AWake my soule, out of the sleep of ignorance, awake my heart, out of the sleep of sloth, struggle out my spirit, out of the depth of darknesse, and look back upon thy God, look upon thy God that cannot be seen with cor­poreall eyes; because he dwels in an in­accessible light, that none can behold and live; yet doe I O my god, lift up my spirit unto thee, I raise up my soule unto thee, I cast up mine eyes unto thee; my understanding desires to me­ditate, and consider of thee, but sees not where to begin, how to goe on, aad in what manner to end; the strings [Page 2] of my tongue are ready to move some­thing concerning thee, but can find neither Prologue, nor Epilogue, nei­ther exordium, nor conclusion of thee. O my God, guide mee, and instruct mee, cherish and help mee. If I behold thee, what is it that in the first, second, third, and last place doth offer it selfe unto me? it is love I observe, it is love that I see, and feele; all the objects of my eyes are love; the fishes in the Sea are sparkes; each pile of grasse in the feild is a spark; the trees in the orchards are sparks; the leaves upon those trees are sparks; the often rising and setting Sun is a spark; and his beames enlight­ning all the world are sparks; the Moon's a spark, and her hornes are sparks; the glittering Sarrs and all the host of Heaven are sparks of it. If all the members which thou hast bestowed upon my body, were tongues, if I had the understanding of an Angell, yet could I not comprehend or set forth the footsteps of thy love. O violent love, burning love, vehement love, love that cannot be kept within thee! When I was nothing, thou wouldest make me something; and thou didest not create mee after the likenesse of the Sun or [Page 3] Moon, nor yet of the Angells; but after thine own likenesse, that I might serve thee in this life, and after this life, (changed not by death, but by an easie passage) that I might reigne with thee, and prayse thee for evermore. Thou didst place mee in Paradise, the garden of pleasure, not to warre with beasts, or to terrifie me with the Lyons roaring, or the grumbling of Beares, but that all the beasts should be subject to me, and stand in awe at my beck, and faune upon me in an humble observance. I would O God, find out thy works, but cannot. Moyses writ something, but he did but write, and straight went hence unto thee; nor have J him now here present, for if he were I would hold him and beseech him and beg of him for thy sake, that hee would freely lay open to mee the wonderfull things of the Creation, wherein the fountaine of thy love did flow and bubble up most plentifully, and I would fasten my bodily eares to the words that should break from his mouth. I would also admit them within the harbour of my breast; and hee should make me sensible, and even touch my very soule; but hee is gone who did but [Page 4] shaddow forth unto me thy wonders, and there is not one left that can un­fold the whole; and surely thou wouldest have mee understand thy works but in part only, whilst I am absent from thee; with thee I shall be most fully instructed. Neither yet doe I, O most Mighty, enough understand that part which thou hast granted and permitted mee that I may understand; spare therefore (thou Mercy it selfe) thy servant the work of thy hands; thy hands have moulded mee, thy spirit gave mee a soule, and added life to my life, it gave mee what I can neither value nor number; and such is God, and such are Gods gifts; alas, give mee this also, that I may obtaine this neere tye of thy love, that as thou art my Creatour, thou wilt bee also my father, and that thou wilt not refuse or reject, or disinherit of thy love a sonne unworthy so great a father.

I was in honour O lord and heaven­ly King, even so great that I cannot [Page 5] now set it forth; but when I was in honour I understood not what that honour was. In what an honoured place did I inhabit? in a place of delight. My life found neither trouble nor want; I was compassed with fragrant apples, I was propped up with ho­nours, crowned with glory and honour, and placed above the works made of clay. But I was the more excellent in regard of the badge of thy divine i­mage, and my lot and company was the society of Angels, and the whole Army of the Host of Heaven; but I did change that glory into the simi­litude of a calfe that eateth hay. How many virtues was I cloathed with? What did I want whom mercy pro­tected, truth instructed, justice did governe, and peace did cherish? But alas what shall I say O my God? thou bestowedst that property of reason upon me, whereby I might excell all living creatures, and didst so sublime it by a peculiar gift, that I wanted but little of attaining to those thy most pure Ministers; I knew this, but did not acknowledge it, nor did I weigh for what end thou gavestime this wisdome. I call not that a good ship [Page 6] that is painted with gaudy colours, nor which hath a guilded or silvered head, nor whose hull is inlayed with ivory, nor which is fraught with Kingly wares and treasures: but that is strong and firme, and hath thick ribs to shut out the waters, and tough to endure the assaulting Seas, that is pli­ant to her rudder, can make good way and fetch all winds. I call that a good sword, not that hath an em­broydered belt, or whose scabard is set with pretious stones; but that that hath both a keene edge to cut, and a point that can pierce any armour. Men desire a straight rule and not a faire one; wee commend a thing so farre only as it is usefull for that end for which it was made: So I, who did then know these things better than now, ought to have acknowledged that I received all good from thee; if I would have ordered my selfe according to the rule of thy heavenly govern­ment, the obedience only which thou requiredst, and which without thy command was due unto thee, had made mee blessed and perfect if I would, and had not obeyed the detestable suggestions of the old Serpent. From [Page 7] my originall I was good, but that goodnesse came only from thee; none of it was from mee, yet thou wouldest have some goodnesse come from mee, to the end that thou mightest see I did acknowledge that thy goodnesse; but I obeyed that traytour Satan, thy enemy, more willingly, and more readily than thee, when I might with more ease have contemned his slights than I can now those foresaid poy­sons which are mixed in my draughts, and that even by my friends; I am un­done, I am undone, I have neglected my perfection, O sad and mournfull change! O man the inhabitant of Pa­radise, the lord of the earth, Citizen of Heaven, one of the Lord of Sa­boths family, and fellow heire of Heavenly vertues, from whence by a sudden change art thou cast headlong? by reason of infirmity hee lyes in a stable, for his likenesse to beasts hee even needeth hay, for his untamed fiercenesse hee is tyed to a manger. I am undone, I am undone, and no­thing can repaire mee but thou, O most Mercifull.

THou art wonderfull O God, and very much to bee praised, thy power is great, and there is no summing up of thy greatnesse and goodnesse, beneficence, and clemency. Though but a man, I will confesse thee; though I am but one piece of thy Creation, and but a man that carries his mortality about him, and that beares within him a testimony of his sinnes; though such a man, such a portion of thy Creation; yet will I praise thee. If I were without thee, I should not be, whatsoever I am, I should become nothing. Thou wast in mee to make me have a being, and to be with thee; but I departed from thee, although I am thus in thee, and with thee. But how could I depart or be absent from thee? how could I fly from thy face? if I ascended into Hea­ven thou wast there; for thence didst thou cast downe headlong the spi­rit of pride and authour of disobedi­ence; [Page 9] if I should make my bed in hell, thou wouldest be there also, for thou hast the keyes thereof, and setst open the gates thereof, for them that trust not in thee; if I should plunge my selfe in the depth of the Sea, thou wouldest there find mee, for thou didst cast disobedient peevish Jonah into the maw of the whale; thou madest him there a prisoner 3 nights and 3 dayes, and then didest draw him thence, neither torne, hurt, or wounded: if also I should take the wings of the morning, and make my habitation beyond the far­thest Seas, even there would thy hand lead mee, and thy right hand take hold upon mee; if I should say, yet shall the darknesse hide me; why, even night shall be turned into day unto me; dark­nesse it selfe cannot hide from thee, the night to thee shines like the day; dark­nesse is light, and light as darknesse; not houses, nor vailes, nor walls, nor enclosures, no caves that are under ground, or dens that are full of dark­nesse, can shut out thy presence; thou art more nearely present with us, than we are to our selves. Thou searchest through our life, our actions and all our thoughts. Can any lurking place [Page 10] hide any from thy presence? Doest not thou fill heaven and earth, and art a God at hand, and also afarr off? Thou art all eye, for thou seest all things; all eare, because thou hearest all things; all hand, for thou framest all things; all foot, for thou art every where present; thou art neare me, thou art with me, thou art in mee, thou sittest within mee, thou art an observer of all my good and evill, and art my protector; yet my God I went from thee, I departed, and forsook thee; I blush when I speak this; yet I speak it willingly; because forthwith, thy mercy offers it selfe vnto me. Soul­diers that keep not their stations, are punished with death, and hee that in the battell first begins to runne, loses his life: yea for a man but to lose his target, is counted a crime, and to cast away his weapons is counted a most reproachfull thing. Ah! how foulely have I left my station, without thy command O heavenly & eternall com­mander: there was yet no ordered or marshalled battell with Satan, I was but only assailed by a light skirmish, and at the very first onset, I threw away the buckler of my integrity, and [Page 11] faith, I suffered my weapons to bee shaken out of my hands, and I fled from my allegeance, from before thy face. With what a slight resistance, and by how childish a valour might I have overcome Satan? it was my sloath, and not his force that made him strong. As a man greedy of gaine, seeing an orphant have riches, entices him often to his house, makes him a banquet, bestowes something on him, and beguiles him with faire words, till hee hath gotten his meanes: so the de­vill seeing that I had a pretious trea­sure, heavenly wisdome, layd up in an earthen chest, presently offered mee wealth, pleasures and honours, that baited with these, hee might spoyle mee of my heavenly riches; he hath stripped mee and spoyled mee of all my treasure which I ought to have kept holily, and might without difficulty have done it. But what gave he me in requitall? what riches? what pleasures? what honours? What can he repay whose inheritance, and riches, is that infernall torment? that gulfe that vomits forth pitch, and flames, whose torments are without end, and his confusion ever­lasting. But thou my God for my [Page 12] backsliding hast rendered a reaccep­tance of me; for my falling from thee, thou hast requited mee with thy fa­vour. For thy grace and mercy is pre­cedent and greater than my whole offence and all my failings. I read it spoken by thy Kingly servant that thy mercy is great; great hee said it was, but how great hee could not tell: wee have knowne that it is great, but how great we have not knowne nor can per­ceive. We know not the quantity of it's greatnesse, which cannot be ex­pressed in words. Wee see the fruit of mercy is great, for were it not ex­tended beyond measure, we had not after our Fall been received of thee. Ah what is sinne to the mercy of God? A spiders web that a blast of wind makes invisible. Consider a spark of fire if it should fall into the Sea, could it continue living, or visible? as a spark to the Sea, so is mans malice to Gods Pitty and Clemency; yea not so on­ly, but farre lesse; for the Ocean though it be vast, yet is not unmeasu­rable, but of Gods mercies there is no measure.

WHat is man that thou wast mindfull of him? what the son of man that thou didst visit him? Thou thoughtest of me before I had a being, I was in thy minde before I was in the world; thou appointedst a consult, O my God, when thou wast to make me: af­ter thou hadst brought forth all things, and hadst built this vast stage of the world, hadst replenished, and adorned it; thou didst say, Let us make man af­ter our Image. Thou God and Father, who art the beginning and originall of the Trinity, with whom consultedst thou? was it with the Angels, and those holy Inhabitants of heaven? why sure­ly they joyned not with thee in the Creation of man, nor was man made according to their similitude. Did hee consult with the Earth, or with the Sun? because the Sun and man are said to generate man; who may be suffered to trifle thus? Let us make man saidst [Page 14] thou, we our selves will be busie about him, and not an Angell, not the Earth, not the Sunne, not the Water, nor any other thing. But who is with thee? doest thou speak in the Potentates language? Nor was this sutable; thou speakest to thy Coeternall and Coessentiall Son and holy Spirit; thou speakest God with God, one God; as the Father workes, so works the Son, and holy Ghost, they work but one. Thou createdst man the worke of the whole Trinity, to live in this world, better than the whole world, the most exquisite Creature of all crea­tures, the most absolute Creature, or lit­tle world, the Compendium, and Epi­tome of the great world; yet not pro­perly a world, but a man framed by thy hands, by the Communion of the Son, and the holy Ghost, an image enlive­ned by the breath of thy mouth, and a representation of thy selfe. Heaven, thy habitation, is resplendant with shining, and sparkling lights; the earth thy foot­stoole doth swell with a thousand sort of fruits, and yet none of them is said to be made as man was. O God, I am thy Image, I am thy likenesse, therefore I will be thy pleasure, thy delight, thy content; thou wilt take care of me, and [Page 15] never forsake me; for who will neglect an image, and a worke made after his owne likenesse? To what end O my God, hast thou done all this? why didst thou forme and fashion me in so excel­lent a manner? Thou madest man first of al, that he might be the stock of us all from which so many branches, so many leafes, and so many fruits should spring. Thou wouldest that all should have one originall, and a like beginning, that no man should preferre himselfe before another, as if he were the seed of a more noble father; that none should despise another, that one should not hurt ano­ther, but that we should every one mu­tually assist each other in his labour; that we should be all of one mind, will the same thing, covet, and desire the same thing; and that there might not be heard any brawles, contentions, en­viousnesse, or deceits amongst us. For concord is that most fragrant Balsum that breathes thee that excellent odour. Thousand thousands in heaven do serve thee, and there is found no discord: thousand thousands should also serve thee on earth, and there should be found no discord. Thou didst make us all that we should be the cleere mirrour of [Page 16] thy Majesty, of thy Glory, of thy Dig­nity, of thy Power, and of thy Wis­dome. The work commends the work­man, and the effect shewes the cause. O unspeakeable Artist! O unvaluable causer of all things! Let us take heed that we neither break nor spot, that we nor fully nor make dusky this glasse; let us beware that we cause not Satans vizard to be seene in this glasse, but let wisdome, piety, goodnesse, curtesie, cha­stity, and whatsoever is most excellent in thee, in part reflect in us. Thou madest us all, that wee should bee the worlds perfection, beauty, and orna­ment. The world was a Cage cunning­ly and wonderfully wrought, but it wanted a singing bird, by whose warb­ling notes al things might be expressed: let us wordlings beware, that we be not to the world like a Crow, or dunghill bird, or a Jay, but a Lark, that doth night and day, in the evening, and at morne celebrate and proclaime his Creatours praise: let us not be a disgrace, an un­profitable, and reproachfull burden, that the world may labour to expell with groans, and be glad, not sorry to be rid of it, rather than wish for its returne. Thou hast made us all that we should [Page 17] admire, and set forth thee, and thy works. Thou hast endued me with an understanding enlightned with hea­venly fire, that by thy selfe I might di­stinguish thee from my selfe, and the world. Thou hast given me a will, that knowing thee, I might love thee above all things, because thou excellest all things, and dost comprehend all good things within thee. Thou gavest me a tongue, that knowing, and loving thee, I should lively expresse, and redouble thy praises. Be present my under­standing, be present my will, be present my tongue, know him, love him, praise him: praise the Lord, O my soule, I will praise the Lord all my life long, I will sing unto my God while I have any being: Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing unto our God, it is a pleasant, and comely thing to be thankfull unto him. Thou hast made us all, that wee should live with thee, and that wee should be made partakers of thy glory and gladnesse. The better any thing is, the more it communicates its goodnesse to others: but thou my God, art the best of bests, therefore thy goodnesse doth most plentifully flow to all, so that they will lay hold, and embrace it; Vouch­safe [Page 18] safe O Lord, that whilst I walke in the way, I may dwell and remaine with thee in life. Thou ordainest me to life, O suffer me not to fall by death; death is not of thee, but from my selfe; life is not from me, but from thee; take that from me which proceeds from me, and give me that which comes from thee, and I will praise thee in thine own ho­linesse, I will praise thee in the firma­ment of thine owne power, I will praise thee in thy virtues, I will praise thee ac­cording to the magnitude of thy great­nesse, I will praise thee in the sound of the Trumpet, I will praise thee upon the Psaltery, and Harpe, I will praise thee in the Cymball, and Quire, I will praise thee upon the stringed instruments, and Organs, I will praise thee in the well sounding Cymballs, I will prayse thee on the loud Cymballs, every thing that hath breath shall praise thee, Hallelu­jah. My spirit shall leap for joy in God my Saviour, for evermore; O most blessed God, give me a blessed age.

OMnipotent Creatour, thou didest bestow a threefold grace upon man, the grace of the soule, originall righteousnesse: and the grace of the bo­dy, immortality: and the grace of a most pleasant place to inhabit: but what is that place my God, wherein thou didest place my first parent, and mee in him? I read the words of thy penman, but what meane those words? what is Paradise? what is Eden? teach me O my God, for no man (although hee think he hath gotten much knowledg) can instruct me sufficiently. I collect that thou plantedst a garden, and that it looked toward the East; I heare of foure rivers, Ganges, Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates, but yet I am not satisfied: for the doubts of Disputants, and their wrangling, makes the matter very intri­cate unto me. But why doe I seeke for that which is not, and neglect that which is? give me the heavenly Para­dise, and the earthly Paradise shall ne­ver trouble me. I understand it was a [Page 20] most fruitfull Garden, and stuffed with joy, pleasure, and delight, in which the eyes did want nothing, nor the ears, or any other part of that body, which it did not enjoy. Within, thou hadst furnished man with wisdome, and un­derstanding; without, thou sufferedst him not to want any thing: All the creatures came about that new king, enthroned by the King of kings, did tender him homage, and did reverence him with humble subjection. The tall, fertile, odoriferous, pruned, comely, and pregnant trees, how much did they re­fresh him? the Alder tree, Almond tree, Cherry tree, Fig tree, Cidonian Punick aurea, and what ever else doe beautifie the fields? But above the rest, notable are those two, which thy booke de­scribes unto me, which did most of all ennoble the Garden, that Tree of life, and the Tree of the knowledge of good and evill. When thy faithfull servant calls it the Tree of life, doth he doe it because it had received this power from thee, that he which should eat of its fruit, should have his body confirmed in a setled state of health, and a perpetu­all strength, that it should not decline to worse, or to death by sicknesse, or in­firmity [Page 21] of age? Thy very Word doth intimate thus much unto me. Our first Parents were nourished with the fruits of the other trees, that their living bo­dies should not suffer hunger or thirst: but therefore they were to taste of the tree of life, that death might not creepe upon them from any side, nor that they should (in continuance of time) perish by reason of old age; the other trees were for nourishment; that for a Sacra­ment. How great was thy care my God, how great thy providence? thou gavest me not a momentany pleasure, nor a yearely, but an everlasting. Now I am weakned by diseases, I am tormented with cares, I am tortured with griefe, but this is besides thy will, though not contrary unto it; for what could hap­pen to me against thy Will? could one haire have fallen from my head if thou hadst not willed it should be so? what was now my first habitation? the nar­row and dark part of the womb, where I was environed with the ill sented sides of the belly. I come crying into this life, I depart out of it with sweat, and I passe through it with labour, nor is there any one that can boast himselfe free from this condition: being borne and [Page 22] brought into this light, I cannot move my selfe from one place to another; in my first infancy, I am void of all plea­sure, I am a burden both to my selfe and unto others, and exposed to innumera­ble dangers, even till I attaine to these yeares wherein reason and judgement begin to florish in me, happier in that one thing than in the other part of my life, that I understand not my unhappy condition. What shall I say, O my God, my yeares are multiplyed, and my cares increase, but I was not even worthy of these things. Thou canst not doe otherwise than lead me, and support me with thy hand, although I did not deserve life, but hell, and destruction, when I had opened my impious mouth and devoured the forbidden fruit: thou didst ordeine the tree of the knowledge of good and evill, for my Altar, and Temple, that I should yeeld thee due obedience in abstaining from the fruit thereof; I would be made wiser, and did become most unwise; before the Fall I had the knowledge and experience of a present good, I had only the knowledge but not the experience of an absent evil: but after the Fall there was in me a cer­taine knowledge of a lost good, but no [Page 23] experience of it, and I had a knowledge an experience of an adherent evill. Woe is mee; when shall I returne thither, whence I am expelled? I desire not a garden, but a house; not a figure, but the thing figured; I desire not to rule, but to become a servant; I aske not to sit, but to stand and observe thy Commande­ments. Looke on mee, O my Father, looke on me, and approve me, and be pleased in thy mercy, that I may finde favour in thy sight, that the dores of thy palace may bee opened unto mee when I knock; I beseech thee by my Lord, thy Sonne, the man of thy right hand, the Sonne of man, whom thou hast established for a Mediatour be­tweene thy selfe and me, by whom thou soughtest me when I sought thee not, that I might seeke thy Word by which thou hast made all things, and mee a­mongst the rest; thy onely Sonne, by whom thou hast called thy beleeving people unto thy adoption, and amongst them me also: I beseech thee by him that sits at thy right hand, and doth in­tercede unto thee for me, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisedome, and knowledge, open quickly unto me, and grant me passage (O my God) that [Page 24] I may enter into the joy, which can­not enter into mee, because it is farre greater than I am.

THe devill is wicked, foule, and terrible; hee doth therefore as much as he is able, hide his own face, and puts on a strange countenance; yet all his thoughts, all his endevours, and all his actions, are to deceive; when hee perswades to good, hee deceives, for a greater mischiefe that is to arise from that good, in perswading unto evill under the shew of goodnesse; in diswading from good, as if it were evill: in diswading from evill, that he may bring in a worse evill. The de­ceiver invades the Serpent, that wee might not discover the hidden fraud, that hee might with more ease, and profit bring to passe that which hee had wickedly, and most cunningly projected: The Serpent was a beauti­full and subtile creature, therefore not unfit to entice, to move, to perswade, and to seduce. O thou deceiver, O [Page 25] thou turne-coate, O thou ensnarer, and deceiver: most lying spirit, thou trans­formest thy selfe into an Angel of light, that thy subtilty and slights of darknes should not be discerned; thou dissem­blest the night of thy malice, that wee might promise to our selves goodnesse from that which is most vile, and wick­ed; thou mouldest, and paintest, deckest, and fashionst thy instruments, that they may finde some time for acceptance with us; if thou shouldest rransforme thy selfe into an enraged lyon, or wert so bold to change thy selfe into a cruell Beare, who would not tremble, take heed, and flie from thee? thou goest a­mongst us therefore most comely and most courteously, that thou mayest, without being perceived, finde admit­tance of those that are heedlesse; yea, and oftentimes also of those that are most wary. What are those vile teach­ers, whose consciences are feared, that glitter in so many ceremonies, so many formes of worship, and so many com­mentaries or expositions of things, but serpents? but broods of vipers, that cunningly bite us? they put on sheeps cloathing, that they may cover their wolvish clawes. Thou old Serpent, [Page 26] thou usest the subtill wits of men, which are the fittest of all for thy desires; the simple, humble, and abject doe seldome broach Heresies. He that hath profited much in knowledge, for the most part, attributes much to himselfe; he avoides the beaten way, wherein the credulous common sort of Christians doe walke; and is wise apart, and departs, to fall headlong into the gulph of errors. Give me, my God, moderate wisedome, but that I may profit exceedingly in a holy life, and in saving faith: thou wilt not aske mee hereafter what I have scene, but what I have beleeved; not what I have read, but what I have done. Grant that I may receive with an hum­ble heart, what thou offerest mee, and settest forth in thy Word; not re­garding what either superstitious rea­son, or the mischievously obtuse pitch of wit, and foolish subtilties of Doctors doe argue. Thou art the mouth of truth; grant that I may beleeve what thou speakest; the Divell is the mouth of vanity; grant that what he lyingly ut­ters may be suspected and avoided by mee. Grant I may valiantly resist and oppose him in fighting with him. Hee is a serpent, if he but once gaine but a [Page 27] little intermission, hee crowdes him selfe in, and wee can hardly expell him but though wee overcome him, as it were, hee doth recollect himselfe, and assayes to get new strength; even as the serpents taile cut off, doth by licking grow againe; and if his head get in any where, all his body will quickly follow. O thou Conquerour of the Serpent, who art not said to bruise his tayle, but breake his head, helpe me that I yeeld not: if I be stricken, if I doe fight with him, grant me also power, O my God, to trample under my feet serpents, and scorpions, and all the power of the ad­versary, that nothing may doe me hurt. Vouchsafe, holy Trinity, but one God, that I may alwaies be mindfull of thee, that I may alwayes have thee with me; and all the power of Satan shall vanish away. The serpent is afraid of the three leaved grasse, and never lyes upon it; Satan abhorres thy name and memory, and to call upon thee; nor dares ap­proach the adorers of the Trinity, nor those that inhabit neere the Deity. Bee present with me, O God, forsake me not my Redeemer. The serpent flyes the Hart, he is driven away by the fume of the fat, and of the Harts-horne; thou [Page 28] art the morning Hart, thou art that fume, that odour whereby that infer­nall spirit is weakned and repelled. Re­move farre from me gluttony, and in­temperancy. The serpent cannot en­dure a fasting man's spittle, but dyes being sprinkled with it; make mee poure out my prayers with fasting un­to thee, and that I may send forth my sighes, and call forth my groanes, and I shall be preserved in safety. I often think of that (O my God) which af­terwards I dislike of; yet I confesse those things unto thee, because thou seest them, though I confesse them not unto thee; and except I doe confesse them, thou dost punish them; I often deale thus with my selfe. Oh that I had bin so made, that I could not have fallen and been deceived. I thinke of good in an ill manner, I therefore thinke of those things, that thou mightest never have been wroth with mee, nor that I might have given thee cause to be an­gry; this had been good, but I think it in an ill way; for why hast thou not made me so? because thou wouldst not; why wouldst thou not? because thou wouldst not; I must not bee more wise than is sitting for me. But I suppose that rea­sonable [Page 29] creature is not of a little good­nesse, who avoides ill, by comparing of evills. Thou didst not O God, violently hinder mans Fall, because thou knew­est how to draw some good from it; yet followes it not from thence, that thou didst will his Fall, but didst rather will that good which thou knewest how to derive from his Fall; but the Fall it selfe thou didst hate, and extremely detest. What shall I thinke my God? pardon him that hath been deceived thereby: mee thinks thy servants are not to be accounted faithfull, and thrifty, if they must be fettered, and shackled, to force them to doe thy pleasure; but when they freely, and of their owne ac­cords do manly act that which belongs unto them. That is not acceptable unto thee, which is forced, and drawne from us by violence, but that which proceeds from true virtue; for virtue proceeds from a free deliberation, not from ne­cessity but free deliberation, and electi­on, require a freedome of will. But why doe I dispute O my God? let it suffice me that thou didst not produce a nature not subject to sinne, because it pleased thee not to doe it. Pardon me, pardon me, O my God, and deny not to forgive [Page 30] my curiosity. We should not exercise our selves in an idle and vaine curiosity concerning the creatures, but we should direct our steps to things immortall, and which indure for ever. Those things which thou wouldst conceale, are not to be searched into. Those things which thou hast revealed, are not to be negle­cted, that we be not found unlawfully curious in the one, and damnably in­gratefull in the other; I will seek truth in truth, not in vanity; I will finde it when I have sought it, for truths sake, not for vanity; nor will I traffique for the gaine of death in the words of life.

AS there is not O my soule, O my sense, O my thought, any mo­ment, wherein, my God, I doe not use to enjoy thy goodnesse and mercy; so ought there not to be any moment wherein I may neglect to have thee present to my memory; I should ac­count that I have lost all that time wherein I have not thought upon thee, [Page 31] O my God. I should account O God, all that time lost, wherein I doe no: meditate upon thee, I therefore come again unto thee; O thou never failing light; O thou untyred and never ex­tinguisht life; O thou ever springing fountaine; O thou seed-plot of life; O thou chiefe beginning of wisdome; O thou first originall of goodnesse; thou wilt not reject me O my God, for I speak not to jeering man, but to the Lord, that splenitickly laughs not at mee, nor flowts mee with his coun­tenance. I behold, my God, this large extended Fabrick, and I am struck dumb; it was made by thee, and thou hadst an end of thy work, yet didst thou not leave thy work; thou didst not like an Architect depart from the piece of work thou hadst made; hee goes away, and after regards it not; but thou art still present, and remainest the same. Most powerfull and wise God, whatsoever thou didst once make, that thou doest alwayes preserve, by thy Omnipotency; and dost order it by thy wisdome. I con­sider the nature of thy visible creatures, their place, order, condition, motion; agreements, harmony, comelinesse, [Page 32] beauty, greatnesse, use, delight, vari­ety, alteration, and indurance; that is in these corruptible things. I find thy providence manifested in each part of thy creation; I see it in heaven, and in the lights of heaven, the Sun, the Moon, the Starrs, in the ayre and in the Clouds, in the Earth, in the Sea, in the plants, in the herbs, in the seeds, in living creatures, as well reaso­nable, as unreasonable, foure-footed beasts, flying fouls, in swimming and creeping creatures. Think with thy self my most sweet soule, who it is that orders heavens axeltree that in so many thousand yeers it's not growne old, nor hath received any alteration; and although it be made of a passible and corruptible substance: yet by the word of it's creation, it remaines still upheld in the same state; O Lord our God, there is none like unto thee. There is none so rude, nor of so bru­tish a behaviour, but if he lift up his eyes towards heaven, although he may be ignorant, whose providence it is that governes all this that hee sees; yet that doth not understand from the very order, constancy, moderation and profit of these things, that there [Page 33] is a Providence. Though wee should find some living creatures, in regard of their use, unprofitable, and ordei­ned to no fit use for us; yet might wee receive profit, in beholding them; and they might be more profitable to their hearts that behold them, than to the eyes of those that use them. And although ir were apparent that they were hurtfull, and pernicious to mans temporary health; yet would it not follow, but they might mutually serve for his good; though not for his meat and service: yet to exercise his wit, according to that proceeding of com­mon instruction, which is ready at hand to every one that will make use of reason, whereby the invisible things of God are made apparent to the understanding, by the things that are made. Thou hast therefore O God made all things profitable, and no­thing fruitlesse. Shall I then bee on­ly without profit? shall I bee the vilest creature thou hast made? let this be farre from me: Let me O God, be profitable to all that aske my help, or that aske it not; for thou hast given me thus many things without asking. Let me be a helper to all t [...] [Page 34] need; and having understanding, let mee altogether take heed, that I be not silent; having abundance of all things, let mee not grow benummed in cha­rity; having skill to governe, let me impart the use of it to my neighbour; I having opportunity to speak to the rich, let mee intercede for the poore; let mee as much as may be, help o­thers in their necessities; and some­time even beyond my ability; let me account an other mans distresse, mine owne; and as I would desire to bee helped in my trouble, so that I may not for any respect of my owne, de­ferre to help another. Let the help I give a nother, be pleasing to mee; which doth indeed redound more to his profit that offers it, than to his advantage that receives it; it is both profitable to the giver, and doth ac­cording to the necessity of the occasion cheere him, that received it: that so in one bargaine made, (which seldome falls out) both parties may seeme to have gotten their wished for gaine. O thou mad man, that for to save a halfepeny, dost lose a groat; and to preserve a temporary thing, dost lose that which is immortall. No creature [Page 35] thou, ô God, didst make was ill, though it might seeme ill, because I did not rightly understand it; thou beholdest all things thou haddest made; and be­hold they were exceeding good. Hee that sayes thy works are ill, defor­med, and not beautifull, conceives not all things are faire to their for­mer, or workman, that useth all things to the government of this universe, which hee rules with a supreme Law. But if an unskillfull man should goe into a workmans shop and should see many tools, but knowes not for what use they are; if he be very simple, he thinks them superfluous. But if un­awares he light into a work-house, or by ill handling of some sharp iron in­strument, doth wound himselfe, he be­leeves there are in it many pernicious and hurtfull things; but the workman knowing how to use them, laughs at his folly, and not regarding his foo­lish words, doth constantly make use of his shop. And yet men that are so simple, dare hardly in the presence of such a workman find fault with things they know not; but when they see them, judge them necessary, and or­dained for some use. But in this world [Page 36] whose builder and governour thou art O my God, men dare find fault with many things, whose use they know not; and would bee thought to know that which they are altogether ignorant of, concerning these instruments of the Almighty Work-master. O the rashnesse of fraile man! thou my God who art (in thy selfe) the Alpha, and the Omega, as thou art in the Angels like sweetnesse, and comelinesse▪ in thy Church as a master of a family in his house; in the soule like a bride­groome in the bride-Chamber; in the reprobate like feare and horrour, in the just as a helper and protecter; in the world as the author, and governour thereof; what shall I that am so un­profitable, and ugly render unto thee, for so many benefits and ornaments? I live and prosper in thee, in thee am I moved, and by thee doe I subsist. But thou O Lord, who livest for ever, dost rest in thy selfe, and by thy selfe hast all things in thy selfe, and dost enjoy and find all things there; thou needest nothing, thou seekest for no­thing without thee, thou sufficest thy selfe in stead of all things, and thou thy selfe art all things. Thou art both [Page 37] God, and Lord of all things, thou art before the beginning of ages, and before any thing that may bee spoken of, art thou both God and Lord of all things created; and with thee doe remaine the causes of all inconstant things, and the immutable originals of all mutable things doe abide with thee, and with thee doe live the ever­lasting causes of all irrationall and temporary things. O mercifull God, tell mee thy suppliant and miserable creature, tell mee, what can I repay thee? can I imagine so small a space, or such a minute, wherein if thou shoul­dest withdraw thy hand, and woul­dest leave me who am of no account, to my selfe that am nothing, I could remaine any thing? I can neither move hand, foot, nor finger, except thou grantest mee that motion; with­hold, thy beck, and in a beck the frame of the world will be dissolved. Seeing then I live, and am preserved by thy goodnesse, all houres, and every mi­nute of those houres; O that I might ascend to thee every houre, and every point of time; O that I might conferr with thee, pray unto thee, glorifie thee, and might consecrate my life and mo­tion, [Page 38] my spirit and senses, and my whole strength unto thee. Thou my God art all things unto mee. Let me being in thee, be all things to thee. In God I will live to God, in God I will move to God; in God whatsoever I doe, I will doe it to God. All things my God, by thy appointment doe serve mee; all that is in mee in like manner shall yeeld a ready service to thee. And because thou hast tempered whole nature for my use, profit, and delight; with what face, mouth, or heart, shall I doubt of thy care, and providence over mee? if thou doubtest, my soule, thou doubtest of God himselfe, and neither knowest the Creator, nor the Creature; shake off my soule thy trem­bling. Thou hast about thee, and in thee thy Saviour, whose most bountifull heart the heavens and earth doe witnesse unto thee.

