doors otherwise threatning to break in But if those in the house knew their own Strength it were easie to keep them out Seeing the doors are Threatning Proof it is not the breath of their Oathes can blow the â—ocks open Yet silly Souls being affrighted they obey and betray themselves to their Violence Thus Satan serves me or rather thus I serve my self When I cannot be forced I am fool'd out of my Integrity He cannot Constrain if I do not Consent If I do but keep Possession all the Posse of Hell cannot violently eject me But I cowardly surrender to his Summons Thus there needs no more to my undoing but my self XVI Lord WHen I am to Travell I never use to provide my self till the very Tyme Partly out of Lazinesse loath to be troubled till needs I must partly out of Pride as presuming all necessaries for my Journey will wait upon me at the instant Some say this is Schollers fashion and it seemes by following it I hope to approve my self to be one However it often comes to passe that my Journey is finally stopt through the Narrownesse of the Time to provide for it Grant Lord that my confess'd Improvidence in Temporall may make me suspect my Providence in Spituall Matters * Salomon saith Man goeth to his long Home Short Preparation will not fit so long a Journey O! let me not put it off to the last to have my * Oile to buy when I am to burn it But let me so dispose of my self that when I am to dye I may have nothing to do but to dye XVII Lord WHen in any writing I have occasion to insert these passages God willing God lending me life c. I observe Lord that I can scarce hold my hand from incircling these words in a Parenthesis as if they were not Essentiall to the Sentence but may as well be left out as put in Whereas indeed they are not onely of the Commission at large but so of the Quorum that without them all the rest is nothing wherefore hereafter I will write those words fully and fairely without any Inclosure about them Let Criticks censure it for bad Grammer I am sure it is good Divinity XVIII Lord MAny temporall Matters which I have desired thou hast denyed me It vext me for the present that I wanted my will Since considering in cold blood I plainly perceive had that which I desired been done I had been undone Yea what thou gavest me instead of those things which I wished though lesse toothsome to me were more wholsome for me Forgive I pray my former Anger and now accept my humble thanks Lord grant me one suite which is this Deny me all suits which are bad for me when I Petition for what is unfitting O let the King of Heaven make use of his Negative Voice Rather let me fast then have * Quailes given with intent that I should be choaken in eating them XIX Lord THis day I disputed with my self whether or no I had said my Prayers this Morning And I could not call to mind any remarkable Passage whence I could certainly conclude that I had offered my Prayers unto thee Frozen Affections which left no Spark of Remembrance behind them Yet at last I hardly recovered one Token whence I was assured that I had said my Prayers It seems I had said them and onely said them rather by heart then with my heart Can I hope that thou wouldest Remember my Prayers when I had almost forgotten that I had prayed Or rather have I not Cause to fear that thou remembrest my Prayers too well to punish the Coldnesse and Badnesse of them Alas are not Devotions thus done in effect left undone Well * Iacob advised his Sonnes at their second going into Egypt Take double Money in your hand peradventure it was an Oversight So Lord I come with my second Morning Sacrifice Be pleased to accept it which I desire and endeavour to present with a little better Devotion then I did the former XX Lord THe motions of thy Holy Spirit were formerly frequent in my heart But alas of late they have been great Strangers It seems they did not like their last entertainment they are so loath to come again I fear they were * grieved that either I heard them not attentively or beleeved them not faithfully or practised them not Conscionably If they be pleased to come again this is all I dare promise that they do deserve and I do desire they should be well used Let thy holy Spirit be pleased not onely to stand before the door and * knock but also to come in If I do not open the door it were too unreasonable to request such a Miracle to come in when the doors were shut as thou did'st to the * Apostles Yet let me humbly beg of thee that thou wouldest make the Iron Gate of my heart open of it's own * accord Then let thy Spirit be pleased to sup in my heart I have given it an Invitation and I hope I shall give it room But O thou that sendest the Guest send the Meat also and if I be so unmannerly as not to make the holy Spirit Welcome O! let thy effectuall Grace make me to make it welcome XXI Lord I Confesse this Morning I remembred my Breakfast but forgot my Prayers And as I have returned no praise so thou mightest justly have afforded me no Protection Yet thou hast carefully kept me to the middle of this day and intrusted me with a new debt before I have paid the Old Score It is now Noon too late for a Morning too soon for an Evening Sacrifice My Corrupt Heart prompts me to put off my Prayers till night But I know it too well or rather too ill to trust it I fear if till night I deferre them at night I shall forget them Be pleased therefore now to accept them Lord let not a few hours the later make a breach Especially seeing be it spoken not to excuse my Negligence but to implore thy Pardon a thousand yeers in thy sight are but as yesterday I promise hereafter by thy Assistance to bring forth fruit in due Season See how I am ashamed the Sun should shine on me who now newly start in the Race of my Devotions when he like a Gyant hath run more then half his Course in the Heavens XXII Lord THis day casually I am fallen into a bad company know not how I came hither or how to get hence Sure I am not my Improvidence hath run me but thy Providence hath led me into this Danger I was not wandring in any base by-path but walking in the high way of my Vocation wherefore Lord thou that calledst me hither keep me here Stop their mouths that they speak no Blasphemy or stop my ears that I hear none or open my mouth soberly to reprove what I hear Give me to Guard my self but Lord Guard my Guarding
