The Ambassador Between Heaven and Earth, Rules 1
Certaine Rules and Precepts for the good ordering and gouernment of a mans life.
1 IN the morning whē thou firſt awakeſt, bleſſe God, giuegive him thankes for his carefull protection and watching ouer thee, for the quyet reſt and ſleepe hee hath beſtowed vponupon thee, to the refreſhing of thy body, and the renuing of thy minde, but be ſure that he hauehave the firſt place in thy heart.
2 Call to minde all thy buſineſſe for the day following, and to thy ſelfe propoſe to the effecting thereof, a good order & method, & euer thinke of the end before thou vndertake any thing; and to all thy honeſt intents & indeuours, craue the direction of God, and his aſſiſtance, otherwiſe thou toyleſt in vaine, and thy labours will not proſper.
3 As for the ſucceſſe and effecting of thy buſineſſe, ſo before thou ſetſt thy foot out of doores, put God againe in minde of thy perſon, implore his aſſiſtance & protection ouer thee, knowing that many a one hath gone out of his houſe, & neuer come in againe, and that ſo it may befall thee if he preuent it not.
4 At the euening when thou retireſt thy ſelfe, call to minde what thou haſt effected, what thou haſt neglected, what euill thou haſt healed that day, what vice thou haſt ſtood againſt, in what part thou art bettered, and as thou went i… out in his feare, ſo returne in his fauour, giuing him thankes for the ability and motion of thy body in ye accompliſhment of thy affaires: for of our ſelues we are not able to lift our hands to head, food to our mouths, & therfore by his goodneſſe & ſufferance, we hauehave all, and enioy all that we hauehave.
5 If thou haſt neglected any duty wherein thou mayſt hauehave pleaſured thy brother, not indā gered thy ſelfe, any cōmon curteſie, that by the law of nature one man is bound vntounto another, Cor. 11. 13. If thou haſt offended any man by deed or by word, by inſtigation or procurment, call them to mind, condemne thy ſelfe therein, & be ſorry therfore; and before thou ſeek to giuegive thy body any reſt, reſt not till thou haſt ſought a pardon at the hands of God, which will neuer be granted, but vponupon this condition; That thou be hartely ſorry for the ſame, and purpoſe in thine heart neuer to offend in that kinde againe.
6 When thou prepareſt thy ſelfe to bed, likewiſe prepare thy ſelfe as for thy graue, remembring that many go to bed, & neuer riſe againe till they be raiſed we the ſound of the laſt trum…et, and for ought thou knoweſt the thing ſo often reſembled therby, may now be ready for thée: For vt ſomnus mortis, ſic lectus Imago ſepulcri, the number of thy dayes expired, & thou muſt paſſe from the land of the liuing in y• moment; or howſouer, there is one of thy number ſpent, and y• art neerer thy end by one day. Therfore eueryevery night be ſo wiſe as to know y• which ye foole neglected, that that night thy ſoule may be taken away, which came to paſſe vponupon him when hee thought of ye inlargement of his barnes, but thought not of that at all. Therefore omne crede diem tibi deluxiſſe ſupremum.
7 Health is aboue gold, and a ſound body aboue infinite riches, therefore keepe thy ſelfe from ſurfetings, from drunkenneſſe, from whooredome: for beſides that they waſte thy ſubſtance, and diſtemper thy body, they expend thy time more pretious thē ye gold of Ophir, which is not lent thee but for other ends & vſes. If ſickneſſe come, but ſeeke it not, bee carefull to paſſe it ouer, to redeeme thy health, but put not thy truſt in the Phiſition: for he may apply, but vnleſſe God perfect, his help and thy hope is in vaine. Aſa may complaine of his gout, Ezekias of his vlcer, the Shunamites childe of his head, but no helpe can bee had where ye Lord doth deny it.
8 Vnus introitus innumeri exitus. There is but one manner of entring into the world, but many wayes of going out. Mille modis morimur, vno bene, we dye a thouſand wayes, and but one way well. In the middeſt of our life we are in danger of death, in the middeſt of our pleaſures many times it is preſent, it followes the body of all fleſh, as the ſhadow that waits thereupon, and at one opportunity or another will be ſure to ſtrike home. Set therefore ſometimes before thy eyes, that which alwayes ſtan…s behind thy backe: Remember thy end, and thou ſhalt feare to do amiſſe.
