THE Divine Echo, OR, Resounding voice from heaven, moralised betwixt a Christian and his soul, with short and effectual directions how to live and die well. Whereby the effects of virtue and the defects of vice, mercy with misery, heavenly felicity with worldly vanity, the joys of heaven with the torments of hell, are familiarly expressed. Divided into Prayers and Meditations for the ease and benefit of every Christian. The first part by john Swift.  Psal. 27.9. 
My heart talked of thee O Lord, seek ye my face:  
LONDON Printed for R. Bonion, and are to be sold at his Shop in Paul's Churchyard, at the Flower de Luce. 1612.   

TO THE RIGHT Worshipful Sir EDMUND MORGAN Knight, deputy Governor of the famous Town of Garrison of Portesmouth, and the I'll of Porsee, and to the Worshipful Master JOHN BRVEN Esquire, my especial favourers, all health and happiness.  
RIght Worshipful, if your favourable eyes may vout safe to read what my spare hours have brought forth: though small in show, yet great in substance; I humbly entreat you to be my protection; and thought it be but as a little stream in respect of the whole Ocean of godly books that are gone before; yet therein when your leisure best serves you, you may refresh and comfort yourself, unto a farther backing on of your worships, godly, virtuous and religious lives. 
Psal. 12.7  The word of God saith the Prophet David is pure, 
Mat. 24.12  even as silver which from the earth is tried and purified seven times in the fire, which word plainly and plentifully telleth us that iniquity shall abound in the latter days: 
1. Thes. 5.3.  how then should I cross my lips, & cry hush, or peace, seeing that if God's book be true, while men cry peace, peace, sudden destruction shall fall upon them: 
Mar. 12.30  The rather therefore I thought good to set forth, to the view of the world, this my Divine Echo, whereby the godly may be comforted and the wicked converted; I have named it the Divine Echo, for that as your worships may see, how the Christian soul doth suddenly return back and answer like the Echo, or rather I may say more truly like a voice from heaven, unto what he demandeth of her, directly giving the last sound of the word; both soul and body, heart and hand must agree together to serve the Lord. And if your worship should ask me why I should write thus fantastically (as you may term it) of an Echo, which before now was seldom or never heard of; I then must bring David for my Author and pattern who in his 27. psalm, when the Lord said unto him seek ye my face, his soul answered like an Echo, thy face Lord will I seek, seek my face, I seek thy face: and if you ask yet farther, why I should bring in a second or a Divine Dyogines, it is to show how every man, and therefore much rather how every Christian, should live contentedly with Dyogines the Cynic, not caring for the things of this world, and using it, with Paul as if he used it not; Let me now entreat your Worship's gravities to accept hereof; as some token of my true and sincere affection. And if this as I doubt not, be entertained with kind acceptance, I purpose God willing hereafter to present you with a subject of better worth: so leaving your Worships to the protection of the Almighty, I rest.  
Yours in all Christian duties to be commanded. Io. Swift.   

The Epistletothe Reader.  
CHristian Reader, I have for thy good, set forth to thy view this my divine Echo, with godly preparations to the practice of repentance; that so thou mayest not only meditate, but also imitate, & not only prattle or talk thereon, but also practise it, the reward of virtue, with the ruin of vice, the joys of heaven, with the torments of hell, the world and its vanity, with heaven and its felicity, also most sweet comforts both divine and moral for all Christians to increase their knowledge, in true godliness and piety, with a sound caveat for sinners, and wicked wretches, to hasten speedy repentance, whereby hell's terror may be escaped, and the punishment due for sin, might likewise be avoided. Farewell.   

THE DIVINE ECHO. Or short and godly Meditations, between a second or a Divine DIOGENES and the Echo, or a Christian and his Soul.  

SECT. 1. A Prayer to God the Son the only Physician both of the soul and body.  
O Sweet jesus, thou dove-eyde lamb of God, o sweet jesus, the comforter of my soul; how amiable are thy looks; O how beautiful thy countenance. O my sole and soul's delight, he that findeth thee, findeth all things, all that man's soul doth want, or that his heart can wish, and he that looseth thee, looseth all, for thou my love art all in all; come then and refresh my soul with thy looks, for she languisheth and pines a-away, because thou dost not visit her, 
Cant. 2.5.  she is sick of love and much grieves at thy long absence: perhaps Lord because she hath many suitors, thou thinkest that she doth not regard thee and thy company: its true my Lord, she hath many indeed, but she finds them false and dissembling, she likes them not, and will not marry with any of them, 
1. The. 5.21  but with thee only with thee; she hath tried all, and now she keeps that which is best; disdain her not; though now she be troubled with an issue of tears, for the issue of her sins, but rather come near her, that she may only touch the hem of thy garment, and her issue shall be dried up; O then disdain her not. She hath touched unclean things, 
Mar. 5.25 Mat. 8.3.  whereby she is become leprous and scabbed, O come then and touch her, and only say, I will, be thou clean, and her leprosy shall be cleansed. 
john 9.7.  Nay she is blind O Lord and can neither see nor yet conceive those things which are of thy spirit; O come and anoint her eyes, wash them in the pool & fountain of thy grace, and she shall see again. She is deaf and cannot hear, charm the charmer never so wisely, come then and put thy fingers in her ears, 
Psalm.  and cry but Ephphata and they shall be opened, She is dumb too and cannot speak, she cannot praise thy name, come then Lord cut that string, 
Mark 7.32.  touch her tongue and she shall openly glorify thee, she shall say and sing with Mary, My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit doth rejoice in God my Saviour. 
Mat. 9.33. Luke 1.46    

SECT. 2. The blindness and ignorance of the Atheist.  
YEt the Atheist not believing this, utterly contemning and neglecting my Lord, flies to nature; he can tell thee that all things are thereby governed, but yet knows not from whence nature herself is; the Sun the Moon and Stars move by nature: true it seems to be, and true it may be, but most true we know this to be, that God moves nature, all planets and Stars are but his Instruments, 
Gen. 14. joh. 38. Mat. 5.34. & 35.  Instruments to move by moving to effect, by effecting to alter and order all things here below, heaven is his seat & the earth his footstool, who when we run awry spurns and kicks us with the heel of his wrath, if then the lowest and meanest part of his body (meanest and weakest too according unto human sense) be able to curb in our wandering appetites, what then me thinks may his hands do, which always holds the bridle? tell me my soul what may his hands do, which have made both heaven and earth, 
Act. 4.24.  the sea and land and therein both great and small things. Ecch. All things.   

SECT. 3. A terror for Hypocrites and cold professors.  
IF then there be a God, why do men still halt between two opinions? 
1. King. 18.21.  saith Eliah: why are they cripples, and why walk they on crutches in their religion: know they not, how that it is a long and hard way to heaven, and therefore a lame cripple can never be able to reach thither? if the Lord be God, follow him, but if Baal be he, then go after him: bawl after Baal, for surely all lukewarm professors the Lord will cast and spew out of his mouth, 
Deut 22.  these Linsewolse mongrels glut and overcome the purity of his stomach: is God then think ye, who is my sweet Lord, my maker and my redeemer, like unto Baal? or like David's Image? in his 135. Psalm: one that hath eyes but cannot see their wickedness, one that hath ears yet cannot hear the cry of their sins, One that hath a throat yet cannot roar after his prey, 
Amos 3.8.  one that is a sleep and understands not, or one that hath hands and cannot strike? surely God is no Idol nor yet an idle God, but a living God, and if living, why then doth this age think him to be so patiented as that he will not revenge his foes? or so weak, as that he cannot, or so ignorant as that he knows not how, or so fearful as that he dares not? or else do these wicked ones think him to be a liar, who saith he will punish offences, and yet will not? He that saith there is no God is guilty of damned Atheism, and he that thinks in his heart, that there is a GOD, but withal thinks him to be so patiented and merciful, as that he will not revenge in time to come, is guilty of that horrible sin of presumption, 
Psalm. ista.  and both fearful, God is patiented, and God is just too, for mercy & truth are met together, righteousness & peace have embraced each other: his mercy is great we know, it is above all his works, and we find it so, 
Mich. 7.18. & 19  for what saith my soul hath the Lord showed himself to be, for that so long on our sins he hath even winked and smiled.  
Ecch. Mild.   

SECT. 4. The carelessness of the wicked in serving God.  
MAny of the brave lads of this world are now turned Gamester, they think to obtain Heaven by lot, if it be their fortune to come in, well and good; so it is, alas poor fools, if their chance be not the better, it may so chance, that they may all stand without at the door with the five foolish Virgins and there pipe for cold and gnash their teeth, 
Mat. 25.10 & 11. Mat. 8.12.  with the fieri-frozen souls in hell; plain casting will not win such golden price, for if they know not how to help their die, they may there die without help, and yet never die; but pine in pain with the unskilful sort, heaven is round I confess yet not like Fortune's wheel, and he that thinks with the former it is his fortune, if so be that he comes thither, may chance if the spokes of his wheel be not stronger, to lie in the mire, thus men play all their goods, yea & their chiefest good too, at mumchance, they stake their Souls at this unfortunate game, and then if chance bear the sway, the victory must needs be doubtful; but what wiseman would hazard such a precious price as his soul, at such a base game, and with such a coney-catching cogger as Satan that grand-gamster who can strike a die at pleasure? he hath his false dice and all other shifts that may be, to deceive and blind the eyes of our understanding, to win the souls of poor doting worldlings.   

SECT. 5. A Meditation on the birth of Christ, and the three wisemen's offerings,  
O Sweet jesus, O my sweet, who art white and ruddy, 
Canti. 5.10. Mat. 2.1.2. etc.  O thou the chiefest of ten thousands, when thou wast borne there came wisemen from the East even the first fruit of the Gentiles to worship thee, and in their journey they were guided by a Star, which Star did direct them, brought them unto thee unto Bethlem, unto that place where thou O pretty harmless smiling Babe didst lie in a cratch: so grant my Lord that thy word may never vanish from our eyes, that light of lights, that true light, but may bring us to that place that heavenly Bethlem, which our souls most long after, even as the Hart desireth the water brooks, where we shall see thee not as these wisemen did, a servant, but a Lord, not to be judged, but to judge, not to call men to repentance, 
Mat. 11. 2● Luke 21.27 Esay 53.3. Mat. 24.42 john 8.15. 1. Thes. 4.17.  but to punish the unrepentant, not sitting on an Ass or starveling beast, but riding on the starry sky, on the wings of the wind, not lying in a cold stable in a poor ragged manger, but in state and majesty, in pomp and much glory; And when these wisemen had worshipped, they opened their treasures & presented unto thee gifts, even gold and incense and myrrh, and that because Lord the Persians manner was not to salute Kings without a present grant therefore that we never come unto thee, 
Psa. 93.1. & 99.1.  o thou the king of kings, unless we bring a presenttoo, even an heart tried and purified as gold and silver, an heart of incense and myrrh, devout prayers, godly Meditations that the savour thereof may ascend up into the clouds, and be a sweet smelling sacrifice unto thee, my love, my heart's delight O thou the chiefest of ten thousands.   

SECT. 6. True knowledge what it is.  
MAny men in these days, think themselves wise because they know and learn many things, though what they are bound to know, that they know not, that is to understand and learn the commandments of God, and thereon to meditate day and night: they have forgot that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; the knowledge of God's laws maketh young men sober, for wherewithal saith the prophet, 
Psal. 1.2 Psal. 119.9.  shall a young man cleanse his way? even by ruling himself after thy commandments: it doth comfort old men, it is wealth to the poor and treasure to the rich, it feedeth the hungry souls, it is a pleasant river to the thirsty heart, and it maketh all men wise and still capable of further knowledge, and surely he that wanteth knowledge, or is ignorant in the will of God, void of learning, and good education, howsoever than the world may make account of him, yet he is but the shape of a man and no man, though never so well beautified with the outward gifts of nature, I say if he wanteth christian and godly nurture; he is but the gliding shape of a man and no man; Yet men are more chary in keeping men's laws, then in keeping of Gods, whereas though God's laws yield the greater and the greatest reward that may be being kept, and the breaking of them the greater yea & the greatest punishment of all. Not to perform what should be done & what is commanded, nay commanded by the mouth of god, doth betoken negligence, and to do what is forbidden is a sign, if known, of presumption, if not of ignorance, me thinks I hear my soul answering me, how a man may offend God, as well as by committing.  
Echo Omitting.   

SECT. 7. The best knowledge is to know one's self.  
BEfore that a man can come to have a true knowledge of any thing, he must first learn to know himself, and he that well knoweth himself, esteemeth little of himself, considering from whence he came, what he is, and whither he must, he regardeth not the vain pleasures of this brittle life, but highly extolleth the laws of God, and only seeketh to live in his fear; but he that knoweth not himself, is ignorant of Gods will, wilful in ignorance, bold in wickedness, most unprofitable in his life, and utterly graceless at the hour of his death. Learn thou then to know thyself for this is thy duty, & he that knoweth not that, which he ought to know, is a brute and senseless beast amongst men: and he that knoweth no more than he hath need of, is a man amongst beasts, but he that delighteth in the knowledge of God's will, searcheth out his works and wonders and thereby knoweth all that is fitting for a man to know, is a God amongst men; Learn thou then to forget evil, for truly this is the best kind of learning and not to know it is the surest knowledge, in not learning it thou provest thyself to be a great Scholar even a Doctor in Christ's School, & in not knowing it thou showest thyself to be the wisest of all men: for when thou art weak than thou art strong, 
Paulus ad cor.  when thou art ignorant then art thou expert.   

SECT. 8. On good Council what it is.  
IS not good council better than gold, 
Wisd. 7 8.  and more precious than the Emerald, the Diamond or Onyx stone? me thinks it is, yet had men rather receive gold and pearl and precious stones than give them, and can give good Council and will receive none; this than is their folly, the foolish madness of our time; yet despair not, neither faint, for thou mayest think thyself a good Orator if thou canst only persuade others to do as they should, though thou mayest think thyself a better when as thou canst persuade thyself to do as thou oughtest, but lastly thou mayest think thyself the chiefest of all, the best of all Orators else, when as thou canst persuade both thyself and also them, and so persuade them that words may leave such a perfect impression in their hearts, so that thy bare and naked words may be turned into sound and perfect works.   

SECT. 9 A Meditation on Christ jesus borne in a Stable.  
OH that I had now a fountain of tears in each eye, that I might night and day bewail and weep, 
Luke 2.12.  and bewail the hard-heartedness of the jews; oh my love, what my love borne in a stable? why, there might have been Bears and Wolves which might have devoured both thee & thy mother too, there might have been wild horses, that might have kicked out thy brains, or Oxen that might have trod upon thee, & so destroyed thee? alas my love what my love and Lord both born in a stable? why the loathsome smell thereof might have choked, or the cold have killed thee; ah hardhearted Innkeeper, who did more respect roisting Ruffians, the brave lads of this world, than my Lord the Lord both of heaven and earth; yet more hardhearted was thy wife, for me thinks she being a woman, should have weighed a woman's case at such a time, Oh that I had a stream of tears still gushing out of mine eyes, that beholding hear the humility of God, I might bewail the pride of men; But why should I grieve and thus conceit myself of wilde-beasts; seeing he that was thy keeper was thy strength & seeing he that kept thee doth neither slumber nor sleep, 
Psal. 121  had it been his will that thou shouldest not have been borne there, thou shouldest not, it should not have been done.   

SECT. 10. How the world is even smothered up with sin.  
OFtentimes as I have stood on the high mountain of Contemplation, yea even a tiptoe on the top thereof, I have much desired that some others would have likewise amounted up thither unto me to have borne me company in these my solitary studies; so that there meditating they might turn themselves from coast to coast, from quarter to quarter, from one part of the earth to another, and see how the world is besmeared with the fat of sin, with abomination, and with all uncleanness whatsoever; for I see how one in one part brags and boasts in his bags, how another in another quarter triumpheth in his braveries, the third in his pelts, and another in his pots; but yet withal let the first know that his soul is rusty, 
1. Cor. 6.10  and therefore hath that mighty one promised to scour it in hell fire, if we will believe God & his word, who will not be mocked; let the other know that his soul is puffed up and swollen, 
Luke 18.14  and therefore must it be pressed down, it is exalted and it must be brought low, let the third know that his soul is all filthy most beastly and loathsome, 
Revel. 21.8  and therefore without an earnest repentance it will be cast aside into the stinking jakes of hell and damnation like to like, 
Heb. 2.15.  and let the last know how that he hath glutted the Lord stomach, how that the Lord hath surfeited with him and the multitude of his companions, and therefore shall in time to come, carouse the cup of the Lords wrath and vengeance; oh that men than would once be wise, & not as the wiseman speaketh make but a sport of sin: the fool saith pride is but a point of gentility, surfeiting sparks of good fellowship, beastly wantonness, tricks of youth, nay what saith he farther (my soul) is the effect of manhood and courage.  
Ecch. Rage.   

