CHRISTIAN PURPOSES AND RESOLUTIONS.  ROM. 7.18.25. 
To will is present with me; but I find no means to perform that which is good; so that in my mind I serve the Law of God, but in my flesh the law of sin.  
LONDON, Printed for Samuel Macham, and are to be sold at the Bulhead in Paul's Churchyard. 1611.   

To the right Worshipful SIR HENRY MOUNTAGV, Knight, Recorder of London, and one of his majesties learned Counsel, etc.  
SIR,  
MAny of the good and bad affections of the mind, are easily dissembled, only Love with her Neighbour-virtues, Duty and Gratitude are no Hypocrites. The Ancients feigned the three Graces to be naked, that their beauties or deformities might not deceive Opinion; and painted their Gemini Amores, Children also destitute of apparel: showing us, that true desire is simple, open, and vehement. I speak partly out of speculation, but more by experience. The many favours by which I stand obliged unto you, are grown to so great a sum, that I being bankrupt in conceit, do in the vehemency of my duteous good will, sincerely profess the debt, and wanting other means of satisfaction, I tender this poor pittance my acknowledgement. Qui gratè beneficium accipit, 
Sen. lib. 2. de Ben.  primam esus pensionem soluit, saith the worthiest of the stoics: Other payment your generous mind cannot expect, nor my meanness offer. I should entreat pardon, if I seem somewhat ambitious, thus publicly to profess my thankful Passions; but the general approbation which attends your merit, in the frequent employments of your profession, and judicial executions of your place, is known to all: Hence I am confident, that so fair a mind cannot want candour & Humanity, without which Goodness (if it can be without them) is rather awful than amiable. I might to confirm myself (if I did doubt) tell to myself those many your more private and domestical Virtues, which attract the love and affection of your friends and followers; but of these I will rather meditate, than discourse, knowing that you affect no other Theatre for your worth, than your own conscience. My chiefest intent in publishing these Papers, is the good of others; And it may be, that these imperfect Resolutions and Meditations in the practice whereof my own soul hath profited, may be available to some. For we see, that an empiric hath now & then, that hap in curing a disease, which a learned Artist wanteth. But howsoever my weakness may deprive me of this fruit, yet shall these leaves remain as a proof and testimony (which are my second aims) of your kindness, and my thankfulness.  E. Lucan: ad Pisonem. 

— Accipe nostri  
Certus, & hoc verè complectere pignus amoris,  
Quòd si digna tuo minus est haec nomine charta,  
At voluisse sat est, animum non verbula jacto.   

Ah! take in gree, trusting my kind intent,  
This, (ah! small this) my true loves monument;  
And if this worthless page be now too base,  
That in these blots your name should have a place.  
Yet well to will is all, and that's in me,  
In that my vaunts, not in these papers be.   

Accept my heart; and here at idle hours  
Read me, as you have made me, wholly YOURS.   
D. T.   

To the Reader.  
THE cause of making these Purposes and Resolutions common, is not common: It is my known weakness, not conceit of their worthiness. There are some, that think the virtues of learned and famous men to be admirable, not imitable; but if works of Grace appear in a meaner person, by not despairing to overtake him, they begin to follow him. S. Augustine before his perfect conversion, thought a christian life too difficult for his then wavering mind, but when he perceived many unlearned women, and ruder Artisans to be great proficients in the School of Christ, he then in holy emulation emboldened himself, and his conscience preached, Tu non poteris, 
Confess. lib. 8 cap. 11.  quod isti, & istae? Canst not thou do as much as these, and these? and in another place; Surgunt indocti & Caelum rapiunt, etc. 
Ibid. cap. 8.  An quia praecesserunt pudet sequi, & non pudet nec saltem sequi? The ignorant rise up, and lay violent hands upon the Kingdom of Heaven. Because they went before, art thou ashamed to follow; or rather, art thou not ashamed not to do so much as follow? The firm resolution of them, which were most likely to faint, added such vigour, and constancy to this Saints endeavours, that though he came the latest, yet he went the furthest in Christianity. I know, I feel my own frailty and imperfection, and yet trusting to the power, and mercy of my God, I have set my rest to practise these published purposes and Resolutions. It is my hope that my boldness will encourage others not to think the way hard, or the journey troublesome, being undertaken by so mipotent a travailer. I have not in the prescribing of my intended course affected curiosity, but proceeded in a natural and free strain, as the matter which then came into my mind, did seem to lead me. I expect not, I desire not popular applause. If I find in perusing my work the infirmities of holy job, that I handle a good matter ill, I rejoice in it, not because I handle it ill, but because the matter is good: and I had rather with that godly Father betray my ignorance, in imperfectly discoursing upon a good subject, then show wit and learning with his three noble friends, in maintaining any argument of a differing Mould.   

CHRISTIAN Purposes and Resolutions.  

I.  
IT is easier for a man to propound unto himself those things which are seemly to be done, then to do those, 
Rom. 7.23.  which were seemly to be propounded. There is a Law in our members, saith that mortified Apostle Paul, rebelling against the law of our minds, and leading us Captives to the Law of sin; so that we can no sooner incline to what is good, but evil is ready to seduce us. The Lamb of God, Christ jesus, is no sooner come into the world, but Herod like a bloody Wolf doth eagerly pursue him. A thought of Piety cannot be conceived, but Satan seeketh to destroy it He would crush it in the womb for fear it should escape him in the Cradle. I will labour therefore by fervent prayers, and godly Meditations for a daily supply from the Spirit, and never cease to continue my suit, till a good inclination become a perfect will.   

II.  
THe soul of man, the more it desireth the fruition of any temporal & changeable good, the more it differeth from that incorporeal, eternal, and unchangeable God, in whose service is perfect freedom, and the knowledge of whom is life everlasting. I will no longer therefore dote upon the specious outside of this deceitful world: I will divorce myself wholly from the vanities thereof, & espouse my best affections to none but him: I will affect similitude with him in his operations, & that I may the safelier fly from him, I will fly unto him, borne thither on the wings of Contemplation, and Action; of Faith and Charity.   

III.  
IT is not enough for us to forbear that which is bad, we must give ourselves withal to do that which is good. Cease to do evil, learn to do well; 
Isaih 1.17.  seek judgement; relieve him that is oppressed, revenge the fatherless, and defend the Widow; then will I reason with you, saith the Lord, and were your sins redder than the Vermilion, I will make them whiter than snow; 
Mar. 7.21.  were they redder than Scarlet, I will make them whiter than wool. Not every one that crieth Lord, 
Psal. 15.2.  Lord, but he that walketh uprightly, & worketh righteousness, it is he that shall dwell in the Tabernacles of the highest, it is he that shall rest in his holy Mountain, and be never moved. It sufficeth not that we have Lamps in our hands; for unless they flame out in love towards God, and Charity towards our Neighbour, we shall never be suffered to follow the Bridegroom into his nuptial Chamber. 
Mat. 12.13.  Many are invited to the feast, but he that presumeth to come, not having on his wedding garment, shall be bound in Chains, and cast into utter darkness, where there is nothing but wailing & gnashing of teeth. I will not only therefore shun the blindness of Egypt, but I will seek for the light that shineth in the land of Goshen: and howsoever it shall please the lord to bestow upon me but a mean Talon, I will husband it so well, that when he shall call me to give up an account of my Stewardship, I may return it back with good increase.   

FOUR  
THe Soul dieth when it is forsaken of God; the bod● when it is forsaken of the Soul; the whole Man, when the Soul which is forsaken of God, doth likewise forsake the Body; for than neither doth the soul live by GOD, nor the body by the soul. For how can that body properly be said to live, which hath a Soul annexed to it, not to give it life, but to make it sensible of pain. Whilst I sojourn therefore here on earth, I will order my actions in such manner, that as my body receiveth being from my soul, so may my soul from her Creator. I will labour always to live unto righteousness, that I may never die but unto sin.   

V  
Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. If he sow to the flesh, he shall reap corruption; if to the spirit, life everlasting. Let us therefore not be weary, saith the Apostle, 
Gal. 6, 9  of doing well, for in due season shall we reap, if we do not faint. He that striveth for a Mastery, unless he strive as he ought to do, 
2. Tim. 2.5.  shall never be crowned. I am the true Vine, sayeth our Saviour, and my Father is the husband man, 
john. 15.4.  every branch that beareth not fruit in me, he taketh away: & every one that beareth, he purgeth that it may bring forth more. But as the branch cannot bear of itself, except it abide in the Vine; no more can we, except we abide in him. Whosoever putteth his hand to the Plough, 
Mat. 24.13  and looketh back, shall never enter into the joys of heaven; but he that endureth to the end, he shallbe saved. Christ jesus would not descend from the cross, when he was willed unto it by the jews, be cause he would not leave the work of our Redemption unperfect: and when the Prince of his Apostles Peter, upon the relation which he made them, of those particular troubles he was to suffer upon his arrival at jerusalem, out of the abundance of his love, desired him to have some pity and compassion on himself, and not to go; Get thee behind me Satan, said he, 
Mar. 8.33.  thou art a scandal and a stumbling block to my proceed; Thou understandest not the things that are of GOD, but only the things that are of Men; such was his perseverance in accomplishing the fullness of our salvation. In my journey therefore to the Land of Canaan, 
Num 11.5.  how tedious, and how wearisome soever it may seem, I will not long after the Flesh-Pots of Egypt: I will be mindful always of the Wife of Lot, 
Gen. 19.17.  and in my passage unto Zoar, I will follow the directions of my blessed guide, and neither linger on the plains, nor look once back upon the ruins of sinful Sodom, for fear I displease the Author of my safety, and that my punishment be made the monument of my disobedience; I will forget that which is behind, and endeavour myself to that which is before; 
Philip. 3.13  I will follow hard towards the mark, for the price of that high calling of God in Christ jesus, and never cease to run, till I have finished my course.   

VI  
GOds wrath, though it come softly, yet if cometh surely, and in the end, what it wanted in swiftness, it bringeth with it in severeness. I will not therefore abuse his gentleness, nor presume too much upon his patience. He is beautiful as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem; 
Cant 6.3.  but terrible with all, as an Army with banners. He is like those Cherubins in Ezechiell, 
Ezech. 41.19.  he hath the face of a Lion, as well as of a man. He will send his tempest abroad with fury, and like a Whirlwind shall it light upon the head of the ungodly: 
jer. 30.23.  Aram shall come before, the Philistims shall come behind, and devour the rebellious Israel with open mouth. I will seek unto him therefore in the morning, and at noonday; yea in the evening will I call upon him: I will make my prayer unto him in an acceptable time, 
Psal. 69.13.  & he shall hear me in the multitude of his mercy, and in the truth of his salvation: The Lord shall teach me his way, and I will walk in his Commandments; he shall knit my heart unto him, and I will fear his name.   

VII.  
GOD hath not any need of the blood of Bullocks, or of the fat of Beasts, or of any other corruptible and earthly thing, no not so much as of the very righteousness of man. If we worship him according to the rules prescribed us by his word, in Spirit and in Truth, the profit hereof redoundeth not to him, but to ourselves. For who so senseless as to think he benefits the Sun, when he beholds his beams, or that he pleasureth the Spring, when he drinketh of the water. Whatsoever therefore my deeds are, I will desire but acceptance, and that which followeth after, I will attribute to his mercy, not to my own merit.   

VIII.  
THe omnipotency of the word, appeareth in nothing more, then in that it maketh all those omnipotent that do hope in it. joshua commandeth the Sun to stand, 
2. King. 20.10.  and it obeyeth him: King Ezechias desireth that the shadow of it may retire, & Isaiah granteth it. Yea Christ himself assureth us, that were our Faith but as a grain of mustard-seed, 
Mat. 17, 20.  we should no sooner say unto a Mountain, Remove; but it should presently be removed, and nothing at all should be impossible unto us. I will not therefore with the Scribes and Pharisees, require a sign for the reforming of my incredulity; 
Mat. 12.38.  but without putting my fingers with Didymus into the prints of his Nails, 
joh. 20.25.  or my hands into his wounded side; I will believe without inductions or demonstrations, the sacred mysteries of the Incarnation, Passion, Resurrection, & Ascension of my most holy and blessed Saviour; humbly beseeching him, 
Luke 17.5.  with his Apostles, that he would vouchsafe to strengthen and increase my Faith, 
Col. 1.23.  that I may continue grounded and established therein, and not be moved away from the hope of that glorious Gospel, which hath been preached by his chosen Ministers to every creature that is under heaven.   

IX.  
MAN'S intention without God's assistance, availeth nothing. Peter was but a while forsaken, 
Mat. 26.27  and howsoever he did abound with love and zeal, yet was he notwithstanding supplanted by the Enemy: his faith was overwhelmed with fear; he forsook him for whom he swore to die. God's assistance without man's intention profits as little; For what action, circumstance, or exhortation could be thought requisite for the reclaiming of judas, which Christ omitted; but all was to no purpose he was a Devil, and so he died. And hereupon the Lord himself complaineth in the 23. of Matthew, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 
Mat. 23.37.  which killest the Prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy Children together as the Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings, and ye would not? GOD points us to the springs of heavenvly grace, but unless we stoop to the Well, we cannot be refreshed with the water. We lie wallowing here in the mire of earthly cogitations, and in vain shall he assay to raise us if we be not willing to rise; If he lend us his hand, we must give him our heart, or rot and putrefy in our own infirmities. In all humility therefore, & singleness of spirit, I will desire the Author of my salvation that he would vouchsafe to second my holy Resolutions, and so quicken me according to his loving kindness, that whensoever it shall please him to call unto me, I may be instantly ready to run unto him, applying myself without delay, to keep his Statutes and commandments.   

X.  

1. Sam. 18 22.  OBedience is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice, & to hearken then the fat of Rams. To what purpose, saith he, bringest thou incense unto me from Sheba, 
jere. 6.20.  and sweet Calamus from a far Country? He desireth not the blood of Bullocks, neither is he delighted with the multitude of  offerings; 
2. Cor. 12.14.  so he may have us, he careth not for what is ours. When I sacrifice to my Creator therefore, I will not offer up the Calves of my lips, without the treasures of my heart; I will not give part to him, & keep the choicest for my self. All the Fat is the Lords, 
Levit. 3.16.  & he that eateth it shall be cut off from his people.   

