The Inventors premeditation upon this Emblematicall Frontispice of the subsequent pious MEDITATIONS MY Heart a matter good indite By good Examples Cloud by Day By Faiths shining Lamp led by Night With Zeals wings soare up the steep way To Light inaccessible which To Fill and not be Fill'd is rich Leaving th' Earth and TITLES below Where black Heart buried yet not dead Some Posthume rayes doth now bestow Whiles it lies sleeping in Deaths bed An Adamantine heart GOD leaves But takes that which Contrition cleaves Let each sound heart take in good part This thus reflected Broken heart RESOLVED MEDITATIONS Meditated REsolutions Written by A. W. Enlarged 1634 LONDON Printed for Walter Hammond Loquela Emblematici Frontispicij in obsequtum Inventoris piam Authoris memoriam suggesta ACcensus radijs zeloque agitante levatus In coelum geminis flammâ ocyus evolat alis Igne rapax Animus mundique nitentia tangit Lumina Nubâ—genis variata nixa Columnis Sursum contendens summaeque Volumina Legis Secum adamanda verenda Dieque ac Nocte revolvit Haec alto ènsu Mundó TITVLISque relictis Non illum DVX SOLIS amatique arbiter Ortûs Despicit afflictum cum mens divulsafatiscit Cordaque dividuo perrumpit Malleus ictu Si silices gest at solidoque Adamante rigescens Effugit insultus faevi verbera motûs LVNAE LVX illum non respicit alma rigorem Hîc fractum COR Lector habes penetrale serenae Mentis innocuae per quod post funera paucos Nunc spargit radios animi vigor ultimus ardor Verus instanti duplicata potentia mòrte Colli at hos rapiatque in concava pectora Candor Lucidus ingenij deducetque aethere flammas Concipietque novos aeterni luminis ignes GVLIEL HAYDOCK Spare-Minutes OR RESOLVED MEDITATIONS AND PREMEDITATED RESOLVTIONS Written by A. W. Ego cur acquirere pauca Si possim invidear The second Edition corrected and enlarged LONDON Printed by R. B. for Walter Hammond and are to be sold by Michael Sparke in Greene Arbour 1634. TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull My much Honoured Friend Sr William Dodington Knight all health and happinesse Right Worshipfull I Will not make an over large gate to my little City A short Epistle best suites with so small a volume and both fitly resemble your knowledge of mee and mine acquaintance with you short and small But a mite freely given makes a poore widow liberall and in this Present poore like my habilities is a thankfulnesse infinite like your deservings To speake much might be thought flattery to say nothing would be knowne ingratiude I must therefore be short I may not bee silent The happy fortune of my tongue hath incouraged my penne and I humbly crave in the one what I favourably found in the other a courteous acceptance Which if you please to add to your former favours my happinesse I shall have just cause to rest Your Wòrships truly devoted ARTHVR WARVVICK RESOLVED MEDITATIONS AND Premeditated resolutions IT is the over curious ambition of many to be best or to be none if they may not doe so well as they would they will not doe so well as they may I will doe my best to doe the best and what I want in power supply in will Thus whils I pay in part I shall not bee a debtor for all Hee owes most that payes nothing PRide is the greatest enemy to reason and discretion the greatest opposite to pride For whiles wisdome makes art the ape of nature pride makes nature the ape of art The Wiseman shapes his apparell to his body the proud man shapes his body by this apparell 'T is no marvell than if hee know not himselfe when hee is not to day like him he was yesterday and lesse marvell if good men will not know him when hee forgets himselfe and all goodnesse I should feare whilest I thus change my shape least my maker should change his opinion and finding mee not like him hee made mee reject mee as none of his making I would any day put off the old cause of my apparell but not every day put on new fashioned apparell I see great reason to bee ashamed of my pride but no reason to bee proud of my shame THe reason that many men want their desires is because their desires want reason Hee may doe what hee will that will doe but what he may I Should marvell that the Covetous man can still bee poore when the rich man is still covetous but that I see a poore man can bee content when the contented man is onely rich the one wanting in his store whiles the other is stored in his wants I see then wee are not rich or poore by what wee possesse but by what we desire For hee is not rich that hath much but hee that hath enough nor hee poore that hath but little but hee that wants more If GOD then make mee rich by store I will not impoverish my selfe by covetousnesse but if hee make mee poore by want I will inrich my selfe by content HYpocrisie desires to seeme good rather than to be so honestie desires to bee good rather than seeme so The worldlings purchase reputation by the sale of desert wisemen buy desert with the hazard of reputation I would do much to heare well more to deserve well and rather loose opinion then merit It shall more joy mee that I know my selfe what I am than it shall grieve me to heare