would blesse the Preacher in the delivery of his sacred message that he would be pleased to direct his Messengers tongue to the meeting with our necessities that hee would free our hearts from all prejudices and distractions that he would keep off all temptations which might hinder the good entertainment and successe of his blessed Word Finally that hee would make us truely teachable and his ordinance the power of God to our salvation In the act of hearing Devotion cals us to Reverence Attention Application Reverence to that great God who speaks to us by the mouth of a weak man for in what is spoken from Gods Chair agreeable to the Scriptures the sound is mans the substance of the message is Gods Even an Eglon when he hears of a message from God riseth out of his seat It was not St. Pauls condition only but of all his faithfull servants to whom he hath committed the word of reconciliation They are Ambassadors for Christ as if God did beseech us by them they pray us in Christs stead to be reconciled to God The Ambassie is not the bearers but the Kings and if we do not acknowledge the great King of heaven in the voice of the Gospel we cannot but incur a contempt When therefore wee see Gods messenger in his pulpit our eye lookes at him as if it said with Cornelius We are all here present before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God whence cannot but follow together with an awful disposition of mind a reverent deportment of the body which admits not a wild roving eye a drouzy head a chatting tongue a rude and indecent posture but composes it self to such a site a may befit a pious soul in sâ— religious an impoiment Neither do we come as authorized Judges to sit upon the Preacher but as humble Disciples to sit at his feet SECT XXIV REverence cannot but draw on Attention We need not be bidden to hang on the lips of him whom we honour It is the charge of the Spirit Let him that hath an ear hear Every one hath not an ear and of those that have an ear every one heareth not The soul hath an ear as well as the body if both these eares doe not meet together in one act there is no hearing Common experience tels us that when the minde is otherwise taken up we doe no more hear what a man says than if we had been deaf or he silent Hence is that first request of Abigail to David Let thine handmaid speak to thine eares and hear the words of thine handmaid and Job so importunately urgeth his friends Hear diligently my speech and my declaration with your ears The outward ear may be open and the inward shut if way be not made through both we are deaf to spirituall things Mine ear hast thou boared or digged saith the Psalmist the vulgar reads it my eares hast thou perfitted Surely our ears are grown up with flesh there is no passage for a perfit hearing of the voice of God till hee have made it by a spirituall perforation And now that the ear is made capable of good counsel it doth as gladly receive it taking in every good lesson and longing for the next Like unto the dry and chopped earth which soaks in every silver drop that fals from the clouds and thirsteth for more not suffering any of that precious liquor to fall beside it SECT XXV NEither doth the devout man care to satisfie his curiosity as hearing only that hee might hear but reducts all things to a saving use bringing all hee hears home to his heart by a self-reflecting application like a practiser of the art of memory referring every thing to its proper place If it be matter of comfort There is for my sick-bed There is for my outward losses There for my drooping under afflictions There for the sense of my spiritual desertions If matter of doctrine There is for my settlement in such a truth There for the conviction of such an error There for my direction in such a practice If matter of reproof he doth not point at his neighbour but deeply chargeth himself This meets with my dead-heartedness and security This with my worldly-mindednesse This with my self-love and flattery of mine owne estate This with my uncharitable censoriousnesse This with my foolish pride of heart This with my hypocrisie This with my neglect of Gods services and my duty Thus in all the variety of the holy passages of the Sermon the devout minde is taken up with digesting what it hears and working it self to a secret improvement of all the good counsell that is delivered neither is ever more busie than when it sits still at the feet of Christ I cannot therefore approve the practice which yet I see commonly received of those who think it no small argument of their Devotion to spend their time of hearing in writing large notes from the mouth of the Preacher which however it may be an help for memory in the future yet cannot as I conceive but be some prejudice to our present edification neither can the braine get so much hereby as the heart loseth If it be said that by this means an opportunity is given for a full rumination of wholsome Doctrines afterwards I yeeld it but withall I must say that our after-thoughts can never doe the work so effectually as when the lively voice sounds in our ears and beats upon our heart but herein I submit my opinion to better judgements SECT XXVI THe food that is received