XI.  
THE Covetous man is like a Christmas Box; whatsoever is put into it, nothing can be taken out of it, till it be broken: He soaketh up the waters like a Sponge, and till death do come and squeeze him with his Iron Grasp, he will not yield one drop: his hand is sound and nimble to receive, but when he should use it to relieve the wants of his distressed Brother, it lieth withered in his bosom, & can by no means possible be stretched out. He weareth out himself in labouring for that whereof he hath no use. He knoweth no God of Sabaoth, but his Gold: his restless purchase of it is his rest, and with religious admiration do his thoughts adore it: he thinks it Sacrilege to diminish the least heap, but the time will come, when he shall go as naked out of the world, as ever he came into it, and then those Angels in which he gloried here, shall be so many Devils to torment him there. Whereas he that dealeth his Bread unto the hungry, 
Mat. 25.34  and bringeth the poor unto his House; his light shall break forth as the morning, and his health shall grow with speed: his righteousness shall go before him, and the glory of the Lord shall embrace him. 
Esay 58.7.  He shall be like a Garden that is watered, and like a Spring, that can never fail; his very bones shall fatten, and his Soul be satisfied in the midst of drought. I will continually therefore cast my Bread upon the waters, and according to that portion which the Lord hath lent me, be always ready to relieve the needy.   

XII.  
I Will not mortify myself in part, nor in conflicting with those spiritual Amalekites that seek the ruin of my Soul, will I make Saul my precedent; but according to the mandate of my God, Demoliar universa, 
1 Sam. 15.3  I will bring down all; I will not spare Man, woman, nor Child. For here are those three sins to which we are all subject: First, the sin of frailty, behold the Woman. Secondly, the sin of Malice, behold the Man: Last of all the sin of Ignorance, behold the Child. Nay I will labour as much as in me lieth, to destroy the very herds, with every other thing, & not leave so much as the least circumstance, that may either aggravate or extenuate my offences; So shall I fight the good fight, and in the end receive that inestimable price which is laid up for me in the Kingdom of glory.   

XIII.  
GOD is not an Italienated Courtier; nor doth he ever entertain us with Lippe-courtesie. When he inviteth us, 
Hos. 11.  we must in no wise say him nay; He will pull us to him with the cords of a Man, and draw us on even with the bands of love; And when he seeth, that this is not sufficient, he will send his Chasticementes and his Corrections for us, who like faithful Messengers, will not be satisfied with any vain excuses, 
Luke 14.23  but will compel us by violence to come unto him. It is not the purchase of a Farm; the buying of an Ox, nor the marrying of a wife, that will serve our turn. The Master of the Feast hath sent for us, and we must go. His Dinner is prepared; he hath killed his fatlings, 
Mat. 22.4.  and all things now are in a readiness. If he see that his Table be not thoroughly furnished with Guests, he will instantly grow exceeding wroth, and woe be to us, if once he send his Warriors forth. 
Esay 41.2.  For than shall we be given as Dust unto their sword, and as scattered Stubble unto their Bows. I will not therefore slightly regard his invitations. He shall no sooner call but I will free myself from all encumbrances and come: 
Luk. 14 15  Blessed, I know is he that eateth Bread in the Kingdom 
Revel. 19, 9  of God, and sitteth at Supper with the holy Lamb.   

XIIII.  
IN this World there is a threefold road. The one is, that of Christ from ill to good, from sin to Grace, which beginneth at the Valley of Hinnon, & reaches to the Mount of Olives, and through this have all the holy patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles journeyed from time to time to their eternal happiness. The other is that of ADAM, from good to ill, from life to death, and goeth down from Jerusalem to jerico: 
Luke 10.30  It is a way that is exceeding dangerous, and beset on every side with thieves and Murderers, that will rob us of those virtues wherewith we are arrayed, and having wounded us will go their way, leaving us there alone to languish in our misery. The third and last, is that of sathan, which is round and Circular. He compasseth the earth, and like a roaring Lion he walketh about, 
job. 1.7.  seeking whom he may devour. 
1. Pet. 5.8.  To go right forward is no pace for him; he must continually be turning, and the reason hereof is this; he would not rest himself when time did serve in the lord his God, who as he is to all Creatures, the first efficient of their being, so is he the last final cause of their working, & as it were the breathing stop and period of their operations. But his motion hath no centre, & therefore must be always wheeling. Fron amongst them all then I will select the first. It is strait and ready, and will quickly bring a man to his expected harbour: 
Luke 10.4.  Being entered once into it, whomsoever I meet, I will let him pass according to the precept of my blessed Saviour, 
1 King 4.29.  and not salute him; If he salute me, I will not answer him. He treads a path directly contrary to mine, and I will not seem by complementing to affect his company.   

XV.  
THE wicked man is a great Linguist. Every desire in him hath his peculiar speech, and every passion his proper dialect. His bosom is the very Babel of all confusion: Wisdom may notwithstanding cry till she be hoarse, there is not one that understands her accent. The tongues they speak withal are forked, but not fiery, 
Acts 2.3.  and cannot therefore serve for union, but division. They are such as will sooner bring a punishment upon the speaker, than cause astonishment in the hearer. I will leave them therefore to him that liketh them; and not suffer a Thought within my breast, 
Esay 19.18  that speaketh any language but that of Canaan.   

XVI.  
THe Lord is liberal, 
james 1.5.  and reproacheth no man. There is not the least, & meanest of those benefits, which every moment we receive from him, but is far more than we could deserve, far more than we durst desire. He never values that which he gives, yet gives he always that which is pure and perfect. He will not flatter our hopes with verbal Compliments, 
joh. 16.24.  nor torture them with vain delays. Ask, and you shall receive (saith our Saviour Christ) that your joy may be fulfilled. 
Luk. 12.19  The world doth otherwise: Fair promises, but slow performance: & in the end, Instead of bread it offereth us a stone; instead of fish it feeds us with a Serpent: we looked for a substance, and behold a shadow. My Soul (said the rich man in the Gospel) thou hast much goods laid up for many years; live at ease, eat, drink, & take thy pastime; when lo that very night it was taken from him; and the goods, which he had gathered were he knew not whose. 
jere. 4.23.  The earth is desolate and void (saith the GOD of Israel) by the mouth of his holy Prophet: it can afford no pleasure, which is not counterfeit and Adulterate; the best things in it are sophisticated. The Wine thereof is mingled with water; 
Esay 1.22.  and the Silver of it is turned into dross. I will take no thought therefore for my life, 
Psal. 55, 22.  what I shall eat; nor for my body, what I shall put on; but cast my burden on the Lord, 
1 Tim. 6, 19  and he shall nourish me; I will labour to be rich in good works, laying up in store for myself a sure foundation against the time to come, that I may obtain a blessed and everlasting life: still craving somewhat at the hands of God, that he may still have occasion to give.   

XVII.  
BEtter it is (saith Solomon) to be of humble mind with the lowly, 
Prou. 19, 9  then to divide the spoils with the proud. Wrath & confusion shall follow these; but grace and glory shall be given unto those. Ephraim shall be preferred before Manasses; & Ishais little one before the rest of his brethren: Adonijah may pretend his eldership, 
Gen: 48, 20 1. Sam. 16, 11. 1 King 1.30.  but Solomon shall enjoy the Kingdom. It is Humility that maketh us acceptable to God and Man, whereas the contrary maketh us hated and abhorred of both. While Saul was little in his own sight, GOD made him head over the tribes of Israel. 1. Sam. 15.16.17. Let us but look upon the life of our blessed Saviour, and we shall see that he drew more people unto him in his Eclipsed and obscure estate, than he did in the transcendent of his glory. Only three were present at his transfiguration in the Mount; 
Mat. 17.12.  but lying in a Manger there came kings to worship him, 
Luke 9.28.  and Shepherds to adore him. 
Math. 2.2.  And when he humbled himself so far, as to become obedient unto death, 
joh. 12.32.  yea to the death of the Cross, than was his exaltation; for than he drew all things unto him. Learn therefore of me (saith he) for I am meek and lowly of heart. 
Mat. 11, 29.  And indeed where shall we find a more glorious precedent, then is the Patron of all glory, 
Phil. 2.67.  who being in the form of God, did clean annihilate himself, & took on him the shape of a Servant. The pride of Heaven became the scorn of Earth: The son of God, the slave of man. He left his father's court, (such was the love he bore us) to come and cure the Ulcerous Inflammations of our infected Souls. 
Phil. 2.5.  He did abase himself that he might honour us; and was careless of his own dignity to purchase ours. I will labour therefore that the same mind which was in him towards me, may likewise be in me towards others. I will not boast myself against the Publican, nor as one that had tasted of the Leaven 
Luk. 18.11  of the Pharisees, think better of myself than I am, or worse of others than they are, but desire God that he would deck me inwardly with lowliness of Spirit, 
1. Pet. 5, 5, 6  that I may be exalted of him in due time.   

XVIII.  
OUR Saviour is not of that outward appearance, that worldly Princes are: his train is small, himself not chargeable; He doth not look for sumptuous preparation. The holy-ghost is his Harbinger, who (so the heart be clean) respects no Ceremonies. 
Luke 11.40.41.  Martha busied herself about his service, but Christ reproved her: he told her she was troubled with many things, but one alone was needful; and that her Sister Mary, who sat at his feet, and heard his preaching, had chosen the better part, which should never be taken from her. For indeed it is not the stateliness of the house, nor the sumptuousness of the Table, that he delights in. He visiteth the Son of Alpheus at the receipt of Custom; 
Mar. 2.14.  he goes in with Zacheus; 
Luke. 19 5  & sits at board with Publicans and Sinners. There is no man so mean, but may find means to content him: He that heareth and believeth his word, doth feast him royally. Let any Man, 
joh. 14.23.  (saith he) harbour in his bosom a loving affection towards me, 
Revel. 3, 20  and behold, I and my Father will come and dwell with him for ever. I will endeavour therefore to cleanse my Soul from all impurity. I will cast out of it those many vices & imperfections, wherewith even from my Cradle it was tapistred. It shall no longer be a Den of Thiefs and Murderers. It shall no longer be a rendezvous for Sin and Satan; I will make it a House of Prayer, a Tabernacle for the living God. I will adorn it with Faith and hope, but above all, 
1. Cor. 13, 1.  with Love and Charity, 
Mat. 21, 14.  without which the very voice of Angels is but as sounding brass or a tinkling Cymbal: and there will I present unto him my halting Thoughts, and blinded understanding, that he may heal them.   

XIX.  
IT were better never to have known the way of Righteousness, 
2. Pet. 2.21 Heb. 6, 4.  then having known it, to forsake the holy Commandment which was given unto us. It is impossible, that such as have tasted of the heavenly gift, & were made partakers of the holy-ghost, if once they fall away, should be renewed by repentance: They crucify again unto themselves the Son of God, & count the blood of the Testament as an unholy thing. 
Mat. 12.43  The Spirit of uncleanness is retired unto his former home, and with him seven others worse than himself are come, so that the latter end of these, is more disastrous far than their beginning. They are returned like the Dog to their own vomit; 
Prou. 26.11  and like the Sow that was washed to the wallowing in the mire: Ephraim is gone back to Egypt, 
Hos. 9.3.  and eateth things that are unclean in ASHUR. They had the victory of sinful flesh, but they knew not how to use it. 'Tis snatched again (as it were) out of their jaws; and lo; Of Conquerors, they become Captives. Their actions have a fair beginning, but the end is faulty: They resemble Nebucadnezzars Image; 
Dan. 2, 32.  their head is of fine gold, but the feet of them are Clay. They hold forth a Rod with Aaron, and behold it flourisheth, 
Num. 17, 8 Exod. 14, 3.  but by and by it falleth to the ground and becometh a Serpent. Last of all, they are like him, that offereth a Lamb for his Oblation to the Lord, 
Levit. 3, 9  but the tail of it is wanting; which God himself commanded the Priest so strictly and precisely, to take even altogether to the very Chine, and burn upon his Altar. I will endeavour therefore to be constant in my undertakings; and like the be till I have sucked the sweetness which I look for out of one flower, not range unto an other: being well assured, that the apostles themselves, had they not continued in Prayer, & Thanksgiving to the Lord, could never have received the holy Comforter.   

XX.  
THE Foxes have holes, 
Math. 8.20  the Birds of the Heaven have nests; but the Son of man complaineth, that he hath nothing whereon to rest his head. 'tis compassed about with Thorns, and few there are that dare suffer him to approach them. The Covetous man will not endure him: Whosoever he be, 
Luke 14.33  that forsaketh not all he hath, can never be my Disciple, would pierce him to the quick. The proud cannot away with him: 
Mat. 11, 29.  Learn of me, for I am meek and humble, would much disquiet him. The carnal and voluptuous liver will by no means entertain him: for should he but look upon the austereness of his life, & consider with himself, that, 
Math. 5.8.  Blessed only are the pure of heart, it would so gore his conscience, that he should not possibly rest. In a word, all men in a manner utterly forsake him He cometh into the Country of the Gadarenes, 
Mark 5, 17  and ere he enter their City, they beseech him to departed their Coasts. He repaireth unto Jerusalem, and there they seek to stone him. Some of the meaner ra● would willingly receipt him, but the Pharisees 〈◊〉 terre them from i● 〈◊〉 bid them look i● 〈◊〉 the Rulers did 〈…〉 He fin● 〈…〉 in the breast of Pilate to shade him from, 
●●nas 4.6.  that canicular & scorching heat, wherewith his adversaries did pursue him: But alas! It sprung up in one night, and perished in another: Private-respect came as a Worm, and wasted it. And now behold the burning Sun and the blasting Wind begin to beat upon 〈◊〉 head; he brings him 〈◊〉, and delivers him, 〈…〉 ●sse! It is to be 〈…〉. The Heir 〈◊〉 vineyard, accord 〈…〉 is Father's a● 〈…〉 comes 〈◊〉 〈…〉 ●ites t● but the husbandmen are agreed to cast him out of it, and slay him. So that his complaint is not without just cause. For want of harbour, he seeks the desert places, and is forced in the night to rest his weary Limbs even in a Garden, where he hath no Bed, but the cold Earth; no sheet, but the moist Air; no Canopy, but the wide Heaven. I will run therefore and meet him 〈◊〉 Lot and Abra● 〈…〉 Angels.) I 〈…〉 him to wit● 〈…〉 self vnd● 〈…〉 my roof, and when his Enemies shall come and ask for him, I will not part with him. I will bring forth my Daughters, my beloved Sins, that they may glut their malice upon them: He shall rest in my bosom: I will make for him a little Chamber (as did the Shunamite for Elisha) and set therein a Bed, a stool, 〈◊〉 Table, and a Candle●●●e, that he may dwell 〈◊〉 ●e for ever. Let his 〈…〉 never so sharp, 〈…〉 ●ll bolster it. 〈…〉 ●hinke that 〈…〉 ●ge hath took impression there, unless I see it like himself, all bloody and full of wounds.   

