not being like to find Entertainment any where since Riches and Poverty both had refused to receive him yet he was resolved to pursue his Journey not being without hopes of finding his dear Friend at last called Consideration whom he sought for and coming into a famous City where one Youth dwelt could not tell but he might meet with him at his House calling to mind what kindness Young Joseph Moses Samuel David Obadiah Josias John and Timothy of Old and many others had shewed him and therefore came boldly to his Door and desired Entertainment Now it appears this Youngster was a great Gallant but though he had been brought up to Learning and lived in a place where the Gospel was powerfully preached yet was very ignorant as touching the best things though very complisant And after Godliness had in a grave and sober manner desired a Lodging with him he asked him what he was as also his Name Godli Sir I am a Person of Noble Descent being nearly Allâ—ed to a great and mighty Prince and my Name is True Godliness being by him sent to Travel hither to commend his Soveraign Grace and Clemency unto the Inhabitants of thâ— City and I have also brought along with me as Tokens of his Eternal Favour and good Will to such who will receive me very rich Presents and I shall bestow them on you if you will be pleased to Entertain me Youth Your most Humble Servant I must confess I have read and heard much of you but why do you choose to take up your lodging in my House there being many Grave and Ancient Gentlemen near I know not but you seem to be one whose Company would better suit Men of Riper Years Godli Sir my Master gave me orders to commend his Princely Grace and Favour unto you if your Name is Youth besides he hath chosen your House for my Lodging above others nay and he hath made more Blessed Promises upon your kind and loving Reception of me than he hath to any besides in the World Have you not read that Word I love them that love me and they that seek me early shall find me And that Word Seek first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all other things shall be added unto you Matth. 6. 33. Youth As for those other things I need them not I have enough of the World Godli Aye Sir but you want my Masters Righteousness and also a part in his Kingdom and those are some of those Glorious Commodities I have to bestow upon you if you will Entertain me Youth Aye there it is I perceive I must Entertain you if I would have them but I tell you plainly your Company does not suit with my Age why should you force your self upon me Godliness Why would you have a part in the Righteousness of Christ and in his Kingdom and not receive True Godliness No Sir that will never be you must believe in him and lead a Godly Life or you will have no Lot nor Part in this Matter He that believeth not shall be Damned Mark 16.16 Youth Pray Sir do not trouble me you are going to preach Godliness 'T is sad you should think I trouble you because I desire you to let me have a Lodging with you Yoâ—th Sir you will spoil all my pleasure and sensual delights if I entertain you I know your Manners well enough You will cause me also to turn out of my House my familiar Friends and Consorts that rejoyce my heart in these youthful daies of mine Now those he called his Friends were these following Pride Wanton Vain-glory Love-lust Ambition Gay-clothes Toss-pot Gamester Please-friend Time-server Scornful Hate-good and Scoffer Godliness Young man believe me those pleasures and delights which your heart is so much set upon are bruitish and very hateful to God and do also debase your noble Soul which is of a sublime Extraction Nay furthermore hear what wise Solomon saith Rejoice O Young-man in the daies of thy Youth and walk in the waies of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes May be you will say O this is brave I but after the flash of Lightning comes a clap of Thunder enough to make you quake But know that for all these things God will bring thee to Judgment Your sweet Meat young man is like to have sowr Sauce you will pay dear at last for all your sensual pleasures and vanities Youth But for all your haste wise Solomon made trial of all the delights of the Children of men before he condemned them and so will I too as far as I can Godliness 'T is true Solomon did so and doth he not by the sad experience he had of them tell you all was vanity and vexation of Spirit Come Sir you had better believe the Poyson in the Cup is deadly than to taste of it Youth Sir pray speak no more I have not sowed all my Wild Oats yet let me alone Godliness Wild Oats indeed Come let me perswade you to sow no more of them for 't is but sowing to the Flesh and he that soweth to the Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption You had better far to sow to the Spirit And now I will tell you what a kind of Crop you will have at Harvest by sowing that cursed Seed which you call Wild Oats unless by Repentance you pluck them all up again Youth Why Sir what a Crop shall I reap Godliness You are like in the first place to reap here in this World a Crop of loathsome Diseases for Drunkenness Rioting and Whoring doth commonly produce that Secondly you will reap a Crop of