excellent things are spoken of thee thou City of God Psal 87. For thou Lord to shew us the beauty and bravery of that place callest it by the name of a City For whereas it is called in many places a kingdome Mal. 5. to shew the greatnesse and largeness of the place yet left any man by that name of a kingdom might suspect or imagine that there were in heaven many Hils and Deserts and such like waste places where nothing but bruit beasts did inhabite as in Woods and Rocks and such like as in this world therefore though it be called a kingdome yet it is such a kingdome as in all beauty civility pleasantness is like a city where fair Temples Houses Galleries Gardens Orchards and such delights are most plentifull Neither is it termed a city so much for the beauty of the place as for the goodness therein contained and practised For in this city though there be divers Nations of all countries and kindreds yea of Angels Archangels Principalities and Powers an infinite company and an innumerable multitude and in all likelihood more in number than men being of a differing kind from man yet they have all but one law and one language one king and one government being all true citizens having one heart and one mind all guided and governed by the law of perfect charity and because charity is contrary to hatred envy contention discords braules and other sins and vices Therefore that city and place of blisse must needs be void of all anger braule strife envy malice uncharitablenes and such like For there must raign true charity with justice peace and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. neither is peace and amity the onely felicity of this place but perfect liberty is also granted unto the citizens thereof and that in many respects as first a freedome from the servitude of sin For whereas in the earthly Paradise Adam had ability and power not to sin à posse non peccare in this celestiall Paradise they have non posse peccare an impossibility to sin Such shall be their liberty from sin that they shall not be able to sin at all And as they have this freedome and liberty from the servitude of sin so likewise from the servitude of death and mortality For as in the earthly Paradise Adam had non posse non mori a disability not to die so in the city of Heaven he hath an impossibility to die So that not to be able to sin or not to be able to die sheweth a freedome from sin and death And as they are free from sin and death so from all kinde of necessity For here men have need to eat drink sleep sit stand and walk sometimes but in Heaven the Saints of God have no such need for they need nothing but enjoy the glorious liberties of the sons of God Rom. 8. How sweet this liberty is the poor the rich and the hollest men in the world may quickly know and perceive For what pains do poor take yea how do they toile and moile cark and care trot and drudge for a little meat drink and cloathing which they must have to supply their bodily wants and what great thanks do they heartily give unto those that supply their present want free them from this painfull servitude of necessity Yea not onely poore men feele the misery of this but holy and sanctified persons are much molested and cumbred with this servitude of necessity and think it a grievous burden to be bound to care for their own bodies necessary provision accounting the time they spend about such business in a manner lost and ill spent or at least that this care in providing is a hinderance to them from better imployments in holy businesses in so much that many Christians in the time of the Apostles were so busied and delighted in holy meditations Euseb lib. 2 Hist c. 15. that commonly they never took leisure to feed their bodies till after the suns going down yea some forgetting to take meat and for three days together Mar. 8. and some for whole weeks This bondage of necessity and corporall need was so heavy unto some of them that no doubt it made them cry out with St. Paul Oh wretched man that I am Rom. 7. who shall deliver me from this body of death And though the rich citizens of this world seem to be little troubled with this bondage of necessity because their meat and drink is sweetly prepared for them their rest in soft beds a kinde of contented quietness and Sabbaoth of rest yet if they exceed never so little in the use or abuse of any of these they fill their bodies with sundry and perhaps incureable diseases for the expelling of which they shall be fain carefully to seek and unwillingly to take many bitter potions and to endure many griping pains yea they shall be driven wiâ—l they nill they either to be at debate with God and to undergo his wrath or else to fight with their fleshly concupiscence for temperance and sobriety which strife is often both dolorous and dangerous to the patient Therefore both rich and poore wicked and godly are troubled and vexed in the city of the world with this servitude of necessity but the children of God in the city of God are freed from the servitude of all this misery For they cark not toil not eat not drink not sleep not surfeit not sicken