we should commit our cause to the God of vengeance not meddle with his prerogative he will revenge better than we can and more perhaps than we desire The wronged side is the safer side If in stead of meditating revenge we can so overcome our selves as to pray for our enemies and deserve wel of them we shal both sweeten our owne spirits and prevent a sharp temptation which wee are prone unto and have an undoubted argument that we are sons of that Father that doth good to his enemies and Members of that Saviour that prayed for his persecutors and withall by heaping coles upon our Enemies heads wee shall melt them either to conversion or confusion WEe are not disquieted when wee put off our clothes and go to bed because we trust Gods ordinary Providence to raise us up again And why should wee be disquieted when we put off our bodies and sleep our last sleep considering we are more sure to rise out of our graves than out of our beds Nay we are raised up already in Christ our Head who is the Resurrection and the life in whom we may triumph over death that triumpheth over the greatest Monarchs as a disarmed and conquered Enemy THat which belongs to us in our calling is care of discarging our duty that which God takes upon him is assistance and good successe in it Let us do our work and leave God to do his owne Diligence and trust in him is onely ours the rest of the burthen is his He stands upon his credit so much that it shall appeare wee have not trusted him in vaine even when we see no apparance of doing any good Peter fished all night catcht nothing yet upon Christs word casting in his net again he caught so many Fish as brake it COvetousnesse when men wil be richer than God wil have them troubles all it troubles the house the whole family and the house within us our pretious soule which should be a quiet house for Gods Spirit to dwell in whose Seat is a quiet Spirit If men would follow Christs method and seeke first the Kingdome of Heaven doubtlesse all other things should be cast upon them GOd is neerest to us in troubles when our enemies on earth conclude our utter overthrow God is in Heaven concluding our glorious deliverance Vsually after the lowest Ebbe followes the highest Spring-tide Christ stands upon Mount Sion and will worke our raising by that very meanes by which our enemies seeke to ruine us There is no condition so ill but there is Balme in Gilead Comfort in the God of Israel The depths of miserie are never beyond the depths of mercy Naturall men from the common light of Nature discovering there is a God will in extremities run unto him and God as the Author of Nature will sometimes heare them as he doth the young Ravens that cry unto him But comfortably and with assurance those onely have a familiar recourse unto him that have a sanctified sutable disposition unto God as being well acquainted with Him It is an excellent ground of sincerity to desire the favour of God not so much out of self-aimes as that God may have the more free and full praise from us considering the soul is never more fit for that blessed duty than when it is in a cheerfull plight IF we seriously think of what is our Duty God will surely thinke of what shall bee for our Comfort we shall feel God answering what we look for from Him in doing what he expects from us Can we have so meane thoughts of Him that wee should intend his glory and he not much more intend our good Yet many doe grossely mistake in taking Gods curse for a blessing To thrive in an ill way is a spirituall iudgement extremely hardening the heart There can neither be grace nor wisdome in setling upon a course wherein we can neither pray to God for successe in nor blesse God when he gives it WHen we are at the lowest yet it is a mercy that we are not consumed wee are never so ill but it might be worse with us whatsoever is lesse than Hell is undeserved and it is a matter praise worthy to God that we yet have time and opportunitie to get into a blessed Condition THe Apostle thought it the first duty in affliction to pray Is any afflicted let him pray Is any joyfull let him sing Psalmes Praising of God is then most comely though never out of season when God seems to call for it by renewing the sence of his mercies in some fresh favours toward us If a Bird will sing in Winter much more in the Spring If the heart be prepared in the winter time of Adversitie to praise God how ready will it be when it is warmed with the glorious sun-shine of his Favour OVr life is nothing but as it were a Webbe woven with interminglings of wants and favours crosses and blessings standings and failings combat and victory therefore there should be a perpetuall intercourse course of praying and praising in our hearts We should often apply these generalls of Holy-writ to our selves to stir up our hearts to praise God He will never leave nor forsake us he will be with us in fire and water the issue of all things shall be for our good we shall reap the quiet fruit of righteousnesse and no good thing will he withhold from them that live a godly life If wee had a spirit of Faith to apply such like generall promises wee should see much of Gods goodnesse in particular toward us God promiseth the forgivenesse of sin and yet thou findest the burthen thereof daily