Sacred principles, services, and soliloquies or, a manual of devotions made up of three parts: I. The grounds of Christian religion, and the doctrine of the Church of England, as differing from the now-Roman. II. Daily, and weekly formes of prayers fortified with Holy Scriptures, meditations and rules to keep the soule from the common roads of sin, and carry it on in a mortified course. III. Seven charges to conscience, delivering (if not the whole body) the main limbs of divinity, which is the art not of disputing, but living well.

3. Heaven.

Surely my Soul! If thy thoughts be * 1.1 in it, thy Endeavours will be after it. And all thy works on earth, but studies for it. What thou seekest here (Ho∣nour, * 1.2 Pleasure, Wealth, or whatever good) and Iosest thy self in the seeking, is to be found all, and onely in Heaven. There's Honour, To be a Grandee in Gods Court a 1.3. To Sit on Christs Throne b 1.4: There's Glory to shine as the Sun c 1.5. A Brother to all Saints, a Peere to all Angels d 1.6, a Spouse of the Son of God e 1.7. Honour and no envie; Glory and no vanitie: State, and no change: O my Soule! What Robe to Immortality i 1.8? What Crowne to Eternity k 1.9? What Glory to Hea∣ven l 1.10. There's Treasure m 1.11, Substan••e indeed, and Supersufficient n 1.12. All good o 1.13, and Superexcellent p 1.14, and Enduring ever. To which Gold is dirt; Gems pebles; Tissues rags; Lands, Bogs; Palaces, piles of mud; Indies, begge∣ries; Goods which Scorne fire, and theef,

and moth, and rust q 1.15, and those Mil∣lions of Misfortunes, and humane Ca∣sual••ies. There's Pleasure. At the Spring, Pure r 1.16; In the River, abun∣dant s 1.17, Nay in the Ocean infinite t 1.18. Not as that on earth, momentanie u 1.19, mixt (as of mans) nay foule (as of * 1.20 beasts x 1.21) but Eternall, Incomprehensible, cleare in the Soveraigne Beatificall good, The joy of the Lord. All, onely, rightly, and ever joy. There's Company. * 1.22 The worst Saints, Angels a 1.23; The best, the Trinities, Gods b 1.24 Society, The Fa∣thers, Sons, Holy Ghosts, in mutuall, * 1.25 Individuall, ineffable d 1.26, indivisible e 1.27 con¦cord, and the Contentments of most intimate affections and unity f 1.28. There's Melody. The Songs of Saints to the Harps of Angels. A Quire of both, chaunting Everlasting Anthems, with all heavenly harmony, to their Makers, and thy Redeemers glory g 1.29. O My Soule! If tongue cannot tell, what St. Paul heard, when but rapt into this Pa∣radise; how should mortall mind con∣ceive the delights of Beatificall Vi∣sion?

Deare Soule! Made, and Redeem'd for those delights! Why dost thou deigne Earth any? Anie but such as

are Akin, or not Strange, to these? * 1.30 Why seems any Duty difficult, that * 1.31 brings to them? Canst thou doe? Canst thou Suffer too much for them? Is it possible to be too much Saint, or Mar∣tyr, to get them? If thou give Skin, flesh, bloud, head, heart, life; to the Knife, Fire, Sword, Axe, Gibbet, * 1.32 Saw, Rack, Caldron or what ever torture; comes it not cheap? If for a lustfull eye, or hand, or foot of offense * 1.33 then, or deniall of any Pleasure, is it then, Deare?

My Soule! The Saints and Martyrs * 1.34 thought themselves good Merchants, that bought them at these rates. Nay, if thou shouldest daily Suffer torments on earth, yea for a long time endure the torments of Hell, the price would not be great for the purchase of Hea∣ven. My Soul! he that said so to his was a Saint. Be content then to Crosse a lust, or Carry a Crosse for Heaven: For this thy Christ endured his Great Crosse; wilt not thou thy little one? That hast his Shoulders to help thee to bear it too, his Grace, his Spirit, his Angels for thy help?

My Soul, let not the Difficulties conceived in a Course of Religion dis∣courage

thee from, or in the way: It is Mans Calumny, and the Devils Po∣licy. To him that loves God (as thou shouldst) that hath his Grace (as thou maist) and his Favour (as thou migh∣test:) all his Commands are easie, and * 1.35 his Yoke but light. For to him is given the staff of Peace a 1.36, and stay of Hope b 1.37, and strength of Comfort c 1.38, which (be∣sides the outward) are great helps to the carrying of that Yoke. And (blind thoughts and affections set aside) the Sinner toiles more then the Saint d 1.39, and drudges more for Hell, then he workes for Heaven.