ALas my God, Adam did sinne; though created by thee yet broke hee thy commandement, went back, [Page 39] and became unprofitable; hee desired to see that thou wouldest not have him to see. But what saw hee O my God? he saw his owne nakednesse. His first nakednesse was nothing else, than tokens of chiefe happinesse, and of the greatest riches; but the naked­nesse that this man saw after he had sin­ned, was meere ruine, a testimony of everlasting woe, and want. That first man saw his body naked, but his soule was more naked, spoyled and disrobed of knowledge, wisdome, in­tegrity, and originall innocency; hee covered his nakednesse, being enwrap­ped with shame; but this was a wretch­ed garment; he sowed together figg leaves, and made aprons, to cover himselfe, and his seducing wife; O vaine mantles, O lamentable cove­rings! And what are all mens cloa­things that seeme so sumptuous, and glittering, but figge leafes that quickly vanish to nothing, and gald those that weare them? O would to God that as often as we cloath our selves, wee were urged with the sharp and stinging point of repentance; for they are tokens of our wants, signes of our shame, argu­ments of our misery, and comforts for [Page 40] our extreme infirmities. Thou sinfull and fallen man, why art thou proud in setting forth thy impieties? thou thiefe, why braggest thou of a halter? why dost thou vauntingly boast of anothers fleece? what carriest thou under it, but a sack full of dung, the rotten bag of thy soule? thy skin is not enough to cover thee; nor except thou beest most impu­dent, dost thou let any one see it, but gettest some other thing to supply the want of thine owne. I behold mine owne clothes, I see a hell of evills; yet I consider the depth of thy care, provi­dence, and mercy; for thou helpest mee thus naked, before I can understand mine owne want and nakednesse; and commandest all the creatures to haste unto me, that they might cover my na­kednesse, and supply my wants. Thou thy selfe most mercifull God, as I re­member, didst clothe sinnefull man in a Lambs skinne, not in Lyons, Beares, Foxes, or Wolves skins, that thou mightest teach him thy hatred to cruel­ty, greedinesse, deceit, and wrath, and thy love to unspotted simplicity; thou madest his garment of the skins of dead cattell, that thou mightest shew us, how we were fallen from life to death; how [Page 41] of immortall we were become mortall; that we were from the earth, and must returne to the earth againe. Thou took­est a skin of a Lamb slaine, that thou mightest witnesse unto us, that our Fall was only to bee healed by a Lambe to be slaine. O thou garment of the gol­den age! thou unspotted Lamb, slaine to the beleevers before the beginning of the world. O thou Messias that wast promised, and food appointed from all eternity; thou who wast made the seed of the Woman, and hast bruised the Serpents head: cloath me with thy merits, and mine owne deserts shall no­thing hurt mee; cloath mee with thy righteousnesse, and mine owne unrigh­teousnesse shall not condemne mee; cloath me with thy holinesse, and mine owne iniquity shall not accuse mee; cloath me with faith in thee, and I shall one day receive the robe of happinesse. Nothing can cover the filthy naked­nesse of a sinner; nothing can hide me from Gods judgement, but thy coat, O heavenly Lambe, but the holes of thy wounds, but the yawning scarres of thy body; I will put thee on by a steadfast faith, and with the Church of old I will triumph before thee.

THou art (my God) very long suf­fering, and thy wrath grants sin­ners a very large time, nor dost thou root out sinners on a suddaine. Mans malice was great, and every thought of his heart was continually bent to mischief; they neglected thy Word, nor did they obey thy Spirit that was to lead them; thou therefore didst repent thee of thy Creation, and didst resolve to destroy this Inne of the World, with all the guests thereof: yet did not thy justice haste very much to execute judgement, but thy mercy interposed a hundred and twenty yeares, that thou mightst see whether by often preaching, any could be moved to worke repentance. Ah my God, thou goest with two feet, one of justice, the other of mercy; but mercy alwayes makes the first step, and justice the later; nor dost thou delight in the death or destruction of a sinner, but thou wilt, and commandest that he bee converted and live. But all thy expe­ctation was in vaine, and thy mercies [Page 43] were entertained with scorne; the wrath therfore of thy justice was kind­led, and the waters of the Flood broke in upon the earth; the fountaines of the great deepe were broken up, and the Cataracts of heaven were opened, and it rained upon the earth for many dayes, and almost all thy creatures perished; and among men, none, but thy Noah, and his family, were preserved in the Ark. Thou forsakest not (my God) thou most just, and most bountifull God, those that worship & adore thee, but dost preserve them in fire and wa­ter, and amidst the storme of growing miseries thou dost nor despise, or reject any; thou dost not affright any one, ex­cept he who is so mad as to abhorr thee. My God the horne of my salvation, thou that takest me up; thou Father of mercies, God of all Consolation; O Lord my Strength, my Fortresse, my Refuge, my Deliverer; Canst thou draw the sword of justice, and not an­noynt the point with the oile of mercy? He lyes therefore hid in safety, in that wonderfull ship, out of which not life but present death was to bee found. What shall I say that that ship did re­present, but thy Church? which is tos­sed [Page 42] [...] [Page 43] [...] [Page 44] to and fro with sundry Stormes of persecution, and waves of adversitie, and hath no fixed station; yet the true, and eternall safety is contained there, which out of it is offered to none. Noah was the Steere-man hereof: but thou, O God art the Governour both of Noah and it, and thou wast Noahs true and hea­venly Comforter, who dost not suffer it to sinke. The waters of the Flood over­whelmed the palaces of Kings, but did every day better than other beare aloft the Ark of Noah: so doe persecutions destroy earthly kingdomes, but thou sufferest not thine owne Kingdome to be overthrowne, but dost even encrease and enlarge it by stormes of temptati­ons. Noah sent a Raven, and a Dove out of the Ark: the Raven pursued his prey, and did never returne to the Arke of Noah; the Dove did returne, and was received in againe of this Steeres­man: O Christ, let mee abandon the Raven-like gluttony, the lovelinesse of pleasures; for it is very rare that any one seated amongst the delights of the age should remaine free from a smatch of vice, in which although hee bee not forthwith inthralled, yet is hee some­times drawne away by them; nor can [Page 45] he be long safe, who stands next to dan­ger; let me remember that I am to play the Souldier in such a kind of warfare, wherein there is no rest given; I will re­solve to overcome pleasures, which have destroyed many good ingenuities. The Dove finding no seat to rest upon, retur­ned to the Ark, and was admitted into it. O Christ my repose, my soule beaten with the flood of sinnes, findes no re­fuge in this world, no comfort, no aide; be thou only my retiring place, and my peacefull sanctuary; the Dove makes her nest in the holes of the rock, and in the cave of the flint wall; my soule shall rest in the holes of thy wounds, and shall therein perpetually delight her selfe; no creature so well pleased with gemitus as the Turtle, shee mourns both night and day; Oh Christ I will send forth no other voice, than a mour­ning, and lamenting voice; that I have not my portion hereafter with the Ra­vens, but that thou O Christ mayst say to me; behold my love thou art faire, thy eyes are Doves eyes; arise my love, my faire one and come away; arise, make haste my love, my Dove, my faire one, and come away. O Christ when shall I come?

STir up now thy selfe, O my soule, and raise up thy whole understanding, and consider (as much as thou art able) how great, and what that is that is set before thee; goe into Bethel, enter in­to the house of God, wherein the Lord inhabits, which is the Gate of Heaven. Where canst thou take better rest than where thy God doth rest? If the heart of man bee not fixed in that eternall place, it can never be firme, but more wavering than motion it selfe, passing from one thing to another, seeking rest where there is none to be found; for if his captive affections be taken up in these transitory, and vaine things, he can finde no true rest, because the soule is of so great a value, that nothing but the chiefe good can content it: enter therefore (O my soule) into Bethel, goe into the house of thy God, dwell in the high place, accompany thy God. As­cend, O my soule, ascend; the Ladder is set, by which thou maiest climbe to the most High. What is that Ladder, O [Page 47] my God, which thy holy Israel did see in his dreame? which stood upon the earth, and reached heaven with his top, by which also the Angels of heaven did ascend, and descend? is it not thy righ­teous Sonne, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and by whom only we have accesse to thee. He stood up­on the earth, because hee assumed our humane nature into the unity of his Person, and the branch of Iesse sprang from the earthly Virgin. Thou my God, willing of old to heale man (the King of all thy creatures) of his sinne, didst make as it were thy blessed Sonne in a sort to goe back from the excellency of the Divinity, and by extreme humility, having passed over nine degrees, those nine orders of Angels, to descend by the incarnation, unto the tenth degree, even the humane nature. He was borne unto us, he lived amongst us, he also ruleth amidst us; he is with us, nor doth he ever forsake those whom he once deter­mined to love. O blessed Ladder, fixe thy selfe also upon my heart, and cause my soule to mount up, and remaine with thee. Thou didst descend for my sake, let me ascend to thee; as thou hast conformed thy selfe to my infirmity, so [Page 48] make me partake of that rest and pleasure, which no care can either inter­rupt or lessen. The top of this Ladder did touch the heaven, but thou the Mes­siah dost not only touch heaven, and art from thence to come unto us, and hast from all eternity taken thy pastime therein, but hast also framed it; thou, who hast neither beginning nor end of dayes, for yesterday, to day, and for ever, art thou the first and the last, the great, the true, and blessed God, who wast in the beginning, and wast glorifi­ed with the Father before the founda­tion of the world was layd. But the Ladder was but one that did reach from earth to heaven; so thou O most sweete Jesus art Lord of heaven, and a man of the earth, yet but one Person, but one Man, one God, and one Medi­atour between a displeased God, and a wretched man, by the union of the Di­vine, and humane nature. By this Lad­der Angels ascend, and descend; because Angels desire to look into the mystery of so holy, and admirable an union, who notwithstanding, doe alwayes see, and heare the holy Spirit instructing them. There doe also other Angels ascend, and descend, even the Teachers, and all be­leevers, [Page 49] who ought to preach nothing else but Christ, because there is no ad­mittance to life by any other; nor is there any open familiar, and daily passage to the Father but this. Imitate O my deere soule, the pure, chaste, and holy Angels in purity, in chastity, in sanctity; except thou wilt lie grove­ling on the earth, and laden with the durt of thy sinnes, bee thrust into hell. O Lord, I cannot lift up my selfe; bee thou my guardian where ever I goe, and bring me out of banishment into thy promised Land; nor neglect or for­sake mee till I shall returne into my Countrey. In the meane time, let mee be like Iacob, a supplanter, and by faith let mee trample upon sinne, let me pre­vaile, and obtaine the blessing: let mee rest upon the living Corner Stone, and I shall not bee moved or confounded: let me be also a spirituall Stone, built upon that Corner Stone, that I may be­come an Habitation, and Temple of Divinity. Ah Jesu, my Redemption, my Love, and Desire, bee present with mee: I invoke thee, I cry unto thee with a strong voice, with my whole heart, which voice none but thou canst heare. I invite thee into my soule, enter [Page 50] into it, and fit it for thy selfe, that thou mayest possesse it without spot or wrin­kle; for a pure habitation is suteable for a most pure Lord: sanctifie mee therefore thy vessell, which thou hast made; empty out the malice, and fill it with grace, and keepe it still full, that I may bee now, and ever a Temple fitting for thee to dwell in. Most Sweet, most Benigne, most Loving, most Deere, most Mighty, most De­sired, most Pretious, most Lovely, most Beautifull. Thou that art swee­ter than Honie, whiter than Milke, or Snow, pleasanter than Nectar, more pretious than Gemmes, or Gold, and deerer unto mee than all the riches, and honours of the World.

MY soule doth often languish, and my heart is often full of great cares when I thinke what I may bee, namely, an example of weakenesse the ruine of Time, the scorn of Fortune, [Page 51] the image of Mutability, the beame of Envie, and Calamity, and the rest no­thing but Flegme, and Choler. Oh, who sees not how many things may be every where busie upon the circumfe­rence of the earth? Oh with how many teares and sighes, they fill the earth, all which doe as it were by a certaine fate accompany mans life? he deplores the sicknesses, which possesse this his body; he deplores the uncertaine condition of his health, and the ambiguity of his life. For what Age or Time is there, where­in hee is not thwarted by some evill? doth he not so soone as he is borne, and newly pulled from the moist receptacles of the womb, abound with slime and filth, and make all things ring with his bawling cries? after, if hee live to the flower of his age, he is carried violently by his intemperate heate; if he attaine to his youth, by reason of the ardor and violence of his spirit, he cannot be kept within the bounds of his duty by no counsell, or admonitions; if he live to his old age he then dies and withers by little and little; yet all this is not enough; for what Art could man ever yet finde out, either to divert a plague, or to stop the force of violent rayns falling [Page 52] from heaven, or stay an earthquake, or quench a fire breaking out of the earth? I see a ranke and mutuall succession of evills, and I behold a continuation of dangers: But if I come to the soule, I see even there an army of diseases, by which it is besieged; if I shall wipe away griefe, feare comes in its place; if feare retire, anger ariseth; if anger bee appeased, envy comes in its roome; mi­sery is at hand, and evils are neere; nor doth ever any certaine rest befall us. Alas, alas, miserable creatures that wee are, how often is man even brought to nothing? I am astonished when I ru­minate on these things, and I poure forth my heart like water; I am not contented with small drops of teares, but poure forth such plenty, as the vio­lent and swift running streame is wont to doe; I can no where finde ease, nor ever peace, nor can I finde any where comfort, but when I flie to thee my God my Fatherly God; for thou pou­rest forth thy goodnesse night and day, without ceasing. As it is the property of heate to warme, and of cold to coole: so is it thy property, good God, to doe that which is good. I am surely a wretch, and sufficiently afflicted; yet [Page 53] thy goodnesse, thy beneficience, thy care, hath overcome all my misery, van­quisheth, and utterly brings to nothing all my affliction. If I make a just rec­koning, there is no man but oftner sees it cleare, than stormy; upon whom thou dost often poure forth thy blessings a­bove his hopes, and thy gifts have over­come his wishes: thy bounties are free, nay, unexpected monuments of good­nesse doe of their owne accord flow from thee: for thou, King of the world, art thou compassed about by any offerings, or sacrifices, that thou shouldest confer on Mankind all these things that are so usefull for his life? dost thou not administer the engen­dring heate of the Sunne, the coole re­freshings of the Night, the Seasons, the Winds, and Raynes to good and bad, to just and unjust, to free men and to ser­vants, to poore and rich, with an equall hand? It is thy property, O powerfull and true God, to afford blessings un­sought for, to weary and feeble crea­tures, and such as are continually brought low by many sorts of crosses. But I am exceedingly refreshed, and I am transported with wonderfull joy, when I consider that thou art alwaies [Page 54] an evident assister of good men, and dost maintain the better cause. Although many that belong to thee, do behold the posterity of Israel often murmuring, and cursing; yet is hee a rejoycing vi­ctorious rock, amidst all the greatest dangers he is invironed withall: He is oppressed, vexed, troubled, and almost overwhelmed; but my helping God comes in season to his ayde, to deliver those that mourne. O admirable care of God for his people! O more than Fa­therly protection I am scarce my self, when I behold those great workes of my protecting God. Moses set in the Wilderness to feed his flock, sees a bur­ning Bush, heares thee out of the Bush, receives thy Commands, is exalted in Power, is sent to Pharaoh, approaches him, speakes to him, is contemned, and overcomes him. Egypt is smitten, Pha­raohs disobedience is scourged, and that not after one manner of way, that the sacrilegious King might bee tormented with variety of punishments. And what? after this he rebells ten times, and is so many times punished. What is it then that I say? why, I do conceive that during all this, thou tookest know­ledg of the estate of thy children, thou [Page 55] didst judge of it, thou tookest care of them, and didst most benignly pro­tect them; as often as thou smotest the rebelling Egyptians, so often didst thou cast backe thine eye upon thine owne; so often didst thou preserve them, and judge their enemies. But what followed all this I have said? Is­rael is let to depart, doth celebrate the Passeover, doth rob the Egypti­ans, and goes thence with great riches. Pharaoh repents him, musters an army, overtakes them in their flight; his army is stopped, hee is divided from them by darknesse, the sea is dried up, Israell re­joyceth he is delivered by the officious patience of the waves; Pharaoh follows after them, the sea returneth upon him, and hee is swept away by the working waves. In order after these things, the Hebrew Nation, that had conquered without warre, enters the wildernesse, and journeyth without travel, and wal­keth without a way: God ushering them; they honourable in having God a fellow-souldier with them; and being mighty, by his heavenly gui­dance following the moving Pillar, cloudy by day, and fiery in the night; using fit distinctions of colours for the [Page 56] difference of the times, namely, that he might distinguish the light of the day, by a muddy darknesse, and that he might enlighten the dusky night by a bright shining flame. Thou addest O wonderfull, bountifull and mercifull God, Fountains springing in a moment: thou addest the healed waters, either given, or altered; keeping their forme, but leaving their nature. Thou givest them tops of mountains with streames gushing out; thou makest their dusty fields flow with new streames; thou givest them multitudes of quailes, brought to their tents, as they journyed. Thou God, most indulgent in pitty, thou givest man things not onely fit for his use, but baites to intice him un­to thee: my God, thou lovest and che­rishest thy people, even with pleasure, to thee; Thou assistedst them forty yeares long, the starres daily affording them food, and the dropping poles of heaven in like manner flowing with pleasant sustenance, not onely for livelihood, but even for their delight. Thou preservedst the men, without addition, or diminu­tion in the parts of their bodies; with­out growing of the nails, without wea­ring of the teeth, the haire alwayes of [Page 57] one length, their feet not gauled, their garments without tearing, and their shooes without mending. The honour of thy servants doth abound even in the dignity of their vile Cloathing. Here I finde God in his office of in­structing men, descending to the earth; the Son of God applying himselfe to the earthly customes of men, & a number­lesse number of commmon people ad­mitted to the fellowship of thy divine familiaritie, to prevaile with thee in the honour of thy holy friendship. I heare God speaking neere at hand, preaching the Law with his divine mouth; I view the letters graven with the finger of God, the learning people, and teaching God; and that there is as it were but one schoole of heaven and earth, mixed of men and Angels. For so it is written, that when Moses had reported to the Lord the peoples words, the Lord said unto him, Now will I come to thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear me speake to thee: And behold, a while after, they began to heare thunders, and lightnings, and thicke clouds began to cover the mountains. And again; He did descend upon the top of Mount Sinah; And afterwards he spake with Moses, [Page 58] all of them seeing, that the Pillar of the Cloud did rest at the doore of the Tabernacle, and they stood and wor­shipped in their Tent doors. Thou didst speak, O Lord, to Moses face to face, as one friend useth to doe with another. O what a care hast thou of thy creature man, thou God that affordst and per­formest these so great things for him: making vile man partaker of thy Word; and as it were admitting him to the fel­lowship of thy holy company, opening thy hands full of immortall riches, nourishing him with the cup of Nectar, and feeding him with heavenly food! What greater care, I beseech thee, coul­dest thou performe in that thy govern­ment, or what greater affection coul­dest thou use, that whereas they were but in the action of this present life, they did notwithstanding then enjoy a representation of their future blisse? Nor let any man here murmure, that thou hadst this care of mankinde here­tofore, but that thou now hast it not. Whence shall I beleeve this repining doth proceed? by chance, because we are not daily fed with Manna, as they were, although we reap from our fields most plentifull Wheat-harvests? or is it be­cause [Page 59] wee catch not Quailes flying as it were, into our hands: whereas we de­vour all kinde of birds, of cattell and beasts? or because we doe not with open mouthes receive the waters springing from the rockes, whereas wee drench our Tavernes with the juice of the grapes? Somthing I adde more, that we our selves who thinke that God did then take care of them, and do suppose, that God doth now neglect us: if wee could exchange our present blessings for theirs, which are past; wee would utterly refuse to wish to bee in their Condition. For we would not lose the things wee now have, that wee might possesse the things which they then u­sed. Not that wee have better things than that Nation then had, but because even they who were fed by the daily ministery of heaven, and of God him­selfe; did preferre the old gluttony of their bellies, before the present good things they received; beeing sad with the calling to minde of their carnall meates, and falling sicke for the filthy love of leeks and oyons; not that these things which they formerly used were better, but because even as we now do, so did they then; they loathed the things [Page 60] they had, and desired the things they had not. We doe rather extol the things that were then, than the things which now are; not that we had alwayes ra­ther have them, if we might choose; but because this is an usuall fault, that mans soule is incident to; to desire the things are absent; and for other mens things to please us better than our owne; and for ours to please others more than the things they doe enjoy; so fastidious are we, most miserable men, that we are not worthy to live, much lesse, of life with the good things appertaining to it. But what ere thou givest or deniest, thou art alwayes a Father, and dost never forsake a sonne that trusts and hopes in thee. Give if thou wilt, but onely five loaves and two fishes; a handfull of meale, a little oyle in a pitcher, a few shreds, and branches of trees, and no more; I will boast of the care thou hast of mee, O my God, in thee will I boast my heavenly Father, who takest me up, nor can I receive disquietnesse from thee, for ever. Thou wilt say to my soul, I am thy salvation; no good thing shall be diminished to them that seeke thee: they shall not bee confounded in the e­vill day, and in a time of famine they [Page 61] shall have enough. Although I fall, I shall not bee dashed to peeces, because thou settest to thine hand. I never saw the just man forsaken, nor his seed beg­ging their bread: I will seeke thee, O Lord, and thou shalt heare mee, and shalt snatch mee out of all my troubles: being poore I will call unto thee, and thou shalt save mee from all my cares: those that feare thee cannot truly suffer want: Thou wilt command that the meale in the vessell faile not, that the oyle in the pitcher decrease not, because I have need of all these things. I will first seeke the Kingdome of God, and other things shall be added unto me. It is so far from thee, my God and Lord, that thou shouldest forsake thine, that thou makest even dogs to helpe and give them ease. I will expect thee, O Lord, I will play the Man, I will suffer thine hand, O Lord, and my heart shall receive comfort; let my father and mo­ther forsake mee, thou Lord shalt take mee up. O God thou shalt be my helpe, nor wilt thou despise me, O God my salvation. Thou shalt set me upon a rock, thou shalt hide me in thy Tabernacle in the time of afflictions; thou shalt hide me in the depth of thy Tabernacle, [Page 62] in the time of affliction, that I may see thy goodnesse in the land of the living.

I Creepe before thy Tabernacle, my God, & I cōsider how thou didst ap­pear to thy people: I find many terrible things, but yet comfortable also; thou wrappest thy selfe in a Cloud, yet is not thy Majesty the lesse resplendent: it is so great that thou affrightest, and art fea­red like a consuming fire; and how shall I beleeve that an Intellect severed from all mixtion of mortality, most ex­cellent, most wife, and most holy, a spi­rit piercing through all things, and in­tent even to each particular part of the Universe; which doth as it were to the strings of a most exquisite Harpe, mo­dulate the song of vanishing things in a most pleasing variety; a Spirit un­begotten, immortall, everlasting; that is onely a place, yea a world able to conteyne it selfe, and the greatest [Page 63] world of wisdome, of holinesse, of un­derstanding, of reason, of life, of formes; to whom intelligible nature it selfe doth breath forth, and ceases not to frame and render praises, can be cloathed in a cloud? yet thou cloathest thy selfe with a cloud that thou mightest then exhibit thy selfe according to the time of faith, not as thou art a God, but as men might endure to behold thee. Thou teachest us spirituall things, by corporall things; and dost demonstrate unto us invisible things, by things visible; thou art the sun O my God, but my weake eyes cannot looke stedfastly upon thy most resplen­dant light, except a cloud be interposed; if I will try the strength of my eyes far­ther, I may easily be blind; if I will soare higher, I may be in danger to bee burnt to ashes. Let me alwayes beare in mind that which one of thy Saints was wont seriously to ruminate upon; I am a man and understand not Gods secrets I dare not search after them, and there­fore I am affraid even to make an es­say upon them, because it is a kinde of sacrilegious rashnesse to desire to know more than is permitted unto me. In thy Tabernacle I see the Arke of thy Covenant; besides the Arke, I see the [Page 64] Mercy-seat; I see Manna in the Arke, and those rocky leafes, and Volume of stone wherein the Law was written, published amiddest thunders, amiddest lightnings, amiddest the horrid sounds of heavenly trumpets, amiddest the deadly savour of the ambient ayre, a­middest the poles of heaven bellowing with these sacred noises, amiddest those fires, mists and clouds, replenished with the holy Deity. O my God, how many mysteries do here lie hid, that I would I might understand? mee thinks, I see Christ in all these things; for hee is the true Mercy-seat, who alone hath done away the sinnes of the whole world, by the onely sacrifice of his passion, and hath made thee a God propitious unto us. Hee was represented by that gol­den peece of workmanship, wherein thou diddest promise that thou woul­dest dwell, and hearken unto those that should call upon thee: for thou lovedst us also in him thy beloved one; and in him art mercifull unto us. Hee defends his Church, as that golden tent did co­ver the Arke: and did hide the Law which was laid up in it from the face of God, that dwelt above it: that hee should not according to the rigour [Page 65] thereof, take notice of our sinnes, or en­ter into judgement with us. Thou thy selfe, my God, hast promised him unto mee, that he might be a sacrifice for me in his owne blood. Thou hast made him a propitiation both for mine, and for the sinnes of the whole world: O Christ my reconciler, my place of refuge, O my hope, redeeme mee and reconcile mee, that I lose thee not, and bee forced to beare the wrath of my everlasting Fa­ther for ever. He is the true Arke; for as the Arke was made of pure gold, and the neatest wood; so my Redeemer, God and Man, is consubstantiall of the most high Godhead, and the most per­fect humanity. The Tables were put in the Arke, because my Redeemer hath in him the perfect fulfilling of the Law, by whose benefits (apprehended by faith) our disobedience becomes un­hurtfull unto us. What more sweet than Manna? And what more whole­some than Christ the bread of heaven? which whosoever by faith shall eat, shall never bee bitten with hunger, but nourished for ever by an unspeakable happinesse. I also find Aarons rod, some­times dry, sometimes flourishing; the rod of Jesse, the tree of life, Christ my [Page 66] Redeemer, with suffring upon the crosse gives up the ghost, & forthwith returns to life, and flourisheth without end. O the riches of the wisdome and under­standing, which thy Book affords them that love and hearken unto thee! O Christ, be thou my Propitiatory, if the infernall tempter shall accuse mee, bee thou my Arke where I may bee hid, when sinne doth tyranously grow cruel against me, be thou my staffe whereon I may leane, when I shall enter the vale of death, bee thou my Manna where­with I may bee continually refreshed after death, in thine everlasting King­dome.

O What humility, O what a desire to save me hadst thou, O Christ my Saviour: there was no truth in my mouth, my throat was an open sepul­chre, I have dealt deceitfully with my tongue, and my spirit is not pure; and thou that art the very mouth of truth, the throat of sweetnesse, the tongue of virtue, my most unspotted Saviour, and [Page 67] free from all contagion of sinne, dost kisse mee with the kisses of thy mouth; O blessed kisse and to bee wondred at for its admirable value, in which, one mouth makes not an impression upon another, but God and Man are united together. With what else shall I com­pare thy incarnation, but to a kisse? a kisse, a token of peace and reconciliati­on; and by thy incarnation, was peace and reconciliation restored to the world. O what a blessed day is that, when thwarting thy paths I receive a kisse from thy offended mouth, in stead of a deserved reproofe; as thy Spouse the Church cries out, burning with im­patient love, shee cryes out, Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth: with a desire kindled from the promises and benefits of Christ, she beseeches the Messiah might be sent unto her, that she might heare him speaking, and behold him instructing her: in his flesh, shee requires him to descend, and to bee united to the humanity. Consider the Church O my soule, who having (of a long time) had a promise of her Lords comming, from the mouth of the Pro­phets; and having beene a great while in suspence, raiseth her selfe from the [Page 68] body; abandoning luxury, and carnall pleasures, and delights, and disroabing her selfe of the care of secular vanities, doth wish for the infusion of the divine presence, and grace of the saving Word; and how is shee tortured and affli­cted, that hee comes so late? wounded as it were with love, not able longer to endure his delay, turning to the Fa­ther, shee beseecheth him, that he will send God the Word unto her. I will not have him speak by Moses, nor by the Prophets; no; let him take my body upon him, let him kisse me in the flesh: Follow my soule, thou which art a part of that most happy assembly; follow the example of that groaning Church, and think on nothing more; love, cherish, vow unto, and expect no­thing more, than thy Messias. See, I be­seech you, and consider, the familiar, and friendly communication of those soules (sighing in the flesh,) with the heavenly powers; they rejoyce in those kisses, they aske for what they desire, yet they name not him they love, be­cause they doubt not, but that hee knowes them, with whom they have been accustomed (so often) to converse withall; therefore they say not, let this [Page 69] or that particular kisse me, but only let him kisse us; as Mary Magdalen did not expresse his name whom she sought, but only said to him (she thought had been the Gardner) Sir, if thou hast ta­ken him; What him? she utters it not, because she thought that must needs be manifest to all, which could not (for one moment) depart out of her heart; neither doth that betrothed Virgin, de­sire one kisse, burning continually with chaste love, and impatient of delayes; but she askes for many kisses, that her desires may bee satiate. For she that loves, is not content with the parcimo­ny of one kisse, but requires many, cha­lenges many, and so useth to commend her selfe often unto her beloved. Kisse thou also the Lord, O my soule, lest at any time he be angry, and thou perish in the way. Who will give thee unto me, O Lord? O let me find thee, and I will kisse, not my hands, or any thing my hands can touch, but even thee, O Lord. Let the tumultuous flesh be silent, let the phansies of earth, and water, of ayre, and of the vault of heaven hold their peace; let dreams and imaginary revelations bee still; let every tongue, every signe, and [Page 70] whatsoever is acted in a trice, be quiet; say nothing to thy selfe, O my soule, passe by thy selfe, and have no thought upon thy selfe, but upon my God. For he is truly all my hope and trust. For in God and our Lord Jesus Christ most sweet, most bountifull, and most piti­full, is every of our portions, our bloud and flesh: the lover doth (as much as possible) desire to be one with the thing beloved: and therefore they cling toge­ther, and glew, as it were, their bodies in one, and they strive to make, of both their soules, but one, by the conjuncti­on of kisses. Thou, O Jesus, my love, thou my desire, thou my thought, thou my hope, thou my wish, I would I could alwayes cleave unto thee. Would to God that where thou my portion doest raigne, there I may at least be a subject, and where thou my blood doest rule, there I may obey, and where thou my flesh art glorified, I may not bee there confounded. I am indeed a sin­ner, but yet I distrust not of the com­munion of grace; and if my sinnes doe forbid it, yet my substance requireth it; if mine owne offences exclude me, the fellowship of my nature drives mee not back; for God is not so great an [Page 71] enemie, that hee should not love his owne flesh, his members, and bowels. I might indeed despaire, by reason of my too too many sinnes and offences, my infinite faults, and negligences, which I have committed, and which I daily, and without ceasing doe act, in heart, mouth, and worke, and by all wayes that humane frailtie can offend, except thou haddest kissed me, except, O Word, thou haddest beene made flesh, except thou shouldest dwell in me. Let reason here be silent, and let faith speak; the things are true which I say, for thy Spirit hath revealed them unto me; yet are they so profound, that I cannot pierce into them; they are so high, that my abjectnesse will not suf­fer me to reach them. I will adore them in silence, and admire in my adorati­on. And thy miraculous incarnation, shall clense my spotted conception. Let not reason conceive that which thy o­vershadowing doth work, so that my Salvation may be firme, sure, and un­shaken.

THat which none ever saw, now all the world beholds; that which none ever heard, now all the world doth heare; God, the Sonne of God, undergoes the shame of our humane nature, and takes upon him the re­proachfull principles of our earthly ori­ginall; he lyes in a manger, to whom Angels doe yeeld their service; he suf­fers himselfe to be wrapped in swadling cloathes, who gives cloathing to the heavens; no ambition seene in his house, a bare couch in a stable, and his Mother lodged in hay; such an Inne doth the worlds Creator make choice of; these were the dainties of the holy Virgins child-bed; ragges in stead of purple; for silke, and princely trimming, nothing but plaine hemmes; hee that was (before the foundation of the world was laid) borne from the heart of his Father, who had Alpha and O­mega for his surname, the beginning and the close of all things which were, or are, or shall be hereafter: now in [Page 73] the end of the determined time, put on the shape of a servant, and is borne of a poore Virgin. Let the vault of hea­ven sing, let every Angell sing, let all that belong to vertue sing, to the praises of God, let no tongue be silent; and let every voyce, for ever and ever sound forth his praises. Old-age and youth, quires of Infants, troopes of matrons and virgins, the simple maydens with tunable voyces; let them with chast consorts chaunt forth his praises; let every age acknowledge that the re­ward of our life is come, after the bon­dage of our sharpe enemie. Whence is this, that not the Mother of our Lord, but that the very Lord himselfe comes unto us? How great is he that is given to mee? hee is the Angell of peace, the Lambe of God, the Benefactour of all, the horne of salvation, the Bruiser of the Serpents head, the Governour of Israel; he is the desire of the Gentiles, the guide of our life, and the expectati­on of the Nations. He is the Son of the most High, the branch of Jesse, the humble Caller of mankind; he is our Intercessour, he is our Righteousnesse, he is our Deliverer; hee is our Media­tour, hee is our Nourisher, hee is our [Page 74] Helper. He is the Prince of Peace, he is the great Prophet, the Restorer of our quiet, he is our Redeemer. Hee is our Reconciler, he is King of Sion, a Savi­our, an Expiatory Sacrifice; he is the heavenly Bridegroome, the Expeller of sadnesse, he is the Word made flesh, the most ample Present, the heavenly Ze­lote; he is all things. Let the bright hea­ven thunder, let the glad earth perso­nate, let yawning hell mourne, but let mankind keepe a Jubily: we groaped in darknesse, and were blinded and co­vered in a most thick night; he procee­deth out of the darknesse and night that expelleth these mists of ignorance and night of sinnes. Our nature is not now strange to God, since that in it, even in Christ our Mediatour the ful­nesse of the Godhead doth now dwell; for the Virgins womb was made choice of for the Lord of heaven and earth to spring in; nor was that blessed masse, the Sonne of God incarnate for her onely; but that of his fulnesse all wee might be made pertakers; God did not onely make mee, but hee made many things for me; seeing that the Word is made flesh for me, and dwelleth in us, he is become one flesh with me, that he [Page 75] might make mee one Spirit with him. Christ would become that which man is, that man might become what God is; it is impossible for mee to under­stand the secret of his Nativity. My understanding failes, my voice; nay, not mine only, but even the voice of the Angels is stopped; it is above Powers, above Cherubin and Seraphin, and a­bove all sense. I therefore lay my hand upon my mouth, I may not search after these so high mysteries: It may bee knowne that he was borne; It is not to bee disputed how hee was borne; it is rashnesse to enquire after this. This is an unutterable Birth, who shall declare it? An Angell shewes it, the Vertue o­vershadowes, the Spirit assists, the Vir­gin beleeves, a Virgin brings forth, and yet continues a Virgin; who doth not admire? the Word is born an Infant, 8c length is acknowledged to be short, & breadth narrownesse, heigth lownesse, and depth shallownesse; there light is found that shines not; the Word an In­fant thirsting for water, & hūgring af­ter bread. O Nativity, honorable to the world, in its unpolluted holinesse, love­ly to men by the greatnesse of the bene­fit bestowed, inscrutable also to the An­gels, [Page 76] by the depth of the sacred Myste­ry, and admirable in all these things, by the speciall excellency of the newnesse thereof; even so, that there hath not bin seene the like before it, nor can there be seen any such to follow it. Ah what was the cause of Christs comming and Birth? what, but to save sinners? Take away sicknesse, take away wounds, and there will bee no use for medicines. Therefore the great Physitian came from heaven, because men lay sicke in all places; all the stocke of mankind was lost by the sinne of one, in whom all were; and therefore came one with­out sinne, that might save all that were in their sinnes; for not our merits, but our sinnes, drew him from heaven. It is a thing becomming our faithfull soules, Christian breasts, beleeving minds, that we celebrate the comming of our Lord with all devoutnesse, and that we meditate of his Birth, being delighted wirh so great a consolati­on, and amased with so excellent a Dignity, and enflamed with so great a love. It is a worthy thing my brethren, that we sing forth glory to the Trinity in unity, and to God the Divine, and begotten off-spring, and also to the Spi­rit, [Page 77] proceeding from them both. O Je­su, thou that wouldest be borne an In­fant, make mee become little in mine owne sight, and that I may not too much desire high things. Thou which diddest proceed from the wombe of a most chaste Virgin, be thou also borne in my chaste heart, which is purified by thee. Thou who wert born in the town of Bethlehem, that is, the house of bread, and wast sought and found by the Shepherds; joyne mee often with thy Shepherds, and furnish mee with the heavenly bread, and so thy Nativi­ty shall for ever satisfie me. The hea­ven was opened when thou wast borne; open heaven also unto me, when the dayes of this my earthly birth and pil­grimage are ended, that I may see and glorifie thee. Angels accompanied the Shepherds that went to thee; joyne them also to my company, that I be not cast headlong into a by-way, or desire any thing besides thee; the brightnesse of the Lord did shine upon those that did desire to be neere thee; I would that I might bee alwayes present with thee, and be illuminated by thy Light, that I rush not into darksome fens, or be in­volved in filth and pernitious dark­nesse. [Page 78] They granted thee no roome in the Inne; O make choyce of a place in my heart, let my heart be thy man­ger and thy swadling bands, where­with thou wert swathed, that I may for ever remaine inclosed within thy wounds, and within thy mercy, and my soule shall magnifie thee, O Lord, and my spirit shall rejoyce in God my Saviour: I will call out with those lowd crying and fiery inhabitants of heaven, Glory bee to God on high, on earth peace, good will towards men: now is wrought salvation, and power, and the Kingdome of our God, and the power of his Christ. Thou art worthy O Lord, our God, to re­ceive Glory, and Honour, and Power; Ah Lord, when shall this come to passe? when wilt thou bestow this up­on mee?

