dwelleth in vs and effectually worketh this libertie in the degrees of our saluation viz. vocation iustification sanctification glorification as you shall heare anon and by the meanes of our saluation The principall where of is the preaching of the Gospell which is the Law or doctrine of libertie the ministerle where of was ordained to this end to open mens eyes to turne them from darknesse vnto light and from the power of Satan vnto God that by faith in Christ they may receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes and inheritance with them that be sanctified This teacheth vs that in our selues we are seruants for else wee needed not a redeemer and of our selues not able to free vs out of bondage that there was no meanes to set vs at libertie but the most precious ransome which Christ our blessed Sauiour paid for vs. That wee should acknowledge the infinite loue of God the Father who gaue his Sonne and of the Sonne who gaue himselfe to bee a ransome for vs. That we may acknowledge our selues bound to bee thankfull vnto him for let them giue thankes whom the Lord hath redeemed That we may highly esteeme of this libertie which cost so deare a price that with all diligence wee vse the meanes to obtaine it and neuer bee at rest vntill wee be made partakers of it when we haue obtained it to stand fast in it not to abuse it to licentiousnes but to vse it to the glorie of our Redeemer who hath freed vs frō the spirituall bondage of sinne and Satan not that we might sin freely but that we might serue God without feare in holines and righteousnes before him all the daies of our life Wee must remember that being bought with a price wee are not our owne but his that bought vs and therefore should not seeke our selues or serue our owne lusts but should glorifie him both in our soules and bodies which are not ours but his that hath bought vs c. so much of the author of this liberty Now followeth the subiect or parties to whom this libertie belongeth which by the context appeareth to bee those who by the grace of adoption and regeneration are made the sonnes of God in Christ. For naturally we are all seruants seruing a most seruile and slauish seruitude vnder sinne and Satan which must seriously bee acknowledged of vs before we will either truly desire to bee made partakers of this libertie for none need to bee freed but those that are in bondage or will profit by this doctrine as appertaining vnto vs. Our Sauiour therefore according to the prophesie of Esay saith that he was sent to preach libertie and deliuerance to the captiues and to set at libertie the broken hearted He came to seeke and to saue that which was lost neither came hee to call the righteous in their owne conceits but sinners vnto repentance to fill the poore and the hungry with good things whilest the rich are sent emptie away Neither must wee deceiue our selues with this conceit that because wee professe our selues to bee redeemed and do liue in the house of God which is his visible Church therefore wee haue all attained this libertie alreadie For in the house of God there bee as well vessels of dishonor as vessels of honor in the floore of God as well chaffe as wheat in the net of God as well bad fish as that which is good in the field of God as well tares as corne in the familie or house of God as well seruants as sonnes in the flocke of God as well goates as sheepe Vnlesse therefore you bee the sons of God by faith truly called engrafted into Christ as his members regenerated by the Spirit of God this libertie as yet doth not belong vnto you For it is a libertie as the Apostle saith which wee haue in Christ that is which wee being in Christ haue by him as after we shall heare which also is conferred vpon vs in and by our vocation iustification and sanctification and therefore none enioy it as actually made free but such as are sanctified iustified and called But heere some will obiect Are not wee the Church of God and is not the Church a company of men called haue wee not beene baptized and by baptisme regenerated made the members of Christ and children of God How then do you say wee are not free Beloued as this obiection is not vnlike the cauill of the captious Iewes in this place so must it receiue the like answere Verily verily I say vnto you saith our Sauiour hee that committeth sinne is the seruant of sinne and the seruant shall not abide in the house c. I know that you are the Church of God as these Iewes were and that you haue beene baptised as they had beene circumcised But you must distinguish first of the Church that there is a Church visible and a Church inuisible which is the mysticall body of Christ. And you are to know that there bee many in the Church visible which are not of the Church inuisible many in the house of God which bee seruants and not sonnes Secondly of calling that there is an outward calling by the Word which is common to all in the Church of which it is said many called and few chosen And there is an inward and effectuall calling according to Gods purpose of which it is said whom hee elected hee called Thirdly of Baptisme there is an outward Baptisme which is the sprinkling of the flesh with water and an inward Baptisme wherein the soule is sprinkled with the blood of Christ and with the water of the holy Ghost whereof the outward is a signe Fourthly of vnion with Christ for there is a sacramentall vnion in Baptisme and a spirituall by the holy Ghost and by faith Lastly of Christians members of Christ sonnes of God For as the Apostle distinguisheth the Iewes that