XXI.  
THE Prince of darkness is exceeding politic, & much abounds with craft in his proceedings. He knows th●● things which were o● 〈◊〉 bruised, may be 〈◊〉 broken; He kno● 〈◊〉 Wood whi● 〈…〉 times kind● 〈◊〉 ●ly burn 〈…〉 he st● 〈…〉 commit such sins as in former times they were accustomed unto. He is withal a cunning rhetorician, and doth use much Sophistry. 
judg. 19.5.  He never comes to the point but by insinuation: He usurps upon them by degrees, and deals with them as the father of the Levites did with him; by little & little he procures their consent unto that, which ●e it summarily pro●●ed, would perad● 〈◊〉 ●tterly reject 〈…〉 are two 〈…〉 oftentimes 〈…〉 captivate the Soul of man.. The one is Pleasure; which when he saw that Christ resisted, he did assault him with the other, which was Grief, the surer Engine as he thought for battery of the twain. And lo he stirred all men up against him; his Disciples he caused to deny their Master; the Soldiers to deride their ca●taine; the passengers 〈◊〉 blaspheme their Gu● and in a word, th● 〈◊〉 to crucify their 〈◊〉 that he forc● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out; Beh 〈…〉 〈…〉 see if ever there were any grief that may be thought to parallel this of mine. 
Lam. 2, 12.  But notwithstanding this he finds him still invincible. The cruel dolours of his torments cannot make him forget to pray for his Tormentors. I will always therefore strive to fortify the weaker place; and where the Foe shall have made a breach, I ●●ll erect a Bulwark. 〈◊〉 the persuasions of 〈◊〉 abaddon, of that Bad 〈…〉 ever so enticing. 〈…〉 ●te my Master 〈…〉 seek t● 〈◊〉 them with a Seriptum est. When God hath given me a precept, I will endeavour to perform it. The Spirit of Untruth, 
2 King 13.18.  though in the mouth of a Prophet, shall not be strong enough to divert me from it. The Lord will send a Lion to devour the disobedient, & his Carcase shall be denied the Sepulchre of his Fathers.   

XXII.  
THere is a league of amity between God and the good; nay, there is an inward familiarity; a very near affinity. They are his friends; they are his followers; they are his true born Sons. But notwithstanding this the Lord of might, the strict exactor of all virtues, is no way fond of them; he carrieth a sharp hand over them, and doth invre them to hard-meate even from their Cradle. He loves not to make a wanton of the least. He doth try them; he doth train them; and maketh them fit for his own purpose. There is not any thing wherein he more delighteth, then in seeing than encounter stoutly with adversity. Thrice only were the Heavens opened: First, 
Ezech. 1, 1.  to Ezechiell, when at the River Chebar he did addict himself unto diviner contemplation: Secondly to Christ, 
Mar. 3.16.  when on the banks of jordan he was baptized of john; And last of all to Stephen, 
Acts 7, 56  when in honour of his deceased Master, he played his prize with Death, & wrestled with the Devil and the damned; and then were they opened wide, that both himself and his whole Court might behold the brave performance of the Combatant. The Earth is as his Theatre, whereon he stageth such as are his, & maketh them a spectacle (as the Apostle saith) for the World, 
1. Cor. 4, 9  for Angels, and for Men. Sloth shall not consume their Mettle; nor ease effeminate their minds. He will make them sweat even upon Holidays. One accident or other shall provoke their valour, 
Gen: 32, 28  & keep it from growing sluggish through want of exercise. An Angel if all should fail, must come down from above and wrestle with them till the breaking of the day, to keep them continually in breath, and to prevent their Sinews from waxing numb for lack of motion: And they themselves are well contented with it. They count affliction but a recreation; and are in pain but when they are employed. They know not what it is to yield: when they can stand no longer on their feet, they will fight upon their knees. Their death shall be the Trophy of their victory, their patience the monument that must adorn their grave. Though there be cries and lamentations throughout the Land of Egypt, yet rest and quietness is found in Goshen. 
Aug. de Ciu. Dei. 1, cap. 8.  The fire may consume the wood, but it makes bright the gold; the Flail may bruise the Husk, but it cleanseth the Corn: Pharaoh and his Host are overwhelmed in the Sea, but Moses and the Israelites do march with safety through the midst of it. The wicked shrink under the burden of temptation, but the courage of the righteous is no more altered therewith; then is the saltness of the Sea with the violent and impetuous flux of those many waters which continually do fall into it. Let affliction therefore come, I will meet it patiently as job did; I will desire it for the love of Christ, as the Martyrs did; yea, I will rejoice in it as the Apostles did, 
Acts 5.41.  who after they had been beaten by the appointment of the Sadduces, departed from the Counsel, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer rebuke for his Name, 
james 2.2.  I will not think my joy accomplished, but when I see myself hedged in on every side with crosses, hindrances, and tribulations. The thought of the price shall make me delighted with the pain. 
1. Cor. 5, 5.  I will not care for the loss of my flesh, so my Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.   

XXIII.  
THere are some vices of that Nature, 
1. Cor. 6, 8.  they cannot be vanquished but by avoiding. Fly Fornication; saith the Apostle Paul: Trust not to thine own strength; presume not upon thine own sufficiency: Her faction is exceeding strong; there are those in thee, and about thee, which unless thou overlook them with as many eyes, as had those mystical Creatures of Ezechiell, will treacherously betray thee. The Flesh is an alluring Dalilah: 
Cant. 3, 7.  Not Samson with his strength; nor Solomon with his Wisdom are able any way to prevent her Stratagems. The sixty strong men of the valiant of Israel that were about his bed could not protect him. If she get within thee, she is sure to foil thee. When I see her therefore make towards me, I will think it no disparagement to turn my back. There is valour even in retreat. Our Saviour fleeth, and Herod followeth; yet in the end the Tetrarch becomes his Captive; and notwithstanding the advantage which he had, must grace the triumphal charet of Christ the Conqueror. But whether I be forced to fly from Herod, or from Egypt; from Sin, or from Satan, I will desire the Lord I may be still accompanied with Mary, 
Math 2.13  joseph, and the little Babe; the first is the bitterness of Repentance; the last is the pureness of Conscience; and the other an augmentation or supply of Grace, with which every where even in the mouth of Hell: without which no where, not in the Gates of Heaven, can we rest securely. We may cry out unto him with the foolish virgins, Lord, 
Mat. 25, 11.  Lord, open unto us; but if these be away, his answer will be, I do not know you.   

XXIIII.  
THere was not any thing in the world after the fall of Adam, which did not in some measure bear a part of his punishment. All things did degenerate from their creation; and from that time became obnoxious to corruption. The Elements themselves did wax impure. The earth brought nothing forth but Thorns & Thistles: It had in it that mighty Behemoth to molest it; 
Gen. 3, 18. job. 40, 10.  & the Water that monstrous Liviathan to infect it. But Christ the holy one of holy ones, came down from Heaven, and sanctified the one by walking too and fro upon it; & the other, by causing himself to be baptized with it: He purified the Air by suffering in it; and the Fire by sending his holy Spirit in the likeness of it. Man who was indeed that sour Leaven, which corrupted the whole lump, was to be cleansed from his impurity, not with the fat of Bulls and goats, nor with the Ashes of an Heifer, 
Heb. 9, 14.  but with the precious blood of that immaculate and spotless Lamb, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blot or blemish to the Lord, that he might purge the Conscience from dead works, and make it fit to serve the living God. As the Child of obedience therefore I will no longer fashion myself to the former lusts of an unbridled Affection; 
1. Pet. 1.13.  I will be sober, and rely wholly on the grace which is brought unto me by the revelation of my blessed Saviour. The Meditation of his wounds shall be the jordan wherein I will always wash my loathsome, leprous, and exulcerated Soul. I will endeavour, that as he which hath called me, is holy, so may I likewise be holy in all manner of conversation, that both of me, and of others he may be glorified in the day of the visitation. 
1. Pet. 2.12.    

XXV.  
Profaneness is the badge of baseness, but a religious and upright heart is the ensign of true gentry. Such as are the Children of Abraham will do the works of Abraham. 
john. 8.39.  They will bring forth nothing to disgrace their birth, to prejudice their breeding. 
1 joh. 3, 10  Their Actions shall have always written in their fronts the lively Characters of their Progenitors. Others may boast of their descent, but they are no better than the spurious Issue of an Heroic Father. 
Gen: 16, 12.  They are a wild and savage generation: The Bondwoman is their Mother. They have nothing in them that is truly generous: 
Gen. 21, 10  and shall therefore be cast out with Ishmael, from being partners of the promise with the lawful Heir. The father of Canaan for his impiety shall be made a Slave; and the King of Babel for his pride shall become a Beast. The Wealth and and glory of the World, with those hydropical and puffed up Titles, which are the food and Fodder of Ambition. what are they else but imaginary and fantastic graces, of slender substance, of short continuance? The fear of the Lord is the height of Honour, and he that is virtuous is only Noble. I will labour always therefore to do righteously; & teach my heart the way of God's Commandments. 
Acts 17.11  The Men of Berea were preferred by the holy Ghost before those of Thessalonica, because they searched the Scriptures with more diligence, and received the word which was taught them with morewillingnesse. I will do as they did, and obtain the same style which they had. I will delight in the Statutes of my God, & with his precepts will I solace my Soul.   

XXVI.  
THE Lord is a good God, slow to anger, and of great kindness. He desireth not the overthrow of a Sinner; (Why will ye die, saith he, O House of Israel? 
Eze. 33, 11 ) But rather that he should return from his wicked ways and live. Though in the heat of his wrath and indignation, he pronounce the fearful sentence of Death against him; yet notwithstanding, if he fall from his former courses, and subject himself unto his ordinance, he will reverse his judgements, he will annihilate his doom. He knoweth of what Moule we be made; he remembreth that we are but Dust; 
Psal. 103, 14  that our days are but Grass; and that as the flower of the field, so flourish we. He excuseth our manifold transgressions upon our weakness, that he may not punish them as proceeding from wilfulness. I know (saith he) ye did it of ignorance. 
Acts 2, 17  There is in his bosom a loving and kind affection towards us. He pleadeth our cause himself; and seeketh to remove the guilt, that he may spare the guilty. He forgetteth the place of a judge, to perform the part of a father. He inviteth them that are thirsty to the Fountains of living Water; and willeth such such as are heavy laden to come unto him, that he may ease them; And when through vile and obstinate contempt of this his kindness, they fall into a bottomless & immeasurable Gulf of misery, his heart is overcome with pity and compassion, and out of the commiseration which he hath of the wretchedness of their estate, he crieth out by the mouth of his holy Prophet; Oh! That thou hadst harkened to my Commandments, 
Esay 48.18 jere. 48.31  than had thy prosperity been as the Flood, and thy righteousness as the Waves of the Sea. He is in all things GOD omnipotent; yet there are three things which lie without the compass of his power: He cannot deny his pardon to him that seeketh with inward sorrow and dejection for it, nor with draw his grace from him that is unwilling to part with it. 
Cadant amici, dummodo inimici intercidant.  Farewell Friends so Foes may perish, is no principle in his Politiks, no precept of his propounding; He cannot punish the wicked, where there is danger of offending the godly, hereupon, when he intended the ruin and subversion of Sodom and Gomorrah: 
Gen. 19, 22.  Hast thee (said he to Lot) from hence and save thyself, for I can do nothing till thou be gone. And in the Gospel, he would not suffer the Servants of the household to pluck up the tars, for fear they should offend the Wheat, Matthew 13, 29. Henceforward therefore I will forsake my wicked ways; 
Psal. 123, 2.  I will abandon mine own imaginations, and with speed return unto the Lord. As the eyes of a Servant look unto the hands of his Master: or the eyes of a Maid to the hands of her Mistress, even so shall mine without ceasing or interruption wait upon my GOD, till he do crown me with mercy, till he receive me to his glory.   

XXVIII.  
THe Majesty of christ is wondrous great; his Empire is exceeding large. There is nothing in all this spacious Universe which lieth not within the compass of his jurisdiction. The heavens are his by birth, as he is the only Son of his Father, begotten before all Worlds; And here are those selected troops of Saints and Martyrs, those triumphal Conquerors, that have given the overthrow to Sin and Satan, and do now wait upon the Throne of the Lamb, having their bodies clothed with white array, and their Temples crowned with wreaths of victory. The Earth is his by donation. I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance, 
Psalm. 2, 8.  and the ends of the World for th● possessions; and here had he planted those renowned Colonies of Warlike Combatants, 
1. Thes. 5, 8 Ephe. 6, 14.  that have their loins continually girded about with Verity, and upon their head the Helmet of Salvation; that hold the Shield of Faith in one hand, the Sword of the Spirit in the other, and are ready at the least alarm to rescue both their own honour and their Masters from the fierce invasions and assaults of the adversary. The lower parts are his by Conquest. 
Colos. 2, 15.  He hath spoiled the principalities, and powers; he hath made a show of them openly, and hath triumphed over them in the Cross: And here is as it were the jail, which himself appointed & prepared for those faint and craven Spirits, that make a glorious flourish in the time of peace, but abandon their Captain, and forsake his colours in the day of trial, yielding themselves basely before the conflict prisoners of Temptation. Legions to Angels are at his command. The winds are obedient to his voice, and the Waves are 〈◊〉 at his rebuke. God himself hath mightily exalted him, and proclaimed by the sound of his trumpet: That at the Name o● jesus every knee should bo●, 
Ph l. 2.10.  both of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, an● things under the Earth and That every tongue shal● confess him to be the Lor● unto the glory of the F●ther. Yet there are some that out of the profaneness of their minds, an● hardness of their he●●● deny his power, and w●● at no hands acknowledge him for their Superior, They cry out with the jews, 
joh. 19.15.  We have no K. but Caesar: But these are reserved for the black of darkness, and shall for ever be disabled from being fellow-heirs with him in his everlasting Kingdom. I will always therefore do homage to him as my Lord; I will take heed how I fall from so great a GOD; I will fight as I ought to do, that I may be crowned when I have done: He that is the righteous judge shall reward me at the latter day, and not me only, but likewise all those that love his appearing▪   

XXVIII.  
THere is no fellowship between light and darkness; 
2. Cor. 6, 15  between Christ, 
1. Sam. 5, 4  and Belial. The Ark, & Dagon cannot lodge under one roof. The Rod of Aaron will devour those of the soothsayers and Enchanters; and the Walls of jericho fall down, 
Josh. 6, 20.  before the Tabernacle of the Lord. He that will follow GOD, and retain him, must have no dependency at all on wicked Mammon. 
Psal. 104, 5  The Holy-one of Israel is exceeding great. It is he that set the Earth on her Foundations, and covered it with the deep as with a Garment. He will not brook a partner in his Dignity, nor yet resign his glory to a third. Man's heart is that which he demands; and he will have it all, or none. He that thinks to shift him of with part, may peradventure perish in his own Hypocrisy, 
Acts 5, 5.  as Ananias and Sapphi●a did. I will not therefore put new Wine into an 
Math 9.16  old Vessel, nor piece out an old Garment with new Cloth; I will cast away all the works of darkness, 
Rom. 13.12  and put on the complete armour of light, I will worship the Lord my God, and him only will I serve.   

