I thinke it meete as long as I am in this tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance Seeing I know that the time is at hand that I must lay down this my tabernacle I will endevour therefore that ye allso may be able to haue remembrance of these things after my departure Pet. 2.1.13.14.15 The lord will perfect that which concerneth me Psal 138.8 THE COUNSELL AND ADMONITION OF HENRY MASSINGBERD Esq TO HIS CHILDREN PSAL. 111. 10. PROV 9.10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdome a good understanding have all they that doe thereafter PROV 4.7 Wisdome is a speciall thing therefore get wisdome and above all thy gettings get understanding TIT. 1.15 To the pure all things are pure but to the corrupt all things are corrupted There may be both good and evill produced from all earthly things for that Every pot hath two handles Char. of Wisd LONDON Printed by A.M. Anno Domini 1656. I haue not sate with vaine persons neither will I goe in with dissemblers Psal 26 4. Wee ought to aske and knocke and seeke and pray His constant guidance in his perfect way How vile a shape doth beare this bone When th'perewigg of flesh is gone Learne from this dryed bone and parched skull The body 's foule blest soules are beauty full THE Counsell and Admonition OF Henry Massingberd Esq TO HIS Children SCRIPTURES ROM 15.14 I Trust you will admonish one another in the fear of God 1 Thes 5.12 13. Love them that admonish you and be at peace among your selves 2 Thes 3.15 Count him not an enemy that offends but admonish him Jer. 42.19 Know certainly that I have admonished you this day Exod. 18.19 Hearken now unto my voice I will give thee counsell and God shall be with thee Job 21.16 The counsell of the wicked is far from me Psal 1.1 2. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsell of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornfull but his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night Psal 16.7 I will blesse the Lord who hath given me counsell And 73.24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsell and then receive me to glory Prov. 8.9 They are all plain to him that understandeth and right to them that finde knowledge Psal 31.15 My times are in thy hands O God Job 10.20 Are not my dayes few Job 14.1 Man is of few dayes Eccles 1.4 One generation goeth and another cometh Gen. 27. â— I know not the day of my death Eccl. 3.2 There is a time to be born and a time to die Eph. 6.1 Children obey your parents Phil. 4.17 I desire fruit that may a bound to your accompt Joh. 14.3 That where I am ye may be also 2 Sam. 122.3 I shall go to him he shall not return to me Eph. 4.5 6. One Lord one faith one baptisme one God and father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Math. 6.10 Thy kingdome come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven Job 14.14 All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait untill my change come Joh. 9.4 I must work the work of him that sent me to day the night cometh when no man can work Amos 4.12 Prepare to meet thy God O Israel Eccl. 11.3 Where the tree falleth there it lies Matth. 25.3 They that were foolish took their lampes and no oyl with them Heb. 3.7 8. Wherefore as the holy Ghost saith to day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts Mark 13.37 What I say unto you I say unto all Watch. Prov. 4.1 Hear ye children the instruction of a father and attend to know understanding Isa 38.19 The father to the children shall make known thy truth Prov. 22.6 Train up a childe in the way that he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Gen. 18.19 For I know him that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to doe justice Psal 133. Prov. 1.7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisedom and instruction And ver 8. My sonne hear thou the instruction of thy father and despise not the law of thy mother Joh. 15.17 These things I command you that you love one another And 13.34 A new commandement I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you that ye also love one another 1 Joh. 4.24 He that loveth God loveth his brother also 1 Pet. 1.22 See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently Acts 7.27 Ye are brethren why doe ye wrong one another Job 1.21 The Lord gave the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. 1 Tim. 6.17 Trust not in uncertain riches Eccl. 5.13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the Sunne namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt Matth. 6.20 Lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven Rev. 8.13 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. 1 Joh. 2.15 Love not the world nor the things of this world Phil. 3.15 As many as be perfect be thus minded James 1.27 Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherles and the widow with some relief in their afflictions and to keep himself unspotted from this world Joh. 5.39 Search the Scriptures Matth. 