SPIRITUAL FLOWERS FOR SAINTS AND SINNERS Gathered out of the Garden of the sacred Scriptures and Writings of Men famous in their Generations By ROBERT PORT Minister of the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST Eccles 12. ver 11. The words of the wise are as goades and nayles fastned by the Masters of Assemblies London Printed by G. Dawson for George Sawbridge at the Sign of the Bible upon Ludgate-hill 1655. THE EPISTLE TO THE READER Courteous Reader THe Presse I confess is overpressed with some worthlesse works as I may call them raw Eructations of each petty Pamphletor and Readers are cloy'd and surfeited on variety in that kind And Censure being so busie every where blasting hopeful labours in the very bud might make me suspect this of mine Yet at an adventure among such a throng of Writers as pester the world I 'le croud in for company This Book thus compos'd and digested into heads was intended to have attended my service alone for ever but that some worthy friends whose judicious eye might becken me along to any good design attested seriously it would be very serviceable to Church and Common-wealth for the advance of holiness Whereupon I began to think with my self as the four Lepers 2 King 7. 8 9. I should not do well to hide or bury any thing which might do others good and therefore I have now adventured to publish it Yet let it not render the modesty of this Book suspected because it presumes to appear in company unmaned by any Patron if right it will defend it self if wrong none can defend it And now I beseech thee as well by my Epistle as by my Book labour to keep close to God in a loose Age spend not thy time in complaining of the licentiousness of the time in the mean time setting up a toleration in thine own heart and life Take heed in pleasing thy self in a bare formall profession labour to be rooted in Christ he who is but a visible Christian may in a short time cease to be so much as visible He who speaks of Christ but notionally may in time be won to speak against him Lay the foundation of mortification deep Love not the world Reserve no lust from the stroak of Jesus Christ Beware of scandals take them not where they are make them not where they are not the common sin of our times to black Religion and the Religious and then to fear and hate both Despise not the providences of God in the world they are signs of Gods mind though not of his love Delight in the publick Ordinances and highly esteem of faithful Ministers they and Religion are commonly blasted together Shun seducers sit down under a Minister as well as under a Preacher He who will hear every one may at length be brought to hear none Prov. 19. 27. And he who will hear him preach who ought not may soon be left to learn that which he ought not Preserve a tender conscience Every step thou takest fear a snare Read thine one heart in the wickedness of others Be not slight in Closet duties Oft think of God in thy particular Calling for therein thou thinkest thou hast least leisure but sure thou hast most need to do so In a word I wish thee as much delight and benefit in the perusing of my Book as it hath cost me paines in collecting digesting transcribing and reviewing of it And as this shall find acceptance with thee I shall as God shall give strength and more leisure yet further approve my self to be Thy Servant in the Lord to promots thy Faith and Comfort R. P. THE PRINTER TO THE READER REader be pleased to take notice that the Author of these Collections thus digested is preparing for the Presse these Books following viz. I. The holy Bible opened in severall Sermons upon choice Texts out of every Book in the old and new Testament 2 Light and Darkness or Truth by Scripture plainly confirmed and error confuted 3 The Saints rich Cabinet opened and presented to publick view Containing many choice and pretious Jewels all which are reduced into Theologicall conclusions Alphabetically disposed 4 Physicall Gleanings experimentally propounded 5 Emmanuel or God with us being an Annual Chronology from the year 1640. to 165â— methodically composed 6 The faithfull Shepheard guiding his flock to a constant walking with God 7 Evangelicall Legacies for Saints and Sinners tending to settle the wavering to stay the wandering and to strengthen the fainting Spiritual FLOWERS For SAINTS and SINNERS Admiring WE should admire nothing for or in it self but admire al things in God and God in all things Action A good aime doth not make a bad action good but a bad aime makes a good action bad Many times there may be sin in the action when yet the action may not be sin Actions A Christian may usually say that all is not ill in his evil actions nor all good in his good actions Good actions well done better our selves and benefit others Acknowledge It is good to acknowledge God to be just and 't is just to acknowledge God to be good in all his wayes Adversity 'T is better to be preserved in the brine of adversity then