good his satisfaction to whom we swear and for the ending and not the beginning of strife els we prostitute Gods name eyther to our own or other mens lusts Common and light swearing argues such a degree of irreverence of Gods Majestie as we may truly boldly say that the heart of a common and customary swearer is voyd of all grace and true fear of God And in weighing with my self with admiration and horrour the customarie swearing amongst so many considering that there is nothing in it as in other sins eyther profitable or pleasant or of credit in the world or that brings eyther reasonable or sensuall good I have made account that besides imitation of one another and custom which makes it half naturall to some and a conscience guiltie of want of credit in others which moves many to swear that they may be beleeved and want of wit in not a few who strive by accessory oaths to supply their defect of matter or other inabilitie of speach there is in this swearing veyn a deeper mysterie of mischeif then ordinary and that indeed men take it up specially in the divels intention who sets them a work and not a litle in their own in direct opposition of God and because he in his law hath so severely prohibited it If God had not in his word so expresly and severely forbidden it as he hath done certeynly there would not be the least part of it used that is Gracelesse men seem therein to affect a professed contempt of God and withall an opinion from men that they fear nothing neyther God nor divell as they say But God will make them feel that fear not the guilt of taking his glorious name in vayn which all creatures ought to honour and reverence This sin being directly against Gods majestie he reservs by his providence the punishment of it ordinarily to himself spiritually by hardnes of heart and impenitencie in this life usually to the end thereof and both bodily and ghostly by hell-fire for ever Where it is also like that the divels and damned men do and will swear and curse in their utter rejection from God and intollerable torment and so make their sin and course of blaspheaming as endlesse as their punishment for it CHAP. L. Of Zeal ZEal is by some well defyned the heat and intention of all affections and not eyther any one simple affection or composition of divers I add of the understanding also So men meditate zealously and love zealously and hate zealously and rejoyce zealously and mourn zealously and with great intention of heart The like is to be sayd of all the rest of the affections As nothing lives without naturall heat so neyther lives he the life of Christ indeed who is destitute of christian zeal to warm him in his affections and actions specially in matter of Gods worship and service in which whether wrong or right luke-warmnes is odious and loathsom The Lord will spue out of his mouth the luke-warm whether wyne or water Worldly wise-men despise zeal as prejudiciall to wisdom discretion So Festus judged Paul mad Michall accounted David as one of the fools for the singular zeal of God which they manifested But even this foolishnes of God is wiser then men Yet is it certeyn that men of great knowledg and judgment do seldom make that manifestation of Zeal which weaker persons do The former have their spirits most in their brayns and are exercised specially in the disquisition and discerning of truth from falshood and of good from evill The latter have them most in their hearts and accordingly give themselvs to the affectionate pursuit of that which they conceav to be true and good and alike to the avoyding and impugning of the contrarie Some deceav others by the pretence of zeal which they put on for their advantage as stage-players do vizours till their part be played And thus Ismaell deceaved the fortie men of Samaria with his crocodiles tears Also there are not a few who deceav both others and themselvs by seeming to both eyther to have the Zeal of God which they wholly want or much more then they have And of this number was Iehu how loud soever he cryed to Ionadab Behold the zeal which I have for the house of the Lord whereas in truth that which most set him awork was zeal for his own house though it may be he thought not so Besides craftines in this Iehues zeal there are two other properties the one suspitious where it is found and the other odious The former is a furious march against evill without an answerable pursuit of and affection unto the contrarie good Many are vehemently carryed against Antichristian devises in truth or so appearing unto them in whom yet appears litle love and affection to that which is of Christ in their own judgment Such are rayther carried by their own flesh then led by the spirit of God The other is crueltie To be aright and truely zealous cannot but be good seeing so many and those wise men desire at times to seem so though they be not True zeal must be for God and from God and according to God and having God both for beginning and end and rule of direction it cannot but it self be good and godly It must be for the Lord and for the furtherance of his glorie in the obedience of his will and in mans salvation and not for our own or other mens by-purposes And if it so fall out that by one and the same thing Gods cause and our own profit credit or other worldly advantage be promoted we had need keep a jealous eye over our selvs that we serv not our turn on God by making his ends as it were a bridg to our own as Iehu did Secondly as the fire of the altar came from heaven so must our coal of zeal be fetched thence as being the work of Gods spirit in our hearts in the use of prayer meditation