choaked for ever As on the contrary if a man do the thing which good is the conscience gives testimonie of Gods acceptance and therewith boldnes before him making him chearfull even in the sorrows of the world quiet in its turmoyl and happy in all extremitie of torments and withall satisfying him with the testimony from within himself against mens unjust accusations This Conscience makes a man eyther a conquerer over the whole world or a craven and ready specially in danger and being wakened to thrust his head in a hole But now the comforts are not greater in having this good conscience then are the dangers in mistaking it Many do craftily pretend it without cause merely for their credits before men whose hearts condemn them before God and whom God who is greater will condemn much more Many more are securely presumptuous and being ready to beleev that which they wish true are bold upon their good conscience so deemed not because they know and try themselvs and their wayes before the Lord by his word as they ought but because they know not nor will know and examine them And this is the vulgar conscience of ignorant persons that are free from those grosser sins which the light of nature condemns and of some others also not without understanding being of bold spirits and stout hearts and which will not easily be in fault eyther before the world or God himself There are besides these whose consciences are benummed and seared with an hâ—at iron who by practising at first and continuing after in sins against their naturall conscience have obteyned from the Lord this miserable priveledg and seal of their condemnation that their mindes should be voyd of understanding and hearts of sense and feeling even of heynous sins in time Better sayd the godly martyr sit in the stocks of this world then of an ill or accusing conscience And yet better a conscience accusing if not desperately then benummed and without feeling The dead flesh must be eaten out of the wound and sorenes come before soundnes so must a benummed conscience become accusing before it can become excusing aright The larger conscience the better if rightly informed To know that to be lawfull for me which indeed is lawfull is the perfection of understanding and strength of fayth as on the other side to be ignorant of it is to be weak both in knowledg and fayth But we must here put a difference between the conscience it self and the use of it for the largest use of conscience is not alwayes best though the judgment be Some things are so commaunded as they absolutely bynde conscience as to love God and our neighbour c. Some things again are so commanded in the generall as for example the obedience of the Magistrate keeping peace with all men and the like as yet they have this particular exception If we can without sinning on our parts for we must not do evill that we may do good But yet in these cases we are to be as large as we can and to go as far as possibly we can see it lawfull in conscience of the commandement of God Other things are in their kinde indifferent and such as we perform for our profit pleasure credit or other worldly commoditie In these we are to use lesse liberrie of conscience and to take heed that we give not the divell advantage by some blast of temptation or other to blow us into the ditch if we go to near the side of it And in observing this difference we have a conscionable use of our conscience It is a great question whether an erroneous conscience be to be followed or no and as ill resolved by many affirmatively after much dispute Not to follow it is evill and to do or leav undone that wherein the man so doing or not doing condemns himself and therein hath God also condemning him To follow it is for the blinde to follow the blinde the blinde person his blinde conscience into the ditch and to have God condemning him in his word though he justifie himself Besides then the violation of the conscience which is alwayes evill and a by-path on the left hand and the following it in evill as a by-path on the right which is sometimes worse then the former as in sins against the light of nature there is a third and midle way safe and good and that is the informing of the conscience better by Gods word and following it accordingly unto which also every person is bound for the duties of his generall and speciall calling It is the first dutie of a man to inform his conscience aright and then to follow the direction which it gives A good conscience is as the ship in which fayth sayleth to heaven and which they that put away make shipwrack of fayth We must therefore first get a good conscience by the sprinkling of the heart with the blood of Christ from the guilt of sin and with his spirit from the filth thereof and having got it must keep the same with all care and tendernes specially by eschewing presumptuous sins in which is much transgression and by which the conscience is wasted and consumed as iron by the rust We offend too much alasse through ignorance and infirmitie let us not ad to provoke the Lord by sinns against conscience in which we sin against a double voyce of God first speaking in his law and secondly in our own hearts Where this is no marvayl though the voyce of fayth and witnes of Gods spirit cease and that the conscience so violated excuse not but accuse CHAP. XLVIII Of Prayer NO christian exercise hath so many counterfeyts as prayer which whilst all would seem to practise few in truth experimentally know We may say prayers sing prayers and read prayers and hear prayers and yet not pray indeed Yea we may out of a kinde of naturall instinct by reason of the indissolible relation between the creature and creatour be caryed towards God so far as to appeal unto him or heartily wish good from him wherein as one sayth the soul gives testimonie to God and yet be far from praying aright that is from making known our requests to God according to his will with fayth in his love and the feeling of our own wants in our hearts And the reason why this true prayer is not every mans work is because God must first work it in mens hearts by powring upon them the spirit of grace and supplication thereby to teach them both what to pray as they ought for matter and how for manner and without the hand-leading of which spirit we dare not in truth approach unto God but do by reason of the guilt of sin flye from his presence as Adam did how nigh unto him soever we seem to draw Where with the Apostle I speak of making our requests known to God my meaning is not
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
