air next us Mat. 6.26 The birds of Heaven labour not 6. Heavenly creatures as inanimate so animate as Angels Job 15.15 The Heavens are not clear in his sight 7. A great height thus Deut. 1.28 The cities are walled up to Heaven 8. The bodies of the Saints here God is said to abide ut in Coelo 1 Cor. 3. 1 Cor. 6. I finde only these 8 acceptations of Heaven in the holy Bible and though one be but meant I will give you two to make choice of far distant both significant the one * Above supra the other * Below infra the one the place of the Church triumphant the other the mysticall subject of the Church militant first then by Heaven may be meant the seat of the blessed that majesticall place of magnificence as I may so say Gods chief Mannor House in the Highlands Or if you minde not to look so high you have nigher at hand an Heaven the righteous Saints on earth they are the Temple of the living God yea and he dwels in them and walks in them here it is God dwels these are his Temples Gods house above is Heaven and his Heaven below the Saints The letter makes us subscribe to the first exposition the Spirit causes our acknowledgement of the second Dame Nature hath set her hand to the one it s the Lady Grace perswades us to confesse this other And ut potenter God is said to dwell above sic virtualiter here below his Highland House Heaven displayes his power This his * The Saints on earth house in these Netherlands his efficacious work in us Well while I acknowledge the sense litterall The Avowry I will not let passe the sense mysticall viz. that by Heaven may be meant the elect on earth Nor wants there some semblance betwixt the Saints and Heaven they shine sicut luminaria in mundo and as the Heavens lend us light so are the Saints will'd to let their light shine before men and ut sol in Coelo sic mundi in mundo as the Sun is the lightest part of Heaven so of these saies our Saviour Vos estis lux mundi Ye are the light of the world the Death of these is like the Suns Eclipse the Life of these that high noon or Sun at height which is a guide to all that are not blinde O ye Saints The radiant rayes of your good works have given me cause to conjecture how like you is that Heaven whither you are a going as also to presume I have not much miss't of Heaven while met with such so like it But come what may these two interpretations put us in minde of The first of something which concerns God The second of something which concerns our selves The first doth divulge what God himself is The second what we ought to be Our God his abode is in heaven The Extract which proclaims he is an immortall Majesty dwelling in light inaccessible By Heaven likewise may be meant us men in whom God dwels as in an house Extract O what ones then behoves it us to be The wicked are the Devils house to which he is return'd Mat. 12. Look at his house though a base beggerly one yet loe how it 's kept fine and neat swept and garnisht formality garnisht with the gilt of hypocrisie And yet to consider how we let this mansion house of Gods in the Isle Man lies full of Mamholes we may be ashamed of it in very deed we let all lie forlorne To please our friends against they come we make all trim Lord why should we not do as much to please the Lord And yet in every corner of that Hall Heart you may spie an ash-heap of evill imaginations Gen. 6. That back room Memory is fill'd with old ill done deeds That upper room Judgement with error and heresie Those out houses Ears are fil'd with rubbish of newes State newes what done in Court Countrey newes how rules price of Corn ribauldry newes obscene songs our Eyes are full of vanity our Tongues full of deceit and now while neither in-room nor out-room soul nor body is trim'd up nor cleansed how can the Lord take delight to dwell in us A fair caveat to go make fit to dresse our house yea all in this Isle of Man I am resolved against my Lord come The Avowry to make ready lest my Lord and Master take dislike with his own and in stead of taking it up for an house of prayer he leaving it it become a den of theeves Thus much for the Preface Now I purpose Deo juvante God enabling to speak upon that post-put and first of the Petitions and in brief to make this my method to take notice of 1 Their Division 2 Their Equality 3 Their Order 4 Their Precedency 5 Subject matter mued up in each Petition First for their Division they are of two severall sorts or kindes the first sort of them concern God Second our selves Secondly for Equality they are three and three three concern God and three man Thirdly for Order this order is observed Gods three precede mans mans three come behinde Gods ours are set after his his before ours Fourthly their Precedency prayes us to take