thy Face Aquinas Set Death into your Minds and it will put Life into your Actions St. Austin saith There 's nothing more abateth Sin than the frequent Meditation of Death He cannot Die Ill that Lived Well and seldom doth he Die Well that Lived Ill. Ambrose saith Death is the Burial of all Vices To be willing to Die consider the harmlesness of Death to the People of God tho' it keeps its Dart yet it hath lost its Sting Thy Heart may be kept from shrinking back in time of Sickness by considering the necessity of Death in order to the Fruition of God 2 Cor. 5.6 Whilst we are at home in the Body we are absent from the Lord. Another Argument to this unwillingness to Die is The immediate Succession of a more excellent and a more glorious Life it is but Wink and you shall see God Rom. 8.10 11. At Death you will be freed from Trouble here and have Communion with God and Communion of Saints Flavel Cardinal Richleu being Tempted to doubt and disbelieve a God another World and the Immortality of the Soul and by that Distrust to relieve his aking Heart but in vain So strong he said was the Notion of God on his Soul so clear the Impression of him upon the frame of the World so unanimous the Consent of Mankind so powerful the Conviction of his own Conscience that he could not but taste of the Powers of the World to come and so Live as one that must Die and so Die as one that must Live Eternally And being asked one day Why he was so sad he answered Monsieur Monsieur the Soul is a serious thing It must be either Sad here for a moment or Sad hereafter for ever Cardinal Mazarine when he came to Die said O my poor Soul Whither wilt thou go saying one Day to the Queen Mother Madam your Favors have undone me and were I to Live again I would rather be a Capuchine than a Courtier Sir Francis Walsingham towards the latter end of his Life grew very Melancholy and Writ to the Lord Burleigh to this purpose We have lived long enough to our Country to our Fortunes and to our Soveraign It is high time to live to our Selves and to our God. In the multitude of Affairs that pass through our Hands there must be some Miscarriages for which a whole Kingdom cannot make our Peace Whereupon some Court Humorist being sent to Divert Sir Francis Ah! said he whil'st we Laugh all things are serious round about us God is serious when he Preserveth us and hath Patience towards us Christ is serious when he Dieth for us the Holy Ghost is serious when he striveth with us the Holy Scripture is serious when it is Read to us the Sacraments are serious when they are Administred unto us the whole Creation is serious in serving God and us they are serious in Heaven and Hell and shall a Man that hath one Foot in the Grave Jest and Laugh Dr. Dunn a Man of as great Parts and Spirit as any in this Nation being on his Death-Bed taking his solemn leave of all his most considerable Friends left this with them I Repent of all my Life but that part of it I spent in Communion with God and doing Good. That Person in a Dying hour shall wish himself not a Man that hath not been a good Christian When Queen Mary Died Mr. Fox that Writ the Book of Martyrs was Preaching Comfort to the English Exiles in Geneva at which time he did tell them That now was the time come for their return into England and that he brought them that News from God for which Words many of the Grave Divines Rebuked him greatly for the present but afterwards excused him by the Event for it appeared that Queen Mary Died but the Day before he so spake to them Judge Nichols used to say That he knew not what they called Puritan Preaching but he said that Preaching which went next his Heart and spake as Attorney General Noy used to say of Doctor Preston as if they knew the Mind of God. Mr. Selden that Universal Scholar being suspected by many to have too little Affection to Religion a little before he Died sent for the Bishop of Armagh and Dr. Langbane and told them to this effect That he had Surveyed most part of the Learning that was amongst the Sons of Men And that he had his Study full of Books and Papers of most Subjects in the World yet at that time could he not recollect any Passage out of those many Books and Manuscripts he was Master of whereon he could rest his Soul save of the Holy Scriptures wherein the most remarkable Passage that lay upon his Spirit was Titus the 2. ver 11 12 13 14 15. Grotius one of the greatest of Scholars concluded his Life with this Protestation That he would give all his Honor and Learning for the plain Integrity and harmless Innocency of Jean Urick who was a Devout Poor Man who spent Eight hours of his Time in Prayer Eight in Labor and but Eight in Sleep and other Necessaries And with this Complaint to another who admired his Astonishing Learning and Industry Ah Vitam perdedi opero se nihil Agendo And this Direction to a Third that desired in his great Learning and Wisdom in brief to shew him what to do who bade him Be Serious Count Gundomer was as great a Wit and Statesman as ever Europe knew and took as much Liberty in point of Religion till drawing towards his latter end he would say as they say of Ansalem I fear nothing more in the World than Sin often professing That if he saw Corporally the Horror of Sin on the one hand and the Pains of Hell on the other and must necessarily be plunged into the One he would choose Hell rather than Sin yea that what liberty soever he had taken he had rather be torn in pieces with Wild Horses than wittingly or willingly run into any Sin. Above all says Sir Philip Sidney at the time of his Death govern your Will and Affections by the Word and Will of your Creator and in me behold the end of this World. Damnation PEter Lumbard says GOD Condemns none before he Sins nor Crowns any before he Overcomes Disrespect IF any despise thee do not bear a grudge against him for it And be not offended with any meerly because they do not Honor thee If any neglect or slight thee care not for it yet observe it Distrust IT is Distrust of God to be troubled about that which is to come Impatience against God to be troubled for what is present and Anger at him to be troubled at what is past Vid. Afflictions and Sufferings Doubting ONe cause of uncomfortable Living is That Christians look more at their present Cause of Comfort or Discomfort than they do at their future Happiness and the way to attain it Another cause of Doubting is The weakness and small measure of your Graces
