now consider the Efficacy of Faith and offer up an Oblation of Praise and Thanksgiving unto him who is the only Giver of it It is that alone which ingrafts us into the Body of Christ and as Branches extract their Sap from the Vine so from him proceeds Life Righteousness and Salvation Adam in his pristine State fell and lost his Divine Image by his Incredulity but we are restor'd again by Grace and the Image of the Almighty by Faith is renewed in us By this Faith Christ dwells in our Hearts and where He inhabits there His Grace resides and an Assurance of an Inheritance of Eternal Life II. AND as the Effects of Faith are Wonderful in their Operation so they are Exemplary in their Demonstrations For By Faith Abel offered unto God a greater sacrifice than Cain Heb. 11. 4. So by Faith we are enabled to offer Omnipotency spiritual Sacrifices that is the Fruit of our Lips Heb. 13. 15. And by Faith Enoch was translated Heb. 11. 5. So that Vertue withdraws us from the Society of the World and invites us to place our Conversation in Heaven Phil. 3. 20. By Faith Noah prepared an Ark Heb. 11. 7. So we by that Theological Virtue are received into that Church wherein our Souls are preserved amidst all the Storms and Tempests which happen in the World III. BY Faith Abraham left an idolatrous Land and went into a strange Countrey in Expectation of the Promised Land Heb. 11. 8 9. So by the Energy of that Vertue we depart this World forsaking all that is near and dear to us expecting to arrive at that Celestial Ierusalem which God hath prepared in the Heavens Rev. 21. 2. We are Strangers and Pilgrims on this side Heaven and travel by Faith unto a heavenly Countrey By Faith Moses chose rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a season Heb. 11. 25. So Faith animates us to contemn the World and to despise the Glory Honour Riches and Pleasures of it and excites our Minds to Eternal Felicities VI. BY Faith Israel kept the Passover Heb. 11. 28. So we by the Eye of Faith celebrate the Lord's Supper where Christ is the Paschal Lamb whose Flesh is meat indeed and whose Blood is drink indeed Joh. 6. 55. By Faith Rahab was saved Heb. 11. 31. So in the universal Conflagration of this World we shall be saved from Destruction By Faith the Fathers overcame Kingdoms stopt the Mouths of Lions and quenched the force of fire Heb. 11. 33. So we by Faith destroy the Kingdom of the Prince of Darkness escape the Treacheries and Rage of the infernal Lion and are deliver'd from Hell's implacable Malice and everlasting Burnings V. NOW Faith is not a naked Opinion and slender Profession but a true and lively Apprehension of Christ propounded to us in the Gospel a full Assurance of his Grace residing in us the Tranquillity of our Souls which relies only upon Christ's Merits This Faith is fructified of the Seed of the Sacred Word whereby the Holy Spirit and this Vertue is united Now Faith resembles a spiritual Illumination for our Hearts are illustrated by its Splendor and the Rays of a Life of Sanctity shines forth Evil Actions are the Works of Darkness and What communion saith the Apostle is there between light and darkness 2 Cor. 6. 14. Deeds of Darkness are the Seeds of Satan but a lively Faith proceeds from Christ and What communion is there between Christ and Satan 2 Cor. 6. 5. VI. LASTLY By Faith our Hearts are purified but no Internal Purity can center where the Words and External Actions are defiled St. Iohn tells ye That Faith is the victory which overcometh the world 1 Joh. 5. 4. Now there cannot be a true Faith fixed where the Flesh vanquisheth the Spirit and leadeth it away Captive into the Law of Sin No impenitent Sinner that persevereth in his Sins can be Partaker of Life Eternal neither can he without true Repentance claim any Privilege or Share in the Merits of Christ Jesus Kindle in us O God the Light of True Faith that by the Vertue of it and Thy alone Merits we may obtain Eternal Salvation and reign with Thee for evermore in Thy Kingdom of Glory World without end Amen MED XVII The Canaanitish Woman's Faith Mat. xV. 28. And Iesus answered and said unto her O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt BEHOLD this Canaanitish Woman how fortunate and happy she was to be found worthy of so great an Expression Her Female Weapon compensated for the Guilt of its past Follies having now by its seasonable Answers merited so Divine an Eulogy Poor Female how enrich'd was she in whose Bosom was concealed a Treasure which Emperors Kings and Princes compared to her are Indigent All the Holy Land with its precious Balm and odoriferous Spices could not furnish her with a sufficient Antidote to revive her Darling and charm away the Infernal Spirit from tormenting her Behold these Miracles of