1. Haue mercy, vpon me, O God, according to thy great mercy, and according to the multitude of thy tender com­passions, blot out my transgres­sions.

THAT which I begge at thy hands, O God, is mercy: for of many proper­ties in thee, which are all essentiall to thee, there is [Page 18] none so vsefull, none so delightfull, to my per­plexed soule, as is thy mercy.

Were it not for thy Mercy, thy Maiesty would affright, thy Wisedome confound, thy Iustice con­demne, and thy Power destroy me; as on the o­ther part, through the sweete mixture of thy Mercy, thy Maiestie will reuiue, thy Wisedome en­lighten, thy Iustice acquit, & thy Power preserue me, and euery of thy other At­tributes will contribute to the aduancement of my inestimable benefit, and endlesse good.

In Mercy all my pray­ers and petitions are com­prized; [Page 19] by Mercy all my defects and desires are sa­tisfied; for Mercy all my prayses and thankes are re­turned.

Euery thing that hath being, doth naturally affect continuance, and well be­ing.

Euery Man doth or should desire his chiefe good, and true happinesse, which consists in thy re­mission of his sinnes, in his reconciliation to thee, and that is the blessed, and kindely fruite of thy gra­cious and tender mercy a­lone.

A sinner I am, and who is not? Therefore I cannot seeke for happines in free­dome from sinne (that is [Page 20] aboue the nature of man,) but in the free pardon of my sinne, by grace, which surmounts all the sinnes of all the world. Thou didst looke downe, O Lord, from all eternity, out of thy highest throne of Hea­uen, by way of Suruey, a­mong the sonnes of men in all ages and generati­ons, (all things and persons being euer present vnto thee) to see, if there were any, that would vnder­stand and seeke after thee. But vpon exact enquiry returne was made, they were all found corrupt and abominable, There was not one that did good; no not one. Which for grea­ter vehemency and eui­dence [Page 21] of the truth, is re­peated the second tyme, and purposely recorded, by an infinite foresight, to take away all colour of doubt, and to impose per­petuall Silence, to such as afterwards might deceiue themselues, and abuse o­thers with an opinion of their owne iustice and ho­linesse, as answerable to thy diuine law, and meri­torious of thy louing fa­uour.

Wherfore I present this lamentable supplication, and sing this dolefull dit­ty, though framed for my selfe [...], yet fitting euery of the sonnes of A­dam generally: Haue Mer­cy vpon mee, O God. I call [Page 22] vpon thee, O God, at this time, by the name of Elo­him, which purports the Trinity of Persons; and not of Iehouah, which denotes the Vnity of substance, in the Godhead: for my threefold sinne doth iust­ly occasion mee, to fixe mine eyes vpon the Three persons distinctly. Vpon thee, O Father, who art power, against whom I haue offended, by abuse of my regall Power, in mur­dering Captaine Vriah, and his whole troope; Vp­on thee, O Sonne, who art Wisedome, by vsing fine­nesse and fraud in carry­ing closely, and cunningly contriuing the murder. Vpon thee, O holy Ghost, [Page 23] who art goodnesse, whom I haue grieued, by defiling my hands with blood, and body with [...], which is, or should be thy temple and habitation.

When I implore thy great Mercie, I imply my great misery. The Phisick Aug. in [...]. 51. of the body must be attem­pered to the malady. If the receipt be giuen vnder the due Dosis, it may moue, but it will not re­moue the peccant humors. Desperate diseases must haue soueraigne [...]: for meane medicines will neuer cure great griefes. If the plaster bee too skant for the sore; If the wound be not throughly teinted, and wholy couered, it will [Page 24] neuer bee well cured, or soundly recouered. As it is in the diseases and sores of he body; so is it also in [...] of the soule. One deepe [...] another: the depth of sinne requires the depth of grace; and a depth of misery calleth for a depth of mercy.

If I aske my selfe, why is thy Mercy great? for that, there is no cause of thy mercy, but thy Mercy. I must answere by the effect, Because thou canst [...] my soule from the nethermost hell, from such anguish of body, from such perplexity of spirit, from such terrors and torments, as are rea­dy to ouerwhelme mee, [Page 25] in the pit of destruction.

If I aske how great is Chrysost. in hunc Psalmum. thy Mercy? I must giue an answere answerelesse; I know it to be meruailous great, but how great it is, I cannot comprehend. The immensity of it I haue as­sayed to shadow out, by such resemblances as the world affords to outward sence, for the shallow con­ceits, and weake capaci­ties of mortall men, be­ing not able with my thoughts to reach, much lesse with my tongue or penne to expresse it.

The height of thy mer­cy I [...] to the al­titude of the Heauen a­boue the Earth, the bredth Psal. 103. to the distance of the [Page 26] East from the West, the depth, to the affection of parents to their children: butalas, these are no euen matches: for that which is limited and finite, hath no proportion at all, with that which is vnlimited, and infinite.

Thy Mercy, O Lord, is as thou art: thou art great without quantity, as thou art good without quality. Thou art not merciful, but mercy: not good, but goodnesse: not louing, but Loue it selfe, in the ab­stract. The extent of thy goodnesse, loue, and mer­cy is such as hath no bounds, the depth is such as hath no bottome.

The influence of it, will [Page 27] make me feele that which no eloquence can vtter, no Melius im­pressum quàm ex­pressum in­notescit. intelligence can containe. No man can tell how sweete hony is, but hee In his non capit intel­ligentia, ni­si quantum attingit [...]. Bern. in Cant. 3. that tasteth it.

I see, O Lord, great fruite of thy rich roote of Mercy. For were not thy mercy exceeding great, few or none could liue Qui non gustauerit, non intelli­get, quàm [...] sapit mel, Aug. in Psal. 30. here the life of grace, or there, the life of glory. Looke how many Saints there be in heauen or on earth, by inchoation here, in perfection there: So many worthy examples, so many infallible demon­strations there are, of thine vnspeakeable mercy, with­out which, they should [...] haue perished and sunke [Page 28] downe to Hell.

If therefore thy Iustice lift vp it selfe as the high Mountaines, to eclipse the light of thy gracious coun­tenance from mee, I will raise my selfe yet high­er, in confidence of thy Truth, which reacheth to the clouds, and thy Mer­cy, which mounts euen to the heauen of heauens. I will frame this comforta­ble consequence to my di­stressed soule: if thy mercy bee magnified aboue thy Iustice, it must needs bee farre aboue my transgressi­ons.

O Lord, I haue caused my sinne to abound, farre beyond the bankes and bounds of thy Law, but it [Page 29] is thy property, to pardon, and the property of thy Mercy, where sinne a­bounds, Rom. 5. there to super­abound.

Thy mercy doth euen crosse and controule thy Iustice; and as the highest Orbe doth by violence carry with it the inferior Spheres, against their pro­per inclinations and moti­ons; So the force of thy powerfull mercy doth o­uerrule my naturall and wilfull courses, running to wickednesse, and in that race, hasting to iust con­demnation.

My sinnes therefore, how great soeuer, cannot stop the flowing of thy vast Ocean of Mercy.

When I fall into com­putation, and comparison of my sinnes on the one side, and thy mercies on the other; I finde by di­uine Arithmetike, and the true Iacobs-staffe, (to my singular comfort) that my sinnes, how great, and how many soeuer, yet may bee both measured and reckoned; but on the o­ther part, that neither the magnitude nor the multi­tude Miseratio­num Dei, nec magni­tudo men­surari, nec multitudo numerari potest, Basil. of thy mercies can be either fathomed or num­bred.

I beg thy great Mercy, because thy lesser mercies will not doe the turne, which my miserable con­dition requires. For they may ease me of lesser mi­series, [Page 31] of afflictions in bo­dy, of distresses in estate, of other incumbrances in the world; but it is thy larger Mercy that must forgiue, not my lesser on­ly, but my greater sinnes, which haue prouoked thy iust and heauy indignati­on against me.

Thy wayes, O God, are not as mans wayes, nor thy mercies, as mans mer­cies. Mans mercy is short and scant, mingled with hardnesse, and maymed with sundry imperfecti­ons. In ciuill matters some man will forgiue the in­terest, but not the princi­pall: some man will for­giue the halfe, but not the whole debt: some man [Page 32] will forbeare to demand the debt, yet will not for­goe the Bond; hee will keepe that, to curbe his debtor, vpon all occasions. In matters criminall, one will forgiue the fault, but not the punishment: ano­ther will remit a part, but not all the penalty: a third will forgiue, but not for­get the iniury. But thy Mercy, O Lord, is great & large, free and absolute, intire, and indefinite, or rather infinite; Thou for­giuest both the fault and punishment royally and really: all is acquitted and discharged at once, in accomplishment of that comfortable clause in the cloze of thy new Coue­nant, [Page 33] Thou wilt remember our Ierem. 31. iniquities no more.

The multitude of my sinnes occasions me, to pa­rallel them with the mul­titude of thy mercies, that there may bee a medicine for each malady, a salue for euery sore. I touch still vp­on one and the same string, though with some varie­ty, because the meditati­on and modulation of this mercy of thine, is as sweet Musicke in mine eare, and a ioyfull Iubile in my soule. I striue to expresse one and the same thing in diuers words or phrases; great mercy, and a multitude of mercies, being all one in sence and meaning: for great mercy comprehends [Page 34] a multitude of mercies, and a multitude of mercies a­mounts to one great masse of mercy.

The greatest mercy, that the greatest person can doe to the most miserable wretch vpon earth, is not to bee compared to the least of thy mercies, which thou affoordest to the ho­liest man that liues, in re­gard of the infinite dispro­portion that is betweene the Offendor and the Of­fended, the Creator of Heauen and earth, and dust and ashes. Howbeit, euen in thine infinite mercy, as it hath relation to sin­full man, there be degrees, whereof we cannot better take the skantling, then by [Page 35] our greater or lesser offen­ces committed against thy diuine Maiesty: for the Law of gratitude amongst men, teacheth mee to ac­knowledge, that thy loue is greater to them, to whō thou forgiuest greater, thē to such as thou acquitest of smaller debts. There­fore as my more heynous sinnes, at the Tribunall of thy iustice, do call for seue­rer punishment; so at thy throne of mercy (which is aboue thy seate of iustice, and to which I appeale, as to thy Court of last resort) they begge and craue, for thy more great and tender compassions.

Debt is a burthen; and a great debt, is an heauy bur­den: [Page 36] hee that beares an ho­nest minde, cannot be qui­et in minde, so long as hee continues in debt. My sins are my debts, and that scoare runnes still in my minde, whereon I haue runne so fast and so farre; I professe truly, that my sins haue gone ouer, not my Psal. 38. body only, but my head also, and that they are a burden too heauy for mee to beare. I know, O Lord, thou kee­per of men, that thou mar­kest Iob. 7. what is amisse in me, thou scorest vp my sinnes, my wilde and wandring thoughts, my vaine and wicked words, my foule and filthy actions; thou keepest a day and a debt­booke of them, to charge [Page 37] mee by way of account, whensoeuer it pleaseth thee: thou settest them downe in capitall and red letters, (to declare thine anger:) thou grauest them with the poynt of a Dia­mond, and writest them with a pen of Iron, both in thy Registry of Heauen, and in the Tablet of mine own conscience on earth, placing on the right side thereof, the straight rules of thy Law, and mine Obliquities on the left, each as a foile to set forth the other: Debts must ei­ther be paid or forgiuen, else they cannot be dis­charged. Pay, O Lord, I cannot, I am become bank­rupt, I am not able, (no [Page 38] not, by way of compositi­on) to answer thee one for a thousand. Therefore it remaines onely that I be­seech thee, whose proper­tie it is to haue mercy, and forgiue, to crosse this debt­booke, to wipe out the score, to cancell the hand­writing, and deface the re­cord that is against me, to put away and blot out my transgressions, that there may remaine no memory of them, either to prouoke thy heauy vengeance, or to affright my distressed soule.

Wash mee, wash mee a­gaine and againe, or wash me throughly from mine ini­quity, and cleanse mee from my sinne. As my sinnes, [Page 39] being in nature of debts, are registred in thy book, and set vpon thy score: so like spots and staynes, they blemish and deface the I­mage of thy diuine nature, ingrauen in my soule at the Creation of it, in such sort, as thou canst hardly dis­cerne it to be thy worke­manship: and therefore I intreate thee, to wash me often and throughly, that I may appeare cleane and holy in thy pure and pier­cing eyes.

There is nothing so pure, (O Lord) as thou art in thy diuine nature, nothing so foule, as I am by naturall and actuall cor­ruption: Wherefore I thinke nothing too much, [Page 40] to bring the most defiled thing on earth to the [...] Essence in heauen, and that makes me to beg a­gaine and againe, that thou wilt wash me againe and againe.

Sinne is filthy to thinke of, more filthy to speake and heare of, most filthy to act and commit; there is nothing in it, or any part or passage of it, but vile­nesse, basenesse, and filthi­nesse.

All the washings in thy Leuiticall Law, were types and figures of this Spirituall washing in the blood of the Lambe, slaine from the beginning of the world.

Wash me, O Lord, with [Page 41] the water of thy grace, with that water, whereof whoso drinketh, shall ne­uer thirst: wash mee with the water of mine owne teares, with the water of thy Word, with the water of thy Sacraments. I know, O Lord, that vn­lesse thou wash mee, I can haue no part or portion in the. e Wherefore I beseech thee to wash, not my feete Iohn 13. onely, but my head also, and all the parts and mem­bers of my body; yea to rince and scowre my soule and all the powers and fa­culties thereof, that I may present both soule and bo­dy, an holy and acceptable sa­crifice Rom. 12. vnto thee.

It is thy blessed busines, [Page 42] O Christ, to [...] me in this worlde, that thou maist render me spotlesse to thy Father in another world. I sinne daily, and therefore had neede of daily washing: I sinne con­tinually, and therfore had [...] of continuall wash­ing; for the word inclu­ding a multiplication of washing, doth imply a multiplication of sinning. For if my soule lothing the filth and mire wherewith shee hath soiled her selfe, euen to vglinesse, take a course by the teares of contrition, for the cleane washing of her face, how soone doth the old dirt of sinne spurt into her visage againe? So that the bu­sinesse [Page 43] of the soule in this life, (if it be a life of repen­tance) is neuer at an end, being indeed nothing else, but the washing of that which is foule, and the fouling of that which was washed.

There be (as it is repor­ted in the story of nature,) certain flying fishes, whose wings by flying waxe dry, and being dry, lose their flying; so as they must e­uer and anon returne to the Sea, by the moisture thereof, to enable their flight againe. Euen so my soule, washed in the la­uer of regeneration, and mounting vp towards hea­uen, through this wicked world, her wings, euen her [Page 44] best purposes, cogitati­ons and conceptions easily grow dry, by the contagi­on of earthly conuersati­on, vnlesse they bee often bathed and moistened in the waters of repentance, to carry her thorow to her iournies end.

So then, my case and condition is such, as in re­gard of many sports how­erly falling, and deepely staining my ill fauoured and disfigured Soule, [...] haue iust cause to pray earnestly, that I may bee both often, and through­ly washed, and by thee, who canst alone make me cleane, and clense me from my sinnes.

As I haue a great debt [Page 45] to be discharged, much fil­thinesse to bee washed, so haue I a loathsome Lepro­sie of sinne, to be clensed; wherefore I pray thee, O Lord, to clense mee from from my sinnes.

This Leprosie, and the cure of it, were shadowed out, and figured also by sundry purgations & clen­sings in thy Leuiticall law, all poynting to that blood of the Lambe, whereby my sinnes are purged.

The Leprosie (as Phy­siicans tell vs) is an heredi­tary disease, descending from the Father to the Child. An ignominious and odious disease, bani­shing the Leper from all company; a contagious [Page 46] disease, spreading from man to man, [...] then the Plague; a dull and stupid disease, that makes him in­sensible altogether; and a dangerous, or rather des­perate disease, [...] or not at all to be cured.

In all which [...], sinne may fitly bee resem­bled to a [...]: for sinne comes by propagati­on from our first Parents, to all their posterity. It se­parates vs from thy pre­sence, from the company of thy [...], of An­gels, and all good men. It infecteth others, and poy­loneth not onely with the breath, but with the sight of it too. It benums vs so, as wee feele not thy feare­full [Page 47] iudgements. It is vt­terly incurable, otherwise then by the blood of the Lambe. It hath been ob­serued, that the teares of a Vine, when it bleedes, are a very good medicine for curing of the bodily Le­prosie. [...] so the teares [...]. of the heart, [...] and lies lowe, as doth [...] Vine, that [...] and mournes in humility for sinne, auaile much to [...] clensing of this Leprosie of the soule. My sinne, as a Leprosie, doth ouer­spread both my soule and body, from the crowne of the head, to the sole of the foote, from the highest fa­culty of my vnderstand­ing, to the lowest affecti­on [Page 48] of my will, there is no sound part in mee, my disease is growne to the height, to full ripenesse, or rather foule rottennesse: it hath put out the scabbe (as they say) by enormi­ous and scandalous acti­ons. Wherefore I beseech thee, who art the prime and soueraigne Physician, to looke vpon me with the eye of pitty, and to clense, and cure mee of my Le­prous sinne and sinfull Le­prosie.

2. I know mine owne wic­kednesse, and my sinne is euer before me, or, my sinne is e­uer against me.

BEfore the Prophet Na­than was sent as a spe­ciall Bailife, to summon me, by a writ, ad meliùs in­quirendum, I cast mine eye carelesly, I did not fixe it fully, I looked slightly and superficially, as in passage, not sadly and mourneful­ly, vpon my grieuous sins: I did not behold them so seriously as I ought to haue done: I saw but the Epitome, or grosse summe of them: I did not viewe them in the large volume, written at length, or ra­there [Page 50] painted out as now they are, in their true shapes and colours.

Euery man, by the light of nature, must needs see somewhat of this kinde, in the glasse of his owne con­science; but through the corruption of nature, no man is willing to take a perfect suruay, and make a full portraiture of his own transgressions.

There is in man an affe­cted Ut liberiùs [...], [...] ig­norant. Bern. de grad. humi. ignorance and blind­nesse, in this behalfe: and who so blinde, as he that will not see? who so igno­rant, as hee that will not know? As wee put off the euill day so long as we can; so we put by the euill ob­iect, so farre as wee may, [Page 51] from our sence and sight.

I knew, I had offended; but I knew not, that I had so highly offended: I thought thou diddest see my sinnes; but I did little thinke that thou haddest taken such speciall and ex­act notice of them, as to send an Herald, or extra­ordinary Ambassadour, of purpose to challenge, and reproue me for them, and to rowze me out of my sound sleepe and snorting security, in them.

It was thy great mercy, (O God) to send a Pro­phet, to check, admonish, and correct mee; and it is of thy gracious goodnesse that crosses, which are thy Messengers for that pur­pose, [Page 52] afflictions of body or mind, outward or inward, one or other, are ordinari­ly laid vpon thy children, to make them know them­selues; and by knowing themselues, to know thee; and by knowing, to loue thee; and by louing thee, to bee beloued of thee.

This is that golden chaine, euery linke where­of is fastened within ano­ther, whereby a man is ty­ed and nexed to thee: this is that Ladder of Iacob, by which thou descendest to him, and hee ascends to thee.

None is so dangerously Nemo est [...] insanabi­lior, qui sibi sanus [...]. Greg. in [...]. sicke, as hee that doth not finde, and feele himselfe to be sicke. I know mine own [Page 53] maladies, and therefore Initium sa­lutis, notitia [...]. resort to thee the great Physicion, to be eased and Qui pecca­rese nescit, corrigi non vult. cured therof. It is in vaine to seeke health and helpe, vnlesse I lay open my [...]. Frustrà me­dicantis auxilium expectat, qui valnus non [...]. [...]. wounds, and discouer the malignity of my disease, which is, morbus complica­tus (as the Physicions terme it) not a simple or single, but a compound disease, wherein many dis­eases are folded, and wrap­ped together: so as, if there Non [...] scire quo modo mor­bos curare conueniat, qui vnde hi sunt igno­rat. Cornel. Cels. de Re [...]. lib. [...]. be not extraordinary care taken, to apply somewhat, to each ill affected part, re­spectiuely, I may soone come ad diliquium animae, to the fainting, and failing of my spirituall life.

I know my sinnes in the [Page 54] plurall number, which al­beit they flowed from one and the same fountaine; yet ranne they into diuers streames, for as much as to my adultery, I added both trechery and murder; neither did I betray and expose to slaughter, one man alone, or a few per­sons, but a whole band and troope of men, fighting in mine owne quarrell, and in defence of thy Church. Wherefore it is not with­out cause, that in one grosse body of sinne, I re­present vnto my selfe, ma­ny seuerall branches, and kindes of sinne, by multi­plication, and seuer it into sundry parts, by diuision.

He that knowes his sin, [Page 55] knowes himselfe: which the Heathens held to be a [...] coelo de­scendit, &c. diuine lesson, and most profitable instruction. For what can hee vnderstand that knowes himselfe, but that the imaginations of his heart, the words of his mouth, the workes of his Gen 6. hands, are euill onely, and wicked continually?

On the other part, he is not a sinner onely, that is, one that hath sinne in him, and somewhat also besides sinne: but hee is a great lumpe and intire masse of Chrysol. sinne: nothing but sinne, that doth not know him­selfe to bee a sinner; and that, hee hath commit­ted many and manifold sinnes.

Hee that knowes him­selfe and his sinnes, can­not but displease himselfe, and thereby please thee; as also, he that neither knows himselfe nor his sins, may haply please himselfe, but he cannot possibly but dis­please thee.

Hee knowes his owne sinne (as is fitting) who is sorry for it, and displeased with it; he that is readie to abide Gods chastisement, and mans reprofe, for his a­mendmēt; he that resolues for the time comming, to auoid sin, and all occasions of sinning; who seriously considers what the malig­nity of sin is, of what good things it bereaues him, to what penalties it makes [Page 57] him liable, how venemous [...] poison of it is at home, how contagious the ex­ample of it is abroade.

Thou hast giuen me (O Lord) the knowledge of thy Law, and by the know­ledge of thy Law, the knowledge of my sinne. Rectum in­dex sui, & [...]. For that which is right and straight, doth both shew it selfe, and that which is crooked also. But if thy written Law were silent, and dumbe, and did conceale it selfe, or my sinnes, from me; yet thy vnwritten Law grauen in euery mans heart, both Iew and Gentile, doth ac­cuse me, so oft as I trans­gresse the limits thereof, and leaue me without ex­cuse. [Page 58] Mine owne consci­ence cryes alowde, and layes wide open, before mine eyes, the Booke wherein my enormous sinnes are [...] in ca­pitall Characters, so that I may runne and read them. It stands Centinell in the watch-towre of my soule, and doth keepe me wa­king, when my sence or sensuality would faine be sleeping, it doth restlesly rayse, and rowze my dull, and dead spirits, out of the deepe dungeon, and spiri­tuall Lethargie of carnall security.

