our betters it is no scorn to take them for our samplers such are Angels Os homini sublime dedit saith the Poet God hath made man to look up as ever to have an eye on his masters such are the Angels Gods servants but our Schoolemasters and as the Master is more perfect in the Lecture than the shooleboy so they than we We desire to know they do know we desire to do what we know The Parallel it is they can do what God hath made known unto them in our works are many weaknesses in theirs not the least of imperfection we procrastinate they cry haste haste for his Majesties service yea their wings witnesse their readiness willingnesse I will resolve upon it The Avowry while earth to cast an eye at Heaven and to make those all * The Angels glorious creatures the samplers of my readinesse willingnesse to do the wil of my Father which is in Heaven Again the three persons by turns have all of them undertaken to teach us Angels scholars in their uppermost Lecture are set to be our samplers to guide our * Our wils and affections feet in the waies of God That I note is this We have divers schoolemasters Doct. God the head who teacheth us by his Word Angels in Heaven who teach us by their Examples Nay nigher the very creatures the poor pismire we are bid to go to her and learn Five things I inferre from this Thesis First God would we were good scholars so much pains is to make us profit Secondly we can want no teaching no whilest a God Angels or any creatures Thirdly there are no few lessons to learn where many messengers many messages Fourthly we are hard of learning with Fambo some are nineteen year a learing one line Fifthly here may be a strong surmise by these many eyes over us we would play the Trewants in very deed man naturally hath no heart to what 's good But since I have so much teaching The Avowry I am resolved by Gods good assistance not to lose my time byt ot minde what it is my Master hath to say unto me The Cases of Conscience are the fourth moity of my method which are three First is this Whether is a perfect obedience to Gods will required I. Case To this question I give this resolution Christ would never have set us to pray for it if God had not look'd for it it were needlesse for man to pray for so much if his Creator would be content with ought lesse I am injoyned by God to do what my Christ wils me to pray I may do A perfect obedience then is required at our hands and we must do what God wils as doe the Angels Since now O Lord The Avowry I have thus much to do I will dismisse my worldly businesse to follow this my heavenly calling We have seen what we should do 2. Case now let us see what it is we are able to do and so I come to the second Case Whither are we able to do all God doth will 1. My answer is negative No apparent first by our every day confession we break all Gods commandements 2. By Esays evidence we are all unclean all our righteousnesse is like unto filthy rags 3. By our prayer put up we need not beg that which is within our reach it is that we pray for we have no power over my beseeching God to grant shewes my want and since I pray for ability to do Gods will it assures me the good I would I cannot I will confesse my frailty The Avowry and alwaies acknowledge though to will be present with me yet I finde no means to performe that which is good And so I come to the third Case 3. Case how we are made capable to attain to do what God doth will wee ‖ should doe To this I answer To will is of our own power but to will what we should and do it is God the instrument is ours the right use of it from God In me is a something vid. to will That it object is good I may thank God for it of whom is both the will and the deed that is the willing good and doing the good I have willed But my last avowry prefers a quere to be discust and tels us even man in the state of grace who hath a will to do good findes no means to finish the work he hath willed But know it that is not meant of a totall defect but a plenary performall though he faile in most not in all It seems then by Gods good aid Gods childe may both will and do good yet not all the good God doth will in his Law To this I answer God hath a twofold Law There is Lex Operum Lex Fidei the Law of works the Law of Faith The Law of Works requires an exact fingular obedience at all times in all places to all particular statute Lawes enacted by the Lord I pray for this cannot attain to it height pray for progresse though fail to fulfill The Law of Faith requires a full beleef what I cannot do my Christ hath done it for me for which I pray and may attain But can you prove a man may be made righteous without the Law of Works that is without exact keeping all the Commandements Beleeve not me Res but S. Paul who * Rom 3.21 22. saith the righteousnesse of God without the Law that is without the Law of Works is made manifest even the righteousnesse of God which is by faith in Christ Jesus unto all and upon all them that beleeve here are Faith and Works met they are at ods about reconciling man to God But here is one inspired with Gods own Spirit Paul the Apostle he certifies us it 's not works the Law of Works but faith the Law of Faith which justifies and makes the beleever reputed a fulfiller of Gods will The Law of Moses had been able to have saved us if we had been able to have observed it now that we cannot observe the Old Law of Moses God hath made a New Law we shall be saved by beleef in Christ Jesus and this is cal'd the New Covenant When God gave out the Law of Works first it was not to save any by it for God knew none could do what he commanded but the Law of * The ten Commandements Works was given First to discover mans infirmities Three ends of the Law to discover to humble to guide on like a glasse in which to let him see the warts and wens growing upon the face of his Conscience Secondly that Law was given to humble man whileft seeing he had injoyned so much and had fail'd in all Thirdly that Law was given to be a Schoolmaster to teach man the way to his Master which Master is our Lord and Saviour who hath done for man what man cannot for himself whose beleef Christ hath done it