Moment unto me for that it hath as great an Influence on my Spirit as any inward thing hath and I believe God will provide for me herein or otherwise supply the want of it My earnest request therefore to God is That my outward Condition may be so stated by his wise and gracious Providence as may be least exposed to Temptations and best disposed and furthered as to Duty Mr. Corbet Truth DIonisius Areopagitus said That he desired Two Things of God 1st That he might know the Truth himself 2d That he might Preach it as he ought to others Help me O Lord that I may examine my Self in the Evening how I have born the Troubles and Crosses of the Day Did I not Murmur Vex and Sink Did I not Entertain hard Thoughts nor utter hard Words against God One being designed an Agent waited on the knowing Lord Wentworth for some Directions for his Conduct and Carriage who delivered himself thus To secure your self and serve your Country you must at all Times and upon all Occasions speak Truth and by this means Truth will secure your self if you be questioned and those you deal with who will still run counter to a loss in all your Disquisitions and Undertakings Theodosius Junior said That Emperors of all other Men were most Miserable because commonly the Truth of Business was concealed from them Vntowardliness SIR Edward Fox in his First years none more untowardly in his last none more staid The untoward Youth makest the ablest Man he that hath Mettle to be Extravagant when he cannot govern himself hath a Spirit to be eminent when he can Vsurpation THE Earl of Strafford used this Maxime That there is no danger small but what is thought so This was his great Principle Usurped Royalty was never laid down by Perswasion from Royal Clemency for with Tirants Omne Jus Regni Vain-Glory I Have an Inclination to seek Self particularly in vain Applause and that in Religious Services and herein I have been highly Guilty but I shame my Self for it before God and am willing to be satisfied with the Praise that comes from Him alone I trust through his Grace that I my self in matter of Reputation seek to do his Will. Corbet's Enquiry Victory THere is a compleat Victory and an incompleat over the World 1 John 1.3 If we say we have no Sin we deceive our Selves and the Truth is not in us The compleat Victory our Saviour only performed John 14.30 The Prince of this World hath nothing in me which cannot be so with us until our Change come for until then we carry about with us Lusts Passions and Corruptions which without Vigilancy kept under and daily impaired in their Power and Malignity will hold Corespondency with the Prince thereof and be ready to betray and deceive us tho never to regain their Empire and So veraignty and the Reason is significantly given by the Apostle 1 John 3.9 For his Seed abideth in him and he cannot Sin because he is born of God Indeed he may and shall have Sin as he hath Flesh about him 1 John 1.3 If we say we have no Sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us for tho we have Sin still abiding in us and like the Byas of a Bowl warping us to the World yet that Vital Seminal Principle of the Grace of God in Christ always keeps its Ground its Life its Tendency towards Heaven and wears out and gradually subdues the contrary Tendency of Sin and Corruption Hales 101. Vertues TO set out Vertues and by Words to destroy the same are nothing worth All the Vertues are so linked together that he that hath one hath all and he that wants one wants all Vertues separated are annihillated Chrysologus Heavenly Sayings SEneca a man of great Parts Prudence and Experience after a serious Study of almost all the Philosophy then in the World was almost a Christian in his severe Reproofs of Vice and Excellent Discourses of Vertue and Jerom reckoning him for his supposed Epistle to St. Paul and St. Paul's to him being read by them that study saith Mr. Gattater Divinity as they that study other Learning came to that Excellent Temper by the Consideration of his reduced years which is to be seen in his Excellent Preface to his Natural Questions What a pitiful Thing is Man were it not that his Soul soared above these Earthly Things yea and was somewhat dubious as to the future Condition of the Soul Yet he could tell his dear Friend Lucilius With what Pleasure he could think of it and at last he was settled in his Opinion of an everlasting State with thought That the Soul had the mark of Divinity in it That it was most pleased with Divine Speculations and conversed with them as matter that did not merely concern it and when it had once viewed the Dimensions of the Heavens it was asham'd of the Cottage it dwelt in Nay were it not for these Contemplations it had not been worth the while for the Soul to have been in the Body as he goes on Whence come such amazing Fears such dreadful Apprehensions such startling Thoughts of their Future Condition in Mind that would fain ease themselves believing that Death would put an end or period to Soul and Body When on the other side come such encouraging Hopes such confident Expectations comfortable Preposessions of their future State in the Souls of Men when their Bodies are nearest the Grave and whilst the Soul is kept in its Cage it is coutinually fluttering up and down and delights to look out now at this part and then at the other to take a view by Degrees of the whole Universe To these Notions of the future State it was that Caesar owed that Opinion of Death That it was better to die once than to lose his Life in continual Expectations of Death being troubled with that Unhappiness of Men mentioned in Atheneus That he had done his Work as if it had been his Play and his Play as if it had been his Work. Daniel Hensive Historiographer at Leyden Secretary and Bibliotheatory of that Famous University appointed Notary of the Synod at Dort said at last Ah as to Humane Learning I may use Solomon's Expression That which is crooked cannot be made streight Methinks saith the same Hensive and Mr. Baxter out of him I can bid the World farewel Immure my self among my Books and look forth no more were it a Lawful Course but shut the Door upon me as in the lapse of Eternity and among those Divine Sages employ my self with Content and pitty the Rich and Great Ones that know not this Happiness Surely then it is true Delight indeed which in the true Lap of Eternity is enjoyed Francis Junius a Gentile and Ingenious Person who hath written his own Life as he was reading Tully de Legibus fell into a Perswasion Nihil curare Deum nec sui nec alieni till in a Tumult at Lyons the Lord
