RULES OF LIFE: BEING Good Wishes to the CLERGY And LAIETY; For whose use the ASSE'S COMPLAINT Was Written.
BY LEWIS GRIFFIN
LONDON, Printed for Henry Marsh at the Princes Armes in Chancery-Lane, 1663.
THE PREFACE.
MAn that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like unto the Beasts that perish; when our first Parents lost Gods Image they were degraded from Humanity as well as Divinity, and became as brutish as the Creatures below them; so that there is no Beast, or Monster in the Wildernesse of the Great World, but what may be found in the Microcosmus or Little-world of Man.
Hence it is that false Prophets are said to be inwardly Wolves, Drunkards inwardly Swine, Whoremongers inwardly Goats, Dissemblers Foxes, Flatterers Dogs, Valiant Men Lyons, Innocent Men Lambs, as though we had Cloathed our Souls with their Natures, as well as our Bodies with their Skins.
[Page]Amongst the rest it hath been my Part to act the Asse, and no wonder, for the whole Kingdome hath done the same before me, and (like the Tribe of Issachar) been a long time Couchant betwixt two burdens, that is (in plain English) the Prophanesse of some who call themselves the Kings true Subjects, and the Hypocrisie of others, who term themselves Gods precious Saints, as though Loyalty consisted in Ranting, Swearing, and Drunkenesse, or Religion in Treason, Murder and Sacrilege.
I am not ignorant how some have rebelled against the King in nomine Domini, witness the Devills Martyrs at Charing-Crosse, who pretended their unparrallel'd Treason was Acted in the fear of the Lord; others have sinned against God in nomine Regis, witnesse those Hectors of the times whom if you should check for Swearing would call you Phanatick; others have dishonoured the Church in nomine Episcopatus, and (as the wickednesse of Phinehas, and Hophni, made the people abhorre the Sacrifice) so hath their Ignorance, Scandall, Insufficiency, made the Sacred name of Bishop, the decent Ceremonies of the Church, and the Divine Liturgy, become odious.
[Page]And shall a man see all this and be afraid to speak? no Friends; these are not times to daub, and flatter; the sinfull burden of a corrupt Balaam will make a dumb Asse turn Oratour; The Soul of a Man or Woman (I hope I may speak it without offence) is worth more than his Majesties three Kingdoms, and shall the charge of a Whole Congregation of these be committed to a Dunce, a Drunkard, a Beast, that hath neither Grace, nor Learning? God forbid; shall he that writes nothing but Truth, and Reason, have this Mouth stop'd with being, told he is a Seditious Person? Shall it be more safe for some men to Commit Sin, then for others to reprove them? I hope not.
In the Verses called the Asses Complaint (however they may be mistaken) I know nothing that can justly offend a sober Man; The King Himself hath Declared that it is, and shall he his Majesties Will That no Insufficient, Negligent, nor Scandalous Ministers be permitted in the Church, &c. and may not a Subject Lawfully Beg that which the King is Graciously pleased to Grant; He that sayes the Asse hath [Page] spoken Treason, Let him tell him that Prays Thy Will be done, that he speaks Blasphemy.
But (possibly) it is supposed by some that Ignorance, and Scandall, are quite out of fashion, and that there is no such thing in any of the Clergie. Truly I could wish it were so indeed; But when our Saviour amongst twelve Disciples had one Devill, it would be a wonder that the Bishops amongst so many thousand Curats should have none; Yet to name, or mention any particular Person (untill I have further occasion (I think) will be as absurd, as for a Minister, that reproves any grosse Sin, to tell his Parishioners, openly in the Pulpit, the name of any Person whom he knows to be Guilty.
Let this suffice, although others are unsatisfied with the harshnesse of my Expressions, yet I my self am well satisfied with the honesty of my Intentions, which (I question not) will bear me out against all malicious Gain-sayers.
Now whereas it is objected that my unlucky Pamphlet, hath proved a Doctrine of Sedition unto disaffected persons. What then (I beseech you?) have they not also made the [Page] same use of the Sacred Word of God? If a Revengeful wretch should stab his Neighbour, would that hand that made the Sword be found acessory to the Murder? I think not.
