a dead Lion Eccles 9. 4. But I may say to these even as our Saviour said to that woman in Joh. 4. 18. concerning her Husband The life that we live here is not our life The union of the sensitive soul with the body is indeed truly and properly the life of a beast and its greatest happiness for it is capable of no higher perfection But the union of the rational soul with God is the noblest perfection of man and his highest life so that the life of a believing soul is not destroyed at death but perfected Neither was the Apostle weary of his life because of the adversities of it The Apostle was of a braver spirit sure than any Stoick he durst live though he rather desired to dye All the conflicts he endured with the world never wrung such a sigh from him as the conflict that he had with his own corruptions did Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man c. All the perfecutions in the world never made him groan so much as the burden of his flesh doth here and his great distance from the Lord. A godly soul can converse with persecuting men and a tempting Devil can handle briars and thorns can grapple with any kind of oppressions and adversities in the flesh without despondency so long as it finds it self in the bosome of God and in the arms of Omnipotence But when it begins to consider where it is how far it is from its God its life and the happy state that God hath prepared it for then it cannot but groan within it self and be ready with Peter to cast it self out of the ship to get to its God to land it self in eternity Neither indeed to speak truly is it only the sense of sin against God which seâ—s the godly soul a going For though it must be confest that this is a heavy burden upon the soul yet the Apostle makes no complaint of this here but only of his distance from God that necessary distance from God that the body kept him it at 2. See here the excellent spirit of true Religion Godly souls do groan after an unbodyed estate not only because of their sins in the body but even because of the necessary distance at which the body keeps them from God We may suppose a godly soul at some time to have no manner of affliction in the world to grieve him no sin unpardoned unrepented of to trouble him yet for all this he is not at perfect rest he is burdened and groans within himself because he is at such a distance from that absolute good whom he longs to know more familiarly and enjoy more â—ully than he doth yet or than is allowed to mortal men And though nothing else ayl him yet the consideration of this distance makes him cry out Oh when shall I come and appear before God! be wholly swallowed up in him see him as he is and converse with him face to face Bare innocency or freedom from sin cannot satisfie that noble and large spirit that is in a truly and God-like soul but that spirit of true goodness being nothing else but an efflux from God himself carryes the soul out after a more intimate union with that Being from whence it came God dwelling in the soul doth by a secret mighty power draw the soul more and more to himself In a word a godly soul that is really toucht with the sense of divine sweetness and â—ulness and imprest with divine goodness and holiness as the wax is with the stamp of the seal could not be content to dwell for ever in this kind of animal body nor take up an eternal rest in this imperfect mixed state though it could converse with the world without a sinful sullying of it self but must needs endeavour still a closer conjunction with God and leaving the chase of all other objects pant and breath not only after God alone but after more and more of him and not only when it is under the sense of sin but most of all when it is under the most powerful influences of divine grace and love cry out with Paul Oh who will deliver me out of this body 3. Suffer me from hence to expostulate a little to expostulate with Christian souls about their unseemly temper Doth this animal life and mortal body keep us at such a distance from our God our happiness Why are we then so fond of this life and mixed state Why do we so pamper this body Why so anxiously studious to keep it up so dreadfully afraid of the ruines of it If we take the Apostles words in the first sense that I named then I may ask with him in the first verse Know we not that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we had a building of God a house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens or vers 8. Why are we not willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord If we take them in the latter sense as this animal body is an hinderance to the souls knowledge of and communion with God then I ask concerning this as the Apostle doth concerning rich men James 2. 