mee and I can make my selfe no better so I cannot And as for serving God I am sure I goe to Church as well as the best in the Parish though I bee not so fine and I make no question if I had better cloathes but I should doe God as much credit as another man though I say it And as for doing Gods will I beshrew mee I leave that to them that are booke-learn'd and can doe it more wisely I beleeve the Vicar of our Parish can doe it and has done it too as well as any within five miles of his head and what need I trouble my selfe to doe what is so well done already I hope hee being so good a Churchmâ—n and so great a Schollard and can speake Latiâ—e too would not leave that to so simple man as I. It is enough for mee to know that God is a good man and that the ten Commandements are the best prayers in all the book unlesse it bee the Creede And that I must love my neighbour as well as he loves mee and for all other Quilicoms they shall never trouble my braines an gracâ— a God Let mee goe a sundays and serve God obey the King God blesse him doe no man no wrong say the Lords Prayer every morning and evening follow my worke give a Noble to the poore at my death and then say Lord have mercy upon mee and goe away like a Lambe I make no question but I shall deserve heaven as well as he that weares a gayer coate But yet I am not so ingrant neither nor have not gone so often to Church but I know Christ died for mee too as well as for any other man I 'de bee sorry else and that next to our Vicar I shall goe to heaven when I am dead as soone as another nay more I know there bee two Sacraments bread and wine and but two though the Papists say there bee six or seven and that I verily beleeve I shall be saved by those Sacraments that I love God above all or else 't were pitty of my life and that when I am dead and rotten as our Vicar told mee I shall rise againe and be the same man I was But for that hee must excuse mee till I have better sartifaction for all his learning he cannot make me such a foole unlesse hee shew mee a better reason for 't then yet hee has done BUt one thing hee told me now I thinke on 't troubles me woundly namely that God is my Master all which I confesse and that I must doe his will whether I know how to doe it or nor or else it will goe ill with me I le read it he said out of Gods Bible and I shall remember the words so long as I have a day to live which are these He that knoweth not his masters will and doth things worthy of stripes shall bee beaten with few stripes Luke 12. 48. 1 Cor. 14. 20. Brethren bee not children in understanding howbeit in malice be ye children but in understanding be men 1 Cor. 15. 34. Awake to righteousnesse and sin not for some have not â—the knowledge of God I speake it to your shame Ephes. 4. 18. Walke not in the vanitie of your minds having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the Ignorance which is in you because of the blindnesse of your hearts Levit. 5. 17. And if a soule sinne and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord though hee wist it not yet is hee guilty and shall beare his iniquitie 2 Thes. 1. 7. 8. The Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mightie Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God Greg. Mag. Moral It is good to know much and to live well but if wee cannot attaine both it is better to desire piety then wisedome for knowledge makes no man happy nor doth blessednesse consist in intellectuals The onely brave thing is a religious life To sin against knowledge is so much the greater offence then an ignorant trespasse by how much the crime which is capable of no excuse is more hainous then the fault which admits a tolerable plea Iustin Mart. Resp. ad orthod. HOw well it had been for thee O my soule if I had bookelarnd Alas I cannot reade and what I heare I cannot understand I cannot profit as I should and therefore cannot be as good as I would for which I am right sorry That I cannot serve as well as my betters hath been often a great griefe to me and that I have been so ingranâ— in good things hath been a great heart-breaking to me I can say no prayers for want of knowledge to reade but Our Father and the Creede But the comfort is God knowes my heart but â— trust in God Our Father being made by Christ himselfe will bee enough for me that know not how to make a better I indeavour to doe all our Vicar bids me and when I receive the Communion I truely forgive all the world for a fortnight after or such a matter but then some old injury makes me forget my selfe but I cannot helpe it an my life should lie on t O my ingrant soule what shall I do to bee saved All that I can say is Lord have mercy upon me and all that I can doe is but to doe my good will and that I le doe with all my heart and say my prayers too as well as God will give mee leave an grace a God His Prayer O God the Father of heaven have mercy upon me miserable sinner I am as I must needs confesâ—e a sinfull man as my forefathers were before mee I have heard many Sermons and have had many good lessons from the mouths of painefull Ministers but through the dulnesse of my understanding and for want of learning I have not profited â—o much as else I should have done spare mee