mee and I can make my selfe no better so I cannot And as for serving God I am sure I goe 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 beshrew 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 Churchmâ—n and so great a Schollard and can speake Latiâ—e too would not leave that to so simple 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 bee 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 gracâ— a God Let mee goe a sundays 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 and goe away like a Lambe I make no question but I shall deserve heaven as well as he 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 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 bee six or seven and that I verily beleeve I shall be saved by those Sacraments that I love God above all or else 't were pitty of my life and that when I am dead and rotten as our Vicar told mee I shall rise againe and be the same man I was But for that hee must excuse mee till I have better sartifaction for all his learning he cannot make me such a foole unlesse hee shew mee a better reason for 't then yet hee has done BUt one thing hee told me now I thinke on 't troubles me woundly namely that God is my Master all which I confesse and that I must doe his will whether I know how to doe it or nor 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 He that knoweth not his masters will and doth things worthy of stripes shall bee beaten with few stripes Luke 12. 48. 1 Cor. 14. 20. Brethren bee not children in understanding howbeit in malice be ye children but in understanding be men 1 Cor. 15. 34. Awake to righteousnesse and sin not for some have not â—the knowledge of God I speake it to your shame Ephes. 4. 18. Walke not in the vanitie of your minds having the understanding darkned 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 sinne and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord though hee wist it not yet is hee guilty and shall beare his iniquitie 2 Thes. 1. 7. 8. The Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mightie 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 wee cannot attaine both it is better to desire piety then wisedome for knowledge makes no man happy nor doth blessednesse consist in intellectuals The onely brave thing is a religious life 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 Iustin Mart. Resp. ad orthod. HOw well it had been for thee O my soule if I had bookelarnd Alas I cannot reade 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 well as my betters hath been often a great griefe to me and that I have been so ingranâ— in good things hath been a great heart-breaking to me I can say no prayers for want of knowledge to reade but Our Father and the Creede But the comfort is God knowes my heart but â— trust in God Our Father being made by Christ himselfe will bee enough for me that know not how to make a better I indeavour to doe all our Vicar bids me and when I receive the Communion I truely forgive all the world for a fortnight after or such a matter but then some old injury makes me forget my selfe but I cannot helpe it an my life should lie on t O my ingrant soule what shall I do 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 mee 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 confesâ—e a sinfull man as my forefathers were before mee I have heard many Sermons and have had many good lessons from the mouths of painefull Ministers but through the dulnesse of my understanding and for want of learning I have not profited â—o much as else I should have done spare mee therefore O God spare mee whom thou hast redeemed with thy pretious blood and bee not angry for ever I must confesse the painefulnesse of my calling and the heavinesse of my owne nature hath taken from mee the delight of hearing thy Word and the ignorance of learning which I was never brought upto hath kept me from reading it that insomuch in stead of growing better I feare I have growne worse and worse and have been 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 selfe to poore Shepherds and Fishermen that had no more learning then I have mercy upon mee for Jesus Christ his sake Thou that hast promised to instruct the simple and to leade the ignorant into thy way beâ— good and mercifull to mee I beseech thee Thou that drawest the needy out of the dust and the poore out of the dunghill give me the knowledge of thy will and teach me how to serve thee Take