we say less than the least of God's Mercies Prayer THat Prayer that is pure and holy entereth into the Heavens and returneth not empty It is a shelter to the Soul a Sacrifice to God and a Scourge to the Devil Austin's Prayer was Lord first give me what thou requirest and then require what thou wilt And he that Prayeth well cannot choose but Live well Mr. Perkins upon his Death-Bed said to his Friends praying for the ease of his Pain Pray not for the ease of Torments but for the encrease of my Patience He that Prays for the good Things that he hath not doth not seek for that which is good but that which seems to be good Oh! what do I inwardly suffer when in my Mind I consider Heavenly Things and presently in my Prayers a multitude of Carnal Imaginations present themselves before me My God be not far from me depart not in thy Wrath from thy Servant cast forth thy Light and scatter them send forth thy Darts and break all the Imaginations which the Enemy casts in Gather in call home my Senses unto thee make me forget all the things of this World grant me to cast away speedily the imaginations of Wickedness Succour thou me thou everlasting Truth that no Vanity may move me come Heavenly Sweetness and let Impurity fly from before thee Pardon me also and mercifully forgive me as often as I think of any thing else besides thee in Prayer I do humbly confess I am wont to be subject to many Distractions for I confess I am not there where I do corporally stand or sit but there am I whither my Thoughts do carry me where my Thoughts are there am I. There are oftentimes my Thoughts where my Affections are that offer themselves quickly unto me which is naturally delightful and by custom pleasing Tho. de Kempis 268. If thou be in God Christ is thy Father and therefore in Prayer thy Applications are to thy Father Mat. 7.7 If we being evil know how to give good things whatsoever thou canst expect from thy Earthly Father so much and much more may'st thou expect from thy Heavenly Father patience to bear with thy Infirmities and Failings Psal 78.18 compassion to pity thy Sufferings Psal 103. Goodness to supply thy Wants Justice to revenge thy Injuries Psal 105.14 Those Prayers that are from the workings and sighings of God's Spirit in us from sincere Hearts lifted up to God through the sense of our own Emptiness and from God's infinite Fulness that are suited to God's Will and the great Rule of Prayer that are for Spiritual things more than Temporal that are accompanied with Faith and dependance these Prayers speak a Man altogether a Christian Mead. A Prayer for Purging the Heart and for obtaining Heavenly Wisdom STrengthen me O God by the Grace of thy holy Spirit give me to be strengthened in the inward Man and to empty my self of all unprofitable Care and Anguish not to be drawn away by sundry desires either mean or precious but looking upon all things as passing away together with them for nothing is permanent under the Sun where all things are vanity and vexation of Spirit Oh how wise is he that considereth of them Tho. de Kempis 112. A Powerful Letter IN a Letter to King Henry the VIII it is concluded thus Wherefore Gracious King have pity on your Soul and consider that the Day is even at hand when you shall give an Account of your Office and the Blood that hath been shed with your Sword. In which day that you Grace may stand stedfast and may have your Quietus est sealed with the Blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ which will only serve at that day is my daily Prayer c. Our Persecutors FRet Fume and Gnash the Teeth to hear that we under these grievous Afflictions can be so Merry let us Pray instantly that this Joy may never be taken from us for it passeth the Delights of this World This is the Peace which passeth all Vnderstanding This Peace the more it is chosen and possessed with the more they feel it and therefore cannot faint neither by Fire nor Water Prosperity HEre lies the danger of a pleasing Condition in regard of Pleasures Credit Delights Riches Friends Habitation Health or any inferiour thing the more of Good that seemeth to be in them as distinct from God the more Dangerous for they are more like to stand up in Competition with him and carry it with our partial and blinded Souls in the Competition Remember this if you love your selves when you would have all things about you more Pleasant and Lovely here lies the danger of a prosperous Condition and State. On the contrary here lies the blessed benefit of Adversity which if Men were not Brutish and Unbelieving they would heartily welcome it as the surest Condition Mr. Baxters Rest 3d Part 216. Papist MY Lord of Worcester being a Papist had this Maxim That he would not be Disordered within himself only because things were out of Order without him Queen Elizabeth was wont to say That my Lord of Worcester had Reconciled what she thought Inconsistent A stiff Papist to be a good Subject Punishment WHensoever God Punisheth he doth it for just Cause and the Godly never accuse him of Rigour as the Wicked do but acknowledge that in themselves is just cause why they should thus intreat them Dan. 9.7 Why should a Living Man complain for the Punishment of his Sins Hale 130. Reason IT 's Human to use Reason rather than Force and a Christian to seek Peace and ensue it Reformation IT would be an easie matter says Malvezzi for Favourites to Reform Kings Palaces if it were not an hard thing to Reform their own Houses Regiment of Health TO be chearfully disposed at Hours of Meat Sleep and Exercise is one of the best Exercises of long lasting As for the passions and studdies of the Mind avoid Envies Anxious Fears Anger fretting Inward subtile and knotty Inquisitions Joys and Exhilerations in Excess Sadness not Communicated entertain Hopes and Mirth rather than Joy variety of Delights rather than Surfeit on them Lord Bacon 's Essays 188. Rejoycing at Death MR. Edward Deering said As for my Death I bless God I feel and find so much inward Joy and Comfort in my Soul that if I were to make my Choice whether to Live or Die I would a Thousand times rather choose Death than Life if it may stand with the good Will of God And shortly after he Died in the Year of our Lord Christ 1576. Religion REligion and the Practice of its Vertues is the Natural state of the Soul the condition to which God designed it As God made Man a reasonable Creature so all the Acts of Religion are equal and suitable to our Natures and our Souls are then in Health when we are what the Laws of Religion require to be and to do what they Command us to do Dr. Tillotson The great Principals of Religion
