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.

by we are so farre from profiting, that of our selues we should waxe worse and worse.

3 For the more light of know∣ledge is shewed, the blinder would we remaine: the greater obedience is taught, the frowarder and stub∣berner would we become: if thou by the mightie working of thy ho∣lie spirit, shouldest not cause it to be fruitefull. And although we haue this naturall corruption in common, with the whole rotten race of Adam: yet we confesse, that in vs it hath budded, and shot forth so much more than in others, as we haue had mo meanes to kill it, and to cause it to wither, than o∣thers haue had.

4 Where first of all, the gratious offer of the treasure of thy holie Gospell vnto vs, maketh vs guil∣tie manie waies. For where pas∣sing by manie other nations, thou hast trusted our nation withall: yet with a number of vs, it hath found as small entertainment, and felt as

great resistance, as amongst them, at whose gates it neuer knocked. For a great portion of the land, partlie neuer yéelding themselues to the obedience thereof, and part∣lie falling from it, after they had once yéelded: stand proudelie as it were at the staues end with thée. The rest, which make profession of their submission vnto it, do it not accordinglie. For first, there bée heapes of our people, which either through a déepe rooted affection and loue to Popish religion, or through a wicked opinion which they nourish of embracing the truth set foorth, are so nousled, blin∣ded, and misled, as that they still a∣bide in an vtter ignorance of the truth it selfe, in such fort, that al∣though there be no want of prea∣ching, yet they are as rawe in the knowledge of the true seruice of thée, as they were expert before in the seruice of the diuell.

5 And where knowledge is to anie such sufficiencie as is requi∣site,

for the inheritors of the king∣dome of heauen: there is it (for a great part) ioined with such hy∣pocrisie, as maketh them more de∣testable before thée, (which sear∣chest the verie reines,) than if they had still continued in their ig∣norance. Now, for the remnant of vs, which through grace haue tru∣lie, and faithfullie beleeued, it is with so great weakenes of faith, and so small reformation of man∣ners, that our glorious profession of the Gospell, supported and borne out with so small shewe of good fruites, which the excellencie ther∣of doth require, maketh not onelie the enimies to condemne vs, but our selues to suspect one another, whether we belong vnto thée or no.

6 Wherein O Lord, we acknow∣ledge that to be our great and hor∣rible sinne, that being put in trust with this vnspeakeable treasure of thy holie Gospell, and preferred before our neighbors, professors a∣bout vs: yet we are in thankefull

obedience vnto thee, behinde them all: first in knowledge, last in zeale: before them in the doctrine of thy holie Gospell, behinde them in the discipline of the same.

7 The yoke of the slauerie of our bodies, which the Popish reli∣gion laide vpon vs, we willinglie shake off: but the holie bands of thy lawe, whereby our riotous life and affections should be brought into bondage, we do hardlie and heaui∣lie admitte. The Gospell, which brought a fréer vse of our lawfull honors, pleasures, and commodi∣ties, was welcome vnto vs: but the same Gospell, which restrai∣neth the vnlawfull licentiousnes of our ambition, intemperancie and couetousnes, is not so. Final∣lie, so much of the Gospell, as doth more néerelie respect our saluati∣on, we séeme to haue some care to retaine: but so much of it as doth more directlie respect thy glorie, and the profite one of another, we make small accompt of.

8 And seeing the naked treasure of thy holie Gospell, had ben a rich reward of a most seruiceable subie∣ction: it comming vnto vs not a∣lone, but accompanied with so long a peace, with so great a welth, so plentifull aboundance of all things, as this land hath neuer or seldome vsed, other lands about vs haue long looked after, maketh our guilt a great deale more: be∣cause that in thy so great a larges towards vs, we haue bene so vn∣gratious towards thée againe.

9 Here therfore is another staier, whereby our sinne climeth higher. For that we, in the commodities of this life, surmounting our aun∣cestours of the same profession of the Gospell, in the time of King Henrie the eight of most famous memorie, and King Edward the sixt ••re, for the fruits that such a liberalitie asketh at our hands, a great deale worse than they: and going beyond other lands in these outward blessings, are outrunne

of them, euen in the verie outward testimonies and tokens of our o∣bedience towards thée.