whose blessed name and words I further call upon thee c. At thy Return O most mercifull God! That many have miscarried in their travails I hear and know some in their purses some in their lives that I am returned safe in both and injured in neither I feel and know and know no cause of it but thy providence and therefore know my self bound to acknowledge the duty of my thankfulnesse to that providence of thine which I doe and ever will blesse not onely for this but for all the preservations of my whole life and consecrate the remainder of my whole life to thy service wherein I beseech thee so to blesse me in my whole race upon earth that I may blesse thee in the long race of eternity in heaven for his sake who took his journey from heaven to earth and returned again from earth to heaven to prepare a place for me and now sits at thy right hand to intercede for me Jesus Christ my Saviour Amen In whose blessed name and words c. The Travailers Character HE is an honest and a wise man h◠never goes on foot but when he wants an horse nor doth he ever ride but when he hath businesse he spends like himself little or much nor doth he make much account of his expences for he laies up that before he finds or is forc'd occasions to use it if he travails with safety and returns without danger his first salutation is Gratias De◠The Soldier SOme Phanaticks in the world have questioned the lawfulness of my calling But I have Gods word for my warrant and Gods servants for my pattern Gods word sayes when thou goest out with thin◠Host Deut. 23 or when thou goest to war and that very word when doth suppose it and sure I am Gods word doth not suppose any thing which is unlawful As Gods word so his servants too warrant it yea and his choicest servants Abraham Joshua Debora Sampson Gideon David they were all warriers they waged war some of them offensive some of them defensive and therefore I need not doubt of the lawfulness of my Calling all the doubt is in resolving these Cases of Conscience Whether I am lawfully called to this lawful Calling How I may be assured that I am lawfully called and may with a safe conscience take up and make use of these weapons And that being done I thus addresse my self to Jehovah the Lord of Hosts O Almighty God! who hast styled thy self a man of war and hast now called me to be a man of war I beseech thee teach my Hands to War and my Fingers to Fight give unto me and to every one of my Fellow Soldiers the strength of Sampson the courage of David and the wisedome of Solomon that we may undermine all the attempts and overthrow all the plots and overcome all the Gyants that fight against thy Truth yet even in the heat of Fury give us pity that we may rather spare than spoile and while we gird our selves with Armour to resist these Enemies of ours doe thou put upon us thy whole armour that we may resist that enemy of mankind and quench all the fiery darts of the Devil goe thou forth with us against them that are come without thee against us animate our and abate their courage confound their devices but convert their souls and because death is before our eyes give us grace to be mindful of it and prepared for it that while we fight against them we may also fight the good fight against all our ghostly enemies and receive a Crown of righteousnesse Take our Bodies into thy protection and defend us take out souls into thy tuition and sanctifie us that though we return not home we may be received into heaven through Jesus Christ Amen In whose most blessed name c. The Soldiers Character HE is the Father of Peace and Mother of Patience his subtilty begets peace his magnanimity nurses patiences in both he is the founder and supporter of Kingdomes If he be conquered he sowes patience if he conquer he reaps peace in That he founds in This he supports the Kingdome if he be able to second the peace of victory with the grace of humility he is the breeder of all virtue and the bane of all vice for then good lawes are put in execution and bad men in the house of correction so necessary he is in peace that else we lose it so necessary in war that else we have no hope of it so necessary in both that no Kingdome can subsist long without him if you chance to see him you see a head quick of wit a tongue full of eloquence an eye of vigilance a face of curtesie a hand of bounty and an heart of valour and for his good parts say God blesse him so that he remember and practise his lesson Neminem concutit eneque calumniamini The Trades-mans Devotion THis Calling is of a large extent For the extent of Trades is very large so many several Trades as there are so many several callings to those Trades there are too The best marke whereby to know the lawfulness of a Trade is To find a ground for it in Scripture or if humane Inventions have found out some Trades that the Scipture gives no ground for yet if the Scripture forbids it not the Trade is lawfull and a man may lawfully make use of it v.g. There is no mention made of a Chimney-sweeper in the word of God yet though there were nothing conducing to this Trade This Trade notwithstanding