Works, Part 1 · Spiritual counsels 2
AN OTHER ADDITION OF AN HVNDRED GRAVE COVNSELS OR DIVINE APHORISMES.
IF you desire to heare the word with profit, obserue these things: before you goe to the Church, humble your selfeHearing the word profitablie. in prayer to God, that he may prepare your vnderstanding, affection, and memorie to receiue: and that the Preacher may speake to your conscience: after in hearing with1 some short prayer, applie the seuerall threatnings, promises,2 and instructions to your owne estate: when you are3 come home from hearing, change all that you remember4 into prayer, and desire God that you may remember it5 most, when you should practise it: and vse to teach others,6 and to conferre of the things remembred: it is a good way7 8to remember a thing, diligently, to remember the reason of it.
2 The cause why our meditations and prayers are no stronger in the night, is becauseMeditation and Prayer. we ioyne not with meditation the examination of our hearts vponupon our beds: which if we did in some truth, it would keep vsus from drowsinesse, & want of reuerence in our prayers, as well as worldly men are kept waking by thinking of worldly matters. Here we are taught by Dauids example, when we want the more solemne and glorious meanes in dignitie, to make a supplie by often and sincere vsing of such priuate meanes as we can.
3 It is better to offer a voluntarie and free sacrifice in respect of Gods merciemercy, as doeOur obedience must be free, not constrained. the Angels, than a violent and constrained obedience, as doe the Diuels And this dare… say, that though the fearefull pronouncing of the curse, the wrath, the iudgement of God be fearefull in the law, yet the denouncing of our separation from Gods kingdome, of the gnawing worme, of the second death, is farre more fearefull in the Gospell, which by how much it is the more proper seate and treasurie of Gods mercies, so when thundrings and lightnings doe proceede from thence, they are the more piercing.
4 Two notes to discerne good Christians from hypocrites. First, whether they complaineTriall of Hypocrites. of their owne wants and corruptions. Secondly, whether they speake with griefe and compassion of the infirmities of others.
5 To one that seemed scrupulous in wearing the Surplice and Cap, and notwithstandingCeremonies. stood in neede of greater things; he said: As I will not for all the world aduise you …o weare them; so I would counsell you to be well grounded ere you leaue them, least you shaking them off, …ather of light affection than of sound iudgement, afterward take them againe to your great shame and the offence of others.
6 The greater gifts we hauehave, the flesh is the prouder, and Sathan the readier to assaultPride. vsus.
7 The Church is to feare and expect some notable affliction, when long ease and prosperitieChurch. hauehave bred either superstition or prophanenesse.
8 Thinke not with thy selfe, if I were in such a place, if I were in such a calling, or if itAgainst de…s of repentance. were such a time, if I had obtained such a thing, or if such a trouble were past, then I would serue God, then I would take another course: though the time were changed, and these things changed, yet if thy minde were not chaunged, thou wouldest be of the same opinion still; and though these lets were r…moued, yet the diuell would put more great impediments into thy minde to hinder thee still, but redeeme the time present, doe good while thou mayest: serue God to day, for who knowes whether thou shalt liue till to morrow. God hath left to man the time past to repent of it, and the time present toRepentance. consider of it, but the time to come hee hath wholly taken to himselfe, to dispose of it. Thou maist imagine the time to come; but if thou hast beene deceiued in the time past, art deceiued of the time present, much more thou shalt be deceiued of the time to come. Say not then I will doe such a thing, and such a thing hereafter; doe something now; for art thou a Papist? Hast thou free will? If thou finde thy selfe vnfit now, thou shalt find thy selfe more vnfit hereafter: if there be manie occasions to hinder thee now, there will bee moe occasions to hinder thee hereafter.
9 The persons afflicted are either the reprobate, or Gods elect, the children of wrath,Afflictions of the reprobate or the children of God. The afflictions of the reprobate are the punishments of their sinnes: here they suffer some, in hell they shall suffer all torments; here for a time, there for euer; here a little, there vnmeasurable. Gods children are either his children onelyonly by election, and not by effectuall vocation: or else such as are called in Christ. The affliction of Gods children not effectually called, are the punishments of sinne: God will hauehaveAfflictions of the elect, before grace, & in grace. them vnderunder the rigor of his iustice, to make them meet to receiue the grace of his mercy. Gods children not onelyonly by election, but also by effectuall vocation, are of two sorts: they are either such as are not sufficiently called, which are more out of Christ then in Christ, or else they are sufficiently called, in whome Christ liueth.
