are sweetned God doth not any time put off his people because he is not in a capacity to give mercy but doth many times put them off because they are not in a capacity to receive mercy Mercifull He that is mercifull to the Saints for Christs sake shall be rewarded by Christ for the Saints sake Miracles God doth not alwayes bind miracles to faith nor faith to miracles God will sometimes be beleived without them and sometimes spends them upon unbelievers Money Onely money well and lawfully gotten is good and lawful money Morality See Civility Mourning A godly man doth not onely mourn in secret for his publick sinnes but he also mournes in publick for his secret sinnes N Nature Grace Nature teacheth us to prefer our lives before the world and grace teacheth us to prefer our souls before our lives Naturall Spiritual Natural men will not do all they can spiritual men cannot do all they will We call fools naturals but we may and more truly call natural men fools Natural defects Natural defects are not the Creatures fault but the Creators pleasure and therefore he that finds fault with them finds fault with God That man hath a very ill nature who would have others be good to him but he himself loves not to be good to others Nothing There is a time when nothing a time when something but no time when all things are to be spoken That man hath nothing who wants Christ and that man who hath Christ wants nothing O Obedience 'T is obedience to disobey parents when we cannot obey them without disobeying God Offring The Offrings did not nor doe sanctifie the Altar but the Altar did and doth sanctifie the Offring Vain Offrings are offered in vain or they that worship God vainly do worship God in vain 't is to no purpose 't is nothing worth Omission Commission Omission of good is comission of evill One of Christs 'T is a great mercy to be one of Christs though but one of his little ones Orders of Men. In all orders of men the greatest part are out of order Ordinances Many use the Ordinances of God who make no use of them 't is indeed good to use them but the gain and sweetness is in making good use of them Christ certainly speaks to men in that ministry which speaketh men into Christ 'T is to be feared that they who turn their backs upon the Ordinances of God will at last turn their backs upon the God of Ordinances Opinion Most men have a good opinion of their own opinion though the opinion be not good To maintain an opinion because it s thine and not because it is true is to maintain thy self not the truth and so to prefer thy self above the truth Opportunity 'T is better to want opportunities for our hearts to improve than to want an heart to improve our opportunities Over-valuing self He that over values himself is usually undervalued by others Old New Testament In the old Testament the new was vailed in the new the old is revealed P Pardon God doth not onely give pardon to them that believe but he also gives faith to believe pardon Parentage See Vice Parts 'T is not the best part of a Christians excellency that he is of excellent parts Pass-time That is the best pass-time wherein the time is best passed Peace holding 'T is better to hold ones peace than by speaking to offend or to give an offence Physicians Physicians of greatest value are of no value in some cases but one may say of them miserable comforters are ye all Pleasing God As what Saints have pleaseth not God if offered without themselves so what they have from God doth not please them without himself The best way to please all or displease any with least danger is to please him who is all in all There is nothing so sweetly pleasing and pleasantly sweet to a gratious heart as to please God A Saint doth not onely seek to please God but also to be pleased with God not onely that his doings may be acceptable to God but also that all Gods dealings may be acceptable to him Passionate When others are passionate towards Saints Saints should be compassionate towards them Passion makes them fools which otherwise are not so and shews them to be fools which are so Poor Rich. 'T is the misery of the poor to be neglected of men 't is the misery of the rich to neglect God Pride God will stain the pride of all glory for indeed all pride will stain his glory Prayer Prayers not felt by us are seldome heard by God In prayer a Christian must not tell God what he shall give but ask God what he will give A Christian should watch unto prayer because of his adversary the Devil who watcheth him when and wheresoever he prayes Prayer is like Jonathan's bow which sent out the arrows but faith is like Ionathan's boy which fetcht back the arrows The Saints fare the better yea are far the better for one anothers prayers Christ doth not dehort us from speaking much but from much speaking in prayer A Christian sometimes prayeth to have what he wants and other times yea often at the same time he prayeth to want that he hath Wordless Prayers