speaking of his own sicknesse he saith * We were pressed out of Measure above strength Perchance this will be expounded by propounding another Riddle of the same Apostles Who praising * Abraham saith that against hope he beleeved in hope That is against Carnall Hope he beleeved in Spirituall Hope So the same wedge will serve to cleave the former difficulty Paul was pressed above his Human not above his Heavenly Strength Grant Lord that I may not mangle and dismember thy Word but study it intirely comparing one Place with another For Diamonds onely can cut Diamonds and no such Comments on the Scripture as the Scripture VII Lord I Observe that the vulgar Translation reads the Apostles Precept thus * Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure by Good Works But in our English Testaments these words by Good Works are left out It grieved me at the first to see our Translation defective but it offended me afterwards to see the other Redundant For those words are not in the Greek which is the Originall And it is an ill work to put Good Works in to the Corruption of the Scripture Grant Lord that though we leave Good Woorks out in the Text we may take them in in our Comment In that Exposition which our Practice is to make on this Precept in our Lives and Conversations VIII Lord I Find the Genealogie of my * Saviour strangely Chequered with four remarkable Changes in four immediate Generations 1 Rehoboham begat Abiam that is a bad Father begat a bad Son 2 Abiam begat Asa that is a bad Father a good Sonne 3 Asa begat Iehosaphat that is a good Father a good Sonne 4 Iehosaphat begat Ioram that is a good Father a bad Sonne I see Lord from hence that my Fathers Piety cannot be entailed that 's bad News for me But I see also that Actuall Impiety is not always hereditary that 's good News for my Sonne IX Lord WHen in my daily Service I read Davids Psalmes Give me to alter the Accent of my soul according to their severall Subjects In such Psalmes wherein he confesseth his Sinnes or requesteth thy Pardon or praiseth for former or prayeth for future favours in all these give me to raise my soul to as high a pitch as may be But when I come to such Psalms wherein he curseth his Enemies O there let me bring my soul down to a lower note For those words were made only to fit Davids mouth I have the like breath but not the same Spirit to pronounce them Nor let me flatter my self that it is lawfull for me with David to curse thine Enemies lest my deceitfull heart intitle all mine Enemies to be Thine and so what was Religion in David prove Malice in me whil'st I act Revenge under the Pretence of Piety X. Lord I Read of the two Witnesses * And when they shall have finished their Testimony the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse Pit shall make Warre against them and shall overcome them and kill them They could not be kil'd whil'st they were doing but when they had done their worke during their imployment they were invincible No better Armour against the darts of Death then to be busied in thy Service Why art thou so heavie O my soul No Malice of man can Antidate my end a Minute whil'st my maker hath any work for me to do And when all my daily task is ended why should I grudge then to go to Bed XI Lord I Read at the Transfiguration that * Peter Iames and Iohn were admitted to behold Christ but Andrew was excluded So again at the reviving of the daughter of the ruler of the * Synagogue these three were let in and Andrew shut out Lastly in the * Agony the aforesaid three were called to be witnesses thereof and still Andrew left behind Yet he was Peters Brother and a good man and an Apostle why did not Christ take the two pair of Brothers was it not pitty to part them But me thinks I seem more offended thereat then Andrew himself was whom I find to expresse no discontent being pleased to be accounted a loyall Subject for the generall though he was no favourite in these particulars Give me to be pleased in my self and thankfull to thee for what I am though I be not equall to others in personall perfections For such peculiar Priviledges are Courtesies from thee when given and no Injuries to us when denyed XII Lord Saint Paul teacheth the Art of heavenly thrift how to make a new Sermon of an Old Many * saith he walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you weeping that they are Enemies to the Crosse of Christ Formerly he had told it with his Tongue but now with his Tears formerly he taught it with his words but now with his weeping Thus new affections make an old Sermon new May I not by the same proportion make an old Prayer new Lord thus long I have offered my Prayer drye unto thee now Lord I offer it wet Then wilt thou own some new Addition therein when though the Sacrifice be the same yet the dressing of it is different being steep't in his Tears who bringeth it unto thee XIII Lord I Read of my Saviour That when he was in the wildernesse * then the Devill leaveth him and behold Angels came and Ministred unto him A great change in a little time No twilight