The true fence and full knowledge of my sinnes, makes me so anxious and ardent, in begging pardon, [Page 59] because I cannot rest, till I haue made my peace, and wrought my reconciliati­on with thee. The extre­mity of my danger and di­stresse, doth cause mee in­cessantly to importune thee, for reliefe and reme­dy; and my strong hope is, that this force will not be displeasing to thy tender mercy.

My sinne is euer before me.] I doe not onely know and vnderstand my sinnes, and there leaue the mat­ter: I doe not, vpon a bare enumeration and cogitati­on of them, cast them care­lesly behind my back, but I muster them before my conscience daily, I behold them as in a Table set be­fore [Page 60] mine eyes continual­ly, that vpon sight of the vglines of them, I may be humbled and cast downe; of the terror and horror of them, I may tremble and quake for feare; of the basenesse and filthinesse of them, I may loath them, & my selfe for them.

For sinnes committed, being truly felt, and liuely represented to the consci­ence, like furies or ghosts of hell, fright their behol­ders away, with their vgly shapes, & deformed forms.

Sinne is of that ill na­ture and condition, that it will cast him that hath done it, in the teeth (as they say;) it will lye vpon the conscience, as vnsauory [Page 61] oyle floates vpon the sto­macke, it will neither bee disgorged, nor digested. Thou toldest Cain, If thou Gen. 4. dost euill, sin lies at the dore: it is restles, it will not be stil, it wil not keep house, it wil not hide it selfe in a corner of the heart; it will lye in the way, so as thou canst neither come in, nor goe forth, but thou must needs stumble vpon it.

A sinner is fitly resem­bled to a dreamer, not on­ly Peccatores somnianti­bus simi­les. Ioan. Her. because the pleasure of sinne doth quickly and lightly vanish away, like a shadow, or dreame, but al­so, because the shapes and formes of his day-sinnes, doe represent themselues to him in the night, the [Page 60] [...] [Page 61] [...] [Page 62] pleasurable actions there­of for the time, doe beget hideous apparitions af­terwards.

On the other part, a sin­ners conscience, is like a graue, that casts vp the earth againe, as fast as hee casteth it in. It is a graue Insepulta sepultara. euer open, though hee cloze it neuer so often.

It is reported of the In­dian Bracmanni, that to the end they might still be occasioned to thinke of their end, they kept their graues ready digged, and alwaies open before their houses, that at their comming in, and going out, they might bee euer mindfull of their iourney and passage to death.

If those Heathen, by the light of nature, tooke so wise a course; how much more ought Christians, by the lampe of grace, still behold their sins as their Graues, wherein their soules must lye eternally buried, vnlesse they bee timely raised, and thorow­ly renewed by repentance?

As the sight of the Bra­zen Serpent, did cure the sting of the serpents; so the [...] and dis­pleasing sight of my sins, doth take away the biting of these serpents.

So then, in the middest of the discontent which I finde in this fearefull and wofull sight of my grie­uous sins, there is this sin­gular [Page 64] comfort, that thou in mercy turnest thy face from them, thou castest them behinde thee, while I set them before mee. They doe not deepely dis­please thee and me, at one and the same time; when they procure my sorrow and humiliatiō, they cease to prouoke thine anger and indignation. My sins Peccata non nocent, si nō placent. August. de temp. neuer [...] mee, but when they delight mee; they ne­uer displease thee, but whē they please me; Where­fore as fóule as the obiect, as odious as the [...] is; in my better iudgement, I am contented with an im­patient patience, still to re­present it to my soule; be­cause howsoeuer in it selfe [Page 65] vgly, it vshers me by de­grees, to the view and con­templation of thy vndeser­ued loue and fauor, which at length, as the bright sun, dispels all the cloudes of care, and mists of Melan­choly, and raises my deie­cted heart, to the partici­pation of vnspeakable con­solation.

Wretched and vnhap­py I was, in committing so great and grieuous sinnes; but I am happy in a sort, in this vnhappinesse, if I haue eyes to see my sins, being committed, to see them as it were thorow a perspectiue glasse, so as they may seeme in ful pro­portion, as great to mee, as they are in deed.

Satan deales with his vassales, as the Rauen doth with the Lambe; the Ra­uen first picks out the silly creature his eyes, and then carries him out of the way, securely to deuoure him. First, Satan blindes me in sinne, and then hee bindes me in the chaines of dark­nesse, as fast as hee can, of purpose to throw me into vtter darkenesse.

When after shippe­wracke, I see the Rocke, which I could not fore­see, before I fell vpon it; I striue by all meanes to a­uoyde it the second time.

When I see my sinnes past, in the true lineaments of their vgly shape, I can­not but bee shie and wary [Page 67] to shun the like monsters euer after.

When the bayted hook of sinne is cast before me, I see the baite of pleasure only, but not the hooke of thy iudgements: but after I haue beene catched, and felt and seene the bare hooke without a bayte, I become circumspect, and suspect euery bit I swal­low, for feare lest I be en­snared againe.

My sinne is euer against me;] ranged as it were, and marshalled in battaile aray against me. My sinne doth proudly affront, and di­rectly oppose mee, nay it doth euen outface mee shamelesly.

Before Nathan came vn­to [Page 68] me, I had cast my sinnes behinde my backe; his message hath caused mee to transpose them; for now they are set before my face, they stand stoutly a­gainst me, euen to my face.

My sinne (O Lord) as it is a witnesse, so is it an in­former against my consci­ence, it charges and con­uicts me before thy iudge­ment seate, I haue no hope of preuarication, I see no way of euasion. It makes hue and crie against mee, with eager pursuite; it will not giue ouer, till I be ap­prehended, and deliueted into the hands of iustice.

When there is no man to vexe mee outwardly, I torment my selfe inward­ly, [Page 69] as holy Iob confessed in those words; Why hast thou Job. set me ouer against thee? I am become burden some, euen to my selfe. Thou diddest set his sinnes against him, which made him conceiue that thou diddest set him against thee, as a marke to shoote thine arrowes of anger at; but when [...] began thorowly to feele, thou diddest begin graci­ously to ease him of his burden.

My sinne as it opposes against mee; so it interpo­ses betweene thee and me, in such sort, as neither my prayers can ascend to thee, nor thy graces de­scend to mee, vnlesse thy mercy interuene to keepe [Page 70] the peace, and cleere the passage betweene vs.

Against thee, thee, only, haue I [...].] Now my in­closed sorrow must haue vent, my oppressed con­science must be disburthe­ned: This knowledge, and Meum cog­noscere, Meum ag­noscere, Tuum ig­noscere. representation, breeds an acknowledgement and re­cognition of my sin. The contrition of my heart for­ceth August. Exploran­dum, [...] Imploran­dum. [...]. Syst. from me, a confession of my mouth: I can hold no longer, but must needs, with teares in mine eyes, and anguish in my soule, crie out, Peccaui, and with an ingemination, by way of aggrauation: Against thee, against thee, onely; to declare my iust indignati­on against my selfe, for [Page 71] committing so foule and grieuous faults against that great Maiestie, and that gracious goodnesse, which I haue so highly offen­ded.

And thus doe I limit, and (as it were) appropri­ate my offences, as com­mitted against thee alone, for many causes: For, al­though I haue sinned a­gainst Heauen, and against Earth; yet is there no wit­nesse of my sinne on earth, but thou, O God, in Hea­uen; so closely and cun­ningly haue I carried it. That I defiled the wife, & (to conceale that) destroy­ed the life of Vriah, was not knowne to the world, that I so treacherously and [Page 72] cruelly exposed to slaugh­ter, a great troope of Soul­diers, fighting for mee and vnder my command, (to couer my wicked designe against Vriah,) was hidden from the eyes of men. Thou knowest and seest all things; wherefore a­gainst thee onely haue I sinned.

Againe, though there bee no man that dare re­prooue mee, that will ac­cuse me, that cā punish me, being a King, and aboue Omne sub regno gra­uiore reg­num est. [...]. the Law; yet euery King and kingdome vpon earth, is subiect to thee the King of Kings, and thy soue­raignety; I must render thee an account of my de­meanour, which I tremble [Page 73] and quake to thinke of.

Moreouer, although I haue not onely sinned a­gainst thee in Heauen, but scandalized men on earth also; yet it vexeth mee beyond all comparison, that I haue wittingly and presumptuously offended thee.

Although all the world should [...] emee; yet it is too too much to me, to finde and feele thee my Iudge, that mine own con­science doth summon mee before thy Tribunall, and frame my proces against me, before thy Iudgement seate. In this case, no flat­tery of my seruants (who (according to the fashion of Court) doe sooth and [Page 74] claw their Masters) can lessen my paine, asswage mine anguish, or pacifie my conscience. Say what they will or can, I must say still; Against thee, against thee, only, I haue offended.

Furthermore, none but thou that art iust and with­out sinne, hast of right the Chrysol. cognizance of sinne, and coertion of offenders. Sin­ners are not competent Iudges of sinners. Men doe murmur and grudge to giue account of their sinfull actions to sinfull men, who are tainted with the same, or greater vices; but the nocent cannot but yeeld and submit to such, as in the same and in all o­ther kindes, are innocent [Page 75] and faultlesse. Wherefore against thee onely, haue I offended, who only maiest aske confidently; Who can reprooue me of sinne?

Now, albeit thou know (O Lord) my sinnes, not only before I confesse, but before I commit them too; yet I sinde, that thou art well pleased to take knowledge of them, by my acknowledgement, and Fac illum [...], quem [...] is [...]. [...], [...]. that thy Saints haue e­uer held it a poynt of ho­nest policy, to make thee propitious, by confessing, whom they could not find ignorant, by denying or concealing their faults.

Finally, though the hurt redound to many men; [...] the sinne is committed a [Page 74] [...] [Page 75] [...] [Page 76] gainst thee onely, because thou art supreme Lord and soueraigne King, the transgression of whose iust Lawe, giueth being and birth to all sinne. In which regard I may truly say, that against thee, thee only, I haue sinned.

I haue done this euill in thy sight.] Since, I professe to know mine owne wicked­nesse; I will yet confesse it more freely, because the more vile I am in mine own, the more acceptable I shall bee in thine eyes. By doing this euill, by fal­ling into this enormous sinne, I haue fallen into a kinde of Atheisme (at the very name whereof I tremble,) for although I [Page 77] haue not blasphemously and shamelesly spokē with my mouth: yet haue I im­piously, and sinfully said in my heart; There is no God; or, which is tantamount, all one in effect; God hides his face, and will neuer see. Which when I call to re­membrance, mee thinks, I heare Nathan the Prophet againe, fearefully thunde­ring, and directly charging me, Thou art the man that thinkest, There is no God.

For to deny expressely, or tacitly, thy science and wisdome (who art all eye, and wisdome it selfe) is to deny thy very essence and being. Whereupon, my soule euen melteth within me, and resolueth it selfe [Page 78] into teares, to thinke that I could bee so impudently bold, and insolently care­lesse, as in thy sight and presence (thogh none else beheld) to commit such foule and vgly offences.

Hee is held a desperate Chrysol. Malefactor, that commits an outrage in presence of the Magistrate, and before the Iudge his owne face. Such (in true iudgement) is my case; and this consi­deration alone (if there were nothing else,) ought to be, instead of a bridle to restraine, and in stead of a bogle to terrifie me from all sinfull and wicked acti­ons.

I was loth that man should see me; and yet not [Page 79] afraid that thou shouldest behold mee, whilest I did those foule and odious facts, which (in my better iudgement) I finde to bee so grosse an absurdity, as I am exceedingly, both a­greeued and ashamed, that I forbare not, to doe that, when thou lookedst on with thy pure eyes, which I should haue bin abashed to haue done, if the mea­nest seruant in my house, or the basest groome in my stable had been by.

A franke and sincere confession, (such as this) is a full and direct conuiction in it selfe, and of it selfe, in courts held vpon earth, Chrysost. and before men, in foro fori, (as the Lawyers speake.) [Page 80] Wherupon the Iudge hath no other part to act, but to pronounce sentence of cō ­demnation.

But in foro Poli, in thy court of Heauē, the course of proceeding is far other­wise; the best way there, is to confesse before accu­sation, or when thou art impleaded, by and by, to pleade guilty; for a free confession, moues thy gra­cious compassion: and that, without any more adoe, grants forthwith a full and finall absolution.

This confession of mine Confessio peccati, est professio desinendi. Hilar. doth imply of congruitie, or rather of necessitie, a profession, and a kinde of obligation, of forsaking such sins in time to come, [Page 81] as I confesse my selfe to haue heretofore commit­ted. Else is my confession idle and counterfeit, such as may deceiue mee that make it, but not mocke Thee, to whom it is made.

The heathen man, by the dusky light of nature, deriued from the nature of thy supernaturall light, can say; If I were assured that Seneca. neither men should know, nor gods would punish what I did; yet would I disdaine to commit an act, in it own nature foule and filthy.

How much more ought a faithfull man, who be­sides the obscure glimpse of nature, hath the pure light of thy Spirit, and the [Page 82] bright lampe of thy Word shining vnto him, to bee carefull and wary, that he doe not wittingly and wil­lingly, or rather wilfully offend in the sight of thee, the omnipotent and om­niscient God, who dost not only threaten the losse of thy fauour, but the exe­cution of thine eternall vengeance, for the breach of thy commandements?

That thou maist be iustifi­ed in thy sayings, and pure when thou art iudged.] And thus I make this franke acknowledgement of my foule faults, as to ease mine oppressed soule, so to vin­dicate thine honour from all vniust aspersions. For as the scandall lies vpon the [Page 83] Iudge, when punishment is Reatus re­dundat ad iudicem si Poena per­cellat in­noxium. Chrysol. inflicted vpon an innocent person; so the ingenuous and voluntary confession of the partie, touching his owne guilt, preuents and excludes all imputation that may bee cast vpon the Iudge or iudgement. My desire is, as it is my dutie, to take my sinnes wholly to my selfe, and vpon my selfe. I will yeeld the glo­ry to thee, to whom it is due; I will reserue the shame to my selfe, to whom it appertaineth. I know, O Lord, that thy iudgements are right; that thou hast afflicted me iust­ly. I cannot impute any [...]. [...]. thing to thee, O most iust God, (whose will is per­fect [Page 84] iustice) that thou hast either prouoked me to this enormous euill, or con­sented to the committing of it; for euen thy permis­sion of this, was a iust pu­nishment for my other sinnes; Mine owne fraile and peruerse nature, my inbred corruption cast in the seed: mine owne will, or wilfulnesse rather, che­rished and nourished it; mine own consent and de­light fashioned it in the wombe of my sinful soule; and, at last, brought it to light, as one of Satans ba­stards, to my iust confusion. But thou, O Lord, art euer, and euery way iust, and so to be esteemed. Thou hast dealt iustly in all that is [Page 85] come vpon me; it is I that haue done wickedly. I cannot say, that thy seueri­tie or rigour is ouermuch against mee. I haue deser­ued more then is laid vpon me. He that is aware of his owne ill desert, and weigh­eth it in an indifferent bal­lance, doth rather thanke­fully wonder at thy indul­gent mercie, then vnpati­ently repine at thy rigo­rous seuerity. O Lord, thou art iust when thou speakest, pure when thou iudgest.

True it is, that the wic­ked cease not to grunt and barke against thee, though they cannot bite thee. There is an ouer-great boldnesse and naughti­nesse [Page 86] in men, that they de­sire nothing more, then to lift vp themselues, and cast out ill words against thee at all aduentures. The crea­tures Nisi homi­ni Deus placuerit, Deus non erit. passe their bounds so farre, that thou the Crea­tor, must needs be blasphe­med Homo iam Deo propi­tius esse [...]. Ter­tul. Apolog. and reproched, and thy creatures (O indigni­ty!) must become thy Iudges. But yet for all this, thou art, and euer shalt bee found iust and pure: and it is my part, as, to beleeue there is equity and iustice in all thy proceedings, ( [...] sometimes, through my blindnesse I cannot, sometimes through my [...], I will not [...];) so, euen when [...] doe most bit­terly [Page 87] smart, to bridle my vnruly passions, and with a calme and subdued heart, to kisse the rod wherewith I haue been scourged, and to indeuour by all meanes, that thy righteousnesse, as it is indeed, so it may shine cleere and bright, to the face of all the world.

Behold, I was borne in ini­quitie, and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me:] Vp­on the straight inquisition, and exact suruay of my selfe, and my sinnes, search­ing and ransacking eue­ry corner of my house of clay, I haue found a noy­some sincke, and filthy puddle, or rather a poyso­ned and poysonous spring, a paternall, or a parentall [Page 88] sinne, an hereditary, a radi­call, and originall sinne, whence all the sinnes of my thoughts, words, and deedes, are continually and plentifully deriued. This is that canker of sin, which being bred in the bone, will neuer out of the flesh. This is the law of my members, which doth alwaies resist the Law of my minde; the euerliuing seed of rebellion, which maintaines the implacable warre, betweene the flesh and the Spirit; which will neuer [...], till mortality hath put on immortality, and death, the last enemy, be swallowed vp in victo­ry. This is peccatum peccans, a sinning, or a spurning [Page 89] sinne. It is a sinne, a punish­ment Peccatum, poena pecca­ti, causa peccati. of sinne, and a cause of sinne. Aug. contra Iuli. [...].

Which yet I do not al­leadge, to excuse or exte­nuate, but rather to accuse my selfe, and aggrauate my sinne; knowing right well, that the viler I am in mine owne, the more ac­ceptable I shall bee in thy sight, and hoping, that the franke confession of my miserable condition, pro­ceeding from true humili­ation, and contrition, will the rather moue thy ten­der compassion; as beggers Chrysost. vpō earth, to stir the bow­els of pitty in their be­holders, lay open to their view, their grieuous sores, and lothsome dis­eases. [Page 90] The greater misery is, the fitter obiect of thy greater mercy; & the more desperate the malady, the more honourable will the cure bee to the Phisician. Where my sinne abounds, thy grace delighteth to su­perabound.

For the onely and sin­guler sinne of Adam, as of him that bare the person of all his posterity, is iust­ly the sinne of the whole posterity; and all being guilty of sinne, by his sin­guler sinfull act, thou, O God, in thy Iustice, diddest permit the naturall pro­pagation of sinne in his off-spring, which deserued such a punishment, for such a sinne. Hereupon it com­meth, [Page 91] that my inbred cor­ruption, and the inherent sting of sensuality, in mee (who sinned in Adams, as Leui tithed in Abrahams loynes) is not the first cause of my guilt, but a fruite or reward thereof, according to thy iust iudg­ment, whence it may well bee termed, the penalty of sinne. For that prime sin, the chiefe source of sinne, which the further it run­neth, the faster it increa­seth, by this streame fal­ling into it, growes in the end, to such a strong and forcible current, as doth euen carry, and compell me violently to sinne, if thy grace do not resist the [...] thereof; because [Page 92] hence doe flow my sinfull passions, my euill affecti­ons, my sinister inclinati­ons, and from them, my sinnes of action, or omissi­on (which are sins of acti­on also) in their full per­fection, or imperfection rather, which I daily, or rather hourely and conti­nually commit. In which regard, (my woe arising from mine owne wicked­nesse) my case is most de­plorable, euery way. Wherefore I beseech thee, with the eyes of pit­ty and mercy to behold it.

I was conceiued in sinne:] And therefore there is no Aug. [...]. sinne that I am not apt and ready to conceiue, yea, to [Page 93] engender, and produce from imagination, to as­sent; from assent, to dele­ctation; from delectati­on, to resolution; from resolution, to execution; if thou, O Lord, doe not be­get me anew, by the im­mortall seed of thy Word; if thou doe not quell and extinguish in me this old seede, which will alwaies be springing and sprouting in the ranke soyle of my sinfull flesh.

When my mother first warmed me in her bowels, shee conceiued sinne; when she brought me forth into the world, she was deliue­red of a child of sinne.

The child in the mo­thers wombe, is held to be [Page 94] a part of the mother; and vndoubtedly the mother hath a great share in the Child; before shee depart with it, besides her nature and substance, shee imparts vnto it her qualities, incli­nations, and dispositions, being as it were a scion takē from her tree, and a collop cut out of her flesh. That which is borne of flesh, is flesh: and therefore holy [...], asketh this vnanswe­rable [...] 14. question; Who shall appeare cleane before thee? or, Who [...] bring a cleane thing out of an [...]?

Not onely actuall [...], but [...], and naturall; not the se­cond motions of it onely, put into forme, but the [Page 95] first, that are vnshapen, doe plot and contriue the treason, are authors, if not actors of it; they bring fewel to the fire, which af­terwards is kindled and set a burning; that fomenta­tion of sinne, is not onely the cause of sinne, and the punishment of sinne, but sinne it selfe. This is that threefold cord, euery part and piece whereof is sin­full, that bindes me fast to the barre of thy iustice: First, Adam his primitiue sinne; then, the diriuation of sinne to all his posterity: and afterwards, the parti­cular actions of sinne, pro­ceeding from them both.

Now, if I were a sinner [...]. [...]. in my mothers wombe; [Page 96] when, and where shall I be faultlesse? If I were so bad, before I saw the light, how should I not be much worse, when through the corruption of the world, and the contagion of sin, I haue sucked in the infe­ctious aire thereof? How can it bee, but that my in­bred naughtinesse must needes gaine strength, and gather increase?

And what can the pro­gresse and end bee, when the beginning of my life is so [...] and sin­full?

If I bee cast out of my mothers wombe, into the roade-way of sinne, and trauell the iourney of sin, still onward: let mee but [Page 9] recount the vanity of [...] childhood, the [...] my youth, the slips, or ra­ther falls of my [...] age, the infirmities of my old age, and I shall [...] finde, that from my [...] and [...], to my death and [...], I trod the way, not of life, but of sinne.

5. [...], I was conceiued in sinne. 6. Behold, thou louest Truth, &c.

IN these two Ecce's, which are happily sor­ted together, I desire to intimate two remarkeable things. The one is, the misery of my wretched [Page 98] condition: The other, the largenesse of thy ten­der affection. The first Ecce, is on thy part: Be­hold, O Lord, my concep­tion and birth in sinne; be­hold mee drowned and o­uerwhelmed in a sea of sin. The other Ecce, is on my part: I behold in thee, O Lord, a fire of loue, be­cause thou louest the least sparkles of grace in mee, (which mounting vp­wards, make me looke to­wards heauen) thou doest nourish and cherish them, thou art vtterly vnwilling to quench or extinguish them, and when thou find­est but such an inclination in my will, thou doest strengthen it with wise­dome [Page 99] in my vnderstand­ing. When the vnder­standing and wil concurre, that I both know what to doe, and am desirous to do it, then doe I bring it to effect, or (which is all one in effect) thou in thy graci­ous goodnesse doest ac­cept it, as if it were ef­fected.

