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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE FATHERS COVNSELL.</P>
<P>OR, Certain u&s;efull Dire|ctions, for all young per|&s;ons, e&s;pecially elder Bro|thers, who&s;e portion it is or may be, in the&s;e perilous <HI>daies, to be left in a Fa|therle&s;&s;e or Friend|le&s;&s;e Condition.</HI></P>
<P>By <HI>W. T.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>G M,</HI> for <HI>Chri&s;topher Meredith</HI> at the &s;igne of the Crane in <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard, 1644.</P>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>THE FATHERS COUNSELL.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Sonne,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_GOD hath given thee thy be|ing, in a dole|full age, thou live&s;t in times &s;treaming in bloud, abounding in &s;inne; and alas, therefore bloudy, becau&s;e &s;infull, and thine
<PB N="2" REF="3">unhappine&s;&s;e is the greater, (though perchance thy feare be the le&s;&s;e) that thy blo&s;&s;ome years, render thee un&s;en&s;ible of the pre&s;ent mi&s;ery. Life is now, to them that can judge of it, a &s;ad and melancholy thing, death uncertain, yet at our doors, friends proove flaggy, and foes mercile&s;&s;e, the world deceitfull, di&s;tractions rage within us and dangers with|out us, GODS judgements round about us, and this is the temper of the&s;e times; And now my Sonne, how wilt thou demeane thy &s;elfe, in this comfortle&s;&s;e conditi|on.
<PB N="3" REF="3">To re&s;t upon Friends is but a fading &s;helter, Alas how many perils be there on all &s;ides, to take them from thee. To re&s;t on other meanes, they may proove but broken reeds, for where the Enemy comes, he com|monly &s;weepes cleane and leaves men, almo&s;t as naked to the world, as Nature brought them into it; Now where Friends and humane Supports fail, what &s;hall be thy Refuge? Why, let <HI>Da|vias</HI> charge to his &s;oule, be the practi&s;e of thine, <HI>Put thy tru&s;t in God.</HI> Put thy tru&s;t in God, for God and a good
<PB N="4" REF="4">con&s;cience in Sun&s;hine daies are the &s;weete&s;t joyes, and in the times of trouble the &s;afe&s;t harbours, when &s;tormes ari&s;e, and windes blow, and billowes &s;well, and no Haven appeares, but bloud and death riot in all places, yet even then an hone&s;t and &s;incere heart, which hath made it's peace with God through Chri&s;t, is as &s;afely harboured as <HI>Noah</HI> in his Arke, when the waves &s;urrounded him. Now, my Sonne, becau&s;e it is not gi|ven mee to know to what times, or length of dayes God hath re&s;erved thee, and
<PB N="5" REF="4">for that it may po&s;&s;ibly be thy portion, to &s;urvive the calamities this pre&s;ent age groanes under, and per|chance in the meane time loo&s;e all tho&s;e faithfull Friends, to who&s;e coun&s;els forthy Education, God and Nature hath ingaged thee, I thought it fit to leave thee in &s;upply of other helpes, the&s;e en&s;uing Di|rections</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Fir&s;t, Know this, and lay it up in the Clo&s;et of your heart, as your deare&s;t and chiefe&s;t meditation, That <HI>the feare of the Lord is the be|ginning of wi&s;dome:</HI> A good
<PB N="6" REF="5">under&s;tanding have they that doe thereafter, the pari&s;e of it endures for e|ver.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> For your carriage to|wards God let it be even, clo&s;e and regular, walk &s;ul|ly with him, re&s;t firmely on him, therefore take &s;peciall heed of &s;piritual di&s;tempers, to be &s;ometimes hot, &s;ome|times cold, &s;ometimes luke|warme, but labour for &s;ta|bility in Religion, as well as truth, for this will arme you again&s;t the breakings out of your corrupt heart, and again&s;t tho&s;e diver&s;ities of temptations which the