what others report mee I had rather deserve well without praise than doe ill with commendation A Coward in the field is like the Wisemans foole his heart is at his mouth and hee doth not know what hee does professe but a Coward in his faith is like a foole in his wisedome his mouth is in his heart and hee dares not professe what hee does know I had rather not know the good I should doe than not do the good I know It is better to be beaten with few stripes than with many EAch true Christian is a right traveller his life his walke CHRIST his way and Heaven his home His walke painefull his way perfect his home pleasing I will not loyter least I come short of home I will not wander least I come wide of home but bee content to travell hard and be sure walke right so shall my safe way find its end at home and my painefull walke make my home welcome AS is a wound to the body so is a sinfull body to the soule the body indangered till the wound bee cured the soule not sound till the bodies sinne bee healed and the wound of neither can be cured without dressing nor dressed without smarting Now as the smart of the wound is recompensed by the cure of the body so is the punishment of the body sweetned by the health of the soule Let my wound smart by dressing rather than my bodie die Let my body smart by correction rather than my soule perish IT is some hope of goodnesse not to
another in honour and yet the highest want a glory There though one Starre differs from another in glory yet in the fullnesse of glory they all shine as Starres Heere the greatest may want there the least hath enough Heere all the earth may not bee enough for one There one heaven is enough for all LORD let me rather be least there without honour heere then the greatest heere without glory there I had rather bee a dore-keeper in that house then a ruler in these tents WHen I see the heavenly sun buried under earth in the evening of the day and in the morning to finde a resurrection to his glory Why thinke I may not the sonnes of heaven buried in the earth in the evening of their daies expect the morning of their glorious Resurrection Each night is but the pastdayes funerall and the morning his Resurrection Why then should our funerall sleepe bee other then our sleepe at night Why should we not as well awake to our Resurrection as in the morning I see night is rather an intermission of day then a deprivation and death rather borrowes our life of us then robbs us of it Since then the glory of the sunne findes a Resurrection why should not the sonnes of glory Since a dead man may live againe I will not so much looke for an end of my life as waite for the comming of my change I See that candle yeelds mee small benefit at day which at night much steeds mee and I know the cause is not because the candles light was lesse at day but because the daies light is lesse in the evening As my friends love to mee so mine to my friend may bee at all times alike but wee best see it when wee most need it and that not because our love is then greater but our want Though then I welcome a courtesie according to my want yet I will value a courtesie according to its worth That my fortunes need not my friends courtesie is my happinesse should my happinesse sleight my friends courtesie 't were my folly I See that candle makes small shew in the day which at night yeelds a glorious lustre not because the candle has then more light but because the ayre hath then more darkenesse How prejudiciall then is that ambition which makes mee seeme lesse then I am by presuming to make mee greater then I should bee They whose glory shines as the sparkes amongst stubble loose their light if compared to the Sonne of glory I will not seat my selfe higher then my place least I should bee disgraced to an humility but if I place my selfe lower then my seat I may be advanced to the honour of friend sit up higher I had rather bee exalted by my humility then be brought low by my exaltation I See that candle which is as a sunne in the darkenesse is but as a darkenesse in the sunne the candle not more lightning the nights darkenesse then the sunne darkning the candles light I will take heed then of contention especially with great ones As I may bee too strong for the weaker so I must bee too weake for the stronger I cannot so easily vanquish mine inferiors but my superiors may as easily conquer mee I will doe much to bee at peace with all men but suffer much ere I contend with a mighty man I See when I follow my shadow it flies me When I flie my shadow it followes mee I know pleasures are but shadowes which hold no longer then the sunshine of my fortunes Least then my pleasures should forsake mee I will forsake them Pleasure most flies me when I most follow it IT is not good to speake evill of all whom wee know bad it is worse to judge evill of any who may prove good To speake ill upon knowledge shewes a want of charity to speake ill upon suspition shewes a want of honesty I will not speake so bad as I know of many I will not speake worse then I know of any To know evill by others and not speake it is sometimes