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 sixth day of the VVeeke. (Book 6)

I Had a sight of the love of God in man, and the sencible understanding thereof was wonderfull In mine eyes. Man being by sinne deprived the glory of God, wherein Adam wa created, is now by the evill spirit become subject to the bodie of the sinnes of the flesh, to sow to the flesh, and of the flesh to reape mortality. And to restraine man from sinne, God gave his Law, and gave power to condemne accordingly, to the chastisement of the flesh, and to death: Yet the heart of man is naturally so evill, that this authority in evill min∣ded mens hands cannot reforme the minde, that so man should yet please God in mortality. There∣fore lest mankind should bee swallowed up in death for the sinnes of the flesh, the Sonne of God by whom the world and man was made, became flesh, that in the love of God, he might teach us in the flesh by the mediation and direction of his spirit manifested in the flesh, the truth of salvati∣on

in suffering death in the resurrection of the flesh, and in the full restoring to glory: yet flesh and blood is weake and cannot follow him in this hard and strait way. Wherefore the Lord of glo∣ry, condescending to mans weaknesse, hath given his holy spirit into the world, which being Gods spirit might redeeme men from the earth in the death of Christ, who being departed in sight, hath sent his owne spirit to teach men, and to guid them into all truth, how they should learne obe∣dience in the sinnefull flesh, how to put off the carnall man of mortality, and to put on the spi∣rituall man of immortality, how to mortifie the carnall actions of the body to the holy spirit of Christ, & for to perfect the mystery of suffering in the flesh, this word and spirit of Christ Jesus doth give his Christian menwisdom how to suffer under the evill authorities of the world to death, and so to passe on in the way of Chirst to immortall life. And as in the course of nature our minde was ca∣tyed wholly to live after the lusts of uncleannessse, so being converted to God by the power of this spirit, which worketh in our hearts mightily, our minde is caryed wholly to live after the will of that holy spirit; so that in this way we have no more to doe, but to discharge our selves of cares and pleasures of this world, and to be delivered from the body of death, which is after the old man; that we may be presented in the new man to him that is now invisible, and that onely hath immortality.

2. The word of the holy Scriptures is more perfect then the inspiration without a plaine word; therefore who so resisteth the spirit of Christ manifested in expresse words, doth resist all meanes of salvation: for Christ came and gave his word to be made so plaine with his life-blood, that now no man can more sensibly appre∣hend the image and nature of God and Christ, then by the letter, which we by reading doe con∣ceive in our minde; so as though a man walke according to all that is written, and yet deny one little direction, this man resisteth God, with open face, this one word which hee despiseth to doe, it will cut him off from the life of the Chri∣stian and for this one thing the peace and prote∣ction of Almighty will goe from him, so as hee will be in feare night and day, and evill may come to him suddenly, out of which he cannot escape, because the word of God is against him, the least part whereof is stronger then that min can quiet, or justifie his owne heart against it; for it may be concluded, that what man soever wil•• not yeeld obedience to an expresse word, will not follow the inspiration of God, moving his con∣science without an evident Scripture, either to do good to others, or evill to his flesh for Christs sake.

3. It is great hypocrisie for men to preach the honour and glory of the Crosse of Christ, when they tkemselves feare, or refuse the con∣demnation

of the Crosse, in the testimony or martyrdome of Jesus Christ.