his grace and goodness abode still in the estate of innocency and blessedness they are created spirits limited in essence compounded of subject and accident act and possibility immortal by participation mutable by creation but established by grace in their first state As spirits they are invisible immaterial incorruptible intelligent as chief instruments of Gods providence they are furnished with great power incredible swiftness singular wisdome burning zeal and undoubted faithfulness as blessed Ministers that ever attend his Throne they are indued with clear knowledge of God inestimable love exceeding joy and admirable glory Their life is spiritual their state blessed and permanent for they stand ever in the presence of God behold his glory and rest in him with full delight Their End and office in respect of God is to praise his Name and execute his Commandement in respect of Christ to minister and attend upon him in regard of men to rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner to guard and protect the faithful against the dangers of this life and the assaults of Satan to curb bridle and destroy their enemies and to gather the elect together at the day of judgement Quest How are these things to bee pressed and urged and applied unto the heart Answ 1 Wee must stir up our selves to admire the power goodness and glory of God in himself his tender care over us rouze up our souls to the obedience of Gods will and respect of his children and take courage to rely upon God in the midst of dangers that compass us about who would not fear thee O Lord our God glorious in Majesty dreadful in Holiness wonderful in Power Thine holy Angels excel in strength are cloathed with glory that man cannot behold but all their might and goodness is derived from thee a drop of thy Ocean a beam of thy Sun if the glory of the creature bee so great the glory of the Creator must infinitely surpass all comprehension Oh how blockish am I that in the view and contemplation of the work have not enlarged my heart to laud and magnifie the work-man Arise my soul and gird thy self to the chearful sincere faithful obedience to Gods Commandement To do the will of God is Angelical preferment a divine and heavenly exercise the greatest freedome and perfection Make haste delay not to exercise his good pleasure Loe the Angels in Heaven are thy samplers whom thou oughtest to follow Let not that seem irksome to thee that is delightsome to them esteem it not a burden which is to them an heavenly solace and refreshing Ah wretched man why should I grudge to yield obedience to my heavenly Father or do his will negligently by the halves when those Noble spirits and heavenly souldiers do alwaies stand in readiness to receive his commands and execute their commission Doth the world despise the poor Saints of God for their outward baseness yet I will honour them as the onely excellent for God is their Father the Angels their Attendants Wee cap and bow to them that are nobly attended gorgeously arrayed honourably served but herein the Saints excel if the thing bee well considered They are esteemed the scum of the world but respected of God in such manner that hee hath given his Angels charge over them the guard that attends upon his Throne is assigned to watch over them Walk on couragiously O my soul walk on couragiously in the waies of piety Fear not the assaults of Satan the fury of any adverse power that shall oppose it self for more are with thee than can be against thee If Satan with his bands endeavour thy destruction The troops of heavenly Angels do watch for thy defence yea the Lord himself is thy keeper and stands at thy right hand to save thee from all them that rise up against thee How great is the clemency and tender care of the Lord over his poor people what tongue can express what heart comprehend his infinite goodness hee sends from on high his mighty souldiers to encamp about us watch over us preserve and save us from them that lye in wait to vex and annoy Oh my Father what can I render unto thee for this thy great kindness and unspeakable mercy I have nothing to give but my heart which here I offer unto thee and because I am weak exposed to the temptations of Satan and allurements of this wicked world I pray thee give mee thy grace confirm and strengthen mee that I may imitate those pure spirits every day more and more that I may praise thy Name execute thy Commandements love thy Children rejoyce in the conversion of them that go astray and fight thy battels against sin and Satan Quest Let man bee the third example how must wee proceed to meditate on that Subject Answ For the better information of our judgement wee must consider these particulars the Author the Matter Form End Properties and Effects what are like and what opposite Man is inferiour to the Angels but of earthly creatures most excellent The Author of this principal work is God himself Father Son and Holy Ghost and that in special manner for other creatures were made by a simple