praiers to pierce the Heauens He sweat drops of bloud to purge and sweeten vs vnto our God hee cried with bitter torment vpon the crosse to saue his seruants from the dreadfull curse He did die as a malefactor to become to euery beleeuer a benesactour Euil did he none wee are the offenders Heauen is his desert Hell ours deserued wee haue merited damnatiō and he purchast for vs saluation Wee were bound to the Law we were vnder the curse in danger of death and subiect to wrath but hee hath sent vs his Gospel preched peace promised pardon and obtained grace If the law would condemne vs hee hath fulfilled it for vs his works preuent wrath his crosse the curse Conscience by the law would accuse the Gospell by grace will quiet it and acquite vs. If iustice demand her due his paines were our full paiment Hee is the waie for vs to walke in Hee is the trueth wee may beleeue him Hee is the life happy is he that liues in him By him and through him all our wants are suplied and all grace and goodnes obtained Are we in corruption His purity purgeth vs. Are we disobedient Hee was most obedient Are we subiect to wrath he couers vs. Wander we he recouers vs. Seeke we safety He affoords vs solace Want we a surety He is our pledge None in so great debt but he can discharge None so in disgrace but he can procute him peace He is ascended for life that wee might not descend to the place of death Wee need not feare the Law Sathan sinne hee hath gotten vs heauen life and saluation without daunger of Hell death or damnation Precepts HEre is peace O happy man by Christ procured Seek in him thy soules safety Behold heer ioy spiritual security Call boldly God father it pleaseth this Iesus to be thy brother Belieue in him constantlie rely on him Loue him and long for him say when Lord how long Lord come Lord Iesus come quickly In the meane space liue in loue worke righteousnesse seeke peace in holines keepe in the limits of sobriety continue in chastitie and bee neuer without charitie and expect assured felicity which the father of mercy euermore grant thee Amen The Picture of the Holy Ghost HE is the third person his property is proceeding from the Father and from the Son He works euer from both together with both Hee is Christs Vicegerent in his kingdome The Pope may bee packing as the diuels darling his onely Vicar General in his Church Hee raised vp the Prophets hee instructed the Apostles and now qualifieth all Christs true messengers The bad he maketh good in the good hee encreaseth grace He reforms our waies informes our iudgement and confirmes our faith Hee changeth discord into duties of loue and turneth all misdeeds into Almes deedes pratling into deuoute praier foolish prating into powerfull and perswasiue preaching the Preachers tong he makes the pen of a ready writer Euill lusts wher hee commeth hee killeth the dead works of darkenes he expelleth He is the spirit sanctifying the elect hee is not partiall but dealeth measurably to all without sinister respect He is to the Saints the blessed Comforter hee perswades them all to call God Father He works repentance and giueth therupō true peace of conscience Christs Church is his Temple and he the saueguard of his sheep He signifieth our innarrable sighs and maks vs expresse our desires in praier vnto God He helps vs to indite to frame our wils to make our meditations to moderate our affectiōs orderly to dispose al our actions Our eics by him do see into the Scriptures he is the true commentarie to vnderstand the word Hee learneth men to handle controuersies without contētion to make a separation but without Schisme By him crosses are not without comfort and the day of prosperitie not without meditation of a change He maketh euery thing to the godly profitable and the greatest afflictions neuer insupportable It is onely he that worketh in his faith by the word distastful wearisomnes of the world a hopefull perswasion of heauen without any dreadfull feare of hell Hee knits piety to right policy and seuereth true deuotion from foolish superstition Here in this life hee beginneth grace sets on to goodnesse perswads to holinesse vrgeth to charitablenesse presseth on to godlie practise settling the soule in religious purenesse and so leades it forward with a resolued constancie to endlesse happinesse and perfects all in the life to come Precepts OH vnstable man get the strength by this Spirit pray him earnestlie to settle thy soule in safetie Make him thy master his motions thy first mouer Aduise by his Counsell walke euer by his course Silence thy selfe when he giues sentence bee not secure if he doe censure Bestow thy selfe by his direction and willingly be led by his instruction If he premonish be forewarned if hee call backe run not on Stay Where hee bids thee shop and stand not when he moueth thee to set forward If thou hast him not intreat the Lord to send him If thou hast him carefully hold him If thou wouldest trie the true Spirit discerne his motions by the word his habitation in thee by sanctified worke The Scripture is his Scantling hee works not ordinarilie but as the word doth