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<DATE>2014-03-06</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P>INDECORVM: OR A BRIEFE TREATISE vpon one of <HI>Salomons Pro|uerbs. Chap.</HI> 11.22. WHEREIN IS SHEWED, how ill-be&s;eeming all common gifts and worldly ble&s;&s;ings are to all &s;uch, as are not furni&s;hed with &s;ome <HI>an&s;werable mea&s;ure of &s;piri|tuall</HI> and &s;auing grace.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>LVKE 10.42.</HI></BIBL>
<P>One thing is needfull, Mary hath cho&s;en the good part, which &s;hall not be taken from her.</P></Q>
<P><HI>AT LONDON</HI> Imprinted by <HI>Felix Kyngston,</HI> for <HI>Richard Boyle,</HI> and are to be &s;ould at his &s;hop dwelling in the Blacke-friers. 1613.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO ALL THAT ARE CALLED TO GLORIE AND VERTVE, BY NAME TO THE INHABITANTS OF THE CITIE OF LONDON, AND more e&s;pecially to them of the <HI>Blacke-Friers, S. E.</HI> vvi&s;heth increa&s;e of grace, and ver|tue, and grovvth in the a&s;&s;urance of eternall glory, from God the father, by the Holy Gho&s;t, through Faith in the onely merit and mediation of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_FOr as much as wee are all &s;trangers and pilgrimes on the earth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 5.6. Heb. 11.13 1. Pet. 2.11</NOTE> it &s;hall be our wi&s;edome as <HI>&s;trangers and pilgrimes to ab&s;taine from fle&s;hly lu&s;ts, which fight again&s;t the &s;oule:</HI> euen as it is the wi&s;edome of a
<PB REF="3">pilgrime or traueller to ab|&s;taine (as much as is po&s;&s;ible) from all things, that may di|&s;tract his minde from the loue and de&s;ire of his owne home, or cau&s;e him to linger in the way, and triflle out his time, til either his meanes or &s;trength doe faile him, whereby hee &s;hould come to the end of his entended iourney.</P>
<P>For euery pilgrime or tra|ueller hath three things e&s;peci|ally to looke vnto. The fir&s;t is the &s;cope and end of his iour|ney. The &s;econd is the direct and ready way that leadeth to it. The third is what things they be, which may either fur|ther
<PB REF="3">him or hinder him in this way, that accordingly he may embrace the one,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 3.16.</NOTE> and &s;hunne the other. And the&s;e three are all of them plainely and plen|tifully laied out vnto vs in the <HI>Holy Scriptures.</HI></P>
<P>The generall end &amp; happi|nes, as of al creatures,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 16.4.</NOTE> &s;o more &s;pecially of the redeemed of Chri&s;t, is the glory of God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 9.23</NOTE> But there is a more particular end in regard of our &s;elues,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 10.31.</NOTE> which we ought euery day &amp; houre, yea (if it were po&s;&s;ible) euery minute and moment to &s;et before our eyes, and the &s;ame is double.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t and principall end
<PB REF="4">in regard of our &s;elues,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.11 &amp;. 17.15.</NOTE> is, a perfect and perpetuall fruiti|on of Gods mo&s;t gratious and glorious pre&s;ence in the king|dome of heauen. The &s;econd is a &s;ound per&s;wa&s;ion &amp; com|fortable a&s;&s;urance thereof in this pre&s;ent life.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10.20 2. Pet. 1.10</NOTE></P>
<P>The way to bring vs to the end of our iourney (being the &s;econd thing which a traueller is to looke vnto) con&s;i&s;teth in two things, whereof the one is the fir&s;t and more principall in nature and order, the other being the &s;econd, is like to the fir&s;t and &s;pringing from it. The fir&s;t is to belieue truely in the Lord <HI>Je&s;us Christ that hee</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 20.28. &amp;. 3.16.36.</NOTE>
<PB REF="4"><HI>is our Lord and our God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 4.12. &amp;. 16.23.</NOTE> &amp; that by him alone wee haue full re|mi&s;sion of al our &s;innes, and e|ternall felicity both of &s;oule and body.</P>
<P>The &s;econd being as it were the fruit and branch &s;pringing from thence (without which wee vtterly deceiue our &s;elues in it, embracing a &s;hadow in &s;tead of the &s;ub&s;tance &amp; a fan|cie in &s;tead of faith) is to re|pent vnfainedly of all our &s;ins, beeing &s;mitten with a godlie &s;orrow for them, and perfect hatred of them, firmely re&s;ol|uing to for&s;ake them finally, and daily to re&s;i&s;t them,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 13.3.5. Ier. 3.10.</NOTE> <HI>with full purpo&s;e of heart to cleaue to
<PB REF="5">the Lord,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 7.10. 2. Kin. 5.17 Act. 11.23. &amp; 24.16.</NOTE> <HI>and neuer to returne a|gaine to folly, but to exerci&s;e our &s;elues, to haue a cleere con&s;cience, both towards God and towards men continually.</HI></P>
<P>The thing (to come to the third point) that will mo&s;t ef|fectually further vs in this &s;pi|rituall iourney, is a religious and con&s;tant v&s;e of all holy meanes and helps, both pub|lique and priuate,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. The&s;. 5.22.</NOTE> which God in his wi&s;edome and mercy hath ordained and &s;anctified to that end and purpo&s;e;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 4.7 8.13.14.15.16.</NOTE> and chiefly of the word and pray|er, whereby tho&s;e corruptions are kept vnder, that would bring vs to perdition,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 3.15</NOTE> &amp; tho&s;e
<PB REF="5">heauenly graces kindled and quickned in vs, without which we can neuer come to eternall glory.</P>
<P>The things that hinder vs in our &s;pirituall iourney, are ei|ther as cau&s;es or occa&s;ions. The cau&s;es are partly from without vs (though they come very neere vnto vs and get within vs) &amp; partly (yea prin|cipally) from within vs. The cau&s;es from without vs (and yet getting within vs) are the <HI>&s;ifting or winnowing of Satan</HI> &amp; his Angels (again&s;t whom we are continually to wre&s;tle) <HI>who as roaring Lions walke about &s;eeking whom they may deuoure.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luc. 22.3.31.</NOTE>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 11.3 Eph. 6.12. 1. Pet. 5.8.</NOTE></P>
<PB REF="6">
<P>The cau&s;es from within vs and which (in <HI>Adam</HI>) wee wit|tingly and willinglie pulled vpon our &s;elues (being indeed the direct and proper cau&s;es of our ruine) are our owne corrupt affections,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.1. &amp;c. Acts 5.3. Eccl. 7.31. Mat. 15.18.</NOTE> or (as the holy Apo&s;tle calleth them) <HI>our owne plea&s;ures,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 4.1. &amp; 1.13.14.</NOTE> <HI>or lusts, that fight and make war in our mem|bers;</HI> and whereby (as hee &s;aid before in the &s;ame Epi&s;tle) we are drawne away and enti&s;ed.</P>
<P>The occa&s;ions which doe incumber and hinder vs in our &s;pirituall pa&s;&s;age towards the kingdome of heauen, are like|wi&s;e of two &s;orts; whereof &s;ome are &s;uch as (according
<PB REF="6">to the common phra&s;e of &s;peech) may be &s;aid to come on the left hand; others are &s;uch, as (according to the like phra&s;e) may bee &s;aid to come on the right hand.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 30.9.</NOTE> The fir&s;t (as the wi&s;e man &s;aith) cau&s;e vs to &s;teale and robbe men of their goods, the other cau&s;eth men to deny (or bely) God, and rob him of his glorie.</P>
<P>The occa&s;ions comming on our left hand are &s;ickne&s;&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deu. 28.34 Eccle&s;. 7.9.</NOTE> pouerty, oppre&s;&s;ion, reproach, deformitie, and the like, by oc|ca&s;ion and meanes whereof many are di&s;tracted, deiected,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 4.24 &amp;. 6.9. &amp;. 15.22.23.24. &amp;. 16.2.3. &amp;. 17.8.9</NOTE> di&s;couraged and greatly hin|dred in their pa&s;&s;age towards
<PB REF="7">the heauenly Ieru&s;alem; as the I&s;raelites (through their owne corruption) were hindered by the like occa&s;ion in their pa&s;&s;age and trauel towards the earthly Canaan.</P>
<P>The occa&s;ions on the right hand, as they are much more gratefull and plea&s;ing to fle&s;h &amp; bloud, then tho&s;e are which come on the left hand, &s;o are they much more powerfull to doe vs hurt.</P>
<P>Of this &s;ort are pro&s;peritie, health, wit, wealth, riches, ho|nour, beauty, and the like: of al which being abu&s;ed (as for the mo&s;t part, and by the greate&s;t number they bee) it may bee
<PB REF="7">truely &s;aide of them all which the Apo&s;tle &s;aith of one of them (namely riches) that <HI>they bring men into tentation &amp; &s;nares,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 6.9</NOTE> <HI>and into many fooli&s;h and noy&s;ome lu&s;ts, which drowne men in perdition and destruction.</HI></P>
<P>Of the&s;e occa&s;ionall hinde|rances (as I may call them) the holy Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh in the &s;econd Chapter of his fir&s;t E|pi&s;tle: &s;aying,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Iohn. 2, 15.16.</NOTE> <HI>Loue not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loue this world, the loue of the Father is not in him. For all that is in this world, as the lust of the fle&s;h, the lu&s;t of the eye and the pride of life, is not of the Father but
<PB REF="8">of this world.</HI></P>
<P>Where (as with &s;ome lear|ned and godly men I vnder|&s;tand it) <HI>by the lu&s;t of the fle&s;h,</HI> he meaneth carnall and fle&s;hly affections, feeding vpon beau|ty, and other like baites of the &s;en&s;uall and voluptuous per|&s;on: fearefull examples there|of, and of the iudgements fol|lowing there vpon, we haue in <HI>Shechem</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>Hamor:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 34.2.25.26.27. et. 39.7.8.</NOTE> in <HI>Potiphars</HI> wife the mi&s;tris of <HI>Io&s;eph;</HI> in <HI>Amnon,</HI> the elde&s;t &s;on of <HI>Dauid</HI> the king;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 1.3 1.2. &amp;c.</NOTE> in <HI>Herod An|tipas,</HI> who being raui&s;hed with the wanton dauncing of a light young woman, conde&s;|cended to the beheading of
<PB REF="8"><HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> a mo&s;t zealous &amp; faithfull preacher, &amp; the fore|runner of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Yea this baite hath, begui|led not onely the vncircum|ci&s;ed in the fle&s;h, as <HI>Shechem,</HI> &amp; in heart, as <HI>Herod,</HI> but al&s;o di|uers of the deere children of God: doe we not reade how <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> the Lords champion,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 14.7.</NOTE> was caught with this baite? was not <HI>Dauid</HI> by the like meanes entangled and drawne to di&s;|honour God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 11.2. &amp;. 12.10</NOTE> and bring hea|uie iudgements vpon him&s;elfe and his hou&s;e?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6.2.</NOTE> did not the like lu&s;t of the fle&s;h deceiue a great number of the &s;onnes of God (whereof it is like &s;ome were
<PB REF="9">&s;onnes indeede as well as in name) and brought de&s;tructi|on vpon the world?</P>
<P><HI>By the lu&s;t of the eyes,</HI> I vnder|&s;tand a greedy de&s;ire of wealth &amp; riches, which are as thornes &amp; briers to the couetous man; examples whereof we haue in <HI>Achan,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;. 7.21.25.26.</NOTE> who&s;e hart and eies be|ing pricked with the&s;e thornes, brought trouble to the whole Church of God, and e&s;pecially to him&s;elfe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1: King. 21.12.3.4. &amp;c.</NOTE> and his own fami|ly: and in <HI>Ahab</HI> who&s;e greedy eyes being &s;et on fire with the &s;ight of <HI>Naboths</HI> vineyard, that lay &s;o fitly (as he imagined) to &s;erue his turne, made him giue waie to the murthering and
<PB REF="9">oppre&s;&s;ing of the innocent, which brought vengeance vp|on him and his.</P>
<P>The like may be &s;aid <HI>of the pride of life,</HI> wherby is meant worldly honour &amp; preferme~t, great attendance, braue attire, gorgeous hou&s;es, &s;tately &s;er|uice and other things of that kind which are as nets &amp; &s;nares to the ambitious. By the&s;e nets (to omit manie other) was <HI>Ab&s;alo~</HI> brought to that height of di&s;loyaltie again&s;t his law|full King,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 15.1.2.3.4.5. &amp;. 18.6.9.</NOTE> and too louing fa|ther, that plotted a halter of his owne goodly haire, and &s;et vp a gibbet to hang him vpon in the wood of <HI>Ephraim.</HI> The like
<PB REF="10">pride of life, puffed vp with glittering apparell and popu|lar applau&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 12.21.22.23.</NOTE> made <HI>Herod</HI> who a little before had killed <HI>Iames</HI> and impri&s;oned <HI>Peter,</HI> a praie to the lice and vermine that i&s;&s;ued abundantlie out of his body.</P>
<P>Again&s;t the&s;e occa&s;ionall incumbrances and impedi|ments, in our &s;pirituall pa&s;&s;age towards the kingdome of hea|uen (and mo&s;t properly a|gain&s;t the fir&s;t of them which <HI>is the lu&s;t of the fle&s;h</HI>) doth holy <HI>Salomon</HI> in this diuine prouerb endeuour to &s;trengthen vs: and the penner hereof (accor|ding to his weake mea&s;ure)
<PB REF="10">aymeth at the &s;ame marke.</P>
<P>This treati&s;e returning in|to my hands without alterati|on, additio~, or detractio~, cleane contrarie to my expectation, by the vnexpected, &amp; to (&s;peak according to man) vntimelie death of a deare friend and neighbour, to whom I had freely giuen it, for his own v&s;e, I thought good to pre&s;ent to you, as one that haue receiued much comfort from among&s;t you, and haue beene (I tru&s;t by the grace of God by which alone I haue beene that I haue bin,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 15. ver. 10. &amp;. 6.</NOTE> &amp; am that I am) an in&s;tru|me~t of &s;ome &s;pirituall ble&s;&s;ing to diuers of you, whereof ma|nie
<PB REF="11">remaine aliue this day, and manie are fallen a&s;leepe in the Lord.</P>
<P>To you (I &s;ay) I doe pre&s;ent it as a &s;mall te&s;timonie of my true thankfulne&s;&s;e, both to|wards the dead, and towards the liuing, and of my vnfained de&s;ire to draw &s;uch as remaine aliue, from the corrupt and carnal loue <HI>of the&s;e vain things,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 14.15</NOTE> to a more feruent and hear|tie loue of the euerla&s;ting, mo&s;t louing and louely God, <HI>who made heauen and earth, the &s;ea and all</HI> (the faire and beau|tifull) <HI>things therein:</HI> whence it followeth of nece&s;&s;itie, that he alone is the perfection of
<PB REF="11">all beauties,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1.16. &amp; 5.9.10.11. Hag 2.8. P&s;al 75.6.7. &amp; 16.12.</NOTE> the &s;tore-hou&s;e of all riches, and the well-&s;pring of all true preferment, plea|&s;ures and delights in heauen and earth: and therefore that he alone is to be admired, ado|red, e&s;teemed and loued farre aboue all things in heauen, and earth be&s;ides.</P>
<P>And this thing I de&s;ire and endeuour,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">A digre&s;&s;i|on in la|mentation of the death of our late Prince.</NOTE> &s;o much the rather to effect, beecau&s;e of late, the Lord of ho&s;tes hath &s;ounded an alarum, &amp; blowne a trum|pet in our eares, to awaken vs out of that dangerous and deadly &s;leepe of carnall &s;ecu|ritie, into which wee are &s;o deepely fallen: yea, hee hath
<PB REF="12">vttered his voice, &amp; &s;ent forth a &s;udden and terrible thunder|clap, and that in a great calme and faire &s;unne&s;hine towards (through the expectation of a happie coniunction betwixt a mo&s;t chri&s;tian yong Prince &amp; Prince&s;&s;e) by taking <HI>from vs the &s;econdary breath of our nostrils,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 4.10.</NOTE> <HI>euen the elde&s;t &s;on of our gracious Soueraigne, that peerele&s;&s;e Hen|rie, late Prince of VVales, in the verie prime &amp; &s;pring of his greene and flori&s;hing age.</HI></P>
<P>Wee reioyced indeede the fifth day of Nouember (as wee had iu&s;t cau&s;e) in remem|brance of Gods mo&s;t watch|full and mercifull prouidence
<PB REF="12">towards vs, di&s;appointing the mo&s;t diueli&s;h and deadly blow, that euer was intended and plotted again&s;t anie kinge|dome in the world, being di&s;|couered the fifth of Nouem|ber 1605. for which cau&s;e the fifth of Nouember ought worthily to bee kept (as the daies of Purim) with fea&s;ting and ioy throughout euery ge|neration.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;t. 9.26.27.28.</NOTE></P>
<P>The Emperor <HI>Caligula</HI> (a mon&s;ter rather then a man) onely wi&s;hed that al the heads of the people of Rome &s;tood vpon one necke, to the end he might chop them all off at one blow, meaning by heads their
<PB REF="13">naturall and bodily heads: but our Ie&s;uited Papi&s;ts (diuels rather then mon&s;ters) had not onely wi&s;hed with manie a long wi&s;h, but euen almo&s;t wrought and gotten all our ciuil and polliticke heads (one of which is worth ten thou|&s;and of the other heads) into one net,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 18.3. &amp;. 21.17.</NOTE> with full purpo&s;e and expectation to haue blowne them to fitters with one bla&s;t.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 124.7</NOTE> Therefore we reioyced (and that in the Lord) becau&s;e <HI>their net was broken, and we were deli|uered.</HI></P>
<P>But the next day,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 2.2. Iob. 30.31. 2. Sam. 1.10</NOTE> <HI>was a day of darkene&s;&s;e and blacknes,</HI> wher|in <HI>our harpe was turned to mour|ning,
<PB REF="13">&amp; our organs into the voice of them that weepe. Tell it not in Gath, neither publi&s;h it in the &s;treets of Askalon, lea&s;t the daugh|ters of the Phili&s;tims reioyce, lea&s;t the daughters of the vncircumci|&s;ed triumph.</HI></P>
<P>Tell it not in Rome, nei|ther publi&s;h it in the &s;treetes of <HI>Rhemes,</HI> lea&s;t the daughters of the &s;uper&s;titious &amp; idolatrous reioyce, lea&s;t the &s;educers and the &s;educed triumph toge|ther Lea&s;t <HI>they prai&s;e their Gods of gould and &s;iluer,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 5.4. E&s;ay 58.4.</NOTE> <HI>of bra&s;&s;e and iron, of wood and stone:</HI> lea&s;t they glorie to much in their hipo|critical fa&s;ting (if eating of fi&s;h and drinking of wine at din|ner,
<PB REF="14">&amp; iunckets at &s;upper may be called fa&s;ting) this la&s;t &s;um|mer:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 15.39.</NOTE> lea&s;t they count it meri|torious to ab&s;taine from fle&s;h of bea&s;ts, who make &s;o little account of the blood of their brethren; yea of their true and lawfull Kings.</P>
<P>For (giue me leaue to &s;peake to you, as <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;ometime &s;pake to his &s;eruants and fol|lowers) <HI>know yee not that there is a Prince and a verie great one</HI> (and of great expectation for vertue and valour) <HI>fallen this day in our Engli&s;h I&s;rael?</HI> After this manner &s;pake <HI>Dauid</HI> by occa&s;ion of <HI>Abners</HI> death whom <HI>Joab</HI> had murthered &amp;
<PB REF="14">by this patheticall and earne&s;t &s;peech hee iu&s;tifieth his owne fa&s;ting and mourning, prouo|king others by his example to doe the like: &s;hewing therein, that the chiefe rea&s;on, why men are not moued with &s;uch iudgements as they &s;hould, is becau&s;e they doe not <HI>know,</HI> that is, duly con&s;ider and lay to heart the greatne&s;&s;e of their lo&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>If King <HI>Dauid</HI> laid the death of <HI>Abner,</HI> being no &s;onne, nor heire to the crown, but a &s;ub|iect onely (and a late recon|ciled enemy) &s;o neere his hart; Oh how ought we to be affe|cted with this vntimely death
<PB REF="15">(I &s;peake according to man) of the elde&s;t &s;onne of our gra|tious Soueraigne) being now come to mans e&s;tate, &amp; to that maturity &amp; ripenes of Prince|ly wi&s;edome and valour, that many hundreds were refre&s;h|ed vnder his &s;hadow, and ma|ny thou&s;ands, or rather milli|ons, might haue ta&s;ted of the &s;weete fruit of his kingly ver|tue and magnanimitie in time to come.</P>
<P>But alas wee may now, if e|uer, take vp the complaint of the holy Prophet and &s;ay of a number, not onely of our watchmen,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 56.10.11.12.</NOTE> but of all &s;orts, that they are all blind. <HI>They haue no
<PB REF="15">knowledge:</HI> and a little after, <HI>they lye and &s;leepe and delight in &s;leeping: and the&s;e &s;hepheards</HI> (much more their &s;heep) <HI>can|not vnder&s;tand.</HI> Then follow|eth the rea&s;on. <HI>They all looke to their owne way, euery one for his aduantage and for his owne pur|po&s;e,</HI> &s;aying <HI>Come and I will bring wine,</HI> (and Tobacco) <HI>and wee will fill our &s;elues with &s;trong drinke, and to morrow &s;hall be as this day,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 57.1.2.</NOTE> <HI>and much more a|bundant.</HI></P>
<P>In the meane time (as the &s;ame prophet &s;aith in the be|ginning of the next Chapter) <HI>The righteous peri&s;heth and no man layeth it to heart: and mer|cifull
<PB REF="16">men are taken a way, and no man con&s;idereth, that the righte|ous is taken a way before the com|ming of that great euill.</HI> Yea no man reme~breth (as he ought) the words of our Sauiour Chri&s;t, &s;aying, <HI>The dayes will come</HI> (the Lord knoweth how &s;o one and &s;uddenly) <HI>when men &s;hall &s;ay,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luc. 23.29 30 31.</NOTE> <HI>ble&s;&s;ed are the barren, and the wombs that neuer bare, and the pappes which neuer gaue &s;ucke. Then &s;hall they begin to &s;ay to the mountaines, fall on vs, &amp; to the hills couer vs.</HI> And marke the rea&s;on heere of in the next ver&s;e. For (&s;aith he) <HI>if they doe the&s;e things to a greene tree, what &s;hall be done to the drye?</HI></P>
<PB REF="16">
<P>Wherefore let vs all, euen the be&s;t of vs all, con&s;ider as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>the plague in our owne hearts:</HI> yea let vs (as &s;ome tran&s;late it, and vnder&s;tand it) <HI>con&s;ider the plague of our owne heart:</HI> that is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Kin. 8.39 Mat. 15.19</NOTE> our &s;ecret and o|pen &s;innes, whereof our heart is the &s;inke and fountaine, which haue brought this hea|uy iudgement vpon vs, and do yet threaten, (though this were very greeuous and la|mentable) more grieuous and lamentable iudgments again&s;t vs. For it is not (if we will goe to the root of the matter) the practi&s;e of the Papi&s;ts, the di&s;|order of the patie~t, or error of
<PB REF="17">the Phi&s;itian: it is the &s;innes of the people that cut off Prin|ces.</P>
<P>This is that which holy <HI>Sa|muel</HI> teacheth in his diuine ex|hortation to the people of I&s;|raell,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 12.24.25.</NOTE> &s;aying, <HI>Feare you the Lord and &s;erue him in the truth, with al your harts, &amp; con&s;ider how great things be hath done for you. But if you do wickedly, you &s;hall peri&s;h, both you and your King.</HI> And though, ble&s;&s;ed be God, wee haue a gratious King, and a hopefull Prince, yet touching our late illu&s;trious Prince,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;e. 10.3.</NOTE> We may &s;ay <HI>we haue no Prince Henry becau&s;e we feared not the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>It was not the fword of <HI>Pha|rab
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.39. &amp;. 5.16.</NOTE>
<PB REF="17">Nece,</HI> but it was the &s;innes of <HI>Iudah</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> (as <HI>Ie|remy</HI> &s;heweth in his &s;pirituall lamentations) that cut off <HI>Jo|&s;ias,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.39. et. 5.16.</NOTE> that godly and zealous King of <HI>Judah,</HI> in the mid&s;t of his daies: neither was it any naturall infirmity or artifici|all confection, that took away King <HI>Edward</HI> the &s;ixth (to omit forraine and former exam|ples) of ble&s;&s;ed and holy me|mory, in the &s;pring of his age: it was the &s;innes of the people, yea of the Prote&s;tants of Eng|land, while euery man drea|ming of a long continuance of the Go&s;pell, the mo&s;t part began to turne the grace <HI>of
<PB REF="18">God into wantonnes and world|line&s;se.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iud. ver. 4.</NOTE></P>
<P>The like may be &s;aid of our illu&s;trious and hopefull <HI>Hen|ry</HI>) late Prince of Wales, who by the &s;ame &s;word of our &s;ins, was cut off in the flower of his youth. For the multitude loo|king (as the manner is) onely downeward vpon men; and &s;e|ing that wee had not onely a mo&s;t Chri&s;tian king of mid|dle age, a true defender of the Faith, both by his politick go|uernement and by his penne: but al&s;o a prince of &s;uch he|roicall parts and expectation for piety &amp; iu&s;tice, to &s;ucceed him in the throne of the king|dome,
<PB REF="18">when&s;oeuer God and nature &s;hould haue tran&s;lated him to a higher crowne.</P>
<P>The multitude I &s;ay, loo|king onely downeward vpon the&s;e things, and in confi|dence thereof growing pro|phane, licentious, proud, co|uetous, ambitious and outra|gious, in oathes, diet, appa|rell, oppre&s;&s;ion, and all other &s;innes again&s;t the fir&s;t and &s;e|cond table of the law, haue pulled downe this heauy iudg|ment of God vpon our heads.</P>
<P>But to conclude (lea&s;t I be &s;aid to make the entry longer then the hou&s;e) <HI>Let vs &s;earch and trye our waies,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.40.41.42.</NOTE> <HI>and turne a|gaine
<PB REF="19">to the Lord. Let vs lift our hearts with our hands to God in the heauens:</HI> and &s;ay, <HI>wee haue &s;inned and rebelled, therefore thou hast not &s;pared,</HI> no not <HI>Prince Henry,</HI> the mo&s;t lawfull and hopefull &s;ucce&s;&s;or of this imperiall Crowne. O let vs repent of the&s;e, not on|ly &s;oule-murdering, but al&s;o King-murdering and Prince-murdering &s;innes.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 56.6.</NOTE> Let vs in this common affliction, <HI>Seeke the Lord diligently while he may be found,</HI> and &s;ay to our &s;elues and one another;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;e. 5.15. &amp; 6.1.</NOTE> <HI>Come and let vs returne vnto the Lord: for he hath &s;poyled; and hee will heale vs: hee hath wounded vs, and
<PB REF="19">hee will bind vs vp.</HI></P>
<P>Let euery one of vs forget the &s;peech &amp; manners of <HI>Am|mon</HI> and <HI>A&s;hdod,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehe. 13.23.24.</NOTE> that is (as if I might &s;ay) of Athei&s;me and Popery, of bla&s;phemy and ri|bauldry; and learne to v&s;e the language of Canaan, euen &s;uch words as the Holy Gho&s;t doth pre&s;cribe, &s;aying. <HI>The Lord is my portion,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.24.25.26.</NOTE> <HI>&s;aith my &s;oule; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good to them that tru&s;t in him and to the &s;oule that &s;eeketh him. It is good both to trust and to waite for the &s;al|uation of the Lord.</HI> And in ano|ther place. <HI>It is better to trust in the Lord then to haue confi|dence
<PB REF="20">in Man,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 118.8.9.</NOTE> <HI>it is better to trust in the Lord then to haue confidence in Princes.</HI></P>
<P>We haue &s;tumbled too long at this &s;tone, (and yet wee will not bee taught) to the high di|&s;honour of almighty God, and to the great hinderance of the true peace and &s;ound comfort of our owne &s;oules; quite and cleane forgetting what wee haue &s;o often read and heard out of the holy Prophet &s;ay|ing.</P>
<P N="5">5 <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 17.5.6.7.8.</NOTE> <HI>cur&s;ed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh fle&s;h his arme, and withdraweth his heart from the Lord.</HI></P>
<PB REF="20">
<P N="6">6 <HI>For hee &s;hall bee like the heath in the wilderne&s;se, and &s;hall not &s;ee when any good commeth, but &s;hall inhabit the parched pla|ces in the wildernes, in a &s;alt land and not inhabited.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7 <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed bee the man that trusteth in the Lord, and who&s;e hope the Lord is.</HI></P>
<P N="8">8 <HI>For he &s;hall be as a tree that is planted by the water, which &s;preadeth out her roots by the ri|uer, and &s;hall not feele when the heat commeth, but her leafe &s;hall be greene and &s;hal not care for the yere of drought, neither &s;hal cea&s;e from yeelding fruit.</HI></P>
<P>Wherfore obey Princes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13.5.</NOTE> pray for Princes, that if they bee
<PB REF="21">good and gratious, they may continue &amp; encrea&s;e, if other|wi&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 12. Eccle&s;. 10.20.</NOTE> that they may conuert &amp; amend, but &s;peake no euill of them, much le&s;&s;e &s;purn again&s;t them, and thus doe, not be|cau&s;e of wrath onely (or chie|fly) but for con&s;cience &s;ake: becau&s;e God hath &s;o com|manded thee, &amp; becau&s;e they are in&s;truments of &s;o great &amp; manifolde ble&s;&s;ings vnto thee; yet what&s;oeuer they bee, bee thou alwaies mindfull of the admonition giuen by him who is <HI>King of all Kings, and Lord of all Lords,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>put not your trust in Princes, nor in the &s;onne of man</HI> (&s;auing in him who
<PB REF="21">is al&s;o the &s;onne of God) <HI>for there is no help in him. His breath departeth, hee returneth to his earth: the very &s;ame day his thoughts peri&s;h. Ble&s;&s;ed is hee that hath the God of Iacob for his helpe, who&s;e hope is in the Lord his God.</HI></P>
<P>To this God of <HI>Iacob,</HI> &amp; fa|ther of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t let vs daily pray, that it would plea&s;e him by his holy &s;pirit to <HI>teach vs &s;o to number our</HI> (&s;hort &s;lipperie and &s;infull daies) <HI>that we may get wi&s;e &amp; vndersta~ding harts,</HI> to profit by his word,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 90.12.</NOTE> to profit by his works, to profit by his mercies, &amp; to profit by his iudgements, which what el&s;e
<PB REF="22">doe they preach vnto vs, but the &s;umme of that mo&s;t hea|uenly &s;ermon which Chri&s;t &s;et|teth downe in few words, &s;ay|ing,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 13.3.</NOTE> <HI>Except you repent and a|mend your liues, you &s;hall all like|wi&s;e peri&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>God hath tried vs by many iudgements, &amp; by many more mercies and deliuerances, and of late yeares by a mo&s;t migh|ty and mercifull deliuerance, from a matchles and (if it had taken effect) vnrecouerable mi&s;chiefe, of which maruelous worke, God the Father may &s;ay vnto vs Engli&s;hmen, as his &s;onne Chri&s;t &s;aide of his mira|cles to the Iewes; <HI>If I had not
<PB REF="22">done workes among them which none other man did,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15.24.</NOTE> <HI>they had not had &s;in;</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t &amp; God may &s;ay of vs, <HI>If I had not wrought &s;uch a di&s;couery and deliuerance, as was neuer wrought for nation &s;ince the beginning of the world, their ingratitude had beene more excu&s;able.</HI></P>
<P>But now hauing &s;eene and ta&s;ted the &s;weetnes of his loue in that great mercy, &amp; yet not beene &s;tirred vp to loue him againe, and hauing al&s;o &s;eene and felt the &s;mart of his wrath in this heauy iudgement, and yet not beene mooued a whit the more to feare him, and for&s;ake our &s;innes, who &s;hall
<PB REF="23">entreate for vs, whom neither &s;uch matchle&s;&s;e mercies, nor &s;uch vnlooked for iudgements will worke vpon?</P>
<P>The Lord grant that the&s;e things may awaken vs, and worke kindly vpon vs, and that for his &s;onne Chri&s;t Ie&s;us &s;ake to whom with the Father and the Holy Gho&s;t, one true eternal, Almightie, mo&s;t wi&s;e and onely good God, bee giuen all glory and prai&s;e both now and euer.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="tract">
<PB N="1" REF="23">
<HEAD>A BRIEFE TREATISE VP|on one of SALO|MONS <HI>Prouerbs.</HI></HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>PROV. 11.22.</HI></BIBL>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 11.22</NOTE>As a iewell of gold in a &s;wines &s;nout, &s;o is a faire Woman that lacketh di&s;cre|tion.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THe &s;aying of <HI>Salomon</HI> vt|tered el&s;e where, may be fitly applied to the&s;e di|uine and holy &s;entences &s;et downe in this excellent booke of the Prouerbs:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 12.12</NOTE> <HI>The words of the wi&s;e</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>are like goades and nailes fa|&s;tned by the masters of the A&s;&s;emblies which are guided by one Pastor:</HI> That
<PB N="2" REF="24">is to &s;ay,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 1.21</NOTE> <HI>the Prophets and holy men of God, who &s;pake</HI> (not out of their owne braine) <HI>but as they were moued by the holy Ghost,</HI> haue a double v&s;e. The fir&s;t is, by precepts, admonitions, ex|hortations, threatnings and promi&s;es (as it were by certaine pricks and goads) to &s;tirre vp the dulne&s;&s;e and deadne&s;&s;e of our blocki&s;h and drow|&s;ie natures to a cherefull and fruitfull performance of all holy dueties of pietie and iu&s;tice. The &s;econd v&s;e is (by the &s;ame helps and meanes) to bridle and re&s;traine vs from euill, and (as it were by certaine nailes and pinnes, by which &s;heepeheards v&s;ed to fa&s;ten their &s;heepefolde to the ground) to retaine and keep vs with|in the bo&s;ome of the Church, and within the bounds of faith, and holy obedience to the commandements of God. And the rather (which is the chiefe&s;t commendation of all the re&s;t) becau&s;e they are the words of eternall life,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 6.68</NOTE> euen the words of Ie&s;us
<PB N="3" REF="24">Chri&s;t the great and principal Shep|heard of our &s;oules:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3.16. 2. Pet. 5.4. Eph. 4.11. 2. Tim. 2.15.</NOTE> freely giuen by him to his Church, together with officers and Mini&s;ters fit to deuide them aright.</P>
<P>This &s;aying may be fitly applied to the&s;e mo&s;t &s;oueraigne and holy &s;entences, which for the mo&s;t part (by the oppo&s;ition of one member to the other) containe in them, both a bridle to euill,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Whence the word Prouerbe hath his beginning</NOTE> and a &s;purre to good|ne&s;&s;e. I call them &s;oueraigne or ru|ling &s;entences, in re&s;pect of the He|brew roote (or verbe) from whence this word Prouerbe doth &s;pring, which &s;ignifieth to rule, raigne, and beare dominion. The Patriarches di&s;dained, and chafed, when they heard,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 37.8.</NOTE> that their younger brother &s;hould be their Lord. <HI>Shalt thou in|deede</HI> (&s;ay they, v&s;ing the very &s;ame word in the originall which is here v&s;ed) <HI>raigne ouer vs? Or &s;halt thou haue dominion ouer vs? And they hated him yet the more for his dreames and for his
<PB N="4" REF="25">words.</HI> But let vs not di&s;daine, but rather de&s;ire and pray that the&s;e Pro|uerbs may dwell and raigne in our hearts and gouerne our liues; and not our owne lu&s;ts and carnall rea|&s;on. When the people of I&s;raell would haue made <HI>Gedeon</HI> their king, hee refu&s;ed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 8.23.</NOTE> &s;aying; <HI>I will not raigne ouer you, neither &s;hall my child raigne o|uer you, but the Lord &s;hall raigne ouer you:</HI> Euen &s;o when Satan or any of his in&s;truments would per&s;wade vs (as <HI>Ionadab</HI> did <HI>Amnon</HI>) to giue way to our owne lu&s;ts:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 13.4.5.</NOTE> let vs an&s;were with valiant and victorious <HI>Gedeon,</HI> you &s;hall not rule me, nor leade mee captiue, but the Lord &s;hall rule ouer me;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 85.8. 2. King. 22.14.</NOTE> alwaies re&s;oluing with the holy Prophet <HI>to hearken what the Lord &s;aith,</HI> and with zealous and faithfull <HI>Micaiah</HI> to <HI>&s;peake nothing, but what the Lord &s;hall put into our mouth,</HI> nor to doe any thing, but what hee &s;hall require at our hands. Now to haue the Lord rule ouer vs, and to
<PB N="5" REF="25">haue his word (whereof the&s;e pro|uerbs are an excellent part) rule o|uer vs, is all one. For God doth rule vs by his word, and by his &s;pirit: and the Prophet praying that God would <HI>feed</HI> (that is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Micah 7.14.</NOTE> in&s;truct and go|uerne) <HI>his people with his rodde,</HI> doth teach the &s;ame.</P>
<P>The&s;e holy Prouerbs then (to re|turne from whence we digre&s;&s;ed) by the oppo&s;ition of the one member to the other, doe (for the mo&s;t part) containe both a bridle to euill, and a &s;pur to goodnes; and may fitly be re|ferred to &s;ome one commandement of the law, or to &s;ome one article of the faith: or at lea&s;t either to y^e law or Go&s;pell in generall.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">To what comman|dement this Pro|uerb belon|geth, with the parti|cular &s;cope and drift of it.</NOTE> Touching the prouerb co~tained in this ver. though it ca~not &s;o directly bee referred to a|ny one precept, as many of the re&s;t may: yet it may &s;erue as a bridle to re&s;traine pride; that is, the ouer prize|ing, and (as it were) the idolizing of our &s;elues, forbidden in the fir&s;t and
<PB N="6" REF="26">&s;econd commandements. Likewi&s;e it &s;erueth to re&s;traine, the abu&s;e of &s;uch outward ble&s;&s;ings, &amp; common gifts, as God be&s;toweth vpon men; by which abu&s;e of the creature, the name of the Creator is taken in vain, contrarie to the third commande|ment. It may &s;erue moreouer to re|&s;traine, the great prophanation of the Lords day, which very many (as we &s;hall heare anon) doe very vaine|ly and wickedly mi&s;pend, by occa&s;i|on of &s;uch outward ornaments as God of his bountie be&s;toweth vpon them.</P>
<P>The like might be &s;aid touching the commandements of the &s;econd table. For this prouerbe may &s;erue as a bridle to re&s;traine the in&s;olencie of them, who by occa&s;ion of the&s;e out|ward things are puffed vp in them|&s;elues, and doe honour many whom they &s;hould de&s;pi&s;e, and de&s;pi&s;e ma|ny whom they ought to honour, flat contrary to the fifth co~mandement.