discretion to speake evill by others and not know it is alway dishonesty Hee may bee evill himselfe who speakes good of others upon knowledge but hee can never bee good himselfe who speakes evill of others upon suspition A Bad great one is a great bad one For the greatnesse of an evill man makes the mans evill the greater It is the unhappie priviledge of authority not so much to act as teach wickednesse and by a liberall crueltie to make the offenders sinne not more his owne then others Each fault in a leader is not so much a crime as a rule for error And their vices are made if not warrants yet presidents for evill To sinne by prescription is as usuall as damnable and men run poast in their journey when they goe to the divell with authority When then the vices of the rulers of others are made the rules for vices to others the offences of all great ones must needs bee the greatest of all offences Either then let mee bee great in goodnesse or else it were good for mee to bee without greatnesse My owne sinnes are a burthen too heavie for mee why then should I lade my selfe with others offences To speake all that is true is the property of fooles to speake more then is true is the folly of too many Hee that spends all that is his owne is an unthrifty prodigall Hee that spends more then is his owne is a dishonest unthrift I may sometimes know what I will not utter I must never utter what I doe not know I should bee loath to have my tongue so large as my heart I would scorne to have my heart lesse then my tongue For if to speake all that I know shewes too much folly to speake more then I know shewes too little honesty IT is the ambitious folly of too many to imitate rather greatnesse then goodnesse They will sooner follow the example of their Lord then the precepts of their GOD. I will alway honour greatnesse I will onely imitate goodnesse and rather doe good without a patterne then commit evill in imitation 'T is better to bee saved without a president then to bee damn'd by example THere is no security in evill society where the good are often made worse the bad seldome better For it is the peevish industry of wickednesse to finde or make a fellow 'T is like they will bee birds of a feather that use to flocke together For such commonly doth their conversation make us as they are with whom wee use to converse I cannot bee certaine not to meet with evill company but I will bee carefull not to keepe with evill company I would willingly sort my selfe with such as should either teach or learne goodnesse and if my companion cannot make mee better nor I him good I will rather leave him ill then hee shall make me worse TO teach goodnesse is the greatest praise to learne goodnesse the greatest profit
by the Cape of good hope till I arive at the haven of eternall happinesse THE same water which being liquid is penetrated with an horsehaire will beare the horse himselfe when it is hard frozen I muse not then that those precepts and threats of GODS judgements enter not into the hardned hearts of some old men frozen by the practice of sinne which pierce and penetrate deepe into the tender hearts and melting consciences of yonger folks thawed with the warmth of GODS feare Hence see I the cause why the sword of the Word so sharpe that it serveth in some to divide the joyntes and marrow in others glaunceth or reboundeth without dint or wound from their cristall frozen and adamantine hearts I cannot promise my selfe to bee free from sinne I were then no man but I will purpose in my selfe to bee free from hardnesse of heart by custome and continuance in sinne I may erre in my way I will not persist and goe on in my errours till I cannot returne againe into my way I may stumble I may fall but I will not lye still when I am fallen WHen I see two game-cocks at first sight without premeditated malice fight desperatly and furiously the one to maintaine the injury offered the other to revenge the injury received by the first blow and to maintaine this quarrell not onely dye the pit with their bloud but die in the pit with their mutuall bloudy wounds me thinkes I see the successe of those duëllers of our time which being ambitious of Achilles his praise Pelidis juvenis cedere nescij desperatly and furiously adventure their lives heere and indanger their soules heereafter onely for the vaine termes of false honour I will not say but that being flesh and bloud I may be carelesse of my flesh and bloud to revenge injurious indignities offered me yet since as a tenant my soule must answer her Landlord for reparations of the house she dwels in and I have no warrant of GOD or man for such revenge I will not kill my owne soule to kill an other mans body I will not pull the house of my body on my soules head in a fury that GOD may make them both fuell for the fury of hell fire WHen I view the heavens declaring the glory of GOD and the firmament shewing his handy worke and consider that each litle numbred starre even of the sixth magnitude containeth the earths dimension 18. times in bignesse by Astronomers conclusions I easily descend to consider the great