Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A02553
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Meditations and vowes, diuine and morall. Seruing for direction in Christian and ciuill practise. Deuided into two bookes. By Ios. Hall.
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Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.
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1605
(1605)
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STC 12679.5; ESTC S103712
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37,803
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238
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of the misteries of godlines because he vtterly â—ants the eye of faith Though my in-sight into matters of the world bee so shallow that my simplicitie moueth pity or maketh sport vnto others it shal bee contentment happines that I see further into better matters That which I see not is worthlesse and deserues little better then contempt that which I see is vnspeakeable inestimable for comfort for glory 83 It is not possible for an inferiour to liue at peace vnlesse hee haue learn'd to be coÌ„temned For the pride of his Superiours and the malice of his equals inferiors shal offer him continualâ— and ineuitable occasions of vnquietnes As contentatioÌ„ is the mother of inward peace with our selues so is humility the mother of peace with others for if thou be vile in thine owne eyes first it shall the lesse trouble thee to bee accounted vile of others So that a man of an high hart in a low place cannot want discontentment wheras a man of a lowlyâ—stomak can swallow digest coÌ„tempt without any disteÌ„per For wherein can he be the worse for being contemned who out of his owne knowledge of his deserts did most of all contemn himselfâ— I shold bee very improuident if in this calâ—ing I did not look for daily contempt wherein we are made a spectacle to the world to Angels men when it comes I wil either embrace it or contemne it Embrace it when it is within my measure wheÌ„ aboue contemne it so embrace it that I may more humble my self vnder it so contemne it that I may not giue hart to him that offers it nor disgrace him for whose cause I am contemned 14 Christ raised three dead men to life One newly departed another on the Beere a third smelling in the graue to showe vs that no degree of death is so desperate that it is past helpe My sinns are many great yet if they were more they are farre below the mercy of him that hath remitted themâ— the value of his ransome that hath payde for them A man hurts himselfe most by presumption â—ut we cannot do God a greater wrong then to despaire of forgâ—uenes It is a doâ—ble iniurie to God first that we offend his iustice by sinning then that we wrong his mercy with despairing c. 85 For a man to bee wearie of the worlde through miseries that he meets with and for that cause to couet death is neither difficult nor coÌ„mendable but rather argues a base weakenes of minde So it may be a cowardly part to contemne the vtmost of all terrible things in a feare of lingring miserie But for a man either liuing happily heere on earth or resoluing to liue miserably yet to desire his remoouall to Heauen doth well become a true Christian courage and argues a notable mixture of patience faith â—f patience for that he can and dare abide to liue sorrowfully of faith for that hee is assured of his better Being otherwhere and therefore prefers the absent ioyes hee lookes for to those he feeles in present No sorrow shall make mee wish my selfe dead that I may not bee at all No contentment shal hinder me froÌ„ wishing my selfe with Christ that I may be happier 89 It was not for nothing that the wise Creator of all thinges hath placed gold â—iluer and all precious minerals vnder our feete to bee trod vpon and hath hid them low in the bowels of the earth that they cannot without great labour be either found or gotten whereas he hath placed the noblest part of his creatioÌ„ aboue our heads and that so open to our view that wee cannot chuse but euery moment behold them wherein what did he else intend but to drawe away our minds froÌ„ these worthlesse yet hidden treasures to which hee foresawe wee would be too much addicted to caâ—l theÌ„ vnto the contemplatioÌ„ of those better things which besides their beauty are more obâ—iuious to vs that in theÌ„ we might see admire the glory of their Maker and withall seeke our owne Howe doo those men wrong theÌ„selues misconstrue God who as if hee had hidden these things because he would haue them sought and layd the other open for neglect bend themselues wholly to the seeking of these earthly coÌ„modities do no more mind heaueÌ„ theÌ„ if there were non If wee could imagine a beast to haue reaso how could he be more absurd in his choice How easie is it to obserue that still the higher wee goe the more purity perfectioÌ„ we finde So earth is the very drosse dregs of all the elements water somwhat more pure then it yet also more â—eculent theÌ„ the aire aboue it the lower aire lesse pure theÌ„ his vppermost regions yet they as far inferior to the lowest heauens which againe are more exceeded by the glorious and empireall seat of God which is the heauen of the iust Yet they brutish men take vp their rest and place their felicity in the lowest and worst of all Gods workmanship not regarding that which with it owne glory can make them happie Heauen is the proper place of my soule I will sende it vp thither continually in my thoughts whiles it soiournes with mee before it goe to dwell there for euer 87 A man neede not to care for more knowledge then to know him selfe he needes no more pleasure then to content himseâ—fe no more victory then to ouercome himselfe no more riches then to enioy himselfe What fooles are they that seeke to know all other things are strangers in themselues that seeke altogether to satisfie others humors with their owne displeasure that seeke to vanquish Kingdoms Countries when they are not Maisters of themselues that haue no holde of their owne harts yet seeke to bee possessed of all outward commodiâ—ies Goe home to thy selfe first vaine hart when thou hast made sure worke there in knowing contenting ouercomming enioying thy selfe spend all the superfluity of thy time labor vpoÌ„ others 88 It was an excellent rule that fel froÌ„ Epicure whose name is odiâ—us to vs for the father of loosnes That if a man wold be rich honorable aged hee should not striue so much to ad to his welth reputation yeares as to detract from his desires For certainly in these things which stand most vpon conceite hee hath the most that desireth least A poore man that hath little and desires no more is in truth richer then the greatest monarch that thinkes hee hath not what he should or what hee might or that grieues there is no more to haue It is not necessitie but ambition that settes mens hearts on the racke If I haue meate drinke apparell I will learne therewith to bee content If I had the world full of wealth beside I could enioy no more then I vse the rest could please mee no otherwise but by looking on and why can I not thus solace my self while it is others 89 An inconstant wauering mind as it makes a man vnfit for Societie for that there can be no assurance of his words or purposes neither can we build on them without deceite so besides that it makes a man ridiculous it hinders him from euer attaining any perfectioÌ„ in himselfâ— For a roling stone gathers no mosse and the minde whiâ—st it would be euery thing proues nothing oft changes cannot bee without losse yea it keepes him from enioying that which hee hath attayned for it keepes him euer in worke buildingâ— pulling downe selling changing buying commaunding forbidding so whiles hee can be no other mans frend he is the least his owne It is the safest course for a mans profit credit and â—â—se to deliberate long to resolue surely hardly to alter Not to enter vpon that whose end hee fore-sees not aunswerable and when he is once entred not to surcease till he haue attayned the end he fore-saw so may he to good purpose begin a new worke when he hath well finished the olde 90 The way to Heauen is like that which â—onathan and his armour bearer passed betwixt two rockes one Bozez the other Seneâ— that is foule and thornie wherto we must make shift to climbe on our hands and knees but when we are comne vp there is victorie and triumph Gods children haue three sutes of apparel whereof two are worn dailâ—y on earth the third layd vp for the in the wardrobe of Heauen They are euer either in black mourning in red persecuted or in white glorious Anie way shall be pleasant to me that leadeâ— vnto such an end It matters not what ragges or what colours I weare with men so I may walke with my Sauiour in white and raigne with him in glorie Amen FINIS Pro. â—9â— 22 1 Cor. 120â— Math. 23. 28. Colossâ— 3â— 2â—