the objections of these men and makes this the foot of his song Thou wilt say unto me have not many just men perished by shipwracke certainly hee cannot die ill which liveâ— well Have not many just men beenâ— slain by the enemies sword Certainly he cannot die ill which lived well Have not many just men beene killeâ— by theeves Have not many righteouâ— men beene torne in pieces by wildâ— beasts Certainly hee cannot die ilâ— which lived well c. But I will say unto such as censure the righteous for their strange and violenâ— death as Christ said of thosâ— eighteene upon whom the wa 〈…〉 of Siloam fel and slew them Think yee that these were greater sinners then others I tell you nay but except ye repent ye all shall likewise perish As for sudden death it is evill to them which lead an evill life because it findes them unprâ—pared it carries them away suddenly unto torment but it is not evill to them which live well because it findes them prepared it frees them from much paine which others endure through long sicknesse and carries them forthwith to the place where they desire to be The righteous doe so dispose of themselves in the morning as if they might die before night and at night as if they might die before morning and therefore whensoever death comes it finds them prepared and is a benefit unto them 2 Againe if the righteous a little before death bee dangerously tempted by Satan and shew their infirmitie by uttering some speeches which tend to doubting or desperation though afterward they get victorie and triumph over the divel carnall people think there is no peace of conscience and therefore no salvation to bee had by that religion and so speake evill of it Let such consider the estate of Iob in his misery who cursing the day of his birth said that the arrowes of the Almighty did sticke in him the venome whereof had drunke up his spirit that the terrors of God did fight against him that the Lord was his enemie did write bitter things against him and did set him as a butt to shoot at As also the estate of David through terror of conscience while he concealed his â—inne His bones consumed he roared all the day long his moisture was turned into the drought of summer Againe let them know that the devill doth most tempt the best Hee then tempted Christ when hee was baptized and filled with the holy Ghost so will he most tempt Christians when they have received greatest gifts of Gods Spirit As theeves labour to breake downe and rob those houses onely where great store of treasure or wealth is laid up and as Pyrates desire to take that ship which is best loaden with the dearest merchandize so the Divell doth most seeke to make a prey of them which are endued with the greatest measure of spirituall graces When the strong man armed keepeth the house the things that he possesseth are in peace but when a stronger then he overcommeth him then he gathereth greater forces and makes a new assault to enter againe In any commotion whom doe Rebels kill and spoil not those which submit themselves unto them and joyne with them in their rebellion but those which are faithfull unto their Prince and fight for their Prince against them as doth appeare now in the Rebels of Ireland Now the Divell is as a Rebell in the Lords Kingdome whom then will he most trouble and assault not the wicked which submit themselves unto him and joyne with him in rebellion against God but the godly which abide faithfull fight under the Lords banners against him Whosoever would reigne with Christ in heaven must overcome the Divell on earth for he promiseth To him that overcommeth will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I overcame and sit with my Father in his Throne How can there be a victory where there is no battell And how can there be any battell where there is not assaulting and resisting And no marvell though the Divell doe most assault the righteous at their death for he taketh the opportunitie of the time his wrath is then great knowing that hee hath but a short time Hee must either overcome them at that instant or else not at all yea he takes the advantage of their present weakness and those sinnes which before he perswaded people to be small and light at the time of death hee maketh great and heavie Even as a tree or piece of wood while it swims in a river seemeth to be light and one may easily draw it but when it comes to the shore and is laid upon dry ground can scarcely be drawne by ten men so sinne is made light by the Divell so long as men live that so hee may still encourage them to practise it but when it comes to the shore of death then hee makes it heavie and begins most to trouble their consciences with it that if it were possible they might by it bee brought to desperation In the middest of the tentation when the godly seeme most to overcome who lyes as though hee were dead yet hee hath life in him and therefore as Paul saw that life was in Eutiches embraced him and delivered him alive when the people tooke him up for dead and he will at last so restore them as that they shall live for ever 3 Lastly others beholding them which were reputed righteous to die very strangely to rave to blaspheme to utter many idle and impious speeches to bee unruly and behave themselves very foolishly they begin to suspect their profession but let them know that these things may arise from the extremity of their disease For in hot Fevers and burning Agues the choler ascending into the braine will