kindles flames for it 's dearest friends Therefore whosoever when he should rest from sin busieth himselfe in the dead and fruitlesse workes of wickednesse and renouncing all piety lusts after such things as will bring him into eternall destruction and everlasting flames justly deserves to die and perish with the damned because when he might have enjoyed a pious rest he laboured to run headlong to his own destruction His Soliloquy MY soul how hast thou prophaned that day thy God hath sanctified How hast thou encroach'd on that which heaven hath set apart If thy impatience cannot act a Sabbath twelve hours what happinesse canst thou expect in a perpetuall Sabbath Is sixe dayes too little for thy selfe and two hours too much for thy God O my soule how dost thou prize temporalls beyond eternalls Is it equall that God who gave thee a body and sixe dayes to provide for it should demand one day of of thee and be denied it How liberall a receiver art thou and how miserable a Requiter But know my soule his Sabbaths are the Apple of his eye He that hath power to vindicate the breach of it hath threatned judgements to the breaker of it The God of mercy that hath mitigated the rigour of it for charity sake will not diminish the honour of it for prophanesse sake sorget not then my soule to remember his Sabbaths and remember not to forget his judgements lest he forget to remember thee in Mercy What thou hast neglected bewaile with conâ—â—ition â—nd what thou hast repenâ—ed forsake with resolution and what thou hast resolved strengthen with devotion His Prayer O Eternall just and all discerning Judge in thy selfe glorious in thy Son gracious who â—â—yest without a witnesse and condemnest without a jury O! I confesse my very actions have betrayed me thy word hath brought in evidence against me my own conscience hath witnessed against me and thy judgement hath past sentence against me And what have I now to plead but mine owne misery and whether should that misery flee but to the God of mercy And since O Lord the way to mercy is to leave my selfe I here disclaim all interest in my selfe and utterly renounce my selfe I that was created for thy glory have dishonoured thy Name I that was made for thy service have prophaned thy Sabbaths I have sleighted thy Ordinances and turned my back upon thy Sanctuary I have neglected thy Sacraments abused thy Word despis'd thy Ministers and despis'd their ministery I have come into thy Courts with an unprovided heart and have drawn near with uncircumcised lips And Lord I know thou art a jealous God and most severe against all such as violate thy Rest The glory of thy Name is pretious to thee and thine honour is as the Apple of thine eye But thou O God that art the God of Hosts hast published and declared thy selfe the Lord of mercy The constitution of thy Sabbath was a work of time but Lord thy mercy is from all eternity I that have broke thy Sabbaths do here present thee with a broken heart thy hand is not shortned that thou canst not heale noâ— thy ear deafned that thou canst not hear Stâ—etch forth thy hand O God and heal my wounds Bow down thine eare O Lord and heare my Prayers Alter the fabrick of my sinfull heart and make it tender of thy glory Make me ambitious of thy service and let thy Sabbaths be my whole delight Give me a holy reverence of thy Word that it may prove a light to my steps and a Lanthorn to my feet Endue my heart with Charity and Faith that I may finde a comfort in thy Sacraments Blesse thou the Ministers of thy sacred Word and make them holy in their lives sound in their doctrine laborious in their callings Preserve the universall Church in these distracted times give her peace unity uniformity purge her of all Schisme error and superstition Let the Kings daughter be all glorious within and let thine eyes take pleasure in her beauty that being honor'd here to be a member of her Militant I may bee glorified with her triumphant The Censorious mans Crimination I Know there is much of the seed of the Serpent in him by his very lookes if his words betray'd him not He hath eaten the Egge of the Cockâ—trice and surely he remaineth in the state of perdition He is not within the Covenant and abideth in the Gall of bitternesse His studied Prayers show him to be a high Malignant and his Jesu worship concludes him popishly affected He comes not to our private meetings nor contributes a penny to the cause He cries up learning and the book of Common-prayer and takes no armes to hasten Reformation He feares God for his owne ends for the spirit of Antichrist is in him His eyes are full of Adulteries and goes a whoring after his owne inventions He can hear an oath from his superiours without reproof and the heathenish Gods named without spitting in his face Wherefore my soule detesteth him and I will have no conversation with him for what fellowship hath light with darknesse or the pure in heart with the unclean Sometimes he is a Publican somtimes a Pharisee and alwayes an Hypocrite He railes against the Altar as loud as we and yet he cringes and makes an Idol of the name of Jesus he is quick-sighted to the infirmities of the Saints and in his heart rejoyceth at our failings he honours not a preaching ministery and too much leans to a Church-government hee paints devotton on his face whilst pride is stampt within his heart he places sanctity in the walls of a Steeple-house and adores the Sacrament with his popish knee His Religion is a Weathercock and turns brest to every blast of wind With the pure he seems pure and with the wicked he will joyne in fellowship A sober language is in his mouth but the poyson of Aspes is under his tongue His workes conduce not to edification nor are the motions of his heart sanctified He adores great ones for preferment and speaks too partially of authority He is a Laodicean in his faith a Nicolaitane in his workes a Pharisee in his disguise a rank Papist in his heart and I thanke my God I am not as this man His Commination BUt stay my soule take heed whilst thou judgest another lest God judge thee how com'st thou so expert in anothers heart being so often deceived in thy own A Saul to day may prove a Paul to morrow Take heed whilst thou wouldst seem religious thou appear not uncharitable and whilst thou judgest man thou be not judg'd of God who saith Iudge not lest ye be judged Mat. 7. 1. Iohn 7. 24. Iudge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgement Rom. 14. 10. But why dost thou judge thy brother or why dost thou set at naught thy brother We shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ 1 Cor 4. 5. Iudge nothing before the time untill the Lord
