Select Observations Collected out of Several Authors, Century 2
The Second Century.
1. MAjor ſum, & ad majora natus quam ut mancipium ſim Corporis mei. I am greater, and born to greater things, than to be a Slave to my Body. Seneca.
2. He is a good Logician that offers up to God a reaſonable Service: A good Arithmetician, who hath learned to number his dayes: A good Orator, who hath perſwaded himſelf to be a good Chriſtian. Dr. Arrowſmith.
3. When we come to the Creatures for ſatisfaction to our Souls, may they not ſay to us as Jacob to Rachel, Are we instead of God?
4. The Houſe built upon the Rock was aſſaulted every way, yet it ſtood. On the top with the rain, at the ſides with the Wind, at the bottom with the Floods, Mat. 7. The right Emblem of a ſincere Chriſtian, who beareth up againſt all kinds of Temptations.
5. Beza ſaith of a Sickneſs he had at Paris: Morbus iste verae Sanitatis mihi principium fuit. That Diſeaſe was the beginning of my true Health. And Olevian to the ſame purpoſe, of a Sickneſs he had, ſaid, I have thereby manned more of Sin and the Majeſty of God than I ever knew before. As alſo Rivet ſaid, In the ſpace of ten dayes, ſince I kept my Bed, I have learned more of true Divinity, than in the whole courſe of my Life before.
6. Semiramis ordered this to be written upon her Tomb. If any King ſtand in need of Money, let him break open this Monument. Hereupon Darius ranſack't the Tom… and found within another writing, Hadst thou not been unſatiably covetous, thou wouldſt never have invaded thus the Monument of the dead: And ſo went away aſhamed.
7. A great Commander in his violent thirſt ſold himſelf and his Army into the Enemies hand for a little water; and then ſaid, O quantum ob quantillum! How much have I parted with for a little? May not thoſe that ſell their Souls for a little ſenſual pleaſure, much more ſay thus?
8. The Apoſtle ſaith, An Idol is nothing, 1 Cor. 8.4. And yet the Epheſians cryed, Great is Diana of the Epheſians, Acts 19.34. Magnum nihil, A great nothing: So we may ſay of many other things that are great in Mens Opinions, and nothing in themſelves.
9. He that is a Slave to the World, is under Cham's Curſe, a Servant of Servants.
10. Cujus anima in Oculis ejus eſt precioſa, in Oculis ejus mundus eſt parvus; was an uſual ſaying among the Jews. He, in whoſe Eyes his Soul is precious, in his eyes the World is little: Again, Pecuniam habes, aut teipſum aut pecuniam vilem habeas neceſſe eſt: He that overvalues his Money, undervalues himſelf.
11. Let us lay our Pipes to a running Spring, and not to a broken Ciſtern, if we would be ſupplyed.
12. Plato being asked by one of his Scholars, How long his Precepts were to be obey'd, anſwered, Until there come an Holy One by whom the Fountains of Truth ſhall be opened, and whom all may ſafely follow. Ficinus in Vita Platonis. A ſeeming Prophecy of Chriſt.
13. Seneca ſpeaking of the Religious Rites of the Heathen Worſhip, ſaid, Quae omnia ſapiens obſervabit tanquam legibus juſſa, non tanquam dijs grata. A wiſe Man will obſerve them rather as commanded by the Laws, than acceptable to the Gods.
14. Mr. Fox tells a Story of one Crow a Seaman, who being Shipwrack'd, loſt all his Money and Goods, but put his Bible about his Neck, and ſwam with it to ſhore.
15. Paſcimur apertis, exercemur obſcuris. Plain Truths feed us, and obſcure Myſteries in Religion exerciſe us.
16. Antony the Monk, when the Philoſopher ask'd him where his Books were, anſwer'd, The Voluminous Books of the Creation.
17. By the Light of Nature we may know there is a God, 1. Reſpicicendo, by looking back to the Creation, which muſt have a beginning. 2. Inſpiciendo, by looking into our own Conſciences. 3. Proſpiciendo, by looking forward to Rewards and Puniſhments which are not yet inflicted. 4. Circumſpiciendo, by looking round about to the Works of Providence in the World.
18. Licinus, a Cruel Oppreſſor, was buried in a ſtately Tomb, wiſe Cato in a ſmall one, Pompey the great in none at all, upon which an Atheiſtical Poet deſcants thus,
Marmoreo Licinus tumulo jacet & Cato parvo,
Pompeius nullo. Quis putet eſſe Deos?
