one would give me the large heart of an Angel oh that God would fill up all my capacities and make me yet more capacious oh that he would take up all the room in me and oh that he would make for himself more room in my Soul than yet there is to entertain him And certainly this Predominant Love may be discern'd If I know not what I love best I know nothing Why may I not as well know whether I love God or the World best as I know whether I love bread or husks best By what we constantly choose when things come in competition we may know what we love best But may not the palate of the mind be so alter'd or vitiated as well as that of the body that what I choose at one time I may refuse at an other and prefer its contrary or disparate Yes certainly In every single wilful deliberate Act of Covetousnes or Impatience worldly love does predominate pro hic nunc But it will not denominate the man a lover of the world except it be habitual MEDITAT XX. Of Habitual love THe love that is so predominant as to denominate must be Habitual But may not an habitual lover of the World be converted into an habitual lover of God Yes sure This is the conversion that the Gospel speaks of To turn men from Idols to the acknowledgment of the true God is not a saving conversion To turn them from the commission or love of some single sin of the flesh as Drunkenness Whoring Swearing is a partial but not a saving Conversion The great and saving Conversion lies in changing the Temper the Nature and introducing Divine Habits The habit of worldly love may be destroyed and is destroy'd in all sincere Converts The habit of Divine love may be interrupted in its Acts weakened in its Vigor but shall not be quite destroy'd We read of some indeed that they had left their love Rev. 2. 4. But it does not appear that they had quite lost it or if we will say that they had lost it yet it was not it but some degrees of it that they lost not their love but their first love or some degrees of that love which they had at first I know not what should hinder but that every truly regenerate and habitual lover of God may make the same challenge as the Apostle did What shall sepaparate us from the love of God If it be said that the love of God towards his Elect is immutable and indefectible but so is not theirs towards him One may well reply that consequently the love of the Elect is lasting everlasting too If it be true that whom God loves he loves to the end and that he loves none with this peculiar love but those who love him it will fairly follow that their love is endless too MEDITAT XXI Lovers of the World willing to be deceiv'd ANd now methinks I see the secure world stand unconcern'd every one blessing himself Oh I am not this accursed lover of the world I do indeed now and then prefer the world my gain my pleasure my reputation before God and the observation of the dictates of my own Conscience as I perceive all men do but I do not make a constant custom of it I have no habit of it But hark a while though it be but in one single Act that thou preferrest the World before God or in a sin committed now and then yet glory not account it not a light thing It is something sure and indeed enough to humble and amaze all Men upon Earth to be now and then guilty of such folly and filthiness such Blasphemy Unrighteousness and Idolatry as this is to be but once guilty of preferring the Devil before God But examine Oh look inwardly Do not these acts proceed from an habit these sprouts from a root we had need to search narrowly and examine strictly for if we be mistaken here we are mistaken indeed fatally everlastingly mistaken The worldly mind generally denies and palliats its worldliness Men are generally asham'd to be call'd worldly minded men and very loath to believe themselves to be such notwithstanding which it is most certain that there are many such so that somewhere there will be found a deadly damning mistake MEDITAT XXII The Lovers of God most sensible of their Worldliness ON the other hand the heavenly mind the habitual lover of the Father is most sensible of and complains most of his own worldliness Lord How little do I discern this Disease or lay it to Heart in my self How little do I mourn over it in others where it is apparently praedominant notwithstanding it is so deadly If I be not a predominant lover of the Word yet alass in how many single acts have I given preference to it every one of which was horrible disloyalty and treachery Alas How early how earnestly how eagerly have I pursued the World in my Thoughts in a whole train of Thoughts from morning to evening How unseasonably too has it put it self into my Meditations how boldly intruded into my Devotions how sawcily thrust in it self to interrupt my communion with Heaven with an impudence and importunity exceeding an Harlots Fore-head Wo be to me if thinking more if speaking oftner of this World than of God be a certain mark of a predominant lover of the World who then could be saved Yet when I consider that where the treasure is the Heart will be also and again that out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth speaketh how can I chose but be asham'd and afraid Lord deliver me from looseness of Spirit from earthliness of Mind from meanness and ordinariness of Temper and Conversation Oh wind up my Heart to Heaven let my Converse be there and with thee Imploy my Mind in contriving my Soul in exerting acts of Love fill my Mouth with thy Praises and let Holiness to the Lord be written upon all my Actions and Enjoyments Oh how are the mighty fallen the high sunk down into a most mean and miserable condition How is the Gold become dim How shamefully does the noble Humane Nature embrace a Dung-hill and the Souls that came out of the blessed Creators hands purer than Snow have contracted a Visage blacker than a Cole Good God I believe Oh help my unbelief I love thee Oh pardon my want my weakness of love and shed abroad thy love in and quite over my dry and parched Soul Rather take from me whatever takes any part of my Heart from thee thâ—â— that I should be a partial an imperfect an unsincere lover of God! MEDITAT XXIII Notwithstanding Mens Self-deceivings there are many Lovers of the World ANd because no Man will confess himself to be a Lover of the World are there therefore none such Has the Apostle suppos'd an Impossibility or a Non Entity when he says If any Man love the World c. or are Men therefore not of the World because they say they
and Sweetness and Beauty and Bravery of the World in our apprehension that we may look upon them as things unsuitable inadequate inferiour to our Noble Natures meer Husks and Trash Dust and Gravel in Comparison of the proper food of Souls Display thy Divine Excellency Sweetnesâ— Fullness Infinite Goodness Suitableness and Allsufficiency to us that we may be throughly convinc'd that thou art altogether lovely and that all other things yea Heaven it self are to be loved for thy sake Let thy good Spirit move upon our Affections and overshadow these Souls so long till it have impregnated them with Divine Love Whether Love be like Water do thou shed it abroad in our Hearts till it overflow all our Faculties as the Waters cover the Sea or whether it be like Fire let the Breath of the Lord Blow it up into a victorious and irresistible Flame Grant good God that this Love of Thee may express it self in the Faith Love and Obedience of thy Blessed Son Jesus in the Entertainment and Prosecution of the Motions of thy Holy Spirit in a sincere Love of all Men in a singular Delight in the Saints in the constant preference of Truth Righteousness the Establishment of Peace and Order the Advancement of the Gospel the Favour of God and our own Consciences before Riches Honours Pleasures Self-pleasing the Favour of Men the Propagations of Parties and all Worldly Interest whatsoever in the preferrence of the Peace and Holiness of our Souls before the gratifications of the Body and the securing of a happy Eternity before the serving of Time Finally I beseeeh Thee O my Gracious Father be daily adding Fewel to this Holy Fire maintain and encrease this pious Ardor Keep us in thy Love waiting for the Mercy of Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life Be daily winding up these Heavy and Lingring Hearts unto Thy Self and carrying on these imperfect Longings till thou hast ripened them into Perfect Lively Fearless Endless Love and Delight in thy Heavenly Kingdom for the sake of the Son of thy Love who hath loved us and given himself for us that we might give our Selves to Thee To him with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Thanks Love and Obedience for evermore Amen FINIS Books Printed for and sold by Samuel Tidmarsh at the Kings-head in Corn-hill THE Triumphs of Gods Revenge against the Crying and Execrable Sin of Murther to which is added Gods Revenge against Adultery A Chronicle of the Kings of England from the time of the Romans Government and continued unto the Fourteenth of his now Majesties Reign by Sir Richard Baker The Court of the Gentiles Compleat by Theophilus Gall. The Use of Passions written in French by I. F. Senault and put into English by Henry Earl of Monmouth A Treatise of Peace and Contentment of Mind by Peter Du Moulin Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty A Treatise of Sacramental Covenanting with Christ shewing the ungodly their Contempt of Christ in their Contempt of the Sacramental Covenant by J. Rawlet An Explication of the Creed the Ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer with the Addition of some Forms of Prayer by John Rawlet Artificial Versifying a New Way to make Latine Verses whereby any one of ordinary Capacity that only knows the A. B. C. and can count 9 though he understands not one Word of Latine or what a Verse means may be painly Taught and in as little time as this is Reading over how to make Thousands of Hexameter and Pentameter Verses which shall be true Latine true Verse and good Sense by John Peter price 6d stitcht Day of Doom or a description of the day of the great and last Judgment with a Discourse about Eternity Christian Directions shewing how to walk with God all the day long A Word â—o Saints and a Word to Sinners The Young Mans Guid through the Wilderness of this World to the Heavenly Canaan shewing him how to carry himself Christian like in the whole course of his Life All three by Thomas Gouge Tables for the use of the Excise Office whereunto is added an Introduction to Decimal Arithmetick and a short Treatise of Practical Gauging also the Excise-mans Aid by John 〈◊〉 Directions with Prayers and Meditations for the worthy receiving the Blessed Sacrament by the famous Charles Drelincourt A Help to English History containing a Succession of all the Kings of England the English Saxons and the Britains the Kings and Lords of Men and Isle of Wight as also of all the Marquesses Earls Bishops thereof with the Description of the places from whence they had their Titles Martial Epigrams Helvicus Colloquia Ovidii Opera Caesars Commentaries Erasmii Collâ—quia Ovidii Metamor cum Not. Farnabii Seneca's Tragedies Virgil. cum Not. Fornab Greek Testament of a full Character
particularly in some future Meditations MEDITAT X. Of the Inconsistency of the Love of the World and the Love of God IT seems to be the plain Doctrine which the Apostle teaches That the Love of the World and the Love of God are inconsistent God and Mammon cannot cohabit there is no serving of two Masters especially being contrary the one to the other What communion hath light with darkness The reason of the incompatibility and inconsistency seems to be laid in the opposition Contraria mutuo se pallunt The same Fountain cannot send forth sweet waters and bitter Here the reason seems to lie in the limited straitned nature of the Fountain The narrow heart of man cannot contain two such Guests at once If the world be got into the Inn the Chambers of the Soul Christ must be cast into the Stable The same Soul cannot at once send forth the sweet aromatick Breathings of Divine Love and the nasty noisom stench and exhalation of earthly Love How should such a limited Agent perform two such contrary Acts at the same time But what May not a Man love God well and love the world well too No no man loves God well but he that loves him belt He only loves him aright that loves him with all his heart There cannot be two Bests One cannot love God with all his heart and the world with all his heart too But may not one love God best and yet love the world No For if you love the world unduly you do not love God best and if you love God best then your love of the world is not the undue love here forbidden The pure and conjugal Love admits no Rival Thalamus non patitur consortes There is an Essay no doubt to compound the matter and to make a medley and this medley I fear is the Religion of the most It is too evident that they entertain the world chiefly yet in good manners they would allow some room for God some little room upon a Sunday or an Holy-day or perhaps at some other times in some easie and cheap things The Whore in the Comedian was content to entertain two the one indeed she properly lov'd but because the other gave her Presents and good Gifts she was content that he should Haerere in aliqua parte saltem apud eam some little corner of her house she would allow him too It is as certain a sign of a whorish heart to prostitute it self to two as it was of a false Mother to admit of the division of the child The world indeed has no title at all to the heart of Man and therefore modestly desires only a little part an inferior love a subordinate love But together with this seeming Modesty the Witch is very cunning for she knows that that part will go night to bring in the whole and that God will reject the whole Mess if any part of it be defiled But God has a right to all and therefore demands all or none he will not take up with a corner of the heart The love of God fills the Soul where it comes as the light fills the Fir-mament MEDITAT XI Of the Evil of not loving God THE love of the Father is not in him Look about you all you that love the World Nay rather let us all look into our selves let us fear and search lest we be found lovers of the world for here is the dreadfullest Predicate that ever was pronounced the blackest brand that can be lay'd upon a rational being such love not God He had almost as good have said They hate him For indeed saving a little Philosophical Nicety it comes all to one He that is not for us is against us and yet more plainly The friendship of the World is enmity against God Now if we consider that it is the most Natural Necessary Reasonable Easie and Excellent thing in the World to love God and that it is the foundation of all other duties it will the better appear how sad a Character this is The love of the Father is not in him I will but glance upon some of these in this place and reserve the rest to anotner MEDITAT XII The love of God is most Natural IT is most Natural for man to love God However it is true too true that considering man in his state of Apostasie sin is most natural to him yet if we consider man as a rational Being only abstracting him from his depravation vertue particulaâ—ly the love of God is most natural to him and all sin particularly worldly love unnatural and alien to him which the Scripture plainly signifies when it tells us so often of the defilements of sin Now we know that what defiles must needs be alien to that which it defiles To love God was the duty of man before the Gospel was given yea or the Law either necessarily resulting from the relation between the Creature and the Creator It is most agreeable to the dictates of Nature though it be so sadly depraved it has not quite put off its Essence For what are Honour and Reverence and Adoration but Love exalted Love determin'd to a Superior Object And this the Heathens always thought just and equal to give to their Gods It is as natural for the soul to love to cleave to something without its self as for the Ivy to cling to the Oak The Soul naturally understands its own indigency and therefore goes out to one thing or other to find rest though through her Apostasie she is mistaken in her object and fancies rest where it is not Which indeed is rather Blasphemy than Atheism The love of a Superior Object of a Centre is so natural that it cannot be separated from the very constitution of the Soul That Centre must needs be some Superior Being and more excellent than it self And what can that be but God or what besides him can be sayd to be more excellent than the Soul it self God is remotely concern'd in the pursuits even of the Covetous and Ambitious howbeit they mean not so and therefore their in judicious tendencies are no thanks to them nor will ever make them happy To love the Lord our God with all our heart is the great Commandment indeed it is the Law of Nature inlay'd in the very constitution of the Soul belonging to all men in all ages of the world MEDITAT XIII Of the Easiness and Pleasantness of Loving TO love is Easie Cheap and Pleasant It is Easie it equires no Pains it breaks no Bones Whatsoever Curse lies upon all sublunary provisions we may eat the heavenly Manna without sweat Those Devils the Hâ—athenish Gods requir'd painful Services indeed sometimes Herculean Labors But the true God requires our Love he takes it as the most acceptable Sacrifice so acceptable that it shall stand in stead of all other Duties where they cannot be perform'd He that is dumb and cannot pray deaf and cannot hear blind and cannot read so poor that he