SECT. 11. Satan's deceit to catch souls.  
SAthan that cunning fisher, who knoweth in what holes the souls of men lie, hath invented many baits to catch them, if he cannot take them through pleasure, he baiteth beauty on his hook, if not through beauty, honour, if not through honour riches, if not with riches some vanity else, if one will not serve, he useth some other means, so that if possibly he may, he will draw them into his net, unless they swim swiftly under that rock Christ jesus whereon the devil is sure to break his tackling; so that by his suggestions one while we burn in the heat of Desire, another while we are ravished with the thought of revenge, another while enraged with the desire of dignity, so that we are never out own until we leave all, until we leave the world; 
Eccles. 11.8  And what though a man saith Solomon lives many years, and in them all rejoice, yet he must remember the days of darkness for they are many: well then let men like resty jades take the bit in their mouths at liberty, let them refresh their souls with vanities, let them delight in dignities, let them possess heaps of riches, let them live pleasantly let them far daintily, let them drink lustily, let them lodge softly; but yet withal let them know that God at length will curb them in; that they must all appear before the judgement seat of his Majesty, 
Eccles. 12. ●  remember then thy creator in the days of thy youth, for all this is but vanity; if Solomon had been a fool, who was the wisest of all men, thou mightest then have accused him of folly; or if Solomon had not tasted these vanities (who tasted them all to their full) thou mightest then have condemned him of ignorance, in not knowing their sweetness; if then thou canst neither reprove his wisdom, nor yet reprehend his experience, why wilt thou not yield that all is vanity?   

SECT. 12. A Meditation on Christ who is the true light.  
O Thou bright morning star oh thou bright morning Sun, and son of God, by thine arising we wretched sinners Prognosticate that the threatening clouds of thy father's anger shall flee away, the weather shall be clear and calm, the air sweet and wholesome if so be that we believe in thee and desire to be lightened by thy word, 
Psal. 119 105.  for thy word O Lord is a Lantern unto my feet and a light unto my paths; Thou hast given us this world for a walk and thy word for a guide, so that we may easily without stumbling and falling recover the period of our journey, recover our journeys end, for when thy word goeth forth saith David, it giveth light & understanding even unto the simple, this is that light them whereby we must walk, this is that light which must guide our feet, and unless we walk by this light, we may soon fall into confusion, for here in one place lieth whole quagmires of sin, in another blocks of error and ignorance, in the third the slippery ye of deceitful vanities of vain delights, and without thy light O Christ (who art the true light) and the light of thy word and Gospel, we may soon stick in these quagmires, we may soon slide and fall down on this ye; Direct then O Lord our paths that we fall not, who art the true light and lamp of the world.   

SECT. 13. The vanity of worldly things.  
DAme Nature, yea one better than nature, even God himself, hath put a division between man and beast, yet man by all means strives to become a baast, to dam up the course of nature, nay, rather to cross the will of God, and is not this strange, that men should be so swinish; strange it is indeed, yet not so strange as true; when as they live and die in sensuality. Men while they live here in this transitory world, should so delight in the book of God, that they may leave the name of a good man, I mean the name of a good Christian behind them when they are dead; and if we leave that it is all we can leave, nay, it is the greatest of all other things that may be left behind: and no man will, no man can expect more at our hands; but he that doth not leave this behind him when he is dead, carrying it about with him while he is alive, surly is no man, but a monster whose estate is far worse than the dogs, the toads, or any other filthy creature: Amongst the Catalogue of the wise man's fools, the folly of one have I most deeply sounded; let him therefore bear home the bell, & that is he who namely esteems the world, which esteemeth no man, and maketh no reckoning of GOD, who so greatly regardeth all men, what folly can be greater than this, seeing that the world is like unto an hostess with whom when a poor travailer hath spent all the money in his purse, she turneth him out of her doors, and there with all telling him, that she is weary of such trouble-houses, so when a man hath spent all time so precious here in this world, he must at last departed out of it, he must away, he must vanish, & for that he heretofore did not forsake the world the world will now forsake him; & what thinkest thou, my soul, will the world do at length by flattering us now with delights, and with pleasures by feasting us?  
Ecch. Sting us.   

SECT. 14. The miserable estate of the voluptuous worldling.  
TRue it is, that when a man, doth not bridle his affections, they carry him headlong unto all licentious living, which causeth him to judge not according unto reason, but according unto sense, and where men have such a liberty to offend, how sweet is sin unto the flesh? so that there is no difference between men and beasts, save that men do exceed beasts in beastliness and sensuality: oftentimes as I have breathed, I have thought with myself, what could be most like unto man's breath, and nothing could I find so fit to be compared unto it, as pleasure, as pleasing beastliness, which vanisheth away so soon as it is seen. I would then that men would cheer up, their lowering melancholic spirits, with the sweet harmony of the Gospel of jesus Christ, and awaken their drowsy souls with the alarm of resolution unto Godliness, for they must know that there is no greater shame, then for a man to be resolute in worldly actions, & yet wavering doubtful in the chief points of their salvation.   

SECT. 15. To be constant in the Lord's service: and examples thereof.  
surely Paul was constant, yea and resolute too, in the points of his salvation: for he doth encourage and stir up others, 
1. Tim. 6.  to do the like, fight the good fight of faith saith he: O noble Souldidier! O famous conqueror! me thinks no man should refuse to draw the sword of the spirit a-against his most deadly enemies the world, the flesh and the devil, and seeing that against these three tyrannical persecutors, all those that would be accounted good Christians daily war so long as they are in their earthly Tabernacles, they know well enough that they have a good Captain even Christ jesus, who will give them their full pay, so that they shall lose nothing by their fight, 
Mich. 5. verse 2. Mat. 2. v. 6.  and out of Bethleem came this Captain to govern his people Israel. All the Prophets, Martyrs and holy Saints of God be his Lieutenants, who follow their captain Christ close at the heels, and will not shrink one jot from him, who in stead of a feather hung and bedecked with golden aglets had a crown of thorns upon his head, beset round about with prickles, and Lieutenant Paul, Lieutenant Peter and all the rest of his Lieutenants in general; in stead of honour had dishonour, in steed of mirth, mourning, in steed of reverence, revilings, and in steed of being made much of, they were made roockes of; Now the flag or ancient which the Godly bear into the fields, and in which they triumph and rejoice is the Cross of Christ, whence saith one Ancient-bearer amongst the rest, absit, God forbidden that I should rejoice in any thing, but in the Cross of our Lord jesus Christ, 
Gal. 6.14.  whereby the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world; 
Cant. 5.  our captains colours are the red cross in a white field, white and red, white in respect of his innocent pureness or pure innocency, red in respect of his passion, when drops of blood issued from him, & came trickling down his cheeks: who koweth not then my well-beloved, my welbelooved is white and ruddy, the chiefest of ten thousands; the drummers and Trumpeters of this army are the Ministers of God's word, who lift up: 
Esai. 85.  their voices like trumpets to show God's people their sins, and the house of jaacob their transgressions, to batter down the walls of the spiritual jerico: the common soldiers of this band are all the elect and faithful servants of God in general; lastly the place where this Captain, these Lieutenants, these Ancient-bearers, 
Cant 5.1.  these Drummers, trumpeters, Common Soldiers, do march and meet together is the church of God, there we must keep our rendezvous, there we must eat & drink, & make ourselves merry, there must be our court of guard, for saith our Captain, where two or three are gathered together in my name, 
1. Thes. 5.  there am I in the midst of them, there, there doth he teach us how to fight, there, there doth he train us up; there doth he place us in battle rue, and teach us how to put on the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the spirit, and the hope of salvation for an helmet; O let us not suffer then our armour to rust, for if it rust, our Captain and Saviour, jesus Christ, when he shall come at that great day of muster, at the day of judgement, when as all souls shall be mustered up together, he will think us to be but idle and slothful servants; O therefore come fellow soldiers, let us march on still, stand your ground, yield not the bucklers, be resolute and courageous, for we have received press-money in our baptism, there, there have we vowed to be the soldiers of Christ; stand to it then stoutly, yield not unto the vain pleasures of the world; come I say let us march on; for hear ye not how the holy Ghost soundeth out the drum of comfort, of triumph, of joy, of peace, and all happiness; crying, Be thou faithful unto the death, and I will give thee a crown of life, and hear ye not the merry sluit and pipe, playing most sweetly and singing in the air. 
Revel. 2.10  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my kingdom.  
o.   

SECT. 1. A meditation on Christ's riding to jerusalem on an ass.  
O Bountiful jesus, whose head is as fine gold, whose locks are curled, 
Cant 5.11. Math. 21.7  and black as a raven, thou entredst jerusalem fitting on an ass. O low and humble mind of so great a king! thou wast poor too sweet Lord when thou entredst in the city, for thou borrowedst garments to cover thine harmless body; though thou wast owner of all, both in heaven and earth, thou wast poor indeed, for thou hadst not whereon, or wherein to rest thine head, thou wast borne poor, thou livedst poor, and thou diedst poor, poor & naked, here me thinks my Lord doth condemn our pride, and the pride of those that were heirs of David's kingdom, to see how magnifically in what pomp and state, with how many vain glorious plaudits of the people, and riding in Chariots all glittering with gold, they entered in that city jerusalem, and to see now, how my Lord rideth in upon an ass, without any furniture, only his disciples threadbare coats being cast upon her. And what is my Lord indeed road before into the ●●●e? well than I will lackey after, let us make haste unto the gates of the city, and there knock while they may be opened unto us: Let us run a pace, I say, lest that we be answered with the foolish virgins, Abite enim, nescio vos, Go away for I know you not.   

SECT. 17. How a man must be considered.  
IN what state things temporal and transitory stand, even in the same doth man; 
Senccae Epist. 77.  that ship is called good and fortunate, not she which is painted out with precious colours, nor she whose anchor is made either of gold or silver, or whose cable is made of fine twisted-silke, nor yet she that is fraught with a prince's revenues, nor yet with the whole wealth of a kingdom; but she that is stable and firm, whose joints are close and found, swift in her journey, and long living on the seas foaming waves; that sword is called good, not that whose hilts are gilded, or whose sheath is beset with pearls, but that sword, which hath a sharp and well seasoned edge, able to cut whatsoever it shall be put unto; the carpenter commendeth not his rule for the beauty thereof, but for the true measure and straightness of it, and in man it availeth nothing, how many acres of ground he ploweth, how many he soweth, how much money he puts forth to use, of how many he is saluted and called master, how soft the bed be that he lies in, or how precious the cup be that he drinks in, and the like; but how good and virtuous he be; how sharp the edge of his zeal is to cut down sin, and how straight his feet walk in the ways of the Lord; We see then that whosoever is a mighty man, is not thereby a good man, but he that is good is thereby a mighty man, yea and presently mighty, as heat is unseparable from fire, so is might from goodness; none of these whom riches only raise to honour, are to be called great men, why then do we call them great? a dwarf if thou shalt measure his basis or foundation, will not prove a tall man, though he stand on a mountain, and a Church pillar will keep its height though it stand in a pit-hole; and this is our faults, for that we never esteem a man as he is, but we add unto him transitory and ourward things, but if then thou wilt truly consider the worth, and worthiness of a man, behold him bare and naked, only behold the good parts and qualities of his mind.   

SECT. 18. The praise of virtue.  
OFrentimes have I seen fools, yea and vicious livers too, to get many salutations with cap & knee, but what may they thank for it, their weed not their wit, their garments and not their deserts, their vestures & not their virtues, yet howsoever he be descended, I am sure, that he boasteth in vain of his great lineage and parentage; that having no good quality in himfelse, seeketh to be esteemed for the Nobility of his ancestors, There is nothing on earth more like to God than a man perfectly virtuous, who doth so much excel others, as GOD excels him; & as far as the mind exceeds the body in dignity, so far doth he that is a Gentleman by his deserts and good qualities exceed the other, that is called master only through his many Lands and Lordships.   

SECT. 19 For what men are esteemed in these days.  
But now the world is come to such an untowardness that an Dines sit omnes quarimus nemo an bonus, we all ask whether such a man be rich or no; no man asketh whether he be godly and virtuous, neither do we demand or inquire how he came by his riches, but how much he hath, and as his goods increase so is he esteemed, if a man be rich and therewithal bountiful, though never so vicious, we account him a good honest man, God save his life, say we, thus riches are a band to all villainy, a rich man may as soon be acquitted as play the knave, the Humble Bee breaks through the Cobweb, when as the poor silly Fly is catched, and it is a thing worthy of note to see how men flock to the place of execution, and thrung together to see an offender lose his life, or some naughty pack carted; Strange it is indeed, and I wonder thereat, and worth the noting if they may be noted, when as some of these lookers on, have stolen twice as much, and hath murdered twice as many as he hath that is executed; and again when as some of these gazers have played the strumpet five times for her once, that is now punished, and thus tormented by the decree of the Law: yet if he that dieth for his offence hath stolen thrice as much as thou hast and in the mean space thou art not seen, or being seen art winked on, or rather nodded at, tell me which of you two, may challenge the degree happiness? surely me thinks that friend which laboureth to case up any heinous fact in a guilty person, knows not what he doth, for the one is the Butcher, and the other the knife, and both seek to rip up the bowels of their own souls, without the greater grace of God, and greater repentance: the butcher is the murderer, and therefore to be condemned, the knife is the instrument of murder, and therefore to be contemned, and farther there is a third party to be arraigned at the bar of God's justice, and that is the judge, when the faulty is freed, when the guilty is acquitted, for tell me my soul, how are most of those malefactor's hearts, after that by the unjust bribe-taking judge, they are openly pardoned?  
Ecch. Hardoned.   

SECT. 20. A Meditation on Christ's going unto the mount of Olives.  
OMercisull jesus, 
Cantic. 5.  Oh sweet Christ, my love, my dove my dear, whose eyes are like doves upon the rivers of the waters, which are washed with milk and remain by the full vessels: he is dou-eyde indeed truly dou-eyde, he is like unto Noah's dove, 
Gens. 8.10.  which Noah when as the Deluge was over all the world, sent forth our of the Ark, and the dove came to him in the evening, and lo in her mouth was an Olive leaf which she had plucked, whereby Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth: And when the world was drowned with sin God the father sent forth from the Ark of heaven his Son Christ, which pretty harmless dove returned with an olive branch in his mouth too, whereby we may all know that the waves of God's wrath are abated from off the earth, for in this dove he was well pleased, this was he in whom he delighted: again we read in the Gospel that this innocent dove, 
john.  came unto the mount of Olives, 
Matth. 21.1.  when as he was about, by his death to save our souls, the souls of men, he came thither; First, to the mount of Olives, for he came to make peace between God & man, and the Olive tree doth betoken peace, it is the character of peace, as the Olive branch in the pigeous mouth, and Christ hath brought this Olive into the world, 
Ephes. 2.14.  for he is our peace, which hath made both one, and hath broken down the stop of the partition-wall; As in old time, 
Omes. 8.9.  before that the floods were diminished from off the earth, the dove had not whereon to rest the soles of her feet, and we before that the roaring streams of God's wrath were gone (through Christ's merits) from off the world, had not likewife whereon to rest the feet of our souls.   

SECT. 21. Good and bad must not be mixed together.  
MAny men there are who have liberty, in their lives, & what may be the cause of this but want of grace? some again there are who have liberty in their hands, and this is a sign of theft, some also have liberty in their tongues, and this betokens folly; and many again there be, who have liberty in their minds, and this warranteth their goodness, and no man liveth truly at liberty, but he that liveth godly, who so is virtuous, who so is freed from the bondage of sin; learn thou then not only to live, but to know how to live, for the first of these each beast doth covet, but the latter becometh a Christian; seek then to purify thy soul in the fountain of grace, thy soul and heart both must be clesed, 
Matth. 12.  for such as the tree is such is the fruit; a good tree, saith Christ, cannot bring forth bad fruit, neither can a bad tree bring forth good fruit: art thou a bad man, and doth a good sentence proceed from thy mouth, surely thou disgracest the sentence, for we know that thou art but a Crabtree stock, and therefore thy fruit must needs relish very sour, art thou a good man, and doth bad words and come out of thy lips? thou makest thy words not the better, but thyself the worse, thy filthy words are as fruit that is blited, this maketh men to curse the stock though thou in thyself mayest come of the right kind, in any case suffer not what is good to be mingled with what is nought for a bad word will sooner disgrace a good man, than a good man can grace what we know to be bad, what is good may be stained with what is nought, before that which is nought may be made good.   

SECT. 22. A Meditation on the loss of Christ when he was but twelve years old.  
COmfort my soul oh Lord, stretch forth thine hands of compassion, and reach unto me ever lasting life, 
Cant. 5.  whose hands are as rings of Gold, set with the chrysolite, whose belly like white ivory covered with sapphires; whom Mary and joseph sought sorrowing, but could not find him until the third day, 
Luke ●●.  they sought my Lord in the City, and in the Country, within the walls, and without the walls, in jerusalem and abroad among his kinsfolks, but could not find him, and they sorrowed the more for that they lost their Son, when as he was but twelve years old: O sweet child, where waste? where didst hide thyself? who gave thee house-room? who gave thee meat and drink? who plucked off thy hosen and shun? 
De omnibus inquit Bernard: Coniicere vel opinari aliquid libet, affirma re autem temere non licet. Mark 10  who made clean thy coats? what company didst thou use? whether in heaven or earth, or in any house in the mean time didst thou remain? surely thou wast in some secret place, with some of thy young and tender years, teaching them the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, according to thine own words in the Gospel: suffer little Children to come unto me, and forbidden them not, but what was the cause my sweet Lord, that thou hadst no compassion on thy poor mother seeking thee, grieving for thee, sighing and sobbing and pouring out whole streams of tears for loss of thee; And why Mary didst thou seek the child so earnestly whom thou knewest to be God directly; didst thou fear lest that he was starved with hunger or vexed with cold, or least that he should be wronged by some Children playing in the streets? what is not this he who defendeth all men, who feedeth all things, who nourisheth all creatures living, who doth array and  the grass of the field, which groweth now and a non is cast into the oven, and makes them more glorious, then Solomon in all his royalties?   

