and substance to our members it putteth us in minde that we received our flesh from man when we think of our heart which giveth vitall and naturall heat to our members it puts us in mind that we received our Soul from the living God Lastly when we think of our head that giveth sense and motion to our bodies it maketh us remember how that we receive in our last generation all sense and motion of grace from our head Christ And calling this to minde we must remember that every Christian is a threefold brother unto us First by man as having all of us our flesh from one and the same man Adam Secondly by God as having all our souls infused into our bodies by one and the self same God And thirdly by our Redeemer as having all of us that be Christians received all grace and good motions from one and the same Christ God and man Therfore we ought to love all as brethren in the flesh but love them the more as brethren in Soul but love them best of all that are brethren in grace unto us for whosoever is our brother in grace must needs be our brother in soul and body likewise And therefore a Christian is no half brother or base broâ—hâ—r Sparke 13. O Lord That we may be perfect grant that we may be born b Joh. 3.5 again of water and of the spirit And because our first generation in the flesh is foul and filthy lustfull and lawless grant we may d Rom. 8.13 mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the spirit and subdue the rebellion thereof O Lord beget us again in thy Son e 1 Joh. 5.1 Joh. 3.3 Christ after thine own f Ephes 4 23 24. Image in righteousnes and true holiness of life O Lord grant that as the first Adam by his flesh g 1 Cor. 15.22 corrupted all thy children so the second Adam by his flesh may save all thy children Good Father seeing we are made h Gen. 1.27 by thee and i Joh. 3.3 born again of thee let us have no strife between us for our Fathers sake because we are brethren grant us to love our brother whom we see daily to love thee whom we have not seen least otherwise we be judged of thee to remain in death and counted as k 1 Joh. 3.14 15. Murtherers and man-slayers Therefore give us grace to love our Christian brother more for his father's sake for his own sake for Christ's sake and for thy Image sake than our brother cosen or kinsman in the flesh For by this love towards our brother we shall be known to be thy l 1 Joh. 2.3 disciples Grant us therefore sweet Jesus that we may follow thee as thy Disciples m Ephes 4.11.2 and as dear children walking in love as thou hast loved us and given thy life for us Grant this O Father for thy son and our Saviours sake Jesus Christ Amen Sect. XIV Christ our chiefest felicity VVE count him most happy The feliciâ—â— of the faithfull that hath all things at will wants nothing then most happy are we that are in Christ for he is all in all unto his servants For if we have wounds and would have them cured he is the best Phisician If we be wronged our Master is most just If we be poor our Master is Lord of Heaven and Earth and will not see us want If we fear death he is life If we would go to heaven he is the way If we be in darknesse he is the light If we desire to be nourished he is our meat If learning he is wisdome If strength he is power No marvell then though David had rather be a door-keeper in the house of such a Master than to dwell in the Palaces of Princes Sparke 14. O n Mat. 8.20 sweet Jesus thou wast poor q 1 Cor. 1.5 Luke 1 to make me me rich Thou wast stript stark naked to clothe my nakedness Thou hast spilt thy precious r Mar 15.46 Math. 26.28 blood to make a plaister for my putrified wounds Thou becamest a t Phil. 2. â— servant in earth among sinners that I might be made a King in heaven among Saints Sweet Saviour I honour thee and humbly embrace and kisse the wounds of thy hands and feet I esteem more of thy Crown of thornes thine hysop thy reed thy spunge thy spear thy vineger than of any princely Diadem I am more proud of thy thornes and nailes than of all Pearls and Jewells And I account thy Cross more splendent and glorious than any Princely Crown Teach us O Lord to know thee as we ought for thou art the way the truth and the life without a way men walke not without a truth men know not without a life men live not Be thou therefore still the way for us to walk in the truth for us to stick unto the life for us to hope in For indeed thou art the way inviolable the truth infallible the right way the chiefest truth and the truest life grant we never wander from thee never hope but in thee nor never learn but to know thee our onely Saviour Amen Sect. XV. Of Christ's Passion O Good Lord A Soveraigne Salve why doth not my heart bleed for my sins to think how often my Saviour bled for them First being