feare him then that feare being blessed and sanctified â—restraynes mee from sinne to walke in the wayes of God therefore I feare and walke because I am blessed and not blessed because I either feare or walk in his wayes for God by his blessing which is his grace giues mee the will without which the deede cannot follow so both the will and the deede the desire and the worke in me are of God He that feareth the Lord will neither speake nor do euill because both speaking doing good comes from the feare of doing euill which holy feare being the gift of God hath great commendation in the Scripture It is the beginning of wisedome saith Salomon and wisedome the end of all heauenly perfection and tendeth not only to restraine from euill for feare of Gods Iudgements as it wrought in Dauid when he said My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy Iudgements But to retayne me in the loue and fauour of God Iob was reputed a iust and vpright man because he feared God and in fearing God he eschewed euill Satan himselfe confessed that God preserued Iob blessed all that he had for that he feared God The feare of God then is that true rule of wisedom which directeth vnto a godly life a godly life an infallible forerunner of a happie death and to die in the Lord is chiefest blessednesse the passage from a miserable mortall to a blessed immortall being This feare then being the first steppe to a godly preparation to liue well and to die blessed is that true most precious Iem and Iewell which I seeke and desire to obtayne at the hands of God whose gift it is And therefore according as Salomon hath defined this feare of the Lord I will indeuour to abandon euill and to abhorre sinne Dauid also teacheth and I will desire to practice the same feare in keeping my tongue from euil and my lips that they speake no guile I will seeke to eschew euill and to doe good to seeke peace and to follow it for Who hath euer continued in the feare of the Lord and hath beene forsaken of him in life or in death A Prayer for the feare of God and wherein I may so liue as I may not be afraid to die The Prayer O Lord my God who hast made mée and fashioned mee of the dust of the earth and hast breathed into me the breath of Life here to trauaile vpon the face of the earth during a time appointed by thy Prouidence which I shall not passe for thou hast set down the number of my dayes which how many they shall bée I am vtterly ignorant giue me therefore a holy â—eare that I may thinke euery day to bee the day appointed for my death that I may so much the more warily walk in the wayes of true wisedome in a holy and sincere conuersation before the sons of men and in the sanctification of the inner man lest I be found more formall before men then faithfull in thée I beséech thée hearken to the prayer of thy Seruant who desireth vnfaynedly so to feare thée as I may not feare or be afraid of death Giue me that holy feare of thy Name which thou hast commanded that I may not erre from thy wayes nor harden my heart from thy feare for I know that great is thy goodnesse which thou hast layd vp for them that feare thee Knit my heart therefore vnto thée that I may fear thy Name and may receiue grace to serue thée so that I may so please thée with reuerence and feare that I not only may not feare to die but desire it rather passing all the time of my dwelling here in continuall meditation of thy future life sanctifying thee the Lord God of Hosts who art euermore my feare for thou only art able to kill and to make aliue to cast downe and to raise vp therefore art thou only to be feared like vnto whom there is none among al the gods so glorious in holinesse fearefull in praises and doing wonders I thanke thée gracious Father in Jesus Christ that in and by him I haue receiued the Spirit of re conciliation adoption whereby I am enabled to crie Abba Father and am freed from the spirit of seruile feare from the feare of Satan by thy Spirit Though for a little while O Lord thou maist séeme to forsake me and leaue mee to the spirit of bondage yet with great compassion according to thy wonted mercies I finde thée euer readie to receiue mee againe For a moment thou hidest thy face from mee but with euerlasting mercie thou wilt haue compassion vpon mee and after this my mortalitie receiue mee to eternitie who art my Lord my God my streÌ„gth and my Redéemer Lord increase my feare of thee my faith in thee and loue towards thee Amen MEDIT. IIII. Watchfulnesse THE second point of my preparation is to bee watchfull and that for three especiall causes The first for that I haue an Aduersarie who is maliciously watchfull therefore ought I to be religiously watchfull The second because death will steale suddenly vpon me as a Thiefe The third because of my generall account to which I know I shall be called as soone as my soule is gone from my bodie if then I bee not able to yeeld