6. Why do ye pamper prize honour dote upon this body Doth not this body oppress you distract you burden you clog you hinder you Doth not this body interpose between the Sun of Righteousness between the Father of Lights and your souls that should shine with a light and glory borrowed from him even as the dark body of the earth interposes between the Sun and Moon to ecclipse its light Why are we not rather weary that we are in the body Surely there are some objections some impediments to the souls longing after its happy state which I shall come to anon But I doubt also that there is something that chains the soul to this animal life some cords in this earthly tabernacle that tye up the soul in it but I cannot well imagine what they should be Say not There is something of God to be enjoyed in this life which makes it pleasant For although this be true yet I am sure God gives nothing of himself to a soul thereby to clog it or cloy it Did Moses send for some Clusters of the Land of Canaan into the wilderness think ye that the people might see and taste the fruits and sit still and be satisfied and say Oh it is enough we see that there are pleasant things in that Land we will never come at it or did he not do it rather that they might make the more haste to possess themselves of it Will any man say Away I will have no more land no more mony I have some already Can a godly soul say God hath given me an earnest I desire no more No no but the report that a Christian hears of a rest remaining a happy life remaining for it and the chariots of divine graces that he sees God hath sent out into his soul to
Refiner of silver in my house Who carryed me above all murmurings against I had almost said all remembrance of those instruments that conveyed the infection to me Who reconciled my heart to this Disease so that it seemed no more grievous noysome or scandalous than any other Who subdued me to I had almost said brought me in love with this passage of the Divine Will I can remember alass that I can say little more but that I do remember how my soul was overpowred yea and almost ravisht with the goodness holiness and perfection of the will of God and verily judged it my happiness and perfection as well as my duty to comply cheerfully with it and be molded into it Who gave me a most powerful and quick sense of the Plague of a carnal heart self-will and inordinate creature-loves convincing me that those were infinitely worse than the Plague in the flesh so that I did more pitty than I could be pittied by my ordinary visiters Who wonderfully preserved me from the assaults of the Devil never leâ—t him loose so much as to try his strength upon my integrity to drive me to a despondency or to any uncharitable conclusions concerning my state Who enabled me to converse with his love and mercy in the midst of his chastenings to see his shining and smiling face through this dark cloud yea kept up clear and steady perswasions in my soul that I was beloved of him though afflicted by him Who knew my soul in adversity visited Psal 3 me when I was sick and in prison refreshed strengthned comforted my inner man in a marvelous manner and measure and made me appear to my self never less Nunquâ— minus lus qâ— cum sâ— Scip. shut up then when shut up Oh would to God I might be never worse than when I was shut up of the Plague The not removing of that affliction-frame I shall count a greater blessing and a more proper mercy than the removing of that afflicted state Who cleared up my interest in his son strengthened my evidences of his love satisfied and assured my soul of its happy state more than at any time more then at all times formerly I had clearer and surer evidences of Divine gracè in that patient self denying self submitting frame of spirit than in all the duties that ever I performed The valley of tears brought me more sight of my God more insight into my self then ever the valley of visions all duties and ordinances had done When the Sun of righteousness arose upon my soul and chased away all the mists and foggs of self-will and creature loves then also did all black and dismal fears all gloomy doubtings most sensibly flee before him Who supplyed my Family from compassionate friends with all things needful for Food Physick c. The Lord return it sevenfold into their bosoms Who maintained my health in the midst of sickness in the midst of so great a death I do not remember that either sorrow of mind or sickness of body ever prevailed so much upon me during three months seclusion as to hinder me of my ordinary study repast devotions or my necessary attendance upon my several infected rooms and administring to the necessities of my sick These ensuing Discourses were then composed which doth at least argue that through grace this mind was not altogether discomposed nor body neither Who preserved me and gave me not up to death For I judge that I was personally visited with the Plague though not with the Sickness Who hath given me a sincere and setled resolution and vehement desire to live entirely on and to Himself which I account to be the only life of a soul and only worthy to be called a living Grant me this prayer O most blessed and gracious God for the sake of my only and dear Redeemer Thou O Lord God who art witness to all my thoughts and words and works knowest that in truth and soberness I publish these things to the world not to advance the reputation of my own silly name or to be admired of my fellow creatures but for the glory of thy holy name to beget a good liking of so gracious a Creator in all thy poor creatures who are prejudiced against thee and thy holy Service and to strengthen the hearts of thy servants to a most firm and lasting adherence to thee even in the greatâ—st extremities that thou mayest be admired in thy Saints and glorified for gâ—ving such power and grace and comfort â— 9. 