remaining daies of our life seeing we are called to be heires of an heavenly inheritance shall we any longer minde and affect earthly things nay rather with the holy Apostle Philip. 3.8 9. Let us accompt all things to bee but dung in respect of the excellent knowledge and fellowship of the Lord IESUS Seeing CHRIST must be our comfort in death when all other comforts will forsake us let us make him out joy and pleasure and our portion in this life and so shall he be both in life and death an advantage unto us O most gracious Lord God and our mercifull heavenly father give us grace we most humbly beseech thee seriously to consider of this high calling of ours being by adoption made thy children members of CHRIST and heires annexed with him of glory of rebels and slaves of Sathan made the happie servants of our blessed Redeemer nay more then so his friends Iohn 14.15 Henceforth call I you no more servants but friends yea more then friends for he hath made us his brethren Heb. 2.11 He that sanctifieth and they which are sanctified are all one wherefore hee is not ashamed to call them brethren O transcendent and wonderfull comfort God the Father cries from heaven This is my beloved sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him The Sonne againe speaking unto us here on earth saith Iohn 20.17 I ascend unto my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God He that is my God and my Father is also your Father and your God Therefore goe ye unto him and with confidence cal upon him as your Father and your God and hee will heare you and helpe you O most glorious and most merciful heavenly Father confirm us more and more in the assurance of thy eternall love free grace and unchangeable mercies towards us in Christ Iesu that in lively sense and inward assurance thereof wee may with comfort and cheerfulnes waite for love and long for his appearing 2 Tim. 4.8 for our deliverance from this bondage of corruption and receiving of us to himselfe in glory To whom with thee O Father of mercies and God the Holy Ghost most holy glorious and ever blessed Trinitie in the unity of one only true and everliving God of incomprehensible glorious essence and most adored and coeternall Majestie be all glory praise dominion and thankesgiving ascribed for ever and ever Amen Amen Amen FOR A Seventh MEDITATION OF MOUNT TABOR NOw my soule having by our most gratious GODS fatherly indulgence and mercie had time and beene enabled though with much humane weaknesse to consider distinctly and severally of those sixe maine points of meditation propounded unto us for Mount Tabor the same indeed comprehending all manner of spirituall comforts and refreshings for the Christian soule wee are by course and order come to a seventh stepp which very name puts mee in minde of the seventh day of our weeke the fittest of all the rest for heavenly contemplations Almightie GOD after his six daies worke of wonder in the creation of the visible World consecrating the seventh day for a holy rest to himselfe and for his owne immediate worship and service which was the Iewes Sabbath and the glorious resurrection of God the Sonne manifested in the flesh for the most gracious worke of our redemption being also celebrated in the Church ever the seventh day of the week which is the Christians Sabbath and both of them types of that everlasting Sabbath which the triumphant Church shall celebrate for ever in the kingdome of Heaven The consideration of which particulars might bee a theme large enough and fit enough for a seventh Meditation of Mount Tabor But being sensible of my owne weaknesse I am resolved here to set up my rest and instead and place of this seventh and concluding Meditation of mine to set downe two exercises of this kind heretofore composed by me the one fitting the Christians Sabbath to the worlds end the other a contemplation of the new Ierusalem and heavenly Sabbath world without end recommending the foure other heads of meditation set downe by Master Downâ—m and the twelve priviledges of the faithfull set downe by Master Byfeild as fit arguments for divine contemplations to such as are better able to travell therein no day of the weeke no nor of our whole life being to bee exempted from that most necessary duty of daily renewing our faith and repentance whereof see Downam at large in his Guide to Godlinesse lib. 3. cap. 2. A MEDITATION On the Incarnation and Passion of our most glorious Saviour the Lord Iesus and our blessed union with him alluding to the song of Simeon called Nunc Dimittis SImeon was one of those which waited for the Messiahs comming Israels consolation Whom that himselfe should see before he died was shewed to him from God by revelation And when the Virgin mother brought her Son up to the Temple to present him there Simeon by motion of the Holy Ghost came in and praising God with joyfull cheere The blessed babe with arms he gently claspt about This Swan-like song divinely warbling out O Lord since thou hast let me live to see the Christ thy promised salvation Whom thou hast now prepar'd reveald to be before the face of every nation A saving light unto the Gentiles who in darknesse and in shade of death did dwell The glory and the way of peace unto thine owne beloved people Israel Now lettest thou thy servant blessed Lord Depart in peace according to thy word If Simeon at the sight of Christ a child new come into the world for our salvation That glorious work not then accomplished was yet so wrapt with joy and exultation As disesteeming all the world beside he had no mind of living longer here How then O Lord should I affected be who live in this thy Gospels light so cleare My Saviours acts and sufferings all to see And know the benefit therof belongs to me O thou divine peace-maker how shall I admiâ—e and praise thy mercy infinite That being God our nature wouldst assume and to thy sacred person it unite That so thou being God and man in one 〈◊〉 perfect Mediator might become To God for man who els had perished and without thee beene utterly undone Good Lord how should my soule affected be At this thy wonderfull humility That thou th' almighty maker of the world for by thy word all things at first began Should'st yeeld thy self a creature to become and to be made twise made for sinfull man Made of the blessed Virgin so to take with our fraile nature our infirmities And made under the law to undergo the burthen of our sinnes and miseries How then good Lord should I affected be To this great work of mercy towards me That thou to whom all powers in heaven did bow and thought it their honour to be serviceable Should for us wretched men descend so low as to be born heire in a homely stable Laid in a cratch pursued