difference of earthly mens glory and that weight of glory affoorded the Saints in heaven For what a poore ambition is it to bee the best man in a City What 's a City to a Shire What a Shire to the whole Island What this Island to the Continent of Europe What Europe to the whole Earth What that Earth to a Starre What that Starre to Heaven and that to the Heaven of Heavens And so by a retrogradation how litle How nothing is this poore glory I finde many which say hoc nihil est aliquid I finde in my selfe cause to say hoc aliquid nihil est If I needs will bee somebody by my ambition I will bee ambitious to bee ranged with the Saints in Heaven rather then ranked with the Kings on earth since the least in the Kingdome of Heaven is greater then they I Saw once a Ierfalcon let fly at an Heron and observed with what clamour the Heron entertain'd the sight and approach of the Hawke and with what winding shifts hee strave to get above her labouring even by bemuting his enemies feathers to make her flaggwinged and so escape but when at last they must needs come to a necessitated encounter resuming courage out of necessity hee turned face against her and striking the Hawke thorough the gorge with his bill fell downe dead together with his dead enemie This sight seemed to mee the event of a great sute in Law where one trusting to his cases potency more then his causes equity endeavours to disinherit his stubborne neighbour by colourable titles to his land Heere may you heare the clamorous obloquies of the wronged and see the many turnings and winding Meanders in the Law sought out to get above his adversary And lastly when the issue must come to tryall oftentimes in the grapple they both sinke to beggery by the Law whiles lawfully they seeke to get above each other Hence warned against potent enemies I will alway pray LORD make mee not a prey unto their teeth and against an equall or inferiour I will not borrow the lawes extreme right to doe him extreme wrong nor fall to law with any body till I fall by law to bee no body I will not doe that to have my will which will undoe my selfe of what I have by my willfullnesse THe Psalmist doth not slander the slanderers when in a good description of their bad natures hee saith their throat is an open sepulcher c. the poyson of Aspes is under their lippes For what more loathsome stench and noisome smells can a new opened sepulcher belch out then these venomous open throated slanderers And well may their lipscontaine the poyson of Aspes of which Lucan saith in nulla plus est serpente veneni when a few words of theirs shall like a Witches spell charme and strike dead a mans deerest reputation I will therefore indeavour to make my actions of that vertue that as an antidote of Mithridates his best confection they may repell the worst infection those serpents shall spit at mee And albeit I cannot bee free from their assaults from which none is freed yet I will not with Cleopatra set those Aspes so neere my heart that they may stop my vitall spirits with their poyson And since I must passe thorough this Africa of monsters and harmefull beasts I will carefully feare and shunne the worst of tame beasts the flatterer and of wild beasts the slanderer MEditation is a busie search in the store-house of fantasie for some Idea's of matters to bee cast in the moulds of resolution into some formes of words or actions In which search when I have used my greatest diligence I finde this in the conclusion that to meditate on the Best is the best of Meditations and a resolution to make a good end is a good end of my resolutions A Meditation of the Authors found written before a Sermon of his for EASTER-day MY heart a matter good indites O then Lord make my tongue a ready writers pen That so assisted by thy graces art Thy grace unto the world I may impart So raise my thoughts my willing minde so blesse That I thy glorious rising may expresse And rays'd from death of sinfull ignorance Thy selfe-advancing power may advance And if my simple willingnesse wants skill Thou mad'st me willing LORD accept my will An other written before a Sermon of his on the 51. Psalme verse 1. LORD guide my tongue that covets to declare How great my sinnes how good thy mercies are I both would shew and yet so great is either That whil'st I both would shew I can shew neither They both are infinite they both began Ere I beginning had or shape of man Where then shall I begin with hope to shew How great both are who both exceeding know Mercy still pardons sinne doth still offend And being endlesse both where shall I end Thou first and last whose mercy heale my sin Shew me to end and teach me to begin The last thing the Author wrote a few daies before his death A Bubble broke its ayre looseth By which losse the bubble's lost Each frost the fayrest flower brooseth Whose lives vanish with that frost Then wonder not we die if life be such But rather wonder whence it is we live so much Tales long or short whether offending Or well pleasing have their end The glasse runnes yet the set-time ending Every atom doth descend If life be such as such life is