Who can think there is a Deity, when things fall out thus in the World?
19. One Hermolaus, being very inquiſitive to know what Ariſtotle meant by the word foreign, in his Definition of the Soul, one well replyed to him, O te infelicem, qui de animâ deſiniendâ magis quam ſalvandâ ſolicitus eſſe videaris! Oh unhappy Man, who ſeemeſt more ſolicitous for the Definition of thy Soul, than the Salvation of it!
20. I found theſe two Verſes in a Chriſtian Poet, worthy to be remembered,
Alme Deus! Mundus ſine Cauſâ te odit, amabas
Tu ſine causâ illum. Quam bonus ultor eras.
The World hated God without cauſe, and he loved the World without cauſe; what a good Revenger is this.
21. It was cruel Advice that the Cardinal gave to the Emperour; Ʋtere jure tuo Caeſar, Sectumque Lutheri, Enſe, rotâ, ponto, funibus, igne, neca: Ariſe Caeſar, take thy Authority, and deſtroy Luthers Sect by the Sword, upon the Wheel, in the Sea, with Ropes and Fire.
22. I have read of one Cramerus a School-Maſter, who had a Scholar who had in a writing in his own Blood, promiſed to give his Soul on certain Conditions to the Devil; which Writing Cramerus got from him: And the Devil in the Night knock'd at his Chamber door, and demanded the Paper of him, but he anſwered, I have lay'd the Paper in my Bible, and in that Page where it is written, The Seed of the Woman ſhall bruiſe the Head of the Serpent, and take it thence Satan if thou canſt: and thereupon the Devil departed, and left the Paper behind him, and came no more.
23. Peccati poteſtas eſt Damnatrix, & Dominatrixi: The power of Sin is Condemning and reigning, or Phyſical and Moral.
24. Some Flatterers of Diocleſian erected a Pillar to his Memory, with this Inſcription, To the honour of Diocleſian, who propagated and vindicated the worſhip of our Gods, and deſtroyed the Superſtition of the Chriſtians: And a while after the Emperour in trouble of Mind reſigned his Empire, and grew Mad.
25. In Hungary, the two Rivers of Salva and Danubium run Sixty miles together, and do not mix one with another. It was well if Grace could run in a pure ſtream in our Hearts and Lives, and not mix with Sin.
26. Caſtalio makes a threefold diſtinction of Men, the Ʋnregenerate, the Regenerate, and the Regenerating, ſuch as yet find the Fleſh luſting againſt the Spirit, thinking that thoſe that are Regenerate find it not ſo.
27. There are three wayes to gather the Knowledge of God from the Creatures, 1. Viâ Cauſalitacis, by way of Cauſality, by which we come to know Quod ſit, that he is: 2. Viâ remotionis, by removing from him all the Imperfections of the Creature, by which we come to know, Quid non ſit, what he is not. 3. Viâ Eminentiae, by way of Eminency, by aſcribing all the perfections of the Creature eminently, to him; whereby we come to know Quid ſit, what this God is, thô not to comprehend him.
28. When ſome of Epictetus his Hoarers ſaid to him, We do not yet underſtand by all you have find of God, what God is; he anſwered, Was I able fully to deſcribe him to you, either I ſhould be God my ſelf, or God muſt c…aſe to be what he is.
29. All Creatures have more in them of Non entity; than of Being. Some have a Privative, all have a Negative defect and imperfection of Being.
30. The Name whereby God ſtyles himſelf to Moſes, I am that I am, denotes four things in God, Eternity, Immutability, Independency, and Ineffability.
31. Over the gate of Apollo's Temple was written, foreign, Thou art: As if nothing had Being but God.
32. There is a threefold Knowledge of God. Natural, from the Works of Nature; Literal, from the Scriptures; and Spiritual, by Divine Illumination, which exceeds the former in clearneſs and ſweetneſs.
33. Upon the Debates of the Synod of Dort about the Grace of God, one hath writ theſe Verſes:
Gratia ſola Dei certos Elegit ab aevo,
Dat Chriſtum certis gratia ſola Dei.
Gratia ſola, Dei fidei dat munera Certis,
Stare facit certos gratia ſola Dei.
Gratia ſola Dei cum nobis omnia donet,
Omnia noſtra regat gratia ſola Dei.
34. Noſtrum non eſt quod ſumus, multo minùs quod habemus: Man cannot attribute his Being to himſelf, much leſs what he hath in his Being.