for us to God our heavenly father and alone câ—n helpe us in all our distresses This being a true principle in the heavenly art of comforting of afflicted consciences that so soone as a man is heartily humbled for all his sinnes and wearie of their waight though his sorrow bee not answerable to his owne desire yet hee shall most certainly bee wellcome to IESUS CHRIST for it is not so much the muchnesse and measure of our sorrow as the truth and heartinesse of it that fits us for the promise and comfort of mercie though withall it is true that hee that thinkes hee hath sorrowed enough for his sinnes never sorrowed savingly O most blessed and most gracious Lord God I beseech thee sanctifie my heart by thy holy spirit unto sound and syncere humiliation of soul that in the sight of my sinnes I may still grow viler in my owne eyes and bee more and more humbled in true repentance for them but yet withal by the hand of lively and saving faith upon the Lord Iesus dying and bleeding upon the crosse for my sake and for mine assured reconciliation with thy Majestie by whom alone thou art appeased towards me and made my most gracious and mercifull father for ever that so by thy grace I may ever keep in my bosome an humble soft and lowly spirit which may ever enable mee to live by faith more cheerfully to enjoy thee my most glorious Lord God more neerly to apply my Iesus to my soules comfort more feelingly and to wait for and long for his blessed comming more earnestly that so being graciously prepared and sanctified by thy holy spirit the soule of my soule governing comforting and supporting me I may with all alacrity and thankfulnes faith repentance and obedience to thy most holy will walke before thee in all holy fear all the dayes of mine appointed time till my change shall come In full assurance that no sooner shall this dark world and the shadow of it bee out of my bodily sight but the glorious light of the heavenly mansions of my Saviours Palace provided for mee and all the rest of his shall shine upon my soule in full brightnesse to mine everlasting joy comfort and finall peace through IESUS CHRIST my blessed Saviour and only peace-maker Amen The Third MEDITATION OF MOUNT TABOR How glorious a thing to be the child of God Places of Scripture shewing how this benefit belongs to us Ioh. 1.11 HE came unto his owne and his owne received him not Vers 12 but as many as received him to them gave he power or the right or priviledge to become the sonnes of God even to them that believe in his name Ioh. 12 3â— While you have light believe in the light that ye may be the children of the light For as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sonnes of God Râ—m 8. â—â— 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Vers 16. The spirit it selfe beareth witnesses with our spirits that we are the children of God For ye are all the children of God by faith in CHRIST IESUS Gaâ— â— â— When the fulnesse of time was come Gaâ— â— â— God sent forth his sonne made of woman made under the Law 5. to redeeme them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sonnes 6. And because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts 7 therefore thou art no more a servant but a son Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us Iohn 3. â— that we should be called the sonnes of God 2 Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appeare what we shall be The third Meditation Now my soul are we by Gods mercy come to the third step of these our Meditations which offereth to our consideration how glorious a thing it is to be the child of God In our first step when we lay first bound in the chains of our sins under the insupportable waight of numberlesse talents of debts oppressing us our most gracious Saviour the Lord Iesus blessed for ever became our surety took our nature upon him God manifested in the flesh paid all our debts satisfied divine justice for all our sinnes and so set us at liberty and made us freemen In our second step he brought us into a further degree of favour to make our God whom we had so grievously offended and provoked to become friends with us and appeased towards us And now in the third place wee are brought to bee more than friends children of the almighty and most glorious God himselfe whereby we are entitled to demand and challenge at his fatherly hands not only safe protection from al dangers and evils and carefull provision both for soul and body in this life but also an eternal inheritance of heavenly glory in the life to come And how comes it to passe ô my soul that so wretched and worthies a creature as my unworthy self should be advanced to those glorious priviledges and high dignity of being made and accepted a child of the most high our God hath but one only son by nature even G d the son very God of very God the second person of the most holy glorious and ever blessed Trinity in and by whom alone as in our former meditations I was redeemed from my sinnes and reconciled unto God so it is in and by him only that I and all the rest of his redeemed ones doe receive the adoption of sonnes even so O most blessed Lord God and heavenly father because it so pleaseth thee through IESUS CHRIST our Lord whom our humble and true faith apprehending we receive from him into our hearts the blessed spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father the same spirit bearing witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God by faith in CHRIST IESUS as in the severall places of holy Scripture before named appeareth O then my soule let us now also by this third step and meditation take this just and fit opportunity for renewing of our daily repentance and of our humble faith in this most gracious Saviour of ours for our laying fast hold upon him who by these blessed degrees hath brought us to this high priviledge of being the children of God And true faith I find to be thus defined Faith is a filiall confidence in God conceived of the knowledge of CHRIST and the love of the father in him whereby man runneth unto God and cryeth unto him Abba Father In which lively faith there is a twofold operation First an apprehending vertue by which the believer receives and applieth to himselfe IESUS CHRIST as he is offered in the word and sacraments Secondly a rendring vertue so to call it whereby the believer goes out of himselfe into the Lord. Qui credit in
