of all mischieues and abhomination vnder the sonne 14 O beloued Christian Whether art thou in this wise armed with saith too stande too the face of the Diuell sharply to reproue him and put him to flighte 15 Whether hast thou in thine harte through this saith heauenly mirth and melody inward reioicing and thy retourne with triumphe exalted the name of thy God felt in thy selfe to bee doubtlesse his childe and too loue as thou lawfully oughtest the lawe of thy deare and most louing father 16 Whether hast thou considered or not this heauenly mistery aforesaid to be the Sacramente of true pietie the Character of perfecte vnttie and the most assured band of frutful and christian charitie 17. Whether thou being a subiecte in any estate borne to be ruled vnder thy soueragne and not to rule bearest vnto hir thy dere and natural Prince as also to thine natiue countrey by the bloud of Goddes woorde a naturall saithfull and true louing harte 18 And finally whether thou bee christianly charitable or a cleere remitter of all thy neighbours offences as thou thy selfe woldest of God be clerely remitted And so foorth in all other thinges as best behoueth thine holye profession least to the coÌ„trary in gods sighte all thy conceyued holinesse by orater or whatsoeuer beeing but provbane hipocritish childish mere darknesse and very folly there be founde in thee but the only title or vnauailable bare name of christianitie and therefore verie perniciouse burifull and to be tourned into sinne ageinst thee and so in stead of healthfull very delightfull and beautifull blessings which thou daily huntest after the banefull most bitter and blacke curses of God doo sodeinly fall vppon thee Beware then J exhorte thee looke well to thy selfe in time flatter not thy selfe vainly or rather dampnablie be not longe a dalier in the schoole house of daliaunce be not alwayes a fondling a weakling or a suckling a milkesoppe or babish infante in Chryst weye truely the vertue of healthefull manfull and strong nourishmente in Chryste attende to the tyme thou shouldeste nowe bee a strong man in Chryste thou art now as a man most grationsly visited for the highest doo seeke thy company than the which what shouldest thou more desire O remember then how very reprochfull how vnmaÌ„full vnhealthfull hurtfull miserable and discoÌ„mendable is thy seruile state in such wise to be pind in not to growe out in time nor get from thy rockinges thy wearisome wrappinges or swadling bandes of extreame weakenesse but alwayes to be lulde in the armes of vntimely tendernesse wherby thou art barred from thy highest and moste chiefe solicitie Way warely by the scriptures thy due danger and discommeÌ„dation of suche thine insensibilitie and wearishnesse Shouldest not thou rather reioice to be calde as a man of strength to the felowship ripe age and strong manhode of Christe and to be partaker in his presence of his most frendefull healthfull strengthfull and heaueÌ„ly banket whereunto al things are already prepared and therunto art thou now called God also graunt thee to be in the number of his electe that thou maist with saith set forwards thy fote hungerly with zeale to striue for thy place to beleue by Gods only word that the lord of the seast fauoreth thee Be not hindred hinder not thy selfe let excuses be farre from thee deferre not the fauouring of thy soules refreshing loke to thy turne in time open to day thine eyes and be not yet blinde to morowe least with the blinde in thy wil of blindenesse thou be sone blindely led into the irrecouerable deepe and most damnable dungeon of blindnesse darknesse horror with the diuel the Prince of darknesse and death foreuer Consider this he that seeth thee euen as in deede thou art is a God of moste cleare sighte bright lighte truthe and rightuousnesse Call to minde towardes him thy true profession seruice turn not thâ—â— but of true kinde leane simply 〈◊〉 truthe ioyne not with the wickeâ— which by their questions dout of that truth and aske how knowe you that it is the word of truth for bothe they thou shall answer to that word of truthe whereby must be directed bothe thy religion and manners and wherin thou must be bothe mindefull skilful and thaÌ„keful for thy discharge Jgnoraunce cannot excuse thee it shall not excuse thee thou oughtest not be ignorant thou nedest not be ignorant what so euer is writteÌ„ is writteÌ„ for thy learning thou readest it thou hearest it or thou maist if thou luste It is not farre from thee It is before thine eyes in thine hart if grace be