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 second Blossome, conteining

1 A confession of particular sinnes in seuerall estates, and first against Go∣uernours. 2 Against Iudges, and their indirect proceedings. 3 A∣gainst ministers. 4 Their inordinate affections. 5 Their imperfections, wants, and infirmities. 6 Against the people, and their lacke of loue to the truth. 7 Our securitie, and want of grace. 8 The aggrauating of our sinnes, and making of them more huge and heinous. 9 The burthen which Gods Lawe laieth vpon our shoul∣ders. 10 Our vnworthines of anie benefit, or good blessing, either tempo∣rall, or eternall.

1 OUer and besides this huge heape, and (as it were) réeke of our ge∣nerall and common

sinnes, we haue to confesse (at the the barre of thy iudgement seate) the particular sinnes that we haue cocked vp in our seuerall estates. For our gouernours, O Lord, for the most part, being more mindfull of the fulfilling of their affections, than either of thy glorie, or of their good estate, which are committed vnto them, haue not held so steadie a hand as they ought to haue done, either for the stablishing of the lawes, by which (vnder thée) they should haue ruled vs, and we by them should haue bene gouerned of thée, or for the thorough execu∣tion of so manie, and so farre foorth as they haue bene well established.

2 Our Iudges, and other mini∣sters of iustice likewise, haue ei∣ther ignorantlie, or corruptlie de∣clined from righteous iudgement: or giuing sentence for the truth, they haue done it (diuers of them) with no cōscience of thy true feare; or loue of truth, but for respect, ei∣ther of vaine glorie, or of persons.

3 The Ministers, which should haue bene lightes vnto all estates, haue for the most part, no light in themselues: and their estate, in whose good constitution and sound health, the rest should haue recoue∣red their health, is of all other the most sicke vnto death. For if the whole number be surueied, scarse the hundred will be found to be in the lotte of a faithfull ministerie.

4 For ah alas! how manie are there, which occupieng the place of Ambassadours, either for want of abilitie, or for that they loue ease and sléepe, carrie no tollerable am∣bassage at all? How manie which carrieng the light of the Gospell in their mouthes, carrie also in their hands, the filthie water of ambiti∣on and couetousnes, wherewith to quench it?

5 And those which by thy grace, are for their might and will in some good measure iustifiable: notwithstanding, for the most part, beare it with such infirmitie,

through slippes, as well in a sound and substantiall maner of reaching, as also in an euen life answering therevnto, that if thy blessing were not maruellous vpon their la∣bours, we should not néede to feare the quenching of this fire of the holie Gospell, kindled among vs by the enimies: as that which hauing so small attendance of blo∣wing, would die of it selfe.

6 Finallie, the people beare so small loue vnto their gouernours of all sorts, in loue so small reue∣rence, and in them both so little willing obedience, that it may be (not vneasilie séene) that all the partes of the Church and Com∣monwealth, haue conspired to pro∣uoke the Lord God against them. These our great and ouergrowne sinnes, albeit they are gotten a∣boue our heads, yet rest they not here. For where thou hast by thy holie seruants, the Ministers of thy blessed word, sharplie chidden vs, and in a seueare denouncing of

thy iudgements due vnto them, fearefullie threatned vs for them: yet haue we not trembled at thy voice, at which the Mountaines do melt, and the rockes do rent a∣sunder.

7▪ A strange thing, that the Lion should roare, & the weake Lambes should not be affraide: that the Lord of hoastes should proclame warre against vs, and we should not goe foorth and méete him, for intreatie of peace. Naie, his wrath (as hath bene shewed) hath bene and yet is kindled amongst vs: and yet as senslesse men, and as dead flesh, we are not moued: We are pricked, and we féele it not. We are wounded, and we do not so much as aske, who hath stricken vs. The tempest that is comming to∣ward vs, threateneth our vtter drowning: and yet as a drunken man, we lie sléeping in the verie toppe of the mast.

8 Whereby it is euident against our selues, that vnto the multitude

of our sinnes, we haue added ano∣ther degree of wickednes, which is the continuance in them: vnto our disobedience, we haue ioined stubbornes, and the biles and bot∣ches of our rebellion being ouglie in thy sight, do through the putre∣faction, and festrednes of them cast out such a▪ stincke, as the earth which we tread vpon, the waters which we drinke, and the aire which we breath, are tainted and poisoned with the infection of them.

9▪ Yea Lord, taught by the won∣derfull iustice of thy righteous lawe, we charge vpon our heads all the sinnes▪ of our fathers and grandfathers, to the vttermost of our generations which are past: as those wherevnto we are iuster inheritours, than vnto anie landes or goodes that they haue left vs. whereby it falleth out against vs, that our sinnes touch the cloudes, yea, breake into the heauens of thy Maiesties owne▪ residence: whose

measure being alreadie (as it see∣meth) filled, there remaineth no∣thing, but that it should be turned vpon our heads.

10 Wherevpon we make against our selues another confession, that we are vnworthie of all the bene∣fites of this life, or of the life to come: both those which we either haue, or yet hope to enioie, from the greatest, to the smallest, from the kingdome of heauen, to one onelie drop of water: that we are worthie of all the plagues, which either haue heretofore seazed, or bene yet possessed of vs. Yea, if thou shoul∣dest ransacke all the hid and secret treasures of thy fearefull iudge∣ments, which in thy lawe thou threatenest against the breakers thereof, not onlie to the rasing and swéeping of vs from the face of the earth, but also to the throwing of vs headlong into the bottomles pit of hell: yet would we therin al∣so acknowledge thy righteous iudgements. For to vs belongeth

shame and confusion of faces, but vnto thée glorie and righteousnes.