they were either outwardlie Iewes and in shew or inwardly and in truth and our Sauiour in the next words the seed of Abraham according to the flesh and according to the promise For as Paul also saith they which be of faith are the sonnes of Abraham so men are called Christians members of Christ sonnes of God not only who are such indeede and in truth but also such as are Christians onely in profession members of Christ in appearance sonnes of God in respect of the outward couenant Wherefore though you liue in the visible Church though you bee called though you haue beene baptized and by baptisme sacramentally vnited to the body of Christ which is his Church though in your owne profession and in the reputation of others who conceiue of you as they ought according to the iudgement of charitie you are Christians members of Christ and sonnes of the kingdome notwithstanding if you doe not truely beleeue in Christ
abide not only to the end of their daies in the Church militant which is the house of God vpon earth but also for euer in the Church triumphant which is Gods house in heauen 3. That the faithfull attaine to this freedome by adoption in Christ. For to so m any as receiue him by faith hee hath giuen this liberty or power to be the sonnes of God And if sonnes then also heires This aâ—â—ertion is presupposed in this place as being the hypothesis wherupon this inference is grounded Those that be the sonnes of God abide in the house of God for euer therefore if the Sonne shall make you free c. presupposing that men attaine to the freedome of Gods sonnes by the benefit of Christ the onely begotten Sonne of God Wherupon as I said is inferred the fourth thing which is my text If the Sonne therefore shall make you free you shall be free indeed As if hee had said you haue no cause to cauil at the promise of libertie which I make to all them which truly beleeue in me For I tell you vpon my word which is Amen that is true and infallible that both you and all men by nature though the seed of Abraham as you are though liuing as you do in the visible Church of God are the very seruants of sinne that being seruants and not sonnes they must not looke to inherite with the sons of the promise or to abide in the house for euer but when the time of separation commeth they shall as chaffe be seuered from the wheate as tares from the corne as goates from the sheepe as Hagar and Ismael from Isaak the sonne of the promise Therefore though your pride will not suffer you to see and acknowledge thus much yet certainly great need haue you to bee made free that of the seruants of sinne you may become the sons of God But you who are as all men by nature are the children of wrath cannot possiblie bee the sons of God except you beleeue in me who am the only begotten Son of God that I may by the grace of adoption communicate that vnto you which I my selfe am by nature and eternall generation So shall you of the seruants of sinne sons of Satan and heires of Hell and damnation be made the sons of God heires of eternall life citizens and free denizens of the kingdome of heauen Whereas now therefore you are miserable seruants notwithstanding your corporall and carnall libertie whereof you vaunt which is not a true libertie but a voluntarie seruice of sin if you shall beleeue in me and approue your selues to be my true disciples by abiding in my words I who am the truth will make you free not with a counterfeit or imaginary freedome such as is your libertie but with a true and spirituall freedome which is the gracious and the glorious libertie of the sons of God Thus haue you heard the context or coherence of these words with the former whereunto wee are referred by this word of inference therefore wherein diuers things might profitablie bee obserued but that the text calleth me vnto it as containing matter of greatest importance For Christian libertie which is the argument of my text is as the Apostle â—aith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the verie good of Christians which Christ our Sauiour taking vpon him the forme of a seruant hath purchased with his owne most precious blood which is the benefit of the Messias whereunto wee are called Galath 5. 13. which hee hath promised as a reward to his true disciples vers 32. which as himselfe came to preach Luk. 4. 18. so doth he send vs his Embassadours to the same end viz. to preach the Gospell which is the law of libertie and the doctrine of redemption and freedome by him that by our Ministerie men may be brought out of spirituall bondage vnto the libertie of Gods children The consideration whereof as it bindeth me with all reuerent care and intention of mind to intreate of this argument so ought it to moue you to heare the same with great diligence and attention And the rather not only because among vs who professe the Gospell many do not know the Christian libertie and more do abuse it to their owne perdition but also because the Papists are both enemies of the liberty it self endeauouring by their Antichristian doctrine to bereaue vs of the chiefe parts thereof and also malicious standeres of the most Christian coÌ„fortable doctrine of our Churches concerning the same But to come to the words of my text the summe and effect whereof is this that Christ the Sonne of God is the author of true libertie to all those that truly beleeue in him For the explication wherof wee are first to speake of this libertie in generall and afterwards to descend vnto the particulars In the generall doctrine wee are to consider these foure things 