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A19514 Tvvo sermons preached in Scotland before the Kings Maiesty the one, in his chappell royall of Holy-Roode-house at his Highnesse comming in: the other, in the church of Drumfreis at his Highnesse going out: by W. Cowper ... Cowper, William, 1568-1619. 1618 (1618) STC 5944; ESTC S109005 33,356 56

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cut downe the medowes to the very roote● we are in hope that his comming shall bee like the showres that water the earth to make it grow and reuert againe th●t in his dayes the righteous may flourish and aboundance of peace may be Praised bee the Lord wee doe already enioy the fruits of his Highnesse happy gouernment for now the mountaines and the hils bring peace to his people by iustice and the voice of wonted Oppressors is not heard in our borders Yet remaines there one euill in the heart of the Land which I may call the Kings euill not that the King is either author or allower of it but because the euill so desperate as cannot be cured but by a touch of the Kings hand this is Sacriledge a Pestilence that dissolueth the Pillers of the earth a Canker that corrupteth the whole body and hurteth all Great men Church men and Commons Many Great men embrace the curse of Zeba and Zalmunna for a blessing they will inherite Gods mansions as their own they so appropriate al to thēselues that nothing is spared to the Lord for the maintenance of his Gospell they will not see that it is abomination to deuoure that which is sanctified till it haue deuoured thē and their whole estate they are like Pharaos leane kine that deuoured the fat and were neuer a whit the fatter themselues for this sin among other many houses in the Land spew out their old Inhabitants The Gentrie and Commons are heauily endamaged by it A common thing to see the Tithes eate vp the stock and abused Law being made the forcible meane of lawlesse oppression But which is worst of all a most famous and ancient Church oppressed with pouerty in many of her members is like to languish and decay the Children cry for bread and in many parts of the Land there is none to giue it nothing being left in sundry Parishes not so much as the small teinds of the Vicarage for maintenance of a Pastor I doe preiudice to none when I call this Church both famous and ancient It is now about three thousand and sixe hundred yeeres since the Lord promised to giue the ends of the earth in a possession to his Christ and it is now sixteen hundred yeeres since the Lord began to performe it for in the sixscore foure yeere of our Lord Donald King of Scots and Lucius King of South Brittaine embraced the Christian faith None of the Churches of this I le neither that in the South nor that in the North receiued the Faith from the Church of Rome It is true indeede at the desire of King Lucius there was sent to him from the Bishop of Rome Damianus and Fugatianus to confirme him in the faith but Baronius the Romish Cardinall is forced to confesse quòd diu ante Euangeliam Christi illuc perlatum erat that long before their comming the Gospell of Christ was brought thither that is to this I le And for vs that place of Tertullian without all exception proueth the antiquity of this Church Brittannorum loca Romanis inaccessa Euangelio Christi subdita sunt that two hundred yeeres after Christ this Church was famous through the world for her Christianity and shall shee now in her old age perish and decay through pouerty shall Iulians persequution vndoe her shall the rents of her Schooles Colledges and Churches be rest from her and nothing or little left to maintaine Learning and Religion O! what an ingratitude is here The Lord commeth to vs with the aboundance of the blessing of his Gospell offering to vs the riches of his mercy and grace and wee thinke him not worthy entertainment If wee haue said the Apostle sowne vnto you spirituall things is it a great matter that we reape your carnall things But contenting me to haue pointed at this euill I leaue the remedy thereof to that rare wisedome wherewith God hath endued your Sacred Maiestie and conclude as I began Iacob in his iourney to Padan Aram was comforted with a vision hee saw a ladder reaching from earth to heauen and the Angels of God ascending and descending vpon it assuring him that the Lord would be with him both in his going and his comming the like this day commeth from the Lord to our Iacob in his iourney The Lord shall preserue thy goingout and thy comming in from henceforth and for euer We lift our hearts and our hands to the God of heauen and beseech him graciously to performe it for Iesus Christs sake to whome with the