Faith that at once could save two Souls the Mother's and her Daughter's II. SO miraculous and potent is solid Faith that even the least grain of it can remove lofty Mountains level steep Hills and smooth the most aspert and ambitious Soul into a meek and fructifying Valley 'T was this that calmed the Surface of the foaming Ocean that made the boisterous Waves an easie Path and turn'd their furious Rage into a pleasant Walk for St. Peter's Feet 'T was the Centurion's Faith that gave his Servant a Respite from the Hands of Death which all his Guards could never have prevented 'T was by Faith that the Blind Man was restored to his Sight which was beyond the Skill of Art and Nature to perform III. ALL the Admirations of the Gospel were always concluded with Thy Faith hath saved thee And yet that Faith which then operated so many Miracles is now grown the greatest Miracle it self Whil'st some take the Symbol for the Thing they fix the Magnitude of their Faith on the Greatness of their Works and have so candid an Opinion of themselves that they imagine it Faith enough only to do well Others expect to be Canoniz'd for their Doctrines though not for their irregular Lives they scoff at all Religious Duties and imagine to tread the Path to Heaven only by their Faith IV. OBEDIENCE hearty Contrition for Sin that amiable Robe of a perplexed Soul and the Royal Ornaments of our Spiritual Warfare are but vacant Ceremonies and both these Parties Belief are of their own forming But Heaven is not purchas'd only by Speculation He that fixeth his Faith in his empty Skull and imagines Religion hath not its Attendant may like Moses view and discourse of the Promised Land at a distance but never approach to it Our Obedience must cry out louder than our Pretensions 'T is not our Noise and Nonsence that will create us Saints 't is not our external Shew of
being mix'd of such variety as sometimes speaking to the Great Majesty of Heaven and humbly acknowledging how we stand affected to Him and his Ordinances sometimes we examine our Soul chiding encouraging or instructing it sometimes we reason with our selves what holy Resolutions we design to put in practice and what we intend to supplicate the Almighty Many Instances of this nature you may find in Psal. 42. and other Psalms which cannot properly be called Prayers but Solemn Meditations VII THE Third kind of Solemn Meditation are those that are upon Scripture which is the Word of God and his words are pure even as the silver tried seven times in the fire Psal. 12. 6. Our Saviour's Precept is That we should search the Scriptures Joh. 5. 39. And St. Paul bids us prove all things 1 Thes. 5. 21. And if we meditate on God's Word which is the Golden Rule of all our Devotions we shall acquire that Peace to our Souls which the World cannot give nor none upon Earth can take from us for all his Promises are Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1. 20. VIII THE Last kind of Meditation is upon some Practical Truth of Religion which is the planting and nourishing of all true Vertue among Men to grow in grace 2 Pet. 3. 18. to cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7. 1. And endeavouring to take hold of St. Paul's pressing Argument to his Corinthians to be stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord then this Assurance will infallibly appertain to us That our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. 58. SECT II. That Meditation is a Duty THAT Isaac did not neglect Solemn Meditation is evident by reason he went out into the Fields to perform it and to shew that it was a Set-Duty 't is said that he went on t to meditate And God commanded Ioshua to perform this Duty as a chief means for the keeping of the Law Iosh. 1. 18. And indeed we ought not to forget so important an Exercise for the Occasion of Sin is the want of Consideration and not want of Knowledge Isa. 1. 3. For who is there almost in the World that knows not but that he must die but how few are they that consider it Deut. 32. 29. II. NEXT The Necessity of Meditation is very material For none can enter into a State of Conversion who thinks it insignificant To confirm which we have it recorded in Scripture the Story of the Prodigal Son who listed himself in Harlots company but upon his submissive return was receiv'd again into his Father's favour Now this is the Method of the Converted First He hears the sacred Truth of God's Word and is convinced by it Secondly He considers and meditates upon it and sees how much it concerns himself Thirdly He is affected with them and being thus affected it raiseth holy Resolutions of better Obedience III. BUT some will object and say I am Illiterate and cannot attain to it and therefore I must relinquish it and