A1r

The
Mothers
Blessing.

Or
The godly counsaile of a
Gentle-woman not long since deceased,
left behind her for her
children:

Containing many good exhortations,
and godly admonitions, profitable
for all Parents to leave as a Legacy
to their Children, but especially

for those, who by reason of their
young yeeres stand most in
need of Instruction.

By Mris. Dorothy Leigh.

Proverb. 1.8. My sonne, heare
the instruction of thy father, and forsake
not the lawe of thy mother.

Printed at London for John Budge,
and are to be sold at the great Southdore
of Paules, and at Brittaines
Burse. 16161616.

A1v A2r

To the high
and excellent Princesse,
the Lady Elizabeth
her Grace, daughter to the
high and mightie King of great
Brittaine
, and Wife to the illustrious
Prince, the Count Palatine
of the Rhine
:
D.L.Dorothy Leigh Wisheth all grace and prosperity
here, and glory in the
world to come.

Most worthy
& renowned

Princess,
I beeing
troubled
and wearied with feare, A2lest A2v
lest my children should
not find the right way to
heaven, thought with my
selfe that I could doe
no lesse for them, then
everie man will doe for
his friend, which was,
to write them the right
way, that I truely observed
out of the written
word of God, lest for
want of warning they
might fall where I stumbled,
and then I should
think my selfe in the fault,
who knew there were such
downe-falls in the world,
that they could hardly
climbe the hill to heaven
without helpe, and yet had A3r
had not told them thereof.
Wherefore I writ
them the right and ready
way to Heaven wel waranted
by the scriptures of
the olde and new Testament,
which is the true
word of God, and tolde
them how many false
paths they should finde,
how they should finde
them, and what care they
should have to shunne
them: if they tooke a
false way, what a trouble
they should have in turning
againe, what danger
if they went on: and of
many doubts which the
world would make withoutA3 out A3v
a cause, and how silent
it would bee in danger.
Thus when I had
writte unto them of these
things, I was at much
peace, quiet and contentment.

But as no contentment
in the world continueth
long, so sodainly there arose
a new care in my
minde, how this scroule
should bee kept for my
children: for they were
too young to receive it,
my selfe too old to keepe
it, men too wise to direct
it to, the world too wicked
to endure it. Then in
great griefe I looked up to A4r
to heaven, from whence
I knew commeth al comfort,
and looking up, I saw
a most Angelicall throne
of Princely Peeres and
peerlesse Princes prepared
for heaven, and yet
by the appointment of
God were heere to comfort
us on the earth: then
I perceived that this
Throne was the joy of
England: then I considered
that the highest blud
had the lowest mind: then
I sawe humility looking
downe-ward, while the
sweet slips of her vertue
grew upward: then, even
then, Princely Lady, I beheldA4 held A4v
your mild and courteous
countenance, which
shewed, your heart was
bent to doe good to all:
wherefore without feare,
and with much faith, I
adventured to make your
Grace the protectresse of
this my Booke, knowing
that if you would but suffer
your name to bee
seene in it, Wisedome
would allow it, and all
the wicked winde in the
world could not blow it
away. The Lord multiply
his graces more and
more on you, and vouchsafe
unto you a numerous
posterity, in whom your Grace A5r
Grace may receive much
joy and comfort, and
Gods Church, and true
Religion continuall defence
and propagation.

Your graces, in all humble
and observant duty:


D.L.Dorothy Leigh

A5 Coun-
A5v A6r

To my beloved
sonnes, George,
John, and William
Leigh
, all things,
pertaining to life and
godlinesse.

My Children, God
having taken your
Father out of this
vale of tears, to his everlasting
mercy in Christ,
my selfe not onely knowing
what a care hee had in his
life time, that you should be brought A6v
brought up godlily, but also
at his death being charged
in his will by the love
and duty which I bare him,
to see you well instructed
and brought up in knowledge,
I could not chuse but
seeke (according as I was
by duty bound) to fulfill
his will in all things, desiring
no greater comfort in
the World, then to see you
grow in godlinesse, that so
you might meet your Father
in heaven, where I am sure
hee is, my selfe being a witnesse
of his Faith in Christ.
And seeing my selfe going
out of the world, and you but
comming in, I know not how A7r
how to performe this duty
so well, as to leave you these
few lines, which will shew
you as well the great desire
your Father had both of
your spirituall and temporal
good, as the care I had to
fulfill his will in this, knowing
it was the last duty I
should performe unto him.
But when I had written
these things unto you, and
had (as I thought) something
fulfilled your Fathers
request, yet I could not see
to what purpose it should
tend, unlesse it were sent
abroad to you: for should it
be left with the eldest, it is
likely the youngest should haue A7v
have but little part in it.
Wherefore setting aside all
feare, I have adventured to
shew my imperfections to
the view of the World, not
regarding what censure
shall for this bee laid upon
mee, so that heerein I may
shew my selfe a loving Mother,
and a dutifull Wife:
and thus I leave you to the
protection of him that made
you, And rest till death,

Your fearefull, faithfull,
and carefull Mother,

D. L.Dorothy Leigh

A8r

Counsell to my children.

My Sonnes, the readers of this book,

I doe you not intreate

To beare with each misplaced
word,

for why, my paine’s as great

To write this little booke to you

(the world may thinke indeed)

As it will be at any time

for you the same to read.

But this I much and oft desire,

that you would doe for mee,

To gather hony of each flowre,

as doth the labourous Bee.

Shee lookes not who did place the Plant,

nor how the flowre did grow,

Whether so stately up aloft,

or neere the ground below.

But where she findes it, there she workes,

and gets the wholsome food,

And A8v

And beares it home, and layes it up,

to doe her Country good,

And for to serve her selfe at need

when winter doth begin:

When storm and tempest is without,

then she doth find within.

A sweet and pleasant wholsome food,

a house to keepe her warm,

A place where softly she may rest,

and be kept from all harme.

Except the Bee that idle is,

and seekes too soone for rest

Before she filled hath her house,

Whereby her state is blest.

And then as she did rest too soone,

too soone she sorrow knowes:

When stormes and tempests are without,

then she her selfe beshrowes.

She looketh out and seeth death,

ready her to devoure:

Then doth she wish that she had got

more of the wholsome flowre.

For why, within, her store is spent,

before the winter’s past.

And she by no meanes can endure

the A9r

the stormy winters blast.

She looketh out, and seeth death,

and findes no lesse within,

Then too too late for to repent,

you see she doth begin.

Therefore see you not idle be,

this I would have you know,

Be sure still that the ground be good,

whereout the Plant doth grow:

Then gather well and lose no time,

take heed now you doe see,

Lest you be unprovided found,

as was the idle Bee.

D.L.Dorothy Leigh

the
A9v
A10r 1

The
Mothers
Blessing.

Chap.Chapter I.

The occasion of writing this
Booke, was the consideration
of the care of Parents for
their Children.

My Children, when
I did truely weigh,
rightly consider,
and perfectly see the great care, labour, travaile,uaile, A10v 2
and continuall study,
which Parents take to inrich
their children, some wearing
their bodies with labour,
some breaking their
sleepes with care, some sparing
from their owne bellies,
and mnany hazarding
their soules, some by bribery,
some by simony, others
by perjurie, and a multitude
by usurie, some stealing on
the Sea, others begging by
Land portions from every
poore man, not caring if the
whole Common-wealth be
impoverished, so their children
be inriched: for themselves
they can bee content
with meate, drinke, and
cloth, so that their children
by their meanes may bee
made rich, alwaies abusing this A11r 3
this portion of Scripture:
“Hee that provideth not for his
owne family, is worse then an
Infidell:” 1.Tim.5.8.
ever seeking for the
temporall thinges of this
world, and forgetting those
things which bee eternall:
when I considered these
things, I say, I thought good
(beeing not desirous to inrich
you with transitory
goods) to exhort and desire
you to follow the counsell of
Christ: “First seeke the kingdome
of God and his righteousnesse,
and then all these things
shall be administred unto you.” Mat.6.33.

ChapChapter. 2.

The first cause of writing, is a
Motherly affection.

But lest you should
maruaile; my children, why A11v 4
why I doe not, according to
the usuall custome of women,
exhort you by word
and admonitions, rather then
by writing, a thing so unusuall
among us, and especially
in such a time, when
there bee so manie godly
bookes in the world, that
they mould in some mens
studies, while their Masters
are mard, because they will
not meditate upon them; as
many mens garments motheate
in their chests, while
their Christian bretheren
quake with cold in the street
for want of covering; know
therfore, that it was the motherly
affection that I bare
unto you all, which made me
now (as it often hath done
heretofore) forget my selfe in A12r 5
in regard of you: neither
care I what you or any shall
thinke of mee, if among many
words I may write but
one sentence, which may
make you labour for the spirituall
food of the soule, wchwhich
must be gathered every day
out of the word, as the children
of Israel gathered Manna
in the wildernesse. By the
which you may see it is a labour:
but what labour? a
pleasant labour, a profitable
labour: a labour without
the which the soule cannot
live. For as the children of
Israel must needs starve, except
they gath’red every day
in the wildernesse and fed of
it, so must your soules, except
you gather the spiritual
Manna out of the word everyry A12v 6
day, and feed of it continually:
for as they by this
Manna cōomforted their harts,
strengthened their bodies,
and preserved their lives; so
by this heavenly Word of
God, you shall comfort your
soules, make them strong in
Faith, and grow in true godlinesse,
and finally preserve
them with great joy, to everlasting
life, through Faith in
Christ; whereas if you desire
any food for your soules,
that is not in the written
Word of God, your soules
die with it even in your harts
and mouthes; even as they,
Num.11.3 that desired other food, dyed
with it in their mouthes,
were it never so dainty: so
shall you, and there is no recovery
for you.

Chap.
B1r 7

Chap.Chapter 3.

The best labour is for the foode
of the Soule.

Oh my children, is
not this a comfortable
labour? Our
Saviour Christ saith, “Labour
not for the meate that perisheth,
but for the meate that endureth
to everlasting life:” Joh.6.27.
and yet I
see and feare, you shall see
how many there bee that
crosse Christ in these words:
nay rather, crosse thēemselves:
for, contrary to our blessed
Saviours counsell, they labour
for the meats that perisheth,
and in the meane time
they lose the foode of everlasting
life. This (my beloved B sonnes B1v 8
sonnes and deare children)
this is the cause that maketh
mee so much to feare you,
and those who hereafter shal
come of you, because I see so
many that regard not the
words of our Saviour Christ,
who came from the high
Throne of God, and preached
to us, and prayed for
Gal.4.4. us, and tooke our flesh upon
him, and kept it without
sinne, refusing no company,
healing every sicknesse and
Math.4.23 disease, fed the hungry, gave
pardon to every sinner that
would but aske it, dyed for
Rom.4.25. us, indured the paines of hell
for us, yea, more then this,
even in our own flesh hee
overcame sinne, death, and
hel, yea, and more then that
also, hee carried our flesh intoto B2r 9
Heaven in the sight of
many, and there keepes it,
and is become a Mediatour
for us in it; hee joyned himselfe
to us in our flesh, as it is
written, “He tooke our flesh upon
him:” Heb.2.14.
he taught us to joyne
our flesh unto him by faith,
that “Where hee is, there wee
might bee with him also:” Joh.17.24.
and
if wee will not follow him,
that hath done all this for us,
and much more then I can
write or declare, how unthankefull
shall wee shew
our selves?

My deare Children, have
I not cause to feare? the holy
Ghost saith by the Prophet,
“Can a Mother forget the child
of her wombe?” Es.49.15.
As if he should
say, Is it possible, that shee,
which hath carried her child B2 within B2v 10
within her, so neere her hart,
and brought it forth into
this world with so much
bitter paine, so many grones
and cries, can forget it? nay
rather, will shee not labour
now till Christ be formed in
it? will shee not blesse it every
time it suckes on her
brests, when shee feeleth
the bloud come from her
heart to nourish it? Will
shee not instruct it in the
youth, and admonish it in
the age, and pray for it continually?
Will shee not be
afraid, that the child which
shee endured such paine
for, should endure endlesse
paine in hell? Could Saint
Paul say unto the Galathians,
that were but strangers
to him concerning the flesh, only B3r 11
only he had spent some time
amōongst them to bring them
to the professiōon of the truth,
from which hee feared they
would fall: and could hee, I
say, write unto them, “My
little children, of whom I doe
travaile againe in birth, untill
Christ be formed in you?” Gal.4.19.
And
can any man blame a mother
(who indeed brought
forth her childe with much
paine) though she labour againe
till Christ bee formed
in them? Could S.Saint Paul
Rom.9.3. wish himself separated from
God for his brethrens sake:
and will not a mother venter
to offend the world for
her childrens sake? Therefore
let no man blame a mother,
though she something
exceede in writing to her B3 chil- B3v 12
children, since every man
knowes, that the love of a
mother to her children, is
hardly contained within the
bounds of reason. Neither
must you, my sonnes, when
you come to bee of judgement,
blame me for writing
to you, since Nature telleth
me, that I cannot long bee
here to speake unto you,
and this my mind will continue
long after mee in writing;
and yet not my mind,
but I seeke to put you in
minde of the words of our
Saviour Christ, which saith
“Labour not for the meate that
perisheth, &c.” Joh.6.27
where you see,
that the food of the soule is
to bee gotten by labour.
Mat.20.6. Why stand you here (sayth
Christ?) here is no time to be idle: B4r 13
idle: they that will rest with
Christ in heaven, must labour
to follow him here on
earth. “Blessed are the dead,
which dye in the Lord: for they
rest from their labour.” Rev.14.13
Thus
you see, if you will goe to
the place, which Christ hath
bought for you, you must
labour to follow Christ: he
labour’d to get it for you, or
els all your labour would
have been as nothing; and
now you must labour to lay
hold on him, or els all your
labour will bee worth nothing.
Many there bee that
labour the cleane contrary
way; for they leave Christ,
and take hold of traditions:
and a number loyter, and
by that meanes never get
holde on Christ. And this B4 is B4v 14
is the cause why I write unto
you, that you might never
fly from him with the
one, nor yet loyter with the
other, but that you might
learne to follow him, and to
take hold of him in the written
Word of God, where
you shall find him (as Christ
himselfe witnesseth) and no
where else. “Search the Scriptures,”
Joh. 5.35
sayeth he, “for they testifie
of mee.”
Labour therefore,
that you may come unto
Christ.

Chap.Chapter 4.

The second cause is, to stirre
them up to write.

The second cause, my
sonnes, why I write
unto you (for you may B5r 15
may thinke that had I had
but one cause, I would not
have changed the usuall order
of women, is needfull
to be knowne, and may doe
much good. For where I
saw the great mercy of God
toward you, in making you
men, and placing you amongst
the wise, where you
may learne the true written
Word of God, which is the
path-way to all happinesse,
and which will bring you
to the chiefe Citty, new Jerusalem,
and the seven liberall
sciences, whereby you
shall have at least a superficiall
sight in all things: I
thought it fit to give you
good example, and by writing
to intreate you, that
when it shall please God to B5 giue B5v 16
give both vertue and grace
with your learning, he having
made you men, that
you may write and speake
the Word of God without
offending any, that then you
would remember to write a
booke unto your children, of
the right and true way to
happinesse, which may remaine
with them and theirs
for ever.

Chap.Chapter 5.

The third cause is to move women
to bee carefull of their
children.

The third is, to encourage
women (who, I
feare, will blush at
my boldnesse) not to bee ashamedshamed B6r 17
to shew their infirmities,
but to give men the
first and chiefe place: yet let
us labour to come in the second;
and because wee must
needs confesse, that sin entred
by us into our posterity,
let us shew how carefull we
are to seeke to Christ to cast
it out of us, and our posterity,
and how fearefull we are
that our sinne should sinke
any of them to the lowest
part of the earth; wherefore
let us call upon them to follow
Christ, who will carry
them to the height of heaven.

Chap.
B6v 18

Chap.Chapter 6.

The fourth cause is, to arme
them against poverty.

The fourth cause is, to
desire you, that you
will never feare poverty,
but alwaies know, it is
the state of the children of
God to bee poore in the
world. Christ sayth, “Ye shall
have the poore with you alwaies.” Joh.12.8.

It may be he hath appointed
you or yours to bee of this
poore number: doe not
strive against Christ. “It is as
hard” Math.19.
24.
(sayth he) “for a rich man
to enter into heaven, as for a
Camell to goe thorow the eye of
a needle.”
Saint James sayth
“Woe bee to you that are rich.” Jam.5.1. S.Paul B7r 19
S. Paul sayth, “The desire of
mony is the roote of all evill.” 1.Tim.6.10.

Which if it be true, as it is
not to be doubted of, and
you feare poverty, then doth
it necessarily follow, that
you will desire the roote of
all evil, which is money, and
so become good for nothing.
The feare of poverty
maketh men run into a thousand
sins, which nothing els
could draw them to: for many
fearing cold stormes
of poverty, which never last
long, run on to the hot fire
of hell, which never hath an
end. This matter requireth
many words, for it is hard to
perswade the nature of man
from the feare of poverty:
wherefore I wil speake more
of that afterwards: onely I now B7v 20
now say, Feare not to bee
poore with Lazarus, but
feare a thousand times to be
rich with Dives.

Chap.Chapter 7.

The fift cause is, not to feare
death.

The fift cause is, to desire
you never to
feare death; for the
feare of death hath made
many to deny the knowne
truth, and so have brought a
heavy judgement of God
upon themselves. A great
reason, why you should not
feare death is, because you
can by no meanes shun it:
you must needes indure it,
and therefore it is meet that you B8r 21
you should be alwaies prepared
for it, and never feare
it. “Hee that will save his life,”
sayth Christ, shall lose it, and
he that will lose his life for my
sake and not the Gospels, shall finde
it.” Math.16.
26.
Doe not feare the paines
of death, in what shape soever
hee come: for perhaps
thou shalt have more paines
upon thy bed, and be worse
provided to beare them, by
reason of some grievous
sicknesse, then thou art like
to feele, when God shal call
thee forth to witnesse his
truth. The only way not to
feare death, is alwaies to be
provided to dye. And that
thou mayest alwaies be provided
to dye, thou must be
continually strengthening
thy faith with promises of B8v 22
of the Gospell; as, “Hee that
liveth, and beleeveth, shall not
dye: and though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Joh.11.25.
26.
“Meditate in
the lawe of the Lord day and
night” Psal.1.2.
(as the Psalmist saith)
and then thou shalt be fit to
bring forth fruit in due season:
then thou shalt bee fit
to serve God, thy King and
country, both in thy life and
in thy death, and alwayes
shalt shew thy selfe a good
member of Jesus Christ,
a faithfull subject to thy
Prince, and alwaies fit to governe
in the Christian common-wealth:
and then thou
mayest faithfully and truely
say: “Whether I live or dye, I
am the Lords.” Rom.14.8.
But without
continuall meditation of the
Word this cannot bee done. And B9r 23
And this was one of the
chiefe causes why I write unto
you, to tell you that you
must meditate in the Word
of God; for many reade it,
and are never the better, for
want of meditation. If yee
heare the Word, and read it,
without meditating theron,
it doth the soule no more
good then meate and drink
doth the body, being seene
and felt, and never fed upon:
for as the body will dye although
it see meate: even so
will the soule, for all the hearing
& reading of the word,
if that ye doe not meditate
upon it, and gather faith,
and strengthen it, and get
hold of Christ; which if ye
doe, Christ will bring you
to the kingdome of his Father;ther; B9v 24
to which you can
come by no meanes but by
faith in him.

Chap.Chapter 8.

The sixt cause is, to perswade
them to teach their children.

