CHAP. I.

OUR Saviour Jesus Christ, sending forth his Apostles to preach unto the world, and knowing well what enmitie God put from the be­gining betwixt the Seed of the Woman, and the Serpent, and that from thence the children of this world should persecute the children of God; like a wise Captain, discovers unto them [Page 2] the strength and power of their Enemies, and withall furnish­eth them with armes fit for their defence. He tells them, in the 10. chapter of S. Matthews Gospell, that he came not to send peace, but the sword; that they must not look (like Sam­son) to be lulled asleep in the lap of Dalila, but like Jona to be cast into the sea, to ap­pease the storm; to be swallow­ed up by the whales, the tyran­nous monsters of the earth; to be arraigned before the seats of justice; to be chased from citty to city, yea to have those in whose names are included the greatest notes of friendship, to be as farr from it in exercise, as they are neer it in title; and to have for a mans enemies, those of his own howshold. In sum, to find nothing in the world, but [Page 3] a world of wolf-turn'd men as it is in the 16. verse of the said chapter; Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: whence followeth this instruction, Be yee therefore prudent as serpents, and simple as doves. Christ also came (as he saith) to seek and to save that which was lost; Luke. 19.10. and that which was lost in Adam being the wisdome of the understand­ing, and the innocence of the will, he propounds unto us these two, as patterns to renew them thereby, no beast being so wise as the Serpent,Gen. 3.1. as the scrip­ture saith, who was therefore (in the brasen Serpent set up in the wilderness) a type of Christ, who is the wisdome of the father; nor any so sim­ple and innocent as the Dove, which is therefore the Emblem [Page 4] of the Holy Ghost, who is the fathers love.

Bee prudent, to encounter with the policies of the world; be simple, and free from pursu­ing the pleasures of the world. Be prudent, as serpents, to dis­cover the worlds snares; be sim­ple, as doves, to cover their sins. Be prudent, as serpents, to de­cline the worlds injuries; be sim­ple, as doves, in not revenging the injuries of the world. Be not altogether as Doves, left yee fall into others dangers; be not al­together as Serpents, left yee endanger others: for as pru­dence joyned with malice, is not more prudence than wick­edness, so simplicity joyned with ignorance, is not so much simplicity as folly. In simplicity therefore avoid folly, in wis­dome, malice. Prudence without [Page 5] simplicity is the mother of evill doing; simplicity without pru­dence is the mother of evill suf­fering; but prudence & simplicity joyned together, are like the two fires Castor & Pollux, whereof if one appear alone unto the sea­men, it threatneth shipwrack, but both together promise a safe harbour: So prudence and sim­plicity joyned together, doe cause all the actions for which we embarque our selves, to arrive at the port of prospe­rous successe; but parted asun­der, shipwrack our souls on the rocks of malice, or the flats of folly. Therefore, as the Che­rubims over the Ark had their faces towards each other, and both toward the mercy seat; so must prudence and simpli­city be joyned together, and both will tend unto blessedness.

Prudence is practicall wis­dome, and is (in the generall) of verie large extent, consisting in the knowledge of what is best and fittest to be done in all emergent occasions, and in working accordingly. It hath also divers parts, and divers kinds, which I intend not to pur­sue; my purpose only being to speak of it so farr forth and no further, than it may be attribu­ted to some particular actions of the Serpent, wherein there is (though not a realitie, which is properly the habit of a rea­sonable soul) yet a resemblance of spirituall wisdome, by our Saviour thought worthie our imitation. Which exhortation, though directed immediatly to the Apostles only, yet is applya­ble to every Christian. And as our Sauiour said to his auditors [Page 7] concerning watching; What I say unto you, I say unto all, watch: Luke. 13.37. So what he saith in this case to his Apostles, he saith unto all Christians, Bee prudent as ser­pents, and simple as doves. What therefore the cabinet of truth, grave historie, hath preserved for us, concerning the wis­dome-presenting qualities of the Serpent, I will unlock, and proportionate our imitating actions unto their just measure. Now the Prudence of the Ser­pent whereon our imitation must attend, doth emblazon it self in divers particulars, which are these that follow.

CHAP. II.

THE first is the renewing of his youth, with the [Page 8] handmaids thereof, the vigor of his senses and their opera­tions; which he effecteth on this manner. When he feeleth the heavie plummets of age swiftly moving toward their end, the wheeles of the clock of life he thus winds up again, He fasteth certain dayes (saith Aristotle) whereby his body is dryed, and his skin loosened, then by the eating of a certain bitter herb, he doth vomit up a virulent poysonous humour, which was the cause of his in­firmity: at length, that he may temper the roughnesse of his skin, he bathes himself in wa­ter; and seeking a narrow chink or hole in some rock or other place, he wriggles him­self in, and forceably drawing himself through slips off his skin; and lastly, resting in some such [Page 9] place, where the sun doth most favourably display his beams, he recovers a new skin, and hardens it fit for his use; and with it, investeth himself with new vigor, adding thereby cleenesse to his eyesight, strength to his bodyes motion, increase to his stomacks appetite and digestion: and by this meanes doth he renew the almost ex­pired league between his bodie and his soul. This also affirmeth both Avicen and Pliny. To this line of the Serpents example, must we apply our imitation; renewing our lives by the works of Penance. First by Fasting, whereby wee shall dry up the flux of Intemperance; then by taking down into our hearts a dose of the bitter herb of of Contrition, whereby wee must vomit up of the poyson of [Page 10] sin, at our mouths by Confession; and washing our selves in our tears, and in the river of the san­ctuary the word of God, passing through the straits of a firm re­solution to serve God and for­sake sin, we must put off the old man with the lusts therof; and by the heat of the sun, the love of Christ, drying up our facilitie and proness unto sin, we must put on the new man, Ephes. 4.24. which is created according unto God in justice and holiness of truth: and so recovering new strength unto well-doeing, wee shall more cleerly understand spirituall things, more ardently affect God and our neighbour, and more earnestly hunger and thirst after righteousnesse: and thus shall wee renew again the life of grace in our decayed souls.

As abstemious John Baptist [Page 11] was the fore-runner of the birth of Christ, so must ab­stinence usher the new birth of a Christian; but the devill en­ters into the voluptuous, as he did into the herd of swin; or as into Judas, when he had eaten the sop. Prayer, the wea­pon by which wee overcome even God himself, is by no­thing so much sharpened, as by Fasting. And therefore, in the whole current of Scripture, shall wee find these two in the ex­amples of holy men linked together, like the bells and pomegranates on the vest­ments of Aaron; Prayer rendring a sweet sound, Fasting a sweet smel; which is therefore com­pared to cinamon and balsum, which drying up the corrupti­on of dead bodies, keep them sweet. Cúm, S. Aug. caro arescit per [Page 12] abstinentiam ab humore luxu­riae, tunc reddit deo odorem con­tinentiae: when the humor of luxurie is dryed up in our flesh by abstinence, then doe wee ren­der unto God the sweet odor of continence. Neh. 1.4. The Prophet Ne­hemia saith, When I heard these words, I sate down, and wept, and mourned many dayes; I fasted and prayed before the face of the God of heaven. Also the Prophet Daniel,Dan. 9.3. I turned my face unto my Lord God, to ask and beseech in fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And then did he receive an especiall re­velation concerning the birth and death of Christ. St. Peter, when he was fasting saw the vision in the house of Simon the tanner, Acts 10. Also Acts 13.2. As they ministred unto our Lord and fasted, the Holy [Page 13] Ghost said unto them, separate Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have taken them. Here wee see that fasting-pray­er is most pleasing unto God, even as emptie-bellied instru­ments, are sweetest to the eares of men. Facilius per jejunium oratio penetrat coelum, saith S. Jsodore; The darts of our pray­ers being headed with fasting, doe more easily pierce the heavens. And as fasting-spittle, as Pliny saith, kills a serpent; so doth fasting-prayer put the devill to flight; and with him, the ma­ny troups of his temptations, wherewith he assults our dis­armed senses. And therefore our Saviour buckling himself to grapple with the devill, made this one peece of his ar­mour, as the Scripture saith, He fasted forty dayes and forty [Page 14] nights. S. August, saith, Fasting doth purge the mind, it engligh­tens the soul, it subdues the flessh unto the spirit, and moulds in a man an humble and contrite heart. It purgeth the mind, by consuming and drying up the humour of luxury: even as the fire which came down from heaven, licked up the water about the sacrifice of Elias. It enlightens the soul, by light­ning of the bodie, and freeing it from those clogs of flesh, to which in not a few it is a pri­soner: for the bellies fullnesse, is mother of the minds dull­nesse; and repletions of meat in the body, breed obstructions of vice in the soul: whence saith the Prophet David, Psal. 34.13. Their ini­quitie hath proceeded as it were out of fatnesse; then immediatly followes, They have thought [Page 15] and spoken wickednesse. It sub­dues the flesh unto the Spirit, by striking the swelling sayls of pride and incontinence, ena­bling us to say with S. Paul, 1 Cor. 9.27. I chastise my body, and bring it into servitude: and like Abra­ham, it casts out the bondwo­man and her children, the de­vill with his spawn of sin, not suffering the handmaids of our affections, to advance them­selves against their mistresse reason. And lastly, it makes our souls humble and contrite, as the Psalmist saith,Psal. 72.7. I did humble my soul with fasting. And this is the second condition required in the renewing of our lease of life.

The Passeover was com­manded to be eaten with bit­ter herbs;Exod. 12.8. and they that will feed profitably upon Christ [Page 16] our Passeover, must have their hearts embittered with com­punction and sorrow for their sins. Surgeons when a bone that hath been broken is set awry, are forced that they may set it right, to break it again; so the rectitude of our souls being broken by our fall in Adam, whereby we goe halting all our lives after, that we may set our hearts aright, which are thus wryed and crookeded by sin, we must break them again, by an humble sorrow for all our sins. Which must not continue for one assault alone, but wee must multiply our stroaks and breakings of our hard hearts, untill our sorrow swim in our eys, and furrow our faces with our tears: even as Moses by striking the rock twice, made a river of water to gush forth. [Page 17] And we must be sorry, that we can be no more sorry, and with the men of Israel, 1 Kings, 30. weep till we can weep no more. It is not e­nough to afflict our souls and bow down our heads for a day; or to be like the marble, which is moyst only against wet wea­ther, to weep only when the threatning storms of punishment hang over our heads, remai­ning still inwardly as hard as the marble: For as S. Grego­ry saith, Hee that bewayleth his sins, yet doth not forsake them, makes himself lyable to so much the greater punish­ment, by how much he contemns that pardon which hee might have attained by weeping. But if like the Israelites, wee pass through the red Sea of our tears of true Contrition, we shall leave all the Egyptians, our [Page 18] sins, overwhelmed therein S. Aug. saith, as Grief is the com­panion of repentance, so Tears are the witnesses of grief; into which, if wee can melt our selves, like Niobe, through those dole­full images, which sorrow im­prints in our over-tender hearts, for our outward losses of goods, or friends, or the like; and can­not dischannell one rivolet from the fountains of our eys, as a tribute due for the O­cean of sorrow, which we owe unto the cause of those losses, our sins; surely, we have either no sense of our sins, which is bad; or no fear of Gods judgements, which is worse; or no love unto his goodness, which is worst of all. For if we had, the heat of that love would reflect so strongly on our hearts clouded with sin, that it [Page 19] would wholly dissolve them in­to tearfull sorrow; even as the Sun printing hard his hot beams upon a gross thick cloud, powrs it down into rain.

The Prophet David was of a far other temper, and yet had an excuse as colourable as any one; being a man, and amongst men a souldier, and amongst souldiers one of the hardiest, whom no danger could reach to fear, no temporall domage to grieve; and yet such impres­sion did sorrow make in his heart for sin, that he saith, I will wash my bed every night, and water my Couch with my tears. O faelices lachrymae quas beata manus conditoris abster­get; saith S. Bernard; O those happy tears which the favourable hand of God shall wipe away; And O those happy eys which [Page 20] have chosen rather to melt themselves into such tears, than to lift themselves up with pride, to look aside with disdain, or asquint with envy. These tears of Compunction and sorrow for our sins, doe afford us the same refreshing, that taking of soyl doth unto the hunted deer; who being hotly pursued by hellhounds, the Devill and his temptations, and our hearts embost and panting under their pursute, are wonderfully re­fresh'd and restor'd to our lost strength, by washing our selves in the bath of our relenting tears: into which who so en­ters, as into the troubled wa­ters of Bethesda's pool, is assu­redly healed of his sins. If then the bitter sorrow for sin, be the mother of such sweet and wi­shed for effects, let us seal up [Page 21] our desires with the words of S. Aug. Let repentance, bitter repentance, be the continuall companion of my days; grief, continuall grief, the insatiate terror of my life; and if I be not worthy to lift up my eys to heaven in prayer, yet at least I am worthy to put them out with weeping.

CHAP. III.

THe third thing required to the renewing of our lives, is Confession. The Dog, when his stomack is surcharged with any hurtfull meat, by eating grass vomits it up again: so when we have burthened our consciences with ever-hurtfull sin, wee must by eating the bitter herb of Contrition, dis­gorge [Page 22] our sins at our mouths by Confession. For as in a wound, so long as the iron, or steel, or any part of that which gave the wound, remains, it obstructs the healing; so doe the remains of sin in the Conscience through non confession control the influence of any remedy ap­plyed thereunto; as Solomon saith,Prov. 28.13. He that hideth his sins shall not be directed, but he that shall confess and forsake them, shall obtain mercy. An impo­stume breaking inwardly, threa­tens death unto the party; but outwardly it is a means to purge and cleanse the body: So sin suppressed and smothered within our hearts, doth empoy­son and choak our souls; but breaking out at our mouths by Confession, it doth purge and clear the conscience, and like [Page 23] the breaking out of the lips in an ague, is a sign of our amend­ment: So as S. Paul saith,Rom. 10.10. With the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Which Confession that it may be thus profitable, must be also generall. When a mans body sweats all over (say the Physicians) it is a sign of strength of nature; but if it sweat in some parts and not in others, it is a symptom of debility and weakness: and no less testimo­ny is it of the weakness and wickedness of the soul, if wee doe not purge our souls uni­versally of all our sins. These parcell Confessors, are like the children of Israel, who cast out most of the heathen out of the land of Canaan, yet suffered the Gibeonites to remain, and made a league with them; who there­by [Page 24] became as nails in their eys, Num. 33.55. and spears in their sides: so the least sin that remains with us uncast out by Confession, will be a prick unto our consciences, and an instrument of our de­struction. Now Confession as it must be accompanied by u­niversality, so it must be ushe­red by examination; whereby looking back into the book of our consciences, wherein the names of all our sins are writ­ten, we must awaken the re­membrance of all our thoughts, words, and deeds, and muster them up together, that so by Consession they may be cast forth: as a sick man, who being about to take a Purge first takes a Preparative to open the passages, that so by the purge they may be the more easily ejected.

