A Crystal Mirror, Title page – Dedications
A Chryſtal Mirrour, OR Chriſtian Looking-glaſs: WHEREIN The Hearts Treaſon againſt God, And Treachery againſt Man, Is truely repreſented, and throughly Diſcourſed on and Diſcovered.
WHEREBY The Soul of Man may be Dreſſed up into a Comelineſs for God.
AND WHEREON A Duely and daily Gazing (after a Godly ſort) may prevent the putting an everlaſting Cheat upon your Immortal Soul.
foreign, Noſce teipſum. Solon.
To know your ſelf is neceſſary.
He that beholdeth his natural face in this Spiritual Glaſs, and forgets not, is bleſſed, Jam. 1. 23. 25.
Publiſhed for Publick Good, by Chriſtopher Neſſe, Miniſter of the Goſpel, in Fleet-street, London.
LONDON: Printed by J. C. for the Author, and to be ſold by him. 1679.
To the Right Ronourable THE Lord Wharton.
My Lord,
YOUR Lord-ſhip is the only One of all my narrow Acquaintance (amongſt perſons of your Rank & Quality) who hath ſo much Divine Teachings about the hearts Treachery, as (I can preſume) your Honour is endowed with. You have been an Honorable Owner & Honourer of the good ways of God (to my knowledge) for this many years; and wherein you have not been an eminent Doer only, but as eminent a Sufferer: In all which, your Honour cannot but have large Experience of the Wily Workings of your own Deceitful Heart. Aſſuredly, Experimental (not Notional) knowledge is the moſt expeditious and dexterous Doctreſs to Diſciple aright in this Deep Myſtery. As that great Myſtery of Godlineſs (the new name in the white Stone, Rev. 2. 17.) no man can read, but he that receives it: So this grand Myſtery of (Iniquity, or) Ʋngodlineſs (which is call'd the depths of Satan, Rev. 2. 24. and which lies lurking in a deep heart, Pſal. 64. 6.) is better experienced inwardly, than exerted by any outward means whatſoever. [Docet Experientia vera,] and [Experto crede Roberto;] I looking upon your Lordſhip as an old Diſciple, Acts 21. 16. A Gray-headed Chriſtian and a Father in Iſrael, 1 Joh. 2. 13. could not but be confident, that this myſtical Mirrour would finde Acceptance; and the rather, ſeeing 'tis as uſeful for Lords as it is for Ladies. Hereupon I preſume to tender it (quale, quale eſt) unto your Lord-ſhip's hands for a Bleſſing to your Heart.
To the Right Honourable THE Lady Wharton.
Madam,
SINCE my ſmall and ſhort Acquaintance with your Ladyſhip, I could not but be one of the Admirers (amongſt many others) of your great Gravity, and peculiar Piety in this our looſe and debauched Age: Whereas other Ladies of Honour doth glory in this, that they are Ladies of Pleaſure too. (Alas, they do but glory in their own ſhame, Phil. 3. 19.) Your Ladyſhip doth eſteem it your greateſt Glory, not only to be a Lady of Honour, but alſo a Lady of Holineſs. This is abundantly demonſtrated not only by your repairing [duely] to the publick means of Grace, where you may enjoy them in power and purity, but alſo (to my knowledge) your upholding [daily] the private worſhip of God in your Family. This, this is that which makes you [truly] Honourable, and therefore ought to be honoured (as you are of God, ſo) of all good men, but eſpecially of all good Miniſters. In purſuance whereof, I make hold to preſent to your Lady-ſhip (the beſt Homage and Honour I can pay you) this Chriſtian Mirror; which is a Looking-glaſs for an elect Lady, for a Lady indeed. I doubt not, but while other Ladies (in their Vanitie) do, as it were, nail their very Eyes to their literal Looking-glaſs, and that onelyonly for pluming the body as to man; your Ladyſhip will be improving this myſtical Looking-glaſs for the trimming of your Soul as to God, that your inner man may become as amiable & acceptable to your Heavenly Husband, Iſa. 54. 5. as your outward man is to your Earthly one.