is lawfull because it is not forbidden whereas on the other side The Trades of Usury and Pawn taking are directly forbidden in the word of God especially the latter The taking of such things to pawn as are necessary for livelyhood and subsistence But I thank God my Profession is not forbidden for I am a Merchant I am a Mercer I am a Taylor I am a Carpenter c. and therefore I may safely use it and that I may use it honestly I pray O God! who for the sin of Adam hast appointed that every man shall earn his living by the sweat of his brows and shall eate his bread in the sweat of his face and hast also forbidden that man to eate who will not work and to this end hast ordained several Callings to some whereof every particular man should apply himself whereby with thy blessing he should provide for his family and posterity and amongst all hast called me to this Trade and course of life _____ and herein hast promised to bless my honest labours and endeavors I beseech thee that I may comfortably and contentedly undergoe it without grudging thereat as at some uneasie burthen driving not onely at mine own private gain but also at the publique good not seeking Riches by wronging of others by false weights short measures or deceitfull work Be such thoughts and things ô God! ever far from me but onely seeking a competency and honest
TO THE NOBILITY AND GENTRY Lawyers And Physicians Sea-men Trades-men Magistrates Subordinate and Supreme c. By THO. SWADLIN D. D. Cui ad Manticam res redit Printed in the Year 1658. TO The Readers IF any of you ask Why these incomposed Papers They are to beg your Charity Nor am I ashamed of it since a King without dishonour because without dishonesty did it before me when he said Date obolum Belisario and a better King since him when he said He had rather live on the Churches alms than take the bread out of Priests mouths and another before them both when he said Have pitty upon me Have pitty upon me ô yee my friends for the hand of God is upon me The Hand of God permitting else the Hand of man punishing could not continue so violent as to threaten a starving which how neer it is though not known is yet much feared by Tho. Swadlin TO THE NOBILITY AND GENTRY NObility and Riches are not absolutely good For they are given to the Bad as well as to the Good Esau was a Noble man and a Rich maâ— as well as Jacob Dives as well as James and therefore I have no reason to put my confidence in them or to think my self the more in Gods favour because I have more of the worlds Treasure Neither yet are Riches and Nobility absolutely bad For they are given to the Good as well as to the Bad. David was Noble and Rich as well as Saul and so was Nicademus as well as Caiaphas and therefore I have no reason to be diffident of my self because I am Rich and Noble or to think my self out of Gods favour because I have so much of the worlds Nobility and Riches are onely bad when they are badly obtained or retained worse and then onely good when they are sent by Gods blessing either by way of inheritance from my Parents or by way of industry from my Pains and again distributed and used to Gods glory and the good of his servants Achan by an ill obtention of Riches purchased an ignominious death and if others Knew what it were to kill and then possesse They would aspire still but to be lesse Dives by an ill detention of Riches purchased the torments of Hell and if others Knew what it were to deny poor men food They would covet still but covet to be good Job with his humble Nobility with his large possessions obtained Gods favours And Zacheus by his munificent distributions possessed the Joyes of Heaven I fear not my self therefore because I am Noble because I am Rich all that I fear is That I may use my Riches and Nobility ill and that I may not I ask my self these Cases of Conscience Whether I abate of mine own superfluities to relieve the poor's necessities Else I am Dives like Luk. 16. Whether I consider the Poor and Needy and save them the pains and shame of begging at my dore and elbow Then I am David like Ps 4. Whether I look contemptuously upon them that are poor and needy Sam That is Nabal-like Whether I have not resolved to deny relief to them that want This is Devil-like And when these Cases are resolved to the comfort of my soul I may humbly and confidently addresse my self to Almighty God O most gracious God! thou hast dealt largely with me in thy Outward blessings I beseech thee also give me a large portion of thy Inward grace My heart is full of corruption and even with these thy blessings of a Noble blood and a full purse I shall pride my self and despise others and scorn the Poor and forget thee unlesse with this Nobility in my blood and this plenty in my purse thou give me the Poverty of thy spirit It is not a poor spirit I desire but to be poor in spirit that while others highly conceit of me I may be humble in mine own conceit remembring the more I have of thee the more thou wilt require from me and the greater my charge is by thy trust the greater must be my discharge by my truth Else my Nobility will puff