are ever holding Holy things without feeling Bacon If Atheists say The World or its Materials were Made they must grant a GOD that made it If they say They were not Made they then assert an Eternal Being of it self that is they allow the Difficulties for which they pretend to deny a GOD. Cares WHen Men Believe weakly and Love GOD but little they can scarce find whether they Believe or Love at all and therefore remain in doubt To Remedy which follow your Duty till Grace be encreased ply your Work wait upon God in the use of his prescribed Means and he will undoubtedly bless you with Increase and strength of Grace If you would lay out those serious Affections in Praying and Seeking unto Christ and for more Grace you would in time Believe strongly and Love fervently and thereby put it out of doubt whether you Believe or Love or not Mrs. B. If by moderate and due Care we would resign up our Selves and Concernments into the Hands of God He would charge himself with us but if we will Immoderately Care and be so peremptory in our Designs and will not submit them to him then God is discharged and we must look to our selves You need not fetch the Misery of another Day and put to this it hath enough for its own Let them consider that fear Want that they want nothing so much as Faith A little more trusting in God and a little less sinful Foresight and needless Care would do well Our daily Defects and Disappointments procure Misery and Vexations He that would make Earth sure must first of all make Heaven sure Shall I by taking thought what I shall Eat and what I shall Drink here never fear Wanting or Begging a drop of Water hereafter Shall I be Solicitous for Cloaths and do not know but my Soul and Body may lie naked in the scorching Flames of the Wrath of God to all Eternity Besides that I have a Promise of God for outward things if I make it my business to look after Heavenly It s a very needless Care God provides Meat for me that I may not be taken off my Work to seek those things that are Heavenly Mat. 6.33 Christ Crucified the knowledge of it IT is a kind of Catholicon of universal Use and Conveniency in reference to this Life Am I in Want in Prison in Contempt in Banishment in Sickness in Death this Knowledge gives Contentedness Patience Chearfulness Resignation of my self to his Will who hath Sealed my Peace with him and Favor from him in the great Covenant of his Son I could live upon this tho' I were ready to Starve when I am assured that it is for my Good and the glory of his Name I shall be delivered if not I can be contented if my Jewel the Peace of God and my own Conscience by the Blood of Christ be safe if not in Wealth Honor greatness in Esteem in the World. This Knowledge teacheth me Humility as knowing of whom I have received it Fidelity as knowing to whom I must account for it and in all it teacheth me not to over-value it nor to value my Self the more by it or for it It makes Death not Terrible because a most sure Passage to Eternal Life Here I find a way to get my Sins Pardoned whereas all the World without this cannot contrive a Satisfaction for me I find such a Way to obtain such a Righteousness as is valuable with God and perfect before Him even the Righteousness of God in Christ and here I find the means the only means to avoid the Wrath to come the Terror of the Judgment of the Last-Day Everlasting Life to all Eternity which the blessed God and the Lord Jesus Christ all the blessed Angels and the Spirits of Just Men made perfect The knowledge of Christ above all other Knowledge and Christ Crucified above all other Knowledge of Christ being the highest manifestation of his Love. J. Hale With all my Heart saith Calvin I embrace the Mercy of God which he hath used towards me for Jesus Christ's sake recompencing my Faults with the Merits of his Death and Passion that satisfaction being made by this means for all my Sins and Crimes and the remembrance of them may be blotted out I witness also and profess that I humbly beg of him that being washed and cleansed in the Blood of that highest Redeemer shed for the Sins of Mankind I may stand at his Judgments-Seat under the Image of my Redeemer Had Christ been God only he could not have Suffered had he been Man only he could not have Merited Christ's Blood was shed as well for Oblution as for Absolution Diffidence of ones Self and Dependance of Christ is the Motto of a Christian Counsel THe greatest Trust between Man and Man is the Trust of giving Counsel For in our Confidences saith our Lord Bacon Men commit the parts of Life their Lands their Goods their Children their Credit and some particular Affairs but to such as they make their Counsellors they commit the whole by how much the more they are obliged to Faithfulness and Integrity There is no such Flattery as of a Mans self and there is no such Remedy against that Flattery as the Liberty of a Friend Counsel is of Two sorts The one concerning Manners the other concerning Business For the first The best Preparative to keep the Mind in Health is the faithful Admonition of a Friend The calling of a Man's self to a strict Account is sometimes too piercing and corroding Reading good Books of Morality is a little Flat and Dead Observing our Faults in others is sometimes improper for our Case but the best Receipt best I say to work and best to take is the Admonition of a Friend Conviction IF you be troubled for Sin observe whether your trouble for it be inward as well as outward and reaches not only to open Sins but to secret Lusts to Inward and Spiritual Sins such as Hypocrisie Formality Lukewarmness Deadness and Hardness of Heart and if so this is a sure sign of the Work of the Spirit because the Trouble occasioned by these Sins bears a more immediate Relation to the Holiness of God who only is offended by them they being such that none else can see or know Covetousness HE that is Covetous when he is Old is as a Thief that Steals when he is going to the Gallows Bags of Gold to us when Saints will be but as a Bag of Pebbles when Men. Alexander of Hales says That Covetousness deserves the Hate of all for these Reasons First It is a Sin against Nature making the Soul Terrestrial which should be Heavenly Secondly For the many Curses against it in the Scripture Wo to them that joyn House to House c. Thirdly For the many Evils it subjects them unto It is the Root of all Evil. Fourthly It makes a Man a Fool O Fool this Night c. Fifthly It canses Strifes from whom are Strifes Sixthly It