not but have perfect liberty from the bondage of sinne of death of necessity and which is more from the law because the law is not given to the just but to the unjust and none are more just than the blessed Saints which are justified in the blood of the lamb and cloathed with his white unspotted robe being confirmed in true justice and unable to do injustly and though the just that live in this world have no threatning and permanent law to which they are bound because willingly and with a glad heart they obey unto the precept of God without law or compulsion yet they have a directing law and rule of godliness given them of God binding them to do what the law commandeth and to leave undone what it forbiddeth but the Saints in heaven which enjoy that glorious liberty of the sons of God need no law or direction who in the word and Son of God behold all righteousnesse and are so confirmed in perfect love that they cannot decline from the will of their God Thus do they live and love in that holy place as crowned Kings and free Citizens in the heavenly Jerusalem being freed from the bondage of sin death necessity and the law attending the service of the everlasting God which is true liberty and perfect freedome forever Sparke 6. O Gracious God bring me unto thy strong City d Psal 40. say unto me in the worthiness of thy son thou good and faithfull servant enter into thy Lords joy e
Mat. 25. O God thou seest how my sins have taken such hold f Psal 40.15 upon me that I cannot look up to thy holy place Lord break the chains of my sins and let the pitifulnesse of thy great mercy loose me from the bondage of sinne the fear of death Rom. 8.1 the misery of this wretched life from the terrour and rigour of thy law that I may believe and feele that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Lord grant that we maybe fellow Citizens with the Saints and never look for a resting place here but let me say and sing with thy holy Prophet If I forget thee O Jerusalem let my right hand forget her cunning yea If I remember thee not let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I prefer not Jerusalem in my q Psal 1â—â— mirth Sect. VII Of the Kingdome of Heaven The Kings Palace THe place of Joy and the eternall rest of the Saints of God is described unto us in the Word of God by four speciall names above the rest whereby we may guess at the happiness therein contained namely by the name of a 2 Cor. 12. Paradise of a b John 14. House a c Heb. 12. City and a d Mat. 5. Kingdome It is called a Paradise to shew that it is as a Garden or Orchard of all sweet pleasure and delight But least we might imagine by the name of Paradise that the place of joy is but as a Garden adjoyning to a backside or a place by some corner of a house It is called a Princely House or Palace where many mansions and chambers be where besides a Garden there are also Halls Parlers Chambers Galleries Banquetting-houses and all other Lodges of pleasure but because a house though never so great cannot contain any great company or extraordinary multitude whereby we might be induced to believe that there can be but very few that can be saved for want of roome in heaven therefore the place prepared for us is also called a City which containes many Houses many Palaces many Temples many Orchards and such like places fit to contain and entertain many millions of Saints and Angels but least we should imagine that a City may be little and not spacious enough for the Sonnes of God and such as follow the Lamb therefore it is not called onely a Paradise a House or a City but a Kingdome yea the Kingdome of Heaven in comparison of which the whole earth is but as a point So that the Saints of God shall not onely be â—â— a Garden or Paradise of all delight but also in a Palace of all pleasures In a City of all good Government acquaintance and familiarity yea in a Kingdome of all Glory and Majesty where every Servant of God shall be his Sonne and every Sonne a Citizen and every Citizen a crowned King to raigne with the King of Kings for ever Sparke 7. O God seeing there is with thee such a Paradise of pleasure q Psal 84.1 grant that I may not love this earth nor the vain delights therein and seeing thy House and Palace hath so many roomâ— and mansions f John 14 â— let me not delight too much in building houses here upon earth as if I meant to stay here for ever r Psal 49 11. but with the Patriarchs m Heb. 11 10. Prophets and Apostles be content with such tents and mansions as may best put me in mind of thy dwelling And seeing that holy and heavenly Jerusalem is so great and glorious d Psal 84.1 let not me look here g Heb. 11.9 for any abiding City nor greedily gape for the Kingdome and preferments of the world seeing such a Kingdome is prepared for me that is like a well governed City a strong Palace or a Paradice of pleasure But when I walk in my garden let me desire thy Paradise when I sit in my house let me think of thy Palace when I tread in the town let me remember thy holy City and when I see the glory of the world and this earthly Kingdome let me seek thy Kingdome