WHat sound is this that flies to mine eares? it is a name that parents gave not, neither did the circu­cising Priest bestow it, but an Angell brought it from heaven; and God, that it should be brought and declared unto us, commanded saying, His name is Je­sus; how pleasant, delightfull and for­cible a name! O how this name doth comfort my soule! Jesus, is a God of giving men salvation, which is expoun­ded a Saviour, or saving; for this reason of the name was given, when before he was to be borne, by the Virgin, it was said, Thou shalt call his name Jesus, because hee shall save his people from their sinnes. God hath now manifested his salvation, all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God; hee hath opened himselfe in the earth, and salvation and righteousnesse have been fruitfull. My God, thou makest us safe in the Lord our God: thou hast given us a light of the Gentiles, which is our salvation even to the ends of the earth. Let us therefore rejoyce in God our Sa­viour, [Page 80] say to the Daughter of Sion, be­hold, salvation approacheth. The o­ther names of the Messiah, are taken from the effects of his salvation, and doe onely signifie either the beginning, or middle, or onely the end of salvati­on; but this name Jesus, the whole pro­ceeding thereof; for it doth sufficiently containe and expresse, the beginning, middle, and end thereof; and doth in­clude all other things also within it. The Angels adore, and the devils doe tremble at this name, and men receive it for their salvations. This name is glo­rious in the preaching of it; being thought upon, doth nourish us, called upon, doth mollifie and anoint us; not in the letters of it, but by its spirit and life. Whence could there have beene, in all the world, so great and so sodaine a light of faith, but by the preaching of the name of Jesus? Hath not God called us in the light of this name, into his ad­mirable light to such as are so enlight­ned and doe see light by his light? Paul speaketh deservedly, You were some­times darknesse, but now are you light in the Lord. And the name of Jesus is not onely a light, but it is also food: art not thou as often refreshed as thou [Page 81] dost think upon it? What doth so much fatten the soule, as the thought of that name? What doth so much repaire the decayed senses? It strengthens our ver­tues, it quickens good and honest man­ners, it cherisheth chaste affections, all meat is dry that is not moistned with this oyle, is unsavoury, not seasoned with this salt. If thou writest to mee, I relish it not if thou leave out Jesus; Je­sus is honey in the mouth, harmony in the eare, gladnesse and physicke for the heart. Is any of us sad? let Jesus come into the heart, and thence let him flow into our mouths, and behold, at the ri­sing of the light of that name, every cloud is expelled, and the cleare light returnes: Doth any slip into sinne? doth he haste even to the halter of death by his despaire? doth he not by invocation of this name of life, forth­with respire to life? Surely there have beene many others who have had the name of Jesus; for the name of Io­shuah that led the Israelites through Jordan, into the land of Canaan, is the same name with Jesus. The son of Sy­rach is called Iesus, and Iesus is men­tioned in Zachary; but these men beare the name without the thing; or if they [Page 82] wrought any safety, they performed it by the power and helpe of this my Je­sus. There were likewise many that were called Saviours, as Othniel, Ehud, and others; but these were onely deli­verers of the body, and did onely for a time deliver the people from their out­ward enemies, and did for a while keep them free from the spoylers of this world: but this my Jesus is the true Sa­viour, for he not onely frees and pre­serveth his people from outward ene­mies, but from spirituall subtilties in high places. Sometimes indeed he deli­vers us to outward enemies, nor is he presently Jesus or a Saviour; he sends amongst us warre, plague, haile, cold, poverty, disgrace, diseases, captivity, bondage, but it is for our eternall sal­vation. He is also a faithfull Jesus, nor suffers he any one to be tempted above his strength, but giveth our temptations such a measure, that we may endure them; and although our Jesus doth seeme too cruelly and too long to leave us in these externall evils, and to lay too heavie a burden upon us, that we are in feare to be overcharged, to yeeld, and to faile under it; yet let us expect the comming of our Jesus, wwhich will be [Page 83] in a fit season. My Jesus best knoweth our strength, and how much we can beare; and as the pilot doth diligently take care that the ship be not over­fraighted, or fall into any fearfull dan­ger; so my Iesus doth weigh and bal­lance our abilities, before he layes any crosse upon us, that it may not exceed them. Thinke alwayes (O my soule) upon Iesus, because thou hast alwayes need of thy Iesus. If thy sinnes do vex thee and Satan doth paint them forth, and set them before thee, that he may perswade thee they are more in number than can be forgiven; that they be lar­ger than heaven and earth for magni­tude; call upon thy Iesus, and make Satan thy laughing-stocke. Iesus is my Saviour, who hath delivered me from my sins, and hath taken them upon him­selfe; he is become for me and all the world a ransome, a sacrifice, a recon­ciliation. And because it appeares that he is not conquered, but is truly a Savi­our, they must needs be sinners indeed, and not feighned sinners that he doth save; for this sentence can never be re­called; Christ is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the world. If the feare of death doth presse thee [Page 84] and if Satan endeavour to dishearten thee with the expectation thereof, and doth portrait the figure of death before thee in a most bloody & horrible man­ner and repeats unto thee the threats which God denounces against sinners, and the vengeance which he reserves for them, protect thy selfe with the Name of Iesus, and oppose it to the terrors of death. Why should I feare death, that I should feare the paines thereof? when as my Iesus (as himselfe doth teach us) hath slaine my death; O death I will be thy death. Doth Satan strive to make thee sad, himselfe being puni­shed and overwhelmed with everlast­ing woe, desiring to draw others into his company? pronounce thou therefore but the Name of Iesus with beliefe, and he vanisheth away; for hee is therefore a Iesus, because he hath ran­somed thee from the curse of thy sinnes, and hath reconciled thee to the everla­sting Father, that thou mightest for ever rejoyce with him. Why then art thou sad? What ever befals thee, let the Name of Iesus still come into thy heart, and betweene thy lips, that the force thereof may asswage all afflicti­ons. Nothing is more sweetly sung, no­thing [Page 85] is heard more pleasingly than Ie­sus the Sonne of God. No kinde of sin is so great, but the Name of Iesus is above it; O thou (therefore) pleasant Name of Iesus, a delightfull Name, a comfortable Name; O Lord Iesus, if I have done that for which thou mayest damne me, yet hast not thou lost that whereby thou mightest save me. O most mercifull Iesus, O most sweet Ie­sus, O most gracious Iesus, O Iesu, Iesu, O Iesus the salvation of those that trust in thee, O Iesus the salvation of those that beleeve in thee, O Iesus, the salva­tion of those that flie unto thee, O sweet Iesu, the remission of all our sinnes, O Iesu, for thy holy Name sake save me, that I perish not; O Iesus have mercy upon me, while there is a time for mer­cy, and condemne me not in the time of thy judgement. Iesus Christ, have mercy upon me; for this thy Names sake, doe unto mee according to this thy Name; looke on me miserable wretch, invoking thy Name: it is true, my soule hath deserved damnati­on, and my repentance is no satisfacti­on; but it is certaine that thy mercy is farre exceeding all my offences; give me therefore (for thy Names sake) that [Page 86] mercy, O my Iesus; for thou savest thy people freely by faith alone, without all merit of works, onely for thy Names sake, onely by the power of thy Name, onely by the blood of thy bo­dy, whereby thou diddest appease thy Father, and obtainedst redemption: and therefore dost thou save thy people free­ly, and not for their works, that our soules might be sure of redemption: it could not be sure if thou shouldest not save us but for the merit of our works; for either we have no merits by manifestly sinning against the Law of God, or we have not merits enough, because our works are imperfect, which can by no meanes satisfie Gods Law; therefore that our consciences may be sure of the forgivenesse of sinnes, it is needfull that thou be a Iesus gratis unto me: who seeing thou art true and con­stant in thy promises, it cannot be that I can be deceived, if I trust in thy Name: O most bountifull Iesus, O Ie­su my most sweet Lord, keep me in this faith and confidence, even to the end: let thy last word upon the crosse, be my last word in this life, and when I can speak no more, heare my last desire, Father, into thy hands I commend my [Page 87] Spirit; thou God of truth, and God of my salvation; thou, even thou hast re­deemed me; O little Jesus, I onely re­quire thee, comfort my soule, thou best of Babes, draw mee, O draw me after thee, by thy sweet favour, thou Prince of Glory. Lead me, O thou our true salvation, to thine owne Countrey; after thine own victory, wherein praise be unto thee for evermore, Amen.

BEhold, my eyes, your Jesus; my soule, consider thy Christ; the knife is taken in hand, and the Sonne of the most High is drawn away to be woun­ded; stay knife from touching the In­nocent, let the Synagogue spare the in­nocent, send him away thou Circumci­sor, without touching him; but my Je­sus, why wouldst thou be so circūcised, be so wounded, & spill thy most tender blood? Why doest thou so hasten, O Lord, to the shedding of thy milky blood? it is my salvation which makes thee thus to hasten: but why didst thou submit thy self to be circumcised, which [Page 88] art the Lord of the Law, nay, the Law­giver himselfe? was it, to confirme the Circumcision that thou haddest long before ordained to be rightly observed, even till thy comming, and that the old Religion should not seeme utterly reje­cted; or that thou mightest save the Iewes by receiving of Circumcision, as thou didst the Gentiles by Baptism, that is, wert thou to save them by the pow­ring forth of the purified dew, or was it that thou mightest keepe, fulfill, and establish all the Law? What need I to reckon up many things? thou wast cir­cumcised for the cause that thou wast borne and for which thou didst suffer: none of all this was for thy selfe, but all was for thy Elect, for mee, for all that cleave unto thee, that thou might­est pay for us those debts, even thou that didst owe nothing thy selfe, and mightest free us from our owne, and from the offences of others. O most lo­ving Jesus, I adhere to thee, doe thou everlastingly stick to me; I have runne into debt, doe thou pay them. I beseech thee by that pretious blood which thou wast willing to shed for sinners, in thy most holy Circumcision, and after­wards most abundantly to powre out [Page 89] for them, in thy most bitter passion, that thou mightest wash away all mine iniquities; looke upon me, most hum­bly petitioning, and often calling upon thy holy Name; cause me, O Lord, rea­dily to submit my selfe to thy Lawes; I learne from thy selfe, my Lord, to obey thy Lawes, and to obey thee, not by constraint, but by free consent; for this is the true obedience of the humane na­ture, when it subjects its will readily to the will of God, and when by wor­king it perfecteth the good will it hath received, with a willing liberty with­out any constraint. Give me, O Lord, the Circumcision of the heart, which is, that the cloud of errour being taken a­way, to acknowledge the Creator, God the Father, and his Sonne Christ, by whom he hath created all things, that the truth of God might be fulfilled; grant that I may cut off, and cast out of my heart all uncleannesse of thoughts, and impuritie of my senses. For the Gospell hath not enjoyned cutting a­way of the Prepuce, but the circumci­sion of the heart, and that by the Sword of the Spirit wee should cut away all petulancie, as well of our members, as of our affections: this Circumcision is [Page 90] not in my power; succour my weak­nesse O Lord, and assist me, that I may doe that which thou hast promised by thy faithfull servant Moses; the Lord shall circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, that thou mayest love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soule. I am present, O Lord, as thou hast commanded by thy faithfull servant Jeremy, Be circumci­sed to the Lord, and take away the fore-skinne of your hearts, that my wrath break not forth like fire. Give me that which Saint Paul speaks con­cerning me; Thou art circumcised with a Circumcision which is made without hands, if thou put off the body of sins by the Circumcision of Christ. The Iewes circumcised but one member of the body; grant, O Lord, that I may circumcise all my members. The heart of man is wicked, it must therefore be circumcised, and the Sword of the Spi­rit is to be unsheathed for it; and this is the preaching of the Gospell of Iesus Christ; which if any one receiveth into his heart by faith, first his sinnes shall not be imputed to him, but he shall be accompted just for Christs sake; then the holy Ghost shall bee given unto [Page 91] him, by whose power it shall come to passe, that the reliques of sinne shall not raigne in his mortall body, but hee shall fit his members as weapons of righteousnesse unto God. Stirre me up, O Lord, and strengthen me, that I may circumcise my eyes, that they behold no vanitie, nor defile themselves with privie adulteries. Thou hast comman­ded this, O Lord, if thy right eye of­fend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee. Stirre me up, O Lord, and streng­then mee, that I may circumcise my hands, that they be not enraged and shed innocent blood; for thou hast commanded this, O Lord, if thy right hand offend thee cut it off. Stirre me up and strengthen me, O Lord, that I may circumcise my feet, that they goe not in the way of sinners, and that they haste not to doe evill; so putting off the old man, and putting on the new, I shall become a new creature, and shall possesse the inheritance of thy King­dome, O Christ; I shall enjoy the so­cietie of the citizens of heaven, the quire of Angels singing Hymnes unto thee, and the sweet fellowship of all thy blessed ones. Thus thou shalt speak (O Christ) to thy Father, I will [Page 92] that those thou hast given me, may now be with me, that they may behold my glory which I had with thee before the world was made. O when wilt thou speake this, O Lord, O when shall I heare this?

DOest thou ascend for me to Ieru­salem, that all things might be accomplished which are written by the Prophets? that thou mightest be expo­sed for a scorne to the Gentiles, that thou mightest be scourged, that thou mightest be spit upon, that thou might­est be fastned to the Crosse? thou who art the God of glory, the God of life & safety, the chiefe, best, and Omnipotent, most mercifull, most just, most secret, most present, most beautifull, most strong, stable, & incomprehensible God; invisible, yet seeing all things, immuta­ble, yet changing all things, immortall, illocable, interminable, unbounded, without ending, inestimable, unutter­able, fearfull and terrible, to be ho­noured and reverenced, venerable and renowned, never new, nor ever waxing [Page 93] old, and innovating all things? For me, who am deep darknesse, miserable earth, the sonne of wrath, a vessell fit­ted for reproach, begotten in unclean­nesse, living in misery, that must die in extremity; a vessell taken from a dung­hill, a shell of corruption, full of filth and horror, blinde, poore, naked, sub­ject to many wants, and wretched, and mortall as I am, ignorant when I came in, or when I must goe out of the world, whose dayes passe like a shadow, whose life vanisheth like the shadow of the Moone, a mad mans phansie, as the blossome upon the tree blowes, and forthwith is rotten, now flourisheth, and by & by is dried up, whose life is a fraile and fading life, that the more it continues, the more it decreaseth; the farther we proceed in it, the nearer it approacheth to death. What shall I thinke? what shall I say? what hast thou commited, O most sweet Saviour, that thou shouldest be thus judged? what hast thou done, O my most lo­ving Saviour, that thou shouldest be handled so rudely? what is thy wic­kednesse? what thy offence? what the cause of thy death? what the occasion of thy condemning? I am the stripe of [Page 94] thy paine, the offence for which thou art slaine; I am the desert of thy death, the wickednesse revenged upon thee; I am the spleene of thy passion, and the labour of thy torments. O the greatnes and foulnesse of my sinnes! Out of the consideration of the remedy I value the measure of my danger; and so is the esteeme of the medicine, as is the heap­ing up of my griefe and feare. O the sweetnesse and greatnesse of thy love! although, O Lord my God, the world was placed in the middest of mischiefe, and is full of misery, yet sentest thou thy blessed Sonne into the world for us, and for this diddest thou send him into the world, that he being sold might ransome us, & being put to death might restore us to life, might honour us by suffering disgrace, and might adopt us for his sonnes. If I would reckon up what he suffered for most miserable man, what voice would suffice me for it? what eares would not be weary to heare it? for he was no sooner borne, but his blood was spilt in the circumci­sion; he was scarcely circumcised, but forthwith was he designed to the slaughter; he no sooner professed his doctrine openly, but he was called the [Page 95] impious, blasphemous, and raging stirrer up of the people, even by them whose God he had alwayes beene after a peculiar manner. I doe every where behold misery, calamity, disgraces, re­proaches, griefes, poverty, wearinesse, sadnesse, hunger, thirst, that he seemes but onely to have finished in his passi­on what he had continually suffered in the whole course of his life. After that the Son, coeternall and consubstantiall with his Father, the Omnipotent Pa­tron of the Church, ordained for a judge of the quicke and the dead, had fervently powred forth those prayers, which he had conceived for mans sal­vation, wherin he at the point of death more especially recommēded to his Fa­ther, that deare pledge, (his Church) for whose sake he suffered not onely valiantly, but most willingly and free­ly, not a drop, but streames of blood to flow from his five wounds. Walk­ing with his disciples beyond the brook, that tooke it's name from the shady vale, the traitour meets him, with an armed troope of servants and officers; his neighbours flie from him, his Disci­ples retire, a friend and companion, (saluting the innocent) betrayes him [Page 96] for a malefactour; but it was the same whom before (O cruell mischiefe) hee had sold for a little money, and for a base price; his hands are tyed, his armes are bound; thus tyed and bound is he led away; and the most deare young man, that a little before leaned upon his most holy bosome, followes after, and Peter also, but a farre off, and with great feare; none of the rest are present: those whom he had lo­ved, whom he had full fed, whom he had taken care of, whom he had healed, doe not so much as looke backe upon him; they all forsake him that never forsooke any man; he is made an un­happy spectacle in the house called Pra­torium; his shamefast body is made na­ked, that off-spring of the most pure Virgin; and was scourged even to death by those beastly Serjeants, ordained to scourge malefactors; they are instant both with words and stripes, and drunk no lesse with blood than wine; they binde him to a pillar, they load him with stripes they multiply strokes upon strokes, the place did ring with their smart blowes; streames of bloud issue from his torne body, and now there is scarce the resemblance of a body to be [Page 97] seene throughout him. Behold the man, saith Pilate. And here lift up thy eyes, O my soule, and looke stedfastly upon the face of the Lord thy God; leave awhile all thy vanities, to which thou hast all thy life addicted thy selfe, and if thou canst, collect (for one mo­ment) all thy thoughts, and bestow them (this day) upon thy Saviour. Be­hold the man, behold a man of sor­row, behold him that is beautifull a­bove the sonnes of men, ruddy, cho­sen out of thousands, whose haire is as the palme branches, blacke as the ra­vens, whose eyes are like the doves eyes. by the fountaines of waters, which are washed with milke, whose lips distill the choisest myrrh, like the lillies; be­hold then, it now raines nothing but blood, his haire cleaves together with blood, his head (pierced with thornes) doth dart forth blood, his nostrils brui­sed with the strokes of the fist, have besmeared his face with swart blood, and which is most miserable of all, be­ing tyed & bound, he hath not where­with to wipe of his blood, he hath not, I say, wherewith to wipe away his blood, forcing as it were, from all parts of his body. Behold the man; [Page 98] This is that face which the heavens can­not behold, and hell dares not behold; this is he that now keeps silence, whose voice is heard in the clouds, whose thun­der daunteth the courages of men with his fearful claps. Behold the man; behold the Lord of all things stands in want, amidst all those things which he doth possesse; he standeth bound, who frees all; he stands wounded, that heales all. Behold the man; for thy cause, O man, stands he before the judge, before us all doth he stand for us all; he stands without a garment, he stands robbed, that no wound of his body might be hid from the beholders. Learn, O man, out of these things which he suffered for thee, what account Christ made of thee, to the end, by how much the viler thou art for whom he suffered, by so much the dearer thy Christ may be unto thee: Learne, O man, to avoid those things which may offend thy God. Behold with how much sweat, with what labour, with what griefe he stood, that he, the Son of God might re­concile thee to his Father. I have said ma­ny things, yet if thou considerest the rest, they are very few; for the officers adde reproach to his punishments, while they [Page 99] cloath his body with a purple garment, made more purple with his most inno­cent bloud. They fasten a prickly crown, made of stiffe thornes, upon his reverend head; they salute him for a King, and strike their King over the face; and they blow upon the glasse of Angels with the worst sort of mixed stincks, even the stench of their breaths corrupted by surfeting, and mingled with spittle: and by and by when they come to Calva­ry, the prophane wretches doe prepare themselves for the butchery, and lay upon his fainting body, that most ac­cursed punishment of the Crosse: his most innocent hands are fastened with nailes, which never did wrong to any, but had wrought salvation for all men; his most holy feet are fastened with an iron band; wretch that I am, they must be joyned together, that had been exercised in so frequent travell, for mine, and for the salvation of all men: His eyes swim in blood, those two that were wont to be the lights of the good, but lightning to the wicked: his pure mouth is silent, from which had rained honey combes; his tongue is tyed, which (with its very silence) convinces the cruelty of the parricides: heaven [Page 100] was afraid of this spectacle, and (in it its mourning weed) bewailes its Crea­tour the Lord of the Starres; it with­drew it selfe within a sudden darknesse, as ashamed of so great a wickednesse; the Angels groane, the Citizens of hea­ven breake forth into teares. O face of man, harder than a flint, that with dry eyes canst read this story: O heart of man, harder than an Adamant, that these things cannot penetrate: O fierce and steely heart of man, that considers not these things. Thy Saviour (being weary and overcharged under so great a burden) cries and cals out, and in his soule cals upon us, My people, what have I done unto thee? or how have I beene troublesome unto thee? answer me: I have beene no Usurer, nor hath any thorow the earth taken use for me, yet all doe curse me; God hath shut me up with the wicked, and hath delive­red me to the hands of the wicked. Ma­ny calves have compassed me about, fat buls have besieged me. They opened their mouths upon me, as it were a ra­ging and roaring Lion. I am powred out like water, and all my bones are scattered abroad; my heart, in the mid­dest of my bosome, is like melting wax; [Page 101] my strength is dried up like a pot­sheard, and my tongue cleaveth to my gums, and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. He cryed, he called out, but there was none that would heare; he is led without the city, to the place made infamous for the punishing of the wicked therein, as unto a pub­lick separate place, that he might not pollute any man by his contagion, which the adjoyning inhabitants gave a name from the dead mens souls, which lay scattered every where a­broad within it. The Captaine of the heavenly hostes, led forth in the sight of men and Angels, to be fastened be­tween heaven and earth, unto the accur­sed Crosse, & to be refreshed with vine­gar; he is wounded, he is slaine, he is thrust thorow with a speare; what cur­rent of language can sufficiently unfold this misery? but thls remembrance of such stupendious things, requires rather the teares of the faithfull, than the Orators eloquence. O who shall give water to my head, and a fountaine of teares to mine eyes, that I may weepe night and day? I will weepe with strong teares, I will make drunke my cheeks with my teares; the righteous [Page 102] perish, and there is none that taketh it to heart; the Lord of heaven gives up the ghost, and there is not one that thinks it concernes him any thing. Raise up thy selfe, O my soule, and weary thy selfe in meditating upon the passion of thy Lord; no time is more happily spent than that which the de­vout soule imployeth upon the passion. O wonderfull condition of his censure, and unutterable disposition of a my­stery! the unjust doth offend, and the righteous is punished, the guilty trans­gresseth, and God is chastised; the im­pious sinneth, and the righteous is con­demned; the good suffereth that which the wicked deserveth; that which the servant is indebted, the Master doth pay. Whither, O whither thou Sonne of God, doth thy humility descend? how farre hath thy love beene infla­med? how farre did thy love reach? and how farre did thy pitty e [...]tend? O Lord Jesus Christ, governe and guide me by thy Spirit, that my soule being pricked by thy visitation, may crucifie its flesh, with the sins and lusts thereof. O Lord Jesus, I onely put my trust in thy passion and death. O Lord Iesus Christ, who hast witnessed, that [Page 103] thy delight is to be with the sonnes of men: thou who becamest man for man, in the later age be mindfull of all thy premeditations, and inward griefe, which from the beginning of thy con­ception, thou diddest endure in thy humane nature; but chiefly in the in­stant time of thy most saving passion, fore-ordained from all eternity, in thy divine heart. Remember the sadnesse and bitternesse which thy soule was possessed with, as thou diddest testifie, when thou saidst, My soule is heavie, even to death: and when in thy last Supper, thou diddest deliver thy Body and Blood to thy Disciples when thou washedst their feet, and when sweetly comforting them, thou didst foretell thy neare approaching passion. Re­member the feare, anguish, and griefe which thou didst endure, thorow all thy tender body, before thy suffering upon the Crosse; When after thy trou­bled prayer, thou diddest sweat that bloody sweat, when thou wast de­livered by thine owne Disciple, ta­ken by thy chosen people, accused by false wi nesses, unjustly sentenced by three severall Iudges in the holy City; when at the time of the Passeover, in [Page 104] the florishing time of thy youth, being innocent, thou wast condemned, wast delivered, wast spitted on, thine owne cloaths pulled off, and others put upon thee; thou wast buffetted, thy face and eyes were covered; when thou wast bound to the Crosse, and crowned with thornes. O most sweet Jesus, give me, I beseech thee, for the memory of thy paines and passion, true contrition, and confession, and also remission of all my sins before my death; and in my death grant me comfort and consolation of spirit, and after death grant me salva­tion and glory, Amen.

O My soule, one of thy faithfull servants sadly and mournfully cryes out, concerning Job, what a pa­geant of triumph hath God made of the Devill in that man; what an en­signe of his glory hath he erected from his enemie, when he did (with great patience) cleanse away the uncleane flowing matter of his sores, when (spor­tingly) [Page 105] hee did call back the wormes that crawled forth from his sores, to the same holes and feeding places of his worme-eaten flesh! But how much hath thy Saviour out-gone him in con­stancie of mind, and an unshaken pa­tience? he in the last necessitie, in the pangs of death, in the paines of hell, sorsaken and made exceeding sad, by his angry God, failes not in the cou­rage of his mind; he shewed no signe that his heart departed from the path of righteousnesse; but as he began, so continues be to love mankind. Heare the words that he utters from the chaire of his crosse; they were few, but great, profitable, and worthy never to depart out of a Christians heart, as long as he hath his vitall breath. Thus he speaks; Father forgive them, they know not what they doe. Oh thy supereminent love, O Lord! thou prayest, not O Lord, that they might be punished who afflicted and crucified thee; but that they might enjoy the merit of thy pas­sion, and be saved. Thou so aboundest in thy love, that forgetfull of thy most exquisite sufferings, thou thinkest on nothing but the reconciling of sinners O incomparable humanitie of unspeak­able [Page 106] mercy! with what gentle and friendly eyes dost thou locke upon me from the Altar of the Crosse! how can any man despaire, seeing we have so di­ligent, so faithfull, so loving, and so zealous an intercessour? Where are you trembling sinners? where are you affrighted conseiences? doe you delight to see the heart of your Lord to over­flow with grace? Come and behold his Crosse: Come, come, see his heart mounting into his tongue, and begging pardon for your sins. Iesus, my God, I am also present amongst sinners, a­mongst those that crucifie thee; looke on me, and receive me; my sins, my sins were those sharpe nailes, which pierced and fastned thy feet, and hoo­ked them to the Crosse. O Iesus, have mercy upon me, and intercede for mee to thy heavenly Father; intercede for me to day, this houre, this moment, that he may pardon me my sins. In the se­cond place he said, Verily I say unto thee, to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. How milde, O Lord, how courteous art thou to sinners! thy de­light is amongst the sonnes of men, even in thy strongest and most unutte­rable torments. Thou wast hanged be­tweene [Page 107] a most wicked paire of theeves; thou stretchest forth thy hand, that one of them might take hold of it, and that thou mightest draw him to thee with it, and gather him to thee, as a hen ga­thereth her young ones under her wings. How pleasing is the society to thee, when a sinner joynes himselfe to thee, and (if they will) with what affe­ction dost thou receive and heale them? The Theefe on the left-hand thinking reproachfully of thee, doth revile and blaspheme thee most virulently; there­fore thy sorrowes, sweat, labour, drops of blood, streams of blood, prayers and intercession, could nothing profit him: the Theefe on the right-hand, having a zealous opinion of thee, acknowled­geth thee; and though he cannot with his hands, yet doth hee embrace thee with a contrite and devout heart; he begges a great thing of thee, and ob­taines the greatest; he begges for a fa­vourable remembrance of him, and he obtains eternall gladnesse. O example of true and wonderful repentance! For what is true repentance? what, but that which is sorrowfull for offences, confesseth them, and hath recourse to Christ their Deliverer by a stedfa [...] [Page 108] faith? but it is miraculous, because then at length Christ is acknowledged the expiation of his sin, when his most sick soule doth meditate the forsaking of the habitation of his body; and the Re­deemer himselfe is in suffering the last and most horrid punishment. O Christ my Lord and my God, grant that I al­so may bewaile and confesse my sinnes, and aske thee pardon for them, and al­wayes weigh with my selfe thy merits; grant that I may doe this with the Theefe; but that I may not put off my desire of thee to the last period of my life, as many doe, who naughtily excuse their most wicked procrastination, by the example of the Theefe. Let me not come to that hardnesse of heart, that the late gained salvation of the conver­ted Theefe should make me more care­lesse; nor let me say my conscience tor­tures me not; my life shall not trou­ble me, because I see the Theefe had all his sinnes pardoned in a moment. Con­sider ô my soule, thou guest and com­panion of my body, not so much the concise confession and faith of the Theefe, but the earnest devotion, and mournfull time wherein the Apostles themselves did wander and forsake [Page 109] their Master: then imitate the faith and zeale of the Theefe, and (at last) promise to thy selfe his salvation. Now that unplacable enemie of our soules, tries to leade thee into this se­curity, that in the fatall houre of death he may thrust thee (head-long) into infernall destruction. It is impossible to be spoken, how many are circum­vented and damned by the shadow of this deceitfull hope; he deceives him­selfe, and makes a sport of his damna­tion, whosoever seekes not for the mer­cie of God but at the houre of his death; they are abominable to God, that sinne with a hope that it will be time enough to be converted to God in their old age The Theefe that at this time did so miraculously apply Christs death to himselfe, had not formerly put off his repentance, for he had never (be­fore) heard of the doctrine of Christ; therefore in this minute of an houre, in this twinckling of an eye, make mee pray unto thee, and convert thee unto me, lest (securely) promising my selfe salvation, I fall from my salvation. Grant that being converted, I may be charitable to my neighbour, and take care for his conversion and salvation, [Page 110] as the penitent Theefe did admonish the impenitent Theefe, and did labour to bring him unto thee. Ah my Lord, remember me also in thy Kingdome, if thou wilt at least think me worthy to be remembred, and cast a gratious eye upon mee, and I shall have enough, because I am sure of thy power and wisdome, and I am confident of thy pitie and charitie. Ah suffer me to be with thee in Paradise, where is the soules happinesse, and the beautifull vi­sion of God; I cannot be well without thee, nor can any ill be with thee.