a parte ante so a parte post for ever to endure for long beyond all time are to last Gods Kingdome Power Glory Yea world without end Longer than all the Kingdomes upon Earth longer than Sun and Moon longer than the sons of men All these wax old as doth a garment and after these perish it 's these three which break out and bud afresh like Aarons Rod. And yet if there be ought on earth to resemble their ever being Being it is Man not man living to die but dying to live not this his corruptible life but his life everlasting We had a beginning shall never have an ending and this no end of ours is like theirs but their beginning is like to Gods who is without beginning O how long since they were how long yet to last O ever everlastingly Such a King such a Kingdome Ever everlasting Such a Lord and such his Power Ever everlasting Such a State and such his state of Glory its Glory Ever everlasting Let me not doubt to get if I goe to him who hath enough to give a Kingdome and for Ever Let me not fear forgivenesse but beg of him hath power to grant it Power for Ever Let me not be discomforted but still live in hopes of deliverance since he is my friend will rescue who stands upon his Honour and Glory and that for Ever The Divine Contemplation upon the first Reason For thine is the Kingdome Loe have I not hopes of a supply I beg a boon of the King I had not turned a suppliant but that he whom I invocate is owner of a Kingdome O God and my King give me what I beg since thou hast enough to bestow without diminishing thy store look not at me an unworthy begger but consider how much I want and how much thou haft thou canst give to none more poor I can crave of none hath more to give I pray the Father let thy wealth supply my want since all my want may easily be supplyed with thy wealth I have been the Prodigall I have spent my portion I have fed on husks I am now in a sad and sorrowfull estate O like a father whose bowels earn with compassion say to my soul Welcome my son my son I will own thee I will enrich thee thou hast spent me much I have yet much more more to give than thou canst spend there are treasures at my right hand for evermore O thou who ownest even all who art Lord Paramount of heaven and earth I commend all my needs to thy bounteous liberality thou wilt help for art mercifull thou canst help for hast and a Kingdome Dear Father since thou ownest so much make me master of a little of one poor mansion for thine is the Kingdome I have no nothing and canst thou deny me thou hast a Kingdome and wilt thou not give me O give me what I want since what I want thou hast and much more abundance be so good to me since there is enough for thee a magazine to supply my want and maintain thy train I have a strong saith to beleeve thou wilt my illuminate reason assures me thou canst now thy submiss son and servant is begging shut not up thy mercifull compassion For thine is the Kindome The Divine Contemplation upon the second Reason For thine is the Power What were it to own a Kingdome and want power to dispose of it I serve a Master hath enough and power enough he hath a Kingdome and all in it and all at his command Angels in heaven the hearts of Kings upon earth and the very Devils in hell I am now ready to sing a Gloria patri all glory honour and praise be given to him who sits upon the Throne who sits betwixt the Cherubims and clasps the heavens in his hands who dashes the heathen in pieces like a potters vessell who hath put a stand to the sea and his hook in the nosthrils of the Leviathan such a Prince is my Master and such a Master do I serve who can what he will O will what thou canst even the saving my soul in the great day of the Lord Jesus But I have many enemies the world about me the Devill beheath me the flesh within me all are combining my destruction many to one and that one a weakling lame with Jacob limping with Mephibosheth What shall I now go do shall I despair no against hope I will hope I will put my considence in the God of Israel and why for have faith to beleeve thine is the power to vanquish power to deliver power to exalt out of the dust dunghill to a crown of immortall glory O God and my King I will fight with beasts at Ephesus go out against great Goliah encounter the unclean spirit with seven worse than himself I am sure to be more than conqueror so I fight under thy Banner for thine is the power to subdue Hell death and the Devill Othou the preserver of men be thou my Lord Protector and I doe not fear the fury of all the furies of Og and Magog I aske nought without thy reach I crave nought more than thou canst give give me strength to fight thy battell ability to hold out in the day of Temptation then Lord will I not fear the Tempter since I am sure thou hast the sole power to support The Divine Contemplation upon the third Reason For thine is the Glory It 's an happy exchange when both parties fare the better canst thou give me nought but thou gettest by giving Lord supply thou my wants and take thou the honour of it I have nought to retaliate yet still I receive give me more of that I want Mercy and take what is due to thee thy Glory I am imboldned still to beg since my begging inhances the honour of thy name who will not give to gain give me what I want and the supply of my want shall be the Trumpet of thy praise It is my shame I am become so destitute of all good that I am supplyed by the Lord for it all glory be to the Lord. Thus our God casts his bread upon the waters not many daies after findes it we receive it in lumps of Mercy he findes it in a whole patch of Glory he gives what we need he receives what he stands no need of and thus he helps us poor despicable creatures and thus he heaps up a full measure of glory upon himself Ride on O Lord with thine honour be thou to us a God of compassion and inhaunce in the sight of the Heathen thy own Honour While thou doest good to man thou unmaskest thy Majesty among men Lord stretch out thy hand to do us good yea give us Grace and take thou the Glory A Divine Contemplation upon Ever I cannot see how this can be Thy Kingdome Power and Glory from all eternity I had a beginning in Time and therefore uncapable to conceivean Eternity before all Time O now that Reason