and the righteousness thereof Mat. 5. through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. VIII We must serve God in our prime and best time IT is a rule most certain in Reason and Divinity Abell's Oblation That man ought to yeeld his love and service to God as Creatures do give their love and service unto us who by the Ordinance of God do yeeld us both love and service in the best fashion or else man would not accept it And therefore the trees do not onely give their fruit willingly but such fruits as are seasonable sweet and delectable otherwise if they were bitter rotten and unpleasant we would not care for them For we ought to give our love and service to God when it is seasonable sweet and pleasant or else God will not accept of it Sparke 8. O gracious God as thou hast made me in the best fashion p Gen. 1. Psal â— Col. 3. more excellent than all other Creatures thy holy Angells excepted So grant I may yeeld the sweeter love more pleasant service than they by how much my Creation excelleth theirs Let me not bear leaves q Mat â—1 Mark 11. but fruits and those fruits which are most sweet and pleasant in thy sight Let my prayer be fervent r 1 Cor. 14. my zeal burning a Psal 69. and 119. 2 Kings 10. my faith unfained b Mat. 9. 1 Tim. 1. my fear filiall d Psal 86. my obedience child-like e Luke 2. my almes cherefull without ostentation and my whole life a pattern f Mat. 5 1â— for my posterity through that true pattern of all purity Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. IX Our love to God Sorrow's Antidote or Salve AS sorrowfulnesse is the death of the body and the grief of the soul so joy is the life of both For where there is no joy there is no life and where there is all sadness there is nothing but death For as the Soul's life consisteth in joy so the death thereof in sorrow So that he which hath true joy hath life but he which loveth his God in heart unfainedly hath true joy And seeing this joy doth arise from the love of God onely and from none other therefore it followeth that to have all our love all our good all our content and all our delight yea and all of life is to have the love of God And seeing the love of God I mean our love to God is within man that is in his will heart and affection it followeth therefore that to seek all our love all our life and all out contentment we need not to go out of our selves Spark 9. O gracious God teach me to have this treasure within me namely to love thee with all my heart d Deut. 6. with all
fire doth heat and warme all things and ascend upward so doth thy love warme our cold zeal and cause our hearts to ascend up to seek those things that he above And as the clouds do drop down waters to wash the filthiness of the earth so the grace of thy holy spirit doth cause often a cloud of sorrow for sins to arise in our hearts and so to dissolve into tears at our eyes Thirdly as the Dove is a mild bird void of gall so that Dove-like spirit the holy ghost would have his nest in our hearts that we might be meek as thou art meeek Lord patient and peaceable like the milde Dove void of anger and malice Lastly As the tongue doth exhort and perswade by the eloquence thereof so the blessed spirit of thee our God by appearing in the forme of tongues would have us to be exhorted and perswaded by the wisdome and eloquence thereof and not to build upon vain philosophy and humane wisdome Sparke 16. Gracious Father let thy good spiriâ— a Psal 143. lâ—â—d us into the lâ—nd of righteousnesse let it go still before us to give us as b Exod. 13.21 a pillar of cloud by day and as the pillâ—r of fire by night Yea let him still be the starre of Grace to direct us unto that blessed Saviour of the world â— Mat. 2.11 thy onely son Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. XVII Our soules are not begotten by men THat principle which denieth the soule to be begotten from the parents The Soul's Pedegree needs no other proof than experience For if the soul came from the substance of the parents as the body doth the soul then of one man should be some kinne to the body and soul of another man his begetter and so one man would love the soul of his friend better than his body But we see by Experience that men are more carefull for the body of their children than for their soul for the most part and men will venter much to fetch the bodies of their friends out of prison or to save them from death but for the soul which is as it were Gods kinsman infused by him into us men are lesse carefull And therefore our Saviour Christ careing most for the soul which was most dear to him taught us â—wo petitions for the good of the soul and but one for the necessities of the body which is the petition for our dayly bread Sparke 17. Good Lord grant we may love both in our selves that which thou best lovest and hate which thou hatest r Mat. 6.10 O good father from thâ—e we have received this soul and living breath Å¿ Gen. 1. by which we breathe we commâ—nd it Lord into thy carefull t Psal 31. hands deliver it good Lord from the ungodly and comfort the souls of thy servants And let our u Luk. 