the businesse M. Commissary did solemnly protest that he did not prosecute us because we kept afast and prayed for the King but heard that it was so well performed that if it had been with authority he would have been at it himselfe and then I did acknowledge that I was sorry that I did not apprehend it so To this effect then we did consult what might be done for the repayring of Master Commissaries reputation so we resolved that Master Commissary should put in a bill against me and I should not plead against it and so a writ of enquiry should go out to enquire what damage this was to Master Commissary and he promised me if they gave him two hundred pound he would not take a penny of it so he put in two bils of complaint what great damage he was put unto and whereas before he was well esteemed of noblemen and gentlemen now they eschew his company whereunto I made this short answer When M. Cōmissary shal clear himself of the suspition of treason against the Kings Royall person and cleare his bill of untruths I hoped I should be at more leasure to make a longer answer in the meane time desired to be dismissed of the honourable court so they gave him a hundred pound damage which I tendred unto him and he told it and put it up againe every penny I gave him a piece of plate with two hearts joyned together and this inscription Amantium ira amoris redintigratio est and so we continued very loving friends to his death and he told a gentlewoman of great worth his loving neighbour that never any affliction did him so much good to commiserate this trouble and vexation that he had done to others and so grew one of the best Commissaries and died lamented A Copy of a Letter to Sir Oliver Luke Knight when he was high Sheriffe SIr the blessed Apostle having used that vehement intreaty unto the Romanes to dedicate themselves to the service of God chapter the 12. In the next verse he doth second that intreaty with this excellent exhortation And fashion not your selves like unto this world but be ye changed by the renewing of your minds that you may prove what that good and acceptable and perfect will of God is Whereupon I beseech you give me leave to make this profitable application to you in particular whom it hath pleased God to call now unto an office of great dignity in the common wealth And humbly I beseech him likewise to give you a wise heart to mannage it to his glory and the good of his Church and the comfort of your owne soule and that you may so doe take heed you doe not fashion your self like unto this world not like to a worldly Sheriffe especially in these two thinges neither in your Officers nor in your Attendancy for it is oft the custome of carnall minded Sheriffes to receave there under officers by tradition whatsoever their condition be but I pray be not you in that fashion but follow that grave and holy direction that Iethro gave to Moses Exod. the 18. the 21. Moreover provide thou amongst all thy people men of courage fearing God men dealing truely hating covetousnesse and therefore I pray make a diligent inquisition amongst your officers and if you finde one lewd Bayliffe in all your pack let him be discarded and an honest man put in his place againe it is the fashion of many vain glorious Sheriffs to exceed so in the number of their attendants and in their excessive entertainments that they are forc't either to end their house keeping with their office or else to lay such heavy burthens and wracking rents upon their tennant as gives them just cause to lament the prodigallity of their landlords Sherivalty seaven yeares after but I beseech you take heed you be not in any sort drawne to like of this fashion neither by the instigation of others nor by the volentary offers of your honourable friends which at this time it may be will be too forward to adde fewell to the flame of your one ambition but I pray consider your own revenue is very cōpetent both for your own ranck and for the support of that office which is imposed upon you and thanks be unto God for it Master Oliver Luke is well known and well esteemed of in the country without the liveries of great mens favoures and therefore I pray stand firme upon your owne bottome and let your own vertues make you still to be honoured and not your excesse lamented and in my poor conceit it is more for your reputation to shew your selfe in the habite of true judgement and moderation and attended with your own servants then to encrease your number with borrowed companies and decke your troopes with the gay feathers of other birds Again consider you are to entertaine Judges of the land men of wisdome and gravity and such as should punish excesse and prodigallity as well as theft and usury besides these times are so peaceable that they need not such troopes of horse or Squandrons of foote to guard their persons nor such pompe nor bravery to divert their minde from the better consideration of these great and serious imployments that they are to goe about Lastly in the feare of God lay this consideration well to your heart how unseasonable unseemly a thing it is to make that a time of feasting and outward jollity which should be a time rather of fasting and mourning wherein both Magistrate and people should bewaile their own sins and the sins of the land which at such times are so apparant and for the which many of their Christian brethren do suffer such heavy Iudgements and therefore if we were in the right fashion we should weep with those that weep and remember those that are in bonds as though we were bound with them and those that are in affliction as if you were also afflicted with them Heb. 13. 3. Thus did that noble Magistrate Ezra fast and mourne for the sins of the people and thus did David Samuel the 1. the 3. the 35. and therefore what great cause is there for our Magistrates to fast and mourn when they hear of so many thefts and murthers and abhominable sins committed in our streets and for the which the Lord might iustly bring his fearfull Iudgements upon the whole land And thus good Sir Oliver through the Lords mercy you may see that they are very proposterous in their house shew great want of true iudgement and Christianlike affection that thinke these fit times for feastings pompe and outward bravery And therefore I beseech you take heed unto your own heart and let neither the vaine examples nor the violent perswasions of vain glorious men drawe you into their vaine errours but evermore remember that most holy saying and righteous censure of our Saviour Christ Saint Luke 16. 15. That which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God
