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<DATE>2014-09-16</DATE>
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<NAME>Lauren Proux</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>Mi&s;cellanea Spiritualia: OR, Devout E&s;&s;ayes: THE SECOND PART, COMPOSED BY THE HONORABLE <HI>WALTER MONTAG&V; E&s;q</HI> ABBOT OF NANTEUL, &amp;c.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>1 TIM. 1.16.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Ideo mi&s;ericordiam con&s;ecutus &s;um, ut in me primo o&s;tenderet Deus omnem patientiam ad informationem eorum, qui cre|dituri &s;unt illi in vitam aeternam.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>John Crook, Gabriel Bedell,</HI> and Partners; and are to be &s;old at the Ship in S. <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard, and at the Middle Temple-gate in <HI>Fleet&s;treet,</HI> 1654.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the mo&s;t Sacred MAIESTIE OF <HI>HENRIETTA MARIA,</HI> Daughter of FRANCE and Queen of GREAT BRITAIN.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_IN the draught of this Semi-cir|cle, tending to compleat the other half, the Compa&s;s natu|rally moves to that Point whence it fir&s;t parted, which is Your Royal Name. And ab&s;tracting from
<PB REF="3"> the debt of this Dedication, I conceive, yours <HI>Madam,</HI> the properest Name under heaven for &s;uch addre&s;&s;es as de&s;ign to publi&s;h the contempt of this World For what can &s;peak &s;o efficaciou&s;ly, as your Image, the in&s;tabilitie of all humane felicities? And as the looking on your diffe|rent &s;tates offers forcible motives towards the di&s;value of all tran&s;itory glories; &s;o &s;urely the con&s;idering your pre&s;ent fixure of mind may afford powerful per&s;wa&s;ions towards the e&s;teem of &s;uch &s;piritual remedies, as can cure the wounds of &s;uch a fortune. So that both your Condition is a mo&s;t notorious di&s;creditor of tem|poral affiances, and your Per&s;on a ju&s;t indear|er of &s;piritual confidences: which are the two ends I propo&s;e in this Edition of my Thoughts, the defects whereof, through my di|ctating, may be much &s;upply'd by this my De|dication: while I mind the world of a Per&s;on, from Who&s;e Head Fortune hath been able to &s;hake off <HI>three Crowns;</HI> and on Who&s;e Heart, Vertue (even by that adver&s;itie) is fixing and enlarging three greater Jewels
<PB REF="3"> <HI>Faith, Hope,</HI> and <HI>Charitie,</HI> a&s;&s;ur'd titles to immortal Crowns and Diadems.</P>
<P>&V;nder that notion, <HI>Madam,</HI> of an a&s;pirer to a more tran&s;cendent Maje&s;tie, I pre&s;ent your Religious Mind the&s;e entertainments: which will be the le&s;s unmannerly, the greater priva|cie and retreat they intrude them&s;elves upon: And truly, as your life &s;tands now di&s;pos'd, the greater part of your time is favourable for &s;uch admi&s;&s;ions. Since you pa&s;s the mo&s;t of it in that holy retirement, whither you have car|ry'd up the Cro&s;s in triumph; having &s;et That over your Head, and the most tempting<NOTE N="&dagger;" PLACE="marg"><HI>Chali t</HI> a h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll looking over <HI>Paris,</HI> hereto|fore a place of all worldly entertianment</NOTE> part (perhaps) of the whole world, as it were, under your feet.</P>
<P>And, methinks, <HI>Madam,</HI> this remark may not a little indear to you the &s;eat of your pi|ous retirement; <HI>viz.</HI> That you, who have been di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;s'd of &s;o many noble hou&s;es and plea&s;ant &s;cituations, by the worlds violence and inju&s;tice, and have had many religious re|ceptacles (by your means con&s;ecrated) taken from you by the Prince of this world, transfer|ing
<PB REF="4"> them to his prophane u&s;es: That your ver|tue yet &s;hould have made &s;o eminent a repri|zal upon the worlds po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, in your retreat out of it. And what a comfort may it be to you, to think that God has made u&s;e of you, to take from this Prince one of the chiefe&s;t holds; and convert it, as it were, into a Religious Citadel, furni&s;h'd with &s;uch a Garri&s;on, as profe&s;&s;ing irre|concileable enmitie to him and all his partie, bears away as many conque&s;ts as it has combatants, dai|ly &s;inging <HI>TE DEUM</HI> for their continual vi|ctories.</P>
<P>This reflection, <HI>Madam,</HI> when you let your eys fall downwards, may &s;erve you for &s;ome acciden|tal &s;ollace; and &s;et (as it were) &s;ome little <HI>aureola</HI> of delight upon your mind; while your &s;ub&s;tan|tial joy mu&s;t be not the looking down, but upward to the <HI>Authour and Fini&s;her of our Faith CHRIST JESUS, who (joy being pro|pos'd to him) &s;u&s;tain'd the Cro&s;s, de&s;pi&s;ing the &s;hame of it, and &s;its now at the right hand of the throne of God.</HI> Your conformitie to that original mu&s;t be your e&s;&s;ential comfort in
<PB REF="4"> this life; as your &s;imilitude to him &s;hall be your e&s;&s;ential beatitude in heaven.</P>
<P>And while, <HI>Madam,</HI> you are flying upon the wings of King <HI>Davids Dove,</HI> to your re&s;t and &s;olitude, methinks S. <HI>Paul</HI> offers you a very pro|per entertainment, on your way, <HI>Je&s;us &s;uffer'd without the Gate; let us go forth therefore to him without the Camp bearing his re|proach: for here have we no continuing City, but we &s;eek one to come.</HI> By this ap|plication of your &s;pirit, you may convert your <HI>Cal|vary</HI> into a <HI>Thabor,</HI> and find even the darke&s;t rayes of your pre&s;ent fortune transfigur'd into bright and glorious expectations. For whil&s;t you are conver&s;ing with <HI>Je&s;us</HI> in his disfigurement upon earth, you are colouring anew your Royal Purple, &s;tain'd by the du&s;t of the earth, and diping it in the die of that Royal Blood, which will give it a far more lu&s;trous and never-fading &s;plendor.</P>
<P>In this religious a&s;&s;ignment of your time, <HI>Ma|dam,</HI> I pre&s;ent to your &s;econd hours, the&s;e con&s;i|derations of <HI>Divine Providence:</HI> whence &s;eeking no compleat cures for particular ca&s;es, there may
<PB REF="5"> be &s;ome beneficial Receipts extracted for all our infirmities, through the general contemplation of its order.</P>
<P>And this principle, <HI>Madam,</HI> is &s;pecially pro|per for you to hold by, when you look down into the precipice of your fortune. For &s;urely there was &s;carce ever a greater temptation, then yours to misjudge of Providence; upon the notorious evidence of your cro&s;&s;es, and the apparent cau&s;es of them: You have therefore no &s;mall need of this re&s;t which &s;upported <HI>Job,</HI> while he was totter|ing in his apprehen&s;ion, the <HI>Omnipotent will behold the cau&s;es of every one;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 35.14.</NOTE> <HI>yea, when thou &s;halt &s;ay, He con&s;iders not, be judg'd by him and expect him.</HI></P>
<P>Nor am I hopele&s;s, <HI>Madam,</HI> that you will find &s;ome light carryed by my hand, even into the deep|e&s;t parts of this Aby&s;s; whil&s;t I pre&s;ume to have di&s;play'd a full claritie into the Scenes of this world, for di&s;cerning the fal&s;itie of all its painted commodities. And I have made you this pre|&s;ent of my thoughts in a Language the mo&s;t pro|per of any, for you to read mortification and &s;elf-denial