And that we may amongst the millions of our actions, know which of them are to be superscribed with the title of sin, we must have recourse unto the word of God, as it is ex­pounded unto us by the Church, and the Pastors thereof; which like the Mariners card and compass, will demonstrate unto us, how neer or far off our actions are, from the immove­able North Pole of Gods com­mandemants. And as when the Sun shineth not into a house, the ayr seemeth clear; but if it once enter in at the window, it then appears full of motes and dust: so the light of Gods word shining in our understandings, will discover an infinite number of sins, which before its access, wee could neither perceive, nor [Page 26] would we believe. And as the word of God doth shew us our faults, so also doth it cleanse them, like unto a bason of wa­ter, wherein a man may both see the spots in his face, and where­with he may wash them away: as the Psalmist saith,Ps. 118 9. How shall a young man amend his way? by keeping of thy words. In this word of God therefore, this river of the Sanctuary, in imi­tation of the Serpent, must we wash our selves; which not un­like a certain water in Mace­donia, which being drank by the Sheep, maketh them white; so this received into our hearts, doth blanch our souls with the whiteness of innocence. Now where the Well of Gods word is deep, and a stone rowled on the mouth thereof, that is, is hard to be understood, with [Page 27] Rachel, mentioned in the scrip­ture,Gen. 2.9. we must get some Jaacob to remove it; that is, some one that hath wrestled with God, as the name of Jaacob signifies, and that hath thereby obtained his assistance unto his studies and endeavours, that so he may administer unto us. But let us beware, above all things, that wee doe not drink down the water of Gods word, with the abusive interpretation of here­tiques; for then contrary to the former effect of the Macedoni­an water, it will be like that water in the troughes, for the sheep, wherein Jaacob laid his pilled rods, which made them bring forth spotted lambs; so will this make us bring forth opini­ons erroneous, black and foul.

The serpent, as I said in the beginning, after his fasting, his eating a bitter herb, his [Page 28] casting up a poysonous humour, and his bathing himfelf in water, seekes some narrow hole, through which drawing himself, he slips off his old skin; and drying his slipperi­nesse in the sun, recovers a new one: so wee, after our fasting our eating of the bitter herb of contrition, and vomiting our poysonous sins at our mouths by Confession, and having washed our selves in the water of Gods word, must (passing through the streights of a firm resolution to forsake our sins, and to serve God,) put off the old man with the lusts thereof; and by the heat of the love of Christ, drying up our pronenesse unto sin, put on the new man, Ephes. 4.24. which is created ac­cording unto God in justice, and holynesse of truth.

Streight is the gate, Math. 7.14. and narrow is the way (Saith our Saviour) which leadeth unto life; through this streight way must wee resolve to passe, that so wee may devest our selves of the old-man, and invest our selves with the new; by de­parting from evill, and turning unto good. Cease to doe evill, Esay. 1.16.17. learn to doe well; saith the Pro­phet Esayas. Eschew evill and doe good, saith the prophet David. 'Tis said,Psal. 36.27. that when the Eagle groweth old, his beak is so crooked that he cannot eat his meat; he therefore goes to a rock, beates his beak against it, untill he have broken it off, and then falls to his meat, and growes young again. So our hearts growing crooked toward the earth and earthy things, whereby wee cannot [Page 30] receive the spirituall food of Gods word, and Sacraments, wee must strike them against the rock Christ Jesus, by consider­ing both his precepts and ex­ample; whereby the crooked­nesse of our beaks shall be broken; that is, our earthly affections rectified, and our souls directed unto God; whereby wee shalbe enabled to feed upon Christ in his Word and Sacraments, and so renew again our youth. As it is Psal. 102.5. Who fileth thy desire with good things, and thy youth shall be renewed as the eagles. And as Samuels mother,1. Kings, 2.19. (as the Scrip­ture saith) brought him a new coat at set times, when she went up to offer the yearly sacrifice; so as often as wee offer the sin-offering of a contrite heart unto God, wee must, casting off the [Page 31] old rags of sin, cloth our-selves with the new robes of justice. For wee must not think to wear this new coat with our old; to wear the linsy-wolsy garments of religion and word­lynesse together; a thing for­bidden in the old law; nor yet with the Jewes, to cry hayl unto Christ, and yet crucify him; to make a profession of him in words, and contradict it in deeds, This is to serve God and mammon; Math. 9.16.17. to put new wine into old vessells, to patch old garments with new cloth, which as our Saviour saith, is either impossible, or dange­rous: therefore, as the Scrip­ture saith,1. Tim. 2.19. Whosoever nameth the name of our Lord, let him depart from iniquitie.

Moyses when he went into the holy mount, put off his [Page 32] shooes; Elias when he ascend­ed into heaven, cast off his mantle; and Elisha when he went to serve the Prophet, bad adieu to his father and mother: so when wee enlist our selves in the catalogue of Gods servants, wee must put off the shooes of our evill affections; we must cast off the cloak of our unrighteousnesse; and take our leaves of all those sins, which either through our pronenesse unto them, or their long familiarity and acquain­tance with us, have so endeared themselves unto us, that wee are forced to reproach our selves with the title of their acquain­tance. Moyses commanded that they that went unto the tabernacle, should goe out of the Camp; and we out of our sins, if we will goe unto Christ. [Page 33] Wherefore, as S. Paul saith,Heb. 13.13. let us goe out unto him without the Camp. And being once out, let us not prove retrograde in the sphear of goodnesse; nor with Lots wife look back unto Sodom; nor say of any sin, as Lot did of Zoar, Gen. 19.20. Is it not a little one? It is certain, the devill will be tempting of us to turn back, and say unto us, as Solomons mother did to him; I have a small sute unto thee, 3. Kings. 2.22. I pray deny mee not; to which if wee yeeld, as he foresaw, so wee shall find, that it will cost us no lesse than the losse of the kingdome, even the kingdome of heaven. Therefore, having once cast out the old Adam out of the Paradise of our souls, let us place there the Cherubin of grace with the flaming sword of the Spirit, to resist the [Page 34] entrance of sin: and in all the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devill unto sin, let us answer in the words of the spouse in the Canticles, I have put off my coat, Cant. 5.3. how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? And thus if we be renewed; as the serpent, by recovering a new skin, doth with it resume new strength, sees more cleerely, moves more lively, feeds more hartily; so shall wee, by this means, enrich our selves with the strength of well doing; wee shall more cleerely under­stand spirituall mysteries; wee shall walk more uprightly in the love of God and of our neighbour; wee shall more eagerly feed on and more strongly digest the spirituall food of Gods word and Sacra­ments: [Page 35] by the nourishment whereof, we shall walk from grace to grace, untill wee come to be perfect men in Christ Jesus; from grace unto glory, untill wee be perfect Saints in the kingdome of heaven.

CHAP. IIII.

A Second property of wis­dome in the serpent, wor­thy our imitation, is this; The serpent by reason of that enmity which it hath with mankind, to secure it self from the danger of mens invasions, creepeth away and hideth it self under bushes, and delighteth to dwell in desarts, and unfrequented places: so the children of God, mindfull of that irreconcilable [Page 36] enmity which God hath put betwixt that old mysticall serpent the devill, with his viperous brood, wicked men, and the seed of the woman, the Children of the holy Church, should shroud them­selves under Gods protection, who appeared unto Mayses in a bush; and with Enoch, walk with God in the desart of divine contemplation; that so they may baulk the com­panie, and the consequents thereof, the mischiefs of the wicked.

The Poets feign of Arachne, that contending with Pallas, for the prize in workmanship, and being conquered by her, disdaining at the ill successe of her enterprize, she did so swell with the poyson of envy and hatred, that she turn'd into a [Page 37] Spider: so the devill in the pride of his thoughts, contending with his Maker, and by him, like lightning, being cast down from heaven, hath had his nature ever since transformed into a serpent, full of the deadly poyson of envy and hatred against God, and all good men: continually assaulting them, either by battery, or under­myning; by open force, or secret fraud; by the feircenesse of the lion, or subtilty of the serpent. Which enmity of the devill against God, like that which often happens betwixt the fathers of two potent fa­milies here on earth, hath devolved it self unto each others posterity; who like Jaacob and Esau, struggle in the worlds womb, the earth, as if so little a room were too streight [Page 38] a dwelling for so great enemies. Which enmity unveiled it self in the worlds infancy betwixt Cain and Abell; who (as the Poets feign) like the serpents teeth sown by Cadmus, were no sooner grown up, but the one destroyed the other: Ismael scoffed at his brother Jsaac; Micol laughed at her husband David, and king Ahab hated the Prophet Micaiah; and the reason was, because he told the truth. It is the godlies good­nesse that purchaseth them hatred for as likenesse is the cause of liking so the contra­riety of manners produceth contrary affections. God is light, the godly are enlightned; God is truth, the godly are true: the devill is the Prince of darkness, the wicked are darkned; the devill is the Father of lyes, the [Page 39] wicked are lyars; what com­munion then betwixt light and darknesse, truth and fals­hood, Christ and Belial, John. 15.19. God and the devill? Because yee are not of the world, saith our Sa­viour, therefore the world hateth you.

Now this hatred discovers it self, either against our bodies, or our souls; either (as the Scripture speaketh) like the great Bulls of Bason they en­compasse us on every side; or like the little foxes, they destroy Gods vineyard. Thus in the dawning of the Churches day, by the tyranny of the wicked, did the Prophets and holy men of God fall like the morning dew and the seeds of grace which themselves had sown, they watred with their own blood. Thus the holy Christian [Page 40] Martyrs in the noontide of the Churches day, when the sun of persecution reflected on them as hotly as the noon-sun on Jonas head, did calmly bleed oyl to the Apostles lamps, whose bright flames yet serve to light Posterity to hea­ven. Thus also these latter ages in some places, and at some times, have paid as large a tri­bute of patience to heaven, and sufferance in the world; as any that went before them; and have constantly kept the faith, untill they lost themselves in keeping it; like Naboth, who kept his possession, with the losse of his blood. And thus in all ages have the diamonds of the world, the godly, who were made to be pretiously set in the esteem of men, been brought to the extremest degree [Page 41] of calamity, that witty cruelty could invent, or unrelenting malice execute. And thus also did the non-such of well-doing and evill suffering, our Saviour Jesus Christ, by the malice and cruelty of the Jews, surrender up a life more spotless than in­nocence, unto a death most shamefull and ignominious, even to the death of the Cross; the horror of whose torments, left not where to adde unto it, by the wishes of his enemies. And if they doe these things in the green wood, saith he himself,Luke 23.31. what shall be done in the dry?

Nor doth the malice of the devill and wicked men stint it self here, or satisfie it self with the suffering of our bodies; then were their assaults little, their victories less; seeing that the vertuous, like the palm tree, [Page 42] spring up by pressing; and like the Vine, spread further by pruning. The rod of persecu­tion, like Aarons rod that budded, doth encrease the god­ly, both for number and good­ness, making them both more and better. Therefore doth the devill lay siege unto our souls by the temptations of prospe­rity and pleasure also, hoping that (as it is in the fable of the Wind and Sun, striving who should make the wayfaring man put off his cloke) what foul means cannot, fair means may effect. In which his two main engines are the flesh, and the world; the flesh within us, the world without us. The flesh, he corrupteth with bliss-promi­sing suggestions; which like a treacherous Citizen, betrayeth the fort of our will, into the [Page 43] hand of him our enemy; and thus a mans enemies are (as our Sa­viour said they should be,Mat. 10.36.) those of a mans own house. But with no better success then Tarpeia the Vestall Nun betrayed the Capitoll, bargaining for the bracelets on the enemies hands; who when they were entred, did not cast their bracelets on­ly, but their bucklers also into her lap, which with their weight prest her to death. Even so the devill many times over-sa­tisfying mens unlawfull fleshly desires, with their sinfull weight, presseth their souls into the pit of destruction.

The world also, I mean the wicked men thereof, he sets like so many lime-twigs and snares to entrap our souls: and as fisher-men doe make one fish a bait to catch another, so the [Page 44] devill doth make a bad man, a bait to catch a good. Wic­ked men are most pernicious creatures, and easily pull down vengeance upon others, either by the desert of their sin, or by the infection: who, like men that have the plague, out of a malignity of disposition which attends upon their disease, de­sire to infect others, and to draw them, as the scripture saith, to the same confusion of luxury, 1 Pet. 4.4. with themselves. Vicia ad vi­cinos serpunt & contactu nocent, saith Seneca: Sin amongst men is like the rot amongst Sheep, of a catching and infectious quality: and he that thinks to partake the company of wic­ked men, and not participate of their vices, multiplies the miracles, where walkers on the water, with Peter, are not [Page 45] drowned; and in the fire, with the three children, are not burnt. The nature of things is such, saith S. Chrisostome, that where a good man is joyned with a bad, the bad is not bettered by the good, but the good corrupted by the bad. As sickness, by ac­companying the sick, is deri­ved to the healthy, but not so health unto the sick. And as the Salamander extinguisheth the fire, and is not burnt there­in; so the wicked amongst the godly, are ready to quench the heat of their vertue, and not to be enflamed thereby. There­fore saith the Apostle S. Paul Be not companions with them: Joseph by living in the Court, learned to swear by the life of Pharoah; and Peter, when he was amongst the high Priests servants denyed his master. The [Page 46] warmer hee was by the high Priests fire, the colder he grew in love towards God.Psal. 105.35. They were mingled among the Hea­thens, saith the Prophet Da­vid of the children of Israel, and what was the issue? They learned their works.