therefore O God spare mee whom thou hast redeemed with thy pretious blood and bee not angry for ever I must confesse the painefulnesse of my calling and the heavinesse of my owne nature hath taken from mee the delight of hearing thy Word and the ignorance of learning which I was never brought upto hath kept me from reading it that insomuch in stead of growing better I feare I have growne worse and worse and have been so far from doing thy will that I doe not understand what thy will is very well But thou O mercifull God that didst reveale thy selfe to poore Shepherds and Fishermen that had no more learning then I have mercy upon mee for Jesus Christ his sake Thou that hast promised to instruct the simple and to leade the ignorant into thy way beâ— good and mercifull to mee I beseech thee Thou that drawest the needy out of the dust and the poore out of the dunghill give me the knowledge of thy will and teach me how to serve thee Take
this no day designed but At what time soever If my unseasonable heart should seeke him now the worke would be too serious for so greene a seeker My thoughts are yet unsetled my fancy yet too too gamesome my judgement yet unsound my Will unsanctified To seeke him with an unprepared heart is the high way not to finde him or to finde him with unsetled resolution is the next way to lose him and indeed it wants but little of prophanenesse to bee unseasonably religious What is once to bee done is long to bee deliberated Let the boyling pleasures of the rebellious flesh evaporate a little and let mee drayn my boggy soule from those corrupted inbred humors of collapsed nature and when the tender blossomes of my youthfull vanitie shall begin to fade my setled understanding will begin to knot my solid judgement will begin to ripen my rightly guided will be resolved both what to seeke and when to find and how to prize till then my tender youth in her pursuit will bee disturb'd with every blast of honour diverted with every flash of pleasure misled by Counsell turned back with feare puzzl'd with doubt interupted by Passion withdrawne with prosperitie and discurag'd with adversitie TAke heed my soul when thou hast lost thy self in thy journey how wilt thou find thy God at thy journeys end Whom thou hast lost by too long delay thou wilt hardly find with too late â—diligence Take time while time shall serve that day may come wherein Thou shalt seek the Lord but shalt not finde himâ— Hos. 5. 6. Esay 55. 6. Seeke the Lord while he may bee found call upon him while he is neare Heb. 12. 17. He found no place for repentance though hee sought it with teares carefully Thou foole this night will I take thy soule from thee Revel. 2. 21. I gave her a space to repent but shee repented not Behold therefore I will cast her Greg. lib. Mor. Seeke God whilst thou canst not see him for when thou seest him thou canst not find him seeke him by hope and thou shalt finde him by faith In the day of grace hee is invisible but neare in the day of judgement he is visible but farre off Ber. Ser. 24. If wee would not seeke God in vaine let us seeke him in truth often and constantly Let us not seeke another thing in stead of him nor any other thing with him nor for any other thing leave him O My soule thou hast sought wealth and hast either not found it or cares with it thou hast sought for pleasure and hast found it but no comfort in it Thou soughtest honour and hast found it and perchance fallen with it Thou soughtest friendship and hast found it false societie and hast found it vaine And yet thy God the fountaine of all wealth pleasure honour friendship and societie thou hast slighted as a toy not worth the finding Be wise my soule and blush at thy owne folly Set thy desires on the right objâ—ct Seeke wisdome and thou shalt find knowledge and wealth and honour and length of dayes Seeke heaven and earth shall seeke thee and deferre not thy Inquest lest thou lose thy opportunitie To day thou maist find him whom to morrow thou mayst seek with teares and misse Yesterday is too late to morrow is uncertaine to day is onely thine I but my soule I feare my too long delay hath made this day too late feare not my soule hee that has given thee his Grace to day will forget thy neglect of yesterday seeke him therefore by true repentance and thou shalt find him in thy Prayer His Prayer O God that like thy pretious Word art hid to none but who are lost and yet art found by all that seek thee with an upright heart cast downe thy gratious eye upon a lost sheep of Israel strayed through the vanitie of his unbridled youth and wandred in the wildernesse of his owne invention Lord I have too much delighted in mine owne wayes and have put the evill day too farre from mee I have wallowed iâ— the pleasures of this deceitfull world which perish in the using and have neglected thee my God at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore I have drawne on iniquitie as with Cart-ropes and have committed evill with greedinesse I have quencht the motions of thy good spirit and have delayed to seeke thee by true and unfaigned repentance In stead of seeking thee whom I have lost I have withdrawne my selfe from thy presence when thou hast sought mee It were but justice therefore