thou procurest thine owne harme and sufferest rather as an euill doer then as an innocent and so losest the recompence of thine afflictions if thou prouokest an enemie thou stirrest vp his rage and by consequence art a meanes to prouoke his wicked and iniurious dealing and so also by necessary consequence his iudgement which is contrary to Charitie Charitie commandeth to be a meanes to help not to hurt the body much more the Soule 37 Beware of the violence subtilty of thine aduersary that it hurt thée not but if thou must needs be wronged of him rather yeeld that his force hurt thy body then that his allurements or thy impatience hurt thy Soule the dammages of the Soule are more irreparable then the harmes of the body that his oppressions endammage thy goods then that his reports disparage thy fame For a good Name is to be chosen aboue great Riches 38 When thou beholdest Gods iudgmēts fall on thine aduersary giue God thanks for thy deliuerance but yet reioyce not at his affliction for this displeaseth God to whom vengeance belongeth and it is a iust iudgement of God to thrust him into the stead that is glad of his enemies fall Charity rather desireth deliuerance with the safetie of the persecutor then with his destruction 39 Fret not at the riches honor or prosperitie of thine enemie alas they are but snares they may be his portion which he hath only in this life thy portion is farre greater peace of Conscience in this world euerlasting blisse in the world to come A folly that the leane Cow should fret at the fat Shee being leane is reserued for encrease the other being fat is appointed to the slaughter 40 Obey thy parents yea although they be wicked As is the King vnto his Subiects so is the Father to his Children set ouer them by God and Gods ordinance as therefore wée must obey euen euill Princes for conscience sake as the ordinance of God so also must wée bée obedient euen to wicked Parents as set ouer vs of God And he that disobeyeth them cannot be excusable 41 Yet obey not thy parēts in that which is contrary to the Word of God who commandeth things vnlawfull commandeth not as a Father but as an enemy not as the substitute of God but as the instrument of Sathan in this case thou must Forsake Father and Mother and all for Christs sake and professe that thou hast but one Father which is in Heauen 42 Yéeld vnto thy Parents not only honour and obedience but reliefe also in their necessities thou hast receiued from them next vnder God thy body thy béeing thy maintenance and canst not requite their kindnesse whatsoeuer thou doest since Thou canst not beget beare and bring forth them as they haue thee 43 Contemn not thy step-father or step-mother thou owest them duty as thy naturall parents As I will make it plaine by instance First thy mother hauing marryed another man he and she by mariage are made one flesh thou owest therefore to one and the selfe same flesh one and the selfe same duty And so if thy Father marry another woman Secondly thou hauing married a wife art by mariage with her one flesh and therefore one flesh hath also one father and one mother how can one flesh although in two persons not honor one and the selfe same parents So is it to a woman that hath married an husband 44 Regard thy master as the instrument of God to teach thée that knowledge which God himselfe without the ministry of any master did teach thy forefathers Arts and Sciences are the gifts of God and Masters are the ministers of God as from him to impart them to vs. 45 Loue obey and honour thy Master thy Mistresse acknowledge Gods ordinance in them that he hath set them ouer thée thy parents hauing giuen thee vnder God thy being They also vnder him giue thee thy being skilfull 46 Behaue thy self to thy fellow seruāts as to thy yoake-fellowes willing to helpe them beare the burden as thou wouldest be holpen if any be more skilfull then thy selfe and thy elder respect the gifts of God in him if lesse skilfull and thy iunior regard him as in the hopefull way to knowledge crow not ouer nor oppresse such a one but remember that when thou thy selfe hadst thy beginnings thou wouldest haue beene loth to haue beene oppressed 47 Accompany not with a lewd fellow-seruant otherwise then in your necessary labours lest thou lose thine owne recompence receiue of his stripes The gentle Oxe draweth with the vnruly but rangeth not with him when he is out of the yoke lest also with him he be turned off to the slaughter 48 Learne rightly to distinguish betwixt Faith and Presumption for as there is no meanes without the one vnto saluation so there is but one meanes beside the other to damnation 49 As before the fact to say The Lord doubtlesse wil be mercifull to me in this is presumption so to say after the fact The Lord doubtlesse will shew mercy if ioyned with repentance is faith if without repentance is also presumption 50 Make vse of Gods mercy with reuerence not with malepartnesse Though God be mercifull yet he is mighty iust 51 Continue not in sinne for God is iust yet despaire not though thou hast often sinned for God is also mercifull 52 When thou hast grieuously offended be not lesse confident to obtaine Gods mercy then when thou hadst lesse offended for By how much the more thou hast sinned by so much the more thou art in thy selfe