Therefore, as our Saviour adviseth us, Beware of men. First of men whose cruelty no meekness can asswage; of men, whose blood-thirstiness no lives can quench; of men, from whose persecutions no place is secure; and if they persecute you in one City, fly into ano­ther; let a discreet fear give wings unto your feet, and a godly confidence steel unto your hearts. If opportunity open a way unto your flight, refuse it not; if not, let an unrebated resolution arm you for suf­ferance. [Page 47] Beware also of the company of wicked men, who like bemyred dogs defile with fawning: For howsoever fishes living in the salt water retain a fresh tast, and savour not of the brinish quality of the Sea wher­in they live; and it may bee true, which Solinus reports of the river Tigris in Armenia, that it passeth many miles through the lake of Arethusa, and yet mingles neither fishes nor waters with the lake, but is quite of an other colour from the same; yet, ‘Inficitur terrae sordibus unda fluens:’

‘Clear running streams are in­fected with the neighbourhood of filthy soyls;’ and pure men with the soul conversation of the wicked. Swallows (they say) would not build in Thebes, [Page 48] because the wals thereof were so often besieged; nor let good men, or those that desire to be such, hasten to the company of those, whose mind-infecting manners, doe threaten their de­struction.Apoc. 18.4. Be not partakers of her sins, that ye receive not of her plagues, saith S. John. The reason why our Saviour would not give the Disciple, mentioned in the Gospell, leave to goe back to bury his dead Father, was (say some Divines) lest his unbelieving kinred should cor­rupt him again; for bad men keep others from goodness, as the dead carcasses did the raven from Noahs Ark. It was part of the vow of the Nazarites, not to defile themselves with dead bodies; no more should good men stain themselves with the dead conversation of the wicked.

Run we then from these, as Moses did from his rod turned to a Serpent; for if we joyn our selves to Beelphegor, Psal. 105.27. we will, like the children of Israel, eat the offerings of the dead. And to decline the cruelty of some, in the destruction of our bodies, whose rage knoweth no mean; let us wisely (with the Serpent) fly into the wilderness, where we shall find Jesus the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and the brasen Serpent, which was there lifted up, who will en­counter for us with that roring Lion and subtil Serpent the devill, with his viperous gene­ration, and either rescue us, or revenge our evils. And to avoid the contagious company of o­thers, whose motions, although more silent, yet not less deep or dangerous than the other; [Page 50] yea much more, for this like lightning which melts the sword, but hurts not the scab­bard, passeth through our Bo­dies, and empoysons our Souls with the insinuating venome of sin: let us (with the Serpent) hide our selves in the holes of the rock, in the wounds of the rock Christ Jesus, whose blood is more Antidote, than all the sins of the Universe can be Poi­son: so shall we avoid both the bodily and spirituall dangers whereunto the cruelty of some and the contagion of other wicked men would expose us.

CHAP. V.

ANother work of prudence in the actions of the Ser­pent, by just title claming our imitation, is this: The Serpent if he be assaulted, his chiefest care is directed to the preser­vation of his Head, for which he exposeth his whole body to the danger; knowing that ther­in is the castle of his life; in so much that when he is in dan­ger, he winds himself round into many rings, placing his head in the center; and (as Pli­ny saith) if he have but two fingers length of his body left with his head, his life will still remain in him: in like manner should our endeavours bend themselves to hold our head Jesus Christ, and that which doth knit and cyment us to [Page 52] Christ, true faith and charity: for the safeguard whereof, we should expose all else to hazard, and in comprison whereof, we should neglect whatsoever of profit or delight the world can adde unto us; and say with S. Paul, Phil 3.8. I account all things as dung, that I may gain Christ.

Natura est sui conservativa, saith Philosophy, it is inbred in the nature of each thing, to endeavour its own preservation; so is it in the nature of grace: now when wee cannot keep our selves from the endomage­ment of all parts, wee must learn from the wise Serpent, that our care of preservation must chiefly be directed unto that, whose well-being doth chiefly concern us. The foun­tain of life in a Serpent, is in the head; and the life of a Christian is in Christ, who is [Page 53] the head of his Church; as S. Paul saith:Colos. 3.3. your life is hid with Christ in God. If then our prosperity, wealth, honour, li­berty, or ought else that wee enjoy, cannot bee compatible with the preservation of our head Christ Jesus, more than the ark of God in the temple of Dagon; and that a dange­rous suffering of evill, must on­ly free us from the danger of doing evill; of evils the least must fall under our election, and wee must choose rather (with S. Peter and the rest of the Apostles) to leave all and fol­low Christ, than with Demas, to forsake Christ and follow the world. Skin for skin, Job 2.4. and all that a man hath will he give for his life, said the devill, and truly, of Job▪ wealth, honour, liberty, worldly peace, wife, [Page 54] children, and friends, which are but skins, things slight, triviall, and superficiall in comparison, must we part with, to preserve the life of our souls, by the true faith, and love of Christ; for he that doth not forsake all, if need be, for him, is not worthy of him; as he himself testifieth. And what Cicero said of his Country, which he held second to nothing in the merit of his respect, we may more truly say of Christ, and true religion; Cari sunt parentes, liberi, pro­pinqui, amici, at omnes omnium charitates patria una complexa est; Our Parents are dear unto us, so are our children, our kin­dred, and acquaintance, but all the love of those, doth Religion alone comprize. If we did but justly poyse the poverty of the worlds great riches, and the [Page 55] riches of a good Christian in his greatest poverty; who hol­ding Christ, hath with him, the treasures of wisdom, and good­ness, who is the Magazine and Storehouse of them all; wee would count it a piece of folly in that man, who should aban­don the one, to abound in the other, below the degree of E­sau's, who sold his birrh right for a mess of pottage, or of Esop's dog, who snapping at the shadow, let goe the substance. O how much better is it to sit on Iobs dunghill, and with him to know that our Redeemer li­veth; than in Solomons throne with the Kings of the earth, or in Moyses chair with the Scribes and Pharisees, and to bandy our selves against Gods annointed with the one; and to say well, and not doe it, with the other.

Most true it is, that very many of the Children of God, like the ark of the testament, which was continually hurried from place to place, untill it was setled in the glorious temple of Solomon; so are they, untill they be setled in the more glo­rious kingdome of heaven. And like Noahs Dove, which found no rest untill it returned to the ark; so they have their bodyes worn with continuall afflicti­ons; untill they be layed up in the common wardrob of the grave. They are exposed to al­most as many miseries, as they live minutes; no place being so barren of trouble, but can afford them a full-handed harvest thereof. They wander, as the Apostle saith,Heb. 11.27. in sheepskins and goatskins, being in want, straitned, and afflicted: where­in [Page 57] though the floods of afflicti­on lift up their waves, and are ready to overwhelm their souls; and the windes of temptation as ready to overturn them; yet if with St. Peter they can stretch forth the hands of their faith unto Christ, he will pluck their feet out of the danger that gapeth for them, and cover them with the wings of his protection, as the Mercy-Seat covered the ark. And as the Serpent, if he have but a small part of his body joyned to his head, he still lives: So the afflictions of the children of God, though they take from them all that this world hath added to them, yea their bodyes from their souls, if yet they keep their souls united unto Christ their head, they still preserve their lives uncouquer­ed: [Page 58] when as the wicked, whom every breath of disaster driveth away, whom the satisfying of every sinfull desire shall force from that power of godlynesse which they ought in each action to expresse, are dead while they live: as the Apo­stle S. Jude saith;Jude. 12. twice dead, and plucked up by the rootes.

If therefore the unstinted malice of the devill, should leave us with Iob, as naked as when wee came out of our mothers womb; rob us of the instru­ments of our earthly eternity, and our loves greatest inheri­tors, our children; deprive us of our lives sweetest compa­nion, our health; and print our bodyes more full of boyles and sores than Dive's dogs could have licked; and which [Page 59] doubles all these, leave us no­thing but a Wife, whose weak­nesse he corrupteth, as he did in Paradise, to become a fellow-tempter with himself; and friends, who in the depth of of this Misery shall rather make our griefs smart more with salt upbraydings▪ than any way asswage them with the oyl of consolation: and that all this sharp siege be laid against us, to pluck us from our allegeance to Christ, and to cut us off from being members of his body; wee must willingly banish all the but cobweb comforts of this life, to hold on the rock of comfort Christ Jesus; with the disciples, we must forsake our nets to follow him; with the Patriarch Joseph, leave our garments behind us and fly away, rather than yeeld to any [Page 60] sinfull pleasure which should separate us from him; yea, devesting our selves of all our wealth, fly away naked, with the yong-man in the gospell, rather than abandon our ver­tue which should apparrell our minds. In which losse of out­ward things, there is this ad­vantage, that it is a great allay unto the devills temptations; for as a Serpent (saith Pliny) shuns a naked man, but pursu­eth a clothed; so the devill doth not so easily assayl a poor man with temptations, who with the possession, hath also laid aside the affection of temporall things: but he hath a great advantage of prevayling over the rich; as the Apostle saith: They that will be rich, 1. Tim. 6.9. fall into temptation, and a snar of the devill, and into many unprofi­table [Page 61] and hurtfull lusts, which drown men in ruin and destru­ction. Wee must therefore part with the fruit of our bodyes, to preserve us from the sin of our souls; and rank our friends, health, wife, yea life and all, in the number of trifles; know­ing how infinitly they are over­ballanced by the proper worth of Christ, as also by the be­nefit which reflects upon us from him,Heb. 12.2. who is the author and finisher of our faith: who for the joy that was set before him, endured the Crosse, and despised the shame, and sitteth at the right hand of God.

Very many are the examples of heathen men, who for some privat good unto themselves, as the attainment of learning; or some publique good unto their Country, as the safety [Page 62] thereof, have willingly surren­dred up themselves to divers forms of outward calamity. Democritus pulled out his own eyes; Crates cast all his goods into the sea; Pythagoras ba­nished himself from his native soyl; Anaxagoras neglected all publique honours, all privat contentment, that he might let his thoughts loose wholly to the studdy of Philosophy. Ancurus the son of Midas sacrifised his life to the floods, Curtius to the flames, that they might fix their Countries in their former safety. Codrus the king of Athens, when both he and his enemies had en­quired at the oracle of Apollo, who should be conquerors, and that it was answered, They whose king should fall in the battell; hence it being pro­clamed [Page 63] through both armies, that no hands fury should direct it self against the king of the contrary side; Codrus to delude the policy of his adver­saries, shrowded under the habit of a common souldier, ming­led himself in the battell, and there with over-daring valour, provoked death to seise upon him, and so preserved as many by his valiant death, as he had done by his just life. And shall those heathen perform all these things, for the gaining or keeping of some such thing, as can but in the second file chal­lenge a place in our affections; and shall not wee doe and suffer more, to hold Christ in our hearts by faith and love? with whom the availes of the whole world being counter­poysed, prove too light; as he [Page 64] himself testifieth saying; What doth it profit a man, Math. 16.26. if he win the whole word, and lose his own soul? But above all, match­lesse herein have been the examples of holy Martyrs and Saints in all ages of the Church, whose unspeakable sufferings for the love of Christ, and rather than they would beleeve, or doe, or so much as think a thought which was not war­ranted by his word, were such, that though they could not win pitty to their suffering, or be­lief to their assertions, yet by their patience and courage in suffering, they taught the highest degree of admiration to the hardest conceipts. Let then these great letters in the Christ-crosse-row, make up a book for us, which running wee may read, and coppy out their [Page 65] actions for our lives imita­tion.

But alas, how farr are most men in these dayes strayed from the Serpentine prudence of our forefathers, in their care of preserving their head Christ Jesus, unassayled or at least unhurt? but rather, like Judas, who sold him for thirty pence, many of us are ready to sell him thirty times for a penny. The cruelty of the Iewes, was piety compared to us; that which the most of them did, was as S. Paul confesseth of himself,Heb. 6.6. ignorantly through unbeleef; but wee professe wee know him, professe wee beleeve in him, and yet crucifie again to our selves the Son of God. When thou contemnest or neglectest the Ordinances of God, thou spit­test in thy Saviours face; when [Page 66] thou disobeyest the just com­mandements of thy superiours, thou plattest a crown of thornes on his head; when thy hands are hands of iniquity, and thy feet are swift to shed blood, thou nailest his hands and his feet; when thou op­pressest, or dost not relieve the poor, thou givest him gall and vinegar to drink; when thou dost, or consentest to any thing which endomageth his chil­dren, his Servants, thou cryest out with the Jewes, crucify him, crucify him. Qui in deum delinquit, eum relinquit: Hee that sins against God, forsakes him. Whosoever purchaseth any profit, enjoyeth any plea­sure, giveth way unto any Passion, satisfieth himself in any action which Gods word hath pronounced unlawfull, it [Page 67] is he, that contrary to the pru­dent serpent, hazards the losse of his head, putteth himself in danger to be separated from Christ to preserve his hands or his feet, his hayr or his nayles, or any thing that is of lower valew; and is like unto the Jewes, who cryed out, not him, but Barabbas.