Thou louest truth, O Lord,] for thou louest thy selfe, who art Truth it selfe, es­sentiall Truth, Truth, not in words onely, but in acti­ons, and euen in thoughts also; that is to say, Veri­tie and Sinceritie in all things.

Thou louest truth in the reines] not in the shad­dowes of my outward [Page 100] actions (which I can dis­guise at pleasure) but in the most hidden, close, and couert imaginations of the heart, which thou seest continually, and knowest exactly.

Thou art, by a para­mount power, and a pecu­liar attribute, stiled, The searcher of the heart and reynes, (Who knowes my heart, but thou alone?) therefore thou canst not but loue truth in the heart and reynes; that is the most pleasing and delight­full obiect, thy pure and All-seeing Eye can fixe vpon.

As thou louest trueth and sincerity in the heart and reynes; so thou hatest [Page 101] all dissimulation and hypo­crisie. Thou canst not abide that which is faire in shew, and foule in deed.

Thou canst not abide dissembled holinesse, fai­ned repentance. Thou ab­horrest such as make a sowre face, & hang downe their heads like bulrushes, that they may seeme to fast and mourne; that make false semblance of piety, in Sapiens [...] Deus est, [...] fractumnon recipiet. [...] Bernard. de gradib. o­bed. their outward fashion, and in the sight of men, when thou seest their hearts to bee farre from that they should, or pretend to be.

The light (faith Iob) is Iob 36. as the shaddow of death, to such, the hollow-hear­ted doe but heape vp and increase wrath.

No man deserues [...] [...] meretur, quàm ami­cum simu­ans inimi­cus. [...]. de Conuers. cap. 27. of God, or man, then [...] enemy pretending friend­ship: yea, thou so louest truth in the inward parts, as thou acceptest them for iust and righteous, who [...] such onely, in respect of their desire, study and in­deauour, though their pra­ctice bee most imperfect, Tota vita honi Chri­stiani, est sanctum de­siderium. Aug. in [...]. such as sincerely and hear­tily affect to serue & please thee, though they come farre short of the due per­formance of thy Word [...] tota po­sita est in voluntate faciendi bo­na. Lact. [...]. l. 6. and will.

As a husband passeth by with conniuence, and beareth with patience, ma­ny faults and imperfecti­ons in his wife, so long as she is true and loyall, and [Page 103] keepeth her selfe chastely and solely to him: Euen so, thou (O God) winckest at many errours, and par­donest many offences in thy people, (to whom thou hast married thy selfe in mercy) so long as they bee such as they ought to bee, in the mayne point: that is, in the truth of their affection, and the sincerity of their deuotion towards thee.

To increase the com­fort, which I apprehend, in this sweet Meditation and Admiration, I follow the scent (as it were) and re­present to my minde and memory, the sundry traces and footsteps of thy mar­uellous mercy.

First, That it is not so much the quantity, as the [...]; not so much the [...], as the sincerity of grace, which thou re­gardest.

A little [...] and course Melius [...], [...] auri [...]. in Cantic. gold, is of much more va­lue, then much bright cop­per, then much shining brasse. An [...] of gold is true gold, [...] it bee mingled with much drosse. Nor will a man Nec vinum [...] etsi fe­cem habeat, [...] aurum, quamuis [...]. [...]. de [...]. that is in his right wits, cast away his gold for the foulenes, be it but a graine or two, wrapped vp in a great masse of other earth, but will keep the one with the other, till hee haue fi­ned and seuered the one from the other.

In like maner, thy grace in the hearts of thy chil­dren, though it bee still mixed with many imper­fections, and corruptions too; yet it is true grace, and [...] all the [...], and [...] shewes of it, that are [...] in the liues, ei­ther of Heathens, or [...].

[...], I hope strongly, [...] wilt not re­iect it, though it bee neuer so small in [...], [...] and refine nee; so as my [...] osse may be [...], and thy grace more and more [...] in me.

[...], that in thy [...], thou art wont to [...] the wil, [Page 106] for the worke; and the de­sire, for the deed. As in e­uill, Voluntas pro facto [...]. [...]. Ep. 77. [...]. Iuris. the very desire and in­deuour of ill doing, makes me to stand guilty before thee, though the euill bee Res mira ille viuit, [...] homicida. Illa casta, tu tamen [...]. Aug. de verb. Dom. not actually done; (Hee that lusts after a woman, He that hates his brother; the one is an adulterer, the other a murtherer:) So in goodnesse, the settled study, true desire, and ear­nest indeauour of holi­nesse and piety, causes me to bee esteemed pious and holy in thy sight, though I cannot attaine to that measure of it, that I would and should; for thou, Lord, regardest more what I affect, and desire to be, then what I am; more [Page 107] what I indeauour and striue to doe, then what I doe.

Such, vndoubtedly, is thy disposition, such ought to be my apprehension, vn­lesse I will needs, to thy Nisi fortè putetur in [...], quàm in bono, &c. dishonour, and mine owne disaduantage, peeuishly and peruersly imagine, that Thou (being Loue it selfe) art more prone to punish, [...] to pardon; that Thou (being Mercy it selfe) art more forward to reuenge, then to reward thy seruants and children.

Thirdly, that thou doest Nos etsi [...] minus dili­gimus quá [...]; diligimus [...] qu [...] valemus, [...] & [...] vt à [...] vnde amplius diligamus. [...]. Epist. 85. exact no more of thine, then thou hast bestowed vpon them. For I obserue, [Page 108] (to my singular content­ment) in the legall sacrifi­ces and oblations, how low thou doest, in mercie, descend. Thou art content to accept a Sheepe or two, or a Lambe or two, for a Sacrifice; or if a man bee not [...] to bring so much, thou [...] pleased with one, or if he want meanes for a Lambe, thou art not [...]. 5. 6 [...], [...], 14, 21, 30. vnwilling to take a paire of [...], or two little Pigeon, instead of it: yea, if a [...] not able to [...] so farre [...]; a handfull or two of flowre, with a [...] of salt or two, doeth s [...], where it is offered with an honest heart.

There is a curse laid [Page 109] vpon the coozener, who Mal. 1. 14. [...] a sound or a fatte male in his flock, bringeth a corrupt carrion, or a leane starueling to thee, for a sacrifice: But hee is not accursed who bringeth no better, because he hath no better to bring. And I finde it often iterated for the comfort of poore and weake ones, that being not able to offer as the rich did, might therfore doubt of the like acceptation: Leu. 14. 22, 30, 31, 32. Looke, what he is able, ac­cording to his ability, e­uen what his hand is able to reach vnto, and it shall be accepted: for thou mea­surest the gift, not by the worth or greatnesse of it; but by the might and [Page 110] minde onely of the giuer. Thou doest not so much 2. Cor. 8. regard, what I should, as, what I can, and am willing to doe. What I would, but Quic quid vis & non potes, [...] Deus repu­tat. Aug. cannot doe, thou doest ac­count it as done. Thou crownest willingnes, when thou findest not ablenesse in me to performe.

Cain offered sacrifices, Gen. 4. but thou didst not accept them, because thou didst see his cruell heart. But Abel his sacrifices were pleasing, because they were offered with a lo­uing and sincere heart vn­to thee.

Thou doest not accept the person for the sacri­fice, but the sacrifice for the persons sake. The [Page 111] truth and sincerity of the heart is all in all with thee.

Lastly, that it is not so Si [...] ea, quae [...] meri­ta nostra, sunt spei quaedam seminaria. bernard. de [...] & lib. arbit. much any vprightnesse in me, in regard of the worth and dignity, much lesse of the perfection and purity of it, that ministers this comfort vnto mee, but as it is a fruit of thy fauour, and a token of thy loue, not it selfe so much, as that whereof it giueth me assurance, and that in two respects.

First, as it is a signe and seale of my Adoption; as­suring me, that I am thine adopted child: For my re­generation, whereby this sincerity is wrought in me, doeth ratifie and seale vp my Adoption (the old [Page 112] man harboureth no such ghest.) None are thy A­dopted, but such as are thy regenerated children; and on the other part, all that are thine by Regenera­tion, are thine by Adopti­on also. Now as earthly Si non di­lexisset [...], [...] ami­cos. Sicut nec quos [...]. es­sent, si non dilexisset, qui nondū erant. Bern. in Cant. 20. parents loue their chil­dren, not so much for their wit and comelinesse, as be­cause they are theirs; so doest thou, O God, loue thy children, because they are thy children. If thou doest not loue them be­fore they haue, they shall neuer haue any thing, to Qu [...] in­uenit, nemi­nem saluat, nisi quem [...]. idem de [...] & li ber. a. b [...]. 10. make them bee loued of thee. So then, this begin­ning of true grace argueth thy child; and a weake child of thine, being yet [Page 113] thy child as well as a strong, may, in that regard, expect a childes portion, in thy heauenly inheri­tance.

Secondly, as it is an ear­nest, Arra poti­us, quàm [...], quia [...], arra [...]. or Gods-penny of my glorification. For this sin­cerity is the earnest of that Spirit, which thou giuest August de [...]. Apost. me before-hand, for full [...] of the faithfull performance of all thy gracious promises after­ward. Therefore as a pen­ny giuen in earnest, bin deth as strongly, as a pound, (the person that giueth it, being a sufficient man:) Euen so the least measure of true grace, be­ing thy earnest, bindes thee to the faithfull ac [Page 114] complishment of all thy Pignus do­num est verbo [...] (vt Iureconsul­ti) nec potest esse sine pa­cto pignus. fauours, promised to all thy faithful seruants what­soeuer.

It is thou only (ô Lord) that preparest my heart, and workest this truth in it, and thou wilt neuer fru­strate the desire, that thou thy selfe hast there wrought. As no man can­seeke thee, but hee that hath found thee; so no man can desire grace, but hee that hath grace: for euer­more hee that desireth Grace, hath grace to de­sire it.

It is thy gracious Pro­clamation: Ipse vt dili­geretur de­dit, qui non dilectus di­lexit. Aug. in Joan. The Lord God will be mercifull, yea, hee hath beene alreadie, and is mercifull to those, that [Page 115] set their hearts aright, that desire to feare his name. Whereupon I take heart, and say: Then shall I not bee Psa. 119. 6. confounded, when I haue re­spect to all thy precepts, and when I am vpright with my God.

The louing kindnesse of the Lord is from euer, and for euer vpon those that thinke vpon his com­mandements to doe them: and therefore vnto such also, is ioy, in plaine termes promised; The righteous Psal. 64. shall bee glad in the Lord, and trust in him, and all, (with­out exception) that are but vpright in heart, shall re­ioyce. And therefore ha­uing by warrant of the blessed Spirit, pronoun­ced [Page 116] them blessed, not that neuer sinned, but that haue sincerely repented their sinnes, and in whose soule there is no guile, I con­clude with an Iniunction, awarded vnder the seale of the same Spirit, and laid Psal. 32. vpon all such; to reioyce: Be glad, ye righteous, and re­ioyce Psal. 32. 11. in the Lord: be merry (not onely in your owne selues: and soules) but euen with acclamations and iubila­tions: shout for ioy, all you that are vpright in heart.

The summe of all is: I doe not finde my heart so free from sin, or so full of grace, as it would and should bee; but I finde it to be true, plaine, and vp­right (wherein I appeale [Page 117] to thee, O thou searcher of hearts) not such as hath no sinne, (for it hath in a manner nothing but sinne) but such as loues no sinne, not such as wants no grace, but such as is hum bled for want of grace, hauing the grace to feele that want.

6. In the secret of my heart thou shalt teach me wis­dome: or, Thou shalt teach the sea­crets of wisdome in my heart, or hidden part.

THe conscience of my vnfained sorrow for sin, on the one side, & my true desire to serue thee better hereafter, on the o­ther, [Page 118] doe raise my dciected soule, and make me be­leeue and hope, that thou in thy gracious goodnesse wilt teach me more wise­dome, euen the mystery of godlinesse, and art of Re­ligion (which is the soule of the soule) in the secret of my heart; I say, thou shalt, because I begge ear­nestly, and hope confi­dently, that thou wilt teach mee such Wise­dome.

The teaching of the in­ward man, by the true in­struction of heauenly wis­dome, the end wherof is eternall saluation, belon­geth to thee alone. It is thy proper and peculiar worke; whereupon thine [Page 119] elect ones are termed, The taught of God: for flesh and blood reueales not these things vnto me. Hee hath Cathedram in Coelo ha­bet, [...] docet. August. his chaire in heauen, that teacheth the heart: and to thy schollers, it is only gi­uen to know the secrets of thy Kingdome.

Therefore, I trust, thou wilt teach me thy wayes, and thy statutes, thou wilt open mine eyes, that I may sce the wonders of thy Law, thou wilt giue me true vnder­standing, and send me thy good Spirit, as a perfect Pylot to leade and guide me into all truth & good­nesse.

This is the wisedome of Sol non om­nes, quibus lucet, etiam calesacit. the heart and brest, not of the head and braine: [Page 120] whereby I shall become, Sic sapien­tia [...], quos docet [...] sit facien dum, non [...] accendu ad [...]. Bern. in Cant. Non [...] sa­pientem, sed timor facit, quia & af­ficit. Grego. not more learned or poli­ticke, but more godly [...] vertuous; not more able to discourse and dispute, but to doe, and liue well: [...] become righteous, that is, (by a little variati on of the word) right wise. For whē all is said & done. That is right wisedome, which makes me wise vnto Saluation: That is not see­ming and shining, but sound and solid wise­dome: that is reall and o­peratiue, Nunquam nimis dici­tur, quod nunquam satis dici­tur. not speculatiue and formall wisedome. The true information, and thereby Reformation of the soule, is the soule of wisedome.

It is neuer taught e­nough, [Page 121] which is neuer suf­ficiently learned; and this wisedome is of that nature, that the soule is neuer sa­tiated therewith, but is still hungry, and couetous of more. I haue heard and read many lessons, by way of instruction, in this wise­dome; but either through my dulnesse, I could not apprehend them; or through my obliuion, I could not remember thē; or through my infirmity, I could not practise them: Howbcit, by the superemi­nent authority of thee, the Teacher; the excellencie of the matter taught, and the increase of my dili­gence (all happily concur­ring together,) I hope [Page 22] at length, to attaine the depth of wisedome, in the deepe and secret corners of my heart.

7 Purge me with Hysope, and I shall be cleane.

THe tongue wil be lick­ing, Lingua se­quitur den­tem dolen­tem. where the tooth is aking; the finger will be touching, where the paine Vbidolor, ibidigitus. is fretting.

The Leprosie of my sinne is so irkesome and lothsome vnto mee, as I cannot but it erate my ear­nest Petition, and re-en­force my humble Prayer, to bee purged thereof, and for the fitter application, and better operation of the purgation, to bee [Page 123] purged with Hysope.

Thou, O Lord, didst ap­point Hysope to be vsed in thy Law for diuers purpo­ses. In the institution of Ex. 12. 22. the Passeouer, the blood of the Lambe was appoin­ted to bee sprinkled vpon the doore cheekes, with a bunch of Hysope, and with a Scarlet lace. In the purgation of the Leper, Leu. 14. 6. the bunch of Hysope was to bee dipped in the blood of the Sparrow. In the burning of the red Heifer Num. 19. (which was to bee chosen without spot or wrinckle) the Priest was to put in Hysope, besides Cedar wood and Scarlet.

By the blood of the Lambe, the Sparrow and [Page 124] the red Heifer, the blood of that immaculate Lambe was vndoubtedly prefigu­red and represented. By the bunch of Hysope, the besprinkling of the soule with that blood; and the applying of it thereunto by faith: by the red, or crimson lace, the vnion and communion of thy Saints was shaddowed, who are tyed together by a True-loues knot, and sprinkled with that same blood, for the remission of their sinnes.

Whiles I suruey the vertues and qualities of this herbe, (to vnfold this riddle of thy Law) I may iustly take occasion, as to magnifie thy goodnesse [Page 125] (O God) who hast proui­ded so powerfull a medi­cine, to cure all mans cor­ruptions; so to obserue thy wisedome, who, for our better apprehension, hast so fitted the signe and figure to the thing signifi­ed and represented there­by, Hysope: whence I borrow, this Allegory hath many things where­by it doth aptly and neer­ly resemble Christ.

It is obscure, base, and low; the Hysope, as the Prouerb. lowest herbe, is opposed to the Cedar, as the tallest tree. In the person of Christ, I haue said, I am a Vermis, non homo. worme, and no man, the re­proach of men, and despised of the people: all they that see [Page 126] me, doe scoffe at me, they [...] a mowe with the lip, and they wagge the head. Hysope growes of it selfe, among stones, not planted by man: Christ was hewne out of the Rocke, without hands.

Hysope is bitter and sowre, vnpleasing to the taste; so Christ his Crosse, by which we are crucified to the world, & the world vnto vs, is harsh and vnsa­uourie to flesh and blood.

Though Hysope bee sowre, it is wholesome for the body: The bitter medicines are euer the better: so the Recipe of re­pentance, albeit odious to the flesh, is most profitable to the soule. The doctrine [Page 127] which is seasoned with salt and Hysope, is fitter for vs, then that which is swee­tened with honey: For on the one side, honey was neuer appointed to be vsed in any sacrifice; on the o­ther side, not any sacrifice, Omnis [...]. but was to bee seasoned with salt.

Hysope (as Physicians [...]. [...]. [...]. tell) is powerfull to purge the lungs. The humility of Christ, like Hysope, doth purge our pride, which floteth in the lungs, and is discouered by the fuming, puffing, and blow­ing thereof.

Hysope, being hot in o­peration, Cyrill. doth cut and ex­tenuate the grosse and fleg­maticke humours of the [Page 128] body. So true grace takes away all the dulnesse and drowzinesse of my Spirit, makes me feruent in pray­ers, and zealous in holy duties.

Hysope euacuateth the Hug. Card. Lorin. in Psal. 51. body, nourisheth the na­tiue colour, cureth the bi­ting of Serpents, prouo­keth the appetite, sharpen­eth the sight, warmeth the blood, cooleth Feauers. So grace purgeth by con­trition, spitteth foorth by confession, warmeth by charitie, seasoneth by tem­perance, quencheth the fiery inflamations of vnru­ly passions, maketh vs hun­gry after righteousnesse, quicke-sighted to discerne our own errours and faults, [Page 129] yeeldeth remedies against the stings of concupis­cence, restores againe that spirituall vigour, which we daily lose by our mani­fold transgressions.

Hysope hath many ver­tues and properties, (if well vsed) for the health of our bodies. But that which is shaddowed by it, towit, the bloud of Christ, cures all the diseases of the soule, and clenseth vs from all our sinnes.

With Hysope this blood is sprinkled vpon vs, that is, by faith it is applied to our consciences, to purge and purifie them from dead workes.

7 Wash me, O Lord, and I shall be whiter then snow.

BEcause I finde my selfe so spotted with the staines, so polluted with the dirt and drosse of my sinne, so soone soyled a­gaine after my washing, e­uen in the teares of repen­tance; so prone, with the Dog, to returne to my vo­mit, with the Hog to the myre, wherein I formerly wallowed: therefore I harpe still vpon this string, which I touched before, I doe iterate this Petition also, and cry againe; Wash me, &c.

If thou, Lord, bee plea­sed to wash mee often and [Page 131] thorowly, I shall not one­ly be freed from the foule blacknesse which my grie­uous sinnes haue cast vpon mee, but I shall become neate, faire, and white, yea, whiter then snow.

If I wash my selfe with Iob 9. 30. snow water, (saith holy Iob) and make my hands neuer so cleane; yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch or myre, that is, thou shalt discouer an vn­cleannes in me (which was not perceiued before) and mine own clothes shall abhorre me. But if thou, Lord, bee pleased to wash me, I shall be whiter then snow; that is, I shall abandon all euill affections, and preserue my heart pure and holy, conse­crating all the faculties of [Page 132] my soule, and members of my body, to thy true and sincere seruice.

Can the Blackamore Ier. 13. 23. change his skinne, or the Leopard quit his spots? If that cannot be; yet thou, O Lord, canst so wash me, that I shall be whiter then snow.

That which is impossi­ble by nature, is possible and factible by grace. That foulenesse which is propa­gated to mee by discent, and bred in me by naturall generation, as also nouri­shed and increased by con­tinual actuall transgression, is not only remooued, but quite changed by free iu­stification, and supernatu­rall regeneration.

If my sinnes bee as red as Esay 1. skarlet, thou canst make them as white as wooll; if they bee like crimson, thou canst make them whiter then snow. O wonderfull mysterie! O incomprehensible miracle! that blood should make me white, that the wash­ing and bathing of my soule in the blood of that immaculate Lambe, should make wee whiter then snow! that euen the gar­ments Reuel. 7. of thy Saints, by washing in this blood, should become white, which yet shall bee reuea­led to, and wrought vpon thy Saints!

I shall bee white heere by grace, yea, whiter then snow; I shall bee bright [Page 132] [...] [Page 133] [...] [Page 134] heereafter in glory, brigh­ter then the starres, yea, then the Sunne in the fir­mament; grace heere shall be the beginning of glory there, and glory there shall bee the complement and perfection of grace here.

This is arcanum [...] diuini, a secret of thy Di­uine state and gouerne­ment, which thou shalt (I am hopefull, thou wilt) not onely teach by infalli­ble demonstration, but also worke by thy blessed Spi­rit, his powerfull opera­tion in the secrets of my heart.

The cause of the snow his whitenesse, is held (by Philosophers) to bee the store of ayre, shut vp, by [Page 135] the extremity of cold, in the cleere water that di­stilleth from the cloudes.

Thy celestiall ayre and light, which surpasseth all bodily and naturall white­nesse, being gathered into my soule, when it is mel­ting into the teares of re­pentance, makes it cleere and bright, euen to admi­ration.

Christ, by washing my soule, hath taken my spots out of mee, vpon him­selfe: hee himselfe re­maines all [...] and stai­ned with my sinnes; inso­much, that the Spouse is a­mazed at it, and wondring demands; Wherfore doest thou weare garments all spotted and dyed with [Page 136] blood, like vnto them that Esa. 63. stampe grapes in the wine­presse?

Thy seruant Moses, out Num. 12. of his kinde and vndeser­ued loue, tooke an Aethio­pian woman to his wife. No wife is deformed in Nulla vxor proprio ma­rito defor­mis. [...]. her owne husbands eyes, if he be such a husband as he ought to be.

The mysticall Moses, who in loue hath married himselfe vnto his Spouse the Church, not onely blacke and deformed, but vgly and filthy in her selfe, hath by his gracious ele­ction of her, though nei­ther by her beauty nor manners recommended vnto him, made her (be­cause he so esteemeth her) [Page 137] faire, comely and graceful, he hath changed her color and complection, yea, and her nature and condition too, so as she sticks not to say, I was black by nature, Nigra & formosa. Cantic. 1. 5. but I am faire by grace.