Againe, those that are not sufficiently in Christ, which are more carnall than spirituall,Note. are of two sorts, they are either babes in Christ, in whome there hath bene no more working of the spirit; or such as hauehave had a greater worke of God in them, in whom the spirit is quenched: those that are but babes in Christ, and continuing babes still, in whom there is but a little worke of God, and great abundance of flesh, their afflictions are the punishments of sinne: because they will not bee gouerned by the rule of Gods spirite, God willHeb. 3. 13. hauehave them ruled by the rodde of affliction; and they in whom the spirit of God is decayed through the deceitfulnes of sinne, their afflictions also are the punishmēts of their sinnes, for because they refused the gratious gouernmēt of Gods merciemercy in the Gospell, therfore hee bringeth them backe to the rigorous gouernment of his iustice in the law, till Christ be formed anew in them againe. Those onelyonly which are sufficiently called, in whome Christ is A sweete consolation.thus formed, their afflictions are no punishments of sinne: but Christ suffers with them when they are medicines against sinne, much more when they are trialls of Faith, and most of all when they are for well doing: but all the former suffered themselues, Christ suffered not with them, because they suffered for sinne.
10 Rebecca wished to hauehave children, but when they stroue in her wombe, then sheeRegeneration & repētance, painfull, but very gainfull. brast forth into words of impatiencie: so God giueth to some a desire to be borne againe, who when their conception is so painfull, and when the spirit and the flesh striue together, they would sometime be content to be in the olde estate againe.
11 When Moses came downe from the Mount, the skinne of his face did shine, but onlyAgainst spirituall pride. the people did see it, hee did not perceiue it: So should our righteousnes shine in the eyes of others, not in our owne.Simile.
12 As a Fountaine and all the water that springs from it hauehave the same qualitie: so theThe fountain of the heart. heart, and the thoughts, words, and deeds are all of the same nature: if one be filthy all be filthie, and purge one, and purge all.Simile.
13 God calleth his children out of this world in the fittest time, when though theyDeath. liued longer, yet they would be no better.
14 If wee louelove not Christ more then his benefites, euen than our owne saluation, weeTo louelove Christ more then his benefites. are not worthie of him. Phillip saith, Iohn 14. 8. If wee may see the Father it is sufficient: And Iacob said, it is sufficient for mee that Ioseph is aliue, hee cared not for his benefites: And Dauid saith (as if hee should say no more) one thing hauehave I desired, to dwell in the house of the Lord.
15 Wee must at all times …eare the Worde, and vse … the meanes o… our …,Hearing of the word. though wee feele our selues most vnwilling thereunto. For we know not when God will blesse it, or any of them to vsus. Yea it may be, that when we do but once a…t our selues from the hearing thereof, such things may be then spoken of, as may most serue for our soules health.
16 Albeit Marthaes part be the worst, because it continueth not, yet the world hatethThe louelove of the world. Ma…ies part, which is the best, and desireth …uer to chuse with Martha.
17 Looke how much we would come to Christ; so much we must come to the WordWord and Sacraments. and Sacraments.
18 If wee rest too much in the outward action of the Word, and not in the inward affectionHearing the Word. of the heart; we shall be puffed vp, and become prophane.
19 Many Protestants can say, it is God that worketh the will and the deede, but in aCarnall Protestants. conceiued imagination, not from a perswaded minde, and experienced con…c…e…ce: for if they were perswaded hereof, it would greatly humble them, and make them to finish their course with reuerence and feare.
20 Looke what a man loueth, hee wisheth the good thereof.LoueLove.
21 EueryEvery one is eaten vp with the zeale of one thing or oth…r.Zeale.
22 No man can purchase to himsel…e the glorious …, that he loueth God, except heeTriall of our louelove to God. hath a through hatred and detestation of that which …d hateth.
23 Then shall wee vnfainedly praise GOD for our … creation, and his Fatherly prouidenceRegeneration watching ouer vsus; when wee are created a new by the Spirit of God, and feele our Redemption in Christ.