into the soul by the ear is afterwards chewed in the mouth thereof by memory concocted in the stomack by meditation and dispersed into the parts by conference and practise True Devotion findes the greatest part of the work behinde It was a just answer that Iohn Gerson reports given by a Frenchman who being askt by one of his neighbours if the Sermon were done no saith he it is said but it is not done neither will be I fear in hast What are we the better if we hear and remember not If we be such auditors as the Jews were wont to call sieves that retaine no moisture that is poured into them What the better if we remember but think not seriously of what we hear or if we practice not carefully what we think of Not that which we hear is our own but that which we carry away although all memories are not alike one receives more easily another retains longer It is not for every one to hope to attain to that ability that he can goe away with the whole fabrick of a Sermon and readily recount it unto others neither doth God require that of any man which he hath not given him Our desires and endeavours may not be wanting where our powers faile It will bee enough for weak memories if they can so lay up those wholsome counsells which they receive as that they may fetch them
THE DEVOVT SOUL OR Rules of heavenly DEVOTION ALSO THE FREE PRISONER OR The Comfort of RESTRAINT By Jos. H. B. N. London Printed by W. H. and are to be sold by George Latham Junior at the Bishops-head in St. Pauls Church-yard M. DC L. TO All Christian Readers Grace and Peace THat in a time when we heare no noise but of Drums and Trumpets and talk of nothing but armes and sieges battels I should write of Devotion may seem to some of you strange unseasonable to me contrarily it seems most fit and opportune For when can it be more proper to direct our adress to the throne of grace than when we are in the very jawes of Death or when should we goe to seek the face of our God rather than in the needfull time of trouble Blessed be my God who in the midst of these wofull tumults hath vouchsafed to give me these calm holy thoughts which I justly suppose he meant not to suggest that they should be smothered in the breast wherein they were conceived but with a purpose to have the benefit communicated unto many Who is there that needs not vehement excitations and helps to Devotion and when more than now In a tempest the Mariners themselves doe not only cry everyman to his God but awaken Jonah that is fast asleep under the hatches and chide him to his prayers Surely had we not bin failing in our devotions we could not have been thus universally miserable That duty the neglect whereof is guilty of our calamity must in the effectuall performance of it be the meanes of our recovery Be but devout and we cannot miscarry under judgements Wee is mee the teares of penitence were more fit to quench the publique flame than bloud How soone would it clear up above head if wee were but holily affected within Could wee send our zealous Ambassadours up to heaven we could not fail of an happy peace I direct the way God bring us to the end For my owne particular practice God is witnesse to my soule that as one the sense of whose private affliction is swallowed up of the publique I cease not daily to â—ly the Father of mercies with my fervent prayers that hee would at last be pleased after so many streames of bloud to passe an Act of Pacification in heaven And what good heart can do otherwise Brethren all ye that love God and his Church and his Truth and his Anointed and your Countrey your selves and yours joyn your forces with mine and let us by an holy violence make way to the gates of Heaven with our petition for mercy and peace and not suffer our selves to be beaten off from the threshold of Grace till wee be answered with a condescent He whose goodness is wont to prevent our desires will not give denyals to our importunities Pray and farewell NORWICH March 20. 1643. THE DEVOUT SOVLE SECT I. DEvotion is the life of Religion the very soule of Piety the highest imploiment of grace and no other than the prepossession of heaven by the Saints of God here upon earth every improvement whereof is of more advantage and value to the Christian soul than all the profit contentments which this world can afford it There is a kind of Art of Devotion if we can attain unto it whereby the practice thereof may bee much advanced We have known indeed some holy soules which out of the generall precepts of piety and their own happy experiments of Gods mercy have through the grace of God grown to a great measure of perfection this way which yet might have been much expedited and compleated by those helps which the greater illumination and experience of others might have afforded them Like as we see it in other faculties there are those who out of a naturall dexterity and their own frequent practice have got into a safe posture of defence and have handled their weapon with commendable skill whom yet the Fence-schoole might have raised to an higher pitch of cunning As nature is perfited so grace is not a little furthered by Art since it pleaseth the wisedome of God to work ordinarily upon the soul not by the immediate