I am sure I am as good as God has made mee and I can make my self no better so I cannot And as for serving God I am sure I go to Church as well as the best in the Parish though I bee not so fine and I make no question if I had better cloathes but I should doe God as much credit as another man though I say it And as for doing Gods will I befhrew mee I leave that to them that are booke-learn'd and can doe it more wisely I beleeve the Vicar of our Parish can doe it and has done it too as well as any within five miles of his head and what need I trouble my selfe to doe what is so well done already I hope hee being so good a Churchman and so great a Schollard and can speake Latine too would not leave that to so simple a man as I. It is enough for mee to know that God is a good man and that the ten Commandements are the best prayers in all the book unlesse it be the Creede And that I must love my neighbour as well as he loves mee and for all other Quilicoms they shall never trouble my braines an grace a God Let mee goe a sundayes and serve God obey the King God blesse him doe no man no wrong say the Lords Prayer every morning and evening follow my worke give a Noble to the poore at my death and then say Lord have mercy upon mee go away like a Lambe I make no question but I shall deserve heaven as well as hee that weares a gayer coate But yet I am not so ingrant neither nor have not gone so often to Church but I know Christ died for mee too as well as for any other man I 'de bee sorry else and that next to our Vicar I shall goe to heaven when a I am dead as soone as another nay more I know there bee two Sacraments bread and wine and but two though the Papists say there be six or seven and that I verily beleeve I shall be saved by those Sacraments and that I love God above all or else 't were pity of my life and that when I am dead and rotten as our Vicar told mee I shall rise again and be the same man I was But for that hee must excuse mee till I have better sartifaction for all his learning hee cannot make me such a fool unlesse he shew me a better reason for 't then yet he has done His Award BUt one thing hee told mee now I think on 't troubles me woundly namely that God is my Master all which I confesse and that I must do his will whether I know how to doe it or no or else it will goe ill with me I le read it he said out of Gods Bible and I shall remember the words so long as I have a day to live which are these Hee that knoweth not his masters will and doth things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes Luke 12. 48. 1 Cor. 14. 20. Brethren be not children in understanding howbeit in malice be ye children but in understanding be men His Proofs 1 Cor. 15. 34. Awake to righteousnesse and sin not for some have not the knowledge of God I speak it to your shame Ephes 4. 18. Walk not in the vanity of your minds having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the Ignorance which is in you because of the blindnesse of your hearts Levit. 5. 17. And if a soule sin and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the Commandments of the Lord though be wisâ— it not yet is hee guilty and shall beare his iniquity 2 Thes. 1. 7 8. The Lord Jesus shall bee revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God Greg. Mag. Moral It is good to know much and to live well but if we cannot attain both it is better to desire piety then wisdome for knowledge makes no man happy nor doth blessednesse consist in intellectuals The onely brave thing is a religious life Just Mart. Resp. ad orthod. To sin against knowledge is so much the greater offence then an ignorant trespasse by how much the crime which is capable of no excuse is more hainous then the fault which admits a tolerable plea His Soliloquie HOw wel it had been for thee O my soule if I had bookelarnd Alas I cannot read and what I heare I cannot understand I cannot profit as I should and therefore cannot be as good as I would for which I am right sorry That I cannot serve as wel as my betters hath bin often a great griefe to mee and that I have beene so ignorant in good things hath been a great heart-breaking unto mee I can say no prayers for want of knowledge to read but Our Father and the Creed But the comfort is God knows my heart but I trust in God Our Father being made by Christ himselfe will be enough for mee that know not how to make a better I endeavour to doe all our Vicar bids me and when I receive the Communion I truly forgive all the world for a fortnight after or such a matter but then some old injury makes mee forget my selfe but I cannot help it an my life should lie on t O my ingrant soule what shall I doe to bee saved All that I can say is Lord have mercy upon me and all that I can doe is but to doe my good will and that I le doe with all my heart and