a child should be used to be contradicted and as soone as the light of reason beginns to dawne in his young soul he must be taught to subject his will unto reason Growne men hardned in that vice by ill breeding and the flattery of men and fortune yet may be healed if they will remove the causes of the disease Since then Obstinacy is a compound of ignorance and pride they must strive against both Good instruction will expell ignorance and as knowledge growes especially that of God and themselves Pride will decrease and they will become docile and susceptible of better information And whereas Obstinacy puts reason out of her seat subjecting her to passion her naturall subject they must endeavour to restore reason to her right place and authority forbidding the will to determine before reason hath given her verdict or to give a resolution for a reason for if the resolution bee unreasonable one must go from it the sooner the better It is unworthy of a man to have no reason but his will and custome and being asked why he persisteth in this course not to give his reason for answer but his Passion Indeed obstinate men will give many reasons of their fixednesse in their opinion but let them examine soberly and impartially whether their opinion be grounded upon those reasons or whether they alledge those reasons because they will be of that Opinion While wee goe about weaning of our mind from obstinacy wee must take heed of falling into a contrary evill a thousand times more dangerous which is to betray truth and righteousnes to complie with the time For wee must never ballance whether God or men must be obeyed We must not follow the multitude to do evill though the world should charge us with Obstinacy If our conscience tell us that wee deserve not that charge wee may rest satisfied for wee are accountable to God of our opinion not of the opinion that others have of us It is Constancy not Obstinacy to maintaine truth and good conscience even to the last breath despising publique opposition and private danger I joine truth with good conscience because if the question be of a truth which may be left undefended without wronging a good conscience it would be a foolish Obstinacy to swimme against a violent and dangerous streame to defend it But if it be such a truth as cannot be baulked without breaking faith with God and turning from a good conscience wee must persist in it and resist unto blood when wee are put to it And better it is to be called opiniatre then to be perfidious CHAP. XI Of Wrath. I put Wrath among the retinue of Pride as descended from it To this one might oppose that wrath is attributed to God in many texts of Scripture And that the Apostle saith Eph. 4. Be angry and sinne not And therefore that anger is not evil and must be fathered upon a better Authour then Pride These objections will helpe us to know the nature of wrath It is certaine that there is no passion in God But it is certaine also that if anger were a vice it should not be attributed unto God The wrath of God is an indignation declared by effects shewing a resenting of the offense offered unto his glory As then the anger of God proceeds from his glory so the vicious anger of man proceeds from his pride which is a bastard glory As for the other objection out of St Pauls precept Be angry and sinne not whence it followes that one may be angry and not sinne wee must distinguish betweene good and evill anger The vicious anger comes out of pride which is the evill glory of man The good anger comes out of the glory of God for the anger of Gods children when they heare his name blasphemed or see some horrible crime committed with the ceremonies of devotion and justice is a sense which they have of Gods glory whose violation moveth them to jealousy It is good to be angry for such occasions but because anger is prone to runne into excesse and to mingle particular animosities with the interesse of Gods glory the Apostle gives us a caveat to be angry and sinne not Then the vicious and the vertuous anger differ in the object chiefely the vertuous regards the interesse of God the vicious the interesse of a mans selfe but both proceed from glory and have their motions for the vindication of glory For as religious anger hath for its motive the glory of God the motive of vicious anger is particular glory and the resenting of private contempt true or imagined The proudest men are the most cholerick for being great lovers of themselves valuing themselves at a very high rate they deeme the smallest offences against them to be unpardonable crimes Truly no passion shewes more how necessary it is to know the nature and price of things and of our selves above all things for he that apprehends well how small a thing he is will not think the offenses against him to be very great and will not be much moved about them The certainest triall to know how proficient we are in humility is to examine whether we have fewer and easier fits of choller then before Ignorance of the price of things and owning things that are none of ours are the chiefe causes of disorder in all Passions but they are more evident in the Passion of anger because it is more violent and puts forth those errours to the outside which other Passions labour to hide Besides these causes Anger flowes out of more springs as great and rapid rivers are fed by many sources Weakeness contributes much to it for although a fit of anger looke like a sally of vigour and courage yet it is the effect of a soft spirit Great and strong spirits are patient but weake and imbecill natures can suffer nothing and like doors loosely hung are easily gotten off the hookes The wind stirres leaves and small branches seldome the bodies of great trees Light natures also are easily agitated with choller solid minds hardly All things that make a man tender and wanton makes him also impatient and chollerick as covetousness ambition passionate love ease and flattery The same effect is produced by the large licence given to the wandering of thoughts curiosity credulity idlenesse love of play And it is much to be wondered at that anger is stirred by contrary causes prosperity and adversity the replying of an adversary and his silence too much and too little businesse the glory to have done well and the shame to have done evill so phantasticall is that passion There is nothing but will give occasion of anger to a peevish and impatient spirit The causes of anger being past telling our labour will be better bestowed to consider the effects sufficient to breed an horrour against that blustering passion even in those that are most transported by it when they looke back upon that disorder in cold blood Fierce anger
