no man ordinarily desires to seem but good Now if it be a thing so desireable even by their testimonie who want goodnes to appear good how much more to be so in deed what is the emptie shadow to the solid body To shut up this Head As the shadow follows the body so doth the name and fame of good true goodnes with equally-mynded men And in stead of a thousand compasses of devise which men fetch about to obteyn the name of good and vertuous this one short and right-on way of being good indeed would serv the turn for the procureing it from all indifferent and wise judges The most compendious way to this honour is that in truth a man be as he would be accounted sayth the Heathen how much more ought Christians who are perswaded of Gods providence in ordering this and all his other blessings upon themselvs and others thus both to say and think and proceed accordingly And look what recompence of honour or other reward this playn and homely uprightnes which of all other vertues Laudatur alget is denyed from men God who seeth and loveth it will plenteously supply Blessed are the perfit in way who walk in the Law of Iehovah To chuse the right way of Gods law first and then to walk uprightly in it is to be guided by Gods own spirit to heaven CHAP. LII Of Sin and punishment from God WHatsoever swarveth from the law of God written in the table of the heart or of stone whether in our nature or actions eyther in the not being of that which should be or being of that which should not be which two are alwayes joyned together in originall sin and oftens in actuall is sin and evill yea the greatest yea the onely evill indeed Sin is worse then the divell as having made him evill whom God made good yea then all punishments yea then hell it self which God prepared and made and is therefore good to punish sin and sinners by And accordingly it was godlily sayd of one that if sin and hell were set before him the one on the one side and the other on the other that he must needs go through the one of them he would rayther enter upon hell then sin But blessed be God who will assuredly keep them from hell whose hearts are so set to keep themselvs from sin by his grace This sin is incident onely to reasonable creatures God the creator being above sin and unreasonable creatures beneath it For the disorders in bruit beasts they are not sin in them to whom there is no law but punishments of mans sin against God who hath subjected them to vanitie thereby to testifie how greatly he is offended at mans for whom at first he made them and all other creatures in a more excellent state The case of children is otherwise as being reasonable creatures made after Gods image in Adam and having the law written in their hearts as a subject capable both of good and evill which bruits are not Although sin be onely in reasonable creatures yet is it a most unreasonable thing otherwise it were not sin save as it crosses true reason eyther by lust against reason or shew of reason against truth So for particular enormities the more unreasonable the more sinfull as lusts against nature adulterie in a maryed person pryde in a mean prodigalitie in a needy covetousnes in him that abounds in riches prophanenes in a preacher and so of all other vices All sins save that first of Adam and mens very last are both sins in themselvs and effects of former sin and causes of latter and that not onely by Gods just though severe judgment in punishing one by another but oft times also by a kinde of naturall and necessarie coherence and affinitie Sometimes one sin brings on an other by provoking unto it as rash anger unto strife sometimes to back it as Peters denying of Christ did his after forswearing him sometimes to conceal it as all other evils draw on lying and theft murther many times sometimes to mainteyn it as pride doth covetousnes and oppression and sometimes to countenance it that it be not disgraced as Herods rash oath drew after it the beheading of Iohn the Baptist And of these commonly a lesser draws on a greater as lesser sticks set the greater on fire So also by those degrees of iniquitie do men proceed in one and the same particular enormitie in which as in a chayn drawing from heaven to hell each link moveth his next from the one and smaller end to the other greater First there is in a man concupiscence by which he is drawn away from God unto whom he ought to cleave with the whole heart And having once let goe his hold on him the true and unchangeable good he is forthwith seazed by some appearing and counterfeyt good and thereby entised as the byrd by falling on the ground is taken in the sâ—are from which whilst she held aloft she was free Vpon this inveigled affection and deceaved judgment thereby comes consent of will to have or do the thing which is evill called by the Apostle the conception of lust which that it may bring forth sin in outward act and exequution wants nothing but opportunitie This sin perfited by a continued course therein without repentance brings forth death unavoydably He therefore that begins to do evill or to forsake that which is good in the affection of his heart is like him that puts his feet into a pit and lets the hold of his hands go and without Gods gratious hand catching hold of him can never stay till he come to the bottom of the pit of perdition And no marvayl of this progresse in evill seeing everie sin how small soever in degree hath joyned with it the contempt of God As therefore the safest way against the flame is to quench the spark by which it may be kindled so against this