have in the World They who defile their Garments lose their Honour with men and they lose the Joy they should have hereafter Nay the Saints also shall walk in the white of peace and joy and inward comfort that keep their Garments white what ever becomes of the other white of Honour in the world they shall walk in the inward white of joy and peace with Jesus Christ. They who have a good Testimony from their own Consciences walk in white they that have that greater Testimony than our Conscience the Spirit they walk in white this witness doth cause wonderful joy This joy doth arise from that well-grounded hope which that Soul hath that keeps himself clean Thus David walked and appeals from man to God to judge him he had so much of a well-grounded confidence So Iob walkt in white though his friends blacken him exceedingly yet he walkt in white in his Conscience he walkt in white notwithstanding all his afflictions from God and his friends Hence we may see the happiness of all those who are true to Christ and his ways Oh how much better is it than the peace and joy of this World and the comforts of this life A good Conscience and indeed a merry Heart do but one explain the other Here is no surfeting in this Feast but a continual Musick Oh the Rivers of Consolation that flow to them that keep themselves out of the Puddles of this World though the World give thee nothing but the Water of Affliction yet let thy Garments be always white This gives us an account why the Servants of Christ stand so strictly upon their terms with the world because they understand in some measure what it is to walk with Christ in white and it hath left such a tincture and relish upon their souls that they would not lose it for all the dainty morsels of the world They had rather indeed walk with Christ in white than walk with the world in scarlet They will run any hazard and undergo any affliction rather than do any thing that will not please God or be hurtful to their own Consciences The Conscience is a busie faculty and hath many offices it records what we do and comes as a witness The Conscience is Judge of what we do and accordingly approves of what we do and reproves us when we do amiss I am more afraid of the report of Conscience than of any man whatsoever therefore I will not do any thing that may reproach me as long as I live Christ hath threatnings for those that defile their Garments in the place of rewards for those who keep them clean They who defile their Garments shall walk in Garments of black in the black of dishonour Oh take heed of the after-claps of Conscience I may say of the thunder-claps of Conscience for they will come upon you one time or other if you defile your Garments They who venture to do things displeasing to God shall not long be pleasing to themselves The Hypocrite shall lose his own hope that is he shall lose it despairingly 't is a dreadful Judgment This is the Suburbs of Hell For this will be the Portion of the Damned for ever 't is next to the Regions of Hell for their worm dieth not and that is the worm of Conscience Seeing there is such a reward promised as this white wherein we shall walk with Christ it is an Angelical Happiness 't is Heaven before Heaven This white is such as conquers all the black of the world 'T is not possible for the world to alter the colour of this white how much dirt soever they put upon it this white will be white still They cannot take away this peace this joy from us they cannot strip off this habit It is a conquering joy turns all sorrow into joy They who keep their Garments undefiled here shall be sure of that to walk with Christ in glory hereafter Here are three whites The white of Honour is Good the white of Peace and Joy is very good the white of Glory is best of all Mr. Caryl ON GOSPEL-CHARITY THe pure Heart is a gratious Heart The end doth denominate the Action It must have a good end else though the matter be never so good the work is not good The principle or spring of the work must be good 'T is possible for one to do a work that 's good for the matter of it and to have some good ends in it and yet not to do it out of a right principle Unless the principle be good the work 's not good As the Fountain is such are the Streams that come from it As the Tree is such is the Fruit that grows upon it The Thorn hath not a principle in Nature to put forth a Grape The Thistle hath not a principle in Nature to put forth a Figg An ill-scented Vessel whatsoever passes from it must be ill scented Bad men will often tip their tongues with good words and appear golden-mouth'd speakers when their Hearts are nothing but Brass and Dross Evil men they spoil good speaking with their ill manner of speaking or their ill meaning in speaking Good words do as it were lisp in the mouth of a bad man and his Heart never keeps pace with his tongue Good things done by those who have not good principles though their box of Ointment may have a fragrant smell among many men yet there are many dead flies in it especially one great one call'd Unbelief which makes their whole box of Ointment very unsavory in the Nostrils of God Gospel-Charity is of a nobler extract than to be found in the whole Compass of Nature and Godliness moves in a higher Sphere than the best dress that the gayest Moralist ever reacht unto This is to be lamented that Christian Acts should be done and not from a principle spiritual It is very possible and very ordinary to follow Christ yea to call upon Christ with Carnal affections 'T is very sad to see good men do according to the works of the wicked David did so in the matter of Vriah and thus did Solomon when his Heart went after strange Gods and he built high places to their abominations Good King Asa imprisoned the Prophet and in his disease sought to the Physitians and not to God That Holy Apostle Peter he denied and forswore his Master This is to act the old Creatures part in the new Creatures state There 's another sight as bad to see bad men plod on and do good things but never mind to become good themselves Thus did Saul when he was amongst the Prophets and thus did Ahab when he humbled himself and thus did Iehu when he destroyed Idolatry thus did Iudas when he preacht the Gospel and thus did Demas when he professed the Gospel a very good work but he himself an Hypocrite and a lover of the world And thus indeed do all Hypocrites and meer formalists in their performing
wallâ— after the heart of sin Sin is contrary to God's Image wherein man was made sin is as unlike God's Image as Darkness is to Light as Hell to heaven yea and more too sin is the Devil's Image Such as the Devil and his Angels are who once knew good but now know evil both by doing it and suffering the sad effects of it Thus he that runs may read the Picture Image and likeness of the Devil in sin sinners are as like the Devil as any thing Sin is contrary to the Children of God they are near and dear to God God's heart is set upon them for good and sin sets its heart against them for evil Sin is always warring against the Seed of God in them By sins ill will God's people should neither enjoy nor do any good in the world Sin like the Devil hath not such an evil eye or aking tooth at all the sinners of the world as it hath at the Saints in the world The Devil is a Man-hater but more a Saint-hater Sin is contrary to and set against the Glory of God Faith would give Glory to God now that men may not believe sin imploys the Devil to blinde their eyes Good men would do all they do sin will let them do nothing at all to the Glory of God Sin is contrary to and opposite against the being and existence of God It makes the sinner wish and endeavour that there might be no God for sinners are haters of God And as he that hates his Brother is a murtherer so as much as in him lies he that hates God is a murtherer of God What 's said of sin is to be considered by the sinner and is meant of thine and my sin Poor Soul canst thou finde in thine heart to hug and imbrace such a Monster as this is Wilt thou love that which hates God and which God hates Wilt thou joyn thy self to that which is nothing but contrariety to God and all that 's good Oh say to this Idol yea to this Devil Get hence what have I to do with thee thou Childe yea Father of the Devil Thou that art the founder of Hell an enemy to all Righteousness that ceasest not to pervert the right ways of the Lord. Sin is contrary to the good of man it is a separation betwixt God and man The Commandment of which sin is a transgression was given not onely for God's sake that he might have glory from man's Obedience but for man's sake that man might enjoy the good and benefit of his Obedience These two were twisted together and no sooner is the Law transgrest but God and Man are joynt-sufferers God in his Glory and Man in his Good Man's suffering follows at the heels of sin yea as he suffers by so in sinning suffering and sinning involve each other No sooner did sin enter into the world but Death which is a privation of good did enter by it with it and in it For 't is the sting of Death so that sin saith Here is Death and death faith Here is Sin No sooner did Angels sin but they fell from their first State and Habitation which they had with God in Glory not a moment between their sin and misery And as soon as man had sinned his Conscience told him that he was naked and destitute of Righteousness and Protection Sin crosseth Glory and is cross to man's Happiness Sin is against the good of man's body it hath corrupted his blood and made his body mortal and thereby rendered it a vile body Our bodies though made of dust were yet more pretious than fine Gold but when we sinned they became vile bodies Before sin our bodies were immortal For death and mortality came in by sin But now alas they must return to dust and it 's appointed to all men once to dye and 't is well but once and the second death have no power over them they must see corruption or a change Sin is against the good of man's Soul 'T is not very ill with a man if it be well with his Soul but it can never be well with a man if it be ill with his Soul So that we can more easily and cheaply dye than be damned and may better venture our bodies to suffering than our souls to sinning Nothing but sin doth wrong a man's Soul and