will not starttle nor make any impression upon them or they will a little open their Eyes and inquire into themselves and ask whether they be lovers of God or of the World I foresee the greatest part of Men into whose hands these Meditations shall fall will be secure and unconcern'd as they are under the weightiest Doctrines and loudest Thunders of God It is the Nature of worldly Love to stupifie it drowns in perdition it choaks the Word it makes Men Blind and Bold Senseless and Secure It Stiffles Choaks Deadens takes away all Heart and turns Men into meer lumps of Earth But perhaps there are others some others that will inquire Well be it so yet I suppose that the power of Self-love is so great that the inference they will make will be one of these two Either Oh I love God and therefore am not a lover of the World or Oh I am not a lover of the World therefore I love God MEDITAT XVII What it is to Love God BUt possibly there may be some ingenious Inquirer that with Philip will ask and say Shew us the Father and it sufficeth To him Christ answered Have I been so long with you and sayest thou shew us the Father As if he had said the invisible God is seen in me I am the Image of the Father So I say to these God is invisible but the Image of God is visible in the World The Image of God idneed is seen in the whole Creation and the Power Wisdom and goodness of God are to be observed and admired therein But especially it is to be admired in Man Man is more especially the Image of God and if we say we love God whom we have not seen and love not our Brethren whom we have seen we deceive our selves More especially it is to be observed in good Men Therefore is the Love of God so often described by the Love of the Brethren and of the Saints But principally True Goodness is the Nature of God God is Goodness Truth Love Holiness and he that loveth the World more than these is the Idolater and Adulterer here spoken of If any Man habitually in his Judgment or Affections prefer the Pleasures Profits or Honours of the World before Righteousness Goodness Truth and Holiness he is dead accursed I suspect that the Love of Christs Person is mostly a Notion amongst Men To follow his Example to imitate his Graces to copy out his Perfections is to Love him For although we have not heard Gods Voyce nor seen his Shape at any time yet if his Word abide in us we love him John 5. 37 38. He that loveth Christ must keep his Commandments If any man therefore prefer the world before the Commands of Christ before the favour of God or the peace of his own Conscience so far he is a lover of the World The son of the bond-woman and of the free cannot cohabit fleshly wisdom and the grace of God cannot at the same time predominate The love of God is a nature not a rapture or extasie much less a Mechanical thing Acted only upon the Stage of Fancy MEDITAT XVIII Of the false love of God BUt what is the love of the world so pestilent so malignant so poysonous that no love of God will grow by it in the same Soul Yes there may be a great deal of spurious love love of a false kind more properly called flattery than friendship Men may fancy they love God much and may cry God forbid but they should love him above all things Perhaps there may be some true love in a weak degree true I mean in opposition to dissembled Physically true for why may there not be a true love that is not saving But he that loves God aright as the supream good must needs love him with a supream and superlative affection But be it true or no in a Physical sense that love of God is not highest doth not prevail nor predominate that is easily crusht cast out gain-said If the Tares get above the Corn and smother it if the cares of the world choak the word those tares and cares are pardominant The men of Keilah made love to David perhaps they had some real kindness for him but their kindness for Saul was greater so that if he offer'd himself they would cast forth David and his men The love of God and the love of the World are inconsistent And that appears from the nature of the objects which are contrary the one to the other As also from the nature of love If any man love the World must be understood of a prodominant love then the love of the Father is not in him must be understood of a predominant love also God being the chiefest good the love of him must be the highest and strongest or else it is not such as the object requires If a Woman love her Husband well yet if she love him not above any other man she does not love with a right conjugal love which ought to be strongest of all others The proper and acceptable love of God must needs be predominant otherwise it is not fitted to the nature of the supream good Now it is impossible there should be two predominant loves in the same Soul at one and the same time MEDITAT XIX Of Predominant Love BUt it will be askt what goes to make a Predominant love Love yea even the love of God is capable of intention and remission There are those that depart from their first love in a great measure The Spouse was one while sick of love another while so lazy and languid that she would not so much as arise to open to her beloved when he knockt Particularly by how much worldly love prevails by so much Divine love languisheth and is invalidated They are like the houses of Saul and David the rise of the one is the fall of the other and they cannot be both supream in one Israel They are like a pair of Scales in this as the one rises the other falls but they differ in this that they are never equally poys'd A Predominant Love must be most intense in degree habitual and durable The intenseness of the love of God is so describ'd as I never read any thing like it Luk 10. 27. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul with all thy strength and with all thy mind How many All 's are here And yet if we had ten thousand times more powers and principals we ought to love God with them all too It is an emphatical translation of that elegant Text of the Apostle Rom. 5. 5. The love of God is shed abroad in our Hearts which if I might Periphrase upon in Scripture Phrase I would call it a covering of the Soul as the Waters cover the Sea The Soul of a lover of God seems to its self too scant to comprehend the supream good wishes its self wider and larger Oh that
the rest of the Symptoms of a Worldly Mind to be exploded Such a Symptom I take all Wagering to be that proceeds from a covetous desire of getting that which is another mans or is accompany'd with a vexatious Fear of losing our own For Covetousness and distracting Carefulness are ever bad and that cannot be very good that is the proper direct efficient cause of them If it be said That in so saying I condemn all Wagers without Exception even the smallest as being all attended with some degree or other of Covetousness I think it is very falsely objected for I know some men now and then lay some small Wager which they are very indifferent whether they Win or Lose nay which they had rather Lose than Win Such a Symptom are all such Wagers that are laid for the abetting and encouraging of scandalous or suspicious Actions or Sports For if it be unseemly and of ill report to men to run Races stark naked or Women next to naked to abett the same by Wagers cannot be safe or seemly And such a Symptom are all such Wagers as impoverish or weaken him that lays them it he Lose or his Adversary if he Win. It is a very uncomfortable way of coming to Poverty by losing great Wagers and indeed it is a sorry paltry way of getting Riches to get them by Winning Abraham scorn'd a far Genteeler way of enriching himself than this by the Spoil of his conquer'd Enemies that it might not be said that the King of Sodom had made Abraham rich And such a Symptom are all such bold Wagers that are laid concerning Events that are purely in the hand of God no room being left for second Causes to interpose and make a humane Probability or Improbabilty This looks like a prophane piece of Sawciness For how can mortal man intermeddle with the Counsels of the great God to stint limit engage or excuse them and be innocent But I have known Wagers also laid meerly in stead of Arguments when men have had nothing to say in defence of their Cause and others laid concerning things which can never be proved or determined And oftentimes they that are so forward to lay Wagers will not venture to pitch upon a certain Judge who may determine whether they Win or Lose These also are Symptoms like the former only somewhat worse For besides the Impiety and Impertinency they argue a great degree of shameful Folly MEDITAT XXV Of Gamesters I Think it is generally concluded That Exercise is expedient and upon the matter necessary for the health of the Body Physicians contend for the agreeableness of some Recreations in particular to some Constitutions and so they alot Ringing to some Shooting to others Hunting to others and Bowling to others I had rather believe these Artists than dispute with them though it seems that the end of all these Recreations may be attained as well by Riding or Walking I shall esteem him a wise and temperate man who is induced to these Recreations by no other consideration but that of Health But I fear there are few such Recreations are also said to be needful to the relief of the mind which I will not deny And yet so far as I can apprehend the Variety of Business is the best Recreation and does as effectually relieve the mind as any Sports whatsoever For my own part I would defire no better Recreation of mind than to go from one Business to another that should be within my call and compass and then seasonably to lay down both the one and the other upon my Pillow But whatsoever may be said in Vindication of some Sports there are certainly many others which cannot be justify'd yea and the Gamesters will be found Lovers of the World and not of the Father Such Gamesters are they who follow Sports in their own Nature unlawful being against the Rules of Justice Temperance or Modesty And such are they who follow Sports in themselves lawful unlawfully that is unrighteously intemperately or unseasonably I reckon that they follow Sports unrighteously who make a Calling of Gaming and Recreation their Business thereby either endeavouring to get other mens Estates or venturing to lose their own The nature of Commutative Justice requires that when I receive that which is another mans I part with something of my own that is equivalent and bears some due proportion to it Hereby the gains of Wagers and Gaming comes to be rank'd amongst other filthy Lucre and may be matcht with the price of a Dog or the hire of an Harlot And here by the way I cannot but stop a little and complain of the Carelesness and Cruelty of those Parents and Masters who instruct or encourage or so much as allow their Children Servants or Scholars to play for money Is not Covetousness a sufficient blemish to our old Age but we must be inur'd to it in our Youth Is it not Cruelty to instruct Children to cheat and wrong one another before they be in a capacity to make Restitution Is the Love of money the Root of all Evil and yet we take so much care to plant it and that in the minds of those whom we pretend to preserve from Evil It cannot easily be computed how much idle covetous contentious cozening Conversation is usher'd into the World by this kind of Education nor how many mischievous Consequences there are of it Oh that all that pretend to love the Father would diligently watch against the introduction of the love of the world into the hearts of their Children by this means But besides those Gamesters that unrighteously get or spend Estates by Gaming there are others Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God who spend their time excessively in Sports pleasurably passing away their Time which without Pastimes hastens away apace and which when it is past cannot be call'd back though one would give all the substance of his House to retrieve it I know it is unjust to determine the same measure of time for Sports to all men and I think it is unsafe to determine an exact measure to any man But every mans own Conscience if he examine it can tell him Whether he be a Lover of Pleasure more than of God whether he live in Pleasure whether he spend his time either more largely or more gladly in Sports or in Devotion or good Business or which he prefers or oâ—ghts in most It seems to be angerly spoken by the Philosopher Indignus est humano nâ—mine qui vel unum diâ—m velit esse in voluptaribuâ— That he does not deserve the name of a man who is content to spend one day in pleasures But if he was in earnest as he seems to have been I think it is highly reasonable that the Professors of Christianity should be as serious and abstemious as any Heathen Philosopher of them all and rather reduce the Unâ—m 〈◊〉 into Unam Horam than enlarge their Liberty I wonder exceedingly what most of our Gentlemen
other things still so that the poverty is mightily increased by the mans being inrich't And is it not thus with Honours too Was not Haman base and vile with all honour who was subject to Mordecai a Captive a Slave If it be said it was by accident I answer that all honour lies perfectly at the mercy of the People they kill or save by the turning of a Thumb as they did in the Arena of old It is ill provided for proud men whose Greatness depends upon a small matter which is in the power of the meanest man to deny And to be a servant to so many men and those of the meanest too methinks is a great reproach And as for pleasure I doubt not but that honest self-denying Urias had more satisfaction of mind in not going home to his Wife than David had in fetching her home to him his denying of pleasure was pleasant whereas the others pleasure was painful and shameful And wilt thou O my Soul be impos'd upon wilt thou be so childish as to pursue a painted and gadding Butterfly which either thou canst not catch or it will weary thee to catch it or it will at last ashame thee of the pains and weariness that thou hast been at in catching it when thou seest it will not answer thy expectations Nay worse wilt thou follow a falsity a delusion a shadow instead of a substance a name instead of a thing Wilt thou travel all the day in pursuit of a Notion and at last it will prove nothing but a Fallacy Is it such an admirable atchievement after all thy pains and ploddings and periclitations of health and case and soul and all to be falsly called rich or honourable Nay nay for stark shame lose not the substance for the shadow and yet not get that neither Reckon rather that true riches stand in not wanting any thing then in having much and not wanting depends upon not desiring lessen thy desires and thou art truly and compendiously become rich If thou desirest many worldly things to make thee happy thou both missest of thy happiness which these things can never afford and loosest a great part of thy self too in the enquiry for look how many desires do distract thee so many bits and parcels of thy self are wanting every Concupisence runs away with a piece of thee To think to be made happy by the addition of more worldly things is just as if one should go about to make up an entire Garment all of Patches MEDITAT XXXVII From the Consideration of the Nature of Love WHen I begin to think of the Nature of Love I see a wide Field open wherein I might either tire my self or lose my self I will therefore confine my Mind to the Meditation of the Nature of Love as it is Giving Transforming Uniting and Subjecting These are Four famous Properties of it to give away the mind to the Object to assimulate it to it to unite it and to subject it thereunto From every one of which will arise a strong Disswasive from the Love of the World He that loves gives And what does he give He gives his heart he gives himself The Text seems to justify this Notion That predominant loving is a giving away of the Heart to any Object My Son give me thy heart He that predominantly loves God gives him his heart And it is true on the other hand that the Covetous Man is given to the World and the Sensualist is given to Pleasures Anima est ubi amat non ubi animat The Soul that loves sojourns abroad all the while and is anothers not its own He that loves God gives himself to God and dwelleth in him which giving away of our selves is most advantageous For in lieu of this poor gift our selves we receive God who is infinitely better than Ten thousand Selves But he that by Love gives himself to the World parts with the best he has even himself for nothing He gives himself to that which can give him nothing back again cannot so much as love him In which respect I doubt not to affirm that the Covetous Man is the greatest Prodigal in the World he parts with that which is most precious for no price at all For to allude to our Saviour he hath nothing in Exchange for his Soul Again Let us a little consider the Assimulating Nature of Love As he that looks into a Glass even by looking into it makes a face therein so he that loves even by loving contracts a similitude No Man loves God but he forthwith necessarily becomes God-like How precious and honourable must this love be then that makes this blessed Transformation And how vile and dishonourable is that worldly love that transforms Man into Money nay into Muck The Poets tell of a covetous King that turn'd all he toucht into Gold but lo here a stranger sight the Covetous Worldling turning even himself into Gold by loving it Wouldst thou be content O Man that God should turn thee into Gold or Silver into House or Land Why then wilt thou make this voluntary Transformation of thy self And yet so it is thou becomest the thing that thou lovest even as a lump of Brass Cast and Carv'd into the shape of a Man is said to be a man but cut the Effigies of a Beast upon it and it will be call'd a Lion or a Dog Yea more than so the nature of Love is not only Assimulating but Uniting The Soul of Man is no otherwise united to any Object but by Love this makes him as much one with God as he is capable if God be his best belov'd Object and it makes him one with the World if that be his darling even one with a Whore if he be by love joyn'd unto her The Particles of some Worms cut off seek to be united to the Head sure I am that man who is call'd a Worm and no Man being by his Apostacy cut off from God ought ever to be enquiring after his Original and seeking to be re-united to the blessed Object from which at first he is so unhappily divorc'd In a word the nature of all created love is to subject the Heart to the Belov'd Object Qui aliquo fruitur ei necesse est ut per amorem subdatur He that loves God above all confesses that he needs him above all and seeks to be made happy in conjunction with something more excellent than himself is which is but reasonable and indeed honourable And so he that loves the World Predominantly proclaims his need of and dependance upon the World in the enjoyment of which he expects himself to be happy which is unreasonable and shameful The covetous Rich Man does not so properly possess the World as indeed is possest by it the World has the command of his Heart therefore it is his Master and he is the worst of Slaves as giving himself into a voluntary bondage and that to the vilest and meanest of Masters What
