Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A42135
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Essayes and characters written by L.G.
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Griffin, Lewis.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing G1982A; ESTC R40526
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25,748
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100
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presumption the other would drive him to despair in short there is nothing does more resemble his life then the taking a pipe of tobacco for his gains proffits are that which he sucks in his expences disburstments that which he puffes out his actions like the smoake are offensive to many and pleasing to few or none at length he knocks out the ashes and so Concludes But the soul is mans more noble part which is capable of having communion with God and therefore ought not to be subject to the body The body is Hagar the Bondwoman But the soul is Sarah the free Woman Sarah must not be a slave to Hagar if the flesh deny subjection to the spirit she must like Hagar by mortification be put away that so the free born soul may enjoy her liberty which is to serve God The Philosopher gives this definition of the soul Anima Rationalis est perfectio Corporis Organici The Perfection of the body Now as the soul is the perfection of the body so is Christ the perfection of the soul For as the body without the soul is but a loathsom lump of rotteness and putrefaction so the soul without Christ is a thing dead in sin as odious in the sight of God as that in the eyes of men As salt that hath lost its savour such is the soul that hath lost its Saviour There are two faculties of a Rational soul the will and the understanding which mutually help and assist one the other I have heard of two men which travelled together the one blind and the other lame the blind carried the lame and the lame directed the blind The will of man is blind and therefore must be directed by the understanding The understanding is lame and therefore must be carried by the will When truth it self treated of self denial he commanded us to cut off Right hands and to pull out right eyes Where note that he means not the members of the body but the faculties of the soul the understanding is the souls eye by which she sees The will is her hand by which she acts and these or said to offend when they offend God but when the one is joyned with faith and the other with obedience they are both instrumental to bring us to the enjoyment of our Saviour for by the understanding we know Christ and by the will we lay hold of him Every man is either spiritual or carnal like Solomons two Harlots The one carries a living child in her bosome that is the spirit the other a dead one that is the flesh The living child is that which breaths in holy desires cries in devout prayers sucks in hearing the word grows in grace and is made perfect in glory but the dead neither growes cries feeds nor breaths but is a peice of formal deceit a religious carcase a whited sepulcher which is beautiful without but within ful of corruption The first thing which he that was miraculously restored to his sight beheld was men like trees walking there is nothing in all the creation so fit an emblem of man as a tree for as in trees there are three things to be observed leaves blossomes and fruit so also in men there are three things to be considered words thoughts and deeds He that is onely verbally good is like the Barren fig tree which brought forth nothing but leaves The words of men are like the leaves of the trees yet oftentimes we know by the leaves what Fruit the tree beareth the words of the malicious are like the leaves of Holly very offensive and full of prickles the words of the unconstant are like the leaves of Aspine continualy wavering and not to be credited the words of the deceitful are like the fig leaves which they sew together and make both coverings for their nakedness and cloakes for their iniquity as for thoughts they are but blossoms for he that onely thinks to doe good and puts it not into excecution like K. Agrippa or the young man in the Gospel is a false fair promising tree that is full of blossomes but the fruit is nipt in the bud blasted and never comes to perfection but mens actions are their fruits some are like sower grapes which set on edge the teeth of all with whom they have to doe others like the apples of Sodome appear fair without but at the first touch turn to ashes but a godly man like a good tree brings forth pleasant fruit which like the sweetnesse of the Vine both pleases God and refreshes men To conclude all men are trees they which are good shall be removed from hence to Paradise but they which are evil shall be cut down and cast into the fire A Religious Prince IS a representative of God in a threefold respect as a Man as a King and as a Christian He is composed of Greatness and Goodness the Conjunction of which Stars portends happiness to his People In his breast is the Throne of Honour and the Parliament of Vertue where Power and and Pietie meet together and Majestie and Mercie kiss each oother The Rod of Moses brought not so many miseries upon Egypt as his Scepter brings blessings upon England His very presence makes his Land become a Canaan for his innocence and sweetness like milk and hony refresh the hearts of all his Loyall Subjects To make him a Man after Gods own heart he hath been educated in afflictions he hath carried the Crosse before he wore the Crown and is religious by his second birth as well as royal by his first so that he is a King not onely by descent but merit for there is none fit to be the Viceroy of Christ as he who hath been twelve yeares his Standard-bearer If you look into the Court wonder not to see phantastick Gentlemen and proud Ladies for even Solomon had his Apes and Peacocks but take notice that he hath besides these a more Heavenly retinue which obtain not their places by bribes or interests The Cardinal Vertues are his Domestick Servants and the Graces are his Maids of Honour His best Harbingers are fervent Prayers His Cup-bearer is Temperance and Divine thoughts attend him in his Bed-chamber when he would be instructed the Holy spirit is of his privie Counsel and when he is in danger the Angels are his Life-Guard He is byas'd in his actions and Ballasted in his passions by the fear of God Augustus Caesar could not so easily allay his anger by repeating the letters of the Greek Alphabet as he by thinking of him who is Α and Ω. In a word we may observe that England in those late bloody times was like the Sonne of Cis Tormented with an evil spirit which could not be driven away till we had sent for David the anointed of the Lord our lawful King How excellently he hath turned his instrument let all the world that sees our Reformation Judge For he hath made Prudence his Tenour Justice his Base and Mercy his