<PB N="7" REF="5">world and the devill will be &s;ure to ca&s;t upon thee.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> For your carriage to|wards men, and your ordi|nary demeanour in the ge|nerall cour&s;e of your life, &s;ee your dealings be faire, your words faithfull, your heart &s;incere, your conver|&s;ation lovely, let thy life &s;peake thy Religion, rather then thy Di&s;cour&s;e, be cour|teous towards all, but fami|liar onely with the be&s;t, and make &s;uch your bo&s;ome friends, in who&s;e choice &s;ociety you may happily ei|ther doe, or receive &s;ome good. This cour&s;e will be|gin
<PB N="8" REF="6">you a Heaven upon Faith, and keepe your &s;oul alwa es in an improoving condition.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> What ever your &s;tate of life &s;hall be, whether conju|gall or &s;ingle, be &s;ure to ex|erci&s;e your abilities, in &s;ome particular calling, I wi&s;h it may be in the Mini&s;tery, this is the chiefe&s;t in my de&s;ires, and I pray God it may proove the deare&s;t in your affections, but I &s;peake this in way of advi&s;e, not injun|ction, for the bent and rea|dy inclination of your mind mu&s;t much direct your choice in this particular, but
<PB N="9" REF="6">however your <HI>Genius</HI> frame, I here charge you, that as you tender the admonition of a Father, to who&s;e faith|full In&s;tructions God hath obliged you, that you dete&s;t with a perfect hatred, that &s;pecious, but pernicious &s;inne of idlene&s;&s;e, Yea that you abhorre and abandon it with as much indignation as you would a poi&s;onfull Serpent; for this de&s;truct|ive vice will render you di&s;|plea&s;ing to God, unprofita|ble to the world, unfruitfull in your Familie, contagi|ous to all men, &s;candalous to the be&s;t, and burthen &s;om
<PB N="10" REF="7">to your &s;elfe, believe it, God hath not placed man on Earth, as the Leviathan in the Sea, to take his pa&s;time therein, <HI>But man</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Iob</HI>) <HI>is borne to labour; as the &s;parkes flie upward,</HI> &s;o natu|rally. And here let no elder Brother &s;helter him&s;elfe un|der is faire e&s;tate, or plead the Inheritance of his Fa|ther, for his &s;loth, for <HI>Caine</HI> and <HI>Abel,</HI> though heires of the whole world had their imploiments; and the pre|cept is generall reaching in all degrees of per&s;ons, <HI>Of the &s;weat of thy browes &s;halt thou eat thy bread.</HI></P>
<PB N="11" REF="7">
<P><MILESTONE N="5"> As for the ordering of the e&s;tate wherewith God &s;hall intru&s;t you, for you mu&s;t remember you are but his <HI>Steward,</HI> be frugall, but not ba&s;e, circum&s;pect, but not unju&s;t, One pennie in a pound ill gotten, may like a theefe in the Candle, eate out all the re&s;t of your in|crea&s;e, Inlarge your heart in works of mercie towards others, as God &s;hall be plea|&s;ed, to inlarge his hand of bountie towards you. This is the &s;ure&s;t waie to make your life more comfortable and your e&s;tate more full. Let your Ho&s;pitalitie be
<PB N="12" REF="8">moderate, and according to the mea&s;ure of thy e&s;tate, rather plentifull then &s;pa|ring, but not co&s;tly, for I never knew any grow poor by keeping an orderly Ta|ble, but &s;ome con&s;ume them&s;elves through &s;ecret vices, and then Ho&s;pitali|tie beares the blame. Bee &s;ure to bani&s;h drunkenne&s;&s;e out of thy hou&s;e, which is a &s;wini&s;h vice, and doth im|paire the health, both of bodie and &s;oule, con&s;umes much and makes no &s;hew.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="6"> Let it be the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of thine heart, as well as of thine eie to have religious