but young and tender eight dayes old when he was circumcised Secondly when he was condemned and scourged Thirdly when he was nailed and crucified on the Cross And Fourthly after his death his side was pierced and his very body wept water blood for my sins And Fifthly in his bloody sweat when every member wept and melted for me Sparke 15. O dear Saviour make me sorry that I am no more sorrowfull for my sinnes For if my teares were in quantity like the Sea If my sighes were like the smoake of a furnace If my sobs could pierce the hardest Diamonds and my wailings like thunder yet have I still cause to weep sigh sob bewail my manifold sins Good Lord make my mouth to be filled with thy praise my eyes with tears for my offences and my heart to bleed with sorrow for my sins O Lord by thy blood b Mat. 9 3â— heal the bloody issue of my sins and through thy precious blood wash and cleanse me from all my sins c 1 Joh. 1.7 that through the blood d Rev. 7.14 of that tender Lamb the garments of our filthy spotted flesh may be made white through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. XVI Of the holy Ghost's operation O Blessed comforter it was thy divine will to shew thy self to thy children in four sundry forms for our comfort and instruction First like fire to manifest thy love and power Secondly like a cloud to manifest thy pitty and compassion Thirdly like a Dove to declare thy patience and peaceableness Fourthly like tongues to shew thy wisdome and eloquence For as the
some in another respect and therefore we are 1. To love God because he is the fiâ—st good and chief good and onely good for there is nothing good but by him and therefore God is to be loved in respect he is good and after the same manner as he is good so is he to be beloved Now he is the first good and therefore first to be loved He is the chief good and therefore chiefly to be loved He is the purest good and therefore most purely to be loved He is an infinite good and therefore infinitely to be loved And because nothing is good but thorough and in him therefore nothing is to be beloved but in him 2. God is to be feared because he is omnipotent and because he is chiefly and onely Almighty therefore is he chiefly and onely to be feared And because he is eternally Almighty therefore he is eternally to be feared And because he is the onely Almighty therefore to him onely belongeth fear And because he is most truly Almighty therefore is he most truly to be feared 3. In respect he is our Lord he is to be honoured And whereas he is the chief Lord therefore he is chiefly to be honoured And because he is infinitely chief therefore is he infinitely and chiefly to be honoured And because he is the first beginning of man therefore he is the first to be honoured of man 4. Obedience belongeth to God because he is above all things and because he is onely chiefly and eternally above all therefore he is onely chiefly and eternally above all to be obeyed And because he is only superiour unto man therefore he is chiefly to be obeyed of man 5. He is to be glorified and praised in respect he is the Worker Maker and Creator of all things And because he is the chiefest the wisest the first and onely Creator and maker of all things therefore he is chiefly principally wisely and onely to be glorified magnified and praised And because he is the maker of man therefore he is to be loved and glorified of man 6. God is to be beloved because he is true and truth it self and no lyar And because he is the first truth and most perfect truth therefore he is first to be beloved most perfectly to be beloved because he is the chief truth and chiefly faithfull therefore he is chiefly and most faithfully to be beloved To conclude to God belongeth Hope because he is powerfull and willing and onely knoweth how to help and to save and because he is the first power the onely powerfull chiefly powerfull wise and willing therefore he is chiefly principally onely wisely and willingly to be hoped in Thus we ow all duty to him who is Lord of all and that particularly for particular causes Sparke 4. O Lord we are thy creatures and thou art our Creator create in us a new heart to love thee above all c Gen. 1. Deut. 11. who art most good and d Joel 13. loving And as thou art the first good so grant we may first love thee and seek thy kingdome e Mat. 6. And for as much as all things do fear f Amos 6. thee which art most fearful let us fear thee first and fear thee most let us neither love fear or reverence any thing above thee nor any thing before thee nor any thing equal with thee nor any thing but for thy sake And because thou art onely praise-worthy g Psal 145 therefore Lord let all the world praise thee and especially man O Lord let our