all my friends forsake mee If to gaine a good estate out of nothing and to regaine a desperat debt which is as good as nothing bee the fruits and signe of a bad conscience God helpe the good Come tell not me of griping and Oppression The world is hard and hee that hopes to thrive must gripe as hard What I give I give and what I lend I lend If the way to heaven bee to turn begger upon earth let them take it that like it I know not what ye call Oppression The Law is my direction but of the two it is more profitable to oppresse then to bee opprest If debtors would bee honest and discharge our hands were bound but when their failing offends my bagges they touch the Apple of my eye and I must right them BUt hah what voyce is this that whispers in mine eare The Lord will spoile the soule of the Oppressors Prov. 22. 23. Prov. 21. 22. Robbe not the poore because hee is poore neither oppresse the afflicted in the gates for the Lord will plead their cause and spoile the soule of those that have spoled him Ezek. 22. 19. The people of the land have used oppression and exercised Robbery and have vexed the poors and needy yea they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath Zach. 7. 9. Execute true judgement and shew mercy and compassion every man to his brother and oppresse not the widow nor the fatherlesse nor the stranger nor the poore and let none of you imagine evill in your hearts against his brother But they refused to hearken therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of Hosts Bernard p. 1691. Wee ought so to care for our selves as not to neglect the due regard of our neighbour Bern. ibiâ—â— He that is not mercifull to another shall not find mercy from God but if thou will'st bee mercifull and compassionate thou shalt bee a benâ—factor to thy owne soule IS it wisdome in thee O my soul to covet a happinesse or rather to account it so that is sought for with a judgement obtained with a Curse and punished with damnation And to neglect that good which is assured with a promise purchased with a blessing and rewarded with a Crowne of Glory Canst thou hold a full estate a good pennyworth which is bought with the deare price of thy Gods displeasure Tell mee what continuance can that Inheritance promise that is raised upon the ruines of thy Brother Or what mercy canst thou expect from heaven that hast denied all mercy to thy Neighbour O my hard-hearted soule consider and relent Build not an house whose posts are subject to bee rotted with a curse Consider what the God of truth hath threatned against thy crueltie Relent and turne compassionate that thou mayst bee capable of his compassion If the desire of Gold hath hardned thy heart let the teares of true Repentance mollifie it soften it with Aarons oyntment untill it become Wax to take the impression of that seale which must confirme thy Pardon His Prayer BUt will my God bee now entreated Is not my crying sinne too loud for Pardon Am I not sunke too deepe into the Jawes of Hell for thy strong arme to rescue Hath not the hardnesse of my heart made mee uncapable of thy compassion O if my teares might wash away my sinne my head should turne a living Spring Lord I have heard thee speake and am affraid the word is past and thy judgements have found mee out Fearefulnesse and trembling are come upon mee and the Jawes of Hell have overwhelmed mee I have oppressed thy poore and added affliction to the afflicted and the voyce of their misery is come before thee They besought mee with teares and in the anguish of their soules but I have stopt mine eares against the cry of their complaint But Lord thou walkest not the wayes of man and remembrest mercy in the middest of thy wrath for thou art good and gratious and ready to forgive and plenteous in compassion to all that shall call upon thee Forgive mee O God my sinnes that are past and deliver mee from the guilt of my Oppression Take from mee O God this heart of stone and create in my brest a heart of flesh Asswage the vehemency of my desires to the things below and satisfie my soule with the sufficiency of thy Grace Inflame my affections that I may love thee with a filiall love and incline mee to relie upon thy fatherly providence Let mee account godlinesse my greatest gaine and subdue in mee my lusts after filthy lucre Preserve mee O Lord from the vanitie of selfe-love and plant in my affections the true love of my neighbours Endue my heart with the bowels of compassion and then reward mee according to thy righteousnesse Direct mee O God in the wayes of my life and let a good Conscience bee my continuall comfort Give mee a willing heart to make resâ—itution of what I have wrongfully gotten by oppression Grant mee a lawfull use of all thy Creatures and a thankfull heart for all thy benefits Bee merciâ—ull to all those that groane under the burthen of their owne wants and give them patience to expect thy deliverance Give mee a heart that may acknowledge thy favours and fill my tongue with praise and thanksgiving that living here a new life I may become a new creature and being engraffed in thee by the power of thy grace I may bring forth fruit to thy honour and glory The Drunkards Iubile VVHat Complement will the severer world allow to the vacant houres of frolique-hearted youth How shall their free their joviall spirits entertaine their time their friends What Oyle shall bee infused into the Lampe of deare societie