<PB N="7" REF="26">By the &s;ame rea&s;on it may &s;erue to re&s;traine murther (<HI>for onely by pride doth man make contention,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 13.10.</NOTE> picke quar|rels, make fraies, kil and &s;head blood) which is forbidden in the &s;ixth com|mandement: and adulterie (which many are drawn into by a faire face) forbidden in the &s;euenth comman|dement: And theft (which a num|ber commit to &s;et forth as they ima|gine, and adorne this golden iewel) forbidden in the eight commande|ment: and lying (for pride makes men giue more to them&s;elues, and &s;ome others,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 8.28.29.</NOTE> and againe to detract and take away from &s;ome more then is due) forbidden in the ninth com|mandement. Finally concupi&s;cence (forbidden in the tenth commande|ment) which is &s;et on fire when beautie is had in more admiration then piety and vertue, is here re&s;trai|ned: and contrariwi&s;e it may &s;erue very notablie, as a &s;purre, to pietie, humilitie, meekne&s;&s;e, mode&s;tie, cha|&s;titie,
<PB N="8" REF="27">iu&s;tice, truth, and many other holie duties required in the fir&s;t and &s;econd table of the Law. Generally it doth admoni&s;h all &s;uch as haue good naturall parts (as they are cal|led) that is to &s;ay, wit, memory, vtte|rance, &s;trength, beautie, and the like; or do abound with outward things, as riches, honor, &s;ucce&s;&s;e and other of that kind: Or of indu&s;try, as arte, learning, experience, and &s;uch things as are gotten by &s;tudie, labour, and trauell.</P>
<P>This Prouerbe (I &s;ay) doth admo|ni&s;h all &s;uch, to labour &s;o much the rather for an an&s;werable mea&s;ure of &s;pirituall grace, without which the&s;e common gifts and endowments, do no way grace and adorne them; but rather di&s;grace and deforme them, and make them more loath&s;ome, and vglie in the eies of God, and of all tho&s;e whom hee hath enlightened and &s;anctified with &s;oundne&s;&s;e of iudgement, and vprightne&s;&s;e of hart.</P>
<PB N="9" REF="27">
<P>The argument (and as it were the naile and bridle) whereby all pro|phane per&s;ons are re&s;trained from taking pride in outward things,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The logical Analy&s;is and order ob&s;erued, in handling of this Pro|uerbe.</NOTE> and likewi&s;e the &s;pur and goade where|with they are quickened, and pric|ked forward to labour, and &s;tudie con&s;tantly, that their inward, and &s;pi|rituall graces may bee an&s;werable to tho&s;e common gifts and outward good things which God hath be&s;to|wed vpon them; is drawne from a &s;imilitude or compari&s;on, which may bee thus laid forth: If all out|ward, common and bodily gifts, be|come a prophane and vngodly per|&s;on, no better then a iewel of gold becommeth a &s;wine, vpon who&s;e &s;nout it is hung; then let no &s;uch per&s;ons plea&s;e them&s;elues, or take pride in their wit, health, &s;trength, riches, beautie, birth, or the like out|ward, bodily, and worldly ble&s;&s;ings; but rather, labour, and &s;tudie conti|nually to decke, enrich and beautifie
<PB N="10" REF="28">the inward and hidden man of the heart, and to make their &s;pirituall and heauenly graces, an&s;werable and &s;u|table to their outward and naturall gifts and endowments. But it is cer|taine (for the mouth of the Lord hath &s;poken it, and plainely &s;et it downe in this Prouerbe) that none of the&s;e things become a prophane per&s;on, any beter then a iewell of gold becommeth a &s;wine vpon who&s;e &s;nout it is hung. Therefore let no meere naturall man, or pro|phane &amp; carnall per&s;on, take pride in any &s;uch thing, but rather bee hum|bled, and feare, and labour daily to a|dorne and beautifie their &s;oules, and enrich them&s;elues with an an|&s;werable mea&s;ure of &s;pirituall and heauenly graces, by an holy v&s;e of all good meanes (as hearing, reading, praying, conferring and the like) which God hath appointed for that purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>But what? (may &s;ome &s;ay) is it
<PB N="11" REF="28">lawfull for them that be regenerate, and &s;pirituall per&s;ons, and are endu|ed with the gift,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The rege|nerate nei|ther doe, nor can place their delight in &s;uch things.</NOTE> and grace of di&s;cre|tion, to take pride in &s;uch things? I an&s;were that it is not lawfull for any to take pride in the&s;e things, becau&s;e it is not lawfull for any to &s;inne: As touching tho&s;e that be &s;pirituall, and truely regenerate, as it is not lawfull, &s;o it is not po&s;&s;ible; for if their chiefe glory and delight bee in &s;uch things, they are not &s;pirituall but carnall. I grant that being (for a time) left to them&s;elues, or giuen ouer to Satan (as holy <HI>Dauid,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Chron. 21.1.2 &amp;c. 2. Chron. 32.31. P&s;al. 1.2.</NOTE> and godly <HI>Hezekias</HI> were) they may be tickled with vain glory, and puffed vp with pride by rea&s;on of the&s;e things: Otherwi&s;e their maine delight is in the law of the Lord,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">&amp; 4.6. Luk. 10.20. &amp; 2. Pet. 1.10.</NOTE> and in the euidence of his loue, and a&s;&s;urance of their election to eternall life. Wherefore though Gods children ought to be thankfull for &s;uch things, and take comfort in them, as pledges and te&s;timonies of
<PB N="12" REF="29">the loue of their heauenly Father: yea and are &s;ometime drawne away (by the law of their members,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.23.</NOTE> rebel|ling again&s;t the law of their minds) to glory and ioy in the&s;e things more then is meet: yet euen when they &s;leepe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant 5.2. Mat. 6.21. Rom. 7.22</NOTE> their hearts are awake, their minds are in heauen, where their trea&s;ure is, and they delight in the law of God concerning the in|ner man.</P>
<P>But (to come to the points to bee noted) let vs fir&s;t con&s;ider y^e meaning of the words them&s;elues,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The parts of this text.</NOTE> with y^e an|&s;wering of &s;ome &s;uch que&s;tions, and doubts, as may ari&s;e from them. And &s;econdly let vs ob&s;erue and note &s;ome of the profits, and v&s;es as may bee gathered from this prouerbe &s;o cleared and expounded:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The inter|pretation of the word and the an|&s;wering of &s;om doubts ari&s;ing from them.</NOTE> <HI>As a Iewell of gold in a &s;wines &s;nout,</HI> that is to &s;ay, as any outward ornament of gold, pearle, pretious &s;tone, or any o|ther co&s;tly, rich and curious thing, be&s;towed vpon a &s;wine, or hung vp|on
<PB N="13" REF="29">the &s;nout of a hogge is mo&s;t ab|&s;urd, ridiculous, and vn&s;eemely, and doth no way become him, or hinder him from wallowing in the mire (for hee will wallow ne|uer the le&s;&s;e, yea perhaps the more to rub it of) but is rather &s;poiled, lo&s;t, and quite ca&s;t away vpon him: Euen &s;o are beautie, wit, &s;trength, birth, portion, good education, and the like, be&s;towed vpon pro|phane men (in true iudgement) ab&s;urd, ridiculous, and vn&s;eemely, and doe no way become them, or hinder the~ from tumbling in world|line&s;&s;e, and voluptuou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and wallowing in the mire, &amp; puddle of their &s;ins. (for they will wallow ne|uer the le&s;&s;e, yea much the more as &s;hall be &s;hewed anon by occa&s;ion of the&s;e things) but are rather quite &s;poyled, vtterly lo&s;t, and cleane ca&s;t away vpon them. <HI>A woman that lack|eth di&s;cretion.</HI>] That is, refractary, a|uer&s;e and oppo&s;ite, to the &s;ound ad|uice,
<PB N="14" REF="30">and whole&s;ome coun&s;ell of her reuerend parents, religious friends, or louing husband: One (as may be gathered by the proper &s;ignification of the Hebrew word) that doth not reli&s;h, or &s;auour &s;uch things, but ra|ther e&s;teeme them as things vn&s;auo|rie, and loath&s;ome to her ta&s;te. For as hee that is &s;icke of a feuer, or com|meth lately from &s;ome great fea&s;t, cannot ta&s;te his drinke though it bee neuer &s;o good, nor relli&s;h his meate, though it be neuer &s;o daintie. (for as it is &s;aid in another Prouerbe:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 27.7.</NOTE> <HI>Hee that is full de&s;pi&s;eth an honie combe</HI>) e|uen &s;o, &s;hee being &s;icke of &s;elfe-loue, and full of pride and &s;elfe-liking, cannot brooke, or abide any godly coun&s;ell, and whole&s;ome admoniti|on, how milde, and louing &s;oeuer it be; much like an impatient, and di&s;|ordered patient, who being dange|rou&s;ly &s;icke and di&s;ea&s;ed in his body, maketh his &s;ickne&s;&s;e much more de&s;|perate, by reiecting the coun&s;ell, and
<PB N="15" REF="30">aduice of the di&s;creet,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. <HI>Que&s;tion why beauty is put for all outward ble&s;&s;ings.</HI> Gen. 12.15.</NOTE> and learned Phi&s;ition.</P>
<P>Here if any &s;hall &s;ay, why is beau|ty (being one of the lea&s;t) put for all other outward ble&s;&s;ings? I an&s;were; fir&s;t, becau&s;e it is generally more ad|mired, marked, and &s;poken of by the greate&s;t part of men and women in the world (at lea&s;t in their yong, and youthfull daies) then any other out|ward ornament. Secondly, it is not a thing concealed, as &s;trength, which is not knowne till it bee tried, or as learning, which lieth hid in the bre&s;t till it bee &s;hewed; or as riches, which lieth hid in the che&s;t till it come to light; but is obuious, and open,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 39.7.</NOTE> to the view and eyes of all, which ma|keth all (e&s;pecially the vncha&s;t, and vndi&s;creet) to gaze at it, and talke of it, and them that haue it to take the more pride and delight in it.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. <HI>Que&s;tion why this prouerbe is v&s;ed of the woman.</HI></NOTE></P>
<P>Againe, if it bee demanded, why this prouerbe is v&s;ed of the woman rather then of the man, &s;eeing pride
<PB N="16" REF="31">is as deepely rooted in the man as in the woman, and &s;eeing the holy Gho&s;t (for the mo&s;t part) both in this book, and throughout the &s;crip|tures doth put the man for both &s;ex|es, woman and man? I an&s;were, fir&s;t, becau&s;e (in common account) beau|tie, and fairene&s;&s;e of face is more ad|mired, marked, and talked of, being be&s;towed vpon a woman, then when it is be&s;towed vpon a man, who is rather admired for his &s;trength, wi&s;|dome,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 17.42.</NOTE> and courage, then for his beautie, and faire complexion. Se|condly, becau&s;e although both &s;ex|es (by rea&s;on of that corruption which is common to them both) be louers of them&s;elues, and of the&s;e outward gifts, more then of God the fountaine and giuer of them; yet of the two (as both Scripture and expe|rience teach) the woman is more fraile and weake that way,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 3.7.</NOTE> and readi|er to take pride in her beautie and fairene&s;&s;e then the man; who&s;e cre|dit
<PB N="17" REF="31">and commendation (as hath bin &s;aid) &s;tandeth rather in the &s;trength of his bodie,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 8.20.21.</NOTE> and courage of his minde, then in the beautie and faire|ne&s;&s;e of his face.</P>
<P>If it be demanded,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Que&s;tion. whether beautie be in it &s;elfe a ble&s;&s;ing or no?</NOTE> whether beau|tie in it &s;elfe be not a ble&s;&s;ing, and to be reckoned among the benefits and gifts which God be&s;toweth vpon men? I an&s;were, yes, it is an outward &amp; bodily ble&s;&s;ing, as health, &s;trength, riches, and other things of that kind are, though farre inferiour to them, being neither &s;o nece&s;&s;arie for the comfort of mans life, nor &s;o auailable to the performance of the duties of Chri&s;tianitie, and of our &s;euerall cal|lings: yet a ble&s;&s;ing and an orna|ment, which God be&s;toweth, both vpon men and women, for good and holy purpo&s;es. The diuine beautie of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> was a &s;peciall motiue,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 2.2. Act. 7.20.</NOTE> to cau&s;e his mother &s;o carefully to con|ceale, and hide him as long as &s;hee could (euen three moneths toge|ther)
<PB N="18" REF="32">and afterwards to moue <HI>Ther|mutis</HI> (as <HI>Io&s;ephus</HI> calleth her) <HI>Phara|ohs</HI> daughter, the rather to pity him and prouide for him, and (by the o|uerruling of Gods mo&s;t wi&s;e and gratious prouidence) to put him a|gaine into the bo&s;ome of his owne mother to giue him &s;ucke. So like|wi&s;e (among women) the beauty of <HI>Ester</HI> was a &s;peciall meanes to prefer her to be wife to <HI>A&s;&s;uerus,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ter 2.7.8. &amp;c.</NOTE> that great and mighty Monarch of Per&s;ia, and con&s;equently a gratious in&s;trument of that great deliuerance and pre&s;er|uation of the whole Church, from the bloody de&s;ignes of wicked <HI>Ha|mon,</HI> together with the ruine of him, and his whole familie, and of all that cur&s;ed nation, who were prepared to make a ma&s;&s;acre of the people of God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 39.6.7.20. P&s;al. 105.18. 2. Sam. 13.1.2.3.4. &amp;c</NOTE> And though <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> faire face were an occa&s;ion of his commitment to that foule pri&s;on, in which (as it is &s;aid) the iron entred into his &s;oule; and <HI>Tamars</HI> beautie were an occa&s;i|on
<PB N="19" REF="32">fir&s;t of filthie ince&s;t, and after of cruell blood&s;hed and murther: yet that is no di&s;prai&s;e to this ornament of beautie, which God in his wi&s;e|dome, and of his bountie be&s;towed vpon them. For although the be&s;t outward gifts, and ble&s;&s;ings of God bee by the &s;onnes and daughters of Belial abu&s;ed (as the high and holy prie&s;thod was by <HI>Elyes</HI> &s;onnes) yet they are notwith&s;tanding to bee ac|counted good in their owne nature,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 2.12.22.</NOTE> as comming from God, and giuen of him for very good and holy purpo|&s;es, as in the examples before alea|ged, and in diuers others may eui|dently appeare. For by the former, that is, by the beautie of <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> which was accidentally an occa&s;ion of his commitment, and con&s;equently of his preferment (for if he had not bin pri&s;oner in that place, <HI>Pharaohs</HI> butler could not haue had knowledge of his gift, and commended him to the King.) God made way for the ma|nife&s;tation
<PB N="20" REF="33">of his mercy, and good|ne&s;&s;e; in pre&s;eruing of <HI>Iacobs</HI> family, and po&s;terity, that is to &s;ay, of the the whole, and onely vi&s;ible Church of God, at that time remaining in the world; and by the other, (that is by the beautie of <HI>Tamar,</HI> which was the occa&s;ion of <HI>Ammons</HI> ince&s;t, and after of his being murthered by his brother <HI>Ab&s;olon</HI>) God made way for the manife&s;tation of his truth, and iu&s;tice, in that he puni&s;hed the a|dulterie, and murther committed by <HI>Dauid,</HI> as he had threatned by the Prophet <HI>Nathan;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 12.11.12. &amp;c.</NOTE> If any &s;ay that by the &s;ame rea&s;on &s;inne it &s;elfe, may be counted a ble&s;&s;ing of God, &s;eeing he turneth it to the good of his cho&s;en:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 4.6 P&s;al. 76.10</NOTE> I an&s;were the cau&s;e is nothing like, For although hee who in the begin|ning commanded light to &s;hine out of darkene&s;&s;e; both can, and will turne the rage of man to his prai&s;e (as hee did the rage of <HI>Zenacharib</HI>) and cau&s;e all things to worke toge|ther
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. 19.28.</NOTE>
<PB N="21" REF="33">for the be&s;t to them that loue him: yet it is to bee con&s;idered,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.28.</NOTE>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5.19. Iohn. 8.41.44.</NOTE> that &s;inne is a fruit of the fle&s;h and worke of the diuell; but beautie is the crea|ture, and workman&s;hip of God:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 4.11 1. Ioh. 3.4. Numb. 22.30.</NOTE> &s;in is a &s;pirituall defection, and &s;waruing from his law; which hee willingly permitteth (as he did in <HI>Balaam</HI>) be|cau&s;e (&s;uch is the infinitene&s;&s;e of his wi&s;edome, power,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 7.31. Prou. 16.4</NOTE> and goodne&s;&s;e) that hee can turne it to the glory of his name, and good of his Saints: Beautie is a bodily perfection, which hee powerfully worketh (as hee doth all other ornaments of the bo|dy, and mind of man) for the verie &s;ame gratious and holy ends. The skilfull Phy&s;ition maketh a whole|&s;ome medicine of the vipers fle&s;h: &s;hall we therefore compare the veni|mous viper with the &s;weet violet; or any other fragrant flower, and whol|&s;ome hearbe of the earth? or with a|ny cleane creature which God hath made both for meate, and medicine?
<PB N="22" REF="34">The only wi&s;e and mo&s;t good God, cau&s;ed the violent pa&s;&s;ion, and vn|cha&s;t affection of <HI>Potiphars</HI> wife, to turne to the good of his Church, and children: &s;hall wee therefore compare her bruti&s;h lu&s;t with <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> beautie? or her foule heart (&s;et on fire of hell) with his faire face giuen him (as it is &s;aid of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>) from hea|uen?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 3.6. Act. 7.20</NOTE> Shall we compare the diuelli&s;h enuie of the Patriarchs;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 37.6.10. &amp; 18.19.20. &amp;c. &amp;. 45.5.6. &amp; 50.20.</NOTE> with the doue-like &s;implicitie, and innocency of <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> becau&s;e God turned the one to good, as well as the other?</P>
<P>But I proceed to the next.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">4.<HI>Que&s;tion how that may bee counted vncomely and ca&s;t a|way which God gi|ueth?</HI></NOTE> It may further bee demanded, how that which is good in it &s;elfe, and giuen by the holy hand of God, onely wi&s;e, and good, can bee counted vn|comely to them that haue it, and as it were ca&s;t away vpon them? I an|&s;were, it cannot bee &s;aid to bee vn|comely, either in re&s;pect of the thing it &s;elfe, which is Gods workman&s;hip, or ill be&s;towed, in re&s;pect of God the
<PB N="23" REF="34">giuer of it, who hath (as hath been &s;hewed) his owne gratious end and purpo&s;e therein, whether it bee for mercy, or iudgement, comfort or correction;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32.6</NOTE> but onely in re&s;pect of &s;uch prophane, vnthankfull and foo|li&s;h per&s;ons as receiue them, who do not v&s;e it (as they ought) to the glory of God, and good of his Church, but rather abu&s;e it to the di&s;honour of God that gaue it, and to the hurt both of them&s;elues, and other men, matching it with &s;uch ill properties and qualities, as make it le&s;&s;e grace|full in the eies of the beholders ther|of.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 15.12.13.20.</NOTE> The portion which the father of the prodigall child gaue vnto him, was doubtles a liberall portion, and the mony hee put into his pur&s;e was good money, and yet becau&s;e hee &s;pent it riotou&s;ly vpon bawdes, and harlots, it may bee &s;aid to bee ill be|&s;towed, and after a &s;ort ca&s;t away vp|on him. The like may be &s;aid of tho&s;e portions of outward things which
<PB N="24" REF="35">God the father of heauen be &s;toweth vpon &s;uch carele&s;&s;e, and gracele&s;&s;e children. There remaineth yet an o|ther que&s;tion, which is, whether no reuerence at all be to be giuen men, in re&s;pect of &s;uch outward gifts and ornaments? but of this point wee &s;hall haue occa&s;ion to &s;peake after|wards; and therefore I forbeare to &s;peake of it in this place.</P>
<P>So much then touching the &s;um, and meaning of this prouerbe, and of the doubts ari&s;ing from thence.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. <HI>Profits and v&s;es of holy Scrip|ture.</HI> 2. Tim. 3.16.17.</NOTE> Now let vs ob&s;erue &s;ome of the pro|fits and v&s;es ari&s;ing hereof. <HI>The whole Scripture</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Paul</HI>) <HI>is giuen by in&s;pi|ration of God, and is profitable to teach to connince, to correct, and to in&s;truct in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that the man of God may be ab&s;olute, being made per&s;ect to all good workes:</HI> That is, that (chiefly) the Mi|ni&s;ter of whom mo&s;t is required, may bee throughly furni&s;hed (both for life and doctrine) to all the works of his mini&s;trie. Out of which words
<PB N="25" REF="35">we may ob&s;erue foure profits &amp; v&s;es of the holy Scripture, that is to &s;ay, doctrine, confutation, correction and in&s;truction: wherof the two former &s;erue to enlighten the mind, &amp; to in|forme, &amp; rectifie the iudgement and vnder&s;tanding in the &s;ound know|ledge of the truth; and the two latter to reforme, direct and quicken the will and affections to the true faith, feare, loue, &amp; holy obedience of the &s;ame. For there are v&s;ually in all a&s;|&s;emblies foure &s;orts of hearers, wher|of &s;ome are ignorant not knowing the truth, and had need to be taught with words of whole&s;ome doctrine:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 1.7.</NOTE> others are enwrapped, and entangled in &s;ome errour, the&s;e mu&s;t be confu|ted, and conuinced by the word of truth. Againe, &s;ome though they know the truth in a good mea&s;ure, and be not entangled with any dan|gerous errour contrarie to the whol|&s;ome doctrine they haue receiued; yet they are led captiue, and giue
<PB N="26" REF="36">them&s;elues ouer to the &s;eruice of &s;ome &s;inne, one or other, (yea com|monly more then one) the&s;e mu&s;t be corrected and reproued: Others though they both know the truth, and bee free from any dangerous er|rour, neither bee inthralled to any &s;candalous vice, or raigning &s;in; yet they are dull, and defectiue, heauie and forgetfull, weake hearted, and &s;lowhanded, in the performing of good and holy duties; the&s;e mu&s;t be in&s;tructed, exhorted, admoni&s;hed, encouraged and comforted, to the further &s;trengthening of their faith, and quickening of their obedience. And in very deed, there is no congre|gation vpon earth, but there are &s;om (more or le&s;&s;e) of all the&s;e &s;orts: Nay (which is more) there is not any one man in the world &s;o learned, but hee may be,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 13.9</NOTE> yea, and is ignorant of &s;ome thing; nor &s;o &s;ound, and orthodox but hee may erre in &s;ome points of diuinitie; nor &s;o holy but hee is tain|ted
<PB N="27" REF="36">(though not in the like degree and mea&s;ure that others are) with many &s;innes: nor &s;o forward-zealous and couragious, but in diuers things (e&s;|pecially at &s;ome time) he doth &s;tand in need of comfort, quickening, and encouragement.</P>
<P>To come therefore to lay forth &s;ome of the v&s;es and profits of this pre&s;ent prouerbe.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The v&s;es and profits of this pro|uerbe.</NOTE> The fir&s;t and prin|cipall is for doctrine, and informati|on of our iudgements.
<MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e">
<MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> For here wee are taught (as hath been &s;hewed be|fore and can neuer be &s;poken &s;uffici|ently) that all worldly ble&s;&s;ings,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">All out|ward and common gifts lo&s;t where grace is lacking.</NOTE> and common gifts, both of nature, art, in|du&s;trie, and outward things, are vn|comely, ill be&s;towed, and euen ca&s;t away, and lo&s;t vpon that man, or wo|man who&s;oeuer, that is not truely re|ligious, in who&s;e heart the vnfaigned faith, and feare of God is not &s;ound|ly planted, and in who&s;e life the loue of God, his word, and &s;eruants doth not (at lea&s;t in &s;ome competent mea|&s;ure
<PB N="28" REF="37">and degree) &s;hine forth and &s;hew it &s;elfe. The truth of this do|ctrine is cleere, and euident by the text it &s;elfe, and by other texts of Scripture, and namely, by other pro|uerbs tending to the &s;ame purpo&s;e. For that which he &s;aith here of beau|ty, he &s;aith in another place of honor, <HI>As the &s;now in &s;ummer,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 26.7.</NOTE> <HI>&amp; raine in har|ue&s;t are vn&s;ea&s;onable: So is honour vn|&s;eemely for a foole:</HI> that is, for a profane per&s;on, man or woman that wanteth godly wi&s;edom, and di&s;cretion: And in another place of riches and ability. <HI>Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a foole,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 17.16.</NOTE> <HI>to get wi&s;edome, &s;eeing hee hath not a heart?</HI> as though he &s;hould &s;ay, it is to no purpo&s;e in the world, no a|bundance will doe him good, all out|ward helpes and meanes are ca&s;t a|way vpon him. And in another place it is &s;aid of beautie it &s;elfe; <HI>Fanour is deceitfull</HI> (or fickle) <HI>and beauty is vaine</HI> (or vanity) <HI>but a woman fearing the Lord,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 31.30.</NOTE> <HI>&s;he &s;hal be prai&s;ed.</HI> As if he &s;hould
<PB N="29" REF="37">&s;ay, a faire face (or per&s;on) without the feare of God is nothing worth, yea it is a dangerous allurement to vanitie and finne.</P>
<P>But becau&s;e this holy truth is &s;o hardly beaten into mens heads, or at lea&s;t effectually grauen and written in their hearts.
<MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> I will further &s;treng|then it by other te&s;timonies of holy Scripture,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">All things without the feare of God are vaine and hurtfull; therefore beautie.</NOTE> and rea&s;ons grounded thereupon. And fir&s;t of all let vs con|&s;ider what the wi&s;e man teacheth vs in that excellent book of his which is called the Preacher; that is to &s;ay, that all things in the world are vain where the feare of God is wanting, which is in effect the &s;umme, and &s;ub&s;tance of that heauenly treati&s;e: namely, that learning, plea&s;ure, riches,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 1.1.2.3. &amp;c.</NOTE> honour and the like, without the true and vn|faigned feare of God, are nothing els but mo&s;t vaine vanity and vexation of mind, as may appeare by compa|ring the former part of the booke comprehended in the eleuen fir&s;t
<PB N="30" REF="38">chapters, and the mo&s;t part of the twelfth; with the conclu&s;ion and &s;hutting vp of the whole contained in the end of the twelfth chapter.</P>
<P>For hauing &s;hewed the vanitie, and vexation that is in &s;tudie and lear|ning, in plea&s;ures and delights, in riches and preferment, in youth and old age, he maketh his conclu&s;ion by way of preuention, or meeting with that which might bee obiected to him, or demanded of him, which in effect is thus much: If this be &s;o that all the&s;e things (that is to &s;ay, &s;tudie, learning, plea&s;ure, riches, honour, youth and age) be full of vanitie, and vexation of &s;pirit, what &s;hall men do? what cour&s;e &s;hal they take? or wher|in &s;hall they looke to finde any true comfort and contentment of mind? To this the wi&s;e man maketh an|&s;were; <HI>Heare the end of all (or the con|clu&s;ion of the whole matter,</HI> or as others tran&s;late it to the &s;ame effect, <HI>this is the &s;umme and &s;hort of the matter,</HI> when
<PB N="31" REF="38">wee haue heard and &s;poken all that can be &s;aid) <HI>Feare God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1.2. &amp; 119.2. Heb. 13.18</NOTE> <HI>and keepe his commandements.</HI> (that is to &s;ay, let it bee thy continuall reque&s;t to God, make it thy daily &s;tudie, labour and endeauour to the vttermo&s;t of thy power to ab&s;taine from euill, and do good, to exerci&s;e thy &s;elfe in duties of religion, &amp; mercy, or in the works and labours of thy lawfull and ho|ne&s;t calling.) <HI>For this is the whole dutie of man,</HI> or (as <HI>Trem.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cap. 12.2.13.</NOTE> and <HI>Iunius</HI> tran|&s;late it) This is the whole, or all of a man: That is to &s;ay, this is the maine (and in a manner) the onely thing wherin the whole man ought whol|ly, and throughly to occupie, and exerci&s;e him&s;elfe all the daies of his life, and whereun to hee ought to re|ferre all his &s;tudies, labours, delights, riches and honours, with what&s;oeuer hee po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth, doth, or endureth in the daies of his vanitie. For (as hee &s;ignifieth in the very la&s;t words of that booke) none of the&s;e things will
<PB N="32" REF="39">hould water, beare waight, or &s;tand vs in any &s;tead, but rather be heauie witne&s;&s;es again&s;t vs, in the dreadfull day of reckoning (which draweth &s;o fa&s;t on) &s;auing onely the holy feare of God, and the vn&s;eparable compa|nions therof which are principally a true and liuely faith (being as the root and fountaine of all religious wor&s;hip both inward and outward) with an an&s;werable <HI>care and endea|nour,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 24.16.</NOTE> <HI>to haue a cleere con&s;cience both to|wards God, and towards men, alwaies,</HI> and in all things, as the fruit, and &s;treame proceeding from thence. This the wi&s;e man in&s;inuateth when he &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 14.</NOTE> <HI>God will bring euery worke in|to iudgement, with euery &s;ecret thing, whether it be good or euill.</HI></P>
<P>Now if all outward things, and common gifts (where the feare of God is wanting) bee vaine, and hurt|full, then beautie and the like mu&s;t needs come vnder that account; and if all men and women in the world
<PB N="33" REF="39">(euen Kings and Queenes) who want this heauenly wi&s;edome, and di&s;cretion, bee vaine and mi&s;erable, how can the faire and beautiful who are de&s;titute of it be exempted?</P>
<P>Againe,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on.">
<NOTE PLACE="marg">No out|ward thing &s;eparated from piety, is comely, therefore beautie is not.</NOTE> if outward things make any per&s;on comely and amiable (to their comfort) they mu&s;t make them &s;o, either in the eies of God him&s;elfe, or in the eyes of the children of God, but they doe it not in the eyes of either of the&s;e: for touching God him&s;elfe, wee know that &s;uch things doe not grace men and wo|men in his eyes; who abhorreth all prophane and vngodly per&s;ons, with their very be&s;t actions, and exerci|&s;es,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 15.8.</NOTE> in &s;o much that (as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith) <HI>The &s;acrifice of the wicked is an abomi|nation to the Lord.</HI> If the Lord abhor the holy duties which him&s;elfe re|quireth, being performed by &s;uch, how can he delight in &s;uch outward ornaments, as make vs no way (as the Go&s;pell &s;aith of meate) more or le&s;&s;e
<PB N="34" REF="40">acceptable to him?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 10.4.</NOTE> <HI>Hath God carnall eyes, or doth hee &s;ee as a man &s;eeth?</HI> No: hee telleth his &s;eruant <HI>Samuel,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 16.7. 2. Pet. 3.4.</NOTE> <HI>That man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart:</HI> and <HI>Peter</HI> (by the &s;pirit of God) telleth Chri&s;tian wiues, that God e&s;tee|meth mo&s;t of the inward beautie of the mind. It was not (as hee &s;heweth in the words following) the out|ward beautie of <HI>Sarah, Rachel, Rebec|ea,</HI> and <HI>Abigail,</HI> that made the Lord in loue with them, and the &s;pirit of God to record their prai&s;es, but the piety, mode&s;ty, cha&s;tity, wi&s;edome, hu&s;wifery, and other &s;pirituall gra|ces, which hee had be&s;towed vpon them.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 145.10</NOTE> Therefore let none be &s;o foo|li&s;h as to thinke that God delighteth any whit the more in them, for tho&s;e outward ornaments which he hath be&s;towed vpon them. Now concer|ning the children of God, they de|&s;ire to bee like their heauenly father,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5.28.</NOTE> and to bee (in their mea&s;ure and de|gree)
<PB N="35" REF="40">perfect, as he is perfect, and doe loue tho&s;e whom hee loueth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 97.10 &amp; 139.21.22.</NOTE> and hate tho&s;e whom he hateth, <HI>O ye that loue the Lord</HI> (&s;aith the Prophet) <HI>hate euill;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 6.16.27.</NOTE> hate both &s;inne and (in re&s;pect of their &s;inne) &s;inners. For as the Lord doth abhorre the proud in hart (notwith&s;tanding his faire face) &s;o do &s;uch as be the Lords.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 15.4.</NOTE> In who&s;e eyes (as the Prophet &s;aith) a vild per|&s;on is de&s;pi&s;ed. <HI>Dauid</HI> was a man,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 11.2.3.</NOTE> and &s;ometimes (as a naturall man) was caught with this bait of beauty: but being a man according to Gods owne minde,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.9</NOTE> and directing his acti|ons and affections by the word and &s;pirit of God, he was farre more ena|moured with the pietie &amp; wi&s;dome of <HI>Abigail,</HI> appearing in her &s;peech,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 25.32.33.</NOTE> then with the beauty and comelines of her per&s;on. Seeing then that beau|tie without pietie commendeth vs not, either to the Lord, or to his Saints, in who&s;e eyes are they faire and comely that feare not God. For
<PB N="36" REF="41">if the Lord doe loath them, and the godly, wi&s;e, and religious abhorre them, none but &s;uch prophane ones as them&s;elues bee, doe admire, and dote vpon them; not for any grace that is in their hearts, or for any ver|tue that &s;hineth in their liues, but only for the iewell of gold, that han|geth on their &s;nout.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides,
<MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> the truth of this point may appeare,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Profane per&s;ons de|file, and (as it were) bemire &s;uch things, therefore they be|come them not.</HI> Tit. 1.15.</NOTE> becau&s;e &s;uch per&s;ons as lack this di&s;cretion that <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;peaketh of, doe mo&s;t notably abu&s;e all the good gifts of God, to the di&s;honour of God, and to the hurt and ruine both of them&s;elues and others. <HI>For as to the pure al things are pure, &s;o to them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing, is no|thing pure, but euen their mind and con|&s;cience is defiled.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 26.9.</NOTE> <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>As a thorn comming into the hands of a drun|kard, &s;o is a parable in the mouth of a foole:</HI> That is to &s;ay, hee maketh no better v&s;e of good words; then a drunken man doth of a bu&s;h of
<PB N="37" REF="41">thornes; wherewith (the wine being in and the witout) hee hurteth him|&s;elfe, and other men.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 4.23.</NOTE> Thus they of Nazareth abu&s;ed the Prouerbe <HI>(Phy|&s;ition heale thy &s;elfe)</HI> to the reproach and di&s;honor of our Sauiour Chri&s;t. If the poy&s;on of prophanene&s;&s;e bee &s;o &s;trong that it corrupteth &s;uch di|uine &amp; holy &s;entences; how can &s;uch meere humane &amp; common gifts be free from the infection thereof? Our Engli&s;h prouerb tendeth to the &s;ame purpo&s;e, which &s;aith, that learning in the brea&s;t of a bad man, is as a &s;word in the hand of a madde man. And ex|perience &s;heweth that no outward gift is more commonly abu&s;ed by men and women, to wantonne&s;&s;e and vncleanene&s;&s;e (as it were to wal|lowing in the mire) then this gift of beautie is.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 27.8.9.10. &amp;c</NOTE> The like may bee &s;aid of &s;trength which makes a prophane man more prone to challenge, and fight with others; and of birth, riches, authoritie and the like, which
<PB N="38" REF="42">make men more proud,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 25.10. 2. Sam. 13.4. 1. King. 21.7. 2. Sam. 11.4. Mark. 6.17 E&s;t. 3.5.6. Matth. 2.8.16.</NOTE> in&s;olent, and vitious, more bould to &s;inne, &s;weare, and oppre&s;&s;e, to play the Lion in cru|eltie, the Foxe in &s;ubtiltie, and the Swine in vncleanene&s;&s;e; as both the daily experience of the world, and manifold examples of the word doe plainely proue. How then can the&s;e things be comely to &s;uch as doe thus abu&s;e them? Yea rather how are they not (in re&s;pect of men) vtterly lo&s;t; and (as it were) quite ca&s;t away vpon them?</P>
<P>Moreouer,
<MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> as &s;uch vndi&s;creet and prophane per&s;ons,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Outward things where grace wanteth, brings grie|uous iudge|ments; therefore not to be gloried in.</NOTE> do (through their follie) abu&s;e &s;uch outward gifts as occa&s;ions and in&s;truments of &s;inning again&s;t God and their brethren; So doth God in his iu&s;t and righteous iudgement (the rather in re&s;pect of their great ingratitude) v&s;e them as meanes and in&s;truments of their plagues and puni&s;hments. <HI>There is</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Salomon</HI>) <HI>an euill &s;ickne&s;&s;e that I haue &s;eene vnder the &s;un,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 5.12.</NOTE> <HI>to wit, riches are
<PB N="39" REF="42">re&s;erued to the owners thereof for their hurt.</HI> This is euident in <HI>Nabal,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 25.7.10.14.15.37.38.</NOTE> who&s;e riches being not rightly v&s;ed, to the reliefe and &s;uccour of religious and worthy men (who had de&s;erued wel, both of him&s;elfe and the whole &s;tate wherein they liued) turned to his great hurt and lo&s;&s;e; not of his repu|tation onely, but al&s;o of his life. For although <HI>Dauid</HI> by the gratious pro|uidence of Almightie God, and by the wi&s;edome, and indu&s;trie of ver|tuous <HI>Abigail,</HI> were &s;tayed from executing that reuenge which in his heart hee had re&s;olued vpon, and with his mouth &s;worne to take: Yet the con&s;cience of his &s;inne, and the horror of the danger which (by <HI>Abi|gails</HI> narration) he perceiues hee had brought vpon him&s;elfe, and his whole familie, by his mo&s;t in&s;olent, vnkind and niggardly an&s;were to <HI>Dauids</HI> me&s;&s;engers, did &s;o pierce his heart that (the Lord likewi&s;e putting to his hand) he died within ten daies after
<PB N="40" REF="43">Loe thus we &s;ee <HI>Riches re&s;erued to the owners therof for their hurt.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 12.16 17.18.19.20.</NOTE> What bet|ter effect had his large reuenewes of whom Chri&s;t &s;peaketh in the Go&s;|pell? Did they not fir&s;t di&s;tract his mind with a thou&s;and cares; then made him to re&s;olue vpon great bu|&s;ine&s;&s;es, and chargeable buildings, pulling downe, and &s;etting vp again; and all to the end hee might liue a voluptuous and &s;wini&s;h life vpon earth for a &s;ea&s;on, neuer thinking &s;e|riou&s;ly of the great vncertainty and exceeding &s;hortne&s;&s;e of this pre&s;ent life, nor of the perpetuity of the pain and torments, prepared for &s;uch Epi|cures afterwards. That which he had but in purpo&s;e, another (of whom Chri&s;t &s;peaketh a little after) put in practi&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 16.19 20.21.</NOTE> and receiued his reward ac|cordingly: for hee was cloathed in purple, and fine linnen, and fared well and deliciou&s;ly euery day; and when he died he was (&s;umptuou&s;ly, as may bee gathered by the oppo&s;iti|on
<PB N="41" REF="43">betweene him and <HI>Lazarus</HI>) bu|ried. But what followed afterward appeareth by the confe&s;&s;ion of his owne mouth.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 23.24.</NOTE> <HI>For being in hell in tor|ments he lift vp his eyes, and &s;eeth Abra|ham a farre of and Lazarus in his bo|&s;ome: and hee cried and &s;aid, father A|braham haue mercie on mee, and &s;end Lazarus, that hee may dip the tip of his finger in water and coole my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.</HI> What hea|uier iudgements can be deui&s;ed then the&s;e, which by the abu&s;e of &s;uch outward benefits men do bring vp|on them&s;elues, which are, in this world to liue the life of bruit bea&s;ts for a &s;hort time and after to be tor|mented in hell, for euer.</P>
<P>That which is &s;aid of riches, may be &s;aid of authoritie and promotion, which being &s;eparated from pietie and vertue,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73.18.</NOTE> is nothing el&s;e <HI>but a &s;lippe|ry place,</HI> and (as it were) a hill of yce, from which they are ca&s;t downe headlong into ruine. The promoti|on
<PB N="42" REF="44">and dignitie of &s;uch men,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chron. 25.12.</NOTE> may be fitly compared to the top of that rocke to which the children of I&s;rael did carrie the Edomites, whom they had ouercome in battell, to y^e end to ca&s;t them down headlong and bur&s;t them in pieces. Such was the pro|motion of <HI>Pharaoh</HI> King of Egypt, whom God rai&s;ed vp to that great height of earthly dignitie, that hee might drowne him and his whole armie in the bottome of the &s;ea, and make him an example to all that a|bu&s;e their honour and dignitie, to the end of the world.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 9.16 &amp; 14.27.28.</NOTE> <HI>And in very deed</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>for this cau&s;e I haue rai&s;ed thee vp,</HI> (and made thee &s;tand &s;o hie) <HI>for to &s;hew in thee my power, and that my name may bee declared through|out all the earth.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ter 3.1. &amp; 7.10.</NOTE> Such was the promo|tion of <HI>Haman,</HI> whom God prefer|red, to make a feareful example of his heauie di&s;plea&s;ure, and dreadfull iudgement, again&s;t all the malicious enemies of his Church, and cho&s;en
<PB N="43" REF="44">children. Hence it is that the holy Prophet, after that he had gone into Gods Sanctuarie, and (by prayer con&s;ulting with his word and &s;pirit) vnder&s;tood the end of the&s;e men, &s;aith of them,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73.17 18.19.</NOTE> <HI>Surely thou ha&s;t &s;et them in &s;lipperie places, and ca&s;t them downe into de&s;olation:</HI> then pre&s;ently hee breaketh out into admiration of the wi&s;edome, and iu&s;tice of God, &s;ay|ing, <HI>How &s;uddenly are they de&s;troyed, pe|ri&s;hed, and horribly con&s;umed? As a dreame when one awaketh:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 39.6.</NOTE> <HI>O Lord when thou awake&s;t</HI> (by &s;hewing thy iudgements) <HI>thou then wilt make their image</HI> (that is, them and all their pompe which is nothing but an ima|ginarie &s;hadow) <HI>to bee de&s;pi&s;ed</HI> in the eyes of all that are truely wi&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 69.23.</NOTE> <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aith of &s;uch men, that <HI>their very ta|ble is a &s;nare vnto them. Haman</HI> glori|ed greatly that <HI>E&s;ter</HI> the Queene did let no man come in with the King to the banquet &s;he had prepared, but him&s;elfe: but this table was a &s;nare
<PB N="44" REF="45">vnto him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;t. 7.3.4.5.6. &amp;c.</NOTE> and this banquet a baite laid for him, and this great prefer|ment whereof he boa&s;ted, a meanes to bring him to the gallowes.</P>
<P>What preheminence is it to the thiefe that hee &s;tandeth aboue the re&s;t of the people vpon the cart or ladder, &s;eeing the hangman is aboue him, readie to doe execution at the becke of the Magi&s;trate? And what preheminence is it to a profane man, that he is in an higher place then ma|ny of the Saints of God, &s;eeing Sa|tan,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2.1. &amp; 6.12. Luk. 16.22</NOTE> <HI>prince of the aire,</HI> is higher then hee, and readie to ca&s;t him downe, yea to carrie his &s;oule into hell at Gods commandement.</P>
<P>The &s;ame thing may bee &s;aid of beautie, which being be&s;towed vp|on vaine and fooli&s;h per&s;ons, pro|ueth an occa&s;ion of much vncleane|ne&s;&s;e, and of many heauie iudge|ments following thereupon: for the word of God mu&s;t needs bee true which &s;aith, that <HI>whoremongers and
<PB N="45" REF="45">adulterers God will iudge.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.4.</NOTE> The daugh|ters of men were verie faire to looke vpon,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6.12.</NOTE> but beeing de&s;titute of the feare of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 3.34</NOTE> &amp; wanting that inward beautie; whereof the Apo&s;tle &s;pea|keth, they were &s;nares to the &s;onnes of God, and became occa&s;ions and in&s;truments of the de&s;truction and drowning of the whole world.</P>
<P><HI>Cosby,</HI> as &s;hee exceeded many of her fellowes in birth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 25.6.7. &amp;c.</NOTE> and (perhaps) in beautie, &s;o &s;he went beyond them all in vncleanene&s;&s;e and impudency, not &s;haming to &s;inne openly (as it were) in the &s;ight of the &s;unne, by meanes whereof &s;hee became an in|&s;trument and occa&s;ion, not onely of her owne violent and bloody death, and his who was coupled with her in the act of vncleanene&s;&s;e; but al&s;o of the deaths of many thou&s;ands,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark. 6.19.22.</NOTE> both of the I&s;raelites, and Midianites be|&s;ides. <HI>Herodias</HI> and her daughter <HI>Sa|lome,</HI> being faire without grace, plea|&s;ant without pietie, and louely with|out
<PB N="46" REF="46">religion, drew <HI>Herod</HI> to commit that mo&s;t hainous and bloody &s;inne of impri&s;oning and beheading <HI>Iohn</HI> the <HI>Baptist,</HI> that mo&s;t zealous and faithfull &s;eruant of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: A &s;inne, which iudgement commonly followeth at the heeles,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 12.2.22.</NOTE> as wee reade of the other <HI>Herode;</HI> and this man &s;caped not long vnpuni&s;hed.</P>
<P>The &s;ame thing might be &s;hewed of the gifts of the minde, which be|ing be&s;towed vpon per&s;ons vn&s;ancti|fied, and by them abu&s;ed, are made likewi&s;e in&s;truments, and occa&s;ions of many gro&s;&s;e &s;innes, and grieuous iudgements following vpon the &s;ame.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 13.3.4.5. &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>Ionadab Dauids</HI> nephew, ha|uing more &s;harpene&s;&s;e of wit, then godly wi&s;edome, was an in&s;trument of great &s;inne again&s;t God, and of great affliction and heauines to <HI>Da|uid</HI> by drawing his elde&s;t &s;onne to commit ince&s;tuous fornication with his owne &s;i&s;ter, which cau&s;ed him afterward to bee murthered by his
<PB N="47" REF="46">brother <HI>Ab&s;olom,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver. 28.29.</NOTE> and that at &s;uch a time, and in &s;uch a manner as (in mans rea&s;on) there was no opportu|nitie to repent and call vpon God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 16.21.</NOTE> <HI>A|hitophel,</HI> by his great wit, and politick councell animated <HI>Ab&s;olom</HI> to rebell again&s;t his owne mo&s;t louing and godly father;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 15.31.32.33.34.35.36. &amp; 17.23.</NOTE> but this wittie coun|&s;ellor (by the iu&s;t iudgment of God, and by the faithfull and feruent prayers of <HI>Dauid</HI> (omitting al&s;o no princely policie that was fit in &s;uch a ca&s;e) plotted a halter to hang him|&s;elfe. Thus wee &s;ee what grieuous iudgements, outward and common gifts both of body and minde doe bring vpon men and women, that are voide of godly wi&s;edome and di&s;cretion.</P>
<P>Furthermore,
<MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Rea&s;on.">
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Piety makes all things comely; therefore impietie makes them vn&s;eemely.</HI></NOTE> y^e truth of this point may appeare by the contrarie. For as all things becommeth children of God, who are borne againe, <HI>not of blood, nor of the will of the fle&s;h, nor of the will of man, but of God:</HI> &s;o all things
<PB N="48" REF="47">are vncomely to the wicked,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 1.13. Iob 21.14.</NOTE> and prophane, <HI>who &s;ay to God, depart from vs, wee de&s;ire not the knowledge of thy waies:</HI> and as the one &s;ort doth v&s;e all things to the glory of God, &amp; good of them&s;elues and their brethren; &s;o the other doe abu&s;e and turne the good things they haue receiued to a contrary end.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 15.8.15.16. &amp; 16.30.</NOTE> Faithfull <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> by his great &s;trength did often &s;aue him&s;elfe, and the people of God committed to his charge: whereas profane <HI>Goliah,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 17 43.44.</NOTE> abu&s;ing his &s;trength and &s;tature, was the ouertbrow both of him&s;elfe, and the whole armie whereof he was the champion.</P>
<P>The beautie of <HI>Abigail</HI> being ioy|ned with piety,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 25.24.25.</NOTE> mode&s;tie, godly wi&s;edome, and other inward graces, appearing in her &s;peech and carri|age, both toward holy <HI>Dauid,</HI> and to|ward her vnholy husband became her well, and was not onely an orna|ment to her per&s;on, but al&s;o a meanes to bring her godly purpo&s;e to pa&s;&s;e.
<PB N="49" REF="47">For herein the &s;aying is true, that vertue (which comprehendeth va|lor,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gratior e&s;t pulchro ve|niens &egrave; cor|pore vir|tus.</NOTE> and all other graces of the mind) is more gratious when it commeth from a faire and beautifull body: as it did from <HI>Io&s;eph, Mo&s;es, Dauid, Sarah, Rebecca, Rahel</HI> and diuers other, who were faire both without and within, who had beautifull faces, and religi|ous hearts. How well did riches, and honour become King <HI>Salomon,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 1.7.</NOTE> while his wi&s;edome (the chiefe point whereof was the feare of God.) re|mained with him.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 4.34.</NOTE> This made all na|tions and people both farre and neere to admire and honour him. This drew the Queene of the South to take a long iourney to &s;ee and heare him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 10.6.7.8.9.</NOTE> and after to extoll and commend him, &s;aying: <HI>Thou ha&s;t more wi&s;edome and pro&s;peritie, then I haue heard by report, happie are thy men, happie are the&s;e thy &s;eruants which &s;tand euer before thee, and heare thy wi&s;edome: Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord thy God
<PB N="50" REF="48">which loued thee, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Wi&s;edome (&s;aith the &s;ame wi&s;e King) <HI>cau&s;eth the face of a man</HI> (how ba&s;e and meane &s;oeuer he be) <HI>to &s;hine;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 8.1.</NOTE> meaning by wi&s;edome in that place, (as in many other) that true wi&s;e|dome which con&s;i&s;teth in the true, and vnfained feare of God. For (as <HI>Iob</HI> witne&s;&s;eth) <HI>The feare of the Lord is wi&s;edome,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 28.28.</NOTE> <HI>and to depart from euill is vnder&s;tanding.</HI> As if hee &s;hould &s;ay, Godline&s;&s;e maketh both men and women faire, beautifull, and well fa|uored; of what colour, complexion, fauour and feature of face &s;oeuer they be: and contrariwi&s;e, folly, pro|fanene&s;&s;e, and the like vices; and namely (as hee &s;peaketh here) this indi&s;cretion, and di&s;ta&s;ting of good things, maketh the faire&s;t complexion, and be&s;t fauoured face in the world, foule, and deformed, blacke as a &s;acke, and loatho&s;me as a leaper. And in this ca&s;e, it is a point worthie our ob&s;eruation, that tho&s;e
<PB N="51" REF="48">things, which of them&s;elues are markes and tokens of the decay of nature, and con&s;equently an occa&s;i|on of contempt with naturall men (of which &s;ort the mo&s;t part bee) are an ornament and crowne of glory, to them that feare God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 16.31</NOTE> <HI>The hoarie head</HI> &s;aith <HI>Salomon</HI> (meaning by the hoarines or whitenes of the head old age, putting that one badge and mark of old age for all the re&s;t) <HI>is a crowne of glory when it is found in the way of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e:</HI> whereas a naughtie heart, with an euill life (the vn&s;epa|rable fruit and companion thereof) doth make the yellowe&s;t haire, the ruddie&s;t colour, and faire&s;t face (with all other common gifts of the body, mind, and outward things) mo&s;t vg|ly and vncomely in the eyes of God and of his Angels, and of all good men;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 15.4.</NOTE> in who&s;e eyes &s;uch vile per&s;ons are odious and abominable, but they that feare the Lord are amiable, and honourable.</P>
<PB N="52" REF="49">
<P>To the&s;e I might adde another very forcible argument,
<MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Rea&s;on.">
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Beautie without pi|ety cau&s;eth a breach of all Gods comman|dements.</NOTE> taken like|wi&s;e from the effect of outward gifts be&s;towed vpon a gracele&s;&s;e and vn|di&s;creet per&s;on, which is, that beautie and the like naturall and outward en|dowments be&s;towed vpon profane and vndi&s;creet per&s;ons are a &s;trong occa&s;ion to make them tran&s;gre&s;&s;e and breake the whole Law of Al|mightie God. But this hath been touched before, and hereafter wee &s;hall haue occa&s;ion to &s;peake of it a|gaine.
<MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="Rea&s;on.">
<NOTE PLACE="marg">As iewels of gold be|commed not a &s;wine, no more doe good gifts become &s;in|ners.</NOTE> Wherefore (to touch in a word one other rea&s;on) let vs weigh the words of <HI>Salomon</HI> in this place, and wee &s;hall not neede to goe farre to &s;eeke out arguments to confirme the truth of this doctrine, &s;eeing <HI>Sale|mon</HI> him&s;elfe hath fitly and effectual|ly &s;et it forth by a &s;imilitude, or com|pari&s;on, comparing particularly beautie, and by Synecdoche (where by one thing is put for many, and &s;ometime for all things of that kind)
<PB N="53" REF="49">with a iewell of gold hung vpon the &s;nout, or no&s;e of a &s;wine. For as a &s;wine is not a whit the more admi|red, or commended of any rea&s;ona|ble man in re&s;pect of &s;uch an orna|ment, but rather the more derided and &s;corned, and the iewell counted mard, and ca&s;t away vpon him; &s;o it is in this ca&s;e. A hor&s;e is a farre more &s;eemely creature then a hogge, and better doe his bridle, &s;addle, trap|pings, and other ornaments become his head and backe, then a iewell of gold doth a &s;wines &s;nout: yet what man, how poore and mi&s;erable &s;oe|uer (being in his right mind) doth &s;o admire a hor&s;e in re&s;pect of his &s;umptuous &s;addle, curious trap|pings, and co&s;tly bridle, with bo&s;&s;es of gold, that hee doth wi&s;h in his heart that him&s;elfe were &s;uch a hor&s;e? Why then &s;hould any admire a pro|fane per&s;on, by rea&s;on of his beautie, birth, riches, honour, and the like outward and common gifts. Seeing
<PB N="54" REF="50">the condition of &s;uch a man (conti|nuing in his profanene&s;&s;e) is farre more cur&s;ed and mi&s;erable then the condition of either of the&s;e. For when the hor&s;e, or hogge dieth, his paine and mi&s;erie dieth with him: but when the Epicure, or prophane per&s;on dieth, his plea&s;ure and delight is at an end, and his plagues and tor|ments beginne to &s;eaze vpon him, and &s;o to continue without end, ea&s;e or remedie for euer.</P>
<P>Thus we &s;ee the manife&s;t truth of the doctrine,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 16.25.26.</NOTE> being the fir&s;t and prin|cipall v&s;e of this ver&s;e, and the very ground and foundation of the re&s;t. If any &s;ay, I haue v&s;ed more proofes then need in &s;o plaine a matter, I &s;hould be of their mind, if I did not &s;ee the &s;pirit of God onely wi&s;e, yea Ie&s;us Chri&s;t the wi&s;edome of his Fa|ther, v&s;e as many arguments to con|firme and &s;trengthen the truth of as plaine a point as this. For who will not condemne carking care, and
<PB N="55" REF="50">grant that it ought to bee laid a&s;ide?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6.24.25. to the end of the Chapter.</NOTE> and yet our Sauiour Chri&s;t v&s;eth at the lea&s;t &s;ixe or &s;euen arguments to condemne it. Dare any of vs denye that whoredome is a &s;inne again&s;t God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 6.13 14. to the end of the Chapter.</NOTE> and a breach of the &s;euenth commandement? Yet the Apo&s;tle v|&s;eth at lea&s;t, fiue or &s;ixe &s;euerall argu|ments to di&s;&s;wade vs from it. Doth any of vs doubt or make que&s;tion that the bodies of the faithfull &s;hall ri&s;e againe at the la&s;t day? Are we not as confident therein as <HI>Martha</HI> in her &s;peech to Chri&s;t &s;hewed her &s;elfe to be? For Chri&s;t &s;aying to her, <HI>Thy brother &s;hal ri&s;e againe,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 11.23.24.</NOTE> <HI>I know &s;aith &s;he, he &s;hall ri&s;e again in the re&s;urrection at the la&s;t day.</HI> And yet the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> v&s;eth a number of arguments to confirme this plaine truth and to &s;trengthen our faith therein.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 15. through|out.</NOTE> If any &s;ay hee did this in re&s;pect of certaine &s;pirits of error that were then &s;prung vp in the Church, who denied (as our Athei&s;ts and Famili&s;ts doe now)
<PB N="56" REF="51">the re&s;urrection of the body. I an|&s;wer that euen for our &s;akes al&s;o were the&s;e things written, as the &s;ame A|po&s;tle te&s;tifieth el&s;ewhere &s;aying, <HI>What&s;oeuer things are writte~ aforetime,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15.4.</NOTE> <HI>are written for our learning:</HI> Euen &s;o what&s;oeuer things are written after|wards by the Apo&s;tles and Euange|li&s;ts, are written not for the learning of the Romanes, and Corinthians a|lone,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 3.18. 1. Cor. 15.58. Mat. 7.24.</NOTE> but (marke it well) for our lear|ning al&s;o. For it is not enough to be|leeue the doctrine of faith and obe|dience &s;uperficially, but we mu&s;t be rooted and grounded, and remaine &s;tedfa&s;t therein: as a hou&s;e founded vpon a rocke, otherwi&s;e wee &s;hall be in danger to bee &s;educed by euery &s;ubtle Papi&s;t, Athei&s;t, Separati&s;t or o|ther &s;pirit of error and impiety. We &s;hall bee (as the &s;ame Apo&s;tle &s;aith) <HI>As babes carried about with euery blast and winde of doctrine,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 4.14.</NOTE> <HI>by the deceipt of men,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 18.8.</NOTE> <HI>and with craftines, whereby they lie in waite to deceiue.</HI> O beloued, faith is
<PB N="57" REF="51">a rare gift,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">A rare and hard thing not onely to beleeue in God, but al|&s;o to beleeue God</NOTE> and it is another manner of matter to beleeue God (or which is the &s;ame in effect) to beleeue the word of God, then mo&s;t men doe i|magine: and yet I &s;peake not of that wonderfull, and excellent grace of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3.16. et. 20.18. Rom. 8.1. 2. Cor. 15.58.</NOTE> I meane of that &s;auing and iu|&s;tifying faith; which is nothing el&s;e, but a true and vnfained confidence, and re&s;ting vpon Chri&s;t alone for re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, and eternall life; but of that faith which is a holding fa&s;t of that &s;ound and whole&s;om do|ctrine, which the word of God tea|cheth, both concerning the enlight|ning of our iudgements, and al&s;o concerning the reformation of our liues. Hence it is that &s;o many lie o|pen as a pray to euery Athei&s;ticall per&s;on, and Ie&s;uitical Papi&s;t, that &s;ea|&s;eth vpon them, becau&s;e they are &s;o weakely, &s;lenderly and &s;uperficially grounded in mo&s;t plaine and famili|ar points. They imagine they haue all idolatry in great dete&s;tation, and
<PB N="58" REF="52">yet are ea&s;ily drawn to that vild Ido|latry of the ma&s;&s;e, and why? &s;urely becau&s;e they beleeue not the &s;econd commandement,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 20.4.5.6.</NOTE> wherein all idola|try (euen that of the papi&s;ts) is &s;o flat|ly forbidden, that for very &s;hame they haue left it out of their cate|chi&s;mes. They thinke them&s;elues to bee cha&s;t and hone&s;t (as wee &s;ay) of their bodies, and yet are ea&s;ily cor|rupted and carried into all vnclean|ne&s;&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 20.14</NOTE> and why? Surely becau&s;e they doe not firmely beleeue the &s;euenth commandement, wherein the Lord hath &s;aid. <HI>Thou &s;halt not commit adul|tery:</HI> And concerning this pre&s;ent prouerbe; were it po&s;&s;ible that any profe&s;&s;ing Chri&s;tianity, &s;hould either admire, or enuie &s;uch per&s;ons, as are voide of godlie wi&s;edome, becau&s;e they are faire, rich, noble, or the like, if they did beleeue this holy pro|uerbe in their hearts?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 3.7. &amp; 7.3. Prou. 24.1</NOTE> or had well marked that which the holy Gho&s;t &s;etteth downe in many other places
<PB N="59" REF="52">of Scripture be&s;ides?</P>
<P>I haue &s;taied the more largely vp|on this point, becau&s;e it is the fir&s;t, and fundamentall v&s;e of this holy Prouerbe, and be&s;ides,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The conclu|&s;ion of the fir&s;t v&s;e, with a pa&s;|&s;age to the &s;econd.</NOTE> becau&s;e all men naturally are &s;o be&s;otted, and blinded with an ouer weening of the excellency of the&s;e outward things, that they admire, &amp; magnifie them|&s;elues, and al &s;uch as haue them, how vain, profane, &amp; vngodly &s;oeuer they be. Hauing thus layd forth and con|firmed the doctrine (as the cheefe and fundamentall point of this pro|uerbe) the way will be the more ea|&s;ie and open to the other three v&s;es and profits; that are to be built, and grounded thereupon. For the iudge|ment being thorowly informed, and the minde, and vnder&s;tanding being enlightned, with the &s;ound know|ledge of any holy trueth, the way is made plaine, either to confute &s;uch errors, and correct &s;uch vices as are contrary to it, or to in&s;truct, comfort,
<PB N="60" REF="53">quicken, exhort, and &s;tirre vp to the practi&s;e of &s;uch duties as ari&s;e from it.</P>
<P>The &s;econd v&s;e and profit then of this prouerbe is to conuince,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e.">
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Is confuta|tion.</NOTE> and confute. And heere (to omit other particulars) two &s;orts of people are conuinced of vanity, and follie. The fir&s;t are, &s;uch as are &s;ick of &s;elfe-loue, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the &s;pirit of pride,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. <HI>Of &s;uch as are too much in loue with them&s;elues</HI></NOTE> en|amoured of them&s;elues, and wor|&s;hipping (as I may &s;ay) the idoll of their owne beauty; witte, riches, or what&s;oeuer it bee they mo&s;t admire and dote vpon in them&s;elues.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5.5. Colo&s;. 3.5.</NOTE> For as couetou&s;nes is branded with the o|dious name of idolatry, in re&s;pect of that confidence, and delight which the couetous man hath in his mony: So may pride be called idolatry and the proud per&s;on an idolater, in re&s;|pect of that confidence and delight, which hee hath in his beauty, &s;trength, witte, riches, or any other outward, and common endowment
<PB N="61" REF="53">which God hath be&s;towed vppon him; more e&s;pecially this is to bee found true of beawty (con&s;i&s;ting cheefly in the fairene&s;&s;e of the face,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 17.42.</NOTE> and comelines of the countenance) which beeing one of the meane&s;t gifts, that God be&s;toweth vppon men, doth neuer the le&s;&s;e more puffe vp a number with pride, and &s;elfe-li|king then any of the re&s;t. The&s;e may bee compared to <HI>Narci&s;&s;us</HI> a beaw|tifull and proper man, who (as Po|ets faine) beholding him&s;elfe in a cleere fountaine, fell &s;oe far enamo|red of him&s;elfe; that to imbrace that goodly body, and to ki&s;&s;e that faire and beautifull face of his owne, hee plunged him&s;elfe into the water, and &s;o was drowned in the &s;ame. And though it be hard to &s;ay, whether of the two &s;exes take greate&s;t pride in their painted &s;heath, yet of both (as hath been touched before, and may partly bee gathered by this prouerbe (which is v&s;ed expre&s;&s;ely of the wo|man)
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Page.</HI> 5.</NOTE>
<PB N="62" REF="54">the woman through her weak|nes is more &s;ubiect to this vanity. But whether it bee the one or the other, that be thus bewitched, and blinded with admiration of them&s;elues; let them labour to remoue, and roote this error, and imagination of excel|lency out of their minds.</P>
<P>For why art thou proud, or wher|of art thou proud O du&s;t and a&s;hes?
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>A breefe repetion of the for|mer argu|ments.</HI> Pro. 31.30 Luk. 12.48</NOTE> wilt thou bee proud of that which is &s;o full of vanity and vexation of &s;pi|rit? wilt thou let thy &s;elfe be puffed vp with that, which being (through thy prophanene&s;&s;e and indi&s;creti|on) vtterly lo&s;t and ca&s;t away vpon thee, will make thy account more heauie, and hard to pa&s;&s;e in the day of reckoning? Wilt thou glorie in that which (being &s;eparated from piety) giueth thee no grace,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 16.15.</NOTE> either in the eyes of God, or of his Saints, but maketh thee loath&s;ome, and vgly to them both? And admit the&s;e things were neuer &s;o glorious in
<PB N="63" REF="54">them&s;elues, how can that bee de|cent and comely to thee, which (by thy prophane abu&s;e of it) thou do&s;t daily defile, and (as it were) be|daube with durt and mire? Can&s;t thou take comfort in that, which (as thou v&s;e&s;t the matter) is nothing el&s;e but a three-fold cord of vanitie and &s;inne,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 5.18.</NOTE> which will pull downe ven|geance vpon thine owne head, as it were with a cart-rope? Shall not the dreadfull de&s;truction of the daugh|ters of men (together with &s;uch as they had allured) rather moue thee to feare and &s;u&s;pect thy &s;elfe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 7.23.</NOTE> then thy faire face make thee to take pride in thy &s;elfe? And &s;eeing (as was proued by the fir&s;t rea&s;on) piety and godly wi&s;edome, are not only comely and decent in the~&s;elues, but do al&s;o make all other things decent, and comely vnto vs; how can&s;t thou imagine, but that prophanene&s;&s;e, and indi&s;cretion mu&s;t defile and deforme what&s;oeuer good thing the Lord hath be&s;towed
<PB N="64" REF="55">vpon thee? And how can&s;t thou brag of tho&s;e things which (as hath been &s;hewed) are (to &s;uch as thou art) continuall and daily occa&s;ions to cau&s;e thee to breake all the com|mandements of the holy Law of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pag. 2.6.</NOTE>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 27.26. Numb. 6.23.</NOTE> &s;eeing that the breach of any one commandement procureth the cur&s;e of God: and the reward, or wages of euery &s;in is eternall death, and condemnation both of body and &s;oule? Finally, tell mee truely (what&s;oeuer thou bee) do&s;t thou thinke in earne&s;t that a iewell of gold is any ornament to a &s;wine? I know thou doo&s;t not; why then &s;houlde&s;t thou imagine, that beautie or any other the like outward and common ble&s;&s;ing, can bee an orna|ment to thee, continuing in thy &s;in, and &s;wini&s;h qualities? For <HI>Salomon</HI> the wi&s;e&s;t King that euer wrote or raigned (and yet his pen was guided by a wi&s;er then him&s;elfe) matcheth them together:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 1.21</NOTE> Wherefore learne
<PB N="65" REF="55">(and learne betime ere it be too late) to leaue and lay away this mo&s;t erro|neous and dangerous conceit, wher|by Satan, and thine owne blind, and vnbeleuing heart hath borne thee in hand, that thou art better then ma|ny other both men and women that feare the Lord, becau&s;e thou art fai|rer, healthier, &s;tronger, richer, or no|bler borne then they; con&s;idering that (as hath beene prooued) the&s;e things doe make thy e&s;tate and con|dition more cur&s;ed, and mi&s;erable; then the e&s;tate and condition of the poore&s;t begger, and mo&s;t deformed leper in the world that feareth God.</P>
<P>The &s;econd &s;ort of people con|uinced by this prouerbe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. <HI>Such are confuted as dote too much vpon others.</HI></NOTE> are &s;uch as how&s;oeuer they bee not &s;o highly conceited of them&s;elues (though there bee hardly any but they thinke too well of them&s;elues) nor &s;o farre in loue with them&s;elues (though mo&s;t men loue them&s;elues to much) yet they haue the per&s;ons
<PB N="66" REF="56">of others in admiration; not onely (as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith) for gaine and filthy lucre,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iud. v. 16.</NOTE> but al&s;o for lu&s;t, and fle&s;hly plea&s;ure. The&s;e dote not vpon them|&s;elues as the other do, yet they haue eies full of adultery, hearts full of &s;in|purity, yea, indeed of idolatry, lo|uing plea&s;ures more then God, admi|ring and magnifying the creature (yea the very skin, complexion and colour of the creature, and the &s;ame many times not brought with them into the world, but bought by them with their money) more then the creator, and maker of all things; who is to be ble&s;&s;ed and prai&s;ed for euer. Such a one was <HI>Shechem</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Chamor</HI> and the Egyptian;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 34.2. et. 39.7.</NOTE> the wife of <HI>Potiphar,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 13.1.2 Mark. 6.22</NOTE> and <HI>Ammon</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>Dauid,</HI> and <HI>Herod</HI> the murtherer of <HI>Iohn the Baptist.</HI> Such corporall idola|ters and wor&s;hippers of vanity haue all waies abounded in the world, and (which is mo&s;t fearefull) doe yet a|bound, notwith&s;tanding <HI>this great
<PB N="67" REF="56">grace of God and glorious light of the go&s;|pell, which hath &s;o cleerly &s;hined vnto vs,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 2.11.</NOTE> <HI>teaching vs to deny all vngodlines, and worldly lusts.</HI></P>
<P>Hence haue proceeded &s;o many pernitious and hurtfull pamphlets &s;tuffed with filthy froth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">This error (in admi|ring beau|ry) is the root of ma|ny pro|phane, and heathen &s;h pamphlets.</NOTE> carnall vani|ty, deuili&s;h deuices, and deadly poi|&s;on of &s;infull men foming out their owne &s;hame, who not content to feede their owne fle&s;hly fancies with a profane admiration of fading beau|tie, doe fill the heads of many other with carnall conceipts and inflame their hearts with wicked lu&s;ts, and longing after &s;infull plea&s;ures. The&s;e things &s;auor more of the impure &s;pi|rit and heatheni&s;h idolatry of <HI>Ouid</HI> and other mi&s;creants (who wor&s;hip|ped <HI>Cupid</HI> and <HI>Venus</HI>) then of the pi|ety of Chri&s;tians,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act 26.18.</NOTE> whom <HI>God hath cal|led out of darkene&s;&s;e into light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they might receiue forgiuenes of &s;innes, and an inheritance among them who are &s;ancti|fied.</HI>
<PB N="68" REF="57">We are charged to follow peace with all men and holines;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.14</NOTE> without which no man &s;hall &s;ee God: but a|las how many <HI>for nicators, and pro|fane per&s;ons (like E&s;au)</HI> are among&s;t vs; <HI>who are ready for one portion of meate (me&s;&s;e of broth, or di&s;h of p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ttage)</HI> to re|nounce their part in paradice, and their inheritance in the kingdome of heauen; or (at lea&s;t the &s;ound ioy &amp; comfortable feeling and a&s;&s;urance of it in their owne con&s;ciences, which to them that take &s;uch cour&s;es, and are &s;o delighted in &s;uch things can be none at all. O the &s;wete and ble&s;&s;ed howers, yea the daies, weeks, months and yeares of our mo&s;t flouri&s;hing &amp; golde~ age, that by a number are mo&s;t wofully &s;pent, &amp; con&s;umed in &s;acri|ficing (as the Chaldeans did to their net) to &s;uch &s;wine by rea&s;on of the iewell that hangeth in their &s;nout.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Haba. 1.16</NOTE></P>
<P>But thou wilt &s;ay, what if beauty, and vertue, riches and religion, holi|ne&s;&s;e and nobility meete together in
<PB N="69" REF="57">one per&s;on, as they did in <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> and <HI>Mo&s;es, Dauid</HI> and <HI>Salomon,</HI> and (a|mong&s;t women) in <HI>Sarah</HI> and <HI>Rebec|ca, Abigal</HI> and <HI>Bath&s;heba,</HI> and diuers other holy men and women, may wee not admire and magnifie &s;uch a man or &s;uch a woman as the&s;e were?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">An an&s;wer to them that &s;ay in|ward gra|ces and out|ward gifts may meet in one per|&s;on.</NOTE>
<MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Caution.">
<NOTE PLACE="marg">This is very rare.</NOTE> I an&s;wer that we may; yet with the&s;e and the like Cautions, and con&s;ide|rations. Fir&s;t let vs con&s;ider that this is a thing which very rarely and &s;el|dom falleth out. For &s;uch is the cor|ruption, and frailty of fle&s;h &amp; bloud, and the malice and &s;ubtlety of Satan powerfully working vpon the &s;ame, that (without the &s;peciall grace,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 62.10</NOTE> and mercy of God) &s;uch as haue riches will tru&s;t in them, and &s;uch as haue wit, &s;trength, birth, nobility,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 9.23.</NOTE> and the like, will glory therein, and &s;uch as haue beauty will be proud of it and abu&s;e it, and &s;o prouoke the Lord <HI>(who re&s;i&s;teth the proud, and giueth grace to the humble) to giue them ouer into di&s;honourable affections;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 55.</NOTE> <HI>one way or
<PB N="70" REF="58">other to defile them&s;elues for wor&s;hipping,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.24 25.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;eruing the creature more then the creator, who is ble&s;&s;ed for euer.</HI></P>
<P>And therfore let our &s;econd Cau|tion bee this,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Caution">
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Admire not the crea|ture more then the Creator.</NOTE> not to admire the crea|ture more then the creator. Beware and take heede le&s;t a prepo&s;terous admiration of the man or woman in whom thou &s;ee&s;t the&s;e things doe not &s;teale away thy heart, (as it com|monly commeth to pa&s;&s;e) and cau&s;e thee to rob God of that glory, and prai&s;e which is due to him alone. Be not &s;o taken vp (as the mo&s;t part are) with the commendation and admi|ration of the worke, that thou forget the workman,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 4.11 Iam. 1.17.</NOTE> that is, almighty God; who is both the author, and giuer, and al&s;o the maker and framer of all good things. For in this ca&s;e vaine and &s;infull men (as daily experience proueth) are more beholden to vs, then <HI>God immortall inui&s;ible and onely wi&s;e:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 1.7.</NOTE> For if any man make &s;ome rare and curious peece of worke (which
<PB N="71" REF="58">thing, neuerthele&s;&s;e hee cannot doe without the teaching and a&s;&s;i&s;tance of Almighty God) we make no end,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 31.2.3.4.</NOTE> nor keepe any mea&s;ure in admiring, and commending of him; while in the meane time, the great and mar|uellous works of God are made no|thing els (according to our &s;aying) but wonders of nine daies, yea the gods of the heathen and vncircum|ci&s;ed (which are but idols) are more beholden to their &s;eruants,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 96.5.</NOTE> then the true and liuing God, that made hea|uen and earth, and all that is therein, is beholden to vs; and do receiue more honour from them, then hee doth from vs. How did the vncir|cumci&s;ed Phili&s;tines prai&s;e their Da|gon when <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> was taken (as if their dumbe and deafe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iud. 6.23.24.</NOTE> dead and &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e idoll had deliuered him in|to their hands) &s;o the idolatrous Chaldeans prai&s;ed their Gods of &s;il|uer and gold for their &s;ucces,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 5.4.23.</NOTE> pro&s;pe|rity and good cheere? whereas our
<PB N="72" REF="59">God (being the true and euerliuing God) can hardly get a cold and for|mall grace (as we cal it, though there be oftentimes little or no grace in it) for all the pro&s;peritie and good cheere he be&s;toweth vpon vs.
<MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Caution.">
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Re&s;pect the inward graces more then the out|ward gifts.</HI></NOTE></P>
<P>Thirdly and la&s;tly, wee mu&s;t be|ware, le&s;t in admiring the creature (woman or man) wee deceiue our owne &s;oules, being more taken vp, and raui&s;hed with a carnall and fle&s;hly con&s;ideration of that which is without (as beautie, birth, riches and the like) then with a &s;pirituall meditation of the&s;e heauenly graces that are within them. The&s;e rules ob|&s;erued, wee not onely may, but al&s;o ought to admire and commend &s;uch per&s;ons in whom there is a coniun|ction of &s;pirituall graces, and out|ward gifts, remembring alwaies that this is rare; and therefore the rather to giue all the glory to God, and bee &s;ure that wee &s;et a higher price vpon that which is heauenly and &s;piritu|all,
<PB N="73" REF="59">then vpon that which is earthly and carnall.</P>
<P>But it is a world to &s;ee, how the greate&s;t part of men and women in the world doe deceiue them&s;elues in this behalfe.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">This errour the roote of many vn|godly mat|ches.</NOTE> For when a meere hu|mane and fle&s;hly affection (inuea|gled with the beautie of the face) hath bewitched them, or when the deceitfulne&s;&s;e of riches hath blin|ded them, they will imagine there wanteth no piety, and &s;pirituall gra|ces in tho&s;e per&s;ons, whom for meere carnall and outward re&s;pects they dote vpon. And if it were not &s;o common as it is, it would &s;eeme mo&s;t wonderfull to heare what hie prai&s;e and commendation they will &s;et vpon &s;uch. If a man bee rich in goods or lands hee wanteth no reli|gion: but the mo&s;t religious are de|&s;irous to match with him, and to be|&s;tow their children vpon him, though both parents and children (if they haue any &s;parke of grace)
<PB N="74" REF="60">they may rue and lament it all the daies of their life: yet if he be weal|thie he mu&s;t needs be wi&s;e and god|ly, if hee bee able to make his wife a large ioynter, and leaue a good e&s;tate to her, and the children of their bo|dies; no exception mu&s;t be taken ei|ther to his zeale in religion or to his hone&s;ty in life, though in the iudge|ment of the godly wi&s;e (to whom he is knowne) hee haue nothing in him (to &s;ay the be&s;t that can bee &s;aid of him with any colour of truth) which may not bee found in a meere natu|rall man:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;u. 24.15</NOTE>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 1.5.</NOTE> No zeale of Gods glorie, no loue of his word,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 10.2.</NOTE> no reformation of his familie, no godly exerci&s;es in his hou&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 9.2.</NOTE> no godly exerci&s;es in his hou&s;e, no feare of (no not &s;o much as any forbearing) an oath (the mo&s;t of which things a coun|terfait profe&s;&s;or may attaine vnto) yet this man who through his igno|rance and prophanene&s;&s;e cannot &s;o &s;o much as make a &s;hew of religion and godlines, &s;hall haue &s;ome thing
<PB N="75" REF="60">or other found in him to make him a good Chri&s;tian. O (&s;aith one) hee fauoureth &s;uch a good man, hee is neare a kin to &s;uch a godly Preacher, he v&s;eth to heare this or that zealous teacher,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 14.20: Luk. 12.21.</NOTE> hee alloweth &s;omewhat to the maintenance of &s;uch a Mini&s;ter. The&s;e and the like excu&s;es, and fig|tree leaues will be patched together,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 19.14</NOTE> to couer the nakedne&s;&s;e of him that is <HI>not rich in God,</HI> if either by his own gathering, or by the gift of his ance|&s;tors hee haue the goods, and ri|ches of this world. Nay (to go a &s;tep further) let a Church-papi&s;t haue hou&s;es and lands, riches and reue|newes, and many things will bee al|leaged by worldly folke, to make him a good husband for any Chri&s;ti|an woman: O (will they &s;ay) hee is of a pa&s;&s;ing good nature, hee is of a very gentle and tractable di&s;po&s;iti|on: he commeth to Church (to &s;aue his pur&s;e, or keepe his place) once in the moneth, and receiueth the com|munion
<PB N="76" REF="61">(to the &s;ame end) once or twice in y^e yeer, with many other like excu&s;es. But the very maine rea&s;on of all is the &s;ame which <HI>Hamor,</HI> and his &s;on <HI>Shechem</HI> v&s;e to their tenants, and neighbours.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 34.23</NOTE> <HI>Shall not their flockes, and their &s;ub&s;tance and all their cattell be ours?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 21.</NOTE> They v&s;e other arguments likewi&s;e; namely, that <HI>the&s;e men are peaceable with vs, the land is large e|nough for vs both,</HI> &amp; &s;o forth. But the maine and principall rea&s;on that preuailed mo&s;t (as I haue &s;aid) was this. <HI>Shall not their cattell, and their &s;ub&s;tance, and euery bea&s;t of theirs bee ours?</HI> Euen &s;o it is in this ca&s;e, for how&s;oeuer other rea&s;ons be alleaged (as a good nature, a peaceable di&s;po|&s;ition and the like) yet that which &s;triketh the &s;troke, is the &s;ame (in ef|fect) with the argument of <HI>Hamor,</HI> and <HI>Shechem: Shall not his goodly hou|&s;es, his lands and reuenewes, his plate and iewels, his rich furniture and hou&s;hold &s;tuffe bee our daughters, and her chil|drens?</HI>
<PB N="77" REF="61">This is it that beareth the &s;way, not among Pagans and Idola|ters onely (&s;uch as the <HI>Shechemites</HI> were) but euen (alas the while) a|mong Chri&s;tians. And (as though the corruption of nature were not &s;ufficient to draw vs to &s;inne again&s;t God in this behalfe) Satan hath his prouerbs (as well as <HI>Salomon,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Satans Pro|uerbs.</NOTE> though not &s;o holy as <HI>Salomons</HI>) which hee bloweth into our ears to harden vs in this &s;in. As for example, Fat &s;orrow (&s;aith one) is better then leane; and another (as very a worldling as hee) &s;aith, It is better to weepe vpon car|pets, then vpon ru&s;hes: in&s;inuating thereby, that marriage,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.4.</NOTE> which the holy Gho&s;t calleth honourable, is a heauie and mi&s;erable yoake, (e&s;peci|ally to the woman) and therfore it is wi&s;dome (for the &s;weetning and ea|&s;ing of it) to get &amp; make the mo&s;t rich and wealthie&s;t matches that we can come by.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11.19</NOTE> But <HI>Wi&s;edome is iu&s;tified of her children;</HI> wherefore let vs harken
<PB N="78" REF="62">to <HI>Salomon,</HI> rather then to Satan, and count it an errour to admire any prophane man for his goods, or for his gold, for his land, or for his liuing. Call a &s;pade a &s;pade, though it bee trimmed with &s;iluer, and an ape an ape, though he be clad in purple, and a hogge a hogge, though he be hung with iewels, and a papi&s;t a papi&s;t, (that is, an idolater, and limbe of An|tichri&s;t) and an athei&s;t an athei&s;t (that is a vile per&s;on and limbe of the di|uell) though their outward e&s;tates be neuer &s;o great, and happie in the world. That which is &s;aid of the man, is to bee vnder&s;tood of the wo|man, and that which is &s;aid of riches (wherewith the greate&s;t part of the world are carried away in the choice of their matches) is to bee &s;aid of beautie, which beguileth not a few, mouing them in their choyce, rather to couple them&s;elues with the &s;ons of men (yea indeed of the diuell) in re&s;pect of their riches,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 2.11.</NOTE> then with the
<PB N="79" REF="62">&s;onnes of God in regard of their reli|gion.</P>
