of all the world Now that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath abounded toward you both not only in the outward comforts of Honor and Wealth in the eyes of men but that which is far better in the knowledge of God and practise of holinesse before his Saints would make you perfect to do his will and work in you an encrease of all those graces of his Spirit that do undoubtedly accompany salvation that you may live in his fear die in his favour rest in his peace and rise to his glory is and shall be the prayer of Your HONORS Much obliged And Most humble Servant John Beadle TO THE READER Christian Reader OUR blessed Saviours caveat about what and how we hear of the things written by God as how to hear and read also Books written by men is now most seasonably needfull when many soul-sick stomachs are so childishly weak they know not how to rufuse the evill and choose the sound and good food for souls To quicken then thy appetite to this savory meat held forth in this Pious Tract that thy soul may eat walk in its strength blesse God and the dresser of it let me walk with thee a while in the withdrawing room of a Preface about some few things concerning the Author and work it self I presume not my single testimony to add to the credit or value of either the Surety should be of more note and worth then the Principall yet my duty of honour and love to him my zeal and desire to advance such a designe emboldens me beyond my ability with a learned pious Ancient in a subject not unlike this Of the ungratefull enemies of Grace in his time the Pelagians Concerning the Author of this Journall of a Thankfull Christian my knowledge hath been above twenty years standing we were of an intimate society and vicinity for many years we took sweet counsell together and walked unto the house of God in company He was my guide and my acquaintance as David hath it We oft breathed and powred out our souls together in Prayer Fasting and conferences When walking after the Lord in a wildernesse we had lesse allowed liberty but more inward enlargednesse of Spirit At which time he had the happinesse of a younger Elisha not to powre water on the hands but to be watered by the droppings of that great Elijah that renowned man of God in his generation Reverend Mr. Thomas Hooker and hath had ever since the blessing and savour of much of his spirit resting on him as was said of Elisha And having mentioned that Name of pretious memory Worthy Mr. Hooker now at rest with the Lord Saint Hooker I may call him as Latimer Saint Bilney it is a reall practise of this Christian Diurnall to acknowledge with all hearty thankfulnesse to God in Christ before the world that great mercy and unspeakable blessing which Essex Chelmsford this Author my self and many others then enjoyed in the labours of that Powerfull Soul-saving Heart-searching Minister of Jesus Christ for which rich grace and compassion towards us we hope some of us shall blesse and praise his glorious Name in a better world to all eternity As for this Authors painfulnesse and faithfulnesse it 's well known to all that know him how greatly they shined forth in him whilst in a very small place and how since advanced by the bounty of his truly Noble and Honorable Patron to a higher and but necessary subsistence they have continued and increased In Catechizing Preaching on the Lords dayes and working dayes holding up the use of those soul-feasting Sacraments even unto these our dayes wherein these Wels have been either stopt up or lesse drawn at these choice dishes either set off the table quite or seldome fed on to the leannesse of many souls Neither is he only a Practicall but in life and practise a Preacher as in other particulars so in the subject of this Treatise Thankfulnesse which as he hath put forth a monument and memoriall of herein to God and Man so I hope his name shall live in it and I heartily desire thy soul and mine might live more thankfully by it As David towards the end of his Book of Psalms so this finger of Israel towards the end of his dayes summons a consort of all to blesse the Lord for which thankfulnesse in so many gratulatory Psalms some have thought the former and we may in charity hope the latter a man after Gods own heart Which sacrifice of Thanksgiving and Praise exciting others also and calling them to it is now the more signally exemplary in him as his outward estate is not overmuch he being rich especially in Ashers blessing many children and whilest he with many other burning and shining lights once rejoyced in yet now are become Lamps despised by many at ease and troden out as snuffes before God put on the extinguisher of death I say now to set himself over the Thanksgiving and set out such a Psalm of praise is thankfulnesse in deed and worthy of an Higgaâ—on Selah Psal 9. 