Father and holy Ghost be all praise and honor Amen A forme of Grace vsed ordinarily at his Maiesties Table after meate in Scotland by the Deane of his Chappell PRaised be the Lord who dayly ladeth vs with his benefits The Lòrd is our Sunne and Shield hee giueth grace and will giue glory and no good thing shal be withholden from them who loue him Lord Saue thy Church vniuersall O God Preserue thy Seruant our gracious Soueraine Grant him long to reigne ouer vs a happy King of many blessings to thy people Blesse his Noble Queene with the hopefull Prince Charles the Prince and Princesse Palatine and their children Lord let vs neuer want one of his Highnesse Royall Race to sit vpon his Throne God giue vs all mercy for our sinnes with grace and peace in lesus Christ. Amen HIS MAIESTIES GOING OVT Psal. 80. verse 17. Let thy hand be with the Man of thy right hand and the Sonne of man whom thou hast made strong for thy selfe My helpe is in the Name of the LORD AS your Maiesties Comming into this Kingdome to visite the one of your Twinnes was welcommed with a promise of diuine protection The Lord shall preserue thy comming in and thy going out which praysed be the Lord he hath hitherto graciously performed So now your Returning to visite the other is accompanied with a Prayer which all the Estates of this your Highnesse Kingdome Nobles Churchmen and Commons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with one heart and voyce send vp to the Lord to goe with your Sacred Maiesty wheresoeuer ye goe Let thy hand O Lord be with the Man of thy right hand Seeing our hands cannot alwayes bee with your Maiestie to attend and serue your Highnesse as our bounden duty requires our hearts shall not cease to cry vnto heauen that the hand of the Lord may be with you In this Psalme are two Prayers one for the Church that the Shepheard of Israel who sits betweene the Cherubins would mercifully looke on her misery and bring againe her captiuity The other is a Prayer for such as the Lord had appointed to be the instruments of her deliuerance either spirituall or temporall Principally it is a Prayer for the comming of the MESSIAH the true and great Redeemer of his people and so Saint Iero●e expounds this place Fiat manus tua
conceiued of the seede of man he is Gnamith Iehoua the companion of Iehoua hee is also as Iob calleth him our Goel or our kinsman Iacob called him Shiloh because he was sent into the world wrapped in the like tunicle which others of the sons of men bring with them when they are borne He is that incomparable Vnio or Margarita a precious pearle as Nazianzen calleth him and why Nicetas and Elias do tel vs quippe qui non nisi summo cum labore at que à perpaucis inueniatur because he is not found but with great labour and few are they who finde him Tum etiam vt ait ille quia vt margarita ex concha aqua conflatur ita Christus diuinitate humanitate constat O what a matter of vnspeakable ioy is heere but I must contract my selfe Man for his transgression receiued this checke from the Lord Ecce Adam factus est quasi vnus ex nobis but now since the reconciliation by Iesus God manifested in the flesh man may reioice and say Ecce Deus factus est quasi vnus ex nobis Doubtlesse this is a strong bulwarke of our faith for since we see that the sonne of God is become the sonne of man clothed with all the infirmities of our nature except sinne since wee see the God of glorie humbled to the ignominie of the crosse why shall we doubt that the sonnes of men shall also be made the sonnes of God and that these vile bodies of ours shall bee changed and fashioned like vnto the glorious body of Christ especially since for no other end became he the sonne of man but to make vs the sonnes of God The last part of the description is heere whom thou has● made strong for thy selfe this as I haue said respecteth his threefold office and his vnction to them all A commentarie for this place is that of Esay I will put my Spirit in him that hee may bring foorth iudgement to the Genti●es And againe The spirit of the Lord is vpon me and he hath annoynted mee hee hath sent mee to preach good tydings vnto the poore and to binde vp the broken-hearted c. what the Psalmist heere calls strengthning the Prophet heere calls it annoynting aud St. Iohn calls it sealing for him hath God the father sealed and what is meant by all these he expounds himselfe yet more cleerely The word was made flesh and dwelt among vs full of grace and truth and a little after God gaue him not the spirit by measure that of his fulnesse wee might all receiue grace for grace Of all these it is plaine how the father is sayd to haue made his sonne strong for himselfe that