who is infinitly mercifull yet will not have his favours otherwise conveighed to us then by our supplications the style of his dear ones is His people that prayeth and his own style is The God that heareth prayers To him therfore doth the devout heart pour out all his requests with all true humility with all fervour of spirit as knowing that God will hear neither proud prayers nor heartlesse wherein his holy desires are regulated by a just method First suing for spirituall favours as most worthy then for temporall as the appendences of better and in both ayming at the glory of our good God more then our own advantage And in the order of spirituall things first and most for those that are most necessary and essentiall for our souls health then for secondary graces that concern the prosperity and comfort of our spirituall life Absolutely craving those graces that accompany salvation all others conditionally and with reference to the good pleasure of the munificent Giver Wherein heed must be taken that our thoughts be not so much taken up with our expressions as with our desires and that we doe not suffer our selves to languish into an unfeeling length and repetition of our suits Even the hands of a Moses may in time grow heavy so therefore must we husband our spirituall strength that our devotion may not flagge with overtyring but may be most vigorous at the last And as we must enter into our prayers not without preparatory elevations so must we be carefull to take a meet leave of God at their shutting up following our supplications with the pause of a faithfull and most lowly adoration and as it were sending up our hearts into heaven to see how our prayers are taken and raising them to a joyfull expectation of a gracious and successefull answer frō the father of mercies SECT XX. VPon the comfortable feeling of a gracious condescent follows an happy fruition of God in all his favours so as we have not them so much as God in them which advanceth their worth a thousand fold and as it were brings down heaven unto us whereas therefore the sensuall man rests onely in the meer use of any blessing as health peace prosperity knowledge and reacheth no higher the devout soul in and through all these sees and feels a God that sanctifies them to him and enjoys therein his favour that is better then life Even we men are wont out of our good nature to esteem a benefit not so much for its own worth as for the love and respect of the giver Small legacies for this cause finde dear acceptation how much more is it so betwixt God and the devout soul It is the sweet apprehension of this love that makes all his gifts blessings Doe we not see some vain churl though cryed down by the multitude herein secretly applauding himself that he hath bags at home how much more shall the godly man finde comfort against all the crosses of the world that he is possessed of him that possesseth all things even God Al-sufficient the pledges of whose infinite love he feels in all the whole course of Gods dealing with him SECT XXI OUt of the true sense of this inward fruition of God the devout soul breaks forth into cheerfull thanksgivings to the God of all comfort praising him for every evill that it is free from for every good thing it enjoyeth For as it keeps a just Inventory of all Gods favours so it often spreads them thankfully before him and layes them forth so near as it may in the full dimensions that so God may be no loser by him in any act of his beneficence Here therefore every of Gods benefits must come into account whether eternall or temporall spirituall or bodily outward or inward publique or private positive or privative past or present upon our selves or others In all which he shall humbly acknowledge both Gods free mercy and his own shamefull unworthinesse setting off the favours of his good God the more with the foyle of his own confessed wretchednesse and unanswerablenesse to the least of his mercies Now as there is infinite variety of blessings from the liberall hand of the Almighty so there is great difference in their degrees For whereas there are three subjects of all the good we are capable of The Estate Body Soul and each of these doe far surpasse other in value the soul being infinitely more worth then the body and the body far more precious then the outward estate so the blessings that appertain to them in severall differ in their true estimation