<P>If it be demanded whether of the two do &s;in more, I meane,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Whether &s;inne more they that marrie for mony, or they that marry for beauty.</NOTE> they that make riches, &amp; mony their marke, or they that are carried away cheefly with beauty and fairne&s;&s;e of the per|&s;on? I an&s;wer it is hard to &s;ay which of the&s;e two doe &s;inne mo&s;t; the one beeing carried by the lu&s;t of his eye, and the other by the lu&s;t of his fle&s;h; both of them haue their pretences, which will not hold waight,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 2.16</NOTE> when they come to bee tried, by the bal|lance of Gods &s;anctuary. The be&s;t of them is naught, euen a &s;inne and an euill &s;ickenes, the cure whereof mu&s;t bee &s;ought for at the hands of the heauenly Phy&s;ition, the one being v&s;ually the di&s;ea&s;e of the elder, the o|ther of the yonger &s;ort.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">How pare~ts &s;in in ruling and childre~ in obeying in this ca&s;e.</NOTE> Here I might take iu&s;t occa&s;ion to bewaile both the prophanenes and worldlines of mo&s;t parents, and al&s;o the wanton|nes, and wicked re&s;olution of many
<PB N="80" REF="63">carnall and vngodly children. For as many parents little regard the liking, and contentment of their children, (which might be a good foundation of a cha&s;t &amp; peaceable life) but gree|dily hunting after the pray, pitch their &s;taffe, and &s;et vp their re&s;t, where they find greate&s;t portions for their &s;onnes, and the greate&s;t ioynters for their daughters; &s;o many children, on the other &s;ide hauing more worldly wit; then godly wi&s;edome; are willing to &s;atisfie the minds of their bodily parents: (neuer looking vp to the Father of &s;pirits) and ther|fore in &s;hew they willingly accept of &s;uch as are tendred to them:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.9.</NOTE> &s;o ta|king a wife or husband, to retain the loue &amp; good opinion of their earth|ly parents, and entertaine a friend as they &s;peake (Oh wofull friend or fiend rather) to prouoke the wrath of God their heauenly Father <HI>(who is a con&s;uming fire)</HI> again&s;t them&s;elues.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.29 et 13.4.</NOTE> And not onely young men, and wo|men,
<PB N="81" REF="63">who are vnder the gouernment of others, but many al&s;o, who are at their owne di&s;po&s;ing, rather then they will dimini&s;h their &s;tocke, im|paire their &s;tate, or (as they count it) di&s;parage them&s;elues; will either venture vpon &s;uch, with whom they cannot (with warrant of Scripture) looke to liue a godly and peaceable life, or el&s;e ab&s;taine altogether from marriage, and lie open to the tenta|tions and &s;nares of the diuell; for|getting the holy coun&s;ell of that ble&s;|&s;ed &s;eruant of God, who &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 7.9.29.</NOTE> <HI>It is better to marrie</HI> in the Lord, <HI>then to burne,</HI> in the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h.</P>
<P>Wherefore let no man &s;uffer him|&s;elfe to be mi&s;led any longer with an erroneous opinion &amp; ouerweening of the excellencie of any outward and common gifts (being &s;eparated from the feare of God) &s;eeing the mi&s;chiefes and inconueniences ther|of are &s;o great and manifold,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The con|clu&s;ion of the &s;econd v&s;e, with a pa&s;&s;age to the third.</NOTE> but ra|ther &s;ticke fa&s;t to the holy truth of
<PB N="82" REF="64">God, which the Scripture teacheth vs both here and el&s;e where, as hath been at large laid forth and proued vnto vs. And &s;o much touching the &s;econd v&s;e of this Prouerbe, which is the conuiction of &s;uch as in the error of their iudgements, doe ouerprize a prophane or vndi&s;creet per&s;on in re|&s;pect of &s;ome outward ornament of beauty, riches, honour or y^e like com|mon gifts, that God hath be&s;towed vpon him. The third v&s;e followeth, which is for correction of &s;uch, as notwith&s;tanding their iudgements and con&s;ciences, be &s;ufficiently con|uinced, of the vanitie and hurtfulnes of &s;uch things, being &s;eparated from true &s;anctimonie; yet they &s;uffer them&s;elues wittingly and willingly, yea (I might &s;ay of many) wilfully to be carried away captiue, with lu&s;ting and longing after them. The&s;e mu&s;t be (which is the third v&s;e of the holy Scripture) corrected, reproued, rebu|ked, and terrified, to keepe them
<PB N="83" REF="64">from &s;inning thus again&s;t know|ledge and con&s;cience. Here the Chri&s;tian Reader is to bee admoni|&s;hed:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 3.16.</NOTE> That though all Scripture gi|uen by in&s;piration of God haue tho&s;e foure v&s;es, which I haue &s;et downe out of the Apo&s;tle; yet euery particular ver&s;e and &s;entence of Scripture doe not alike pregnantly and properly affoord them all; &s;ome Scriptures &s;eruing more fitly for do|ctrine and confirmation of the truth, and for conuiction and confutation of the contrary errour, other places for the correction, and reprouing of &s;inne, and in&s;truction in the contrary dutie; and therefore in &s;uch places as containe morall matter concer|ning the good life, and godly beha|uiour of a Chri&s;tian, there is little dif|ference betwixt confutation and correction, though I haue here di|&s;tingui&s;hed the one from the other, for the deeper imprinting of this holy prouerbe in the hearts of all
<PB N="84" REF="65">true Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P>Wherefore,
<MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e."> to come to the third v&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Correction.</NOTE> it is the correcting &amp; reprouing of &s;uch earth-wormes, and carnall per&s;ons, who&s;e iudgements being thorowly informed in the holy <HI>truth, which is according to godline&s;&s;e,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 1.1.</NOTE> and their con&s;ciences conuinced, either of the fal&s;hood of &s;ome opinion which they hold, or of the vnlawful|ne&s;&s;e and &s;infulne&s;&s;e of &s;ome beha|uiour which they v&s;e, yet (&s;uch is the headine&s;&s;e and violence of their af|fections) that they will &s;tifly main|taine their fal&s;e opinions, and wil|fully per&s;i&s;t in the practi&s;e of tho&s;e wicked and vngodly actions, which the holy Scripture doth apparently condemne. This is true, not onely of &s;uch as are wholly giuen ouer to the &s;inne of idolatrie, and &s;pirituall fornication (whom <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> compa|reth to bitter rootes that bring forth gall and wormewood, <HI>who when they heare the words of Gods cur&s;e, doe ble&s;&s;e
<PB N="85" REF="65">them&s;elues in their hearts, &s;aying, we &s;hall haue peace though wee walke in the &s;tub|burnne&s;&s;e of our owne hearts, thus ad|ding drunkenne&s;&s;e to thir&s;t)</HI> but al&s;o of all &s;uch as &s;ell, and giue ouer them|&s;elues to the &s;eruice of any &s;in what|&s;oeuer it be.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 2.19</NOTE> This is verified (to omit other in&s;tances) of this &s;inne of ad|miring our &s;elues and other pro|phane and vngodly per&s;ons (whom <HI>Salomon</HI> in this Prouerbe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 11.22 &amp; 26.11. 2. Pet. 2.22</NOTE> and el&s;e where; and <HI>Peter</HI> after him, and out of him compareth to &s;wine and dogges) aboue that which is meete, in re&s;pect of the&s;e outward orna|ments. A great number are fully per&s;waded in their hearts, and readie to &s;ub&s;cribe with their hands, to the truth of that which <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith here, and in another place, where he &s;aith, Fauour is deceitfull,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 31.</NOTE> and beau|tie is vanity; but a woman fearing the Lord, &s;he &s;hall be prai&s;ed (as if he &s;hould &s;ay, &s;hee is faire that feareth God) though otherwi&s;e &s;he be hard
<PB N="86" REF="66">fauoured; &s;he is rich that is religious though her portion be but &s;mall; &s;he is honorable that is vertuous, though hir parentage bee neuer &s;o meane, and &s;o of the re&s;t. A great number I &s;ay are fully per&s;waded hereof, who yet in their practi&s;e runne a cleane contrarie way, and will &s;oo|ner admire an vndi&s;creet and pro|phane per&s;on, in re&s;pect of that out|ward iewell of beautie, and fauour that appeareth in his face, then a god|ly Chri&s;tian,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 14.226. &amp; 19.25.26.</NOTE> in regard of the grace, that &s;hineth in his carriage, and be|hauiour, and will &s;ooner embrace a wicked and vngodly <HI>Ab&s;olom,</HI> for his golden lockes, then a lame <HI>Mephiho|&s;heth,</HI> for his religious and loyal hart. It is true indeed that the common &s;innes of the world, as the lu&s;t of the fle&s;h,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 2.15.16.</NOTE> the lu&s;t of the eye, and the pride of life (that is to &s;ay, vncleanene&s;&s;e, couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e and ambition) do not &s;o directly breake the couenant be|twixt God and his people, as Ido|latry
<PB N="87" REF="66">and fal&s;e wor&s;hip doth:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4.29.30.</NOTE> yet they doe certainly much prouoke the Lord, grieue his &s;pirit,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 59.2.</NOTE> and &s;epa|rate betweene him and &s;uch as doe wallow therein; and therefore that fearefull threatning, and thunder|bolt denounced in the Law again&s;t &s;pirituall fornicators, may very fitly &s;erue to terrifie &s;uch fle&s;hly (as I may call them) and bodily Idolaters: namely, that <HI>The Lord will not bee mer|cifull to them</HI> (continuing in their &s;in) <HI>but the wrath of the Lord &s;hall &s;moake a|gainst them,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 29.19.20.</NOTE> <HI>and euery cur&s;e that is writ|ten in the booke of God, &s;hall light vpon them, and the Lord &s;hall put their names from vnder heauen, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The Iewes in former times plea|&s;ed them&s;elues, by rea&s;on of their outward priuiledge; and profe&s;&s;ion of the true God; yet the Prophet cal|leth their Magi&s;trates, <HI>Princes of So|dome,</HI> and the common people, <HI>people of Gomorra;</HI> and tels them,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 1.10.11. &amp;c.</NOTE> that their outward <HI>&s;eruice, and religious wor&s;hip
<PB N="88" REF="67">was irke&s;ome and tedious, yea loath&s;ome and abominable to the Lord: and why?</HI> euen <HI>becau&s;e their hands were full of blood:</HI> meaning that their hearts, and liues, bodies and &s;oules (yea euen when they came to pray, and &s;erue the Lord) were defiled with coue|tou&s;ne&s;&s;e, crueltie, and oppre&s;&s;ion: and &s;hall we thinke that our wor&s;hip and &s;eruice of God, our prayers and confe&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, our thank&s;gi|uing, and &s;inging of P&s;almes, our hearing of Sermons, and receiuing of Sacraments will bee accepted; &s;o long as our hearts are &s;et vpon vani|tie, our eyes full of pride and adulte|rie, our minds blinded with admira|tion of beautie, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the loue of riches, and preferment, more then with the loue of God, or any &s;pirituall grace proceeding from him?</P>
<P>Nay what &s;hall wee &s;ay to them that are &s;o farre from <HI>trembling at the word of God;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 66.5. Deut. 28.58. 1. Pet. 2.2.</NOTE> <HI>and fearing that great and
<PB N="89" REF="67">fearefull name of the Lord their God to take it in vaine,</HI> and from de&s;iring the &s;incere milke of the worde to grow thereby, that they take a quite con|trary cour&s;e. For hauing mo&s;t woful|ly and wickedly &s;pent the &s;weet prime of the morning (not in holy praier and preparation for the duties of their calling, but in fretting, &amp; cha|fing with their dome&s;tickes and o|thers about proui&s;ion for the fle&s;h; and e&s;pecially in curling and plot|ting of the haire,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 3.3.4.</NOTE> and putting on of apparell (not in decking the inward and hidden man of the heart) they come forth of their chambers, not as brides trimmed to meet the bride|groome Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, but as vncleane birds po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by Satan the prince of darknes; to whom hauing offered the fir&s;t fruits of the day, &amp; mi&s;pent the whole forenoon; they are prepa|red, and fitted to offer vp the whole lumpe to him; defiling them&s;elues, and one another by hearing, and &s;ee|ing
<PB N="90" REF="68">things vncomely, as profane and filthy playes, and &s;pending the re&s;t of the day in &s;uch vnfruitfull and vn&s;a|uory works of darknes. And what is the ende of all this? Surely nothing el&s;e but (as their owne hearts might tel them,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3.20.</NOTE> and as <HI>God who is greater then their hearts</HI> doth &s;ee, and their liues &s;hew) to plea&s;e them&s;elues, and to become nets, and &s;nares to &s;imple &s;oules, who haue not (with holy <HI>Iob</HI>) made a couenant with their eies,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 31.1.</NOTE> that they will not looke vppon a maide, namely (as Chri&s;t &s;aith) <HI>to lu&s;t after her:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 5.28</NOTE> yea and farder to bee a &s;candall, and &s;tumbling block to &s;uch as haue; who&s;e eies by the &s;ubtilty of Satan, and their owne infirmity are to ea&s;i|ly drawne away to gaze vpon &s;uch gorgeous images.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle exhorteth vs to <HI>be &s;trong in the Lord,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 6.10 11.13.14.15. &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>and in the power of his might, and to put on the whole armor of God) that wee may bee able to &s;tand fast again&s;t the a&s;&s;aults of the Diuell, for
<PB N="91" REF="68">(&s;aith he) we wrestle not again&s;t fle&s;h, &amp; blood, but again&s;t principalities, again&s;t powers, again&s;t the worldly gouernors, the princes of darkne&s;&s;e of this world, and a|gain&s;t &s;pirituall wickedne&s;&s;es which are in high places.</HI> This wee &s;hall find to be mo&s;t true, as at other times, &s;o e&s;|pecially when we <HI>meet together before God</HI> to heere the <HI>words of eternall life,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 10.33 Iohn 6.68.</NOTE> euen the holy Scriptures, which are able to make vs wi&s;e vnto &s;aluation through faith in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; for there is no hungry foule &s;o greedy of pray,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 3.15.</NOTE> no crow &s;o ready to follow him at the heeles, who ca&s;teth the &s;eede into the ground, as Satan is ready to attend the mini&s;try of the word,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 13.9 Mark. 4.15 Luk. 8.12.</NOTE> and to take all aduantages a|gain&s;t the hearers thereof. Haue wee then &s;o many, &s;o mighty, &s;o malici|ous, and &s;ubtle aduer&s;aries continu|ally houering ouer our heads, and in|camping them&s;elues round about vs; and &s;hall we be &s;ecure? Haue we &s;uch enemies to fight again&s;t vs, and
<PB N="92" REF="69">&s;hall wee fight again&s;t our owne &s;al|uation, and the &s;aluation of our bre|thren? Haue we &s;o many tempters, &s;o many diuels and wicked &s;pirits to deale withall, and &s;hall wee become tempters of our &s;elues, and one of a|nother?</P>
<P>Thou wilt &s;ay (perhaps) thou mea|ne&s;t no hurt,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">It is not e|nough to meane no hurt, if wee neglect the means that leads to ho|lines, and v&s;e the con|trary.</NOTE> neither that thou ha&s;t any &s;uch purpo&s;e in thy heart; nor decke&s;t vp thy &s;elfe for any &s;uch end. Why then doe&s;t thou take &s;uch a cour&s;e, both in decking thy body, and neglecting thy &s;oule, which (in regard of Satans malice, and mans corruption) mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity bring foorth &s;uch euill effects both in thy &s;elfe and other men?</P>
<P>Many (I know) will pretend that from their hearts and &s;oules they de|te&s;t, and abhor tho&s;e pollutions, and horrible &s;innes, whereby the wicked Sodomites, di&s;honoured God, defi|led them&s;elues,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19.5. 2. Pet. 2.8.</NOTE> &amp; <HI>vexed the righteous &s;oule of holy Lot that dwelt amongst the~:</HI>
<PB N="93" REF="69">and yet if wee ob&s;erue their practi&s;e, we &s;hall &s;ee them wallow in the &s;elfe|&s;ame &s;innes, of pride, idlenes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eze. 16.49</NOTE> riot and vncleannes which they did (and that vpon the Lords day) not di&s;cerning the dangerous e&s;tate wherein they are. For &s;urely <HI>that God that &s;pared not the Angels that &s;inned,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 2.4.5.6.7.8.</NOTE> <HI>but ca&s;t them downe into hell, and deliuered them into chains of darkene&s;&s;e, to be kept vnto dam|nation, neither &s;pared the old (and flouri|&s;hing) world, but brought the flood vpon the vngodly, and turned the cities of So|dome and Gomorrha into a&s;hes,</HI> will ne|uer &s;uffer &s;uch proud per&s;ons, and prophane abu&s;ers of his gifts, to go vnpuni&s;hed, vnle&s;&s;e they &s;peedily for&s;ake their &s;inne, humble them|&s;elues vnder the mighty hand of God, and turne vnto him by zealous and vnfained repentance, and bring foorth fruits worthy of amendment of life,</P>
<P>It is &s;aide in particular of the wo|men of Ieru&s;alem, who liued in the
<PB N="94" REF="70">daies of <HI>Vzziah,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 3.16.17. &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>Iotham, Ahaz,</HI> and <HI>E|zechias</HI> kings of Iudah (wherof &s;ome were godly kings) that they were <HI>proud and haughty, that they walked with &s;tretched out neckes, and wandring eies, tripping and mincing as they went, making a tinkling with their feet,</HI> which they (doubtles) did being puffed vp with a carnall conceipt of their pain|ted &s;heath, and a fooli&s;h ouerwee|ning of their beauty &amp; birth, wealth and riches, and other outward orna|ments, that God had hung vpon them for another end. Therefore the Lord of ho&s;ts who before in the &s;ame chapter, had denounced a hea|uy iudgement again&s;t all vngodly, and wicked &s;inners,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 11.</NOTE> &s;aying, <HI>Wo bee to the wicked, it &s;hall go hard with them; for the reward of his hands &s;hal be giuen him of the Lord,</HI> and in the next ver&s;e &s;aue one before that, hee &s;aieth <HI>the triall of their countenance te&s;tifieth again&s;t them,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 9.</NOTE> <HI>yea they declare their &s;innes as Sodom, they hide them not: woe be to their &s;oules,
<PB N="95" REF="70">for they haue rewarded euil to them&s;elues.</HI> This Lord of ho&s;ts, this iealous God, be&s;ides this general threatning, doth denounce particular iudgements a|gain&s;t &s;uch proud per&s;ons, &s;aying that, <HI>He will make their heads bald, and di&s;couer their &s;ecret parts,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver. 17.18 et 24.</NOTE> <HI>(and take away tho&s;e golden iewels, wherein they gloried ouer much); and in &s;teed of a &s;weet &s;auor to &s;end a &s;tinke, and in &s;tead of a girdle, a rent, and in &s;tead of dre&s;sing the haire, baldne&s;&s;e, and in &s;tead of a &s;tomacher, a girding with &s;ackcloth.</HI> O con&s;ider this all ye vndi&s;creet ones, which take oc|ca&s;ion by the faire iewells of health and beauty, youth and riches, and o|ther the like, that God hath hung vp|on you, &s;o foulely to abu&s;e, not onely them, but euen your &s;elues, and your brethren al&s;o by rea&s;on of them, and to forget that good, &amp; gratious God the fountaine of all, as well outward, as inward ornaments, <HI>le&s;t he teare you in peeces,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.17 22.</NOTE> <HI>and there be none that can deli|uer you</HI> &s;aying; what ha&s;t thou to doe
<PB N="96" REF="71">with the&s;e my gifts, &amp; what right ha&s;t thou to the&s;e my iewels and pearls, &s;eeng thou doe&s;t thus abu&s;e them to my di&s;honour, &amp; the de&s;truction of thy &s;elfe, and other of my &s;eruants.</P>
<P>And heere I might iu&s;tly expo&s;tu|late with a number, as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> doth with the Iewes in that his heauenly and &s;pirituall &s;ong, &s;aying, will ye &s;o reward the Lord O fooli&s;h people &amp; vnwi&s;e? <HI>Is not he thy father, that hath bought thee?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deu. 32.6.78. <HI>Pride and abu&s;e of outward gi&s;ts made more hai|nous by in|gratitude.</HI></NOTE> <HI>He hath made thee and pro|portioned thee.</HI> For &s;urely this is too great vnkindnes, and &s;uch vnthank|fulne&s;&s;e, as would be counted intol|lerable if it were offred to a man. For if a man &s;end vs a token or giue vs a ringe, or be&s;tow a iewell vpon vs, it will mooue vs to loue him, and carry a kinde remembrance of him in our hearts, and a care to main|taine his credit, and &s;peake well of him in all places where wee come; and if wee &s;hould not, all men would condemne vs for it; and &s;hall
<PB N="97" REF="71">&s;o many goodly gifts, and golden benefits which wee haue receiued from God; who we are &s;ure hath be|&s;towed the &s;ame vpon vs, of his free loue, and fauor without any the lea&s;t re&s;pect of our de&s;ert (yea cleane con|trarie to that which our innumera|ble &s;ins haue de&s;erued at his hands) nothing moue vs? If vnthankfulne&s;&s;e to men be cou~ted &s;o great a fault, that when we &s;ay of any one, he is an vn|thankfull man, wee &s;ay as much euill as can be &s;aid of him, and charge him with as many &s;innes, as a man in one word can po&s;sibly be charged with|all, ought not &s;uch mon&s;trous ingra|titude again&s;t the eternall God, only wi&s;e and good, (to whom wee owe our very &s;elues) to a&s;toni&s;h and terri|fie our hard and &s;tony hearts? <HI>Many good works</HI> (&s;aith God the &s;onne) <HI>I haue wrought amongst you</HI> (I haue fed your bodies,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 10.32.</NOTE> I haue likewi&s;e fadde your &s;oules; I haue healed your &s;icke, lame, dumb, deafe, and blind; I haue
<PB N="98" REF="72">rai&s;ed your dead to life againe, and the like, tel me now ye fooli&s;h Iewes and vnwi&s;e) <HI>for which of al the&s;e things will ye &s;tone me?</HI> In like &s;ort may God the Father &s;ay, many golden iewels I haue be&s;towed vpon you; I haue giuen you life and breath, I haue gi|uen you beauty, and comeline&s;&s;e, ri|ches and honor, health and pro&s;peri|ty, yea I haue giuen you mine onely Sonne,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3.16. Rom. 8 32.</NOTE> my ble&s;&s;ed Go&s;pell, and ma|ny other &s;pirituall benefits; which of the&s;e (O yee fooli&s;h Chri&s;tians and vnwi&s;e) doe moue you thus to for|get me and &s;purne again&s;t me, thus to pollute and defile your &s;elues and o|thers, to inuegle my &s;onnes, or my daughters by your beauty, to op|pre&s;&s;e them by your wealth, and ouer-reach them by your wit?</P>
<P><HI>I hau found (&s;aith</HI> Salomon) <HI>more bitter then death,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 7.26.</NOTE> <HI>the woman in who&s;e heart are nets and &s;nares, and in who&s;e hands are bands</HI> (or according to <HI>Tre|mellius</HI> pri&s;oners, and bondmen) that
<PB N="99" REF="72">is the fair and &s;ubtle harlot, the beau|tifull woman without di&s;cretion, (whom <HI>Salomon</HI> here compareth to a hog with a ring or iewell of gold in his &s;hout) who abu&s;eth her wit; and beauty, her haire and her brea&s;ts, her tongue and countenance to the al|luring of &s;imple and &s;inful men; who hauing not made a couenant with their eies,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 31.1. P&s;a. 119.37</NOTE> nor praied God to turne them from vanity, are ea&s;ily caught with &s;uch golden baites, and beeing once caught, can as hardly leaue their &s;infull &s;ociety, and cur&s;ed com|pany, as the poore pri&s;oner can &s;hake off his fetters, and boults, or the &s;illie flie wind her &s;elfe out of the artifici|all web of the venemous and &s;ubtle &s;pider. That which is &s;aid of the abu&s;e of beauty &amp; wit, is to be vnder&s;tood of all other things of the like nature, the abu&s;e whereof will light heauily vpon &s;uch as be guilty thereof at the la&s;t:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 5.10 Math. 25.</NOTE> <HI>for we &s;hal al appear before the iudg|ment &s;eat of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, where the &s;heepe
<PB N="100" REF="73">&s;hall be &s;eparated from the goats,</HI> and the di&s;creet from the prophane abu&s;ers of Gods gifts,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 17.31</NOTE> &s;uch as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;pea|keth of in this ver&s;e. For <HI>God hath certainly appointed a day, wherein he will iudge the world in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and bring euery worke to iudgement, with e|uery &s;ecret thing whether it be good or e|uill.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 12.14</NOTE> A day wherein the righteous who haue v&s;ed their gifts a right, to the glory of God, and good of their brethren &s;hall &s;tand before the Lord with bouldne&s;&s;e and great ioy, wai|ting with a&s;&s;urance to receiue and heere that mo&s;t &s;weet and comforta|ble &s;entence, <HI>Come yee ble&s;&s;ed of my Fa|ther, take the inheritance of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.</HI> For (by the right and holy v&s;e of the good gifts be&s;towed vpon you) <HI>when I was hungry ye gaue mee meate, when I was thir&s;ty yee gaue mee drinke, when I was a &s;tranger, ye tooke me to you, when I was naked yee cloathed me, when I was &s;ick ye vi&s;ited me, when I was
<PB N="101" REF="73">in pri&s;on ye came vnto me.</HI> On the other &s;ide, the wicked and vnrighteous (who being void of the true faith, &amp; feare of God: and of the holy di&s;cre|tion wherof <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;peaketh in this place) haue abu&s;ed, and corrupted the golden gifts they haue receiued, &s;hall quake and tremble, houle and lament,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reuela. 6.15.16.17.</NOTE> yea euen <HI>Kings and Queenes of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the cheefe captaines, and the mighty men</HI> (&s;o likewi&s;e the faire men and women, the learned and wittie, that haue abu&s;ed their gifts) <HI>&s;hal hide them&s;elues in dennes and caues, and &s;hall &s;ay to the rocks, and mountains fall vpon vs, and hide vs from him that &s;itteth vpon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lambe, for the great day of his wrath is come, and who can &s;tand?</HI> Yet all this &s;hall not &s;erue the turne, for they &s;hall heare neuertheles that dreadfull &s;entence, more terrible then any thunder boult.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 25.</NOTE> <HI>Depart from me ye cur&s;ed into euerla&s;ting fire, prepa|red
<PB N="102" REF="74">for the diuell and his Angels. For (by abu&s;ing the pretious and golden gifts be|&s;towed vpon you, you haue &s;o handled the matter that) when I was hungry you gaue me no meat</HI> (deuouring my gifts with harlots,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 15.30 Iam. 4.3.</NOTE> and &s;pending them on your lu&s;ts) <HI>When I was thir&s;ty ye gaue mee no drinke, when I was a &s;tranger, ye tooke me not to you, when I was naked yee cloathed me not, when I was &s;icke and in pri&s;on yee vi&s;ited me not.</HI> And the&s;e (profane per&s;ons void of holy di&s;cretion) &s;hall <HI>goe into euerlasting paine; and the righteous</HI> (who haue v&s;ed their gifts aright) <HI>&s;hall goe into life eternall.</HI></P>
<P>To proceede a little further for the correcting and (if it be po&s;&s;ible) for the reforming and reclaiming of &s;uch prophane per&s;ons as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;peaketh of in this prouerbe) Let vs marke what the Lord &s;aith to the &s;hepheards of I&s;rael (that is to &s;uch as had charge ouer other, vpon whom for their better encouragement God v&s;ually be&s;toweth the greate&s;t and
<PB N="103" REF="74">mo&s;t golden gifts) <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord God, behold I wil come again&s;t tho&s;e &s;hep|heards, I will require my &s;heepe at their hands, and cau&s;e them to cea&s;e from fee|ding the &s;heepe,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eze. 34.10.11.12.</NOTE> <HI>neither &s;hall the &s;hepherds feede them&s;elues any more, for I will de|liuer my &s;heepe from their mouthes, and they &s;hal no more deuoure them. For thus &s;aith the Lord God, behold I will &s;earch my &s;heepe, and &s;eeke them out, as a &s;hep|herd &s;earcheth out his flock, when he hath been among his &s;heepe that are &s;cattered. So will I &s;eeke out my &s;heepe, and deliuer them out of all places, where they haue beene &s;cattered in the darke and clowdie day.</HI> Marke I pray you how in this place, the mo&s;t iu&s;t and mighty God doth teach vs what mind he carrieth towards &s;uch as haue receiued more and better gifts then others haue done, and what cour&s;e hee will take with them, and how &s;euerely he will proceed in iudgement again&s;t them. Hee will &s;urely <HI>require his &s;heepe at their hands, and cau&s;e them to cea&s;e</HI>
<PB N="104" REF="75">from feeding the &s;heepe; that is to &s;ay he wil reckon with them, depriue them of their dignities, &amp; take tho&s;e honors and offices from them, which they haue &s;o gro&s;&s;ely abu&s;ed, euen &s;o in like manner will hee require his beauty,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.10</NOTE> his health, his &s;trength, his ri|ches, honor, &amp; all other good things (for all are his) at their hands; at the hands (I &s;ay) of all prophane and vn|di&s;creete per&s;ons, who haue abu&s;ed them, to his di&s;honour &amp; to the hurt of them&s;elues and others: hee will take a mo&s;t &s;euere and &s;trict account of them: hee will &s;ay vnto them by the mini&s;ters of his word (or by &s;ome one or other me&s;&s;enger of his wrath and vengeance) or by the terrible &s;ummons of death, or de&s;perate &s;ick|ne&s;&s;e;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16.2.</NOTE> <HI>Giue vpan account of thy &s;teward|&s;hip, for thou mai&s;t be no longer &s;teward:</HI> giue vp an account of thy beauty, for now it is bla&s;ted, withered and gone: giue vp an account of thy &s;harp wit, and good memory, for now they are
<PB N="105" REF="75">decaied and lo&s;t: giue vp an account of thy great &s;trength, and abilitie of body, for now it is dimini&s;hed and taken away:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 39.6. Ier. 27.11.</NOTE> giue vp an account of thy wealth and riches, for now thou mu&s;t leaue them, thou knowe&s;t not to whom: or if thou know to whom, thou knowe&s;t not how hee will v&s;e them, nor what hee will doe with them, nor <HI>whether he will proue</HI> (as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith) <HI>a wi&s;e man or a foole.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 2.18.19.</NOTE></P>
<P>If thou &s;ay (with cur&s;ed <HI>Cain</HI>) in the blindne&s;&s;e of thy wicked heart,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.9. 2. Sam. 15.20. 2. King. 5.25. Pro. 13.7.</NOTE> that <HI>thou canst not tell</HI> what thou did|de&s;t with them, or impudently de|nie (with <HI>Saul</HI> and others, that thou hadde&s;t any &s;uch iewels; the Lord will reply vpon thee and &s;ay (as hee doth of the abu&s;e of one of them, that is, riches) <HI>Goe to now ye rich men, weepe and howle,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 5.1.2.3.4.5.6.</NOTE> <HI>for your mi&s;eries that &s;hall come vpon you: your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moatheaten: your gold and &s;iluer is cancred, and the rust of them