WHo are they, O Lord Jesus Christ, who not onely fol­lowed thee to the Crosse, but doe also abide under thy Crosse? Who are they not only spectators of thy most cruell punishment, but exposed also to the cruell torment of their eyes and soules? It is Christs Mother, the crowne of Virgins; it is Mary thy Mother, it is John, thy kinsman, it is thy most loving Disciple, who leaned upon his Masters [Page 111] brest when he was at supper, him whom thy soule loved; a sword doth pierce their soules, thornes and needles doe pricke their eyes, whilst they see thee stretched upon the Crosse, with all thy sinewes torne, all bloody, even spring­ing forth with blood; thou hast taught me, by those thy distressed beholders made wet with showres of teares, that thy most deare children are most neare to the Crosse; those whom thou dost most fervently love, they are most grie­vously and most often made subject to the Crosse. There cannot bee a true Church that cannot bee miserable: thou thy selfe dost drinke to her in the cup of affliction, which if she refuse, or loath it, she is a bastard. We ought to be like thee; let us be contented that we may be as our Master; whosoever desires to be above his Master, is proud, and not worthy of his Master: we are a burning bush, which is burnt, but not consumed; we are a citie besieged, but not taken; we are the Moone la­bouring under an eclipse, but not per­petually losing her light; wee are the Arke of Noah, exposed to the Flood, yet not over whelmed with it; we are the woman in travell whom the dra­gon [Page 112] pursues, but yet kills her not; we are the lilly amongst the thornes; and yet wee wither not; thy most cruell torments O Lord, could not so farre afflict and torture thee, but that thou haddest a care of thine, but that thou wouldest speak to thy mother, and to thy disciple; for thy third word upon the crosse was uttered to them, be­hold thy Sonne, behold thy Mother, Me thinks O Lord, I see into thy bow­ells, into the depth of thy thoughts; thou complainest, the sorrowes of death have compassed mee about; but yet that sword doth no lesse break, and wound my heart, which hath with unspeakable torment peirced thy soule, most sweet mother, I behold also thee most loving yong man, the most in­imate of my friends; most sweet de­sciple, I behold thy groanes, and sighes, for the losse of him, in whom thou hast placed all thy hope and trust. I there­fore that am forsaken of all, doe bring to both of you, that small ayd I am able; thou O Mother, behold another Sonne for thee; thou my disciple, behold another helpe for thee. O most holy Jesus, O most faithfull Saviour, O most mercifull helper, how many [Page 113] sad widows doest thou even now com­fort? how many poore orphans doest thou now relieve? how many afflicted persons doest thou now take charge of? I am also widowed of all comfort, and deprived of all sustenance; robbed of all protection and aid; the anxieties of my mind are many, my affliction is great, my griefes are multiplied; com­fort me, sustaine me, take care of me, O thou omnipotent Comforter of those that bee sad, thou Strength of those that labour; let my groanes come unto thee, what extremity soever I am in, that in my necessities I may joy in the presence of thy mercy. Heare also, yee that have eares to heare, the fourth word. Let my soule attend, let my spi­rit attend, and let all the devotion that is in me, give her attention; our Priest, (in the dayes of his flesh) offered up prayers and supplications, with teares and strong cries unto him, that was able to save him from death, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The just God and heavenly Father, who begate thee from eternity, who by a voyce from heaven, testified of thee, This is my beloved Sonne, heare him, hath forgotten thee; hee left thee not [Page 114] for thine owne cause, but for mine; for I by my sinnes have begotten thee these labours and griefes; it was I was to be forsaken, but thou stoodest in my stead; thou who speakest righteous­nesse, who art the bulwarke of salvati­on, hast trod the wine-presse alone, and there was not a man to helpe thee; thou lookedst about, and there was no hel­per; thou soughtest, but foundst none that might save: O how bitter was this forsaking to thee, but how plea­sant, and how happie to mee! Thou God, exceeding long-suffering, thou shalt not leave me for ever, because thy Sonne was forsaken for me. Thou ar­dent lover of my soule, thou diligent Saviour of sinners, thou most courteous searcher of men, thy most obedient Sonne tooke on him the punishment which was due for my sins, which are so much against thee; hee hath borne the sinners burthen, hee hath endured the horrours of death, and terrours of hell, and hath most largely satisfied for me. Leave me not then, O my God, depart not from me, O my God, in the day of my death; if the so copious sa­tisfaction of thy Sonne, if my so dan­gerous misery can move thee to com­passion, [Page 115] be present with me most mise­rable sinner, pitifully heare my prayers and help mee in the houre of death, neither remember my iniquities, but O thou fountaine of mercyes, deale with mee according to thy exceeding great mercy.

GAther, O gather your selves toge­ther, and heare, saith the Patri­arch Iacob, when he stretched forth his feet, to enter into the way of all flesh, and stood even at the threshold of his wished-for eternity; but if the last words of a man, were to bee received with such attention, what attention may be required, what fervour, & what diligence, to heare his last words, who is both God and man, who is above all the Patriarches, in whom all the Patriarches did trust, and whom they wished so often to behold? The words were seven. The number of seven, is a peculiar number, a holy number, and is used in many mysteries; it is [Page 116] here also peculiar, it is holy, and not barren of mysteries; thou hast already understood this, O my soule, and thou shalt know it in part hereafter. The first word of our Lord was, I thirst; ah Lord, all thy spirits were dissipa­ted, all thy strength issued forth in the torrent of thy blood; for thou wast a man of sorrowes, and experi­enced in infirmities, despised, and a man of the least esteeme, although thou haddest committed no offence, nor was guile found in thy mouth; there­fore wast thou scorched with extream thirst, and yet thou Saviour and pre­server of men, thou couldest not ob­taine drink from men. O most bar­barous cruelty! the Lord did travell with extreame thirst, at the beginning of his passion, and that thirst did in­crease still more and more, so that it was one of the greater sort of tor­ments, which the Lord endured upon the crosse: for the letting out of the great plenty of the vitall fountaine, doth dry and cause thirst; therefore the Lord, who after much wearinesse and by his scourging lost much blood, and afterwards (being crucified) had foure open fountaines, as it were in [Page 117] his body, from which great plenty of blood, had for a long time issued forth; how could it be, but that hee must be tormented with extreame thirst? They who have received many wounds, from which much blood doth flow, desire nothing so much as drink, as if they suffered nothing but thirst; but who was there that took pitty, and offered so much as cold water, who was present, who had a fellow-feel­ing of his sorrowes? there was not one, nor any found to comfort him; O Jesus, thou heavenly Lord, they gave thee gall to eate, and in thy thirst, they have thee vineger to drink; thy beloved John saith there was a vessell set full of vineger, and they fastning a sponge full of vineger to an hysop stalk, offered it to his mouth. O cruell wickednesse! as they had at the beginning a little before his cru­cifying, offered him wine mixed with gall; so at the departure of his soule they offer him vineger, a most per­nitious thing for his wounds, that Christs passion might be a true and continued passion, from the begin­ning to the end, without any mix­ture of comfort; in stead of refresh­ing [Page 118] and pleasing liquour, they offer him hurtfull and bitter. O refreshing without any refreshing; O most la­mentable consolation! When Sampson had slaine the Philistims, he thirsted exceedingly, and the Lord opened a great tooth for him, in the jaw-bone of an asse, whence waters did flow; and thou, when thou haddest overcome the most potent enemies, the world, satan, and death; diddest also thirst extreamely, but no waters were given thee, and the Antitype was in a farre worse condition than the type, which the Conquerour of the Philistims did represent; wee (alas) had deserved e­ternall thirst, to us was due that scorch­ing heat which the glutton had, when hee lifted up his eyes, (being in tor­ments) and saw Abraham afarre off, and Lazarus in his bosome, and crying said, Father Abraham, take pitty of me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and re­fresh my tongue, for I am tormented in these flames; but thou that takest pit­ty of us, that most ardently thirstest for our salvation, hast (in thy thirst) suf­fered that thirst, and hast deserved so much for us, that we shall one day nei­ther [Page 119] hunger, nor thirst any more, nei­ther shall Sun, or heat fall on us, be­cause thou dost governe us, and leadest us to the fountaines of waters, and shalt wipe away all teares from our eyes; thou shalt make us drunk with the plenteousnesse of thy house, and re­fresh us with the streames of thy plea­sure. O Lord, as the hart desireth the fountaines of water, so longeth my soule after thee O Lord; my soule hath thirsted after God, the living fountaine; when shall I come and appeare be­fore the face of God? O Lord, when shall I worthily call to mind thy mer­cyes, thy praises which are farre above all things, which thou hast given me, and exceeding the multitude of the goods of my house, which thou hast bestowed upon mee, according to the multitude of thy mercyes?

THou hast performed all, and every of those things, which thou knew­est necessary to recover our salvation, [Page 120] most willingly, and with all thy heart. And therefore thy sixt word was not, it shall be finished; as thou diddest say in thy journey to Jerusalem; behold we goe up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be fulfilled, which are written by the Prophets concerning the Son of man; for hee shall be delivered up to the Gentiles, shall bee mocked, shall be scourged, and spitt upon, and after they have scourged him, they shall put him to death. But hee saies, it is finished: whatsoever the wicked nation could invent, to exasperate thy torments, is finished; thou truly did­dest foretell the houre, and power of darkenesse, and the time of thy cru­cifying; I have finished sayest thou, the work which thou gavest me to doe; but that was another work; namely the work of Preaching the Gospell, as thou thy selfe doest intimate unto mee, when thou addest, I have ma­nifested thy name unto men: this work which thou sayest is finished, is the work of suffering for mankind; the work of drinking off the cup of the passion, which thy father hath given thee, thou hast now drunk it all off, so that there remaines nothing, but [Page 121] that thou give up the ghost; the power which was given the apostate Angels, and the filthy rabble of wicked men, is finished; thy pilgrimage wherein thou wentest out from thy father, and diddest come into the world, is finished, wherein thou wast upon the earth like a husbandman, and a tra­vailer; the mortality of thy humani­ty is at an end; every prophecy which the prophets had foretold concerning thy life or death, is finished; the grea­test sacrifice of all sacrifices is fini­shed, that upon which all the sacri­fices of the old covenant as types and shaddows did reflect; for by one oblation, thou hast for ever made perfect those that are sanctified, and art become the end of the Law, to e­very one that beleeveth. Now the va­riety of carnall sacrifices ceasing, thou fulfillest all those distinctions of beasts by once offering up of thy body, and blood; thou hast O Lord drawne all things unto thy selfe; for by rending the vaile of the temple, the Sanctum Sanctorum departed from the unwor­thy high Preists, that the figure might bee turned into a truth, the prophecy into a manifestation, and the Law into [Page 122] a Gospell: O cleane, O unspotted sa­crifice, whose Altar was the Crosse, which the viler it was before Christ overcame it, so much the more famous, and noble did it afterwards become; the fire thereof that consumes the burnt offering, and perfecteth the sacrifice, is this immeasurable charity; which like a furnace exceedingly heated, did burne in thy heart O Jesus, which the many waters of thy sufferings could not extinguish. O Jesus, my re­deemer, my mercy, my Saviour, I praise thee, I give thanks unto thee, though farre unproportionable to thy benefits, though very voyd of devo­tion, though leane in comparison of that fatnesse which thy most sweet affe­ction towards us doth require in them; yet my soule doth pay unto thee what thanks shee is able, not such as shee knowes are due unto thee, from mee. Thou hope of my heart, thou vertue of my soule, let thy most powerfull worth perfect that which my most chill weaknesse doth endeavour; my life, thou end of my intention, though I have not loved thee so much as I ought to love thee, yet doe I at least desire to love thee as much as I ought. [Page 123] O Jesus, let this word alwayes stick in my memory, It is finished. When sinne and damnation shall band themselves against mee wrastling with the pangs of death, and shall present unto mee my ugly life, made deformed by my sinnes, let me be able then to say, the sa­crifice for my sinnes is finished: For thou art the Lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world. Thou hast not redeemed me with corruptible silver and gold, but with thy most pre­cious blood, as it were of an unspotted, undefiled lamb. When the law shall ac­cuse me, and shall exact punishment, let me say each tittle of it is accomplished: For when the fulnes of time was come, God sent his Son, made under the Law, that he might redeem those which were under the Law, and that we also might receive the adoption of children. When death shall infest and terrifie me, let me say, thy power is determined, thou art conquered by my Lord, who hath spoiled thee of thy power, hath taken out thy sting, and purged out thy poy­son, that death may be to me a sweet repose, great gaine, a dismission in peace, a recalling from evils, a momentary hi­ding me till wrath is past, and till hea­ven [Page 124] gates be opned for me. When kind­red, friends, and acquaintance, shall at the time of my departure bewaile my going hence, and compasse my bed with groanes and teares; let me say my course is finished, the appointed time is past, the period is fixed which we can­not passe, the glasse is runne, the houre of freedome drawes neare; here my misery makes a stand, and the haven I make to is neare, where all teares shall be wiped away: behold I leave unto you a Fulfiller of all good, and an as­swager and ender of all evill! hee shall comfort you, if you flie unto him; hee shall keepe and defend you, to whom I recommend my soule, and to whom I recommend you the beloved of my soule, for evermore, Amen.

ALthough, Lord Jesus Christ, great is thy humility, great thy abase­ment, and great is thy affliction, that thou seemest scarce a man, but a worm; yet in thy seventh and last word, before thou gavest up the ghost, tho-shewedst [Page 125] thy selfe not a man only, but even set above the reach of mans power; for when thou wast about to breathe out thy most holy Spirit, thou criedst out, Father, into thy hands I com­mend my Spirit. Ah what a mournfull, lamentable, sad, and miserable si­lence is there, when mournfull, lamen­table, sad, and miserable man is com­manded to breathe forth his soule! how silent, faint, and how dead (as it were) are all things before death! our death-bed takes possession of us, when the Sunnes last shadow flyes from us, and enraged death sharpens his Dart, to strike thorow our breast. But thou (O Lord) dost witnesse thy power, even in death it selfe, not onely by crying out, at the last gaspe, but also by sha­king the earth, by cleaving the rocks, opening the graves, rending the vaile of the Temple. The Centurion him­selfe (being a man) conversing with the members of the Church, but beleeving out of the Church, confessed from hence, and said, This man was indeed the Sonne of God. But the last word thou utteredst in thy mortality, is dili­gently to be noted, and seriously to be weighed, Father, into thy hands I com­mend [Page 126] my Spirit. This was thy last word; Ah would to God it might bee also mine, and I trust, Lord, it shall be so, and God (I hope) will heare it; for thou hast obtained this for me, because thou hast both prayed for me upon the Crosse, and hast as my chiefe high Priest, suffered all things; nor didst thou commend thine own Spirit alone unto thy Father, but mine also, and of all the faithfull, who are members of thy body; thou hast bound my soule together with thine owne, in the bun­dle of life, and hast delivered it into the hands of the Almighty: O how doe the words pierce my soule and spirit, which thou utteredst before thou didst passe that deadly way, and in which thou didst most devoutly speake unto thy Father, I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine. Holy Father, keepe them in thy name, whom thou hast given me, that they may bee one, as we are one; preserve them from the world, sanctifie them in thy truth; I pray not only for these, but for those also who shall beleeve in me, through their word, that they may all be one, as thou, O Father, art in mee, and I in [Page 127] thee; that they also may be one in us, that the world may beleeve that thou hast sent mee; and I have given them the glory which thou gavest mee, that they may be one, as wee are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father I will that those whom thou hast given me, be where I am, that they may see my glory which thou hast gi­ven me, because thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. What fa­ther can more earnestly recommend a son? what mother a daughter, or what brother his brother, to anothers care; than thou O Son of the living God, hast recommended us to thy Father? Thy Father doth heare us his degenerate & adopted sonnes: how much rather will he heare thee, his Sonne obedient even to the death, and his issue begotten of his owne substance from all eternity? yea, he hath already heard him; Can, saith he, (even he thy Father) a woman forget her owne childe, that she should not have compassion upon the sonne of her owne wombe? Though she should be so forgetfull, yet will not I forget [Page 128] thee; behold I have graven thee upon my hands: Thou also, O Christ my Saviour, sayest, My sheepe heare my voice, and I know them, and they follow mee, and I give unto them eternall life, and they shall not perish for ever, and no man shall snatch them out of my hands. My Father who gave me them, is greater than all, and none can take them out of my Fathers hands. Resting upon these thine attracting sentences, I may be start­led at the remembrance of death, but I shall not be dismayed, because I shall also bee mindfull of thy promises, merits and intercessions. When at length by thy permission, a sharpe sick­nesse shall weaken my sinewes, and shall gnaw and feed upon my blood­lesse and halfe rotten skinne; when my face shall bee bedewed with a cold sweat, and I shall be moistned with the drops of death, when my wan lips shal be widowed of their rednesse, and a sad murmure shall be heard from the hor­rid noise of the gnashing teeth, when my Sunne shall be darkened by my funerall clouds, and death shall involve my head in everlasting darknesse; yet thou Son of righteousnesse shalt shine cleare unto me; thou shalt furnish my [Page 129] soule, wrastling and triumphing by the vertue of thy Spirit with thine owne word, Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit.

COme hither, come hither O my soule, behold him hanging on the Crosse; ascend, ascend O my soule, and pluck out the nailes from his hands and feet, wherewith hee is fastened to the Crosse. Thou needst no ladder, it is devotion, it is faith which elevates and lifts thee up thither. O miserable spe­ctacle! O lamentable carcasse! how ill-favourdly, & in what an ugly man­ner art thou butchered! They could not glut their malice upon him while he li­ved; they insult also upon him being dead, and goare him with a speare, whence blood and water did flow; most holy Symbols of thy two Sacra­ments. Who is he, O Lord, that hath overcome the world, but he that belee­veth that Jesus is the Sonne of God? This is that Jesus Christ that came by water and blood, not by water alone, [Page 130] but by water and blood. Thou camest unto us in water in Baptisme, thou ca­mest to us in blood in the holy Supper: this is that double testimony, that we are reconciled to the Father by thee, and that wee are washed and purged from our sinnes: thou wast very much besotted and soiled, yet wast thou lovely to thy Father, because thou be­camest obedient to death, even to the death of the Crosse: thou art also most lovely to mee, whilst I dive into thy side, and into thy wounds, not with the eyes of my body with Thomas, but with the eyes of faith, which are the in­struments of life, the perspective glasse of the world to come; when I see I am freed from death, by the death of my Lord and my God; When I locke on the immense and love without bounds, love without end, the love that wee want understanding to conceive, and our reason waxeth darke to apprehend: For I have sinned, and thou hast suffe­red; yea, I who have sinned, have suffe­red in thee; our flesh was so joyned to the Deitie, so as that which was to die everlastingly for sinne, became dead in another for us, and we neither felt grief nor death, yet were we in like manner [Page 131] restored to life: for as Christ put upon him our flesh in the wombe, so he dyed our death upon the Crosse. For what­soever the God, made man, did suffer, he suffered for man, from whom hee can now no more be severed, than from his other Nature, with which he united this to the end he might save it. O great clemencie! O unspeakable cle­mencie! O bounty that cannot be ex­pressed with words of mans eloquence! God who is for ever blessed, is first made man, and at length is made a curse for man; O blessed day, where­in the head of the Dragon is trampled under the feet of thy crucified and dead body; Leviathan is bruised, Be­hemoh that vast and powerfull crea­ture is overthrowne, and death is cast out. O most milde Tribunall, before which I am absolved without punish­ment, freed without death, but yet that even by death, where I am dismissed from my bloody deeds, by the blood of the supreme King; by thy blood now shed, I see most clearely that thou hast transferred my nature upon thy selfe, that I might receive that inno­cencie from thee, which I had altoge­ther corrupted in my selfe; but thou [Page 132] keptest thy divine Nature, that I might receive glory and dignitie; thou joyn­edst both together, that the Deitie be­ing joyned to the humanitie, and the humanitie joyned to the Deity, he that was sensible of my misery, putting on my affections, might unite him unto me as a brother, whom I did feare as a Judge. What shall I say, or how shall I speak? for I am not my selfe when I think of thee, when I lift up my eyes unto thee, when I behold thy side laun­ced with the speare, and behold tho­row that wound thy most loving heart. Thou that art immense, infinite, not circumscribed, void of passion, and im­mortall, hast put on for love of us, even this our flesh straight, finite, circum­scribed, and finally liable to passion, and death it selfe: which by hunger, by thirst, by miseries, by injuries, by scour­gings, by spittings on, by blood, by death, was handled, beaten, extended, and tortured by pieces in the presence of the Devill; yet being joyned also with thy Divinitie, thou hast placed it above all the Angels, above all crea­tures which are in heaven and earth, even at the right hand of thy Father, that we who before were even pressed [Page 133] downe to hell, may now (by thee) be taken into the fellowship of the God­head. I would I might alwayes rest in this thy so great passion, that I may dwell in thy wounds; for whosoever flies to thy wounds and precious scars, shall in tribulation finde great com­fort, and enjoy that comfort the soule doth onely desire.

THere is at length an end set to la­bour, and the worke of redempti­on being wrought and finished, and that all-sufficient ransome paid, the grave receives and covers this ill-hand­led body: for God is faithfull, O Christ my God, who set a convenient end to thy labours, temptations, sorrowes, ne­cessities and persecutions; for my sinnes thou wast put to death, after death thou art buried, but it was that thou might­est rise againe out of the grave for my just fication. Before the day of prepa­ration for the Passeover was wholly past; thou art taken from the Crosse, thy Father hastens also our departure [Page 134] from this preparation day, by a prepa­ration to the heavenly journey, that we may the sooner be brought to thee, & ce­lebrate Sabbath upon Sabbath unto thee. Therewas no reproach that thou hadst not bin loaden with in that Crosse, nor any ignominy, that thy body had not beene disgraced with in it: yet these things could not affright Nicodemus, whom thou hadst instructed by thy nightly conference, and gained for a secret Disciple; and Ioseph of Arima­thea a rich, good, and pious Senatour, two of the principall men amongst the Jewish Nation. Thou didst hang upon the Crosse betweene theeves; thy chosen companions fled from thee, the whole rabble of thy persecutors cryed, Cru­cifie, crucifie him, take him away, take him away. Pilate delivered thee over to death, and judged thee worthy to be tormented; yet these men searing no­thing, breake through the midst of the host of these perverse troops, they goe to Pilate, and beseech him, that the infa­mously handled carkas, yet heavens re­lique, might be given unto them, accoun­ting of it as of a most great gift. What courage of mind shal I beleeve you had? who quickned your spirits, O Nicodemus [Page 135] and Ioseph? what beliefe could the small reliques of that golden tree raise up in you? did you not think that yee might bee accounted partners with Christ, whom they had proclaimed for a decei­ver, and a disturber of the publike peace, and that yee might be reckoned for troublers of the Senate, and be bla­med of Pilate, and stoned of the peo­ple? But the fire of faith was kindled in you, which not being to be confined within in your hearts, breaks forth on all sides. O strange power of God, in his faithfull servants! O how unsearch­able are his works! The Disciples had above three yeares beene publicke au­ditors of Christ now crucified; they had beene plentifully and carefully fed and instructed by him; but when so great dangers grew thicke, they for­sake their Master. Nicodemus and Io­seph came in private to Jesus, fearing to bring the peoples hatred upon them­selves; now when they see all things seeme desperate, they doe not forsake him whom they had worshipped, whom they had heard, whom they had reverenced, but doe now, still, even now, love and honour not unwilling­ly. How great is thy power in those [Page 136] that are weake? how great thy perfe­ction in those that are imperfect? would to God that nothing also may be able to separate me from the love of Christ; neither affliction, nor anguish, nor per­secution, nor hunger, nor nakednesse, nor danger, nor the sword; but let me be perswaded, that nor death, nor life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor heighth, nor depth, nor any other creature whatsoever, shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is Christ Jesus my Lord. Those diligent worshippers of thee, doe wrap thee in cleane linnen, do embalme thee with Myrrh and Aloes. O that I may humble my selfe by bitter repen­tance, and purged from my sinnes, may receive thee with a pure heart. They embalme thee, and lay thee in a new tombe, in which no other had ever beene laid; O that none but thy selfe might enter into my heart renewed by thy blessed Spirit. They spend many things willingly for thy sake, nor dare spare any cost; let me also spend my life and blood for thee, and for thine, and what else besides my blood thou hast given me in this life. When thou [Page 137] shalt call my soule from this wombe of durt, let me thinke of nothing but of thy death, but of thy blood, but of thy wounds, but of thy crowne; when I I shall be affrighted with the grave, let me thinke I shall be buried in no other sepulchre, than in that which thou hast touched with thine one body, which thou hast sanctified by thy scars, that being to be raised at thy command, I may live with thee everlastingly. Amen.

SEt forth the prayses of the Lord, and call upon his name, declare his works among the nations; sing unto him, sing praises unto him, declare all his wonderfull works, call to mind his wonders which he hath done, his strange works, & the judgements of his mouth. Who can sufficiently speak of the power of the Lord, and make all his praises to be heard? O Lord my God, thou art exceedingly exalted; thou hast put on praise and comeli­nesse, and art clothed with light, as [Page 138] it were with a garment; Ioseph was thrust into a most noysome darknesse of a prison, but the third yeere was hee taken thence, and made the great commander over all Aegypt. Christ was put in the bowells of the earth, but the third day he came out thence alive, and was made governour of heaven and earth. Moses was cast forth into the river, being shut into an Arke of bulrushes; but was pre­sently drawne from thence and made the people of Israels Captaine and de­liverer. Christ Jesus was shut into the tomb; but was in good time rai­sed thence, and designed for a Saviour unto all men. The bush in the wil­dernesse, did burne, but was not con­sumed by the fire; Jesus burned upon the Crosse, and was exposed to the flames of Gods wrath, and the assaults of Satan; but this fire was put out, and now the beames of his fatherly favour shine forth. Aarons rod was withered, but it flourished againe; all Christs bones were dryed by his pas­sion; but vigour returned to them, from the grave. Josuah trampled the five Kings that were brought unto him under his feet, and hung them upon [Page 139] five trees; Jesus Christ trampled upon our five enemies; the world, satan, sinne, death, and the grave; and car­ried away most great spoyles, and set up glorious trophyes of his victory. Sampson was taken in Gaza; but hee plucked up the gates of the City, and escaped. Christ Jesus was taken of death, but not kept; and having con­quered death, hee triumphed. David overthrew Goliah the Philistims cham­pion, with a sling: Christ with his blood overthrew and vanquished the devill, the leader and captaine of the wicked. We blesse thee, famous Savi­our, we laud thee, most invincible cap­taine, we reverence thee most trium­phant victour; arise make haste my soule, and come away; now winter's past, the storme is over and gone, the flowers deck our feilds, the spring is come, the voyce of the turtle is heard in our land; the figgtree is bud­ded, the flourishing vines send forth a sweet savour; arise make haste my soule, and come away; it is no time for sloth, but to make speed; it is no time to sleepe,, but to awake; it is no time to weepe, but to rejoyce; it is no time to complaine, but to bee [Page 140] glad; wee have beene too indulgent to sadnesse, wee have shed teares enough; let sadnesse depart, let mirth returne, the time of the passion is past, the time of the resurrection is come; all anxiety must fly away, when the mes­sage sent by the Angell is heard, all greife of heart must vanish, when the Gospell is received; hee is risen, hee is risen, whom his friend betrayed, whom the company of his disciples forsook, whom Peter denied, whom the Priests delivered up, whom the serjeants smot, whom the high Priests mocked, whom the Iudges condemned, whom the hang­men put to death, whom the souldiers pierced, whom the accursed burden of our sinns did oppresse, whom the wrath due to our sinns had tormen­ted; hee is risen, the Lord our God is risen, our brother is risen, who hath in his sepulcher buried all our iniqui­ties, and by his resurrection, hath brought forth for us freedome, and salvation. Confesse unto the Lord, and call upon his name, set forth his works amongst the Gentiles, sing unto him, sing psalmes unto him, declare all his wonderfull works. This is the day wherein hath fallen what ever lifted [Page 141] up the head against the Lord; for the Lord, himselfe after hee had drunk of the brock in the way, exalted his own head, and brake to peeces the heads of his adversaries; this is the day wherein hell was overthrowne, and the abhominable Kingdome of Satan conquered, the devill bound, the old dragon spoyled, death disabled, and the miserable Christian people freed. Remember the wonderfull things of the Lord, which hee hath done, his marvailes, and the judgements of his mouth; who shall set forth the power of the Lord, and make all his praises to be heard? this is the day wherein did vanish away the snares of the ser­pent of paradise, which hee layd for the seede of the woman; they vanished away, and the head of the serpent, was cleft in sunder, and the enmity betwixt mankinde and the serpents brood, brake forth into extreamity of deeds. This is the day wherein the second Adam from heaven awaked out of sleepe, and received his only belo­ved, and married her to himselfe; blesse the Lord O my soule; O Lord my God thou hast been wonderfully mag­nified; thou hast put on praise, and [Page 142] comelinesse, and art clothed with light, as with a garment; rejoyce in the Lord O my soule; this ought to be the so­lemnity above all solemnities, where­in Christ the Lord by his divine power arose from death [...] as be­fore handled like a [...] theefe; this day is better than tha [...] wherein the world did first appeare: For that was created for mans labour, this was made for his rest; that deserved death, this frees him from the feare of death; the light of that day is buried in dark­nesse, the brightnesse of this day doth even enlighten the graves; to conclude, the dead see not the light of that day, but the light of this day hath even showne forth to the dead: let us there­fore rejoyce in this day, which both shines about the living, and quick­neth the dead, and illuminates those who are to come. Let all the world exult with joy, for it is meet that as every creature did lament with mourn­full teares the death of their Creator, and did follow the hearse of him that was put to death upon the Crosse, in the dark funerals of the night; so they should now joyfully receive him, tri­umphantly returning, in his resurrecti­on [Page 143] from the dead. And thou also my soule, rowse thy selfe from the sleepe of sinne, that thou crucifie him not againe after his resurrection; awake if thou be asleepe, and rise from the dead; when the Lord arose from the tabernacle, the campe removed, and all the people followed; to day is the Lord of life and death risen from the grave; thou must not lie snorting, but fol­low him by thy fervent devotion; the old leaven must be purged out, the lea­ven of malice, and wickednesse; wee must feed on the unleavened bread of truth and sincerity. I am willing O God, but not able; thou who hast given mee grace to hate the way of the flesh and studies of this age, vouch­safe that I may never set foot in that way, nor ever be deceived by these inventions; Lord Jesus, Holy Iesus, Good Iesus, if thou wilt, I shall be able; for it is thy will that makes mee able; will therefore I may have ability, and will I may bring this good work to perfection. Thou who did'st vouchfafe to dye for our sinns, and to rise againe for our justification, I beseech thee by thy glorious resurrection, to raise me from the grave of all my sinnes and of­fences, [Page 144] and give me daily a part in the first resurrection, that I may truly de­serve to receive a part in thy resurrecti­on. Most sweet, benigne, loving, deare, precious, desired, lovely, beautifull Je­sus, thou didst ascend into heaven, in triumph of thy glory, and sittest, most mighty King, at the right hand of thy Father: draw me up to thee, that I may runne after thee; for the odour of thy perfumes I will runne, and never be weary, if thou wilt assist me; joyne the mouth of the soule that thirsts after thee, to the heavenly streames of eter­nall satiety; yea, draw me to thy selfe, thou living fountaine, that thence I may drinke my fill, whence I may al­wayes live, my God and my life.

CLap your hands, O all ye Nati­ons, rejoyce in the Lord with an exulting voice, because the Lord is high, terrible, a great King above all the earth; he hath subjected the people un­to us, and nations under our feet; he hath chosen us out for an inheritance to [Page 145] himselfe, the excellency of Iacob which he loved. God hath ascended in a shout, the Lord in the voice of the trumpet. Sing unto our God, sing ye, sing unto our King; because God is the King of all the earth, sing unto him with under­standing. God hath reigned over the nations, God sitteth upon his holy seat▪ the Princes of the people are gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham, because God is exceeding­ly exalted by them that defend the earth. This, O my soule, was the voice and song of the faithfull Jewes in the old Testament, wherein they gratula­ted their Saviour, when in spirit and in faith they saw he was to come, and did exhort one another, that they should sing unto, and trust in him, that was exalted in his Majesty. Say thou also O clap your hands, rejoyce in the Lord in the voice of exultation; that which they proclaimed in hope, doe thou pro­claime in fruition; for Christ is ascen­ded, the eternall offspring of the eter­nall God, and the Sonne of temporary man borne in time. Sing, O my soule, to thy great God and Saviour, to the true peacefull Prince of peace, Empe­rour of heaven and earth, King of [Page 146] kings, Lord of lords. The Angels praise his Majesty, Principalities adore him, Majesties tremble at him, the powers of the heaven of heavens, and the Society of the blessed Seraphins doe celebrate his praises with exultation; doe thou also cry out, to thy Messiah be life and victory, blessing and honour, glory and power for evermore. Those sell soules, not satisfied with his death, torments, and Crosse, did even warre against him being dead, and did most diligently observe all things, lest any should steale his body out of the grave; yet re­turnes he; the Conquerour returnes, cloathed with the brightnesse of his glory, as it were with most pure gar­ments; he returnes, and hastens to higher things, he flies up to the highest heavens, compassed with quires of An­gels, and heavenly citizens, some of whom (as I guesse) sing songs of tri­umph to the Conquerour, others dance for joy, others offer him palme and bayes, others strew handfuls of a most pleasing crop of heavenly flowers. Where are now thy pale lips? where is that filthy besmearing with spittle? where is the congealed blood? where the pricks of the thornes? where his [Page 147] black and blew shoulders? where those streames of blood gushing forth? where his torne sinewes by the lashes of whips? In so short a moment is this so thicke a mist of ignominy exhaled, and the brightnesse of his glory posses­ses all things. And now is the fore-head cleare, the eyes sparkling, the comely cheeks blushing red; now are the lips died scarlet, now doth he shake his golden and glittering tresses; in briefe, he is all over like the Sunne breaking out of a cloud. Where now Lord, is thy abjection, after thou hast pierced the skies, and ascended above all heavens, when thou wast higher than the hea­vens, and hadst entred into thy Fa­thers house, in which are many mansi­ons? where was thy contemptible estate, when the glory of the heavens gave place to thee, and thou ruledst eve­ry where, and filledst all places from sea to sea, even to the ends of the earth, for evermore? Thou fillest all things, O Lord, therefore art thou most present; and although thou seemest sometime to be departed from us, yet if thou would­est open our eyes, we should finde thee about us, and in us. Thou art most pre­sent; therefore let not my sinnes defile [Page 148] me, because they offend thee that wast scourged, crucified, and slaine for them, and cause me to be condemned for of­fending of thee. Thou art cleane, and dost dwell with those that are pure in heart; those that burthen their soules with the filth of sinne, doe expell thee the guest of their soule. Thou art most present, therefore whatever betides me, and howsoever the devill batter me, and in what manner soever the world afflict me, or the flesh doe tempt me, yet thou seest it, and art both able and joyfull to deliver me. When upon mount Olivet thou madest preparation to depart, to the full enjoying of thy heavenly king­dome, thou didst hold up thy hands to heaven, and didst blesse thy Disciples; I am also thy disciple, therefore thou wilt not withdraw thy blessing from me, but wilt make thy ascention to be­come unto me a descention of many sorts of gifts. Thy graces did descend, as thy body did ascend: so shall I ascend in my heart; I will runne after thee, not with the steps of my feet, but with the desires of my soule; and flying from worldly desires, I will follow thee thi­ther in heart, whither I beleeve thou art in body ascended: let me now take no [Page 149] pleasure in vile things here below, that am possessed of thee in heaven. I will ascend in my affections, I will ascend in my progresse, and I wil ascend in effect. I shall ascend in my affections, if I re­lish heavenly things; I shall ascend in my progresse, if I shall daily profit in thy ministery; and I shall ascend in effect, if I have my conversation where thou art, even in the heavens. And I trust I shall easily obtaine this; for thou art ascended to the Father, to be my Intercessor. The high Priest, when he entred the Holy of Holyes, made an atonement for the people; thou art entred into the Sanctuary of blessed immortality, a Sanctuary not made with hands, but heaven it selfe: thou wilt therefore appear in the presence of God for us. Thou art ascended, not leav­ing upon the earth thy humanity, which thou tookest from the earth, and didst carry about thee on the earth, but hast so exalted it, that thou hast made it a partaker of heaven. Why therefore, O man, shouldest thou feare? why, O man, shouldest thou afflict thy selfe? Be secure flesh and blood, you are pos­sessors of heaven, and Gods Kingdome in Christ: if any deny you are in [Page 150] Christ, he denies also that Christ is in heaven; the flesh and blood, and por­tion of every of us, is in the man, Christ Iesus. Therefore where my portion reignes, I beleeve I reigne; where my blood doth rule, I perceive my selfe to rule: where my flesh is glorified, I know I am glorious. Thou wentest to prepare a place for mee, that I might be with thee in a most plesant City; thou laydst open the way, that I might come into thy most lo­ving society; Thou didst first break through, that I might also enter into most ample felicity, in everlasting health of body, in perfect purity of our soules, in all fullnesse of glory, and divine pleasure, into the perpe­tuall familiarity of the Saints, to have kindred, hope, resting place, grace, and dignity, in the heavens.