equall order of God is perverted everie where by mans iniquitie and they who are lesse able must still be adding to the greaters heap so as if accounts were diligently kept it would be found in most places of the World that the meaner sort bestow more on the better able then these of them When I consider what good the rich and mightie otherwise in the World might easily do if they had hearts answerable and how little they do for the most part it seems horrible unthankfulnesse and iniquitie in them and matter of indignation against them But then on the other side when I consider how little good I my self do in my meannesse and others my likes to that which I should and might do if I did my utmost I finde reason to be most angry at my self and mine own unprofitablenesse and to be glad and thankfull that so much good is done by the other as is In benefits and good turns done and receaved it is the best and right order that he who doth them should forget and conceal them and he remember and speak of them that receavs them And therefore the first of the three Graces is so ordered as ever to look forward for the doing of more good and never backward to upbraid with good done which where it is used takes away the grace of the kindnesse and is as unpleasing as the after-upbraiding of meat in the stomack eaten with delight The other two ever look towards the first to signifie in how continuall remembrance benefits receaved should be born Which accordingly to acknowledg with thankfulnesse is a ready way to procure further good as from God who specially delights in a thankfull heart and would have a reflux of his blessings to keep them sweet as waters are by flowing to and fro so likewise from such men as either are or would seem to be like unto God in goodnesse and bountie To use to speak much of mens unthankfulnesse even where their hath been great fault that way for benefits receaved both argues a minde not so free in well-doing as is meet and that looks too much for thanks from men and too little for reward from God and is withall a course for a man to quench his own charitie and forwardnesse in other mens unthankfulnesse It is a more blessed that is both a more comfortable thing and that wherein a good work is more properly performed to give then to take to do then to receav good and so all good men should strive both to be able and willing so to do Yet should a good and wise man as God sends occasion be indifferent to either Neither can he in truth do kindnesse as he ought that is not willing to receav kindnesse as he needs It comes partly from a suspitious but specially from a vain-glorious heart that some who are forward in affoarding kindnesse can yet scarse though there be just occasion have the like fastened upon them Such desire to be too like unto God who doth good to all but receavs none back again from any But the verie greatest must remember that he is not God but man and so stands need of other men The head cannot say to the foot I have no need of thee Besides to refuse a kindnesse offered is to shame it as a ball ill sent and let fall to the ground Neither hath a true Christian any cause to be ashamed of his condition in receaving good from others seeing that as in doing good he is in Gods place so in receaving it in Christs stead CAP. VI. Of Equabilitie and perseverance in well-doing WHatsoever is done for God saith one is done equally and the Apostle more fully The grace of God teacheth us to denie ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly in our selvs justly towards others and holily towards God True goodnesse is comly and well proportioned in all the parts whereas the counterfeit is still at jar in it self and like the patches of a beggers cloak A wise man should be a wise man at all times and in all things and so should a good man be a good man Otherwise when a good thing is done specially if it be not ordinarie the goodnesse seems rather to arise from some other motiue from without then from within the person doing it Besides what strange thing is it to see a Stone fall downward or a Spark fly upward So nor to see a fool do foolishly or a lewd person like himself But for a wise man to do foolishly or a good man wickedly is not onely hatefull but monstrous He that hath not in him all Christian graces in their measure hath none and he that hath any one truly hath all For as in the first birth the whole person is born and not some parts so is it in the work of regeneration the whole person is born again though not wholy There is but one Spirit both of Faith and Hope and Love and Humilitie and Patience which all have that are Christs and If any have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his This Spirit though God but drop as it were into some and pour into others with a full hand so as one Christian far exceeds another in degree of graces yet are the habits of all graces and that as I conceav equally one with another though not equall to those in other men infused at once into the same mens hearts by that Spirit but so as in time by diuers occasions and means both the habits or graces themselvs and the excercise of them inward and outward have their different encrease in the same persons till ech have attained to the degree of grace allotted to him and serving for the preparing of him for the glorie prepared for him of God Perseverance in good is not any particular grace or vertue but the consummation and store-house of all vertue and goodnesse Evill men stand need of all graces the good onely of this of perseverance without changing to the end that they loose not the things which they have done or suffered but that they may receav a full reward and in due season reap if they faint not Where I speak of the necessitie of not changing I mean that changing which is either to the contrarie reigning evill or to a totall want of true goodnesse Otherwise even Nature which works most necessarily may have its most naturall work interrupted and changed for a time and yet not be destroyed witnesse the fire in Nabuchadnezars furnace which though it retained in it both the nature and heat of fire yet did not burn the three Confessours which were cast into it How oft do men though remaining in nature reasonable Creatures perform acts plainly unreasonable and brutish thorough ignorance or appetite How much more is it possible that a man though not wholy destitute of Gods grace may through the remainders of his corruption advantaged
a flipperie way bids him hold him fast by his hand lest he fall which he also puts forth unto him yea wherewith he takes hold of the Childe that so by communicating his strength with him he may stand and not fall The Lord that saith unto his Seek ye my face and gives them a heart to answer Thy face Lord do we seek gives ech of them also when he warns them to stand fast and not to fall away and the like to answer effectually Lord by these thy Commandements thy Seruant is warned to stand fast and to beware lest I fall away as hypocrites do And whensoever God either promiseth unto men or purposeth in himself absolutely an event touching any his good work in or by them he withall both purposes and promises and accordingly affords them both means conuenient and skill and will to use them and therewith an answerable blessing upon them for infallible successe In regard of this grace of perseverance the truly godly haue an advantage above Adam in innocencie He receaved to himself at the first his portion of grace and goodnesse from God being made after his Image and full freedom and power both to use and encrease it But instead thereof he soon mispent and lost all by transgression God therefore as a gracious and wise Father hath prouided better against our misgouernment and made Christ Iesus our Head and Feoffer of trust for our state of grace that he in whom dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily might still furnish and supply us as we have need lest we having all put into our own hands as Adam had should mispend and cast away all as he did And so the same Christ our Lord and Head partly by his mediation and intercession with the Father partly by the continuall