taking off from the hardness of the Law given to Adam which was Never to commit the least Sin upon pain of Damnation and requiring of us only an honest and hearty Endeavor to do what we are able and where we fail accepting of sincere Repentance Secondly By sending his Holy Spirit into our Hearts to Rule and Govern us to give us strength to overcome Temptations to Sin and to do all that He requires of us And in this He is our King to Govern Rule and Subdue our Enemies Our Duty in this particular is To give up our selves Obedient Subjects of His to be Governed and Ruled by Him to Obey all his Laws not to take part with any Rebel that is not to cherrish any One Sin but diligently to Pray for his Grace to enable us to Subdue them all and then carefully to make use of it to that purpose Lastly He hath purchased for all that faithfully Obey Him and Eternal and Glorious Inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven whither He is gone before to take Possession for us Our Duty herein is First To be exceeding careful that we forfeit not our Parts which we shall certainly do if we continue Impenitent in any Sin. Secondly Not to fasten our Affections on this World but to raise them according to the Precept of the Apostle Col. 3.2 Set your Affections on things above and not on things below longing to come to the Possession of that Inheritance of ours in comparison of which all things here below should seem Vile and Mean. Whole Duty of Man. Christ indeed hath freed us from the Impossibilities of the Covenant of Works and from the Burthen and Yoke of the Legal Ceremonies but not from the Difficulties and Pains of Gospel Duties Baxter's Rest Comforts FEtch thy Comforts from Heaven and not from Pleasures or Hopes here below De Kempis What profit can it be for thee to bewail that Sin which thou wilt not forsake What Reward canst thou expect for that Obedience which so soon fainteth What Comfort in that Joy that is but Temporary How truly sweet says St. Austin is the loss of those Earthly Sweetnesses those Transitory Joys which I was formerly afraid to lose and rejoyce now to Banish It is Thou O Lord who arâ— entred in who art sweeter than aâ—â— Sweetness c. As thou hast raised me by thy Power so Rule me by thy Providence that thy Grace may be far sweeteâ— with my Sufferings than my Pleasures with my Sins Mr. Corbet When I walk in Darkness and see no Light in outward Comforts Human Helps and visible Means I will Trust in the Name of the Lord and stay my self upon my GOD. Ibid. Contentation BE not troubled if this Man lives in Tranquility and thou in Tribulation God will have it so He puts thee in the Combat thou therefore must Sweat before thou comest off with Victory whereas he that comes forward in the World goes back in Grace His Estate is miserable that goes Laughing to Destruction As the Fool in the Stocks for Correction Theophilact He that sets his entirest Love on God yet hath Liberty to Issue a Subordinate Portion of Love to other good things as Health Peace opportunity to do Good Wife Children Friends and in these he may be crossed and disappointed but the predominant Love of God delivers the Soul from Discontent and Impatience even under these Losses because the Soul is still assured of what it most values the Love of God returned to the Soul which compensates and drowns those other Losses and the Discontent that may arise upon it Trouble makes every sad Accident a double Evil Contentedness none at all When we lose our Estates let 's not lose our Constancy and Chearfulness If thou hast lost thy Health do not lose thy Patience also If thou Die a little sooner than thou expected'st do not Die unwillingly If thou have no Friend be not also thy own Enemy If others Vex thee do not withal Vex thy self If thou be Ill to Day be not solicitous for to Morrow sufficient to the Day is the Evil thereof Despair FRancis Spira about the Year 1548. saith this of himself I was excessively Covetous of Money and accordingly I applyed my self to get it by Injustice Corrupt Judgment Deceit Inventing Tricks to delude Justice Good Causes I either defended Deceitfully or Sold them the Adversaries perfidiously Ill Causes I maintained with all my Might I willingly opposed the known Truth and Trust committed to me either Betrayed or Perverted And for the Inordinate Love of the things of this World I wholly Wounded my Conscience by an Infamous Abjuration of the Blessed Truth which I formerly Professed upon the serious Consideration of what I had done in cold Blood acknowledging my self utterly undone for ever This poor Man became a Spectacle of such Spiritual Misery and Woe to the whole World that there is not any thing left to the Memory of Man more Remarkable his Spirit was suddenly smitten with the dreadful Sence of Divine Wrath for his Apostacy and splitting in pieces as it were by so grievous a bruise his Heart fainted fearfully and failed him quite and fell asunder in his Breast like drops of Water Hear some ruful Expressions out of his Desperate State from his own Mouth O that I were gone from hence that somebody would let out this weary Soul of mine I tell you there was never such a Monster as I am never was there a Man alive such a Spectacle of exceeding Misery I now feel God 's heavy Wrath that burneth like the Torments of Hell within me and afflicts my Soul with Pains unutterable Verily Desperation is Hell it self the gnawing Worm of unquenchable Fire Horror Confusion and which is worst of all Desparation continually Tormenting me And now I count my present State worse than if my Soul were separated from my Body with Judas The Truth of it is never had Mortal Man such experience of God 's Wrath and Hatred against him as I have The Damned in Hell I think endure not the like Misery If I could conceive the least spark of Hope in my Heart of a better State hereafter I would not refuse to endure the most heavy Wrath of the great God yea for Two Thousand Years so that at length I could get out of Misery O that God would loose his Hand from me and that it were with me as in times past I would scorn the Threats of most Wicked Tyrants bear Torments with Invincible Resolution and Glory in the outward Profession of Christ till I were choaked with the Flame and my Body turned into Ashes Discression IT 's more Discression to hold the Stile of Miserable which begets an Infamy without Hatred than to desire that of Liberal which being maintained by necessitous Courses procures an Infamy with Hatred Machiavil Death THe Young-Man hath Death at his Back the Old-Man before his Eyes That 's the more dangerous Enemy that Pursues thee than that which Marches before