in thee to stop thine eares at my petitions or turne my Prayers as sinne into my bosome But Lord thou art a gratious God and full of pity and unwearied compassion and thy loving kindnesse is from generation to generation Lord in not seeking thee I have utterly lost my selfe and if-thou find mee not I am lost for ever and if thou find mee thou canst not but finde me in my sinnes and then thou find'st mee to my owne destruction How miserable O Lord is my condition How necessary is my confusion that have neglected to seeke thee and therefore am afraid to bee found of thee But Lord if thou looke upon the all-sufficient merits of thy Sonne thy justice will bee no loser in shewing mercy upon a sinner In his name therefore I present my selfe before thee in his merits I make my humble approach unto thee in his name I offer up my feeble Prayers for his merits grant mee my petitions Call not to mind the rebellions of my flesh and remember not O God the vanities of my youth Inflame my heart with the love of thy presence and reliâ—â— my meditations with the pleasure of thy sweetnesse Let not the consideration of thy justice overwhelm me in despaire nor the meditation oâ— thy mercy perswade mee to presume Sanctiâ—fie my will by the wisedome of thy Spirit thaâ— I may desire thee as the chiefest good Quickeâ— my desires with a servent zeale that I may seeke my Creator in the dayes of my youthâ— Teach mee to seeke thee according to thy wilâ— and then bee found according to thy promise that living in mee here by thy grace I may here after raigne with thee in glory The Hypocrites Prevarication THere is no such stuffe to make a cloake on as Religion nothing so fashionable nothing so profitable it is a Livery wherein a wise man may serve two masters God and the world and make a gainefull service by either I serve bâ—ah and in both my selfe in prevaricating with both Before man none serves his God with more severe devotion for which among the belt of men I work my own ends serve my self In private I serve the world not with so strict devotion but with more delight where fulfilling of her servants lusts I work my end and serve my self The house of Prayer who more frequents then I In all Christian duties who more forward then I I fast with those that fast that
I may eate with those that eate I mourne with those that mourne No hand more open to the cause then mine and in their families none prayes longer and with louder zeale Thus when the opinion of a holy life hath cryed the goodnesse of my conscience up my trade can lack no custome my wares can want no price my words can need no credit my actions can lack no praise If I am covetous it is interpreted providence if miserable it is counted temperance if mâ—lancholly it is construed godly sorrow if merry it is voted spirituall joy if I be rich t is thought the blessing of a godly life if poor supposed the fruit of conscionable dealing if I be well spoken of it is the merit â—f holy conversation if ill it is the malice of Malignants thus I saile with every winde and have my end in all conditions This Cloake in Summer keepes mee coole in winter warme and hides the nasty Bag of all my secret lusts Under this Cloake I walke in publique fairely with applause and in private sinne securely without offence and officiate wisely without discovery I compasse Sea and land to make a Proselyte and no sooner made but he makes mee At a Fast I cry Geneva and at a Feast I cry Rome If I bee poore I counterfeit abundance to save my credit if rich I dissemble povertie to save charges I most frequent Schismaticall Lectures which I find most profitable from whence learning to divulge and maintaine new doctrines they maintaine mee in suppers thrice a weeke I use the helpe of a lie sometimes as a Religious Stratagem to uphold the Gospell and I colour oppression with Gods judgement executed upon the wicked Charity I hold an extraordinary dutie therefore not ordinarily to bee performed VVhat I openly reprove abroad for my owne profit that I secretly act at home for my owne pleasure BUt stay I see a hand-writing in my heart lamps my soule 't is characterd in these saâ— words Wâ—e hee to you Hypoerites Match 23. 13. Job 20. 5. The triumphing of the wicked is short and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment Job 15. 34. The Congregation of the hypocrites shall bee desolate Psal. 11. 9. An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour but through knowledge shall the just bee delivered Luke 12. 1. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisie Job 36. 