say my prayers too as well as God will give me leave an grace a God His Prayer O God the Father of heaven have mercy upon me miserable sinner I am as I must needs confesse a sinfull man as my forefathers were before mee I have heard many Sermons and have had many good lessons from the mouths of painfull Ministers but through the dulnesse of my understanding and for want of learning I have not profited so much as else I should have done spare me therefore O God spare me whom thou hast redeemed with thy pretious blood and bee not angry for ever I must confesse the painfulnesse of my calling and the heavinesse of my own nature hath taken from mee the delight of hearing thy Word and the ignorance of learning which I was never brought up to hath kept me from reading it that insomuch in stead of growing better I feare I have grown worse and worse and have bin so far from doing thy will that I doe not understand what thy will is very well But thou O mercifull God that didst reveale thy self to poore Shepherds and Fishermen that had no more learning then I have mercy upon me for Jesus Christ his sake Thou that hast promised to instruct the simple and to lead the ignorant into thy way be good and mercifull to mee I beseech thee Thou that drawest the needy out of the dust and the poore
thee the only desirable good I blush O Lord to confesse the basenesse of my life and am utterly asham'd of my own foolishnesse I have placed my affections upon the nasty Rubbish of this world and have slighted the inestimable Pearl of my Salvation I have wallowed in the mire of my inordinate desires and refused to bee washt in the streams of thy compassion I have put my confidence in the faithfulnesse of my servant and have doubted the providence of thee my gratious Father I have served unrighteous Mammon with greedinesse and have preferred drosse and dung before the pearly gates of New Jerusalem Thou hast promised to be all in all to those that fear thee and not to fail the soul that trusts in thee but I refused thy gratious offer and put my confidence in the vanity of the Creature But gratious God to whom true Repentance never comes unseasonable that findest an eare when sinners finde a tongue regard the contrition of a bleeding heart and withdraw not thy mercy from a pensive soule Give mee new thoughts O God and with thy holy Spirit new mould my desires inform my will and sanctify my affections that they may rellish thy sweetnesse with a full delight Create in me O God a spirituall sense that I may take pleasure in things that are above Give mee a contented thankfulnesse for what I have that I may neither in poverty forsake thee nor in plenty forget thee Arm me with a continuall patience that I may chearfully put my trust in thy providence Moderate my care for momentary things that I may use the world as if I used it not Let not the losse of any earthly good too much deject me lest I should sinne with my lips and charge thee foolishly Give me a charitable hand O God and fill my heart with brotherly compassion that I may chearfully exchange the corruptible treasure of this world into the incorruptible riches of the world to come and proving a faithfull steward in thy spirituall houshold I may give up my account with joy and be made partaker of thy eternall joy in the Kingdome of thy glory The Self-lovers Self-fraud GOd hath required my heart and he shall have it God hath commanded truth in the inward parts and he shall be obeyed My soule shall prayse the Lord and all that is within me and I will serve him in the strength of my desires And in common Cases the tongues profession of his Name is no lesse then necessary But when it lies upon a life upon the saving of a livelyhood upon the flat undoing of a reputation the case is altered My life is deare my faire possessions pretious and my reputation is the very Apple of mine eye To save so great a stake me thinks equivocation is but veniall if a sinne â—f the true loyalty of mine heart stands sound to my Religion and my God my well-informed Conscience tels me that in such extremities my frighted tongue may take the priviledge of a Salvo or a mentall reservation if not in the expression of a faire compliance What shall the reall breach of a holy Sabbath dedicated to Gods highest glory be tolerated for the welfare of an Oxe May that breach be set upon the score of mercy and commended above sacrifice for the savegard of an Asse And may I not dispence with a bare lippe deniall of my urg'd Religion for the necessary preservation of the threatned life of a man for the saving of the whole livelyhood and subsistence of a Christian What shall I perish for the want of â—ood and die a Martyr to that foolish conscience which forbids me to rub the eares of a little standing Corne Iacob could purchase his sick fathers blessing