Prison-pietie, or, Meditations divine and moral digested into poetical heads, on mixt and various subjects : whereunto is added a panegyrick to the right reverend, and most nobly descended, Henry Lord Bishop of London / by Samuel Speed ...

DIVINE ADVICE TO THE Devout Soul.

THy Soul is spiritual, and thy Body is flesh; make not then flesh of thy spirit: for an habitual familiarity with corrupt lusts, perverts it into the basest flesh.

God hath made man a lovely Crea∣ture; do not then make thy self a Mon∣ster.

He dignified thee at first, to glorifie thee at last.

Then let not Carnality deprive thee of thy Blessings.

With thy sins God will not own thee; then tremble to think who it is will take thee.

If by Lust thou hast lost the sence of Honour and Glory, study to recover it by Grace.

Thy Soul is immortal, cannot die; thy Body is mortal, must die: Let not then thy Body be preferred above thy Soul.

Thy Body hath but a lease for Life; then let not a Moment be preferred be∣fore Eternity.

Study not to satisfie thy Body, and ne∣glect the salvation of thy Soul.

It is madness to seek for an unreasona∣ble welfare for the body, and thereby eternally ruine both soul and body.

For so the immortal is made damnably mortal, and dies to bliss; and the mor∣tal miserably immortal, ever living to wo.

Remember, thy Soul is the noble part of Humane nature; wherefore to set thy affections on Earth, is infinitely below thee, such is thy Nobility.

Thy Arms are the Minde and Will, which were created to embrace Mercie, Truth, Justice, Charity, &c. and all the Vertues of a heavenly life.

Thy Body is servant to thy Soul; let it tread upon the Earth, for that is likewise its subject.

Let not then the Soul, which is the Soveraign of the body, set its heart upon that Earth on which its subject sets his foot.

In thy Soul is the Image of God; let it not then be stained with the similitude of beast.

Let Reason, not Sense, direct thee; a Rational will, not the appetite of a Bruit.

He that lives a negligent and careless •…•…ife, does what he can to outdo the De∣•…•…il in his own undoing.

For God hath given him Reason, •…•…nd his depraved nature acts against 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

If thou wouldst be in eternal bliss, act like man, but appear like God: for Hea∣ven hath no room for beasts.

If a wicked Spirit hath deformed thee, let an holy one transform thee.

Every child of God should maintain his Father's likeness, that he may enjoy his inheritance.

Thy Soul is the Spouse of God, the great Creator is its Husband; no Crea∣ture is worthy to be thy Match or Mate: then consult thy Honour; if thou lovest the World and embracest the Earth, canst thou hate Adultery with man, and be an Adultress to God?

Let not a Strumpet stand in thy sight; but especially suffer not thy heart to whore after Vanity.

If thou fallest into ill Company that shall court thee, let not the Devil woo•…•… thee.

O my Soul, thou most beloved above all Creatures, that hast God for thy Hu•…•…band, Heaven for thy Dower, and Eart•…•… for thy Service; suffer not Hell to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thy Pander, to dote upon the World let thy Heart be an Habitation for Go•…•… and Heaven.

Thy Soul is the Lord of thy Body; take then thy bodies homage, not thine own ruine: let thy Soul act the will of God, and command the body to execute thine: Let not thy body be thy God, lest thou becomest a Devil to thy self.

Thy Soul is an Angels peer; let it not then be a companion for Satan.

Let not thy Lordship be sold for sla∣very and misery: for if thou maintainest not thy right, Hell must be thy harbour, Torments thy terrour, and wicked Spi∣rits thy company.

Thy Soul, under God, is the supream Soveraign of thy body; be not then a subject to thy subject; let not the law of the Members be the law of the Minde: for the Senses are Handmaids to the Soul, and she is the Princess of Heaven.

Thy Soul is a free-born-childe of E∣ternity, Heir of Immensity, the Daugh∣ter of Almighty God, who is beyond all bounds of Time and Being: to whom then oughtest thou to pay thy duty, but to him alone?

Thy Body is but a prison to thy Soul; thou art inclosed in the walls of Mud

and gates of Sense: Can there then be more pleasure in a Prison than a Palace? Shall a Bodily Restraint be preferred before a Spirits Liberty? Canst thou count thy Bondage to be thy Bliss? Are Chains of Iron to be esteemed above the Treasures of Gold? Are Fetters better than Freedom? Earth is but a Goal to Heaven; then be not so rash as to prize thy Goal before thy Delivery, lest thou art cast into that Goal from whence there is no redemption.

It is most just, that the Soul that pri∣zeth the Devil's Chain before God's Li∣berty, should have the Devil's Prison instead of God's Palace; and befor ever his slave in Hell, that would not be God's servant for a time on Earth.

O thou beloved Dove of God, fly to thy Coelestial home; belime not thy spi∣ritual wings in slime and mud: in Hea∣ven is thy Treasure, and where canst thou finde more Riches to invite thee?

Be not like the Crow, to feed upon Carrion; or like the blinde Beetle, to place thy blessedness in Boggs.

Make not sale of thy self to buy a

Goal, when thou partest with a Palace for the purchase, and becomest a Fami∣liar to Bolts and Shackles.

Thy Soul is God's Jewel, and thy Body is the Casket; then keep thy Body clean, that thy Soul may the better be preser∣ved.

It is a bright Diamond of Heaven, a Spark of the Divinity, & a Ray of Divine Glory, set for a time in the Foil of Flesh, till it pleaseth God to take it to himself, and keep it for ever in his Cabinet.

Let not then thy Soul, that transpa∣rent Diamond, be an ornament to the Devil's finger, when it may sit at the right hand of God, where there are Plea∣sures for evermore.

Thy Soul is the Purchase of Christ, bought with no less than the blood of the Son of God; then sell not that for a Trifle, which cost thy Saviour so great a price: it is better to enjoy the Riches of Eternity, than to purchase Vanity for a Moment.

Is thy body distemper'd, then thou re∣quirest Physick; if wounded, thou sen∣dest for a Chirurgeon; if naked, it must

have Cloaths; and if hungry, it must have Food. For these thou shouldest depend upon God; for he knoweth all these things are necessary: But when thy precious Soul lies sick of sin, hath wounds of the spirit, stript of its inno∣cence, and starv'd for grace, no regard is given thereunto; not considering, though thou usest humane helps, it is God that gives the Blessing, and is the Physitian both of Soul and Body.

That Soul that acts the part of a faith∣ful servant to the Lord, shall have a double reward, The Crown of a Saint, and of a Sufferer.

Certain Considerations, worthy the Devout Souls Meditation.

THe Soul is Spiritual, sin makes it Carnal.

The Soul is Immortal; sin is the death of the Soul, it makes it die to Grace, and live in Grief.

The Soul is Noble, sin makes it Igno∣minious.

The Soul is Lord, sin enslaves it.

The Soul is Soveraign, sin brings it in subjection.

The Soul is God-like, sin makes it beastial.

The Soul is the Spouse of God, sin makes it the Strumpet of the Devil.

The Soul is the Jewel of God, sins casts it in the Devil's fire.

The Soul is a free-born Citizen of Heaven, sin keeps it in perpetual impri∣sonment.

The Soul is God's Purchase; sin cheats God of his due, and the Soul of eternal Bliss.