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A12203 The spirituall-mans aime guiding a Christian in his affections and actions, through the sundry passages of this life, so that Gods glory, and his owne salvation may be the maine end of all / by the faithfull and reverend divine, R. Sibbes ... ; published by T.G. and P.N. Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635. 1637 (1637) STC 22513; ESTC S1655 25,951 96

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that way Was not Adam led away by his wife and how many men perish by being too Vxorious by being too flexible in that kinde If they had remembred the Apostles precept to marry as if they had not they would not have been so drawne away Therefore there is a danger and a restraint upon that danger Let those that have wives be as though they had none What to use them as if they had none to care for them as if they had none No that is not the meaning but to be as if they had none That is Let them be as resolute for Gods Truth as if they had no wives to hinder them Let them bee as willing to suffer crosses if God call them as if they had none Let them bee as readie to good Duties if it fall within their Calling as if they had none Let them avoyde distracting Cares and worldly Incumbrances as if they had none Let them not pretend their Marriage to their basenesse and worldlinesse and for avoyding of Crosses and aflictions when God is pleased to call them unto them Let them not pretend Marriage for their doubling in Religion and dissembling I shall undoe my wife and children Let them bee as if they had none for Christ hath given us direction to hate all in respect of Christ. A man is not worthy of Christ and of Religion that undervalues not wife and children and all for the Gospell If things stand in question whether he shall stick to them or to Christ his chiefe husband then we must sticke to him The reason is the bond of Religion is above all bonds And the bond that bindes us to Christ it abides when all bonds cease for all bonds betweene husband and wife betweene father and children they end in death but the bond of Christ is eternall And therefore every bond must serve the maine bond and therefore we must not pretend this and that to wrong Christ and Religion which is the maine bond Wee must so labour to please others that we displease not our chiefe husband For the time will bee when wee shall neither marry nor give in Marriage but we shall bee as the Angells and that time shall be without bounds and limites for Eternitie and wee must looke to that And therefore those that marrie Let them be as if they were not married You know how it fared with him in the Gospell that pretended this for his not coming to Christ hee that was married saith I cannot come he could not his excuse was more peremptory then the rest he couldnot Could this excuse him And will pretending this excuse men when they are called to duties There is that disproportion so much between Christ our chiefe Husband and any other though it be the wife of our bosome or the children of our loines the one having redeemed us and is our best husband a husband for Eternitie in heaven that no excuse will serve the turne for a man to wrong the bond of Religion for any bond whatsoever And therefore you know the peremptorie answer to him that pretended that excuse You shall never taste of my feast But I have beene too long in this point intending other matters And those that weepe as though they wept not It is lawfull to weepe not onely for sinne that should be the main but likewise to weep for the miseries of the time and state we live in There is a libertie here Oh! that my head were a fountaine of teares saith Ieremiah he thought he could not weepe enough and therefore he wisheth that his head were a Fountaine hee thought his teares would soone be dry Oh! that my head were a fountaine so that there is a liberty to weepe Nay men are bound to weepe There are teares of sympathy for the miserie of the State and time we live in And so for familie-losses and crosses wee are flesh and not spirit and God hath made us men and hath given us sensible apprehensions of griefe and it is a cursed temper to bee without Naturall affection Wee may weep and we may grieve nay we ought to grieve Now griefe is as it were the cloud from whence the showre of teares comes and weeping is but a distillation of that vapour Now if wee may grieve and ought to grieve for the times and it is a stupid temper not to apprehend the miseries of the state times we live in if we may grieve we may weep that is put for the Spring whence weeping comes For griefe it selfe there is a liberty no question of that wee may weepe but we must weepe as if wee wept not For there is a danger in weeping over much for any crosses Here is a danger for wee may flatter our griefe too much for wives or children God takes it ill he takes it unkindely that when Christ himselfe is a perpetuall husband and God is an Everlasting Father that we should weepe and grieve too much for the losse of father or of wife or of childe For is not God worth all So there is a danger that naturally we are prone to over grieve when wee doe grieve as we are to over-joy when we doe joy for our Nature can hardly keepe bounds and God takes it unkindely when we doe so when wee over-grieve for it is a signe wee fetch not that comfort from him that is the Spring and Fountaine that wee should doe And therefore let those that weepe be as if they wept not That is not over-much For the time is short doest thou loose any friend or any thing The time is short we shall meet againe There is but a little time betweene this and the latter Judgement And the fashion of this world passeth away There will be a new World a new heaven and a new earth And then wee shall live for ever with the Lord. And then my Brethren Why Brethren should not be without hope of the Resurrection as the Gentiles are They may weepe that never thinke to see one another againe But a Christian a brother that hath hope of meeting againe let not him weepe as without hope so let us weepe as if wee wept not So hee layes a restraint upon that nay though our weeping bee for sinne there must be a moderation in that for wee may over-grieve for wee are bound to Ioy in the Lord and alway to reioyce And therefore wee must weepe for sinne so as wee must remember to Ioy. Wee must with one eye looke upon our sinnes to humble us and to worke upon our hearts to grieve but with the other Eye wee must looke upon Gods mercie in Christ to comfort us againe The best griefe of all must bee moderate much more griefe for any earthly thing Now when we are tempted to over-grieve for any earthly thing the best way is diversion Doe I grieve for these I but is my soule as it should be Let me weepe over my dead soule as Christ wept