1. What it is and wherein generally it doth consist 2. Who is the author of this libertie which in the text is expressed to bee the onely begotten Sonne of God 3. The subiect or the parties on whom this libertie is conferred which is plainly gathered out of the context or inâ—erence of these words vpon the former to bee all the sonnes of God by adoption 4. The generall property of this liberty that it is not a counterfait or imaginaâ—y but a true liberty Of all which points I will speake very briefly As touching the first for as much as Logicians teach that the definition of the speciall is to bee â—etched from the distribution of the generall for which cause the diuine Philosopher calleth a distribution 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as being the ready and as it were the Kings way to a definition wee will therefore take a suruey of the diuers sorts of liberty For there is an outward or externall liberty and there is an inward or internall libeâ—ty The former is the liberty of the outward man from externall or bodily seruitude which may be called the corporall or ciuill liberty Of this our Sauiour speaketh not though the Iewes would seeme so to vnderstand him but of the internall which may well stand with the outward or ciuill bondage For as our Sauiour Christ noted them though outwardly free to bee in spirituall bondage so contrariwise those who in respect of the inner man are free may notwithstanding bee subiect to the external or ciuill seruitude which nothing impeacheth or impaireth the liberty of the soule and conscience before God In which regard the Apostle saith Hee that is called in the Lord being a seruant is the Lords freeman So that the liberty whereof we speake is a liberty of the soule or inner man Wicked therefore is the doctrine of the Anabaptists who therby exempt themselues from all subiection to the ciuill Magistrate vnder pretence of Christian liberty I call their doctrine
no law that bindeth the conscience properly but only the law of God in which sense he is called our only Law-giuer and seeing we are freed from those lawes of God which determined those particulars which are neither commanded nor forbidden in the morall law of God it is plaine therefore that our conscience is free in respect of these things As for the lawes of men whether they be ecclesiasticall or ciuill they do not properly binde the coÌ„scieÌ„ce because neither is simple obedience due vnto them neither can they make any particular which in respect of the morall law is indifferent as being neither commanded nor forbidden to be simply necessary The conscience of a Christian is exempted from humane power and cannot be bound but where God doth binde it And therefore the Apostle as he chargeth the Corinthians that seeing they were bought with a price they should not be the seruants of men which is not to be vnderstood of externall seruitude but of the bondage of the conscience and likewise the Colossians that no man should condemne them that is take vpon him to binde the conscience with guilt of sinne in respect of meate and drinke or holy-dayes so he reproueth the Colossans for obseruing the traditions of men with opinion of necessity as if the conscience were bound by them or religion were to be placed in them Herein therefore the Church of Rome is also an enemy to Christian liberty not only in burthening Christians with an heape of innumerable traditions and ceremonies but chiefly in imposing them vpon the conscience teaching that the traditions of the Church are with like reuerence and equall affection of piety to be receiued as the written word of God and that the commandements of the Church euen concerning outward things doe binde the conscience And although many of their ceremonies be wicked more ridiculous most of them superfluous yet so absurd they are as to impose them to bee obserued not only with opinion of necessity as binding the conscience but also of worship of perfecton of merit of spirituall efficacy Secondly by this liberty we are freed froÌ„ scrupulosity of conscience in respect of the creatures which are ordained for our vse the difference of cleane and vncleane which was made by the ceremoniall law being taken away Nothing â—aith our Sauiour Christ that goeth into the mouth deâ—ileth a man And Paul I know saith hee and am perswaded by the Lord Iesus that there is nothing common or vncleane of it selfe But this liberty is not only an immunity but also an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or power both in respect of the ordinances of men and also of the creatures of God For being freed from the ceremoniall and iudiciall lawes of God and therefore not tyed to any particular or certaine lawes which should determine the particulars not mentioned in the word of God herevpon ariseth a liberty both to law-giuers and those who are subiect to lawes The Law-giuers are not restrained to any particulars but haue liberty to ordaine such holsome either constitutions Ecclesiasticall or lawes ciuill as are not repugnant to the word of God Lawes there must be to determine the particulars not mentioned in the generall law of God for they are the very bond of humane societyes necessary for the execution of the lawes of God and for the maintenance of peace and order among men Neither can it be denyed but that as the iudiciall law being abollished it is lawfull for Law-giuers to ordaine ciuill lawes so likewise the ceremonial law being abrogated to establish lawes Ecclesiasticall Only the question is who must be these Law-giuers Surely not the