<PB N="13" REF="8">Exerci&s;es, con&s;tantly per|formed in thy Familie, twice in the daie at the lea&s;t, if not oftner, be&s;ides thy private Devotions; And that the &s;ame may bee performed with &s;uch honour, regard and reverence, as becomes &s;o high a worke, po&s;t not off that &s;ervice to &s;ome ordi|narie Servant (as is too commonly done) (for who is &s;ufficient for the&s;e things) but di&s;charge it zealou&s;ly di&s;tinctly and un|der&s;tandingly in thine owne per&s;on; Take heed of car|rying on the&s;e Exerci&s;es in thy hou&s;hold as a &s;et and
<PB N="14" REF="9">impo&s;ed taske onely, as thinking vvhen the praiers are ended, the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is done. I tell thee, thou mai|e&s;t &s;peake much to God and pray little; This bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is a work of the inner man; and therefore what&s;oever you doe for God, doe it with all your might; Call in your will, under&s;tanding, affe|ctions, all the faculties of your &s;oule to give atten|dance on this dutie. One thing more, if any &s;udden and unexpected accident have mooved thy pa&s;&s;ions, and rai&s;ed &s;ome tempe&s;t within thee; O pray not to
<PB N="15" REF="9">God in that temper, but ap|proach thou to God, as God came to <HI>Elijah, in a qui|et and &s;till voyce, not in a whirlewind.</HI> God is a God of love and peace, and ther|fore compo&s;e thy heart and becalme all di&s;tempers in thy minde before thou pre|&s;ume into the pre&s;ence of &s;o high a Maje&s;tie.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="7"> And here <HI>(my Sonne)</HI> I mu&s;t admoni&s;h thee of a ne|ce&s;&s;arie dutie, the which in|deed (&s;hame to this inligh|tened and knowing age) is little knowne and le&s;&s;e pra|cti&s;ed, that is, the Catechi|zing and in&s;tructing of &s;er|vants
<PB N="16" REF="10">and children in the grounds of Religion, in pri|vate Families, by the Ma|&s;ters and Governours there|of; Which cour&s;e were it more generally and effectu|ally &s;et upon, certainly God would be more glorified, his Word and Sacraments, more reverently handled, and the People better edifi|ed, then our former daies have &s;eene. I know well the dutie of Catechizing (the generall neglect wherof the Land hath cau&s;e to lament with teares of bloud) doth properly belong to the Pa|&s;torall charge, yet all Ma|&s;ters
<PB N="17" REF="10">of Families are or ought to be, like <HI>Abraham</HI> and <HI>Io&s;huah,</HI> Prie&s;ts and Pro|phets in their owne hou&s;es, and helpe laie the foundati|on of Religion in the peo|ples hearts, that &s;o by both working together, the bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e might be advanced to a more glorious improove|ment; were this nece&s;&s;ary dutie throughly pre&s;&s;ed, and under&s;tandingly carried on through all parts of this Kingdome, then &s;hould we not to our &s;candall and &s;corne, &s;ee &s;o many Schi&s;|mes in our Church, &s;o ma|ny di&s;orders and fractions
<PB N="18" REF="11">in the State, &s;uch diver&s;ities of opinions broached a|mong&s;t us, &s;uch unmanner|ly and unreverent carriage in Gods wor&s;hip in many places. In a word, then &s;hould wee not &s;ee &s;o many thou&s;and poore &s;oules peri&s;h for want of knowledge, wal|king in the darke waies of their owne &s;educed hearts, and acting all things as their lu&s;ts, or (perchance) &s;ome ignorant leaders guide them. <HI>My Sonne,</HI> according to thy place, power and parts do thou thy dutie in this parti|cular, and &s;tirre up others in the pro&s;ecution hereof,
<PB N="19" REF="11">as knowing that hee which converts a &s;oule from the errour of his waie, &s;hall &s;hine as the Starres in the Firma|ment.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="8"> If it &s;hall plea&s;e God to bring thee tomans e&s;tate, u&s;e exceeding great care and caution in the choice of thy wife, if thy affections incline that waie. And herein in the fir&s;t place &s;eeke unto God to coun&s;ell thee, and he will direct thy path, you have his promi&s;e for it, <HI>Prov.</HI> 3.6. <HI>in all thy ways ac|knowledge him</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Solomon</HI>) <HI>and he &s;hall direct thy wayes:</HI> This advi&s;e is better