of our life that so it may be well with us at our last breathing and in the dreadfull day of judgement and in this confidence we do not only pray for our selves but also for all our christian brethren upon the face of the Earth those especially that are wounded in their soules and consciences and those that sufferd for the truth sake and those that are visited with mortall disstresse and tormenting crosses and weare new the point of death and prepare them for thy glorious Kingdome good Lord blesse our gracious King Charles and his great Court of Parliament worke graciously in the heart of the King and all his Subjects and in the heart of the Prince and all his people godly sorrow for all our sinnes and give us grace to weepe and mourne night and day for the sinnes and abominations of these sinfull times and cry mightily unto the Lord to turne away those heavie judgements we have justly deserved and continue his great mercy towards us and inflame their hearts with all holy zeale and devotion to advance the glory of God and doe good unto thy faithfull ones and on the other side to raise up their hearts with an everlasting hatred of all sinnes and utterly to abolish that and to roote that out and make them zealous to execute justice upon the malefactors that have so dishonoured God and labour to bring in Idolatry Popery and shed innocent blood and persecute thy faithfull ones that there may be that due execution of justice upon them as may most tend to thy glory the peace of the Church and comfort of thy faithfull ones and to the terrour of all wicked and prophane men blesse our Royall Queen convert her heart more more glorious to the love of the Gospell that shee may renounce all popery and Idolatry and wholly rest upon our Lord Iesus Christ to be her onely Saviour and her everlasting Redeemer that so the Angels in Heaven might rejoyce to see her true conversion unto Thee and blesse all good meanes that may effect the same in thy due and appointed time and make all faithfull Bishops and ministers of thy sacred word take all opportunities to effect the same as they will answere that in the dreadfull day of judgement good Lord blesse the Prince and the Princesse and all those of the Royall posterity and the Prince of Orringe and his Royall Consort sanctifie their hearts now in their tender yeares with the truth of thy holy religion and work in their hearts an everlasting hatred against all Popery Idolatry and prophanesse Good Lord blesse the Prince Elector worke graciously in his Royall heart godly sorrow for all his sinnes and let oh let wee humbly beseech thee the precious blood of our Saviour Christ cleanse him from all his sinnes and make him as pure both in soule and body as if he never had sinned but continued in the first state of innocency and cloath him with the holynesse and righteousnesse of our Lord Iesus Christ that hee may stand ever acceptable in thy fight and enabled to performe that great service unto thee to burne the Whore of Babylon with fire and revenge the blood of thy Saints to that end put it into the hearts of all the Kinges and Princes of the Earth to fulfill thy will to hate the Whore make her desolate and naked and burne her with fire Good Lord for the Lord Iesus sake blesse the Queene of Bohemiah and the Queene of Swedon those of that Royall issue that hath pleased the a long time to humble them with a dejected state and to suffer the enemies of thy truth greatly to insult over them to spoile their goodly Cities to burne downe their houses with fire and carry so many of our Christian brethren and sisters into a miserable captivitie and to shed so much innocent blood but thou doest all things with infinite wisedome thou knowest the fittest meanes to humble thy children and thou knowest the fittest time to make them glorious in their deliverance good Lord in thy blessed time revenge their cause and setle them againe in the inheritance of their Fathers and set them up to sit with the Princes of thy people in the meane time give unto thy servants faith and patience a godly sorrow for all their sinnes and holy zeale and wisedome to make their inheritance sure in heaven and lay up their treasure where that is not subject to these alterations and changes and confound the power of Ante-Christ that man of sinne and his adherentes that they may not to much insult ovet thy Children nor to much disturbe the peace of thy faithfull ones but in thy blessed time make it appeare how precious the blood of thy Saints is in thy sight and what a fearefull accompt they shall make for the same at the day of judgement before the great God of Heaven and Earth that art no respector of persons Blesse the good Bishops and faithfull Ministers of thy sacred word especially those that thou hast placed over us give them wisedome and grace to preach thy heavenly word powerfully and profitablely to our soule and consciences and blesse them in their lives and conversations that ye may be pure and peaceable that so they may be a a blessed meanes to convert many soules unto thee Root out those that are so scandolous and ignious and labour to bring in Idolatry and prophanes and make them evermore to finde by experience that thou that fittest in the heavens will laugh them to scorne and have them in dirision Be mercifull unto our Christian brethren in the Palatinate in Germany other places of Christendom which suffer for the truth and the profession of the glorious Gospell and deliver them from blood thirstie men and gratiously supply all their wants both soule and body in thy appointed time Blesse our Christian bretheren in Virgenia and new England those remoted places of the world keepe them from secret schismes herisies and set their feete into the way of peace and deliver them from their enemies Blesse our Nobles Peares Iudges of the land and Councellers of state blefle them and their councell that tend to thy glory the peace of the Church and the good of the commonwealth that their councels may evermore bee happely established to the confusion of the wicked devises of ungodly men and women that labour to bring in Idollatry popery and prophannesse oh blesse we beseech thee our afflicted brethren sisters that are humbled with the sight of their sinnes and the terror of thy judgements due unto them for the same make clearely appeare unto them thy everlasting mercy towards them in our Lord Iesus Christ their blessed Saviour and Redeemer and that his precious blood doth cleanse them from all their sins and make them as pure in thy sight as if they continued in their happie estate of innocency and let thy grace bee sufficient for them to support them in all their