The sixt reason is, to
entreate and desire
you, & in some sort
to commaund you, that all
your children, be they Males
or Females, may in their
youth learne to read the Bible
in their owne mother
tongue; for I know, it is a
great helpe to true godlinesse.
And let none of you
plead poverty against this;
for I know, that if you bee
neither covetous, prodigall, nor B10r 25
nor idle, either of which sins
will let no vertue growe
where they come, that you
need not faile in this: but if
you will follow the commaundement
of the Lord,
and labour sixe dayes, and
keepe the seventh holy to
the Lord, and love him with
all your heart, soule, and
strength, you will not onely
be willing, but also able to
see them all brought up to
read the Bible. Salomon that
was wise by the Spirit of
God,
sayd: “Remember thy
Creatour in the dayes of thy
youth.” Eccl.12.1.
And ye are also commanded,
to “write it upon the
walls of your houses, and to
teach it your childern.” Deut. 11.
19.20.
“I know” Gen.18.19
(sayth God) “that Abraham
will teach his children, and his chil- B10v 26
childrens children to walke in
thy commandements.”
Also I
further desire you, because I
wish all well, and would be
glad you should do as much
good as could be in the wildernesse
of this world, that
if any shal at any time desire
you to be a Witnesse to the
baptizing of their childe,
that then you shal desire the
person so desiring, to give
you his faithfull word, that
the child shall bee taught to
read, so soone as it can conveniently
learne, and that it
shall so continue till it can
read the Bible. If this will
not be granted, you shall refuse
to answer for the child;
otherwise doe not refuse to
be a witnesse to any; for it
is a good Christian duety. Moreo- B11r 27
Moreover, forget not, whether
you answere for the
child or no to pray, that the
child baptized, may receive
the holy Ghost, with all other
children of the faithfull,
especially when you are
where a chld is baptized;
for it is your duty to pray for
the increase of the Church
of God. “Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem(” Psal.122.6.
saith the Psalmist)
“let them prosper that love thee.”

Chap.Chapter 9.

The seventh cause is, that they
should give their children
good names.

The seaventh cause is,
to entreate you, that
though I do not live to be a witnesse B11v 28
witnesse to the baptizing of
any of your children, yet
you would give me leave to
give names to them all. For
though I doe not thinke any
holinesse to be in the name,
but know that God hath his
in every place, and of every
name; yet I see in the Bible,
it was observed by God
himselfe, to give choyse
names to his children, which
had some good signification.
I thinke it good therefore,
to name your children
after the names of the Saints
of God, which may bee a
meanes to put them in mind
of some vertues which those
Saints used; especially,
when they shal read of them
in the Bible: and seeing many
are desirous to name both B12r 29
both their owne children
and others after their owne
names, this will be a meanes
to increase the names of the
Saints in the Church, and so
none shall have occasion to
mislike his name, since hee
beareth the name of such a
Saint, as hath left a witnesse
to the world, that hee lived
and dyed in the true faith of
Jesus Christ. The names
I have chosen you, are these;
Philip, Elizabeth, James, Anna,
John and Susanna. The
vertues of them that bore
those names, and the causes
why I chose them, I let passe,
and only meane to write of
the last name Susan, The story
of Susanna,

though it
be not canonicall,

nor to be
equalled
to those
books that
are, yet it
may bee
true, and
of good
use, as many
other
histories
written
by men
are.
famoused
through the world for
chastity; a vertue which alwaies
hath been, and is of great B12v 30
great account, not onely amongsst
the Christians and
people of God, but even among
the Heathen and Infidels:
insomuch that some of
them have written, that a
woman that is truly chaste,
is a great partaker of all other
vertues; and contrariwise,
that the woman that is
not truely chaste, hath no
vertue in her. The which
saying may well be warranted
by the Scripture; for
who so is truly chaste, is free
from idlenesse and from all
vaine delights, full of humility,
and all good Christian
vertues: who so is chaste, is
not given to pride in apparell,
nor any vanity, but is
alwaies either reading, meditating,
or practising some good C1r 31
good thing which she hath
learned in the Scripture. But
she which is unchaste, is given
to be idle; or if she do
any thing, it is for a vaine
glory, and for the prayse of
men, more then for any
humble, loving and obedient
heart, that shee beareth
unto God and his Word:
who sayd, “Sixe dayes thou
shalt labour;” Exod.20.
9.
and so left no
time for idlenesse, pride, or
vanity; for in none of these
is there any holinesse. The
unchaste woman is proud,
and alwayes decking her
selfe with vanity, and delights
to heare the vaine
words of men, in which
there is not only vanity, but
also so much wickednesse,
that the vain words of men, C and C1v 32
and womens vainenesse in
hearing them, hath brought
many women to much sorrow
and vexation; as wofull
experience hath, and wil
make many of them confesse.
But some will say, Had
they onely lent an eare to
their words they had done
well enough. To answere
which, I would have every
one know, that one sinne
begetteth another. The
vaine words of the man,
and the idle cares of the
woman, beget unchaste
thoughts oftentimes in the
one, which may bring forth
much wickednesse in them
both.


Man sayd once, “The woman
which thou gavest mee, beguiled
me, and I did eate.” Gen.3.12.
But wee C2r 33
wee women may now say
that men lye in waite every
where to deceive us, as the
Elders did to deceive Susanna.
Wherefore let us bee, as
she was, chaest, watchfull,
and wary, keeping company
with maides. Once Judas
betrayed his Master with a
kisse, & repented it: but now
men. like Judas, betray their
Mistresses with a kisse &, repent
it not: but laugh and
rejoyce, that they have
brought sinne and shame to
her that trusted them. The
only way to avoid al which,
is to be chaste with Susanna,
and being women, to imbrace
that vertue, which
being placed in a woman,
is most commendable.

An unchaste woman destroyethC2stroy C2v 34
both the body and
the soule of him, shee seemeth
most to love, and it is
almost impossible to set
down the mischiefes, which
have come through unchast
women. Salomon sayth, that
“her steppes lead to hell.” Prou.2.18. Wherfore
bring up your daughters,
as Susanna’s Parents
brought up her: teach them
the lawe of the Lord continually,
and alwayes perswade
them to embrace this
vertue of chastity.

It may be, that some of
you will marvaile, since I
set downe names for the imitation
of their vertues,
that bore them; why I placed
not Mary in the first
place, a woman vertuous
above all other women. My reason C3r 35
reason was this, because I
presumed that there was no
woman so senselesse, as not
to looke what a blessing
God hath sent to us women
through that gracious Virgin,
by whom it pleased
God to take away the
shame, which Eve our
Grandmother had brought
us to: For before, men might
say, “The woman beguiled
me, and I did eate the poysoned
fruit of disobedience,
and I dye.”
But now man
may say, if he say truly, “The
woman brought me a Saviour,
and I feede of him by
faith and live.”
Here is this
great and wofull shame taken
from women by God,
working in a woman: man
can claime no part in it: the C3 shame C3v 36
shame is taken from us, and
from our posterity for ever:
“The seede of the woman hath
taken downe the Serpents head;” Gen.3.15.

and now whosoever can
take hold of the seed of the
woman by faith, shall surely
live for ever. And therefore
all generations shal say, that
she was blessed, who broght
us a Saviour, the fruit of obedience,
that whosoever
feedeth of, shall live forever"
and except they feed of
the seed of the woman, they
have no life. Will not therefore
all women seek out this
Joh.6.53 great grace of God, that by
Mary hath taken away the
shame, which before was
due unto us ever since the
fall of man?

Mary was filled with the Holy C4r 37
Holy Ghost, and with all
goodnesse, and yet is called
the blessed Virgin: as if our
God should (as he doth indeed)
in briefe comprehend
all other vertues under this
one vertue of chastity: wherfore
I desire, that all women,
what name so ever
they beare, would learne of
this blessed Virgin to bee
chaste: for though shee
were more replenished with
grace then any other, and
more freely beloved of the
Lord, yet the greatest title
that she had, was, that shee
was a blessed and pure Virgin;
which is a great cause
to move all women, whether
they be maids or wives
(both which estates shee
honoured) to live chastly, C4 to C4v 38
to whom for this cause God
hath given a cold and temperate
disposition, & bound
them with these words; “Thy
desire shall be subject to they husband.”
Gen.3.6.
As if God in mercy to
women should say; “You of
your selves shal have no desires,
only they shall be subject
to your husbands:”
wchwhich
hath been verified in Heathen
women, so as it is almost
incredible to be beleeved:
for many of them before
they would be defiled,
have been carelesse of their
lives, and so have endured
all those torments, that men
would devise to inflict upon
them, rather then they
would lose the name of a
modest mayd, or a chaste
Matrone. Yea, and so farre they C5r 39
they have beene from consenting
to any immodestie,
that if at any time they have
been ravished, they have either
made away themselves,
or at least have separated
themselves from company,
not thinking themselves
worthy of any society, after
they have once bin deflowred,
though against their
wils. Wherfore the woman
that is infected with the sin
of uncleannesse, is worse
then a beast, because it desireth
but for nature, and
shee, to satisfie her corrupt
lusts.

Some of the Fathers have
written, that it is not enough
for a woman to be
chaste, but even so to behave
her selfe, that no man C5 may C5v 40
may thinke or deeme her to
be unchaste. Wee read, that
in the Primitive Church,
when there were warres betweene
the Christians and
the Pagans, if at any time
the Pagans had gotten the
victory, that then they
would seeke to deflowre
the Virgins: to the which
sinne before the Christians
would yeeld, they would
continually laye violent
hands upon themselves; in
so much that the Doctours
of the Church were oftentimes
constrained to make
divers Sermons and Orations
to them, to disswade
them from that crueltie,
which they inflicted upon
themselves, rather then
they would suffer themselvesselues C6r 41
to be deflowred: such
a disgrace did they think it,
to have but one spot of uncleannesse,
and yet none of
these were so holy as this
Mary, this pure and undefiled
Virgin.

Some godly and reverend
men of the Church
have gathered this, that
there were five women of
great vertue in the time of
the Lawe, the first letters
of whose names doe make
her whole name to shewe,
that shee had all their vertues
wholly combined in
her, as namely;

  • Michal,
  • Abigail,
  • Rachel,
  • Judith,&
  • Anna,
She C6v 42

She was as faithfull to
1.Sam.19.
12.
her husband, as Michal,
who saved her husband David
from the fury of Saul, although
hee were her father
and her King, not preferring
her owne life before the
safety of her husband. She
1.Sam.25.
3.
was as wise as Abigail,who
is highly commended for
her wisedome: amiable in
the sight of her husband,
Gen.29.17 as Rachel: stout and magnanimous
in the time of trouble,
as Judith: patient and
1.Sam.1.
10.11.
zealous in prayer, as Anna.
Seeing then, that by this one
name, so many vertues are
called to remembrance, I
thinke it meete, that good
names be given to all women,
that they might call to
minde the vertues of those women C7r 43
women whose names they
beare: but especially above
all other morall Vertues,
let women be perswaded by
this discourse, to imbrace
chastity, without which we
are meere beasts, and no
women.

Chap.Chapter 10.

Reasons of giving good names
to Children.

If ye shall thinke me too
teadious about the naming
your children, I tel
you, that I have some reason
1 for it; and the first is this, to
make them reade in the Bible
the things which are
written of those Saints, and
learne to imitate their vertues.tues. C7v 44
2 Secondly, because many
have made a God of the
virgin Marie, the Scripture
warranting no such thing,
and have prayed to her,
(though there they shal find
that she was a woman, yea,
and a comfort to all women,
for she hath taken away the
reproch, wchwhich of right belonged
unto us, and by the seed
of the womāan we are al saved)
it was therefore fit I should
speake largely of that name.
3 Thirdly, seeing many have
heretofore, and now doe
make Images of Saints, to
put them in minde of the
Saints, and so by little and
little have at last worshipped
the workes of their own
hands, and for fear of forgetting
the Saints, have forgottengotten C8r 45
the second Commandements;
I thought it
better to have you remember
them by bearing their
names, and by reading what
they taught us in the Scripture,
and how they led their
lives, then by looking upon
a painted piece of Paper, or
a carved stone. And this by
the way may bee marvelled
at, that they which love to
worship Images, never love
to name ther Children after
the names of the Saints;
for if they had so done, by
this time wee should have
had no other names but
Mathew, Marke, Luke, John,
Timothy, and such as followed
Christ faithfully. Then
Moyses and his mildnesse
would bee more talked of: Samuel C8v 46
Samuel and his obedience
would bee more sought after:
Abraham and his faithfnulnesse,
would be more followed.
4 Lastly, this I will tell
you, that there is no man
but wil be ashamed to do any
thing, wchwhich; shal disgrace
the good name, after which
is called; as if one should
say, Is this a Moyses? Is this
an Elias, and have such qualities
as these?

Chap. 11.

Children to bee taught betimes,
and brought up gently.

I am further also to entreate
you, that all your
Children may be taught to C9r 47
to reade, beginning at foure
yeares old or before, and let
them learne till ten, in which
time they are not able to do
any good in the Commonwealth,
but to learne how
to serve God, their King &
Country by reading. And I
desire, intreat, and earnesstly
beseech you, and every one
of you, that you will have
your Children brought up
with much gentlenesse and
patience. What disposition
so ever they be of, gentlenes
will soonest bring them to
vertue; for frowardnes and
curstnesse doth harden the
heart of a child, and maketh
him weary of vertue. Among
the froward thou
shalt learne frowardnesse:
let them therefore be gently vsed C9v 48
used, and alwaies kept from
idlenesse, and bring them up
in the Schooles of learning,
if you bee able, and they fit
for it. If they will not bee
Schollers, yet I hope they
will be able by Gods grace
to read the Bible, the lawe
of God, and to bee brought
to some good vocation or
calling of life. Salomon saith,
“Teach a childe in his youth
the trade of his life, and he
will not forget it, nor
depart from it
when hee is
olde.” Pro.22.6.

Chap. C10r 49

Chap. 12.

Choyse of Wives.

Now for your wives
the Lord direct you;
for I cannot tel you,
what is best to be done. Our
Lord saith; “First seek the Kingdome
of God, and his righteousnesse,
and all things else shall be
ministred unto you.” Gen.2.18.
First, you
must seek a godly wife, that
she may be a helpe to you in
godlinesse: for God sayd,
“It is not good for man to bee alone,
let him have a helper meet
for him;”
and shee cannot
bee meete for him, except
she be truly godly; for God
counteth that the man is alone
still, if his wife bee not godly. C10v 50
godly. If I should write unto
you how many the Scripture
maketh mentiōon of, that
have beene drawne to sinne,
because they married ungodly
wives, it would bee
tedious for you to read.

The world was drowned,
Gen.6.2.3 because men married ungodly
1.King.11.
4.
wives. Salomon, who
was not only the wisest man
that ever was, but was also
mightily indued with the
Spirit of God, by marrying
idolatrous women, fell for
the time to idolatrie. Never
thinke to stand, where Salomon
fell. I pray God that
neither you, nor any of
yours may at any time marry
with any of those, which
hold such superstitions, as
they did, or as some doe now; C11r 51
now; as namely, to pray to
Saints, to pray in Latine, to
pray to go to purgatory, &c.
Let no riches or mony bring
your posterity to this kinde
of tradition. The beloved
Apostle of Christ saith: “Love
not the world, nor the things
that are in the world.” 1.Joh.2.15
for he
knew well that a little that
a man loveth not, would
suffice him: a little with a
godly woman is better then
great riches with the wicked.
Rebecca saith, “I shall be
weary of my life, if Jacob take a
wife of the daughters of Heth;”

as if she should say, “If my
Sonne marry an ungodly
wife, then all my comfort of
him and his is gone, and it
will bee a continuall griefe
to mee, to see him in league and C11v 52
and friendship amongst the
wicked. If such a shame and
sin commeth upon my Son,
as can by no meanes be helped,
nor I by no meanes
comforted, what availeth
me then to live?”

“Bee not unequally yoked” 2.Cor.6.
14.

(saith the holy Ghost.) It is
indeed very unequall, for the
godly and ungodly to bee
united together, that their
hearts must be both as one
which can never bee joined
in the feare of God & faith
of Christ. Love not the
ungodly: marry with none
except you love her, and be
not changeable, in your
love; let nothing, after you
have made your choise, remove
your love from her;
for it is an ungodly and very foolish C12r 53
foolish thing of a man to
mislike his owne choise, especially
since God hath given
a man much choyse among
the godly; and it
was a great cause that mooved
God to commaund his
to Marry with the godly,
that there might be a continuall
agreement between
them.

Chap. 13

It is great folly for a man to
mislike his owne choyse.

Mee thinkes I never
saw a man shew a
more senseles simplicity,
then in misliking his
owne choyse, when God
hath given a man almost a world C12v 54
world of women to choose
him a wife in. If a man
hath not witte enough to
choose him one, whom hee
can love to the end, yet me
thinkes hee should have
discretion to cover his
owne folly; but if he want
discretion, mee thinkes hee
should have policy, which
never failes a man to dissemble
his owne simplicitie
in this case. If he want wit,
discretion and policy, hee is
unfit to marry any woman.
Doe not a woman that
wrong, as to take her frōomher
friends that love her, and after
a while to begin to hate
her. If she have no friends,
yet thou knowest not, but
that shee may have a husband,
that may love her. If thou D1r 55
thou canst not love her to
the end, leave her to him
that can. Mee thinkes, my
sonne could not offend me
in any thing, if he served
God, except he chose a wife
that he could not love to the
end: I need not say, if hee
served God; for if he served
God, he would obey God,
and then hee would chuse a
godly wife, and live lovingly
and godlily with her,
and not doe as some man,
who taketh a woman to
make her a companion and
fellow, and after hee hath
her, he makes her a servant
and drudge. If shee bee thy
wife, she is always too good
to be thy servant, and worthy
to be thy fellow. If thou
wilt have a good wife, thou D must D1v 56
must goe before her in all
goodnesse, and shew her a
patterne of all good vertues
by thy godly and discreete
life: and especially in patience,
according to the counsell
of the holy Ghost: “Beare
with the woman, as with the
weaker vessell.” 1.Pet.3.7.
Heere God
sheweth that it is her imperfection
that honoureth thee,
and that it is thy perfection
that maketh thee to beare
with her; follow the counsell
of God therefore, and
beare with her. God willed
a man “to leave Father & Mother
for his wife.” Gen.2.24.
This sheweth
what an excellent love
God did appoynt to be betweene
man and wife. In
truth I cannot by any means
set downe the excellency of that D2r 57
that love: but this I assure
you, that if you get wives
that be godly and you love
them, you shall not need to
forsake me; whereas if you
have wives that you love
not, I am sure I will forsake
you. Do not your selves that
wrong, as to marry a woman
that you cannot love:
shew not so much childishnesse
in your sexe, as to say,
you loved her once, and
now your mind is changed:
if thou canst not love her for
the goodnesse that is in her,
yet let the grace that is in
thy selfe move thee to do it;
and so I leave thee to the
Lord, whom I pray to guide
both thee and her with his
grace, and graunt that you
may chuse godlily, and live D2 happily D2v 58
happily, and dye comfortably,
through faith in Jesus
Christ
.

Chap. 14.

How to deale with servants.

Yet one thing I am
to desire you to doe
at my request, and
for my sake: and though
it bee some trouble to you
to performe it, yet I assure
my selfe you will doe it. If
God shall at any time give
you or any of you a servant
or servants, you shall aske
them, if they can reade. If
they cannot, you shall at my
request teach them, or cause
them to be taught, till they
can reade the tenne Commaundements
of almightie God: D3r 59
God: And then you shall
perswade them to practise
by themselves, and to spend
al their idle time in reading,
that so they may come the
better to know the will of
God written in his Word.
Remember, your servants
are Gods servants as well as
yours: if they be not, say as
David sayd: “There shall not
an ungodly person dwell in my
house, he that loveth or maketh
lyes, shal depart out of my sight.” Psa.101.7.

It is not for you, by any
meanes, to keep any ungodly,
profane, or wicked person
in your house; for they
bring a curse upon the place
wherein they are, and not a
blessing, neither will they
bee taught any goodnesse:
but you must keepe those D3 that D3v 60
that bee tractable and willing
to serve God, that hee
may blesse you and your
houshold. For, God doth
not delight in that Master,
that will suffer his servant to
blaspheme his name, or to
misspend his Sabbaoths:
for God commaunded the
Ex.20.10. master, that he should see his
servants to keepe holy the
Sabboath day; and if hee
keepe that day holy, he will
learne to spend all the other
dayes in the weeke well, in
following the duties of his
calling. I pray you keep the
servants of God, and then
remember they are your
brethren: use them wel, and
bee as ready to doe them
good, as to have their service.
Be not chiding for everyuery D4r 61
trifle; for that wil hinder
good living, and nothing
enrich you. Be carefull
that they be godly; for
“Godlinesse hath the promise of
this present life and of the life
to come:” 1.Tim.4.8
“godlinesse is great riches,
if a man be contented with
that hee hath: for wee brought
nothing with us into this world,
neither shall we carry any thing
out of the world, if wee have
food and rayment, let us
therewith be contented.”
1.Tsim.6.
6.7.8.

