Divine Arithmetic, Title page – Dedication 2
Divine Arithmetick, OR THE RIGHT ART Of numbring our DAYES.
Being a SERMON preached June 17. 1659. at the Funerals of Mr Samuel Jacomb, B. D. Miniſter of the Goſpel at S. Mary Woolnoth in Lumbardſtreet, London, and lately Fellow of Queens Colledge in Cambridge.
By Simon Patrick, B. D. Miniſter of the Goſpel at Baterſea in Surrey.
1 COR. 7.29, 30, 31.
The time is ſhort: It remaineth that both they that have wives, be as they that have none: and they that weep, as though they wept not: and they that rejoyce, as though they rejoyced not, &c. for the faſhion of this world paſſeth away.
foreign
Plato in Critone.
LONDON, Printed by R. W. for Francis Tyton, at the Sign of the three Daggers in Fleet-ſtreet, 1659.
Reader, be pleaſed before thou readeſt, to Correct theſe Miſtakes of the Preſſe.
EPiſt. line ult read your ſhops. p. 7. l. 25. r. the daies. p. 9. l. 27. r. unto. Eut he —p. 10. l. 4. r. leſſe. p. 13. l. 12. r. evil, &c. l. 17. deſerve. p. 20. l. 26. r. 3dly. p. 22. l. 20. r. any mind. p. 36. l. 24. r. his Port. p. 38. l. 17. r. good thoughts. p. 43. l. 10. r. they ſpend. p. 63. l. 25. r. foreign and foreign. p. 65. l. 11. r. his manners. p. 68. mar g. r. foreign. p. 78. l. 15. r. bonds. p. 79. l. 27. r. as he ſaith. l. 31. r. Shall I ſay. p. 80. l. 7. Did I think. l. 10. after Funeral, adde—
To my Worthy Friend Mr Thomas Jacomb, Miniſter of the Goſpel at Martins Ludgate.
Sir,
I Know that I ſhall but revive your grief by ſending this Sermon to your hands; but it is a trouble which you have drawn upon your ſelf, by deſiring to ſee that which you heard. It was not meet that I ſhould reſiſt your requeſt, becauſe he whom I had reaſon to love as my ſelf, uſed to deny you nothing; yet if I had obtained leiſure to have conſidered theſe things over again more deeply, you might have ſeen them (it is poſſible) preſſed with more weight of argument, and put into a more exact order: But ſince you were deſirous that I would diſpatch them to the Preſs ſpeedily, theſe Papers come to you to entreat you, that you will be content to bear a ſhare in the faults that by reaſon of haſte may (it is likely) be diſcerned in them. And if I could requite you in a greater matter, by alleviating your griefs, and helping you to bear your ſorrows, I ſhould readily lend you my hands, yea & my ſhoulders. But thanks be to God you need not my aſſiſtance, but have learnt to bear patiently this ſad providence. It is an eaſie matter to be pleaſed with Gods providences when he doth what we would have him, but to rejoyce in adverſe things, and to ſuck ſome ſweetneſs out of gall and wormwood, is very hard. Every body can threſh corn out of full ſheaves, and fetch water out of the Thames; but to bring an harveſt out of the dry ſtubble, and to draw water out of a rock, is the work only of a divine power which can bring good out of evil. I need not doubt but you are indued with it, and that God will comfort you with the ſame comforts wherewith you comfort others, and that you will ſay Even this is good too. Let me have a ſhare in your prayers that it may be ſanctified to me alſo, who ought to think my ſelf concerned in it, and I ſhall ever remain
Your true Friend to ſerve you, Simon Patrick. June 28. 1659.
To the Right Worſhipfull THOMAS VINER Alderman of the City of London, and the reſt of the inhabitants of the Pariſh of Mary Woolnoth Lumbardſtreet.
WHEN the ſoul is ſet in ſad circumſtances, and cloathed with black and mournfull thoughts, it is very apt to hearken to ſober Counſels, and to entertain pious purpoſes and reſolutions. I imagine it poſſible that the ſight of the Corps of your beloved Paſtor, might open a wider gate then ordinary for the truths which were then propounded to enter into your hearts, and that in that ſad ſilence of your ſouls they might have more of your attention, and better audience. If they found any good acceptance with you then; they come now again to ask you whether you ſtill ſtand ſo affected, and continue in the ſame mind, and can find in your heart upon a ſecond motion to renew your good reſolutions.