Can that which is blacke as Pitch, or Ebeny, become perfectly white, and whiter then snow? yes verily, for my state by adoption and regenerati­on in Christ, is of more perfection, then Adam his happiest condition in Paradise; This might and did faile: that can neuer alter or decay, but abides firme and sure, to all eter­nity.

Blacke by the art of man, can take no other [Page 138] hue: nor can this whitenes by the fraud or force of the prince of darkenesse, be euer either darkned or defaced.

Snow is white without and within, on euery side. Thy Grace will make mee, not like a painted sepulcher faire without, and foule within, not hy­pocritically specious, but really sound and sincere, and the beauty of the soule thus washed, will infinitely exceede the whitenesse of any body, yea, euen of snow it selfe.

Make mee to heare of [...] and gladnesse, &c.] O Lord, I beg of thee the whole tree of life, growing by the riuer side in the Gar­den [Page 139] of Eden, whose roote is iustification, by remission of my sinnes, and whose fruite is true ioy and con­solation, in thy gracious fauour. There may bee a Potest esse radix sine [...], sti­pes sine fructu, sed nec stipes nec fructus sine radice. roote without a stocke, as when a Tree is hewne downe: a stocke without [...], as in the winter sea­son: but nor fruite nor stocke, where no roote is. The forgiuenesse of my sinne is the root of all my ioy. O Lord, giue me the fruite of that roote, and that will assure me of the roote of that fruite.

Vnlesse thou make me, I cannot heare; Vnlesse thou open mine eare, the voice of gladnesse will not enter; or if it goe in at the [Page 140] one, it will go out at the o­ther eare, I shall be neuer the better for hearing. Thou must not only tel me the tale, but finde me eares also; thou must not onely present the obiect, but en­able my faculty also, to perceiue, or receiue it.

The Adder or Cocka­trice, is (as some say) natu­rally, (as some others) cun­ningly deafe, laying the one eare close to y ^t ground, & stopping the other with his tayle, purposely to pre­uent the skill of the Char­mer, who seekes to en­chant him in such sort, as he shall not be able, either to bite, or sting.

So man, in his pure, or rather impure naturals, [Page 141] is either sencelesly deafe, and cannot, or voluntarily deafe, and will not heare any voice, that tends to the spirituall solace of his soule, no not the sound of sound ioy, not the melo­dious noise of true glad­nesse, vnlesse thou that sendest the tidings of Grace, doe giue him the grace also to entertaine those tidings.

Now what is the end and indeuor, either of this corruption by nature, or peruersenesse by will, but that none of thy words or spels (O God) none of thy holy Spirit his moti­ons or inclinations may haue power (wickednesse being so powerfull) to [Page 142] charme or inchant me, but that I may still bite, and sting, still hurt and annoy, both my selfe and o­thers.

I desire ioy and glad­nesse doubled, that is, both of soule and body, and I cannot rest contented with one or two, or a few comforts; I seeke to haue them multiplied, that as my tribulations were in­creased, so, in like propor­tion, my consolations may be inlarged; and I terme this ioy and gladnesse in­definitely, because this is the onely solid ioy, and true gladnesse. All other ioyes are but toyes, like false fires, and counterfet [...], such as deserue [Page 143] not the name of ioyes at all.

I beseech thee, O Lord, not onely to blot out my transgressions, and to take away the guilt of my sins, but (for the raising of my deiected, the relieuing of my distressed soule) to let me know so much, also: let me heare this ioyfull Word, in the eare of my heart, from thine owne mouth, by thine holy breath and Spirit, Thy sins, Mat. 9. 2. are forgiuen thee.

Not onely bee vnto me a Sauiour, but say vnto my Psal. 35. 3. soule; I am thy saluation. For I may stand pardoned and iustified in thy gracious, [...] and certaine resolu­tion, and yet not know so [Page 144] much; and not knowing it, how can I be but grieuous­ly perplexed, & fearefully distracted in my conscious & distrustfull cogitations? Wherefore, O Lord, let thy Spirit certifie my spi­rit, that All is peace. Let my soule sensibly feele, though it cannot fully conceiue this peace, which passeth all vnderstanding.

To a Prisoner conuicted and condemned for high treason, to cruell death, and euery houre expe­cting execution, accor­ding to course of Iustice, what greater ioy can there bee, then to heare of a gracious and free pardon, of all his offences, from his Soueraigne?

This is the true chara­cter of my selfe, and euery other sinner, in respect of our spirituall condition. Wee were damned before [...] antequam nati. Bern. wee were borne in sinne: since our birth wee haue li­ued in sinne, we haue mul­tiplied sinne vpon sinne, wee haue drunke vp ini­quity, Iob 15. 16. as a fish drinketh vp water, wee haue commit­ted sundry hainous and horrible treasons against thy diuine [...]: (to say nothing of other capi­tall crimes) wee haue after all this, wilfully drawne downe thine indignation, and called for thine eter­nall vengeance vpon vs: In this deplorable, and e­uen desperate case, what [Page 146] more welcome tydings, then to heare of this Iu­bile?

Sinne doth not onely bring me into a dull slum­ber, but euen into a dead sleepe also. In sleepe all my sences are bound vp, as it were, in chaines; when I am fast asleepe, I heare no­thing at all. Wherefore awake me, O Lord, and make me to heare.

Make mee to heare thy Word (the conduit of comfort) openly taught, with such diligence and deuotion as is meete; make mee to heare the secret whisperings of thy blessed Spirit, with such reuerence and obedience as is requi­site: make me so to heare, [Page 147] as I may beleeue (faith commeth by hearing with thy blessing) and then I shall not faile to heare of this redoubled ioy and gladnesse, which my sor­rowfull & perplexed soule doth so much hunger and thirst after.

I doe the more earnest­ly desire, and affectionate­ly long to heare of this ioy, because it is an assay and foretaste of that ioy, which I hope fully to en­ioy in heauen: it is not the [...] red­ditur, arra [...]. [...]. pawne or pledge (that must bee returned againe but the earnest, or Gods­penny (which continues still with the receiuer) of a farre greater ioy heere­after, and where thou gi­uest [Page 148] earnest, thou neuer failest to performe the bar­gaine. This ioy is great in Bernard. Gaudium in praesenti ex­hibitione. Gaudium in futurâ expecta­tione. the present exhibition, far greater in the future ex­pectation, no meane ioy in the meane time, while I liue in this valley of teares, the life of grace, but glori­ous Et res plena gaudio, & [...]. Idem. Gaudium in fine, sed gaudium si­ne fine. Bernard. and vnspeakable ioy hereafter in the life of glo­rie; such ioy in the end as shall be without end, in the heauenly [...], where there shall be peace with­out trouble, plenty with­out want, light without darkenesse, health with­out sickenesse, melody without discord, security without feare, felicity without misery, ioy with­out interruption or inter­mission, [Page 149] ioy vpon ioy, ioy exceeding all ioy, without, or beyond which, there is no ioy at all.

If I heare this word of comfort in this life, which giueth mee title and inte­rest; ( Thy sinne is forgiuen thee:) I shall be sure then to heare the warrant for possession and fruition; ( Enter, good seruant, into thy Masters ioy.) Without this ioy, there is nothing but disquiet and discomfort, nothing but [...] and horror, nothing but ap­prehension of wrath and vengeance.

The wicked, who hea­reth nothing of this ioy, feeleth no serenitie or tranquillity of minde, but [Page 150] (as holy Iob saith) is like a Iob 15. 35. woman that is alwayes in trauaile, like the raging sea, Esa. 57. 20. still foaming and casting vp dirt and myre; on the other part, the penitent sinner, who in anguish of soule harkeneth after these tydings, deriueth ioy from the wel-head, where there is Gods plenty (as they say) fulnesse of most sweet and delightfull comforts, euen a torrent, or strong running streame of plea­sures, flowing perpetu­ally.

He shall haue incompa­rably more ioy than the worldling, whose corne, and wine, and oyle, are in­creased, and therefore may lay him downe in peace, Psal. 4. [Page 151] and rest in security, be­cause thou makest him to dwell in safetie.

Such as the matter is, Cùm de transitorijs [...] non poterit non transire lae­titia, [...] ijs, de [...], [...], [...] ignis. [...]. de Temp. whereof ioy ariseth and consisteth, such is the ioy it selfe. If the matter bee slight, flitting, and momen­tary, (as the world and the flesh are,) how can the ioy be constant, solid, and du­rable? On the other side, the ioy that is grounded vpon so precious a founda­tion, as remission of sinne, and reconciliation with thee, how can it bee but vnchangeable and inexpli­cable?

This ioy will eate vp all false ioyes and flitting de­lights which men fansie, to take in the pleasures of [Page 152] sinne, as the Rod of Aaron Exod. 7. [...]. did deuoure the rods of the Aegyptian Sorcerers. This ioy, like water, will quench and extinguish all the hot desires and fiery lusts of the world and the flesh whatsoeuer.

That the bones which thou hast broken, may reioyce.] I made my moane heereto­fore, that my bones were Psal. 32. sore vexed, that there was no peace or rest in them, by reason of my sinne. I now professe, that they were not only crushed and bruized, but euen disioyn­ted and broken, that is, the most strong & able powers and faculties of my soule and body (which I de­scribe by the name of [Page 153] bones) haue been oppres­sed, & battered, as it were, with the terrible pangs and restles tortures which I haue suffered, by the hammer of thine indigna­tion, conceiued against my grieuous and enormous transgressions.

But if thou, Lord, wilt now be pleased, after my vnfained repentance, to make me heare of this ioy and gladnesse, all these bones, [...] with the [...] and marrow of thy [...], shall in iust [...], and [...], cry out, Lord, who is [...] [...] vnto thee?

It is thy [...] and manner of proceeding, O [Page 154] Lord, with thy dearest Deut. 32. children. Thou makest the wound, and bindest it vpa­gaine; thou smitest, and healest againe; thou kil­lest, and quickenest againe; thou castest downe to the nethermost hell, and thou raisest vp againe to the heauen of heauens, shew­ing and declaring thereby, thine irresistable power, to worke mine humble obe­dience; [...] vnspeakable wisedome, to breed my re­uerent admiration; thy se­uere Iustice, to beget mine awefull feare; thy super­eminent tender mercy, to purchase mine affectionate loue towards thee.

The deeper mine hu­miliation is, the greater [Page 155] will bee mine exaltation; the sowrer the sorrow is, the sweeter will the suc­ceeding gladnesse prooue, when thou shalt please to affoord it vnto me: for not my spirit onely, but all the parts of my soule and bo­dy, will exceedingly re­ioyce, when after these tempestuous stormes, I shal safely arriue at the ha­uen of rest and content­ment.

For as water is more grateful to the way-faring man, after a long drought, and a calme more [...] to a sea-faring man, after a terrible tempest: so will my deliuerance bee, after my tribulation. O how beautifull will thy mercy [Page 156] appeare, after the depth of my miserable affliction. How shall I reioyce, [...] euer I was sorrowfull. How shall my bones bee glad, that euer they were broken! I shall gratefully acknowledge, that thy [...] Psal. 23. and thy staffe haue [...] mee; that is, I shall take comfort that euer I was chastized with them, and that according to the mul­titude of my griefes, thy consolations haue made my minde ioyfull, that is, for euery sorrow that I re­ceiued in time of my tribu­lation, I shall receiue a con­solation after my deliue­rance.

O then what a madnesse is it, to buy a little vaine, [Page 157] idle, frothie, and momen­tany pleasure, at so deare a rate, as the vexation and anguish, the terrors and tortures, both of soule and body? which none can conceiue by imagination, but he that feeleth, and he that feeleth, is not able by any representation to ex­presse.

Hide thy face from my sinnes, and blot [...] all my transgressions.] Because my sinne is the source of my sorrow, and the bane of my blisse, I make this the burthen of my song, and doe reiterate my Prayer, for pardon: I beseech thee once againe, O Lord, either to remooue thy sense from the obiect, or [Page 158] the obiect from thy sense; hide thine eyes from such an vgly sight, looke ano­ther way, behold any thing rather then it; or if being all Eye, thou canst not but see all things that are, and so all my sinnes, (if they be at all) O Lord, blot them out, let not them be to be seene, blot them out all, and at once, vna litura, with one dash of thy pen, efface all my transgressions.

Hide thy face not from me, but from my sinnes: Thou hast charged me lo­uingly; Seeke my face; and Psal: 27. 8. I haue answered resolute­ly; Thy face, Lord, will I seeke. If thou withdraw thy face from me, woe is me, I shall bee like those [Page 159] that goe downe into the bottomlesse pit: where­fore still shew me the light of thy countenance: looke vpon thy creature, which thy hands haue made and fashioned; looke vpon thine owne Image, which thou hast stamped vpon me; looke not vpon my sinnes, which haue blemi­shed and disfigured my soule, which haue almost quite defaced that thine I­mage, and in stead thereof haue placed the very por­traicture of Satan.

Although custome of sinning haue made my sin another nature in me, al­though I be so compassed with infirmities, so inclo­sed in my corruptions, as [Page 160] they may seeme to be in­corporated in me, and be­come my very substance; yet thou, O Lord, canst di­stinguish between the [...] and the rust, between thine owne and Satans worke, between man and a sinner. Duo nomi­na; Homo, Peccator. August. Thou canst looke on that which thou hast made, and look off that which I haue marred, with one and the same Eye of pitie and mer­cie.

When thou seekest a Chrysol. sinner, thou [...] the man, and not his sinne, that thou mayest despise the sin, which is mans worke, and not lose the man, which is thy worke.

Hee that loseth a preci­ous Chrysol. Iewell, seeketh it in all [Page 161] the sluts corners, and stick­keth not to rake the ken­nell, and stirre the dung­hill to finde it.

The Iudge, when he will Chrysol. pardon, lookes vpon the man, & not vpon his fault: the father, when he is dis­posed to pitty his child, thinkes vpon his owne af­fection, and not vpon his sonnes transgression: Euen so, O Lord, thou art mind­full of thine owne worke, that thou mayest forget the worke of another; thou turnest thy face to the tone, that thou may­est hide thy face from the tother.

O Lord, at least hide thine angry face from me. I cannot deny, but that I [Page 162] neede correction, and am not therefore altogether vnwilling to beare it; if thou holdest it meete. Correct me, but not in thy fury; chastize me, but not in thy displeasure; let mine August. in Psal. 103 afflictions be instructions, & not destructions; rather medicines, then punish­ments; castigations, not condemnations. Let them [...] a di­ligentis. be the wounds of a louer. Let me perceiue thy grace euen when thou doest seeme to frowne vpon me; let me discerne the sweete sunshine of thy mercy, tho­row the thickest cloudes of thy fiercest wrath.

I will follow the way, which thou hast taught me; I will set my sinnes be­fore [Page 163] mine owne face, that thou mayest hide thy face from them; I will re­member, that thou maiest forget them: I will con­fesse, that thou mayest for­giue them.

I am much ashamed and agreeued to see mine own sinnes: I am much more a­shamed and agreeued, that thou with thy pure eyes, and bright face shouldest behold the fowlenesse and filthines, the folly, and madnesse, the absurdity and grossenesse of them. Yet, O Lord, let mee be­hold my sinnes alwaies, so as thou wilt be pleased to hide thy face from them altogether.

Thou canst, but thou [Page 164] doest not alwaies, because thou wilt not, sometimes in fauour, see the faults [...] thy people. Thou diddest not, because thou wouldest not see iniquity in Jacob, nor, peruersenesse in Isra­el.

If thou canst not, in Iu­stice but looke towards my sinnes; yet I beseech thee in mercy, to suffer the Blood of thine Immacu­late Lambe, to interuene betweene thy glorious face, and my lothsome cor­ruptions. Let that specta­cle either diuert or re­straine thy sight, and hin­der the representation of the vgly shapes of my faults, to thy pure and per­ceiuing eyes: Looke vpon [Page 165] that precious obiect first, and there stay and termi­nate thy sight; or, at least, looke through it, as men looke through a coloured glasse, that the foule obiect may appeare in the colour of the glasse, and not in his owne co­lours. Let the robe of the Lambes innocency, couer the shamefull nakednesse of my vnrighteousnesse, so as it may be hidden from thy angry face and feare­full countenance.

Blot out all my transgressi­ons.] When a man feeles his soule laden with the burden, and his [...] affrighted with the appari­tion of some one or two grieuous offences lately [Page 166] done, hee begs earnest­ly for pardon of those sinnes in particular, or [...] his sinnes indefinitely, [...] falls not at the first, into computation or conside­ration of the rest of his sinnes, in former times committed. The fresher wounds seeme, euer the more fearefull; and the new terrible obiect doth so dazle and confound the soules sight, as it cannot looke either beyond or besides it.

But the more grieuous and enormous sinnes, after awhile doe occasion vs to make a more narrow in­quisition, and take a more exact suruey of the whole course of our sinfull life; [Page 167] whereby wee cannot but finde, that we haue runne into many errors, and ma­nifold crimes, the remem­brance and recognition whereof wee had former­ly, in a sort neglected.

Then we beginne seri­ously to consider, that in this generall muster, there is not any one sin, (seeme it neuer so light or slight) but being an of­fence against an infinite Maiesty, and a violation of the whole Law of God, deserueth an heauy iudge­ment, in the seuerity of [...], and that, if some of our sinnes [...] bee re­mitted, and others retay­ned, we remaine still in a most wofull condition; & [Page 168] therefore doe not content ourselues with a praier that some, or many of our spots and sinnes may bee wyped out, but craue, with a note of vniuersality, an aboliti­on of them all. Blot out all my transgressions, my sinnes in thought, word and deede, my sinnes of omis­sion, and my sinnes of acti­on; my sinnes of child­hood, youth, middle-age, and elder yeeres; my sins of infirmity, and my sins of presumption; my sinnes within, and my sins with­out my body; my bloody and my vnbloody sinnes; my sinnes committed in mine own person, and my sins committed by others through my ill example: [Page 169] (for they are mine too) my single sinnes committed by me as a priuate person, my double sinnes commit­ted by me as a publike ma­gistrate, (who when hee sinneth, doth rather teach then act sinne) my lesser and my greater sinnes (the sins of Soueraignes, are [...] sinnes) my se­cret and open, my knowne and vnknowne sins, (who can tell how [...] he offen­deth?) my sinnes past, pre­sent, yea and to come, (for whilst I liue in this body of death, I cannot but sin) all my sinnes whatsoeuer, when I say all, I except none; no minyon or dar­ling sinne at all.

Thou diddest command [Page 170] [...] the [...] the [...] [...] Leuit. [...]. be [...] away. Who is not sinfully [...]? and whose sinnes are not more in number then the haires of his head? Let them all come vnder the Raisor of true repentance, and then they will come within the reach of thy free remission. Not one Egyptian escaped, out of the red Sea. Saul was 1. Sam. 15. commanded to kill all the Amalekites; men, such as offend of malice, women, such as offend of infirmity, children, such as trans­gresse out of ignorance onely.

Create in mee a cleane heart, and renew a right spirit within me.]

Whoso beggeth Iusti­fication, which is the foun­dation, will seeke Sanctifi­cation also, which is the goodly frame [...] there­upon, and cannot but after sinnes committed and re­mitted, shine and flourish in holinesse of life and con­uersation. Hee that hath that fire, cannot bee with­out this heate; he that hath that Sun, cannot be with­out this light.

When my great and en­ormous sinnes had plun­ged me into the sea of mi­sery, finding no other meane of helpe in that fearefull danger, I catch­ed vp, and tooke hold of the planke, or boord­of Repentance, to saue [Page 172] me from drowning.

Repentance hath two faces, and so looketh two wayes, backward and for­ward, to sinnes past, and holinesse to come. I haue grieuously lamented my offences formerly done, and importunately beg­ged pardon for them, ac­counting this remission (because thou art pleased, O God, so to esteeme it) my iustification.

I now earnestly craue a cleane heart, and a new spirit, that being clensed, I may keep my selfe cleane; that being renewed, I may entertaine newnesse of life for my sanctification.

For if I fall againe vpon the same rock of presump­tion, [Page 173] which caused my shipwracke before; it will plainely appeare, that I haue not really acted, but formally counterfeited re­pentance; in which case I must pronounce an heauie doome against my selfe, for dissembled holinesse, is Simulata aequitas non est aequitas, sed duplex iniquitas, quia & [...], & simulatio. August. in Psal. 63. double wickednesse; wic­kednesse masking vnder the sinfull vayle and vizard of hypocrisie. Repentance neuer attaines her Crowne and Garland, till shee haue brought forth amendment of life; after lamentation for sin, to make some kind of reparation.

That which thou requi­rest of me, O God, is my heart, and how can I deny thee one thing, that hast [Page 174] giuen me all things? for what haue I, that I haue not receiued of thee?

Well then, I resolue (as it is meet) to giue thee my heart: But when I looke into my heart, by the helpe of thy suruey (for it is thou that declarest vnto man, what, and how ill his heart Amos 4. is) I finde it so foule and full of corruption, as I am ashamed to present it vnto thee in that plight. Nay, I tremble to thinke, that thy Pure and Radiant Eyes, should behold such a pud­dle and sincke of sinne as lurketh in my heart. For, alas, euery imagination of the thoughts of my heart, is onely euill continually. Were my heart such as it [Page 175] should be, I would cheere­fully giue thee my heart. O Lord, therefore, create in mee a cleane heart. Thou madest my heart first in A­dam; hee marred it, (and I in him) by disobedience; from him to all his poste­rity, the contagion of this pollution is spred and pro­pagated; wherefore create my heart againe, create it a cleane heart, either a cleane heart, or no heart at all.

I affect purity of heart by thy grace: for indeed I cannot so much as affect, much lesse effect it, with­out thee. Vnlesse thou take the worke in hand, it will be vndone. My heart, that is originally and totally [Page 176] vncleane by naturall gene­ration, and daily soiled by actuall transgression, can­not become cleane and neate, without spirituall washing, and supernaturall regeneration, and that is thy proper operation.

Seeke not to new make & mould my defiled hart, out of the forebeing mat­ter thereof. (That may seeme a strange enterprize and fruitlesse worke.) But thou, O God, who by thy power madest the world of nothing, by thy power­full grace, Create (which is thy peculiar attribute) a cleane heart within me.

To create, is not to make a thing out of the power of any subiect or [Page 177] matter formerly being. But to create, is to make a thing of nothing, and that is an act of diuine power, that is a case excepted, and a prerogatiue reserued to thee alone. The producti­on of grace in a gracelesse heart, is a wonderfull and gracious creation.

