so far to have respect to that of persons as to hate evill most in them whose persons we most love and so in our wives children and friends more then in strangers and in our selvs most of all And he that hath not learnt to bear things amisse in others which he will not bear in himself hath eyther too much fleshly zeal or too litle spirituall or both which two oftens lodg in one breast by which it comes to passe that many are earnest to pluck the moat out of their brothers eye that perceav not the beam in their own Notwithstanding as it doth not detract eyther from the dignitie or necessitie of naturall heat in our bodyes that there is found in some an agueish and unnaturall heat far greater then the naturall so neyther in truth and just valuation of things doth it derogate from the excellencie and necessitie of the heat of true zeal and life of grace in the godly consisting therein that many are zealous amisse whether knowing and so deceaving others or not knowing and so deceaving themselvs of what spirit they are CAP. LI. Of Hypocrisie HYpocrites have their names from stage-players as rayther playing then working that which is good and vertuous and the same onely upon the stage and to please lookers on And as amongst stage-players the same persons act divers parts at divers times and those very different one from another so is it with the actions of hypocrites They hold no correspondencie one with another but some of them cover and others discover their masters shame as Noahs sons did their fathers And as such persons are never constant for none can long play the counterfeyt untyred so neyther are they free in any one kinde of good but have a goodnes rayther like the water in a dead pit forced out at tymes with buckets then of a living spring which sends out its streams freely and constantly Yea further as Iacob though for his fathers blessing he covered his hands and neck very cunningly was bewrayed by his tongue and voyce so hardly can a counterfeyt carry his matters so close but that oft times even in one and the same work there will be found a jarr of the parts one with another so as eyther the tongue will check the hands or the hands the tongue or both mutually to the shewing and shaming of all When great hypocrites and deep dissemblers are left of God to fall into any grosse or scandalous evill they seldom or never recover their former shew of religion neyther as one sayth will the lambs skin which the wolf wears being once shorn ever grow agayn but God in judgment leaving them in some speciall temptation to grosse wickednes in which they loose their credit in the world which alone they sought and so break the hedg which formerly restreyned them doth punish their former close dissimulation with after open profanenes Young hypocrites commonly prove old Atheists It may well be sayd as it is in the Proverb that Hypocrisie is spun with a fine thread considering how hypocrites deceav and over-reach others and oft times weaker persons those that are wiser then they how much more considering how thereby they deceav themselvs In which latter there is a transgression and evill both in deceaving and being deceaved For albeit a man may often without sin be deceaved by another yet never so by himself seeing the spirit of a man may if it do not alwayes know the things of a man This self deceavablenes ariseth in men eyther from presumption when they think they need not or from slouth that they will not take the payns or from an evill conscience that they dare not trye and examine themselvs and their works and estates with God as they ought Besides hypocrites by false appearances getting credit with others come to esteem themselvs better then they are because others esteem them so This hypocrisie is indeed not onely a base but a foolish evill Base in dissembling the evill which it hath and is ashamed of and in counterfeyting the good which it hath not and is ashamed to seem to want And therefore notably proud people scorning as they use to boast to dissemble seldom come under this coat but do usually appear to men as voyd of grace and goodnes as they are before God Foolish it is if in nothing els yet in covering from men that evill which God seeth and hateth and will punish with infinitely greater both losse and shame and torment then any or all men will or can and not onely the evill dissembled but therewith the dissimulation also which men legally do not Great must the hypocrites portion be in Gods plagues with whom as the principall the apparantly evill as but an accessorie hath his portion appointed It is one thing to doe a work in hypocrisie which onely hypocrites doe and an other thing to do it with hypocrisie which is still ready alasse to mingle it self with the work of Gods grace in all our best actions as Tobyah and the rest of the heathen would have mingled themselvs with the Lords people in the building of his temple The same may be sayd of unbelief indevotion the like corruptions It is no marvayl that Atheist and Epicures judg all that make shew of pietie and godlynes specially above the size custome of the times conceipted fantasticall and very hypocrites seeing they measure others by themselvs And knowing that if they should make the semblance of godlines which the others