if they deny the priviledge of a civill rejoycing Cup It is the life the radicall humor of united soules whose love-digestive heate even ripens and ferments the greene materialls of a plighted faith without the helpe whereof new married friendship falls into divorce and joyn'd acquaintance soone resolves into the first Elements of strangenesse What meane these strict Reformers thus to spend their houâ—e-glasses and bawle against our harmelesse Cups to call our meetings Riots and brand our civill mirth with stiles of loose Intemperance where they can sit at a fisters Feast devoure and gurmundize beyond excesse and wipe the guilt from off their marrowed mouths and cloath their surfeits in the long fustain Robes of a tedious Grace Is it not much better in a faire friendly Round since youth must have a swing to steep our soule-afflicting sorrows in a chirping Cup then hazard our estates upon the abuse of providence in a folish cast at Dice Or at a Cockpit leave our doubtfull fortunes to the mercy of unmercifull contention Or spend our wanton dayes in sacrificing costly presents to a fleshly Idoll was not Wine given to exhilarate the drooping hearts and raise the drowzie spirits
Hell If worldly pleasures had the promise of continuance prosperitie were some comfort but in this necessary vieissitude of good and evill the prolonging of adversitie sharpens it It is no common thing my soule to enjoy two heavens Dives found it in the present Lazarus in the future Hath thy encrease met with no damage thy reputation with no scandall thy pleasure with no crosse thy prosperitie with no adversitie Presume not Gods checks are symptomes of his mercy but his silence is the Harbinger of a judgement Bee circumspect and provident my soule Hast thou a faire Summer provide for a hard Winter The worlds River ebbes alone it flowes not Hee that goes merrily with the streame must hale up Flatter thy selfe therefore no longer in thy prosperous sinne O my deluded soule but be truly sensible of thy owne presumption Look seriously into thy approaching danger and humble thy selfe with true contrition If thou procure sowre Hearbs God will provide his Passeover His Prayer HOw weake is man O God when thou forsakest him How foolish are his Counsels when hee plots without thee How wilde his progresse when hee wanders from thee How miserable till hee returne unto thee How his wit failes How his wisedome falters How his wealth melts How his providence is befool'd and how his soule beslav'd Thou strik'st off the Chariot wheeles of his Inventions and hee is perplext Thou confoundest the Babel of his imaginations and he is troubled Thou crossest his designes that hee may feare thee and thou stop'st him in his wayes that he may know thee How mercifull art thou O God and in thy very judgements Lord how gracious Thou mightst have struck me into the lowest pit as easily as on these bended knees and yet been justified in my confusion But thou hast threatned like a gentle father as loath to punish thy ungracious childe Thou knowest the crooked thoughts of man are vaine still turning point to their contrivers ruin Thou saw'st me wandring in the maze of death whilst I with violence pursued my owne destruction But thou hast warn'd me by thy sacred Word and tooke me off that I might live to praise theâ— Thou art my confidence O God Thou art the rock the rock of my salvation Thy Word shall bee my guide for all thy paths are Mercy and Truth Lord when I looke upon my former worldlinesse I utterly abhorre my conversation strengthen mee with thy assistance that I may leade a new life make mee more and more sensible of my owne condition and perfect thou the good worke thou hast begun in mee In all my designes bee thou my Counsellour that I may prosper in my undertakings In all my actions bee thou my guide that I may keepe the path of thy Commandements Let all my owne devises come to nought lest I presume upon the Arme of flesh let not my wealth encrease without thy blessing lest I bee fatted up against the day of slaughter Have thou a hand in all my just imployments then prosper thou the worke of my hands O prosper thou my handy-worke That little I enjoy confirme it to me and make it mine who have no interest in it till thou owne mee as thy Child Then shall my soule rejoyce in thy favours and magnifie thy name for all thy mercies Then shall my lips proclaime thy loving kindnesse and sing thy praises for ever and for ever The Lascivious mans Heaven CAn flesh and blood bee so unnaturall to forget the Lawes of Nature Can blowing youth immure it selfe within the Icey walls of Vestall Chastitie Can lusty diet and mollicious rest bring forth no other fruits but faint desires rigid thoughts and Pblegmatick conceits should wee bee stockâ— and stones and having active soules turne altogether passives Must wee turne Anchâ—rites and spend our dayes in Caves and Hermitages and smother up our pretious houres in