there is no sin but doth it Sin is against man's well-being in this life Well-being is the life of life and sin bears us so much ill will that it deprives us of our livelyhood Man came into the world as into an house ready furnished he had all things ready and prepared to his hands All the Creatures came to wait on him and payd him Homage but when man sinned God turn'd him out of house and home like a Pilgrim a Begger Ever since it hath been every man's lot to come into and go out of this world naked When Christ came into the world for the recovery of man and stood as in the sinner's stead he had not where to lay his head Though Christ were Lord of all yet if he will come in the likeness of sinful flesh he must speed not like the Son of God but Son of man Sin is against that good which God left us and fills it with vanity and vexation with bitterness and a curse God left Adam many Acres of land to till and husband but he hath it with a curse sweat and sorrow many a grieving Bryer and pricking Thorn stick fast to him God left him ground enough but 't is curst ground sin is so envious it would leave man nothing And if God be so good as to leave man any thing sins eye is evil because God is good and puts a sting in it Sin is against man's rest 't is a sore Travel which the Sons of men have under the Sun Man's ground is overgrown with Thorns that he hath many an aking head and heart Many a sore hand and foot before the year come about to get a little livelyhood out of this sincursed ground Sin curse and toil keep company Sin is against man's comfort and joy In sorrow shalt thou eat all the days of they life not one whole merry day The woman hath a peculiar sort and share of sorrow for the time of conception breeding bearing and birth are tedious Sin is against man's health hence come all diseases and sicknesses till sin there were no such things Let a man take the best Air he can and eat the best food he can let him eat and drink by rule let him take never so many Antidotes Preservatives and Cordials yet man is but a crazie sickly thing for all this Sin is against the quiet of a man's natural Conscience for it wounds the spirit and makes it intolerable A merry heart doth good like a Medicine no Cordial like it but a broken spirit drieth the bones and sucks away the marrow A good Conscience is a continual Feast but sin mars
the neglect of that Soul-saving duty will rise up in Judgment against you The Righteous and the Wicked will be tried by their Consciences and that will discover the whole truth Study that Lesson which the Apostle Paul hath set before you To have always a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards man The powers that are are of God therefore be subject for Conscience sake Let your rejoycing be in the Testimony of a good Conscience Put on Charity out of a pure Heart a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned Justice hath leaden feet but iron hands and it is but just that they that encourage one another to sin should at last condemn each other It will be but cold comfort at the great Tribunal for sinners to remember their past follies Satan that now spreads abroad his temptations will then witness to their neglect of wholesom exhortations The holy Quire of Angels will point to the sinners Conscience and that will answer I am acquainted with all your sins The Spirit of Christ will testifie how often that hath moved the ungodly to repent The abused creatures that have been forced to promote sin will continue in the hearts of sinners the Beast of the field will rise up against the Glutton and the Wine against the Drunkard Pray often for Prayer is a sheild to the Soul a sacrifice to God and a scourge to Satan Shun all appearances of evil resist the Devil and he will flie Seek not after Riches they have wings and flie away but study for Wisdome it 's price is above Rubies To seek after the Riches of this World is vanity But the fear of the Lord is wisdome and to depart from evil is understanding The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdome and instruction What can be more pretious than Wisdome for it is the gift of God Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding What can be stronger than Wisdome that buildeth houses and heweth out its pillars Who can be more pious than the wise man He that getteth Wisdom loveth his own Soul What can be more clear than Wisdome for that excelleth folly as far as light excelleth darkness The wicked mans fate is to be wise too late The Veil of Hypocrisie cannot hide our sins from God he will make us know that it is his Christ that we resist What is gotten by resisting our Saviour Or what shall a man gain if he get the whole World and lose his own Soul What are the Riches of this life to the Joys of heaven And who is a better Guide to that happy place than the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World And why should not we love God since he so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Was one Guest found out that had not a Wedding-garment and will not God then find out every unholy Soul The Righteous themselves are pardoned sinners but the wicked are impenitent Each Soul that labours in the Lords Vineyard shall receive his reward according to his merit Let your acquaintance be few and good Cousins Country-men and School-fellows are spenders of money and time Let your study be furnished not with many but with choice books Let wisdom direct your actions the wise man takes care for necessaries not for superfluities Wisdom is Riches indeed it teacheth a man the Art of contentment in all conditions It makes a man not onely Master over others but Conquerour of his own passions Premeditation is commonly accompanied with Wisdom The wise man sees his own faults by the follies of others He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he that ruleth his Spirit than he that taketh a Citie Wisdome is more useful in a City than the strength of mighty men So true is that of Solomon This Wisdom have I seen under the Sun and it seemed great unto me 14. There was a little City and few men within it and there came a great King against it and besieged it and built Bulwarks against it 15. Now there was in it a poor wise man and he by his wisdome delivered the City yet no man remembered that same poor man 16. Wisdom is better than strength nevertheless the poor mans wisdom is despised and his words are not heard However he that getteth wisdom loveth his own Soul and he that keepeth understanding shall find good 18. For Wisdom is better than Weapons of war but one sinner destroyeth much good Ingratitude is the Epitomy of Impiety To render a good deed for a good deed becomes a man to give evil for good is diabolical to repay evil for evil becomes a sinner but to return good for evil is the Quality of a Saint Injuries should be wrote in dust but Kindnesses in marble Nothing more spurs a man on to be ungrateful than the sin of covetousness Set not your heart upon wealth For the love of money is the root of all evil The wicked borroweth and payeth not again but the righteous sheweth mercie and giveth To be always begging or borrowing and never paying is the disposition of a covetous and ingrateful man and doth oftentimes set the dearest friends at variance Nature excuseth the follies of a fool but the ungrateful man hath no Apology To be courteous to one that is ungrateful is like ones hiding his treasure in the Sea Neer Relations that are strongly bound by the bonds of Affinity and Consanguinity are oftentimes divided by this black sin of ingratitude He that will forget a kindness is ungrateful but he that renders a discourtesie for a courtesie is impious And blessed is he that considereth the poor the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble Wo be unto the covetous rich man that hath his heart fixt upon his heaps the poor man is happier than he For the Lord heareth the poor The needy shall not alway be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever There is an evil under the Sun saith Solomon and it is common among men A man to whom God hath given riches wealth and honour so that he wanteth nothing for his Soul of all that he desireth yet God giveth him not power eat thereof but a stranger eateth it this is vanity and an evil disease He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver nor he that loveth abundance with increase 12. When goods increase they are increased that eat them and what good is there to the owners thereof saving the beholding of them with their eyes The poor mans labour rocketh him to sleep but the cares of the rich man keepeth him awake 13. There is a sore evil under the Sun namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt 14. Those riches perish by evil