1.46 souls magnifie thee Lord and our spirit ever rejoyce in thee our God and Saviour The very God of peace sanctifie us throughout w 1 Thes 5. and I pray God that our whole spirit and soul and body may be kept blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen Sect. XVIII Love admits no excuse IN man's reason we may finde some excuse for omitting any duty but love for there is no excuse for our defect in love For there is no charges no weariness no labour no pain nor no grief in loving yea it maketh all paines and labour to seeme sweet and delightfull For the hunter for love of his game will travell all day without weariness And herein appeareth the sweetness of God's mercy and the greatnesse of his liberality towards us which would not tye man to that which was heavy laborious and wearisome buâ— to that which was most pleaâ—ant and â—asie Sparke 18 O sweet Lord true it is that thy q Mat. 11 30. yoke is easie and thy burden light Lord make us to love thee and thy truth more than all thy creatures yea more than our goods more than our friends d Mat. 10 37. more than our flesh more than our selves our soules and our bodies And seeing thou hast given b Gen. 1.28 29. us all things for thy service Lord give us a heart to love thee above c Psal 119. all with all our hearts with all our strength with all our mind and with all our soul through Jesus Christ Deut. 6. Amen Sect. XIX The love of God and the love of Mammon The Soul's Solace THere 's no proportion between the love of worldly things and the love of God For from the one must needs follow sorrow from the other continuall joy For all things in this world are mutable coâ—ruptible Therefore as often as the object or the thing we set our love upon doâ—h either perish change or vanish so often must it needs be a grief unto us to lose it that we loved â—o well But if God â—e the object of our love and the thing we best affect then must we needs have continual joy and never sorrow For we never sorrow much but for the loss of the thing we love most Therefore if God be the object of our love and marke of our affection our joy can never decay for God can neither die nor perish nor be changed nor be wanting but is alwayes present to our wills alwayes sufficient to our desires alwayes omnipotent to our wants alwayes loving alwayes mercifull alwayes most good most pleasant most just most wise and most glorious Therefore the object of our love never failing our joy shall never fail No marvaile then if with God there is everlasting joy and never dying happinesse himself being the object of our love and cause of our joy For seing all our love ariseth from God and all our joy from our love therefore both our joy and our love will endure so long as God endureth Sparke 19. O Lord God the onely Lover and Saviour of our soules let us not love the world nor the things that are therein q 1 John 2. Good Father thou that best knowest the deceitfull baits of this alluring world let us live in the world and not love the world If riches r Psal 6 10. encrease let us not set our hearts thereon If honours be heaped upon us let us not be delighted therewith If pleasures do tempt us let us not be enamoured therewith x Mark 10. But let us love thee Lord with all our heart with all our soul and with all our strength Let us never love father mother brother sister nor friends more than thee lest we be not worthy of thee y Psal 5.12 For they that onely love thy name shall be joyfull in thee b and they shall prosper that love thee Therefore Lord let me love thee above all and love all in thee and for thy love Grant this O Lord for Jesus Christ our sweet and onely Saviour Amen Sect. XX.
cold water teach me to be content with the least of his blessings and to give him thanks knowing that man liveth not by meat onely but by every word that proceedeth from thy mouth through Jesus Christ our Saviour Sect. LXV Good Neighbours THe childe of God hath some comfort in adversity above all others because all his neighbours are his father's tenants at wil and hold both life and land of him during his pleasure Therefore he that is God's childe shall finde some that love the Lord of their life and land and will be ready to yield relief and comfort unto his son David was not unmindfull of this when he said I have been young and now am old yet I never saw the righteous forsaken nor their seed begging their bread Nay if all men should forsake Gods elect the bruit creatures would succour him at need for rather then Elias shall starve the ravens will feed him rather than Jonas should be drowned the Whale will preserve him rather than Daniel should perish the Lions will comfort him Sparke 65. O Lord Thou art my Father I am thy child but good Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee I am not worthy to be called thy son O make me as one of thy hir'd servants let me not want the thing without which I cannot serve thee For Lord in thee is my trust let me never be confounded Amen Sect. LXVI The sickness of the Soul THe diseases of the body as the Ague the Stone the Pox the Palsie the Plague Impostumes c. Are