from fear of evil Mast Mind this in the first place my beloved Scholar that the Fear of God is the root and principle of all Divine Notions and Doctrines in which as in a large Treasury they are all virtually contained But that he who has not this fear in his heart is not fit to be admitted into those Schools that are appointed for the Exposition of the Divine Law lest he add sin to sin For so it is that whosoever has the true fear and reverence of God the doctrine of the Divine Law will be unto him as a wholesom Medicine But on the contrary to him that is void of this Godly Fear it proves to be deadly poison for such a man is more cruel than the wild Beasts as one that abuses the knowledge of the Divine Law and makes it the instrument of Malice and Deceit Wherefore have a care that thou turn not from the right way turn not to the right hand nor to the left from the way of that fear we have mentioned Deut. 6.18 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God Now in this point of the Law it is to be understood that we must reverence the Disciples of wise men for they will hold forth a Light to thy mind they will bring thee up in the right way and instruct thee how to perform every duty according to the Rule of the Divine Law which they will clearly expound unto thee Secondly learn this of which I would have thee fully persuaded Whosoever is approved of Men has a good sign that he is acceptable to God for he has the Fear of God before his eyes both in private and in publick Wherefore every man ought to devote himself to this Fear and to behave himself so that he may be beloved of all Men and be the delight of his Brethren Have a care that thou yield not such respect to any man which may make thee to forsake the Truth disregard all things in comparison of this for God is holy and his seal is Truth Now whatsoever it shall please God the Creator to dispense unto thee let that satisfie thee whether it be little or much Take this for certain that he is the rich man who lives chearfully being always content with his own condition But he that abounds with wealth if he be often vexed and disturbed and sollicitous about the getting of more he is in no wise to be accounted a rich man Devote every action to the glory of God let all things have reference to the honour of the Almighty Creator by the continual changes and alterations incident to this life be stirred up to the contemplation and acknowledgment of thy Creator going lying rising As for instance when thou takest thy Meat think with thy self that thy Meat is so prepared for thee by the infinite wisdom of God that it has such a quality that it is turn'd into the substance of thy body When thou goest to bed consider that it is by the Divine Bounty that we Mortals enjoy our sleep which gives rest to our Bodies and renews their strength that we may be more able to perform the solemn Worship of God and to do the works of our vocation Reflect in like manner on the other Functions of the Body for which be thankful and give glory to God Thus whatsoever thou doest thou oughtst to do it with reference to God who will continually provide for thee and prosper thee in all thy affairs he will make all thy ways streight he will keep thy feet from every path that would lead thee aside to the right hand or to the left Moreover in all that thou coest whether in publick or in private see thou most strictly and carefully observe the Laws of perfect Chastity and Modesty for Wisdom always accompanies those that are of a clean heart Take heed to thy self and use all diligence to avoid the company of wicked men for every one is led by his Companion to vice or virtue and God abominates all works of iniquity and all vicious persons Have a care therefore that thou never joyn thy self in counsel with such men nor tread in their steps whose feet are swift to do mischief And be confident of this that if thou hast any familiar intimate conversation with them although thou dost not imitate their practices nevertheless God will disappoint thy undertakings and both the Love and Holy Fear of the Divine Majesty will at once slide out of thine heart and all thy ways shall be full of windings and turnings and inexplicable difficulties Fly from sin avoid all vice and impurity and whatsoever has any appearance thereof Be vigilant and circumspect continually that thou mayest not fall under the suspicion of any abominable practice Study to oblige every man and be not backward to those that stand in need of thy help according to thy power so that thou do nothing contrary to the Law of God For if it come to pass that any man thy Father thy Mother thy Teacher or Instructor yea thy Prince though he be the most potent Monarch in the world should command thee to do any thing contrary to the Law of God do not obey him not give ear unto his words let not the Authority of any man prevail with thee as much as the Divine Majesty But let the Power of God and his dreadful Tribunal beget in thee far greater terror than the Edicts or fierce Threatnings of any King If thou shalt lead thy life according to these precepts God will meet with thy