supply of his Spirit assisting us in our weaknesses and recovering us in our falls and partly by his Divine power restraining the enemies of our Saluation most faithfully preservs us in the grace of God not suffering the living members of his body to be plucked from it nor the habitation of his holy Spirit wholy and for ever to be possessed by his and his elects enemie Satan The Scriptures speak of mens falling from the grace of God as they do of their receiving it When the Apostles entitle particular Churches or persons Saints sanctified in Christ partakers of the heavenly calling and such as in whom God will perfit the good work begun in them untill the day of Christ as it is meet to speak and judg of them all they do not so judg and speak in respect of the inward truth of the things as certainly being in their hearts which they neither did nor could ordinarily know for God onely knoweth the hearts of all the children of men the things of a man no man knoweth save the Spirit of a man which is in him but according to the outward appearance and profession made in word and deed So when they speak of the falling away of particular Churches or persons from God they are to be understood as they mean and mean as they know that is according to the outward appearance and profession which men formerly have made and then do make leaving to God and mens selvs which onely know them the inward and hidden things of the heart which too many causlesly make shew of sometimes deceaving themselvs and sometimes others and sometimes both till the time of revelation of hidden things come And whereas weak Christians might unhappily stumble at the revolt from Faith and holynesse formerly professed by many as if there were not that stablenesse satisfaction and comfort in the Gospel and grace thereof which it promiseth the Lord in great wisdom and mercie removes this stone of offence out of their way by intimating plainly that those Apostates were never truly and throughly made partakers of the Gospels grace from the former profession whereof they had unfaithfully declined Thus the Holy Ghost teacheth that the ground what shew soever it made in which the seed sown was either withered by persecution or choaked by worldly cares or pleasures and which brought not forth fruit to the harvest was never good but either stonie or thornie ground that they whose Faith was overthrown were not vessels to honour but to dishonour nor truly built upon the steadie foundation of God nor of them who had the seal of his Spirit nor were of his known ones that those who fell away and crucified to themselvs the Son of God afresh were but formerly as the earth which drinks in the rain which comes oft upon it and yet brings not forth hearbs but thorns and briers that they who bring in damnable errors and they who follow their pernitious waies both the one and other departing from the holy Commandment delivered unto them and turning the grace of God into wantonnesse were at their best but as dogs though having for a time cast up their stomack and vomited and as Swine washed from their mire and as Iude saith ungodly men of old ordained to that condemnation and crept in to wit into the Churches unawares and to conclude that they which went out from the Apostles and Churches by heresies and profanenesse were not to wit truly and indeed of them before Thus Gods wisdom and mercie provides a shield of Faith against the fierie darts of mens hypocrisie and perfidiousnesse wherewith otherwise the tender hearts of weak Christians might be deeply wounded by Satan CAP. VII Of Religion and the differences and disputations thereabout ONely men of all Earthly Creatures are capable of Religion which is also so naturall unto all men how barbarous soever that rather then any Countrey Citie or Family would want whereon to bestow their devotions they would worship they know not what yea which is more that which they do know not onely to be base and vile as stocks and stones but also hurtfull and evill As then Religion in the generall is naturall and false Religion of corrupt nature so is true and Christian Religion by supernaturall revelation For how can that worship of God please him which is not according to his will And who knoweth Gods will but by revelation of his Spirit But vain men are readie to deem God like themselvs imagining that the things which please them please him as well Herevpon the Heathens have devised to themselvs Gods and Goddesses of Theft Murther and all manner of filthinesse And even Christians in name at least because the Kings and Lords of the Earth account themselvs honoured by their Subjects when they entertain them with pompous shews and pageants of wittie devise are readie fondly to imagine that their wittie specially stately devises and fancies please the Lord himself as they do them and therein denie unto him his two properties of simplicitie in the things and power in appointing them But if we will give God his
Tongues in an Expositour judgment in things That Translation is most exact which agreeth best with the Originall word for word so far as the idiom or proprietie of the Language will bear so as for words or phrases in the Originall proper or common simple or figurative perspicuous or doubtfull words and phrases of the same sort proper or common and so of the rest be put and retained in the version lest the Interpreter bring his own Commentarie for the Scriptures Text. On the contrarie the Commentarie is best which shews most clearly the sense scope and meaning of the Text in what words soever As the Law-maker best knows the meaning of the Law and how it is to be expounded so for the exposition of the Holy Scriptures the Spirit of God as the Authour thereof is first and most to be consulted with by faithfull and earnest prayer from a good conscience that God may fulfill his promise made of giving his holy Spirit to them that ask it and of revealing his secrets to them that fear him And so some speciall Instruments of renuing the Gospels light in the former Age have professed that they learned more this way by prayer then by much studie otherwise There is in a Scripture but one proper and immediate sense others are rather collections from it relations unto it or illustrations of it then immediate senses The literall sense is to be followed as being most naturall what may be and not to be refused if it may stand without danger without blasphemie and according to other Scriptures And here it must be noted that Christ and his Apostles in expounding Moses and the Prophets did not onely infallibly expresse their conceptions and meanings but the meaning of the Spirit speaking in them and that by reason of their more plentifull measure of the same Spirit and experience withall in some particulars as I conceav further then the Prophets themselvs understood albeit they alwaies knew the immediate drift of the Spirit and meaning of the things which they spake and were not as the Pythonists or other the like Instruments of the Divell uttering Oracles which they themselvs understood not The Lawyers have a rule and the same competent to the matter whereof they treat that Laws of fauour are to be extended as largely as may be but odious Laws as they speak as much straitned and confined within the narrowest bounds of interpretation But all Gods Laws and Instructions must in honour of the Lawgiver