XXIX.  
THe Sunshine of the wicked lasteth but a while: 
job. 20.6.  It is quickly overcast; and the joy of Hypocrites doth vanish in a moment: though his excellency mount up to Heaven, and his head do reach unto the Clouds, yet shall he perish forever like his Dung, and they which have seen him shall say, Where is he? The worldly pleasures whereon he feeds with such a ravening and unsatiable Appetite, shall fr●t asunder his entrails. His meat shall turn within his Bowels into the Gall of Asps; and how sweet soever it seem in his mouth, it shall be most unsavoury in his Maw. Nor shall his State and condition be so wretched in this World, but it shall be more in the World to come. Such fear and horror shall hedge him in on every side in that dreadful day, that he shall not know which way to run, nor whether to retire. 
Revel. 1, 16  Above him shall he see an angry judge, out of whose mouth cometh a sharp twoedged Sword; 
Ibid. 6, 16.  and well may he then entreat the Mountains to fall down upon him, and the Hills to cover him from the presence of him that sitteth on the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, but it shall little avail him. At his right hand he shall discover the hideous & distorted brood of his transgressions, which challenge him for their patron, and will by no means be induced to forsake him. At his left, will stand the Devil his Accuser, who then unfolds his Ephemerideses, & leaves not the least of all his sinful actions unatomized. He quotes them like a cunning Register, with every particular circumstance, both of time and place. He bringeth forth to his reproach & disadvantage those filthy and polluted Garments in which he took him, and as joseph's brethren to their Father, so saith he unto the lord. Behold, this have I found, see now whether it be the Coat of any of thy Sons, 
Gen: 37, 32  or no. If he turn back his eyes into himself, he shall meet there with the Worm of Conscience, 
Esay 66.24  that doth never die; If he reflect them on the World; he shall perceive it to be nothing round about him but a burning flame. If he cast them downwards he shall there descry to his perpetual terror and affrightment, that unquenchable Lake of Fire and Brimstone, which is prepared for him; The plentiful years are past; the years of dearth and scarcity are come, and now not so much as one drop of water shall ever be granted him, 
Luke 16.24  to qualify the heat of his inflamed tongue. The Motheaten. rob shall exclaim against the proud, and the cankered Gold against the Covetous: The stone shall cry out of the walagainst the Usurer, 
james 5.3.  
Hab. 2.11,  that builds his nest upon the ruins of the oppressed, and the Beam out of the Timber shall answer it. The whole world and whatsoever is therein contained, shall stand up in judgement, and witness against the Reprobate. Then shall they confess, that it had been better that they had never been borne, or that a Millstone being tied about their Neck, they had been taken from out their Cradle, and cast into the sea. While I have time therefore, 
Mat. 18.6.  I will wash my heart from all uncleanness, I will take my leave of all iniquity, and bid farewell for ever to all profaneness and impiety. 
1. Tim. 4.7.  I will altogether exercise myself to godliness, which hath annexed unto it the promise of the life present, and of that that is to come. 
Psal. 71, 14.  The Lord is my helper and deliverer in the time of trouble, he is my Rock, and my defence, I will continually wait upon him, and will praise him more & more. My mouth shall rehearse his righteousness, and my tongue shall speak of his salvation.   

XXX.  
IT is not good for a man to be confident in his own strength: It is a broken staff and will deceive his trust. He that is in heart a Christian, must work out his salvation with fear and trembling. 
Mat. 26.35  Who before hand so bold in vaunts & protestations to follow Christ as Peter, and yet alas! 
john. 11.16  who at the point more timorous? Who so ready to die with him as Thomas, yet in the end who more incredulous? Unless he might see in his hands the prints of the Nails, 
joh. 20, 25.  he would not believe his resurrection. Let him that standeth, therefore look well unto his footing that he do not fall. Let him not think upon Security while he is here; It is not a Creature of this world. The Angels are not sure of it in Heaven; There Lucifer did fall even in the presence of the Godhead. Poor Adam found by woeful experience, that it was not amongst the Trees of Eden, for there fell he from that estate of blessedness in which he was created; Much less ought we to hope for it in this Vale of misery, 
1. Pet. 5.8.  where our adversary like a roaring Lion walketh about, and seeketh whom he may devour. I will always therefore stand upon my guard, 
Mat. 26.41  I will continually keep Centinel over my heart, and without ceasing will I pray, that I enter not into Tentation. The GOD of Abraham; the Shield of Isaac; and the strength of jacob shall protect me. The watchman of Israel, that neither sleepeth nor slumbereth, shall still preserve me as the Apple of his Eye.   

XXXI.  
HE that walketh in the Sun, shall be tanned; and he that meddleth with Pitch, shall be defiled. A Man can hardly converse with such as are infected, and yet rest free from all contagion. joseph was but a while in Egypt, 
Exod. 34, 5  when he learned to swear by the life of Pharaoh. And hence it was, that the Children of Israel were commanded by the Lord, to make no Covenant with the Inhabitants of Canaan, nor to take their Daughters either for themselves, or for their Sons, lest when they went a whoring after their Gods, and did sacrifice unto them, they likewise might be induced by them to do the like. 
judg. 16, 18  But notwithstanding the strictness of this Mandate, Samson would have his Dalilah; and she indeed did dally with him, till she had destroyed him. David would entertain a league of amity with Hanun for the courtesies he had received from his Father Nahash, 
2 Sam. 10.4  but the event of it was this: His kindness was suspected, his Messengers disgraced. There were not women enough in Israel for King Solomon, 
1 King 11.1.  but he must take unto him the Daughter of Pharaoh: and he must have with him them of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Zidon & Heth. 
1 Kings 11.11.  But the lord grew angry with him for it. He rend his Kingdom from him, & gave it to his Servant. For these had weaned him from God unto Idolatry, and had enticed him to build high places unto Chemosh, 
Gen. 24, 3.  & unto Molech. The holy patriarchs were more obedient: Abraham would none of them for Isaac; 
Ibid. 27.2.  Isaac would none of them for jacob; nor jacob for himself: He went according to his Father's will to Padan-Aram, to the House of Bethuel for a wife, when wicked Esau, of purpose as it were to spite both God & his Parents, did go to Ishmael, and took unto the wives he had already, of the same stock Mahalath, his Daughter; but for this his disobedience, the promise was confirmed unto his Brother, and he himself was made a Servant unto him. Though I sojourn therefore here on earth, my conversation shall be in Heaven, from whence I look for my Redeemer, the Lord jesus Christ, 
Ph●l. 3.20.  who shall change my vile body, and fashion it in glory like unto his own, according to the working, whereby he is able, even to subdue all things unto himself Let the Daughters of men be never so fair, 
Gen. 6.2.  I will avoid their company. I know the World had net been drowned, if the Sons of GOD would have forborn them. Our heavenly leader is exceeding jealous, If he see us familiar with his Enemies, he misdoubts our hearts, and thinks that either we are already of the party, or may in time be easily made so. The destruction of Ahaziah, the Son o● jehoram King of judah, came of God, in that he went down to see jehoram the Son of Ahab, who lay diseased at Izreel. 
2. Cron. 22.  If mine eye do therefore cause me to offend, I will pluck it out; if my hand, I will cut it off, and cast it from me. 
Math. 18, 6.  Better it is that I should want a member, than my whole body should be cast into Hell. There is not any one, either in blood or otherwise, so near unto me, but if he fall from God, I will fall from him. Our Saviour Christ hath taught me, both by precept and example, that I should acknowledge non● for my Brother, my Sister, or my Mother, bu● such as do the will of my Father, 
Mat. 12, 50.  which is in Heaven.   

XXXII.  
MY Son, saith Solomon, 
Prou. 3, 11.  despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint with grief at his rebuke. He correcteth him whom he loveth best, even as the parent doth the Child in which he delighteth most. He will see how patiently he can endure his wrath, & with what constancy abide the smarting of his rod. For there are some that are only followers of his Table, and not of him; let never so little evil come upon them, they will presently put in practise the counsel of that foolish Woman, and like unnatural and disobedient children, 
job. 2, 9  Blaspheme the name of God, and die. Let not the Shuhite then upbraid the afflicted job, 
Ibid. 3.8.  nor allege his punishment as an argument of his unrighteousness. Those eighteen persons who● the fall of the Towers Siloam slew, were not assuredly greater Sins than all the rest that dwell in Jerusalem. 
Luke 13.2.  Let no● him therefore, that hat● not so much as tasted the bitterness of his indignation, say in his vaunts▪ My holiness hath preserved me. For howsoever he conceiteth of himself, surely the Lord accounts him but a bastard and cares not (it shoul● seem) what doth beco● of him; 
Heb. 12, 8.  Did he esteem him as a Son, he shol● not want his portion; He would look more nearly to his bringing up. With all humility therefore and lowliness of heart, I will submit my understanding and my will, with all the powers and faculties of my Soul to the sharpness of his Censure. The Fathers of our bodies corrected us, and we gave them reverence, how much the rather should we subject ourselves to the Father of Spirits, that we may live. They verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but tha● which he doth, is for ou● profit, that we may for ever be partakers of his holiness. The Flesh w● think it peradventure grievous for the present, but the Spirit will rejoice in the quiet fruit of righteousness, which afterwards it bringeth unto them, that are exercised thereby. It is a bit wherewith he Curbs the head-strongnesse o● our affections; and a bridie, wherewith he reins them up, from running headlong with us into everlasting damnation. Shall David in the meekness of his mind, 
Psal. 141, 5  account the smiting of the righteous as a benefit; and his reproofs a precious Oil, that shall not break his head? And shall I think hardly of the Rod of the Lord? No, no: Let him beat me, let him bruise me, let him hew me, let him hack me here in this World, so he save me in the World to come. Let him strike me here with the Hasel-wand, so he cast me not there into the boiling Cauldron. He maketh the wound and bindeth it up; 
job. 5.18.  he smiteth and his hands make whole.   

XXXIII.  
THIS World was once a Garden, which abounded with delights, but Man which was the Gardener of it, neglecting both himself and it, suffered the Plants thereof to riot, and the fruits thereof to be choked up with weeds, so that now alas! It produceth nothing which is either pure or perfect. The Comforts of it are defective; and the joys thereof are not without their mixture. There is no Wheat in it without Darnell; no Silver in it without dross. Every Rose therein hath his Thorn; and every conveniency his discommodity. Health and Sickness are near Neighbours; Pleasure & Pain, things differing in Nature, if they be not confounded in it, they are surely coupled: Mirth and Melancholy here, if we mark them well, resemble one the other very nearly; The same folds and motions of the countenance that serve for weeping, do likewise serve for laughter, and indeed the extreme of this doth continually mix itself with tears. Virtue and Vice are utter opposites, yet stand they always in each others view, and there is nothing to be found so absolute here below, but howsoever it have the constitution of that, it will some way show the complexion of this; If it be fair as Rachel, 
Gen. 29, 17  it will be tender-eyed as Leah; If it have the voice of jacob, 
Ibid. 27, 22.  it will have the hands of Esau: Something is always absent from the full perfection. The Lord of Hosts delivered the Children of Israel by a strong and mighty hand from the slavery of the Egyptians, 
Exod. 15, 25  but yet he forced them to drink the Waters of Marah; In the Desert of Zin they wanted food, and he supplied them with the Bread of Angels; he fed them with Quails from his own Table; yet at Rephidim, 
Ibid. 16, 1.13.  both they, their Children, and their Cattle were well-nigh killed with thirst; and howsoever the Rock in Horeb did afterwards afford them drink, 
Ibid. 17.1.  yet still was there somewhat to dash the fullness of their contentment. 
Ibid. 12.8.  He would not suffer them to eat the Passeover but with sour Herbs; In a word, it was not at the birth of Isaac, 
Gen. 21, 8.  but at his weaning, that Abraham made a Feast, to signify unto us, that while we suck the breasts of the church our Mother, our joy is but in part, and cannot be accomplished till the time of our admission to the Table of our heavenly Father. God hath in his hand three cups, the one is full of pure Wine, 
Psal. 75, 9  whereof the Saints that are already glorified do only taste; the other is full of nothing else but Dregs; a draft reserved only for the damned; the third is mingled, and is for us that sojourn here in Houses of Clay, the weakness of whose condition is such, as nothing in his own simplicity, and native pureness can fall within the compass of our use. The elements which we enjoy are altered and disguised. The Gold of Ophir, must of necessity be impaired with some base stuff, to fit it for our turn. 
Heb. 5, 12.  Virtue itself unless it be compounded, is beyond our strength. As long as we live in the Flesh, we have need of Milk, and not of strong meat. Let us take ourselves even at the best, and alas! what are we more than brittle Earth, than frailty itself. Our sight cannot endure the brightness of God's Majesty, no not by reflection. 
Exo. 34, 33  Moses must put a vail upon his face, when he cometh down from Mount Sinai, or the glory of his countenance will daunt the eye of the Beholder. I will follow therefore after love, and covet spiritual gifts; 
1. Cor. 13, 12.  I will attend with patience the coming of that which is perfect. I see now but darkly through a Glass, but then shall I see face to face; I know now but in part, but then shall I know, even as I am known.   