with thee towardes it and is most truely pronouÌ„ced vnto thee by the eternall spirite of truth that most miraculously with al simplicitie by his zealous ministers inwardly to pierce thee to lighten the darknesse of thine hart and to quicken true life vnto thee if thou haste eares to heare in these dayes the dayes of gods grace and of his heauenly visitation Vaine curiositie of faultes finding and complaining shal not serue thee in thy respecting of persones dayes and times they oughte not to hinder thee haue thou thine hart prepared stick thou to the graces of god offered What are slanderous brutes to thee if thou be of god a louer of the truth of which truthe let thine owne conscience be the iudge if it be not vtterly dead or most damnably benuÌ„med WheÌ„ thou hearest the truth in time take hold of truthe let not occasion slip from thee with hir turned baldnesse towardes thee for shee flieth swiftly and to cal hir again back wil not help thee yea the truth wil theÌ„ reproue thie be iuste iudge ouer thee and condempne thee to thy face for thy moste folishe and late repentaunce Jf truthe therefore offer hir selfe vnto thee stand most amiably before thee and sound most heauenly words vnto thine eare O attend then to the truth haue good opinion in the truth slie not from the truthe feare not the truthe ioyne to the truth be familiar with the truth beleue the truthe confesse boldly the truthe and stand stedfastly to the truth for truthe is of high excellencie a glorious ladie a dame of noble fame and of great antiquitie she is euer gratious vnto the frendly of full power also of great maiestie and familiar with the highest Thinke well therefore of truth entertaine hir reuerently shee shineth with glory vnto thee O let hir alwayes possesse thee reioyce in hir coÌ„panie and vse hir very frendly for she wil highly againe requite thee shen thee sone most freely hir natural vsage propertie which shal be all inwardly to serch thee thorowly to purge thee most clerely to pollish thee most beutifully to adorne thee to breake thy baÌ„ds of impietie to make the spiritually free and prefer thee through true saithe to possesse the high presence of the deitie This is truthes nature to deale kindly with thee if thou most vnkindly neglectest not hir companie
Of whiche truth the Apostle thus wryteth vnto thee that without al contradiction she must nedes be vnto thee either the sanoure of life vnto life or the sauoure of death vnto death Such iudgemēt will truth haue ouer thee and stand in full effect there will be no meane but to be either with thee or else flatly againste thee as it shall truely finde thee at thy fal frō this life there wil be no daliāce it will for euer saue thee or eternally damne thee how so euer thereof thou makest thine account or leanst of will to the contrary with thy very blinde wicked and peruerse hart Feare therfore harken to the truth in time haue sure confidence in truthe thine helper is at hand be and the truth are one he is grateful he is faithful dout thou not double not nor wilfully withstand not the offred graces of thy mylde master thy iust Lord and moste louing God and be not before him and in the presence of his holy Angels vnprepared or a dallier a man indifferent a slacke Simme a drousie one a lyngrer a double deaier a wanton or a carelesse one among the reiectes and wretches of this worlde that in their coldenesse darkenesse hopelesse houeryng vayne deuising wilfulnesse tolitie forgeifulnesse contempte of God and Godlynesse tempteth so hygh so magnificent terrible great God of maiestie most deadlily to danger them elues who diuersly in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye is able by his iustice to destroy thee to cracke sodainely in sunder the thred of thy life to twine strōgly the cordes of thy perdurable eternal death Therfore as he ought in his mightinesse of euery wighte to be feared so he shold not of any one either presumptuously or vainely be tempted But for thy part obey him in his will and suffer him with all pacience to try thee through aduersitie cōmitting thy selfe wholely vnto his only wil mercy for surely he will beholding in thee the power of saithe not suffer thee to be tempted aboue thy strengthe or yeelde thee so farre to fall but with his owne right hand will raise thee quickly vp againe And I exhorte thee also to take heede that thou possesse not in his sight at any time an vnstayed ofte wauering and winde shaken hart through Sathans blustrings stormie and tempestuous blastes stirred vppe daily