The Mystery of Self-Deceiving, Title page – Dedication
THE MYSTERY OF SELFE-DECEIVING. OR A DISCOVERSE and discouery of the deceitfullnesse of MANS HEART: Written By the late faithfull Minister of Gods worde, DANIELL DYKE, Bachelour in Diuinity. Published Since his death, by his brother I. D. Minister of Gods worde.
IER. 17. 9.
The heart is deceitfull aboue all things, who can knowe it?
PSAL. 19. 12.
Who knowes the errours of his life? Lord clense me from my secret faultes.
LONDON Printed by EDVVARD GRIFFIN, for RALPH MAB, at the signe of the Grayhound in Pauls Church-yarde. 1614.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND MOST VERTVOVS LADY, the Lady LVCIE Countesse of Bedford.
RIGHT HONOVRABLE,
IT was an ancient constitution in Israell, that a brother dying without issue, the next brother should doe the office of a kinseman, and raise vp seede to his brother deceased, to continue his name that it might not bee put out of Israell. The Lord hauing not long since taken out of his vineyard a faithfull labourer, & from my selfe a louing, and deare brother, I thought that in some manner the equity of this constitution, now antiquated and abolished, did lay hold vponupon me. And that beeing the next brother, I was to do the office of a brother, to continue, and eternize his blessed memoriall in Gods Church by bringing to light this present treatise. He himselfe whilest hee liued wrote it, and had perfected it before his death, I hauehave but onelyonly raised it out of his priuate studie to the publique vse of Gods Church. The children, saide Hezekiah, are come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring forth. Thus it fared with this authour. Isa. 37. 3.Hee had finished and perfected this worke, and brought it euen to the birth, but there was no time to bring it foorth. God preuenting him, and, by his death, bringing him to the end of his faith, (his translation into the heauens) before he came to bring this work to the end of his desire, (the publication therof to the benefit of Gods Church:) I thought it great pitty that so hopefull an issue should perish for want of a little helpe in the birth. And I thought withall in case of my negligence, or refusall of his brotherly office, how iustly I might hauehave deserued the ignominious ceremony of the spittle in my face. Hereupon I willingly performed this taske of perusing and Deut. 25. 9.setting forth this treatise. Zachary when hee could not Zacharias cum l…qui nō potuit, scripsit. Ambr.speake, he wrote: So I desired that his pen might make some supply of the want of his tongue; that as Abell by his faith, so he by his works, being dead might yet speake.
Thus in briefe hath your Ladiship, the reason of my Heb. 11. 4.present endeauours.
For me to say any thing in commendation of this work is not happely so fitting. It beeing both hard for one brother to commend another without boasting, and the younger and inferiour his commendation adding little credit or grace to the worke of his elder and superiour. For as the lesse is blessed, so also praysed of the greater. Heb. 7. 7.I meane therefore heerein to bee sparing. Onelie this; I will but as the widdows, which shewed Peter the coates and garments which Dorcas made, while shee was with them. So onelyonly will I shew, and set forth some part of his labours which hee performed whilest hee was with vsus. And let his owne workes praise him in the gate. And surely this worke will doe it, if either matter, Prou, 31, 31.or manner, argument or art will doe it.
The matter and argument of it is such, as yet handled at large by none before him that I know of.