<PB N="20" REF="12">known then well improved, often &s;poken, exceeding, &s;eldome done, but take you Gods word for good &s;ecu\ritie, beleeve it, the <HI>P&s;almi&s;ts</HI> words are true, <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 9.10. <HI>Hee never faileth them that &s;eeke him;</HI> Now when you have con&s;ulted with God, be indu&s;triou&s;ly inqui&s;itive into the di&s;po&s;ition, inclination, &s;tocke, but e&s;pecially the Religion of the partie com|mended to your choice, for its heavie drawing in an un|even yoak, and however it be true, that parentage, parts and portion are good In|gredients in your match, yet
<PB N="21" REF="12">the&s;e mu&s;t not be the princi|ples to guide your choice, let her be gracious rather then great, yet richly ador|ned, I meane, <HI>all glorious within,</HI> and then what ever imperfections &s;hall ari&s;e from her nature, they will be her urthen as well as thine; Religion is the &s;wee|te&s;t and &s;tronge&s;t tie, and tho&s;e that are &s;o conjoyned, nothing but death, nay in truth, neither life nor death can part them.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="9"> If God &s;hall be plea&s;ed to ble&s;&s;e you hereafter with a|ny children, be carefull to pre&s;ent before their blo&s;&s;om
<PB N="22" REF="13">yeares, an unblameable life, in your owne example, For your per&s;onall demeanour and ordinarie carriage a|mong&s;t them will have a ve|rie powerfull Influence upon their di&s;po&s;itions, they be|ing alwaies exceedingly in|clined to take in the habits either of vertue or vice from their parents foot&s;teps. And therefore if you find any na|turall Infirmities (be it pa&s;&s;ion) or any other innate qualitie) tolie &s;trong upon you, la|bour to beare downe the &s;trength therof at all times, but e&s;pecially in the pre&s;ence of your children, lea&s;t your
<PB N="23" REF="13">actuall breakings out, in|flame their &s;parkes, and cau&s;e tho&s;e ill &s;eeds to budd forth in them, which your nature hath &s;etled in their bloud. Certainely much Chri&s;tian prudence may be &s;hewed in the education of Children, by &s;topping the &s;treame of their inclinations in the budd, before they flow too high, and by &s;ea|&s;oning their mind with reli|gious principles before their corruptions are fortified in them, otherwi&s;e at will prove true, <HI>Difficulter eradi|catur quod rudes animi combi|berunt.</HI></P>
<PB N="24" REF="14">
<P><MILESTONE N="10"> In your ordinarie Conver|&s;ation among&s;t your chil|dren, be not &s;o indulgently familiar, as to make them forget their di&s;tance, nor &s;o rigoriou&s;ly au&s;teere,as to di&s;|courage them. I am per&s;wa|ded the fooli&s;h cockering of &s;ome Parents, and the over|&s;terne carriage of others, cau|&s;eth more men and women to mi&s;carrie, then their own vicious inclinations.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="11"> Give your children a com|petent maintenance accor|ding to your abilitie, other|wi&s;e your life will &s;eem their bondage, and what portion you &s;hall leave them, they
<PB N="25" REF="14">will thanke death for it, not you Bring them up in Reli|gion, learning and obedi|ence, and neglectnot to &s;ettle them in &s;ome hone&s;t vocati|on; for if thou doe&s;t not im|ploy thy children, the devill will. Better thy &s;onne were a basket-maker then an idle droane.</P>
<P>As concerning the orde|ring of thy Familie, let that be like a little Citie compa|cted in it &s;elfe. Vnitie and unanimitieare beautifull ac|commodations in everie hou&s;hold, and where they are advanced and pre&s;erved inviolable, they facilitate
