d Psal 90. and that it may be dearer unto us than thousands of gold silver Give us that firme resolution to believe thy Word with out any further reasoning and arguing Work so in us good Lord that despising e Luk. 10.16 thy Word delivered unto us we never seek after strange revelations And for as much good Lord as there is nothing so near and so dear unto thee as thy Word which proceeded f Mat. 5. from thy mouth Grant that we may be in love with nothing so much as with thee and thy Word Grant therefore O Lord that we may keep thy sayings g Luk. 2. and ponder them with blessed Mary in our hearts Lastly Lord whatsoever thy word doth sound in our ears let not our hearts be like the thorny ground the stony nor the beaten high way but like the good ground that bringeth forth some forty some fifty some sixty and some an hundred fold To the glory of thy name and our salvation through Jesus Christ Amen Sect. II. Of the Honour of God The School of Honour SEing that every creature is made created for the honour of the Creator and doth in his nature respect his honour and glory in somuch that the greatest honour that the creature can have is to be made for Gods honour that the honour of God doth respect the honour of all other creatureâ— and the injury and dishonor of God the injury of all other creatures so that when the creatures are well used to God's honour then God is glorified and when they are abused then is he dishonoured For God being honoured God being dishonoured the Creatures are dishonoured And hence it is that in the honour of God are included infinite honours and in the dishonour of God infinite dishonours Therefore that man which honoureth God cannot chuse but honour aâ—l his creatures and especially himself being the chief of his creatures But he which dishonoureth God dishonoureth all Gods creatures with him and especially himself which is Lord of the creatures So that to honour God is for a man to honour himself and he that dishonoureth God doth the greatest wrong and dishonour to himself that may be Hence I conclude Lord that for me to preferr any creatures honour or praise before thine is a great dishonour to thee to my self and to all the rest of my fellow-creatures For seeing all things ought to be for thy glory and that thy glory is the glory of all cre tures then whensoever we aime at our own honor we become directly thine enemies For whensoever we seek not thy glory directly then of necessity we seek our own glory for there is no mean between them insomuch that we are alwayes directly either subjects or traytors friends or foes to our God O good Lord is it fit that thou shouldest make a creature of nothing after thine own image he to be contrary to thine owne glory being the omnipotent Artificer what greater foolishness what greater dishonesty what greater disorder what greater blindness and more against reason than that the work made of nothing should seek his owne proper praise Sparke 2. O Lord whether we sleep or wake sit or lie stand or goe we are thine Therefore grant that whether we eat or drink or whatsoever we do else h 1 Cor. 10. let all be done to the honour glory and praise of thy name For seeing thou art our Maker k Gen. 1. grant we may obey thee Seeing thou art our Master l Mat. 1.6 grant we may fear thee Seeing thou art our Father grant we may reverence thee and seeing thou art one God grant we may glorifie thee O Lord grant us grace to honour thee with all wherewith thou hast honoured and blessed us So shall our m Prov. 3.9 barns be filled with abundance and our presses shall burst with new wine Grant us ever to glorify thee in thy self in thy membâ—rs for thou hast taught us that he which oppresseth the poor reproveth him that made him but he n Prov. 14.31 that hath mercy upon the poor honoureth â—hee O loving Father seeing that thine is glory victory and praise for thou art the King o Psal 24. of Glory Let all my p Psal 62. health and glory be in thee let us not honour thee with our lips but with our lives and souls also For thou wilt not give thy glory to none other q Isa 42. let us not be desirous of r Gal. 5. vain-glory Therefore not unto us not unto us Lord but to thy name give the glory To whom be Glory for ever Amen Sect. III. All in us must be to Gods glory The Saints Service FOrasmuch as man is made for Gods glory and because whatsoever is given to man is given him only for the service of God therefore we are to think that because we can love we are to love God and because we have power to know we are to know God and because we can understand we are to understand what God is because we can fear we are to fear God because we can honour we are to honour God because we can worship we are to worship God because we can pray we are to pray to God because we can obey we are to obey God because we can trust we are to trust in God because we can hope we are to hope in God And whatsoever good thing else we can do we have power to do it that we might serve our Ceator in doing it Sparke 3. O eternall God and most mercifull Father Hallowed be thy name t Mat. 6. for ever As thy intent in creating me was to frame me for thy glory so grant it may be my mind and purpose study and whole endeavour to seek thy glory and to publish thy praise For Lord thy glory and praise wilt thou give to none x Esay 42 other but to thy self Lord give us such measure of thy grace That our lights may so shine before men that they seeing our good works z Mat. 5.16 may glorifie thee our Father which art in heaven O Lord because we can love let us love a Mat. 10.37 nothing in comparison of thee let us desire to know nothing but thee and Christ Jesus thy Son crucified Let us never fear them that can hurt the body but rather fear thee that canst destroy both body b Mat. 10.28 and soul together Let our honour be to reverence thee our prayers to invocate thee our obedience unto thee our belief faith hope and trust in thee through Jesus Christ for evermore Amen Sect. IV. How God must be served ALthough we owe all good duties generally unto God The Paths of Piety because he is our Creator we his creatures he our Lord and we his servants yet are we to perform every duty to him for particular respects For we ought to yield him some service in one respect and