failes in one which holds in al Thus he whose life should be deaths meditation Waiting for future immortality Forgets the end of his divine creation And faine would finde on earth eternitie O man look up thou must this mortall leave Before thou canst th' immortall robe receive 1 Due thought of death and hell Would sinfull thoughts expell Who so with carefull thought Would ponder as he ought How fearefull 't is to flâ—t From bed to loathsome pit From pit to easelesse paine For ever to remaine Among the damned sprights Whose mercy never lights Would not commit one sin Though it the world might win 2 As certaine as it now is day so sure it will be night anon For time stands never at a stay but now is here and now is gone Such is our life whose minutes spend and every minute wasts the store Till all be out and then an end we cannot live one minute more 3 What thing is that each man doth chiefly crave Contentment in his fortune and his mind What thing is that man here can never have Contentment in his thoughts and state to find What 's cause of both That man who heaven minds not May strive to seek that there which here he finds not 4 Take from our life these threefold parts of time First what we idly spend and nothing do Then what we spend in evil and heaven-hâ—ted cryme Last what in things that us belong not to Alas how small remaine how quickly told Is left wel spent in doing what we should Occasionall Meditations Vpon a sad and unseasonable Raine translated out of Latine WHence comes it that this sad untimely showrs Do choak the earth and of our fruits bereave us Fâ—ther to shew in heavens angry lowres That God hath left us as the Sun doth leave us Or for that man his sins nor see nor feares The heavens for us powres out it selfe in teares 2 Vpon a LOOKING GLASSE Translated out of Latine MAke this use of thy Looking-glasse that if thy face seeme faire With vicious manners ô do not the grace thereof impaire Or if thou find thy countenance such gracefulnesse denyed Let that defect with inward grace and vertues be supplyed 3 Concerning an extraordinary veile which covered my body at my comming into the world THere be some things which belong to every child in the infancy whereof the certainty cannot be known but by relation of others as the day or houre of our birth who were our sureties at baptism and the like of which kind ther was one special remarkable thing concerning my self who being my parents first son but their second child they having a daughter before me when I came into the world my head face and fore parts of the body were all covered over with a thin kell or skin wrought like an artificiall veile as also my eldest sonne being likewise my second childe was borne with the like extraordinary covering our Midwives and Gossips holding such children as come so veyled into the world to be very fortunate as they call it there being not one childe amongst many hundreds that are so borne and this to fall out in the same manner both to the father and the sonne being much more rare But whatsoever old wives observations are let us both father and sonne with all humble thankfulnesse look up to our heavenly father who made us and formed us in the wombe and brought us from thence and doth preserve and governe us from the cradle to the grave to blesse and praise his holy name for the priviledge of our birth-right which his favour hath bestowed upon us above the rest of our brothers and to studie and endeavour to walke worthy of that dignitie in our care and endeavour to serve and please him who hath singled us out as fathers of the family in our severall generations to that purpose the first borne of the sonnes amongst the Israelites being to be given or consecrated to the Lord Exod. 22.29 Numbers 3.13 Luke 2.23 And from those veiles wherewithall wee were borne let us learne this Christian lesson to veile our heads and our hearts and all our affections from the witcheries and vanities of this world and to looke up beyond the things here to our Saviour IESUS CHRIST within the veile in heaven to long and wait for those blessed and unchangeable comforts which are there treasured up for us in him Not as wee came into this world hidden of nature but as wee are now born by his holy spirit children of grace and election O mercifull Lord God we bring nothing with us into this world but that which might condemne us in the next blessed be thy most holy name by whose eternall mercies wee are born again of the Holy Ghost and our begun regeneration here shall be consummated in the world to come ô sanctifie and establish us by thy free spirit that being by our new birth made children of grace and adoption in Christ we may mortifie all our old corruptions of nature and serve thee faithfully in new obedience in the short pilgrimage of this life and bee finally received in peace into thine everlasting kingdome as thine own redeemed ones through Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen 4. Vpon an extraordinary accident which befell me in my swadling cloaths WHen we come to years we are commonly told of what befel us in our infancie if the same were more than ordinary Such an accident by relation of others befell me within few daies after my birth whilst my mother lay in of me being her second child when I was taken out of the bed from her side and by my suddain and fierce crying recovered again being found sticking between the beds-head and the wall and if I had not cryed in that manner as I did our gossips had a conceit that I had been quite carried away by the Fairies they know not whither and some elfe or changeling as they call it laid in my room In the 12. Chap. of the Revelation we read of two great signs in heaven A woman cloathed with the Sunne great with child ready to be delivered and a great red dragon with seven heads standing before her ready to devoure the child assoon as it should be born but the child being câ—â—ght up unto God and the dragon disappointed of his prey cast downe into the earth was wroth with the woman and went to make warre with the remnant of her seed which kept the commandements of God and have the testimony of Iesus Christ By this woman I conceive the Church militant was prefigured whom the Dragon hath persecuted and doth continually labour to destroy in all her members that Dragon being there vers 9. expresly said to bee that old serpent called the Divell and Sathan which deceiveth the whole world and vers 10. is the accuser of our brethren whom hee accuseth before God day and night But to our comfort it is added in the next verse that they overcame him by the blood