<PB N="26" REF="15">dome&s;ticall imploiments, cau&s;ing them to be carried on with more alacritie and &s;weetne&s;&s;e. In a word, where Truth and Peace, in any ci|vill &s;ocietie, doe ki&s;&s;e each other, and goe hand in hand together, they u&s;her in Gods love, and do clearly evidence that God is in that place in|deed, for it is God that makes men to be of one mind in a hou&s;e: Therefore labour earne&s;tly in thy Familie to make good the Apo&s;tolical coun&s;ell, namely to keepe the <HI>unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="13"> Let thy friends and allies
<PB N="27" REF="15">be welcome to thy Table, grace them with thy coun|tenance, and further them in all hone&s;t actions, for by this means thou &s;halt &s;o dou|ble the bond of nature, as that thou &s;halt find them &s;o many Advocates, to pleade and apologize for thee, be|hind thy backe. But &s;hake off tho&s;e Gloworms, I mean Paracits and Sychophonts, who will feed and fawne up|on thee, in the Summer of thy pro&s;perity, but in adver&s;e &s;tormes will &s;helter thee, no more then an arbour in win|ter.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="13"> Vndertake no &s;uit again&s;t
<PB N="28" REF="16">a poore man without recei|ving much wrong, for be|&s;ides that thou make&s;t him thy competitour; it is a ba&s;e conque&s;t to triumph where there is &s;mall re&s;i&s;tance, and can be little gaine; neither attempt Law again&s;t any man, before thou be &s;ure, thou ha&s;t right on thy &s;ide, and then &s;pare for neither monie nor pains, for a cau&s;e or two &s;o followed and ob|tained may free the from &s;uits a great part of thy life.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="14"> Carrie thy mind equally poy&s;ed through all conditi|ons that &s;hall befall thee, if God be gracious to thee in a
<PB N="29" REF="16">large di&s;pen&s;ation of his ble&s;&s;ings, be thankefull, but not &s;ecure, perchance &s;ome &s;torm may be neare at hand, and its wi&s;dome in the mid&s;t of abundance to expect a change or, on the other&s;ide, if God &s;hallca&s;t thee under a Cloud, lay &s;ome pre&s;&s;ure up|on thee, be humble, but not di&s;couraged, perchance God will have the world become more bitter to thee, that him&s;elfe may become more &s;weet.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="15"> What ever thou woulde&s;t judge be&s;t, if thou wert now to dye, the &s;ame thinke al|waies be&s;t, even in thy mo&s;t
<PB N="30" REF="17">healthfulle&s;t condition, for how&s;oever a &s;educed heart doth deceive us, certainely that whih is be&s;t at la&s;t is be&s;t at fir&s;t too, and that is the hap|pie&s;t life which is ruled by dying Principles.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="16"> When thou &s;ee&s;t &s;o much bu&s;&s;ing and di&s;temper in the world, ca&s;t with thy &s;elf, who would bottom his &s;oul upon &s;o ba&s;e a foundation, and un|certain hold, and be incited hereupon to looke upwards, and labour with all thy might to get an intere&s;t in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for union with him alwaies drawes &s;afetie and protection from him; And
<PB N="31" REF="17">who&s;oever feares to offend him unfainedly, hee needes feare nothing el&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="17"> If a man be a diligent ob|&s;erver of his cour&s;e of life, he &s;hall &s;eldome find him&s;elfe free from all kind of offen|ces, but one corruption &s;hall trouble him much, if another be weakned, yea and without much &s;trength of grace &s;hall prevaile again&s;t him; lu&s;ts will be violent and hardly take an an&s;wer; but, <HI>my Son,</HI> though the&s;e unluckie birds light upon thy head, yet let them not lodge within thy heart, and becau&s;e every man hath his bo&s;ome &s;in, which