Such are all covetous persons, whose greedy affections are like Pharaoh's lean kin, which when they had eaten up the fat, it could not be perceived that they had eaten it; but were still as evill-favoured as they were before: so these men, whatsoever they devour, are never satisfied, but have their desires as vast and empty as ever; and are like Apprentises Christ-masse-boxes, to take all in, but to restore none till they be [Page 86] broken, nor they till they bee dead. Such are also the Re­ceivers of bribes, who like Ge­hazi, when they receive a bribe, believe they receive a Blessing, for so he called it; but as he found it, so shall they, that a bitter Curse is couched under it: for whatsoever men get by bri­bery, sacrilege, oppression, u­fury, cosenage, forswearing, lying or the like, is like to prove as fatall to them, as that peece of flesh which the Eagle stole from the altar, that had a coal clave to it, which set her nest on fire. Such also are all those who doe spend their means as unlawfully as these get it; who as S. Gregory saith, when the poor members of Christ are pinched with hunger and want, doe profusely spend their E­states on harlots, on drink, on [Page 69] dice, on balls, on plays, on vain and soul-killing pleasures: or else their time in idleness, and impertinent visits; like one Va­tia, on whom was made this Epitaph: ‘Here lyes Vatia, who grew old in nothing but idleness.’ Or else in vain, obscene, foo­lish, fruitless discourses, inter­larding their speeches with lies, to make them more plausible; powdring them with oaths, to make them (as they think) more gracefull. O what a folly is it in those men (and in whom almost is not that folly?) that when they may hold Christ, and the consequent thereof their Salvation, for denying of themselves unlawfull gains or pleasures, such as perish like Jonas gourd, as soon as they be sprung up, and leave nothing [Page 70] behind them but repentance; when they may keep the true faith and love of Christ with the loss of their lives, by which loss they shall gain it; of their honours, of their estates, of their friends, for which they shall be recompenced, even in this life, an hundred fold; will yet not­withstanding, with Jeroboam, for the politique respect of kee­ping of his kingdom; with Pe­ter, for the declining of some bodily danger; with Ananias and Saphira, for with-holding back a little money; with Saul, for preserving the fattest of the Cattle; with the man of Israel, for the unchast em­braces of a harlot; with Bal­tazar, for c [...]rowsing in the cups of the Sanctuary; yea with our first Parents, for an apple, or a piece of bread, as [Page 71] Solomon saith, will transgress, and suffer themselves to be se­parated from the fountain of life, Christ Iesus, rather than say with holy Joseph, Gen. 39. How can I doe this evill, and sin against my God? O let not, let not the least shadow of such weakness fall upon our souls, as shall make us prefer any thing be­fore our union with Christ, but let us (as we ought) witness the truth of the Apostles, say­ing in our selves;Mat. 19.27. We have for­saken all, and followed thee.

Now that which must knit and glue us unto Christ is faith; which while we hold, we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts, the temptations of the devill, as saith the Apostle. The devill and his instruments the wicked, while they rob us of our externall felicities, doe but [Page 72] as David did unto Saul, cut off the lap of our garments; but if they force us from the fortress of our faith, as he did unto Goliah, they cut off our heads. Let us therefore keep faith and a good conscience, and make no shipwrack of that precious merchandize, like Hy­meneus and Alexander, repro­ved by S. Paul: but in all the rough tempests of this lifes ca­lamities, let us anchor our faith and hope upon Christ, who is the sure ground of our salvati­on. In all the Syren enchant­ments of sinfull pleasures, with Ulysses, let us tie our selves to the main-mast of a strong, im­moveable, godly resolution; whereby whatsoever evill wee suffer, or seeming good we may enjoy to rent us from the sted­fastness of our faith, we may [Page 73] ever with such a calm, and con­stant indifferency give them en­tertainment, that neither the one nor the other may remove us: but that we may still re­main like a man in an open field, who to which part of the horizon soever he sends his eye, he himself is alwaies in the cen­ter. And let us not like the dirty-minded Gadarens, banish Christ out of our Country, for the loss of a few swine; nor for­sake our profession of him, nor swerve one hayrs bredth from the line of his Commande­ments, to inherit whatsoever ei­ther profit, or pleasure, or ought else hath endeared to the eye of the world: seeing their purchase is care, their posses­sion trouble, their essence va­nity, and their end misery. But rather in the midst of this [Page 74] worlds conflicts, let us engrave that triumphant motto of S. Paul on the Ensign of our Faith;Rom. 8.35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or fa­mine, or nakedness, or perill, or persecution, or sword? I am certain that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor Princi­palities, nor Powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor strength, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Je­sus our Lord.

CHAP. VI.

A Fourth excercise of Pru­dence in the Serpent, not unworthy our imitation, is this: The Serpent when hee swim­meth, to avoid the danger of drowning, keepeth his head alwaies lifted above the wa­ters: So wee while wee swim through the Sea of this lives actions, must ever bear up the head of our reason, that we be not drowned in pleasure and delight. The world is a Sea, and man a ship; adversity is his ballast, prosperity his sayls, passions his Saylors, and rea­son his Pilot, who sits at the helm to steer his course aright: adversity like ballast keeps us even and steddy; but when our over-busie passions doe hoyse [Page 76] up more sayls of pleasure, than our weak barks can bear, we run our selves under water, and over-whelm our reason, and reasonable souls in the dead Sea of sin.

Of the two grand enemies of the soul, prosperity and ad­versity, this is more horrid in the view, but that more dan­gerous in the event. A Summers Sun-shine, is the mother of more diseases, than a Winters Frost. The one seeketh to make a conquest on our vertue by force, and that makes us (like a besieged City) fortifie our selves more strongly for resi­stance; the other, by the trea­ties of peace, by the tribute of gifts, seeks to bring our minds into servitude, and this melts our souls, our too too easie souls into yeelding. The fire [Page 77] burns hotter by being blown on by the cold wind, but the Sun shining on it, well nigh puts it out: so vertue flames more brightly, being blown on by the cold wind of adversity, but is extinguished by the Sun­shine of prosperity; like lime, which is set on fire with wa­ter, and (as they say) is quen­ched with oyl. That prosperity doth draw more to ruin, than adversity doth drive, the Pro­phet David doth intimate; where he saith,Psal. 9.7. a thousand shall fall besides thee, and ten thou­sand at thy right hand: There is ten to one, whose vertue the right hand of prosperity doth choak more than the left hand of adversity doth starve.

Yet this is not the legitimate issue of prosperity, but a ba­stard; not the necessary effect [Page 78] thereof, but such a one, as unto which, our abuse thereof gives birth. For God gives pros­perity and delights unto us, as he gave Manna to the chil­dren of Israel in the wilder­ness, to nourish and refresh our else-fainting souls, whilst wee travail through the stony and thorny wilderness of this worlds troubles and incumbrances: but it is our abuse of it beyond his prescription, which begets this evill effect; as the Israelites keeping their Manna longer than was commanded, it tur­ned into Worms. As S. Grego­ry saith, non est census in cri­mine, sed affectus: there is no evill in prosperity it self, but in our over-love of it; which Spi­der-like, turns the sweetness of it to poyson in our selves. As it happened in Solomon, who [Page 79] abused the unparalleld riches and glory of his kingdom, unto the love of strange women, and strange Gods; which brought forth this effect also, even the renting of the greatest part of the kingdom from his successors.

Pleasure like a Snayl, which creepeth from the bottome to the top of the tree, stealeth upon all, but chiefly on the highest; where it destroyeth the orna­ments of vertue, as that devours the leaves; leaving nothing behind but a slimie tract of foul and infamous example. Of which we must therefore taste very sparingly, as Jonathan did hony, only with the top of his rod; for as hony eaten abun­dantly breeds much choler, so does the abundant sweetness of pleasure, the bitterness of Gods wrath. The Dogs that drink [Page 80] at the river Nilus, doe but take a lap and away, for fear the Crocodiles should come and devour them; wee should but sip of the water of earthly de­lights, lest by our dwelling thereon, we offer our souls a prey unto the devill. Pleasure is of a bewitching and alluring nature, which advantage the devill taketh against us, co­vertly hiding some dangerous temptation under such a fair-seeming outside. Hanibal, to entrap his enemies, mingled their wine with Mandrake, whose operation is betwixt sleep and poyson; so the devill with the wine of prosperity doth mingle the temptation of Se­curity, which while we over-greedily suck in, wee cast our selves into the drowsie Lethargie of sin.

It is reported of a certain beautifull woman, that had so long accustomed her self to poysons, by making them her ordinary food, that she brought her whole constitution and complexion to be of the same power that the poyson was, and yet she retained so much outward sweetnesse, that she allured kings to her embraces; even so prosperity and pleasure hath so long pampered it self with the poyson of sin, that her nature is almost become in­fectious; and yet doth she provoke most men to her love, by retaining an outward beauty and colour of being the same she was. It behooveth us there­fore to beware of her enchant­ments, and not be won by the sweetnesse thereof, to forsake our right unto the kingdom of [Page 82] heaven; nor to set up our rest here in this world, like the two tribes and a half, who by the pleasantness of the land were perswaded to dwell on this side Jordan, and not to enter into the land of Canaan. Which that we may doe we must (wisely imitating the Serpent) keep our heads above the wa­ter, that is, not suffer our rea­son to be infatuated with plea­sure, nor drenched in the rivers of delight. But let us so bear her up, that she may bear us up; for while a man keeps his head above water, his head will keep him from drowning. And let our reason direct us in the due measure of pleasures that we ought to take; which holding the resem­blance of physick and not of food, if we take too deep a [Page 83] draught thereof, it may destroy us.

But it is a misery which deserves a further degree of sorrow than tears can expresse, to behold with what unstinted appetite men in these dayes (especially those whom the bountifull hand of God hath crowned with plenty) doe pur­sue their pleasures; as if they were born to no other end, but to live, and to wast that life in voluptuousnes: and whereas we should take moderat plea­sures only to refresh us in the troubles of this life, they desire life only to enjoy their plea­sures: so that it hath gained the place and credit of a pro­verb amongst us, to say, what's a gentleman but his pleasure? And what's their pleasure, but the pleasure of sin? who abu­sing [Page 84] the bounty of God, where­by he hath bestowed upon them the riches of this world, and their pretious time, doe spend them in such unlawfull actions, as would startle an honest mans heart to think, and surprize him with horror to declare. Whose impious demeanour doth far surpasse the wits and inventions of all libellers, in doing more wickednesse, than they could imagine; and conquering the examples of all past ages with their transcendent impieties. In whom drunkennesse, and gluttony, pride, vanity, and luxury, have lost the name of vices by their frequent use, and have purchased the privi­lege of being a man's warran­table manners: so that not to be evill, is now counted the [Page 85] greatest evill, and to be so, the greatest vertue;1. Pet. 4.4. in so much as (as S. Peter saith) they wonder that you doe not run together with them, into the same confu­sion of luxury, speaking evill of you.

Seneca saith, the time shall come wherein drunkennesse shall be honored, and it shall be count­ed a vertue to drink stoutly. That time came long since, and still remaines; wherein many are so buried in sleep and wine that that may be veri­fied of them, which was once spoken of the Emperor Bono­sus, Non ut vivat natus est, sed ut bibat; He is not born to live, but to drink; who being after­wards strangled with a halter, was thus jeasted at by the People; amphora pendet non homo: it is a pitcher that is [Page 86] hang'd and not a man. And in this delight doe men drown the head of their reason, and darken the eyes of their un­derstanding and so like blind men, fall from hence into the depth of all other impieties. With Noah, they discover the nakednesse of their dispositions to the derision of every beholder; & are ready in they drunkenness, with Alexander the great, to kill their dearest friends; with Marcus Antonius, to vomit on the Tribunall; with Lot, to defile their own daughters: yea what beastly evill is there amongst those, which nature herself shames to behold, to which this vice opens not a way? St. Augustine reports of a certain young man, who being drunk, ravished his mother, Stabd his Father, and wounded [Page 87] two of his sisters to death. And therefore the Poets say, that Bacchus the Heathenish God of wine, was born in thun­der, and is usually painted with horns, because that drunkards are alwayes pushing and quar­relling, and their effects dan­gerous and dreadfull. And no lesse dangerous are the effects of gluttony, though not so common, because more costly; and yet too too common: for doe we not see, that although heathenism be banished, yet Idolatry is still maintained a­mongst us; and men having no other Idol, doe idolize them­selves; and make that dung­hill covered with snow, their bellies, their God; whose altars, their tables, they make to crack with the weighty Sacri­fice of their delicious viands: [Page 88] they impoverish sea and land to enrich their tables, and tenter their inventions with unheard-of dainties, to please the witty gluttony of a meal. What hewing and squaring is there of their bel [...]y-timber, their diet? while their souls in the mean time (as the Pro­phet speaketh) are daubed up with untempered morter. What cost is there? what curiosity, in despite of nature, to preserve things beyond, or to hasten them before the time that sh [...] hath allotted for their season? And for the better relish of these their cates, they wish (with Philox [...]nus) their necks as long as a cranes, that they may feel the more sweetnesse in their meats and drinks. Meates for the belly, and the belly for meats (saith St. Paul) [Page 89] but God shall destroy both it and them.

To this doe men add the excesse of over-coftly apparrell and perfumes, of sumptuous buildings, and rich furniture, of revellings and dancings, pa­stimes and sports; consuming therein more than would main­tain an army; wearing the price of a Lordship at their eates, yea at their shooes, with Pop­pea the wife of Nero. They out vie the bravery of the Lillies, as much as they did Solomons, and strive to outshine the Stars in the number and luster of their pretious Stones; disdaining to let their feet touch that earth, wh [...]lst they live, which their heads shall be covered with, when they are dead: whose glory, like a flaming palace, while it shines [Page 90] consumes them, and in the end will bring them to ashes. Lucius Plotius, who was pro­scribed in the Triumvirate, and Muleasses the expulsed King of Tunis, were bound to be­wayl the unhappy excesse of costly perfumes, who hiding themselves for fear, were betrayed to their enemies by the smell of their sweet odors. And in these and the like kinds of excesses, doe men drown both their reason and their fortunes, both their souls and bodyes; and are not only passive, but active in their own ruine; they doe not only stand under a falling house, but pull it down upon them; and are not only executed, which implyes guiltinesse; but they are executioners, which implyes dishonour; and executioners [Page 91] of themselves, which implyes impiety. And when in these prodigious impieties men have melted their patrimonies, they are forced to continue their profusenesse by injustice, op­pression, cosenage, and all kinds both of craft and cruelty; like birds and beasts of prey, satisfying their own ravenous desires with the ruins of others; and making one sin the fuell to another; with those shames of nature, and monsters of mankind, Nero, Caligula, Domitian, and many others. But above all, the example of Cleopes a king of Egypt is most remarkable in this kind, who wanting money to finish the witnesse of his folly begun in the building of a Pyramis, and being barren of all other means, basely prostituted the [Page 92] body of his most beautifull daughter, to every slave that would bring one stone ready polished to the building there­of. And although there are but few King▪ and Em [...]erours, or persons so vastly rich, as to make themselves guilty of such monstrous impieties▪ according to the uttermost extention thereof; yet in the intention and vehemency of their desi [...]es (as their practice, according to their ability doth shew) there are too many: who are the pictures of Sardanapalus, and Nero in miniature▪ and their contents bound up in a smaller volume.