upon thee Neuerthelesse cheere up thy selfe when the Morning is darkest then comes day after a weary weeke comes a Sabbath and after a fight victory will appeare wee must endure the working of Gods Physicke when the sick humor is carried away and purged then we shall enioy desired health PRaising of God may well be called Incense because as it is sweet in it selfe and sweet to God so it sweetens all that comes from us Wee cannot love and joy in God but he wil delight in us when we neglect the praising of God wee lose both the comforts of his Love and our owne too Our praising God should not bee as sparkes out of a flint but as water out of a Spring natural ready free as Gods Love to us as Mercy pleaseth him so should praises please us For unthankfulnesse is a sin detestable both to God and man and the lesse punishment it receives from humane lawes the more it is punished inwardly by secret shame and outwardly by publicke hatred if once it prove notorious THe living God is a living Fountaine never drawne dry he hath never don so much for us but he can and will doe more If there be no end of our praises there shall be no end of his goodnes by this means we are sure never to bee very miserable how can he be dejected
folly Action without Resolution is a foolish rashnesse first know what 's good to be done then doe that good being knowne If fore-cast be not better than labour yet labour is not good without fore-cast our actions should not be done without nor against knowledge NAture hath sent us abroad into the world and wee are every day travelling homeward if wee meet with store of miseries in our way discretion should teach us a religious haste in our journey and meeting with pleasures they should pleasure us onely by putting us in minde of our celestiall pleasures at home which should teach us to scorne these as worse than trifles A pleasant journey is deare bought with the losse of home and a troublesome life is oftner a blessing than a Curse wee may as well die of surfet as of hunger EAch Night is but the past dayes Funerall and the Morning his Resurrection Why then should our Funerall sleepe be other than our sleepe at night Why should we not as well wake to our Resurrection as in the Morning Death rather borrowes our life of us than robbes us of it and the glory of the Sunne findes a Resurrection why not the Sonnes of Glory Since a dead man may live againe we should not so much looke for an end of our lives as wait for the comming of our change COntention is very dangerous especially with great Ones as we may be too strong for the weaker so we must be too weake for the stronger we cannot so easily vanquish our Inferiors but our Superiors may as easily conquer us We should do much to be at peace with all men but suffer much ere we contend with a Mighty man THere is no heart of flesh that at some time or other relents not neither flint nor marble but in some weather will stand on drops Good motions barely better not the man the praise and benefit of those gusts are not in the receit but in the retention A good heart is easily staied from sinning and is glad when it finds occasion to be crost in ill purposes those secret checkes that are raised within it self do readily conspire with all outward retentives it never yeelded to a wicked motion without much reluctation when it is overcome it is but with a halfe consent Whereas obdurate sinners by reason of their full delight in evill and having already in conceit swallowed the pleasures of sinne abide no resistance but keep a headlong course in spight of opposition not weighing how neere their jollitie is to perdition Doubtlesse it is but just with God that they who live without grace should die without comfort IT is no measuring of men by the depth of purse by outward prosperitie for even the best deservings may want temporal rewards Servants are oftentimes set on horsebacke while Princes go on foot Shall we contemne his necessity who perhaps is so much more rich in grace as he is poor in estate Neither doth violence or casualtie more impoverish a man than his poverty somtimes enricheth him He whose wilfull folly hath made him miserable is justly rewarded with neglect but hee that suffers for good deserves so much the more honor from others as his distresse is more MAny speake fair that mean ill but when the mouth speakes foule it argues a corrupt heart Though with Saint Iames his verball Benefactors we say Depart in peace fill your bellies we shall answer for hypocriticall uncharitablenesse but if we revile and curse those needy soules we ought to relieve we shall give a more fearfull account of savage cruelty in trampling on those whom God hath humbled If not healing with good works be justly punishable what torment is there for those that wound with evill IT is ill hurting the children of God for though he suffers them not to sinne in revenging yet hee suffers not their adversaries to sin unrevenged He that saith Vengeance is mine I will repay repayes oftentimes when wee have forgiven when we have forgotten and calls to reckoning after our discharges Wherfore it is dangerous offending the meanest servant of Him whose displeasure and revenge is everlasting THat God whose the earth is makes roome for His every where and oftentimes