tongues be the Pen h Psal 45. of a ready Writer to paint thy praise Let us not onely praise thee with the best members that we have but with all the members that we have through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. V. The love of God the best Gift OF all the gifts and blessings which the Lord bestowed upon man The Debters discharge there is none so great so good so sweet and so pleasant as his love because whatsoever other blessings he hath bestowed upon us thâ—y were and are bestowed upon us for his loves sake For he first gave his love unto us with himself and then all things for his sake Yet if we would desire to requite Gods kindnesse and to be thankfull unto him for his blessings there is nothing wherein we may answer him so easily as in his love For if God be angry with us we must not answer him in his anger and be angry again If God doth judge us we must not judge him again If he doth teach us we must not teach him again or if he doth correct us and rebuke us we must not think to doe so with him again But when God doth love us we may love him again For God did never finde fault with such as did seek to imitate him in his love Adam aspiring to be like God in knowledge was cast out of Paradise Lucifer aspiring to be like God in Majesty was cast out of heaven The Sorcerers of Aegypt seeking to imitate God in his Miracles and wonders were drowned in the Sea But for coveting to be like God in love none neither man nor Angel was punished For seeing God doth love us in the highest degree and above all degrees of affection we may love him again with the highest strain of our love even with all our heart soul strength and might For God loveth us to the intent he may be beloved of us Sparke 5. O Blessed Lord the true loade-stone of love as thou hast made me after thine own image Gen. 1. so repair it in me that by loving thee again for thy love I may be the more like unto thee which art love it self Let the beams of thy love so warm me and so beat upon my cold heart that it may reflect unto thee again And as thou hast loved me above all the works of thy hands 1 John 3 so grant I may love thee again above Father Mother Wife or children and be ready to forsake all and follow thee k Mat. 10. Yea let me love nothing in comparison of thee nor any thing but in thee and for thy sake Therefore Lord let nothing seem sweet or worthy of love in my sight besides thee for such as love thy name l Psal 5. shall be joyfull in thee Therefore as thou art love everlasting so grant I may love thee with an everlasting love and as thou art all love so grant I may love thee with all my love And as thou lovest all the works of thy hands and hatest nothing which thou hast made but especially man above all so grant that for thy sake I may love all the works of thy hands as they are thy works but thee above all through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. VI. Of the glory of Heaven The Saints Freedome VVEll might the sweet Singer and Psalmist of Israel say of that glorious habitation of Saints very
my soul and with all my strength and because sweet Father I cannot love thee e 1 John 4.20 whom I have not seen except I love my brother whom I see dayly I beseech thee that I f Levit. 19. may love my neighbour as my self and that I may love thee above my self that neither tribulation g Rom. 8. nor anguish nor famine nor nakâ—dnesse nor life nor death may be able to separate me from the love that I have unto thee in Christ Jesus That I may forsake b Mat. 10.81 Father and Mother Wife and Children and leave all and follow thee Sect. X. Of Christ's Passion O Sweet Saviour The Patient's Pattern we finde that most true which the Prophet Jeremy spake in thy person when he said My grief is above all grief For all thy five sences had no small taste of grief As the feeling vexed with the sharp nails wherewith thou wast pricked Thy hearing with the opprobrious termes wherewith thou wast blasphemed Thy tast with the vineger and gall wherewith thou wast fed Thy smelling with the filthy spittle wherewith thou wast besmeared and thy fight with that wicked crew by whom thou wast abused nay there was not one part in thee left untormented that might be afflicted For thy head was grieved with thornes thy hands and feet with the nailes thy back with the whip thy heart and side with a spear thy whole body with grief and nakedness and thy soul with heaviness Thus wast thou tormented in every part for me that have offended thee in every member giving mine eyes to behold vanity mine ears to listen to folly my tongue to speak blasphâ—my my throat an open sepulcher my hands the instruments of wrong my feet swift to mischief my heart to all wickedness and my whole body to uncleanness