Create in mee power­fully, and of nothing, with­out any [...] mat­ter; create in me [...], and for nothing, without any precedent merit of mine, a pure heart; so [...] thou crowne in mee, not my deserts, but thine [...] gifts, if ought proceed from my heart, to my tongue or hand, not dis­pleasing vnto thee.

Worke this worke thy selfe, and take the praise of Psal. 115. it to thy selfe alone, O God. Not vnto mee, not vnto me (I doe iterate and ingeminate my disclay­mer) but vnto thy Name giue all the glory.

It is another manner of power to make the quali­ty, then the substance of the heart; yea, it is a harder taske to make a heart cleane, that hath beene soiled with the filth, and tainted with the putrifa­ction of sin, then to make a pure and innocent heart at the first. The more shall be my thankfulnesse, if thou, O Lord, vouchsafe me so great a fauour.

I will not curiously en­quire [Page 179] into the meanes or manner of atchieuing this worke. Let me henceforth really finde, by the imagi­nations and inclinations of it, that it is a cleane heart, conformed (as it may be in the frailty of [...] flesh) [...] thy holy [...], [...] all is well.

As a woman [...] by the stirring of the [...] in her wombe, that [...] hath conceiued: so [...] me feele, by the effectuall mo­tions of thy good [...], that I am begotten anew vnto a liuely [...], by the resurrection of Christ, ac­cording to his abundant mercy.

The summe of all is; Giue me, O Lord; what [Page 180] thou enioynest, and then enioyne mee what thou pleasest. I am of no ability to do what thou comman­dest, and therefore am en­forced to beseech thee thy selfe to do in me, what thou requirest to bee done of me. Create a cleane heart in me.

If my heart, as the spring and conduit head, be pure and cleane; the wa­ters that flow thence, though conueighed in ear­then pipes, will be cleare still: my secret thoughts, my open words, my visi­ble workes, though they sauour somewhat of earth and flesh, will not be alto­gether vncleane and vnsa­uoury.

A man must bee twice borne, ere he can enter in­to the kingdome of hea­uen. As he is made to the 1. Cor. 15. similitude of the first A­dam, so must he be made to the similitude of the se­cond Adam: and the re­generation is a more ex­cellent worke then the ge­neration; the re-creation, then the creation. In the first, man was wrought out of clay; in the other, God workes grace out of sinne. In the former, he breathed a soule into the dead bo­dy; here he breatheth his holy Spirit into a dead heart. In the creation, he made man perfect in all his members. In this re-crea­tion, not only all the mem­bers [Page 182] of the body, but the faculties of the soule also, must be framed anew. It is a greater matter to raise a man dead in sinne, then to raise a rotten carkasse out of the graue.

In the one birth and the Primum [...]. Arist. other, the heart is the first [...] that is enlyued: my [...] must first take fire, [...] can I neuer bee [...] with the true zeale of [...] glory, and mine owne saluation.

In the first creation, this [...] Chaos and darke [...], was couered by thy [...], without any contra­diction or resistance: Thou spakest but the word, and all was readily done, and perfectly framed. But in [Page 183] my re-creation, my flesh or my spirit, or my fleshly spirit, doth oppose and in­counter thy holy Spirit, grieueth and maketh it sad, laboureth to quench it, euen then when it stri­ueth to reuiue, repaire, and reforme me. This is noto­riously verified, not onely in the aliens & reprobates, but euen in the domesticks of the houshold of faith, in thy most inlightned and best disposed children, e­uen in the Elect them­selues, and those that are sealed vp for the Day of Redemption.

Wherefore I must say freely, as I may truly, I am thy workemanship, not onely of thy power, (as [Page 184] all other creatures are) but of thy mercy also, created in Christ vnto good workes, whereof he is the sole Author and Actor, working effecaciously in mee, both the will and the deed, according to his good pleasure.

O Lord, giue me a liue­ly Faith (thy Gift alone) which hath power, to quicken my dull, to enlyue my dead, to purifie my impure heart: Giue me grace stedfastly to beleeue thy Word, to take sure hold of thy promises, e­uermore to cleaue and sticke fast to thy good­nesse: Kindle this fire in my soule, which will in­flame my loue of all good [Page 185] duties on the one, and on the other side, waste and consume, eate vp and de uoure my concupiscence, and all my carnall desires, and cause them to returne into that dead sea, whence they were first exhaled.

Renew a right Spirit with­in me.] Hee whose spirit is deserted by Gods Spi­rit, loseth the vigor and viuacity of his spirit, his spirit waxeth old & croo­ked in him. Sinne, where it inuades, makes such spoile and hauocke of all good­nesse and vertue in the soule, as it cannot subsist, vnlesse it be timely repai­red, and truly renewed by repentance.

When a man lyes gro­ueling [Page 186] vpon earthly, and houering vpon fleshly de­sires: his spirit, which should directly [...] vp­ward, is bowed downe and made crooked. A [...] spi­rit then, is a sincere and vpright heart, raysed and lifted vp into heauen and heauenly things.

What is sinne else, but an obliquity, a depriuati­on or deprauation of that rectitude, and vpright­nesse, which was origi­nally, and should be conti­nually, in the soule; if it were throughly purged and purified?

I haue impayred this re­ctitude and vprightnesse, which once I had in some measure, by my heynous [Page 187] and enormous transgres­sions, and therefore, re­sort to thee for helpe, who onely art able to renewe and repaire it a­gaine.

Giue me, O Lord, a spi­rit rectified in it selfe, di­rected by thy Spirit, cor­rected by thy discipline, and erected to thy glory; a spirit firme without fai­ling, constant without va­rying, and durable with­out decaying; that I may happily choose new waies, walke in them carefully, and perseuere in them constantly: giue me grace to turne ouer a new leafe (as they say) to abandon the old man with the lusts and affections thereof, and [Page 188] to put on the new man, and so to serue thee in ho­linesse and newnesse of li­uing, all the dayes of my life hereafter.

I doe wittingly and thankefully ascribe the pu­rity of my heart, to thy Creation, the vpright­nesse of my spirit, to thy renouation alone; as to giue thee thy due honour, so to preuent and antici­pate the proud and fond conceit of those men, (if a­ny such there be, or shall be hereafter) who to grace thēselues, wil abate the po­wer, & diminish the lustre of thy grace, who though they cannot but confesse, that they neede the assi­stance of thy Spirit, & that [Page 189] they are holpen by thy, both preuenting and fol­lowing, grace; yet be­tweene those two graces, (for their own credit) will needes vainely interpose, or rather violētly intrude mans reason, whereby he chuseth what is good; and mans will, whereby he as­senteth to thy diuine po­wer, in the blessed worke of regeneration.

But hereby, I take se­cret comfort in my selfe, to preserue my perplexed soule from vtter despaire, that I discerne the foule­nesse of my heart, & feele the weaknes of my spirit; and therefore pray ear­nestly, for a purification of the one, and a renouation [Page 190] of the other: for I know, I cannot craue either of those graces, without some measure of grace. As the sunne cannot be seene but by the Sunne, nor the light be perceiued, but by meanes of the light; so nei­ther can I begge a full cleansing of my heart, without some cleanenesse in it, nor a through-reno­uation, without some new­nesse, in my decayed spi­rit, at least, in true affecti­on, and vnfaigned de­sire.

Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy ho­ly Spirit from me.] I feare, and cannot but feare thy face; and yet I feare with­all to be cast from thy face [Page 191] [...] presence. Mine owne [...] makes me, on the one side, to feare the face of a seuere Iudge, and my worthlesse weak­nesse on the other, (being not able to subsist at all, without the light of thy countenance,) makes mee desire thy presence and sight.

What-euer thou doe with me, while thou loo­kest vpon me, I shall in­dure, though not without feare and perplexity; But if thou cast me quite away from thy presence, I am vtterly vndone for euer.

The presence of the Physicion is a present, if not helpe, yet comfort to the sicke patient. But [Page 192] thy presence, Lord, being the soueraigne Physicion, ministers all comforts, and cures all maladies both of soule and body.

Therefore I loue the habitations of thy house, and the place where [...] honour dwelleth.

As the hunted and cha­sed Psal. 42. Hart desireth the wa­ter brookes; So longeth my soule after thee: When shall I come and appeare before thee?

O how amiable are thy Psal. 84. Tabernacles? My soule euen longeth, and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. One day in thy Courts (where thou art present and resident,) is better then a thousand elsewhere. I [Page 193] had rather bee a dorekee­per there, then to dwell at liberty, and in iollity, in the tents of the vngodly.

The priuation of Gods presence, is the position of all misery, and the withdrawing of his coun­tenance, drawes with it all manner of discom­forts.

Heauen it selfe were not heauen, if thou wert not there present, and Hell could not be hell, if thou wert not absent thence.

To bee cast out of thy presence, is to be cast out of ioy, into sorrow; out of light, into darkenesse; out of life, into death; (not the first onely, but the second also) out of heauē, into hel.

The very sight and visi­on of thee, is of it selfe, and in it selfe, the height of happinesse. In thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy, and at thy right hand is plen­ty, without satiety of plea­sure and delight, for euer­more.

Wherefore though I haue multiplyed and in­creased my contumacie beyond all measure; yet I beseech thee, O Lord, not to excommunicate me. I submit my selfe, with teares in mine eyes, and anguish in my heart, hum­bly and wholly to thy dis­cipline; I am content to endure any penance, ra­ther then to bee banished from thy presence.

What the want of this presence is, none can know but he that feeleth; and he that feeleth, cannot make another know by any rela­tion. Hee may indeuour to shaddow it out slender­ly, but hee is not able fully to expresse it.

If the Master turne his seruant out of doores; if the Father abandon his sonne from his fight; if the King command his subiect from the Court, (that hee come not within the Vierge) how grieuous and irkesome will the damage and disgrace be, to euery, or any of these respectiue­ly? Thou, O God, art our Master, and to serue thee, is to raigne with thee. [Page 196] Thou art our Father; and what greater preeminence then to bee the Sonne of God? Thou art our King, and to be in subie­ction to thee, is our chie­fest dominion. How then doth it concerne me, being an vnfaithfull Seruant, a prodigall Childe, and a trayterous Subiect, to beg earnestly of thee, my bountifull Master, my lo­uing Father, my gracious Soueraigne, that thou wilt not take away thy [...], banish me from thy fight, nor expell mee from thy Courts?

As the soule doth excell the body, and the [...] the flesh, beyond propor­tion; so the one losse is [Page 197] incomparably greater then the other.

Thou, O God, art pre­sent with me, by thy good Spirit; and so long as I haue this Ghest in my soule, I haue the fruition of thee and thy presence; wherefore suffer not this noble Ghest to be dislodg­ed and taken from mee. Thou and thy Spirit are vndeuided companions: If thou cast me from thy pre­sence, thou takest thy ho­ly Spirit from me; and if thou takest [...] Spirit, thou takest thy selfe from me.

I doe yet enioy thy pre­sence, in a sort; I behold thy countenance, though full of anger; I feele thy Spirit within mee, though [Page 198] sad and grieued: for I find contrition in my heart, confession in my mouth, and confusion in my face, for my grieuous offences. I hate my sinnes, and my selfe for my sinnes. This smoake cannot ascend, but from that fire of thy Spi­rit; this fruit cannot grow, but from that roote of re­pentance. Howbeit, when I behold the vglinesse of my offences, with an vn­partiall eye, and consider how hard & harsh a thing it is, for Purity and Holi­nesse, to dwell or abide with wickednesse and fil­thinesse: I tremble and quake in an awefull feare, that thou wilt (as iustly thou mayest) depriue me [Page 199] of thy gracious presence, and bereaue mee of thy blessed Spirit.

Lord, thou art in all things by thine Essence, thou art in all places, and at once, by thy Power and presence. I may well bee asked; Whither wilt thou Psal. 1 39. flye from his Spirit, or whither wilt thou goe from his presence, &c? If thou shalt say; The darke­nesse shall couer me, euen the night shall bee light a­bout thee. Yet thou canst, and wilt cast me from thy presence, and withdraw thy holy Spirit from me, if I be settled vpon the dregs of my sinnes without re­morse, in contempt of thy Maiestie, and abuse of thy [Page 200] mercie. If thou in thy iust iudgement and wrathfull indignation, abandon mee from thy presence, thou castest me out of thy pro­uidence and protection, thy blessed Spirit doth quite desert mee, I am ba­nished out of the land of the liuing, into the Desert of desolation, (which is without the compasse of the whole Vniuerse, that thou didst create, and d'st vphold.) In that case, hap­py were I to bee no more, but I shall be most vnhap­py, to bee and continue helpelesse and hopelesse in endlesse misery.

Thy holy Spirit is, by a speciall title, stiled, The Comforter, by excellen­cie, [Page 201] because all other com­forters and comforts, are cold and vncomfortable, without and beside it. I haue (I confesse with griefe) many times chec­ked this Spirit, when it hath presented good mo­tions to my minde, and good desires to my hart; I haue grieued it exceeding­ly, while I carelesly neg­lected, and stubbornely re­fused the good counsell it ministred vnto me. How­beit, sithence without this Comforter, I must bee for euer comfortlesse in the depth of discomfort, I [...] thee, not to take vt­terly and finally thy holy Spirit from me.

Thy gifts, O Lord, are [...]. [...]. [...] [Page 202] without repentance (there­fore I trust I shal neuer be without repentance) whō [...]. 13. 1. thou louest once, thou [...]. 31. 3. doest euer loue; if thou be­gin, Semel [...], semper [...]. thou wilt perseuere to loue. Although I doe not Mulier soe­tum concep­tum non semper mo­litantem [...]; vbi tamen semel & iterum [...], [...] se esse non am­bigit. Spin. de [...]. [...]. alwayes feele the graces of thy Spirit in my sinfull soule; yet I shall ( [...] trust) haue [...] euer, because once I had them. My sinne may take away the sence and [...] for a while, but not the interest and pro­perty (if I may so say) which I haue in thy bles­sed Spirit: Which not­withstanding, the fruition of this Spirit being so pre­cious, and the losse of it so inualuable, I cannot but in feare and anxiety of soule, [Page 203] instantly pray, that it may not be taken from me.

Although the seed of 1. Pet. 1. 23. thy Word, whereby I am begotten againe to a liue­ly Hope, be immortall and incorruptible; yet it is so choked with the weeds of fleshly desires, so intangled with worldly allurements, it lyeth so buried in the furrowes of my hard and stony heart, as I may much doubt, and, in a manner, distrust the shooting and springing of it vp againe, without an extraordinary influence of thy heauenly grace, which cannot de­scend vpon me, vnlesse my humble and earnest pray­ers ascend vp to thee. Wherefore retaine mee, [Page 204] O Lord, in thy fauour, and permit thy blessed Spirit, not onely to soiourne for a season, but to remaine continually with me. Let me so keepe a doore in the Sanctuary of my soule, (which is one of thy Courts) as I may neuer suffer this Ghest to goe out of it.

12 Restore vnto mee, the ioy of thy saluation, and vp­hold mee with thy firme Spi­rit, or stablish mee with thy free Spirit.

I Doe not say; Giue mee what I neuer had, but restore vnto mee what I had, and haue lost by mine owne fault and folly. It [Page 205] is a greater fauour to re­store Tertull. de poenit. then to giue, in as much as it is a greater vn­happinesse to lose a Iewell Quid boni sanitas ha­bet, languor ostendit. Hier. which I had, then neuer to haue had it. Priuation is a greater punishment then want: It is the height of Gratior est reddita quā retenta sa­nit as. misery to haue beene hap­py. To come out of dark­nesse Post tempe­statem dul­cior sereni­tas. Quint. Desiderata dulcius ob­tinentur. into light, out of sick­nesse into health, out of perplexity into security, out of sorrow & sadnesse, into ioy and gladnesse; and so by the contrary, to August. de Verb. Dom. come out of cheerfulnesse into pensiuenesse, sets out more liuely, and causes to be felt more sensibly, both the one and the other con­dition. One contrary is a foyle vnto another.

We then make the tru. Quoniam ob bona [...], gratias Deo non agimus, necessaria nobis est pri­uatio, vt quid habut­rimus sen­tiamus. est valuation of thy grea­test mercies, O Lord, when we are for a time de­priued of them, which is one speciall cause why thou takest them from vs, that by the want, we may learne the worth of them, Basil. Plus sensi­mus quod habuimus, postquam habere desi­nimus. Hier. in Consol. and shew our selues accor­dingly thankefull, because thou diddest vouchsafe vs the fruition of them so long, and much more ioy­fully imbrace, and charily preserue them, when thou pleasest to restore them to vs againe.

For as the eyes cannot discerne a goodly obiect when it is held close vnto them, but when it is remo­ued in some distance; so [Page 207] our vntoward & vnthank­full hearts cannot iudge of the excellency and sweet­nesse of present graces; but when they are with­drawne a while from vs, then doe we more cheere­fully behold, and fully ob­serue the riches of thy bounty & mercy in them.

This ioy of thy saluati­on, consisteth in an assured hope and hopefull assu­rance of eternall happi­nesse. This hope, is the heart of my soule, and the very life of my life. It put­teth spirit into my decay­ed spirit, and vigor into my dead heart; for a hopelesse, is a heartlesse life, and were it not for this hope, (a­midst the inward and out­ward [Page 208] crosses of this life) my very heart would breake.

All the ioyes vpon earth cannot make me cheerfull, vntill I bee seized of this ioy, nor can all the crosses and calamities which the world affoords, dishearten me, while I finde and feele this ioy of thy saluation.

What greater ioy to an afflicted soule, lying [...] oppressed vnder the heauy apprehension of thy wrathfull indignation, and for a long and tedious time, suffering euen hell out of hell, then to receiue a gracious pardon of all his sinne, freely granted vnto him by thee, through the mediation of thy Christ, [Page 209] sealed by thy blessed Spi­rit, and deliuered to his spirit into the hand of faith.

Wherefore turne, O Lord, my mourning in­to dancing; loose my sack­cloth, and gird mee with gladnesse, O Lord; let me shout out songs of deliue­rance from the captiuity and thraldome of sinne and Satan.

I haue wilfully put my selfe out of possession of this ioy, which I so happi­ly enioyed. O Lord, re­store it vnto me againe, by a new order & iniunction, out of thy Court of equi­ty and mercie; let mee re­turne into it, by Remitter, & hold it, as in my former [Page 210] ancient right.

I haue iust cause to stile it, Thy saluation. For I am the patient onely, thou, O God, the onely agent: thou hast not the greatest share, but all the interest, in this affaire. Thou art the sole, not only Author, but also actor in it. For the purchase thereof, I neede thy first grace of Initi­ation, and thy second of Confirmation, thy preue­nient and thy subsequent grace, thy accompanying, and thy perseuering grace. All is thy grace, and thou art all in all, and therefore to thee alone, I ascribe all the honour and glory. It is meerely and intirely thy saluation.

Christ his righteous­nesse imputed and impar­ted to me, is the true roote; ioy and peace are the hap­py fruite; and faith is the rooting of it in my soule. Though there come a winter of affliction, to re­straine the sap, and hinder the shewe: yet the Sum­mer of cheerefulnesse will make all to flourish a­gaine in perfect lustre.

But how can I expect the serenity and Sunshine of this ioy in the valley of teares? Why should I de­sire this garment of glad­nesse, when my heart ought cōtinually to weare the sables of sadnesse, and the mourning weede of repentance, for my daily [Page 212] or rather howrely sinnes? how can there be any time or place left for ioy, when there is almost a [...] of sorrow enioyned?

He that will reconcile himselfe to thee, O God, may easily reconcile these different passions, & make them dwell together in his soule, with amity and vnity. Else thou that hast required mee oft-times to mourne, wouldest neuer haue commanded mee to reioyce alwaies. The faith­full man hath a sorrow mingled with ioy, and a ioy mingled with sorrow. There is a griefe in ioy, as there is a ioy in griefe, nay (which may yet seeme more strange) the greater [Page 213] griefe sometimes, the greater ioy, and the grea­ter ioy, the greater griefe; for one and the same man, at one and the same time, may bee ex­ceeding sorry for his sin, and excceding ioyous with the apprehension of thy mercy, in the free for­giuenesse of his sinne.

The greater griefe hee conceiueth for his sinne, the more comfort he may iustly take, euen in that regard. And the grea­ter ioy hee feeleth in the hopefull assurance of thy fauour, the greater sorrow must hee needs conceiue for his sinne, that bred thy displeasure: for, the more assurance hee hath of thy [Page 212] [...] [Page 213] [...] [Page 214] loue towards him, the more hee will loue thee: (Loue is the loadstone [...] loue, and will draw loue e­uen from an yron heart) and the more hee loueth thee, the more his soule must melt into teares, when he recounts & con­siders, how by his wicked and rebellious courses, he hath demeaned himselfe, wretchedly and vnwor­thily, towards that God whom he findeth so graci­ously and pittifully affec­ted towards him.

Sorrow may bee some­times vnseasonable, but this spirituall ioy (as wee say of some kinde of meates) is neuer out of season.

The precept of reioy­cing, though conceiued in the affirmatiue, doth al­waies binde, & at all times. Reioyce in all things, and 1. [...]. 5. 16. euermore reioyce.

The grace I beg, is the complement, crowne and garland of all the graces I haue formerly craued. For although I be washed ne­uer so cleane from my for­mer staynes; though my hart be neuer so throughly purged from old corrup­tions, my spirit neuer so well renewed and rectified for the time to come: yea, though I obtaine a full re­stauration of the ioy of thy saluation, which I had and haue lost; yet, vnlesse thou bee pleased to con­firme [Page 216] and stablish me with thy firme and free [...] none of those blessings a­part, nor all of them [...] together, can much a­uaile me.

For without this [...] and establishment, I [...] neuer be able to [...] and perseuere in true Piety of Religion, in sin­cere probity of [...]. Well I may, like a ban­krupt Marchant (supplied by friends or credit,) set vp my trade of godlinesse a­while, but I shall soone be enforced to shut vp shop againe. Well I may be­ginne to runne the race of godlinesse, but I shall ne­uer get the goale; well I may enter the lists afresh, [Page 217] with my old and deadly enemy, the Deuill, and his two valiant Champions, the World and the Flesh; but I shall quickly be foy­led, I shall neuer [...] the victory fully and finally.

Wherefore do not one­ly raise mee that am falne, but vphold me when I am raised; sustaine mee conti­nually with thy firme Spi­rit, that I may not onely begin well, and proceed cheerefully, but also perse­uere constantly, and end happily.

I did endeauour when time was, in some sort to serue and please thee; I frequented publike assem­blies in thy holy Taberna­cle; I sent vp sundry Pray­ers [Page 218] from my priuate Ora­tory, and the secret closer of my heart, vnto thy Ma­iestie; I laboured to go­uerne my people with Iu­stice and equity, to punish wilfull offenders seuerely, to reward well-deseruers cheerefully, to deliuer the oppressed, to relieue the needy; but (this notwith­standing) how soone, alas, was I taken with the sight of Bathsheba, and, through my frailty, carried cap­tiue into Adultery, to sa­tisfie my [...]; and into Murther, to conceale my Adultery! Wherefore set­tle, confirme, and establish me, O Lord. I haue direct­ed generally.