Nature suggests yea dictates and requires this that we love those that love us our Saviour takes it for granted that all men do this because the worst of men do it yea the very Beasts do it Saevis inter se conveniâ— Ursis Nay it seems that there is a kind of an agreement in Hell and an Order and Amity amongst the Devils else their Kingdom could not stand If two cannot walk together except they be agreed how much less can Four thousand for so many was a Roman Legion in our Saviours days dwell together in one Man without some mutual kindness The Nature of Love is sociable it can endure any thing but solitude this it can no more endure than the Wind can endure to be and not to blow Now what properer Object of Love can there be than one that loves us or a thing that is our own No one is our own so properly as he that loves us I am more truly possest of a Friend that loves me than of a Child that I carry in mine Arms or Wife that I lay in my bosome that cares not for me Of all the World therefore God is most ours because he loves us best The love that comes from above is strong We commonly observe that the love that comes down from Parents upon their Children is stronger than that which rises up from the Children to their Parents An Arrow falling from an high wounds deeper What deep impressions then in the hearts of Men should the Arrows of Love make that are shot from above the highest Heavens It is truly said That God hates nothing of what he hath made His hatred of the Wicked and of the Devils if we understand it aright is not so much his hatred of them as their hatred of him There is no such thing as hatred in the pure Nature of God his Name is Love and certainly he is nam'd according to his Nature But speaking after the manner of Men he is said to hate Evil-doers onely to denote a contrariety of his Nature to Sin and Wickedness as if one should say Fire hates Water or Light hates Darkness It is a passage of St. Bernard somewhere in his Meditations Diligo te Deus plusquam mea plusquam meos plusquam me That was a pure strain of Devotion and to be imitated by every Soul of Man that understands the nature of his Happiness and Relation wherein he stands to God But if we alter the Grammar of it it is as true Divinity still Deus diliget me plusquam mea plusquam mei plusquam ego God loves us better than all our Friends loves us better than we our selves love our selves Of all our Friends our Relations are suppos'd to love us best and of all Relations our Parents The Love of God towards us therefore is compared to the love that a Father bears to his Son that serves him and a Mother to her Sucking Child But it infinitely excels these for what wretched Mortal can pretend to love with that strength and wisdome as God loves If we who are by Nature evil and impotent Parents can love our Children tenderly how much more doth our Heavenly Father It is our Saviours own Argument and it concludes as strongly concerning loving as concerning giving And if giving good things be an Argument of Love God loves us better than our Parents for he has given us much more then our Parents could for he hath given us noble Souls and his Son to redeem them yea and he gave us those very Parents themselves who give us any good thing He loves us better than we love our selves I am much taken with that expression of the Satyrist speaking of the Gods and their Providence towards Men Charior est ipsis homo quam sibi Gods love towards us is purer and wiser than our own He loves us so well that he will deny us things hurtful to us though we pray for them so well that he will afflict us for our good though it be sore against our wills so well that he will remove us out of this world that we are so fond of into a much better which we poor Souls have little mind of MEDITAT XLIII A further Motive to the Love of God SEcondly I consider that I am beholden to God and it is by him that I am able to love any thing therefore I ought to love him above all things The bare possession of any thing is not the enjoyment of it it is not by having but by loving things that we enjoy them If meer possession were enough the Sparrows had enjoy'd the Altar of God as much as David and the Owls had been as happy in the full Barns of the Gospel rich Mâ—n as he himself Light is sweet but it is to them that see it and so are Meats and Drinks and Perfumes but it is only to them that can taste and smell Nâ—buchadnezzar in his distraction when the heart of a Man was taken from him had no more enjoyment of his Princely treasures than a Jack-Daw or a Mâ—â—pie has of a Thimble or a Bodkin that they have hoarded up Beauty is a pretty thing but if there were no Looking Glasses in the World to represent it the Ladies would not be so proud of it as they are nor dote upon themselves as they do I durst appeal to the greatest Mammonist in the World Whether he would think it worth his care and toyl to covet and serape together great Masses of Money if he were sure he should be depriv'd of the power of taking any pleasure in it Certainly if it be Vanity and an Evil Disease that a man should have Riches Wealth and Honour and no power to eat thereof Eccles 6. 2. It must needs be worse to have these things and not be able so much as to love them or esteem them lovely The Poets tell a pretty tale of Apâ—lle that having promised the Princess Cassandra the Gift of Prophecying for a Nights Lodging with her the afterward refusing but he not able to falâ—â—sie his word he endow'd her with the Spirit of Prophesie indeed but entail'd this mischief upon it that though she Prophesi'd never so truly she could never be believ'd Suppose God should give a man all the conveniences advantages and ornaments imaginable and should annex this onely curse to them that he should not be able in any degree to take any pleasure in any of them I wonder who would account this man happy sure I am he himself would not Is it not God that gives us those Aâ—â—ections and that Power by which we love any thing ought we not to love him above all things by whom it is that we love all things It was a reasonable Expostulation of the Prophet He that hath madâ—th Ear shall no he hear And is it not as reasonable to ask He that haâ—h made the Ear shall not he be heard He that hath created the affection of love in us shall not he
to offer a Kingdom for a Cup of Water It cannot stand instead of so mean a thing as Apparel he that is never so well loaden with thick Clay may for all that be in such Circumstances that he starves with Cold. Neither by answering all things can be meant that it can purchase all things and furnish men with whatever they want If it could how comes Money and the want of the most desirable thing in the World to be so compatible as in our own Language to be made up into one Word called the Rich-Gout It often happens that Health cannot be purchased with Money Aegro Dives habet nâ—mmâ—s sâ—d â—â—â— habet ipsâ—m Liberty is often not recoverable Life not preserâ—aâ—le by Money The poor Apostle might have had his Liberty if he had had Money But the King of Judah had Money enough and yet could not get his Liberty Rich men may fall into the Hands of such men that will not regard Silver nor delight in Gold that they should receive a ransome for them from thence Is â—3 17. And as for Ingenuity Learning Wisdom Grace one may say of them as Wise Solomon who did Simul amare sapâ—re Cant. 2. 9. says concerning Love If a Man would give all the substance of his House for them it would utterly be contemned nay rejected with Scorn thy Money perish with thee Neither is it true That Money answereth all men as others interpret it who thus Paraphrase upon the Words Let there be Money and all Mâ—n have their Hearts desire For there are many in the World that prefer the Favor of God and their own Consciences before Thousands of Gold and Silver Nay and those very men who love Money best and have most of it too are not yet answered they are not satisfy'd by Money I could heartily wish for the sake of those that Damn themselves with the Love of Money and take encouragement so to do from this Text that the Translation of it were amended or the Sense fully explained by the just consideration of the Context according to the learned Tremellius the judicious Cartwright or if any one can do it better Do men love the World because it is pleasant to them they see and tast and handle it I confess the World by being so nigh our Senses does affect and charm them But is not God as nigh to us as any thing in the World The invisible things of him are seen by the things that are made praesentem monstrat quae libet herba deum Well might the Apostle say He is not far from every one of us Act. 17. 27. Which is but a Rhetorical Meiosis for he is very nigh to every one of us so nigh that he is in us and over us and round about us or rather indeed we are in him who is the infinite Goodness and omnipotent Life containing all things in himself God is as nigh to our Reasons as the World is to our Senses and it is as easie and obvious to conclude that some one made the World as it is to see that it is made Do men love the World because they apprehend it necessary to them they cannot live contentedly and pleasantly nor indeed live at all without it This may be presumed to be one of the fairest excuses for the Love of the World For who can choose but love that which is necessary to Life How can any man live without Money as the World goes In extream old Age we shall be forsaken and miserable if we have not Estates therefore we will stick at nothing to get them whilst we are young This necessariness of the World may indeed justifie the moderate industry of Men for the obtaining of a competent Portion of it but it will never justify coveting after abundance nor the predominant Love of the World For Life it self for whose sake we say we Love the World is in it self but a mean thing and not very desirable and in comparison of the favour of God abominable and to be hated But supposing Life never so desirable and consequently the World necessary and consequently the Love of it justifiable yet certainly God is more necessary to us than the World or any thing in it Our Souls are sure more excellent than our Lives and consequently the Grace of God which is the Life and Happiness of Souls more necessary than the World can be to the maintainance of Life It is not necessary to us to Live but it is necessary to be Saved If a Man lose his Life he may find it again but if he lose his Soul it is past Recovery Without the World we cannot Live therefore it is necessary without God we cannot be Saved therefore He is more necessary Nay indeed neither can we Live without hâ—â— it is because he is that we are and if we could suppose that he should withdraw himself from the World it may easily be conceived That the World would hide its Head and steal away into its first nothing MEDITAT XLIX A Concluding Meditation I Can imagine nothing that does really commend the World or any thing herein to our Affections or Entertainment but it is in a higher degree or a more excellent kind to be found in God The superlative Love of God must needs therefore be most just and reasonable And oh would to God it might appear so to all Men to all the Children of God Oh thou Father of Men and Father of Mercies set home those Considerations of the reasonablenesâ— necessity easiness pleasantness seemliness profitableness of this Love of thee upon the Hearts of all Men that as thou lovest them more then they so they may love thee more than themselves or any thing else How long O Lord shall it be observed to the breaking of the Hearts of thy Friends that thou art hated by so great a Part of that Creation that is nothing but the product of thy own Love and Goodness What a fearful horrible Rebellion is this World thrown into when the Children of the Most High rise up against their Father their very Hearts riâ—â— against him against his Service against his People against his Name and Authority Oh sad Apostacy of 〈◊〉 Nature Oh lamentable degeneracy of rational Faculties How are men transformed into Moles hating the Light and making to themselves Places and Paradices in the Base Earth How are Souls converted into Swine feeding upon Husks and wallowing in Filthiness How stupendiously are the rational Palates vitiated who loath the Honey and the Honey-comb to whom Love it self is hateful Oh Lord pity this unnatural viperous Generation that are without natural affection to their Father cast forth thy Cords of Love and reconcile this undutiful rebellious Off-spring to thy Blessed and Lovely Self Hear me O my God in these Requests which on my own behalf and on the behalf of all the undutiful Crew of lapsed Souls I humbly present to thy Merciful Majesty Disparage all the Wealth and Glory
The True Christians Test OR A DISCOVERY Of the LOVE and LOVERS OF THE WORLD In Two Parts I. Of MAN Considered in his Moral Capacity in an Hundred Meditations Derived from 1 John 2. 15. II. Of MAN Considered in his Political Capacity in Forty nine Meditations Derived from 1 John 2. 15. Non dubium est quam illud magis amemus quod anteponimus Salv. In so saying thou reprovest us also By Samuel Shaw Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed by Thomas James for Samuel Tidmarsh at the Kings-head in Corn-hill MDCLXXXII To the Right Honourable THEOPHILUS Earl of Huntingdon Lord Hastings Hungerford Botreaux Molyns and Moyls RIGHT HONOURABLE WHen Men are once firmly perswaded of the certainty of another World and do verily believe the Doctrine of Eternal Life revealed in the Holy Scriptures of God there is all reason in the World methinks to conclude that the first Enquiry should be How they themselves shall become partakers of it For who can be imagin'd to be sincere in his belief of so Glorious and Blissful a State that takes no thoughts how he shall obtain it or not so many thoughts as what he shall eat and drink and put on that sits down contented having given himself that cold answer which was once given to the Mother of Zebedees Children It shall be given to them for whom it is prepared Therefore to justifie the sincerity of their belief most Men do fancy to themselves something or other that will entitle them to this happiness though not so much perhaps because they account it so blessed a thing to obtain as dangerous and shameful to miss of it Amongst the many particulars that men do imagine will give them a claim to Everlasting Life The Love of God is one of the greatest and as much pretended to as any It is so Universal a Plea that I scarce think there is any Man who calls himself a Christian but he will make it Not to love God sounds so ill that it makes the Ears of the most Profligate Christian to Tingle when it is charg'd upon him But notwithstanding all these pretences to the Love of God it is most Evident that a great part of the pretenders are indeed strangers to it inasmuch as they may be convicted of the Love of the World which is inconsistant with it To find out and cast out therefore the Love of the World must needs be the most important Enquiry and Endeavour of Man of every man in the World Your Lordship will easily believe me if I tell you that although Men be never so great and high in the World if the World be great and high in their Hearts the Love of God is not in them Although Men have never so much of this worlds Good if at the same time they be unmerciful and uncharitable the Love of God dwells not in them This is expresly the Apostle James his Doctrine But to speak a little the closer though a man be instructed in all Wisdome and furnisht with all Variety of Arts and Sciences that he can name all things as properly as Adam or discourse of their Natures as learnedly as Solomon if yet the Love of the World be Predominant in him he is but a vain pretender to the Kingdom of Heaven a great stranger to the Life of Angels Though a Man know and believe all the wonderful Doctrines deliver'd in the Holy Book if this Faith do not operate to the purifying of the Heart from the Love of the World he is at present as far from having a true title to the Kingdom of Heaven as they of whom the Apostle gives this Character That they Believe and Tremble In a word though a Man be a Member of the Purest and most Reformed Church be never so Orthodox in his Judgment never so constant and specious in External Acts of Worship never so even and blameless in his Conversation never so exact in Works of Righteousness and abundant in Works of Charity and Mercy if yet in his heart he prefer the World before God he will be interpreted a Lover of the World and consequently an Enemy of the Father I do verily believe my Lord that I do here present you with a Treatise written about the most Important Enquiry in the World They are Morning Meditations stollen from the ordinary Employment of my Life which I do present to the World meerly to advance the Love and Honour of God amongst Men and do Dedicate to your Lordship in a grateful acknowledgment of your kind Respects to me and in Testimony of the Honour that I bear to your Lordships good Design of promoting Piety and establishing Peace in this Nation I beseech your Lordship favourably to accept the Oblation and I heartily pray God that as his Providence hath made you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very Illustrious amongst the English Families so by his Grace you may ever approve your self Tam re quam nomine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh how Blessed and Honourable a thing will it be found to be sooner or later to be a Sâ—ncere and Ardent Lover of God! To his good Grace and Guidance I heartily recommend your Lordship and rest My Lord Your Honours most humble Servant SAM SHAW The True Christians Test OR A DISCOVERY Of the LOVE and LOVERS OF THE WORLD In Forty nine Meditations Derived From 1 John 2. 15. The Second Part. Of MAN Considered in his Political Capacity By Sam. Shaw Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed by Tho. James for Samuel Tidmarsh at the Kings-head in Cornhill MDCLXXXII To the Right Honourable THOMAS Earl of Stamford Lord Gray of Grooby MY LORD I Have little more to recommend me to your Lordship than that I am your Countreyman and Neighbour which yet is a Relation that your singular Humility and Affability is not wont to despise though in a person otherwise despicable ethough But your Lordships Love of and great desâ—re to serve the Interest of your Countrey does recommend you abundantly to the World and does tempt me to speak of it in this Dedication My Lord I intend not a Panigyrick of your Lordship which they that are acted by a Worldly Spirit and design Worldly Advantages might think worth their while to contrive May your praise be of God and not of Men And of God I am sure your praise will be if you be a Predominant Lover of him I beseech your Lordship to strip your self of all your Worldly Quality bâ—t an hour or two whilst you peruse the black Characters of a Lover of the World and the just Motives to the Love of God and then whatever exceptions Learned or Witty or Worldly men may make against these Meditations which I believe will be many if you do not judiciously account the Love of God to be the highest Honour and purest Happiness of Man I will be content how loath soever to be accounted not to be what really I am Your Honours Most humble Servant SAM SHAW THE HEADS Of