said for this cause shall a man leave Father and Mother and cleave to his wife and they twaine shall be one flesh wherefore they are no more twaine but one flesh Let therefore no man part asunder whom God hath coupled together Now that you have been thus ioined you dare not deny or if you should the solemn vow you made in the presence of Almightie God and before those honourable Personages in Cashawberry parlour shall witnesse against you therfore how dare you make this fearfull separation except you will proclaime your selfe a truce-breaker to man and a traitor to God the first too scandalous and the other too dangerous for a man of wisdome to undergo I beseech you in the tender mercies of Iesus Christ enter into a serious consideration with your selfe in what a desperate estate you are in and heartily repent of the evill you have committed and earnestly crave pardon of God and then with all speed make a holy reconciliation betwixt you and your fair Lady that so the scandall of your holy profession may be removed and the mouths of insulting Papists may be stopped and your distressed Lady comforted and your consciences quieted but if you wil be stil wilful and obstinate then assure yourself these lines shall rise up in condemnation against you at the dreadfull day of Judgement before that glorious God of heaven and earth who shall iudge all men according to their works they have done in the flesh whether they have been good or evill and that without respect of persons where your greatnesse shall no wise privilege you nor my meanenesse not preiudice the cause of that mighty God who hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the mightie things unto that all-powrefull God do I humbly pray that for his deare Son Jesus Christ his sake he will vouchsafe his great power may be seen in my weaknesse and his infinit wisdome in my foolishnesse so that this weak means may be made powerfull to make you wise to salvation and produce that holy reformation as may bee to the glorie of God and the everlasting happinesse of your owne soule Amen Lord Jesus Amen From him that will honour you according to your noble qualitie if you do not dishonour that God that advanced you to this high dignitie JOHN SPENCER A Postscript You are now conversant with a noble and religious Friend whose zealouse heart I doe assure my selfe will easily be perswaded to take any paines in this charitable busines consult with him and then appoint the time and place where you and your Lady may happily meet together to epaire the ruines that sad absence hath made and beautifie your faces with those amiable looks and your lips with those sweet discourses wherewith you in happier times did solace your selves with unspeakable contentment That so you may make the Proverb true Amantium ira amoris redintigratio est After this some great Lords undertooke to bring them together but it was too late but better late than never for the Lady was very weake in her bed so they lamented their fatall errour and tooke their last farwell for she dyed within few dayes and he lived not long time after A Coppy of a Letter sent to the Earle of Cleveland and Tho. Lo. Oliver St. Iohn for ending of a â—â—â—g suit betwixt Iustice Fish and Mr. Mordant concerning a seat in the Church at Northill Right Honourable VVHen Ioab the Generall of King Davids Army besieged Rabba and fought against it and took the cities of waters and thereby weakned them so that they could hold out no longer then he sent unto hiâ— Lord the King to come up with his Army to take the Citie lest if he took it he should have the honour and the City should be called after his name So I having fought with these two Gentlemen with many arguments perswasions and earnest intreaties and so thorow the blessing of the God of peace have qualified the bitter waters of strife and weakned the strong hold of their violent passion and contentious humour that now they can hold out no longer with any Christian resolution doe now send and sue unto your Honours to come up with your commanding power to take the honour of the day and the renown to be the noble Peace-makers I have viewed the seat in the Church which is large and spacious for both Parties to sit in like good Christians and loving Friends and therefore if it will please your Lordships now to lay your Command upon them to confirme that which I have so earnestly intreated that thus and thus it shall be for their sitting in the seat and thus and thus it shall be for the endiug of all suits and controversies betwixt them then they have both of them faithfully promised before sufficient witnesse that they will submit themselves thereunto and so humbly beseeching that blessed Lord the great Peace-maker who hath pronounced Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God To blesse your Honours with the continuance of many happy days to make you zealous for his glorie and to see like good Maiestrates under so gracious a King the peace and welfare of your Countrey I humbly take my leave August 12 1631. If it please your Lordships to appoint these Gentlemen a day and place where they may attend to receive your Commands under your hands Desirous that there was in me any abilitie to do you service Iohn Spencer Right Honourable IT is the Rule of the Apostle and of our Saviour Christ Rebuke not an Elder but exhort him as a Father Oh therefore that it would please that blessed Lord even the God of wisdome that I might performe this dutie to your Lordship with such regard of your noble qualities and tender care of your precious soule as I ought but however I may faile in point of discretion yee I hope your Lordship will beare with me since it doth proceed from a heart that doth unfainedly desire your everlasting happinesse I know it is a hard taske and many times a thanklesse office to admonish men of mean qualitie of their faults and to bring them to acknowledge their errours much more then those that are so farre our Superiours yet where grace and true nobilitie is it will teachmen with meeknesse to suffer the words of exhortation and with the kingly Prophet to say Let the righteous smite me for that shall be us precious Balme unto me for the wisest and greatest in this world have their frailties and infirmities David a man after Gods owne heart yet erred in numbring the people and confessed he had done very foolishly And Salomon his son the wisest and the greatest statesman that ever was upon the earth yet erred greatly and although he provided men-singers and women-singers and the delights of the sons of men yet he doth acknowledge all was but vanitie and vexation of spirit And so I trust your noble and religious heart will