hinder the use of understanding and so cause them thus to misbehave themselves rather like mad men then Christians And therefore as Paul said of himselfe after regeneration It is no more I that doe it but the sin that dwelleth in me so may I say of them it is not they which doe it but the disease which is upon them All sinnes committed by the righteous in those extremities are but sinnes of ignorance because they want the use of reason to judge of sinne they are also sinnes of infirmitie arising from the frailty of their flesh and for them they wil afterward repent if they recover the use of reason and bee able to know them to be sinnes or if they doe not they are freely pardoned in the death of Christ as well as other sinnes bee Wherefore I say to those which censure them uncharitably for that their end as Christ said to the Jewes for their carnall censure of him Iudge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgement yea judge not that yee bee not judged For rather then rashly judge of others those which survive the righteous have just cause to feare some present evils and labour by unfained repentance if it
be possible to prevent them Their death is a plaine prognostication of some evils to come and should bee as a trumpet to awaken others out of the sleepe of sinne Many of the wicked rejoyce when the godly are taken away from them they love their roomes better then their company they hated them and their profession in their life time because as they say they are not for our profit and they are contrary to our doings they checke us for offending against the law it grieves us to looke upon them for their lives are not like other men and therefore at their death they are glad that they are rid of them when indeed they have greater cause to howle and weepe for the miseries that shall come upon them The righteous need not to imitate the ungodly practice of Herod who being ready to die and thinking that his death would be a great joy to many shut up in prison some Noblemen in every town and required his sister Salome and her husband Alexa that so soone as he was dead they should kill those Noblemen and then all Iudea would lament his death The Lord himselfe doth often make the death of the righteous to bee lamented by sending of extraordinary judgements immediately after their death When Noah entred into the Arke the world is drowned with the floud when Lot departs out of Sodome it is burnt with fire 2 In this respect also the righteous have no cause to feare death but rather to desire it for what is it but an ending of some troubles and a preventing of others They may with Paul desire to be loosed to be with Christ which is best of all It is true which Salomon saith That the day of a mans death is better then the day of his birth For the day of a godly mans birth is the beginning of his miserie but the day of his death is the end of his miserie Indeed the day of a wicked mans death is the most wofull day that ever beâ—ell him for he is not taken away from the evill to come but he is taken unto evill to bee tormented in hell for evermore And therefore hee feares death as much as a malefactor feareth a Serjeant that commeth to carry him to prison where he is like to abide till the day of execution That is true in them which the Divell said Skin for skin and all that ever a man hath will he give for his life And as the Gibeonites were content rather to be bondmen hewers of wood and drawers of water then to bee killed by the Israelites as other nations were So they had rather indure any kinde of miserie then to die as others doe because they feare a worse estate after death and therefore must bee pulled from the earth with as great violence as Ioab was pulled from the hornes of the altar unto which he had fled as to a place of refuge But the godly knowing what an happie exchange they make by death they desire to die so soone as it pleaseth the Lord. Indeed none ought for the ending of present calamities or preventing of future miseries to shorten their owne dayes as Saul did by falling on his owne sword nor yet for the present enjoying of eternall happinesse procure their owne death as Cleombrotus did who reading Plato his booke of the immortalitie of the soule cast himselfe headlong from a wall that he might change this life for a better He onely who gave life must take it away and the Lord may say to such I will receive no soules which against my will have gone out of the body the Philosophers which did so were martyrs of foolish Philosophy Yet seeing that death freeth the righteous from present and future miseries they may be most willing to die so soone as the Lord calleth for them and when death approacheth may say with Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace 3 Lastly in this respect we must learne not to mourne immoderately for the death of the righteous Though wee received great comfort and enjoyed some benefit by them while they were alive as I did by my late Master Sir Iames Cambel yet seeing that death is an advantage unto them we should â—ee content patiently to bear our owne losse in respect of their great gaine If two friends should lie in prison together or should dwel together in a strange Countrey where both of them were hardly used were many wayes injured endured great want and sustained much miserie though they loved one another dearly and the one were an heâ—pe and comfort to the other yet if the one should bee taken from the other