leave it to the Learned who is best able to perform a Duty of so great Importance To which I answer as in the Mathematical Science He that is a rational Man and does but improve his Reason though he hath neither Tongues nor Arts to assist him may understand and grow to an extraordinary Excellency in any Art if he has God's Assistance and does but exercise and improve it he may reap the Benefit and Fruit of Meditation IV. OTHERS will object and declare It is a very hard Duty To which my Replication is this That the harder any thing seems it is the more excellent when it is attained but the Obstacle is apparent and inferrs it not to be consonant to our perverse Wills and Affections and the more dissonant any thing is to that which is Evil the more congruous it is to sublimer Actions For it cannot reasonably be expected that any Duty should be performed at the first with much facility For Example the Seven Liberal Sciences which are of great Excellency in Temporal Enjoyments are not so easily attained without Sollicitation and Sedulity V. NOW the reason is evident for this Duty is powerful in mortifying Corruptions dulcified things nourish and pamper the Body and bitter things gives a purgation Therefore if you will only perform those Duties that are pleasant and delectable they will only nourish not purge out Corruption Therefore implore the Almighty to inflame your Hearts with his divine Love and then this Duty will not only be facile and delightful but will so affect the Undertaker that it will be very difficult to avoid a Duty of so great importance for it is as great a difficulty to take our Affections off from what we admire as it is to place 'em upon what we abhorr For bid the covetous Person forsake his Gold and Silver and bid him entertain the Thoughts of Things Celestial and he 'll find an equal Difficulty in both VI. INDEED the Love of the Almighty and Desire of Spiritual Things are acquired by Meditation and when once our Hearts are inflam'd by that Exercise then our Meditations are inflam'd by Love For as Sparks of Fire 〈◊〉 is first blown up before the Flame encreases so the Difficulty of Meditation appears at the beginning when there is but as it were a Spark of divine Love in the Heart it will require some Pains by Meditation to blow it up to a Flame but afterwards the Heart will be so fervent with these Conflagrates of Love that it will so inflame all the Thoughts and create in us not only Facility but a Necessity to meditate on Things Spiritual VII Now some will object If it be a Duty so Necessary how comes it to pass that it hath been so geeerally Neglected by most Christians To which I answer That it hath been practised by many in ancient Times and by many modern Christians The Sacred Scriptures inform us and it is evident that the Psalms of the Royal Prophet are frequently digested into Meditations But this being a Private Closet-Duty the Omission nor Performance of it could not be taken notice of and so the Omission of it could not be reprehended nor Performance observed Lastly The Directions and Instructions for Meditation have been generally very abstruse and intricate SECT III. Rules and Directions for Meditation AS to the Place that must be apart remote from Society and Disturbance the Patriarch Isaac went into the Fields our Blessed Saviour into a Garden and the Prophet David adviseth us to enter into our Chamber and be still Psal. 4. 4. And Christ commands us to enter into our Closet and shut the door Now the reason of the Privacy is this that we might receive no Interruption or any Distraction nor be forced to break off abruptly before the Duty be ended next that we may be recluse from the Observation of all Mortals that we may neither be heard nor seen for there are
leisure IV. THUS these Temporal Objects of Vanity and Pleasure chase away our Thoughts from Heaven and its Celestial Raptures We can spend the Flower and Beauty of our Years in Vice and think the Almighty will be well enough pleas'd with the Deformity of decrepit Age We can sport and revel our Piety and Time in vain and frivolous Delights and conclude our selves potent enough to compel Heaven and become Religious when we are bowed down with Infirmities and have nothing left us but Repentance and a Tomb. V. WE are so highly pleas'd with the Sweetness of Sense that we are negligent of any greater Felicity and so extraordinary much delighted with the Happiness of Sinning freely that we could willingly embrace that Religion which tolerates Vice most We place all our Devotion with the luxurious Epicure in the Riots of Nature Jolly Meetings are our best Religious Exercises a Sermon is as troublesom and melancholy to us as a Funeral and to hear of our Latter-end in the mid'st of our Pleasures