do it should be no better in them then hypocrisy and fancie they conclude the same roundly upon others from their own premises And of this they are also desirous to perswade both themselvs and others Themselvs for a kinde of envious comfort in evill that others are as ill as they and for their own hardning out of that imagination Others for their miserable credit when they are not thought leaud alone They being themselvs Sadâ—cees would fayn think others have them thought Pharisees by others A tang of this also is to be found even in them who are not voyd of all goodnes towards such as a litle overstep them in the wayes of godlynes Though hypocrisie be in it self a verie odious thing and so evill as it corrupts all good in him in whom it reigns making both his works of devotion and of mercy abhominable to the Lord yet considering how litle true good is in the world it were well for others at least that there were more hypocrisie in many then there is Which would help both to represse in them many grosse enormities for shame and to keep credit with men which now shamelesly they practise and also provoke them to many outward good works for the good of others at the least which now they wholy and boldly neglect in professed godlesnes and dishonesty Besides hypocrisie yeilds though it intend it not a full and loud testimonie to true vertue and godlines seeing
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
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
open to receav advice from us as conceiving that we neither are forward to crosse his designe nor caried against him or it in passion contempt or unadvisednesse CAP. XXI Of Thoughts MEn say Thoughts are free and pay no tribute and this is true being understood of mens Custom-houses where they cannot be searched but as they bewray themselvs by some outward signe either word or work But so much the more watchfull we had need to be in our selvs over those close commodities lest we willingly feed a filthy though secret sinck within us which in time will shame us before men as it stinks in the mean while where it is in the Nostrils of God and men for it Besides if we do evill in word or deed men may help us either by contrarie examples or friendly reproofs or hatefull upbraydings or just punishments but against sinfull and unsanctified thoughts we have no help but from God alone and our selvs by his grace to whom alone they are known Everie thought of evill is not an evill thought but onely such as to which we adjoyn either consent of will or at least delight of affection For besides the thoughts of or about evill which are either in pure speculation or naturall consideration of the thing or with aversenesse of affection from the matter thought on there are thoughts meerly by suggection from Satan who being a Spirit and having such affinitie of nature with our Spirits and Souls can unite himself in his suggestions with our imagination after a manner by us unconceavable and offer unto us thoughts of great evill which yet we may by grace so resist as that they are to be accounted his sin and our crosse onely who are constrained to bear such temptations as we are compelled oftentimes to hear and bear the ill counsell of wicked men his Instruments with sin in them and grief in our selvs but without our sin if we no way hearken unto them yea with commendation both in the one and other in the victorie of Faith which we obtain over them Indeed we are too readie to receav such suggestions as tinder is to take fire specially being subtilely fitted by Satan to our speciall inclinations and occasions and so must be more carefull either to prevent them by nourishing in our selvs an abhorring of them or to quench them if they arise by the stream of Holy meditations running in our hearts They whose words and deeds are faultie and evill and yet plead their good hearts towards God are like malefactours who being convinced of theft or the like naughtinesse by plain evidence to their faces do appeal to the testimonie of such persons for their purgation as they know cannot be found If the hearts of such men could be seen of others as their works and words are they would appear worse then they as they do to God who seeth them There is no evill in the mouth or hand which was not in the heart first as the stream in the Fountain Neither can the flesh be corrupted except the mind be corrupt first Men judg of our thoughts by our words and actions but God of our words and works by our thoughts accounting the thing whether good or evill as done in his sight if once it be resolved on in the purpose of the heart Thus Abraham offered up Isaack by Faith and Iudas did that which he meant to do And as God judgeth of us and of our doings so ought we to do our selvs The thoughts of the righteous are righteous And by these good and evill men are best and trulyest differenced one from another Whereas all outward works ly common and are many of them oft exercised equally by good and bad No outward works are so good but Hypocrites have done them at times And few or none so evill but some godly haue at some times by temptation faln into them But how alike soever the outward faces of such sinfull actions be the difference is great in the heart of the doer and is so