24 As farre as the Spirit is aboue the flesh, God aboue men, Heauen aboue the earth,Regeneration Eternitie aboue frailtie; so farre is the new creation aboue the olde: for the one is but of mortall and corrupt seede that shall per…h: but the other is of immortall seede, and from Heauen, a great worke of God which shall abide for euer.
25 In temporall things our ioy is greater then the cause: in spirituall things, the causeIoy. is greater than the ioy.
26 If this be our chiefest felicitie to be Gods people, it hath also the chiefest challengeIoy. to our ioy.
27 They that be in the hell of things fleshly, cānot see the heauens of things spirituall.LoueLove of the world.
28 Spirituall thinges are tedious, because sense, reason, and nature, cannot taste of such ioyes.Ioy.
29 Gods children being in the world, though not of the world, but sauouring of theTrue ioyes. things of the world, must be prouoked to this sound ioy; and be led from the crackling ioyes which flame vp for a little, and make a sudden noise, but neuer truely heate or comfort the heart, but in death and affliction doe mu…h shame and feare vsus.
30 To bee perswaded of Gods presence in our thoughts, words, and labours, is a pureGods presence. rule of Christianitie. In eueryevery place we are before God, but more specially in priuate prayer, and most of all in publike prayer.
31 As there is no sinne so great, but with repentance is pardonable; so there is no sinneRepentance. so little, but without repentance is damnable.
32 The offence of sinne is not so great as the de…ence of sinne.Sinne.
33 One teare of repentance is better then a thousand sack-clothes: first, our sorrowRepentance. must bee spirituall, then continuall; because our sinne breedeth at the heart, and buddeth foorth daily. There is no greater miserie, than to bee without miserie; nor greater sorrow, then to be without sorrow.
34 As the childe breaking one rodde, and burning it, prouoketh his father to prepareAffliction. a sharper: so a man vnpatiently wrestling with one affliction sent from God, and escaping it, prouoketh the Lord in greater displeasure to send a sharper scourge.
35 The more godly a man is, and the more the graces and blessings of God are vponuponPrayer. him, the more need he hath to pray, because Sathan is busiest against him, and because he is readyest to be puffed vp with a conceited holinesse.
36 Where the Scripture hath not a mouth, we ought not to hauehave eares.Word.
37 O… that one would doe that thing, the remembrance whereof …o long after shouldTo respect future ioyes and griefes. bring comfort: oh that one should doe that thing, the re…e…ora…ce whereof so long after sh…g griefe: and yet we so little esteem… …ho…e …gs, which might after comfort vsus, and so little feare those things which migh… aft…r grieue vsus.
38 The …s is often taken for the morall law of God: his precepts for the CeremoniallSee Psal. 119. Law: his Iudgements or Righteousnesse, for the …a…cti…us of the Lawe, whereby the Lorde … accomplisheth his promises for his Children, or execut…th his wrath vponupon his …m…es.
39 A though the Lord hath promised a speciall blessing to the publike ministery of hisMinisterie. word, yet we must not t…e his wisedome to any ordinary mea…es, but if any at any time, shall hauehave more …ffectuall feelings by priuate conference, let him not neglect the publike reading, but with all holy & humble thankfulnes, yeeld this soueraigntie to the Lord, that he is to dispose his gifts, to whom, by whom, where, and when it pleaset… him.
40 We are neuer the further from temptation for misliking it, but the neerer, vnlesseTemptation as in …udgement we mislike it, so in affection we humble our selues in feare and prayer, as knowing that in time it may inuade vsus.
41 Though o…ten we speake of things lawfull, yet we want wisedome in examining theConference. ti… pl…e, … persons, when, where, and with whom wee talke; and so Sathan laboureth to m…ke vsus sil…nt, when wee might speake to Gods glorie. For the auoyding of this temp…ation wee must speake when GOD giueth vsus occasion, beeing thankfull for the good mo…io…s of Gods spirite; and humbled for our weakenesse, wherby both our speeches are most s…ained, and we faile in many circumstances. Then doing it in singlenes of hear…, onelyonly for the louelove of Gods word, and of his glorie, let vsus wholly commit the succ…ss… (wh…h depends not on vsus, though wee obserue all circumstances,) to the blessing of God in I…sus Christ.