of Gospel-worship I confess it is a sad sight to see a bad man do that which is bad or a wicked man do that which is wicked yet I say it is a sadder sight to see a bad man continuing in his state having no spiritual principles to go on doing good God often declares himself very highly against such as do good themselves continuing evil The good that you do will not profit you 't will not advantage you 't will be no plea at the Great Day You may have Iehu's Penny a deliverance from an outward Judgment but there is no deliverance from Wrath and Eternal Judgment Thus those that are not far from Heaven shall never come there yet I would exhort the worst of men to do good though they please not God in doing it yet they displease him in not doing it And thus faln man if he neglect to do good sins If he doth good he spoils it in the doing of it Hence we see the necessity of regeneration we are not born with a pure Heart A pure Heart a good Conscience Faith unfeigned are the Issues of the new birth Education cannot make the Heart pure it must be Revelation which makes the Heart pure Education may change a mans Course but it cannot change his Nature that 's only done by Regeneration He must be good before he can do good spiritually God works us before we can work for him he makes us good before we can do good We by Union to Jesus Christ come to have a spiritual Principle to carry us out in the doing of all good works Here 's your way you must be Gods workmanship before you can do Gods works As we are grafted into Christ he changes the Branch Then all your Fruits are sweet Fruits and pleasant Fruits they are well-tasted Why It is done first from a Principle of life in Christ. And secondly It is done from a Principle of love unto Christ. The Heart of man is the greatest cheat in the world The Heart of man received such a crack in the fall that there is no mending of it It must be new made The Heart is made wholly new by the power of God Meritoriously by the Blood of Christ that cleansing Blood it is made pure by the Spirit of Christ the Spirit is a purifier The Word of God is a purifier Instrumentally Applicatorily the Heart is made pure by Faith When the command of every sin When the custom and practice of every sin And when the love of every sin is gone such a Heart is free from these powers that Soul is Evangelically pure He that indeed hath this pure Heart is really sensible that once his Heart was very impure And also is as sensible that to this day there remains much impurity in his Heart He also that hath a pure Heart loves every thing that is pure and the more pure it is the more he loves it A pure Heart will be full of pure thoughts a pure Heart converses with God in purity of thoughts Whereas the wicked they have not the Pure God nor the Holy God in all their thoughts A pure Heart is full of pure desires he desires to be more good to be better he desires to know more of God and to honour God more he desires to enjoy God more he hungers and thirsts after God A pure Heart hath pure purposes and pure resolves and by resolves the Heart is more settled and fixt Resolution is the establishment of the Soul He resolves let the Winds blow high or low to cleave to Christ. There is a purpose in a pure Heart against all that 's evil He will neither defile his Heart nor his Life and these purposes he carries quite thorough all unto the end A pure Heart hath pure ends in all it doth a holy aim a single eye not self-profit not self-applause not pleasure but he purposes the profit of many that they may be saved Weigh it well whether you have this pure Heart The hardest thing that we have to do and the greatest kindness which God can do to us is to cleanse our Hearts Our hearts are the filthiest part of us If there be impurity in the hand there 's much more in the Heart Till the Heart be made pure nothing can be pure God is a friend indeed to those who have a pure Heart Keep pure Hearts with all diligence for the Devil comes a Heart-stealing continually unless you wash it weed it sweep it Cobwebs will grow Spiders will creep in they will be weaving their Webs To the impure Heart there is nothing pure Holy Ordinances honest Callings great Possessions all these to an impure Heart are not pure The pure in Heart are onely fit for Communion with God they onely are fit to call upon God who have a pure Heart Onely the pure in Heart shall see and enjoy God Impure eyes cannot behold God they cannot bear the Glory the excellence of his Presence THE HEART ANATOMIZED THe wicked search out Iniquities they accomplish a diligent search the inward thoughts of their Hearts are deep The Heart is commonly hard Harden not your Hearts as in the provocation in the day of Temptation in the Wilderness The heart of a godly man may be said to be perfect for David saith of himself I will behave my self wisely in a perfect way Oh when wilt thou come unto me I will walk within my house with a perfect heart The heart is said to be sound A sound heart is the life of the flesh but envy the rottenness of the bones The heart is sometimes merry sometimes melancholy A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken The heart hath many devices Nevertheless the Counsel of the Lord that shall stand The heart of an Holy man may be said to be pure He that loveth pureness of heart or hath grace in his lips the King shall be his friend The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked Who can know it The heart is said to be stony I will give them one heart saith the Lord and I will put a new spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and I will give them an heart of flesh The heart is the chiefest Jewel which the Lord requires of a Christian My Son give me thine heart and let thine eyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my Laws He that keepeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Lord shall be 〈…〉 Law of his God is in his 〈…〉 none of his steps shall side Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the Law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his Testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart Mr. Caryl's DIVINE SENTENCES OR A GUIDE TO An HOLY LIFE HE prepareth a fit Habitation for the Lord whose Reason is neither deceived nor Will perverted nor Memory defiled Happy is that Soul
See see the day by sable Clouds orespread And bids us Weep for Caryl now is dead But by and by do's seem to say This Globe Could not detain him from his patient Job Calamy went before but there 's no odds Since each design'd to be a Child of God's Observe the hours how striving to retire Caryl and Comfort seeming to expire Bids Night and Nature hang the Vniverse With Black due Obsequies for such an Herse He ne'er was cruel to exhaust a Tear All Weeping was reserv'd to spend it here Those flattering Arts which Poets use to save Decaying Reputations in the Grave Are here but vain for no Hyperbole Can tell the World how great his Merits be And Chronicles themselves can say no more Than what his Learning told the World before His Pious Sermons did declare his worth His Expositions set his Learning forth And whilst we here lament his being gone Angels with Anthems welcome him at home And I my self a Catholick could be At least to Pray to such a Saint as he Caryl whose Conversation free from ill Can be express'd but by an Angel's quill As in some mirrour you might clearly see In him a perfect Map of Piety The Beauty of whose Vertues may incite The World to imitation and delight Let us lament our loss and blame his fate For not allowing Life a longer date Reverend Caryl may his Vertues shew As bright hereafter as they 're Glorious now Who when he through this Earthly Globe had past He dy'd left he should idle grow at last For when grown Ancient he would even then Both study Piety and use his Pen He like an Artist did true Patience paint To us on earth now to some Glorious Saint He shews the same who can no longer cease That to extol as Caryl's Masterpiece His EPITAPH HEre lies the Earthly Carkass of a man Whose life too justly may be call'd a span He liv'd converting those that went astray But Death now snatcht this Heav'nly Guide away Then careful Earth unto his Corps be just A Divine Soul was once within his trust But being call'd away it now is flown From hence to take Possession of a Throne A SPIRITUAL GARDEN OF Sweet-smelling FLOWERS OR Mr. VENNING's DIVINE SENTENCES THat Soul that is settled in the love of God is blessed in the peace of Christ. When such a Soul suffereth an outward War she looseth not her inward peace No troubles whatsoever which do outwardly make a noise do violently enter into the silence of her inward repose She coveteth nothing abroad and therefore resteth wholly within by love Such a Soul the Angels do visit and honour she being the Temple of the Lord and the Habitation of the Holy Ghost Happy is that Conscience in which Mercie and Truth are met together for there Justice and Peace have kissed each other God is a God of Mercie and will take pity on him that is truly sorrowful for his sins By Mercie and Truth Iniquity is purged and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil The Kiss of Justice is to love our Enemies to forsake Parents and Possessions for the love of God to endure with Patience injuries inflicted and in all places to flie from honours that are offered The Kiss of Peace is to invite Foes to friendship peaceably to sustain Adversaries lovingly to instruct such as do amiss meekly to comfort those that mourn and to be at amity with all men It is our Saviour's command Love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you For all that will live godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution The Almighty hath three degrees of Wrath his threatning Wrath his punishing Wrath and his condemning Wrath. Adam sinned and was cast out of Paradice the Angels sinned and were cast into Hell We have many sins to repent for viz. our Church-sins our Sermon-sins our Sacrament-sins and the sins of our very Prayers Is any man rich let him not put his trust in them for riches make themselves wings and flie away Lazarus was poor but was received into Heaven Dives was rich but however was carried into Hell Moses went up unto the Mount to pray and took the Rod of God in his hand because with that Rod God had formerly done wonderful things for his people If any mistake through a vain hope of Heaven let him be earnest in the examination of himself to be deceived in this necessitates damnation To hear Sermons to commend them or admire them and not to practice what we hear and understand is to make Sodom and Gomorrha's case at the day of Judgment better than our's Then will the world discern the Blessed from the Wretched when the wrath of God is throughly kindled Those that are now so idly busie in heaping up their Treasures of an Ant-Hillock and building up the tottering Fabricks of a child remember not that the foot of death is coming to spurn it all abroad and to trample down both you and it Let us study how to answer the great and last Question Hast thou performed the condition of the Gospel Let us search our hearts that God may finde them in a condition to receive him For thus faith the Lord I the Lord search the heart I try the reins even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruits of his doings Make not sale of Heaven for the false pleasure of a few sins for a little delight and ease that vanisheth in a moment Repent before thou becomest Old left thy Repentance should come too late for thou leftst not thy sin but thy sin left thee Take heed of dissembling with thy God lest he so discover thy craft that thou shalt not be trusted by man Accommodate Nature withthings convenient but beware of nourishing a lust for that is to hug a Devil in thy bosom To acknowledge God to be just is good and it is just we likewise acknowledge him to be good When thou Prayest rather let thy heart be without words than thy words without an heart Prayer will make a man to cease from sin or sin will intice a man to cease from Prayer It is good to have a good Name but it is better to have a good Conscience It is good to be great but it is better to be good Teach thy heart to walk wholly with thy God as well as holily Only a profession of Christianity is not the only profession of a Christian Your words and works may satisfie the judgments of men but God is the great Judge of our hearts Pray for mercie before you receive and forget not to praise when you have received It is common to have the name of Christ in common The Swearer swears by it the Begger begs by it the Jester joyns it to his jest but wo be to them that shall tremble at it Vain sinner