Infamy and Reproach for sin is the shame of any People or particular Soul and it will be much if you reap not a Crop of Want and Beggary too in the end Thirdly You will reap a Crop of horrible and unsupportable Guilt by which means your Conscience will torment and lash you after such a sort that you will not be able to endure it unless you go on in these ungodly courses so long until he is feared with a hot Iron and then you will reap a Crop of a hard obdurate and impenitent Heart Fourthly You will reap a full Crop of all manner of foul and detestable Filth and Pollution yea such Corruption that will cause God to loath your Soul Fifthly You will reap also a Crop of all the fearful Plagues and Curses that are in the Book of God pronounced against wicked and ungodly Sinners Sixthly and lastly At the great and terrible day of Judgment you will reap a full Crop of Gods eternal Wrath and Vengeance a Crop of brinish though fruitless Tears Groans and endless Torments in Hell fire Now if you like to gather in at Harvest such Crops as these go on and sow your Wild Oats plentifully Youth Sir I intend to sow other Seed hereafter I desire only liberty for the Flesh in these my Youthful daies If
nor is there any indeed more like him or does more lively represent him in all the Earth for he bears his express sweet and Heavenly Image yea and such a venerable respect and gracious esteem hath he of him that those who love him he loves those who hate him he hates those who receive him he receives and those who reject him he rejects where he comes to dwell there God Christ and the Holy Ghost dwells Godliness is of great Antiquity nay according to the description we gave you of him In the first place we may well say he is without beginning of daies for Truth for some times he bears that name dwelt in God from Everlasting though in time manifest or made known to men and that in divers waies and manners according as God in wisdom saw good But if we speak of his Antiquity in respect of his dwelling here below the first man that knew him was Adam who whilst he stood in the state of Innocency enjoyed some part of his sweet Company but by the malice of a great and potent Enemy he was abused and his Image so defaced and marr'd that he forsook his Habitation which was the ruine and utter undoing of our first Parents and their whole Posterity and had not the Father of True Godliness the King of Heaven and Earth found out through his infinite wisdom a way to recover Man from his lost Estate Godliness had made his abode no longer in this World for by means of Corruption of Nature there was begotten and brought forth a cursed Monster of ugly shape whose Name was Vice alias Lust who found so much favour with Adam's Children that Godliness was utterly discountenanced and though he was the Off-spring of Heaven as you heard before and the only delight of Jehovah and unto man the greatest friend and chief Benefactor in all the World striving to enrich him chear his heart and to make him truly Noble and Renowned on Earth and bring him back into his former Primitive Glory and thereby at last make him eternally happy in Heaven yet he was neglected and lamentably slighted that there was but only one of Adam's Off-spring cared for him at that time and he too for entertaining of him with that just and good respect he deserved was by his Brother whose Name was Cain basely murdered so that Godliness by this perceived very early what kind of usage and entertainment amongst the Children of men he was like to meet withal and truly never was there any one so nobly descended and of such an excellent peaceable and sweet a nature and behaviour generally so dealt with as Godliness hath been from the beginning to this very day except the Prince of Godliness himself yet he found some friends after Abel was slain who entertained him kindly and though they were reproached hated and persecuted for shewing favour to him yet they never lost anything by him but contrarywise were infinite gainers for he never came empty handed to any mans house but alwaies brought plenty of good things along with him yea such things the worth and value whereof no mortal is able to compute as I 'll shew hereafter God assisting nay so great a friend he was to the next man which I find eminently embraced him that he saved him from the Grave he sent him to Heaven without calling at the Gate of Death his name as I remember was Enoch and 't is not to be thought what sweet and Heavenly Communion true Joy and Felicity this good man had with Godliness for the space of three hundred years for so long they abode together on Earth and now dwell together with the Father of true Godliness and his only begotten Son in Heaven Some time after this great Prince for so they are all made who entetain True Godliness was carried to Heaven a sad disaster besell the World I mean the Enemies of Godliness for so it was that cursed Monster and Off-spring of Hell viz. Vice finding such great your with the men of the Generation they delighting in nothing more than in sin and wickedness hating God and his true and lovely Off-spring Godliness it provoked him to take vengeance upon them and utterly to destroy them from off the