fire of hell to quench betymes the spark of concupiscence and lust This is done partly by withdrawing from it the occasions and incitements of and unto sin which are as fewell for nourishing it as if it be the lust of anger and revenge not to give ear to words of provocation but to be as a deaf man that hearâ— not If of uncleanenes not to look upon a mayd If of drunckennes or excesse that way not to look upon the wine when it is red c. The second help is by smothering the corruption in the beginning which as fire if it have no vent goes out but getting passage breaks out into a flame Lastly as water fires contrarie quencheth it so do the spirituall means of grace as prayer meditation upon Gods word and the like quench by degrees the sparks of sin and fire of hell The greatnes of the sin is not alwayes to be esteemed by the thing done For as much crookednes may be found in a small line so may
betimes that so we may be old long But who would desire to be that loâ—g which is but a long infirmitie Save as age accompanyed with wisdom and godlynes ads authoritie to the aged for the more effectuall enforceing of these and the like vertues upon others CAP. LXII Of Death NAturall death stands in the separation of the soul from the body spiritúall of the soul and whole man from God in respect of grace eternall in respect both of grace and glorie with the sense of the contrarie evils By sin death in all three degrees came into the world For albeit God onely have immortalitie and unchangeablenes from and in himself and that all creatures and so man with the rest in regard of his elementarie body be subject to change save as they do depend upon him that uncreated beeing and are susteyned and upheld by the word of his power and by a continuall influx from him yet God having engraven his image in man did both so temper his body and order all creatures under his providence for him as that nothing but sin could possibly impeach his life or welfare By his sin he actually lost spirituall life and the right both to temporarie and eternall The first death is a naturall evill the second a spirituall the third both For although in regard of the universall and of Gods supernaturall ends it be better that a man bee to be continued though in eternall miserie then that he should cease to be altogether yet in regard of the persons particular as better eye out then ever akeing better never to have been born or by death utterly to be abolished as the bruit beasts are then to live and continue alwayes accursed and miserable By naturall death divers men how like soever they have been in their temporall state become most unlike in their eternall the wicked miserable without hope and the godly happy without fear And by the same death both they and all other in other things altogether alike how unlike soever they have been in them formerly After death remayns no naturall or civill relation as of father son housband wife or the like all these are for this life onely The liveles earth unto which the body returns is altogether uncapable of them so is the soul being a spiritual substance whether in heaven or hell With them in glory after the end of the world God shall be all in all and men shall be like the angels neyther taking wives nor giving in mariage nor remayning maryed Peter and Paul neyther are nor shall be Apostles there neyther is the virgin Mary Christs mother there but they onely remayn those persons which sometimes upon earth had these states and relations upon them If there be any naturall or bodily difference after death it is that the bodyes of the richer sâ—inck the more by reason of their greater fulnes and aboundance whilst they lived And for the good and bad which are mingled together in this life but cannot agree death parts them for ever being hastened of the Lord that the godly dying may no more be vexed with or by the wicked nor the wicked any longer persequute the godly If men should live alwayes in the world or but so long in our age as did the first patriarks to what a height would many come in worldly happines or misery How extreamly rich would many be how many extreamly poore How mightie and powerfull some how dejected and depressed many more But the wise providence of God is to be honoured herein by which it comes to passe that the more men are set to drive things to extreamitie the lesse time should be allowed them for their courses one or other in the world Onely man being both mortall and reasonable can think of his death Not the angels for though they can by understanding conceav of death yet are they by their spirituall state set without the reach of it nor bruit beasts though mortall because it is not perceaved by sight or other sense but being a privation to wit of life is onely discernable by understanding If a beast see never so many of its own kinde slaughtered before its eyes it fears not death which it sees not though it may fear the instrument which it sees or other terrible and sensible object And hence it comes to passe that the more brutish men are they have the lesse thoughts or fear of death for the most part It is appointed unto men once to dye ordinarily and after this the judgment I say as the Apostle means ordinarily for some dye not but are changed onely Some dye twice as Lazarus and others This death which will certeynly once come and with it eternall and unchangeable happines or miserie we should alwayes bear in mynde as if Phillips deaths head were set before us For though the thoughts of death be not sufficient to rayse the heart to heavenly