<PB REF="5"> in, viz. the Tongue; that only part of their birthright, which mo&s;t of your loyal Subjects have left them, wherein to pay you their homages: by which I will hope, <HI>Madam,</HI> this record of my duty and gratitude may carry down your Name into &s;uch times, as may repair the iniquitie of the&s;e; by honouring your memorie in the unani|mous voice of the whole Nation. For my own particular, I may own one &s;pecial happine&s;s in or|der to my gratitude: namely, that though all I offer you be perhaps neither of u&s;e to you, nor value in it &s;elf; yet what I daily offer for you is, certainly, of a con&s;iderable benefit to you, and in it &s;elf ine&s;timable. I &s;hall therefore, <HI>Madam,</HI> mo&s;t zealou&s;ly apply my &s;elf all the dayes of my life, to the ble&s;&s;ed di&s;charging that dutie of</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From <HI>Nanteul</HI> <DATE>Augu&s;t 1. 1653.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE>
<SIGNED>Your mo&s;t humble and mo&s;t de|voted Subject and Servant <HI>WALT. MONTAGU.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="6">
<PB REF="6">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE EARL of <HI>LEICESTER, &amp;c.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MY LORD,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_SInce I come not to your dore to be conceal'd, but rather to be pub|li&s;h'd and brought to the Bar; I may, without a tax to my di&s;cre|tion, follow my inclinations, and addre&s;s this mi&s;&s;ion of my medita|tions to you in the fir&s;t place. VVherein if happi|ly I am charg'd with the art of &s;eeking to gain one of the able&s;t and mo&s;t authoriz'd Judges of the Na|tion; I &s;hall ea&s;ily confe&s;s it: And be&s;ides that I &s;ue to the favour of him who has a leading voice in that Upper hou&s;e of Judicature; in which only I claim my trial: for I bring no matter to be con|vented before the A&s;&s;embly; the greate&s;t part of my cau&s;e con&s;i&s;ting in &s;peculations, which make the &s;traighte&s;t Mounts they can upward, towards
<PB REF="7"> the skie of <HI>&V;niver&s;al Providence,</HI> and no &s;toopings to &s;trike at any thing in the air of adver&s;e opini|ons. Wherein this <HI>Second Part</HI> (promis'd to com|pleat the offering of the Leaper) performs that of the harmle&s;s Sparrow, which was to be let flie upon the con&s;ummation of the Sacrifice. Since then, <HI>my Lord,</HI> this Sparrow may &s;helter it &s;elf un|der your roof without offence to you, blame not its choice of refuge, &s;eeing it can be receiv'd no where with &s;o much &s;ecuritie to it &s;elf: for 'tis ju&s;t|ly evident, that whatever in this kind your ver|dict &s;hall give a Pa&s;s to, has a kind of &s;afe conduct through the re&s;t of the Nation. Though for my own part, &s;o much more am I affected with private friend&s;hip, then popular applau&s;e; that I &s;hall e|&s;teem your Partialitie to me, before the more equal approbation of my indifferent Judges: and I relye upon the much &s;urer ground of being pleas'd by the declaration of your kindne&s;s, then authoriz'd by the &s;incerity of your judgment.</P>
<P>'Tis therefore, <HI>my Lord,</HI> the publication of your friend&s;hip and my mo&s;t &s;ingular value of it, which I chiefly aim at by this publick addre&s;s to you in the&s;e times: which, not allowing any of tho&s;e near and tender corre&s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ndencies that entertain the &s;en|&s;ible delights of friend&s;hip, have made me contrive this way of carrying its marks beyond the&s;e unhap|py divi&s;ions, and &s;eek to extend them even farther then my own life; by which means, I may repair
<PB REF="7"> my griefs for their pre&s;ent interruption, by the hopes of their duration and tran&s;mi&s;&s;ion to po&s;te|ritie.</P>
<P>This is all I wil offer you, <HI>my Lord,</HI> to gain you. As for the re&s;t of my Judges, I &s;hall only entreat their reading the evidence, with &s;uch &s;pectacles as indeed this Print requires: For I acknowledge the Letter is not &s;o large or clear, that it may be currantly di&s;|cern'd at &s;uch a di&s;tance of attention, as commonly Readers hold their books of this nature. I mu&s;t therefore earne&s;tly de&s;ire them to pa&s;s their &s;ight upon the&s;e lines, through the per&s;pective of a &s;eri|ous con&s;ideration; by which means I dare pro|mi&s;e they'l be rendred fair and ea&s;ie to all eyes. They were I confe&s;s de&s;ign'd rather for critical then carele&s;s peru&s;ers; wherefore I invite not any of tho&s;e, who commonly never read, but when they know not what el&s;e to do, but &s;uch as read con&s;tant|ly to know what they always have to do; and &s;uch, I may pre&s;ume, will find not only entertainment but in&s;truction.</P>
<P>This ju&s;tice I may require of my Readers, To con&s;ider that the objects of my &s;peculations are in the highe&s;t intellectual firmament: as the Creation and defection of Angels, the origen, integritie and depravation of humane nature, Gods order in the &s;eeming confu&s;ion of temporal revolutions, his final judgment of mans actions, and his own eternal &s;tate of glory and beatitude. All the&s;e
<PB REF="8"> may well be &s;aid to appear to us like &s;tars in the firmament; who&s;e greatne&s;s and brightne&s;s (as not immen&s;e in them&s;elves, &s;o) by rea&s;on of their di|&s;tance, &s;eem to our eyes, but in the proportion and light of &s;parkles: &s;uch a kind of perception have we of the&s;e remote&s;t parts of <HI>Divine Providence;</HI> which through their va&s;te elevation above our ca|pacities, allow our rea&s;on but the twincklings or glimp&s;es of their e&s;&s;ential light and veritie.</P>
<P>Certain it is, that contemplation may be &s;aid to be the be&s;t Optick gla&s;s for the heavens. For as by the help of &s;uch in&s;truments, we di&s;cover &s;ome|what more of the magnitude, &s;tations, and motions or the cele&s;tial bodies, then we can do without that &s;upplement to the &s;hortne&s;s of our &s;ight, (though they afford us not ju&s;t mea&s;ures of any of tho&s;e &s;o remote objects;) &s;o the &s;ame u&s;e we may make of our meditation and di&s;cour&s;e upon <HI>Divine Provi|dence;</HI> for we may thereby di&s;cover &s;omewhat more of Gods method in government, then the weakne&s;s of our fir&s;t and natural apprehen&s;ion of|fers us; but we can make no &s;atisfactory di&s;covery of his meaning in mo&s;t of his particular orders: we may learn &s;omewhat, but nothing compleatly of Gods de&s;igns, by the help of this applica|tion.</P>
<P>Hence it is that while our rea&s;on acts but the part of Natural A&s;tronomie, it may make pretty &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">fe calculations; but if it venture into Judiciarie