miserable and by how much the more miserable thou art by so much the more pittifull is God and by how much the more pittifull by so much the more mercifull is hee 53 Make not light of sinne because God is mercifull a Kings pardon is not to be played withall but with reuerence to be receiued Gods grace by how much the more abundant by so much the more to be respected and not abused 54 Procure the loue of all men so far as with a good conscience thou maist but if thou must néeds incur hatred be hated of the euill rather then of the good for The hatred of the euill is a probable signe of Gods loue the hatred of the good of Gods displeasure 55 The hatred of the good may many wayes endammage thee the hatred of the euill cannot hurt thée though for a time it may afflict thee for God for whose sake thou art hated shall turne their curse into a blessing 56 Loue whom thou louest vnfainedly the good for Gods sake and as the children of God to whom let thy loue be without dissimulation as it is to their father the euill either by kindnesse or reprehensions to amend them so shalt thou shew thy selfe a builder in Gods worke and not a plucker downe a planter in Gods Garden not a supplanter 57 If thou féelest the swéetnesse of Gods mercies abundantly be not carelesse and héedlesse of his
to reioyce at that which peraduenture is not nor to sorrow at that which perhaps hath not hapned But in Charitie to hope the best 75 Learne to distinguish truly betwéen securitie and true peace of conscience Securitie feeleth no danger hath no feare Peace of conscience féeleth and feares but ouercommeth and reioyceth in the assurance of Gods fauour That thou mayest be most void of care take heed of Securitie no man feeleth his owne force in the time of peace 76 Feare not death although he be grisly the grim sir though he bring ill newes past yet he brings good newes to come many an ill man feares not the Deuill when he leads him to an earthly treasure And shall a good man feare Death when he opens him the doore to heauenly ioyes 77 Possesse not thy mind with the foolish feare of the dead or the company of a carkase a good man will not hurt thée dead or liuing An ill man may well hurt thee when hee is aliue but cannot harme thee when he is dead and not able to helpe himselfe 78 Desire rather to liue poorely and honestly then richly and dishonestly poore honesty gets a richer purchase then rich dishonesty the one purchaseth heauen which is the gaines of all the other hell which is the losse of all honest sorrow purchaseth greater comfort then dishonest ioy For more comfort shall a man reape at his latter end by one houre spent in Gods seruice then by many yeares spent in vanitie or wickednesse 79 Suffer not thine eyes to wander too large nor thy tongue to walke too fast for as the best meanes to preserue the body in health is to kéepe the eyes open and the mouth shut so the best meanes for the good of the soule is to shut the casements of the one and to set a watch before the other 80 Auoid the company of a contentious man hée is a perilous euill in two respects for either he will contend with thée and so thou shalt procure the stroke of the edge of his malice or else prouoke thée to contend with others and so thou shalt for his loue get the hatred of many A peny is deare bought with a pound 81 In séeking to perswade thy friend to forsake any wicked course begin first with kindnesse it may preuaile without reprehensions hée is a foolish Physitian who if he can cure with mollifying Cataplasmes will vse painful Cauteries reprehensions take the better place where kindnesse hath led the way The body which hath bin strengthened with a cordiall doth the better beare out a violent purgation 82 Séeke for the lawfull assistance of Physick in the time of sicknesse it is as néedfull and as lawfull as to séeke for meate and drinke in the time of hunger and thirst God hath giuen to euery Plant his seuerall vertue not for nothing but for the health of the body as of the selfe-same Spirit there are sundry operations for the health of the soule 83 Deferre not the Christening of any Childe though thou be compelled to doe it in thy owne house Wheresoeuer two or three bee gathered together in Christes Name hee is in the midst amongst them The little Childe must not be denied to come to Christ who cannot by the word must by Baptisme though thou mightst falsly obiect the Baptisme helpeth it not Yet so it becomes vs to fulfill all righteousnesse 84 Loue honour and obey thy Prince dearely reuerently carefully he is Pater patriae the father of the Countrie thou one of his children if his subiect Thy good and safetie is a part of that heauy burden of care that lyeth on his shoulders 85 Loue also honour and obey the Cleargie they are the eyes of God for they are his watch-men they are the mouth of God for They are his speech-men messengers and Embassadors for Christ 86 Loue also honour and obey all Magistrates vnder thy Prince they are as the members of his Body whereby hée worketh thy good and safety thy Prince and the Magistrates his substitutes are the hand of God which carieth the sword of Iustice to punish the offender And the purse of reward to recompence the good 87 Giue vnto the godly his due praise for his goodnesse who doth well deserueth praise of