things yet are they so avaylable to draw it from earthly which is first to be done as no thing is more then the frequent and serious meditation thereof We should think seriously of that part of our life which remayns unfinished that we may provide things necessarie for it and also of our death that we may cut off superfluityes and use that moderately which we must not use long The saying Nothing more certayn then death and yet nothing more uncertayn then the hour of death is common and commonly abused The certayntie of it should teach us moderation in the use of the world and all worldly things and that we abuse them not because the fashion of this world passeth away But contrary-wise many take hereby occasion to lay the faster hold of it eyther in the profits thereof for themselvs or theyrs or pleasures saying let us eat and drink to morrow we shall dye And whereas God would have us ignorant of our last day and hour that suspecting it alwayes we might alwayes be ready we are apt on the contrarie because we know not the certayn tyme to be the lesse ready at all times and which is worse not to take warning neyther as we ought by any or all those known messengers of death which are reckned three 1. Casualâ—ie 2. Weaknes and 3. age the first shewing our death to be doubtfull the second and third to be near and at hand Hardly any so old but thinks he may yet live a year or so sick but that he may live a day longer Not onely the foolish but even the wise virgins are too prone to slumber if the bridegroome defer his coming a litle Few regard the good counsayl given to account every day the day of our death and as that wherein we are it may be to appear before the Lord. Few watch because they know not what hour the Lord wâ—â—l come as all are warned But the servant that so doth and is
will and making small or none account that either the rules of the Word appertain unto them for direction or the precepts for obedience or the threatnings for restraint yet do lay their sacrilegious hands boldly upon the promises as their true and undoubted right And the reason is because the promises contain in them things good and pleasing to mans nature which because we would gladly have true we readily beleeve and apply But such seperate what God hath joined together and in effect take away from the Words of the Book of God and God will take away their part out of the Book of Life Others again trans-form commandments into promises with great and dangerous errour For example where it is said The Priests lips should preserv knowledg the Romish Priests chaleng an immunity from erring whence they should take warning that they er not So from Christs teaching that a city set upon an hill cannot be hid they will wring a promise of perpetuall visibility of Church and Ministery from him where he intends onely an exhortation to his Disciples after to become Apostls unto answerablenesse both in life and doctrine to the eminencie of their places Some again make conditionall promises absolute as that Whose sins ye binde upon earth they are bound in Heaven forgetting that it must be the Church gathered together in Christs name that is both furnished with lawfull authoritie useing it lawfully Likewise that Christ will preserv the Ministery and Ministers and be with them to the end of the World leaving out the condition going before which is that they do their duty in their places in makeing Discipls and baptizeing them and teaching them to observ whatsoever he had commanded them Lastly How many because God promiseth forgivenesse to sinners whensoever they repent promise unto themselvs repentance upon an howers warning before their death though they go on in sin all their life long But the saying of the Ancient is memorable in this case He that promiseth forgivenesse to him that repents doth not promise repentance to him that sins But on the contrarie as he that makes a bridg of his own shadow cannot but fall in the Water so neither can he escape the Pit of Hell who layes his own presumption this way in the place of Gods promise CAP. IIII. Of the works of God and his power wisdom will goodnesse c. shining in them IT is a receaved truth in Divinity that whatsoever is in God is God So the will of God considered as the foundation of that which he wills and as inherent in him is nothing els but God willing his justice nothing els but God just his mercy but God mercifull and so for the rest of the Divine Attributes And as everie work of God is founded in some of those Attributes and that by name in his understanding as judging the thing to be good in his holy will agreeing thereunto and in his power effecting all things So this foundation and first cause of them all being immanent and inherent in God is God essentially of what nature soever alwaies good the work be without him which his will and power effecteth Neither is this will of God to work by his power wrought in him by any thing without himself for then he should receav addition of perfection from the creature moveing him thereunto though yet it be most certain that there are many things which God neither in his wisdom judgeth fit to be done by him nor wills the doing of them nor would work or do them by his power but upon the creatures work going before For example God wills and works the condemnation of some sinners because he judgeth fit willeth and will work therein the manifestation of the glorie of his justice but this condemnation which otherwise he would not lay upon any he both wills and works by and for the Creatures sin according to his