<PB REF="8"> A&s;trologie, 'tis like to divine very temerariou&s;ly; that is, while our di&s;cour&s;e pre&s;&s;es no farther then the con&s;ideration of that general order of Provi|dence, whereon depends the &s;tations, promotions, and retrogradations of all &s;tates and conditions in this world; it may find &s;ome rea&s;onable motives to quiet us, in tho&s;e adver&s;e changes and revolutions which perplex our &s;elves or others. But if we &s;train our imaginations to reach the preci&s;e and &s;pecial cau&s;es of the varying and mutation of pri|vate fortunes, we are in danger to make very un|&s;ound conclu&s;ions. For as we have certain ge|neral rules to guide us in the po&s;itions and moti|ons of the &s;tars; but none to declare their influen|ces and operations upon our particular free acti|ons: &s;o have we &s;ome general notion of Gods or|der in the common mutation of tran&s;itorie matters; but no marks whereby to di&s;cern his &s;pecial de&s;ign in the changes and variation of particular &s;ubjects. Conformable to this a&s;&s;ertion, King <HI>David</HI> in his di&s;tre&s;s, &s;aid to God, <HI>I was mindful of thy judgments from the beginning, and was comforted:</HI> but in point of di&s;cerning &s;pecial cau&s;es for many particular oc|currences, he confe&s;&s;es, <HI>Thy knowledge is become wonderful above me, and I cannot reach it; thy judg|ments are the great aby&s;s, and thy foot&s;teps are not to be trac'd.</HI></P>
<P>This rule I have ob&s;erv'd in my &s;peculations upon <HI>Divine Providence,</HI> which I offer my Country: and
<PB REF="9"> I have held them in my practical conformitie with|out much di&s;quiet in all the adver&s;e changes of my private fortune. Wherein there are &s;ome circum|&s;tances that may entitle my Children to &s;ome extra|ordinary grace and benignitie: for when 'tis con|&s;idered that one was &s;ent into the &s;ervice of his Country, while the Father was in pri&s;on there; the other, while he was exil'd thence; methinks this may claim much indulgence to them, in repara|tion of &s;uch &s;everities to me.</P>
<P>This, <HI>my Lord,</HI> is my Plea to the common Jury of my Country; but my title to your Vote is upon a quite contrary pretence; <HI>viz.</HI> Your having had no part in any of my cen&s;ures, and a very great one in all the comforts my Country has afforded me. So that this Alien comes not to &s;ue you, but rather to enter into his fathers bond, and make you as good &s;ecuritie of my re&s;entments, as my condition ad|mits: therefore what ju&s;tice &s;oever he finds, as a &s;uiter for right; he is certain to meet favour and welcom as a ho&s;tage or pledge for that debt of re|&s;pect and affection, which is acknowledg'd to you, before &s;o many witne&s;&s;es, By</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>Nanteul,</HI> <DATE><HI>Augu&s;t</HI> 5. 1653.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your Lord&s;hips mo&s;t humble and mo&s;t obedient Servant WALT. MONTAGU.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="9">
<HEAD><HI>A TABLE</HI> Containing the &s;everal <HI>Treati&s;es,</HI> as they &s;tand divided into <HI>SECTIONS.</HI></HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">_WHether any Inqui&s;ition into divine My&s;teries be allowable. In three Sections.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1</HI> Of the dignitie of the Intellect of man; and whether it be limited in a&s;piring to knowledge. <HI>pag. 1.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> What &s;earch into Religious My&s;te|ries is allowed. <HI>p. 7.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 3.</HI> How far our Inqui&s;itivene&s;s may pa&s;s into the rea&s;on of Gods civil Providence. <HI>p. 15.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The &s;econd Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Divine Providence. In three Sections.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1. p. 22.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> Of the introduction of evil into the world. <HI>p. 24.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 3.</HI> Di&s;cour&s;ing the permi&s;sion of the fall of Angels. <HI>p. 27.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The third Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Divine Providence in the Creation and conduct of the Terre&s;trial Globe. In two Sections.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1.</HI> Of Gods Providence in the fall of man. <HI>p. 39.</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="10">
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> Whether it be expedient, even for the wicked there &s;hould be a God? <HI>p. 45.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The fourth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">An&s;wering the mo&s;t important Objections again&s;t Provi|dence. In four Sections.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1.</HI> Whether the calamities of the vertuous que&s;tion Gods Pro|vidence? <HI>p. 53.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> Whether the pro&s;perity of the wicked, and their advanta|ges over the righteous in this world; que&s;tion not Gods Provi|dence? <HI>p. 57.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 3.</HI> Whether Gods permi&s;sion of &s;o many wicked per&s;ons and actions, does not ju&s;tly &s;candalize the godly? <HI>p. 66.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 4.</HI> Whether Gods &s;uffering many to fall them&s;elves finally, who have long liv'd holily, and by who&s;e labours divers have been &s;aved, doth not ju&s;tly confu&s;e and &s;tartle us in our confi|dence of Providence? <HI>p. 70.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The &s;um and re&s;ult of all the&s;e Meditations on Divine Providence. <HI>p. 78.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The fifth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the right u&s;e of Time. In three Sections.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1. p. 53.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> Mans debt of his time may be di&s;charged by his regular di&s;tribution of it&punc; <HI>p. 88</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 3.</HI> Advices to the happy ones of this world, to attend the pa&s;|&s;age of their time. <HI>p. 93.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The &s;ixth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Venial &s;in. In three Sections.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1.</HI> Of the nature and malignitie of Venial Sin. <HI>p. 102.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> The danger of cheri&s;hing any of our known faultine&s;s, for fear of inducing habits. <HI>p. 107.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 3.</HI> The means of rectifying our inclinations perverted to Ve|nial &s;in. <HI>p. 114.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The &s;eventh Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the Purgation of &s;ouls &s;tain'd with Venial &s;in. In five Sect.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> The nature of Purgatorie; wherein great pains and