It was not my purpose, when I published those Verses, to encourage Sedition, but to rebuke Prophanesse; and therefore, to give the Reader further satifaction, I have written these following Precepts, which are the Rules by which those People walk, for whose sakes the Cry was written; You may find in them seasonable advice, which, though it seem to lye confusedly in my Meditations, will be brought into better order in your Practice.
He that would know more of my mind, let him read my Apology which follows the Verses of H.W. (for the rest of His name I know not) I could wish that he had imployed his Wit to a better purpose; I can only Judge this, that the Gentleman is a civil Person, and his Reply is an Ingenious piece of Misconstruction; as for the Rest who have written against me I regard them not at all, I shall not throw stones at every Dog which I hear bark; Only I beg of the Ingenious Reader, to weigh my words in [Page] the ballance of Reason, and not (like the rude Barbarians) to account me a Notorious Sinner because he sees I am stung with Viperous Tongues.
It is not unknown to several persons of credit in the Country where I lived, how much I have been persecuted by the Presbyterian party; and yet I am now threatned by some (who have more malice to conceive Mischief, than power to bring it forth) for being a supposed Enemy to (that which I alwayes Adored) Episcopacy, And not only I, but the Stationer who Printed my Verses, Mr. Marsh, although he hath (to manifest his Loyalty) Printed more Sheets against that Monster in Politicks, called the Rump, than all of his Profession in London, to the Hazard of his Life, and losse of his Liberty; Which things being rightly considered, we both may Deserve a Milder Censure.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE ASSE.
1. Stay! hasty Reader—Least the strangeness of our Title, which (at the first view) may seem to promise nothing but some antick piece of Drollery, or messe of Ridiculous Nonsense, should cause thy careless hand too soon to cast away this well meaning Paper; Remember (I beseech thee) that however contemptible the Asse is in this age, yet in the dayes of the Prophet Isaiah he was a great Rabbi in Israel: insomuch that Heaven and Earth were called to witness how far he excelled the very people of God in Knowledge, nay we may confidently believe that, even in our times, the Churches of Christ and Houses of Prayer would be more frequented, if those dark Souls whom errour, or Atheism detains from the publick [Page] Ordinances, had but such a Schoolmaster to teach them to know their Masters crib. Neither is the Asse lesse exemplary for his Obedience than Knowledge; Observe how faithfully he gave Balaam an account of his Service, and for his falsly supposed Crime pleaded Primum Tempus; Alas Reader, should Divine Justice bring thee and I to a Reckoning but for the sins of one hour, yet which of us could use the Asses Apology? Certainly this is a Creature both serviceable and harmlesse, or else our Saviour had not chosen him for his own use, The Asse carried Christ to Jerusalem, a most honourable office of which even the greatest Prelate might be justly ambitious; Be not therefore offended at our Title; we present thee with nothing that savours eitheir of Prophanesse or Faction, if thou art Evil it may do the good, If good it will do thee no hurt, thy eyes may safely read it without any breach of their Covenant.
2. It is no wonder that we live in a straggering age, for the fall of Adam broke the bones of his Children, and cripled his Posterity; the Sons of men are both blind in their Judgements, and lame in their Practises, and (notwithstanding the still voyce which is behind us) we are continually turning unto the right hand or to the left, and either falling into a Religious rebellion or a Loyal prophanesse. The pious Apostle foresaw our failings, and therefore left us two excellent Precepts, Fear God, and Honour the King, that all our lame Professors, who halt betwixt God and Baal, might make use of them as a pair of Crutches.
[Page]3. Doe not think that thou canst be a Friend to the King whilst thou art an Enemy to God: Drunkennesse, Swearing and Whoredome are no Badges of a Christian, nor of a true Cavalier, His Majesty will not protect Sin, neither canst thou honour him by dishonouring his Master; If thy crying iniquity should invite Gods Judgements to the Court, it would cost thy Soveraign Dear to give them entertainment.
4. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisedom; There is no Wisedome without Fear; the voyce of God made our first Parents afraid; a serious sense of Gods allseeing eye begets in us a Holy timerousness and conscienscious care to doe all things as in his presence; Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoyce in him with trembling; Lest thou shouldst presume, let thy service be joyned with fear, and least thou shouldest despair let thy trembling be mixt with joy.