hath made satisfaction and lay this heavy Reckoning to his Account Lord forgive me mine Iniquity for it is very great Vid. Pag. 70. Frugality Frugality is the Left-Hand of Fortune and Diligence the Right Fasting FAsting and other Holy Revenges upon our selves for our Sins are very acceptable to God yet we must not think that either those or any thing else we can do can make satisfaction for our Offences for that nothing else but the Blood of Christ can do And therefore upon that and not upon any of our Performances we must depend for Pardon yet since that Blood shall never be applied to any but Penitent Sinners we are as much concern'd to bring forth all the fruits of Repentance as if our Hope 's depended on them wholly Duty of Man 126. Fear THe Man that Fears GOD is the Wisest Man and he that upon that account departs from Evil is the Man of greatest Understanding Hales's Contemplations 15. When Trembling is the Fruit of a Spirit broken for Sin and the Law in its own Eyes there God will look Mead. 72. How great a Madness is it to Fear Man will soon appear if we do but compare what Man can do unto us and what God can do And First It is sure it is not in the Power of Man I may say Devils too to do us any hurt without God permit and suffer them to do it So that if we do but keep him to be our Friend we may say with the Psalmist The Lord is on my side I need not fear what Man can do unto me for let their Malice be never so great he can restrain and keep them from hurting us Nay He can change their Minds towards us according to that of the Wise-Man Prov. 16.7 When a Man's Ways please the Lord he can make his very Enemies to be at Peace with him A notable Example of this we have of Jacob Gen. 32. Who when his Brother Esau was coming against him as an Enemy God wonderfully turned his Heart so that he met him with all the loving Expressions of Brotherly kindness as you may read in the next Chapter But Secondly Suppose Men were left at liberty to do thee what Mischief they could alas their Power goeth but a little way they may perhaps rob thee of thy Goods it may be they may take away thy Liberty or thy Credit or perchance thy Life too but that thou knowest is the utmost they can do But now God can do all this when he pleases and that which is infinitely more his Vengeance reaches even beyond Death it self to the Eternal Misery both of Body and Soul in Hell in comparison of which Death is so inconsiderable that we are not to look upon it with any dread Fear not them that Kill the Body and after have no more that they can do saith Christ Luk. 12.4 and then immediately adds But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear fear him which after he hath Killed hath Power to cast into Hell yea I say unto you fear him In which words the Comparison is set between the greatest Ill we can suffer from Man the loss of Life and those sadder Evils God can inflict on us And the latter are found to be the only dreadful things and therefore God only to be Feared Duty of Man. 20. Let your Fear of Men stir up an Holy Fear of GOD. Grace and Merits CArdinal Pool was wont to say tho' a Papist We cannot give too much to God 's Grace nor too little to our own Merits He said when he returned into England I came hither not to Condemn but to Reconcile not to Compel but to Desire God's People THey are a small part of lost Mankind whom God hath from Eternity Predestinated to the Glory of Heaven for the Glory of his Mercy and given to his Son to be by him in a Spiritual manner Redeemed from their lost Estate and advanced to this higher Glory all which Christ doth in due time accomplish accordingly for them and by his Spirit upon them But this is but a piece of their Description concerning God's Work for them and upon them Le ts see also what they are to do in regard of the working of their own Souls towards God and their Redeemer again viz. These People of God are that part of the Externally called who having been by the Spirit of Christ throughly tho imperfectly Regenerated and hereby Convinced and sensible of the Evil in Sin that Misery in themselves that Vanity in the Creature that Necessity Sufficiency and Excellency of Jesus Christ that they abhor that Evil bewail that Misery and turn their hearts from that Vanity and most affectionately accepting of Christ for their Saviour and Lord to bring them to God their chief Good and present them perfectly just before him Do accordingly enter into a Cordial Covenant with him and herein persevere to their lives end Baxter A Godly Man is one of those whose Conversation is in Heaven his Hopes and Heart are likewise there for his Riches his House and his Relations are in Heaven a Godly Man 's All is there ask him what he hath on Earth and he will tell you nothing or less than nothing Ask him then wherein are his Blessings he will tell you where his Father is there are my desired Blessings there are my hopes there is my All there I wish that I my self were with them Wadsworth on Phil. 12. I would not only have God hereafter but in this World for my chief good for as far as I am able to discerne my heart and ways I have chosen the Lord for my Portion I take my rest in him and not in the Creature to Love Fear Admire and Bless him and to have my Communion with him is my Joy an Eternal Vision and Fruition of God is my great hope he is even now better than the whole World. Mr. Corbet's Enquiry pag. 6. Lactantius says Godliness Enriches the owner Grace GRace flowing from the Spirit of God makes the Soul like a Fountain whose Waters are pure and wholesome for Grace Beautifyeth Cleanseth and Saveth the whole Man. Ignatius When a Man desires Grace from a right sence of his natural State when he sees the vileness of Sin and the woful defiled and loathsome condition he is in by reason of Sin and therefore desires the Grace of Christ with uncessant earnestness to renue and change him this is Grace Mead 68. Grace is a comprehensive Word and includes in it not only favour and acceptance with God but also those other accessaries of the Gifts of Bounty and Goodness which comes from the great Giver of every good and perfect Gift as Wisdom Righteousness Purity of Heart and the like Hales Grace is precious it suffereth not it self to be mingled with External things nor with Earthly Comforts thou oughtest therefore to cast away all hindrances of Grace if thou desire the Infusion thereof De Kempis The least Grace gives a full Interest