22.19 You erre not knowing the Scriptures Psal 127.5 Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it Heb. 11.6 He that comes to God must beleeve that he is and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seck him Eccl 2.26 For God giveth to men that is good in his sight wisdome knowledge joy Psal 30.1 I will extoll thee O Lord for thou hast lifted me up And 68.4 Sing unto God sing praises to his Name extoll him that rideth upon the heavens Psal 39 5. Man at his best estate is altogether vanity 1 Sam. 2.7 The Lord bringeth low and lifteth up Psal 18.2 The Lord is my rock and my fortresse my deliverer my God my strength in whom I will trust Ver. 30. As for God his way is perfect the word of the Lord is tried he is a buckler to all those that trust in him Luk. 2.14 Glory to God on high on earth peace Joh. 14.23 But the hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and truth Psal 34.18 The Lord is nigh to them that are of a broken heart and saveth those that be of a contrite spirit And 51.17 A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Mal. 3.3 Offer to God the sacrifice of righteousnesse Psal 116.17 I will offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the Name of the Lord. Job 4.7 Who ever perished being innocent And
them that goe down into the pit Cause me to hear thy loving kindenesse in the morning for in thee doe I trust cause me to know the way wherein I should walk for I lift up my soul unto thee Deliver me O Lord from my enemies viz. from my sinnes I fly unto thee to hide me teach me to doe thy will for thou art my God thy Spirit is good lead me into the land of uprightnesse Quicken me O Lord for thy Names sake for thy righteousnesse sake bring my soul out of trouble And of thy mercy cut off my enemies viz my sinnes and destroy all them that afflict my soul for I am thy servant I will rejoyce to work in thy vineyard O my creatour and in the strength of thy mercies will attend thy call to rest as thy most obedient servant Amen V. Comfort Take comfort in a constant thirsting to be dissolved and to be with Christ as his servants are who be already dissolved if almighty God in Christ Jesus were so pleased Read Gerrards Meditations Though death as to us is bitter yet in from pag. 268 unto pag. 302. our trust on almighty God in Christ it is sweet For who keepâ—th his word shall never see death Joh. 8.51 The misery of a Christian dieth but not the Christian man we lose not our friends at their death but they goe before us to the place of our enjoyment of them in Christ Jesus for ever as we may well beleeve Luk. 2.29 Simeon saith Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace And Phil. 1.23 The Apostle desires to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all Rev. 7.9 The elect have robes in token of innocency and palms in their hands in token of victory therein are all tears wiped away from our eyes Ver. 17. And therein is no mourning nor grief nor any cry heard but rest from labour Chap. 21. v. 4. and 14.15 Our blessed Saviour shews the great benefit of being dissolved when his Disciples were sad at it he said Joh. 14.28 If ye loved me ye would rejoyce rather Phil. 1.21 Death is gain The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to his Sonne therefore rejoyce in thy true belief to goe to that judgement For Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne that who so beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Matth. 18.14 Neither is it the will of our Father that one of the little ones should perish Ver. 11. Our Saviour came to save that which was lost He takes away the sinnes of the world He died for the sinnes of the world He hath a gracious call for us as Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you He maketh intercession for us and hath blotted out the hand-writing which was against us Joh. 5.24 He that heareth his word and believeth on him that sent him hath life everlasting and shall not come into condemnation O my Saviour I beleeve yet help thou my unbelief and increase thou my faith Eph. 5.29 30. That I may truly and as I ought beleeve my self to be and be a member of thy body of thy flesh and of thy bones O my Saviour in the power of thy might and as thou diedst to save sinners make me holy is thou the Lord my God art holy The dayes of my pilgrimage are few and evill My conversation is in Heaven and I desire to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living When shall I appear before thy face O God As the Hart panteth after the fountain of water so doth my heart after thee O God At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore I shall be abundantly satisfied with the plentifullnesse of thy house and thou shalt give me to drink of the brook of thy pleasures for with thee is the fountain of life and in thy light shall we see light Thou O Lord art the portion of my inheritance and my exceeding great reward Thou shalt of thy free love to sinners shewed in Jesus Christ cover me with the garment of salvation and cloathe me with the white robe of righteousnesse where there is no hunger nor thirst nor scorching Sunne Of the fruit of the vine shall I drink in thy Kingdome for thy words are spirit