Cent. III. Me4itations and Vowfs•. A 79 A Chrillian for the fweet fruit he bearestoGod aod men, is ·comfY.!red to thenob!ell ofall plams,rhe Vine.Now as the moll generous Vme, ifit be n~t prunQd, runs out into many fuperlluous ftemme-s,and growes at !all weakand fruttldfe_: fo dorh thebell mJn,if he be cut lhort ofhis delires,and pruned wtth af!hthons. tf lt he pmq. full to bleed, it is worfe to wirher.Ler me be pruned that I may grow,rather theB cur up to burn. 8o T hofe,that doe but fuperficially talle ofdivine ~nowledge_,find little f.veetncffe in ir;ond are ready for the unpleafant relhlh to abhor lt:whereas tf they would chve deep intotheSeo, they lhould find frelh wat<rneer to the bottome: T hat tt favours nor B well at the lirll,is thefault notofit1burofrht di!tempered polate that talk s ir. Good metaUs & mineralls are not found clofc under the skin of theearth, but belowin the bowels ofit:No~:ood Miner ca(ts away his Mattock,becaufe hc_findsa vein of tough clay, or a lhelfol !tone; but !till delveth lower, andpalling thorow many changes of foile,at Ia!t comes to his rich treafnre. We are too fi:>on dofcouraged in our fpirituall gaines. 1 will ~ill per_fevere to feek, hard~ing ~y felf_agoin!t all difficult)' . There is comfort even 10 feekmg,hope; and rherets Joy to hopong,good fucceffc : and 10 that fucceffe,is happineffe. 81 He rhot horhony experience in fpirirual matrers,knowes tbatSaran is ever more vi. olcnt ot the la!t;rhen raging mo!tfurioully,when he knows h e £lllll rage hut a while. C Hence of the fir£! perkcutions ofthe fir(t Churdi,t·he tenth ond lt!t under Di•clrfi•n and M•ximmi•n,& rhofe other five Tyrants,wos the bloudie!t. Heoce this age is the moli dilfolure,becauf.e neere!t the cooclulion.And as this is his courCe in rhe univerfal alfanlrs of the whole Church : fo it is the fame in his conflicts with every ChriiHan foul. Like a fubtill Om or he reforves his !trongcll: force !bill the /hurting up: And therefore miferable is the folly of thofe men who defer their repontaQJ:e till then, when their onfet lltall be mo!t lharp,and they through painof body,& pcrplexedneffe of mind /hall be lea!t able to refi!t.Thofe that have longfurnilht rhemfelves with fpiriruall monition , find work enough in this extreme bruntoftemptation : h01v then lhouldthecar<lclfe man,that with the help ofoil opporrunites couLd not find grace to repent , hope to otchievc it at the la(t gafp, again!t greater force, with lelfe me1ss, D more di!tratlion,no leifure~Wif< Princes ufe ro prepare ten yeers before for a field of one doy:l will every daylay up fomewhatfor my laft.Ifl win rhar skirmilh,l have enough.The fir(t ond ltcond blow begin the barrell,but thda!t only wins ir. 81 I obfcrve rhree feafons where a wife mandiffers nor from a fool; in his infar.cy, in lleep, and in fi lence:for in rhe two former weore all fi:>ols;andin fi lcnce a!lorewife. In the two formeryer,rheremay be concealment of folly 1 but the tongue is a blab: there cannot be any kind off~lly,eirher fimple,orWicked,mthe hcart,but rhe tongue will bewroy it.He cannot bewife that [peaks much,orwithout fcnfc, orout offeafon nor he known for a fool that fayes nothing.Ir is a great mifery eo be a fool:bur thisi~ yet greater,that aman caanot be a fool but hemutt Otew it. Tt were wdl for fudh a E one,ifhe could be raughrro keep clofe his foolilhnelfe: but then there Ooould be no fools. I have heard fome (which have fcornedthe opininn offoil y in them fe!ves) for afpeecb whertnthey have hoped to lhcw mo!t wir,cenfured offolly,by himtharharh rhought homfelfwofer: and anorher,hearing his fentence again,hath condemned him for want ofwit incenfuring. Surdy he is not afoolthat harh unwiferhoughrs,but he that utters them.Evcnconceakafolly is wifdome:and fomrimes wifdome urtercd,is folly. While others care how to fpeak,mv core /hall be how to hold my peace. . 83 A work ts then only good ond accep!lble,when the aCtion, meaning, and manner •~e al! good:Forro doe good with an ill meaning (as Jud.u falured Cnrifl ro berray hom)os fo much mor< finfull,by how much the aCtion is better; whoch being good in I the ktnd,os abured to an tll purpofe.To doe ill in agood meoning, (as rzz• in!toying ' the '5~ i _ j
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