sounds like a Lecture of Death the unwelcome and faint Eccho of the Grave VI. LET the Preacher instruct us never so earnestly to remember our Creator we rather chuse to follow Satan's Doctrine to enjoy this World as long as we can and entertain Thoughts of Heaven at our leisure And shall the Lusts of this vain World O Lord be greater in my Soul than the Love of Thee Shall the temporary Allurements of Sin eclipse the Memory of thy Glory My Life I know is but a Span and yet I beseech thee abreviate that rather than it shoud be spent in a neglect of Thee better this Earthly Tabernacle of my Body be dissolv'd than become a Theatre for Sin to revel in VII LET me pay unto Nature the due Debt I owe her sooner than perhaps she would summons it rather than run deeper in score with thy Justice 'T is far better I should die and be lost in the memory of the World than to forget thee Thou broughtest me at first from nothing not to sin but to serve and fear Thee and has impressed in me a Ray of thy blessed Self that I might not seek my own perverse Will nor pursue this vain World but heavenly Mansions inure me therefore to Thee that I may behold those solid and ravishing Joys and Consolations that is in serving of Thee what Tranquility accompanies thy Grace that so I may no longer follow my own depraved Sense but my Saviour VIII IT is none of the least Sins of our Youth that we are negligent and forgetful of Thee our Creator And no wonder we are ignorant and insensible of the Joys to come that live in such a constant and continued neglect of Heaven Make me therefore O my God seriously to consider that had I the perfect Fruition of all I could wish or long for here I should not only be unsatisfied but in the end find how miserable he is that fixeth his Heart on any thing but Thy Self Teach me therefore so to enjoy the World that I lose not Thee nor the Memory of that Blessed and Eternal Reward Thou hast promised to them that Honour and Fear Thee MED VI. General Rules for a Godly Life Ephes. xv 16. See then that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil EVERY Day Death approaches thee and then follows Judgment and Eternity Therefore think often how thou may'st be able to Answer in that most strict and severe Judgment Look circumspectly unto thy Thoughts Words and Actions for at that great Tribunal thou must render up an exact Account Eccles. 12. 14. Every Evening and Morning entertain thy Thoughts of the pale Messenger and deferr not thy Repentance till the next Day for the Morrow is uncertain but Death is certain and waits no Person 's leisure II. NOTHING is more opposite to Piety than Procrastination If thou contemnest the inward Voice of the Holy Spirit thou will never attain to a sincere Repentance Make it thy business and study to walk in the Law of the Lord. In thy Conversation be Affable and Courteous to all Perplexing to none and Familiar with few To God live Piously to thy self Continently and to thy Neighbour Justly Shew Favour to thy Friend Patience to thy Enemy thy Good-Will towards all and thy Bounty to whom thou art able Always call to mind Three things past the Evil committed the Good omitted and the Time pretermitted And ever bear in mind Three things present the Brevity of this present Life the Difficulty of being saved and the Paucity of them that shall be saved III. LET thy Evening Prayers ascend and humbly confess the Sins of the Day past and think how many are in danger of Hell-fire Let the last Day of the Seven correct and amend what Enormities thou hast committed the whole Week Shew Obedience to thy Superiours give Counsel and Aid to thy Equals and Defend and Instruct thy Inferiours Subdue thy Body to thy Mind and thy Mind to the Will of God Heartily bewail thy past Evils and set not thy Affections on Temporal Enjoyments but fix them on that which is Eternal Mourn for Sins upon remembrance of them and often remember Death that thou may'st cease from Sin Let the Justice of the Almighty keep thee in Fear and his Mercy preserve thee from Despair IV. WITHDRAW thy self as much as thou can'st from the World and addict thy self wholly to God's Service In Pleasures and Delights be vigilant of thy Chastity in Riches exercise thy Humility and in worldly Affairs neglect not Piety Be studious in pleasing none but thy Saviour neither fear to displease any but Him Deprecate Him always that his Will may be done on Earth as it is in Heaven and beseech Him to forgive thee what is past and to guide and govern what he has wrought in thee for the future V. ABANDON all Hypocrisie for God judgeth not according to external appearance but according to the Heart In thy Words take heed of vain repetitions Mat. 6. 7. because for every idle word thou must give an account in the day of judgment Mat. 12. 