Christian Classics
‹ Good Thoughts in Bad Times and Other Papers
Contents
Dedication.Preface.Dedication.Personal Meditations.Scripture Observations.Historical Applications.Mixt Contemplations.To the Christian Reader.I. Curiosity Curbed.II. Deceived, not Hurt.III. Nor Full, nor Fasting.IV. Strange and True.V. Blushing to be Blushed for.VI. A Lash for Laziness.VII. Root, Branch, and Fruit.VIII. God Speed the Plough.IX. Cras, Cras.X. Green When Gray.XI. Miserere.XII. Monarchy and Mercy.XIII. What Helps Not Hurts.XIV. Always Seen, Never Minded.XV. Not Whence, But Whither.XVI. Storm, Steer on.XVII. Wit Outwitted.XVIII. Hereafter.XIX. Bad at Best.XX. Compendium Dispendium.I. Prayer May Preach.II. The Vicious Mean.III. Store no Sore.IV. Line on Line.V. O! The Depth.VI. Self, Self-Hurter.VII. Gad, Behold a Troop Cometh.VIII. Out Means, In Miracles.IX. Military Mourning.X. No Stool of Wickedness.XI. By Degrees.XII. The Best Bed-Maker.XIII. When Begun, Ended.XIV. Too Late, Too Late.XV. Lawful Stealth.XVI. Text Improved.XVII. The Royal Bearing.XVIII. None to Him.XIX. Humility.I. Name-General.II. Woful Wealth.III. A New Plot.IV. Providence.V. Coals for Fagot.VI. Fugitives Overtaken.VII. Both and Neither.VIII. Fed with Fasting.IX. Bare in Fat Pasture.X. Much Good Do You.XI. The Use of the Alphabet.XII. The Good Effect of a Bad Cause.XIII. The Child-Man.XIV. Worse Before Better.XV. All Sin, All Suffer.XVI. Eat Worthily.XVII. Devotions Duplicate.XVIII. Law to Themselves.XIX. A New Disease.I. Newly Awaked.II. Family Prayer.III. Self Without Other Self.IV. Groans.V. Ejaculations, Their Use.VI. Their Privilege.VII. Extemporary Prayers.VIII. Their Causeless Scandal.IX. Night Prayer.X. A Nocturnal.XI. Set Prayers.XII. The Same Again.XIII. Mixt Prayers.XIV. Take Your Company Along.XV. Prayer Must be Quotidian.XVI. The Lord’s Prayer.XVII. All Best.XVIII. All Manner of Prayer.XIX. To God Alone.I. Love and Anger.II. Upwards, Upwards.III. Beware, Wanton Wit.IV. Ill Done, Undone.V. Apace, Apace.VI. Always the Rising Sun.VII. Charity, Charity.VIII. The Sensible Plant.IX. Christ My King.X. Tribulation.XI. Beware.XII. The First-Fruits.XIII. The Recruit.XIV. The Mongrel.XV. Edification.XVI. Mad, Not Mad.XVII. The Deepest Cut.Dedication.To the Courteous Reader.I. Play an After-Game.II. Miraculous Cure.III. Hand on Mouth.IV. At Last.V. Mistaken.VI. Truth.VII. After-Born.VIII. A Heap of Pearls.IX. Silent Sadness.X. Lost and Kept.XI. All.XII. Good Accountant.XIII. No Tittle of Title.XIV. Freely, Freely.XV. Cry Without Cause, and Be Whipt.XVI. Spring Began.XVII. The Hand Is All.XVIII. All Tongue and Ears.XIX. Give and Take.XX. Charity, Charity.XXI. But One Favourite.XXII. Calmly, Calmly.XXIII. Try and Trust.XXIV. Alike, but Contrary.XXV. Chasma, Phasma.XXVI. Share and Share-Like.XXVII. Natale Solum dulcedine, etc.XXVIII. Seasonable Prevention.XXIX. Wolf in a Lamb’s Skin.XXX. Various Fancies.XXXI. Made Loyal.XXXII. Attend, Attend.XXXIII. No Remedy But Patience.XXXIV. Pottage for Milk.XXXV. Moderate May Meet.XXXVI. What, Never Wise!XXXVII. Recede a Tittle.XXXVIII. Beat Thyself.XXXIX. Without Blood.XL. Against the Hair and the Flesh.XLI. A Free-Will Offering.XLII. A Good Anchor.XLIII. Eyes Bad, Not Object.XLIV. Ever, Never.XLV. Hear Me Out.XLVI. Mons Mobilis.XLVII. Not Invisible.XLVIII. Best Race.XLIX. Feed the Lambs.L. Name and Thing.I. All Afore.II. True Text. False Gloss.III. Foul Mouth Stopt.IV. Atoms at Last.V. An Ill Match.VI. Down, Yet Up.VII. Caleb, All Heart.VIII. Fie, For Shame.IX. LIttle Loud Liars.X. Name General.XI. Apt Scholars.XII. All Well Wearied.XIII. O, Inconstancy!XIV. Recovered.XV. Gratitude.XVI. The Heir.XVII. Sad Transportation.XVIII. Bird in the Breast.XIX. Fair Hopes.XX. Riddle Unriddled.XXI. No Record to Remain.XXII. All for the Present.XXIII. Courtesy Gaineth.XXIV. Moderation.XXV. Preparative.XXVI. Revenge