9 Keep ye wandring thoughts of thy heart, the ſuggeſtions of the freſh, which are euer rebellious to the will of God within bounds and limits: ſuffer them not to kindle and burne vp the good motions of the ſpirit, but extinguiſh the leaſt ſpark that ſhall ariſe, whilſt it is a ſparke, by the wholſome precepts of Gods reuealed will, be carefull to vſe the time well which thou haſt, for thou knoweſt not what time will bee allotted thée more, & from thy worldly affaires, the mart & trafficke of thy buſineſſes, wherewith the multitude that looke no further then the example of the world▪ and the eyes of nature giuegive them ſight, are carried away, and draw thy ſelfe ſometimes aſide to the exerciſe of prayer and thankeſgiuing: for how earneſt ſoeuer …hy buſineſſe be it ſhall ſpeede the better for this, what haſte ſoeuer this hinders not the ſpeed.
9 Whatſoeuer thou takeſt in hand, though thou hauehave beaten thy braines, and wearied thy ſpirits, and it hath ſucceeded well, yet thinke not that it brought to paſſe with thine owne indeuours, but by the ſufferance & aſſiſtance of God, without whoſe helpe it is in vaine to riſe early, and to goe to bed late, and eate the bread of carefulneſſe: For except the Lord build the houſe, they labour in vaine that goe about to build it. Except the Lord keep the Citty, the keepers watch in vaine: And therefore without this aid and aſſiſtance implored, his direction and protection craued, indeauour not any thing, …t it lead thee forth, & bring thée in, let it bee the beginning, the middle, & the end in whatſoeuer yu vndertakeſt, vt bene ſit tibi, y• it may go well with thee.
10 For food, rayment, ye fruits of the body, y• fruits of the feild, for health, wealth, friends, for all y• mercies and benefits thou receyueſt from God, whether out wardly or inwardly in body or inwardly in mind, receiue them not, vſe them not, touch them not without prayer and praiſe, & thankeſgiuing to him, the creator and giuer of all good things, whoſe ouer-flowing goodneſſe & mercy ſufficeth the wantes and neceſſities of thee and all his creatures and clientes in the world beſides, and as Chriſt himſelfe and his Apoſtle vponupon earth gaue thankes for the benefittes both of ſoule and body to God the father, ſo learne thou by there example to do likewiſe.
11 Conſider often & ſeriouſly of ye wiſdome, power, omnipotē cy, maieſty of that dreadful Lord of heauen & earth, that created & gouerneth the whole frame of ye world, & all the creatures therein, that hath made thee a creature of ſuch excellence & capability giuen thee rule & dominion ouer all his creatures in ye world, done ſo many bleeding wonders & miracles for confirmation of his louelove, to thee, defended thee by his gracious prouidence and protection euerfince thou waſt borne, as the apple of his owne eye, ye explication of whoſe louelove, the height of heauen aboue the earth, the diſtance of the eaſt frō the weſt the louelove of fathers towards their ſons, of mothers towards the lateſt fruit of their wombes, hennes towards their chickins, hauehave beene but dull ſhewes in a poore meaſure to expreſſe it towards thee, ſo amply teſtified: in recompence wherof ſtriue to giuegive him thy heart, thy ſoule, and beſt affections, which is all hee deſires, though much more he deſerues.
12 Be euer careful to lay hold vponupon the fore-top of time, & deferre not any thing that muſt be done: for whatſoeuer is good is much bettered by ye ſpeedy performance of it, and one delay is the mother of many, according to the old prouerbe, qui non eſt hodie, cras minus aptus erit, hee that is not fit to day will be leſſe fit to morrow. Wilt thou obſerue y• time, ye ſeaſon, for the tilling of thy ground for y• ſowing of thy ſéed, for ye gathering of thy fruits for the ſetting of thy tree for the lopping of her branches, and wilt thou not obſerue thy owne time, obſeruing ſo in theſe tranſitory and triuiall things, which if thou let careleſty paſſe may neuer be graunted vntounto thée againe and for that neclect thou periſh.