36. Let thy Words Works and Actions be good or evil they pass not away but remain as Seeds of Eternity And the Apostle assures us If thou sowest to thy flesh of the flesh thou shalt reap corruption but if thou sowest to the spirit of the spirit thou shalt reap life everlasting Gal. 6. 8. Neither Honours Riches Pleasures or Vanities of this Life can attend thee after thy Glass is run out Set a low value upon what thou possesseth but esteem highly what thou wantest VI. LET Holy Meditation produce in thee Knowledge and Knowledge Compunction and Compunction sincere Devotion The Silence of the Mouth creates Peace in the Heart and and the more thou separates thy self from the World the more acceptable thou art to the Almighty Whatsoever thou requestest ask it of God and whatsoever thou enjoyest resign
with Boils and and in a naked and dejected Deformity so I may but conceal my Leopard's Spots and place a Beauty in my Soul which may invite that All-seeing Eye whose radient Beams can comfort all Mankind V. TAKE heed thou Sensualist that now revellest and riottest in the World's Theatre and counter-charms Damnation Wer 't thou but sensible of the terrible Agonies of Guilt the Horrours of a murdering Sin and the cursed Stings thy Pleasures leave behind them how speedily would'st thou list thy self in nobler Services and employ thy Time in better Thoughts Wer 't thou now to expire thy Breath how would the Guilt of an evil Life appale thee when every Sin would represent it self a Messenger of Horrour and the deluding World prove but an infernal Comforter VI. SHEW me in a Glass that Champion Conscience that will not undertake at length to conquer that frozen Soul whose Flashes will not liquefie and blast again that Atlas-Sinner whom gentle Burdens will not at last numerously depress The VVorld is unquainted with a Misery equivolent the Terrours of the unwelcom Grave are inconsiderate to it which could it but relieve the guilty Soul and its tenebrous and silent Regions promise an Immunity from future Miseries how readily would it purchase its Peace with Death and implore its keenest Dart for a swifter Passage Loss of Friends Fortune or Reputation nay Crosses which penetrate the Bone are but slight Scratches to these gaping VVounds Procure me a Schedule of the deepest Afflictions and there is none I imagine except this which is not tolerable to be dispensed with But a wounded Spirit who can bear VII O LORD how Ponderous is the Load of a VVounded Spirit How Formidable are the Stings of a Guilty Conscience and the Apprehensions of Thy Fiery VVrath And how Deplorable is he that involves himself in Sin and becomes insensible of his Guilt till the Memento of his heinous Crimes display it And when Mortality remembers him of a Future-State nothing is his Concomitant but his erroneous Life Oh Omnipotency Thou hast fixed an impartial Register in our Breasts which no fawning Practice can bribe nor Fountain of vulgar Tears silence from recollecting us of Thy Justice and yet what numbers are there whose Consciences like the great Leviathan snap in sunder the Silver Cords of thy Divine Law like Threads of Flax and are so backward from Confessing their Crimes that they are become obdurate in their Impenitence But Lord do Thou teach me as I commit Sin so inspire me with Thy Grace daily that whenever I shall approach Thy Presence I may have no other Sins to testifie against me than those which I possess which if not throughly crucified yet at least sincerely repented of with hearty Contrition MED XII Of Humility 1 Pet. v. 5. Be ye cloathed with humility for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble IF thou do'st but seriously consider the miserable State of Mankind thou wilt easily shun the Temptations of an arrogant Spirit Man the Lord of all Below though he assumes to himself that Pride of Heart yet he is Vile in his Ingress Miserable in his Progress and Lamentable in his Egress He is often assaulted and provoked by Satan's Temptations He is allured by Delights and Pleasures cast down by Tribulations entangl'd by Accusations disrobed of Vertues and ensnar'd into evil Habits and Customs Why then art thou proud O Earth and Ashes Eccles. 10. 9. VVhat wast thou in thy Conception but sinful Corruption VVhat in thy Life but a Lump of Flesh And what after Death but Food for VVorms If there be any spark of Goodness in thee it is not thy own but the Almighty's who is the only Donor of it II. THOU can'st claim nothing peculiar to thy self but Sin which accompany'd thee into the VVorld and therefore if Divine Omnipotence hath inspired into thee any measure of His heavenly Grace give Him the Glory to whom it is most due If thou wilt be Christ's Disciple observe His Doctrine Learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart Mat. 11. 