of daies when I am first in my own thoughts I am the last in Gods Book Let me set my self and all my wants a while aside till God be served let his glory be my aime in prime the second place will serve all my needs In glorifying thee a glorious good redounds to me I will not clip thy coine of glory lest I go not for currant in thy kingdome of grace O that thou wouldest inlarge my heart to give thee praise lest the want of this Foreman cause the rest of the Jurore my petitions to be excepted against in the presence of thee the Judge of Heaven and Earth The second Petition THe second Petition now succeeds by name Thy Kingdome come I will God willing speak upon The Number The Nature of the words to be explained First for number here is but one word difficult to be understood two in the former one here Can we learn no lesson from Gods plaining his speech O it shewes us 1. The more we acquaint our selves with God Three Intracts more plainly he will speak to us 2. As we grow in devotion we shall grow in understanding 3. That Gods Word with modesty the more we dive into it the more knowledge God gives to hold up our heads from drowning in the gulf of false exposition I am resolved to hold out my Rosary The Avowry with the Collect. reinforce my genius to peruse the Scriptures and all to prevent misprision augment my talent and enucleate the Text. Here is only one word to be explained Kingdome This word may be taken four waies 1. For the Scripture thus Mat. 21.43 where said Auferetur a vobis regnum Dei The Kingdome of God shall be taken from you 2. For the visible Church thus Mat. 5.19 where said He that shall break one of the least of these Commandements and teach men so shall be call'd the least in the Kingdome of Heaven 3. It may be taken for the grace of God Luk. 17. where said The Kingdome of God is within you 4. For the Church triumphant Mat. 8.11 where said Many shall come from the East and the West and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdome of Heaven Now all may be here meant though in prime but one 1. And then we pray in this Petition That Gods Word and its understanding may come among us 2. That upon earth there may be a fellowship of faithfull professors visible 3. That Gods grace sent by that sayne his Spirit in that Charriot the ministery of his Word may visit our hearts 4. That these daies of misery being perioded Gods Kingdome of glory we may be seated in it In one word we pray for four things 1. That the word of God and its sound may be heard in our land 2. That we may be Gods visible Church on earth 3. For Gods grace 4. And for heaven at our ending Of this last what hopes without that precedent A circumvolution of the four fold sense Again its presumption to brag of grace and live without the Church Lastly it we aime at all we must doe a somewhat more It you purpose to be members of the Church be inspired with the Spirit hereafter have heaven let the Word of God dwell plentifully in your hearts I am resolved for my own part to make much of Gods Word The Avowry with the Collect. a mean to make me a member of the Church aequire grace and gain heaven You may be bad ground and sown with this seed A review the Word where this seed Interpretation 1. the Word for so it s call'd Luk. 8. is not sown that most fertile soils manured with Ethicks and the humane arts brings out but figtree-like cursed fruit Hence it is we pray way may be made for the Word of God and it may come ut adveniat hoc regnum that the kingdome may come So the Latine signifies which makes us sensible of Two things Extracts two 1. Our Condition 2. That in Expectation 1. Of our Condition that we are dronish in our devotion and love our ease more than our gains apparent while we pray Thy Kingdome come to us we walk not on to it 2. This in the second place makes us sensible of what in expectation That since advenit verbum the Word is come into our towns oratories ears that now prayed for is that the Word may enter into our hearts I am resolved to take notice of my backwardnesse in devotion The Avowry and all to make me more eager now this * Messenger sayne Gods Word is come to open the door of my heart and give it harbour Now this word its hieroglyphick or resemblance is a Kingdome for whilest we pray Gods Kingdome may come we mean Gods Word the word of truth And in these particulars the resemblance holds 1. For Kingdome like Resembances Gods Word is of power to correct instruct and reprove 2. It 's of force sufficient to make all outlawes inlaw themselves to Gods Law 3. Hath strength enough to meet in the field and to oppose all opposers be they Schismaticks or Hereticks Schismaticall in Discipline or Hereticall in Doctrine 4. The Nerves of a Kingdome are meat and ammunition such is the Word we live by it Deut. 8.3 it is call'd the sword of the Spirit Ephes 6.17 hath in it to feed at home and defend abroad 5. The best of Kingdomes Canaan had its commendation for abounding with milk and honey such is this whole land the word and therefore call'd sincere milk 1 Pet. 2.2 And therefore aver'd when the Prophet Ezekiel had put in his mouth a morsell of this earth that it was in his mouth as honey for sweetness Ezek. 3 3. I have travel'd through the land of the Philistims and the wildernesse of Sin A Supplicat But now O Lord strengthen my resolution to set up my resting place of abode in this * he means the word Taught Kingdome That here we pray for is a visible Church Interpretation 2. thy Kingdome come that is Lord let us enjoy a Church visible This interpretation I next bring in for that unmeet to be a Church untill it have received Gods good word Here we have leave to pray as against an Elias his paucity and the 7000. inforc't concealment So for liberty to continue daily in the Temple and to finde the favour to preach and hear the Gospell Act. 2.46 47. We pray then in this petition and it 's allowed for God by this second Exposition 1. That God may adde daily unto the Church Extracts two such as shall be saved 2. For the flourishing estate of the Church to the outward eye of the world Divers can endure the Queens * Church Daughter to be all glorious within but not that her Raiment should be of pure gold They cry all for sincerity within will tolerate no honourable train without Others would have the Church in worse case
