than the Fire more hardned than the Stone more cruel to himself than the wild Beasts more spiteful and venemous against others than the Cockatrice He hath neither feared God nor regarded Man He hath not been contented alone himself to be injurious to God but would have many others to be partakers with him in sinful Practices Now what shall be said of his other abominable Practices Such hath his Pride been that he refused to be in subjection unto God he would not submit his Neck under the sweet yoke of his Obedience but would rather live as he listed and fulfil his own Will in every point rebelling against the Lord vexing his holy Spirit How exceedingly was he enraged if God did not grant him all his desires or if he sent any Crosses or Troubles for his Trial and Exercise He loved to be applauded in all his doings whether good or bad And now consider O my Soul whether all Creatures may not justly cry out against thee and say Come let us destroy this wicked Wretch from off the face of the Earth that hath done so much wrong to our Creator May not the Earth say Why do I bear such a cumbersome Wretch May not the Water say Why do I not drown him May not the Fire say Why do I not burn and consume him May not Hell say Why do I not swallow him up and torment him Alas miserable Wretch that I am What shall I do Whither shall I go seeing all Creatures are in Arms against me Where shall I hide my Head Who will receive me who have offended all Creatures The great God I have despised the Angels I have grieved the Saints I have dishonoured Men I have offended and scandalized and all Creatures have I most wickedly abused Whither then shall Iflie for shelter for as much as I have made all things to become mine Enemies I look round about me and can see nothing that will take my part yea even mine own Conscience barketh against me and all my Bowels do accuse me and rent me in pieces Wherefore weep continually O my Soul lament thy wretchedness like a poor miserable Creature never cease weeping so long as thou livest in this Vale of misery be still in expectation when thy merciful Saviour will vouchsafe to turn the Eyes of his Compassion towards thee and with all possible humility and shame cast thy self down at his Feet and cry out Oh! where can I find Punishment enough to be avenged on my self and Tears enough to wash away mine offences O Lord I am that great Enemy of thine which hath committed most wicked and abominable Offences before thy Face I acknowledg my self guilty before thee I beseech thee O Lord to cast the Mantle of thy Mercy over me thy poor wretched miserable Creature and let the greatness of thy Goodness overcome and cover my wickedness Let the most sweet loving Father rejoyce at the coming home again of his Prodigal Son Let the good Shepherd rejoyce at the recovery of his lost Sheep Oh! how happy and joyful shall that Day be when thou shalt cast thine Arms about my Neck and give me the sweet embraces and kisses of Peace I will now take Arms against my self therefore and be more cruel and rigorous against my self than any other I will loath and despise my self and from henceforth the face of Sin shall be more hideous to me than Hell and I shall desire to be despised and punished of all Creatures for as much as I have despised the Creator of them all I am contented that all Dishonours Reproaches and Punishments do run upon me on every side so that by them I may be brought to my most Sweet and Merciful Lord. And as for all Honour Pleasure and Worldly Delights they shall be quite banished away from me in so much as the very Names of them shall be heard no more in my House I will seek nothing else but the Honour of my Lord God and the Contempt and Confusion of my self Hitherto or almost to this effect are the words of that Devout and Ancient Father SECT XXI Of Family-Worship HEre I shall commend unto you the advice of a Reverend Divine of ours Let Family-Worship be performed constantly and seasonably twice a Day at that Hour which is freest from Interruptions not delaying it without just cause But whensoever it is performed be sure it be Reverently Seriously and Spiritually done If greater Duty hinder not begin with a brief Invocation of God's Name and craving of his Help and Blessing through Christ and then reade some part of the holy Scripture in order and either help the Hearers to understand and apply it Or if you are unable for that then read some profitable Book to them for such ends and earnestly pour out your Souls in Prayer c. Pretend not necessity against any Duty for it is but unwillingness or negligence that makes Men remiss in Family-Worship The lively and constant performance of Family-Duties is a principal means to keep up the power and interest of Godliness in the World all which decayeth when these grow dead slight and formal Those Families wherein this Service of God is performed are as it were little Churches yea even a kind of Paradise upon Earth And for this purpose Philem. 