XXXIIII.  
THE Eyes of a Christian soul, are Faith and Charity. If the right Eye be out, the left Eye serves but for little use. For without faith, good works are not available. 
Heb. 11, 6.  This alone is the ground of all things, which are hoped for, and the evidence of things that are not seen; and without this it is impossible to please the Lord. The Devil, when he fighteth with us, never aimeth but at this. He knoweth, if once he hit it, we must needs give over. Nahash the Ammonite will have this, 
1. King 11.2.  or he will make no covenant with them of jabesh Gilead; but let him know that grants it him, he disableth himself for ever from making War but to his own exceeding disadvantage against his Adversary. For either he must fight unarmed for his own defence, or he shall neither see how to put by the blows of his Antagonist, nor how to follow his own. The Eye of Faith is out, and that of Works is shadowed with his Shield. I will always therefore have a care that my Beaver be strong enough on that side, to rebound his fiery Darts upon himself, or at the least, to quench them utterly as fast as they come. If I perceive it to wax dull and dim through the fierceness of his encounter, I will hast me to the Lord, and buy of him a Salve to anoint it with, 
Revel. 3, 18  that I may see: he alone is my Physician, & he alone shall clear it by that enlightening power of his holy Spirit, by which he openeth the Eyes of them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of Death. Then shall I be able with blessed Stephen, 
Acts 7, 55.  even in the heat and fury of the skirmish, to behold through all the heavens the glory of the Lord, for which I do contend, and my Redeemer jesus standing at his right hand, ready to secure me if need require; and then with an undaunted courage will I abide the fight, and die upon the place, ere I give ground in any fainting manner to the raging of his might. Christ is my second, who I know will witness my valour, and revenge my quarrel. Why should I fear the powers and principalities of Hell? When God is with us, who shall stand against us?   

XXXV.  
BEhold (saith the Prophet) the day cometh that shall flame like an Oven, 
Mal. 4.1.  and they that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say; 
Amos 8.14  Thy God O Dan liveth, and the manner of Beersheba liveth; yea the proud, with all such as do wickedly shall be Stubble; the day that cometh shall clean consume them; it shall leave them neither root nor branch. The Lord will hast him from Teman, 
Hab. 3.3:  and the holy one from Mount Paran: His Majesty shall cover the Heavens, and the Earth shall be full of his glory: Consuming fire shall march before him, and burning coals shall compass him about. He will summon all the Nations of the Earth to make their appearance before his Tribunal seat and give to every one according to what he hath done, 
1. Pet. 4.17  whether it be good or evil. To put the wicked out of all comfort, he will begin his judgements in his own house, and call even the righteous according to that of job, unto a strict account of every idle word. Thou writest bitter things (saith he) against me, 
job. 13, 26.  and makest me possess the iniquity of my youth; Thou puttest my feet into the Stocks, and lookest narrowly unto my paths: The prints thereof are in the heels of my feet. Now if the Cedar of Lebanon be shaken thus, 
Luke 23.31  what shall become of the bramble in the Wilderness? If this be done to the green Spring, what is remaining for the dry Stump? If the just man be so hardly saved, where is the hope of the ungodly? I will high me therefore to the lord my God, with all the speed I can: I will not defer my going to him by repentance till the setting of the Sun; 
Ibid. 24.25.  O fools, and slow of heart, saith he to such, and will not stay with them but with great constraint. Nor will I put it of until the evening, 
Ibid. 24, 37.  least having found him I should be doubtful, and think I see a Spirit when I look on him. No, no, I will rise betimes with Mary Magdalen, 
Math. 28.1.  and with the Mother of james, will I seek for jesus of Nazareth before the dawning of the day: 
Prou. 8, 17.  He loveth those that love him; and they that seek him early shall sinned him.   

XXXVI.  
GOD is no respecter of persons. 
Ephe. 6, 9 john. 4.47.  The Ruler entreated him to come unto his Son, & he would not: 
Luke 7.2.  The Centurion did but send unto him for his Servant, and immediately he went. It is not the beauty of outward objects that attractes his Eye, nor the quality of ambitious Titles that stirs up his respect. When he passed through jericho, 
Ibid. 17, 5.  there were many that came forth to see him, mo●● specious to the view of weaker sense, & of higher place and rank in the City than Zacheus was yet he alone was grace by him above the re●●. 
Ibid. 7.25.  The Baptist was not clothed in soft raiment, 
Math. 3.4.  no● fed with delicates. H●● meat was Locusts with wild Honey, and his garment of Camel's Hair yet did he make him greater than a Prophet Peter was not arrayed it Purple, 
Ibid. 16.18.  nor did he live deliciously in Courts of Kings, and yet he made him Prince of his Apostles. So the body be sound, he cares not for the bark. If the living be good, let the outside be as ragged as it will. I will not therefore greatly eye my present condition: Though I be rich, I will not presume upon my wealth; though I be poor, I will not despair for my want. He that called unto the Fishermen that were in their Ship, 
Mat. 4.21.  mending their Nets, not minding him, and said unto them; Come follow me: will out of question give kind and courteous entertainment unto him, who out of love, and of his own accord, do● humbly sue unto him f●● his Livery. Again I know, that Dives was 〈◊〉 torments, 
Luke 16, 23  when Laz●r● was in Abraham's boson   

XXXVII.  

Esay 21.28  Justice is a work when with the Lord is scare acquainted; It is a stranger, and an alien to him he knows not how, no which way to begin i● In Sodom there was no● righteous, but only ●a or he would never have wasted it with fire; none in the whole world, save only Noah, or he would never have destroyed it with the flood. Till the Tree be past hope, he applieth not his Axe. No, nor then but with much unwillingness and great commiseration. He looketh at Jerusalem, 
Luke 19.41  & weeps to think on the destruction that should come upon it. He howls for Moab, he cries out for it; his heart doth mourn for them of Kirhareseth; 
jere. 40.31.  He weary for the vine of Sibmah, as he wept for jazer; he watereth Hes●bon with his tears, 
Esay 16.9.  are Elaleh is drunk with th● showers of his complain, because of the destroy which is to fall upon their Summer fruits, & upon their Vintage. H●● wrath and indignation hath many Motives t● incite it; 
job. 64 6.  but his mercy none. For all our righteousness is as a filthy clout; we fade like a leaf, and our iniquities like the winds do carry us away; yet notwithstanding he looks down upon us from the throne of his heavenly grace with the eye of Pity & compassion; he remembers that we are the workmanship of his hands, and in the end, out of the zeal of his affection towards us, he crieth out; 
Ose, 13.9.  Thy iniquities O Israel, have destroyed thee; but thy help is in me. He doth not only tolerate our imperfections, but oftentims he dissembleth the knowledge he hath of them; he turneth away his face, and will not see the sin because he would not punish the Sinner. There is no day wherein to favour the transgressor he doth not break the Tables of the Law. Our GOD is a jealous God; 
Exod. 20, 5.  he visiteth the sins of the Father, upon the Children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate him; but showeth mercy unto thousands of them that love him, and keep his Commandments. The Kingly Prophet therefore speaking of them both, saith of the one; Thy mercy, o Lord, 
Psal. 103, 11  is in the Heavens; and of the other; Thy justice, o God, is like the hills, to signify unto us, that his mercy doth as much exceed his justice; as the high Heavens do surmount the Hills. The holy one is mild and full of gentleness; free from anger, and of long patience. 
Esay 27.4.  We have seen the Lord, said the Disciples, but Thomas believes them not; yet Christ forbeareth to reprove him, and cometh not till eight days after to rebuke his incredulity, and even then, the uttermost of his wrath, is only this: Put thy Fingers into my wounds, 
joh. 20.26.  and thy hand into my side, and be no longer faithless. When sinful Adam after his fall, had stolen as he imagined out of the sight of his Creator, idly conceiting peradventure, that himself being hid, his fault would not be seen, 
Gen. 3, 8.  God came not to correct him with a furious and hasty pace; he did but walk, and that against the wind, desirous (as it were) to be detained in his proceedings by that gentle blast: He walked against the wind saith the Text, not in the Morning, nor at Noonday, but towards the Evening, at the very setting of the Sun; so slow, so slack, & so remiss is this dear Father of ours in the execution of his judgements. He dealt otherwise with the Prodigal; he saw him no sooner coming, but his heart was overjoyed, he ran unto him, and having entertained him with kisses and kind embracements, he calleth unto his Servants: Go quickly, bring me forth for him the purest rob, 
Luke 15.22  kill me instantly the fattest Calf, that we may eat it, and be merry, my Son was dead, and is alive again, lost he was, but he● is found. 
Eze. 36, 25  So that his favours are powered ou● upon us with some violence, but his chasticementes and his corrections are distilled drop b● drop. 
Cant. 5, 5.  My heart (saith he) shall not drop down upon jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 
2. Cron. 12.7.  He is patiented, & would have no man perish, but willingly draw all men to repentance. I will not therefore despise the riches of his bounty, 
Rom. 2.4.  and long sufferance; he seeks to lead me by it to salvation, nor as one that is contentions, will I disobey the truth, and obey unrighteousness; but I will labour by continuance in well doing for honour, glory, and eternal life. I look for new Heavens, and a new Earth according to his promise, 
Esay 65, 17.  and will be therefore diligent, that I may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 
2. Pet. 3.11.    

XXXVIII.  
PRayer is the Minds Ambassador to God. It is the only Agent for the Soul; but if it have not Faith and Humility for Assistants, it will never be admitted to his presence. The one is so much interested in him, That whatsoever we desire when we pray, 
Mar. 11.24  let us believe that we shall have it, and it shall be done unto us. The Woman that had so long been troubled with the flux, did but touch the Hem of his Garment, & without further entreaty, he turned him about, and said unto her: Daughter, be of good comfort, 
Math. 9.22.  thy faith hath made thee whole. His graces are proportioned by this. 
Math. 9, 28.  According to your Faith, be it unto you: said he unto the blind, that came and besought him for their sight: And to the Captain: 
Math. 8, 13.  As thou hast believed, be it unto thee. The other is of that excellency, might, and power, that it maketh way for our Requests, even through the regions of the Air, & commands their passage thorough the thickest clouds. It ushereth them into the Privy Chamber of his imperial Majesty, & obtains both hearing and dispatch for them without stop or stay. The Prayer of the Centurion, sent forth in the behalf of his diseased Servant, was well accompanied with both. I have not found (saith our Saviour of the first) such faith, 
Luke 7.9.  no not in Israel; and for the last, it was not to be parallelled: I am unworthy, (said he, o humbleness of mind) that thou shouldst enter under my roof: and by so saying, he showed himself worthy, not into whose house, but into whose heart the Lord might enter. By making himself unworthy (saith S. chrysostom) to receive Christ into his Gates, he was made worthy to be received of Christ into his Kingdom. But beside these, it had with it the encouragement of Charity, that with the more assuredness & better confidence it might appear before him. To pray for ourselves, proceeds from Nature, but to pray for others is the work of Grace: Necessity enforceth us to that; but brotherly love exhorteth us to this; And it is indeed a far sweeter savour in the Nostrils of the Lord, than that which ariseth from the sensitive apprehension of our own misery: I advise you therefore (saith Saint Paul to Timothy) that first of all Supplications, 
1. Tim. 2, 1.  Prayers, Intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men. The word which we profess, instructeth us by precepts and examples, that the conservation of duty to the public, should be much more unto us, than the conservation of either life or being, and that whatsoever good is Communicative should be preferred before that, which is but private and particular. 
Rom. 9.3.  S. Paul desired to be anathemized for his brethren; and Moses to be razed out of the Book of life for the Children of Israel, 
Exo 32, 32.  such was their zeal unto the Church, and such their feeling of Communion. I will continually therefore labour to lift up pure hands to Heaven without doubting. 
Luk. 18.13  I will imitate the lowliness of the Publican; and in my bosom will I cherish his mean conceit. When I pray I will not stand in the Synagogues, 
Math. 6, 6.  nor kneel in the corners of the streets that I may be seen of men; but I will enter into my Chamber, and having shut my door, I will call upon my heavenly Father. He seethe in secret, and shall reward me openly. In my Prayers I will be mindful of my afflicted brethren, that so the lord may be more mindful of me. God is exceedingly in love with Charity; 
Cant. 1.1.  the very name thereof to him is as an ointment powered out. She is his only darling; he doth kiss her with the Kisses of his mouth; when she cometh to him, he lodgeth her between his breasts, and never sends her from him but with laden hands. The Gaoler washed Paul and Silas from their stripes, 
Acts 16, 33  and by so doing, himself was washed from his sins.   

XXXIX.  
Godliness is not a thing hereditary, nor can true Piety be bequeathed by Legacy; an upright heart requireth much manurance; and is not gotten but by great Husbandry. 
Esay 5.7.  I had a Vineyard (saith the Lord) in a most fruitful Hill, what could be done, which I did not to it? Yet in the end it brought forth nothing but sour Grapes; in stead of judgement, it gave oppression; in stead of righteousness it afforded crying. The Nettle grows, where the Rose was looked for, and out of the Egg a Chicken is expected, but behold a Cockatrice. The stock is often good, but without continual pruning, the plants degenerate. Out of the lodge of ADAM came murderous Cain; out of the Ark of Noah, impious Cham; out of the House of reverend Eli, Ophni, and Phinees the Sons of Belial; out of the Court of David came traitorous Absalon; out of the School of jesus, perfidious judas; & out of the company of the Deacons, Nicholas the Heretic. So that Virtues are not maintained by propagation; nor is a virtuous habit purchased but with much sweat; It will cost us the breathing, ere we can actually possess it as our own freehold. There is not an Elijah now to grant so hard & difficult a suit at the redoubling of his Spirit; 
2. King 2.9  nor is there an Elisha residing here, that is worthy to obtain it. I will not therefore brag that I have Abraham for my Father, but I will labour to do the works of Abraham; and when I glory, 
jere. 9.24.  I will glory in this alone, that I understand & know the Lord to be the only very God, who showeth mercy, judgement, and righteousness in the Earth, and jesus Christ, whom he hath sent to be his only Son, 
Luke 11.28  begot before all worlds, which who so doth, shall remain for ever. For indeed it is not the womb that bore him; nor the Paps that gave him suck which are blessed; but rather they that hear the word of his Father and do thereafter. Little had it availed the Virgin to have conceived him in her Womb, or Simeon to have received him in his Arms, if by the Eye of Faith, they had not both perceived, that he was sent from heaven to redeem the world.   

