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Show 4<i'l r668. i./'V""V Chap.XIX. No CROSS1 No CR.OWM Sorrow, and comfort thy Self in the Knowledge thou hall had of me, aad of my Aft:ions; aua lead tht reft of thy Ltfe, Wi~h t~ar honeft lnduUr~ thou haft addi8:td thy felfunto • .And dedJcnflng bts Life to God, be exptred. §. LXXVI. <fpfit~tvl1, Contemporary with &nun,. and an excellent Man, thought no Man worth~ ?f the Prof~ffion of PhdoJophy, tbar wai nor purifod from the Errors of bu Nature. H1s Moral~ ~ere, very exc~l~ent Which he compriz'd under thefe ~wo yY"ords, Sufl.a~nmg :md .Abflam~ng_; or Bearing and Forbearing: to ~vOld Ev1l, a.n~ p:mem~y to fuffe_r AfthEt~ons: Which do cenainly corilpnZe the Chriflum Do8:n~e and Ltfe, :J.ndts the Perfe/liorl of the heft Philofoph·~ rhar ~· at. any Time tau~ht byEgyptians, Greeks or ~omans, when It fign.Ified Vtrtue, Self-Dental, and J Life of Religious Solttude and Contem{>lauon, . How little rhe Chrijli11n$ of the Tl!TI~s are true Phdofophen, ~nd hoW much more thefe Pbilofophcn were ClJrijllflm than they, let rhe RlghteQus Principle in every Confcience, Judge. But is it not then intolerable, tha't they fhould be efteemed Cbriflianr, who are yet to learn to be good lien~ them? That prate of Grace and ]\fat~re, and know neither? Who wil] prefume to determine ~hat's become of Heathens, and know nor, wher~ rhey are themfelves nor mind what may become ofthern? That can run readily over a Ted-i~us Lifl of famous Perfonages, and calumniate fuch as will not ·wi'th them, Celebrate their Methories, wah extravagant and fupertl.uous'Praifes whilft they make it laudabl'e to aa the contrary : and none fo ready a ~ay ro become Vile, as not to be Vicious: A ftrange ParJdOx, but too true ' So Blind, fn· Stupifod, fo Befotte4 ;rre. the foolifh Sen!U:~.Iills of the World, under their great· Pretences to Re!ig1on, Faith and .Worjhip. Ah! did they but know the Ptact, rh* Joy, the unfpe:~.kable Ravlfhmems of Soul, that infep:uably anend the InnoCent, h:nmlefs, finland Retired Life of Jcfus? Did they hut weigh within themfelves, the Authors of their vain Delig1Ju and Pajlim(s, the Nature and Difpofition, they are fo s:rateful to, the Dangerous Confeqnence of exercifing rhe Mind and it'1 A&eftions below, and arrefting and taking them up fro'm their due Artcn· dance and Obedience to the moft holy crying Voice in their Confciences, Repent, ·Return, all is Vanity, and Vexation of Spirit: \Vere but thefc Things reftefred upon ; were the ince.ffant Woings of Jifus, and his importunate Knocks and Enu·eatiu, by his Light and Grace, at tile Door of their Hearts, but kindly anfwered, and he admitted to t:Jke up his abode there: And laftly, were fuch refolved to give up to the Inft ructions and holy Guidance of his Eternal Spirit, in all the humble, heavenly and righteQuS Converfation it requires, and of which he is become our Captain and Example: Then, 0 then, both Root and BranchofVanity; the Nature that invented, and that which delights her felf therein, with all the Follies rhemfelves, would be oonfumed and vani!h, But they, alas! Cheat tbemfelves, by miiconfirue& Scriptures, and daub with the un tempered Mottar of mifapplyed Promifes. They wi1l be Saints, whilft they are Sinners; and in Chrilt, whilft in the Spirit of the World, w~lking after the Flefh, and nor after the Spirit, by which the true Children of God are led. ..Myf'ri~nd$, mind theJuit Witnefs and holy Principle in your fc:lves, that you may experimentally know more of the Divine Life, in which (:md not in a Multitude of vain Repetitions) true and folid Felicity Eternally oontlfis. IV. Nor is this Reputation, Wifdom and Virtue, only to beatrributed to Men: There were Women alfo in the Greek and Roman Ages, that honoured their Sex by great Examples of Meeknefs, Prudence and Chafiity: And which I do the rarher mention, that the Honour Story yields to their virtuous Conduet, may ra,ife an allowable Emulation in thofe of rheir own Sex, at leaft, to equal the Nobl~ Charatl:er given them by Antiquity: I will begin with- §. LXXVII. ~lntlop~, Wife to Uiyf!u, a Woman Eminent for her BeautY and Quality, but more for her fingular Chaflity. Her Hu!band wac; ahfent from her Twenty Years; partly in Serv,tcc of l.lis Country, and partly VoL. I. No