cloysterd folly and recluse devotion Can Rosie cheekes can Ruby lippes can snowy brests and sparkling eyes prescut their beauties and perfections to the sprightly view of young mortalitie and must wee stand like Statues without sense or motion Can strict Religion impose such cruell Taskes and even impossible commands upon the raging thoughts of her unhappy votaries as to withstand and contradict the instinct and very principles of Nature Can faire-pretending pictie be so barbarous to condemn us to the flames of our affections and make us Martyrs to our owne desires Is 't not enough to conquer the rebellious Actions of imperious flesh but must wee manacle her hands darken her eyes nay worse restraine the freedome of her very thoughts Can full perfection bee expected here Or can our worke be perfect in this vale of imperfection This were a life for Angels but a task too hard for fraile for transitory man Come come we are but men but flesh and blâ—od and our borne frailties cannot grapple with such potent tyranny What nature and necessitie requires us to doe is veniall being done Come strive no more against so strong a streame but take thy fill of beautie solace thy wanton heart with amorous contemplations cloathe all thy words with courtly Rhetorick and soften thy lips with dialects of love surfeit thy selfe with pleasure and 〈◊〉 thy passion into warme delights VValke into Natures universall Bower and pick what flower does most surprize thine eye drink of all waters but be tied to none Spare neither cost nor paines to compasse thy desires Enjoy varieties Emparadise thy soule in fresh delights The change of pleasure makes thy pleasure double Ravish thy senses with perpetuall choyce and glut thy soule with all the delicates of love BUt hold There is a voyce that whispers in my troubled eare a voyce that blanks my thoughts and stops the course of my resolves A voyce that chills the bosome of my soule and fills me with amazement Harke They which doe such things shall not inherit the kingdome of God Gal. 5. 21. Exod. 20. 14. Thou shalt not commit Adultery Matth. 5. 28. Whosoever lookes upon a woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery with her already in his heart Rom. 13. 13. Let us walke honestly as in the day not in rioting nor in drunkennesse nor in chambering nor in wantonnesse 1 Pet. 2. 11. Abstaine from fleshly lusts which warre against the soule Nilus in Paraen Woe bee to the fornicator and adulterer for his garment is defiled and spotted and the heavenly Bridegroome casts him out from his chast nuptialls A world of presumptuous and hainous offences doe arise and spring from the filthy fountaine of adulterous lust whereby the gate of heaven is shut and poore man excluded from God S. Gregor. Mor. Hence the flesh lives in sensuall delights for a moment but the immortall soule perisheth for ever LUst is a Brand of originall fire rak'd up in the Embers of flesh and blood uncover'd by a naturall inclination blowne by corrupt communication quencht with fasting and humiliation It is rak'd up in the best uncovered in the
affections in owe Such Toyes may work upon their timerous apprehensions when wholesome precepts faile and find no audience in their youthfull eares Tell not mee of Hell Devills or of damned soules to enforce me from those pleasures which they nickname sinne What tell ye mee of Law My soule is sensible of Evangelicall precepts without the needlesse and uncorrected thunder of the killiug Letter or the terrible periphrase of roaring Boanarges the teadiousnesse of whose language still determines in damnation wherein I apprehend God farre more mercifull then his Ministers T is true I have not led my life according to the Pharisaicall squire of their opinions neither have I found judgements according to their prophecies whereby I must conclude that God is wonderfully mercifull or they wonderfully mistaken How often have they thundred â—orment against my voluptuous life And yet I feele no paine How bitterly have they threatned shame against the vaunts of my vaine-glory Yet find I honor How fiercely have they preach'd destruction against my cruelty and yet I live VVhat Plagues against my swearing yet not infected What diseases against my drunkennesse and yet sound What danger against procrastination yet how often hath God been found upon the deathbed What damnation to Hypocrites yet who more safe What stripes to the ignorant yet who more scotfree What povertie to the slothfull yet themselves prosper VVhat falls to the proud yet stand they surest VVhat curses to the Covetous yet who richer VVhat judgements to the lascivious yet who more pleasure VVhat vengeance to the prophane the censorious the revengefull yet none live more unscourg'd VVho deeper branded then the Lyerâ—â— yet who more favor'd Who more threatned then the presumptuous yet who lesse punished Thus are wee foold and kept in awe with the strict fancies of those Pulpit-men whose opinions have no ground but what they gaine from popularitie Thus are wee frighted from the libertie of Nature by the politick Chimeraes of Religion whereby we are necessitated to the observing of those Laws whereof we find a greater necessitie of breaking BUt stay my soule there is a voyce that darts into my troubled thoughts which saith Because thou hast not kept my Lawes all the curses in this booke shall overtake thee till thou be destraoed Deut. 29. Deut. 29. 