upon the word of God read and heard the examples of others godly as it were ryding in the fierie chariot of Elyas and the like holy means by which this divine fire is kindled and nourished in mens breasts Thirdly it must be according to God both for the qualitie of the matter and quantity of the intention of affection For the former It is good alwayes even then and then onely to be zealous in a good matter and that neyther lightly presumed nor partially conceipted so to be but certeynly known els we burn not sweet incense with holy fire but dirt and doung in stead thereof Our zeal also must be apportioned to the object and that not onely considered in it self but also in the circumstances attending upon it in regard whereof things not alwayes the most good or evill in themselvs may justly deserv at our hands a great bent eyther of love to them or hatred against them And amongst other circumstances we must be carefull
OBSERVATIONS DIVINE AND MORALL FOR THE FURTHERING of knowledg and vertue By Iohn Robbinson Prov. 9. 9. Give Instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser teach a just man and he will encrease in learning Printed in the year M. DC XXV THE PREFACE IN framing these myne OBSERVATIONS Christian Reader I have had as is meet first and most regard to the holy Scriptures in which respect I call them DIVINE next to the memorable Sayings of wise learned men which I have read or heard and carefully stored up as a pretious treasure for mine own and others benefit and lastly to the great volume of mens manners which I have diligently observed and from them gathered no small part thereof having also had in the dayes of my pilgrimage speciall opportunitie of conversing with persons of divers nations estates and dispositions in great varietie The names of the authors specially known out of whom I gathered any thing I have for the most part expressed partly to give them their due and partly that the authoritie of their persons might procure freer passage for their worthy and wise sayings with others and make the deeper impression of them in the readers heart In the method I have been neyther curious nor altogether negligent as the reader may observ Now as this kinde of study and meditation hath been unto me full sweet and delightfull and that wherein I have often refreshed my soul and spirit amids many sad sorrowfull thoughts unto which God hath called me so if it may finde answerable acceptance with the christian Reader and a blessing from the Lord it is that which I humbly crave specially at his hands who both ministreth seed to the sower fruit to the reaper Amen IOHN ROBBINSON CAP. I. Of Mans knowledg of God THe Lord giveth wisdom and out of his mouth cometh knowledg and understanding saith Salomon and therein warneth us to lay our ear close to the mouth of God and when he speaketh once we may hear twice and having our closed hearts opened by his Spirit may attend to the words of grace and wisdom which proceed from him and are able to make us wise to salvation As all our wisdom to happinesse consists summarily in the knowledg of God and of our selues so is it not easie to determine whether of the two goes before the other But as neither can be without other in any competent or profitable measure or manner and as in vain the ey of the mind is lifted up to see God which is not fit to see it self so seem the reasons of most weight which prefer the knowledg of God to the first place For first God in his Word and Works is the rule and measure of mans goodnesse and man at his best but formed and reformed after Gods Image As in Nature the rule is before that which is to be ruled by it so must it be in our knowledg Secondly such is our in-bred pride and hipocrisie as that whilst we looke only upon our selus and upon other Creatures here below we think we are some-body for goodnesse and vertue but are then brought to that confusion in our selus which is requisite for our humiliation when we come to take some knowledg of the super-excellencie of God even as our bodily ey forth-with dazeleth being cast upon the bright Sun how quick and strong-sighted soever it seem whilst it is set onely upon earthly objects Thirdly so absolutely necessarie is the knowledg of God as that we can ascribe nothing as is meet unto him of whom and for whom we and all things are till we first know him in his Word and Works but even in our best devotions with the superstitious Athenians shall build our Altars to the unknown God and with the blinde Samaritans worship we know not what To conclude He that pretends the service of God yet knows him not in his Word and Works of Creation Redemption also wherein his face is seen is like him that counterfeits himself to be the houshold Servant of some great Lord whose face he never saw nor once came within his Court gates Some ambitious and curious wits but not able no marvail to raise up advance their notions to God his infinitenesse for the comprehending of it have laboured to depresse pull him down to their dwarfish conceptions of him and have indeed rather made him some great and giant like man or Angel then as he is in truth an infinite God allowing him an essence power and wisdom hugely great but not properly infinite and immence as though God could not be that which they cannot conceive of him The essence of God is known onely to himself but is undiscernable to all men and Angels partly by reason of its infinitenes which therefore no finite understanding can comprehend and partly for that no voice signe or form can sufficiently expresse it either to sence or reason And if God have placed such