Presbyteries of euery parish which neuer were in vse in the Primitiue Church but Synodes as appeareth by the perpetuall practice of the Church both in the Apostles times and euer since Synodes I say either prouinciall or nationall and those assembled either out of some nation or out of some more then one which some call Consilia media or lastly generall The authority of Synodes prouinciall and nationall hath alwayes beene of great regard though there want a Christian Magistrate to second and confirme them being both assembled and moderated by the authority of Metropolitanes and Arch-bishops but when both nationall Synodes are assembled and the Synodall constitutions ratified by the authority of the Soveraigne and that according to the positiue lawes of the land authorizing him so to doe I see not why men should not as well thinke themselues bound to obserue lawes Ecclesiasticall as Civill For though some make a difference betweene them in this behalfe because civill lawes determining particulars belonging to the second table cannot bee violated without breaking the second table whereas ecclesiasticall lawes determining particulars appertaining to the first table may bee broken without transgressing of the first table yet who seeth not the weaknesse of this distinction Seeing the second table is broken by disobeying the lawfull authority of superiors which wee ought to obey for conscience sake as well by transgressing the one as the other Superiours in the Church are to be honoured and obeyed by the fifth commandement and other Scriptures as well as superiours in the common-wealth And if their constitutions when they wanted the concurrence of a Christian Magistrate were of force in the Primitiue Church then much greater is their validity being confirmed by the authority of the Soveraigne and the Soveraigne authorized therevnto by Law The freedome of the subiect is that being freed from the yoke of the iudiciall and ceremoniall law hee may with a free conscience obey any other lawes whether Ecclesiasticall or Civill which being not dissonant from the word of God are or shall be imposed vpon him Which though it be a plaine and evident truth yet by some men it is not observed And as touching the vse of the creatures and of all things indifferent wee are to know that the right and dominion we had over the creatures which was lost in Adam is restored in Christ for all are yours saith the Apostle you are Christs and that not onely for Christians vnder the Gospell but also for all the faithfull from the beginning For we reade Gen. 9. that to Noah who was the heire of the righteousnes which is by faith the graunt was renewed and free vse of the creatures permitted Howbeit this freedome was by the ceremoniall law restrained not only after the giuing of the law of Moses but also before a difference being put betweene things cleane and vncleane which difference by Christ is taken away For no creature is vncleane of it selfe but every creature is good and nothing to be refused but may be received with thanksgiuing Yea of all outward things not forbidden of God which commonly are called things indifferent the Apostle affirmeth in generall that all things are lawfull and to the pure all things are pure By this liberty therefore
which cause the Councill of Laod. c. 28. as it forbad loue-feasts the Church so also accubitus the gesture vsed at feasts I say vnto thee confidently if thou mayest not receiue it vnlesse thou doest kneele thou oughtest to receiue it kneeling though another would be offended thereat Mayest thou not preach the word to omit other parts of the ministeriall function the necessity whereof should prevaile with vs more then a supposed scandall for it shall suffice to insist in this one particular mayest thou not I say preach the Gospell of Christ being a duty whereof necessity is imposed vpon thee and Woe be vnto thee if thou preach not the Gospell a duty whereby thou art bound in especiall manner to edify the Church and to glorify God vnlesse thou yeeld to the vse of such things as are neither in themselues vnlawfull I meane the Surplice the Crosse whereof the one in the iudgmēt of the Church serueth for decencie the other rightly vnderstood tendeth to edification neither as they are vsed in our Church being neither imposed nor obserued with superstition or opinion of necessity in themselues or of worship as though we placed religion in them and much lesse with the other popish conceits of merit with which they obserue all their traditions or efficacy which they ascribe especially to the Crosse Thou oughtest to preferre the glory of God in the salvation of his people by thy ministery before the supposed and perhaps but pretended scandall of others Obiect Yea but we may not doe euill that good may come of it Answ The question is of things indifferent For though we may must obey Magistrates though they be euill yet we must obey neither good nor bad vnto evill For we must obey only in the Lord. Obiect But though the things be indifferent in themselues yet their vse may be vnlawfull Answ. That is when they be imposed either with opinion of necessity in themselues of religion to be placed in thē of perfection or merit to be attained by them all which conceits our Church detesteth as is manifest by the doctrine whereby ceremonies are to be weighed or with scandall I doe not say taken but giuen to others Obiect Yea but it is euill to offend my weake brother that euill I may not do that good may come of it I answere in not yeelding to conformity thou both disobeyest