eternall and unchangeable purpose of will in himself When the Scriptures speak and we according unto them of any thing done by God in respect of the Creature before the World was made it must be understood as meant onely of his foreknowledg and decree of will and purpose of doing For things could be done no otherwise then they could be nor could be otherwise then in God who alone was nor could be in God otherwise then in his foreknowledg and will according to which he works them actually in time by his power These three Attributes as before I intimated his power will and wisdom do concur to the produceing of all and everie one of his works His power worketh and effecteth all things his will sets his power a working his wisdom directs both the one other his will in willing and his power in working Touching his power The right hand of the Lord which in men is the instrument of strength is exalted and by it he can do what he will and much more then he will And whereas God cannot ly or denie himself or the like it is immediately because he will not and that not of impotencie in him but of potencie and perfection of excellencie as on the contrarie it is the power of mans weaknesse that he can do amisse So for things importing contradiction as that the same thing should be and not be at once or not be that which it is or the like it is Religiously said by some rather that such things cannot be done by God then that God cannot do them seeing the reason of this impossibilitie of their so being is not in Gods Nature but in theirs The will of God is one as God is one But as there is one Spirit but diversitie of manifestations so this one internall will of God doth exercise and extend it self diversly to and upon divers objects This extention and exercise of this one will of God is of us to be considered in divers degrees The weakest and most remisse degree is to will the suffering of evill For though God to speake properly wills not sin yet he willingly suffers it not as ignorant of it nor as neglecting it nor as unable to prevent it but as willingly wittingly and of purpose suffering that evill to be done which he could easily hinder if he would oppose his omnipotent power The next degree of Gods willing stands in commanding good and approveing of it where it is found And thus God wills and commands that all men should repent thus he wills that all should come to the knowledg of the truth and be saved and thus lastly he would haue the wicked turn from his wickednesse and live and not dy And these things and the like he seriously wills to wit by way of commanding requireing them and of approveing them wheresoever they are found The highest and most intent degree of willing in God is when he so wills a thing as withall he imploys his omnipotent power for the effecting of it and
the works of his worship but in those also of our conversation with men and putting our selvs in all our waies under his protection and that specially in the time of distresse or danger that as the bodily hand gets and gathers strength by being diligently used in works competent so may also the Spirituall hand do which Faith is Now as for our succesfull wrestling against the Rulers of the darknesse of this World and spirituall wickednesses in high places we must put on amongst other parcels of the Armour of God the Shield of Faith so must we not forget the Helmet of Salvation Hope whose strength is great to bear off all blows of temptation and that with chearfulnesse For what burthens of afflictions and temptations will not he cherfully undergo that expects undoubtedly their speedie ending in endlesse happinesse Alexander the Great meaning to invade Asia and giving away his riches aforehand being asked what he would reserv for himself answered Hope But what is the shadow to the substance He hoped for the Kingdom of Persia we of Heaven And what if his hope stretched it self to the Monarchy of the whole World It was but to this World wherein also it was frustrated and perished with him But the Anchour of our hope is cast within the veil and extendeth to the World to come being also firm and stedfast and which cannot be disappointed nor shall have other end then in being perfited in the end of all the full fruition and eternall possession of happinesse with God Were it not for hope the heart would break but we having this hope faint not but hold fast the profession thereof without wavering yea even glorie in afflictions under the hope of the glorie of God Lastly Touching Love as it is the affection of union so it makes after a sort the loving and loved one such being the force thereof as that he that loveth suffereth a kind of conversion into that which he loveth and by frequent meditation of it uniteth it with his understanding and affection Thus to love God is to become godly and to have the mind after a sort deified being made partakers of the Divine nature in its effects to love the World is to become a worldling and so of the rest Thus in the Parable of the Tares the Children of the Kingdom are called good Seed and Wheat as growing and becoming Wheat of the Wheat or Seed sowen in them as the Wheat ear groweth of the Wheat corn As on the contrarie ungodly men are said to have eyes full of Adulterie and the like and not onely to be sinfull but sin unrighteousnesse darknesse and beliall as being even metamorphized and transformed into the evils which they love and delight in Oh how happie is that man who by the sweet feeling of the love of God shed abroad into his heart by the Holy Ghost which is