filial love confidence and obedience The other rule that wee may finde Joy in all things that are either of good or indifferent nature is to seeke it according to the kind and capacity of every thing To that end we must be carefull that the Joy that wee take in God be as little under him as it is possible to us and that the Joy that wee take in other things be not above them Since then God is all good all perfect all pleasant the onely worthy to be most highly praised and most entirely beloved wee must also most exceedingly rejoyce that he is ours and wee his and that we are called to be one with him As for other things let us judiciously examine what Joy they can give us and lose nothing of the content which their capacity can afford looking for no more For there is scarce any sorrow in the world but proceeds from this cause to have expected of humane things a Joy beyond their nature Now this is the great skill of a minde serene religious industrous for his own content to know how to fetch joy out of all things and whereas every thing hath two handles the one good the other evill to take every thing dexterously by the right handle A man that hath that skill will rejoyce in his riches with a joy sortable to their nature And when he loseth them in stead of grieving that he shall have them no longer he rejoyceth that he had them so long If he lose one of his hands he rejoyceth that God preserveth him the other If he lose the health of his body he praiseth God for preserving to him the health of his minde If slandering tongues take his good name from him he rejoyceth that none can robbe him of the testimony of a good conscience If he be in the power of them that can kill his body he rejoyceth that they cannot kill his soul If he be condemned being innocent his joy that he is innocent drownes his sorrow that he is condemned Love and Joy are the two passions that serve to glorifie God and praise him for his benefits A thankfull admirer of Gods wisedome and bounty hath a cheerefull heart All things give him joy the beauty variety and excellency of Gods workes makes him say with David Psal 92.4 Lord I will triumph in the workes of thy hands He rejoyceth in hope to see better works and the Maker himselfe in whose sight and presence is fullnes of joy If he look up to heaven he rejoyceth that he hath a building of God a house not made with hands eternall in the heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 If he look upon his body he rejoyceth that in his flesh he shall see God If he looke upon his soul he rejoyceth that there he beares the renewed image of God and the earnest of his eternall adoption If he be poore he rejoyceth in that conformity with the Lord Jesus If he see wealth in the house of his neighbours he rejoyceth that they have the plenty splendor of it that himselfe hath not the cares and the temptations that attend it As many miseries as he seeth so many arguments hath he to glorifie God and rejoyce in his goodnesse saying Blessed be God that I am not maimed like that begging souldier nor lunatick like that bedlam nor going in shackles like that fellon nor a slave like that Counsellour of State He will keepe account of Gods benefits and considering sometimes his owne infirmities and naturall inclinations sometimes Gods wise providence in the conduct of his life he will acknowledge with a thankfull joy that God hath provided better for him then himselfe could have wisht that his crosses were necessary for him and that if he had had a fairer way he might have run headlong to ruine by his rashnesse It were infinite to enumerate all the subjects of joy that God gives to his children for his benefits are numberless his care continuall his compassions new every morning and the glory which he keepes for us eternall Which way can we turne our eyes and not finde the bounty of God visible and sensible Here then more evidently then any where else our happiness and our duty meet in one It is a pleasant task to worke our owne joy Now it is the task of Gods children in obedience to his express command by his Apostle 1 Thes 5.16 Rejoyce evermore See how urgent he is to recommend that duty Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alway and againe I say Rejoyce CHAP. IX Of Pride I Contend not whether Pride must be called a Vice or a Passion It is enough for me that it is an affection too naturall unto man the cause of many passions and a great disturber of inward tranquillity Pride is a swelling of the soul whose proper causes are too good an opinion and in consequence too great a love of ones selfe and whose most proper effects are ambition of dignity and greedinesse of praise Wherefore these two effects cannot be overcome unless we first overcome the cause which is presumption and a blinde immoderate love of a mans selfe It is impossible for a man to be tranquill and safe as long as he sits upon a crazy and tottering bottome Pride then making a man to ground himselfe upon himselfe cannot but keepe him in a perpetuall unquietness and vacillation How can ye beleeve saith the Lord Jesus to the Jewes which receive honour one of another and seeke not the honour that comes from God onely John 5.44 A text which taxeth Pride of two great evills That is robbes God of his glory and that it shakes the the foundation of faith For a proud man seekes not the glory of God but his owne and his owne glory hee doth not seeke of God but will get it of men by his owne merit Also it turnes his heart away from his trust in God to trust in his owne selfe Psal 10.13 The wicked boasteth of his hearts desire saith David that is he is confident that by his owne strength he shall compass all his projects And againe The wicked through the pride of his heart will not seeke after God for the one brings the other He that trusteth in himselfe and is highly conceited of his owne wisedome is easily perswaded that he hath no need of God That disposition of the mind is the high way to ruine Prov. 16.18 Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall For God to whom only glory belongeth cannot but be very jealous of those that wil ingross it to themselves declares open warre against them Psal 18.27 He will bring downe high lookes Jam. 4.6 He resisteth the proud but sheweth grace unto the humble Prov. 8.11 I hate pride and arrogancy saith Soveraine wisedome which is God As the winde hurts not the stalkes of herbs as long as they are supple and bowing but breakes them when they are become dry and stiffe The meeke and humble spirits that
