A Light to Grammar and All Other Arts and Sciences, Addenda
The Copy being ſomewhat ſcattered, theſe were omitted which are here inſerted to the ſecond Part.
Page 70. Line 10. And that he is a thankfull perſon too: If humble, then thankfull; humble he is as we heard, for God regarded the low, low eſtate (he cannot goe low enough) of his ſervant. God paſſed over Mountains and hils, & ſhined upon his loweſt valley, oh how thankfull is he! He conſulted with His free mercy, ſo made him to differ, overlooked a multitude of ſins, vouchſafed to multiply pardons, ſoughthim out that was loſt; the empty, hungry, thirſty ſoul is ſatisfied; The wilderneſſe is now as a watered garden; his parched heath, a ſtanding poole; his gates of braſſe are broken, the barres of iron are cut aſunder; he is delivered out of all his diſtreſſes. And now heare him call upon his ſoule, ſing praiſes, ſing, ſing, ſing praiſes: ſo we roade Pſal. 47. 103. 107. 116. 136.in his ſongs of thankſgiving a. And what is wanting now to the tribute of praiſes, it is the joy of his ſoule, he ſhall make up one day, when he ſhall be for ever with the Lord, there to ſing the Song of Moſes aRev. 15. 3, 4.and to joyne his voyce with the heavenly quire, ſaying, Hallelu-jah, Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God, Amen, Hallelu-jah.
Page 91. Line 1. fatteſt. As B. Latimer ſaid, The Devil gains more upon one Holy-day, then upon ten working dayes; So we may ſay truly, The Lord loſeth more of the tribute of praiſe at one feaſt, then He gains at two faſts. The more we receive from Him, the more Hee loſeth from us. The larger His merciemercy, the ſtraiter our hearts. This it is for the moſt part. But all this, &c.
Page 104. Line 14. Againe, we may diſcern in a ſeething pot, what our ſpirit is, and what the pollution of the ſame. While the pot with the fleſh in it is cold, we ſee nothing but clear water; but let the pot boyle, then the ſ…um riſeth. An occaſion to ſinne is as fire under the pot; now I can obſerve what ariſeth in my ſpirit. Concupiſcence is alwayes there a luſting after this, and that, and more to this then to that, ſome predominant and maſter-luſt, I mean. Now when the occaſion joynes with it, there is heat put to heat, and a great flame. Now our ſpirits boyle apace, and there ariſeth a great ſcum preſently. We muſt Ezech. 24.be as quick and ſpeedy in the caſting the ſcum out, as a pollution to be loathed: if we ſuffer the ſcum to boyle in, we defile our ſpirits utterly, and in the ſeething pot, we read our judgment. We will then note this by the way: An occaſion is as fire to the pot, it raiſeth the ſcum; ſo this trieth the man, for ſuch he is indeed, what he is in temptation. But let the man take heed, he doth nottry occaſion, not tempt temptation, not run into temptations no more then he will into the fire, for then he burns, and he is well pleaſed with his ſcum which he ſhould caſt out with loathing. He that runs into ſnares, wil fall certainly fforeign, &c. Heleod. Ae…hiop. l. l. c. 24 Diabolus ſemper imminet occaſioni.: for the Devil watcheth there, & if I put my foot in it, ſurely I ſhal be taken by it.
Page 105. line 5. If we ſee a Serpent in our way, let us ſtand a little to view that creeping thing. It was once a more pleaſing Creature, and, perhaps, its ſtature more erect and upwards, for it is reckned amongſt the beaſts of the field, not amongſt the creeping things there. Sure we are, becauſe he was uſed as the Devils inſtrument to tempt unto ſin, therefore this burden is laid upon him, VponUpon thy belly ſhalt thou go, & duſt ſhalt thou eat; which teacheth us to be wiſer then a Serpent, and as innocent as a Dove; to have no hand in ſin to help it forward; not to put forth ſo much as the leaſt finger to be inſtrumentall thereunto. If a brute creature was ſo curſed, how great will their curſe be, who imploy their reaſon, and little judgement, as the Devils inſtruments, to bring wicked deſignes to paſſe, and to put them in execution aEſay 10. 1 Tum Aucto Tibus, tum eti…madmi ſlris. Junius ibid.The authors and firſt inventers of wicked Decrees are curſed, and they that help to put them forth, lie under the ſame woe. Our bodies, ſpirits alſo are great examples hereof, ſo are the judgements that God hath executed, not upon beaſts onelyonly, but upon creatures ſenſleſſe. That bAdco exo ſumeſt peccatun & inſtrumentum peccati, Junins in Joſh. cap. 7. 25.note is long, the leſſon is ſhort, Have no fellowſhip with the unfruitfull works of darkneſſe, but reprove them rather cEphoſ. 5. 11..
End of the text · Hezekiah Woodward, A Light to Grammar and All Other Arts and Sciences (1641)