13. The hypocrites in heart heape up wrath they die in their youth and their life is amongst the uncleane Salvian de Gubern Dei l. 4. The hypocrites love not those things they professe and what they pretend in words they disclaime in practise their sinne is the more damnable because ushered in with pretence of pietie having the greater guilt because it obtaines a godly repute Hieron. Ep. Endeavour rather to be then to be thought holy for what profits it thee to bee thought to be what thou art not and that man doubles his guilt who is not so holy as the world thinkes him and counterseits that holinesse which be bath not HOw like a living Sepulcher did I appeare without beautified with gold and rich invention within nothing but a loathed corruption So long as this faire Sepulcher was clos'd it past for a curious Monument of the Builders Art but being opened by these spirituall Keyes 't is nothing but a Receptacle of offensive putrefaction In what a nasty dungeon hast thou my soule so long remain'd unstifled How wert thou wedded to thy owne corruptions that could'st endure thy unsavory filthinesse The world hated mee because I seemed good God hated mee because I onely seemed good I had no friend but my selfe and this friend was my bosome enemy O my soule is there water enough in Jordan to cleanse thee Hath Gilead Balme enough to heale thy superannuated sores I have finned I am convinced I am convicted Gods mercy is above Dimensions when sinners have not sinn'd beyond Repentance Art thou my soule truly penitent for thy 〈◊〉 Thou hast free Interest in his mercy fall then my soule before his Mercy seate and he will crown thy Pemitence with his pardon His Prayer O God before the brightnesse of whose All-discerning eye the secrets of my heart appeare before whose cleare omniscience the very entralls of my soule lie open who art a God of righteousnesse and truth and lovest uprightnesse in the inward parts How can I choose but feare to thrust into thy glorious presence or move my sinfull lips to call upon that Name which I so often have dishonored and made a Cloake to hide the basenesse of my close transgressions Lord when I look into the progresse of my filthy life my guilty conscience calls mee to so strict account and reflects to mee so large an Inventory of my presumptuous sinnes that I commit a greater sinne in thinking them more infinite then thy mercy But Lord thy mercies have no date nor is thy goodnesse circumscribed The gates of thy compassion are alwayes open to a broken heart and promise entertainement to a contrite spirit the burthen of my sinnes is grievous and the remembrance of my hypocrisie is intolerable I have finned against thy Majesty with a high hand but I repent mee from the bottome of an humble heart As thou hast therefore given mee sorrow for my sinnes so crowne that gift in the freenesse of remission Bee fully reconcil'd to mee through the all-sufficient merits of thy Sonne my Saviour and seale in my afflicted heart the full assurance of thy gratious favour Bee thou exalted O God above the heavens and let mee praise thee with a single heart cleanse thou my inward parts O God and purifie the closet of my polluted soule Fix thou my heart O thou searcher of all secrets and keepe my affections wholly to thee Remove from mee all by and base respects that I may serve thee with an upright spirit Take not the word of truth out of my mouth nor give mee over to deceitfull lips Give mee an inward reverence of thy Majestie that I might openly confesse thee in the truth of my sinceritie Bee thou the onely object and end of all my actions and let thy honour bee my great râ—ward Let not the hopes of filthy lucre or the praise of men incline me to thee neither let the pleasures of the world nor the feares of any losse entice mee from thee Keepe from mee those judgements my hypocrisie hath deserved and strengthen my resolution to abhorre my former life Give me strength O God to serve thee with a perfect heart in the newnesse of life that I may bee delivered from the old man and the snares of death Then shall I praise thee with my entire affections and glorifie thy name for ever and everâ— The Ignorant mans faltering YOu tell mee and you tell me that I must bee a good man and serve God and doe his will and so I doe for ought I know I am sure I am as good as God has made
affections in owe Such Toyes may work upon their timerous apprehensions when wholesome precepts faile and find no audience in their youthfull eares Tell not mee of Hell Devills or of damned soules to enforce me from those pleasures which they nickname sinne What tell ye mee of Law My soule is sensible of Evangelicall precepts without the needlesse and uncorrected thunder of the killiug Letter or the terrible periphrase of roaring Boanarges the teadiousnesse of whose language still determines in damnation wherein I apprehend God farre more mercifull then his Ministers T is true I have not led my life according to the Pharisaicall squire of their opinions neither have I found judgements according to their prophecies whereby I must conclude that God is wonderfully mercifull or they wonderfully mistaken How often have they thundred â—orment against my voluptuous life And yet I feele no paine How bitterly have they threatned shame against the vaunts of my vaine-glory Yet find I honor How fiercely have they preach'd destruction against my cruelty and yet I live VVhat Plagues against my swearing yet not infected What diseases against my drunkennesse and yet sound What danger against procrastination yet how often hath God been found upon the deathbed What damnation to Hypocrites yet who more safe What stripes to the ignorant yet who more scotfree What povertie to the slothfull yet themselves prosper VVhat falls to the proud yet stand they surest VVhat curses to the Covetous yet who richer VVhat judgements to the lascivious yet who more pleasure VVhat vengeance to the prophane the censorious the revengefull yet none live more unscourg'd VVho deeper branded then the Lyerâ—â— yet who more favor'd Who more threatned then the presumptuous yet who lesse punished Thus are wee foold and kept in awe with the strict fancies of those Pulpit-men whose opinions have no ground but what they gaine from popularitie Thus are wee frighted from the libertie of Nature by the politick Chimeraes of Religion whereby we are necessitated to the observing of those Laws whereof we find a greater necessitie of breaking BUt stay my soule there is a voyce that darts into my troubled thoughts which saith Because thou hast not kept my Lawes all the curses in this booke shall overtake thee till thou be destraoed Deut. 29. Deut. 29. 