belong to Beasts Love properly belongs to the rational Creature neither can there be any proper Love without understanding and choice And those Species of the rational Creation that are most able to love or able to love most are the most Noble and Divine Love is the Union of the Soul with the Object beloved and makes it as much one with it as it 's possible to be with a thing that is not our self Now how shameful a thing is it that such Noble Affections should match themselves so basely especially when such an excellent Object is in view The Daughter of a mighty Prince chusing a Scullion Boy for her Husband is not so unseemly a sight as the Soul of Man enamor'd of the World neither is the Eagle catching Flyes or the King of Israel hunting a Flea so ridiculous The Prodigal Gentleman turn'd Fellow-Commoner with the Swine or great Nebuchadnezzar herding himself with the Oxen is not so absurd The beautiful Sun indeed in its kind Condescension doth visit the very Dunghils as the glorious God is said to be even in Hell it self but will not lodge his Beams there But alas this Noble Off spring of Heaven the rational Soul how familiarly doth it lodge and lie down with the World and rest in the Embraces of that which is not God! A Debauchery every whit as abominable as a Humane Body lying down before a Beast Our Bodies indeed are a part of the Machine of the World and it is no great wonder if they be delighted in it as the Beasts are But for Souls and Spirits to immerse themselves in to unite themselves to material Objects and mundane Things is as odious and as monstrous to behold as the coupling of living Men to dead Bodies which the Poet describes as a great piece of Cruelty in the Tyrant Mezentius The style of the Prophets makes it an Argument of extreme Desolation when filthy Birds and Beasts do rest in a Land when wild Beasts of the Desart lie there when their Houses are full of doleful Creatures and Owls dwell there and Satyrs dance there and wild Beasts of the Wood cry in their Houses and Dragons in their pleasant Palaces as the Prophet Isaiah elegantly expresseth it Isa 13. 21 22. when the wild Beasts of the Desart meet with the wild Beasts of the Islands and the Satyr cryes to his Fellow the Shrich-Owl rests there the great Owl makes her Nest and lays and hatches and the Vultures be gathered every one with his Mate as the same Prophet expresseth it Isa 34. 14 15. Filthy Affections do certainly argoe a desolate Soul forsaken of God and forlorn and do extremely desile that which was once and ought to be the Temple of God And what shall be the Portion of these Profaners the Apostle Paul tells us 1 Cor. 3. 17. If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy MEDITAT VI. Of the Love of the World YET we must consider what this Love of the World is that is so dangerous And here sure it must be granted even by the devoutest Lovers of the Father Negatively First That it is not every kind glance toward the World that is it If so we may well stand and wonder and ask with the Disciples of old Who then can be saved Although one may apply our Saviours words hither and say If any Man look upon the World to lust after it in his heart he hath committed Adultery with it Although Discontent nay even the very rathering of Things is to be suspected yet certainly it is too severe to determine every single fond glance toward the World to be this damnable love of it There was a famous time wherein the Sons of God beheld the Daughters of Men and I think there will be no time wherein they will be perfectly blind to them whil'st we carry about with us these Bodies it is to be feared that the Beauties and Gayeties of this World will be creeping in at our Senses or Fancies and more or less infesting and infecting our hearts Secondly That a moderate seeking of the World so as to provide Things honest in the sight of God and Man is not it If it were as the Apostle speaks in another Case We must go out of the World For we see there is no living in it without some degree of caring for it No it must needs be an immoderate an excessive Love that is so dangerous and fatal If it be ask'd When that is I answer Whenever it prefers the World or any thing therein before God and that which God is Alas then every single Act of Covetousness wherein the World is preferred before God is Vicious Yes so it is and pernicious and necessarily to be repented of And if it be a Temper it is that damnable Love of the World here spoken of This Love must be predominant and it must be a Temper or else it cannot denominate the Man a damnable Lover of the World Lot committed Incest and I doubt was drunk too but I do not think the love of Wine or Women was predominant in him David committed Adultery but I do not think that he was of an Adulterous Temper But they that are carried by a predominant and habitual Love of the World are the Lovers of the World here spoken of whether they be the Covetous whom God abhorreth or the Proud whom he resisteth or the Voluptuous who are dead to the living Lord MEDITAT VII Men are to try themselves by their Love IF any Man love c. It seems that God doth estimate Men by their Loves not by their Impulses nor their Professions not by their Words no nor by their Actions neither For although it is true That pure Affections will ordinarily produce pure Actions and that as Faith worketh by Love so Love sheweth it self by Works yet Actions materially good do often prom a Principle not Divine and Pure but Carnal and Corrupt Therefore the great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Tryes of the Reins visits and views the hearts of Men and from thence he values them It doth not only appear from this Text but indeed from the whole current of Scripture that the Estimate that God makes of Men is from their hearts Hence it is that we read so often concerning such and such men that they had such and such Faults and Failings in their Conversation or Government yet nevertheless their hearts are perfect with the Lord And other men were thus and thus specious and zealous in their Conversation yet their hearts were not perfect with the Lord And of others that they were very formal and forward Professors but in the mean time their heart went after their Covetousness It were endless to shew the special regard that God has to the hearts and affections of men And ought not we to estimate our selves as God estimates us If any man love c. This sure is the chiefest and one would think the easiest thing in the world to
be known It is without Controversie the chiefest thing and most material for Man to know concerning himself what he loves best If I know that God is the Supreme Good and that it is my greatest Duty and highest Perfection to love him best it must needs follow that it is my greatest Concernment to know that I do so For if I once attain to this understanding I will not be beholden to any Fortune-teller to acquaint me with my future condition in this World nay I will thank no Divine to fore-tell me my condition in another Man has nothing Better than his Affections nothing Nobler than his Heart Love is better than Beneficence Lazarus in being able to Love had a nobler Portion than Dives in being able to Give And shall this Heart this Love be given to the World A Man may converse in the World and be concern'd about it and yet not love it that 's well that may comfort us But a Man may also know God talk of him profess him perform many Duties to him worship him with much Pomp and seeming Sanctimony and yet not love him that may startle us It is easie in all other things for a Man to tell what he loves best Cannot every man tell what Dish of Meat or what Sort of Drink pleases him best or what Neighbor he prefers most And it is not a wonder that Men should not know whether they love God or the World best Is' t not a wonder that Men should be so mad or blind as not to see themselves Lovers of the World Surely the heart of Man is deceitful and that not only to other Men as some would have the meaning of the Text to he but to himself also I never yet knew a Man that would confess himself to be covetous though all the Symptoms of Covetousness were upon him Though the Plague-spots and Sores are upon them yet they will not confess themselves to be infected To undeceive if it may be the Lovers of the World is the design of the Publication of these Meditations Lord be merciful unto its and suffer not our hearts to be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin MEDITAT VIII Of the Extent of Worldly Love IF any man c. Methinks this Phrase supposes that all sorts of Men are subject to this Evil and liable to this Disease And indeed the more I think of it whether the Text suppose it or no the truer it seems to be When I consider great Men I do not see that they are so above the World as to despise it neither are the Poor so below the World as to despair of it as it is in some Cases No all sorts of men are subject to this Plague nothing secures us from it Riches do not it should seem by the Psalmist that the increase of them rather causes Men to set their hearts upon the World If Riches increase set not your heâ—â—ts upon them Poverty does not the poorer the prouder oftentimes and sometimes the covetouser too Holy Orders do not witness the greediness of the Clergy of all Churches Retiring into a Monastery cannot as the many unclean Practices committed there will testifie Holy Profession or an early resolution in Baptism cannot witness the multitudes that fight under the Worlds Banners who then protested to fight against it to their Lives end It is a close Evil or Devil rather and is found in company with Learning with Inspiration and the Spirit of Prophecy as in Balaam in company with Prayers and Sacrifices as in Saul in company with Fortitude as in Jeroboam in company with Zeal and Profession as in Jehu in company with legal Righteousness much Gravity Demureness seeming Self-denial and Maceration as in them who in the Gospel are said to love the praise of Men more than the praise of God It is found in conjunction with Circumcision neither is it washt away by that Ordinance that is called a putting away of the filth of the flesh But if we will come to a strict Examination we must consider Man in his Moral and in his Political Capacity And this God willing I intend to do in its proper place MEDITAT IX Of the Evil of worldly Love IF any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him Lord what a terrible thing is this that is predicated of so small a fault He doth not love God! Why what could have been said worse of him If a man do not love God he is as bad as a Devil he is cursed with the chiefest curse If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be anathemamaranatha Who would believe that so fearful a thing should be predicated of so small a matter If he had said If any man blaspheme God maliciously oppose him spitefully commit Murder be rebellious against all Superiors beastly in all Behavior dwelleth in all Pride and Malice or the like then it had been likely enough that he should be esteemed a hater of God But to say If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him Who can believe this Is it so great a matter to love the world Yes from the Predicate we may infer how great a matter it is The Spirit of God would not have predicated this of a thing of an ordinary size every body declares against the sins of the Flesh rails at Drunkenness Adultery Murder Injustice Extortion every Body brands Thieves and such like People But the sins of the Spirit go unespy'd and damn mens Souls more effectually See how damning a thing it is to misplace affections Oh how sadly is the world mistaken How weakly do men judge How many will find themselves in Hell shortly who had hoped that they were in the Suburbs of Heaven The common cry is A very good man a very honest man a civil good-natur'd Neighbor but a little with the closest Paulo attentior ad rem A small fault they think But is Idolatry and Adultery a small Fault This love of the world is really they one had as good bow down before a graven Image as love the world It is very observable how the Commands of the Gospel are mostly calculated for the regulating of the affections of Love Care Joy Grief and how it forbids and inveighs against the sins of the Spirit Pride Malice Distruct Envy Covetousness and the like The renovation of the Will and regulation of the Affections is the great work of Regenerating Grace It is paltry Pharisaism to mind paying of Tythes and to neglect the love of God Say not oh say not it is a small thing to love the world but say oh how it defiles how it exposes how it damns what Idolatry and Adultery and Blasphemy is it Arise O my precious Soul fully not thy beautful wings by resting upon so filthy a Dunghil by preying upon so loathsom a Carrion How evil and abominable the love of the world is I shall have occasion to consider more
more than the Image of God in them is to make Self the Standard of our Love and the Creature to truckle to the Creator To speak properly that Kindness and Benignity in Parents that Dutifulness and Obedience in Children that Faithfulness and Sweetness in Husbands and Wives that Tenderness and Helpfulness in Brothers or Sisters or any Friends by which chiefly they are lovely is of God is God and so to be lov'd and relish'd And to love them under a distinct limited consideration as ours or as a kin to us is not so pure and spiritual as it ought to be The truth is there is nothing ours For God is the Proprietor we are only the Possessors and why should we be so fond of that which is anothers It looks like a piece of melancholy as if a man should go into a Jewellers shop and there fondly hug a Jewel which is only shew'd him or put into his hands to judge of the worth of it How do poor Worldlings act over the part of mad men when they seem to themselves very wise The part of that Melancholist that I have read of who would stand upon the shore and make much mirth at the coming in of every Ship saying It was laden with his own Goods And as for Relation what is it but a Notion It is something I know not what extrinsick to us And why should I be fond of every man that is call'd by my Name Or why should any man be proud that he is call'd Charles and is Name-sake to a great King And what is Relation to us What are we that it should be so lovely a thing to be like us To be like to God to be a Kin to him indeed is something the nearer to him the Nobler and the Happier I must needs have a foolish and false and proud conceit of my self sure that am â—ond of a Child because he resembles me Lord Thou art nearer of Kin to me than all the World The material World is nothing at all of Kin to my Soul not so much as my Cloaths are to my Body But in thee I subsist Thou hast done that for me that Father and Mother could never do Let all Relation be swallow'd up in thee that I may be in a spiritual sense another Melchisedeck MEDITAT LXXVII Of the Love of other Men. TO love and esteem man any man more than God denominates a Lover of the World To love man qua man and consequently every man is a Christian Duty and an high Perfection it is as if it were to be transformed into the Nature of that blessed Being whose Name is Love God is recommended to us by this God is Love Christ commends him to our imitation in this especially Mat. 5. 44 45. Christ Jesus is commended to us by this Oh the wonderful Love that he shew'd to Mankind in laying down his Life for them yea his whole Life before he laid it down was Love it was teaching healing feeding men serving the Necessities of Souls and Bodies The best of Men are commended for this Moses the meekest of Men David sympathizing with his very Enemies in their Afflictions Jeremiah mourning over the Sins of Israel and the Calamities even of Moab Paul most passionately desirous of the salvation of the persecuting Jews The best of Heathens commended for it Socrates profest That he knew nothing but to love he styled himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Servant of Love It is the Speech of a Jesuite Neminem odit qui Deum amat He that loves God hates no man By this Epithete things are commended The best wisdom is that which is gentle and loving and the best Valor is kind and apt to forgive But it will be asked Is every man lovely Yes there is something lovely in every man something of God that Love will delight in No man is so bad but there may be found something of good Nature good Manners good Offices at some time or other all this is an Emanation from God If none of this were yet the Relation wherein man stands to God as a reasonable Creature makes him lovely We love our sown Corn in Hope and many other things Let us love the worst of men in hopes that they may be good Lord shed abroad this Large Liberal Generous Grace into my heart Enlarge my heart that it may comprehend all mankind This is better than with Barzillai to entertain a King and his Army or with Ahasuerus to keep open house for a Kingdom Thus shall I though I have nothing to give be as Charitable as the Rich and more munificent than the Princes of the Earth I charge thee O my Soul this day in the presence of the God whose Name is Love that thou hate no child of man and that thou mayst be sure not to do it that thou dost not so much as secretly despise the meanest or suspend good offices towards the worst or rejoice in the sins or sufferings of the most injurious of men But alas what pity is it that this divine affection should be depraved that Love it self should become filthy and unchaste Separate man and his perfections from God and then love him or them distinctly and this love becomes adulterous For although all men are to be loved in God and for his sake yet no man is to be loved any otherwise than so They prefer Man before God who stand admiring the Excellencies and Perfections of any man as the accomplishments of this or that particular Being and not as Beams from the Father of Lights It is the part of unrefin'd minds to admire diversity of gifts and overlook the same Spirit How nobly does the refined Soul live and act who viewing the Perfections of all men in God the Fountain enjoys them all as fully and deliciously as if they were his own They also who have mens persons in admiration being partial in their estimation or commendation of 〈◊〉 reason of their greatness or of some advanâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 got by them This the Apostle taxeth as a 〈◊〉 thing There is indeed a kind of civil honour and respect 〈◊〉 â—o men by vertue of their Office Authority and â—igher Station in the World and a peculiar grateful â—â—spect to be shew'd to Benefactors But to have the Eyes blinded the Judgment briâ—ed the Noble affection of Love made mercenary by any secular greatness either to love men the more or to think that God does so because of their temporal Prosperity and Grandeur is to call the proud happy and to bless the covetous whom God abhors it is to prostitute that Virgin affection that should be preserved chast We ought to think and estimate according to God to love as he loves and to hate the deeds of the Nicholaitans which he also hateth otherwise we prefer the World before God To delight in the company and either profane or jejune communication of worldly or wicked men more than in the society of the godly is a worldly love