makes us the happiest of all subjects makes us the happiest of all people A land of strength of plenty and a land of peace where every soule may sit beneath his Vine unfrighted at the horrid language of the hoarse Trumpet unstartled at the warlike summons of the roaring Cannon A land whose beauty hath surpriz'd the ambitious hearts of forrain Princes and taught them by their martiall Oratory to make their vaine attempts A land whose strength reades vanity in the deceived hopes of Conquerours and crowns their enterprizes with a shamefull overthrow A land whose native plenty makes her the worlds Exchange supplying others able to subsist without supply from forraigne Kingdomes in it selfe happy and abroad honorable A land that hath no vanity but what by accident proceeds and issues from the sweetest of all blessings peace and plenty that hath no misery but what is propagated from that blindness which cannot see her own felicitie A land that flowes with Milk and Honey and in briefe wants nothing to deserve the title of a Paradise the Curbe of Spaine the pride of Germany the ayde of Belgia the scourge of France the Empresse of the world and Queene of Nations She is begirt with walls whose builder was the hand of heaven whereon there daily rides a Navy Royall whose unconquerable power proclaimes her Prince invincible and whispers sad despaire into the fainting hearts of forraigne Majesty She is compact within her selfe in unity not apt to civill discords or intestine broyles The envie of all nations the ambition of all Princes the terror of all enemies the security of all neighbouring States Let timerous Pulpits threaten ruine let prophecying Church-men dote till I beleeve How often and how long have these loud sonnes of Thunder false prophesied her desolation and yet she stands the glory of the world Can pride demolish the Towers that defend her Can drunkennesse dry up the Sea that walls her Can flames of lust dissolve the Ordnance that protect her His overthrow BEe well advised my soule there is a voyee from heaven roare louder then those Ordnance which saith Thus saith the Lord The whole land shall be desolate Jer. 4. 27. Esay 14. 7. The whole earth it at rest and at quiet they break forth into singing Yea the Firee trees rejoyee at thee and the Cedars of Lebanon sing c. Yet shalt thou be brought down to hell to the sides of the Pit Ier. 5. 12. They have belied the Lord and said it is not he neither shall evill come upon us neither shall we see sword or famine 1 Cor. 10. 12. Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Luke 17. 26. They did eat and drink and they married wives and were given in marriage untill the flood came and destroyed them all His Proofs Greg. Mor. A man may as soon build a Castle upon the rouling waves as ground a solid comfort upon the unceriaine ebbs and fluxes of transient pleasures St. Augustine Whilst Lot was exercised in sâ—ffering reproach and violence he continued holy and pure even in the filth of Sodom but in the mount being in peace and safety he was surprised by sensuall security and defiled himselfe with his owne daughters Our prosperous and happy state is often the occasion of more miserabl ruine a long peace hath made many men both carelesse and cowardly and that 's the most fatall blow when an unexpected enemy surprises us in a deep sleep of peace and security Greg. Mag. His Soliloquy SEcurity is an improvident carelesnesse casting out all fear of approaching danger It is like a great Calme at Sea that sore-runs a storme How is this verified O my sad soule in this our bleeding nation Wer 't thou not but now for many yeares even nuzzlâ—d in the bosome of habituall peace Didst thou foresee this danger Or couldst thou have contrived a way to be thus miserable Didst thou not laugh invasion to scorne or didst thou not lesse feare a Civill war Was not the Title of the Crown unquestionable And was not our mixt government unapt to fall into diseases Did we want good Lawes or did our Lawes want execution Did not our Prophets give lawfull warning or were we moved at the sound of judgements How hast thou liv'd O my uncarefull soule to see these prophesies fulfill'd and to behold the vials of thy angry God pour'd forth Since mercies O my soule could not allure thee yet let these judgements now at length enforce thee to a true Repentance Quench the Firebrand which thou hast kindled turne thy mirth to a right mourning and thy feasts of joy to humiliation His Prayer O God by whom kings reign and kingdoms flourish that settest up where none can batter down and pullest down where none can countermand I a most humble Sutor at the Throne of Grace acknowledge my selfe unworthy of the least of all thy mercies nay worthy of the greatest of all thy judgements I have sinned against thee the author of my being I have sinned against my conscience which thou hast made my accuser I have sinned against the peace of this Kingdom wherof thou hast made mee a member If all should doe O God as I have done Sodom would appeare as righteous and Gomorrah would be a president to thy wrath upon this sinfull Nation But Lord thy mercy is inscrutable or else my misery were unspeakable for that mercy sake bee gratious to me in the free pardoning of all my offences Blot them out of thy remembrance for his sake in whom thou art well pleased Make my head a fountaine of teares to quench that brand my sinnes have kindled towards the destruction of this flourishing kingdome Blesse this kingdom O God establish it in piety honour peace and plenty Forgive all her crying sinnes and remove thy judgements farre from her Blesse her Governour thy servant our dread Soveraign endue his soule with all