is dreadfull when it is assisted with power It is an impetuous storme overthrowing all that lyeth in its way How many times hath it razed Citties turned Empires upside downe and extermined whole nations One fit of anger of Theodosius one of the best Emperours of the whole list slew many thousands of men assembled in the amphi-Theater of Thessalonica How many then have bin massacred by the wrath of wicked Princes And what slaughter should there be in the world if meane fellowes had as much power as wrath What disorders anger would worke abroad if it were backt with power one may judge by the disorder which it workes within a mans soul for with the overflowing of the gall into the mass of the blood wrath at the same time overflowes all the faculties of the mind suffocates the reason maddes the will and sets the appetite on fire Which is to be seene in the inflammation of the face the sparkling eyes the quick disorderly motion of the limbs the injurious words the violent actions Wrath turnes a man into a furious beast If man be a little world wrath is the tempest of it which makes of the soul a stormy Sea casting up mire and foame and breaking it selfe against rocks by a blind rage In the heat of such fits many get their death or do such things which they repent of at leasure afterwards for wrath brings forth an effect fortable to its cause it comes out of weakeness and it weakens a man there being nothing that disarmes body and mind more and exposes a man more to injuries Indeed when anger is kept within mediocrity it sharpens valour and awakes subtility and readinesse of wit But when it is excessive it makes the sinewes to tremble the tongue to stutter and reason to lose the free exercise of her faculties so that a man out of too much will cannot compasse what he wills Latin Authors calling that weake violence ira impotens impotent anger have given it the right epithete for it strips a man of his power over his owne selfe and of strength to defend himselfe In that tumultuous overthrow of the inward polity what place remaines for piety charity meeknesse justice equity and all other vertues for the serenity of the soul is the temperate climat where they grow but the heat of choller parcheth them they are not plants for that torrid Zone I know that many times vertue is a pretence for choller Angry men justifie their Passion by the right which they maintaine thinking that they cannot mantaine it with vigour enough Thus whereas other passions are corrupted by evill things this it corrupted by good things and then to be even with them it corrupteth those good things for there is no cause so good but it is marred by impetuous choller The great plea of anger is the injustice of others But we must not repell one injustice by another For although an angry man could keep himselfe from offending his neighbour he cannot excuse his offence against God and himselfe by troubling the serenity of his soul which is expelling the image of God for it is not reflected but in a calme soul and bringing in storme and confusision which is the devills image As when a hogshead of wine is shaken the dregs rise to the top and when the sea is raging the mire doth the like a fit of raging choller doth thrust up all the hidden ordure which was settled before by the feare of God or men The wrong done by others to piety and justice is no just reason for our immoderate choler For they have no need of such an ill champion which is rather a hinderance then a defense of their cause and to maintaine them transgresseth against them To defend such reasonable things as piety and justice there is need of a free reason and a sober sense And whether wee be incensed with the injury done to them or that which is done to us wee must be so just to ourselves as not to lay the punishment upon us for the faults of another or make ourselves miserable because our neighbours are wicked To that end wee must remember that in the violation of justice God is more interessed then wee are and knoweth how to punish it when he sees it expedient And if God will not punish it as yet our will must not be more hasty then his and it becomes us not to be impatient for our interess when himself is patient in the wrong done to his owne Let the cause of our anger be never so holy and just the sentence of St James is of perpetual truth Jam. 1.20 The wrath of man worketh not the righteousnes of God If it be the cause of God that we defend we must not use that good cause to bring forth evill effects the evill that incenseth us can hardly be so grievous as the losse of humanity and right reason of which a man is deprived by excessive wrath for Wrath is cruell and anger is outragious Prov. 27.4 It resteth in the bosome of fooles saith Solomon Eccles 79. Our good opinion and love of ourselves which when all is sayd are the chiefe causes of anger ought to be also the motives to abate or prevent it for would any man that thinks well of himselfe and loveth his owne good make himselfe vile brutish Now this is done by letting the raines lose to choler whereas the way to deserve the good opinion of ourselves and others is to maintaine ourselves calme and generous never removed from the imperial power over ourselves by any violence of passion Pro. 16.32 He that is slow to anger is better then the mighty and he that ruleth his spirit then he that takes a citty I account not Alexander the Great a great Conquerour since he was a slave to his anger A man that never drew sword and is master of himselfe is a greater Conquerour then he That calme disposition shall not want many provocations from those with whom wee must of necessity live servants especially and servile soules like unto cart horses that will neither goe nor drive unlesse they feel the whip or be terrified with a harsh angry tone Seneca gives leave to the wiseman to use such varlets with the words and actions of anger but not to be angry A difficult taske It is to be feared that by counterfeiting anger wee may become angry in good earnest and a man hath need of a sound premunition of reason and constancy before he come to use those wayes so easy it is to slip into anger when one hath cause for it and is persvaded that the faults of an idle servant cannot be mended without anger But anger is a remedy worse then most diseases and no houshold disorder is worth the disordering of our soules with passion Better were it to be ill served or not served at all then to make our servants our Masters giving them power to dispossesse us of the command of ourselves whensoever