highest price like the dunghill cock the precious sone For my own part I am resolved The Avowry to beg of God by the foolishnesse of preaching to expell out of my soul this foolish naturall left this naturall spiritual foolishnesse be my hinderance to do Gods will in Earth as it is in Heaven The second Vice we are warned to banish is spirituall Cowardize Cowardizes Character a childe of the Devils own begetting he dare not * Peter resist the Devil and he will flie from you stand his ground and this his brat is skar'd with every bugbear I wonder a coward got pranking into the heart except to hide him It is this spirituall cowardize in abstracto which hath prevail'd to call back resolution his nigh admittance to the heart and alliance in bloud to all in the Isle of Man makes this weakling thus strong the feebler he is the more potent in power a paradox in nature yet verified for truth How doth this one spirituall Cowardize infeeble the heart stonish the understanding and make will which would do good retreat O experience can teach what harm this one doth a Christian made the seven thousand in Israel hide their heads and when Baal was to be worshipped not a man for God to be known to the Prophet The fear of the arme of man is an enemy to the will of God and his will is little set by when the word of man strikes a terrour O the noise of Gebal and Ammon and Amalek if that daunt down goeth Gods cause A heartlesse proffessor the lesse his heart the stronger is his party to with-let what God would let this Cowardize be billeted in the heart and there quarter and this one will be the death of all the horse * Gods gifts and graces men of Israel they will fall in a swound suddenly retreat and in their retreat get their death-blow But in contempt and scorn of this unchristian-like cowardize which will not go on when God commands this shall be my Motto I weigh not what man can do unto me For this dastard I have a dare and Joshuas I will wounds him to the death For my own part by Gods good assistance The Avowry I am resolved upon it to quit my self like a man lest while I harbour an unmanlike heart my heart fall off to do Gods will in Earth as it is in Heaven A Divine Contemplation upon the Third Petition Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Here I see what I should do but I Lord how I fail in the performance Thou O God hast set me a pattern but I come as far short of the sampler as the Heavens are distant from the Earth I can soon learn to know what I should do all my life is too little to learn to doe what I know O God my God though thou hast given mee an understanding heart yet I finde in me my flesh a perverse will even one who is wonderfully unwilling to do thy will in Earth as it is in Heaven What hast thou left undone to teach me to do thy will The Law of Nature the Law of Moses the Gospell of Christ Jesus they spell and put together thy good will and pleasure Thou hast given me these to teach me Angels to guide me and all to lead me to know and do thy will in Earth as it is in Heaven If I would plead igrance thy unwritten Law in my heart condemns thy written Word the Law and Gospell bear witnesse against me Nor is this all but those my samplers thy Angels shall one day cry to thee to take vengeance on me O how ought my heart to relent when in secret I think upon it what pains thou hast taken and yet how unprofitable a scholar I have been in thy schoole Those to whom thou givest much of them much is expected I have received a large portion of instruction but O the lesson of obedience is not yet taken out Dear Father I confesse my wickednesse in thy presence I pray thee have merey upon me have mercy upon me and after the multitude of thy many mercies in Christ Jesus forgive me all my sins and trespasses O the thought what 's to be done and how it 's to be done assures me I am * he means without mercy undone This is thy Will and these are my Works Was ever light and darknesse truth and falshood more opposite the one to the other Had I but half an eye I might see what will be my end without amendment O thou who delightest not in the death of a sinner heal the disease in my soul my soul is sick to death yet Lord say the word and thy servant shall be healed O thou Physitian of souls give me a potion of faith faith to beleeve and the cure is wrought It cannot be my acting but any beleeving how Christ hath exactly acted my part must make my weak works well and gain them my Gods good liking Let my belief in thee beget a willingnesse in me to do thy will Then my God for Christ his sake will accept of my will for the deed Tack up then my Soul and look up to that brazen Serpent Christ In him and by him thou hast done the deed yet when all is done say it is no morel but Christ who dwelleth in me But if out of Christ thou art out of hopes to do Gods will in Earth as it is in Heaven The naturall man is the impotent man and can neither the Quid nor Quale It 's no marvell for saith S. Paul He perceives not the things of God O my soul while thou art in the state of corrupted nature thou art in an hell of disobedience Let the noise of the Law awake thee the voice of the Gospell allure thee to march out of Egypt out of Sodome out of thy naturall state and condition Soul why standest thou gazing while in Nature nought can be done neither what God wils nor as he wils O thou God of all Spirits create in me a new heart take me out of the old Adam engraffe me in the new make me a branch of that Vine Joh. 15. and I shall bring forth clusters of ⋆ grapes Of my self I have no power to bring forth only in Christ I live and move in an Angelicall sampler of obedience I must go out of my self ere I can get into the footsteps of they Angels Let the Archangel of the Covenant enable my feeble soul to do thy will in Earth as it is in Heaven The fourth Petition THe fourth Petition presents it self before your presence in which a Boon is put up for man to God witnessed while said Give us this day our daily Bread Here I finde one only word needs explaining Bread we want of our wils if we have not Bread every day in our mouthes our head-pieces must now give it harbour that as the materiall bread pleases the palat so the marrow A