or merely for the Sensual pleasure of overcoming all this is carnal It is contentious wisdom when men are cunning and active to beget and promote differences in the World It is strange but true that some men love divisions in the World for divisions sake after the example of the Devil though many do it out of pride or covetousness The Serpent was cunning to sow discord between God and Man and they are of a Serpentine breed that are ingenious and studious to make dissention There are several instances of this contentious wisdom The choosing of a fit season is one instance as the inimicus homo that came by night Mat. 13. 25. While men slept the Enemy came and sowedtares The observing of the temper of men and falling in whith them when they are angry or discontent as the Counsellors of Ahashuerus did when they perceived him to have taken an offence against the Queen Or observing the condition of men as being opprest to put them upon Sedition or Tumult after the example of Jeroboam Or aggravating Injuries and Faults What put up this Affront this Wrong this Injury this Loss Mort te satius est They that hang Peace and Union upon unnecessary and impracticable terms are contentious though they make never so many Pretensions to hide the matter To prefer Contention before Peace Division before Union though by that division we might serve a worldly Interest of our own is worldly It is to trouble the Waters that we may fish in them I mean get money or strengthen our Parties How dear ought Peace and Union to be to all good Men Are not Dissentions devilish The Devil himself has his Name Sathan from being an Adversary Are they not beastly For the Beasts meerly for Appetite sake fall out with and worry one another Be sure contentious Men are the worst and the most lustful sort of Men Whence come wars and fightings from amongst you but from your lusts c. Jam. 4. 1. Wilt thou O my Soul imitate Devils or Beasts or the worst of Men God forbid O blessed God infinite Wisdom How peaceable are all thy wise Counsels to reconcile men to thy self and to one another Thy Laws serve to this end Thou hast created a beautiful harmony in the whole World yeâ— the very contending parts thereof make for the union oâ— the whole Thou hast joined Peace on earth with glory to thy self in the Highest Thou hast promised the greatest blessings to Peace-makers Oh inspire me and all men with that Divine Spirit of Love that peaceable Wisdom which comes from above and conducts the Souls of men thither from whence it and they proceeded even to blessed Self MEDITAT LXXXVII Of Implacableness and implacable Wisdom AN implacable spirit is a Worldly spirit The onely holy Implacableness is never to be reconciled to sin to hate it with a perfect hatred The Nature of God can never be reconcil'd to Sin till Light and Darkness be reconcil'd But God is easily reconcil'd to the penitent Sinner and so ought we Good men are very placable as appears in the Examples of Joseph towards his Brethren of David towards Abigail and Shimei and many more For they remember what is charg'd upon them If thy Brother sin against thee seven times a day and so oft repent thou shalt forgive him I suppose also they think and argue with themselves What are the Injuries done to me in comparison of the Offences that I commit against God And have not I much more reason to forgive than to expect Forgiveness It is not Implacableness to suspend trust and confidence towards a person that has Notoriously deceiv'd though he profess Repentance till we have had good experience of his faithfulness but when we have good proof we ought to restore him into the same place in our hearts that ever he had It is implacableness when men will not forgive and forget that is not to remember as to retaliate or upbraid or so much as to bear a grudge Especially if satisfaction be offer'd or repentance profest yea though neither be yet we ought to be easy to forgive and of a readiness to be reconcil'd when ever terms are offered Yea though no terms of reconciliation be offer'd no satisfaction made no repentance profest we ought on our part to lay down all enmity to be free from all hatred towards our brother Hatred says the excellent Dr. Moor lies cross in the heart of a good man If thy brother repent forgive him True but that does not imply that if he do not repent we should not forgive him We ought after the Example of God to seek reconciliation and propound terms of reconciliation though we be the party offended and to seek to bring an offending brother to repentance not so much in order to our forgiving him as because it is a saving a Soul from Hell because it is for his good to repent For vengeance is not ours the Sun should not go down upon our wrath Anger may pass through the mind of a wise man but it resteth and lodgeth onely in the bosom of fools Some are so implacable that no tract of time shall wear out their resentments no submission can allay no gifts remove no intercession asswage them but they demise their hatred unto heirs and executors and entail the quarrel upon posterity If these men could alledge an Ordinance of God for this such an one as Israel had to authorize them to an endless war against Amalek it would excuse them well but till then it must pass for a work of the flesh and an imitation of the grand hater of mankind The Implacable Wisdom is cunning to conceal its resentments that they shall not be discern'd that in due time it may execute revenge so as not to be avoided It instructs men in many wily methods to contrive ways of revenge to make and take fit opportunities Absalom made as if he took no notice of the injury done his Sister for the space of two full years After that he invites his Brother Amnon to a Feast to make him drunk that he might then quarrel with him and kill him He conceals his anger from his Brother He 〈◊〉 neither good nor bad to Amnon a Hebrew Phrase sâ—gnifying to take no notice of a thing nay I suppose he conceal'd it from his Sister too praying her not to regard it because he was her Brother He makes shew of extraordinary love he invites him especially to the Sheep-shearing All this while his heart gathers mischief to it self and treasures up wrath against the day of the execution of it Blessed God the most graciously-natur'd Being who hast forgiven me an hundred Talents let it not seem grievous in my eyes to remit a fâ—w Pence to my offending Brother Let thy forgiving be my Example to encourage me to forgive and let my apâ—ness to forgive be my Argument to prove that I am forgiven MEDITAT LXXXVIII Of Unmercifulness and Merciless Wisdom THe Wisdom
society of men where there is not need of wise mens advice and interposition which some invidiously brand by the Phrase of putting their fingers into the fire To these wise men one may well apply the Text It is better to put a finger into the fire then having all ones fingers safe to be cast into hell-fire For that it will come to Take and cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness Mat. 25. 30. The particular account of the servants wickedness is his Slothfulness and Unprofitableness Poor Fools One would pity them that have a Prize put into their hands and know not how to improve it But these wicked wise men who will pity that have a prize put into their hands and will not improve it Every man ought to esteem all his endowments as a common good in which all mankind has some interest He that wrapt up his Talent in a Napkin was to his Lord as if he had imbezzeled it The Covetous of whom it expresly said that God abhors them though they have neither Child nor Brother and have ab undantly enough for themselves yet are griping and heaping and love riches for riches sake And are not they somewhat a-kin to them that scrape together a great deal of Wisdom and Learning merely for their own pleasure and satisfaction by which no body shall be the better but themselves and indeed themselves the worse for to him that knows to do good and does it not to him it is sin The industry of the Bee is to be commended in gathering Honey but her sensuality in eating it all up and invidiousness in for bidding others to partake of it spoils her Character To bring forth a cluster now and then will not serve to denominate a man fruiâ—ful There must be a proportion between Wisdom and Communication To whom much is given of him much shall be required The Heavenly Wisdom is full of good fruits Communication is the wise mans Charity Such as I have I give thee The poor wise mans Charity was his advice Eccles 9. And it is almost as good in earnest as it was in jest Sâ—ire tuum nihil est nisi c. Lord settle this persâ—â—asion in my heart that I was not born nor any way accomplisht for my self alone and that nothing is to be sought or desired as an Ornament and Embellishment of my own particular Being but as a common good which every one that needs has some title to as well as Iâ— And that although it is a pleasant life to live in the meditation and love of God yet that an active life and a life of communication is no less amiable and loving too Oh give me a store of things new and old to communicate a free heart to communicate them and an aptitude to do it that I may neither be an empty Vessel nor as a full Vessel sealed up nor as a Vessel unsealed but wanting vent but full free and having a faculty to communicate MEDITAT XC Of Partiality and Partial Wisdom TO value any Party or Person more than Truth or Equity is a Branch of Worldly Love and a Symptom of a Worldly Mind God is an Impartial Estimator and will be an Impartial Judge He has often declar'd himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we ought to resemble him He will neither favor the Rich in judgment nor pity the Poor but Righteous and Unrighteous shall divide the World Oh that this Doctrine were thoroughly believ'd Great men would not then think of breaking thorough then as they do now and poor men would not hope to skulk and be overlook'd It is not Partiality to esteem one man above another according as they are valuable for true worth To value men or things according to Truth as they deserve is a Perfection God does so Different dealings with men is not sinful Partiality when they deserve to be differently dealt with To discriminate between a Penitent and Tender-hearted Offender and an obstinate one in administring Correction is a sort of Justice not Partiality because gentle usage and a moderation of Punishment is due to their temper But to estimate Persons by any carnal or secular Consideration or to favour them for selfish and Worldly Advantages or to prefer the maintaining of a Party because it maintains us the Defence of an Opinion because we have espoused it before Truth and Righteousness is Partiality Partial Wisdom finds out Wiles and Ways to excuse that in a mans self which he would condemn and punish in another and to punish that in one whom he hates which he would not punish in himself or any person beloved Thus partial was the Patriarch Judah he had a mind to punish that Fault in his Daughter-in-law which he himself was most guilty of Bring her forth and let her be burnt Partial Wisdom instructs men to find out Arguments to defend a Party that they live by a Craft that they get their Wealth by an Opinion that Custom or Worldly Interest commands them to support What is all that witty Rhetorick that cunning Logick which the Papists use to defend the way and Doctrine of the Church in whose bosome they lie and are kept warm but so many Instances of this partial Wisdom They seek the prosperity of Babylon meerly because in her Prosperity themselves do prosper Lord Grant that Truth may be the Standard by which I may weigh and measure estimate and judge of all things That I may know no interest but the interest of Righteousness to command my apprehensions and sentiments no worldly Bias to pervert the regular and steady motions of my judgment or affections That I may judge of all things as they are and of those that are according to God! MEDITAT XCI Of Hypocrisie in General HYpocrisie is an artificial kind of Lying God is Truth and he abhors Hypocrites and Hypocrisie that is they are directly contrary to his Nature The general Notion of Hypocrisie is pretending to be and have and do what one is not hath not doth not This is not simply and in it self evil Have we not read what David did 1 Chron. 14. and that by Divine Command and the Israelites in the Civil Wars against Benjamin how they pretended to run away but did not and yet were guiltless Nay God himself sometimes makes things to seem otherwise than they are as when he made the waters to seem like blood to bring in the Moabites to Battel and made the Babylonians to hear noise of War when there was no Enemy But this Hypocrisie becomes sinful by Accident by some ill Attendants or ill Designs in the Action It is not absolutely sinful for a man to dissemble his person for a wise man to seem as if he understood not for a fool to seem understanding for a rich man to dissemble his riches or a poor man his poverty Christ Jesus himself sometimes conceal'd his purposes and made shew of the contrary as in the case of the Disciples going to Emmaus
our Lives a doing of God's Will and a preparation for his Kingdom But yet I dare not conclude it to be a Symptom of predominant worldly Love when I hear David crying in some case O spare me a little c. For when we urge the predominant Love of God as absolutely necessary we do not mean by predominant that it should be in the strictest sense perfect The Love of the meanest Saint is predominant and the Love of the devoutest is imperfect There are many other mistakes about the predominant Love of the World which are occasionally met with and corrected in the aforegoing Meditations Lord Suffer not my inflamed heart to rest in the lowest evidences of a predominant Love to thee no nor to be at rest till it arrive at the highest Demonstrations Expressions and Exercise thereof Though the consideration of Sincerity and Predominancy may sustain and comfort me yet let nothing short of Perfection content and satisfie me Oh Almighty Love wrap up my amorous Soul in thy Self And Oh cast forth thy Cords of Love and draw the estranged Souls of men unto thy Self Pity the infinite numbers of prodigal Apostates that have forsaken the Bread of their Fathers house and like Swine feed upon empâ—y Husks those many Noble Souls all of them like so many Kings by their Câ—â—ation that â—s it were with their Thumbs cut off 〈◊〉 gathering Crâ—m for their sustenance Restore their maimâ—d Faculties and lift up their Heads out of Prison change their Prison Garments and let them eat Bread before thee 〈◊〉 And Oh grant that all the Lovers of the Father may be judicious and regular in their own Devotions and charitable towards the Devotions and Affections of their Brethren Amen Amen MAN Considered in his POLITICAL CAPACITY PART II. MEDITAT I. Of the False Despisers of Riches IT is too too evident that the many sorts of persons before nam'd are in the judgment of God Lovers of the World even all that prefer the Profits pleasures Honours Persons Business Fashions of the World before God that is before Righteousness Truth Peace Publick Good Holy Order Charity Purity and the Sacred Will of God But because there are really many of these that will not yet acknowledge themselves to be such let us examine a little more closely to find out if possibly who they are that lie under this black character and to whom it doth agree And now I will a little examine Man considered in his Political Capacity for in that he is more discernable than in his Moral And here methinks I hear a Generation of Monastical People whether Papists or Protestants it matters not blessing themselves and saying It is apparent that they of all People in the World are no Lovers of it They are so far from coveting the Riches of the World that they give away all they have and reject the kindness of those that would give them more They embrace Poverty as a great Perfection and Nakâ—dness as an Ornament It was a high Character of them That took joyfully the spoiling of their Goods But what Perfectionists are these that spoil themselves The Disciples of Jesus were mortified men who reckoned two Coats superfluous but these Evangelists are even weary of the Incumbrance of one Nay they seem to out-vie the Son of Man himself of whom it is said That he had not whereon to lay his Head As if he stood in need of some House or Artificial Conveniencies whereas the cold Earth everywhere affords these hardy Soldiers of his a sufficient Bed and the spangled Heavens a Canopy To all which great Pretensions I only suggest these two or three Inquiries 1. It is highly reasonable that these Pretenders to a Contempt of Worldly Riches do inquire into themselves Whether in Deed and in Truth they do what they seem to do Whether there be no Fallacy Hypocrisie or Juggle in this Matter For we have read of those that pretended to part with all to the Church who yet kept back for their own dear selves and by laying their money at the Apostles feet seem'd to trample it under their own who yet for all their seeming Faith and Contempt of the World did not so strip themselves of all but that they kept a Rag for a sore Finger Ananias and Sapphira are Examples 2. It may be proper to inquire Whether some of the Heathens themselves whom you so undervalue as the Refuse of men have not done as much as all this comes to This I take for granted according to the Logick of Divinity it self that it is but a sorry Perfection in a Christian that does not excel all that can be found in a Heathen Mat. 6. 