the Magestrate offendest thy weak brother too So that when thou seemest loath to doe that which is lawfull and good for feare of an imagined euill thou addest euil to euill that is to disobedience scandall and besides to the most necessary dutyes of Gods worship preferrest the auoyding of a supposed scandall For all this while I speake but by supposition For here is a supposall of Antinomie or opposition of the two lawes of loyalty and charity as though the one could not bee obserued without the breach of the other which is not so For where the Magistrate enioyneth the vse of an indifferent thing whereat it is feared some will take offence his duty is for preuenting the scandall to giue some time of information that the weake may be instructed as touching the indifferency of the thing and the sufficiencie of his authority to command it and of their duty in submitting themselues to the obseruation thereof It is also the duty of the Minister to endeauour to preuent the scandall by informing his hearers that those things which God hath neither commanded nor forbidden are things indifferent that no such thing is vncleane in it selfe that all such things are lawfull and such as wherevnto Christian liberty doth extend that in all lawfull things the Magistrate is to be obeyed and therefore that these things being enioyned they not only may in respect of their Christian liberty with free conscience vse them but also must in respect of Gods commandement requiring obedience yeeld to the observation of them Which course hauing beene taken as it hath among vs if any will still be offended it is peeuishnesse and obstinacy rather then weaknesse and an offence taken but not given in which case the law of charity it selfe doth not binde vs and that in two respects not yet mentioned The one in respect of God the other in respect of his truth For I may not offend God not to offend my brother And it is Gods truth that Christian liberty priviledgeth both Christian Lawgiuers with such cautions as before haue bin mentioned to ordaine such lawes concerning outward things as they shall iudge expedient and also the subiects without scrupulosity of conscience to obserue them Now it is a principle Satius est nasci scandalum quam deseri verum It is better a scandall should arise then the truth to be forsaken or betrayed Is our Christian liberty in this point called into question whether Magistrates may command such things and whether subiects may obey We must maintaine our liberty though others would be offended thereat The Apostles though for a time they yeelded much to the weaknesse of the Iewes doing and forbearing many things to avoid their offence yet when their liberty was called into question they resolutely maintained it not regarding their offence And when as by Peters withdrawing himselfe from the Gentiles for feare of offending the Iewes the liberty of Christians was called into question Paul withstood him to his face and reproved him before them all as halting in the profession of the Gospell And so must they bee content to be vsed who follow Peters example in this behalfe Thus much by the way to perswade the people to obedience and loialty and the Ministers to conformity which I beseech God to effect for his Christs sake These things thus premised concerning the nature and quality of this peculiar liberty of Christians it will not be hard to answere the obiections of those who runne into contrary extreames concerning the same Obiect 1. For first on the one side it is obiected that seeing Christ hath set vs free concerning things indifferent no man ought to restraine vs and therefore the lawes commanding or forbidding the vse of indifferent things are against Christian liberty Wherevnto I answere first that Christian liberty is wholly spirituall being a liberty of the conscience and inner man which may stand with the outward servitude of z bondslaues much more with the subiection and obedience of free subiects For though the outward vse of the liberty be moderated by the Magistrate and confined yet the inward liberty of the conscience is not impaired so long as the subiect may obey with free conscience before God that is so long as the Magistrate seeketh not to binde the conscience and to impose things not commanded of God as necessary in themselues and as matters of religion before God c. Secondly that the liberty of Christians is a true and therefore not an vnbounded liberty Now one of the boundes and limits which God hath set
Lord in the holy Mount Therefore saith the Apostle it shall rise a Glorious Body yea a Spirituall Body not in Substance but in quality preserued by spirituall meanes and hauing as an Angell agility to descend and ascend What a honour is this That our bodyes falling more vile then a carrion should thus arise in glory like vnto the Body of the Son of God 4. Lastly they together with all the holy Angels there keepe without any labour to distract them a perpetuall Sabbath to the glory honour and praise of the all Blessed Trinity for the Creating Redeeming and Sanctifying of the Church and for his Power Wisdome Iustice Mercy and goodnesse in the gouernment of Heauen and Earth They shall know God with a perfect knowledge so farre as creatures can possibly comprehend the Creator For there we shall see the Word the Creator and in the Word all Creatures that by the Word were created that we shall not neede to learne of the thing which wee made the knowledge of him by whom all things were made The excellentest creatures of this life are but a darke vaile drawne betwixt