The Christian gouernour, in the common-wealth, and priuate families described by Dauid, in his 101. Psalme. Guiding all men in a right course to heauen. Herewith also a part of the parable of the lost sonne. Luke 15. Both expounded and opened by Robert Horn. With the doctrines and vses thence arising. The more particular contents see on the page following.

Vses.

If (then) wee would bee good hus∣bands of grace,* 1.1 we must not be vnder the power of our lusts: for, they fight against the soule, 1 Pet. 2.11. that is, the saluation of it, and graces in it. We put bits into our Horses mouths, saith Saint Iames, Iam. 3.3. much more should we put the bit of Reason into the vnbride∣led chaps of lust, lest when vvee should turne it from vanitie, it turne vs from GOD. That vvee may so doe, wee

must (first) mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the spirit, Rom. 8.13. Now, to mor∣tifie flesh, is so to keepe downe the soule in that part vvhich is fleshly, that it shall command vs in nothing: or, to morti∣fie it; is to doe nothing for it, in nothing to gratifie it, and to take all life from it. Not to restraine it a little, or, a little to hold it in a 1.2, as some doe, but, after the manner of Gods children, to kill it, or so to master it, that (if it will liue in vs) it shall liue as an vnderling, & faintly, and droupingly, as one drawing to the graue. And to mortifie the flesh by the spirit; is to set it downe with arguments, not from our carnall lusts, but from the Word and Spirit: for, some thinke to drowne their lusts in outward things, in which they rather swimme then are drowned: and this maketh them to say, that if they might be thus rich, and thus well repor∣ted of, and thus seated, they vvould de∣sire no more.

But the sickenesse of desire being vvithin, how can things vvithout vs bee the cure of it? Is the dropsie cured vvith a parcell of Land, with a portion

of Money, or vvith a braue suite of ap∣parell? No verily: for such things are no approued Phisicke, eyther for dropsie, or other disease. And he, who, hauing the dropsie or other sickenesse, should say, he should be well if he had these things, should speake but simply.

Lust is a dropsie of the minde; and will things helpe it, that belong onely to the bodie, and can (properly) satis∣fie the minde in nothing? therefore, by thy spirit the deeds of the flesh must be mortified; that is, by following the spi∣rit, & not by lusting after carnall things. Secondly, if vve vvill keepe downe lust, vvee must vvatch ouer it with the word, that is mightie in operation, and sharper th••n any two edged sword, Hebr. 4.12. If vve be young men, we must cure the dangerous disease of youth by the word, Psal. 119.9. if we be men, vve must be∣come men of God by it, absolute to euery good worke, 2. Tim. 3.16. and, if wee be olde men, it must be the staffe of our age, and crowne of our grey haires.

A third good meane to subdue lust, is to consider that wee are out of our

Country, & strangers here in a Pilgrimes life, 1 Pet. 2.11. Some vvill not wrestle vvith their flesh, in this conflict vnder lust and sinne, lest it should abridge their merry dayes: but what merry life should a stranger looke for in his far Countrie here? and vvhat long life, vvhere hee is not certaine of one poore houre? and if our life be so vncertaine, and must needes bee so vncomfortable, vvhat needs such feare of abridging that mirth vvhich wee must not looke for; and of not seeing those many merry dayes that vvee doe but dreame of? vvee say, if wee take this sad course of mortifying our concupiscences and lusts, we must not looke to liue one merry day more. But let not this care trouble you, saith Saint Peter, for yee are Pilgrimes and strangers; and what know ye if yee shall see one short houre more? for, Pilgrim•• are at night in their Inne, and gone in the morning.

Finally, the best meane to mortifie our flesh, that is, the corruption which is in vs, and to master our lusts, is to be girt alwayes with our armour of oppo∣sition

to such enemies and traitours in our owne bodies, Ephes. 6.11.12.13. &c. vvhere wee must consider, that our lusts fight against vs, and that therefore wee be alwayes prouided, vpon good and sufficient furniture from the spirit, and word of God, to fight with them. They will neuer be friends till they may com∣mand vs: therefore should wee make sure, neuer to haue peace with them, that wee may not be commaunded, but rule in our owne house.

A man will weaken his enemie all that hee can; vvee haue no worse enemie then our owne corrupt flesh: and, if we forget not this, to b••ing it downe, wee shall be in a good way of subduing this olde man in vs, with his concupiscences and lusts.

Secondly,* 1.3 wee here learne, that to yeeld to our lusts, is to make neither good nor sauing bargaine: for, vvhat shall wee get by drawing the heart from God, and by giuing it to the world and flesh, making them Gods? They that so doe, lust and haue nothing, Iam. 4 2. Now to desire, and not to obtaine, is

simple getting: no, such kill their bo∣dies, and damne their soules. For, when men (〈◊〉〈◊〉 eagerly) desire earthly things, as, Commoditie, Pleasures, and Honour, which is deceitfull, they care not how they punish their bodies: the couetous, vvhat he takes from them: the voluptuous, into vvhat diseases hee casts them: and the ambitious after the sha∣dow of honour, to vvhat dangers and kindes of death hee brings them: and for their soules, they blinde-folde their ••indes, and make their hearts fa•• and sencelesse, so that they can neither discerne spiritual thing: nor be moued with them, vvhether they be threatnings, promises•• iudgements, or mercies. And vvhat i•• this, but to kill the bodie and to damne the soule? and, vvhat is gotten•• vvhen these are gone? Our dutie in this case, is, to keepe our desires vvithin the bounds of Gods vvill in his vvord. For, if wee aske any thing according vnto it, he heareth vs, 1 Iohn 5.14. Rahel, vvhen shee would haue had children for her lust, the lust of enuie in her, had none, Gen. 30.1. But, vvhen shee asked them to Gods pleasure,

and prayed for them by Gods word, shee had first Ioseph, Gen. 30.22. and then Beniamin, Gen. 35.17.18.

Isaac prayed for a Sonne twenty yeere, Genes. 25.20.26. after twenty yeeres attendance, and vvhen God saw a fit time for him to giue, and for Isaac to re∣ceaue a Sonne, hee gaue him two sonnes, Genesis 25.24. Thus God puts off his best children: it is that they should put all vnto him, and be content to take his vvord for their vvelfare. For, hee will will not faile them, nor forsake them, Hebr. 13.5. If (then) vvee vvill be gainers at Gods hands, vvee must submit to him for all our vvelfare; vvhere, if vve fol∣low our lusts for it, vvee shall be as hee that earneth wages, and putteth them into a broken bagge. Aggi. 1.6.

The way to catch a shaddow, is not to follow it, but to flie from it, so vvill it fol∣low vs: and so the way to haue the world, is to denie it: and the way to bee rich, is to be content to bee poore: and the way to haue health, is to put all to God for health or sickenesse. So saith a good vvriter. They (then) vvho desire the

world more then heauen, and temporall more then eternall riches, and bodily health, rather then the soules health; take the next vvay both to loose the vvorld, and to forsait Heauen; to bee poore in vvealth and poore in grace, and to haue a sickely body, and lepro•••• soule. So much for the lost Sonnes sinne: the punishment of it followeth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vse 1.
• a 1.2

  Gen. 20.6. Hest. 5.10
• * 1.3

  Vse 2.