~ MEDIT:ATIONS vf :J{__'D VO VV E S. .. THE THIRD cENT u RI E. I Ood men are placed by God,as fo many ftars in the lower firmament of the world.As they muft imitate thofe heavtnl y bodies, in their light and influence; fo alfo in their motion : and therefore as the Planers have a courfe proper rothemfelves,againft the fway ofrhe Heaven that carries them abour;fo muft each good man have amotion out ofhis own judgment,contrary ro the cuftomes and opinions of the vulgar 1 fini!bing his own cou• fe with the leaft fl1ew of refiftice.I will never affccHingubrity,except it be among thofe D that are vicicus.It is bmer to do,or think well alone, then to follow a multirudei.oev:!l. 2 What nflnge vari<ty of allions doth the eyeofGod fee at once round abour the compaffeofrheearrh,and within it!Some building houfes;fome delving for metals; fome marching in trooQps,or encampinll one againft another;fome barg•ining in the morket;fome ttlvdling on their way; fome praying in thdrclofets; others quaffing attheTaveroe;fome rowing inthe Ga!lies; others dallying in their chambers; and in !bort,as many different allions as perfons :yetall have one common intention of good to themfelves;rrue in fome,but in the moft,imaginary.The glorified fpirits have but one uniform< work,wherein they all joyne; The praife oftheir Creator. This is· one difference betwixt the Saints above,and below: They above are free bo~h from E bufindfe, and diftrallion: thcfc below are free(though nor ~bfolurdy) from difrrallion, not at all from bufincffc. P4•1 could rt.inkof thecloakethat he left at T,.q; and ofthe!bapi~ ofhis skins for his tents: y«, tborow thefe he loohfiil!at hea· ven. This" orld IS made for bufinefft: my a/lions muftvary acconling rooccafions: my end !ball be but one,and the fame nowon earrh,that it muftbe one day in heaven. 3 I To f<e how the Martyrs of God died,ond the life oftheir perfccutors,would make aman out of love with Iife,aodoUI ofall fear ofdeath.Theywere llt fll and bloud1 as well as we;life was as f weet to rhem,as to us;their bodies were as fenfible ofpainas ours;we go to the [Jmc heaven with them,How comes it thenthat they were fo couragious in abiding fuch torments in their death, as the very mention ftrikcs horror mto any Reader, and we are fo cowardly in encounteringa faire and naturall d~th~ E> H
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