a â—ust reason how I haue spent the time of my life here I shall be cast into prison neuer to bee redeemed First then to apply my watchfulnes to the watchfulnesse of mine enemie it behoueth me euer to haue an eye vnto the thoughts motions and affections of my corrupt heart for from my heart proceed all the euils that by any part or member of my bodie are actually committed and all the thoughts of my heart are euill euermore yet thence is my tongue moued to speake how then can my words be holy proceeding from so polluted a fountayne I am often violently carried whither the thoughts of my heart doe moue me and am often incited to commit those things howsoeuer euill which my corrupt heart hath conceiued And mine enemie Sathan that thirsteth for my confusion takes aduantage by the inclination of my heart manifested by mine accustomed actions to frame his bayts according to my corrupt appetite coueting euer to draw actual euils out of the polluted puddle of sinne conceiued in my heart This do I find by the experience of his long practice and inferâ—all stratagems for vpon my committing of some sinne and hartily repenting the same with a resolution neuer to commit the like I haue as it were sensibly felt and plainly obserued how by little and little he hath endeuoured to lay snares to draw me to the same euil not as with a violent hand but as it were stealing vpon me like a flattering and deceitefull Theefe whose policies I haue no power to preuent but only by that promise which GOD made vnto
sinners I had perished through thy iust iudgement long agone euen in my youth for as soone as I was able to speake though vnderstanding little I indeuoured to excuse my childly errors with vntruths falshood lying growing to mans estate and to the abilitie to act greater sinnes I omitted no one forbidden vanitie offered to any of my sences but greedily imbraced it and as I increased in yeeres and in strength to sinne so did I increase in cōmitting wickednesse neither reuerencing thee nor seeking to know thee or to obey thee according to my dutie but rebelled against thee and thy Lawes as if thy threats against sinne and sinners had been only to terrifie and not to punish them And thy promises of spirituall comforts and future happines had been only to withdraw mee from my carnall delights wherein I reposed all my felicitie perswading my selfe there was no danger in sin nor reward for well-doing Thus foolish was I and ignorant by nature shewing that I had no originall goodnesse in mee but corrupt in my conception sinfull in my birth and wicked in my life and consequently the childe of wrath This masse of miserie befell me by the fall of the first man ADAM in whom I was first good and pure and righteous and holy like vnto thee O God of heauen And had not Adam defaced that Image of sanctitie in himselfe I should haue remained holy as thou art holy for euer But by his disobedience I lost in him all obedience towards thee and became a Rebell like vnto him euen in his loynes for in him I was conceiued in sinne and through the corruption of that my conception I only bring forth iniquitie Beeing thus miserably cast downe from glorie to shame from light to darknesse from sanctitie to sin from Heauen to Hell to whom shall I appeale for reliefe whose aide shall I craue for the obtayning of thy fauour loue againe for being depriued of thee I am dead being aliue if I die without thee I die eternally But Lord now I know thee and whom thou hast sent IESVS CHRIST and I know that in thy seuere iustice through him thou remembrest mercie and in thy fierce wrath thou shewest compassion which in nothing appeareth so much as in the performance of thy promise in sending thy Sonne the Seede of the Woman who according to thy Couenant hath conquered Satan and trodden downe the Serpent by whome our first Parents were inuenomed and stung vnto death and I in them But now in and by that sacred Seede Iesus Christ that poysonous sting is remoued and all beleeuers restored to life Therefore Lord Iesu thou Lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world haue mercie vpon me take away my sins wash me and make mee cleane through thy bloud from all my filthinesse giue me a liuely faith to take hold of thy merits and to depend vpon thy promises of saluation And that I may apply thy salutarie death vnto my sicke and diseased soule wounded by the dart of sinne and guilt of disobedience set thy righteousnesse against my sins and thine obedience to my disobedience couer me with the Robe of thine owne Innocencie that the foulenesse of my deseruings may be hidden from mine highly-offended God who by promise will impute thy most absolute integritie to be mine as he imputed and laid all the sinnes of Adams posterity vpon thee as thine Lord now at the last lighten mine vnderstanding purifie my heart sanctifie my will order all mine affections and actions and rectifie