<PB REF="10"> plea&s;ure are conjoin'd. <HI>p. 125.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> The rea&s;on of Purgatory, and comparing the &s;tate of Hell with it. <HI>p. 128.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 3.</HI> The manner of Gods operation upon &s;ouls in this &s;tate, <HI>p. 133.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 4.</HI> A declaration of what pa&s;&s;ed in the &s;oul of S. <HI>Katharine</HI> of <HI>Genoua,</HI> conformable to this &s;tate of Purgatory. <HI>p. 139.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 5.</HI> The Authors conclu&s;ion upon this di&s;cour&s;e. <HI>p. 141.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The eighth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Peace and Tranquilitie of &s;pirit in all occurrences. In three Sections.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1.</HI> What this Peace is, and the advantages of it. <HI>p. 147.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> Of the means to acquire this peace. <HI>p. 152.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 3.</HI> Of the means to con&s;erve this peace of &s;pirit. <HI>p. 157.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="9" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The ninth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Chri&s;tian Humilitie. In four Sections:</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1. p. 168.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect 2.</HI> The obligation of the highe&s;t conditions to con&s;erve Hu|militie. <HI>p. 172.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 3</HI> A farther exhibition of the benefits of <HI>Humilitie,</HI> in order to the good of &s;ocietie. And the explication of &s;elf-love, &s;hew|ing how it undermines <HI>Humilitie. p. 176.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 4.</HI> Some means propos'd in order to the obtaining and pre|&s;erving true <HI>Humilitie. p. 181.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="10" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The tenth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of &s;ickne&s;s. In five Sections.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1.</HI> Of the Origine, together with the offen&s;ivene&s;s of &s;ick|ne&s;s. <HI>p. 188.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> Of a &s;piritual regiment in the fir&s;t acce&s;s of any indi&s;po&s;i|tion. <HI>p. 196.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 3.</HI> Of &s;ome con&s;olatory Receits &s;or &s;ickne&s;s. <HI>p. 201.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 4.</HI> Some u&s;eful thoughts propo&s;ed to in&s;truct and ea&s;e the mind of thoughtful per&s;ons; e&s;pecially in &s;leeple&s;s nights. <HI>p. 207.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 5.</HI> The re&s;ult of all the&s;e con&s;iderations: and the good u&s;es to be made of &s;ickne&s;s. <HI>p. 216.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="11" TYPE="treatise">
<PB REF="11">
<HEAD>The eleventh Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Death. In four Sections.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1. p. 222.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> Of the folly, as well as unchristianne&s;s of Duels. <HI>p. 226.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 3.</HI> Adverti&s;ements to young women again&s;t their diver&s;ions from con&s;idering of death. <HI>p. 230.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 4.</HI> The duties of a good Chri&s;tian, in order to his death. <HI>p. 234.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="12" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The twelfth Treati&s;e</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Eternitie and the day of Judgment. In two Sections.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 1.</HI> The &s;entence of the Reprobate. <HI>p. 241.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sect. 2.</HI> Of the &s;entence of the Elect. <HI>p. 249.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Conclu&s;ion. <HI>p. 257.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="11">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>PSALM 65.16.</BIBL> <HI>Venite, audite, &amp; narrabo, omnes qui timetis Deum, quanta fecit animae meae.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="treatise">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Whether any Inqui&s;ition into Divine My&s;teries be allowable: In three Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the Dignity of the Intellect of Man, and whether it be limited in a&s;piring to Know|ledge.</HEAD>
<P>_THE hair of the <HI>Nazareans,</HI> after their Con|&s;ecration, was accepted upon the Altar;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Num.</HI> 6&punc;</NOTE> and, being burnt as a Sacrifice, afforded a &s;weet &s;melling &s;avour: So what, of it &s;elf was of an offen&s;ive, by Vow became of a plea&s;ing Odour. The hair in this ca&s;e, &s;ig|nified all the Powers and Faculties of the Brain, which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ook their &s;avour of acceptance, from their dedication, more then from their intrin&s;ick Dignity. I there|fore Religiou&s;ly profe&s;s my entring the Temple of the&s;e &s;acred My&s;teries, as a devoted <HI>Nazarean,</HI> not a curious <HI>Gentile;</HI> I
<PB N="2" REF="12"> come to &s;atisfie my Vow, not mine or others curio&s;ity in &s;pe|culating the D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">vine Providence; and I hope there will be no &s;avour of Wine or &s;trong Drink found in my Reflections, no fumes of Lightne&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> or Pre&s;umption appear in this Di&s;qui&s;ition: And, not being con&s;cious of having ta&s;ted any forbidden Li|quor in this time of con&s;ecrating my Thoughts, I may &s;oberly expect that the&s;e Conceptions (which were Devoted as they grew in my Head) may be accepted now they are cut off, and thus Offered up under the notion of a Vow; which manner of kindling and incen&s;ing them, may give my Speculations &s;ome good Odour, that is not connaturall to their matter (as pro|ductions of my Brain) but acquired by this condition, <HI>Be|cau&s;e the con&s;ecration of his God was upon his Head.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Numb.</HI> 6.7.</NOTE></P>
<P>Nothing can be utter'd in exaltation of the Intellect of Man, that doth not conjointly tend to the magnifying of God: and, as our Under&s;tanding can conceive no adequate <HI>Idea</HI> of his <HI>Being,</HI> &s;o can it form no equall repre&s;entation of it &s;elf, except this, of being the Image of God. The expre&s;s copy of the Creator is drawn no lower in his Creatures then the intellectuall portion of Man; and by that part only wherein he re&s;embles God, he is enabled to apprehend him. As, if we will &s;uppo&s;e a Picture, animated and looking upon the Originall figure, we may conceive the Copy di&s;cerning pre&s;ently, by her own Fea|tures, from whence they were derived, and judging of her own Similitude to that pattern: in &s;ome report to this, our Under&s;tanding, when it &s;peculates the Divine Intellect, may be &s;aid to apprehend, to a degree, the nature and derivation of this intelligent power which it exerci&s;es; and judges by the ampli|tude of this Faculty, the re&s;emblance it bears to that infinite intelligence which it apprehends as the Originall. Whence it follows, that by the &s;ame degrees, our Under&s;tandings are extended, their &s;imilitude to God is the more form'd and per|fected; whereupon we may conclude, That a proficiency in Knowledge is the mo&s;t Naturall, as well as the mo&s;t Noble appetite of Man.</P>