And did the Saint droile more; Heaven makes all nothing. For what are Moments of paine and labour to Eternity of Joy and Rest, which were worth the while, if attained with eter∣nall work and labour? It's a Slander then cast on the wayes of God. Yes my Soul, and a Stratagem too. A Flie from Belzebub * 1.40 buzzing this into thy Eares, that he may keep Heaven better out of thy Eyes. And hold thy foot (when he hath thus slackt thy heart) from going, or from comming thither.

My Soul, against all such fainting, take Saint Pauls Cordiall, Whilest we

not at the things which are seen, but not * 1.41 seen; for the things which are seen are temporall, but the things which are not seen are eternall.

And so there be Paines, as well as Joyes: Think of that, O my Soul! For to foresee, is the way to avoid those paines; and to Muse on it, the means to escape

Notes

• * 1.1

  2 Pet. 3. 14
• * 1.2

  Eccl. 1. 13, 14. Isay 55. 2. Amos 5. 6. Prov. 1. 28. 32.
• a 1.3

  Mat. 5. 19.
• b 1.4

  Apoc. 3. 21.
• c 1.5

  Mat. 13. 43.
• d 1.6

  Mat. 22. 30.
• e 1.7

  Apoc. 19. 9. Eph. 2. 6. 2 Cor. 11. 4. f 1 Cor. 13 4. ^g 2 Cor. 4. 15. ^h Heb. 12. 28.
• i 1.8

  1 Cor. 15. 53.
• k 1.9

  1 Cor. 9. 25.
• l 1.10

  2 Thes. 1. 10.
• m 1.11

  Luk. 18. 22. Heb. 10. 34.
• n 1.12

  I••ay 64. 4.
• o 1.13

  Mat 24. 47.
• p 1.14

  2 Cor. 4. 17. 2 Pet. 1. 17.
• q 1.15

  Luk. 11. 33.
• r 1.16

  Psal. 16. 12.
• s 1.17

  Psa. 36. 8
• t 1.18

  Mat. 25. 21.
• u 1.19

  Job 20. 5
• * 1.20

  w Pro. 14. 13.
• x 1.21

  2 Pet. 2. 12, 13.
• * 1.22

  y 1 Pet. 1. 8.
• a 1.23

  Heb. 12. 22.
• b 1.24

  1 Thes. 4 7.
• * 1.25

  c 1 Cor. 1. 9 Phil. 2. 1. 1 Joh. 1. 3.
• d 1.26

  Joh. 17. 22.
• e 1.27

  Joh. 16. 20.
• f 1.28

  Apoc. 15 3. Apoc. 5. 8. & 14. 2. & 18. 22.
• g 1.29

  Apoc. 5. 9. 13. 2 Cor. r 2. 4 1 Cor. 2. 9
• * 1.30

  Phil. 4. 4.
• * 1.31

  Heb. 12. 2. Jam. 1. 2. 12. Rom. 8. 14
• * 1.32

  Heb. 11. 34 35, 36, 37.
• * 1.33

  Rom. 8. 13 Mat. 5. 29. Heb. 11. 25
• * 1.34

  Pro hac e∣mendâ Bar∣tholomoeus propriā pel∣lem dedit. Aug. Longo tem∣pore tolera∣re. Aug. Gal. 5. 24. 2 Tim. 2. 12. Heb. 12. 3. 2 Cor. 4. 17 1 Cor. 10. 13 Heb. 2. 18. 1 Pet. 4. 14. Heb. 1. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 10.
• * 1.35

  1 Joh. 4. 3. Mat. 11. 29. 30.
• a 1.36

  Psal. 119 165. Phil. 4. 7.
• b 1.37

  Ro 15. 13
• c 1.38

  Heb. 6. 18. Heb. 3. 6.
• d 1.39

  Ec. 2. 23. Joh. 6. 27. 1 Cor. 15. 58. Apoc. 14. 13. Aeterua quies aeter∣no labore meritò pa∣ratur.
• * 1.40

  Deus muscae. Prov. 26. 13. Rom. 12. 11, 12. Heb. 6. 10. 11. Heb. 12. 3.
• * 1.41

  2 Cor. 4. 16. 18.