with a down-right lie and may I not dissemble for a life The young mans great possessions taught his timerous tongue to shrink from and decline his hearts profession and who could blame him Come if thou freely give thy house canst thou in conscience be denied a hiding room for thy protection The Syrian Captain he whose heart was fixt on his now firme resolv'd and true devotion reserved the house of Rimmon for his necessary attendance and yet went in peace Peter upon the rock of whose confession the Church was grounded to save his liberty with a false nay with a perjur'd tongue nay more at such a time when as the Lord of life in whose behalf he drew his sword was questioned for his innocent life denied his Master and shall I be so great an unthrift of my blood my life to lose it for a meere lippe-deniall of that Religion which now is setled and needs no blood to seale it His Retribution BUt stay my conscience checks me there 's a judgement thunders Hark He that denies me before men him will I deny before my Father which is in heaven Matth. 10. 33. 2 Tim. 3. 1 2. Know that in the latter dayes perillous times shall come For men shall be lovers of their owne selves Isai. 45. 23. I have sworn by my selfe the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse and shall not returne that unto me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall sweare Rom. 10. 10. With the heart man beleeveth unto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made to salvation Luke 9. 26. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he shall come in Glory His Proofs Augustine The love of God and the world are two different things if the love of this world dwell in thee the love of God forsakes thee renounce that and receive this it 's fit the more noble love should have the best place and acceptance Theoph. It is nâ—t enough onely to beleeve with the heart for God will have us confess with our mouth every one that confesses Christ is God shall finde Christ professing to the Father that that man is a faithfull servant but those that deny Christ shall receive that fearful doom Nescio vos I know you not His Soliloquy MY soule in such a time as this when the civill Sword is warme with slaughter and the wasting kingdom welters in her blood wouldst thou not give thy life to ransome her from ruine Is not the God of heaven and earth worth many kingdomes Is thy welfare more considerable then his glory dar'st thou deny him for thy owne owne ends that denied thee nothing for thy good Is a poore clod of earth we call Inheritance prizable with his greatnesse Or a puffe of breath we call life valuable with his honour in comparison of whom the very Angels are impure Blush O my soule at thy owne guilt He that accounted his blood his life not worth the keeping to ransome thee a wretch lost by thy own rebellion deserves he not the abatement of a lust to keep him from a new crucifying My soule if Religion binde thee not if judgements terrifie thee not if naturall affection incline
excuse as well as make the lie Had Caesar Scipio or Alexander been regulated by such strict Divinity their names had been as silent as their dust A lie is but a faire put off the sanctuary of a secret the riddle of a lover the stratagem of a Souldier the policy of a Statesman and a salve for many desperate sores His Flames BUt hark my soule there 's something rounds mine eare and calls my language to a recâ—ntation The Lord hath spoken it Liers shall have their part in the lake which burâ—eth with fire and brimstone Revel. 21. 8. Exod. 20. Thou shalt not raise a false report Levit. 19. 11. Ye shall not deal falsely neither lie one to another Prov. 12. 22. Lying lips are abomination to the Lord but they that deal truely are his delight Prov. 19. 5. He that speaketh lies shall not escape Ephes. 4. 5. Put away lying and every one speak truth with his neighbour for we are members one of another Revel. 21. 27. There shall in no wise enter into the new Ierusalem any thing that worketh abomination or that maketh a lie His Proofes S. Augustine Whosoever thinkes there is any kind of lie that is not a sin shamefully deceives himself mistaking a lying or cousening knave for a square or honest man Gregor. Eschew and avoid all falshood though sometimes certain kind of untruths are lesse sinfull as to tell a lie to save a mans life yet because the Scripture saith The lyer slayeth his own soul and God will destroy them that tell a lie therefore religious and honest men should alwayes avoid even the best sort of lies neither ought another mans life be secured by our falsehood or lying lest we destroy our owne soule in labouring to secure another mans life His Soliloquy WHat a child O my soule hath thy false bosome harbâ—rd And what reward can thy indulgence expect from such a father What