discovered I confesse the Scriptures are sparing in setting down the Devils manner of tempting us and where God hath said little I will not have a mouth to speak much The Devil tempts us 1. Per alium by a second 2. Perse by himself 1 Per alium by a second thus he tempted Eve speaking in the serpent to the woman as the Angell in the Asse to Balaam the serpent and the swine have both harboured him the one to their own the other to our undoing so much mischief he made us when our mother Eve he thus overcame by Temptations that just cause we have to try each spirit ere we trust it 2. The Devill tempts perse by himself and this I finde to be two manner of waies Nostra Sua forma 1. In our shape 2. In his own In our shape thus he tempted Christ Mat. 4. who finding no secret assault as a spirit could penetrate Christs heart meets him as conceived by some like a man as lesse suspicious by proffers proving to enthrall his eye how usuall is this and at this day it is not only * Christ Innocency the Devils mortall enemy but Witches his fast friende and their confessions have made Certificate that thus the devill tempts and no few 2. The Devill tempts sua forma in his own shape as a spirit and thus two waies By Alluring the sense By Working upon the affections Ad Extra Ad Intra 1. By alluring the sense which that he can who questions for if Magicians can goll and delude the sense by making us beleeve we verily see what is not indeed no doubt their Master is of as much and much more power to bewitch mans sense and cause in his eye such a female to be most beautifull whose eye presents that object liked to the common sense which common sense being misused by misinforming the man is allured to what lewd 2. Again the Devill doth yet more to draw man on to sin for if by these out-works the senses the Devill can get no message conveyed to mans heart to tempt him to do evil he works more closely upon our afftctions his dear sriends by suggestions and that after this manner he knows our humours which predominates and so to what sin appetite is most inclin'd in such sort he suggests bespeaking us men not by word of mouth for a spirit but by suggestions for one of those spirituall wickednesses Thus he propounds and proffers but inforces not yet he reaches out what oft is laid hold of which the sooner we lay hold of for that it samplers the good like of our own constitutions But I will not lest I walk wide or wilde wander too far in this mysterie of iniquity God it may be conceald the modus the manner how the Devill tempts to make us spend more time de materia about the matter concerning resisting the Devils temptations 2. There is yet another kinde of sublunary temptarion cal'd the Temptation adintra and this I call the * Houshold or home domestick Temptation which is when a man is tempted or drawn away of his own lusts and inticed were it not for this Devill incarnate all Devils in Hell could scarse harm us we need neither fear the Devill nor the world but for this flesh of ours which S. James cals Lust it is then carnall lust that tempts us set a work by our old man man Originall corruption which original corruption since hath wafted over from Adam to us Guilt Filth And this lust made us yet more filthy than before for what is lust but a filth or spot spreading all over our nature this uncleannesse bred in us which is lust remains more or lesse in the best of us and is cal'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the disorder of all the faculties and powers of the minde not only of the inferiour part of the soul cal'd sensuality but of that upper part of the soul understanding and will I take this spotted * Lust beast to be the first spawn of originall sin who every day we uprise goar 's us and pushes us on in hast to commit evill in the sight of the Lord. The old man Originall sin sits in his * Heart chair of state and sends abroad Lust to draw all in our Isle from serving God to serve him It is then by carnall lust the old mans servant that we are drawn away that is tempted to do evill the master sets his man to work the man miserably overmasters us poor men and we are led captive by our lust yea while God leaves us our lust leads us captive into that strong hold cal'd Temptation I am resolved The Avowry since so sore beset with the master and the man to provide me of a second even Gods spirit that so I be not taken and led into temptation The second word to be explained is Evill now though this word admit of severall acceptations yet I will muster here no more than meet and pertinent to our purpose You have malum re You Have Rem malam By Malum re as saith S. Chrysostome is meant the Devill By rem malam S. Austin saith is meant sinne And thus you see it is the Devill and sin we desire deliverance from from the Devill the Sire of sin from sin the author of all our ill two strong enemies for us weaklings without supply by Prayer to hold our against for the one commands hell that 's the Devill The other us Lord are we not said too much by our sins But loe what doth Evill more full predicate of than of these The Devill it is his old stile and Sin such is its condition The Devils malice and sins effects can afford neither a better epithet such is the Devill Evill such is Sin no better fratres in malo brethren in iniguity I am resolved to period my prayers with this part of the petition The Avowry since this part of the petition prefer'd prevails with God to deliver me both from sin and Satan Having explained the words difficult to be underftood now I mean to give you the sense and meaning of the petition It is this Good God and Father of us all let us not be ensnared in the Gin of lest-handed Temptation by daring to experiment what thou canst no nor let those of our own kinde overcome us those of our own house harm us nor yet the Devills who bears us so much ill will be able to doe us the least annoyance let me not fall into the fowlers net Lord I pray not the net be not set but that I be not catcht in it I pray thee not to take the weapon of Temptation out of the Devils hands but I pray thee preserve me that I be not wounded to death by that weapon Lord Lord after the sword be brandisht the net set deliver my soul out of the snare of the fowler Lord deliver me from evill that is from the Devill and sinne