8. unto men And oh thaâ— men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful â—l 107. 8. works in and to the children of men 2. Suffer me to make a short Observation of some few memorable Passages out of mâ—ny possibly they may be for the future though they should not be for your present advantage The Lord direct you to make a right application of them according to the â—mergencies of life First I do thankfully record the gracious design of the holy and wise God in that he had secretly prepared my heart though at that time I knew not particularly for what I remember that for some few weeks before I had found a more than ordinary largeness and readiness of soul particularly that I had been studying the exceâ—lent mysterie and sâ—â—king out the streng thning marrow of that famous Text 1 Joh. 4. 8. God is love from whence I had imâ—ortunately prist upon my self the reasonableness of â—â— complying sweetly cheerfully universally with the will of God little dreaming then of the Plague which was almost an hundred miles off me Oh blessed and merciful God who of old didst make Abraham and yet makest his and thy children Heb. 1â— to follow thee though they know not well whither In the next place I count it most worthy of my observation not unworthy of your consideration that it pleased God to seize upon my Family in the beginning of harvest a harvest which I had too earnestly expected too carefully provided for and promised my self too liberally from which folly and vanity of mind this Visitation thus tim'd did as clearly convince me of me thought as if I had seen an hand-writing upon the wall I am ashamed yet I will not stick to confess before all the world God grant it may be for the seasonable and effectual warning of any that my vainer mind was over-pleasantly not to say eagerly drawn out towards secular and worlaly however necessary employments and concernments And thus I was rebuked Vpon examination I find that verily I have been guilty concerning my Children I do not remember that ever any man reproved me for immoderate loving of them or could for any indulgence that could be by humane eyes discerned But oh I see and feel it as a sword at my heart that I loved them not so purely spiritually and properly in God as I ought to have done Philosophy will easily prove it to be a more tolerable vanity to
them not What an unseemly and indeed monstrous fight is it to see a creature pulling tugging against his Creator maintaining his supposed right against Heaven its self Is it for a Heaven-born soul to stand gazing and doating upon or passionately weeping over created friends carnal liberty corporal health houses made with hands things below God yea and below its self too Pore not too much upon them value them only in God and refer them freely to him If you can say you have any thing of your own make much of it and spare not But give unto God the things that are Gods and by that time you have done so I think you need not dote upon what 's left We ought indeed at all times to enjoy all our creature comforts with hearts loosened from them but if formerly our hearts have been too much joyned to them it is time now to loosen them 2. Converse not with creature causes in a time of Affliction This is a strange kind of Atheistical temper into which we are very prone to fall I speak properly when I say Fall for it is indeed a falling down from God in our hearts in whose Infinite Essence all creature-causes are lapt up and in whose hand the several successes and events of them all do lie Let a beast that judges by sense kick at the poor thorn that pricks him But let rational souls fix upon the highest and supreme Agent who in an infinite powerful and skilful manner uses what creature he will for what end he will and sends it of an errand which it self knows not Why do we run hunting Poor Partridge instruments upon the mountains of contemplation Shall the noble faculties of an immortal soul spend themselves upon such an inquisition or is it just to pursue an innocent creature out of breath for being an instrument in the hand of God to quarrel with the Sword because it suffered its self to be drawn or beat the Air because it is infected This were indeed to go out with the King of Israel with much warlike preparation to catch Fleas I deny not but that wise men may look into second causes and make many profitable Observations from them both for present and future and all men may and ought to learn many wholesome lessons even from the instrument that afflicts them But sure I am a godly man will not dwell upon these he will not fix here but readily resolve all into an higher cause and so falls to converse with that Much less will he blame or murmure at a poor harmless Arrow that flew no further than it was shot nor pierced no deeper than it was bidden Yea though the second cause were a sinful cause a rational Agent and so consequently acted by malicious and evil