Saints Memorials OR Words fitly spoken Like Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver Being A COLLECTION OF Divine SENTENCES Written and Delivered By those late Reverend and Eminent Ministers of the Gospel Mr. EDMUND CALAMY Mr. JOSEPH CARYL Mr. RALPH VENNING Mr. JAMES JANEWAY Heb. 11.4 Who being dead yet speak Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord they rest from their labours and their works do follow them LONDON Printed in the Year 1674. To all the SAINTS BELOVED OF GOD And Sanctified through OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST Grace and Peace be Multiplied THe dispensations of God though never so seemingly strange towards his people have always been propitious and favourable according to that of the Apostle he maketh all things work together for good to those that love him and are called according to his purpose How great love should we then have for them who love God and are so beloved of him To the Reader My Friends many there are whose beginning is better than their latter end but blessed are they who dye in the Lord who have an Interest in the Everlasting Covenant and in the sure mercies of David though God may visit their Iniquities with a Rod and their Transgressions with Stripes yet he will never suffer his loving kindness to depart Who would then depart from that God who sticks so close to his If we leave him whither shall we go surely to broken Cisterns that hold no water Oh then as you love your pretious and immortal Souls endeavour close Vnion and strict Communion with him As you are chosen by him so let him be your choyce Since he first loved you let it not be lost He cast his eye upon us when we were in our Blood and no eye pittied us and he spread his Skirt over us and then was the time of love Ah then if he loved us so unlovely what estimation should we have of him who is love it self Consider what he hath done for you in giving life health and above all his beloved Son to dye for you a most ignominious death that you through him migh have everlasting life That you may know how to value this transcendent love of God weigh well the condition you were at that time in lamentably helpless Dead in Trespasses and Sins without God and without Christ in the world strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel and to the Promises This we were in the general but what were we as to our best our Righteousness so bad that nothing could be worse no better than menstruous Cloaths and filthy Rags What Humiliation what Lamentation doth our condition call for Little reason to walk so haughtily as we do and with the Pharisee to say Stand farther off I am holier than thou For shame then come with humble Job in his prostrate State Abhor your selves and repent in dust and ashes or with the Prophet cry out Wo is me I am undone a man of unclean lips mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts A dreadful sight undoubtedly that should be so astonishing to one whom God honoured in making use of his blood for a Testimony of his truth how much more must it needs be to us whose lives are so unclean that there is no soundness in us What necessity is there then of finding out a way to look God in the face there is but one and Blessed and for ever Blessed be his gratious Name for the Revelation of it and that is Jesus Christ the onely Mediator betwixt God and Man What had become of us had he not interposed betwixt the wrath of an incensed Majesty and sinful Creatures Vengeance had been speedily Executed and all that long-suffering and patience which is now exercised to us-ward had been prevented we should not have had line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little his faithful Ministers instructing exhorting and dehorting if hereby the torrent of his Ire had not been stopt How highly then ought we to prize this Talent and to let no day nor time of it pass without doing him some service who hath been so benigne and merciful to us If men do kindnesses to ingenuous minds what thoughtfulness is there of recompence in so much that they declare it to all their friends and enquire and advise what returns will best suit the nature of their received friendships How much more should we with David declare what God hath done for us and always walk in thankfulness towards him For this the grace of God teacheth us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live righteously and soberly in this present evil world Not to turn wanton Libertines saying God is good and merciful and hath sent his Son to dye in our stead nothing remaining for us to do but like the children of the old world to eat and to drink and to rise up to play This bespeaks men to be of that number of whom Jude in his general Epistle makes mention ordained of old to this condemnation denying the onely Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. How indeed can we more disown him than by casting his laws behinde our backs and saying as those wicked wretches did We will not have this man to reign over us although he was Lord of all and told them his yoak was easie and his burthen light and that his ways were ways of pleasantness and his paths were peace Think not that these things were written for their instruction onely but ours also on whom the ends of the world are come But lest I should burden you with too tedious an Epistle I will rather invite you to feed on those wholesome remains which you will finde collected from the Writings of those Eminent and Renowned men prefixt in the Title of this Miscelany whose worth should I undertake to display it would prove an Eclipse coming short of your Estimations and those choice and elaborate Works which will eternize their Memories to all gratious hearts The best use we can make of their loss is to study diligently what they once designed for our benefit and to be provoked by their good conversation to emulation I beseech you therefore let not their nor my poor Labours in gathering these crums from their Tables be lost but that we may have cause to rejoyce in this the Testimony of our Conscience that in Simplicity and Godly Sincerity we have had our conversations in the World as wisheth Your Fellow-Servant in the Kingdom of Grace Mr. EDMVND CALAMY HIS EXHORTATIONS TO The Service of the Lord. SUch are the minds of most men whom either the cares of this world hath distracted or the false pleasures thereof deluded that the meditations of Heaven are far from them and they rarely think of those dangers that attend them or what damage they are like to suffer by despising or slighting those pretious Opportunities that might lead to their Salvation to whom our Saviours saying when speaking to Martha may be
upon the shore that lives a while but with no delight because out of its own Element Afflictions and miseries happen by Gods permitment and whom he loveth he chastiseth those griefs are for the good of them that love God therefore beware of sin that makes your sorrows bitter and minde not the Rod so much as him from whom the Rod comes lest that teach you both to fret and faint As Sheep make every place the better where they come and Goats make every place the worse so is it with a Saint and with a Sinner the first bringeth sweetness along with him and the other leaves a stink behind him Win what thou canst by Prayer with comfort thou shalt enjoy the purchase Instructions for the keeping of the Sabbath Make the Lords day the Market-day for thy Soul let the whole day be spent in Prayer Repetitions or Meditations lay aside the affairs of the other part of the week let the Sermon thou hast heard be converted into Prayer Shall God allow thee six days and wilt not thou afford him one Observations for the Week-days 1. When thou risest in the morning consider thou must dye 2. Thou mayst dye that minute 3. What will become of thy Soul Pray often At night consider what sins thou hast committed 2. How often thou hast Prayed 3. What hath thy mind been bent upon 4. What hath been thy dealing 5. Thy conversation 6. If thou callest to mind thy errours of the day sleep not without a Confession to God and a hope of Pardon Thus every Morning and Evening make up thy Accounts with Almighty God and thy Reckoning will be the less at last Say not with thy self To morrow I will repent for it is thy duty to to do it dayly And if thou dost delay repentance Satan hath an opportunity to incroach and will bring thee to make it a custom which is hard to break Repent and seek the Lord betime lest thou too suddenly art accosted with shame and death The sinner is always grinding at the Devils Mill and the Devil is no less busie in supplying the Hopper lest his Mill should stand still A piece of dry Bread with Water a good Conscience and devout Thoughts is a noble Feast As the Potter fashioneth the clay so doth the Lord dispose of man as liketh him best wherefore fear thou the Lord. Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker Shall the clay say to him who fashioneth it what makest thou Be diligent to observe the Commandments of God for he is a Master cannot erre and what he willeth must be done If thou art Great be likewise Good for as if you were a Looking-glass others dress themselves by looking upon you God is the Fountain of Felicity converse with him and you shall be filled with Joy The first that named Gods Name in Scripture was the Devil and he likewise confess'd our Saviour to be the Son of God however he was the Devil notwithstanding that If you will not follow the example of your Saviours life you will merit nothing by his death God will not be perswaded to save us if we will not be perswaded to serve him Be careful to frequent the Church for publike Worship is the Pillar of Religion and a devout Service of Almighty God In the Church be careful to serve God for you are before the eyes of God and Man It is not only a scandal to man but a defiance to the Deity to be careless of our duties in the Congregation of those that come to seek his face A Congregation zealous at the Worship of God on Earth is an exact Picture of the Saints with God in Heaven Laugh not in the Church lest it be suspected thou art tickled by the Devil Well may he be punished that misbehaves himself in the Church when the Devils misbehaviour cast him out of Heaven If thou art poor neither wonder nor despair God will pay them that serve him and the less Wages thou receivest now the more thou shalt have hereafter You have a Crown set before you which Crown he that wins may wear it and that is Mercie It is dangerous to be rich for riches tempt men to be covetous and to delight in Gold besides Riches have wings and flie away by loss at Sea or Land by fire or some other accidents which lead men to discontentments and finally to despair If a wicked man be never so rich his whole Estate cannot ransome him for eternal torments for God is no esteemer of Riches A poor mans morsel with content and grace is better than the dainties of a Dives Many there are that to improve their own Estates care not how many Families they undo so true is that of the Holy Writ They that will be rich fall into temptations And how much to be admired is the Vanity of those that delight in Riches for when the covetous man dyes he can carry nothing with him but while living hazards his Soul to heap up Riches and knoweth not who shall enjoy them What are the Honours and Riches of this World when compared to the Glories of a Crown of life What can be a more certain token of a Reprobate than to receive large Wages in this World and yet do little or no service for it There are a sort of men that may be truly called Time-servers whose Religion is like Wax to be moulded to any fashion Discretion teacheth us to observe those times that are lawful and necessary especially in reference to the performance of our duties to Almighty God but it is an horrid piece of Impiety to serve the Times and neglect God Think not thy self Good because thou seest another worse but endeavour to mend him and make thy self better Imagine not thy life to be good because thy heart is honest but strive to run that thou mayst win the Race To avoyd Hypocrisie is good and likewise to shun the sin of profanation but to be active in the service of God is better An outward shew of goodness is Good for example-sake to others but an inward Holy zeal is better Do not conclude thy self good because thou art so sometimes 'T is a Habit of Holiness a Garment of Righteousness that makes a Saint God doth take notice of our steps but will judge us by our wayes Thou art not good because thou dost believe the Devils do believe and tremble but a good belief a good conversation acts of piety and charity are the ingredients of a good man To what end should a man fancy himself a Saint when his heart lies open to the eyes of the Lord He may be Gods Reprobate though his own Elect. If thou hast sinned and dost repent do not conclude that thou art well and mayst return to thy former Vomit for Justice when offended will be severe against those that abuse a Mercie Thou mayst hear Sermons often and do well in practising what thou hearest but thou must
While we below groan at our Ichabod Vnder his burned Church his body lies But shall it self a Glorious Temple rise May his kinde Flock when a new Church they make Call it St. Edmundsbury for his sake Mr. Caryls PALM-TREE CHRISTIAN THe wicked and the righteous those two divide the world The wicked flourish as the grass they spring but they shall spring but like grass which quickly withers The Righteous shall flourish but how not like the grass but like the Palm-tree He shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon The Palm-tree is an excellent Tree and often the praises of God are resembled by it This Tree grows in the purest soil It will not grow in filthy places in dungy places but it loves a very pure soil The Righteous are planted in Christ they grow in Christ and they grow in the Church they are planted in the House of God not in the World the unclean polluted World which lies in wickedness and smells like a Dung-hill The Palm-Trees Branches grow all upward there 's none grow out of the side as other Trees The Righteous their affections are set upon things above they grow up Heaven-ward They do not shoot out their Branches this way or that way to the World The Palm-Tree is always green green in Winter as well as Summer It doth not cast its Leaf nor fade The Righteous hold-up their Profession in Summers Prosperity and in the very Winter of Adversity The Palm-Tree it is a Tree that is full of Fruit good Fruit pleasant Fruit sweet Fruit a kind of cordial Fruit. The Righteous have the Green of Profession and the fruitfulness of their conversation and 't is pleasant Fruit Fruits of Righteousness Fruits of Faith Fruits of Love and the Fruits of the Spirit The Palm-Tree grows most when it is most press'd down by weights When the World would crush the Righteous and press them down to the Earth yea press them down to Hell yet they grow up more and more Pharaoh puts weights of very heavy oppression upon Israel but they multiplied and grew not onely in company but also in their lives The good Seed falling upon good Ground brought forth in some an hundred-fold They fall into trouble God helps them up they are purged and made white the fire shall not burn but refine them Afflictions strengthen Tribulation works Patience and then Patience Experience and Experience Hope Affliction will make us the fitter for Heaven Grace improved is very near to Glory The weights upon the Righteous do wean them from the World Now when the Soul is delivered from this world this evil world it must needs flourish up to the other world The School of the Cross is the School of Light Which discovers the worlds vanity baseness and wickedness And lets us see more of Gods mind Out of the dark of affliction there comes a spiritual light We see the worth of Grace and of an Interest in Christ. And the excellencie of Jesus Christ himself as of an interest in so of the person of Christ how glorious how choice This knowledge is not notional a Brain-knowledge but experimental These weights draw them to converse more at home to be acquainted more with their own bosomes How it is with grace what Faith what Love what Patience When the world is kind to us fair with us and flatters us and hugs us and embraces us we begin to forget and to slight Communion with Jesus Christ. But when the worlds weights are upon us we have promises of more of the presence of God and of the presence of his Spirit The purpose of the world when they hang their weights upon the Palm-Trees is to keep them down that their graces multiply not To discourage to turn them quite aside to renounce to forsake and apostatize But they have fail'd in it and the truth flourished more this hath been rather a furtherance to it The Lord hath a Flail of Tribulation to separate the Chaff from the Wheat The wicked mans plentiful Table shall be a Snare to him But the righteous mans Table shall be a Table to his inward man where his Graces shall come and feed and grow fat and flourish and increase This we are to bless the Lord for that our Afflictions do not snare us but are a Table to our graces It is a very great Question whether they that were not bettered by Affliction were ever good Mr. Caryl's Practical and Experimental CONSIDERATIONS AND CHARACTERS OF The Real Christian. WHite Garments are matter of Honour this Honour all the Saints shall have They shall walk in white Christ will honour them because they have kept their Garments undefiled They that are good indeed shall have a good name they shall walk in white To keep the Conscience clean is to keep the Credit clean and they who are careful not to blot their conversations Christ will take care of their reputations that they be not blotted The Old Worthies kept their Garments undefiled and it was by the power of Faith keeping themselves from the pollutions of the World they kept themselves a good report This honour and good report which we get by keeping our Garments undefiled is sure Sometimes God's people are not onely honourable in Gods eyes but they sometimes walk in white in the eyes of the men of the World He can give his people room in the opinions of men he moves their hearts to think well of them and he opens their mouths to speak well of them It is not much to us what the wicked World judge of us yet God doth sometimes raise a Testimony of Honour for his people amongst Carnal men of the World Ioseph would not defile his Garments he walked in white amongst men True he was cast into Prison what of that he was respected by the Keeper of the Prison and afterward he walked in white in the whole Egyptian Court. Daniel was one that walked in white with common men of the World With the Prince of Eunuchs he had tender favour he told him he would not disobey God to please man yet he did not rail against him and call him a stubborn fellow because he would not bow to Baal And afterwards Daniel as great a man as any in that Province he walked in white God hath created Testimonies of honour for his people from some men of the world yea they many times put white Garments upon them God doth sometime keep up their honour in the World who will not defile their Garments This may teach us the readiest way to the White Robe to the Robe of Honour It is to keep our selves from sinful practises Certainly they who please God he can make the World to honour them If God approve of us he can make the World to approve of us too If God see our Garments in the dirt and spotted with the filth of the World it will spoil the Honour we should