thoughts and prayers unto God for you as I had good cause when I remember the great care and love that you and M. Hutchinson did shew unto me when I was prisoner in your house Oh that it would please the Lord to make me as happy a prisoner unto you as Saint Paul was unto his Keeper at Philippi whereof you may read in the sixteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles who at Saint Pauls first comming into the prison was in such a woefull estate of a persecuting Infidell yet that night being terrified with the earthquake and feare of the losse of his prisoners would desperately have murthered himselfe but Saint Paul having pitty and compassion upon him cryed out with a loud voice Doe thy selfe no harme for we are all here and then with feare and trembling he fell downe before them and brought them out of prison and said Sirs what must I doe to be saved and Saint Paul preached unto them to beleeve in the Lord Iesus and he and his houshold should be saved and so through the Lords great mercy they were converted and baptized and greatly reioyced that he and all his house beleeved in God Now though I have not seen you so desperately minded to kill your selfe with your sword for feare of my escape yet I must needs say I have seen you ready to wound your soule with fearefull swearing and excessive drinking and how greatly this may endanger your soule and body also you may consider of it You remember well that the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine and Saint Paul doth testifie that drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Galat. 5. 22. but of these sinnes I have admonished you of when I was with you and through the Lords great mercy found some reformation thereof in that I did see you refraine from such excessive drinking and sometimes abstaine an oath and reprove others for swearing I know that is a hard matter suddenly to cast off such growne sinnes and those whereunto you have been so long accustomed but on the other side also I know it is an easie thing unto our omnipotent God to set your feet into the way of peace Oh therefore unto that mercifull God to convert your soule and to set your feet into the way of peace Oh therefore pray unto that blessed Lord and importune him with earnest and zealous prayer day and night untill he hath wrought in you that blessed worke to give you grace not onely to see your sinnes but give you also true repentance and godly sorrow for them that you may now loath them more then ever you loved them and utterly detest and abhorre them though they be as deare unto you as your right eye and as profitable unto you as your right hand yet cast them off and cast them from you for it is better for us to enter into the kingdome of heaven so maimed and spoiled of our sinnes then to enjoy them here for a short time and then both soule and body to be cast into hell fire where there is weeping and wailing in everlasting darknesse And now that you may escape those everlasting torments and attaine to the kingdome of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof you must settle your selfe to the constant performing of those holy duties of prayer and hearing the word of God and you must take unto you that Christian resolution that no feare of mans displeasure nor the mockes and scoffes of wicked men should make you never to neglect the same I meane you must not be ashamed to goe to Sermons nor to keep holy the Sabbath-day nor to pray with your wife and servants though all the drunken companions in Kent should rayle or ieere at you for the same but remember that those that are ashamed of our Lord Iesus Christ and of his holy service on earth he will be ashamed to owne them in the day of judgement and leave them to their devillish masters and to those hellish torments which he hath prepared for such base slaves that doe preferre the service of the devill before the service of God And then will they cry unto the mountaines to cover them and to hils to fall upon them rather then they would heare the dreadfull sentence of Goe ye cursed into hell fire prepared for the devill and his angels and the wofull execution that followes thereupon to be closed up for ever in utter darkenesse and there to be tormented with those damned spirits where in stead of their carousing and filthy speaking they shall have weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for evermore and never shall behold the face of any man nor heare the voice of any creature to yeeld them comfort but as they delighted themselves in swearing and staring in cursing and raging so they shall have their fill thereof among those raging and furious damned spirits and yet shall not procure one drop of water to coole their tongues although they be tormented in those hellish flames as you may read in the example of Dives Saint Luke 16. 29. and then my loving Keeper is it not much better with Moses to chuse rather to suffer afflictions with the children of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season and then to goe to everlasting torments And what if you be mocked and pointed at for a Puritane and be counted a mad man because you separate your selfe from the company of blasphemous wretches and abhominable drunkards and doe now resolve to serve the living God with an honest heart nay what if you should be persecuted and imprisoned for his name-sake Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets and holy men of God in former times and so likewise did the Iews persecute our Lord Iesus Christ and said he was mad and had a devill And if they dealt thus with him our Lord and Master shall we looke for a greater priviledge nay let us with a holy resolution arme our selves to encounter with all their temptations and with the blessed Apostle rejoice that we are accounted worthy in such an honourable cause and to be made like unto our Saviour Christ in any sort for he entred into his kingdome of glory through many tribulations I am a little the more earnest upon this point because even while I was with you I feare there were some that did with scoffing and geering seeke to discourage you in those good courses whereunto you were so tractable But I beseech the Lord of mercy strengthen your faith that you may not onely come secretly unto Christ as Nicodemus did but boldly speake to his glory as Nicodemus did afterwards And then I trust you shall finde great comfort unto your owne soule and cause the Angels in heaven to rejoice for as our Saviour Christ saith Luke 15. I say unto you likewise ioy shall be in heaven for one sinner that converteth more then for
