the deeper it is rooted in thy heart Take heed it please thee not especially in cold blood thy pleasure in it makes it fruitless and her fruit is thy destruction MAX. 26. The two knowledges of God and of thy self are the high-way to thy Salvation that breeds in thee a filial Love this a filial Fear The Ignorance of thy self is the beginning of all sin and the Ignorance of God is the perfection of all Evil. MAX. 27. Rather do nothing to the purpose than be Idle that the Devil may find thee doing The Bird that sits is easily shot when flyers ' scape the Fowler Idleness is the dead Sea that swallows all Virtues and the self made Sepulchre of a living man The Idle man is the Devil's hireling whose Livery is Rags whose Dyet and Wages are famine and diseases MAX. 28. Be not so mad as to alter that Countenance which thy Creator made thee remember 't was the work of his hands if it be bad how darst thou mend it if it be good why dost thou mend it art thou asham'd of his work and proud of thy own he made thy face to be known by why desirest thou to be known by another It is a shame to adulterate Modesty but more to adulterate Nature lay by thy Art and blush not to appear what he blushes not to make thee It is better to be his Picture than thine own MAX. 29. Let the Ground of all thy Religious actions be obedience Examine not why it is Commanded but observe it because it is commanded true Obedience neither Procrastinates nor Questions MAX. 30. If thou would'st buy an Inheritance in Heaven advise not with thy Purse lest in the mean while thou lose thy Purchase The Widow bought as much for two Mites as Zacheus did for half his Estate The Price of that Purchase is what thou hast and is not lost for what thou hast not if thou desire to have it MAX. 31. With the same height of Desire thou hast sinned with the like depth of Sorrow thou must repent thou that hast sinned to day defer not thy Repentance till to morrow He that hath promised thee Pardon to thy Repentance hath not promised Life till thou repent MAX. 32. Take heed how thou receivest Praise from men from good men neither avoid it nor glory in it from evil men neither desire it nor expect it To be praised of them that are evil or for that which is evil is equal Dishonour he is happy in his Worth who is praised by the good and imitated by the bad MAX. 33. Proportion thy Charity to the strength of thy Estate lest God proportion thy Estate to the weakness of thy Charity Let the Lips of the Poor be the Trumpet of thy Gifts lest in seeking applause thou losest thy Reward Nothing is more pleasing to God than an open hand and a close mouth MAX. 34. Dost thou want things necessary Grumble not perchance 't was a necessary thing thou should'st want endeavour lawfully to supply it If God bless not thy Endeavours bless him that knoweth what is fittest for thee thou art God's Patient prescribe not thy Physitian MAX. 35. If another's Death or thy own depend upon thy Confession if thou canst say nothing if thou must say the Truth It is better thou lose thy Life than God his Honour it is as easie for him to give thee Life being condemned as Repentance having sinned It is more Wisdom to yeild thy Body than hazard thy Soul MAX. 36. Cloath not thy Language either with obscurity or affectation in the one thou discoverest too much darkness in the other too much lightness He that speaks from the Understanding to the Understanding is the best Interpreter MAX. 37. If thou expect Death as a Friend prepare to entertain it if thou expect Death as an Enemy prepare to overcome it Death hath no advantage but when it comes a Stranger MAX. 38. Fear nothing but what thy Industry may prevent Be confident of nothing but what fortune cannot defeat It is no less folly to fear what is impossible to be avoided than to be secure when there is a possibility to be deprived MAX. 39. Let not the necessity of God's Decree discourage thee to pray or dishearten thy Prayers do thou thy Dury and God will do his Pleasure If thy Prayers make not him found that is sick they will return and confirm thy health that art sound If the end of thy Prayers be to obtain thy Request thou confinest him that is infinite if thou hast done well because thou wert commanded thou hast thy Reward in that thou hast obeyed God's Pleasure in the end of our Prayers MAX. 40. Marry not too young and when thou art too