<P>And, we may re&s;olve of Gods &s;pecial intending our continual
<PB N="3" REF="12"> exerci&s;e and advance of this capacity of knowing, by his having indued this faculty, with the priviledg of not &s;uffering at al from any &s;ubject it acts upon, of what hardne&s;s or a&s;perity &s;oever; for the under&s;tanding feels no &s;uch repa&s;&s;ion as the &s;en&s;es do, from the matters they work on. No wonder then, if this power|full agent be &s;o much affected with the exerci&s;e of it &s;elf, &s;ince in an in&s;tant it can ab&s;tract immaterial &s;pecies from all materi|al &s;ub&s;tances; nay, it can break them all even into atomes, and yet it &s;elf remains &s;o far from &s;uffering, that it is fortified and augmented by that act. And tho&s;e univer&s;al notions which &s;o much tran&s;cend all matter exi&s;tent, doth it not admit and lodg them, &s;o little con&s;train'd, that it is, indeed, rather inlarg'd then burthen'd by all the&s;e receptions? for every new notion con|firms tho&s;e it po&s;&s;e&s;s'd before; be&s;ides, from the &s;econd notions, the Soul infers a third, and from them farther collections, &s;till thus increa&s;ing in capacity, as it fills it &s;elf.</P>
<P>And, if we ob&s;erve it, we &s;hall finde the thing under&s;tood, become the &s;ame with our Under&s;tanding, by the act of our full comprehending it. In the Originall Divine Intellect, there is this tran&s;cendent &s;ingularity, The having it &s;elf for the intel|ligible &s;pecies; whence it is, that, in God, the Under&s;tanding and the Thing under&s;tood are the &s;ame, Gods own E&s;&s;ence being both the Act and the Object of his intelligence: which mu&s;t needs follow by rea&s;on that this E&s;&s;ence is both an infinit Intelligence and Intelligibility, &s;o that, there can be nothing Intelligible, that is not contain'd, either formally or virtual|ly, in it &s;elf; wherefore God can under&s;tand nothing, that is not, in &s;ome manner, him&s;elf. And, notwith&s;tanding this co|pied faculty in human nature be, indeed, infinitly di&s;tant, from this perfection; (for mo&s;t of the &s;pecies it conceives, are extrin|fical and adventitious, being drawn and ab&s;tracted from mat|ters exi&s;ting without it &s;elf:) yet may we find &s;ome glance of re&s;emblance to the Divine, in the term of Mans under&s;tanding, though none in the infinity of the act; &s;ince the &s;pecies, he con|ceives, pa&s;s into a kind of identity with his under&s;tanding: from whence you &s;ee, there &s;eems to re&s;ult &s;ome affinity, between
<PB N="4" REF="13"> this Copy of Mans intelligence (wrought and fini&s;h'd by di&s;|cour&s;e) and Gods, which is perfect in one pure act of compre|hending all things exi&s;ting in it &s;elf, whereby we perceive, what riches this noble Faculty acquires, by all her communications. No marvail then, if our minde be naturally &s;o intentive upon this traffick, for &s;elf improvement by new comprehen&s;ions, con&s;idering withall, that it can never be &s;atiated with any acqui&s;ition; &s;ince, over and above all other mentioned excel|lencies, our Under&s;tanding hath a po&s;&s;ible infinity; for, it can apprehend &s;ucce&s;&s;ively new &s;pecies, as they are offered perpe|tually, without any end or limitation; and this &s;eems a kind of &s;hadow of the actual infinity exi&s;ting in the divine Intellect, which apprehends, infinitely, by one &s;ingle act. How admi|rably, then, this faculty of Man is di&s;po&s;ed for activity, and how &s;trongly invited to the pur&s;uit of knowledge, is &s;uffi|ciently evinced; whereupon we may well determine with the wi&s;e&s;t of men, in honor of it, that wi&s;dom is preferrable before riches;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 7.12.</NOTE> for, <HI>The excellence of knowledg, is, that it gives life to them that have it.</HI></P>
<P>Upon this <HI>manife&s;t</HI> of the excellency of this faculty, it may well be asked, Whether our actual &s;earch of knowledg be not illimited, in regard of the &s;ubject, as well as the power of apprehending is infinite, in re&s;pect of our conceiving perpetu|ally new notions? and con&s;equently; Whether we may not &s;ucce&s;&s;ively &s;train our inquiries higher and higher upwards, to|wards the E&s;&s;ence of God and his other my&s;teries, with his Councels and Decrees; &s;eeking al&s;o &s;atisfactory rea&s;on for all the moral order and admini&s;tration of the Univer&s;e? Rea&s;on it &s;elf, without con&s;ulting faith, is able to re&s;olve part of this que|&s;tion; for, admitting our faculty of rea&s;oning and di&s;cour&s;e to be a pure voluntary gift from a &s;uperior e&s;&s;ence, there is an infi|nite di&s;parity, between this derived and that independent power, con&s;equent to this &s;tate of derivation: For, &s;hould the parta|king power be &s;ufficient to comprehend fully the principall, it would &s;eem no longer a participant, but become an adequate Intelligence; whereas, the mo&s;t elevated &s;trains of humane
<PB N="5" REF="13"> Rea&s;on, never pre&s;umed to reach the compleat <HI>Being</HI> of God. We may ob&s;erve,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Diago|ras</HI> and <HI>Proto|goras.</HI></NOTE> that there have been found &s;ome few <HI>Rationa|li&s;ts,</HI> who have dared to implead and deny all Deity; but never any that adventured adequatly to define the Divine Na|ture: So that it &s;eems le&s;s repugnant to rea&s;on, to renounce all relation to God, then to re&s;train him within the circumference of mans conception. In order to this, a <HI>Jew</HI> is reported anci|ently to have made a good reply to a <HI>Gentile,</HI> asking him the name of his God; he an&s;wered, That where many Gods were acknowledged, there names were requi&s;ite to di&s;tingui&s;h, and words competent to expre&s;s them; but, where one &s;ingle Deity was confe&s;t, there needed no denomination for differencing it from others: nor could there be any conception adju&s;ted to &s;uch a Being; wherefore his God was more above the comprehen&s;i|on, then the Gentiles thought their gods above the Corpo|riety of man.</P>
<P>Whereupon St. <HI>Augustine</HI> re&s;olves excellently, that, after our &s;ubtile&s;t penetration into the nature of God, whoever con|cludes he has conceiv'd a perfect &s;imilitude of God, is in that act of acquie&s;cence more di&s;tant from his mark, then he was in the fir&s;t point of his inqui&s;itive motion. This &s;ublime and glorious power of the &s;oul (which findes no difficulty to ele|vate all inferior &s;ubjects to her own &s;tation) when &s;he attempts the rai&s;ing her &s;elf to the comprehen&s;ion of her Original, per|ceives her own impotency: and whereas, acting upon mate|rial Sub&s;tances, &s;he findes a kinde of Almightine&s;s in her &s;elf; when &s;he is applyed to pure &s;piritual natures, &s;he di&s;cerns her in|ability to treat with them &s;imply as they are in them&s;elves; be|ing fain to retire back to &s;ome materiality, and extract thence &s;ome compound &s;pecies wherewith to entertain her &s;elf, concerning the&s;e &s;imple exi&s;tencies. In&s;omuch that while our under&s;tanding aims even lower then the Divine E&s;&s;ence, it per|ceives a re&s;traint &amp; defectivene&s;s in it &s;elf, as not being a compe|tent power to conver&s;e with any incorporeal &s;ub&s;tances, with|out re&s;orting to the help of Images, drawn from corporeal; but, when it a&s;pires towards the negotiating with the Original