Earth and this was done by a fearful and amazing Flood of Water Now this heavy Judgment was brought I say upon the men of that Generation for their slighting neglecting and basely contemning of Godliness and sad it was to consider how generally men were at that time out of love with him for there was not one in ten thousand but hated him and loved vice and ungodliness far better than he nay to tell you plainly there was but one man in all the World who was an eminent Lover of this Noble and High Born Prince Godliness whose name was Noah though 't is not to be doubted but his Wife and Sons especially two of them were in some measure Favourites of him likewise But mark how at that time it fared with this Holy Man and his Family who were Friends to Godliness never a one of them were destroyed by that Flood we may well say Godliness is profitable unto all things and Blessed are all they who love and kindly entertain him for had it not been for Godliness Noah had doubtless perished as well as others But to proceed in this brief History of the Antiquity of Godliness it would not be amiss if we speak a little of the next man after Noah who entertained him and how he was blessed in so doing his Name at first was Abram but afterwards he was called Abraham This man lived for some time amongst a Blind Heathenish and Idolotrous People and was ignorant of True Godliness but when he became acquainted with him few men ever loved him better for he made him his Bosom Companion and chiefest delight and so indeed must every one that entertains him and hereby he became great and his Glory and Renown was spread abroad nay he was by this means so honoured that he was called the Friend of God and the Father of all true Lovers of Godliness and besides the outward Blessings this faithful man reaped as the fruit or donation of Godliness which were many for he had much Cattel Men-servants Camels and Asses so that he became very great he was blessed with all spiritual Blessings viz. he had sweet fellowship and communion with God abounding in Faith Love and Joy in the Holy Ghost the Covenant of Grace was also renewed to him with a gracious Promise that in his Seed all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed for he having received Godliness as his choicest Companion and chiefest Delight Godliness brought along with him the Promises of this Life and that which is a thousand times better viz. the Life which is to come But now near where this faithful man dwelt there was a City nay more than one whose Inhabitants were utter enemies to Godliness and lovers of that ugly
is he not a Wretch that shall call into question the Care and Faithfulness of God whose Promises are to Feed and Cloath thee and to supply all thy necessities in the way of thy Duty so that thou shalt want no good thing as I said before though thou possibly mayst think that good for thee which God knows is not And now in the last place let me speak a few words to those cowardly fellows Faint-heart and Fear-man these are they that would have you fear man more than God and yet I am ready to believe some of their words take much place upon your heart as any thing you heard from the other But what reason there was or is for it we will come now to consider First they say I am grown here of late very contemptible and am of very little esteem or credit * amongst any sort or degrees of men and that I shall ere long be forced to flye into a corner to hide my self c To this I answer first I never had much esteem amongst great men nay in every Age of the World very few gave credit to me and now being come almost to the end of my Travels into the last and worst Age I could expect no other usage than what I meet withal How should I have many to admire and fall in love with me when the Text positively saies All the World Wonders after the Beast That is they are in love with and admire counterfeit Godliness and the truth is I marvel not at it because all along the false Prophets were more readily embraced than the true and their words generally believed If another comes in his own name said Jesus Christ him you will receive the reason is easily discerned because they smooth the People up in their sins Alas don't you see how counterfeit Godliness gives liberty to men to please their sensual and Bruitish Lusts teaching an easier way to Heaven than ever I did or can for I alwaies taught as at this day the Doctrine of Self-denial the necessity of Faith in Christ Regeneration and Mortification of Sin c. Secondly whereas they say I shall ere long be forc'd to flye into some corner that is I know the fear of these paltry Fellows but if it should chance so to come to pass woe be to you and all the World besides if True Godliness once finds no place nor countenance in any Nation of the Earth and indeed you had the more need with all speed receive me into your House least hereafter you find me not and so perish in your Sins John 8.22 Thirdly What though Riches hath rejected me he never had much kindness for me but was generally alwaies my enemy and whereas they say he will be displeased with you and warn you out of your House if you entertain me What then Christ will receive you into his House and you