An heart without words is better than words without an heart in the duty of prayer Prayerful Praiseful He that is prayerful before mercy is received should be praiseful when he hath received mercy The returns of prayer call for the return of praise Prayerless The prayerless man is a godless man Praise A man should not praise his works but his works should praise him 'T is more a mercy to praise God for the mercies we have than to have mercies to praise God for Practise 'T is good to profess but practise is better yea of the two practise without profession is better than profession without practise Men cannot practise unless they know but as good they knew not unless they practise Precept Example Precepts without examples bind more than examples without precepts though examples are more prevailing than precepts Proud God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to that is assisteth the humble Portion The Lords portion is his people and the Lord is his peoples portion Promises God makes good all the good promises which he makes Wicked men may apply themselves to the promises but godly men may apply the promises to themselves God doth not onely give his people promises to believe but doth also give them to beleive the promises Many good promises are made which are not made good Profession 'T is not the onely profession of a Christian to make onely a profession 'T is not the profession but possession of Christ which is our hope of glory Prophet See Minister A Prophet may teach us but onely God can teach us to profit Providence Providence is creation continued or a creation in a new edition Q Quarrell not with God If God be better to others than he is to
you or else you are utterly lost and undone everlastingly Luke 19. 10. 3. Gods free and general offer of Christ to any that will take him by faith Iohn 3. 16. manifold promises to this purpose The ground of all Gods offers and donations of Christ being free Grace rich mercy underserved love Ephes 2. 4. to 8. Tit. 3. 4. to 7. 4. Christs sweet and gracious invitation of such to come to him as are weary of sin Matt. 11. 28. to buy as have no money no righteousness to commend them to Christ Isa 55. 1. no worth or desert in themselves 5. As sinfull vile wretches as you are have been bought of Christ and found in Christ see 1 Cor. 9. 9. to 12. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Phil. 3. 7. to 10. why may not you the more clearly you discern upon what grounds you take Christ the more clear is your title to Christ III. By surveying and observing in what manner you take Christ dayly and this by five resolves as 1. Whether you do wholly renounce all opinion and conceit of your own righteousness and desert Matt. 8. 34. Phil. 3. 7 to 10. So that you come to Christ empty of your self very vile yea nothing in your own eyes unworthy to receive Christ 2. Whether you lay hold on Christ alone with an empty hand of faith joyning nothing with Christ in the matter of salvation 3. Whether you find the Father drawing your heart after Christ Iohn 6. 44. in hungring panting desires that will never be satisfied without Christ So that the stream both of your judgment Phil. 37. 8. and affections 1 Cor. 2 2. Gal. 6. 14. run towards Christ 4. Whether you take Christ as a Lord to rule you as a Jesus to save you Col. 2. 6. As one that is all to your all your wisdom your righteousness your sanctification and redemdemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. your spiritual food Iohn 6. 36. Raiment Rom. 13. 14. Strength Phil. 4. 13. Life Col. 3. 3. Gal. 2 10. 5. Whether you seek and wait for Christ out of the sence of your spiritual penury sacraments prayer meditation conference not as they are your own works of sanctification but as they are Gods ordinances appointed of purpose for the manifestation communication of Christ to the soul frequent perusal hereof will clear to you your manner of taking Christ which wil evidence to you your right in Christ CHAP. III. LAbour to draw and derive from Christ by the pulling attractive force of faith ability sufficient for the day I. To perform all duties Phil 4. 12. II. To exercise all the graces 2 Cor. 3. 5 III. To resist and overthrow all temptations and corruptions Rom. 8. 37. IIII. To undergo all the trials afflictions thereof Phil. 4. 13. 2 Cor. 3. 5. Iohn 1. 16. Thus make your provision of grace and strength from Christ every morning fetch so much as you have occasion to use all the day long yea and upon all occasions that fall out in the day Go to Christ still for the wisdom that must direct you for the holiness that must character you for the souldier that must bear them if they be crosses for that strength that must resist them if they be temptations for ability to performe them if they be duties To this end act your faith dayly in the promises of grace and strength as Iohn 1. 16. Ezek. 36. 26 27. Isa 44. 