<PB N="6" REF="14"> &s;imple Unity, it findes the direct nullity of it &s;elf, whereto it &s;eems return'd, when it looks towards that imcomprehen&s;ible <HI>Being.</HI> For even the &s;oul of Chri&s;t did not comprehend the Divine Word whereto it was united; how much le&s;s can our mindes expect it, which are &s;o infinitely di&s;tant from it? where|fore this proud faculty, feeling it &s;elf &s;o much humbled and confounded in this application, is not forward in this a&s;piring; and con&s;equently, needs little animadver&s;ion to divert it, in this particular of the Divine E&s;&s;ence, from tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing the bounds of a contented ne&s;cience: which &s;tate of minde, the great St. <HI>Denis,</HI> after all his Contemplations in this kinde, advi&s;eth us, &s;aying, <HI>Ignorance becomes a Vertue, referr'd to him who&s;e Being tran&s;cends all which falls within our knowledge.</HI></P>
<P>And, as we do not finde the Children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> in all their perver&s;ity, to have been forward in making excur&s;ions beyond the bounders of <HI>Mount Sinai,</HI> to di&s;cover the properties of the flame &amp; &s;moke, wherein they apprehended the Maje&s;ty of God; but rather apt to conclude <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> him&s;elf con&s;um'd by his ap|proach; and readily inclin'd to que&s;tion Gods providence, di&s;iring a more &s;en&s;ible and familiar object, though but a Calf, for their God and Conductor. In like maner we meet few apt to offend, by an affected tran&s;cendence in &s;peculation, concerning the Nature of the De ty: but how many forward and prone to confound and perplex them&s;elves in point of the Divine or|der and de&s;ignment; and very &s;ubject (upon all extraordinary occurrences) to que&s;tion the regularity of providence, and &s;et up their own Rea&s;onings and Divinations (though ca&s;t into no better a form then the Idol of I&s;rael) for their &s;atisf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ction and conduct through the Moral De&s;art of Temporal events? It wil therefore be mo&s;t u&s;eful to apply our pre-cautions to this &s;o obnoxious humor: Leaving the other rarer intemperancy, only &s;uch an advice as the Angel gave to <HI>Manaah,</HI> when he of|fered to treat him with earthly food:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jud.</HI> 13.</NOTE> <HI>Offer up all your &s;pecu|lations in &s;acrifice, not in &s;earch of his name, who is wonderful:</HI> for, all humane conceptions are as di&s;proportionate to Gods <HI>Being,</HI> as a <HI>Kid</HI> is to the entertainment of an <HI>angel.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<PB N="7" REF="14">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">What &s;earch into religious My&s;teries is al|low'd.</HEAD>
<P>HAving &s;eated Gods E&s;&s;ence in unacce&s;&s;ible Light, which humane under&s;tanding is not forward to pre&s;&s;e into; the two greater que&s;tions remain: Fir&s;t, how far our rea&s;on may pre&s;ume to advance into his outward offices (as I may call) his religious my&s;teries which are our pa&s;&s;ages towards his pre&s;ence? For an&s;wer to this, we mu&s;t ca&s;t back our &s;pecu|lation as far as to the fir&s;t humane rea&s;on, wherein all &s;ucceed|ing was compri&s;ed; which after God had breath'd out of his own brea&s;t, he plac'd &s;o near him as though it was not in his &s;ight, yet was it (as I may &s;ay) within hearing: for, we find God began pre&s;ently to &s;peak to man, and to put his rea&s;on to &s;uch an exerci&s;e as imported the knowledge and compre|hen&s;ion of the &s;pecial properties of many of Gods material works. Again we may imagine that the delight of this admi|rable facultie did contribute to his yeilding to the following temptation of enlarging this power of his under&s;tanding be|yond the limits prefixed; and this inordinate curio&s;itie remo|ved his rea&s;on &s;o far backward, as in &s;tead of affecting an ad|vince towards God, he quickly fought to flie from him, and cover him&s;elf under the &s;hadow of leaves; &s;o much had he lo&s;t of his knowledge by the ta&s;te of the fruit, that even the leaves were enough to abu&s;e him, as &s;eems by his &s;uppo&s;ing them able to conceal him. For thus, the under&s;tanding of man, which we find at fir&s;t familiarly conver&s;ing with God, &s;oon after we hear &s;o far <HI>di&s;tanced,</HI> that it &s;eems as it were out of hearing of Gods conver&s;ing voice, wherein aloud he calls, <HI>Adam where art thou?</HI> &s;o &s;trange a retrogradation do we find in humane rea&s;on by the attempt of this irregular progre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="15">
<P>The Rea&s;on of man being by this over&s;training, faln from light to darkne&s;s, had con&s;equently drawn his affections into a deceitful blindne&s;s; in&s;omuch that man would have conti|nued <HI>loving darkne&s;s better then light,</HI> and have offered up all the remainder of his under&s;tanding to his deceiver the Prince of darkne&s;s, in a religion which indeed mu&s;t have been blind|ne&s;s, who&s;e pre&s;ent reference and future center were both <HI>darkne&s;s and the &s;hadow of death.</HI> Into this &s;tate of ignorance and excecation was humane Rea&s;on deflected, when God was plea&s;ed to de&s;ign &s;uch a means of reparation, as even the mo&s;t enlightned created &s;pirit could not have excogitated; which was the wi&s;dom of God, taking upon him the weakne&s;s and infirmitie of man: and the increated unerrable Under&s;tanding &s;hadowing it &s;elf under the &s;imilitude of humane ignorance and privation. This incomprehen&s;ible my&s;terie is the &s;ource and object of Chri&s;tian Religion, and God hath ordained all our addre&s;&s;es to him to be tran&s;mitted, through the medium of this my&s;terie; as is te&s;tified by this our incarnate God, affirming of him&s;elf,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh.</HI> 14.6.</NOTE> <HI>No body cometh unto the Father but by me.</HI> Thus did God by the &s;ame act commi&s;erate and confound humane na|ture, oblieging mans under&s;tanding to re&s;t in the <HI>belief</HI> of this inconceiveable object, which &s;o much di&s;dains the approach of his rea&s;on to it: and thus by the exerci&s;e of faith God hath both redeemed and captivated the intellect of man,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.5. <HI>Rom.</HI> 11 33.</NOTE> <HI>bringing into captivitie all under&s;tanding unto the obedience of Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P><HI>O the depth of the riches both of the wi&s;dom and knowledge of God!</HI> The Divine knowledge aba&s;es it &s;elf to &s;atisfie for his Creatures curio&s;ity; and, by this act, forms a Being, incom|prehen&s;ible by humane Rea&s;on; which he ordains to be the E&s;&s;ence of our Religion, and that the &s;ubjection of our Faith, in point of this my&s;tery, &s;hould retract the intru&s;ion of our Rea&s;on into her fir&s;t forbidden light. And &s;urely&punc; man has no ill bargain on't, to endure this pre&s;ent confu&s;ion of his un|der&s;tanding, for its redemption out of eternal darkne&s;s; how|ever, can it be expected, the knowledg of Man &s;hould be left free to a&s;pire, where the increated wi&s;dom is &s;aid to &s;uffer a de|privement