religious civill and princely vertues Preserve his royall person in health safety and prosperity prolong his days in honour peace or victory and crown his death with everlasting glory Blesse him in his royall Consort unite their hearts in love and true Religion Blesse him in his princely issue Season their youth with the feare of thy Name Direct thy Church in doctrine and in discipline and let her enemies bee converted or confounded purge her of all superstition and heresie and root out from her whatsoever thy hand hath not planted Blesse the Nobility of this Land endue their hearts with truth loyalty and true policy Blesse the Tribe of Levi with piety learning and humility Blesse the Magistrates of this kingdome give them religious upright hearts hating covetousnesse Blesse the Gentry with sincetity charity and a good conscience Blesse the Commonalty with loyall hearts painfull hands and plentifull encrease Blesse the two great Seminaries of this kingdom make them fruitfull and faithfull Nurseries both to the Church and Common-wealth Blesse all thy Saints every where especially those that have stood
in the gap betwixt this kingdom and thy judgements that being all members of that Body wherof thou Christ art head we may all joyn in humiliation for our sinnes and in the propagation of thy honour here and bee made partakers of thy glory in the kingdom of glory The Presumptuous mans Felicities TEll bauling Babes of Bugbeares to fright them into quietnesse or terrify youth with old wives fables to keep their wilde affections in awe Such Toyes may work upon their timerous apprehensions when wholsom precepts fayl and finde no audience in their youthfull cares Tell not me of Hell Devils or of damned soules to enforce mee from those pleasures which they nick-name Sinne What tell ye me of Law my soule is sensible of Evangelicall precepts without the needlesse and uncorrected thunder of the killing Letter or the terrible paraphrase of roaring Boanarges the tediousnesse 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 Square 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 torment against my voluptuous life and yet I feele no pain How bitterly have they threatned shame against the vaunts of my vain-glory yet finde I honour How fiercely have they preacht destruction against my cruelty and yet I live What 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 death-bed What damnation to Hypocrites yet who more safe What stripes to the ignorant yet who more Scotfree What poverty to the slothfull yet themselvs prosper What fals to the proud yet they stand surest What curses to the covetous yet who richer What judgements to the lascivious yet who more pleasure What vengeance to the prophane the censorious the revengefull yet none live more unscourg'd Who deeper branded then the Lyar yet who more favourd Who more threatend then the presumptuous yet who lesse punisht 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 popularity Thus are wee frighted from the liberty of Nature by the politick Chimeraes of Religion whereby wee are necessitated to the observing of those Lawes whereof wee finde a greater necessity of breaking His Anathemaes 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 Book shall overtake thee till thou be destroyed Deut. 29 Deut. 29. 27 And the anger of the Lord was kindled 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 evill upon this place and upon the inhabitants thereof even all the curses that are written in the book Deut. 28. 15 But if thou wilt not hearken unto the voyce of the Lord thy God to observe and doe all his commandements and his statues which I command thee this day all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee His Proofs Bernard It is certain thou must die and uncertaine when how or where seeing death is alwayes at thy heeles Thou must if thou bee wise alwayes be ready to die Bernard To commit a sin is an humane frailty to persist in it is a divelish 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 sin such confidence is vain and foolish and leads to destruction His Soliloquy PResumption is a sin wherby we depend upon Gods mercies without any warrant from Gods Word It is as great a sin O my soule to hope for Gods mercy without Repentance as to distrust Gods mercy upon Repentance In the first thou wrongst his justice In the last his mercy O my presumptuous soule let not thy prosperity 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 uupunisht sin 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 mydesperate 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 myself-made misery before thy sacred Majestie Lord when I look upon the horridnesse of my sin shame strikes me dumbe But when I turne mine eie upon the infinitenesse of thy mercy I am emboldned to pour 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 trepassed 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 but his mercy is greater then the heavens Oh if his mercy were not greater then my sins my sins were impardonable for his therefore and thy mercies sake cover my sins and pardon my transgressions make my head a fountain of teares and accept my contrition O thou Well-spring of all mercy strengthen my resolution that for the time to come I may detest all sin Encrease a holy anger in me that I may revenge my selfe upon my selfe for displeasing so gracious a Father Fill my heart with a feare of thy judgements and sweeten my thoughts with the meditation of thy mercies Go forwards O my God and perfect thy own work in mee and take the glory of thy own free goodnesse furnish my mouth with the prayses of thy name and replenish my tongue with continuall thanksgiving Thou hast 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 me into hell in the heigth of my presumption but thou hast made me capable of thy mercies and an object of thy commiseration for thou art a gracious God of long-suffering and slow to anger thy name is wonderfull and thy mercies incomprehensible Thou art onely worthy to be 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 prayse thee let every thing that breathes prayse thee for ever and for ever Amen FINIS