that cleanseth his heart from the filth of sin and so stores it with Pious works as that it may delight the Almighty God to dwell therein Lay aside the cares of this world and take into your minds the Joys of heaven Empty your heads of all other things and prepare that upper Room to entertain your Lord. Consider ye are framed according to the Image of the Lord adorned with his Similitude espoused unto him by Faith endowed with the Holy Ghost redeemed with the pretious Blood of a dear Saviour assigned to be Fellow-Citizens with the Holy Angels capable of Eternal Happiness Heirs of Goodness stock't with Sence and Reason What have ye to do with the flesh then slight not those opportunities and advantages that are set before ye but Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all other things shall be added to ye Keep your Souls in a flying posture towards your Inheritance above For where can ye finde more Riches to invite ye The Lord is called The faithful God and will take an account of each ones faith Without Faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to him must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Adam was a sinner and begot sinners and they must work out their Salvation with fear and trembling What am I A man that had my beginning from a thing unseemly in the moment of my conception I was conceived of Humane seed afterwards that froth changed into curds and by encreasing became flesh With weeping I was exposed to the miseries of a wretched world and behold I am full of sin and shall suddenly be presented before the strict Judge to render an account of all my works Wo be to me wretch when that day shall come and those Books shall be opened wherein are Registred all my thoughts words and works and shall be read before the Lord Then with a trembling Conscience I stand before the Tribunal-Seat of Christ full of fear and anguish calling to remembrance my manifold offences And when it shall be said Behold the man and his works then Oh then shall I see all my sins and abominations presented before mine eyes To prevent which Misery observe these Directions Since your whole life is a Race and a Battel a Merchandise and a Journey prepare against night a Rosary of good works to present unto the Lord. Let your sleep be no more than Nature and Necessity requires and remember as he that starts first is most like to win the Race so he that first offers his petition to Almighty God hath the more early title to a blessing Change not day into night and night into day be not addicted to idelness and sleep for that is the way to turn your blessing to a dream Let not that imagination seize you that you may lie in bed having no business immediately to do for he that hath a Soul and would save that Soul hath enough to do to make his calling and election sure Meditate Pray and Read Repent and do acts of Charity to others If you have little to do you have the more time to provide for a Crown of Glory When you open your eyes think upon some act of Piety Thank God for your last good rest and preservation Give thanks to the Lord for your creation and the many mercies you have received from his hands When you arise pay your devotion to the holy Trinity Be silent when you dress your self and fix your thoughts upon some act of Piety If you speak let it be in the praise of God of his Goodness his Mercies or his Greatness Always let the first-fruits of thy Reason be presented to the Lord that so the whole harvest of thy conversation may be Sanctified Let your habit be neither careless nor curious though men may respect you for your outward habit God doth expect that your inward garment should be Righteousness Let your ejaculations suit with your actions in the morning as when you clean your hands Pray to God to cleanse your Soul from sin or when you cloath your body Pray to him to cloath you with the Armour of Faith and a good Conscience This done betake your self to your Closet-Devotions or to Family-Duties as your condition is capacitated Having finished your Prayers consult with your self about your Occasions that day and resolve against any thing that may seem opposite to the Service of God or the Rules of Good manners If you have Children or Servants it is your Duty to Pray with them and for them or especially to be careful that they shall Pray for themselves After this betake your self to your Affairs avoid idleness and take heed of being too earnest after wordly goods be Prudent Temperate Diligent Humble and Charitable Harbour no idle Persons in your Family let your Servants have moderate Work and Meat if they deserve Reproof let it be without Passion advice with some Natures may do more than Correction Be not busie to inquire after the Concerns of your Neighbour but carry your self with this Caution that in all your Actions you mix the ingredients of Justice and Charity Be in Charity with all men Avoid Backbiting and Slandering he that delights in either of them shall never be beloved or innocent When you dine lift up your heart in an holy Ejaculation to the Lord thank him for your Temporal Food and crave for Spiritual After dinner return thanks for Mercies received He doth not deserve to eat that doth not desire to thank In your Recreations be moderate and be sure to secure your heart for God left your affections settle upon a false Basis Let not your Recreations be tedious lest if you dwell with them long you may be inticed to sin When you enter into Discourse be pithy and as often as you can devout but if your occasions shall be so urgent that you cannot conveniently discourse of God however be sure to think of him When you Read let it not be much at once let your Reading be little and your Meditation large for little Reading and much thinking little Speaking and much Hearing brief Prayer and firm Devotion is the surest way to be Wise and to be Devout In the Evening let your Meditations be on the hours of the day past how they have been spent if your Conscience be clear it is the sooner examined but if any thing extraordinary hath happned then take time to recollect your self with diligence Thank the Lord for his benefits of the day and crave a pardon for your errours and if any duty hath been omitted endeavour to redeem that fault the next day Let your last Prayers be applied to the concerns of your Conscience and forget not to thank the Lord for all his mercies to you and your relations that day When you enter into your Bed fix your Meditations upon Death and the Grave In the whole course of your life
live is Christ but to dye is gain The children of this World may be cast out but the heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven shall be as Olive-plants about the Table of the Lord. To commit sin is the part of an humane Nature to lament for sins committed is Christian-like but to continue in sin bidding defiance to the Divine powers is Diabolical There are three sorts of Faith the Faith of Sence which is seeing the Faith of Reason which is knowing and the Faith of Revelation which is believing And this last is properly called the Gospel-Faith Believe in the Lord your God so shall you be established believe his Prophets so shall ye prosper We ought seriously to consider two things the sin of our Nature and the Nature of our sin The Natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neican he know them because they are spiritually discerned But he that is spiritual judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man Let us follow after Christ he is our guide and will not shake us off but if we do not follow him we despise him and our own salvation Be ye therefore followers of God as dear Children If the heart of man be hard and stony it makes the softer cushion for the Devil to sit on To day if ye will hear the voice of the Lord harden not your hearts as in the provocation Since the days of mans life are as a shadow our suffering will be sudden and our sinning short We are but of yesterday and know nothing because our days upon earth are a shadow If man be for us God may be against us but if God be for us who can be against us If we are among our friends without God we are in continual danger but with God a man is safe though in the midst of enemies Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell The Saints ought to do more for God than others because as they are expected to be the best servants they are like to have the better wages The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is Eternal life through Iesus Christ our Lord. A modest behaviour and a portion of Morality without Holiness is but a golden Incredulity But sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every one that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear Let young Women put on Piety instead of Paints Sanctity instead of Sattin Modesty for their Morning and dayly dress so shall God and every good man love them more and more Let Women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shame fac'dness and sobriety not with broidred hair or gold or pearls or costly array But which becometh Women professing godliness with good works As God made man without the help of man so will he likewise save them that come unto him by his own Almighty power Hear how familiarly he invites them Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest And ye shall finde rest unto your Souls If we endeavour for Salvation it is God must give it but if we do not endeavour he will shorten his own hand though we cannot do it For thus saith the Psalmist with thee is the Fountain of Life in thy light we shall see light How lovely is God in all his Creatures how much more lovely in his Ordinances but most lovely in Christ who is the God of love Brethren be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace and the God of love and peace shall be with you The Christian hopeth for the world to come but the sinner feareth it For every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour Not to be chastened is an ill signe but not to bear a chastening is a worse Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest him out of thy Law He that hath a tender Conscience will not be prodigal of his Credit for a good Conscience is a continual Feast to a chearful heart So likewise he that hath a good name hath the savour of a pretious Oyntment which gives a chearfulness to his