8 Meditations and Vowe.r. Cent. I. - Nowthereisone, Iwillefteemit, Iwilldelireit; y<tftilllwilllovetheeforthy A goodndlefake.Thy fclfis reward enough,though thou broughrc:ft no more. 5• I fee men pointthefield,anddcfperately jeopard their livrs (as prodigall of thdr bloud) in the revenge ofadifgracefull word againftthemfclves; while rheycan be content to hear God pulled ourofHeaven with blafphemy, and not feel fo much as a rifingoftheirbloud.Wh.ich argues our cold !ove to Go~, & ourover-ferv~nt afktlion to our felves. In mme ownwrongs,I w1ll holdpauence laudable, but 10 Gods injuries,impious. 53 Jtiun hard thingtofpeak well; ·but it is harder to be well filent, foas it maybe free from fufpition ofaffettion,or fullennelfe,or ignorance:dfeloquacity,and no~ lenco,would be anote ofwifdome. Herein I will not care how little, but how well. He faid wdlfor this,Not that which is much,iswell;but that which is well is much. 54 There isnothing more odious then fruitlelfe oldage. Now(for that no tree bears fruitin Autumn<, unlefTe it blolfome in the fpring) to theend that my age may be profitable,•nd ladenwith ripe fruit; I will endevour that my youth may be ftqdious, and flowred with the blolfomsof learning andobfervation. ·; H Revenge commonly hurts both the offerer,and fulferer:as wefee in the fooli!h Bee (though in allother things commendable, yet herein the pattern offond fpightfulnelfe) which in her anger invenom<th the tle!h, and lofethher fting, 3nd fo lives a C Drone ever after. I account it the only valour,To remit a wrong1and will applaud it to my felf as right noble and Chriftian,that I might hurt,and will not. 56 ° He that liveswellcannotchufe but die well.For,ifhedie fuddenly,yet he dies not unpreparedly: if by leifure,the confcience of his well-lead life makes his death more comfortablc:But it is fddome feen, that bewhich liveth ill,dieth well, For the confcience ofhis former evils, hisprefent vain, and thedpeCtatioo and fear of greater' forakeup hishisheart,that he cannot feek God. And now it is juft with God, not to be IOught,or not to be found, hecaufe he fought to him in his life time, and was repolfcd.Whereas therefore there are ufually two main cares of good men, to Liye wdl,andDie well: I will have but this onc 1tolive well. · •57 With God there is nofree man,but his fervant,though in theGallies:no llave,but the fmner,though in a Palace:none noble but the vertuous,ifncver fo loafely defcended: none rich, but be that pofTetfeth Go:d,even in rags:none wife, but he that is a fool to himfelfand theworld : none hafPY, but be whomthe world pities : Let me be frec,noble,rich,wife,happy toGod, palfe not what I am to theworld. 58 D When the mouth pray<th,man heareth;when theheart,God heareth.Every good prayer knocketh at heave for ableffing:but an importunate prayer pierc<th it (though as bardas bra!fe)andmakes a way fork felfinto theears ofthe Almighty.And as it afcends lightly up, carried with the wings offaith; fo it comes ever laden down E again upon our beads. Inmy prayers my thoughts !hall not be guided by my words, but my words !hallfollow my thou&hts. S9 Ifthat fervant were condemned ofcvill, that gave God nomore then his own, wbichhehadreceivcd1 what!hallbecome.ofthemtbat rob God of his own~ If God gain a little glory by me, I !hall gainmore by him. I will labour fo to husband the ftock that God bath left in my hands, that I may return my foul betterthen I received it;and tha~ be may take it better then I return it. 6o Heaven is compared to anhill; and therefore is figured by olympw, among the · Heathen; by mount Si111, in Gods Book: Hell contrariwi!C, to a pit. The afcent to . the
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