SECT. 23. On the same.  
We see here with what sighing and sobbing, with what lamenting, with how great sorrowing, grieving and groaning they sought the babe, and specially Mary his mother; and how great this was who is able to express? every word she spoke was shut up with a tear, tears made full stops yet were her words never fully ended, every line she uttered had a parenthesis with wring and wrefling of the hands, and crying as Reuben did, when he sought his brother joseph, 
Gen. 37.30  and could not find him. The Child is not here, and I, whether shall I go? and Marry when she sought her son and could not find him, cried likewise the child is not here, and I, whither shall I go? the child is not here, oh the child is not here, and I whither shall I go? and we therefore, who have lost this child joseph, this babe Christ; through sin, must seek him again by repentance, with much grieving and sorrowing as Mary did, if we cannot find him in one prayer, we must go unto another, and never cease crying with Rubin, and I whither shall I go?   

SECT. 24. On death, how it is our greatest friend.  
IT is the manner and fashion of men in this age, to salute those whom they meet, to salute and embrace all their friends and acquaintance; yet is there one whom we daily meet, and our greatest friend too, but we take no notice of him, death I mean who is our friend, yea and our chiefest friend, for by him we pass over the seas of misery, unto the blessed land of rest and true felicity, we meet him daily, yet we think not on him, the longer we live the more inwardly we are acquainted together, and the nearer we come unto him: 
Hieronimus  quotidie morimur saith one father, & quotidie commutamur, we die daily and we are daily & hourly changed, yet are our souls immortal, and hereon hangs the Christians joy: death then is such a friend that without the which the godly cannot live, for it is transitus a passage unto life everlasting, and thereon do the Godly Meditate both night and day; 
Cicero.  and without the which the wicked must not live, it keeps down their proud hearts, it keeps them in awe, & servile fear, for if it were otherwise, they would even scorn God to his face, and bid him do what he durst do; if the godly be desirous to live, it is a token that they are bend to do some good, but on the contrary, if the wicked would live it is to do some mischief; yet in the end neither good nor bad can withstand death; some die at first, some at last, so that all die at length: death surely to the godly minded man is life, whose meditation is on divine matters, and whose hope is the joys of heaven, none indeed do fear death, save those that have committed so much iniquity, as after death deserveth damnation: for hell is reserved of old for the disobedient, but where are the godly, 
Revel. 21.  what saith thy soul Dyogines?  
Ecch. In ease.   

SECT. 25. On the suddenness thereof and uncertainty.  
THe world saith that a merry heart lives long, but I say a joyful soul lives for ever, it is not the death that destroyeth the soul but a bad life; therefore God hath hid the time of our departure from our eyes, because we should make haste to amend, for if we now knowing how that death comes suddenly are careless of God's service, what would we do if we did know it to be delayed for some long time: 
August. in libr. de Scrip. Christian.  Augustine saith, Latet ultimus dies, ut obseruentur omnes dies, our last day is not known unto us, because we should still be so prepared, as if the next day still following were the appointed time of our departure, we see if a man lose a thing of any price, 
Luke 15.8.  he will seek for it foot after foot: yea and light a candle too, as the gospel speaketh, whereby he may be assured not to overslip what he lost. So we if we mean to find heaven, must beg of God by earnest prayer, to enlighten our feet with the lamp of his holy spirit, and so make conscience of all our ways, and examine every step, until we have found what we sought, a thing of great praise and prize: be sure then to step charily, for O man saith Bernard, it is certain that thou must die, but uncertain where, how or when. Because then that death doth look for thee, in every place and at all times, do thou then also if thou art wise, look for it every where too, and this me thinks is the best way to match subtle death. But men in these days who have not this knowledge, do most shamefully complain upon God for the shortness of their lives, when as they as short as it is, do through rioting, surfeiting, drinking, and bousing, and through malice & murders, make it more short both in themselves, and also in others, yet me thinks if men would duly consider, of what mould they are made, they would not be so careless of their soul's health, and of God's service, one silly flea in the night will soon break their sleep, one small prick with a thorn or pin, will even force tears to issue from their eyes: if thy body were brass or steel, then O man thou mightest have some cause to triumph and glory in thyself, thou mightest have some cause to think thyself able to resist all misfortune, and to withstand all putrefaction, but mark I pray thee the frailty of thy flesh, which if it lie in the grave but only three or four days, thy dearest friend that thou leavest behind thee, will not be able by reason of the noisome smell of thy dead carcase to come near it, or yet once endure the sight thereof: Remember now that thou art but dust and worms meat, and bear therefore about thee the Anatomy of thy faults, search into the bottom of every particular fin, and go into the house of fasting and not into the house of feasting, for where sorrowing for sins and sadness is, there is the heart of wisemen, but where mirth is, there is the heart of fools.   

SECT. 26. The frailty of our bodies.  
MAny times have I thought with myself, how that it may one day so come to pass, that this earthly body of ours, now pampered up, & kept from the wind and weather, now honoured & much respected, may one day serve to make up a mudwall: for a time may happen, when some building may be made near unto the grave (be it never so gay and sumptuous) and that they might dig for some earth out of the same to make mortar for a wall, 
Omnes morimur et sicut aqua labimur, in terram. Eccl.  and so shall thy feely body, being now changed into earth, become afterwards an earthen wall: although it be at this present, the most noble body (and most delicately cherished) of all bodies in the world; and how many bodies of Kings and Emperors (I wonder) have come already to these promotions.  
Echo Ocyons.   

SECT. 27. On the same.  
O The baseness and beastliness of the body, when as the soul is departed out of it, and O the continual moving and wasting of our life, and hastening unto this baseness; what minute of an hour passeth but that we go one step forward towards our death? what other thing think ye is the moving of the Heavens, but as it were a very swift wheel, which is continually spinning and winding up our lives, for like as a roll of wool, saith one father, is spun upon a wheel, of the which, at every turning about, some part is wound up, at the first turn a little, at the second a little more, and so forth at every turn until all be ended: so doth the wheel of the heavens continually spin and windc up our life, in that at every turning round that it maketh a piece of our life is spun and wound up; and therefore holy job saith, 
job. 9.25.  that his days were more swift than one that rideth in post: for he that rideth in post, though his message requireth never so much haste, yet sometimes necessity causeth him to stay: but our life never stayeth, neither will it give us so much liberty, as the space of one hour of rest.   

SECT. 28. Why God will not have us to have knowledge of things to come.  
IN this, as in all other things the wisdom of God is infinite, who will not have, nor yet suffer men to have knowledge of future things, of things to come, for if they had aprescience or foreknowledge of their prosperity they would be careless and negligent toward God their maker, and again understanding of their adversity, they would be senseless, as a malefactor, who commonly is half dead, so soon as the rope is cast about his neck; man therefore hath only knowledge of things present and past, of things present for that he may at all times behold the works of God and presently betake himself unto a new and holy life, unto heavenly meditations; oft past, for that he may give God glory for his good deeds, 
james.  ceiling that every good & perfect gift cometh from above, and be sorry for his bad, his corrupt and evil life.   

SECT. 29. What a good conscience is, and the praise thereof.  
THe best way for a man, to promise his soul everlasting life, after death, is to make much of a good conscience while he lives; surely the wisest of kings, king Solomon had thoroughly tasted the delicacy of this dainty dish, in that he calleth it a continual feast, a meat wherewith he could never be glutted: by it the innocent smileth, before the furiousness of the fearful judge, when as in the mean space, 
Prou. 15.13. & 17.22.  the guilty by inward gripings discovereth his offence, though all men seem to wink at it, nay before he be suspected of any: It is a bad conscience that pursues his master at the heels, and knoweth how to take vengeance in due time, he will not cease to post after him, until he hath pinned him to the bar, for let him be girded about with Iron, guarded with soldiers, attended on by counsellors, shut up with walls of brass, in strong holds and castles, yet will he be in a woeful case, in a perplexed misery, seeing that there is no salve for a sick conscience; surely it is like unto those mice which devoured one Hatto a merciless bishop of Germany, 
Munster in Cosmo.  for if he sail out upon the seas, it will swim after the ship, yea and be ready to drown the poop, if he place himself in the centre of a fietie circle, it will leap over unto him, if he ascend up unto the top of a castle it will climb up unto him by the walls, if he descend down into the earth, it will dig him up again, if he sleepeth he shall have fear for his bedfellow, if he awaketh & walketh abroad, he shall have care for his companion, and always the sting of conscience for his torment, there is no way to prevent it but by death, and this also is uncertain, which maketh it the more grievous, for either he shall be presently healed or more grievously hated.   

SECT. 30. We must make speed to amend.  
THerefore when thou goest from home ponder with thyself, what thou wilt do abroad, and when thou returnest home, call to mind what thou hast done there, when thou arisest in the morning, determine to pass the day following, as if at night they bed should be thy grave, and when thou liest down so commit & commend thy spirit to God the father that thou mayest arise with his son Christ, then care not so much for the health and welfare of thy body, that thereby thou mayest have a long life hear on earth, as for the safety of the soul, how thou mayest live for ever. Me thinks I see time sit laughing, and why? for that she runneth swiftly, and mocketh men for their slowness, for slacking their duty towards God: our proverb is, he that is before hand need not run, be not thou slow then in thy repentance; behold thy face in God's Bible, that clear looking-glass & if thou appearest fair and beautiful do such things as become thy beauty, but if thou seemest fowl, full of spots and ill-favoured, then study to attain unto that decency or comeliness which thy face lacketh; labour diligently to correct those deformed blemishes that are seen in thee.   

SECT. 31. On flatterers and dissemblers.  
WE ought to beware of those praises which proceed out of the mouths of wicked men, when as their hearts are most insincere and dissembling: for we ourselves know this, that when we would kill a sow, we use to clay-pole with her, we scratch and tickle her sides and throat, and this causeth her to lie down, 
Senec. de Doct. prine.  so that we thereby do with her what we list; such men's throats doth God's prophet liken unto open sepulchres, for that they are very glorious without, but very loathsome within, 
Rom. 3.13.  for many of these under the show of a steadfast friend cloak the malice of a mortal foe, the tip of the tongue soundeth not always the depth of the heart; It is better then, I think, to fall among a sort of ravens, then amongst flattering companions, in that the ravens never eat a man until he be dead, but these Sycophants, will not spare to devour him, even while he is alive, well then, they may seem gold, though they be but Indian brass; and what thinkest thou, 
Arist. de me morab.  my soul, they may prove, when as the depth of their hearts shall be sounded, though now they sound more shrill than the purest Latin.  
Ecch. Tin.   

SECT. 32. On the same.  
THe Chameleon changeth the colour of his skin into the colour of its object, and this is the cause why they are so seldom caught, or yet espied, for run they on the grass they seem green, run they on the lately ploughed ground they appear like a molehill, run they on chalky ground, they seem white, nay run they on what ground they will, they seem that whereon they run; then let flatterers be like Chameleons, who are drunkards with the drunkard, swearers with the swearer, Atheists with the Atheist, Papists with the Papists, and yet good Christian Protestants with the truly religious Protestant; these base abjects are apt for all objects, capable of all colours, they cloak hate under the habit of holiness, craft puts on him the attire of policy, malice the shape of courage, rashness the title of valour, and superstition the zealous appearance of religion, thus abominable vices walk along the streets masked in the habit of virtues, and fair complezions have oftentimes filthy conditions; alas poor teltroth, alas poor truth, how art thou beset with secret enemies, none (some say) tells truth, but either children or fools, well then be thou a child in the kingdom of heaven, 
Mar. 10. 1. cor. 1.20.  be thou a fool in the wisdom of this world; alas poor truth what will become of thee? thou art a virtue indeed, but yet not guarded with any one friend, nor regarded of any, for what alack, saith my soul, that these hypocrites do in their hearts, whenas they seem to love her, and thus outwardly to feign and flatter?  
Ecch. Hate her.   

SECT. 33. On the same.  
THe world now is come to such a pass, that every mechanical fellow, that every tradesman hath his words of Art, his fine painted speeches, guards of eloquence, brave illusions and a thousand more liptrickes only to nyme, cozen, and deceive; his words shall be smooth yet not plain, to draw on their false purposes, therefore seeing that their speeches are only feigned words of Art, we will exclude them out of the true predicament of substance; what should a man say to such dissemblers, such caitiff counterfeits, whenas they shall use the words of a good Christian, by answering in truth, yes verily, in very deed it cost me so much; or it is so, when as if the truth were known, a lie were manifest; help me then good Echo, second me O my soul, and tell me how thou wouldst answer such a one, whenas he should most falsely, and most shamefully protest, and say most impudently, it cost me so much, or it is so in very deed it's so truly,  
Echo. You lie.   

SECT. 34. The reward of a liar with a sound terror for the hypocrite.  
INdeed as I remember, one Philosopher saith, that a man cannot better reward a liar then in not believing what he speaketh, yet De virtute loqui minimum est, virtutibus uti, hic labor hoc opus est, It is a very easy matter to speak well, but a very difficult thing to do well; thrice happy then are they, (let the world esteem them as it list) whose lives are corespondent to their lines, and whose works answer their words, but these halfe-faced Christians, these dissembling Neuters, are most loathsome and abominable in the Church of God, Paul tells us, that God is not mocked, let them take heed then, for surely if they make a jest and laughing stock, 
Psal. 2.4.  of his service, the Lord will pay them home, the Lord will laugh them also to scorn and have them in everlasting derision; he will recompense all their deeds, and with what measure they meat unto him, even with the same will he meat unto them again, yea it shallbe pressed down and run over.   

SECT. 35. Man's neglect in God's service is severely punished.  
IF God would not have man to have served him in true holiness, he would not have made him in his own image, but rather in the shape and form of a toad, of a snake, or of some other monstrous creature; and surely he is not served of us as he requireth, he would have our lusty days, to be used to his glory, but we put over our old and withered age to adore and magnify him; when me thinks our youthful days are fittest, and our old years most unapt; the wine that is first drawn out of the hogshead we see is pure and fresh, but at length nothing else comes forth but grouns & dregs, 
Senec. Epi. 109.  thus the world draws out the best of our days and we reserve the scurf and garbage for the Lord; and why are our youthful days best? for that it is uncertain whither we shall live to be old or no; and for that than our minds are most tractable unto goodness; again if it seem hard unto us in our youthful days, to betake ourselves unto God's service, then to fast and pray, then to curb in their rebellious appetites, how shall we do it in our old doting years, when as our bodies shall have more need of cherishing then of chastening, more need of feasts then of fasts; if we find it unpleasant now to grub up the root of sin after two or three years growth, how more hard and unpleasant will it be for us, when twenty years more shall be adjoined unto them: I it not a part of folly in that man who shall lead a score of lusti horses in his hand, and ride himself on some poor, thin, and carinous jade, scarce able to uphold herself, and yet suffer all those strong ones to go empty, and surely no less foolish and unreasonable is he who passeth over idly the lusty time of his life, and reserveth all the labour for feeble old age; yet this is the course and custom almost of all sorts of people, to desire company, for to pass the time away, when as there is nothing so sure as this, that is, how that we must all answer for every moment of time which is vainly passed, & what (saith God's book) my soul is reserved for him, who spends his days idly, and doth not pass his time well?  
Ecch. Hell.   

SECT. 36. A meditation on Christ's miracle, which he wrought in Cana of Galiley.  
O Merciful Lord and Saviour, uphold me that I fall not, whose legs are as pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold, 
Cant. 5.  whose countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the Cedars, the first miracle which thou wroughtest was at a marriage in Cana of Galilee, 
john. 2.  when thou there didst turn six stone pots filled up to the brim with water into wine, when the wine failed; so wotke in my heart, O Lord, that all my weak and waterish prayers, wherein is no strength or force, may by thy holy spirit be turned into such as may pierce the clouds, and that the strong savour thereof may ascend up into thy nostrils, and be a sweet smelling sacrifice unto thee, O thou may strength and my redeemer. And as Lord thou didst keep the best wine until the last, so grant that we likewise wax better and better. O that we grow up from grace to grace, and not wax worse and worse, that we live not more civil and sober in our tender years then in our old age: that we keep not the worst of our service until the last, but still covet to please thee every day better and better, even from the day of our Birth, unto the hour of death.   

SECT. 37. To be content.  
I See that the Devil doth still follow his old trade of juggling, he hath cast a glozing figure to dazzle our eyes, and with hay pass and repas he hath deceived us all, for he is not a stout and valiant man who striketh first, but rather he who when he is struck, striketh not again, & takes all blows patiently, until just occasion of revenge shall be offered him: He is not a wiseman, whose mouth is filled with prittle prattele, who rowles out reproachful quips and jests, but rather he who loveth silence, that pythy-pythigorical and excellent institution, and he is not a rich and wealthy man, whose trunks are filled with gold, whose grounds are stuffed up with cattle, whose lands are laden with corn (except he be therewith content) but rather he who lives all the week contentedly (through mere poverty) with a mess of water-gruel: a dinner of green herbs saith Solomon with content, 
Pro. 15.17.  is better than a stalled Ox, what shall riches profit a man? 
August. in 3. lib. de lib. Arbit.  nothing, for therein hangs covetousness, which is Insatiabilis cupido, an unsatiable lusting or an unquenchable thirsting afterriches. If this be so then amongst all other men, I solely wonder at the covetous: yet not because they be covetus, not because they men be but because they be monsters and why monsters? for that they have more than ever nature gave them. I see then that the Devil will help nature at a pinch, yea, and pinch nature at a help too, if at one time he strokes thin head, besure at some other time he will strike thy back; what though he seems to play with thee now, be bold he will pay thee home anon.   