accordingly If either we doe not highly magnifie Gods mercy for the least or shall set as high a price upon the blessings that concern our estate as those that pertain to the body or upon bodily favours as upon those that belong to the soul we shall shew our selves very unworthy and unequall partakers of the Divine bounty But it will savour too much of earth if we be more affected with temporall blessings then with spirituall and eternall By how much nearer relation then any favour hath to the Fountain of goodness and by how much more it conduceth to the glory of God and ours in him so much higher place should it possesse in our affection and gratitude No marvell therefore if the Devout Heart be raised above it self and transported with heavenly raptures when with Stephens eyes it beholds the Lord Jesus standing at the right hand of God fixing it self upon the consideration of the infinite Merits of his Life Death Resurrection Ascension Intercession and finding it self swallowed up in the depth of that Divine Love from whence all mercies flow into the Soul so as that it runs over with passionate thankfulnesse and is therefore deeply affected with all other his mercies because they are derived from that boundlesse Ocean of Divine goodnesse Unspeakable is the advantage that the soul raises to it self by this continuall exercise of thanksgiving for the gratefull acknowledgement of favours is the way to more even amongst men whose hands are short and strait this is the means to pull on further beneficence how much more from the God of all Consolation whose largest bounty diminisheth nothing of his store And herein the Devout Soul enters into its Heavenly Task beginning upon earth those Hallelujahs which it shall perfect above in the blessed Chore of Saints and Angels ever praising God and saying Blessing and Glory and Wisdome and Thankesgiving and Honour and Power and Might be unto our God for ever and ever Amen SECT XXII NOne of all the services of God can be acceptably no not unsinfully performed without due devotion as therefore in our prayers thanksgivings so in the other exercises of Divine Worship especially in the reading and hearing of Gods Word and in our receipt of the blessed Sacrament it is so necessary that without it we offer to God a meer carcass of religious duty and profane that Sacred Name we would
peace nor dispose our selves towards it nor resolve ought for the effecting it without which all our Considerations all our Dispositions all our Resolutions are vain and fruitlesse Justly therefore doth the blessed Apostle after his charge of avoiding all carefulnesse for these earthly things enforce the necessity of our Prayers and Supplications and making our requests knowne unto God who both knows our need and puts these requests into our mouths When we have all done they are the requests of our hearts that must free them from cares and frame them to a perfect contentment There may be a kind of dull and stupid neglect which possessing the soul may make it insensible of evill events in some naturall dispositions but a true temper of a quiet and peaceable estate of the soul upon good grounds can never be attained without the inoperation of that holy Spirit from whom every good gift and every perfect giving proceedeth It is here contrary to these earthly occasions with men he that is ever craving is never contented but with God he cannot want contentment that prays always If we be not unacquainted with our selves we are so conscious of our own weaknesse that we know every puffe of temptation is able to blow us over they are onely our prayers that must stay us from being caried away with the violent assaults of discontentment under which a praying soul can no more miscary then an indevout soul can enjoy safety SECT XXVI The difficulty of knowing how to abound and the ill consequences of not knowing it LEt this be enough for the remedy of those distempers which arise from an adverse condition As for prosperity every man thinks himself wise and able enough to know how to govern it and himself in it an happy estate we imagine will easily manage it selfe without too much care Give me but Sea-room saith the confident Mariner and let me alone what ever tempest arise Surely the great Doctor of the Gentiles had never made this holy boast of his divine skill I know how to abound if it had been so easie a matter as the world