5. Consider where thou art, and in what place thy Lines are fallen, thou fittest not in the Region of the Shadow of Death, but in the clear sun-shine of the Gospel; and therefore shouldest thou be condemned, it would not be for want of Light, but for love of Darknesse; Thou hast a Double birth right, first above other creatures, as thou art a Man: Secondly above other Men, as thou art a Christian, Thou art also entrusted with five talents, whereas the Iew hath but two, and the Heathen but one: be not therefore a prophane Esau to sell thy Birthright, nor an unprofitable Servant to imbezel [Page] thy talents, nor a cursed Ahab to forfeit the reversion of Paradice for the Possession of thy Neighbours Vineyard, nor one of those poor penny-wise Politicians, who striving to gain the World loose their own Souls, which is as if a Man should cut off his hands to purchase a pair of Gloves, or pull out his Eyes to buy a pair of Spectacles.
6. Beware therefore of the World; God is said to rain upon the wicked snares, fire and brimstone; It is the wickednesse of men which makes Pleasures, Riches, Honours, Friends, and all other Temporal Blessings, prove unto them mere Traps and Gins. And it is to be feared, that hee who will not endeavour to shun the shower of Snares in this World, will hardly avoid that of Brimstone in an other. In brief, the World is a Dissembling Jael; If thy Necessity compell thee to drink of her Bottle, yet let not thy folly betray thee to sleep in her tent; for know she hath both milk to feed thee, and a Mantle to cover thee, and a nail to strike into thy temples.
7. Yield not unto the Devill; but resist him and he will flee from thee; He was once baffled by Angells and now he is fighting against Men; He appeared in Heaven in the shape of a Dragon, but upon Earth he hath taken the form of a Lyon, and is continually going about seeking whom he may devour; those in whom he dwells are either openly Prophane, or close Hypocrites; but observe this distinction, he is Rampant in the one, and Couchant in the other. When he tempted our Saviour he had three strings to his bow, [Page] which he makes use of to this day; If thou art a poor man he courts thee with the Temptation of Bread; If thou art unstable in thy Religion he sets thee upon the Pinnacle; If thou art proud and ambitious, he carries thee up into the high Mountain. Who ever thou art, if thou travellest in this world thou wilt dayly meet him, he hath a strategem like that of Joab to Abner, he will call thee aside pretending businesse; But turn not unto him; If he upbraid thee with the first Adam, tell him of the second; If he boast of his Victory in the Garden, ask him how he Sped in the Wildernesse.
8. But chiefly take heed of thy Judas flesh which betrays him who daily nourishes and feeds it; Look not upon a Woman to Lust after her, but if Jezabel be got into the window of thine eye, then let holy thoughts (like those Officious Eunuchs) cast her out in penitential Tears: Listen not to the voice of a Land Siren, neither let Satan Buffet thee with thy own Rib; But abstain from carnal Lusts and thou shalt be happy, for he that keeps a Lent in his desires shall have an continual Easter in his Conscience.
9. To this end be advised by the Royal Preacher, Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth; It would argue a very bad memory in thee to forget him as soon as thou art come out of his hands: Repentance in old age is like Rain in Harvest, it may do good, but (believe it) 'tis very unseasonable; The time to weep is mentioned before the time to laugh, and the time to sow before the time to reap; Mistake not therefore thy [Page] Seasons, but let thy youth be a sowing in tears, that so thine age may be a reaping in joy.
10. Study principally the Practical part of Religion, and strive rather to obey thy Masters known will, than to search into his secret Counsels; it becomes not Men presumptuously to enquire into that which is hidden from the very Angels. We read how Iob was posed concerning Hail, Snow, and other Questions in the book of Nature; Now tell me (shallow Man) since thou canst not give a true account of what is done, but in the Clouds and Firmament which are only the outhouses of Heaven; how wilt thou presume to give Intelligence of the Affairs of Jehovahs Closet, and of the Transactions of his Counsel-Table? Praedestination is a fitter Subject for wonder than dispute, It is a mysterious Euripus in the bloud of Christ; And it would be better for thee (like Aristotle) to cast thy Soul in with the Tide, than in vain to study the cause of the flowing.