command man not without a divine consultation Gen. 1.26 others at once man hee did first form then inspire others in several shapes like to none other but themselves man after his own Image others with qualities fit for service man for Dominion Hee was made the last of the creatures and brought as the Lords Vicegerent into this world as into a parlour ready trimmed and prepared for so worthy a guest Man consisteth of two parts Matter and Form Heaven and Earth a humane body and divine soul and well may be called a little abridgement map or table of the whole world In his soul is the nature of Angels though not so active and extensive In his body are the Elements Meteors Minerals as may appear both by vapours fumes and spirits Hee lives the life of plants hee hath the senses of beasts and above all the addition of reason His body was framed of the dust of the ground in more exquisite manner than any other furnished with most excellent instruments absolutely composed both for beauty and duty in all the works of holiness and righteousness For variety of parts sweetly knit together and orderly disposed it was wonderful for temperature exact for form erect and streight In the whole beautiful glorious strong subject to no annoyance most artificially fashioned that it might bee the neat stately Palace of a Divine Noble reasonable soul In every part beauty strength convenience meet together The distinct consideration of every member with its temper proportion placing figure and use might well astonish The soul of man was immediately created of nothing and being indued with most excellent faculties and gifts natural and supernatural was infused into the body and inseparably knit had not sin made an unnatural divorce to give life motion and sense unto it
Thus man was made the wonder of the world the principallest of living creatures indued with a reasonable soul most divinely qualified and strictly united to that earthly mass to quicken and inliven it The end why man was made in respect of God was the glory of his power goodness and wisdome appearing in the work it self of his justice in rewarding man if obedient and in punishing man if disobedient of his grace and mercy redeeming him fallen into the gulf of misery and that man should praise and magnifie his glorious name In respect of man that hee should live blessedly for ever if hee did obey man by creation was immortal for death is an enemy no consequent of nature but a companion of sin man dieth not because his body was framed of the dust 1 Cor. 15.26 but because hee is infected with sin Subjection to mortality and all miseries accompanying it is a fruit of disobedience Hee is reasonable and intelligent able to think invent judge devise compose discourse remember chuse refuse suspend and affect These powers being essential to mans nature do still remain but very weak and corrupt since the fall Also to man is given power to eat drink sleep weep laugh and speak whereby hee may communicate to others whatsoever hee conceiveth hee was perfectly conformable to the will of God made after the Image of God in knowledge righteousness and true holiness But the Image of God is defaced with sin there remaining onely some reliques in us as the ruines of a magnificent and stately palace that served to shew what once wee had Moreover in the state of innocency man was honoured with great Royalties and Prerogatives for hee had liberty to eat of every tree in the Garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil and was made ruler over all earthly creatures that hee might freely use them to the glory of God his own necessity and lawful pleasure But these priviledges hee hath forfeited by rebellion against his Creator The effects of man are suitable to the faculties and gifts hee hath received as to know God call upon his name worship him sincerely preach the Word administer the Sacraments govern give counsel contemplate the works of God read write confer and dispute exercise the works of virtue and honesty govern the affections reverence superiors live peaceably and such like But in all these things wee have much dis-inabled our selves by wilful disobedience Would you see the prime dignity of man by comparison In soul hee is like the Angels invisible immaterial immortal beautified with understanding will and power inriched with admirable divine gifts whereby hee resembleth God or carrieth his Image In body hee is the perfection of all earthly things whom they are to serve In both hee is the Epitome of all created excellency in Heaven and Earth Quest How must these things bee applied unto the heart for the quickening of affection Answ Wee must stir up our selves to magnifie the goodness of the Lord towards man-kind to shame our selves in conscience of our sins and misery raise up the heart to the contempt of earthly things and love of obedience and seek unto God to have his Image repaired in us again through Jesus Christ Lord Psal 8.4 5 6 c. what is man that thou visitest him the son of man