blessing canst thou hope for from heaven that pleadest for the son of the devill and crucifyest the Son of God God is the Father of truth To secure thy estate thou deniest the truth by framing oâ— a lie To save thy brothers life thou opposest the truth in justifying a lie Now tell me O my soul art thou worthy the name of a Christian that denyest and opposest the nature of Christ Art thou worthy of Christ that preferrest thy estate or thy brothers life before him O my unrighteous soule canst thou hold thy brother worthy of death for giving thee the lie and thy selfe guiltlesse that makest a lie 〈◊〉 but in some cases truth destroyes thy life a lie preserves it My soule was God thy Creator then make not the devill thy preserver Wilt thou despair to trust him with thy life that gave it and make him thy Protector that seeks to destroy it Reforme thee and repent thee O my soul hold not thy life on such conditions but trust thee to the hands that made thee His Prayer O God that art the God of truth whose word is truth that hatest lying lips and abominatest the deceitfull tongue that banishest thy presence all such as love or make a ly and lovest truth and requirest uprightnesse in the inward parts I the most wretched of the sonnes of men and most unworthy to be called thy son make bold to cast my sinfullâ— eies to heaven Lord I have sinned against heaven and against truth and have turned thy grace into a lie I have renounced the wayes of righteousnesse and harbour'd much iniquity within me which hath turned thy wrath against me I have transgrest against the checks of my own conscience and have vaunted of my transgression which way soever I turne mine eye I see no object but shame and confusion Lord when I look upon my selfe I finde nothing there but fuell for thy wrath and matter for thine indignation and my condemnation And when I cast mine eyes to heaven I there behold an angry God and a severe revenger But Lord at thy right hand I see a Saviour and a sweet Redeemer I see thy wounded Son cloathd in my flesh and bearing mine infirmities and interceding for my numerous transgressions for which my soule doth magnifie thee O God and my spirit rejoyceth in him my Saviour Lord when thou lookest upon the vast score of my offences turne thine eyes upon the infinite merits of his satisfaction O when thy justice calls to mind my sinnes let not thy mercy forget his sufferings Wash mee O wash me in his blood and thou shalt see me cloathed in his righteousnesse Let him that is all in all to me be all in all for me make him to me sanctification justification and redemption Inspire my heart with the spirit of thy truth and preserve me from the deceitfulnesse of a double tongue Give me an inward confidence to relie upon thy fatherly providence that neither fear may deterre me nor any advantage may turne me from the wayes of thy truth Let not the specious goodnesse of the end encourage me to the unlawfulnesse of the meanes but let thy Word be the warrant to all my actions Guide my footsteps that I may walke uprightly and quicken my conscience that it may reprove my failings Cause me to feel the burthen of this my habituall sin that comming to thee by a true and serious repentance my sins may obtaine a full and a gratious forgivenesse Give me a heart to make a Covenant with my lips that both my heart and tongue being sanctified by thy Spirit may be both united in truth by thy mercy and magnifie thy name for ever and for ever The revengefull mans rage O What a Julip to my scorching soul is the delicious blood of my Offendâ—r and how it cooles the burning Fâ—ver of my boyling veynes It is the Quintessence of pleasures the height of satisfaction and the very marrow of all delight to bathe and paddle in the blood of such whose bold affronts have turn'd my wounded patâ—ence into fury How full of sweetnesse was his death who dying was reveng'd upon three thousand enemies How sweetly did the younger brothers blood allay the soul-consuming flame of the elder who took more pleasure in his last breath then heaven dâ—d in his first Sacrifice Yet had not heaven to demned his action nature hâ—d found an Advocate for his passion What sturdy spirit hath the power to rule his sufferâ—ng thoughts or curbe the headstrong â—uâ—y of his Irascible affections Or who but fooles that cannot taste anjnjury can moderate their high-bred spirits and stop their passion in her full carrier Let heavy Cynicks they whose leaden soules are taught by stupid reason to stand bent at every wrong that can digest an injury more easily then a complement that can protest against the Lawes of nature and cry all naturall affection downe let them be Andirons for the inâ—urious world to worke a Heat upon let them finde shoulders to receive the paineful stripes of peevish Mortalâ—s and to bear the wrongs