seen of God to be at the verie time of the doing and by after and better fruits in their time so manifested unto men afterwards to have been at that time when in the outward evill act no such difference could appear But our onely comfortable course and that by which our hearts are assured before the Lord is to provide that in them may run constantly so strong a stream of holy purposes and setled thoughts as may both overbear the contrarie current of our flesh and lusts and also carrie with it our outward man to all good and godly practises CAP. XXII Of Speech and Silence MAn is endowed above beasts especially with reason and with speech to uttet it without which his reason how deep and profound soever were little more profitable unto others nor many times to himself neither then a Spring hidden in the ground Hence the tongue is called the Index of the mind and as by the Index we know what is in the Book so do we by the speech what is conceaved in the heart Out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh And so readie is the passage from the heart to the tongue as that what is conceaved in the one is usually brought forth by the other neither doth any outward thing so soon bewray a man as his words Though Iacob brought his Brother Esaus hands and neck and meat and sauce and smell to his Father Isaak yet could he not bring his tongue and voyce And though a man put upon his hands the Gloves of dissimulation and the Shoes upon his feet and mask his face never so cunningly yet can he hardly so tip his tongue but in a short time a wise man will discover him discern whether he be good or bad specially whether he be wise or simple Great is the affinitie between the heart and mouth And so the Second Person in Trinitie is not called the Work but The Word of God Salomón in his Proverbs compares the speech of a wise and righteous man to a Tree of Life and to a Fountain of Life and to many other pleasant and profitable things Which must teach both them that speak to preserv pure that Fountain and to prune dig about and manure with all diligence that Tree that it may bring forth fruit to the hearers And so must it teach them that hear not to neglect that benefit but to admit and receav the words of truth and wisdom as seed by which they also may conceav and bring forth good fruit A word spoken in due season is like Aples of Gold in pictures of Silver And so a wise man must provide that his words be not onely Gold for their worth but also framed to silver-like opportunitie There being a time when nothing a time when something but no time when all things are to be spoken That which is generally spoken of a blessed
do hurt without worldly prejudice to himself therein the more carefull had he need be that he take not to himself any lawlesse liberty that way remembring alwayes that he hath also a master in heaven and that he who is higher then the highest regardeth who also may with more right and reason destroy him for ever then he how great soever do the least hurt to the sillyest worm that crawls upon the face of the earth They who use injurious dealings themselvs hate them in others and them that offer them as do they also who take knowledge of them For whom men fear they hate Now there is cause for all to fear him to his power that hurts any seeing in wronging one he threatens all that he hath power to hurt Yet if we will look upon things a litle spiritually such persons are more to be pittied then eyther hated or feared as being though cruell to others yet more to themselvs hurting others in their bodies and bodily states themselvs in their hearts and consciences before the Lord which is far the greatest damage And upon this ground it was that the ancient father desyred Scapula that he would pitty himself if he would not pittie the Christians whom he cruelly persequuted seeing the most hurt came to himself thereby When therefore we thus suffer any heynous injuries of any kinde by any we must pray the Lord both to deliver us out of their hands and them out of the divels whose instruments they are in so doing For any one man whosoever to offer injurie to any other whomsoever is unnaturall and inhumayn but especially odious in these four sorts of persons The first is Magistrates and men in authoritie whom God hath therefore furnished therewith that they might prevent and redresse injuries by others and exequute wrath upon evill doers Which if they become themselvs they transform the image of the Lords power and justice which they susteyn into the image of Gods enemy Sathan whom therein they resemble and become after a sort wickednesses in high places as the divels are The second are freinds whose office it is by help counsayl riches or otherwise to succour their wronged freinds and if no other way at least by condoling with them and comforting them A man that hath freinds should shew himself friendly sayth the wise man and for such a one to shew himself enemie-like is very greivous as we may see in Iobs and Davids case Now if it be here demanded whether the injuries offered by freinds or by others be lesse tolerable Answer must be made with distinction that some injuries are such and so notorious as cannot stand with a true freindly heart but do plainly discover an evil and enimious