<PB N="106" REF="76">&s;hall bee a witne&s;&s;e again&s;t you, and &s;hall eat your fle&s;h as it were fire ye haue heaped tre&s;ure together for the la&s;t daies. Behold the hire of the labourers which haue rea|ped downe your fieldes, which is by you kept backe by fraud, crieth, and the cries of them which haue reaped, haue entred into the eares of the Lord of Sabbaths. Ye haue liued in plea&s;ure on the earth, and haue been wanton: you haue nouri&s;hed your hearts as in a day of &s;laughter: yee haue condemned and killed the iu&s;t, and he doth not re&s;i&s;t you.</HI> In like manner will hee &s;peake to the beautifull (for God is no accepter of faces) Goe to now ye faire ones,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 10.34.</NOTE> weepe and houle for your mi&s;eries that &s;hall come vp|on you, your beautie is bla&s;ted, and your fairene&s;&s;e faded and withered, and your painted wrinkles and bought haire &s;hall witne&s;&s;e again&s;t you, and &s;hall eate your fle&s;h as it were fire: yee had thought to haue pre&s;erued your beautie all your daies: But behold now it is bla&s;ted,
<PB N="107" REF="76">and the pretious time and trea&s;ure which you haue &s;pent, and made o|thers &s;pend by occa&s;ion thereof, doth crie, <HI>and this crie is entred into the eares of the Lord of ho&s;ts: You haue liued in plea&s;ure vpon earth, and beene wanton,</HI> and that by occa&s;ion of this brittle iewell, which hath made you cheri&s;h and pamper your &s;elues, as if your life were a continuall fea&s;ting, and time of merriment: ye haue derided and &s;corned cha&s;te and &s;ober Chri|&s;tians, and mode&s;t matrones, and godly Mini&s;ters, who haue no way wronged you, but rather la|boured by all meanes to doe you good, and called them preci&s;e, and puritan fooles. Thus will the Lord in his iu&s;t di&s;plea&s;ure &s;peake to all &s;uch prophane and impenitent per|&s;ons.</P>
<P>Woe therefore, and woe againe to thee O thou fooli&s;h and impu|dent man, and to thee O vaine and carnall woman, void of godly wi&s;e|dome
<PB N="108" REF="77">and di&s;cretion, who ha&s;t gai|ned no glory to God with thy gol|den iewels, while they were in thy power and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion to doe good withall: nay rather in a cleane con|trary cour&s;e, by thy horrible abu&s;ing of them, and treading them vnder thy feet (as a &s;wine doth pretious pearles) ha&s;t highly di&s;honoured Al|mighty God the giuer of them,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7.6.</NOTE> deepely wounded and defiled thine owne con&s;cience, and either dange|rou&s;ly infected, or grieuou&s;ly op|pre&s;&s;ed the deare &s;eruants of God, thy Chri&s;tian brethren and &s;i&s;ters for whom Chri&s;t died. What wilt thou &s;ay then when that fierce and mightie Lion of the tribe of Iudah &s;hall roare vpon the,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reuel. 5.5.</NOTE> and that great and princely &s;heepheard &s;hal require his &s;heepe at thy hands,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.20</NOTE> when that Soueraigne King, and highe com|mander of heauen and earth the Lord of ho&s;ts &s;hall bid thee render an account of thy &s;teward&s;hip, what
<PB N="109" REF="77">wilt thou an&s;were? when the King of kings,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reuel. 19.16.</NOTE> and Lord of lords &s;hall come to reckon with thee for his talents committed to thy tru&s;t, how wilt thou cleare and acquite thy &s;elfe.</P>
<P>And marke well I be&s;eech you (beloued in the Lord) what our Sa|uiour Chri&s;t &s;aith to him that had receiued that one talent, who being called before his Lord, made this ap|pologie for him&s;elfe:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.24.25.</NOTE> <HI>Behold Lord thy peece, which I haue laid vp in a nap|kin, and hid in the earth:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 19.20.21.22.</NOTE> <HI>for I knew that thou wa&s;t a &s;traite and hard man, who take&s;t vp that thou laied&s;t not downe, and reape&s;t, where thou &s;owed&s;t not, and ga|there&s;t where thou &s;trowed&s;t not: I was therefore a feard, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: Behold thou hast thine owne.</HI> But what &s;aith his Lord to him againe? <HI>Of thine owne mouth will I iudge thee, O thou euill &s;eruant and &s;lothfull, thou knewe&s;t that I am a &s;traite man, taking vp that I laid not downe,
<PB N="110" REF="78">reaping where I &s;owed not, and gathering where I &s;trowed not, why then gauest thou not my money into the banke, into the hands of the exchangers, that at my comming I might haue receiued mine owne with aduantage? Take therefore that talent from him, and giue it to him that hath ten talents, and ca&s;t ye the vn|profitable &s;eruant into vtter darkene&s;&s;e, where &s;hall bee weeping and gna&s;hing of teeth,</HI> Marke it well I pray you. For if hee that had but one talent were reckoned withall, how can they that haue receiued many think to auoide and &s;hift off their account? And if he that did no hurt with his one ta|lent, but kept it &s;afe and &s;ure, and de|liuered it whole and &s;ound to his ma&s;ters hands of whom hee had re|ceiued it, were called an euill &s;eruant and &s;lothfull, had his one talent ta|ken from him, and was ca&s;t into vtter darkenes, where is wailing &amp; gna&s;h|ing of teeth, and that only becau&s;e he had done no good with it, but let it
<PB N="111" REF="78">lie idle, and vnprofitablie lapped vp in a napkin, buried and ru&s;ting in the ground; what &s;hall become of vs, who haue not onely done no good, but exceeding much hurt, with the many talents and iewels which God hath put into our hands, and as it were hung vpon vs, not for the deck|ing and garni&s;hing of our &s;elues, but chiefly and principally for the glori|fying of God, the gaining of our bre|thren,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 10.31. Pro. 2. Pet. 2.10.</NOTE> and <HI>making &s;ure our owne calling and election:</HI> What &s;hall become of vs, who haue with <HI>Ionadab</HI> and <HI>A|hitophel</HI> abu&s;ed our wits to vilany and wickedne&s;&s;e?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 13.3.4. &amp; 16.21. Gen. 34.2.</NOTE> who with the daugh|ters of men haue (by the abu&s;e of our beautie) been nets and &s;nares to the &s;onnes of God, or being by profe&s;&s;i|on the children of God, haue do|ted vpon the &s;onnes and daughters of men, and haue rather had them in high admiration for the iewel hang|ing on their &s;nout, then in hatred and dete&s;tation for their cur&s;ed and
<PB N="112" REF="79">abominable qualities? who with <HI>Go|liah</HI> haue rather abu&s;ed our &s;trength and courage to proud and vnlawfull challenges and quarrels, and with <HI>Shechem</HI> and <HI>Ammon,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 17.8.9.10.</NOTE> to rape and vncleanene&s;&s;e, then with <HI>Dauid</HI> and <HI>Ionathan,</HI> v&s;ed the &s;ame to the de|fence of the Church and people of God?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 9.1.2. Mat. 2.16.</NOTE> who rather with <HI>Abimilech, A|hab, Herod</HI> and the like, haue abu&s;ed our money,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 21.</NOTE> power, and authority to mo&s;t vile purpo&s;es (euen to the &s;up|pre&s;&s;ing of truth and iu&s;tice) then with <HI>Iob,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 29.12. 2. King. 18.13. Nehem. 2.5.</NOTE> <HI>Obadiah, Nehemiah</HI> &amp; &s;uch other, v&s;ed the &s;ame to the good of Gods people, to the maintenance of his Mini&s;ters, and to the reliefe of the godly poore? How can wee then thinke but that hell gapeth for vs, and that the Lord the iudge of the whole world is readie at hand to pronounce that dreadfull &s;entence (whereof wee haue &s;poken before) again&s;t vs. <HI>Goe ye cur&s;ed of my father into euerla&s;ting fire prepared for the di|uell
<PB N="113" REF="79">and his Angels.</HI> For I haue be&s;to|wed many iewels vpon you, and you haue done no good with them, nor got me any glory by them, but haue mo&s;t highly di&s;honoured mee by your bruti&s;h and horrible abu&s;ing of them, wallowing much more in the mire and puddle of your &s;innes, than either you would, or po&s;&s;ibly could haue done, if you had not had them.</P>
<P><HI>What &s;hall it profit a man (&s;aith Chri&s;t though he &s;hould winne the whole world if he loo&s;e his owne &s;oule?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16.26</NOTE> Nay what extreme hurt and hinderance &s;hall the world (if a man had it all with what&s;oeuer is in it) bring vpon him when for his abu&s;e thereof he &s;hould bee depriued of the kingdome of heauen, and of the ioies of the world to come, and ca&s;t into the lake that burneth with fire and brim&s;tone? Heatheni&s;h <HI>Alexander</HI> (&s;urnamed the great) hearing a vaine Philo&s;opher arguing that there were innumera|ble worlds, fell a weeping for griefe
<PB N="114" REF="80">to thinke that he had not yet gotten one world to him&s;elfe: but the wi&s;e man taught by the &s;pirit of God was of another minde: for he feared ri|ches, as much as pouertie, and pray|eth again&s;t the one as earne&s;tly as hee did again&s;t the other.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 30.7.8.9.</NOTE> <HI>Two things</HI> (&s;aith hee) <HI>I haue required of thee, deny me them not before I die. Remoue farre from me vanitie and lies, giue mee nei|ther pouerty nor riches, feed me with food conuenient for me, lest I be full and deny thee, and &s;ay who is the Lord? or lest I be poore and &s;teale, and take the name of my God in vaine.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 4.8.9.10.</NOTE> Chri&s;t encountering with Satan (for our example and en|couragement) would not break one of Gods commandements, nor bow one knee to Satan to gaine all the kingdomes of the world and glory of them: and &s;hall we that are called Chri&s;tians, for one of the lea&s;t world|ly benefits that is in the world (I mean beautie &amp; fauour of face) &s;uffer our &s;elues to bee drawne away to
<PB N="115" REF="80">tran&s;gre&s;&s;e all the commandements of Almightie God? we I &s;ay that are called Chri&s;tians,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16.24 &amp;. 11.28.29 Col. 3.1.</NOTE> who are daily cal|led vpon to denie our &s;elues, to learn of him, and to &s;eeke tho&s;e things that are aboue? And becau&s;e this Pro|uerbe &s;erueth chiefly for correction, giue me leaue (though I haue touch|ed it before) once againe to bewaile the wicked and &s;infull vanitie of ma|ny people in this age,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pag. 26. &amp; 27.</NOTE> who are &s;o far from numbring their daies aright, and walking circum&s;pectly, redee|ming all occa&s;ions of Glorifying God, and doing good to others,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 9.12. Eph. 5.16.</NOTE> and to their owne &s;oules, that they haue not learned to make any true con&s;ci|ence, no not of the holy day of the Lord, which by &s;o many and migh|ty rea&s;ons,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 20.8.9.10.11.</NOTE> hee per&s;wadeth vs to con|&s;ecrate to him alone, and wholly to be&s;tow and &s;pend in duties of piety and mercy, religion, and brotherly loue, both in publike and priuate, in his hou&s;e and in our owne.</P>
<PB N="116" REF="81">
<P>For as they &s;pend the &s;ix daies ve|ry wofully in following the world,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Outward ble&s;&s;ings (and name|ly beautie) be&s;towed vpon car|nal per&s;ons, a continual occa&s;ion of prophaning the Lords day.</NOTE> and the things thereof (e&s;pecially the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, and the pride of life) &s;o they &s;pend the Lords day mo&s;t wickedly, in following and ful|filling the &s;ame more greedily and throughly, than they doe any day of the weeke, nay oftentimes more than they doe all the re&s;t of the weeke be|&s;ides. On the weeke daies they doe &s;ome manner of worke (though ten|ding for the mo&s;t part to pride, and &s;uperfluitie) and be&s;tow &s;ome ho|wers in following their lawfull af|faires, but on the Lords day they lay hold only vpo~ the&s;e words, <HI>In it thou &s;halt do no manner of worke</HI>) quite for|getting the end of this re&s;traint and ce&s;&s;ation from their lawfull labours, which is to keepe the day holy to the Lord: as if God had forbidden lawfull labour on the Sabbath day to giue liberty to &s;uch employments, as are (&s;ome of them) not to bee v&s;ed
<PB N="117" REF="81">vpon any day, and others (e&s;pecially as they handle the matter) vnlawfull and &s;infull on the Lords day. O (&s;aith one) how much better were it (on the Lords day) to plow, than to play and be idle, to dig and delue, than to hop and dance? reuell and drinke drunke? O (may I &s;ay) how much better were it to plow thy ground than to paint thy face; to &s;pend the time in &s;ome hone&s;t and lawfull la|bour, than in &s;uperfluous and di&s;ho|ne&s;t decking and trimming vp of the outward man? di&s;hone&s;t (I &s;ay) not in it &s;elfe, but by circum&s;tance and con&s;equence, becau&s;e it nece&s;&s;arily draweth with it, both an omitting of &s;uch duties as are required, and a committing of &s;uch &s;innes as are for|bidden on the Sabbath day. Many be the duties required on the Lords day, whereof &s;ome are to bee perfor|med priuately at home, others pub|likely in the hou&s;e of God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92.2.</NOTE> The pri|uate duties are fir&s;t (where there is
<PB N="118" REF="82">abilitie of body) to ri&s;e betime.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13.13.14. Phil. 4.8. Tit. 2.3.4.</NOTE> The &s;econd is, in as &s;hort time, and with as much &s;peed as may bee, to make our &s;elues readie in &s;uch manner as is mo&s;t &s;ober and comely, and of be&s;t example and report, for men and women of our profe&s;&s;ion in the Church of God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4.4. &amp; 92.1. Rom. 15.20. Eph. 6.19.</NOTE> The third is (after due examination of our hearts touching the &s;innes of our life (and e&s;pecially of the week pa&s;t) to poure forth, humble, feruent, and faithfull prayer, for the ble&s;&s;ing of God vpon our &s;elues and others, chiefly of the &s;ame familie and congregation, and namely, vpon the Mini&s;ter thereof, that it would plea&s;e the Lord to en|lighten and &s;anctifie his heart, and direct his tongue to diuide the word of God aright, and to &s;peake the things which become &s;ound and whole&s;ome doctrine, and to &s;ay &s;om|thing that may &s;erue for the killing of our &s;innes, and for the comfor|ting and quickening of our &s;oules in
<PB N="119" REF="82">the faith and obedience of the Go&s;|pell. The fourth dutie is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92.95 96.100. E&s;a. 58.13.</NOTE> if time per|mit (as commonly it will, if it be well ordered and opportunity taken) to ioyne with our prayers the reading (or &s;inging) of &s;ome fit P&s;alme, or o|ther portion of holy Scripture, for the better preparing and &s;ea&s;oning of our hearts, to a more fruitfull par|taking of the publike exerci&s;es of the Church? The&s;e and the like duties are required of vs in priuate, before we goe to the hou&s;e of God; which duties are all of them by &s;uch per&s;ons quite and cleane neglected and o|mitted, and the whole time betwixt their ri&s;ing out of bed (which is not v&s;ually very early) and their going to the hou&s;e of God, is wholly mi&s;|pent (as hath been &s;hewed before) in plaiting of haire and putting on of apparell, in fretting and chafing with them&s;elues and others, both dome&s;ticks and &s;trangers, and name|ly, &s;uch artificers, who for their owne
<PB N="120" REF="83">priuate gaine,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">utward <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">ings be|<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">owed on <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">racele&s;&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">er&s;ons, an <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">cca&s;ion to make &s;uch as belong to them di&s;honour God.</NOTE> are content to bee in|&s;truments of the others pride. This being their chiefe and (in a manner) their onely fore-noones worke eue|ry day of the weeke be&s;ides, is made their &s;peciall employment that part of the Lords day which &s;hould bee &s;et apart for the preparing and &s;an|ctifying of them&s;elues and others depending vpon them, to the better performance of all publike duties of Gods mo&s;t holy wor&s;hip and &s;er|uice.</P>
<P>By this meanes not onely they them&s;elues are hindred, but the whole family depending vpon them is (as it were) fami&s;hed and defrau|ded of that &s;pirituall breakfa&s;t and re|fre&s;hing, in the &s;trength whereof they might goe more hartily and cheerefully to the hou&s;e of God, and being there, doe the worke of the Lord, <HI>not negligently (which bringeth a cur&s;e</HI>) but faithfully and fruitfully to his glory,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 48.10.</NOTE> and their owne good.
<PB N="121" REF="83">For touching &s;uch as wait and attend about them, they are &s;o bu&s;ied in plea&s;ing them, that they can &s;carcely find time to hang on their owne ap|parell; the re&s;t being left (as we &s;ay) at &s;ixe and &s;euen take liberty in the meane time by this occa&s;ion either to lie a bed, or beeing vp to range a|broad, or &s;taying at home to &s;pend the time in trifling and idlene&s;&s;e. Hence it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that both they that &s;hould gouerne, and they that &s;hould be gouerned come rude|ly and vnreuerendly poa&s;ting and hudling into Gods hou&s;e, &s;ome from brawling, and chiding, others from &s;leeping and &s;lugging, ideling and trifling, neither of both taking time to prepare and &s;anctifie them|&s;elues by praier to God for a ble&s;&s;ing vpon his ordinance, &amp; humble con|fe&s;&s;ion of their former &s;innes (e&s;pe|cially their abu&s;e of his name and &s;a|baths) with full purpo&s;e of heart to for&s;ake them; hauing indeed taken
<PB N="122" REF="84">hard &amp; &s;cant time enough to apparel them&s;elues acording to their minds: and yet they are bold to exempt the~|&s;elues from partaking (at lea&s;t in a great part) in the praiers &amp; &s;criptures read in the publicke a&s;&s;emblies: not becau&s;e they bee enwrapped in the error of them, who co~demne all &s;tin|ted and penned praiers, with all &s;et formes of lyturgy what&s;oeuer, (for many of them loue plain &s;eruice bet|ter then powerfull Sermons) but be|cau&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Iohn. 2.15.16.</NOTE> not hauing the loue of God the Father in them, and being carri|ed away either with the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, or the lu&s;t of the eye, or the pride of life, they wil not allow them|&s;elues time to come before the Lord <HI>(to whome alone all holines belongeth)</HI> in any reuerend and holy manner;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 28.36</NOTE> before the Lord (I &s;ay) who to work in them a care and con&s;cience of this commandeme~t.
<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Rea&s;ons out of the com|mandeme~t it &s;elfe.</NOTE> 1. Hath put them in minde of his large and liberal allow|ance (euen &s;ixe daies for one) to fol|low
<PB N="123" REF="84">their owne lawfull labours and delights. 2. Hath re&s;erued this whole day peculiar to him&s;elfe. 3. Hath by his owne example prouoked vs to the &s;anctifying of it. 4. And finally for our &s;akes hath &s;anctified &amp; &s;et it apart,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Marc. 2.27</NOTE> that by the religious ob&s;eruati|on thereof wee might bee ble&s;&s;ed in &s;oule and body, and reape vnto our &s;elues the ble&s;&s;ings both of this life, and of the life to come. Thus not|with&s;tanding all the&s;e forcible rea|&s;ons,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 58.13 14. 1. Tim. 4.8</NOTE> the con&s;cionable keeping of the Lords day is mo&s;t lamentably negle|cted, and Gods holy commaunde|ment troden downe vnder foote, for the plea&s;ing of vaine and &s;inful man. Whether it be our &s;elues or others in who&s;e eies wee de&s;ire to &s;eeme faire and comely, though in the meane while we be neuer &s;o foule &amp; defor|med in the eies of Almighty God.</P>
<P>Alas that men and women profe&s;|&s;ing chri&s;tianity, hauing giuen their names (in Bapti&s;me) to the holy
<PB N="124" REF="85">Trinity, and &s;o often renewed their couenant with God in the other Sa|crament &s;hould euer bee &s;o blinded, and &s;o &s;hamefully forget them&s;elues, and deale &s;o vnmercifully with their owne &s;oules, and with the &s;oules of &s;uch as depend vpon them, defrau|ding both, not onely of that &s;piritu|all gaine and heauenly riches,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 26.2 Deu. 28.1. &amp;c.</NOTE> but al|&s;o of tho&s;e outward and bodily ble&s;|&s;ings which are promi&s;ed to the reli|gious ob&s;eruers of the Lords day;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 17.27.</NOTE> and pulling vpon both, all tho&s;e plagues and cur&s;es that are denoun|ced again&s;t the breakers thereof. The&s;e doe not pray (with <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>) to the God of heauen,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 90.12.</NOTE> that they may get wi&s;e and religious hearts, but ra|ther (as their deeds declare) to the God of this world, that they may get faire faces, beautifull haire and pro|per bodies. And what may bee their drift and end therein? Surely it can|not be to plea&s;e God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 3.3.4.</NOTE> For the Apo|&s;tle telleth them (and their own con|&s;ciences
<PB N="125" REF="85">mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e that he telleth them the truth) that God loo|keth to other matters and is deligh|ted with ornaments of another kind. What then is their end? Vndoubted|ly it is to plea&s;e them&s;elues and &s;ome others as vaine and fooli&s;h as them|&s;elues. Is not this to prefer the body before the &s;oule, earth before heaue~, vanity before vertue, &amp; man (yea the Diuell &amp; idoll of our owne imagina|tion) before God, and true godlines? Then the which, what can bee more ab&s;urd, &amp; vnbe&s;eeming a true Chri|&s;tian? (I meane) to harken to the Di|uel who driueth him forward to &s;uch euill cour&s;es, by his wicked &s;ugge&s;ti|ons; rather than to God, who by his worde and &s;pirit daily &s;eeketh and &s;triueth to reclaime him from them?</P>
<P>But (to come neerer to the conclu|&s;ion and application of this point) what is the ground that Satan (taking the aduantage of their corruption) worketh vpon, to thru&s;t them for|ward
<PB N="126" REF="86">into &s;o great prophanene&s;&s;e? Certainelie it mu&s;t needs bee either gro&s;&s;e ignorance in not knowing, or great &s;tubbornne&s;&s;e and hardne&s;&s;e of hart in not beleeuing what the Lord &s;aith in other places of holy Scrip|ture, and what <HI>Salomon</HI> (from the mouth of the Lord) &s;aith in this pro|uerbe, touching the vanity of beauty and all outward things, beeing &s;e|parated from piety and vertue. The Lord complaineth of the ob&s;tinacy of the Iewes who being called vpon by the holy Prophet to for&s;ake their filthy whoredome and &s;pirituall for|nication, refu&s;ed to harken, flatly op|po&s;ing them&s;elues and as it were re|&s;i&s;ting God to his face.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 2.25.</NOTE> <HI>Keepe thou</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>thy feet from barenes, and thy throat from thir&s;t;</HI> that is, doe not thus pro&s;titute thy &s;elfe to idols, but re&s;traine thy violent appetite and in&s;atiable thir&s;ting after &s;uch wicked vanities; what an&s;wer made this peo|ple to the Lord? The prophet &s;hew|eth
<PB N="127" REF="86">in the next words. <HI>But thou &s;aied&s;t de&s;perately no, for I haae loued &s;trangers, and them will I follow.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iud. ver. 16</NOTE> The like com|plaint may bee taken vp again&s;t &s;uch as I &s;peake of in this place. The Lord &s;aith, <HI>Haue not per&s;ons in admiration for aduantage.</HI> So &s;aith he (by good con|&s;equence of rea&s;on) Haue not per|&s;ons (thy &s;elfe or others) in admira|tion for outward beauty and come|line&s;&s;e. For <HI>as a iewell of gold in a &s;wines &s;nout: &s;o is a faire woman which lacketh di&s;cretion.</HI> But &s;uch per&s;ons reply a|gain&s;t God and &s;ay de&s;perately. Noe (or not &s;o) for wee haue admired beauty, riches and the like without godline&s;&s;e, and them we will admire. But as it is in the &s;ame prophet (in a|nother place) <HI>What wilt thou &s;ay when God &s;hall vi&s;it thee?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 13.21.</NOTE> When either fee|ble age, or pining &s;icknes, or angui&s;h of &s;oule &s;hal &s;eaze vpon thee, and <HI>&s;hal ouertake as a woman in trauaile?</HI> For thou ha&s;t a long time called for ven|geance again&s;t thy &s;elfe by doting
<PB N="128" REF="87">vpon &s;uch vanities, wherefore euen <HI>as the theefe is a&s;hamed when he is found;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 2.26.27.28.</NOTE> &s;o &s;hall &s;uch prophane vndi&s;creete and carnall per&s;ons be a&s;hamed and confounded for their vanity and fol|ly in &s;aying (as the Idolaters did to <HI>a &s;tocke, thou art my Father, and to a &s;tone thou ha&s;t brought mee foorth</HI>) to a faire face, thou art my ioy, and to a full pur&s;e thou art my felicity. For they (euen both the&s;e kind of Idolaters as well the corporall as the &s;pirituall) haue turned their backe to God and not their face: yet in the time of their trouble, feebleage, painfull &s;ickne&s;&s;e, or angui&s;h of &s;oule, they will &s;ay <HI>A|ri&s;e and &s;aue vs.</HI> But <HI>where are thy Gods (&s;aith the Lord) that thou hast made thee? Let them ari&s;e if they can &s;aue thee in the time of thy trouble.</HI> Marke I be|&s;eech you what colde comfort &s;uch find, at the hands of him who is the God of all true peace and con&s;olati|on both of body and &s;oule, and how bitterly hee doeth ca&s;t them in the
<PB N="129" REF="87">teeth with their wicked madnes, and blind folly, in doting vpon &s;uch things as could not help them in the day of aduer&s;ity. A liuely example heereof we haue (touching the &s;piri|tuall idolatry) in the booke of Iud|ges, where it is recorded that the children of I&s;raell, who in the time of their pro&s;perity had for&s;aken the Lord and followed idols, yet beeing oppre&s;&s;ed by the Ammonites they cried vpon him; but what &s;aith the Lord vnto them,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 10.9.10.11.12.13. &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>Ye haue for&s;aken mee and &s;erued other gods, wherefore I will &s;aue you no more. Goe and crie to the gods which ye haue cho&s;en: let them &s;aue you in the time of your tribulation.</HI> So doubt|le&s;&s;e many who in the time of their youth, health and pro&s;perity, haue ca&s;t the feare of God behinde their backs, and &s;et their harts vpon beau|ty, riches, plea&s;ures and other vani|ties, when they are tormented with the &s;tone, collicke, ague, or other af|fliction as the I&s;raelites were with
<PB N="130" REF="88">the Ammonites, will crie vnto the Lord; but then they &s;hall heare with terror (their owne con&s;ciences accu|&s;ing them, or &s;ome faithfull man ad|moni&s;hing them) that they haue for|&s;aken the Lord, &amp; &s;et then harts vp|on the idols of their owne beautie; riches and the like. Then they &s;hall bee &s;ent backe with &s;orrow, &amp; &s;hame to tho&s;e helple&s;&s;e vanities, whereun|to before they had giuen their harts, and vpon which they had &s;pent that time, and &s;trength which in all right was due vnto the Lord. For if <HI>Phile|mon</HI> did owe vnto <HI>Paul</HI> euen his own &s;elfe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Epistle to Philomon. ver&s;.</HI> 19.</NOTE> for beeing an in&s;trument and mini&s;ter of his conuer&s;ion; what doe wee owe vnto the Lord our God, who is the author and fountaine not onely of our conuer&s;ion, but al&s;o of our creation, prede&s;tination, electi|on, redemption, vocation, iu&s;tificati|on, &s;anctification, glorification, and continuall pre&s;eruation, loading vs with all ble&s;&s;ings, keeping vs from
<PB N="131" REF="88">cur&s;es, filling our heart with feare &amp; gladnes, and daily prouiding for vs all good things belonging both to this life, and the life to come.</P>
<P><HI>Paul</HI> in the conclu&s;ion of his epi|&s;tle to the Hebrues, &s;aith, <HI>I be&s;eech you brethren &s;uffer the word of exhortation;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.22</NOTE> <HI>for I haue written a letter to you in few words</HI> (few indeed) in compari&s;on of the waightine&s;&s;e, and excellency of the matter) &s;o &s;ay I to you, I be&s;eech you brethren and &s;i&s;ters in the Lord, &s;uffer the word of correction, and re|proofe (though <HI>wicked men will not be rebuked,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 9.7.8. Math. 7.6.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;corners hate to be corrected euen</HI> by word of mouth) for I haue v&s;ed few words in compari&s;on of that which the greatne&s;&s;e and com|monne&s;&s;e of this &s;inne doth require at my hands;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Esto crudi|ta.</HI> Gen. 20.16</NOTE> and (as <HI>Abimelec</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Sara) Let euery one of vs be reproued,</HI> that are guilty of this mo&s;t wicked maumetry &amp; dotage vpo~ our &s;elues or others, in re&s;pect of any outward gift or ornament what&s;oeuer, &s;epera|ted
<PB N="132" REF="89">from the inward graces of &s;ancti|fication and godly life. The Prophet <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> (who liued in the &s;ame Kings daies that <HI>E&s;aiah</HI> did) complaining of the de&s;perate e&s;tate of the I&s;raelites,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 1.1. Ho&s;e. 1.1.</NOTE> telleth them <HI>That whoredom &amp; wine,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;e. 4.11.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;trong drinke doe take away</HI> (and as it were for&s;tale) <HI>the heart:</HI> meaning therby that riot and vncleannes (the vn&s;eparable companions of beauty, health, &amp; riches, where piety is wan|ting) do make both men and women &s;o bruti&s;h; &amp; blocki&s;h that no threat|ning or iudgments (though neuer &s;o nere their necks) can once enter into their hearts. Had not &s;uch then need to be corrected and &s;mitten with the &s;word of the &s;pirit, which is the word of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hebr. 4.12.</NOTE> that the &s;ame <HI>beeing quicke and powerfull, &s;harper then any two ed|ged &s;word, piercing euen to the deuiding a&s;under of the &s;oule and &s;pirit, and of the ioints and marrow,</HI> may bee vnto them a <HI>di&s;cerner of the thoughts and in|tentions of their hearts,</HI> they may not
<PB N="133" REF="89">onely bee conuinced in their iudge|ments of this palpable error in ouer|prizing &s;uch outward gifts, where godlines is wanting (which was the &s;econd v&s;e &amp; profit of this prouerbe) but al&s;o reprooued and checked in their owne con&s;ciences for their pro|phane and vngodly conuer&s;ation, proceeding from their blind igno|rance and errour of opinion? <HI>I haue heard</HI> (&s;aith the Prophet) <HI>Ephraim la|menting, and bewailing him&s;elfe thus;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ierem. 31.18.19.</NOTE> <HI>Thou ha&s;t corrected mee that I might bee corrected as an vntamed calfe (or bullock not accu&s;tomed to the yoke) conuert thou me, that I may he conuerted, for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after I am con|uerted it will repent mee, and after I am instructed I &s;hall &s;mite my &s;elfe vpon the thigh, I blu&s;h for &s;hame, and am confoun|ded, becau&s;e I beare the reproach of my youth.</HI></P>
