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A11067 The arte of happines Consisting of three parts, whereof the first searcheth out the happinesse of man. The second, particularly discouers and approues it- The third, sheweth the meanes to attayne and increase it. By Francis Rous. Rous, Francis, 1579-1659. 1619 (1619) STC 21338; ESTC S116243 106,766 542

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vnwelcommed how can hee choose but scorne vs being neglected whom hee might iustly haue despised being sought we are sinful and miserable creatures and God might well haue lothed vs left vs in our bloud but now he that might haue lothed loueth and visiteth and shall we dare to neglect the most great and holy One that commeth to vs most wretched and impure for our owne felicitie let vs rather with watchful soules espie and with humble and deuout affections entertain these heauenly Guests the issues and sparkes of the Deitie Let vs wonder at our owne happinesse that our lowlinesse should bee regarded by the Almightie finally let vs yeeld vp to him the whole roome of this Tabernacle of ours that hee may fully rule and raigne in vs for in his raigning in vs is included our raigning with him For a second motiue let vs consider what it is that this great God sendeth to vs. Surely it is the sap of the Tree of Life a iuyce of Eternitie a food of life euerlasting When his Spirit commeth into vs it is a Light to our darknesse a Purifier of our pollution a conueyance of our Redem ption a celestiall Fire to warm the benummed coldnes of our spirituall bloud a seede of liuing and perpetuall felicitie It offers to guide vs it offers to sanctifie vs it offers vs iustification it offers vs zeale it offers vs eternall Glorie These are presents well becomming such a Giuer of infinite worth as hee is in finite and the least is of more worth then hee is that shall receiue them So the greatest giueth vs gifts greater then our selues and what remaines but that we be inlarged in our affection thereby to inlarge our capacitie of them if it were possible to equall those gifts with loue welcome which our owne persons doe not Let vs with a watchfull care with a seruent loue with hungrie and thirstie soules receiue the bountie of heauen still remembring that free mercie is the Ladder by which these blessings descend vpon vs by which mercie alone God becomes so familiar with Man as to visite him And as God is free to be mercifull so he is free to bee angrie if his mercie be contemned And if once the Ladder of mercie be taken vp into heauen then shall wee see a great Gulfe of distance and separation betweene GOD and Man Man is far vnable and vnfit to approch to the same God being angrie whom with a confident boldnesse hee might intreat behold being mercifull The way is cut off betweene GOD Man by changing mercie into furie and he is become admirable in seueritie who before was wonderfull in familiaritie Therefore to day let vs heare his voyce in the present time without delay without stay or let Let vs not put him off vnto to morrow lest wee be a generation that grieues him and so may not enter into his rest But if our Welbeloued put in his hand by the dore let vs bee affectioned to him yea let vs rise and open to our Welbeloued that wee may bee readie to performe this though wee sleepe yet let our hearts wake Amidst the dreames of worldly pleasure profit which are all but vanitie let our hearts watch for the graces of Eternitie Let vs giue heede to that One kind of things which is only necessary let our harts bee onely in earnest when they regard the things of soliditie permanence and perpetuitie Doth the Spirit cast foorth his beames to inlighten the Temple of the Spirit let Watchfulnesse bee readie to see this Light and by this Light things otherwise inuisible and inutterable for surely a soule thus inlightned will see more then seuen Men on a Watch-towre Doth the Spirit stirre vp in thee a desire of meditation and a motion to goe aside into heauen by the raptures of contemplation watch apprehend and follow and let Watchfulnesse deliuer thee ouer to obediēce Hast thou motions vnto Prayer vnto spirituall Ioy vnto feeding on the Word or the seales of the Word attend and obey and let him that hath an eare harken what the Spirit saith vnto the Church For thus shall watchfulnes become a true factor and seruant of obedience The Spirit speaketh Watchfulnesse heareth Obedience performeth and the Spirit prospereth CHAP. VI. Of Prayer AN inseparable companion of watchfulnesse and an especiall aduancement of spirituall prosperitie is Prayer for among all the furtherances of the Spirit Prayer goes directly to the fountaine of the Spirit seekes the gift of the Giuer himselfe And indeede whither should our indeuours most addresse themselues but where is most of that which wee seeke and who should exceed him in bountie who exceedes all in that which may bee giuen yea in that goodnesse which is the cause of giuing Wherefore since God alone hath the true abundance of Spirit yea since hee hath promised by his Sonne to giue the Holy Ghost Luk. 11. 