so my conuersation as I may walke as thy truly adopted sonne in holinesse and true righteousnesse and be kept euer blamelesse vntill the glorious appearing of Christ my Sauiour in whose name I now come vnto thee most louing and mercifull Father beseeching thee for his sake that I feeling and confessing the hainousnesse of my sinnes past and groning vnder the burden of them may feele the release and ease of them in that I through thy holy Spirit am assured and stedfastly doe beleeue that CHRIST my most louing Redeemer hath borne the burden of them euen for me Grant deare Father that I being assured hereof in my conscience may be renewed in the inner man through thy grace that I may hate detest and abhor sinne and indeuour to liue according to thy will all the dayes of my life And for as much gracious Lord God as I must here continue during thine appointed time in this dangerous wildernesse of many vanities subiect to many troubles tryed with many temptations and compassed with many and infinite miseries and dangers hauing of my selfe no succour no defence no safetie but in thine alone fauour power and prouidence I humbly pray and beseech thee O mercifull Lord God to looke downe from heauen vpon me in mercy and louing kindnesse Shew mee thy wayes teach mee thy pathes leade mee euer in thy Truth and instruct me in the things that I ought to learne and learne mee how to practise to leade my life according vnto the same lest I follow vanities and delight in sinne lest I fall into troubles and there bee none to deliuer mee lest Sathan preuaile against me and I fall from thee and lest I fall into dangers and perish in my miseries Turne thy face towards me O Lord and cheere me with the brightnesse of thine amiable countenance for when thou turnest thy face from me I faint and when thou hidest thy countenance I fall fearefully As long as thou art with me I am safe when thou leauest mee then troubles afflict me enemies insult me and triumph ouer me I am then subiect to all miseries Satan with his temptations preuaileth my corrupt affections misleade me the world with vanities distract me and I am not able to looke vp my heart is cast downe my mind is estranged from all goodnesse and my will is carried into all forbidden things So that I am as a dead man or rather no man but the meere image of a man in whom dwelleth neither right reason nor humane vnderstāding a beast in thy sight Hide not therefore thy face from me O Lord nor cast thy seruant away in displeasure Thou hast been euer and in all things my succour leaue me not now O Lord nor forsake me O God of my saluation But continue thy loue and fauour towards mee that I may againe recouer my spirituall strength and be enabled to serue thee with a faithfull constant and obedient heart vnto the end In my necessitie furnish me O Lord with all competent meanes for the maintenāce of my present life and estate here in plen tie make me truly thankefull in want patient in sicknesse be thou my Physician and heale me and preuent Satan that he in the time of my finall visitation ouer charge me not laying before the eyes of my weake conscience my sins past but arme me with the assurance of thy mercies and with a liuely hope of future glorie with thee in the heauens
dumbe some blind some dead in an instant Doe not our owne eyes besides our owne yea moderne Histories witnes the same Terrible is the Lord in his wrath and who shall stand in his sight when he is angry He is terrible euen to the Kings of the earth Nay vnto such as seeme to be and are not truely religious as Ananias and Sapphira his wife who lying vnto the holy Ghost were striken suddenly dead It is a fearfull thing to fal into the hands of the liuing God especially when he is angrie We are all by nature the children of wrath dead in trespasses and sinnes So is al the world subiect to the iudgement of God being found guiltie in his sight If GOD therefore should marke what is done amisse who could abide it or expect worldly cōforts from him Therefore whether yee shall in this life receiue pouertie or riches sicknesse or crosses or whatsoeuer calamities and afflictions and in what measure soeuer perswade your selues that it is far short of what yee haue deserued therefore take his chastisemēts with patience and endeuour stedfastly alwayes to abound in the workes of the Lord assuring your selues your labour shall not bee in vaine for God wil be euer readie to work for you beyond that yee are able to aske or thinke PART III. Obiection against Gods miraculous working at this day SOme yet wil say that the time of Gods working miracles namely miraculously and beyond the apprehension of naturall vnderstanding is past and ended and there is now no experience of such supply by Gods prouidence as when God sent Eliah to the widdow of Sarepthah and foode by a Rauen extraordinarie meanes indeede which nowe are neither visibly nor