Spark 10. O most m rcifull Father behold thy Sâ—nne who did endure this for my sake q Isa 53. behold him that hath suffered and of thy goodnesse remember him for whom he hath suffered Behold his humble hands and forgive the sins which my harmefull hands have committed Behold his gracious eyes thâ—t never affected p 1 John 2.1 vanity and so give the wickedness that my greedy eyes have delighted in Behold his chast ears that never were attentive but to goodness and forgive my sins in hearkening to lewdness Behold his deep wounds in his mercifull hands and forgive the sins of my idle hands Behold his feet which never stood q Psal 1.1 in the way of sinners and make my pathes perfect in thy tract Behold how his side became bloody his bowels dry his sight dim his countenance pale his armes stiffe how his feet hung and his blood ranne in streams to the ground O Lord spare me for whom he hath spilt his blood O good Lord my sins were the thornes the nailes and the spear that wrought such a passion in him and shall such a passion work no compassion in me Shall not so powerfull a passion that wrought remorse in the Sun in the Moone in the Earth in the vail of the Temple in the dead bodies and in the very stones d Mat. 27.51 52 move me to pitty thy pains for whom thou hast suffered for thou diedst not for the Sun nor the Moon nor the Temple nor the Earth nor the Stones but for me Man and for my salvation thou camest down from heaven and wast made man crucified and buried therefore I will praise thy name for ever with the best member that I have Sect. XI Of our Filiation The Affinity of the godly BY Grace we may not onely call God our Father because by Christ we are his adopted sonnes but because we are also his creatures and the works of his hands For we call them rightly fathers which give their being to their children I mean which immediatâ—ly are the cause that their children hâ—ve substantial bodies and they are called sonnes to those men of whom they receive body and blood being and beginning Now as we have the substance and originall of our corruptible bodies from our earthly Fathers so have we our soules immediately from God who is our heavenly Father so that God by creation is the Father of us all and we his sonnes and as all those are termed brethren which receive their bodies and beginning from one man so may all those be well called brethren that receive their spirit life and soul from one God So that God both by Creation and Redemption is the Father of us all and all of us are brethren and look how much the soule doth excell the body so much the more farre doth our heavenly Father excell our earthly Father and so much doth our fraternity in God excell our brotherhood in man For without comparison God is more properly to be termed a Father in respect of the soul than a carnall Father is in respect of the body because the body in comparison of the soul is as nothing For a man is a man in respect of his soul and the body hath his being onely for the soul in respect therefore that the soul is the chief thing in man it is evident that God from whom it cometh is the chief Father So that every man is more the son of God than he is the son of his carnall Father because he receiveth this principall part immediately from God Nay which is more man receiveth from his carnal Father but some part of his body for he receiveth part from his mother yea both his Father and Mother are but the instrumentall cause in generation for God is the principal in the generation of the body and the onely and sole cause of the soul for man receiveth his soul onely from God not in part as his body from his carnal Father but wholely and entirely Now therefore seeing we are called sons more in respect of our soules than in respect of our bodies it followeth that we are brethren in respect of the soul more than in respect of the body for in respect of the body alone bruit beasts have a fraternity as well as we but not in respect of the soul because they have none properly So that it followeth that we are all rather to be tearmed brethren bâ—cause we receive our immortal souls immediately from one God created after his image than those who but in part and imperfectly receive their bodies from one and the same carnal Father therefore look how much more dear our soules are than our bodies unto us so much more dear ought God to be unto us than our carnal Fathers and our love to men as they are our brethren in God more than as they are our brethren in the flesh And if we be induced to love honour fear reverence and obey our carnal Fathers of whom as instruments we received but our bodies and those but in part then how much rather ought we to fear reverence love honour and obey our spiritual