But to bring theſe two Streams into one Channel, let me now addreſs my ſelf to both your Honours (two diſtinct perſons) in one ſingle (yet compounded) application; ſeeing God hath made you not onelyonly one Fleſh by his holy Covenant of Marriage, but alſo one Spirit by his holy Covenant of Grace and Adoption: Although I dare not ſymbolize with thoſe ſordid Sycophants of Dionyſius, who lick'd up his very Spittle (that Excrement which the Tyrant ſlaver'd out of his mouth in his outragious furie) as if it had been the nobleſt Nectar; nor with thoſe Paraſitical Prieſts that do palliate their Patrons with the Appellations of Vertuous, Pious, and Religious, when (poſſibly) they are no better than Vitious, Impious, and Irreligius ones. Should I uſe ſuch flattering Titles, my Maker would make me afraid, Job 33. laſt, yet though [Laus ſordet in ore proprio, non tamen in ore Alieno] a mans own mouth may not praiſe him, another mans may, Prov. 27.2. Our Lord (himſelf) gave John Baptiſt his due praiſe; 1. For his Conſtancy in Religion, ſaying, He was no Reed ſhaken with the wind. 2ly. For his Moderation in his Apparel, &c. Mat. 11.7, 8. And ſurely the Servants of this Lord ought to own it as their dutie to give due praiſe to the Praiſe-worthie, to honour thoſe whom the Lord honoureth, 1 Sam. 2. 30. and to commend thoſe whom the Lord commendeth, 2 Cor. 10. 18. Thus Demetrius had a good Report of all good men, and of the Truth it ſelf, 3 John Epiſt. v. 12. and Ruth hath this Encomium; All the City of my people knows that thou art a vertuous woman, Ruth 3. 11. her works (not her words) prais'd her in the gate, Prov. 31. 31. So that all true acknowledgements (of the Grace of God diſcerned in your Honours by the Spirit of Diſcerning) not onelyonly may, but muſt be made, and yet be without the ſtinking breath of all baſe-minded Adulation. Give me leave therefore (without offending the modeſty of your Minds, and the humility of your Hearts, (of both which there is an happie Conjunction in both your boſoms) to call you truely Noble; not ſo much with Nobilitie by Parchment, which the Favour of a Prince ſetteth on, and his Frown or Fancie wipeth off again: nor ſo much with a Nobilitie by Parentage; for the Nobleſt Bloud upon Earth is ſtained and tainted with High-Treaſon againſt the great King of Heaven None ever was ſo Nobly-born, as to be able (with Hercules) to kill the two Serpents in the Cradle; to wit, Original Guilt, and natural Corruption. Hence we read in Scripture, onelyonly of three Great men (and thoſe none of the beſt; to wit, Pharaoh, Jeroboam, and Herod,) who ſolemniz'd their Birth-days. Nobilis non Naſcitur, ſed fit, ceu Renaſcitur: Nobles by their firſt birth are but [Terrae-ſilii, ceu filiae] Earth-ſprung, if not born [foreign] again, or from above, John 3. 3. This, this is that which makes you (both) truely Noble; to wit, your Second birth, [tantus quiſque eſt, quantus eſt apud Deum] Act. 17.11. Greatneſs without Goodneſs, is like the big ſwelling of an Hydropical perſon; 'tis his Diſeaſe, but not his Ornament. Great perſons have the greateſt difficultie to do Gods will, they have ſo much authoritie and advantage to do their own wills: Their Sea-room is their Danger; their Honours and Riches are like Fiſhes full of bones, which while Children feed upon, they are in danger of choaking. Now that it may be better with you both, and that your Goodneſs may further ſanctifie your Greatneſs, and that you may be always delivered from a Deceitful Heart, and at laſt inherit the ſure mercies of David ſo prayeth
Your Honours moſt Devoted Servant, Chriſtopher Neſſe.