actually done Beware of this rash censure it is the voice of meer Infidelitie for God is God yester-day namely of old and to day and for euer his loue is not diminished his power is not weakned his prouidence preuented nor his command and absolute authoritie ouer his creatures any way or by any meanes encountred or the execution of his will opposed but is euen the first and the last neuer altering nor changing but as hee had subiects of mercy and iudgement to worke vpon and meanes by which to worke so hath hee at this day and vntill the finall dissolution of all things he will still work by meanes without meanes against meanes His promises are Yea Amen not to our Fathers only but to vs and all posterities for euer those he performeth at this day yet not so visibly and apparantly as in the dayes of our Fathers of old We haue not a Moses I confesse to bring water out of the Rocke by striking with his rod nor an Aaron to turne a Rod into a Serpent and to deuoure the counterfeit Serpents of the Inchanters Wee haue no Eliah to pray for fire to consume Gods enemies nor an Elisha to diuide a Riuer with his cloke No Paul that with his word can dispossesse a spirit of diuination nor a Peter that with his word can make a cripple to goe sound Many miracles in former times done are recorded both in the old new Testament through the power of GOD by the hands of men which kind of working miracles are ceased but the power of God continueth the same for euer euer working wonderfull things with-out the cōpasse of humane apprehension and sets before our eyes daily examples of his extraordinarie working in mercy for the comfort of his children and as before is said in iustice and iudgement against the wicked according to the song of the blessed Virgin The Lord sheweth strength with his arme he scattereth the proud in the imagination of their hearts he putteth downe the mightie from their seate and exalteth the humble and meeke he filleth the hungrie with good things and sendeth the rich emptie away Is not this a strong confirmation of the faith of Gods children plunged in perils visited with afflictions and tossed to and fro in the troublesome and tempestuous Sea of this world in which are they not cōmanded to pray for their deliuerie And to whom pray they not vnto the same GOD as our forefathers did If GOD therefore were not now in his Mercie Loue Power and Prouidence as hee was then as able and willing to helpe wee were taught both to pray and to feare in vaine neither his Mercie nor Iustice could appeare as with our owne eyes wee haue seene the wicked to perish and the innocent deliuered euen by the hand of God himselfe that his Glorie and Power might by the iust punishment of the one and maruellous deliuerance of the other be seene and celebrated of all them that feare him The Holy Ghost doth euery where in the Scripture make vs see and perceiue the great and manifold benefits which come by aduersitie he declareth them to all but all haue not the true apprehension that it is sēt for their good And vnlesse ye be inlightened in the spirit of your mindes and the cloudes of your carnal cogitations be driuen away by the wind of diuine vnderstanding yee cannot but mistake the good pleasure loue and fauour of God that causeth all things to worke together for the best to them that loue him and grudge at your heauenly Fathers Discipline Ye are poore murmure not nor grudge at the prosperitie of others Learne of Dauid the contrarie who in his haste and vnaduisedly fretted to see the prosperitie of the wicked that alwayes prospered and increased in riches And thought indeed that God made no difference betweene the good and the bad the righteous and the wicked and therefore thought it a vaine thing to bee curious to liue well considering that notwithstanding his continuall seruing of God yet was he punished and chastened euery morning namely daily the wicked still secure and in no danger this strange course of Gods working hee as it were admired and began to consider if hee could finde out the cause but it was too deepe for his naturall wisedome but when hee entred into the Sanctuarie of God when he had consulted with the holy Spirit of God and had learned his Word then he vnderstood what the end of these flourishing men would be he considered that God had set them in slipperie places how hee east them into sudden desolation wherein they perished and were fearefully confounded Put therefore your trust in God he will guide you in all your occasions by his counsell and after your godly life ended hee will receiue you to Glorie Seeke therefore neither helpe nor comfort but of GOD alone for there is none in Heauen but hee and desire none in the Earth but him If ye fall into troubles beware as neere as ye may it bee not for euill doing for the Magistrate beares the Sword for sinners If ye bee troubled for well-doing yee need not feare yee haue