be expounded in the largest sense that they can beare that so they may reach as far and binde as fast as may be This the infinitenesse of his wisdom challengeth in directing us of his authority in commanding us of his mercy in promiseing and justice in threatning Which by so interpreting and applying his word we acknowledg and honour as is meet And as they are blame-worthy who out of a scrupulous fear lest they should ad to the Scriptures allow them no further meaning then the words expresse so is their sin greater and full of presumption who shorten and straiten the Scriptures instruction to that which is expressed in so many words that they may make room thereby for their own devises A Scripture commandeth promiseth or threatneth whatsoever is contained in it though not expressed And that is contained in it which can truly and iustly be gathered from it though by never so many consequences or inferences though the fewer the lesse dangerous by reason of our weaknesse of discourse Particular words and phrases more obscure are to be interpreted according to the scope mind of the speaker the Holy Ghost in the place which is both in time and excellencie before the thing spoken and that for which the Spirit speaketh as it doth in the place neither is the Scripture profitable except the scope be first found And to hang upon a word phrase or sentence in a Text without looking to the main drift is if any other the character of an hereticall disposition With this that other most necessarie rule hath affinitie namely that the words are to be understood according to the subject matter the words of Law and Gospel according to the different nature of Law and Gospel the words of an Historie Historically of a Sacrament Sacramentally and mystically and accordingly notes of universalitie according to the extent of the matter or person spoken of As we oft finde out learn mens meaning by some of their companie of such as are about them which we could not learn of themselvs so may we gather the meaning of a Scripture otherwise hard to be understood by marking the things which accompanie it and which are above and below as the Iews use to speak and Christians with them Like as the Lamps in the Golden Candlestick did one help anothers light so doth one place of Holy Scripture anothers And though a thing found in one place if in one indeed be as true binde as strongly as if it were a thousand times written yet so to insist upon any one place in a difference as to neglect others is the high-way to error and to loose the right sense by breaking the Scriptures golden chain whose links are all fastened together And as one place must be expounded by another so must the more brief and obscure by the more plain and larg and not the contrarie crosse way for that were not to lighten the darknesse of a Text but to darken its light according to that of the Father The fewer must be understood according to the more and one saying must rather be taken according to all then against all Touching precepts affirmative and negative First They are usually either kept or broken together He who doth not what he should do commonly doth what he should not do If a man be drawn away from God he is easily ensnared by his own lust On the contrarie he that doth his dutie faithfully hath as it were a Supersedeas from the Lord against the temptations of sin and Satan The way not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh is to walk in the Spirit Secondly The receaved rule that affirmative precepts binde alwayes but not to alwayes as negatives do is true being rightly understood We are to take no time for doing evill and but some time for the doing of the best good to wit as we have opportunitie and abilitie Thirdly In the prohibition of an evill we must ever understand the command of the opposite vertue and so on the contrarie He that saith expresly Thou shalt not kill means also as well Thou shalt preserv thy neighbours life Lastly There is both more vertue more vice practised in affirmatives then in negatives It is more good to do good then not to do evill and more evill to do evill then not to do good though both the tree that brings forth evill fruit and that brings forth no
reliev its Father Faith in time of need whereupon the Apostle saith of the Faithfull that if they had hope onely in this life they were of all men the most miserable For what availeth it a man in miserie to beleev eternall life if he had not hope in time to obtain it and therewith freedom and redemption from distresse But we have therefore comfort in beleeving because we have hope of enjoying in due time Love is the affection of union in regard of the loving and of well-wishing in regard of the Creature loved And Divine love is the affection of union with God in his grace and glorie in which mans happinesse consists and with the Creature according unto God Faith is the root and Love the sap spreading forth it self for the fruits of good works throughout all the branches of our lives Faith the beginning and love the end of our conversation By faith we live the life of the Son of God and receav all good from him by Love we are moved and perswaded to use what we have to the good of men and prayse of God And whereas Faith makes a man some great thing richer then the richest and Lord of the whole World Love makes him a Servant unto all men in humbling and applying himself unto them in all lawfull things for their good Now albeit Love have these two prerogatives First that it perswades most effectually and immediately to the use and imployment of all the good things which we have receaved from God to the benefit of others and secondly that whereas Faith and Hope are determined formally in this life and ended in sight in the life to come Love abideth there also and that in these two respects the Apostle ascribes an excellencie and chiefnesse to Love above the other Yet herein Faith hath his singular preheminence that whereas by Love we and what we are become Gods and mens for God by Faith not onely all other things but even God himself becomes ours for all-sufficient good unto us as he saith I am thy God all sufficient By it the will and Word of God is ours for our instruction and direction his righteousnesse ours for our justification his Spirit for our sanctification his power for our protection and his glory for our happinesse in the fruition thereof This Faith in Christ is a gift supernaturall not onely in regard of nature corrupted but even created which therefore is not so properly repaired in men by grace as are some other vertues but after a sort new built from the ground as directing to that attribute in God primarily for its object whereof Adam in innocencie had no need which is mercie through Christ against the miserie of sin and punishment Vnto this Faith most precious promises are made and most excellent things affirmed of it And that not onely for the excellencie of the grace in it self which yet is great and greatly honoureth God in his truth which it beleeveth in his power as able and love as willing to bestow all good things upon us but specially for an attractive and applying facultie which it hath above other vertues to make God ours and all Creatures with him according unto God as is aforesaid To beleev in Christ is to receav him and the promises touching him And hereupon it is said of that cloud