Former and Latter Sayings Upon Several Occasions
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/B18440.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
OLD Mr. EDMUND CALAMY'S Former and Latter Sayings upon several Occasions.
1. TAke heed of a mistake in the two great Gospel Graces: 1. Of Faith. 2. Of Repentance; and know where one goes to Hell by Despair, hundreds go thither by Presumption.
2. Since so many mistake through vain hope of Heaven, be much in Examination to prove your own selves: To be deceived in this, necessitates Damnation.
3. Remember that Self-flattery is Soul-Mockery.
4. Seek Heaven first before other things, and more than other things.
5. In a matter of this weight, delay is desperately dangerous.
6. He that defers Repentance until Old Age, may expect to have this retort: Where you have spent your Flower, there go spend your Bran.
7. Despise not Christ's Ministers; he that is above their Teachings, is above Christ's, for Christ Teacheth by them.
8. Yet Blessed are those, that whilst the Minister speaks to their Ear, that God also speaks to their Hearts.
9. Take heed of Formal and Customary serving of God; such Service is Mockery.
10. Rest not contented in the Name of Christianity, such Christians have a lively name, and but a dead practice; 'twill be a sad thing to seem to go to Heaven.
11. It will be a double Hell to go within an Inch of Heaven, and at last miscarry.
12. To praise Sermons heard, or to admire them, and not to live Sermons; Sodom and Gomorrah 's case at the day of Judgment will be better than yours.
13. Take heed that worldly Love doth not eat out a Christian-Life.
There is no sin so contrary to true Godliness, as worldly-mindedness.
14. Let your first Morning thought, and your last Evening thought be, What shall become of you to all Eternity.
15. Reckon sin the greatest of Evils, and rather chose the greatest affliction than the least sin.
16. Communicate those Graces God hath given you, to those with whom you Converse; true Grace is of a spreading Nature; effectual Grace will labor to convert others.
17. Labor to be good in every Relation, good Subjects, good Husbands, good Masters, good Neighbors.
18. Join to your Piety, works of Mercy and Charity; God hates a Niggardly Christian. Let the Pious Rich-man be Rich in good Works.
19. Take heed of separating from the Public Assemblies; he that doth so, is like a man tumbling down a Hill, and never leaving till he comes to the bottom of it.
20. Though Truth in these Erronious days be unsettled, yet labor to get your Consciences settled.
21. Avoid those Doctrines that are against either Magistracy, or Ministry, or which tend to profane Liberty, or that cry up free Grace to cast down good Works.
22. Take heed of Apostasy in your Judgments to err from the Truths of Christ, in your affections from your Love to Christ, or in your Conversations in exact walking with Christ.
23. Study often and often the four last things:
- 1. The Meditation of death will prepare you for death.
- 2. The Meditation of Heaven will make you Heavenly-minded.
- 3. The Meditation of Hell will keep you from Hell.
- 4. The Meditation of Judgment will be a Bridle to keep you from sin.
24. No man hath a Lock and Key of God's Patience. The Old World was warned one hundred and twenty years; Jerusalem 's Destruction was but forty years; Nineveh 's Destruction was but forty days; and of Sodom's Destruction, Lot had but one Nights warning.
25. God hath three degrees of Wrath; First, His Threatning-Wrath: Second, His Punishing-Wrath: Third, His Condemning-Wrath.
26. As soon as Adam sin'd, he was cast out of Paradise; and as soon as Angels sin'd, they were cast into Hell.
27. Sin is a Wall of separation between God and us: To turn from Sin, will break down this Wall.
28. Sin puts difference betwixt Nation and Nation.
29. But O the Divine Rhetoric of Repentance, this is that Star will bring us unto Christ.
30. As we have filled God's Bag with our Sins, so let us fill his Bottle with our Tears.
31. There was no little price paid for sins; there is no little disobedience in a little sin.
32. To disobey God in a little, is no little disobedience.
33. A little Bodkin may wound a Caesar to death.
34. For our many Church-sins, Sermon-sins, Sacrament-sins, let us have answerable Repentance.
35. Drunkenness is grown to that Giant-like bigness, that there is no hopes of redress.
36. Whore-mongers and Adulterers God will Judge, if man will not.
37. The Covetuous Earth-worm, his heart is stufft with Earth, and his Ears are stopped with Earth; God will give him Earth enough when he dies, and he is like to have little enough of Heaven.