Royalty THough the Lord shares so liberally with man that of all his Creatures he reserved but the least part to himselfe yet in most things he will have us to acknowledge him for our cheif Lord and of every thing to pay him something as his chief rent and royalty As of our time the seventh day of the trees of Paradise the tree of knowledge of good and evill of all our increase the tenth of our generation the first born of our Corn the first fruits of his people Israel the tribe of Levi of all Cities Jerusalem of all mountaines Mount Sion of all the sons of Ishai little David of all women the blessed Virgin and of all the members of our bodies the heart Spark 52. O King of Glory how liberall doest thou deale with us and how niggard are we in repaying thee For how many a thousand thoughts have we conceived and not one of them in remembrance of thy goodness How many thousand words have we spoke and not one of them to the praise of thy name How many thousand deeds have we done and not one of them for the setting-forth of thy glory Good Lord as thou hast given me all things saving thy glory so for thy glory give me of thy grace that I may acknowledge thee Let my heart be alwayes inditing of a good matter that my tongue may be the pen of a ready writer Psal 45 and my hand diligent in well doing and open unto the needy through Jesus Christ Prov. 12.30 Amen Sect. LIII The earthly Planet AS the Bridegroom the bright Son of happiness and Lord of life is often compared to the Sun of heaven so his Spouse the Church doth often resemble the Moon For as the Moon hath all her light from the Sun so the Church from Christ And as the shadow of the earth doth somtimes hinder and Eclipse the Moon that she cannot shew the light of the Sun the which she received so our sins like earthly shadows do hinder and debar us oftentimes from giving thanks and glory to God for what we received and to shew the same to others giving him the glory from whom they proceed But as that good Planet the sun faileth not to give light continually unto the body of the Moon and to all inferiour bodies though sometimes it seems to be eclipsed in regard of us so the glorious Sun of Righteousness doth never fail to give light unto his Church and his Elect here on earth though by reason of the black cloud of our sins he seems sometimes for a while to be absent from us And as the Moon will not utterly fail by any Eclipse that can happen though to our sight is be almost quite darkened so the Church of God can never faile nor fall clean away but shall ever be a Church world without end being grounded upon a sure Rock Jesus Christ being the chief corner Stone Spark 53. O most glorious Sun of Righteousnes and the bright day-Star of grace and glory vouchsafe we beseech thee to lighten our darknesse by thy holy Spirit and to shew us the pure light of thy countenance by shining in our hearts and souls Let thy holy word be a lanthorn to our feet and a light unto our paths disperse all the black clouds of ignorance and errours that may Eclipse the light of thy holy Spirit from us be thou alwayes with us unto the end of the world and pray unto the Father for us that our Faith may not faile Marry us unto thy self for ever that though we seem sometimes to have a faile yet we may never fall finally from thee which art the way the life and light for ever Sect. LIV. The Sympathy of Christ's Passion O Sweet Saviour work in me that pitty of thy paint that the Creatures had at thy Passion For then the Sun was darkned the earth quaked the temple rented the stones cleaved and the graves opened And yet thou didst not suffer for the sun nor the earth for the graves the temple nor the stones but for us men and our salvation Shall these be amazed at the pungs and we not moved at thy pains Sparke 54 O Lord let the wounds of thy hands cause a wound in my heart The nayles of thy feet prick my conscience Thy Vineger and Gall draw tears from mine eyes Thy bloudy side cause me a bleeding Soul And thy paines cause in me sorrow and passions Sect. LV. The eyes Imperfection SOme can see a mote in their brothers eye and not so much as a beam in their own such was the Pharisee that prayed with the Publican Some again can see a mote in their brother's eye a beam in their own such was Peter when he denied Christ and wept And Paul who counted himself not worthy to be called an Apostle There be also some that espie beames both in their own eyes and in every bodies else such are they that know themselves in conscience to be bad and therefore think every body else to be so Such was Pharaoh that thought God's people to be idle because he was idle himself Some again see no mote neither in their own eyes nor in others such are blinde Atheists and loose Liberties that think that every man may do what he will Some again can see two beames in their own eyes and a beam in others such was Judas and Cain and such as see their own sin so great that they despaire of Gods mercy For though they judge others to be great sinners yet they think their own unpardonable Sparke 55. O Lord blesse me from such a sight For Lord if I offend thy Justice by transgression yet let me not offend thy mercy by disperation And yet give me grace alwayes to see the beam in mine own eye and to take it away that then I may the better see the mote in my brothers eye Sect. LVI Our Credite once Crack't c. VVE have need to have Gods Grace to guide us every minute in all our actions For we may commit in an houre such a fault as will be a blemish to us in a whole age Noab was but once drunk yet is ever spoken off David but once in Adulterer yet his fact never forgotten Adam but once tasting of an apple yet his posterity smart for it to the worlds end Lot once committing incest with his Daughters yet his fin is notorious for ever Lots wife turning but once back to Sodome yet an example for ever Peter but once fallen yet his weakness perpetually noted Sparke 56. O Lord let thy Angels guard me thy grace guide me thy word direct me and thy spirit preserve me that I neither stirre nor nor start waver nor wander out of thy path Lord keepe me as the apple of thine eye and as the fignet on thy right hand that all my thoughts may be of thy goodnesse all my words to thy praise and all my works to thy glory to whom be all glory and goodnesse