the Mayor to enforme him what noble-mans servants they are and so to get licence for their publike playing and if the Mayor like the Actors or would shew respect to their Lord and Master he appoints them to play their first play before himselfe and the Aldermen and common Counsell of the City and that is called the Mayors play where every one that will comes in without money the Mayor giving the players a reward as hee thinks fit to shew respect unto them At such a play my father tooke me with him and made mee stand betweene his leggs as he sate upon one of the benches where wee saw and heard very well The play was called the Cradle of security wherin was personated a King or some great Prince with his Courtiers of severall kinds amongst which three Ladies were in speciall grace with him and they keeping him in delights and pleasures drew him from his graver Counsellors hearing of Sermons and listning to good counsell and admonitions that in the end they got him to lye downe in a cradle upon the stage where these three Ladies joyning in a sweet song rocked him asleepe that he snorted againe and in the meane time closely conveyed under the cloaths where withall he was covered a vizard like a swines snout upon his face with three wire chaines fastned thereunto the other end whereof being holden severally by those three Ladies who fall to singing againe and then discovered his face that the spectators might see how they had transformed him going on with their singing whilst all this was acting there came forth of another doore at the farthest end of the stage two old men the one in blew with a Serjeant at Armes his mace on his shoulder the other in red with a drawn sword in his hand and leaning with the other hand upon the others shoulder and so they two went along in a soft pace round about by the skirt of the Stage till at last they came to the Cradle when all the Court was in greatest jollity and then the foremost old man with his Mace stroke a fearfull blow upon the Cradle whereat all the Courtiers with the three Ladies and the vizard all vanished and the desolate Prince starting up bare faced and finding himselfe thus sent for to judgement made a lamentable complaint of his miserable case and so was carried away by wicked spirits This Prince did personate in the morall the wicked of the world the three Ladies Pride Covetousnesse and Luxury the two old men the end of the world and the last judgement This sight tooke such impression in me that when I came towards mans estate it was as fresh in my memory as if I had seen it newly acted From whence I observe out of mine owne experience what great care should bee had in the education of children to keepe them from seeing of spectacles of ill examples and hearing of lascivious or scurrilous words for that their young memories are like faire writing tables wherein if the faire sentences or lessons of grace bee written they may by Gods blessing keepe them from many vicious blots of life wherewithall they may otherwise bee tainted especially considering the generall corruption of our nature whose very memories are apter to receive evill then good and that the well seasoning of the new Caske at the first keepes it the better and sweeter ever after and withall wee may observe how farre unlike the Plaies and harmelesse morals of former times are to those which have succeeded many of which by report of others may bee termed school-masters of vice and provocations to corruptions which our deprived nature is too prone unto nature and grace being contraries O blessed Lord God grace is thine owne free gift alone the meanes of conferring it thine owne and the blessing of the meanes thine also let all the glory and praise thereof bee therfore thine owne for ever And let all the children of grace with humble thankfulnesse magnifie thy holy name for the measure they have be it never so little and faithfully cherish it for it is a pledg of thine eternall love in freeing us from the cradle of security and the condemnation attending it and an earnest pennie of our eternall happinesse in and by Jesus Christ our Saviour blessed for ever Amen 9. Vpon the Diall of the Clock in the Colledge Church of Gloucester IN the horologue or dyall of that Clock in the foure Angles of that square which lye without those circles wherein the houres are distinguished are pourtraied foure Angels each of them seeming to say something to those that looke up to see what a clock it is the whole written being two old Latine verses made up in rythme in this manner 1 An labor an requies 2 Sic transit gloria mundi 3 Praeterit iste dies 4 Nescitur origo secundi Which may be thus englished Whether we rest or labour work or play The world and glory of it passe away This day is past or neere its period grown The next succeeding is to us unknown Out of which verses I conceive we may observe two necessary and profitable lessons the one that whether we doe well or ill live frugally or prodigally our time with the whole world and glory of it is transitory and continually wheeling about like the minutes to the hour or the hours to the day in the clock the other that the time past is gone from us and past recalling and the time to come unknown to us and uncertain so as all the time wee may reckon of is the present this very instant and yet this moment is of so great moment and consequence to us as whereupon dependeth eternity either of glory to all the children of grace or of endlesse horrour to the rest From whence we may learne how much it concernes every one that would have comfort in the world to come to be seriously carefull of well using the time of visitation which God in mercy lends him for his preparation here in this life that when our hour-glasse shal be run out we may be translated into those heavenly mansions which our blessed Lord and Saviour IESUS CHRIST hath provided for all the faithfull who waite and long for his appearing 10 Of good counsell given by a rude Countrey Painter in a homely verse IN the mid way of the 24. foule miles betweene the Citie of Worcester and the Towne of Ludlow in Shropshire where the Lord President and Councell of Wales doe usually keep their residence there is onely one Inne called the Hundred house where it seemes the Iustices and officers of that part of the shire doe meet for the businesse of that hundred In the fairest roome whereof being a low parlour there was when I travelled that way no garnishing with wainsoot or so much as steyned cloaths but the bare loom walles whited over with a rude anticke or flowery worke in blacke painted upon it leaving at the upper end of the wall
