himself to it to mediate this reconciliation he that could not rob God of any thing by his equalizing himselfe to him seemed to rob God of all his Majesty by this his equality with man by this stripping and exinanition of himselfe taking upon him the forme of this disfigured servant here we may ask with the amazement of the Apostle who hath been thy Councellor in this incomprehensible designe which man could not have so much as wished for himselfe And Saint Paul resolves us God for that great love wherewith he loved us hath raised up our dead nature and made it sit in as heavenly a place as even the person of God And indeed love could only render this act worthy of almighty God all the other of Gods benefits might be referred to his glory without any relation to his love the creation of all out of nothing might relate to the manifestation of his omnipotency and the order of his providence and administration of the world might be referred to the magnifying of his wisdome and the exalting his glory by his diverse communications to his creatures But this exinanition of himselfe could not consist with Gods dignity if it had not flowed from the immensity of his love So as this act confirmes Saint Johns definition of God that he is love for in this testimony God appeares nothing else all his immensity and infinity is extant onely in love since in this act of Gods incarnation even his Omnipotency may be said to be exhausted in obliging man when there remains neither power in God to do nor wisdome to excogitate a greater benefit then this selfdonation O immense beneficence and excesse of love which terminates even the divine omnipotency shall not this then subdue mans infirmity and appropriate all his desires to the study of loving this God who having given man even all his divinity by his love shall not man give this divinity all his love methinks it is now unnaturall since God is become man by love to him that man united to this God should not become all love of this divine Essence How can man then finde now so little of God in his nature as to plead his own infirmity for not loving God when by this gift he is made a consort of the divine nature as Saint Peter tels him and thereby inabled to love God by a participation of the same love with which God loves himselfe so that the donation exceeds so much the delinquency as Saint Austin votes a congratulation to our humane nature which being assumed by the Son of God is constituted immortall in heaven and exalted so as to sit at the right hand of the Father who then ought not now to congratulate his nature thus immortalized in Christ when he may hope to rise to the same immortality by this assumption So much strange incomprehensiblenesse followes upon Gods incarnation as our nature is dignified above what it hath a faculty to conceive for the soul of man shall not rightly apprehend the honour of this union with our flesh till she be sever'd her selfe from this connexion so great is the mysterie of Gods taking flesh and blood upon him as man must devest his before he can comprehend it for we see the more we are immersed in flesh and blood the lesse we discerne of it the carnal man is the worse inquisitor into this incarnation but the benefit and mercy is no lesse then the mysterie for Gods incarnation inableth man for his owne decarnation as I may say and devesture of his carnality and by imitation of this divinâ— man Christ Jesus shewes him how to weare his flesh in s 〈…〉 proportion as Christ wore his namely as a garment that did not defile what it cover'd Who then will chuse to cleave to our nature in the impurenesse of her owne carnality and bewaile that infelicity for an extenuation of her foulnesse rather then recur to this capacity which is imparted by the two natures of Christ unto ours viz to refine her selfe to so much cleannesse and spirituality as Saint Paul doth not feare to exalt our spirits to an identity with Gods he doth not wonder at any thing in consequence of this first gift of God himselfe given to our nature for he concludes that he who did not think his owne Son too much how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Insomuch as we may justly now say with S. Paul Therefore O man thou art inexcusable when thou judgest thy nature as incapable of victory over her infirmity for there is no such predominant malignity in her as thy enemy would insinuate the belief of the worst part of thy weaknesse is this querilous diffidence for in that ill feature thou shalt finde no similitude in the person of Christ in all thy trials and temptations thou mayest finde some resemblance in his figure even in the anguish and attristation of thy spirit but none in the yeelding and surrender of thy confidence for he felt our infirmities that we might not faint under them so that the similitude of his temptation is the succour and security of our defence in all our tryalls They then who in the pressures of their frailties shal faintingly say who shal shew us any good have their answer following in the next words the light of thy countenance is sealed impressed upon us for now the light of Christs divinity is not only shining on our nature but even in it as being now the orbe of the sun of righteousnes insomuch as the eyes of God may be said not onely to be upon us now in all our conflicts but likewise to be concerned in our contentions as members of that head whose eyes are his and consequently they do not only animate us but act and second us insomuch as the Apostle S. Paul chuseth his infirmities only to glory in to magnifie the triumph of Christ Wherefore they who behold the splendor of Christs divinity now shining in our nature need not lament the destruction of the first Temple when they contemplate this re-â—dification of this second Sanctuary but may confesse with one of Gods witnesses that the glory of this latter House is greater then that of the former for our nature is more dignified in the person of Christ then it could be depressed by the fault of Adam since not only the holy Angels adore now humane nature in the person of Christ but the very revolted spirits are punished even by the consequences of their malice to it for the bruised heele stands now trampling upon their subjected heads and it is not only in the glorious person of Christ that our nature triumpheth over her enemy but even in many other persons mortall and charged with her infirmities which make the weight of the shame the heavyer she treades victoriously upon the Basalisk vilifying all the malicious powers and principalities who are the governours of the
darknesse of the world Such honour have many of Christs members even in this life being inabled to walk in it and yet not war after the flesh having such spirituall weapons as cast downe all imaginations that rise up in defence of their own impotency and suggest their incapacity of subduing their enemy §. II. How even Mans infirmities may afford him gloryes and consequently Motives to joy and correspondence with the grace of Christ incarnate REflecting duly on what hath been premised we may justly sing an Hosanna to our humane nature as she is now participant of the virtue of God himselfe in the person of Christ since she is so fortified for triumph and victory over all the devills forces and her own frailties as I may say it is a greater shame for man not to overcome now thus joyned with Christ then it was at first to yeeld to the devil and the woman joyned He who is clothed with light as with a garment when he bowed the heavens and descended taking our nature as a cloud for his vestment might have purged it of all frailty and infirmity by his merits in it and have re-estated it in the originall integrity but he seemes to have chose the leaving of this infirmity to exalt the fidelity this thought may be supported by his deniall of Saint Paul the removing from him his reluctancies because virtue is perfected in weaknesse so having left our nature with this life-guard about her of my grace is sufficient for thee he hath inabled her to rise to a higher degree of honour by victory then she could have done by security for then our nature would have wanted the similitude and configuration with the image of Christ tempted suffering and triumphing which is a diviner figure then the safe unexercised condition of Adam And why may not we conceive that the miseries left in our nature by so mercifull a God were intended as seeds of a more fruitfull glory since not only our own sufferings are now allowed as good evidences for the claime of our feliciâ—y but even the distresses of others are assigned for our qualifications for Christ in his last account with man produceth nothing but miseries of nature for mans merit to him sickness â—unger poverty and captivity are brought in as the only contributions to mans glorification and by Christs words we finde that even he inhabiteth still in the infirmities of our nature insomuch as to reconcile us to the most aversing part of our nature we may look upon Christs personation in it for he seemes at that day when he shall in our nature judge both natures of men and angels to own his residence most especially in all the distresses and indignities of humane nature and to admit the communication and familiarity we have had with such miseries as the only claime to our eternall association with him and thus having a capacity imparted by all our infirmities to merit at Christs hands by his owne sentence our lyablenesse to them may be thought a nobler state then would have been our exemption from danger And to support this supposition we may conclude that our arrogant enemy who affected to be like Christ in his glory but never emulated his humility is more tormented now by mans triumphs over his angelicall powers and his owne humane weaknesse then he would be by mans state of impeâ—cancy for even that spoil this enemy now makes upon us doth not at all ease or relieve him whereas the defeats shames he received by our victories over him strain the rack of his pride upon him torturing him by this vilifying his power by which means even our infirmities may be said to serve Christ against the great maligner of both his Natures which admitted they who complain of the infelicity perversion of our nature may be advertized that they have a means to rectifie this crookedness even by the impulse of one of the most vebement corruptions thereof namely the passion of revenge since this redress may be wrought by their attempting continuall vindications against the procurer of all our misery by a victorious fidelity to our maker whereby even our infirmities being overcome are converted into the torments of our pretending tormentor and may the thussting of the serpent be retorted into his own bosome when his assaults return him more the sight of his own impotency then of our frailty And how feisable this way of revenge is made S. Paul assureth us both by his life and Doctrine when he defieth Angels Principalities and Powers to joyn with his infirmities and yet glorieth that in all these oppositions man may be more then conquerer by him who hath loved him How many virtuous Trophees are there now erected in Christianity of the victories of humane nature over our most powerfull infirmity What numbers wear the vestures of their humanity shining in the candour of innocence and chastity in so pure a manner as they seeme rather living transfigured with Elias and Moses upon Tabor then comming disfigured with Adam out of Eden So much doth even the frailest portion of our humanity triumph now over the greatest frailty of our nature and from the infirmity of the flesh derive rather consequent merit then actuall infection so that the proud spirit findes oftentimes by this repulse rather the misery of his destitution of grace then the infirmity of our nature being succour'd and supported by an accession of the fortifying grace of our Head Christ Jesus In which respect Saint Augustin sayeth elegantly the nativity of Christ was the renascency of man as flesh had wounded thee so it now healeth thee the Physitian ministred a receipt composed of our own infirme nature and by the infirmity of his flesh cured the infection of ours And for an intire re-inforcement of our humane nature which consisteth of spirit and flesh our spirit seemes to have yet a more intimate union with God for our flesh was but a supervesture or upper Garment to the Son of God The two natures of God and Man remaining distinct and not intermixed but our spirit is sealed and impressed by the holy Ghost and so seemes identified with the Spirit of God in some such sort as the impression left is the same image with the stampe which impresseth it and in this respect the Apostle tells us that he that is joyned unto God is one spirit with him we need not speculate so curiously the radiant beames of the Word of God as to dazle or dissipate the sight of our minde in this mysterious expression of the holy Spirit as much as is competent with our eyes is the perception by this dazling light of what great dignity and excellence our humane nature may now own in which the intire Trinity doth reside the Son of God in Person the holy Ghost or Spirit of God by Character and impression and consequently God the Father by the indivisibleness of his essence from their presences therefore we
see Christ promiseth us in expresse termes the company of the Father and his residence in us Wherefore Now O happy man that thou art look not down upon the stage of the Serpent where he lyeth still hissing at thee to call thy thoughts to the earth since thou didst first hearken to him But raise thy lookes upward to the throne of Heaven where the splendor of thy humanity at the right Hand of God reflecteth to thee thy owne dignity for even in the mirrour of the word wherein God the Father seeth himselfe man may now see his own image there man may see not only his nature made after Gods image but God himselfe in the image of his nature Correspond with thy own worthynesse then O exalted creature and live as if thou had'st never seene thy selfe in any other glasse for here is that eminence truly conferred on thee which thou did'st at first so vainly affect of being like God and the holy Spirit is thy councellour in this claime of thy divinity and thy comforter against the disswasions of thy first projector who would now divert thee from the aspiring to the consort and participation of the divine nature which is offered to thy aspiring This premised and ponder'd man may say I rejoyce even in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me and triumph in me for my strength is made perfect in weaknesse and may consort the harp of David to the same tune of praysing mans condition professing thy friends O Lord are become exceeding honourable their principality is exceeding strengthened for when mans infirmities appear in temptations and suggestions to deface the image and Character of the holy Ghost in him then hath he the holy Spirit to second him in the defence of his own image So that by the adjunction of these helpes even all mans infirmities may be converted into his glories and man hath nothing left to undeifie him now but his owne preferrence of degeneration and flavery to the enemy of his nature before his adherence to her Author Finally upon all these representations I may justly re-extoll and magnifie the dignity of humane nature which we may consider sent down at first from Heaven as Gods image and next as a state to which God himselfe did vouchsafe to come down in person and taking it upon him will inhabit therein eternally and then that the holy Spirit of the Father and the Son abideth in it as in his Temple which he sanctifies incessantly nay more that it is designed to partake the same glory which the whole Trinity injoyeth by being promised to be made like him who hath it all the God and man Christ Jesus O then he that may hope this let him never plead his frailty or infirmity in discredit of his nature let him not in a dejection of spirit seek to cover his pusilanimity with O wretched man I finde a Law reluctant in me against all these motives and incentives of my aspiring to divinity but rather let him boldly pronounce in such a holy confidence as is prescribed him I can doe all things in him that strengthens me for since God is in so many sorts with us who shall prevaile against us Therefore in all these reluctances let us aspire to be more then conquerors by him who so much loveth us The Third Treatise Of Religion §. I. Considering it under the generall Notion of some reference to a Divine Power REligion riseth in the first dawning of the light of nature for the soul as soon as she doth but see her selfe by the reflex of any discourse discernes her own relation to some superiour cause to which she assigneth some present reverence and reason as it riseth and ascendeth breaketh the day a little further but leaveth the mind still in such a twy-light as the understanding doth hardly distinguish singularity in the supremacy discryed above it selfe for reason doth but as it were feele out her way to Divinity by a kinde of palpation and sensible touches upon materiall creatures and cannot by an immediate elevation of her faculties to immateriall notions raise her selfe up to the speculation of any spirituall substance much lesse to the supreme spirituall Essence So that by the meere light of nature the mind oftner scatters and breakes the object of Divinity then singleth it into unity This deficiency appeareth in the speculations of most of the Philosophers who all looked naturally upward for some supream reference and asscription of their being but unto most of them Heaven like a crack'd mirrour broken by their various imaginations reflected multiplyed images of the Divinity whereby we may discerne that the perception of unity in the divine Essence is not derived so much from the emission of the rayes of naturall Reason as from a reception of a supernaturall light whereby reason is rather illuminated from above it selfe then singly producing this selfe-illustration and this forrein clarity diffused upon our reason is the Grace of the Divine essence which elucidates to our minde the simplicity and indivisiblenesse of the object from whence this gracious splendour issueth upon our understanding Grace thus inspired worketh by the soule as light doth by the sense not inducing the faculty but only the exercise of sight for grace doth not conferre any new faculty to the soul but only perfecteth the capacity of naturall reason in this act of singling the notion of the Diety and settling the unity of a Creator in our beleef And this first position alwayes suggesteth some Religion taken largely as a recognition by some exteriour homage of one Supreamacy above our Nature but this estate admits of much diversity in Religious beliefs in which even the wise men of the World as Saint Paul termeth them did stray and lose themselves growing vain in their own imaginations for by a seeming pretext of piety namely of making religious addresses enough to God they made many Gods under the colour of one Supream addresse By this Errour we may perceive that naturall reason needeth still a further conduct from grace to lead it to a rectified Religion Certaine it is that the materiall and visible species of this world afford some notion of the invisible producer as in mines whereof the specificall matter is of a much meaner substance there are found some veines of Gold and Silver so out of the grosse masse of nature those that work upon it by single reason may easily extract some Spirituall ore of Religion for through the elemented body of the universe there run some veines of intimation of a spirituall nature independent on all matter which reason may discerne and so resolve some Religious acknowledgment of a Divine principle as the producer of subordinate causes and effects but how apt humane reason is to sever and disunite this principle we may easily judge when we remember how soone reason forgot her owne origine and as if having lost the unity of the
affections but desires rather they may turne from their perversions and live and to perswade their conversion offers that to them in this life which is promised to us but in heaven namely to have our bodies changed from corruptible and passive into immortall and inpassible for Devotion offers to transfigure our affections from their impure and passive shapes into immuculate and imperishable formes raise them up from infirmity to virtue and make those desires which have beene the image of terestriall figures to beare only that of the celestiall Neverthelesse our minds seeme to be like fond mothers which are lamenting their children given over by the Physitian and will scarce hearken to the consolation of Gods Minister who promiseth so much a better state as a change from weak infants into Angels In this manner our fond and effeminate mindes seeme to bewaile this tranfiguration of their affections which Devotion proposeth according to the Apostle viz. the raising their conversation up to Heaven and changing their vile body so that it may be fashioned like unto the glorious quality of the love of God And certainly unlesse our affections be cut off from the carnall stock of our nature and set by way of ingrafting and incision upon the stem of the holy Vine they doe beare but sowre Grapes such as will set reason's teeth on edge which is their mother since our corrupted nature puts forth many sharp and unripe cupidities and fancies which are truly rather corrasive then cordiall to the minde God hath planted affections in our sensitive nature not with a purpose that they should be fixed in the earth and bear only terrene cupidities but hath rather set them there for a while only as in a seminary or nursery where he doth not meane they should take any deepe root for our reason as soon as it is able is ordained to remove and transplant our affections into spirituall scituations into that garden for which they were first planted so that although our loves grow at first while they are little tender slips only in the terrestriall part of our nature they are designed to be removed in their due season into the celestiall portion and to beare fruites spirituall and intellectuall which order is intimated by the Apostle when he saith as the first man is of earth earthly so the latter must be of heaven heavenly But because in this warfare of our lives upon earth between these two parties the sensitive and the rationall our sensitive nature is not easily perswaded to render up her affections wherein she accounts her selfe so strong unto right reason upon discretion let us examine what faire conditions grace which alwayes taketh Reason's part offereth her and indeed if the offers be well judged of there will appeare a truer freedome gained by this surrender then that which the loosenesse of our nature would maintaine when our affections being made free from sinne are become the servants of righteousnesse for if we examine the impositions and constraints our passions lay upon us it is easie to convince that to he a reall servitude which we doe familiarly but in wantonesse tearme so and thus our loose passions like the Jewes to whom our Saviour proposed freedome by the knowledge of truth will hardly confesse their inthralment but I may fitly say to them as he did while you commit sinne you are the servants of sinne If grace by Devotion set you free you shall be free indeed Therefore I will procure to manifest how grace may give nature great conditions of freedome and how the best proprieties of our affections are rather improved and secured then alienated and spoiled by this surrender to Reason and Devotion And to treate first of the interests of love which seemes to be the commander of all the strength of our passions when love renders it selfe to Devotion then is it so farre from being restrain'd as it is continued in the command of all the power of our pieties and is trusted so much as it is allowed to hold faire correspondence with beauty though that were the party love had served under against grace for then our love commerceth with the creatures only to improve his owne estate and faculty of loving which is all assigned to the honour of the creatour And surely when love by a rectified perswasion of the blessings of the creature brings beauty into the service of Devotion by a right admiration of the workes of the creatour such objects may forcibly concurre to excite us to the love of the maker in honouring of whom consists all Devotion Beauty may be truly honoured by the rights of her nature without being flattered by that meanes to be solicited against her maker for she may be confessed one of the best of all mixed creations since pure spirituall substances when they will put on a materiall vaile take beauty for their vestment The Angels expose themselves to us alwayes in the forme of beauty because that is the readiest note our sense acknowledges of Divinity and when the Son of God vouchsafed to be clothed with materiality the holy Spirit that made him this Garment exposes it and recommends it to us in this forme of being beautifull above the sonnes of men and he drawes the image of the spouse he came to take in the figure of perfect beauty as the best sensible Character can be made of her and makes this quality the object of Christs love As she is all faire and no spot to be found in her and thus as beauty is chosen for a simbol of spirituall purity the allegory of it as I may say not the letter is to be studyed by us since that attention will reflect to us the fairenesse and integrity we ought to preserve in our soules and so possesse us against that perverted sense which is often drawne out of the out-side or letter of materiall beauty In the Book of Gods Workes Saint Paul tells us the Divinity of the Author is legible by some little study of the Character and certainly there is no so faire part of this edition as that of beauty but we doe most commonly like children to whom books are given in fine prints and graced with gay flourished letters and figures they turne them over and play with them and never learne the wordes thus likely doe our childish mindes that are kept at play by our senses looke wantonly over the specious figures of beauty and seldome study them to learne Gods meaning in them which if they did seriously inquire they might learne that the excellence and perfection of their true meaning renders the perversion the more reproachable for as crimes are the greater the neerer they come to the violation of the person of the Prince so if beauty be the neerest sensible image of the soveraigne of nature the betraying it to his professed enemy must needs be the most capitall offence how this infidelity is committed is but too much
Princes in point of their fortunes so do they seem to prescribe unto Princes in this regulating their comportments in respect of the common frailties because they cannot take off the impositions of their own examples wherefore they must remember themselves to be the selfe-same persons which are the most specially menaced by those judgements the Holy Spirit saith are prepared for scorners This being so much averred I humbly present Princes and great persons with this excellent pre-caution given by the Wiseman Hedge your eares with thornes and heare not a wicked tongue and make doores and locks to your mouth that is to say fence your eares so with the points of religion and piety as they may rather prick by some sharpe reproofe the obtruders of all offensive Medisance then leave them open for such receptions and surely the locks set upon the mouthes of the chiese of the company doth shut out all such speech as they intend to debar for their humours are the Wards by which the rest frame the Key of their discourse to open unto themselves acceptation All this considered the best expedient I can administer towards the repressing of this licentiousness is the dis-favour and un-concurrence of the Grandees in the world which opinion is thus supported by the Holy Ghost The North wind dissipateth raines and a sad looke the tongue that detracteth Wherefore I beseech every one whom it may concerne to put on a serious displicence upon these occasions that they may not incurre this menace of Christ Woe be unto you that laugh now but rather entitle themselves to this promise of the Holy Ghost They shall laugh in the latter day The twelfth Treatise Concerning scurrility or uncleannesse of speech In three Sect. §. I. Of the dangerousnesse of these libertyes and the familiar excuses made for them BEing in chase of the tongue which Saint James saith is so wilde a beast as no body can tame me thinks this other unruly evill seemeth to be her other fore-leg whereby she runnes so lightly in the course of our nature and sets it as the Apostle saith on fire wherefore these her two vitiousnesses of medisance and lubricity may well be prosecuted together and in effect they are seldome parted in our humours Moreover as they are twins of an illegitimate and scandalous conception their delivery is commonly after such a manner as that of Pharez and Zara where he that put his hand first into the world came intyrely the last into it So detraction and piquantnes of wit doth likely first make proffers to issue out of our corrupted nature but is fully delivered the latter of the two for we know that our fancies even in their immature season strain to be forward in this point of medisance and mordancy of one another but the other twin namely loosnesse and uncleannesse of speech entreth first compleatly into our discourse by reason that the full growth of medisance requireth a riper fancy and many extimulations to sharpen it whereof our green youth is not susceptible so that most commonly our tongue delivereth fully this vice of foulensse and obscenity of speech the first into the world and thus that of the two which in part sallieth first out of our fancy is the last in point of an intire production I shall not stay to examine their priority in this relation of their brotherhood in iniquity as neither of them are children of light so their inheritance is such as even the least share will seeme too much to each of them wherefore I may truly say Blessed are they who dash these while they are little ones against the stones of the Temple of the Holy Ghost repressing the first strainings and proffers of our fancies at these indecent excursions But alas how distancial are we from this igennious coercion of our polluted fancies When commonly we set al our wits upon this liberty to cloake and palliate it when it is accused do we not familiarly seeke to elude the reprehensions and to cover this our Idol of Wantonnesse with Rachels Mantle answering our impeachers it is with us after the manner of the world the customary infirmity of our nature is made the palliation of this iniquity but surely custome and possession in this case ought strongly to be impleaded for if custome passe for a second nature even when at first it contendeth against her when it doth concurre and second her how strong and unruly must they needs both grow against the order and discipline of grace which is evidenced in most companies by the notorious excesses of these impunities But it is no hard Argument to overthrow this plea of custome and to prove this charge of a high offence against this licentiousnes of speech because if we stand charged with al our words upon accompt all our indecent and uncleane ones must needs be set very high in the reckoning by reason they may be said to be responsable not only for all the time we our selves take up upon them but even for all the losse and prejudice the company suffereth by them since whether they offend or affect the company we are answerable for both these effects for the scandall even when they are distasted and much more for the temptation when they are well relished and if we are injoyned such a preferring the good of society before that of singlenes as we are disswaded by the Apostle even lawfull and innocent libertyes in case of indangering the scandalizing of our brother how faulty must be this unruly transgression of all the precepts that directly prohibit such licentiousnesse Is it not a pleasant answer to Saint Pauls order of let no ill word come out of your mouth to reply alas we are used to let out so many as the custome may stand for our defence to which methinks we may suppose the spirit of Saint Paul answering as he did upon the occasion of reforming an effeminate fashion among the Corinthians We have no such custome nor the Church of God The most familiar extenuation of this culpable practise is that there are many light passages in discourse that have no aime but the present jollity and recreation and that many of such levities spring up in our way without the ranging of our fancyes for any such game and that such accidentall freedomes may produce a harmelesse recreation I do not bring my charge against any such chances there may many words be started in conversation that may move our first instincts to runne after such sportings wherefore I do not attaint all such propensions but desire that this aptnesse in our nature may be rightly understood and that we may discerne our being moved with such light invitations to be rather excusable by our frailties then justifiable by the qualities of such mirth There is no fault so little in this kind that is not accounted one for the familiarity of these small imperfections indangereth their rising into higher corruptions
