ilfe monen. 8. 3. 7. с , d duim without mine admonition; but because I would net,ut facias, quod with the Apostle have you to abound in every jam facis, Grace, in Faith and Knowledge, and in all de Laudat diligence, and in your love to Gods Service hortatu and true Religion. Never was there more comprobat need of plain and unfeigned Admonition: acta fuo. e2 Cor. for the Comick, in that faying, feems but to have prophesied of our times Obfequium amicos, veritas odium parit. And no marvel, Seeing that we are fallen into the dregs of Time, which being the laft, must needs be the worst days. And how can there be worse, seeing Vanity knows not how to be vainer, nor wickednefs how to be more wicked? And whereas heretofore thofe have been counted most holy, who have fhewed themselves moft zealous in their Religion; they are now reputed most difcreet, who can make the leaft profeffion of their Faith. And that these are the last days, appears evidently; because the Security of mens eternal ftate hath fo overwhelmed (as * Chrift foretold it should) all forts: that most 8 2 Tim. who now live, are become & lovers of pleasure, f Mait. 25. I. &c. 2, 4. more than lovers of God: And of those who pretend to love GOD, O God! what fanctified heart can but bleed, to behold how feldom they come to Prayers? how irre-. verently they hear GODS Word? what ftrangers they are at the Lords Table? what affiduous fpcctators they are at Stage-plays? where being Chriftians) they can sport themselves to hear the Vaffals of the Devil Scof i plum acci ኼባ qua Thea trum adiit, cum De monio re orci mo fcoffing Religion, and blafphemously abufingh Excm phrafes of holy Scripture on their Stages as dit mulicfamiliarly as they use their Tobacco-pipes in ris, Domitheir Bibbing-houfes. So that he who would tefte, now-a-days feek in moft Chriftians for the power, ball scarce almost find the very fhew & inde of godlinefs. Never was there more finning, never less remorfe for fin. Never diit. Lawas the Judge nearer to come, never was que in exthere fo little preparation for his coming. cum oneraAnd if the Bridegroom fhould now come, retur, im. (who think themselves wife enough, fpiritus and full of all knowledge) would be found quòd aufus foolish Virgins, without one drop of the ft fidelem Oyl of Saving Faith in their Lamps? For conftanter the greatest wifdom of most men in this age, & juftiffi confifts in being wife, first, to deceive others, and in the end, to deceive themselves. how many mundus aggredi : mè quidem (inquit) feci: In inveni, Therefore Stage, Di And if fometimes fome good Book haps in- men cam to their hands ; or fome good motion cometh Tert. de into their heads, whereby they are put in spect. lib. mind to confider the uncertainty of this life cap. 26. prefent; or how weak affurance they have Test in c.6 of eternal life, if this were ended; and how calls the they have fome fecret fins, for which they aboi Ecmuft needs repent here, or be punished for clefiam, & them in Hell hereafter. Security then forth- Cada a pefti eniawith whispers the Hypocrite in the Ear, that though it be fit to think of those things; yet, i lame 5. It is not yet time: And that he is yet young Apoc. 22. enough (though he cannot but know, that many millions as young as himself, are already M 9 8. ¿Prov. 6. 10. m Jude, ; in Hell, for want of timely repentance.) Pre- In my defire therefore of the common verfe 3. Salvation, but especially of your Highness everlasting welfare I have endeavoured to extract (out of the Chaos of endless controverfies) the old Practice of true Piety, which flourished before these Controverfies were hatched which my poor labours (in a short while) come now forth again the 33. time, under the gracious protection of your Highnefs favour and by their entertainment feem not to be altogether unwelcome to the Church + Church of Chrift. If to be pious, bath in and as n Ecclef. 7.3. • Ecclef. 49. I. p Luke 10. 20. Apoc. 17. 34.29 30 It is Piety that embalms a Prince his good 18. name, and makes his face to fhine before men, and glorifies his foul among Angels. For as • Moses his face, by often talking with God, Exod. Thined in the eyes of the people fo by frequent praying (which is our talking with God) and hearing the Word (which is God's fpeaking unto us) we fhall be changed from glory to glory, by the fpirit of the Lord, to the Image of the Lord. And feeing this life * uncertain to all, (especially to Princes:) A 4 what 7 2 Cor. 3.18, / Mar. 26. 12. f what argument is more fit, both for Princes and People to ftudy than that which teacheth finful man to deny himself, by mortifying his corruption, that he may enjoy Chrift, the Author of his falvation? {\to renounce these falfe and momentany pleasures of the world, that he may attain to the true and eternal joys of Heaven; and to make them truly Honourable before God in Piety, who are now only honourable before men in vanity. what charges foever we spend in earthly vanities, for the most part, they either die before us, or we fhortly die after them but what we spend like Mary in the Practice of Piety, shall remain our true met1 Tim. morial for ever. For, Piety hath the mife of this life, and of that which thall never end. But without Piety, there is no pibus ad internal comfort to be found in Confcience, fola fatis nor external peace to be looked for in the vera eft pi- World, nor any eternal happiness to be hoeras: abf ped for in Heaven. How can Piety but proverò nihil mife to her felf a zealous Patron of your ft vel ex Highness? being the fole Son and Heir of fo imperato gracious and great a Monarch: who is not vis fortitu- only the Defender of the Faith by Title; do, vel ap but also a Defender of the Faith in truth: liquus. as the Chriftian World hath taken notice, Sozom, by his learned confuting of Bellarmine's overHift. 1.9. Spreading Herefies; and his fuppreffing, in 4.8. u Princi falutem que ilia paratus re Ecclef. C. I. u t pro the blade of Vorftius, Athean blafphemies. And how eafie is it for your Highness to equal |