old marry not lest thou be fond in the one and dote in the other and repent for both Let thy Liking ripen before thou love let thy Love advise before thou chuse and let thy Choice be first before thou marry Remember that the whole Happiness of thy Life depends upon this one Act remember that nothing but Death can dissolve this Knot He that weds in haste repents oftentimes by leisure and he that repents him of his own Act either is or was a Fool by Confession MAX. 41. If God hath sent thee a Cross take it up and follow him use it wisely lest it be unprofitable bear it patiently lest it be intollerable behold in it God's Anger against Sin and his Love towards thee in punishing and chastising the other If it be light slight it not if heavy murmur not Not to be sensible of a Judgment is the symptom of a hardned Heart and to be displeased at his Pleasure is a sign of a Rebellious Will MAX. 42. If thou desire to be magnanimous undertake nothing rashly and fear nothing thou undertakest Fear nothing but Infamy dare any thing but Injury The measure of Magnanimity is neither to be rash nor timorous MAX. 43. Practise in Health to bear Sickness and endeavour in the strength of thy life to entertain Death He that hath a Will to dye not having Power to live shews Necessity not Virtue It is the Glory of a brave mind to embrace Pangs in the very Arms of Pleasure What name of Virtue merits he that goes when he is driven MAX. 44. Be not too punctual in taking place If he be thy Superiour 't is his due if thy Inferiour 't is his Dishonour it is thou must honour thy place not thy place thee It is a poor Reward of Worth that consists in a Righthand or a brick Wall MAX. 45. Pray often because thou sinnest always repent quickly lest thou dye suddenly He that repents it because he wants power to act it repents not of a Sin till he forsakes it He that wants power to actuate his Sin hath not forsaken his Sin but his Sin him MAX. 46. Make Philosophy thy Journey Theology thy Journey 's end Philosophy is a pleasant way but dangerous to him that either tires or retires
despair will afford no hopes He that in Prosperity can foretel a Danger can in Adversity foresee Deliverance MAX. 58. If thy Faith hath no Doubts thou hast Just Cause to doubt thy Faith and if thy Doubts have no Hope thou hast Just Reason to fear Despair when therefore thy Doubts shall exercise thy Faith keep thy Hopes firm to qualify thy Doubts so shall thy Faith be secured from Doubts so shall thy Doubts be preserved from Despair MAX. 59. If thou desire to be truly Valiant fear to do any Injury He that fears not to do Evil is always afraid to suffer Evil He that never Fears is desperate and he that fears always is a Coward he is the true Valiant man that dares nothing but what he may and fears nothing but what he ought MAX. 60. Anger may repast with thee for an hour but not repose for a Night the continuance of Anger is Hatred the continuance of Hatred turns Malice that Anger is not warrantable that hath seen two Suns MAX. 61. If thou stand guilty of Oppression or wrongfully possest of another's Right see thou make restitution before thou givest an Alms if otherwise what art thou but a Thief and makest God thy Receiver MAX. 62. When thou Prayest for Spiritual Grace let thy Prayer be absolute when for Temporal Blessings add a Clause of God's pleasure in both with Faith and Humiliation so that thou undoubtedly receive what thou desirest or more or better never Prayer rightly made was made unheard or heard ungranted MAX. 63. He that gives all tho' but little gives much because God looks not to the quantity of the Gift but to the quality of the Givers He that desires to give more than he can hath equalled his Gift to his desire and hath given more than he hath MAX. 64. Be not too greedy in desiring Riches nor too eager in seeking them nor too Covetous in keeping them nor too passionate in losing them the first will possess thy Soul of Discontent the second will dispossess thy Body of Rest the third will possess thy Wealth of thee the last will dispossess thee of thy self He that is too Violent in the Concupiscible will be as Violent in the Irascible MAX. 65. Be not too rash in the breaking of an inconvenient Custom as it was gotten so leave it by degrees danger attends upon too sudden alterations He that pulls down a bad Building by the great may be