expectations and defend thee from the snare that any one has laid for thee and from every evil accident thou shalt overthrow great and strong Lions Serpents and Draggons thou shalt tread under thy feet and be delivered from all dangers Now because thou art so desirous to perceive the secrets of the Divine Law see thou come every day to my House I will not grudge to instruct thee all the day long how thou mayest attain to the perfection of true Virtue and Godliness Go to then my Son prepare all the faculties of thy Soul and from the bottom of thy heart with the most ardent devotion pray unto God that he would open unto thee the Gates of Knowledge and Wisdom Get the knowledge get the knowledfe of God this is the only thing in which thou mayst glory if thou wilt glory in any thing Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole Duty of Man FINIS
for I the Lord your God am holy Mast Is any other thing necessary for the obtaining of the Sovereign Good or true Happiness besides this twofold Love of which thou hast spoken viz. towards God and towards Men Sch. On these two depends the whole Law for that Deut. 6.5 Thou shalt Love the LORD thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy Strength contains all those Precepts commanding and forbidding which declare what is the Duty of Man towards God And this Lev. 19.18 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self in like manner comprises all those Precepts which pertain to the Duty of every Man towards all other Men concerning their lawful Commerce or Commutation of their Goods and the avoiding of all Deceits Capital Judgments the Right of Marriage and Inheritance which things the Divine Law contains as it hath respect to Human Society There 's nothing therefore which brings us into the favour of our Almighty LORD and Master but the observance of those two Precepts on which depend the Six hundred and thirteen Mast Is it necessary that we should imploy all our Heart and all our Mind and all our Strength in the Exercise of our Love towards Men which is contained in these words Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self in like manner as we ought to do in the Exercise of our Love towards the Immortal God Sch. Those two Loves being as it were two Pillars to support the Law the Exercise of them must needs be of equal necessity but our Love towards God does without all doubt require the whole Heart and Mind and Strength which is the same as if thou shouldst say That to this end that we might rightly observe the Commandments of God that we may reject and cast out of our minds all vain Thoughts and false Conceits it is necessary that our Heart be enflam'd with the Fire of Divine Love and that it be affected with a certain kind of Fear and Reverence so that rather than we would be disobedient to the Admonitions and Precepts of God we would choose to have our Lives taken from us so far should we be from doing any thing contrary to the Divine Law for fear of the Loss of our Estate In a word that if we be in danger to be deprived of our Lives our Fortunes and all things which in this Life are most dear unto us this our Love towards God should restrain us from doing any thing contrary to the Commandmets of our LORD and Governour Therefore our Love towards Men also requires our Heart and Mind and Strength Mast Thou must needs give some light to those thy last words and expound to me how far those three Heart Mind and Strength are requir'd for the due performance of our Love towards Men. Sch. As for the Heart it is requir'd that we do not conceive the least hatred in our Heart against any Man of which the Law speaketh expresly Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thine Heart For that Hatred which is laid up in the depths of the Heart for the most part proceeds from Envy which Hatred carries in it far greater Bitterness than that which hath its rise from an injury received from any Wrangling or Contention or any other thing of the like nature For the cause of this kind of Hatred being remov'd that Hot Freth is presently taken away also and so there is a remedy for it But there can no remedy be found out for that Hatred which proceeds from Envy that is always stirring up of Strife and loathsom Brawlings and Contentions that destroyed the second Temple which was not as the first defiled with Idolatry Whoredom Adultery Incest and Murder that hath expell'd the Remnant of the Jews from their own Borders and those Israelites which are yet in the World it keeps even to this day in Captivity and Exile Moreover this was it which caus'd the Expulsion of our People from so many places this was the cause of all the Calamities Miseries and Distresses which we have suffer'd from the beginning of that most grievous Captivity to this very day and this still breaths forth a Smoke so thick and so loathsom that it threatens an Universal Destruction And that Hatred fix'd in the Heart is called Hatred without consideration Odium Temerarium for it seizes on a Mans Heart from no other cause but mere Envy but this is the most grievous and abominable of all the several kinds of Hatred because