and brought to his chiefest friends and among them be not onely freed from all such miseries as before he had endured but also bee advanced to great preferment will the other which is left behinde him be discontented at it Will he not rather wish himselfe to bee there with him in the like then desire that either hee had stayed with him or might returne againe This our life is as a prison or strange Country in which wee indure great miserie and may every day looke for more if therefore our dearest friends bee taken from us freed from these miseries and advanced to great glory with Christ and his Saints in the Kingdome of heaven wee have no cause to wish that either they had stayed longer with us or might returne againe unto us but rather desire that wee might quickly goe unto them to bee glorified in like sort Though we may thinke that they died too soone for us yet they died not too soone for themselves for the sooner they come to rest and happinesse the better it is for them Their condition is farre better then ours for they are freed from miserie we are reserved for further miserie they are already arrived at the haven of eternall rest and we are still tossed on the sea of this world with troublesome waves and dangerous tempests they have ended their journey with lesser travell and making a shorter cut and wee are yet travelling with wearisomnes in our journey If any one of them could speake after their death he would say unto them which weepe for him as Christ said to the daughters of Ierusalem Weepe not for me but weepe for your selves and for your children because of the dangerous dayes that shall ensue Or as Christ said unto his Disciples If ye loved me ye would verily rejoyce because I goe unto the Father But if examples doe move any thing at all I may apply all that hath beene spoken to this present occasion A righteous man is perished a mercifull man is taken away for God hath made me seriously to consider and lay close to my heart the losse of my late â—udicious loving Master Sir Iames Cambel Therefore for a memoriall of him I have presumed to set forth his unparallel'd Legacies Which though they be unskilfully performed yet God may work such an effect in
David in a loving beautifull and religious wife whose namâ— Abigail signifies the fathers joy and â— she became the joy solace and comfoâ— of Davids soule an helper in all ex 〈…〉 gents by wise and godly counsell for David had experence of her great godllinâ— wisdome and humility And what greâ—ter comfort is there in this world the such a woman Surely none All the 〈…〉 things by a learned penne might be fuâ—ther enlarged amplified and illustrated â—ut it is enough for me by this to conâ—â—der Gods providence towards his â—hosen Therefore I will conclude and pray â— God that it would please him to in 〈…〉 se into my heart the graces of his holy â—pirit to bee so qualified as Iacob and David viz. fervent in prayer and humâ—le in heart sorrowfull for my sinnes â—s David righteous in my actions as â—acob loving to my enemies as David 〈…〉 evalent with God as Iacob so shall not need to feare the churlessenesse of â—abal or malice of Laban which is â— one being both churles for read â—aban backwards its Nabal forwards â—or the power of Esau or envy of Saul â—nd what need I to care though Shemei â—ile or Labans children murmure for have hereby learned that God can â—d will for the support reliefe and â—omfort of his children make poysoâ—ous things wholesome and bitter â—ings sweet turne Serpents into rods â—d rockes and hard stony places into a â—ft and gentle temper as it is in the 107. Psal He maketh the wildernesse a standing water and water springs of a dry gâ—ound c. to the end of that Psalme And so much I thought good to write oâ— the providence of God towards his chosen The second part of this Discourse is like a paire of Ballances for in the one scale you may behold the love of Isaac towards Esau and in the other you â—â—y see the love of Iacob towards Ioseph In the first I will set the pride of the world and in the other I shall fix the humility of the godly so that the light vanity of the one and the true validity of the other may easily be discerned But this theame is more hardeâ— then the rocke I last handled and hee had need of more then a serpentine wisdome that shall undertake to unfold the knotty windings in such a Labyrinth Yet because God hath blessed me with two children I will write something in my youth which I ought to performe if it shall please God to blesse me with old age Therefore in Isaacks love towardâ— Esau I will note three things First what Esau was and how Isaac â—rought him up Secondly what Esau â—id and how his father approved his â—ctions and thirdly I will briefly declare how Esau was prevented of that â—e sought for and how his father retarded him For the first which was Esaus minority it cannot be thought oâ—herwise but that Isaac according to his Fathers example did bring up his children in the feare of the Lord and especially him that he thought to make Lord of his brethren for this is the Testimony of God concerning Abraham I know him that he will command his houshold after him that they keep the way â—f the Lord to do righteousnesse and judgement that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that he hath spoken unto him Therefore I beleeve that Isaac did ofâ—en tell Esau and the rest of his family â—hat God had done how he had created the world of nothing how hee