13. to them that aske why doe we not haste to this eternall and bottomlesse Spring of the waters of Life where we may fill our selues freely by asking Grace is a chiefe gift of the chiefest Giuer To bee admitted into the presence of the chiefest Giuer is a great priuiledge but being admitted to obtaine also a chiefe gift is a high prerogatiue Why dost thou not then make great vse of this thy great priuiledge yea why dost thou not at once purchase to thy selfe spirituall honour and spiritual profit which both in prayer are together bestowed For if thou art one of those whom God graceth by hearing thou art also one of those to whom God will giue the grace of his Spirit for thy speaking And surely as Prayer is honorable and profitable so it is pleasant and comfortable for we may terme it a little saluation since the soule in Praier clearing her selfe by Faith from fleshly darknesse looketh directly to the face of God the vision of whom is our perfect beatitude if light be pleasant it is far more pleasant to behold the Father of light vvhich though it bee but by the glimpses of faith yet so much as it is so much happinesse it is The soule for the time is in heauen beholdeth God yea beholdeth God beholding her with a gracious countenance through our elder Brother Christ Iesus Wee see in naturall things how ioyfully the young-ones run to their dammes yea children with earnestnesse apply themselues to the brests of their mothers Surely Man hath but one true and very Father but one true Cause and Creator how ioyfully should Man run to this his Originall how earnestly should he suck from God by prayer the nourishment and increase of that spirituall life which himselfe hath begotten in vs Therefore draw neere vnto God by prayer and that continually and earnestly Let thy prayer be continuall because there is in GOD continuall abundance to be prayed for yea because GOD knowes the excellency of his gift and that it is worth long seeking and therefore
increase our glorie we must striue to increase our holinesse and by holinesse and other helps aduancing and supporting holinesse to in crease comfort and cherish the Spirit by which both holinesse and glory may be increased Now to know what these helps are we must seeke in the Oracles of God whose office and mayne purpose is to shine as a Light to mankind that standeth in the darke place of a clouded and corrupted soule and to guide their feete into the way of Peace and Rest. This sure Word of GOD was giuen by GOD vnto Man to direct Man vnto God And to effect this it hath a power to make the children of men the sonnes of God Yea it hath a power to nourish this spirituall and heauenly sonship so bestoweth a gift of growth as well as a gift of life for it causeth the sonnes and heires of God to grow vnto their perfect stature of Grace Glory The great Spirit of God which powreth that portion of the Spirit into vs wherein lyes our sanctification and sealing powred also in the Prophets Seers and Apostles the Word and Counsell of God So the Spirit within vs and the Word without vs are neere of kin they haue one Father euen the Spirit which is God and being brethren they must needes cherish loue and strengthen each other Yea the Spirit of GOD which best knowes how the Spirit issuing from him may bee cherished hath by that Word of purpose shewed vs sundry meanes by which that which hee hath giuen vs may be increased And God expects that wee which were dead and are now raised to life by him though in our deadnesse wee could not moue towards him yet being quickned wee should by imployments and exercise stirre vp the life bestowed on vs kindling it by those helps which his Word ministreth vnto vs. So behold O Man a double mercy one that the indeuours of the Saints may increase their glorie another that meanes helps and directions are giuen for the aduancement and execution of such indeuours Wee must not be still like Embrious and children in their first conception to haue the nourishment of life sent in o vs without our knowledge and will but being now at