betwixt night and day No Purgatory-condition betwixt Hell and Heaven but instantly when Out Devill In Angell Such is the Case of every solitary Soul It will make Company for it self A musing mind will not stand Neuter a Minute but presently side with Legions of good or bad thoughts Grant therefore that my soul which ever will have some may never have bad Company XIV Lord I Read how Cushi and Ahimaaz ran a Race who first should bring Tidings of Victory to David Ahimaaze though last setting forth came first to his Journeys end Not that he had the fleeter feet but the better brains to chuse the way of most advantage For the Text * saith So Ahimaaz ranne by the way of the Plain and over-went Cushi Prayers made to God by Saints fetch a needlesse compasse about That is but a rough and un-even way Besides one Steep Passage therein questionable whether it can be climbed up and Saints in Heaven made sensible of what we say on Earth The way of the plain or plain way both shortest surest is Call upon me in the time of Trouble Such Prayers though starting last will come first to the Mark XV Lord THis morning I read a Chapter in the Bible and therein observ'd a memorable Passage whereof I never took notice before Why now and no sooner did I see it Formerly my Eyes were as open and the Letters as Legible Is there not a thin Vaile laid over thy Word which is more rarified by Reading and at last wholly
worn away Or was it because I came with more appetite then before The Milk was alwayes there in the brest but the Child till now was not Hungry enough to find out the Teat I see the Oile of thy Word will never leave Increasing whil'st any bring an empty Barrell The Old Testament will still be a New Testament to him who comes with a fresh desire of Information XVI Lord AT the first * Passeover God kept touch with the Hebrews very Punctually At the end of the four hundred and thirty yeers in the self same day it came to passe that all the Hosts of the Lord went out of the Land of Egypt But at the first Easter God was better then his word Having promised that Christ should lye but three dayes in the Grave his Fatherly Affection did runne to relieve him By a Charitable Synechdoche two pieces of dayes were counted for whole ones God did cut the work short in * righteousnesse Thus the Measure of his Mercy under the Law was full but it ranne over in the Gospell XVII Lord THe * Apostle diswadeth the Hebrews from Covetousnesse with this Argument because God said I will not leave thee nor forsake thee Yet I find not that God ever gave this Promise to all the Jews but he spake it onely to * Ioshua when first made Commander against the Canaanites Which without violence to the Anallogie of faith the Apostle applyeth to all good men in generall Is it so that we are Heirs apparant to all promises made to thy Servants in Scripture Are the Charters of Grace granted to them good to me Then Will I say with Iacob * I have enough But because I cannot intitle my self to thy promises to them except I immitate their piety to thee Grant I may take as much Care in following the one as Comfort by applying the othâ—r XVIII Lord I Read that thou didst make * Grasse Hearbs Trees the third day As for the Sunne * Moon and Stars thou madest them on the fourth day of the Creation Thus at first thou didst confute the folly of such who maintain that all Vegetables in their growth are inslaved to a Necessary and unavoidable dependance on the Influences of the Starres Whereas Plants were even when Planets were not It is false that the Mary-gold follows the Sunne whereas rather the Sunne follows the Mary-gold as made the day before him Hereafter I will admire thee more and fear Astrologers lesse Not affrighted with their dolefull predictions of Dearth and Drowth collected from the Complexions of the Planets Must the Earth of Necessity be Sad because some ill-natured Starre is Sullen as if the Grasse Could not grow without asking it leave Whereas thy power which made Hearbs before the Starres can preserve them without their propitions yea against their Malignant Aspects XIX Lord I Read how Paul writing from Rome spake to * Philemon to prepare him a lodging hoping to make use thereof yet we find not that he ever did use it being Martyred not long after However he was no loser whom thou didst lodge in a higher Mansion in Heaven Let me alwayes be thus deceived to my Advantage I shall have no Cause to Complain though I never wear the new Cloaths fitted for me if before I put them on death cloath me with Glorious Immortality XX Lord WHen our Saviour sent his Apostles abroad to Preach he enjoyned them in one * Gospell Possesse nothing neither Shooes nor a staffe But it is said in another * Gospell And he commanded them that they should take nothing for their Iourney save a Staffe onely The Reconciliation is easie They might have a Staffe to speak them Travellours not Souldiers One to walk with not to Warre with a Staffe which was a Wand not a Weapon But Oh! In how dolefull dayes do we live wherein Ministers are not as formerly arm'd with their Nakednesse but need Staves and Swords too to defend them from violence XXI Lord I Discover an arrant Lazinesse in my Soul For when I am to read a Chapter in thy Bible before I begin it I look where it endeth And if it endeth not on the same side I cannot keep my hands from turning over the leaf to measure the length thereof on the other side If it swels to many Verses I begin to grudge Surely my heart is not rightly affected Were I truly hungry after heavenly Food I would not Complain of the greatest Messe of Meat Scourge Lord this Lazinesse out of my Soul make the reading of thy Word not a Penance but a Pleasure unto