a view of each particular Petition as set before one another Fiftly their matter makes us privie to what is begged of God in each of these petitions in speciall For the first these Petitions are divided into two sorts First sort or kinde are divine and cast a glance at Heaven The second sort are humane and cast a glance at earth first looks at God the other at us 1. Now this Division implies an union Three Extracts and that when we send out our supplications abroad we let them walk hand in hand Such a compound should be our Prayers Petitions sharing out requests meet for God and us joyntly 2. By this Division we are taught man was not made for himself he is to pray as well for Gods glory as his own good many remember themselves forget God in their prayers few remember God but themselves in their prayers A Sect here found fault with A platform which teaches them a better lesson yea this division of these Petitions into two sorts or kindes the one concerning God the other us tels us That who prayes aright must pray for Gods glory as well as for his own good 3. Thing this Division informes us of is that as discords make the sweetest harmony so prayers sound best in Gods ears which consist of sharps and flats risings and fallings which are now in alto as high as Heaven Anon in Basse as low as earth I mean prayers consisting of two parts Gods glory who lives above Mans good who dwels below he that would avoid the name of simple must make his prayer a compound of these two severall sorts of simples And thus while God and he meet in prayer it 's my hopes they shall do the like in
my own part I will pray my God to inrich me with Sincerity and Lest I lose it The Avowry to guard my heart about with vigilancy The first grace we have in Commendum Sincerities Character is Sincerity a true upright Nazarite without fraud or covin This is one perswades us to speak as we think and think as we speak to do as we say and all we say to do our lips and hearts must be made kinde friends say well and do well walk hand in hand together God delights not in specious pretences where there is no such meaning he would have us be what we seem to be not say one thing and think another not cry Hail Master when we come to hale away the Master I am resolved to affect sincere dealing when I deal with Ged The Avowry and to have my heart intent on that which my tongue bath undertaken to indite Vigilancies Character The second Grace which this petition petitions us to give harbour is Vigilancy there are others call it Watchfulnesse we may mean well yet have the foil and fall without we entertain this Man at armes to aide us An eye over all ill willers of the great Gods renown inables me while I spie much to prevent more I have a Fabius for an Hannibal an honourable personage able to deliver my soul from the snare of the fowler And that I be not intrapt in the ambushment of disrespecting God The Avowry I am resolved to set a watch over my waies words and thoughts The Vices prohibited The Vices two the graces have given us information of them And they be two Hypocrisie And they be two Security Hypocrisie The Parallel one never walks in his own clothes Security one cares not what he pucs on ought or nought Hypocrisie who never speaks as he thinks Security who never parts with his old thoughts let all the world say what they will That first is fair spoken and badly meaning This latter means as ill makes no matter who knowes it It is Hypocrisie is quick of hearing every peal rings him into the Church It is Security is deaf whom all the peals of Church ordinance cannot get him to come on and in and hear and be saved For my own part I am resolved to send a defiance to these two The Avowry and ever to stand upon my guard against them considering the one dissembles in all his actions and the other weighs not the outrages that he acts to the dishallowing the Divine Majesty The first Vice we are warned to set a packing Hypocrisies Character is Hypocriticall dissimulation or dissembling Hypocrisie This is one goes in the guise of an Angell of light but is a Devill incarnate hath ora Virginum ungues vulturum speaks full fair means no such matter brings to the. Church a face like a Saint but is cloven footed O Hypocrisie is a seafaring man which rowes one way looks another Sometimes our next neighbour discoverable while lends God his lips whilest his heart is far from him A vice hath got pranking up into our lofts and pews God keep it out of the Pulpit Truth is we are all too ready to welcome dissimulation while all too prone to professe more than we practise I am resolved for the honour of God and glory of his name The Avowry to shut my door upon Joab and Judas lest a worthy in Israel be wronged