of witnesses that by faith they quenched the violence of fire stopped the mouths of Lyons put to flight the armies of alients c. The reason whereof seems to be for that as by justifying Faith they applyed the righteousnesse of God to salvation so by the Faith of myracles they apprehended and applyed the infinite power of God to the producing of those supernaturall effects The strength of true Christian Faith the Divel knows to his cost as that by which he the Prince with his whole Armie the World hath been so often foyled and overcome For being by Faith perswaded that in doing or suffering according to the will of God we please him and are under his protection and blessing we stedfastly persevere in well-doing and patiently endure all things for his names sake whereupon he specially in the day of their distresse assaults the Faith of the godly that that might fail as knowing that if the root of Faith be shaken loose the fruit of good works will wither Faith therefore must as a welcome passenger be well carried and conveied through the Sea of temptations in the Vessell of a good conscience that it suffers not shipwrack by the leaks of an evill directed by the chart of Gods Word and promises rightly understood that it run not a wrong course and having ever in a readinesse the sure and stedfast Anchour of Hope against a stresse and continually gathering into the out-spread sails of a heart enlarged by prayer and meditation the sweet and prosperous gusts of Gods holy Spirit to drive it to the desired Haven This Faith if it be not grounded upon Gods Word is fancie if it receav not the same Word in everie part but where it lists it is sawsinesse if it work not as well yea more in an afflicted state as in a prosperous it is nothing but fleshly presumption if it be not fruitfull in all good works as we have opportunitie and are able it is dead and will in the end like the Faith of the Divels affoard onely matter of trembling Lastly it must be firm and not ambiguous or going by peradventures els it is not faith but opinion Yet are we not here to imagine an Idea of faith free in this infirmitie of our flesh from doubting The tree may stand and grow also though shaken and bended with the wind so may Faith hold its both standing and life notwithstanding such doubtings as the flesh ever lusting against the Spirit mingleth with it Against which weaknesse and imperfection of our Faith we have this firm comfort that we are not saved for no nor by the perfection of the instrument which Faith is but of the object Christ which it apprehendeth and so may with a true though palsie hand of faith receav and keep both Christ and all his benefits This weaknesse and disease of Faith we must not commend as Papists do nor nourish like secure persons but cure with all diligence by the holy and diligent use of the Ministrations sanctified of God and given by Christ for the perfiting of the Saints and edifying of the body till we attain in the unitie of faith and acknowledgment of the Son of God unto a perfit man according to the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. Also we must nourish Faith by frequent meditations of Gods love and promises in Christ and of the gracious effects of them and must as the Prophet and Apostle teach us live by it both doing in faith and assurance of acceptance at Gods hands what we do not onely in
is or can be false in Divinitie The truth in the inferiour facultie is subordinate to that in the superiour in all things and comes short of it in many things but can in nothing be contrarie unto it seeing God and his Spirits work cannot be contrarie to himself I ad though the truth be uttered by the Divel himself yet is it originally of God When he speaks a ly he speaks of himself but when he speaks the truth he speaks of God who so far useth or rather abuseth him as to utter and professe that which he hateth We ought to reverence excellent men but the truth more as Dionisius said of Nepos and Aristotle of Plato and Socrates And good reason seeing a main cause of our reverencing of men is their knowledg and profession of the truth No prescription say the Lawyers lies against the King say we with the Father against the truth which by the Verdict of a great King himself and his Nobles with him is greater then the King no space of time no patronage of person no priviledg of place from which blind or simple custom commonly getting footing and growing into use by succession is brought to coap with truth it self and that the most violently where the persons are the most bruitish and godlesse But our Lord Christ called himself Truth not Custom neither is Falshood Errour or Heresie convinced by Noveltie but by Truth This Truth is alwayes the same whilst The God of Truth is in Heaven what entertainment soever it finde with men upon Earth It is alwayes praise-worthy though no man praise it and hath no reason or just cause to be ashamed though it oft go with a scratcht face They that fight against it are like the Floods beating upon the strong Rocks which are so much the more miserably dashed in pieces by how much they are the more violently carried Though Fire and Sword assault it yet will it not be killed or dy and though by violence it be buried quick yet will it rise again and if not before yet when all Flesh shall rise again and when Truth which was first and before Falshood and Errour shall be last and abide for ever We must love and attain to the knowledg of the Truth in our selvs First Lest we be Clouds without rain promising that to others which we our selvs want and must in our places afterwards make manifestation and profession of it and not be like the grave insatiable in receaving in and barren in returning any thing back but must be alwayes readie as we see hope of doing good to propagate it like the Phylosopher who being found fault with for disputing with all that he met with wished that the bruit beasts also could understand him that he might impart something even to them yea in our kind like God himself that gives wisdom to all that asks it of him and to Christ the Lord that Word of God and true Light which inlightens everie one that comes into the World and sometimes even when we see no hope of doing good if dutie bind us though hope fail us that so the non-proficients may have cause rather to complain of themselvs for not learning then of us for not manifesting the truth unto them And albeit all truth is not to be spoken at all times A fool uttereth all his mind but a wise man keeps it in for afterwards yet nothing not true at any time or for any cause He that hath but a right Philosophicall spirit and is but morally honest would rather suffer many deaths then call a Pin a Point or speak the least thing against his understanding or perswasion A man in pleading for the Truth may shew his judgment and understanding best in the matter but his grace and godlinesse in the manner when he handles a good cause well and the Lords cause after the Lords manner Sometimes men pretend Gods Truth and zeal for it when indeed they make their pleas for Truth serv onely for hackneys for their lusts to ride on whither they would have them Sometimes men seriously intend Truth and yet mingle both with their good intention and it may be true assertion also such their personall corruptions and distempers as Christ looseth more by their inordinatenesse