SECT. 38. The covetousness of this age.  
WE all play the Arithmeticians, we use to set down the figure of one with three naughts and that say we stands for a thousand: if we do one good deed with three bad nay with an hundred bad, we think we have done a thousand good deeds, and that we have deserved heaven with our good works. The covetous man's nature is such, 
Seneca Epist. 73.  that when as God doth cast them down a blessing from heaven, they swallow it down with open chaps, without taking any delight or pleasure at all therewith: and are as ready like greedy dogs to receive a second morsel, as if they had left the former: Let me then give them a little council by the way, that is to tell them this, that he that eateth and drinketh too much, and therewith surfeits sends to the Physicians with all speed, ask them what disease it is, what grief it is, and how the pain may be mitigated, the Physician presently returneth backward, and bids them vomit, telling him that he shall find that to be the best, and withal a very present remedy: and what would not the Physician of the soul think ye, in like manner give the same Council, unto that man who is sick with covetousness, by bidding him cast up, 
Eccle. 11.1.  & cast upon the waters that money wherewith he did surfeit and take his sickness.  
Ecch. Yes.   

SECT. 39 The reward of the covetous.  
Such men little regard to shorten their lives, so that they may augment their riches, but me thinks goods purchased with an evil name are great loss, truly they are the bait of fin, and the snare of the soul: under these golden pills is hid most deadly poison, though they perceive it not. Again, such men as these are good for no man, and worse friends to themselves; and why? for that in stealing from others, they rob themselves, nay their own souls of eternal happiness.   

SECT. 40. The miserable estate of misers.  
OFtentimes have I seen a man wanting money, yet never saw I money destitute of a master, surely we may not argue with the will of GOD, for gold serveth sometimes to raise a man up to honour, and again sometimes to sink down his soul in the bottomless pit of hell; for if it may be lawful, a little while to set God's decree aside, then according unto man's reason riches are ill bestowed upon a covetous minded man; let him be a cold he is never the warmer clothed, if he be hungry he is neither the better fed, if he be harbourless he is neither the better lodged, nor yet in any show the more wealthier for them; what than though thou hast much land and many Lordships, yet we cannot say that thou hast riches, no more than we can say this man hath an ague, for truly as the fever is said to hold and rule that man, who is therewith sick, so are riches said to govern that man that possesseth them, riches hath him, he hath not them: he is still a Subject slave to their beck.   

SECT. 41 The little respect that worldly gluttons have to learning in these days.  
THus I see again, that we are all of us well-willers to Arithmetic, in that we all desire to learn the golden number, or rather I think to number gold, but I tell you, that before we come to hear this rule perfect we must first learn Substraction and Division as well as Addition and Multiplication, for without them we cannot well handle any question, and especially this one which our Master Christ jesus shall propound unto us saying, Oughtest not thou also to have had pity on thy fellow, 
Mat. 18.33  even as I had pity on thee? But alas though we be expert and excellent in the latter two rules, yet in the former we are very dunces, for say now a poor man never so well beautified with good qualities and learning, cometh unto a gluttonous Dives gate, he shall find it shut, 
Luke 16.  he may knock often though no man answer, yet perhaps the dogs may feign upon him and lick his sores, & bewail his sorrows when as if Dives himself were there, he would churlishly ask what art? what wouldst thou have? and if then this poor man should answer crumbs, and that he is a poor Philosopher, a well-willer to learning, then would he deride and laugh him to scorn and cry Ipse licet venias musis comitatus Homer, cum nihil attuleris ibis etc. A lack poor Homer, alack poor distressed soul, most inhuman and unnatural are men in these days when as they are servants, nay, bondslaves unto filthy dirt and dung, 
Phil. 3.8.  for so the Apostle Paul thinks, and they are unsavoury and most loathsome dunghills, as I think, whereupon the earth's garbage is cast. Tell me then plainly O my soul what reward or dignity, what love amity can he find there; or what is it else tell me in one word, that he doth purchase at each curmuggins gate?  
Ecch. Hate.   

SECT. 42. A comfort learning in that behalf.  
THerefore seeing that envy always associates virtue, envied shall be the haven, wherein we will arrive at ease and land at pleasure all their slanderous mocks and reproaches, reproaches and mocks in this kind are not so much as sparkels to the one, but coals to the other, for though they do ill in mocking us, we may do well in laughing them to scorn, and though they only think Scholars to be but fools, Scholars yet know them to be but asses, their days, nay, their years have been long in this land, so that now they wink and kick against their keepers, against their Pastors and Preachers, 
Act. 9.5.  although it be hard for them to kick against the pricks: what have I spoke truth my soul? yet me thinks that they should not for shame despise an Artist or a Scholar, surely they will bid such a one welcome, what will they not? tell me then what they will say to one that is skilful in each Art and Science.  
Echo. Hence.   

SECT. 43. Worth is respected before worthiness now adays.  
INdeed for Scholars to speak learnedly unto such as are ignorant and illiterate, 
1. Cor. 1.20. and 3.18. Matth. 7.6.  though neuersomuch worldly wise, is to cast pearls amongst swine, and for Preachers to instruct those who regard it not, is to give holy things unto dogs. What hence with learning, what hence with liberal Arts and Sciences, why then belike they respect nought but money: I hope, my soul, they will do somewhat upon favour, more than for lucre, tell me, for suppose a friend of mine do want a living (what saith my soul unto him) shall not he by favour or friendship come by it?  
Ecch. Buy it.   

SECT. 44. What the covetous most of all desire.  
ALas poor Philosopher, what cannot thy poverty move them to pity thee? no; nor yet thy complaints; no, me thinks then, that thy learning should much move them: no, no; must the scholar buy his living? alas, have they no respect of him, if he be poor and in misery, tell the world then, O my soul, what these greedy men of the world most desire, for what they hold up their hand, and still cry most unsatiably, come, come again, come again.  
Ecch. gain.   

SECT. 45. God rewards the liberal giver to the poor.  
HE than who intends to give, must not be dismayed for the loss of one benefit, but rather let him be like the Archer, who when he hath lost one arrow, sendeth forth another to find the former, but if this second will not prevail, he sendeth forth a third, & still shooteth on, until at length finding what he sought, returneth home with joy; One good turn will not return so soon into our bosom as we expect; One good turn, one benefit must bring in another, and therefore if we cast our bread upon the waters with Solomon, we shall find it at length cast up upon the shore with him, where every man shall have his share, according to his works in this life whether they be good or evil; 
2. Cor. 5.  if good he shall find them increased, his bread shall be swollen thrice as big, as it was when it was first cast on, when a cup of cold water shall not lose his reward, this then is the best usury of all.   

SECT. 46. The praise of liberality.  
Verily I have thought with myself oftentimes, that man hath been far worse than the bruit beast or senseless creature, for the moon giveth that light unto the world, which she receiveth of the Sun: yet men will not bestow part of those blessings received of God, unto the benefit of their poor distressed brethren: But alas they consider not, that the deeds of the liberal do more profit the giver then benefit the receiver: he that receiveth, receiveth only a temporal benefit, when as he that giveth, receiveth for his gift an eternal blessing, to do good unto poor men is a threefold sacrifice, the first to God, the second to the man impoverished, and the last and greatest unto himself, nay unto his own soul, if done with a true & sincere affection of the heart, and not meritoriously.   

SECT. 47. On the same, with a meditation on the words of Christ where he saith, It is easier for a cable rope to go, etc.  
Our Saviour Christ saith, that it is easier for a cable rope to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven: yet let no rich man despair, for a cable may easily go thorough the eye of a needle, but then thus it must be worked, this rope must be unplatted, untwisted and divided, and thread must be drawn after thread, until at length the whole rope be brought through, so likewise the rich man must divide his subsubstance, and give it to the poor, he must cast here a penny and there a penny, here a piece of bread, and there a piece of bread, here a loaf upon this water and there a lose upon that water; for surely there is no virtue better than liberality, unto the setting forth of God's glory, and unto the purchasing of good will among all men; praise and renown do always abide in the porch of a cheerful giver: here the oppressed is comforted; here the sick is succoured, here the wounded is salved, here the hungry is fed; nay, in general tell me my soul, how is he here dealt withal, that is any way pained or diseased?  
Ecch. Eased.   

SECT. 48. We cannot serve God and riches.  
IF we cannot serve two masters, that are of a contrary nature and essence, 
Matt. 6.24.  then surely we cannot serve God & Mammon, God and riches; and know we not that, 
Arist.  Omne grave tendit deorsùm, every heavy body tendeth and bendeth downward, down ward I mean to the centre of the earth? then surely if we intent to arise with Christ, and not be hindered in our aspiring upward, we must cast off from our hears the love of those earthly bodies, those lumpish earthy things; and mortify our members which are on the earth, 
Collos. 3.4.5  which hold and keep us from the true and lively worshipping of God. God in the beginning made us sound and free, putting nothing before our eyes, which might entice us unto covetousness, he put gold and silver under our feet, because we should loathe, kick it and tread upon it, he put Iron amongst it, because we should know that it breeds discord, dissension and discontent; who then would think that man should find it out, that man should find out his own destruction, yea and go so far, and seek narrowly for it in the earth, and thereon set his whole delight, when as he knows not how soon he shall departed from it, or it be took from him, and seeing that Os homini sublime dedit etc. he made man's face to look up towards heaven, and only to have his eyes fixed on celestial things.   

SECT. 49. We must leave all behind us.  
ME thinks I see here an urchin or an hedgehog under a crab tree, rolling his back full of crabs, and yet is not therewith contented, but for covetousness sake taketh one in his mouth too: but now again me thinks, seeing him running into his hole, wipes them all off, and carrieth only one with him, and that is in his mouth, I mean, one poor and naked soul: Naked saith job, came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return again, what foolish asses than are they, that will gall their souls with the carriage of treasures, when as in the end of their journey, it shall be taken from them, & they themselves turned off into that cold stable where is nothing else but gnashing of teeth, nothing shall be left behind with them there, but their galled backs, their wounded conscience which their heavy packs of gold and silver have made, many years before, being carried about with them, without ever any unloading of them, and resting or refreshing of their bruised souls, and what my soul is not this a great part of follies and of foolish madness?  
Ecch. Yes.   

SECT. 50. A meditation on Christ's cleansing of the leper.  
O Pitiful Christ, O sweet Saviour, 
cant. 5.  whose cheeks are as a bed of spices, & as sweet flowers, whose lips are like lilies dropping down pure myrrh, he scorned not to take upon him our infirmities and to bear our sicknesses, he gave sight to the blind, 
Matth. 8.  limbs to the lame, and cleanness to the leper, he loathed not to put forth his hand, for to touch his leprosy, and to tell him, I will, be thou clean: the Law, my Lord, forbids any one to touch the unclean, why didst thou then? O● but thou wast above the law, thou madest the Law, therefore it was in thine own power to obey it, or not: he touched not the leper for that he could not without touching make him clean, but because we faithless souls should see, that he was not subject to the Law: and that he did not fear the contagion as mortal men do, and that he could not be stained therewith, who healed others, he touched the Leper, that thereby he might teach us humility, and compassion not despise any, not to abhor any, and not to hold any as contemptible for any disease of their bodies: My sweet Lord when the Lepers cried if thou wilt thou canst make me clean, how ready wast thou to answer him, I will, be thou clean; he returned him an answer, before he had half uttered his sorrowful request; thou canst make me clean, he answered him like an Echo, be thou clean, I will be thou clean, thou believest well, and therefore well thou shalt be cleansed, thou puttest no doubt in thy belief; and I will make no delay to heal thee: thou sayest unto me, if thou wilt, behold I will, thou sayest thou canst make me clean, I say to thee be thou clean: Oh heavenly answer, an answer of admirable clemency, an answer of wonderful pity, and no less than of divine virtue & mercy; that he that was pure, the fountain of all pureness, nay purity itself, should thus touch the unclean, that he which was omnipotent should thus touch the weak and impotent.   

SECT. 51. Another on the cleansing of the ten Lepers, and of their unthankfulness.  
Again we may read in the Gospel by saint Luke, 
Luk 17.17  how that he healed ten other Lepers whereof nine of them were as unthankful for their cleansing as we poor leprous souls are for any benefit that we receive at his hands, which made our Saviour Christ say thus, there are ten cleansed, but where are the nine? there are none found that returned to give God praise, save only this stranger, 
Levit. 13.2.3.45.46.  give me leave a little therefore to chide these nine for their unthankfulness, that so chiding them, we ourselves may be ashamed of our own ingratitude. O unthankful Lepers, I tell you that before you came to Christ, ye had a covering upon your lips, but now it being put away, and having free liberty to speak me thinks you should return back and glorify the name of God; before you came to Christ you were separated from the company of all men, but now having authority to go where you list, why do you not now go and fall down at his feet, and give him thanks with that one Samaritan: and before you came to Christ, you were openly proclaimed unclean, you were unclean, but now being cleansed me thinks you should sing holy holy, holy, with a pure, clean, and sanctified soul; O ye unthankful Lepers, had ye but mollified hearts to conceive, how great your misery was before you came unto him, how great his mercy was towards you, and now how great your ingratitude is towards him, in not giving him thanks for his cleansing of your most ugly and filthy bodies, it would cause even fountains of tears to run down your cheeks, O ye unthankful Lepers, had ye loved God in the third degree as ye loved Satan, then should he have had three of your hearts, whereas he had but one, and had you loved God but as well as you loved Satan, then should he have had five of your hearts, again, had ye but gone to parting of stakes betwixt God and the Devil, he should have had half of them, half of them must needs have fallen to his share; & lastly had you considered your duty towards him, and had done equity and justice with him then should he have had all, all ten of them, but now it seems to me, me think, so, that you make a jest of God's word, as many of us in these days do, and that because in the law he commandeth to have the tenth of all fruits offered unto him; therefore belike you give him now the tenth heart too; a tithing heart, and keep nine for your own use, and for whom you list; thus my sweet Lord we still gibe at thee and thy word; I pray God then once more that we be not deceived for I know that thou wilt not be mocked.   

SECT. 24. On the lawless tongue.  
He that clippeth the coin of his Prince maketh it lighter to be weighed, but never the worse to be touched, and he that by slanderous reproaches seems to impair the credit of his friend; may make him lighter among the common sort; but nothing at all hurteth his good name with the wise, who try all gold by the touchstone: for though slanders may blemish truth for a time, yet be sure that truth will discover slanders at length: and what is the instrument that effecteth this, but the tongue? and what if it be the instrument of all vanity and villainy, yet is it never punished though it offend never so highly: and therefore saith David speaking of the ungodly, 
Psal. 12.4.  with our tongues will we prevail, our tongues are our own, and who is Lord over us? O lawless tongue, thou still escapest when as the Innocent and harmless hands, the feet, ears and neck for thee and thine offences are punished, tormented and tortured.   

SECT. 53. Envy striketh at others but woundeth himself.  
Methinks I see an Archer in the world who hath a quiver full of poisoning shafts, he shooteth at others, and woundeth himself, and this is he who maketh himself vicious with other men's virtue, he sorroweth with other men's plenty, for this is he, 
Horat.  who Alterius rebus macrescit opimis. The custom of this age is either to envy or to mock, he that is wise, virtuous and godly is envied, he that is foolish, undiscreet and vicious, is laughed at, but of these two it is better for thee, therefore choose rather to be envied for thy knowledge then to be laughed at for thine ignorance, and if it be so that thou art envied, envy not again, lest that thou envying him and he envying thee, God is angry with you both; and if thou art likewise cursed curse not again, 
Psal. 109. 16. &. 27.  lest that thou cursing him and he cursing thee, God curse both and bless neither.   

SECT. 54. The malicious scoffings of these times.  
Such is the scoffing malice of these days, that when men execute their office throughly; why then forsooth they be very officious, if they be zealous & devout, they are thought pure and precise, if liberal and do good deeds, then be they popish, so that the virtuously minded man hath nought else given him here among us, but some ridiculous nickname, and surely it was even so in our saviours time, for john came neither eating nor drinking and they the vulgar sort said that he had a devil, 
Luke 1.15  and the son of man came eating and drinking both, 
Mat. 11.18 19  and they said behold a glutton and a wine-bibber, a friend unto publicans and sinners. Many there are that delight in this deriding and laughing at their neighbours: indeed to play the scoffing fool well, is a sign of some wit, but small wisdom, though some be of opinion, that he which plays the fools part, is the wisest of all the company; yet my mind is not so: for I know this that whosoever is maintained by one man to disgrace another, is a servile fool, he is a fool and a slave too, but where dwell these carping worms, one can hardly find them, tell me thou my soul, 
Io. 3.19.20  what places they inhabit most, that are such reproachful scorners.  
Ecch. Corners.   

SECT. 55 How the malicious Papists invent mischief and practise it.  
INdeed he that doth evil, hateth the light, lest that his deeds should be reproved, and a pattern of this hidden malice have I espied in those butcherlikerebels, who thought with themselves, and the devil, not only to take up with their base and vulgar pawns, our Knights, our Bishops, and our most gracious Queen, but also to give our great, our wise and most religious king, an inevitable checkmate, but God that Ens entium, 
Arist. in meta. Psal.  to our great comforts, hath took down their edge, the snare is broken, and we are delivered. But alas my soul, what wouldst have cried still unto England, if they had obtained their devilish plot at the house of Parliament.  
Echo. Lament.   

