can I thinke nay what can I not doe or not thinke even my best business and my best vacancy are works of offence and errour uncomfortable constitution of man that canst not but be bad both in action and forbearance corruption mixeth with our purest devotions and not to performe them is neglect When we think not of God at all we are impious and ungratefull when we doe we are not able to think aright Imperfection swaies in all the weake dispatches of the Palsied soul If the Devill be absent our owne fraileties are his tempting Deputies If those forbeare the meritorious world claps our cheeks and fonds us to a cozening faile So which way soever we turne we are sure to be bitten with the one or the other head of this Cerberus To what can we intend our selves wherein there is not a Devill to entrap us If we pray how he casts in wandring thoughts or by our eyes steale away our hearts to some other object then God If we heare he hath the same policie and prejudicates our opinion with the man or part of his doctrine If we read he perswades to let reason judge as well as Faith So measuring by a false rule he would make us beleeve Divinity is much short of what it shewes for If we doe good works he doth poyson them with Pharaisisme and make us by overvaluing lose them If we doe ill he encourages us to a continuance and at last accuses us If nothing we neglect the good we should doe If we sleep he comes in dreames and wantonneth the ill inclining soule If we wake we mispend our time or at best doe good not well So by bad circumstances poyson a well intended principall Even actions of necessitie wee dispatch not without a staine We drinke to excess and the drowning of the braine We eat not to satisfie nature but to overcharge her and to venerate the unbridled spirits As a Mill wheele is continually turnd round and ever drenched with a new streame so are wee alwaies hurried with successions of various sinnes Like Arrowes shot in mighty windes wee wander from the Bow that sent us Sometimes we thinke we doe things well but when they are past we are sensible of the transgression We progress in the waies of vice and are constant in nothing but perpetuall offending You may see the thoughts of the whipping Satyrist how divine they are Nature is motive in the quest of ill Stated in mischiefe all our ablest skill Cannot know right from wrong till wrong be done Fixt nature will to condem'd customs run Vnchangeably who to his sins can set A certaine end when hath he ever met Blushes once from his hardned forehead throwne Who is it sins and is content with one Surely there will not a man be found that is able to answer to these quaeries Their soules have ceeled eyes that can see nothing but perfection in their own labours It is not to any man given absolutely to be absolute I will not be too forward in censuring the workes of others nor will I ever do any that I will not submit to judgement and correction yet so as I will be able to give a reason why I have ordered them as the world sees Of truth and bitternesse in jests JT is not good for a man to be too tart in his jests bitterness is for serious potions not for healths of meeriment and the jollities of a mirthfull feast An offensive man is the Devils bellowes wherewith he blowes up contentions and jarres But among all passages of this nature I find none more galling than an offencive truth for thereby we run into two great errors One is we childe that in a loose laughter which should be grave and savour both of love and pitty So we rub him with a poysoned oyle which spreads the more for being put in such a fleeting suppleness The other is we desend to particulars and by that meanes draw the whole Company to witness his disgrace we break it on The Souldier is not noble that makes himself sport with the wounds of his own Companion Whosoever will jest should be like him that flourishes at a show He may turne his weapon any way but not any more at one then at another In this case things like truth are better then truth it self nor is it lesse ill then unsafe to fling about this wormwood of the braine Some noses are too tender to indure the strength of the smell And though there be many like tiled houses that can admit a falling spark unwarm'd yet some again are covered with such light drye straw that with the east touch they will kindle and flame about your troubled eares and when the house is on fire it is no disputing with how small a matter it came it will quickly proceede to mischief Anger is but a step from rage and that is wildfire which will not be extinguished I know wise men are not too nimble at an injury For as with fire the light stuffe and rubbish kindles sooner then the solid and more compacted so anger sooner inflames a foole then a man composed in his resolutions But we are not sure alwayes to meete discreete ones nor can we hope it while we our selves are otherwise in giving the occasion Fooles are the greater number wise men are like Timber trees in a wood here and there one
solaces in theâ—â— dayes of tears what joy shall there bâ—â— in that day of marriage if our goale 〈◊〉 containe so great matters what shaâ—â— our Countrie and Kingdome doe O my Lord and God thou art a greâ—â— God and great is the multitude of thâ— magnificence and sweetnesse And 〈◊〉 there is no end of thy greatnesse nâ— number of thy wisdom nor measure 〈◊〉 thy benignity so is their neither â—nd numbers nor measure of thy rewarâ— towards them that love and faithfully serve thee Hitherto St. Austin Anotheâ— way to conjecture of this felicity is to consider the great promises which Goâ— maketh in the Scriptures to honor and glorifie man in the life to come whosoever shall honour me saith God I will gloryfie him And the Prophet David as it were complaineth joyfully that Gods friends were so much honoured by him which he might with much more cause have said if he had lived in the new Testament and had heard that promise of Christ that his Servants should sit down and banquet and that himself would serve and minister