to rot in the honey of prosperity Affections When our affections and conversations are in heaven we injoy heaven upon earth Afflictions Afflictions are then a blessing to us when we can bless God for afflictions Sanctified afflictions as sickness crosses and losses are better than unsanctified health and gain Affliction seldome comes without being a temptation but temptation never comes without being an affliction to the Saints Being afflicted doth often discover Hypocrites yet being afflicted is no discovery of an Hypocrite Afflicted We are then truly afflicted for sin when 't is more for displeasing God than for the displeasure of God more that he is displeased by us than that he is displeased with us Alone Some men are least alone when most alone when Jacob was left alone he did wrestle with God All in all It is for none but him who is all and the fulness which filleth all in all to give to all abundantly Angry The world is angry with Saints that they are no worse and the Saints are angry with them and themselves that they are no better It doth not become us to be angry with God though God come to be angry with us He that is angry with his brother without a cause is in danger of judgement and he is likewise in danger of judgement who is not angry with his Brother when there is cause Anger can hardly be silent but that anger is admirable which speaks and sins not Be angry but sin not He that will be angry for any thing will be angry for nothing Antichrist See Maen of Sin Appearance Appearance in good is too little in evill 't is too much Appearing They for whom and to whom God appears much should appear much for God Many men appear righteous who are not righteous as
are sweetned God doth not any time put off his people because he is not in a capacity to give mercy but doth many times put them off because they are not in a capacity to receive mercy Mercifull He that is mercifull to the Saints for Christs sake shall be rewarded by Christ for the Saints sake Miracles God doth not alwayes bind miracles to faith nor faith to miracles God will sometimes be beleived without them and sometimes spends them upon unbelievers Money Onely money well and lawfully gotten is good and lawful money Morality See Civility Mourning A godly man doth not onely mourn in secret for his publick sinnes but he also mournes in publick for his secret sinnes N Nature Grace Nature teacheth us to prefer our lives before the world and grace teacheth us to prefer our souls before our lives Naturall Spiritual Natural men will not do all they can spiritual men cannot do all they will We call fools naturals but we may and more truly call natural men fools Natural defects Natural defects are not the Creatures fault but the Creators pleasure and therefore he that finds fault with them finds fault with God That man hath a very ill nature who would have others be good to him but he himself loves not to be good to others Nothing There is a time when nothing a time when something but no time when all things are to be spoken That man hath nothing who wants Christ and that man who hath Christ wants nothing O Obedience 'T is obedience to disobey parents when we cannot obey them without disobeying God Offring The Offrings did not nor doe sanctifie the Altar but the Altar did and doth sanctifie the Offring Vain Offrings are offered in vain or they that worship God vainly do worship God in vain 't is to no purpose 't is nothing worth Omission Commission Omission of good is comission of evill One of Christs 'T is a great mercy to be one of Christs though but one of his little ones Orders of Men. In all orders of men the greatest part are out of order Ordinances Many use the Ordinances of God who make no use of them 't is indeed good to use them but the gain and sweetness is in making good use of them Christ certainly speaks to men in that ministry which speaketh men into Christ 'T is to be feared that they who turn their backs upon the Ordinances of God will at last turn their backs upon the God of Ordinances Opinion Most men have a good opinion of their own opinion though the opinion be not good To maintain an opinion because it s thine and not because it is true is to maintain thy self not the truth and so to prefer thy self above the truth Opportunity 'T is better to want opportunities for our hearts to improve than to want an heart to improve our opportunities Over-valuing self He that over values himself is usually undervalued by others Old New Testament In the old Testament the new was vailed in the new the old is revealed P Pardon God doth not onely give pardon to them that believe but he also gives faith to believe pardon Parentage See Vice Parts 'T is not the best part of a Christians excellency that he is of excellent parts Pass-time That is the best pass-time wherein the time is best passed Peace holding 'T is better to hold ones peace than by speaking to offend or to give an offence Physicians Physicians of greatest