And no lesse then the most frequent of the former evills, doth unlawfull Lust tyrannize amongst men, who consume therein their bodyes and goods, [Page 93] their good names and their souls: which is such a shame­full nature▪ that it doth fly the naming, of such fearfull con­sequences that they exceed the naming. Who is there that (with holy Job) hath made a covenant with his eyes, not to look upon a woman to lust af­ter her? and is not rather like unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, who went a gadding to see the maids of the Country, untill she was none her self? By whom the Stews are more boldly frequented than the Church, or at least more wil­lingly;2 Pet. 2.14. having eyes full of adul­tery (as saith S. Peter) and that cannot cease to sin. Such is the heat of their unlawfull desires, that it cannot hide it self in their hearts but must [...]eep out at their eyes, which like bur­ning-glasses, [Page 94] collect the beams of beauty, which set their hearts on fire: on whom the law of Zaleucus of Locris were deservedly executed, who commanded that the eyes of the adulterer should be pulled out. Lust is an infernall fire, whose fuell is gluttony and drunkenness, whose sparks are obscene words, whose ashes are uncleanness, whose smoke is infamy, and whose end is torment. And in these and ma­ny more voluptuous courses, doe millions of men ruin their souls; into whom, as into the herd of Swine, the devils doe enter, and carry them head-long into the deep of eternall per­dition.

I deny not but there is a lawfull use of all Gods crea­tures; he made (as the Scrip­ture [Page 95] saith) Oyl to make a man have a cheerfull countenance, and wine and bread to streng­then, mans heart; and there is a place allowed to silks, and gold, and pretious stones, both for our use and ornament; to each one according to his abi­lity, and dignity. They that are in Kings Courts, may wear soft rayment; but it was the cha­racter of the rich glutton in the Gospell, to be clothed in purple and fine linnen, and to fare deliciously every day: and it was the brand of the chil­dren of Israel, that they sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. We may have these things, but they must not have us; their use must follow our reason, not tread it down; we may sometimes swim in lawfull pleasures, but we must [Page 96] never be drowned in them. But when our pleasure in these earthly things doth exceed the due measure, or our delights direct themselves unto unlaw­full objects; yea, when we doe not only abuse our delights but delight in that abuse; when we doe not only commit evill, but rejoyce in evill committed; flattering and hugging our selves in our abhorred courses, like impious Nero that laughed at the flame of that great City that himself had set on fire, yea when men proceed to such an height of w [...]ckedness (and to such a he [...]ght they doe proceed) that though they make the devil and his fiends glad, yet they make them wonder more, to see that man of himself is grown more exquisite in evill, than their temptations can in­struct [Page 97] them, and make them wish their wickedness were their own: then our Reason, and Piety▪ and all good forsakes us; and we justly pull upon our selves that curse of the Psalmist; Ps. 68.23. Let their table be made a Snare unto them, a recompence, and a stumbling block; Let their eys be darkned, that they may not see, and alwaies bow down their backs.

God indeed made Woman for man, Eve for Adam; yet he never said encrease and mul­tiply, untill they were married; to shew that he hath a curse, and not a blessing for unlawfull unions. He alloweth us the use of meats and drinks, but wee must take them seasonably as, Solomon saith, for strength, Ecc. 1 [...].17. and not for luxury. Heraclitus the Philosopher, being reque­sted [Page 98] in a Sedition to declare his opinion, how the City might be brought to live in peace and concord; assoon as he was as­cended the Pulpit, called for a cup of cold water, wherein he strewed a little meale, and when he had drunk it off he descended without speak [...]ng a word; but signifying thereby, after his dark manner, that so the City should be without sedition, if they would forsake their superfluous pleasures, and inure themselves, to temperance and hardness: so also shall we allay the rebellion of passions, which lead us on to the loose­ness of pleasure, raised against the Soveraignty of reason, if we apply a mean and modera­tion to all our delights. Ob­serving the same proportion in the dedicating of our selves, our [Page 99] time and means unto Gods service, and our own lawfull pleasures, (for unto unlawfull not an atome is to be allowed) that Noah did in receiving the beasts into the ark; of which there were seven couple of clean to but two of unclean; shewing us thereby, that as the seven clean couple were for the service of God, and the ne­cessary sustenance of man; and the two unclean only for de­light and recreation so our time and means spent in world­ly pleasures, should bee much less than that which we offer to the service of God, and our own necessi [...]ies. And as Hunters will not suffer their hounds to eat much carrion when they are to hunt because the strength thereof offends the quickness of their sent, and hinders the [Page 100] pursute of their game; so should we forbear to glut our selves with carrion-pleasures, which doe so infect our minds, that they deprive us of delight in goodness, and hinder us from prosecuting our devotions to God, and our endeavours in our callings. And though men enjoy the pleasures of sin, yet they will last but for a season, as S. Paul saith; and then, as Saturne by whom the antients did signifie pleasure, who was therefore so called, à Saturan­do, of glutting, as Isodore saith, was alwaies painted most sor­rowfull; so the short line of their pleasures will end in the period of sadness and repen­tance: as Boetius saith, volup­tates tristes habent exitus, the pleasures of sin have bitter ri­vers through delicious springs: [Page 101] and as Saint Paul saith,Phil. 3.19. whose end is destruction, whose belly is their God, and glory their shame, who mind earthly things.

Let us therefore (as our Sa­viour commands us) take heed that our hearts be not opprest with surfetting and drunkenness, Luke 21.34. nor with the cares nor pleasures of this life. And as the Apostle saith▪ Dearly beloved, 1 Pet. 2.11. I beseech you as pilgrims and strangers, abstain from fleshly desires, which fight against the soul. That so contenting our selves with that moderate proportion of the Manna of pleasure, which God hath allowed us while wee travail through the wilderness of this world, we may at the length possess the land of Ca­naan, wherein all plenty of pleasures are perpetually resi­dent: where our desires shall [Page 102] never want satisfaction, nor satisfaction ever breed satiety: where we shall enjoy the hap­py fellowship of Saints and Angels, and the most blessed vision of God himself;Ps. 15.11. in whose presence is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore.

CHAP. VII.

THE last work of Prudence to which the serpents ex­ample doth invite us, is this that followeth. It was the custome of those places where serpents did most abound, to draw them out of their lurking holes with charmes, and so destroy them; as the Poet saith.

Frigidus in pratis cantando rumpitur anguis.

The cold Serpent in the meadows is burst with charme [...].

Now the Serpent to prevent this danger, doth stop his eares; as the Psalmist saith,Psal. 57.6. like the deaf adder, which stoppeth her eares, which will not hear the voice of the charmers, and of the sorcerer enchanting wisely. [Page 104] Which shee doth (as S. Jsodore saith) by laying one eare close unto the ground, and stopping the other eare with her tayle: So ought wee to resist the charmes, that is, the temp­tations of that grand Magicke the devill, with his compani­ons, the flesh and the world, by the consideration of the end, signified by the serpents tayl; and with the memory of the worlds vanity, frailty, and inconstancy, as shee doth by laying the other eare unto the ground.

The brittle frailty of this world, and of the vanities thereof, unto whose fruition the devills temptations doe so importunatly urge our minds, is as certainly known to all, as it is seldome seriously thought on by any. For if it were, how [Page 105] can wee imagine, that men would be so indulgent to their crimes, and so obedient to the devills suggestions, that a chime doth not more closely follow the stroke of the clock, than their practises his provocations; as if the devill had granted them a perpetuity of pleasure, and sealed the monopoly of sin to them, and to their heirs for ever. When as (alas) God shall quickly take their delights from them, or them from their delights: their delights from them, for as Solomon saith, Riches will take the wings of an eagle, Pro. 23.5. and will fly into heaven; or them from their delights, as our Saviour saith. Thou fool, this night they take away thy soul. Luke. 12.20. Moyses well remembred how short liv'd they were like unto that flower [Page 106] which Pliny speaks of which springs in the morning, is full blown at noon, and fades at night;Heb. 11.25. and therefore chose ra­ther to bee afflicted with the children of God, than to enjoy the temporall pleasure of Sin: counting the reproach of Christ greater riches, than the trea­sures of the Egiptians.

The world for the frailty and inconstancy thereof, is by S. John compared to a sea; as he saith in the Apocalips; Before the thron there was a sea of glasse, Apoc. 4.6. like unto crystall; by which sea is meant the world, which for it's frailty is glasse, for it's unconstancy a sea. A sea swelling with pride, blew with envie, boyling with anger, deep with averise, frothy with luxu­ry. It is a Sea, tempestuous with controversies, stormy with [Page 107] affl [...]ctions, tumultuous with disorders. The sea yealds an obedient conformity to the mo­tions of the moon, and swels highest in a joyfull imitation, when shee is in the spring-tide of her light, either towards the heavens, as in the change, or towards the earth▪ as in the full; and as shee doth wax or wain, so doth he either flow into a pleurisy, or ebbe into a consumption of his waters: and even thus is the world the page of fortune, whose uncon­stant and ever-changing moti­ons, doe hurry about, like spokes in a wheel, the condi­tion of all mortalls: as the Apostle saith;1. Cor. 7.31. The fashion of this world passeth away. An hour-glasse doth change it's posture every hour, and that part which was even now a­bove, [Page 108] is now below; that which was even now full, is now empty; nor can one side be filled, but by emptying the other; such is the world, every moment turn'd upside down, and men are now full, now empty; Nor can they often fill themselves, without the ruin or prejudice of others, yea ma­ny times, as Laban did to Ja­acob, when men have toyled in it's service many years, it rewards them with loathed Leah, insteed of loved Rachel. Like Jael it carrieth milk in one hand to nourish, and a hammer and a nayl in the other to destroy; and as Joab did to Amasa, while it kisseth us, it killeth us. And although like the moon, it be sometimes at at the full of glory yet is it even then like her also mingled with [Page 109] the spots of adversity, and subject to the change of every moment. And therefore (as they say) at the consecration of the Popes, the Master of the ceremonies goeing before, car­rieth in one hand a burning ta­per, in the other a stick with some flax tyed on the top there­of, which he setting on fire, cryeth with a lowd voyce, Pa­ter sancte, sic transit gloria mundi; Holy Father, so passeth away the glory of the world.

The plenty of histories in this kind exceedeth our Arith­metique; every particular mans condition, almost being a vo­lume of the worlds frailty, and a constant witnesse of it's in­constancy. Adonibezec in the first of the book of Judges, who had been the triumph­ant Victor over seventy Kings, [Page 110] and in his wanton cruelty cut­ting off the thumbs of their hands and feet, made them pick up crums under his table; en­forcing the act, yet depriving them of the power, making them doe that which hee had disabled them to doe, was ere long returned with an equall measure, which made him cry out;Judg. 1.7. As I have done, so God hath rewarded me. Nabucha­donozor's unparallel'd m [...]tamor­phosis, who knoweth not? Who in the despite of Philosophy, prov'd in himself the transmi­gration of Species, and from a man fell into a beast, in nature now, as was in practise before; to shew that when men sinne against the light of nature, they may suffer against the law of nature.

It is reported of Demetrius, [Page 111] one of Alexander the great his Captains, that in the whole cir­cle of his life, being threescore years and four, after the measure of his age had stil'd him man, never continued three years in one condition. Of Julius Caesar also, that great awer of the world, and tyrant over the Common-wealth, it is doubted, whether in the whole course of his life. Fortune were an indiffe­rent arbitrer unto him of good and evill successe▪ but in the misery of his death, no doubt all his lives happinesse was ex­ceedingly overballanc'd; who in the Zenith, and highest erecti­on of his glory with three and twenty wounds, the deepest whereof given by his dearest Brutus, and that in the Court of his deadly enemy Pompey, yeelded up his life a sacrifice to the peoples liberty.

The like unhappy change pursued the ever-renowned, and once highly advanced Captain Belisarius; who after he had triumphed over the Persians, and reduced to the Roman obe­dience all Africa and Italy, which had been long possessed by the Gothes and Vandalls; and after he had brought one of the Kings of the Vandalls to such a passe, that hee begged three things; a loaf of bread a spunge to wipe his eyes, and a harp to tune his sorrow to; his wife who was given him for a help, became the only help to his destruction; whose insolent behaviour against the Empresse, like winds thrown upon the Seas, raised such billows of in­dignation in the Emperour, that they put this good mans fortune to an utter shipwrack; who did [Page 113] not only lose all his goods, but the means wherby he might get more, his sight; and was forced to beg his bread with Da obolo Belisario Viator, and thus, though blind did most cleerly see, the frailty of this worlds felicity. Therefore Dionisius the King of Syracusa, represented the brittle felicity of his king­dome unto his Parasite Damo­cles (which Damocles had made to seem exceeding great, through the multiplying glasse of his flattery, by seating him in a royall throne, at a sumptuous Banquet, with all the state and glory of the kingdome about him; but withall causing a na­ked sword to be hung over his head, which was only held up by a horses hair, which every minute threatned his destructi­on. It was likewise the custome [Page 114] of the Romans in their tri­umphs, for a slave to ride behind in the Chariot with the trium­pher, who did often whisper unto him to look behind him: there was likewise a whip and a bell tyed to the Charyot, to ad­monish him, that notwithstan­ding the present exaltation of his honour, he might be brought to such a degree of calamity as to be scourged or put to death; of which the bell was the signe, it being the custome of the old Romans, to ring a bell before a dead Corps, lest any by ap­proaching too neer should de­file themselves thereby. Now if we would allow these and the like images of the worlds frailty a place in our considera­tions; and remember that all the glory, beauty, and pleasures thereof, are as truly short as [Page 115] they are seeming sweet, and that though they bee sweet in the enjoying yet they are bitter in the end; surely it would so steel our resolutions against the de­vils temptations, it would so stop our ears against the voyce of his charms, that fear stan­ding at the dore of our hearts, would resist the entrance of sin into our souls: and teach us to apply such a mean and mo­deration to all worldly endea­vours, that as the Apostle saith, wee should use this world as though we us'd it not. 1 Cor. 7.31.