and hourely againste thee and that by Goddes permission for good least by thine impaciencie diffidente trembling and sore shakes of thine vnchristen inconstancie thou be sodainly turned to thy shiftes put to thy faultie flight and so be dispossessed of thy verie healthful safe and most sure holde or else spoiled with reproche of thy christen armor or be occasioned by desperate pursute to starte from the face of the ennimie to stacker fearfully at his offered blowes and in hazarde to take hurt by some dangerous and sodain fal◠greatly to dishonor thee before Christe thy captaine and with him infinite armies of heauēly soldiors whose tents to encourage thee are pitched round about thee I say therefore vnto thee O Christian stand thou cherefully to thy charge in all things and defende manfully thine owne dismaie thee not J say for the Lorde God him selfe will be thy defender and keeper and wil stand by thee to strengthen thee and to deliuer thee from all daungers And if legions of diuels should copasse thee trench thee in round about plant their power and bēd forcibly their shot agaynst thee well may they threatningly thunder far frō thee rore rattle and rumble in the aire ouer thee tumble terribly about thee parche something thy tender skin and wonderfully in such sort amase thee yet shall they not preuayle agaynst thee hurte any member of thee or once remoue thy fast fixed soote but shalt stād sure fer euer euen as the highe mightie steadie and strong mounte Sion for Gods arme stayeth thee who by his power hathe ouercome the diuell euen the great diuell Sathanas him selfe he holdeth him at will by his infernall chaynes his whole cursed armie also hell gates and al the powers of hell O praise therfore thine almightie God exalt his glorious name for euermore watche and pray continually pray with vnderstāding pray at al times and in al places as his holy spirite shall moue thee for the vpholding of thee and for the auoyding of the engins sleights and tēptations of the enimies that God himselfe may be pleased thy soule strēgthned the diuels chased vāquished or put to flight And when thou prayest deceiue not vaynly thy selfe be not blinded with the proud Pharisie in thine owne conceite boasting of thy righteousnesse in the presence of God neither glorying in any thing for he throughly beholdeth thee and seeth that truely in thee euen thy secrete and hidde sinnes a masse of all abhomination as thou oughtest chiefly therein to be thine owne iudge But humble thy self before him with the penitent and poore wretched Publicane confessing thy sinnes and wickednesse and feare not then to attayne grace through suche true faith hūblenesse Moreouer forget not that as God is a moste highe heauenly and diuine substance and a spirite of al goodnesse and truth so wil he also of thee be spiritually worshipped praysed and prayed vnto euē in the truth by the word of truth and frō the depth and bocome of thine hart This also I put thee in remēbrāce of a thing greatly requisite that in the tyme of thy prayers which thou daily consecratest to god be they more or lesse long or short thou be not withdrawen with the snarling suggestions secret twitches inward motions or wylie sleightes of the enimie Sathan thorough the abuse of thy senses and outwarde bodily members as thine eyes thine eares and suche like that whilest thy tongue onely oft babbleth and vaynely wastest muche breath thine hearte whiche God chiefely respecteth and dothe very gladly desire bee fardest off and bee moste vaynely turned another way gretly to displease him to vexe sore thine owne conscience and to make vtterly frustrate al thine attempts or importune sutes of greate necessitie This I say also vnto thee If thou desire to be the child of God and voyde of al doubts so in dede to be fauour frō thy hart Christ thy forerunner and sauiour by whose onely grace thou arte adopted the childe of god Make not towards him thy fidelitie crased mingled or patched let it goe soundly and al whole togither both frō thy body thy soule Let him alwayes enioy frō thee the whole perfect mā the man regenerate new borne and made by his spirit the child of light ful of agilitie and liuelinesse whose soule mounting with felicitie still vp to the heauens is there resident with Chryst the sauiour and alwayes conuersant in heauenly things And let him also bee euermore vnto thee thine onely whole ful perfect and sufficient redemer ear nest petitioner and ready pacifier of the diuine fury against thee for al causes who with