upholds and guides the frame thereof by his providence how the Angels for their pride and ambition were throwne downe into hell how Adam broughâ— sinne upon himselfe and all his posterity how God had promised to restoreâ— falne man to his former happinesse by Christ the seed of the woman how his fathers lived in hope of that promiseâ— a godly righteous and sober life And how God blessed them with temporall blessings and spirituall graces for their faith and obedience But all those instructions would not take effect in Esau His very name signifies that he soughâ— more after earthly fading happinesse then for spirituall and heavenly graces for Edom signifies a piece of red earth and Esau working and as his name is even so is he for notwithstanding all the godly precepts and religious practices of his father whose custome was to goe out into the fields to pray and meditate on the wondrous workes of God Esau Edom was still working in the earth giving his minde to sensuality and pleasure for so much his desire after Lentill potage and cunning hunting import yet it may be he as many others of his conditions made a semblance and show before his father of godly and pious qualities being endued with much knowledge and could talke prettily to his father thereof and it may be gained the love of his father before his brother in this respect as well as for his activity and skill in hunting in his youth so that his father doted too much upon him for this hath beene the quality of many godly parents in all ages to humor their children too much in their youth which they perceiving know very well how to plot and bring to passe their designes for by nature mankinde is more apt and prone for the obtaining of earthly fading transitory treasure then for heavenly durable and everlasting felicity But this naturall promptitude is very hard and difficult to discerne Isaac could not descry it in Esau and therefore I cease to wonder that aged people who are farre inferiour to Isaac in spirituall speculation cannot discerne it in this age Therefore leaving the education of Esâ—u I come â—o his youth the acâ—ions of Esau's life the Text saith He became a cunning huntter and 〈◊〉 〈…〉 Now I reade in sacred W 〈…〉 before him and 〈◊〉 after him therefore I surmise that he as Nâ—mrod the mighty hunter before the Lord sought more after worldly honour and glory then celestiall treasure for they are alike in many things First in their names Nâ—mrod signifies Rebellious to note his pride cruelty and rebellious courses in erecting a Babel whose top might reach unto heaven for many authors affirme that he out of his pride and ambition spake to the people these words Come let us build us a City and a Tower whose top may reach unto heaven that wee may get us a name lest wee bee scattered upon the whole earth and so compelled the people to hard labour lest they being idle should reject the tyrannicall jurisdiction which was so great that God confounded his enterprise and so insufferable that all men abhorred his insolency so that it came into a Proverb when people saw proud tyrants to beare rule to say He was as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord agreeable hereunto is the surname of Esau Edom which signifies bloudy or red to note his revengefull and bloudy minde for after he had a long time hunted beasts he began to hunt after the lives of men as appeares by his threatning to kill
â— preservation as in years man growes â—om many perills and great dangers strange â—ich in the universe by course do range â— be preserv'd from the disastrous stormes â— weathers tempest which do bring great harmes â—on mankind and from the wrackfull water â—m fiery flames and from the banefull slaughter â—umane Creatures make freed from Warre â—m hungry famine and Plagues deadly skarre â—e tokens sure of Gods meere Grace and Love â— which sometimes he doth his Children prove â—t Gods great preservation is not all â—s Love to Man in blessings temporall â— he hath on them providentiall care â—t onely to keepe safe but to prepare â—uch earthly comforts in this present life â—d the chiefe of them is a Godly wife Because that she the minde doth helpe and ease But health and wealth the body onely please Yet health and wealth honour and liberty Are the rare gifts of Gods benignity So are good friends a comfortable stay Vnto a poore man in an honest way And all these favours God hath given me For which I never can too thankefull be For first when I was naked weake and poore And by my Parents turned out of doore There did the Lord of me take care and charge And out of misery did me inlarge And brought me in a comfortable place Where I did first begin to long for Grace Yet there three yeares I followed vaine play But at the last I did breake off that way And went about a new worke to upreare But in the same I was scant halfe a yeare And I no sooner came to know the parts Of Latin Language the true grounds of Arts For me the Lord a Master did provide With whom this sixteen yeare I did abide Yet many times I did occasion sind To search and trie what was hid in his mind But when by all the meanes I could devise I could not bring to passe mine enterprise Yet still imploide to rub to scrape and sweepe And so for six yeares space he did me keepe I gave him just offence and fled away But there it was not Gods will I should stay Then after nine yeares with him was spent out I did begin again to looke about For some provision of which