conceives it Meer ignorance and want of selfe-experience is guilty of this errour Many a one abounds in wealth and honour who abounds no lesse in miseries and vexation Many a one is caried away with an unruly greatness to the destruction of body soul estate The world abounds every where with men that doe abound and yet do not know how to abound and those especially in three ranks The proud the covetous the prodigall The proud is thereby transported to forget God the covetous his neighbour the prodigall himself Both wealth and honour are of a swelling nature raising a man up not above others but above himself equalling him to the powers immortall yea exalting him above all that is called God Oh that vile dust and ashes should be raised to that height of insolence as to hold contestation with its Maker Who is the Lord saith the King of Egypt I shall be like to the Highest I am and there is none besides me saith the King of Babylon The voice of God and not of Man goes down with Herod And hovv will that Spirit trample upon men that dare vie with the Almighty Hence are all the heavy oppressions bloudy tyrannies imperious domineerings scornfull insultations merciless outrages that are so rife amongst men even from hence that they know not how to abound The covetous man abounds with bags and no lesse with sorrows verifying the experience of wise Solomon There is a sore evill which I have seen under the Sun riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt what he hath got with unjustice he keeps with care leaves with grief and reckons for with torment I cannot better compare these Money-mongers then to Bees they are busie gatherers but it is for themselves their Masters can have no part of their honey till it be taken from them and they have a sting ready for every one that approaches their Hive and their lot at the last is burning What maceration is there here with fears and jealousies what cruell extortion and oppression exercised upon others all from no other ground then this that they know not how to abound The prodigal feasts and sports like an Athenian spends like an Emperour and is ready to say as Heliogabalus did of old Those cates are best that cost dearest caring more for an empty reputation of a short gallantry then for the comforble subsistence of himself his family his family his posterity Like Cleopes the vain Egyptian King which was fain to prostitute his daughter for the finishing of his Pyramid This man lavisheth out not his own means alone but his poor neighbours running upon the score with all trades that concern back or belly undoing more with his debts then he can pleasure with his entertainments none of all which should be done if he knew how to abound Great skill therefore is required to the governing of a plentifull and prosperous estate so as it may be safe and comfortable to the owner and beneficiall unto others Every Corporall may know how to order some few files but to marshall many Troops in a Regiment many Regiments in a whole body of an Army requires the skill of an experienced Generall But the rules and limits of Christian moderation in the use of our honours pleasures profits I have at large laid forth in a former Discourse thither I must crave leave to send the benevolent Reader beseeching God to bless unto him these and all other labours to the happy furtherance of his Grace and Salvation Amen FINIS Dr. Preston Ps 19. 1 2. Ps 104. 24. Cant. 5. 6. Ps 41. 4. 79. 8. 130. 3. 94. 11. 3. 7. 89. 48. 109. 21. 86. 4. 71. 10. 86. 11. Ps 70. 6. 60. 11. 71. 23. 31. 17. 40. 14. 5. 8. 119. penul 68. 35. 92. 5. 71. 17. 18. 47. 63. 4. 145. 10. 104. 25. 18. 31. Ps 20. 5. 107. 8 31. 21. 9. 10. 16. 12. 8. 4. 115. 1. Ps 19. 1. 74. 17. 97. 11. 36. 9. 39. 5. 93. 5. 139. 11. Ps 139. 2. 51. 7. 17. 5. 90. 12. 39. 5. Luc. 11. 25. Wisd 1. 4. Psal 26. 6. Eccles 10. Esa 66. 2. Gen. 18. 27. Pro. 30. 2. Mat. 3. 11. Ephes 3. 1. Job 38. Phil. 2. 6 7 8 c. Rom. 5. 1. Ps 103. 8. Ps 116. 12 13. Ps 119. 18. 21 c. Phil. 1. 21. Gal. 2. 20. Cant. 2. 16. Cant. 4. 9. 6. 4 5. Can. 5. 10. 8. 6. 2. 5. Ps 116. Rom. 3. 4. Ps 119. 8. Carolus Borromaeus Acts 19. 35 Eccles 5. 1. Jud. 3. 20. 2 Cor. 5. 20 Act. 10. 33 1 Sam. 25. 24. Job 13. 17. Psal 40. 6. Serm. ad Eccles cautelam 1 Pet. 2. 2 Eph. 3. 9. Zachar. 3. â— Mat. 5. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hos 2. 