<PB N="9" REF="15"> and exinanition? Thus, then, the contrary to what is &s;aid of the Divine E&s;&s;ence, may be properly affirmed of the E&s;&s;ence of Chri&s;tianity; the wi&s;dom of God incar|nate, <HI>viz.</HI> that the Scrutator of this my&s;tery &s;hall be oppre&s;t by the ingloriou&s;ne&s;s of the object. And, from this root of Chri&s;tianity, which lies cover'd in Heaven, the body of that tree of life it bears (Chri&s;tian Religion) grows likewi&s;e, in|volved in unexplicable my&s;teries: Blood and Water (being drawn out of a dead body, and ca&s;t upon dead creatures) in the form of &s;imple water, doth not onely the office of water, to clean&s;e them; but returns into blood, and enlivens the ina|nimate &s;tate it is apply'd to, and incorporates tho&s;e parts it touches, into that body from whence it i&s;&s;ued: how uncon|ceivable are the&s;e my&s;teries?</P>
<P>Nor is the entry or porch only of our Temple thus ob&s;cure to the eye of Rea&s;on; For the Quier and the Altar are over-ca&s;t with &s;uch my&s;terious Clouds, as no humane apprehen&s;ion can penetrate. Here the Sacrifice offer'd is no le&s;s then the Deity which is wor&s;hipped by the Oblation; and our God is not only pre&s;ent among us, but even enters into us, in a manner wherein our &s;en&s;es contradict the po&s;&s;ibility of his pre&s;ence; in&s;omuch, that what St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aith of the Temple, in his vi&s;ion, &s;uites well with the &s;tate of the whole Chri&s;tian Church, <HI>It is fill'd with &s;moke from the glory of God,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rev.</HI> 15 8.</NOTE> <HI>and from his power, and none is able to enter into it.</HI> Wherfore the prime my&s;teries of Chri&s;tian Religion &s;eem to have the &s;ame advice annex'd to them which the &s;even thunders had that the Apo&s;tle heard, namely, <HI>to &s;eal up, and not to write what they uttered:</HI> &s;o the&s;e ob&s;cure verities (the belief whereof is infu&s;ed by an ex|terior power, not inferr'd by the action of our di&s;cour&s;e) are to be clo&s;ed up and kept &s;eal'd as a ma&s;s of trea&s;ure in our faith, not to be melted down, and te&s;ted by our rea&s;on. For indeed our under&s;tanding is &s;o unable to work upon this &s;ubject, that it &s;uffers wholly from it, without any gaining upon it; and cannot conver&s;e &s;afely with this matter, but by yeilding and &s;ubmitting intirely to it: and on the other part, it hath &s;uch a
<PB N="10" REF="16"> corre&s;pondence with our Faith, as that's improved by this conver&s;ation: for faith enlargeth it &s;elf, by imbracing this un|intelligible Subject. We may therefore ea&s;ily re&s;olve that the my&s;teries of our Religion were not de&s;igned for objects of humane knowledge, &s;ince the intellect profits by all negotia|tion within her connatural Province; whereas commercing with the&s;e unconceiveable notions, the more &s;he adventures, the &s;ooner &s;he di&s;&s;ipates her &s;tock and breaks, rather then makes a profitable return. Wherefore the Spirit of God hath &s;et this &s;ignature upon Chri&s;tian my&s;teries, (that none might attempt the breaking them open;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Cant.</HI> 4.12.</NOTE>) <HI>A Garden enclo&s;'d is my &s;i&s;ter, my &s;pou&s;e, a Spring &s;hut up, a Fountain &s;eal'd.</HI></P>
<P>Not that our rea&s;on is forbidden all acce&s;s into this Garden, or denyed &s;ome ta&s;te of the waters that flow from this &s;eal'd Fountain; for our di&s;cour&s;e is allow'd to walk and exerci&s;e it &s;elf in the knots and borders, <HI>to feed upon the Lillies, and to run after the odour of the flowers;</HI> &s;o long as it attempts not the breaking of the ground to di&s;cover the roots of the&s;e Plants, or affects not to look into the Spring-head of tho&s;e &s;weet cur|rent my&s;teries, which water and refre&s;h our &s;peculations. And this method the Chri&s;tian School ob&s;erves in all her progre&s;&s;es and perambulations through the my&s;teries of the Church; &s;he labours to elucidate and clear to our apprehen&s;ions by &s;ome intelligible notions, all the articles of our faith, but undertakes not to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ender them demon&s;tratively objects of our &s;cience and full comprehen&s;ion, by virtue of ratiocination and di&s;cour&s;e. Conformable whereunto her Schollers (recreating their &s;pirits in this enclo&s;ed Garden) meddle not with the roots, by &s;train|ing to form any adequate conception of Gods E&s;&s;ence, or any other concealed points of faith; but go on gathering &s;weet odours from Gods attributes and his other exteriour exhibiti|ons of him&s;elf: by which way of di&s;cour&s;e and di&s;qui&s;ition of all Chri&s;tian verities, the Schools both delight and delate hu|mane rea&s;on, without any intru&s;ion into the forbidden inclo|&s;ures of faith.</P>
<P>And, as the Spirit of God hath thought fit, to draw His &s;pi|ritual
<PB N="11" REF="16"> <HI>Being</HI> under divers &s;en&s;ible figures, (&s;orted to the low|ne&s;s of our capacitie) whereby he de&s;ign'd not a repre&s;enta|tion competent to the Deitie, but con&s;onant to our humanitie. In which manner even God the Father &s;eems often incarnate by the voice of the Holy Gho&s;t, while he over&s;hadows his in|corporeal nature with the &s;en&s;ible forms of hands, eyes, feet,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 18</NOTE> and the like parts of humane corporietie; but this conde&s;cen|dence imports our being children in capacitie, not Gods being any way like man in his exi&s;tence. As the holy Spirit de&s;cends, I &s;ay, in this &s;ort to conver&s;e with our under&s;tanding; &s;o God allows our &s;pirits to elevate their &s;peculations to what height we can, towards the apprehen&s;ion of his pure &s;piritualitie, and to make the be&s;t mounts our rea&s;on can &s;train to, towards its &s;atisfaction in the my&s;teries of our faith; and that not only in the &s;phere of con&s;idering the motives of their credibilitie, which are indeed the proper objects of our di&s;cour&s;e: but ev'n in that higher, of contemplating humbly and re&s;ign'dly (though no ways trying by our rea&s;on) tho&s;e profounde&s;t <HI>Arcana</HI> them|&s;elves: provided we expect not here a perfect comprehen&s;ion, or a &s;cientifical notice of them, any more then we conclude God ju&s;tly de&s;crib'd by tho&s;e lineaments and parts whereby the Scriptures figure him, or we believe him circum&s;crib'd within tho&s;e three bodies wherein he appear'd to <HI>Abra|ham.</HI></P>
<P>Thus while one foot of our compa&s;&s;ing di&s;cour&s;e re&s;ts upon the center of Gods incomprehen&s;iblene&s;s, both in his E&s;&s;ence and communications, (emi&s;&s;ions of him&s;elf;) the other may make as large circles of &s;peculation as every particular capacitie can extend to; by which order our knowledge may draw u&s;eful and ju&s;t lines whereby to build up love; not com|ing near tho&s;e deceitful mea&s;ures by which we form irregular curio&s;itie; and for the &s;tructure of our knowledge, S. <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> gives this excellent &s;quare, <HI>Let us diligently and ingenuou&s;ly in|quire what God allows us to know, and contentedly and ingenuou&s;ly re&s;t uninqui&s;itive of what God will have us ignorant.</HI></P>