and therefore hold fast that word of truth and follow the holy directions thereof which is able to make you wise unto salvation and both in these and all other your affaires first prove what that good acceptable and perfect will of God is and doe that with all diligence and then assure your selfe if you should fail of this fading honour that they so eagerly hunt after yet you shall have everlasting honour in the sight of God and of his glorious angells in the Kingdome of heaven Amen Lord Iesus Amen Staughton More Anno. 1617. From him that would be glad if either his penne or his person might doe you that good service he desires Iohn Spencer A Copy of a letter to his brother Nicholas Spencer to disswade him from his inordinate delight he took in Cock-fighting which soon after he happily and absolutely gave over IT is said of the churlish Inne-keeper of Bethlehem Luke 2. 7. who entertained so many guests in the Inne that the virgin Mary and our blessed Saviour were thrust out into the stable because there was no roome for them in the Inne but let us in in the fear of God take heed of such Jewish tricks lest in the end we force our Saviour Christ to leave us in the fight of our sins and ingratitute and then it will cost us many a grievous sigh many mournfull teares before we finde him againe read Cant. 5. 6. Nay so wofull shall our estate be that it shall be never out of our minde and now out of my brotherly love unto you I must admonish you of that bewitching and vain pleasure of Cockfighting wherein you are so strangely transported that both my selfe and many of your faithfull friends with grief of heart discern a great alteration in your affections to those courses of religion wherein heretofore you have shewed your selfe more forward and zealous I beseech ye in the fear of God consider to be a stunling in religion is a fearfull thing but to go ten degrees backward with Ezekiahs diall is most intollerable alas shall we begin in the Spirit and end in the flesh shall we be snch greedy Elues in our pleasure sell those heavenly ioyes and blessed hope of our heavenly inheritance for a messe of vaine delights Oh consider how farre we are from the holy zeale of those blessed Saints in Queen Maries dayes that forsook both their goods wives and children for the glory of God and the safety of their soules What vaine wretches shall we approve our selves to be if we will not forsake our vaine pleasures It is not your faire house nor your children nor loving wife I perswade you to forsake it is the vaine and unprofitable sport of Cock-fighting which brings ruine to your state and the endangering of your everlasting happinesse and therefore if either a desire to preserve your estate or to preserve your everlasting inheritance might prevaile my suit were soone granted But it may be you will say if I can prove this you will give over Cock-fighting Well upon that condition I will take some paines to make it manifest First to the matter of the ruine of your state I referre you to the examination of your particular exspences of those occasions and I pray let Sir William Dyers ruinate estate be a meanes to make you take heed by other mens harms for the matter of discontentment I appeal to no other judge then your loving wife which can tell you what discomforts she often times findes in your long absence the dangers that doth fright her when she considers that you are in the company of such swaggering companions for the latter which is the maine point I purpose to insist upon being a matter of such high concernment first because you make that a cause of your jollity and merriment which should be a cause of your griefe and godly sorrow for you take delight in the enmitie and cruelty of the creatures which was laid upon them for the sinne of man for the earth was accursed with thorns and briers for our sins and therefore the blood-shedding of the creatures should rather teach us to shed teares for our sins thus did Saint Peter when he heard the Cock crow he went out and wept bitterly I would to God you Cock-masters would make that use of these Cocks Secondly it is dangerous unto your soul in regard of the time that you mispend for if ye must give an account of every idle word that we speak Matth. 12. 36. How much more of idle houres and dayes and if you did keep as strickt an account as you do of your houshold expences you should at the weekes end see what a heavy reckoning you should make when you shall see before your eyes thus many houres of such a day and so many daies of such a week I have spent in my vain delights and thus few houres in the service of my God well howsoever we are loath to come to this account now yet we shall be one day brought to it whether we will or no Thirdly it is dangerous to your soul in regard of the company with whom you do converse who for the most part are either swearers drunkards or licencious people now if it be most true that the prophet saith Psal. 18. 25. With the holy thou shalt be holy and with a perfect man thou shalt be perfect Then on the contrary it must needs be that with the wicked we shall learn wickednesse and with the prophane we shall learn prophanes for it is a hard matter to handle pitch and not to be defield with it or to lie among thornes and not be pricked with them as the Prophet saith 2. Sam. 23. 6 7. But the wicked shall be every one as thornes thrust away because they cannot be taken with hands but the man that shall touch them must be defenced with iron or with the shaft of a speare and they shall be burnt with fire in the same place Therefor dear brother if you did rightly consider of the hatefull and infectious qualitie of the wicked it will make you stand upon thorns while you are in their company and to bewaile the hardnesse of your heart which hath not felt them such pricking thornes all this while Lastly it is dangerous to your soule in making your soul guilty of many other mens sinnes by drawing away many a poore man from his honest labour whereby he should maintaine his wife and children to spend his time and money in such an idle manner but also you are guilty of many great mens sins whilest you see and hear the glorious Name of God dishonoured and dare not or will not reprove for the same consider what the Psalmist saith 50. 16. But unto the wicked said God what hast thou to do to declare mine ordinances that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed and hast cast my words behinde thee For when thou seest a thiefe thou runnest with