For when the ſoul that hath been ſhut up in it ſelf, ſhall but open again to let in ſome light of mirth and gladneſs, all our ſad and ſerious purpoſes are ready to run out at the ſame door, unleſs we take good heed and give an expreſs command for their ſtay by laying faſt hold upon them. When the ſouls grows gay and pleaſant again, it is apt to look upon its former reſolves but as Melancholy fancies, or to retain only ſuch a weak remembrance of them as we do of the ſhadow of a dream, or they ſeem as things do that we are run a great way from, and have left far behind us, which when we were preſent lookt as big as a Church Steeple, but now at a diſtance ſeem no bigger then the ſtump of a Tree. And therefore it is neceſſary that you ask your ſelves how the truths that were then plainly repreſented, appear unto you at ten or eleven dayes diſtance from them. Ask your ſelves I ſay, whether now they appear ſo great and weighty as its poſsible they might when you were very near unto them, and whether now that you are counting your money and about your trades, you have as good a mind to reckon your dayes aright, as perhaps you had when God and you were reckoning together. If you would know your ſouls aright, and be acquainted with your own temper, you muſt take your ſelves in all moods, both when you are merry and when you are ſad, when you are in health as well as when you are ſick; and if you like the ſame truths alike at all times, it is an argument of a healthful conſtitution. So ſome of the Perſian wiſe men adviſed that a man ſhould conſider of a buſineſs both when he had drunk liberally and when he was faſting, in the night and in the day, when he was angry and when he was well pleaſed, and he might be ſure it was a reaſonable thing if it appeared ſo from whatſoever ſtation he looked upon it. In like manner I adviſe and intreat you to conſider whether you like theſe things not only when you were ſwallowed up with ſorrow, but now that you have dried your eyes. Do they appear the ſame now to your ſight, that they did when you lookt upon them through tears? can you like theſe things in ſhops, as you did in the Church? Now that they are preſented to your eyes, as when they ſtruck your ears? Ask your ſouls whether they are at ſo much leiſure as to conſider once more of them. Tell your ſelves whether any ſuch ſence of the truth remain upon them, that you will try how you like them upon ſecond thoughts. And I pray our good God that whoſoever of you taketh a review of theſe things, may learn ſo much of this Divine Art as to take an account of the dayes he hath paſſed, to keep a fair account of the reſt of his life, and to give up his accounts with joy at the day of our Lord. I uſe this boldneſs and freedom of ſpeech to you, becauſe you have been uſed unto it by my dear friend, and becauſe I think thereby I ſhall beſt ſerve both the truth and you. Let me be ſo importunate therefore with you as to conjure you by all the names of love and dearneſs, by all that is pretious and valuable to you, by the remembrance of our Lord; by the remembrance of all the ſervants of the Lord that have laboured among you, by the love you bear to your own ſouls, and as you deſire after heaven, that you wil conſider ſeriouſly how pretious a thing a day is, and that you will not ſpend it all in the buſineſs of this world, much leſs in ſports and recreations, but let God have a conſiderable portion of it. Some of the Heathens have carefully prohibited the waſtefull miſpenſe of mens hours; foreign, &c. L. 2. Var. hiſt. cap. 5.and therefore I may well be ſuffered if I be urgent with you to redeem them. It is a notable Teſtimony that Aelian gives of the Lacedaemonians, that they were hugely parſimon ous and even covetous of their time; ſpending it all about neceſſary things, and ſuffering no Citizen either to be idle or to play: In ſo much that when it was told that ſome uſed to walk in the afternoons for their recreation, the Ephori forbade it as ſavouring of pleaſure, and would have them to recreate their bodies by ſome manly exerciſes which had ſome profit in them, and would breed them to be ſervicable to the Common good. How much will they ſhame us in the day of judgement when it ſhall appear that all this thriftineſs of theirs was not ſo much for their ſouls, as for the profit of their City, and we would not uſe half ſo much care for immortal beings and the ſecuring of a better Countrey which is an heavenly. Ib. cap. 28.Themiſtocles ſeeing two Cocks fight when he was going to a battle, pointed his Souldiers to them, and ſaid, Do you ſee yonder Combatants how valiantly they deal their blows? and yet they fight not for their Countrey, nor for their Gods, nor for the honour of their Anceſtors, no nor for glory, nor liberty, nor children, but meerly to overcome and crow over the vanquiſhed. What courage then my brave Countreymen, ſhould this put into your hearts, on whoſe reſolution all theſe depend, and by whoſe valour they ſubſiſt? The ſame I ſay to you; Do you ſee how ſparing and ſaving of their time the Old Lacedaemonians were? And yet it was not for the worſhipping of their Gods, nor for the attending to their ſouls, V. Wheatly of redemption of time&c. but meerly that they might be hardy Souldiers and might overcome all their enemies. How good Husbands then ought we all to be? how valiantly ſhould we reſiſt all Theeves and Robbers that would ſteal away our time from us? when it is for God, for heaven, for the ſafety of our ſouls, yea and for our happineſs, peace and quiet in this world alſo. If this diſcourſe may any thing quicken you, let not me be forgot in thoſe good hours that you ſpend with God, and I ſhall not forget to pray for you, that he would provide a Paſtor for you after his own heart, that will feed you with knowledge and underſtanding, and guide you in the good old paths that lead to everlaſting life.
Your Servant in the Lord Jeſus, Simon Patrick. June 28. 1659.