value are of no value in some cases but one may say of them miserable comforters are ye all Pleasing God As what Saints have pleaseth not God if offered without themselves so what they have from God doth not please them without himself The best way to please all or displease any with least danger is to please him who is all in all There is nothing so sweetly pleasing and pleasantly sweet to a gratious heart as to please God A Saint doth not onely seek to please God but also to be pleased with God not onely that his doings may be acceptable to God but also that all Gods dealings may be acceptable to him Passionate When others are passionate towards Saints Saints should be compassionate towards them Passion makes them fools which otherwise are not so and shews them to be fools which are so Poor Rich. 'T is the misery of the poor to be neglected of men 't is the misery of the rich to neglect God Pride God will stain the pride of all glory for indeed all pride will stain his glory Prayer Prayers not felt by us are seldome heard by God In prayer a Christian must not tell God what he shall give but ask God what he will give A Christian should watch unto prayer because of his adversary the Devil who watcheth him when and wheresoever he prayes Prayer is like Jonathan's bow which sent out the arrows but faith is like Ionathan's boy which fetcht back the arrows The Saints fare the better yea are far the better for one anothers prayers Christ doth not dehort us from speaking much but from much speaking in prayer A Christian sometimes prayeth to have what he wants and other times yea often at the same time he prayeth to want that he hath Wordless Prayers An heart without words is better than words without an heart in the duty of prayer Prayerful Praiseful He that is prayerful before mercy is received should be praiseful when he hath received mercy The returns of prayer call for the return of praise Prayerless The prayerless man is a godless man Praise A man should not praise his works but his works should praise him 'T is more a mercy to praise God for the mercies we have than to have mercies to praise God for Practise 'T is good to profess but practise is better yea of the two practise without profession is better than profession without practise Men cannot practise unless they know but as good they knew not unless they practise Precept Example Precepts without examples bind more than examples without precepts though examples are more prevailing than precepts Proud God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to that is assisteth the humble Portion The Lords portion is his people and the Lord is his peoples portion Promises God makes good all the good promises which he makes Wicked men may apply themselves to the promises but godly men may apply the promises to themselves God doth not onely give his people promises to believe but doth also give them to beleive the promises Many good promises are made which are not made good Profession 'T is not the onely profession of a Christian to make onely a profession 'T is not the profession but possession of Christ which is our hope of glory Prophet See Minister A Prophet may teach us but onely God can teach us to profit Providence Providence is creation continued or a creation in a new edition Q Quarrell not with God If God be better to others than he is to
sorrow Though it be a Christians sorrow that he hath sin to bewail yet his joy that he hath an heart to bewail his sin Sons of God Gods Sons are his Servants and his Servants are his Sons Speech See Complement Spending He that when he should not spends too much shall when he would not have too little to spend Success Success is the blessing of God on a good cause and is curse on a bad cause Suffering 'T is lesse painful to suffer than to sin for one may suffer without sin but one cannot sin without suffering Superstitious Superstitious men do not fear God but are afraid of God T Testament See Old Temptation He that can repell the temptation of gain gains by the temptations The Saints shall not be tempted above what they are able at least not above that which God will enable them to bear If God do not take off temptations from his people yet he will not so keep them as that temptations shall not take them off from him Thanksgiving In thanksgiving heart-strings and tongue-strings should be tun'd to our soules Things He hath all things who hath God though he have nothing else but he hath nothing who hath not God though he have all things else Those things which have much of our affections when we have them costs us much affliction when we are without them The sweetness of divine things is not in the hearing or praying for or talking of but in the having and enjoyment of them A Saint will part with any thing yea with all things for Christ but will not part with Christ for any thing no not for all things The best things ill used become bad and the worst things well used become good Earthly