gift which God hath â—â—en me contrived a great picture in a little ring set forth the â—eat vanity of this world in a â—â—tle Map Let us now learne the lesson â—f Saint Iohn the beloved Disâ—â—ple of Christ who wrote so â—uch of love doth yet dehort â— from loving the world 1 Iohn â— 15. Love not the world neither â—e things that are in the world Why not the world for three â—asons 1. If any man love the â—orld the love of the Father is not â— him 2. All that is in the world â—e lust of the flesh the lust of the â—â—s and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world 3. The World passeth away and the lust thereof that is it is vain and vanishing yea in the abstract Vanity For these reason we must not suffer our hearts tâ— cleave to the best things in thâ— world as if happinesse were tâ— be found in them Follow thâ— counsell of the Holy Ghosâ— 1 Cor. 7. 31. Use this world 〈◊〉 though thou used it not for thâ— fashion of this world goeth 〈◊〉 way Use the things of thâ— world as helpes to thee in thâ— travell to heaven-ward but 〈◊〉 them not steale away thy heaâ—â— from better things from Goâ— and Christ and Heaven anâ— peace of conscience and joy the Holy Ghost these must dâ—light the heart of a Christian who was redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious bloud of Jesus Christ in comparison of whom all the things of the world must seeme losse and drosse and dung and whatsoever is most despicable in the eyes of man If riches increase set not thy heart upon them no â—reasure no pleasure no honour nor gold nor plate nor jewels nor house nor land nor apparell nor friends must steale away thy heart We must be â—ffected to these things as Theodoricke the good King of Aâ—â—taine was with his play * In good casts he was silent in ill merâ—y in neither angry in both a Phylosopher or a wise man We must not make these a rivall unto God we must not leaue upon these by our confidence for they are a reed that shall quickly breake and the shivers will run into our hand Death is the most terrible of all things that are terrible said the Philosopher Aristotle it is terrible both to man and beast but most terrible to a wicked man that is worse then a beast when he remembers his sinfull life past the complexion of his flesh the palenesse of his face the dissolution of his members the rottennesse of his bones the obscurenesse of his grave the solitarinesse of his sepulcher the gnawing of wormes and the like But alas albeit these are terrible yet these are nothing without the consideration of sin which is the sting of death the strength and victory of the grave Thinke upon thy sinnes whereof thou art guilty and for which thou must dye as the condemned malefactor that after sentence pronounced is hurried to the fatall place of execution to suffer deserved punishment Remember yea againe and againe I say remember how miserably how violently how suddainely others have suffered death that were guilty of those sins which are more predominant in thee then they were in them Art thou a thiefe which thou maist be though thou wert never attached for theft by the lawes of men for covetousnesse is a Pick-purse before God read and remember how Achan dyed Iosh 7. Art thou a whoremaster which thou maist bee as well in thy minde as in thy body then read and remember how Hophni and Phineas dyed how Zimri and Cesbi were slaine in the very act of their uncleannesse And Iezabel an impudent strumpet dyed a sodaine and shamefull death Art thou a blasphemous swearer that dost rend grinde the sacred name of God betweene thy teeth Remember him under the Law that was stoned to death for his blasphemy Art thou an Idolatrous impe of the Popish Church that dost leave our Lord to worship our Lady and give that honour to Saints nay to stockes and stones which is proper to God alone call to minde how Sennacherib was slaine in the midst of his Idolatry Art thou an intemperate drunkard that dost sacrifice thy time and state nay soule and body unto Bacchus rising early to drinke strong drinke and sitting up late till Wine inflame thee thinke upon Belshazzar that was slaine in the midst of his cups whilst he was drinking in that Wine which the swords of his insulting enemies drew out of him together with his latest blood Art thou a covetous Usurer that dost let out thy money to men thy time to Mammon and thy soule to Satan that like a common Hackney jade wilt not beare thy debtors one houre past thy day or art thou a griping oppressor that dost racke thy poore tenants and exact upon thy neighbour to gaine a little transitory trash Remember Nabal and remember that Miser in the Gospell who being asleep in security and dreaming of enlarged barns and plentifull harvests was sodainly bereft of all and being awaked upon the hearing of his Soule-knell perceived himself to be forever wrerched Consider whether these and the like sinners that have made their souls the slaves of vanity have not in the end made themselves the slaves