fire doth heat and warme all things and ascend upward so doth thy love warme our cold zeal and cause our hearts to ascend up to seek those things that he above And as the clouds do drop down waters to wash the filthiness of the earth so the grace of thy holy spirit doth cause often a cloud of sorrow for sins to arise in our hearts and so to dissolve into tears at our eyes Thirdly as the Dove is a mild bird void of gall so that Dove-like spirit the holy ghost would have his nest in our hearts that we might be meek as thou art meeek Lord patient and peaceable like the milde Dove void of anger and malice Lastly As the tongue doth exhort and perswade by the eloquence thereof so the blessed spirit of thee our God by appearing in the forme of tongues would have us to be exhorted and perswaded by the wisdome and eloquence thereof and not to build upon vain philosophy and humane wisdome Sparke 16. Gracious Father let thy good spiriâ— a Psal 143. lâ—â—d us into the lâ—nd of righteousnesse let it go still before us to give us as b Exod. 13.21 a pillar of cloud by day and as the pillâ—r of fire by night Yea let him still be the starre of Grace to direct us unto that blessed Saviour of the world â— Mat. 2.11 thy onely son Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. XVII Our soules are not begotten by men THat principle which denieth the soule to be begotten from the parents The Soul's Pedegree needs no other proof than experience For if the soul came from the substance of the parents as the body doth the soul then of one man should be some kinne to the body and soul of another man his begetter and so one man would love the soul of his friend better than his body But we see by Experience that men are more carefull for the body of their children than for their soul for the most part and men will venter much to fetch the bodies of their friends out of prison or to save them from death but for the soul which is as it were Gods kinsman infused by him into us men are lesse carefull And therefore our Saviour Christ careing most for the soul which was most dear to him taught us â—wo petitions for the good of the soul and but one for the necessities of the body which is the petition for our dayly bread Sparke 17. Good Lord grant we may love both in our selves that which thou best lovest and hate which thou hatest r Mat. 6.10 O good father from thâ—e we have received this soul and living breath Å¿ Gen. 1. by which we breathe we commâ—nd it Lord into thy carefull t Psal 31. hands deliver it good Lord from the ungodly and comfort the souls of thy servants And let our u Luk. 1.46 souls magnifie thee Lord and our spirit ever rejoyce in thee our God and Saviour The very God of peace sanctifie us throughout w 1 Thes 5. and I pray God that our whole spirit and soul and body may be kept blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen Sect. XVIII Love admits no excuse IN man's reason we may finde some excuse for omitting any duty but love for there is no excuse for our defect in love For there is no charges no weariness no labour no pain nor no grief in loving yea it maketh all paines and labour to seeme sweet and delightfull For the hunter for love of his game will travell all day without weariness And herein appeareth the sweetness of God's mercy and the greatnesse of his liberality towards us which would not tye man to that which was heavy laborious and wearisome buâ— to that which was most pleaâ—ant and â—asie Sparke 18 O sweet Lord true it is that thy q Mat. 11 30. yoke is easie and thy burden light Lord make us to love thee and thy truth more than all thy creatures yea more than our goods more than our friends d Mat. 10 37. more than our flesh more than our selves our soules and our bodies And seeing thou hast given b Gen. 1.28 29. us all things for thy service Lord give us a heart to love thee above c Psal 119. all with all our hearts with all our strength with all our mind and with all our soul through Jesus Christ Deut. 6. Amen Sect. XIX The love of God and the love of Mammon The Soul's Solace THere 's no proportion between the love of worldly things and the love of God For from the one must needs follow sorrow from the other continuall joy For all things in this world are mutable coâ—ruptible Therefore as often as the object or the thing we set our love upon doâ—h either perish change or vanish so often must it needs be a grief unto us to lose it that we loved â—o well But if God â—e the object of our love and the thing we best affect then must we needs have continual joy and never sorrow For we never sorrow much but for the loss of the thing we love most Therefore if God be the object of our love and marke of our affection our joy can never decay for God can neither