and life therefore shall death be swallowed up in victory and thou O Saviour shalt for thy free merit in the blessed mercy of our eternall Father wipe away all tears from my eyes for ever for thou art my all-sufficient Lord God While we live we cannot hope to cease from sinne but when we die we hope to sinne no more which consideration doth administer great comfort in the remembrance and appearance of death to those that are truly weary of sinning against their God VI. The first Comfort in the pangs and passages of Death First Because the will of God is therein done in Jesus Christ which is certainly the best for us It is appointed to all men once to die and after that comes the judgment Heb. 9.27 2 Cor. 4.14 Knowing that he which hath raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus therefore we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed daily Ver. 17. For our light afflictions which are but for a moment causeth unto us a farre more excellent and an eternall weight of glory while we look not on the things that are seen but on the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporall but the things which are not seen are eternall Read Gerrards Meditations p. 109. praying for a blessed departure out of this life and a blessed resurrection unto life ever lasting And Read the fift Chapter of the 2d Cor. in which is admirable comfort in the passages of death that we may be present with the Lord. Jam. 1.12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptations for when he is tried he shall receive the Crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him Then present thy sould a true devotary unto our most gracious Father in Jesus Christ and say with David Psal 31.5 Into thy hands I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth Ps 71.23 My lips will rejoyce when I sing unto thee and my soul which thou hast delivered And rejoyce with Paul Gal. 3.13 saying Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law when he was made a curse for us for it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree Then gathering thy spirit freeing thy soul of worldly thougths say in faith and true repentance in full assurance that our good God is all-sufficient and that his mercy endures for ever and that in Jesus thy Saviour he hath elected and adopted thee his sonne Come Lord Jesus my most dear Saviour come quickly Amen VII A second Comfort in the passages of Death Take
perfectly to serve thee the God of our Fathers although we be not clensed according to the purification of the Sanctuary O Lord we beseech thee let thy loving kindnesse and thy mercie to poor miserable sinners in Jesus direct our hearts as the hearts of thy elected servants to pray unto thy sacred Majestie in spirit and truth and we humbly beseech thee let thy ears hearken to our praiers and the praiers of all thy servants who desire to fear thy Name Two things we most humbly beg of thee O our mercy denie us not them before we die Remove farre from us vanity and lies Give us neither poverty nor riches feed us with food convenient for us least we be full and denie thee and say Who is the Lord or least we be poor and steale and take the Name of our God in vaine so we will praise thee O Lord in the power of thy might saying Thou wast angry with us because of our mighty sinnes provoking thee but thy wrath is turned away and thou comfortest us Thou art our preserver and our refuge we will trust and will not feare for thou Lord God art our strength and long and our salvation O our good and blessed Lord and King in the power of thy mercie we will extoll thee and will blesse thy Name for ever and ever Praise ye the Lord O our soules we will praise the Lord during our lives as long as we have any being we will sing unto our God O our God blessed is the man unto whom thou imputest not iniquity O teach us thy statutes Teach us to pray unto thee in a time when thou maist be found Thou art our secret place thou preservest us from trouble thou compassest us about with joyfull deliverance because thy mercie endures for ever O instruct us and teach us the way that we should goe and guide us with thine eye least we be like the horse and mule which have no understanding O our loving God give us grace to trust in thee that thy mercie may compasse us and that we may rejoice in thy salvation and give thee praise with all the faculties both of our souls and bodies continually O cause us to trust truly in thee for so we shall not perish Give us grace and strength O Lord by the power of thy saving spirit in Jesu truly to humble our selves for the afflictions and sinnes of our enemies so in thy mercie shall our praiers return into our own bosomes but doe thou save and comfort them O Lord for thy goodnesse and let it be thy will O God that our tongue utter thy righteousnesse and thy praise every day We desire to doe thy will O our God yea thy Law is within our hearts deale with thy servants according to thy mercies and teach us thy statutes we are thy servants grant us therefore understanding that we may know thy testimonies