35. Siſtitur appetitus in viâ, ſatiatur in Patriâ: God doth ſtay the deſires of the Soul in this Life, but will ſatisfie them in Heaven.
36. Quod Cor non facit non fit: What the Heart doth not do, is not done, meaning it in Matters of Religion.
37. Eternitas facit bonum infinitè melius, malum infinitè pejus: Eternity makes a good thing infinitely better, and an evil thing infinitely worſe. Leſſius.
38. Terrenas delicias non ut venientes ſed ut abeuntes inſpicere debemus: We muſt look upon Earthly delights rather as going from us than coming to us. Senec.
39. The Jews had a Swine in ſuch abomination, that they would not pronounce the word, but call'd it foreign.
40. The Grecians had reſpect to their Philoſophers above their Orators, becauſe the one taught them how to Speak well, but the other how to Live well.
41. Non eſt minus malum referre injuriam quam inferre. Lactant: It's as great an Evil to requite an Injury as firſt to do it.
42. It was a ſaying of Maximilian the Emperour, Whoever aſſumed to himſelf power over the Conſcience, did ſet himſelf down in God's Throne.
43. The Ancient Romans ſtyled their City Eternal, and would ſalute their Emperours with the Title of Veſtra Aeternitas. And Juſtinian ſaith of ſome of his Edicts, Nostra ſanxit Eternitas.
44. Turpe quid anſurus te ſine teste time. Auſon. When thou art attempting to do any Evil, be afraid of thy ſelf, thô there is none to bear witneſs.
45. O ſervum illum beatum cujus emendation Deus inſtat, cui dignatur Iraſci. Tertull. Happy is that Servant whom God will vouchſafe to be angry with for his amendment.
46. Ecquid Amentius quam haeredi domos & fundos acquirere, Gehennam tibi: Is any thing greater madneſs, than for a Man to procure Houſes and Lands for his Heir, and Hell to himſelf? To take care that his Poſterity may live ſplendidly, and then himſelf to die miſerably. Tertull.
47. Heinſius renders that place, in James 5.3. otherwiſe than we read it, where ſpeaking of the ruſt of their Gold and Silver, he reads it, You have treaſur'd it up as Fire for the laſt dayes; and we read it, It will eat your Fleſh as fire.
48. Julian once ſaid, That he got nothing by his Empire, Niſiut Occupatior Interiret, that he ſhould dye more encumbred.
49. And Adrian appointed this to be his Epitaph: Adrianus Sixtus hic ſitus eſt qui nihil ſibi infoelicius in vitâ duxit, quam quod regnave. rat: Here lyes Adrianus Sixtus, who never thought any thing ſo unhappy to him in his Life, as his reigning.
50. Ineſtimabilis eſt homo qui Eſtimationem ipſam non eſtimat. Euſeb. Niremberg.
51. It was Lewis the Second of France, who when he was ſick forbad any Man to ſpeak of Death in his Court.
52. Pro Junone Nubem, is a Proverb to ſignifie the miſtake of our choice, and foreign, to the ſame purpoſe.
53. Chriſtus non fecit ut mors non ſit, ſed ut non obſit. Chriſt hath not taken away death, but the hurt of death.
54. Bernard hath this memorable paſſage about Death: Mors non ſtimulus eſt, ſed Jubilus; uſurparis ad latitiam mater maeroris, uſurparis ad gloriam gloriae inimica. Ʋſurparis ad introitum regni, porta Inferni, &c.
55. Tres ſunt labores difficilimi, parturientium, regentium, & docentium: So Melancton. The labours of Child-birth, Government, and Teaching, are three moſt difficult Labours.
56. Quam diu acquieſcimus in proprio ſenſu, & nobis ſapimus, proaul abſumus ab omni ſenſu Doctrinae Chriſti: Whiles a man is wiſe in himſelf, and reſts in his own Opinion, he is far from the true ſavour of the Doctrine of Chriſt. Calvin.
57. Amor rerum terrenarum eſt viſcus pennarum animae, Aug. The love of Earthly things, is the Bird-lyme of the Wings of the Soul.
58. As the Rivers running into the Ocean do touch upon this and that ſhore, and paſs away; ſo muſt we but lightly touch upon theſe earthly things in our paſſage towards Heaven.
59. Luther calls Obedience, Fidem incarnatam, Faith incarnate; and ſaid, Mallem obedire quam Miracula facere: I had rather obey than work Miracles.