die nor perish nor be changed nor be wanting but is alwayes present to our wills alwayes sufficient to our desires alwayes omnipotent to our wants alwayes loving alwayes mercifull alwayes most good most pleasant most just most wise and most glorious Therefore the object of our love never failing our joy shall never fail No marvaile then if with God there is everlasting joy and never dying happinesse himself being the object of our love and cause of our joy For seing all our love ariseth from God and all our joy from our love therefore both our joy and our love will endure so long as God endureth Sparke 19. O Lord God the onely Lover and Saviour of our soules let us not love the world nor the things that are therein q 1 John 2. Good Father thou that best knowest the deceitfull baits of this alluring world let us live in the world and not love the world If riches r Psal 6 10. encrease let us not set our hearts thereon If honours be heaped upon us let us not be delighted therewith If pleasures do tempt us let us not be enamoured therewith x Mark 10. But let us love thee Lord with all our heart with all our soul and with all our strength Let us never love father mother brother sister nor friends more than thee lest we be not worthy of thee y Psal 5.12 For they that onely love thy name shall be joyfull in thee b and they shall prosper that love thee Therefore Lord let me love thee above all and love all in thee and for thy love Grant this O Lord for Jesus Christ our sweet and onely Saviour Amen Sect. XX.
like thunderbolts or at least dissolved into water but if they be pure fine and dry they will be set on fire and burne with zeal to God in their exaltation as David Elias c. Lâ—stly There be some that leek to exalt themselves by violence and indirect means as by treason oppression Tyrany bribery and extortion these as by their violence they mount up suddenly so do they soon fall fearfully as Saul Balthasar Haman Herod Gehezi and Judas did Spark 70. O Lord we are all in thy view and often tread within thy great chamber of presence grant that we may learne to be wiser unto Salvation Ephes 3.18 19. that we may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth all knowledge that we may be filled with all fullness of God Let us after the example of our Saviour be so rooted in charity so grounded in humility and so humble in our owne conceit before thee that we may acknowledge with Abraham that we are but dust and ashes with Jacob that we are less than the least of thy mercies with the Centurion that we are not worthy that thou shouldest come under our roof and with the Prodigall child confesse that we be no more worthy to be called thy sons For he that humbleth himself shall be exalted of thee O King of Heaven and he that exalteth himself shal be brought low Good Father if it please thee to exalt us suddenly in thy mercy as thou didst David from the sheep-fold Mordeicai from the gate Joseph from the dungeon and Daniel from the Den let us not be puffed up but still say with David I will be more humble yet let us with Dauid cry out in the Court of the Lords house The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up and with Elias mount up in a fiery Chariot of fervent zeal And if at any time thou please to correct us for our pride presumption good Lord cast us not down suddenly like a thunderbolt as thou didst Lucifer and Balthasar but give us grace and space to repent with Nebuchadnezzar that at last like a watry vapour we may melt in sorrow with Mary Magdalen and dissolve into tears with Peter through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Sect. LXXI The Creature 's Call THe little birds when the day appeareth do in thâ—â—â— kinde seem to be thankfull for their rest and in the evening likewise with chirping notes thâ—y praise God for the light that they enjoyed and so take their rest again Shall we hear these to sing melody unto God and not sing the base with them to make up a perfect harmony and a full concent Sparke 71. Lord teach me to praise thee betimes in the morning Psal 55. and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice unto thee for Jesus Christs sake Amen Sect. LXXII The quick buried VVHen we begin to be men we begin to be sinners and when we begin to be sinners we begin to be dead and when we begin to be dead we begin to be buried first in our mothers womb thâ—n in the cradle afterwards in our beds and at last in our graves Sparke 72. Grant O Lord Psal 39. Rom. 8. that remembring my end I may live in thy fear and die in thy favour Amen Sect. LXXIII Sinners visage EVery sin seemeth fair before the action sweet in the action and poison after the action For three things follow after the committing of every sin to wit fear