D4 Chap.
D4v 62

Chap. 15.

Patience is necessary for Governours
of families.

Live godlily and patiently
in your house: if
you cannot bee patient,
never think to live godlily;
for if Sathan see you of
a froward mind, he wil soon
finde matter enough to set
you on worke. Pray faithfully
with your servants
twice a day, and live so godlily,
that you may be an example
to them to follow
you. Pray often privately,
faithfully, and zealously unto
God, in the name of
Christ, so as may bee well
warranted by his Word; for that D5r 63
that is a true marke of the
Mat.22.14 childe of God. Many heare
the Word, as our Saviour
witnesseth, but few follow
it. Many pray openly as the
Mat.6.16. Pharises did, to bee seene of
men; but Christ sayth, they
have their reward. This was
not because Christ misliked
publike prayer, but because
he sawe their hearts, and so
knew that they praied more
to be seene of men, then for
any true faith they had in
him. Christ sayth, “When two
or three be gathered together in
my name, I will be with them.” Mat.18.20

And this mercifull promise
is enough to make any man
pray: for though hee doe it
very weakely and coldly;
yet he sheweth his humility
and obedience to God, and D5 con- D5v 64
confesseth his owne weakenesse,
and calleth to God for
his assistance and grace to
serve him. One is also helped
by the prayer of another;
and the weaker is
made partaker of the praiers
of the stronger; for Christ
Mat.6.12. taught us to pray one for another,
Forgive us our trespasses.
When Christ sayth,
“If two or three be gath’red together
in my name, I will be with
them;”
he doth not say, With
some of them, but “I will be
with them,”
that is, with all of
them that are joined together
in my name. Though
some bee weaker, and some
bee stronger, yet they all
shew their obedient hearts,
and God will accept them
in Christ. And this is a great means D6r 65
means to stir up their hearts
to praier; for it is the hardest
thing that is, for any man to
performe rightly, truely, and
faithfully.

Chap. 16.

Meanes to further private
prayer.

Now all things are to
bee used, that are
meanes to stirre us
up to private prayer, and all
things are to bee shunned,
that hinder us from it. Those
things that may further us
to it, are hearing the Word,
reading it, praying publikely,
and being in company
with others when they pray
for all these help to increase and D6v 66
and strengthen faith, and
without faith it is impossble
to pray aright, either
publikely or privately, or to
take hold of the promises of
God in Christ, beleeving
that our prayers shall be accepted
and granted, so far
forth as shall bee to Gods
glory and our good: and
the true servant of God will
never desire more, then hee
knoweth by faith in Christ
(which hee hath learned by
the promises of the Gospell)
that he shall
have.

Chap. D7r 67

Chap. 17.

Lets.

There bee many things
that will hinder both
man and woman from this
duetie. The divell will doe
what hee can to hinder us:
the world is our hindrance
continually: and a mans
owne friends are oftentimes
hindrances too: yea, a mans
owne nature will never bee
willing to talke with God;
for by nature wee run away
from him with Adam, and
rather hide our selves with
figge—leaves, and excuses,
then come to God and fall
downe before him on our
faces, confesse our sinnes, acknow- D7v 68
acknowledge our unworthinesse,
crave pardon for
Christs sake of God, for all
of our transgressions. Yet
Adam had more cause to
runne away, then we have,
and wee have more cause a
great deale to come to God,
then hee had; for hee knew
not then that God would
call him backe againe, and
give him his pardon in
Christ, who should tread
downe the head of the Serpent,
which beguiled him:
but we know that God
hath called Adam and all
his posterity, & given them
pardon in Christ, if they wil
come and ask it in faith and
repentance. Hee therefore
that doth not often and privately
fall downe and humbleble D8r 69
himselfe before God, and
confesse his owne sinnes,
craving pardon in Christ, &
by faith applying the promises
of God to himselfe,
hath great cause to feare,
that his heart is not true and
right before God. And therfore
if thou canst not pray
privately, or feelest thy selfe
cold in prayer, for to helpe
thy selfe, thus thou shalt do.

Chap.1718.

Helpes against the former
lets.

Every morning, so
1 soone as thou canst,
(for the sooner, the
better) before the world get
hold on thee, either with profit D8v 70
profit or pleasure (for these
are the divels baytes) or before
thou feedest thy bodie
(for the body is a great deal
more subject to the Spirit,
when it is not pampered nor
fed at it owne will) then I
say, goe into some private
place, and fall downe on thy
face, as the Publican did,
and see thy selfe a farre off,
and say, “God bee mercifull to
mee a sinner.” Luke.18.
13.
O Lord, I acknowledge
that I cannot
pray: pardon mee, deare Father,
for Jesus Christ sake
and quicken mee with thy
holy Spirit; give me faith to
call upon thee; and I beseech
thee graciously to remēember
thy promise, which sayest,
“Come unto me, all yee that labour,
and be heavy laden, and I will D9r 71
will ease you.” Mat.11.28.
Oh Lord, I am
loaden with my sinnes, and
against all reason they keep
me from seeking pardon for
them, and grace to shunne
them. Good Father, for
Christs sake, remoove my
sins far from mee, and give
me faith in thy Sonne, which
may assure mee, that thou
doest accept of me, as of thy
servant in him. And though
I bee most unworthy in my
selfe, yet by thy promises in
Christ, which shall never
faile, I pray thee accept
mee.

2 Furthermore, for the better
stirring thee up to pray,
reade some Chapter of the
Testament, as namely, the 6.
of Mathew
, or some other,
wherein thou mayest heare the D9v 72
the promises of God in
Christ, to strengthen thy
3 faith. Take heede of idlenesse
and slothfulnes, which
is a great hinderance. I
know that all sinnes are hinderances
to prayer, but idlenesse,
and following the
world, either for profite or
pleasure, are wonderfull
mighty ones.

Chap. 1819.

To pray often.

Never make account
of thy selfe as a diligēent
servant of God,
if thou doest not twise a day
(at the least) come privately
to God and acknowledge
thy infimitiesinfirmities, and confesse that D10r 73
that thou canst not pray, and
desire God to give thee
grace to doe it faithfully.
When thou feelest a motion
to pray, doe not over—slip it
for any cause in the world;
for thou knowest not what
graces or blessings God
meanes to bestow upon thee
at that time; for it is the Spirit
of God calling thee; and
therefore finde no delayes,
but goe; for the nature of
man, of it selfe will never be
stirred to private prayer:
But howsoever thou doest,
be thou Master, or bee thou
servant, bee thou at home,
abroad, or in what condition
or place soever thou bee,
doe not sleepe at night, till
thou hast humbled thy selfe
before God on thy knees in prayer; D10v 74
prayer; for night is a time
when the world leaves a
man (as it were) for a while,
and when the world leaves
him, the divell hath not so
much power over him; for
the world is a great Instrument
for the divell to worke
by. Therefore when the
world is asleepe (as it were)
the divels power is weakened,
and then bee sure thou
prayest to God to deliver
thee from the divell, and
from the world. The world
is like Pharaoh, which by
no meanes would suffer the
children of Israel to goe to
serve the Lord; so doth the
world, if it know that thou
goest to serve God, it will
bring thee backe againe, if
it bee possible: and thereforefore D11r 75
it is best to pray privatly,
though thou doe it but
weakely; for within a while
this weake prayer wil strēengthen
greatly thy faith. Pray
when the world is asleepe,
for assoone as it is awake, it
will cry and call on thee (as
Pharaoh did on the Israelites)
to attend it: it will
bring thee more worke still,
as hee did to them. And as
that Tyrant told the Israelites,
that they should goe
and serve their God; but
when the time came, hee
would not let them, but stil
found imploimēent for them;
even so will the world doe
by any that will beleeve it;
it will promise, At such a
time thou shalt goe serve
God; and, When such a thing D11v 76
thing is done, thou shalt go
pray; but when the time
commeth, it will finde more
worke for him still, and will
not let him goe. Pharaoh is
the very figure of the divell,
and the divell calleth himselfe
the god of this world.
And if the divell hath to do
with this world, then it is certaine,
that the world will
never give us leave to serve
God. Our owne nature is
as the nature of the Israelites;
for they had rather
Num.11.5 have tarried with Pharaoh,
who was the very image of
the divell, and have been his
slaves stil, then to have gone
thorow the red—sea, and the
wildernes, to the promised
land of Canaan, which was the D12r 77
the figure of heaven: and
even so had wee rather bee
slaves and drudges to the
world, which will take all
from us, and cast us to the
Divell (as Pharaoh would
have done by the children
of Israel) then we will leave
the world and all his baites,
and goe to our God every
day, and humble our selves
at his foote, and confesse
our selves to bee weake in
faith, and acknowledge our
frailtie, and call earnestly for
the helpe of God to overcome
the world for us, and
to strengthen us by his power
against the divell, the
world, and our owne frailty,
and wicked fleshly lusts;
and yet, except we doe call
continually to God for his grace D12v 78
grace and helpe, we can no
more overcome these, then
the children of Israel could
overcome Pharaoh, or goe
thorow the red sea without
drowning: for it was God
that overcame Pharaoh for
them, and also all their enemies
& delivered them out
of the red sea: and so it must
be God that must overcome
the Divell and all thy enemies
in the world, and deliver
thee, that thou sinke not
in the sea of thy owne
sinnes.

Chap. E1r 79

Chap. 20.

Not to neglect private
Prayer.

Wherefore I desire
you, and every one
of yours to the worlds end,
that whatsoever service of
God you omit, you doe not
neglect private prayer; for
many may heare the Word
of God, as Adam did, and
disobey it presently after:
& some heare the Word of
of God, as Adam did after
his fall, and had rather bee
further off as hee had then.
But private prayer is, to offer
thy self and thy service
to God, confessing thy own
imperfections, and to call E to E1v 80
to God for his assistance.
Now when a sinner by himselfe
calleth his owne wayes
to remembrannce, and confesseth
his particular sinnes,
then he seeth what sinne his
owne nature is most subject
unto, and prayeth earnestly
against that sinne, wherwith
he is most infected, and confesseth
his owne weaknesse
and wondreth at himselfe
that hee is not able to overcome
that one sinne, as well
as some other sinnes of as
great force. The reason is
this, the nature of man is
wholly corrupted with sin,
and is good for nothing; as
the earth is fit to bring forth
nothing but weeds, except
it bee digged and dressed,
and continually laboured and E2r 81
and weeded: yet one weed
or other will grow in some
part of the earth by nature,
which will not grow in another
part, though it besowne
there; but some other weed
will grow there, that is as ill,
and one weed overgrowing
the ground, is able to make
it unprofitable for any
thing: so one sinne will rule
where another will not, and
that one overrunning thee,
is able to make thee an unprofitable
member of the
Church: therfore thou must
labour by private prayer to
overcome it.

E2 Chap. E2v 82

Chap. 21.

Men become worse for want
of using good meanes.

Moreover, as a garden,
if it be twentie yeeres
kept with digging, watering,
and weeding, and then bee
let but two yeeres alone, it
will become unprofitable,
savage, and of no respect;
even soo, if thou dost in thy
youth, or many yeeres use
private prayer, and hearing
of the Word preached, and
publike prayer and fasting,
& all good means to keepe
thy earthly body in subiection;
yet if thou becommest
negligent and carelesse but
a while, it will soone becomecome E3r 83
savage and wilde, and
consequently an unprofitable
member of Christ his
Church, or rather manifest
thy selfe to bee no member,
as the earth will bee no garden;
and therfore you must
have a cōontinual care of your
selves. It is not for a smal
matter that you must have
this care, but for a great & a
most glorious kingdome,
which lasteth for ever,
where thou shalt enjoy the
sweete and loving presence
of almightie God, and bee a
a member of Jesus Christ in
the Kingdome of heaven
for ever, world without end.
Then neither Satan, nor the
world, nor thy owne flesh
shall bee able one minute to
trouble thee, if through E3faith E3v 84
faith in Christ, by continuall
prayer, thou once gettest
thither. Neither is it to
shunne a little danger, that
you must bee thus watchfull
and wary of your selves, as
was drowning in the red sea,
which was a figure of hell:
but it is to avoid burning in
hells torments for ever and
ever, and being joyned to
the divell and all his wicked
spirits for ever, there to bee
tormented, and never have
rest. And this will be more
then a thousand millions of
paines, to those that shall
enter into these torments, to
thinke that God hath offered
so mercifull a meanes, as
to send his owne Sonne to
indure those paines for
them, that they might neveruer E4r 85
have felt them and sent
them his Word, and willed
them to follow that; and
that should teach them to
follow Christ, and Christ
should bring them to heaven:
and if that the divell
the world and the flesh, did
lay blockes in their wayes
more then they could remove,
that then they should
call upon him, & he should
helpe them over, and make
the way in time more plaine
and easie for them; and yet
they would not take a little
paines heere, to keepe them
from endlesse paines of helfire.
Oh, how will they bee
tormented, whēen they know
that there never will bee an
end of their perpetuall misery?
What would they not E4giue E4v 86
give? (nay, they have nothing
to give; for the world
hath deceived them, and
hath taken all things from
them) but what paines
would they not take to follow
our Savior now, if they
might? paines? nay they
would thinke it a great pleasure,
and wonder greatly at
themselves, that they ever
could thinke it paines; when
indeede it is the most pleasant,
and most comfortable,
the most profitable, and
most delightfull, yea, and
the most contenting thing
in the world.

Chap. E5r 87

Chap. 22.

To lay holde on Christ, is the
best thing in the world.

It is the most pleasing
thing, because it brings so
sweete contentment to the
soule, minde, and conscience
of man, that nothing
can offend it. It is the most
comfortable thing, in regard
it so comforteth and
strentheneth the hart, that
nothing can grieve it. It is
most profitable, for it getteth
an everlasting kingdome
to those that use it. It
is most delightfull, for it
bringeth joy to the whole
man. It is most contenting,
for no crosse in the world E5can E5v 88
can discontent it; when as
the world on the contrary
side are never content, never
quiet, never feele joy in
their hearts. Though they
laugh, their hearts are not
quiet; for “there is no peace to
the ungodly.” Es.48.22.
And this is the
cause that they seek so much
for pastime, and sit up in the
night swilling and drinking,
untill they feele sleepe call
them to bed, and then they
lie downe like bruite beasts,
never regarding the mispending
of their time, nor
calling for grace to spend
the rest of their daies better.
And yet for all this, in the
darke they often feele discontent
in their mindes, because
they doe follow the
divell that wicked serpent, which E6r 89
which will torment them,
and hee begins to torment
here, and yet they will serve
him. On the contrary, those
that serve God, and follow
Christ, and every night reconcile
themselves unto
him, and confesse their own
weaknesse, and pray Christ
their Savior to defend them
that night and evermore,
they feele much comfort in
their hearts; for Christ begins
the comfort heere. “I
laid mee downe in peace and rose againe” Psa.3.5.
(saith David) “and
the Lord sustained mee.”
So
they which serve God, and
follow Christ, are in peace;
for the Lord sustaineth
them.

Chap. E6v 90

Chap. 23.

What need there is to speake
much of Christ.

It may bee you marvell
my Sonnes why I
write so much of Christ.
Marvell not why I write,
for I wonder, that every one
which hath heard of him,
doeth not write what Christ
hath done for us. For was it
not a great wonder, that the
onely begotten Sonne of
God should come downe
from heaven, and take our
flesh upon him, and keepe it
without sin, and suffer himselfe
to be buffetted, and also
to have his face spit in,
and to bee most spitefully crowned E7r 91
crowned with a crowne of
thornes? And being with
out sinne, hee bare all our
sins upon him, and having
never offennded God, hee
bare all the wrath of God,
and indured the paines, of
hell for us, which was due
unto us for our sinnes, and
hee hath overcome sinne,
death and hell for us, and ascended
into heaven to prepare
us a place there; & yet
hee left us not thus, but hee
left his Wil and Testament,
to direct us the right way
how to come unto him; and
yet hee did more for us then
this; for he taught us in his
Word, how wee should
know when we were out of
the way, and how we should
returne into the right way againe E7v 92
againe. And yet he did more
for us then this, hee promised
Mat.28.26 that hee would bee with
us unto the worlds end, and
whensoever wee wanted his
helpe, do but call upon him,
and he would helpe us. And
yet hee did more for us, hee
sent preachers to call upon
us, and put us in remembrance
of these benefits, and
to direct us the right way to
heaven to himselfe. And
what promises hee hath
made to us to intise and
draw us to come unto him,
and what threatnings and
warnings hee hath given us
to shun hell, it is impossible
for mee and all the Writers
in the world to write to write. Saint
John saith, “If all things which
Christ did were written, the world E8r 93
world would not containe the
Bookes.” John 21.
25.
But I am sure if all
the Writers in the world,
had written what Christ
hath done for us, they could
not sufficiently declare it. If
all the sea were inke, and all
the iron in the world were
pennes, and all the creatures
writers, they could never
declare the great benefits,
the great blessings, and the
great mercies given unto us
in Christ Jesus our Lord &
Saviour. What is man without
Christ, more then a
firebrand of hell? and what
an excellent creature a man
is in Christ, can hardly bee
expressed; and yet there are
many that are angry, because
there are so many
bookes. Reading good bookes E8v 94
bookes worketh a man
heart to godlines; for even
as the fire warmeth the wax
and maketh it fit to receive
a good fashion; even so
good bookes, written of the
mercies of God in Christ,
are the way to Christ, and
teach us how to shun the
way that leads from Christ.
But because I would have
you writers of the mercies
of God in Christ, I will tell
you what good writing of
bookes doth. It maketh the
the way to Christ easie to
those that desire to goe in it.
And I will tell you who are
they that are angry with
writing of bookes: they are
such as are ignorant, and
the more ignorant they are
the more angry: they are those E9r 95
those that love the world so
well, that they cannot finde
leasure to read bookes. Saint
John saith, “Love not the world
nor the things that are in the
world: for the love of the world
is an enmity to God.”
And here
you see that they are enemies
to God; for they love
not to have him so much
written of. And they that
love not many bookes, love
not many Sermons, neyther
doe they care so much
to know what Christ hath
done for them, and how
they should follow Christ:
they are stalled with it: they
love the earth, they can
talke of it yeere after yeere,
and they are never weary. In
truth, it would weary a heavenly
—minded Christian, to heare E9v 96
heare an earthly—minded
man how continually hee
will talke of the earth and
earthly things; the very
time that hee is in the
Church, hee can hardly
hold his peace from talking
of some earthly thing or other,
and the whole Sabbath
which God sanctified, and
rested himselfe, and in mercie
to him commanded him
to rest, that will never rest
from these earthly and transitorie
things, for heavenly
rest hee never respecteth.
Truely I thinke he meaneth
to make himselfe sure of
hell heereafter: for Christ
saith, “Hee that loveth the
world, is an enemy to God,”

And he that is an enemy to
God, can never come to bee an E10r 6797
an inheritour of the kingdome
of heaven, except hee
returne, and reconcile himself
to God through Christ:
and hee cannot bee thus reconciled,
except he leave his
earthly affections and attend
upon Christ: for God
loveth none but those,
whom he seeth waiting and
attending upon his Sonne;
& then the Almightie God
accepteth him as his sonne,
and bids him call him Father,
and whatsoever hee
needs, he is ready to furnish
and relieve him withall: but
if hee be obstinate, and will
not attend upon Christ, but
attends his owne businesse
and worldly affaires, God
never respecteth him, how
many friends soever hee hath E10v 98
hath in the world, nor how
mightie soever they are, and
then are his riches and his
friends, nothing worth, neither
can they doe him the
least good as can be thought
of. Now hee that loves not
writing of bookes, nor
hearing of Sermons, hee
hath little leasure, and lesse
desire to pray this I assure
you is true, and his owne
conscience will tell him so
much, let him examine it
when he will; for Sermons,
and reading good bookes,
are the only means to bring
a man to praier, and praier
is the only meanes to helpe
us to the mercies of God in
Christ; for if we heare Sermons,
and do not pray earnestly
to God, for Jesus Christs E11r 99
Christs
sake, to send the holy
Ghost to inlighten our
understanding, and to sanctifie
our hearts, and follow
that which wee heare,
we are never the better; for
many heare and understand
not, and many understand
and follow it not: but there
is none that praieth faithfully
to understand, and for
grace to follow it, and obtaineth
not, if hee continue
in true praier. The holy
Ghost saith, “Pray alwaies,
and in all things be thankefull,” 1 Thes.5.
17.18.

and the promise is made,
“Aske and ye shal have:” Mat.7.7. that is,
whatsoever you goe about,
pray to God to blesse it, and
thanke God in prosperitie
and adversitie, or howsoever
it pleaseth God to deale with E11v 100
with you; for it commeth
by his providence, & therefore
bee thankefull to God,
what crosse soever it pleaseth
him to lay upon thee.
Doe not as they which rage
and sweare at the losse of a
few earthly things; but
thanke God againe and againe,
that it is no worse. If
it bee but for the losse of
some earthly thing, it cannot
bee ill for the childe of
God; for Job never honoured
God so much, nor did
so much good in the
Church of God, while hee
was rich, as when hee was
poore; for when hee was
rich, the divell himselfe told
God, that Job served him not
for nothing.” Job 1.9.
As if hee should
say, Thou hast given him ma- E12r 101
many blessings, if he should
not bee thankefull, it were a
marvell.