warned the Jewes to have a care of this when said to them Think not to say within your selves here 's provision taken against an open assault and a small skirmish O that this care were had over our bodies and sould then we might play at foiles and not receive so many disgracefull vinnies The Avowry I am resolved to have an eye all over and to stand upon my guard * Head to the foot a capo pe since required to take heed to the least harm carching in the incounter Now see what it is we pray for Deliverance from evill I will not divide Deliverance from Evill since Evill without Deliverance delivers us up to death Let us tye these two a good and a bad together and though the wolves guts being placed nigh the sheeps tharmes fret them all to pirces yet it 's my hopes this Innocent shal have the better of that Malefactor and that the nigher Deliverance makes his approach the suddenner downfall will betide Evill Let us team then these two together as Samson did his foxes to burn up the land of the Philistims But to save from spoil the * Soul land of israel 1. I mean let us treat upon Deliverance and Evill conjunctim our Deliverance from Evill 2. Then upon Evill all alone First these two Devill and sin are comprehended under this one only word Evill from which we pray for Deliverance to deliver us from Evill and what to deliver and us and from these thus named This sewes us Note the Devill and sin are our worst of enemies that abroad this at home that without doors this within doors that the prince of the aire this which we heir from Adam and earths in us and dwels in us in our bodies in our souls These two seek the destruction of our souls and bodies Whoso hears the cry of the Crocodile immediately he is a dead body O fear not him can kill the body but these can kill both body and soul Let me count of these for foes who are of force to be my undoing the undoing of all me and for ever Secondly what worse enemies than these which are alwaies at oddes with us Earthly enemies are not ever in action take sometimes truce with us the truth is these two never take truce no not a minute a moment Devill his daily journey is to compasse the earth and all to make us hellish proselytes Sin like the Sun is in continuall motion like the fountain ever bubling Hence saith our Saviour Why do thoughts arise and you shall see what arise and turn to Mar. 7.21 Streams of waters of Mara and amin and so many able to drown the Israel of God as the Red sea all the host of the Egyptians Thirdly it is the Devill and sin seek to destroy unum unitatem not only this or that person but the species Hist the whole kinde and posterity of Adam Nero wisht all Rome had but one head that so with one blow he might be their utter overthrow what he wisht these have wrought even all our overthrowes The Mirandillian Butchery the Parisian Mattens the Sicilian Evensong fall all far short of that these two have complotted acted against Adam and all us his off-spring And honce issues out my ill conceit against the Devill and sin Yea their hate to our kinde The Collect their continuall hate which stretches out its limits beyond this life to deprive us of a life everlastign this foul fact of these two hath made me resolve upon it to repair to those three to the trine Unity or Trinity in unity all to put up to them this petition Lord lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evill Let us now go take notice from what we desire deliverance it is from Evill By which word Evill you have heard is meant the Devill and Sin this is their style nones else That I note is Note nought is more evill than the Devill and Sin 1. For antiquity sio fuit a principie ever since Devill was a Devill and sin sin these have been evill 2. For spite or malice know you not devill makes God out of love with us and sin us out of love with Gods Law 3. For Complots the Devils device to harm Job and sins insinuation to bring Ananias to his end reveal they are horrible evill 4. The Devils Epithites the evill spirit the unclean spirit Mat. 12. and sins effect By one man came sin and by sin death make me give them this title Evill and deservedly I am resolved The Avowry since this they are to beware yea to watch and ward over my heat lest my heart admit of acquaintance with these two foul fiends the Devill and sin The Cases of Conseience now next come in and they be three The first whereof is this I. Case after what manner doth Lust and Concupiscence temps us to fin or intice or draw us on from serving God to become the servants of sin This is the hardest thing in the world to discover and therefore much pains must be taken to compleat an answer satisfactory Such a serious subject as this is slighting of it is unseemly and the Orator should be as ill thought of Hist as Alexander thought of Cherillus who gave him money to hold his peace 1. It is and for this cause that I am resolved first to demonstrate how lust effects this feat by a simile 2. To make the point more perspicuous I purpose God willing to describe lusts sick daies march through the heart of man and all to captivate poor foul and take the Man prisoner and lead him into that strong hold call'd Temptation First this may be made appear by a Simile drawn from flowers how lust or concupiscence entices or draws man on to sin You know there passes from flowers a subtle vapour which the sense of smelling drawes in and which drawes away the sense with delight after it So lust which sprung up in the Garden of Eden after Eve had finned from it as from a flower passes a subtle vapour of evill thoughts And as the sent of the flower goes on by the organ of smell into the brain so a sent of lusts even evill thoughts are carryed by that organ the common sense into the heart And as the delightfull smell makes us in love with the subtle vapour so the pleasures of lusts make us affect the vapours of evill which come from lust Nor are those evill vapours a few but full many apparent by those already quoted words of Christ Luk. 24. Why do thoughts arise in your hearts These are infectious vapours and more dangerous to the soul than fenny mists to the body if not scattered and blown a way by Gods Spirit they poyson soul and cast understanding will and memory the souls publick Notary into Feaver sits This is it hath made me resolve upon it The Avowry to beg of the good gardiner God