light glorie in some created bodies as that we cannot intentively fix our bodily ey upon them without dazeling what marvail is it though the ey of the understanding of all men and Angels dazle in the too curious intentive contemplation of his infinite infinitely glorious Majestie it self So as if the most wise learned Christians should with the heathen Phylosopher undertake to descry Gods being they would be compelled as he was after one daies respite to crave two and after two four so still to double the time with acknowledgment that the more they searched into it the more unsearchable it appeared Albeit the understanding of man though glorified cannot possibly comprehend Gods infinite being yet shall we coming to enjoy the blessed uision of God where of the Angels and Spirits of iust men perfited are made partakers know in a far both greater measure more excellent and immediate manner then now we do We now walk by faith not by sight as we then shall do We now see through a glasse darkly but then face to face knowing him even as we are known of him And for the present we are by the means of revelation vouchsafed us his Word Works partly within and partly without us to be led in our praiers praises meditations of God to such a being for the object thereof as in which first there is nothing which hath the least affinity with the imperfection found in any creature for the expressing whereof those attributes serve which we call negative as immortall invisible a spirit that is no body the like shewing what God is not though not what he is 2 Which is that eminently infinitely essentially which we in the creature call power wisdom goodnesse whatsoever els imports any perfection and thirdly which is that first fountain originall of all goodnes in all creatures And by these three stayers doth our understanding raise up it self frō created things
by occasion of temptation practise some particular and the same grosse evils Out of which in time he recovers himself by repentance Who not foolish himself will say that David was simply a fool even when by occasion of speciall temptation of Satan he did a verie foolish act in numbring the people We are not therefore to measure a persons state by some one or few acts done as it were by the way and upon instance of some strong temptation but according to the tenour and course of his life Els what wise man should not be a fool also Or what fool should not be a wise man What Nabal should not be liberall yea bounteous when he makes a feast like a King A Rebell lurking in a Kingdom may by some advantage watched and taken prevail against the lawfull King in a conflict or two and yet for all that not raign in the Kingdom so may the treacherous flesh lurking in a Spirituall man get the masterie in some combat and yet not therefore drive the Lord quite out of his Kingdom there Yea the same flesh ever lusting against the Spirit even in them which are led of the Spirit and leading them into captivitie to the law of sin doth oft so far prevail in them as to captive them in some particular by-paths both of judgment and practise not so easily discerned all their life long For who can understand his errours And for these particular enormities whether actions or courses of godly persons howbeit considering them in themselvs and in their externall acts there appear in them no difference from those of the same kind practised by men utterly godlesse yet is there a great difference in Gods ey not onely in the person of the doer in Gods account but also in his own heart and affection even in the verie doing of them In which the Lord sees the inward struglings of grace though alas too weak by the persons default tending and bending the clean contrarie way and therein plainly differencing the doer from the profane contemners of God doing the same things in whom there is either altogether peace without any strife and resistance whilst the strong man keeps the house or that resistance which is meerely of naturall conscience terrifying with fear of punishment onely without the hatred of sin which is though too weak and feeble in the other Although it be a greater work of grace to become of vicious and evill good and vertuous then so to continue or to grow therein yet considering the mightie and many enemies of our salvation and the great stumbling stones in our way and with these the heavie clog of our own corruption which we draw after us it will be and is found a matter of no small difficultie not to be wearie of well doing nor to faint before we come to reap in due time that which we have formerly sown to the Spirit And this the experience of all ages confirmeth in which there are few which do the first works and leav not their first love fewer that bring forth more fruit in old age and are fat and green And yet we know that albeit of the labourers in the Vineyard who receaved ech his pennie some entered sooner and some later and some not till the very last hower of the day yet all continued their labour till the evening So for our selvs we must make account that at what time soever any begins onely he that continues to the end shall be saved And indeed it is a great honour to God when a good man notwithstanding all discouragements either from within or from without persevers in the course of goodnesse begun and gives not over till he come at the Goal how tirering soever his way be Such a one shews that the Lord is faithfull and that there is no unrighteousnesse with him To which purpose the saying of Polycarpus is verie remakable who being provoked by the Proconsul to blaspheme Christ answered that he had