11. That thou mayst have a right Judgement, and Apprehension both of Men, and things, learn to distinguish betwixt Good and Evill, which is the great Dicotomy of the intellectual world, and the two terms in thy conversion; The Devill perhaps hath taught thee an other lesson, only to make thee forget this; that is to distinguish betwixt Papist, and Protestant, Praelat, and Presbyterian, Independent, Anabaptist, Quaker, and other Sects, whereof if every one should have a particular Station at the day of Judgement, we might imagine our Saviour to be Centemanus (as the Poets feign [Page] Briareus) having an hundred hands; But know these are distinctions of Passion rather than Reason, and a strange kind of Language which our Babel-Builders have learned since their late Confusion, for there are but two wayes; Men are not Saved or Condemned for being called by this, or that name, but through Faith, or Unbelief; a Devout Papist is better than a Hypocritical Protestant, a Godly Presbyterian, than a Debauched Conformist; and there is Room in Heaven for Religious Anabaptists, and Well-meaning Quakers; Let not therefore thy Temper so far impose upon thy Judgement, as to make thee abhor the Harmlesse and Decent Ceremonies of the Church because they are said to be Popery; nor to dissent from any Orthodox truths, because some may call them Arminian Tenents; nor to Persecute any of thy Bretheren because they differ from thee in Notions and Speculations; (In a word) as thou art not to believe every mans Opinion, so thou oughtest not to hate any mans Person, for the one would show thou hadst too much Faith, and the other would argue thou hadst too little Charity.
12. Think not that it is enough to make thee a Christian that thou wert once Baptized with water in thy Infancy; perhaps thy sowish Soul hath been a thousand times in the Mire of natural pollution since that sprinkling; We commonly say to Dirty Children that the Gardener will sow Leeks in their faces; we may more truly tell our Bruckled Professours that the Devill will low Tares in their Souls; to prevent this, Baptize thy Soul in the Blood of Christ, and Rebaptize [Page] thy Face in thine own Tears. The Baptism of Iohn, was a Batism unto Repentance, and therefore he that hath been Baptized, but, not unto Repentance, shall have cause to Repent that ever he were Baptized.
13. As for thy Prayers, let them be frequent, and fervent; Let not thy Tongue out-run thy Heart, but be such inwardly to God, as thou wouldst willingly appear outwardly to Men; Let there be no incongruity betwixt thy voice, and hands, neither let thy Soul study the Phrase of Ashdod, whilest thy Lips speak the language of Canaan; Make use of thy own gifts in private, of the Common-Prayer in publick, of the Lords Prayer in both; But tell me (Zealous Brother) art thou offended at the noise of the Organs? And therefore hugely taken with their Doctrine who make it their Businesse to rail against them? On how grosse is thy Ignorance, to run from that Musick which is so highly commended by the Psalmist, and yet to follow the Lectures of those scolding Seducers, who (the Apostle tells thee) are but as sounding brass, and as a Tinkling Cymball; It is unwholesome for thy Soul to sit in the wind of such Doctrine which may make thy Charity to get cold, and blow dust into the eyes of thy understanding.
14. Think it not strange concerning the Fiery Tryall; The Lord hath promised to parge away our Drosse, and to take away our Tin; the Drosse is grosse Prophanesse, the Tin is glittering Hypocrisie; Now till we find our selves freed from these, we must expect [Page] the Refiners fire in the Furnace of Affliction. Sustine, & Abstine, was Epectetus his Philosophy, The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away, was Jobs Divinity; study therefore to understand the one, and labour to practice the other; for if thou canst abstinere when the Lord gives, thou maist sustinere when he takes away. Consider the Example of the Holy Jesus. Remember his Sufferings. With what an unwilling willingnesse did he take off his bitter draught? If therefore Providence should put the same Cup into thy Hand, wouldst thou refuse to pledge that health which thy Master first began to thy own Soul? He that well understands the Glory of the Crosse, will never complain of its weight, there is in it plus honor is quamoneris; How canst thou expect greater preferment in this world than to be Standard-bearer to him who is the Captain of thy Salvation?
15. If thou art stung with fiery Serpents, (that is calumniating tongues) run presently to the Brazen Serpent, which thou maist find lifted up in the Gospel; Blessed are yee when men Revile yee, and Persecute yee for My names sake, &c. If thou art a Common Drunkard, Prophane Swearer, or base Whoremonger, whilst thou continuest so thou shalt be called a good fellow, an honest Cavalier, and a well bred Gentleman; But when thou changest Saul into Paul, and reprovest those Sins which thou didst once commit, what canst thou then expect, but that the Devill who was before leading thee to Presumption, should now attempt to drive thee to dispair, and cast into thy face both [Page] the iniquities of thy Childhood, and the follies of thy Youth; and (if these fail) thy Poverty, and natural Deformity shall be charged (as Crimes) against thee; But be not discouraged at these things, There will (one day) be honour for thee as well as comfort for the mourner, for amongst the people of God there will be both a wiping of Tears from the Eyes, and a washing of Dirt from the Faces.