Nature viz. all kinde of crosses and vexations seem to chase us out of the field they convey us into that retreat whereunto God hath designed us This is a frequent contrivement by Gods Providence to secure his friends by the chase and pursuit of his enemies and theirs as he preserved David from acting against him by the malevolence of the Princes of the Philistines who thought they had shamed him by rejecting and casting him out of their Troops when indeed they preserved him innocent from staining himself in the blood of his Brethren So God excites very familiarly the adversities of this world to remove and seemingly to expel his servants out of it to deliver them from the guilt of loving the world providing thus against their longer engagement with his Adversary who is the Prince of this World And as God vouchsafes to serve himself sometimes of the storms which the Prince of the Ayr raiseth in this world by making them carry such wracks upon his coast of Solitude as he designs to save with the loss onely of their temporal fraights So the Prince of the World doth sometime make use of this Shore for the casting away of many to whom he shews it as a secure harbor or shelter which they have under their Lee and can reach when they please upon any distress of weather And thus as an Angel of Light he promiseth this Sanctuary of retiring to God as a security which cannot fail even after all the provocations of him whereby he perswades many to sport themselves with him in his large alleys in the days of their youth and fortune Leave no flower ungathered as the Wise man says of thâ—s season And when either the winter of Nature or of Fortune hath withered and blasted all those sweets then it is time enough to retire to Gods cover for shelter who refuseth no sort of Refugiats These insinuations do work with many so as to embolden them to live profusely upon the present stock of their Time and Fortune with this purpose of taking Sanctuary either at some assigned time of their Age or upon any pressing Contingency Hence is it that taking their Councel of Gods Enemy he presents such Clients to him as have robb'd him all their life in a purpose to repair to him for protection against the Law and exemption from his hand of Justice and thus in effect the house of Prayer is turned and designed by such Projectors to be but an harbor of Theeves How often doth the Prince of Darkness amuse many with this falacy who walk with him in his large alleys even by this light he shews them by which they conceive to see a safe issue out of this broad way into the narrow paths of the Kingdom of Light But alas how many lose themselves in this labyrinth and are founder'd in this calm Sea of the world even while they have this coast of retreat and Solitude in their eye And how many others who are entred into the Port sink there by those leaks they bring in with them never being able to stop those overtures in their mindes through which worldly affections and passions soak continually into their thoughts some ill habit or other still keeping intelligence with the world And for this cause many either revolt back openly to it or else hold some private treacherous correspondence with it in a nauseousness and distaste of all Spiritual aliment and a tepid irresolution between breaking off and holding on that course and remaining in this nauseousness we know how disagreeable this temper is to Gods stomack so that many presuming to take this Water of Tryal being polluted by a long co-habitation with temporal loves it proves to them rather putrifaction then purgation and their mindes in stead of a Spiritual conception and improvement break out into an unsound and fruitless dissipation Likewise as this deceitful project of relinquishing the world is often preferred by the Father of Lyes to many sensual and brutish lives so me thinks it hath this property common to many Animals who believe when they have hid their head that their whole body is covered because such whom St. Jude calls bruâ—e beasts seem to conclude that when their bodies shall be retired and sequestred from the world their mindes are removed and estranged from it But they quickly finde the brutality of that opinion by the blows and wounds wherewith the Images of the world assault and charge their mindes by this disabuse they perceive her nakedness and exposure to all those vexations from which they thought themselves guarded and covered and God who regards only the posture and nearness of the heart to him doth adjudge a punishment sâ—ted to this presumption in revenge of their promising themselves the being able to carry their mindes out of the world into his Sanctuary at their own assignments he often receives the body onely and leaves the minde still in this habitual loosness making the bodies division in this separation from the world the revenger of this presumption of adventuring to dispose of one of the most dear properties of Grace namely the retreat of our mindes by the right of Nature For nothing is more peculiar to Grace then to impart the joy and peace of the Spirit in a state of contradiction to all the cases of the Flesh It is in some sort a design of Simony to expect the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon the exchange of a local transaction of our persons Holy King David had not onely stept into the way but was running in the way of God when he had his heart dilated and enlarged unto him so as his Flesh and his Spirit both joyned in an exultation in the living God Therefore it is very useful Animadversion not to relie upon the Covenants of our own private Spirit for the conveyance of this so happy condition to us of a godly retreat and â—eposure of our selves since the more Nature promiseth the less interest she hath in it this self-arrogation being an evidence against our title to this possession of Grace Upon these considerations I may advise such as are come to labor under the burthen of their mundanities which they have been less cautious in loading themselves with in respect of this final discharge they have proposed to remember when they come to Christ to be disburthened that precedent in the Gospel which relates aptly to their cases which is that of the ten Lepers who when they came to Christ stood after off and lifted up their voyces with JESUS have mercy upon us the consciousness of their pollution kept them at that reverend distance And Christs answer in this case is a very pertinent direction to such Spiritual Lepâ—â—s Go and show your selves to the Priests take advise of Gods Ministers and their opinions of the clâ—anness and purity of their intentions before they venture into the communion of this Sanctuary of holy Solitude otherwise their present offering may prove of as
waking and comprehending the true nature even of the things wherewith we are the most affected In so much as while the truth is that our life in this world is but a kind of dreame or shadow we dreame so strongly as we doe not discerne it to be but a dreame for the momentanynesse and inanity of our life seldome comes into our fancie which though it be so susceptible of all levities yet seldome admits the thought of mans owne lightnesse into it the vanities of our life shadow and cover to us our lives being but a shadow and thus while we breath continually in this element of vanity it becomes as the ayre to us which we feele not sensibly in our familiar respiration and yet our breath is nothing else but aire after this manner while our life is nothing but vanity we are the lesse sensible of this constitution So vaine a thing is meere humane nature as when your wit hath fancyed the most ayerie and light conceptions it can for images of this inanity man seemeth yet so much vainer then all those expressions as even all of them leave no impression on man of his owne vanity for he makes no use of those his apprehensions but lives as if hedid traduce and abuse himselfe in his conceptions and expressions of his owne vacuity and emptinesse and falls not at all into consideration of those disabusing notions and thus he verisies what the holy Spirit sayes of him that man compared to vanity is found lighter then it For as if the variations and instability of his owne state were not sufficient for his vexation doth not man adde to them the changeablenesse of many other creatures more vanishing and fleeting then himselfe by fastning his love to them namely to riches honour beauty and the rest of this worlds flashes and blazes of delectation which goe out very often even before they have so much as warmed our senses §. II. Treating Mans abuse of what he might learn by the mortality of the creature and the frailty of his nature evidenced in all sorts of persons and tryals ALL the creatures seeme to tell man in their perishing variations that they were made so transitory to passe away as attendants on the flux and motion of his life whereby to instruct as well as serve him by their subjection yet is he so little advertised by them of his own frailty as he rather applies their variations to amuse him in the imperception of his owne instability For while all his pleasures are derived from the continuall changes and mutations of things even out of this variety of delights he drawes the inconsideration of his owne continuall flux and consumption For he neither seemes to beleeve the nature of the things themselves in all these evidences of their mutability while he fixes his heart upon them as if they were immoveable nor doth he so much as learn the variablenesse of his own minde by the experiments of so frequent alterations of it which happeneth after even without so much cause as satiety meerely by the lightnesse of his owne constitution Doth not this seeme a strange incongruity in the nature of man who while he states all his delectation in the intermixture of changes even of his owne minde as well as of forreine fruitions that in this occupation he should divert himselfe from the animadversion of his owne vanity and impermanency How justly may it be said then O wretched man who shall deliver thee from this body of delusion When all the creatures that passing away and dying open themselves in an Anatomie of thy fraile nature thou wilt not so much as looke upon thy owne frame and composition which thou canst not see in those living figures thou art playing and sporting with for the life of man cannot see it selfe truly but by reflex from death and every perishing dying or dead creature reflects to man his own image and yet as the Apostle sayes Man so frequently beholding his naturall face in this glass of death forgets what manner of man he is Therfore the Author of life in his Word hath often set his hand to his manifest of the creatures which they all make for Man in their successive corruptions and in very pregnant tearmes he hath declared to man That his life is but a vapour that appeares but a little time and then vanisheth If then our life which is the foundation of all our vanity be but so slight and subtile a thing what can we say of riches beauty and honour and the like temporalities which are but the accidents of that substance which is it selfe but a vapour Wherefore all they seem but colours diversified by the severall variations of that light which is but a flash of lightning for life it selfe is but such an esclat of light This considered when the nature of all the worlds toyes and nugacities is rightly discussed all the specious good of them is found to be but opinion and imagination which may be tearmed the fume of this vapour of our lives as it is exhaled and vanisheth away and yet this fume of opinion darkens to us the nature of our lives as smoake often doth the matter out of which it is raised For how familiarly the eye of our reason is deprived of all exercise by this smoak of opinion I need not urge since every one that goes abroad into the aire of the world palpably seeth what sore eyes Reason hath almost every where by living in this smoak of opinion O then how much worse then nothing is the life of man thus lightned and evaporated by his own fancie when at the best of his carnal nature in the holy Spirit 's account it is but a shadow a dreame or a vapour And certainly it was an expresse act of Providence relating to our undeceiving this of Gods choosing Solomon among all his Secretaries to make the most ample and precise manifest of the nature and conditions of all temporalities for as Alexander is said to have furnished Aristotle largely with expences requisite for all sorts of Anatomyes when he designed him to write the history of Nature that his experiments might afford him both light for himself and credit with others so God seemes to have provided Solomon an abundance and affluence of all those creatures in their best degree of sincerity and perfection whereof he was to deliver to the world the nature and properties that the sensiblenesse of his experience might move and affect the world joyntly with the charity of his speculation S. Iohn Baptist who had the same spirit of truth I by an immediate infusion but did never exercise it in any practical experiments had not been an organ of this truth so proportinate to our infirme apprehension which embraces truth sooner clothed with sensible particular experiments and so becomes as it were palpable then in the universality of notions while it remaineth more abstracted in speculation King Solomon therefore was an
instrument sized and fitted to worke upon our natures and he who was the best Moral Chymick that ever wrought upon the matter of temporallities by the experiments of all fruitions extracted this as the quintessence of them all Vanity of vanities all is vanity under the sunne and vexation of spirit Here then is the product and summe of all our loves and fruitions in this world and after this convincing manifest of the worthlesnesse of all other creatures alas how much a more deplorable conviction hath he left us of the vanity of man by his owne fall and prevarication when in the splendor of all this light of verity a few fading colours in a womans face dazel'd even his Eagles eyes and so his blindnesse and infatuation is become a clearer evidence of the infirmity of mans nature then even all the beames of his illuminating pen. They who will look attentively upon this naked image of Solomon need no other character of our humanity there they shall discover all that the world accounts the security of happynesse to be the likeliest betrayers of it For he whose knowledge exceeded the stock of nature and whose possessions were equall with all natures provisions may be said to have fallen by the weight of his felicities how infirme a thing then is man that cannot carrie even his own wishes without falling under them when he is charged with their successes for alas how much doth familiar evidence attest this truth that man in honour becomes like the beast that perisheth May not our carnall nature then be justly discredited to us by considering that our life is either a perplexity of wishes or a perversion of successes and this convincing evidence which common experience offereth proveth what Solomon sayes that this is the affliction which God hath given to the sons of men to exercise them in it since indeed this world is but a stage for their wrastling and contention And if we look upon our nature in the exercise and triall of it in the other extream of affliction we shall finde their feeblenesse even in those pillars that were the strongliest supported by grace namely Elias who seemed to have had so little mixture of the elements in his nature as he is called by the holy spirit a fire and a burning light yet even he in his fiery triall had so much earth about him as to faint under his carriage and to cry out to be delivered even of his life as of a burthen thus strong was that little weakness of our nature he had about him holy Jer. who seemes to have brought none but holy earth out of his mothers wombe by the testimony of his sanctification in it yet even this sanctified oare had so much drosse found in it when the burning fire was shut up in his bones as to run over even into the cursing the day of his birth and to prepose his mothers being a tombe for him before a deliverer of him into that light wherein he saw so much misery and affliction May we not well say then in reference to that of Solomon if the best men on earth make this confession of the misery of their nature what doe the worst and the most depraved Thus have we seene frailty and infirmity of our corrupted nature taken from the best figures of it in diverse postures of temporall felicity and affliction and we perceive that in one state it is so unhappily disposed as the pronenesse of it to ingratitude is raised by the very degrees of obligations and benefits it receiveth Insomuch as the plenty of temporall blessings proves often an over-ballancing even of the power of abundant grace as we see manifested in the infidelityes of Solomon and againe we find in the other triall how the weight of sufferance boweth and deflects a little even the strongest pillars of humanity among which we doe bring in Saint Pauls deposition of this truth where we make upon all these surveys this his reflection O wretched man who shall deliver thee from this body of death and corruption But we are not so miserable as not to have a present answer to this sad question the grace of God by Jesus Christ our Lord. Wherefore let us goe on and look upon our nature as it is Deified in him and as the other representations might make us lament our birth with Job upon our dunghill so this aspect of it in the person of Christ may recall us to rejoyce with Zachary in the Temple and allow our nature this selfe-ascription justly assumed by the second organ of the reparation thereof henceforth all generations shall call me blessed this assumption may be well allowed our nature when we look upon it with S. Paul not living in it selfe but Christ living in it The second Treatise The reparation of Humane Nature divided into two Sections §. I. Treating the admirable meanes God chose for this worke and the rehabilitation resulting to man from this proceeding of God HAving seene the figure of man made much liker the image of him who said he would raise himselfe and become like God then like God himselfe who made man after his own image what meanes is there left to restore that which all the subtilty of the supreamest Angel had much adoe to disfigure when ruine is so much easier then reparation If Lucifer himselfe had applyed all his abilities to have given man satisfaction he could hardly have excogitated such a meanes of mans redintegration for it may be disputed whether it had not been a higher pitch of disrespect to have designed God to have put on this wretched nature of man then it was to project for his own Angelicall nature an independency on the divine So here the spirits of men and Angels are confounded when they consider both these natures of God and man first apart in their peculiar properties and then behold them united in this incomprehensible manner in the person of God here Saint Austins exclamation is more proper then any inquisition one Abisse calls on another the Abisse of misery attracts that of mercy here is the transcendency of all wonder that the unworthynesse and demerit of humane nature should prove the exaltation of it For now the Church doth not stick to say foelix culpa proclaiming even the fault to have been happy that procured such a redemption and a melioration Lord what was man that thou should'st be thus mindfull of him who had nothing left to move thee but his being become worse then nothing did this invite thee to shew thy selfe more God in his refection then in his creation wherein his nullity had thus much towards his being viz. no actuall opposition to thee which his iniquity had and so his reparation seemed more incapable of thy love then his nothing was of thy omnipotency in his first production In this deplorable state of humane nature become even Gods enemy he did not only reconcile but even subject
god-head she could in number have made up that losse of quality she brought in all the celest all bodies into the account of Divinity serving the Militia of Heaven instead of the maker and we may call to minde that as humane bodies grew Giants mindes seemed to shrink into dwarfs when they fell in love as I may say with the daughters of men that is the conceptions of their owne naturall Reason in this point of Divinity And we may well suppose that the Giants soules in the law of nature became so by espousing this daughter of God which we may properly call Grace whereby their heads passed the skie and touched Heaven it selfe in this beliefe of the unity of the godhead and by this conjunction with grace reason produced their issue of a rectified Religion hence is it that we finde the Patriarks frequently visited by celestiall spirits as the allies as I may say of this daughter of Heaven they had espoused and most doe conclude that all those who in the law of nature continued in a rectified belief and worship of God were maintained in that state by grace supplementall to the virtue of single Reason How far humane Reason may alone finde the way to rectified Religion is a question to exercise curiosity rather then excite piety and very commonly reason in the disquisition of faith doth rather sink the deeper into the earth by falling from her over aspiring then she doth six her selfe upward in her proper station and besides this danger me thinkes there is this difference betweene them that are working upon reason to extract Religion and those that are feeding upon sincere faith that the first are labouring the ground for that fruit which the last are feasting on or that the first are plowing while the last are gathering of Manna I shall indeavour therefore to serve in this spirituall refection ready to be tasted treating of faith already digested rather then to be provided by ratiocination for devotion is faith converted into nourishment by which the soul contracting a sound active strength needs not study the composition of that aliment it finds so healthfull §. II. Treating the best habit of mind in order to the finding a rectified Religion ME thinks Religion and Devotion may be fitly resembled to the Body and the Soule in Humanity The first of which issues from an orderly procession of nature by a continuing virtue imparted all at once to mediate causes the last is a new immediate infusion from heaven by way of a creation continually iterated and repeated So Religion at large as some homage rendred to a supreme relation flows into every mind along with the current of natural causes But Devotion is like the Soule produced by a new act of grace directed to every particular by speciall and expresse infusion and in these respects also the analogie will hold that as Religion hath the office of the body to containe Devotion so Devotion hath the function of the soule to informe and animate Religion And as the soule hath clearer or darker operations according as the body is well organized or disposed so Devotion is the more zealous or remisse proportionately to the temper and constitution of the Religion that containeth it Sutable to the Apostle Saint James his intimation to us that Pure Religion keeps us unspotted from the world I shall not take upon me the spirituall Physitian to consult the indispositions and remedies of differing Religions but relying more upon the Testimony of confessed experiments then the subtilty of that litigious art I shall prescribe one receipt to all Christian tempers which is to acquire the habit of Piety and Devotion for this in our spirituall life is like a healthfull aire and a temperate diet in our naturall the best preservative of a rectified faith and the best disposition to recover from an unsound Religion for the Almes and Prayers of the Centurion were heard and answered when they spoke not the language of the Church and the Angel was sent to translate them into that tongue in which God hath chose onely to be rightly praised that which his Eternall Word Christ Jesus hath peculiarly affected and annexed to his Church this shews the efficacie of piety and the exactnesse of Gods order who hath inclosed his eternall graces within those bounds into which he brings all that shall partake of them and so doth naturalize all such strangers as he intitleth to them doth not allot any portions to aliens but reduceth all them he will endow into that qualification he requireth which is into the rank of fellow-citizens of the Saints and of the houshold of God he leaves none with a dispensation of remaining forreiners The Angel that called the Centurion directed him to the gate of the Church Saint Peter did not bring him a protection to rest in his owne house with the exercise of his naturall pieties and so for those that are straying without the inclosure of the Catholique Church if they walk by the light of naturall charity morall piety and devotion in their religious duties this is the best disposition towards the finding of the way the truth and the life of whom the Psalmist sayes He is neere to all those that seeke him and those who are thus far advanced in morality may be said to be in atriis Templi in the Church-yard which is in a congruous disposition for farther advance into the body of the church I shall endeavour then to affect every one with the love of purity and holinesse of life for to those that are already rooted and growing in the Church this disposition will be are that fruit the Apostle soliciteth for them that their love may abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgement And in those who are yet strangers and forreiners as he calls them this reverentiall feare of God seemes to chase the wax for the seale of the holy Spirit for Prayers and Almes doe as it were retaine God for their Counsel and as his Clients open their cause to him in these tearms of the Psalmist Lord cause me to know the way wherein I should walk for I lift up my soule unto thee And such may be said to be halfe way towards their end that doe worship in a zealous spirit and are likely never left there but helped on to the other part of worshipping in truth by him that hath ordained our worship to consist of Spirit and Truth so that devotion sincerity in any Religion are the best Symptomes of our designation to the true and sincere Religion Wherefore having made this generall presentation of piety and virtue to all parties I shall not stay to wrastle in the Schooles but rather strive to set such Church-musick as all parties may agree to meet at the service and this I presume may sound in tune unto most eares that where consort and harmony in faith appeareth it is a good note of that
Churches service being set by the hand of that great Master who in this last lesson of his owne voyce did concert this symphony in the musick of the Church and even ingaged his father to preserve this unity and consort by these words Holy Father keepe through thy owne name those whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we are one This cleereth to us the marke of concordancy in faith to be one of the most respondent unto Christs signature on his Church And as one may without arrogating to himselfe much of the science of a Physitian venture to pronounce what is the best temper to be composed of so may I safely affirme that Religion to be of the best constitution which consisteth the most perfectly of these two divine elements well intermixed Zeale and Charity the which may be said to make a good complexion in the face of Religion the first relating to the colour of the blood and the last to the fairnesse of the skin through which the good tincture of zeale is transparent in the works of charity wherefore the well tempering of these two qualities make that beauty in the Spouse of which the Bridegroome saith Behold how faire is my Love there is no spot in her And as the face although it be not an infallible yet is one of the best indications of the bodies health for although there be not any so secure symptomes in it as conclude against all infirmities yet there are some so resolving marks of unhealthfulnesse in the face as cannot mislead a prognostike of some infirmity So may we make a probable judgement of the foundnesse of a Religion by the faire and healthful aspect thereof and by the ill looks and disfigurements of some Religions we may warrantably sentence the unsoundnesse of them for there are some that have such marks of uncleannesse on their skin as not onely the Priest but even the People may discern the Leprosie This considered the most advised judgement touching Religion for the generality of men is the preferrence of that which hath the most promising countenance of this perfect constitution of unity in faith of orderly zeale and of active charity for out of these materials onely that flame is raised which our glorious high Priest came to kindle upon the earth The Fourth Treatise Of Devotion In two Sect. §. I. Devotion regularly defined and some accidents that raise it explicated THere is nothing seems more requisite towards the sincere practice of it then the sound definition of Devotion for it is much easier to copie well then to designe perfectly this worke Neverthelesse it is the familiar presumption of the world to passe themselves Masters by drawing the expressions of their piety by their own imagination rather them to work then by the Churches draughts and patterns and thus many are mistaken in the manner more then in the meaning of their religious duties for devotion consists more of conformity to order in pious applications then in contrivement of them wherefore this prescription of some spirituall director is given by God Obey them that rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your soules And herein is provided a rest as I may say for our zeale to discharge it selfe upon for when it is shot without that stay it often falls very wide of the right mark which the holy Spirit hath set up to us by the Psalmist in Not unto us O Lord but unto thy Name give glory So that this is the safest principle for all good inclinations to build upon viz. the right notion and understanding of devotion taken from some prudent director for even the steadiest hands draw straighter lines stayed and guided by a rule then left to their own loose motion And I may without presumption undertake to shape a generall good rule by the Model of the Churches doctrine whereby to take the right dimensions of rectified Devotion for this may be done by an unskilfull hand in the practicall part as good instruments may be made by Mechanicks who want the science of using them Devotion is a fervour infused into our soule by Grace which breatheth out continually an alacrity promptitude in regular and ordinate performances of all such religious duties as are ordained by God for the exteriour testimony of the interiour love and reverence we owe him This good habit of the mind is the fierie spiration of the holy Ghost taking in such sort upon our wills as it raiseth a flaming evidence of our love to God in all our actions and this is properly to be baptized with the Spirit and with fire to have all our affections turned Christian by the accension of that holy fire in our hearts which Christ said he came to cast into the earth and required the kindling and ardencie of it in us so that the activity of this spirituall fire in our soules is that we tearme our devotion which implyes a conformity of our affections in morality and our opinions in religion to the revealed will of God our appetites we conforme in acquiring such habits of virtue as are expresly enjoyned us by God in his commandments and our own conceptions we submit in our conformity to such acts of religious worship as are directed to us by the Church which God hath invested with power of direction by these words of his commission They that heare you heare me and they that despise you despise me promising also the spirit of truth to rectifie all the executions of this power and the residence of that spirit to the end of the World In order to the preservation of that capacity imparted hence is it that there is no zeale or fervour of spirit which may properly passe for Devotion that is not touched at the test of the sanctuary which is obedience to the Churches regulations for many may thinke themselves in Saint Pauls discipline in the ferrour of the spirit when they are neerer Saint Judes commination of perishing in the contradiction of Core for as Saint John sayes The Spirit of Truth and of Errour is discerned by hearing the voyce of the Church not by singing loud in it therefore it is not the straining our notes but the singing in tune that makes the musick of Devotion wherewith God is delighted But supposing the flame of our Devotion to be lighted by a coal from the Altar the higher it riseth the neerer it cometh to Heaven for there must not be only interiour heat but exteriour light in it Saint John Baptist is a perfect image of Devotion in that Character Christ gives of him he was a burning a shining light which signifieth internall sincerity and active exemplarity and our Saviour intimates these two requisitions in our Devotion when he gives us this order Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven wherefore
this precept requires not only a fervour which we feel our selves but a splendour that may illuminate others by the edification of our lives When our Saviour stateth us as pilgrims in this transitory world he advises us to have our Loynes girl and our Lights burning which intimateth promptitude to the exercise of Charity and fervency in the act of our love And Devotion comprizes fully this equipage for our journey since it collects us and strengthens us for motion and is likewise that fire which is the best security we can carry with us in our passage through the wildernesse we travail to arme us against all the wild sensualities that lie in our way since it hath this speciall virtue to fright and disperse all that is irrationall And this spirituall fire hath many analogies with materiall insomuch as the holy spirit sayes of it The coales thereof are coales of fire and have a vehement flame and me thinkes this one remarkable similitude betweene them may be fitly applyed viz. as fire doth convert many substances which were unfruitfull unclean into a matter both generative and clensing by the consumption and reduction of them into ashes which have both these qualities so Devotion by consuming our passions which were both barren impure converts our affections into the love of penance and mortification which are the ashes of our consumed offences and so are made both fruitfull and purging by this conversion into matter of humiliation by which kind of soyling many converts improve much the good seed fal'n into their hearts for that penitent reflexion Devotion makes upon our vaine and foul passions and affections which is the consumption and incineration of them becomes purgative by sincere contrition and generative of all fruites of Charity since the zeale of mortification is not only a marke of our repentance but a meanes of our perfection when holy David sayes he eate ashes like bread they were made of his loose passion consumed by the flame of his Devotion and so converted into seeds of penance and we know how fruitfull these ashes proved to his former sterility The water of expiation in the Law was made with the infusion of ashes and certainly there is nothing more clensing then the matter of our offences consumed by Devotion and aspersed upon our memories for nothing makes us more zealous to take out all their staines upon our lives according to the Apostles observation of the effects of godly sorrow What carefulnesse what clearing of our selves what indignation what vehement desire what zeal yea what revenge it workes so as you see what fertility Devotion raiseth out of the consumption and ashes of our sinnes which is the Apostles godly sorrow §. II. Devotion described a more familiar way and the best naturall temper in order thereunto BEcause Devotion hath hitherto spoke the Language of the Church it may seeme uneasie unto many to be understood therefore I shall put it into the vulgar tongue of the Court and so make it more familiar for apprehension and by the warrant of S. Pauls condescendence to the capacities he wrote unto I may speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh and therefore venture without any levity to say Devotion is a Divine passion Love raised to the height of passion upon humane objects is a power in our mind whereon most of the world doth rather pretend an excellency over others then plead any excuse for such an incapacity in their nature wherefore this will be an expression of devotion that will serve and fit most apprehensions And certainly as strangers doe discreetly to change their habit when they come to dwell in forreigne parts especially if they be rude and uncivilized so pure devotion being a stranger to our carnall nature which is of it selfe wild and undisciplined comming to plant it selfe and live with it may be better suited for the purpose of introduction with the apparell of passion which is native then with her owne habit of purity though more decent and becoming for this exteriour simil 〈…〉 de may give the love of God at first more convenient conference with our sense which usually doth but looke strangly at her when she appeares first in her owne spirituall habit which is so different from the spotted garment of flesh and blood So that Devotion being thus put into the fashion and speaking the language of the place it comes to may hope for admittance without much wonder unto our understandings and by acquaintance with them informing them of the benefits of her association may obtaine a plantation in our wills and affections and thus by degrees come to be naturaliz'd in our dispositions and by this easie way of introduction Devotion may come to get possession in some minds by commerce of a good companion sooner then by open claime of her owne rights for we may conclude what right Devotion hath to our mindes by this that when prophane passion seekes to value it selfe and to possesse the minds of others it puts on a heavenly habit and speakes the language of Devotion in reverence and adoration thus as it were confessing the due interest piety hath in our hearts May not piety then to recover the easilier her due without irreverence be put into the lighter figure of passion I may therefore in order to a pious successe propose the being devout under the tearmes of being in love with Heaven because it is the likeliest way of perswasion to the world to propose not the putting away but the preferring of their loves and so transferre them to a fairer object not extinguish the fervency of their act and I believe without any levity of conceipt that hearts wrought into a tendernesse by the lighter flame of nature are like mettals already running easilier cast into Devotion then others of a hard and lesse impressive temper for Saint Austin said the holy Magdelen changed her object only not her passion and one may joyne him with her to authorize this opinion for love like gold though it be cast into an idol the perversion of the forme doth not disvalue the mettall and we know the same gold that Gods People tooke from his Enemies in the forme of their idols after it was purged by fire was consecrated to the tabernable and then it seemed to have a double capacity of honouring God as an offering of his servants and as a trophe from enemies so when the flame of the holy Spirit which is Devotion hath purged and purified our loves that were cast into the images of humane passions the same love is sanctified and assigned to Divine Service and brings a more speciall glory to God as it is not only an oblation of his children but also a spoile of his enemy This is not meant to countenance the alienation of our loves at any time from God but to commend that disposition of nature where love seemes the predominant instinct for