me Teach me that as amongst many heaps of Gold all being equally pure that is the best which is the biggest so I may esteem that Chapter in thy Word the best that is the Longest XXII Lord I Find David making a Syllogisme in Mode and Figure Two Propositions he perfected * 18 If I regard Wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not hear me 19 But verily God hath heard me he hath attended to the voice of my Prayer Now I expected that David should have Concluded thus Therefore I regard not wickednesse in my heart But farre otherwise he Concludes 20 Blessed be God who hath not turned away my Prayer nor his Mercy from me Thus David hath deceived but not wronged me I look't that he should have clapt the Crown on his own and he puts it on Gods Head I will learn this Excellent Logick For I like Davids better then Aristotles Syllogismes That whatsoever the Premisses be I make Gods Glory the Conclusion XXIII Lord WIse * Agur made it his wish Give me not poverty lest I steal take the Name of my God in vain He saith not Lest I steal and be caught in the manner and then be stockt or whipt or branded or forc'd to four fold Restitution or put to any other shamefull or painfull punishment But he saith lest I steal and take the name of my God in vain That is lest professing to serve thee I confute a good Profession with a Bad Conversation Thus thy Children count Sinne to be the greatest Smart in Sin as being more sensible of the wound they therein give to the glory of God then of all the Stripes that man may lay upon them for punishment XXIV Lord I Read that when my Saviour dispossessed the Mans * Sonne of a Devill he enjoyned the Evil Spirit to come out of him and enter no more into him But I find that when my Saviour himself was tempted of * Satan the Devill departed from him but for a Sason Retreating as it seemes with mind to return How came it to passe Lord that he who expell'd him finally out of others did not propell him so from himself Sure it doth not follow that because he did not he could not do it Or that he was lesse able to help himself because he was more Charitable to relieve others No I see
runne out at them If my Badnesse seeme bigger then thy Goodnesse but one hair's breadth but one Moment that 's Room and Time enough for me to run to eternall despair VIII Lord I Do discover a Fallacy whereby I have long deceived my self Which is this I have desired to begin my Amendment from my Birth day or from the first day of the Yeer or from some Eminent Festivall that so my Repentance might bear some Remarkable date But when those dayes were come I have adjourned my Amendment to some other Time Thus whilst I could not agree with my self when to Start I have almost lost the Running of the Race I am resolved thus to befool my self no longer I see no day to To day the instant Time is alwayes the fittest time In * Nabuchadnezars Image the lower the Members the Courser the Mettall the further off the Time the more unfit To day is the Golden Opportunity to Morrow will be the Silver Season next day but the Brazen one and so long till at last I shall come to the Toes of Clay and be turned to dust Grant therefore that * to day I may hear thy voice And if this day be obscure in the Kallender and remarkable in it self for nothing else give me to make it memorable in my soul thereupon by thy Assistance begining the Reformation of my life IX Lord I Saw one whom I knew to be notoriously Bad in great Extremity It was hard to say whether his former Wickednesse or Present Want were the Greater If I could have made the distinction I could willingly have fed his Person and sterved his Profanesse This being impossible I adventured to relieve him For I know that amongst many Objects all of them being in extream Miseries Charity though shooting at Random cannot misse a right Mark Since Lord the Party being recovered is become worse then ever before Thus they are always impaired with affliction who thereby are not improved Lord count me not accessary to his Badnesse because I relieved him Let me not suffer harm in my self for my desire to do good to him Yea Lord be pleased to clear my Credit amongst men that they may understand my hands according to the Simplicity of my heart I gave to him onely in hope to keep the Stock a live that so afterwards it might be better grafted Now finding my self deceived my almes shall return into my own bosom X. Lord THy Servants are now praying in the Church and I am here staying at home detayned by necessary Occasions Such as are not of my seeking but of thy sending my Care could not prevent them my Power could not remove them Wherefore though I cannot go to Church there to sit down at Table with the rest of thy Guests be pleased Lord to send me a dish of their Meat hither and feed my soul with holy thoughts * Eldad and Medad though staying still in the Camp no doubt on just cause yet prophesied as well as the other Elders Though they went not out to the Spirit the Spirit came home to them Thus never any dutifull Child lost his Legacy for being absent at the making of his Fathers will if at the same time he were imployed about his Fathers businesse I fear too many at Church have their Bodies there and minds at home Behold in exchange my Body here and heart there Though I cannot pray with them I pray for them Yea this comforts me I am with thy Congregation because I would be with it XI Lord I Trust thou hast pardoned the bad Examples I have set before others be pleased also to pardon me the sinnes which they have Committed by my bad Examples It is the best manners in thy Court to heap Requests upon Requests If thou hast forgiven my Sinnes the Children of my corrupt Nature forgive me