of misery Have they prospered or have they perished if they have prospered then follow them if perished as indeed they have then in the feare of God retire out of their paths left thou bee speedily cut off having no information of the danger till thine own eyes amazed with the sodainnesse behold it in the shape of inevitable damnation Be thou warned by their examples for God hath punished sinne in them to prevent sinne in thee Vt exempla sint omnium torment a paucorum that the torments of some few may be terrours unto all like as thunderbolts fall Paucorum periculo sed omnium metu to the hurt but of few though not without the horror of all That ship which sees another ship sinke before her lookes about her puls downe her saile turneth her course and escapes the sands which else would swallow her up as they did the other When the earth swallowed up Corah and his confederates all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them for they said Lest the earth swallow us up also Num. 16. 34. The Bird will not light on the lime-bush nor into the net if shee see another insnared before her the Horse will not follow another whom he sees to sticke fast in the mire oh be not lesse wise then bird or beast nor more brutish then Horse and Mule that hath no understanding If thou seest another fall into the fire thou wilt not willingly follow him then follow not sinners to the fire of hell lest thou be constrained at last when it shall bee too late to bewaile thy folly to cry out with those that have
torments of hell Assuredly it goes beyond the compasse of all common sence and conceit of humane reason to consider That there should be such negligent wilfull grosse and carelesse blindnesse able to enter and take such deepe rooting in the soule of man The Conclusion of all the Premises IF now all this be so I beseech thee even for the bitter passion of our sweet â—viour Jesus Christ to remember thy selfe and consider that thou art a Christian â—â—d that thou beleevest assuâ—dly for a most undoubted â—â—th whatsoever the true faith â—â—sructeth thee This faith telleth thee that thou hast a judge above that seeth all the steps and motions of thy life and that certainely there shall a day come when he will require an account of thee even for every idle word This faith teacheth thee That a man is noâ— altogether at an end when he dieth but that after this temporall life there remaineth another everlasting life and thaâ— the soules die not with thâ— bodies but that whiles thâ— body remaineth in the grave untill the generall day of judgement the soule shall enter into another new country and into a new world where it shall have such habitation and company as the faith and workes we which it had in this life This faith telleth thee also that both the reward of vertue and the punishment of vice is athing so wonderfull that although the whole world were full of bookes and all creatures were writers yet should they all be wearied and the world come to an end before they should end their description and make a perfect declaration what is comprehended in each one of these points This faith informeth thee also that the debts and duties which we owe to Almighty God are so great that albeit a man had so many lives â—s there be sands in the Sea yet would they not suffice if they were al employed in his service And this faith likewise telleth thee that vertue is such an excellent treasure that all the treasures of the world and all that mans heart can desire are in no sort comparable unto it Wherefore if there be so many and so great respects that doe invite us unto vertue how commeth it to passe that there be so few lovers and followers of the same If men be moved with gaine commodity what greater commodity can there be than to attaine life everlasting I they be moved with feare of punishment what greater punishment can be found than the moâ—â— horrible everlasting dreadful torments in the lake of fire and brimstone to continue eveâ— world without end If that bonds of debts and benefits what debts are greater than â—hese which we owe unto almighty God as well for that he â—s what he is as also for that which we have received of him â—f the feare of perils doe moove â—s what greater perill can there be than death the houre thereof being so uncertaine and the â—ccount so strait If thou be moved with peace liberty quitnesse of minde and with a â—leasant life which are things â—hat all the world desires it is â—ertaine that all these are found â—uch better in the life that is â—overned by vertue and reason â—han in that life which is ruled â—y the affections and passions of the minde for so much as maâ— is a reasonable creature and nâ— beast Howbeit in case thoâ— account all this as not sufficient to move thee thereunto yet lâ—â— it suffice thee to consider further that even almighty God â— abased himselfe for thy sakâ— that he descended from heave unto the earth and became man and whereas hee create the whole world in