All you that trust in the [Page 219] Lord, be strong, and hee shall establish your heart; he kee­peth the faithfull, and vp­holdeth the iust; by him alone the steps of men are established, that is, firmely directed and perfected.

My spirit, which must bee wrought vpon by thy Spirit, through the conta­gion of my flesh, and the carnality of it, is become almost wholly carnall, and by that meanes weake and fraile, soone weary of well doing; it quickly slips from good Meditations and Actions; slides from honest purposes and proceedings, vnlesse it bee sustained by thy Spirit.

But being quickned and enlyued by thy Spirit, [Page 220] though otherwise dead, I shal liue in thee, by thee, & for thee: all my thoughts, words and workes shall breathe continually thy praise and glory.

Thy Spirit, O Lord, is the life of my soule, as my spirit is the life of my bo­dy; if my spirit faile, my body perisheth; if thy Spi­rit desert my soule, my soule cannot but fall irre­couerably. Wherefore vp­hold mee with thy Spi­rit.

Thy Spirit is free in it selfe. As the winde bloweth, so the Spirit breatheth where it listeth. As it is a free, so it is a freeing Spirit, a Spi­rit of liberty, which deli­uereth me from the bond­age [Page 221] of Sinne; a Spirit of Adoption, whereby I cry, Abba, Father. As the Spi­rit Rom. 8. 15. is free, so are those that are led by the Spirit, free, ingenuous, bold, and cou­ragious: it infranchizeth and naturalizeth me in the heauenly Hierusalem.

This Spirit hath power to helpe all my infirmities; it hath skill and will to frame my Supplications within me to be expressed, if not by tongue & voyce, yet by sighes and grones vnutterable, but still intel­ligible to thee; it can pre­serue mee from falling; it can raise mee after I haue falne; and then so establish mee, that I shall neuer come againe into danger [Page 222] of relapse or recidiuati­on.

My spirit, thus vpheld and established by thy free Spirit, what is it else but a cheerefull alacrity and for­ward disposition to im­brace any thing that is good, for it owne sake, and for thy sake, without any by or secondary respect whatsoeuer; banisheth all drowzy dulnesse and vnto­ward listlesnesse in thy ser­uice; that putteth wings to my obedience, and maketh it not to walke slowly, but to flye nimbly in the ac­complishment of thy er­rands and directions; that causeth me to doe ingenu­ously what becommeth me, for loue of vertue, and [Page 223] not for feare of the whip, basely?

When thou hadst ap­pointed that the first [...] of euery beast should bee set apart to thee; thou diddest specially ordaine, Ex. 13. 13. that if it were the Foale of an Asse, it should be redee­med with a Lambe; if it were not, the necke of it should bee broken; thou wouldest not haue it sacri­ficed vnto thee at any hand. Surely, it may well seeme, that this is, alterius rei [...], a kinde of rid­dle; and that by this shad­dow, thou wouldest shew thy [...] of slothful­nesse and [...], want of life and cheereful­nesse in thy seruice, that an [Page 224] Asse being one of thy dul­lest creatures (Sloth is wont to bee pictured ri­ding on an Asse) thou wouldest not bee honou­red by the sacrifice of such a beast.

Thou, O Lord, louest a swift hearer, a cheerefull giuer, a zealous Petitio­ner, a voluntary Souldier, and a diligent [...] for all which purposes, thy free and firme Spirit will strongly enable and sup­port mee continually. Wherefore establish mee with thy free Spirit, O Lord.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy wayes, and sinners, or impious persons, shall be conuerted vnto thee.

WHen thou hast vouchsafed graci­ously to bestow vpon mee those graces, whereof I haue gracelesly [...] my selfe, then will I [...] my selfe gratefull vnto thee, I will [...] that dutie of thankefulnesse, so sutable to humanity, so a­greeable to piety; it being a thing good and com­mendable, [...] and profitable, pleasant and di­lectable, [...] & grace­full to returne praises and thankes to thee for thy [Page 226] mercies, duly to acknow­ledge, and truly to [...] thy singular fauours; in such manner as I can, and by such meanes as are within the reach of my weake and worthlesse abi­lity.

I will not follow the common fashion of world­ly men, who, like barrels, sound when they are emp­ty, but are still when they are full; who craue earnest­ly when they feele want, but are dumbe and silent when their turne is serued. I solemnely vow, and will really performe thankfull acknowledgement for so great benefits, when I haue receiued them.

Thou, O God, by dif­burthening [Page 227] man of his sin, Onerat nos Deus [...], quan­do [...]. Aug. in Ps. doest impose a burthen of gratitude vpon him. A be­nefit is a burthen to an in­genuous minde, that can­not rest quietly, but lyeth shut vp (as it were) in pri­son straightly, till it haue procured liberty, by ven­ting some kinde of retri­bution.

Although there can be no proportion betweene thy infinite goodnesse, and my, not onely finite, but in­finitely weake meanes of requitall; yet inasmuch, as for a more bountifull fa­uour, a larger returne of [...] is (of congru­ence) required, and the greatest blessing that can bee bestowed vpon a mor­tall [Page 226] [...] [Page 227] [...] [Page 228] man in this life, is peace of conscience, intended by the ioy of thy saluation, and implyed in the firme support of thy free Spirit: I will indeauour, in way of [...], to doe thee the best seruice that any man can performe vpon earth; that is, I will teach thy wayes to Transgres­sors, and cause (as much as in me lyeth) sinners to bee conuerted vnto thee.

I will teach such as wan­der and goe aftray, how to come into the way: A­gaine, those that goe by­wayes, I will teach thy wayes; that is, the wayes of thy directions, which leade vs by a right line (as it were) through the maze [Page 229] of this miserable world, to the land of Canaan, that happy country, which we should so loue and long for. Conuerted sinners, are [...] iniquorum [...], [...] quia tales [...]. the fittest conuerters of sinners. The sickly Physi­cian, who hath not onely read in his Booke, but felt in his body, the maladies whereupon hee is consul­ted, is the likeliest man to worke a cure vpon his patient.

Goodnesse of it owne Bonum na­turá sui diffusiuum. nature, is apt to spread and inlarge it selfe. It is the Naturalis. opus viuen. gignere sibi simile. Arist. most naturall and kindly worke of each liuing crea­ture, to engender a like vnto it selfe. As in nature, so is it in nurture also. An honest well-disposed man, [Page 230] will striue as much as hee can, to make others good and godly. A chast and so­ber man, will endeauour to restrayne and reclayme o­thers from wantonnesse and drunkennesse; the like may bee said of all other vertues and vi­ces.

The rule of Charity re­quires, that he, who hath beene raysed out of the dyrt, and reskued out of the myre, should lift vp others, who lye wallow­ing therein. If we be once inflamed with the loue of God and godlinesse, wee shall labour to kindle the zeale of others, & set them on fire also. Bad men are, and why should not good [Page 231] men much more become, Incendiaries.

This is the matter and effect of my gratitude, which though it may seeme to be no great mat­ter: For my goodnesse exten­deth not to thee, neither art thou any whit the better, for my being better any way, (the grace is thine, the good is mine alone,) yet I know it to bee very aceptable and highly plea­sing vnto thee, being so louing and gracious, so co­uetous of mans saluation, as thou dost euen hunger and thirst after his conuer­sion. Thou dost euen long for our returne home, from out of those farre remote countries, where­in [Page 232] wee haue wandred, and spent our patrimony of thy gifts, in wickednesse, to the house of thy habi­tation.

I, euen I that lost my way in my pilgrimage, and fell among theeues who robbed me of my garment of godlinesse, of my [...] of righteousnesse, of my girdle of gladnesse, and wounded mee with bitter Arrowes, and [...] darts, almost to death; I (I say) being reduced into the way againe, refreshed and comforted, raysed and set on horsebacke (as it were) will teach others, careful­ly to kepe themselues in the right way, to shunne idlenesse, and security, [Page 233] and all other occasions of sinne, to auoyde such inconueniences, as by wofull experience I haue found, and felt with into­lerable griefe.

I will teach Transgres­sors Homines malunt ex­empla quā verba. [...]. act. [...] ver. sap. Validior [...] quàm oris, oratio. Greg. by instruction, and [...] will teach them by exam­ple also. Men are more ef­fectually perswaded by the workes they see, then by the words they heare; Regis ad exemplum nec sic infle­ctere [...] e­dicta va­lent, ac vita regentis. Claud. by Princes acts, then by their Edicts. I will ioyne both precept and practice together; my words shall bee working words, and my deeds shalbe speaking deeds. Nay, I will not on­ly Habent & opera suam linguam. teach them, by my words, and by my deedes, Author de dupl. mar­tyr. but by my writings also. I [Page 234] will cause my Psalmes (the webs which my restlesse soule hath wouen) to be sung in Gods Tabernacle, while I liue; & when I die, bequeath them to God his Church, to be vsed in all succeeding ages; which (I hope) will bee of some force, to mollifie and qua­lifie the hard and stony hearts of retchlesse and impenitent sinners.

I will vse all the wayes I can, to teach sinners, in thy wayes, and I will en­deauour to reclaime all sorts of sinners from their euill wayes, As there bee seuerall sorts and degrees of transgressors; so I will apply my counsailes and admonitions, in seuerall [Page 235] kindes, respectiuely.

I will teach sinners of Sinne of infirmity. infirmity; that they yeeld not at all to the assaults and allurements of sinne; that they fight couragi­ously in that neuer-dying combate betweene the flesh and the Spirit; that in no wise they suffer them­selues to be carried away Captiues to sinne; that they let not sinne raigne, howsoeuer it will re­maine, Rom. 6. in their mortall bo­dies. I can, and will tell them (out of knowledge and experience,) that if they giue the water pas­sage but a little, they shall not bee able to withstand the Current of their owne concupiscence; that a little [Page 236] sparke of a wanton looke vpon Bathsheba, bred such a huge flame of lust in mee, as I could not quench. That Satan is subtile and will cunningly insinuate himselfe euery way; hee will seeke to make the breach where thy fortifi­cation is weakest; hee will vndermine, if hee cannot batter thy strongest castle; if he see where thou my­nest, he will countermine: That he makes semblance sometimes to strike at one place, when he intends to hit another; that now and then he faignes to make a retraite, when he returnes suddenly againe, to finde thee the more vnproui­ded. That he is like those [Page 237] Pyrates which alwaies carry in their shippes, flags of peace, when they intend nothing but warre; that when they hold out those flagges, their enemies may hold them for friends, and so become their prisoners; and that therefore it be­houeth them to watch continually, and carefully to keepe Centinell ouer themselues, and in time of peace, more then in time of warre. The shippe that saileth, many times in­curres more danger when the Sea is quiet, then when stormes arise: for in the calme water, the Saylers ride without care, or dread of danger; but in time of tempest they prouide for [Page 238] euery mischiefe that may befall.

I will tell them, that sin­ners Vitia cate­nata inter se. are linked and chay­ned, nexed and twisted to­gether, so as one still draw­eth on another, and the lesser euer a greater; that Satan that foule thiefe, and old Setter, hath in each pack of Theeues, little sins, [...]. in lib. Sapient. like little boyes, to creepe in at the windowes, or o­ther narrower passages, & then open dores for grea­ter sinners, like greater theeues, to enter sreely, & so spoile the goodman of the house of all goodnesse & vertue, at their pleasure.

I will teach sinners of Sinne of presump­tion. presumption, that as God is mercifull, so hee is iust; [Page 239] that wee must not so re­member Volo te prae­sumere, ne diffidas, [...] praesu­mere, ne torpescas. Bern. Ep. 87. his mercy, as we forget his Iustice. Our Lord is sweete, but yet vpright. All his wayes are mercy and truth. These bee the two feete, whereby hee wal­keth Psal. in his wayes; that e­uery sinner that will truly turne to God, must lay handfast on both these feete: for if he lay hold on Bernard. mercy onely, letting passe iustice and truth, he must needes perish by presump­tion; If he apprehend Iu­stice onely, without mer­cy, he cannot but perish by desperation. Let him ther­fore kisse both these feete, that hee may, in respect of Gods iustice, retaine feare; & in respect of his mercy, [Page 240] conceiue hope. I [...] teach them to tune their notes to my ditty; I [...] Psal. 101. 1 sing of mercy and [...] I will not sing vnto thee [...] mercy alone, nor iudge­ment alone (O God) [...] mercy and iudgement ioy­ned together. I will teach Absit vt redundan­tia clemen­tiae coelestis, libidinem faciat hu­manae teme­ritatis. them, what an absurd cōse­quence, and vnkindly kind of reasoning it is: In as much as God is merciful, louing and long suffering, therefore I will abuse his Tertul. de poenit. mercy, and continue my Prauicordis est ideò [...] esse, quia Deus bonus est. Bern. in Cantic. wicked courses; I will doe what liketh my wilfull ap­petite; that, the Argument, in morall congruity, as well as logicall diuinity, holds strongly in the quite contrary forme; God is [Page 241] gracious, and expects my conuersion; and the lon­ger he expecteth, the hea­uier will bee my punish­ment when it commeth, if I neglect, or rather con­temne the riches of his pa­tience and gentlenesse; and therefore I ought, euen to day, before to morrow, to heare his voyce, and pre­sently to accept of his vn­deserued mercie.

Whereunto I will adde another consideration, of great waight and much feare; and that is, Though Qui [...] poe­nitenti ve­niam, non [...]. August. God promise pardon to him that repents, yet hee doth not promise repen­tance to him that offends: (Repentance is his gift a­lone.) Though hee offer [Page 242] thee grace to day, thou knowest not whether hee will offer it againe to mor­row; though hee affoord thee life and memory this weeke, little doest thou know whether thou shalt enioy these fauours the next.

Finally, I will teach them to take my whole pe­riod together, and not to catch at one piece onely, for their aduantage, or dis­aduantage rather, (which is against the rules both of Law and Logicke,) for when I haue said; The eyes Psal. 34. 15 of the Lord are vpon the iust, and his eares are bent to heare his prayers: I adde on the other side, in the same sen­tence: But the face of the [Page 243] Lord is against them that doe euill, to roote out their memo­ry from off the earth.

My last Corollarie and conclusion shall be; Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: Therefore serue the Psal. 2. 11. Lord in feare, and reioyce in him with reuerence.

I will teach transgres­sors Sinne of Desperati­on. in all kindes and de­grees, that they doe not at any hand, through the ter­rour of their owne sinnes, or apprehension of Gods displeasure, either by cowardize or carelesnesse, quite despaire of Gods a­bundant mercie. I will vse my best skill, and bestowe the most powerful perswa­sion I can deuise or find [...] for the purpose. I will tell [Page 244] them of my Soliloquie, and the secret conference between me and my soule, to this effect; Though, vn­happy man that I am, I haue not alone slipped, but falne; and not falne onely, but falne fouly too: though I haue not onely done much euill carelesly; but This Euill; This Euill in Gods sight contemptu­ously, (This Euill, which is a massie chaine of enor­mous iniquities, nexed and linked together, strongly binding, and grieuously burthening my soule:) yet will I not doe worse, or ra­ther, what is worst of all; I will not still adde sinne vnto sinne; I will not fill vp the full measure of my [Page 245] wickednesse, with that horrible sinne of sinnes; I will not stab my soule (if I may so say) with the deadly dagger of finall im­penitencie; for the depth of desperation, is the height of impious abomi­nation. I will not wilful­ly wayue, and scornefully reiect his general, free, and gracious Pardon, proclai­med to all penitent sinners, without any exception or limitation at all. His bene­fits are infinite, endlesse, and inestimable; therefore the Origen, fountaine, and well-spring of all these fa­uours, graces, and good­turnes, is infinite, vnmea­surable, and farre surpas­sing all the compasse of [Page 246] mans vnderstanding. But specially, he loueth soules, which are his by a mani­fold interest; created by him, when they were not; saued by him, when they were lost; marked for his, with the stampe of his owne Image. Farre be it therefore from me to fall into that desperate resolu­tion, which, of all other of­fences vpon earth, doeth most exasperate his anger, and doth depriue his di­uine Maiestie of that most excellent propertie, wher­in hee chiefly delighteth and glorieth, which is, his infinite and vnspeakable mercie.

I am his workemanship (his hands haue made me, and [Page 247] fashioned me:) The worke­man cannot chuse but bee fauourable to his owne worke, especially so excel­lent and bountiful a work­man as he is, towards such a worke as man is, framed to his owne shape and like­nesse. He is my Creator, and thereby priuy to my frailety, of how brittle and weake a metall I was [...] 1 3. made. Hee is my Father, (which is the title of the greatest loue and coniun­ction that nature hath left to men in this world;) and Facilè im­petratur quod filius [...]. Tertul. de [...]. therefore cannot but af­fect his child: His diuine Maiestie is so earnest and vehement to giue assu­rance in this behalfe; that being not contented to [Page 248] represent his loue vnto vs by the loue of a fathers heart; hee goeth further yet, and protesteth that his heart is more tender to­wards vs, then the heart of any mother can bee to the onely child of her owne wombe. Can the mother Esa. 49. forget her owne infant? if she could, yet can I not forget or reiect thee. Nay, he is my heauenly Father, who in Tam pater nemo, tam [...] nemo. [...]. de­poenit. this perfection of true fa­therly loue, so farre excee­deth all earthly parents put together, as in power, clemencie and goodnesse he surpasseth the infirmity of his feeble creatures; and therefore his bowels and entralls of tender and end­lesse mercy, will be moo­ued [Page 249] (I know) in commise­ration towards mee, vn­faignedly returning vnto him.

Nay, I haue yet a further claime, and title to his gra­cious fauour & compassi­onate mercy, in that hee is not only my Creator, and Father, but my Redeemer Iob 19. 25. also. I know (with holy Iob) that my Redeemer li­ueth, for I haue [...] it by his [...], and [...]; that [...] will [...] [...] [...] [...]. 16. 1. hell, nor suffer his [...] to see [...]. [...] this be not [...] to the [...] by the act [...] execution and perfor­mance [...], [...] in the [Page 250] fulnesse of time, it will bee accomplished and acted, to the admiration of all the earth, and the amplifica­tion of his eternall glory. Not his Sonne onely, but his onely Sonne, will take my nature vpon him, be­come flesh of my flesh, and bone of my bones, will vouchsafe to bee borne of a Virgin, descended of mine owne race and pedi­gree; hee will conuerse vp­on the earth, in the simili­tude of sinfull flesh; hee will, in the nature and pro­perty of man, not onely suffer hunger and thirst, but also all manner of in­dignities, affronts, and dis­graces; hee will be content to be beaten, and buffeted, [Page 251] launced, & pierced, woun­ded and crucified for mee, and for my sake; hee will shead his blood vpon the Crosse, as a malefactor, to satisfie Gods iustice, and to purchase my freedome from hell, and euerlasting damnation. And sithence he hath in his immutable decree giuen him, and will in his time, apparently giue him to such a shame­full death, for gayning me vnto him; how should he not, but with him giue all Rom. 8. 31. things else whatsoeuer? I know and am assured, that he who beleeueth in Christ to come, hath as [...] and full interest in his excessiue loue, and this inestimable benefit, as hee [Page 252] who shall beleeue in him, when and after he is come. The times must bee chan­ged, [...] variata [...], non fides. Au­gust. in Psal. 51. but it is and will bee one and the same faith, yea and one & the same obiect of faith, in substance, in all times.

His promises of par­don, whereby he hath ob­liged himselfe to sorrow­full sinners, are affectio­nate, absolute, and vniuer­sall. First, Whosoeuer shall 2. Cor. 6. depart from his wicked wayes, & turne vnto him, shall bee receiued of him. Secōdly, At what time so­euer Ezek. 18. a sinner doth repent him of his sinne, and turne to him, his wickednesse shall not hurt him. Third­ly, If your sinnes were as Esa. 1. [Page 253] red as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow.

How then can I mistrust my selfe to bee excluded from this assurance of mer­cy, wherein all sorts of people, all kinds of sinnes, all times and seasons are comprehended? His Loue, that calls mee to repen­tance, is inexplicable. His Truth, and certainty of promise, is infallible. His Power of performance, is omnipotent and endlesse.

This threefold cord, or rope (which cannot bee broken) bindeth mee fast to the barre of his mercy, and will not suffer mee to slip away, or start a side, till I haue obtained full remis­sion of all my sinnes.

Cain, my vnhappy pre­cedent Gen. 4. in murther, did more offend God, by those words; My sinne is greater, then that I can August. hope for pardon, then, by all his former iniquities. My confidence in this mer­cy is assured, and my hope inuincible; therefore I re­solue, though he kill mee, Job 13. 15. yet to trust in him, with holy Iob.

I will tell such hopeles, and retchlesse persons, that my sinnes are set be­fore them, for caution; my repentance, for imitation; that they which stand, may warily looke to their August. in Psal. 51. footing, that they fall not; and they that haue [...], may rise hopefully and [Page 255] speedily, by [...], and not ingulfe themselues into the depth of all dete­stable enormities, special­ly the gulfe of desperati­on.

I will tell them, that their vouching of my ex­ample, to extenuate, is an August. ibid. odious circumstance, to aggrauate, such sinnes as I haue committed. So as he that shrowdes himselfe vnder this sinfull shaddow, offends, euen in that re­spect, in a higher degree then I did; because he wit­tingly propounds an vn­warrantable precedent to warrant his wickednesse; wheras I fell only through frailety, without alleadg­ing, or thinking of any [Page 256] such pretence or patterne. I will tell them, that Na­than the Prophet was sent to rowze me out of secu­rity, but I am sent as a Pro­phet August. in Psal. 51. to raise them to re­pentance, and to rescue them from [...]: I will aduise them, that are prone to [...] God his bundant mercy, to heare [...] with [...]; to heare [...], and [...] with me; to heare me wayling and weeping, and to ioyne their teares [...] mine; to heare me re­formed, and to reioyce with mee; that howsoeuer [...] could not stay the current of their own sins, they stop not the [...] of Gods mercy, [...] they [Page 257] haue sinned; that howsoe­uer they could not bar sin from entring in, they ex­clude not hope of pardon, out of the doores of their sinfull soules.