1 2. St. Paul writing to Philemon Greeteth the Church that is in his House And in like manner he sendeth Salutations to the Church of Corinth from Aquila to Priscilla and the Church that was in their House 1 Cor. 16.19 On the other side where Family-Worship is not used but either for the most part or altogether neglected those Families may be termed no better than Companies of prophane and graceless Atheists who as they deny God in their Hearts so they are described by this Note That they do not call upon the Name of the Lord Psal 14.4 And the Prophet prayeth thus unto God Pour out thy Fury upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the Families that call not upon thy Name Jer. 10.25 Many Parents take care only to enrich their Children to make them great and honourable in the World to leave them large Portions and Estates to provide rich Matches for them but take no care to bring them up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord Nay many Parents are afraid their Children should prove Religious Some Parents cannot abide their Children whom they see to look a little towards Sion Such Parents as one saith are the Devil's Children But every Parent ought to say of his Natural Children as St. John doth of his Spiritual Children Epist 3.4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my Children walk in the Truth SECT XXII A Calling and Business of what Importance IT becometh every one to be truly Diligent and well employed in some lawful Calling God himself both Father and Son are said to Work John 5.17 and will admit of no Loiterers or Idle Persons He that will have his Penny
1.7 to note the place whence they return and go St. Bernard hath a Meditation upon it That God is as the Sea and we should be as the Rivers All Blessings come from God as Rivers from the Sea and as Rivers to the Sea so we should return our praises to him Indeed that is as much as we can do and so much we should do This Act as one noteth consisteth in three things 1. In the Memory which representeth to the understanding the benefit received and this Understanding considers the Hand that gives them and to whom and how and by what ways and means and in what measure Thereupon an affectionate acknowledgment is made in the Will which not able to continue idle spreads it self into outward Acts to testifie the fervour of its affection Now to practise this well it is requisite that we should make and keep a Catalogue of all the Benefits of God Bless God especially for the benefits of Creation Preservation Redemption Vocation and for all other secret Benefits particularly received 1. For the benefits of Creation consider what thou wast before thou wast Created even no more than very nothing and that from the very beginning thou wast nothing and that nothing could not make it self any thing Now he that drew this great Universe out of the Chaos and Darkness of nothing to the light of Being and Life it pleased him out of his meer Grace to shew upon thee his Almighty Power to bring thee to a being and make thee something And as St. Augustine saith not every somewhat not a Stone not a Bird not a Toad not a Serpent but even a Man one of the most noble Creatures in the World he made thee as a little Miracle of Nature with the adornments of so many pieces well compacted together to bear in thine aspect the Beams of his own Majesty He framed this thy Body and beautified it in all parts both with Members and Senses and that with such curious Art and wonderful Providence that every one of them if they be well considered is of it self a great Wonder and a great Benefit This Job humbly and thankfully acknowledgeth Thine Hands have made me and fashioned me together round about c. Job 10.8 9 10 11. Remember I beseech thee that thou hast made me as the Clay c. Hast thou not poured me out as Milk and crudled me like Cheese Thou hast clothed me with Skin and Flesh and hast fenced me with Bones and Sinews c. Our making and natural constitution are to be reckoned among the great Benefits received from God I will praise thee saith David for I am fearfully and wonderfully made The greatest wonders of Man's Creation are unseen God hath packt many Rarities Mysteries Wonders in Man's Chest All the vital Instruments and Wheels whereby the watch of our Life is in perpetual motion from the first Hour to the last are locked up in a curious internal Cabinet where God himself prepared the Pulleys hung on the Weights and wound up the Chime by the Hand of his Infinite Power without opening of any part As a learned Anatomist of ours hath elegantly instructed us in the Preface to his sixth Book Consider what usefulness and commodiousness Beauty and Convenience do meet together in every part What Beauty is stampt on the Face What majesty in the Eye What strength is put into the Arms and Back What activity into the Hands What Musick and Melody is in the Tongue Nothing in this