that thou so regardest him Thou hast made him little inferiour to the Angels adorned him with grace stamped upon him thy Image invested him with dignity and crowned him with glory and honour Thou hast given him Dominion over the work of thy hands and put all things in subjection under his feet Thou hast made him for thy service his soul to bee thy habitation his body to bee the Temple of thy spirit and all other things to bee serviceable unto him the world and all that is therein for his use All things are prepared for him all things are subject to him hee ruleth over all living creatures they labour for him obey his command Lord thou art the glory of man man the receptacle of thy works thy wisdome and power But as mine excellency by creation exceeds so doth my shame and misery by sin and disobedience The higher mine advancement the lower my fall This was my chief honour and title that I was the Image of God This is my disgrace and ignominy that I bear the Image of the Devil This is my comfort that God did love delight and desire to dwell in mee it is my misery that I am cast out of thy favour and lye under wrath Ah what grief is this to think how my condition is altered through my foolishness once immortal now mortal once pure now impure and polluted once rich in wisdome and grace now blinde and naked once the Image and free servant of God now the vassal of Satan once at peace with God my conscience all creatures now at war with his Majesty my self all the world Once a free man to walk at liberty now a bondslave that can doe nothing but sin once the Ruler of all creatures now of all creatures the basest Satan excepted once subject to no annoyance now secure from nothing that might offend If a Noble man fall from height of honour to great contempt and bitter extremities hee is much afflicted much greater cause have I to bemoan my folly who have cast my self headlong from Heaven unto Earth even to the gulf of misery and confusion Oh my soul why dost thou forget thy self so much as to affect the base things of this life It is a shame for him that was to subdue all things to suffer himself to bee subdued by men and to become a Lacquey to his vile affections doing honour to the three great Idols of the world profit pleasure and preferment The world is too vile for thy delight thou art created for more divine service the Lord himself covets thy love The glory of the world is put under thy feet as things to bee trodden upon that which thou shouldest affect is far above heavenly and glorious If the fashion of the body should bee so changed that the face and eyes bowed to the earth continually should never bee able to look up it would bee grievous But if the soul which should bee lifted up to God do creep upon earth bee glued to worldly vain delights the alteration is more uncomfortable and monstrous Hee that subdueth the world doth yeeld himself to the service of God which is perfect liberty But when wee become slaves to the world wee labour to make God servant to our lusts which is most abominable and accursed The glutton makes God his caterer his belly his God and himself the guest The covetous worldling would have God his Broker and himself the Usurer The angry sinner would have God his executioner and himself the Judge The ambitious inquisitor can sometimes make God and Religion his stile but honour shall bee his God and lust reign The Lord himself
are these things to bee laid to heart and pressed upon the soul Answ Wee must stir up our selves to desire full knowledge of God and free communion with him to trust love reverence glory in his name and to walk before him in all humility of mind Blessed is the man that knoweth the Lord and cleaveth unto him in love fear and affiance yea happy is the man whose God is the Lord. Look unto God Oh my soul observe his waies seek his face and labour after more intire fellowship and familiarity with him The knowledge of God is excellent easie comfortable it perfecteth the understanding seasoneth the will changeth the affections rejoyceth the heart The worth and excellency the profit and delight that knowledge bringeth is answerable to the object which is apprehended in which the knowledge of God hath infinitely the preheminence Nothing can rejoyce the heart in which the goodness of God is not felt nor his power wisdome and mercy seen Oh how sweet and delightsome is it to behold the face of God as it shineth in Jesus Christ to contemplate the happy Reconciliation of justice and mercy by his unsearchable wisdome to think upon his long-suffering tender love and never-fading compassion Love the Lord Oh my soul and trust in his mercie serve him with fear and rejoyce in his holy name for hee is thy strength thy rock thy portion thy salvation His favour is better than life in his presence is fulness of joy hee is goodness it self the highness of all good things that can bee desired The pleasures of the world are vain earthly gain breeds great vexations Trial. worldly honours vanish and come to