insufferably painefull This stinking Sidde and dung-pit crawles full of the venemous generation bloodie Cainits with sorcerous Balaamites persecuting Saules with craftie Achitophels the Serpents seed the reprobated race and the accursed workers of iniquity There the rageous may rend and teare one an other and none part them the enuious gnash for anger and gnaw one an other to the bone and none regard them Hee that heere sinned for his pleasures will there sinne more because of his plagues Euery sinne shall there bee punished accordingly as they were here committed There is penurie for gluttonie extreame drinesse and thirsting for exessiue drinking burning for lecherous lusting outragious madnesse for blaspheming want for ill gotten wealth a fearefull agonie for bloody crueltie for oppression vtter desolation Then is seene with sorrow enough their time spent in vanitie their childhood in foolishinesse their youth in lustfulnesse their manhood in wickednesse and their old age in couetousnesse their first yeeres runne on in ignorance the middle age consumed in negligence and the terme of life ended without repentance They out of measure are vexed to consider what they were and might haue beene what they are and must be what they would be and cannot attaine to They thinke of time past but without thought of recouery they taste of the time present in vnspeakeable miserie and doe looke to the time to come without hope of deliuerie One curseth his birth and bewailes his ignorance an other curseth his education and parents negligence a third direfully bannes himselfe for his irrepentance Their owne senses doe enlarge much their sorrowes they behold Heauen and themselues in Hell the godly in gladnesse themselues in griefe Christs faithfull people in order and honour themselues in confusion and fearefull horrour the Saints of God in glorious prosperitie themselues in shamefull infamie and miserable aduersitie They heare in heauen blessing melodious singing in hell cursing and lamentable mourning before the eies are flashing flames and a thicke smoake ascending for the nose is prepared a noisome smell euerlastinglie stincking In steed of sweetnesse there is gallie bitternesse for delicate fare farnishment for libertie inthralement fire brands for beds for soft lodging pich and brimstone with iuniper coales burning in steed of musick and pleasant harmonie a hellish noise of discordancy They feele torments vnspeakable paines intollerable and the same alwaies durable By impatience their plagues are increased by their obstinacy continued and by Gods power and iustice maintained Thus are their hearts in continuall heauinesse their pale countenance in dolefull sadnesse To heauen they looke vp bewailing their mishap in hel they looke downe with shame of face If they would repent now they cannot if they could it is then to late they were retchlesse in the daies of amendment and their case is remedilesse in the time of punishment There is not any grant of the least comfort to the greatest torment nor to the extreemest pange any kind of easement They may crie and cry againe Lord Lord they may intreat for mercy but neuer be heard no grace no peace all paine all plagues none blessed euery one accursed Hee that is afflicted shall bee more tormented he that is condemned shall euer be damned Heauen haue they lost and not to bee purchased Hell haue they duelie deserued and the place must needes bee endured None among themselues can helpe one another and among the celestiall companie they shall not finde one comforter If children should call to parents they will not pity them they haue lost that naturall affection they can haue no such compassion Though parents should make petition pray their children they will not bee cared for Tho they cry and call saying ôh our bowels and our blood Oh once bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh speake for your poore tormented parents Is there no naturall loue now left What no compassion Shall wee perish can you see vs thus plagued and shew no pitie Haue mercy deare children on vs so in miserie sweet Babs once louing and beloued speak oh speake one word for vs are wee not plunged in vnspeakable paine looke vpon your now forlorne Father who once fedde you with food ah alas haue some remorse of your mournefull mother Oh for Gods sake seeke this time our good let some sparkles of your loue appeare Can you be in pleasure and suffer vs to lie in perpetuall paine Wee spared no labour for your education and can your eies behold vs languishing in this place of destruction If you did call wee came speedily to succour when we heard you cry wee were in care for you your miserie was to vs calamitie your aduersitie the abatement of our prosperitie and can you heare our pitious groning and see the Diuels grinning as dogs vpon vs your eares heare our bitter crying and they againe barbarously tormenting vs and be silent Oh woe is vnto vs fire consume vs vengeance doe you vtterlie make an end of vs. All this will not worke words are but spent in vaine natures force hath lost the effect there is no knowledge of kindred or kinsfolke the godly regard Gods glorie and therein onely reioice To conclude they now know and to late beleeue that