27. And the anger of the Lord was kindâ—ed against the land to bring upon it all the Curses that are written in this book 2 Chron. 34. 24. Thus saith the Lord Behold I will bring will upon this place and upon the inhabitants thereof even all the curses that are written in the booke Deut. 28. 15. But if thou wilt not hearken unto the vâ—yee of the Lord thy God to observe and doe all his Commandements and his statutes which I command thee this day all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee Bernard It is certaine thou must die and uncertaine when how or where seeing death is alwayes at thy 〈◊〉 Thou must if thou be wise â—lwayes be ready to die Bernard To commit a sinne is an humane frailtie to persist in it is a devillish obstinacy Bernard There are some who hope in the Lord but yet in vaine because they onely smooth and flatter themselves that God is mercifull but repent not of their sinne such confidence is vaine and foolish and leads to destruction PResumption is a sinne whereby wee depend upon Gods mercies without any warrant from Gods Word It is as great a sinne O my soule to hope for Gods mercy without Repentance as to distrust Gods mercy upon Repentance In the first thou wrongst his Iustice In the last his mercy O my presumptuous soule let not thy prosperitie in sinning encourage thee to sinne lest climbing without Warrant into his mercy thou fall without mercy into his judgement Be not deceived a long Peace makes a bloody Warre and the abuse of continued mercies makes a sharpe judgement Patience when slighted turnes to fury but ill-requited starts to vengeance Thinke not that thy unpunisht sinne is hidden from the eye of heaven or that Gods judgements will delay for ever The stalled Oxe that wallowes in his plenty and waxes wanton with ease is not farre from slaughter The Ephod O my desperate soule is long a filling but once being full the leaden cover must goe on and then it hurries on the wings of the wind Advise thee then and whilst the Lampe of thy prosperity lasts provide thee for the evill day which being come repentance will bee out of date and all thy prayers will finde no eare His Prayer GRatious God whose mercy is unsearchable and whose goodnesse is unspeakable I the unthankfull object of thy continued favours and therefore the miserable subject of thy continuall wrath humbly present my self-made misery before thy sacred Majestie Lord when I look upon the horridnesse of my sin shame strikes me dumb But when I turne mine eie upon the infinitnesse of thy mercy I am emboldned to poure forth my soule before thee as in the one finding matter for confusion so in the other Arguments for compassion Lord I have sinned grievously but my Saviour hath satisfied abundantly I have trespassed continually but he hath suffered once for all Thou hast numbred my transgressions by the haires of my head but his mercies are innumerable like the starres of the skie My sinnes in greatnesse are like the mountaines of the earth 〈◊〉 his mercy is greater then the heavens Oh if his mercy were not greater then my sinnes my sinnes were impardonable for his therefore and â—â—y mercies sake cover my sinnes and pardon my transgressions make my head a fountain of â—â—eares and accept my contrition O thou Well-â—â—ring of all mercie strengthen my resolution â—â—at for the time to come I may detest all sinne â—â—crease a holy anger in me that I may revenge my selfe upon my selfe for displeasing so gratious a Father Fill my heart with a feare of thy judgments and sweeten my thoughts with the meditation of thy mercies Goe forwards O my God and perfect thy own work in me and take the glory of thy owne free goodnesse furnish my mouth with the prayses of thy name and replenish my tongue with continuall thanksgiving Thou haâ—â— promised pardon to those that repent behold I repent Lord quicken my Repentance Thou mightst have made me a terrible example of thy justice and struck â—â—ee into hell in the height of my presumption but thou hast made me capable of thy mercies and an object of thy 〈◊〉 for thou art a gratious God of long-suffering and â—low to anger thy name is wonderfull and thy mercies incomprehensible Thou art onely worthy to bee praised Let all the people praise thee O God O let all the people praise thee Let Angels and Archangels praise thee Let the Congregations of Saints praise thee Let thy works praise thee Let every thing that breath's praise thee for ever and for ever Amen FINIS