is hee annoynted him he sealed him he put his spirit into him not in a measure but communicate the fulnes of grace to him that he might be ●rengthened to do vnto vs the office of a King to deliuer vs from our enemies of a Prophet to teach vs the whole counsell of God and of a Preist to offer himselfe in a propitiatory sacrifice for vs. In all these appeared his wonderfull strength passius est vt infirmus operatus vt fortis when hee suffered like a weake man then he wrought like a valiant man then he darkned the sunne then he rent the vaile then hee raised the dead in his death vide infirmitatem filij hominis see the infirmity of the so●●e of man in his victorie vide fortitudinem 〈◊〉 Dei see the mighty strength and power of the ●o●ne of God granum sinapis dum patitur in his ●uff●ring he is like a graine of mustard seede dum resurgit ●●bor est sub qua aues coeli nidificant in his resurrection he is like a tree vnder which the birds of heauen doe build their neasts Euerie way the mighty strength of our strong Redeemer is to be admired but specially his conquest by suffering there did appeare the weaknesse of God stronger then man yea then all these Principalities powers and spirituall wickednesse that were opposite to him It was indeed an exceeding great worke which committed to our Mediatour The man lesus and therefore required a speciall vnction to make him strong vnto it All the Angels of heauen all the men on earth were not able to haue wrought that worke Such a Law was neuer imponed to man nor Angell as was imponed to lesus by his his Fathers ordination willingly accepted by himselfe This was the Law of a Redeemer wherewith Christ was charged and none but hee more many manner of wayes then the Law morall whereunto all are subiect The morall Law had two tables the first commanding the perfit loue of God the next commanding to loue our neighbour as our selues The Redeemers Law hath also two parts both of them commanding much more then is commanded by the morall the first part of the Redeemers law lookes vp to his Father the second lookes downe to his brethren In the first this commandement was giuen him Thou must vindicate the glory of thy fathers mercy and iustice If man bee not punished what shall become of the glorie of my iustice and if all men perish vnder that wrath which is due to their transgression what shall become of the glory of my mercie The Lord Iesus hath in wonderfull manner preserued them both for in him the inuiolable strictnesse of his Fathers iustice hath beene manifested in that he spared not his own sonne bearing the burden of our transgression many fearefull examples of diuine iustice hath been seene since the beginning of the world but neuer one like vnto this And many great mercies in all ages hath hee shewed to his seruants Noah in the arke Lot in Zoar Israel beyond the red sea may stand for examples but neuer a mercy like this was manifested in the world that the Lord gaue his onely begotten to the death that such as beleeue in him might haue eternall life There was the riches of the glory of his mercy wonderfully declared Thus did the Lord fulfill the commandement of the law of a Redeemer and preserue the glory both of his fathers iustice and mercy The other part of the law respected his brethren concerning whom this commandement was giuen him thou must loue thy brethren not as thy selfe onely but more then thy selfe thou shalt purchase them life by thine owne death thou shalt saue them who haue lost themselues thou shalt redeeme their inheritance which they haue solde without a price and as their neerest kinsman and first-borne of thy fathers familie according as thou art bound thou shalt pursue the murtherer that slue him to wit the Diuell he is without all citie of refuge reuenge thou their bloud vpō him like another Abraham thou must bring home againe Lot out of the hands of that Tyrant Chedarlaomer all this the Lord Iesus powerfully performed for the father
fortified him and made him strong to this worke for himselfe And thus haue wee seene how these words containe a prayer for the comming of Iesus Christ the great and true Redeemer of his Church Now this same description is also competent in the second roome to secondarie instruments appointed by God to serue vnder him for the comfort deliuerance and gouernment of his Church For a King called of God to rule his people and set ouer them not in wrath as the Kings of Israel Ieroboam and his successours were of whom spake the Lord by Hosea dedi illis regem in surore meo but a King set ouer a people in mercie as Dauid and Salomon because the Lord hath loued his people Such a King no doubt is a sonne of the Lords right