my Grand-children also Let not the Transcripts remain since thou hast blotted out the Originall And for the Time to come blesse me with Barrennesse in bad Actions and my bad actions with Barrennesse in procreation that they may never beget others according to their likenesse XII Lord WHat faults I correct in my Sonne I commit my self I beat him for dabling in the dirt whil'st my own Soul doth wallow in Sinne I beat him for crying to cut his own Meat yet am not my self contented with that state thy Providence hath carved unto me I beat him for crying when he is to go to slâ—ep and yet I fear I my self shall cry when thou callest me to sleep with my Fathers Alas I am more Childish then my Child and what I inflict on him I justly deserve to receive from thee Onely here is the difference I pray desire that my Correction on my Child may do him good It is in thy power Lord to effect that thy Correction on me shall do me good XIII Lord I Perceive my soul deeply guilty of Envie By my good will I would have none Prophesie but mine own * Moses I had rather thy work were undon then don better by another then by my self Had rather thy Enemies were all alive then that I should kill but my thousand and others their ten thousands of them My Corruption repines at other mens better Parts as if what my Soul wants of them in Substance she would supply in swelling Dispossesse me Lord of this bad Spirit and turn my Envie into holy Emulation Let me Labour to exceed them in pains who excell me in parts and knowing that my sword in cuting down sinne hath a duller Edge let me strike with the greater force Yea make other Mens Gifts to be mine by making me thankfull to thee for them It was some comfort to Naomie that wanting a sonne her self she brought up * Ruth's child in her bosom If my soul be too old to be a Mother of Goodnesse Lord make it but a dry-Nurse Let me feed and foster and nourish and cherish the Graces in others honouring their Persons praising their Parâ—s and glorifying thy Name who hast given such gifts unto them XIIII Lord WHen young I have almost quarrelled with that Petition in our Liturgie Give Peace in our time O Lord Neeâ—lesse to wish for light at Noon-day for then Peace was so plentifull no fear of Famine but suspition of a surfet thereof And yet how many good Comments was this Prayer then capable of Give Peace that is continue and preserve it Give Peace that is Give us hearts worthy of it and thankfull for it In our time that is All our Time for there is more besides a fair Morning required to make a fair Day Now I see the Mother had more Wisdom then her Sonne The Church knew better then I how to pray Now I am better informed of the necessity of that Petition Yea with the daughters of the * Horse-leech I have need to cry Give give Peace in our Time O Lord XV Lord UNruly Souldiers command poor People to open them their
my Saviour was pleased to shew himself a God in other mens matters and but a Man in such cases wherein he himself was concerned Being contented still to be tempted by Satan that his Suffering for us might cause our Conquering through him XXV IAnnes and * Iambres the Apes of Moses and Aaron immitated them in turning their Rods into Serpents Onely here was the difference Aarons * Rod devoured their Rods That which was Solid and Substantiall lasted when that which was slight and but seeming vanished away Thus an Active Fancie in all outward expressions may immitate a lively Faith For matter of Language there is nothing what Grace doth do but Wit can Act. Onely the difference appears in the Continuance Wit is but for fits and flashes Grace holds out and is lasting And Good Lord of thy Goodnesse give it to every one that truly desires it HISTORICALL Applications I THe English Embassadour some yeers since prevailed so farre with the Turkish Emperour as to perswade him to hear some of our English Musick from which as from all other liberal Sciences both He his Nation were naturally averse But it happned that the Musitians were so long in tuning their Instruments that the Great Turk distasting their Tediousnesse went away in discontent before their Musick began I am affraid that the differences and dissentions betwixt Christian Churches being so long in reconciling their discords will breed in Pagans such a disrelish of our Religion as they will not be invited to attend thereunto II. A Sibill came to Tarquinius superbus King of Rome and * offered to sell unto him three Tomes of her Oracles But He counting the price too high refused to buy them Away she went and burnt one Tome of them Returning she asketh him whether he would buy the two remaining at the same Rate He refuseth again counting her little better then frantick Thereupon She burns the second Tome And peremptorily asked him whether he would give the Summe demanded for the all three for the one Tome remaining Otherwise she would burn that also and He would dearly repent it Tarquin admiring at her constant Resolution and conceiving some extraordinary worth contained therein gave her Her Demand There are three Volumes of Mâ—ns Time Youth Mans Estate and Old Age and Ministers advise them * redeem this Time But men conceive the Rate they must give to be unreasonable because it will cost them the Renouncing of their Carnall Delights Hereupon one Third Part of their Life Youth is consumed in the fire of Wantonnesse Again Ministers Counsell men to redeem the remaining Volumes of their Life They are but derided at for their paâ—nes And Mans Estate is also cast away in the smoak of Vanity But Preachers ought to presse peremptorily on old People to redeem now or never the last Volume of their Life Here is the difference The Sibill still