that way then he gaines both by their sound knowledg and fervent zeal of and for his Truth The most account a ly more shamefull then sinfull and therefore make it a matter of great disgrace to take the ly specially in the hearing of others and yet make it no matter of conscience to make the ly before God and his Angels Ah foollish People thus to honour your selvs and other vile men your likes more then God himself and the Angels with him and with all base in your Pryde who will rather bear the ly at your own mouth then at an others When a man speakes against his knowledg his own heart tels his tongue it lyeth which to put up quietly argues both a gracelesse and an abject spirit Whereas both grace and true courage also may be shewen in bearing the ly at an others mouth by overcoming such indignation and anger ryseing thereat as is harder to conquer then a Citty The Divell is the father of lyes which whilst they in the womb of whose heart he begets them impute to other and better causes mooveing them thereunto they are but like harlots who for theyr credits sake father theyr bastards upon honest men Many things even good may occasion lying as all good may do all evill but no thing can bring it forth and cause it save the womb of our own corrupt heart imprignated by the divell Now if both by the Law of God and light of nature it be an abhominable confusion for a woman to lie down before a beast what is it for man or woman to prostitute themselvs to Sathan for the gendring of so mis-shapen a monster as a ly is And very rightly is a ly called monstrous considering both the divels kindes of which it comes and also the disproportion in it often between the speach and the thing spoken and alwayes between the tongue and heart of the speaker Neyther doth the goodnes of the meaning though never so good excuse the evill of the doing when as a ly is told He that tels a ly for God is an accepter of persons and God wil surely reprove him saith Iob. And no marvayl Since his own heart condemnes him God which is greater then his heart and knoweth all things will condemn him much more And if a ly told that through it the truth of God may more abound to his glory procure just condemnation what may they expect that use to ly for meaner though good ends He that tels a ly for a good end puts the Divell into Gods service which neyther his truth needs nor his holynes will endure but he that tels a ly for an evill
to diuers occasions as the hand remains the same whether closed into a fist or extended abroad or bended this or that way as occasion servs Of all enemies this vertue hath none greater then pride which deprives men able otherwise of much and fools of all use of discretion as making them either rash by which they do not or so presumptuous in themselvs as they wil not restrain and humble their understanding to due consideration of circumstances of conveniencie in the ordering whereof discretion stands And hence it is that proud persons above others fall into many things uncomely and inconvenient On the contrarie God guides the humble in this way of discretion amongst others Lastly as the discerning of Spirits is one of the gifts of Gods Spirit so are we by prayer to beg at his hands this grace that we may be enabled to discern both of persons and things which differ so far as concerns us in our places without which we go but by peradventures and may do more harm then good even when we both mean well and do the thing which is good in it self if unseasonably CAP. XVIII Of Experience ONely God is not taught by experience to whose knowledg all things are present at all times and before all times But there is no Creature so perfit in wisdom and knowledg but may learn something for time present and to come by times past The day following saith one is Shcoller to that which went before And the vertue saith another which Nature denies experience brings to wise men So as though it be the Mistresse of fools who will learn no wisdom but that which is beaten into them with rods through a torn skin yet are the wisest taught many things by it and so become of commendable admirable as Antigonus being asked who was the best Captain in his time answered Pirrhus if he grew old And even experience teacheth that there are many particulars and those tending both to our naturall and spirituall state which neither our own wit art studie or conscience nor the information counsell or example of others can teach us which yet we learn by this dull Mistresse Experience This if it be ripe and but ioyned with any indifferent capacitie and diligence to compare together events past and present occurrances will affoard better help for direction in doubtfull cases then any other ordinarie rules as a man can better in the dark finde the way to which he hath been used then another that never went it can do by the best instructions and directions that can be given him And it seems to have been one end why God gave our great grand-fathers in the first Age of the World so long life that by experience and observation they might learn the skill and art of sundry courses specially of the Starres the knowledg whereof otherwise without myracle would hardly if at all have been attained to I conclude upon the premises that men of experience with which wit and sometimes authoritie without wit is still at jar are not lightly to be gainsaid or neglected in their facultie seeing experience is gotten by sense which easily ers not in its proper object whereas the discourse of reason is verie subject to swarv in inferring and concluding of things Yet hath this plodding guide experience this danger in it that it leads men on in the beaten way to which it hath been used without due consideration of such variable circumstances as fall in and make cases past and present though alike in generall nature yet in particular applycation and consideration verie unlike of which differences wit and art make men more able to discern Though all knowledg be good in it self as tending to perfect the understanding yet the getting of it is not alwayes good as when it is gotten by experience of punishment specially of sin as our first Parents got the knowledg of evill both wayes to their and our cost in eating the forbidden fruit A man may buy Gold so may he experimentall knowledg too dear Salomon seeking by experience to try the delights of all things under Heaven being too bold in wading in that stream that he might know the depth of it fell in and without Gods speciall helping hand had been drowned therein for ever Wofull then is the experience which is gotten by sin and miserie our own or other mens either like that of Hexophilus the Physition that butchered six hundred men that he might search into mans bodily nature destroying man that he might know him The Servants of God are sometimes so pressed with the sense of present temptations as that their speciall comfort ariseth from the recourse they have to the experience of the dayes of old and yeers of antiquitie considering that God casts not off for ever nor forgets to be favourable to his any more So some in age and under temptations have receaved more comfort from their former experience though of a weaker measure of grace in their Childhood then they could of a greater in their riper yeers CAP. XIX Of Examples THe rules in some Sciences especially speculative and for truth