hand and for three causes so called first blessed art thou ô land when thy King is the sonne of Nobles and what greater Nobility then to be the sonne of Gods right hand not onely in regard of his personall regeneration and adoption which way all Christians are the sonnes of God but also in regard of that speciall vnction proper to the royall calling whereby God separates him and sets him vp as his Deputy to rule others Secondly a good King is so called for that speciall and maruellous care the Lord hath of him to preserue and keepe him in most desperate dangers Many deliuerances giues the Lord to his annoynted and rescueth his seruant Dauid from the hurtfull sword As the Lord hath set him vp for himselfe so in speciall manner hee preserues him by himselfe And thirdly a good King is called a sonne of Gods right hand because his heart is rightly set to doe good in his calling like Dauid Ezechia and Iosia The other part of the description agrees also very well vnto him for the speciall and royall vnction of such a King as I haue spoken of makes him strong for the Lord and heere are two things first thou hast made him strong next thou hast made him strong for thy selfe All superexcellencie of strength and dignity is from the Lord the Lord brings low and exalts said Anna the mother of Samuel To come to preferment is neither from the East nor from the West but from the Lord. Yet sure it is all whom the Lord maketh strong are not made strong for himselfe There are many who abuse against the Lord the strength authority and honour which they haue receiued from the Lord. The Princes of Zoan are fooles and the Princes of Noph are deceiued such was Pharaoh of whom sayd the Lord I haue raised thee vp that I may shew my power vpon thee such were the Apostate Israelites of whom the Lord complaines My people say they are Lords they will not come neere mee And againe as they were filled their heart was exalted A vile ingratitude that man should become most rebellious against the Lord when the Lord hath beene most beneficiall to him Let men take heed how they vse the place whereunto God hath exalted them either by natiue or datiue nobility these Nazianzen calls Nobiles ex mandatis aut rescriptis principum for cursed are they who vse against the Lord that which they haue receiued from the Lord. Let them be assured if they will not doe his will out of louing and humble obedience God shall doe his will vpon them out of his iustice and power hee shall roll them from their station and turne their glory into shame Sic fiet ex comaedia tragedia The winde shall binde them vp in her wings A moneth shall deuoure them with their portions Their glory shall flie away like a bird They shall be as the morning cloud or morning dew that passes away as chaffe driuen with the whirle-winde out of the floore and as smoake that goes out of the chimney But there is the lamentable blindnesse of men though they see that this hath held true vpon others before them yet they fansie to themselues euery man a singular priuiledge that the like iudgement shall not come neere them But happy are they who cast downe their crownes at the feet of the Lord and returne vnto him all that they haue receiued from him vsing for the Lord that strength honour and authoritie which they haue gotten from the Lord these are the sonnes of his right hand labouring to honour him who hath honoured them and these the Lord keepeth as a signet on his hand vpon these shall be raine of blessings The eye of the Lord shall watch ouer them for good to protect and defend them in all their necessities As they are for the Lord so is the Lord for them to performe to them that which he promised to DAVID Mine hand shall bee established with him and mine arme shall strengthen him the enemie shall not oppresse him neither shall the wicked hurt him but I will destroy his foes before his face and plague them that hate him What heere is plainely promised hath beene particularly performed to your Maiesty compare the oracle with your owne experience and then the Lord his constant and louing kindnes felt in by-gone times shal animate incourage your Highnes still to walk before the Lord in the vprightnes of your heart for with the vpright man the Lord wil shew himself vpright I need to speak no more of this point to a Prince of such vnderstanding I am sure out of these places God hath spoken to your hart your royall hart hath answered him Of all this we see that the Church of olde when they prayed for themselues they prayed also for their Kings and Gouernours yea in praying for such as are ouer vs wee pray for our selues the benefit redounds to vs I will that prayers bee made for all men for