countenance He that detaineth a penny from the poor puts a Plague into his own purse He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker but he that honoureth him hath mercie on the poor Let the precepts of God be neer to our hearts lest he stop his ears to our Prayers Who so stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor he also shall cry himself and shall not be heard In prosperity we forget the threatnings of God and in adversity we are apt to forget his promises The prosperity of fools shall destroy them If we intend to suffer evil for God's sake in the day of Adversity let us do good for God's sake in the day of Prosperity Here lies the true point of Gentility to fear God scorn the World and conquer Sin Nay in all these things we are more than conquerours through him that loved us Doth any man fear to dye it's an easie thing to live slaves and beasts do so but it ought to be every mans study to live and dye well Man's life is more full of grief than glory and it is a seasonable time to dye in when to live is rather a burthen than a blessing Be obedient and do good they are the works and the wages of a Christian and he will delight in doing good though he doth it only for his delight Gathering of Riches is a pleasant torment the trouble of getting the charging of the conscience the care of keeping and the watching over them when gotten takes away a great part of the expected enjoyment Wherefore if Riches increase set not your heart upon them A gratious person is usually as apt to desire to understand what he is to do as what he is to enjoy The work of a Christian while he lives in the body is to crucifie the body of death Man is God's creature God formed man of the dust of the ground Sin is man's creature Man is like to vanity his days are as a shadow which passeth away Misery is sins creature The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is Eternal life through Iesus Christ our Lord. God made man in his own likeness man hath made sin in his likeness and sin hath made misery in his own likeness Adam who was the Father of mankind was of earth and therefore earthy Our Saviour who was the Redeemer of mankind and the second Adam was from Heaven and therefore Heavenly As is the earthy such are they
he hath sent empty away When God sends mercie we should not onely thank the donor but welcome the messenger for they both come from God How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of Peace and bring glad tidings of good things The proud man exalts himself against all that is good therefore the Lord thinks good to take down his pride Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. The world cannot exalt a proud man so high but God will bring him low neither can all the world so debase an humble man but God will exalt him The world may strive to pull him down But God will raise him to a Crown In the seed-time of your life let your Holiness be sown that so you may reap Blessedness in the Harvest of Eternity He that will put Piety in practice must set his heart to practice Piety The Lord seeth not as man seeth for man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart My Son give me thine heart and let thine eyes observe my ways Ungodly men grow rich yet godliness with contentment is great gain There is a kind of Divine husbandry saving grace is a heavenly thirft and doth so improve that it makes us Burgesses of the Holy City Wherefore Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ. A friend may commit an errour in love but he is an enemy that loves his errour The covetous man cannot enjoy what he hath got through the greediness of his desire to get more He coveteth greedily all the day long but the righteous giveth and spareth not To have faith in Christ is well-pleasing to the faithful God for he is the Father of the Faithful The Lord is God the faithful God which keepeth covenant and mercie with them that love him and keep his Commandments to a thousand generations The Righteous man hath grace beyond expression the Hypocrite hath expression beyond grace The tongue of the just is as choice silver the heart of the wicked is of little worth God doth sometimes deliver men up to Satan that they may be delivered from Satan Deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Iesus Can a man be an empty Vine and yet bring forth Fruit Israel is an empty vine bringing forth fruit unto himself Christ is the Son of God and yet he is called the Son of man The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth The Almighty's permission of sin is no warrant for the sinners commission of sin Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin Our Saviour had a Father and a Mother and yet he was from the beginning In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God This is Solomon's advice Be not righteous overmuch However it is the duty of a Christian to cloath him with Righteousness as with a Garment The Saints have no greater joy than to enjoy God and to rejoyce in him He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. As it is hard to bend a well-grown Stick so is it difficult to work upon the heart of a desperate season'd sinner for he runs on in his wickedness and is deaf to all good instructions They have ears to hear and hear not for they are a rebellious house Onwards they run a ready pace Plainer's the way than that to grace A Saint will not sin though he knows that sin may work for his advantage All things work together for the good of them that love God We are commanded to love Peace and follow after Righteousness and yet the Saints themselves are in continual War fighting the good fight of Faith Above all things take the sheild of Faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked The Salvation of a Saint may be sure yet may not he be sure of his Salvation Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fall Blessings if abused may be turned into curses and curses are oftentimes turned into blessings Saith the Lord of hosts I will even send a curse upon you I will curse your blessings If any man would be rich he must be diligent but notwithstanding that let him remember Paul may Plant and Apollo may Water but it is God that giveth the blessing He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand but the hand of the diligent maketh rich The blessing of the Lord that maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it The Righteous man makes godliness his gain the Wicked man makes gain his godliness He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house but he that hateth gifts shall live The Soul is above the reach of any weapon but sin and that pierces like a sting Sin is a raging torment in the Conscience A wounded Spirit who can bear Let not the best of men think they were ever good lest their Conscience shall tell them they were never good Be not wise in thine own eyes fear the Lord and depart from evil Some men will pretend to abhor such a sin yet hug it in their bosom such sinners sting their Consciences to magnifie their Credits If by suffering for Christ we loose all that we have in this world we are sufficient gainers when we save our own Souls Paul that Pious Apostle saith Doubtless I count all things but loss for the excellencie of the knowledge of Iesus Christ my Lord for which I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ. A repenting Penitent though formerly as bad as the worst of men may by grace become as good as the best God who is rich in mercie for his great love wherewith he loved us Even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ by grace ye are saved The Devil is indifferent whether we go to Hell in the frequented road of Profaness or in the smooth way of Hypocrisie It is the power of godliness not the form that directs the way to Heaven as the power of ungodliness leads to Hell Lovers of Pleasures more than lovers of God Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away Beware of impenitence and of late repentance true repentance cannot be too late but a late repentance is rarely true Wherefore the real Christian should say betimes with holy Iob I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes It is one thing to hold the truth and another thing to hold it in sincerity we
must be just as well as orthodox Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath go not to bed in anger lest you have a tempter to your bedfellow Wrath is cruel and anger is outragious but who is able to stand before envy One of the blessings of the Old Testament was Prosperity and one of the blessings of the new Testament is Affliction Let not sin intice you to forsake God lest it urge God to forsake you It is Solomon's advice My Son if sinners intice thee consent thou not Conversion is a fit application for the wounds of a wicked man and strengthening likewise is very apt for the converted Saith David In the day when I cryed thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my Soul A devout Soul should not think himself secure when he is safe nor should he fear when in the greatest danger but distrust himself and always trust in God Say with Iob Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Act not against the light of Conscience lest your Light be darkned and your Conscience shipwrack't Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil Vertue and Vice that is Charity and Lust divide the whole life of man they are the two Trees of the Gospel that produceth fruits good and evil Study not to live long but to live well for an hour mis-spent is not liv'd but lost No man is perfect for there is none so good but he may mend Iesus said unto the young man If thou wilt be perfect go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt receive treasure in heaven and come and follow me The sins of a mans life are innumerable Who can understand his errours saith David cleanse thou me from secret faults The changes of a Saints condition are but so many exchanges of mercie if he thrives God is bountiful to him if he hath troubles in this world God is careful of him and provides him a portion in a better world When David was in the Cave all his comfort was in Prayer unto God I cryed unto thee O Lord I said Thou art my refuge and portion in the land of the living Troubles or Sickness when