14. * Non enim potest mens attrita oneribus importunitatibus gravata tanium boni peragere quantum delectata oppressionibus soluta Cornel. ep 2. Rufo Coepiscopo Acts ult Gen. 26. 22. Magna domus homuli Psal 8. 3 4. Phil. 4. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si sedeas requies est magna laboris Si multum sedeas labor est Tert. Car. Pro. 30. 8. Senec. de Tranquil Psal 23. 1. Psal 34. 9 10. Ecclus. 25. 22. Rev. 3. 17. Mat. 20. 15 2 King 7. 2 2 King 6. 33. Rev. 16. 9. 11. Ionah 4. 9. Prov. 30. 9 * Galba Otho Vitellius Ael Pertinax Didius Anno D. 1275. 1276. Gregor 10 Innocent 5 Hadrian 5 Johan 20 vel 21 Nicolaus 3 * 1 Cor. 15. 31. Gen. 15. 10 Deut. 29. 23. Prov. 23. 5. Ps 49. 12. Ludo. Vives in 3. de CivilcensuraÌ„ notatus Vellosillo Prov. ult penult Eccles 11. 10. Mat. 6. 28. Eccle. 1. 8. Ps 69. 22. Dan. 1. 12 13. Heb. 11. 13 Ps 132. 1. G. Naz. Carm. de calam suis Greg. l. 7. Epi. 12. 7. In vita Melanct. Shicardus Ambros l. 4 Epist 29. Hieron Ep. ad Hedibium 1 Tim. 6. Ep. Lucii ad Episc Gall. Hisp 1 Tim. 6. 9 Paulo primo Eremitae in spelunca viventi palma cibum vestimentum praebebat quod cum impâ—sâ—â—bâ—le vidcatur Jestemm testur Angelos vidisse me Monacbos de quibus unus per 30. annos clausus boâ—deaceo pane luâ—ulenta aqua vixit Hieron de vita Pauli Revelatur Antonio nonagenario de Paulo agente jam 113 annum esse alium se sanctiorem Monachum ibid. Plin. l. 26. c. 6. Hugo Instit Mona Reg. S. Columb Senec. Epist 38. Job 18. 4. Eccles 7. 9. Gen. 30. 1. Gen. 15. 2. Pro. 15. 13 Ps 37. 7. Jam. 5. 7. Jer. 12. 8. Ps 103. 9. Job 2. 10. Livius 2 Cor. 4. 17. Acts 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Inter opera Ambrosii De moribus Brachmannorum 1 Kings 18. 13. 2 King 6. 2 3 4 5. Mat. 8. 20. Heb. 9. 27. Rom. 5. 1. Phil. 1. 23. Gal. 5. 17. Job 14. 4. Rom. 7. 19 Gen. 18. 27 Pâ—â—k Avoth Gen. 32. 10 Pro. 3. 34. Jam. 4. 6. Eccles 7. 8 Mat. 5. 39 40. Pro. 15. 33 Phil. 4. 6. Heb. 11. 1. Mat. 5. 10. Heb. 13. 5. Esa 54. 7 8 Psal 139. 8 9. Verse 10 11. Psal 68. 20 Joh. 7. 38. Joh. 6. 55. Rom. 13. 14. Rev. 22. 2. Ps 62. 6 7. Phil. 1. 21 Joh. 11. 25 1 Cor. 1. 30 Rev. 3. 23. Esa 28. 27. Gen. 43. 34. Gen. 45. 24. 2 Cor. 4. 16. Ambros de vitiorum virtutum conflictus Pro. 30. 15 Job 38. 11 Pro. 24. 13 Pro. 25. 16 Mat. 5. 6. Ambros Epist 27. Gen. 3. 2. 26. 33. 5 6. c. Acts 27. 18 19. 2 Sam. 23. 15 16 17. Phil. 4. 6. Jam. 1. 17. Exod. 5. 2. Esa 14. 14. Act. 12. 12. Eccl. 5. 13. Aelius LaÌ„prid
their parting Yea how should we rather rejoyce that the houre is come wherein we shall be quit both of the guilt and temptations of sinne wherein the clogge shall bee taken away from our heels and the vail from our eies wherein no intestine wars shall threaten us no cares shall disquiet us no passions shall torment us and lastly wherein we may take the free possession of that glory which we have hitherto lookt at only afar off from the top of our Pisgah SECT XIX Holy dispositions for Contentment and first Humility HItherto we have dwelt in those powerfull considerations which may work us to a quiet contentment with whatsoever adverse estate whether of life or death after which we addresse our selves to those meet dispositions which shall render us fully capable of this blessed Contentation and shall make all these considerations effectuall to that happy purpose Whereof the first is true Humility under-valuing our selves setting an high rate upon every mercy that we receive For if a man have attained unto this that he thinks every thing too good for him and self lesse then the least blessing and worthy of the heaviest judgement he cannot but sit down thankfull for small favours and meekly content with mean afflictions As contrarily the proud man stands upon points with his Maker makes God his debter looks disdainfully at small blessings as if he said What no more and looks angerly at the least crosses as if he said Why thus much The father of the faithfull hath practically taught us this Lesson of humility who comes to God with dust and ashes in his mouth And the Jewish Doctors tell us truly that in every Disciple of Abraham there must be three things a good eye a meek spirit and an humble soul His Grandchilde Jacob the Father of every true Israelite had well taken it out whiles he can say to his God I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant And indeed in whomsoever it be the best measure of Grace is Humility for the more Grace still the greater Humility and no Humility no Grace Solomon observed