pride O Lorde that art only omnipotente milde and mercyfull and the only perfect hope of thy beloued inheritance vpon whom thy grace hath moste fréely abounded and whose sinnes thou haste remitted by the onely oblation sacrifice and bloude shed of thy deare sorme Christ Iesus for which purchase and moste pretious redemption thou only requirest of them but to be beloued againe and that with an vpright staysdnesse an assured strength and true confidence only in thée and not otherwise vainely in any vaine man or other treatures and that they be not hautie in theyr owne eyes but possesse euen in thy sighte in them selues the spirit of méekenesse and of most lowly submission we most entirely beséeche thée to strengthen vs héerein with thine heauenly grace to stay vs vnto thy selfe to make vs humble in oure owne eyes that imitating the steppes of thy sonne we be not ashamed to beare in thy sight the contempt of this wretched world and to become with all lowlinesse and milde subiection euen very slaues to all others for the loues sake of thy deare sonne Iesus whose rule of Humilitie we haue moste truely professed and thereby promissed to beare with pacience bothe pouertie and all other afflictions in thys vale of wretched nesse where when and in what manner so euer it shall please thée to lay them vppon vs. O Lord so vpholde thou vs with thine heauenly grace that we staie not simplie vpon our owne selues or putte oure truste in others but flee faste from our selues and from all others and put oure whole and onely hope in thée endeuouring with all our powers bothe of bodie and minde to obey thy will trust only in thée that thou wilt always be the readie helper of oure good willes and a moste apte furtherer of all oure honest meanings Lette thy mercie O Lorde so be vppon vs that we be not vainely puffed vppe or putte confidence eyther in oure owne knoweledge or in the pollicie of any mortall manne but onely depende vppon thy Diuine fatherly prouidence which both helpest and géeuest thy grace to the humble and thrustest also downe the lostie and proude So temper vs lord with thine heauenly grace that we glory neither in our richesse if we haue them nor yet in our fréendes if they be mightie for thou moste mightie God haste dominion ouer their power and when thèy are alofte and exalted in their glorie thou throwest them downe abatest their corage and destroyest them with thy heauie hād but to glory as we ought only in thée which doest fréely minister vnto vs all things necessarie and destrest aboue all to giue thine owne selfe wholely vnto vs Thou O Lorde haste led vs the way to true humilitie that whether touching either the mightinesse beautie or cômlinesse of the body which being stricken with some light disease is by and by ouerthrowne and defaced we in no wise aduaunce our selues And least we stand most vainely in our owne conceits whether for oure owne towardenesse wisedome wit or in other things iudge better of our owne selues thā we doe of others we greatly offend and fall into thine heauie displeasure and bring thy wrathe vppon vs bicause we estéeme them not as thine owne proper giftes and so be thankefull vnto thée for them O graunt vnto vs therfore most gratious God thy spirite of méekenesse and true humblenesse that we may walke rightly before thée and haue in our selues and in thy sight cleane hartes constantelaithe and moste sure hope and considence trauing cōtinually thy spirit of romfort paciently therby to beare our crosse to folowe the example of our sauioure Christ and to beare with ioy the afflictions of this life through his merits precious death pastion Amen XII Against Couetousnesse IF we O thou iust terrible God coulde nowe thorowe thy grace euen in the middest of all oure iniquities heaping daily iniquitis vppon iniquitie remember yet in time thy certaine deter minatiō and threaiued iudgement vpon this world the plages thereof shortly enstring for the wickednesse of end 〈◊〉 harte and as thou haste tolde vs by thy Prophet Esay to lay to 〈◊〉 to make the face of the whole earth desolate and scatter abrode all the inhabitoures thereof bicause they haue offended thy lawes changed thine ordinalires and made thine euer lasting testament of 〈…〉 receiuing therfore with wee their most sharp bitter portion the taste of thy diuine fury vtter shame desolation swift confusion O what cause haue we then to remember in these oure dayes if through grace it might be for good this most vile sin abidng the rest the outragious 〈◊〉 couetousnesse that so diuersty woorketh the