onely are grounded upon examples and gathered by wise observation and induction of particulars but so are not Divine and Morall rules Neither is any thing to be reputed good and just in it self and so exemplarie to us because such and such men have done it but they have done it if doing their dutie therein because it is good just and lawfull and so are unto us examples of Faith patience mercie and the like as they in their particular courses expressed these and the like vertues and not otherwise Onely he that can do nothing but good is our absolute example in things which concern us Particular facts commended in Holy Scripture are generall examples and binde to imitation when either the same thing is els-where commanded in generall or where either the ground or drift or equitte of the thing in generall And thus the verie both myraculous and meritorious works of Christ though in their particular nature causes and ends inimitable are so far forth our examples and to be followed by us as the Holy vertues of Faith patience and obedience towards God and of love and compassion towards men shine forth in them Morall examples serv first for confirmation and commendation unto others of the truth and goodnesse contained in precepts and are therefore called by some the pledges of rules Secondly for direction in particulars agreeable unto precepts but not expressed in them Thirdly to till men on in obedience active or passive for even lazie travellers will hold out with good companie which beat the path before them And this help examples specially affoard by taking away the excuse of frailtie that we are readie to make against the obedience which yet we confesse and are convinced that we ow. Now the presidents and examples of godly men as
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
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
pressed with great burdens of temptations in a kinde of abjectnes of minde to moulder away and make their gold litle better then drosse by undervaluing Gods goodnes towards them Such are unthankfull to God uncomfortable in themselvs and unprofitable unto others in comparison Besides there is an humble hypocrisy when men so subjâ—ct themsâ—lvs to others specially superiours as they reverence their viâ—es or suffer their reason more if their fayth and consciences to be captived to their lusts And hence comes the worshiping of Angels and other poynts of will worship in which the shâ—w of â—isdom in the inventers imposers and of humilitie in the followers bear â—wâ—y Lastly there is a desperate humilitie when out of an evill and accusing conscience a man knows and judges himself out of Gods favour and a vile person But now the most of this humilitie hath joyned with it no small pride That of the first kinde is very rare and the infinitely more common and dangerous disease is the overswelling of the heart through excesse of self-love and presumption Self-love disposeth a person to think himself and to desire to be thought of others to have the excellency which he hath not Herewith the minde is easily corrupted and vayn man induced to presume of that goodnes in himself which he wants and to be lifted up with that which he hath Many by stouping loose of their bodily height but few stoop too low in conceipt of themselvâ— Yet as Christ Iesus ceased not to be God though he humbled himself to the taking upon him the form of a servant so neyther is any man eyther in truth or account of God or good men the lesse but much the more excellent for his lowly appearance to himself or others Yea as the same Christ our Lord stepped from the shamefull crosse to the height of his glory and exaltation so he that will make any high building in christianitie must first think of and lay this low foundation of humilitie This lowlynes of minde is the mother of meeknes as Christ insinuates saying Learn of me for I am lowly and meek The humbly-mynded if a crosse come or injurie be offered bears them moderately as thinking moderately of himself yea meanly in regard of his sins and the miserie to which they expose him The proud through want of consciousnes hereof if he be a litle crossed is feirce and violent â—ove dignas concipit iras What He A man of his worth so to be used specially by such a one And as the boar wheâ—s and sharpens his â—uskes in his own foam so doth a proud person whet and sharpen his heart hands and tongue to indignation and revenge in the froathy and foamish imagination of his own worth Seeing that in evill dayes the meek and milde in spirit following Christs example who was as a lamb dumb before the shearer not opening his mouth are in danger not onely to be shorn but to be flayed also the most in the wisdom and lust of the flesh think it better to â—owl with the wolves and to byte too then by departing from evill specially by bearing wrongs patiently to make themselvs a pray But here fayth steps in and leads the meek to Gods promises that he shall inherit the earth and that God will arise to judgment to save all the meek of the earth and that he will see and hear and in due time right the wrongs of meek Moses though he passe them by and as a deaf man hears not But for the violent and self-avenger he puts himself out of Gods protection and goes upon his own hazzard As the stommack swels eyther with good meat excessively used or with winde and ill humours so there is â—carse any thing eyther so good or so evill but mans corrupt heart takes occasion of prydeing and puffing up its self by it The prophet speaks of some who boasted in evill and the Apostle of others whose glorying was in their shame If former ages have been bold ours is impudent this way in which it is hard to say whether the pride which persons take in good or in evill be greater Many shame not to boast of the evils practised by them which modest men are ashamed to hear of and some of the evils which they never did nor dare nor can doe thereby to get credit with vayn persons If pride in good be hatefull it is abhominable in evill specially when men bely themselvs to get matter of glorying in mischief as Austin confesseth he in his youth had done Fools glory in their moâ—ley coats and therein shew why they wear them But worse then mad are they who glory in sin and are lift up for that which cast the Angels from heaven Adam out of Paradise and Nabuchadnezzar out of his kingdom amongst the beasts of the feild and which will cast all into hell that delight in it As wicked men pride themselvs in their evils so are the good in danger to be enamoured of their goodnes And as he that beseigeth a cittie if he can neyther obteyn it by composition nor take it by assault nor constreyn it by hunger will in the last place if he can undermine and blow it up with gunpouder So our and Gods enemy Sathan when he cannot corrupt or destroy Gods servants otherwise attempts and that oft successively the lifting them up with vayn conceiptednes of themselvs and their own worth The holy Apostle was in danger to be exalted above measure with the number of revelations for the preventing whereof he needed a messenger of Sathan to buffet him So God for the keeping and driveing of pride from his servants sometimes brings great afflictions upon them and humbles them thereby and sometimes he doth this by suffering them to fall into other sins to remedy that greater sin of pride as men use to drive out a greater pin with another somewhat smaller How close doth this corruption cleav unto us and how dangerous is it withall for the purging out of which the Lord useth such a medicine There are in this pride many strange touches some being proud in and some of their humilitie Of the first sort were they who being vaynly puffed up by their fleshly mindâ— in voluntarie humblenes worshâ—ped Angels From a touch of this kinde Peter was not free when he so refrâ—ctâ—rily refused to suffer Christ to wash his feet There is also danger of being proud of not being proud nor â—oftie in caryage apparaell or contempt of inferiours and of being called rayther goodman then mayster and rayther mayster then Sir knight Besides all these many will goe on their tiptoes though barefoot being proud of no man knows what eyther within or without them and none more then they There want not also amongst the rest who put out pride to usurie that by forbearing it a while and uâ—ing for it humble and submissive appearances they might after