power of miracle but in such methods and by such means as may most conduce to his blessed ends It is true that all our good motions come from the Spirit of God neither is it lesse true that all the good counsails of others proceed from the same Spirit that good Spirit cannot be crosse to itself he therefore that infuses good thoughts into us suggests also such directions as may render us apt both to receive and improve them If God be bounteous we may not be idle and neglective of our spirituall aids SECT II. IF you tell me by way of instance in a particular act of Devotion that there is a gift of prayer and that the Spirit of God is not tied to rules I yeeld both these but withall I must say there are also helps of prayer and that we must not expect immediate inspirations I find the world much mistaken in both They thinke that man hath the gift of prayer that can utter the thoughts of his heart roundly unto God that can expresse himself smoothly in the phrase of the holy Ghost and presse God with most proper words passionate vehemence And surely this is a commendable faculty whersoever it is but this is not the gift of prayer you may call it if you will the gift of Elocution Doe wee say that man hath the gift of pleading that can talk eloquently at the Barre that can in good termes loud and earnestly importune the Judge for his Client and not rather hee that brings the strongest reason and quotes his books and precedents with most truth and clearest evidence so as may convince the Jury and perswade the Judge Do wee say hee hath the gift of Preaching that can deliver himself in a flowing manner of speech to his hearers that can cite Scriptures or Fathers that can please his auditory with the flowers of Rhetorick or rather he that can divide the Word aright interpret it soundly apply it judiciously put it home to the Conscience speaking in the evidence of the Spirit powerfully convincing the gainsayers comforting the dejected and drawing every soule nearer to heaven The like must we say for prayer the gift whereof hee may be truely said to have not that hath the most rennible tongue for prayer is not so much a matter of the lips as of the heart but he that hath the most illuminated apprehension of the God to whom he speakes the deepest sense of his own wants the most eager longings after grace the ferventest desires of supplies from heaven and in a word whose heart sends up the strongest groanes and cries to the Father of mercies Neither may we look for Enthusiasmes immediate inspirations putting our selves upon Gods Spirit in the solemn exercises of our invocation without heed or meditation the
offer to God a meer carcasse of religious duty and profane that sacred name we would pretend to honour First then we must come to Gods Book not without an holy Reverence as duly considering both what and whose it is Even no other than the Word of the ever-living God by which wee shall once be judged Great reason have wee therefore to make a difference betwixt it and the writings of the Holiest men even no lesse than betwixt the Authors of both God is true yea truth it self and that which David said in his haste S. Paul sayes in full deliberati on Every man is a lier Before we put our hand to this Sacred Volume it will be requisite to elevate our hearts to that God whose it is for both his leave and his blessing Open mine eyes saith the sweet singer of Israel that I may behold the wondrous things of thy Law Lo Davids eyes were open before to other objects but when he comes to Gods Book he can see nothing without a new act of apertion Letters he might see but wonders hee could not see till God did unclose his eyes and enlighten them It is not therfore for us presumptuously to break in upon God and to think by our naturall abilities to wrest open the precious Caskets of the Almighty and to fetch out all his hidden treasure thence at pleasure but we must come tremblingly before him and in all humility crave his gracious admission I confesse I finde some kinde of envy in my self when I read of those scrupulous observances of high respects given by the Jewes to the Book of Gods Law and when I read of a Romish Saint that never read the Scripture but upon his knees and compare it with the carelesse neglect whereof I can accuse my self and perhaps some others Not that wee should rest in the formality of outward Ceremonies of reverence wherein it were more easie to be superstitious than devout but that our outward deportment may testifie and answer the awfull disposition of our hearts whereto we shall not need to be excited if wee be throughly perswaded of the Divine Originall and authority of that Sacred Word It was motive enough to the Ephesians zealously to plead for and religiously to adore the Image of their Diana that it was the Image that fell down from Jupiter Beleeve we and know that the Scripture is inspired by God and we can entertain it with no other than an awfull addresse and we cannot be Christians if we do not so beleeve Every Clause therefore of that God-inspired Volume must be as reverently received by us so seriously weighed and carefully laid up as knowing that there is no tittle therein without his use What we read we must