Kings and all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life and for this same cause the Israelites of olde were commanded to pray for the King of Babel who captiued them It is true which Augustine saith that albeit euill Kings be more hurtfull to themselues then to their subiects yet bonorum regnum non tam ipsis quam illis vtile est quibus pr●positi sunt yet good Kings are more profitable to their subiects then to themselues The vnity and felicity of a people stands in the good disposition of him who rules ouer them Caput est imago Principis in Republica the head in the body is an image of a Prince in the Common-wealth As an head without a body is inglorious for the glorie of a King stands in the multitude of his subiects sayd Salomon so a body without a head is much more ignominious for either else it hath no life at all or if it haue any euery member beateth and dasheth vpon another none of them can rightly doe their office In these daies there was no King
in Israel and euery man did what was good in his owne eyes yea how deere a good King should be to his people and how heauy a losse it is to want him that one place may teach vs The breath of our nosthrills the anointed of the Lord was taken in their nets of whom we said vnder his shadow we shall be preserued aliue among the heathen A happy thing therefore is it when Prince and people goe together as Dauid and his subiects did their loue was mutuall their care mutuall their prayer one for the other mutuall when the people were strucken with pestilence Dauid their King praied for them and wished that the punishment might be turned on him and his house and the people spared O Lord I beseech thee let thy hand be on me and my fathers house and not on thy people for their destruction And againe when Absalom rebelled against his father King Dauid the people interponed their liues for their King they would not let him goe out to the battell they accounted him the light of Israel more worthy to be preserued then many thousands of them But now must I contract my selfe Since all other things requisite for your Maiesties iourney are in readinesse attending your Highnesse forth comming it is also time that our prayer should betake her to her wings and let goe to her flight to accompanie your Maiestie wheresoeuer yee goe As I said in the beginning so now say I in the end in the name of all your Highnesse subiects of this Kingdome Since our hands cannot be with your Highnesse to waite on and serue your Maiestie as our hearts would The hand of the Lord be with you That hand which preserued you in the wombe of your Mother and brought your Highnesse safely into this world That hand of the Lord which made your armes strong to wrestle with the Gowrian traitor before the hands of your seruants came neere you That hand of the Lord which deliuered your Maiestie from that abominable powder treason and first reuealed to your selfe the counsell of your enemies In a word That hand of the Lord which hath made your Maiestie glorious by many deliuerances that same hand of the Lord be with your Maiestie in this iourney and for euer The ancient Israelites vsed this prayer for Cyrus Nehemiah Zerubabel such others that were to be the instruments of their comfort before euer they receiued any comfort from them how much more should we vse it for your Highnesse since we doe so abundantly enioy the fruits of your Highnesse most happy gouernment For your Maiestie hath bin vnto vs an other Cyrus when he came to the Kingdome then came deliuerance to Israel from their seauentie yeeres bondage in ancient Babel and with your Maiesties comming into the world to enioy these Scepters wherevnto your Highnesse was borne a lineall and lawfull heire then came our deliuerance from mysticall Babell And your Maiesties most christian care to establish our Church by prouiding portions for the Leuites who serue the Lord in his Sanctuary and to free the common people from oppression in their tithes hath shewed that your Maiestie is to vs a Nehemiah and Zerubabel Yea your Highnesse words and workes are witnesses that yee are vnto vs a King giuen of God in his mercy A sonne of his right hand Patriae parens populi pastor a publike father of the countrey and pastor of the people Among innumerable words and discourses royall philosophicall and theologicall deliuered almost euery meale and most worthy to be remembred I doe onely make mention of one vttered by your Maiestie on your birth-day after supper in the Castle of Edenbrugh when your seruant had said the Grace and a litle more then customably I vsed had praied for the continuance of many such daies wherein we might with ioy celebrate the