3 Zack 10 12. which are both security given you by God that you shall receive grace and conduit-pipes or instruments of conveying the same from Christ unto you Loe this is the manner to do all in the strength of Christ and to take forth a great deal of Christ into the soul that not you but Christ may live in you Gal. 2. 20. CHAP. IV. Perform daily duties in family and closet especially these three Prayer Meditation Reading all with serious affection heat of affection deligence and delight Ier. 48. 10. Mal. 1. 14. 2 Chron. 21. 24. these three waies I. Watch to these duties H. E. keep thy heart in a good frame for them Ephes 6. 18. undefiled with sin untainted with the world II. Take the fittest time for the performance of them all when you are the least evil and sluggish Begin the day constantly with thoughts of God III. Be very reall serious and substantial with God in them IV. Indeavour to feel all duties in your heart inlivening enlarging infleming your affections These be duties of most importance and consequence commodity and comfort to the soul because they properly appear at and reach at the souls good and caelestial happiness to train up a soul of a Believer for heaven CHAP. V. FOrtifie your self every morning against your special lusts to which you are by nature most prone or shall be most tempted be it pride passion covetousness c. This must be done four waies As I. By arguments and holy reasonings within your selves drawn fom the sad effects thereof as disprofit discomfort disgrace c. to discover the unreasonableness of your sin and make your soul ashamed of it For instance Shall I be proud Then I am sure to fall and God will count me for his enemie for God resisteth the proud â—am 4 6. Shall I be angry If I let passion in I cannot keep satan out Ephes 4 26 27. I shall grieve thereby the holy spirit of God Ephes 4 30 31. Shall I be covetous I cannot but be very sinful sith the love of money is the root of all evil 1 Tim 6 10. II. By pondring in your minds precepts in the Book of God against such sins judgments threatned or inflicted Prov 6 23 24. on proud Herod Acts 12 23. voluptuous Dives Luke 16 28. churlâ—â—h Naâ—aâ— 1 Sam 25 38. III. By applying promises of mortification close to your hearts as a plaister to the sore for subduing your iniquity Mic 7 19. Rom 6 14. IV. By drawing vertue from Christs death into the soul which hath in it a killing force of sin Rom. 6 4 107. Phi. 4 10. CHAP. VI. GEt your heart strongly fixt on God by trusting on him Psal 112 7. and submitting to him 1 Sam 3 18. against all the fears cares double trialls affliction of every day for sufficient to the day is the evill thereof Mat 6 34. This must be done five waies I. Be prudent to foresee your personal tryals and troubles what ever they are like to be Prov 22 3. II Go hide and lay up your self in God run unto his name for God is a work of habitation to which a poor soul may continually resort God will give commandment to save him Psal 71 3. 1 â—et 4 19. III. Especially commit that ver thing to God put it into his hands whatsoever you desire to keep or fear to loose 2 Tim 1 12. be it life liberty name friends maintenance c. what you would have resolved if it be a doubt Psal 37 5. or supply'd if it be a want removed if it be a
SPIRITUAL FLOWERS FOR SAINTS AND SINNERS Gathered out of the Garden of the sacred Scriptures and Writings of Men famous in their Generations By ROBERT PORT Minister of the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST Eccles 12. ver 11. The words of the wise are as goades and nayles fastned by the Masters of Assemblies London Printed by G. Dawson for George Sawbridge at the Sign of the Bible upon Ludgate-hill 1655. THE EPISTLE TO THE READER Courteous Reader THe Presse I confess is overpressed with some worthlesse works as I may call them raw Eructations of each petty Pamphletor and Readers are cloy'd and surfeited on variety in that kind And Censure being so busie every where blasting hopeful labours in the very bud might make me suspect this of mine Yet at an adventure among such a throng of Writers as pester the world I 'le croud in for company This Book thus compos'd and digested into heads was intended to have attended my service alone for ever but that some worthy friends whose judicious eye might becken me along to any good design attested seriously it would be very serviceable to Church and Common-wealth for the advance of holiness Whereupon I began to think with my self as the four Lepers 2 King 7. 