SECT. 56. All treason in time will be discovered.  
Whatsoever villainy the heart doth think, in process of time, the worm of conscience will bewray, we see that sparkles raked up in cinders, will at last begin to glow and manifest flame; and treachery hid in silence, and obscured for a time, will at length breath forth, and cry for revenge, then if the bead of my bow be placed aright, I will a little level at those who dwell in Pater noster row; First, me thinks that their religion is most impure, and this may seem at the first glance to be the reason thereof; for that they live nearer the equinoctial line then the North pole; they have more heat then cold, and this causeth their rebellion to be fly-blown, by Belzebub the prince of flies, for tell me what these rebellious souls do, in every word for the most part that they do utter?  
Ecch. Err.   

SECT. 57 Error, what it is.  
TO wander from the truth doth betoken ignorance, and to despise the truth, doth show an obstinate heart, and what doth my soul account man's greatest shame, and his soul's sharpest terror?  
Echo. Error.   

SECT. 58. We need not the Pope's Bulls.  
I Like not well their diriges, their bulls and pardons: if Christ jesus be sufficient enough to pardon our sins, let them then drive back again their Bulls to Rome, for our country, the Lord be praised, will not afford grazing for such cattle, our pasture is not for them: we need not the horns, nor yet the hide, we need not the horns for to make us a lantern to light us to heaven, for he is the true light that lighteneth every one, which cometh into the world, and his word is a lantern unto our feet and a light unto our paths, and we need not the hide for to make us shoes, for God will give his Angels charge over all true believers to keep them in all their ways, 
john 1.9. Psal. 119.105.  that they dash not their feet against a stone: he will keep all the faithful in their heavenly journey, 
Matth. 4.6 Psal. 19.11 12.  that they gall not the soles of their souls with the gravel of the world, and what now thinketh my soul, concerning their prayers for the dead, or what, to be short, do they show themselves by their mumming Masses?  
Ecch. Asses.   

SECT. 59 Superstitions always invented by the Popes for lucre sake.  
But tell me what the reason is, that they give pardons for an hundred year, for two, or for more: nay in general, what is the fruit and issue of every popish ceremony?  
Ecch. Money.   

SECT. 60. What they worship and adore.  
ANd finally, what do these blind leaders of the blind, what do these blind bustards adore and worship in their masses and creeping pilgrimages?  
Ecch. Images.   

SECT. 61. A meditation on Christ's hiring labourers in his vineyard, and agreeing with them for a penny a day.  
O Sweet jesus, thou hast taught us in thy Gospel that the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain householder, which went out at the dawning of the day, 
Mat. 20.1.2.  to hire labourers into his vineyard, and when even was come, he gave every man a penny; this day surely is the whole time of our life, and when we wax old, it gins then to wax night, for then the day with us is even at an end; and therefore Christ himself when he lived bodily here on the earth said, I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day, 
john 9.4.  for the night cometh when no man can work; When our eyes are shut how can we then see to do good? when our tongues cleave to the roof of our mouths, how then can we cry Hosanna? when our hands are dried up, how can we then stretch them forth to give? while we have time therefore let us do good; 
Gal. 6.  Let us work, let us labour in the Lord's vineyard, that every one may receive a penny. For surely by this word, a penny, is understood the reward of eternal life; for as a penny is of a circular or round figure, whose circumference hath no end, so shall the reward of God's labourers be without end, with out any limit, or term of years; God himself is this reward, according unto that which he spoke unto Abraham; 
Gen. 15.1. Mat. 13.44  Fear not Abraham, for I am thy buckler and thine exceeding great reward, thou O Lord art all goodness, all richness, thou art that pearl of great price, which when a man hath found for joy telleth no man, but departeth and selleth all that he hath, so that he may buy the field wherein it is; further he which hath this penny after a certain sort, hath all things. For as we see here in this world, that whatsoever a man will have, he must buy, and so come by it, by the penny, and for it he may have what he will, and in like manner that reward that penny hath in it all things that may be desired: that which neither the eye hath seen at any time, nor the ear heard, nor yet the heart of man ever conceived; And that a penny hath the king's picture engraven upon it, what doth it signify else, but the perfect and pure Image of God in the elect, when we all behold, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord with open face, and are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the spirit of the lord 
2. Cor. 3.18 Rom. 8.29.  And again it is said, that those which he knew before, he did also predestinate, to be made like to the image of his son. Grant therefore, O sweet Saviour, O sweet Lord, that we may faithfully work in thy vineyard, and never be weary of well doing, so that when even shall come when we shall departed this life, we may receive every one of us a penny, everlasting life and eternal happiness, and so ever be refreshed with thy glorious image, with the bright beams of thine evershining countenance.   

SECT. 62. The wicked and their reward.  
I Marvel, my soul, into what monster the world is turned, sin and villainy did never skull so much together as now it doth; for the custom of this age is, to pain and pine the belly for to paint the back: all seek honour & renown with a justling vain glory and aspiring impudency, some use to paint white their faces, and colour black their souls, of white lead is the complexion made, which coveteth the centre, for that it is ponderous and heavy, I mean, not every heavy and penitent soul, but every lumpish piece of lead, assays downward to the pit of hell the centre of all those that are worldlings that are of the world: a pit without bottom, a fire without light, 
Arist. Mat. 24.30 Mar. 9.43.  and an heat without heat, for there shall be cold, cold, and gnashing of teeth: yet there shall those wretches burn in fire continually, they shall feel all torments whatsoever, so that they shall have a death without death, and an end without an end, and why? for that with black ugly sin, they colour their souls, sin is the colour, the devil the painter, and custom (which is as Aristotle speaketh, altera natura, a second nature) is the oil which keeps that doleful colour on still, so that no storms of the Lords wrath, no thunderclaps against disobedience can beat it off, ne yet can any smiles of his mercy once soaken or lose it, nor yet can any sunshine days of joy promised melt it away.   

SECT. 63. Not to be lofty but lowly.  
Perhaps thou passing by some one of thine inferiors, who regard not thy deserts, nor yet respect thy worthiness, thou art therefore malcontent for a long time afterwards, thinking with thyself that some duty or reverence might have been shown thee; if then thou wilt pacify these inward broils, as he respects thee not, so neither do thou thyself respect thy self, if he cannot cast his eye up, so high as unto the flag of thine honour, do thou therefore pluck it down, and humble thyself, that all may behold it, fret not thyself at his unmannerly behaviour, but rather smile thereat, smile at his gross, and unseemly carriage.   

SECT. 64. The downfall of pride and the praise of humility.  
SAthan doth with the vainglorious, who lift themselves above other men, as the crow doth having an hard nut in her bill, the which she cannot easily crack, she beareth up on high in the air, and from thence letteth it fall down allow on a stone where it breaketh into many pieces, so that at length she descendeth and eateth it up: And the devil raiseth the proud man to honour, that thereby he may bring him low, letting him fall down on the hard pains of hell, and so devour him: pride and fire are weary like, for oftentimes have I seen a seething pot running over into the fire, laying the heat thereof, and so consequently become cold, the pot is cold, the fire is out, and is not the fire cause of its own death, 
1. Pet. 5.8.  & the pot the cause of its own coldness? surely yes, and he likewise that spraineth his arm by reaching up on high, is the sole cause of his own grief. I see that high hopes have oftentimes hard events, high reaching arms are beared up in scarves, and such as do snatch at the bough do most commonly stumble at the root; tell me then my soul how a man ought to behave himself, or what he must be, whereby he may seldom fall down on the ground, 
Luk. 18.14  or yet thereon once so much as stumble.  
Echo. Humble.   

SECT. 65. On the same.  
AT the winnowing of corn the chaff being lightest, 
Psal. 1.4.  mounteth aloft, the wind carrieth it abroad where it list, and where it is lost, but the Corn which is heaviest, abideth a low on the ground, and is gathered up and put into the Garners of the farmer, 
Mat. 13.30  & kept for the profit of the commonweal, when as in the mean time the chaff is burnt, lost, and devoured by beasts: so pride a vapour that ascendeth high presently vanisheth away into smoke, ye, even into nothing: when then is the best time to be humble? in adversity, no, for that is scarce praiseworthy: then a man of necessity must be humble, lest that he makes a great fire in a little cottage: the best time to be humble is in the midst of prosperity, and this is praiseworthy, it is worthy of man's commendations, commendable before men here on earth, and commanded by God above in heaven: yet oftentimes the greater the bragger, the bigger his looks, the smaller roast, the greater boast, and what saith my soul, are they commonly clothed with most, that use these high-vaulting brags?  
Echo. Rags.   

SECT. 66. There is no reason why men should be proud.  
I Would then that such men would once again stand on tiptoe on the mount of meditation, I would they would consider with indifferent eyes what our bodies are in very deed, how beautiful soever they appear to our outward sight, tell me my soul what other thing is the body of man, but only acorrupt and tainted vessel, which incontinently soureth and corrupteth whatsoever liquor is powered into it? 
Augustine.  what other thing is a man's body, but only a filthy dunghill, covered over with snow, which outwardly appeareth white, and within is full of filth, and uncleanness? what muckhill is so filthy? what sink avoideth such foul and filthy stuff out of his channels, as a man's body doth by several means and ways? and why then O earth and ashes shouldest thou be proud? why shouldest thou esteem thyself somuch and be so vainly conceited; for tell me my soul, what man's body doth do to any thing that shall stay in it?  
Ecch. Stain it.   

SECT. 67. All things vanish save a good name.  
ARt thou fair and well-favoured, praise not thyself, for the Lily, though it be white yet it stinketh, art thou big, strong, and of high stature, be not vainglorious: for great & mighty things are oftentimes cumbersome: art thou virtuous, and yet praise not thyself, least that thou become proud, and so vicious: art thou virtuous; now all men will speak well of thee, it is only virtue and godliness that maketh foul things fair, and fair gracious: all outward gifts of nature may soon be taken away, even when one is alive; the tall man many grow crooked, the fair face may be shriveled, the rich man may be impoverisheds, his silks and velvets may be plucked off from his back, his jewels taken from his ears, his rings from his fingers, when as Virtus post funera vinit: 
ovid.  virtue though it seems to be dead, being obscured while he lives, shall never die, it shall live after death.   

SECT. 68 One man thinketh that all is too much that another hath.  
FInally, I marvel who can say and not counterfeit, I am contented with my estate, for I see that the shoemaker treads stately in the eyes of the Cobbler, the Brazier glisters before the face of the Tinker, and the Priest sings sweet in the ears of the Clerk, would not a peddler be a Mercer, and the Mercer a Merchant, would not the Attorney be a Counsellor, and the Councellot a judge; thus many men climb the high Cedars of ambition, but the boughs thereof being rotten they fall most dangerously upon the ground: it is better than to gather grapes contentedly from that law, & yielding shrub, then to triumph on the putrefied arms of that unconstant Cedar; 
Ovid de Trist.  Qui jacet in terra non habet unde cadat, when Icarus Icarcas' nomme fecit aquas. Nay, what thinkest thou my soul, what will fortune (If I may so speak) let any ambitious mind escape? for at whom doth she aim with her dart so fatal?  
Echo. At all.   

SECT. 69. A Meditation on Elisha his putting of Salt into a new cruse & by casting it into the waters.  
WE read that Elisha the Prophet by putting salt into a new cruse, and by casting it into the Springs of the waters, these waters that were nought and unwholesome, 
john 16  were made good and delightful, what shall we conceive hear by those waters of jericho, but the tedious combats of a bad conscience hear in this life, and what by this new cruse, but an heart renewed by repentance? 
Col. 4.6.  Moreover salt doth signify the power of the word of God: for as by the sprinkling of salt on fresh meat it is kept from maggots, from Flie-blotes, and from all corruption whatsoever, and he whose soul is seasoned with the word of God, is preserved from all the corruption of sin, and from that worm which continually knaweth the conscience, and never dieth: O my sweet Lord, grant then that we may be true vessels, filled with this mystical salt, that we may overcome the tediousness of this life. 
Psal. 30.5  Thou hast promised that although we weep and lament, and the world rejoice, & although we sorrow now, yet our sorrow shall be turned into joy: Indeed it is thy word O Lord, whereby we have rest in our labours, whereby we have mirth in our mourning & whereby we are rich in poverty, thereby we are exalted through humility and through contempt we are made glorious; this is that meal of the prophet which made sweet the bitter pottage, 
4. King. 4:  and when as they cried through the bitterness of those gourds, that were put therein, mors in olla, mors in olla, death is in the pot oh death is in the pot; and by that meal oh Lord thy word which is the bread of life, although we seem to be dead, yet are we still renewed.   

SECT. 70. Old age not to be despised.  
IT is a thing most foolish in the sight of good men, and an offence most heinous before God, to mock old men who are as we shall be, and who were as we are now. Age, Time and death, these three a man may forethink of, but never prevent.   

SECT. 71. Wisdom and discretion go not always by years.  
YOuth never runneth well say we, unless age holdeth the bridle, this seems to be true & it is so: but alas wisdom consists not only in age as the vulgar sort of people censure, for the young man beardless may be as wise as the grey head, outward gravity argues wisdom very seldom, but wisdom continually shows gravity, the young man fearing God is both grave and wise; and he that hath this fear before him, is the soul's best councillor; 
john 3.5  And this cannot a father bequeath unto his Son; it goes not by birth, not by our first birth which is full of corruption, except we be regenerate and born a new, and then this latter birth extinguisheth the flames of the former; Neither as I said before doth discretion go by years, for there are many old fools given up wholly to sensuality, which solely belongeth to the beast amongst all creatures, and there are many young men betrothed to civility, and this appertaineth unto man, the image of God, even the best of all creatures, & this is that which maketh men on the earth famous, in the earth glorious, and in heaven above the earth immortal, immortal both in soul and body.   

SECT. 72. The praise of love and amity.  
MEn in the beginning builded towns for society and safety, but now a man may find more friendship in the wilderness amongst bears and tigers, than he can find in the country wherein he was borne; but surely I have thought with myself, that if men live never so richly and at variance, their lives are far worse than death, for it is a second hell, as we term it; friendship is the chiefest ornament that graceth Christians, whereby many men's hearts and wills are united in one: a bosom-friend, me thinks, is a precious jewel, fit to wear about ones neck, within whose bosom a man may unload his sorrows, and unfold his secrets, which he will either relieve with counsel, or else persuade with reason, and if thou declare unto him joyful news he will rejoice with thee, if doleful and heavy, 
Rom. 12.15  he will mourn with thee, and in all thy affairs, thou shalt find him, Alter ipse a second self.   

SECT. 73. Men are soon moved unto wrath.  
But now alas, as the nature of the bruit beast is, 
Plin. Senec. philos. lib. 3. de Ira cap. 10.  such is the condition of man, trifles and vain things do move us unto anger, a red cloth stirreth up the bull, the venomous asp of afric riseth up at a shadow, and a white cloth or table napkin moveth unto rage the bear and lion; horses, wolves, nay most things else, very fierce of nature, are troubled with the sight of very small and frivolous things, and in a manner with nothing, and even so it falls out with penish & froward people, that they are struck with the very conceit only and suspicion of a thing, so that now and then they are wrath, if a man wisheth them never so well, or speak them never so fair, even at the putting forth of a question, they are soon moved unto rage: the ungodly, 
Psal.  saith David, are froward even from their mother's womb.   

SECT. 74. The end of discord.  
IF a man will live in rest, it is better for him sometimes to dissemble a double wrong, then to revenge a single: let him rather be accounted a dastardly coward, than a desperate caitiff; yet valour in rightful causes is to be commended, and if done with discretion highly also to be regarded and rewarded, 
Gal. 5 26.  but otherwise all mischief, that may be, doth follow the heels of self-love and discord, what then my soul, had we best embrace while we have time and opportunity?  
Ecch. Unity.   

SECT. 75. A meditation on the disciples filling of twelve baskets full of the broken meat that remained.  
WHerefore grant, O my sweet Lord, that we laying aside all maliciousness, 
1. Pet. 2.12 Rom. 6.4.  and all guile, and dissimulation, and envy, and all evil speaking, we may as new borne babes desire the sincere milk of thy word, that we may grow thereby. Feed our souls, O Lord, with the bread of life, that spiritual food; and give us thine heavenly grace, that so we spill none thereof, but gather up the broken meat that nothing be lost: O thou whose mouth is as sweet things and art wholly delectable, this thou commandedst thy disciples, 
john 6.  and they gathered and filled twelve baskets full with the fragments of the five loaves and two fishes, but why should there remain just twelve baskets full, and no more nor less? surely because there were twelve Apostles, which those twelve baskets did prefigure, who were filled with the bread of life, & did nourish the souls of the believers into everlasting life. But first. O my sweet Lord before thou gavest the people to eat, thou didst command them to sit down, and there was much grass in that place, and therefore we who desire to be fed, with the spiritual food, 
Psal.  to be refreshed with the sweet dainties of the grace of God, and to come & taste how good and gracious the Lord is, must crush down, kick and despise the lusts of the flesh, which throughout the whole Scriptures is likened unto grass: all flesh is grass, saith the Prophet, and the glory thereof as the flower of grass, 
Esay 40.  let us sit down then upon this ground, upon this grass, 
Col: 4.5.  let us chasten our bodies, tame our inordinate affections, and continually bridle our rebellious headstrong lusts.   