least babes in Christ wee must desire and sucke the sincere Milke of the Word that wee may grow thereby or being strong men we must desire and digest the solid meate by which wee may grow from strength to strength wee must by manly exercises seeke to fortifie the power of Christ in vs and we must worke towards the increase of our spirituall estate by heauenly traffike and marchandize that the talents of grace being increased may increase the talents of glorie But now perchance it wil bee demanded what these helps are by which the Man of GOD may enlarge his stature and grow vp to his head Christ Iesus For satisfaction to which demand I would point him to the Word of God which is the Treasure of the perfect knowledge of this Arte of felicitie but yet to giue some stay to hungrie soules that presently desire the prosperitie of the Spirit will not bee delayed I may name some of the chiefest though likewise I may leaue others vnnamed to stirre them vp somewhat to seeke for their owne prouision And here as the first means of increasing the Spirit I will name the increasing of those meanes by which the Spirit was first receiued we must striue to increase that faith and affiance by which wee cleauing vnto Christ Christ claue vnto vs. For the more wee cleaue vnto Christ the more Christ cleaueth vnto vs the more we comprehend him the more he doth comprehend vs by a larger and fuller possession of vs. Faith increased increaseth our capacitie of Christ Iesus and as wee are inlarged in our owne bowels by faith so doth Christ inlarge himselfe within vs by his Spirit To this end let vs remember what hath beene formerly set forth as the meanes of breeding faith and in those meanes let vs bee the more conuersant as wee would bee the more plentifull in faith and more ingraffed in the obiect of faith Christ Iesus Briefly let vs feruently and continually pray with the Disciples vnto the Author and Finisher of our faith Lord increase our faith Let vs be frequently conuersant with Christ Iesus and often behold him liuely described in the Word in the Sacraments by hearing by seeing by receiuing by meditation The more Christ is looked on the more trust and the more loue and so the more Vnion Wee cannot looke on the fairest of Men but we shall bee rauished with his loue for hee kindleth our affections as coles of fire and as a vehement flame And surely if wee looke into his Word and into the seales of his Word wee cannot choose if wee bee spirituall but wee must plainly looke on Christ himselfe For the Word of Christ is the Image of Christ hee hath stamped on it his owne likenesse and therein wee may see him borne liuing teaching dying rising againe Therein may wee behold his graces and gifts his excellencie and dignitie his loue vnto Men and his labours for Men. The Sacraments also Christ hath imprinted with his owne resemblance and they are the characters and representations of Christ. So in them may wee see Christ redeeming by passion and washing by regeneration feeding and quickning by viuification yea performing his part of the whole Couenant of Life And CHRIST being thus discerned what dull heart will not rise vp toward him in a stronger affiance in a more firie loue Wherefore walking along with the staffe of Prayer in our hands let vs still bee tasting of these restoratiues of Faith that so faith being cherished may cherish the Spirit and the Spirit being cherished may cherish our life eternall CHAP. IIII. Other helps of retayning and increasing happinesse The first is quicke obedience AN especiall furtherance and nourisher of the Spirit is a readie and prompt obedience to the motions of the same Spirit The businesse of our life is indeede no other but an attendance on the Spirit in whom lyes our dutie and happinesse and al other businesses that are not subordinate to this businesse are inordinate Wherfore to the holy lusts of this liuing and mouing Spirit must our continuall care bee attentiue that when it moueth vs we may be moued by it and that the commands thereof bee answered by a speedie obedience For the Spirit is the issue of the God of power and is it selfe a power proceeding from that great power now power reioyceth in action yea these second powers grow more powerfull by action In naturall things wee see that motion makes a thing more apt to moue and by how much more the strength of Man is exercised the more able and mightie it groweth No otherwise doth the Spirit in vs. It grows mightie by a free and prosperous exercise of his might It growes more vigorous and actiue by doing and by mouing it is more