disglory of thy name spoyleth thy churches welfare Which in the estimation of this worlde so langely raigneth so vniuersally so familiarly yea also mercilesly ouerfloweth al deuoureth al hath al at his beck and hastneth fast vpō this geiteration an euil and pitilesse generation doubtlesse in the end now of this olde rotten worlde the sodaine and straight performance of thy hideous and fearefull premisses O Lord our God moste dangerous is our stats our dayes are most euill our desertes are great we haue sinned greuously thy plagues are iustly prepared and thy iudgements to condemnation by thy iustice are at hand vpon vs For who in effecte cā say from any sin his hart is clean or rather most mōstruously against nature not to be defiled either who can in conscience say that he féeles not in him selfe as priuately for him selfe and corruptly this most hurtfull and infectuous maladie of the soule which amongst all other contagious euils is moste perniceous and by the diuel him self déepely grafted in vs and is by him so closely crept in vnto vs that it hath ioyned it selfe euer to the very secrete affections of our hartes shewing it selfe a most diligent woorker a busie labourer or minister to the procuring bréeding encreasing norishing and bringing forthe of corruption ruption and sinnes innumerable couertly lurking in our filthie flesh sowly to the death issueth abrode in his time For it is as sayth thine holy Apostle the roote of all mischéefe and that all suche also as are the Rauens and gréedie Gripes or gutlings of the world and desirous of the deceiteful riches thereof fall without stay into temptations and snares and into many beastly foolish and noisome lusts which draw them into temptation and destruction Also he calleth it a woorshipping of idols it spoileth God of his honor and is therby in euery place of the holy Scriptures condemned and forbidden as a sinne most hainous horrible diuellishe and damnable bicause it is a moste curssed and venemous euill tied to ambition hautie and vaineglorious full of maliciousnesse ful of crueltie very tirannous and greeoely hunteth after bloud the déepe set séede doutlesse of the diuell who was a murtherer from the beginning hathe therewith by his subteltie maruellously
but for the glory of thy name to mollifie to cleanse and alwayes to kéepe cleane oure harde stonie and euill stuffed hartes with the déepe piercing deawe of thine heauenly grace that where all those terrible punishmentes and moste gréeuous plagues before mentioned are already deuised prepared threatned and at an instant appoynted to fall vpon vs we may yet by thy mercie escape them extoll thée in thine vnspeakeable goodnesse and magnifie thine holy name from our hartes and with our tongs and voices and feare to prophane or abuse it no neither yet thy creatures in heauen or in earth but most humbly with al ioyfulnesse to attend to thy sōnes most holy precept which is not to sweare at all by any thing but in our communication to vse yea yea nay nay euen from hart and mouth simply truly and without dissimulation and to passe forthe our liues and conuersation in our calling reuerently sincerely and vncorruptly as becommeth faithfull and vnfained Christians the true louers and professoures of thine only holy name which is to be blessed for euer Amen XV. For the possessyng of a peaceable and quiet conscience SEing thy kingdome O GOD as thou sayest is within vs and that it behooueth as thou haste taught vs to haue outward things of this world and the world it selfe in contempt and to embrace only with good affecte all inwarde things to the beautifying of the inwarde man whereby we shall the more aptly féele in déede thine holy kingdome to come into vs which kingdome is thine most high most glorious holy eternall and euerlasting a kingdome of ioy and peace in the holy ghost whereof the wicked hathe no parte in possession but only thine holy electe and precious redéemed inheritaunce Graunt vnto vs all we humbly pray thée such loue towardes thée and thine heauenly kingdome that for thy sake and for the loue therof we may cōtenine our selues estéeme but light of this life and set all this world at naughte And being lifted vp in spirite aboue oure selues and voide of all inordinate desires excelling in oure liues in all heauenly vertues and be suche in déede inwardly as we séeme to the worlde outwardly our soules may be made fit habitacles to enioy thy glorious presence with most happy felicitie extolling thy grace glorying in the woorkes of true holynesse and