And besides it is excellent by reason of the daily vse which occurres in practise. So that of the title and argument of this booke may I say as Gellius speakes of a good title which Melissus had giuen to a book of his own which it seemed scarse deserued it, That the very title Ei libro titulus est ingentis cuiusdam illecebrae ad legendū scriptu…; quippe de proprietate l…quendi. Aul. Gell. Noct. Attic. l. 18. cap. 6.had a great alluring & entising force to draw men to the reading of it. Such is the argument of this worke, of such speciall vse in our practise, that it may easily perswade any, both to read, and like it. It containes the right foreign, the art of knowing a mans selfe; it discouers vntounto vsus, the infinitely intricate windings, & turnings of the darke Labyrinths of mans heart. Indeed oftentimes the discoueries of cousenages, and deceits in the worlde make many, before honestly ignorant, to turn couseners and deceiuers. But heere needes no such feare, for heere we are taught no new deceit or cousening trickes, which yet wee practise not; but rather are conuinced of that cousenage, with which we deceiue our owne soules, and yet will not be borne downe to be guilty of imposture. This point is worthy our best wits, and knowledge. That heathen Philosopher neuer thought himselfe to begin to know Philosophy, till he began to know himselfe. But surely wee neuer beginne to know Diuinitie or Religion, till wee come to know our selues: our selues wee cannot know, till wee know our hearts. I but, our hearts are deceitfull aboue all things, who can know them? They who with diligence shall peruse th…s present treatise shall with Gods blessing be able in some good measure to know them. Here shall they find that dangerous Art of selfe-Sophistry displayed, by which millions of soules are enwrapped in the snares of Satan. And so by seeing their selfe-deceit, shall come to their selfe-knowledge. A knowledge neuer more neglected. Vt nemo in sese tentat descendere, nemo. Pers.Men care not for knowing themselues, who are oftentimes too too curiously greedy of knowing all things else, being heerein like to foolish trauellers, that louelove to trauell into, and talk of other strange countries, strangers in the meane time in the rarities, secrets, and wonders of their owne. As for the Art, and manner of handling this argument in this treatise, I leaue it to the readers iudgement, aduenturing notwithstanding my selfe to say thus much, that had this treatise but age and antiquitie answerable to the sufficiency, it should easily find answerable acceptance. Nothing preiudices writers more, then either mens knowledge of their persons, or their want of antiquity. May not a man speake of many of our new writers as Gellius spake once of a good speech that Fauorinus made? Nonne, saith he, si id Antisthenes, aut Diogenes dixisset, dignum memoria visum esset? If Diogenes or Antisthenes had but spoken that which Noct. Attic. 18 7.Fauorinus did, the speech had gone for halfe an oracle, now happily the more respectles because from Fauorinus, that was inferior, it may be, in nothing to Diogenes but in standing. How many worthy moderne writers amongst vsus neglected, onelyonly because moderne? Nonne si haec Augustinus, aut Chrisostomus, &c. Had but Augustine, or Chrysostome or some auncient Father wrote them, how had they beene admired, now neglected, onelyonly because as Bildad speakes they are but of yesterday? Most mens iudgement of writers is the Iob. 8. 9.same that of wine. Luk. 5. 39. The olde is better. And yet oftentimes, the old is hard and tart, and neerer vineger then wine, when the new is sweet and pleasant. How many workes of some of the Fathers which hauehave little worth else in them besides antiquity, and the credit of an ancient Fathers name? How would we vilifie those same things in new; which wee so magnifie in olde writers? I speake it not to derogate ought from the worth of those ancient worthies, and reuerend sages, (I giuegive them all due reuerenc and respect) but only to meet with that fond humour, which measures worth onelyonly by age, as if nothing could be good, but that which is olde: And from a meane conceit of writers persons knowne, are ready to preiudge their workes vnread, and vnknowne.
But as for your Ladiship; I perswade my selfe that your knowledge of the Authors person, parts, and endowments wherewithall God had graced him, will be the greater meanes to winne your Honourable acceptance of this worke. And so much the rather do I presume vponupon your Ladiships fauour heerein, because whilest this Author liued (out of a louelove to his graces, and honourable disposition) he entended this worke to hauehave bene honoured by the Patronage of your woorthy and right noble brother, who now also together with this Author is at rest, singing heauenly Halleluiahs in the presence of the Lambe.
Pardon me good Madam, if I renew your griefe with the mention and remembrance of so great a losse. GiueGive vsus leaue to testifie our fellow feeling of your sorrowes. Publick losses may not passe without publicke heauines. It is a losse that yeelds vsus argument both of great griefe, & as great fear: Can it be a small griefe to see our selues depriued of the vse & benefit of so many rare vertues, & honorable inclinations, of so great learning in so few years, of so great grace, holines, and religion in so young yeares, as were sweetly met & combined in him? His rare endowments, his noble disposition, his religious conuersation, his hopefull seruice to Gods Church, and this kingdom considered, I may say of the Church and Commonwealth, as once Valerius spake of Cornelia in the losse of her louing husband, Corneliam nescio an faeliciorem dixerim quod talem virum habuerit, an miseriorem Val. l. 4, cap. 6.quod amiserit: It is hard to say whether we were happier in the inioyment, or vnhappier in the losse of such a personage. And as in his losse there is great cause of griefe, so no lesse of feare. Wee may grieue that so great good is taken from vsus, we may fear because some great euill is comming vponupon vsus, The righteous perisheth, and Is. 57. 1.no man considereth that he is taken away, from the euill that is to come. Surely when good men, especially being great men, & young men too, are taken away, it is a fearfull presage of much anger, and euill to come. The Lord make vsus all wise to consider the deaths of such men, that the feare of euills to come, may make vsus seeke to auoide euill present, and make vsus prudent in the foresight of the plagues to hide our selues.