his souldier and if he finds him peevish and froward give him a good knock upon his helmet and if he finde him willing and tractable then to commend and praise him Ninthly for matter of Physick you must advise with some learned Physician that doth well understand the nature of the disease and the constitution of his body for otherwise he may be prodigall of blood-letting and the want of blood may increase his melancholy he must likewise take heed of strong vomits that strain the head and distemper the brain in my opinion bathing and sweating and bleeding with horseleeches the safer way Lastly because these maladies and distempers are accompanied with a great deale of peevish crossenesse and wilfull obstinacie and a great part of the cure stands in the right crossing of them from those froward and furious humours which will require great patience and good observation for the generall use all faire meanes you can devise to gain them to the good and divert them from the ill but if that will not prevail you must have patience and passe it over as though you took no notice of it but if it comes once to this that they do perceive that you go about to crosse them and that you are in opposition and contesting with them then you must follow it with all importunity and resolvtion to subdue them and compell them to do it but be sure you take them with such advantages that you prevail otherwise the attempting of it will prove dangerous to your selfe and make them more outragious and insolent Postscript Master Dixie I pray be carefull to see these directions well performed and then I hope you will well deserve to have twenty pound a yeer for your paines otherwise I would be loath to perswade you to undertake such a dangerous imployment A Copie of a Letter to a vertuous Gentlewoman greatly afflicted in minde which it pleased God to give unto her great comfort BLessed be God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort which comforteth us in all our tribulations that we might be able to comfort them that are in any affliction by the comfort where with wee our selves are are comforted of God and humbly I beseech that gratious Lord that he will vouchsafe for his deare sonne Iesus Christ his sake to open your eyes that you may behold those unspeakeable mercies and comforts that he will in his appointed time give unto all those that do fear his holy name and call upon him faithfully Cosen I have lately receaved your letter wherein you doe acknowledge that when I was with you it pleased God you found some comfort praised be his holy name for it but since you have been very ill and so remaine some causes you shew for the same because you cannot be assured of the favour of God towards you the reasons that you alledge because you finde so small comfort in prayer and in hearing of the word Secondly because of your fearful temptations both past and still continuing these as I take it are your chief reasons being rightly understood they wil prove so many sound arguments to prove that you never had so good cause to rest assured of Gods favour towards you nor ever had so many testimonies of his everlasting mercyes towards you as you have now that afflictions chastisements and temptations are the signes of Gods favour and the markes of his children I pray consider what the holy Apostle saith Hebrews the 12. the 5. the 6. my son despise not the chastening of the Lord neither faint when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and he scourgeth every son that he receiveth and mark how he concludes in the eight verse if therefore ye be without correction whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sonnes is it not strange that you should vex and torment your self because the divell cannot prove you a bastard but it may be you may say it is not thus in your iudgement but then know that it is not fit for you to be a Judge in you own cause but submit your selfe unto the Judgement of Gods word which is the word of truth And beleeve his holy Apostles that knew how to iudge in those cases better then you and they will testifie that we have cause rather to reioyce then any wise to be discouraged with afflictions and temptations Saint Peter 1. 2 My brethren count it exceeding ioy when ye fall into temptations and the blessed Apostle Saint Paul when he was tempted and grievously buffeted by Sathan for the which thing he besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from him but what was he presently released no but receaved this answere from the Lord and he said unto me my grace is sufficient for thee for my power is made perfect through weaknesse and what was the blessed man dismayed with this answer or concluded as you would do that he was out of the favour of God because his prayer was not granted no such matter but rather doth conclude greater comfort and assurance very gladly therefore saith he will I rejoyce in my infirmities that the power of Christ may dwell in me therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in anguish for Christ sake for when I am weake then am I strong thus you may see how the Apostle out of Daniel gathereth matter of comfort and out of his own weaknes encreaseth great strength of faith and thus must you do in these fearfull temptations not so much as cast your eyes upon your own weaknesse nor upon the strength and power of your malitious enemy but you must looke up with the eye of faith unto our blessed Saviour Iesus Christ who is in the highest heavens and whose grace is sufficient for us and he it is who hath triumphed over sin death and damnation and hath tramped underfoot all the enemyes of our salvation and therfore with the holy Prophet say The Lord is my light and my salvation whom then shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom then shall I be afraid Now concerning your discomfort in hearing the word because you take so small comfort in the promises and are so much terrified with the judgements This I take it proceeds partly from the errour of your judgment in misse-aplying the same and partly from the malice of Sathan who evermore labours to drive us into extremities either with Eve not to fear the iudgements of God at all or else with Cain to thinke our punishment greater then we can beare but even from your weaknesse and from Sathans malice doth the Lord draw out that which may tend to his glory and to your great comfort and hereby I trust he hath broken up the fallow grounds of your heart and brought you to godly sorrow for your sins so that I do assure my selfe within this short time