Chap. 24.

The unthankefulnesse of rich
men, a great sinne.

Oh, this will bee a witnesse
against many
rich men, which receive
many great blessings, and
yet they bee unthankefull:
for the divell thought, that
he which received gifts and
blessings, could not chuse
but bee thankefull: and yet
when Job was rich, he never
did God so much honour
nor service in his Church, as
when his goods were gone: for E12v 102
for before, hee was a rich
man, and lived well, and
gave somthing to the poor:
what should hee have done
wthwith his goods else? & so did
many more besides him.
But when all his goods were
taken away, hee did not as
worldly men do, he did not
say, I am bewitched; or, it is
the negligence of my servants;
but he said, “The Lord
giveth, and the Lord taketh,
and as it pleaseth the Lord, so
it commeth to passe; blessed be
the name of the Lord,” Job 1.9.
And
thus hee became thankefull
for his losses. This is a thing
that every one cannot doe:
and hee was so patient and
thankefull, what crosses soever
it pleased God to lay
upon him, that he glorified God F1r 103
God in his obedience, and
shewed that he loved God,
and that his love was not set
on this worldy wealth. So he
might have God without
the world, he cared not, hee
was none of those that must
needes have God and the
world together, or else they
will none; but hee was one
that left an example to the
whole Church of God to be
thankefull and patient.

Chap. 25.

How to reade with profit.

Ipray reade the story of
Job, and not onely reade,
but gather some fruite out of
it, and ever when you begin F to F1v 104
to read any part of the scripture,
lift up your harts, soules
and mindes unto God, and
pray privately or publikely;
but of private prayer never
faile, and desire God for
Christs sake to inlighten
your understandings, to sanctifie
your hearts, and to
make them fit to receive the
good seede of his word, and
to give you grace to bring
forth fruite to Gods glory
for Christ saith, “In this is my
father glorified, that you bring
forth much fruite, and be made
my Disciples.” Joh.15.8.
And againe he
sayeth, “Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see
your good workes, and glorifie
your father which is in heaven:” Mat.5.16

Here you may see you must
glorifie God, and you must leaue F2r 105
leave an example to the
Church, that you serve and
love God: this did Job, and
I pray God, for Christs sake
that you may doe the like;
and that you may doe it, you
must pray to God continually,
yea and in private for
his grace and assistance.

Chap. 26.

The preheminence of private
prayer.

This is the most excellent
vertue and happinesse,
that belongeth to private
prayer, no man by any
meanes can deprive a man
of it. Some have had their
Bibles taken away, that they F2could F2v 106
could not reade: Preachers
have beene banished, that
could not heare: they have
beene separated from company,
that they could not
have publike prayer, yet private
prayer went with them:
thereby they talked with
God, and made all their miseries
knowne unto him, and
craved his assistance in all
their troubles. And this is
the greatest comfort that all
good Christians have, that
no man can bar them from
private conferēence with God.
Then take heede you doe
not barre your selves from
it, since none else can doe it,
and you know not what need
you shal have of it, nor what
accident may happen to you
in your lives, nor what need you F3r 107
you shall have of it in the
houre of death. Therefore if
you would alwaies have it,
you must alwaies use it, and
then you shall see what profit
will come by it, and then
you will bee humbly, faithfully,
& familiarly acquainted
with God.

Chap. 27.

The benefit of acquaintance
with God.

Oh heavenly and happy
acquaintance! for
the longer thou usest it, the
stronger will be thy faith, the
humbler thy heart, the earnester
thy zeale, & the holier
thy life; and this makes F3God F3v 108
God accept you in Christ,
and then thou art hee that
Christ speaketh unto; when
he saith, “Aske what you will,
and it shall bee done unto you.” Joh.16.23

Thy faith will be the stronger,
because thou shalt see,
that God heareth thy prayers,
and granteth thy request
The more humble will thy
heart be, because thou seest
thine owne miserie and corruption,
and that all grace
and goodnes comes to thee
from God: and this will make
thee more earnest and zealous
in prayer; and they earnest
and faithfull prayer will
move God, according to his
promise, to give thee grace
and faith; for the Apostles
prayed and said, “Lord increase
our faith.” Luk.6.25.
And this grace and faith F4r 109
faith will worke in thee holinesse
of life, and then shalt
thou be able to fulfill Christs
saying, “Let your light so shine
before men that they may see
your good workes, and glorifie
your father which is in heaven.”
Mat.5.16.

Chap. 28.

How long wee have neede of
private prayer.

Now that you and everie
one of you shall have
neede of private praier, from
the very beginning of your
life, to the verie last houre
of your daies, my owne experience
teacheth mee: and
the word of God a true witnesse,F4nesse F4v 110
affirmeth that we are
wholly corrupted by the fall
of Adam with sin, and therefore
continually wee ought
to suspect our selves, and to
call upon God without ceasing,
for his helpe, grace, and
assistance in all our actions:
for wee know that our owne
flesh is our owne enemie, and
that it is made of the earth,
and is so heavie and earthlyminded,
that it can never
seeke for heavenly things,
without the especiall grace
of God; and the divell hath
made an entrance into this
earthly bodie, by reason that
our owne parents Adam and
Eve, did take of the fruite of
disobedience at his hands,
and did eate at his appointment:
so that now he claimethmeth F5r 111
such an interest in us,
that none but Christ can
keepe him out: and therefore
we have no way, but to
call continually on the name
of God in Christ; to assist us
with his gracious spirit,
which will keepe away the
divell, overcome the world,
and conquer our owne flesh
for us.

Chap. 29.

Who pray privately.

This is certain, that there
are none godly, but
those that pray privately and
truely to God according to
his word; and there is no ungodly
person, no swearer, no prophaner F5v 112
prophaner of the sabbaoth,
no drunkard, no adulterer,
no covetous person, no prophane
person, nor none that
is of a false religion, not warranted
by the word of God,
that doth pray privately,
truely, and faithfully. By
these considerations you
shal find out the true markes
of the children of God; for
the wicked can heare the
word, reade, come into publike
assemblies of praier: the
hypocrite wil talke of faith,
as if he had come presently
from heaven; but to goe into
a private place, and lay open
his heart before God,
confesse his own imperfections,
and pray that hee may
not be an hypocrite, hee is
farre inough from it. The swea- F6r 113
swearer, the adulterer, the covetous,
the idolater, nor no
uncleane person dare come
to God in the name of Christ
except they leave their wicked
waies; and without they
bring Christ with them they
cannot come to God; and
Christ delighteth not to goe
with those that are continually
breakers of his fathers
commandements: for Christ
himselfe telleth them, that
“hee that keepeth the commandements,
and teacheth men so to
doe, hee shall bee great in the
kingdome of heaven:” Math.5.19
“and to him
that ordereth his conversation
aright, will I shew the salvation
of God,” Psa.50.23
saith God by the
Psalmist. Moreover Christ
saith, “Hee that will follow mee,
let him forsake himselfe, and take F6v 114
take up his crosse, and follow
me.” Mat.16 24
As if he should say, “I am
gone to heaven, and if you
meane to follow mee thither,
you must forsake your
selves. I know this will bee a
crosse unto you, but you
must take it up and follow
me, or else you may not
come there.”

Chap. 30.

The way to rule our corruptions.

Againe, when the children
of God, who
would faine be with their father,
see that they cannot
rule their owne flesh, then
with humble hearts they goe to F7r 115
to God, and crie and call to
him for helpe, that he would
helpe to bridle their unruly
affections, even but for that
day, and at night they will
wait upon his majestie a
gaine; and thus they will never
leave him till they feele
the spirit of God working in
their hearts; and that will
stirre them to continuall
praier. But the wicked want
faith to goe in the name of
Christ, and this is the cause
there are so many wicked
praiers in the world; for they
that make them, have no
faith in Christ: and without
him, they have no promise
to be heard; and therefore
wanting faith to come to
Christ, they goe to the Saints
to pray for them; and yet the F7v 116
the Saints did never promise
them so to doe, neither doe
they know whether the
Saints heare them or no. Againe,
some pray in latine
when they doe not understand
der what they say, nor
what they pray for; but the
holy Ghost saith, “Pray with
the spirit, and pray with the understanding
also.” 1 Cor.1.4.
15.
Why say
they, God knowes our harts;
we pray with the heart. God
knowes indeede that their
hearts are vaine and foolish,
because they doe not pray
with understanding, and
therefore they have no promise
to be heard, & yet they
will have a paire of beades,
and tell how many prayers
they say, though they cannot
tell what they say. I dare vnder- F8r 117
undertake, a parret might
pray as well they doe, if it
could speake all the words.
They pray while they live,
that they may goe to purgatory;
and when they die, they
give much goods to others,
to pray that they may come
out of purgatorie againe:
these are most vaine praiers
never warranted by the word
of God. They pray also to
our Ladie to helpe them,
much as the Israelites praied
to the Queene of heaven:
and as the Israelites praiers
were accepted, so are theirs.
But I pray God, for Christs
sake, that you, nor none of
yours may make such praiers.
And I pray God to blesse
his whole Church, that their
praiers may bee right and faith- F8v 118
faithfull, for prayer is the
key which openeth unto
vertue. Oh Lord, let not our
praiers be turned into sinne;
for then the gates of thy
mercy shall bee shut against
us. Wherefore wee humbly
beseech thee, give us the spirit
of truth, that we may pray
rightly, which if we doe, wee
must needs search the scriptures
& see there how Christ
teacheth his Disciples to
pray. “When ye pray, pray on this
manner. Our Father which art
in heaven, &c.” Mat.6.9
And whatsoever
praier is not on this
manner is wicked and ungodly.
And yet here you see,
there is neither praying to
Saints nor Angels, neither
praying for the dead, nor to
the dead: and therefore all such F9r 119
such praiers are wicked, and
are the overthrow of those
that use them. But Christ
Mat.6.6.7 saith, “When thou prayest enter
into thy chamber, and when
thou hast shut thy doore, pray
unto thy father in secret, and
thy father which seeth in secret,
will reward thee openly: use no
vaine repetitions, as the heathen
doe: for they thinke to bee
Joh.16.23 heard for their much babling,
but whatsoever yee aske the father
in my name, that will hee
Mat.7.7. give you. Aske and you shall
have, seeke, and you shall finde,
knocke, and it shal be opened unto
Mat.7.9.
10.11.
you. If your children aske you
bread, will ye give them a stone,
or if they aske you fish, will you
give them a serpent? If ye which
are evill, can give your children
good gifts, how much more shall your F9v 120
your heavenly father give the
holy Ghost unto them that aske
it?”
And this was a great mercy
in Christ, not onely to bid
us pray, but also to promise,
that whatsoever we aske the
Father in his name, wee
should have it, and hee appealeth
to our consciences,
how wee would deale with
our children, if they aske us
any thing, and giveth us
warning wee should use no
vaine babbling, and telleth
us wee should aske in one
word the holie Ghost, without
the which wee are miserable
wretches: which if we
have, we injoy all happines
and peace; for hee must bee
our Comforter and bring us
unto Christ, and hee will
bring us unto his Father. Christ F10r 121
John 16.
13.
Christ also willeth us to aske
the Spirit of truth, because
hee will inlighten us, and
shew us the way of all happinesse:
and because our
faith should be strengthened
to aske the holy Ghost, hee
also promised us to send
him, to teach us all things,
and bring all things to our
John 15.
26.
remēembrance, without which
we are like a house which is
built faire on the outside:
but there are no windowes
to shew any light at all into
it, and then the house is
good for nothing, because
there remaines nothing but
darknes in it: even so darke
is the earth of Adam, which
we are made of, that though
wee seeme never so faire on
the outside, yet if wee have not F10v 122
not the holy Ghost within
us, we can never see to finde
the way to Christ: and then
it is unpossible to come unto
the Father; and so consequently
wee must needs perish;
for Christ saith, “No
man commeth to the Father,
but by mee.” Mat.11.27
And heere you
see, that those that put their
trust in Saints to pray for
them, have no promise to
be heard, and it shewes that
they are not inlightned by
the holie Ghost, to see the
way to Christ, and they
themselves will confesse,
theat they dare not goe to
Christ: which sheweth that
they have no faith to beleeve
his promises, nor will
to obey his Word. For
Christ saith, “Come unto mee all F11r 123
all yee that labour, and are ladēen,
& I wil ease you.” Mat.11.28
Here you
see, that he leaves out none,
but cal’s all sinners unto
him, and promiseth that he
will ease them. I humbly beseech
God to give you and
everie of you, to the worlds
end, grace to pray to God
for the holy Ghost. And I
pray you, let me request you
to pray to God continually,
to inlighten you with the
holie Spirit, that the holie
Ghost may bring you to
Christ, so Christ to bring
you to his Father; and then
shall you raigne with them
for ever and ever, world
without end. Which God
grant for Christs sake, our
only Mediatour and advocate.

Chap. F11v 124

Chap. 31

The benefit of the holy Ghost.

Seeing some pray not at
all, and others pray falsely,
doe yee often and earnestlie
pary for the holie
Ghost; for I will tell you
what hee will doe, hee will
inlighten you, and unite
you to Christ, and give you
grace to rule over all your
affections, and make you
able to bee masters of your
selves: where on the contrarie
side, they which have
not the holie Ghost written
within them, are mastered
and ruled by their owne filthy
affections, and so become
servants to them; but if F12r 125
if yee have the holie Spirit,
yee shall bee able to say to
your selves, as the master
saith to his servants, “Thou
shalt doe this, and, Thou
shalt doe that: Thou shalt
not sweare, nor blaspheme
thy God; Thou shalt not
drinke and swill like a beast,
neither shalt thou come in
companie among such, &c.”

Reason thus, I will overcome
thee by Gods grace,
thou earthen potsheard,
which broughtest mee nothing,
and wouldst thou
now confound all these excellent
graces, which it hath
pleased the almightie God
to bestow upon mee in
Christ? no, by the grace of
God, I will rule over thee,
or else I will pine thee. I may F12v 126
may say with Saint Paul,
These are “the messengers of
Sathan to buffet mee,” 2.co.12.7
I will
pay to my God to assist me,
and “his grace is sufficient for
mee.” 2.co.12.9
I knowe thy nature,
thou art like an unrulie
colt, that if he be pampered,
fed, and well kept, hee will
throw his master under his
feete, and cares not what
become of him, so hee may
be rid of him, and then hee
runnes whither hee list himselfe,
although hee fare
much worse then he did before:
even so is it with those
that become subject to their
affections, they are as hard
to be overcome, as a wilde
cold, which manie times is
like to be, and sometimes is,
the utter destruction of his ma- G1r 127
master: therefore your resolution
must bee, to deale
with your stubborne and
rebellious affections, as you
will deale with a pampered
wilde colt, and say unto
them, “By Gods grace, I will
not bee overmastered by
you, I scorne to serve so beggerly
and so base a slave as
thou art, I will bridle thee,
and thy headstrong, stout,
proud, scornefull, and disobedient,
untemperate, unholy,
high—minded, froward,
covetous, and idle
disposition; for there is no
goodnes in you by nature,
but by Gods grace I will
temper you, I wil make you
humble, patient, chaste,
quiet, and diligently to fall
to some labour, you shall Gneuer G1v 128
never be idle, for that will
bring you to nought.”
And
this must be the victory betwixt
your selves and your
affections, and then the holy
Ghost will teach you to
master your selves, and not
suffer you to bee subject to
every filthy motion of the
flesh. Further, “hee will teach
thee all things, and bring all
things to thy remembrance;”

John 14.
26.
as, “God resisteth the proud, and
Jam.4.6. giveth grace to the humble.”

1.Cor.6.
18.19.
“He that committeth adultery,
sinneth against his owne body,
2.Thes.3.
10
and maketh the Temple of
God, the temple of an harlot.”

Eph.6.16. “He that wil not worke, let him
not eat.”
“He will give thee faith
to quench all the fiery darts of
the divel.”
Therefore pray for
the holie Ghost in all temptations,ta- G2r 129
he will be with thee
in them, & strengthen thee
to overcome them, hee will
be with thee in the houre of
death, when all thy friends,
thy pleasures, and profits
will forsake thee, and then
he will bring thee to Christ;
and therefore pray for him,
and acknowledge his great
mercy in Christ, who hath
taught thee thus to pray,
and whatsoever thou neglectest,
neglect not private
praier, and howsoever thou
doest, seeke for continuall
knowledge, that your praiers
may be according to the
Word of God; for if they
bee not such, then are they
turned into sinne, and then
thou hast nothing to relieve,
comfort, or reconcile G2thy G2v 130
thy selfe to God againe:
for as concerning all the
sinnes, that a man hath fallen
into, through the frailtie
of nature, he hath beene reconciled
to God by faithfull
prayer; but if your praiers
be not at all, or not as they
ought to bee, then all your
helpe is in vaine.

Chap. 32.

God accepts weake Prayers.

