Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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A13154
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Meditations of man's mortalitie. Or, A way to true blessednesse. Written, by Mrs. Alice Sutcliffe wife of Iohn Sutcliffe Esquire, groome of his Maiesties most honourable privie chamber
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Sutcliffe, Alice.
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1634
(1634)
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STC 23447; ESTC S117939
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40,619
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246
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to cause him to become weary and backward in well doing Therefore thou O man I that wouldest doe the good thou doest not but through the deceiveablenesse of thy flesh standeth loytering and with SALOMONS fluggard cryeth Yet a little sleepe a little slumber a wake and behold CHRIST comming in the Clouds Stand up and gird thy selfe like a man lift up thy eye of Faith and behold thy Saviour whose merits plead for thee See him dying for thee and thereby paying thy debts See thy Iudge a just one and therefore will not require that againe which Christ hath already satisfied hee hath beheld the thoughts of thine heart and found thy desires are to serve him concerning the inward Man and though thou didst fall into sinnes most offensive to the eyes of his Divine Maiesty yet hee knowes that the evill thou didst hate that thou didst But it was a Law in thy Members that ledde thee captive to the Law of sin Rom. 7. then if as a Captive forc't it was no longer thou but sinne that dwelled in thee Let the remembrances of these Mercies waken thy Soule from the drowsinesse of Sinne and remember who hath sayd Awake Ephes 5. thou that sleepest and arise from the Dead and CHRIST shall give thee light Hee calleth thee Hee biddeth thee awake let not these sweet calles strike thee dead Math. 20. as his presence did the Keepers who became astonished and were as dead men but rather let that voyce bee of as great power to thee as it was to LAZARVS not onely to rayse thee from the sleepe Iohn 11. but also from the death of Sin And bee as ready to entertaine this love as THOMAS was who no sooner touched his Saviour but cryed out Iohn 20. My Lord and my God Neyther deceive thy selfe with a soothing conceit of what is not in thee Iâ—th 7. For the Tree is knowne by the fruit for men cannot gather Grapes of Thornes nor Figs of Thistles A good man out of the good Treasure of his Heart Math. 7. bringeth forth good things and an evill man out of the evill Treasure of his heart bringeth forth evill things so that howsoever thou mayst seeme to the World yet as a shadow doth alwayes follow the body so feare and desperation will at all times and in all places wayte upon an evill Conseience Let not thy Faith be as a House built upon the Sands which will shake with every blast of Temptations or Afflictions but found it upon the Rocke CHRIST IESVS against which whatsoever beateth shall returne with a greater repulse to it selfe as not being able to move it and having once attayned this perfection take heed of recoyling for CHRIST sayth He that layeth hand upon the Plough and looketh backe is not meet for the Kingdome of Heaven Luke 9. What though the way to Heaven be narrow and full of Difficulties Wilt thou not therefore beeing entred perseuere Who would wish or desire to walke in a way strowed with Roses and planted with divers fragrant Flowers if the assured end of it be death and who would refuse a rough and difficult path that leadeth unto life is it not commonly seene that many men to attaine to Preferment run into most apparent dangers and hazard the losse of theyr life nay I know thou wouldest doe it thy selfe and shall it bee troublesome and grievous to thee to doe that for thy Soule which thou refuseth not to doe for thy Body Shall it seeme a great thing unto thee to suffer a little trouble heere that hereafter thou mayst escape eternall torment What would not the rich covetous man buryed in Hell willingly doe if he might have licence to come into the World againe that he might amend his errors Is it meet that thou shouldest doe lesse now then he would doe seeing that if thou dost persever in thy wickednesse the same torments remaine for thee He that runneth a Race leaveth not till hee come to the Gole So run as you may obtaine Remember LOTS Wife who looking backe became a Piller of Salt so take heed lest thou by looking backe upon the vanities of this life forget the