of your afflictions more repentant teares have been put up into the Lords bottle then in many yeers before account not this as a small blessing nor passe it over with a slight thankfulnesse but take speciall notice of it assure your selfe this faire will not last all the yeer and the time will come when you will desire to see these teares of contrition and shall not see them no though you seek them with fasting and prayer and that you may the better conceave how blessed their estate is that have a contrite heart and sorrowfull spirit I pray consider of that wonderfull comfortable promise of the Lord Isaiah 57. 15. For thus saith he that is high and excellent that inhabiteth eternity whose name is the holy one I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to give life unto them that are of a contrite heart who would think themselves most happy that had a heart fit to entertaine that glorious guest thus likewise doth the holy prophet testifie Psal. 34. 13. The Lord is near unto them that are of a contrite heart and will save such as are afflicted in spirit and our blessed Saviour in whose mouth was no guile he saith blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted and in the 16 of S. Iohn verse the 20 Verily verily I say unto you ye shall weepe and lament and the world shall reioyce and ye shall sorrow but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy a woman when she travelleth hath sorrow because her hower is come but assoone as she is delivered of the childe she remembreth no more the anguish for ioy a man is borne into the world and you now therefore are in sorrow but I will see you again and your heart shall reioyce and your ioy shall no man take from you Thus you may see this godly sorrow is but as the throes of our spirituall birth in Christ which although it may be somewhat grievous for a time yet when we see our selves thereby borne againe of water and the spirit and so made able to enter into the Kingdome of heaven oh how ioyfull and comfortable should this make us to be many would with Zebedees sons sit one at the right hand the other at the left hand of our Saviour Christ in his kingdome but they are loth to tast of this cup but let us know assuredly that as he is entred into his Kingdome of glory through many tribulations so must we follow him thorow many tribulations if ever we will come there you are now in the way be not weary of well doing nor turn not backe till you come to that holy resting place and that you may finish your course with ioy and comfort be diligent in prayer and observe a constant course therein evening and morning and at noone dayes and as often as you finde your affliction to presse and oppresse your soule then make your mone unto your mercifull God and powre out your soules before him and especially bewaile wicked thoughts and vaine lusts where withall you heretofore so mnch delighted your selfe and labour to mourn in secret for them and likewise all other secret sins and that your prayers may be more fervent adde thereunto the holy use of moderate fasting and this I trust through the Lords mercy you shall finde an excellent meanes to recover your selfe unto your spirituall chearfulnesse again and be not discouraged from these holy exercises though Sathan strive neversomuch to vex and terrifie you nay though you feare the Lord is angry with you nay though you knew that assuredly yet pray with the Psasmist Psal. 80. 5. O Lord God of hosts how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people Secondly having in this holy manner recomended your soule and body unto God in prayer waite upon him with a quiet minde assuring your selfe that now the Lord is to take care of you and therefore cast your care upon him and so with a setled resolution dispose of your selfe unto some profitable imployments fitting for your calling and this course the Prophet David tooke Psal. the 5. 3. Heare my voyce in the morning O Lord for in the morning wil I direct me unto thee and I will wait and what good successe those have that do thus attend we may read in the Psalm 147. 11. But the Lord delighteth in them that fear him and attend upon his mercy Thirdly labour for meeknesse of heart and an humble spirit for where this grace is in some reasonable manner attayned there the heart of affliction doth breake away apace and the danger thereof of is little to be feared for our blessed Saviour hath pronounced a double blessednesse unto such Matthew the 5. Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven blessed are the meeke for they shall inherit the earth And the want thereof hath driven many in their desperate fury to loose their inheritance both in heaven and earth Fourthly take heed of moderate greife and violent passions which at this time is very unseasonable though easily fallen into and therefore watch over your own heart diligently and doe not entertaine so much as a sorrowfull sigh into your heart except it be for your sin nor an impatient word into your lippes except it be when you see God dishonoured and then speake zealously and spare not and furthermore you must be contented to be admonished of these infirmities by your Christian friends with whom you do converse for it may be they may discerne these things amisse in you when you doe not discerne it in your selfe being overwhelmed with the pleasing humour of Sottish melancholy Lastly that you may well remember it you must by all meanes possible strive to serve the Lord with a cheerfull heart and a willing minde for the Lord loveth a chearfull giver and especially in matters of his holy worship therefore when you come to hear his holy word to fast to pray to religious conference or any other holy duty strive to doe it chearefully and to reioyce even in your very teares for I can tell you that is a good cause to make both you and others reioyce it may be you thinke it strange but read what Saint Paul saith to his intirely beloved Timothcus and then I hope you will say I am in the right desiring to see thee mindfull of thy teares that I might be filled with ioy 2. of Timothy the 1. 6. And for neglect of this duty the Lord doth threaten many heavy Judgements against the children of Israel Deut. 28. 47. Because thou servest not thy Lord thy God with ioyfulnesse and a good heart for the abundance of all things therefore thou shalt serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send uppon thee in hunger and in thirst and in nakednes and in need of all things And thus according to my simple understanding I