we love thy Commandements above gold yea above fine gold therefore we esteem all thy precepts most just and hate all false waies Thy testimonies are wonderfull therefore doth my soul keep them The entrance into thy word sheweth light and giveth understanding to the simple Look upon us O Lord and be mercifull unto us as thou usest to doe unto them that love thy Name Direct our steps in thy Word and let none iniquity have dominion over us shew the light of thy countenance upon thy servants and teach us thy statutes Righteous art thou O Lord and just in thy judgments Trouble and anguish are come upon us yet are thy Commandements our delight The righteousnesse of thy testimonies is everlasting O grant us understanding and we shall live Hear our voice O Lord according to thy loving kindnesse O quicken us according to thy judgments Great are thy tender mercies O Lord quicken us according to thy free mercy and thy goodnesse Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israell know us not yet thou O Lord art our Father and our Redeemer thy Name is for ever O give us thy saving spirit of life in Jesus from Heaven for we can receive nothing except it be given us from Heaven O Lord why hast thou made us to erre from thy waies and hardned our hearts from thy feare returne for thy servants sake and for our Saviour Jesus Christ his sake doe thou write our Names in the book of life with thy servants Let our complaints come before thee O Lord and give us understanding according to thy word Let our supplications come before thee O Lord and deliver us according to thy promise Our lipps shall speak thy praise O God when thou hast taught us thy statutes Our tongues shall treat of thy word for all thy Commandements are righteous Let thy hand help us for we have chosen thy precepts We have longed for thy salvation O Lord and thy Law is our delight Let our souls live and they shall praise thee and thy judgments shall help us We have gone astray like lost sheep seek thy servants for we doe not forget thy Commandements Our sinnes O Lord our sinnes they have taken hold of us that we cannot look up they are more in number then the hairs of our heads therefore our hearts have failed us Let it please thee O Lord to deliver us make haste O God to help us Our souls thirst for God even for the living God when shall we come and appear before the presence of God O God thou art our guide for ever have mercy upon us according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy mercies doe away our offences Wash us throughly from our iniquities and cleanse us from our sinnes for we know our iniquities and our sinnes are ever before us Against thee against thee onely have we sinned and done evill in thy sight that thou mayest be just when thou speakest and pure when thou judgest behold we were born in iniquity and in sinne have our mothers conceived us Thou O Lord lovest truth in the heart therefore give us wisdome in our inward affections Purge us with hysop and we shall be clean wash us and we shall be whiter then snow make us to hear of joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Hide thy face O Lord from our sinnes and put away all our iniquities Create in us clean hearts O Lord and renew right spirits within us O cast us not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from us Open thou our lips O Lord and our mouthes shall shew forth thy praise Deliver us from bloud O God of our salvation and from the secret trapps of our deadly enemy Have mercy upon us O God have mercy upon us for our soul trusteth in thee and in the shadow of thy wings will we trust till the afflictions of our sinning against thee be overpast We will call upon the most high God even to the God that performeth his promise towards us We will
Prov. 1.30 31. They would none of my counsell they despised all my reproof therefore shall they cat the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices Prov. 11.3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them but the perversnesse of transgressors shall destroy them Ezek. 18.25 Ye say the way of the Lord is not equall hear now O house of Israel are not my wayes equall are not your wayes unequall Hos 4.9 Who is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them but the transgressors shall fall therein Psal 45. â—0 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said it is a people that doe erre in their hearts and they have not known my wayes Prov. 16.10 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. Prov. 11.4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath but righteousnesse delivers from death 1 Cor. 11.31 And they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away 1 Chron. 