SECT. 76. On the five barley loaves and the two fishes.  
furthermore, it is said, that jesus took five barley loaves and two fishes: surely by these five barley loaves, we may understand the five books of Moses, which he laid wide open unto the spiritual eyed, daily and hourly to refresh their souls therewith, and they may well be likened unto so many barley loaves, from the austere and sharp decrees of the Law, that was contained in them: yet at the last, like a good father because he would not suffer his children to eat any longer dry bread, he added two fishes, which were divided among them, that is, the two Sacraments, whose nature is to make pleasant and moisten the harsh dryth of the loaves; the law killeth and is given to the lawless, 
1. Tim. 1.9.  but mercy & truth cometh by jesus Christ.   

SECT. 77. On drunkenness and the beastliness thereof.  
MAny men think, that all friendship consisteth in quaffing and carousing, but surely that is but drunken good fellowship: very heathens can persuade us from it, by telling us that every man will unload his secrets in the bosom of a good man, but no man will tell them to a drunken man, wherefore a drunken man is not a good man, 
Senec. Epi. 84.  and who knows not this, that the tongue of such a one, is not in his own power; we see that when new wine is put into any vessel, whatsoever lieth hid in the bottom worketh soon up unto the top, and he whose brains are oppressed therewith, doth utter at his mouth whatsoever lieth secret in the bottom of his heart, he can by no means keep close his stomach: the drunken man, saith Solomon is apt and prone unto all villainy, as unto wrath, murders, swearing, whoring and the like, and let all the world know this my soul; for whose sayest thou are these monstrous misdeeds?  
Ecch. His deeds.   

SECT. 78. The drunkard's reward.  
ANd again, to whom is woe, 
Prou. 23.29  saith the wiseman, to whom is so row, to whom are wounds, to whom are the redness of the eyes? even unto him that sets his delight in drinking: and tell me also my sweet Echo, thy opinion, what may be the cause of many red pimpled faces, and therein of those unseemly spots?  
Ecch. Pots.   

SECT. 79. Gaming their whole delight.  
ANd is this all, my soul, that they delight in, make they not some thing else half of their Paradise?  
Ecch. Dice.   

SECT. 80. Where they are chief entertained and soothed up in them wickedness.  
ANd what places, for the most part, will allow of these wicked meetings, and tolerate such abominable sins?  
Ecch. Inns.   

SECT. 81. The fruit of drunkenness.  
surely, this notorious vice, hath devoured more than the sea hath devoured, 
Gal. 5.21.  the sea swalloweth the body only, but this both soul and body; it inflameth the liver, rotteth the lungs, dulleth the memory, and breedeth all diseases whatsoever: had I a deadly enemy, & would feign overcome him, truly I could not wish him more harm than that he were a drunkard, I should not need to make any war against him, for I should soon persuade myself, that he would in short space destroy himself; God made man's soul of a living substance, but his body frail and mortal, and for the soul he hath appointed spiritual food, for the body temporal and transitory, the first of these shall endure for ever, the latter only for a certain limited time, wherefore man must not desire to live, so that the may eat and drink, but so drink and eat that he may live: but now methinks that these Epicures greatly deceive themselves, for they eat and drink, that they may die, for as hunger doth dry up the marrow, 
beans Cyrenaeus. Poe  so doth toomuch pampering of the flesh, consume and overthrow the spirits and vital parts, for, Vinum igni aequalem vim habet, saith one, wine and fire are both of one, force, both inflaming, both consuming.   

SECT. 82 On filthy lust and how it is smoothed and smothered up in these days.  
Unbridled lust is also an effect of drunkenness, 
Hosea. 42. verse 11.  the Prophet Hosea in his iiii. chapter, links them both together, yet many of our Prophets for fear of incurring displeasure, will of incurring displeasure, will not once name or take notice of them, they touch them indeed a little, but how? very coldly; they glance at them, but they will be sure not to hit them, it is a very rude speech, wherein any fin is named in particular, they beat the bush, though they see the bird, surely that Chirurgeon who mindeth to recover his patient, searcheth the very bottom of the wound; if GOD then saith thou shalt not commit adultery, 
Exod. 20.14  and if he means as he saith, tell then the world plainly (O my soul) what are they whom God abhors?  
Echo Whores.   

SECT. 83. To beware of Strumpets.  
MAny are caught through this sweet poison. Diana, lives closely in the woods, Minerva lives prinily in her college, 
Pro. 7.10 11.12. etc.  and Bellona in her tent; but Lais that brasen-face shineth at Corinth, even on the top of the high towers, I wonder when Venus will have finished her course, she hath dominered over other planets, she hath been in her Apogaee, and in her exaltation this long time; yet desire not thou the beauty of the strange woman in thy heart, neither let her take thee with thy eyelids saith Solomon: 
Pro. 6.25 26  for because of the whorish woman a man is brought to a morsel of bread, and a woman will hunt for the precious life. Who then sayst thou my soul must beware of these enticing strumpets, these whorish women?  
Echo, Ye men.   

SECT. 84. The Praise of Chastity.  
THere is never a navy of men sailing out into the world, 
Mat. 8.24  but hath askul of pleasure attending still upon the poop; which soon will drown the whole ship, unless they call and cry upon that skilful Mariner Christ jesus, whom both winds and Seas obey. And amongst all the enticing pleasures of sharp combats of a Christian soul, none is more sore than the wars of a chaste mind, in that the fight is continual and the victory rare, and if the walls of chastity be once battered down there is nought left praise worthy either in man or woman; for this is she which is the zeal of grace, the staff of devotion, the mark of the just, and the only comfort in death: when as in the mean space, lust is an enemy to the purse, a foe to the person, a canker to the mind, corrosive to the conscience, a weakener of the wit, & a deadly bane both unto soul and body, so that he shall find pleasure and delight the pathway unto perdition, he shall find a wound and dishonour, and his reproach shall never be put away. 
Pro. 6.33    

SECT. 85, Swearers and their foolishness.  
THe Dog bites the stone, whose will is to bite him that cast it, the traitor in heart defaceth the picture of the king, when as he cannot come near his person and the Swearer, the drunkard's copesmate too, by blasphemous oaths, tears the name of God, who if he could would raze his essence, but he may not reach it, Of all sins swearing hath the least pleasure in it, and is most unprofitable and most heinous and detestable; and again, me thinks, that amongst all sinners the Swearer is most foolish, who cannot be contented to sin secretly, but must needs call both God and man to witness his impiety, how then can he think to escape such a presumptuous fault as this, when as he runs willingly into sin? surely the Lord hath said that he will not hold him guiltless; if he believes that there is a God, he must believe this to be true, but if he will swear by the name of God, and yet think (as many do) that there is no God, 
Psal. 13.1  and as David's fool affirms in his heart, then truly this man of all men is most ridiculous, who will swear by that which he supposeth not to be: this is the fashion of all scoffing Atheists, then tell the world, O my soul, what such men as these, what such blasphemers use to do, (when one shall but speak unto them kindly) at every word that they shall answer.  
Echo. Swear.   

SECT. 86. What God is.  
IT is not for a Christian to make a jest of swearing: 
Psal. 33.5  if he swear he must swear in truth, in judgement, and in righteousness, for otherwise though a man swear often, yet by my consent he should seldom be believed. And a guilty conscience cleared by an oath, is like unto foul hands scoured with soap, through which although they be made clean, yet they smell very rank thereof a long time afterward, and a perjured soul though it be cleared and blameless, in the sight of the world, by forswearing, yet that same oath adjoined to the former fact, terrifies the soul the more, that false kiss betrays it inwardly though it cannot be deciphered by a long space outwardly; then in conclusion tell me, and tell all men (my soul) what God that great thundering jehovah most detests, and most detestfully Loathes.  
Ecch. Oaths.   

SECT. 87. A Meditation on the betraying of Christ.  
O Sweet Christ, O sweet Saviour, how wast thou tormented, for these sins of ours, and the like; 
Lament. 1.  come then my friends, let us weep together & mourn, let tears run down our checks, and among all our lovers let there be none to comfort us, 
Mat. 26.14.15.  let our streets lament, let no man feast, let all our gates be desolate, let our Priests sigh, let virgins be discomfited, and let us all be in heaviness: for we have sinned, our sins are great, and for them is the son of GOD crucified; judas sold him, kissed him and betrayed him, he sold him for thirty pence. O thou naughty Traitor, at what price dost thou set the Lord of all creatures, at thirty pennies? what my Lord sold for thirty pence? O what a vile and slender price is this for a Lord of such majesty, certainly a very beast in the shambles is commonly sold for more. And dost thou oh Traitor sell for so small a price almighty God himself, he setteth not thee at so small a price, for so much as he buyeth thee with his own most precious blood; Oh what a great price and estimation, was that of man, and how base an estimation and price was this of God; God was sold for thirty pence, and man was bought with the dearest blood of God himself: And when this judas had betrayed him, and was delivered into the hands of the jews, see how each one giveth him buffets and and strokes; 
Mat. 27.29 Mat. 14.65 Mark. 8.22 23.  see how they spit upon that divine face with their devilish mouths: see how they hoodwink his eyes, and strike him on the face, scoffing and jesting at him, saying, Aread who hath smitten thee? O my soul, great were the mocks and taunts he suffered for thee, how patiently did he bear the spitting of those infernal mouths, that had himself not long before, with the spittle of his own mouth, restored a blind man to his perfect sight, how suffered he their whip, whose servants were wont in his name with mighty power to whip the very devils, how was he crowned with thorns that crowned his martyrs with everlasting Garlands, how was he smitten on the face with palms of men's hands, that giveth the palm of victory unto such as be conquerors; how was he rob of his earthly garments, which clotheth his saints with garments of immortality; how was heproffered most bitter gall, that giveth us the bread of life; how was he offered Vinegar to drink, that giveth the cup of salvation. 
Haec omnia sunt cyprianis.  Consider moreover at what time the Saviour of the world was nailed to the Cross: how both the heavens and the earth were troubled, the Stars were obscured, the elements disturbed, how the earth quaked, how the light was darkened when the sun turned away his eyes, and would not suffer his beams to shine upon the earth, least happily it might see such a great cruelty.   

SECT. 88 Our sins the cause of Christ's death.  
IF thou be not moved to take compassion on our sweet Saviour, seeing him in this doleful case for thy sake, if now when he sheds drops of blood through out all his body, thou canst not shed any tears from thine eyes, think verily with thyself that thou hast a very hard and stony heart, and if thou canst not weep for love towards him, yet at the least weep for the multitude of thy sins, for so much as they were the very cause of this his agony and grief. Now the torments do not whip him, neither do the Soldiers crown him with thorns, that do cause blood to gush out of his body, but it is thy very sins & offences, those are the thorns that do prick him, they are the spear that do thrust him into the side, they are tormentors that do afflict him, they are the heavy burden that do cause him to sweat this so strange & wonderful a bloody sweat. Oh my sweet Saviour and Redeemer, Oh thou lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world, how dearly hast thou bought my salvation?   

SECT. 89. They that are in authority must show good examples.  
Governors either spiritual or temporal, sin more grievously by example then by act; their act destroyeth but one, their example may destroy many, and therefore surely the greater account they are to render and the more circumspectly to behave themselves, least that in their own precepts, they be found faulty: the greater power than that one man hath above others, must teach him to excel in virtue above them: for what doth it profit an Emperor to be Lord and king over many kingdoms, if on the other part he become bondslave to many vices, titles of honour be nothing worth if the life of the party be bad, surely true nobility consisteth not in dignity, lineage, large possessions and the like, but in wisdom knowledge and virtue: and this nobility bringeth a man to dignity in the kingdom of heaven, and as for this life it is not the place as foolish men suppose, that makes the person renowned, but it is the person that maketh the place always honourable.   

SECT. 90. The praise of silence.  
OF all virtues the chiefest is silence, for by it thou hearest the imperfections of others, and concealest thine own; for commonly empty vessels make the loudest sound, and men of the weakest wit, and least capacity are the greatest babblers; the heart of the fool saith Syracke is in his mouth, 
Eccl. 21.26  but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart; then think this with thyself, before thou makest any man of thy counsel, that it is great folly, to think to have that kept secret, by telling it unto another, when as thou canst not keep it secret thyself.   

SECT. 91. The charitable man.  
Whosoever drinketh of the sweet springs of charity, is apt and ready to all good, he laboureth and is not weary, he is weary & feeleth it not, be feeleth it, but grieveth not: the malicious mock him but he regards them not: he is cursed, but he blesseth and curseth not.   

SECT. 92. Parents must instruct their Children.  
surely that child is not bound in duty to love those his parents of whom he never learned any virtuous instruction, it is not enough for a man to say I have a son, except the can say I have a son fearing God, and profitable for the common weal, and a father that would have such a son, must teach him as well by good examples as by Godly admonitions.   

SECT. 93. Miracles are every day to be seen in the world.  
SOme men look daily for miracles from heaven, yet they regard not these miracles that are daily sent, every new borne babe beareth a wonder, but who esteems it worthy of admiration, ten hundred men ten hundred countenances, all rare, all varying & all singular to show the singular rareness of God's power, ten hundred tongues ten hundred voices, some sharp some flat, some shrill, some hoarse, none alike, ten hundred minds, some good, some bad and each one disagreeing.   

SECT. 94. God doth not desire the death of a sinner.  
A Good musician having any key or string of his instrument out of tune, doth not immediately cut it off, and cast it away, but either by straining it higher, or slacking it down lower, by little and little causeth it to agree, and God desireth rather to reform the transgressions by small corrections, then seek to cast them away for every trespass, he lifteth them up high by heaping his blessings upon them, to see whether or no, these his mercies will bend them, but if this will not serve, he useth then to slack his loving kindness, and to thrust afflictions on them; to try whether these his threats will break them, so that it may be he will make them agree and tunable with his will.   

SECT. 95. We believe not that God is angry with our sins.  
GOd oftentimes saith David hath bend his bow, and made ready his arrows, to shoot at the wicked and impenitent sinner, and yet do they not think that he is angry with their sins. And oftentimes again with most fatal and deadly shot, hath he charged the roaring guns of his wrath, and flust many times in the pan, still putting the Lenity of his mercy in the touchhole, between the barrel and it, to try whether we would take the wings of repentance, and fly away; yet set we still cheering up and pruning of our evils like foolish birds, thinking nothing, not at all expecting death, or yet any danger to ensue, so that at length we tumble and totter headlong over the perch, whereon we thought we sat most secure. Surely men in these days do presumptuously depend upon God's patience: they think him to be a God of wax, whom they may metamorphize and change into what shape they please, whom they may melt and turn into what fashion they will, but I fear that in this their tempering of him, he will so stick to the skirts of all presumptuous offenders, that all the waters in the broad seas will not be able to wash all their besmeering off, to wash clean and cleanse their souls from that horrible sin of presumption, God will not be mocked, Non est ludendum cùm sanctis, It is ill jesting with edge tools.   

SECT. 96. We must humble ourselves before God.  
GOD is lofty and God is lowly, he is pitiful, and he is terrible, he is great in compassion and great also in confusion, and in both without passion; if thou dost lift up thyself unto him, 
Num. 16 4.  he flieth from thee; but if thou humblest thyself and kissest the ground with thy face, he soon lighteth upon thy back, God is a spirit, and like a shadow; which when thou arisest up vanisheth away from thee; the only way then to catch it is to fall down upon it, to fall down upon thy knees with the Publican and cry, Lord have mercy upon me a sinner.   

SECT. 97. We can see a moat in our brother's eye, but not the beam in our own.  
IT is a strange matter to see, how every man will gaze and wonder at a fool, yet no man will vouchsafe so much as to look upon his own deformities, me thinks, most men have the eyes of those counterfeiting Lamiaes, 
Eras. Rothe.  they can see a far off, yet not discern hard by; discern then a fool, and see thyself, or see a fool, and wonder at thyself: most of the world's wisest men have some babble, Satan's Sceptre, Vice the babble, Sin the sceptre, whereby the devils kingdom is upholden.   

SECT. 98. Vain glory a mere vanity.  
MAny men hunt after vain glory, they run up and down to catch a feather; and pray what is it but a feather? even as light as nothing, they dream that they have mountains of gold; but when they awake out of their fleep of blind ignorance they shall find just nothing at all in their hands, and what is praise and renown when they have it, for which they gaped for so long, truly it is not worth three points, for that it is only the breath of some few men's mouths, the men may die, their minds may alter upon every light occasion, which now maketh him great, now little and now nothing at all; our Saviour Christ himself, was received into jerusalem with trimph of Hosanna, crying, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest, 
Matth. 21. Mat. 27.20  and casting their apparel upon him, and cutting down branches and strawing them in the way, but not long after this they cried as fast, crucify crucify, crucify him, crucify him, let him be crucified.   

SECT. 99 We love not to be told of our faults.  
THough it be a fault generally for all men to sin, yet very few can endure to hear their sins repeated or reproved, but we must hear what we would not, when as we do what we should not, and what though the hearing thereof be unpleasant to thy soul, yet me thinks the persuasions to amendment should be sweet: mix one with the other; and drown the bitter and unpleasant taste of reprehension, with a sweet and delectable resolution to lead a more godly and Christianlike life, drown it with a sweet repentance.   

SECT. 100 We must have patience in declaring the will of God.  
ANd surely patience in declaring the will of God must needs be very good and necessary, whenas those that are taught and admonished, do thus kick and spurn at their teachers, and whom if they could, they would persecute and prosecute them even unto the death; 
Petr. Martyr in 2. ca Rom.  Austin saith, that though horses and asses do kick those that do heal and cure their gall backs, yet they never cease curing them, till that they be full whole; much rather therefore saith he, must we (though all the afflictions in the world be laid upon us) endeavour to heal up the wounded conscience.   