labour to understand what wee cannot understand we must admire silently and modestly enquire of There are plain Truths and there are deep mysteries The bounty of God hath left this Well of Living-water open for all what runs over is for all commers but every one hath not wherewith to draw There is no Christian that may not enjoy Gods Book but every Christian may not interpret it those shallow Fords that are in it may be waded by every Passenger but there are deeps wherein he that cannot swim may drown How can I without a Guide said that Ethopian Eunuch Wherefore serves the tongue of the Learned but to direct the Ignorant Their modesty is of no lesse use than the others skill It is a woefull condition of a Church when no man will be ignorant What service can our eyes doe us in the wayes of God without our thoughts our diligent and frequent reading therefore must be attended with our holy meditation we feed on what we read but we digest only what we meditate of What is in our Bible is Gods but that which is in our hearts is our own By all which our care must be not so much to become wiser as to become better labouring still to reduce all things to godly practice Finally as we enter into this task with the lifting up of our hearts for a blessing so we shut it up in the ejaculations of our thanksgiving to that God who hath blessed us with the free use of his Word SECT XXIII OUr eye is our best guide to God our Creator but our ear is it that leads us to God our Redeemer How shall they beleeve except they heare Which that we may effectually doe our devotion suggests unto us some duties before the act some in the act some after the act It is the Apostles charge that we should be swift to hear but heed must be taken that we make not more haste than good speed we may not be so forward as not to look to our foot when we go to the house of God lest if we be too ready to heare we offer the sacrifice of Fooles What are the feet of the soul but our affections If these be not set right we may easily stumble and wrench at Gods threshold Rash actions can never hope to prosper as therefore to every great Work so to this there is a due preparation required and this must be done by meditation first then by prayer Our meditation first sequesters the heart from the world and shakes off those distractive thoughts which may carry us away from these better things for what room is there for God where the World hath taken up the lodging Wee cannot serve God and Mammon Then secondly it seizes upon the heart for Gof fixing our thoughts upon the great businesse we goe about recalling the greatnesse of that Majesty into whose presence we enter and the maine importance of the service we are undertaking and examining our intentions wherewith we addresse our selves to the work intended I am now going to Godâ— House Wherefore doe I goe thither Is it to see or to be seen Is it to satisfie my owne curiosity in hearing what the Preacher will say Is it to satisfie the law that requires my presence Is it to please others eyes or to avoid their censures Is it for fashion Is it for recreation Or is it with a sincere desire to do my soul good in gaining more knowledge in quickning my affections Is it in a desire to approve my selfe to my God in the conscience of my humble obedience to his command and my holy attendance upon his Ordinance And where we find our ends amisse chiding and rectifying our obliquities where just and right prosecuting them towards a further perfection Which that it may bee done our meditation must be seconded by our prayers It is an unholy rudenesse to presse into the presence of that God whom wee have not invoked Our prayer must bee that God would yet more prepare us for the work and sanctifie us to it and blesse us in it that he would remove our sinnes that he would send down his Spirit into our hearts which may inable us to this great service that he
must needs follow a renewed act of true thankfulnes of heart to our good God that hath both given us his dear Son to work our redemption his blessed Sacrament to seal up unto us our redemption thus wrought and purchased And with souls thus thankfully elevated unto God we aproach with all reverence to that heavenly Table where God is both the Feast-master and the Feast What intention of holy thoughts what fervour of spirit what depth of Devotion must we now find in our selves Doubtlesse out of heaven no object can be so worthy to take up our hearts What a clear representation is here of the great work of our Redemption How is my Saviour by all my senses here brought home to my soul How is his passion lively acted before mine eyes For lo my bodily eye doth not more truely see bread and wine than the eye of my faith sees the body and bloud of my dear Redeemer Thus was his sacred body torn and broken Thus was his precious bloud poured out for me My sins wretched man that I am helped thus to crucifie my Saviour and for the discharge of my sins would he be thus crucified Neither did hee only give himselfe for me upon the Crosse but lo both offers and gives himself to me in this his blessed institution what had his generall gift been without this application Now my hand doth not more sensibly take nor