HOw great, and what an unutte­rable piety of my redeemer is this? hee carried man into heaven, and sent God downe upon the earth; behold [Page 151] therefore a new Redeemer is sent from heaven, behold againe divinity and humanity are mixed together. Thou didst foretell, O my God, by thy spi­rit which thou hast given us, I will powre out my waters to the thirsty, and my streames upon those that are scor­ched; I will powr out my spirit upon thy seede, my blessing upon thy po­sterity, I will powre out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sonns shall prophe­cy. I will sprinckle pure water upon you, and you shall be clensed from all your pollutions. I will send my spirit into the midst of you. Now O my God, is thy prophecy fulfilled, and the showers of thy graces and streames of thy blessings are powred forth. That common expected time of gladnesse of all the righteous is now come, the sweet guest of the soule is come, the comfor­table refreshing, the rest in our la­bour, the temper in heate, comfort in mourning, the washing of that which was foule, watering that which was partched with heate, healing that which is wounded, straightning what was crooked, cherishing that which was cold, ordering what was gone astray. The inspiter of our faith, the teacher [Page 152] of knowledge, the fountaine of love▪ the ensigne of chastity, and the cause of all our vertue is come. Hee came when the twelve ministers, and dispen­sors of thy mysteries were unani­mously gathered together at Ierusa­lem, in the house of prayer, chosen by thine owne selfe, in the holy City, the City of perfect beauty, and a sudden noyse comming from heaven as it were the rushing of a mighty wind, cloven tongues appeared to them like fire, and sate upon each of them, so that they were all filled with the Holy ghost, and they began to speak in divers languages. They were ga­thered together with one accord; and indeed that spirit loves agreement, and doth bind faster together mens peace­full minds; it drives away all brawles and contentions, and is it selfe driven away by brawles and contentions. They were gathered together in Jeru­salem; it loves a holy place, and where thy word is preached, there it grati­ously abideth. This word is not with­out the spirit; nor thy word without the spirit; there was a sound like a wind; the holy spirit is not still, but its voyce is heard, hee is not dumbe, [Page 153] but speaketh, and preacheth redemp­tion to sinners, revelations to those in misery; comfort to those that bee sad; exaltation to those that are opressed; deliverance to the captives; liberty to the bondmen; and rersurrection to the dead. There was a sudden and vehe­ment sound from heaven; the holy spi­rit is not the gift of men, but of the Almighty God; it brings not momen­tary, but things eternall, not earth­ly, but heavenly things. Gods helpe is also (for the most part) sudden and unlooked for; when wee despaire of all mens ayd, the power of the most High is sent us, and cures us in a most fit time. The holy spirit is cheere­full, and makes them nimble, and rea­dy in whom it operates; for the grace of the holy spirit is not acquainted with sluggish endevours. The tongues appeared devided like fire; the tongue is the instrument of the holy ghost, whereby it prepares and enlargeth the spirituall Kingdome; and as the tongue doth distinguish tastes, so doth the holy spirit shew us good from ill, and to discerne between spirits; it al­so bestowes on us the gift of variety of languages, and gathers together in [Page 154] one the multitudes of men, dispersed by reason of the difference of their tongues. The love of God is, lastly, fiery, it enlightens the understandings drowned in darknesse, it warmes the soules by charity, makes them shine in good works, consumes wicked af­fections and actions; O most whol­some fire, descende from heaven into us. We burne with the filthy brands of our lusts, that the earth seemes ra­ther an Aetna of uncleane flames, than an habitation of men. For as the hill Aetna doth continually boyle with certaine inward fiery vapors, so doth that with the abhominable flames of fornications; by this meanes we kin­dle the fire of wrath, the fire of de­struction, the fire of the Lord, the fire of indignation, which went out from the Lord and consumed Nadab and Abihu. How grievously doth the pro­phet cry out, behold, all of you doe kindle his fire and adde fuell to the flames; enter yee into the light of your fire and the flames which yee have kindled. For after this manner, as the scripture mentioneth, doth all man­kind rush into eternall damnation. For first they kindle the fire, then they [Page 155] put fuell to the flames; and finally, they enter into the flames which they have kindled. And first doe wee begin to kindle the eternall fire for our selves when first we begin to sinne, and we adde fuell to the flames when we heap sins upon sins; We enter into the eter­nall fire, when we fulfill the remedi­lesse summe of all our mischiefes, by the iniquity of our multiplyed offen­ces: As our Saviour spake to the Rulers of the Jewes, Yee serpents yee genera­tion of vipers, fulfill yee the measure of your fathers. O heavenly Spirit, let plentifull showres fall from heaven, and quench the accursed flames of this fire, that I be not delivered into the un­sufferable flames, which no water, no brooke, no river, no sea can quench. Filth sticks to me on all sides; who will wash it off? I am polluted with the dirt of my sins; who shall make mee cleane? My soule is wounded, and al­together defiled; who shall heale and purifie it? My bones are dried up; who shall moisten them? Shalt not thou wash mee? shalt not thou purge mee? shalt not thou heale mee? shalt not thou cleanse me? shalt not thou moy­sten me? Thou didst never yet suffer [Page 156] me to receive a repulse; shall this be the first time that thou wilt reject my prayer? Surely thou wilt not deny that which I pray for, because thou hast bid me pray unto thee, because it ten­deth to my salvation, which thou so much desirest, and belongs unto thine owne honour, whereof thou art so jea­lous. Give me drink therefore out of the streames of thy pleasure, that I may take no pleasure to taste of the poyso­ned sweets of the world. Thou art the light and guide of my mind; as thou art the Author, so be also the Actor of all the good that is in me; for I humbly rely upon thee; I beleeve in thee, the true God, who pr [...]ceedest from the Father and the Son from all eternity, and art in time sent unto me; what ever I am, I am it in thee and by thee; I am righ­teous by thee, by thee am I chaste, by thee am I patient, by thee am I strong, by thee humble, by thee am I courte­ous, by thee am I long-suffering, by thee am I wise, by thee liberall, and by thee am I thrifty. O thou Comforter, teach me to doe thy will, because thou art my God. I beleeve therefore that whomsoever thou possessest, thou fit­test him for a dwelling, both of the Fa­ther, [Page 157] and of the Son; happie is he that shall be thought worthy to lodge thee, because by thee the Father and the Son shall make his abode with him.

O Three coequall, and coeternall Persons, one true God, the Fa­ther, the Sonne, and the Holy Ghost, who dost onely inhabit eternity and light inaccessible; who in thy might didst lay the foundation of the earth, and dost governe the whole world by thy wisdome. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabbaths, terrible, strong, just and mercifull, wonderfull, laudable and lovely. One God, three Persons, one Essence, one Power, one Wisdome, one Goodnesse, and one undivided Tri­nitie. Blessed be alwayes the holy Tri­nitie, one Diety, and coequall Majesty. The Father, Sonne, and Holy Ghost, are three names, all of them one sub­stance, God the begetter, God the be­gotten, the Holy Spirit equall God, contained in them both; yet they are not three Gods, but one true God; so [Page 158] the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord: there is proprie­ty in the Persons, and unity in the Es­sence; an equall Majesty and Power, equal Beauty & Honour, in all things; comprehending the Starres, the Seas, the Fields, nay the whole Creation; at whom wicked hell doth tremble, and whom the lowest depths doe reverence. Let every voice and tongue now con­fesse him worthy this praise, whom Sunne and Moone doe magnifie, and the Angelicall dignity doth adore; and let us all with strained voyce, with musicall songs and sweet melody war­ble forth his praises. O let us now sing together before the Throne of our God, that is exalted in the highest. O Trinity to be adored, O Unity to be re­verenced! Thou true Eternity, by thee are we created; thou most perfect chari­ty, by thee are we redeemed; doe thou protect, save, deliver, set free, and cleanse all people; we worship thee, Almigh­ty, we sing unto thee, to thee be praise and glory for ever and ever. For it is truly a worthy and a just thing, a right and a saving thing, that we should at all times, and in all places give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, God [Page 159] Almighty, who with thy only begotten Son and the Holy Ghost are one God, attone Lord, not in the singularity of one Person, but in the substance of one Trinity: for that which wee beleeve from thy revelation concerning thy glory, this wee understand without difference of distinction, both of the Son and also of the Holy Ghost, that the propriety of Persons, the unitie of Essence, and equality of Majestie may be adored in the confession of a true and an eternall Deitie. One man is not so much as three men joyned to­gether, and two men are something more than one; but in God it is not so, for the Father and Son together are not a greater Essence than the Father alone, or the Son alone, but those three Per­sons together are equall one to another. The consideration of the word, One, extends farre, to the making evident of this single Unity. There is an unitie which may bee called collective, as when many stones make up one heape of stones; there is also an unitie consti­tutive, when many members make up one body, or many parts of any thing make up the whole thing it selfe. There is also an unity conjugative, whence [Page 160] it comes to passe that two by marri­age are now no more two, but one flesh. And there is a native unity, whence by the soule and body one man is borne: There is a potestative unity, whereby a vertuous man is not instable or unlike himselfe, but doth al­wayes endevour to bee found like to himselfe. It is a consentaneous unitie, when by charity many men have one heart and one soule. There is a votive unitie, when the soule adhering to God in all its desires, becomes one spirit. There is a dignitative unitie, whereby our corrupt flesh is by God the Word, assumed into one Person. But what are all these things to that most high, and as I may so say, that onely unitie where consubstantiality maketh the unity? If thou liken any of the former unities to this unity, it will be after a sort alike; but if you compare it with it, it will bee nothing: therefore a­mongst all things which are rightly said to be one, the unity of the Trinity, wherein three Persons are one sub­stance, doth hold the preheminence; each particular Person is in each parti­cular Person; all the Persons conjoyned are in each particular Person, and each [Page 161] distinct Person, in all the Persons con­joyned; all are in all, and all is but one, none of these precedes another in eternitie, or exceeds another in great­nesse, or excells another in power; that which is there said to be great, is not o­therwise great, than as it is truly so in­deed; because there greatnesse is truth it selfe, and truth is Essence; therefore that is not greater which is not truer, but one Person is not truer than ano­ther of them, or two of them than any one, or all three together than all three separated each from other; therefore one hath no more truth than another, or two than any one, or all together than each asunder: So then also the Trinitie it selfe is not any thing greater than every distinct Person in it, but is equally great with them. These are wonderfull things, and set farre above the reach of any creature; therefore mans understanding doth very hardly assent to these mysteries which are set so farre from our view, and the minde easily begins to wander after speculati­ons, if wee have not before us a more sublime doctrine which may recall our phansies into the right bounds and li­mits set for us by God himselfe. That [Page 162] doctrine is divine; No man can take an­other by the hand if he want his owne; we cannot see the Sunne without the Sunne, nor can any conceive divine things without divine assistance, nor can we know God without God. Be present therefore thou true Light, Al­mighty God and Father; bee present thou Light of lights, thou Word and Son of God, God Almighty; be pre­sent holy Spirit, thou concord of the Fa­ther and the Son, God Almighty; bee present one omnipotent God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; we confesse in thee, by thee, and of thee; we confesse thou art one in Substance, three in Per­son, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: O blessed Trinity, God, Lord, Comfor­ter, Charity, Grace, Fellowship, Beget­ter, Begotten, Regenerating, true Light, true Light of light, illumination, invi­sible visibly, visible invisibly, Foun­taine and watering streames; from whom, by whom, and in whom are all things; he that lives from himselfe and is Life it selfe, he that receives life from him that lives, and he that gives life to those that live; a true Father, the Son of truth, the Spirit of truth, one Es­sence, one Vertue, one Goodnesse, God, [Page 163] above whom is nothing, and out of whom is nothing, and without whom is nothing. God, under whom is all, in whom is all, and with whom is all; we call upon thee, wee adore thee, wee praise thee; encrease our faith, stirre up our hope, and infuse us with charitie, Amen.

WHy art thou afflicted, O my soule, if reason be tormoiled, and doth groane and cry out, being plunged in a bottomlesse gulfe? A thing is not therefore false because I cannot conceive or understand it: reason is not the measure of things, but it is bound to fit it selfe to things: reason is streight, and why then dost thou marvell if it cannot comprehend the vastnesse of heavenly things? by how much more simple our faith is, so much is our life more agreeable to it, although we nei­ther dispute of, neither doe understand all things. By so much more noble and more renowned shall the citizens of [Page 164] the Church, be (hereafter) esteemed of God, because forsaking all, they shewed themselves willing to become only most deare unto him; it is a short way for religious and simple minds, both to cast away errour and to search out the truth. For if we returne to the fountaine and head of divine tradition, the errour of man vanisheth away; and the reason of the heavenly Sacraments being understood, what ever before lay hid under the mist and cloud of obscure darknesse, is made apparant by the light of truth; if the waters of the chan­nell, which used to flow plentifully, be suddenly dried up, doe we not present­ly goe to the spring-head, that there we may discover the reason that it failes? whether the pipes grow dry from the head, or running full and currantly from thence, they bee not stopped in their middle course? but if we finde it is by reason that the pipes it flowes in, be either stopped or broken, that the wa­ter cannot runne constantly, and flow as it used to doe; when we have stop­ped and sodered the pipes, the waters being collected, are brought in the same plenty and constancie for the use and drinking of the Citizens, as they doe [Page 165] flow from the fountaine. Wee must even doe thus according to Gods com­mand, that is, if truth shall stagger or reele in any thing, let us returne to the originall of it, namely, our Saviour, his Gospell, and the Apostolicall tradi­tions; and thence let us ground the reason of our actions, whence the order and originall of it first arose. Whilst o­thers make lyes of probabilities, they frustrate the truth by subtilties; and this is done, because they have no re­course to the originall of truth; nor doe they seeke to the head, nor observe the doctrine of their heavenly Master; which whosoever considers and exami­neth, he hath no need of arguments and long discourses. The triall of our faith is easie by the compendiousnesse of truth; I would have no man dispute how God the Father begate the Son; nor doe thou too curiously involve thy selfe within the secret of this depth, lest per­haps, whilst thou too obstinately sear­chest after the brightnesse of this in ac­cessible light, thou be deprived of that little sight which by Gods gift is affor­ded unto mortall creatures: Or if thou thinkest thou oughtest to wade so farre in this kind as thou art able: First be­gin [Page 166] thou with things which concerne our selves, which if thou wilt (conse­quently) wade thorow, then prepare thy selfe to passe from earthly things to heavenly things, from visible things to invisible things. First unfold and declare if thou canst, how the minde that is in thee, begets a word; and what is the spirit of memory that is in it; how these things that are diffe­rent in things and actions, are notwith­standing but one nature and substance; and though they proceed from the minde, yet are never separated from it. But these things, although wee have them in us, in the very substance of our soule, yet they seeme to be so much the more hidden unto us, by how much they are more invisible to the eyes of the body. Let us enquire of things more open; how doth a fountaine of it selfe beget a river? and by what spirit are the swift streames thereof moved? and though the fountaine and streames be but the same, one inseparable thing, yet cannot the fountaine be either under­stood to bee or be called the river, nor the river the fountaine, yet he that sees the streames, sees the fountaine. First exercise thy selfe, thou superstitious, and [Page 167] impertinently laborious, and thou soule that toylest after nullities in the unfolding of these things, and discusse, if thou canst, what we hold in our hands: and then we will proceed to things higher than these: nor thinke I perswade thee in an instant to ascend from earth above the heavens, but first if it please you, I will bring you to that firmament which is apparant to our view, and there if thou canst unfold the nature of this visible light, how that heavenly fire begets from it selfe the shining light, how it begets vapors, and which being three in distinctnesse of things, are yet but one in substance; although thou couldest finde out all this, know yet, that the mystery of the heavenly generation, is by so much more different and higher than these things, by how much the Creator is more powerfull than the creatures, and the workman more excellent than the worke he makes; by how much he who is from all eternity, is more noble than that that tooke its originall from nothing. God is therefore to be belee­ved to be the Father of his onely Son our Lord, and it is not to be enquired how. For a servant ought not to di­spute [Page 168] of his masters nativity. He wants nothing, O man, who is confirmed by the doctrine of both Testaments. Both of them are these two swords, of which the eternall Doctor said, It is enough. I wish againe and againe, my long-suffering God, that I might learne and know him; but if I know not the ori­ginall, nor can measure the quanti­ty, nor am able sufficiently to consider what manner of thing my soule is, which rules over my body; if I know not the reason why it should take plea­sure in the body which persecuteth it; if I be ignorant who hath graven this law of my members, that the flesh should oppresse the spirit in so violent a command, and that the better and more worthy part of nature should yeeld to the more ignoble: I ought to beare patiently, if I understand not the Creator of the Universe, who must even in the smallest parcels of his works, professe mine owne blindnesse. Let me not then proceed farther in other things, than my small capacity wil beare, not curiously pry into those things which are so high above me. I will say with reason and constancie, I know not his secrets, and I am ignorant of his [Page 169] divine councell; the oracle of the hea­venly word is enough for me to try all causes. God sayes he sees all things, governes all things, judges all things. If thou wilt know what thou art to hold, thou hast the holy Scripture; it is perfect reason to hold what thou hast read. But I will not suffer my selfe to aske for what cause God doth these things in such a manner; I am a man, I understand not the secrets of God, I dare not search after them, and there­fore I even feare to meddle with them: because even this is a kinde of sacrile­gious rashnesse, to desire to know more than is permitted unto thee. Let it suf­fice thee that God doth testifie, that himselfe doth act, and dispose of all things: leaving therefore these things, let us rather seeke (like good merchants) to gaine the inheritance of heaven, and those things that may profit our soules: let us learne to get goods which will continue with us; let us first seeke to have Gods seale stamped upon us, be­cause in the day of judgement, when God shal make that separation, & when all the nations of the whole earth, the sonnes of Adam, shall be gathered to­gether, when the shepherd shall call [Page 170] his flocke, whosoever have beene sealed, shall know their shepherd, and the shepherd shall know those he hath sea­led, and shall gather them together out of all nations. Every man naturally desireth knowledge; but what doth knowledge profit without the feare of God? certainly an humble rudenesse is better, that is employed in Gods ser­vice, than a proud Prelate or Philoso­pher, who neglects himselfe, and is al­wayes contemplating upon God, or the motion of the heavens. How many are there, who in this life, by many curi­ous enquiries, have endevoured to know God, who shall never see his face? how many in this life doe labour to measure the heavens, and to finde out all things belonging to them, that shall never enter into them? He that doth well know himselfe, thinks meanly of himselfe, and is not delighted in the praises of men. If I did know all things in the world, and were not in charity, what would this knowledge profit me in the presence of God, who then will judge acccording to my works? I will therefore (at length) rest from the too much desire of knowledge, because the more I know, the more grievously will [Page 171] the most high God judge me, except I live the more holily. Give mee (most blessed and most wise God) the highest and most profitable knowledge, that I may know thee, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, with moderation, and may inwardly know my selfe to be mi­serable and of no account; that I may attribute nothing to my selfe, and al­wayes have a good opinion of others. This is great wisdome and some sort of perfection; Though I see another sinne openly and even to commit some grie­vous sinnes; let me not think my selfe better, because I know not how long I may continue in goodnesse; we are all undoubtedly fraile; but let me judge none frailer than my selfe, that I may obtaine true strength in goodnesse.

BLesse the Lord (O my soule) & all my bowels give praise unto his ho­ly Name: Praise the Lord, O my soule, and forget not any of his benefits; praise the Lord, yee Angels of his, yee that excell in strength, fulfilling his [Page 172] Word, giving eare to the voyce of his Word. Praise the Lord, all his Hoasts, yee servants of his that doe his pleasure. Praise the Lord all yee works of the Lord; praise the Lord, O my soule, in all places of his dominion. My heart is ready, O God my heart is ready. He hath commanded his Angels, saith thy faithfull servant David, (speaking of man) to preserve thee in all thy wayes, they shall hold thee up with their hands that thou strike not thy foot against a stone. God hath commanded it, God the true and most excellent Life, in whom and from whom are all things: the Creator & Governor of the world, the Sweetnesse & Beauty of the Angels, the Creator and Preserver of men, that God who is God of gods; so great a God, that no tongue can rightly ex­presse him; hee hath commanded, and hath commanded his Angels, his holy Angels that are instructed of God, by the eternall contemplating of which truth they become blessed; hee hath commanded them concerning thee O man: What is man that thou tookest no­tice of him, or the sonne of man, that thou didst esteeme him? Thou sentest unto him thy only begotten Son, thou sen­dest [Page 173] into him thy holy Spirit; and that there should be no want of thy carefull working for him, in the heavens thou dost also (for our sakes) send forth those blessed Spirits to minister unto us: the most mercifull God sendeth forth those Spirits (as it were) so many bright sparks of his Deity, sparkling from the Torches of his everlasting light: who are conceived to bee divided into so great hoastes, and into so many orders to prompt us, not only with matter of prayer to God, but of admiration of his greatnesse and goodnesse; when I speake thus (O my soule) phansie not to thy selfe little faire Boyes, whose countenances are over-spread with an admirable splendour, whose soft dis­sheveld haire of colour like the finest gold, hangs dangling to their shoul­ders, & fanned with the gentle breath of the peacefull westerne wind, doth kisse the smooth pillars of their milkie necks; if thou phansie such Angels, thou art utterly ignorant of their power: They have a pure nature, subtill and aiery, not to be represented in the shape of any body; no spot of matter doth cloud it, no mole of corruption doth sprinkle it; and that I may speak briefly, our best [Page 174] part is our soule; an Angell is nothing but a soule: But what soule? not re­lishing of that fire whereby the Starres doe twinkle, and the Axeltree of Hea­ven is moved, but a vigour of a most quick moved understanding, made (so much the nearer) to resemble the pat­terne, the eternal Beauty, by how much it approacheth nearer to, and is the more plentifully sprinkled with that holy Fountaine. Hence truely comes that notable comlinesse of all their or­naments, and the immortall concur­rence of goodnesse, which they with a most acceptable ingenuity of will, doe yeeld to their Creator; they out-strip in speed the swiftest shippe sailing on the maine, and driven by force of windane oares; they out-fly a bullet in the aire sent from the sulphury mouth of a thun­dring Cannon; these most excellent mentall Intelligences most wisely fore­see all things with no trouble or inter­position of time, and most readily un­tie any the most intricate knots of dif­ficulties. If thou consider the grace with which they were ennobled even from the first beginning of things, when God the Author of all things was in the Angels framing nature and be­stowing [Page 175] grace; thou mayst call them vessels of transparent Gumme, or Christall framed by the worlds Crea­tor, into which the streames of the Di­vinitie did disburthen so great and un­usuall fragrancie of graces: if thou weigh the glory and what a large mea­sure of grace this Nature obtained, thou shalt see them all emptied and swal­lowed up with the similitude of the love they have towards God. These, these are those whom that great work­man hath given us men made of durt and clay, in this our dwelling place the earth; to guide nourish and instruct us, to defend us in our way to salvation, to drive calamity from us, to consult for our happinesse, to be fathers in the care of us brethren, in the love of us, and servants in their obedience to us. These, these are present for thee, O my soule; they are not only with thee, but they are for thee, that they may protect thee, that they may profit thee, and while we are yet but little ones, we are (it is thought) committed to the charge of Angels, as it were, to Tutors and in­structors, to the set time appointed by our Father. Thou overwhelmest, thou overwhelmest me, O my God, with [Page 176] thy benefits, that I might delight to a­bide with thee, and desire to dwell by thee continually, and never to depart from thee. Thou settest a watch round about me, that I might not escape thee; thou environest me with protectours, that I be not snatched from thee. O my God, I will sing, I will sing Psalmes unto thee, O my glory, with my heart lifted up: Awake Psaltery and Harpe, I my selfe will awake very early. I will celebrate thy praises, O Jehovah, a­mongst the people, and sing unto thee amongst the Nations; for thy kind­nesse is great above the heavens, and thy truth reacheth above the upper­most clouds; I will exalt thee, O God, above the heavens, and thy glory is a­bove all the earth: I can give thee thanks, but I cannot render thee due thanks, O my God; but thou desi­rest not thy due thanks, because thou knowest I have not the power to per­forme it: it is the custome of people of meane qualitie to shew themselves munificent amongst themselves; thy benefits as they excell in Majestie, so they require not that which is lent. O most bountifull God, as thou hast free­ly set thy Angels over mee, so make [Page 177] them freely to abide by, to dwell and remaine with mee. Troops of the win­ged Holyes met Jacob at Mahanaim, as he was on his way to his Countrey; I am also upon my way, and am haste­ning to my Countrey; give mee there­fore in like manner bands of such most valiant souldiers that may direct, ad­monish and guide me, and keepe mee, both behind, and also before, and may on no side leave me open or unguarded. O my God, send those thy ministers to us from out thy glorious Tower of hea­ven to us thy weake creatures stagger­ing amidst these mournfull tents of our cumbersome mortalitie, that they may encompasse us in our feares, comfort us in our griefes, and purge us from our growing and oppressing miseries. Sick­nesses doe devour and overthrow us, the plague infests us; send Raphael that may heale and cure us; rumours of warres doe dishearten us, the drawne swords doe prey upon us; send Michael to fight for us; our ill abetting flesh solicites us, devillish suggestions doe assault us; send Gabriel that may recon­cile thy will to our will. Woe is mee, if provoked by my sinnes and negli­gences thou shalt judge me unworthy [Page 178] the presence and visitation of thy holy Angels, by whose presence thou usest to protect me and repulse my enemies. Seeing then the familiarity of the An­gelicall dignity, is so profitable for me, make me to abstain frō evil which doth offend them, and to exercise holinesse, in which I know they take delight. But they are pleased with such things as they delight to find in me, such as is so­briety, patient bearing of poverty, often sending up sighes to heaven, and above all, they love truth and peace. Let me be Lot in righteousnesse, Isaac in obe­dience, Eleazer in fidelitie; let me bee Jacob in piety, let me be Elias in my zeale, let me be Elizeus in my courage, Ezechias in devotion, Daniel in my constancie, Judith in my chastitie, To­bias in honesty, and let me be Lazarus in my patience. Grant me these things, O my God, and I shall alwayes have thy Angels my companions; without separation they will accompany me, they will accompany both my soule and also my body, and they will ac­company my soule after it's departure out of my body, and shall bring it into Paradise, where is the societie & behol­ding of Angels and Archangels, and [Page 179] above all, the blessed beholding of Christ my Saviour. Grant me these things, O my God, and I will praise thee with the Cherubims and Sera­phims, and will sing of thy mercies uncessantly, for evermore. Amen.

THey are fearfull words, O man, which we reade, Yee were at that time without Christ, and yee were stran­gers from the conversation of Israel, and were aliens from the covenants of the promise, and yee were without hope, and without God in the world. What, O wretch, can be more misera­ble for thee? and what canst thou heare that can be more terrible unto thee? He that is without Christ, is without faith; he that is excluded from the congrega­tion of Israel, knowes not what grace is; he that is without hope, hath no comfort; he that is without God, hath no helper. O depth of misery, what un­derstanding can rightly conceive it? or what tongue sufficienly expresse it? how many myriades of men are enve­loped [Page 180] in more than Egyptian darknesse, in superstitions, and abominable Gen­tilisme, who are still without Christ, being estranged from the common­wealth of Israel, strangers to the cove­nant of the promise, without hope, and without God in the world? they have (it may be) something which they call by the name of God; but what ever they paint unto themselves, or what ever they forme unto themselves, they are but apparitions of the night, fearfull sights amongst the graves, terrible noises amidst sepulchers, or tame Sta­tues of silver or gold, the works of mens hands, which have mouthes, but speake not, eyes, but see not, eares, but heare not, noses, but smell not, hands, but handle not, feet, but walk not, nor speake they through their throats. O gods without a deity, without under­standing, without life! And I my selfe was to be reckoned amongst those ma­ny thousands of damned men; for the like sentence of damnation did attend them who were all guilty of the same offence. But eternall thanks are due to thee, O eternal God, that thou hast free­ly separated me from them, with whom I had fellowship, by reason of my sins; [Page 181] it was thy pleasure I should be begotten and borne of such parents that sate not in darknesse, nor had their habitation in the region of the shadow of death, but were called out of darknesse, into thy admirable light, to an elect stocke, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, to an honoured people. O God my God, thou soughtest me when I knew not of thee; thou gavest unto me, when I asked not of thee; thou openedst un­to me when I did not knocke; for when I was yet a bawling infant, in my bepissed clouts; when I yet savoured ill of my mothers coutch; when I was putrified, as well with mine owne, as with the naturall and spirituall un­cleannesse of my parents; yet thou, not disheartned with all this, didst take me up, cherish and purge me that was thus conceived, and chafed in my sins. Thou leddest me to the pure waters, li­ving waters; to the divine oracle, to the lavacre, in the word of regenerati­on, and renovation; thou broughtest me, O God my God, to baptisme, the first gate to be entred to the kingdome of heaven; into the armes, and to the kisses of my Saviour, by which he [...]ranslates us out of the lap of our pa­rents, [Page 182] into his heavenly habitation, and enroles us into the number of Gods elect, and citizens of heaven, and makes us members of his body, which being one with the head, become partakers of the heavenly treasures. O God my God, thou hast promised this by thy Prophet, Ye shall draw waters with joy out of the wholsome fountaines: And, I will powre out my waters upon the thirsty, and my streames upon the dry ground. I will powre out my spi­rit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thy posterity, and they shall grow amongst the grasse like willowes, by the rivers of waters. And againe, they shall bring their sonnes in their armes, and carry their daughters upon their shoulders. And I, O most mercifull Lord, was brought, carried, sprinkled, and washed amongst them, and did mount up unto thee, as it were upon the wings of an Eagle. I laid aside the decrepit age of my sinnes, and put on the vigorous youth of grace; this did this heavenly Sacrament worke in me. I began to be a true Eagle, who by thy grace doe soare to heaven, and doe loath all earthly things. As often as I behold earthly water, I should remem­ber [Page 183] this divine water, which hath wrough so many and so great things in us. The naturall water doth wash and take away spots, doth quench fire, cooles and allayes the heat of thirst, incorporates many and sundry things into one body; it ascends as high in heighth, as it doth descend below in depth. The heavenly water of Baptisme washes away the leprosie of sinne, and wipes away our iniquities, and makes us whiter than snow. Our sins in them­selves are like scarlet, yet are they white­ned as white as snow; they are red like crimson, yet they grow white as wooll. The water of Baptisme, by a divine and admirable way and means, doth quench the fire of our fleshly desires. How pleasing is it to us, so soone as the hea­venly Spirit slides into us in this wash­ing, for us to want these trifling sweets? The true and chiefest sweetnesse doth cast out those other, which else wee would feare to lose; it casteth them out, and there enters (in their stead) the hid­den and heavenly pleasure, which is sweeter than all other pleasure, yet not to flesh and blood; is brighter than any other light, yet more hidden than any secret; higher than any other ho­nour, [Page 184] but not to men that are high in their owne conceits: It quencheth also the flames of hell fire, those devillish brands of hell, which no helpe of man can put out. The divine water of Bap­tisme sets an end to the various and troublesome desires of mans heart, and makes us onely rest upon God. The di­vine water of Baptisme makes one na­tion of all the nations, of the Israelites and of the Heathen, that did differ so exceedingly in most things, that they might become one body, and one soule, one hope of calling, till at length they may be made perfect in one. The di­vine water of Baptisme is given us from heaven above, from the Father of lights, and it flowing from the fountaine that springs to eternall life, doth not onely draw our hearts to their owne origi­nals, but doth wholly lead us to that most blessed fountain. Farewell World, avoid Satan, be gone each worldly thing, for I call to minde these words that my Godfather holding me in his armes, pronounced for me, I renounce thee Satan, and thy pompe and wor­ship: with these words am I received into Gods covenant, and enrolled in the number of Christs souldiers. What [Page 185] ever thou shalt say, O Serpent, I will presently reply; what ever thou shalt speake, I will not hearken unto thee, Then, that thou catch me not by other meanes, I have renounced also thy pompe, and thy worship and thy mes­sengers. I was prest for the warre of the living God, when I answered to the words in the Sacrament. Whatsoever earthly things are received in this world, and shall here remaine in this world, are to be despised, as much as the world it selfe is to be contemned, the pomps and delights whereof I did then renounce, when in my better passage I went unto my Lord. In Baptisme I was cloathed in white, that I might be taught (most devoutly) to rely upon Christs innocency, and to be willing to lead my life sincerely and purely. I confesse (indeed) my God, that I have beene sometime forgetfull of my cove­nant made with thee, that I have for­saken the hoaste of righteousnesse, and have runne away to thy enemy, and have most grievously offended thee my Captaine, by my transgressions and treasons, that I have beene worthy thy most severe punishment: but I returne to thee, I fall before thee, and beseech [Page 186] thee for thine unspeakable goodnesse, that thou wilt receive me, and acknow­ledge me for thy souldier and servant; and (at length) of thy grace, grant me the prize of victory, that being freed and saved, I may (at length) erect a trophee to thy name and praises. Amen.