with sicknesse and age 2 Cor. 5.1 Knowing that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from heaven It is by hope that the Martyrs all that suffer for righteousnesse see the crown layd on the top of their crosse and rejoyce in this promise of their Saviour Matth. 5.11 Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evill against you falsly for my sake rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven By hope we behave ourselves wisely in prosperity 1 Cor. 7.31 using this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away Hope beats down pride refraines lust and weans our hearts from the world Worldly hope disordereth the soul and makes a man go out of himself depending of the future and losing the present and is alwayes wavering and feaverish But heavenly hope although it transport the soul above herself and make her depend upon future goods sets her neverthelesse in a quiet steady frame because the soul rising to God receiveth God who makes her his home so that a man by hope enjoyes beforehand part of the goods which he aspires unto Hope groweth like rivers more and more as it draweth neerer the end of its course And when it hath brought the godly soul into the Ocean of felicity there it loseth the name of Hope and becomes Enjoyment CHAP. VIII Of the duty of Praising God SInce wee already embrace eternal goods by hope as wee desire to beginne now the joyes of heaven we must resolve to beginne the dutyes of that blessed Estate To seeke the first without the second would be an ungenerous disposition and an impossible undertaking If wee apprehend aright that the felicity of man consisteth in his duty and that the glory of the blessed Saints in heaven consisteth in glorifying God we will seeke in that great duty our felicity and delight to sing our part even in this life in the hymnes of those glorious spirits Nothing gives to the soule so great a peace Nothing elevateth the soule to such a Paradice like Joy The love of God is preferred before faith and hope because these seeke their owne good but that seeketh Gods glory Which to a godly soule being much more considerable then her owne happines yet is found to be the soveraigne happines of him that seekes it before his owne good Neither is there any more certaine and compendious way to get glory to ourselves then to seeke Gods onely glory In this then the godly man must delight and can never want matter for it all things giving him occasion to praise God either for his mercy to his children or his justice to his enemies or his power and wisedome eminently shining in all his workes or the infinite perfection that abideth in himselfe God hath made all creatures for his praise and none of his material creatures can praise him but man onely And of all men none but the godly praise him Or if others doe it for company it becomes them not neither are their praises accepted Then upon the godly lyeth the whole taske to praise God for other creatures that cannot or will not praise him But that taske is all pleasure as nothing is more just so nothing is more delightfull then that duty Look about upon the fields richly clad with the plenty and variety of nature Looke up to heaven and admire that great light of the world the Sun so wonderfull in his splendour vertue and swift nesse When he is set looke upon the gloryes of the night the Moone and the starres like so many bright jewels set off by the black ground of the skie and setting forth the magnificence of their maker See how some of them keep ea certaine distance among themselves marching together without the least breaking of their ranks some follow their particular courses but all are true to their motions equal and infallible in their regulated periods Then being amazed and dazelled with that broad light of Gods greatnes and wisedome let every one make this question to himselfe Why doeth God make me a beholder of his workes Why among so many different creatures hath he made me one of that onely kinde to whom he hath given reason to know and admire the workman a will to love him a tongue to praise him Is it not that I might render him these duties in the name of all his other workes And to this duty I am obliged by the lawes of thankfulnes since all these other workes are for me good reason then that I should be for God lending my tongue and my heart to the whole universe to love praise and blesse the great and good authour of this rich and beautiful Nature O the greatnes the goodnes the wisedome of the incomprehensible Creatour And among all his attributes manifested in this admirable workmanship O how his tender mercies are over all his workes How every part of this great work is compleat How all the parts are well sorted together helping and sustaining one another with a wise Oeconomy O if the worke be so perfect what must the workman be If the streames be so cleare what must the source be Upon these if wee fix our meditation with a holy attention wee shall heare that speech which St John heard being rapt up in spirit Rev. 5.3 I heard saith he every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them saying Blessing honour glory and power unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lambe for ever and ever From Nature looking to Providence let us observe how notwithstanding the opposition of spiritual malices and the preversnesse and blindnesse of men yea and by these very things God advanceth his glory maintaineth his truth and formeth a secret order in confusion For the execution of his decrees a Million of engines are set on work subordinate or co-ordinate among themselves wherby things most remote yet meet in the order of causes to produce the effects appointed in Gods counsel Where the chief matter of wonder is that many of these causes are free agents which doing what they will bring forth most part of the time that which they will not and by the uncertainty of their giddy agitations arrive to the certain End determined by God Who can comprehend the innumerable multitude of the accidents of the world all written in Gods Book and dispensed by his providence that infinitely capacious and ever watchfull wisdom ever in action though ever at rest which by the order he gives to the greatest things is not distracted from the care of the least He makes the heavens to move and the earth to bear and disposeth of peace