were better have him to be your Friend than any Potentate of the Earth When my Father and Mother saith David forsakes me the Lord will take me up Have you not read of that poor man which the Pharisees Excommunicated for cleaving to me and how the Lord Jesus graciously received him Come Poverty don't fear the worst that men can do God will help you and he is above them all and it will be but a little while before that word shall be made good Your Brethren that hated you and cast you out for my Names sake saying Let the Lord be glorified but he will appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed And what though some great Potentates of Rome combine together to tread me under their feet and set up Idolatry Popery and Superstition should this deter you from receiving me Alas man the time is at hand when all will be undone and be forc'd to cry out Woe woe woe that ever they were born but those only who have made me the Joy and Delight of their Hearts say to the Righteous it shall go well with him Woe to the wicked it shall go ill with him 'T is said indeed to see any leave me in my Adversity but they were false Friends and let them go they never loved me in truth but do thou but kindly embrace me and I will keep thee from falling nay thou shalt find me a sure refuge and defence to thee in the day of distress yea and I will store thee with all good things which the rich have not I am resolved to feast thy soul continually and never leave thee unto thy dying day Come thee and I shall live splendidly together notwithstanding thou art poor if we can but get my dear friend Content to dwell with us What dost thou say Poverty shall I come in but notwithstanding all that Godliness could say Poverty would not give way to him but began to give him reviling words saying He was born a Gentleman tho' he was fallen to Decay and that he would not suffer such Tumults at his Door for it seems while Godliness was praying and pressing for entertainment one Persecution the Off-spring of Adam's eldest son Cain had raised abundance of lewd Fellows together to drive Godliness away from Poverty 's Door so that by the opposition within Doors and without Godliness found no lodging there neither yea and escaped not without many bitter threatnings Execrations and Blasphemous words Now one Reason why Riches and Poverty did not receive True Godliness was because Consideration dwelt with neither of them who being a grave Counsellor might possibly have given them better advice than to deny entertainment to so sweet a Friend Godliness after this began to be at a stand which way to Travel next but hearing of one Youth who lived not far off he resolved to see whether he might not get a dwelling with him because he was one that his Commission particularly directed him to visit Sad is the state of Woeful Man I see Riches slights Christ and so does Poverty The Snares are great which doth Riches attend And Poverty to Virtue proves no Friend But this poor Wretch I pity most for why He has no Portion here yet does deny To Entertain True Godliness that so He might have Heaven above though none below But by curst Foes he is so perplex'd that he Cann't find the way to true Felicity Not many Rich nor many very Poor Vnto True Godliness do ope their Door But rather such who in a medium be Betwixt great Riches and low Poverty This state with Agur Lord I beg of thee CHAP. V. Shewing how True Godliness finding Riches and Poverty had rejected him in his Travels came to a great City where dwelt a brave Young Gallant with whom he had a mind to be Acquainted and to take up his Lodging shewing also how basely he was dealt withal by him ONE might think by this time 't was in vain for True Godliness to Travel any further
Age therefore gave him this following general Reply and departed Godliness Father Old-age it grieves me to find you thus blind and hardened in your evil waies and the rather because I see your enemy Death also standing with his Sword drawn here at your Door ready to enter in and Hell is at his heels Alas Death who now shakes his Sword over your head will soon sheath it in your heart What will you do who contemn True Godliness through Ignorance when you come to stand before God in Judgment there is but a little airy breathings between you and Eternal Burnings it 's better to have your eyes open on Earth to bewail your Sins than to have your eyes open in Hell to bewail your Sufferings though you will not let me in now who would make you happy yet you will not be able e'er long to keep Death out who will make you eternally miserable 'T is sad you will not see your danger till you cannot escape your danger As I now stand at your Door saying Open to me but am not let in so you e'er long will say Lord Lord open to you but you shall be kept out for none but those who receive me into their Hearts on Earth shall be received by Christ hereafter into Heaven Those who contemn Godliness here shall be condemned for their ungodliness hereafter Your poor deluded Soul who thinks its state so good without Grace and Regeneration will find it bad e'er long under wrath and condemnation For except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God John 3. 