60. Four things are requiſite to the Chriſtian Souldier. 1. Hoc Agere, to attend his Warfare. No man that warreth, entangleth himſelf with the things of this preſent life, 2 Tim. 2.4. 2. Not to diſpute, but obey God's commands. I ſay to one go, and he goes, As ſaid the Centurion. 3. To keep Order, which is to keep within the Sphere of our own Duty. 4. To exerciſe our Arms, or Spiritual Armour.
61. Seneca calls Idleneſs, Vivi hominis Sepulchrum, the Grave of a living Man.
62. There was a Cuſtom in the Primitive Times, that the Perſons that were Baptized, did firſt turn their Face to the Weſt, and ſay, foreign, I renounce thee, O Satan; and then turn'd it to the Eaſt, and ſaid, foreign, O Chriſt, I am joyned unto thee.
63. Julius Caeſar would never ſay to his Souldiers, Ite, go, but Eamus Commilitones, Let us go Fellow Souldiers: And Abimelech ſaid to his Army, As ye ſee me do, ſo do ye, Judg. 9.48. So Chriſt hath gone before us, and calls us to follow him: Agreeable to that ſaying in Cyprian, Tota Christi vita eſt morum diſciplina: Chriſts Life is an inſtruction of manners.
64. It was Antigonus, King of Macedonia, that ſaid to the Governour of the Ship, that trembled to ſee ſo great a Navy of the Enemy come againſt them, foreign: Againſt how many doſt thou ſet me? Plutarch.
65. Lorinus the Romaniſt tells us, Gratiam triplicen habere proceſſum, â Deo, â Christo, â Virgine.
66. Thetis, the Mother of Achilles, is ſaid to take him by the Heel, and dip him all over in a certain Fountain, which they fabled would make Men invulnerable; but in a Combat with Paris, he wounded him there where his Mother held him when ſhe dipt him, and ſo ſlew him. Let the Chriſtian learn hence to put on his whole Armour, that he may not be wounded by any Temptation.
67. The Devil took thoſe Places for his Worſhip, which God had made uſe of in his Service. As Gilgal, where the Ark had been, and Bethel, where God appeared to Jacob; and Dodona's Grove is thought to be the place where Dodonium, the Grandchild of Japhet, did teach the Knowledge of God: And in the place of Chriſts Reſurrection, there was ſet up the Image of Jupiter, and in the place of his Croſs a Statue to Venus. Hieron. The Devil being ſtiled Gods Ape.
68. Naturaliſts write of the Crocodile, that it grows to it's dying day; ſo ought Chriſtians in Grace, Cum incipiamus stare deſcendimus. Hieron. When we begin to ſtand ſtill, we go downwards.
69. Baſil was told he was a Mad-man, becauſe he would not yield to the Arians in one Letter, he enſwered, Opto ſic me delinare in aternum, God grant I may be ſo mad alwayes.
70. A man may maintain many Virtues cheaper than ſome one Vice.
71. We ſhall carry nothing with us out of this World, ſaith one, but nuda Conſcientia, a naked Conſcience.
72. Other ſins keep Company with their fellow ſins, but Pride gets place among the Virtues and Graces.
73. Augustin in his Book of Confeſſions, tells us of one Alipius, who was very averſe to the Roman Theatre, and Games; by the importunity of Friends at laſt yielded to go, but faith he, Adero abſens, I will be abſent while preſent, for I will ſhut my Eyes, and ſtop my Ears, but at a great ſhout of the People, he open'd his Eyes and Ears, and began to be pleaſed: A good Caution againſt yielding to Temptations, but to abſtain from all appearance of evil.
74. It's ſaid of Pompey, that he deſired of the Governour of a certain City, only to receive into it a few ſick Souldiers, who in the Night open'd the Gate of the City, and let in his whole Army: ſo leſſer ſins may make way for greater.
75. Mahomet was born of an Heathen Father, and Jewiſh Mother, and framed his Alchoran ſo attemper'd to every Mans genius, and Diſpoſition, that he infatuated the fifth part of the known World, as Brierwood computes it.
76. In the Papiſm we find many ſtrange mixtures. In the Pope a Prelate, and a Prince, in the Canon Scripture and Tradition, in the Maſs a Sacrament and Sacrifice, in Converſion of a Sinner, Grace and Free-will, in Juſtification faith and works, in Salvation mercy and merit, in Interceſſion Chriſt and the Virgin Mary, &c.
77. Man is the perfection of the Creation. Underſtanding is the perfection of Man, Knowledge is the perfection of the Underſtanding, Religion is the perfection of Knowledge, and Chriſtianity is the Perfection of Religion.