that we pray to the intent to inform God but our selvs both what our wants are which we desire supply of and from whom also we expect it nor yet to move God to doe that which before he purposed not as one man is moved by the importunity of another but to move our selvs and make our own hearts beleev the performance of that which God before both purposed and promised for therefore David found in his heart to pray unto God to establish his house because God had revealed unto him that he would build his house And if we look for this honour at our childrens hands that they should ask of us such things as they want and as we purpose to bestow upon them how much more is it agreeable to our duty and Gods right that we by prayer begg at his hands all good things both purposed and promised by him afore hand By this all things are sanctified to our use which are sanctified in themselvs by the word of God by it we have spirituall right to our dayly bread in what aboundance and by what naturall or civill right soever we possesse it before by it we obteyn many good things of all sorts at Gods hands unto which we could atteyn by no art or industry or other help as the favorites of kings get more by begging then any other can do by any other facultie Besides as by conversing with men we do by litle and litle learn their manners and have bred between them and us a certain mutuall affection so by our conversing with God in prayer we learn the manners of heaven and feel encrease both of love in us to God and of God to us Lastly by prayer we obteyn with the good things prayed for the confirmation of our fayth in Gods goodnes towards us whereof he giveth us testimonie in hearing and granting our requests put up unto his majestie And in this respect a good thing receaved by prayer hath a double good in it God is to be invocated not onely with the heart and with the tongue but as one speaks with the hand also as Asa and the men of Iudah prayed to God and fought with their enemies And for us to ask any thing at the hands of the Lord which withall we do not offer our selvs ready instruments to effect and bring to passe is to tempt Gods power and to abuse his goodnes To pray for that which we desire not is to mock with his majestie as Austin confesseth of himself that in his youth he begged of God chastitie and continencie but was affrayd lest he should be heard too soon of him All things live by heat and the life of prayer stands in the heat of earnest and fervent desire And how should we make account that God should hear us if we hear not our selvs or look that God should be mindefull of us if we our selvs mynde not with intention of thought and desire what we ask of him I sayth the Father prayed when I was litle with no litle affection that I might not be beaten in the school But how many grown men pray but with litle if any affection that they may not be beaten in hell Our prayers must be earnest as well for small things as great temporall as eternall but with difference of degrees of earnestnes according to the degrees of goodnes or necessity of the things prayed for But as for fayth our very degree should be the same whatsoever the thing be which we pray for according to Gods will seeing the truth of his promise upon which our fayth resteth is the same in all things small and great and alwayes infallible We ought as wel and as much to beleev a small thing as a great if God have promised it and as he hath promised because his truth and power are as great in performing all things though with different degrees of his love He hath not absolutely promised temporall good things in the particulars and so sometimes denyes them in love to his children as seeing them unfitting for them and sometimes again he grants the desires of his enemies in wrath and indignation as he did of the rebellious Israelites desiring quayls Besides if the Lord should not sometimes grant unto his that ask them the good things of this life even plenteously men would think they belonged not to him If he should grant them to all and alwayes it would be thought that for them and them alone he were to be served and so in serving him men should not be godly but covetous But above all things we must take heed we ask nothing evill of God for that were to transform and turn him what in us lyes into Sathan himself Whosoever sayth one will bring his enterprizes to good effect must begin with prayer to God and end with praysing of him And he that begins not his work in that manner specially being of any difficultie or weight is in danger if it succeed rayther to end in his own prayses then in Gods And if it succeed not he may thank his own prophanenes in passing by God And as we are to pray upon all occasions so specially in the time of trouble as children are alwayes running to their fathers but cheifly when they get hurt or fear danger Then even hypocrites are forced to God and this partly out of a naturall desire of releif and partly by a naturall perswasion of the power and goodnes of the creatour by which he is able and willing to help his distressed creature and so Ionahs maryners in the extremitie of the storm went every one to his God But as God is a sanctuarie to flye unto for his faithfull servants in the time of need whither he leads them by his holy spirit given them so is it not fayth but impudency for hypocrites and such as in their quiet prosperous estate have not hearkned to God speaking to them in his word and works to presse upon him in their affliction for help and succour without true and unfeyned repentance and sorrow as well yea more for sin then punishment accompanying it And though they call upon him he will not answer though they seek him early they shall not finde him And if he that stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poore shall crye himself and not be heard how much more he that stops his ears against the Lord calling and crying unto him in his word The prayers of such are abhominable and sin And how miserable must his state needs be unto whom that becomes sin by which the godly obteyn remedy against sin and all other miseryes A readines to pray earnestly to God for good things the same improved accordingly is a kinde of pawn from heaven to him that hath it that he shall receav the good things prayed for both because all true prayer is by the teachings