in it there is double Iniquity Propense Malice which urges to destroy a man and Malignity or Ill Will whereby the Heart is infected or poyson'd Therefore these words are included in the Commandment with all thine heart for that is not onely a Mans Duty to be free from the guilt of all such Inhumanity but also to love every man truly and heartily to have a perfect abhorrence from all kind of Envy Strife and Contention This is to Love with all thine Heart There is another kind of Hatred when one man has in his mind an Aversion to another not from Envy or any private Grudge but upon account of the cross Manners and ill Disposition of that man to whom he has an Aversion for the Likeness in Manners does of it self beget a mutual Affection between men so on the contrary the Disagreement in manners and natural inclinations begets Hatred which is not so bitter as that Hatred which we have already spoken of but yet it is no easie matter to root it out therefore we are admonish'd that we keep our selves far from it For that with all thy Mind implies this sence If any ones manners do not agree with thy Genius however thou oughtest to bear with him and to love him for God surely is worthy for whose sake thou shouldst do this The third kind of Hatred is that which proceeds from the immoderate desire of Riches and to this are those words to be referr'd and with all thy Strength Under this kind of Hatred is comprehended that which Workmen especially if they are of the same Trade are apt to conceive one against another For Artificers for the most part hate those that addict themselves to the same Art which we are forbidden to do And indeed if any Artificer think with himself that all gifts or endowments riches and honours come from the ONE True God nor can that be the portion of one which he hath decreed to bestow on another he will be so far from hating those of his own Profession that he will rather love them the more as those that are like him in their course of life If it so happen that any difference or contention do arise between two men they may go to Law and plead their Cause and when the Judge after a full hearing hath determined the Controversie they should each of them lay aside the person of an Adversary For the whole Company of the Israelites are like the Body of one and
the same distributed into its several parts but it would be a great madness in case one Member should by some accident be the cause of some pain to another for a man in revenge to the part or member offended to hurt the other part In like manner if one man offend another the person offended ought not to revenge the injury nor to retain any bitter resentments of it but presently to forgive the Offender and to pray unto God to be merciful to him This was our ancient Father Abraham's way as we find it written Gen. 20.17 So Abraham prayed unto God and God healed Abimelech Moreover let every man think seriously of this that we who never pass over one day wherein we do not commit some Offence against God do nevertheless find that he is still merciful and gracious unto us Wherefore if we are his Children as it is written Deut. 14.1 Ye aâ—e the Children of the LORD your God If it be our duty to be like to him we ought surely to be as he is ready to pardon and slow to anger for whosoever is averse from wrath that is the desire of revenge his sins are forgiven him God deals with him as he does with those men that have trespass'd against him We must also endeavour upon all occasions to convince one another with such words as are most apt to turn away 2 mans mind from all iniquity lest we should so carry our selves as to incurr the guilt of the sins that another man hath committed in thought word or deed In this threefold way of acting we should do what we can for the good of one another for this is the meaning of that passage in the Law Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Whatsoever things are pleasant and delightsem unto thee these thou oughtest to endeavour as much as in thee lies to procure for all those persons that are of thine acquaintance to reconcile Man and Wife that have been at variance to preserve the peace of thy Country This is that which we find written Psal 34.14 Seek peace and pursue it These same persons thou oughtest also to serve with thy thoughts that is to say to desire most syncerely that they may be really advantaged by thee and thou oughtest as constantly to pray unto God for their prosperity as for thine own Mast Thou hast discoursed at large of those two places wherein all the Law is contained and consequently our whole duty towards God and towards Men. It remains that thou shouldst now declare what and how many are those Seeds of Sin which we ought with all possible care to avoid lest they hinder us from the attainment of the chief Object of our Hope the Sovereign Good or the onely True Happiness Sch. The Seed of Sin is threefold Obstinacy or Wilfulness Imprudence and Rebellion Mast What is that which thou callest Wilfulness Sch. The Heart and much of every man is evil from his Childhood he cares for nothing but what he conceits will be for