The latter means wherby we must make deaf our ears, to the powerfull charms of the de­vils temptations, is the medi­tation of our own end; like the Serpent, which stops her other ear with her tayl Which meditation may justly claim [Page 116] the exercise of our most serious thoughts, since the devils sug­gestions are chiefly plotted for the undermining of this con­sideration; Who is therefore likened to a Serpent, which biteth the horses heels, that he maketh him cast his rider: mans body is this horse his soul the rider, his heel his end; the me­ditation whereof, if the devill doe bereave us, we are over­thrown both horse and man. There is no stronger bit to curb the temptations of our unbrid­led flesh, than to consider what a dear price we shall pay for our pleasures in our death, and at our judgement. In all thy works, remember the last things, (saith the wise-man) and thou shalt never sin. Eccles. 7.40. The birds direct their passage through the ayr with their tayls, so doe the Fi­shes [Page 117] in the Sea; the rudders, motion guideth the Ship and the beasts with their tayls beat away the flyes: temptations are flyes, whence the Devill is called Beelzebub, which sig­nifies the God or Father of flyes; all which are repelled by the mediation of our end signified by the Serpents tayl; and the course of our actions for which we embarque our selves, thereby as by a rudder rightly steered to the Port of happiness. When the devill tempteth us to pride, our flesh to lust, the world to vain delights, if we did but al­low this meditation of our end a full place in our thoughts, that we must die one day, we may dye this day, and that af­ter death commeth judgment, wherein we must satisfie to the uttermost farthing the great [Page 118] debt of our sins, and that in such a manner and measure, as nei­ther eloquence nor silence can express; surely I think we should not (as many doe) run on in evil faster than the devill can drive them, and dare him to present them with a temptation which they dare not execute: but rather like the Peacock, who when he looks upon the blackness of his feet, lets fall his Plumes, and forgets the beauty of his train; So wee casting our thoughts down upon our end should neglect all the de­lights that temptations promise in their sinfull satisfaction. Every man when he is upon his bed of sickness; when hee is counting his last sand; when death is so neer him that hee cannot turn his eyes from it, every one seeing it in his eyes; [Page 119] then how many vows and pro­mises doth he offer up of [...]esi­sting all temp [...]ation unto sin, unto which he hath formerly too easily consented if he may but by the return of his health, renew again the almost expired league betwixt his body and his soul. Yea even the devill himself as the old d [...]ich hath it when he wa [...] sick would be a Monk and a holy man.

But if we did in our healths [Page 120] entertain this consideration of death, and the day of judge­ment; and make it as familiar and present to our minds, as the approaches thereof are neer unto the sick, no doubt but it would work in us the same never fayling effects.

If wee did make remem­brance, our Philips boy, to ring the knell of mortality each morning in our ears; and if with S. Jerome, there were no action of our life, in whose performance we did not think wee heard the sound of the Archangels trumpet, procla­ming this convocation in our ears: Arise ye dead, and come to judgement: if we did remember these tormenting flames which God hath prepared for the de­vill and wicked men;Isay 30.33. whose fuell is fire and much wo [...]d, the [Page 121] breath of our Lord like a tor­rent of brimstone enflaming it; which though it torment them, yet it shall not consume them, as though they should have a period of their pains; but like the Salamander they shall live still in the flame; and be de­nyed, with Dives, a drop of water, more than their tears; which will be so far from as­swaging their heat, that the saltness thereof shall encrease their ames: and yet in the high boyling of this their heat, such conflicts of punishment shall meet in them, that through extream cold, they shall gnash their teeth; for as our Saviour saith, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. If I say, these meditations were in us and did abound, surely, they would strengthen us to strangle temp­tations [Page 122] in their conception, and to resist the untimely birth of sin.

If the rich man mentioned in the Gospell, had thought that his soul should have been hur­ried that night to hell he would never have dream'd of building his barns bigger. Few men will steel at the gallows, or speak treason on the rack; but it is our putting the evill day far from us, that makes every day evill to us. We forget the evill of punishment, which make us commit the evil of sin. Wher wee may prevent our sins by remembring of the punishment then we think not on it; and when we think on it, which is not til we feel it then it is to late to prevent it. O how humbly (think you) would the fallen Angels behave themselves, if [Page 122] they were enthroniz'd in their antient glory! O how abste­miously would our first Pa­rents have walked by the for­bidden fruit, if they might have been repossessed of their earthly Paradice! And how tempe­ratly would Dives have used the pleasures of this life, if hee might have been redeemed from hels tormenting flames! Let us then be as carefull not to fall into their evils, as they would bee if they were risen out of them: which care, the meditation thereof will mainly strengthen; as the oyl of Scor­pions doth heal their sting; that while death and hell are in us by remembrance, we may never be in them by sufferance. For as 'tis said, if the Basilisk see a man first, it kils him; but if a man see that first, he kils it: So [Page 124] if death see and apprehend us first, being unprepared, it de­stroys us; but if we see it first, by meditation and preparation, we kill it, and become the death of death, and may justly take up that joyfull acclamation of S. Paul; 1 Cor. 15.55. O death where is thy victory? O death where is thy sting.

Yet all must dye: For deaths meditation though it take away the sting of death, yet it takes not away the body of death. But here's the difference; that death which is the wicked mans shipwrack, is the good mans harbour; where striking sayl, and casting anchor, he re­turns his lading with advan­tage to the owner; that is, his soul fraught with good works unto God: leaving his bulk still mored in the haven, which is [Page 125] but unrig'd to be new built again, and fitted for an eternall voyage. And as that earth in which the men of China doe bury their clay, after a hundred years doth render it purified, and refined, and fit out of it to form their choysest dishes; so our graves, after many years, shall restore us again, glorified, and immortalized, and fitted vessels for the house of God.

CHAP. I.

AS the Serpent is the wisest amongst the Beasts of the field, and is therefore pro­pounded as the pat­tern of our imitation, in the vertue of wisdome; so the Dove doth farre leave behind her, the examples of all the brute crea­tures in the practise of simplici­ty. And therefore the Holy Ghost, who is the love of the Father, which love is the Foun­tain of Simplicity deigned above others, in the exhibition of his testimony of Christ, to invest [Page 127] his Deitie with the form of a Dove. Whose harmlesse simpli­city, on which our imitation must attend discovers it self (as Pliny saith) in these particulars. First, she hurts nothing with her clawes. Secondly, she hurts nothing with her bill. Thirdly, she wants a gall. Fourthly, she nourisheth, and bringeth up both her own, and others young ones. Now, these severall pieces of the Doves simplicity do teach us, that as she hurts nothing with her clawes, no more should we throw any evill upon others by our hands or actions. Se­condly, as she hurts nothing with her bill, no more ought we to prejudice any by our words. Thirdly, in that shee wants a gall, it forbids us to give birth unto a thought, which shall direct it self against the [Page 128] good of our neighbour. The first noteth unto us the simplici­ty of our works; the second of our words; the third of our thoughts. Fourthly, in that she nourisheth others young-ones, we are directed not only to doe no evill, but also to doe good, and that not to our own alone, but also to our neighbours; yea, though they be our Enemies. These are the particulars, which shall bound this brief dis­course.

All works are intimated by the hands, as the principall in­struments of working; and therefore Pilat when he would assoyle himself of that impious act of Christs condemnation, washed his hands: And the Prophet David saith; [...]sal. 25.6 I will wash my hands among the innocent. Therefore did the Pharisees [Page 129] wear the Commandements written about their hands, to intimate their performance. Now they who are altogether barren in good works, are like unto Jeroboam, whose right hand was dryed up. And they who interline their good works with bad, are not unlike Nehemiahs builders, who held a trowell in one hand to build, and a sword in the other to destroy One evill action amongst many good ones, corrupts the vertues of all the rest; like Pharaohs lean kine, that did eat up the fat: or the Colloquintida in the young Prophets broth, which made them cry out; O thou man of God, death is in thy pot. 4 King. 4.40. And not only to doe no wrong but even to doe no hurt, though lawfull, is very sutable to the Doves Simplicity. Our Saviour who [Page 130] gave us this precept, gave him­self also for an example, who amongst all his miracles enrow­led in Sacred writ, never did any that tended to destruction, but only in cursing the barren figg­tree.

S. Aug. saith; all justice is comprehended in this word inno­cence; all injustice reprehended. To the injustice of the hands or deeds, is referred generally all actions that strike at the body or goods of our neighbour. God saith by Moyses; Exod. 22.21, 22. Thou shalt doe no injurie to a stranger, neither oppresse him; ye shall not hurt the widdow nor father­lesse child. More particularly, to the injustice of Magistrates, of Lawyers, and publick officers; who corrupted through hope, fear, hatred, or love; hope of preferment, fear of mens power, [Page 131] hatred of their persons, or love sometimes to their persons, but most times to their mony, have renewed the antient copies of injustice, yea and augmented them: Pleaders tongues being like the tongue of a ballance, their hands the scales, into one of which if you put one pound, into the other two, the tongue will alwaies incline to that which is the heaviest. Who is there that in the generall execu­tion of the place of Magistracy, or the particular designation to the decision of a controversie, in the giving of voyces in matters of Election, or in their choyce unto places of dignity which rest in their particular power, swerveth not from the rule of justice, and simplicity? measuring the merit of the person, not the quantity of the gift, or relation [Page 132] of kindred or acquaintance: Like Titus Manlius, who in a case of justice gave Sentence against his own Son. O no, Themystocles saying pleaseth them better, who being reque­sted to bear himself indifferently in his censure, answered; Be it far from me not to pleasure my friends in all things.

Princes Courts doe swarm with their flattering dependents, who either bridled with the fear of their displeasure, or spurred on with the hope of preferment, doe bind themselves with the sale of the liberty, innocency, and simplicity of their conscien­ces, to run the same course with them, in avowing all their enterprizes, in obeying all their commands: like Pilat, who lest he should strike against the rock of Caesars offence, condemned [Page 133] the innocent Lamb of God unto death; and Judas, who betrayed him for a piece of money.

The example of Martinus a Cardinall is very memorable; who travelling on his way, one of his horses fell lame, which the Bishop of Florence supplied with the free gift of another: which Bishop afterwards com­ming to Rome, craved the Pa­tronage of the Cardinall in a cause of his; to whom he an­swered, first let me redeem my liberty, and gave him another horse, and now (saith he) if your cause be just I am your Patron. I would this were the practise of all the Clergy; and that of Philoxenus of all Cour­tiers; who (as Plutarch reports) being demanded of Dionysius the King of Syracusa, what he thought of certain verses of his, [Page 134] answered (according to his opi­nion) that they were naught, whereat the King displeased condemned him to digge in the Quarry-pitts; but by the inter­cession of friends being restored Dionysius demanded again what he thought of other verses of his; but he knowing that they were naught and remembring his late punishment, answered not a word, but called to one of the Guard, to carry him again to the Quarry-pitts. And he that will not with Phyloxenus, rather suffer evill then doe it, may de­servedly receive the just punish­ment of Syamnes a certain Judge; who as Herodotus re­ports, being corrupted by money to give wrong Sentence, King Cambyses caused his skin to be pulled off, and nayled to the Tribunall; that they that suc­ceeded, [Page 135] terrified by his example, might avoyd his wickednesse.

Justice amongst the Antients was supposed to be a Virgin, be­cause she ought alwaies to be pure, simple, and uncorrupt. And surely their wisdomes fail them, who think that their cor­ruption, injustice, and injurious handling of others, can raise them to the true pitch of Great­nesse; seeing that like Jonathan, and his armour-bearer, who clymed up to the top of a rock on their hands and feet they rear themselves hereunto by grovel­ing, base and sordid means: For the truth of greatnesse rests not in the height of worldly wealth, or honour, but of justice and simplicity. And therefore Agiselaus observing the Asians usually to crown their King of Persia, with the title of Great; [Page 136] wherein (saith he) is he greater than I, unlesse he be wiser or juster.

Now as the simplicity com­mended unto us, is likened to the Doves; so many of the con­trary vices, have their resem­blance in the nature of other birds. There is the desperate Cock, the contentious man, whose injurious quarrellings make good the motto of Ishma­el in himself,Gen. 16.12. His hand against every man, and every mans hand against him. There is the Pea­cock, the proud man, who con­trary to the children of Israel, who thought themselves gras­hoppers in comparison of the Giants of Canaan, he thinks himself a giant in worth and excellency, and all others but grashoppers in comparison of himself; when indeed he is but [Page 137] a swoln impostume, casting out rotten and loathsome matter, in his words and actions. There is the Cuccow that layes her eggs in the nests of other birds; the close adulterer, whose children sit at other mens fire, and eat at other mens tables. There is the Swan that sings sweetly, yet devours his own kind; such are flatterers and hypocrites, who as our Saviour saith,Math. 23.14. Praying long prayers devour widdowes houses. There is the Swallow, that staies with us in the Summer, but flyes away in the Winter; such are false friends, who abide with us in our prosperity, and with it depart; shewing that they were friends to it, and not to us. There is the Cormorant, the covetous man, who spares not to grind the faces of the poor, to with­hold the hire of the labourer, to [Page 138] cosen the fatherlesse and wi­dow, yea any man; yea God himself, by robbing of the Church, and with holding things consecrated with wicked Achan. Who when they have ransacked the bowels of the earth for treasure, are forced through their fears to hide them there again; like the Adders young, who being newly come out of their damms bellie, run thither again for safety, if af­frighted with any danger. There is also the Vulture that follows armies to prey upon dead car­kasses; the griping Usurer, who waits upon prodigall heirs to devour their decaying fortune; unto whom whosoever seeks for succour, is like unto a sheep which in a storm runs under a bramble for shelter, where he is sure to leave part of his fleece [Page 139] behind him. These, and the like, are the practises of those, who are not, as they ought to be, innocent and simple as Doves.