But yet in the middest of this greefe and feare, your Ladiship is not left altogether comfortles. As it is a comfort that God honoured your familie with such an one, so is this also none of the least comforts to you, that you mourne not alone, but hauehave the hearts of all good men heauy with yours. It makes our ioy the greater to hauehave others reioyce with vsus, when wee reioyce: but it makes our sorrow the lesse when we hauehave others, to weepe with 2, Sam. 3. 33.vsus, when we weepe. Did Abner, said Dauid, dye as a foole? So of him it may be said. Did he dye as an immeriting, as an ignoble person? without teares? without lamentation? I thinke I may boldly speake it, that neuer any of his place, and of his yeares, left more heauy hearts behinde him then hee hath done. These are miserable griefes indeede, when others find matter of ioy in the matter of our griefe, and laugh at our teares; but then may we grieue comfortably, when we see others ioyne with vsus, and lay to heart our losses, as well as our selues.
I would willingly both inlarge his commendation and our griefe, but these require rather a Volume then an Epistle. And I may speake of him as Augustine of an other, Illa quidem anima in societatem fidelium et Eph, 12. 3.castarum recepta, laudes nec curat, nec quaerit humanas, imitationem tantum quaerit: He desires more the imitation then commendation of his vertues; & the imitation rather of his life, th…n a lamentation for his death.
Yet may I not altogether passe ouer in silence his holie and religious course; which was, to keepe a catalogue or diary of his sinnes against God: and eueryevery night, or the next morning, to reuiew the faults of the day past: Euerie Saboth morning, or night before, to reuiew the faults of the whole weeke: and at the ende of eueryevery monethmonth to suruay the whole moneths transgressions. This did hee daily, weekely, and monthly, thereby the better to humble himselfe for his sinnes, and renew his practise of repentance. And the day before his receiuing of the holie Sacrament did alwaies vse to humble himselfe before the Lord with fasting, prayer, and confession, thereby the better to prepare himselfe for the more worthy and comfortable receiuing of the holy communion.
I say nothing of his religious obseruation of the Sabaoth by himselfe alone, & with his people about him both before and after the publicke exercises, in meditation, reading, prayer, and repetitions. His carefull expense of time, his keeping of set houres of study. Thus did he with good Iosiah, while he was yet a child seeke the Lord. By means of which his holy & constant course in seeking the Lord, in fewe yeares he became wiser then his auncients and teachers, and preserued his young yeares, in great honour and reputation, free from all the blemishes and stayns of youth, notwithstanding the manifold occasions to the contrary in regard of his place & condition. The truth is, the world was not worthy of him. His vertues and his graces were fitter for heauen, then this impure earth.
Let vsus now that are behinde, turne our griefe into care, let our care bee to follow those holy steps hee hath trod before vsus. True it is you can neuer recouer his person, his graces you may: The greefe will bee the l…sse for the losse of his person, if you make a recouery of his graces. Whilest his spirit is doubled vponupon your Honour, and his graces shall suruiue in your religious imitation, so long we shall count him liuing in your selfe.
And now Right honourable I intreat you by the louelove that he bare to this Author, & by the louelove that you bare to his honourable Patrones, your deceased Father, and Brother (both now glorified Saints) to testifie your louelove to this Author by your honourable, and fauourable acceptance of this work.
May your Ladiship but please to vouchsafe the reading, and diligent perusall thereof, and I dare presume vponupon as much. Thus as I hauehave raised this to light, so I commend it to your Honors patronage, and protection: and your Honour to the patronage and protection of the Lord Iesus. May. 5. Epping in Essex.
Your Honours in all seruice IER. DYKE.