warrant and hee abids in none that are wicked and disobedient Bee no Schismaticke he will forsake thee be no Heretique be will not harbour with thee Displease not him despight him not by thy prophanenes If thou quench his grace thou loosest thine owne good Let him guide thee after the word and thou shalt bee euer well-pleasing to God accompanied of Angels approued of godlie men and be rewarded in heauen which benefit the blessed trinitie vouchsaf thee Reader Amen The Picture of the Diuell HEe is that damned Ghost the first siner the first Seducer One knowing much yet neuer obedient but by constraint Hee is but a Slaue as base as he is beggerly as malicious as cursedly mischieuous Blasphemously careles of God tyrannously cruell to men A continual Tempter Gods gaoler a dreadfull tormentor Euer is he out with God and a hater of the good What God commands hee condemnes hee will allow what God dislikes A bright Angell hee was in heauen but now the black Fiend in hell To no man a friēd to the Church a most malicious foe He is driuen out of the penitent he harbours in the disobedient The leaud are his lodging the prophane his habitation Hee is the vncleane spirit the place most full of abomination is his common harbour All his motions are to satisfie lust he would haue vs liue after our liking to worke wickednesse to rage in rebellion against God He knows himselfe to be damned all he cares for is to make other like himselfe This cursed spirit is that Lion roaring strong fearefull that old Serpent subtil guilfull that red Dragon bloodie terrible Hee raigneth where hee gets any rule and whom hee
God beleeue him to bee know him rightly behold him inuisibly conceiue him without Idolatry Remember euer his presence consider his powerfull prouidence Thou art of him thou art in him thou wast made for him Seeke his friendship force of nothing in respect of his fauour Loue him aboue all hold on his side against all and be subiect to him before all reuerence thou his maiestie obey his commands awefully in all actions seeke his glorie and praise his name continually that thou maiest of him be blessed eternally Amen The Picture of the holy Trinity GOD the true God is but one in vnity yet three in Trinity One in substance without diuision three in person by distinction the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost In order one afore and after an other but essentially all coequall coeternall together Al God not three Gods yet euer three persons neuer the same in propriety maner of working Heere is admiration but no demonstration This Catholik and Christian verity is an innarrable mystery Precepts BEleeue this the word teacheth it but corrupt reason is against it Beware of curious searching it is a matter vnsearchable Stand not vpon this to know how it may bee subiect thy reason to faith in sobriety It is a godly ignorance in that to be vnskilfull which the Scripture concealeth Hee that suffers herein his reason to wade farther than faith may lose his reason and beliefe his Christianitie for infidelity Presume not mā in this matter aboue that which is writtē This is a deep mystery this doctrine of the Deity the inscrutable point in Diuinity The Lord giue thee true wisedome resolued faith with reuerend feare Amen The Picture of the Father IN the vnity the Father is the first in the Trinity He is not begotten but from euerlasting begetteth the Son of his whole substance He made all things by the Sonne through the holie Ghost What he willed hee made good and all of nothing by his word This gracious father of his mere mercie hath chosen many without their merite He calles his ere they come when they come hee confirmes their faith He knows them before they bee and makes thē friends by grace of deadly foes by nature of Sathans slaues his faithfull Seruants of Seruants deare Sonnes children adopted yea kings priests and Coheires with Christ He careth for his children whē he mostcasts thē down He can allow them their godly will but he permits them not to be wantō when they do offend hee will fatherly forewarn if they repent he will not punish He is full of commiseration he doth speedily pardon the Penitent and withall sheweth great gladnesse to doe them good He doth send them his spirit to assure thē of peace freely promiseth to bestow on them grace either to preuēt their fal or to pardō their fault Though we be neither worthy of beeing nor breath and deserue nothing yet he affoords vs his blessing and giueth needfully anything Earthly Fathers are such as they be for a seasō but this Heauenly Father is so for euerlasting He forbeareth with patience and keepes his in eternal remembrāce He hateth neuer where hee loueth euer Bountifull hee is in his blessings largious in his liberality full graciously fauourable without end in goodnesse Hee is strict but not extreame in iustice Hee calleth man to make satisfaction vpon paine of destruction yet if man can make no payment his mercy hath ordained meanes to discharge the debt Ere sinfull man do die his sinlesse Son must suffer death Wrath must not reward vs his great goodnesse will needs haue