<P>O that the mini&s;ters and men of God in the&s;e daies, might heare our Ephraimites (I meane our vndi&s;creet
<PB N="134" REF="90">prophane &amp; vain per&s;ons) lamenting &amp; bemoaning the~&s;elues in this man|ner; O that they could heare them &s;igh and &s;ay (after they had &s;pent the flower of their youth thus vainly and wickedly) <HI>How haue I hated in&s;tructi|on,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 5.11.</NOTE> <HI>and de&s;pi&s;ed correction and reproofe? how haue I beene carried by ouerprizing &s;uch fading blo&s;&s;omes,</HI> to breake all the commandements of my God? how haue I &s;uffred my heart to be drawn away from all true loue and delight in him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Com. 1.</NOTE> in whom alone all perfecti|ons of beauty, glory, and eternall fe|licity are compleat?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Com. 2.</NOTE> how haue I &s;uf|fered my body to bee drawne from the holy exerci&s;es of his wor&s;hip and religion, and giuen vp my members to &s;uch carnall and diueli&s;h idolatry, honouring &s;ome painted &s;epulcher (as <HI>Ely</HI> did his &s;ons) aboue God &amp; Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 2.29. Com. 3.</NOTE> how haue I &s;uffered my tongue (&amp; &s;ome time my pen) to di|&s;honor God, &amp; take his glorious and fearful name in vaine, by prai&s;ing &amp;
<PB N="135" REF="90">magnifying Gods,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 5.4.</NOTE> <HI>not of &s;iluer &amp; gold</HI> (as the Chaldeans did) the worke of mens hands,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 12.15 Com. 4.</NOTE> but of beauty &amp; come|lines the workman&s;hip of Gods fin|gers (though for a better end) as the Egyptians did? How haue I wa&s;ted my time (and yet not mine own but the Lords) euen the holy Sabbaths which <HI>I &s;hould haue called a delight to con&s;ecrate them as glorious to the Lord,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 58.13.</NOTE> <HI>and to honour him, not dooing my owne waies, nor &s;eeking my owne will, nor &s;pea|king vaine and idle words?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Com. 5.</NOTE> How haue I (to come to my &s;innes again&s;t the &s;e|cond table) di&s;honoured my natu|rall parents, and kinsfolke in the choice of my match, de&s;pi&s;ing (with <HI>E&s;au</HI>) their coun&s;ell and authority,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 26.34.35.</NOTE> preferring in re&s;pect of beauty and outward things, a profane and irreli|gious per&s;on, before one that vnfai|nedly feareth the Lord? how haue I beene barbarous and cruell to mine owne fle&s;h,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Com. 6.</NOTE> and iniurious to the Church of God, &s;eeking euen with
<PB N="136" REF="91">the hazard of my own life,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">This is pro|perly the &s;in of women bewitched with an o|uerweening of the ex|cellency of bodily beauty, to which &s;in &s;ome men are too rea|dy to giue way.</NOTE> and helth, to keepe backe and hinder the fruits of my wombe, or el&s;e (if that will not bee) by skipping and dauncing, by phi&s;ick and &s;lubber&s;auce, and other di&s;orders to aboli&s;h the fruite of my own bodie? Thus (like a furious <HI>Me|dea</HI>) playing the wicked murderer of the children of my owne womb, and all to pre&s;erue this brickle and fading blo&s;&s;ome of outward beauty, and finene&s;&s;e of bodie, which becom|meth &s;uch a cur&s;ed woman no better then a iewell of gold becommeth a &s;wine.</P>
<P>Certainely as <HI>E&s;ter</HI> &s;aid to <HI>A&s;&s;ue|rus</HI> of <HI>Haman,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ter. 7.4. <HI>A digre&s;&s;i|on in re|proofe of this &s;inne.</HI></NOTE> <HI>that the aduer&s;ary could not recompence or counteruaile the kings lo&s;&s;e.</HI> So may I &s;ay to all chri&s;tians of &s;uch women, aduer&s;aries to all godli|ne&s;&s;e and hone&s;ty, enemies not one|ly to the grace and feare of God, but euen to the light of nature al&s;o, that they cannot recompence Gods lo&s;&s;e, who is King of Kings, &amp; Lord
<PB N="137" REF="91">of Lords, in defrauding him of many &s;onnes and daughters, which might haue proued more profitable mem|bers in his Church, then euer they them&s;elues were. The murderer of a|ny man is &s;euerely enquired into by mans law in the Kings behalfe, and that vpon this ground, becau&s;e by meanes of that murder the king hath lo&s;t a &s;ubiect: and &s;hall wee thinke that hee who is King of heauen, and earth; will winke at &s;uch wanton murdering of his &s;ubiects, yea rather of his children, and that by the bloo|dy hands of their vnnaturall parents, whom hee appointed to bee in&s;tru|ments, not onely of their being, but al&s;o of their well being, yea of their holy and happy being? No verily for he hath told vs the flat contrary,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 6.4. Gen. 9.5.6</NOTE> &s;ay|ing: <HI>Surely I will require your bloud wherein your liues are: at the hand of e|uery bea&s;t will I require it, and at the hand of a man, euen at the hand of euery mans brother will I require the life of
<PB N="138" REF="92">man. Who&s;oeuer &s;heddeth mans blood, by man &s;hall his blood be &s;hed: for in the i|mage of God made hee him. Paul</HI> &s;aith that the woman,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 2.15 P&s;al. 36.6.</NOTE> notwith&s;tanding her frailty &amp; inferiority to the man, <HI>&s;hall be &s;aued (that is greatly ble&s;&s;ed and comforted of God) in bearing children</HI> (or through bearing children) <HI>if they continue in faith and loue, and holine&s;&s;e with mode&s;ty and &s;obriety.</HI> If &s;he &s;hal be ble&s;&s;ed in or by bearing of children, &s;hall &s;he not be cur&s;ed for aboli&s;hing of children? for if hee be cur&s;ed that <HI>&s;miteth any man &s;ecretly</HI> (that is clo&s;ely and cunningly concealing it from the magi&s;trate) how much more &s;hal &s;he be cur&s;ed of God, that &s;ecret|ly and colourably (pretending &s;ick|ne&s;&s;e or infirmitie) murdereth and maketh away the fruit of her owne bellie, to the end that therby (in her imagination) &s;he may maintaine and pre&s;erue the comelie &s;lendernes and finene&s;&s;e of her bodie? How then dare any woman profe&s;&s;ing Chri&s;ti|anity
<PB N="139" REF="92">thus &s;ecretly &s;mite her owne fle&s;h:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.15. <HI>The worde (&s;eede) by a metonymie of the mat|ter, &s;ignifi|eth a childe or children. An obiecti|on an&s;we|red.</HI></NOTE> and priuily murder (as the pro|phet calleth it) A &s;eede (that is a child, &s;onne or daughter) of God, be|fore it &s;ee the light of the &s;unne.</P>
<P>Here perhaps &s;ome &s;uch mother (or rather mon&s;ter) wil &s;ay that the&s;e two are nothing like, and that there is no compari&s;on betwixt the mur|thering of a child (man or woman) that is &s;eene to liue, moue, breathe, eate, drinke, waike, talke, and v&s;e the like actions of life, and betwixt the marring and aboli&s;hing of a &s;uppo|&s;ed conception, which no man can certainly tell what it is, or how it will proue, before it bee borne into the world. In an&s;wering of whom I wil not wade into the di&s;cu&s;&s;ing of that que&s;tion (which the oppo&s;ition of &s;ome diuines hath made difficult and doubtfull) touching the originall of the &s;oule, whether it come mediate|ly from the parents by the act of ge|neration, or immediately from a|boue
<PB N="140" REF="93">by diuine infu&s;ion: and if (which I take to bee the truer opini|on) by infu&s;ion from God, whether it come before the quickning, or af|ter the quickening: with the&s;e que|&s;tions (I &s;ay) I will not meddle, my drift being onely to &s;hew that it is a grieuous &s;inne again&s;t God to deface and &s;poile his workman&s;hip, and to corrupt and aboli&s;h a creature, which though it &s;hould not (as &s;ome think it doth where&s;oeuer there is a true conception) carry the image of God ingrauen in it;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.5.</NOTE> yet it is at lea&s;t (which none will deny) capable of it, and doth (as they terme it) potentially or in power and po&s;&s;ibility carry it alre|die. Whereupon it followeth that the rea&s;on which the Lord v&s;eth to aggrauate the hainou&s;ne&s;&s;e of man|&s;laughter (namely <HI>Becau&s;e he made man in the image of God</HI>) will lie hea|uily again&s;t &s;uch vnnaturall and mi&s;|proud mothers,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene. 9.6.</NOTE> or rather murderers of the fruite of their owne bodies,
<PB N="141" REF="93">though it be not yet come to the per|fection that it might, and in all likeli|hood (at lea&s;t for ought they know) happely would, if it were not thus vnhappely preuented by their pride. Moreouer wee reade in the law of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 21.22.23.24.25.</NOTE> that <HI>If men &s;triue together and hurt</HI> (or &s;mite) <HI>a woman with child, &s;o that her child depart from her, and no death (mi&s;chiefe or destruction either to mother or child) follow he &s;hall &s;urely bee puni&s;hed, according as the womans hu&s;|band &s;hall lay vpon him, and &s;hall pay as the iudges determine. But if death (or any mi&s;chiefe or de&s;truction) follow, then thou &s;halt giue life for life; and &s;o forth.</HI> Mark here the &s;euerity of Gods law again&s;t the mi&s;chieuing, or murdering of an infant before the birth &amp; cau&s;ing an vntimely birth, yea though by ano|ther man, though vnawares, through ra&s;hnes and vnadui&s;ed heat, though contrary to his purpo&s;e &amp; meaning, which was onely to kill or mi&s;chiefe his neighbour, and not the woman,
<PB N="142" REF="94">or that &s;he went withall, what &s;euere puni&s;hment then may we thinke in con&s;cience to be dew to the mothers them&s;elues, who being prouoked by no iniurie, nor &s;tirred vp to any pa&s;|&s;ion (but ought rather to bee full of the bowels of compa&s;&s;ion) doe wit|tingly, willingly and of &s;et purpo&s;e, e|uen of meere pride, contend &amp; &s;triue with the worke of God and nature, to murder or mi&s;chiefe it,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 13.10</NOTE> and that onely for the maintaining of (as they imagine) that blo&s;&s;ome, which to &s;uch gracele&s;&s;e per&s;ons is rather a blemi&s;h then an ornament? Who &s;eeth not the nece&s;&s;ity of this con&s;e|quence, and force of this rea&s;on? And albeit mans law &s;hould neglect the equity of this iudiciall, will not God, <HI>who iudgeth whoremongers and adulterers,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hebr. 13.4</NOTE> be auenged of &s;uch vnna|turall and cruell murderers? And if <HI>Onan</HI> were made an example of Gods wrath to all po&s;terity) for cor|rupting his &s;eede through enuie be|fore
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 38.8.9.10.</NOTE>
<PB N="143" REF="94">it came neere any conception, how &s;hall they thinke to e&s;cape, who &s;poile the &s;ame after it is come to fur|der perfection? I &s;peak not this of co~|mon harlots, nor yet of &s;uch who ha|uing fallen through infirmity, doe adde &s;inne to &s;inne, and cruelty to vncleanne&s;&s;e, to hide their fault from the eies of men, but rather of &s;uch who (contrary to the doctrine of this Prouerbe) being po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with an ouerweening opinion of the excel|lency of beauty without piety, doe grudge and &s;triue again&s;t that, which they might and ought to auow to the prai&s;e and glory of almighty God.</P>
<P>From this roote &s;pringeth ano|ther &s;inne of the &s;ame kinde;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">A reproofe of &s;uch as wilfullie neglect to nur&s;e their owne chil|dren.</NOTE> which though it bee not altogether &s;o hai|nous as the former is; and haue fai|rer pretences then the other hath; yet it is a &s;inne contrarie both to the law of nature, and to the doctrine and examples of the word of God; I
<PB N="144" REF="95">meane the &s;inne of mothers, who hauing (by the prouidence of God) abundance of milke, health of body, and in competent &amp; &s;ufficie~t mea&s;ure all abilities and opportunities, for the nur&s;ing &amp; &s;uckling of their own chil|dren, doe notwith&s;tanding out of an immoderate care of pampering their bodies, and maintaining their beau|ties, and brauerie of apparell, vnna|turally omit and reiect &s;o nece&s;&s;arie, chri&s;tian and comfortable a dutie. That this is a &s;inne again&s;t the law of nature, may appeare by the practi&s;e of all nations both ciuill and barba|rous (yea of the verie brute bea&s;ts) chri&s;tian and heathen, and by the manifolde naturall rea&s;ons, where vpon the &s;ame practi&s;e is grounded. That it is contrarie to the doctrine and practi&s;e of the Saints; written for our learning in the holie booke of God, might bee &s;hewed by &s;un|dry te&s;timonies and examples which to enlarge and &s;tand vpon were to
<PB N="145" REF="95">make another treati&s;e.</P>
<P>Wherefore referring the godlie chri&s;tian to the furder reading,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;. 49.25. &amp;. 21.6 7. Iob. 39.14.15.16. Lamen. 3.4 Cant. 8.1.8. Exod. 2.2.9. 1. Sam. 1.23. P&s;al. 22.9. 1. King. 3.21. Luk. 11.27 2. Tim. 5.10. Tit. 2.4. <HI>The con|clu&s;ion of the third v&s;e with a praier and a pa&s;&s;age to the fourth.</HI> 1. Cor. 11.34. Pag. 34.</NOTE> and meditation of the Scriptures quoted in the margent, and other of the like nature; I end this third v&s;e, and pro|fit of this holy prouerbe which is correction or reproofe; be&s;eeching almightie God, that their owne wic|kedne&s;&s;e (who are guiltie this waie) may correct them, and that their own hearts may &s;mite them, as <HI>Dauids</HI> did for a le&s;&s;e fault, and that they may &s;o iudge them&s;elues in this world, that they may not bee condemned with this world. So much of the third v&s;e of this holy prouerbe, where vpon I haue dwelt &s;ome what the longer, becau&s;e (as hath beene &s;aid) the di|rect and proper v&s;e, and drift of this prouerbe is to correct and reprooue the &s;inne of them, who bring a cur&s;e both vpon them&s;elues and others, by making a &s;eparation of tho&s;e things, which God would haue vs ioyne to|gether,
<PB N="146" REF="96">that is of beautie and cha&s;ti|tie, riches and religion, naturall gifts and &s;pirituall graces,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 40.6.7.8.</NOTE> preferring fle&s;h which is but gra&s;&s;e, and the glorie of fle&s;h which is but as the flower of the field, before the word of the Lord which endureth for euer.</P>
<P>Wherefore (to &s;peake a word or two of the fourth v&s;e of this pro|uerbe) as it &s;erueth to teach,
<MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e">
<NOTE PLACE="marg">In&s;truction.</NOTE> to con|uince, and to correct; &s;o doth it likewi&s;e &s;erue to in&s;truct, direct, a|waken, quicken, comfort, encourage, and &s;tirre vp all ages, &s;exes, and con|ditions to a cheerefull con&s;tant and faithfull performance of this holie dutie of ioyning pietie to beautie, a religious heart to a beautifull face, a good con&s;cience to a great e&s;tate; and to preferre a little wealth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37.16 Pro. 15.16</NOTE> a little health, a little beautie, a few worldly comforts and benefits (yea if neede be none at all) being ioyned with the feare of God, before anie one, or all of the&s;e together, being ioyned
<PB N="147" REF="96">with indi&s;cretion and prophanenes. Hearken then to <HI>Salomon</HI> O all yee faire ones that want di&s;cretion, yee noble and honorable, yee wittie and welthie, yee &s;trong and helthie that feare not God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 13.15.</NOTE> which is the true wi&s;|dome, beautie and riches; <HI>beare and giue care,</HI> be not proud of your pain|ted &s;heath &amp; peacockes feathers, for the mouth of the Lord hath &s;poken it, that none of the&s;e things can make you comely and amiable in his eies; if grace and godly di&s;cretion be wa~|ting;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 12.31.</NOTE> Therefore <HI>couet earne&s;tly the be&s;t gifts,</HI> and aboue all that you may feare the Lord, <HI>de&s;pi&s;e not prophecying</HI> which edifieth, but de&s;pi&s;e pride in outward things which puffeth vp, and maketh that men know neither God nor them&s;elues. For as the pro|phet &s;aith of the people of I&s;rael.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 1.3.</NOTE> <HI>The oxe knoweth his owner, and the a&s;&s;e his ma&s;ters crib</HI> (and the vncleane hog his dames &s;wil-tub) &amp; in another place;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 8.7.8.</NOTE> <HI>euen the &s;torke in the aire knoweth her ap|pointed
<PB N="148" REF="97">time, and the turtle, and the crane, and the &s;wallow ob&s;erue the time of their comming: but my people know|eth not the iudgement of the Lord:</HI> &s;o (may I &s;ay of &s;uch conceited and proud per&s;ons, that they al&s;o know not the iudgement of the Lord; they neither feare nor fore&s;ee his puni&s;h|ments comming vpon them for their &s;innes, they neither know, nor acknowledge, wor&s;hip or &s;erue (with zeale and euotion) anie other God, but the idole of their owne braine; euen the thing that they (in the er|ror of their iudgements) haue fanci|ed to them&s;elues, and &s;et their hearts vpon; as plea&s;ure, beautie, riches, and the like vani&s;hing and vnprofita|ble vanities; whereby it commeth to pa&s;&s;e that they are much more bruti&s;h and &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e then the bea&s;ts them&s;elues.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t &s;aith to the Phari&s;ies, (&s;in|ning in another kind) <HI>Yee are they that iu&s;tifie your &s;elues before men,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 16.15.</NOTE> <HI>but God
<PB N="149" REF="97">knoweth your hearts, for that which is highlie e&s;teemed before men</HI> (as external holine&s;&s;e, fa&s;ting, praier, almes deeds without &s;inceritie) <HI>is odious and abo|minable in the &s;ight of God.</HI> The like may the true mini&s;ters and members of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t &s;ay to &s;uch vaine men and women. Yee are they that flat|ter and plea&s;e your &s;elues, and de&s;ire to appeare faire and comely, beauti|full and glorious in the eies of men, but God &s;eeth your hearts, he &s;eeth your pride, profanene&s;&s;e and indi&s;|cretion, which make the&s;e things which are highly e&s;teemed before men (as beautie riches honor, and pro&s;peritie without pietie) odious &amp; abominable vnto him. And though <HI>Samuel</HI> otherwi&s;e a holy prophet, were (as a man) vpon the &s;udden de|ceiued and carried awaie with the goodly &s;tature and comely per&s;on of <HI>Eliab</HI> the elde&s;t &s;onne of <HI>I&s;hai,</HI> as if he were appointed to &s;ucceed <HI>Saul</HI> (a goodly tall man of &s;tature) in the
<PB N="150" REF="98">kingdome of I&s;rael,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 16.6.7.8.</NOTE> yet God teach|eth him another le&s;&s;on, as wee may reade in that place. <HI>Looke not</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>on his countina~ce, or on the height of his &s;tature, becau&s;e I haue refu&s;ed him: for the Lord &s;eeth not as man &s;eeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.</HI> Wher|fore (to returne to our in&s;truction the fourth and la&s;t v&s;e and profit of this prouerbe) O yee vaine and foo|li&s;h men and women, heare and giue eare, bee not proud of &s;uch fading flowers, <HI>giue glorie to the Lord your God</HI> in confe&s;&s;ing &amp; for&s;aking your wic|ked liues (made much more &s;infull and committed with greater greedi|ne&s;&s;e by occa&s;ion of the&s;e outward gifts) <HI>before your light bee turned into darkne&s;&s;e, your beautie into blackne&s;&s;e</HI> (as mo&s;t certainely it &s;halbe e&s;pecially at the re&s;urrection of the iu&s;t) your &s;trength into weakene&s;&s;e and your plentie into want.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5.14. 1. The&s;. 5.6 E&s;ay 29.8.</NOTE> Awake awake out of this &s;pirituall &s;leepe and goulden
<PB N="151" REF="98">dreame. For all this while (that is &s;o long as you dote vpon the&s;e things) yee are but <HI>as when a hungrie man dreameth and behold he eateth, but when he awaketh his &s;oule is emptie: or as when a thir&s;tie man dreameth, and behold hee drinketh; but when he awaketh his &s;oule is faint and longeth:</HI> euen &s;o it is with you, you doe but dreame that you are faire rich and honorable, wi&s;e and happie, as the Church of Laodicea did; but if euer you awake, and a|ri&s;e from your &s;innes (which is the fir&s;t re&s;urrection) &amp; tre&s;pa&s;&s;es where in you are now dead,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reuel. 20.6.</NOTE> and (as it were) buried, you &s;hal with greefe acknow|ledge it to be true, which they &s;hould haue done; that is <HI>that you are wretch|ed and mi&s;erable, and poore,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reuel. 3.17.18.</NOTE> <HI>and blinde and naked,</HI> and in like manner foule and vglie and deformed, <HI>and had need to buy</HI> (and by faithfull feruent and humble prayer to beg) <HI>of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t gould tried in the fire, that yee may be rich; and whiter raiment, that ye may bee
<PB N="152" REF="99">cloathed and that your filthie nakedne&s;&s;e doe not appeare, and annoint your eies with eye-&s;alue that ye may &s;ee.</HI></P>
<P>Wherefore (as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith of one outward ble&s;&s;ing) trauell not too much to be rich,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 23.45.</NOTE> &s;o it may bee &s;aid of the re&s;t; trauel not too much to main|taine thy beautie, to encrea&s;e thine e&s;tate, or to a&s;pire to preferment: <HI>cea&s;e from thy wi&s;edome</HI> (that is from this carnall and worldly wi&s;edome, which is <HI>not from aboue from the father of lights, but from beneath from the prince of darknes</HI>) for all the&s;e things will vani&s;h like a &s;hadow, they will take them to their wings like an eagle and flie away:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 1.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.</NOTE> <HI>and giue rather heede</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle exhorteth) <HI>to ioyne vertue with your faith, and with vertue knowledge, and with knowledge tempe|rance, and with temperance patience, and with patience godline&s;&s;e, and with godli|ne&s;&s;e brotherly kindne&s;&s;e, and with bro|therly kindnes loue:</HI> for it is not beauty and comeline&s;&s;e of per&s;on, it is not
<PB N="153" REF="99">worldly plea&s;ure and plenty of out|ward things, that will bring peace to our con&s;ciences vpon our deathbed: <HI>but if the&s;e things bee among vs and a|bound, they will make vs, that we neither &s;hall bee idle, nor vnfruitfull in the ac|knowledgement of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, for he that hath not the&s;e thinge is blind, and cannot &s;ee a farre off, and hath for|gotten that he was purged from his olde &s;innes, wherefore brethren, giue rather all diligence to make your calling and ele|ction &s;ure, for if the&s;e things be in you, you &s;hall neuer fall, for by the&s;e means an en|trance &s;hal be mini&s;tred to you abu~dantly in to the euerla&s;ting kingdom of our glo|rious Lord and Sauior Ie&s;us Christ.</HI> Loe here you &s;ee the robes &amp; ornaments, wherewith all Chri&s;tian men and women are to adorne and beautifie them&s;elues, that they may bee rich, honourable, comely and faire in|deed, though not alwaies in the wanton eies of worldly men, yet in the &s;ight of God, and his holy An|gels.
<PB N="154" REF="100">Of the like &s;ort and kinde are tho&s;e iewels and ornaments, which in his former epi&s;tle he admoni&s;heth Chri&s;tian wiues to deck and trimme them&s;elues with all. <HI>Who&s;e apparelling</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>Let it not be (chiefly) that out|ward, with broidred haire, and gold put about, but let it be the hidden man of the heart, con&s;i&s;ting in the incorruption of a meeke and quiet &s;pirit, which is in the &s;ight of God a thing much &s;et by. For af|ter this manner in the olde time, the holy women al&s;o who tru&s;ted in God adorned them&s;elues, beeing in &s;ubiection to their owne husbands euen as Sarah obeyed A|braham, and called him Lord, who&s;e daughters ye are while ye doe well, not be|ing afraide with any terror.</HI> As if hee &s;hould &s;ay, will ye needs bee in the be&s;t fa&s;hion? will you goe co&s;tly gay and trim indeed? then get you gar|ments that will not peri&s;h nor cor|rupt, but rather grow new and waxe better euery day get you iewels and pearles that cannot be plucked from
<PB N="155" REF="100">you, get you painting that will not in time wither your skinne, rot your teeth, nor corrupt your breath, but will &s;ticke by you all your daies, and make you fairer euery day then o|ther, yea fairer and fatter in your age then you were in your youth, if with <HI>Mary,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92.14</NOTE> <HI>you chu&s;e that good part which &s;hall neuer be taken from you.</HI></P>
<P>Heere &s;ome may &s;ay you haue v|&s;ed many rea&s;ons to prooue that no outward thing is an ornament to an euill man,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The way to auoid that &s;in which Salomon reprooueth, and to pra|cti&s;e that duty which hee requi|reth in this prouerbe.</NOTE> and to conuince them that think otherwi&s;e, and to reproue &s;uch as are here tran&s;ported and mi&s;|led in their practi&s;e, now you exhort vs to ioyne vertue with beauty, god|line&s;&s;e with riches, and hone&s;t heart with a faire face, and a good con&s;ci|ence with come line&s;&s;e of per&s;on and other outward gifts, but you &s;hew vs not how, or by what meanes we may attaine to this. For the &s;atisfying of whom, I will giue (yet very briefly) the be&s;t direction I can out of the
<PB N="156" REF="101">booke of God. <HI>Dauid</HI> (who&s;e penne was guided by the holy Gho&s;t) mo|ued the like que&s;tion long agoe, &s;ay|ing,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119.9.</NOTE> <HI>How (or where with all, and by what meanes) &s;hall a young man</HI> that is, any &s;eruant of God e&s;pecially &s;uch as bee young, (in whom rea&s;on and iudge|ment is mo&s;t weake and affection mo&s;t &s;trong) <HI>redre&s;&s;e his way?</HI> that is reforme his life, amend his manners, mortifie his affections, and change his practi&s;e; and pre&s;ently hee recei|ueth this an&s;were as an oracle from heauen, yea he him&s;elfe (as in other places) doth an&s;wer him&s;elfe, by the &s;pirit of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 15.1.</NOTE> &s;aying, <HI>euen by taking heede therto according to thy word,</HI> the onely plaine and perfect rule of all piety and vertue, godline&s;&s;e and ho|ne&s;ty. HIs coun&s;el was (for a heathen man) graue and good,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Socrates.</NOTE> who adui&s;ed men and women to behold them|&s;elues well in a gla&s;&s;e, &amp; if they found them&s;elues to be faire and welfauo|red,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 100.1.</NOTE> then to make their inward ver|tues
<PB N="157" REF="101">an&s;werable to their outward beauties, &amp; if they perceiued them|&s;elues to be foule or hard fauoured, then to &s;upply the foulene&s;&s;e of their faces, crokedne&s;&s;e of their bodies, (or what&s;oeuer blemi&s;h they found in their outward &s;hape) with the in|ward vertues and fairene&s;&s;e of their minde and manners.</P>
<P>This coun&s;ell (as from a naturall man) was wittie and good, but the coun&s;ell which we may learne from the word of God is more holy and wi&s;e, more powerfull and effectuall,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1.24.25.26.</NOTE> where the Apo&s;tle telleth vs that <HI>If one heare the word of God and doe it not, he is like a man that beholdeth his natu|ral face in a gla&s;&s;e, for when he hath con|&s;idered him&s;elfe, hee goeth his way and immediately forgetteth what manner a one he was.</HI> In which words hee doth not &s;ay that euery one, that looketh in a gla&s;&s;e, doth alwaies forget his owne fauor and complexion, or go|eth away without clean&s;ing any &s;pot
<PB N="158" REF="102">in his face, or mending any fault in his apparell; for daily experience tea|cheth the contrary: but his drift and meaning is to &s;hew, that carele&s;&s;e and vncon&s;cionable chri&s;tians (of which &s;ort the mo&s;t part are) reape no more fruit by the holy word of God, for the edifying of their con&s;ciences, &amp; amendment of their liues, then they do for the clen&s;ing of their skin or mending their cloathes, who look in a gla&s;&s;e after a &s;leight and &s;uper&s;iciall manner. To apply this to our pur|po&s;e in an&s;wering the que&s;tion pro|pounded. By the&s;e words of the A|po&s;tle: fir&s;t the vanity and &s;inne of carnall hearers is reproued: &s;econdly all men and women are taught how and by what meanes to amend their liues: euen (which is the &s;ame in ef|fect the Prophet &s;aith) by behol|ding them&s;elues in the gla&s;&s;e of the word of God, daily wiping away the &s;pots and amending the faults, which there are &s;et before them. For
<PB N="159" REF="102">euen as by the benefit of a gla&s;&s;e heedfully looked into, wee &s;ee the &s;pots that are vpon our face, &amp; faults of our apparell (e&s;pecially about our heads) and are admoni&s;hed and dire|cted how to amend them: &s;o by the benefit of the word of God, heede|fully &amp; con&s;cionablie heard, we are made to &s;ee the corruptions of our hearts, and wickedne&s;&s;e of our liues, and are al&s;o mo&s;t effectually admo|ni&s;hed exhorted and &s;tirred vp to a|mend the &s;ame. Wilt thou know then O thou vaine man or vndi&s;|creet woman, that art faire without vertue, rich without godline&s;&s;e, lear|ned without religion, and wi&s;e with|out hone&s;ty, how ill the&s;e things become thee? wilt thou &s;ee thine er|ror in ouer-prizing them, and thy &s;in in abu&s;ing them, and learne how to make a right and holie v&s;e of them? then looke adui&s;edly into the rule of Gods word. <HI>Take heed to thy feet when thou entre&s;t into the hou&s;e of God, and be
<PB N="160" REF="103">more neere to heer,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 4.17.</NOTE> <HI>then to offer vp the &s;acrifice of fooles:</HI> that is, before thou &s;et one foote into the Church, lay a|&s;ide thy proud conceits, and &s;infull lu&s;ts, that thou mai&s;t be fitted for ho|ly exerci&s;es, and beeing entred into the Church giue an attentiue and con&s;cionable care to the word reade and preached, and to the praiers that are made and offered vp to God the Father, through Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in the name and behalfe of the whole con|gregation, that thou mai&s;t not onely haue thy mind englightned with a true knowledge of good and euill, but al&s;o thy heart enflamed, with a godly hatred of that which is euill, and a perfect loue of that which is good. The holy Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh to the &s;ame purpo&s;e a little before, as it were expounding and enlarging the words of <HI>Salomon,</HI> when he &s;aith, <HI>Let euery man be &s;wift to heare,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1.21.22.13.14.15.</NOTE> <HI>&s;low to &s;peak and &s;low to wrath, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God.