with a Witness.XXVII. A Gnat, No Gnat.XXVIII. Silence Awhile.XXIX. Send Humility.XXX. Rather Fold Over Than Fall Short.XXXI. No Man’s Work.XXXII. Three Make Up One.XXXIII. Sero, Sed Serio.XXXIV. By Degrees.XXXV. Good Augury.XXXVI. Subtract Not, But Add.XXXVII. Send Much Music.XXXVIII. By Hook and by Crook.XXXIX. Without Care No Cure.XL. Keep Your Castle.XLI. Too Much Beneath.XLII. Patience Awhile.XLIII. In the Middle.XLIV. Amending.XLV. Too Much Truth.XLVI. As It Was.XLVII. Not So, Long.XLVIII. Thank God.XLIX. Can Good Come From Ignorance?L. Trusting Maketh One Trusty.Dedication.To the Christian Reader.Dialogue I. What a wounded Conscience is, wherewith the Godly and Reprobate may be tortured.Dialogue II. What use they are to make thereof, who neither hitherto were, nor haply hereafter shall be, visited with a wounded Conscience.Dialogue III. Three solemn Seasons when Men are surprised with wounded Consciences.Dialogue IV. The great Torment of a wounded Conscience, proved by Reasons and Examples.Dialogue V. Sovereign Uses to be made of the Torment of a wounded Conscience.Dialogue VI. That in some Cases more Repentance must be preached to a wounded Conscience.Dialogue VII. Only Christ is to be applied to Souls truly contrite.Dialogue VIII. Answers to the Objections of a wounded Conscience, drawn from the Grievousness of his Sins.Dialogue IX. Answers to the Objections of a wounded Conscience drawn from the Slightness of his Repentance.Dialogue X. Answers to the Objections of a wounded Conscience drawn from the Feebleness of his Faith.Dialogue XI. God alone can satisfy all Objections of a wounded Conscience.Dialogue XII. Means to be used by wounded Consciences for the recovering of ComfortDialogue XIII. Four wholesome Counsels, for a wounded Conscience to practise.Dialogue XIV. Comfortable Meditations for wounded Consciences to muse upon.Dialogue XV. That is not always the greatest Sin whereof a Man is guilty, wherewith his Conscience is most pained for the present.Dialogue XVI. Obstructions hindering the speedy flowing of Comfort into a troubled Soul.Dialogue XVII. What is to be conceived of their final Estate who die in a wounded Conscience without any visible Comfort.Dialogue XVIII. Of the different Time and Manner of the coming of Comfort to such who are healed of a wounded Conscience.Dialogue XIX. How such who are completely cured of a wounded Conscience are to demean themselves.Dialogue XX. Whether one cured of a wounded Conscience be subject to a Relapse.Dialogue XXI. Whether it be lawful to pray for, or to pray against, or to praise God for, a wounded Conscience.The Conclusion of the Author to the Reader.

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XL. Against the Hair and the Flesh.

ALL devils are not equally easy to be ejected out of possessed people; some are of a more sullen, sturdy, stubborn nature, good (or rather bad) at holdfast, and hard to be cast out.

In like manner all bosom sins are not conquered with facility alike, and these three are of the greatest difficulty:—

1. Constitutionary sins, riveted in our tempers and complexions.

2. Customary sins, habited in us by practice and presumption.

3. Such sins to the whereof restitution is required.

Oh! when a man hath not only devoured widows’ houses, Matt. xxiii. 14, but also they have passed the first and second concoction in his stomach; yea, when they are become blood in the veins, yea, sinews in the flesh of his estate, O then to refund, to mangle and disinter one’s demesnes, this goeth shrewdly against flesh and blood indeed! But what saith the Apostle, Flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Yet even this devil may be cast out with fasting and prayer, Matt. xvii. 21. This sin, notwithstanding it holdeth violent possession, may by those good means, and God’s blessing thereon, have a firm ejection.