you have it you shall reape from it a more sincere content because you shall require of it as much as its nature affords and no more Strength also and Health are things desired not laudable as things that come by nature not by will Great strength of body is commonly accompanied with a weake minde and that disproportion is augmented with much feeding and obligeth nature to bestow the maine Magazine of spirits upon disgestion distribution of meat and hardning of the brawnes of the limbs to enable them for strong labour leaving but few spirits to attend reasoning contemplating Speak to perpetuall hunters of the delight of speculation you shall finde them little more capable of it then their hounds which are the highest point of their meditation To their minde is very convenient the definition which Aristotle gives to the Soul that it is the first act that is the principle of the motion of an organical body for their soul seemes to be made for no other end but to move their body It is certain that too great excercise of the body dulls the mind The preheminency of man above beasts consisteth in reason and the capacity of knowing and loving God Men that are proud of their strength robore corporis stolidè feroces placing their advantage and content in a thing wherein they are inferiour to many beasts descend from their dignity and take place under their natural subjects He that with his forehead would knocke a great naile into a post to the very head deserved this praise that next to a Bull he had the hardest head of all beasts Health of all goods of the body is most to be desired yea more then life A truth not contradicted by the knowne Maxime that the end is better then the meanes for I hold not health to be subordinate unto life but life unto health Being is the meanes and well being is the end Non est vivere sed valere vita So Mecenas must be left to his owne Opinion desire who though he were maimed hands and feet and had all his teeth loose in his head and a bunch on his crooked back would think himselfe well if he had but life Yea if by enduring the sharpest tortures of the cross he might keepe life he would willingly endure them His enemies could wish him no greater harme then to buy life at that rate The body being made for the soul the true natural benefit of Health is not long life but the liberty of the actions of the mind For the minde stickes so to the body that it cannot act very freely in a body tormented with acute paine or pined with a lingring disease Wherefore that we may go through that necessary captivity as easily as may be an especial care must be had of the health of our body taking all occasion from it of accusing the excesses ill government of the minde for the corruption and inflammation of the humours behaving ourselves with our body not as living for it but as unable to live in the world without it Our minde was made for a better end then to serve the flesh Yet let us give it faithfully its due as to the horse that carryes us in our journey It must be fed and tended else it will faile us in the way Curious persons commit two faults about the care of their bodies They bestow much cost and labour to adorne them but they neglect their health exposing themselves halfe naked to cold aire to shew a fine halfe shirt as if they furnisht their roomes with rich hangings and suffered the raine to fall on them for want of repairing the roofe In matter of cloathes health and commodity are the best counsellors not the eyes and Opinions of strangers Health must be acknowledged the richest jewell of all temporal things yea preferable to many ornaments of the minde He that hath got much learning in the Tongues and hath diseased his body with watching hath lost more then he hath got But the healthfullest body of the world is a tottering house which must every day be underpropt with food and for all our care will fall in the end We must looke upon it as a tenement at will which we hold under God our Landlord not fearing but rejoycing that we must leave it knowing that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were disolved we have a building of God a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 LIFE I set neither among goods nor among evils for it is neither good nor evill in itselfe but the subject of good and evill like the painters cloath where all sorts of colours are couched Such as it is it must be put in the rank of those things that depend not of our will and therefore must not be accounted ours but used as a borrowed commodity We must say more of it when we speake of Death CHAP. VII Of bodily Pleasure and Ease OF all arguments of meditation there is none where writers shew lesse sincerity then in this Every one blames pleasure and ease and yet every one seekes it They tell us that it is the cause of all evill that it poisoneth the passion that it blindeth reason that it is an enemy to good counsell aad that it is impossible for Vertue to stand with Volupty Yet the same Authors love their ease and their very discourses of ease are effects of ease and productions of wits sweetned by prosperity Then they charge pleasure with the vices of men whereas it is not pleasure but men that must be blamed For pleasure doth not corrupt men but men corrupt pleasure It must be acknowledged good in it selfe It is the seasoning that God all-wise and all-good hath given to things profitable and actions necessary that wee should seek them Look upon a brave horse with a judicious eye After you have considered his great use and praised the bounty of God for making an animal of so much service and commodity to man praise God againe for making him so handsome and of such a gallant mettle And acknowledge that the gracious Creator regarded as well mans delectation as utility The delicious taste of fruits the fragrant smell and gay colours of flowers the fair prospect of groves meadowes calme and cleare waters and all the delicate variety of Nature speake very expresly that God as an indulgent Father hath taken great care to please and recreat us and condemneth that sad and sowre wisedome which deemeth to merit much by avoiding at least in shew all that is pleasing in Nature Of that kinde is this prayer which may be read in many Bookes of devote contemplation Lord give me grace to be delighted in no earthly thing Which is as much as saying to God that he was much overseen when he made his workes good and pleasant since it is ill done to delight in them That devotion wants common sence if it be serious and more if it be hypocritical We