sixe daye hee bestowed three and thiâ— yeares about thy redemption yea and was also contented â—â— the same to loose his life Almighty God dyed that sinâ— should dye and yet for all thâ— doe we endeavour that sinâ— might live in our hearts nâ—â— withstanding that our Loâ—â— purposed to take away the life of sinne with his owne death If this matter were to be discussed with reason surely this already spoken might suffice to prevaile with any reasonable creature for not onely in beholding almighty God upon the crosse but whethersoever wee doe turne our eyes wee shall finde that every thing crieth out to us and calleth upon us to receive this so excellent a benefit for there is not a thing created in the world if wee duely consider it but doth invite us to the love and service of our Saviour Jesus Christ insomuch that looke how many creatures there be in the world so many preachers there are so many bookes so many voices and so many reasons which do all call us unto almighty God And how is it possible then that so many callings as these are so many promises so many threatnings and so many provocations should not suffice to bring us unto him What might almighty God have done more than he hath done or promised more greater blessings than hee hath promised or threatned more grievous and horrible torments than he hath threatned to draw us unto him and to plucke us away from sinne And yet all this notwithstanding how commeth it to passe that there is so great I will not say arrogancy but bewitching of men that doe beleeve these things to be certainly true and yet be not afraid to continue all the daies of their life in the committing of deadly sinnes Yea to goe to bed in deadly sinne and to rise up againe in deadly sinne and to embrue themselves in every kinde of loathsome detestable and odious sinne even as though all their whole endeavours intended by the practise of sinne to resist all grace and favour in the sight of God And this is done in such sort so without feare so without scruple of minde so without breaking of one houres sleepe and without the refraining of any one delicate morsell of meate for the same as if all that they beleeved were dreames and old wives tales and as if all that the holy Evangelists have written were meere fiction and fables But tell me thou that art such a desperate willfull rebell against thy Creator and Redeemer which by thy detestable life dissolute conversation doest evidence thy selfe to bee a firebrand prepared to burne in those everlasting and revenging horrible fires of hell What wouldest thou have done more than thou hast done in case thou haddest beene perswaded that all were meere lyes which thou hast beleeved For although that for feare of incurring the danger of the princes lawes and the execution of their force upon thee thou hast somewhat brideled thine appetites yet doth it not appeare that for any feare of Almighty God thou hast refrained thy will in any one thing neither from carnall pleasures not from backebiting and slandering thy neighbours nor yet from fulfilling thine inordinate lusts and desires in case thine ability served thee thereunto Oh what doth the worme of thy conscience say unto thee whiles thou art in such a fond securitie and confidence
our unfain thankfullnesse for thy innurable mercies multiplied up us from the first houre of birth yea before our birth a before time was Before foundations of the world wâ— laid thou out of thy free 〈◊〉 and meere mercy didst elect to eternall life when thou diâ— reject others Thou didst â—ate us after thine owne imaâ—â— engraving upon us the chaâ—â—cters of spirituall wisedom righteousnesse and true hoâ—â—nesse when it was in thy powâ—â— to have made us like unto beasts that perish yea to have â—qualled us to the basest of thy â—â—eatures And when through â—ur owne default wee lost that â—â—ignity thou didst so pittie us as â—â— send from thine owne boâ—ome thine onely begotten Son â—â— recover it for us and to reâ—tore it to us and that with no â—esse price then his owne heartâ—loud Besides it hath pleased â—hee continually to spread the wings of thy gracious protection over us to ward and guard â—s by thy providence to open â—â—y hand and to replenish us with good things to continue our life health strength food â—aiment peace and liberty to his very houre Thou hast even loaded us with thy benefits if we had hearts rightly to consider it thou renewest thy mercy towards us every morning and the night past hast given us a testimony of thy love For whereas for the sinnes committed the day before thou mightest even in the dead of sleepe have given us a sodaine call out of this world and so presently have brought us to that great account which wee must make before thee thou vouchsafest yet to spare us yea which is more to refresh us with comfortable rest to preserve us from all dangers that might have befallen our soules or bodies and to bring us in safety to the beginning of this day Heavenly Father