whole Fabrick could be well left out or better placed either for Ornament or for Use But the excellency of Man consisteth in his Soul And as Man was the principal part of the Creation so the Soul is the principal part of Man God by a Divine Breathing communicated this fountain of Life which heavenly form without noise or delay diffused it self entire into the Body remaining nevertheless whole in every part The frame of the Body is an exquisite frame but the frame of the Soul the faculties and powers motions and operations of the Soul are far more exquisite The Inhabitant is more noble than the House and the Jewel than the Cabinet And so great is the capacity of the Soul that all the things of the World put together are not able to satisfie it Besides there is no ability no perfection in any Creature here below but that a Man hath the same in him in a higher and far greater perfection and by the capacity of his Soul he is able to attain unto it whereby it is manifest that God by giving us this thing alone viz. our Soul hath given us therewith at once all things together The consideration hereof should ever make thee thankful to thy most Gracious and Bountiful Lord for this surpassing great Benefit 2. Be thankful to him for thy Preservation and the Benefits thereof Consider that God hath not only created thee in so great Glory and Dignity but it is He also that preserveth thee for thou art not able to live one moment nor to move one step without him Consider also how he hath created all things in the World for thy use and service yea he hath appointted the very Angels in Heaven to be thy guard and defence They are all Officers in this great House and Family of God unto whom is committed the defence and safeguard of Men. Here consider the particular favours received from God in your Birth Nourishment Education Instruction in gifts of Soul and Body in Means and Conveniences in Health Strength Life Sustenance and all other Temporal Helps and Succours in Friends Allies Kindred in thy Calling Profession and estate of Life in a continued Protection in deliverance from so many Dangers and freedom from manifold Miseries into which thou seest others to fall every Day and thou thy self mightst also have fallen into the same had not Almighty God of his great Mercy preserved thee In guiding thee through the degrees of Ages wherein every one in his own particular may acknowledg infinite passages of the Divine Providence How should the consideration hereof together with the Circumstances of each Benefit make thee to cry out with the Prophet David Who am I O Lord God and what is my House that thou hast brought me hitherto 2 Sam. 7.18 3. Be exceeding thankful for thy Redemption We are all by Nature in miserable bondage to Sin and Satan and we have all sold our selves for nought Isa 52.3 and by this felling our selves to Sin and Satan we have put our selves out of our own into their Dominion and during that estate abide wholly to be disposed at their pleasure They are now become our Lords and no drudgery must we refuse be it never so irksome or burdensome whereabout they shall list to employ us Now how should all God's Redeemed Ones ascribe Honour and Glory to their God acknowledging the infinite Love and abundant Grace of God in procuring Redemption for poor Bond-slaves Captives Prisoners that he
to the admiration of others who cannot come near them in this respect These must glorifie God according to this Ability It is your duty O Christians to treasure up store of Heavenly Things which ye may reade and hear and be helpful unto others whose Memories are not so firm and faithful but do not contemn those to whom less is given in this kind It is lamentable to consider how many notable Gifts of this kind are abused or neglected If a Man could look into the Memories of some that are naturally strong and firm such as will hold Water what should a Man see there but Ballads wanton Songs Play-books Romances idle News and Stories old Grudges Wrongs and Injuries of many years standing or some things like to these Yea many a Man makes his Memory a meer Counting-House it is as it were a Shop-book full of Reckonings But it is empty of Heavenly Things it hath let slip the things which he hath heard in that kind O Man the Lord did not give thee thy Memory for such ends but that thou shouldst remember thy Creator remember to keep holy the Sabbath-Day remember your latter end and remember that for the actions which you do in this Life God will bring you to Judgment Come we to some Persons and enquire of them concerning such points of Faith and Religion as they have heard many times they remember nothing of it the thing is gone from them as Nebuchadnezzar spake of his Dream and their-excuse is They are not Book-learn'd But ask them about some Worldly things which they never heard nor saw more than once perhaps and they will give you a ready answer the reason is these things suit with them their