Things A Christian is not unworthy to manage earthly things but earthly things are unworthy to be managed by a Christian Earthly things ravish more in expectation than in fruition but heavenly things ravish more in fruition than in expectation Time If you would not have time passe too fast use not too much pass-time That which many think their lost time a Christian often finds his best time and that is his thinking time The redemption of time is not in the recalling of it but in repenting for mispent time and in improving the present to best advantage Many men spend their time and strength in seeking that which when they have found they find that it had been better not to have found or sought it Mans idle time is the Devils busie time therefore the Devil hath more service in one holy day than in many working dayes Ill Tongues If ill tongues could make men ill many yea many good men were in ill taking Traytors Traytors alwayes become odious though the treason be commodious Troubles Worldly troubles cannot overcome an heavenly peace Trusting God Our trusting of God should not exclude our endeavours nor our endeavours exclude our trusting of God Truth We may and should go from men to follow truth but we may not go from truth to follow men God doth not onely deliver truth unto his people but he also delivers his people unto truth Truth receiving Many men receive the truth who do not receive it in truth Try Trust Men we try before we trust but God we may trust before we try Types The book of Types in the old Testament hath this common with all other books that the words signifie things but hath this particular end proper to it self that all the things signifie other things V Vanity Solomons Tautologies of vanity are no vain Tautologies All sin is vanity yet all that is vain or all that is vanity is not sin Vertues Vertues confest by foes and vices confest by freinds are commonly true A man may love vertue yet hate grace Though gold cometh from the earth none despiseth it and though drosses come from the gold yet none regardeth it so the vertuous coming from mean parentage are honourable and the vicious coming from noble parentage are contemptible 'T is better to be famous from a contemptible family than to be contemptible from a famous family Vessels Vassals By nature we are the vessels of sin and the vassals of Satan Vngodliness The time is coming when ungodliness shall be as much prosecuted by justice as in times past godliness hath been persecuted by injustice Vnrighteousness He that loves the wages of unrighteousness will do unrighteousness for the wages Vnprofitable See Servant Vnsound men They are unsound men that cannot indure sound preaching Vse of We should use that for Gods glory which God gives us to use for our good Wicked men have but a right to use the Creatures but godly men have a right use of the Creatures Voice of Christ Christs voice is sweet to the Saints and Saints voice sweet to Christ Vsing The non-using is the abusing of favours Vnwilling Man would not when he could and therefore could not when he would enter into paradise Vocation See Calling W Walking A gratious heart desires not onely to walk holily but also to walk wholly with God He is the best Christian not who talks most of God but who walks most with God He doth not enjoy much of God who walks not much with God nor doth nor can he walk much with God who doth nor enjoy much of God A Christian need to walk circumspectly least he give them that are without an occasion to offend or them that are within an occasion of offence Waiting See Grace Gods Warning God warns his people before he strikes them and warnes them that he may not strike them Gods Watching If God watch not over us and over our watchings our watching will be in vain Saints Wants When God seems to wink at even then he seeth his peoples wants and when he seems to be careless he is then careful of his people warfare Some men find the want of comforts and some a comfort in wants Warres 'T is better to be at warres with men and at peace with God than to be at peace with men and at warres with God War Peace The best way for Christians to live in continual peace is to maintain a continual war and to be alwayes fighting the good fight of faith Weak Strong When we are weak we see what we are in our selves when we are strong we see what we are in God Working Salvation Man is to work out his salvation with fear and trembling for God worketh in him both to will and to do which imploies First that a man without God neither can nor will save himself And secondly that God without man doth not save any man Wickedness 'T is the height of wickedness to do ill and to think it well done Wisdom Wisdom is good with an inheritance yea better without an inheritance than an inheritance without wisdom The words of wisdom should be more acceptable to us than the wisdom of words Self-Wise The self-wise are alwayes most ignorant of themselves Many think themselves wise yea