designe to fix it and so convert it into earthly treasure but as good Physitians do onely in order to the extracting medicines and remedies out of it And by this Method as they render Mercury beneficiall by drawing from it some good quality and fixing that upon some other body while that substance remaineth unfixed and volatile We may likewise without setting our thoughts to work upon temporall goods in hope to make our happynes by the fixure of them wel derive great utility from them by the infusion of some of their virtue making thereof remedyes for the necessityes of our neighbours Such an extraction Daniel counselled the King to draw out of his perishable felicity and by this Method while the matter of worldly goods remaineth fluent and transitory there may be great utility derived even from the consideration of these qualities For by using this matter according to the nature of it by keeping it passing and transient through our hearts and hands we may provide a fixed and eternall happinesse This advice is given us by the Author both of Nature and Grace to make out of the unfaithfull company of this worlds friendship such loyall friends as shall receive us into those tabernacles where no good is lesse then eternall This is a practicall use which Devotion will alwayes introduce in our temporall possessions There is also another speculative influence which it hath in order to the settlement of our mind namely the frequent meditation on the instability of all things sublunary which cogitations are pregnant seeds of the contempt of this world whereby we learn to draw the cure of the venome out of the bowels of the beast it self distilling out of the serious contemplation of the mutability of all worldly happines a remedy against the evill of that ficklenes and impermanency and by this course we raise some succour out of the adverse party of our own frailty For they who ponder frequently how all things sublunary move continually in an interchangeable flowing and refluencie may easily learn not to imbarque their mindes in any earthly delights never so fairly secured without expecting adverse revolutions and repeales of those joyes and by this preparation Devotion doth by degrees teach us to make our peace Postable upon all the tides of fortune understanding them to be truly the current of Divine providence This light we can receive onely from the beames of Grace and they shine the clearer in our hearts the more Devotion is kindled in them For this Spirituall flame as it riseth alwayes attracteth more of that first fire that lighted it and thus from our affections being inflamed by devotion our understandings take this light whereby they discerne the greatest security we can contrive for our contentments in this world to be the being so prepared for mutations that our wils may be so loose from anchorage upon any earthly pleasure as they remove easily from their hold on that delight and put out to the sea of Gods providence in all the stormes of adversity And considering how Gods way is in the sea and his paths in many waters and that his foot-steps are not to be discerned Our affections may easily repaire their earthly losses by that treasure they may find in this Ocean of Gods will the riches whereof we make ours by entring into his will as often as we are driven out of our own by the variations of this world and by this Pious acquiescence to all vicissitudes of this life we shall come to a constant good habit of mind as men at sea obtain an unmoved state of body for as they do not confirm their health by the steddynesse of the vessell in a calme but by the custome and habitude of the rowlings and tossings of it in severall weathers So shall we settle the peace of our mind not by the calme equality of a prosperous condition but by the acquaintance and inurement to severall adverse revolutions And this is undoubtedly the best Method in point of attaining a good constituton of happynes in this life for King David himself found little security in this I have said in my prosperity I shall never be moved For he seemeth to retract this opinion all in a breath the next words confessing Thou hast hid thy face from me and I was troubled Wherefore his reflexion upon the instability of our humane condition proved a more assured stay for him in his agitations when he concluded Doubtlesse all things are vanity every man living surely man passeth as an Image yea and he is troubled in vain §. III. Resultancies from the meditation of humane frailty and a resolving the right of Happynes as belonging to Devotion THe state of humane Nature being thus determined me thinks there may be an excellent medicinall extraction drawn by prudence directed by Grace out of the nature of temporal felicity in order to the fortifying our minds which may not improperly be tearmed the Spirit or salt of humane frailty since it may work upon the mind as Phisitians say those kind of Diaphoretical medicines do upon the body the which although they do not produce any violent sweat yet they clense by opening the pores and keeping the body in a continued transpiration and breathing out of the Malignity After this manner may our minds be purged and rectified by this meditation of our frailty which notwithstanding it forceth not out any notorious expressions of the contempt of this world in a sensible alteration of our course of life yet it may maintain the mind in a constant temper of purifying by a soft evacuating much of the uncleannesse of her sensitive appetite through an insensible perspiration of mortifying thoughts and the proper time to minister this receipt is in the health of our fortune while we are in an easie fruition of the joyes and solaces of this life for then the perswasion of their insecurity holds us loose from that dangerous adherence which carryeth away our peace along with their removals but this prescript looseth much of the efficacy when it is taken but after our mindes are decayed and infeebled by the sadnesse and weight of affliction because in that ease they commonly want that vigor of reason which should cooperate with this remedy and in that respect what might have been a sufficient stay to our minds while they stood straight and upright may not be able to redresse and erect them when they are faln and dejected I will therefore leave this prescription thus signed by the Holy Spirit Say not I possesse many things and what evill can come to me hereafter but in the good dayes remember the evill for the malice of one hour maketh oblivion of great voluptuousnesse and therefore in another place the same hand giveth this advice From the morning to the evening the time changeth All things are soon done before the Lord A wise man will fear in every thing But lest me should conceive happynes to be
errour it self he rejoyceth in so Essentiall is truth for the terme of his acquiescence Supposing we do thus generally aim at truth for our felicity I may well be asked how it commeth to passe that the subject of our joyes is oftener apparence and falsity then the real good of this life's benedictions the cause surely is the partiality of our imagination towards our sensitive appetite rather then in favour to our reason and thus Opinion which is but a changeling introduced by Sense passeth commonly for the right child and certainly Opinion may well be said to be the mean issue of sense and Verity the noble child of Reason but by this unjustice of our imagination it followeth that all the delights which are touched but at our senses are commonly accepted by our will for the true species of joy from the credit of that test without examining their nature in the fire of Ratiocination whereby it happens that when we are the trulyest deceived we are most believing in the truth of our happynesse for when we misapprehend the most the nature of secular pleasures having the least suspition or scruple of the mutability of such fruitions our joy seemeth the most sincere which proveth clearly that truth is but mistaken in the colouring not unintended in the designe of our felicity In redresse of this error Devotion taketh off the deceitfull colours of good and evill which Opinion layes upon the creature and presenteth to our understanding a naturall image both of the worth as well as the vanity which may be found in the rectified or vitious apprehension of all temporalities possessing us with the true nature of all our possessions directeth us how to rejoyce in the truth of such blessings and thereby satisfyeth that instinct of the mind with the reality and doth not amuse it with the meer colour of verity Certaine it is that temporall blessings as health beauty wealth and honour are indued with a true and sincere goodnesse wherein their owners may vertuously rejoyce the point is the discernment of this Truth and the selecting that only for subject of our delectation because just as much as we stray from this principle so much we remove from our happinesse which depending on the satisfaction of our opinion if that be unsound in apprehending the nature of such goods as are the objects of our affections we are in danger of being unhappy by their being but true to their owne nature while we are untrue to ours For their true instinct is mutation and instability and ours the perception and use of that verity whereby our understanding may sort an affection proportioned to the nature of secular benedictions §. II. Sacred examples shewing what may be said to be a rejoycing in the truth of temporall goods and how even secular evils afford joy by the same method of a right understanding them THe states of many the dearest friends of God testifie that temporall felicity affordeth a sincere matter of joy which is commensurate to the true sense conceived of the nature of such happinesse Abrahams wealth was thought worthy the holy Ghosts mentioning as a blessing as his peregrination was fitted with great accommodations so that state of unsettlednesse was a fixing in his minde the true nature of all he possessed In proof whereof it may well be observed that the only purchase Abraham made upon earth with his riches was a grave from whence we may inferre how rightly he understood the truth of their transitory nature and his owne mutable condition whereupon he chose to take possession of the Land promised him by a marke of his parting with it rather then of his possessing it thus did he understanding the true goodnesse of his worldly commodities derive from them both exercises of charity and notions of mortification while he imployed his wealth in the accommodations of strangers and passengers and in provision of his owne lodging as a traveller at the end of his journey and remaining in this rectified sense of his tempoporall fruitions all their effects proved a constant rejoycing in Truth By this method Abraham extracted the same Spirit of Truth out of his plentifull substance that Lazarus did out of his penury and indigence and surely if Dives had rejoyced but in the truth of his abundance and not set his heart upon the false part thereof he would have taken Lazarus into his breast in this life then they might have been bed-fellowes in Abrahams Bosome For I may truly affirme that there is no Lazarus in this world who hath not an Abraham in his Bosome that shall get to the being in Abrahams Bosome in the next And likewise conclude that there is no Dives in this life who hath a Lazarus in his bosome that shall not attaine to Abrahams Bosome in the other world For there is no necessitous body wanting fidelity of heart and poverty of spirit that can be qualified for that state meerely by his misery and there is no so splendid or opulent person indued with true Christian poverty of spirit that is not thereby intitled to eternall felicity and surely as there are many Lazarusses who want this kind of Abraham I have explained in their heart so there are diverse Abrahams in this life as I may terme them who carry this sort of Lazarus in their bosome being both rich humble and faithfull contriving all their temporary joy out of the perception and dilection of the true blessing intended in the Creature and deduce their satisfaction from Gods order not their owne exaltation in which respect they may be proved to rejoyce in verity Did not holy Job rejoyce in the truth of his worldly goods when he assigned the most of them to sacrifices either expiatory for his children or propitiatory for himselfe to purge the excesses of feasting in his owne family or to provide against the exigences of fasting in the houses of his neighbours acting this part which the holy Spirit gives the potent saying the portion of the poore is in the rich mans hands and surely we may conceive that in the latter part of his life which I may call his temporall resurrection his estate rising againe to more glory then it had expired with his piety was also exalted in proportion to a higher state of perfection so that truth being found and acknowledged in any splendid condition will keepe Peace and righteousnesse in the family kissing each other Was not King Davids vast treasure well managed by the superintendency of truth when he assigned all the most pretious materialls the earth affordeth to their true use some as it were converted into vocall instruments of Gods prayses others into visible memorialls of his presence and designed in a Temple as good a sensible figure as he could of the truth he conceived of all materiall substances which was of the earths belonging to God and all the plenitude thereof which confession he made in these words thine are the heavens and
the earth is thine In this verity he rejoyced extracted out of all his transitory felicity And King Ezekias having his treasury and cabinets filled with all pretious stores might have rejoyced in the truth of those blessings without deriving from them vanity and presumption as much as he boasted of them to the Babylonians so much untruth he found in that felicity whereof he seemed to have forgot the changeable property and was quickly instructed by the Prophet in the insecurity of such goods whereby he discerned how he had rejoyced in the untruth of his temporal happines out of which he might have extracted matter of a true and sincere rejoycing for Gods Spirit attesteth to us that he doth not cast away the mighty whereas he himself is mighty All the attainders lying upon great and rich men in the Scripture are brought against such as rejoyce in the errours and deceits of temporall goods such as either sacrifice all their wealth to the Idols of their fancy or such as make an Idol of their wealth and offer up all their thoughts unto it The voluptuous or the avaritious are those that fall under the sentence of the Gospell and their crime is not what they possesse but what possesseth them when they doe not rejoyce in the truth of their goods but delight themselves in contriving errours and fallacies out of them and as the Apostle sayes Change the Truth of God into a lie So that the defectivenesse of their happinesse ariseth out of their degression from Truth and whence doth all the blessednesse which Christian faith annexeth to sufferance issue but from this spring of verity which streameth out that joy and exultation is proposed to us in the afflictions of this life How come the thorns of sufferance to beare grapes the wine whereof rejoyceth the heart while our senses are prickedct wounded with this spinous or thorny matter Surely this cordiall is made of the Spirit of Truth which may be extracted out of all the asperities of this life first by considering the true state of Humane Nature designed to sufferings not only by sentence but by Grace in order to the aversing us from the love of this world next by contemplating the truth of those glorious promises which are made to a virtuous correspondency with Gods Order in his disposure of his creature so that both the materiall goods and evills of this life afford no legitimate joy but what the mind beareth when she is teeming with Truth we may therefore resolve with King David that when Truth doth spring out of the earth righteousnesse shall looke downe from Heaven §. III. The fallacies of some Objections solved and rejoycing in Truth concluded for our reall Happinesse BUt now me thinkes having determined the happinesse of this life in the loving and rejoycing in Truth many that thinke themselves unhappy wonder at this conclusion and conceive me disproved by their defeatures perswading themselves to have beene alwayes suitors and lovers of Truth when the Truth is that they doe not first seeke verity for the object of their love but conclude they have found it in what they have placed their love Supposing their opinions of such joyes as they pursue to be sincere and solid truthes insomuch as I may well resolve such sonnes of men that They love vanity and seek after lies In that region of the world which I have travelled the most I may reflect to the inhabitaints of it one raigning error which may convince many of insincerity in their addresses to Truth for the ground of their happinesse this it is the trusting the infidelity of fortune to others for our owne felicity designing our stock out of the spoiles of our fellowes and in this course doe we not fixe the hopes of our happinesse upon what can never passe to us but by such an infidelity as must assure us we are in continual danger of a like dispossession this must needs be our case when the expectance of the unfaithfulnesse of fortune is made the assignment of our prosperity And yet we see how Courts are commonly divided into these two partyes of some that are Sacrificing to their owne nets and others that are fishing for such nets the first is the state of such as are valuing themselves for what they have taken the second of those who are working and casting out how to catch what the others have drawne and in this manner there are many who pretend to be lovers of Truth that make these fallacies the very ground of that web of happinesse they have in hand This is so preposterous a course for ingenious spirits in order to true felicity as surely there is much of a curse in this method and God warranteth my beliefe both by the Prophets and Apostles when speaking by the voyce of Esay to this case he saith They have chosen their owne wayes wherefore I also will chuse their delusions and by Saint Paul the holy Spirit saith Because they received not the love of Truth for this cause God sends them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lie Let the worlds darlings examine what they confide in for the security of their joyes and they will finde it is the Father of lies they trust for the truth of their felicity who being not able to diminsh the increated verity sets all his art to deface all created Truthes which worke in this region of the world I now treat of he designeth by such a course as he used with the Person of Truth it selfe when he was upon earth for he carryeth up our imagination to the highest point of esteeme he can raise it of earthly possessions from whence he exposeth to our fancies the glories and beauties of this world in deceitfull apparencies as if they were permanent and secured fruitions and our wills are commonly perswaded to bowe downe and reverence such false suggestions whereof the infidelity augmenteth by the degrees of our Devotion in that beliefe since the more we confide in their stability the more falshood doe we admit for our happinesse and thus are we abused in the possession of Truth while we affect all our delights under that notion by the subtilty of the great enemy of Truth we are as Saint Augustine saith elegantly brought to hate Truth by loving those things which we love only as we imagine them to be true for the impermanency of this worlds goods is odious to us which is the truth of their nature and we affect in them their assurance as a truth without which we would not love them and yet that opinion is a meere delusion This may satisfie many who account themselves unhappy by the mutations of fortune and the dispossessions of their secular commodities for they shall finde themselves unfortunate but in the same measure they misapprehended the true nature of such fruitions by as much as they over-loved them so much are they distressed by their losses so the
we know the way The first seemed to question onely the truth of Christs affirmation not to intend the being satisfied in his question whereas the other sought to be informed of the readyest accesse to that truth which he believed so they who shall be moved onely by the captiousnesse of the Infidel examinant in this point are like after his manner not to stay long enough upon the inquest to be enlightened in this verity but to such as with the credulity of faithfull Disciples shall make this quaere How shall we know the way to this truth you propose namely a rectifyed understanding and true use of all prosperous and adverse events in this life I may say as the Angel did to the faithfull watchers at the Sepulchre after he had strucken as it were dead the miscreant wayters Fear not you If you seek Jesus for he answereth all sincere inquirers of truth as he did Saint Thomas I am the way and the truth and none commeth to verity but by me yet this me thinks gives a fair hint for such a further demand as Saint Philips was saying Shew us the plain direct way of comming to you Lord Jesus and it will suffice us This question Christ hath also answered by this most evident direction of Ask seek and knock for every one that asketh receiveth and that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened Prayer is therefore expresly given us for our addresse to Jesus who is truth and in these three proper divisions of petition meditation and perseverance which ought to be concomitant with each of them our asking respecteth the particular suits we make seeking importeth the application of our minds unto Spiritual verityes and knocking referreth to our zeal earnestnesse and perseverance in the acts of prayer and to this sort of prosecution is annexed the promise of asseqution of truth wherefore I may answer my inquirers as Christ did some who distrusted his proposals If any man will do this wil of Jesus he shall understand of the Doctrine whether it be of God or I speak of my self So that considering aright these gratious assignations unto prayer I may say we may obtain the possession of verity even with lesse solicitude then we can neglect it for the seeking asking and knocking in this world upon such applications as divert us from this inquest are the more laborious assignments of our mind May I not therefore boldly reply to all the incredulous and disbelievers of the facility of this medium exhibited Say not in thine heart who shall thus ascend into heaven for the word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart we onely need but as the Prophet adviseth us return to our own hearts to find that happynesse which while we seek else-where we lose our hearts in that inquest True it is that the great enemy of our nature useth all his arts towards the prejudicating this belief of the alsufficiency of prayer in which designe he doth now impugne our nature by a Machination farre differing from his first slandering it to us now almost as much as he did heretofore flatter it for now to discredit to us our capacity of repairing his first breach he suggesteth the ineptitude of our present state for this perception of truth and seemeth to ask us now by way of derision Shall you be like Gods thus knowing good and evill so that he tempteth us now and often prevaileth upon us even by the disparagement of our nature thus much hath he gained upon us since his first acquaintance when he durst not attempt us by lesse then the promise of a capacity above our nature to wit of knowing like Gods whereas now he presumes to implead our right to that knowledge which is due to us as men that is the discernment of our being qualified for the penetration into truth by the beames of prayer and meditation But the holy Spirit hath left us a good caution against this delusion Resist the Devill and he will flie from you approach to God and he will approach to you This refuteth all suggestions of diffidence in this point of attaining by prayer the effect of my proposition since God promiseth to set forward to meet us as soon as our prayers do but set out towards him which is likewise aver'd by the Psalmist assuring us God is near all such as call upon him in truth Gods mercy hath so much outdone mans mischiefe as he hath not left him either the subtilty of the Devil or the infirmity of his nature to charge with the continuance of his misery there must go an accession of wilfulnesse to our weaknesse for the duration of our unhappynesse For since the Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godlinesse we have no more colour left to diffide in the meanes of rectifying the enormities of our infirm nature then a Malefactor that were offer'd grace for asking it had reason to fall sick die for fear of his former sentence he who hath blotted out the hand-writing of the Decree against our nature hath given us his hand for such security of obtaining what we solicite by this appointed meanes and method as we can onely indanger the wanting a sufficient provision by our pretending too little by this addresse for surely this rule will hold in our asking little Spirituall light that what we have shall be rather taken away then more confer'd and the contrary disposition will likewise be answered with the more abundance What Saint Gregory conceiveth to be the case of the Saints in heaven in this point of supplicating God may be firly said to be that of us sinners upon earth in our act of petitioning for Spirituall light and verity as the Saints the more ardently they are united to God receive the more fervent impulses from him of asking what they know he is resolved to do and thus drink out of him what they thirst for in him after such a manner the more zealously our prayers are applyed to the pursuite of Spirituall illumination the more fervent desires we attract from the increated verity of begging what we are sure he will give viz the discernment of truth whereby in an admirable sort we draw from Jesus even in this life the hunger in the very food we take of them while our prayer attracting the infusion of truth doth extract conjoyntly out of those verityes fresh desires of the same illuminations May not these considerations justly silence any objection against the facility of this proposed medium of prayer for obtaining from God a sufficient communication of that truth wherein I have stated the happinesse of this life since there is no condition charged upon this grant but the sincere desiring it which is comprised in the direction of Christ prementioned and the Apostle witnesseth to the same tenor re-minding us in this particular the frequent promises of the giver of
of humane nature in her own current and in the other a draught of that constancy may be superinduced upon it by this intervention of grace which is attracted naturally by the aspirations of prayer according to what the Psalmist tells us I opened my mouth and I drew in thy Spirit I may therefore hope to have acquitted my self of such direction as was requisite for attaining the possession of that truth wherin I had constituted happinesse and my way is so accessible it lies as neer every one as their own wil which is affirmed by the holy Spirit saying Open thy mouth and I will fill it This considered I may expect the perswading some at Court to be suitors to God for Devotion concurrently with all their other suites since in all the fortunes they can make they cannot unmake fortune For the variable temper of humane felicities is not to corrected and fixed Since they cannot then stay what is transitory let them attend to arrest that which is fixable which is a good degree of peaceable acquiescence of spirit in all transitory events and as no temporalities can conferre this spirit so no contingencies can sequester it for it is the spirit of Truth that stayes our minde which partly is composed of the knowledge and expectance of alternative variations in temporalities and hence it is that in all adverse changes this spirit is rather in action and practice of his owne constant nature then in suffering or passion with the fraile nature of temporall mutations Let me then intreat all those who neede not be pressed to muster themselves at Saint Pauls summons of Rejoyce alwayes to remember that this treasure is the pay and stipend of his discipline of pray without ceasing and give thankes in every thing for this is the will of God Whereby we may make all the severall conveyances of Gods providences new deeds of joy to us when our rejoycing is seated upon his will and thus our happinesse that cannot stand still upon the fixure of our fortunes may be firme upon the confixure of our wills to that immoveable one that changes all things Without any vicissitude or shadow of change in it selfe The ninth Treatise Of the Condition of Courts Princes and Courtiers Divided into three Sect. §. I. The best Notion of Courts proposed IN the Law of Moses all the Rites and Ceremonies were not only declaratory formes of the present Religion but significative figures of a future state and howsoever most of the vulgar looked no farther then the glosse and lustre of the exterior vaile which was the beauty and decency of the forme and order that affected them yet the nobler sort passed their sight through that vaile and fixed it upon the signification and mysterie it selfe and thereby had not only their eye of sense delighted but that of their understanding enlightned by these objects In reference whereunto I may hope not improperly to apply these considerations to the Courts of Princes since all the exteriour state of Ceremony and Reverence being truly conceived is significative as referr'd to the images of God and thus all the distinguished ranks of honour which compose the formall order of Courts are figures of those different degrees of Ministers which attend their Originall the King of Kings and in this order the Glory and Majesty which exteriorly in all sorts resideth about the persons of Princes may be fitly understood to represent in such shaddowes as these materialities can make the celestiall magnificence of the King of Heaven so that one who will interpret religiously the Ceremonies of Princes Courts may say all things befall them in figures But certaine it is there are many in Courts who determine and center their thoughts upon the fronts and out-sides of these mansions which are honour riches pleasure and raise all their Devotions to the place upon those objects and such are truly the meaner sort of Courtiers though they be greatest in the measure of the world and there are some of the other party who penetrate into the religious sense of these exteriour figures and derive from them spirituall conceptions and appetities concluding by these glories which are but the shaddowes of those they signifie that the substance it self must needs be above what eye hath seene or eare heard or hath entred into the heart of Man and so by this view are quickned in their ambition towards those originall honours and these are the nobility of Courts though they be never so inferiour in office Of these two kindes of Courtiers is verified The first shall be last and the last first And likewise of the first sort we may say as the Apostle saith of the Law the Letter kils If the litterall sense of the faire text of this worlds glories take up and fix their mindes and of the latter sort the spirit quickens when out of these specious objects they extract a spirituall sense which excites in them a celestiall aspiring and emulation Such a figurative conception Saint Fulgentius framed out of these images when he was asked whether the beauty and Majesty of Rome did not worke upon his affections he answered If terrestriall Rome be so beautifull how glorious must be celestiall Jerusalem His minde was so little taken or retarded on her way as she stayd not at all in the outward Court of the Gentiles but passed on as in her way through it to the Holy of Holies and by this method who attend the offices of their mindes upon earth and waite not upon the places of their bodies concluding that they are but strangers and passengers through these courts and Fellow-citizens of the Saints and Domestikes of God make excellent use of all the lustrous and polished glories of the place for instead of looking on them as flattering glasses and mirrours which reflect only the materiall beauty of the earth they make opticke glasses of them through which they do the easilier take the height of the celestiall glories and surely the sight of our minde is much helped by such materiall instruments in the speculation of spiritualities by reason that in this her prison all the intelligence of our minde with immaterialities passeth as I may say through her keepers hands which are her senses that can carry nothing but corporeall images to her and therefore we see the Apostle Saint John drawes the image of the court of heaven in such colours as are most visible and most affecting in the Courts of the earth whereby to raise our imaginations upon these steps which they can tread upon to some proportionate conception of such fruitions as are truly all spirituall and Intellectuall And under this notion all the lusters and splendors of Courts being understood as figures of the sublimer and purer state of the Kingdome of heaven are convenient ascents for our weak apprehensions to rise up to the love and estimation of these spirituall objects for the same affections which move us so