32. If they seek after these and these things it becomes Christians to seek after higher if they do such and such things it behoves Christians to do greater Now I suppose it is an easie thing to find many men as perfectly and voluntarily poor amongst the Heathen Philosophers as amongst Christians amongst the Cynicks as well as the Hermits as much Contempt of the World to any mans thinking in a Tub as in a Cloyster But it will be said These men did not neglect the World out of a pure design therefore 3. It will not be amiss that these Christian Contemners of the World do examine their Principles and Ends for if this voluntary casting away of the World be only a Trick to draw and convert the eyes of the World to themselves and to procure an estimation of mortifi'd men or a piece of Bribery to merit or purchase the Rewards of Heaven or a design to get Riches by a pretended Contempt of them or a Cloak for Idleness that they may eat and drink of the Best without doing any thing for it chusing rather to eat their Bread in the sweat of other mens Brows than of their own If any such things as these I say happen all this Contempt of the World is spoiled and becomes contemptible in the eyes of God nay indeed it proves to be a Device for the more effectual maintaining of the Worldly Life And who knows but that it may so happen or rather who knows not that it does Contempt of the World must be impartial and regular or else it will not pass for Devotion And if a man predominantly love the World in any branch of it he 's justly denominated a Lover of the World however he may seem to despise it in many other branches of it It is a sorry shift to endeavor to be thought to despise the Riches of the World and in the mean time to be enslaved to worldly Ease and Idleness to some men it is the greatest sensual pleasure in the World to do nothing Has not the same God who commanded us not to covet nor love the World also commanded to work and get our Livings Oh but they have spiritual Work to do What Merchant so industrious as they that compass Sea and Land to make Proselytes And did not Paul
when People live single meerly that they may live It was accounted bad Devotion in Saul when he forced himself and offered a Sacrifice And how shall she be accounted an acceptable Virgin who though she flies from other men forces her self Pure Virginity is indeed a Delicate and Divine Thing if it be any where to be found but this does not at all disparage Conjugal Love justly placed and purely exercised and observed Nay I do verily think that there is as much or more Chastity to be found in a Conjugal state as in a Single To the Conjugal Bed it is that the Apostle gives the Epithete of undefiled I wish the Virgins can any of them say as much of theirs more I 'm sure they cannot I will allow a pure Virgin state to be excellent perhaps more excellent than a Conjugal but it 's enough for the Conjugal to be accounted Honourable and that is in plain terms by the holy Author of it God himself But whatever excellencies in some sense or other may be found in the Virgin state yet I hope its Virgin modesty is such as will forbid it to vie with the Conjugal for usefulness which I 'm sure is one famous species of excellency And indeed for goodness or excellency in general I cannot see how that can be bad now which even in the state of Innocency it self was declared to be good Gen. 2. It is good for man to have a wife MEDITAT III. Of the Votaries of Penance AS for the Votaries of Penance though it may well be doubted whether they feel a smart answerable to the shrugs and sowre faces that they make and though it may be charitably suppos'd that they sustain themselves very well with rich cordials and good fare whereby many Pilgrimages of an hundred or two hundred miles long become less troublesome to them than many a poor mans journey or labour of a day and so their pretensions are not just yet suppose all to be true that is pretended how will it certainly conclude a contempt of the World For will not Diogenes amongst the Heathens pretend to as much neglect of the pleasures of the World and the ease of the flesh by lying in his Tub as any body can do by travelling abroad bare-foot and bare-leg'd Will not the Disciples of the Pharisees put in for the severity of frequent Fasts and match the Disciples of John outdoe the Disciples of Jesus And will not the Priests of Baal put in for a share of the honour due to Lashing and Slashing Devotion as well as any Gospel Priests There will never be any firm and comfortable inference so long as it may be required what do you more than others those none of the best neither So then the Enquiry will be at whose command out of what principle for what end all these severities are executed If any of these fail the contempt of the World is but a pretence And who knows not but that the worship of the Gentiles and of the Baalitish Jews too perform'd with so much smart and sacred horror is accounted of God and all good men slavishly superstitious and a hateful will-worship If the Principle out of which all these severities are perform'd be so pure as it ought it will produce an uniform self-denial and holy obedience and a contempt of the World in all the branches of it as well as in the pleasures so that if there be not an Humility Charity Faith Hope Zeal answerable to these bodily exercises they will profit nothing If a man give his body to be burnt and in the mean time have a mind to burn his Brother he is no Martyr no nor Saint neither And may not the Worldly Life be maintain'd and cherisht in the acts of Self-love Self-seeking Self-confidence Pride and Self-feeling amidst all this abstemiousness and these severities excercis'd upon the body Yea what if all these things should be nothing but to bribe the Justice of God to tye the hands of his vengeance to establish a righteousness of ones one to purchase by merit a sorry carnal kind of heaven merely external and future If so then they are symptoms of a slavish and superstitious but are utterly inconsistent with a holy and religious mind And who knows not but that all this may be yea and evey discerning Christian does vehemently suspect that it often is From hence O my Soul take an occasion to consider that thou as to thy natural Capacity art able to act without the help of the flesh and without any dependance thereupon and consequently capable of committing sins of the Spirit as well as sins of the Flesh however in a lax sense whatever is contrary to God may in Scripture be call'd flesh and so all sins may be call'd Works of Flesh When thou hast laid aside this Flesh thou canst not reasonably think of nor patiently endure to think of a long sleep till the time that thou shalt re-assume it and if after thy release from Flesh thou shalt still be able to act then sure it may be fairly concluded that even some of thy Acts even whil'st thou art in the Body are purely spiritual and do little or nothing depend upon the Body Though thou canst not be guilty of Adultery or Drunkenness without the help of the Body yet it is no fault of the Body or a very remote one that thou art proud self-will'd unbelieving and uncharitable All filthy and unrenewed Souls will not be the less but rather much more such by leaving the Flesh Distinguish therefore carefully between the sins of the Flesh and of the Spirit and reckon that thy firm and chaste adherence to the ever blessed God thy Centre and entire Resignation of thy self to him is thy Virginity and much to be preferr'd before Temperance and Continency What if thou have kept thy hands from picking and stealing if in the mean time by Pride thou rob God of his Honour or by Unbelief Christ of his Glory How art thou honest What if thou hast not smitten with the Fist of Wickedness or Violence if by Self-Will thou have Rebelliously contended against the Authority of Heaven and secretly opposed the Will of God How art thou Loyal What if thou have not prostituted any of thy fleshly Members to Adulterous Aspects or Embraces yet if thou have in a way of self-Self-love fondly admired and wantonly dallied with thy own Perfections as something distinct from God How art thou Chaste What if thou hast so severely chastised the Body that thou may'st seem to have battered the Out-works of Sin yet if it still lodge in the Castle of thy Heart if thy â—ody be empty with Fasting and the Heart full of Pride and Conceits of thy own Righteousness and Merits if the Flesh by severe Discipline and many Macerations be made obsequious to thee and thou in the mean time remainest unsubdued to the Authority and Will of God What real profit hast thou by this bodily Exercise or how canst
Bed It is an evident Argument that they do not chuse Thee and Thou for Humility or as a denying of the Honours of the World for they contend hotly That this is the most proper Grammatical way of speaking it is not a Case of Conscience but of Grammar and they also give the same expressions to God himself when yet they intend to honour him as we do As for giving and receiving Honour let them examine themselves Whether they be not desirous to be well thought of well esteemed of when they think they deserve it Whether themselves can take it well to be slighted and neglected by those of whom they deserve well To advance ones own Righteousness to be Righteous in ones own eyes as the Pharisees were and to stand upon our own Justification by the perfection of our own Holiness is as proud and legal a Spirit as any and the highest kind of Self-honouring To have mens persons in Admiration to value them as having any thing of themselves in them is a carnal way of giving Honour to men MEDITAT IX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or Publick Benefactors ANother sort of Pretenders to a just Contempt of the World and a predominant Love of God are those Rich men of the World who 〈◊〉 a great part of their Estates in Publick Works Buildings or Indowings of Churches Schools Hospitals Work-Houses for the Poor or the like This Charity is very Commendable especially when we consider how most Great Men spend their Estates But it 's more highly Commendable in those that have Children of their own and who in their Life-time part with so considerable a share of their Estates to Charitable Uses But yet even amongst these the Love of the World may be found predominant A Worldly Heart may be found not only amongst them that squander away their Estates prodigally and all they have in Riotous Living Luke 15. 13. But even amongst them that bestow all their Goods to feed the Poor 1 Cor. 13. 3. It was a plausible Argument that the Pharisees used to our Saviour when they argu'd That a certain Gentleman loved their Nation because he had built them a Synagâ—gue But I do not think it to be a concluding Argument to prove the predominant Love of God For this as well as Building and Garnishing the Sepulchres of the Prophets may agree to an Hypocritical Generation How Plausible and Commendable soever therefore the Charity of these great Benefactors may be yet if any such Benefactor design and provide for the Celebration and Perpetuation of his own Name more than the Advancement of the Name of God and the Propagation of Religion and Virtue in the World he will be found ultimately to sacrifice to that great Idol Self-Interest and not to God If any such Benefactor build up Churches of Stone and at the same time hate demolish or neglect the Living Temples of God and love not his Saints above all other men it 's but like the silly mockery of those whom the Gospel exposes to Contempt that honor'd the Dead Prophets with many outward Shews and in the mean time persecuted the Living to death Or if any rob Peter to gratifie Paxl Build Alms houses out of the Alms that they have kept back out of the gain of Oppression and Usury It 's possible a man may build and endow Schools for the Instruction of others and yet himself remain in a state of Ignorance not caring to know not so much as the necessary things that belong unto his peace That a man may build Work-houses for others and yet sit down careless and slothful in the matters of his own Soul nor take pains to work out the salvation thereof That a man may provide comfortably for the future state of Widows and Impotent in this World and yet make no provision for his own Eternity in another and so if I may allude to the Apostle be poor whil'st he makes many rich or at least relieves their poverty All External Acts of Charity and Benificence as well as of Devotion are competible to the Animal Life as well as the Divine and may be acted over as plausibly to a pur-blind Observer by a Self-lover or a Lover of the World as by a Lover of the Father MEDITAT X. Of the Pretenders to Righteousness AS the Righteous Lord loveth Righteousness so certainly the predominant Lovers of Righteousness are Lovers of the Righteous Lord. Looking upon these one cannot but love them at first sight as it 's said of Christ This Righteousness is such a qualification as without which no man can have the confidence to lay any claim to the Gospel Character of a good man It seems to be so famous a Species of Vertue that it is in Scripture Tropology put for Goodness or Vertue in general as Fortitude was amongst the Heathens Fortes creantur fortibus bonis Sacrifices were of divine institution and an honourable way of mens drawing nigh to God and rightly offer'd up were very acceptable to him yet Charity is prefer'd before them I will have mercy c. and yet Righteousness seems to have the precedency of Charity it self If the obligation to Justice be not stronger than the obligation to Mercy yet it seems to have a priority and requires to be first served if there be a competition for Charity it self looks like a kind of Felony if it antevert Righteousness being a giving away of that which is of right another mans But as there are many things call'd unrighteousness which indeed deserve not to be so clamor'd against which I think will fall under some of my future Meditations so I doubt there is a great deal that is magnified for Rightouseness that deserves not to be so celebrated For suppose one of these pretenders to Righteousness be never so exact in matters of dealing with his Neighbour Just in matters of Bargain Faithful in matters of Trust Punctual in payment of Debts Wages Promises if yet he be unjust to God in with-holding his Heart from him to whom it is due and entertain the World or Carnal Self in the highest Room there he is a Lover of the World and not of the Father as truly as a Wife is unrighteous who allthough she does not waste her Husbands Estate yet gives her self away from him and opens her Bosom to a Stranger The Righteousness that will Denominate a Man a lover of God must be in Conjunction with Faith Meekness Temperance Charity and Purity If our Righteousness be not so it 's some Spurious or Mechanical thing But is it possible that a Man should be thus exactly Righteous and yet not a Lover of the Father Why not That Self-love the Lord of the World may be the very Spring from which External Righteousness does flow to be seen of Men acepted of Men to Maintain a good Reputation amongst Men and to have a good Credit with them was the best Principle from which the Righteousness of the Pharisees proceeded which yet was as