78. Theologia ſcepticatandem exit in Atheiſmo, ſaid Attingius. Sceptical Divinity at laſt ends in Atheiſm.
79. Antigonus, King of Macedonia, was called by Plutarch foreign, q. d. A future Giver: He would Promiſe many things for the future, but perform nothing for the preſent.
80. It may be Obſerved, that when Chriſt came into the World in the Nature of Man, the Devil more than before poſſeſt the Bodies of Men, that he might diſparage the great Myſtery of the Incarnation, and breed ſuſpicion that what great Works Chriſt did, he did them by the Power of the Devil, as we know the Phariſees ſuggeſted ſo to the People.
81. Gregorius de Valemia tells us of a Merchant who choſe the Popiſh rather than the Lutheran Religion, becauſe he need not be put to the trouble of learning Catechiſms, and ſearching the Scriptures, which he had no leiſure to do, and which the Lutherans did, but it was enough for him in Popery to affirm what the Pope affirms, and to deny what he denyes, which was an eaſie way.
82. Antonius Spalatenſis complains that St. Peter's Keyes were turned into Keys to open rich Men's Cheſts and Coffers.
83. The People may referr it to their Prince to determine the outward Mode of Worſhip; if it be falſe, the Prince ſhall Anſwer to God for it, and not they, for it is their Duty to Obey their Prince; only they may privately keep their Faith to themſelves. Hobbs Leviath. Strange Divinity.
84. Veritas nihil erubeſcit niſi abſcondi. Tertul. Truth is aſhamed of nothing but to be hid: Whereas Error and Hypocriſie flee the light.
85. Non eſt vera Religio quae cum templo relinquitur. Lactant. 1. That is not true Religion which Men leave behind them at Church.
86. The Religion of Hypocrites is like the Colours of the Rain-bow, which are not foreign, but foreign, not in truth, but in appearance.
87. Epiphanius is reported to have ſaid when he left Conſtantinople, that he had left three great things behind him, a great City, a great Palace, and great Hypocriſie.
88. One of the Ancients ſaith of Death, Non eſt interitus ſed introitus, non eſt exitus ſed tranſitus, &c.
89. Quintus Curtius ſaith of Alexander the great, that in a Battel with Darius, while the Fortune of it was doubtful, yet carried himſelf as if he was ſure of Victory. So may a Chriſtian in the ſpiritual Warfare.
90. The Duke of Millan's Mother being left as a deſolate Widow, appointed this Motto for her Coyn, Sola facta, ſolum Deum ſequor: Now I am left alone, I follow God alone.
91. We read of the Inhabitants of Oeno, a dry Iſland near Athens, that they beſtowed much Labour to draw a River into it, and thereby open'd a way for the Sea to break in and drown it. A good Caution againſt too bold Adventures in lawful things.
92. I have read of a wicked Speech of one Neveſſan a Lawyer, ſaying, He that will not venture his Body ſhall never be Valiant, and he that will not venture his Soul ſhall never be Rich.
93. It's ſaid that the great Caleph of Babylon was ſtarved to Death by the great Cham, in the midſt of infinite Treaſures of Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones, which he had hoarded up, willing him to eat them up.
94. The Prince of Orange ſaid at the Battel of Newport to his Souldiers, when they had the Sea on one ſide, and the Spaniard on the other, Either you muſt eat up thoſe Spaniards, or drink up this Sea.
95. The Jews were wont to write upon the back-ſide of their ſealed Pacquets of Letters, theſe three Hebrew Letters, foreign for Niddui, foreign for Cherem, foreign for Shammatha. Whereby they threatned all ſorts of Gurſes to any that would dare to open it.
96. Coelum eſt altera Gehenna damnatorum, & Gehenna alterum Coelum beatorum. Got. Heaven is another Hell to the Damned, and Hell another Heaven to the Bleſſed.
97. When we ſee a Wicked Man, we may ſay, Aut ſumus, aut fuimus, aut poſſumus eſſe quod hic eſt: Either we are, or have been, or may be as bad as this Man is.
98. It's a good ſaying of the Greek Poet, foreign; always to be growing better, and to excell others (in Virtue.)
99. Luther ſeeing a black Cloud promiſing Rain in time of drought, but blown over, ſaid to his Friend, Tales ſunt promiſſiones Mundi; ſuch are the Promiſes of the World.
100. A ſelfiſh Man is Totus in ſe.