ruin'd by the fall but he that takes it down brick by brick may live to build a bettter MAX. 66. If thou desire that inestimable grace of Saving Faith detest that insatiable Vice of damnable Covetousness it is impossible one heart though never so double should lodge both Faith possesseth thee of what thou hast not Covetousness disposesseth thee of what thou hast thou canst not serve God unless Mammon serve thee MAX. 67. Beware of him that is slow to Anger Anger when it is long in coming is the stronger when it comes and the longer kept Abused Patience turns to Fury When Fancy is the ground of Passion that understanding which composeth the Fancy qualifies the Passion but when Judgment is the ground the Memory is the Recorder MAX. 68. He that professeth himself thy open Enemy arms thee against the Evil he means thee but he that dissembles himself thy Friend strikes beyond caution and wounds beyond cure From the first thou mayst deliver thy self from the last Good Lord deliver thee MAX. 69. If thou hast wrong'd thy Brother in thought reconcile thee to him in thought if thou hast offended him in words let thy reconciliation be in words if thou hast trespassed against him in deeds be reconciled to him that Reconciliation is most kindly which is most in kind MAX. 70. Not to give to the Poor is to take from him not to feed the hungry if thou hast it is the utmost of thy power to kill him That therefore thou mayst avoid both Sacrilege and Murther be Charitable MAX. 71. So often as thou Remember'st thy Sins without Grief so often thou repeatest those Sins for not grieving He that will not mourn for the Evil that he hath done gives earnest for the Evil he means to do nothing can asswage that fire which Sin hath made but only that water which Repentance hath drawn MAX. 72. Look well before thou Leap into the Chair of Honour the Higher thou Climest the lower thou fallest If Virtue prefer thee Virtue will preserve thee if Gold or Favour advance thee thy honour is pinn'd upon the Wheel of Fortune when the Wheel shall turn thy Honour falls and thou remainest an Everlasting Monument of thy own ambitious folly MAX. 73. We are born with our Temptations Nature sometimes presseth us to Evil sometime provokes us unto Good If therefore thou givest her more than her due thou nourishest an Enemy if less than is sufficient thou destroyest a Friend moderation will prevent both MAX. 74. If thou scorn not to serve Luxury in thy Youth Chastity will scorn thy service in thy Age and that the will of thy Green Years thought no Vice in the acting the Necessity of thy Grey Hairs makes no Virtue in the forbearing where there is no Conflict there can be no Conquest where there is no Conquest there is no Crown MAX. 75. Thou didst nothing toward thy own Creation for thou wert Created for thy Creator's Glory thou must do something toward thy own Redemption for thou wert redeemed for thy own Good he that made thee without thee will not save thee without thee MAX. 76. When thy Tongue and Heart agree not in Confession that Confession is not agreeable to God's Pleasure He that confesseth with Tongue and wants Confession in his Heart is either a Vain Man or an Hypocrite He that hath Confession in his Heart and wants it in his Tongue is either a Proud Man or a Timorous MAX. 77. Gold is Caesar's treasure Man is God's thy Gold hath Caesar's Image and thou hast God's Give therefore unto Caesar those things which are Caesar's and unto God which are God's MAX. 78. In the Commission of Evil fear no Man so much as thy own self another is but one witness against thee thou art a thousand another thou mayst avoid but thy self thou canst not wickedness is its own punishment MAX. 79. In thy Apparel avoid singularity Profuseness and Gaudiness be not too early in the fashion nor too late Decency is the half way between Affectation and Neglect the Body is the shell of the Soul Apparel is the Husk of that shell the Husk often tells you what the Kernel is MAX. 80. Let thy Recreation be Manly Moderate Seasonable Lawful if thy Life be sedentary more tending to the exercise of thy Body if active more to the refreshing of thy Mind the use of Recreation is to strengthen thy Labour and sweeten thy Rest MAX. 81. Be not Censorious for thou knowest not whom thou Judgest it is a more dextrous error to speak well