God and vs but when this vaile shall bee drawen aside then shall wee see God face to face and know him as wee are knowne Wee shall know the power of the Father the Wisdome of the Son the grace of the Holy Ghost the indiuisible nature of the blessed Trinity The greatest knowledg that men can attaine vnto in this life comes as farre short of the knowledge which wee shall haue in Heauen as the knowledge of a child that cannot yet speake plaine is to the knowledge of the greatest Philosopher in the world They who thirst for knowledge let them long bee Students in this Vniuersity For all the light by which we know any thing in this world is nothing but the shadow of God But when wee shall know God in heauen wee shall in him know the manner of the worke of the Creation the misteries of the worke of our Redemption Yea so much knowledge as a Creature can possibly conceiue of the Creator and his works But whilst wee are in this life wee may say with Iob how little a portion heare we of him and assure our selues with Siracides that there are high yea greater things then these bee and that wee haue seene but a few of Gods works For so soone as she is admitted into actuall fruition of the beatificall essence of God shee hath all the goodnes beauty glory and perfection of all creatures in all the world vnited together and at once presented to her in the sight of God If any be in Loue there they shall enioy that which is more amiable If any delight in fairenesse the fairest beauty is but a dusty shadow to that hee that delights in pleasures shall there find varieties without either interruption of griefe or distraction of paine Hee that loueth Honor shall there enioy it without the disgrace of cankered enuy hee that loueth treasure shall there possesse it and neuer bee beguiled of it There they shall haue knowledge void of all ignorance health that no sicknesse shall impaire and life that no death can determine By vertue of this the penitent soule may bouldly goe and say vnto Christ as Ruth vnto Boaz Spread o Christ the wing of thy garment of thy mercy ouer thine handmaid for thou art my kinsmaÌ„ Indeed God is all in all to vs in Earth but by means and in a small measure But in heauen God himselfe immediately in fulnesse of measure without all meanes will bee vnto vs all the good things that our soules and bodyes can wish and desire Hee himselfe will bee saluation and ioy to our soules life and health to our bodyes beauty to our Eyes musick to our Eares honey to our mouthes perfume to our nostrils meat to our bellyes light to our vnderstandings contentment to our wils delight to our hearts and what can bee lacking where God himselfe will bee the Soule of our soules When therefore wee behold any thing that is excellent in any creatures let vs say to our selues how much more excellent is hee who gaue them this excellency When wee behold the wisdome of men who ouerrule creatures stronger then themselues outrunne the Sunne and Moone in discourse prescribing many yeeres before in what courses they shall be eclypsed let vs say to our selues how admirable is the wisdome of God who made men so wise when we consider the strengâ—â— of Whales and Elephants the teÌ„pests of winds and terror of Thunder let vs say to our selues how strong how mighty how terrible is that God that makes these mighty and fearfull creatures When wee taste things that are delicately sweete let vs say to our selues O how sweete is that God from whom all these creatures haue receiued this sweetnesse And if our louing God hath thus prouided vs so many excellent delights for our passage through this Bachin or valley of teares what are those pleasurs which hee hath prepared for vs when we shall enter into the pallace of our Masters ioy How shall our soules bee there rauished with the loue of so louely a God In a word looke how farre this wide world surpasseth for light pleasures and comfort the darke and narrow wombe where in thou wast conceiued a child so much doth the world to come exceede in ioyes solace and consolation this present world How happy then shall wee bee when this life is changed and wee thither translated This shall bee thyne eternall happinesse in the Kingdome of Heauen where thy life shal be a communion with the blessed Trinity thy ioy the presence of the Lambe thy exercise singing thy ditty Alleluiah thy consorts Saints and Angels where youth flourisheth that neuer shall waxe old Beauty Lasteth that neuer fadeth loue aboundeth that neuer cooleth health continueth that neuer slaketh and life remayneth that neuer endeth A Prayer O Lord God heauenly Father when I doe consider how many wayes and by how many sorts of sinnes I haue offended thee night and day and doe duely call to minde how graciously thou hast kept me this night and how many blessings and fauours I haue receiued of thee without number I am euen astonished at my great ingratitude and doe vtterly condemne my selfe of highest rebellion against thee Many haue been the dayes weeks moneths and yeeres that thou hast here afforded mee to liue and in all the time of my life hitherunto thou hast graciously preserued mee plentifully relieued mee and continually kept me vnder thy Fatherly protection in all my nights and dayes and hast beene euermore watchfull ouer mee that I haue from time to time from night to day and from day to night beene euer sustained through thy grace though I haue sometimes felt thy correcting rod by some crosses for my sinnes yet haue they beene euer easy in comparison of my deseruings and profitable vnto me Lord pardon