<PB N="32" REF="18">doth more &s;trongly and more oft be&s;iege him, &s;trive to finde that out, and then keepe the &s;tronge&s;t watch, where thou &s;u&s;pecte&s;t the greate&s;t batterie.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="18"> When thou addre&s;&s;e&s;t thy &s;elfe to any dutie or imploy|ment, whether it be &s;pirituall or civill: Never attempt any thing, <HI>hae&s;itante animo,</HI> with a doubtful and devided mind, but be alwaies clearly &s;atisfi|ed in thy judgement of the lawfulne&s;&s;e of that which thy heart or hand &s;hall go about, otherwi&s;e thy too late provi|dence may procure thee long repentance; if the ca&s;e be of
<PB N="33" REF="18">that nature, that thou can&s;t not wind thy &s;elfe out, light thy candle at others, whom thou ha&s;t cau&s;e to thinke by their place and parts &s;hould &s;ee further then thy &s;elfe. Certainly many Chri&s;tians would find more &s;ound peace within, did thy &s;eeke them|&s;elves more abroad, I meane, if in a prudentiall waie, they did clo&s;e in with &s;ome faith|full Pa&s;tour or friend, to be a con&s;tant coun&s;ellor to them, and who in ca&s;es of difficulty and above their reach might give them aime and directi|on; But alas &s;o &s;trong is old <HI>Adam</HI> in us, that wee often|times
<PB N="34" REF="19">times feare to aske advi&s;e, be|cau&s;e we would not be taken off and unadvi&s;ed from tho&s;e things to which our corrup|ted hearts advi&s;e us, this is a cunning &s;light of Sa<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">an, take thou heed of it, and in all thy undertakings, con&s;ider and con&s;ult, and then go on with chearfulne&s;&s;e, and thou wilt conclude with peace.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="14"> There is a common deceit of heart, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth many Chri&s;tians, in the hearing of the word, which becau&s;e it &s;uits &s;o well with corrupt na|ture, is hardly di&s;covered by them. Many there are, who delight to feed altogether up|on
<PB N="35" REF="19">on the Mountaines high and loftie &s;peculations, excee|dingly take them; but if the Preacher carry on his endea|vours in an humble and low &s;ail, they find but cold accep|tance. This is an evill under the Sunne, and it is much a|mong&s;t men, it is a plague in the heart, which wanton wits will one day mourn for. But thou, <HI>my Son,</HI> know, God never &s;et up this glorious Or|dinance of preaching, to wooe the fancie, but to win the &s;oule: Abu&s;e not therfore his loving kindnes unto wan|tonnes, but ever e&s;teeme that mo&s;t plea&s;ant to thy eare,
<PB N="36" REF="20">which proves mo&s;t fruitfull to thy &s;oule.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="20"> Iudge not of thy pre&s;ent condition by the plentifull meanes of grace thou live&s;t under, but by what thou fee|le&s;t, and what thou art, if the Ordinances of God have wrought upon thy inward man, and thou finde&s;t the frame, temper and di&s;po&s;ition of thy &s;oule renewed, then ha&s;t thou &s;ome comfortable evidence of a growing con|dition; but if there be no new Creation wrought in thee; if thou continue&s;t as proud as ever, as fruitle&s;&s;e as ever, as profane as ever, then certain|ly
<PB N="37" REF="20">the word of grace, though in it &s;elfe, it be the word of life, Yet hitherto hath been but a dead letter unto thee, nay thou art therefore wor&s;e, becau&s;e thou &s;houlde&s;t be better; The light which thou ha&s;t received will but heigh|ten thy &s;in, and adde weight to thy puni&s;hment.</P>
<P>Many heare much yet take in little fruit, becau&s;e they write much, but u&s;e no after reckonings, and &s;o by this means loo&s;e both their pains and profit; this is one of Sa|tans &s;leights, who when he cannot hinder the free pa&s;|&s;age of Gods Ordinances, la|bours
<PB N="38" REF="21">to make them &s;ucce&s;&s;|le&s;&s;e in their u&s;e. Take heed of this delu&s;ion. Should&s;t thou note off halfe thy daies, thou can&s;t call nothing more thine owne then what thou do&s;t remember, nor will that further plea&s;ure thee then as it &s;hall be dige&s;ted into thy under&s;tanding, and affection and practi&s;e. Mi&s;take not, I &s;peak not this to di&s;courage thee in the practi&s;e of this particular, which I doe high|ly commend, but to direct thee in the u&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="21"> It may tend much to the ad|vantage of thy &s;oule, in thy Chri&s;tian race, &s;ometimes to