my mouth more really eate this bread than my soule doth spiritually receive and feed on the bread of life O Saviour thou art the living bread that came dome from heaven Thy flesh is meat indeed and thy bloud is drink indeed Oh that I may so eate of this bread that I may live for ever He that commeth to thee shall never hunger he that beleeveth in thee shall never thirst Oh that I could now so hunger and so thirst for thee that my soul could be for ever satisfied with thee Thy people of old were fed with Manna in the wildernesse yet they dyed that food of Angels could not keep them from perishing but oh for the hidden Manna which giveth life to the world even thy blessed self give me ever of this bread and my soule shall not dye but live Oh the precious juice of the fruit of the Vine wherewith thou refreshest my soul Is this the bloud of the grape Is it not rather thy bloud of the New Testament that is poured out for me Thou speakest O Saviour of new wine that thou wouldest drink with thy Disciples in thy Fathers Kindome can there be any more precious and pleasant than this wherewith thou cheerest the beleeving soule our palate is now dull and earthly which shall then exquisite and celestiall but surely no liquor can be of equall price or soveraignty with thy bloud Oh how unsavory are all earthly delicacies to this heavenly draught O God let not the sweet taste of this spirituall Nectar ever goe out of the mouth of my soul Let the cōfortable warmth of this blessed Cordiall ever work upon my soul even till and in the last moment of my dissolution Dost thou bid me O Saviour do this in remembrance of thee Oh how can I forget thee How can I enough celebrate thee for this thy unspeakable mercy Can I see thee thus crucified before my eyes and for my sake thus crucified and not remember thee Can I find my sins accessary to this thy death and thy death meritoriously expiating all these my grievous sins and not remember thee Can I hear thee freely offering thy selfe to me and feele thee graciously conveighing thy self into my soul and not remember thee I doe remember thee O Saviour but oh that I could yet more effectually remember thee with all the passionate affections of a soul sick of thy love with all zealous desires to glorifie thee with all fervent longings after thee and thy salvation I remember thee in thy sufferings Oh doe thou remember me in thy glory SECT XXIX HAving thus busied it self with holy thoughts in the time of the celebration the devout soul breaks not off in an abrupt unmannerlinesse without taking leave of the great master of this heavenly feast but with a secret adoration humbly blesseth God for so great a mercy and heartily resolves and desires to walk worthy of the Lord Jesus whom it hath received and to consecrate it selfe wholly to the service of him that hath so dearly bought it and hath given it these pledges of its eternall union with him The Devout Soul hath thus supt in heaven and returns home yet the work is not thus done after the elements are out of eye and use there remains a digestion of this celestiall food by holy meditation and now it thinks Oh what a blessing have I received to day no lesse than my Lord Jesus with all his merits and in and with him the assurance of the remission of all my sins and everlasting salvation How happy am I if I be not wanting to God my self How unworthy shall I be if I doe not strive to answer this love of my God and Saviour in all hearty affection and in all holy obedience And now after this heavenly repast how do I feel my self what strength what advantage hath my faith gotten how much am I nearer to heaven than before how much faster hold have I taken of my blessed Redeemer how much more firm and sensible is my interest in him Neither are these thoughts and this examination the work of the next instant onely but they are such as must dwell upon the heart and must often solicite our memory and excite our practise that by this means we may frequently renew the efficacy of this blessed Sacrament and our souls may batten more and more with this spirituall nourishment and may be fed up to eternall life SECT XXX THese are the generalities of our Devotion which are of common use to all Christians There are besides these certaine specialties of it appliable to severall occasions times places persons For there are morning and evening Devotions Devotions proper to our board to our closer to our bed to Gods day to our own to health to sicknesse to severall callings to recreations to the way to the field to the Church to our home to the student to the souldier to the Magistrate to the Minister to the husband wife child servant to our owne persons to our families The severalties whereof as they are scarce finite for number so are most fit to to be left to the judgement and holy managing of every Christian neiis it to be imagined that any soul which is taught of God and hath any acquaintance with heaven can be to seek in the particular application of common rules to his own necessity or expedience The result of all is A devout man is he that ever sees the invisible and ever trembleth before that God he sees that walks ever here on earth with the God of heaven and still adores