given him is thereby as by the most strong coards of Heaven drawn effectually and with all the heart to love God again who hath loved him first and so becomes one with him and rests upon him for all good and happinesse For this our love to God there is required not onely the positive affection of the heart aspiring unto union with God upon knowledg of him as the chiefest good both in himself and to us in Christ and a contentation in him so known and obtained but withall that we exercise prove and approve that our love to him in our love to such good persons and things as unto which he hath imparted some sparks of his goodnesse especially to his good Children and good Word and Ordinances He cannot love him that begetteth saith the Apostle who loveth not him and that in deed and truth who is begotten in truth of affection and in deed of action for his comfort and this with greater bent of both as the graces of God are more eminent in him Neither loves he God that loves not his Word and that both in affection of heart and effect of readie obedience to all his Commandments We must take heed of a shadowish love of goodnesse and pietie onely in the abstract and must love it in the concrete where both the person and good in him is visible in whom Hypocrites for the most part hate and persecute it He but pretends to others the love of goodnesse or imagines it in himself that loves not good men for it Lastly He that loves not his brother whom he sees how can he love God whom he sees not Not but that there is matter of love infinitely more then in any or all men but because for the loving of God we want the advantage of sense and motive of compassion by which our love to our distressed brethren is holpen This love is the fulfilling of the Law the love of God being the greatest Commandment and the love of our neighbour like unto it It is also that to which the Gospel in the end leads us by which Gospel or new Covenant God writes his Lawes in the mind and heart of his and so perfits the one in the other And so naturall to Christians is this brotherly love as that the Apostle makes account he needs not write to the Churches to teach them that which God taught them so many wayes By this we know our selvs to be raysed from death to life by it all others know us to be Christs Disciples if we love one another See said the Heathens pointing at the Christians how they love one another and see said the Christians of them how they hate another Oh that Heathens could not now say of Christians as they sometimes said of them If we were perfit in this Love we needed no other Law to rule us either in the duties towards God or our neighbours no more then do the Angels in Heaven and Souls of the Faithfull men departed who by the Law of Love alone do live both most perfit and most happie lives And indeed to love as we ought is a verie happie thing wherein we resemble God and the Angels as by the contrarie we complice with the Divel and wicked men who live in mallice and envie hatefull hating one another And howsoever naturally we desire rather to be beloved then to love yet is it incomparably a more both excellent and blessed thing to love then to be beloved as it is to give rather then to receav Besides Love is the Loadstone of Love And the most readie and compendious way to be beloved of others is to love them first They taking knowledg thereof will be effectually drawn to answerable good will if they be not harder then Iron and such as have cast off the chains and bonds of common humanitie for even Publicans and sinners love those that love them Yea admit thy love of them never come to their knowledg yet will God by the invisible
a great evill be committed in a small matter Hereupon he that but gathered sticks on the Sabaoth with a high hand viz. in contempt of Moses and of God in him was to be stoned to death without mercy The sin is also greater as the temptation or occasion is lesse and therefore the rich man that having many sheep of his own took his poore neighbours lamb to enterteyn his stranger withall was adjudged worthy of death whether we take the words as they seemed to David or as Nathan meant them Likewise the forecasting of evill exceedingly aggrevates it as with him who devised mischeif upon his bed and after set himself in a way to practise it Others are overtaken by sin but such overtake sin So doth it not a litle if men sin that they may sin as it seems many swear that they may swear and as Austin confesseth of himself that being a boy he stole apples and cast them away when he had done He stole that he might steal Lastly sin becomes more sinfull if it have scandall and offence of men or other damage joyned with it Yet even for the least sin if any sin by any being against Gods infinite majestie may be accounted litle if God should presse the same upon the conscience and suffer Sathan to urge it to the full it would be a burthen intollerable and such as neyther the heavens could bear for the angels that sinned were cast from thence nor paradise for Adam for transgression was driven from thence nor the earth for that swallowed up Dathan and Abiram for their sin neyther could any men or angels undergo it without being born down into the bottom of hell by it and there onely it rests as in its proper center Happy are they who in the sense and feeling of the intollerable burthen therof come to Christ by fayth that he may ease them The sin against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven in this world or the world to come is not onely committed by them who have