29. And he that observes this Lesson will at length attain to be a Proficient in the School of Humility Our Saviour the Pattern of Humility stiles Himself the Lilly of the Vallies Cant. 2. 1. Inferring That He is the most imbellish'd of all Flowers and springs forth not in the mountainous and lofty proud Hearts but in the low Vallies of the contrite and humble Spirits III. AND the Royal Psalmist tells ye God dwelleth on high and yet he beholdeth the things that are humble both in heaven and earth Psal. 113. 5. If we contemplate with our selves we may soon come to this result That we cannot approach unto that Great Being unless we tread in the Paths of Humility for he that appears vile in his own Eyes is valuable in the Eyes of the Almighty VVeakness and Frailty is entail'd upon Humanity and none can pretend to boast of such an Imbecillity The twenty four Elders Rev. 4. 4. cast down their Crowns before the Throne ver 10. and render unto God all praise and glory And the Seraphims cover their faces before the face of the most Highest Isa. 6. 2. VVhat then should Man do who is the vilest of all Creatures the worst of Sinners and so unthankful to his Creator IV. CHRIST the Everlasting Son of God the Father wonderfully descended from Heaven in great Humility and miraculously condescended to take our frail Nature upon Him and stooped so low as to be crucified for us And what should poor Mortality answer for so high an Indulgence who is gone so far astray from his Maker Behold thou aspiring Soul with what wonderful Humility thy Saviour hath allayed thy Pride And do'st thou still swell with Ambition By the Path of Humility and his bitter Death and Passion Christ entered into his Glory Luk. 24. 26. And dost thou imagine ever to reach Heaven-Gates by wallowing in the haughty way of Pride Lucifer for his Ambition was expell'd Heaven and our First Parents for Diabolical Pride was cast out of Paradise And dost thou think to arrive at Eternal Happiness through a Sea of Pride V. OH let us rather demean our selves with an humble jesus to wash the Feet of others than to seek ambitiously with Satan for the highest Place Let us humble our selves under the Mighty Hand of God in this Life present that we may be exalted in due time in the Life to come Fix not thy Heart upon what thou hast but consider seriously what thou wantest Mourn for those Graces that are absent rather than extoll those Vertues thou hast acquired Conceal with all humility what good Qualifications thou do'st enjoy but confess those Sins thou daily committest VI. AS Fire is preserv'd by covering with Ashes so Charity is secur'd under the Guard of Humility Pride is the Seminary Parent and Nurse to all Sins Exercise therefore thy Vigilance and Care against any Elevation lest by the precipice of
Thy Heavenly Kingdom Amen MED XX. Of Chastity Rom. xii 1. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service HE that would be entertain'd a Disciple of Christ must wear his Livery of Sanctity and Chastity For God is a Spirit of that infinite Purity and Chastity that no unclean thing must presume to approach his Presence It was the Opinion and Saying of a wise Person That the Chastity of the Body and the Sanctity of the Soul are the two Keys of Religion and Felicity Now if the Body be not preserved pure and immaculare from all Sordidness the Soul cannot be ardent in Supplication Our Bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 19. And therefore we must be very vigilant and sollicitous that we defile not this Body which is the Habitacle of so great a Comforter II. OUR Members are the Members of Christ Let us not then make 'em the Members of an Harlot but let us cleave unto the Lord with Fidelity and Continency that we may be one Spirit with him and be pure as he even is pure The swinish Sodomites were smitten with Spiritual and Corporal Blindness and their burning Lust was punish'd with an Element proper to their crying Sins and the Almighty will inflict the same Punishment on all obscene and incontinent Persons with a Fire not to be extinguished For the smoak of the torments ascendeth up for ever Rev. 14. 