It is a very weake Prayer
that God will not accept
it if be rightly made. I speake
thus much, because I would
not have you discouraged,
and thinke you had as good
not pray at al, as pray weakly
for the almighty God acceptethcepteth G3r 131
your obedience and wel
meaning, that you will prepare
your selves to pray as wel
as your can. But if thou see thy
selfe neglect private prayer,
be sure that satan hath somthing
to worke against thee;
and by this you may understand,
that there are none
that ever did or shall perish,
but it was, because either
they did not pray at all, or
else because they did not
pray as God hath warranted
them in his word. Me thinks
if I were a man and a preacher
of Gods word, as (I hope)
some of your shall be, and I
pray God for Christs sake,
you may, I surely perswade
my selfe, that through Gods
grace I should bring many
to pray rightly, which now G3pray G3v 132
pray unadvisedly or not at
all. But those that have gotten
a custome to pray after
the invention of men, and
contrary to the word of
God, as to pray to Saints, to
pray to Angels, to pray to
our lady, to pray in a tongue
they understand not, to pray
to the dead, to pray for the
dead, to pray to goe to purgatory;
these, I say, you may
pray for, that they may not
use such prayers any longer,
but to perswade them, is almost
as vain as their praiers.
Yet once againe I say unto
you, Pray: for you have no
promise except you Pray.
“Aske, and you shall have” Mat.7.7. (saith
Christ) he doth not say, you
shall have, whether you aske
or no: but he saith, “Aske, and you G4r 133
you shall have.”
Was not this a
great mercy of our Saviour
Jesus Christ to proffer us, if
we would but aske, we should
have. Surely, I thinke hee
were a very unworthy person,
that would thinke much
to aske a thing, for which he
might be the better forever.
If a master should say to his
servant, when such a lease
comes out, aske mee for it,
and I will let thee have a verie
good peniworth in it: because
thou hast spent thy
time in my service and in attending
upon me, therefore
I would have you get something
to live upon hereafter
to defend the world withall,
that thou maiest not begge
when thou art old: and this
were a very reasonable thing. G4Now G4v 134
Now the Master being a worthy
man, and fully resolved
to do his servant good, when
the time comes, he considers
with himselfe, at how easie
rate hee may set the rent of
his farme for him to live upon,
and yet give some attendance
upon him still. The
time being come, he expecteth
when he should aske; but
if the servant thinkes much
to aske, it is tenne to one but
his Masters minde will bee
cleane altered, although he
were never so fully bent to
deale liberally with him, and
saith to himselfe, “If it be not
worth the asking, it shall bee
worth the keeping;”
or, “If it
be not worth the asking, it is
not worth thanks:”
and very
likely hee will thinke worse of G5r 135
of his servant, then ever hee
did before, because he would
not aske it, and think he is
growne proud, and scorned
his gentle offer. Now if the
Master will not give his servant
the thing so promised,
because he wil not aske him,
although indeede he ought
in conscience to give him
something; for God saith,
“Let not thy servant goe away a
poore man;”
how dost thou
thinke thou shalt receive the
thing which our Saviour
hath promised, upon the
same condition that thou
shouldest aske, when thou
hast deserved nothing at his
hands, but he of his own free
mercy hath bought thee, and
paid a deere price for thee,
and thou hast done nothing G5for G5v 136
for him, but for thy beggerlinesse
he biddeth thee aske
and thou shalt have? What
canst thou looke to obtaine,
when our Saviour Christ
hath precisely told thee,
thou must aske, & yet thou
refusest to doe it? “Enter into
thy chamber,” Mat.6.6.
saith he, “and shut
thy doore.”
Although everie
place will serve, yet it pleaseth
Christ to name thy
chamber, because he would
have a man without accumberances.
Every man findeth
one place, or other to lodge
in; let them then finde the
same place, or some place
else to pray privately in. “Shut
the doore”
(saith Christ) as if
he should say, shut thy selfe
from the world, and shut the
world from thee; it may bee thou G6r 137
thou hast some thing to say
to mee, that thou wouldest
not have the world to heare.
Oh the mercy, the wonderfull
mercie of Christ to man
how hee became man for
man. And hee knew the
nature of man, that hee
would bee loath that everie
one should know the corruption
which was in him,
and therefore said, “come to
me alone, & shut the doore,
no body shall know, what is
betwixt thee and me. I know
thy sinnes alreadie, but I
would know whether thou
knowest them or no; for manie
a man sinneth and knoweth
it not, because hee knoweth
not my word: but if thou
knowest them, confesse them
to mee and I will give thee par- G6v 138
pardon for them: and if thou
wilt leave them, & canst aske
helpe of me, I will give thee
grace to overcome thēem; for I
have overcome them all for
thee, even in thine own flesh,
and thou through mine help
shalt doe a greater worke; for
thou being a sinner, shalt overcome
in thy self, which is
a greater worke then for me,
which am God, and without
sin to overcome sin: and yet
not you, but I your Saviour,
who dwell in all those, that
lay hold of me by true faith,
for without me yee can doe
nothing; & therefore come
to me, follow my counsell,
come secretly, let no body
know of it for hindring you
or for feare vaine glorie
should follow you, no man shall G7r 139
shall neede to know of it, for
I wil reward youu openly.”
Oh
the wonderfull mercies of
Christ to man, never able to
be set out! he knew that man
would be desirous to have it
known that he served such a
worthy master as none could
serve a better, that every one
shold say he served Christ, he
served the son of God, who
will bring him to prefermēent.
Everieone desireth to have it
knowne, that hee serveth a
noble master, and therefore
he will weare his cognisance
upon his sleeve; that it may
be knowne what an excellent
man hee serves; for it is a
great credit to serve a worthie
master, and a man shall
bee verie well accounted of
for his sake: but he that servethueth G7v 140
a wicked and ungodly
man, shall never bee so well
thought of, because his master
is wicked, & he is oftentimes
ashamed of his masters
doings so that he will never
bee a credit unto him; and
therefore never serve a wicked
man, although hee bee
never so rich; for the desire
of man is to serve a master
of credit, and that Christ
knew: he knew also that man
was loath to have his sinnes
openly knowne; and therefore
out of his great mercie
and wonderfull wisdome, he
appointed man to confesse
his sinnes privately, without
The rewards
of
Christs
service
are heavenly.
which there can be no good
praier. He told man, that he
should not neede to make
shew of it unto the world; for he G8r 141
he would reward him openly,
and make it knowne,
that he served a good master
indeede; for hee would
give him such graces and
blessings, as all that knew
him, should perceive that he
had them neither of the
world, the flesh, nor the diuell,
nor of his owne nature:
but it should appeare, they
were onely the gifts of the almightie
God. Hee did not
promise earth and earthly
things, you may see; for every
venemous earthworm,
is full of these: the usurer
that is as farre from heaven
as it is to hell, where if hee
take not heede, in time hee
may finde his part, he (I say)
may bragge of his gold: the
extortioner, whom God hatteth,teth, G8v 142
may bragge of his silver:
the covetous person,
whom God abhorreth, hee
may bragge what a deale of
earth and earthly durt hee
hath purchased, as the Prophet
saith “they loade themselves
with clay:” Hab.2.6.
he doth not
say, God giveth it them; but
“they loade themselves.” Among
these foolish and abominable
people, whom the scripture
speaketh so much against,
as against no man
more, nor so much, I thinke
strumpets and whores, who
for covetousnesse sake sell
their soules and bodies, and
make themselves such filthie
vessels in this earth, that it is
most loathsome to thinke
of, may bragge as well of
their jewels and costly apparellrell G9r 143
that the world bestoweth
upon them as anie other
of these covetous wretches,
whom God abhorreth, and
giveth warning that no man
shall speake well of them, for
the holy Ghost saith, “Speake
not good of the covetous whom
God abhorreth.”
And that thou
maiest know it is no worldly
trash that God bestoweth on
thee: know, that the divell
calleth himself the prince of
this world: and so one would
think he were; for these out ward
things are most commonly
bestowed upon the
wicked; but that which God
will bestow on thee, is a treasure
which the wicked ones
have not, nor are never like
to enjoy, except they leave
their wicked waies, and goe priuate- G9v 144
privately to the Lord Jesus
Christ
, and lay open their
miserable estate to him, and
crave his pardon and grace
to live a new life, and then
he will give thee the greatest
treasure that man can imagine,
even a most heavenly
treasure: hee will give thee
faith, which will bring thee
to the everlasting kingdome
of heaven: he will give thee
patience, to beare al the crosses
& troubles in the world:
hee will give thee humilitie,
which will fill thee full of
grace, and make thee in favour
with God and man: he
will give thee his grace so
plenteously, that thou wilt
speake alwaies the truth, and
keepe thy promises, though
it bee never so much to thy hinde- G10r 145
hinderance in the sight of
the world. Nay, in the sight
of the world it must needs be
a praise to thee, for the world
seeth that every earth—worm
can breake their promise or
turne it so, that it is worse
then a promise breaking for
it sheweth that they are full
of hyprocrisie, dissemblers,
and would serve the world,
and would not have the Diuell
know it: but the divell
will not bee so deceived, hee
maketh account the world is
his, and hee hampereth all
those that love it, in chaines,
and hee will have the world
know it, that it may bee a
witnesse on his side at the
The danger
of breaking
promise.
day of Judgement. Nay,
his owne conscience will
bee a witnesse against him at G10v 146
at the day of judgement,
that breaketh his word,
even at that dreadfull day,
when the trash, for which
hee so lightly regarded
his promise, shall bee consumed
with fire & brimstone,
then will hee wonder, hee
could thinke it would bee so
long before that day would
come, and now seeing it is
come, hee fully perswadeth
himselfe, that his paine will
never have an end. If thou
thinkest, that breakers of
their word have a roome in
heaven, reade the fifteenth
Psalme. But what should I
speake of a roome in heaven,
when indeede they ought to
have no roome amongst civill
men on the earth: nay,
nor yet among the heathen? for G11r 147
for it hath beene accounted
so great a shame for a man to
breake his promise, that hee
would rather die, then it
should be sayd that he were
one of those. But pray thou
privately and faithfully, and
God will not onely give thee
power to keepe thy promise
with men; but thou shalt also
have grace to keepe thy
word and promise thou hast
made to Almighty God, to
forsake the divell, the world,
and thine owne filthy affections:
Which will shew openly
that thou art the servant
of God, and that God
hath bestowed his manifold
graces and blessings upon
thee, as Christ sayd unto Peter,
“Flesh and bloud hath not
taught thee these things, but my Father G11v 148
Father which is in heaven.” Matth.16.
17.
So
every one that beholdeth
thee, will know, that neither
the divell, the world, nor
thine owne flesh hath bestowed
these gifts on thee,
but the Father which is in
heaven. Blessed be the name
of Christ for his bountifull
goodnesse bestowed upon
mankinde; he did not onely
bid men pray, and promised
they should bee heard, but
also told them to whom to
pray; and because men durst
not goe to God alone, hee
bad them goe in his name,
and promised that he would
be there with them, and hee
would be a Mediator, which
none else could doe, and hee
would make peace betweene
God and them, and therfore any G12r 149
any might boldly come to
him; hee teacheth them
where to aske: privately:
and what to aske: the Holy
Ghost, without the which,
we are fire bands of hell: but
if we have him, we are Saints
in heaven, even joyned to
Christ and as his members;
and yet hee fearing all this
would not serve, it was his
greatest mercy to shew us
more concerning two men,
which were praying, and
Luk.18.10 made us acquainted how
they prayed, and how they
sped. Christ saith, “There was
Pharisie and a Publicane went
into the Temple to pray.”
The
Pharisie was one that thoght
himselfe a just man, and despised
others. The Publican
accounted himselfe a sinner openly G12v 150
openly knowen. “The Pharisie
stood up and prayd, and sayd,
‘I thanke thee, oh Father, I am
not as other men are, nor like
this Publican: I fast twice in a
weeke: and give tithe of all that
I have’
.”
Now you may see
who they bee, that say I fast,
or we fast: as if they should
say, I feare it shall never bee
known that it is I, or we that
fast and pray, and pay tithe
of all that we have, and that
we deale justly and keep the
commandements. “But the
Publican stood afarre off, and
durst not look up to heaven, but
smote on his breast, and sayd,
‘Lord, be mercifull to mee a sinner.’”
Heere you see wee must
humble ourselves, and confesse
our sinnes; for Christ
saith, “Hee went away justified rather H1r 151
rather then the other: for hee
that humbleth himselfe shall be
exalted; and hee that exalteth
himselfe, shall bee brought low.”

Also hee willeth alwayes to
pray, and not to waxe faint,
saying: “There was a certaine
Judge in a city, which neither
feared God, nor reverenced
man, and there was a widdow in
the city, which sayd, ‘Doe me justice
against mine adversarie;’

but he would not for a time; yet
afterwards hee sayd, ‘Although
I feare not God, nor reverence
man, yet will I doe her justice,
lest at the last shee chance
to weary me,’
And the Lord sayd,
‘Here what the unrighteous
Judge saith,’
And shall not God
avenge the cause of his Elect,
which cry and call day & night
upon him?” Luk.18.20
And therfore pray Hcon- H1v 152
continually. And doe not
thinke (my sonnes) that I
have spoken too much of
prayer; for as I sayd before,
without it wee have no promise
to obtaine any favor of
God, nor yet to be kept frōom
any evill by God, and therefore
doe it. You must needes
also bee thankefull to God
for his mercies in Christ, &
most humbly thank Christ,
who hath thus mercifully
taught you to pray, and give
God thankes who hath
brought you into the world
in such a time, when as you
may bee taught to pray according
to his word; and I
beseech him, that you may
pray according to his counsell.

Chap. H2r 153

Chap. 33.

No certaine rule for private
prayer.

Now I would have you
know, that privat praier
is for every mans privat use;
and therfore there is no certaine
rule, neither can words
be set downe what ye should
say: for though we be all sinners,
yet some are more troubled
with one sinne, some
with another, and some are
troubled because they cannot
bee troubled so much
with their sinnes as they desire,
which sort Christ calleth
unto him, saying, “Come
unto me, all yee that labour and
are laden, and I will ease you.” Matth.11.
28.
H2But H2v 154
But although all sinnes dwel
in us, and wee are subject to
them (wherfore Christ saith,
“Yee had neede watch and pray)” Matth.26.
41.

Yet there is in every one of
us, some one sinne, that will
draw to a head & beare som
rule in us, and will not bee
subject nor subdued to the
Spirit, as the childe of God
would have it: but then hee
goeth to Christ, and craveth
his assistance, and yet sometime
the sinne wil overcome
him, and then he goeth and
confesseth his sinne againe,
and craveth pardon, confessing
withall his owne weakenesse,
that he should bee overcome
of so vile and base
an affection. And thus every
one ought to seek by praier
to God, to get victory of that H3r 155
that sinne, which otherwise
would overcome, and destroy
him body and soule
for ever and ever.

Chap. 34.

Divers men troubled with divers
sinnes.

Some are troubled most
with envie, some with
pride, some with anger,
some with covetousnesse,
and some with sloth, &c.
All these with a companie
that attend on them, set upon
everie man, but one must
be captaine; then overcome
the captaine, and all the army
will be discomfited. In
warres, if the Captaine prevaile,H3uaile, H3v 156
the souldiers will ruinate
the Cittie: even so it is
with sinne, if the chiefe sin
getteth the victorie, it will
let in a great number of enemies
that wil never leave,
untill they have utterlie ruinated
and brought to confusion
the whole bodie and
soule of a man; and therefore
everie one ought to
pray to God, for helpe and
assistance against his greatest
temptation; for if we overcome
that, the rest will
flie, as S. James saith, “Ressist
the divell, and he will fly from
thee.” Jam.4.7.
And this will be a great
comfort to any man, when
hee seeth his enemy cannot
triumph over him: then the
divell shall have no cause to
laugh in his face, nor the world H4r 157
world to jest behinde his
backe, neither can his owne
affections brave nor upbraid
him: but hee shall
have a greater comfort then
this; for by obtaining this
victorie, he shall be sure to
bee servant and souldier to
the most worthy Captaine
that ever was. Yet hee must
acknowledge that hee got
the victorie by the helpe of
his Captaine; and so long
as hee is a souldier under
him, hee shall alwaies have
the victorie: for the divell
himselfe is afraide of this
Captaine, the world will flie
at his presence, and thine
owne affections will fall
downe before thee, if hee
come.

H4 Chap. H4v 158

Chap. 35.

Be not hurt by a little temptation.

There is another thing,
which I must admonish
you of, that ye be not overcome
of a little temptation;
for that is the basest thing in
the world: even as if a great
Captaine should bee overcome
of a meane souldier,
that had neither might nor
policy, which must needes
returne with shame to the
Captaine. But it is much
more shame for a Christian,
that hath vowed to forsake
the divell, the world, and
his owne affections, to bee
overcome by the weakest of H5r 159
of them all. There be many
that thinke if the divell
overcome them not in a
great sin, all is well, though
that indeede he set them on
work continually on trifles,
and by this meanes keepe
men in some device or other.
Hee cares not what
they doe, so they serve not
God, and so he may blindfold
them that they cannot
see their owne sinnes. And
thus they are in a very dangerous
and evill case, and
know not what they doe;
yet they shadow their folly,
that the world may not perceive
it, & then they thinke
it is well enough. Thus the
divell leads them quietly to
hell, and they never know
whither they are going, til H5they H5v 160
they come there; even as a
winde carrieth a ship, and
they that are in it, know not
where they shall bee set on
shore For the divell is a cunning
fowler, he will never
lay a great baite, where hee
knowes, a little one wil serve
the turne; and hee is so full
of policy, that hee seeth a
great baite would make the
partie afraide to come neere
it: but thus doth the divell,
first hee giveth a little baite,
and saith to him whom hee
meaneth to catch, I warrant
thee, thou maiest take this,
goe neere it, taste of it, it
will not hurt thee, many
swallow a greater baite then
this, and thou seest no hurt
come of it: as hee said to
Eve, “It is but an apple, it may H6r 161
may doe thee much good,
to bring thee to knowledge,
and make thee like a God.”

And therefore now wee see,
wee had neede set a speciall
watch over our selves, that
we may spy the divel, when
hee goeth about thus to intrap
us in his engines, with
his alluring baits againe, and
when hee offereth us any of
them, may say: “I defie thee,
Sathan, and by Gods grace
have knowledge that thou
art a wicked serpent, and
diddest deceive our first Parents
with an apple. I will
not play with thy baits, bee
they never so sweete, pleasant,
or beautifull. I know
thy subtiltie, and I know
that I serve a Captaine, Christ H6v 162
Christ, that thou art afraide
of, and he will bring us to a
happier Paradice, then thou
didst put us out of, and hee
will make mee like a God,
and renue the image that
thou didst decay in us.
Thou didst scoffe at mee,
and saidst, I should have
knowledg, when thou wouldest
have utterlie overthrowne
mee; yet I have
this knowledge (I thanke
the almightie God for it)
that now I see thy policy,
and how thou camest to
our Parents, when they
were alone; thou thoughtest
they could not stand by
themselves: but thou shalt
never finde mee alone; I
know I cannot stand by my
selfe, and therefore I draw neere H7r 163
neere unto my Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ by
faith, and I will attend upon
him, and will not leave
his Commaundement undone,
for all thy baits and
alluremēents thou canst shew
mee in the world, where
thou callest thy selfe Prince
but thou gettest it by wicked
policy, and thou rulest
it by a wicked tyranny, destroying
the good, and
maintaining the wicked, &
bestowest thy trash on them
not for any love thou bearest
to them, but to make
them thy wicked instruments,
that thou maiest doe
the more hurt by them
And as soone as they have
served thy turne a while,
thou wilt bring them to shame H7v 164
shame in this world, and
everlasting destruction in
hell fire. And therefore now
I would have thee know,
that I have knowledge, and
perceive that all these usurping
tyrants have learned
all their mischievous policies
of thee, using all meanes
they can possibly, to destroy
the good, and with
their paltrie trash, which
they call their wealth, they
winne the wicked to their
wils; and when they have
their purpose a while, they
will picke some quarrell against
them, although they
have no reason for it, and
although they follow their
wicked wils never so much,
yet in the ende they will overcome
them. And so, Sa- H8r 165
Sathan, dost thou deale
with all that serve thee; and
therefore thou art an usurping
tyrant: for the earth is
my Lords, who hath made
it, and all that is therein;
and that which belongeth
unto thee, is nothing but
that trash, that he careth not
for: it is like tares, and the
worser sort of graine, more
fit to feede swine, then for
the children of so mightie a
King as my Lord is, who
hath such treasure for those
that belong unto him, as
thou shalt never come
neere. Yet this is thy despight
and envie, because
thou canst get none of it
thy selfe, thou wouldest
have mee have none of it
neither. But thou shalt not de- H8v 166
deceive me with these earththen
baits, which one day
my almightie God shall set
on fire about their eares
that love them so well, when
themselves shall be suddenly
strangled with the smoak
thereof: and it makes mee
marvell, how thou shouldest
deceive so many as
thou dost with them; for
once my gracious Lorde
drowned them & all that loved
them, & many times he
sinketh very much trash in
the sea, that Pirats might see
they shall sinke one day, and
all those that sell their soules
for such trash, except they
turne speedily unto my
Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ
, who is a Saviour,
and will save all sinners that turne H9r 167
turne unto him. But thou
art a destroyer, and wilt destroy
all those that follow
thee: thou knowest my
Lord burnt Sodome and Gomorrha,
with other Cities,
which were full of the glistering
drosse, to shew that
hee cared no more for it,
then Kings do for counters:
for if he had respected it, he
would never have burnt it,
and consumed it with fire:
Yet thou, Sathan, doest deceive
worldly wise—men, giving
them drosse for gold,
which is no better then copper
counters, and in the
mean time thou makest thēem
deceive themselves of an
everlasting treasure.”
Earthly
treasure may bee compared
to glasse, which is so brittle H9v 168
brittle a metall, it can never
continue long; for as it
might bee, now a man hath
it to doe him good, and in
the turning of a hand it is
broken and worth nothing.
even so it is with the trash
and pelfe of this world, and
the life of a man which is but
a breath, and what can be of
lesse power then a breath.
The Scripture saith “it is like
a vapour, which appeareth
suddenly, and is as suddenly
gone again;” Jam.4.14.
Christ saith,
“Thou foole, this night shall they
take away thy soule from thee,
and whose things shall these bee
that thou hast gathered together?”
flawed-reproductionapproximately 3 letters12.20.
If our Saviour Christ
calleth him a foole, that careth
for earthly things, I
know he is a foole, and therforefore H10r 169
thou shalt not make me
so simple, but thou shalt
make mee wise; for I will ever
be watchfull, and wary
in all my waies, continually
attending upon the Sonne
of God, Christ Jesus, my
Lord and Saviour, that
thou maiest not finde mee
alone. I will also keepe company
with the godly, by
which meanes the way of
my Saviour will bee made
more easie for me; for when
many godly men are together,
they incourage one
another to that which is
good.