money is very Cruel and an Atheistical confronting of Divine Providence To be content our Neighbor should be subjected to all Casualties and to take no further care but to secure our own profit is filthily selfish and somewhat like the ill condition'd Generation of whom Christ Jesus complain'd who laid great and heavy burdens upon the backs of others which they themselves refus'd to touch with the least of their Fingers To seek our own advantage or enrichment by the hurt or detriment of others is flatly against the Law of Lovers and the Golden Rule of Charity which the Law commends and the Gospel magnifies and enforces To make the poor pay for the use of Money or any other thing which is meerly for the relief of their necessities is by the most favourable Interpreters granted to be directly against the plain Letter of the Law even by those I say who allow a little stricter dealing with the Rich. Let the Usurers of England clear themselves of these spots if they can if they cannot let them sit down with the mark of the World upon them till they can MEDITAT XXXIV Disswasives from the Love of the World from the Consideration of our Profession WHat shall I say more How shall I come closer Having examin'd Man in his Moral Capacity and now in his Political wherein he is more discernable than in that Modesty will not suffer me to come any nearer for I know not how except I should digito monstrare dicere hic est except I should call men by their Names and say thou John or Thomas or Richard or Robert or the like art a Lover of the World These two things I am sure of that there are but two sorts of people in the whole World viz. The Lovers of God and the Lovers of the World and that the former of these are blessed and shall be yet more blessed the later are miserable and accursed Who can chuse but infer from hence that it is most absolutely necessary for every man to examine himself which sort of men he belongs to I have given what assistance I can in this important Enquiry which I think is the highest service that can be done for the Sons of Men except it be those endeavours which are directly used to disintangle the Souls of Men from the love of the World and to engage them in the love of the Father It is not in me alas to fashion the Affections of Men. Oh thou blessed Soveraign Creator and Searcher Maker and Mender of Hearts put in thy Hand by the hole of the Door that the Bowels of Men may be mov'd to thee Come into thy Temple O God and let not that sacred thing the Hearts of Men be any longer a place of Merchandize a Den of Thieves But though I cannot change the minds of Men yet as I have shew'd sufficient Reason why they should be chang'd so I can propound motives to induce them â—o labour after a change 〈◊〉 the House must be cleansed from its filth and rubbish bâ—fore the Glory of the Lord will fill it I 〈◊〉 therefore with some disswasives from the Predominant Love of the World and here I will content my self with a few of many First If we make any reckoning of our Noble Title of Christians and Disciples of Christ Jesus if it be any thing to us that we have enterrained the Gospel and are distingâ—â—sht from Heathens let us cast out this Predomiâ—â—â—â— Love of the World otherwise we shall bear the name of Christians but be of the Nature of Heathens A Name though never so Honourable is but little available in any case but I am sure in the Case of Religion it s not available at all without a Nature either to the present Comfort or future Happiness of Men. Why a Christian loving the World is but in name onely distinguisht from a Heathen And truly methinks this is but a small Honour or Consolation either Who can reasonably bless himself that he is not an Unbeliever when in the mean time he is an Hypocrite Nay rather will not the Heathen adjudg'd to a more tolerable condemnation hereafter bless himself that he was not a Christian and had not so many obligations laid upon him to forsake this World nor such clear Revelation as we have of another It had been a goodly Errand indeed for Christ to come into the World and to gather together a company of Disciples only to bear his Name but really not to differ from other men nor from what they themselves were before Was it worthy of his Blood can we think to purchase to himself a People peculiar onely in Nominal Relation Why certainly under the specious Title of Christians we are still Heathens indeed and in truth if our Predominant Love and Care be of and for the things of this World For so the Heathen are describ'd by our Lord himself to have their minds mainly upon worldly things Mat. 6. 32. After these things do the Gentiles seek And he would have his Disciples to differ from the Gentiles in their seekings and lovings as well as in their professing MEDITAT XXXV Further Disswasives from the Consideration of the Nature of our Souls SEcondly If we value our selves onely as men Creatures of Noble Natures and large Capacities let us consider that the World with all its Trinity of Riches Pleasures and Honours in Inferior and Inadequate to our Souls below our Faculties and insufficient to our Necessities 'T is justly accounted dishonourable for Persons of Noble Extraction or Ingenious Education to mingle themselves with persons or in things mean and unsuitable to them as if it were a debasing and degrading of themselves but if this mixture be a familiarity 't is still worse and if this familiarty be an Union 't is worst of all What a stir and a clatter do we make about a Gentleman marrying his Maid or a Lady her Groom Great Indignation arises to the Gentry of the Neighbourhood presently and much wonderment to the rest But the Soul of the meanest man matching with the most splendid Object in the Creation and uniting its self thereunto incurs a far sorer Censure and requires a far greater pity The Sun stooping to Mortal Clymene or the Moon to the Sheperds Boy Endimion or Venus in the Arms of dirty Vulcan or Jupiter assuming Horns and Hoofs for the sake of a mortal Mistress or whatsoever the Poets have invented to the disparagement of their wanton Deities does but represent the infamous mixture which that off-spring of Heaven the Soul of Man does make of it self with things terrene and mortal A generous Eagle preying upon Carrion or a glorious Star falling from its Sphere and choaking it self in the dust or the Romane Emperour catching Flies are tollerable Absurdities in comparrison of that abominable and mischievous Choice which all worldly minded Men in the World do make Does the Maker of Souls who best knows the worth of them value one Soul any one
place in the Creation shall I assign to that man that loves the lowest things for by loving he makes himself lower than they and it will puzzle all Philosophy to tell where to place that man that is lower than the lowest Shake off these shameful Fetters O my Soul burst this Yoke thou art call'd to liberty renounce this Ahominable servitude and reckon that if for an Hand-Maid to be Heir to her Mistress is a matter of Pride for a Mistress to eâ—slave her self to her Hand-Maid is matter of shame and reproach The gracious Creator hath plac'd thee in a noble degree and rank of the Creatures the lines are fallen to thee in a good place do not wilfully degrade thy self by forsaking thy station and thrusting thy self down below the lowest to thy eternal disparagement and amazement Lest whilst thou stand'st in a mixture of disdain and pity beholding the mighty Nebuchadnezzar herding himself with the Oxen thou plunge thy self into a more dishonourable condition then this and suffer thy self to be ridden by thy own Beast MEDITAT XXXVIII From the Consideration of the Nature of the Love of the World Idolatrous and Adulterous HAving briefly considered what the World is and what Love is I will now put them together and a little consider what Worldly Love is And indeed I cannot think of any thing abominable but I find it to be that Methinks I hear the Pathetical words of the blessed one fouâ—â—â—â—g in my ears Oh do not that abominable thing that I hate Jer. 44. 4. It seems that all sin is abominable and hated of Gods Soul But if one thing may be said to be more abominable than another I doubt not but Predominant Worldly Love is the most abominable of all things as having in it the nature of all those things which are of all sober Judges accounted most abominable I will confine my self to five or six of the worst that I can think of And here I will begin this black Roll with Idolatry This is confest by all Christians to be an abominable thing insomuch that that very part of the Christian World which we most suspect of it are as studious to excuse it as they are bold to commit it And there is a great deal of reason why all men professing the knowledge of the true God should abominate Idolatry when they hear him in his Word so passionately charging the World against it so terribly threatning the Commission of it and read what lamentable Devastations he made amongst the Jews because of it which the Prophet excuses by a strange expression The Lord could no longer bear because of their Idolatry Jer. 44. 22. But as abominable as it is the Love of the World is in it What the Apostle says of one Branch of it by the same Argument that Covetousness is Idolatry Pride and Sensuality are no better The highest Act of Worship is Love consequently he that loves the praise of Men more than the praise of God that is a lover of Pleasures more than of God is a down right Idolater Gold and Silver need not to be made into Images to be objects of admiration He that loves and delights and trusts in them chiefly has given the Worship peculiar to God to them and made them his God already Idols may be and commonly are set up as properly in the Heart as in Houses Ezek. 14. 3. and Idolatry as well committed by the inclinations of the Will as by the bending of the Knee There cannot be more palpable Idolatry in the world than making that a God to ones self which is none Is not the Sensualist an Idolater in the most proper speech whose Belly is his God as the Apostle phraseth it By the like propriety of speech one may say of the proud Gallant that he makes his Back his God nay an Horse an Hawk or an Hound may be as truly an Idol to a Christian as a Calf is to an Egyptian A second abominable thing that I think of is Adulâ—â—ry Whatever favourable Opinion this Wicked and Wanton Age has entertain'd of this Vice I 'm sure the Holy God accounts it abominable and ordained in his Common-wealth of the Jews that the Adulterors should be stoned to Death Such is the Opinion that God has of Adultery that he most usually by his Prophets compares that incomparable sin of Idolatry to it and calls it going a Whoring after other Gods It must needs be a foul pattern by which that Monster of Idolatry is drawn And is not the love of the World Adultery Is not the heart of Man as much dedicate and due to God as any Mans Wife is peculiar to him Do Men justly complain of great wrong done to them and may not God as justly complain of the alienation of Hearts May not God reasonably be offended that such a vile thing as Mundanes should be his Rival and defile the Heart of Man which he esteems his greatest Jewel It 's plain by the judgement of the great Searcher of Hearts that she that lusts after another Man more than her own Husband is a Whore and has already committed Adultery with him in her Heart It must needs be that the Soul that lusts after and cleaves to any Object more than to God to whom Souls are most nearly related and to whom they are most firmly bound is abominably Unchast and Adulterous in her loves Souls have no way of playing the Whore but by mis-loving and by how much the meaner the Object of their love is so much the groffer and more shameful their Adultery So that the Soul Prostituting it self to the World is not only Adulterous but indeed Sodomitical in this Conjuction For t is all one with lying down before a Beast which is forbidden by the law abhorr'd of Nature and damned by the gentile Theology under the Fable of Pasiphae and her Bull and their Monstrous off spring the Minotaur Vencr is Monument a nefandae MEDITAT XXXIX Of the Blasphemy and Sacriledge of Worldly Love A Third abominable thing that I think of is Blasphemy To speak evil of God injuriously reproachfully of the Deity may justly be accounted horrible amongst the Servants of the true God when it was judged abominable even by the Heathens whose Gods themselves were abominable Paul's Companions had like to have been pull'd in pieces by the Zealous Ephesians for disparaging Diana and the onely way that the Town Clark could take to appease the multitude was to tell them whatsoever people said of her Diana was a very brave Goddess and to deny that Paul's Companions were Blasphemers of her for he knew well enough that if such a horrible thing as Blasphemy were prov'd against them the people would not have stay'd for any Judicial Sentence to be past upon them Now there is a Blasphemy of the Heart as well as of the Tangue So the Fool Blasphemes who says in his heart there is no God and so do all they that either â—scribe to God
further Prosecution of this to some following Meditations concerning motives to the Love of God and consider the last abominable thing which the Love of the World is and that is Perjury The Jews of our Saviours time had very broad Consciences and many fowl things they made a shift to swallow such as Revenge Hatred of Enemies Neglect of poor Parents and the like yet Perjury was such a Morsel as they could never get down though they had made void many of the Commands of God yet for stark shame they left this standing in its full force Thou shalt not forswear thy self but shalt perform to thy Lord thy Vows What Opinion the Heathen had of Perjury appears by the strange punishments that they say the gods inflicted upon Laomedon King of Troy for falsifying the Promissory Oath that he had made to Neptune and Apollo which vengance did not onely light upon him and his Age but reacht unto posterity So that many years after they cry'dout Laomedonteae luimus perjuria Trojae Herod that could digest Murder and Incest hard bits one would think yet boggled at Perjury though the Oath was a rash one and made but to a Girl and that upon no valuable consideration neither yet his stomach as vitated as it was so nauseated Perjury that he would perform it It seems it was accounted by them an abominable Blasphemy to call God to Witness to a lie to make truth it self a lyar but let the promise be made to whom it would how much more abominable must it needs be when that promise is made to God That is at the same time to defraud and blaspheme the Majesty of Heaven And so do all they who solemnly in the presence of God covenant and swear to fight under his Banner against the World and afterwards turn to the World and enter into a Covenant of Friendship with that which they had once declar'd their deadly Enemy Mercury in the Fable stomach'd â—t grievously that Battus should betray him to himself Et me mihi perfide prodie Me mihi prodis Certainly more intollerable affront cannot be put upon the Majesty of Heaven than that men should swear by him to him and then forsake him making themselves at once guilty of Fraud and Blasphemy which all the Lovers of the World do If now there be anything abominable in Idolatry Adultery Blasphemy Sacrilege Ingratitude Perjury the Predominant Love of the World must needs be abominable even to amazement which is really all these and what needs what can be said more to disswade us from it O Merciful God who alone canst effectually deal with the Hearts of Men perswade us thorowly of the undefiling Nature of thy Love that we may make it our great study to keep our selves unspotted of the World MEDITAT XLI General Motives to the Love of God AND now address thy self O my Soul to the last and sweetest part of thy work to Meditate of som powerful Motives to enflame thy self and the rest of the benumnâ—d World with the Love of God Strengthen me O my God this once not that I may be reveng'd upon but that I may perform the greatest kindness to thine Enemies by rescuing them out of their miserable bondage and inlarging their Souls in the most pure and generous love of thee I let down my Net once more not without thy Command Oh that by thy gracious Assistance and Blessing I may enclose a number of Souls and translate those who all their days have swam in Earthly delights and in the brackish Sea of this World into the sweet Rivers of Pleasures that are at thy right hand or rather into the pure Fountain of Peace and Joy and Pleasure which thou art for evermore And here methinks I have the whole World and all the Individuals therein thronging about me each offering its Vote each offering it self an Orator to plead the Cause of God The holy Psalmist in his 148 Psalm calls upon the whole Creation Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens and the Waters that be above the Heavens the Earth and the Deeps and all the Inhabitants of all those Angels and the Hosts of God the Lights of Heaven Vapors and flying Fowls of the Air all Men great and small young and old Beasts and Cattel and Creeping Things and all Vegetables I say he calls upon them to Praise and Celebrate the Lord but methinks I hear all these calling upon me and all Mankind to love the Lord and to delight our selves greatly in our God For certainly there is nothing in the Creation but does plainly declare the Loveliness of God and whatsoever does so does as good as Preach and say Oh love the Lord ye Children of Men. But I see I shall lose my self in this immensity I will therefore confine my self to some few Topicks from whence to fetch Arguments and Motives to the Love of God The nature of our Christian Profession the Nature of our own Souls the Nature of God the Nature of Love the Nature of the Love of God will furnish us with powerful Motives to the Love of God as well as all these with the Nature of the World and of Worldly Love â—urnisht us with disswaâ—â—ves from the Love of the World For there is as much excellency in the Nature of God and of the Love of God to recommend them as there is unsuitableness and unsatisfyingness in the World or abominableness in Worldly Love to disparage them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no hard thing for a devout Mind to fetch mighty 〈◊〉 the Love of God from the same Heads the Argument being a little altered from which the dissâ—â—asives from the Love of the World were fetcht As for Example if we should therefore not love the World because it is unsuitable and insufficient to us and not that which it seems to be then we should therefore love God because of his infinite fulness and because he is the onely substantial and agreeable good If we should therefore not love the World because by loving we give we assimulate we unite we subject our selves to the World if this be the Nature of Love then what can be more excellent and advantagious to us than the Love of God If we should therefore not oâ—e the Word because the love of the World is Abominable Idolatrous Adulterous Blasphemous Sacrilegious Ungratful and Perjurious The Love of God being on the contrary Excellent and Divine Pure Chast Just Ingeniouâ— and Reasonable ought mightily to allure and attract us unto it self And so of the rest But here also I should be tempted to be too large I will therefore limit my self to a few Considerations which I have found most powerful over my own Soul Oh would it might please God to bless them with a mighty Influence that they may come to the Hearts of those into whose hands they may come MEDITAT XLII A Particular Motive to the Love of God FIrst I am wont to consider that God loves us best of any one The Law of