unto them in the Kingdom of his Father But now to come to that point of this felicity which doth appertain to the soul as the principal part it is to be understood that albeit there be many things that do concur to this felicity for the accomplishment perfection of happynesse yet the fountain of aâ—l is but one onely thing called by Divines the sight of God that maketh us happy This only sight of God is our happinesse If we would enter into these considerations no doubt but we should be more inflamed with the love of this felicity prepared for us then we are and consequently should strive more to gain it then wâ— do And to the end thou mayst conceive some more feeling in the matter gentle Reader consider a little with me what a joyfull day shall that be at thy house when having lived in thâ— fear of God and archieved in his service the end of thy peregrination bâ— the meanes of death to passe froâ— misery and labour to immortality anâ— in that passage when other men begin to feare thou shalt lift up thâ— head in hope according as Christ promiseth for that the time of thy salvation cometh Tell me what a day shall that be when thy soule stepping forth of prison and conducted to the Tabernaclâ— of Heaven and shall be received theâ— with the honourable Companies anâ— Troopes of that place with all thosâ— blessed spirits mentioned in Scriptureâ— as Principalities Powers Vertueâ— Dominations Thrones Angels Archangels Cherubines and Seraphines also with the holy Apostles anâ— Disciples of Christ Patriarks Prophets Martyrs Innocents Confeâ—sors and Saints of God All which shall triumph at thy Coronation and glorification What joy will thy soule receive at that day when shee shall be presented in the presence of these States before the Seat Majestie of the blessed Trinity with recitall and declaration of all thy good works and travels suffered for the love service of God When there shall be laid down in that honourable Consistory all thy vertuous deeds al thy labors that thou hast taken in thy calling all thy almes all thy prayers all thy fasting all thy innocence of life all thy patience in injuries all thy constancie in adversities all thy temperance in meats all thy vertues of thy whole life When all I say shall be recounted there al commended all rewarded shalt thou not see now the value profit of a vertuous life shalt thou not confess that gainful honorable is the service of God Shalt thou not now be glad bless the hour wherein first thou resolvedst thy self to leave the service of the world to serve God Shalt thou not think thy selfe to be beholden to him that perswaded thee unto it Yes verily But yet more then this when as being so neere thy passage here thou shalt consider into what a port and haven of security thou art come and shalt looke backe upon the dangers which thou hast passed and wherein other men are yet in hazzard thy cause of joy shall greatly be increased For thou shalt see evidently how infinite times thou wert in danger to have perished in that journey if God had not held his provident hand over thee Thou shalt see the dangers wherein other men are the death and damnation whereinto many of thy friends and acquaintance have fallen the eternall paines of Hell incurred by many that used to laugh and be merry with them in this world All which shall augment the felicity of this thy blessed estate And now for thy selfe thou mayest be secure thou art out of all danger for ever and ever There is now no more need of feare of watchings of labour of care thou mayest lay down all armour now better then the Children of Israel might have done when they had gotten the Land of promise for there is no more Enemy to assault thee there is no wily Serpent to beguile thee All is peace all is rest all is joy all is security Thy onely exercise must be now to rejoyce to tryumph to sing Hallelujah to the Lambe which hath brought thee to this felicitie and will keep thee in the same world without end But now to draw towards an end in this matter though there be no end in the thing it selfe let the Christian Reader consider whereto he is borne and whereof he is in possibilitie if he will He is born heire apparent to the Kingdome of heaven a Kingdome without end a Kingdome without measure a Kingdome of blisse the Kingdome of God himself he is borne to be joynt heire with Jesus Christ the Sonne of God to raigne with him to triumph with him to sit in judgement with him to judge the very Angels with him What more glory can be thought upon except it were to become God himselfe All the joyes all the riches all the glory that heaven containeth shall be powred out upon him who wil not esteeme of this royall Inheritance Especially seeing that now we have so good opportunity to the obtaining thereof by the benefit of our redemption and grace purchased to us therein Tell me now Gentle Reader why wilt thou not accept of this his offer Why wilt thou not accompt of this his Kingdome Why wilt thou not buy this glory of him for so little a labour as he requireth There is not the wickedest man in the world but taketh more travell and pains in going to Hell then the most painefull servant of God in obtaining of heaven Follow thou not their folly then deare brother for thou shalt see them suffer greevously for it one day when thy heart shall be full gald thou hadst no part among them Let them goe now and bestow their time in vanitie in pleasures in delights of the world Let them build Pall ces purchase Dignities and peeces and patches of ground together Let them hunt after Honours and build Castels in the Ayre the day will