tender of this highest Prerogative which is to impose virtue by their practice of it this Spirituall levy made upon the mindes of the people facilitates the raising upon them all other tributes Therefore Princes should be as religious in their lives as they are politickly just in their coines they must take heed of crying up any base species to an over-value since their stamp and impression makes all their morall coyne so currant in their Court by reason the images of their humor are as it were privy seales for the receit of those images wherewith their followers are most affected and because it is no crime to counterfeit this kinde of the Princes signature but rather a warrant for their pretensions likely the whole Court is a stamp of the Kings humour and affection This influence of Princes upon the dispositions of their Courts needs not the deposition of examples since it hath the Authority of a knowne principle therefore I shall only offer one precedent in the case in which the example and extravagancy is so singular as the very foulnesse of the Testimony must make the proofe the fairer and the more irrefragable There was a Grecian Emperour called Constantinus surnamed Copronimus which Surname he gave himselfe before he could speake when he was first brought into the Church by fouling it as much as his nature could then extend unto and afterward his life was a truer performance of that unclean promise he made himselfe then of those bonds of Christianity and purity he entered into by his sureties for this first was the least uncleannesse wherewith he polluted the Church in the rest of his life This Emperour who seemed to have a soule meerely vegetative by the inclinations of it for it grew thrived only upon dung had such a fancy to the smell of horse-dung as he besmeared himselfe with it and all his Court in complacency to that fancy qualified themselves for his company with the same perâ—umes and so offered him continually this odor which was fiâ—incense for such a deity and this naturall immundicity was but a figure of that spirituall impurity of him and his Court for in this Princes humour this was the least brutish of all his other bestialities so that his Court was rather a parke of the locusts and scorpions of the Revelation then a Congregation of reasonable creatures This is an unhappy trophee of the power of example in Princes erected to evidence that conclusion The sacred History is so pregnant in these examples how the prevarication of the Prince hath alwayes beene the perversion of the people as I shall not need to instance any therefore I may properly apply to Princes this advise which was given by a holy Father of the Church to Priests Since they speak as Oracles let them live as Deities for the lying spirit is often more credited in their mouthes then in those of the Prophets And this same prescript is likewise very requisue for all persons neere in office trust or familiarity with Princes since there is a naturall influence from such conversations even upward upon their superiours according to what some Physitians hold in point of a circulation of the blood to wit that which is in the feet to have a reflux back into the heart This motion may be truly affirmed in the course of the spirituall blood in the civill body of society for the affections and habits of the inferiour parts of the company flow often upward upon the superiour as well as they runne downward by their influence on the lower stations wherefore this morall circulation of virtue and vice in humanity makes the infection of any parts of the company familiar with Princes very dangerous for their contagion we see this in Roboams young Councellors who were not only the mediate instruments of rendring the Kingdome but also in some relation were the erectors of Jeroboams calves §. III. The importance of their Company for the education of Princes and a rule proposed for Counsellors and companious to both ruling and young Princes UPon this information let the Familiars and Counsellors of Princes understand they have a very precise charge of integrity upon them in their morall conversation as well as in their politicke comportments for indeed their vocations in many respects are rather sacred functions then simply civil conditions in regard they are imployed in the ministeries of the most speciall images of God on earth in which respect the scandall of their lives is not only prophanesse but a kinde of sâ—câ—iledge as it endangers the violating of the most sacred part of a Princes Character which is the divinenesse of his life and Government The life of King Joas is an unhappy precedent in this case who while he had Joh 〈…〉 a in his eye was himselfe a singular patern of piety to the people and eminent for the reparation of the Temple but after the change of such a companion when the Princes of Juda came and adored the King he being moved by their insinuations concurr'd with them quickly in leaving the Temple he had so much merit in and followed them into the groves to secke out and set up new Idols This was the sad effect of infectious familiars therefore such as are neer in office or privacy to the persons of young Princes have a most strict obligation to be virtuous and exemplary in their lives and conversations for humane Nature like Jacobs sheepe in the aâ—dor and â—eat of youth is very apt to conceive with some tincture of the colours it sees in those waters whereof it drinks in that season the conversations of our familiars are the waters where with our imaginative faculty is nourished and so Princes had need to have them kept very cleere and serene for according to the colours they looke upon in them their conceptions likely prove whereby the issues of their mindes become sported and staind according to such images as are represented to their imaginations in the pregnancy of their youth In this regard they who have choice of those to whom they will commit such trusts as the company and familiarity of young Princes should noâ— be lesseâ—â—act then when their Pictures are to be taken for which alwayes such who are the best reputed are preferr'd for indeed their familiars doe this intellectuall office to their mindes though this spirituall worke is done by acuite contrary manner to that of the images of their persons for the familiar companions of Princes may be said to worke upon the image of their mindes by sitting to them that is by exposing their owne figure to the young fancy they draw the other to that resemblance such is the active virtue of example upon the tender age of education Surely those then who are trusted with this office of being a familiar object to young Princes which is a nobler place then they can conceive by any name it hath at Court should set their dispositions in a
as the Wiseman telleth us The Creatures of God are become snares but to the feet of the unwise wherefore he directs us how to escape this capture by entring into other bonds of pre-ingagement to wisdome Putting our feet into her fetters and our neck into her chaine These fetters are of too solid a substance to be catched and intangled in the slight brittle snares of Courts the chaines of wisdome are made linkes of Gold which cannot hang in cobwebs The levities and nugacities of the world to those who look on them only with the pur-blind eye of sense may prove clouds and even so thick ones as their sight cannot transpierce them that is looke beyond such vanities when those that see clearly with the eye of reason discerne such slight traverses to be but like cobwebs that do not eclipse to them the light of Heaven it is not the matter of temptations in Courts which worketh like celestiall bodies upon terrestriall by a predominant impression but it is the disposition of the patients which rendereth the matter so malignant for all the vanities of Courts in a confession of their owne impotency to force our affections doe soothe and flatter our senses first and corrupt them towards the possession of our mindes Whereupon as Moses said to the children of Israel I may say to those who are called into this land of milke and honey If thou shalt say in thine heart these inhabitants of the place are more then I and how can I prevaile against them thou shalt not be afraid of them but remember what the Lord can do how many hath he carryed with a mighty hand through all these confederations of snares in Courts sundry examples of such holy victories attest to us this word of the Apostle The Lord knowes how to deliver the godly out of temptations It is related in the life of Saint Anthony the holy Hermite how in a vision he saw the world all hung over with nets and the very aire over-spead with them so that in great commiseration of their estates who lived in it he asked God how it was possible to escape in our passage and make way up to Heaven and he was answered there was no way left which was to creep under them for they were not so fastned below to the earth but they yeelded and gave way to that posture of humility And since our Head Christ Jesus did vouchsafe to be figured to us under the notion of a worm no man this lowly posture of creeping through this world could not mis-become his members Therefore to such as have their mindes laid even and levelled by this line of humility I may say while they are creeping under these snares with the Prophet Feare not thou worme Jacob I will help thee saith the Lord thou shalt thresh the mountaines and make the hils as chaâ—fe thou shalt fan them and the winde shall carry them away all the mountaines of greatnesse and power and the hiles of plenty and pleasure shall appeare to the eyes of an humble soule broken and crumbled into that dust which they consist of and their resolutions shall be able to blow them off from their affections like chaffe assisted by the winde of the holy Spirit which blowes alwayes so strongly in such soules as the levities of this world that flie about them cannot cleave and hang upon them And we must settle this principle that humility is not seated in locall depression and obscurity but in mentall purity and illumination and so conclude the scitation of Courts is not in that torrid zone of pride which some imagine to be uninhabitable for humility §. II. Reall humility recommended discerned from Court-ship and proved consonant to the state of Courtiers THis admitted the best prescription can be given a Courtier against all his infirmities is pious and discreet humility and this is so farre from being alledged by themselves incompetent with their vocation as almost every one pretends the being furnished with it as a requisite qualification though indeed most commonly it is so hollow as even the best noise it makes speakes the emptinesse of it as being but a tinkling cymball of ceremony and complement There is a slight glittering stuffe which commonly Courts are hung with which passeth there for humility and is truly but the tinsell of civility and courtship through which one may often see the walls to consist of pride and selfe-love Wherefore they who desire the reall benefit of this virtue must discerne between this superficiall colouring and the true being of humility and endeavour an acquiring the habit thereof in their minde not study the fashion of it only in their exteriour commerce Me thinkes one may properly argue with Courtiers as S. Paul did with the Hebrewes by representing to them how all the externall Ceremonies wherein they were so Religious were types and figures of that reality which he proposed to them and so their customes and observances might well dispose them sooner then the undisciplined heathen to acknowledge that bodie whose shadow was so famillar to them In like manner may not I say to Courtiers that all the civilities Ceremonies and mutuall submissions whereof they are so studious are figures of that substantiall humility which I recommend to them from whence I may argue that their habituall practices in these exteriour representations of that virtue should advance their mindes more then other lesse civilized conversations towards the acquiring of that reall humblenesse of spirit I recommend to their intentions Those of whom it is commonly said as Saint Paul said of the Pharisees that they are of the best sect of their Religion viz. they who are accompted the most accomplished in all urbanity and Courtship and are the most exquisite in all civill polishments in the purifications of their apparell and tables and all other sorts of humane neatnesse and curiosity they I say must remember not to rest so much on these traditions of men as to forget the graver and weightier parts of the Law of Christianity which is purity of heart and poverty of spirit two of our King Christ Jesus his qualifications for the Courtiers of heaven required in the order of his beatitudes instituted in the Gospell As for the other exteriour polishments and decencies which are pertinent to their condition I may say with our Saviour in the like case these things may be done but the other not omitted for civility and sincerity proprety and purity honour and humility may be fellow Courtiers and all of one party So that I may say to these of the best sort Therefore ô men you are inexcusable for you condemne your selves by these exteriour professions of those virtues if you have not the interiour signature and impression of them in so much as the immundicities of Tyre and Sidon shall be more tollerable viz. the ruder formes of life where humility and purity is not so much represented to them
I do not pretend to prefer the porch of Solomon before the Sanctuary I intend to keep the due distances in my measures between sacred and secular vocations each of them stand in their proper order and constitute the grace and decency of the Temple which King David did love so much For as the Father hath many mansions in his house so the Sonne hath severall offices in his sorted to those distinctions and the holy Ghost marshals and ranks all those diversities of callings in such sort as to frame an harmonious consonancy between both Houses of the Church militant and triumphant according to what the Apostle informeth us that There are diversity of gifts and differencies of administrations made by the same Spirit who divideth to every one severally as he will Wherefore my purpose is not to measure or weigh the preferablenesse of severall vocations but onely to set that of Courtiers rectified and straight in the understanding of the world to the end that not onely the consistence of this calling with piety may be evidenced against the popular traducement but that also the advantages of this vocation being rightly ballanced with the prejudices may confute courtiers themselves in this error of supposing they may discharge part of their infidelity to God upon the infelicity of their vocation in order to Piety Every state of life hath an assignment of grace commensurate to the necessities of that calling all things are disposed in number weight and measure as the Wise man informeth us so that although the temptations be more in number and weight then in more retired and in glorious courses yet the abilities and understandings of the persons are commonly stronger then in vulgar stations whereby they are better inabled to apprehend their dangerous exposures and accept them from the divine order as a Rent charge of perill laid upon the plenty of their temporall estates by which discernment they may convert even the species of their seducements into the treasure of patience and humility deriving from the perilous part of their condition conclusions against the worth of things never so glorious being but transitory since by these fruitions greater and eternall glory is so much endangered And by this reflexion even all those fiery darts which fly about the Court headed with the wilde fire of the Prince of darknesse though they have a fabulous sirname which the Poets have invented to disguise them to wit the golden shafts of Cupid quite contrary to this their due ascription when they light upon this shield of faith and expectance of eternall joy and glory are easily extinguished So that a good humble courtier marching as I have directed him in all his wayes upon the foundation of humility and poverty of spirit may keep a safe course in all the highest storyes of fortune and be no more scorched with pride or vanity then with fire-works playing in the ayre and though the Prince of that Region entertaineth all Courts much with such flashie shewes that is with the glittering vanities and resplendencies of the world yet to an humble and discerning soul they will seem no more then squibs breaking into sparkling shivers of fire which shine but for a moment and die with the ill scent of those rags whereof they are composed Upon all these considerations it seemeth to me to import all the successe of this course of life the fixing in our mind this principle that all humane life especially the active part is constituted in a state of continuall malitancy in which notion courtiers should account themselves as the chief officers of the field and so remember that the condition of being in the head of the world is like that of being in the head of troopes since it coupleth alwayes danger equall to the degrees of honour And upon this supposition they ought to be industrious in providing extraordinary armour in which point if they will be but as provident as they use to be for the defence of that life they can but defer and not truly defend or save they are in a state no way disadvantaged for that Coronation promised onely upon the condition of victory since to the greatest vanquishers are proposed the largest Crowns Therefore they who are frighted like Elisha's servant with the incompassure of tempations let them look upward with the Psalmist to the mountaines and they shall see the fiery Legions of the holy Spirit standing for their defence insomuch as they may truly say there are more with us then against us for Saint Iohn gives them this assurance He that is in you is greater then he who is in the world By these defences I hope to silence the popular cry against Courts in exeat aulâ qui vult esse Pius as if a good Christian and a good courtier were not stars of the same hemisphere and so could not be seen together For there are some natures as Seneca saith so shady as to think every thing turbulent and stormy that is but in broad day-light and we may sitly say of the eyes of such minds that they have not yet had the last touch of christianity for like the man in the Gospell who before Christ his last touch saw men but obscurely looking like trees these minds may be said to have a spirituall dimness upon them that doth not see clear nor far enough into the grace of different conditions this touch of Pauls hand when it seemes he was doing the same cure upon the Corinthians may elucidate further this case unto them those who are not Apostles nor Prophets have their ranks allotted and due provisions of graces designed to their severall stations And likewise by these advises I hope to rectifie that so different error in many minds which claime the slipperinesse of their station for a tolleration of many foule falls aledging the fashion of the times and place carfieth them down the stream pretending when the humour of the Prince or the Grandees leaneth and resteth it selfe upon them that their going into the house of Rimmon is much extenuated beleeving that those faults which custome and company impose upon them are set but low upon their account But the grace of a Christian teacheth him not to be insnared by this subtill imposition of complacencies from the worlds Ministery no more then Christ was by that nice question concerning paying of tribute to the Court for christian religion discerns clearly between what is due to Cesar and to God and so a Pious courtier may easily give to Cesar what is Cesars and to God what is Gods and that by an Anological instruction from this rule of Christ allowing all that hath Cesars Image onely on it offerable to Cesar that is all civill complacencies in things unprohibited by God as the complying with all the innocent fashions of the court and reserving all that hath Gods Image on it for God that is making an entire reference of all actions which concerne the soul to
the regulation made by Gods precepts and the churches explanations Thus a courtier may preserve himselfe from being at all moved or shaken in his judgement for Christ and Religion by not apprehending whether he be accounted or no a friend to Cesar to wit whether he retain the courts opinion of being agreeable or complaisant or good company Gods lesson given to the Prophet Ezekiel upon this occasion is very proper in such cases of temptation Sonne of man though thou doest dwell among Scorpions be not afraid of their words nor dismayed at their lookes though they be a rebellious house For those who do sincerely stand upon their defence lifting up their hands in the posture of the Psalmist in all the volleys of Darts shall never want that child to incompasse them which he promiseth Thousands shall fall on both sides of him but the danger shall come no nearer him the Sunne shall not burne him by day nor the Moon by night the Sun-shine of Fortune shall not tanne or dis-colonr the fairenes and candor of his mind nor the Night or coldnesse of his grace or credit shall not damp or benumme the vigour of his spirit To conclude let a Courtier at his entrance into this vocation remember to read the Bill I have set upon the Court gates at the beginning of this Argument and before he go in let him say with Moses in a devout apprehension of his infirmity If thy presence go not with me let me not go up to this place and so in all his advances into the roomes of State in any sort of his preferment let him remember that whereof all the Majesty he seeth is but a figure and by this meanes he may easily keepe the originall presence in his sight which object will prove a light to his eye and a lampe to his feet shewing him according to the Apostles rule How to walke worthy of God who hath called him into his Kingdome and glory The eleventh Treatise Of medisance or detraction In two Sections §. I. The true nature of the crimè of Detraction and the subtilty of it in disguising it selfe HAving entred you safely into the Court and conducted you as I may say through the roomes of State and shewed their ordinary furniture of snares as Ambition Flattery and Dissimulation it followes in order to passe into the withdrawing roomes and cabinets which are commonly furnished with the finest and daintiest stuffs to wit with more subtle and refined temptations among which I conceive there is none more sharpe and piquant and consequently lesse controverted or reproved then Detraction and Medisance Wherefore it will not be amisse to worke a little to file downe as much as we can the point of it by the instruments of Religion which the Holy Spirit ministereth to us fitted for this purpose by the hand of Solomon Remove from thee a froward mouth and let detracting lips be farre from thee But lest this first severe aspect may seem to affront any innocent good humour upon the Stage of conversation t is fit to declare that I only understand by Medisance all such speeches as may probably derogate from the fame and good repute of our neighbour which though it be done in never so gracefull or facetious a manner hath still the deformity of sin lying under the finest coverings any fancy can cast over it and consequently ought not to be admitted into good company upon the recommendation of never so handsome cloathes The Chimiques say that in all materiall bodies there is a salt which is the most spirituall and active portion of them which suggesteth to me this conceipt that in the immaterialities of our passions there may be said to be a kind of salt or spirit which is the most subtill and sharpe point of them and upon this score I may say that Medisance is the salt of envy as containing the most quick and piquant part of this passion it agreeth likewise in this property with Salts and Spirits calcined which do not sensibly discover the matter out of which they are extracted being reduced into differing formes neither doth Medisance in many cases manifest at all the quality from whence it is derived being drawn into another appearance of jest and ingeniosity and surely the nature of such poysonous plants ought to be the most proclaimed the taste whereof is pleasant and the occurrence familiar among innocent herbs of which kind is this spirit of detraction which I may not unfitly compare to Mercury sublimate that tasteth like sugar wherefore the children of this Family ought the more cautiously be advertised of the malignity thereof since the matter lyes so often in their way The Apostle Saint James as Gods advocate brings a hainous charge against this libertinage which in the world doth pretend to passe at the highest for no more then a trespasse not a sin but thus he informeth against it Detract not from one another he that detracteth from his brother or he that judgeth his brother detracteth from the Law and judgeth the Law so that not onely the credit of man but even the honour of God seemeth violated by these invasions since even the law of God is said to be impleaded by such aspersions God seemeth to have tender'd so much the good fame of man as he hath joyned his own honour with it as a convoy against the insults of our vitious fancyes that we might at least respect Gods concernment in the violation of the fame of one another detraction is thus proved to be one of the greatest offenders in humane society yet the familiarity covereth so much the faultinesse as it suffereth the seldomest of any criminall by reason of the many disguises it can interchange insomuch as sometimes religious justice that would not connive knoweth not how to take notice of it meeting it so ingeniously transformed but for the most part it is not strictly looked after The case of medisance in courts is like that of loose women in the world that are very handsome who do oftener gain and corrupt the officers of justice then they are detected and indicted by them for abuses and derisions of one another passe for such a kind of Pecadillâ—o among the children of this age as they conceive it the office of a Gentleman rather to rescue and shelter it when it is pursued by just reprehension then to deliver it up as a criminall but surely if we consider whose law the Apostle telleth us is offended and impugned by these asperities we shall find the Method of Jael to be followed rather then that of Rahab with these emissaries of the Prince of this world which are imployed by him to bring him back the fruits of our corrupted earth which is very luxuriant in this mistery of iniquity insomuch as we may say of this unhappy facundity that our earth needs no rain to fall upon it that is no externall provocation to fertilize it there riseth
not only the candor of their owne thoughts but likewise the composition of the persons whom such liberties may concerne as also the humours of the company where they are vented for I conceive these three circumstances ought to concur for the licensing such exercises of our fancy first the ingenuous and harmlesse intention of them that minister the mirth next the probability of a right understanding by them who are the subject of it and lastly the likelihood of an innocent apprehension of our jests in the company they are addressed unto for their pleasure and entertainment and I conceive one may be very good company restraining their wits within these three religious limitations for while our words are tuned to the Key of charity Men and Angels may rejoyce together in the gayety of their aires this was the tune which the Psalmist set for himselfe and for us to study having left it thus noted I will take heed to my wayes that I sinne not with my tongue I will keepe my mouth with a bridle Considering the humour of the world and how fashions are sooner decryed by the dislike of such persons as they are designed to fancy then by the prohibitions or order of the state I conceive the best proportioned expedient to the effect of repealing this licentious custome of pillaging one anothers reputation in these excursions of jest and raillery is to terrify the receivers of such spoyles which are those that take them off from the acting parties with applause and delectation wherefore such patrons must be advertised that they know not how deare they pay for such preyes when they imagine they give nothing but a cheerefull countenance for them since indeed they cost them more innocence then many of them would part with for them if that price was directly set upon them let them be admonished then that as the Psalmist saith of the committers of such facts that the poyson of Aspes is under their lips so that it may be properly said of the receivers of such thefts in the tearmes of the Holy Spirit They suck the head of Aspes the Vipers tongue shal kil them Since we are made by God as it were mutual Feoffees in trust for one anothers good name by this order which declareth that God hath given every one commandement concerning his neighbour being therein charged the preservation of our brothers fame to answer Am I my brothers keeper doth indeed savour somewhat of the guilt of the murder Let not then those parties unto whose complacency such licentiousnes is addressed suppose that they may innocently injoy such spoyles which they pretend not to bespeake but only to accept as a present from their familiars for surely all persons of alluring fortunes or of other followed qualities which are noted for entertainers and cherishers of Medisance and bitternesse in conversation do no better then set up a Shop declaredly to take off plundered goods which commodity offered to the violaters cannot chuse but passe for a contribution to the Fact and the mischiefe of this traffique is alwayes proportioned by the eminency of the estate of the person that professeth this commerce for high encouragements do as it were presse these morall plunderers which are such licentious companies that those who raise them so easily as they cost them but their connivance cannot cashiere them again with their command for very often as the Wiseman saith The Charmers themselves are stung with the Serpents they play with and then who shall pity them when they swell upon such stingings Let every one then make this good use of the respect and difference which is given to their persons or conditions the taking upon them to discredit this so pernitious fashion of receiving as justifyable Presents from their observers the desamation of their brother for when this humour of Medisance springeth in the head of the company it runnes fluently into the lesse noble parts but when it riseth first but in the inferior and dependent persons it requireth a force of wit and ingeniosity to raise and diffuse it upward which capacity is not very familiar wherefore I conceive the most powerful receipt against this mischiefe to be the possessing the most eminent and reverenced persons of Courts with the irreligiousnesse of this authorised fashion of Medisance cherished under the disguise of mirth For if Princes do ignoble their minds with this favouring of detraction they do not only license it but seem even to impose it which is such a kind of grievance as offendeth much and yet lesseneth their owne meanes not only in point of their re-obliging but likewise in their part of commanding for what is taken from the true value and estimation of every one by this liberty is lost to the Prince in all the uses he hath of their service so that Princes have not only a religious but a politique duty that requireth of them severity rather then indulgence towards this toleration since their simple connivance will introduce detraction in the fashion called incognito which alloweth all the same liberties to the party so received under this colour of his not professing himselfe to be present in his own quality such a kind of admission doth the connivance of Princes give to Medisance treating with her as if they tooke no notice of her quality and when Princes foule their hands actively in this sullying of others they do as it were publiquely prescribe the fame and reputation of every one and seeme to set a price upon them for every one that can bring them into their delight and entertainment nor is this price limited but may be said to be as much as every accure malicious wit shall rate his hope at by becoming agreeable and familiar with the Prince Saint Austustine saith he doth not wonder at the dissolutenes of the Heathen when their Gods were both Patrons and parterns of their viâ—iousnesse whereby their crimes seemed to them rather sacrifices then sins wherefore it is little wonder to see a Court over-run by any vitious humour that is let in through this overture of the Princes inclination for as patterns of morall liberties the world looke upon them too much as Gods images since their considerations do commonly terminate in the images themselves and do not passe on to the originall or prototipe that is we do not examine whether their wills resemble that exemplar will they represent but conforme our affections directly to the similitude of theirs by reason that our interested thoughts stay likely at our nearest hopes and feares and finding Princes the next and immediate rewarders or punishers of our actions we square and modell them to such expectations as their humours minister unto us Hence it is that though Princes have many preheminencies over others yet in this particular of their morall freedoms they seeme the most limited and restrained of any by reason of the common derivations from their examples Whereupon as Subjects do subscribe to