Chap. H10v 170

Chap. 36.

Idlenesse and covetousnesse to
be avoided.

Now though every sinne
bee a great hinderance
to praier, yet idlenesse and
covetousnesse are two of the
greatest; and therefore wee
ought most earnestly to
pray against these sins, and
to take heed of such sports
and recreations, which have
no warrant in the Word of
God for many are so carried
away with idlenesse and
pastimes, that they can find
no time to pray; and therefore
we had need to be very
circumspect, and watchfull
over our selves, lest wee bee snared H11r 171
snared with this part of the
divels policy: for if a man
take not heed, Sathan will
fill his heart so full of these
vaine and idle pastimes, that
hee shall never have any regard
of preparing himselfe
to pray. God saith, “Six
dayes thou shalt labour, and
doe all that thou hast to doe;” Exo.20.9

and therfore be sure there is
no time appointed in these
six dayes to follow your idle
pleasures and sports; “and
the seventh day, we must keepe
holy.”
The holy Ghost saith,
“Whatsoever is not of faith is
sinne;” Ro.14.23
and thou canst do nothing
of faith, except thou
hast good warrant for it in
the Word of God: and the
Word of God saith, “Redeeme
the time, for the dayes are evill.vill. H11v 172”
Ephe.5 16
And thou canst not redeeme
the time with vain recreations.
I speake not to bar
anie from lawfull recreation,
but to warn you to take heed
that for a little foolish and idle
pleasure, which presently
commeth to an end, you
lose not a glorious kingdom
which endureth for ever.
And this Kingdome can never
bee gotten without private,
true and faithfull praier;
for although Christ hath
alreadie obtained it for us,
yet we have no promise of it,
except wee lay hold of him
by faith, which faith wee can
never have, except wee pray
for the holie Ghost to enlighten
us, and teach us to
laie hold on Christ. You
must continually call for mercie H12r 173
mercie and grace; mercie for
thy sinne, and grace to serve
God. And this I am well assured
of, that hearing of the
Word preached, is the verie
meanes that God hath appointed
for obtaining of
faith, and by no means may
wee neglect that, except you
will contemne the counsell
of the Holy Ghost, which I
pray God for Christs sake
you may never doe. The
holie Ghost telleth you, that
“Paul planteth, and Apollo watereth,
but God giveth the encrease.”
1.Cor.3.6
So you must alwaies
have your praiers ascending
to the Almightie God to desire
him to send the showers
of his grace into your hearts,
that the seede of his Word
may grow, and bring foorth fruit H12v 174
fruit to everlasting life.

Chap. 37.

A dangerous let of prayer.

Iwill let you understand
in my judgement, what is
one of the greatest hinderances
unto ptrayer that can
be, but it is so close and subtil
an enemy unto mankind,
that I can by no meanes discover
it so well as I would;
for it is so cunning, and so
forcible an allurance of the
Divell, that it draweth many
more from true & faithful
prayer, then any net that
ever hee layd: but I cannot
well tell, which way to describe
it unto you. I cannot say, I1r 175
say, that it is altogether covetousnesse:
for as David
saith, “If it had beene an open
enemie, that had done mee this
dishonour, I could have borne
it;” Psal.56.
12.
So I may say, If it were an
open sinne, which would deprive
you of this benefit of
prayer, peradvēenture I should
finde some way to disgrace it
unto you; but it is a thing
that carrieth some colour of
goodnesse, even amongst
them that thinke themselves
good, and yet indeede it is
starke naught, and deceiveth
a multitude, & it frequenteth
every place, city and towne,
and among all sorts of people,
husband—men, tradesmen,
and all kindes of arts
and professions in the world:
so that I cannot, as I would Itell I1v 176
tell you which way to shun
it: I would to God it were
not amongst Preachers.
Now as well as I can I will
explaine it unto you: it is an
over—much care of those
things which a man may
lawfully use. For man being
earth, those earthly things
beare much sway in his
mind, and especially because
they carry the name of a lawfull:
and so they make a man
forget the Law of God, and
neglect the duty of Prayer;
the which two things being
overslipped, hee loseth the
promise of the gospel, which
is an everlasting kinngdome.
And that it is thus, I will
make it more plaine unto
you, because I hope God wil
give you grace to shunne it, whtch I2r 177
which I desire you may for
Christs sake. Man beeing
earth, and Sathan being the
Prince of this earth, hee labours
to set mens earthen
mindes altogether on this
earthen world, which he may
easily doe: for man beeing
earth by nature, & naturally
enclined to love earthlie
things, he is the more easilie
drawen unto this earthlie affection.
It is even as if a man
should runne downe a steep
hill, hee can more easilie run
downe, then goe up softlie:
even so man can easier run
after these earthlie thinges,
then stay himselfe in a mean.
He hath nothing to help his
earthly nature, but grace;
which hee must needes pray
for, or els he can never have I2it; I2v 178
it; yet doth hee follow the
things of the earth so much,
that hee hath no leasure to
pray for it. In the night,
when he should meditate on
the Law of God by the appointment
of the H. Ghost,
he is thinking of some earthlie
thing or other, either of
this bargaine, or that purchase,
or such like; when oftentimes
he might be much
more happie to bee without
it. And mee thinkes, hee that
can think of heaven & have
it, is well enough: but these
kinde of people would have
heaven and earth too. It is
sayd, “It is as hard a matter for
a rich man to be saved, as for a
Camell to creepe thorow the eye
of a needle.” Matth.19.
24.
And this is the
cause of it, his head is so busiedsied I3r 179
about earthlie thinges
that be lawfull, that hee forgets
to meditate of the Law
of God in the night. And in
the morning when he should
pray, before hee can settle
himselfe to it, his earthly busines
is so much, & requires
so great haste, that then hee
cannot stay to pray; but if
hee doe, they are such prayers
as some offer to their
Saints: they speake of God,
but their hearts are on the
world: some are troubled
with their marchandize, som
with buying & selling, some
coveting to grow rich, some
casting to maintain their families,
but their riches are so
unlawfully used, and so hard
a matter it is for them to use
them lawfully, that it cannot I3by I3v 180
by any meanes be expressed.
But the most mercifull and
mighty God hath taught
man what to doe in such a
case, which is to meditate
in his lawes day and
night, & then he shall bring
forth his fruit in due season,
and shall know when to serve
God, and when to deale in
the world. Take heed therfore:
you see what danger
you are in, whilest you are
heere on earth; for this is a
dangerous disease, and many
die of it; and therfore cleave
to the mercies of god in Jesus
Christ
, which hath given
you such warning of this desperate
disease, saying, “Labor
not for the meat that perisheth,
but for the foode of everlasting
life.” Joh.6.27.
Thus you see, what Christ saith I4r 181
saith, hee biddes you not “labour
for earthly things,”
he tels
you, “they perish;” he bids you
labour for the food of the
soule, which shal never have
end. The holy Ghost saith,
“Bodily labour profiteth little;
but godlinesse is profitable to all
things, which hath the promise
of the life present, and of that
which is to come.” 1.Tim.4.
8.
Heere you
see godlinesse hath the promise
of the life present, and
therefore I marvell men
should refuse to be godly: it
hath the promise of the life
present, and of the life to
come; whereas worldlinesse
hath not so much promise, as
of the life present. “Godlinesse
is great gaine.” 1.Tim.6.6.
Would you
have gaine? then embrace
godlinesse; so shall you have I4your I4v 182
your desire: for that purchaseth
a Kingdome, and it is
profitable for all things.
“Seeke first the Kingdome of
God, and all things else shall be
ministred unto you.” Mat.6.33
Heere
Christ promiseth, that if you
will serve God, all worldly
things shall bee given you.
Christ saith, “Care not for tomorrow;
let to morrow care for
it selfe, the day hath enough
with his owne griefe.” Mat.6.34
Heere
you see, Christ would not
have you care so much for
these earthly things, as you
doe. “Cast all your care upon
God; for hee careth for you.” Psal.37.5.

Heere you see, that God dischargeth
you of all your
earthlie cares, and telleth
you, that he taketh care for
you, as if he should say, “Your care I5r 183
care can doe you no good,
and therefore take none:
serve mee, and I will take
care for you:”
as if a father
should say to his sonne, “Goe
to the schoole of learning,
study to serve God, your
King and Countrie, and I wil
provide you all things necessarie,
and you shall want
nothing. Labour for learning,
or else you can never
get it; that is a thing, which
I cannot buy for you; you
must get it by your owne industrie
and diligent studie, if
you will have it, it is more worth
then all I can leave you besides.
It will be a wise master
to teach you, a diligent servant
to attend you, a discreet
Counsellour to admonish I5you, I5v 184
you, a witnesse of the well
spending of your time, a
faithfull friend, and of great
account, able to credit thee
even with Princes: and these
things cannot by anie means
be gotten without thine own
diligent study.”
Even so our
loving father in Christ tels
us by the mouth of his Son
our Saviour, that we should
not care for these earthlie
things, for they shall bee given
unto us: but wee must
care for the Kingdome of
heaven; for that cannot bee
gotten without care and labouring
for; and this is a
thing worth our labour, this
is a kingdome, and lasteth
for ever; it will bring comfort
to your hearts, even in
this life, and bring you in favouruour I6r 185
with God and all good
men, and everlasting happinesse
without woe, want, or
end. Furthermore I will tell
you, what cause you have to
take care for this kingdom: if
you lose it, you fal into a pit of
everlasting destructiōon, where
you shall be tormented with
fire and brimstone for ever
and ever, where no man shal
ever come out againe; for
there is no redemption: and
therefore by all meanes possible
I advise you to take
heede. Christ endured the
pains of hell for you, because
he pittied you, & knew you
were not able to overcome
them. Therefore you may
beleeve mee, if you could
beare al the pains of hel one
houre, and then could bee deli- I6v 186
delivered, you would never
come there againe for all the
world, nay you would never
love the world, nor anie
thing that is in it, because
they are nothing but baits to
draw men to destruction.
But if the Divell get you
once there, you can never
come back agtaine & Christ
will never fetch you from
him; for the Divell and hee
are enemies, and he is able to
live without anie of his servants:
for those that will
serve him, shall have an everlasting
Kingdome, and
live in joy and happinesse:
and those that will serve the
divell, he will torment them
in fire and brimstone for ever.
Now if Sathan can get
anie to serve him, hee is worthiethie I7r 187
to have them; for Christ
will none of them: and therfore
I tell them now, if they
come once in hell with the
divel, they shall never come
in heaven with Christ; for
he is just, and will not meddle
with the servants of anoter.
“But if anie see his filthie
and base waies, and consider
the miserable and wretched
estate it will bring him unto,
and then turne to me”
(saith
Christ) “and defie the Divell
and all his workes; and serve
me, I will save him; for I am
a Saviour, and that is my
name, and my glorie: for
there is no Saviour but my
selfe, ‘I came into the world to
save sinners,’
but not such sinners
as will serve the Divell;
for though there be none in the I7v 188
the world but sinners, yet
those that love me, and keep
my commandements, them
will I save; but them that
serve the Divell, I will destroy
and torment them. Although
all are sinners, yet
those sinners that plucke up
their sinnes, as a Gardiner
pulleth up his weedes, and
cast them behinde them, and
follow me; although they be
weake, and feare that they
cannot overtake mee, yet I
will put forth my hand, and
take hold of them, they shall
not need to feare. ‘The bruised
reede will I not breake, and
smoking flaxe will I not quench:
I came to binde up the broken—
hearted, to preach liberty to the
captives, & to cōomfort them that
mourne: let all that labour and are I8r 189
are heavy laden, come to mee
and I will ease them;’ Matth.12.
20.
but those
that follow their sinnes, and
are merrie and joyfull, and
carrie them lightlie, and never
feele any waight in them,
they never call for helpe to
beare them, they carrie them
well enough, they dance after
the Divels pipe, they
follow the divell more swiftlie,
then my servants follow
mee: for they follow nature,
and the Divell helpeth
them forward, and the world
is a friend to them both, and
they like laden asses follow
the Divell with his treasure,
and make him their Lord
and Master; and yet some
of them will not sticke to
say, they hope, I will save
them, though I have often told I8v 190
told them, I will not save none
but my servants, and I will
not meddle with them; for
if they will serve mee, they
must cleane forsake mine enemy
the divell: for hee is
an enemy to me & all mine,
and doth all the despight against
us, that hee can; and
I will not save him that will
serve mine enemy; & therefore
let them never presume
upon my mercy: For I have
told them, that ‘the hope of
the ungodly shall perish.’
Hee
that is an ungodly person, a
swearer, a drunkard, a prophaner
of the Sabbaoth,
false in religion, carelesse
in religion, carelesse
in life, and yet hopes to
be saved by me, his hope is
in vaine, and grounded upon
no foundation; for I neveruer I9r 191
made promise to save any
such: and therefore they
have no reason to say, they
hope I will save them, except
they speedily returne
from the divell, and his
wayes, and follow mee and
my waies; for I have plainely
told them, ‘He that will be
my Disciple, must forsake himselfe,
take up his crosse and follow
mee, and assuredly I will
save him.’” Mat.16.24
Now tell mee, how
would a man like one that
should serve his utter enemy,
and doe what his enemy
could devise to hurt and
grieve him, and then when
hee had done all the hurt,
that hee could against him,
when he could do no more
then hee would come to
him, and thinke to have a great I9v 192
great blessing and a great
benefit of him? hee should
surely bee deceived. Then
with what face can a sinner
goe to Christ to save him
when hee dieth, who would
never serve Christ while he
lived? Though God had
commanded him to cast all
his care upon him, for hee
would care for him, yet hee
hath spent almost all his
time in serving the world,
the flesh, and the divell.

Chap. 38.

Reasons of casting our care
upon God.

Iwil tell you great reason,
1 why you ought to cast all
your care upon God, and none I10r 193
none upon the world; for
God is our Father, our Maker,
and governour, and our
feeder: Christ is our Saviour.
Now the father and
governour knoweth, what
is fit for the childe, better
then the childe; for the
then the childe would surfet, if hee
might have his owne will;
therefore let him be content
with that which his governour
2 will give him. Another
great reason why wee
should cast all our care upon
God, is, because when the
divell maketh all his poysonous
baits, wherewith hee
draweth an innumerable
company of soules to hell,
hee covereth them all with
some worldly thing or other,
that they may not see the I10v 194
the hooke; some hee covereth
with gold, some with
silver, some with earth, some
with clay, some with honour,
some with beautie,
some with one thing, and
some with another. Hee will
not lay all his baits alike;
for hee is cunninger then a
fisher: hee knoweth a little
bait, will serve for a little
fish, nor a little bait will not
serve to catch a great fish.
And besides this, hee must
have the alteration of baits,
as the cunning fisher well
knoweth; but with these
baits hee must have a sharpe
hooke to take them, and a
long line to draw them to him- I11r 195
himselfe. So soone as hee
seeth they have swallowed
the sweet bait, hee lets them
play a while with it, but before
it be long, hee draweth
them out of the sweeete
streame, the water of life,
and throweth them into a
panne of boyling liquor:
and as sometime the fisher
is faine to intangle the fishes
with his nets, and so take
them: even so Sathan findeth
the humour of every
man, and then he searcheth
in the world to finde a bait
fit for him, & having found
the bait he presently poysoneth
it: then hee puts in a
hooke and a line, to draw
him from the pure sweete
streame, the water of Life,
the Word of God: and then he I11v 196
hee lets them play a while
with the poysoned baits of
the world, and so drawes
them to him, and throwes
them into a furnace of boyling
brimstone, whose boyling
shall never end. Now
there is none that can keepe
us from the baits of the diuell,
but onely God our Father,
our governour, our
Saviour, our sanctifier; and
had wee not neede then cast
all our care upon God, since
we are in so great a danger,
and none can keepe us from
the divell but hee? We cannot
keepe our selves from
the baits of the divell, no
more then children can
guide themselves in all their
wayes, to feed, learne, governe,
& clothe themselves, vvith- I12r 197
without the helpe of their
father and governour. Shall
the children depend onely
uppon their father and governour,
and shall not wee
depend only upon our God,
that is our Maker, our Father,
and our governour?
and who? when wee fell
from him, and followed the
counsel of the divel, sent his
onely Sonne to die for us,
and to indure the paines of
hell for us? the holy Ghost
saith, “If hee hath given his
sonne for us, will hee not with
him give us all things also?” Ro.8.32.

And yet shal we not dare to
depend upon him? Is he not
able to dry up the waters of
the red Sea, that thou mightest
goe on foot dry-shodde
thorow? Cannot hee raine thee I12v 198
thee Manna, that thou
needst not starve? Cannot
our God give thee water
out of the rocke? He giveth
thee water out of the rocke
Christ every day: Oh that
thou wouldest receive it!
But I know what thou wouldest
have; thou wouldest
have Quailles to fulfill thy
lusts: for “lust when it conceiveth,
bringeth forth sinne, and
sinne when it is finished, bringeth
forth death..” Jam.1.15.
Then maist
thou cry, “Oh wretched man
that I am, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death?
I thanke God through Jesus
Christ
our Lord, it is hee that
must deliver me from this body
of death.” Ro.7.24.
And yet thou
wilt not follow him, nor depend
upon him. Another rea- K1r 199
reason why thou shouldest
follow Christ and depend
upon him, is, because if the
divell finde thee at any time
alone, thou canst not escape
his hands: and therfore my
greatest desire is, that I
might perswade you to cast
all your care uppon God,
and none upon the world:
nay, I pray God, that Christ
4. may prevaile with you, for
hee hath gone about to perswade
you already, and told
you a reason, for hee careth
for you: and if hee careth
for you, you need no more
care, for you shall bee well
provided for: therefore obey
him, cast all your care
upon him, and care not for
this world; live as hee hath
appointed you, labour in Kyour K1v 200
your vocation sixe dayes,
and keepe the seventh holy
to the Lord, and in all your
labour use no kinde of deceit,
nor desire to bee rich.
Doe you labour in your vocation,
and be sure you pray
morning and evening, and
at noone, and at all times,
& heare and read the Word
of God, & meditate on that
day and night, and follow
Christ and take holde on
him by faith; let that be all
your care, and for your bodily
goods take no care. If
you dare not trust God with
your bodies, who feedeth
them as you see every day,
how dare you trust him
with your soules, which you
cannot well discerne by reason
of your earthly nature? You K2r 201
You have a promise for
your bodies, if you wil serve
God and keepe his Commandements;
and yet many
dare not trust him, they
would serve him with all
their hearts, if they durst
trust his Word. If they
should loose their mortall
bodies, it were but a small
matter, for they must have
an end. And for your soules
you have but his Word and
promise, upon condition
that you follow Christ, and
take hold of him by faith:
now if your neglect the condition,
the promise is void:
and yet you say, you durst
trust God with your soules,
when you never goe about
to keepe his Commaunndements:
you never follow K2Christ K2v 202
Christ, nor take holde of
him by faith, nor have you
any experience by your bodies,
for you never durst
trust Christ. David saith, “I
have killed a Lion & a Beare,
and therefore I dare venture
on this uncircumcised Philistine.”
1.Sam.17
34.35
If he had suffered the
Lion and the Beare to have
overcome him, hee had never
overcome the Giant, &
then had he never bin made
the Kings sonne. So if thou
wilt overcome that great
Goliah, thou must first kill
the Lion and the Beare:
thou must first overcom the
temptations of the world, if
thou meanest to overcome
the divell, and so bee made
the Kings sonne of heaven.

Chap. K3r 203

Chap. 39.

Against immoderate care.

Our Saviour saith, “Care
not for to morrow, let to
morrow care for it selfe; the
day hath enough with his owne
griefe.”
Heere you see, that
our Saviour pitties you, that
you will take such care, and
willeth you that you should
not take care for the next
morrow, because you do not
know, whether you shall live
till then or no; for Christ
sainth. “Thou foole, this night
will take away thy soule
from thee.” Lu.12.20.
As if Christ
should say, “If thou dyest
with taking care for this
world, thou losest the kingdomeK3dome K3v 204
of heaven, and thou
shalt lye burning in hel fire.”