affection and of these by false freinds David and worthily complayns as more greivous then by strangers Some again are such as may scape him that truly loveth through negligence rashnes or other infirmitie Such the heat of love should digest And they who in this kinde will bear more at the hands of others then of freinds are unworthy of them A third sort are men religious whose professed pietie towards God promiseth honest dealing with men as on the contrary Abraham looked for all injurious dealing in that place where the fear of God was not The fourth and last are men themselvs oppressed by others specially lying under the injuries of the times When one poore man oppresseth another it is like a sweeping rayn which leaveth no food Yet is it found by certain experience that it oft rayns from this coast and that the poore by oppressing one another teach the rich to oppresse both and this not onely in bodily things but in spirituall also none being found more injurious and unmercifull then are some out of the favours of the times themselvs to others that are a litle more in their disgrace then they None of the heathens were so cruelly bent against the christians as the Iews though themselvs but scattered amongst the Heathens to be tolerated by them Such should think of the brethren of Ioseph who being themselvs in danger to be violently oppressed remembred and bewayled the violence and wrong which they had formerly offered to their brother Ioseph There are two things causing inordinate stirring and indignation at injuries offered the one naturall the other morall The naturall is the aboundance of hoat choler boyling in the veyns by which the blood and spirits are attenuated and so apt to be inordinately stirred and inflamed upon apprehension of a wrong done This cause may something be helped by naturall means and medicines and the effect by true wisdom and government which represseth all inordinate motions in the minde The morall cause is pride and self-love for men having themselvs in high estimation make account that if they be a litle wronged some great and heynous offence is committed and that at which there is just cause of high indignation The injury to such seems great because they seem great to themselvs whereas to him that is litle and lowly in his own eyes injuryes and wrongs seem lesse specially if he set this low price and valuation upon himself in conscience of his sins against God as it was with David What strange thing is it if an earthen pot get a crack or if a silly worme be troden upon or that he who is litle be litle set by It is wisdom in cases not to seem to take knowledge of an injurie as eyther when it is small and scarse worthy the myndeing and such the stately gravitie of some persons make many to be which to others seem intollerable witnesse Cato who being asked pardon of him that had given him a bob on the mouth answered that there was no injurie done and so no pardon needfull or when the greatnes and mallice withall of the injurious is such as that to expostulate a wrong is to provoke to the doubling of it to which purpose his answer fitted well that sayd he had grown old in a tyrants court by thanking men when he had received an injurie from them Sometimes again it is wisdom to let persons know that we account our selvs yll used by them and that cheifly when our expostulation is like to prove their warning by working eyther fear or shame in them If the commendation given of Caesar had not been by him who was too good a courtjer that he was wont to forget nothing but injuries he though a pagan might therein have been a mirrour to all Christians considering the mischeivousnes of our corrupt nature this way which is apter to remember a wrong done then any thing els specially then a benefit because as one sayth we account thanks a burden and revenge an ease In regard whereof it was not without cause that Christ our Lord in our directorie of prayer which we must dayly use reinforceth nothing but the condition of the fifth
and in the hands of young men if there be not counsayl at home and in the breasts of the aged And as some fruits are ripe before others and divers fit for divers seasons of the year so God and nature hath so ordayned that the bodyes of young men should be ripe in their youth fittest for bodily employments by reason of their naturall heat and spirits and the counsayls of old men in their age through their long experience and observation Things go well where both do their parts in societies It is worthily sayd of one that Childehood should be manly that is not without all wisedom and age childe-like that is without pride and arrogancy Yet may the aged above the younger sort chalenge and use a kinde of authority and confidence in their words caryage So is there to be permitted unto childhood that childeishnes which without violence to nature the God thereof cannot be driven from it Many in pride striving and streyning to have their children men and women too soon and ere they be full boyes and girls force them above their pace and eyther cause them to tyre as discouraged or occasion them to content themselvs in after time with certayn manly forms without substance unseasonably forced upon them in their childehood Fruits ripened by art before