how many little uncleannesses do we see that being wiped off as soon as they light upon our clothes come out again with any stain which if they be neglected sinke in and leave their spots upon the place nor is there any morall immundicity of a more dangerous insinuation then this of wanton discours by reason it introduceth it self in a harmeles apparence so subtilly as even many who aime at purity of life are sometimes if not affected at least amused diverted by it in their design and unto such wel disposed minds do I addres this animadversion to such I say in whose lives these amusements are the most apparent defects for in such subjects in whom these excesses are the least of their corruptions where out of the abundance of the heart the mouth overfloweth in these pollutions I cannot hope to wash off so easily this soule graine of their interior disposition this particular being so twisted inwrapped in other grosser vices like strawes or fethers cleaving to some tenacious matter as it cannot be easily severed or expurged but in some fair souls these levities are but like some loose dust or feathers that of themselves come up and swim upon the top of their entertainments and so may easily be scum'd off by a gentle hand of reprehension whilst in fordid and foul mindes this filth sticketh to such heavy vices as keep them in the bottome of their hearts insomuch as they seem to require some storm of affliction that may move and agitate the deepest parts of their ill habits and by that meanes cast out all the foul weight together that lay sunk in the bottome of their hearts I will therefore onely addresse these gentle prescripts unto such as intend the observance of Solomons advise of keeping their garments alway white that they must not onely set a guard over their heart but also a watch over lips that no indecent freedomes may creep into a custome for in that incroachment they shall never discern the possession they have taken till they attempt their remove and the smalnes of this fault in the commencements of it proveth the most dangerous part towards the progresse thereof for it may be compared in a perverted sense to that grain which is the least of all seeds when it is cast into the ground but at last it groweth to a nest for the fowls of the ayre because commonly what is at first but levity and veniall wantonnesse groweth up very familiarly to beare and harbor all kind of foulnesse and impurity Wherefore Solomon warneth us thus against such deceptions There is a way that seemeth right unto man but the end thereof is the way of death §. II. Some speciall causes of the growth of this licentiousnesse and some expedient proposed towards the suppression thereof THE admission of these liberties by well disposed persons is derived commonly from the inconsideration of the dignity and duty of a Christian upon this suggestion from him who transfigureth himselfe into an Angel of light that the maimed and defectuous were onely forbid the Altar not debar'd the Congregation to wit that Candour and immaculatenesse of conversation is onely required of such as are sequestred for God by some vow or consecration and that other vocations need not attend to so much cleannesse of heart as is intimated by these scrupulous suggestions but this flash of lightning of the evill Angell will quickly vanish when we turne our eyes upon these beames of the Sunne of Righteousnesse which shine out so fully in these words Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect Whereby our Saviour seemeth to presse so much our purity as he setteth us a higher patern then even himselfe as he did then appeare to the eye of his disciples and this similitude injoyn'd cannot possibly admit any voluntary adherence to the least unlikenesse and dissimilitude to this exemplar and how distanciall the most triviall imperfection is from his infinite purity the Angels themselves cannot determine How much ought we then to apprehend the slightest touch or dash of our pensill in the copying this Immaculate Originall If we could discern the staynes and taints even of our best workes wherein we perceive no faultinesse we would never venture the voluntary exposing any to the sight of God wherein we our selves find spots and blemishes when the man after Gods own heart was fain to appeale to Gods mercy for his secret and undiscerned sinnes how vain a thing is it to esteem any sinne light or inconsiderable which we our selves are able to discover O what an honour is a Christian trusted with when not onely the rejoycing of Angels is within his capacity but even the satisfaction of the holy-Ghost which is intimated by Saint Paul when he chargeth us not to grieve or make sad the holy Spirit and certainly all the loose mirth and jollity wherewith we flatter our nature is so much contristation to his holynesse and purity and alas how often do these impure sparks of our tongues passe to a higher offence when flying inward they kindle such a flame as doth extinguish the order of the holy Spirit how little a spark sets a whole wood on fire is too frequently attested by unhappy experiments in this kind wherefore Saint James warning us further of the ill consequences of our tongues disorder tells us that the tongue is the helme of the whole body so that if it be ill steered it must needs mislead the course of our whole lives Nothing methinks evidenceth more the faultinesse of these libertyes then that the presence of any notedly good and virtuous person doth commonly restrain such freedomes of speech doth not this forbearance avow their unjustifiablenes and reproach the idlenesse of our inconsideration while we forget the continuall presence of Almighty God in reference whereunto we are pressed even by instinct to pay this reverence unto men of vailing our loose inclinations if the eyes even of the children of light are able to dispell these foule mists the consideration of the presence of the Father of lights though in an invisible manner may well dissipate the matter of these meteors the substance whereof is alwayes earthy and viscous though the flame be never so bright for the subject of lascivious words is alwaies sordid and unclean though the flame of fancy they glitter in be of never so clear and sharp conceptions The best expedient then in order to the bridling our unruly fancyes is to awe them often with the presence of God who is termed a consuming fire for such minds as are habituated to that aspect and whose thoughts walk before the Lord will be no more entangled with these levities then they are retarded by Atomes walking in the ayre and to indue this presentiall consideration of God let us remember often that we are not our own but are bought with a great price by him who will be glorified as well as carried in our bodyes
and as we may be said to lodge God in our hearts so we do carry him abroad no way more visibly then in our mouths and surely the custome of any unclean speech tainteth and spoileth the breath that is to carry him Let us not therefore be deceived with this vulgar diversion to wit that these freedoms of discourse are harmelesse and allowable there is no action of a Christian inconsiderable to God our recreations must be of the same species as our prayers though not of the same degrees of intensive finenesse they must be both of the same nature of innocence though not adequate in the measures of purity we may say methinks not improperly of our recreations and devotions that the first must be holy as the last are holy in the same sense that we must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect which is in point of similitude not in a degree of equality such as analogy must the pleasures of a Christian hold with his prayers of being resembling though not commensurate in Sanctity We may well infer what an obligation of purity Saint Paul layeth upon Christians when he saith Those that are baptized have put on Christ if we are to consider our selves as clothed with Christ how can we be too curious and circumspect in point of keeping such a vestiment unspotted methinks this should be a good glasse for those who are so curious and neat in their materiall clothes and dressings wherein the least unbecomingnes or disorder is so much examined for by a reflexion from these words of the Apostle they may see with what degree of purity they are incharged methinks this respect may well move them to an exact candour and cleanlinesse in their conversation which is recommended by the holy Spirit under the notion of keeping in all times their vestments white and candid But I pray God much of the worlds proprety and decencies be not affected expresly in order to the staining this our inward garment of Christian purity this is light enough to all intelligent persons for an exploring the rectitude or wrynesse of their behaviours in this particular since even in this vain superficies of neatnesse they may discern a figure of their Spirituall obligation to purity whereof Christ doth prescribe to us the preservation by this exact Discipline of Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation For alas we have the roots of the forbidden fruit planted in our nature which shooâ— up continually so fast as we have work enough to nip and crop off their buds and blossomes and all unclean liberties may well be said to be so much dung and filth we cast about these roots to cherish and set them forwarder but the ranknes and luxuriancy of our tempers in this kind ought rather to be the subject of our extirpation then a ground for owâ— manuring and culture we might better methinks derive much bashfulnesse and confusion from this notion of the pregnancy of our natures towards all these foul productions then work thus with our fancies to stir up the earth about these roots They who extract shaâ—e and humiliation out of the foulnesse of their naturall propensions may be said to do some such cure open themselves as Christ did upon one of the blind men to wit upon their own eyes by thus laying their own dirt upon them and those who catch at all occurrencies in discourse to advance their light impulses may be said to continually raising a dust out of their loose earth to put out not onely their own eyes but likewise those of the company they frequent Referring to this depravation there is one familiar iniquity which deserveth a particular animadversion which is this custome of letting our tongues runne full counter to this Christian precept of Watch lest you enter into temptation For alas how frequent is this practise of watching to lead all words into temptation by binding and straining even the modest words of others into a crooked and lascivious sense this vitiousnesse argueth a great sullnesse of the evill spirit when it runs over with such a waste even upon the words of our neighbour and well considered me thinks this is one of the most censurable parts of this licentiousnesse in regard it laboureth to taint the whole body of conversation as it corrupteth the nature of words which are the Publique Faith whereupon all innocent discourse must needs trust it selfe so that this perversion seemeth a publick impediment to the commerce of all vertuous communication wherefore this distorting of equivocall words which passeth commonly for a triviall peccancy if it be well examined will be found a very dangerous admission for me thinks this may be termed a verball adultery as it vitiateth and corrupts the property of another which would have remained innocent without that sollicitation and therefore seemeth much a fouler fault then a single incontinency of our own words This discourse puts me in mind of a most ingenuous piece of S. Augustines Confessions upon the reflection on the uncleannesse of his youth whereof my repetition will be sufficient application Thou O Lord Phisitian of my soule afford some benefit to others by my infirmities grant that the confession of my evils past which thou hast remitted and covered blessing me with a change of my soule by thy grace when they are read and heard may awake and stirre up the hearts of Auditors that they may not sleep in despaire and say alas we cannot rise but rouse themselves up by the love of thy mercy and sweetnesse of thy grace whereby every weake one is sufficiently enabled who by that influence commeth to be conscious of his own infirmity Let those I impart this confession to lament my ills and long for my good all my good is thy provision and gift as my evils and faults are thy judgements Let them sigh for these and sing thy praise for the other Let both pitie and praise ascend up to thy sight from the hearts of my brothers the which are thy incensors and thou O Lord delighted with the odour of thy holy Temples have mercy upon me according to thy great compassion and for thy holy names sake give not over what thou hast begunne but consume totally my imperfections These words will be too easily applyed since all those who have known me cannot be ignorant of my culpablenesse in those particulars against which I have informed in these two Treatises and truly if I could represent the just shame and confusion I feele in the reflection upon my guiltinesse in this kind I believe it would undeceive many in their opinion of the lightnesse of such faults for we may learn by what meanes humane nature is the likeliest to be moved unto Reformation by the Proposition of the unhappy rich man in the Gospell who concluded that his brothers would certainly be converted if they had one sent back to them from the dead to preach and represent their sufferings and surely
I may passe for one returned as it were from the death and grave of these sinnes wherein I lay the deepest buried of any so that I may truly acknowledge in honour of the exceeding indulgence of God Great is thy mercy toward me and thou hast delivered my soule from the lowest hell wherefore in all humility I offer up this short Petition to my deliverer Lord I beseech thee let this my resuscitated voice carry some powerfull effect to such of my bretheren as it shall come unto reporting the painfull remorse these faults require for expiation and while I stand here brought by thy clemency to do this just and publicke penance in these penetentiall sheets grant that the admonition may prove as efficacious to others as the confusion is sensible to me who humbly acknowledge that as the chiefe of sinners I have therefore obtained mercy that in me first of all Christ Jesus might shew all patience to the information of those that believe in him to life everlasting §. III. What circumstances augment these faults and Women incharged much severity in opposition to these levities DEsiring to compleate my charge in all points and to denude this offending liberty of her most potent patronages it is requisite to impeach some circumstances as guilty of great aggravations in these offences namely the quality the reputation and the Sex of such as favour these freedomes of speech for though great vices may be made currant by great examples yet they are cryed up in their own visibly base species whereby every one knowes the matter they receive to be sordid even while they use it But this wantonnesse and petulancy of speech is oftentimes a kind of Alchimy so well coloured over with wit as it may easily passe for a good and innocent custome when it is vented by great and observable hands which may abuse even the Judgements of their dependents in the understanding of these licences wherefore every one according to their degree of place or estimation of vertue in the world is charged with a proportionate evidencing their discountenance of such liberties for the advantage of quality may easily introduce them and the nepute of modesty may as easily disguise many of those faulry freedomes The first of these capacities may authorize this custome and so render it a destruction that wasteth at noone day and the latter of them may by a connivance bring it in as a pestilence that walketh in darknes The most part of women but especially such as this discourse is addressed unto seem but passive and tolerating of these levities and many thinke that they discharge the duty of their Sex in some slight reprehensions of them which are commonly not of so sad a colour but the whole company may through them see another tincture then the uppermost lesse piercing eyes then Gods discern what is under that veile but surely vertuous women ought to be very solemn serious in such dislikes especially such as have authority over the company if they well consider that an easie Judge may do more mischiefe then an impudent offender by reason this publisheth the foulenes of the crime and in that act discrediteth it whilst the other palliateth and disguiseth it whereby the inducing the habit thereof is much endangered And since the weaknes of the world looketh commonly upon women as the only Judges of their behaviour before them when the Judges are conceived to be receivers wee may imagine to what a height this theft of liberty is likely to grow and surely these light indecencies may be fitly compared to the children that theeves use to carry along with them to put into windowes which after they have crept in open the doores to them that employ them since very little freedomes stealing at first in at the eares do often open the way to greater liberties that expect an entry by the overtures shall be made by these first encroachments upon modesty so that women who have their bashfullnes and pudency given them for a guard of their weaknes and frailties must beware of any surprisall of this out-guard Let those who are so bashfull and cautious in any undecent discovery of their bodies know that the admission and countenancing of this wantonnesse is a detection of the nakednesse of their minds which may prove the farre more dangerous temptation I do not say but their honour may be kept alive in this ill aire of idle discourse but certainly the unwholsomnesse thereof induceth but a crazie constitution Let therefore all vertuous and wel-affected minds be choise in the ayre of their conversation for though this unsound one do not change the features of their vertue it will spoyle at least the complexion of it all these staining levities are a sort of freckles that appeare upon the face of their piety which taketh off much of the fairnesse and beauty of it Those persons then whose places in the world set their lives as patterns to be copied by others are the most strictly bound to take care of the face and apparence of their vertue which is never so lovely as when it frowneth severely upon all indecent freedomes of speech wherefore I may fitly present them with this memoriall from the Holy Spirit to cast their thoughts upon in these occasions Anger is better then laughter because by the sadnes of the countenance the mind of the offender is corrected So that all women to whom civility or any other respect giveth power over men should make use of it to preserve the liberty of their vertue which is alway intrenched upon by any unbeseeming presumptions and lest it may be apprehended that the retrenchment of these pleasant liberties may flat and dead the taste of conversation I dare answer by experience that whosoever will enter into a course of purging his nature of that humour which I may call a morall jaundies that discoloureth the whole skin of civill conversation and putteth us out of taste of the sweetnes of purity shall recover the right favour and gust of purity by the same degrees he is cleansed from the other immundicity and he will quickly find so much more pleasantnesse in the rellish of innocence as the very smell of these herbes of Egypt will offend him and Manna will not seeme too light a food for him but will rather find Piety affording him as many severall tastes of mirth and entertainment as his rectifyed appetite shall demand and the savour of purity shall bring him quickly to professe How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter then honie to my mouth Now then I will bind up all my perswasions with these bands of two Apostles Saint Paul and Saint James which strengthen them so firmly as no subtilty of the most artificiall evader can loosen them the first detesteth so much all licentiousnesse as he forbideth even the naming any uncleannesse filthinesse foolish talke or scurrility as incompatible with the sanctity of a
to viz. whether they make that cozening advantage by them or no with the creature they must answer for as much to the Creator as they projected to make of them and thus as the Prophet saith As much Wind as they have sowed so much Tempest they shall reape §. VI. Presumption upon our vertue discussed and the danger thereof remonstrated THere are many Lovers who when they find no direct design of impurity at first in their passions conclude them competent with their salvation and care not how neare the wind they steere nor how many boards they make as long as they believe they can reach the Port with this wind which is so faire for their senses therefore they pretend they need not stand so strait a course as making Jobs covenant with their eyes nor setting Davids watch over their lips provided they set a guard over their heart that no foule possession enter upon that seate thus do they expose many faire models of their love which in speculation may seem designed according to the square of Religion but how hard it is to build adequately to the speculative measures in this structure none can tell that presume to know it our senses are not inanimate materials that obey the order of the spirits designe but rather labourers which are easily debauched to worke contrary to the measures and rule of the Spirit hence it is that they who will undertake in this case all they can argue possibly for humane nature render it impossible by their undertaking it for they reckon not their presumption as any impediment which in the practise as being an irritation of God out-weighs all the other difficulties and the more alwayes the lesse it is weighed in the designe therefore as Solomon saith The wise man declineth evil and the foole heapes on and is confident The beliefe of impossibility is the most prudent supposition in such experiments as cannot be essayed without some desperate exposure of our selves it may be demonstrate by reason that we may have halfe of our body over a precipice so the centre of the weight be kept in an exact aequilibrium that part which is pensile can never weigh down the other which is supported but we should thinke one mad that would try this conclusion when the least motion changeth the Position and consequently destroyeth the practicer of this speculation so those that pretend to keept their soules equally poised in the just measures between piety and prophane love their eyes hanging over the precipice of temptations which do so easily turne their heads and then alter all the positions of their mind adventure upon just such a spirituall experiment He that seeketh danger shall perish in it is attested by the unhappy president of the wisest of men and it is superfluous to instance other testimonies of this truth When David and Solomon the two brazen pillars of the Temple being the direction and fortitude of the Princes of Israel were melted and poured out like water as David himselfe confesseth by the ardors of his flesh and so they seem to stand in holy record as two high eminent markes set upon these sands to advertise the strongest vessels not to venture to passe over them and if Saint Paul that vessel of election after his having seen the beauty of Heaven to possesse his heart thought himselfe hard matched with the Angell of Sathan and cryed out to heaven for helpe against him shall any presume to entertain and cherish this ill Angell and hope to overcome him with flattery and civility for they make this tryall who lodge in their thoughts and serve with their fancies strong impressions of humane beauty and propose to keepe their body in order even by the vertue of such a guest pretending that the very object infuseth a remembrance and reverence of purity With this and the like glittering conceipts do many vain Lovers fondly satisfy and abuse themselves which is to answer the question of the Holy Spirit that the fire they carry in their bosomes preserveth them from being enflamed by it we may fitly say to such in answer from the Prophet God laughs at you when all Gods advices are that there is no security against this bosome enemy but violence and diffidence there is no meane between the flesh's being slave or master this treaty of Friendship between it and the spirit proves but Dalilahs kind holding of Sampsons head in her lap while she is shaving him How often do we see the Spirit thus betraid and lye bound by this confidence And truly all those chaines which vain Lovers forge for the figuring out the powerfulnesse of beauty may be said to be those irons the flesh hath cast off and set upon the Spirit which is truly captivated alwayes by the others liberty This considered let none presume that while they deny the 〈…〉 eyes nothing which they covet they can deny their hearts any undue cupidity for this seemeth such an experiment as if one of the children of Israel should have carryed a fiery Serpent in his bosome presuming that while he looked upon the Brazen Serpent he could not be stung sure such a perverted confidence would not have proved safe to the projector So those who believe while they have the love of God before their eyes they may expose them to all the fiery darts of lustfull eyes seem to tempt God by such a vain presumption these are such of whom we may fitly say with the Apostle that Erring themselves they lead others into errour and have a forme of Godlinesse but deny the Power of it being lovers of pleasure more then lovers of God Let no body then trust to any confederacy between the flesh the spirit which is of humane loves making for of all reconciled enemies the flesh is least to be trusted after the accord and love the least for the arbitration therefore let none believe their souls out of danger because in the first paces of their passion they meet no insolent temptations that face them and declare the danger of their advance for the Devill keepes likely his first Method still with those he findeth in the state of innocence he taketh the shape of the serpent and creeps up by insinuation and then changeth his shape into the figure of his power and this transmigration of the evil spirits from one body into another is truer then the fancy of Pythagoras for we find often this Metamorphosis of the devill from the form of a dove unto a serpent from a lamb into a lion since it is the same spirit that moves in the poetical doves of Venus as was acting in Eves serpent thus what hath at first in our love an innocent form passeth quickly into a venemous nature Wherefore severe caution and repulse of the first motions of our sensitive appetite is the onely guard our soules can trust against our bodyes in this case for certainly many lovers sink into temptations in
which they perish as some do that wade themselves unawares beyond their depth who go into the water at first with caution and security as they believe and are carefull to find ground at every advance of one of their legs but when the water gets to a certaine height though they feel ground still they cannot use their legs which are carried up by the streame before they are out of their depth and thus they perish by this ill measured confidence Even so the most cautious lovers do often cast themselves away for as long as they feel but the feare of God as a ground they go still upon and finde no temptations which the Scripture familiarly figureth to us by waters force away absolutely their consents which are the souls feet they think themselves safe while they feel the ground of a good resolution but comming on by degrees into such a depth of temptation as the sensitive appetite doth surreptiously lead them into their feet are easily carryed away and so they are lost by this unexperienced presumption and thus as Solomon saith we find There is a way which seemeth right unto man but the ends of it are the wayes of death Me thinks Solomons experience should disabuse all men in the relying upon the virtue of their Spirit when we see that his so singular induement with the holy Spirit was not security against the danger of this presumption we are warned by the Apostle not to extinguish the Spirit and nothing puts it out so soon as the bodyes being set on fire the pure immixt fire of the cloven tongues will not hold in long in cloven hearts they must be perfect Holocausts which are to entertain that flame and when the eyes are but warming themselves at strange fire that is intending onely an innocent delight in the sight of beauty they are often in too much danger of being taken by this incentive Holy Saint Bernard bringeth in Eve looking upon the fruit while it was so yet in her eye when she saw it pleasant faire to the eye and asketh her why do you look so longingly upon your own death why are you so taken in looking upon that which if you tast you are lost you answer that you do but cast your eye and not your hand upon it and that you are not forbid to see but to eat O though this be not your actuall crime yet is it an aptitude thereunto for while you are thus amused the serpent covertly windeth into your heart first by blandishments he intangleth your reason and then by fallacies he diverteth your fear affirming you shall not surely die and thus sharpens the curiosity while he suggesteth the cupidity and by these degres presenteth the fruit and putteth you out of the garden and this is commonly the event of the children of Eve who entertaine this party with the serpent weighing no temptation when it lights first upon their eyes till it fall too heavy on their hearts to be removed Therefore Saint Austin giveth us an excellent advise since the Devill doth watch thy heel do thou watch his head which is the beginning of an ill suggestion when he proffereth first an ill motion reject it then before delectation arise and consent follow thus while thou breakest his head he shall not be able to bruise thy heel And sure Saint Austin is one of the best Counsellors we can consult in this case for he reads it decided in that book which he was commanded to take up and read while he was studying the case which advise as it came from the same voice so it wrought the same effect take up thy bed and walk for it raised him from being bed-rid in this passion and set him a walking with him who is the way the truth and the life We cannot recuse Saint Austine as a party against this passion when he professeth he had studied long the agreement of it with Piety therefore let us heare the result of his studies All the while he was in this disceptation he confesseth he found two wils in himself the one carnal the other Spirituall which by a daily contention did sever and dissipate his mind and thus by experience he found the combate between the flesh and the Spirit which while his mind sought to part and reconcile she was hurt by both parties conscience wounded her on the one side and custome struck her on the other on which she was the most sensible so as his senses swayed him commonly to a partiality thus he sheweth us the links of that chaine which lovers by degrees find their wills fastened by an easie seduced appetite raiseth passion and that cherished induceth custome and that uncontrolled imprints necessity which becometh a punishment of perverted liberty for the law of sinne is the violence of custome by which the mind is drawne and held at last even against her owne reluctancie but deservedly for having willingly fallen into this necessity in this manner he confesseth that often upon the motions of the Spirit which invited him to break off all treaty of accord and to declare for the redemption of his captived appetite he found himselfe kept as it were in a slumber in these meditations of rising out of that soft bed of sensuality and while he lay stretching himselfe to wake overcome still by his drowsinesse he lay still tossing in this resolution And alas how familiarly do we rowle our selves asleep againe in this doubtfull drowsinesse while we are halfe awake purposing to rise and break off our fancyes dreames and illusions O then let Saint Austin's alarum keep us awake while we are in this halfe-wishing or vellity towards our casting off the workes of darknesse let us not lie still stretching and consulting our senses whether the night be farre spent and the day be at hand that is whether there be not enough of our youth left to promise us time to make our selves ready for the last day let us not slumber in this rumination but rise and put on the Lord Jesus Christ and not lie turning our selves to and fro which is to make provision for the lusts of the flesh Saint Austin after he had rowsed himselfe upon this alarum rose up directly and set himselfe to such exercises as kept him alwayes in that vigilancy which is required not to enter into temptation he presently broke off all treaty with this passion and hath left this excellent test for lovers to touch their affections to try if they be of that purity which is onely currant with God They love God lesse then they ought who love any thing besides God which they love not for God This is to state God in our affections as he hath proclaimed himselfe to our faith to be the beginning and end of all things Now whether a passion to the creature can by any compasse of humane frailty be drawne into this perfect circle moving first from the love of God and reflecting still
us in the childhood of our love to lead it by degrees to filiall love which is the full age of our affections For indeed while our love is in this first infancy our minds may be well said to be in bondage under the elements of the world rather serving upon a servile contract then acting as heires of the Promise which dignity a Christian evidenceth only by filiall Love indeed the other sort is rather legall then evangelicall and alone bringeth nothing to perfection §. III. Filiall love described and some strong incentives presented to kindle it in us NOw then as the Apostle saith Let us leave these beginnings and rudiments of the doctrine of Christ and covet earnestly the best gifts and I will shew unto you a more excellent way by as much as the matter of the altar of perfumes was more precious then that of Holocausts let us then leave fouling our hands with this brasse of mercenary love and fall a telling out this gold of Filiall dilection Filiall love is an adherence of our hearts to God under this mixt notion principally of his own being and secondarily of our relation to him So as this may be said to be a repercussion of his own light upon him as simply as our compounded nature can reflect it the light of Gods countenance impressed upon us being by this love reverberated upon the divine nature From the eyes of the hand-maid fixed upon the eye of her mistresse more in order to the duty of her nature then in private affection to her selfe So that this kind of love seemeth to be in the regeneration of man in the age of reason what the soul is in his first generation to wit the first principle of life For our devotion is but as it were an Embrion before it receive this animation which is induced by an infusion even of that love wherewith God loveth himselfe since it is the holy Spirit diffused in our hearts that quickneth and informeth them by this kind of love This is then the onely sort of affection worthy of God whereby we returne him that part of the divine nature we partake by his communication while we seem thus to remit the holy-Ghost back to him out of our hearts loving God with the same affection we derive from this residence in our soules Methinks the dignity and present delight of this noble love though it were an unthrift anticipation in this our minority and were to be discounted to us out of our future estate of loving might tempt a soule to take up for her present joy and satisfaction the suavity and blessednesse of this excellent love how much the rather ought we then aspire to this degrees of loving when the estate of our reversion is reproved proportionately to the degrees of this our anticipation This may well be the Method of such a father whose portions to his heires are the injoying himselfe no wonder then that the desire to preoccupate this state should augment the childrens inheritance For the Father who is infinite love must needs be largest to them who have advanced to themselves the most of Filiall love and the reason is that this Celestiall Father can reward nothing but his own gifts assigning alwayes second benefits by the measures of his first liberality and thus the more he hath inriched us with this love the more he remunerateth the possession of it so that mercenary love when it is understood will be found to damnifie it selfe by this projected aeconomy of selfe-provision for in this commerce all private reference imbaseth so much the species wherewith we negotiate as it falles in value just as much as it riseth in quantity When we reflect upon the state of humane nature we may collect easily how much God desireth this correspondence of Filiall love since even from the forfeiture of all our filiall dignity he tooke the rise of a nearer and firmer alliance of our nature unto his and fastned it so to this filial constitution as he took it out of mans own power ever to divide or sever it againe from this relation for even the sinne of man can never divorce our humanity now from this filiall state since the naturall Sonne of God will now no more cease to be man then to be God so inseparably is our nature now fixed in this filiall reference for though individuals may by want of Filial love to the divine nature separate themselves from a blessed participation thereof in eternity yet our nature can never fall from this divine conjunction but shall remaine elevated above that of Cherubims and Seraphins to all eternity O who can contemplate this and consent to love God lesse nobly then our present nature will admit considering we have even the noblenesse of our nature now set out to us as an object of our love for as it is in Jesus Christ we cannot over-love our own humanity and since God hath done as much as was possible for him in honour of our nature shall man be content to love this God lesse then is possible for his constitution nay there are grave Divines who indeare this obligation upon our humanity by this supposition that God lost the love of much nobler creatures by his preference of mans nature before theirs and if the supreamest of all creatures thought this as a partiality to an unworthy subject a provocation to leave loving of God shall not this prefer'd creature derive from hence a powerfull motive to raise and purifie his love in respect of this so obliged proposure whereof the Apostle glorieth and insisteth much upon the prelation of the seed of Abraham before the nature of Angels as one of the strongest inducements to â—nterest our hearts in this filial affection And since God hath prefer'd the nature of man before that of Angels not onely in point of honour but likewise in the part of succour why may we not suppose he valueth more the love of men then that of Angels this conception may safely be made use of to incite us to the studying the abstraction and spiritualizing our loves to the purest degree of our compound nature in which the very disadvantage we have more then pure spirits in the devesture of self-respects may be converted into a conducement to the value of our purity by reason the opposition of our bodyes in this disinterested love is counted to us an indearement of our hearts when in this reluctancy of one halfe we reduce our love to that decree of implicity which is compatible with this our complexure and as Saint Jerome saith of the chastity of virgins composed with that of Angels There is more felicity in the one but more fortitude in the other So we may say respectively of their two loves that there is more happynesse in the one but more Heroicknesse in the other What Angelicall love exceedeth in the finenesse of abstraction humane may answer in the fidelity of extraction since his is laboured