t is sure When tales and times find ends why should life still indure This world is but a walke of paine That ha's onely end by death This life 's a warre in which we gaine Conquest by the losse of breath Who would not war-fare end and travells cease To live at home in rest and rest at home in peace Nothing heere but constant paines Or unconstant pleasures be Worthlesse treasures loosing gaines Scantie store chaynd liberty If life affoord the best no better fate How welcome is that death that betters that bad state What 's the earth when trimmest drest To that cristall spangled dwelling Yet the Saint in glory least Is in glory farre excelling Glorious Redeemer let this earth of mine Thy glorious body see and in thy glory shine Oft I see the darksome night To a glorious day returning As oft doth sleepe intombe my sight Yet I wake againe at morning Bright Sunne returne when sleepe hath spent deaths night That these dimne eyes of mine may in thy light see light FINIS
by my actions I shall bee carefull in my promises and just in their performance I had rather doe and not promise than promise and not doe THE good-meaner hath two tongues the Hypocrite a double tongue The good mans heart speakes without his tongue the Hypocrites tongue without his heart The good man hath oftentimes GOD in his heart when in his mouth there is no GOD mentioned the Hypocrite hath GOD often in his mouth when the foole hath said in his heart there is no GOD. I may soonest heare the tongue but safest the heart the tongue speaketh lowdest but the heart truest THe speech of the tongue is best known to men GOD best understands the language of the heart the heart without the tongue may pierce the eares of heaven the tongue without the heart speakes an unknowne language No marvell then if the desires of the poore are heard when the prayers of the wicked are unregarded I had rather speake three words in a speech that God knowes then pray three houres in a language hee understands not MEditation is the wombe of our actions Action the midwife of our Meditations A good and perfect conception if it want strength for the birth perisheth in the wombe of the minde and if it may be said to bee borne it must be said to be still-borne a bad and imperfect conception if it hath the happinesse of a birth yet the minde is but delivered of a burthen of imperfections in the perfection of deformity which may beg with the criple at the gate of the Temple or perisheth through its imperfections If I meditate what 's good to be done and doe not the good I have meditated I loose my labour and make curst my knowledge If I doe the thing that is good and intend not that good that I doe it is a good action but not well done Others may injoy some benefit I deserve no commendations Resolution without action is a sloathfull folly Action without resolution is a foolish rashnesse First know what 's good to be done then do that good being knowne If forecast be not better than labour labour is not good without forecast I would not have my actions done without knowledge nor against it IT is the folly of affection not to comprehend my erring friend for feare of his anger it is the abstract of folly to be angry with my friend for my errors reprehension I were not a friend if I should see my friend out of the way and not advise him I were unworthy to have a friend if hee should advise mee being out of the way and I bee angry with him Rather let mee have my friends anger than deserve it rather let the righteous smite mee friendly by reproofe than the pretious oyle of flatterie or connivence breake my head It is a folly to flie ill-will by giving a just cause of hatred I thinke him a truer friend that deserves my love than he that desires it WHen Children meet with primroses nuts or apples in their way I see those pleasures are oftimes occasions to make them loyter in their errands so that they are sure to have their Parents displeasure and oftimes their late retunre findes a barr'd entrance to their home whereas those who meete with dangers in the way make haste in their journey and their speede makes them welcomed with commendation Nature hath sent mee abroad into the world and I am every day travelling homeward If I meete with store of miseries in my way discretion shall teach mee a religious haste in my journey And if I meete with pleasures they shall pleasure mee onely by putting mee in minde of my pleasures at home which shall teach me to scorne these as worse than trifles I will never more reckon a troublesome life a curse but a blessing A pleasant journey is deere bought with the losse of home VVHen I see the fisher bait his hook I think on Sathans subtile malice who sugars over his poysoned hookes with seeming pleasures Thus Eves apple was canded with divine knowledge yee shall bee as Gods knowing good and evill When I see the fish fast hang'd I thinke upon the covetous Worldling who leapes at the profit without considering the danger Thus Achan takes the gold and the garment and ne're considers that his life must answer it If Sathan be such a fisher of men its good to looke before wee