27. And the anger of the Lord was kindâ—ed against the land to bring upon it all the Curses that are written in this book 2 Chron. 34. 24. Thus saith the Lord Behold I will bring will upon this place and upon the inhabitants thereof even all the curses that are written in the booke Deut. 28. 15. But if thou wilt not hearken unto the vâ—yee of the Lord thy God to observe and doe all his Commandements and his statutes which I command thee this day all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee Bernard It is certaine thou must die and uncertaine when how or where seeing death is alwayes at thy 〈◊〉 Thou must if thou be wise â—lwayes be ready to die Bernard To commit a sinne is an humane frailtie to persist in it is a devillish obstinacy Bernard There are some who hope in the Lord but yet in vaine because they onely smooth and flatter themselves that God is mercifull but repent not of their sinne such confidence is vaine and foolish and leads to destruction PResumption is a sinne whereby wee depend upon Gods mercies without any warrant from Gods Word It is as great a sinne O my soule to hope for Gods mercy without Repentance as to distrust Gods mercy upon Repentance In the first thou wrongst his Iustice In the last his mercy O my presumptuous soule let not thy prosperitie in sinning encourage thee to sinne lest climbing without Warrant into his mercy thou fall without mercy into his judgement Be not deceived a long Peace makes a bloody Warre and the abuse of continued mercies makes a sharpe judgement Patience when slighted turnes to fury but ill-requited starts to vengeance Thinke not that thy unpunisht sinne is hidden from the eye of heaven or that Gods judgements will delay for ever The stalled Oxe that wallowes in his plenty and waxes wanton with ease is not farre from slaughter The Ephod O my desperate soule is long a filling but once being full the leaden cover must goe on and then it hurries on the wings of the wind Advise thee then and whilst the Lampe of thy prosperity lasts provide thee for the evill day which being come repentance will bee out of date and all thy prayers will finde no eare His Prayer GRatious God whose mercy is unsearchable and whose goodnesse is unspeakable I the unthankfull object of thy continued favours and therefore the miserable subject of thy continuall wrath humbly present my self-made misery before thy sacred Majestie Lord when I look upon the horridnesse of my sin shame strikes me dumb But when I turne mine eie upon the infinitnesse of thy mercy I am emboldned to poure forth my soule before thee as in the one finding matter for confusion so in the other Arguments for compassion Lord I have sinned grievously but my Saviour hath satisfied abundantly I have trespassed continually but he hath suffered once for all Thou hast numbred my transgressions by the haires of my head but his mercies are innumerable like the starres of the skie My sinnes in greatnesse are like the mountaines of the earth 〈◊〉 his mercy is greater then the heavens Oh if his mercy were not greater then my sinnes my sinnes were impardonable for his therefore and â—â—y mercies sake cover my sinnes and pardon my transgressions make my head a fountain of â—â—eares and accept my contrition O thou Well-â—â—ring of all mercie strengthen my resolution â—â—at for the time to come I may detest all sinne â—â—crease a holy anger in me that I may revenge my selfe upon my selfe for displeasing so gratious a Father Fill my heart with a feare of thy judgments and sweeten my thoughts with the meditation of thy mercies Goe forwards O my God and perfect thy own work in me and take the glory of thy owne free goodnesse furnish my mouth with the prayses of thy name and replenish my tongue with continuall thanksgiving Thou haâ—â— promised pardon to those that repent behold I repent Lord quicken my Repentance Thou mightst have made me a terrible example of thy justice and struck â—â—ee into hell in the height of my presumption but thou hast made me capable of thy mercies and an object of thy 〈◊〉 for thou art a gratious God of long-suffering and â—low to anger thy name is wonderfull and thy mercies incomprehensible Thou art onely worthy to bee praised Let all the people praise thee O God O let all the people praise thee Let Angels and Archangels praise thee Let the Congregations of Saints praise thee Let thy works praise thee Let every thing that breath's praise thee for ever and for ever Amen FINIS