16. Be not discouraged from walking in the ways of God because of the scandal and miscarriages of some Professours; The best things being corrupted become the worst; Mercy may be abused, Grace turned into wantonesse, and Christ himself be made a stumbling-block; Shall we therefore have no Mercy, no Grace, no Christ? God forbid; The wolvish nature of a few Hypocrites shall not make sheeps-cloathing become odious; neither will we lay down the Profession of Religion, because some who took it up proved Rebels and Traytors; The Scribes and Pharisees had not been condemned for their Long-Prayers, If they had not used them as so many Graces before their cursed Meals of Widdows Houses.
17. When thou hearest the word preached, consider Who it is that Knocks at thy Door; Wilt thou be a Religious Hotham to shut the King of Glory out of his own Garrison? or wilt thou (like those discourteous Bethlemites deny thy Saviour entertainment in the Inn, thy Heart, and lodg him only in the stable, or outward room, thine Ear? Know (carelesse man) [Page] that if thou denyest to open to him in thy day which is the day of Grace, hee will refuse to open to thee in his Day, which is the day of Judgement.
18. That thy Soul may enjoy her freedom, labour to subdue thy Passions, Let not the Sun go down upon thy Wrath; Anger is said to rest in the bosomes of fools; for indeed no wise man will be willing to harbour (in his House) a Thief or Murderer; wrath of four and twenty hours standing takes a Degree in the School of Satan, and commences Revenge; The Devil can, in the space of a Day and a Night, hatch his Cockatriceegges in thy warm Bosome. But observe the fruits of Sin, That which buds in Anger, blossomes in Malice, growes ripe for destruction, and is gathered in Damnation. It was an Antidote prescribed by Athenodorus to Augustus Caesar to repeat over the Letters of the Greek Alphabet; It would be a Christians better, and safer Remedy to think upon him who is the Alpha and Omega.
19. To avoid those many, and dangerous falls which may happen unto thee (in thy Journey) by that unruly Beast, thy Tongue, be sure to take (along with thee) Davids bridle; Take heed of that cursed Cacoethes, which is now accounted Badge of a Gentlemans Swearing; If there will be (one day) an account given of Idle words, there will be surely a stricter reckoning for Oathes, and Blasphemy, and if to say Lord we have prophecyed, and preached in thy Name, will be no good excuse, certainly then to say Lord we have [Page] sworn and ranted in thy Name, can be no Lawfull Apology.
20. Have a great care to observe the Lords day; If we refuse to keep a day of Rest, how can we expect a time of Peace; the breach of one Commandement draws on the Violation of an other; When the Prophane party had liberty Given them to break the fourth Commandement, then did the Hyppocritical take Liberty to break the fifth.
21. Let thy Recreations be manfull, not sinfull; there is a great vanity in the baiting of Beasts, the Bears and Bulls lived quietly enough before Adams Fall; It was our sin that set them together by the Ears, let us not therefore rejoyce to see them fight, for that would be to glory in our own shame, And to take delight in that which is the fruits of our Apostasy.
22. Honour and obey thy natural Parents although thy be poor; for if thy earthly Parents cannot give thee riches and honours, yet thy heavenly Father hath promised thee length of dayes. But especially forget not thy duty to thy Political father the King; who is a visible God, as God is an invisible King; If thou honourest not the one, thou canst not fear the other. They who murdered the King would have done as much to Christ had he been then in the Flesh.
23. Let not thy envious eyes be dazled at the Glorie of thy Princes mercie, neither Goe about to rip open [Page] these wounds which his Royal clemency hath healed. There are some sick of Jonahs disease, who because the Gourds of their foolish hopes, and expectations of preferment are withered, grow sullen and discontented that the poor penitent Ninivites are not destroyed: men of such Principles have cause to give thanks that their selves are not Kings, for divine Providence foreseeing the mischievousnesse of their Spirits did wisely to set them in such places where they might do the Least hurt.