served him now eightie and sixe yeeres and had never had hurt by him in any thing why then should he speak evill of him On the contrarie he that departs from the Lord in the course of godlinesse formerly held greatly dishonours him as the Servant doth his Master in leaving him before his time be out Such a one makes shew as if out of judgment and experience he disliked goodnesse and therein really accuseth God as if he had found some evill in him or at least not that good which he promised and the other expected And to that purpose the Lord in great indignation expostulates with the Iews and asks What iniquitie they or their Fathers had found in him that they were gone from him after their vanities It is dangerous in course of Religion and godlinesse to fall forward by errours preposterous zeal or other misguidance yet not so much as to fall backward by an unfaithfull heart The former may break his face thereby and loose his comfort in a great measure both with God and men but the latter is in danger utterly to break the neck of his conscience as old Ely brake his neck bodily by falling backward from his seat and dyed Are there not many Elyes in all Ages And as the least declension from God is dangerous so is totall desperate neither will God ever forgive that sin or give repentance to any so sinning but hath utterly excluded everie such a one out of the otherwise infinite bounds of his mercie in Christ. The Preaching of the Word of God is the means to beget Faith and grace but for the nourishing and encreasing thereof we must therewith joyn the observation in our places of whatsoever Christ hath appointed his Apostles to teach in the vse whereof as the sanctified means for the obtaining of that end we shall keep our selvs in the fear of God and not fall from our stedfastnesse and withall grow in grace and in the acknowledgment of the Lord Iesus if not in bulk yet in firmnesse as when the body leavs growing in bignesse it knits better then before Neither indeed can we be safe from being drawn away from God otherwise then by continuall drawing nearer unto him For our way to Heaven is up a hill and we drag a Cart load of our corruptions after us which except we keep going will pull us backward ere we be aware The Holy Ghost in those vehement exhortations of the faithfull to perseverance inforced with so many promises and threatnings both shews therein mans pronenesse and danger in himself to fall away and also affoards the means by which God will preserv his sanctified ones from Apostacie using the same as Evangelicall conducts of grace for his working of that perseverance in them which he requires of them and that rather by our being apprehended of Christ as the Apostle speaks then by our apprehending him As the Father leading his weak Childe in
a man to professe a Religion by working it first in his heart If the order in Israel be objected it may be answered First that the Land was holy as no Land now is that one Nation seperated from all other Nations to be the Lords peculiar people as no Nation now is the Kings types and figures of Christ as no Kings now are and Secondly That none were in truth compelled to the Israelitish Church and Religion but being of it whether Israelites or Proselites were to be cut off from the Lords people and destroyed out of Land for presumptuous sins or working iniquitie or for not serving God with all their heart and might Kings by this course would come short of the number of Subjects in whose multitude their honour stands and unto Churches few or none could possibly be added If it be further objected that men may be by the Magistrate constrained to the outward acts of justice honestie and the like though destitute altogether of the inward vertues It may be answered that these serv properly and immediately to preserv civill societies of which Magistrates are properly Kings and Lords and so do obtain their proper ends if the verie outward things be done though never so unwillingly But of Religious actions the proper end is not civill societie nor is attainable but by Faith and devotion in the heart of the doers Lastly To that of the Father that many who at first serv God by compulsion come after to serv him freely and willingly I answer that neither good intents nor events which are casuall can justifie unreasonable violence and withall that by this course of compulsion many become Atheists Hypocrites and Familists and being at first constrained to practise against conscience loose all conscience afterwards Bags and vessels overstrained break and will never after hold any thing Yet do I not denie all compulsion to the hearing of Gods Word as the means to work Religion and common to all of all sorts good and bad much lesse excuse civill disobedience palliated with Religious shews and pretences or condemne convenient restraint of publike Idolatry so as this rule of reason holds its place viz. that the bond between Magistrate and Subject is essentially civill but Religious accidentally onely though eminently For conclusion of this matter Let the godly Magistrate consider that as there is no Church-state and profession so truly Christian and good in which too many may not be found carried in their persons with a Spirit plainly Antichristian so there is hardly any Sect so Antichristian or evill otherwise in Church profession in which there are not divers truly though weakly led with the Spirit of Christ in their persons and so true members of his mysticall body With whom to deal rigorously for some few aberrations of ignorance or infirmitie were more to please Christs enemie in the oppressing