some in another respect and therefore we are 1. To love God because he is the fiâ—st good and chief good and onely good for there is nothing good but by him and therefore God is to be loved in respect he is good and after the same manner as he is good so is he to be beloved Now he is the first good and therefore first to be loved He is the chief good and therefore chiefly to be loved He is the purest good and therefore most purely to be loved He is an infinite good and therefore infinitely to be loved And because nothing is good but thorough and in him therefore nothing is to be beloved but in him 2. God is to be feared because he is omnipotent and because he is chiefly and onely Almighty therefore is he chiefly and onely to be feared And because he is eternally Almighty therefore he is eternally to be feared And because he is the onely Almighty therefore to him onely belongeth fear And because he is most truly Almighty therefore is he most truly to be feared 3. In respect he is our Lord he is to be honoured And whereas he is the chief Lord therefore he is chiefly to be honoured And because he is infinitely chief therefore is he infinitely and chiefly to be honoured And because he is the first beginning of man therefore he is the first to be honoured of man 4. Obedience belongeth to God because he is above all things and because he is onely chiefly and eternally above all therefore he is onely chiefly and eternally above all to be obeyed And because he is only superiour unto man therefore he is chiefly to be obeyed of man 5. He is to be glorified and praised in respect he is the Worker Maker and Creator of all things And because he is the chiefest the wisest the first and onely Creator and maker of all things therefore he is chiefly principally wisely and onely to be glorified magnified and praised And because he is the maker of man therefore he is to be loved and glorified of man 6. God is to be beloved because he is true and truth it self and no lyar And because he is the first truth and most perfect truth therefore he is first to be beloved most perfectly to be beloved because he is the chief truth and chiefly faithfull therefore he is chiefly and most faithfully to be beloved To conclude to God belongeth Hope because he is powerfull and willing and onely knoweth how to help and to save and because he is the first power the onely powerfull chiefly powerfull wise and willing therefore he is chiefly principally onely wisely and willingly to be hoped in Thus we ow all duty to him who is Lord of all and that particularly for particular causes Sparke 4. O Lord we are thy creatures and thou art our Creator create in us a new heart to love thee above all c Gen. 1. Deut. 11. who art most good and d Joel 13. loving And as thou art the first good so grant we may first love thee and seek thy kingdome e Mat. 6. And for as much as all things do fear f Amos 6. thee which art most fearful let us fear thee first and fear thee most let us neither love fear or reverence any thing above thee nor any thing before thee nor any thing equal with thee nor any thing but for thy sake And because thou art onely praise-worthy g Psal 145 therefore Lord let all the world praise thee and especially man O Lord let our tongues be the Pen h Psal 45. of a ready Writer to paint thy praise Let us not onely praise thee with the best members that we have but with all the members that we have through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. V. The love of God the best Gift OF all the gifts and blessings which the Lord bestowed upon man The Debters discharge there is none so great so good so sweet and so pleasant as his love because whatsoever other blessings he hath bestowed upon us thâ—y were and are bestowed upon us for his loves sake For he first gave his love unto us with himself and then all things for his sake Yet if we would desire to requite Gods kindnesse and to be thankfull unto him for his blessings there is nothing wherein we may answer him so easily as in his love For if God be angry with us we must not answer him in his anger and be angry again If God doth judge us we must not judge him again If he doth teach us we must not teach him again or if he doth correct us and rebuke us we must not think to doe so with him again But when God doth love us we may love him again For God did never finde fault with such as did seek to imitate him in his love Adam aspiring to be like God in knowledge was cast out of Paradise Lucifer aspiring to be like God in Majesty was cast out of heaven The Sorcerers of Aegypt seeking to imitate God in his Miracles and wonders were drowned in the Sea But for coveting to be like God in love none neither man nor Angel was punished For seeing God doth love us in the highest degree and above all degrees of affection we may love him again with the highest strain of our love even with all our heart soul strength and might For God loveth us to the intent he may be beloved of us Sparke 5. O Blessed Lord the true loade-stone of love as thou hast made me after thine own image Gen. 1. so repair it in me that by loving thee again for thy love I may be the more like unto thee which art love it self Let the beams of thy love so warm me and so beat upon my cold heart that it may reflect unto thee again And as thou hast loved me above all the works of thy hands 1 John 3 so grant I may love thee again above Father Mother Wife or children and be ready to forsake all and follow thee k Mat. 10. Yea let me love nothing in comparison of thee nor any thing but in thee and for thy sake Therefore Lord let nothing seem sweet or worthy of love in my sight besides thee for such as love thy name l Psal 5. shall be joyfull in thee Therefore as thou art love everlasting so grant I may love thee with an everlasting love and as thou art all love so grant I may love thee with all my love And as thou lovest all the works of thy hands and hatest nothing which thou hast made but especially man above all so grant that for thy sake I may love all the works of thy hands as they are thy works but thee above all through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. VI. Of the glory of Heaven The Saints Freedome VVEll might the sweet Singer and Psalmist of Israel say of that glorious habitation of Saints very