aflictions And confound the power and malice of the Devill and all his devilish devises whereby hee labours to drive them to dispayre and to lay violent hands upon themselves and make him feare and tremble with the consideration that all these evill thoughts and wicked suggestions which hee puts into our hearts shall be set upon his own score and adde to his greater damnation in utter darkenesse and hell fire Blesse all our Christian brethren that are visited with the Plague and other mortall diseases comfort their soules and worke in their hearts godly sorrow for all their sinnes and that they may cry mightily unto the Lord for mercy before they go hence and be no more seen and give them faith to beleeve in our Lord Iesus to bee their Saviour and everlasting Redeemer and that his precious bloud that cleanseth from all their sinnes and that hee will vouchsofe to bee unto them advantage both in life and death O blesse we beseech Thee our distressed brethren that are in distraction raging madnesse fury those that wee have taken the speciall care custody of whether present or absent oh stay them from laying violent hands on themselves or others thou that art the God of infinite wisdome and power that stillest the raging of the Seas and the madnesse of the people stay those raging fits and set their feet into the way of peace Blesse all our Christian friends Father Mother sisters and brothers those we have taken the speciall care and custody of wife children and servants and other our neighbours and friends amongst whom we live grant that wee and they may labour to keepe our soules and bodies pure and undefiled and make our houses the houses of prayer not a den of theeves and keep us from all infection of Idolatry popery and prophanenesse and if it shall please thee to bring us to such an honorable triall grant that wee may witnesse thy truth with our best bloud And now good Lord in the name of our Saviour Iesus Christ we praise magnifie thy holy name for that everlasting love of thine towards us in sending our Lord Iesus to be our Saviour for all those blessed comforts revealed unto us in thy sacred word for comforting our soules when wee have been so neer the point of despaire raysing our weak bodies when wee have been so neer the point of death and set our feet in the way of peace when we have been running the headlong course to damnation and blessed our labours and made us a meanes to yeeld comfort to any of our destressed brethren and sisters and blessed bee thy holy name that hath enabled us to write this book unto our gratious King good Lord blesse it that it may tend to thy glory to the confounding of Antichrist and his friends and the comfort of our afflicted brethren in their afflicted state And blessed be thy holy name for blessing us with the good things of the land thou hast given us the first and second raine and caused the earth to bring forth hearbs for the use of man and fodder for cattle and caused our vallies to stand so thicke with Corne and Wheate that wee have cause to tell of thy goodnesse all the day long and sent us peaceable dayes that we might receive the fruit of the Earth in due season notwithstanding the feare and terrour of the Schottish Armies hast given such holy wisedome to our gracious King to compose those dangerous warres with honour and safety to both Nations and blessed be thy holy name for continuing thy holy word unto us thy holy sacrament and thy holy ordinances unto us and blessed be thy holy name that continues our gracious King unto us and our great Counsell of Parliament and us with comfort and confidence that thou wilt be graciously pleased to make a holy reformation on both in Church and Common wealth and rise up with all holy indignation to root out all Idolatry popery and all prophannesse and Papeists Atheists and Anabaptistes that doe so oppose thy truth authority government of our gracious King oh convert their hearts or else confound their devices and bring them to their well deserved ends And blessed be thy holy name that hast done such great thinges for us in discovering those horrible treasons and rebellious Idolatry popery and prophanesse and so confounded them and brought many of them to their shamefull and well deserved ends And blessed be thy holy name for thy gracious providence over us this night that we have not perished in workes of darknesse that wee have not fallen into despaire raging madnesse that thou hast not suffered our houses to be burnt downe with flames of fire or our enemies to possesse our gates and now good Lord what shall we render unto thee for all thy mercies shewed towards us still take up the cup of salvation and still entreat thy mercies to be continued towards us this day and for evermore and that wee may be the better for thy service and the workes of our calling sanctifie all the faculties of our soules and all the parts and members of our bodyes make our will ever liable to thy will our understanding apt to conceive of those misteries of our salvation and our memories apt to retaine all holy lessons good directions that we may make use of them in our lives and conversations sanctifie all the affections of our hearts our love that it may be setled upon thee and thy sacred word our feare that it may make us feare and tremble to commit the least sinne or doe any thing that might tend to thy dishonour or the hurt of our neighbour and sanctifie our anger that it make us zealous for thy glory and boldly to reproove sinne both in our selves and in others and sanctifie our sorrow that it may be termed into a godly sorrow for our sinnes and the abominations of this land And sanctifie all the partes and members of our bodyes that our eares may be dilligent to heare the word of God and all good councell that our eyes may be dilligent to see and observe thy glorious workes in the creatures and to admire thy infinite wisedome and power in the creating of them and thy mercy and goodnesse in preserving them for our use and comfort our speeches that they may be gracious and tend to thy glory and the edifying of one another in our holy faith and keepe us from lying and swearing that whereunto by nature we are so prone and sanctifie our tast and smelling that wee may not abuse them to drunkennesse and gluttony and sanctifie our handes that we may imploy them dilligently in our calling and that they may be ready to defend the poore Fatherlesse Widows sanctifie our feet that they may be swift to heare thy word to visit the poore in their afflicted state and sanctifie our bodyes that wee may keep them pure and undefiled all the dayes of our life for these and other graces which we stand in need of Lord mercifully supply them for our Lord Iesus sake in whose most holy name in whose most holy wordes we pray unto Thee as our blessed Saviour hath taught us saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. FINIS