of the person then Christ in so repressing his failing in some particulars specially if they be not fundamentall As then the Christian Magistrate hath his power of Magistracie from God which his Christianitie servs to sanctifie and direct so undoubtedly he is to use it for God and his honour that in his true worship in which he is specially honoured and against the contrarie yet with these two cautions First That as the greater sins of other kinds do not so violate and dissolv the marriage-bond as adulterie doth by reason of its direct opposition thereagainst so neither do Idolatry or Heresie how great sins soever in themselvs so outlaw a Subject civily as do Seditions Murthers Adulteries and the like directly violating and disturbing civill societies The second is That no authoritie of man may bring into or uphold in the Church either Doctrine or Ordinance of Religion or person which last is not lightly to be regarded seeing the other two serv for it unto which the Lord in his Word hath not first given testimonie of approbation for that use seeing Magistrates are not Governers against nor besides but under God in their Dominions CAP. VIII Of the holy Scriptures THe Holy Scriptures are that Divine Instrument and means by which we are taught to beleev what we ought touching God and our selvs and all creatures and how to please God in all things unto eternall Life I speak of beleeving things seeing Faith comes by hearing for els we know things touching God by that which we see feel and discern in and by his works We are led to the knowledg of God in his Power Wisdom Goodnesse Iustice and Mercie by his Works both without and within us And whensoever God either doth or suffers a thing to be done though not so much as insinuated formerly in his Word we then know it to be his will that such a thing should be as certainly as if he had expresly revealed it before in the Scriptures I speak of pleasing God in all things First because entire obedience so far as humain frailtie will permit is the immediate end and use of the Word of God and the way and means to Salvation Secondly to meet with that dangerous presumption of doing that which is necessarie to Salvation as many use to speak though with affected ignorance of and apparent disobedience to many of Gods Commandments Who knoweth with how little God can and doth save many being faithfull in learning what they can and in observing what they know Though much more be necessarie to such as have means to know more And thirdly because it is no childe-like but a bastardly disposition to take care for serving God no further though alas all be little enough for that then to be sure of the Fathers inheritance The heart of a man is then assured before God and hath a warrant from Heaven against eternall confusion when he can say with good conscience that he hath respect to all Gods Commandments God would have his will written that is his Word to become Scripture partly for more certaintie of truth to men and to preserv it the better from being corrupted as all make account that things set down in black and white as they speak are most firm partly for accord and unitie of Churches and Christians in the same truth who if they differ so much notwithstanding they use the same rule what would they do if their rules were different or uncertain and partly for more communitie seeing Books and Writings may easily both be dispersed whither the voyce of Teachers cannot come and also be read in private by Christians when they are apart from their Teachers Neither all things which the Prophets of God wrote were written by Divine inspiration but some of them humainly as their humain affaires common to them with other men required Neither was all wherein they were divinely inspired brought into the publike treasurie of the Church or made part of the Canonicall Scriptures which we call the Bible no more then all which they spake was spoken by the Spirit
inwards of the man and with what heart and affection he undertakes any state or action so is the outward also because God is the God of order Also when a man knows himself to be orderly called to a condition of life he both sets himself more chearfully and roundly to the works thereof wherein he is assured he servs Gods providence by his order and appoyntment and with fayth expects a blessing from God upon his endeavours in that course of life in which his hand hath set him and with all bears with comfort the crosses befalling him therein as wee see in David whose sheild of comfort against all darts of danger was that God had selected him unto himself and annoynted him his king upon Sion the mountayn of his holynes Litle account is made by many of a lawfull outward calling whereas indeed it is that alone by which all states save those that are naturall and so are subject neyther to election nor change are both constituted and continued For what makes him who yesterday was none to day to be a magistrate in the common wealth minister in the Church steward in the family or any other officer or member in any orderly society but an orderly outward calling by them who have lawfull authority to confer that state upon him This being neglected opens a gap to all confusion in all states The gifts of a man enable him to his office his grace sanctifyes both the gifts and office to the person his inward calling perswades his heart to undertake the outward in desire to glorify God and in love to men his exequution of it in the works thereof presuppose it and testify his faythfulnes in it but onely the outward orderly calling confers the outward state and condition of