A guide to the godly, or, The dayly meditations of Returne Hebdon Gentleman who for his conscience (through the tyrany of the Bishops) suffered many years imprisonment in the Kings-Bench and their remained till death : being very useful for instruction of all those that desire to walke in the paths of Jesus Christ.

The third day of the VVeeke. (Book 3)

THe mysteries of the Kingdome are shewed by the Parable of a Sower, Luk. 8.10. &c. with 5.

The Sower is the Sonne of man, and the seed is the word of God, inlightening to immortali∣ty. The Deceiver is the Devill, both as hee is a spirit, and as he hath the authority in men of this world, which as vessell, or a bed, do cover and darken the light of immortality in this world un∣der mortality. The men that heare the word, are of foure sorts. The first sort of hearers, are one∣ly hearers, and no doers; these deceive themselves in the vaine knowledge of the word: for the Devill and the World take away the word from the heart, that they cannot beleeve the truth of it, in such sort, as to reforme their lives, and to fulfill it in their obedience, that so they should be

saved: but as an hard way hath seed, and shew∣eth it, as to allure the fowles of the ayre. So a•• hard••••d heart and worldly minde, as Matth. 13.15. May have knowledge by the word, but they onely boast of it in a common profession after the mortall life, whereby they may be made the bet∣ter instruments for the Devill to possesse such hearts commonly to serve every lust as turne and to be subject, even as for a man to walk in a hard way at his pleasure: these are such as know, but beleeve not.

2 The second sort are such, as receive the seed in stony ground. These doe both know and be∣leeve the Word so, as with joy to doe it very ha∣stely; for as the stony ground doth make the seed to spring forth soonest, so these take the Word quickly, with joy, as Mat. 17.13.5.20. Matt. 4.5. but have no strength of heart to hold the word constantly in the faith, hope, and love of immor∣tality, but when the mortall Authorities come upon them, and afflict them with the Sun beames of their torments, and chastise them as a Father, for that they would forsake them, and their mor∣tall glory, to embrace a vaine base word (as it seemeth to them) without any wordly society, honour, or pleasure. And thus wordly men be∣ing offended at the Word, do rage against these sort of people that with such joy received it; whose hearts also being not prepared for these tryals, doe faint under the burthen, and all their know∣ledge,

faith, and obedience to the word is by force of the hard persecution, disdained to bee any longer beleeved in their heart, and as stony ground it is able to bring the fruit of the word to no further perfection; therefore they now sub∣mit their heart to the power that oppresseth from without them, by which all their former light is concluded in darkenesse.

3. The third sort are such as receive the seed amongst thornes: These also are such as know and believe for a time; but they nourish an ene∣my to the word within them, namely, worldly cares, desire of riches, and the pleasures of this mortall life which may seeme to sustain, and to give honour and credit to the word; but in the end it will quite chocke the faith, hope, and love to immortality, as that such will fall away of themselves, wholly to imbrace this present world: the reason is, because these were never perfect in love, nor sound in the faith; but having a heart and a heart, the deceits of sin which are in the world through lust growing naturally in the hart will soone exalt such men in pride of knowledge to fall into the condemnation of the Devill se∣cretly: For thus much doth the parable import to them which know it, that the seede which ful∣leth among thornes, doth by helpe of the thornes in some part of the seede, spring up to be taller and longer, yet at length the thornes take away the naturall being of the corne, so as it perisheth

as a man whose breath is stopped: if the thornes, riches, and pleasures of life be cut down and fall from him, he is seen to fall of himself as a tree, that being decayed at the roote, is overswayed of the top, and the fall thereof is greater, by how much the weight of the branches is heavier: This is the estate of those which receive the word of Christ with the glory of the world, & pleasures of s••••s, the greater shew it maketh the greater shame, it bringeth in the end, & the greater con∣demnation in the word, and none of these can bring forth fruit to perfection.

4. The last sort of men are like good ground, These receive the word as the Children of wis∣dom, and the Children of light: they know & be∣lieve the word, & with reverence, they prepare the heart that it be gentle, perfect, and simple, as wor∣thy to receive it being carefull, that what they know and believe, they may hold both in professi∣on and practice, constantly and with increase: wherefore this good ground bringeth forth fruit in patience, Luke 8.15. The reason is, because of the contrariety of the evill one, either in worldly authorities, or in the lusts of the flesh, which hate the word and Gospel of immortality; for he that receiveth the word of truth withall his heart and full resolution to suffer with Christ the saver thereof, this man can never fayle: In perse∣cution of the word, he hath prepared his heart to suffer, and so he continuath constant unto death,

and he winneth, by holding the word, the Crown of an immortal life. In all other temptations which are in himselfe, together with the world, he denyeth himself after the honour of this world, he hateth his own soule to satisfie it with the lusts thereof, he suffereth in the flesh, and so ceaseth from sin, 1 Pet. 4.1 &c. patience maketh his heart soft to give rooting to the word, the harder the persecution of men, the softer the heart is to nourish the immortall seed, and to bring forth the fruit thereof in the perishing and death of the mortall flesh, chusing rather to lose his life, then lose the word of God, patience maketh his heart heard to resist the Devill and all his de∣ceits and temptations: he is open hearted, faith∣full and perfect in love to the Lord, by whose word he holdeth the assurance of immortality with him; but he is close shut to obey the world∣ly vanities, he hateth to think of their wicked courses in mortality. This is the estate of those which are able to endure the try all, and to walls perfectly in the love of Christ: the more their oppression is from without, the greater is their obedience from the heart, the more their tempta∣tions are, the greater is the tryall of their faith, which worketh the more patience: The more patience they possesse their soules with, the more perfect the work of wisdom is, untill they be per∣fect and entire, defective in nothing, Iam, 1.2.3, 4, 5.

Of all sorts of Christians that have heard the word of Christ: these only that suffer as Christi∣ans in patience of the good word, are able to bring forth the fruit thereof unto perfection.

2. This is the miserable estate of the men of this age, that while they think to fly from death, they fall into it, for flying from the patience of the word of life, they run after their own thoughts to save their life in mortality; when they in so doing, lay themselves open to all mise∣ries in this world, and do even feele the terrours of the second and immortall death, while they are yet living, and yet are forced to run into it.