account of your Eye-Glorious Actions according to the Righteous rules of Sacred Justice How Warrantable it is to read Imperial Crowns from off the Sovereign Heads of their too weak Possessors or to snatch Scepters from out the hand of Heaven Anointed Majesty and by your vast ambitions still to enlarge Dominions with Kingdoms ravish'd from their Natural Princes Judge you O let your brave designs and well weighed actions be as Just as they are Glorious and consider that all your Wars whose ends are not to defend your own Possessions or to recover your dispossessions are but Princely Injuries which none but Heaven can right But where necessity strikes up her hard alarms or wrong'd Religion beats her Zealous marches go on and prosper and let both Swords and Stratagems proclaim a Victory whose Nois'd Renown may fill the World with your Eternal Glory MAX. 100. Piety and Policy are like Martha and Mary Sisters Martha fails if Mary helps not and Mary suffers if Martha be Idle Happy is that Kingdom where Martha complains of Mary but most happy where Mary complys with Martha where Piety and Policy go hand in hand there War shall be Just and Peace honourable The End of the First Century INSTITUTIONS AND MAXIMS Moral and Divine c. CENT II. MAXIM 1. A Promise is a Child of the Understanding and the Will the Understanding begets it the Will brings it forth He that performs it delivers the Mother He that breaks it Murthers the Child If he be begotten in the absence of the Understanding it is a Bastard but the Child must be kept If thou mistrust thy Understanding Promise not If thou hast Promis'd break it not It is better to maintain a Bastard than to murther a Child MAX. 2. Charity is a Naked Child giving Honey to a Bee without Wings Naked because Excuseless and Simple a Child because tender and growing giving Honey because Honey is pleasant and comfortable To a Bee because a Bee is laborious and deserving without Wings because helpless and wanting If thou deniest to such thou killest a Bee if thou givest to other than such thou preservest a Drone MAX. 3. Before thy Undertaking of any design weigh the Glory of thy Action with the Danger of the Attempt If the Glory outweigh the Danger it is Cowardise to neglect it If the Danger exceed the Glory it is rashness to attempt it If the Ballances stand pois'd let thy own Genius cast them MAX. 4. Wouldst thou know the Lawfulness of the action which thou desirest to undertake Let thy Devotion recommend it to Divine Blessing If it be Lawful thou shalt perceive thy Heart Encouraged by Prayer If Unlawful thou shalt find thy Prayer discouraged by thy Heart That action is not Warrantable which either blushes to beg a Blessing or having succeeded dares not present Thanksgiving MAX. 5. If Evil men speak good or good men Evil of thy Conversation Examine all thy actions and suspect thy self But if Evil men speak Evil of thee hold it as thy honour and by way of thankfulness Love them but upon condition that they continue to hate thee MAX. 6. If thou hope to please all thy hopes are vain If thou fear to displease some thy fears are Idle The way to please thy self is not to displease the best and the way to displease the best is to please the most If thou canst fashion thy self to please all thou shalt displease him that is all in all MAX. 7. If thou Neglectest thy Love to thy Neighbour in vain thou professest thy Love to God for by thy Love to God the Love to thy Neighbour is begotten and by the Love to thy Neighbour thy Love to God is nourish'd MAX. 8. Thy Ignorance in unreveal'd Mysteries is the Mother of a Saving Faith and thy Understanding in reveal'd Truths is the Mother of a Sacred Knowledge Understand not therefore that thou mayst Believe but believe that thou mayst Understand Understanding is the wages of a Lively Faith and Faith is the reward of an humbler Ignorance MAX. 9. Pride is the Ape of Charity in shew not much unlike but somewhat fuller of action In seeking the one take heed thou light not on the other they are two Parallels never but asunder Charity feeds the Poor so does Pride Charity builds an Hospital so does Pride In this they differ Charity gives her Glory to God Pride takes her Glory from Man MAX. 10. Hast thou lost thy Money and dost thou Mourn another lost it before thou hadst it Be not troubled perchance if thou hadst not lost it now it had lost thee for ever Think therefore What thou hast