life Abilitie for a mans calling is greatly to be desired for many reasons For first it is a thing well-pleasing in Gods sight specially in the most serviceable courses of life as we may see in Salomon who being called to the state of a King desired above all other things kingly endowments and therein pleased God greatly Secondly He whom God calls to a place or sets over a busines he enables accordingly as he did the same Salomon being set over a people many in number as the sand by the sea shore with wisdom and largenes of heart as the sand by the sea-shore Thirdly It is great case to a man when he is mayster of his place and course and able to play with it otherwise if he be compelled to strive continually with it it will both make his life burthensome and force him at some time or other to let fall the works thereof as unable to weild it Yet if such a one be willing and able to bear it out it is a good way for him to grow to great perfection by daily improveing his abilitie to the full as Milo by using to bear a calf every day proved able to bear him when he was grown an oxe Fourthly It is an honour to a man to be excellent in his faculty yea though it be mean in it self And so men excelling in mean trades or callings are more regarded then those who are mean in more excellent faculties One sayth truly that even plowmen and sheep-heards being excellent are applauded Lastly the unskilfulnes of the artisan dishonours the art it self how excellent soever in the eyes of many although in reason it should not so be seeing that the more excellent any profession is it finds the fewer whose worth can answer its excellencie Although callings most usefull and necessarie are most despised by prowd folks both because they are ordinary and common and followed by mean and ordinary persons yet it stands with a good conscience to provide that our course of life be such as in which we benefit humayne societyes And an uncomfortable thing it is to him that hath any either feare of God or love to men to spend his dayes and labour in such a course as by which more hurt then good comes to the world It is a good and godly course for a person diligently to read and seriously to meditate upon such places of holy Scripture as concern his or her speciall calling as for the magistrate diligently to read Deut. 1. 16. c. the minister 1 Tim. 3. and so for husband and wife father and childe mayster and servant and the rest that by so doing we may both more fully learn and better remember and conscionably practise the particular duetyes in which God would have us exercise our generall christian graces CHAP. XXVIII Of the use and abuse of things WE are said to enjoy God alone and to use the creatures because we are not to rest in them but in God onely to whom we are to be holpen by them And of the things which we use some of them we must use as though we used them not others as though we used them The World and all things serving for this life we ought to use with a kinde of indifferency and without setting the affections of our hearts upon it or them how busy soever our hands be about them spirituall good things on the contrary and which concern our eternall happines we ought to use as using them indeed with all earnest bent of affection upon them and as not suffering our selvs at any hand to be disappoynted of the fruit of them God sayth the wise man hath made every thing beautifull in his time and indeed every thing is good for something I mean every thing that God hath made for there are many vayn and leaud devises of men which are truly good for nothing as on the other side nothing is good for every thing And hereupon Prometheus told the Satyre when he would haue kissed the fire upon his first seeing it that if he did so it would burn his lips as not being for that use but to minister heat and light Some things alwayes bear as it were their use on their backs and cause also the right use of other things where they are found as the sanctifying graces of Gods spirit which yet some use more fully and faythfully then others and this is also a grace of God whereas all other things haue theyr good in theyr useing and not in their owning And a great poynt of wisdom and advantage for good it is to apply things to their right use and end whether great or smal He that can doe this spiritually is happy though he have receaved but one pound for others five or ten As on the other side how many were though not happy yet lesse miserable if they altogether wanted the wit learning riches and authority which they want grace to use according to the will of the giver A man hath that most and best whereof he hath the lawfull use And hereupon a follower of a great Lord was wont to say that he had in effect as much
of the spirit of God which searcheth the minde of God and so acquaynts him therewith in whom it dwels and also because such a disposition hath fayth not onely joyned with it as a companion but as the very parent of it which fayth on mans part ever presupposeth a promise on Gods From the use and fruit of this heavenly grace of prayer nothing can keep him that keeps himself in the favour of God though many things can from other exercises of religion Not want of fellowship of men nor solitarines of place nor depth of dungeon nor darknes of the night nor thicknes of wals neyther but his devout prayers will finde way of ascending unto God Blessed be his name who hath provided for his poore servants in their most dolefull and desolate estate this ready means of divine comfort whereof they in whom his spirit dwels cannot possibly be deprived Prayer in secret and by