38. The Pride of Apparel in following the Fashion of other Nations; how justly may we expect that God should make us Slaves to that Nation.
39. A Penitent Tear is an undeniable Ambassador.
40. No man can go to Heaven by Humiliation, without Reformation.
41. The Crown we Fight for; the Garland we Run for; the Mark we aim at, is Mercy.
42. Though we could Fast till we were Anatamists; though we could Pray till our Knees were as hard as Camels: This is the great and everlasting Fast, to Fast from sins.
43. Where sin rules, there God and Mercy will not stay.
44. Sin is a Serpent in the Bosom, a Thief in the House, Poison at the Stomack, and a Sword at the very Heart of a Nation.
45. There are many in the world, are the worse for Mercies; that are like unto Dunghills; the more the Son of Mercy shines upon them, the more they stink.
46. There are many; the more Health, the more Wealth; the more Honor they receive from God, the more they harden their hearts against God.
47. He that sins against Mercy, sins against the best Friend that ever he shall have.
48. God forbid that ever any should be so brutish as to sin, and not to be ashamed of sin.
49. Many content themselves with a drop of Praises for a Sea of Mercies.
50. The Devil was the first that ever named God's name in Scripture, and one of the first that ever confessed Christ to be the Son of God, and yet he was a Devil for all that.
51. It is a Devillish thing to praise God with our Lips, and serve the Devil with our Lives.
52. He that will not follow the Example of Christ's Life, shall never be saved by the Merit of his Death.
53. It is a maxim in Nature, every Master is to be served according as himself commands.
54. He that will truly serve God, must serve none but him.
55. The Living God expects not only living, but lively Service.
56. You are not sit to serve the Lord, unless ye be fervent in Spirit.
57. The God whom ye serve, is the same in all times, he alters not, no more must his Servants.
58. If thou canst find out a place where God doth not see thee, there it shall be Lawful for thee to serve the Devil.
59. God is a Master that cannot err in his Commands; this is Reason sufficient, the unerring God will have it so.
60. Sir Thomas Moore, his good saying, I will not pin my Salvation upon any man's Sleeve, because I know not whither he will carry it.
61 He that serves God only for Heaven, sells his Service to God.
62. A true Servant of God may have an Eye to the recompense of Reward, as Moses had; but he must have but one Eye upon the Reward, not both, and the left Eye too; for our chief and last aim must be at God's Glory.
63. And this is the right Serving of God, to serve him with a servant-like subjection, and with a Son-like affection.
64. We do not expect as much light from a Candle as from the Sun: God expects the great Lights of the World to out-shine others in Holiness.
65. Men expect the most Service from those they give most Wages.
66. When Divine Wisdom and Honor meet together, they are like Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver.
67. Great men are like unto Looking-glasses, according to which all the Country dress themselves.
68. Those that are Time-servers, and not God-servers, their Religion is like a piece of wax, to be molded into any frame.
69. It is Wisdom to observe times, so as to know our Duty: But it is damnable Wickedness to serve the Times, and not the Lord.
70. There are many that give their Cap and Knee to God, but themselves to Sin and Iniquity.
71. God hath his Hand-writing on the wall, to make the great Belshazzers of the Earth to tremble.
72. There are but few that are Great and Rich here, and Great and Rich hereafter.
73. In Christ's time poor Lazarus went to Heaven, and rich Dives was carried to Hell.
74. It is the certainest sign of a Reprobate to have much wages here, and to want a heart to do service with it.
75. The Service of God is perfect freedom, and it will free us from all other Services.
76. The service of sin, as it is shameful, so it is unfruitful.
77. Wonder not why God's Servants are so poor; this Life is the time of working, hereafter we shall have wages enough.
78. There are many dear Servants of God, to whom God giveth very little wages in this Life, because he fore-sees, that if they had a great part of their wages afore-hand, they would do but little work.
79. Those that converse with the God of all joy, must needs be filled with all joy.
80. A Swine finds no delight in a green Meadow, because it is a Swine.
81. A wicked man at God's Service, is like a Fish out of his Element.
82. One Sparrow is not worth half a Farthing; you shall not have half a farthing-worth of harm, more than God hath from all Eternity decreed.
83. When Moses went up to the Mount to Pray, he took the Rod of God in his Hand: the Reason is given, because, by that Rod God had formerly done wonderful things for his people.
84. There are but two ways to Heaven, either by Innocency, or by Penitency.
LONDON, Printed for W. B. 1674. 71.