24. And as thou art to honour the King, so likewise is it thy duty to Reverence the Bishops, and Fathers of the Church; for the one is Gods Vice roy, and the others his Embassadours; be not like those who envy their greatnesse, and gape after their Lands; but love their Persons, and obey their Doctrine: and since it is Gods will to make them Bishops, I hope thou wilt give the King leave to make them Lords. Why not my Lord Bishop as well as my Lord Iudge? I think, of the two, the Divine is the more noble Function.
25. Labour to Keep alive in thy breast that little spark of caelestial fire called Conscience; Conscience, like Virgils Gnat, doth with her sting awake the sleepy Soul thereby to prevent the stinging of the Serpent; Conscience to an evil man is a never dying Worm, and (as the Poets feign of Prometheus) a Vultur continually Gnawing his Liver, but unto a Good man a perpetual feast; so that he may well say with Samson, [Page] out of the eater came forth meat.
26. The chief Perfection of a Christian is Love; which ought be the duty of all men, Art thou for old things, the old Religion, old Ceremony, old Customes, consider there is nothing so old as love; or art thou for new things, new Lords, new Laws, new Lights, (or rather new nothings) alas poor Child! there is nothing so new as love; Whether therefore thou art an old Heretick called a Iesuite, or new one called a Phanatick, let love oblige thee; Love is the Alpha and Omega, the New and the Old Commandement; If thou wilt not Believe me, enquire of St. Iohn the Apostle, and he will shew thee Epistle for the One, and Gospel for the other.
27. If thou wouldst enjoy true content, live quietly in that Vocation unto which Providence hath called thee; Meddle not with another mans trade and imployment, but learn to move in thy own Spheare, and to mind thy particular Function; Our old Aversary, the Devil, who tempted Adam, with a promise to make him as a God, hath a fine bait for thee also: If thou art a Traytour he will promise to make thee as a King: If thou art a Factious Presbyter he will promise to make thee as a Bishop. It is his design to set the Church upon the wrack, and to dislocate the Ioynts of the Mystical Body of Christ.
28. Call thy self to an account each night for the sins of the past Day, and reckon in the Morning for the [Page] iniquities of the night; God hath a book for thy sins, and a Bottle, for thy tears; If humane frailty run 'oth' Score in his book, then let Repentance fill his Bottle. The way to avoid Gods judgements is to judge thy self, and by condemning thy Self thou mayest shun Damnation.
29. Remember often the brevity and uncertaintie of thy Life; consider what business thou hast here upon earth; thy Life is called a Race and warfare, So run this Race that thou maist obtain, and so fight this Warfare that thou maist become more than Conquerour through him who hath loved thee; take heed of being Uxorious as well as Covetous; Whores and Plunder will ruine any Army; Self and Pels, Bag and Baggage undoe the World.
30. If thou art not yet Maried but intendest it, get thee a Wife modest, rather than Beautifull; Meddle not with those Ladies of the Game, who make Pageants of their Cheeks, and Shops of their Shoulders, and (contrary to all other Trades) keep open their VVindows of the Sabboth day, impudently exposing their Nakednesse to the view of a Whole Congregation, which Eve modestly covered which there was no man in the World present save only her Husband; Black Patches are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; And I believe that when God and Sathan shall divide their flock (it will be as with Laban and Iacob) the spotted, and ring-streaked will fall to the Devils share; Joyn not therefore thy Self unto an [Page] Harlot unlesse thou hast a mind to Hire a Guide to Hell.
31. But let it be thy main endeavour to wed thy Soul unto Christ which will be the happyest match; The Mariage of the First Adam was not so Honorable as that of the Second will be Glorious; for then will hee give unto his Spouse Fullness of Ioy for a Possession, and make her a Joynture of everlasting Pleasure; whereas the chiefest Iewell that the Flesh, the world, and the Devil can boast of is Deaths head set in the Ring of Eternity.
This (Christian Reader) is pat of the Doctrine of the Asse; as Good Advice as my Sick Head can (at the present) afford thee; But when the powerfull voice of Almighty God shall command a Calm in the troubled Sea of My distempered Mind, I shall present thee, If not with better matter, yet in a better Method. In the mean time accept of this form him who is
Thy Servant in him who became a Servant to make us free,