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Q. Can you briefly sh••vv me any rules to be ob∣serued, that you may do so, as you haue bene taught?
A. I. Euery morning before other businesse, I must 1. thanke God for my safetie, 2. desire par∣don of sinne, 3. Gods further protection against ghostly and bodily enemies.
II. I must know that, that day, and all other times after giuen me to liue in, are for more ear∣nest repentance, encrease of knowledge, faith, &
practise of godlinesse: and therefore of these con∣tinually I must be mindfull, setting some part of the day aside for reading, hearing, or meditating vpon heauenly things: that the vanities of the world short and vncertaine carie me not away.
III. I must haue, or else prepare my selfe to some particular calling, fit to keepe me from idle∣nesse, and to exercise the duties of religion, in which calling must I be both honest, and profita∣ble to others, to which 1. I must betake me spee∣dily that no time be lost. 2. to do therein as I wold be done vnto. 3. to seeke first in my labour Gods glorie, then my owne good with my neighbours profite. 4. labour therein painefully and constant∣ly, in aduersitie vsing good meanes hoping for prosperitie, in prosperitie neglecting no humble duties for feare of aduersitie. 5. my present estate I must account it euer the best for me, and most for Gods glorie. 6. I must not feare to spend where God and charitie requireth, sparing from idle expences, and onely lay vp, for the time to come, wh••tsoeuer shall remaine, when I haue dis∣charged necessarie duties, honestly & religiously.
IV. I must recreate my selfe sometime from my wearisome labour, when 〈◊〉〈◊〉 see need, which must be 1. at times conuenient. 2. in things law∣full. 3. short, delightsome to the mind, & health∣full for the bodie. 4. to make me more chearefull to returne to labour, and not to draw me to loiter & to idlenes, no end appointed to man nor beast.
V. I must warily see to mine owne waies. 1. My thoughts and heart must 1. be far from vnlawfull affection. 2. vpon lawfull things on earth mode∣rate, and no more then needes. 3. vpon God and heauenly things often, feruently, and reuerently. 4 that I striue against selfe-loue, thinking of my
selfe basely; and waxe, by more and greater gifts, the more humble and lesse enuious 5. On others I must thinke highly, and charitably, iudging wel without suspitions what I heare or see good in thē, receiuing it with ioy: and hoping of better what I see or heare to be ill in them, taking doubtfull words or deeds from them in the better part. II. My eyes must be shut against obiects to sinne, that they let them not into my heart, to stine vp ill mo∣tions: but quicke to obserue euery good example and occasion to goodnesse. III. My eares must be exercised in hearing the truth, good counsels, friendly admonitions, and godly exhortations, but shut against flatterie, lyings, slaunder, filthie and wicked speeches. IV. My tongue must keepe si∣lent, vnlesse iust cause and conuenient time and place be to speake. In speaking the matter must 1. be gracious to profit the hearers, and also neces∣sarie to be vttered. 2. in wisedome regarding cir∣cumstances. 3. in sinceritie to speake it from the heart. 4. speaking of God and his word, it must be religiously and ioyfully: of ourselues modestly: of others louingly. 5. to prayse moderately without contempt: to disprayse meekely shewing loue, to be constrained by necessitie, rather then of will, to speake of other mens faults, expressing sorow in vt∣tering. 6. to speake well of men in absence, what good we know of them, and to defend them, and in presence without flatterie. 7. to vse few wordes and effectuall to the matter without tediousnesse. 8. not to talke of needlesse matters, or which con∣cerne vs nor, as busi-bodies, neither of any thing, against religion, charitie, common good, or cha∣stitie. V. My behauiour, 1. it must be lowly to su∣periours, 2. gentle to inferiours, and 3. louely to familiars. VI. My apparell it must be first for ne∣cessitie,
and then for honest decencie, as we are able, and agreeing with our calling. VII. My diet must be 1. sparing, ordinarily a kind of fasting, ra∣ther then a feasting. 2. taking my foode with hun∣ger and thirsting. 3. at seasonable howers. 4. that thereby 1. my strength may be maintained and en∣creased, 2. my meditation and deuotion nothing hindred. 5. that we be prepared in the beginning may feele a necessitie and pray to God: and in the end sufficient refreshing, may thanke God.
VI. J must take heed what companie I keepe with, 1. that J make my familiars none but honest and religious, 2. that they be my equals in estate and place, not superiours, to auoid suspition of pride: nor too much inferiour, least it bring con∣tempt. 3. that of these, not many, but one of all, I warily, deliberately, and with much triall, chuse my secret friend. 4. that in going or keeping with any, J must euer purpose either to do good, or re∣ceiue some.
VII. At night, the time of rest, 1. I must call to mind Gods benefites receiued, either by pre∣uenting euill, or by bringing good vpon me, to thanke him. 2. J must recount what I haue done, either in euill to repent, or what good I performed to iudge either of my increasing or decaying in grace: sorowing more for the duties omitted and sinnes committed, then ioyfull of any good done. 3. In taking rest I must commit my selfe to God, by a deuout and faithfull prayer, as thinking no more to rise. 4. to haue my last thoughts of hea∣uenly things, by committing or recalling somwhat to mind, of I haue either heard or learned out of Gods word. 5. that I take sleepe to refresh nature and not to satisfie slouthfull flesh.
VIII. And last is, that all the weeke long I
remember so to labour in my calling, and dispose of my ordinarie businesse, that I be prepared for the Lords day to keepe it holy: but especially at the end of the weeke, so that when it comes, I may neither by them breake it, or be hindred. Thus liuing to God holly, to my neighbour chari∣tably, and towards my selfe soberly, my consci∣ence shall be comforted, my weake brethren strengthened, the strong confirmed, the wicked made ashamed, the diuell confounded, and God greatly glorified.