enjoy the Supreme Good Now this I think supposes a quitting of this Life and a putting off this Body This Thirst after Happiness is often made a character of the Lovers of God and of his Son Jesus Christ desir'd that where he was his followers might be also and why should not his Followers be so kind to themselves If we view those Texts seriously which describe the Lovers of God we shall find this ever and anon to be their character That they love the appearance of Christ Jesus and that they wait for the mercy of Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life But is it not a sin to be discontent at our stay in this world To be discontent at the Will of God must needs be evil for true happiness consists in conformity of will to the Will of God But to long after rest and that in God cannot be interpreted to be an intemperate Act. It is an Act of Faith and Patience to be content to live To desire death out of weariness of afflictions and the Discipline of God is weak and cowardly But to be weary of our distance absence imperfect state and to long after Perfection and daily to grow up into it is safe good proper generous and commendable O God loosen my heart break the League I pray if I may not pray that thou wouldst break the Bonds If I may not leap out of the body make me very desirous to go out when the way is open If my captive Soul may not break Prison and free it self yet make it willing to go out when the great Redeemer shall open the Prison doors and say to the Captive Go forth Is it not enough O my Soul to have the Prison doors set ope but wilt thou say also Nay but let them come themselves and fetch me out What entertainment findest thou in husks that thou art so unmindful of the Bread of Life What an unseemly thing is it to be haled home to hide thy self with Saul amongst the stuff when thou art sought for to be crowned Lord That I could wait for thee more than they that wait for the morning more than the servant desireth the shadow or the hireling looketh for the reward of his work Oh that I might never think my self well but when I am sick sick of love MEDITAT XXX Of the Profits of the World NOW I will consider the World in a Theological sense and thus it denotes any thing that has opposition to God And so we read of the Spirit of the World the Wisdom of the World the Men of the World the Fashions of the World the Sorrow of the World c. The World in general is whatsoever is not God and so even Self may be called the World Whosoever loveth any thing or cleaves to it more than to God or habitually prefers it before him is a lover of the world But I will view more particularly what the Scripture comprehends under the Notion of the World in a Theological Sense And here I shall begin with the profits of the world the riches and treasures of it which have almost engrost the name of the world as being a principal part of it to which the generality of men are addicted This I take especially to be meant by Mammon which one cannot serve in consistency with God Whosoever prefers the profits and riches of the world before God the same is a lover of the World To speak my judgment freely I think there are many things more valuable than silver and gold Learning and Valour are better all the ornaments and accomplishments of the Mind are better than they friends are better health and peace are better It is a wonder to me that men should lose their peace forfeit their friends expose their health for these things Although I confess it is not Idolatry because these things are not God yet it is absurd unseemly and disingenious to prefer riches before these things because these are really better To say I had rather be a Prince than a Philosopher argues a low mind But to value these riches more than God more than truth goodness and purity makes an idolatrous lover of the World To seek these more then the Kingdom of God to hunger after them more than after righteousness to confide in them more than in the Promise and Providence of God doth denominate the accursed person here spoken of MEDITAT XXXI Of Stealing UNder this head of the love of the profits of the world come to be condemned Injustice Worldly confidence Covetousness Carefulness Discontentedness and Vncharitableness and the several Branches of these I begin with Injustice They are all unjust who either use undue means or a due means in an undue manner to get worldly advantage and therein are lovers of the World more than of God The first sort of Injustice is in the use of undue means And so Stealing Defrauding Lying Oppressing Bribery are a preferring the world before Righteousnesse Truth and Mercy and Consequently denominate a lover of the World more than of God According to this Method I must begin with Stealing God is righteous the righteous Lord loveth righteousness whosover therefore loves not it loves not him whosoever Steals prefers the World before it and consequently does not love it Sealing is a violation of property Let property be what it will in its own nature be it not a sacred thing be it a necessary evil or be it a good not simply necessary yet it is now necessary as things go with mankind It cannot well be deny'd Theft supposes property and property supposes Apostasie If Man had continued in his Primative Estate it is likely the Earth had been as free to his innocent Off-spring as the Air is at this day At first there was no enclosure but of one poor Tree neither shall there be any in the World to come though we should grant the Doctrine of the Saints Reigning upon the Earth In utmost extremity to violate property for the preservation of life is no theft or at least that theft is no sin yea it becomes a duty For no man can be necessarily placed between two evils The one of them will be a duty Since the fall of Man Property is necessary to avoid confusion which the lusts of men would introduce yet perhaps it is not so determinate and severe as some men imagine The poor have an interest in the Estates of the rich they have a part which yet these ought to give not the other to take If they do not give it they are the thieves For detaining a right is thievery as well as taking any thing away wrongfully I cannot deny but that every thief is covetous but I do also affirm that every covetous man is a thief If we could suppose the sons of Men free from all self-interest and worldly love there would be no need of property neither would there be any poor for there is enough in the World to serve all men that
live in it if they would be content with a due way of living But God having it may be for the hardness of mens hearts establisht a Property and National Laws having determin'd it To steal is to prefer the World before Righteousness and Order whether poor men steal bread or great men steal Kingdoms Lord grant that I may never reckon my self to have any more but the use of things lest I rob thee for in true speaking thine is the Property nor ever deny so much of these things as I can spare to them that stand in need of them lest I rob the poor from whom to withhold is as thievish as to take away MEDITAT XXXII Of Defrauding DEfrauding is a deceiving either by words or actions and both these are either good or bad There is a pious fraud whether that which the Papists talk so much of be it or no I suspect whether that of Jehu were such I know not There is enough in both of them to make them frauds but whether there be enough in either to make them pious I cannot tell But St. Paul being wise caught the Corinthians with guil 2 Cor. 12. 16. This was doubtless pious fraud This always designs the Glory of God and the good of the person deceived and does not use ill means to accomplish the end which indeed a man cannot do and design the glory of God for the glorifying of God is our conformity to his Will and Laws I have always doubted whether Jacobs deceiving of his brother Esau in the matter of the Blessing were pious or no however since the Scripture passes it over in silence so will I. Bad frauds also are either in words or actions And so they are committed in representing things otherwise than they are whereby our selves are advantaged and another is damnify'd in extravagant commendations undue disparagements in false reckonings false weights and measures Yea if the buyer for self-advantage undervalue a commodity crying it is naught it is naught as far as in him lyes he defrauds the seller as well as the seller out of covetousness magnifying a thing that he knows to be naught either cheats or proclaims that he would cheat the buyer if he could The Gibeonites Fraud brought a perpetual Bondage upon them though saving what direct lies there might be in it I cannot see much of an impious Fraud in them no more than I doubt the greatest part of Nominal Christians would adventure upon if they were in the same circumstances and were sure of the same success And it is plain that Men in War use Stratagems to deceive their Enemies and are blameless yea I remember some instances of this in Scripture approved by the Lord of Hosts although for my own part without a Revelation I would judge Simplicity and Godly Sincerity to be the best Policy The impious defrauding is in some sense worse than stealing at least in this that it offers a greater abuse to my Brother If I steal from my Neighbor I offend against his Will but if I cheat or deceive him I abuse his Understanding wherefore most Men had rather a Hen were stolen from them than be cheated of an Egg and it commonly grates more upon Men to be accounted Fools than Knaves And certainly the imposing upon a Man's understanding and that to his hurt and my own gain is very disingenuous If he that calls his Brother Fool be in so much danger what of him that makes him so Every Man that defrauds imposes upon his Brother's understanding and makes his Brother a Fool. If Moses had indeed put out the eyes of the Twelve Tribes as some of them falsly insinuated and had made himself altogether a Prince over them he had better justified their murmurings against him than any of those things did that I read they objected against him MEDITAT XXXIII Of Lying for worldly Advantage ALthough it should not prove successful and that thereby Men do happen not to deceive yet to Lye with a respect to worldly gain is a Predominant Love of the World for it is a preferring of the profits of the World before Truth and God is Truth They that maintain any known erroneous Opinion or Practice onely to maintain a Party a Name an Interest in the World are Lyars and Lovers of the World Truth ought to be dearer to us than our Lives much more than Liberty Estimation or Interest And oh would to God that some of the greatest Pretenders to Religion of one way or of another would thoroughly examine themselves here I am very jealous that many palpable Errors are defended and many plain Truths are dissembled and balk'd or at least many doubtful Things impos'd for Truth meerly in favor of worldly Interest and that by many that carry their heads very high and to very pernicious consequences It is confest indeed that all Truth is not so weighty as to be profest to the loss of Life but all Truth is so precious so much as St. Paul's Cloak and Parchments that he left at Troas as not to be denied no not for the preservation of Life MEDITAT XXXIV Of Oppression THere are two things especially that hurt the wise and spoil their wisdom Oppression and Bribes put together Eccles 7. 7. Oppression makes men mad impatient fretful and so to depart from their wisdom Gifts blind their eyes and make them foolish in acting these must needs therefore be great Evils It is strange that giving should do men as much mischief as taking away and yet so it is both alike spoil mens wisdom The very threating of Oppression made ten Tribes in twelve so mad that they turn'd Rebels and made a defection from Rehoboam This Oppression is properly found in the Rich such as Kings and Law-givers The Law is so far from excusing Oppression that the greatest Oppression in the world is done by Law The greatest Oppression that ever was committed in the sight of the Sun nay indeed the Sun hid his face as being asham'd to see it was justify'd by a Law We have a Law and by our Law he ought to dye John 19. 7. And we do elsewhere read of great Oppressors that fram'd mischief by a Law Psal 94 20. Landlords oppress in Rents Masters in Work yea any man may oppress that has but so much as an Horse to ride on in preferring worldly Advantage before Righteousness and Mercy A Man may be an Oppressor in an undue severe cruel Exaction of that which is his own The Servant in the Gospel that cast his Fellow-servant into Prison who was willing to pay but at present could not Mat. 18. 29. was a notorious Oppressor And indeed the most monstrous Oppression of all is when the Poor oppresseth the Poor they who feel the burden themselves and consequently should pity others they who are not able to make restitution as the Rich can It is one of Solomon's Aphorisms He that oppresseth the Poor reproacheth his Maker that is either God who made him
In our hearts to love or esteem any vile person be he of what Civil Capacity he will before them that fear the Lord be their Civil Capacity never so mean is as good an Argument of an unsanctifi'd mind as the contrary is of a Citizen of Zion Psal 15. 4. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned In this Courtly Age it would be lookt upon as an unmannerly behaviour in the Prophet who would not vouchsafe to look towards the King of Israel 2 Kings 3. 14. But certainly it is worse than unmannerly to have the greatest respect and kindness for them that are not at all of Israel MEDITAT LXXVIII Of Flattery THis brings me to think of the foul vice of Flattery which although it be not always an Estimation of men for men often flatter those whom in their hearts they disesteem and despise yet it would be thought so and is as worldly as the other An humble behaviour indeed is ornamental soft answers are good and useful To approve or commend a good man or a good action is so far from being simply evil that sometimes it is duty and may serve good ends But it requires a great deal of wisdom For First It easily mingles it self with something evil and is corrupted by Covetousness Slavish fear or Self-love Men may most set off themselves and study to endear themselves most when they commend other men Secondly It is easily perverted to ill ends and may as soon make me prouder as better Commendation therefore must be given Justly Seasonably Proportionably and should be mixt with the remembrance of God as Paul's was to Philemon ver 4 5. Flattery is sometimes gross in words commending evil and calling it by good names assenting to every thing at a venture or denying without reason Magnifying some little thing beyond its desert and extenuating some foul fault into a meer peccadillo or unavoidable infirmity Sometimes it is more fine and subtile in actions in a crouching truckling over-obsequious behaviour I need say no more of Flattery than that it is First an argument of a mean and slavish mind The truly generous mind that adores truth knows not how to give flattering Titles Secondly that it is of most mischievous consequence and very pernicious in its effects because it inâ—â—â—â—â— Princes Courts and Great Mens Houses Flatterers by blinding the Judgment of Princes do at once put out the eyes of a Nation For they lead â—hose out of the way who when they are misled cause the rest of the world to err We know how fatal it prov'd to Ahâ—â—â— when his Chaplains the Prophets and the Courâ—â—◠〈◊〉 together to deceive him Go up and prâ—sâ—â—◠〈◊〉 the Prophets Let thy word be as one of 〈◊〉 says the Courtier And with what indignation God does 〈◊〉 the daubing of these Prophets and their putting 〈◊〉 under mens heads and arms the Prophet Ezekiel does acquaint us Lord what is man or his power who can onely kill the body that I should fear and flatter him in any thing that is hateful to thee What Profit or Preferment can I expect from man that shall Countervail thy dishonour or the prejudice done to truth and holiness by sordid Flattery or sinful Complyance Oh that the interest of God and Religion be exalted in my soul far above all these petty carnal Considerations And oh that the Messengers of God would seriously examine whether they be not the servants of men of the worst part of men even their lusts by imprisoning the Truth lest it should fly in some honourable or worshipful face whether they do not tremble to speak of temperance before incestuous Felix or whether they can take such fair leave of their Patrons as Paul took of his Ephesians I have kept back nothing that was profitable to you MEDITAT LXXIX Of Worldly Business UNder this Phrase The World is comprehended also the Work Employment and Business of the World To prefer the Business of this World before God denominates a predominant Lover of the World God has indow'd Man with active Principles designing him for Business To be active is to be like God who is life it self He is not an idle Spectator enjoying himself and minding nothing else neither doing good nor evil as some prophane men in the Prophet imagin'd him but he is good and doth good An idle and unactive life is unmanly and infamous No station does exempt men from Business Gentlemen and Ladies have their Callings There is Business accommodated to all sorts of men Having already of Idleness I will say no more of it here but this A good man must needs love Business as it is a Vehicle of Grace For how can a man exercise Righteousness Mercy or Charity without Business The necessities of humane life are so many either our own own or other mens that it is impossible any man should be idle but who is of an idle sensual temper To prevent mistakes I will first consider what is not to prefer the business of the World before God To be diligent and industrous in our Callings with a good design is not it To be more in worldly Business than in heavenly is not it God himself has allow'd six dayes to one To employ our hands in working more than in lifting up to Heaven is not worldly If we speak properly To observe due measures and propound right ends in worldly Business is Conformity to the Will of God and heavenly God acted like himself in the Creation of the world as well as in the Redemption of it and so do godly men in employing themselves about worldly Objects as well as spiritual The Angels are as well in Heaven when they are employ'd upon Earth in preserving the goings of the Saints as in their most immediate Contemplations To give the Precedency to worldly Business as to Management and Action is not simply and always it A lesser Business and more ignoble may be prohic 〈◊〉 more necessary than a greater and preferrible to it The Necessities of the Body may take place of the Conveniences of the Soul To do every thing in its proper season is a point of high Wisdom and indeed Religion Let us always remember that Religion is in the due management of worldly Business as well as otherwise To do Works of Necessity or Charity on the Lord's day is not it To have a reverend esteem for that day is good and necessary Religion flourishes in a Kingdom or a Soul as that is observed But yet there may be a Superstition in it which our Saviour by his Example and Doctrine has endeavor'd to heal The Sabbath was made for man and must give place to him But let all take heed they do not create Necessities or pretend them as I doubt too many of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Physical and Chyrurgical Tribe do To put ones self upon Business to offer ones service for the good of a Neighbor to meddle in other mens matters uncall'd by