principles yet a godly soul knows how to distinguish upon him and his action he hates him as a sinner but comports well enough with him as Gods instrument and though he condemns his action as it varies from Gods command yet he approves of it as being ordered by Gods hand and counsel David hated cursing as much as any man yet did he so eye the hand of God in every thing and comply with it too that there was a time when he said concerning Shimei So let him curse Concerning this I hinted something before under another head Therefore 3. Converse not with creature-cures creature-relief These may indeed be lookt out after and safely made use of when they are found Nay I will add further that they are to be sought diligently and used carefully They that know the Infinite Soveraignty Power and Wisdom of God will not tye him to means much less to these or those particular means But on the other hand they that understand Gods usual and ordinate way of acting and governing and upholding the world will not tye him up from means no nor expect that he should appear for their relief immediately and miraculously Though if any one have a miraculous faith truly grounded upon some special and particular promise I will not contend with him only I would desire to see his miraculous faith justified by some miraculous works which I conceive do alwayes attend it But the converse with creature-cures which I forbid is the immoderate seeking of them or the inordinate using of them To seek after means in themselves unlawful can never become lawful But I speak not of these For although some are come to that height of Atheism and abjuration of God as to retain the Devil himself for counself in a time of straits as Saul did and contract with the Prince of death for the preservation of life in time of sickness as Ahaziah did And I doubt very many do fall into acquaintance with that evil spirit and receive assistance from him before they be well aware by medling with unphysical unscriptural unwarrantable cures yet the greatest danger is not in these in licit is perimus omnes the greatest danger is of miscarrying about things in themselves lawful And that is chiefly by those two wayes which I named but now Take heed therefore of immoderate seeking after created helps Be not anxious perplexed tormented in mind by a passionate desire of any of these Oh what a raging and unquenchable thirst have many men after creature cures They will move Heaven and Earth and almost Hell too with her in the Poet but they will find out relief Give me a Physician or I dye sayes one Give me trading good Markets a plentiful Crop or I am undone sayes another What man is thy life lapt up in a pill or incorporated into a potion Is thy main happiness in the abundance of these things here below or wilt thou say to the wind Blow here in this quarter and nowhere else tye up the supreme and free Agent to a form and method of working Let not such a prophane disposition be found amongst us Again if you have found out hopeful creature-cures take heed of using them in an inordinate manner laying stress upon them looking earnestly on them as though they by their own power and proper virtue could make the lame to walk or the sick to recover Eye not much less depend upon the virtue of any created means as distinct from God But acknowledge the poweâ— and virtue and goodness of every created Being to be the power and virtue and goodness of God in that creature and so consequently use it in subordination and subserviency to the supreme cause who can at pleasure let loose or suspend the influences and virtues of every such means 4. Converse not with creature-losses in a time of affliction The sinful soul that hath straggled off from God and centred upon the creature is alwaies intemperate and restless If it be disappointed in its converse with creature-cures and sees that for all these his comforts are â—ut off health liberty friends are perished then he falls to converse with his losses and spends the powers of his soul
And this sense doth well agree with what went before and with what follows The Apostle hath a great mind to depart for whilst he is in the body he is absent from his perfect happiness For this is the consummation of a Christians happiness to be with the Lord to be admitted to a beholding of his infinite glory as appears by our Saviours earnest prayer for this Joh. 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory Besides if we shall see him as he is we must also needs be made lâ—ke unto him 1 Joh. 3. 2. else how can we be fit to live for ever in his presence Now we are kept from this seeing and beholding of the Lord in glory by this animal life It stands between us and the Crown between us and our Masters Joy between us and the perfect enjoyment of God To be with the Lord is a state of perfect freedom from sin No unclean thing shall or can enter into Heaven Rev. 21. 27. A perfect freedom from all manner of afflâ—ctions Rev. 21. 