42 In the regeneration and dying of sinne, we come as it were to the best head, and triallRegeneration of our hearts, when wee come to those sinnes, wherein either nature or custome doth breede delight.
43 The meditation of death doth so far moue vsus from suffering our delights to dwellMeditation of Death. on earthly things, as reason disswadeth vsus from making any cost about a tabernacle, where we know we shall dwell but a while.
44 Our corruption is like to the wantonnesse of children, who will doe either as theyObedience. list or …l… leaue all vndone.
45 W…en we thinke that our chiefest care is to glorifie God, wee indeed doe seeke ourVaine-glory. owne glorie.
46 It is a gracious thing to vse all our members to Gods worship; for that will comfortGods worship our co…science, when we cannot vse them.
47 If we … notorious in sinne, we shall be notorious in an euill name: Many would beA good name lo…h to be …ed wicked, who can be contented to be wicked: but Gods children had rather be good then accounted good; as the couetous man, &c.
48 Ma…ie oft times desire that, which when they hauehave gotten their conscience is afraidDesires. to vse.
49 Lord giuegive me thy grace to remember the bead-row of my sinnes to humble me inPrayer. prayer: Lord teach me the catalogue of thy mercies, truely to make me thankfull.
50 As God doth rather oftentimes by heaping his benefites, then powring his plaguesOffences. vponupon vsus shew vsus our sinnes: so we must rather by courteous dealing then seuere handling, shew others how they hauehave offended vsus.
51 Ordinarily when God most comforteth, he most humbleth before.Humiliation.
52 If God watch ouer vsus when we sleepe in vnbeliefe, much more he will doe it whenProuidence. we wake in faith.
53 The sinne of the master of a familie, bringeth sinne ouer the whole familie, as weeFamilie. see in Ab…melech.
54 Wee can marke what men are spared, and so flatter our selues: but we marke notRepentance. how they repent, least we should disquiet our selues.
55 We must not denie merciemercy to others, least God denie merciemercy to vsus.
56 Many meddle and stirre much about a new Church gouernment, which are senslesMercieMercy. and barren in the doctrine of new birth: but ala…, what though a man know many things,Regeneration and yet know not himselfe to be a new creature in Iesus Christ? It is often the policie of Sathan to make vsus trauell in some good thing to come, when more fitly wee might be occupied in good things present.
57 As the creatures were made for man, so were they punished for man.Creatures.
58 If merciemercy must pleade for merciemercy: Ma…th: 5 then merciemercy cannot pleade for merit,Merit.
59 It is a merciemercy to let vsus see that by Temptation, which wee might feele by wofullTemptation. action.
60 If wee be tempted, let vsus first examine it by prayer, whether it be contrarie to theTemptation. word: if it be a sinne, then it bringeth the curse; if it bring a curse, then must we tremble: if wee tremble not, let vsus suspect that our nature liketh the temptation, and let vsus applie prayer; if wee tremble in truth, we will neuer doe the thing whereunto we are tempted.
61 The D…uell when he cannot at the first corrupt the action, he will begin to corruptSathanicall suggestions. the iudgement and the affection.
62 When wee must of necessitie vse inferiour things, wee must vse them as readie toM…anes. want them.
63 As the hiding of our sinne with Adam, hindreth merciemercy: so to confesse our sinneConsession. greater then it is with C…ine, displeaseth God highly.
64 Manie will seeke the kingdome of heauen, but not the righteousnes thereof.Hypocrisie.
65 A good thing, if it bee let alone, it will decay: but if an euill thing be let alone, itGood things. will increase.
66 The Prophets hauing regard, not what ought to be first in knowledge, but first inProphets. practise, respected not the perfection of order, but the corruption of our nature.
67 Familiaritie with sinners bringeth the punishment of …ne. If the wicked, that areFamiliarity. without the tuition of God, and stand onelyonly vponupon his … …, and eueryevery minute of an houre lye open to Gods curse and vengeance, if they bee our companions, then when they are punished, doubtles wee shall not escape.
68 Sinne may easily be conquered of vsus when it is young; wee may easily be conqueredSinne. of it when it is olde.
69 Wee must not so much reioyce for that we hauehave done, as we must be carefull whatPerseuerance. to doe hereafter: For man…e are called but few are chosen; many begin gloriously, which ende ignomi…iously.