the good doe dwell with God haue Christs company and Angels glorie but themselues to be hated of God neglected of the good to bee with black diuels damned with sauage furies accompanied with barking helhounds horribly affrighted and with barbarous tormentors cruelly handled so as they alwaies in this liuelesse liuing weepe mourne and lament for such hellish paines and in this deathlesse dying crie yelp howle yell for such euer during plagues from which O Lord deliuer thine and shew them mercie O God that they decay not in goodnes that so they neuer feele these punishments for their wickednesse Amen Precepts O Miserable Sinner now doe thou seriouslie consider heere in this life see to thy selfe Who would endure but awhile these paines for all worldly pleasure Who would goe to this dolefull place of Diuels for wicked gaine What is there in this pleasure heere profit and honour that for it thou shouldst aduenture infernall paines for euer Oh breake the caul of thine heart with sorrow rather then to fall into such plagues for delight in sinne Brust into teares to escape these torments Liue not securelie stoope hautie heart that thou maiest not for pride bee sent packing to this place of paines Grow leane cheekt thou Glutton and pale faced thou Drunkard ere thou beest euerlastinglie famished with penurie or be scorched in a burning flame and euer be kept drie and thirstie Thou mincing creature Peacock-like neglect thy pride i◠apparell that thou maiest betime in time auoid this perill Prophane Miscreant seeke an attonement labour for peace fall downe before the throne of grace Let O wicked liuer thy head be a fountaine of water and cause thy eies to trickle downe teares yea to runne as riuers for thy transgressions that thou maiest escape these hellish vexations Looke on the ground whereon thou goest and thinke vpon thy graue behold the heauens and consider whence is grace Awfullie regard the accusation of conscience and set euer thy selfe before Gods presence Read letters of discomfort sometime from the Law lest thou presume by promises of the Gospell Draw neere to God whilest he doth say Come stretching out his hands to embrace the penitent before he saie Goe sitting as Iudge to condemne the disobedient There is a time for thee before thou die to obtaine saluation but in time after death there is no redemption Therfore craue pardon of God earnestly associate thy self to the godlie speedilie Fall groueling vpon the ground and aske forgiuenesse grieue heartily speake passionately Smite thy breast strike on thy thigh shake thy head wring thy hands shead teares powre powre out thy soul vnto God and crie aloud aloud I saie cry oh spare spare me good Lord whom thou O God hast redeemed with Christs precious blood Oh forgiue me I confesse I haue offended thee let thy patience forbeare mee let thy great mercie acquite mee He that doth repent betime the Lord will heare him in time Gods gracious compassion is neuer without pitifull commiseration neither the prouoking of his iustice to wrath without dreadfull and certaine destruction Presume not yet despaire not liue to die yet die to liue thinke of heauen yet forget not that there is a hell be so comforted in thy iustification as thou euer get a certaintie of glorie by thy sanctification Liue in the fleshes mortification in hatred of the world in the spirits viuification vse the meanes of thy effectuall vocation claime nought of merit craue all of mercie liue in true humilitie and practise alway the works of charitie and thou shalt assuredly escape Hels
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
assent this memorandum Women are but weake their strength is to bee vnder gouernment excellent praise is gotten by their wise silence but their principall glory stands in their awe and cheerefull obedience This perhaps may not seeme a plausible sentence to your Sexe but good Ladies he cannot flatter that indeede doth giue you true Honour I present your Honours your Worships with these speciall meditations the first part of my Pictures and Precepts Tho I bee troubled with controuersies and called into such matters of contention yet intermix I my studie sometime with these better motions I finde that Questions curiously contriued doe more exercise wit to informe iudgement then to make the heart deuout in our pilgrimage and this earthly exilement By troublesome disputations men get knowledge to approue of good but by quiet meditations men grow to more conscience in their waies and do increase in grace Hence is my interchange and a cause of some stay of my answer both to Master Ainsworth the Separatist and to Master Smith that Anabaptisticall Se-Baptist but now the time wil not be long ere I publish my replie This present labour in the view of words may seeme but litle but the weight of the matter rightly valued makes it more The heads here haÌ„dled are but few yet comprehend much the words not many I haue studied breuity It is irkesome to be tedious it is delightsom to be short and perspicuous It is Right Honourable Right VVorshipfull what it is euen my good meaning my first and best endeauour in this kind whatsoeuer it bee be it not as it should be my will yet wisheth it to bee well and my thankfull heart