Hast thou sinned? Re­pent, Chrysost. in Psal. 51. Hast thou sinned a thousand times wretched­ly? Repent a thousand times vnfainedly. This is the onely Oyle, that may be powred into thy woun­ded soule, and afflicted conscience, to reuiue, and refresh it at all times. This soueraigne salue is of pow­er, to cure, and recouer thy most incurable, and despe­rate sores, and diseases of sinne, yea, if thou be vpon thy death-bed, and ready to breathe out thy soule [Page 258] and spirit, euen at the last gaspe, feare not to repent, Nec enor­mitas cri­minis, nec extremit as temporis. for that Gods mercy is not restrained, either by the e­normity of Crime, or ex­tremity of time; and for that, betweene the bridge Inter pon­tem & fon­tem. and the brooke (as they say) when thou art falne from the one, and not falne into the other, Gods grace may interuene, to saue thee from downing.

Howbeit, let not this ftrong water, and most comfortable Cordiall of the teares of repentance, make thee negligent, to delay thy conuersion to God; both, because re­pentance will not come at thy becke and call, (be­ing by custome habituated [Page 259] in sinne;) and because also, though true repentance be neuer too late, yet late Sera [...], [...] vera. repentance is seldome true, and such as it should be: but let it onely reuiue and animate thy confi­dence in Gods bottom­lesse mercy, if, and when thou art in the greatest straights, and come to the last exigent, to preserue thee from vtterly fainting, and falling into the deadly swoone of desperation.

The impious persons, or sinners shall bee conuer­ted vnto thee. I doe not, I may not, say, I will conuert sinners vnto thee; for conuersion of sin­ners, is a peculiar be­longing to thine owne Iu­risdiction; [Page 260] a case reserued to thy power alone; a branch of thy Prerogatiue and honour, which thou wilt not impart to any o­ther. Well I may plant by my instructions and admo­nitions; I may water by my practice and example: but it is the influence of thy grace, that must giue the increase. I will by the assistance of thy Spirit, do my best and vttermost in­deauour, with fidelity and diligence ministerially to helpe, and co-operate with thee the prime Agent and principall Efficient in this most difficult and impor­tant affaire: for a greater businesse it is to regene­rate, then to create; to [Page 261] build a new house vpon a false and rotten foundati­on, then it was to erect the first Fabricke. And I hold my selfe the more obliged to this seruice, because I haue not only scandalized thine owne people, the Iewes, by my heathenish iniquities; but I haue cau­sed thy holy name to be blasphemed among the Gentiles also: for mee thinkes, I heare thine own people whispering and murmuring among them­selues, in this sort; If this King and Prophet did be­leeue what hee pretends and professes, his behaui­our would be sutable to his beliefe; his actions an­swerable to his professi­on; [Page 262] his words and deeds would better tune toge­ther, and not make such a harsh discord as they doe. Surely, sithence workes are surer testimonies then words, of our hearts affe­ctions, we may iustly con­ceiue, that hee vseth Reli­gion only, as a stalking horse, to serue the turne for policie and worldly re­spects, that he thinkes and sayes in his hart, though not with his mouth, There is no God.

The Gentiles, on the o­ther side, who are Aliens from God his couenant, & strangers to the Common­wealth of Israel, me thinks, I heare them boldly, and broadly speaking to this [Page 263] effect: That King that seekes by all meanes, both of prowesse, & policie, to reduce vs vnder his obedi­ence, to the worship of his God, and the embracing of his Religion, we see how hee carries himselfe; wee can discerne by our light, that he violates the law of nature imprinted in all mens harts; that he shame­lesly defiles the beds of his Subiects, and kills them cruelly and treacherously, at his pleasure, to attaine his lustfull desires. Wee will be still irreligious, ra­ther, of no religion, then his religion; wee will sub­mit our selues to any Prin­ces yoke; we will fall into any mans hands, rather thē his.

To make amends for these faults, and to repaire these ruines, I will teach at home and abroad, Iewes and Gentiles, such as erre either in Religion, or con­uersation, the wayes of God and godlinesse, by instruction, by discipline, by example; what hath fallen to the ground by my euill, I will build vp again by my good de­meanour; my light shall so shine before Dome­stickes & Forreigners; be­fore mine owne Subiects, and before others, both Princes & people, as they shall glorifie the God of Israel, they shall beleeue Psal. 48. 1. & 95. 3. and say, Great is the Lord, and worthy to be serued aboue [Page 265] all gods; Blessed is the Lord, euen the God of Israel for euer.

14 Deliuer me from bloud [...], O Lord, thou that art the God of my saluation.

AMong all my sinnes, which are sans num­ber, & many of them hei­nous in their quality; this horrible and crying sinne of murder lyeth heauiest vpon my distressed soule, in the generall muster of my sinnes; the shedding of so much innocent bloud, makes the most fearefull and hideous apparition to my tormented conscience. In regard whereof I cry out, Deliuer me, not from [Page 266] bloud, but from blouds, in the plurall number.

I begged first indefi­nitely, [...] 2. that God would clense me from mine ini­quities; then, that hee would blot out all my transgressions vniuersally. Verse 9. I presented and iterated this petition in humility and faith, knowing that my prayers, if they were not so accompanied, could not preuaile. Howbeit, because this sinne seemes so enormous, so exorbi­tant, that it can hardly be comprized and inuolued in the generality of all my sinnes; I send vp a single petition as a speciall mes­senger for more surety, in no other errand, but to sol­licite [Page 267] at the Court of Hea­uen, that this grieuous, this bloudy sinne, may be not onely necessarily im­plyed and infolded, but expressely named and spe­cified in my generall and gracious pardon.

Thou diddest in thy Le­uiticall Leuit. 7. 26 27. Law forbid thy people to eate any flesh, with the bloud thereof (whatsoeuer soule eateth any manner of bloud of Fowle, or Beast, that soule shall be cut off from the people) that thou mightest make them so much the more to abhor the bloud of man, wherein his life consisteth.

Deliuer mee (O God) from the guilt of that bloud which I haue spilt [Page 268] by the [...] of Cap­taine [...], and so many Souldiers vnder his com­maund, from the punish­ment of that sinne threat­ned by Nathan, (that bloud should not depart from my house) and finally from future bloud, that I may neuer embrew my hands in bloud hereafter.

The teares of those widdowes, whose hus­bands were slaine in that disastrous assault made at Rabbah; the cryes of those children, whose Fathers then lost their liues; haue mounted vp to [...], do frame my Enditement, and make my Processe against me before thy Tribunall, and doe call instantly for [Page 269] iudgement, according to the iust law of Retaliation; He that sheddeth mans bloud, his bloud shall be shed.

Wherefore, that I may the sooner obtaine my par­don in such latitude as I desire it, I doe re-enforce my prayer with all man­ner of zeale and earnest­nesse. Deliuer me, O God, thou that art the God of my saluation. I double thy Name, when I tender this single supplication, hoping by my affectionate insinua­tion, and vehement com­pellation, to draw thy gra­cious compassion towards me: I take hold of thee, as it were, with both my hands: I cry incessantly for par­don of this sin, which cries [Page 270] so eagerly in thine eares for vengeance against me.

Thou God of my saluation. Psal. 3. 8. I said elsewhere, that salua­tion is the Lords, because it can flow from no other fountaine; but here I desire to apply it particularly, to draw the water to mine owne Mill, and to appro­priate it, as it were, whol­ly to my selfe. Thou art of that gracious nature, as wee cannot better please thee, then by challenging a speciall interest in thy loue, by assuring our selues that thou art ours: so that howsoeuer our premisses be generall for remission of sins, our conclusion must be speciall, proper, and pe­culiar: Thou art my God, and [Page 271] the God of my saluation.

I will sing ioyfully, or aloud of thy Righteousnesse.] The satisfaction should be an­swerable to the trespasse done, and the retribution to the benefit receiued, in some proportion. As to a greater sinne, a dee­per repentance is due; so for a more bountiful fauor, a larger returne of thanke­fulnesse is, (of congruence) required. I haue grieued beyond measure for my bloody sinne; for the ine­stimable benefit of my free pardon, I know not what to render againe. In briefe, I can returne nothing but praises and thankes; (a poore requitall for so rich a mercy:) But sithence I [Page 272] can yeeld no better, no o­ther; it is meete I should improoue this, and set it forth to the vtmost ad­uantage. Wherefore I will sing ioyfully, with a liuely spirit, with a cheerefull heart, I will sing vocalissimè Alleluia. My tongue shall become a Trumpet of thy praises, which shall sound them out lustily and loud­ly: I will bestow all my breath and strength in pro­clayming thine honour: I will become a chiefe Chanter: I will eleuate the note in the highest straine: I will so chant out thy praises, as thou shalt take notice of it abundantly, and so, as the noyse may be heard, not only in my pri­uate [Page 273] Chappell, or Orato­ry, but in the chiefe Ca­thedrall Churches, in the greatest congregations on Earth, yea, euen in the blessed Synode of Angels and Saints in heauen. Nay, I will not onely sing my selfe, but I will call in o­thers also to make vp a full Quire: O come, [...] vs sing Psal. 95. loudely, let vs [...] re­ioyce, &c.

Thy righteousnesse, that is, Thy faithfulnes and truth, in accomplishment of thy gracious promises to such, as truly and sincerely re­pent, and humbly & hope­fully craue pardon for their sinnes: for true iustice doth much consist in the due performance of pro­mises. [Page 274] Thou thy selfe hast made thy selfe our debtor, Debitorem se fecit, deus non accipi­endo, Sed [...], [...], &c. not by receiuing from vs. but by promising to vs. No man can say vnto thee, Render, Lord, what thou hast receiued: but euery Augus. Psal. 25. 10 man may, and must say; Performe, O Lord, what thou hast promised.

All thy waies are mercy and truth; Mercy, whereby thou forgiuest sinners, and Truth, whereby thou ma­kest good thy promises. O then, how happy are the people, whose God is the Lord, who by his [...] pro­mise is become their faith­full debtor, and whose iu­stice giues assurance of his mercy, whose mercy and truth are met together, [Page 275] and whose righteousnesse and peace haue kissed each other! So as by a reuerent confidence, and a holy kinde of boldnesse, I may [...] thee in this [...], [...] by the worth of [...], but by [...] of thy promise, not to lay my sinnes to my charge; bee they neuer so many, neuer so great, I may pleade my interest in the death of my Sauiour, and in thy faithfull pro­mise, and free pardon, to this effect:

O my God, thou that art the God of my saluati­on; it is agreeable to di­uine and humane iustice, to keepe promise, to per­forme couenant. In the [Page 276] new and sacred couenant, it is the Article of Inprimis (as they say) that thou wilt forgiue the sinnes of thy people: & remember their iniquities no more. Make good then thy word, and full agree­ment, really and effectual­ly. It stands not with thy iustice to exact twice one and the same debt of mee. My suerty and elder Bro­ther Christ Iesus, hath pai­ed the debt which I owed, hath suffered the punish­ment which I deserued: wherefore enter not into iudgement with thy vn­worthy seruant, O Lord; but for the [...] of his death and passion, accep­ted by thee; with free con­sent, for full satisfaction, [Page 277] let me be acquited and dis­charged of all my trans­gressions whatsoeuer. I will rely and repose my selfe securely, vpon thy word and promise, because thou hast ratified and con­firmed it with an oath, with a solemne oath. Thou hast sworne by thy selfe, (because there is no grea­ter to sweare by) by thy [...]; the Lord Ieho­uah Psal. 132. 11. sware vnto Dauid; Truth, that is, a true oath, a faithful promise: or Truth, that is, God sware vnto Dauid; He will not turne a­way the face of his Anoynted, his seed shall indure for euer: thou hast sworne by thy life; I will not the death of a Ezech. 33. 11. sinner, if he repent, he shall [Page 278] liue. Oh happy people, for O nos soeli­cis quorum causd De­us iurat! O nos [...], si nec Deo, &c. Tertul. [...]. whose cause thou vouch­safest to sweare! Oh most miserable wretches, if we beleeue thee not when thou swearest! Thy word (O Lord) is an [...] in it selfe and of it selfe, (so faithfull thou art) but to giue vs full [...], thou dost condescend to our capacity and infirmi­ty, thou makest assurance to men, after the manner of men (with whom, a promise clothed with an oath, seemes of greater strength and validity, then a bare and naked word) and therefore out of abun­dance of thy loue, dost vse a protestation, or adiurati­on (otherwise needlesse) to [Page 279] remooue out of our incre­dulous hearts, all distrust, and colour of dubitation.

15 Open thou my lips, O Lord, and, &c.

BVt I haue beene too forward (now I thinke of it) to engage my selfe, so deepely, to sing ioyful­ly, and sound loudly thy righteousnesse. I confesse I haue promised more thē I can performe; I haue as­sumed and presumed, to doe that [...] is out of my power, vnlesse thou (O Lord) bee pleased, by thy gracious fauour, to enable me for accomplishment thereof. It is gracefull to me to shew my sefe grate­full [Page 280] to thee; yea, it is iust, that for the singular bene­fit of thy Iustice, in perfor­ming promised and vnde­serued mercies, I [...] render all possible thanks, and returne all manner of prayses, vnto thee; but this I am not able to make good, without thy good­nesse. As I could not re­pent, nor beleeue; so nei­ther can I yeeld thankes or prayses, but by thy gifts & grace alone.

I am blinde, and cannot see; deafe, & cannot heare; dumbe, and cannot speake thy wonders, thy words, thy praises, vnlesse thou o­pen mine eyes, eares, and lips. It is thou alone that must speake in mee, that [Page 281] must worke in mee, both to will and to do, nay, thou must do in me, and for me, what thou requirest to be done by me; else it will be vnsaid, and vndone; thou must be all in all to [...], else all will be nothing.

Who is hee among the sonnes of Adam, that can­not sing and say any thing that is euill, by his owne power and will, by Satans instigation, (howbeit, not without God his permissi­on) that cannot speak vaine and wicked words, that cannot sing wanton and ri­bald songs, scandalous and scurrilous libels, that can­not blaspheme thee, slan­der his neighbours, that cannot flatter his superi­ours [Page 282] basely, lye to his e­quals cunningly, reproach his inferiours scornefully, that cannot say and vnsay, sweare and forsweare, and what not? But it is a good thing to sing prayses to thee; That he cannot do, nor say ought else that is good, vn­lesse thou put the thoghts into his heart, and the words into his mouth. Wherefore open thou my lips, O Lord, circumcise them, vnty the strings of my tongue, and [...], (not before) my mouth shall shew forth thy prayse, My lips shall speake thy praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.

It is possible for a man, that is stirred vp and pre­uented [Page 283] by thy grace, to thinke and conceiue well, what is to be said: but to vtter & deliuer that well, is a further blessing, and re­quires a new supply and helpe of grace, for guiding and gouerning the tongue, in that behalfe. Nay, there is yet a further and subse­quent grace required, to take a fit occasion and op­portunity, seasonably to vtter what is well concei­ued and digested, both in regard of the speaker and hearers, that all interueni­ent impediments may bee remoued and taken away. And in our case, this is the more requisite, because our prayers and prayses commonly goe together [Page 284] (as is meete) so as at one and the same time, we are, both to encounter Satan (who is then most busie to distract and disturbe vs,) and God himselfe, to whome by the feruent im­portunity of our prayers, we must offer a kinde of violence, as Iacob did, when he was said to haue wrast­led with thee.

Wherefore there is re­quired a long Chayne, fa­stened by many seuerall linckes of grace, to binde together this blessed worke, of setting forth thy iust and due prayses.

My mouth shall shew forth thy praise,] not onely in Psalmes and Hymnes, with all manner of Iubilation, [Page 285] but in the instruction, ad­monition and correction of wicked and impious ones, and the reduction of them to thy law and lore. Nay, I will play the Ad­uocate, & open my mouth for widdowes, orphanes, and other miserable crea­tures, such as are tongue­tyed and cannot, as are o­uer-awed, and dare not speake for themselues. I will in earnest and effectu­all manner recommend the care and protection of them also, to all my sub­ordinate Magistrates and Ministers. He that speakes for such Clients, may bee said to be thine owne mouth, because thou [...] the Patrone of all those [Page 286] that are oppressed, for want of assistance and de­fence, and men vndertake their causes by thy speci­all assignement and depu­tation, which redounds to thy prayse and glory, in an extraordinary man­ner.

True it is, that the thankfulnesse of the heart, is the heart of thankeful­nesse; there is the well­spring. The heart, as a King, commands this duty to bee done; the tongue, like an Herald, sounds the Trumpet. As the heart is the hart, & the tongue the trumpet; so the life, is the life of thankfulnes, it must be acted indeede, as well as proclaimed with the [Page 287] mouth. Then will the tune be perfect, when there is a true consort, betweene the heart, and the tongue, and the deede. The thankes and prayses must bee cor­diall, vocall, and reall, all together.

I doe sometimes, in con­templation and admirati­on of thy wonderfull bles­sings & bountiful fauours, wherewith thou hast la­den my soule (as it were) breake out into this excla­mation and interrogation; Quid retribuam? What shall Quid retri­buam. I render to thee, Lord, for all Psal. 116. 12. thy mercies? In an amazed astonishment, when I can giue my selfe no satisfacto­ry answere, knowing, that all I can doe, is lesse then [Page 288] nothing, in comparison of what thou hast done to me, or I should and would doe to thee; yet thinking Inuenit [...] ali­quid. Aug. that I finde (as it were) something, I resolue to make some shew of returne at least, and to take the Cup of saluation, or of health, and call vpon the name of [...], accor­ding to the custome of our Church and people, who for benefits receiued, vse to offer peace or thanke­offerings, whereof they eate and reioyce before the Lord, and at their ban­quets take vp the Cup of wine, in their hands, and blesse God (called there­upon, The Cup of Bles­sing.)

When I seeke serious­ly what I might render vnto thee, I finde nothing but what is thine already, and therfore I must desire thee to giue mee, to giue thee, & when all is done, I must giue thee of thine own, els I can giue thee nothing.

For who hath preuented thee, or beene aforehand with Iob 22. 2. thee? Who hath giuen thee first? Wherefore, when 1 Cor. 4. 7. the question is pursued and pressed yet further, who hath giuen me this Cup of saluation? I must ingeni­ously confesse, that euen thou hast furnished mee with this kinde of retribu­tion, I cannot make this good without thy good­nesse; I cannot praise thee, [Page 290] vnlesse [...] open my lips with the key of thy grace, and tune my tongue and voyce to sing; Praise thou Psal. 103. the Lord, &c. O my soule.

I haue nothing of mine own to giue but my sin, and that may not be presented vnto thee. My sin is mine indeed, and not thine, (I haue the full interest and ownership therof.) What­soeuer I haue else is thine, and not mine, thou art the sole Author and proprie­tary thereof. Mine is on­ly the fruition and vse by thy permission, and as a Tenant at will. I am but instrumentum animatum, a meere instrument, liuing by thy breath.

Thou must open my lips, [Page 291] else my mouth cannot vt­ter thy praises. The very sound and voyce in me, is thine, I am but the Eccho to resound and returne it againe. As the Riuers flow from the the sea, and re­flow backe into it: so euen thy praises must come from thy [...], to set forth thy glory.

Thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I giue it, or had gi­uen it.] In regard of the heauy burthen of many sins, oppressing my soule, and the feareful apprehen­sion of thy iust indignati­on conceiued against me, to ease and free my selfe, to appease and please thee, what would I not doe? what would I not suffer? [Page 292] what would I not offer? But I haue nothing where­by I might redeeme thy fauour towards mee. For if I had Mountaines of Gold, if I had Riuers of Oyle, if I had tenne thou­sand sacrifices to bestow vpon thee, it booted mee nothing; they are all thine owne already; and besides, thou makest not account or esteeme of any of these things at all, which I doe not deliuer to disallow, or altogether disualue all kinde of [...], by slaughter of Beasts and Birds, appointed by thee, and prescribed by thine owne Law; but because these are signes onely, and representations to the [Page 293] weake capacities of mor­tall men, of that reall, ef­fectuall, renowned, and e­ternall sacrifice, once to be offered for the redempti­tion of mankinde. I know (O Lord) by the illumina­tion of thy holy Spirit, that it is an inward and in­ternall, not an outward or externall sacrifice, which thou (being a spirit) de­lightest in: Thou lookest vpon the heart, and pious affections thereof alone.

I conceiue, that to draw [...]. cont. Mar cio. thine owne people from the superstitious Idolatry whereunto the Gentiles (through the blindnesse of their vnderstanding, and the delusions of Satan) were so prone, and so [Page 294] much addicted, and to teach them to embrace such worship of thee, as thou shouldest prescribe, not themselues [...], thou hast instituted sundry kindes of sacrifices, vpon seuerall occasions to be of­fered vnto thee, with an indulgent respect to our infirmity, (who being car­nall, delight in outward shewes, without which wee cannot so easily com­prehend those inward ser­uices and spirituall duties, to bee performed by vs) and euer with relation to the true substance of the hearts affections, to be e­rected, and consecrated wholly to thine honour.

For thou hast not [...] [Page 295] or [...] for thy selfe. [...] wouldest not drinke the bloud of Bulls and Goats. [...]. 50. The eternall God doth neither hunger nor thirst, &c. But a single and sin­cere minde fearing God, of those that offer such things as they haue from thee, is a sweet smelling and well-pleasing sacrisice to thee, by thy gracious acceptation: who dost not so much regard the thing that is done, in this kinde, as the minde where with it is done, and the end wher­fore it is done, to wit, thine owne glory.

Thou dost not respect the shadow, but the sub­stance; not the shel, but the [Page 296] kernell; not the chaffe, but the corne; not the signe, but the thing signified. At least thou doeft not esteem the type without the truth, nor the figure in any de­gree of comparison, with that which is represented thereby, and therewith to be presented vnto thee, that is, a broken heart.

The sacrifices of God (in the plurall number) be­cause this one is many sa­crifices, this one is all the sacrifices that thou expe­ctest at our hands.

A broken heart, a con­trite spirit, (diuers words importing one and the same thing) is a heart wounded, a spirit deiected and perplexed with the [Page 297] sight and sense of sin com­mitted, mourning and mel­ting into teares, through the remorse of conscience, grieuously lamenting that it was so wretched and wicked, as gracelesly and vngratefully to reiect the iust lawes of so powerfull a Iudge, and to neglect the kinde inuitations of so pit­tifull a Father, and all for a little vaine, idle, foolish, frothy, and fruitlesse plea­sure, which was mingled with [...] in that lit­tle time, wherein it was so greedily [...], and pleasingly [...].

Now, [...] doth thy gracious goodnesse won­derfully shew and [...] forth it selfe, that thou not only [Page 298] [...] to teach vs what to doe, and what to say, how to [...] our acti­ons, and frame our suppli­cations, that, both in word and deed, wee may please thee; but also whē we haue offēded & displeased thee; to tell vs how to pacifie and appease thee againe; The Sacrifices of God are, &c.

Nay further, thou dost not require such a sacri­fice, as must be procured and purchased from a­broad, with much care and cost, farre fetcht and deare bought (as they say) but such a sacrifice as we haue, or may haue, in our owne bosomes. [...] à te extrâ [...]. PP. to quaeritur: Thou requirest nothing from mee, but [Page 299] what is within mee.

