The State of a Christian

THE STATE OF A CHRISTIAN, lively set forth by an Allegory of a Ship under Sayle.

M Y Body is the Hull; the Keele my back; my Necke the Stem; the Sides are my Ribbes; the beams my bones; my flesh the plankes; Gristles and ligaments are the Pintells and knee-timbers; Arteries, veins and sinews the several seames of the ship; my blood is the ballast; my heart the principal hold; my stomach the Cook-room; my Liver the Cistern; my Bowells the sink; my Lungs the Bellows; my teeth the Chopping-knives, except you divide them, and then they are the 32. points of the Sea-card both agreeing in number; Concoction is the Caldron; and hunger the Salt or sauce; my belly is the lower Decke; my kidnies Close Cabbins or receptacles; my thighs are long Galleries for the grace of the ship; my arms and hands the Canhookes, my midriffe is a large Partition or Bulk-head; within the circumference of my head is placed the Steeridge room and chief Cabbins, with the Round house where the Master lieth, and these for the more safety and decency are enclosed with a double fence, the one Dura mater something hard and thick, the other Pia mater very thin and soft, which serveth instead of hangings; The ears are two doors or Scuttles, fitly placed for entertainment; the two Eyes are Casements to let in light; under them is my mouth the Stowidge or Stewards room; my lips are Hatches for receipt of goods; my two Nostrills serve as Gratings to let in air; at the one end stands my chin which is the Beakehead; my forehead is the upper decke; all which being trimmed with my fat instead of pitch, and hair instead of Ockham, are coloured with my skin.

The fore-decke is humility; the stearn Charity; active obedience the sails; which being hoysed up with the several Yards, Halliers and Bowlings of holy precepts and good purposes, are let down again by fickleness, faintings, and inconstancy; Reason is my Rudder; experience the helm; hope of salvation my Anchor; passive obedience the Capstaine; holy Revenge the Cat and Fish to hawle the sheate Anchor or last hope; fear of offending is the Buoy; virtues are the Cables; Holy desires and sudden ejaculations the shroudes; the zeal of God's glory is my Maine-mast, premeditation the foremast; desire of my own salvation the Mizzen-mast; saving knowledge the Boltesprit; • ircumspection a sounding line; my Light is illumination, Justice is the Card, God's word the Compass; the meditation of life's brevity a Four-hour glass; Contemplation of the Creatures the Cross-staff or Jacob's staff; the Creed a Sea grammar; the life of Christ my Load star; the Saints falls are Sea-marks; Good examples Land-marks; Repentance Pumps out the sink of my sins; a good Conscience keeps me clean; imputative righteousness is my Flag, having this Motto (BEING CAST DOWNE WE PERISH NOT) The Flage-staff is sincerity; the ship is victualed afresh by reading, hearing, receiving; Books are Long-boates; Letters are little Sciffes to carry and recarry my spiritual merchandize; Perseverance is my speed, and patience my name, my fire is lust, which will not be clean extinguished; full feeding and strong drink is the fuel to maintain it, whose flame (if it be not suppressed) is jealousy; whose sparks are evil words; whose ashes is envy; whose smoke is infamy; Lascivious talk is as flint and steel; Concupiscence as tinder, opportunity is the match to light it; Sloath and idleness are the Servants to prepare it.

The Law of God is my Pilot; Faith my Captain; Fortitude the Master; Chastity the Masters mate; my will the Coxen; Conscience the Preacher; Application of Christ's death the Surgeon; Mortification the Cook; Vivification the Calker; Selfedeniall is an Apprentice of his; Temperance the Steward; Contentation his Mate; truth the Purser; thankfulness the Pursers mate; Reformation the Boatswain; The 4 humors, Sanguin, Choler, &c. are the Quarter masters; Christian vigilancy undertakes to supply the office of Starbord and Larborde watch; Memory is Clerke of the Checke; Assurance the Corporal; the Armor Innocency; the Mariners Angels; Schismatics are searchers sent aboard; my understanding as Master Gunner culls out from those two Budgecaskes of the New and Old Testament cerraine threats and promises which is my only powder and Shot; and with the assistance of the Gunners mate, holy anger against sin, chargeth my tongue, which like to a piece of Ordnance shoots them to the shame and overthrow of my spiritual Adversaries.