XL.  
SAthan is a bold Intruder. He resides not always in the Graves, nor is he still abiding in the Deserts. You shall find him sometimes in the company of Gods elect and chosen Children: On a day, when they came and stood before the Lord, 
job. 1.6.  he likewise came and stood among them. Sometimes among his Ministers; jehoshua, 
Zacha. 3.1.  the High Priest stands before the Angel, and lo, the Deceiver is at his right hand to resist him. Sometimes again with his Apostles; Have I not chosen twelve, 
john. 6.70.  (saith Christ) and one of you is a devil. He is a guest that will come without great bidding: the least cast of our eye doth serve him for an invitation, & the slightest compliment will embolden him to be insolent. If we make him our Companion, he will be presently our Master. If he get but a foot within our doors, he will cast us out, & like a merciless disseisor put us by our right; nor shall it ought avail us to plead our Title, when he is in possession. I will be always therefore very careful how I suffer him to approach me. If I cannot bar him my presence, I will deny him my countenance, and make him known by my looks, that he shall not lodge in my heart.   

XLI.  
Unhallowed thoughts are the Scouts of Satan. He seldom suffers them to lie idle in their Tents, but sends them always forth upon discovery: He fashioneth his attempts by their advertisements, and as he understands their passage, he rests assured of his own. Themselves delight in pillage, and are therefore glad of their employment. They leave not a corner about the heart unsearched, to find out an entrance. If the doors be barred; they will assay to climb the Walls, and get in at the Windows. They do with cunning manage their captains business, and husband the least occasions to his best advantage. It falleth out sometimes, that these straggling Aramites happen upon some little Maid o● the land of Israel, 
2 Kings 5.2  to wit, some simple and untutored Soul, that strayeth from the way of Truth, and is altogether destitute of that heavenly Convoy of spiritual graces, which should protect it from the craft and fury of the Adversary, and having suddenly surprised it, lead it away Captive to their leprous General. Sometimes again these sons of Remmon, 
2 Sam. 4, 6  these wicked Berothites, finding the mind unfurnished of a Guard, and snoring even at Noon with honest Ishbosheth in her own security, do enter stealingly upon it, and in an instant cut the throat of it. I will not therefore with the reprobate put far away the evil day, nor promise safety to myself, where nothing can be looked for but Death & Danger. Man's life is a continual Warfare. The Prince of darkness is his Enemy, who if need require, hath wherewithal to piece out the lions skin; and when he cannot prevail by open battery, will never stick to compass his designs by hidden treachery. I will endeavour therefore always, 
Mat. 24, 43  as much as in me lieth, to be well provided for the coming of the Thief: Let it be at what hour in the night he will, he shall find me wakeful, if not watching; never sleeping, though sometimes peradventure slumbering. I will bruise the Serpent in the head, I will break it in the shell. I will not suffer a sinful cogitation to come to perfect growth: It shall die in the conception, and ere it need the Cradle, possess the Tomb. The Soul in cases criminal (saith, isidore) hath the precedency of weaker flesh; I will drive it therefore from thence, that this may no● offend. 
Cant. 2.15.  I will strive to catch the Foxes, the little Foxes that destroy the Vines. Blessed (I know assuredly) is he, 
Psal. 137, 9  that taketh and dasheth these against the stones.   

XLII.  
THE life of the just is a continual day. It is not troubled at any time with storms, nor overcast with Clouds, bu● is altogether calm and clear. The Morning o● it is, when Christ the Sun of righteousness doth shine out upon the heart of one regenerate, and by the influence of his beams doth scatter & dispierce those misty vapours and exhalations of ignorance & stinking error, which Satan himself had belched forth to hinder the soul from finding out the way of truth: the noon thereof is that hourly progress and ascent of spiritual grace, which brings them to the Zenith of all true perfection. The way of the godly shineth as the light (saith Solomon) behold the Morn: 
Prou. 4, 18.  It increaseth more and more unto the perfect day, behold the Noon. After the justification of wretched Sinners by the Law of Faith, there is a continued augmentation & supply of gifts, whereby their minds are by degrees made fit for the knowledge and understanding of the love of GOD, and by which afterwards they are entitled Children of the light, and Children of the day. 
1. Thes. 5.3  They are gone out of Egypt, and dwell now in the Land of Goshen: they need no Torchlight to direct their steps: there is a pillar of celestial fire in their bosom, which like a Taper giveth light unto their feet, and maketh them tread aright the paths of God's commandments. But alas! With the wicked it is nothing so. Their ways are as the darkness, nor do they know into what dangerous places they may fall. 
job. 5.14.  They meet with blindness in the Morn, and grope at noon as in the night: they feel for the wall, 
Esay 59.10  as men that had no Eyes; and in the day their feet do stumble as in the twilight. The greater Luminaries to them are always in Eclipse, & the lesser so obscured as help them little or not at all. I will study therefore continually, for holiness, for pureness, and sobriety. The night is past, the day is come, 
Rom. 13.12  and now will I cast away the works of darkness, and put on the Armour of light. I will  myself with the Lord jesus Christ, & take no thought at all to satisfy the lustful desires of the Flesh.   

XLIII.  
THe true Soldier of Christ is known by nothing better than this valour. He that is faint and of a fearful Spirit, is but a false usurper of that name. 
Deut. 20.8.  The Lord of hosts will none of so soft an edge, of such an yielding temper under his pay. 
Cant. 3, 8.  Those of his band are strong and ●aliant; they all handle the Sword, and are expert in war; every one hath his Falchion on his Thigh for the fear by night. They see the heavenly Jerusalem, for which they fight before them, and had rather die one foot forwards, then add many years to their life by one foot of retreat. They had rather fail in good and virtuous ends for the public, then obtain all that can be wished & desired for themselves in their own proper Fortune. The mouth of Wisdom hath taught them, that A good heart is a continual Feast; 
Pro. 15.15.  and that the Conscience of good intentions in themselves, let their success be what it will, is a more continual joy to Nature, than all the politic provision a man can make, for still security and peaceable repose. Such as have wedded their affections to their own particular; or any way betrothed them to the things of this world, and are backwards either for that, or other like respects in the hazarding of their life and living, he utterly cashiereth. Gideon before he doth encounter with the Midianites, 
judg. 7, 3.  discardes the Cowards at Mount Gilead, & cleareth his camp of all such cracked and broken courages as fall to pieces before the presence of their enemy. So likewise judas Maccabeus, 
1. Macca. 3.56.  before he meet the forces of Antiochus at Emmaus, proclaims a general discharge to every pale and milky liver throughout his Army and with all willingness doth licence their departure. I will at no time therefore give place to any timorous conceit, but fortify my heart with such a settled and unshaken confidence, that Affliction, come she never so hideously disguised, shall not appall me. The Lord jesus is my General, and the hire of my valour a Crown of immortal glory. Base were the resolution, that would not wish to die under the conduct of so brave a Prince, for the purchase of so great a price. He maketh himself my precedent, and marketh out the way that I must march with the precious blood, that gusheth out of his own wounds. He calleth me after him, and I will surely follow. No Death, nor Hell, sha● drive me to a stand: I w● suffer with him in th' conflict, that I may sha● with him in the Conquest.   

XLIIII.  
TO murmur again God argueth a w● of Grace; and to re● Affliction, showeth affect of heavenly consortion. 
Eccl. 10, 26  He that hath knowledge and is well instructed, will undergo 〈◊〉 cross with patience, a● neither stamp nor storm to see himself reform. The Lord (he knoweth) when he shoots his Darts, doth leavell higher than at the downfall of a wretched Sinner; and that howsoever he bruise him, it is not with a Rod of Iron; 
Psal. 2, 9  howsoever he break him, it is not like a Potter's vessel, but as the Goldsmith doth his Plate, to melt and fashion it anew. The Fast is as delightful to him as the Feast, and the vigil as welcome as the Holiday itself. He doth esteem no otherwise of this World, then of an outward place, 
1. King. 6.7  in which the hard & stony minds of such as God affecteth, must be hammered and polished by the hands of Adversity and Tribulation, before they can be fit to set in the Temple of that new Jerusalem, which is erected by one of greater power and Majesty than Solomon. But alas! The heart of the foolish cannot conceive of this. 'Tis like the Wheel of a Cart; the vave thereof is not moistened with the Oil of the Spirit, 
Eccles. 33, 6  and doth nothing therefore, but creak under the burden. It is a vessel, which indeed is void of all good virtues and abilities: It runneth only on the lees, let God but strike it with his hand, and the sound it giveth, will be the signal of his emptiness. In a word, it is an Earthen Pipkin, which wanting liquor in it, 
Wis. 1.11.  is ready to crack in pieces when it feels the flame. I will beware therefore of murmuring, which availeth nothing. The ear of jealousy heareth all things, and the noise of him that 
Num. 11, 1.  muttereth and repineth shall not be hid. The Children of Israel were consumed with the Fi●● of the Lord, 
Ibid. 14, 30.  for their unjust complaints: He would suffer none of th● to enter into the Land of Promise, save onel● Caleb the Son of Ieph●nah, and joshua the sonn● of Nun. Whatsoever therefore it shall plea● his will to lay upon me my will shall not refu● to bear it. I cannot 〈◊〉 conscience but suffa somewhat for his sa●● that endured so much f●mine. Let him deal wit● me therefore as he thinketh good, I will hold my tongue with the Prophet David, and keep silence, because it is his doing.   

XLV.  
Virtue is great in grace and estimation with the king of heaven: they that embrace it are his only favourites. He doth affect them wonderfully, and useth them at all times with great familiarity. Five hundredth sixty five years did Henoch walk with him upon the earth, 
Gen. 5, 24.  and so delighted him with the softness of his carriage, and the sweetness of his conversation, that he took him wholly to himself, and of a Pensioner, made him one of his Chamber. He sent a charet of Fire from above, to fetch Elijah to him, 
2. Kin. 2.11  and appointed a Guard of glorious Angels to attend it: he did so long to enjoy his company, that Death he thought would be to slow a Messenger to give his desires a speedy satisfaction & contentment, and did therefore send a Whirlwind forth to hasten his arrival: The Lord is exceeding tender over the godly: he will preserve his body as the Apple of his eye; he will shield his soul from the power of the grave. The wickedness of Man in former times was grown to such a height, and his mind so deeply rooted in all evil, that GOD grew sorry he had ever made him, and was resolved to destroy both him and all things else from of the Earth; but when he thought upon upright Noah, great was the care he took for the safety & preservation both of him and his. He doth impart his secrets to the just, 
Esay 41, 8.  and taketh the righteous for his bosom friends. He would not hide from Abraham, that which he meant to do to Sodom and Gomo●ah. 
Gen. 18, 17.  And when the Patriarch had begun to intercede for them, could but ten persons have been found untainted with that foul corruption, wherewith the inhabitants of those two places were so generally infected, he would have spared them all at his entreaty for their sakes alone: as he did Zoar at poor Lot's request: 
Gen. 19.21.  so easily doth he subscribe to the petitions and supplications of them that are sound and pure in heart. Let who so listeth therefore ambitiously affect the countenance of worldly Greatness, I and my Thoughts will serve the Lord. One day within his Courts is better than a thousand other where; 
Psal. 84.10.  and I would sooner choose to be a doorkeeper in the House of my God, then to dwell in the tabernacles of profane Impiety. 
Hos. 14, 7.  They tha● rest under his shadow shall revive as the Corn and flourish as the Vine: their beauty shall be as the Olive-tree, & their smell as Lebanon: But they that rely upon the breath of man, their glory shall vanish as the morning Dew, and as the smoke that goeth out o● the Chimney. I will abandon therefore with Moses, the delicates of Pharaohs Table, to be a Partner in all disastrous accidents with the Children of Israel, and desire rather to lie at the gates of Mordecai, and be a sharer in the afflictions of my distressed brethren, then stand with Hamon at the King's elbow. Hear now is Grace, and by & by a grave: but love and honour cometh there in the riere-warde of all trouble.   

XLVI.  
Man's heart is like a House; the closer he keepeth it, the worse it is: The doors & windows of it, must by a true confession of his sins be set wide open to the Lord, that by the beams of his enlightening Spirit, the rooms thereof may be well aired, and every corner of it sweetened, against the coming of his Saviour and Redeemer. Open to me, my Sister, my Love, 
Cant. 5, 2.  my Dove, (said Christ unto his Spouse, and in the Revelation, I stand at the door & knock if any Man open, 
Revel. 3, 20  I will com● in unto him, and will s●● with him, and he with me. He carrieth a good opinion & conceit, of those that are ready at the gate to give him entertainment, or that at the lest no sooner hear him, but with the greatest speed they let him in; he will minister comfort and consolation unto them, that by repentance make known unto him their cares and grievances. But such as will not acknowledge his voice, nor make him entrance when he calleth at the first, do but awaken his jealousy, and give him cause to doubt, that all is not well within; They have assuredly some Vnder-sitters, that dare not abide the presence of authority, & either for that, or some such like consideration are slack in his admission. I will confess therefore against myself, 
Psal. 32.5.  my wickedness unto the Lord, and he shall forgive the forfeiture of my misdeeds; 
Pro. 28.13.  I will discover to him mine iniquities, and he shall cleanse me from all unrighteousness: who so hideth his transgressions shall never prosper; but he that confesseth and forsaketh them, shall be sure of mercy. The Thief before the judge approach, doth convey out of his own custody, even every trifling thing, the possession whereof he cannot justify to be lawful, I will imitate him in this, and before such time as death shall come to apprehend me, I will clear my heart of whatsoever may be any way suspected; 
Eccl. 17, 27  Whilst I live, and am in health, I will disclose my faults and imperfections to the Lord; I will give him an inventary of my works and weaknesses, 
Prou. 16, 3.  that by so doing, my thoughts may be established. If I perceive at any time that my conscience hath surfeited upon the seeming sweets and pleasures of this World, 
Eccl. 13, 21  I will according to the Wiseman's counsel, arise, go out, and vomit, that then I may take my rest, & keep my Soul from sickness and distemperature. The guilt of Sin is an Impostume in the mind; If I feel it in my bosom, I will apply that to it, which may draw the corruption to the outward parts; If it break within, it endaungereth the life, but if the rapture of it chance without, there may be hope of recovery. I will unwrap the Ulcers of my soul, and expose them to the view of Christ, that he may heal them. Unless I do acquaint him with my burden, how can I hope to be refreshed by him?   

