The diamond of deuotion cut and squared into sixe seuerall points: namelie, 1 The footpath to felicitie. 1 2 A guide to godlines. 81 3 The schoole of skill. 181 4 A swarme of bees. 209 5 A plant of pleasure. 245 6 A groue of graces. 283 Full of manie fruitfull lessons, auaileable to the leading of a godlie and reformed life: by Abraham Fleming.

The ninth Chapter.

1 A dead coarse compared to a looking glasse, and the necessarie doctrine therevpon depending. 2 Of two dif∣fering waies deciphered by the letter Y. 3 The testimonie of Christ tou∣ching these two waies. 4 Who they be that walke in the wide waie of wickednes, and of the preposterous course of the world. 5 That no man hath the power to reforme himselfe. 6 Necessarie considerations for true Christians. 7 Of such as hauing gone astraie in the wrong waie, reti∣red and drewe backe into the right:

and of one that would not be persua∣ded to tread in crooked pathes. 8 Of such as walked in the wide waie of wickednes, and of their wofull case. 9 An exhortation how we ought to walke.

1 THe waie of all flesh re∣membred, as it is re∣hearsed, the hearts of men by litle and litle must néeds growe into a misliking of sinne. For as to haue a looking glasse before thy face, and therin to take a view of thy phisiognomie, is a present and readie waie to make thée sée anie blemish, wart, speckle, freckle, mole, staine, spot, or wrinkle in thy countenance, and to amend and reforme it, if it be not naturall, and brought euen from the verie cradle: so, to consider in a dead coarse, the state of thine owne bodie, when thou shalt be called, if thou be touched with anie care of conscience, should not onlie put in∣to thy minde the remembrance of

death, but also the cause of the same, which is sinne: for, that men die, and returne to earth, from whence they came, the cause is sinne onlie: wherewith, if the na∣ture of man had not ben corrupted, his state had bene heauenlie, di∣uine, angelike, immortall.

2 This common and vsuall waie of all flesh, is an entrance vnto two other waies, beside which waies there is no third to be looked for. These two waies, as they differ in description, as they varie in compas, as they are vnlike in pro∣portion: so the walkers in these two waies are contrarie in dispo∣sition, diuers in qualitie, nothing like inclined. These two waies, manie hundred yeares past, were signified and set foorth by a pro∣phane Philosopher, in a letter of the crosse rowe, namelie Y, wherein we may sée, with what wisedome that heathen man weighed the waies of worldlings, cutting his letter in two parts, the one toward

the left hand broade, ample, large, and wide, because of the multi∣tudes which it receiueth: the other toward the right, narrowe and streight, for that they are but few in number which treade in it, and yet roome enough remaining, and more indéede than is like to be oc∣cupied: the more to be lamented.

3 Of these two waies spake he, in whome the thrée principall and so∣ueraigne callings were crowned, I meane Christ, King, Priest, and Prophet. For he, tende∣ring from time to time the sicklie soule of man, and séeing by the my∣sterie of his diuinitie the manifold miseries wherein he was wrap∣ped, like a fish in a net: besides the danger of damnation, whereinto he was like, had not the grace of God preuented him, deseruedlie to runne, did not onlie by preaching, but also by working miracles, séeke to laie a plaister to his feste∣red sore, but he refused the helping hand of the Physician: the more pi∣tie

he had so little grace. This Christ, the expresse image of his father, noted these two waies, no doubt to singular purpose, when he gaue vs this lesson worthie the learning, saieng: Enter in at the narowe waie: for wide is the waie, and broade is the gate that leadeth to destruction, and manie they be that walke in it: but narowe is the waie, and streight is the gate that leadeth to life, and few they be that go in at it, because it is the foote∣path to felicitie.

4 In this wide waie walke the wicked, whome no counsell, no ad∣monition, no preaching, no tea∣ching, no denouncing of Gods iudgements can reuoke: whose happines and felicitie séemeth vn∣to them so much the more perfect, as they excéede in heaping sinne vpon sinne, and make no consci∣ence of their inordinate liuing: naie, who is in better case, who in greater credite, who more suppor∣ted than he that glorieth in his fil∣thines,

and counteth it no shame to beare about him, euen in his for∣head, the notes, markes, and prints of his abhominations? How farre these swine are from the footepath, to felicitie, anie man may iudge.

5 It is not to be spoken, for the truth trieth it selfe, that these men sit in the shadowe of death: and though they séeme to haue their heauen in this life, yet doubtles both their féete are in hell mouth, and their bodies and soules, are like to followe one daie, except the wonderfull grace of God, and his vnspeakeable mercie, worke in them a strange and vnthought vp∣on alteration. For, no man of him∣selfe can streighten his crookednes, plaine his roughnes, soften his hardnes, swéeten his sowrenes, tame his wildnes, refourme his wickednes, cleanse his filthines, supplie his vnperfectnes: this is the worke of Gods spirit, the aide and assistance whereof, we must séeke by praier and inuocation, be∣fore

we can treade the footepath to felicitie.

6 Now, séeing that we are sub∣iect vnto falling, and not able to stand, vnlesse the Lord staie vs: moreouer, for that the waie of the King and the begger, in respect of this life, is all one: Againe, sée∣ing we haue a daie of resurrection, when we all shall receiue as we haue deserued, paine in hell, or ioie in heauen: were it not madnes, naie, were it not desperatenes in vs, the cogitation of these things, with a number more neglected, to runne on still with full raine in wickednes, to become slaues to sinne, to serue Sathan, to fight a∣gainst God, to adnihilate or make of none effect the merits of Christs passion, to minister occasion to the Angels of mourning, to gréeue the holie Ghost, to buffet and wound thine owne soule, to throwe thy selfe wilfullie into destruction? I thinke yes: what is thine opinion?