Injuries INjuries of Evils present are to be neglected for hopes of things to come St. Cyprian You must saith St. Jerom be a Dove and a Serpent the one not to do hurt to others the other not to be hurt by others He knows not how to live that knoâ—â— not how to bear Wrongs David Chiterus The Mercies and Forgiveness that I find and hope for at the Lords hands engageth and disposeth me to forgive Injuries and Abuses done to me And I should not think it much that I who am so sinful should bear some Contumelies and Abuses from Men. Corbet The more Men Wrong thee the more watchfully maintain thy Love to them Ibid. When that another hath spoken to thy Disgrace beware of a transport of Anger that thou speak not harshly and unadvisedly against him or too Passionately or as too much concerned for self Ibid. Vid. Wrongs Incarnation TO believe the Incomprehensible Mistery of our Saviour's Incarnation that the omnipotent Divine Nature and the weak Nature of Man are united in one Person of Christ is sure a very hard thing of Belief and requires the express Word of God to submit to and captivate our Understandings in Obedience to it for the Union of the Divine Nature Vid. John 1.1 Idleness HE is a Sluggard that would raign with God and will not labor for God. In the promised Reward he takes delight but the Commanded Combats affright him Bead. Ingratitude ST Austin called Ingratitude the Devils Spunge whereby he wipes out all the favours of the Almighty Integrity SAint Cyprian says There can be no Integrity whereby they that should Condemn the Wicked are ever wanting and they only which should be Condemned are ever present Judgment SAint Jerom said Whatsoever he did he still thought that that Voice was still in his Ears Arise ye Dead and come to Judgment Interest THey who least consider Hazard in the doing of their Duty fare best still The surest way to Safety is to have one Interest espoused firmly as never to be changed KINGS IT is a Maxim that KINGS are like the Sun and Usurpers like Falling-Stars for the Sun tho' it be Effuscated or Eclipsed with Mists and Clouds yet at length becomes refulgent whereas the others are but Figures of Stars to the view and prove no more than Exhalations which suddainly dissolve and fall to the Earth where they are consumed First Jesus Christ is his Enemies King. Secondly His Saints King. Thirdly His Fathers King. The First he Rules Over the Second he Rules In and the Third he Rules For. Knowledge ST Basil said To know thy self is very difficult for as the Eye can see all things but it self so some can discern all Faults but their own There is a common Knowledge and there is a saving Knowledge common Knowledge is that which floats in the Head but doth not Influence and affect the Heart This Knowledge Reprobates may have Numb 23.10 but then the saving Knowledge of God and Christ which doth include the assent of the Mind and consent of the Will This is Knowledge which implies Faith Isa 5.8 By his Knowledge shall my Righteous Servant Justifie many For us to know but to know that 's Curiosity to know to be known that 's Vain-Glory but to know to Practise what we know that 's Gospel-Duty He only knows GOD aright that knows how to Obey him and Obeys according to his Knowledge of him Psal 111.10 a good Understanding have all they that keep his Commandments Law of GOD. EVsebius saith That Moses Wrote the Old Law in dead Tables of Stone but Christ did write the lively and perfect Documents of the New Law in Tables of the New-Testament in living Souls One Law Executed is worth Twenty Made No Laws so no good could be done by a Governor that was not Absolute without either restraint or a Competitor Machiavil Law and Equity have Two Courts but Law and Equity should dwell in one Breast Light Gold. THe Master of a Company affirmed That they had a pair of Scales that would turn with the Two hundredth part of a Grain I should be loath said Mr. Attorney General Noy standing by that all my Actions should be weighed by those Scales We are all but Light Gold. Liberty A People accustomed to live under a Prince if by accident they become free are like Beasts let loose and have much ado either to maintain their Government or their Liberty Machiavil Love. LOve is nothing but a disposition of the Will whereby it cleaves or makes forward to some good thing that is agreeable to it self Preston 216. St. Jerom used this excellent saying If my Father stood Weeping on his Knees before me and my Mother hanging on my Neck behind me and all my Brothers Sisters Children and Friends howling on every side to retain me in a sinful Life I would run over my Father fling my Mother to the Ground despise my Kindred and fling them under my Feet that I may run to CHRIST Here 's Love and Fortitude St. Austin saith Love is strong as Death as Death killeth the Body so Love of Eternal Life kills Worldly Desires and Affections The Love of Christ being predominant in the Soul deadens the Affections to any thing else Christ asked Peter Three Times Lovest thou me not for his own Information but that by his Threefold Profession he might help his Threefold Negation of him Nicephorus To Love God and to be conformable to him is that which I most of all desire should be in me Corbet's Enquiry God will never Damn in Hell any Soul that hath the habitual Predominance of the Love of God in his Soul tho' culpable or otherwise sinful whil'st remains such yea Hell and such Love are inconstant Ibid. 30. I Love to Love GOD says Mr. Corbet and desire this Love not only as an evidence of my Salvation but for it self I had much rather have an Heart to Love him perfectly than to have all the Honors Riches and Pleasures of this World. Ib. 17. Love to God is the Fountain and Spring of all true Obedience most of the Hypocrites Love empties it self in Vain-Glory Mat. 6.2 5. Hos 10.1 We know that we have passed from Death unto Life because we love the Brethren John 3.14 10. there we understand Brethren by Grace and not by Nature or otherwise to love God for Godliness sake the Saints for Saintships sake this is a sure Testimony of our Christianity A Sinner cannot Love a Saint Quatenus a Saint neither can a Saint love a Sinner Quatenus a Sinner John 15.19 Psal 57.4 It is a true Rule That Love is ever Rewarded either in the Recipoque or with an Inward or secret Contempt Watch against all secret Pleasure in the lessening of another for advancing of thy self Divine Love says Basil is a never failing Treasure he that hath it is Rich and he that wanteth it is Poor Chrisostom saith A Bulwark of Adamant is not more impregnable than the Love of Brethren