care of thy Soule commanded thee by God so of his child become not a Piller of Salt but a child of Perdition a man having much riches is still â—â—vetous of more and what wealth to be compared to the Soule A thing so great in it selfe that what gayneth hee that getteth the whole world and looseth his Soule even as great a purchase as hee who having with much Labour and great charge obtayned a precious lewell straight giueth it for a trifle Nay were it so it were the lesse for that were but the undoing of the body this the losse of the Soule that friends againe may rayse this is a losse irrecoverable Wherefore thinke no paynes wearisome no labours irksome nor any troubles grievous to attaine true happinesse For our light afflictions 2. Cor. 4. which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding eternall weight of Glory while we looke not at the things which are seene but at the things which are not seene for the things which are seene are Temporall but the things which are not seene are Eternall wherefore setting all hinderances apart with cheerefulnesse of spirit take up the Crosse of CHRIST and incourage thy feeble spirit with the saying of the Apostle PAVL The troubles of this Life are not comparable to the joyes that shall bee heereafter 2. Cor. 6. having therefore these promises cleanse your selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting Holinesse in the feare of GOD. VI. That Man ought to bee wonne to follow Godlinesse in respect of the Eternall Happinesse HAving now set before thee Deut. 30. Life and good Death and evill I defire thee to choose Life that both thou and thy seed mayest live for having beheld the deceiveablenes of worldly pleasures and how this momentany felicity is attended on by sorrow and her Confederates me thinks thou shouldest be weary of this house of Clay scituated in a Wildernes of miseries which hourely produceth Monsters that ravenously seeketh to prey on thy destruction and withdrawing thy mind from these fleeting delights elevate thy thoughts to Heaven and contemplate with thy selfe of those Coelestiall pleasures note the beauty of the place the gloriousnesse of the company and the durablenesse of that Happinesse which is Eternity for the beautie of this place this Heavenly Ierusalem looke into the Revelation Revel 21. and thou shalt finde It hath the glory of GOD the light thereof to be like a Iasper stone cleere as Chrystall glorious must it needs bee when the Wall is of Iasper and the City of pure gold cleare like glasse and the Foundations of the Wall garnished with all manner of precious stones the twelve Gates were twelve Pearles every severall gate was of one pearle Revel 15 for the company there are
to provoke him to anger through whose Gates thou must enter before whose feet thou must lye prostrate will thou nill thou whose mercy thou must sue and deplore Thou art piunged in the Gulfe of sinne he onely must rayse theee thou art wounded he onely can healt thee thou art sicke to the death hee onely can give thee life Oh then feare to offend him of whose helpe thou standest in need every moment Isa 30. tremble to provoke him to anger who hath for unrepentant sinness prepared a deepe and large pit the Piller thereof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a streame of brimstone doth kindle it beware of going on in delights without remembring your end lest you be like the Fishes that sports themselves so long in the delightsome streames of the River Jordan that unawares they plunge themselves in Mare mertuum from whence there is no Redemption many are the baytes and snares which are layd for man in this life covered over with glittering wealth and delightsome Pleasures but bare these deceits and cause them to appeare in their own likenesse and thou shalt finde this World to bee a Casket of sorrowes and grievances a Schoole of Vanity a laborinth of Errors a dungeon of Darknesse a Market-place of Cousonages a way beset with Theeves a ditch full of mud and a Sea continually tost and troubled with stormes and Tempests what other thing is the world but a barren Land a field full of Thistles and Weeds a Wood full of Thornes a flourishing Garden but bringing forth no fruit a River of Teares a Fountaine of Cares a sweet poyson A Tragedy pleasantly framed a delightfull Phrenzie the Worlds rest hath labour the Security of it without ground the feare of it is without cause the Labour of it without fruit the Teares without purpose and the purposes without successe the Hope of it is vayne the joy feyned and the Sorrow true the Glory of this World is but the singing of Syrens sweet but a deadly