is exceeding hard who shall take a surfet where there is scarce so much victuals as will break ones fast But when we are throng'd with temptations and beset with enemies when there is a battery planted against every gate and not one of our senses is free from assault then it is a business of some labour and it deserves praise to secure our souls and to defend them bravely in such a violent storm To escape drowning when we are upon the Sea when the winds are boisterous the channel dangerous and we are cast among rocks and have shelves and quicksands very near us on the right hand and on the left is a business that calls for an excellent skill and a very even steerage and such an experience as cannot be learned without a great deal of pains and diligence Then Piety will thank us for our Love when we are courted by Vice And we shall seem to have done some honour to Goodness by cleaving to her when we had large offers to become bad So that I cannot see by what merit the Secluse do assume to themselves the title of Religious more then others seeing they give a greater proof of their Vertue who are in the World and the World is not in them then those in whom indeed the World is not but they also are not in the World It is more glorious to beat an enemy then to fly away from him and it requires a greater spirit to maintain a Breach then to hold out within the Walls Not that I discommend Solitude at your first setting out or would have you neglect it at certain seasons through your whole journey for you shall know the use of it better hereafter but it is not fit to design to live alwayes in secret if it be possible to live and be safe in the World This I would have you think is the more perfect life and more like to our Saviours and therefore aspire to it and stay not in the other any longer then only to fit and prepare your self for this And tell me I beseech you do you not think it possible for a man to have his heart in the World when his legs and arms are out of it May it not dwell in his fancy when he sees it not with his eyes May he not please himself in the shaddow and image of his old friend which he sayes is dead and buried May not one leave his soul behind when he withdraws his body from all the World I wish there be not many of such Religious men and women As on the contrary I hope there are not a few whose minds and hearts are shut up from the World though they are with it every day Who have made a Cloyster for their souls while their bodies are at liberty Who bridle their appetites and lay restraints on their desires though they live at large and are under no Vow but that of their Baptism Consider therefore how ridiculous it is to imitate another sort of men who hearing us speak of forsaking the World and renouncing all its Pomps and Vanities imagine that they should throw away their rich garments forbear the civility of a complement or so much as a salutation let their Gardens become wildernesses and their Pictures make fires with abundance of such like follies Alas what have these poor things done that we should revenge our selves upon them what is their guilt that we should be so severe and fierce against them Is this the mortification the Scripture speaks of to execute our anger upon insensible things It would seem more reasonable if when a man reads of crucifying the flesh he should go and pierce his own body and strike nails through his hands and his feet And yet what blame doth it lye under that we should put it to that torment or what is that which we kill by such cruelty No no we must turn the blow another way We must cut off our affections from these worldly enjoyments We must walk in the flesh but not after it We may feel its desires but not follow them We must labour to become poor in the midst of abundance to be humble in high places to be temperate amongst the baits of pleasure to use those things well which custome hath abused to think of our selves in fine clothes just as we did before they came on our backs And in a few words to withdraw our selves from all the inveiglements of the world not in the common way of removing our persons from it but by removing it from our esteem and affections But I am affraid of running into that errour which I purposed to avoid if I should continue to give such a large and punctual account of all that the Good man said in this Argument And therefore I will keep more exactly to my method in what insues and contract the rest of his discourses concerning Jesus You must look upon Jesus proceeded he in the next place as a person that was highly contented and very liberal in the midst of the greatest Poverty It would have been little less then a wonder as the world now goes if I had said that he thought he had enough though all the ground he trod upon had been his own and that he was bountiful though he had been able to pave his way with Silver and Gold But he hath left us an higher pattern and taught us even in our Poverty to be charitable to those who are reduced to greater necessities and in the meanest condition to be better pleased then worldly men are in the greatest superfluities and abundance He had no lands nor yearly revenues and yet the Hospitality was noble which he maintained His incomes were uncertain and yet he never complain'd or troubled his mind because his estate was no better assured His Disciples were men of a small fortune and yet he labours to infuse into them a most liberal disposition He stuck not to spend all the victuals he had upon the hungry multitude He chose to lay out the whole provision of his numerous family in one feast rather then suffer them to faint who were come to hear his Word Though he lived as a Begger himself yet he kept a purse for the Poor Though he was supported by the Charity of others yet he would be no more then their Steward and receive their Alms to give it away Great persons ministred to him but he himself was the Minister of all His Poverty might have inriched himself but he chose by it to inrich others And this truly seems to have been the proper effect of his being dead to the World He felt no need of its Riches and so he did not covet them And he did not let them into his heart when they came to him and so he was not unwilling to part with them He thought the goodness of all these things consisted in their Use and he knew no better imployment for them then to send them to serve those who