leape Honey may bee eaten so that wee take heede of the sting I will honestly injoy my delights but not buy them with danger I See when I have but a short journey to travell I am quickly at home soone out of the paine of my travell soone into the possession of my rest If my life be but my walke and heaven my home why should I desire a long journey Indeed knowing my home so pleasant I would not bee weary with a long walke but yet the shorter my journey the sooner my rest I Cannot see two sawyers worke at the pit but they put mee in minde of the Pharisee and the Publican the one casts his eye upward whiles his actions tend to the pit 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 truely professe what wee make shew of But of the two I had rather bee good and not seeme so than seeme good and not bee so The Publican went home to his house rather justified then the Pharisee WHen I thinke on the Eagles carying up of the shell-fish into the ayre onely to the end hee may breake him by his fall it puts mee in minde of the divellish costly courtesies who out of the bountie of his subtilty is still ready to advance us to destruction Thus more then once hee dealt with my Redeemer no sooner had hee rais'd him to the top of an high pinacle but straight followes cast thy selfe downe and having placed him on an high mountaine let him fall downe and hee shall bee largely rewarded with his owne If advancement be so dangerous I will take heed of being ambitious Any estate shall give mee content I am high enough if I can stand upright WHen I see leaves drop from their trees in the beginning of Autumne just such thinke 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 Hee is an happie man that hath a true friend at his need but hee is more truely happie that hath no need of his friend I Should wonder that the unsatiable desires of ambition can finde no degree of content but that I see they seeke a perfection of honour on earth when the fulnesse of glory is onely in heaven The honour on earth is full of degrees but no degree admits a perfection Whereas the glory of heaven admits of degrees but each degree affoords a fullnesse Heere one may bee lower then
nor a slanderer lesse malicious then the divell WHen I see the sunnerising from the East in glory like a gyant ready for the course within an houres space obscured with mists darkned with clowds and sometimes eclipsed with the Moones inferiour body and however without these after noone declining descending setting and buried under our horizon I seeme to see an earthly king mounting his throne in glory yet soone clouded with cares and feare of dangers sometime darkned in honour by the malicious envy of his subjects sometimes eclipsed in his dominions by the interposition of forreigne powers and however without these in a short time descending and setting at the evening of his life and seldome passing the whole day thereof in perfect continuall glory Then thinke I. O the odds of comfort in that heavenly and these earhly kingdomes O the comfort of this odds There each Saint is a glorious King each King hath his incorruptible Crowne each Crowne a boundlesse fearelesse endlesse kingdome Let mee strive for the glory of such a kingdome onely which is a kingdome of such glory Felices anima quibus hae cognoscere sola Inque domos superûm scandere curafuit THE Lawes in themselves are the scoales of justice the wronged poore-mans shelter the pillars of the Common-wealth but the abused practice makes those scoales unequall that poore-mans shelter a mans poore shelter for his wrongs The proofe of this appeares with the Iuries at the Assises in their proofes when one may often discerne perjury usher in the evidence to the jury and injury follow with the verdict I admire with reverence the justice and wisedome of the Lawes I deplore with compassion the abused practice of the Lawes and resolve rather to beare with patience an hayleshower of injuries then to seeke shelter at such a thicker where the brambles shall pluke off my fleece and do me more hurt by seratching then the storme would have done by hayling I care not for that physicke where the remedy is worse then the disease HOw cunningly doth the Prince of darknesse take on him the forme of an Angell of light How often have seeming-saints prooved divels even in those things lightly most faulty which they make a shew of being most free from Some more prowd of being thought plaine then a flaunting gallant in his new fashion Others refusing a deserved commendation onely with a desire to be commended for refusing it The one hating pride with a more proud hatred the other shunning praise with a greater vaine-glory It is bad to have vices worse to dissemble them Plato possessed his rich bed with lesse pride then Diogenes trampled on it I Meete sometimes with men whose crazed braines seeme soldered with quick-silver whose actions straines run only in odd crotchets whose judgements being hood-winkt with their owne opinion and passion admit of nought for reason but what their unreasonable selfe-will dictates to them And then what they will doe they will