rather escaped than lost Perhaps thou hadst not been so much thine own had not thy Money been so little thine MAX. 11. Flatter not thy self in thy Faith to God if thou wantst Charity for thy Neighbour and think not that thou hast Charity for thy Neighbour if thou wantst Faith to God where they are not both together they are both wanting they are both dead if once divided MAX. 12. Be not too slow in breaking of a sinful Custom a quick Couragious Resolution is better than a Gradual Deliberation In such a Combate he is the bravest Soldier that lays about him without fear or wit Wit Pleads Fear disheartens He that would kill Hydra had better strike off one Neck than Five Heads Fell the Tree and the Branches are soon cut off MAX. 13. Be careful rather of what thou dost than of what thou hast for what thou hast is none of thine and will leave thee at thy death or thou the pleasure of it in thy sickness But what thou dost is thine and will follow thee to thy Grave and plead for thee or against thee at thy Resurrection MAX. 14. If thou enjoyest not the God of Love thou canst not obtain the Love of God neither until then canst thou Enjoy a desire to Love God nor relish the Love of God thy Love to God is nothing but a faint reflection of God's love to thee till he please to Love thee thy Love can never please him MAX. 15. Let not thy Fancy be guided by thine Eye nor let thy Will be govern'd by thy Fancy Thine Eye may be deceived in her Object and thy Fancy may be deluded in her Subject Let thine Understanding moderate between thine Eye and thy Fancy and let thy Judgment Arbitrate between thy Fancy and thy Will so shall Fancy apprehend what is true so shall thy Will elect what is good MAX. 16. Endeavour to subdue as well thy irascible as thy concupiscible Affections To endure Injuries with a brave Mind is one half of the Conquest and to abstain from pleasing Evils with a couragious Spirit is the other The Sum of all Humanity and height of Moral Perfection is Bear and Forbear MAX. 17. If thou desire not to be too poor desire not to be too rich He is rich not that possesseth much but he that covets no more and he is poor not
his Soul for the loss of a transitory Good casts away the Kernel because he hath lost the Shell MAX. 37. Natural Anger glances into the Breasts of wise men but rests in the Bosom of Fools In them it is Infirmity in these a Sin there is a natural Anger and there is a Spiritual Anger the common Object of that is the Person of this his Vice He that is always angry with his Sin shall seldom sin in his Anger MAX. 38. If any hard Affliction hath surprized thee cast one eye upon the hand that sent it and the other upon the Sins that brought it If thou thankfully receive the Message he that sent it will discharge the Messenger MAX. 39. All Passions are good and bad according to their Objects Where the Object is absolutely good there the greatest Passion is too little where absolutely evil there the least Passion is too much where indifferent there a little is enough MAX. 40. When thou dost Evil that Good may come thereby the Evil is surely thine if Good should happen to ensue upon the Evil which thou hast done the Good proceeds from God If therefore thou do Evil thereby to occasionate a Good thou lay'st a bad Foundation for a good Building and servest the Devil that God may serve thee Where the end of Evil is Good in the Intention there the end of that Good is Evil in the Extension MAX. 41. Be as far from desiring the Popular Love as fearful to deserve the Popular Hate Ruine dwells in both the one will hug thee to Death the other will crush thee to Destruction To escape the first be not ambitious to avoid the second be not seditious MAX. 42. When thou seest misery in thy Brother's Face let him see mercy in thine Eye the more the Oyle of mercy is poured on him by thy Pity the more the Oyle in thy Cruise shall be encreased by thy Piety MAX. 43. Read not Books alone but Men and amongst them chiefly thy self If thou find any thing questionable there use the Commentary of a severe Friend rather than the Gloss of a sweet lipt Flatterer There is more Profit in a distastful Truth than deceitful Sweetness MAX. 44. If the opinion of thy Worth invite any to the desire of thy Acquaintance yeild a Respect suitable to his Quality Too great a Reservation will expose thee to the Sentence of Pride