and penitent sinner for the strengthening of his faith and hope to rely constantly and confidently upon his infinite mercies O blessed Lord God of our Fathers who even in the time of the law under the covenant of workes wert thus good and gracious towards sinners before the manifestation of our blessed Saviour thine eternall sonne in the flesh and salvation in him proclaimed to all nations by the golden trumpet of the Gospell mercifully sanctifie and strengthen us poore sinfull wretches by thy holy spirit to lay fast hold upon those thine eternall mercies exhibited unto us by thy new covenant in Christ Jesus and sealed up unto us in his most precious blood for the full and sure remission of all our sinnes in him our perfect reconciliation with thy Majestie and the assurance of thine unchangeable love and our owne finall peace and salvation in him whom thou of thine incomprehensible mercies towards poore penitent sinners hast sealed and sent into the world to bee relyed upon for salvation that so by humble and lively faith with true and hearty repentance relying and resting upon those mercies of thine which have beene ever of old unto the end and in the end we may receive the end of our faith in the salvation of our soules through the precious merits and blessed mediation of that prince of peace our most gracious Saviour and eternall peacemaker Amen 20. Vpon the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to breath THis little word consisting but of two letters the first and last of the Greeke Alphabet yet makes two syllables and gives a weighty signification the english of it being I live or breath which in my conceit may note unto us the shortnes of the life of man and the neernesse of death to every man breathing when we cannot say I breath but the last letter must conclude it as the first began it the one following the other as close as the shadow doth the body or the night the day without any other letter interposed betweene them or so much as an aspiration to prolong the word but no sooner Alpha begins but Omega concludes and if all the other twenty letters of the Alphabet should bee interposed and reckoned after the greatest computation of mans life not by dayes but by yeares where how many be there that come not to so many moneths or weekes some not to so many houres or minutes yet must we all that read that Alphabet come to Omega at last And if any be so strong as to read it over in the largest extent of yeares there times and a halfe over yet were his life but labour and sorrow so soone passeth it away and we are gone O Lord my God thou hast prolonged my life to the 69. yeare of mine age which brings mee to the confines of Moses his computation of the life of man and therfore howsoever others may reckon the Omega to be far off from them which no man can bee sure of for an houre yet must I continually expect it aâ— at hand O most mercifull Lord Jesus who hast called thy selfe Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end the fâ—â—sh and the last who art the author and finisher of our faith the beginner of every good worke of grace in us and 〈◊〉 perfecter of it have mercy upon me and by thy holy spirit perfect that good worke begun in me for preparing my soule in true faith repentance and obedience all the dayes of mine appointed time so to wait till my change commeth that when that happie houre shall come J may be found ready for heaven and hee finally received of thee in peace into thine everlasting kingdome Amen 21. Vpon the words of S. Paul 1 COR. 9.24 So run that ye may obtain IT is the saying of Theophylact that oâ— the children of God Quidam sunâ— in patria quidam in via ad patriam some are at home in their countrie some in their way towards it some have obtained the goale already the rest are running their race towards it some have finished their course have fought the good fight of faith in grace here and are now at rest in glory some in the beginning of their course and others in our apprehension more forward but all tending to the end And as it is with Gods children that they are not yet at home in their country whiles they are in this world but are travelling thitherward so also the wicked whiles they live here are not where they must be hereafter for they are runners too how well soever they think they have setled themselves in this world and must of necessity leave it when their turnes comes For there is one thing to be done by every man and woman living high or low good or bad rich or poore one with another which it concernes every man to be sure to doe well or else hee can never come to heaven it being not possible to do it more tâ—en once and that is to die If thou runne well in the race of thy life thou shalt bee sure to dye well and he that so doth is safely gotten in patriam but if death once surprize thee in an ill case thou canst never come to dye againe in a better Therefore since the life of man is a race to all men and howsoever we runne or walke or play by the way we must all come to the goale at last what an excellent caveat hath the Holy Ghost given us here by the Apostle so to run that wee may obtaine It is not in our choise whether we will runne or no for wee are all runners our life runnes away like the sand in the houreglasse without staying the twinckling of an eye whether wee observe it or no and it is no small matter that lies at stake even no lesse then salvation or damnation a crowne of glory if wee follow this gratious counsell or Commandement of God by the Apostle of so running that wee may obtaine everlasting horrour and confusion if wee obtaine not Men that use to runne a race for a wager walke over that peece of ground often where they are to performe their race at last to observe on whether side the advantage lyeth at this downe with or that rise of the way and what bee the impediments which may hinder them in their speede that they may avoid them and all to win the wager which is but for a Nag or a suit of cloaths or some other like triviall or transitory thing how much more need have wee then that have our soules at stake to take a daily view of our way and of the short race whereupon eternitie depends not to bee taken with the goodly buildings faire flowers sweet valleys or pleasant fields and other delights offered to our senses but to marke seriously what dangerous letches what thornie passages what nets or gâ—â—ns what bogs or false ground lye in our way that wee may avoid them in our race and runne on
