ABSTRACT
Envy grieves when others rejoyce, withers when others flourish, wastes away when - others grow stronge and is ever disturbing its own tranquility, by repining at the good fortune of others. [fol. 75r] Anger is a hasty fit of rage, grateful to none but hurtful to many; it is a sudden madness, a domestick enemy, and a disturber of peace. Fornication is abhorr’d by God, hateful to the vertuous, and destructive of the soul. Adultery tempts the faithless, wrongs the innocent, and violates the sacred matrimonial vow. Lying is reproachfull, sordid and ridiculous. Slandering is odious, base and infamous. Covetousness is a starving of the poor, a pining of nature, and a mistrust of providence. An haughty spirit is the forerunner of misery, an pursuivant to ruin, and a harbinger of penury. An airy humour discovers a vanity of heart, a wild fancy, and roving imaginations. A wand’ring mind is trifling, giddy and negligent: wavering desires confound the thoughts, discompose the soul; and eclipse the rational faculty; much intention of thought oppresses the animal spirits, weakens nature, and causes the memory to decay. A multiplicity of words is ungrateful to the wife, jarring to judicious ears, and unbecoming the speaker. A generous temper is affaulted by the audacious, invaded by the knavish, and falls a victim to ye insolent. Worldly wisdom puffs up the heart, corrupts the understanding, and raises an overfond [fol. 75v] opinion of its own abilities. Prosperity is a gilded chair of state, to please the inconsiderate and transport them with imaginary joys, as it were a young child in a sling. A silent calm is but the raising of a mist, a gathering of clouds, and the presage of a storm. A bright day is soon vail’d over by a thick fog, a twilight evening, and a dark night. War is a punishment to a nation, a scourge to the people, and the just judgment of an incensed deity. A truce is but the sounding a retreat for a while, a gaining of time, and a rally in for a new attack. But righteousness is the doing of homage to the almighty, and a conscientious regard to His divine laws. True wisdome is the knowledge of our selves; and spiritual generosity is the extending of bowels of compassion to brethren of all manner of perswasions; wch excellent qualities are effectual for reccommending us to ye flavour of Heaven, here on Earth; and at last will triumphantly introduce us into the mansions of eternal bliss. Those are the true ideas of the unsettled state of miserable mortals, and a lively emblem of ye vanity of all sublunary injoyments; shewing yt there is no sati[s]faction but in God. [fol. 76r] An account of the memorable sayings of the ancient fathers and reformers, viz, 1: St. Ignatius said, be strong in the power of God, let fire, cross, breaking of my bones, quartring of my members, crushing of my body, or all the torments that men or divils can invent, befall me so that I may enjoy my lord Jesus. I am Gods corn, when the wild beasts have ground me to powder with their teeth, I shall be his white bread. My love is crucify’d; meaning Christ, or his affections to ye world. He saw ye Lord before his ascension. There is nothing better than the peace of a good conscience. To duty of parents, yt they ought to afford those three things to their children (viz) correction, admonition and instruction, both in humane arts and good works, all which preserve them from idleness and folly, indue them with wisdome, and teach them subjecttion and obedience to their superiors. Again, that grace which flows from the blessed spirit of God, makes the soul like a fountain, whose water is pure, wholsom and clear; for grace beautifies, cleanses, and cures the whole man. He was born 12 years before ye death of [Chri]st, he saw ye son of God
deny [Chri]st, I have serv’d Christ these 86 years, who has not once hurt me, and shall I now forsake him? told of wild beasts, bring ym, I am ready; yt he should be tam’d in ye flames. You threaten me with fire, which shall last but an hour, and is soon quenched, but you are ignorant of the everlasting fire at the day of judgment, and of those endless torment which are reserv’d for ye wicked; but why delay you? apoint me what death you please than ye proclaim’d him [Chri]stian. Crying out, this is ye Dr of Asia, This is the father of the [Chri]stians, This is ye contemner of our Gods. Offering to nail him to’th stake, he said. suffer me even as I am, for he that has given me strength to come to this fire, will also give me patience to continue therein, without your fastening me with nails; his prayer in ye midst of the flames. O God, the father of thy beloved son Jesus Christ, through whom we have receiv’d the knowledge of thee, O God, the creatour of all things, upon thee I call, I confess thee to be God, the true God; I glorify thee, o Lord. Receive me, I besweech thee, and make me a partaker of the resurrection of the saints, [fol. 77r] through the merits of our great high priest, thy beloved son Jesus Christ, to whom with the father, and God the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory for ever, amen. He dy’d, A.[nno ]C.[reationis] 170. 3: Dionysius or Denis the Areopagite. Observing the general eclipse of the sun, at our saviours passion, cry’d out, either the God of nature now suffers, or the frame of the world shall be dissolved. Again, God unknown in the flesh does suffer, for whose sake the universe is cover’d with thick darkness. At his death he said, O Lord God Almighty, thou only begotten son and holy spirit; O sacred trinity, which art without beginning, and in whom there is no division, receive the soul of thy servant in peace, who is put to death for cause and gospel [in] A.C. 96 in ye 110th of his age. 4: Justine Martyr. Suffered A.C. 139, he said, that which the soul is in the body, that are Christians in the world; for as the soul is in, but not of the body, so are they in, but no part of the world. Also, it is best of all not to sin, and next to that to amend upon the punishment. Again, that it is the greatest slavery in the world, to be subject to one’s own passions. [fol. 77v] 5: Irenieus, Bishop of Lyons. An exquisite searcher out of all sorts of learning; compareing the heriticks and schismaticks to Asop’s dog, affirming, that they lost the substance of religion, by gaping too eagerly after ye shadow; of earthly things, what profit is there in that honour, which is so short-liv’d, at that perchance it was not yesterday, neither will be to morrow; and such men as labour. So much for it, are but like froth, which though it be uppermost, yet it is unprofitable. [Died] A.C. 12, 60th or 90th [year]. 6: Tertullian said, it does not become a Christian to wear a crown in this life, when he was a heathen, he scoff’d at those things he now practis’d, and therefore he perceiv’d, that men was not born, but made Christians. 3d 6 [to?] 9 hours of repentance, if thou beest backward in thoughts of repentance, be forward in thoughts of hell; the burning flames of which, only the streams of a penitent eye can extinguish. Of Satans power, if the devils without Christ’s leave, had no power over the Gadarenes swine, much less have they power over God’s own sheep; of faith, we should not try mens faith by their persons, but their persons by their faith; of [fol. 78r] forgiving offences, it is in vain to come to the God of peace, or to pray for the remission of our sins, with out forgiving others; we must not come to make an atonement with God at this alter, before we have made a reconciliation with our brother in our heart. Again, that lawyers gowns hurt the
peace. 7: Clemens Alexandrinus used to say, they that adorn themselves with gold, and think themselves better’d thereby, are worse than gold, and no lords of it, as all that have it ought to be. Out of the depth and bowels of the Earth, God has discover’d gold to men, but they have made it the occasion of mischief and wickedness. Gold to many is much dearer than their faith and honesty, and the love of it makes many so covetous, as if they were to live here for ever. Avarice is not the vice of gold, but of men that use it wickedly, or to ill purposes.