all and who deserueth praise of all deserueth praise of thée pay him therefore his due and right otherwise thou dost shew thy selfe iniurious 88 Commend not the vngodlinesse of the wicked man better it is in loue to couer many sinnes then in flattery to commend one to commend that which is euill is to make God a lyar and vniust which both discommendeth and punisheth it To commend that which is euill is to iniury the good and innocent viz. To bestow his portion on the vnworthy and to rob him of his due and to make those partaker with him in his reward that haue not laboured with him in his worke 89 Be not hasty to reueale the infirmities of thy brethren especially of the Clergie for whereas therein thou thinkest to doe iustly thou mayst notwithstanding doe very wickedly in causing a scandall to arise at Religion which cannot so soone be healed as the offence of thy brother being concealed by secret admonition might haue béen salued thereby not onely the offence of thy Minister shall be lothed but also himselfe and his doctrine so much suspected as that many a sauing admonition of his shall be suspected 90 Estéeme not thy selfe out of the fauor of God because thou art hated disliked slandered persecuted poore and despised for thy Master Christ was poore hated disliked persecuted slandered and despised yet he most highly in Gods fauor and thou for his sake When therefore for his sake thou art hated disliked slandered poore persecuted and despised thou art sure to be highest in his fauour 91 Yet boast not of thy sufferings when thou sufferest for thy deserts thou receiuest not enough for thy sinne thy punishment is iust thy cause requireth mercy thy sufferings challenge not recompence It is the cause and not the punishment that makes a Martyr the Theefe was hanged for his murder as well as Christ for the truth 92 Yet distrust not of Gods mercy when thou sufferest for thy deserts Gods elect haue béene punished for their sinnes and follies yet haue comforted themselues with the hope of Gods fauor It is a token of fatherly care and loue when the childe is chastened for his faults all punishments whatsoeuer are to the penitent but chastisements 93 Thinke not vaingloriously to maintaine thy reputation without the feare of God an vngodly life maketh the greatest gifts thou hast become contemptible Wisdome doth more dignitie a poore man then riches a foole No man dareth to touch the hayres of a King whilst they are on his head in scorne but being once cut off they are cast with others vnto the dunghill and trodden vnder foot 94 Obiect not against this aduise but those that fear not God are in these times in
A BROTHERS GJFT Containing AN HVNDRED PRECEPTS Instructing all sorts of people to a godly honest and morall life LONDON Printed for Iohn Wright and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Bible without Newgate 1623. TO HIS LOVING Cousin Mr. Thomas Smith all health grace and happinesse ACcept good Cousin a small token of my loue value not the heart according to the greatnes of the gift onely taste and trye and you shall finde it though small yet not altogether fruitlesse especially if after tryall you trust and make vse thereof Your kinde acceptance of this shall be a meanes to beget a better So wishing Gods grace and blessing to you and all your righteous endeuours I rest Your euer louing Cousin HVMPHRY EVERINDEN A BROTHERS GJFT 1IVdge not of Religion by the tongue but by the life the heart thou canst not search and the life doth more plainly bewray the sincerity of the heart then the tongue for it is an easy thing and cheap to speake well but costly and laborious to doe well 2 Neuer call or account a man which is truly and absolutely couetous Religious thou mayest as well call an open adulterer or common drunkatd Religious for Cotousnes is as contrary to religion as the other as much hope of the other as of the couetous and the couetous should as commonly be accounted not religious as the other but that His filthinesse is couered with the cloake of thrift his parsimonie with a pretence of not nourishing the poor in idlenesse 3 Auoid the company of a couetous person as thou wouldest the company of a Thiefe Whoremaster or Drunkard for he is the most dangerous thiefe because by the Lawes vnpunishable he is as scandalous as the other because as odious to God and as sinfull His company is more dangerous then the others because his wickednesse is not accounted sin therefore not accounted dangerous 4 Be sure frequenting Sermons to be perfect in the first principles of Religion for As it is impossible for him to reade well that knoweth not his Letters so is it impossible to reape any full fruit by hearing of Sermons not well knowing the first principles 5 Receiue the Sacrament of the Body and Bloud of Christ often no Spirituall exercise is to be vsed seldome The Word without the Sacraments is like a Writing of Confirmation without a Seale 6 If the Lord haue sent into thine owne Parish a Preacher on the Sabbath heare him for if he be bound to feed the flocke of God which dependeth on him his flocke is bound to receiue their food on him If thou goe from him for contempt Remember what our Sauiour said of Iudas as well as of the other Apostles He that despiseth you despiseth me 7 Receiue the Sacrament of the