doe and doe it they will with that torrent of violence that overturnes all obstacles of counsell which crosse their courses From these I will learne not to make Will my coach-man unlesse Reason runne before to shew the way And if my action must passe by the waters of uncertaine danger of all vessels I will not use the Whirry As sloath seldome bringeth actions to good birth so hasty rashnesse alwaies makes them abortive ere well formed AS in virtues hee that hath one hath all so in vices he that hath one hath seldome one alone He that will steale must lye and he that will steale and lye will sweare his lye and so easily skrue himselfe up to perjury He that will be drunke what will he not be when he is drunke and being slipt downe from the top of reasonable sense where stoppeth he from tumbling downe into a beastly sensuality I will therefore give the water no passage no not a litle least it make a breach and that breach let in an inundation to drowne the sweet pastures of my soule I see the divels claw is an enteringwedge to let in his foot that foot his whole body I will be carefull to set a Watch and keepe the doore that sinne may have no admittance I cannot be too carefull so it bee to the purpose it cannot be to the purpose if it be too little THat the voyce of the common people is the voyce of GOD is the common voice of the people yet it is as full of falshood as commonnesse For who sees not that those blacke-mouth'd hownds upon the meere seate of opinion as freely spend their mouthes in hunting Counter or like Actaeons dogges in chasing an innocent man to death as if they followed the chase of truth it selfe in a fresh sent Who observes not that the voice of the people yea of that people that voiced themselves the people of GOD did prosecute the GOD of all people with one common voice he is worthy to die I will not therefore ambitiously begg their voices for my preferment nor weigh my worth in that uneven ballance in which a feather of opinion shall be momentenough to turne the scales and make a light peece go currant and a currant peece seeme light THere are a sort of men which are kind men to mee when they expect some kindnesse from mee who have their hands downe to the ground in their salutations when the ground of their salutations is to have a hand at me in some commodity But their owne ends once served their kindnesse hath its end at once And then it seemes strange to mee how strange they will seeme to grow to mee as if the cause their desire being removed the effect their courtesie must straight cease I will not acknowledge such my friends but their owne and when ever I see such insinuating palpalation I will bethinke mee what the authors would have of mee And with a thrifty discretion rather deny such their requests then in a prodigall kindnes become their friend more then mine owne I See a number of gallants every where whose incomes come in yearely by set numbers but runne out daily sans number I could pity the cases of such brave men but that I see them still in brave cases And when I see them often foxed methinke the Proverbe sutes those sutes What is the fox but his case I should thinke them to bee Eutrapelus his enemies whom he cloathed richly to make them spend freely and grow deboshed I will doe those men right and wonder at them because they desire it I will not wrong my selfe to envie at them because they deserve it not nor to pity them because they scorne it I know that gorgeous apparell is an ornament to grace the Court for the glory of the Kingdome but it is no ornament usefull in the Kingdome of Grace nor needfull in the Kingdome of glory A rich coate may be commendable in the Accidents of armory onely but it is not the onely substance of a commendable
would make the just addition of his anger intollerable COntent is the marke wee all ayme at the cheefe good and top of felicitie to which all mens actions strive to ascend But it is solely proper to GODS wisedome to ingrosse all true content into his owne hand that hee may sell it to saints by retaile and inforce all men to buy it of him or want it Hence is it that a godly man in his meane estate enjoyes more content in GOD then a King or Emperour in his earths glory and magnificence I will then strive to purchase me a patent of content from him that hath the monopolie thereof and then if I have litle in estate I shall have much in content Godlinesse shall bee my great riches whiles I am contented with what I have AS in the greater world for man so in the little world of man as in the outward riches of the one so in the inner treasures of the other many possesse much and enjoy but litle many have much and use but litle others use much and but litle well I shall not so much endevour to have much wherewithall to doe as to doe much with that litle I have It shall not so much greeve mee that I am a poore treasurer as joy mee if I have beene a good steward I could wish I had more to use well but more wish well to use that I have If hee were so blamed that imployed not one talent well what would become of mee if I had ten and abused them POpular applause