XLVII.  
THE heart of the foolish is a broken Vessel; 
Eccl. 21, 14.  Charity will none of it; It is not a Potshard that will serve her turn. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God (saith she) 
Luke 10, 27  with all thy Soul, and withal thy Thought, and withal thy Might. Such as underhand have sworn allegiance to Hypocrisy, and are in mind the servants of Imposture, cannot endure to hear of this. They will divide themselves into several portions, 
Hos. 10, 2.  & what the world doth leave, they will bequeath to God, makes no scruple if need require, to hold a Candle for their own advantage, both to Michael and the Serpent. 
Mat. 17.15.  They are like that Lunatik in the Gospel; one while they fall into the Fire, another while they slip into the Water: And hence it is, that they be neither hot nor cold; by reason whereof the Lord so utterly distasteth them, that he will spew them out of his mouth, 
Revel. 3, 16  and suffer them to slide continually from bad to worse, till in the end, as men not sensible of their estate, they die impenitent, and not so much as touched with any detestation or dislike of their forepast enormities. They stand in a degree of warmth, which doth embolden Satan to assail them; he never feareth to be middling with them in this meddling state: but were they thoroughly heated with the flames of a sincere and undisguised zeal, as they ought to be, he would not dare once to come near them. He resembleth the Fly, which never settleth itself upon the seething pot, but is always exceeding busy, where there is an indifferency of heat. He that contents himself with the Water of john, 
Luk. 3, 16.  and doth not seek to be baptised of Christ with fire and the Holy-ghost, is made the only But and scope of his attempts. It is not therefore a superficial airing that shall satisfy my cold desires; I will so heat them in the well-kindeled flames of true Devotion, that like a searing-Iron, he shall no sooner stretch out his hand to touch me, but I will brand him for his bold presumption, and for ever after make him so fearful of me, that when he seethe me, though at never so great a distance, he shall come creeping towards me like a Spaniel with his belie on the ground, he shall cry out to me with an extended voice, and say; 
Ma●ke 5.7  What 〈◊〉 to do with thee, thou Servant of the mos●●igh GOD? I charge thee by thy Lord and master, that thou torment me not.   

XLVIII.  
THe Cross of Christ is that Rod of Moses, by which the Devil, that spiritual Pharaoh is struck with such diversity of plagues, that at the last he is enforced to drive from him, those which er● while he ●old have drawee vn●●●●m. It is a glorious and immortal monument, erected as a Trophy by the hand of Victory, to the dishonour and confusion of that oppressor and insulting Tyrant. He stands aloof, and stars upon it with an envious eye, but is afraid to draw near unto it, lest he and his temptations might chance to be devoured by it, as were by that the Serpents of the Enchanters. It is that blessed Tree, with the boughs whereof the waters of Marah were made sweet: It altereth the bitterness of Tribulations, and makes the Cup of the Lord, which of itself is exceeding sharp, delightful to the taste: 
2. Cor. 12.10.  I take pleasure (saith Saint Paul) in all repreaches and persecutions for his sake; & the Apostles, after they had been beaten by the appointment of the Counsel at Jerusalem, 
Acts 5, 41.  departed thence with cheerful countenances, rejoicing that they were reputed worthy to suffer rebuke for his Name. It is that princely Sceptre of Ahashuerosh, which being stretched out, doth licence our approach unto the Throne of his Celestial Grace. It is that key of the Kingly Prophet, which hath opened unto us the greatest mysteries, and the profoundest secrets that were ever heard of. It is that ladder of the Patriarch, by which our passage inro heaven is easier now, then ever it was before. In a word, it is that golden Candlestick, in which the life and light of men was set, 
john 1, 4.  whose brightness was so great, that the Centurion by means thereof, even through the Aegyption darkness of those times, was able to discover his Divinity, when oppressed with fear, he cried out and said; Truly this was the Son of the living God. 
Mat. 27.52  I will not therefore rejoice in any thing, 
Gal. 6.14.  but in the Cross of our Lord jesus Christ, by which the World is crucified unto me, & I unto the world. Night & day will I make it the subject of my Meditation; and so I may attain to the knowledge of this, 
1. Cor. 2.2  I will not esteem of any other wisdom whatsoever. What doctrine is it, which is not here comprised? His passion is the Epilogue of all. There is not any thing, either in Heaven or in Earth, but as the Apostle saith, is recapitulated to the full in Christ. 
Ephe. 1, 10.  Mount Calvary shall therefore be my School, and the Book which I will read, shall be the launched side, and bloody bosom of my blessed Saviour. I will think upon his wounds; I will consider his scars; & the prints of the nails, shall be as breathing-stops to help my Contemplation.   

XLIX.  
AS Silver dross overlaid upon a Potshard, so are burning lips, 
Pro. 26.23.  and an evil heart. He tha● dwelleth in the Heaven doth abhor it, and wil● for ever have it in derision. It is not complement that pleaseth him. The kings Daughter was all glorious within, 
Psal. 45, 13.  or little would the Lord have esteemed her sumptuous clothing of Broidered Gold. If the inside of the Vessel be not clean, let the outside be as glorious as it will, our GOD will none of it. The Figtree was delightful to the Eye, but yet it could not escape the curse. He would have nothing seem that which it is not. Either make the Tree good, 
Mat. 12.33.  and his fruit good (saith he) or the Tree evil, and his fruit evil; worship either God or Belial, and halt no longer between two opinions. For one to have the Voice of jacob, and the hands of Esau, is a degree of Hypocrisy beyond his knowledge, apprehension, and conceit. The thought of it doot● clean amaze him; Ho● can you o ye viperous bro● when yourselves are inwardly nothing else b● filth and putrefaction, 
Luke 6.6.  vtt● things that are of a differing constitution? For 〈◊〉 of the abundance of th● heart, the mouth speaks. So that in vain it is to 〈◊〉 him, Master, Master, unless withal we do the things which he propoundeth. Our righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, 
Math. 5, 20.  or we shall never ente● into the Kingdom of Heaven. I will not therefore be like the blind and lame, that sit begging at the entrance of a City, and show the way to them that pass along, but set no foot in it themselves; I will accompany them myself unto the place; and always as near as I can, countenance a godly precept with a good precedent. The word of the Lord is called a Sword; Take the Sword of the Spirit, 
Ephe. 6, 16.  which is the word o● God; It cannot be employed but by the hand And hence it is, that i● sundry places of th● Scriptures we read in the original, that it was i● the hands of his Prophets; as namely, in the hand of Isaiah, 
Esay 20, 2.  in th● hand of Haggai, in th● hand of Malachi, 
Mal. 1.1.  etc. t● signify unto us, that the instructions which we give our brethren, shoul● not consist so much i● words, as in works an● good examples. He tha● can do that, which he saith, he alone is that Salt of the Earth, 
Math. 5, 13.  which shall never lose his savour; he alone is that City on a Hell, which cannot be hid; in a word, he alone is that Candle in the Candlestick, which giveth light to all that are about it, and shineth out so clearly and so brightly, that they which see it cannot but glorify the Lord which is in heaven. I will continually therefore so speak, and so do, 
james 2.12  as one that looketh to be judged by the Law of Liberty. Christ jesus hath left me an example, 
Ioh 13 15.  that I should do, even as he that hath done, and surely I will strive to follow it in all things, as Moses did that pattern, which was showed him in the Mount. 
Exo. 25, 40.    

L.  
THe World abounds with men of corrupted and depraved minds; It is the harbour of headstrong Rebels, which have sworn the downfall and destruction of true Piety; and much ado she hath to find one angle out in all this spacious Round, in which she may rest secure from their assassinous & murdering hands. A virtuous deed cannot escape the forked tongue of venomous Detraction, nor a good intention find passage for itself, but with exceeding opposition. 
2. Tim. 3, 8  Moses & Aaron shall no sooner go about to discharge their duties, but jannes' and jambres will be ready to resist them: 
1. King. 22 11.  the Baalites will continually be busy with Elijah: and plain Micheas shall no sooner stir abroad, 
Nehe. 2.19  but Zidkijah will be butting at him with his Iron horns. Where Christ is, there are the Pharisees; where Simon Peter is, there likewise is Simon Magus; and where Saint Paul is, there are the false Apostles, that what the right hand of the Lord doth raise, the left hand of the Devil may destroy. Whilst our abiding place is here, we shall always meet with many rubs and lets to interrupt the smoothness of our course in just proceedings: but this shall not abate my resolution: I will strive to franchise and surmount all difficulties: Nor Sin, nor Satan shall so strongly barricado up my passage, but by the assistance of the holy Spirit I will make through them to my aims. 
Phil. 2, 13.  He that wrought in me the Will, shall likewise work in me the Deed; and as he gave me the grace to begin, so shall he grant me the power to go on. I am freed from the yoke of bondage, and now, 
Rom. 8.38.  nor death, nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers; nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ jesus our Lord.   

LI.  
Wisdom is a princess of extraordinary State and Dignity, 
Prou. 9, 3.  many honourable Virgins do continually attend haet. She hath hew● out her house of seven pillars, and hath sent out her Maids to call men to the walls and Towers of her City; but there are some that will not endure to have their passage made by them: they are they say, inspired from above, and as Elijah was fed by Crows, so are they by Angels, not with meat nor bread, but with a hidden kind of celestial Manna. They scorn those grosser introductions of school Philosophy, and think they cannot admire God's power and authority as they ought, if in things Divine they should attribute any force to human reason. 
1 Cor. 2.14  Their usual discourses are, The natural man, not the things that are of God, for they are foolishness to him: he cannot comprehend them, because they are spiritually discerned; and That the Lord hath threatened to destroy the Wisdom of the wise, 
Cor. 1, 19  and to cast away the understanding of the prudent. Again, the word and preaching of S. Paul say they, stood not in the enticing speech of man, 
1. Cor. 2, 4.  but in plain evidence of the Spirit, and of power. What should we therefore do but utterly abandon those needless Arts and Sciences, 
Colos. 2, 8  which are (as the Apostle saith) the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ? As if the way to be ripe in faith, were to be raw in wit and judgement, as if reason were an enemy to Religion, Childish simplicity, the Mother of divine sufficiency. The name of the Light of Nature, is grown hateful to them, the Star of Learning is no better thought of, then if it were a disastrous and unlucky Comet; or as if God had so accursed it, that it should never shine out in things concerning our duty any way toward him, but be esteemed as the Star of Remphan, or as that in the Revelation called Wormwood, which being fallen from Heaven, maketh Rivers and fountains of Waters, 
Revel. 8, 10  into which it falleth so bitter that men in tasting them do die thereof. The word of GOD (say they) is a two edged Sword, as for the Weapon of natural Reason, it is as the Armour of Saul, rather cumbersome about the Soldier of Christ, then needful, whereas indeed it is, as that which slew Goliath, if they be as David was, that use it. Poison may come from out a Rose, and out of Hemlock Honey may be drawn; but then a Spider must not suck the one, nor a Bee the other. I will not therefore be afraid to imitate the Hebrews, who at their going out from amongst the Egyptians, took from them all the Gold and Silver that they could, & afterwards made a Tabernacle of it to God in the desert; nor Solomon, who refused not to accept both Wood and Workmen, Cedar, and Fir from the hands of Hiram king of tire, for the erecting of a house unto the Name of the Lord his God. There is in the world no kind of knowledge, whereby any part of truth is seen, but we justly account it precious; and that principal truth in comparison whereof all other knowledge is vile, may receive from it some kind of light. So that whether it be that Mathematical Wisdom of the Egyptians and Chaldeans, wherewith Moses & Daniel were so richly furnished: or that Natural, Moral, and Civil wisdom of the Grecians, which the Apostle Saint Paul did bring from Tarsus: or that judaical, which he learned sitting at the feet of Gamaliell, I will by no means detract from the dignity thereof, least by so doing, I should injure even God himself who being that light, which none can approach, hath sent out these lights whereof we are capable, even as many sparkles resembling the bright Fountain from which they rise. That the lawful use and application of profane authority, can be no prejudice to sacred Writ; howsoever therefore I drink of the Waters of life with Christ, yet will I not let as occasion serveth, to draw at the Well with the Samaritan.   

LII.  
THe Pride of a man shall bring him low, but the humble in Spirit shall enjoy glory, He that delighteth himself in the contemplation of his own greatness, and when he vieweth the stateliness of his high-built Palaces, doth vaunt out of a swelling Spirit with Nebuchadnezar; 
Dan, 4, 27  Is not this great Babel that I have built for the house of the Kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the glory of my majesty? A voice from Heaven shall tell him presently, that he shall be utterly deprived of the society and commerce of men, and be enforced to take up his dwelling with the Beasts of the field. He that shall say in his heart, I will ascend up into Heaven, 
Esay 14.13,  and exalt my Throne above beside the stars. I will sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the North; I will climb above the height of the clouds, and I will be like the most High; He shall be thrown with Lucifer the son of the Morning, down into the lowest pit. And to him that presumeth on the multitude of his merits, it shall be said, 
Revel. 3, 17  Thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. The Publican did never boast of his uprightness, nor did he brag of his tithing Mint and Cumin, yet he was justified, when the Pharise, notwithstanding his former purity, was clean rejected. He that is proud, is like a Glow-worm, he carrieth an outward show of pomp and glory in the darkness of this world, but in the day of judgement, when Christ the Sun of justice shall appear, he shall lose his lustre, and his light shall seem as if it were extinct. The eye of Ignorance may highly value him, but the touch will show him to be counterfeit and base. Let who so listeth therefore go settle his ambition in the Plains of Sennaar; 
Gen. 11, 2  let him departed with wicked and voluptuous Worldlings from the East, and seek to purchase a name unto himself elsewhere; there is a Star, which calleth me thither ward, and I will follow it, till I come unto the Manger, where the meanness of my saviours birth shall make me call to mind the baseness of mine own. I will observe the lowliness of that blessed Lamb, and with the thought of his humility give life to mine. There is nothing in me that is aught, which I have not received. When I shall therefore offer up my heart unto the Lord, I will bury all presumption in the apprehension of human weakness, and high conceits shall languish in the consideration of my own unworthiness. It is a Turtle▪ the Feathers of it must be plucked off, 
Levit. 1.16  and the maw thereof pulled out, and cast upon the East side of the Altar, in the place of the ashes, or god will not accept it for a Sacrifice.   