3. This is the day of Gods long-suffering but quickly will come the day of your long-suffering for He whose mercy you have abused while you live will let out His Vengeance against you to Eternity when you die much to the same purpose he spoke to him and with abundance of sorrow left him to perish in his sins How sad's the case of frail and mortal man Whose time is short its length is but a span In Youth he 's proud Ambition then so Raigns That he true Grace and Godliness disdains Virtue is then contemn'd 't is Vice which he Doth make his choice but yet does hope to be When Old-age comes another man for know He would have Heaven but not let the Earth go But when he 's old sin in him 's grown so strong He 's more adverse to Grace than are the Young Take heed you don't upon Old-age depend Least he deals by you like a Traiterous Friend CHAP. VII Shewing how True Godliness in his Travels chanc'd to fall into a certain Island where he met with a great number of cruel Enemies who conspired together to take away his Life and the Life of his Servants but their Grand Plot failing they contrived many Sham-plots to cast the whole Intreague upon his own Friends and Servants together with True Godliness's sad and grievous Lamentation TRue Godliness having Travelled as you have heard up and down in the World for many years and suffered divers hardships and grand Affronts and abuses at last came by the gracious Providence of God into a small Isle neither did he Travel alone but like a High-born Pirnce though in a state of Exile he had some Servants to attend and wait upon him who loved their Master as their own Souls yea and above their natural lives their Names were Heavenly New-man Innocency Humility Sincerity Temperance Sobriety Faithful New-obedience Hope-well True-love Blessed Experience Excellent Knowledg Christian Courage Vehement Desire Godly Zeal with many more Now after he had been for some considerable time in the said Island and had through his sweet and Heavenly and peaceable carriage got himself many Friends and Favourites having lived many years in good credit and esteem amongst them and no body thought or dreamt he had been in the least danger But in process of time on a sudden there being a little before arrived in the same Isle a great number of out-landish-men called by some Mahometans but their right name it seems was Babylonians being Natives of a great City that bears that Name * Now divers strange ridiculous Orders of men they had amongst them and all cruel enemies to True Godliness But one Order of them proved more subtile and implacable than the rest called Loyalatites being as 't is said the Spurious Off-spring of one Ignatius who were men of such base Spirits that they were content to become meer Pimps and Panders to a great Whore endeavouring alwaies to allure Kings Princes and mighty men to commit Fornication with her and if they could not effect that then they perswade Subjects to cast off their Allegiance to their Spiritual and Temporal Soveraign and to own the Usurpt Power and Jurisdiction of their Master the King of Babylon Now these men remembring what a great enemy True Godliness had been to them in the same Isle in former times and how he had forc'd them to pack up their Trumpery and be gone nay and not only so but also found that he had got a great number of the Inhabitants of the said Isle to side with him against their beloved Mistriss and great Goddess â—â—ana which they feared might stand in the way of her mounting the Saddle once again they maliciously and traiterously made a devellish Conspiracy to destroy True Godliness and all those who favoured him and to set up false and counterfeit Godliness in his stead and indeed so far they had proceeded in this hellish design that by the help of some deluded souls they had brought over to their party had not the all wise God who alwayes took care of his precious Darling Godliness by his most eminent and oâ—er-ruling Providence defeated the Conspiracy and discovered the Conspirators Godliness with his Servants and all his poor Friends would doubtless have had the greatest blow that he had met with for many Ages before but they being betrayed by one who seem'd to adhere to their Party who was privy to their horrible bloody and detestable intention having unknown to them a kindness for True Godliness and his dispised Friends and Servants whereupon the whole Island was inraged against these cruel Babylonians and called a Counsel together to search into the bottom of their Hellish design and so it happened that divers great Lords who had been poysoned with their bloody and detestable principles were found in the Conspiracy and were Attainted for High Treason for though their great design was to destroy True Godliness yet they as it seemed consulted also to destroy the Prince of the Country and all who were true Favourites of Godliness And in the conclusion one of the Lords in the Conspiracy had his Head cut off and divers of the Loyalatites or Ignatius's Off-spring were drawn hang'd and quartered Now one would have thought this eminent hand of God's Vengeance against them might have deterred them for ever attempting the ruine and utter overthrow of True Godliness any more