Amen the Son yet there 's a blush But take Amen for vox praeterea nihil wherein then lies the resemblance 1. God is Alpha and Omega This Amen is Omega for alwaies last 2. God comprehends all sic Amen omnia praedicta Amen comprehends all mens votes and supplicats 3. God undestands all Tongues and Languages and Amen it 's well known is no stranger to none of them 4. God is every where sic Amen in una quaque regione you may finde Amen in every nation 5. God is the very same yesterday to day and to morrow Et hoc verbum Amen semper idem ejus nomen nunquam amittitur and to shew it is no changeling it is set next secular seculorum Since this Amen blushes noble a personage The Avowry this shall make me ponder in minde ere I say with my tongue Amen In the next place Amens three significations maintain this Amen blushes the three persons Father Sonne Holy Ghost And first God the Father while by Amen is meant an oath it 's the sole decider of all in Earth so he in Heaven Secondly God the Son Amen is like him if not him Dum hoc verbum est veritas Thirdly God the Holy Ghost while as he so this Amen is signum the mark the seal seals all assuredly I will ever have in high esteem that prayer upon whose last word is imprint the Character of the ever blessed Trinity The Avowry And now if you chance to dislike the allusion dislike not my endevour which is to satisfie as some with common Cates so some with a novelty Bit you know ere cloth be taken away novelties are expected or never Let each take a morsell of the meat will best digest with him and not condemn the Cateror for that at cost with variety We see the dish set up upon the long board of your understanding cal'd Amen Let us all close up our stomachs with this Amen A very taste whereof hath put the people of God in minde of one God And God the Father Sonne Holy Ghost My vote for all Gods people shall be this His vote that while to their prayers end they have in their mouthes and bear in their mindes God so that God would be ever pleased to grant all their prayers put up unto him The third part of my method moves me to give you the compleat character of this one Amen Amens Character I mean its description in decurt short significant sentences Amen then as you have heard is an Hebrew by Nation a Laconian by Language and a traveller by nature hath talkt with sundry of sundry nations and when they have said all they can gives them it all over in a word This is hath marcht through all the provinces in the Christian world yet in the rear never in the front The Officer at armes who drawes up the broad Body into a little circle The son of Mars makes an end of all he is plac't the lowest yet is of greatest account for comprehends quic quid in buccam venit the last yet the first while from the first to the last all hangs dependency upon this one Amen This is the pacifier of the people which makes them of one minde the little map deciphers out their unanimous universall agreement the prosective glasse in which I see a fort gone farre before The notary bears in minde every petition put up Lo the repeater over of our prayers which bindes all us to bear in minde all said This Amen is a memento for man and a testis to God our remembrance of what spoke and the witnesse betwixt God and us we meant as we spoke this is he saies little yet saies much while gives us magnum in parvo much in a little a word of weight which if pondered weighs as heavie as the whole prayer Behold the nut is nought but kernell the fountain is sea-full and the ship is full fraught this is it fils and full the magazine mans understanding and hath to lay up a somewhat lest in the out-room memory Will must not be a wanting lest there be a want when search is made for what came aboard I will board the booty in this bottome The Avowry and desite my God to give me understanding to conceive and memory to bear in minde all lies hid in this howle Amen But come what is it lies here hid Sub tegmine Deus sub tegmine Christus as much Amen signifies God Christ Christ God himself saies I am the Amen If you end with God and Christ have nought to do with the Devill have you Christ in your mouthes keep then Satan out of your hearts Thou never with a good heart sayest this prayer but this last word shuts door upon the Devill Principium a Jove finis Jesu thou beginnest with the Father endest with the Son Without doubt the Spirit is thy guide and teaches thee to pray teaches thee thus to pray teachers thee * Pater noster this to say let me tell thee to have God in thy mouth the Son on thy tongue end makes probable proof the holy Ghost is in thy heart So on the other side to slight such a prayer which begins with our Father ends with the Son maketh it more than probable the Spirit of the Lord is departed from that suppliant take it for a maxime in Divinity he that wilfully refuses to say Christs Prayer is not inspired with christs Spirit Let me tell you I can see no other cause why any should lay aside our Lords Prayer unlesse unwilling to use the name God the Father at the first and God the Son at the end in their Rosary The Jewes were so fear'd to take Gods Name in vain that they used another word in stead it may be we have such a piour people who fear to sin if they should do what Christ bids them doe Say the Lords Prayer yet since Amen is in stead of Christ there is no excuse neither ever took I those men to be squeasie stomach who can strain at a gnat and swallow a Camel who make scruple to say Christs prayer yet stick not to rob Christs Church in one work who destroyed her Discipline defaced her Doctrine unhallowed her sacred Sacraments and doe to many of Gods Embassadors as Hanun did with Davids cut off their garments to the hams Beleeve me those who have such strong stomachs to the maintenance of the Ministry I never knew bear any good will to the Doctrine of the Church They will cry Amen sooner to the one then the other I will leave them and pray for them the Lord awake them out of that surreptitious sin Sacriledge And thus I passe on to the fourth part of my method which desires since the subject is short you would give me leave to extract an heavenly fancy from the letters in this last word of our Lords Prayer I know some will carp at it but for my own part I