Father from whom onely and immediatly we receiv'd wholly our Souls principally our bodies also And further if we love our Father and brother in the flesh so dear that we can suffer no injury to be offered unto them no harm to be pretended towards them nor no word of the least disgrace to be spoken of them and that onely in respect they are our father and brother in the flesh How much more then ought we to love our Father and brethren in the spirit and to affect them so dearly as not to suffer any dishonour unto them any disgrace any injury nor any unseemly word at all to be uttered against them by any if we might help it or hinder it Spark 11. O good Lord thou art our God and Grand-Father yea our neer and dear Father give us Lord thy spirit of grace whereby p Rom. 8. we may call and acknowledge thee our Father Let us remember Lord that our Father in heaven is one e Mat. 23. â— and therefore study all to becom f Rom. 12. one in thee g Eph. 4. for we have but one Father one faith one body in Christ one Baptisme through Christ one Lord and one Law Therefore Lord as thou art one so grant we may all be one in thee Teach us O Lord to reverence thee as our Lord to love thee as our Father to fear thee as our Judge to obey thee as our Maker to expect thee as a Saviour Grant this O Father for Jesus Christ's sake in whose name we and all thy children are bold to call thee Father saying as thy Son taught vs k Math. 6. Our Father which art in Heaven c. Sect. XII Christ our onely Saviour A watch word for Jewish infidels AS the Scripture doth promise us no other Saviour but Jesus Christ So doth Christian Faith and humane Reason perswade us that there can be no other For if Jesus Christ were not that onely Messias and true Saviour that must satisfie Gods infinite Justice for all our sins it were expedient and needfull that before this time another Saviour should be sent But seeing God permitted Christ Jesus alone all this while to rule in the world in his name suffering all people to follow him and to believe in him as in God the true Saviour If Christ then were not the Messias it should happen that God by suffering him should hinder himself and be against himself and his own Kingdome because he disposed his people to believe in such a one as Christ is For it must needs be that he which God sends for a Saviour should do as Christ Jesus did affirming himself to be true God and man destroying and impugning all sins and this cannot be done For if God should send another that should do as Christ did and say as he said then he should in all things agree with Christ his Doctrine with Jesus's Doctrine his works with Christs works for greater works cannot be but this cannot be for then more than one could be the Son of God the Messias the Saviour and Gods anointed which must be anointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellowes But if there should be more than one then the Saviour must have an equall but Christ hath no fellow For he is the Arch-angel and chief Messenger of all The Jews indeed for all this do look still for God's promise to be fulfilled and so look for Christ to come and the Christians believe that he is come already and that God hath fulfilled his promise God therefore having promised to send the Messias to Jew and Gentile and to â—ll that want him by this means he should do against himself were Jesus not the promised Messias by hindering all people to believe a future promise and by suffering Christ Jesus so long to rule and raigne under the name of the true Messias and so he should suffer all Christian people to be deceived in his promises But God hath suffered Christ to raign and will ill he hath put all his enemies under his feet till he hath delivered up the Kingdome to God the Father 1 Cor. 15. and hath also permitted all Christians and many Jews firmely to believe in him and to preach him over the world Therefore Lord they that will not believe the coming of thy Son the true Messias are utterly deceived and far wandring from thee and thy truth Spark 12. O sweet Saviour be thou over me a Saviour and grant a Act. 4.12 that I may never acknowledge any other name whereby I may be saved but onely by thy sweet name Jesus And I beseech thee Lord let not any thing be able to separate me from the love of Christ Rom. 8 35.38.3â— neither tribulation nor anguish nor persecution nor famine nor nakednesse nor perill nor sword nor death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature but grant that I may count b Phil. 35. all but dung that I may win Christ Let me never forsake thee c Joh. 17.1 but ever acknowledg thee to be onâ—ly God and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ For d Esay 5.3 11. the knowledge of thy righteous servant shall justifie many Instruct me therefore that am unjust that I may perfectly know him and by knowing him aright I may be rightly justified Grant this Lord for his sake that never disobeyed thee even thy e Mat. 3.17 well pleasing Son and my most loving Saviour Jesus Christ the righteous to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be ascribed all praise and power government and glory might and majesty rule and dominion now and for evermore Amen Sect. XIII Of our Regeneration in Christ The fraternity of Christians VVE find that there are three things requisite to make a man perfect compleat in this world namely 1. A Body or trunke of flesh 2. An immortal soul And 3. A vertuous disposition or inclination in both namely the well-being and well-doing of both Now the first man Adam received all these three from God i. e. 1 A Body 2. A Soul 3. The wellfare and good being of both But because our first parents lost the well-being and good inclination of both these and having onely these two remaining namely a Soule and a Body therefore other men begotten from Adam received from him but only a being namely a body with a soul infused of God but not the happy being and good disposition of both Therefore in every man there is a double generation the one from Adam the other from God In the first generation man receiveth immediately his body and flesh from the fiâ—st man Adam In the second generation man receiveth his soul immediately from God although indeed both body and soul be from God yet after diverse manners But in a Christian man and the child of God there 's a third kind of generation