I had hope For to obtaine whereto I bent my scope And so by prayer intreaty and perswasion God did even bend and bow Wills inclination By Aexholmes accident and french affaires By bodies grievance and some other cares Yo doe some good for me and my kind mate Whom God hath taken from this mortall state Here did appeare the wondrous worke of God In turning of the Serpent to a Rod Now had I braines or wit I could well shew How God made water from the Rock to flow For humbly I confesse by his kind favour And Gods blessing on my poore endeavour I got provision for my loving mate My selfe and children in contented state And still enjoy the blessings of this life As health and wealth I only want a wife Of whom I hope I should much comfort find To ease and give reliefe my troubled mind But I am like a Mole hid in hard earth If once goâ— in I hardly can get forth Therefore to God with winged prayer I'lesly That he would raise my minde to things on high Oh Lord do thou infuse into my mind Such sacred wit that I thy Love may find That 's spirituall but this is Infinite Ther 's no man able to descry that light Then how shall I that am an unlearn'd wight Yet what learn'd men from Gods word hath reveâ— I may as well declare as keepe conceild Especially if 't be to make a story Of Gods eternall Mercy Love and Glory Therefore seeing that my unlearned quill Hath thus begun it shall continue still This Love to shew by the assisting might Of God who out of darknesse can bring light And first of all there 's great manifestation Of Gods great Love in mans predestination That he should Esau hate and Jacob Love It only came of mercy from above But ' gainst Charybdis and Caphorian Rock My shallow vessell I meane not to knock But longst the shore with sailes of faith I 'le coast My Starre the Bible Steer-man the holy Ghost For I too bold will not aske how or why God hath ordained thus mans destiny For me It 's enough to know that my estate Is firme in Christ else I am reprobate But secondly in our sacred vocation Of Gods great love ther 's clearer demonstration For was it not great Love in God to chuse From other Nations the unthankefull Jewes To give them Laws Statutes and Sacraments Of future Blessings and to shew the events Of the Messias by Prophets inspiration But 't is a greater happinesse unto our Nation That we are free from the whores wofull wrack That unto errour we have turn'd our back That God hath brought us into wondrous light That of his Gospell we have the cleare sight That we suck nourishment from sacred Writ That we enjoy such speciall benefit As are the Sacraments and word of God In peace and joy free from th' afflicting Roâ— Of Gods just wrath but whither do I goe â—have much more of Gods great Love to s 〈…〉 In the Redemption of sinfull mankind But how or which way shall I bend my mind The wondrous Love of God therein to show How to beginne or end I doe not know Wast not great Love that God became a man That that Infinite should be within a span That Deity should become flesh and bone This cannot by a mortall man be showne â—et it is true God did descend from high And tooke on him sinfull mans misery His Birth was rare his life was mean and poore And in his body all mans sins he bore But oh what greater Love can there be showne Then for a friends life to lay downe his owne 〈…〉 this did Christ sinfull mans debt to pay His Fathers wrath and â—â—â—ry â—o allay And by his death he did full well expell The power of sinne and the dread pains of hell If I could write of all the wondrous Asts Of Christ our Saviour and his noble facts I then should want both Paper Pen and Inke To utter that which my poore heart doth thinke I am not able fully to relate The rare example of his earthly state Oh! how shall I then into heaven fly There to behold this lorious mysterie How that he rose from death I cannot shew But how he did ascend I faine would know For I was borne upon Ascention day Therefore to follow him I dayly pray But ther 's such Plumets ty'd unto my hâ—ele That drawes me backward that I cannot feele His Godly motions yet his love I finde Deepely ingraved in my sinfull mind I did intend to write of faith in Christ How thereby justifi'd how that did consist In free forgivenesse of our former crimes To live more Godly in the after times Then did I purpose for to make relation How for to know
our free justification Not by mans workes but by the holy Ghost Inspiring saving faith but I almost In this most sacred Theme my selfe had lost Then how wee 're justifi'de therein to shew What Graces in Repentance Garden grow How in the heart springs sorrowfull Contrition How in the lips doth sprout humble Confession How satisfaction from the hands dâ— flow To them we wrong'd Repâ—â—â—ance true to show How wee should die to sinne and live to God But in this Theam I make too long abode Yet not too long but that my Wit 's unable My Brain 's too shallow and my selfe unstable Therefore I 'll leave it unto all Divines That in such things should spend their pains and times For â— have small skill in me to reveale The Love of God which I must needs conceile For that bright glory I cannot expresse It is encitâ—h that my weâ—ke shallownesse Can onâ—ly thinke of that same mighty power Which is prepared in that heavenly Bower For to describe it fully any man By pen and inke neuer be able can Therefore â—â—e draw a vâ—ilâ— before mine eyes Not dâ—ring to behold such mysteriâ—s Which is so great thâ— like