to all the rest of its neighbouring parts together with the exact and admirable order of the Whole And can you imagine into what transports it will cast your soul to hear the praises of the Creator sung by all his Works of wonder And yet that is another priviledge of this blessed place by the advantage of whose holy silence you will receive the chearful hymns wherewith every creature you behold doth celebrate the wisdom power and goodness of him that made it You have heard no doubt of the Musick of the Sphaeres which they say would ravish souls from these mortal bodies should it but strongly touch their ears and therefore is almost drown'd by the noise and clatter of this lower world This is it which I am now commending to you that sweet concent which all creatures make among themselves that rare harmony which there is in the motion of all the heavenly Orbs which strikes the mind so agreeably that one cannot chuse but dance for joy together with them But it is the proper entertainment of those who dwell in that still Region in which alone it can be distinctly heard and where an everlasting song to the Creator of all doth melt their hearts to joyn in consort with that Universal harmony But yet the place is nothing so considerable as the Persons that inhabit it nor will it be so useful to draw their pictures curiously as to describe their life and manners Enquire not therefore of the vastness of this place the stateliness of its buildings the riches of their furniture and such like things but know that it is the City of the Great King the seat of the Imperial Majesty of Heaven and Earth the place where the Lord and Governour of the whole world whose Dominion is an everlasting Dominion and who reigns through all Generations keeps his Court. Do you not think it will be a pleasingly amazing sight to behold the Majesty of his Glory Or What greater happiness can you wish if you were to be the disposer of your own fortune than alway to stand before the Soveraign of the World as one of his Ministers and Attendants and to live in his blessed presence as one whom he highly favours To behold the wisdom of his Government the righteousness and goodness of his Laws the admirable contrivance of all his Works the universal care which he takes of all his Creatures the infinite extent of his Providence and the power of his Authority whereby he doth whatsoever he pleases in Heaven and Earth and Sea and all deep places To see how he brings those things together which were removed far asunder and dissolves the combinations and confederacies of those things which were closely united To contemplate how he hereby makes those designs abortive which were just bringing forth how he disappoints the devises of the crafty and confounds all the subtilty of the world and catches it in its own snares It will strangely transport you to see the beauty of his Holiness the splendor and brightness of his Understanding the largeness of his Love his uncorrupted Justice his unexhausted Goodness his immoveable Truth his uncontroulable Power his vast Dominions which yet he fills with his presence and administers their affairs with ease and is magnified and praised in them by the throng of all his creatures These things I will leave to your own private thoughts that I may have time to speak of the rest of the caelestial Inhabitants but especially of the Kings Son who is a principal ornament if I may speak in so low a phrase and a great glory to this place And of him I shall need to tell you no more than this that in his person there is to be seen at once the most illustrious Lover and Warriour that ever was His Conquests have been innumerable His Victories no History but one of his own inspiring is able to recount He hath trodden down the most potent and giantly enemies He hath triumphed over the Powers of Earth and Air. He hath trailed the greatest Tyrant that ever was seen at his Chariot-wheels And there is one universal triumph of his over all things still behind wherein there will be special marks of honour set on all the Citizens of Jerusalem who are to bear a part in it which will astonish and ravish all their hearts with Admiration Love and Joy This will be the most splendid shew the most illustrious appearance that ever the Sun saw for all Angels and all Men all that ever have been are or shall be will there be summoned to attend in some sort or other upon the Pomp of that great day Then all the Citizens of Jerusalem will be seen with Crowns of Gold on their heads which this great Prince will bestow upon them then they will appear on the Theatre of the world as so many Kings raigning together with him and then all the Heavens will ring with shouts of joy and praise to him that redeemed them as they march along in his train thorow the Air to Jerusalem For as I told you he is the most glorious Lover that ever was and the greatness of his valour and courage doth not at all extinguish his nobler flames He is owner of the most tender heart that ever was in any breast and hath rendred himself redoubtable to his greatest enemies by nothing more than this that he hath won so many hearts and triumphed over so many brave souls who were vanquished by nothing else but the power of his mighty Love Such a generous Lover he was that though he was rich he became poor that they on whom he had set his heart might be made rich He laid aside the Robes of his Glory that they might be invested with them He took upon him the shape of a servant that he might prefer them to be the Sons of God and Heirs of a Kingdom And at last he voluntarily and without any compulsion but that of his Love dyed upon a Cross to save the lives of those who were so far from having any resentments of Love to him that they had the hearts of most desperate enemies against him For you must know that he is such a Lord of Love that the hatred and malignity of men could not extinguish the fervours of his passion All the discourtesies they could do him were not able to prevail with him to lay aside his thoughts of kindness toward them The innumerable affronts which he received could not make him go back to Heaven and forsake this ill-natur'd world till he had expressed all the Love conceiveable unto it No he dyed for those who took away his life His bowels earned toward those who were ready to rake into them with their bloody hands His heart burnt with affection to those wretches that cruelly pierced it and thrust it thorow with a spear And therefore I cannot but think you would have a mind to take a journey to Jerusalem and judge your pains and travel well