hast a favour unto us it is thou that savest us from our enemies and puttest them to confusion that hate us Sect. XXXIII Christ onely a fit Mediator because God and man The Onely Man NOne but Christ could be a fit Mediator between us and the Majesty of God For whosoever would be a Mediator t' is requisit that he be God man Man to be born under the Law God to performe the Law Man to serve God to set free Man to humble himself under all God to exalt himself above all Man to suffer God to overcome Man to dye God to triumph over death Man to be born of a woman God to overcom the Devill So that now we may see Jesus in the Stable there behold the man Jesus In the Temple disputing with the Doctors there behold the Lord Jesus in Simon 's house washing the Disciples feet there behold the man Jesus walking on the Sea there behold the Lord Jesus calling for meat when he was hungry there behold the man Jesus feeding five thousand with five loines and two fishes there behold the Lord Jesus weeping over Lazarus behold the man Jesus but calling Lazarus out of his grave behold the Lord Jesus riding on an Ass behold the man Jesus but riding on the clouds behold the Lord Jesus If therefore sweet Jesus we may not with Moses behold thy face yet we may behold with him thy hinder parts If thy Godhead be too terrible to behold yet we see the terrour thereof mitigated with thy manhood If thy humanity seem too humble we see it again exalted by thy Godhead So that now sweet Jesus we find no cause we should too much fear thee because of thy glory nor at all despise thee because of thy humility but both and for both to love and reverence thee to believe and trust in thee as in a most wonderfull Saviour whose name is wonderfull for ever Spark 33. O blessed Jesus let thy Majesty teach us true fear and thy manhood true humility In thy manhood thou hast made thy self lower than thy Father saying my Father is b John 20. greater than I lower than the Angells r Psal 8. For which of the Angells did wash the feet of sinners Lower than men for thou wast counted a l Ps 22.6 worm and no man yea the very scorne of men Lower than all thy creatures by dying and descending intâ— hell And therefore thou art exalted to be equal with the Father above Angells above men above all creatures For thou hast a name above all names for at the name of Jesus all knees shall bow of things in heaven of things in earth and of things under the earth d Phil. 2.10 Good Lord grant we may follow the steps of thy humiliation that we may be exalted through thy mercy and merits Amen Sect. XXXIV O Humility The Lesson of Lowliness GOod Lord thou hast commanded us to learne of thee that thou art meek and humble Sweet Jesus thou hast not said learne of me to make the world to raise the dead to cast out Devills to turne water into wine but to be lowely of heart and this lesson thou hast often commanded unto us by thine own examples For thou hast chosen a lowly woman to be thy mother and a poor Carpenter to be thy reputed father a lowly place to be thy bed of rest which was the manger a lowly house which was but a stable in an In a lowly brast to carry thy blessed body which was but an Ass lowly men to be thy disciples and followers being for the most part but poor fishers a lowly exercise which was to wâ—sh thy disciples feet and a lowly and base dâ—ath which was the detah of the cross Sparke 34. Good Lord seeing thy precept is that I should imitate thy pattern o Mat. 11.29 so far as I can in my fraile nature grant me grace to endeavour and desire to become like unto thee not in thy power knowledge or miracles but in thy moralls especially in true humility which is the first lesson to be learned in thy schoole Lord when I think upon the poor Carpenter grant I brag not of my birth When I think of the stable and mâ—nger wherein thou didst lye grant I vaunt not of my buildings or be too desirous of beds of downe for my ease When I think that thy disciples were poor fishers l Mat. 4. Luke 5. grant I may learn not to despise any poor brethren a Mat. 18. O Saviour of soules Let Mount Calvary be my Schoole thy Crosse my Pulpit thy Passion my Meditation thy Wounds my Letters thy Lashes my Comma's thy Nailes my Ful points thy open Side my Book and to know thee Crucified my whole lesson Let me learn by thy nakednesse how to adorne me by thy vineger and gall how to diet me by thy prayer for thy Murtherers how to revenge me by thy cry on the Crosse how to bewaile my sins and by thy bloody sweâ—t to weepe for my wickednesse Sect. XXXV Of the fall of Adam The Sinners Preferment VVHen the Serpent had deceived our parents God said cursed art thou above all beasts upon thy belly shalt thou goe and dust shalt thou eat And presently unto man that sinned God said dust thou art and into dust thou shalt returne If by the Serpent the devil be meant and if dust must be the Serpent's meat and if a sinfull man be but dust and must returne to dust then a wicked sinner is but that old Serpent the devill 's meat Sparke 35. O Lord that hast made us for thine own glory r Ephes 1.6 redeemed us with thine own bloud Å¿ 1 Pet. 1. Apoc. 5. sanctified us with thine own spirit f 2 Thes 2. save us by thy own mercy challenge what is thine in us If our sins displease thee wash them away g Psal 51. and let satan feed upon sin which is his own and not upon us miserable sinners being the works of thy hand let it be meat and drink unto us to do thy will c Joh. 4.34 and to feed our souls with that blessed Manna b John 6. that came down from Heaven Amen Sect. XXXVI We must imitate God in his goodness c. SEeing the Lord hath created heaven and earth and brought such a glorious world out of his secret and hidden treasure The godly Ape and bestowed it upon the sons of men desiring to make others partakers of his goodness he doth teach us that if we have either riches knowledge or counsell in store we should most freely let it out for the good and profit of our neighbours But why are we so covetous that we can part with nothing Is it not a wonder to see so bountifull a master as God is to have so miserable a servant as man is What hath God bestowed on us gold or silver or precious stones yea and a greater matter heaven and