their time are neyther toothsom nor wholesom So children made men when they should be children prove children when they should be men Notwithstanding stubbornnes and corruption cannot too soon be forced out of them Neyther is half that libertie to be given to the younger sort which they would take not knowing nor being easily brought to beleiv how slipperie their state is till they come to feel it by their fals which if they did they would not complayn with the foolish young man in the poet that all parents keeping any hand over their children though for their good are injurious unto them As all men are to honour all men because they are men and made after Gods image so should the younger sort specially be trayned up to a bashfull and modest reverence towards all and cheifly towards their ancients Which so well becomes their mayden years as that the phylosopher accounts blushing a vertue in young folks though a fault in the aged Many parents desire to have their young ones trayned up in such exercises and courses as may inbolden them But they should for the most part provide much better for them specially in our audacious age if they got them held constantly in courses of modestie and â—hamefastnes that so Demetrius might have his wish in them which was that young folks would reverence their fathers at home all men abroad and themselvs being alone The Apostle writeing to Timothie warns him to fly the lusts of youth If Timothy who was brought up in the knowledg of the Scriptures from a childe and who had profited so well therein and whose place in the church was so eminent for the teaching and governing of others stood in need of such advertisement and warning what warning can be sufficient for ordinarie young people to eschew and fly from such lusts and vanities as to follow after them and unto which the heat and heedlesnes of youth carryeth them It is indeed a great mercy of God when young persons get over that their slipperie and inexperienced state without eyther such publique scandall or secret wound of conscience as the scar whereof they carry to their graves with them How much more and greater a mercy is it when they receav the grace to consecrate their youth and best dayes to God in holynes offering their souls and bodyes as the sacrifices of young lambs unblemished upon the Lords altar Wicked men who hate goodnes both in youth and age use to say young saints old divels But the truth is young divels old Beelzebubs for the most part To whom yet if God in singular grace vouchsafe repentance in after age what a corasive will it be to the heart of such a convert casting back his eyes to his youth consumed in lusts and vanitie to think how great dishonour he hath brought to Gods name and hindrance to others salvation which he may repent of but cannot redeem On the contrarie sweet is the remembrance in old age of a youth led in true vertue and godlynes Some would enjoy both the honour of age and liberty of youth But curled grey hayr is not comely Eyther state hath its benefit and burden alotted of God He that obteyns the benefit must be content to bear the burden Young men must be content to want the honour which is due to the aged of their order otherwise in regard of the image of Gods eternitie which they bear And so must the aged be content to forbear even the lawfull libertie delights of youth Multitude of years should teach wisdom sayth young Elihu in Iob to his three ancients And this the younger sort should with reverence and may with good reason look for at their elders hands considering their long experience and manifold advantages above them for the getting of wisdom This wisdom makes their age honourable indeed and their grey head a crown of glory being founded in the way of righteousnes whereas an elementarie old man having no other argument to prove that he hath lived long but his grey hayrs and wrinkled forehead is a contemptible and ridiculous creature How many such a b c old folks are there in the world whose grey hayrs promise wisdom knowledg and to whom opportunitie and means of atteyning it hath not been wanting who yet being proved and known will appear very babes in understanding and such as for that skill had need to begin to live againe This is not meerly a want of wit in them or of the love of knowledg eyther but withall a curse of God upon them usually punishing a lustfull and rechlesse youth with a doltish age in whom the proverb is true in another sense Ab equis ad asinos Such of young horses become old asses A wise man should live well in youth and before old age come that he may dye well in age if it come and may be ready for death as the white regions are for the harvest and so may both wayt for it and even meet it the more boldly in the way of such vertuous actions as expose unto it For though youth likelyhood of long life should make none withdraw from any good duety or doe amisse for fear of danger of losse of life yet age should though in course of nature the more fearfull upon ground of good reason wisdom and grace make men the more ventersom of that in a good cause which God destiny will deprive them of ere long though other men let them alone as Solon was bold upon his old age to oppose himself to Pisystratus the tyrant One adviseth to be old