29.15 Our dayes on the earth are as a shadow and there is no abiding Job 14.2 He cometh forth as a flower and is cut down he fleeth as a shadow and continueth not Prov. 10.7 The memoriall of the just is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot And 11. Ver. 5. The wicked shall fall by his own wickednesse Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell Psal 50.21 These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thy eyes And Ver. 22. Now consider this you that forget God least I tear you to pieces and there be none to deliver you To God alone be glory for ever Amen Prov. 2.6 For the Lord giveth wisdome out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding James 1.5 If any of you lack wisdome let him aske of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him 1 King 3.9 Give thy servant an understanding heart O God to judge thy people that I may discern betwixt good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so great a people Ver. 10. And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing ver 11. And God said unto him because thou hast asked this thing and hast not asked for thy self long life neither hast asked riches for thy self nor hast asked the life of thy enemies but hast asked for thy self understanding to discern judgment Ver. 12. Behold I have done according to thy word loe ' I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart so that there was none like thee before thee neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee Ver. 13. And I have also given thee that which thou askedst not both riches and honour so that there shall not be any among the Kings like unto thee all thy dayes Ecclus 7.36 Whatsoever thou takest in hand remember the end and thou shalt never doe amisse What I say vnto you I say vnto all Watch Mark 13.37 If God at all forsake vs wretched wee Become a prey to our grande enimie Rest with our mother earth and watch the call To right hand loues and joyes perpetuall Adein foule eares tast smell invention sight You haue mee deluded now I see cleare light There is much wisdome and counsell in the Apocripha and in the Proverbs and sayings of wise and devout men Seek and thou shalt finde You aske and receive not because you aske amisse Children this is only my gift of Advice to you hinting some part of duty which by the blessing of almighty God you may in practice make out better with this I humbly pray the Lord give you understand ng in all things for it is not in my power I cannot give you wisdome it is only by the true performance of duty to be obtained as the gift of God A generall Discourse of Religion IT 's too much God knowes the manner of Christians to owe their Title meerly to the Font Education or Countrey their primitive principles much satisfying their proceeding devotions whereas Grace and reason best confirms Christianity by which we are taught not to hate but pity those of carnall and corrupted belief heartily endeavouring their better reformation and instruction Christianity being largely spread and divided and many professors fallen from the native beauty and true belief thereof wherefore we must be very wary to preserve and practise it in the primitive integrity which our Saviour and his Apostles taught the holy Fathers and Martyrs have confirmed and take heed we imitate not the ancient Pagans contemning a pure truth for a poor profession I doe not herein disswade from a just and pious reformation well knowing it 's better to avoid then detain a corrupted principle in which the humble and sincere heart the Almighty guideth and will deliver from those evils and corruptions which I fear in some sort possesse both reformations and reformers either from too much self-inclination or advantage therefore I take it not unfitly warned from violence or warre onely for Religion or belief for whatsoever one hath framed or beleeved another may likewise frame and beleeve therefore heresies will arise so we reade but not that they will be quite abolished there are schismes and divisions in all Religions but a wary combatant may lye unvulnerable under the true buckler of faith where reason cannot faith must lead the way which is not only above but sometimes against it also how necessary then is the contemplation of the attributes of the Almighty his wisdome eternity mercy c. which never admits us to be alone or solitary which is a sweet companion a constant rest repose and comfort Reason and wisdome are co-partners and jewels to be earnestly sought for whereby we learn to read the book of the Creatures Natura nihil git frustra and therein to behold the infinite bounty of our Creator Cast out the glorious likenesse of thy reason To finde the truth both in and out of season To finde the sacred webb that Nature wove Circle from center to the seat of Jove Search all those simple Hierogliphs that read Those secret pathes wherein her steps do tread That was our Makers Character to lead us To truest comfort had not sinne deceiv'd us And blotted out that blessed guiding art That now the most we know is scarce an Yet mercy hath allowed us to search That pains and reason some small part may reach Search while thou wilt and let thy reason goe To ransome truth even from th' Abyss below Rally the scatterd causes and that line Which nature twists be able to untwine It is thy Makers will for unto none But unto reason can he here be known The Devils know him but those damned meteors Build not his