by me The second vice which is forbid is Security Securities Character a carelesse companion say what you will unto him one weighs not who enters in so he be not intermedled with if you let him take out his nap God will be injured by him while no judgement is feared our God is dishonoured the not fear of God is a fearfull dishonouring God I have heard say the let passe of perill is the inlet of profanenesse and none are more profane than those cryers Et quando ad nos venit God hath other things to do then to take post and high it in hast to see what we doe Let the carnall heart with Solomons sluggard yet take a nap in the duffie downy bed of carnall security yet that my God may and by me be rightly honoured I am resolved to beg of God to awake me out of my sin The Avowry and give me a call as he did Samuel A Divine Contemplation upon the first Petition Hallowed be thy Name Soar aloft my soul and eye nos what is on Earth but the God of Heaven Thou art at this time to be one of the Quire of Angels take thy tune not in Basso but in Alto and give all laud and glory and praise to him who sits upon the Throne Let thy prayers begin with praise the subject be thy God the object his Attributes the end adoration of his Name Come poor soul let me schoole thee and tell thee when thou art first in thy own thoughts thou art furthest from Gods acceptance the Ear of gracious audience is shut till the tongue tuned to the glory of God be first heard The Angels Ditty hath taught me my duty first to sing glory to God then to pray for peace upon earth good will towards men Give me leave to contemplate upon the Power Might Majesty and Dominion of that Dominus Dominantium A forethought what he is how great he is how good he is is the wheel turnes about my heart from all earthly vanity It is a service well pleasing to God profitable to my soul When I have given God his due honour I may better expect my Masters reward O my God and my King though I be subject to do it yet by thy grace prevent my unmannerly suting thee my God and Saviour Let not the eager desire I have either after goods or forgivenesse make me forget in the first place to give all glory and praise to thy Name O let me give thee praise then beg thy mercy Let me first sound out thy glory that done put up my own petitions to thy Divine Majesty Though I can adde nought to thy holinesse to thy honour to thy power yet I can adde to those celestiall Attributes my acknowledgement how thou art a God most holy most honourable most powerfull As Confession must precede Absolution so my God and my Chirst confession who thou art what thou art must be sent on before to usher in my Home resenting supplication O I will or I dare to pray for my self pray that thy great Name thou great God may be hallowed not by augmentation but promulgation of it from Dan to Beersheba Let the trumpet of my lips first sound thy praise that done let my tongue crave A somewhat for my self Let the first * He mess his first petition born be my prayer to God for God then let the needy ones my own petitions come out after who are borne to nought yet by begging may get a Blessing of old Isaac the ancient
am resolved never to write without a censure by some But know you it the letters in this one word involve a mysterie while all the letters in Amen make up mane Mane Mane Mane the Adverb Mane the Verb. Mane the Adverb which signifies Early Mane the Verb which bids bide by it stay at it That notes out the Time This the Terme The time I must begin to pray is betime The Term without interim The time the term of prayer Amen point forth Forth with 's the time Epigr. the terme no ending hath Now T'le begin to day to pray not rest Early lately prayer I 'le make my feast Mane invites bias come come quickly pray Mane gives charge we stay start not away Amen in one comprises both these two And to our tasks our bea rt doth bend doth bow This divine fancy hath brought out two twins I mean two heavenly mediations and this is the fist part of my method and the perfecter of my promise But I will extract them and more properly from this very last word of our Lords Prayer which word being Amen I look not at as taken adverbialiter for them commonly it begins the verse this ends the prayer yet when Amen is so used it signifies Verily very 2. I look not at this present at this words as taken verbaliter so it is set at end our Church Collects and sounds as much as So bet it But let me look at this Amen as taken nominaltter for a noon for him who is the truth for Christ From this exposition wich is the most lofty and warranted out of the Revelations I will extract two Meditations Rev. 3.14 For the first What doth Amen signifie Christ Christ who is α and ohgr the