remembrance of your Highnesse most happy natiuitie your Maiestie arose from the chaire with this speach in publike audience of the whole house You haue said the Grace for mee and now will I pray for my selfe which your Maiestie with all reuerence and zealous affection deliuered in these words THE LORD GRANT ME NO LONGER TO LIVE NOR MY HEART BE SET TO ADVANCE THE GLORY OF GOD AND TO PROCVRE THE GOOD OF HIS CHVRCH All that heard it were affected yea rauished with great ioy and seconded it with their prayers vnto God The Lord grant thee according to thine heart For in this did your Highnesse open the integritie and sinceritie of your soule that your Highnesse desired to liue Non vt praeesses sed prodesses not for your selfe but for the glory of GOD and benefit of his Church And as to your Maiesties worke all places of this Kingdome Highland Inland and the borders are stored with seuerall testimonies of your Highnesse wise and happy gouernment but leauing them all this Countrey and Towne wherein your Maiestie now is reioyceth aboue others in the sweet fruits first of religion and pietie next of singular and vnaccustomed peace which now by your Highnesse prudencie and fatherly care they eni●y As to the first the time hath beene as your Maiestie doth well remember wherein this Towne and Countrey about it was like to a field all ouergrowne with the popple of Papistrie the litle handfull that then was of the Religion were but like to the gleanings and after-gatherings of the haruest But now SIR the case is altered there is here a flourishing Church God hath so blessed the labour of the Preacher Ouerseer of this people that there is not to be found three P●ecusants in all this Towne as I am informed and the countrey about it is filled with good wheat in steede of popple so that they who are of the Popish sort are like vnto the grapes which remaine after the vintage here one and there one easie to be discerned And for this cause I haue heard sundry of their ancient men blesse the Lord for that he had sent the light of his Gospell among them to illuminate them protesting that without it they had died in most pitifull ignorance The other fruit of singular peace is so apparant to you all that I neede not to point at it Yee who stand here in great multitudes beare witnes your selues before the Lord his Anointed Tell as the truth is Are yee troubled now with any forayes in the night Are yee wakened from your rest by the Alarum or sound of the drumme Is there crying now for armour to represse the incursion of robbers Doe yee not sit peaceably euery one of you in your owne houses without molestation of the oppressor May ye not now as the prouerbe is porrectis dormire pedibus in respect of securitie sleepe soundly Is not that promise made by the Lord accomplished now He setteth peace in thy borders Now are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein euery good subiect may peaceably
with them got this answer from their most miserable master that He was The man of God Yet being loth to discouer his owne weakenesse spake it in such a language as for the present they vnderstood not Let therefore Romish Rabsache raile as he hath done against the Lords Anointed whom he hath set ouer vs let his Emissaries spue out their venemous and blasphemous boastings Leo ●aruis non terretur the Lyon is not terrified with Bugs Because the King trusteth in the mercie of the most High therefore he shall not fall His enemies are forced to lament in secret that none of their attempts haue prospered The Tulipantic Frogs haue plotted in powder and laid subtill subterranean snares to accomplish the malice of their heart but all in vaine blessed be the Lord for it for he hath preserued and will preserue the comming and the going of his owne Anointed But seeing this same promise of preseruation was made before for from the third verse to the end of the Psalme six sundry times is this word of keeping or preseruing repeated why is it now made ouer againe not without cause for this doubling and redoubling serues first for a remedy of our ignorance Men if they be in any good estate are ready to sacrifice to their owne net or to cause their mouth to kisse their owne hand as if their owne hand had helped them this is to impute their deliuerance to their Calfe and therefore often is this resounded The Lord the Lord. Is thy estate aduanced ●he Lord hath done it Hast thou beene preserued from desperate dangers Looke vp to the Lord thy helpe is from on high and to him let the praise bee returned Secondly it is for a remedy of our naturall diffidence the Word of the Lord in it selfe is as sure when it is spoken as when it is sworne as sure spoken