Lords Body and Bloud alwayes humbly knéeling thinke not that so doing thou adorest the Bread for thou maist adore the Bread as well sitting or standing and if thy heart be frée from superstition the thrée gestures are in themselues frée and being in themselues frée obey thy Prince in that one of them that hee commanded for conscience sake To vrge the second Commandement against kneeling at the Sacrament is vngodly and prophanely to make and account the Sacrament an Idoll 8 Heare the word of God often say not thou canst heare enough at one Sermon to practise a long time after for there must be line vpon line precept vpon precept because all the food thou receiuest at one meale turneth not into the nourishment of thy body thou therefore eatest againe and often So because All thou hearest at one Sermon is not remembred nor at large practised of thee thou also must heare againe and often 9 Desire in prayer to be frequent in heart not eloquent in words the Lord to whom thou speakest is not like those itching eares which regard to heare no Sermons but such as are pollished with eloquence fitted to their humors pounced with variety of learned Arts but The simplicity of the heart pleaseth him best and what is to him most acceptable shall be with him most auailable 10 Be not long in Prayer but often long continuance at one time dulleth the affection such is our weaknesse and the affection dulled the prayer is dead since then lips labour and not the heart yet frequency in Prayer encreaseth the feruencie of the affection and the feruent cry of the affection pierceth far so that The feruenter the Spirit the neerer his groanes ascend to the eares of God 11 Chuse such a Trade of life as wherein with honest Art and gaines thou mayest maintaine thine estate not such an one as wherein without cousoning shifts thou canst not gaine some trades of life now vsed are in the first institution vnlawfull others in their first institution lawfull yet as now they are vsed vnlawfull a third sort by the vngodly with cousoning shifts abused but By the honest and godly with sincerity lawfully vsed 12 Measure out the day into set portions appointing to euery of thy actions therein to be performed his times of the day continuance of time and in euery day let God haue some time spared from thy labours and if extraordinary occasions with-call thée to interrupt thy appointed order rather take the time from thy portion which in the sixe dayes is the largest then from the Lords which is the least 13 As the Sabbath is wholly to be spent in Gods seruice excepting some time for thy necessary refection or perhaps recreation or vpon extraordinary occasion for the preseruation of the life of Man or Beast So the wéeke dayes are wholly to be spent in thy calling not in Idlenesse excepting also some time for the priuate worship of God or vpon extraordinary occasion for his publike seruice yet Delay not at any time of the day or in any day of the weeke in thy labours going riding or sitting to lift vp thy heart vnto God the minde will be alwayes busied and better such thoughts then other 14 In the Morning remember thy birth that as the Sunne riseth not to stand still but to goe forward not to darken but to enlighten the earth so thou wast borne not to continue a childe but encrease in true knowledge of thy Creator By the light of a godly conuersation to glorifie thy God 15 At Noone remember thy middle age that as the Sunne when hée is at the highest declineth without staying so thou In thy greatest strength shall not stay but in a moment decrease and descend towards the Graue 16 At Night remember thy graue whereof thy bed is a figure and thy death whereof sléepe is an image remember that as the Sunne setteth the next morning to arise againe to begin either a faire day or a foule so shalt thou ly downe in the dust at the Resurrection to arise againe If thou haue done well to glorious life and light but If thou haue done euill to euerlasting darkenesse 17 Make conscience all the day
to follow thy vocation diligently as in all thy life to embrace Righteousnesse sincerely for Thou shalt giue as certaine account of thy â—â—â—e as of thy deedes 18 Be warie and héedfull in thy dealings not to be cousoned or ouer-reached of euery one for this heede is godly and honest yet it will be said simplicitie is a iewell and Christians must bée as little Children truth agendo not alwaies patiendo In doing not alwayes in suffering for he that hath commended the simplicitie of the Doue that is simplicitie without deceit hath also Commanded the wisdome of the Serpent that is warinesse without guile 19 Before and after meate giue GOD thanks partly for Gods sake partly for thine owne for Gods sake to acknowledge him the giuer to his glory for thine owne sake To obtaine his blessing to thy comfort 20 In féeding be sober yet pine not the body for want of foode remembring that the Golden meane is best in all things and that thou mayest offend in either extreame in the excesse and also in the defect if he be blameable which hauing this worldly goods doth not feede and refresh his poore hungry brother Much more is he faulty and cruell that pineth his owne body for want of foode 21 Account it as grieuous a sinne to ouercharge thy body with meate as with drinke God who hath