cured either by Physick tract of Time or ended by Death But the diseases of the soul as Pride Envie Malice c. are cured neither by Time Physick nor Death but onely by the blood of Jesus Christ therefore seeing the diseases of the soul be so incurable and the Physick so precious we had need to be watchfull of our selves that though we have a sick body yet a sound soul Sparke 66. O Lord my soul is sick with divers diseases my wounds great and my Malady grievous heal mâ— therefore O Lord for my bones are vexed yea heal my soul for I have sinned against thee speak the word Lord and thy servant shall be healed Sect. LXVII Paul's desire THey that live most honestly will die most willingly For willingly doth the traveller question about his Inne Often casteth the Apprentice when his years will expire Many times will the woman that hath conceived wish her delivery And he that knows his life to be away to death and his death the doore to joy will often covet to be dissolved and to be with Christ Sparke 67. O Lord while we breath here grant that we may live in thee and departing hence we may live with thee for ever being sound in faith and strong in hope looking with chearfullness for the day of our departure and the joyfull appeareing of thy Son Jesus Christ our Redeemer and in the hour of death Lord let thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation Grant this O Lord for thy sonne and my Saviour thy Lamb and my loving advocate Jesus Christ the righteous Amen Sect LXVIII The Sinner's Wound EVery worldling sometime or other is sorry for the vices he followeth as the drunkard for his drunkennesse the whoremonger for his uncleanness c. But the godly man never repents him of any vertuous action For when did any man repent that he did relieve the poor who was sorry that he kept himself chast who ever had cause of grief because he did not rob or steal who ever repented him for being patient humble mercifull sober honest and faithfull But sinfull actions leave a sting behinde them which hardly can be cured whereas Godly deeds how bitter soever they seem in the doing yet being done instead of leaving a sting behind them they minister a sweet comfort unto the doer Sparke 68. My blessed God give me evermore grace to avoid evill and to do good to hate the works of darkness which causeth nothing but shame grief repentance and to put on the Armour of light that may shield me with comfort and save me from confusion Sect. LXIX The Christian's Primer-Book HE that will be a Scholar in Christianity may take Mount Calvarie for his school the Crosse for his meditation Christs wounds for his letters his stripes for his comma's his nailes for his full points his open fide for his book and to know Christ and him crucified for his lesson Sparke 69. Lord open mine eys that I may know thy son Jesus Christ and him crucified Grant I may enter into life through theneer and living way which thou hast prepared that is through thy bloud and passion so that no tribulation nor anguish nor persecution neither hunger nor nakednesse neither perill nor sword neither death nor life may separate us from thee to whom be praise and glory both now and ever more Amen Sect. LXX The Courtier 's walke COurtiers desirous by following Prince's Court to benefit themselves and to raise their house for them and their posterity ought to be carefull to know the right way by which they may be exalted being but earthly men seeing there are but four ways ordinarily whereby all heavy things here below may be promoted first By art at the water that of it self is heavy and by nature runs downward is by skil and knowledge not onely drawn up as high as the fountain from whence it first sprang but far higher Secondly by nature's ordinary course in things here below as in trees and plants whose tops do mount up so much the higher above the earth by how much their roots are lower and deeper in the earth Thirdly by vertue power of the celestial bodies as those vapours that are exhaled up by force and vertue of the Sun-beames Lastly by force and violence used here below to drive things upward as when an arrow is shot up from a strong bow a stone from a sling or a bullet from a piece by which violence things suddenly mount up but doe as suddenly fall again In like manner are men exalted here upon earth Some by art learning and industry exalt themselves and their houses not onely as high as the fountain of their bloud linaege but far above them as Moses Solomon c. have done some again by their humble service to God and their Prince do root themselves to low in the earth that their fair boughes and branches of their name and posterity grow extraordinarily in height above others and by reason of their sure and sound rooting continue longer before they either fall or decay And so did Christ and his Apostles exalt themselves some like the vapours are immediately drawn up on high by the celestiall power and pleasure of God by his extraordinary mercies to try them as Lucifer Saul Herod Nabuchadnezzar c. who if thâ—y be earthly watery and impure vapours are cast down again after a while