8 9. I should not do well to hide or bury any thing which might do others good and therefore I have now adventured to publish it Yet let it not render the modesty of this Book suspected because it presumes to appear in company unmaned by any Patron if right it will defend it self if wrong none can defend it And now I beseech thee as well by my Epistle as by my Book labour to keep close to God in a loose Age spend not thy time in complaining of the licentiousness of the time in the mean time setting up a toleration in thine own heart and life Take heed in pleasing thy self in a bare formall profession labour to be rooted in Christ he who is but a visible Christian may in a short time cease to be so much as visible He who speaks of Christ but notionally may in time be won to speak against him Lay the foundation of mortification deep Love not the world Reserve no lust from the stroak of Jesus Christ Beware of scandals take them not where they are make them not where they are not the common sin of our times to black Religion and the Religious and then to fear and hate both Despise not the providences of God in the world they are signs of Gods mind though not of his love Delight in the publick Ordinances and highly esteem of faithful Ministers they and Religion are commonly blasted together Shun seducers sit down under a Minister as well as under a Preacher He who will hear every one may at length be brought to hear none Prov. 19. 27. And he who will hear him preach who ought not may soon be left to learn that which he ought not Preserve a tender conscience Every step thou takest fear a snare Read thine one heart in the wickedness of others Be not slight in Closet duties Oft think of God in thy particular Calling for therein thou thinkest thou hast least leisure but sure thou hast most need to do so In a word I wish thee as much delight and benefit in the perusing of my Book as it hath cost me paines in collecting digesting transcribing and reviewing of it And as this shall find acceptance with thee I shall as God shall give strength and more leisure yet further approve my self to be Thy Servant in the Lord to promots thy Faith and Comfort R. P. THE PRINTER TO THE READER REader be pleased to take notice that the Author of these Collections thus digested is preparing for the Presse these Books following viz. I. The holy Bible opened in severall Sermons upon choice Texts out of every Book in the old and new Testament 2 Light and Darkness or Truth by Scripture plainly confirmed and error confuted 3 The Saints rich Cabinet opened and presented to publick view Containing many choice and pretious Jewels all which are reduced into Theologicall conclusions Alphabetically disposed 4 Physicall Gleanings experimentally propounded 5 Emmanuel or God with us being an Annual Chronology from the year 1640. to 165â— methodically composed 6 The faithfull Shepheard guiding his flock to a constant walking with God 7 Evangelicall Legacies for Saints and Sinners tending to settle the wavering to stay the wandering and to strengthen the fainting Spiritual FLOWERS For SAINTS and SINNERS Admiring WE should admire nothing for or in it self but admire al things in God and God in all things Action A good aime doth not make a bad action good but a bad aime makes a good action bad Many times there may be sin in the action when yet the action may not be sin Actions A Christian may usually say that all is not ill in his evil actions nor all good in his good actions Good actions well done better our selves and benefit others Acknowledge It is good to acknowledge God to be just and 't is just to acknowledge God to be good in all his wayes Adversity 'T is better to be preserved in the brine of adversity then to rot in the honey of prosperity Affections When our affections and conversations are in heaven we injoy heaven upon earth Afflictions Afflictions are then a blessing to us when we can bless God for afflictions Sanctified afflictions as sickness crosses and losses are better than unsanctified health and gain Affliction seldome comes without being a temptation but temptation never comes without being an affliction to the Saints Being afflicted doth often discover Hypocrites yet being afflicted is no discovery of an Hypocrite Afflicted We are then truly afflicted for sin when 't is more for displeasing God than for the displeasure of God more that he is displeased by us than that he is displeased with us Alone Some men are least alone when most alone when Jacob was left alone he did wrestle with God All in all It is for none but him who is all and the fulness which filleth all in all to give to all abundantly Angry The world is angry with Saints that they are no worse and the Saints are angry with them and themselves that they are no better It doth not become us to be angry with God though God come to be angry with us He that is angry with his brother without a cause is in danger of judgement and he is likewise in danger of judgement who is not angry with his Brother when there is cause Anger can hardly be silent but that anger is admirable which speaks and sins not Be angry but sin not He that will be angry for any thing will be angry for nothing Antichrist See Maen of Sin Appearance Appearance in good is too little in evill 't is too much Appearing They for whom and to whom God appears much should appear much for God Many men appear righteous who are not righteous as