provides for them a forreine Home more kindely than the Native It is no matter for the change of our Soile so wee change not our God if wee can every where acknowledge him He will no where be wanting to us THose who cannot fear for love may chance to tremble for feare And how much better is awe than terror prevention than confusion Destruction is never neerer than when security hath cast away feare There is nothing more lamentable than to see a man laugh when hee should feare God shall laugh when such a ones feare commeth for as in mercy he forgets not to interchange our sorrowes with joy so neither doth he the joyes of the wicked with sorrow 'T is an unreasonable inequalitie to hope to finde God at our command when we refuse to bee at his or to looke that he should regard our voice in trouble when we would not regard his in peace CVstome makes Sin so familiar that the horror of it by some is turned into pleasure To make a right use of Gods judgements upon others is to beare them in our selves and finding our sins at the least equall to tremble at the expectation of the same deserved punishments God intends not onely revenge but reformation in his execution as good Princes who regard not so much the smart of the evil past as the prevention of the future which is never attained but when we make application of Gods hand and draw common causes out of his particular proceedings THe best intent cannot excuse much lesse warrant us in unlawfull actions What we doe in faith it pleaseth our God to winke at and pitty our weaknesses but if we dare present him with the well-meant services of our owne making we runne to his indignation for Gods busines must be done after his owne formes which if our best intentions alter we presume There is nothing more dangerous than to be our owne carvers in matters of Religion It is better be too fearfull than too forward in those things which doe immediately concerne God As it is not good to refraine from holy businesses so 't is worse to doe them ill Awfulnesse is a safe interpreter of his secret actions and a wise guide of ours THe first piece of our amends to God for sinning is the acknowledgement of our sinnes he can doe little that in a just offence cannot accuse himselfe If we cannot be so good as wee would it is reason we should do God so much right as to say how evil we are It is strange to see how easily sinne gets into the heart and how hardly out of the mouth Is it because Sinne like to Sathan where it hath got possession is desirous to hold it and knowes it is fully ejected by a free confession or because thorow a
troubles When therefore thy Conscience like a sterne Sergeant shall catch thee by the throat and arrest thee upon Gods debt let thy only plea bee that thou hast alreadie paid it Bring forth that bloudy acquittance sealed unto thee from Heaven by Faith in Christ and streight way thou shalt see the fierce and terrible looke of thy Conscience changed into friendly smiles and that rough and violent hand that was ready to drag thee to prison shall now lovingly embrace thee and fight for thee against all the wrongfull attempts of any Spirituall Adversarie But the time wil come when the carelesse sinner shall bee plunged in woes and shall therefore desperately sorrow because he sorrowed not sooner for sin He may feast away his Cares for a while and bury them with himself in wine and sleep but after all these frivolous evasions they will returne again nor will they be repelled but increased hereby Sin owes him a spight and perhaps will pay him when hee is in worse case to sustaine it Namely up his Death-bed which shall prove very grievous unto him for his many wilfull adjournings of Repentance HE said wel who when some skilfull Astrologer upon calculation of his Nativitie had foretold him some specialties concerning his future estate answered Such perhaps I was borne but since that time I have been born again and my second Nativitie hath crossed my first The Power of Nature is a good Plea for those that acknowledge nothing above Nature but for a Christian to excuse his intemperatenesse by his naturall inclination and to say I am borne cholericke sullen Amorous c. is an Apologie worse than the fault For wherefore serves Religion but to subdue or governe Nature We are so much Christians as wee can rule our selves the rest is but forme and speculation THere is no difference but continuance betwixt Anger and Madnesse for raging Anger is a short Madnesse else what argues the shaking of the hands and lips the palenesse rednesse or swelling of the face glaring of the eies stammering of the Tongue stamping with the Feet unsteadie motions of the whole Body wilde distracted Speeches and rash Actions which we remember not to have done Doubtlesse a milde Madnes is more tolerable than frequent and furious Anger OVr Cowardlinesse and unpreparednesse is Deaths chiefest advantage wheras true boldnesse in confronting him dismayes and weakens his forces Happy is the Soule that can send out the Scouts of his thoughts before-hand to discover the power of Death a far off then can resolutely incounter him at unawares upon advantage such a one lives securely and dies with Comfort Death argues not Gods displeasure Abel whom God loved best dies first when the