Words of Peace
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A89507.0001.001
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
WORDS OF PEACE OR, Dr. MANTONS LAST SAYINGS Many of them taken from him on his Death-Bed, or observed on other Remarkable Occasions; Tending very much to the Edification of Christians.
1. IN his Sickness, lying under great Pains, he was heard to use this expression. Lord keep me from Dishonouring Thy Name by impatiency; Blessed be God there is nothing of Hell in all this.
2. Restrain and Bridle your Passions in Religious matters, and never contend about Punctilio's.
3. The latter days will be hard times, and yet happy times, miserable in the beginning, but glorious in the Issue, for 'tis the Course of Divine Dispersations after the greatest Distractions to bring forth the greatest harmony.
4. He who Countenances a Fault, is more Guilty than he that Commits it; for there may be frailty in the one, but you cannot excuse the other from Malice.
5. Be ever more tender of your Conscience then of your Reputation.
6. When the Flesh is too much made of, the Soul loses it vigor; and he that is addicted to delights, rarely has a Noble Generous and true Christian mind.
7. Bride is nothing but a Pompuous Excrescency of Folly.
8. Provided that people agree in Religious principles, let them never be like the Bulls of Bashan, Goring and Wounding each other.
9. When a people begin to Innovate, 'tis an hard matter to keep them within the bounds of any Moderation.
10. Men of Lucians temper, by jesting against received Rites, insensibly lose all sense and awe of Religion, and by Scoffing at False God's, come the less to Dread the True.
11. They are Guilty of a strange Unfaithfulness, in point of Stewardship towards God, who do not employ their Superfluities in the Relief of the Poor and Miserable.
12. A good man may be Innocently revenged of his Enemies, by persisting in well-doing, and a bad man by reforming his life.
13. Pride is a vice insupportable in the rich, but absolutely abominable in the poor, it renders one a Fool, the other a Brute.
14. Ill affections do as often divide us as ill Opinions, and distempered Spirits occasion distracted times, wars come from our Lusts, Jam. 4. 1.
15. Too many men make Idols of their own conceptions, and love an Opinion, not because 'tis true, but because 'tis theirs.
16. A man should as carefully avoid an error in Judgment, as a vice in Conversation; for God hateth filthiness of the Spirit, as well as filthiness of the Flesh.
17. Easie credulity and stubborn prejudice, are the two great fomenters of Religious differences.
18. The Adversaries of Christianity, have been always those that have least inquired into it's nature.
19. Do not appropriate Christ to any one party of Professors; The Apostle reproves those that said, I am of Christ, as well as those that said, I am of Paul, 1 Cor. 1. 13. Those that spake as if Christ were only Theirs, were accounted a Faction too.
20. We prize a Jewel in a Toads head, how much more should we love grace in brethren, whose blemish is only some petty dissent.
21. 'It is fatal to Religion, when once we cry up Names, and those names beget Parties, for then men look only to accomodate their own faction, though it be to the hazard of religion, and public peace.
22. You make the best purchases when you relieve those that are in necessity, and by the act gain more than those on whom your Bounties are bestowed.
23. Rebukes in private Dealings of Friendship should come from us as afflicting as if the fault were our own, and wear rather Mourning than Scorn.
24. He only Reproves another with faithfulness, that can suffer himself to be reproved with Thankfulness.
25. Self-interest twines itself to far into all our actions, that it infects our very Charity; Men will be bountiful sometimes, because they are ambitious, and purchase the shadow of one virtue with the real loss of another; If at all we fling our bread upon the Waters, we choose not Currents that run all one way from us, but tideing Waters, we do good only to such as many return it.
26. He must be a Fool who sells himself to buy a Garment, how then dare you expose your soul to gratify your body?
27. Never divulge slanders against any, nor encourage them, but entertain all lessoning disparagings of others with tingling Ears, slow belief, blushes for the defamer as well as the defamed, a dejected countenance, an excusing tongue, or a distasteful silence.
28. To smite with the hand is beneath a man, to smite with the Tongue beneath a Christian, and yet how often are Christians guilty of both biting and devouring one another, as the Apostle most aptly phrases, Gal. 5. 15.
29. Patient sufferings carry more Majesty with them than carnal replies and defences.
30. Of all men it worst becomes the Ambassadors of the Prince of Peace to be men of Violence.
31. Admonitions are not to be counted accusations.
32. Some men love to live in the fire, and be always handling the red hot questions of the Age with passion and Acrimony: but alas! this doth no good.
33. 'It is very unwarrantable to gain Men to a party before they be gained to God.
34. Arrows of bitter words are no Weapons of our spiritual warfare.
35. The small Rain does most good on the tender Grass, he that speaks to dissenters, should do it with all meekness and kindness, let your arguments be as strong as you can, but be sure let your words be soft.
36. There may be divers colors, but there should be no Rent in the Churches Coat.
37. 'It is good to preserve truth, but small distempers need not violent cures, he's a mad man that fires his house to destroy the Mice in it.
38. Paul is everywhere most zealous against erors, yet none more earnest than he to bring Circumsion and Uncircumsion, to a profession of Brotherhood.
39. Strings that are in Tune must not be stirred, others must be set up to them; the disobedient must be brought up to the Wisdom of the Just, not that down to them, for where the Language is pure the Soldier is one, Zep. 3. 9.
40. The great occasion of the decay of Piety amongst Professors, is because they spend all the heat and first born of their strength and zeal in contentions about opinions without regard to practice.
41. False Doctrines and bad lives, like Ice and water do mutually beget each other.
42. Those that kindle Coals, and seek to increase the flames of discontent, and Animosites amongst the people of God, are Factors for the Devil, who is pictured with a Cloven foot, only to signify that his work is to cause and continue divisions in the world.
43. God rules the world by the lusts of his enemies, and the Prayers of his Saints, disappointing one, and stirring up and answering the other, accomplishes the designs of providence.
44. Corrupt company is more Infectiou •… than corrupt Air.
45. Conquer Will, and you Conquer Hell; The principal Point in difference between God and Sinners, is whose Will shall stand, his or theirs.
46. There is nothing in the world mo •… dangerous to the public Welfare either o •… State or Churches, than private self-seeking.
47. The more low and useless we are our own Eyes, the sitter we are to be employed by God, who poureth the Oil of his Grace into broken Vessels.
48. The Keys of Eternal life are self-denying Graces, Faith and Repentance, by the o •… we are taught to go out of ourselves, by th •… others to abhor ourselves.
49. Restitution as it is a most necessary, it is one of the most hardest parts of self-d •… nyal, when a covetous heart must be forc •… to vomit up all it's sweet Morsels again; U •… just gain is like a barbed Arrow, it kills if stay within the body, and it tears and pulls t •… Flesh away with it, if it be drawn out.
50. I never much liked Projectors in any kind, they usually delude others, and undo themselves: but above all, a Projector in Learning is one of the most unhappy, and o •… all Learning none more dangerous than Projector in Theology; the likeliest piece Timber, out of which to shape first a •… tick, and after that an Heretic, and at Atheist.
London, Printed by A. P. and T. H. for P. Brooksby, at the Golden Ball, in West-Smith field, near the Hospital-Gate. 1677.
With Allowanc •…