worke of salvation done the best of all workes Of the Author and finisher whereof Isaiah saith He shall not strive nor lift up not cause his voyce to be heard in the streets Isa 42.2 Wherefore when Devills possessing mens bodies cryed out in his presence He commanded them to hold their peace for the Devill loves noise and tumult but God loves peace meekness and serenity It is a precept fit for the Gospell of peace Let your moderation be known of all men Phil. 4.5 The word of the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies equity Of that equity the grand rule is to do to others as wee would have others doe to us Which in the point of conversation our present matter ought to make us deale with others with that patience respect and moderation which we expect of them not setting forth our opinions imperiously nor rejecting the opinions of others arrogantly remembring that all men by their naturall condition never throughly mended by grace in this life are inwrapt in a deep mist and that all our reasoning is groping in the darke Let us passe gently over the errours of our neighbours to oblige them to the like kindness If we knew how few things we know and how lamely we would make use of reason and discourse rather to seeke instruction then to pronounce aphorisms If we find ourselves capable to cleare a matter let us do it without awing the company with peremptoriness or wearying it with multitude of words No discourse is profitable when it is tedious In every matter there is commonly but one essentiall reason or two at the most More reasons serve for illustration or to fill up and many times to invalid the true reason Three good reasons for the same thing are worse then one The greatest use and indeed the greatest trial of moderation in conference is to avoyd confounding the interesse of the thing with the interesse of the person of ones selfe especially For where shall you finde those serene unmoved minds who hearing their opinion taxed of ignorance folly wil not presently start take more paine to prove that they are no fooles then to weigh the reasons and judge impartially where the truth lyeth Most men being thus disposed he that will oppose their opinions must proceed with great moderation lest that being touched in credit and personal ressenting they make the truth suffer for their private interesse We must charitably consider that every one loveth the productions of his owne braines as his children and is sensible of the abuse offered unto them And we must bring our charity to this beleefe that every one is in good earnest of the opinion which he professeth and thinks himselfe to be in the right Il proprio parer non ha mai torto You beleeve he is in an errour he beleeves the same of you And he will never think himselfe to be in the wrong till it be represented to him with solid reason sweetened with singular meekenes and respect Moderate and ingenuous spirits O how rare they be finding themselves prest with reason and truth will freely yeeld the bucklers They winne when truth overcomes But it is a flight to use fradulent shifts opposing right reason with sophistry and when a man is overcome is ashamed to yeeld throw dust in the eyes of his adversary That peevish and ungenerous point of honour is learned in our Schooles never to yeeld any thing as long as one can maintaine it by right or wrong One errour is defended by another and a man comes to beleeve in earnest that which he had alledged before out of despaire It is also a point of moderation to consider maturely what it was that gave occasion to the opinions and practises which are deservedly condemned There is no doctrine so horrible no disorder so foule but there is much to learne out of it Looke to the source Something will bee found obscure or ill expounded in the termes of the received doctrine or some excesse or defect in the ordinary practise which gives occasion of exceptions and then of seperation and againe of opposition and faction to scrupulous and turbulent spirits There is no rebellion but was occasioned by some fault in the Sate Let us never looke upon those publique transgressions but with a reflection upon the causes Which if they be past our mending we must try whether we may mend ourselves by them learning by the faults of others and the occasions moderation in our judgement and compassion of humane weakeness which is uncapable of a sincere and constant keeping of any good loseth the benefit of good things by turning them to the wrong side laboureth to cure one evill by a greater and killeth the patient to heale the disease Solomon who had beheld all the good evil of the world with a judicious eye upon that discourse giveth us this precept of moderation Be not righteous overmuch neither make thy selfe overwise Eccles 7.16 He that censureth too magistrally the evill that is done in the world by errour of judgement and rashness of passion considereth not enough the infirmity of mankind and his owne and sheweth that he knoweth not the world Errour vanity superstition the ruines of warre and the vices of peace faire pretences and ill deeds private ends cloaked with publique good the advancement of few men consisting of the depression of many the zeale of idiots setting up a ladder for the rising of the ambitious All these are the course of the world So it went before our time So it will go after Eccles 7.10 Say not thou what is the cause that the former dayes were better then these for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this Wisemen are amazed at nothing and make profit of all OF PEACE AND CONTENTMENT OF MIND SIXTH BOOK Some singular Counsels for that end CHAPTER I. To content ourselves with our Condition WEe have sought peace with God with ourselves and with our neighbours To that end we have endeavoured to fortifie our soules against wrong opinions and unruly passions And that we may walke with an even steady march through Prosperity and Adversity we have studyed to dye our minds with the right temper of vertue Our harvest is done This last Book will be but gleaning in the same field Let us gather some singular counsells proper for our main end either omitted before or worthy to be further insisted upon Let the first Counsell be that great preserver of tranquillity to content ourselves with our condition This counsell depends of another much urged before when we spake of the exercise of vertue in adversity which is to will what God wills a right Christian reasonable lesson To any that is in his right sense this reason ought to be sufficient to make him contented with his condition that it was so disposed by Gods wisedome He will haveit so It is rebellion and folly to have a contrary will This ought not to be a barre