me with security and my wealth will be a thorn to choak and wither the seed of thy word in me and make it unfruitfull to me Let me therefore take more delight in thy word than in all manner of Riches that in this slippery place for Riches and Nobility are but slippery they either thaw from us or we melt from them I may keep an even step and walk with a right foot Let not mine eye be dazled with the glory nor heart bewitched with the delicacy of those Treasures lest e're I am aware They be taken from me or I from them Let my chief delight be upon that durable wealth and eternal Nobility which is better than Gold and Coronets that my heart may be enriched with the dew of thy spirit my soul filled with the knowledge and my hands enabled with the practise of thy will Oh! let me remember That these Riches these Titles are not my Lordship but my Stewardship that the bowels of the Saints may be refreshed and the hearts of the widows rejoyced and the loins of the Naked warned by the fruits of my faith my good works and thereby others provoked to glorifie thee Let that be the Emd of my charity To glorifie thee not any thought of merit or to glorifie my self Let every Mite I give be a fruit of faith not a gift of fortune and every mercy I shew to others upon this ground assure me it is a beam of thy love unto my self and while I have no other aime but thy glory no other ground but my obedience let me in the End find it a good ground-work against the time to come and so attain the End of my faith even the salvation of my soul not for these works-sake but for that Promise sake Psal 41.2 Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy the Lord shall deliver him in the time of trouble Deliver me ô Lord in the trouble of my life from worldly care and deliver me ô Lord in the trouble of my death from sinfull guilt through Jesus Christ Amen In whose most blessed Name and words I further call upon thee as he hath taught me in his holy Gospel Our Father which art in heaven Hallowed be thy name c. The Noblemans Character HE is endowed with the four cardinal vertues and is a man neither covetous nor prodigal but temperate he knows how to give charitably and to gather providently He is a man neither foolish nor crafâ—y but prudent and knows when to speak plainly when politickly never falsly He is a man neither indulgent nor cruel but just and knows how to punish Iniquity and to reward Honesty He is a man neither timorous nor temerous but magnanimous and knows how to bridle precipitancy to spur pusillanimitie and dares scarlet his sword in an Honourable cause Sola Virtus vera Nobilitas To
the Gentlemen of the Law MY Calling is lawful I question it not no wise man doth question it or if any man doth question it yet God being the antient Law-maker and the eternal Law giver would soon decide it and determine my Calling to be lawful All my fear is whether I use not my lawful Calling unlawfully That I may not I propose these Cases of Conscience to my sâ—â—f Whether Gods glory or mine own gain moved me to make choice of this Calling Whether I take Fees in right or wrong Causes Whether I afford a Tenth or a Tantamount of my abundant Fees to the relief of the poor And when these are resolved I acknowledge it my duty as it is every mans duty to pray God to direct me in my lawful Calling and so I doe O most just and righteous God! who to preserve Peace amongst men and to prevent men from wronging one another hast ordained the Profession of the Law and hast appointed me to that Profession I beseech thee give me grace so to execute my Profession that I may doe right to all men sanctifie my Tongue that my words be not deceiptful and sanctifie my Heart that equity not opulency be the chiefest mark I aime at keep my Hands from taking Fees to plead in or maintain an unjust cause and when I shall take a Fee in a just Cause and doe not deserve it either by my neglect or multiplicity of other Imployments give me grace to restore it While I am busied to obtain earthly Goods for my Clrents let me not forget to make Thee my Advocate for obtaining the Eternal good of mine own Soul In all my pleading before an earthly Judge give me grace to remember that great and last day when I and all men besides must appear before Thee the Judge of Heaven and Earth And because then not subtle words but a pure heart a good conscience and not a full purse shall speed so direct me by thy Spirit in this Calling of the Law that in my whole Practice I may endeavour to execute Justice and maintain Truth and then receive as thou hast promised to them that walk uprightly glory and immortality Ps 80 11. through the merits of Him that is the Advocate of Sinners and the propitiation for our sins Jesus Christ the righteous Amen In whose most blessed name and words c. The Lawyers Character NO wife man sees him but he thinks upon his Estate and is glad there are such men without whom themselves cannot live in peace nor their Estates be secure None but fools grudge at their abundance since by their diligence we possesse such abundance as we have tranquillously Be as rich as you