while others had wondred at Alexanders enterprise upon the Monarchy of the World and all the strange occurrences that did effect that work he would have been little moved at those Events And when cursed Antiochus destroy'd Jerusalem and set up Idols upon the altar of the Temple and abolished all form of true Religion when venerable Mathathias and the glorious Maccabees had reason to rend their garments and to be astonished at the desolation of Gods people Daniel would not have been perplexed and amazed in all this confusion as having had a prenotion of this and the rest of the chain of Providence which made the coherence of this action In the like maner in all other prodigious Events which coupled the successions of the other designs of God upon the world whereof Daniel had a prevision he could not be confused at that whereat others who looked but upon the broken pieces of the chain were justly astonished But if Daniel had survived the issues of all his Revelations and had come to those Times of which he was desirous to know the sequences and determinations and was refused that illumination and told They were sealed Mysteries and not to be opened to him if then he had seen the destruction of Gods people and the violation of all things sacred by the inhumanity of Gods enemies he would then have been posed to have given a reason of these disorders and must have resorted to Davids answer to himself Such knowledge is too wonderful for me it is too high I cannot attain to it Some satisfactory rest may be derived from the experiments and acquaintance with such cases but still the reason of that order which is so preposterous to our conceptions will remain in the smoke of the Temple wherein we may see God is present but not how he worketh in it The order of Gods administration rests in the Temple described in the Revelation which is filled with smoke from the Majesty of God and none can enter into it until all be consumnate One that shall study the Story of the World in one Age or Century shall finde Iniquity and Violence prevailing it may be many years over all Piety and Justice and insequence of time shall come to reade the prosperers and presumers in their powers destroy'd and extirpated by some exemplary vengeance then for some time may meet with vertue and godliness flourishing so as to protect all their Votâ—ries and then as he goes on it may be he will meet with a storm blasting and withering all the fruits of innocence he saw before so flourishing Thus alternatively through the whole age he shall commonly finde an interchangeable variation from the happy to the persecuted state of goodness And although in the period of that portion of time he chance to finde the most notorious impieties of it punished and revenged in such sort as that particular may give him some sensible satisfaction of Gods Justice yet he shall finde in no age the audict so perfectly made up between Impiety and Punishment as he shall not still remain perplexed in the account of Gods reckonings with the world They who shall live to see or reade the full Account of this present Age will certainly finde at the end of it the Fractions and Divisions â—urnm'd up nearer the true Account of Gods Justice then it appears now in all these scattered orderless figures which seem to have little reference to Equity but still the end of this Age will leave some confused parcels of Injustice which are referred to the succession of time to make up and rectifie And in this kinde of sequence and relation Times will turn and rowl over to one another the last bringing still somewhat imperfect to the next it flows into until Time it self shall be drowned in eternity so that while we see as Solomon tells us All things happen alike to him that offers Sacrifice and him that breaks down Altars he gives us this excellent caution not to be tempted to say there is no Providence If thou seest the violent perverting Justice and Judgement in a Province marvel not at the matter for he that is higher then the highest regardeth and there be higher then they This is a cordial the Holy Spirit hath confected for us to take in the strongest fits of Humane vicissitudes to keep us from fairâ—ing in the unsuccessful state of a righteous cause I shall onely give one or two Historical instances of many which all Times afford in this Argument The first is so memorable and adequate in all circumstances for our instruction as no times can match a better and no sort of Christians can reject it as president This is the case of St. Lewis King of France a person so holy as if the most sanctified voyces of his Time had been to elect a King they would probably have chosen him This great and holy King starning with the zeal of repossessing Christians of the Holy Land which is a figure of their Birthright the heavenly Jerusalem kindled most of the Christian Princes with the same ardor which carryed many of their persons upon the place for the atchievement of this blessed Design The beginning of this Enterprize was prosperous in the recovery of many possessions from the Infidels and restitution of the Worship of Christ into them But soon after Gods secret Judgements strook this Army with an evident mark of his present displeasure and by a pestilent sickness consumed most of his Forces insomuch as he was reduced to a dishonorable Treaty with Gods Enemies and forced to return with a total defeature of his Design Under which rough hand of God his sanctity in Syria like one of their Palm-trees grew the higher by the weight of adversity it was charged with and after a perilous return into France in his old age his zeal burning still the brighter in all the darkness of his Successes he made a second Expedition with three of his Children upon the same Enterprize and landing in Africa his Army was again seized by the destroying Angel and one of his Sons strool first and presently he himself was arrested by the same hand and executed in his sentence of Mortality though truly delivered out of his prison and translated to that higher Crown which he had conquered in all his defeats This was the unhappy Event according to the stile of the world which that pious King and unquestionable Cause left the world to opine upon of which we cannot give a better vote then he himself did in his sickness out of the Wise-mans mouth Who can conceive the ways of God 〈◊〉 more then a Tempest which no eye can see for most of his works are hidden Who can declare the works of his Justice or who can stand under them for his covenant is afar off and the tryal of all is in the end There is another notorious president I have met with in the Ecclesiastical Story which I have
chosen of many as it hath relation particularly to this Nation King Harold of Denmark who was the first planter of the Faith of Christ is his Countrey and a Prince whose eminent sanctity deserved the publike testimony of the Church by his admission into the Catalogue of the Saints This devout King in his old age was assayled by the Rebellion of his own Son called Swayn a desperate Enemy of Christianity yet it pleased God to give him Victory against his Father and to Crown the old King with Martyrdome in the Defence of Christs Cause and his own Right for he dyed of his wounds received in the Battel where his impious Son remained Conquerer and King But soon after Gods Vengeance rose up against this Patricide and expulsed him out of his Kingdom and in many changes of Fortune reduced him to take Refuge in England and Scotland for many years At last in many variations of his Unhappinesses it pleased God to change his heart and convert him to Christianity of which afterwards he became a great Champion and a Zealous and God imployed him here in ENGLAND to punish King Ethelred who though his person was not stained with his Mothers bloody hands yet he did rise to the Crown not by a Legitimate Descent in Blood but by an Execrable effusion of his elder Brothers through the wickedness of his Mother so as Swayn of Denmark dispossessed this King and soon after dyed invested of the Crown of England I thought this Example in the various Occurrences of it very apposite to this subject of declaring GODS mysterious Judgements His Justice Mercy and Longanimity which is the Attribute whereby we are so much relieved in all our provocations of his Vengeance These Examples may temper an hasty impatience to censure Causes by the Events and repress in us that Natural forwardness of judging with the JEWS those to be the greatest sinners on whom the Tower of S 〈…〉 doth chance to fall for we know our Saviors decision of such conclusions §. VI. The Conclusion Regulating all humors in this probation THere are many men of such a mould of earth as the stony ground in the Gospel who are quick in their conception of vertue and active in the first impressions of the right and justice of their party and so their actions are forward and eminent in fair seasonable weather but if the heat of disaster beat upon them for want of a wâ—ll-rooted constancy on the ground of true fortitude they shrink and wither as fast as they did shoot out at first when they first begin to be followers of vertue they should remember what our Savior said to his Disciples Blessed is he who shall not be scandalized at me for in the attendance on goodness in this world we shall often see it suffering and affronted They who will serve under the Militia of the King of kings must take the Covenant of Longanimity in which consists the best part of the honor of a Christian for as our great Master saith If you love but where you are beloved do not the Gentiles do as much so if you are zealous while you are prosperous every unworthy person hath this kinde of honor to shew for his nobility but when you are to endure the test of loving of Enemies that is humbly to embrace all advers accidents and to close with them to wrastle still rather then flye from the Lists where they are triumphing when as the Prophet says Strange lords have dominion over us this is the sincere tryal of honor even in morality in which this perilous perseverance it may be iâ— but a counsel of perfection but in cases of Divinity I am sure it is a precept as the Apostle saith in the name of our Master If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Hence it is that as any defection from a good Cause is odious in Gods sight so too much solicitude and vehemency in relation to a quick issue out of our engagements look unhandsomly in Gods eyes for there is always a great shadowing of Self-love woven with this colour of our zeal to Justice in this impatient appetite of Success Our Savior Christ at his remove from his dearest familiars upon earth in a gentle reprehension to them in this point of earnestness hath left us an order for our dependance quietly upon the common course of his Providence without any inquisitive scruting into the times of such Events as the cause may promise For when they desired to know the time of his restoring their kingdom who were of his own house his answer was a kinde of soft increpation to them and a strong instruction to all times It is not your part to know the times nor the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power This is a prerogative our Soveraign communicates unto none but as he proceeded to comfort again those friends he had check'd we have our share in their compensation for he doth impart to us also his Holy Spirit which may assist and consolate us in the perplexities of all Times and Seasons Let us therefore by the residence of this Comforter with us endeavor to correct our Nature in her promptitude and hastiness in our distresses to make Gideons question to the Holy Spirit If the Lord be with us why are all these ills be fâ—ln us and to conclude Sure the Lord hath left us and delivered us up to our enemies Let us procure rather to make the answer of Eli to Sa 〈…〉 in acceptance of Gods Judgements It is the Lord let him do what seemeth good to him If we remain in this temper we may boldly say with King David The Lord will not be angry for ever he will judge the world in equity and the people in his truth therefore I will hope always and will yet praise him more and more Thus with the Psalmist keeping God at our right hand we shall not be moved or dejected by any sinister Events in a sincere Cause There is a far different superstition in the pertinacy of the Pharisees and the facility of some people for they in a shower of Miracles falling down upon them to anounce to them the time of the change of their Law still called for a Sign from Heaven to authorize that Doctrine and some people are so prone to change their Law as they call Natural Accidents that favor their dispositions Signs from Heaven to warrant their innovations As the first were said to have eyes and not to see so these last may be said to see without eyes for their imaginations seem to them so illuminate as the eye of their Reason is dazled when it looks against them Such fancies commonly love to cast in troubled waters and upon all successful draughts they do as the Prophet saith of them Sacrifice to their own net and offer incense to their drag worshipping in a maner their own Spirit which they have
ill an odour as their former Sacriledge If these Animadversions meet likewise with any such as are not urged by the pressure of their Consciences but rather solicited so much by their natural temper and disposition to privacy and retiredness as upon the least provocation of the world they are apt to break with it these humors are desired to stay and pause â—â—riouâ—ly and long on this suggestion for this may often be the operation of Melancholy which works this hasty promptitude And as Melancholy is the highest degree of choler in the Humors so in these hasty sallies out of the society of the world there may well be more Natural Humor then Spiritual Disposition and so this be rather a Disease then a devout Constitution Wherefore like sick men that forbear food long while the Humor is consuming these retreaters may for some time live quietly as long as this Humor of the worlds disrelish is wasting and spending it self but after that is digested the appetite of the world returns and likely gnaws upon their peace they having no natural food for it Hence is it that such complexions ought to be very advised in this their assigning of themselves according to the propensity of their Humors which perswades them often that what is indeed but the Ecâ—ho of their own voyce of Nature which speaks in them is a Spiritual vocation For their Natural Constitution raifeth that desire in their imaginative part which causeth a little repetition and answer of it in the Judiciary and Rational power of their minde but it is rather from the hollowness of their reason then the solidity of it that this Eccho is returned The result therefore of all these Examinations of several Cases must be Not to conduct our selves by the precedents of special extraordinary vocations of some whom Christ hath sent for out of the streets and by-ways of the world that is immediately from the foulness and immundicity of their lives and by his Messengers of Crosses and Afflictions compelled them to come into his house For these Cases are prerogatives of Gods Grace which do not alter the known Laws that are enacted by him by which Laws we ought to try our vocations to wit by the mature advice of those Judges he hath seated in his Tribunal upon Earth his Church and by their Sentences to make the tryal of all our own private impulses or motions of our Spirit to this dispossession and abnegation of the world Christ himself hath ruled this case in an excellent Parable of one that builds a Tower which is properly adopted to the design of a contemplative life as it is the erection of a frame of life raised high above the other parts of the Earth and intended for prospect and discovery so that none must undertake this edifice but after computation of the pertinencies requisite for the finishment lest they expose themselves to the reproach of having begun what they were not able to finish and this reckoning and account of our provision must be made by the consulting of a prudent Spiritual Surveyor not trusting to the Architecture of our own Spirit in which we must zealously often and humbly consult the eternal Architect of all Spiritual frames for a sincere discernment of his order in the regulating our own designs with this address of the cautious Spirit of Holy David Lord grant me to know the way wherein I should walk for I have lifted up my soul to thee This parting and separation from our own Will is the first leave we must take in our valediction to the world and this is not to be done by a hasty dismission of it for so it is but a weight thrown upward which is fastened to us and falls quickly back again therefore it must be loosened and severed by degrees and steeped as it were in the fresh springing water of Prayer and Mortification whereby it will peel and fall away the easilier Some perseverence in this disposition is requisite to blanch and whiten the intention perfectly St. Pauls advice for our preparation for the Holy communion is me thinks very properly applicable to this our preparation for participating of this Spiritual food for Religious Solitude is the Table of the Holy Ghost Therefore let a man examine himself and then eat of this bread of life for he that presumes to taste of it unworthily may be truly impeached as guilty of much irreverence to the Holy Spirit in venturing to come to the Communion of his Gifts and Graces rashly without a due consulting of his invitation I need not urge our precaution and advisedness in this case farther since our temerity in it is brought to be a kinde of Sin against the Holy Ghost Whereupon I will close up this Advertisement in St. Johns words Beloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they be of God for many false promises of this Spirit of an happy Solitude are current in the world it being truer in no case then in this It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God who sheweth mercy The nineteenth Treatise Of Violent Solitude or Close Imprisonment Divided into eight Sections §. I. How unwillingly our Nature submits to the loss of Liberty and Society IN the case we treated last the Will needed a premonition against the deception of sight for our Will in fits of Melancholy looketh commonly through the glass of our Imagination upon such objects as flatter that humor most This Perspective of our Fancy is often cut into such angles as represent various and false colours of perswasions wherewith the Will is inveigled such species proving not real when our Reason cometh strictly to oversee them Therefore in the election of Solitude the elective faculty was to be instructed against the falacies of discourse upon which the Resolution is to be grounded but this case requireth a different direction For here the best course the Will can take to rectitude is to be totally blinded and cieled that she may make the straighter mount upward to the eternal Will and not amuse or perplex her self by looking about with a solicitous inspection into second causes but may pitch at the first flight upon the primary cause of all Contingencies Our Nature requireth much precaution in this aptitude to intangle us under the pretext of infranchisement by the liberty of reasoning out the Causes of all advers Accidents for in this case of loss of Liberty and Company our Nature likely seizeth on curious disquisitions of all Humane Reasons as the next thing she takes hold on to make company out of them and the contrivement of issues out of these straights is a sort of freedom our Nature takes as some imaginary reparation in her necessity by reason wherof these are coÌ„monly the first occupations wherein our Fancy seeketh some divertisement and this entertainment may lighten the weight a little by removing it to and fro in our Fancy not
letting a sad apprehension setle upon our mindes but all this agitation of discourse as long as it is but in circumference about this world and in the element of secondary Causes is still but a circular motion which maketh no progression to our end for till our mindes are risen and fixed upon the supreme Cause all the various projects and motions of our Fancy are but cooling a Feaver with â—anning upon the distemper'd patient where the ayr may afford some exterior refreshment which may be an inflaming of the disease but if our Will be 〈…〉 eled at first with the Dove of the Psalmist she flyeth up immediately to her rest The sooner then we spread our thoughts upon the wings of Faith the more haste we make to be lodged in rest and tranquility of Spirit Liberty and Society are two so dear Proprieties of Humane Nature as natural Reason can give no equivalent exchange in satisfaction for them The Author of Nature can onely recompence this privation of two of the best Functions of our being and this by a communication of no less then his own Nature which is by filling up these breaches with his own Spirit otherwise our Spirits will certainly remain empty and destitute of peace and consolation For God who made Mans Society out of Man himself hath left the love of Company so inviscerated in him as that deprivement seemeth now to take more then a rib out of him even the better half of his Minde seems intrenched from him insomuch as his Reason seemeth to be left but one-handed to minister to him in this Exigence which would require a reduplication rather for his support But Nature is so unable to make this supply as for the redintegrating of his minde he must resort to a Supernatural suppeditation §. II. The deficiency of single Natural Reason argued for Consolation in this case and the validity of Grace asserted WHen I consider the strange undertakings of the Philosophers me thinks they have charactered to us the power of Natural Reason in a fabulous figure or Romance setting it out as vanquishing all corporeal sensibleness armed with never so many strong afflictions dissolving and disinchanting all the Charms and Spells of Passions although their characters be set never so powerfully against the efficacy of Reason which they exhibite in this predominancy dispersing all Errors rectifying all oblique Opinions thus have they fancied the superior part of the minde inthroned in such power as may easily blow away all ayr even of any Sedition that riseth in the inferior Regions of the imaginative or sensitive faculties Reason remaining in the posture of the Queen of the Revelation proclaiming I sit Queen and am no Widow and shall see us sorrow But they who account upon this Self-sufficiency shall quickly finde how impracticable these strong speculations will prove when they are bound and the Philistines are upon them that is inclosed in Solitude and assailed by Natural distresses and vexations if they shall then expect such a Hercules of their Reason as they have seen painted by the Stoicks that should break through all these Monsters and remain fortified by all these labors they will soon perceive their projected securities had more of Poetry then of Prophesie And sure I believe one that trusteth to the power of Natural Reason upon the word of Philosophy to deliver him from all faintness or deficiency of Spirit in this state of Violent Solitude doth as if one should perswade himself inspired with the vertue of some fabulous Heroe with whose character he had been strongly affected by reading his Romance for when he comes to combat his vitiated Nature in this Spiritual atchievement he will finde such a vanity in his speculation The Fable of Ixion is a good figure of this kinde of presumption for projecting to enjoy Juno that is some celestial Prerogative they do but embrace a cloud and by this mixture they beget nothing but Chymera's Certain it is that Christianity doth afford such Spiritual Samsons as carry the gates of their Prisons away upon their shoulders up to the Mountains and break all their chains as flax raising their mindes with the Psalmist up to the mountains contemplating Gods Providence and his design upon them in so high a degree of resignation as even their Prison and their Solitude are rather Marks to them of their liberties then Manacles of their Spirits but the strength of such Samsons is derived from the vow not from the veins or sinews of Nature Is it by their offering up and consecrating their Reason to that Spirit whose breath overthrows all the strong holds and destroyeth all the councels of Self-sufficiency and replenisheth the evacuation which is made of our own Reason to make room for that infusion therefore such victorious Spirits profess That the weapons of their warfare are not carnal but such as are mighty to the destroying of all the counsels of humanity and bring into captivity all understanding unto the obedience of Christ for as he himself assureth us If the Son of man make you free you shall be free indeed So that all such infranchised mindes are convinced of the incapacity of their single Nature to preserve this immunity and acknowledge this condition to that Spirit which ima 〈…〉 this freedom by the degrees of restriction â—o putteth upon them of his own bands for where the Spirit of our Lord is there is liberty This Spirit made St. Peter sâ—eep soundly in his chains between his two guards that is hold him reposing in a perfect stilneâ—s of minde in all his ex 〈…〉 disquiets and preserved him in as much freedom of Spirit before his irons were struck off as after the iron gates of 〈◊〉 City flew open before him even while he lay in his Dungeon he was surely in the same freedom of minde bound in his chains as sitting on his chairs of Rome and A 〈…〉 and the Centurion that fell down before him at Cesâ—â—ea constrained his Spirit more then the Soldiers between whom he was laid down at Jerusalem The Soul of man then is capable of a state of much peace and equanimity in all exterior bands and ag 〈…〉 ions but this capacity is rather an effect of the expropriation of our Reason then a vertue resulting from her single capacity for it is the evacuation of all self sufficiency that a 〈…〉 h a replenishment from that Divine plenitude from whose fulness we receive grace for grace so that it is a super ve 〈…〉 gift not a native graft in our Reason And this tranq 〈…〉 of Spirit he that led captivity captive hath given as a gift unto men whereby we become partakers of his Divine Nature in this calm and serenity of minde which he pa 〈…〉 out to us in all his several postures Wherefore in our copying of this equality and imperturbation we must protest with the Apostle We have not received the Spirit of the World but the Spirit
which is of God not in the lâ—aâ—ned words of mans wisdom but in the Doctrine of the Holy Ghost Nevertheless it is our familiar presumption to 〈◊〉 much upon the vertue of Humane Reason whereof the Philosophers have made so lovely Images as many full 〈◊〉 Pygmalâ—ons Fancy of falling in love as it were with the Statuâ— of Morality which wanting the soul and a 〈…〉 of Grace will be found cold and speechless when they expect the spirit and life of Consolation in such pri 〈…〉 as these of Liberty and Company which seem to shake even the Centre of our natural app 〈…〉 es Those who â—â—st then upon the power of natural Reason for the dispossessing themselves of all anxieties and vexaâ—ions of Spirit will be served like the Sons of S 〈…〉 for the malignity of the world will answer them The grace of God I submit unto as having a power to displace and exâ—el my Mischiefs but who are you that undertake by Nature to cast our all those Evils where with you are possessed and to â—â—ee your Spirit by a lesser power then that which doth possess it your Senses in your viâ—iated Nature being stronger in their appetites then your single Reason is in her discourses So as when their Senses are much offended by the worlds Malices such undertakers will be prevailed upon by the present passion and â—e put to flye naked and wounded in this Enterprise as the Sons of Sâ—â—va were in their Exoâ—cisms The Philosophers who projected Reason to be such a powerful Actor thought she was onely to contend against the infirmity of Flesh and Blood knowing not that the Minde was to wrastle with Superior powers Spiritual rulers in high places against which there is no fence but the putting on the whole armor of God for bare Reason cannot be of proof against those fiery darts of Murmure Repinings and Desolations of Spirit which great extremities of sufferance cast at our hearts Reason being so far from making a constant resistance as very often she joyneth with the provocations and concurreth with the perswasion of revolting against Patience as a more reasonable thing to complain and repine then to resist our Senses in this onely appetite which is left to satisfie our Nature the ease of bemoaning and lamentation We are so much more enlightened then they who boasted of this Self-sufficiency as we are in defiance like Enemies with those they worshipped as gods so that we had need have better Arms then those they have left us to combat with And we may observe the insufficiency of 〈◊〉 presumptions by this instance that what they erected 〈◊〉 Trophy of their Victory is to us the greatest brand of infamy and poverty of Spirit which was the running away out of this life upon any extremity of pressure This even in rectified Reason is the ignoblest way of yielding rather then an act of conquering insomuch as this which seemed to them a demonstration of their position of the mindes impassiveness is an evident confutation of their opinion for this is a total surrender to the power of that passion which hath made this life intolerable Cat himself whom Seneca adoreth as the Deity of Philosophy dissolved all the frame of his Maximes when he was fain to open a violent passage for the flight of his Spirit out of the pressures it either felt or feared Was it not 〈◊〉 fillanimity to choose in favor of his Senses a softer blow from his own hand then he feared from Fortune He should have suppressed the apprehension of tyranny and not have drenched his thirst of liberty in his own blood why did he not quench that and or by casting away his dag 〈…〉 as he did the glass of water in the Desert where he refreshed his whole Army by extinguishing his own Natural appetite This had been the best proof of the apathy of his minde the resolving to suffer even servitude in an Imp 〈…〉 ble temper but by this Self distrusting he did sign with his blood the retractation of his Maxime confessing Seâ—vitude to be insufferable to his minde This precipitation cannot be vindicated from the charge of impatience and discomposure in his minde which is the disproof of all the Stoical assertions Christianity glorieth not in 〈…〉 y innate but in an infused vertue saying He that is in you 〈◊〉 greater then he that is in the world And so the power that holdeth the Spirit of a good Christian is Forein and Divine and consequently 〈◊〉 stronger then any that can shake it although the worlds Earthquakes may make a local mutation of his person 〈◊〉 mains still calmly in any posture wherein God shall set him upon whose providence he knoweth all rowlings and fluctuations to be current and seeth his own security with the Psalmist at his right hand which stayeth him from being moved the same hand that removeth him in all his local changes holdeth him in a tender love to that power which together with the pains of his senses introduceth the spirit of resignation These reflections may be well applyed to dispossess that presuming spirit of the children of this age who pretend to expel all sense of misfortunes by the Exorcism of Moral Philosophy and Natural Reason §. III. Great benefit acknowledged to Moral Philosophy and the right use thereof directed in order to our solacing BY this redargution of the arragancies of meer Rationalists I do not purpose to reject the use of Moral Philosophy in this great work of consolation in distresses but to rank it in a due order ministring and subservient unto Grace For when the peace of God which passeth all understanding is seated as the Principal then Moral Reasons are sitly received as serviceable Accessaries to the Solace and Recreation of the minde If we should first examine and try the Principles of Christian Religion by the best extent of Humane Reason we shall never accept the Mysteries of the Trinity from the single hand of Rational perswasion But when we have pitched our belief of this Verity upon the Word of God when our Faith hath carried our assent as high as Heaven upon her wing from thence we may then descend to the Orb of Reason where Discourse affordeth us many Similitudes and Congruities to open and illustrate to our apprehension this Mystery in such sort as to bring it as it were within sight of Humane Reason in some obscure and imperfect notion So when we have first erected our expectance of confort and support upon the Divine station of Grace then we may step downwards upon the paces and gradations of Reason and finde there solidity of Recreation for our mindes whereupon to rest walk and exercise themselves For then we use Moral Discourse but as an Organ whereby God conveyeth to us the clarity and elucidation of the nobleness of the soul indued by his grace with this capacity of remaining impassive in all exterior violence In order to the illustrating this Position the