part of our life away and every day wee live wee live a day lesse it is gone and past and never returnes againe as water which it is gone and whether wee walke or doe any thing the time passeth While you heare and while I speake the time passeth and never returnes againe so the fashion of this world passeth away All thinges are passing here VVhat is the ground of this that all things are thus passing Goods that are not stable we say they are moveables and indeed those things that wee call immoveables are moveables All passe away heaven and earth will passe away ere long And there will bee a new heaven and a new earth Kingdomes passe away and Kings passe away and States passe away VVhat is become of Rome VVhat is become of Ierusalem VVhat is become of Babylon and all those goodly Cities All are passed away they are all gone This experience speakes as well as Divinitie Now the ground of all this is not onely the Nature of things taken from the Nature of all things that are made of nothing and therefore subject to fall to their first principles againe That is the fundamentall reason why things may bee moove-able and passe away But that they are so it is not a sufficient reason for GOD might have suspended the mutabilitie of things if hee would as the heavenly Angels are mutable because they are Created but God hath suspended there mutability world without end And therfore it is not sufficient that all things are of nothing it shewes that of themselves they may turne to nothing indeed But there is another reason behinde that now since the fall of man there is a curse upon all things There is a sentence of mutability and change and a sentence of passing is passed upon all this that all things that have a beginning shal have an end and that this world shal be a Stage of changes and alteration There is a sentence of Vanitie upon the Creature as Saint Paul saith Divinely The Creature is subject to Vanitie not of his owne will but because God hath subdued it to Vanitie Rom. 8. Man committed Treason and therefore the Creatures which are mans servants all mourne for their masters fall they all mourne in blacke as it were All the Creatures are subiect to Vanitie all the Creatures under the Sunne are subiect to mutabilitie and change but we may thanke our selves wee are the grand-traitors that brought this miserie upon the Creature that is the true reason why all things passe away and so why our selves have the sentence of death upon us wee passe away and the things passe away and wee in the use of them Thus you see the ground of this why things passe away in the sentence of mutabilitie and vanitie that God hath passed upon them If this be so beloved let us learne not to passe much for things that will passe away not to passe for them learne all the former directions The fashion of this world passeth away Shall wee grieve much for the losse of that that wee cannot hold Wee say if a glasse be broke is a man much angrie a frayle thing is broken If a friend bee dead shall a man bee therefore angry The fashion of this world passeth away A sentence is passed upon them Shall I be moved at that that God hath set downe a Law for that one generation shall goe and another shall follow after and there is a succession as in the streames of water Shall I oppose Cods sentence God hath made all things fraile and it is but the common condition of all since the fall So it should be a use of comfort and contentment with any thing in this world place or Riches or honour I must leave them I know not how soone and this will breed a disposition of contentment It is enough for him that must leave all I know not how soone have I little or much I must leave all here is enough for him that must leave all and therefore leave worldly things to worldly men leave all these vaine things to vaine men shall I build a fixed hope on vaine things Oh! no that should not be so As we must learne contentment so it should take us off from the hopes of this world and from promising our selves that which we have no promise in the world for nor experience VVho promised thee thou shouldest enioy thy wise long that thou shouldest enjoy thy children long thy place long haste thou a promise for this The nature of things fight against thee The things of the world are variable Have wee not experience of former times And have wee not Scriptures to shew that all is Vanitie Why should wee promise our selves that which the Word doth not promise us or that wee cannot see experience of in the world Why would wee have a condition severed from all men The seeing of things in a condition of fading as it should teach us contentment in the use of all things so it should teach us moderation and wisedome that Wee should not promise our selves any thing in this world And it should teach us to provide for stable for certaine things in changes and alterations Looke to somewhat that may stand by us when all these things are gone will all these things leave me and must I leave them How is it with me for world without end Shall I not therefore looke for those comforts and those graces and for that condition that will abide when I am gone hence what desperate folly were it Let us labour for a sanctifyed use of the passing away of these things that wee may provide for that which is not subiect to alteration and change The favour of God in Christ is for everlasting The Graces of Gods Spirit are for Everlasting The condition of Gods Children is for everlasting And therefore why should we looke after perishing things and neglect better For a Christian hath the realtie of things hee hath a Husband for ever Hee hath matter of ioy for ever he hath a possession for ever then there will be a new world All these things are but Shews the Christian hath the realty of al that never passes away and therefore considering that all things else passe away but the things that belong to a Christian as a Christian let Christians learne to make most of their best calling and value themselves as they are Christians and value others as they are Christians not as they are rich or as they are poore as they are noble or as they are great The fashion of this world passeth away value them by that they have of eternitie what of the Spirit is in them what of the Image of God is in them What Grace is in them are they new borne are they truely noble are they new Creatures value them by that and labour to get that stamped upon our children and upon our friends Labour to have Communion so