shame and guilt the fear of hell shame of men and guilt of conscience Sparke 73 Lord if these will not make me loath sin Exod. 20.6 yet let thy love make me leave it and thy mercy forsake it Sect. LXXIV The Covetousnesse of the Godly IF I be rich I may want If I be strong I may be overcomed If I be learned I may be deceived But if I be wise I shall be perfect For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisedom and a good begining maketh a good ending This made Solomon to pray for wisedom Moses to study for wisedom and the Queen of Sheba to travaile for wisedom Sparke 74. Grant O Lord that I may learn to fear thee that I may begin to be wise Prov. 1. Psal 111. and keep thy laws that I may have understanding Sect. LXXV Too much of one thing is good for nothing IT hath been said alwayes that the mean is best and that the middle way is the golden way But we see by experience that extremity beareth rule in this world For every Vertue there are two Vices we will be either too curious or too careless Either we cry Hosanna or Crucifie Either Christ must not wash our feet or else he must wash our feet and bodies together Either we say tast not touch not for it is unclean or else we say let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall dy If we love we over love If we be fearfull we are too fearfull If angry we are too angry Spark 75. Lord give me grace to fear but not to despair Eccles 2. Psal 4. Ephes 4. Prov. 4. to be angry and not to sin to decline from thy Statutes neither to the right hand nor to the left Amen Sect. LXXVI The Flatterer's Gesture ON the Stage of wickednesse the Flatterer playeth his part best For he is like a shadow which doth imitate the gesture of the body For it stands when you stand walks when you walk sits when you sit and rises when you rise So the Flatterer will praise when you praise reprove when you reprove smile when you smile and frown when you frown till the Sun of his hope is set and then no shadow no Flatterer Sparke 76. Prov. 13. Deliver me O Lord from a flattering tongue and from the net that he spreadeth for my steps Sect. LXXVII The abused Creature 's Grave THe Glutton and the Covetous man never cease to bury Gods Creatures untill themselves be buried for the one burieth them unlawfully in his belly the other miserably in his chest Therefore at the generall resurrection these Creatures will rise in judgment against these men Spark 77. Keep me O Lord from surfeiting and excess and from coveting any thing but thy Grace Sect. LXXVIII The Careless Christian I See that every man saving a Christian studies to be perfect in his vocation and carefull to know and observe his grounds As the Grammarian his Rules The Philosopher his Axioms The Lawyer his Maximes The Physitian his Aphorismes The Musitian his Keyes Measures These observe their grounds though they be many in number But the Christian hath but few Principles and yet can keep few or none of them for all the Principles of Religion are to love God with all our heart and our Neighbour as our self Spark 78. Most loving Father grant me perfect love and then I shall fulfill thy Law
Father from whom onely and immediatly we receiv'd wholly our Souls principally our bodies also And further if we love our Father and brother in the flesh so dear that we can suffer no injury to be offered unto them no harm to be pretended towards them nor no word of the least disgrace to be spoken of them and that onely in respect they are our father and brother in the flesh How much more then ought we to love our Father and brethren in the spirit and to affect them so dearly as not to suffer any dishonour unto them any disgrace any injury nor any unseemly word at all to be uttered against them by any if we might help it or hinder it Spark 11. O good Lord thou art our God and Grand-Father yea our neer and dear Father give us Lord thy spirit of grace whereby p Rom. 8. we may call and acknowledge thee our Father Let us remember Lord that our Father in heaven is one e Mat. 23. â— and therefore study all to becom f Rom. 12. one in thee g Eph. 4. for we have but one Father one faith one body in Christ one Baptisme through Christ one Lord and one Law Therefore Lord as thou art one so grant we may all be one in thee Teach us O Lord to reverence thee as our Lord to love thee as our Father to fear thee as our Judge to obey thee as our Maker to expect thee as a Saviour Grant this O Father for Jesus Christ's sake in whose name we and all thy children are bold to call thee Father saying as thy Son taught vs k Math. 6. Our Father which art in Heaven c. Sect. XII Christ our onely Saviour A watch word for Jewish infidels AS the Scripture doth promise us no other Saviour but Jesus Christ So doth Christian