Then doest thou not shew
thy selfe a foole, to take so
much care for this world,
since thou knowest that hell
fire is before thee, and thy
goods are behinde thee, and
thou knowest not who shall
injoy them? If thou thinkest
Psal.39.6. thy children shall, thou
knowest not whether they
shall live or no, or spend and
waste them wickedly, as thou
perhaps hast gotten them,
or whether they shall bee other
waies deprived of them
or no. A thousand wayes
may separate thy sonnes and
their goods asunder: thou
knowest not but that the
world may end: thou knowest
not what shall become of thy K4r 205
thy goods, or whether any
body shal injoy them or not:
and to say the truth, some of
you make sure worke that
none shall injoy them; for
whosoever getteth thēem, were
better bee without them, if
they bee not gotten in the
feare of God, and then
they cannot bee enjoyed in
the faith of Christ; for it is
unlawfull to have stolne
goods in thy house, and thy
goods may bring a punishment
upon thy children, and
therefore thou art a foole,
to take any care at all
for or about these things,
and thou art a foole because
thou doest care, yea and
spend all thy care about
these things. Thou knowest,
if thou doest not spend K4thy K4v 206
thy time in the feare of God
which is but “the beginning of
wisedome,” Prov.1.7.
and in the faith of
Christ, which is the end and
finishing of wisedom; thou
thy selfe, thy body, and thy
soule shal lye burning in hel
fire for ever and ever, and
there is no meanes for thee
to be delivered. Thou maist
turne thee and tumble thee
in the fire of hell, and canst
never get out, & wonder at
thy selfe, that thou wert such
a foole to take care for
those things which thou
shouldest never know what
became of them, and take
little or no care for thy self,
when thou knewest, thou
shouldest come to this miserable
and wretched ende,
that should never ende. Here K5r 207
Here in the world none
dare call a rich—man foole:
but Christ saith, “he is a foole
that setteth his heart on
these worldly things.”
But
if by taking care for worldly
things, he misse heaven, &
fall into hell; hee will call
himselfe a thousand millions
of fooles, that omitting
better things, he would take
care for this world, which is
worth nothing: nay, it is
worse then nothing; for his
own conscience wil tel him,
if he had had nothing, hee
should have cared for nothing,
and so hee might
have served God and
gone to heaven: and having
something, his care was so
much to compasse more, K5that K5v 208
that indeede he had gotten
nothing but everlasting torment.
And now he knoweth
not what to doe: sometimes
he thinkes, I would I
might creepe thorow tenne
thousand hells, and bee ten
thousand millions of yeares
in crawling thorow them,
to go to Christ, and then get
faith, & take hold on Christ:
for he knoweth now, that
none can come to God, but
by faith in his sonne, for the
which hee would now take
all the paines that could ever
bee devised, to obtaine
that faith in the end, and yet
he thought, whilest he was
in this world, that one Sermon
in a moneth would
have served him to have
gotten that faith; but hee seeth K6r 209
seeth he would not beleeve
the word of God, for Gods
owne word willed him, that
he should not “labour for the
meate that perisheth,” Matth.6.
28.29.
but for
“the foode of everlasting life;”
And least hee should doubt
of these things which God
saith, Christ saith, “Consider
the Lillies of the field, they labour
not, neither spinne they: I
say unto you, that Salomon in
all his glory was not cloathed
like one of these. If God so
cloath the grassse, which is here
to day, and to morrow is cast
into the furnace, will hee not do
much more for you, Oh yee of
little faith?”
Heere Christ tels
them that will not beleeve
his promise, and follow his
counsell, they are of little
faith. And the holy Ghost telleth K6v 210
telleth us that “faith commeth
by hearing” Ro.10.17
of the word preached:
and, “Without faith it is
impossible to please God:” Heb.11.6.
and
there were never any saved
but by faith, nor there were
never any damned, but for
want of faith. For the holy
Ghost saith, “Hee that commeth
to God, must beleeve that
God is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that seeke him.”
He
did not beleeve that God
would provide for him in
this world, and save him in
the next, because he wanted
faith. And he wanted faith,
because his delight was not
as Maries was, to leave his
worldly affaires, & to heare
the Word preached. Hee
could not pray, that hee
might profit by the Word prea- K7r 211
preached, because hee had
no knowledge by the word
to see his wants. He had no
knowledge, because hee did
not continually heare and
read the word, which would
have taught him to have
knowne God and himselfe.
If hee prayed sometime
without knowledge and
faith, his prayers were vaine
and frivoulous. And thus he
seeth, it was his owne negligence
that brought him to
hell, because hee would not
labour for the meat that perisheth
not, and now hee is
so vexed at himselfe because
he did not follow the counsell
of our blessed Saviour
Christ, that took such paines
for him, and gave him so
many warnings, and told him K7v 212
him how hee should finde it,
if he would follow his counsell,
that hee would now, if it
were possible, bee revenged
Mat.27.5. on himselfe, as Judas,
whēen he had done that which
Christ had warned him of,
and saw that now it could
not be undone, hee laid violent
hands on himselfe to be
revenged upon himselfe.
But when they see they cannot
bee revenged on themselves,
nor no way can mitigate
their torment, then they
are ten thousand times more
tormented with torments,
which cannot bee expressed;
then they will defie Sathan,
& crie out against the world
they loved so well, and say,
Sathan laid all his baites by
the things which are in the world, K8r 213
world, yea manie baits hee
laid, and tooke maine even
with things that were lawfull
to bee used in the world, by
the appointment of God, as
you shall see. Meat is ordained
of God for the nourishment
of man; and yet how
manie doth Sathan take with
the sinne of gluttonie; and
therefore take heede that
thou eatest temperatelie.
“Meat is ordained for the belly,
and the belly for meat, but God
will destroy both them and it.” 1.Cor.6.
13.

Drine is verie lawfull; yet
how manie doth Satan take
with the sinne of drunkennessse?
and therefore Christ
saith, “Take heede, lest at anie
time your hearts bee overcome
with drunkennesse and surfeting,
and cares of this world.” Luk.21.34
Mark K8v 214
Mark this counsel of Christ,
“Lest at anie time.” As if hee
should say, bee continuallie
carefull, left thou art overcome
with surfetting and
drunkennesse, and cares of
this world; for thou mayest
surfet and bee drunken with
anie thing thou takest care
for in this world. And therfore
Christ saith, “Take no care
and doe not say; What shall wee
eat, and what shall we drinke?
and wherewith shall we bee clothed?
for after these things seek
the Gentiles. And your heavenly
father knoweth, you have
neede of these things. But first
seeke the Kingdome of God and
his righteousnesse, and all these
things shall bee ministred unto
you.” Mat.6.31.
32.
Oh the mercie of God,
which would tell you, that your K9r 215
your heavenly Father knew,
that you had neede of these
things, and hee would give
you that he knew sufficient?
“Seeke ye the Kingdome of heaven,
and these things shall bee
ministred unto you.”
Seeke yee
the heavenly treasure, and a
little of this earthly trash wil
serve the turne. And if you
knew all, and how Sathan
hath poysoned most of it,
you would be afraid to take
anie of it. But if you take nothing
but at my hands (saith
Christ) Sathans poison shall
never hurt you: but if you
beginne to bee your owne
carvers, Sathan will so sawec
it with sweet poison, that hee
will deceive the wisest worldling
in the world. And therfore
see you take nothing but K9v 216
but at the hands of the Lord;
for Sathan hath spred his
net, as the spider doth her
webbe. Now the spider liveth
close hidden in a darke
hole, untill the sillie flie bee
entangled, and then hee
comes and taketh her as his
owne: and even so Sathan
lieth close, untill hee see you
entangled within the things
of this world, and then hee
claimeth the world, and you
and all, for his owne.

Chap. 40.

The poyson of outward things.

See how Sathan hath poysoned
all things in this
world, as apparel with pride, honour K10r 217
honour with haughtinesse,
beauty with vanity, recreations
with swearing, riches
with covetousnesse: a thing
clean against reason: for the
naturall man would thinke,
that hee which is rich, neede
not be covetous; and yet it
is commonly seen, the more
rich, the more covetous.
Yea, and even our vertues,
how doth Sathan seeke to
poyson them? as for liberality,
how doth hee seeke to
poyson it with prodigalitie,
and honest labour with carefulnesse?
And therefore S.
John saith, “Love not the world,
nor the things that are in the
world: for the love of the world
is the enmity to God.” 1.Joh.2.
15.
Then some
worldly man will say, “What?
shall we doe nothing?”
Yes: but K10v 218
but see how soone the Divel
will lay a snare to entangle
the withal, that thou maist be
idle; the verie bait with the
which hee catcheth all: for
many desire goods, that they
may bee idle, and the Divell
hath, most leisure to talke
with a man, when he is idle
and idlenesse bringeth a man
to manie vaine recreations,
and so to much eating and
drinking, and to manie wicked
sinnes. The holy Ghost
saith, that “we shall give account
for every idle word that wee
speake:” Matth.12.
36.
and therefore thou
maiest not bee idle by anie
meanes. Thou must labour
sixe daies, for God hath
commanded thee so to doe;
and thou must doe it, not for
anie care thou hast of the world, K11r 219
world, but because God
commanded thee: and thou
must shew thy selfe obedient
to him, and all thy care in
thy labour must bee how to
please him, and leave the
successe of thy labour to him,
and thou must be carefull in
thy labour, that thou takest
no care for thine owne pleasure,
but how to please God, and
then let it please thee: but be
sure it please not thee and
offend God. And thus thou
must labour sixe daies; and
follow the commandement
of God, and his example, after
whose image thou wert
made, and whom thou art to
imitate: hee laboured and
made in sixe daies these
things for thee, labour thou to K11v 220
to obey him: hee laboured
and looked over his worke,
and saw it was good. So thou
must abour, and looke over
thy worke, and see that it bee
good before God. Though
there are manie imperfections
in thee, yet because thou
art reconciled to God in
Chirst, and now shewest thy
humble obedience to his
commandement, that thou
wilt neither bee idle, nor yet
labour for thine owne profit
nor pleasure, nor doe thy
owne wayes, but see that thou
dost those things that hee
hath appointed thee, taking
hold of Christ by faith; hee
accepteth them for good
through Christ, who hath
fulfilled all for thee: for “obedience
is better then sacrifice.” 1.Sam.15.
22.
Then K12r 221
Then also thou must rest the
seventh day, for so for thy
ensample he rested, & commanded
thee to rest that
day, and to keepe it holy to
the Lord. Now he commandeth
thee to leave all earthly
businesse, and attend upon
him, and heare what further
instructions hee hath for
thee, how to strengthen thy
faith, how to take hold on
Christ, and how to
come to his kingdome.
Now thy care must be, how
to learne at his mouth to
keepe his commandements.
Now hee will shew thee the
figure of that everlasting
rest, which hee will bring
thee to through Christ.
Now if thou beest not very
ready and diligent to attend vpon K12v 222
upon him the seventh day,
thou shewest, that all thy labour
on the six daies was for
thine own pleasure or profit,
more then for thy obedience
toward the Lord thy
God: for if thou wouldest
have obeyed him in thy labour
in the six daies, thou
wouldest have obeyed him
in thy rest the seventh day
also. This shal be a witnes to
thine own conscience, least
that thou bee deceived, as
many bee, who thinke that
they labour all the weeke to
please God, when indeede
they labour to please themselves,
because that commandement
pleaseth their
humour better, then to
keepe holy the Sabbath: and
they will bee willing to take one L1r 223
one houre from the Lord in
the morning, and another
in the afternoone, or two it
may be, which sheweth that
their mindes and affections
are more on the world, then
on the true service and obedience
they owe to God.

Chap. 41.

Prodigality set out.

Some think, that the prodigal
man taketh too little
care for the world: but I
say, he is a wicked man, and
taketh too muuch care for the
world, and too little care to
please God. Hee is an idle
man, and will not labour 6.
dayes. Hee is a disobedient
man, and wil not keepe holy
the seventh day. He is a wastfull
man, he wil spend wastfullyLfully L1v 224
for the vaine—glory of
the world, which some say
they care not for, he leaveth
those things wchwhich God hath
given him and his family
without care. Yea, he is a covetous
man, for he will borrow
of others, and spend it
wastfully, and never pay it
againe. He breaketh the cōommandement,
which saith,
“Owe nothing to any man, but
this, that you love one another,” Ro.13.8

for the holy Ghost saith, “The
ungodly borroweth, and paieth
not againe, but the mercifull
man is liberall and lendeth.” Psa.37.21

Some will say, they would
pay if they had it: but indeede
they will not have it,
because they will not obey
God, and live as hee hath
appointed them. They are proud, L2r 225
proud, and will spend so far
beyond their calling, that
they have nothing to lend
to the poore children of
God, because they spend either
upon the wicked, or in
excesse when there is no
neede, or uppon those that
have as little, or lessse neede
then thēemselves. “Such a person
is worse then an Infidel, because
he provideth not for his owne
houshold.” 1.Ti.5.8.
God doth not say,
Because hee taketh not care
for his owne houshold; for
all his care should bee to
please God: but hee careth
not to please God, neither
doth he obey God, to labor
6. daies, and to see his houshold
labour; for whilest he
is idle, or using some vaine
pastime out of his calling, L2his L2v 226
his children & servants dissobey
God, and mispend
their time, and weaken his
estate, and all through his
owne carelesnesse to please
God. Hee sheweth himselfe
no good Christian: for a
good Christian life is a carefull
life, not carefull of the
world, but carefull least the
world should hinder him any
way frōom serving of God,
either in being too negligent
in his calling, and so provide
not for his houshold, & become
worse then an Infidel;
or left hee should bee covetous,
and become the man
whom God abhorreth. And
yet there bee some so ignorant,
that they will say, “The
prodigall man beareth a noble
mind,”
But hee beares a wic- L3r 227
wicked mind, & they know
not what a noble minde is,
that say so. Our Peeres and
Princes are called Noble
men, because they beare noble
mindes, that is, they are
vertuous and temperate, &
discreet, governing the Cōommon
—wealth according to
their calling, regarding the
vertuous, & keeping under
the vicious, holding in the
prodigall, who would run away
with a whole kingdom,
if they might have it: nay,
no kingdome is able to satisfie
prodigal persons; for their
disobedient humour wil never
be satisfied, because they
doe not labour to keepe the
commandement of God.
Some are the more infected wth
this sin, then others, but all L3are L3v 228
that are infected with
prodigalitie, have a disobedient
humour, they are undiscreet
because they cannot
spend whēen they should,
and spare with discretion
when the time is. They are
unthankful because they do
not heartily thank God for
his blessings, but wish they
were more. Neither wil they
bee thankefull to the King,
nor a worthy noble Prince
or Peere; for if they spend a
little prodigally in their service,
they will thinke they
are indebted to thēem, though
all of it were by the Prince
liberally bestowed on them:
but indeede such are not to
be about Princes or Peeres,
no more then the covetous.
Some wise and learned men haue L4r 229
have disputed, whether the
covetous or the prodigal be
the worst member in the
Common—wealth; but I
pray God you nor yours be
none of both: but here what
the holy Ghost saith, “The
covetous is the man whom
God abhorreth:”
The prodigall
is worse then an
infidell. And thus I leave
them, and pray to God for
Christs sake, they and wee
may leave both those and al
other sins, and take hold of
Christ by faith, and live
through him with God for
ever and ever.

Chap. 42.

Difference betweene an act &
habite of sinning.

Now you must know
this, that the deare L4chil- L4v 230
children of God, for want of
discretion, doe sometime an
act, wchwhich may be called covetous,
& yet not upon a covetous
humor; and an act, that
may be called prodigall, and
yet not upon a prodigall humour,
but for want of discretion
at that time: for there is
none so discreet at all times,
that is not somewhat infectedd
with either of these sins;
for wee are infected with all
sins; and therefore God, in
great mercy to man, made
the Sabbath, or Lords day,
so that if a man did in sixe
dayes overslip himselfe, as
indeed we all do, and did not
reconcile himselfe to God
every night, as we ought to
do; yet on the Sabbath day,
the Lord calleth him to him, and L5r 231
and sheweth him his faults,
and wisheth him to bee reconciled
unto him through
Christ, and breatheth into
his face the breath of life again,
and renueth in him the
image of God again, that was
decayed by his sin, and so he
goeth home a renued man.
And therfore I say, & say truly,
that all the writers in the
world cannot expresse, what
hurt that man, woman or
childe doeth himselfe, that
doth not attend on the Lord
on the Sabbath day, neither
can any man or woman doe
their servants more hurt, thēen
to keepe them frōom the Lords
house that day. The Lord
hath charged thee, that
thou (if thou hast any under
thee) shalt see thēem come, L5and L5v 232
and come thy selfe, as thou
wilt answere it: for the Lord
himselfe is now there prepared
to teach thee and thine;
and therfore go to him, and
go prepared, “clense thy heart
of all earthly things,” Jam.4.8.
& know
that hee is there to see thine
heart, and all thine affection
and behaviour. Some wil say,
“I would goe to the Church,
but there will be little:”
but I
say unto thee, “I feare that
thou wilt not learne that little.”
If God, for thy disobedience,
wil speak but a little to
thee that day, yet thou hast
a great deale to say to him;
confesse thy sins, shew thine
obedience, be an example to
them, which would stray frōom
the presence of God, pray
for his grace upon thee and them, L6r 233
them, & the whole Church,
& appeale to the promise of
God; “When two or three be
gathered together in his name,
he will be with them:” Mat.18.20
pray that
God may send his word
plentifully for Christs sake,
although our sinnes deserve
to have it taken away altogether;
seek to doe some good
to the poor, although there
be but a poore company of
you gathered together. Move
the people to provide themselves
a Preacher, tell them
of their wants, speake to the
Magistrates, mourne to see
the Alehouses full, and the
Church of God emptie.

Chap. 43.

The service of the Sabbath ought to be
be publike.

Some will goe to the
Church of God in the fore- L6v 234
forenoone, and in the afternoone
they will serve God at
home; but thou canst not
doe God so great service at
home: serve him six daies at
home, and the seventh go to
the Church of the Lord, if
God bee truely worshipped
there, as I pray God he ever
may bee in our Churches to
the worlds end; and I pray
God you may bee true worshippers
of God. And alwaies
in the Church of God, both
forenoone and afternoone,
let there be one the more for
thee. But of this I warn you,
for the love I beare to your
soules & bodies; if you cannot
get the people to provide
a Preacher, wchwhich may dispēence
the Word truly & sincerely,
remove you, where you may haue L7r 235
have and heare the Word so
preached; for “where the Word
of the Lord is not truly preached,
the people perish for want of
knowledge.” Prou.29.
18.
But if you can get
a Preacher where you dwell,
and doe good both to your
selfe and others, I think it
better so; for “the harvest is
great, but the laborers are few;
therefore pray the Lord of the
harvest to send forth labourers
into his harvest:” Matth.9.
37.38
for the true
laborers indeed are not few,
but verie few: for as the holy
Ghost saith, “All seeke their
own, and not that which is Jesus
Christs
.” Phil.2.21.
All is taken heere, as
it is in many other places, for
the most part; for the most
seek their own: nay, it would
seeme well, if some would be
contented with their owne; but L7v 236
but they seeke more then
their owne: if they examine
themselves well, they shall
find it so; whereas the true
Preachers of Gods word will
be contented with lesse then
their owne; so they may win
soules unto Christ they care
not. They count al the world
dung, as indeede it is, so
they may bee Christs, and
draw many to him. I hope in
God, that through his grace
som of you wil be preachers.
I pray God, for Christs sake
to enlighten you with his
Spirit, and give you grace,
that you may be truly godly,
and very zealous for the
glorie of God, labouring by
all meanes possible to encrease
the glorious kingdom
of Christ. And of this bee sure, F8r 237
sure, if you will lose nothing
of your own, you will never
winne manie to Christ: and
marke how the holie Ghost
saith, “They seeke their owne.”
He doth not say, They seeke
more then their owne: but,
“They seeke their owne.” As if
he should say, as indeede hee
meaneth; “They busie themselves
about seeking their
owne, but in the meanetime
they neglect the great worke
and the great businesse that I
have set thēem about, to gather
together the souls that Jesus
Christ
the Son of God shed
his heart bloud for; & contrarie
to all reason, they look
for their wages, before they
have done their work.”
S. Paul
which was called to be a Preacher
of the Word of God, saith F8v 238
saith, “Woe be to me, if I preach
not the Gospel.”
But hee doth
not say, Woe bee to mee, if I
seek not goods. He saith, “Necessitie
is laid upōon me to preach
the Gospell.” 1.Cor.9
16.
But he doth not
say, Necessities is laid upon
me to get goods. Yet some of
them will say, they must not
lose their goods & right: rather
they must go to law for
them: but contrary to the
Law of God, they neglect
their duty in his Church,
they doe not studie how to
divide the word of God aright,
& to give to every one
that which is fit for him.
What doth the holie Ghost
call negligent Preachers, but
“dumb dogs that will not barke?” Esay 56.
10.11.