My Noble Passengers are Joy in the holy Ghost & the peace of Conscience, whose retinue are divine graces; my ignoble or rather mutinous passengers are worldly cogitations and vain delights, which are more than a good many; besides some that are arrant thieves and traitors, namely pride, envy, prejudice▪ but all these ile bid farewell when I come to my journeis end, though I would but cannot before.

Heaven is my Country, where I am registered in the Book of life; my King is Jehovah; my tribute Almesdeeds; they which gather it are the poor; Love is my Countries badge, my language is holy conference; my fellow companions are the Saints.

I am poor in performances, yet rich in God's acceptation; The foundation of all my good, is God's free Election; I became bound into the Corporation of the Church to serve him in my baptism; I was enrolled at the time when he first called me: my freedom is Justification, it was purchased with the blood of Christ, my evidence is the earnest of his spirit; my privileges are his sanctifying Graces; my Crown (reserved for me on high) is Glorification.

My Maker and Owner is God, who built me by his Word which is Christ, of earth which was the material: he fraught it with the essence of my soul which is the Treasure; and hath set me to sails in the sea of this world, till I attain to the port of death, which letteth the terrestrial part into the harbor of the grave, and the celestial into the kingdom of heaven; in which voyage conveniency of estate is as sea-room; good affections serve as a tide, and prayer as a a prosperous gale a wind to help forward.

But innumerable are the Impediments and perils; for here I meet with the proffers of unlawful gain, and sensual delights as so many Sirens; the baits of prosperity (as high banks ) on the right hand or weathershore, and there with evil suggestions, and crabbed adversity (as Rocks ) on the left hand or Lee-shore ready to split me; the fear of hell like quickesands threaten to swallow me; Original sin like weeds clog me, and actual transgressions like so many Barnacles hang about me, yea every sin I commit springs a new leak; my senses are as so many storms of rain, hail and snow to sink me; lewd affections are roaring billows and waves; self-confidence or to rely upon anything but divine assistance, is to lose the bolt-sprit; Restitution is heaving goods over board to save the ship; Melancholy, is want of freshwater; the scoffs of Atheists and contempt of religion in all places, is a notable becalming; the lewd lives and evil examples of the most a contagious air; Idleness furs it, and is a shrewd decay both of Hull and Tackling.

she hath two Tyre of great Ordnance planted in her, heresy and irreligion (being either for a false God or none) Oaths blasphemy and curses are the powder and shot, which they spit against all that worship the Lamb, or fight under the ensign of faith; her armor is carnal security; the Flag in her top, is infidelity, the motto (There is no God but Gaine) Her ballast which keeps her upright, is ignorance; most of her tackling she has from Rome, and Amsterdam; Antichrist as Pilot, steares her in such a course that she goes on swiftly, proudly, securely, scorning and scoffing ( Sennacharib like) to hear that any Lord should deliver this poor pinnace out of her hands; yet in the sequel this silly Pinke having the insurance of God's omnipresence, finds not only succor from the Stock of the Churches prayers, which like another Merchant man comes in to the rescue, but likewise that God's Almighty power and providence is near at hand as a strong Castle of defense to free her, whereby she escapes even as a bird out of the snare of the hunter, to praise the Lord, who hath not given her as a pray unto their teeth, that would have swallowed up all quick, but delivered her from such swelling waters, floods of affliction, and streams of persecution, as else had gone over her, and even drowned her soul, as it is Psalm 124, while this great Gallion (though, it seem like that Invincible Armado) flies, and (having no Anchor) when the storms of God's wrath arise, down she sinks to desperation, and perisheth in the bottomless pit or burning lake of fire and brimstone, where weele leave her to receive a just recompense of reward.

London Printed by Tho. Cotes for the Author; and are to be sold by Sarah Fairbeard, at the North door of the Royal Exchange. 1646.