16. For the work it self as Solomon of the virtuous woman Let it praise it self in the gates its subject being Praise and Thankfulnesse it will carry its commendation in its Name and Title as some Emperours Commodus Pius did a work worthy of thanks and praise Besides the ground or plain song as I may phrase it and matter of it the forme and descanting about it set off with many Historicall applications and Scripture allusions yea minding us of some duties obsolete and quite out of fashion all these as graces may render this a new song and so not only profitable but more pleasurable and acceptable to the Reader In a word the whole is a Pillar of Praise an Eben-ezer set up to the name of the most high God an Ed a Stone of witnesse both of Gods goodnesse to us and of our evill and unthankfulnesse against him Praise and thanksgiving is a service becoming the upright proper to the Saints a work of pure grace when purely offered Confessions petitions nature outward wants may excite to but as they say of vain swearing cursing it 's all Devill no profit pleasure tempts to it and as one of murmuring called it the Devils mouth so contrarily blessing praising is all God such a mouth is the mouth of God it 's the service of triumphing Saints and spirits of men made perfect Angelicall Heavenly most spirituall and of highest divine extract The fire must come from above that kindles this Sacrifice Christ alone is the Master and teacher of this musick who only can teach it and tune our hearts for it Psal 51. 17. 119. 7. 2. Yea t is a better blessing a thankfull praising heart then the blessings for which we commonly blesse God these are earthly temporall mostly this is a gift of especiall grace an unspeakable gift Praise compared with
such in the Scriptures Few men went to the grave in peace that by their monstrous impietiâ— made war against heaven and his Church As what became of Pharaoh the bloody and Achitophel the crafty of Balaam the covetous and Corah the rebell of Haman the proud and Herod the fox As their live were wicked so their ends were fearful Iâ— like manner what became of Absalom the disobedient and Ela the drunkard 〈◊〉 Zimri and Cosbi the unclean of Ananiâ— and Saphira those lyars Were not all these taken away with a stroke in their sin Whaâ— became of those Romane Nimrods as Maxentius the Tyrant and Julian the Apostate with others who hunted the Saints of God to death in those ten persecutions mentioned in Ecclesiasticall Histories How few oâ— their hoary heads went to the grave in peace To come neerer to our owne times What became of wily Winchester and bloody Bonner with many others that ruled the roste in those Dog-dayes of Q Mary's reign Few of those bloody and deceitfull men lived out half their dayes But when the scumme was at the highest it fell into the fire for though God did bear them up for some time in their essence yet he would not bear them out at all in their malice God hath leaden feet but iron hands though he comes slowly yet he strikes surely It is good to mark the ends of men Mark the perfect man saith the Psalmist and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace Balaam did so as wicked as he was which made him wish that he might dye the death of the righteous and that his latter end might be like his In like manner mark the end of the transgressors for they shall be destroyed together the end of the wicked shall be cut off that is they shall not dye the common death of all men but shall be cut off in the midst of their dayes If their lives be tragical their deaths are seldome comicall Zoroastes the inventer of Magick as some Historians affirm of him laught at his birth but dyed a wofull and a lamentable death being banished from his Countrey Alphonsus Dyazius a Spaniard a rigid Papist procured a notorious cut-throat to murâ—her his Brother John Dyazius a sincere Protestant because he could by no means turn him from the truth but the righteous Lord would not suffer such an unnaturall villany to go unpunished for not long after he was haunted by the terrors of his owne conscience that being at Trent when the Councel sate there for he was one of the Popes Lawyers he hanged himself about the neck of his owne Mule How have some godly Divines taken good pains in writing the stories of Godâ— judgements upon notorious malefactors aâ— Drunkards Swearers Sabbath-breakers and such like Would others be perswaded in their generation to take speciall notice and keep some account of such memorable accidents the benefit would be singular The righteous shall see and fear saith the Psalmist What shal they see That God destroyed the mighty man that boasts himself in mischief that God takes him away and plucks him out of his dwelling place and roots him out of the land of the living A Serviâ—g-man being at a Tavern in Essex and threatning to swear the Constable out of the Town if he came there in a drunken fit running after one to make him pledge him a pinte of sack at a draught fell down the stairs and dyed instantly Novemb. 