nothing but God is our pleasure glory gain everlasting immeasurable But woe is mee my sight is dimm my judgement vain my heart carnal my affections disordered my thoughts loose I know little of God I have been very negligent to seek acquaintance with him These vain things below the gifts of Gods bounty have stollen away my heart from the giver of every good and perfect gift If men speak I tremble if they smile I rejoyce in their presence I am reverent if superiours chearful if friends if absent I long for their company if present I desire to give them content if in distress I mourn if in prosperity I rejoyce when separated from them in body I am with them in spirit If I bee ignorant of the things of this life I inquire after them if I have sustained loss I fall out with my self for it am pinched at the heart learn wisdome against another time and labour by double diligence to redeem it again But I have greatly neglected the knowledge of God when hee threatneth I am senseless in his presence I am irreverent dead-hearted when I appear before him lumpish in Prayer loose in Meditation scarce lifting up a thought to Heaven soon tired in the Meditation of heavenly things never well till my thoughts bee set at liberty to range up and down not moved to hear thy name dishonoured little affected with grief when I have offended Taking shame I am ashamed and confounded in my self to hear and see the wisdome of worldly men in the affairs of this life when I am so rude and ignorant in the things that concern my eternal happiness The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his Masters crib but I am not acquainted with the Lord my life my light my portion from whom I have received what I am in whom I look to bee eternally blessed Ah wretched man that I am I look for reverence from mine inferiours for love from them of whom I have deserved little to whom I can shew small kindness If men give not credit to my Word I take it grievously but in these things I have offered wrong to the Lord of life who is glorious in Majesty dreadful in power plentious in goodness Hearty wishing most constant in his promises Oh that mine eyes were open to behold the glory of God and my heart inclined to love him unfeignedly intirely above all things Oh that my soul were close united to his fear that I could solace my self in his favour and stand in awe of his displeasure that I might not sin against him Awake Stirring up our selves Oh my soul rouze up thy self to seek the knowledge of God in Christ whom to see is eternal happiness What contentment canst thou take in any thing if God bee not seen in it If the eye of the body wherewith wee behold this light bee annoyed or dimmed wee will seek far and wide for help and shall wee not labour to have the eye of our spirits cleared wherewith we see the Lord the Son of Righteousness the light and joy of every Christian Raise up thy self to love reverence and trust in the Lord Thou canst not comprehend his goodness which is immeasurable his power which is unsearchable his truth which is firm and immoveable as his infiniteness passeth thy conceit covet the more inseparably to cleave unto him Couldest thou comprehend his nature hee should not bee all-sufficient in himself nor able to satisfie thy desire But as God is infinite and never to bee comprehended essentially so is our joy in him bottomless our help from him most certain and our love to him should bee above measure our confidence in him without wavering Humble acknowledgment Oh my God I do confess before thee that I am miserably stained with ignorance unbeleef irreverence I am full of carnal wisdome harlotry love vain fear fleshly confidence corrupt joy But grievously wanting in true knowledge sound faith sincere love and holy reverence of thy holy Majesty Nor is my want greater than my inability to help my self the dead cannot restore himself to life nor the blinde to sight supernatural graces must come from above Petition Therefore unto thee O Lord do I direct my supplication give mee grace to know thee as my chief happiness to love thee as the perfect good unite my heart unto thee in Faith and Reverence that nothing may draw mee aside from thy testimonies Confidence It is thy promise to write thy Law in my heart and to put thy fear in the inner man Oh Lord thou art able to do what thou wilt and thou wilt accomplish what thou hast spoken unto thee I commend my soul and upon thee I will relye as long as I live Quest Let the holy Angels be a second instance how are wee to proceed in the Meditation of that subject Answ Wee must consider their author nature properties estate end and offices The Angels are more excellent than man but inferiour to the Almighty from whom they received their being in time according to his good pleasure and by whose goodness such as abode in the truth were still preserved in their being and blessed condition The truth hath taught us to define them to bee spirits finite compleat immortal made after the Image of God who through