to walke exactly Ephes 5.15 in a holy life have little store of that grace and little hold of that Saviour whereof they presume so much Shortly as it is our great comfort that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. So that which followes must bee our great care to walke not after the flesh but after the spirit That new and living way by the blood of Christ will guide us streight to heaven between those two dangerous rocks of despaire and presumption Rec. 4. Nov. 1630. In the conclusion of this Letter I was encouraged to continue my honourable Lords service which I did for the yeare following and then 30. Novemb. 1631. being suddainly taken with a disease called vertigo capitis which I doubted might turne to an Apoplexy I withdrew my selfe home and entred into a course of Physick under which I was holden so long as I was by GODS mercy taken off from my further worldly imployments and with my noble Lords extraordinary favour in my farewell retired my self into Northamptonshire since which time it hath pleased our most gracious Lord God to adde some more yeares to my life for my better preparation for the time of my change blessed be his most holy name for it and let his holy spirit of grace I humbly beseech him teach both my selfe and all others that shall read this worthy letter to learne and practise that most necessary and blessed lesson of joyning faith and obedience true beliefe and holy life together in the short race of our earthly pilgrimage that so being true children of grace here we may be assured to bee heires of glory in the life to come through Jesus Christ our only Lord and Saviour Amen 23. Vpon the words revealed to S. Augustine In te stas non stas IT is written of Saint Augustine that after his conversion to the faith he was grievously vexed with inward conflicts against his corrupt affections complaining of his inbred hereditary habituall inveterate vices and after long strugling with them by purposing and vowing strong resolution watching fasting selfe-revenging and other good meanes finding still hâ—s owne weaknesse and the encreasing violence of his owne corruptions as he was intentively musing and meditating what to doe more hee heard a voice speaking to him these words Jn te stas non stas Whereupon rightly apprehending that his owne strength of wit carnal I reason and other powers and helpes of nature could not serve the turne for effecting that which was the peculiar and proper worke of grace hee betooke himselfe to his Saviour by humble faithfull and fervent prayer and at last found such inward assistance from the holy spirit of grace as strengthened him to stand and make good his resolutions with more comfort then before Whether the Lord in speciall favour to this gracious servant of his did vouchsafe to give him this vocall instruction by words to his eares or howeveâ— the matter thereof was suggested or revealed to him by the Holy Ghost I enquire not but sure I am they are words of great use and warning to us all not to trust to our selves or any strength or power of nature for any spirituall worke to be wrought in us or by us but to have our recourse to our Saviour and to seeke helpe from him and his grace which cannot bee had elsewhere how often it falls out that selfe opinion of a mans owne wit makes his wit his owne overthrow and selfe-confidence of his owne strength in evill company instead of reclaiming others to make himselfe worse then they O blessed Lord Iesu our most blessed Saviour who knowest both the miserable infirmities and debilities of our depraved nature and the subtile and advantagious power of our ghostly enemies and having thy selfe in our flesh and for us overcome them in all their temptations dost best know Hebrews 2.18 to succour them that bee tempted have mercie upon us thy weake and unworthy servants and give us grace to learne that necessarie lesson of self-deny all and with humble faith to put our whole trust in thee for ever Esay 26.4 For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength and Iude 24. thou only art able to keepe us from falling that so being weake in our selves wee may bee strong in thee and in the power of thy grace be enabled to stand fast in the evill day and in all things Romans 8.11 through thee who lovest us to hee more then conquerors for 2 Timothie 4.18 Thou O Lord hast delivered us and dost deliver us and we hope wilt deliver us from every evill worke and wilt preserve us unto thy heavenly kingdome to thee be all glory and praise for ever Amen 24. Vpon the building of Pauls Church in London WHensoever that goodly monument of antiquity was built it was evident to my understanding that the Christian Church of those times did hold that not Saint Peter but the holy Christian faith was the rocke or foundation whereupon the militant Church of CHRIST was to be founded for under the Chauncell of that mother Church of the chiefe Citie of England there is an under-Church built with strong arches and pillars called Sancta Fides usually called S. Faiths which is indeed the proper foundation of the Church of Paul's By which demonâ—â—rative argument it appeares that the good people in those dayes did better understand the true meaning of our blessed Saviour in the 16. Chapter and 18. verse of Saint Matthew's Gospell concerning the Rocke whereupon hee would build his Church then the Romanists of later times have done who would make the world believe that our Saviour did then appoint S. Peter and after him his successors in the Cathedrall Church of Rome to be that rocke of the Catholike Church of Christ and the supreme Vicar and head of the Church in whose breast all infallibilitie of judgment and power of determining in all matters of the Church should bee only resident For certainly if there had beene any such conceit broached at the building of Pauls the fundamentall Church of holy faith should have beene named Saint Peters as if our Saviour had meant to build his Church upon Saint Peter's person and not upon the Christian faith which hee as the mouth of all the Disciples professed that our Saviour was the true Messiah Christ the sonne of the living God our Saviours question being made expresly to all the Disciples verse 15. and hee answering for them all O most blessed Lord Jesu who art the way the truth and the life and seest into what miserable combustions the state of Christendome is brought by these antichristian wastings of thine owne blessed workes for maintenance of private supremacie and Soveraigntie here as if thy kingdome were of this world which thy self hast Ioh. 8.36 expresly disclaimed have mercy upon thy poore distracted and distressed Church and make up the breaches thereof against all the wicked plots and machinations of the adversary by inclining the