demanded but the same Rate for the remâ—ining Book But aged Folk because of their custom in sining will find it harder and dearer to redeem this the last Volume then if they had been Chapmen for all three at the first III. IN Merianith Shire in * Wales there be many Mountains whose hanging Top come so close together that shepheards sitting on severall Mountains may audibly discourse one with another And yet they must go many miles before their Bodies can meet together by the reason of the vast hollow Valleys which are betwixt them Our Soveraign and the Members of his Parliament at London seem very neer agreed in their Generall and Publike Professions Both are for the Protestant Religion Can they draw neerer Both are for the Priviledges of Parliament Can they come closer Both are for the Liberty of the Subject Can they meet Evener And yet alas there is a great Gulf and vast distance betwixt them which our sinnes have made and God grant that our Sorrow may seasonably make it up again IV. WHen Iohn King of France had Communicated the Order of the Knighthood of the Star to some of his Guard Men of mean Birth and Extraction the Nobility ever after disdained to be admitted into that degree and so that Order in France was extinguished Seeing that now adayes drinking and Sweaâ—ing and Wantonnesse are grown frequent even with base beggerly People It is high Time for men of Honour who Consult with their Credit to desist from such sinnes Not that I would have Noble Men invent New vices to be in Fashion with themselves alone But forsake Old Sinnes grown common with the meanest of People V. LOng was this Land wasted with Civill Warre betwixt the two Houses of York and Lancaster till the red Rose became white with the Blood it had lost and the white Rose Red with the Blood it had shed At last They were united in a happy Marriage and their joynt-Titles are â—wisted together in our Gracious Soveraign Thus there hath been a Great difference betwixt learned Men wherein the dominion over the Creature is founded Some putting it in Nature others placing it in Grace But the true Servants of God have an unquestioned Right thereunto Seeing both Nature and Grace the first and Second Adam Creation and Regeneration are contained in them Hence their Claime is so clear their Title is so true Ignorance cannot doubt it Impudence dare not deny it VI THe Roman Senators conspired against Iulius Caesar to kill him That very next morning Artemidoâ—us * Caesar's friend delivered him a Paper desiring him to peruse it wherein the whole plot was discovered But Caesar complemented his life away being so taken up to return the salutations of such People as met him in the way that he pocketed the Paper among other Petitions as unconcerned therein and so going to the Senate house was slain The World Flesh and Devill have a designe for the destruction of men We Ministers bring our People a Letter Gods Word wherein all the Conspiracy is revealed But who hath believed our Report Most men are so busie about worldly delights they are not at leisure to listen to us or read the Letter but thus alas runne headlong to their own Ruine and Destruction VII IT is reported of Philip the Second King of Spain That besieging the Town of St. Quintine and being to make a breach he was forced with his Cannon to batter down a small Chappell on the Wall dedicated to Saint Laurence In Reparation to which Saint he afterwards built and Consecrated unto him that famous Chappell in the Escariall in Spain for workmanship one of the wonders in the World How many Churches and Chappels of the God of Saint Laurence have been laid waste in England by this wofull Warre And which is more and more to be lamented how many living Temples of the Holy Ghost Christian People have therein been causelesly and cruelly destroyed How shall our Nation be ever able to make Recompence for it God of his Goodnesse forgive us that Dept which we of our selves
are not able to satisfie VIII IN the dayes of King * Edward the sixt the L. Protector march't with a Powerfull Army into Scotland to demand their young Queen Mary in Marriage to our King according to their Promises The Scotch refusing to do it were beaten by the English in Muslâ—borough fight One demanded of a Scotch Lord taken Prisoner in the Battell Now Sir how do you like our Kings Marriage with your Queen I alwayes quoth he did like the Marriage But I do not like the wooing that you should fetch a Bride with Fire and Sword It is not enough for men to propound Pious Projâ—cts to themselves if they go about by indirect Courses to compasse them Gods own Work must be done by Gods own wayes Otherwise we can take no Comfort in obtaining the end if we cannot justifie the means used thereunto IX A Sagamore or petty King in Virginia guessing the Greatnesse of other Kings by his own sent a Native hither who understood English Commanding him to score upon a Long Cane given him of Purpose to be his Register the number of English men that thereby his Master might know the strength of this our Nation Landing at Plimouth a Populous Place and which he mistook for all England he had no leisure to eat for notching up the men he met At Exeter the difficulty of his Task was increased Coming at last to London that Forest of People he brake his Cane in Pieces perceiving the impossibility of his imployment Some may conceive that they can reckon up the Sinnes they commit in one day Perchance they may make hard Shifts to Summe up their notorious ill deeds More difficult it is to score up their wicked words But O how infinite are their idle thoughts High Time then to leave off counting and cry out with * David Who can tell how oft he offendeth Lord cleanse