precepts of Philosophy come in the stronger when they enter in their due places unfolding to us the nature of the Universe and spreading fairly before us the contempt of all Temporalities by divers detections of the infidelity of all things sublunary Thus after the right marshalling of this Auxiliary succor the more stock we have of Moral Philosophy the more inlargement we may make of the Recreations of our Spirit in these straights of our condition For as a very learned Humanist converted to Christianity is the more able by the means of this learning to explicate and illustrate the Doctrine whereof he is perswaded In like maner after this first conviction of our mindes touching the necessity of our primary recourse to Grace for the rectitude and conformity of our hearts they who are the most conversant with the Precepts of Reason and Philosophy shall be the best qualified by these helps for the amplification of their entertainments and sweetning the Natural asperity of Solitude We must be sure then to fix this Principle in our thoughts that all Humane Philosophy doth but the part of the wateâ— of Silâ—â— it doth but wash off the dirt of Ignorance from our eyes it is the vertue of the superior direction which sendeth us to that sort of Application which commandeth this admirable effect Reason is used by that supreme agent to take off the foulness and impurity of terrestial objects from the eye of our Minde and to open it into the speculation of vertue but it is Grace which worketh the Miracle of this Serenity of Spirit by these instrumental illuminations of Reason As long then as Philosophy is kept onely as a hand-maid with her eyes looking always upon the eye of her Mistress which is Grace the gift of God so long she proveth very useful to her service but where she is seated as single commander of the family all her specious precepts and directions will prove as the Apostle termeth them but learned fables when this practical office is required of them to instate the minde in that regularity and apathy whereof they are so confident projectors Having setled this Maxime as Disciples of the Psalmist for the fundamental article of Spiritual composure My soul wait thou upon God for from him is my patience then the discoursings and arguments of Morality are proper stuff to adorn our mindes that they remain not bare and naked but furnished with convenient matter of meditation and entertainment Humane literature may be used in this order as Ceremonies are in Religion which are requisite to excite and detain Devotion and Reverence in our Nature that is affected much with sensible coverings of Spiritualities which affording as I may say no hold for our Senses our Mindes are not so easily staid and fixed in an attention upon such Duties therefore such occupations of our Senses are very pertinent towards the raising and arresting our Devotion In like maner the flowers and adornments of Moral Philosophy are apt and serviceable for the affecting and entertaining our Imagination by the gracefulness and elegancy of their perswasions which are very congruent with the nature of our Affections that incline most to notions a little aspersed with sensible matter and so are easiliest staid and quieted in such attentions which hold our Spirits in a more cheerful application to the Arguments of rectified Reason In this order Philosophy may be acknowledged to be a convenient discipline belonging to the doctrine of Peace and Tranquility of Spirit which is grounded in that pax vobiâ— that cometh in like the Master of it resuscitated not through the doors of Humane Reason and then this peace useth discourse and argument as Christ did his body who in condescendence to the weakness of the Faith of his Disciples made them feel and handle it So doth the Holy Spirit clothe his Grace with sensible Reasons so correspondent to our Fancies as they do the easilier acquiesce unto them and thus contribute to the mindes repose and regulation Surely this is the proper function of literate elegancy to figure vertue in so lively and fresh colours that our imagination may be so taken with the beauty of vertue as it may invite our mindes to make love to her in solitude and in this suit our Reason may make good company even out of all our wants and desolations as imploying them to do us good offices to this Mistress by their testimony of our patient acceptance of all sufferings that may advance us in this pursuit which nothing doth more then a temperate constancy in Distresses wherein vertue loveth to try the fidelity of her servants And thus we may make even Solitude prove our access and mediation to our love whileg we are in research and suit to vertue for unto her we know it is confessed that difficulties give the best introduction and entrance So that the uses of Philosophy are much improved by this their proper application to illustrate the amiableness of vertue and by the gaining of our Fancy to facilitate the subjection of our Affections to our Reason whereunto Humane learning conduceth in many respects and it may not unaptly be said to be a kinde of Spiritual Heraldry that doth blazon the Arms of Natural Reason shewing the genealogy and descent thereof from the Father of Lights and marketh the affinities and alliances between Grace and Nature keeping a Register of the Antiquity and Nobility of Moral Vertue in the examples and precedents of all Times and in these respects is very proâ—itable in all states especially in Solitude both to recreate and rectifie the minde of man And indeed nothing inableth us more for the best improvement of the stock of Philosophy then having our wills first fastned unto Gods design upon us before our understandings range abroad into the documents of Morality for exercise and recreation Me thinks we may well be allowed to apply these orders of the Temple of Solomon to our present Argument and say as they who by their consecration were admitted into the holy place of the Temple had liberty to come out and entertain themselves in the outward Courts of the Layeâ—y and the station of Gentiles but they who were not qualified by some holy Character were not admitted into the inward part of the Temple or the Sanctuary So they who have devoted first their Reason to the inscrutable Order of God and have this Character of Christianity imprinted on them may freely and usefully recreate their mindes in the outward Galleries of Philosophy where Humane Reason hath an inlargement and spaciousness for the exercise and solace of the understanding but if our Spirits are but of that rank which are without in the arches of Philosophy and conversant onely in the porches of Moral Vertue this constitution doth not sufficiently qualifie our mindes for admission into the interior Sanctuary of Peace and Tranquility of Spirit So that all I have so much pressed tendeth to perswade every one in this
our imaginations now Images of intellectual acquisitions which successively entring into 〈◊〉 thoughts keep out the unhandsom representations of our condition wherewith our Fancy is apt to stuff it self if it have not some such intentive preoccupation This is therefore the best prescript all my study of Solitude can administer which I am bound to recommend in gratitude to the benefit I must acknowledge to this method desiring to make a prisoners return for the alms of Confort I have received to repay a Benefactor in reputation by divulging as handsomly as I can his good qualities And truly I have intended in this piece of Solitude I am working on to follow the order of Painters rather then Poets in the describing the person of a Benefactor for I have not sought to indear my resentments by the highest praises I could excogitate but to draw the figure I expose the nearest the life I could exhibit it For those excesses that may express Art in the Poet may proclaim Ignorance in the Painter if he should think to value his gratitude to his obliger by drawing his picture in such perfection of shape and beauty as did not render the person knowable by that Image I have therefore set forth these good qualities of Solitude to which I profess much obligation so truly copyed as I dare say that those who have never seen it if ever they come to compare these lineaments of my hand with the life they do character of Solitude imployed in this method shall finde my pen hath not made a Fancy 〈…〉 a Copy and done this sort of life but right in the Resemblances of her good qualities whereof I may be bold to say in the terms of the Holy Spirit The Desert and the Land without passage shall be glad and the Wilderness shall rejoyce and flourish as the Lilly After a little taking my 〈◊〉 off from my work to give you in a few stroke a little 〈◊〉 of the ingenuity of my own Minde in designing this Labor for an Altar-piece rather then a Cabinet Ornament desiring you to conceive my intendment iâ— it â—â—chaâ—itable utility not barely a recreating Imagery I shall proceed to another Advice in this point of Lecture and represent to you how 〈◊〉 who read without any intention to converse with 〈◊〉 Books and to retain their suggestions but onely a◠〈◊〉 say to kill so much time abuse themselves in this unâ—â—viâ—edness for they shall finde their time like a câ—â—case mâ—â—h heavier when it wants this animation of studioâ—sness 〈…〉 d intendment then when it is quickned as it were by this Spirit of design and addition to benefit For this principle of Activeness seemeth to breathe a kinde of life and â—â—imation into our time which maketh it lighter and 〈◊〉 better company when our future designs and purposes 〈◊〉 to converse and entertain us with Repliâ—â— and Debâ—teâ— of our Propositions And they who reade in order to the uses and profits may be extracted not onely for their present â—ivertisements but for their general improvements may even in Civil History reade Lectures â—o themselves of Con 〈…〉 tion in all their Distresses and Eâ—igencies even the confusions of this Sublunary world may be converted 〈◊〉 sufficient conâ—orts by contemplating the various 〈…〉 of all conditions shuffled and tossed together 〈…〉 appearing order of equity Sometimes servants 〈…〉 horseback and Princes walking â—n the ground 〈◊〉 servants 〈…〉 d again how often doth this Scene shew innocent 〈◊〉 groaning and oppressed by Tyrants and sometimes 〈◊〉 mate Princes distressed and vilified by Rebellions 〈◊〉 and as the Wiseman â—aith we finde 〈◊〉 c 〈…〉 g out of a 〈◊〉 up to a Throne and another meeting him dragg'd fro 〈…〉 a 〈◊〉 to a D 〈…〉 geon They who consider seriously these vic 〈…〉 tudes of all states this continual subversion of on◠〈…〉 d substitution of another into the same room all things succeeding in this broken and abrupt inter 〈…〉 ture will easily finde their own Nativity cast in this Universal Sch 〈…〉 the world and so need not wonder or complain of â—y injurious 〈…〉 tion in their private Fortune when they 〈◊〉 so many va 〈…〉 ions assigned unto them 〈◊〉 they are p 〈…〉 this 〈◊〉 Universe In which the 〈◊〉 order of things seemeth to be disposed aâ— the natural is wherein corruption and generation mutually entertain one another but in civil changes the reason is faâ— more obscured to us for in the alterations of nature our reason is more trusted with hâ—â— secrets and so iâ— not offendâ—â— at the present ruine of such things whereof we are acq 〈…〉 ted with their design of renovation but in the civil perishing and corruption of equity our reason is more peâ—plexed as being no way privy to the intent of such inversions the destruction of vertuous persons and the exaltation of vitious the infâ—licity of good causes sinking under impious adversaries are such occurrencies as confound humane ratiocination for in these cases the divine providence seemeth disguised to our eyes in the habit of Chance so that our faith must look well upon her before it can know her in this dissimilitude to justice Me thinks reflecting upon the confusion of this world there may be many such things as were said by the Holy Spirit of God being in the 〈◊〉 of man applyed not unfitly to the divine providences bâ—ing among men which being the wisdom of God in that respect is the same they were said of May we not then say that Gods providence converseth upon earth in the habit and similitude of Fortune and seemeth exposed to all the weaknes and inequality of Chance and that sin only excepted beareth all the infirmities of injustice and surely if faith did not assure us that under the vail of humane confusion the wisdom of God were subsisting we might easily judge of Gods providence as the world did of Christs person and condemn it as a meer natural figure of fortune destitute of all divinity we know most of those who were to resolve this question by their single reason about the government of the universe either tyed up God in the chain of fate or left all loose upon the wheel of fortune but we who sit in the light prepared to lighten the Gentiles see by the eye of faith that the liberties of God and man are consistent with the divine providence and preordinanion and that the necessary sequences of such effects as are annexed by order to their respective causes do no more impeach Gods freedom then his necessary production of two persons equal to himself doth restrain or abate his liberty But should we release our mindes from this bond of Faith whereby they are obliged tâ— pay an acceptance of all changes unto the Divine Order the very rational consideration of the equal exposure of all conditions to adverse viciâ—â—itudes might correct our private relunctancies the Story of all Times sheweth us such frequent â—uptures and dissâ—lutions of all kindes
of Union so familiar Subversions of all Foundations of Government and Superiority such an alternative transmutation of all pâ—ivate Fortunes from one into another as they who look but upon the Theatre of this world which needeth but History for the maker of his Scenes cannot wonder justly at any part which is put upon their particular To those then that shall repiningly lament their turns or expect their exemption I may safely apply the Prophet Jeremy's Commission against this pretence The Lord saith thus Behold that which I 〈◊〉 built I will break down and that which I have planted I will pluck up over this whole Land and seekest thou great things for thy self seek them not §. VI. Some special Meditations proposed proper for the divertisement of our Minde I Have upon my ruminating on the Stories of the world been presented often with such an imagination as may prove Instructive as well as Recreative to such Moral Chymicks as can extract a â—alt out of the freshest matters their mindes do work upon I have thought one that had the Historical Map of the world lying before his thoughts might suppose himself seated upon a high Rock and looking down upon a fair and vast prospect divided into some Cities and Palaces of the one side on the other into lovely Gardens and pleasant Groves or fruitful Fields and Pastures and suddenly seeing a Mine playing upon the Cities and all sorts of things blown up confusedly into the Ayr where Princes and People are broken and mangled indifferently the Chains of the Prisoners flying up and shivering perhaps the Crowns that laid them on and many other civil dissipations that may be adapted to the confused eruptions of Mines and being affrighted at this dismal object he turneth his Eye upon the Fields Gardens and Groves as flying into priviledged Retreats exempt from such violent distractions and presently he findeth an Earthquake playing as I may say upon all of them successively in their several turns rending the Cedars deflowering the Gardens swallowing the fruits of the Campagnes and Vineyards leaving all the pleasure of his Prospect inverted into objects of Horror and Amazement The Story of the world doth often afford such a kinde of Representation sometimes it presenteth a fair view of glorious MONARCHS and flourishing Nations symbolized by the Magnificence of Cities and Palaces high and eminent Prosperity in the Grandees of the Earth figured by the Cedars plentiful and opulent private Estates emblem'd by the pregnancy of the Fields happy and easie 〈…〉 d â—y the orderly sweetness of Gardens All these conditions the Story of every Age sheweth shattered in pieces by some violent Changes and Subversions Thus much light may be derived from our ascen 〈…〉 the upper stories of this Fabrick of the Universe whiâ—â— overlook this Earth by a narrative view onely of the condition and constitution of this world Surely the Prince of this World knew not who he carried to the top of the Mountain to tempt by the Glories of that Prospect â—e understood him better afterward when he begg'd of him not to be cast out of the world himself and â—â—ed to him but for a few Swine to whom he had before offered the whole world But when the Holy Spirit carrieth any oâ—â— up to the Mountain of Contemplation the object 〈…〉 poseth of the subjacent Earth is not onely illumiâ—a 〈…〉 but operative he doth not simply inform the understanding in the estate but rectifieth the will in the estimation of this world Saint Paul looked down upon the Earth from 〈◊〉 Mountain when he proclaimed that The figure of t 〈…〉 world passeth away And Saint John whose Spirit was 〈◊〉 were exhaled above the Earth by that heat it felt always of the Divine bosom disâ—â—rned clearly this 〈…〉 uctuant state of our Globe when he advertiseth us Thâ—s the world pass 〈…〉 away and the concupiscences thereof They who take then either of these guides Reason oâ— Grace to carry them up to this cliâ—â— of Meditation may â—ast down their thoughts in a â—alm despection of all thoâ—e shining attractives which they see to be so 〈…〉 y they that contemplate this universal undermining of all 〈◊〉 stations need noâ— wonder nor complain to â—â—â—de them 〈…〉 â—â—rn from the upper part of the world and â—unk under the earth in the playing of the Mine They who are as it were thus 〈…〉 and bâ—â—yed in a prison let them imagine themselves in that posture where in the playing of the Mine hath laid them and so be conf 〈…〉 d as involved in the general constitution of this hollow and unfaithful world and by figuring to themselves this 〈◊〉 of the Universe they may conclude That the wallâ— which inclose them are undermined also by the common instability of all Fortunes and when the time co 〈…〉 h that the Train of Change taketh fire then they are to be carried inâ—â— another position So that the impermanency of all thing◠〈…〉 y which doth deduct so much from our Tempâ—â—ary â—elicity may be by these thoughts made to 〈◊〉 proportionably the sence of our secular adversity Thus by the advice of Natural Reason we may derive much stability of minde from the infidelity of all 〈◊〉 ‑ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naâ— Philosophy proposeth to 〈◊〉 a firmer settlement of our Spirits upon our duty to Nature and â—hâ—rgeth any 〈◊〉 or 〈…〉 lousness in what state soever of distress with sedition and 〈◊〉 even against the Laws of N 〈…〉 â—â—â—ce it is by the order of the Universe we stand 〈◊〉 with all oâ—â— private grievances insomuch as to di 〈…〉 fro 〈…〉 thaâ— order see 〈…〉 an a 〈…〉 mpt of our wishes to confuse and discompose the whole frame of Nature These and many other 〈…〉 adings do the Sâ—oâ—câ—s make to intitle rectified Reason to this power of conâ—erving the minde in an estate of imperturbation amidst the changes and translations of all vicisâ—â—â—udes But to Christians these melodious voyces of the Philosophers serve but as Musique to their Church Anthemes for they are the sacred words of our Faith put into the airs of Humane Elegancy that make the Musique Religious nor the 〈◊〉 of their sweet perswasions whereunto single Philosophy doth but report I may therefore â—itly present you with this holy Lesson of the great Apostle St. Peter We have a firmer word of Prophesie which we do well to attend to as unto a light that shineth in a dark place in all the obscurities of our Fortunes we have the day-Star of Faith shining in our hea 〈…〉 in respect of which all Philosophy is but Lamp-light that giveth us a clear sight of the Providence of God in all our turnings and transportations we have this Word even of God himself organized by the voyce of the Evang 〈…〉 Prophet I form the light and create darkness I make 〈◊〉 and create evil 〈…〉 I the Lord do all these things The answer of a Christian therefore is well made for us by the Prophet
for our Pâ—ney This irregularity in our nature may be much corrected by pondering seriously every day the property of time and the state of e 〈…〉 ity I do not meane to impose upon any body a subtile penetration into any abstâ—use conceptions upon these subjects only a pious reflection upon the familiar notions of each of them as the lightness and inanity of the one the weight and immensity of the other unto which every one may conceive himself passing on as a straw upon a â—orrent and at the foot of this precipice suppose an Ocean of endless joy or misery which hath a division in it of these two qualities of Good or Evil but no difference in the infinity of either and we may contemplate how we are not carried to either of these as we are the greater or the lesser straws but as we come off clean or fowl from this torrent of time it is not by the greatness but by the purity of our lives that we are delivered over to these divers states in this indivisible eternity these are 〈◊〉 tations competent to all sises of mindes in reference to this method of meditation on Eternity When King David was upon this application as he saith I thought upon old days and the Eternal years had I in minde he telleth us thâ—â— he swept his Spirit that thought presently applied him to the cleaning of his Spirit which temporary objects had bedusted and sure our soul in this point is like our eye which may have dust and filth in it while it is closed whereof it is not sensible but as soon as it is open it presently findeth the offence so our minde wh 〈…〉 she is shut to the apprehension of eternity may have many impurities in her which she discerneth not but as soon as her thoughts are wide open upon that object she feeleth the offensiveness of every fowl Atome sticking on her so as this cogitation of the Royal Psalmist is the readiest address to that cleanness of heart to which our Savior hath annexed the seeing of God Me thinks this lesson is given us by the nature our soul which partaketh both of Time and Eternity as having a beginning and no end to couple in our thoughts the images of both these Beings that as the minde draweth fluent and transitory affections from time she may derive also fixed and permanent desires from Eternity and this intermixture of these divers impressions is the greatest setlement or simplicity a soul can attain unto during her operation by such organs as are meerly temporary and the Holy Spirit giveth this security to the frequent meditation on the ending and endlesness of our two lives In all thy works remember thy latter ends and thou will not sin for ever And surely this habitual prospect on our end will abate much the sense of any present condition for it affecteth us not with what we are or have been but with what we are to be for ever and since by Naâ—â—ue death hath a share in every day we live they who let this debt run on without paying unto it any of their time will finde the sum risen so high as they will at last come to owe death even their eternity But by this order I propose of assigning some parcel of every day to this discharge we may convert that portion we pay death into a debt accrening unto us of eternal life which at our last day death shall be forced to deliver to us In order to this address of your cogitations I will offer you this obvious conception to suppose all states of life imbarqued upon one vessel and that continually sinking which surely is sensible enough to such as are not dizied and distracted by the motions of it and when the vessel is palpably sinking doth the General who is commanding above think himself in a better state then the slave working in his chains Doth he that is in the lanthorn account himself happier then he that lieth in the hold because he is like to perish some minutes later Do not they all then alike forget what they have been and think onely on what they are to be they who will accustom themselves to ruminate upon this similitude reporting aptly to all the conditions of this life which are in an equal certainty of expiration may easily forget their present posture and be possessed intirely with their future expectation which in one instant becomes unalterable to all Eternity and they cannot be assured that this instant is not as near them as their next thought I surely then I am perswaded that whosoever shall fasten his thoughts attentively once every day upon this meditation shall not be disquieted with that kinde of life he is reduced unto but rather joyed to consider that he is in a capacity of making our of any sort of life never so grievous a life everlasting and eternal beatitude whereof he may be assured from S. Paul the Patern and Patron of prisoners whom he may suppose speaking this to him in his chains Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far exceeding and eternal weight of glory and if our prisoner be one that hath the thorns of an ill life to pull out of his conscience he will think himself much happies while he is in a state which conduceth to his repenting of what he hath done then when he was in a condition that did contribute to his doing what he was to repent §. VIII The final and most solid assignment of confort for this condition NOw then to sum up the true account of all my propositions I do not pretend they should amount to so much as the Stoicks have vainly reckoned upon their precepts I do not promise the minde such an apathy or insensibleness of all distresses and afflictions as those Rational Charlâ—tans have undertook this deading and stark calming of all passion is rather a dream of Philosophy then the rest of a Christian and of that fancied slumber of theirs we may say with the Psalmist of these mens fancied riches They have slept their sleep and have found nothing a Christian must not affect to say I have slept a good sleep but I have fought a good fight and my Crown hangs where I must take it away by violence it will not fall upon my head while that lieth upon the pillows of my sensitive appetites they therefore who are the best studied in the precepts of Reason or the power of Grace must expect to meet with some dark obscure parenthesis's in their Solitude which at sometimes they cannot understand and the more contestingly they set their Reason to explain them the more intricate they perhaps will finde them at that conjuncture for there are some intervals of wearisomness and disfavor in our Spirits which no Reason can clear to us though it may be they have a coherence with the whole contexture of our peace as being interposed by God to introduce
patience and resignation by these intervening trials of our temper and likely the thoughts we have in temptations to frowardness are the copies of our minde upon which God judgeth their proficiency in the school of patience which he hath put them to There are diverse forms in prisons to which God preferreth our mindes by degrees and the highest seemeth to be the remaining humbly patient in a destitution of all sensible consolation from the Spirit of God to which we rise not but after some experiments of such desolations so that the best advice to this case is in our propensions to frowardness and petulancy to conclude That we are then set to bring in those exercises of vertue that must prefer us to a higher form all the Saints have passed by this examâ—n insomuch as David saith in this case My soul refused to be conforted I was mindfull of God and was delighted here you see the storm and the passing of it over by remembring the qualities of such blasts and stresses of temptations He is then the best scholler that studieth the least by his own arguings to clear to himself these obscure interjections of displicence and ill humor and cieling up his thoughts flieth directly to the top of the Cross resting there with the Man of sorrow where his minde finding My God why hast thou forsaken me may easily be answered in all her own perplexities and desolations and in stead of fearing her self to be forsaken may suppose she is following of Christ in this anxiety to which he was voluntarily subjected to solace by his Society our Nature in this infirmity whereunto that is necessarily exposed so as in these disquiets when the book of our Spirits seemeth closed up to us and we are ready to weep for our not being worthy to open it we may suppose our good Angel doing the office of the Elder to St. John bidding us not to be dismaid for the man of sorrow hath opened all these sealed anguishes by his taking the same impression upon his Spirit and indeed when our mindes are well died in the blood of the Lamb these aspersions of disquiets do not at all stain our Soul though there may seem some refractariness in our Spirits in these overcast intervals But to secure us from incurring any irregularity by this Spiritual Contention in the Temple of the Holy Ghost the safest way is not to seek a defence by the power of our Reason but to yield up our Spirits to suffer under this indisposition as long as it shall please the Holy Spirit to remain withdrawn even within our own Spirit beyond our discernment and many times in this ariâ—ity of our Devotion when our hearts are as I may say parched and cracked in this drought of Divine Refreshment if our wills are faithfully resigned to this exercitation of our Faith every such crack or overture in our hearts caused by the shutting up of Heaven proveth a mouth opened and calling for that holy dew which never fails to be showered down in due season upon such necessitous fidelities insomuch as this aridity and desolation interposed for some time doth often prove more fruitful then a common kindely season of repose and acquiescence I desire therefore to recommend specially this Advice to this state of Solitude which is very liable to these obscure interjections not to expect peace of minde onely from what we do sensibly receive from God but also from what we do sensibly give unto him for in this our commerce with Heaven there is this Supernatural way of Traffique we do not onelâ— pay God with his own gifts but we may give him even what we want and do not receive from him that is we may present him with our privation of his sensible Graces by our acceptance of this poverty and destitution And this offering of our emptiness is no less propitiatory then the first fruits of our Spiritual abundances This Advertisement I conceive very pertinent to my design of furnishing my fellow Soldiers with the armor of God that they may resist in the evil day and in all things stand perfect for it may be properly said of their condition that they are to wrastle not onely against flesh and blood but against the Rulers of the darkness of this world the Flesh shooting all her sharpest darts in the privation of Liberty and the Spirit his in the destitution of the most humane sympathy of Conversation This resignation then which I have proposed includeth a disswasion of any anxious solicitude concerning the cause of our sufferance for the ranging of our thoughts to spring second causes may keep us too much upon the scent of the earth the Apostle's advice is properer in this case Seek upward and not upon the earth which was the first point from whence this circle of my discourse did set forth and to allay this feaverish disquiet in our Patient I may fitly apply this Opiaâ—e of the Apostle If you are dead to the elements of this world why do you yet decree as living in the world This perplexing your selves with the thoughts of the world is to lose the benefit of this your civil death whereby you may rest from the labors of the living This you may rest upon in general That in this life there is no sort of Suffering but may be converted into Sanctification If you lie under a just sentence you may by an humble conformity to Gods Justice make it a release of a greater penalty then you feel in all your deprivements If you suffer injuriously for your engagement in a righteous Cause your Consolation is so much supposed as you have a command to rejoyce in 〈…〉 tion in view of the glory of your reward And if every imprisoned Christian may be said to be a rough draught of Christ since he avoweth his personation in them they who suffer for the Defence of Justice and Vertue may be said to be Christs Images coloured and more exactly finished wherefore such may expect to be readily received with I know you easily your scars and wounds which you bring with you coming out of my service have finished the figure of my similitude And we may resolve That such Champions shall be set near Christ where the number of their wounds shall be so many marks of their Consanguinity with the bleeding Lamb and the weight of their Chains shall be the estimate of their Crowns All sorts of Christians then may fill their several measures of Confort out of this Fountain of Christian Doctrine that all they who do not directly suffer for Christ may yet suffer as Christians and so attain the reward of a Prophet I will then close up my Present to them with this Seal of the Bands of our fellow Prisoner and Master Doctor Let us forget thâ—se things which are behinde and reaching forth 〈◊〉 thâ—se things which are before press forward to the mark for the priâ—â— of the high calling of
God in Christ Let as many therefore 〈◊〉 be perfect be thus minded and those who are otherwise I beseech God to reveal this unto them The twentieth Treatise Of the Contempt of the VVorld Divided into two Sections §. I. Arguments to discredit all the Attractives of this Earth and Gods contribution thereunto produced I Have in effect shot all my Quiver at this one Head viz. The love of this World and have set such points to my Arrows as I conceived most proper to enter those Helmets of Perdition wherewith the Prince of this World commonly armeth his Militia in this quarter I aim at namely Presumption or Inconsideration Wherefore now me thinks I may say to this Age with the Psalmist Childrens Arrows are made thy wounds relating either to my former Alliance to the world or to the present weakness of the hand that hath made these Ejacuâ—ations But surely the Head that hath been my Mark may be fitly compared to that of the Beast in the Revelation which having been wounded as it were to death was afterwards healed and Worshipped the more upon this Cure For the love of this world seemeth very often mortified and lying as it were dead in our mindes being wounded by the Sword of the Spirit and yet 〈◊〉 viveth and grows stronger then ever in our Affections And as these two Heads do not differ much in their Allegories since all the Heads of the Beast may be said to signifie several mundanities so are they consorted in this point of having both the same Surgeon the old Serpent who venteth all his Art upon the recovery of this Head namely The love of mundanity wherein do indeed reside the vital Spirits of the body of Sin the onely Subject of the Prince of this Ages Empire So that considering the dangerous convalescence of this wounded Head I have conceived it requisite to do my best not onely to kill it outright by playing Jael's part driving this Nail that is this express Tract directly through the temples of it but also to endeavor the burying it as I may say in this holy ground of Spiritual Joy and Acquiescence which is the safest course to prevent the revival of it for the alacrity of the Spirit keepeth the inferior appetites as it were under ground and in this figurative interment the Balms and Spices of contemplative Solaces contrary to material ones have this vertue quickly to consume and dissolve this matter when they are applied unto it I shall therefore endeavor to draw out of the inclosed Garden of the Spouse such precious Spices as may work these two different effects to dissipate and consume the love of this world as well as preserve and persume the love of Heaven One Sin infected our whole Humane Nature by reason that all succeeding individuals had then their voyces comprised in one person Representative of the whole Species And when we see the whole Mass of the Earth accursed at once me thinks we may speculate this to have been some part of the reason that in the little portion of Earth composing the body of Man the whole Globe thereof seemed represented and consequently all tainted by the inquination of that one parcel for the sensitive part of Man consisting of Earth that may well be charged as a Complice in the Crime since that portion of Man although it were not Principal was yet an accessory in the Crime the body having acted the transgression This may give an ingenious reason for the Condemnation of the whole Earth to bear onely Thorns and Bryers naturally and fruits not without induring wounds and violences to wit the contamination of the whole in the vitiousness of this first ungrateful portion of Earth which in the person of Woman may be said to have put forth some Bryers to catch the Soul of Man even before it was accursed This I presume to be a better Reason for the sentencing of the whole Earth then can be given for the Soul of Man's adhering to this Earth by his affections forasmuch as this convinceth us of the terrestrial parts of conspiration of our ruine and so may well averse the Soul from such an adherency How evident is it that God never intended that the Soul of Man after this first injury should set her affections upon the Earth since Man was presently removed from the most lovely part thereof and that was fenced against his access to it not onely to shorten his time upon Earth but also as we may suppose to abridge his Delights and Solaces in that short time since no other part of the World could afford such a complete deliciousness as the earthly Paradice out of which Man was excluded whereby God seemeth to have provided against Mans having the strongest Motives the Earth might offer him to draw down his affections upon it and hath left him a continual quarrel as it were with the Earth to wit the Contention of his labors against her sterility to entertain this disagreement between it and the love of Man since the Earth alloweth him nothing but at the price of his sweat and â—atigation This might seem sufficient considering our lazy Nature to admit no kinde or friendly correspondence between us nay there are many who suppose the world long since not to have had so much invitation left for Man to love it as the containing the terrestrial Paradice This at least is very probable That even since the Flood the beauty fecundity and pleasantness of that portion of the Earth is utterly deflowered and â—faced But this is positively true That God did not expulse Man out of Paradice to allow him the making another Paradice for himself out of the Earth These speculations do as Saint Paul saith speak after the maner of men to implead all title this Earth can claim to the affections of a reasonable Soul and through all the body of this Miscellany there run veins enough of disparagement to this world so that they may well terminate in this Centre of Contempt and despection The Apostle of love whose fiery tongue casts forth as many Scintillations of love as he doth lines in that Work which may be fitly called An Epistle commendatâ—ry of Love to Christians doth not allow the world so much as one spark of it he rather straineth his breath to blow out and extinguish every flash of affection to it enjoyning us expresly Not to love the world nor the things that are in it And it is remarkable That he alleageth not the miseries and disgusts of the world to discredit it but bringeth even the most amiable alluremonts thereof for Reasons against our affecting it arguing upon the worlds having nothing in it but the concupiscence of the eye and of the flesh and the pride of life in which consist the most powerful Attractives the world hath for our love And if all these which are acknowledged the worlds Proprieties are turned against the valuation thereof what hath it left whereby to