let us ever be delighted with this salve let us by thy grace prescribe it unto others O Lord poure the oyl of thy mercy into our festred wounds thy blood hath helped many of thy Saints Luk. 10.34 and it is not yet dry but fresh and powerfull to heal mee Sect. XLI God is Mercy it self O Lord The wofull mans joy 2 Tim. 2.13 thou hast caugh us by thy Apostle Paul that thou art most faithfull and canst not deny thy self If we desire wealth thou mayest deny us for it is not thy self If we desire revenge thou mayest deny us for it is not thy self If we desire worldly pompe and preferments thou mayest deny us for it is not thy self If we desire gold and silver thou mayest deny us for it is not thy self But if we desire mercy thou canst not deny us for it is thy selfe for thou canst not deny thy self Thou art not onely mercifull but mercy it self For thou did'st pray for thine enemies give thy life for thy friends and never did'st deny their just petitions unto thy Servants Sparke 41. O Lord I want nothing but thy mercy Rom. 8. â—2 1 Cor. 15. Psal 67. 109. 51. which is thy self For having thee I have all because thou art all in all shew us therefore the light of thy Countenance and be mercifull unto us O Lord I am poor and needy but thy mercy may lift me up Therefore in the multitude of thy mercies do away my Offences O Lord thy mercy being thy self is above all thy works much more above the workes of Satan which are my sins mercy therefore good Lord mercy I crave it is the total Sum for mercy Lord is all my suite Lord let thy mercy come through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect XLII Of Prayer O Eternall and Infinite Power The Saints post-messenger seeing thou art the King of Glory the Lord strong and mighty even the Lord might in battell whose Palace is in the highest heaven and we thy poor creatures being thy foes by our own follies therefore in thy sight more base than the vilest worm on earth seeing I say there is such distance of place betwen us as is between heaven earth such difference in qualities thou so glorious in Majesty and we so grievous in misery such odds in quantity we as it were nothing thou all things and all in all When thou art offended with us or when need compells us what messenger shall we presume to send unto thee either for peace pardon or to informe thee of our necessities or rather to entreat thee for to supply our wants for thou needest no informer If we send our merits unto thee they are in too base a habit being like a menstruous and stained clout The starres in heaven will disdain it that we which dwell at the foot-stool of God should presume so farre when the purest creatures in heaven are impure in his sight If we send up our fear distrustfulnesse the length of the way will tire and weary them out for being as heavy as lead they will sink to the ground before they come half the way to the seat of Salvation and the throne of Grace If we send up Blasphemies and Curses all the creatures betwixt heaven and earth will band themselves against us The Sun and Moon will rain down burning Coals upon us The Ayre will throw thunderbolts upon our heads If we send up pride then we and our messenger shall be thrown down to the Dungeon of the deepest Hell For thou resistest the proud what messenger then shall we presume to send up unto thee thou King of Glory Even that which thou hast commanded us to send which thou acceptest being sent servent prayer from a faithfull and unfained heart which neither the tediousness of the way nor the difficulty of the passage can hinder from passing unto thee Who being quick of speed faithfull for trustiness happy for success is able to peirce the Clouds and to mount above the Eagles of the Skie into the heaven of heavens and there to enter boldly into the Chamber of Presence and to â—he Throne of Grace before thee the great King of Glory Sparke 42. O Lord give us grace to send up our prayers unto thee and to call upon thee in the dayes of our necessities and trouble Hear the voice of our prayers betimes in the morning Let us cry out of the deep of our miseries unto the bottomless depth of thy mercies And because our nature is such as we know not how to aske as we should Rom. 8.26 Eph. 3.20 and thou alone both wisely doest know and effectually canst grant not onely what we desire but a great deale more than we can think upon Pour upon us the spirit of grace prayer which may with unspeakeable groanings make intercession for us Give us grace good Father Math. 11.24 Math. 6. to perswade our selves that whatsoever we shall aske at thy hand through faith we shall obtaine the same And grant that in all places we may pray lifting up pure hands without wrath or doubting making with deep fighs and zealous minds continuall supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks for all men through Jesus Christ our Lord 1 Tim. 2.1 Amen Sect. XLIII Of the Authority of Gods Word c. THough faith be the eye of the soule and the hand that apphehends the soul's Saviour yet if faith should tell me that God is three and one together or if faith should say believe that the son of God is the son of a Virgin that Christ is risen again the third day from the dead to die no more that I should believe all this to be true because Peter Paul John Isay Ieremy and Ezekiel have said so I would doubt and not believe such matters difficult fo far above reason and beyond the reach of man's apprehension and seing they were spoken but of men as I am I durst not believe them because it is written every man 's a lyars which makes us require so many oathes Psal 11.5 and so many witnesses before we can credite the report of men in many things But when faith tells me that God hath revealed these things and that neither Peter Paul nor John nor the rest of the Apostles and Prophets have taught these things of themselves but were first taught of God and that they have preached not their own word but the word of God then my heart yieldeth is ready to believe it especially seeing the same God that spake by the Prophets and Apostles confirmed his sayings with so many fignes and wonders Therefore as Paul says How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be preached of the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard it Mark 16.20 God bearing witness thereto both with signes and wonders also and with divers powers and gifts of the