good in and for the Time to come it is out of our power and therefore even for the present we must worke The Time past the best use we can make of it is to comfort our selves as Hezekias in our sinceritie or to repent if any thing have been done amisse but looke to the present put not off do the worke for which we came into the World presently The time is short the busines is great the iourney is long it is a great iourney from earth to heaven it is a great matter to get from earth to heaven Now having such businesse to heaven let us I beseech you consider the weight of the businesse and give our eyes no sleepe nor our eye-lids slumber till we are gotten into such a state and condition as is not lyable to time let us make this speciall use of precious time Those that are young let them bee advised to take Time along with them which is to be esteemed farre above Gold and consecrate the prime and the flower of their time to God and to the best things especially considering that wee have no assurance of this Time And those that are old that through age are going into the grave let them not neglect their Time A young man as wee say may die soone an old man cannot live long And therefore let those that are stricken in yeares be put in minde to thinke that their time is shorter then others All mens times are short old mens shortest Let those therefore that are in years thinke of this The Time is short Our folly is this we make it shorter then it is by our Vanity Vanity it were well if it were onely vanity by many sinnefull actions many shorten their dayes by intemperate courses and so are fellons upon themselues or by their wickednes they give God occasion to shorten their dayes A blood-thirstie and crvell man shall not live out halfe his dayes God meets with him so The time is short and we make it shorter we are guiltie of the shortnes of our time our selues let us take heed of that But I have bin over long in this point only because it is the prime reason set before all the particulars I beseech you consider The time is short If we doe not make use of it we are worse then the Divell himselfe he makes use of the shortnes of his time what doth hee Because the time is short he doth all the mischiefe he can Hee fills up his time to increase his kingdome he doth all the mischiefe he can for this reason because his time is short let us learne some what of the worst of spirits but that which it serves for in particular heere let us thinke of it in that respect having many things to doe and the time being short let us bee sure wee doe the maine thing that we come for and other things as they help the maine and not hinder it The time is short and we have many businesses to doe let us be sure that we doe all our busines so as that wee leave not the maine undone that is the maine hee aimes at here The time is short It remains that those that have wives bee as if they had none That is the first particular for before they had asked him Cases of Conscience about marriage and that makes him speak of it All the particulars have dependance one upon another Those that mary wil have occasion to weep that is next for there will be cause There will be losse of Husband or wife or childe and there is somewhat alwaies family-crosses attend upon Marriage And therefore hee addes weeping after Marriage And then ioy because there is ioy A woman brings forth in sorrow but shee Joyes when a man childe is borne as Christ speakes There is ioy in children and there is mutuall ioy in that sweet coniugall friendship there is much ioy and therefore as there is weeping so there is ioy in Marriage And those that buy as if they possessed not There must be buying where there is wife and children there must be looking to posteritie and then all this enforceth Vsing of the World And men when they enter into to that estate they enter into the world as wee use to say they beginne the world anew they enter into the world for there are many things necessarie to maintaine that societie Therefore wee see one thing depends upon another hee ioynes all together ayming especially at one thing at that kinde of life especially Now in every one of these particulars hee gives a liberty to doe the thing you may Marry you may Weepe you may joy you may buy you may use the World but as there is a libertie so there is a danger you may but you may goe too farre And therefore with a liberty hee gives a restraint There is a danger and a restraint upon the danger doe them but take heed you overdoe them not And this restraint is backed with reason he hath reason for his restraint The time is short and therefore there is danger lest you shoot your selves too farre lest you passe too deepe into these things And the fashion of this world passeth away all things here passe away Therefore it is in vaine for you to be overmuch in those things that are passing things And then you are Brethren called to greater matters so there is a libertie a danger and a restraint upon the danger and likewise a reason to back it in every particular The libertie We may Marry I will not stand upon that I had occasion heretofore to speake of it it is not questioned this liberty There is not onely a liberty but it is an honourable estate and necessary honoured in Paradice honoured by Christs presence There is no question of the liberty of that by which the Church is maintayned by which the Church is brought into the world for heaven There is no question of that and it was the Divell that brought in a base esteeme of that honourable Condition in Popery wherein they would bee rather the members of an Harlot then the head of a wife It was the Divell that brought in those abhominable opinions and writings to disparage that honourable Condition and so it must be thought But there is a danger and that is the maine thing You that have wives be as if you had none There is a great danger in adouble respect A danger in the things and a perill if wee goe too farre in them That is there is a great hazzard that we shall goe over-farre in that condition and a danger that it tends to For instance Those that have wives have they not beene drawne away by their wives as Solomon was to Idolatrie Is there not a danger of being drawne away And is there not a danger in being drawne away to hazzard our Soules There is a danger to be hurt and a danger in being hurt did not sinne come in