<PB N="161" REF="103">wherefore lay a&s;ide all filthine&s;&s;e, and &s;u|perfluity of naughtines, and receiue with meekenes the ingrafted word, which is a|ble to &s;aue your &s;oules. But be yee doers of the word and not hearers onely deceiuing your owne &s;elues, for if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, hee is like to a man behoulding his naturall face in a gla&s;&s;e: for hauing con&s;idered him&s;elfe, he goeth his way: and pre&s;ently forgetteth what manner of one hee was. But who &s;o looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forget|full hearer, but a doer of the worke, he &s;hal be ble&s;&s;ed in his deede.</HI></P>
<P>Behold here,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 45.15. Luc. 12.11 Eph. 3.16.</NOTE> you that de&s;ire to be faire within, as you are faire with|out, to be rich in God, as you are in goods, to bee &s;trong in the inward man, as you are in body, behold I &s;ay what cour&s;e you mu&s;t take, what means you mu&s;t v&s;e, what gla&s;&s;e you mu&s;t looke your &s;elues in, and after what maner. But if ye &s;ay, ye wil not take this cour&s;e, nor obey the voice
<PB N="162" REF="104">of the Lord your God, nor looke in|to this perfect law of liberty to conti|nue therein, but &s;pend more time in looking and prying into a gla&s;&s;e of &s;teele (and that with greater earne&s;t|ne&s;&s;e) then you did in reading, hea|ring and meditating the worde of God, then certenly (as hath bin pro|ued) you &s;hall neuer plea&s;e God, nor be accepted in his &s;ight, how&s;oeuer you may plea&s;e your owne fancies, and be had a little while in admirati|on of &s;uch prophane, and ignorant per&s;ons as your &s;elues. As for there|ligious and godly wi&s;e, notwith&s;tan|ding they will (and that of con&s;ci|ence, as the word of God doth teach them) giue you that ciuill honor and re&s;pect, which is due to the place, and calling you are in, yet they wil think of you in their harts (while you con|tinue in the lu&s;ts of your ignorance) no better then of &s;wine hung with iewels, whited wals, and painted &s;e|pulchers, &s;laues and bondmen to Sa|tan,
<PB N="163" REF="104">fooles &s;et on hor&s;eback by Gods mo&s;t wi&s;e and powerfull permi&s;&s;ion and appointment,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 10.6.7. <HI>The per&s;on of aged and of the mi|ni&s;ter and chiefly of the magi|&s;trate to be reuerenced in re&s;pect of their yeares and calling</HI></NOTE> while they that be princes indeed and heires of glory, are faine like &s;eruants to trot afoot.</P>
<P>But lea&s;t any conceited and igno|rant per&s;on, &s;educed by the &s;pirit of pride and error (as many haue beene in al ages) &s;hould take occa&s;ion here|by to de&s;pi&s;e gouernment and &s;purn again&s;t authority, becau&s;e their in|ward graces, &s;hining in their &s;pee|ches and actions, are not an&s;werable to their outward ornaments and ho|nours, we mu&s;t keepe in mind the di|&s;tinction and difference of outward things and common gifts indiffe|rently be&s;towed vpon al men, name|ly that they be either the gifts of the bodie, or of the mind, or &s;uch as ap|pertain to the whole man. Now con|cerning the gifts of the body, as health, &s;trength, beauty, and the like be&s;towed vpon a prophane per&s;on, who doth abu&s;e them, they doe not
<PB N="164" REF="105">bind vs to re&s;pect and reuerence him a whit the more, but rather to loath and de&s;pi&s;e him; yet with all to pity and pray for him. The like is to bee &s;aid of the gifts of the mind, whether they be naturally ingrafted of God, as wit and memory, or gotten by in|du&s;try, as art and learning, which be|ing be&s;towed vpon a man of a wick|ed life, we are rather to loath, pitie &amp; praie for him in re&s;pect of the &s;piri|tuall graces, which he wanteth, then to admire him in re&s;pect of the natu|ral gifts that he abu&s;eth, which is true as of them, &s;o of riches, good &s;ucce&s;&s;e faces and the like gifts belonging to the whole man or woman, which do not of them&s;elues bind vs in con&s;ci|ences, to giue any reuerence to &s;uch as haue them; but onely &s;o far foorth as they are ioyned to authority, dig|nity and preheminence of calling or yeares. For in the&s;e re&s;pects wee are to giue honor to them euen for con|&s;cience &s;ake. Thus <HI>Abraham</HI> did re|uerence
<PB N="165" REF="105">and humble him&s;elfe to the vncircumci&s;ed Cananites;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 13.7 Gen. 33.3.</NOTE> and <HI>Iacob</HI> bowed to prophane <HI>E&s;au,</HI> and <HI>Dauid</HI> (a man according to Gods owne minde) did not onely &s;toupe to <HI>Saul</HI> a wicked king,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 24.9. &amp; 25.8.</NOTE> but al&s;o in &s;ome &s;ort to <HI>Nabal</HI> a churli&s;h kin&s;man, calling him&s;elfe his &s;onne becau&s;e hee was his &s;uperior in yeares. We read what mon&s;ters rather then men (as <HI>Nero</HI> and others) were in authority, when <HI>Paul</HI> liued: yet marke what a law, and what awe he laieth vpon all Chri&s;ti|ans to reuerence and obey them &s;ay|ing,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13.1.2.3.4.5.6.</NOTE> <HI>Let euery &s;oule be &s;ubiect to the high|er powers; for there is no power but of God, and the powers that be are ordained of God. Who&s;oeuer therefore re&s;i&s;teth the power, re&s;i&s;teth the ordinance of God: and they that re&s;ist &s;hall receiue to them&s;elues damnation; for magi&s;trates are not to be feared for good works, but for euill: wilt thou then be without feare of the power? doe well, &s;o &s;halt thou haue prai&s;e of the &s;ame: for he is the mini&s;ter of God for thy
<PB N="166" REF="106">wealth: but if thou doe euill, feare: for he beareth not the &s;word for nought, for hee is the mini&s;ter of God to take vengeance on them that doe euil: wherefore we mu&s;t be &s;ubiect, not becau&s;e of wrath only, but al&s;o for con&s;cience &s;ake, for this cau&s;e yee pay al&s;o tribute; for they are Gods mini|&s;ters, attending continually vpo~ this very thing. Giue to al men therefore their due: tribute to whom yee owe tribute, cu&s;tome to whom cu&s;tome: feare to whom feare, and honour to whom yee owe honour.</HI></P>
<P>If any obiect that <HI>Paul</HI> him&s;elfe did not practi&s;e this doctrine,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 23.3.4 5.</NOTE> when he taunted the high prie&s;t before a multitude. It mu&s;t bee con&s;idered that the office of the high prie&s;t was now at an end, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us (who was a high prie&s;t for euer after the order of <HI>Melchi&s;idec</HI>) being not one|ly come in the fle&s;h, but ri&s;en from the dead, and entred into glorie, and &s;eated at the right hand of God in the highe&s;t heauen, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of his eternall kingdome and prie&s;thood.
<PB N="167" REF="106">Be&s;ides, <HI>Paul</HI> him&s;elfe doth profe&s;&s;e before them all, that he did not know (or at lea&s;t acknowledge) him to bee a lawfull high prie&s;t; for if hee had, he would not haue v&s;ed tho&s;e words, nor called him whited wall, becau&s;e the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>Thou &s;halt not re|uile the ruler of thy people.</HI> And we read how &s;ubmi&s;&s;ely, and mode&s;tly he be|haued him&s;elfe afterwards towards <HI>Festus</HI> (an idolatrous &amp; heathe~ man) being a magi&s;trate.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 28.25.</NOTE> For notwith|&s;tanding he were by him openly vp|brayded with phren&s;y and madne&s;&s;e; yet he an&s;wered (as with bouldne&s;&s;e and courage &s;o) with patience &amp; hu|militie. <HI>I am not mad O noble Festus, but &s;peake the words of truth and &s;ober|ne&s;&s;e.</HI> Againe, though <HI>Paul</HI> as a man,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2.11.</NOTE> &s;hould haue failed a&s;wel as <HI>Peter</HI> did, who was al&s;o an Apo&s;tle (though we neuer read that <HI>Paul</HI> did faile in anie publike action) yet that rule which Chri&s;t giueth concerning the Iew|i&s;h Prie&s;ts ought to hould euen con|cerning
<PB N="168" REF="107">the Apo&s;tles al&s;o.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 23.2.3.</NOTE> <HI>The Scribes and Phari&s;es</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;it in Mo&s;es &s;eat, all therefore what &s;o euer they bid you do, that ob&s;erue and doe, but doe not ye after their workes: for they &s;ay, and doe not.</HI> In like manner it may bee &s;aid. The A|po&s;tles &s;it in Chri&s;t his &s;eat, and ther|fore what&s;oeuer they bid you ob|&s;erue, that ob&s;erue and doe, but doe not imitate them in all their per&s;onall actions, wherein (as priuate men) they might be deceiued. If anie &s;ay that <HI>Elias</HI> dealt roughly with <HI>Ahab,</HI> (being a King) returning his dung vpon his owne face, when hee tould him <HI>it was he and his fathers hou&s;e that had troubled I&s;rael:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 18.18.</NOTE> and that <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> dealt rudely with King <HI>Iehoram,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 3.13</NOTE> whe~ comming before him, he tould him, that <HI>He had nothing to do with him, and bid him get him to the prophets of his fa|ther, and to the prophets of his mother</HI> and &s;o foorth. To &s;uch I an&s;were as Chri&s;t did to his di&s;ciples <HI>Iames</HI> and <HI>Iohn</HI> in the like ca&s;e; <HI>Ye know not of
<PB N="169" REF="107">what &s;pirit ye are.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 9.55.</NOTE> Finally (to leaue this que&s;tion) that charge which <HI>Peter</HI> giueth to &s;eruants belongeth to all inferiors:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 2.18 29.21.</NOTE> <HI>Seruants (&s;aith he) be &s;ubiect to your masters with all feare, not only to the good and curteous, but al&s;o to the fro|ward: for this is thanke worthy, if a man for con&s;cience toward God endure griefe, &s;uffering wrongfully, for what prai&s;e is it, if when you be buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently? for Chri&s;t al&s;o &s;uffered for you, leauing you an example that you &s;hould follow,</HI> marke heere how hee &s;aith: <HI>not only to the good and curteous; but al&s;o to the froward</HI> (who&s;e authori|tie, riches, &amp; preheminence become them no better, then the iewels that are hunge vpon the &s;nout do become a &s;wine) who are notwith&s;tanding to be reuerenced, &amp; re&s;pected for con|&s;cience &s;ake, becau&s;e of the com|mandement of God, and of that image of his gouernement and &s;upe|rioritie which they carrie. The like he &s;aith (in the chapter following) to
<PB N="170" REF="108">wiues, who&s;e husbands were infidels &amp; idolaters,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2.12.</NOTE> euen (as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith) verie Athei&s;ts in the world. Wherefore let none &s;ay O if I had a vertuous wife, or a religious husband; if I had a cur|teous &amp; di&s;creet ma&s;ter, I could mo&s;t willingly &s;ubmit my &s;elfe, &amp; yeelde al duetie and obedience vnto them: O let no &s;uch voices bee heard out of our mouthes, for (as <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith) it is not worthie thankes (though it bee more then is found in a great num|ber) to bee obedient and dutifull to &s;uch. Be&s;ides the commandement is generall without re&s;traint.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 20.12</NOTE> <HI>Honor thy father and mother, &amp;c.</HI> whether they be froward or curteous, bitter or &s;weete vnto thee.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 6.1. Colo&s;&s;. 3.18.</NOTE> Onely the A|po&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> addeth one limitation when hee &s;aith. <HI>In the Lord,</HI> that is &s;o farre foorth as you may without &s;in|ning again&s;t the Lord, who is out &s;pirituall and heauenly husband, fa|ther, king, and ma&s;ter. If any &s;ay, this will make them more proud and in|&s;olent
<PB N="171" REF="108">then otherwi&s;e they would bee? I an&s;were <HI>what is that to thee?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 21.2.22. 1. Sam. 24.14.</NOTE> <HI>follow thou the Lord</HI> Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;ay with holy <HI>Dauid. Let wickedne&s;&s;e come from the wicked, but let not my hand be again&s;t him.</HI> Be&s;ides the Apo&s;tles (who wrote by the infallible directio~ of the holy Gho&s;t) telleth vs that this is the way to gaine them and to make them better,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 3.2.</NOTE>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 36.1.</NOTE> and not the way to loo&s;e them, and make them wor&s;e: where|fore though thy con&s;cience tell thee,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 1 3.</NOTE> that (continuing in their wicked cour&s;e) they are very Athei&s;ts in hart, and wor&s;e then brute bea&s;ts in the &s;ight of God; yet let it al&s;o teach thee that they are to bee honored, and obayed in the Lord.</P>
<P>But to &s;hut vp the fourth and la&s;t v&s;e of this prouerbe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The conclu|&s;ion of the whole.</NOTE> which concer|neth in&s;truction. Let vs marke fir&s;t, what iewels, talents and gifts, more or le&s;&s;e, greater or &s;maller wee haue receiued, and are as it were decked and adorned with all. Secondly, let
<PB N="172" REF="109">vs remember from whom wee haue receiued them,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1.17.</NOTE> euen from aboue, <HI>fro~ the father of lights, with whom is no va|riablene&s;&s;e, neither &s;hadow of turning.</HI> Thirdly, let vs ob&s;erue how frankely and freely, the Lord hath giuen the &s;ame vnto vs, euen (as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith in the next ver&s;e) <HI>of his meere will and plea&s;ure,</HI> without any the lea&s;t re&s;|pect of our worthine&s;&s;e or de&s;ert. Fourthly, let vs con&s;ider for what end and purpo&s;e hee hath, &s;o freely and graciou&s;lie be&s;towed the &s;ame vpon vs, namely (which is the chiefe and principall end of all things) for the &s;etting foorth of his prai&s;e and glorie;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 16.24. 1. Cor. 10.31.</NOTE> and in the next place for the &s;pirituall good and eternall &s;aluation of our &s;elues and others. Fifthly and la&s;tly (which is the maine &s;cope and principall drift of this prouerbe) let vs euermore bee mindefull (hauing duly and throughly con&s;idered what naturall parts, and outward gifts wee be endued with all) to &s;triue &amp; &s;tirre
<PB N="173" REF="109">vp our &s;elues daily,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark. 9.23</NOTE> to make our in|ward and &s;pirituall graces (as vertue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godline&s;&s;e, brotherly kindne&s;&s;e and loue) equall to them, yea if it bee po&s;&s;ible (as all things are po&s;&s;ible to him that beleeueth and v&s;eth the meanes) farre to exceede and goe be|yond the~. The&s;e goulde~ vertues wel linked together, will make a more precious and comely chaine, then either nature, or art, our owne indu&s;|trie, or the fauour of others (though they bee the greate&s;t princes in the world) can po&s;&s;iblie be&s;tow vpon vs: they will giue &s;uch a grace and &s;et (as they call it) a lu&s;ter vpon vs, that what&s;oeuer our lot bee, whether beautie or blackene&s;&s;e, &s;trength or weakene&s;&s;e, plentie or want, nothing &s;hall disfigure vs, but rather make vs amiable and acceptable in the eyes of God, and his &s;eruants, yea &s;ome|times of his enemies. What wi&s;e marchants and prouident chapmen
<PB N="174" REF="110">would not make &s;ale of all they haue to furni&s;h them&s;elues with &s;uch wares, as are not onely pretious and vendible in them&s;elues, but will al&s;o correct and commend the mo&s;t re|fu&s;e and dead commodity that can fall into their hands?</P>
<P>This cour&s;e if we take (according to the &s;cope and drift of this diuine Prouerbe) wee &s;hall not neede with that vaine Philo&s;opher) to drowne our riches in the &s;ea, le&s;t they &s;hould drowne vs; nor with another (as foo|li&s;h as he) to &s;poile our fauor,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Crates Thebanus. Spurina E|tru&s;cus.</NOTE> and di&s;|figure our faces le&s;t any &s;hould be e|namored of vs. Nor with &s;ome po|pi&s;h princes (of ignorance and &s;uper|&s;tition) to change our pallace for an vncleane cloy&s;ter, or our crowne of gold for a Monkes coule. Nor with &s;ome impatient per&s;on, to cur&s;e our beauty; birth, or any other ble&s;&s;ing of God; but rather with faithfull <HI>Da|uid</HI> to cry out,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 116.12.</NOTE> <HI>What &s;hall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me?</HI>
<PB N="175" REF="110">How &s;hal I improue, and imploy my health and &s;trength, my beauty, and comelines, my wit and learning, my birth and nobility, my riches and au|thority to the glory of God that gaue them, and to my owne &s;aluation to whom he hath giuen them. O that the Lord would endue me with this holy di&s;cretion, that hee would giue me a beleeuing and religious heart, and make all the&s;e outward orna|ments, and common gifts, in&s;tru|ments of grace, and &s;purres to godli|ne&s;&s;e.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 6.8.</NOTE> For as <HI>godlines alone is that pre|tious trea&s;ure, and onely rich reuenew, that bringeth with it true contentednes;</HI> &s;o it is the fre&s;h and liuely colour, which &s;etteth &s;uch a glo&s;&s;e vpon all the gifts of God, as maketh them comely and well-be&s;eeming to all that haue them: yea which maketh a chaine of yron more beautifull and &s;ightly (beeing hung vpon the armes and legs of the &s;eruant of God) then any chaine of gold or pearle beeing
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 26.29. et. 28.20. Eph. 6.20. 2. Tim. 1.16.</NOTE>
<PB N="176" REF="111">hung vpon the necke of a &s;wine, or &s;eruant of the Diuell. O the felicity, and ble&s;&s;ed e&s;tate of that man, and of that woman faire, or foule, healthy or &s;ickly, rich or poore, ba&s;e or noble, that hath attained this goulden gift, euen this &s;auing &amp; &s;anctifying grace of godly di&s;cretion. For to &s;uch a one all things, euen things of ba&s;e and common account in the world, (as pouerty, impri&s;onment, per&s;ecu|tion, bani&s;hment, &s;icknes, &amp; the like) are mo&s;t decent and comely, on the contrarie part) O the mi&s;erie, &amp; cur|&s;ed condition of them that want this holy di&s;cretion, how many glorious gifts and good things &s;oeuer they haue receiued of the Lord be&s;ide. For none of all the&s;e things doe be|come them, but rather disfigure and deforme them, and are vtterly ca&s;t a|way vpon them, make their per&s;ons more odious &amp; dete&s;table, and their e&s;tate more damnable and inexcu&s;a|ble before God and his holy Angels,
<PB N="177" REF="111">and before all good men, iudging &s;oundly according to the truth of the word of God.</P>
<P>To &s;hew this (ere I end) in one particular, in that &s;exe which <HI>Sa|lomon</HI> intendeth chiefely to in&s;truct by this prouerbe. <HI>A vertuous wo|man (&s;aith he (is the crowne of hir hu&s;|band (or a crowne to hir husband) but &s;he that maketh a&s;hamed,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 12.4.</NOTE> <HI>is as rotten|ne&s;&s;e in his bones,</HI> meaning by a ver|tuous woman, a religious, di&s;creet, cha&s;t, mode&s;t, and hu&s;wifely wo|man, and by one <HI>that maketh a&s;ha|med,</HI> one (according to the phra&s;e v&s;ed in this text) <HI>that lacketh di&s;cre|tion,</HI> that is, godly wi&s;edome and vnder&s;tanding to redre&s;&s;e hir waies, according to the word of God. A crowne (we know) is a comely and kingly ornament,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 12.30.</NOTE> rich and &s;umptu|ous in the highe&s;t degree. It is &s;aid of the crowne of the king of <HI>Am|mon</HI> which <HI>Dauid</HI> tooke from him that the waight thereof was a ta|lent
<PB N="178" REF="112">of gould, &s;et with pretious &s;tones, which mu&s;t needes bee of verie great valew, yet <HI>Salom<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n</HI> com|pareth a di&s;creete and vertuous woman to &s;uch a comely, &s;umptu|ous and princely crowne; yea in another place hee preferreth &s;uch a one before things of greate&s;t price and valew vpon earth, <HI>who</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>can finde a vertuous woman?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 31.10.</NOTE> <HI>for hir price is farre aboue pearles, and pre|tious &s;tones.</HI> The meaning is, that a vertuous wife doth farre excell all outward ble&s;&s;ings that heart can wi&s;h, &amp; doth bring a ma~ more true credit, &s;ound ioye, comfort, con|tentment and hearts ea&s;e, then a crowne of gould &s;et with pearles and pretious &s;tones can bring to anie ambitious <HI>Ab&s;olom</HI> what&s;oe|uer: and that a vitious woman yoaked to a man in marriage, taketh away al the ioy of his life, and is the greate&s;t plague and torment in the world, comparable to anie gout,
<PB N="179" REF="112">&s;tone, or bone ach that the fraile and &s;infull bodie of man is &s;ubiect vnto.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 18.12. &amp; 21.10 &amp;. 27 46. Luk. 1.16. Iud. 16.5.6 Iob. 2.9. &amp; 29.17.</NOTE> <HI>Sarah</HI> was &s;uch a Crowne to faithfull <HI>Abraham, Rebecca</HI> to <HI>I&s;a|ac,</HI> and <HI>Elizabeth</HI> to <HI>Zachary:</HI> on the other &s;ide <HI>Delilah</HI> was &s;uch a gree|uous bone ach to valiant <HI>Samp&s;on; Micol</HI> to holy <HI>Dauid,</HI> and <HI>Iobs</HI> wife to his afflicted and patient &s;oule. Now what is it that maketh a ver|tuous woman &s;o pretious, &amp; a viti|ous woman &s;o vild? Surely it is not beautie; birth, or riches; nor on the other &s;ide, blackne&s;&s;e, ba&s;ene&s;&s;e, po|uertie or the like (as hath beene proued) but the pietie, mode&s;tie, hu&s;wiferie, cha&s;titie, and in a word <HI>the holy di&s;cretion</HI> of the one, and the prophanene&s;&s;e and indi&s;cretion of the other.</P>
<P>Wherefore (deere brethren and &s;i&s;ters in the Lord) let vs all like good I&s;raelites wre&s;tle with God, let vs weepe and praie to him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 32.14</NOTE> let vs con|tend and &s;triue (as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith) for
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;&s;e. 12.4</NOTE>
<PB N="190" REF="113">this gift of holy di&s;cretion as for a price or ma&s;terie:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Colo&s;. 4.12</NOTE> let vs &s;triue I &s;ay (as for a garlond) for this goulden di&s;cretion, which will make vs ami|able in Gods eyes, an ornament to good men,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 48.18 42.</NOTE> and a comfort (for with|out this there is no &s;ound comfort) to our &s;elues: and let vs labour and fight, as again&s;t a mo&s;t deadly and dangerous enemie, &s;o again&s;t this prophane and carnall indi&s;cretion, which will make vs (though wee had all the ornaments in the world be&s;ides) odious to God, a re|proach to men, and a burden to our &s;elues,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16.26</NOTE> <HI>What will it (&s;aith Christ profit a man if (by apo&s;tacie and world|ly wi&s;edome,</HI> which with God is ex|treame folly and indi&s;cretion) <HI>hee &s;hall gaine the whole world, and loo&s;e his owne &s;oule?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 11.30</NOTE> <HI>Or what &s;hall a man giue for recompence of his &s;oule?</HI> Salo|mo~ &s;aith in one of his Prouerbs that <HI>He</HI> (or &s;he) <HI>that winneth &s;oules</HI> (which is done by holy doctrine,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 12.3.</NOTE> and ex|ample
<PB N="191" REF="113">of life, the later whereof is in effect the &s;ame with godly di&s;|cretion) <HI>is wi&s;e.</HI> For <HI>&s;uch</HI> (as &s;aith the Prophet) <HI>&s;hall &s;hine as the &s;tars for euer and euer.</HI> This &s;pirituall gaine and couetou&s;nes (as I may call it) mo|ued the holy Apo&s;tle to make him|&s;elfe all things to all men, that hee might win the moe; and by an ele|gant compari&s;on to prouoke all Chri&s;tians (after his example) to take the like cour&s;e.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 9.24.</NOTE> <HI>Know yee not</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>that they who run in a race runne all, but one receiueth the prize? So runne that ye may obtaine; and euery man that striueth for ma&s;terie is tempe|rate in all things: Now they do it to ob|taine a corruptible crowne, but wee for an incorruptible. I therefore &s;o runne, not as vncertainelie; So fight I not as one that heateth the aire but I beate down my bodie, and bring it into &s;ubiection, lea&s;t by any meanes ha|uing preached vnto others, I my &s;elfe become a castaway.</HI> Marke here a liue|ly
<PB N="192" REF="114">example of a Chri&s;tian Champi|on, to bee imitated not onely (though cheefly) of Mini&s;ters, but generally by all, that profe&s;&s;e chri|&s;tianity and beleeue (with <HI>Paul</HI>) the re&s;urrection of the dead, both of the iu&s;t and vniu&s;t, and do hope and long after the life euerla&s;ting. For this is as much in effect, as if hee &s;hould &s;ay what a &s;hame, yea what a madnes were it, for vs <HI>(who looke for an exceeding &s;uperexcel|lent and eternall waight of glory)</HI> to pamper the body,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 4.17.</NOTE> to dote vpon beauty, bodilie plea&s;ures, tran&s;itorie riches, worldly honor, or any thing that may hinder vs in our Chri|&s;tian race, &s;eeing they are &s;o &s;trict and temperate in diet, that look on|ly for a garlond of leaues?</P>
<P>Let vs therefore (beloued in the Lord) in like manner &s;o runne that wee may obtaine. Let vs beate downe our bodies, and keepe them in &s;ubiection to the &s;pirit,
<PB N="193" REF="114">lea&s;t when wee haue a little while plea&s;ed our &s;elues in following the lu&s;t of the fle&s;h,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 2.15 16.</NOTE> the lu&s;t of the eye and the pride of life, wee loo&s;e the fruition of the Lords mo&s;t ble&s;|&s;ed and holy pre&s;ence for euer. Let vs deny our &s;elues,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3.5.6.</NOTE> <HI>and morte|fie our earthly members, fornicati|on, vncleanne&s;&s;e, inordinate affections, euill concupi&s;cence and couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> (in like manner, pride and &s;elfe-plea&s;ing, ouer-prizing and doting vpon outward things) <HI>which is ido|latrie, for which things &s;ake, the wrath of God commeth on the chil|dren of di&s;obedience.</HI> Let vs (as was &s;aide before) like good I&s;raelites &s;o wre&s;tle with God by faithfull, earne&s;t, and humble praier, that wee may preuaile, and get power and victory ouer the vanity of our minds, and pride of our hearts, and to dete&s;t the dreames, and pollute the idols of our owne braines, to ca&s;t away all carnall imaginations,
<PB N="194" REF="115">and prophane admiration of out|ward things,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 30.22</NOTE> to &s;ay to our wires and tires, our deckings and paintings, and all our gewgawes (not befee|ming grauitie and &s;obriety) <HI>Get you hence,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;u. 24.21.24.</NOTE> <HI>we will wor&s;hip the Lord our God, and him onely will wee &s;erue, wee will goe and returne to (the Lord) our first husband, for it was better with vs then,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;e. 2.7.</NOTE> <HI>then it is now:</HI> wee will abhorre vanity, and de&s;pi&s;e vild per&s;ons, and honour them that feare the Lord,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 15.4. &amp; 119.63.</NOTE> and their companions will wee be: we will e&s;teeme better of the poore (ba&s;e deformed &s;ickly &s;imple and vnlearned) <HI>that walketh in his inte|grity,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 19.1. &amp; 28.6.</NOTE> <HI>then of him that abu&s;eth his lips</HI> (boa&s;ting of his riches, birth, beauty, health, wit, and learning) and wanteth grace.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 32.26.</NOTE> Finally let vs firmely re&s;olue with valiant <HI>Iacob</HI> neuer to leaue our hould, nor to giue the Lord any re&s;t, till hee haue ble&s;&s;ed vs, that is, be&s;towed vpon vs, &s;ome competent and comforta|ble
<PB N="195" REF="115">portion and mea&s;ure of this &s;a|uing and &s;anctifying grace of holy di&s;cretion, without which nothing will become vs, or commend vs in the eies of Almighty God and his ble&s;&s;ed Angels, and &s;aints, and with which, all things what&s;oeuer (&s;inne onelie excepted) will beautifie and adorne vs, and make vs faire and comely, rich and wealthy, &s;trong and healthy, learned and witty, no|ble and mighty, though not to the eye of fle&s;h and blood; yet to the eye of faith and &s;ound beleefe in the perfect law of the onely wi&s;e God, to whom alone bee all glory for euer Amen. Now the God of all mercy and con&s;olation, who is <HI>neere to all them that call vpon him in faith and &s;inglene&s;&s;e of heart,</HI> grant to euery one of vs a comfortable mea|&s;ure of this heauenlie grace of god|ly and holy di&s;cretion, and that for Chri&s;t Ie&s;us &s;ake his mo&s;t dearelie beloued, and onely begotten Son,
<PB N="196" REF="116">and our alone mediator and aduo|cate. To whom with God the Fa|ther, and God the holy Gho&s;t, be|ing the King eternall, inui&s;ible, and immortall, the onelie wi&s;e, mo&s;t iu&s;t and good God, be giuen all power and dominion, all glorie and ho|nour, thanke&s;giuing and obe|dience for euer and e|uer, Amen.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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<P>Printed at London by <HI>Felix Kingston</HI> for <HI>Richard Boyle,</HI> and <HI>&V;&V;illiam Ihones.</HI> 1613.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<HEAD>Faults e&s;caped through the im|perfection of the Copie.</HEAD>
<P>PAge 63. line 18. for fir&s;t, read (fift.) pa. 66. l. the la&s;t put out (great). p. 73. l. the la&s;t put out (they.) pa. 105. l. 5. in the margent for Ier. 27. read (17.) pa. 131. line. 1. for feare, read (food.) p. 155. line 18. for and read (an.)</P>
<P><HI>As the&s;e faults are not many nor great, &s;o the re&s;t (as the omitting, mi&s;placing, or mistaking of a &s;ection, comma, colon, &s;e|micolon, or period and &s;ometimes of a let|ter) as they cannot but be&s;omewhat har&s;h to the iudicious, &s;o they will not (I hope) hinder the ingenuous Reader.</HI></P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="117">
<HEAD>TO THE CHRISTI|an Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_BEing the last &s;ommer &s;a|uing one, &s;olitarie in the Country, I was much re|fre&s;hed by the weekelie letters of one <HI>M. Iohn Withyman,</HI> a learned and godly yong man, who (if pouerty had not compel|led him to &s;pend that time in attending vpon the pre&s;&s;e, which hee &s;hould and most gladly would haue be&s;towed vpon his &s;tudy) might haue proued (in mine opinion) if God had prolonged his daies and ble&s;&s;ed his labors, a man in all lear|ning (e&s;pecially diuine, whereunto hee was deuoted, being a mini&s;ter and prea|cher of the word) inferiour to few that I know in this age. This good yong man, being my kind neighbour, and hauing beene &s;ometime my &s;eruant and &s;choller
<PB REF="118">in the Citie; and after (by my meanes) placed in the vniuer&s;itie, (where for the time his profiting was not ordinary) did in one or two of his letters reque&s;t mee, that if I had any thing lying by me, that I thought might be of v&s;e for Gods peo|ple, and a benefit to him, I would &s;end it to him, becau&s;e now he had good lei&s;ure to perfect and publi&s;h it, faithfully pro|mi&s;ing that he would v&s;e &s;uch liberty in adding and detracting, &amp; altring both the phra&s;e and matter, as that it might bee trulie counted his owne. Vpon this condition I &s;ent him this little <HI>Some|what</HI> which here you &s;ee, not doubting, but that (according to his promi&s;e) hee would haue put a better coate and &s;hape vpon it; but beeing preuented by the &s;troake of God, which at that time was to him &s;o vnexpected (but for which he was at no time vnprepared) it returned (after &s;ome &s;pace of time) to mee againe as it went from mee, whereupon I ente|red into &s;ome doubtfull deliberation what to doe with it, inclining rather to
<PB REF="118">bury it in &s;ilence, then to &s;uffer it to &s;ee the light, in this cen&s;orious and learned age, yet in fine (being incouraged by &s;ome friends) I gaue way to the publi&s;hing of it; trusting by the mercy of God, that it may be profitable to &s;ome, and hoping that it wil neither be offen&s;iue nor hurt|full to any; for which I pray, and de&s;ire thee therein to ioyne with me. Thus ha|uing plainly and truely &s;hewed thee the occa&s;ion of this bolde aduenture. I com|mend vs all to the grace of God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t this <HI>18.</HI> of December. <HI>1612.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Thine in the Lord</HI> S. E.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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