wonderfully delivered him from eminent Death so that he was compelled to acknowledg a Divine Providence therein his Father seeing the dangerous ways his Son was led into sent for him home where he carefully and holily instructed him and caused him to read over the New-Testament of which he himself writeth thus When I read over the New-Testament I first lighted on the First Chapter of St. John In the beginning was the Word c. I read part of the Chapter and was suddenly convinced that the Divinity of the Argument and the Majesty and Authority of the Writing did exceedingly excel all the Eloquence of Humane Writings My Body trembled my Mind was astonished and so affected all the Day that I knew not where or what I was Be thou mindful of me O my God according to the Multitude of thy tender Mercies call home thy lost Sheep into thy Fold And as Justin Martyr of Old so he of late professed that the Power of Godliness in a plain simple Christian wrought so upon him that he could not but take up a strict and serious Life Mr. Howard afterwards the learned Earl of Northampton being troubled with Athestical suggestions put them all off this way viz. If I could give any account how my self or any thing else had a Being without God how came there so uniform and constant a Consent of mankind in all Ages Tempers and Educations otherwise differing in their apprehensions about the Being of God the Immortality of the Soul and Religion in which they could not likely come so many or being so many could not be deceived I could be an Atheist And when he was urged that Religion was a State-policy only to keep men in awe he replyed That he would believe it but that the greatest Politicians have sooner or later felt the Power of Religion in the grievous lashes of their own Consciences and dreadfulness of their own apprehensions about that State wherein they must live for ever Sir John Mason having been imployed much in State-Affairs said I have learned this after so many experiences that Seriousness is the greatest Wisdom Temperance the best Physitian and a good Conscience the best Estate and if I were to live again I would leave the Court for a Cloyster my Privy Councellors Bustles for a retired Life and the whole Life I lived in the Palace for one Hour Enjoyment of God in the Chappel all things forsake me besides my God my Prayer and my Duty Sir Henry Wotton after so many years Study with proficiency and applause of the University his being a Favorite of Robert Earl of Essex his intimacy with the Duke of Tuscany and James the 6th of Scotand his Embassies into Holland Germany yet desired to retire with this Motto Tandem didicit animas sapientiores fieri quiescendo He was very Ambitious of the Provost-ship of Eaton that there he might enjoy his beloved Study and Devotion saying That that day he put on his Gown was the happiest day of his Life that being the utmost happiness a man could attain to he said to be at leasure and to do good never reflecting on his former years but with Tears in his Eyes he would say How much Time have I to repent of and how little to do it in Charles the Fifth Emperor of Germany King of Spain and Lord of the Netherlands after 23 Pitch-fields 6 Triumphs 4 Kingdoms won and 8 Principalities added to his Dominions and 14 Wars finished he resigned his Empires and Kingdoms retiring to his Devotions in a Moastery and had his own Funeral Celebrated before his Face leaving this Testimony of the Christian Religion That the sincere Profession of it had in it Sweets and Joys that Courts were strangers to Salmasius that excellent French Scholar whom the Learned men of his Time never mention without such Expressions as these Vir nunquam satis laudatus went out of this World with these words in his Mouth Oh! I have lost a World of Time that most precious thing in the World whereof had I but one year more it should be spent in David's Psalms and Paul's Epistles Oh! Sirs said he to those about him Mind the World less and God more all the Learning in the World without Piety and the true Fear of God is nothing worth The Fear of the Lord that 's wholsome and to depart from Evil that 's understanding Robert Rollock said at the time of his Death Haste Lord and do not tarry I am a weary both of Nights and Days Lord Jesus that I may come to Thee break these Eye-strings and give me others I desire to be dissolved and to be with Thee Haste Lord Jesus and defer no longer Go forth my weak Life and let a better succeed Oh my Lord Jesus Christ thrust Thy Hand into my Body and take my Soul to Thy Self O Lord Jesus set my Soul free that she may enjoy her Husband The Earl of Strafford said Oh trust not in man that shall Die nor to the Son of Man as shall be made as Grass there is no Confidence in Princes the only things that stands by a man are the Blood of Christ and the Testimony of a good Conscience An Excellent Person having writ exquisitly for the Christian Religion hath this Discourse of the Nature of it viz. Doth now the Conquest of Passions forgetting of Injuries doing Good Self-denial Patience under crosses which are the expressions of Piety abound to the support of a Luxurious Malitious and Impatient Spirit Is there nothing more becoming Malitious Proud and Impatient Soul of Man in examplary Piety and an Holy and well ordered conversation than in the Lightness and Vanity not to say in Rudeness and Debauchery in them which the World accounts the greatest Gallants Is there nothing more graceful and pleasing in the Sweetness and Ingenuity of a truly Christian-temper and disposition than in the revengeful Spirit of such whose Honour lives and is fed by the Blood of their Enemies Is it not more truly Honourable and Glorious to serve that God that Commandeth and Ruleth the World than to be a Slave to those Passions and Lusts that put men upon continual hard Service and torment them for it when they have done it Is there nothing else to Commend Religion to the Minds of men besides that Tranquility and Calmness of Spirit that Serene and placable temper which follows a good Conscience where soever it dwells it were enough to make Men to welcom that Guest which brings such good Entertainment which it wherefore the Horrors Anxiety and Amazement of Mind which brings at one time or other which prostitute their Consciences to a Violation of the Laws of God and of the Rules of rectified Reason may be enough to perswade any Rational Person that Impiety is the greatest Folly and Irreligious Madness Sir Thomas Smith after he had served Queen Elizabeth as Secretary of State and done many good Services to the Kingdom especially in setling the Corn-Rate for the