me from my secret sinnes X. MArtin de Golin * Master of the Teutonick Order was taken Prisoner by the Prusians and delivered bound to be beheaded But he perswaded his Executioner who had him alone first to take off his Costly Cloaths which otherwise would be spoil'd with the sprinckling of his Blood Now the Prisoner being partly unbound to be uncloath'd and finding his Arms somewhat loos'ned strake the Executioner to the Ground kil'd him afterwards with his own sword and so regained both his life and Liberty * Christ hath Overcome the World and delivered it to Us to destroy it But we are all Achans by Nature and the Babylonish Garment is a Bait for our Covetousnesse Whil'st therefore we seek to take the Plunder of this World's Wardrobe we let go the Mastery we had formerly of it And too often that which Christ's Passion made our Captive our Folly makes our Conquerour XI I Read how Pope * Pius the fourth had a great Ship richly Loaden Landded at Sandwich in Kent where it suddenly sunck and so with the Sands choaked up the Harbour that ever since that place hath been deprived of the benefit thereof I see that happinesse doth not alwayes attend the Adventures of his Holinesse Would he had carried away his Ship and left us our Harbour May his Spirituall Merchandize never come more into this Island But rather sinck in Tiber then Saile thus farre bringing so small Good and so great Annoyance Sure he is not so happy in opening the doors of Heaven as he is unhappy to obstruct Havens on Earth XII IEffery Arch-Bishop of York and base Son to King Henry the second used proudly to protest by his faith and the Royalty of the King his Father To whom one said You may sometimes Sir as well remember what was the honesty of your Mother Good men when puffed up with Pride for their heavenly Extraction and Paternall descent how they are Gods Sonnes by Adoption may seasonably call to mind the Corruption which they carry about them * I have said to the worm thou art my Mother And this Consideration will temper their Soules with humility XIII I Could both Sigh and Smile at the Simplicity of a Native American sent by a Spaniard his Master with a Basket of Figgs and a Letter wherein the Figgs were mentioned to carry them both to one of his Masters friends By the way this Messenger eat up the Figgs but delivered the Letter whereby his deed was discovered and he soundly punished Being sent a Second Time on the like Message he first took the Letter which he conceived had Eyes as well as a Tongue and hid it in the Ground sitting himself on the place where he put it and then securely fell to feed on his Figgs presuming that that Paper which saw nothing could tell nothing Then taking it again out of the ground he delivered it to his Masters Friend whereby his fault was perceiv'd and he worse beaten then before Men Conceive they can manage their sinnes with Secresie But they carry about them a Letter or Book rather written by Gods Finger their * Conscience bearing witnesse to all their Actions But sinners being often detected and accused hereby grow wary at last and to prevent this speaking Paper for telling any Tales do Smother Stifle and Suppresse it when they go about the Committing of any Wickednesse Yet Conscience though buried for a time in Silence hath afterwards a Resurrection and discovers all to their greater Shame and heavier Punishment XIV IOhn Courcy Earl of Vlster in Ireland endeavoured fifteen severall Times to saile over thither and so often was beaten back again with bad Weather At last he expostulated his Case with God in a * Vision Complaining of hard Measure That having built and repaired so many Monasteries to God and his Saints he should have so bad successe It was answered him That this was but his just Punishment because he had formerly put out the Image of the * Trinity out of the Cathedrall Church of Down and placed the picture of Saint Patrick in the room thereof Surely God will not hold them Guiltlesse who justle him out of his Temple and give to Saints that Adoration due alone to his divine Majesty XV THe Lybians kept all Woemen in Common But when a Child was born they used to send it to that Man to maintain as Father thereof whom the Infant most resembled in his Complexion Satan and my sinfull Nature enter-Common in my soul in the causing of Wicked Thoughts The Sonnes by their Faces speak their Syres Proud Wanton Covetous Envious Idle thoughts I must own to come from my self God forgive me it is vain to deny it those Children are so like to their Father But as for some hideous horrible Thoughts such as I start at the Motion of them being out of the Road of my Corruption and yet which way will not that wander So that they smell of Hells Brimstone about them These fall to Satans lot to Father them The Swarthy Blacknesse of their Complexion
with much Mirth in a Moment But O that they would but seriously consider with themselves how many their offences are and sadly fall a counting them And if so hard truly to summe their sinnes sure harder sincerely to sorrow for them If to get their number be so difficult what is it to get their Pardon XXIV I Know the Village in Cambridge-shire * wherein there was a Crosse full of Imagery Some of the Images were such as that People not foolishly factious but judiciously conscientious took just exception at them Hard by the Youths of the Town erected a May-pole and to make it of Proof against any that should endeavour to cut it down they armed it with Iron as high as any could reach A violent Wind happened to blow it down which falling on the Crosse dashed it to pieces It is possible what is Counted Prophanesse may accidentally correct Superstition But I could heartily