70 When wee deferre to hauehave that in affection which we hauehave in iudgement, it is theAffection. iust iudgement of God to depriue … … that which we had in iudgement.
71 When wee hauehave oftentimes q…ked at a sinne; and afterward, although wee like itRepentance. not, yet if we mislike it not with as great indignation as we were woont to do, but by little and little wee can well away with it; it is to be feared that by degrees wee will fall to that sinne ourselues.
72 We must be proud against Sathan in Christ, and humble to all men in Christ.
73 The neerer Heresie commeth to the likenesse of the Trueth, the more daungerousHumilitie. it is.Heresie.
74 Hee that will dissemble with God in his life, will dissemble with him in his death.
75 Many will take vp the sword to defend Christs cause with Peter, who with Peter willRepentance. shrinke when persecution commeth.Persecution.
76 Wee shall sometime feele by experience a terror suddenly come vponupon vsus when we are alone, or vehemently to strike vsus in the night, which is sent to humble vsus, the PhysitionSudden terrors of mind. will say it is a melancholy passion: but it is the power of Gods presence, preparing vsus to prayer, or some such seruice of God: which when we feele, if wee fall downe before God in prayer, we shall finde an vnspeakable ioy following it: but if we cherish it with euill surmises, it will leade vsus to further inconueniences.
77 When we hauehave greatest cause of ioy for doing some good; then it is a good thingVnthankfulnes. most to feare our vnthankfulnes, and our selfe-louelove, and our secure vnkindnes.
78 When Sathan cannot get vsus to grosse sinnes, he will …ssaile vsus with spirituall temptations.Temptations.
79 Nothing in the world will so much feare and shame vsus, as God in his mercies powredHumilitie. vponupon vsus: which meditation in receiuing graces from God, will humble vsus from pride in them, and keepe vsus in feare; which be the waies to obtaine new mercies.
80 We must beware of smoothering the watch word of our conscience, when we areConscience. bent to sinne. EueryEvery man in his owne conscience is forewarned of sinne, though the Lord speake not to him from heauen, as he did to Cain.
81 As a man being outlawed, may take his pleasure for a while: but whensoeuer, orSecuritie. wheresoeuer he may be taken, he must yeeld to that punishment, which by verdict is appoynted: so the wicked, on whom sentence of damnation is already passed, may for a while shake off their paines with vaine pleasures, but afterward they shall be arrested, and carried violently to the place of wofull execution. But for the godly, (which hauehave the assurance of their inheritance sealed vp in their consciences) though they shall be warned in the day of the resurrection, to make their open appearance; yet as honest men of the countrie shall stand before the Iudge, not as fellonious offenders.
82 We must first make men by a feeling of sinne to seeke Christ, by an holy faith toFeeling. find Christ, and then by newnes of life to dwell with Christ.
83 Bal…am prayed that he might die the death of the righteous: but let vsus pray thatDeath. we may liue the life of the righteous, for he liued not the life of the righteous, and therefore he could not die the death of the righteous: and if we liue the life of the righteous, we shall be sure to die the death of the righteous.
84 It is a great token of regeneration, if we doe not onelyonly sorrow for great sinnes, andRegeneration. sigh for small offences, but mourne for particular wants of good actions, or in good actions for w…nt of good affections.
85 There is small hope of him which cannot discerne in himselfe the life of the spirit,Regeneration. and the life of the flesh, and it is to be doubted that he is yet vnregenerate.
86 When men being young are too much giuen to carnall pleasures, they being oldYouth. are too much giuen to worldly profit.
87 As we hauehave taken a vaine delight in the vaine course of this life: so we must sighYouth. and pray to be delighted spiritually in spirituall things.
88 Adam should hauehave been no worse for his temptation, no more than Christ was; butTemptation. that the one yeelded, the other did not.
89 If the blood of Christ hath washed vsus from the guiltines of sinne; then the holySanctification. Ghost hath purged vsus from the filthines of sinne.
90 When our sinne hath lesse liking in vsus, then there is hope that it will decay in vsus:Repentance. especially if we sorrow for it when we cannot fully forsake it, and labour to forsake it because it is sinne.
91 In true mortification we must hauehave the first motions of sinne, and condemne themMortification. as accessaries to sinne in conspiring the death of our soules.