IT is an easie thing for one to call himselfe a Christian, but a hard thing to performe the part of a Christian. He that desires to fulfill the measure of that name, let him marke diligently these things that follow. Acknowledge, O man, thine owne basenesse; consider how wretched, and of how little ac­count thou art, thou hast nothing from thy selfe, but all things from God: he gave thee all things for thy use, to whom thou must repay them, yea, and even thy life it selfe, at what moment soever he shall require them; and thou must depart as naked from hence, as thou camest naked into this world and although all the world, with it: inhabitants, doe keepe thee companys [Page 187] yet they can profit thee nothing; for all things are fleeting, brittle, transitory, and nothing can free thee from death; give not thy selfe therefore over to se­curity, but feare God, and examine exactly what may be truly profitable for thee. Doe good to the poore with all thy power, that thou mayest gather for thy selfe a treasure in heaven. Doe all that God bids thee, for thou art bound to doe good with thy will and spirit: but he that knowes to doe well, and doth it not, he is guilty of sinne; but he that doth good, doth it not from himselfe, but for that cause that it is be­stowed on him of God, and that he be­longeth unto God. Love not (O man) the world, or the things of the world, as the lusts of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life but feare God, and meditate with thy selfe of heavenly things: strive to fulfill Gods will in all vertuousnesse; shun worldly, & minds set upon the earth, that thou be not defiled with other mens sins; seeke Gods kingdome, and so use the mirth is permitted to thee, that thou mayest alwayes tremble, stand in awe, and shew thy selfe thankfull, that thou fall into no secret sin, or be delighted with [Page 188] the tree of good and evill, and with the sight of a momentany pleasure thou remove (like Eve) the law of God out of thine eyes and heart, which should be, neverthelesse, the summe and high­est pitch of all thy delights. It should be thy delight night and day, that it may be to thee the right way, the truth, and the life, if thou wilt lead a a living life, conducting to life eternall, not to everlasting death. Next, O man, keepe these three things, faith, chari­ty, and stedfastnesse of hope. What ever thou dost, see thou doe it in faith, in simplicity of heart, in confidence of the fatherly will of God, and give God thanks, to whom they are due, and his blessings shall be alwayes thy hand­maid: let charity spring from the ground of thy heart, nor be carefull to give thy selfe content, but labour with feare and humility to please God. Be plea­sing unto men in truth, mercy, and justice, without flattery for that is per­fect charity. Charity bids us look to the things that concerne God & our neigh­bour, not only those things w ^ch concern my selfe. Let thy hope be without feare and doubting; let him that desires di­vine, heavenly, and eternall things, rest [Page 189] upon the wil of God, and not upon slip­pery, fraile and brittle things. No man shall make thee lose thy hold of that hope which thou hast placed upon God: thou mayest hope upon him, even in the pangs of death, for he is omnipo­tent. Never let humility slip out of thy mind; for he preserveth thy life by sim­plicitie, strengthens it by patience, and feeds it by truth. Commit all thy waies unto God, and hee shall bring it to passe; he knowes what is for thy pro­fit, and what not. Thinkest thou that he knowes not thy condition? behold God sees and knowes all things, and nothing is hid from his eyes. He re­gards also the poore and contrite spirit, and him that trembleth at his Word. Search not therefore after high things; when thou art commended, feare, be­cause thou art an unprofitable servant, and canst doe nothing except thou be assisted by the power, favour, and Spi­rit of God. Thinke not better of thy selfe than of thy neighbour, for thou art a man of nought; remember God is only to be honoured, and thou shalt be the greater, if thou cast down thy selfe. Be alwayes ruminating of these things first, let no vain, idle, scurrilous words [Page 190] break from thy lips, but godly, plea­sing, profitable, which tend to life, and lead not to death; therefore bridle thy tongue, and restraine it, for it can kill, and give life. Secondly, to keepe thy soule and conscience free from wicked­nesse, exclude thou malice and impious thoughts, and never shun the light: O thrice happie and more is hee whose heart condemnes him not. Thou be­longest to God (O man) walke up­right with God; remove from thee darknesse, lyes, and injustice, for he is a Judge, and a revenger of such things. Trie and prove thy selfe in all things, that thou mayst know what vice sticks to thee, what vertue thou wantest, that thou mayst shake off that, and pur­chase this; for thou canst never bee so perfect, that something will not still be wanting. Whatsoever thou dost, thou dost it by Gods indulgence and helpe, if it be acceptable to him; for of thy selfe thou art very nothing, and by the assistance of Gods holy Spirit canst thou onely proceed in goodnesse; stay not therefore or hinder the operations thereof; work out thy salvation with feare and trembling, in continuall re­pentance, humility, and simplicitie of [Page 191] heart, and think that thou art neither worthy of the blessings of this life, or of that which is to come. Lastly, pray without ceasing in all thy labours, pray reverently, devoutly and humbly with faith in all thy wayes, with a most fer­vent desire of thy neighbours salvation. Thou must pray in thy chamber, in so­litarinesse, in most humble devotion, in fastings, in teares, in anguish, in wee­ping, in contrition upon thy knees night and day, with a full hope, and not doubting, according to the will of God, for all the true professors of the Chri­stian faith; study in all things to please God and not men; whosoever honours God, God will also honour him; who­soever contemnes God, God shall also contemne him. Grant me thy grace, most mercifull God, that it may bee with me, that it may labour with me, and may continue with me even unto the end. Grant I may (alwayes) will and desire that which is most accepta­ble unto thee, and most dearly pleaseth thee; let thy will be my will, and let my will alwayes follow thine, and a­gree best with it; let me will, and will the same thing that thou dost; and grant I may not have power otherwise [Page 192] to will, or not to will them as thou dost. O my God, thou unspeakable sweetnesse, turne all carnal comforts in­to bitternesse unto me, which doe draw me from the love of things eternall, and evilly allure mee under colour of some present delectable good. Let not flesh and blood, O my God, over­come me; let not the world and its short glory deceive me; let not the devill and his subtilty supplant mee. Give mee strength to resist, patience to endure, constancie to performe; give mee in stead of all the comforts of the world, the most sweet unction of thy Spirit, and infuse into mee the love of thy Name, in stead of carnall love. Con­firme me, my God, by the grace of thy holy Spirit; give mee power to bee strengthned in the inward man, and to emptie my heart of all unprofitable care and vexation, nor to be distracted with the various desires of any thing, whether it be vile or precious, but that I looke upon all things as if they passed but by me, and that I did also passe a­way, as they doe; because nothing un­der the Sun is of any continuance, but all things are vanity and vexation of spirit. O how wise is he that thus con­siders [Page 193] with himselfe. Give me, my God, heavenly wisdome, that I may learne to search after, and to find thee rather than any thing, to be wise unto thee, and to love thee, and to understand o­ther things, as they truly are according to the order of thy wisdome. Grant I may wisely shun him that flatters me, and patiently suffer him that opposeth me; because this is great wisdome not to be moved with every wind of words, nor to listen unto mischievous flatter­ing pleasure; so shall we with securitie proceed in the way we have begun to walke in.

LEt others call a man a creature to be adored, and borne for Societie, full of reason and councell; let them call him the great Miracle, most like unto God the, Miracle of miracles; let them cal him the Horizon of corporeal and incorporeall things, the measure of all things, the little World, the Epitome of the world, and the delight of Na­ture: let them write that man only ex­ceeds [Page 194] all wonder, and that nothing is great upon the earth but man; yet so great dignitie, so great excellencie, and so great advancement of man can ne­ver be so great, as it wil be, if with this a man may be called a Christian, which denomination tooke its originall from Christ, the very Son of God, and is imparted unto them that are sprinkled with the saving water of the Sacrament of Baptisme that give their names unto Christ, fighting under his purple Ban­ner, they defend the honour of their Captaine and Author of their Professi­on, by their undaunted Profession of the evangelicall and heavenly doctrine, and they doe confirme, defend and pro­pagate that doctrine by their indefati­gable study & practice of good works. O miserable they who are called Pa­gans, either in regard that they reve­rence their Idols in the publick streets and wayes, being aliens from the City of God, or because that after the en­largement of Christs Kingdome, and the spreading of the Christian Religion, they did not possesse any longer the chiefe Cities, but were reduced and shut into the strait Villages. O mise­rable they, who are called Jewes; for [Page 195] although the ancient people of the Jewes had the preheminence above o­ther people in priviledges and preroga­tives, and was not excluded from the heavenly Kingdome and the Citie of God; yet at this day their uncleane multitudes dispersed every where tho­row the world, are farre exceeded in sundry and manifold eminencies by the Christian people; for though the body be already exhibited, they dispute upon shadowes, and obstinately defend their Mosaicall Ceremonies, and de­spise Christ that is the onely doore to eternall life; bewitched with the leven of the Pharisies, they reject the truth, detract from it and slander it; and thence by Gods just judgement Jerusa­lem being destroyed and lost, they have no Temple, have no forme of a Com­mon-wealth, but are most vilely de­spised in all parts of the earth. O hap­pie Christians, and freed from all mise­rie! Christ is God blessed for evermore: therefore are Christians truly divine; Christ being true God in his Essence, is a Spirit, therefore are Christians spi­rituall; Christ by nature is the onely Son of God, therefore are Christians by grace the heires of heaven; Christ is [Page 196] the vertue and power of God; there­fore are Christians powerfull; Christ is Wisdome, therefore are Christians wise; Christ is Righteousnesse, therefore are Christians just; Christ is made Sancti­fication unto us, therefore are Christi­ans holy; Christ is the Way, therefore Christians doe not erre; Christ is Life, therefore Christians, though dead, yet doe live; Christ is the Truth, there­fore are Christians led into all truth; Christ is the Light that enlightens the world, therefore doe Christians shine forth in the midst of darknesse; Christ is a Shepherd, therefore are Christians fed in wholsome pastures; Christ is the healing Physitian, therefore doe Chri­stians receive cure in all their infirmi­ties; Christ is the Conquerour of Sa­tan and the Lord of the world, there­fore doe Christians beare rule, over­come and triumph in Christ; Christ doth reigne in glory, nay is glory it selfe, and all in all; therefore Christi­ans, though they be abominable to the world, and are had in reproach, yet are most glorious in Christ, and though they have nothing, yet possesse they all things; Christ was anointed when his Humanity was taken into the Person [Page 197] of the Word, the Divinity did anoint, and the Humanity was anointed; and this anointing is a diffusing of the whole oyntment upon every one that is anointed therewith: he was anointed with the oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes; he is anointed with gifts finite and infinite, conferred by taking upon him the humane Nature from the holy Virgin, which agree wel with the name of an oyntment for the most fragrant scent they breath forth, and the comfor­ting force they retaine in them; they are compared to the Oyle of gladnesse, be­cause they expell sadnesse out of Chri­stian hearts, and doe enflame them with true joy and comfort. Think now as often as Christs Name comes into thy mind, that God did from all eter­nity ordain, consecrate and define him, to consummate the worke of the Re­demption, and did most plentifully be­stow upon him those unspeakable gifts which he fore-saw he should stand in need of. That he should be a Prophet, our Master, our Priest to offer up him­selfe an expiatory Sacrifice, that hee should be Lord of lords, King of kings, that might have the possession of an in­comparable and everlasting Kingdom, [Page 198] the first moment of his conception; but the full and most glorious enjoyment of it in his ascention: even as David was anointed by Samuel king whilst Saul li­ved, but did not exercise any regall ju­risdiction; but when he was dead, he obtained the Dominion, & did govern the Kingdom. And we also are anointed Christians, when we are separate from the ungodlinesse of worldly men, and are made holy by the mystery of the Spirit. We were anointed, when, as Christ did receive the gifts of the Spi­rit without measure, we received them with measure. We are anointed, when we are exalted to propheticall, priestly, and kingly dignity; and this is that which the Prophet speaks, Ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Iehovah, your God, and that none else is; nor shall my people be ashamed for ever: And it shall come to passe afterward, that I will powre out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sonnes, and your daughters shall prophesie, your old men shall dreame dreames, and your young mensh ll see vi­sions, which hee declareth by his most deare disciple. Jesus Christ is that faith­full witnesse, that first borne from the dead, and that Prince of the kings of [Page 199] the earth, who hath loved us, and hath washed us from our sinnes by his blood; who hath made us kings and priests to God his Father. You are a chosen stocke, a royall priesthood, a sanctified people, a nation whom God challengeth for his owne. O name, not above every name, yet a divine, a hea­venly, and anhonourable name; here is fulfilled that which the Prophet said; A new name shall be given thee, which the mouth of the Lord shall bestow on thee. We have changed our accursed name, because God hath given us a new name. Take heed to your selves, take heed who ever you be, that you despise none of the faithfull, that you dis­esteeme or reproach them not, though he seeme most miserable, most abject; and most afflicted: for let his misery or affliction be as great as may be, yet is he the Almighty Gods Anointed, the Prophet of the most holy, the Priest of the most High; yea, he is himselfe a king of most great Majesty. Yee are Prophets, O Christians, therefore let the Word of God dwell plentifully in you, with all wisdome, teaching and admonishing one another, with psalms and hymnes, and spirituall songs, sing­ing [Page 200] unto the Lord with grace in your hearts. Ye are Priests, ye Christians, therefore I beseech you, my brethren, by the mercies of God, that you give up your bodies a living and a holy sacri­fice, and acceptable to God, by your reasonable service of him, and be not fashioned like this world, but be yee changed through the renewing of your mindes, that ye may discerne what is: the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Ye are Kings, O Chri­stians, be not therefore servants of sin, or be subject to the boyling affections of the flesh, but mortifie your sinnes, tame your lusts, nor prostitute your dignity to a most base and impure ser­vitude. Extoll your Christ, because all your eminencie, all your worth, all your grace, and all your glory pro­ceedeth from him. As the rivers do flow from the sea, and flow back againe into the same; so let your eminency, dig­nity, grace, and glory, be directed, disposed of, and referred to the au­thour and giver thereof. Call upon Christ, O ye Christians, because though you be anointed, yet may that oint­ment be overwhelmed, defiled, and wi­ped off by the filth of your sinnes, and [Page 201] the durt of your corruptions; ye carry heavenly gifts in brittle vessels, pray that they be not broken, and your graces spilt; pray that no wind may extinguish your flame, that your oyle faile you not, and yee be left in dark­nesse with the foolish virgins. Love your Christ, yee Christians, because he is anointed, that you might be anoint­ed; because he is a King that hath all the inhabitants of the earth for his sub­jects; because he is a Priest, that hath expiated all the sinnes of the whole world; because he is a Prophet that doth instruct all the ignorant, doth en­forme them, and teacheth them the right way to life. Love Christ, you Christians, because the most apparant manifestation of a thankfull mind con­sisteth not in words, but works; not in promises, but in obedience. But to the end you may more fully consider your dignity, the birth of a Christian is to be weighed: God is his Father in hea­ven, the Church is his mother upon the earth. The Word of God to be heard and seene, is the seed; that is the Word preached, this is the administration of the Sacraments. Yee are borne againe, not of corruptible seed, but incorrup­tible, [Page 202] by the Word of God that lives and abideth for evermore. The Father of lights hath begotten you by the Word of his truth. The Churches are the wombe where the seed of the hea­venly Word is scattered, and in which the eternall Father, and our mother the Church doe meet together. The heart of man is the matter of this generati­on; the privation, is the mortification of the old Adam; the forme, is the vivification it selfe, whence doth arise the assent of the understanding, and confidence of the will, that the sonne of wrath may become the sonne of grace, the blinde may see, the deafe may heare, the dumbe may speake, the lame walke, the leaper be cleansed, and life may be restored to the dead. The time of this formation is when a Chri­stian doth more and more profit in knowledge of the understanding and holinesse in the heart; the carrying in the wombe is when in our whole life, by meanes of the vessels of the wombe, and navell, that is, by the ministers of the Word, he attracteth to himselfe the milke of saving knowledge, from the two breasts of the Church, the Law and the Gospell; and as an Embrion [Page 203] lives in the wombe, so he lives in the Word. Hee is a brute creature, and more silly than a beast, that doth not admire, that a childe in the wombe should be preserved alive in so darke a prison, in so uncleane streights, among so many filths, corruptions, excrements, wrapped in filmes, and crowded by the bowels: but it is farre more to be won­dred at, that any Christian should be supported amidst so many griefes, paines, torments, snares, and calamities. For about the wombe wherein we are car­ried, the World cries, I will slay him; the Flesh cries, I will infect him; the Devill cries, I will deceive him. Wee must there lie hid, where there is much malice, where is little wisdome, where all things are viscous and slimie, all things hid in darknesse, and beset with snares, where the soules are in danger, the bodies are afflicted, where all things are vanity and vexation of Spi­rit: and yet for all this we live and are preserved; we live and are not killed; we are nourished, and not in want; we are carried in the wombe, and are not abortive; we are sustained, and are in want of nothing. The Embrion in the mothers wombe lives a hidden [Page 204] life; he lives (indeed) in the world, but is not seene with the eyes of any; he sends forth his breath, but scarce draws any in: we also, Embrions of regene­ration, lead a hidden life. For though we live in the kingdome of heaven, yet our glory and desireable life doth not as yet make any great shew; we yet behold not the light of eternall blessednesse; we yet draw not the aire of the region of Paradise; we yet eat not the Ange­licall Manna; we yet drinke not of the heavenly liquour, but have (as it were) but a light taste of al these things; and we have scarce any sensible breath­ing of these things. But the houre is at hand, and the time will come, that it shall be made manifest what we shall be, wherein we shall beginne and never end; this glorious light, this life, not of hope, but of the things hoped for, even the life of vision. We shal begin this life when we die, for then begin we to be borne to the true light, when we first put off our mortality. For the true birth day of Christians, is their day of death. In death they do begin to live, through death they enter into life: as the infant lies sighing at the port of the wombe, expecting his passage; and though he [Page 205] be even at deaths threshold, yet is he conveyed into the haven of life. O li­ving death of Christians! O Christian, sonne of God, brother of Christ, com­panion of the Angels, Lord of the world, partaker of the divine nature! O Christian, exalted above sin and the law, and placed above death and Sa­tan! O Jesu my Lord! O Christ my Captaine! thy name be glorified, be­cause thou hast given me a blessed name, denominated from thine owne name. Let thy praise be daily borne in my mouth, because thou art daily born in my heart, that I may be born againe in thee, and may live to thee, and with thee. For no man is rightly called a Christian, that is not conformed (as much as may be) to Christ in his man­ners; and he beares this name in vaine, that doth not at all imitate Christ. For what doth it profit thee to be called what thou art not, and to usurpe an­other mans name? If any take pleasure to be a Christian, let him carry about him what belongeth to a Christian, and then he may worthily take upon him the name of a Christian; but he doth those things which belong to true Chri­stianity, who shewes mercy to all; that [Page 206] is not moved by any wrong done to him; that is as sensible of anothers griefe, as of his owne; that makes not the poore strangers at his table; that is not magnified amongst men, that hee may be gloried before God and his An­gels: who contemnes earthly things, that he may obtaine heavenly things; that doth not suffer the poore to be here oppressed; who helpeth those that are in distresse; who is moved to weepe by other mens tears; as S. Paul did, for who is weake, saith he, and I am not weake? Grant unto me, O Christ, most mer­cifully, that am the least and most un­worthy of all Christians, that I may doe these things with all my power, and may persevere in the desire thereof, and that I may not halt, slip, or utter­ly fall off: for not the beginning, but the ending well is required in a Chri­stian; let that therefore be most bles­sed unto me, O my Saviour. Amen.

MAns life is a middle life, between the life of Angels, and the life of sinners; if a man live after the flesh, he is compared to the beasts; if he live after the Spirit, he is made a compani­on for the Angels. Now that thou maist walke in the straitest path, thou must consider of thy thoughts, examine thy words, and weigh thy actions. As touching thy thoughts, give no time or place to sinnes, but as soone as they ap­peare in the blade, before they can take root, plucke them up. Breake (in time) the Basilisks egges, that none of them prove a serpent; dash the Babilonish brats against the stones, while they be young. Fall not often into the same sin, but abridge the custome of sinning, and sin not without doubt, as if thou neither fearest God nor man. Propose not to thy selfe those things in thy thoughts, which are either unprofita­ble, or impossible. Be not wise too high. Thinke the world, and worldy things, [Page 208] to be but vaine, that thou doe not over­value them. Be alwayes mindfull of death, that thou feare it not too much when it comes unto thee: call to minde the last judgement, that thou maist ap­peare there with an undaunted cou­rage: remember hell to avoid it, and blessednes, that thou maist enter into it. Learn (forthwith) therforemore & more to know thine owne misery, which ari­seth from unbeleefe and the transgres­sion of Gods holy Commandements. Renounce therefore unbeleefe, and strive to keepe all his precepts. Knock at the gate of the mercies of heaven, by the merit of Christ, and so humble thy selfe, as if thou wert to obtaine those mercies, without his merits. What is the most abject creature in the world? let it not trouble thee to answer thy selfe, It is I, by reason of my sinnes. And againe, if it be demanded of thee, what is the most pretious treasure upon the earth? let it not trouble thee to an­swer with thy selfe, the blood and me­rits of my Lord Jesus Christ, by which I am cleansed from my sinnes, and have salvation purchased for me. Above all, abhorre to sinne willingly, and with a deliberate resolution; for to have true [Page 209] faith, and to sinne voluntarily, can no more agree together, than fire and wa­ter, or the lambe and the wolfe. Be a true, faithfull, and sincere servant of Jesus Christ, not onely in the publick assemblies, where Gods word is preach­ed, and the Sacraments administred: but in the rest of thy life, by flying evill, and doing of good. But if by reason of the infirmity of thy flesh thou hast committed any sinne, loath it be­times, and destroy it by speedy and se­rious repentance. Pray onely unto God; whilst thy conscience rests in prayer to him, sinne withers, and no­thing is sweet to thee besides vertue and goodnesse. Catch not too much at po­pular applause, which is very incon­stant, and though thou think thy merits have deserved to be taken notice of by those that passe by thee, and that thou oughtest to be respected of the good; yet use it moderately and discreetly, that it doe thee not more hurt, than ha­tred and contempt. He is truly wise, that neither too greedily hunts after the peoples favour, nor too much despises it. Seeke, especially, for a quiet minde, and be content with thy present con­dition. It is no harmfull thing, that [Page 210] some evil is mixed with the good things of this life, that God bestowes upon us; God deales gently with thee, as with his Son, therefore despaire not; God doth also chasten thee, be not thou impatient, lay hold on the golden meane, search for things necessary, but not for superfluities, and alwayes have an eye to Gods will, that thine owne will doe not oppresse thee; he is happie that can lie hid in this life, and is known to none but God and himselfe. A cer­taine man was wont to say, As often as I have been amongst men, I still re­turned the lesse man from them. It is an easier thing to lye hid at home, than to keepe himselfe well abroad; he there­fore that intends to obtain inward and spirituall gifts, he must with Jesus de­cline the throng; no man can safely be seene, but he that is willingly concea­led: the better sort of men, in the esti­mation of others, have often been in great hazard, by reason of their too much confidence. Thence is it, that it is more profitable to many, not altoge­ther to be void of temptations, but to be often assaulted that they be not too secure, that they be not puffed up with pride, nor that they too licentiously [Page 211] leane to exteriour delights. O what a good conscience would hee alwayes possesse, that would never seeke after transitory mirth, nor busie himselfe with the world! O how would hee prune off all vaine care, and only me­ditate of saving and divine things, and place all his hope in God, and what peace and quiet would he enjoy! Let the want of nothing, but of Gods grace, much trouble thee; desire Gods grace, and thou shalt obtaine it, and let not the scarcity of outward things too much afflict thee. If Satan reproach thee with thy wants, consider with thy selfe what Saint Paul said, We brought nothing into this world, and we know that we can carry nothing away from thence: and therefore let us be content with our food and cloathing; but those that will bee rich, fall into temptations, and snares, and many foolish lusts, which afflict and drowne the sons of men in ruine and destruction: Pray with A­gur, the son of Jakeh, I have desired two things of thee, O God, deny them not unto me as long as I live; remove farre from me vanity and lyes; give me neither po­verty nor riches, let me be nourished with the meat of mine owne table, lest being [Page 212] over full, I lye against thee, and say, who is the Lord? or being poore, I should steale, and so abuse the Name of my God. Bee grieved more for Gods dishonour than thine owne; if thou sufferest wrong, beare it patiently, and thou shalt over­come it; yet, thou mayest say, my re­putation is stained, shall I endure it? Why not? suffer, and thy reputation will be soone repaired: he that shall at length, even in the last day, restore un­to thee thy putrified body, shall restore to thee thy credit; if thou be angry and enraged, and teare thy selfe, what shall all these turmoiles profit thee? Nothing is more pleasing to thy enemie, than to see thee by thy rage to be in such a con­fusion. Rather pray for thine enemies, that they be fellow-heires with thee of eternall life, and fellow-chaunters of thy Fathers praises in his heavenly Kingdome. The more others extoll thee, the more doe thou humble thy selfe in thine owne eyes, nor please thy selfe with such vanities. They that esteeme lightly of earthly things, are magnified and extolled by the Angels of heaven: proceed sincerely, rightly, and innocently in every of thy acti­ons, nor too earnestly take care for the [Page 213] things thou hast not. Think no sin little, for there is none so light, (if any may bee said light) but it may bring upon thee great plagues & everlasting death; therefore, deplore thy least sinnes, and pray without ceasing for the bettering of thy life. Think how short thy life is; if any seriously consider what ever be­longeth to us, he shall see they vanish from us like birds in the aire, and wee also by our perpetuall motion are car­ried beyond those transitory things; but that which is worst, no remedy can be found against this, for these things fall out thus by the law of Nature; for the things of this life are a dreame, a smoake and impostures; this is our life, O men that lead a fleeting life; such is the Scene upon the earth, that wee must be borne ere we could have a be­ing, and as soone as we are borne, wee are againe dissolved to nothing. Wee are a dreame that lasts not, an appariti­on that cannot be laid hold on, a flight of a bird that is gone, the passage of a ship in the sea, that leaves behind no impression, dust, a vapour, morning dew, a flowre that hath his time to blow, and time to wither; the dayes of man are as grasse, and shall flourish, [Page 214] but like the flowre of the field. Think therefore alwayes what manner of life thou hast, not how long it may last: make haste to live well, and think eve­ry day is another life; let us extend our life, whose office and argument is acti­on; let us not place the goodnesse of our life in the length of it, but in the use of it: For it may come to passe, yea, it often happens so that he who hath li­ved long, hath lived little; his life is most long, in the whole extent where­of he hath been at leasure for himselfe, and yet no part thereof hath lyen waste or idle. Life is like a Play, it skils not how long it is, but how well it was acted; not he that hath sung much to the Harpe, nor he that hath made many prayers, or hath steered many ships, is to be commended, but he that hath per­formed these things; for Beauty is to be placed in Vertue, and a seasonable moderation, not in length of dayes. In every thing we see the Priority to bee yeelded to maturity and perfection, not to their old-age: For amongst the Plants, those are accompted the best which beare most fruit in the shortest time; and amongst the living creatures, those from whom we receive most com­modities, [Page 215] for our lives, in the shortest time. We conclude therefore, that a short time well and innocently spent, is farre to be preferred before a sinfull long life.

HEare and obey these things, O man, which I shall utter touch­ing thy words; weigh well continually with thy selfe, that saying of our Sa­viour, I say unto you, that of every idle word that the sonnes of men shall speake, they shall give an account for in the day of judgement: and that also which the most wise Salomon also affirmes, in the multitude of words there will not cease to be sin. Fly (therefore) idle and slothfull words, which have repentance tread­ing upon their heeles, and ill successe at their elbowes. Examine what thou art to propose, and what to answer: As long as thy word is within the fence of thy teeth, it is thine own, but as soon as it is escaped, it is his that receives it. How foule and uncomely a thing is it, [Page 216] if thy unbrideled tongue, breaking the bounds of modesty, shall cause thee to blush for shame? Let therefore thy words be few and weighty, and seaso­ned with salt; and mark in the delivery, what is worthy, and what in them is unworthy of thee. Chiefly, vaunt of no­thing for truth, which thou knowest not to be true; nor give thy selfe over to receive vaine reports. Such a tongue is a monster, more changeable than any Proteus, that fils the world with fables, & doth often in sports cause tragedies to be acted amongst men: it encreaseth in its progresse, and for the most part re­lates things to be greater than they are; and cannot abstain from telling of lies, in relating a truth: and although it doth onely utter trifles and toyes, yet sometimes is it in the place of a thou­sand witnesses. As the hand of a foole doth leave a token of his folly deci­phered upon every wall it passeth by; so such a tongue filleth all mens eares with rumours and stories; but whether they be true or false, it careth not. A mouse scarce peeps out of any cranny, but it is presently at hand, and like a midwife receives this issue, and makes it presently grow bigge; and that it [Page 217] may shew the fairer, cloaths it in most large vestments: so he forces ru­mours upon every one he meets, as be­ing fresh and new, yea, as a true story, though for the most part it hath scarce any truth in it. So is falshood in very short time divulged thorow the world. Whosoever heares a report, coynes and addes something to that he hath heard, what either credulity, or ornament shal perswade him too. Behold the stories, which doe (at length) put off all shew of truth. The wooden engines were (heretofore) framed with that art, that when they were brought forth unto the solemnity of the triumphs, they did suddenly grow great, & raise themselves to a great heighth: rumours are indeed these Pageants, which when they be­gin to spread, are accustomed suddenly to increase, and to extend into an in­credible greatnesse. But O the rash­nesse of mans minde! we lead a very short life, we have an end as soone as we begin: the most swift time returnes not in his gate, his course, nor in his flight, and forsakes us even while we are thinking of vanity, by a flight ne­ver to be recalled: And we amidst these precipices of swit-footed time, are not [Page 218] only slow, but triflers, wear out our best dayes in most idle bawbles. Our swift dayes doe passe away, and we also are carried away in their motion; we are snatched away unawares, whilst we are toying, and make pastime to our owne destruction. Beleeve not every thing is told thee, nor report all that thou hearest, except thou intend to lose thy friends, and to kindle the hatred of many against thy selfe. First weigh things, before thou judge of them. He that reports things he onely heares, be­ing first deceived himselfe, doth most usually deceive others. Behold how far the eyes and the eares doe stand asun­der! If all that the miners did cast out of the mines, were silver and gold, the world by this time might have beene gilded all over; but whilst the metall that is digged thence, is severed from the drosse, earth, stones, and sand that is mixed with it, it is brought at length to a small langot: so it is with the reci­tall of things we heare; if we take away the things which are fained, false, and ill understood, and those which are ad­ded by conjecture; alas what a small scantling of pure truth remaines? for the most part, halfe that is fained that [Page 219] is related in a many-worded Oration. Let the words of the tongue agree with the meaning of the heart, shunne false­hood & lies. It is easie to say what a lie is, there needs no long dispute about it; To speak one thing, & think another, is a lie. To speak against a mans minde is a lie. Let not thy brest conceale one thing, and thy tongue utter another thing. Let no man doubt but he lies, that utters any thing with an intent to deceive. One of the veines ties the tongue & the heart together, another the tongue and braine; by which disposition of the veines, nature teacheth us, that one member is so to be governed by the un­derstanding, that the tongue may agree with the heart. For this is a lie, to car­ry one thing hidden in the heart, an­other thing ready at the tongues end: to beleeve in heart that a thing is black, but to affirme in words that it is white. But that you may more fully under­stand this, you must know there is a threefold lie, an officious lie, a jesting lie, and a pernitious lie. An officious lie is said to be that that may be belee­ved, to profit another, but himselfe least of all that tels it. They call a jest­ing lie that that hurts no body, but is [Page 220] spoken by way of fancie; but though a lie spoken in jest, is not so ill as that which is spoken to another mans hurt, or for very pleasure we take in lying, even that also because it is a lie, is sinne; for it is vanity and extravigancie, to take pleasure in that thing which should be farre distant from us; yet it is not called a jesting lie, if any one speake a falsity, not in earnest, but in such a jesting way, that all may per­ceive that he meaneth other wayes than he speaketh, for in regard there is no signification of falshood, it is not a lie; but that is a lie, when any one relates a falsity for fancies sake, and that he takes pleasure in it, and doth doth desire to perswade others that he is serious. Thirdly, and finally, a pernitious lie is that that is alwayes joyned with ano­thers harme, and is reckoned amongst sinnes of a high nature. An officious lie is not so called, because any man may excuse it, by taking upon himselfe the deceit: Although he that sinnes to pro­fit another, sinneth lesse than he that doth it not to this end; yet notwith­standing he dealeth not simply, and in a right manner; for ill is not to be done, that good may come thereon. There­fore [Page 221] flie, with diligence, all manner of lying, and neither by chance, or of set purpose speake that which is false: be­ware of lying in all things. This vice is so to be avoided, that though the safety of many were to be contrived in one lie, and that but only an officious or jesting lie, yet it would not be lawfull for thee to tell it. Yea if any one by a slight lie could rid his parents, or any more dear to him than his parents from devouring flames, yet might he not lawfully tell a lie; it would be better to forsake them amidst the flames, than by an untruth to offend thy God. But thou wilt say, this is a hard saying; it is rigid, yet it is true. Hast thou not read? Let us doe evill, that good may come thereon, whose damnation is just. All doctrine of truth shall in this man­ner be taken away, if we yeeld to most licentious falshood, if any place be any where left open to a lie, though it be but an officious one: for whosoever lies, pro­poseth to himselfe, his owne, or an­others temporall commodity, than which, what can be done more pervers­ly? Certainly, an injury offered to God is greater than all the ill we can doe unto man. How many thousand of [Page 222] most holy martyrs, would rather pro­digally powre forth their bloods by drops, than consent with one lie to de­fend their innocencies. But if our very life be not to be preferred before the truth, what can be objected to main­taine we may lawfully lie, by those that are of opinion we ought sometimes to lie? Be gone then, let every lie, I say, be gone, because it hath the devill for its authour, who himselfe neither re­mained in the truth, nor is there any truth in him. Lying lips are an abo­mination to the Lord; but those that deale faithfully, are pleasing unto him. If thou know any thing that a good man in other things hath done, and thou hast long concealed it with the cloake of charity, doe not in thy wrath reveale it, that no man may ac­cuse thee of passion, and to have a ma­licious minde; and that others doe not that to thee, which thou shouldest not do to others, I advise thee not to reveale thy selfe and all thy secrets to any but a true pious & honest man; thou needest not feare such a one, because for Chri­stian charities sake, which is the foun­dation of all friendship, he will, per­chance, willingly pardon thy offences, [Page 223] nor will at all reproach thee. Doe no­thing also in any mans presence, which may cause thee to feare that thou maist raise up mischiefe to thy selfe, or make a friend become thine enemy. That which thou wouldest have secret, keepe thou it secret, and reveale it to no man; yet remember God can see thorow the thickest clouds. Finde no fault with others, but looke to thy selfe. Avoid biting reprovers and obscene jesters; yet if at any time thou wilt jest civilly, propose three things to thy selfe; first, abuse not the phrase of Scripture to make up thy jest, and so defile thy reli­gion; what canst thou imagine that God thinks, when he sees and heares such things among Christians that pro­fesse his name, that would be thought wiser than others, and yet account this for no sinne? That I may not speake of the grievous offence that many take hereat, and that they are troubled and made sad with the worst sort of scan­dall, who cannot (afterwards) read or heare Gods Word, or pray with the same devotion they were wont (before) to doe; very nature it selfe also teach­eth us that we ought not to deale so ri­diculously, negligently and idly, in so [Page 224] grave and holy words. He that consult­eth with his own conscience, finds they be such obscenities, foolish bablings and ribauldry that are not fitting for Christians. Secondly, let not thy jest­ing weaken Christian charity. Thirdly, let them not violate honesty and cha­stitie. Never speak of God but with feare and reverence, and as it were in his presence, who is most present every where. For seeing we are not worthy to take his holy Name in our mouthes, much lesse decent is it for us to profane it with our lips; it is a sure signe of a wicked mind to use Gods Name upon all light occasions. Pray therefore with David, Let the words of my mouth, and meditations of my heart be acceptable be­fore thee. Be finally sparing in com­mending any man, but ready to salute any one; gentle in giving respect; cour­teous in admonishing; mercifull in pardoning; faithfull in performing thy promises; ready to requite good; nei­ther convert thou the reward of vertue into a gift of courtesie.