can so you be honest and though your Law cannot yet the Gospel will find a way to cut off the entayl of difficulty to Heaven from Riches Else Vae vobis The Physicians Devotion NO man that hath pulse in his Body or pastion in his heart or brain in his head or urine in his bladder but will confesse the lawfulness of my Profession or if any man be so mad or malicious yet Asa's preposterousness in seeking to the Physician before the Divine and Hezechias his application of a Figg to his Plague-sore will confute him and tel the whole world That the Physicians Profession is lawful and honourable because not a wise man sees him but he thinks of death not a fool but sends for him in sicknesse and therefore a happy man he is in the mean time that is welcome to fools in extremity and to wise men at every opportunity He is indeed as happy as any man living if he ascribe not too much to second causes If he make God his as God hath made him other mens Physician If he shew God his tears as he looks upon his Patients urine he may then as well prognosticate his own health as his Patients death The sight of him shall ever put me in mind of death that I may not be afraid of death when I cannot have the sight of him the Physician To whom I propose this one Case of Conscience Whether his Prescriptions and Aimes are more for his Patients recovery or his own Gains And then let him pray thus or otherwise as it pleaseth him O most wise most powerfull and most gracious God! who hast created Man for thy self and service and all other things for the service of Man and amongst men hast or â—ained several Professions and amongst them the Profession of Physick to repair the Health and to recover the Sicknesse of Men The seech thee to give me grace to remember that I must one day answer for what I doe all the dayes of my life and therefore withall I beseech thee for a blessing upon all those Prescriptions I shall direct for my Patients and to trust in and expect onely from thee the First cause a vertuous operation upon the second cause for the good and benefit of my Patients and as I feel for the evennesse or unevennesse of their pulse I may keep the pulse of mine own soul in an even and just temper before thee that as I behold their urines thou mayest behold my tears that as I prescribe their Diets I may alwaies keep a temperate Diet my self and so keep my body under that my soul may continually have recourse to Thee until thou take me to thy self through Jesus Christ Amen In whose most blessed Name and words c. Physician his Character HE is Natures best friend as alwaies following her dictates and directions He is a good friend to Grace for when he sees Nature spent he bids his Patient send for the Divine nor doe I blame him for it that he puts Divinity after Physick since I know Men are more sensible of flesh and blood than they are of soul and spirit nor doe you blame me if I highly prise that piece of Apocrypha Honora Medicum honore debito The Sea-mans Devotion THat my Calling is lawfull honourable ancient Noahs Ark Genes Davids wonder in the deep Psal Solomons sending ships to Ophir for Gold and St. Act 27. Pauls escaping danger at Sea by the help of the Shipmaster Pilots and Mariners doe abundantly satisfie and confirm Yet before I goe to Sea I shall propose to my self this Case of Conscience Whether I have taken this Calling by the direction of my Parents the guidance of Providence or the love of money and desire of seeing Fashions And being resolved I am lawfully called I pray O God! who hast appointed me to goe down into the Sea in ships and to doe my businesse in great waters Have mercy upon me O God! who doest whatsoever I thou pleasest in Heaven in Earth and in all deep places Have mercy upon me O God! I am now ready to commit my self unto the waters I am now floating upon the bottomlesse Sea and that my sins may not goe along with me nor provoke thee to vex me with thy storms Have
mercy upon me The Ship that I am now in is but a vain thing to save a man and that Pyrates may not board us that windes and waves may not drown us that Infidels may not captivate us Have mercy upon us That thâ— Devil may not infect us That we may be constant in our Religion That we may be true and just in our dealings That in all places we may demean our selves as the Professors of Christ and give no occasion to the Adversary to speak evil Have mercy upon us That the great Leviathan may not seize upon our souls as the Whale did upon Jonas his body for sins we stand guilty of Have mercy upon us and blot out all our offences In a Storm O God! who didst save Noah and his Family in the Aâ—k from perishing by water Help us or else we perish O God! who didst hear the prayer of thy Prophet from the bottom of the Sea and our of the belly of Hell Hear us and help us else we perish O God! who hast commanded and raised the stormy winde which lifteth up the waves of the Sea Help us else we perish O God! these winds and these waves mount us up to Heaven and bring us down again to the depth and melt our souls Help us else we perish O God! we reel to and fro and stagger