CHAP. II.

THe second part of our Dove-like simplicity, con­sisteth in our not prejudicing any in our words, as she hurts nothing with her bill. S. Paul's command is,Tit. 3.2. to speak evill of no man; which S. James knew to be so difficult, that he saith;James 3.2 If any man offend not in word, that same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Nabals churlishnesse, Shemey's rayling the childrens mocking the infirmity of the Prophet Elizeus, derisions and upbray­dings, [Page 140] misconstruction of our neighbours actions, the divul­ging of the faults of our bre­thren, false accusations against them, and detracting from their just merit, these are words, which (as Solomon saith) are like the prickings of a sword; yet these are the unworthy and customa­ry exercises of our tongues, a­mongst such as are not unac­quainted with the language of Canaan. Epist. Judae. 2. Michael the Arch­angel, when disputing with the devill, he contended about the body of Moyses, durst not rayle against him, but sayd, our Lord represse thee; but these men speak evill of things they know not, saith S. Jude; and by their rash and precipate judgement of other mens actions, their mis­constructions, and interpreting to the evill part, let blood the [Page 141] good name of their brethren, even to the fainting, yea death of their dear credit; and many times in the effect thereof, to the destruction of their lives. Thus delt the devill with Job, the Children of Ammon with Da­vid, the Jews with our Saviour. Impossible it is for a man so evenly to deport himself, that his actions can escape the un­just construction of fame-woun­ding tongues: such were the Pharisees in their censure of Christ, and S. John Baptist; Math. 11.18. John came nei­ther eating nor drinking, and they say he hath a Devill: the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, behold a glutton, and a drinker of wine, a friend of Publicans and sinners. These are the most direct An­tipodes to the simplicity of [Page 142] words; who, when they cannot find faults, doe make them; and like corrupt stomacks, turn all the good meat they eat into corruption.

Little less are they that wound the fame of their neighbours in tale-bearing by revealing of their sins, and slidings: like impious Cham, who discove­red and derided the drunken­ness of his father Noah; for which hee was justly cursed. And by every ones adding ther­to in their reports, making it like a Snow-ball, which, the further it rowls, the more it gathers. And in the mentio­ning of mens worth by detra­cting from it, or allaying it with infamous aspersions; thinking by disparaging others, to give the greater lustre to their own commendations; and to raise [Page 143] their own on the ruins of ano­ther mans good name. Calu­mniation is the infallible note, not only of an unchristian, but also of an ignoble disposition; and surely they are conscious to themselves of their own un­worthiness, who need the foyl of another mans fault, to set off their own vertue. Hecuba when shee was with child of Paris, dream'd that she was brought to bed of a fire-brand; and such indeed he afterwards proved: So these men deliver themselves of that foul-mouth'd monster detraction, whose dan­gerous effects are able to en­flame the world with mutuall discords. As S. Bernard saith; There is a detractor, who spea­keth but a word, and yet that word in a moment doth poyson the ears, and wound the hearts [Page 144] of the hearers. Whose sting like that of the venemous Taran­tula, bred in the kingdom o [...] Naples, which is not to to be cured but by musick, can find no remedy but the melody of a sincere and patient mind; prepared to indure whatsoever it can inflict, yet able to spunge out whatsoever it can object.

The name of Devill in the Greek (from whence it is de­rived) signifieth a Calumnia­tor; and calumny and detra­ction (with all its kindred) are devillish sins; whereby men goe about like him, seeking whom they may devour: prying and listning after the demeanour of other men, obscuring and ex­tenuating their good▪ but re­ceiving the news of their evils with joy, and reporting and augmenting them with uncha­ritable [Page 145] cruelty, and falshood. In which case, King Philip of Macedon his practice, is wor­thy our strictest imitation, who was wont to say, That he was much beholding to the Athe­nians, for that they speaking evill of him, were a great cause of making him a good man; for saith he, I doe daily enforce my self, both by word and deed, to prove them lyars.

Ismaels deriding his bro­ther Isaack, is called in Scrip­ture a persecution and though they were but Children that mocked the Prophet Elizeus, calling him bald-head, yet God severely punished them, by sending two Bears amongst them; which destroyed two and forty. To reproach any, with either their naturall, or accidentall infirmities, is a note [Page 146] of pride and insolence; whereby men triumph over others, and are inwardly tickled with de­light in themselves, while they conceive themselves free from those things, they object against others. But as they deal with their brethren, so God will deal with them; who as Solomon saith, Will scorn the scorners, and give grace to the meek.

Some there are indeed who speak fair and praise much, but it is but to deceive and hurt; like the Spider that weaveth a curious web out of her own mouth to catch poor flyes en­tangled in her snare: and so they differ not in the end, but in the way of doing evill; like Samp­sons Foxes, who though their headsstood contrary ways, yet they were tyed together by the tayls. And this is more con­trary [Page 147] to simplicity than the rest of the vices of the tongue; for simplicity signifies freedome from folds and doublings, (Simplex, quasi sine plicis, say the Grammarians;) but in such deceitfull words, there is no­thing but doubleness. Judas his nayl master, his kiss and treason; Jaacobs voice, and Esau's hands suit not well toge­ther it is like the practice of the Panther, who by the sweetness of his breath inticeth passengers to draw near him and when they are come within his reach, devours them: so doth a deceit­full man by fair words and shews of friendship, invite men to trust him, and then deceives them. Against this practice, the Prophet David doth most bit­terly exclaim, saying,Psal. 54.13. If mine enemy had reproached me, I [Page 148] could have born it; and if he that hated me, had spoken great things against me, I could per­haps have hid my self from him; but it was thou that wert of mine own mind, my guide, and my acquaintance, who did eat plea­sant meat together with me; wee walked with consent in the house of God: then follows; Let death come upon them, and let them goe down quick into hell; for wickednesse is in their dwel­lings, and in the middest of them.

I find nothing more frequent­ly, nor more vehemently repro­ved in Scripture than the abuse of the tongue: from whence we may gather, both the frequency and hainousnesse of the fault; which is intimated by the Psal­mist, where he saith, The sons of men, their teeth are weapons [Page 149] and darts, and their tongue a sharp sword. And again,Psal. 57.5 They have whetted their tongues like a sword, they have bent their bow, 63.4. a bitter thing, that they might shoot secretly at the spotlesse. And therefore he prayeth;119. 2. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from unjust lips, and from a deceitfull tongue, S. Jerome also affirmeth the same, saying, So great an itch towards this evill hath invaded the minds of men, that they that have forsaken all other vices, doe yet (as it were into a forreign snare) fall into this. Therefore as he counselleth; Never ca­lumniate, or detract from any one, and study rather to adorn your own life, than carp at an others. And remember the pro­mise made by the Prophet Da­vid; Psal. 33.14. What man is he that desi­reth life, and longeth to see good [Page 150] dayes? restrain thy tongue from evill, and thy lips that they speak no guile.

CHAP. III.

THe third part of our priva­tive Simplicity, consisteth in the meeknesse and unconque­rablenesse of the heart by anger, hatred, envy, desire of revenge, and the like; wherein we imi­tate the simplicity of the Dove, in wanting of a gall. Against wrath; hatred, and all ill will, the Church doth teach us to pray, and the Dove to practice: Whosoever is angry with his brother, Math. 5.22. shall be guilty of judge­ment, saith our Saviour; and, he that hateth him, 1 Joh. 3.15. is a man­slayer, saith St. Iohn. And [Page 151] S. Iames, If you have bitter en­vy and strife in your hearts, Jam. 3.14. boast not. Can they then be simple as Doves, whose fiery spirits, like the flint, are no sooner struck against the steel of a hard and contumelious word, but presently they sparkle fire in the eyes of him that strook it? O no, for as the Apostle saith;Jam. 1.20. The wrath of man doth not work the justice of God. Yea, some there are whose least thwart in their desire doth boyl up their blood to such a height, and heat of fury, that nothing but the cold haud of death can quench or allay it: as it is reported of Mathias King of Hungary, who sitting one day at dinner, accompanied with Ambassa­dours from the King of France, called for Figs; and receiving answer, that there were none, [Page 152] immediatly fell into such a rage, that it drove him into an Apoplexie, who never spake word after, but as if his Soul had been angry with his own body also, forsook it the next day, and dyed. And therefore surely it was wittily feigned of the Poets, that Prometheus lacking clay to finish his man, was forced to patch it up with parts taken from sundry beasts; and amongst the rest, did put the heart of a furious Lion into the brest of man.

Or can he be simple as the Dove, whose env [...]ous heart with-holds his eyes from look­ing aright upon any happy man? whose ears can bear the burden of no mans praise; who contrary to the nature of all other plagues, is plagued with others well being; making hap­pinesse, [Page 153] the ground of his unhap­pinesse and good news the cause of his sorrow; whose favour none can win but by being mi­serable: like Porpises, which play and rejoyce in a storm, but are struck with a silent sadnesse in fair weather. Cain envied the acceptation of his brother A­bel; Rachel the fruitfulnesse of her sister Leah; and Saul the successe of his servant David; And it is reported of Themisto­cles, that all sleep was banisht from his eyes, through his ex­treme envy at the glory of Mil­tiades. Thus doth the envious heart work upon it self with inbred stings like the mountain Aetna, which consumes its own bowels with inward bur­nings.

Or can they have any inte­rest in this Dove-like simplicity, [Page 154] who for some small and private injury, yea many times for the truth (for that is often the mother of hatred) do prosecute each other with such deadly cruelty, and such blood-thirsty revenge, as neither friendship, kindred, nor Religion can con­quer, nor the long tract of mens lives can wear out? Thus did the private hatred betwixt Caesar and Pompey, pull down ruine on the Roman Empire. Thus Arius disdaining at his repulse in aspyring to a Bishoprick, broacht such an heresie as over­spread the whole Christian world; yea death it self on the one party, in some, cannot de­stroy the hatred of the survivor: witnesse the Story of Pope Ste­phen the sixt, who caused the body of his Predecessor Formo­sus, to be taken up, and beheaded [Page 155] in the market place, and after­wards cast into Tyber. Yea death in both parties, which hath killed the men, yet hath not kild their malice; if the story of Eteocles and Polynices be true which saith, that when they had by mutuall wounds, made windows for each others soul to fly out at, their bodies being burnt together, their very flames divided themselves, as hating to be united in their dead bodies, who were so divided in their living affections.

Thus homo homini Lupus, one man is a Wolf unto another; in whose hearts, and hands, and mouths are the instruments of mischief; as the Prophet David saith,Psal. 13.3. Their throat is an open Sepulcher, they delt deceitfully with their tongues, the poyson of Aspes is under their lips: [Page 156] whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, their feet are swift to shed blood. Sorrow and unhappiness is in their wayes, and the way of peace they have not known, the fear of God is not before their eyes. I have read that a string made of Wolfs guts, laid amongst a knot of strings made of the guts of Sheep, corrupts and spoyls them all: it is a strange secret in na­ture, and serves to insinuate the malice of these Lycant hropi, these Wolf-turn'd men, against the Sheep of Christs flock: for which cause our Saviour gave us this commandement, saying, Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of Wolves, be ye therefore prudent as Serpents, and simple as Doves. Simple as Doves,1 Pet. 3.9 not returning evill for evill, nor curse for curse, but on [Page 157] the contrary bless, because you are called to this, to be heirs of blessing; as saith S. Peter. S. Paul also saith;Rom. 12.17.18.19. Render evill for evill to no man. If it be possible, as much as in you is, have peace with all men. Avenge not your selves, but give place unto wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith our Lord. And as it is reported of the wals of Bizan­tium, that they were so smooth­ly and closely wrought, that they seemed to be but one stone; and of the building of Salo­mons temple, that there was not so much as the noyse of a ham­mer to bee heard therein: So should wee have all our thoughts, our words, our deeds, so even, so smooth so polisht, that they should not send forth the least noyse of injury to our [Page 158] neighbour, or sound of disaf­fection.

CHAP. IIII.

YEt this is not enough▪ to doe no evill, but we must also doe good: Christ cursed the fig-tree, not for any hurt it did, but because it did no good, it brought forth no fruit. And this exercise of good, must not be centred in those only which either prevent or return us with an equall measure, like the Scribes and Pharisees, the Pub­licans and sinners; but it must expatiate and diffuse it self, like the impartiall Sun to all even to our enemies. And so we shall be simple as Doves; who be­sides that they doe no hurt to [Page 159] any living creature, doe also in­differently nourish both their own, and others young ones. Now this practice of good, must receive its form from the for­mer prohibitions of evill; to wit, in thought, word and deed.