his own end being prone to Lust and wholly addicted to the satisfaction of his own Inordinate Will he is so eagerly desirous of Temporal Pleasures that he does not distinguish between those that are Lawful and those that are absolutely Sinful so that he may fulfill his sensual desires When a man does any thing merely to enjoy his pleasure and having a perfect knowledge that what he does is contrary to the Law of God yet nevertheless gives way to his inclinations this is said to be done obstinately or wilfully Mast But what is that which thou callest Imprudence Sch. Of this I may rightly say there are two kinds One consists in the fact or thing done as if a man being ignorant that such a thing is unlawful to be done undertakes to do it because he thought that the doing of it was lawful For who can understand his Errors The other is when any man through Incogitancy or want of Consideration gives up himself to affect such things which are not in their own nature exceeding wicked but yet it is a part of Vertue to abstain from them Of this kind are the desires to commit a sin the speaking of idle words the taking of too much pleasure in things lawful and the like for all these do as it were make a man abash'd at the thought of God his Creator so that he cannot with any intention apply his mind to the Contemplation of him nor yield unto him that Worship and Reverence which he requires Their nature and tendency are such that they insensibly bring a man to a Habit of wickedness and involve him in these seven Vices which God hates and abominates and which cast a man down from the state of a sound mind and at once deprive him of Life in this World and in the World to come Mast What are these seven abominable Vices Sch. These are as it were seven Bodies of the Tree of Perversness or Iniquity grown up to a great height from whose Branches all sorts of wickedness spring forth And indeed in the beginning they seem to be light and of little moment that a man should have any great care to avoid them but afterward they most grievcusly oppress a man that yields obedience unto them and such is their horrid force that it can hardly be but that he whom they have once depraved becomes incorrigible for they stain the Soul with the deepest Tincture of Impiety Wherefore whosoever to keep his mind in a good temper must with all diligence endeavour to avoid those vices Sloth Pride Gluttony Lust or the inordinate desire of Corporeal Pleasures Anger or the desire of Revenge Covetousness Envy to which some vices the Prophets attributed seven other names to wit these Evil Uncircumcised Unclean Enemy the Stumbling Block c Mast Those things which thou hast now spoken of need some explication wherefore declare the force and nature of every one of these seven vices and show how those Names which thou laidst down but now do answer to those Names or Appellations which the Prophets impes'd on the same Vices Sch. Sloth is a vice which so affects a man that wholly neglecting his duty to keep his Mind in a right temper he sits idle and careless and turns his thoguhts to vain frivolous Objects from meditating on the Law of God from observing his Precepts and doing the works which he enjoyns us unto This is the Fountain of all Vices and therefore it is called Evil. For this is the meaning of that passage in the Law Gen. 8.21 The imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth Such a Creature is Man he would rather give up himself to idleness than take any pains to render his Nature perfect and accomplish'd neither does he rightly understand wherein the Perfection and Accomplishment of his Mind does consist And that man is possest with this vice who loves to be perpetually playing at Dice or Cards or to be at some other sport for
six most aboninable wickednesses or impieties which are so odious unto God Sch. The first is if a man shall most impudently take up such a conceit that he shall attain Eternal Life although he omit the performance of those Commandments which God has absolutely and indispensably joyned him unto Another is this If he distrust the Goodness and Mercy of God and so conceits that now after he has committed so many crimes there is no hope left for him that the Divine Majesty has no hands to be stretched out to those that return into the Paths of Righteousness that he has no compassion for those that have been heinously wicked But if a man be guilty of all manner of wickedness and with a broken Heart and contrite Spirit beg pardon of God he will find him to be a God merciful and gracious and easie to be intreated For God desires not the death of a Sinner but rather that he turn from the ways of Sin and Corruption unto soundness and integrity of Life Is there any of us that has been guilty of so many so great and so heinous Offences against God as Manasses was who made it his business to enflame the wrath of God but even of him we find it written 2 Chron. 