1. 1626. A Fisher-man that I knew bringing Mackerell to a Port-town in Suffolk where the people because they were new and the first that came that yeer to Town pressing eagerly to buy them and some against his will being entred into his boat he took up a stone and sware by the name of God he would make them stand further off instantly sunk down and soon after dyed How many in my time have I noted Would others do the like how would men consider such things and understand the righteous judgements of the Lord 5. Finally consider seriously and observe very strictly what the Nationall Epidemicall sin of the time and present generation may be Where iniquity abounds it is hard to determine but questionlesse every age hath a peculiar distemper In times of commotion when the bands of love are broken into severall parties and factions as they have been lately amongst us it is more easily discerned A noble Gentleman of singular abilities and one much employed in affairs of State in his time whom I knew well advised his friends at such a time to buy up all the Pamphlets that were printed if of any considerable worth for when people fall out they commonly speak out and if they be once drunk with passion and their distempers boyl to any height the most secret venome will swim on the top By which means you may easily seel the pulse of the present time and discover what is the Nationall and most predominant sinne and it will be worth our praise to know it Which that we may the better doe let us look back a little to the generations behinde us 1. Some times have been more notorious for drunkennesse Scaliger in his Book de Lingua Latina observes this of the Germans in his time that their vivere was bibere not only in their pronunciation as he noted but in their practice as other well observed who lived that they might drink Seneca foretold so much of some times that men should be so drowned with this sin of drunkennesse that plurimum meri sumpsisse virtus esset it should be esteemed a virtue to strive with the Brewers horse who should carry more liquor and with some it hath been of that esteem that not as drunk as a Begger but as drunk as a Prince hath been a kind of proverbial commendation of some When Aeschines commended Philip King of Macedon for a Joviall man who would drink freely Demosthenes being by told him that this was a good quality in a Spunge but not in a Prince Drunkennesse is a sin that layes men open to all iniquity more then any sin Ebrietas in se culpas complectitur omnes What sin is not a Drunkard subject to Their eyes shall behold strange women saith Solomon and their hearts shall utter perverse things And a sin it is that God hath more frequently and suddenly plagued with death in the very act then any other sin Edgar a King of England observing in his time that excessive drinking abounded in the Land through the example of the Danes that dwelt in divers parts of the Kingdome to prevent that evill ordained that their cups they drank in should have certain pins or nails put in them beyond which if any drank at one draught he should pay so much money 2. Some generation hath been more infamous for that sin of Swearing and that by the name of God even at every word here in England Insomuch that a family in this Land and that no mean one
congregation The Psalmist exhorteth to this duty very much Sing unto the Lord sing Psalms unto hi◠〈◊〉 ye of all his wondrous works It was the Psalmist his practice Come and hear all ye that 〈◊〉 God and I will declare unto you what God hath dâ—â—e for my soul Moses the servant of the Lord did so He told Jethro his Father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Aegyptians for Israels sake and all the travell that had come upon them by the way and how the Lord delivered them Which occasioned much prayse unto God from a Midianite who said Blessed be the Lord who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Aegyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh c. Christ himself commanded the man whom he delivered from the legion of Devils that he should goe home to his friends and tell them how great things the Lord had done for him and had compassion on him And indeed to return thanks unto God for all his mercies is so great a debt that we alone cannot pay unlesse God give us time and no lesse then eternity is enough And therefore we had need make collection of praises from friends that the summe may be made up the more full The Psalmist goes to all the creatures both in heaven and earth and makes a collection Heavens Angels saith he Sun Moon and Stars Kings and all people young men and maids old men and babes praise the name of the Lord. Comemmoration Sermons which are in use in Colledges and some other places are excellent And as there may be good use made of them divers wayes so this way especially that all may be provoked