to root out of that plat of ground my heart that weed Lust which if left in it at least be suffered to like it s sent and savour will infect my soul and all in it Secondly Lusts six dayes march that every Christian who will take pains to peruse this Case may be made conscious how carnall lust or naturall concupiscence drawes him on to sin Lusts six dayes march through soul must be made to compere Lust the lewd imitates God the good God six daies wrought to perfect the creation Lust takes as many daies pains to deface the map Man the modell of all Gods great work that great work of creation 1. Lusts first daies march is made when it pricks on to the first motions to sin now this daies march is begun and ended when carnal lust hath turn'd mans heart after a vain object in the Commonwealth as of pleasure prosit honour in the Church as after superstitious rites and ceremonies and more to set by the shadow than the substance This is that spirituall vertigo Paul taxed the Galatians with for being troubled with Gal. 4.9 when they turn'd again to the weak and beggerly rudiments would man but mark he should finde this march lust call'd Concupiscence had made into his marches turn'd his thoughts from God-ward too much to eye a vain object 2. Lusts second dayes march is made through heart when thou O man marchest on to like that to which thy heart turned now this liking is not all alike for it is either on the sudden like a guest unexpected or else a more impressed liking like a Seal out and carv'd That is sudden surprisall this other a permanent good like and these two are shadowed out by that in Job 20.12 13. where the wicked man is compared to one hath sweet poyson in his mouth he feels a sweetnesse in it yet fears it is poyson and spits it out Then this is only a sudden passion but if he hide it under his tongue roots if he favour and forsake it not but keep it in his mouth then this is a permanent affection a piece of durable Duretta a stay by by us wouldst thou O man but mark thou shouldst finde this second daies march lust hath made through thy heart while thou likest the evill of sin to which thy heart first gave a turn 3. Lusts third daies march is made through the heart when that plundering horseman is spyed trotting through hearts confines cal'd Consensus in ‑ delectatione in English mans overjoying delight he takes in that evill to which his heart hath turn'd and liked this Rakes merrily on and there is two of this name I mean Duplex consensus Operis Duplex consensus Mentis A consent to doe evill forbid in the nine first Commandements A consent in heart forbid in the last the tenth which is when in heart and minde the man takes a pleasure and a certain delight in the thought and thinking of his Mistresse sin his Dalila darling sin have you not spyed tell truth this overjoying delight in the heart to do the evill of sin Simil. every of us hath a sin relishes in our thoughts like a sugar plumb in our plats The discovery of this is the witnesse Lust hath made a third daies march through thy heart and minde and of this I am insured while thou O man hast an everjoying delight in the sin like't and turn'd to 4. Lusts fourth dayes march is more flow but the more perillous in this daies march lust takes leave to stay and look about him all soul over this daies march begins and ends morante delectatione with a delaying or staying or dwelling upon the thought of doing evill when this is discoverable be sensible lust hath made four dayes march O man into thy heart now who if he search diligently shall not finde lust thus far got ad morantem delectationem which the Schoolmen call Articulatio faetus the framing and fashioning of all the parts of sin the womb of the soul after mans turning to eye the evill after his liking the evill he even now turn'd to hath by a kinde of carnall copulation begot sin after his assent hath given heat and warmth to this spurious sperm and made it capable to grow from little to more then in comes one by a daily dallying or a dilatory delight taking in what was turned to lik't of assented to and this is it which gives framing and fashioning in the heart of man to the sin conceived but as the vipers are the death of their dams so more we form of this imp of evill in the soul the more it ruinates the soul They say the Beare bringeth forth a lump Hist but licks it into forme O! our first conceptions of evill are monstra horrenda horrible monsters our licking That is our oft Turning to Liking of Assenting to volving and revolving up and down in the soul hath fashioned this savage Beare Sinne. And for certain this slow gate as 't were loth to leave sins remembrance brance but dwelling on it avouches it 's Lusts fourth daies march it hath made into the heart The Supplicat Now God send us well quit of it 5. Now followes lusts fift daies march through the inner Temple the soul this march is made per aberrationem Cordis while the heart wanders after evill so soo as the heart begins to gad after that evill I lookt-at lik't assented to stayed to dally with in the fist place my resuming to think again upon that sin late out of minde my suffering my minde to call it back again This discovers the fist dayes march lust hath made through my soul O who pereeives not he hath been thus forraged by the man of sin O the sin which runs in our reins veins is in our nature is naturall to us rakes up and down the inner man this is it doth make us reassume and take up a thought a delight in the sin we had surceased from and when the spirituall watchman enlightned understanding spyes this be pleased to be informed by him concupiscence or carnall lust hath made the fist daies march through thy sout 6. And now there is but noe daies march more the sixt when this is finished acumest it is finished and carnall lust got from Dan to Beersheba from one end of the soul to the other all soul over were this daies march overpast all is taken all but a sort of clay thy earthy body and when the Castle hath yeelded can the Town hold out when the sword is taken the scabbard is for no service This I say to let you know fro once this last daies march be made through soul how presently our bodies become a prey to lust whilest carnall lust with aese inforces our actuating evill bodily Let us therefore take speciall heed to discover lusts six daies march through the soul which the better we may do it know all its way its words are these Si