sometimes professed the gospell but by others also though never coming so far but being convinced of the truth thereof do maliciously hate blaspheme and persecute it and therein sin against the work of the Holy Ghost in their own hearts And this Christ insinuates against the Scribes Pharisees who yet never came to professe Christianitie The reason of the 〈◊〉 of this sin is not any deâ—ect eyther in the mercy of God or merâ—â—s of Christ as though the evill in it were greater then the good in them but for that God hath sâ—t those boâ—nds of his grace and mercy that he will never voâ—câ—â—afe fayth and repenâ—â—â—ce to that person who once so despyteth his spirit in that its holy work And considering how oft the Scriptures speak of this sin not onely for warning of persons in themselvs but also for direction â—oâ—ching others so â—inning it is to be feared that the same is more ordinarie where the gospell is preached then the most make account of and that many malitiously haâ—eing and persequuting specially after some singular profession made and forsaken true and conscionable gospellers would do the same by the gospell it self if they were not restreyned by fear of men and shame of the times The Lord oftens punisheth men in the same kinde wherein they have sinned and causeth to be â—eaâ—â—d unto them with the measure wherewith they meat to others Thus he drâ—â—â—ed Phâ—raoâ— in the sea who had formerly drowned the Israelitish infants and served king Aâ—oâ—â—bezek as he had served other kings before And this God doth to make his justice the more conspicuous and that mens punishments may be as glasses wherein their sins may be seen more clearly if not for their repentance yet for the warning of others When I seriously weigh and consider the fearfull greivous punishments which God so good and gratious hath partly exequuted in this life as upon the old world Sodom and Gomorrah Corah and his company and the like and partly threatned as in the end of this life in the soul so in the end of the world both in soul and body and the same for measure intollerable and endles in continuance Lord think I what sin can procure such punishment But when on the contrarie I consider the horrible contempt of God his word even in them to whom it is dayly and diligently offered Lord think I what punishment can be sufficient for such sin What is it then Man is fearfully wicked in sinning and God fearfully just in punishing where by fayth and repentance mercy is not obteyned My flesh trembleth for dread of thee and I fear for thy judgments CHAP. LIII Of Rewards and punishments by men MEN that are able and ready accordingly to reward the vertues of good men and well-deserving do therein not onely give them and God in them their due but doe give others incouragement also to apply themselvs to vertuous courses which finde so good acceptance and reward at mens hands specially at theirs who are of place and abilitie in the world Whereas on the contrarie for such to favour wicked and leaud persons is really to invite and perswade men to evill and litle better then plainly to hyre both them and others to doe naughtily The former in that their approbation and remuneration of goodnes and vertue bear the Image of God who plenteously rewards the well-doers the latter plainly resemble the divell who offered Christ the glorie of the kingdoms of the earth if he would fall down and worship him It is a known and approved saying that by rewards and punishments societies are preserved And of these two though occasion of rewards be more to be desired yet the exequution of punishments is more diligently to be looked unto for the preserving of humayn societies The reason is because whereas vertue as the phylosopher sayd rewards it self or more truely if it be true expects it reward from God vice and vileny on the contrary can be restreyned in the most and worst onely by the fear of punishment Neyther serv humayn laws to make men good but to keep them from such outrages and extreamities of evill as into which otherwise they were in danger to break The speciall use of the law of God it self where by his spirit he puts it not in mens minde and writes it not in their hearts is to restreyn lawlesse persons as murtherers whoremongers and the like how much more of mens There is then a mercifull crueltie when men save by severitie the persons themselvs that are punished and others also the punishment reaching to one or a few and the fear and warning to many There is on the other side a cruell mercy when men by spareing spoyl both the persons offending and others who by their impunity take boldnes to offend This foolish pitty spoyls the cittie if the magistrate use it so doth the
ready blessed is he whom his Lord when he cometh findes so doing Young folk may dye shortly but the aged cannot live long The green apple may be pluckt off or shaken down by violence but the ripe will fall of it self It is wisdom therefore to provide for death in youth there being many more that dye in youth or childehood then that survive till old age but madnes it is to neglect preparation when age commeth Though in truth few dye well in age that have not lived well in youth That we may once dye the great death aright and in peace it is requisite that we dye dayly many litle deaths both by outward afflictions inward mortifyings of our worldly and corrupt lusts We should so live as being content to dye when God calls us hence and that upon knowledg of the nature cause and event of death and out of a good conscience towards God and men And not