in the testimonie of a peaceable and quiette conscience which is in all menne a secrete knowledge a priuie opener inwarde accuser a ioyfull quieter of their myndes in all their dooings and a witnesse bearer of the truthe euen vnto the presence and precise iudgement of thée oure God. O graunt therfore vnto vs most gratious God so to be directed by thy holy spirite that oure consciences may be vnto vs vnstained and pure euen as a very perfecte and cleare glasse speedely to be looked into and plainely to sée in tyme with a true and perfecte sighte not onely the moste filthy foule spottes and enormious blemishes of oure sinnefull and sicke soules but also the very smallest or beginnings of diseases by soone quicke touche or sharpe pricke of remorse whereby feare may be conceiued of imminet daunger and by humble sute to flée fast vnto thée the moste readie perfecte and heauenly Phisition that we may be soone salued wyth the oyntment of thy diuine grace and not to be as the wicked whose consciences are moste déepely corrupted inwardly rankeled deade and benummed throughe carelesnesse and the custome of sinne that they cannot once féele sée nor perceyue their owne most lothsome sicknesse and deformitie of soule vntill thou O God by the stroke of thy deadly darte layest them open before theyr faces to their own confusion sodaine and swifte destruction and so their consciences being now foūd most déepely wounded the worm therof terribly gnawing biting and accusing them they fall most damnably into desperation without regard of thy maiestie or any hope at all of thy tender mercie O heauenly father and the only fountaine of all grace tourne thy face from oure sinnes deliuer vs from thy wrathfull indignation and so strengthen vs by the power and lighte of thine eternal spirit that we may be trained to the true knowledge and perfecte obedience of thy will that we may in all oure doings remember our profession and promisse possesse firme faithe which truely quieteth and setteth at rest the conscience of man feare thy iudgementes liue vprightly and worthily before thée glory in the testimonie of a good conscience sprinkled and cleansed with the bloud of thy sonne Christ enioy peace and true gladnesse not troubled inwardly but sléepe quietly not glorying in the praises of men but reioyce only in thée oure God in thy mercy and grace in thy holy truthe in the price of oure redemption and in the onely moste happie state of eternall felicitie which thou haste faithfully promised which thy sonne hathe purchased which vnto vs shall be performed most happely and in due time thorowe thine onely frée grace and loue towardes vs in the precious deathe and bloud shed of thine only sonne our alone sauiour only aduocate and mediator Iesus Christe Amen XVI To haue in remembrance the houre of death CAlling to mynde O eternall god the fickle state of humain felicitie the swifte passage of this brickle life how man standeth héere in a vaine shadowe freshly florishing like a floure to day and can to morowe no where be founde and as quickely forgotten as he is gone and yéeldeth then vp by the dint of death his swifte passage to God or to the Deuill O how it behooueth vs to startle sodainely to bestirre vs to looke aboute vs and to prepare spéedely for so sodayne assaulte But howe shall we Lorde standing in déede in such infelicitie slumbring in suche securitie so infected with frailetie so compassed with flatterie cloked in hipoerisie and ouerwhelmed with vanitie neither yet féele in oure selues any fighte or trouble of conscience prepare vs as we oughte for so conueniente a tyme Thou knowest O Lorde as by thy wrathe we iustly also féele howe sedainly vnwares death cruelly assaileth vs and strippeth vs from our pleasures vayne delectations and delusious of this deceitfull worlde We regarde nothing at all the sodaine comming of the sonne of man by whose mighty arme in our forgot fulnesse we he woorthily stricken to the death and to our mother the earth againe in whose entrails we were once brod and oute of whose moste ponsoned pappes we haue suckt the milke of all our deadly delites and with the brusting draught of our most beastly excesse we haue sodainely ouerthrowne our selues and haue very willingly faln vpon thy mercilesse swoorde of deathe Throughe which iudgement wort and terrible time we shall begin then to thinke with late wailing and wo far otherwise of our formen liues than we did before in the lulling dayes of our carnall delices we shall then conswer the greatnesse and granitie