first and the last from all eternity and to last everstingly and with this sacred sound shut I up my prayer that this is thus this Amen is my witnesse The first meditation rises from hence is this Since we end our prayer with him was from the beginning Joh. 1.1 1. Meditate how this puts us in mind to have Timely thoughts mane early to fall to prayers Was Christ from the beginning and shall I deferrer of praying till the evening * Of my life What a late prayer to an early rising Lord such a prayer suites not so early an one as this Amen let this timely Lord have timely petitions put up unto him Meditate how our first work must be to fall to prayers A duty there 's no dispensation for a task haste must not hinder a businesse about which let us lay all our heads betimes begin you old men in the morning you young men ere old you younglings in your side-coates Meditate upon 't how you cannot begin too soon to serve God for Samuel the young and Josias at ten are tendring their service So soon as spring grasse growes This time of grace is spring-time let 's see prayers put up as thickly quickly as grasse growes else the work of nature will overgrow this gift of grace and there be found more barrennesse in the womb of thy heart than in the heart of the Earth Beloved bear it about in your remembrance how 1. We all are found guilty by Law Motives to further this first mediatation and what so soon as we can speak shall we not pray Mercy good Lord 2. We may be executed when God will call and shall we then neglect time to call on God 3. We have nought of our own as poor as the poor half-hunger-starved prodigall and shall we deferre a day to beg a somewhat O! our want may set us to this work to pray 4. We are beforehand with God for a thousand favours and say we begin to retaliate to God thanks to day we hall scarse for all this have day enough O! Gods bounty our want The Collect the uncertainty of life the certainty we are guilty give a loud shout in our eares and cry To prayers to paryers By the grace of God I am resolved The Avowry and do mean this mane shall make me a morning man yea my eyes to prevent the night-watches till I have donemy devotion You see now what you should doe first fall to prayers ere you open shops or you make a bargain this should be first done pray to God let me gripe you 1. What say you now to those who with Martha are trouble about many things yet leave undone this unum necessarium praying it may be they think to wax wealthier by working than talking it holds in temporals not in spirituals 2. What say you now to those must be roaring of their peals of Ordnance on the Lords days when all the Bels in the Church have rung them a peal to come to prayers It may be they think there 's more to be got by the sword than the Word as wise as he is he 's deceiv'd thinks so Religion is not so far gone down dike so much foot-hold in our Island Atheisme I hope shall never have 3. What say you now to those whom an early chapman makes them put off God to another time It may be they think more to be got by trucking and lying then beggin but remember the begger is in Abrahams bosome but as for all liars their portion is damnation 4. What say you now to those who all their lives have made shew of Religion but that 's all are not the men men take them for The Hieroglyphick of these outside Saints is a Gallant in a Busse-coat that never fought These look like Saints militant yet never fought with Beasts at Ephesus They gild over their spirituall cowardize with divine formalities These are they accuse us for being overmuch ceremonious and yet themselves have no more but the form of godlinesse I speak not of all yet of the most of all almost all of that Sect society think themselves something when nothing They are taxt for 't by St. Paul Ephes But let me tell these conceited professors I say not proficients in their profession but such as only professe they are proficients in grace and godlinesse yet go as flowly on to Heaven as that Beast of which it is reported he goes but a yard betwixt sun and sun This is it I am to tell you Religion never makes a man have too good a conceit of himself true zeal is no braggadochio he that thinks there is none bettern there is none worse a windy professor is commonly a gracelesse Gospeller Be thou the proud Pharisee I le be the poor Publican and while thou vauntest what thou canst do I am resolved to be sorry I can do no better But come a word or two with thee who hath the forme of godlinesse deniest the poor of it who talkess like a Saint livest like a devill in private you 'l not deny it Know 't God of all kindes of creatures most dislikes Harpyes which have ora virginum ungues vulturum Virgins looks Vultures clawes