13 Thinke with thy ſelfe thou haſt deferred many yeares thy repentance, & thinke how gratious the Lord hath bene vntounto thée ye he hath not cut thée of in ye middeſt of thine iniquity, and reſolue with thy ſelfe no longer to delay in y• kind, but make this thy preſent day vponupon paine of thy perill, leaſt in the bitterneſſe and anguiſh of thy ſoule thou hereafter be inforced to cry out, then was the kingdome of grace but that I hauehave neclected, and now is the kingdom of iuſtice by which I am cōdemned, thē was the ſauing of ſoules, now the time of condemning them, the meanes then deliuered by the tongs of men mildly perſwaciuely the account now in the trumpet of the Archangel, fierce and terrible, wo is mee therfore that I hauehave thus deferred,
14 Then came it with tydings of great, ioy to y• world, but now with terrour & amaſement to y• whole humanity therof, to all y• kindred & generatiōs therin, thē wt Laus Deo in exelſis, glory to God on high & peace vpō earth but now wt a changed ſtill ve ve habitatoribus terrae, woe to the inhabitants of the earth then together the loſt ſheep of Iſraell into the fould, now to ſeuer the goates from the ſheepe, then to imbrace both Iew the gentle, now to deuide betweene ſeruant and ſeruant at the ſame mil, betweene man and wife in the ſame bed, betweene Iacob and Eſaw in the ſame womb, to giuegive a bleſſing to the one and a curſe vntounto the other, know therfore the danger of deferring thy repentance and eſchew that common ſinne, leaſt it one day fall thus heauy vponupon thee.
15 Often and euer thinke vponupon the louelove of Chriſt, neuer enough to be thought vponupon, the gratious and admired worke of thy redemption by the bloud of that immaculate and vnſpotted Lambe Chriſt Ieſus, at the very name whereof ſhall be bowed all the knees in heauen and in earth, but at the thought thereof ſhall be rent all the hartes of both, a miſtery ſo great that the hoſt of heauen admire, and the Angels deſire to prye into, whom in thy poore meaſure imitate in admiration of his mercy and iuſtice, how they meet, imbrace, and kiſſe each other, and be thankefull to him that hath ſo gratiouſly dealt with thee and all mankind.
16 Periculoſum exiſtimo quod bonorum virorum non comprobatur exemplo: & e contrario.
There was neuer that goodneſſe or vertue in the world that might be imitated eyther with eaſe or difficulty by life or death in whoſe ſteps ſome hauehave not imitated to tread, the end of whoſe dayes hath bene peace vponupon earth, and glory with the ſaints in heauen, ſo on the other ſide there was neuer vice that ſet foot vponupon earth from y• leaſt ſence that infects, to that which waighes downe to the pit of hell that hath not had imitatours, whoſe reward hath bene miſery and contempt vponupon earth, and a continuance & augmentation thereof in the lake of perdition in the world to come, therefore let the reward of the on, and the puniſhment of the other be euer ſet before thy eyes that thou maiſt follow the better and eſchue the worſe.
17 Do not that iniure to any other that thou wouldeſt not another ſhould doe vntounto thee though thou canſt, oppreſſe not y• poore by thy might, be not quarellſome, a company keeper nor gamſter, nor ſurety but for a tried friend & a good occaſiō becauſe for beſides ye ioſſe of time which theſe expend they draw o… oaths & quarels ſurfets & ſicknes and for the moſt part end in bloud, & he ye hath any of theſe, cannot rightly intitle his owne goods to himſelfe nor anything that he doth poſſeſt.
18 Againe I ſay, haunt not tauernes, alehouſes, brothels, but beware of the danger, of the expence, the bane both of body and ſoule, and take heed y• thou take not delight in any vnlawful thing for there is no one vice that hauing wholly poſſeſt a man that is not accompanied with a whole traine of wickedneſſe at the heeles thereof able to eat vp and deuoure the very root and ſubſtance of goodneſſe it ſelfe, ther…ore take heed that thou fal not into ye ſnars therof.
19 Keepe not company with any notorious or detected perſon, by whom though not otherwayes thy reputation and credit may be called in queſtion in the opinion of the world, for by the company, be it good or euill that thou kepeſt ſuch ſhalt thou be cenſured to bée for ſimilis ſimilem querit, and in what company ſoeuer thou come, hauehave a care that the company may be rather bettered by thy preſence then any way impeached therby & kéepe a ſtraight watch ouer ye words, thoughts, & deeds of thy heart, reſtraining the liberty thereof where it would extend further then conuenient and honeſt.
20 Bee fearefull to commit ſinne, eſpecially any examplar ſinne, to ſhew the way, as it were, to others, leaſt they periſh therein vnrepentant, and it be one day layd to thy charge, eueryevery one ſhall hauehave enough to anſwer for himſelfe: woe to him that ſhall bee preſt with the weight of his owne and others, eueryevery ſin as a milſtone, to preſſe him downe to the pit of Hell.