sanctified is much better than unsanctified Prosperity It is not talking of God but walking with God that makes a Christian compleat See that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise Redeeming the time because the days are evil Beware of superstition for that will not teach a man to fear God but to be afraid of him Study to have Christ rather in your heart than your house for with such Habitations he is best pleased Rent your heart and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness The being of the Soul is rather where it loves than where it lives Let us study to love God though we do not see him rather than to see him and not love him All the pleasure of our days is grief when there is not an inward peace in the Conscience and with that all the griefs imaginable are turn'd into delight for a good Conscience is a continual feast It is good to be Learned but it is better to be Religious for Learning is but an Ornament to Religion but Religion is a Blessing to Learning One may be ever learning yet never able to come to the knowledge of the truth A man may have knowledge and no grace but he cannot have grace and no knowledge Jesus answered the Sadduces saying Ye erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God He that is truly Religious delights in the service of God and had rather be shortned in the comforts of his life than neglect the performance of his duty towards him Delight thy self in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart To profess Religion is good but to practice Religion is better to profess and not to practice is to dissemble with God and Man and a cunning course it is for man to destroy his own Soul The godly man may apply the promises to himself but the wicked man may apply himself to the promises Having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God If we would have God hear our Prayers we must have the sence of feeling them our selves Sin brought death into the world and death carried sin out of the world He that would not have Time pass swiftly away should not use much Pastime The way to understand the sweetness of God's mercie is to get a sence of the bitterness of our own misery In all concerns let God be concerned the work will be the better done and the blessing will be the larger No man can do an evil action well but a good action may be spoiled in the management The tongue is an evil member for he that hath no reputation himself is master of another man's Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile The delight which a gracious Soul hath in mercies is not in the hearing of them or talking of them but in the possessing and enjoying of them God is a God that pardoneth Iniquity and retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercie The delight of a gracious Soul is to long to be dissolved and to go to his long'd-for home that he may be with Christ. A day in thy Courts O God is better than a thousand I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tent of wickedness It is God's appearing gracious to our Souls that makes him appeaâ— so glorious to our eyes To the praise of the glory of hiâ— Grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved It is not in our power to imagine the power of God it converteth Souls and raiseth dead Bodies The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul the Testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple Iesus cryed with a loud voice Lazarus come forth And he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave-cloaths and his face was bound about with a napkin Iesus saith unto them Loose him and let him go The Soul cannot be converted by the word that man speaks nor by the man that speaks the word For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God By the Scriptures we learn what God hath done for us and what we are to do for God All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness When a gracious Soul desireth a mercie of
sin are said to walk after the Heart of sin Sin is contrary to God's Image wherein man was made viz. in Righteousness and true Holiness but sin is as deformity and ugliness sin is the Devil's Image never was a Childe more like the Father than a sinner is like the Devil Sin is contrary to the People and Children of God Though sin cannot hate them so much as God loves them yet the more God loves them the more sin sets its hatred against them The Serpentine Race will not suffer the little Flock and Remnant of the holy Seed to have one quiet day The Devil is a man-hater but more a Saint-hater Sin is contrary to God's Glory Good men would do all they do to the Glory of God but sin will let them do nothing at all to God's Glory Might sins desires take place there should not be a person or thing by whom and whereby God should be pleased or glorified Sin is contrary to God's being sinners are God-haters and as much as in them lies they are God-murtherers And if its power were as great as its will is wicked it would not suffer God to be God is a troublesome thing to sinners and therefore they say Depart from us Sinners they would break Christ's bonds and make war with the Spirit of Peace Whoever thou art pause a little and consider what is said of sin it is to be considered by the sinner and is meant of thine and my sin Canst thou finde in thine heart to plead for such a Monster Wilt thou love that which God hates God forbid Oh say to this Idol yea to this Devil Get thee hence thou Childe yea Father of the Devil thou that art the founder of Hell an enemy to all Righteousness Oh think on 't what hast thou no value no regard for thy Soul Wilt thou neglect and despise it as if 't were good for nothing but to be damned and go to Hell Sin is contrary to the good of man and nothing is properly and absolutely so but sin and this results evidently from sins contrariety to God as there is nothing contrary to God but sin For Devils are not so but sin Sin being a separation between God and man an interruption of his Communion and Conformity it must needs be prejudicial and hurtful to him Man's sufferings follow at the heels of sin suffering and sin involve each other no sooner did sin enter into the world but death which is a privation of good did enter by it with it and in it for 't is the sting of death so that sin saith Here is death and death saith Here is sin Sin is against man's good here in time and hereafter in Eternity in this world which now is and in that to come Particularly Against man's body it hath corrupted man's blood and made his body mortal and thereby rendered it a vile body our bodies though made of dust were yet more pretious than fine Gold but when we sinned they became vile bodies Before sin our bodies were Immortal for Death and Mortality came in by sin but now alas they must return to dust and it 's appointed to all men once to dye and 't is well if they dye but once Sin is against the good of man's Soul too and this is much more to man's hurt 't is well with his Soul so that we can more easily and cheaply dye than be damn'd Nothing but sin doth wrong a man's Soul and there is no sin but doth that Sin is against man's well-being in this life man was born to a great estate but by sin which was and is Treason against God he forfeited all Man came into the world as into an house ready furnish'd but when man sinned God turn'd him out of all Thus by sin man that was the Emperour of Eden is banisht from his native Country and must never see it more but in a new and living way for the old is stop'd up all we have our Food and raiment is but lent us we are only Tenants at will The sin of man had left the Son of man nothing when he came into the world for the recovery of man If he will come in the likeness of sinful flesh he must speed not like the Son of God but Son of man Nay the venimous Nature of sin is such that it fills that good which God left us with vanity and vexation with bitterness and a curse sweat and sorrow many a grieving Bryer and pricking Thorn stick fast to him More particularly Sin is against man's rest 't is a sore Travail which the Sons of men have under the Sun yea he hath not rest in the night but is haunted if not frighted with extravagant and frightful dreams Man's ground is over-grown with thorns he hath many an aking head and heart many a sore hand and foot before the year come about to get a little livelihood out of this sin-curst ground The old world was very sensible of this Sin Curse and Toyl keep company Sin is against man's comfort and joy if man laugh sin turns it to madness all our sweet meats have sower sawce In sorrow shalt thou eat his bread is the bread of Affliction The Woman hath her share of sorrow for the time of conception breeding bearing and birth are tedious Sin is against man's health till sin there were no Diseases and Sicknesses let a man take the best Air he can and eat the best Food he can let him eat and drink by rule let him take never so many Antidotes Preservatives and Cordials yet man is but a crazie sickly thing for all this Sin is against the quiet of a man's natural Conscience for it wounds the Spirit and makes it intolerable A wounded Spirit who can bear This broken Spirit drieth the bones it sucks away the marrow and radical moisture A good Conscience is a continual Feast but sin mars all the mirth When Cain had killed his Brother and his Conscience felt the stroak of his Curse he was like a distracted man and mad When Iudas had betrayed his Master he was weary of his life Sin is against the beauty of man it takes away the loveliness of their Complexions and alters the very air of their Countenance it makes man vanity and his beauty vain Sin is against the loving and conjugal Cohabitation of Soul and Body Sin sowed discord between them and made them jar many a falling out there is now betwixt Body and Soul between Sense and Reason they draw several ways there 's a self-civil War The Soul is become a Prisoner to the Body Rather than a free man Too too often the beast is too hard for the man and the horse rides the Rider Sense lords it and domineers over Reason Sin is against man's relative good in the world man's weal or woe lies much in relations by sin that which was made for an help proves an hindrance Sin hath spoil'd society one man is a Woolf nay a Devil