in senseles blockishnes overcomeing death as the most do by forgetting it as if a man overcame his enemy by getting as far from him as he could nor yet by desperate wearisomnes of life for any troubles in it but as being willing yea desyrous to live to serv Gods providence for good upon earth It is ill sayth the wise heathen to wish death but worse to fear it But godly Christians are to doe both in different respects To desire it as it stands with Gods will that they may be free from sin and misery it being best for them to be dissolved and to be with the Lord To fear it as being in it self a fearfull punishment of sin the dissolution of the most excellent creature upon earth and an end of further praysing God in his church and performing particular offices of goodnes and love to men And in truth though grace have this effect with them that desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ that they do not dye onely patiently but even dye with delight and live patiently yet nature causeth that not onely they that know they must dye as all doe but they also which beleev that after death they shall enjoy a more happie state desire the deferring of it so loath to part are the two old acquayntances the body and soul. Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saincts when they dye for or in â—ayth and a good conscience as the gold melting and dissolving in the furnace is as much esteemed by the gold-smith as any in his shop or purse Pretious also it is whilst they live and that which God will not lightly suffer to befall them And if he put their tears in his bottle he will not neglect their blood nor easily suffer it to be shed Neyther doth death when it comes part him and them though it part man and man yea man and wife yea man in himself his soul and body Freinds shew themselvs faythfull in sticking to their freinds in sicknes and all other afflictions but they how affectionate soever must leav them in death and are glad to remove them and to haue their dead buried out of their sight But the fruit of Gods love reacheth unâ—o death it self in which he doth his beloved ones the greatest good when freinds can do no more for them He that sayd Before death and the funerall no man is happy spake the truth as he meant of the happines which can be found in worldly things But both he and they who have so admyred his saying should have considered that he who is not happie before death in worldly things cannot be happy in them by it which deprives him of them all and of life it self which is better then they and for which they are But miserable indeed is the happines whereof a man hath neyther beginning nor certainâ—ie but by ceasing to be a man The godly are truly happy both in life and death the wicked in neyther We are not to mourn for the death of our christian freinds as they which are without hope eyther in regard of them or of our selvs Not of them because such as are asleep with Iesus God will bring with him to a more glorious life in which we in our time and theirs shall ever remayn with the Lord and them Not of our selvs as if that because they had left us God had left us also But we should take occasion by their deaths to love this world the lesse out of which they are taken heaven the more whether they are gone before us and where we shall ever enjoy them Amen FINIS THE TABLE Conteyning the Contents of everie Chapter CHap. j. Of mans knowledg of God fol. 1. Ch. ij Of Gods love 4. Chapt. iij. Of Gods promises 9. Chapt. iiij Of the works of God his power wisdom will goodnes c. shineing in them 13. Chapt. v. Of created goodnes 21. Chap. vj. Of Equabâ—litie and perseverance in wel-doing 29. Chap. vij Of religion and differences and disputations thereabout 38. Chap. viij Of the holy Scriptures 53. Chapt. ix Of authoritie and reason 65. Chapt. x. Of fayth Hope and Love Of fayth Reason and Sense 73. Chapt. xj Of Atheisme and Idolatrie 84. Chapt. xij Of Heresy and Schism 87. Chap. xiij Of truth and falshood 90. Cha. xiiij Of knowledg and ignorance 95. Chapt. xv Of simplicitie and craftines 101. Chap. xvj Of wisdom and folly 104. Chap. xvij Of discretion 110. Cha. xviij Of Experience 112. Chap. xix Of examples 114. Chapt. xx Of counsell 119. Chap. xxj Of thoughts 124. Cha. xxij Of speach and silence 127. Cha. xxiij Of books and writings 135. Cha. xxiiij Of good intentions 139. Cha. xxv Of means 141. Cha. xxvj Of labour 143. Ch. xxvij Of callings 147. Ch. xxviij Of the use and abuse of things 152. Cha. xxix Of riches and povertie 155. Chapt. xxx Of sobrietie 162. Chap. xxxj Of liberalitie 166. Chap. xxxij Of health 172. Cha. xxxiij Of afflictions 176. Ch. xxxiiij Of iniuries 184. Chap. xxxv Of patience 190. Cha. xxxvj Of peace 195. Ch. xxxvij Of Societie and friendship 199. Ch. xxxviij Of Credit and good name 209. Cha. xxxix Of contempt and contumelie 214. Chapt. xl Of envie 218. Chapt. xlj Of slander 221. Chap. xlij Of flatterie 225. Chap. xliij Of suspicion 227. Chap. xliiij Of appearances 231. Chapt. xlv Of offences 235. Chap. xlvj Of temptations 238. Chap. xlvij Of conscience 244. Cha. xlviij Of prayer 247. Chap. xlix Of oaths and lots 253. Chapt. l. Of zeale 257. Chapt. lj Of hipocrisy 260. Chapt. lij Of sin and punishment from God 264. Chapt. liij Of rewards and punishments by men 270. Chap. liiij Of affections 273. Chap. lv Of fear 278. Chapt. lvj Of anger 283. Chap. lvij Of humilitie and meeknes 287. Chap. lviij Of Modestie 293. Chapt. lix Of mariage 296. Chapt. lx Of children and their education 304. Chap. lxj Of youth and old age 314. Chap. lxij