Potion a Viper artificially painted without but within full of venemous poyson If the World fawne upon thee it doth it that it may deceive thee if it Exalt thee it doth it that thy fall may bee the greater if it 〈◊〉 thee merry it doth it that it afterwards with sorrow may breake thy heart it giveth all her goods with a mixture of incomparable heavinesse and griefes and that with the greatest usurie if a Sonne bee borne to thee and soone after dye thy sorrow will be seaven fold greater then was thy Ioy the thing lost more afflicteth then found joyeth Sicknesse more excruciateth then Health gladdeth Injury more tormenteth then Honour contenteth to conclude what good things are found in the World which are not counterfeit and what 〈◊〉 vill which are not 〈◊〉 deed If these things he so indeed as they are wherefore should man desire to stay any longer in this land of Aegypt to gather stubble who would not flye out of this Babilon who would not desire to be delivered from this fire of Sodome and Gomorrah seeing therefore that the World is beset with so many snares and that so many downfals and break-neckes are in the way and the flame of Vices doe so burne us who at any time can bee secure and safe as the Wise man sayth Prov. 6. Can a man take fire in his bosome and his cloathes not be burnt or can a man goe upon Coales Eccles 13. and his feet not burnt he that toucheth Pitch shall be defiled with the same estrange then thy minde from these ycie Vanities listen and thou shalt heare CHRIST who seeth the danger thou art falling into calling unto thee that hee may teach thee a way to prevent thy hurt and saying Behold I stand at the doore and knocke runne and open to this Physitian of thy Soule O refuse him not neyther delay his entrance for thou art sicke and he will give thee to drinke of the water of Life neyther for money nor by measure but freely and taking thy fill without limitation and freely too being of his owne Grace and Mercy Can you then knowing to whom you are to open stand with delayes as I cannot yet I will anon but this I cannot yet I will anon is deferred so long that this heavenly ghest goeth away without a Lodging by reason of which he will hardly bee brought againe without many teares Oh then I be ready at the first knock to open I meane the first good motion so shall you receive a ghest whose company is sweeter then the honey and the honey Combe On heart more hard then stone that can refuse him if considered who it is it is CHRIST the well-beloved Sonne of his Father it is hee in whom God the Father is so well pleased that all thy sinnes are forgiven being covered with the robe of his Righteousnesse it is he that suffered Rebukes Buffetings Scornings Spittings on and at the last death I and that the most cursedst death even the death of the Crosse as it is written Cursed are every one that hang on a Tree Galat. 3. These things being so have you not hearts harder then an Adamant thus to oppose his entrance Oh doe not deferre this purchase to the time to come for one minute of this time which now vainely slydeth from thee is more precious then the Treasure of the whole world Be like unto a wise Marchant Math. 13. that having found a precious Pearle goes and sels all he hath to purchase it what thing more precious then the Sonne of God which heere offereth himselfe unto thee why art thou so slacke in giving him entertainement thinkest thou him not worthy because thou beholdest him in his Humility poore and despised or doth thy flesh puffe thee up with a conceit beyond thy merites if it doe cast thy eyes upon thy selfe and consider what thou wast before thou wast borne what thou art now being borne and what thou shalt bee after Death before thou wast borne thou wast filthy and obsceane matter not worthy to be named now thou art dung covered over with snow and a while after thou shalt be meat for Wormes why then shouldest thou bee proud seeing thy Nativity is sinne thy Life misery and thy End putrifaction and corruption Having considered thus with thy selfe tell mee if thou hast not the greater reason to open with the more celerity Semel hee of himselfe being willing to passe by these thy Infirmities wouldest thou not account that man most heathenish who having a Friend that had indured seaven yeares imprisonment to keepe him from that bondage at the last payed his Ransome at so deare a rate as thereby his estate were for ever ruined otherwise hee himselfe to indure perpetuall Slavery if this man I say should come and knocke at the doore of his Friend desiring admittance and acquainting him with who it was and hee for this his love should seeme not to