grant that we may not be unmindfull of thy manifold mercies but that wee may often thinke of them and speake of them to thy glory and that the consideration thereof may stirre us up to devote all the powers of our soules and members of our bodies to thy service Forgive us our former unthankefulnesse for thy mercies and our severall abuses of them yea pardon all our sinnes past we most humbly beseech thee for thy owne mercies sake and for thy Sonnes merits Our sinnes are great and grievous for in sinne we were borne and ever since have we gone on in a course of sinne and rebellion against thee we doe daily breake thy holy precepts and that against the light of our owne knowledge albeit we know that thou art our Creatour who hast made us ouâ— Redeemer who hast bought us with the precious blood of thy onely begotten sonne and ouâ— Comforter who bestowesâ— upon us all things needfull foâ— our being and well-being foâ— this life and for a better life Yea even thee thee O Lord have we presumed to offend that hast beene thus abundantly mercifull unto us For this ouâ— unthankefulnesse and wicked nesse enter not into judgement with us wee most humbly beseech thee from the bottom of our hearts but have mercâ— upon us have mercy upon uâ— most mercifull Father and in mercy wash away all our sinnes with the bloud of Jesus Christ â—hat so they may never bee laid â—o our charge nor have power â—rise up in judgement against â—s Pierce our hearts with a â—eeling of our sinnes that wee â—ay mourne for them as wee â—ught to doe make us to loath â—nd abhorre them that we may â—ave and avoid them that wee may be watchfull against all occasions of sinne and circumâ—ect over our owne wayes â—owre thy Spirit and put thy â—ace into our hearts that thereby we may be inabled for thy â—â—vice and both in body and â—ule may glorifie thee heere â—â—at wee may be glorified of thee and with thee hereafter And as a speciall meanes to keepe us in subjection before thee work in us holy Father a continuall and effectuall remembrance of this earths vanity of our owne mortality oâ— that great and terrible judgement to come of the paines oâ— hell and joyes of heaven which follow after O let the remembrance of these things be a spuâ— to provoke us unto vertue and a bridle to hold us in from galloping after vice and wickednesse We know not how soon thou wilt set a period to ouâ— lives and call for our soules to appeare before thee whether this day or not before the evening O prepare us therefore for the houre of death that we may then neither feare nor faint but may with joy yeeld up our soules into thy mercifull hands and doe thou O Father of mercy receive them Let thy mercifull eye look upon us this day shield us from the temptations of the divell and grant us â—he custody of thy holy Angels to defend us in all our wayes â—nable us with diligence and â—onscience to discharge the duâ—â—es of our callings and crowne all our endeavours with thy blessing without thy blessing all mans labour is but vaine â—oe thou therefore blesse us in â—ur severall places O prosper â—hou our handy-work Provide â—or us all things which thou knowest to bee needfull for every one of us this day Give us a sanctified use of thy creatures agodly jealousie over ourselves a continual remembrance of thy omniscience omnipresence that we may labour to approve our very thoughts unto thee weane us from the love of thiâ— world and ravish our soule with the love of our home and thine everlasting Kingdome Defend the universall Church the Churches of this Land especially our gracious King Charles our illustrious Queen Mary together with the Princesse Elizabeth and her Princely issue crowne them with thy graces heere and with thy glory hereafter Bee with thâ— Magistracie and Ministerie of the Realme make thy Gospell to flourish amongst us by the labours of those whom thou hast appointed to this great service Comfort thine afflicted servants in what place or case soever they be give us a fellow feeling of their miseries and wisedome to prepare our selves against the evill day Heare us in these things and grant what else thou knowest needfull for us not for our worthinesse but for thy Sonnes sake our alone Saviour in whose name and words we conclude our imperfect prayers saying Our Father c. A houshold Prayer for private Families in the Evening O Glorious God in Jesus Christ our gracious Father we wretched creatures by nature but by thy grace thy servants and children doe heere make bold to appeare before thee in the humility of our soules to performe some part of that duty which we owe unto thee And first we offer unto thy divine Majestie the calves of our lips the sacrifice â—f praise and thanksgiving for â—ine infinite mercies which â—hou hast beene pleased to conâ—erre upon us out of thy boundnesse and endlesse goodnesse What thou hast done for us this â—hy is beyond all that we are â—ble to expresse or conceive â—hou hast preserved us from all â—erils and dangers