Holy Ghost according to his own will Sparke 43. O Holy Father I believe help my unbelief though an Angell from Heaven should teach preach contrary to that which thou by thy holy Prophets Apostles hast taught let me not believe him but hold him accursed Let me never doubt of the verity of the Scripture because it is thy word For as thou hast commanded us not to believe every spirit 2 Ioh. 4. so are we forbidden to doubt of that Truth which proceeds from the spirit of Truth Which cannot deceive nor dissemble Let us therefore never gain-say what thou dost affirm never doubt what thou dost promise never mistrust what thou hast spoken nor call into question what thou hast verified Sect. XLIV How to purchase Heaven LOrd A great purchase thou hast taught us that there be four kindes of men which by foure kind of meanes come to Heaven For some buy it at a rate at it were and bestow all their temporall goods for the better compassing thereof Some catch it by violence and they forsake Father and Mother land and living trade and traffick and all that they have for the possession of it Some steal it and do their good deeds secretly and they are rewarded openly And some are enforced to take it and by continuall affliction made to fall to a liking thereof Spark 44. O dear Saviour thy Kingdome is such a Pearle that all I have cannot buy it For I have nothing to give thee but that which came from thee and is thine own Therefore teach me to obtain thy Kingdom by what means thou wilt so that I may enjoy It. Let not my care be for the things of this world but give me grace first to care for that one thing necessary namely the seeking of thy Kingdome and the righteousness thereof and all temporall blessings shall be added thereto through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. 45. God in his Glory will be All in All to his Elect. IF we consider the right use of a Temple An End of man's Ministry we shall easily perceive the reason why John having seen the Order and Ornaments of the heavenly Jerusalem saw no Temple therein For Temples here on earth had by the Lord's Commandements but five uses or ends First To offer Sacrifices for sins and burnt offerings as in the time of the Law Secondly to preach the Word as in the time of the Gospell Thirdly To administer the holy Sacraments Fourthly To offer prayers and supplications unto Gdo And Lastly To laud and praise his holy name with Thanksgiving hymnes and spirituall songs But in Heaven there needs no sacrifices for there are no sins committed no preaching of the Word for the word incarnate will manifestly speake unto all men face to face according to the Prophet Jeremiah Ierem. 31. The use of the Sacraments likewise have an end which being but signes and seales of true things themselves serve no longer seeing the things signified by them are perfectly seen and enjoyed And as for Prayers and Praises to God there needs no Temple erected in Heaven to performe them for they shall see God as he is seen openly face to face and he shall be easily heard of all men for he himself will be their Church Temple and House of Devotion Sparke 45 O Gracious Father build the Kingdom of grace here upon earth and hasten the Kingdome of Glory Let us visit thy holy Temple often here upon earth to worship thy name that at last thou mayst bring us to that place that needs no Temple to Jerusalem than is above that is the free Mother of us all where thou art our Temple for ever Let us dwell in thee by faith and love while we are on earth that hereafter we may by an inward reverence and humility be so neerly joyned unto thee that thou mayest be our Temple to sing Hal-le-lu-jah to thy name for ever through Jesus Christ Amen Sect. XLVI Of God's Fore-warnings ALthough the sword of our God is ever ready drawn and burnished Gods Covenant to his people his bow bent his arrowes prepared his Instruments of death made ready his cup mingled yet he seldome powreth down his plagues but a shower of mercy goeth before them to make us the more heedy before his wrath be kindld to consume in 's sore displeasure for peace be to this house was so indeed to every house where th' Apostles entred but if that house was not worthy of peace then war followed and their peace returned back unto them Vertues were wrought at Chorazin and Bethsaida before the woe took hold upon them Noah was sent to the old World Messengers to the Hirers of the Vineyard Moses and Aron to the Aegyptians Prophets from time to time to the Children of Israel John Baptist and Christ and the Apostles together with signes in the host of heaven and tokens in the Elements to Jerusalem before it was destroyed Yea many signs of warning foretold us before that fearfull and finall day of Judgement as the Preaching of the Gospell to all Nations the revealing of Antichrist a departing from the faith corruption in manners great tribulations a deadly security and the conversion of the Jewes which is the last signe and warning we must expect for saving the signe of the Son of man Sparke 46. O Dear Father let thy pitty prevent my punishments and the greatness of thy mercy supply the grievousness of my misery for thou Lord wilt not the death of a sinner but rather he should convert and live Therefore let me know that my salvation is neerer than when I believed Let me not despise the riches of thy bountifulness and patience and long suffering but let me know that thy bountifulness leadeth me to repentance through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom 2.4 Amen Sect. XLVII The Titles of the Damned IF we observe the Scripture Satans bag we shall find that the Devill hath no name given him which the wicked are not branded with For he is called a Lyar so are they He if called a Tempter and they are called Tempters He is called an Enemy and they are called Enemies He is called a Murtherer and they are called Murtherers He is called a Slanderer and they are called Slanderers He is called a Viper and they are called Vipers Thus God will'd that they which should be damned should bear the name of him that is damned Spark 47. O Lord Jesus grant me grace to differ from the damned in nature as the godly do in name Lord do thou give me of thy hid Manna to eat and a white stone and in that stone a new name written which no man knoweth but he that hath it Grant this O Father for our dear Saviour's sake who hath a name above all names to whom all things shall bow in heaven in earth and under earth Amen Sect. XLVIII God is the best Master IT is counted meer folly for any man to serve three