before Moses having made that high request to God Exod. 33.18.23 I beseech thee shew mee thy glory God answered him Thou shalt see my backparts but my face shall not be seene A mysterious Text which being well understood assigneth the just extent and sets the certaine limits to humane reasoning in divine matters It is allowed to seeke God à posteriori by his effects they are Gods back parts It is the just extent of our contemplation But to seek God ab anteriâ—ri by his counsels which are the first causes it is attempting to see Gods face an undertaking no lesse unlawfull then impossible My face shall not be seene That limitâ—ne sets to our contemplation Were this well studyed and comprehended aright more labour should be bestowed upon the meditation of Gods workes of nature and grace of his revealed will for by these onely it is possible to man living in the flesh to see God in some measure And the darke questions of Gods eternall counsell should be layd by The doctrine of predestination settleth the soul in a stedfast assurance when it is apprehended by faith but the same brings trouble and perplexity to a mans heart when one will fathom Gods counsell with the plummet of reason In that poynt Reason is prone to frame objections against the justice and wisedom of God Wherefore ere it go too farre the bridle of piety must give it this short stop Rom. 9.20 O man who art thou that replyest against God If about the actious and decrees of God you cannot satisfye your reason remember that reason was made for man not for God and be ye quiet Likewise these in incomprehensible points of the concurrence of Gods grace with mans will how his invariable decree may consistwith the free actions of men reason must altogether silense her inquiry acknowledging that in that meeting of the finite with the infinite reason being finite can comprehend nothing but things of her kind Since then there is something of infinity in that meeting the comprehension of it must be left to the infinite God to whom alone it belongs to know his infinite workes In that meeting all that belongs to us is to have no other will but Gods embrace his grace with a free and ready heart trust in his promises and commit ourselves to his providence A wise counsell easier to observe then to comprehend is this That in the worke of our conversion and sanctification we must give to God the whole glory and to ourselves the whole taske And so of the resistence of so many mens wills against Gods will which neverthelesse they promote even by resisting it that holy will having no part in the evil which they doe And of the wisedome of that high moderatour who for his glory tolerateth the kingdome of the devill in the midst of his kingdome we must acknowledge that they are matters for admiration not inquisition It is a goodly study to be a disciple of Gods wisedome and providence but where we find our contemplation brought to non plus we must be contented to beleeve that God is all wise and all good Let him doe his pleasure and let us doe our duty The holy Scriptures are the cleare spring of life Our Lord Jesus commands us diligently to search them because in them we hope to have eternal life Ioh. 5.39 The texts lesse perspicuous as they require more study they require also more modesty And better it is to say of a hard text I understand it not then to wrest it with a forced interpretation The writers of Comments upon whole bookes of Scripture are often put to that choyce Yet how few are extant that will say ingenuously This text is above our understanding and we must expect till he that hath lockt up the sense of it give us a key to open it Scripture must be put to the uses attributed to it by St Paul doctrine reproofe correction instruction in righteousnes That the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good worke 2 Tim. 3.16 For these uses there be so many cleare texts that we need not beate our braines against the hard ones It is a commendable study to seeke to understand Canonical prophecies God himselfe gave them to the Church to be studied And seeking the intelligence of them is obeying Christs command to search the Scriptures drligently But in that command he meanes the prophecies fullfilled which speake of his first comming not the prophecies yet to be fulfilled Which yet we may search but with that reservation that we content ourselves with so much as is clearely revealed and presume not to seeke into that which is hidden Wherein the style of prophecies is a sure guide for we must beleeve that the Holy Ghost hath hidden them in obscure termes that they should not be understood and if God will not have us to understand them it is folly and arrogancy for us to goe about it Why should we fecke to see that which God hath hidden he hath hid it because we should not see it I am inclined to beleeve yet submitting to better judgements that the end of most prophecies is not so much that we might foreknow things to come as that we might admire the wisedome and preordination of God when they are come and to comfort us in the assurance that the whole course of the conduct and trials of the Church and her deliverance and glory in the end is fore-ordained in Gods counsell Let us stay a little Events will expound predictions As we must not curiously examine the word of God we must not scrupulously search the worke of his Spirit Many devout soules yeeld a wrong obedience to this precept of St Paul Examine your owne selves whether you be in the faith 2. Cor. 13.5 for instead of examining their owne selves they examine God seeking with a trembling and overbuzy care what degree of comfort and assurance of their salvation they feele in their hearts which is the worke of God not of men And as in the searches of jealousy when a man seekes for that which he feares to finde they draw upon them that which they feare by seeking it with too much curiosity and frame doubts to themselves by examining of their confidence To heale themselves of that timorous curiosity they should not take for Gospel whatsoever godly men have written of the manner how the holy Ghost is working in the conscience for it is certaine that he worketh diversly according to the diversity of natures and doth vary the dispensation of his graces according to his good pleasure Wherefore when we examine whether we be in the faith it is not the worke of God that we must examine but our owne And we must call ourselves to account whether we love God and our neighbours and what care we take to serve him whether we keepe his commandements and receive his promises with obedience of faith In these things where the worke of Gods