HEarken and be obedient, O man, touching thy deeds: doe no evill, though thou mayest doe it; for the least sins, except they be seriously repented of, are not suffered to goe unpunished. Let it not grieve thee to doe good; doe nothing against thy vocation; if thou begin any thing, in the first place pray earnestly unto God for his assistance; then set confidently upon thy worke, and leave the issue thereof to God; if thou undertake any thing, in thy vo­cation, trust to Gods providence, though the meanes thou usest, seeme insufficient unto thee; and if they offer themselves, as it were unto thy hands of their own accord, resolve that they are offered thee from God; yet place not greater hope in them than in God, but beseech him mercifully to blesse those meanes: have a heavenly minde in earthly things, and doe what thou art able; commit the rest to the guidance of the most holy Trinity: never use unlaw­full [Page 226] meanes, for that can bring no gaine with it that brings destruction to the soule. For this end labour con­stantly that thy conscience be pure be­fore God and man. If at any time thou be enticed to sin, think Satan lodgeth neare thee, and that it is a reproachfull thing for the sonnes of men, that are so well beloved of God, and so gently dealt with by him, to gratifie so un­cleane a spirit, to the dishonour and re­proach of thy God: To the reproach, I say, of thy God, because every vo­luntary sinne is a reproach offered to God. No Prince will endure this of thee; and how shall God suffer, who is a God of all Majesty and Glory, that a reproach offered to his Majesty, so often renewed, and so often with securitie committed against him, shall goe un­punished? As often as we commit sin by a deliberate counsell against our conscience, we doe (in a sort) consult of it before (though we oftentimes doe not marke and perceive it;) on one scale we put the profit, pleasure, or delight of sin, in the other our losse, the wrath of God, and our offences against him. What madnesse is it now, what perversenesse, what malice, what reproach to prefer a [Page 227] moment before eternitie, a drop be­fore the Ocean, one graine of sand be­fore a mountain, our owne lusts before the incomparable Omnipotencie and Majestie of God? Dost thou not, O man, as often as thou sinnest, strike, as it were, the infinite God with thy pa­ricidiall hand? Aske continually thy conscience these two things; whether if any such thing befall thee, thou art to be acquitted? What if thou shalt doe any such thing in the very day wherein all the world must receive its doome? Whether thou canst give an answer to the universall Judge, when thou shalt be forced to give a reason for all thy Actions? Remember Joseph, that thought that God saw what no man could perceive. God is just, hee shall draw thy sins to the light that thou hast committed in secret. When David de­filed Bathseba by his unlawfull lying with her; Who saw his adultery but God? Hee brought forth his secret pleasures to the view of all Israel; and will also at length discover thy wicked­nesse unto all men. Satan is subtill, even in this one thing, that by flattering thy selfe, thou mayst accompt thy selfe but a small sinner, and so may draw [Page 228] thee into his net; but if thou desire to avoid sin, shun the occasion of sinning; let that which is good, please thee for Gods sake, and let God please thee for his own sake; if God favour thee, feare no mans persecution; God shall make thine enemie thy friend, or shall so tem­per him, that he shall doe thee but lit­tle hurt; no man can be overcome by his enemie, but he who was first over­come by sin, and so made himselfe hate­full unto God. Deprive no man of the respect that is due unto him, yet alwaies reckon with thy selfe that respect is more due to godlinesse than to great­nesse; if God increase thy substance in this life, think it is a spur of thy thank­fulnesse, and an incitement to desire those heavenly things, and an exhorta­tion to pietie; neither be proud either of thy externall or internall gifts; for outward things as they seldome hap­pen or come unto thee, so they fall off & speedily depart from thee: God gave thee indeed thy inward graces, yet hee can take them from thee before thou be aware, if any abuse them, and forget God the giver of them. It may be thou hast many vertues, and it may be thou art disfigured by many vices that doe [Page 229] displease him more than the others doe please him. It is not enough that others commend thee, except thine owne con­science doe approve thee; no fame is perpetuall, but that which ariseth from godlinesse. We reade no where in Gods Booke that an hypocrite was ever con­verted; and what wonder? for whereas the conversion of sinners is a meanes to turne from sin; what meanes of salva­tion is left for him that turnes repen­tance it selfe into sinne, which is the meanes of salvation? O miserable soule that desires to see holy things, and lives a heathenish life! Observe in what a manner the wicked end their dayes, so that thou mayest detest their lives. See how the godly end their lives, that thou mayest run the same course as they doe. Obey thy Superiours, honour those that are wise; keepe company with those that be honest and religiously gi­ven. And seeing mans corrupt nature doth much love hypocrisie; touch not, nor use the Sacrament before thou have founded the depth of thine owne heart most accurately. Rule over those that are subject to thy command, more by courtesie than severity; courtesie is full of hope, and tyranny of feare: Gods [Page 230] justice will not suffer a tyrant to con­tinue long, for though subjects, both by Gods laws and also by mans, ought to yeeld obedience to Magistrates, yet the Magistrates themselves are but Gods Ministers; and if wee consider them as they are Christians, they are not only servants, but our brethren al­so in Christ: Christians therefore must rule like Christians, in charity and mer­cie, as Christ hath taught us by his own example. Art thou made a Judge? give right judgement, remembring that thy selfe must appeare before Gods Judge­ment Seat: he is cursed that blesseth the wicked; but blessed that blesseth the blessed. O man, how dangerous is mans life, what a great account hath he to give, what a short space is it, but thou must appeare at Gods Tribunall? What then must thou doe? What deed hast thou committed? How wouldest thou appeare, if thou wert this houre to depart? If thou wert to appeare this moment before thy Examiner? It would quickly be determined concer­ning thee: Thou art to day a man, shalt thou appeare to morrow? O dul­nesse, and hardnesse of mans heart, that only meditates upon things pre­sent, [Page 231] and foresees nothing what shall be hereafter! Thou oughtest so to behave thy selfe in every action, as if thou wert this day to dye; in the morning think thou mayst not live to the evening, and in the evening dare not promise thy selfe the next ensuing morning: be al­wayes prepared, and so live, that death may never take thee unprovided. How happie and wise is he that labours to be such whilst he lives, as he wisheth to be found at his death! O Jesu, give me the perfect contempt of the world; give me a fervent desire to profit in vertue; give me the love of instruction, the la­bour of repentance, the readinesse of obedience. O my God, grant that I may desire thee in my heart, to seeke thee in my desires, to find thee in my search, and love thee being found. Give me, my Lord and God, repentance for my heart, contrition to my spirit, a flood of teares to my eyes, and a libe­rall distribution of almes to my hands. O my King, extinguish in me the de­sire of the flesh, and kindle in mee the fire of thy love. O my Redeemer, drive out of me the spirit of pride, and favou­rably grant me the treasure of thy hu­militie. O my Saviour, remove from [Page 232] mee the madnesse of anger, and indul­gently afford me the shield of patience. O my Creator, pluck out all rancour out of my mind, and bestow on me the sweetnesse of a milde spirit: give mee, most mercifull Father, a firme faith, a congruous hope, and continuall chari­tie: my Governour, doe thou divert all vanity from mee, all inconstancie of mind, wandring of the heart, scurrility of the tongue, pride of the eyes, gluttony of the belly, reproaching of my neigh­bours, the sins of detraction, the itch of curiosity, the desire of riches, the extor­tion of great men, the desire of vain-glory, the evill of hypocrisie, the poy­son of flattery, the contempt of the poore, the oppression of the weak, the thirst of covetousnesse, the rust of en­vie, and the death of blasphemie. O my Maker, cut off from me rashnesse, iniquity, lewdnesse, disquietnesse, idle­nesse, drowsinesse, sloth, dulnesse of mind, blindnesse of heart, obstinacie of sense, bloodinesse of conditions, dis­obedience to goodnesse, resistance of good counsell, unbridlenesse of my tongue, preying upon the poore, wrong­ing the weak, slandering the innocent, neglecting my inferiours, cruelty in my [Page 233] family, impiety towards my familiars, and hardnesse of heart to my neigh­bours. O God, my mercy, I beseech thee by thy beloved Son, give mee the works of mercy, the study of godli­nesse, to suffer with those in affliction, to counsell those that erre, to helpe the miserable, to succor the needy, to com­fort the sad, to releeve the oppressed, to refresh the poore, to cheare those that weepe, to forgive our debtors, to spare them that sin against me, to love those that hate me, to render good for evill, to despise no man, but to honour all, to imitate the good, to beware of the wic­ked, to embrace vertue, to reject vice, to be patient in adversity, to be mode­rate in prosperity, to set a watch over my mouth, and a doore before my lips; give mee uprightnesse in my dealings, and a true testimony of my faith, to trample upon earthly things, to thirst after heavenly things, that thou mayst one day say to me, Well done good and faithfull servant, thou hast been faithfull in a little, I will set thee over much, enter into the joy of thy Master. Amen.

WHo will give water to my head, and a fountaine of tears to mine eyes? and I will weepe both night and day. Let my eyes drop tears, and my eye-lids flow with waters. I will convey my selfe into the place of weeping and of teares, I will take paines in my groaning, I will every night wash my bed, and water my couch with my teares. My teares shall be my meat day and night, and I will not hide my mourning. I will prostrate my selfe, and let the reines loose to my teares, and rivers shall gush from mine eyes; I will weepe in the bitternesse of my soule. I will continue in weeping, and the teares shall trickle downe my cheeks, wherewith I will deplore my most grievous sinnes, and will detest my impious ingratitude, wherewith I have repayed my God and Lord. O that I could weepe out my eyes with teares, that my bowels might be disturbed, [Page 235] and my liver might be powred forth upon the earth for my great enormities! The causes are great and many, O God, why my eyes should streame forth wates, yea blood it selfe. But I will now contemplate of nothing but the greatnesse & multitude of thy bles­sings that thou hast bestowed upon me, when I was yet thine enemy. That therefore my soule may be astonished, my cheeks blush, my eyes cast downe, and that I may eternally hate my ma­licious and most polluted life: I will be­gin to reckon up thy blessings, and my cursed deeds, that I may see what thou art, and what I am, what thou hast done for me, and how I have requited thee. Send downe from heaven thy ho­ly Spirit, the teacher of truth, and worke in my tough and hard heart, in­ward and divine repentance, that I may never repent me of. And now, thou love of that heavenly power, thou holy communication of the omnipo­tent Father and the blessed issue, thou Spirit, the Omnipotent Comforter, slide within the most secret places of my heart by thy powerfull operation, and enlighten every darke lurking place of this my neglected habitation, by [Page 236] the brightnesse of thy glorious light. Come, come now thou most courteous Comforter of the languishing soul, that defendst it in its necessities, & art its hel­per in tribulation. Come thou cleanser of my filthinesse, thou curer of my wounds. Come thou Strength of the weake, thou Sustainer of those that slide. Come thou Instructer of the humble, and Confounder of the haugh­ty. Come thou holy Father of the orphans, thou milde Judge of the wi­dowes. Come thou Hope of the poore, thou Refresher of those that faint. Come thou sea-mans Starre, thou Ha­ven against shipwracke. Come thou singular Beauty of all that live, thou only Safety of those that die. Come most holy Spirit, come and take pity upon me. Fit me for thy selfe, and merciful­ly condescend to my weaknesse, that according to the multitude of thy mer­cies, my meannesse may be acceptable to thy Majestie, and my weaknesse to thy power. There was a time, my God, when I had no being, which I cannot remember, and then thou madest me to have a being: thou formedst me of the clay of the earth, and madest me ac­cording to thine owne image and re­presentation. [Page 237] Thou broughtest me out of my mothers wombe, thou wast my hope when I hung upon my mothers breasts; from the wombe was I cast upon thy providence; for from the ve­ry time that I first drew my vitall breath, and entred this tabernacle of the world, and my soule tooke possessi­on of her earthly house, thou art my Father, thou art my Redeemer, thou art my Saviour, thou art my Helper. Thou didst create my body, and all the members thereof, thou gavest me my soule, and all the faculties thereof, and hast most mercifully preserved my life even to this present houre. Thou hast added another blessing farre more pretious than the rest, that thou might­est tie me the nearer unto thee. Thou descendedst, O God, from heaven, to finde me out, thou soughtest for me being lost of all hands. By thy incar­nation didst thou rid my weake and miserable flesh out of the ignominy and basenesse, which by the devils se­ducing suggestions it was fallen into. Thou sanctifiedst my sinfull nativity by thy most holy birth; by thy bonds and captivity thou hast freed me from the bonds of my enthralling sinnes. [Page 238] Whilst thou deliveredst thy selfe into the hands of sinners, thou hast snatch­ed me out of the power of sinne, in the forme of sinfull flesh; thou hast abolished my sinfull life, which is the worke of Satan; by this thy great mer­cy thou hast most straightly tied me unto thy selfe, thou hast enticed me un­to thee with those benefits, thou hast confirmed and strengthned my hope with those great merits; thou wouldest stirre up in me a hatred and detestation of my sins, in that thou hast wrought and endured so many and so great things, that thou mightest reconcile me to thy heavenly Father, and overthrow the kingdome of sinne: so thou hast kindled bright coales over my head, that thou mightest thereby set my heart on fire, that overwhelmed (as it were) with the works of thy mercy, which are included in this thy worke of Re­demption, I might love him with all my heart, who hath wholly loved me, and imparted himselfe wholly unto mee. Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord my God; but what good had it beene unto me, except thou hadst permitted me to be baptized? amongst so great a multitude therefore of Infidels, thou [Page 239] wast pleased I should be borne of faith­full parents, and hast blessed me so farre above all unbeleeving Ethnicks, Turks and Jewes, that I might be regenerated by the lavacre in thy word, and accord­ing to thy Word, and might put on my Christ, with all his benefits. There thou hast adopted me for thy sonne, and made me thy heire; there make I that wonderfull covenant with thee, that I should be thine, and that thou should­est be mine; that thou shouldest be my Lord, and I should be thy servant; that thou shouldest be my father, and I should be thy sonne: there is it so so covenanted betwixt us, that thou shouldest manifest thy fatherly affecti­on to me, and that I should with a fili­all obedience hearken unto thee. What need I rehearse the other use of this Sa­crament, namely, that thou hast made it the curing physicke of our sins, that by thine own blood thou mightest heal my unhappy and festring wounds, and mightest thereby more and more adde perfection unto me? But though I have received so many blessings of thee, and have in a readinesse so many antidotes against sinne; yet have I not continued in obedience, but have often broken [Page 240] that covenant, and yet hast thou bin so mercifull and so milde a God, that thou didst endure my disobedience. O God, my salvation and hope, how can I re­count thy mercy and clemency, with­out shedding of teares? for how often, O just judge, mightest thou kill, and bring me to nothing, and yet none of these things is befallen me? how many thousands of soules are already thrust into hell to be punished with eternall plagues and fire, that never came neare my sinnes either in number or weight; and yet am not I burned? what had become of me if thou hadst cut me off, together with them? How ought I to feare thy terrible and fearfull judge­ment, if thou shouldest punish me in thy immutable and severe judge­ment, according to the foulnesse of my iniquities? O my God, who tied thy hands? who was my Intercessor, when I most securely slept the sleep of sin? who held the scourge of thy wrath, when as day by day I provoked & urged thy ven­geance? what was there in me to please thee? what was there in me so worthy of thy acceptation, that thou shouldest spare me when thou didst root out others, who wallowing in the mud of [Page 241] their sinnes, thou didst summon to thy most righteous judgement seat in the midst of their dayes? My sins did cry to heaven, and thou didst stop thine eares; my wickednesses were daily multipli­ed, and thy mercy was likewise encrea­sed to me; I did sinne, and thou didst expect my repentance; I fled from thee, and thou didst draw neare to me; I provoked thee so often to wrath, that I might weary thee by my provocations; yet wast not thou weary of taking pi­ty upon me, as if my transgressions a­gainst thee, being abominable ingrati­tude in me, were pleasing in thy sight. Thou hast suggested unto me many good thoughts, and given me many profitable admonitions, to turne me from my transgressions, even in my full speed of sinning. How many times, standing before the doore of my heart, hast thou knocked and called, saying, Returne, returne thou degenerate son, nor will I set my face against thee, so that thou wilt acknowledge the sinnes, by which thou hast offended thy God? How often hast thou called me unto thee by this most pleasing voice? How often hast thou exhorted me by great feare, by most terrible threats, by the [Page 242] daily expectation of daily danger, of perpetuall death and strict judgement? how many preachers hast thou afford­ed me? how many teachers hast thou set over me, who partly by doctrine, and partly by example, should shew me the way I should walke in? Thou hast allured me by most gentle com­pellations, thou hast chastised me by dangerous sicknesses, and other mise­ries, and hast left out nothing that might induce me from the old way. What shall I render unto thee, O Lord, for all thy blessings bestowed upon me? I owe thee my selfe, and all things I en­joy, because thou hast created me, for thou madest me, and what ever I have. Againe, I owe thee my selfe, and all things I possesse, because thou hast pre­served me: besides, Lord, thou gavest thy selfe to be my great and plenteous reward. What can I render unto thee? If I had in my hand all the lives of all the Angels, and all the soules of all mankinde, and I should resolve to pay them to thee; they could not stand in comparison with one drop of thy blood shed for me; therefore I most worthi­ly complaine, and cry out, who shall give water to my head, and a foun­taine [Page 243] of teares to my eyes, and I will weepe night and day, and deplore mine owne abominable ingratitude, where­with I thy creature, O my best Crea­tor, have repayed thee, for all thy so many, and so great, and so incompre­hensible benefits bestowed upon me. Helpe me, O my God, impart thy grace unto me, that I may with inward con­trition confesse unto thee my back-sli­ding from thee. Ah! Lord, I am thy creature, though most unhappy and unworthy of thee my Creator. Thou didst create me according to thine own image and similitude; looke backe up­on me, O God, take from me what ever I have brought in, and then thou shalt finde nothing but good in me, and that which thou hast bestowed upon me, O thou most perfect worker of all good­nesse. Alas! I have resisted the powers of thy holy will, and striven much to oppose thee. Oh, with what security have I given my self over to wrath! my feet made haste to doe evill, my hands prepared themselves to doe mischiefe, to covetousnesse, and all manner of impurities; my eyes were turned to behold vanity, my eares were open to receive lies, filthy talking, slandering [Page 244] and reproaching. My soule, that was a most noble soule, and neare (in nature) to thy heavenly Ministers, and ought to have contemplated, to beheld, and have reflected upon thee, turnes backe from thy unspeakable beauty, and turnes it selfe towards the flattering de­ceitfull beauty of the world; and la­boured this with care, that it might abuse the fraile goods of this world to her owne lusts, and knew not how grievous and hurtfull this would prove unto her. This (behold) is the under­standing part of my soule! let us see what good may proceed from the will? Thou hast enclined, O Lord, my will to heavenly riches, but it hath declined to earthly things, and hath wholly en­thralled her selfe by a vaine love unto them: this, O Lord, is that grace, which I have repayed thee for thy most precious gifts. What shall I answer thee (ah! Lord,) if thou shouldest call me before thy judgement seat, and shouldest say, I have planted thee for a noble vine, and that thou shouldest (wholly) be a faithfull seed, how then are you changed into degenerate bran­ches of a wilde vine? But if I stand in so foule a condition, upon examination [Page 245] of the benefit of my Creation, what will it prove if I should give an account of the benefits of my Preservation? For thou hast preserved him so many dayes, so many moneths, so many yeares, who hath dedicated all his senses to the con­tempt and despite of all thy Comman­dements, who hath persecuted thy ser­vants, who hath beene a scandall to the communion of thy Saints, who hath strengthened and enlarged the king­dome of sinners. Thou hast preserved the tongue that hath blasphemed thee and taken thy Name in vaine; thou hast preserved the members that have most vehemently offended thee; thou hast given him meat and drinke, that hath abused them both to thine owne reproach. I have not beene onely un­thankfull, but I armed my selfe with thine owne blessings against thee. Thou createdst all thy creatures for me, even for my profit, and to draw me to love thee, and I have used thy creatures to the inexcusable hatred of thee. Those things which ought to have brought me to thy most beautifull wisdome, did make me blinde, and made me not on­ly not to looke up but did even close mine eyes that I should not behold [Page 246] how much the Creator did excell those his so many faire and comely crea­tures: for the most rare Artist of all beauty and comelinesse, was He that that created them. Thou gavest me all things, that I should yeeld and con­secrate my selfe unto thee: thou would­est have all things serve me, that I might serve thee, even I that have so little thought upon thee. Thy creatures, according to thy command, are ready at thy becke, but I, alas, have stoutly refused thy commandements. Thou hast given me health of body, and I have granted the use thereof to the devill: thou hast given me strength under­standing, and a will, and I have be­stowed them upon the service of ini­quity. And what shall I say? as many dangers and losses of other men as I have beheld, so many of thy blessings towards my selfe have I seene, that thou didst not overwhelme me in the same dangers and losses. If thou shouldest send me what I deserve, thou mightest finde me more worthy so many mise­ries than others are; but it is thy mer­cy, O Lord, that I am not consumed. Beasts are tamed by courtesies, are made gentle and familiar for the ser­vice [Page 247] and obedience of man; and yet thy benefits have not tamed me, have not moved me, that I might say in my heart, Let us feare the Lord our God, that giveth us raine, the early and the later raine it its season, preserving for us the fulnesse of the yearly harvest; that enricheth us with his blessings, that preserveth us from our birth even to our death; Ought not these things to set be­fore mine eyes and minde, thy favour and mercy towards me? But if I am so much bound unto thee for these be­nefits which thou hast produced for me by the bare power of thy Word, what shall I be indebted to thee for redeem­ing me from eternall death and dam­nation, by the precious blood of thine only begotten son? Oh, how much have I neglected thy most wise counsell? how have I despised thy incarnation, which I ought to adore? Thou my God, art made man, that thou mightest make me partaker of the divine nature; and I a most perverse wretch, am turned in­to a beast, and become the devils in­strument. Thou didst descend from the most glorious throne of thy heavenly Father, unto mee that devill upon earth, and I have not elevated my selfe [Page 248] unto thee, nor would I ascend with thee; but by the works of the flesh I have beene faster tied to the more base things of the earth, and have pressed my selfe downe into the mud, by the weight of my sinnes, wherein I have long lien wallowing. Thou hast deli­vered me out of the power of the de­vill, and I of mine owne accord have ensnared my selfe in his devillish toiles. Thou art made one body with me, and I by my voluntary sinnes have plucked my selfe off from thee, and have glued my selfe to the body of the wicked. So many thy wondrous works could not force me to acknowledge thee: So ma­ny testimonies of thy love could not soften my stony heart, to make me love thee againe; thy so great merit could not raise me up, to cause me to place all my hope in thee. That thy most accu­rate Justice, which shines most clearly out, and that many wayes, out of the worke of our Redemption, could not hold me, so that I might consider the plagues and punishments which thou heapedst upon thy onely beloved Son, for my sake, and cause me to cry out, If they have done these things in the greene tree, what shall be done in the dry? [Page 249] Thy so many torments and paines could not perswade me to descend into my self, and to consider with what hatred thou persuest our sinnes, for which thou hast permitted thy very Sonne to be most cruelly afflicted. For these things ought I to have stood in awe, and to reverence thy great Name. So hast thou (my Jesus) humbled thy selfe, that he that considers it, may ad­mire, and with trembling behold thee; yet am I growne proud, and at this ve­ry time, alas, doe exalt my selfe above my brethren. Thou didst hang naked upon the Crosse, yet I not content with such cloathing as was necessary to co­ver my nakednesse, have sought after excesse and superfluity, and have most tenderly handled my slimy damnable body. Thou didst suffer intolerable thirst in thy extreame plagues and tor­ments, and didst taste gall mingled with vinegar; but I must (as it were) be fatted to the slaughter with lushi­ous wines; I have beene overcharged with gluttony and ravenousnesse, and have thereby made my selfe strong in fleshly desires. Thou didst beare all things that thy Father laid upon thee, nor didst throw off the the burden, till [Page 250] thou mightest truely say it is finished; but I have esteemed it very troublesome and tedious for me to suffer but a very little for thee. Thou that art the blessed Son of God, didst suffer blows on the face from wicked wretches; but I, if I be but touched with a finger, or wronged in a word, doe presently burne with wrath, and am most bitterly moved to indignation, that am but a worme, and not worthy the name of a man, and doe deserve, by reason of my filthy sins, not only most vile reproach, but the punish­ment & scorne of hell it selfe. And what shall I farther say of my most wicked life? Thou didst most willingly die, that I might die to sin, and live to righ­teousnesse; but I too much relying on this thy mercy, doe wittingly and wil­lingly rush into sins. What greater dis­grace could I put upon thee? I have made thy mercies the occasion of my uncleannesse, and have used so precious a meanes of my Redemption, which ought to make every one to hate sin, to the strengthning and continuation of my sins. I thought sins were law­full for me, because thou wast so gentle and mercifull; and for giving mee so many blessings, I have requited thee [Page 251] with my infamous deeds, so that I con­verted the remedy ordained against sin, into the meanes to make me sin more freely, and have set the point of that sword against mine owne brest, and well-nigh destroyed my selfe there­with, that thou gavest me to resist the blowes of Satan. Thou art he only, O Lord, that dyed for us all, that they that live, might not live to themselves, but to him that did both die, and rose a­gaine for us; but I, contrary to this, have lived to my selfe and mine owne lusts, as if thou hadst dyed for that end that I should live to fill my soule with fleshly desires: and abusing thy grace, I should weave the web of mischiefe. O Lord, how great is thy patience, that thou wouldest be buffetted for my sake! but much greater is thy patience, that thou enduredst so many sinners in the world, that even buffet thee with their sins? But shall this thy patience last for ever? I call to mind what thou threatnest against the impenitent; I see that the earth which is watered with raine and brings forth no fruit, is pu­nished by cursing; I see that the Vine­yard well manured, and yet remaining unfruitfull, is wasted and trodden un­der [Page 252] foot: O hard, and iron heart! O unprofitable and drie wood! Dost thou not tremble if thou hearest the voice of the Omnipotent God, saying; Every branch, not bearing fruit, will my Father take away; if any remaine not in me, hee shall be cast out as a branch, and it withe­reth, and men gather it up, and cast it into the fire to bee burnt. What man can be so carelesse, that trembles not and shakes not for feare of so horrible a judgement? How deafe and sluggish is he that heareth not this voice? With what a stupidnesse is he drowned in? in what a lethargie is he buried, who is not awaked with this thunder? Ah! Lord, this earthly tabernacle hath hi­therto delighted mee; I have walked amidst thornes and thistles, that have choaked the seed of thy Word sowen in me, so that I have had no desire to know thy will; my lusts have seduced me, my desires have driven me up and downe▪ my thoughts have disturbed mee, the worme of my conscience gnawes me; and all these have I estee­med as secure delights, and reckoned troubles to be peace. What shall I doe my God? What shall I doe? I am for­ced to confesse that I am not worthy to [Page 253] come before thee; I blush for my un­righteousnesse sake to lift up mine eyes unto thee; I dare not lift them up to seeke thy favour and most mercifull presence; if thou wilt punish me as I de­serve, nor heaven, nor earth can hide me from thee; but thou wilt not, O Lord, my God, that any one perish, but that all may be converted and live: thou createdst mee for thy praise; but who in hell, where thou art blasphe­med, shall praise thy Name? Thou didst pay so great a ransome for me; yet if thou reject me in these my most great necessities, who shall receive me? if thou shalt refuse thy creature, redee­med by so great a price, who shall helpe me? Why, even thou my Father, that Father of mercy, even that mercy which is immeasurable, which is infi­nite: And although by my disobedience I have lost the right of mine inheri­tance: yet, O my Father, thou hast not lost the heart of a Father; though I have fallen from thee my Father, yet wilt not thou fall from me, or cease to be my Father; that word never failed, As I live, I will not the death of a sin­ner, but that hee may bee converted and live. And although my sins be innume­rable, [Page 254] and my wounds may seeme in­curable, yet art not thou ignorant of a way to cure me; confirme therefore and fulfill thy promises, wash me effectual­ly with the blood of thy Son, that, as to me, his death prove not in vaine: I am (as well) a part of his flesh, and he a part of mine, as Peter, David, or Paul; he is as well to me an Emmanuel, as to any other: Hee bare the sins of the whole world; and therefore hee bore mine also. Looke back therefore, look back therefore, O Lord, upon this lost sheepe, regard thy creature, nor con­tend with him in thy fury whom thou hast made with thy hands: take care, O Lord, of the soule, which thou hast redeemed; I come creeping to thee, wounded with many wounds; but thou most experienced Physitian of soules, and Ma [...]er of the diseased, canst heale them all: I come, being blinded, but thou canst enlighten me: I come dead unto thee, but thou canst give me life: I come full of leprosie, but thou canst cleanse me: Sprinkle me with Hysop and I shall be cleane; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. O my God, the God of my life, thy mercy is greater than my sins, thy clemencie exceeds all my [Page 255] iniquities. Thou canst forgiue more, O Lord, than I can offend; thy mercies are bottomlesse and numberlesse; but as many as my sins are, and as great as they are, they are neither bottomlesse nor numberlesse. Take me out there­fore and deliver mee, forgive mee my great injustice, take away my stony and hard heart, and create in me a soft and a cleane heart, that even in this life I may give thee thanks; let me by my faith and good example bring sinners to thee; and let me glorifie thee, and celebrate thee, for these and other thy innumerable blessings for evermore. A­men, my God, be it so, even so be it, my Lord Jesus Christ.

I Am affraid of my rashnesse, when I consider with my selfe what a Majestie I have offended with my sins: when I consider how benigne and wonderfull a Father I have forsaken, I detest mine owne ingratitude: when I consider from how happie a libertie of [Page 256] spirit, into how miserable servitude I have cast my selfe; I condemne mine owne madnesse, and am wholly dis­pleasing to my selfe, nor have any other object before my eyes but hell and desperation, namely, that doth ter­rifie my conscience by Gods inevitable Justice. I am to be consumed like rot­tennesse; sin is rottennesse indeed, for it destroyes the beauty of the soule, the sweet savour of a good name, the worth of grace, the relish of glory; it is truly durt being wallowed therein: we be­come abominable to honest men, the good Angels, and the just God; It is truely smoak that foretels us that hell-fire is not farre from it, and doth drive away the heavenly Dove: It is indeed the Devils taverne, in which for the price of soules hee sels the world the wine of pleasure: it is the dart with which our soule is pierced thorow, and is deprived of all vigour and life: It is true sicknesse, because it leaves us no health in our flesh, nor from the pre­sence of Gods wrath grants us any quietnesse in our bones: It is truly a Sea, for it swels over our head, and easi­ly swalloweth up our whole body: It is truly a burden, because a sinner is most [Page 257] burdened therewith, and is even pressed downe, unto hell it selfe. But whither shall I goe? where shall I withdraw my selfe? Ah! be mercifull unto me, O take pitie upon mee, according to thy great mercy, and according to the mul­titude of thy compassions wash away mine iniquities: Against thee, against thee onely have I sinned, and done this evill in thy sight; behold I am begotten in iniquitie, and in sinne hath my mother conceived me. I have gone astray like a sheepe that perisheth: seeke out thy lost sheep, O Lord, remember not the faults and transgressions of my youth. O Lord, who understands his owne sins? Cleanse me from my secret offences. Enter not into judgement with thy servant, be­cause no man living can be justified before thee: Remember O Lord thy mercies and compassions which have been of old: Remember me according to thy mercies, even for thy goodnesse sake, O Lord. O Lord be mercifull unto mine offences; make thy mercies wonder­full, thou who savest those that trust in thee: Turne not thy face from me, nor cast away thy servant in displeasure, for in death no man remembreth thee, nor shall any praise thee in the grave. What [Page 258] profit is in my bloud when I descend into corruption? Shall dust give praise unto thee, or set forth thy truth? Re­gard and heare me, O God, lighten mine eyes, that I sleepe not in death: Set not thy mercies farre from me, for thy mercy and truth doe alwayes pre­serve; in thee O Lord have I trusted, let me never be confounded. Amen.