First then in thought, wee must have our hearts suppled, and entendred with charity, meekness, gentleness▪ humility, and patience. It was the greatest commendation of Moyses, that he was stiled,Num. 12.3. the meekest man upon earth: for which cause God conversed with him more familiarly than ever he did with any, as the Scripture saith,Exod. 33.11. God talked with him face to face, as a man talketh to his friend: and our Saviour saith;Math. 11.29. Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto [Page 160] your souls. The valleys are more fruitfull than the mountains, and the weightiest ears of corn bow down their heads the low­est towards the ground; such are the riches of humility, dis­posing men like figures in arith­metique, where the last in place is greatest in accompt. Our charity likewise expecteth of us, that we should breath forth nothing but desires of bliss unto our brethren; not suspecting evill without great ground; not beleeving evill without strong proof;1 Cor. 13.5. for charity thinketh no evill; as saith the Apostle. And God hath propounded himself for an example unto us, to prevent our too easy ta­king up upon trust, a prejudi­ciall report against our brethren, in the eighteenth of Genesis, where he saith speaking of [Page 161] Sodom and Gomorrha those wicked Cities,Gen. 18.21. I will goe down and see whether they have done according to the cry that is come up unto me, and if not so that I may know: not as if God were ignorant of the truth of any thing, but for our instruction it is thus written, to teach us (as Solomon saith) that wee should not apply our hearts to all words that are spoken; Eccles. 7.22. nor by too hasty beleef, doe that, which must be undone again.

Our patience likewise, in which our Saviour comman­deth us to possess our souls, Luke 21.19. claimeth of us an unresisting sufferance of evill; though there be whole vollies of injuries discharged against us, yet must our hearts be in ury-proof, and our patience preserve us un-hurt, unprovoked to anger, hatred, [Page 162] desire of revenge, and their dan­gerous effects; for as Salomon saith,Eccles. 7.10. anger resteth in the bosome of a fool. And although the Apostle bids us be angry and sin not, Ephes. 4.26. yet it is but a permis­sion, not a command; and I suppose, it is easier not to be angry at all, than to be angry and not sin at all. For anger in mans brest is like fire in an Oven, which if it be quite damd up, is extinguished; but having but a little vent, is apt to rage too fiercely. Where­fore the Apostle saith,Ephes. 4.32. Be ye courteous one to another, and mercifull, forgivi [...]g one another, even as God for Christs sake forgave you. Yea so far must our patience in injuries, and our charitable return to those that have injured us proceed, that we must not only cancell [Page 163] the debt of all their injuries, so that not so much, as in a thought may we wish them any evill, as it is evill; but also, if any adverse accident doe befall them, wee must be inwardly moved with a compassionate sorrow for the same. As Job declaring his own innocence, testifieth of himself;Job 31.29 If I have rejoyced in the ruin of him that hated me, or have exulted that evill found him out. And the Prophet David saith, speaking of his enemies, I mourned for him, as for mine own Mothers son. And thus shall we truly imitate the Dove▪ who instead of singing doth alwaies mourn; and wee shall alwaies have cause to doe so, if we consider both the spirituall, and corpo­rall evils of our neighbours, throughout the world. To [Page 164] render evill for evill, is human frailtie; to render evill for good, is devilish impiety; to render good for evill is god like puri­tie: in which practice if wee insist, we shall approach neer unto the pattern of the holy Ghost, and to that which above all other creatures doth best ex­presse his nature, the Doves; and so we shall be simple as Doves.

CHAP. V.

SEcondly, to maintain the sim­plicity of our words, they must take upon them a mild, a gentle and charitable form; we must apparell our thoughts in the soft rayment of meek and well-filed speech, and dresse our [Page 165] words in the supple accents of love of modesty, of courtesie, of truth. The Apostle Paul saith to Titus, Tit. 3.2. Put them in remem­brance, that they be modest, shewing all meek [...]esse unto all men. It was the saying of Vespasian the Emperour▪ that no man ought to depart from the presence of a Prince displeased, such should be the gratiousnesse of his words and answers; and such should be the practice of every Christi­an, as S. Paul saith again,Colos. 4.6 Let your speech be alwayes gratious, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to give an answer to every one. And in the sudden over-sights of our brethren committed either in word or deed without unseaso­nable scoffing or derision mildly to overpasse them, not being [Page 166] cruell in anothers faults; for as Solomon saith; It is the glory of a man to passe by unjust things. And to give the most gentle and favourable interpretation of all mens actions without the severity of a rash and bitter cen­sure,1 Cor. 4.5 as the Apostle saith; Iudge not before the time. And if the certain notice of any evill acti­on of our neighbour come to our knowledge, like Noahs two Sons, Sem and Japhe [...], we must cover the nakednesse thereof with the mantle of silence; go­ing backward as they did that if it were possible, we m [...]ght hide it even from our own eies; for what S. P [...]ter said of love,1 Pet. 4.8. is true also of Simplicity, which is the effect of love that it cove­reth a multitude of sinnes. And let us say that surely the vio­lence of some strong temptati­on [Page 167] drove him into it, into which we our selves may fall if that the especiall grace of God doe not support us.

Nor is this practice to be stinted only to those who wear the name of friends, but it must be extended even to our ene­mies; as the Apostle saith of the duty of servants to their ma­sters, Not only to the good and courteous, but also to the fro­ward If therefore we should be invaded by scoffing Ishmaels, or rayling Shemeyes, or receive any other unjust usage, we must not, (like the dog that bites the stone, but regards not the hand that threw it) turn again to tender rebuke for rebuke, but contrariwise blesse, as the Apo­stle commandeth us: and quiet our selves with the consideration of the Prophet David, who [Page 168] said concerning Sheme [...], 2 Kings 56.10. Let him alone, that he may curse: for our Lord hath commanded him that he should curse David. I speak not here concerning Su­periours, either Ecclesiasticall or Civill, who have power (no doubt) to reprove those that are subject unto them; nor of notorious and heynous malefa­ctors, such as Herod, whom our Saviour called Fox; such as Simon Magus, whom S. Peter in many words sharply repro­ved; and suth as the heretique Marcion, whom St. Polycarp called the eldest son of the De­vill: for these no doubt deser­ved it in a most eminent man­ner. God reproved the high Priest Eli, for not reproving his sons more sharply; yet because we are almost all prone to bow too much on this side, it is good [Page 169] (like a young tree that growes somewhat awry) bow to our selves as much the other way; that so in time we may keep the middle. And let us remem­ber two examples of our Savi­our in this kind; one in the pa­rable of the Supper, where there was found one that had not on a wedding garment, to whom, though he were a wicked man, the Master of the feast afforded a courteous compellation, saying, Friend, Math. 22.12. how camest thou in hi­ther? The other concerning the woman taken in adultery, whom when he dismist, it was with no worse words than these, Woman, John 8.1 [...] goe thy wayes and sin no more. And surely, if there be any means to prevent the enraged hearts of men, from boyling our at their mouths in bitter words, or breaking out at their hands [Page 170] in hurtfull deeds, it is this; as Salomon saith,Prov. 15.10. a soft answer breaketh wrath, a hard word raiseth fury. Thus Abraham prevented a breach between his own, and the family of Lot, saying,Gen. 13.8 Let there be no wrang­ling, I pray thee, betwixt thee and me, nor betwixt thy sh [...]p­heards and my she [...]pheards, for we are brethren. Thus also spake Gedeon in the book of Judges, to the incensed men of Ephraim, Judges 8.2, 3. saying, Is not a cluster of grapes of Ephraim better than a vintage of Abt [...]zar? And the Scripture saith, that when he had thus spoken, their spirits w [...]re qui [...]ted, whereby they swel­led against him. Even as the force of a bullet, spit out of the fiery entrayles of a gun, is smo­thered in a soft pack of wooll, or quenched in the yeelding wa­ter, [Page 171] when as encountring with a resisting wall it batters it to peeces.

This government and restraint of the tongue, is a most difficult lesson in Christianity, especially when men are highly provoked, either by injurious words or deeds: which made S. James say, Every nature of beasts, James 3.7, 8. and birds, and creeping things, and other things, are tamed, and have been tamed by man, but the tongue no man can tame; it is an u [...]qui [...]t evill, full of deadly poy­son. It is reported by Eusebius, that an unlearned man called Pamlus requested a friend of his to teach him a Psalm, who when he had read unto him the first verse of the 38. Psalm, I said I will keep my wayes, that I aff [...]d not with my tongue; would not suffer the next verse [Page 472] to be read, saying, I will first learn to practise this: and when his teacher blamed him because he had not seen him in six weeks after, he answered that he had not learned that verse: and one asking him many years after, whether he had then learned it or no; I am forty years old, saith he, and yet I have not lear­ned to fulfill it. Which difficul­ty (as is usually in noble minds) should so much the more whet our endeavours, and awaken our industry, that so in the go­vernment of our tongues, wee may arrive to the pitch of the example propounded to us, and be simple as Doves.

CHAP. VI.

THirdly, it is not enough for us, like Dives dogs, only to lick mens sores with our tongues, to give them good words only, but no further helps; but in our actions also we must follow all men (so far as in us lyeth) yea, and prevent them with our good turns; observing therein that order which S. Paul sets down,Gal. 6.10 While we have time (saith he) let us doe good unto all, but especially to the houshold of faith: and that time that Sa­lomon mentioneth;Prov. 3.28. Say not unto thy neighbour, goe and come a­gain to morrow, and I will give thee, if thou canst give now. We should be so covetous of doing good, that we should seek, nay make occasions, rather than [Page 174] expect them; and that with a mind so zealous of wel-doing, that the world should sooner cease to afford opportunities, than we want will to apprehend them; as S. Paul testifieth of the Churches of Macedonia, 2 Cor. 8.3. that to their power, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing: and as Job witnesseth of him­self,Job 29. v. 11, 12, 15, 19. I was an eye unto the blind, and a foot unto the lame; J was father of the poor, the ear that heard did blesse me, and the eye that saw gave testimony of me, because I delivered the poor man that cryed, and the pupill that had no helper. And with good reason, for as St. Chryso­stome saith, it is much more ex­cellent to feed hungry Christ, (that is to say his members) than to raise one from the dead in the name of Christ; for in [Page 175] this, Christ deserveth at thy hands, in that, thou deservest at his; for miracles thou art Gods debtor, for mercy he is thine. And they that cannot contribute one sort of good works for the assistance of their brethren, let them doe another; for there is scarce any so barren of power to doe good, but that in something or other, either spirituall or corporall, either great or lit­tle, he may be serviceable to his neighbour; as the fable well expresseth, which saith, that when the Lion was taken in a snare, the poor weak Mouse gave him his help, to gnaw the cords in sunder. We must there­fore like the taper, which burns it self out to give light unto others, spend the talent that God hath given us (next unto his glory) to the benefit of our [Page 176] brethren; yea, to his glory in the benefit of our brethren, as our saviour saith; Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorifie your father which is in heaven.

And this must be done, not only when we are hereunto in­vited by the counter courtesies, or inoffensive necessities of o­thers; but even then when we receive from them the sharp en­counters of contrary mischief. When we are assaulted with in­juries (in humane construction) beyond the ability of sufferance, or degree of reconcilement, we must strike off the tally of all their injuries, and if their need require, repay them with good turns;Rom. 12. [...]0. as St. Paul saith, Jf thy enemy shall hunger, feed him; if thirst, give him to drink: [Page 177] like the Patriarch Joseph, who rewarded the mercilesse cruelty of his brethren, by preserving that life in them, which they would have destroyed in him. The law of requitall, is a prin­ciple deeply rooted in the nature of man; whereby wee deem, that if one have broken his duty unto us, by offering us an injury, we are absolved from our duty to him, and may with­out the imputation of wrong, requite him with an equall injury: but we must know, that the duty of man unto man, is enjoyned in Scripture without condition or limitation, Do good unto all (saith St. Paul) not only if they doe good unto you (for that exceedeth not the righteousnesse of Scribes and Pharisees, which can never en­ter into the kingdom of heaven) [Page 178] but though they doe evill: as S. Paul saith again,Rom. 12.21. Be not over­come of evill; but overcome evill with good. To yield unto our repentant enemies the fa­vour of pardon, is a degree of Charity, of which there is a shadow and image even in noble beasts; for the Lion (they say) abateth his fierceness against any thing that doth prostrate it self unto it. To pardon our enemies persisting without satisfaction or submis­sion, is a second degree of Cha­rity, which is found in the soft and gentle natures of some men. But to pardon our per­sisting enemies, yea more, to deserve well of them by doing of them good, and that not out of a bravery or greatness of the mind, which delighteth in the fruit of its own vertue, but out [Page 179] of a heart appassionated with sorrow for his misery (if he be in any) and entendred with the love and desire of his good; this is the purest and the highest exaltation of fraternall Cha­rity, this is a simplicity imita­ting the divine nature, and the hardest lesson in all Christia­nity.

Whose coppy we have pen­cild out unco us in the practice of our Saviour, who, being God, and his enemies but men, did infinitly excell them in dignity, which made their in­juries infinite; and in power also, whereby he was able, ei­ther to prevent their mischiefs, or escape them; yea, to speak them all into nothing aswell as his word at first gave them a being out of nothing; did yet notwithstanding, with a love [Page 180] as great as their injuries were grievous, reward their reproa­ches with his prayers; their buffetings with his balsome; their treasons with his truth. They disgracefully spit on his eyes, and he with spittle healed their eyes; they made the blood to issue out of him, and he stopt the issues of blood in them; they took away a life from him, and he restored life to many of them; yea that very life of his, which their cruelty sacrificed to their revenge, did his love sacrifice for their redemption. There was never sorrow like unto his sorrow, nor ever love like unto his love; both being byeyond all example, and pro­pounded to all for an example; which while we make haste to imitate,Rom. 12.20. we shall upon our ene­mies [Page 181] heads heap coles of fire, (as the Aposlle speaketh) which shall either enflame them with a correspondency of affection, as heat begetteth heat; or else, for their unrelenting hearts, shall serve to augment their quenchless flames in hell. And for our selves receive we our comfort, in the words of our Saviour;Mat. 5.11.12. Blessed are ye when they shall curse you, and perse­cute you, and speak all manner of evill against you falsly, for my sake; rejoyce and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. And thus if wee order our thoughts our words, our deeds, both negatively, by thinking, spea­king, doing no evill; and positively, by thinking, spea­king, doing good; and this, not to our own alone, but even [Page 182] to our enemies; we shall reach the height of the example pro­pounded to us, and be simple as Doves.