never eye saw This well is deepe I have no pale to draw Eare h 〈…〉 h not hard nor the heart understood What God prepara'hath for his childrens good How as his earthly Globe doth fâ—r surpasse In beauty and aâ—lights that darkesome place Of our Nativity so heav'nly bliss Doth farre â—urmount all that in this world is How mortall bodies subjest to corruption Shal be immortall without interruption How that the soule shal be fil'd with the sight Of God and Saints in that Celestiall light And there I hope for to behold my wife For here she liv'd a Godly quiet life Oh here is Love past all mans apprehension And therfore farre beyond my dull invention Therfore I 'll cease in this discourse and pray That God may keepe me in a vertuous way That I in God may comprehended be For I 'm not able to hold him in me Yet why thus say I if I living be I truely dwell in God and he in me For God is Love and he that dwels in Love Doth dwell in God but this is farre above My apprehension fully to relate The rare conjunction of this hapy state Oh Lord I pray thee send thy Love in me That I againe may returne mine to thee Then shall I praise thee with a thankefull heart When thou thy Love thus to me doth impart Now I 'll conclude with praise unto thy might For thus inabling my weake hand to write Soli Deo Honor Gloria A briefe Meditation of Mans Love LOve is a Passion of the heart seated in the affections and called by the Philosophers A mentaâ—â— vertue because it is a longing desire of the minde to be united to the beloved object There are three kindes or species of Love The first is divine spirituall and heavenly The second is carnall earthly and sinfull The third is humane civill and naturall The first love is pious and onely makes happy The second is sinfull and only makes miserable The third is vertuous and commendable The first love is proper to the pious Religious man The second is proper to the sinfull wicked man The third is proper to the civill honest man Thus Love may be compared to water conveied from the fountaine of the heart in these three pipes first if we consider this liquor running in the first channell then we shall finde it to bee pure cleare and the onely saving water of life In whose heart soever this divine spirituall and heavenly liquor springs shall never thirst but rests alwayes satisfied in prospeâ—â—ty â—â— is â—â—mperâ—te and humble and in adversity he is patient and meeke in what state of life soever hee is in hee is therewith content He is in this world but is not of this world He useth the things of this life as though he used them not his delight is in grace and goodnesse and all evill wayes he utterly abhorres for although he walketh upon the earth his conversation is in heaven he is truly a heavenly minded man he really fulfilleth the commandements of the first Table in the Decalogue he loves the Lord with all his heart with all his minde and with all his strength nothing is so comfortable to him as the favour of God nothing so fearfull as his displeasure nothing so desirable as grace and nothing so haâ—efull as sinne while the ship of his soule doth sayle upon the troublesome waves of this miserable world no storme of persecution can stay or hinder his heavenly course of godlinesse till it arive at the haven of eternall happinesse because the anchor of this ship is a stedfast hope cast upon the firme rock Christ Jesus her cables are a strong confidence fast bound to the maine mast of a lively saving and justifying faith her lading is no vaine merchandize or trumperies but rare jewells and costâ—y ornaments even the rich treasury of the graces of Gods Spirit The Pilot is the word of God which at the last will guide her to the desired haven This man waâ—kes upon the earth as a stranger and pilgrim The world is but his Inne wherein hee lodging for a night departeth in the morning Heaven is his Countrey there rests his love there lyes his treasure there is his heart here he hath many enemies the lust of the flesh lust of the eyes and pride of life The world the flesh and the Divell against these he is strongly armed with the whole armour of God for the defence of the head the helmet of salvation for the defence of the heart the brestplate of righteousnesse for the loines the girdle of verity for the safeguard of the feet shoos of the preparation of the Gospell of peace and â—or the defence of the whole man the shield of faith wherewith he quencheth all the fiery darts of Satans suggestions blunteth the edge of the worlds allurements and dulleth the heat of fleshly temptations his offensive weapon is onely the sword of the Spirit which he cunningly using cutteth off all sinne for the word of God is lively and mighty in operation sharper then any two edged sword for it cutteth through even to the dividing assunder of the soule and the spirit and of the joynts and the marrow It is an axe with which the whole tree of sinne with his forbidden fruit is hewn downe with these weapons the man that is inflamed with the love of God will trample upon the flesh despise and contemne the world resist the Divell and at the day of death by the assisting grace of his Captaine Christ Jesus will conquer and overcome sinne death and hell and be carried by the Angells of God into heaven the place of happinesse where he shall hold a perpetuall feast sing an everlasting song weare an incorruptible Crowne possesse an eternall Inheritance and fully enjoy his love with endlesse joy content