WHo can despaire of pardon from him, who doth so often in the writings of the Prophets, of his owne accord invite sinners to repen­tance, crying out, That he would not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should bee converted and live? How ready is also his pardon to them that repent: he hath inculcated unto us, by his only begotten Son in many of his Parables; as of the groat that was lost, and found againe; the strayed sheepe brought back upon the shoulders; but more plainly, by that of the prodigall [Page 259] sonne, whose very image I am. No man, O God, is so ready to sinne, but thou art far more ready in thy good time to pardon our sinnes. O pitifull, and mercifull Lord, slow to anger, and ve­ry pitifull! He strives not with us for ever, neither is he alwayes wrath with us: Because as the heaven is higher than the earth, so hath he made his mercies to prevaile over me. As farre as the East is distant from the West; so far hath he set my sins from me. As a father taketh pity upon his sonne, so hath the Lord taken pity upon me; he hath washed me from my iniquity; he hath clensed me from my sins; he knows whereof we be made; he remembers we are but dust. Why art thou sad, ô my soule? and why art thou troubled? returne, ô my soule, into thy rest, for the Lord hath done thee good: He hath delive­red my soule from death, mine eyes from teares; and my feet from falling. Blessed are they whose sins are forgiven, and whose offences are covered: Bles­sed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not sin. Rejoyce in the Lord, ô ye righteous, for praise becommeth the Just; taste, and see; for the Lord is sweet: Blessed is the man, that hopeth [Page 260] in him. Blesse the Lord, ô my soule, and all that is within me, praise his holy Name, who is mercifull to all thy iniquities, and healeth all thy infirmi­ties, who hath redeemed thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with mercy and pity. His goodnesse and mercy shall follow me, all the dayes of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord, for evermore. I de­sire, and beseech thee, ô God by the death of thine owne son, give me thy Spirit, to purifie my heart, and with his grace to strengthen me, that by mine own unadvisednesse I fall not thither whence by thy mercy I have been cal­led. Create in me, ô God, a new heart, and renew a firme spirit within me; re­store unto me the joy of thy Salvation, and uphold me by thy free spirit. Wash mee daily, by pardoning my daily offences, translate me from the fennes of this age, and the mud of this present life, to the excellent king­dome of thy glory, where is neither scab, nor blindnesse, nor doth any one suffer any uncleane issue of blood, nor is any one uncleane; where is no far­ther need of a lavacre, thy glorious body being joyned unto our body. [Page 261] Thou must needs fulfill thy promise made, and both finish, and confirme the good worke thou hast begun in me; through Christ our only Lord and Sa­viour. Amen.

I Will make an entrance unto the Al­tar of God, even to the God that maketh my youth rejoyce. Laying a­side the garments of my inveterate ini­quity, I will renew my youth like an Eagle, and hasten to approach that heavenly banquet. A plentifull and de­licate banquet is prepared, which is a medicine to the sicke, a way to those that wander, a banquet that comfort­eth the weake, delights those that are in health, cures sicknesse, preserves health; a banquet that makes a man more pliant to reproofe, more pati­ent to labour, more zealous to love, more wise to warinesse, more ready to obedience, more devout to thanks­giving; a banquet by which our daily sinnes are forgiven, the powers of Sa­tan expelled, strength given to un­dertake [Page 262] even martyrdome it selfe; fi­nally, a banquet by which all good things are brought unto thee, because a man partaking of it, doth even become the same thing he receives. This ban­quet compared with Ahasuerus his banquet, relisheth farre above it; com­pare it with the table spread in the Wil­dernesse for the children of Israel, and it refresheth thee far more. For though that Table contained in it the figure of this our Eucharist, when God rained downe Manna for our Fathers in the Wildernesse, and they were daily fed with food from heaven, and men did eat Angels bread, yet they that did eat that bread, did die; but this living bread that is set before thee in this cost­ly banquet, did come from heaven, and hath given life to the world. That Manna came from heaven, this from above the heavens. That being reser­ved to the next day was full of worms, this is free from all corruption: who­soever shall religiously taste thereof, shall not see corruption. That was gi­ven the Fathers after their passage over the red sea, where the Egyptians were drowned, and the Israelites were deli­vered; so this heavenly Manna can [Page 263] profit none but the regenerate: That corporall bread sustained the ancient people in their passage thorow the Wil­dernesse to the Land of promise; this heavenly food sustaines the faithfull of these times in their passage to heaven. Moses was Master of their Table, and here Christ is ready at hand, who hath furnished this Table, and blessed it. For it is not man that makes the bread and wine, set on this Table, to be the body and blood of Christ, but Christ him­selfe that is crucified for us; words are uttered by the Priests mouth, but the things set before thee are consecrated by the power of Christ, who used these words unto his Disciples, This is my Bodie, this is the Cup of the New Testa­ment in my Blood, which is shed for you. It is Christ in whom doth dwell all the fulnesse of the God-head bodily, who is the power of God, unto whom is given all power in heaven and earth: Hee, when hee was to put an end to the Ceremonies of the Law, would pre­pare for himselfe the Passeover; and be­fore he would be condemned to death, and be nailed to the Crosse, he was plea­sed according to the solemnitie to cele­brate the Passeover, the roasted lambe, [Page 264] unleavened bread, and sowre herbs. When this Supper was so prepared, a­midst these sacramentall dainties, both the old and also the new institutions offered themselves to him; and having eaten the Lambe that the old tradition did set before them, This great Master sets before his Disciples a meat not to be consumed; nor are here the people invited to a banquet made exquisite both by cost and paines, but the nou­rishment of immortality is given them, differing from common food, keeping the forme of a corporeall substance, but by the invisible efficacie of the divine power working in us, and proving Gods especiall presence accompanying it. Come hither yee faithfull soules, re­fresh and recollect your selves, cheere and fill your selves; joyne in one by your faith, your remembrance of Christ, with the application of his me­rits, with hearty thanksgiving for your deliverance, made through his blood; receive the pledge, testimony and assu­rance of your holy communion and fellowship with Christ your Head; and (by him) with the Father and the Ho­ly Ghost also: encrease, cherish, com­fort and hold fast the faith of the re­mission [Page 265] of your sins: your faith is im­perfect; perfect it, not only by the hea­ring of the Word preached, but by using this holy Supper; the Word offers, but this Supper applies Christ unto us. Encourage your selves to the studie of good works. How too often are we hin­dred, stopt, and grow stupid in perfor­ming this work? Here Christ keepes us company, in exhibiting unto us his bo­die and blood: hee doth daily more and more mortifie in us the body of sinne, and beginne in us the newnesse of a spirituall life: performe each to o­ther the offices of concord, peace and love, for we eat the same flesh, we drink the same blood, we are nourished with the same food; we are refreshed with the same drink: we are made one body under the same head; but who hath ever seene the members of one and the same body to disagree, to strive, jarre or contend? Cast out rancour, pluck up hatred, purge out the old leaven. The faithfull under the Gospell must not be made of leaven: The holy Banquet re­quires pure and sincere mindes: The sweet savour that comes from Christs scorching upon the Crosse, doth con­coct all crudities of our carnall senses, [Page 266] and doth harden and settle the affe­ctions of the minde; nor let there bee any spot in the Sacrament of the holy Church, but pure simplicity and inno­cencie of life in one house, the holy Ca­tholique Church. Christ is offered to the faithfull departing out of Aegypt, being cleansed in their affections by his blood, in their passage in the red Sea. O Jesu Christ, our omnipotent Lord God, thou Fountaine of life and im­mortalitie, thou Creator of every visi­ble and invisible thing, that art the eternall Son of the everlasting Father, who of thy abundant goodnesse in the last times didst take our flesh upon thee, and wast delivered and crucified for us sinfull and unthankful creatures; thou by thine owne blood hast resto­red our nature corrupted by sin, and givest me thy flesh for my food: But thou art a fire, and consumest those that be unworthy; destroy me not, my Ma­ker; rather come into the union of my members, into all my sinewes, into my reines, into my heart: burne up the sting of my sinnes, cleanse my soule, sanctifie my minde, enlighten my five senses, glew me firmely to thy selfe in love, alwayes protect and defend mee; [Page 267] preserve mee from every word and work that may hurt my soule; purge, cleanse, and direct me, adorne, instruct and make mee famous; make mee the temple of thy Spirit only, and not the habitation of sinne; that being made thy house by the entrance of thy holy Communion, all impiety and all evill may fly from mee. Let thy holy body be made everlasting Bread unto mee: Mercifull Lord, let thy precious blood become a remedy of sundry diseases un­to me; fearfull and wicked wretch that I am, defiled with absurd works, I am unworthy of thy pure body, and hea­venly blood: O Christ, doe thou make me worthy to be partaker of thee; give me, O Christ, the drops of teares, to wash my filthy heart, that having a pure conscience, I may come in faith and feare to receive thy heavenly gifts. O most mercifull Saviour, let thy un­spotted body and divine blood be made unto mee the participation of thy holy Spirit, eternall life, and a change of my sufferings and miseries. Heale the wounds of my soule, O Lord, and san­ctifie me through-out, and make mee unworthy wretch, worthy to be parta­ker of thy mysticall divine Supper; be [Page 268] it unto thy most vile servant as thou hast promised, and remaine in mee as thou hast said. For behold I eat thy di­vine body, and doe drink thy blood. Thou Word of God, and God him selfe, let the flame of thy body enlight­en me, that am all obscurity, and let thy blood be also a purgation to my corrupted soule: Sanctifie my under­standing, soule, heart and body, O my Saviour, and make it worthy, O Lord, to come to these fearfull mysteries without being condemned. I shall ob­taine new effects, and will receive the increase of thy grace, and preservation of my life, by the participation of thy mysteries, O Christ. O holy Word of God, God himselfe; sanctifie mee throughly, that am comming to thy divine mysteries. Despise mee not, O Christ, when I receive the bread, which is thy body, and whilst (wretch that I am) I am made partaker of thy most pure and fearfull mysteries, that they prove not condemnation unto me. But let them be unto me, O Christ, eter­nall and everlasting life. O Christ, thou Fountaine of goodnesse, let the re­ceiving of thy immortall mysteries, be­come light and life unto me, and cause [Page 269] the avoyding of vitious affections, and the encrease of heavenly vertues in me, O thou only Goodnesse, that I may glorifie thee. Amen.

LEt thy servant speak thine owne Word in thy eares, that thou be not angry with thy servant, O Lord my King: Thou hast slaine thy Sacrifices, thou hast mingled thy wine, and pre­pared thy Table; thou hast sent forth thy maydens, that they might invite to thy tower of defence, that if there were any little one, he might come unto thee. Thou hast said, Goe forth yee daugh­ters of Sion, and behold your King crowned with the Crowne wherewith his mother begirt his head in the day of his betrothing, in the day of the glad­nesse of his heart. Thou hast said, O Lord, unto thy servant, Go out quickly into the wayes and streets of the citie, and bring in hither both the poore and the weak, both the lame and the blind, [Page 270] and compell them to come in, that my house may bee full. I being called, came and saw, was led in and tasted; thou turnedst not thy selfe away from thy servant, nor saidst thou, Thou shalt not see my face. Thou hast shewed thy selfe unto me, my Comforter; I be­held thee, thou Light of mine eyes; I felt the joy of spirit, and was touched with gladnesse of heart: Thou didst prepare great things for me, O my De­light and sweet content. O Lord my God, my Life, and sole Glory of my soule, I have found thee out; O thou Desire of my heart, I have held thee fast, O thou Love of my soule. O let me retaine thee, thou Life of my soule; I will love thee, O Lord, my Strength, my Castle, my Refuge, and my Deli­verer. Let me love thee, my God, the Tower of my might, and my pleasing hope in all my tribulations. I will en­brace thee, who art that Good, with­out which nothing can be good: I will enjoy thee the Best, without whom no­thing is best; I will exalt thee my God and King, and will blesse thy Name for ever and ever: every day will I praise thee, and blesse thy Name for ever and ever. The Lord is great and exceeding­ly [Page 271] to be praised, and of his greatnesse there is no end: Generation from ge­neration shall praise thy works, and shall declare thy power, shall speak of the magnificence of the glory of thy holinesse, and shall tell of thy won­derfull works. They shal break forth in remembrance of thy abundant sweet­nesse, and shall exult in thy righteous­nesse. O mercifull and pitifull Lord, patient and full of compassion! the Lord is sweet to all, and his mercies are over all his works. All thy works O Lord, do praise thee, and thy Saints doe blesse thee, they speak of the glory of thy Kingdome, and tell of thy power; for thou art my true and living God, my great King, my guide to my Coun­trey, my true light, my holy sweetnesse, my true life, my excellent wisdome, my pure simplicity, my peacefull concord, my safe protection, my good portion, my everlasting safety, my great mercy, my strongest patience, my unspotted Sacrifice, my holy Redemption, my firme hope, my perfect Charity, my true Resurrection, my life eternall, my most happie ever enduring exultation, and most blessed vision. Thou my God, wast pleased, for no merits of mine, but [Page 272] onely by vouchsafing me thy mercies to satisfie thy unworthy servant with the precious body and blood of thy Sonne, our Lord Jesus Christ. What manner of food? What drink was this? O the memoriall of the Lords death. What shall I repay unto the Lord for all that he hath bestowed upon me? O know, O Lord my King, in that thou hast created me, I owe my selfe unto thee; and in that thou hast redeemed me, yea, and wast made man for mee, I should owe thee more than my selfe, if I had it; by how much more thou art greater than he is for whom thou hast given thy selfe; behold, though I have more, yet cannot I give thee that I have without thee: But doe thou re­ceive me, and draw me unto thee, that I may become thine by love and imita­tion, as I am thine by creation and re­demption: Let my life it selfe be thine, O Lord; I freely offer up my whole selfe unto thee; let my whole spirit, my whole heart, my whole body, and my whole life, even my sweet life it selfe live unto thee; for thou hast wholly delivered me, that thou mightest whol­ly possesse mee; thou hast wholly re­freshed mee, that I might bee wholly [Page 273] thine owne. But how canst thou have mee, except this holy Communion may not prove a guilt to draw downe pu­nishment upon me, but an wholesome intercession to obtaine pardon, the ar­mour of faith, and shield of good will, except it may bee an emptying of my sinnes, a banishing of lust and concu­piscence, an encrease of charity and pa­tience, humility and obedience, a firme defence against the slights of all our enemies, as well visible as invisible, a perfect appeasing as well of my carnall as spirituall perturbations, a fast clea­ving to thee, the true and onely God? Ah let me obtaine these things of thee, who art most mercifull, and hast com­manded me therefore to pray for them, that I might obtaine them, and might come to that unspeakable Banquet; wherein thou with thy Sonne, and the holy Spirit, art to thy holy Ones a true Light, full Content, everlasting Joy, perfect Delight, and absolute Felicitie Amen.

I Am awaked out of sleep, O my soule, I shall also one day awake out of the grave; which perpetually consider of with thy selfe. The Sunne breaks forth of the clouds, and day succeeds in the place of night: one day also shall break forth the eternall day, after the long lasting nights are past, and the Sunne of righteousnesse, Christ Jesus, shall returne with his glorious light, whom many thousands of Saints shall accom­pany, shining most beautifully, and farre above the brightnesse of our Sun. So prepare thy selfe, O my soule, in this entry, that in that day thou maist have admittance into the house it selfe; nor that the Sunne may hide his face from thee, and thou be involved in thicke darknesse. Let no flattering of gaine, no invitation of honour, nor delight of pleasure so seduce thee, that thou lose the gladnesse of that day. Let the brute beasts be they that do only behold the light of this our Sun, doe thou with the eyes of faith behold the light of that [Page 275] day. Remember, O man, that the devill like a roaring lion, walketh about night and day, seeking whom he may devoure. Dost thou doubt whether he be about thy bed when thou art buried in sleepe, and that he then labours to devoure thee? but who resisteth him? why thou weake wretch, art laid pro­strate before him: It is the onely keeper of Israel that neither slumbers not sleeps, that preserveth thee. Dost thou heare the cocke crowing? thinke upon Peter, who though he was eminent in the dignity of being an Apostle, and did heare the great Doctor, the Son of God, yet did he greatly erre. What shall be­come of thee, thinkest thou? except by thy fervent prayers thou daily stick close unto God. Thinke thou hearest that heavenly trumpet which the An­gell, the Judges companion, shall blow, and consider how thou couldest stand before that Judge if he were now come, and did presently exact thee to appeare before him. Remember God is about and in thy bed, and by his omnipre­sence doth looke into all thy thoughts, and sees all thy behaviour and acti­ons. Call to minde the holy troops of Angels, which by night defend thee, [Page 276] stand about thee, observe thy sleeping and waking, and that rejoyce at thy holinesse, and grieve at thy ungodli­nesse. Live therefore so as if thou didst live in the sight of God and his An­gels, and thus, if thou beest wise, be­leeve thou dost. When thou puttest on thy cloaths, remember they are the co­verings of sinne, nor is there any cause thou shouldest be proud of them. What I pray is most of our cloaths? are they not the rejected things, the excre­ments and spoiles of beasts? it is mad­nesse therefore for a man that is endued with reason, to be proud, and to brag of the reliques, the excrements and spoiles of brute beasts. Thou cloathest thy body with a covering; but think this more necessary far that thou defend thy soule with the most pure robe of Christs righteousnesse, and that thou put it on, not by a luke-warme faith. He that cloatheth not himselfe in this manner, shall be tormented with ever­lasting cold. Ah! with how many pre­cious cloaths have many covered their bodies, whose soules remaine cold and naked! Consider, that Gods mercy and goodnesse are daily renued, and that he doth daily, as it were, bestow [Page 277] a new life upon us, whilst he repaires the power of our senses, and restores thee the enlivening heat of the Sunne. Let therefore no creature divert thy prayers, let no thoughts arise in thee, before thou hast given God his praises. O Omnipotent Lord God, that art the Trinity in Unity, that art alwayes in all things, and hadst thy being from all eternity, and shall be alwayes in all things; O thou my God, take pi­ty upon me, that I may speake. The house of my soule is straight, but doe thou enlarge it, that thou mayest come into it: it is ruinous, but doe thou re­paire it. There are in it those things which may offend both thine eare and eye. I know & acknowledge it, but who shall make it cleane? or to whom else shall I call but to thy selfe? Cleanse me, O Lord, from my hidden offences, and pardon me my open sinnes. I beleeve, and therefore I speake, thou knowest it. My sinnes doe plead against me before thee; pardon me therefore the impiety of my heart, and cast my sinnes in­to the depth of the sea, that they con­found me not in this world, nor con­demne me in the world to come. O God that art for ever blessed, I doe this [Page 278] day, and at all times; commend unto thee, and into thy powerfull hand, my soule, my body, all my thoughts, all my affections, my words, my actions, all my outward and inward things, my senses and understanding, my memory, faith and beliefe, that thou mightest keepe them day and night, houres and minutes. Heare me, holy Trinity, and preserve me from all evill, and from all scandall, and from all deadly sin, and from all the snares and assaults of the devill, and from my visible and in­visible enemies. Expell out of me all boasting of minde, and encrease in me contrition of heart: lessen my pride, and perfect in me true humility: give me tendernesse to weepe, and soften my hard and stony heart. Teach me, O Lord, to doe thy will, because thou art my God. Give me, O Lord, a heart, that may stand in awe of thee, a minde to love thee, an understanding to know thee, eares to hearken to thee, eyes to see thee. Take pity upon me, O God, take pity upon me, and looke downe upon me from the holy throne of thy Majesty. Lord Jesus, give concord to thy Ministers, peace and quietnesse to Princes that judge righteously, repen­tance [Page 279] unto those that live unjustly. I beseech thee, O Lord, for the holy universall Church, for the Clergy and Layety, for all Christian Governours, and all that beleeve in thy Name, that labour in thy holy Word, that they may obtaine perseverance in good works. Grant O Lord, eternall King, unto young men chastity, to those of ri­per yeares holinesse, and unto all inno­cency; pardon to the repentant, suc­cour to the Orphans and Widowes, to the poore protection, to the travellers a happy returne, comfort to them that mourne; eternall rest to the faithfull, a safe haven to those that rove upon the sea, to the better sort of Christians that they may persevere in goodnesse, to the weaker sort that they may grow better, to them that commit wicked­nesse and still offend thee, that they speedily correct their wayes, with me a miserable sinner. O most sweet and most mercifull Lord, Jesus Christ, thou Son of the living God, thou Redeemer of the world, that art amongst us all, and in all things, be mercifull to me a sin­ner. Amen.

AS nights and dayes have their re­turnes, so let the thought and ce­lebration of Gods mercy have their re­turnes in thy heart. For therefore are the vicissitudes of light and darknesse granted us, that there might be an interchangeable restoring of labour and rest, and that each of them might have its fit and appointed time. If God would have made the Sunne to stand still, there must have beene a perpetu­all day. Also if the starres had had no motion, who can doubt but their must have beene an everlasting night? but he gave them motion that there might be changes of nights and dayes, and such various motions, that there might be mutuall vicissitudes of light and darknesse, in which, alternate spaces of labour and of rest might appeare unto us. Blesse the Lord, O my soule, that hath appointed the Moone for its de­terminate seasons, and the Sunne to know her going downe that it may be night, wherein all beasts of the [Page 281] forrest steale abroad; the young Lions roaring after their prey, doe seeke their food, and when the Sunne ariseth, they retire themselves, and lay themselves downe in their dens: but man goeth forth to his worke and his tillage untill the evening. How ample, O God, are thy works! how wisely hast thou made them all! how full is the earth of thy possessions! Consider well, O man, what thy work and labour hath beene this day. If thy endevours have beene honest, ascribe them to God; if thou hast learned any good, impute it to God; but if thou hast done any evill, and hast offended either God or thy neighbour, humbly crave pardon for it, nor sleepe the sleepe of oblivion or security with thy sinnes upon thee. That is an accursed and darksome night, in which thou goest to bed without reconciling thy selfe unto God. Cast up thy reckoning, and wipe out thy scores, being to account with thy God: and if thou finde thy ac­count faire (which, alas, seldome or never fals out) give praises to the Lord; but if it appeare soule, cast thy selfe groveling at the feet of thy Lord, and implore his unspeakable mercy, that if [Page 282] thou wert even this night to be called to his judgement seat, thou mightest by it be excused. If thou have moved any man to anger and indignation, desire his par­don, nor let the Sunne set under this troubled cloud: If he forgive thee, be­ware afterwards; but if he refuse thee pardon, faile not earnestly to begge of God forgivenesse of thy offence. And thou, doe that willingly to another, that thou wouldest have another doe to thee. Revenge not thine owne quar­rell; for God hath reserved vengeance to himselfe. Surely he must needs be accounted very bold, that dares wrest Gods sword out of his hand. The Hea­thens were wont to doe this when the day was ended, and they retired them­selves to their rest, they asked their soule, what wound of it was that day healed? what vice it had resisted? in what part it was growne better? Let anger cease, and it will be more tem­perate; let thy soule know that she must daily come before her Judge. What shouldest thou that art a Chri­stian thinke of? is not thy soule also a secret searcher and censurer of thee? she knowes thy manner, she retires in­to the closet of her thoughts, and sees [Page 283] what she hath secretly wished for. O heavenly Lord, to whose bottomlesse goodnesse and infinite kindnesse we owe all things, that hast given the most cleare light of the day as well to the bad as to the good, to under­take the works of their calling, and hast lovingly afforded us the friend­ly silence of the night to refresh the strength of our bodies, and to wipe out the cares of the minde, I beseech thee that those things which I have this day committed, either through hu­mane negligence, or inbred malice, may for thy unspeakable mercies sake be forgiven me; and vouchsafe unto me also, that this night (by thy blessing) may be happy unto me; and thou be­ing my pure keeper and protector, I may be free in it from the nightly illu­sions of the devill, that my sleepe make both my body and soule more cheer­full the next day to serve thee. And be­cause in this life there is not an houre wherein we can assure our selves from the cōming of that evening when thou shalt come, and the dead be raised at the sounding of thy holy Angels trum­pet, I beseech thee that thou wilt en­lighten the eyes of my soule, that my [Page 284] faith may not bee extinguished, and I sleepe in everlasting death, but that I may rest in thee, in whom even the dead do live, who livest, and raignest, for ever more, Amen.

IN all thy words remember thy last things, and thou shalt never sin; no artificiall medicine, nor any doctrine doth so overcome pride, so conquer malice, so quench lust, or so trample upon the vanities of this world, as the remembrance of our last things. What are those our last things? let others here dispute what they be, but let the godly weigh the matter diligently with them­selves; thy Death, the last Judgement, the glory of Heaven, the paines of Hell; these are the things thou must meditate of. What comes more suddenly and when we lesse think of it than Death? We die daily, for part of our life is dai­ly diminished, and even while we en­crease, doth our life grow lesse; the time that passeth away, is lost; we even [Page 285] divide this very day we now enjoy, be­tweene death and our selves. Wretched man, why disposest thou not of thy selfe every houre? Think thou mayest now die, because thou knowest thou must die: call to mind that the time is com­ming upon the wings, wherein thy eyes must sinke into thy head, the veines of thy body shall be crackt in pieces, and thy heart shall be cleft with sorrow; remember thine owne frailtie, remem­ber the miserable estate of thy pilgri­mage; call to mind in the bitternesse of thy soule thy yeares past, and the dan­gers of mans life. Amidst the most un­certaine things of man, yet is death most certaine; yet what is found more uncertaine than the houre of death? it takes no pitie upon want, it reveren­ceth not riches; and to conclude, it spa­reth neither wisdome, manners, nor age; this only is the difference, that death standeth at the old mans doore, and for the young man he lyes in ambush; every one therefore ought well to feare this last day, because every one in the day of Judgement shall be judged for such as he shall be found at his day of death. Upon this only moment of our life depends eternity that hath no end! [Page 286] What is more terrible than judge­ment? and what can bee imagined more intolerable than hell? What will a man feare, if hee feare not these things, if horrour seize not on him, and if dread doe not cause him to tremble! O man, if thou have lost the shame which belongs to so noble a creature, if thou bee not sensible of the sorrows of affliction, which is also a property that belongs to mortall creatures, yet lose not at least thy feare. Feare therefore, O man, because in death thou must be parted from all the good things of this thy body, and the sweet marriage knot of thy united soule and body must be cut in sunder by this most bitter di­vorce. Feare, because in that terrible Judgement thou must stand before him into whose hands it is a most fear­full thing to fall, even before such an Examiner from whom nothing can be hid; if iniquitie be found in thee, thou must be banished the society of blisse and glory, and bee severed from the number of the blessed. Feare, because in hell thou must be exposed to insuffe­rable and everlasting torments, and re­ceive thy portion with the devill and his angels, even in the everlasting fire [Page 287] prepared for them. Dost thou not yet feare the face of the Judge, which is even terrible to the angelicall Powers? Dost not thou tremble at the wrath of that powerfull One, at his angry coun­tenance and his sharp words? Art thou not affraid of the teeth of the infernall beast, of the belly of hell, of those yel­lings, fore-runners of our devourings? Are we not yet affraid of the gnaw­ing worme, scorching flames, smoak and vapour, brimstone and stormie tempests? O! who shall give water to my head, and a fountaine of teares un­to mine eyes, that by my weeping I may prevent that weeping and gnash­ing of teeth, and those hard bands of hands and feet, and that weight of op­pressing, fettering, burning and yet not consuming chaines; and that I may come to thee, my Lord, and my God? Yet if any be so cursedly ob­durate, so fierce and steely, that hee cannot be troubled with the feare of ill; yet who can be so madde and sense­lesse that he will not be touched with the desire of good things? There are laid up endlesse good things for them that make a godly end; even things which the eye hath not seene, nor the [Page 288] eare heard, nor ever entred into the heart of man to conceive, which God hath prepared for those that love him; those things the preparer and worker whereof is God. What things must they be, thinkest thou? The eye hath not seene them, because they are not colour; the eare hath not heard them, for they are not a sound; nor hath it entred into mans heart to conceive them, because the heart of man must ascend unto them. Why labour I then to make my tongue to utter that, which my heart cannot conceive; which is to be beleeved, and not to be beheld? nay, it is not onely invisible, but also un­speakable. O Lord Jesus Christ, when that most perilous moment approach­eth, wherein I shall enter into the way of immortality, then give mee a quiet and pleasing repose, that in the true ac­knowledgement and confession of thy grace, I may yeeld up my spirit, and my poore soule with peace and gladnesse, and may deliver it into thy hands; Nei­ther let mee bee long tormented, as I have a thousand times deserved; and that I may enjoy peace on the earth in my body, and may watch, and be made coheire of the resurrection to life of all [Page 289] the beleevers, that I may praise and glorifie thee with gladnesse, and may give thee thanks for evermore, for all the innumerable blessings which thou hast bestowed upon mee, through the whole space of my pilgrimage. Call me not to an account for my old scores, and remember not the sins of my youth, but be mercifull unto me, according to thy great mercies, and sustaine me in a firme faith and comfort, even to my last gaspe, that neither sinne, death, or the divell doe me any hurt, nor that my own flesh make me impatient, but that I may enter in unto thee, that I may dwell with thee, and may remaine with thee for evermore, Amen.

IS it this, that divideth the entrailes, parteth the bowels, woundeth the heart, tyes the tongue, shutteth the lips, distracteth the senses, and over­whelmes all our members with feare? Rivers slow from our eyes, our cheekes are watered with teares, and all this torrent hath its originall from this one word, a terrible word, by the force [Page 290] and threates whereof feare and an­guish are bred in us; a word that no day, no voice shall determine, no starre-light shall shadow, no con­stellation shall darken; a word that melts the marrow, and softens, breakes, and even minces the heart and bones, though harder than the Adamant or Marble. This word is Eternity, a word of longer continuance than the Heavens, more terrible than thunder and lightning, or any tempest what­soever. It is Eternity, that hath neither pause, measure, nor end, and drives on the minds of men (as it were) with goades, and spurs, and pricks; so that they search not after mutable or transi­tory things. This word hath moved many to pluck of their glittering crownes from their ayery heads, and to despise the lofty bayes, and made them let fall their towring plumes; and put­ting on a courser habit, to contemplate higher and more divine things. This word doth wholely possesse me, nor suffers me to enjoy any encrease of con­tent; it infuses into my most disquieted soule care, feare, and griefe. O end, most remote from any end! ô time with­out time! O yeare and no yeare! O [Page 291] number not to bee summed up of any! Descend, descend my soule to hell, not to mix thy selfe with flames, but to avoid those consuming fires. The wicked might beare it, if it could be so gently dealt with him, that Aetna might be his place of torment, that the Vultures might continually gnaw his liver, that the Spiders might weave Cobwebs in this throat that he might bee nourished with aconit, that he might be tormented with boi­ling pitch, that he might drink nought but dragons blood, that hee might bee fed with glowing coales, that his body might bee cloathed with a perpetuall scurfe, that he might be broiled on a gridiron, that he might be peirced with speares, bee bound to a stake to bee burnt, that hee might bee pluckt in pieces by wild horses, that hee might be choaked with brimstone, that hee might bee stretched on the wrack, that he might be continually pining to death for want of meat and drink; that hee might bee butchered with pugniards: that wicked wretch might suffer this end for a thousand yeares continuance, yea for thousand of thou­sands added to that thousand, if there [Page 292] might be hope at length of an end of tormenting. How great soever a tor­ment or torture be, or how great a ve­xation, yet a hoped for end doth make them easier to be borne of us; it is the eternity of them that doth truly wrack and torture us. It is that that makes the paines of hell, it is that that makes plagues to be plagues indeed, that ga­thers all punishments into one, and does not only double, but infinitely multi­ply the flames thereof. Alas! alas! what is Eternity? What Geometry can measure it? It is not dayes or months, or yeares, that can set a period to it, not hundreds of thousand revolu­tions of times, not millions of millions of Olympiades. Yet the passage to this never ending eternity, is wrought by the flying unstablenesse of a few dayes. The sun riseth and setteth; but they that come to this, do never returne; here the beginning is the end, and the end the beginning. O life worse than any death! O perpetuall dying, without a death! thou shall be hurried thither, who ever thou art, that doest here glut thy soule with pleasures, that doest follow after the corruptions of thy flesh, that givest unto a harlot thy mem­bers [Page 293] which Christ hath redeemed with his blood, that stretchest thy throat with quaffing, and stuffest thy paunch with gluttonous eating. For what shall that fire devoure, but thy sins? The more thou sinnest, the more fuell thou storest to be consumed of that fire: there are many descents thither, but ne­ver an ascent from thence; he that once falls thither, must alwayes abide there, and is lost without any hope of succour. He that is once numbred amongst the inhabitants of heaven, shall alwayes rejoyce; and he that is once joyned in company with the furies of hell, shall alwayes be affrighted. The joys of the blessed soules shall be without num­ber or measure; the torments of the ac­cursed soules shall bee without metes and bounds, without meane or reme­dy. After yeares infinite and with­out number are passed, they are still compelled to thinke that these are but only the beginnings of punishments: One houre of punishment there shall be more grievous to us than a hundred yeares spent here in repentance; the coales shall not there be dead, but glowing; no abatement, but increase of heate. The punishments shall increase, [Page 294] the punishers shall be exasperated, the place of torment shall be enlarged, and the number of the tormentors increa­sed. Let the citizens of Heaven rejoyce, and let those above for ever live; let the damned for ever mourn, & those in hell for ever be dying. Tread the path to hea­ven while it is open, run in that way while it lyes faire before thee: the path shall be shut up, and the way destroyed, if thou once go out of it: dogs shall teare the Goates, but God shall refresh the Lambes; the Hawke shall prey upon the Crowes; but God shall pre­serve his Doves. Whilst the guest of Heaven is filled with delight and glad­nesse, what can bee set before those that lament in filth and corruption? let those that are there famished, beg for crums, & for fragments, to stop their querulous throats, they shall not receive their mi­serable complaints; They shall be com­manded for ever to drinke their owne teares, and to coole their throats with the continuall waters flowing from their eyes; their drinke shall be a tor­rent of griefe, that shall never grow dry, a fire in which they are consumed; a pitcher of gall shall bee mixed with their teares, which shall neither bee [Page 295] drawn dry, or broken insunder; the gall shall flow continually, and the guest shall continually bee urged to drinke. Ah! how much better would it be to thirst for ever, than continually to be destroyed with this drinke, and perpetually to groane and tremble. If thou once enter in, thou shalt never get out; if the enemy of the blessed doe once get possession of thee, hee will be for ever thine host; first thou shalt be presented with dainties; afterward, ex­pect as long as thou wilt, thou shalt ne-never see any; this table, shall be al­wayes furnished, and never empty of ill meates; to morrow, to morrow thou shall suppose it may be better, but every moment shall be as to day. To day as thou readest, or hearest these things, ruminate diligently thereon, and re­pent fervently, nor expect or thinke thou will call to morrow for mercy. O eternity! he is lost for ever that is not alwayes mindfull of eternity! O man, O soule of man, who hath both reason and meditation granted her, if the love of God cannot lay hold of thee, yet let at least the feare of the judge, the hor­rour of the grave, the snares of death, the paines hell, the burning fire, the [Page 296] gnawing worme, the stinking brim­stone, the scortching flames, and all o­ther evils, and the eternity of them re­straine and keepe thee in awe; for the space of eternity is so great, that if any damned wretch should drop but one teare every thousand yeares from his eyes, yet would those teares come to be more water before that space should have an end than the whole world could contein. O Eternity!