fatuus or false light which leads poore wandering men astray but like that Star which appeared in the East brings you to the knowledg of God for in her looks you may read lectures of modesty which invite not but check lascivious attempts and as the beams of the Sun put out lesser fires extinguishes the flames of lust in the hearts of incontinent persons As for her cheeks they are the history of nature wherein she hath elegantly recorded the wars of York and Lancaster in a faire discription of the combate between the white rose and the red Her body is like a goodly Cedar of Lebanon tall and strait or rather like the Royall Oake of England the happy mansion of a most princely Tenant She is like Apelles his picture Venus to the Waste but as for her other parts they are Terra incognita for in her chamber is the shrine of chastity and her bed is like the Sepulcher of our Saviour a place where never man lay I brief she is the most admired and the most desired thing here below as great and strange a wonder upon earth as she that was cloathed with the sun was in heaven and next to Abrahams Bosome you would chuse to lye in hers To conclude he that would have such a wife must resolve to live alwayes unmarried for she is an imaginarie and not a real being rare as a Phenix or a Philosophers stone and he that would woe her must travel to Vtopia A Rigid Presbyterian TO describe him right is a task like that of the Tailor who took measure of the Devil for there is nothing more like him upon earth then he He is lined with Covetousness and covered with Hypocrisie the root and the cloak of all evil Although at this time he carries a Bible at Worcester fight he wore a sword so that it is hard to say whether he be of the Tribe of Simeon or Levi. He swallows contrarie Oaths faster then the Eagles in the Tower do gobbets of flesh For The way to Hell and then Consciene of a Presbyterian are two broad things He condemns the lawfull Rites and Ceremonies of the Church and is more ravished with the squeaking of a Tythe Pig then with the Musick of Organs He appears in the Pulpit like Aesops Crow in a dress of borrowed Feathers for he preaches the workes of other men which are so much the worse for coming out of his mouth as wares for being of the second hand But it would grieve your heart to see how he racks the Ancient Fathers when he makes his own Confession and mangles the Modern Divines more barbarously then the Hang-man did the body of Hugh Peters I am sure poore Priscian gets many a broken head His Eloquence consists altogether in railing as though he had got his Education at Billinsgate In his Discourse he runs on like a mad Dog foaming and open-mouthed yelping at the Reverend Bishops and biting his brethren the Sectaries whom he makes as mad as himself Yet sometimes he perceives that his stuff is too short for the hower-Glass and then the wheeles of his Rhetorick move very heavily he then spends much time in humming and spetting and with the wiping of his nose makes many a filthy Parenthesis As for his Text he handles that as Moses did his rod when it was turned into a Serpent he layes it down and runs away from it Yet his Sermon lies all written before him for the poore Coppy holder in divinity can doe nothing without his notes This his weakness he would have you thinke is his worth for he charges men of able parts with presumtion Yet when he prayes he shuts his eyes preferring nonsense and Tautologies before the divine Liturgie Vain Wretch that dares not speak to men without papers and yet presumes to talke to God extempore As for his parishioners he saints or reprobates them according as they pay their Tithes and like a Gypsie tells good Fortune to none but those that Cross his hand with a piece of Silver and by him as well as by the Pope you may be Canoniz'd for Money Thus he is a meer Balaam that blesses and curses for reward He that opposes him acts the part of an Angel but he that submits to him is worse then an Ass If you consider his Constancie he is a kind of religious Proteus that is now ready to fawn upon that power against which he hath so long bark'd If therefore there be a Church in England which consists of men Surely The Orthodox Faithful Constant Ministers are the Doors Windowes Pillars Bells and Candlesticks and Sir John serves onely for a Weather-Cock It is confessed that at the begining of this Happy Reformation he was a little stubborn perhaps expecting a second war but now poor Heart He hath learned to pray for his Majesty but if you could hear the Language of his soul it is so as impatient Heirs pray for their rich Fathers There are two sorts of men who having escaped a deserved pair of Gallowes pray for the King very strangely that is a Felon whilest the Executioner burns his hand and a Traytor whilest the Devil sears his Conscience If you would know his name you way find it subscribed to an ugly Petition for where Bradshaw was the Pilate that condemned he was one of those Jews that cried Crucifie He professes sorrow for the Martyrdom of our late Soveraign Lord But believe him not for his hand helpt to hale him to the block In a word he is at best but a State-Crocodile and one that is Maudlin drunk with the Kings blood No more but if you chance to meet with Cleveland's Hue and Crie you may tell them he was lately in a sequestred Parsonage A debaucht Courtier IS an unworthy fellow that obtained his office not for formal Loyalty but present money He paid dear for his place and he that preferred him is like to pay dearer for his corruption He is a Traitor to God and therefore can be no good Subject to the King He acts a double part upon the Theater of the world Peter and Judas Peter to his Maker and Judas to his Master for by his drunkenness swearing and debauchery he both denies his Redeemer and betrayes his Soveraign Nor is it strange for oftentimes the transgressions of servants bring Judgements upon their Lords A holy Prince confesses and complains of the sins of his heels that is of his wicked followers King Charles the First who was as little subject to vice as Achilles to wounds suffered through the iniquity of his people Thus it pleased God to smite the Head for the sinnes of the Heels If you cast your eies upon his outside he seems a kinsman to the man in the Moon for every month he is in a new fashion and instead of true gallantry which once dwelt in the breasts of Englishmen he is made up of complements Cringes and French Apish trickes Perfumes Perriwig Fancies Knots Muffe and Feather which make