4. There shall be no more sorrow nor crying nor pain and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all tears shall be wiped away from their eyes A state of freedom from all temptations to sin For a tempting Devil and all tempting lusts shall be cast out for ever A state of perfect peace without the least disturbance from within or from without of perfect joy that shall neither have end nor abatement and of perfect holiness when the whole soul shall be enlarged and raised to know and love and enjoy the blessed God as much as created nature is capable This is the happy state of seeing God of being with the Loâ—d And it is thy corruptible body this animal life that interposes between us and it so that the Apostle is confident and rather willing to depart and be with the Lord than stay here and be without him 2. Whilst we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord without any reference to the world to come and so it may be fitly translated distant from the Lord estranged from God This agrees well with the context and scope of the Apostle also And thus the words are also a good ground of the Apostles resolution and willingness to dye q. d. I am willing to be absent from this body for whilst I am in it I find my self to be at a great distance from God And indeed the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies properly to be at a distance or to be estranged So I find it interpreted by a learned Critick without any mystery as he speaks of the distance that even Believers themselves stand at from God in this life And in thâ—s sense I shall chuse to prosecute the words In which sense the Apostle blames this body and animal life because it keeps us at a distance from God is a clog a snare a fetter a pinion to the soul And so the words do agree in sense with those of our Saviour Mat. 26. 41. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak where by the flesh must needs be understood the body if we consider the contexâ— viz. the occasion upon which the words were spoken the sleepiness of the Apostles or if we consider the propriety of speech according to the style of the New Testament True indeed the corruption of nature is sometimes called Flesh but according to that way of speaking our Saviour would rather have said That the spirit was willing but the flesh was strong as he saith elsewhere That the strong man armed kept the house Now to explain this Doctrine a little That even the godly themselves whilst they are in this body are at a distance from the Lord It must be granted that the godly soul is nigh unto God even whilst it so journs in this mortal body and tottering flesh All souls are involved in the Apostasie of Adam and are fallen down from God have alike stâ—agled from their God and are sunk into self and the creature God opened a way for their return by the blood of Jesus for we owe it unto Christs death not only that God is reconciled to us pardoning our sins but that any of our natures become reconciled to God by accepting of him as our God and loving him as the chiefest good Now there is a double being brought nigh to God by Christ The first is more general external and as I may say relational Thus the partition-wall being broken down the Gentiles that were converted from their Idolatry to a profession of God and Christ and admâ—tted to a communion with the Visible Church are upon that account said to be Brethren to the rest of Gods Children 1 Cor. 5. 11. and as to the Church they are said to be within it vers 12. though at the same timâ— they were Fornicators Covetous Drunkards And as to God they are said to be made nigh Ephes 2. 13. A prosessing of God is said to be a being nigh to him and even an external performance is said to be a drawing nigh to him and so Nadab and Abihu even in the offering of strange fire are said to have drawn nigh to God Levit. 10. 3. And this though it be a priviledge yet it is not that honourable priviledge of the truly godly souls who are by Christ Jesus raised up to God in their hearts and reconciled to him in their natures and united to him in their affections and so are made nigh unto him in a more especial and spiritual manner Thus all sinful and wicked souls notwithstanding all their profession and performances are far from God estranged from the life of God Enmity and dissimilitude are the most real distance from God And truly God-like souls only are nigh unto him they dwell in him and he dwelleth in them as in his most proper Temple As to any kind of Apposition no man can draw nigh to God nor by any local accession for so all men are alike nigh to him who is everywhere and the worst as well as the best of men do live and move in him But they are really nigh unto God who do enjoy him and they only enjoy him whose natures are conformable to him in a way of love goodness and God-like perfections We do not enjoy God by any gross and external conjunction with him but we enjoy him and are nigh unto him by an internal union when a Dâ—vine Spirit informeth and acteth our souls and derives a Divine Life into them and thorow them And so a godly soul only is really and happily nigh unto God Thus the Apostle Paul I believe was as nigh unto God as any man in the world who did not only live and move in God as all men do though few understand it but God did even live and as it were breathe in him the very life that he 〈◊〉 was by faith in the Son of