commanded the sober vse of his Creatures hath commanded the sober vse of the one as well as of the other and therefore the excesse in the one is as sinfull as in the other the Drunken man hath abused one of Gods Creatures the Glutton many Many a foggy Belly-god cryeth out of the swinish drunkard and deseruedly where he amongst his dishes is more swinish and beastly The Beast exceedeth more in eating then in drinking 22 In the féeding of thy body remember thy Soule if thy body must needs perish and pine for want of foode so must thy Soule the one is fed with corporall meat the other with spirituall The one is often fed else it decaieth so must the other 23 Vse recreation yet such as is honest and without offence as thou wouldest not féede on such meates as should poison thy selfe and thy enuenomed breath should infect others so vse no such recretion as shall either infect thy owne selfe or giue occasion of corruption to others Remember all lawfull things are not expedient 24 Vse recreation when thou féelest a want of refreshing of the Body or the Minde not whensoeuer thou desirest for the corrupted appetite is vnbridled and must be restrained with Christian discretion Many Gallants hauing wherewithall to maintaine themselues spend all their time in pastimes who no lesse offend then if they did nothing but eate drinke or sléepe They sit downe to eate and drinke and rise vp not to labour but to play 25 If thou finde the flames of the fire of concupiscence within thée deferre not to marry know that thou art called to that estate and that as thou art bound by the Lawes of God to abstaine from fornication adulterie and such like vncleannesse so thou art not only permitted but bound to marry when thou burnest Mariage is the ordinary meanes that God hath appointed for the remedy of Lust 26 Say not thou art poore and therefore if thou Marry thou shalt impaire thy mirth and vnder-goe many encumbrances better the troubles of this life then the foulenesse of the Minde God will prouide for thée if thou cast thy care on him Measure not the time of Mariage by the increase or decrease of this wealth but by the power thou hast to containe or hast not to containe A foole he is that saith when hee is rich and not when hee is sick hee will prouide for a dangerous disease 27 Vse thy Wife as a companion not as a seruant as she is not the head so she is not the foote shée was taken out néere to the heart no out of the héele As Shee is to be a comforter not a controler So Shee is to be a comfort not a slaue 28 Yet suffer her not to be thy commander for thou art the head yet disdaine her not to be thy aduiser in that which is good and let her not rule neither by aduise or command in that which is euill Haue discretion to distinguish betwéene wise Abigaile and vainglorious Eue or Iobes foolish wife A good Woman makes a good Man better and An euill Woman an ill man worse 29 Although shée haue many faults whoredome excepted yet forsake her not rather be carefull before-hand to chuse for vertue not for beauty thou hast taken her for better and for worse A wise Husbandman if he haue a barren Field and full of thorns straight putteth it not away but laboureth with all skill care and diligent culture to amend it 30 Féed not nor cloathe more finely or daintily then shée but as shée is thy yoke-fellow to helpe beare the labours and sorrowes of this life so Let her be partaker with thee in the fruits of your labours 31 Be abstinent in sleeping for conscience sake as in eating or drinking for God is offended by the excesse of the one as well as of the other as thou oughtest not to eate or drinke so long as the belly will receiue or hold so oughtest thou not to sléepe so long as thou canst or desirest he which sléepeth ouer-much is not only lazie but sinfull and he which sléepeth least sléepeth néere halfe his time Halfe the time of thy life thou restest in the shadow of death 32 Neuer account him thy friend that speakes thée alwayes faire for these causes First most commonly the fairest spéeches are but flatteries procéeding from a filthy and dissembling heart Secondly he cannot be a friend which alwaies speaketh faire for a friend must be like a good Physitian who sometimes purgeth and sometimes restoreth so A true friend sometimes comforteth and sometimes reprehendeth 33 Bear with thy friend in many things and account him not thy friend that beareth not with thée likewise loue couereth a multitude of offences True brotherly Charity consisteth not only in doing but also in suffering 34 Séek and enquire earnestly for a true friend for he is a iewell not easily to be found and when thou findest try before thou trust for no iewell adorning the life of man is more sophisticated then friendship and when thou tryest him try him in aduersity for as most men are louers of prosperity so many will loue thée to be partakers of thy happinesse Friendship is tryed as faith in hoping not in hauing in woe not in wealth 35 Haue not many frieÌ„ds for t is a thing impossible to haue many and true but if thou haue thou art the happiest man on earth and shall be chronicled for a wonder Many haue liued hauing not one neuer any that yet had many 36 Prouoke no man to be thine aduersary but so much as in thée lies haue peace with all men In prouoking an enemie