and vulgar opinion may blow-up and mount upward the bubble of vaine-glorious minde till it burst in the ayre and vanish But a wise man builds his glory on the strong foundation of virtue without expecting or respecting the slender props of vulgar opinion I will not neglect what every one thinkes of me For that were impudent dissolutenesse I will not make it my common care to hearken how I am cared for of the common sort and bee over-sollicitous what every one speakes of mee For that were a toylesome vanity I may doe well and heare ill And that 's a Kingly happinesse I may doe ill and heare well and that 's an hypocrites best felicity My actions shall make me harmony in my hearts inner chamber I will not borrow the Voyces of the vulgar to sweeten my musique THe rancor of malice is the true nature of the divell and the soule possessed therewith is his dearest darling For where envy hate and revenge take up the whole heart there GOD hath no roome at all left to bee in all his thoughts I may meet a mad man and avoid him I may move a cholericke man and pacific him I may crosse a furious drunkerd and shunne him but a malicious man is more dangerous implacable and inevitable then they all Malice omits no occasion to doe mischiefe and if it misse thy body and substance it prosecutes thy shadow Visam fera saevit in umbram My soule come not thou into their secrets unto their assemblie mine-honour bee not thou united I must not turne anger out of my nature I must not turne my nature into anger I must give place to Wrath but not a resting place but a place to let it passe-by that I may let goe displeasure I may give entrance to anger on just cause I may not give it entertainement on any cause till it sower with the leaven of malice I must bee angry with sinne but I must bee angry and sinne not WHen I plant a choyse flower in a fertile soyle I see nature presently to thrust up with it the stinging nettle the stinking hemlocke the drowzie poppie and many such noysome weedes which will either choake my plant with excluding the sunne or divert its nourishment to themselves But if I weed out these at first my flower thrives to its goodnesse and glory This is also my case when I endevour to plant grace in the fertill soyle of a good wit For luxurious nature thrusts up with it either stinging wrath or stinking wantonnesse or drowzie sloath or some other vices which robb my plant of its desired flourishing But these being first pluckt up the good wit produceth in its time the faire flower of vertue I will not therefore thinke the best wits as they are wits fittest to make the best men but as they are the best purged best wits The ground of their goodnesse is not the goodnesse of their wits but the good weeding and clensing it I must first eschew the evill ere I can doe good supplant vices ere I can implant virtue AS it is never to soone to be good so is it never too late to amend I will therefore neither neglect the time present nor despaire of the time past If I had beene sooner good I might perhaps have beene better If I am longer bad I shall I am sure be worse That I have stayed long time idle in the market-place deserves reprehension but if I am late sent into the vineyard I have incouragement to worke I will give unto this last as unto thee WHEN I see the Husbandman well contented with the cold of frost and snow in the Winter because though it chilleth the ground yet it killeth the charlocke though it check the wheat somewhat in growing yet it choaketh the weeds from growing at all Why should I bee moved at the winter of affliction Why vexed at the quaking fit of a quartane ague Why offended at the cold change of affection in my Summer-friends If as they seeme bitter to my minde or body they prove healthfull to my bettered soule If my wants kill my wantonnesse my poverty check my pride my disrespected sleighting quell my ambition and vaine-glory and every weed of vice being thus choaked by afflictions winter my soule may grow fruitfull for heavens harvest let my winter be bitter so that I be gathered with the good corne at reaping time into the LORDS barne AS oft as I heare the Robin-red-brest chaunt it as cheerefully in September the beginning of Winter as in March the approach of the Summer why should not we thinke I give as cheerefull entertainement to the hoare-frosty hayres of our ages winter as to the Primroses of our youths spring Why not to the declining sunne in adversity as like Persians to the rising sunne of prosperity I am sent to the Ant to learne industry to the Dove to learne innocency to the Serpent to learne wisedome And why not to this bird to learne equanimity and patience and to keepe the same tenour of my mindes quietnesse as well at the approach of calamities winter as of the spring of happinesse And since the Romans constancy is so commended who changed not his countenance with his changed fortunes Why should not I with a Christian resolution hold a steddy course in all weathers and though I be forced with crosse-windes to shift my sailes and catch at side-windes yet skilfully to steere and keepe on my course