offers it vp with all due respect vnto â—ou and craues your honourable and worshipful acceptances â—f the same If I haue offended by tendering so small a worke â—o so great and worthy Personages I begge pardon for my â—oldnesse and so praying for â—our euer-prosperous estate and true happinesse I humbly take my leaue From Worsop in Notinghams Nouem 6. Your Honours and Worships to be commanded in the Lord RICHARD BERNARD THE PICTVRE of GOD. GOD is by contraction good the prime cause of all his creatuers Onely one one alone Incomprehensible infinite inuisible A substance without composition action without motion A being spiritual of himselfe eternall before time in time and beyond altime without beginning without ending the Alpha of euery thing the Omega of althings the first the last without terme of time He is that kingly regencie that lordly Souerainity He doeth giue to all life motion actioÌ„ he bestoweth the qualitie and encreaseth the quantitie yet is he good without qualitie and great without quantitie Hee is the beeing beauty of his creature Hee made euery thing good stil from him flowes goodnesse bodies blisse soules safety goods preseruation and grace He is Supereminent aboue all Superexcellent beyond all abundant in loue to all and absolutely in perfect happinesse without all He is the highest in maiestie the greatest in glorie the largest in magnificencie the powerfullest in omnipotencie and the euer onely best in vnspeakeable bounty Without him nothing auaileable with him all things possible without besides and against means He is present euery where without circumscription of place neither included heere nor excluded there hee fils what is emptie sustaineth what is weake directs what is not right gouerns what is instable and perfects whatsoeuer is iâ— defect Heauen is hiS throne the firmament hiS pauilion Paradise his palace the earth his theateâ— Angels are his attendants the Princes of his armie al creatures his host Thâ— azioured skie his comely curtaine his priuie chamber the place of vnspeakeable pleasure His face is a flame of fire his voice thunder his wrath dread terrible horrour If he meete his enemies he rides vpon the wings of the winde his chariots are without number he raineth vpon them snares to entrap them fire â—o deuoure them hailestones to kill them hee sends a smoake to smother them a stormy tempest to terrifie them the stincke of brimstone to annoy them and hote thunderbolts to shoote them thorow He is the Landlord to all the inhabitants of the earth they are his Tenants the best but his Stewards the mightiest of his making He preserueth by his power ruleth by his prouidence he hath in his hand a Scepter of iroÌ„ and doth raigne as hee list ouer him that seemeth to outrage the most Satan is but his slaue though hee rule ouer faithlesse Princes and Peeres The loftiest creature the highest man in Souereigntie is but his footstoole and hardly a shadow of his glistering glory glorious emineÌ„cy Hee foreseeth euery thing before it be wisely ordereth al things that are and preordeineth all certainely what shall be There is no preueÌ„ting of his wil no gain saying of his good plesure his power manageth his wil vnresistably his wil is the rule of righteousnesse vnchaÌ„geably he maketh euery thing to bow at his becke he altereth the order of nature changeth the course of times He can span heauen with his hand souÌ„d the depth of the Ocean feas make the earth tremble at his prescence Something he can make of nothing the least something is hee able to multiply into in numerable many things He is admirable in his preseruation and wonderfull in the creation By subduction of his infinitnesse hee left an inanity of substance forme and force so prepared he vnspeakeably an emptines to frame place his creatures by reduction of himself againe innarrably he made a kind of fulnesse and caused that sensibly to be seene what neuer had being of any thing before All his works liuely demonstrate him his word truely reueales him yet no mortall eye can see him nor any wit conceiue him Hee is mercy hee is iustice a fire burning and yet not hastily coÌ„suming He is al presence his nameis I am nothing past with him nor to come which is not in sight Infinitenesse it selfe is his compasse for time and place His iustice is without partiality he iudgeth euer righteously and punisheth only offenders and that deseruedly His pleasure is absolute in himselfe what he delighteth in without himselfe is for that which is onely from himselfe To conclude an endlesse matter without conclusion He is mercisull without measure pitifull in great compassion but without any passion Hee is repentant without sorrow he maketh a change in his action but is neuer alterable in his person Hee is himselfe holinesse the very fountaine of all goodnesse nothing euill from him nothing euil by him He before wils all things which he causeth to be and maketh also that good which hee willeth to bee Hee is maiestie hee is mercy he is excellency he is glory he is power he is principality hee is grace and goodnes life and happinesse All these in and from himselfe in all perfection beyond imagination without limitation endlesse To him be praise perpetually So be it Precepts FEare this