come if thou beleeve Christ himselfe wherein thou shalt have small cause to envie their felicity To conclude then this prize is set up for them that will strive for it For t is not every one that saith to Christ Lord Lord that shall enter into the kingdome of heaven but they onely which doe the will of Christ his Father in heaven Though this Kingdome of Christ be set out to all yet every man shall not come to raigne with Christ but such onely as shall be content to suffer with Christ Thou art therefore to sit down and consider according to thy Saviours councell what thou wilt doe whether thou have so much spirituall money as is sufficient to build this Towre or no That is whether thou have so much good will as to bestow the paines of suffering with Christ if it be rather to be called pain then pleasure that so thou maist raigne with him in his Kingdome This is the question that is the very whole issue of the matter that hath been spoken before either of thy particular end or of the Majestie bounty and justice of God and of the account he wil demand of thee Also of the punishment or reward laid up for thee All this is spoken to this end that thou wouldest finally resolve what thou shouldest doe and not to pass over thy t me in careless negligence as many doe never spying their owne errour untill it be too late to amend it For the love of God then deare brother and for the love that thou bearest to thine owne soule shake off this dangerous security which flesh and blood is wont to lull men in and make some earnest resolution for looking for thy soule in the life to come remember often that worthy sentence This life is but a moment of time whereof all eternity of life or death to come dependeth If it be a moment and a moment of so great importance how is it past over by worldly men with so little care as it is And if all this thatc hath been said gentle Reader will not prevaile with thee little hope is there that any other will doe thee good Wherefore here I end beseeching our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ which was content to pay his own blood for the purchasing this noble inheritance unto us give us his holy grace to esteeme of it as the great waight of the matter requireth and not by negligence to lose our portions therein Of the choise of Religion VAriety in any thing disturbeth the mind and leaves it waving in a dubious trouble and then how easie is it to sway the mind to either side But among all the diversities that wee meet with none troubles us more then those that are of Religion T is rare to finde two Kingdoms one as if every Nation had if not a God yet at least a way to God by it selfe This stumbles the unsetled soule that not knowing which way to take without danger of erring sticks to none so dyes ere he doe that for which he was made to live the service of the true Almighty We are borne as men set down in the middest of a Wood circled round with severall voyces calling us At first we see not which will lead us the right way out So divided in our selves we sit still and follow none remaining blind in a flat Atheisme which strickes deep at the Foundation both of our own the whole worlds happiness T is true if we let our dimmed understanding search in these varieties which yet is the onely meanes that we have in our selves to do it with we shall certainly lose our selves in our windings there being in every of them some thing to beleeve above that reason which leads us to the search Reason gives us the Annatomy of things and illustrates with a great deale of plaineness all the waies that shee goes but her line is too short to reach the depths of Religion Religion carries a confutation along with it and with a high hand of soveragnity awes the inquisitive tongue of nature and when shee would sometimes murmur privately she will not let her speake Reason like a milde Prince is content to shew his subjects the causes of his commands and rule Religion with a higher straine of Majestie bids doe it without inquiring further then the bare command which without doubt is a meanes of procuring mighty reverence What we know not we reverently admire what we doe know is in some sort subject to the triumphs of the soul that hath discovered it and this not knowing makes us not able to judge Every one tells us his own is the truest and there is none I thinke but hath been sealed with the blood of some nor can I see how we may more then proprobably prove any they being all set in such heights as they are not subject to the demonstrations of reason And as wee may easier say what a soule is not then what it is so we may more easily disproove a Religion for false then proove it for one that is true There being in the world farre more error then truth Yet is there besides another misery neere as great as this and that is that we cannot be our owne chousers but must take it upon trust from others Are we not oft befor we can discerne the true brought up and grounded in the false suckng Heresie with our milke in childhood Nay when we come to yeares of abler judgement wherein the mind is grown up compleate man we examine not the soundness but retaine it meerely because our Fathers taught it us what a lamentable weakness is this in man that he should build his eternall wellfare on the approbation of perhaps a weake and ignorant Parent Oh why is our neglect the most in that wherein our care should be greatest How few are there which fulfill that precept of trying all things and taking the best Assuredly though Faith be above Reason yet is there a reason to be given of our faith he is a foole that beleeves he knows not what nor why Among all the diversities of Religion that the world holds I think it may stand with most safety to take that which makes most for Gods glory and mans quiet I confess in all the Treatises of Religion that I ever saw I find none that I should so soone follow as that of the Church of England I never found so sound foundation so sure a direction for Religion as the Song of the Angels at the birth of Christ Glory be to God on high There is the honour the reverent obedience and the admiration and the adoration which we ought to give him On earth peace This is the effect of the former working in the hearts of men whereby the world appeares in his noblest beuty being an intire chaine of inter-mutuall amity And good will towards men This is Gods mercy to reconcile man to himselfe after his fearfull dissertion of his maker Search all