too easie Access will condemn thee to the Censure of Folly Things too hardly endeavoured discourage the Seeker too easily obtained disparage the thing sought for Too easily got is lowly prised and quickly lost MAX. 45. When Conveniency of time hath ripened your Acquaintance be cautious what thou say'st and courteous in what thou dost Observe his Inclination if thou find him weight make him thine own and lodge him in a faithful Bosom Be not easily exceptious nor rudely familiar the one will breed Contention the other Contempt MAX. 46. When Passion is grounded upon Fancy it is commonly but of short Continuance Where the Foundation is unstable there the Building is not lasting He that will be angry for any Cause will be angry for no Cause and when the Understanding perceives the Cause vain then the Judgment proclaims the Effect void MAX. 47. If thou desire to purchase Honour with thy Wealth consider first how that Wealth became thine if thy Labour got it let thy Wisdom keep it if Oppression found it let Repentance restore it if thy Parent left it let thy Virtues deserve it so shall thy Honour be safer better and cheaper MAX. 48. Sin is a Basilisk whose Eyes are full of Venom if the Eye of thy Soul see her first it reflects her own Poison and kills her If she see thy Soul unseen or seen too late with her Poison she kills thee since therefore thou canst not Escape thy Sin let not thy Sin escape thy Observation MAX. 49. If thou expect to rise by the means of him whom thy Father's Greatness rais'd from his service to Court-preferment thou wilt be deceived for the more in esteem thou art the more sensible is he of what he was whose servitude will be Chronicled by thy Advancement and Glory obscured by thy Greatness However he will conceive it a dead service which may be interpreted by thee as a merited reward rather than a meritorious benefit MAX. 50. Trust not to the Promise of a Common Swearer for he that dare Sin against his God for neither Profit nor Pleasure will trespass against thee for his own advantage He that dare break the precepts of his Father will easily be perswaded to violate the Promise unto his Brother MAX. 51. Let the greatest part of the News thou hearest be the least part of what thou believest lest the greatest part of what thou believest be the least part of what is true where Lies are easily admitted the Father of Lies will not easily be excluded MAX. 52. Deliberate long before thou consecrate a friend and when thy impartial Judgment concludes him worthy of thy Bosom receive him Joyfully and entertain him Wisely impart thy secrets boldly and mingle thy thoughts with his he is thy very self and use him so if thou firmly thinks him faithful thou makes him so MAX. 53. As there is no Worldly Gain without some Loss so there is no Worldly Loss without some Gain If thou hast lost thy Wealth thou hast lost some trouble with it if thou art degraded from thy honour thou art likewise freed from the stroke of Envy if sickness hath blur'd thy Beauty it hath delivered thee from Pride set the allowance against the loss and thou shalt find no loss great he loseth little or nothing that reserves himself MAX. 54. If thou desire to take the best advantage of thy self especially in matters where the Fancy is most employed keep temperate Diet use moderate Exercise observe seasonable and set hours for Rest let the end of thy first sleep raise thee from thy repose then hath thy body the best temper then hath thy Soul the least incumbrance then no noise shall disturb thy Ear no object shall divert thine Eye then if thy sprightly Fancy transport thee not beyond the common pitch and shew thee not the Magazine of high Invention return thee to thy wanton Bed and there conclude thy self more fit to wear thy Mistresses favour than Apollo's Bays MAX. 55. If thou art Rich strive to Command thy Money lest she Command thee if thou know how to use her she is thy Servant if not thou art her slave MAX. 56. Bring thy Daughter a Husband of her own Religion and of no Hereditary Disease let his Wisdom out-weigh his Wealth let his Parantage excel his Person and let his Age exceed hers let thy Prayers recommend the rest to Providence If he prove good thou hast found a Son if not thou hast lost a Daughter MAX. 57. So use Prosperity that Adversity may not abuse thee if in the one security admits no Fear in the other