33.13 And prayed unto him and he was intreated of him c. The third is when a man resists the truth known and perceived fully that he may pour out his mind upon sin and vanity and be wholly addicted to a licentious course of life The fourth is To envy another for the Gifts which God has bestowed on him as Cain envied Abel because God had respect to his Offering Mast But how does this kind of Envy differ from that which thou hast put in the number of the seven Vices which are so abominated of God Sch. The difference is that this Grief or Sickness of Mind does arise from the Observances of those Spiritual Advantages which a man sees by the Divine Bounty to be conferr'd on others for their well-doing Of this nature was the ill will of Cain against Abel for when a man envies another in such manner he has a foolish conceit that he comes not behind any one in good works and yet he has not received the same reward with others that so the Supreme Judge has respect of persons he grieves that he has lived so well and bends himself to the destruction of another who is more beloved of God than himself In this manner Saul envied David But that Envy we have formerly spoken of is the Grief which a man conceives when he sees another man grow Rich or Honourable c. And for the most part this kind of Envy falls upon the Spirits of Women and persons of weak understanding neither does it like this urge a man to commit the most horrid wickedness Mast I have heard thy distinction and most heartily approve it it remains that thou explain the other two most abominable impieties above mentioned Sch. The Fifth is if any man remain stubbornly and pertinaciously in his own Opinion even then when men in the highest Authority dissent from him he is every where called an Old Rebel He deliver his own Sentiments to be followed by others of this man we find it written Deut. 17.12 And the man that will do presumptuously The Sixth is For a man to be deliberate and to be fixed in his resolution that he will never repent but that he will die in his sins Mast But what are those four primary Mischiefs which cry aloud unto God for vengeance Sch. The first is if one man kill another willingly and knowingly for the Altar it self affords no safety to a Murderer for it is written in the Law Exod. 21.14 But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour to slay him with guile thou stalt take him from mine Altar that he may die To the same effect is that spoken in the Law Gen. 4.10 The voice of thy Brothers bloud crieth unto me The next is to defile another mans bed of which sin it is written Prov. 6.28 29. Can one go upon hot coals and his feet not be burnt So he that goes in to his neighbours wife Whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent The third is the oppressing of the Poor the forcing the hungry and needy to weeping and wailing concerning which thus speaks the Divine Oracle Psal 12.5 Now will I arise saith the Lord. The fourth to defraud the Hireling of his wages for that is the same as to deject his Spirits and make his heart to fail him To this pertains that of the Law Deut. 24.15 For he is poor and setteth his heart upon it He that is addicted to these horrible Crimes and to these seven Vices which are so hated of God he presently entangles himself in Rebellion the third stock or complication of Iniquity that is to say he knows his Lords will and of set purpose acts that which is most contrary unto it There remains no safety no hope for such a man for what how shall he escape who when he understands what his Lord would have him to do does the contrary with all his might Surely his Lords wrath shall burn against him he will break a Rod of Iron over him he will bring him into judgment nor will he suffer him o go unpunished Mast What doth not Repentance profit a man that has been guilty of Rebellion which proves a Soveraign Medicine for Impudence and Obstinacy Sch. Doubtless there 's great vertue and efficacy in Penitence Affliction of Mind Prayer and Good Works there 's no Sin but what will be forgiven him that rightly performs these Duties and the Hand of God is always stretched forth to receive those who return into the Paths of Righteousness But there is somewhat more required of him that is stain'd with the guilt of Rebellion he must retain those excellent Advocates to plead for him the continual Meditation of the Divine Law and the most earnest study of Goodness and Righteousness by whose help his Prayer and Penitence becomes acceptable to God His Wickedness and Concupiscence keep him at a great distance from God and hinder the access of his Prayers Now he that will be cur'd of the Sickness of his Soul should take the same course with him who labours under any Distemper of Body for he goes to the Physician of whom he may learn what he must do to recover his Health In like manner he that is sick in his Soul should apply himself to some wise man that has the skill to shew him how he may be cur'd But sith the Medicine of the Body is so prepar'd that it is contrary to the nature of the Disease it follows that the Physician of the Soul must also seek out such Remedies which resist the nature of Concupiscence which is predominant in a diseased Soul Mast Tell now I pray thee what are those Studies and Inclinations which are opposed to those seven Bodies of Iniquity