SECT. 101. How high the calling of ministers is: and how little foolish worldlings respect them.  
But tell me, my soul, why should these gald-backe asses, thus revile and scorn the ambassadors of Christ, as they daily do; do they think the ministery but a needless thing, do they esteem the meddling with the secrets of God, the saving of souls, the shutting and opening of the kingdom of heaven, to be but a triste or matter of no value? they value them indeed in their unequal balance, they put them in the lightest scale; their most deformedst sons, and those of the shallowest dispensers of the Lords will, the leanest beast, the lightest sheaf of wheat is for God's Church, all is too good that God hath; which plainly shows what vain and curious prayers they offer unto him, but when it pleaseth God to visit them with sickness, so that they are like to die, who then is so much in request as the Preachers, they desire to be buried in the Church, and withal to have a Sermon too, though before in their life days, they lived even as Atheists, they would not so much as once lift a leg over the Church style, to know their duty, either towards God or man.   

SECT. 102. A meditation on Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.  
O Sweet Christ, 
jobn. 14.6.  O thou the redeemer of mankind, O thou who art the way, the truth, and the life, the way in doctrine, precept and examples, the truth in promises, for thou Lord hast performed thy promise made to a thousand generations, and thou art the life in reward; I pray thee by this thine unspeakable charity, wherewith thou vouchsafest to employ thyself wholly for our salvation, suffer me never to wander from thee who art the way, neither ever to distrust in thy promises, who art the truth, and performest whatsoever thou dost promise, neither to rely on any other thing, because thou art eternal life, than which there is nothing more to be desired, neither in heaven nor in earth; grant this I beseech thee, O thou dear son of God, to whom be praise and glory for ever and ever, Amen.   

SECT. 103. How impatient men are in enduring crosses.  
IT is a strange thing to consider how impatiently the wicked suffer punishments, & how discontentedly the godly endure crosses, whereas the sin of both is the cause of both their afflictions. But if the wicked do esescape in this life unpunished, it maketh much for the comfort of the Godly, in that the Lord giveth the rains, that they may gallop unto their own confusion; God very seldom or never gives the bridle unto the Godly, but by fatherly chastisements restraineth and amendeth them. Yet such is the corruption of the flesh in both, that they commonly kick against the prick of the Lords correction: Few men have embraced content, few rejoice or smile in troubles, and few triumph in the wearisome Chariot of adversity: the contented are prepared to bear the yoke of any afflictions whatsoever, whatsoever may fall out unto them: Phidias that skilful carver of Images, did not only cut them out of ivory, but also of brass, marble, 
Senecain Epist. 86.  out of any kind of stone, nay, out of the basest brickleft metal that was brought unto him: And the wise man will place content in every little corner of his life, in riches, in poverty, in health, in sickness, as well in bondage and slavery, as in freedom: as prosperity cannot breed pride and presumption in him, so likewise cannot adversity make him despair: But alas, in these latter days, impatience and discontent have smothered up many good and Godly minds, one crieth like the horse, oh I would I were an ox for I am spurred, oh I would I were an horse for I am goaded; thus one howls in one corner, one complains in another, one sobs and sighs, another grieves and groans, one wrings and wrists his hands, another storms, stars and fumes so that here is no place free from complaints and bewailings, we are all Epicures in this onething, for that we wish our bodies may live without griefs & diseases, and our minds void of all sorrow and pertur bations.   

SECT. 104. Comforts for such as are poor & miserable.  
FIrst then, me thinks I hear one cry, poverty is grievous unto me; I am poor and naked alas I am cold and hungry: even so? well, let me deal with the first in the nature of a Philosopher, (which will best fit and satisfy the desires of all our heathenish, and ignorant Christians) It is grievous unto thee? fie, fie, this one reproachful word hath done much harm unto innocent poverty, it cannot be grievous unto it, all the fault lieth in thy discontented mind, 
Senec de Rome. utri. us. sortu. ●ob●.  thou broughtest nothing into the world, and nothing shalt thou carry out, and this is the state and condition of every soul breathing on the face of the earth, what is it then prithee tell me that thou canst challenge? art thou poor? then art thou free from thieves, free from care in keeping of goods, and from sorrow in losing them or departing from them, yea, and now shalt thou be free from setting thine hand to any band for thy friend: for through suretyship saith Solomon many men are overthrown, 
Pro. 6.1.2. & 17.18.  I warrant thee through this suretyship, if thou art poor though never so honest, thou shalt never take harm, be of good cheer, for through poverty thou hast escaped an hundred more troubles. Art thou poor and in misery? complain not thy wants so instantly, God seethe thee unfit for riches and apt to be shooled by poverty; 
Eccles. 1  All under the sun is vanity, trouble and vexation of mind, what hath man to mourn for then, when as all that he can lose in this life, is fading, miserable and transitory, nay, the world cannot take away any thing, for it giveth not any thing, fame perisheth, wealth decay, and this only remains behind with us, and it is our true and only wealth too, that is our constancy in crosses: if then thou wilt fight, resolutely against the world, and manfully in Christ's battle, he shall take thee for his truehearted soldier, and dub thee Knight for thy constancy in conquering, for thy famous victories, let neither joy nor grief overcome thee, 
judg. 6.15.16. Isai. 25.4  for better were it not to be then to be a bondslave unto passion; Art thou poor? yet nevertheless, think with thyself that the humble thoughts that smoke from thy poor cottage, are as sweet a sacrifide unto god, as the vainglorious perfumes in the Palace of a Prince? Art thou poor? so was Bias, but Bias was wise, be thou also wise with him, and art thou hard favoured with Bias, be thou also learned with him, so than they that look upon thee will deceive themselves, both in thy riches and also in thy beauty, truly it is the greatest beauty to be endued with learning, and greatest wealth, to be enriched with wisdom, a poor man virtuous is as far beyond a rich man vicious as the soul is beyond the body it is better to be a man without money, then to be money without a man, wherefore if adversity approacheth learn wisdom: if thy troubles be small bear them, because they be easy to be borne, but if they be great & grievous bear with them also, for in so doing, thy glory shall be the greater, nay, both in bearing them, and also bearing with them, it is thy duty, and and so shalt thou purchase the reward of obedience; lastly if thou canst not have what thou wouldst, thou must be contented with what thou canst get; to will much is folly, where ability wanteth, and to desire nothing is content, which despiseth all things. If thou hast neither land nor living, labour diligently, and eat thy bread in the sweat of thy brows, so God commanded and appointed thy father Adam to do; 
Gen. 3.19 & 23.  and the riches that proceed here-hence are sweetest, & the blessing best of all, and tell and those my soul, what they must trust too, that have hands?   

SECT. 105. For such as are visited with sickness.  
ANother crieth, I am horribly punished with sickness, art thou so? persuade thyself that thou shalt have case anon; wherefore did God create Physicians, save only to help the sick; what if thou art sick now, persuade thyself that sickness and diseases cannot last long, for either thou wilt leave them, or else they will leave thee, we cannot be at one stay; it maketh no matter how ill thy budy be, so that thy soul be sound, indeed if the inward man have a pain in his head, whereby he cannot lay him down in peace and take his rest, the contagion then surly is much to be feared; 
Psal. 4.8  think not that bodily sickness is any cross at all, it is rather a property, who then may avoid it?   

SECT. 106. For such as are grieved with old age.  
THe third crieth old age is crept upon me, I am filled with griefs and aches, alas my body is weak, thereby mine hands shake, mine eyes dazzle my feet tremble; so that I am weary of my life, I would to God I were a yard under ground, or else I would I were as lusty as ever I was, ah sinful wish, I see now that thou delightest in nought, but in sporting and toying in vanities & vain pleasure: if God's spirit did dwell in thee, thou wouldst not so earnestly complain, but give God praise and thanks for thy long life, and rejoice at thy grey head, which deserves much honour: 
jevit. 19  this is that age which the Lord hath promised unto all them that love him, 
Exod. 19  and keep his commandments, he hath promised that their days shall be long in the land, that they shall live many years. Nay, this is that age which every man desireth: and tell me, didst not thou thyself desire to see it when thou wast young, think then that thou art happy now, for that thou hast thy wish; this also is no cross, only a property, 
Porphi●, p op●●●● 〈◊〉 ●●●●ra de Senect.  & only belonging unto man, but not unto every man. In this age there is no swilling, no swearing no swaggering, no quaffing nor surfeiting.   

SECT. 107. For such as are discontented for that they must leave the world.  
ANd now who is he that will not complain when he must die, and howl and cry when he must leave this world; who will say from his heart I have lived a great while? this then is the part of an unthankful man, who is not contented with the time he hath lived; Grieve not because thou must die, that thou must leave thy wife and children, thy lands and lordships, and all things else behind thee, say not thou woe is me, woe is me that I must die: and must thou so, 
2. King. 12  what then? It is the nature of a man to die, it is no punishment, when thou camest first into the world it was upon this condition, that thou shovidest once go out again, this life is but peregrination, for when thou hast walked unto the end of thy journey, thou must then return back, nay it is the part of a fool and a dastard to fear that which by no means can be avoided, many are gone before thee, and many shall go after thee, and thou must know that thy life is not thine own, thnu art only vita commodatus and not donatus, thy life is only lent unto thee, thou hast not a lease thereof, thou art but a tenant at will. Grieve not at the remembrance of death, for death itself cannot be grievous seeing that it is but once, it bringeth all happiness with it, and to the godly it is a very great advantage, But must thou die indeed? if Godly then be glad, if wicked repent, no man I trow will speak against death, save he who hath a guilty conscience; death indeed makes this man tremble & quake, but thou shalt hardly see an honest man unwilling to die; Yet another disc ontented blood cries out, alas, what must I dyin my youthful days, how sottish and how ignorant art thou? tell me, what is not a commodity sweetest, when as it cometh unexpected? nay, death doth even as well appertain to youth as unto old age, the Lamb's skin comes even as soon to the market as the sheep. And it makes no matter how many years thou hast to live, but how many thou hast lived, then if thou canst live no longer, that is thine old age; and this the state and condition of all mankind, even to die at last.   

SECT. 108. For such as are slandered.  
YEt another grieves because he is slandered, so that me thinks there is never an heavenly minded man amongst us: art thou slandered, if guiltless rejoice, if guilty amend; wilt thou grieve at slanders, thou must know that no good man will slander thee; and wouldst thou be praised of evil men, I tell thee to be commended of them is as bad as to be commended for evil doing; Themistocles did never any famous thing in all his life time, 
Senec de odio & Inuid.  or yet what was praiseworthy, and yet did no man ever speak against him, Oftentimes have I saw cankers gnawing the greenest and freshest leaves, and oftentimes have I likewise saw envy pricking those especially that were godly and religious be thou then of good comfort, if Cicero, if Scipio if Cato, if David, if Solomon, if Peter, if Paul, or if any of the Prophets or Apostles, if any good man should speak evil of thee, than hadst thou some cause to grieve, but these as malicious vipers do envy thy prosperity, no honest or virtuous man will backbite his neighbour, and we know that the veriest whore will cry whore first; they that are most vicious will soon speak of other men's vices, of other men's deformities and enormities, there are also many dogs that bark often, 
Senec. de Kemed. fortuit.  not for any cause that they have, but only for custom sake.   

SECT. 109. For such as have lost their money.  
YEt me thinks I hear another set sighing for that he hath lost his money, what if thy money be gone? now thou art in less danger, oh how happy were thou if thou hadst lost thy covetousness with it too, art sure thou hast lost thy money? prithee tell me, how many, money hath lost, truly thou hadst better lose it then to let it loose thee, and now shalt thou be more light in thy journey and more safe at home.   

SECT. 110. For such as are lame and ill favoured.  
ANother is discontented, and cries, alas I am lame, I go upon crutches, I am crompt sholdred, crooked & deformed, I am of an ugly visage and the like, so that the least and lightest cross is burdensome and grievous unto us. Art thou deformed? so was Aristotle, so was grave and prudent Aesop, and yet both of them in their age, the wisest men that were, it is not the proper flature of the body, it's not the beard, the tyranuizing countenance, stately apparel, new fashions, new cuts, rings, jewels, or yet any outward ornament else that makes the man, and likewise on the contrary, it's not a platter face, maimed limbs, one leg, one arm, or yet a pair of bow-legs that hindereth his definition: a man as he is a man doth not consist of flesh and blood, but of mind and courage, of soul and spirit, we say such a beast is a fair beast, but we say such a man is a virtuous man, which virtue only proceedeth from his mind, pray how do we define a man? we do not say a man is a living Creature set out with a large pair of hose, or the like; but we rather define him thus: 
Arist.  Homo est animal rationale; a man is a living creature endued withreason; to conclude a man is a man, if he hath but a sock on his head: What art thou lame indeed? be content thy crouch serveth as well to fight withal, as to lean on.   

SECT. 111. For such as are banished.  
SOme again weep by cause they are banished, but let me ask them whether they have not deserved it: indeed, we say that fools and children commonly will eat their cake, and yet have it too, if they could; but be thou contented: it's no cross at all, though thou thinkest it one; its law & justice, it fitteth well thy desert: what though thou art banished out of this land thou shalt dwell in another, thou canst not be banished out of the world, oh I shall be banished out of my country wherein I was borne: thou art deceived, for Patria est ubicunque bene est, that is thy country, not that wherein thou wast borne, but wherein thou canst best live; what is thy banishment? it is but a traveling, and what noble spirit doth not desire to travail and to see new fashions, if thou art not banished from the land of the living, thou hast no cause to grieve; Oh but I shall then die in a strange country, what then? thou shalt go to heaven in a strange land, as soon as in thy native country, for heaven (contrary to the rules of Philosophy,) is a centre and the earth a circumference, from which unto the centre are drawn many lines, and though many ascend up one line, many by another, yet at length all meet and rejoice in one and the same place; let not this thought vex thee, for there is no earth strange unto a dead man; but yet alas it may be as I wander up and down, I shall die by myself, and so I may lie unburied, what then? thou shalt feel neither cold nor heat, wind nor weather, nay, if thou dost respect that, it is warmer lying above ground where the sun shineth pleasantly, then under the earth where is nought else but a cold crude and dampish moisture; and what if thou shalt lie unburied? know that Coelo tegitur qui non habet urnam he that hath never a grave or coffin to shadow him, hath the whole heavens to cover him. What care I when I am once dead, whether fire consumes me, wild beasts devour me, the sea drowns me, or the earth rots me; surely I will never take thought for my body, had not I as good let the birds those little pretty harmless creatures pick gently my bones, as to let those filthy stinking maggots devour them: burying was not invented first for those sakes that die, but for those that remain alive afterward, that so all the noisome smells and stinking vapours arising from the dead carcase, 
Senee de Rem. fortuit.  might be kept from them.   

SECT. 112. For such as weep for loss of Children.  
YEt crieth another I have lost my Children, Oh what will become of me, alas how sottish art thou, to grieve for mortality, is it a strange matter to see thy Children die? surely it's no matter to see the tree stand and the Apples fall; and no more strange is it then to see the fruit of thy body diseased, and thyself alive; now shalt thou never hear worse of them, and wilt thou mourn for that they be in joy? surely than thou dost not love them, though thou seemest loath to leave them.   

SECT. 113. For such as mourn because they are in bondage.  
ANd lastly another cries, I am a slave, I am a bondman; dost not know, Qui non didicit parere non potest imperare, he that hath not learned to obey, can never govern or rule his household well; thou needest not now to ho (as we say) for hous-rent, servants wages, and the like things which thy master doth, if thou art not a slave unto old Satan all is well; But alas I have not my belly full, if thou hast not, be contented, for God punisheth the glutton as much as he doth thee; if thou hast stomach and little victuals, he hath victuals and little stomach, if thou labourest for meat for thy stomach, he laboureth for stomach for his meat; nay, the drunken to spot is as often thirsty, as the dry travailer.   

SECT. 114. An example of content in Dyogines the Cynic.  
I Wonder greatly at the impatience of this age, that cannot suffer a fleabiting without rubbing and scratching, learn of the silly bird, who although she be kept in a close cage, bard from all liberties and pleasures, minst of her diet, yet sings she more melodious and sweet, than she that flies abroad, in the open air, no close imprisonment, no thought can molest her: But we are sullen in afflictions, murmuring in crosses, and pouting in our sweetest troubles, what though my lodging be in bulks, porches, and tubs, 
Vita Dyog.  what though my diet be alms, be roots and herbs, what though my drink be water, my riches poverty: and mine honour, only taunts and scoffs; yet shall these as ye term them crosses breed a discontentment in me? no, no. I know my tub to be more beautiful than Alexander's great palace, neither would I change any jot of my estate for his, though he if he were not Alexander would be Dyogines, yet I of I were not Dyogines, would not be Alexander, 
Plut. in vita Alex.  for I think his so gorgeous an habitation woeful: and what saith my soul unto his so proud and sumptuous a palace.  
Ecch. Alas.   