LIII.  
Sin is a great burden, the weight thereof did crack in sunder the very heavens, and through the bowels of the earth did force a passage to the lowest he● It broke the back of all the creatures, and made as I may say, Nature herself to haut. There was no part in all this universal Frame, but was thoroughly bruised, if not broken. All things were utterly disjointed with the fall. The Spheres were put beside their purer influence, & the Elements so confounded with the violence of the shock, that contrary to their natural and inbred motion the Fire came down and burnt Pentapolis; 
Gen. 7, 17  the water rose up, and drowned the World. There was not any thing could be found so stiff or strong which did not yield. The everlasting Mountains were shivered, 
Hab. 3.6.  and the ancient hills did bow. Yea, God himself, who sat till then unmovable upon the square base of his Mercy, 
Gen. 3, 8  and took no care but how to pleasure us, did then arise out of his seat, & with the foot of justice measured the walks of Paradise. The Earth did sink under the sin of Dathan & Abir●● as too weak a prop for such an unsupportable load: 
Num. 16, 32  And so indeed it doth even under us. For what are our Graves & Sepulchres, but so many proofs and witnesses of the heaviness thereof: but for which, the very waters would have been able to have sustained us as they did Christ our Saviour. But this alas! is now; In the day of judgement it shall be utterly broken, it shall be clean dissolved; 
sa. 24, 20  it shall reel too & fro like a drunken man, and shall be removed like a tent, the iniquity thereof shall be heavy upon it, so that it shall fall, and rise no more.  
To him therefore that came into the World t● help the Lame, will I become while the time doth serve, an humble suppliant, 
Mat. 11.5.  and beseech him earnestly, that he would vouchsafe to cure my Cripple spirit, and withal, ease it of that grievous farthel under which it groaneth, that so I may be able to walk upright in the path of God's commandments. The way to Heaven is exceeding steep, I must be free from all encumbraunce, or I can make no expedition.   

liv.  
WOrldly pleasure is the bane of heavenly contemplation; and a mind distracted with many things, cannot mind as it ought that one thing which is necessary. The blessed virgin during the time of her painful flight, did never want the company of her beloved Son; he was continually with her, whilst she lived as an exile in the Land of Egypt, but when she went up to Jerusalem to the feast, 
Luke 2.42.  she lost him presently. As long as the Thesbite remained in the solitary Wilderness, he was deliciously fed by the Lords own hand, but when he made his repair to populous and frequented places, his wants grew such, that a poor Widow was feign to relieve him with a piece of bread Our God is the GOD of peace; he will not abide in a tumultuous breast. His Tabernacle is in Shalem, 
Psal. 76.2.  and his dwelling in Zio●. He would not set foot upon the earth, till all the Nations of the same had linked themselves together in love and amity, & that a friendly composition was made the period of all hostile difference. His Image can no more be seen in an unsettled heart, than the shadow of a man in troubled water. We must calm the blustrig motions and distemperatures of our affections, or we shall never enjoy the sweetness of ghostly consolation. The Children of Israel did receive no Manna, till they had past the raging Sea, 
Acts 2.2  and were come into the quiet desert. The Apostles were sitting in a Chamber privately, when they received the Comforter; 
1 King. 19, 12.  and Elijah stood alone in the entering of a Cave, when the Lord not in a tempestuous whirlwind, nor in a violent Earthquke, nor in a storm of fire, but in a soft and gentle sound appeared unto him, who thereupon covered his face immediately with his Cloak, that nothing might withdraw his sight from the full beholding of such inestimable glory. I will retire myself wholly therefore from the world; I will Cloister up my senses from the delights and vanities thereof; they shall no longer frequent the meeting places of profaner minds; My heart shall be a Cell, wherein my Thoughts being thoroughly weaned from the desire of all transitory pleasures, shall sing continually with a sincere and mortified affection, Halleluiah, Halleluiah to the King of Kings. 
Luke 19.3.  Zacheus could not possibly see Christ jesus in the crowd, but when he had him in his House alone, his eyes were satisfied with the view of that celestial object. The short-lived recreation that Iniquity brings with it, shall not lodge within the circuit of my bosom, I know that the laughter of a mad man, is a grief to his friends; and the mirth of a Sinner doth make an Angel mourn; I will from henceforth therefore furnish myself with a religious & godly sorrow, and being so provided, I will run and seek for my blessed Saviour. His Mother found him not till she had grieved exceedingly; nor Marie Magdalene, 
Luke 2.48.  till she had wept excessively; they both lamented & mourned bitterly, 
john 20.11  as for the loss of an only Son, 
jere. 6.26.  or they could never else have heard of him. I will not hope for better hap, but encourage myself by their example.   

LV.  
THe blueness of the wound serveth to purge the evil, 
Pro. 20, 30  and the stripes within the bowels of the belly. For it is indeed the after-wisdome, and Epimethean had I witted of mortal men, never to look up unto Heaven for help, but in the midst of their affliction. And then, Come say they, let us return to the Lord, for he hath spoiled us, 
Hos. 6.1.  and he will heal us; he hath wounded us, and he will bind us up. In their prosperity they grow forgetful of him that made them, and never think upon the Cross of Christ, till they be crossed themselves. Till Paul was struck with blindness, he never asked jesus of Nazareth what was to be done; nor did the Prodigal acknowledge his fault, till hunger forced him to return. Manasseh remembered not 
2 Cron. 33.12.  to pray unto the Lord, till he was in tribulation, & then he humbled himself greatly before the GOD of his fathers. The carnal man will quickly riot in his growth; if he be not, either by infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, or anguish suppressed and kept down. When I am weak (saith the Apostle) then am I strong. 
2. Cor. 12, 10.  And hereupon the kingly Prophet desiring the conversion of sinfulmen, Fill their faces, O Lord, (saith he) with shume, 
Psal. 83.16.  that they may seek thy Name; and in another place. Let thy chasticementes and thy corrections be multiplied upon them, and they will hasten to thee out of hand. They may be likened to a servant that obeyeth not his Master, but when his Sword is drawn; or unto Swine, that till the coming of the storm, will not leave their wallowing in the mire. Nay some of them there are, so desperately enamoured with that painted jezabel (Iniquity) that no indifferent means can wean them from her allurements: 
1. Cor. 5, 5.  they must of necessity be delivered unto Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, or their Spirit will be hardly saved in the day of the lord; And such were Hymenaeus and Alexander, 
1 Tim. 1.20  whom Paul surrendered up unto him, that they might learn not to blaspheme. A thing exceeding strange, and like to Sampsons' Riddle; 
judg. 14.14  That out of the devourer should come meat, and sweetness out of the strong; yet so it is. Vice showeth itself under his Roof, even in the height of her bestiality; the nakedness thereof is quite discovered: no part of her deformity but here is stalled out to the full show, and thrice thrice, wretched is that man, whom this cannot distaste. With all submission therefore, both of heart and mind, will I drink the Cup which my heavenly Father shall put into my hand; the bitterness thereof shall not affright me; 'tis for the strengthening and recovering of my crazy soul, and I will not grudge to take it. I will repair unto the Lord for help while my hurt is green, if once it putrefy, there is no use of Linitives; it cannot possibly be cured but by Cautere or Incision. I will obey the summons of his glorious ministers, and not stay till I be called by him: His voice is terrible as thunder; it breaketh the Cedars, and maketh Lebanon and Shirion leap like the younger Unicorns; 
Psal. 29.6.  it divideth the flames of Fire, and maketh the Wilderness of Kadesh to tremble: at the sound thereof, the Hinds do Calf, and the Forests are discovered. Let Moses therefore talk with 
Exo. 20.19.  me, and I will hear him; but let not God talk with me, lest I die.   

LVI.  
sloth is an enemy to Christian Venues, & he that serveth under the Lord of hosts, must labour to avoid it. His Soldiers must be still in action, and upon their march. To make a stand in the way of righteousness, is as distasteful to the King of heaven, as to retire. The man of God that came up from judah, to prophesy to jeroboam the destruction of the altar, 
King 13.24  though seduced by the Spirit of Untruth, did pay the same forfeiture for hi● linger, wh●ch the Wife of Lot did for her looking b●cke. And it is avouched by the Oracle of heaven, That he which is slothful in his work, 
Prou. 18, 9  is even the Brother of him that is a great waster. I will awaken therefore my sluggish thoughts, and with the precepts of my blessed Saviour, will I quicken their dull motion. Standing waters do quickly putrefy, and without exercise, the healthiest constitution waxeth faint & feeble. The Canker doth consume the Brass, and rust the Iron, if they be not used; yea, the lustre of the purest Gold abateth by being long imprisoned in the Coffers of the Covetous. The Lord therefore shall enlarge my heart, 
Psal. 119.32  and I will run the way of his Commandments. In vain hath he received the grace of God, that doth not show some sign of his proficiency. I will imitate those Kine, that carried the Ark from Ekron; 
1. Sam. 6.12  who lowed as they went, & always kept one path, not turning till they came unto Bethshemesh, either to the right hand or the left; I have already charged my shoulders with the yoke of my Redeemer, and am entered into the strait and ready way; no worldly consideration or respect shall make me slack my pace; I will onwards still, and not cease to sigh under the burden of it for my sins, till I come unto the glorious habitation of my blessed Saviour Christ jesus, the Son of everlasting righteousness.   

LVII.  
GOD is the Wellspring of true knowledge & eternal wisdom, from whence those Fountains of living Waters flow, which who so tasteth of, shall never thirst. It is he that searcheth the heart and reins; it is he, that declareth unto man what is his thought. He knoweth all things intuitively, and nothing can be hid from his discerning Eye. But yet such is the love he beareth us, that willingly & wittingly he suffereth himself to be deceived by us. He proffereth us the Kingdom of Heaven at a low rate, as if he knew not justly the worth thereof. The Apostles bought it of him for a leaking Fish-Boate, and some few broken Nets to boot: Zacheus had it for half his goods: the Widow for her mite: and some (O happiness beyond all hap!) for a Cup of cold Water only: Nay the good will alone, and sincere affection of many towards it, hath been accepted, and thought sufficient for the purchase. Whatsoever we have of him is undervalved; but he hath nothing from us, which is not over-bought. Our earthly bodies cost him the shedding of his most precious blood; our cankered souls the laying down of his immaculate and spotless life; and what alas! is there in us (poor sinful wretches that we are) which may deserve such an inestimable price. 
Mat. 19.29.  He giveth us a hundredth fold more than he taketh, and suffereth himself to be beguiled even with unequal shares. For many times we give our youth to Satan, and our age to him, who notwithstanding he should have both doth take it quietly, and like a gentle Creditor is content with any thing from a bad Debtor. But this connivence, & kind forbearance of his, shall not embolden me in any careless course. All that I have will I give unto him, yet think that all too little for so great and glorious an inheritance. Whatsoever I pay, nothing can equal it in estimation. The whole world, in comparison hereof, 
Luke 15, 8.  is not to be valued, no not at the lost groat. I will consider how dearly my redeemer bought me, and endeavour to render up myself in that regard, into his hands, as pure and perfect both in mind and body as I can: I will consecrate myself unto the Lord in the strength and vigour of my years, and in my flourishing and able days will I devote myself to the service, and invocation of his most holy name. He that divideth ill, though he offer well, cannot but offend.   

LVIII.  
THe ways of the Lord are in the Whirlwind and the storm; the clouds are the dust of his feet. Bashan and Carmel waste at his rebuke, and the flower of Lebanon doth whither. The Mountains retire from before him, & the hills do me●. His Majesty is great, his power wonderful; yet many ways there are, and many means to vanquish & subdue him. At the sight of our dejection. 
Hos. 11, 8.  His heart is turned within him, and his reperting are rolled together. He must of force reverse his judgements, and stay to execute the fierceness of his intended wrath. But when with a zealous and fervent spirit we do encounter him in prayer, then do we bind him (as it were) hand and foot, that he cannot stir. Let me alone (said he to Moses) and give my fury leave to wax hot against this people. 
Exo. 32, 10.  But the Prophet continued his charitable intercession, and would not suffer him to go, till he had changed his mind. 
Esay 38, 1.  He had determined the death of Hezikiah, & by the mouth of Isaiah willed him to put his house in order, for he should not live, but the King having notice of this firm arrest, turned his face unto the wall, & by the virtue of his prayers and tears prevailed so far, that in the end, 
Mat. 15, 22.  Vixit & vicit, he both lived and overcame. By this the woman of Canaan did surmount that settled hardness, whereof our Saviour did make show unto her. 
Gen. 32, 28  In a word, this is that wrestling of the Patriarch, in which he behaved himself so valiantly, that he bore away the glorious title, and renowned name of Israel, in token of his victorious & triumphal Conquest. But this doth master but his person only. The Saints and Martyrs by their pains and sufferances, do break into his territories, & make their station even within his Confines. Himself beholdeth it, and crieth out, 
Mat. 11, 12.  The Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence; and the violent take it away by force. I will humble myself therefore before the Lord my God, and unto him will I ingenuously confess, how sin and Satan have utterly spoiled me of all spiritual graces and endowmentes, and that my conscience only hath escaped their fury, to bring me tidings of the loss. With my misery will I excite his mercy, and awake his compassion with the vehemency of my own passions. I will fasten on him by devout and earnest supplications, and not let him go, except he bless me. With patience will I arm myself against all hardness & slight, both Death and Danger, to make my passage to the top of Zion, and through the streets of his imperial City, the New Jerusalem.   
FINIS.