vs guiltlesse Is not his loue enlarged towards vs vnspeakably doth he not purchase vs peace with the price of bloud He giueth an obedient Sonne for a rebellious Sinner Wrathfull displeasure must sease vpon Gods naturall Sonne and an innocent that pity may be shewed to adopted childrē to escape torment The euer worthily beloued must vndergoe paines of Hel to make for the vnworthie of loue free passage to Heauen See Sinner see the incrediblenesse of so great grace Stand thou Sinner amazed at this wōdermēt of good O matchlesse mercy Did euer a Father satisfie his wrath vpon his dearest son to appease his anger towards his deadly foe did euer a louing Father put his darling to death to preuent from his enimy the force of his wrath We see it not stories record it not nature suffers it not Yet this father killeth his best Sonne to kisse his worst creature forsaketh the Gracious for a time to receiue the Gracelesse to mercy for euer Precepts OH therefore let vs euer loue and praise the Lord this heauenlie Father for his goodnes Oh let vs not cease to declare the wonders which he doth for vs the children of men Amen The Picture of the Sonne THe Son is the second person in the Trinity the Fathers naturall Son begotten frō eternity the Image and substance of his Father without inequality From the father by the Holy Ghost hee worketh together with the Father in all things he is God he is man perfect in both natures He hath a Father he hath a mother euē both truely also no father nor mother but respectiuely He is mā-God God-mā yet not two persons but onely one Christ One not by conuersion but by assumption not by cōfusiō of substāce but by vnity of persō This is the seed promised the prophet foretold the prince of peace This is Melchisedech the priest of the high God the king of Salem the Iewes Messiah the Christians Sauiour This is he that wil summō all to appear giue true iudgemēt vpō al both quik dead in the last day Satā here he vāquished subdued the flesh cōquered the world He hath mitigated Gods wrath performed our work iustice is satisfied the law fulfilled Hee hath made an attonement obtained mercy freed vs frō punishment The father of his mercy gaue him for vs hee in loue bestowed himself of vs. The father did wil our peace hee spared no paines Hee came into the world poore to make vs ritch Hee was to the wicked a derision that wee with Angels might bee had in admiration He was blasphemed to make vs blessed buffeted and scorned to make vs secure in true comfort He wrought righteousnesse that wee might bee free of wickednesse Hee was innocent to procure vs pard on being penitent His holinesse is our happinesse his suffering our safety his grace our good Hee was heere in trouble for vs his life paineful and miserable so his end for vs dolefull and his torments intollerable In all his life that wee read of hee did neuer laugh but often lament Hee mourned to see mens madnesse and wept for their wo. Here he sighed sore to make vs sing hee sobd and sorrowed much to make vs merrie Hee bare vpon him vnutterable torment patiently that wee might auoid the plagues of God eternally His prayers were loud cries and strong to make our
cares not the grown man forced with it but resists not and old age with it Crammocklike crooked but feeles it not Yet is nothing more in vse to be knowne more hindering mans good to be auoided more subtill to be looked vnto more inward to be felt more perilous to bee preuented more forcibly assaulting vs to be strongly of all resisted By it Satan gets of the heart possession by it is hindered the spirits illumination Our vnderstanding by sinne is darkned our thoughts from God estranged the heart in goodnesse is fainted the faculty of the will weakened and the quietnesse of conscience interrupted Faith fals to doubting hope le ts goe her hold and loue turnes her liking into loathing Yea if repentance vpon euery sin cut not the cord of vanitie and grace grow vp in the roome with sincerity this death in sinne will bring death for sinne which will turne saluation offered but carelesly reiected into confusion deserued but now not greatly feared Precepts LOue not Reader the works of darknesse lest thy eies cannot behold the light To saue thee from sinne learne the commandements know thy natural inclination and striue for amendment Heare how God threats and stand in awe obserue his iudgements to discerne of his wrath Other mens punishments for thy personall faults make thē admonishments that thou no more doe fall Oppose Gods precepts to temptations of pleasure the reward of that heauenly life to this temporvrie and earthly losse For sake not God for any worldly good Sinne not heere as a seruant to Satan neglect not true holinesse which is with God commendable and shall be recompenced with endlesse happines Remember thou must die and therefore liue to die Consider the day of account to make a good reckoning As thou art heere so looke to stand there if heere sinnefull there shamefull if heere regardlesse of the commandement there certainly expect seuere punishment from which the Lord deliuer thee Amen The Picture