11. Nature hath taught us not to be guilty in the Eye of the World and shall not the Checks of our own Consciences impede us from committing Enormities iu the Eye of Heaven III. DENS Caves nor Corners can exclude ns from the Divine Omnipotence All Hearts are open to his Omnisciency all Desires are known and from him no Secrets can be concealed His Omnipresence is of that potency that the Voice within us upon the Grand Inquest will bear Testimony against us and our own Enormities being empannell'd will condemn us upon the Verity of the Verdict And who would not relinquish this momentary sensual Pleasure to evade everlasting Burnings If the Smoke of that concupiscible Fire ascends up to the Nostrils of the Almighty nothing can purge the Odiousness of it but infernal Flames IV. OH let then the Remembrance of a Crucified Saviour crucifie in thee all inordinate Affections and the Thoughts of a tormenting Hell quench in thee all the fiery Darts of the Wicked Let Fountains of Tears spring from a sincere Repentance extinguish in thee this conflagrating Carnality and let the fear and dread of the Almighty mortifie that concupiscible Enemy that the Allurements of it may not delude thee Consider with thy self the ill Consequents which are its Concomitants it is full of Anxiety and Folly Abomination and Ignominy and without Repentance must partake of everlasting Punishment V. LOOK not on the fawning outside of this Temptation but flie from it as you would from a Serpent Check the first Motions of it for if you once fall to reason aud article with it it will prove like the Element of Fire if not quench'd in due time grow too great to be conquer'd Next flie Idleness which is the native Soil for these abominable Weeds to grow in and be always employ'd in whatsoever lawful Vocation or Business God hath been pleas'd to allot thee that when the Tempter comes he may find thee fortify'd against Temptations 'T was Idleness allured David to Adultery Had he been busied as Ioseph was he had withstood the Temptation VI. THINK often of Death's Summons and that his cold Hand will one day chill that Blood which was so apt to be inflam'd and then tell me whether Mortification is not more suitable to Death-bed Thoughts than Sordidness and Obscenity Be frequent in Prayer and bring the Unclean Spirit to Christ that he may cast him out And to your Prayer add Fasting for this Kind goeth not forth but by Prayer and Fasting And indeed Temperance is a great Antidote against this Sin of Sodom for many times our Tables become a Snare to us for in pleasing our luxurious Palate we make Provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof And by Epicuring of it so here what can we expect when we depart hence but the rich Glutton's Fate even to want a drop of Water to cool our Tongues VII REMEMBER thou must give an account for every idle and unprofitable word Mat. 12. 36. And how much more then will thy Account extend to obscene Speeches and sordid Actions Of what Continuance thy Life hath been while brought to a Period and what multiplicity of Sins soever thou hast committed thy Accusers and Accusations will be equivalent Then those secret Thoughts which thou never resented'st will apparently prove thee obnoxious before the great Tribunal From thence thou can'st not flie nor deceive the Omnipotence with vain Excuses neither can'st thou appeal from that Sentence which will be pronounced against thee for there will be Verity in the Inquisition and Severity in the Execution VIII THEREFORE whil'st thou art on this side the Grave endeavour to adorn thy Immortal Part with the fragrant Rose of Charity the dulcified Violet of Humility and the innocent Lilly of Chastity When thou enter'st the List to conquer this formidable lustful Enemy if the Fight seem difficult animate thy self with this Assurance That the Conquest will be Glorious Thou must vanquish it as thou would'st a sturdy Beggar give it a positive Answer and it is vanish'd but shew it Encouragement and it will prove like the Snake in the Fable when warm by the Fire to fall a hissing If thou would'st not have this Enemy to rule over thee entertain it not in the least corner of thy Heart but earnestly beseech God to keep thee in Sanctity of Life and Chastity of Body MED XXI Of Purity of Heart Mat. v. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God IF Innocency be the Robe of Heaven who then would not diligently strive to be adorn'd with Purity It is no wonder the Kingly Prophet was so importunate for a clean Heart and a right Spirit If this be the Recompence of true Sanctity who would neglect Religious Duties Beatifical Spirits What Felicity and Purity do ye enjoy that behold the glorious Face of your Heavenly Creator Who would not indefatigably be industrious to imitate your Seraphick Example here that he might resemble you in your happy Station and possess Eternal Joys such as the Heart in all his Divine Raptures never knew Shall the imposterous and perfidious Vanities of this Transitory World allure our Hearts and divest us of the Hopes of this Celestial Glory the Fruition of this splendid Vision II. A Magnified Vision in Comparison whereof the Regalities of this Lower Orb the Trophies and dazling Splendors of the Optick Nerves and the Lustre of the whole Universe is not worth the gazing at A