The dog will barke and give
warning to the whole householdhold L9r 239
within, if anie danger
be neere: but those that shold
deliver my message unto the
people, they busie themselves
about their owne affaires,
they slumber and delight in
sleeping: they will not call
out to the people, and give
them warning of the danger
that is neere them. I pray tell
me, or let any man tell me, if
he be a good servant, which
will goe about his owne busines,
and neglect his masters
or no? no man will account
of such a servant, but will cast
him off for naught: even so
God will cast them off for
naught, that seek their owne,
& neglect the diligent seeking
of that which is Jesus
Christs.

Chap. L9v 240

Chap. 44.

The honourable calling of Ministers
stained by worldlines.

Imust needs say, I have bin
verie desirous, and have often
begged of God, that
some of you might be Preachers,
yea and all of you and­
yours, if it might please his
divine Majestie to bestow
such graces upōon you, as were
meet for so high a calling.
But God knowes, I never desired
it, because you should
get any thing in the world,
but because you should get
servants to God, and soules
to Christ, and because you
might be so enlightened with
the Word through the holy
Ghost working within you,
that you might make no accountcount L10r 241
of the world, as indeede
it is nothing, nay, it
is worse then nothing; for
nothing doth no hurt, and
the world doth much hurt.
“I pray not for the world,” saith
Christ “but for those thou hast
given mee out of the world:” Joh.17.9.

those, that though their bodies
be in the world, yet their
hearts, their minds and their
affections are as high as heauun.
“If you be risen with Christ
seeke those things which are above;
where Christ sitteth at
the right hand of God: set not
your affections on things which
are on the earth, but on things
which are in heaven.” Col.3.5.
I pray
God for Christ his sake
you may bee of those
which Christ prayed for,
those which have their mindes L10v 242
mindes and hearts busied about
heavenly things, & never
taking care for the things
of the world. Woe is mee,
which feare, lest anie of you
or yours should love this
world: but if it please God
that anie of you heereafter
should bee a Preacher, and
love the world, I cannot expresse
the greefe it would be
to me, even so long as I were
in the world. If anie of you
should aske me, if it were not
as evill in another man, as in
a Preacher? I answer, no; for
it is a very dangerous and indeede
a damnable estate to
love the world. I know what
I say; I doe not say, to be covetous,
or desire to bee rich,
wherby one is moved to use
unlawfull meanes to get goods L11r 243
goods: but I say, to love lawfull
goods which God hath
given thee, and to neglect
the service of God about
them, if it be but in thinking
of them, and to bee at anie
time more loth to lose thy
lawfull goods, then to go to
law to the hurt of thy brother
whom Christ died for,
it is a wicked sin in anie man.
To set a rent or price of any
of thy lawful goods or lands,
more then thou in such a
case wouldest bee willing to
give, it is a wicked sin. To let
The danger
of
dealing
with wicked
men.
or sell any thing to any man,
for sinister respects, that
thou doest not thinke to be
the true and faithfull servant
of God, if thou maist let it
well to those that are, is a sin.
But to let a Farme to anie that L11v 244
that thou doest not think to
bee the true servant of God,
but because he is richer, or is
better able to pay thee, or wil
give thee more for it, is a
great sin: “For the earth is the
Lords, and all that is therein,”

& he hath set thee as a steward
over some part of it, and
thou art by his appointment
to let it to his children & servants
that love him; and because
many things have many
prices, he bids thee deale
in all his businesse, as thou
wouldest bee dealt withall in
such a case. Hee biddes thee
“deale liberally with thy brother,
that his soule may blesse thee:” Job 31.29

yet thou wilt neglect thy
brother, whōom thou seest carefull
to serve God in Christ,
& let it to one that hath little or L12r 245
or no Religion in him, because
thou seest that hee can
deale more warily in the
world, or more wisely, as the
world cals it, though indeed
it bee more wickedly before
God: yet because thou seest
he is more able to pay thee
thy rent, thou wilt let it to
him, who is indeed Gods enemy,
and for whōom God never
made it: for God made these
things for his children and
servants, & he doth neither
love God as his Father, nor
obey him as a servāant: neither
will he more becom obedient
to God, & serviceable to
his Church, if thou let him
a good peniworth; whereas
if he thrive not of it, he will
raile on thee, and on thy religion,
which is indeede aagainstgainst L12v 246
God; for he knoweth
not, that it is God that
giveth power to get goods,
and that it is God again, that
keepeth men short: althogh
sometimes with his mouth
he speaketh it, yet the true
knowledge of it dwels not
in his heart; and if he grow
rich upon it, he will not bee
liberal to the poore children
of God, considering their
wants as if they were his
owne: for he hath no naturall
affection towards them,
because they are not his brethren.
Loe, heere thou seest
what to do with thine own,
or, as some say, Gods and
thine owne; or, as the truth
is Gods, and not thine own;
and therfore thou maist offend
God in it: for thou art but M1r 247
but a tenant at the wil of the
Lord, and art to depart at an
instant; yet thou hast a great
title under God for thy time
and thy title is good, & lawfully
thou maist injoy them,
yet the love that thou bearest
unto them is utterly unlawfull;
for it is the love that
thou bearest to these worldly
goods, that maketh thee
to let them to such a tenant,
as wil neither serve God, nor
doe good to the poore servants
of God. The man to
whome thou lettest it, may
be a civill honest man in the
world: for among the heathen,
yea, among the Jewes
that would kil Christ again,
if they had him, & hate the
children of God; there are
such as in the world wil deale LMciuilly, M1v 248
civilly, and pay at their day,
perhaps, better then some
Christian. But if thou beest
the true childe of God, thou
must have a discerning eye
of faith, wchwhich every one hath
not, and know the childe of
God from a civill man: neither
maist thou judge the other
for all that, but pray for
him, and hope that though
he be not the true servant of
God now, yet in good time,
by Gods grace he may bee.
Thou maiest not impart the
benefits of God, as neere as
thou canst, but to those whōom
thou knowest to be the lords
true servants, and thou must
do it for the love thou bearest
to God. Why shouldest
thou not love Gods childrēen
much more then any goods thou M2r 249
thou hast? There is great
reason to doe it, able to perswade
any man, if his heart
be not of stone. For God
made us most excellēent creatures,
according to his owne
image. Satan came by stelth
and subtiltie, & through envy
stole away that excellent
image from us, and made us
most ougly persons, deformed
divels, so that we were
ashamed of our selves, ran away
and hid our selves, and
wee were good for nothing,
but evil for all things, fit for
nothing but firebrands of
hell, into the which we were
ready every houre to fall, &
God had said, that if we suffered
the divel to deceive us,
hell should bee our portion,
the divel stood gaping to receiveM2ceiue M2v 250
us: wert thou not in a
miserable case then? I tell
thee, we were all in this miserable
case. And I tell thee
true, I am sorry at the heart,
when I see any that doth not
consider the case wherin he
was, and I am afraide, lest any
of you should forget the
state wherein ye were, and so
become unthankefull, and
fall into it againe. Oh, the
danger is great! But tell me,
wouldest thou not love him,
that would come and make
thee like a God againe, and
wash away al thy filthy poyson,
and deliver thee frōom the
slavery of the divell, & from
the fire of hel, and set thee in
Paradice againe, yea in such
a Paradice as the divell can
never have power to deceive thee M3r 251
thee? and for thy better assurance
bids thee hold thee by
him, and thou shalt never
need to feare? If thou shouldest
not love him and al his,
thou wert greatly to blame.
But I know now in thy distresse
thou dost not make
so much question, whether
thou shouldest love him or
no; for thou thinkest it unpossible
but that thou shouldest
love him and all his, &
do whatsoever he would bid
thee. If thou wert once in
Gods favour againe, thou
wouldest not disobey him
for all the divels and worlds
that ever were. But oh the
misery! heere is the thing:
how is it possible that thou
shouldest be helped? God is
thine enemy, the divell is M3thine M3v 252
thine enemy, the world can
doe thee no good, nor make
thee cleane: for al the bloud
within thy veines is corrupted,
thy hart bloud is becom
most filthy poyson, & thou
art become most ugly deformed
like the divell, and
thou art a shame to thy self,
although no body see thee
but thy selfe, and hell fire is
so bigge, that all the water in
the world cannot quench it.
Thus beginning to despaire,
thy torments beginne to increase,
whēen thou couldst see
no way to escape it: but ôh
the love of God, the wonderful
love of God toward thee
never to be expressed, not
for any goodnesse that is in
thee; for behold here what a
filthy creature thou art; but for M4r 253
for the everlasting goodnes,
that was in himself, his great
mercy and wonderfull wisedome
he found a way, even
for his own sake; or else man
and his posterity had beene
burning in hell fire for ever
and ever. How did he find a
way? he sent his only Son to
wash this filthy creature māan,
his only Son, I say, the Son
of God. And how did hee
wash him? No water would
make him cleane: hee washed
him with his owne bloud,
& he sweat water and bloud
with washing of him, yea, he
shed his hart bloud, & gave it
Mat.26.27 man to drinke, that it might
enter into his heart, and so
run through all his veines, &
so cleanse him indeed. “Mans
flesh was corrupted. The Sonne M4of M4v 254
of God brake his body, & gave
them his flesh to eat,” Gen.6.12
that it
Mat.26.26 might renue their flesh, and
that their leprosie might be
healed: and the Son of God
did this indeed; he brake his
body, and gave it us to feed
on; hee shed his bloud, and
gave it us to drink, or else we
could never have bin clensed.
But woe is me, God wold
not accept him, he said that
man for his disobedience to
him, and obeying the divell,
must goe to hell and burne
there. Oh the mercies of the
Sonne of God, how is it possible
they should be shadowed
out! for no body can expresse
Eph.3.18.
19.
the depth of it, that
he would indure the paines
Gal.3.13. of hel for us: he being man,
indured them; and being God M5r 255
God, overcame them: hee
stopped the mouth of the
divell, shut the gates of hel,
tooke man by the hand, hee
John 14.7 having washed him and indured
the paines of hell for
him: hee takes him by the
hand I say, and leads him
John 8.36 to his father, hee accepts
him in Christ. Oh the mercies
of God in Christ, that
are never able to bee set out
Eccl.7.29 by man! Man throgh his fal
wrought his utter ruine alone
by himself; Christ the
Son of God, hath wrought
his recovery alone by himselfe,
John 3.16 without the helpe of any,
and set man in a far better
estate, then he was before;
Joh.11.25 for now hee hath given him
the hand of faith to hold on
him, that he may never fall M5before, M5v 256 before, man was alone, but
now hee is joyned fast unto
Mat.16.16 Christ by faith. Now what
hath man to do, To follow
Christ, & take hold of him
by faith. Not that man deserveth
heaven by following
Christ, no nor by his faith;
but he taketh hold of him,
which hath deserved heavēen
for him, and bringeth him
thither, and setteth him in
a glorious place by God his
Father, and God accepteth
him in Christ, & taketh him
at his hands. “No man cōommeth
to the Father, but by me” Mat.11.27
(saith
Christ.) Now oughtest not
thou in conscience to love,
obey, and follow his counsell,
that hath done all this
for thee? & to love his children
& servants, better then the M6r 257
the children and servants of
thy utter enemy the divell?
who was not only enemy to
thee, then when he first corrupted
thee & thy seed, but
hee is utter enemy to thee
still, & not only an utter enemy
to thee, but also to christ
thy Saviour, and will by all
meanes hinder him, and impoverish
his kingdome, & if
he can possible he wil bring
thee frōom Christ to hel again?
And wilt thou inrich his
kingdome for a little goods
(wchwhich Christ never bid thee
get) who is an utter enemy
to thy Saviour, and seeketh
by all meanes to impoverish
his kingdome, to speake against
his Word, to scoffe at
them that follow him, yea,
oftēen stoppeth their mouthes that M6v 258
that would gladly speake on
Christs side, saying, If thou
Joh.19 12 art altogether on Christs side
thou art not sars friend, &
wilt not inrich his kingdom?
Thou knowest when thou
inrichest Satans kingdome,
thou weaknest the kingdōome
of Christ, in that thou weaknest
thy faith; for thou canst
not in faith part with any of
thy goods, to one whōom thou
dost not think the servant of
God in Christ; and “whatsoever
is not of faith, is sin.” Ro.14.23.
And I
proove this unto thee thus.
When thou losest the favor
of God, and becommest a
bondslave of the divel, thou
losest all the blessings, which
God in mercy hath made for
thee, and bestowed on thee.
But they did not then fall to the M7r 259
the divell, but did fall to the
Lord, whose they were; for
they were not thine before,
but the Lords, and therefore
thou couldest not lose them,
nor forfet them to the divel:
yet thou hast lost thēem frōom thy
selfe, & they fell to the Lord,
who lent thee them so long
as thou didst serve him: but
the Divell finding thee possest
of them, claimeth them
now, not that hee hath any
right to them, but like an usurping
Tyrant, and it it was
thy fault in yeelding thy obedience
o to him, which maketh
him to claim thee as his
bond—slave, & all thy goods
to be at his commandement;
but thou hadst nothing to
lose but thy selfe, and that
thou losest, but Christ redeemedmed M7v 260
thee. Take heed therefore,
for as an usurping Tyrant,
who having gottēen once
possession of a kingdom, will
ever after lay claim to it, and
will use all the means he can
to get it again; and the first
possession is not only a great
light to make him get it the
easier, but also it maketh him
if he get it againe, to keep it
more strongly, and fortifie it
with a mighty power, & keep
watch and ward in it, that he
will never lose it againe: So
will the Divell, & therefore
take heed thou deal not with
any of the servants of the diuell,
nor by no means inrich
his kingdome. If a noble and
worthy—minded man, who
hath great possessions, passe
by some puddle, where hee should M8r 261
should see a harlot casting away
her own son, if he should
inquire for the father, & find
that contrary to nature, hee
were run away from his own
child, leaving it to utter ruine
& destruction; if this noble—
minded Gentleman should
take up the childe, and cause
it to be washed, clothed & fed,
and cause it to be instructed,
& taught those things which
it were fit it should learned &
when he came to be a man,
hee should say, “I found thee
thus and thus, and seeing no
body had care of thee, I took
thee up, and ever since maintained
thee in good estate;
& now I would have thee acquainted
with my affaires &
busines; for I meane to trust
thee with those things that I haue: M8v 262
have: for so it is, my King
calleth for me, & the affaires
of my Country require that
I should neglect mine owne
busines & attend upon them;
wherefore I leave my Lands,
Lordships and Tenements
with you in trust, till I come
again: let thēem to my friends,
& let thēem such pennyworths,
that they may well live upon
them: let your owne friends
some part of them; deale so
in it, as at my cōomming home
I may finde you faithfull.”

Now if this servant should
neglect his charge, neglect
his owne friends and his masters,
and go for a little more
rent, which his master cared
not a whit for, & let his lands
and tenements to his utter enemies,
who growing rich vvith M9r 263
with the Lands and goods of
this noble Lord, would bee
ready to bidde him battle at
his returne home, & to strike
at him with his owne sword;
judge you, would not this
Lord think, he had dealt very
evill with him? nay, would
not every honest man that
should but heare of it, thinke
& say that he had dealt most
vildely with so good a Lord
and Master, and that he were
never meete to come in the
company of an honest man
againe? Thus hath Christ
dealt with us; When our wicked
father and ungodly mother,
Adam and Eve, cast us
into the puddle of sin, & ran
away, & left us there, where
we should never have beene
able to have gotten out, Jesus Christ, M9v 264
Christ
, the onely Son of the
high and mighty God, our
mercifull Lord and Saviour,
came by, and washed us
and brought us up at his own cost
& charges, and we have nothing
but frōom him; he taught
us himselfe in all good doctrine;
and being gone to overcome
the enemy of his
King and Country, he hath
left his goods with thee, bids
thee to deale well with his
servants, and let them good
penny—worths, and deale not
with his enemies, neither
2.Cor.6.
14.
make any mariage with thēem:
yet thou for a little money
wilt buy and sell, marry and
give iun marriage with them,
yea & thinkest, because thou
findest thēem more rich in the
world, they are better for thee M10r 265
thee to deale withall; & yet
they are the utter enemies of
thy Lord, and will bee ready
at his comming to bid him
battle, and strike at him with
his owne sword.

Chap. 45.

The right use of goods.

Heere thou seest, what
cause thou hast to love
Christ and his servants, and
how thou oughtest not to
love thine own; but to use it,
as the Lord hath appointed
thee, whose indeede it is. If
thou dealest not with thy
Lords goods and lands, as he
hath appointed thee, art
thou not in a great fault?
Surely thou hast nothing to
say for thy selfe, save to appeale
to his mercy, confesse
thy sinnes, & amend thy life. But M10v 266
But if a Preacher, whōom God
hath enlightned to see, what
he was out of Christ, & what
he is in Christ, and hath willed
him to tell the people
from his mouth, how he and
they should now behave
Tit.2.1. themselves inwardly in their
hearts, & outwardly in their
goods and substance; if he, I
Mat.5.14. say, Whom God hath set
upon a hill to give light to
many; if he I say, whom God
Luk.12.48. hath given much unto, and
of whom much shall bee re­
required; if he, I say, whom
the sunne of understanding
should arise upon; nay, if he,
I say, in whose heart the glorious
Sonne of god should
shine, will darken his glorie
with the thicke clouds, or rather
thicke clods of this earthenthen M11r 267
world, his sin is great;
but what did I say, darken
their light? nay, they darken
the light of the Gospell, that
all should see to goe by:
nay, they darken the glorious
light of the Son of God,
& ecclipse his glory: wheras
“they should draw many unto
Christ” 1.Tim.4
16.
by their liberalitie and
true preaching, they drive
many from Christ by love of
their owne (as they say) & by
their idlenes & negligence in
preaching (as I say) & I say,
this love of their own, as they
call it, is a thousand times
worse in them, & doth a multitude
more of hurt, then in
other ordinarie men, who
love the world as well as
they; but there are not so
manie that looke on them, and M11v 268
and God hath not set them
for a light, as hee hath done
the Preachers. And the reason
why the Preachers are
many times overcom, is this,
because the enemie doth
bend all his forces against
them, not unlike the enemy
to the Israelites, who sayd,
“Fight neither against more nor
lesse, but against the King of Israel.”
1.King.22.
31.
So doth our enemy the
Divell, hee fighteth neither
against more nor lesse, but against
the Captaines of the
Church, namely the Preachers;
for he knoweth, that
if they bee once overcome,
then the whole armie will
soone bee confounded and
brought to nought. Bee you
all upholders of them, which
by no meanes can bee done but M12r 269
but by prayer; for as our
preachers should pray for al,
so all should send up their
praiers to Almightie God,
in the name of his Sonne, to
send his holie Spirit into the
hearts of the Preachers, to
sanctifie them throughout,
that they maybe holy in bodie
& minde, following the
exāample of our Saviour Christ, Luk.22.31
who said to Peter his Apostle,
whom he had appointed
to be chiefe Preacher to the
Church of the Jewes, “Peter,
Peter, Sathan hath sought to
winnow thee like wheat, but I
have praied that they faith faile
not.”
Again, S. Paul appointed
by the Son of God to bee
cheefe Preacher to the
Church of the Gentils, witnesseth
of himselfe, saying, The M12v 270
“The messenger of Sathan was
sent to buffet me, but I besought
the Lord Jesus, that hee might
depart from mee.” 2.Cor.12
7.8.
Now in
these two great combates
made between the divell &
the deare children of God,
ye see, that praier is the weapon
whereby the Tempter
is overcome. Wherefore I
earnestlie entreat you, let
your praiers alwaies be sent
up to God, through Christ
for the Preachers, & all such
as are in high places, that so
they continuing firme and
stedfast, your faith may by
thēem be more confirmed. And
the blessing of God Almightie,
the Father, the Sonne,
and the holy Ghost be with
you all from this time, even
to the worlds end. Amen.

Finis.