life separated from the joyfull presence of our glorified Saviour in whose face is perfect joy for evermore and if there were no further paine of sense in hell but this poena damni only this deprivation of God's presence that were a hell sufficient of it self wherunto there is added paines of sense fire eternall utter darknesse But withall this consideration of the Judgement which shewes such terrible things to the wicked brings the faithfull to another issue the blisse and heaven and everlasting salvation the comforts and joyes wherof it lyeth not in my power to declare nor in the heart of any man to conceive but there will bee the full fruition of what wee hope for here and an absolute deliverance from all those things which trouble or feare us here And yet I have not done one thing more this consderation of our end brings us to namely that wee must not end when we come to our end but there is an eternitie that attends us after-wards whether of life to salvation or of eternal confusion And this is a consideration of weight indeed I read of a good Christian in time of persecution who being condemned to die for his conscience his wife perswaded him to yeeld to the kings will and save his life why saith hee how long thinkest thou I may live if I should doe so shee answered twentie or thirtie yeares perhaps Alas saith hee and if it were so many thousand yeares what were that to eternitie O let us make use of this and consider sadly and seriously of this maine point that this thorâ— lifâ— of ours is but a moment whereupon eternitie depends and therefore it much concernes us all to listen to this wish of th Holy Ghost and to labour to bee wise and understand and consider our later end 26. Vpon the Turkies comming duly to their roost at night SEe how these silly fowles which at their owne libertie wander and feed abroad in Gardens Fields and Orchards all the day long and many times farre off from their usuall roosting places yet notwithstanding the company of other fowles of their owne kinde met abroad discovery of new places of better feeding and other enticements or impediments do ever towards Sunne-set draw themselves homewards before it be darke so to have time and daylight enough to flie up to their perches of roost where only they looke for safety and quiet in the night approaching This providence taught these sillie creatures by instinct of nature as it directly shames and condemnes some of us who when we are got abroad are easily drawne by ill company good-fellowship or other idle vanitie to deferre our comming home till we are not able to come home but must be led home like beasts or lie in a ditch by the way to the hazard of soule and body so it may bee a necessary remembrance usefull to us all that in all our worldly occasions of this life wee bethinke our selves of the Sun-setting with us I meane the houre of death which must as certainly come upon every one of us at one time or other as the Sun-setting closeth up every day that goes over our heads that like the sons and daughters of wisdome we may everyday remember that our last night is at hand and so provide to make our peace with God by Iesus Christ our only peace-maker whiles it is called to day that that night doe not surprise us or take us unprovided for it O mercifull Lord God strengthen my feeble soule by thy holy Spirit of grace that with the humble wings of true repentance and a lively faith J may before hand flie up into the Arke of my Saviours perfect righteousnes that whensoever that night shall come upon me I may bee found there in safetie and so received into thine everlasting peace Amen 27. Vpon the remove of houshold from one dwelling to another THe day appointed for this remoove was set downe many daies agoe and most of the stuffe packed up and made readie for carriage yet see how full of trouble and perplexitie the day it selfe is by taking leave of old friends and neighbours some things forgotten to bee done before some new interruptions falling out in the instant so that many times the carriages are benighted and fall short of getting to the new home in due time Wee are all in this world but sojourners and our home is not here but in Heaven for which wee should bee everyday so wise by preparing our selves that wee might not bee combred upon the day of our remoovall but to have them nothing to doe but to lift up our soules unto our Saviour the Lord Iesus and so depart in peace yet how contrary to this is the practice of many who leave all their busines to the very remoove-remoove-day the day of death not having so much as setled their outward estate or made their wils before wherby they grow so perplexed and distracted with thoughts of this world care of wife and children visitations of neighbours pangs and distresses of sicknes fear of death inward horrours and temptations aâ— makes their departure many times very discomfortable O most glorious Lord God I know not how sufficiently as I desire and ought to praise thy most holy name for thy great mercy towards me in this gentle visitation of sicknes which thy most gracious and tender hand hath laid upon me whereby I am taken off from all worldly cares and thoughts and have also of thine infinite goodnesse such gracious times and opportunities to prepare my selfe for my remove and change O let my soule for ever praise and magnifie thy holy name therefore And withall J most humbly beseech thee to stretch thy hand of mercy yet further upon me that as my body shall decay wherein I most humbly submit my selfe to thy blessed good will and pleasure my soule may be strengthened by thy powerfull spirit of grace and the good worke begun in me made more and more perfect that when this earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved my soule united by faith to my blessed Redeemer the Lord Iesus may bee then received of thee in peace through his precious merits and mediation who is our alone Saviour and peace-maker Amen 28. Vpon the casuall hearing of a verse in the new Testament read by a child AS I was to passe through the roome where my little grand-childe was set by her Grandmother to reade her mornings Chapter which fell out to bee the ninth of S. Matthews Gospell just as I came in shee was uttering those words in the second verse Jesus said to the sicke of the palsie sonne bee of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiven thee Which words sorting so fitly with my case whose whol left side is taken with that kinde of disease and whose soule desires nothing so much as such a gracious word from my Saviour I stood at a stand at the uttering of them and could not but conceive some joy and comfort in those blessed words