to blesse God for their Benefactors It is observable that to beg prayers is the common complement of friends at their pâ—â—ting and Ora pro nobis is the conclusion of all our Letters but we seldome beg praises When do we say I beseech you blesse God for me and with me for such a late deliverance for such successe in mine endevours for such comfort in my relations c. As if we served an hard Master as if God had been a barren heath or a wildernesse to our souls as if his service had no profit Whereas there is no Matter like the Lord no service like his whose very work is wages CHAP. VII An use of Exhortation wherein Christians are perswaded to keep such a Journall or Diary AND thus far shall suffice to have been spoken of the manner how such a Journall should be used For the application of all I shall onely 〈◊〉 such as have not been acquainted with this duty to set upon this work Indeed there is a latitude in Christianity and the wayes of God that all do not reach I have have an end of all perfection saith the Psalmist but thy commandement is exceeding large When things are come to their perfection to their flower they quickly fade 〈◊〉 a Lute string if wound up to the highest it breaks but the course of holinesse and way of righteousnesse have large limits and boundaries that many come not at There are sins that some seldome confesse as Sacramentall sins Sacramentall ignorance Sacramentall unbelief impenitency uncharitablenesse c. There are some things they seldome pray for Where is the man who with Agur prayes Lord give me no riches We often in prayer presse the promise but how few at any time presse the seal wherein God is come under the power of law under the power of his own law wherein all his wisdome power faithfulnesse goodnesse and mercy is under the power of his owne law yea so far engaged that he cannot go back And yet how few urge the seal and enter a suit with the Lord There are some duties we seldome or never perform Where is the man that makes conscience of private fasting and â—rayer that shuts himself up in his closet and wrâ—stles with God in secret that his Fatâ—â—r that seeth in secret may reward him openly To conclude how few are there that keep a Diary by them of all Gods gracious dealings with them Now that I may perswade such Christians at least as have any abilities and opportunities to enter upon this duty I shall doe these two things 1. Give some directions that may be as advantages to further this service 2. Give some arguments that may encourage and provoke thereunto and so conclude 1. Therefore often remember your sinfull estate when you were in a naturall estate and therefore in the 〈◊〉 of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity God commanded his people so to do Remember and forget not â—ow thâ—n provokedst the Lord thy God in the wildernesse c. This charge the Apostle lays upon the Ephestans Remember that you being in times past Gentilâ—s in the flesh that at that time ye were without Christ â—liens from the Common-wealth of Israel and stâ—angers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world God promised that his people should do so You shal remember your wayes and your doings wherewith you have been defiled and you shall loath your selves Paul did so he oftentimes makes mention of his sinfull condition before his conversion he is not ashamed to declare it before King Agrippa I thought verily with my self that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth which thing I also did in Jerusalem for many of the Saints I shut up in â—â—ison and when they were put to death I gave my voyce against them and I punished them oft in every Synagogue c. So much he telleth the Corinthians I am not worthy to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God The like he declares to Timothy I was a blaspheâ—â—â— a persecuter and injurious Yea he was more then an ordinary sinner in his owne eyes Jesus Christ saith he came into the world to save sinner's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof I am thiefâ— or primus the first as it is in the originall He was primus the first non ordine sed excellentia not in order of â—ime but in the excesse of wickednesse for 〈…〉 every sin hath his 〈◊〉 So did Joseph 's Brethren when he dealt roughly with them and God lookt so mercifully on them as to afflict them for their â—in They said one to another we are very guilty conâ—â—â—â—ing our Brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would not hear And how have those old bruises and fins of youth being sadly and seriously remembred caused much brokennesse and tendernesse much care and watchfulnesse in some all their days Themâ—sâ—â—eles told his friends when being banished out of his Countrey and most honorably entertained by the King of Persia Perâ—eram nisâ— periissem I had been undone if I had not been thus distressed So may many a gracious soul say I had