Murtherer Cain is punished with living COntentation is a rare Blessing because it either arises from a fruition of all comforts or a not desiring of some wee have not We are never so bare as not to have some benefits never so ful as not to want somthing yea as not to bee full of wants God hath much adoe with us either we lacke health or quietnesse or Children or wealth or company or our selves in all these Nature is moderate in her desires but Conceit is insatiable Who cannot pray for his daily bread when hee hath it in his Cup-bourd but when our owne provision failes then not to distrust God is a noble triall of Faith All grudging is odious but most when our hands are full To whine in the midst of abundance is a shamefull unthankfulnesse it is a base cowardise so soon as ever we are called from the garrison to the field to think of running away then is Fortune worthy of Prayse when wee can endure to be miserable O God I have made an ill use of thy mercies if I have not learned to be content with thy corrections NO benefit can stop the mouth of impatience if our turne be not served for the present former favours are either forgotten or contemned No marvell wee deale so with men when God receives this measure from us One Moone of ill weather makes us over-looke all the blessings of God and more to mutine at our sence of evill than to praise him for our variety of good It is an unfound praise that is given a man for one good action Many distrust God in their necessity that are ready to follow his guidance in their welfare if wee follow God and murmure it is all one as if wee staid behinde We can think him absent in our wants yet cannot see him absent in our sinnes It is wickednesse not affliction that argues him gone for he is most present when he most chastises And the sorrow of repentance comes never out of season all times are alike unto that Eternity where to we make our spirituall moanes that which is past and that which is future are both present with him It is neither weake nor uncomely for an old man to weep for the sins of his youth Such teares can never bee shed either too soon or too late THere is scarse a vicious man who name is not rotten before his Carcasse Contrarily a good mans name is often heire to his life either borne after the death of the Parent Envy not suffering it to come forth before or perhaps so well growne up in his life time that the hope thereof is the staffe of his age and the joy of his death The name of the wicked may be feared a while but is soone forgotten or cursed The good mans either sleepes with his body in peace or wakes as his soule in glory Vertue is not propagated Children naturally possesse only as bodily diseases so the vices of their Parents The grain is sowne pure yet comes up with chaffe and huske Hast thou a good son he is Gods not thine Is he evill nothing but his sinne is thine Help by thy prayers and endeavours to take away that which thou hast given him and to obtaine of God that which perhaps thou hast and canst not give else maist thou name him a possession but finde him a losse SPirituall gifts are so chained together that who excels in one hath alwaies some eminency in more Faith is attended with a Bevy of Graces he that beleeves cannot but have hope if hope patience he that beleeves and hopes must needs have joy in God if joy love of God hee that loves God cannot but love his brother his love to God breeds piety and care to please sorrow for offending feare to offend Vertues goe ever in troopes and that so thicke that sometimes some are hid in the crowd which yet are but appeare not IT is a rare evill that hath not something to sweeten it either in sence or in hope otherwise men would grow desperate mutinous envious of others weary of themselves The better the thing is wherein we place our comfort the happier we live and the more we love good things the better they are to us The worldling laughs more but the
Christian is more delighted Thou laughest not at the sight of an heap of thy gold yet thy delight is more than in a jest that shaketh thy spleene As griefe so joy is not lesse when it is least expressed It must needs be a strong and nimble soule that can mount to heaven possessing abundance of earthly things If thou finde wealth too pressing abate of thy load either by having lesse or loving lesse or adde to the strength of thy activity that thou maist yet ascend It is more commendable by how much more hard to climbe up to heaven with a burthen THe meaner sort of men would be too much discontented if they saw how far more pleasant the life of others is and if those of higher ranke could looke downe to the infinite miseries of their inferiours it would make them either miserable in compassion or proud in conceit It is good sometimes for the delicate rich man to looke into the poore mans Cup-board and seeing God in mercy lets him not know their sorrows by experience yet to know it in speculation Which will teach him more thankes to God more mercy to men and more contentment in himselfe I never saw Christian lesse honoured for a wise neglect of himselfe If our dejection proceed from the conscience of our want it is possible wee should be as little esteemed of others as of our selves but if we have true Graces and prize