SECT. 115. The end of affliction.  
IF a man lives contented with his affections, they scour all filth from his soul, 
Act. 14.15.  that eternal part, for through many troubles and afflictions he must enter into the kingdom of heaven, he that hath crosses must embrace nay, coll and kiss them. And than what saith my soul, if a man bears them patiently hear on earth, is obtained in heaven through every distease?  
Echo. His ease.  
And what through every affliction Echo. Zion. 
Psal. 87    

SECT. 116 How careful God is in afflicting his Children.  
surely the love of God is exceeding large towards mankind, 
1. Cor. 10.13  in that he layeth no more afflictions on them, then that they can easily bear, he is sparing in cursing, but bountiful in blessing, he giveth his wrath by weight, but his mercy without measure; Amongst all men therefore he undoubtedly is blessed on the one side, whom no fear troubleth, no pensiveness consumeth, no desire of worldly wealth afflicteth, and to whom no cross can seem intolerable, whereby he may be discouraged or despair; and he likewise is happy on the other side, whom no pleasure can proudly puff up, no delight can so move unto mirth, and no promotion make him so vainglorious, whereby he presumes above others, or prefers himself before them, for oftentimes have I saw, and how often I know not the footman hoisted up into the saddle, when as he that road before, hath now been glad to lackey after. The riches that men gather in time may fail; friends may prove unkind and unconstant, hope may deceive, but content can never be conquered: the contented man kills adversity if it assault, dries up tears if they flow, stays wrath if it urge, heals wounds if they fester, and and lastly wins heaven and heavenly joys, if it hold on unto the end, and therefore Paul learned in what state so ever he was in, 
Phil. 4.11  therewith to be content.   

SECT. 117. Comforts in general for such as are in afflictions.  
NOw leaving the Philosopher's reasons, let us see my soul how far the Christian reasoning, can comfort us in enduring crosses: surely their fruit is very great; first then for by them through Christ, we purchase remission of fins, and reconciliation to God the father by them we are exercised in Godliness, and for suffering them we shall have our reward, a reward of inestimable value, me thinks then that afflictions should not make me despair and grieve, and seeing that Christ jesus our Captain hath broke down the hedge, before our eyes, I say let it not grieve us now to follow after, all the saints of God, his Soldiers, all the Prophets and Martyrs, have sounded the bottom, and found the depth of all afflictions whatsoever, fear not then thy footing: God plays the careful cook with all his children, he gives them sharp Olives to whet their stomachs, and breed their appetites, sharp sorrows, sour crosses, bitter and brinish troubles, because they should come and taste how sweet, how good and gracious the Lord is, we are punished in this world saith Austin, to the end we should not be damned with the world, in the world to come: In like manner as a Nurse that to wean her child from the love and liking of her milk, doth rub her tear with aloes, with wormwood or with the like bitter thing, so our merciful father who would feign retire us from the love of the world, and worldly delights, useth to send tribulation unto us therein, to the intent we may cry with the child paw, pan unto the world, to the end we may shun and avoid its enticing dugs. Again we read that Moses striking with his rod the hard rocks brought forth water, 
Exod. 17.5, 6  and the rod of correction falling on the back of stonyhearted sinners, most commonly mollifieth them to contrition, and oftentimes bringeth forth a flood of tears to repentance.   

SECT. 118. On the same.  
THe stones that were appointed to serve for the glorious temple of Solomon, 
1. Kings.  were beaten, were hewed and polished with out, at the quarry side, for that no stroke of hammer might be heard within the temple, and Peter tells us that the Godly are chosen stones, to be placed in the spiritual building, of God in heaven, where there is no beating, no hewing, no sorrow, no tribulation: surely then it is meet for us here in this life, in the hard quarry of this sinful world, to be cut and polished, and made fit for that glorious temple; and with all we ought to be most glad when we are thus handled, 
Psalm. Amos 4.1.  for that it is a sign of our election, to that most glorious house of God's eternal mansion. Oxen appointed for the slaughter are suffered to feed at their pleasure, & so are David's fat Bulls of Basan: trees that bring forth no fruit, and are kept for the fire, are never beaten, and the sick man, that is past all hope of health is suffered by the Physician to have whatsoever he lusteth after, when as he whose health is not despaired, cannot have that liberty granted.   

SECT. 119. We ought to rejoice in troubles.  
MEthinks how necessary it is to know, that all afflictions come from a divine and just hand, wherefore they cannot be evil or unwholesome, as many account them; Indeed crosses are very troublesome unto the weakness and frailty of the flesh, yet if thou wilt behold their effect thou hast cause enough to be merry, to be patiented and contented therewith; The seafaring man, who although he be beaten most grievously with storms and tossed very dangerously with blustering winds, yet remembering the haven smiles to himself, and cleareth up his dull and heavy spirits, if he then rejoiceth in the mids of those storms beholding the haven a receptacle only for his wearied body, thou rather mayest (I think) rejoice, casting thy eyes on heaven, a sweet refreshing shore for thine afflicted soul It's a most base and cravonish part to grieve for the want of any temporal benefit, what shall old age make me sigh, shall poverty make me mourn, shall sickness make me despair, or shall death itself make me afraid, no, no, he truly is no man that in this life is not filled with miseries, & he is no Christian that cannot bear them, troubles are but flea-bite, but alas we unskilful worldlings, know not their effect. Tell me then my soul what that soul shall obtain in heaven, which suffers crosses patiently here on earth, tell me my soul what shall there be cast upon her.  
Ecch. Honour.   

SECT. 120 The reward of such as are patiented in troubles.  
ANd what can be a greater dignity then to be clothed with the brightness of GOD, then to be endued with immortality? and what can be a greater grace or an higher felicity to any soul, then to see God face to face, for his face is the fullness of all beatitude, to see him that made both heaven and earth, to see him that made thyself, to see him that redeemed thee, and glorified thee, for in seeing him thou shalt possess him, in possessing him thou shalt love him, in loving him, thou shalt praise him; for he is the inheritance of his people, he is the possession of their felicity, their reward, their crown of glory, in him our souls, shall find all wisdom, all beauty, all riches, all delight, all goodness whatsoever, whatsoever deserveth love or admiration or worketh pleasure and contentation. Briefly, in this kingdom, there shall be joy without sadness, health without sickness, life without labour, light without darkness, felicity without abatement, all goodness without any evil; lo thus shall he be blessed that patiently endureth crosses, troubles and afflictions, their youth flourisheth, and never waxeth old, life that knoweth no end, beauty that never fadeth, love that never cooleth, health that never diminisheth, joy that never ceaseth, a song of gladness that never endeth, there shall we sing & rejoice for ever, happy are they, 
Psal. 83.  saith David that live in thy house for they shall praise thee eternally, there shall we sing unto that blessed Trinity God the Father, God the son, and God the holy Ghost, we shall sing and cry Aleiluia, Aleiluiah, world without end.  
Awake now my soul, rouse up thyself and arise, call to thy friends and companions, that we may all go together and hear the spiritual talk, between Christ and his poor afflicted members; make hast my soul, for I hear the comfortable speeches of my redeemer, sounding in my ears already.   

A DIALOGUE BETWEEN CHRIST and his Church afflicted, by which we may easily see, what Christ doth require of those, that suffer persecution, for his namesake: and how they ought to behave themselves in afflictions.  Christus. 
IN me ye shall have peace, 
john 16.33.  in the world ye shall have affliction, but be of good comfort, I have overcome the world.  Ecclesia afflicta. 
Lord increase our faith. 
Luke 17.5.   Chr. 
Come unto me all ye that are weary and laden, 
Matt. 11.28  and I will ease you.  Eccl. 
Master to whom shall we go to else? 
john 6.68.  thou hast the words of eternal life.  Christ: 
Fellow me. 
Mat. 4.19   Eccles: 
Master I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 
Mat. 8.19   Christ: 
I am the good Shepherd 
john 10.11   Eccles: 
We were as the good sheep going astray, 
1 Pet. 2.25  but are now returned to the Shepherd and bishop of our souls.  Christ: 
I am the light of the world 
john 8.12.   Eccles: 
Lord lighten my eyes, lest they behold death.  Christ: 
I am the way. 
john 14.6   Eccles: 
Show us the way of thy truth, 
Ps. 119.33  teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes, and I will keep it unto the end.  Chr: 
Blessed are ye that weep now. 
Luke 6.21.   Eccles: 
The Lord shall wipe clean away all tears from our eyes. 
Revel. 21.   Christ: 
Blessed are ye when men hate you. 
Luke 6.22.   Eccles: 
If I should please men I were not the servant of Christ. 
Gal. 1.10.   Christ: 
Blessed are the pure in 
Mat. 5.8  heart for they shall see God.  Eccles. 
Create in me a new heart O Lord. 
Psalm 50.   Christ, 
Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousness sake, 
Mat. 5.10.  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Eccles: 
I suffer all things for the elects sake. 
2. Ti. 2.10.   Christ: 
Lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven. 
Mat. 6.20.   Eccl. 
Our conversation is in heaven 
Phil. 3.20.   Christ: 
Woe be to you when all men speak well of you. 
Luke 6.26.   Eccles. 
We ought rather to obey God then men. 
Act. 5.20   Christ: 
Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. 
Mat. 5.12   Eccl: 
There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, 
2. Tim. 4.8  which the Lord shall give me at that day.  Christ. 
My sheep hear my voice, 
john 10.27   Eccl: 
If an angel of heaven preach unto us any other gospel, 
Gal. 1.8  let him be accursed.  Christ. 
I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. 
Mat. 9.13.   Eccles. 
This is a true saving, 
1. Tim. 1.15.  This is a true saving, and by all means worthy to be received that Christ jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief.  Christ. 
If any man will follow me, 
Mat. 16.24  let him forsake himself, and take up his Cross and follow me.  Eccles. 
I am able to do all things through Christ, 
Phil. 4.13  which strengtheneth me.  Christ. 
He that believeth in me shall never die. 
joh. 11.26   Eccles. 
I believe that thou art Christ the son of the living God. 
john ib.   Christ. 
Whosoever shall humble himself as a little child, 
Mat. 18 4.  the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Eccles. 
We are unprofitable servants, 
Luke 17.10  we have done but that which was our duty to do. 
john 6.32   Christ. 
My father giveth you the true bread from heaven.  Eccles. 
Lord evermore give us this bread. 
John 6.34.   Christ. 
Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, 
john. 4.14  shall never be more a thirst.  Eccles 
Sir, give me of that water that I may not thirst. 
john 4.15   Christ. 
Fear not my little flock. 
Luke 12.32   Eccles. 
O Lord in thee have I trusted, let me never be confounded.  Christ. 
Pray for them that hurt you and persecute you. 
Mat. 5.44   Eccles. 
Lord lay not this sin to their charge. 
Act. 7 60   Christ. 
He that loveth father or Mother more than he loveth me, 
Mat. 7.37  is not worthy of me.  Eccles. 
When my Father and my Mother forsook me, 
Psal. 27.10  thou Lord tookest me up.  Christ. 
I came not to send peace but the sword. 
Mat. 10.34   Eceles. 
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 
Rom. 8.35  shall tribulation or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? etc.  Christ. 
Ye shall weep and mourn but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 
john. 16.20   Eccles. 
I account that the afflictions of this present life are not worthy of the glory, 
Rom. 1.18  that shall be showed unto us.  Christ. 
Where I am, 
John 12.26  there shall also my servant be.  Eccles. 
I desire to be loosed, 
Phil. 1.23.  and to be with Christ.  Christ. 
He that loveth his life shall lose it, 
john 12.25  and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.  Eccles. 
For thy sake are we killed all day long, 
Rom. 8.36  we are counted as for the slaughter.  Christ. 
If the world hate you, 
john 15.18  ye know, that it hated me before it hated you.  Eccles. 
If God be ou our side who can be against us? 
Rom. 8 31.   Christ. 
The servant is not greater than the Master. 
john 15 20   Eccles. 
Christ hath suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. 
1. Pet. 2.21   Christ. 
In my father's house are many dwelling places. 
john 14.2.   Eccles. 
We know, 
2. Cor 5.1  that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be destroyed, we have a building given of God, an house not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens.  Christ. 
GOD sent not his son into the world, 
john 3.17  that he should condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.  Eccl. 
Let us therefore go boldly unto the throne of grace, 
Heb. 4.14.  that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.  Chr. 
He that believeth in the son shall not be condemned. 
Ioh 3.18.   Eccl. 
There is no condemnation to them, 
Rom. 8.1.  which are in Christ jesus.  Chri. 
All the hairs of your head are numbered. 
Mat. 10 30   Eccl. 
The Lord knoweth who are his. 
2. Tim. 2.19.   Chr. 
Ye believe in God, 
john 14.1.  believe also in me.  Eccl. 
We believe & know that thou art the Christ, 
john 6.69.  the son of the living God.  
FINIS Dialog.   

SECT. 122. The true felicity of this life and the false.  
GOD hath given us a true felicity in this life, a true practic I mean, which is the continual meditation on the Laws of God, 
Psal. 1.1.2.  though not a divine and theoric which is else where; yet some men think pleasure with swinish Aristippus, some think honour, with vain glorious Periander, and some think riches with covetous Midas; But how can this be? when as gold and silver are but the very excrements of nature, and found in the most barren and barbarous places of the earth; they cannot ease the grief of the body, much less than of mind: how again can honour be the felicity of this life being but a vapour soon vanishing, only the breath of some men's mouths? 
job. 7  job did not regard it when he said unto rottenness, thou art my father, unto dust and worms, ye are my sisters and my mother. If any one than will brag of the fame and renown of his ancestors, let him look with holy job into their graves, and there he shall see all honour and promotion of this life to be turned into a little loathsome stinking earth; And how then, beastly Epicure, can pleasure be the felicity, of this life? when as it killeth the soul, poisoneth the body, when as it is nought else, but scum of venery, and a jakes receptable for all filth and beastliness, and then again should dogs be in as good estate as man, if pleasure should be the happiness of this life, nay, now in fine tell me my soul what is was, that brought on each wicked one of Israel, the Lords heavy wrath and sore displeasure?  
Echo. His pleasure.  
And tell me again, what space of time may cast down, all the flourishing robes of renown, and utterly deface the beauty of honour?  
Echo. One hour.   

SECT. 123. The world is unconstant, wherefore man must be constant.  
THe world is full of change and alteration, here griefs hang over pleasures, here war ariseth in the midst of peace, here security is turned into sudden fear, here a friend is soon become an enemy, and here all our summers pastimes are soon changed into winter's threatening thunderclaps; the summer turneth into winter, the day into night, youth into age, prosperity into adversity, and pleasures into sorrows, so that for riches we exchange poverty, for health sickness, and for honour and renown, contempt and disgrace; nay in fine, this life is constant in nothing but in inconstancy, it is constant in nothing, but that it is unconstant in all things; Seeing then that this life is thus unconstant and full of misery, man's heart must be filled with content, he must learn with Paul to be content with the state whereto he is called, 
Phillip 4.11.  without grudging. This godly content depending on the Lords will, is the only sluice that stayeth and stoppeth all the raging floods of misfortune; we know this, that there is no part of a man's life so close and secure, but that the fear of death may creep in, that there is no man's life so fortified about with peace and happiness, but that grief now and then may shake and terrify him, wheresoever a man hides himself calamity will seek him out, and still attend on him; here are many external and outward evils, which do entice and tempt us unto lewdness here are also many inward and secret complaints of the conscience, many griefs, many cares, which in time will exciccate and consume the body, yet a joyful and contented soul, like of sound & well headed waster puts them off all without any foil or blemish at all; such a cavellering spirit or resolute under Christ's banner, cares not though strength be subject to weakness, riches to poverty, health to sickness, fame to disgrace, or life to death.   

SECT. 124. The tokens of a wise man, and contented.  
EVery wiseman, hath continually this thought in his heart, he thinketh that he feeleth death, when as he doth but only hear thereof; he supposeth that he smarteth with his brother's wants, when as he doth but only see them, he doth as well and as willingly entertain the world's crosses and calamities, as its joys and felicities; he despiseth riches as well present as lost or absent, or those which he knows he shall never enjoy, he neither rejoiceth at their presence, nor yet mourneth for their absence; he thinketh God's blessing neither going away nor yet coming; he persuades himself that all the earth is his, and that his is for all men, and whatsoever he hath, he doth neither miserably keep nor yet prodigally spend it, he conceiveth this in his mind, that the friendship and society of men must be as the stones in an oven, one must strengthen and uphold another; These are the signs of a contented soul, 
Sense. Epi. 96.  thus to live peaceably, and tell this to all men my soul, tell them what will drive away all calamity.  
Ecch. Amity.   

SECT. 125. The praise of content.  
BRotherly love and content in this hard iron age, is the only salve for all diseases. I am weak, but therewith contented, why then am I strong, but not contented mith my strength, then am I weak, I am ignorant, yet contented with the portion of wisdom that God hath given me, then am I wise, I am wise, yet would I feign know, Quod supra me est, that which is above my capacity for to know, then am I foolish, I am a fool: I am poor, yet contented therewith, why then am I rich, I have abundance, yet crave I more, then am I poor: Content to the weak and feeble is strength, to the simple wisdom, to the poor riches, to the slandered praise, to the sick health, to the aged, youth; to the afflicted comfort: nay what is it not? It's all in all. And now my soul, what shall I be gone? shall I bid thee farewell, and here make an end with the world's discontent?  
Ecch. Yes, content.  
I had thought to have made my race somewhat longer, but seeing it is thy will I should end here, here then will I place my farthest post: good Echo I say farewell, farewell, until we talk again, which God-willing, shall not be long first, if so be that these our first buds that now spring, be not cropped or blited by some envious breathing blast; which must hang on the good pleasure of God, and only on his will depend.  
Ecch. End.  
I'll end, and now farewell my spirit.  
Echo. Here it.  
Here yet, and yet too, you will have the last I see, but yet withal, I pray, let me also bid all those farewell, 
1. Tim. 4.1 2. Tim. 3.1. 2. Pet. 3.3.  that are enemies to the base humours of this age, such as cannot well brook or digest the lewd and filthy conditions of these latter times. So now once again, my soul, I cast you on him that made you.  
Ecch. Adieu.  
FINIS.