7 Well fare the prodigall childe,

for he wandering in this wrong waie, and being touched in consci∣ence, and taught that he was not right, retired, and came home with a sorrowfull song, and lamentable outcrie, Father I haue sinned. Well fare Marie Magdalene, for she trauelling in this bypath of perdition, and inwardlie called to a reformation of her filthie life, for she was a gréeuous sinner, sub∣mitted her selfe, fell on the ground, stooped & knéeled vpon her knées, washed the féete of Iesus with her teares, and wiped them with the heares of her head. Well fare the poore and contemned Publicane, for he in the heauines of his hart lamented that euer he ranne at randon in this crooked waie: he thumped his breast with his fistes, and from the verie bottome of his heart, cried out for mercie, saieng, O Lord, haue mercie vpon me a sinner. Well fare the Nini∣uites, for they hauing gone astraie like lost shéepe, and walking in the

waie of sinners, which is the waie of death, heard the Prophet Ionas ringing vnto them the alarum bell of repentance, and being reuo∣ked from their wickednes, escaped threatened destruction. Well fare Ioseph, that paterne of integritie and vprightnes: for he would not in anie wise walke with the wife of Potiphar in the waie of wan∣tonnes: her alluring lookes, her flattering enticements, her proffe∣red violence, her instant and im∣portunate temptations notwith∣standing. These, with millians more, may teach and instruct such as tender the saluation of their owne soules, that it is better to treade the streight and narrowe path of vertue and innocencie, which leadeth vnto life, though it séeme vnpleasant and troublesome, than to wander in the wide waie of wickednes, which tendeth vnto eternall death, though it be most delectable, and fragrant: for this is no footepath to felicitie.

8 But wo worth that cruell cutthrote, whose maister hauing forgiuen him a great debt, euen the summe of ten thousand talents, ar∣rested his fellowseruant for a debt of an hundred pence, cruellie cast him in prison, and would not re∣lease him, till he had discharged the whole summe, which was but fiue and twentie shillings. This fel∣lowe walked in the waie of wic∣kednes, and therefore he is con∣demned vnto death eternall. Wo vnto that graceles and dissem∣bling sonne, who being comman∣ded of his father to go and worke in his Uineyard, answered, that he would, and yet went not, but spent the time otherwise vnthriftilie: this man walked in the waie of disobedience, which is sinne, and therefore is in danger of eternall death. Wo vnto those merciles husbandmen, vnto whome the tra∣uelling housholder hauing let out his Uineyard, and requiring the increase of the fame by his ser∣uants,

whome he had sent to that purpose, was not onlie withstoode in his message, but had not onelie his seruants, but also his onelie sonne, the heire of all his lands, kéeping possession, abused, bea∣ten, and killed. These husband∣men, for their crueltie, and vniust dealing, shall abie at the daie of iudgement, and as they walked in the waie of death, so death, euen e∣uerlasting death, shall be their por∣tion. Wo vnto those vnthankefull and careles worldlings, who being solemnelie inuited and bidden to that great supper in the Gospell, excused themselues by the necessi∣tie of their weightie affaires, and refused to come: for they, in so do∣ing, neglected their owne soules health, & therby most wilfullie ran in danger of eternall death. Wo vn∣to him, that being vngarnished with a wedding garment, durst notwithstanding sit downe at the banket, for he in so doing did high∣lie offend the maister of the feast,

and by his presumption ranne in danger of death and damnation. Wo vnto that yong man, whom Christ by his owne mouth taught how to become perfect: namelie, by selling all that he had, and giuing it vnto the poore: which doctrine sée∣ming bitter vnto him, and too sharp for his digestion, he departed too too heauie and sorrowfull, as very loth to pay so deare for heauenlie trea∣sure. This rich Gentleman would not pay so hie a price for the disci∣pline of Christ, and therefore was so much the further off from life and saluation, by how much he was nearer vnto death and con∣demnation. Wo vnto that coue∣tous foole, who hauing his hart set vpon his halfepenie, inlarged his barnes to receiue his plentifull crop, singing swéetelie to his soule, Be merrie, and take thine ease, thou hast wealth enough for manie yeares: not mistrusting or doub∣ting anie thing, that the diuels were agréed that same night to

fetch his soule away. And thus he, wretched worldling, walked in the way of death and destruction. Wo vnto the vncleane & beastlie Ger∣gesens, among whom Christ wor∣king manie miracles, was so farre from any curteous intertainment, that he was desired, for the safetie of their swine, to depart from their coasts: thus, preferring their hogs before their souls health, they wil∣fullie walked the way of death and vtter desolation, not passing a point for the footepath to felicitie.

9 The Scripture abounding with such examples, teacheth vs the danger of walking in darke∣nesse, and sitting in the shadowe of death. And therefore néeding no better schoolemaister vnto Christ, let vs be content to learne in them the wholsome lessons of life, which if we print in the tables of our hart, & kéepe grauen in memorie, as in a marble stone, to imitate and followe them, to be ruled and gui∣ded by them, to square and frame

the whole course of our life by their rule, we shall not onelie not walk in the wais of the wicked, to eate with them in hel fire the bread of affliction, and to drinke the dregs of torments: but we shall tread in the footepath of the godlie, & at last enter into the Common wealth of Israel, the kingdome of heauen: which God grant,

Amen.