of old and Saint James took it from him That God resisteth the proud and giveth Grace to the humble so as he that is not humble is not so much as capable of Grace and he that is truly humble is a fit subject for all Graces and amongst the rest for the Grace of Contentation Give me a man therefore that is vile in his own eies that is sensible of his own wretchednesse that knows what it is to sin and what belongs to that sin whereof he is guilty this man shall think it a mercy that he is any where out of Hell shall account all the evils that he is free from so many new favors shall reckon easie corrections amongst his blessings and shall esteem any blessing infinitely obliging Whereas contrarily the proud begger is ready to throw Gods alms at his head and swels at every lash that he receives from the divine hand Not without great cause therefore doth the royall Preacher oppose the patient in spirit to the proud in spirit for the proud man can no more bee patient then the patient can be discontent with whatsoever hand of his God Every toy puts the proud man beside his patience If but a flie be found in Pharaohs cup he is straight in rage as the Jewish tradition lays the quarrell and sends his Butler into durance And if the Emperour doe but mistake the Stirrup of our Countreyman Pope Adrian he shall dance attendance for his Crown If a Mardochee doe but fail of a courtesie to Haman all Jewes must bleed to death And how unquiet are our vain Dames if this curle be not set right or or that pinne mis-placed But the meek spirit is incurious and so throughly subacted that he takes his load from God as the Camel from his Master upon his knees And for men if they compell him to goe one mile he goes twain if they smite him on the right cheek hee turns the other if they sue away his Coat he parts with his Cloak also Heraclius the Emperour when hee was about to passe through the golden gate and to ride in royall state through the streets of Jerusalem being put in minde by Zacharias the Bishop there of the humble and dejected fashion wherein his Saviour walked through those streets towards his passion strips off his rich robes lays aside his Crown with bare head bare feet submissely paces the same way that his Redeemer had caried his Crosse towards his Golgotha Every true Christian is ready to tread in the deep steps of his Saviour as well knowing that if hee should descend to the Gates of Death of the Grave of Hell he cannot bee so humbled as the Son of God was for him And indeed this and this alone is the true way to glory He that is Truth it self hath told us that he who humbles himself shall be exalted And wise Solomon Before honour is humility The Fuller treads upon that cloth which he means to whiten And he that would see the starres by day must not climbe up into some high Mountain but must descend to the lower Cels of the earth Shortly whosoever would raise up a firm building of Contentation must bee sure to lay the foundation in Humility SECT XX. Of a faithfull selfe-resignation SEcondly to make up a true contentment with the most adverse estate there is required a faithfull selfe-resignation into the hands of that God whose wee are who as he hath more right in us then our selves so he best knows what to doe with us How graciously hath his mercy invited us to our own ease Bee carefull saith he for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests bee made known unto God we are naturally apt in our necessities to have recourse to greater powers then our own even where we have no engagement of their help how much more should we cast our selves upon the Almighty when he not onely allows but solicits our reliance upon him It was a question that might have befitted the mouth of the best Christian which fell from Socrates Since God himselfe is carefull for thee why art thou solicitous for thy selfe If evils were let loose upon us so as it were possible for us to suffer any thing that God were not aware of we might have just cause to sink under adversities but now that we know every dram of our affliction is weighed out to us by that all-wise and all-mercifull Providence Oh our infidelity if we doe make scruple of taking in the most bitter dose Here then is the right use of that main duty of Christianity to live by faith Brute creatures live by sense meer men by reason Christians by faith Now faith is the substance of things hoped for