CROSS, No CRGWN. p:mly in Exile, and being believed to be Dead; fh~ was e:ncefily fought by divers Lovers, and prelt by her PJrents, ro change her Condition; but :111 the Importunities of the one, or Perfwafions of the other, not prevailing, her Lovers fe'em'd to ufe a kind of Violence, that where they-could not In~ tice, they would Compel: To which l}le yielded, upon this Condition; That they ffJOJIId no/ prifs ber to marry,, tillfo~ bad endtd the Workjhe bad itt Hanl: Which they granting, jhe unJul hy Nrgbt wh.1t foe wrought by Day ; and with that hcnefi Device, fhe delay'd their Defire, t.il1 her worthy Hus· bJnd return'd, whom fhe receiv~d, tho' in Beggar's Clothes, wich an Heart full of Love and Truth. A Conflancy that Reproaches too many of the Women of the Times, who, without the .Excufe of fuch an Abfencc, can vio· late their Hufband'sBeds; Her· Work fhews the Induftry and Emplorment, even of the Women of great Quality in thofe Timet; whilfi thofe of the prefenc Age defpi{e fHch bonefl Labour, as Mean and Mubanical. §. LXXVIll. · 'ltb~O~Ina . a WomJn of great Virtue, being in a Pl2ee en· compaffed by the Armies of the King of .Alaudoni(1, findi ng (he could not efcape their Hands, rathtr than {allun!er .tbe Pou:er of bi$.Soldiers, t o_be defiled, chofe to Die: JJ.nd tbuefore jlymg 11110 the Sea, dehvere~ her "f:if~ up in tbe Waters; Thereby chuting Death, rather than fa\'e her Ltfe wah the Hnard of her Virrue. § . . LXXIX. 19allb0!8 and \Szotogenfa, two Virtuous DJughtets of an .Athenian Ki1•g, feeing their Country like to be overun by it's Enetnies, freely o.f(ued their LiVu in Sacrdiu, to appeafe the FHry (If t!•eir Enemies, for the PrefervatiM of tbrir CoHnt ry. §. LXXX. J!fppatcbfa, a fait li!nudonian l'irtin, Noble of Blood (35 they term ir) bm more truly Noble of Mind, I cannot omit to mention; who entertain'd fo carneft an AffeElion for Crates, the Cynical PbiloJopher, as weB for his fevere Life, as excellent Difcourfe, that by no Means could her Relations nor Suitors, by all their \Ve:tlth, Nobility and Beauty, dif~ fwade her from being his Companion: Upon which ftrange Refolution, they all betook themfelves to Crater, befecchin~ him to fhew himfelf a true Philofopb~r, in perf wading her ro defifi: Wh1ch he firongly endeavour~ ed by many Arguments; bur not prevailing, went his Way, and brought all the little Furniture of his Houfe, and !hewed her: This ( fa;,b be) is thy Hufband; that, th~ Furniture of thy Houfe: Confider on ir, for thou canft not be mine, unlefs thou followeft the fame Courfe of Life: (For, being Rich above Twenty Talents, which is more than 5ClQOO I. he ncgleEl:ed .:111, to follow a retired Life:) All which had fo contrary aq Effect, that fhe tm ... medi:Jtely went to him, before them all, andfirid, I feek nor the Pomp and Efteminacy of this World, but Knowledge and Virtue, C,·~us 1 and chufe a Life of Temperance, before a Life of Delicacies : For true SatisfaS:!on, thou knoweft, is in the Mind; and that Ple:Jfure is only worth feekmg, th:t_t lafis for ever. Thus was it, fhe became the confiJnt Companion both of his Love and Life, his Friendfhip and his Virtues; Trarelling with him from Place to Place, and performing the publick Exercifes of Infl:ru£\-ion with Crates, whereever they came. She was a moft violent Enemy to all Impiety, bmefpeci:Jlly t<.l wanton Men and Women. and thofe, whofeGJrb and ConverfJtion !hew'd them devoted to \•ain Pleafures and PJftimes: Effeminacy rend ring the like P~rfons nor only Unprofitable, but Perniciou~ ro· the whole World. Which fhe as well made good by the Example of her exceeding Indufiry, Temperance and Severity, as thofe are wont to do, by th.eir Intemperance and Folly: For Ruin of Health, E!tates. Virrue, :Jnd Loft of Erernal Happinefs, have ever attended, and ever will attend fuch earrhlv Minds. §. LXXXI. l!.Uctetia, a moll Chafte RomM Dame, whofe NJme ;~nd Virtue is known by that Tragedy that follows them. For Sextrt.s, the Son pf Tarquin the Proud, King of Rome, hearing it was her Cuft.O(Jl .to work late jn her Chamber, did there attempt her, with his S"!'ord m hts ~and, voruil!g, He would run her through; and put one of h1~ Servants 10 the Poftu.rc of lying with her, on purpofe to defame her, If lhe would .not · Fff' yield 4°3 !668. ~ Chap .. )\IX |