Beyond all this, thou doest vs the honour, and trustest vs, with the office of Priests that wee may be sure to see this Sacrifice duly performed. We must our selnes, for our [...], offer vp our [...], in hu­mility & contrition (which is [...] only [...] and vn­bloody [...]) [...] and [...] thee.

Euery [...] as a [...] Priest, [...] a victime [...]. Aug in [...]. within [...], to offer the franke-Incense that must be put vpon the Altar, in his owne bowells; in his owne heart, a Sacrifice, that is of force, to [...] and winne thee to com­passion, he neede not seeke [Page 300] for a beast abroade to slaughter, and burne to ashes, he hath within him­selfe, that hee may and should kill. He may slay sin, he may mortify his earth­ly members, he may strike with the hammer of sound repentance, vpon the hard Anuile of his stony heart, till it be mollified, bruised, and brayed to pieces, and then it will be thy time & turne (as it is thy greatest honour,) to binde vp and heale the wounded and broken hearted.) Hee may kill and sacrifice to thee, his Bull of pride, his Goat of lasciuiousnesse, his Ramme of stubbornenes, his Birds of flying and wandering imaginations, [Page 301] and so the rest of his car­nall & sensuall affections which being beastly, doe turne men into beasts, de­facing that Image of thee, wherein they were crea­ted to holinesse, and righ­teousnesse; The morall whereof, is this; He may, in a life of vertue and piety offer vp, the death of his vices & iniquities to thee.

He that repents his sins, Omnis quē poenitet, rixatur se­cum. Aug. in Psal. 33. doth chide and braule, quarrell and brabble, hee doth expostulate and fall out with himselfe, in this tune; Oh vnhappy wretch, why wouldest, how coul­dest thou, so basely stoope, to the lure of fleshly wan­tonnesse, of wordly profit, of spitefull reuenge, of [Page 302] trecherous infidelity? how couldest thou be induced to sell thine inheritance for a mesle of Pottage, thy euer during treasure in heauen, for a little flitting and vnconstant trash of the world? What fruite hast thou now of [...] the forbidden fruite, of enioy­ing those sinfull and mo­mentany pleasures, where­of thou art so much asha­med? was not the terrible voice of the Law, thun­dring out hell and damna­tion, of power to fright thee from rebellion, were not the sweete promises of the Gospell, of force to inuite thee to the [...] and constant seruice of God?

Nay, beyond chiding [Page 303] and brauling, a true peni­tent, must chastise and pu­nish himselfe. Thy Lustice, O God, although it be ful­ly satisfied, by that all suf­ficient obedience and pro­pitiatory Sacrifice of the Lambe, slaine from the beginning of the world, yet as a fruite of our re­pentance, expects from vs a holy reuenge vpon our selues. We must iudge our Peccatores, vindica [...], exige de te poenas, cru­cia teipsum, &c. Aug. in Psa. 140 selues, that wee bee not iudged, and least our iudgements become fruit­lesse and elusory, We must put them in execution, se­uerely, without pitty, or partiality. Let vs therefore preuent his face of Maie­sty, his countenance of Authority, by confession, [Page 304] (wich confession, is a pro­fession of forsaking our former faults.) The Iudge Currat poe­nitentia [...] sententia. Cbrys. we cannot, the iudgement we may preuent, if we take the opportunity, and re­pent truly and timely of our sinnes, thou wilt mer­cifully and graciously re­pent thee of the iudge­ments, denounced & doo­med against vs. Therefore it be houeth euery man, to keepe a Court at home, and therin to sit, as chiefe iustice, to indict and ar­raigne himself at the barre of his owne conscience, & where he findes the fault, there to inflict punish­ment. In as much as at these Assizes, the heart must needes be found the [Page 305] greatest offender, because from the heart doth flow, all vaine and sinfull imagi­nations, all idle and wicked words, all lewde and scan­dalous actions; let him doe Iustice vpon his heart, in the first place, let him cor­rect the pride of it, by hu­miliation, the wantonnesse of it, by contrition, the io­lity of it by sorrow, the stubornenesse of it by wee­ping, the gluttony of it by fasting, the couetousnesse of it by almes-giuing; and so according to the rule of Physicke, cure each con­trary by his contrary af­fection.

The physicke must bee applied to that part of the body, which is ill affected, [Page 306] the salue laid vpon the place that is sore. Where the sinne breedes & swels, there must the sinner cut and launce. He must pricke his heart to the quicke, and let out store of teares, as the former, and latter rayne. As our hearts haue beene fatted and pampe­red (as it were) with sinne; so they should grow leane and meagre againe, by sor­row for sinne.

Looke how much the In quantū tibi non pe­perceris, in tantum tibi Deus par­cet. Tertul. de poenit. lesse I spare my selfe, so much the more wilt thou spare me. My repentance doth in a sort execute thy vengeance, and with a temporall vexation, doth preuent and auoide thine eternall damnation, by ca­sting [Page 307] me downe, it lifts me vp, by making me vgly in mine own, it presents me pure in thine eyes, by ac­cusing, it doth excuse, by condemning, it doth ac­quite me.

It is a kind of vnhappi­nesse, to be seared and cau­terized with an hot yron, and fretted with an eating powder; but those meanes and medicines, which doe cure by sharpenesse and sowernesse, by the benefit which they procure, doe excuse their distastfulnes, and by the succeeding profit, do allay the present paine.

By sin, thy spirit takes oc­casiō to increase grace, not by the nature of sinne, but [Page 308] by the soueraignety of that spirit, which euen of sinnes makes a plaister against sin. For I being as sicke of sor­row as of sinne, may hope­fully resort to thee, the Physitian of my soule, whose end of comming into the world is, to cure the sicke, especially such as feele themselues sicke, e­nen at the heart.

I must breake my gol­den Exod. 32. Calfe, that is, any idoll of sinne, which my cor­rupt heart doth serue and worship, I must burne it with zeale, and with con­trition grinde it to pow­der, and then strowing it vpon the water of teares, drinke it vp againe. By this thy gracious meanes, an [Page 309] Antidote will bee drawne out of poyson, the oyle will cure the bitings of Scorpions, the worme wil gnaw the wood, the moth the cloth that bred it, the very excrements of my sinfull soule, like dung and mannor, will fatten and make it fruitefull in goodnesse.

The hunted and woun­ded Tertul. de poeniten. Hart, by eating of an herbe knows how to helpe [...]. and heale himselfe, and to make the arrow that pier­ced his ribbes, to fall to the ground.

The Swallow when she hath put out the eyes of her young ones; knowes by an herbe of her owne name, how to restore their [Page 310] sight againe.

Thy herbe of grace, the iuyce whereof, is our re­pentance, doth expell the fiery darts of Sathan shot by sinne into our soules, and this eye-salue doth cause vs though neuer so much blinded with sinne, to see, both our error, in committing, and thy mer­cy in pardoning our offen­ces.

The most powerfull rhetoricke, to mooue thee to pitty, is repentance, and the most delightfull Mu­sicke in thine eares, is that dolefull ditty, tuned to a trembling tongue and a quauering voyce, peccaui in coelum, &c. Against thee, a­gainst thee onely, I haue [Page 311] offended.

The string bends the Nerue cur­uabitur ar­cus. Igne Chalibs. strongest bowe, the fire mollifies the hardest steel, the Goates blood breakes Adamas, Sanguine, corde Deus. Mantuan. euen the Adamant; I hope my harts humble and mel­ting repentance, will ap­pease thy hottest and hea­uiest indignation concei­ued against me.

The most worne and torne linnen, by contusion and grinding in the Mill, makes smooth and white paper. Euen so, my most base and rotten ragges of vanity and wickednesse, by true contrition (with thy benediction) will produce a cleane heart, and renew a right spirit within mee. The corruption and con­sumption [Page 312] of the one, will prooue the generation or regeneration of the other.

To sacrifice & to kill, are expressed by one and the same word, in holy writ, because euery sacrifice was slaine in thy Leuiticall lawe, but this breaking of my heart, and offering my body in sacrifice to thee, is an Euangelicall sacrifice, because therin (which may Hostia [...] ctatur & viuit. Cry­sol. in 12. Rom. seeme strange) the sacrifice is slaine, and yet liueth: For it is my faith, not my death, which thou seekest, thou thirstest for my holy desires, not my polluted blood, thou art appeased with my willingnesse to renounce the world, not with my departure out of [Page 313] the world. This was A­braham the Father of all thy faithfull ones, his sacri­fice, which thou requi­redst of him. For what did Abraham, but offer his owne body in his Son? What didst thou require of him but his Faith, who, as thou diddest command Sicut of­ferri iussit sic non [...] occi­di. Chrysol. his Sonne to be offered, so thou wouldest not suffer him to be killed. I hold it a wise and an aduantage­ous course in any man, to dye to sinne that hee may liue to righteousnesse, to mortifie the old man, that hee may bee quickened in the new, to dye daily, that hee may liue eternally. Wherefore I will dye, that I may not dye, I will [Page 314] wound my hart with tem­porary contrition, that I may auoyde the deadly wounds of [...], who desires my euerlasting de­struction. I will liue a dy­ing life, that I may not dye a [...] death: For thy sake are we killed all the day long, and right deare in thy sight is this death of thy Saints. Here I can bee contented to stirre vp an holy emula­tion betweene those that thus dye, and such as are stoned, burned, or other­wise done to death for de­fence of thine honor and testimony of thy trueth, Cyprian. de dupl. [...]. who, by excellency are termed Martyrs. These dye but once, and at once, their paine is soone past, [Page 315] but the other dye a linge­ring death, they dye daily and continually. It is ac­counted Genus [...] cito occide­re. Seneca. a mittigation of cruelty, and a kind of mer­cy, to put men to death quickely. This Martyr­dome Morsque minus poenā quam mora [...]. Maxim Eleg. of mortification, God doth highly prize, without that other, which is by effusion of blood; this must goe before that, Non Mar [...] Sola sanguinis effusio con­summat nec solam dat Palmam, exustio illa [...]. Multi du­cunt [...], in [...] Aug. and that without this, is of no worth, nor deserues the name of Martyrdome at all. Whose Martyrdome shall I dare to compare, with the various, hideous and tedious sufferings of holy Iob? The best is; this contention for immortali­tie, Auth. de dupl. Mar­tyr. will not onely be mor­tall, but soone at an end. [Page 316] The Martyrs of both sorts (so I tearme them, because they dye in, and for thee) shall haue fulnesse of feli­city to satiate their largest desires, for they both shall haue, both, ioy without measure, and life without end, they shall both enioy abundance of pleasures, at thy right hand for euer­more.

The summe of all is, I must drench and drowne my sinnes, and the corrupt affections of my wicked heart, in the sea of sorrow­full repentance, and then my soule will nimbly and swiftly swim to the land of promise, and hauen of hap­pinesse.

They that will offer [Page 317] this sacrifice, their hearts must fall from the high mountaine of pride, downe into the lowest valley of humiliation, and they must bee bruised with the fall, & pained with the bruise. I will present an humble, bruised, and sorrowfull heart vnto thee.

Thou, O Lord, art nigh to them that are of a con­trite Iob. 30. 29. spirit, who speake to thee, in bitternesse their soule, who crye like the Draggon and Ostriche, for griefe of their sinnes com­mitted. They who cry, De profundis, out of the August. in Psal. deepe, are not in the deepe their very crye reares and raises them vp. Thine eare is within mans heart, thou [Page 318] perceiuest the hearts first relenting, before it come to the tongues relating. I did purpose, and say, with­in my selfe, I will confesse my Psal. 32. sinne; and thou tookest notice thereof, and for­gauest the iniquity of my sinne.

Thus saith the High and Esay 57. lofty One, that inhabiteth eter­nity, whose Name is holy, [...] dwell in the High and holy place, with whom? with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to what end? to reuiue the spirit of the hum­ble, and to reuiue the heart of the contrite ones.

Thou wilt not despise, nay, thou wilt highly prize, graciously receiue, [...] and comfort thou [Page 319] wilt giue them beauty for Esay 61. 3. ashes, the oyle of ioy for mourning, the garment of gladnesse, for the spirit of heauinesse. As a bone in the arme, or legge once Firmior est fides quam [...], [...] de [...]. [...]. 5. broken, and being well set againe, growes stronger then if it had neuer beene broken: so our hearts, be­ing well and soundly hea­led by true repentance, of the sores and bruises of sinne, become more firme and stable then euer they were before. Thus my foule fall becomes foelix culpa, I am after a sort hap­py in my vnhappinesse, for out of my great misery, through thy greatest mer­cy, a greater happinesse doth arise, then euer I [Page 320] felt before.

18 O be fauourable to Si­on, for thy good pleasure.

HEE that prayes to thee, must not pray for himselfe alone. How­soeuer hee beginne with prayer for himselfe (when he hath gained some inte­rest in thee for himselfe, hee may the sooner pre­uaile for others) hee must end with prayer for thy Church, hee must not end till hee haue recommen­ded the whole Church in his prayers vnto thee. He that is a liuely and feeling member of that mysticall body, whereof thy Christ is the head, must pray for [Page 321] the whole body. As in the naturall body the heart feeles the akeing of the head, and the head the op­pression of the heart, the heart and head both doe resent a fellon in one of the fingers, and the gowt in one of the toes, the sto­macke simpathizeth with the braine, and the braine with the stomacke; so, and much more is it in the mysticall body. True Christians are like those Twynnes, who are repor­ted to haue wept and laughed, slept and waked, liued and dyed together. They must weepe with them that weepe, mourne with those that lament, suffer hunger, thirst, na­kednesse, [Page 322] and imprison­ment, with others their brethren afflicted with such crosses, participate with them in all their mi­series and aduersities what soeuer. Captaine Vriah mine honest seruant could say; The Arke, and Israel, and Iudah abide in Tents, and my Lord Ioab, and the seruants of my Lord are incamped in the open field; and shall I then goe into my house to eate and drinke, and lye with my Wife: While they are in ieopardy, I cannot be in iollity; while they liue in feare, I cannot enioy secu­rity.

Wherefore be fauoura­ble to Sion, to thy Church [Page 323] and chosen; I being one of them, must abide one and the same fortune and condition with them.

This is that vnion of the Saints in thy Christ, that communion of them a­mong themselues, which cannot easily bee compre­hended, much lesse fully expressed, and yet must it bee constantly belieued, and will be in some mea­sure continually resen­ted.

The Church is repre­sented by the name of Sion. Sion the holy Mountaine in Hierusalem, which thou louest, from whence thy lawe should come, and where thou wilt dwell for euer. Iehouah hath chosen [Page 324] Sion, and desired it for his Psal. 132. 14. seate, and said, This is my rest, here will I sit, euen to perpetuity.

But besides this gene­rall, I acknowledge my selfe tyed by a speciall ob­ligation to pray for Sion: for there was no let, on my part, but that the whole kingdome of thy Christ might haue fallen to the ground; for, I being raised from the dunghill, to the Diadem; from the Parke, to the Pallace; from fol­lowing the Ewes great with young, to feede thy people, and anoynted King, to the end I should gather thy Church toge­ther, by my Apostasie haue scattered and wasted it, so [Page 325] farre forth as there is great cause to feare the vtter ru­ine and desolation there­of.

Wherefore by force, and in remorse of consci­ence, I beg for the susten­tation and preseruation of thy Church, through thy free and vndeserued mer­cy. Thou, O Lord, art the onely founder of this choise Company and cor­poration. As out of thy loue onely thou didst sin­gle and select them from other refuse people, be­fore the foundation of the world, as by the same loue thou hast supported and preserued them (amids all dangers and disasters) euer sithence; so, I beseech thee [Page 326] still to continue thine an­cient, accustomed, and af­fectionate fauour to them. Let not my vnhappinesse impeach their happinesse; let not the darke and fog­gy mists of my wickednes, ecclipse the light and lu­ster of thy countenance to­wards them; let them be still as deare vnto thee as the apple of thine owne eye; doe not spill them for my faults, but spare mee and them for thine owne sake.

Thou doest often, and mayest alwaies punish the people for the sins of their Princes. Wherefore I be­seech thee not onely to pardon my sins to my selfe, but to be fauourable to my [Page 327] people also, and not to suf­fer them to smart, and suf­fer for my offences.

It is I that haue sinned and done euill indeed, but as for these sheepe, what haue they done? let thine hand bee on mee, and my Fathers house, but not on thy people, that they should bee plagued. Let not the contagion of my corruption spread vnto them, let not the punish­ments which I (their head) haue deserued, fall vpon their heads; be fauourable to them, howsoeuer thou be displeased with me.

I doe acknowledge, that looke how farre Kings do exceed other men in place and dignity; so farre doe [Page 328] their sinnes surpasse other mens sinnes in quality. Their sinnes, though lesse in their owne nature, are greater by reason of their persons, they are crying, capitall, and sinning sinnes. Wherfore it behooues me to repent more deepely to pray more earnestly, not onely for my selfe, but for my people also, whom I haue scandalized by my ill example, and exposed, as much as in mee lay, to thy heauiest venge­ance.

For thy good pleasure, in thy good pleasure, according to thy good pleasure. I can propound no other mo­tiue, to induce thee, I can name no Saint, nor Angell [Page 329] in heauen, for whose [...] I should intreate thee. Therefore for thy good pleasure, be fauourable to Sion. No sacrifice, either without or within mee is sacred enough, no sincerity in my thoughts, no holi­nesse in my words, no vp­rightnesse in my actions, is of power to merit the least grace from thee. I for my selfe, and as Procurator for thy Church, doe renounce all right, disclaime all de­sert, by meanes of any [...] all of these. It is thine own louing kindnesse that must ouer come thee. There is no reason of thy loue, but thy loue, no reason of thy good will, but thy good pleasure. Stat pro ratione vo­luntas. Saluian. [Page 330] Thy will is perfect Saluian. iustice, & stands for a law. Thou art not only louing, but loue it selfe, for thou Non Elegit [...], sed &c. Aug. didst loue thy Church and chosen first, thou didst not chuse them worthy, but by chusing, didst make them worthy to inherit thy Kingdome, thou didst Quare gra­tia? quia gratis da­tur. Quare gratis da­tur? quia merita tua non [...], sed beneficia Dei te [...]. Aug. in Psal. 30. loue them gratis, freely. Grace is not grace any way, vnlesse it be free and gracious euery way, with­out any precedent merit, or so much as loue, on our parts.

Build thou the walls of Ie­rusalem.] I pray as for thy Church, so for thy Com­mon-wealth, Sion, thy Chuch, Ierasalem, thy Cit­ty, Sion, thy holy habitati­on, [Page 331] Ierusalem, the mother City of the Kingdome of Israel. I haue done wrong to both, and therefore de­sire to make reparation, to both. That I can in no wise make, but by thy gracious fauour, vpon mine humble and earnest supplication. Ierusalem, though a City of peace (as the word Sa­lem imports) yet must bee prepared and fortified for warre, It must haue Castles Towers, and walles, to de­fend them against the en­counters of their enemies, which are many and mighty. There be walls of this City, which the world sees not, for thou, O Lord) art a wall of brasse about her, and a wall of [Page 332] fire, to consume her foes, thine Angels pitch their tents about her Inhabi­tants. Shee hath also visi­ble walles, framed of a number of liuely stones, which being first rough, are hewne by affliction, in the quarry of this world, squared by repentance, and cemented by loue, and so pollished and made fit for the heauenly Ierusalem, that truly glorious City. But I will not pray onely for the defence and safety, but also for the peace and prosperity of the earthly Ierusalem. O pray for the peace of Ierusalem, they shall prosper that loue her, peace bee within her walles, and plenty within [Page 333] her pallaces; because of my brethren, neighbours and companions, for the loue I beare them out of naturall affection and ciuill respect I pray for Ierusalem; but chiefely and mainely, for thy House sake, O Ieho­uah. This house is the heart of this body, it puts life into all the outward parts and members there­of and in a [...] relati­on (though not in like pro­portion) those outward parts, doe guard, and de­fend and cherish his heart.

Thine Israel must needes be in much affliction and reproch, whiles the walles are vnbuilded. Thou hast forbidden thy people to offer in euery place. There [Page 334] thou art well pleased to haue thy name called vp­on.

I haue much battered these walles, I haue made large breaches in them, by my haynous offences, O Lord, I beseech thee who art the Arch-builder, to re­repaire these breaches, to build vp these walles, that Ierusalem may continue in safety, and [...] in pro­sperity, not [...] a few moneths or [...], but e­uen till the comming of thy Christ.

Sion is the ioy of the the whole earth; not only all the creatures, but all o­ther men also, are created, [...] and disposed for her good. For thy loue [Page 335] of them, I must loue them, for I cannot loue thee, vn­lesse I loue thy spowse, in whome thou delightest, which is mystically, yet re­ally, one flesh with thee?

I pray for fauour to Si­on, in the first place, for building the walles of Ie­rusalem, in the second place, for good to the Kingdome in regard of the good that will thereby accrew to thy Church, the prosperity whereof, is the the prime obiect, and last complement of my de­sires.

Then when thou art be­come fauourable to Sion, thy Church and chosen, when the place is builded, which thou hast singled [Page 336] out for thy seate and ser­uice, then wilt thou ac­cept, and the people offer their sacrifices, inward and outward vnto thee. This correspondency, and resti­pulation, as it were, be­tweene thee and thy peo­ple, that they shall offer cheerefully, and thou gra­ciously entertaine their seruices, is the foundati­on and height of true fe­licity.

But they must be right sacrifices, or the sacrifices of righteousnesse, such as are required by thee, and in faith tendred vnto thee, else will they not hit the marke whereat they ayme. For it is not the deede done alone, that will a­uaile, [Page 337] or worke any good effect: it is not enough that the thing that is done bee good, but it must bee well done also. Bonum, benè the Noune without the Ad­ucrbe, is of no value, or vertue at all.

The burnt offerings of beasts and birds and other things wholy giuen vp, in fire, by the Priests, and consumed to Ashes; the other oblations of peace and thankesgiuing, made by the Laity according to thy prescription, though thou do not esteeme them at all, when they are dis­ioyned from an humble and penitent heart, yet be­ing happily conioyned & consorted together, will [Page 338] be most gratefull, and highly pleasing vnto thee.

They shall offer Bul­locks vpon thine Altar, and there slay them (which is the signe & figure) they shall withall, tender the calues of their lips, in prai­ses and prayers, which is the substance and body thereby repesented. Thy Christ as their high Priest shall offer himselfe the sa­sacrifice, and vpon him as their Altar they shall put their Incense of heartie deuotion, by that meane, to become sweet smel­ling, in thy nostrils. Hee shall be the Priest, the Sa­crifice Altar, all in all, him­self. To him & be all honor and glory, &c.