of Heauen HEauen is the hauen of rest desired of all hoped for of many but onely enioyed of the best It is the highest place the seat and throne of God the habitation of Angels the harbour for the iust It is the court of the great King the mighty Creator It is the Lords Tabernacle the faithfull mans receptacle the Region resplendent the comfortable continent the Citie of safetie security the sacred sanctuarie of peace prosperitie All in it are without misery neuer after subiect to calamitie It is a Paradise for pleasure a Citie for beauty and a Kingdome for state Heere is life temporall there life eternall here the beginnings of grace there the perfection of goodnesse There is God in his fulnesse of glory yet to none dreadfull there he raignes in iustice and yet with none wrathfull The company are all triumphant as heere they haue beene members Militant All is in tune concord neuer discord sweet melody neuer any bitter malady Such fulnesse there is of all things such loue mutually in all such respect from all to each others state and place as no excesse is seen nor any defect is felt who that haue least can desire no more and those that haue most discerne no want in other All is beautifulnesse there without blemish immeasurable beyond all motion excellent beyond all imagination The wals thereof are of stones most precious the streets paued with pure gold all the worke is framed curiously set out with all sorts of pearle very sumptuously and adorned with al skil mostgloriously It is decked with all delights replenished with all pleasure garnished with algraces beutified with the best companie flourishing with the flowre of all nations There is the roiall Priesthood the peculiar people the children of light the new creatures the elect by Gods preordination the separated Society by Gods effectuall vocation and the holy Saints by the spirits sanctification There are metioifully together the Head and his body Christ and his Church the Prince of peace with his Patriarks and Prophets Priests and Professors Apostles and Apostolicall men Saints true seruants to God Ministers of the Gospell and Martyrs for the truth They are all there noble none ignominious all Kings raigning all victoriously triumphing None contemptible all honourable All inuested in glory crowned in Maiestie cloathed in sincerity Their faces shine with comely beautie their hearts are filled with pietie their tongues extoll the Lord with spirituall alacritie and in their hands they hold Palms in token of victorie This heauenly happinesse cannot bee imagined the blessings are so many they cannot bee numbred so innumerable as they cannot be comprehended so incomparable as cannot be equaled of such value as cannot bee prized so great as not to bee measured and of such eternitie as they neuer can be ended They be ioifull in an euer-reioicing ioy they cry aloud Hosannah and sing cheerefully Halleluiah They stand before the face of God in inestimable fauour in the view of Angels with brightnesse ouershining the Sunne Mercy embraceth them without doubt of miserie in comfort without discontentment in peace endlesse in glory matchlesse There is mirth without sadnesse health without sicknesse sobernesse of countenance without sorrow tranquillity without vndermining trecherie liuelihood without labour goods and riches without greeuance in getting without care in keeping and a full felicity of all things without adding without diminishing Ther is flowrishing youth neuer decaying strength neuer abating comelie countenance neuer withering liuelinesse is without fading couragiousnesse of heart and spirit without danting There is euer loue without lothing or dislike victorie without feare of after vanquishment gladnesse without diminution of goodnesse Mortalitie hath put on immortalitie corruption glorification No sin is there to be seene the Law is fulfilled the curse is remoued death subdued the promises of the Gospell fully accomplished Faith hath her perfect work in charitie hope her desired happinesse loue a large scope in euerlasting vnitie There is no Foe to fight no Cousener to collogue no Parasite to dissemble no Superiour among them to command no Inferiour to yeeld obedience no maligning enuie no proud Soueraignetie All are now equall members no diuided orders no sorrainers but brethren no strangers but all of the houshold of faith Children of one holie Father coheirs with Christ their elder brother There are no teares the cause is taken away No torment Christ freed them by his punishment no dreade Christ set them at libertie from death no crying there is no paine no pangs or sorrowfull passion they possesse peace in Paradise No disease can infect the body it is not subiect to sicknesse it is freed from infirmities and cannot be distressed by calamities There is no sighing nor sobbing through sorrow of heart such accidents cannot happen no lamētable complaints for iniuries offred no wrongs can there be wrought No ill successe nor wofull wants no griefe of mind nor anguish of spirit no cruell oppression nor ominous action find there a subiect to harbour in neither