the time of your dwelling here in fear AS we must give an account of every idle word which we speak so we must give an account of every idle hour which we spend Therefore when we see the glasse run or hear the clock strike or the sun passe in the Diall let us think that there is now another hour come whereof we are to yield a reckoning and so endeavour to spâ—nd one hour better than another Sparke 95. O Lord let me rejoyce in thee evermore pray continually and in all things give thanks redeeming the time because the dayes are evill let me passe no minute idlely but while I have the light walk in the light for the night will come wherein I can work no more Sect. XCVI The Merchant's gaine SAint Paul the vessell of honour doth teach that Godliness is great and true gaine Let us therefore seek and search hunger and thirst for this gain Let the love of godlinesse not of money break our sleep possesse our thoughts in the night let us minde it first in the morning and meditate on it most in the day time And as the Merchants for his gaines maketh long voyages hazards life and health sequesters himself from his wife and children So let us for the Kingdom of God indure troubles without terrours within leave wife and children and with a valourous mind passe all the seas and storms of this world and as the covetous Merchant the elder he waxeth the more greedy he is to gather so the elder we are let us make the more carefull provision of faith and good works If we be Merchants let us exchange our commodities for better let us leave our avarice that we may receive content refuse sin that we may receive our Saviour One soul is more precious than the whole world let us then sell the world to save our soules The Kingdome of Heaven is a Pearl that cannot be purchased except we part with all we have If we be merchants let us venture for it Who would not with the poor fisher-men leave an old net to follow Christ Math. 4. Who would not with the woman of Samaria change a cup of well water for the water of the fountain of life Luk. 19. Who would not with Zacheus do away half his goods to obtain a Kingdom Who would not with the penitent thief bestow a broken heart and a short prayer for a Crown of glory Luk. 21. Who would not with the poor widow forgoe a mite to receive a million Who would not with Christ and his holy Martyrs endure the Crosse that he may enjoy the Crown Who would not with the wise men exchange gold frankincense and myrrhe to obtaine Grace truth and mercy Spark 96. O God thou art my God my goods are nothing unto thee Whom have I in heaven but thee and whom shall I desire on earth in comparison of thee O Lord thou did'st with thy bloud arrest heaven for me when thou wast circumcised thou hast paid the whole when thou wast crucified then didst thou take our sins and gavest us thy salvation I am a poor banquerupt I can offer thee nothing that is of worth accept of my mite of devotion my cold water of almes my grain of faith my desire of sorrow my sighes of satisfaction and my purpose to praise thee Alas sweet Jesus I cannot give thee thy own goods to gain my own glory I have nothing left me but the name of Merchant Satan the man of War hath taken away the gold of my faith I have exchanged thy graces for the worlds vanity and I have so long listened to the sirens of my own concupiscence that I have made a shipwrack of all thy blessings Sweet Jesus pardon my doings and pay thou my debts Give me that life which thou hast purchased for me and forgive me that death which I have purchased for my self by my sins Amen Sect. XCVII A Christian Salutation WHen a man first comes to a house we use to say you are welcome when he is parting away God speed you or fare you well when we meet with him on the high way God save you So when we see a man born we may say you are welcome for he is but newly come When we see one under forty God keep you for he is at the best but if past forty God speed you or fare you well for he is going out of the world Sparke 97. Lord I am alwayes going out of the world therefore grant me a prosperous journey and a happy arrivall teach me betimes to take my leave of all and to follow thee let me never look back to the Sodom of sin till I come to the mountain of happy felicity through him and by him who is the way the truth and the life Sect. XCVIII The way to preferment HE that will be joyfull must weep he that will be satisfied must hunger and fast he that will be rich must give and he that will bear rule must obey Sparke 98. Lord give me grace to hunger for thee that I may be filled to weep for my sins that I may be comforted to give that it may be given to me to be mercifull that I may obtaine mercy to obey and be humble that I may be exalted Sect. XCIX The luke-warme Professor HE is like the twilight neither day nor night like the Autumne neither faire nor foule like one sick of an ague one day well another day ill or like the Mary-gold that openeth and shutteth with the sun having on eye towards Sodom and another towards Zoar or like the butterfly on the glasse window that will neither backward nor forward If he puts his hand once to the plough he is presently ready to look back he is but almost a Christian like Agrippa he is one while minded to be fellow-servants with Paul another while resolved to leave him and to follow Demas embracing this present world whose unconstant honour is so offensive and so loathsome to God that he threatens to spew him out of his mouth Rev. 3 16. He is earnest in nothing runs both with the hound and with the hare worships God and Baal weares garments of linnen wollen serves two masters God Mamon he is as well for Romish Babylon as for English Sion he can be conâ—ent with as many religions as he hath honours and vain affections Whereas one heaven held not Michael and the Dragon in peace nor one house the Arke and Dagon nor one womb Jacob and Esau nor one Temple prayer and merchandizing nor one Camp the clean and leprous nor one Bath John and Cerinthus nor one tongue God and Milchom nor one conscience true Religion and false superstition yet the lukewarme mans heart is a seat for all these and yet not constâ—nt and zâ—alous in any of these It is enough with such a one to be outwardly religious Iâ— he hath but a shew and shadow of religion he cares not for the substance