I shall now describe unto you as a fair Copy not only of that Humility and Charity which I named before but of all other things that you must resolve to undertake if you mean to come at Jerusalem CAP. XV. A Description of Jesus ' who is the true Way to Jerusalem In which he is propounded to the Pilgrims imitation ANd first I must set this Jesus before your eyes as one that was dead to these outward things while he lived among them and that withdrew his heart from the world while he conversed with it He was not a person cloyster'd and retir'd from the society of men He led not an Anchorets life which obliged him to shun their company Nor did he put on a sullen gravity that should affright men from his fellowship but he used the greatest freedom and treated men with such familiarity that he invited them into it He did eat and drink as other men do he refused not their invitation when they were desirous to entertain him and even at a Marriage he denyed not to be a Guest when his presence was welcome to them He had opportunities of inriching himself as well as other men Honours would have waited upon him if he had pleased without a Miracle It depended upon himself alone to become the greatest man in the world And the pleasures which others seek would have pursued him if he had but given them encouragement Herein he made himself glorious and hath left us a noble example that he was mortified to all these carnal delights when they were ready to thrust themselves upon him that he denyed the desires of wealth when it would cost him no more pains than to receive it and that he refused all the Kingdoms of the world which would have easily disposed themselves to his obedience He walkt into Cities and Towns and was still as unspotted from the world as he was in a wilderness He lived in the thickest of its temptations but none of them could fasten or stick upon him He had power at will and his will set bounds to it when it had none of its own He was a Soveraign Lord but made no advantage thereby save only to be better and to do more good than any of his subjects He used greater moderation in all injoyments than those did on whom he bestowed them He lived in a sense of the Spiritual World while he was a man of this and incompassed about with our infirmities He was a stranger to all the evil manners and customs of men while he was familiar with themselves and he testified against their wicked deeds while he kept them company Nay he purified many by his example remaining uncorrupted by any of theirs And truly such a life it is that you are to lead Your way to Jerusalem lyes through the World You must not think to step into none but Religious Houses or to fall into no company but that of the Pious much less must you expect to lye immur'd from the spectacles of Vanity and to secure your self from temptations within the inclosure of high walls which they cannot climb over to approach you But your manner of life will lead you through the crowd your way will bring you into open fields and expose you oftentimes to the throng of sensual objects against which you will have no defence but your own valourous resolution You will not be able to refuse them your company or to pass along without their acquaintance It will not be at your choice whether you will see and hear and feel those things that are amiable and delightful nor can you stop your ears so close but you will perceive they invite you to a friendship with them Your skill and your courage therefore consists in this that in imitation of your Master Jesus you live and converse with all these things as a man that is Dead You must keep them company in such a sort that they may find it is but the shadow of you that is among them and that they do not possess your self Let them know that they may as well invite a Ghost to their intemperance uncleanness and greediness of the world as waste their time in solliciting of your affection Make them feel that is but half of you and the worser half which walks among them and that it is impossible they should have the better part Let men have your company but be not partaker with them in their sins Follow your affairs like other folk but take heed and beware of covetousness and watch that you be not overtaken with surfeiting and drunkenness or the cares of this life Let the World understand that you can see it every day and not fall in love with it that you can deal and traffique with it if need be and yet not be unrighteous that you can behold all its honours and not be ambitious that you need not hide your eyes from its beauties and yet retain your own and live in purity of heart Beware of pleasing and humouring any of your senses Suffer them not to feed too greedily upon any object lest your soul be inchanted and cast into a forgetfulness of Jerusalem And remember alwayes that you are to sue all these earthly things rather of necessity then of choice and to afford them your company but not your friendship And this let me tell you is a more excellent and useful life I may add more laborious too then any other though the austerities of Monks and Hermites seem so grievous and horribly affrighting Notwithstanding all the sharpness they injoyn themselves they reap a great deal of ease who are sequestred from publick offices and live without the incumbrance of many affairs Though their Rules to which they are tyed appear so rigorous yet they are neither so many in number nor so thorny in their nature nor have so many faces as those which bind a man of exact integrity in civil life They have but a few things to imploy them and he is ingaged in a multitude and they have the same things to do over again but his rules vary with a thousand circumstances It is a pleasure to avoid the pains of well doing among those that are evil It is a repose to have but few enemies and those such as have been beaten an hundred times These people may have some other glory but that of overcoming difficulties methinks belongs not to them Moderation is a vertue much more toilsome then their Sufferance That hath a thousand several fashions whereas this hath no more then one It is no wonder that a man should be good where he sees nothing that is bad He may well keep his innocence where it is hard to lose it and soon secure his soul when there is nothing offers to rob him of it He is a very unfortunate man as I have heard somebody well express it who drowns himself in that place where he can scarce find water enough to quench his thirst His hap