allure us May not that be justly then contemned which either afflicteth us for the present or betrayeth us for the future O how admirable is God in this piece of distributive Justice to Mankinde who having by his Providence comparted the conditions in this world into such a diversity of states as cannot admit all to the fruition of secular Delights hath commanded that none should love them by which order the lowest ranks are much compensated in this respect That it is a harder task to forbear loving such things when we enjoy them then it is to contemn them when we know we can neither expect them nor ought to love them If they who use this world must be as though they used it not those who use least of it may be said to be seated the nearest to this performance and certain it is That their state is the most conterminate to that of the true Propriator of the whole world while he was upon the earth who did himself use those things most which we use to love the least and yet alloweth us to enjoy even the most pleasing proporties of the earth provided we do not love the world in that relation All secular goods were so unworthy of the love of the God and Man Christ Jesus as they are not allowed the love even of single Mary for all the most precious and glorious things of this world are ordained to serve Man as his slave unto whose offices there can be assigned no love for this wages doth presently invert the two conditions rendring the lover the slave How reasonable then must it be to address unto him all our love who hath by his love to us subjected all these things unto us and hath so disposed it as to maintain our Prerogative there is required no Art but the contemning of what stands thus subjected Whereupon I may well press you in this point as the Apostle doth Let this minde be in you which was also in Christ Jesus his comportment towards the world was intended to give you the same minde Look then upon your Nature in the author and finisher of our Faith and you shall see Mans dominion over the World maintained by contemning it the world was so perfectly crucified to him all his life as he contemned the being crucified by the world despising as the Apostle saith even the greatest shame and confusion of this world And what could this Divine Man do more to imprint in us this aversion to the world then these two acts in not vouchsafeing to enjoy any of those things the cupidities whereof use to vitiate us to leave all them abased and vilified and in not declining the sufferance of such things whereof the terror doth likely subject us to the world to render them easie and acceptable What hath the world then left in it for Motives either of our love or fear of it that even God himself may not be said both to have undervalued and undergone And what we are enjoyned neither to love nor fear cannot seem uneasie for us to despise especially when this advantage is annexed That we gain more by contemning the whole world then we can by enjoying our own divident therein For whereas Fortune keeps many worldlings poor the Contempt of the world keeps Fortune her self wanting and indigent leaving her nothing to give to such a disposition So that in stead of incurring the reproach of the Prophet in setting up a Table to Fortune and offering libaments upon it this habit of minde sacrificeth and destroyeth Fortune upon the Altar of the Holy Spirit and thus even the feathers of Fortune to wit The vanities and levities of this Age when they are incensed and consumed by a holy Contempt of this world may make a sweet Savor in the Temple of God whereupon I may say That these sorts of feathers which while they are burning in the flame of our sensitive passions yield an odour of death unto death when they are consuming in this Sacrifical fire of a zealous Contempt and Renunciation of them afford a savor of life unto life in this act of their destruction in our mindes In the time of the Law when the Commodities of the Earth seemed to be proposed as the Salary of Mans vertue there might be some colour to love this world and so in that state God accepted the Beasts of the Earth for Holocausts But in the Gospel when no less then the enjoying of God himself and all his goods is exhibited for the term of our desires it cannot seem unequal that even the whole World should be required for a Holocaust immolated and consumed by a Religious Annihilation of it in our Mindes to the honor of such a Remunerator §. II. Motives by the property of a Christian to contemn the World VVHen we consider our selves under the notion of Members to such a Head as hath offered up as a Holocaust even the Creator of the whole Universe it seemeth not strange but rather suitable for such Members to Sacrifice the whole World to hold some proportion unto their Head especially since his offering of himself was in order to the enabling us to Sacrifice and destroy this world Doth not this our Head God and Man Christ Jesus say That even in his life the judgement of this world was given it was sentenced to Contempt by his despising it he that did not disdain to own the Infirmities of Man did notwithstanding protest against his being of this world so much hath he left it vilified to us And doth not he say If he were exalted above the earth be would draw all men unto him So that in this exaltation is proclaimed our Duty and capacity of transcending this world and treading on it with Contempt by the attractive Vertue of this our Head raised above all the Heavens And we may remember That the first Members he was pleased to unite unto him upon Earth were instantly elevated to that height of being above the world seated in this abnegation and despection May I not then fitly say with Saint Paul These things were done in a figure of us since what they left to lighten them for this transcendency is an apposite figure of what we are to do in order to this elevation namely To relinquish our Nets in this world which we may understand in two sences that comprise all our directions in this case to wit either as we are actively catching and chasing the Commodities of this Age or as we are passively taken and intangled in the love of what we enjoy In the first of these states we may be said to have our Nets in our hand and in the second to have them in our hearts so that to leave our Nets signifieth to relinquish both our solicitous Cupidities and Passions in point of pursuing the goods of this World and our Inordinate love in case of their possession And this disposition of Minde raiseth us to that exaltation
of whom I may say with the Apostle That in the midst of a perverse generation they have shined as lights in the world their mindes seeming to be kindes of Spiritual fixed Stars which never altered their distances from the Earth and intended onely the finishing their course at the same time imparting light unto the world by divers irradiations respective to their positions therein either of Prayer or other Edifications Wherefore of such habits of minde the Holy Spirit saith The path of the just is as the shining light that proceedeth even to perfect day which is Contemplation consummated when the day-Star whereby Saint Peter expresseth it shall be risen in our hearts whereof these acts of our intellect seem to be some inchoative or imperfect rays and to give you as fair a view as I can of this abstruse object I shall set it in the most luminous definition I can deliver it out of the mouth of S. Augustine Contemplation is a clear in t 〈…〉 on and a delightful admiration of perspicuous Verities so that the minde in that state may be said to walk in the meridional light of Faith towards the incomprehensible clarity of perfect vision and this light of Grace wherein a pure Contemplative Soul inhabiteth may me thinks be said to hold some such proportion to the purer light of glory she expecteth as the sight which the three Apostles had of Christs Body transfigured on Tabor holds to that they are to have of it glorified in Heaven for as the brightness of Lightning and the cand or of Snow did in some measure represent to them the far transcending lustre and beauty that was to be looked for in his Body beatified so these admirable intellectual Verities which are the objects of a true Contemplative Soul in this life do in some degree figure to it the unexpressible notions rising out of a fruitive Contemplation of the increated Verity insomuch as these elevated Spirits may be conceived to have such a kinde of advantage over others who may also be faithful in lower stations of Christianity as the three Disciples called up to Tabor had of them that were left below the Mountain For certainly this sight must have imprinted in their mindes a more lively and affecting image of the amiableness of glorified Bodies then the others could apprehend But as Christ admitted few even of his Apostles to this sight of him so doth God vouchsafe to select and elevate but very few to this superlative pitch of Contemplation of whom we may say with the Psalmist This is the generation of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob who we know was one of the most eminent in this high vocation feeding on this bread of Angels and having this Spiritual Manna showâ—red down upon him while he was feeding the flocks of others in a servile obligation And holy David in all his exterior bitternesses tasting of this Spiritual reflection saith as it were this Grace to it How great is the multitude of thy sweetness O Lord which thou hast hid for them that fear thee thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face from the disturbance of men This expresseth well their state of minde which is covered from the sight of the world in the secret of Gods face that is in his most private and reserved kindenesses and as God hideth himself in his own inaccessible light so such Souls adhering unto God and becoming as the Apostle â—aith one Spirit are hid to the world in the excessive light of their Graces which common apprehensions cannot penetrate of such mindes we may most peculiarly say Who knoweth the things of such men save the Spirit that is in them which searcheth the deep things of God while their apprehensive faculty perfecteth it self by extracting the pure species of Truth and their affecting power is perfected by transmitting it self exteriorly upon the object that attracteth it Thus the understanding is never satiated by a continual receiving nor the affection ever diminished by an incessant issuing it self out upon the object but doth rather acquire by this perpetual Self-alienation In this admirable commerce doth the true Contemplative Soul negotiate with her own Maker while what is imported from him into the Understanding obligeth the Will to export unto him her faculty of loving and thus knowledge infused draweth forth love and love efused remitteth back fresh illuminations This Angelical correspondence with God the Contemplative Man entertaineth and hath in proportion to his Nature the same priviledge that Angels have when they assume apparent Bodies for their ministery on Earth namely to finde no intermission of their seeing God So in all the exterior offices which the Soul acteth by the ministery of the Body in such persons the Minde doth not remove out of that apprehended presence of God whereof her transitory state is capable insomuch as a profound Contemplator may be said to be never so much alive to this life as when he seemeth to be the most dead to it For in the image of Death when the other powers of his Minde cannot controul his Fancy that may introduce imaginations into him superfluously relative to this life and removed from the scope of all his reasonable cogitations which never move but in a presential reverence of God So that the Natural Man may be said to live in him no longer by the strength or power of his Nature but meerly by the infirmity of it that requireth such a suspension of the Spiritual Man which lives so powerfully in such a person as he seems fully in possession of Christs promise of his Fathers and his coming and making his abâ—de with him which according to the division made by the Holy Ghost of the whole Man may be conceived to be done in this maner The Father residing in that portion called the Soul as it importeth the Origine of all vital operations the Son resting in the Minde as that is the seat of our actual intelligence or understanding and both of them may be said to expirate and breathe forth the Holy Ghost into the Heart as that is taken for the continent of our affections and by this means the whole Man cometh as near the loving God with all his Soul with all his Minde and with all his Heart as this traverse and interposed vail of Flesh and Blood can admit him forgetting with Saint Paul the things that are behinde and stretching forth himself to those that are before by this constant Application preserving the whole Spirit Soul and Body without blame to the coming of our Lord Christ Jesus Considering then the properties of these golden vessels of Charity placed within the outward vale of the Temple and looking continually towards the Propitiatory seated within the inward vale which figured the beatifical vision even their Bodies may be well compared to the grate upon the Altar of Incense from which all the ashes of carnal appetites
this the Sword which he saith he came to send and not Peace Wherefore this hostility declared against our Flesh must be remembred to be the first Article of that peace of the Spirit which is concluded in Contemplation §. III. The requisiteness of Lecture in order to this Spiritual elevation THe next Stage whereby we are to rise is pious Lecture which subject calls back my thoughts upon the first state of mans knowledge wherein we may consider That the first Humane Soul came into this world perfect in the intellectual part by Science infused and needed not stay for the help of her corporeal organs to acquire any for those instruments whereby she was to act were ready in their perfection before she was seated in them since Gods forming perfectly the body of man preceded his breathing into it the breath of Life And so we finde that he was able to reade presently in the book of Gods works wherein he read the character of Gods hand in every creature that was set before him and as I may say superscribed their names upon them by the secret impression he read of their Nature But not being satisfied with this excellent degree of intelligence he began to affect the reading even in Gods own increated book The knowing like God himself Upon this presumption the rational soul of Man was cast down from this high form and set so much backward as ever since both the Vegetative and Sensitive souls precede her long in the perfection of their acts and she is obliged to stay their leisure before she can act her best according to her faculty which must cost her also pains and care to reduce it unto the best extent thereof Thus is now the rational Soul sentenced to feed her self by her kinde of sweat and labor so that she is not onely to acquire most of her natural knowledges by a laborious industry but she is also set to work by study and attention even upon those supernatural Principles that are infused into her as those of Faith Hope and Charity even these infused habits will not so much as remain in her without her own study and solicitude to preserve them much less can they be improved to their best degree without much intendment and application And to facilitate the perfection of the Soul in this life God hath been pleased to make his own Character and to leave it legible under his own Hand his holy Scriptures wherein all his attributes are penn'd in the fairest maner to affect our understandings and to take our affections insomuch as of the holy Writ it may be well said to God The light of thy countenance is impressed upon it This living spring of Verities the Holy Ghost hath left upon the earth from whence all the rivelets of pious Books derive their waters which are so proper to refresh and see undate the minde of Man as the Holy Ghost doth but rarely use his own power of impregnating and replenishing Souls with immediate inspirations but vouchsafeth for the most part to be conveyed into our mindes by the mediate spirations into them of vertuous notions from his subalternate instruments the pens of his holy Ministers which he doth certainly inspire with qualities â—o well proportioned to our capacities as they deliver Divine Truths unto our mindes under such familiar and agreeable forms as are most apt to work upon our affections This is the design of the Holy Ghost in all pious Books wherein his Spirit remaineth covered in the elements of mans conceptions for words may be said to be a kinde of body to thoughts as the Divinity of Christ did under the vails of Flesh and Blood In like maner it is the Divine vertue of the Holy Spirit that worketh all those devout effects which are produced by the instrumental conceptions of pious Writers Wherefore as the Scriptures are to be read with perswasion that God is presentially speaking to us so all Books of Devotion are to be used with this opinion of their speaking to us as delegated and deputed from God The minde of Man abhorreth vacuity and though her Nature tend upward to be replenished with Spiritual notions yet if she be void of them she sinketh presently to earth to take in any grosser furniture so that if she be not provided with such pure species as may keep her pointing at her own Centre in stead of being elevated as it were above her self in Contemplation she will fall below her self into some terrene amuzement Wherefore a habit of pious Lecture is most necessary in order to the replenishing her with Spiritual Images that may keep her eye always erected up upon them and may we not well infer the requisiteness of reading for the support of the Spiritual Man since Saint Paul doth not onely advise his so elevated Disciple Timothy to attend unto reading but chargeth him with great solicitude to bring him some Books even after he had told him he had consummated his course and the time of his revolution was near If he who had been in Paradice already in a transcient state and was so near his going thither to a permanent did still make use of Books how necessary must they be for all such as aspire to any Spiritual exaltation §. IV. Speculation placed as the last step in this ascent of the Soul THis last station carrieth us up to the top of this Mount Moria from whence we have descended and so is the steepest part and the uneasiest mounting of all the rest as it is nearest the vertical point of our fixure This last step then is Speculation or Meditating which act of our discursive faculty is commonly taken as univocal with this other of our minde fixed in Contemplation but when they are rightly distinguished there appeareth such a diversity as is between the last strains of motion and the term of acquiescence For Speculation is properly the busie attention of the minde in the inquest of truth ranging and casting out all ways to bring in conclusions for the Spirit to fix and rest upon in Contemplation which as I have said is a fruitive possession of Verities which flowers the minde doth no longer gather or collect but rather hold in her hand ready made up in nosegays that she is smelling to Me thinks these two different states of the Minde may be rendred very intelligible by a conception my Fancy hath sprung while it is ranging for some fit expression of this very act which my Minde is now exercising and I may say That Speculation and Contemplation differ â—ust so as my present writing of their differences doth from my reading them anon when I have finished them For now my imagination is beating and casting all ways for some well suited similitude whereby to illustrate the diversity of these two acts and my memory is sifting and sorting apposite words to express my conceptions and thus by degrees I shall by means of this studious Application of
those powers of my Minde form some digested Character of what I design which finished Draught of my own thoughts when I shall reade over I shall no longer work upon it but behold the Image I have framed out of the past divisions and compoundings of my thoughts and then my Minde will rest and enjoy my determined notions So that as I do now speculate and shall upon the finishing of these two Characters contemplate them without any farther agitation of my Minde In like maner the state of Speculation is a disquisition of sundry Divine Verities whereby to form some determined notions which are the objects that Contemplation is to be fixed upon in an acquiescent state when the discursive motion is arrived at the term of rest it pointed at and then contemplating the result of our former discoursings we do as it were reade over and enjoy this digest of our Imaginations wherefore as the act of our Comprehending doth excel that of our Reasoning in respect the intellect sees at one look or intuition what the Reason collecteth but by divers circuits of Discourse and so seemeth but a purveyor of what the intelligence possesseth in one instant In like maner the Contemplative state by the same reason transcends the Speculative and 〈◊〉 thinks in such a proportion as the intellect of Angels excelleth that of rational Souls for the first comprehendeth in one act without the tardity of discourse all intelligible species connatural to it and the last is fain to stay upon the abstracting of intelligible species from materialities and the conferring and co 〈…〉 of them with one another by ratiocination before it can settle conclusions wherefore Speculation seemeth to be a Humane act and Contemplation as it were an Angelical These lines have I hope drawn a fair parâ—ition between these two acts of a devout Soul whereby they appear not to be coincident as they are commonly misunderstood although they are co ordinate to one another not that I do presume that God hath obliged himself to this order of transfusing this grace of Contemplation always through the medium of studious Speculation For I am not ignorant of his immediate communicating this hand of intuitive fruition of his Verities to some choyce Souls unqualified for this preparatory course of Reading and Meditation God is admirable in his Saints in manifesting his Grace and Omnipotence by divers maners but as Saint Paul saith Though none 〈…〉 eth the minde of the Lord yet we have the minde of Christ wherefore I have given this direction as I said when I first entred upon it to conduct Travellers in this path which is Christs high way marked for us of Asking Seeking and Knocking and this is the beaten track of his Church which doth not circumscribe God within this method Sometimes the Spirit of the Lord catcheth up some humble illiterate Souls and setteth them immediately upon the top of this Mountain as he did Philip the Deacon at Azâ—â—us but for the most part he conveyeth those he calleth to this land of Visions as he did Abraham by these three days journeys I have gested to you before they come to this high station For God doth commonly carry these Spiritual discoverers which he calleth to take a little sey of the fruits of the Land of Promise all over this course of Spiritual exercises before they come to gather this fruit of Contemplation which seemeth to be a bunch of Grapes of that immense Vintage of Wine whereof the Psalmist speaking saith They shall be inebriated by the fulness of thy house For an inchoative state of Contemplation in this life is as it were a cluster of Grapes of the same Vine to wit the Grace of Christ which afterward is reduced into what was the last intent of the planter that is into the Wine of the Saints perfected Contemplation of the Divine Essence So that having given you clear and practicable instructions in order to the taking a right way towards this state of acquiescence the singular excellencies whereof I have with my best skill pourtraicted unto your judgements and affections I shall adde onely this laudative of the Holy Spirit as very appliable to this happy state of Contemplation Many daughters have gathered together riches but thou hast passed them all Upon these premised Considerations I may conclude the same order observable in the offering up this Spiritual Incense which was held in the preparing and burning the material Incense of the Tabernacle which act was a figure of this our Religious Duty we must then first by Mortification keep clean and fair the grate of the Altar by Lecture and studiousness we are to gather and mix the Gums and Spices of pious Conceptions by Speculation and meditating we must bear and pounce the Odours into a fine powder to wit collect pure and refined images of Verities and then by Contemplation we come to fire and exhale the perfume of the whole Composition By this method we erect our hearts according to those gradations designed by the Psalmist and the Law-giver shall give a blessing when they go thus from vertue to vertue the God of gods shall be seen in Sion §. V. Of the sensible delight springing from this Head of Contemplation as also the close of the whole Work HAving treated the blessedness of the intellectual part of this Contemplative state which may be said to stand for the Soul thereof there remaineth the adjoyning that portion which answereth to the Body in this compound of happiness which is the sensible joy wherewith the affections are replenished which delectable good affecting the sensitive powers is a redundancy or waste falling from the vertue of that Truth which overfloweth in the supremest portion of our Minde in some such maner as the beatitude of the Body is derived from the superfluent riches of the Soul in the state of glory and as the Soul shall then over-pay all the ministerial offices of her Body in this life by the mediatâ—on whereof her powers are now exercised imparting to the Body far more noble capacities So doth the intellect in this life when the minde is in the state of Contemplation superabundantly recompence the ministery of the Senses for the conveyance of those species whereupon the understanding acreth in Lecture and Speculation by far exceeding joys and â—uavities diffused upon the affections such indeed as are not to be conceived unless it be by those that have tasted them whereof the Psalmist saith Blessed is the people that knoweth jubilation upon which words St. Gregory noteth that the Holy Spirit saith Not speaks but knoweth this jubilation because it may be conceived but not fully expressed by the enjoyer of it The Soveraign Contemplator King David by the assistance of the Holy Spirit giveth us the fairest light we have of it when he saith My heart and my flesh have rejoyced in the living God the first whereof imports the satisfaction of the intellectual and the last
the solaces of the appetitive part of the Soul that is the seat of the Affections which though they are not always equally feasted with delectation yet are they for the most part entertained with a competent measure of gladness and exhileration and sometimes are recreated with an extraordinary jucundity in such a maner as the Prophet Elisha's trenches were filled with water without any appearance of wind or rain to produce this effect that is to say the inferior part of the Soul feeleth a sensible delight and refreshment without any inordinate emotion or alteration of those sensitive powers wherein this delight is excited insomuch as they finde the sweet effects of these two Affections both Love and Joy the first rising not from the wind of passion and the other not being instilled by the rain of any material fruition and thus the delights of these two Affections from to be in such mindes as they are in Angels and Souls separate from Bodies to wit as they are acts of the Will not alterations of the sensitive appetite How blessed is the state of such Souls when even the sensitive power of their Minde seemeth to operate as if their Spirits were totally abstracted or their Natures were Angelical and therefore may not improperly be said to measure this world with such a golden Reed as the Angel in the Revelation did the heavenly City that Saint John saith was the measure of a Man which is of an Angel for this squaring of their affections by the rule of pure Charity rendreth them in a great measure proportionate to the same Angelical operations And in this admirable maner doth the hand of their Maker square and model such choyce Souls to fit and adjust them for the filling up the vacant rooms of Angels according to the design of him who hath said They shall be like the Angels of God iâ— Heaven Having conjoyned this sensitive portion unto the the rational we have exhibited this Contemplative stare in that accomplished beatitude this life admitteth And surely the Soul of Man in this mortal state doth as naturally cover the adjunction of this delectable part in her affections unto the other illuminated portion of her intellect as a Soul though glorified doth the addition of her Body And as by this last accession the Soul doth not augment her beatitude by way of intersion or exaltation but onely in point of extension and amplitude so doth the addition of this delight of the affections rather inlarge and dilate the blessedness of this state of Contemplation then elevate or heighten the vertue of the Soul in that condition the felicity whereof I may will leave sealed with this Signet of the Holy Spirit This is the gift of God and the possessor thereof shall not much remember the days of his life because God answereth him in the joy of his heart After this edition of the high Prerogatives of the true Contemplative life lest any one should conceive the inferior Vocations any way discredited I will present all the several stations of this world with this Consolation and Instruction of Saint Paul As God hath distributed to every one as the Lord hath called every one so let him walk For although the ear have not an absolute dignity equal with the eye yet in the dignity of proportions there is an equality between them Wherefore I will offer this excellent Conclusion of Saint Austine to all the engaged conditions of this world The love of Truth desireth a holy vacancy the pressure of Charity imposeth just occupations which charge if it be not laid on by some charitable obligation the best is to attend unto the perception and contemplation of Truth but in case of our being entred into a lawful Engagement that is to be born for the necessity of Charity but yet not so as the delectation of Verity be totally deserted lest that Religious Sâ—avity being substracted we â—e the easilier oppressed by thâ— other secular necessity This Advice may serve for a convenient direction to all such as are drawing in the yoke of any secular Engagement or are loose in the state of a tree Election of entring into this sweet yoke of Christ drawing in the Chariot of Contemplation Being now arrived at the farthest point of the Horizon of this state of Grace we cannot pass forward without entring upon the other Haemisphere of the state of Glory which I hope God will enable me to exhibite unto you in the other part of this Map I first designed which I will leave now divided by this Aequator severing the two halfs of that Spiritual Globe whereof I had first intended to give you an intire Edition But finding in the other part many Spiritual Positions according to the old Doctrine of the Suns moving and the Earths being fixed which Maximes would not well agree with the new Mathematical Discovery of the Earths moving and cotation I have thought better to publish at first this uncontroverted part of my Work and reserve the other till a farther decision of this question And since the whole Work was designed as a Sacrifice of a Leper in order to his cleansing the purgation being yet very imperfect I may not unfitly say That this is one of the Sparrows which I humbly offer up upon the running waters of a penitent Soul and promise That the other shall be let flye into the world hereafter when God shall be pleased farther to advance the emundation for the accelerating whereof I humbly request all their Prayers who shall be so benign as to conceive they owe me any thing for this Part or shall make any account of my owing them the other And I may fitly end this Semicircle of my Pen with the best half of Saint Pauls valediction to the Romans Now I beseech you brethren for the Lord Jesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me that the oblation of my service may become acceptable in Jerusalem to the Saints Now the God of peace be with you all Amen Sicut portavimus imaginem terreni portimus imaginem coelestis 1 Cor. 15. 49. Nam prudentia carnis mors est prudentia spiritus vita pax Rom. 8. 6. FINIS Imprimatur NA BRENT Junii 12. 1647. An Alphabetical TABLE OF The most remarkable Points of Instruction in these TREATISES A AFfections planted in our sensitive nature for good use page 37. section 4. Advantages of conformity to vertue in our sensitive part of the minde p. 38. sect 2. Ambition consistent with Devotion p. 42. s 4. Ambitions ordinary acceptation p. 43. Advantages to be made of love to enemies p. 284. s 3. Advices for the best method of reading p. 355. Advantages which true contemplators have above other sorts of pious lives p. 387. B BEauty may be honored without offence to Piety p. 39. sect 2. Beauty's prerogatives allowed p. 39. s 3. Beauty