92 Hypocrisie is seene, when sinne lyeth most dead vnderunder a cloake, and most liuethHypocrisie. vnderunder a closet; wherewith God is so displeased, that when we make no conscience of sinne in close places, our priuie sinnes shall breake forth into open places.
93 Particular infirmities doe not hinder the preparation of our hearts for the Lord, ifInfirmities. we hauehave a true louelove of his word, as had Iehosaphat.
94 Two things are necessarie to espouse vsus to Christ: the one to vse the pure meanes,Our spiritual vinion with Christ. the other to vse those meanes with a pure heart.
95 If we play with our owne affections, sinne in the end, from sport, will spurre vsus to confusion. For though we be twice or thrice spared, yet we must know that the Lord willAffections. recompence his long tarrying with wrath.
96 Through our corruption we profit more by the doctrine of a man, if we thinke heAdmonition. be our enemie, than if we thinke him to be our friend: for if he be our friend, we let it passe as not spoken to vsus, though the matter neuer so much concerne vsus: if our enemie, if it neuer so little touch vsus, we thinke it to be spoken against vsus.
97 Walking spirits are vndoubtedly not the soules departed, but the euill spirits of theSpirits. ayre.
98 It is a great merciemercy of God to hauehave a large affection of weldoing, when we hauehaveGoodworks. good occasion thereof: for God neuer ceaseth in offering occasions, but we often cease in hauing affections.
99 Obedience is a chaine to tye vp all the creatures of God from our hurt, and as aObedience. thing to muzzle their mouthes that they cannot bite vsus. Againe, disobedience breaketh and openeth the mouthes of all things to our destruction.
100 If we hauehave not the fauour of men, it is either for the triall of our faith, or for wantFauour. of dutie vntounto them that are displeased with vsus, or because we sought to please them by displeasing of God, or because we hauehave not prayed for them; or hauehave offended God, for which he causeth men to be offended with vsus.
1 Because we doe not to men the good we should doe, God often suffereth them to reportReport. of vsus the euill they should not.
2 Those temptations are most dangerous which hauehave most holy ends.Temptation.
3 When a man is most merrie, he is neerest danger.Mirth.
4 It is the easiest thing in the world to deceiue a good man.Deceit.
5 God hath two hands; in the one he holdeth a hammer to breake the proud in peeces,Gods hand. and to bray them to powder; in the other hand he hath a horne, to powre Gods blessings vponupon the humble, 1. Pet. 5. 5.
6 If a man should be stinted to one meale a weeke, he would hauehave a pined body at theWord. weekes end: euen so, if our soules be but fed with the word once a weeke, they would be as hunger-starued, if we could see it.
7 You are in earth to follow your calling, you are not yet in heauen. Adam when heVocation. was most holy by creation, and free from eueryevery iot of sinne and corruption, did walke in his calling appointed of God: much more then are we comfortably to follow the Lord his ordinance; seeing these outward things did not come in with sinne, but were ordained before sinne.
8 Whatsoeuer is vponupon you, it is from the Lord: and whatsoeuer is from the Lord, toAffliction. you, it is in merciemercy: and whatsoeuer comes in merciemercy, ought not to be grieuous vntounto you. What losse is it, when the losing of earthly things, is the gaining of spiritual things? What if your body be decayed, your soule being renued? HaueHave you had comfort in your body; but as it is the temple of the holy Ghost, the Lord preparing it for his Spirit, why are you grieued? Your body is the Lords, and the Lords louing hand is vponupon your body; all shall be for your good, if you make your vse of all.
9 In our greatest earnestnes we should be most iealous ouer our owne hearts, and thenZeale. especially examine our affections. When we cannot gage the depth of our hearts, we should impute it to want of prayer, and the not trauelling with our hearts how to doe it in wisedome.
10 God by his graces and benefits marketh vsus, and prepareth vsus for some temptationTemptation. to come: for he putteth not on the armour, but he will also prouide for vsus the battell.
11 Not the finding of a want onelyonly, but the seeking of a remedie to supplie the want, isGodlinesse. a token of a godly minde.
12 That God that drew light out of darknes, doth often draw goodnes out of our corruption.Grace.
13 The Lord will rather looke vponupon his old graces which we hauehave receiued, than onMercieMercy. the new sinnes which we hauehave committed.