grace is joined with ours we have but our performance to examine looking upon Gods worke with reverence and ascribing to him all the good that is in us Which reverence must be redoubled when we consider in us that worke of grace where the worke of man hath no share and such are the heavenly comforts and spiritual joyes Of these we must not curiously examine the manner and measure as though the seale of our adoption consisted in these for it is not in feeling comfort but in departing from iniquity that this seale consisteth as we learne of St Paul 2. Tim. 2.19 Confidence is a great evidence of grace but Love is a greater Let us imploy spiritual joyes when it pleaseth God to send them to improve love and gratefulnesse in us Do we find ourselves destitute of those joyes let us study to find out in our conciences the causes of that want that we may remove them labouring to clarifye our souls of all mire of the earth that they may like pure Crystals receive the gratious and comfortable rayes of the Sunne of righteousnesse But as long as God gives us the grace to love him and cast ourselves upon him Let his grace be sufficient unto us for his strength is made perfect in weakenesse 2 Cor. 12.9 Joy and comfort cannot but follow faith and love Perhaps not very close but feare not they will and must needs follow Let us expect their comming in silence and hope and take heed of putting them back with curiosity and impatience CHAP. VI. Of the care of the Body and other little Contentments of life SInce we seeke the content of the mind the body must not be forgotten for as long as they live personally united in this world they can hardly be content the one without the other That the body may do good service to the mind the mind must be a good Master to the body and maintaine it with great care I say with great care not with much tendernesse for we must use it to be contented with little and with things easie and ordinary looking lesse for pleasure then health which yet is the way to get a lasting pleasure Of all earthly treasures health is the most precious Without the health of the body the mind hath much adoe to maintaine his liberty and stability The disorder of the humours of the body makes the mind turbulent froward and sometimes reason is quite turned upside downe by a corporall indisposition It is then the part of a wiseman to take a most speciall and exact care of his health It is preserved by these three principal meanes Serenity of mind a sober diet and exercise Of these three antidotes against all diseases the chiefe is Serenity of mind This and the health of the body maintaine one another But the mind is a more powerfull agent upon the body then the body upon the mind A meek and cheerefull spirit keepeth his body healthfull whereas frequent excessive fits of choler and deep sadnesse sowre the whole masse of blood and poyson the fountaine of animall spirits Whereby the body loseth his lively colour and his good plight and droops into a lingering consumption Heavinesse in the heart of man makes it stoop By sorrow of heart the spirit is broken A merry heart doth good like a medicine but a broken spirit dryeth the bones saith Solomon And to get that merry heart he enjoynes us to keep our mind in a milde temper Prov. 11.17 The mercifull man doth good to his owne soule but he that is cruell troubleth his owne flesh The body thus preserved in health by the serenity of mind payeth him readily for that good office for the mind is kept tranquill and serene by the good constitution of the body To preserve both sobriety is necessary there being nothing that weares the body and sets the mind out of frame so much as intemperance doth Neither are those that glut themselves vvith meate and drink the onely that need to be exhorted to learne sobriety Many that go for sober need that exhortation For generally all that live with some plenty eat and drink too much and confound in their stomack too many various ingredients giving to nature more then it needs and more then it can dispense Which superfluity that especially of the third concoction turnes into ill humours whence variety of diseases is bred answerable to the variety of our dishes as in the Commonwealth uselesse persons and such as have nothing to do are they that stirre seditions and trouble the State Then naturall heate which serves to the nutritive faculty weares away before the time when it is put to an overgreat labour and the spirits serving to make the pot boyle below leave the intellectual part ill served in the upper roome That overplus of aliment growing to pride of blood breeds no better effect in the soule then to swell the appetite and stirre it to rebellion against the reason If we could bring ourselves to a more simple and lesse abundant dyet both our bodies and minds would enjoy more health The fewer vapours the belly sends to the braines besides the necessary the clearer is the skie in that upper region Therefore to keepe health and serenity such as have a daily plentifull fare and feare that their stomack hath more appetite then strenght shall doe wisely to fast sometimes to give it time to rest and recover strength Most sicknesses in their beginnings may be healed by abstinence On the other side they that use a more sparing dyet should allow to themselves some intervals of good cheere It oppresseth those whose ordinary meales are so many feasts but it reneweth the vigour of those that use it seldome Wine is especially given of God to make glad the heart of man Psal 104.15 It is of singular vertue to charme cares Two draughts of it extraordinary when the minde is vexed with crosses will put upon a mans buzinesses a smoother and calmer face The third preserver of health is Exercise without which the body becomes an unwieldy bagge of corrupt humours Great eaters need more exercise But the most sober need some The naturallest and pleasantest is walking to which they that lead a sedentary life must allow some time But to most men their buzinesses give bodily exercise enough many times too much to the prejudice of the minde which thereby is neglected and made servant to the body If one be shut up or hath lost the use of his legs he must invent some other way instead of walking to exercise his body and prevent sicknes And if he cannot put his body to any exercise he must cate and drinke the lesse It is a wise course to harden the bodies of children and young men especially against cold the cause of most sicknesses in aged persons But when one hath bin tenderly brought up it is imprudence to goe about to inure his body to hardnes in his declining age The minde may be capable of that