him that is alone with God hath these advantages above that which is publique and in the church First that it is lesse in danger of the taynt of hypocrisy The proud Pharisee as well as the humble publican goes to the temple to pray And the hypocrites love to pray standing in the Synagoguâ—s and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men He that prayes in secret doth it to be seen of God Secondly In private a christian may descend to such particulars as in publique or before others he will not nor ought to mention Thirdly He may in private use such expressions and outward manifestations for the better passage of his hearts affection specially being perplexed with sorrow or fear as before others were unseemly and immodest In that day of the great mourning in Ierusalem when they shall look upon him whom they have peirced and shall mourn for him in bitternes everie house and family shall mourn apart and their wives apart On the other side publique prayer wants not its prerogatives as first that it is performed in the order and ordinance of the church which the other is not Secondly that in the Church and Congregation many agreeing touching a thing to be asked have a speciall promise that it shall be done for them of their father in heaven upon whom they set by their prayers as it were in a troup Lastly in our publique prayers and prayses of God we do give testimonie of his providence in governing the world and all our affayrs and that he is present with his Church and hears their requests for the convinceing of Atheists and Epicures and confirmation of others in beleeving undoubtedly his care over his people and servants CHAP. XLIX Of Oaths and Lots THere is great affinity between an Oath and a Lot Both the one and other serv to end controversies and cause contentions to cease not easily or conveniently otherwise to be decided In both men as it were renounce themselvs and all other creatures and appeal to Gods speciall providence In an oath we appeal to God as a wise and righteous witnesse and judg knowing what is truth and hating and punishing falshood and lyes In a Lot we appeal to God as to an absolute Lord for the disposing of persons and things by his more singular work of providence unto which alone he that casts the Lot referrs himself if he mock not both God and man wholy renounceing his own wit and skil every way for the furthering of this chance event or Lot rayther then that Some may be and are too scrupulous in both But a thousand times more are too profanely prodigall of the one and other In an oath we desire God as the searcher of hearts and patron of truth to testifie with us that we deceav not and withall to take vengeance on us if we do deceav It is a part of Gods worship though much used civily as civill things are religiously in which we make clear and solemn confession of Gods presence wisdom truth justice and omnipotency There is in it no shadow of any shadow or type and therefore no colour why it should not be morall and perpetuall and as lawfull for us now as for the Church before Christ. It must be taken in truth in wisdom and in righteousnes In truth of thing so the same known to him that takes it in an oath assertory and with firm purpose of heart in an oath promisorie There are sayth one three bonds or degrees of confirmation of truth First a bare affirmation Secondly an assertion Thirdly an oath In the first of the three we onely give our word as they say by yea or nay and whatsoever is above this to wit in ordinary communication is of evill When our bare word will not be taken and the weight of the matter requires it we do pawn our best jewels as our truth fayth and veritie in an asseveration as Christ our Lord confirmed divers his weightie sayings with a doubled Amen But now if men will not accept of our pledg neyther we procure God for our surety in an oath unto whose justice we also enter counter-bond for punishment by him if we deceav And an oath being the strongest bond of truth that is and so avowed by God himself who when he would confirm unto the heyrs of promise the immutabilitie of his counsayl when he had no stronger bond interposed an oath and sware and when he had no greater to swear by sware by himself it followeth that they who are eyther without conscience what they swear or can dispence or be dispensed with in their consciences having sworn though to their own hinderance are both impious towards God and treaâ—herous to men and such as do really out-law themselvs from all humayn societies as neyther deserving credit with them nor fellowship amongst them Secondly we must swear in judgment with prudent consideration of the thing together with the circumstances to which we so streytly bynde our selvs as in an oath promissorie first that it be possible unto us els we mock both men to whom and God by whom we swear Secondly that the thing be lawfull which we tye our selvs unto To bynde our selvs to that which is evill by an oath is to make sure work to do evill Lastly the matter must be of some weight and such as becomes the Majestie of God whom we thus far interest in it Now what Christian heart any way tender of Gods glorie bleeds not at the worlds impietie this way which fears not to call the glorious majestie of God to witnesse upon such trifling occasions as for which no wise man but would be ashamed to call his meanest neighbour yea or servant eyther Lastly we must swear in righteousnes that is both according to his meaning being made known unto us to whom and for whose satisfaction we swear as also for warrantable and good ends as the glory of God our own and others