once as when it is oftner repeated yet is not the Lord content to speake onely but to sweare also nor to speake once but often one and the selfesame thing The reason is shewed vs by the Apostle that hereby he may declare to the heires of promise this stability of his counsell As Ioseph spake of Pharao his vision It was doubled because the thing is established by God and God hasteth to performe it so is it with euery Word of the Lord when it is repeated it is because it is established and GOD hastens to performe it The fourth and last circumstance sheweth to vs the qualities of this preseruation and they are two first it is totall not in one but in all thy wayes shall the Lord preserue thee in thy comming in and thy going out from all euill shall the Lord preserue thee Next it is perpetuall from henceforth and for euer Hilarius and Arnobius expound this too strictly Arnobius takes it this way Custodit introitum tuum ad poenitentiam exitum tuum de corpore Hee preserues thy comming into repentance and thy going out of the body Hilarius againe Non est huins saeculi custodia haec this preseruation saies he pertaines not to this life but is to be vnderstood of our going out of this life and of our entrie to the life to come he seemes to haue forgotten that place of the Apostle Godlinesse hath the promise both of this life and of the life to come Basile Chrysostome and Euthymius take it better vp by comming and going out they vnderstand the whole course of the life of man And so in holy Scripture our life is called in two respects first in respect of the naturall and vniuersall course thereof so patient Iob makes a short abridgement of his life Naked came I and naked shall I returne The like after him hath Saint Paul We brought nothing into the World and it is certaine nothing we can carry out The whole life of our Lord is comprised by Saint Luke in these two 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The like short description hath Salomon of our life Man commeth into vanity and goeth into darkenesse In them all yee see there is a comming and a going no standing nor abiding There is no continuing City yea which is not obserued to make vs wise as we should euen in our comming we begin to goe away Ex quo nascimur incipimus mori so soone as we are borne we begin to die for our life is rapidissimus cursus à tumulo ad tumulum a most speedy course from one graue to another from the belly of our mother to the bosome of our great Mother Vita haec crescendo decr●scit this life in growing weareth away as the turning of a wheele drawes a thred from the wooll till all be gone so euery reuolution of the Sunne in the Firmament twineth from vs a day till at length all bee consumed quotidie pars aliqua vitae demitur euery day some part of our life is taken from vs. Next our life is called a comming in and a going out in respect of the personall actions of men in their life so is it comprised in the Law Blessed sh●lt thou be when thou commest in and blessed when thou goest out that is in all thy actions and in all thy wayes thou shalt be blessed Our life is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a turning about from one thing to another and from that backe againe to the former What now wee craue for a recreation incontinent becomes a wearinesse for the most desired pleasures in the world if they were perpetuall should become painfull and what now we reiect for wearinesse in a short time we returne to it for recreation from resting we rise to walke from walking againe wee sit downe to rest and so forth of all the actions of our life Sola vicissitudine releuamur we are onely eased by an interchange of them So Herodot brings in Croesus speaking to Cyrus Humanarum rerum circulus semper eodem rotatus fortunatos esse homines non sinit The circle of humane things tumbled and turned about continually vnto the same le ts not men be happy in this life The like hath Nazianzen Inmorem rotae volubili vertigine voluuntur sur sum deor sum omnia After the forme of a Wheele by a most speedie motion are all things turned vpside downe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now these flourishing now these fading and falling away vt auris potiùs sit fidere aut scriptis in aqua l●teris quàm hominum foelicitati So that it is better to trust vnto the windes which change continually or to letters drawne in the water whereof no mark or similitude remaines then to trust vnto the felicitie of man vpon earth Let all men learn to be sober in that estate wherein they stand perswading themselues or it be long they must be changed into another But to come neerer beside both these which are common vnto all men here is a