them not at the highest others shall value both them in us and us for them and with usury give us that honour we withheld modestly from our selves I never read of Christian that repented him of too little worldly delight he that takes his full liberty in what he may shall repent him how much more in what hee should not The surest course in all earthly pleasures is to rise with an appetite and to be satisfied with a little That mans end is easie and happy whom death findes with a weake body and a strong soule HErein as much as in any thing the perversnesse of our nature appeares that wee wish death or love life upon wrong causes we would live for pleasure and die for paine Iob for his sores Elias for his persecution Ionas for his Gourd would presently die and outface God that it was better for him to die than to live Wherein we are like to garrison souldiers that while they live within safe walls and shew themselves once a day rather for ceremony and pompe than need and danger like warfare well enough but being once called forth to the field they hang the head and wish themselves at home THe shipwrack of a good Conscience is the casting away of all other excellencies It is no rare thing to note the soule of a wilfull sinner stripped of all her Graces and by degrees exposed to open shame for since he hath cast away the best it is just with God to take away the worst and to cast off them in lesser regards which have rejected him in greater THe tongue will hardly leave that to which the heart is inured if we would have good motions to visit us in sicknesse we must send for them familiarly in health for such as a mans delights and cares are in health such are both his thoughts and speeches commonly on his death-bed And no marvell though the worldling often escapes earthly punishments God corrects him not because hee loves him not he will not doe him the favour to whip him The world afflicts him not because it loves him for each one is indulgent to his owne God uses not the rod where he meanes to use the sword the Pillory or scourge is for those Malefactors which shal escape execution LAughing is proper to Man alone amongst all living creatures though indeed he ought ever to be weeping because he ever sins and the beasts might rather laugh to see man so much abuse his most excellent part his reason Doubtlesse if man knew before he came into the world what should be his portion in the world he would feare his first day more than his last wherefore we ought to moderate our affections and in imitation of our great Lord and Saviour who was a man of sorrows we should not be altogether composed of mirth SEldome hath any man got either wealth or learning with ease and the greatest good is most difficult in obtaining he must not thinke to get Christ that takes no paines for him If men can endure such cutting such lancing and searing of their bodies only to protract a miserable life for a short time how much should we care what we doe or what we suffer so wee may win Christ No paine should bee refused for the gaining of Eternity MVch ostentation and much learning seldome meet together The Sun rising and declining makes long shadows but being at the highest makes none at all Skill when it is too much shewne loseth the grace as fresh coloured wares that are often opened lose their brightnesse and are soiled with much handling It is better to applaud our selves for having much of that we shew not than that others should applaud us for shewing more than we have The conscience of our owne worth should cheare us more in their contempt than their approbation comfort us against the secret check of our knowne unworthinesse Every man hath an heaven and a hell Earth is the wicked mans heaven his hell is to come contrarily the godly have their hell upon earth where usually they are vexed with many afflictions and temptations by Sathan and his complices their heaven is above in endlesse happinesse Though they sow in teares they shall reape in joy though their seed time be commonly waterish and lowring and their spring wet they shall bee sure of a cleare and joyfull harvest It is no marvell if the wicked have peace in themselves being as sure as temptation can make them Princes wage not warre with their owne subjects The The godly are still enemies and must therefore looke to be assaulted both by stratagems and violence Wherefore nothing should more joy us than our inward unquietnesse A just war is far more happy than an ill conditioned peace EVery good prayer knocketh at heaven for a blessing but an importunate prayer pierceth it though as hard as brasse and makes way for it selfe into the eares of the Almighty And as it ascends lightly up carried with the wings of faith so it ever comes laden downe againe upon our heads In prayer our thoughts should not be guided by our words but our words by our thoughts Good prayers never came weeping home and by fervent prayer we are sure to receive either what we aske or what we should aske VErtuous actions are a mans best monument Foolish is the hope of Immortality and future praise by the cost of sencelesse stone when the Passenger shall only say here lies a faire stone and a filthy Carkasse That only can report us rich but for other praises our selves must build