great Clock in Westminster Palace THis Clock strikes foure and twentie times a day And every striking shewes one hower is past Thus houre by houre our daies do weare away And one those houres must shortly be our last But which we know not that poore sinners we In faith repentance and obedience From houre to houre by grace prepar'd may be For our last houre and happie going hence When our dear Saviour shall call us home in peace And sin death sorrow shall for ever cease 34. Home LOrd Iesu keepe my heart which by thy grace would faine keep thee excluding all beside O let thy spirit sanctifie the place and by his sacred influence still rule and guide My thoughts words actions studies and desires To heaven-ward whereto my soule aspires For thence it came I have no home but there and thitherward am travelling as I may A sojourner and wearied pilgrim here waiting my calling home from day to day Till mine appointed time of change shall come And thou dear Lord my soul shall welcome home Meane while thy grace increase my faith in thee with true repentance and obedience That these thy graces may abound in me and I may die in them when I go hence And so by grace prepar'd as I should be Sweet Saviour receive my Soule in peace to thee 35. A Dialogue betweene an old sick man and his neighbour visiting him Q. HOw do you Sir A. I praise God never better Because I never was so neere my home Q. What home mean yoâ— nature to death is debtor And old or young we all must thither come A. True deâ—th the common passage is betweene This mortall life and that which lasts for ever The body carries th' immortall soule unseene Along with it so far but their they sever The bodie dies the soule to heaven straight From whence it came and where its dwelling is And that 's the home I meane for which I waite The glorious mansions of eternall blisse Q But ere you can get thither you must die A. My body must indeed but that 's not I. Q. And should the bodies death so slighted be The king of terrour to all living things A. I slight not death Gods messenger is he And therefore welcome and good newes he brings T'uncloath me of this body that I may Be cloath'd upon with immortalitie And so brought home to dwell in heaven for ayâ— In glorious joyes and true felicitie And though death laies my bodie in the dust As if I never should behold it more Yet rise it shall and he restore it must In better plight then ere it was before The sooner I get home the better then Sweet Iesus take me home in peace Q. Amen 36. A Hymne for Christmas-day Gloria in excelsis Deo ALL glory be to God on high and peace on earth good will to men This was the Chore of Angels song at Iesus birth in Bethlehem For then the eternall sonne of God became the blessed virgins sonne God manifested in the flesh to save mankind els quite undone Come let us magnifie his name with Angels and Archangels still And sing All glory be to God and peace on earth to men good-will For by this worke of God made man both th' heavens and earth have cause of joy The heavens new glory have thereby the earth doth heavenly peace enjoy And both from Gods good will to man for loe this blessed heavenly child Hath sinfull Adam and his race redeem'd and to his Father reconcil'd Come let us magnifie his name with Angels and Archangels then And sing all glory be to God and peace on earth good will to man This babe though cradled in a cratch was yet the King of glory borne And came from heaven man to save who otherwise had beene forlorne He is our only peace on earth the conscience pacifier here He is our glory in the heavens our blessed glorifier there Come then above all creatures we should sing this Angels Antheme still All glory be to God on high and peace on earth to men good will But first from men on earth below should glory mount to God on high Then God from heaven would shower downe peace to men on earth abundantly For God being now at peace with man through Christ the Lord both God and man The heavens and earth are likewise friends as 't was when first the world began Come let us magnifie his name with Angels and Archangels then And sing All glory be to God and peace on earth good-will to men O what transcendent love was this of that great God to poore mankinde When men and Angels both were falne God tooke man up left them behinde And that man might be quit from hell and brought to heavens glorious blisse The Prince of heaven man became was ever mercy like to this Come then and let us praise his name with Angels and Archangels still And give God glory in the highest that shâ—wed to man such high good-will To thee O most Almighty Lord most holy gâ—â—â—ious Trinitie The Father Goâ—â—â—d Holy Ghost in ever blessed nâ—â—e From hearts and soules and all our powers all glory prâ—â—â—e â—â—â—nksgiving be As in beginning was is now and shall to all eternitie For Christ the Lord our Iesus borne at time prâ—fixt in Betâ—lehem Let heâ—ven and earth with all their hosts come joyne with us and say Amen A Prayer and Meditation for my wife and my selfe to joyne together she being in the 67. year of her age and I â—n the 74. of mine and both full of bodily infirmities for our daily waiting for the blessed houre of our dissolution 1 HEre at thy foot-stool blessed Lord do we â—calâ— Thy weak unworthy servants wait thy gracious Our work draws to an end and now we come to thee Whose blessed will is so declared we shall Blesse this our waiting time and by thy grace Support us joyfully to end our race 2 For thou already hast of thy good will In truth and mercy us espous'd to thee Although the mariage day must rest untill This mortall puts on immortality Meane while thou hast thy holy spirit us given To guide us all along our way to heaven 3 Whose sacred hand within the first degree Of life eternall hath already brought us â— Vniting us renewed by grace to thee Most glorious Saviour who hast deerly bought us And by this first degree assures the rest To make us finally for ever blest 4. The second step to lifes eternitie Is by deaths passage which we now attend Where laying down all our mortalitie Our soules by Angels conduct shall ascend Members of thy Church thine own espoused wife Into thy palace of eternall life 5. Where we instead of flesh that 's transitory And must be laid to sleep here in the grave Shall have new robes of everlasting glory As all our fellow members there shall have O what a blessed glorious change is this To leave this world for heavens endlesse blisse 6. And yet there rests behind a third degree When these fraile bodies rais'd from death agen Vnto eternall life rejoynd shall be Vnto our soules and glorified with them When all things shall receive their consummation Our soules and bodies both compleat salvation 7. Now whiles we wait in this our pilgrimage When our appointed time of chang shall come Lord Iesu help in this our lifes last stage And our redeemed soules bring safely home To that safe home of thine where al things bee In perfect peace and true securitie 8. For in this life such our corruptions are As hinder when we any good intend But headlong running into every snare To make us our most gracious God offend Vnder this bondage of corruption thus Lye we till thou good Lord deliver us 9. Here then with panting longings after thee Most glorious Saviour for our finall rest With sighs of hope and teares of joy do we Attend thy blessed call to make us blest Call then sweet Iesu when it shall thee please Into thy hands receive our soules in peace Amen Iob 14.14 All the daies of mine appointed time will I waite till my change shall come