like drunken men and are at our wits end Help us else we perish Our sins have raised thy Anger O God! and thy Anger hath raised these storms In justice thou mayest deal with us as thou didst with Pharaoh and the Egyptians but we beseech thee to deal with us in mercy as with Moses and the Israelites in the red Sea Cast our sins into the bottomlesse Sea of thy mercy Drown them in the red Sea of Jesus Christs blood and as he did rebuke the waves and the Sea so doe Thou turn this Sea into a Calme and bring us to our desired Haven Spare us a little longer before we goe hence and be no more seen Guide us in this whole voyage by thy Power Govern is with thy Mercy Return us with thy Grace that we may give up our lives in the Land where we received them Or if thou hast 〈◊〉 appointed us unto deathâ— prepare us for death in the full remission of our Sins in the free justification about Persons in the fruiâ—full sanctification of our remaining Daiâ—s and in the future glorâ—fication of our Souls through Jesus Christ Amen In whose Name c. After the Storm That thou hast heard us from above and drawn us out of many waters My soul doth magnifie thee ô Lord That thou hast delivered us from all our Feaâ—s and hast not suffered the water-floods to over whelm us nor the deeps to swallow us up My soul doth magnifie thee ô Lord That thou â—ast shewn us thy w 〈…〉 in the deep and 〈◊〉 delivered us from death by preserving us in the ship and commanding the waves to be quiet and the winds to be still My soul doth magnifie thee ô Lord That 〈◊〉 hast brought me 〈◊〉 to the shoar comforted me with the sight and life health if my friends My soul doth magnifie thee ô Lord At thy Return And now what shall I render unto thee ô Lord for all thy benefits My soul and body I dedicate unto thee and beseech thee to consecrate them unto thy self They have been washt in the waters of the Sea oh now wash them in the laver of Regeneration They have tasted the saltness of the Sea oh let them now taste the Merits of my Saviour and then my soul shall never consent again to sin my body shall never again commit sin And that this may not prove presumption but that I may bring my promise into performance Be 〈…〉 O God! with the earnestnesse of my soul upon the kâ—ees of my body I beg thy assistance â—nd thâ— graces of 〈◊〉 holy Spirit that I mâ—y conq 〈…〉 s in he commanding power of sin and never again obey it the condemning guilt of sin and never despair under it And this for the bitter Agony and precious death â—f my Lord Saviour Jesus Christ Amen In whose blessed Name and words I further call upon thee saying Our Father c. The Sea-mans Character IN him I see a warrantable a dangerous a gainful and an honourable Calling so warrantable that Christ of his twelve Apostles chose four Sea-men Andrew Peter James and John so dangerous that there is never above a foot and half betwixt him and death which made one Poet say Ille robur c. He had an heart of oake that first adventured to Sea and another Aut insanit c. He is either a mad-man or a begger or desirous to die that goes to Sea onely they are so happy in this danger that they see Gods wonders in the deep and give him thanks when they are by him brought unto the haven so gainful that Solemons good huswife is compared to a Merchants Ship that brings riches from a far Countrey so honourable that of old the merchants of Tyre were called Princes and of late years those of Genoa Venice and the Low-Countries are arrived so high that a great part of the world envies them the rest admires them to them we are beholding for Balme from Gilead for Incense from Sheba for Gold from Ophir for Cedar and Firr from Tyre for Gumms and Spices from India and somewhat more than ordinary there is in this Calling since Christ hath graced it with the immaterial letters of his own name The Travailer I Am now taking a journey by land whether for the necessity of businesse or the visiting of my friends or the wooing of a wife I need not scruple my self so I am sure it is not for vanity or sin I may pray God for his protection and thus I addresse my self to his Throne of Grace O most gracious God! who didst protect thy servants Abraham Isaac and Jacob in their several journeys and gavest thy servant Tobias a convoy of Angels to conduct and bring him back again conduct me also in this my journey by thy Angels that I may be safe from the violence of Thieves and guide me by thy spirit that I may be safe from the assaults of those great Thieves of my Soul the Flesh the World and the Devil against the World give me the staffe of faith against the Devil give me the bag of charity against the Flesh give me the bottle of tears that as a Pilgrime I may not be cumbred with any thing of impediment but only furthered with all things of emolument and in every step of this journey remember my great journey from Earth to Heaven and keep such an even pace in the path of Grace that thou mayest return me back from this journey to my home receive me at the end of that journey to thy City of Glory for his sake who is the way the Truth and the life Jesus Christ In