Faith and humane Reason perswade us that there can be no other For if Jesus Christ were not that onely Messias and true Saviour that must satisfie Gods infinite Justice for all our sins it were expedient and needfull that before this time another Saviour should be sent But seeing God permitted Christ Jesus alone all this while to rule in the world in his name suffering all people to follow him and to believe in him as in God the true Saviour If Christ then were not the Messias it should happen that God by suffering him should hinder himself and be against himself and his own Kingdome because he disposed his people to believe in such a one as Christ is For it must needs be that he which God sends for a Saviour should do as Christ Jesus did affirming himself to be true God and man destroying and impugning all sins and this cannot be done For if God should send another that should do as Christ did and say as he said then he should in all things agree with Christ his Doctrine with Jesus's Doctrine his works with Christs works for greater works cannot be but this cannot be for then more than one could be the Son of God the Messias the Saviour and Gods anointed which must be anointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellowes But if there should be more than one then the Saviour must have an equall but Christ hath no fellow For he is the Arch-angel and chief Messenger of all The Jews indeed for all this do look still for God's promise to be fulfilled and so look for Christ to come and the Christians believe that he is come already and that God hath fulfilled his promise God therefore having promised to send the Messias to Jew and Gentile and to â—ll that want him by this means he should do against himself were Jesus not the promised Messias by hindering all people to believe a future promise and by suffering Christ Jesus so long to rule and raigne under the name of the true Messias and so he should suffer all Christian people to be deceived in his promises But God hath suffered Christ to raign and will ill he hath put all his enemies under his feet till he hath delivered up the Kingdome to God the Father 1 Cor. 15. and hath also permitted all Christians and many Jews firmely to believe in him and to preach him over the world Therefore Lord they that will not believe the coming of thy Son the true Messias are utterly deceived and far wandring from thee and thy truth Spark 12. O sweet Saviour be thou over me a Saviour and grant a Act. 4.12 that I may never acknowledge any other name whereby I may be saved but onely by thy sweet name Jesus And I beseech thee Lord let not any thing be able to separate me from the love of Christ Rom. 8 35.38.3â— neither tribulation nor anguish nor persecution nor famine nor nakednesse nor perill nor sword nor death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature but grant that I may count b Phil. 35. all but dung that I may win Christ Let me never forsake thee c Joh. 17.1 but ever acknowledg thee to be onâ—ly God and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ For d Esay 5.3 11. the knowledge of thy righteous servant shall justifie many Instruct me therefore that am unjust that I may perfectly know him and by knowing him aright I may be rightly justified Grant this Lord for his sake that never disobeyed thee even thy e Mat. 3.17 well pleasing Son and my most loving Saviour Jesus Christ the righteous to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be ascribed all praise and power government and glory might and majesty rule and dominion now and for evermore Amen Sect. XIII Of our Regeneration in Christ The fraternity of Christians VVE find that there are three things requisite to make a man perfect compleat in this world namely 1. A Body or trunke of flesh 2. An immortal soul And 3. A vertuous disposition or inclination in both namely the well-being and well-doing of both Now the first man Adam received all these three from God i. e. 1 A Body 2. A Soul 3. The wellfare and good being of both But because our first parents lost the well-being and good inclination of both these and having onely these two remaining namely a Soule and a Body therefore other men begotten from Adam received from him but only a being namely a body with a soul infused of God but not the happy being and good disposition of both Therefore in every man there is a double generation the one from Adam the other from God In the first generation man receiveth immediately his body and flesh from the fiâ—st man Adam In the second generation man receiveth his soul immediately from God although indeed both body and soul be from God yet after diverse manners But in a Christian man and the child of God there 's a third kind of generation