Hearts are towards them these take with them so do not the other therefore these stick and abide by them when the things of God slide away out of their Memories Put clean Water into a Vessel that hath but a little chink and it will soon get out whereas that which is thick and muddy is not so apt to leak The Word of God compared to Living Water in Scripture is soon lost and forgotten because it is pure and holy whereas those muddy things of which we should rather cleanse our Memories than keep them there are apt to abide in us But know ye that the Lord who fearcheth the Heart and every corner of it will see what is in your Memories and Affections God is not unjust to forget your labour of Love saith the Apostle so God is not unjust to forget your forgetfulness of Him and his Truth when he hath given you excellent Memories and such as might be of great use in his Service Lord remember me saith the repenting Thief unto our Saviour when thou comest into thy Kingdom As ye desire that God should remember you for good at the last Day so do ye remember him now and his Word otherwise it will be utterly in vain for you to call for Mercy or Remembrance at the last Day Many Persons are now wilfully and affectedly forgetful and it is just with God to punish them in this Life with a final Stupidity and Sottishness who to give satisfaction to their own vile Lusts did cast his Word behind their backs and willingly let the Devil steal it away from them Look to it in time and take heed that you do not provoke God by a wilful Carelessness to bring upon you a fearful Sottishness Take heed of those Sins that intoxicate the Brain and the Memory especially Drunkenness Filthiness c. How many able Bodies active Minds pregnant Wits flourishing Memories have these overthrown But for those that are forgetful by any accidental Casualty or natural Infirmity I would rather say somewhat to comfort them than to reprove them Doubtless many of God's dear Children are subject to this defect and daily complain of their Forgetfulness and how weak their Memories are to retain any good thing that they hear But grant it be so yet perhaps thou understandest more than thou art able to express this is to be born withal Perhaps thou remembredst the Matter though thou canst not remember the words of a Sermon This makes some amends Perhaps thou remembrest it not to make Repetition of it yet thou remembrest it to make Practice of it this is best of all Tully commends two excellent Orators for their excellent Memories Lucullus and Hortensius but he commends Lucullus most because he remembred Matter the other but Words If thou canst remember the Matter of a Sermon though thou canst not remember the Words Or if thou canst remember to practise it though thou canst not remember it thou hast the less cause to complain But if thy Defect be as great as thou complainest it may be some comfort to thee that thou hast an Heart to complain of it The complaining of a Burden is some easing of it How many thousands be there in the World have their Sin lie heavy upon them yet it is no matter of trouble to them Ever remember that it is a good sign to be sensible either of the burden of Sin or of the want of Grace There be four things about which your Memories should be daily exercised your Sins that you may daily confess and bewail them Death that ye may prepare for it God's Justice that ye may fear and his Mercy that ye may not despair III. Another gift of the Mind is Courage wherein some naturally go beyond others These Men then are bound to make use of this to the Glory of God If thou hast a resolute Spirit the Lord requireth that thou shouldst shew it on his side and not in opposition of Him and his Ways When a Prince hath a Souldier or Captain of tried and approved Valour and Courage he relieth more on him looketh for more notable performance from him than from others who have not that Spirit and Courage which he hath So when the Lord hath given some Men more Courage and Resolution than others he requireth they should be valiant for his Truth and not hide their Heads and yield to his Dishonour It is strange to see how stout Men are in their own Quarrels right or wrong who are afraid of every Bush almost when God's Honour is concern'd and have no Spirit to plead for God or to appear for his Gospel and Glory When Gainas the chief Commander of the Forces of the Emperour Arcadius being an Arian Heretick desired one of the chief Churches in Constantinople to be assigned unto him for the exercise of his Blasphemous Religion the Emperour wanting Courage to deny him he it seemeth being too hard for him as the Sons of Zerviah were for David Chrysostom being then Bishop of the place undertook to give him his answer in the Emperours presence which he did with admirable Zeal and Courage And when he heard him propose his Demand and plead Merit and tell what great service he had done for his Prince the Bishop told him plainly that