<PB N="39" REF="21">run over the Story of thy for|mer vanities, and to &s;tudy the &s;everall pa&s;&s;ages of Gods gracious providence over thee in the days of thy Youth, as to meditate in &s;uch man|ner,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Quan|ta &s;uper eos gra|tia Deus vigilat quos in &s;ua de &s;i deria non re|laxat.</NOTE> <HI>Had not the good hand of God re&s;trained me, when the lu&s;t of my fle&s;h and the plea&s;ures of my eye, were the onely joy of my heart; alas how ea&s;ily might &s;in and Satan have then enthral|led me, and my lu&s;t have become my Law; but ble&s;&s;ed be God who hath not given me over as a prey to my corruptions, he hath bro|ken the &s;nare, and my &s;oul is de|livered, Therefore whil&s;t I live, will I prai&s;e the Lord, yea, &s;o long
<PB N="40" REF="22">as I have any being, I will &s;ing prai&s;es to my God.</HI></P>
<P>Thy whole life, whil&s;t thou &s;ojourne&s;t in this <HI>vally of tears</HI> is nothing els but a dying condition, a continuall pro|gre&s;&s;e unto death, it will be thy wi&s;dome therfore with|out further procra&s;tinations, to improve this golden, yet &s;liding opportunitie, to the be&s;t advantage of thy &s;oule, as knowing thou &s;owe&s;t here that &s;eed, the fruit whereof will hereafter in another world either for good or for evill, &s;pring up to an everla&s;t|ing harve&s;t. And therfore in all thy thoughts, words, acti|ons,
<PB N="41" REF="22">directions, and conclu|&s;ions, Let that pretious rule of the Prophet <HI>David</HI> be thy <HI>vade mecum,</HI> live and die with thee, <HI>Keepe innocency and doe the thing which is right, for that will bring a man peace at the la&s;t.</HI> And &s;ince that, <HI>where thy trea|&s;ure is, there will thy heart be al|&s;o,</HI> therefore where thy God is, there let thy trea&s;ure be.</P>
<P>All creature comforts have their allaies of bitternes, their ingredients of &s;orrowes in them, they are but &s;hadowes and vanity, being laid in the <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">allance to things above. A|las what is all the riches thou <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">an&s;t here enjoy to the gaine
<PB N="42" REF="23">of Chri&s;t, what thy honour to the inheritance of the Saints, what thy comforts to the joy of the Spirit; yea what thy life to that everla&s;ting, ever glori|ous being, who&s;e joyes &s;hall never find either bounds or bottom; &ocirc; therfore labour in|&s;tantly, pray unce&s;&s;antly, that thou mai&s;t be able to feele &amp; &s;ay, <HI>The Lord is my portion, ther|fore can I lack nothing;</HI> for hee mu&s;t needs have all things, who po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth him that po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;eth all things. Now that thou mai&s;t have &s;ound evi|dence in thy &s;oul, that <HI>thytrea|&s;ure</HI> is above thee, Lay out all the &s;trength of thy indeavors
<PB N="43" REF="23">to gain a burning &amp; flaming love towards God into thy &s;oul, &ocirc; how happy Chri&s;tians &s;hould we be, could we in <HI>Da|vids</HI> words with <HI>Davids</HI> &s;pirit &s;ay, <HI>Lord I love thee dearly.</HI> In|deed we cannot love him ful|ly, yet in his gracious and &s;weet acceptance, We love him &s;ufficiently, if wee love him faithfully. And in what mea&s;ure we love God, we are &s;ure in a far higher and more tran&s;cendent mea&s;ure to be beloved of him. <HI>Nemo diffi|date &s;e amari qui jam amat, quo|modo enim amare pigebit qui a|mavit, nec dum amantes.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