wish that all pretenders to Reformation would first labour to be good themselves before they go about the amending of Others XXV I Read that Aegaeus the Father of * Theseus hid a Sword a paire of Shooes under a great Stone And left word with his wife whom he left with Child that when the Sonne she should bear was able to take up that Stone weild that Sword and wear those Shooes then she should send him to him For by these Signes he would own him for his own Sonne Christ hath left in the Custody of the Church our Mother the Sword of the Spirit and the Shooes of a Christian Conversation the same which he once wore himself and they must fit our Feet yea and we must take up the weight of many heavy Crosses before we can come at them But when we shall appear before our Heavenly Father bringing these Tokens with us then and not before he will acknowledge us to be no Bastards but his True-born Children MIXT Contemplations I. WHen I look on a Leaden Bullet therein I can read both Gods Mercy and Mans Malice Gods Mercy whose Providence foreseeing that men of Lead would make Instruments of Cruelty didst give that mettall a Medicinall Vertue As it hurts so it also heals and a Bullet sent in by mans Hatred into a fleshly and no Vitall Part will with ordinary Care and Curing out of a naturall Charity work it's own way out But Oh! how devillish were those men who to frustrate and defeat his Goodnesse and to Countermand the healing power of Lead first found the Champing and Impoysoning of Bullets Fools who accompt themselves honoured with the shamefull Title of being the Inventors of Evill * Things indeavouring to Out-infinite Gods Kindnesse with their Cruelty II. I Have heard some Men rather causelessely Captious then judiciously Criticall cavil at Grammarians for calling some Conjunctions Disjunctive as if this were a flat Contradiction Whereas indeed the same Particle may conjoyn words and yet disjoyn the sence But alas how sad is the present condition of Christians who have a Communion disuniting The Lords Supper ordained by our Saviour to conjoyn our Affections hath disjoyned our Judgements Yea it is to be feared lest our long quarrels about the manner of his Presence cause the matter of his Absence for our want of Charity to receive him III. I Have observed that Children when they first put on new Shooes are very curious to keep them clean Scarce will they set their foot on the Ground for fear to dirty the Soles of their Shooes Yea rather they will wipe the Leather clean with their Coats and yet perchance the next day they will trample with the same Shooes in the Mire up to the Anckles Alas Childrens play is our Earnest On that day wherein we receive the Sacrament we are often over-precize scrupling to say or do those things which lawfully we may But we who are more then Curious that day are not so much as Carefull the next And too often what shall I say go on in sinne up to the Anckles yea our sins go * over our Heads IV. I Know some Men very desirous to see the Devill because they conceive such an Apparition would be a Confirmation of their Faith For then by the Logick of Opposites they will conclude There is a God because there is a Devill Thus they will not believe there is a Heaven except Hell it self be deposed for a Witnesse thereof Surely such mens Wishes are vain and Hearts are wicked For if they will not believe having Moses and the Prophets and the Apostles they will not believe no if the Devill from Hell appears unto them Such Apparitions were never ordained by God as the means of Faith Besides Satan will never shew Himself but to his own advantage If as A Devill to fright them If as an Angell of light to flatter them how ever to hurt them For my part I never desire to see him And O! if it were possible that I might never feel him in his motions and Temptations I say let me never see him till the day of Judgement where he shall stand Arreigned at the Barre and Gods Majesty sit Judge on the Bench ready to condemn him V. I Observe that Antiquaries such as prize Skill above Profit as being rather Curious then Covetous do preferre the Brasse Coyns of the Roman Emperours before those in Gold and Silver Because there is much falsenesse and forgery daily detected and more suspected in Gold and Silver Meddals as being commonly cast and Counterfeited Whereas Brasse Coyns are presumed upon as true and antient because it will not quit cost for any to Counterfeit them Plain dealing Lord what I want in Wealth may I have in sincerity I care not how mean Mettall my Estate be of if my Soul have the true Stamp really impressed with the unfeigned Image of the King of Heaven VI LOoking on the Chappell of King Henry the seventh in Westminster God grant I may once again see it with the Saint who belongs to it Our Soveraign there in a wel conditioned Peace I say looking on the outside of the Chappell I have much admired the Curious Workmanship thereof It added to the Wonder that it is so shaddowed with mean Houses well nigh on all sides that one may almost touch it as soon as see it Such a Structure needed no Bace Buildings about it as foiles to set it off Rather this Chappell may passe for the Embleme of a great Worth living in a private way How is he pleased with his own Obscurity whil'st others of lesse desert make greater Shew And whil'st Proud People stretch out their Plumes in Oâ—tentation he useth their Vanity for his Shelter more pleased to have worth then to hâ—ve others take Notice of it VII THe Mariners at Sea count it the sweetest perfume when the Water in the Keel of their Ship doth stinke For hence they conclude that it is but little and long since I ak't in But it is wofull with them when the Water