<P>And in this manner of &s;ealed acquie&s;cence, our rea&s;on me|thinks,
<PB N="12" REF="17"> may be &s;aid to make a &s;traiter and a higher mount then in any of her exploring flights: for by this &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion it &s;eems to tran&s;cend it &s;elf making us in tho&s;e things that are above it, acknowledge and adore the divine Rea&s;on; when, like S. <HI>Pauls</HI> companions,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts</HI> 9.8.</NOTE> we di&s;cern a dazling light and hear the voice, but &s;ee not the exteriour apparition of it in his &s;acred my&s;teries: here, then how gracious is our God, who (knowing the di&s;|proportion of our under&s;tanding towards an approach to him) hath plac'd the means of our acce&s;s, in our affections? to which facultie of our mind he has imparted a power of advan|cing into his pre&s;ence, ev<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n in this time of the perigrination of our Intellect: for we can love all Gods e&s;&s;ence, while we can under&s;tand but very little of it: the rea&s;on is, this difference between the heart and brain of man, <HI>viz.</HI> by the act of under|&s;tanding, we attract the objects into us, and &s;o contract them to the model of our mind; whereas by that of loving, we effu&s;e and pour forth our &s;elves into the objects. Wherefore our narrowne&s;s is no impediment in this commerce of our love, by rea&s;on we do not receive and lodge them in us, but rather export and tran&s;mit our &s;elves into them: &s;o that Gods <HI>Being</HI> is re&s;trained and contracted to the &s;ize of our capacitie, when we &s;eek to lodge it in our under&s;tanding; but is not at all con|fin'd when our will is i&s;&s;ued out upon it, by this &s;elf-tran&s;|action.</P>
<P>Hereupon we may well form this conclu&s;ion, that in point of heavenly and &s;piritual objects, it avails us more to intend the loving, then the knowing them; and for earthly and ma|terial ones, the under&s;tanding rather then the affecting them. For &s;ince by love we are transform'd into the thing beloved; by our affections, if they fix upon mean and low objects, we mu&s;t needs be level'd to their &s;tations, and have our hearts ex|tenuated to their model; whereas by under&s;tanding matters never &s;o much below us, we do not &s;ink and depre&s;s our &s;elves, but rai&s;e them up to our degree, and give the mo&s;t abject things a noble and pure kind of exi&s;tence in our minds. This rule may therefore ju&s;tly a&s;&s;ign to each of the&s;e faculties of our &s;ouls their proper and mo&s;t congruous adaptations.</P>
<PB N="13" REF="17">
<P>In order to this regulation, we may remember to what God thought fit to apply man<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> knowledge in the be&s;t vigour and in|tegritie of his Intellect;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 2 19.</NOTE> <HI>God having formed out of the earth every bea&s;t of the field and fowl of the air, brought them to Adam to &s;ee what he would call them:</HI> God did not point his &s;cience higher then terre&s;trial matter; he addre&s;&s;ed it not &s;o high as ev'n the matter of the firmament, which was within his &s;ight, he was ask'd nothing of the glorious &s;ub&s;tance of the &s;tars; &s;o far was it from being apply'd to any &s;piritual nature. And may we not fairly argue from hence, that God meant to appro|priate humane knowledge in this terre&s;trial pa&s;&s;age, to that Element through which man was to travel, and that material and earthly things &s;hould be the &s;ubjects of his &s;cience; that is to &s;ay, whereof he &s;hould expect demon&s;trative rea&s;on and &s;a|tisfaction? Wherefore in this inferiour element mans inqui&s;i|tivene&s;s cannot be exorbitant; this is the part of <HI>the world which God hath mo&s;t &s;pecially delivered to mans di&s;putation.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 3.11.</NOTE> Let him then exerci&s;e his brain ev n unto &s;weat, upon &s;ubjects that fall within his orb of demon&s;tration; but re&s;t on the &s;ta|tion of his faith in &s;uch cele&s;tial matters as his rea&s;on upon all her &s;trains towards &s;atisfaction cannot reach; and does but fall back again to the earth, not fix upon a comprehen&s;ion. Let our under&s;tanding acquie&s;ce in this direction of the holy Spirit, <HI>Seek not things higher then thy &s;elf.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 3.22, 24</NOTE> <HI>In &s;uperfluous things &s;earch not many ways, and in many of his works thou &s;halt not be cu|rious.</HI></P>
<P>The right under&s;tanding of this advice, I have already en|deavour'd to deliver you; namely, that we are not di&s;&s;waded from all arguing and di&s;qui&s;ition, ev'n of the mo&s;t &s;ecret my|&s;teries of faith, but only &s;uch as ri&s;e from the itch and tingling of curio&s;itie, or from the tumour of pre&s;umption; when we (as I may &s;ay) only &s;cratch &s;ome heat ri&s;en in our fancie; or when our mind (being &s;wel'd with &s;ome infu&s;ion of knowledg) breaks out into a pre&s;umption of po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing an entire and ade|quate rea&s;on of &s;upernatural verities. Methinks the due man|ner of handling &s;uch &s;piritual matters may be fitly argu'd from
<PB N="14" REF="18"> that of the Woman touching the per&s;on of Chri&s;t: We know the difference he made between his being crowded upon, and his being touch'd; for when a multitude of people pre&s;s'd upon him, he ask'd a que&s;tion his di&s;ciples wonder'd at; name|ly, <HI>who touch'd him?</HI> accounting her only to have done &s;o, who did it with faith and reverence, and to her only was the vertue of his per&s;on i&s;&s;ued. In like manner, tho&s;e methinks, who over-boldly approach the divine my&s;teries by their arguments, may be accounted to intrude and pre&s;s upon God,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luk</HI> 8.</NOTE> but not to touch him; &s;ince no vertue is derived to them by this their vici|nitie. And undoubtedly, they who draw as near as they can to the &s;upernatural verities with their rea&s;on, following faith and humilitie, extract from this kind of touching them, both much vertue towards the cure of that flux of curio&s;itie to which our nature is &s;o liable; as likewi&s;e, much aliment for that charitie whereto it is &s;o indi&s;pos'd.</P>
<P>For in our nature, knowledge precedes love in prioritie of time; &s;ince we can affect nothing whereof we have not &s;ome pre notion; and the clearer our apprehen&s;ion is of the good, the more inten&s;e becomes our love: wherefore all rectified knowledge of God and his my&s;teries proportionably improves our charitie; as the holy P&s;almi&s;t atte&s;ts in this declaration, <HI>My fire kindleth in my meditation.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;urely devout and &s;tudious inqui&s;ition may be account|ed the natural oyl of the wi&s;e Virgins lamps, which feeds and nouri&s;hes the &s;upernatural flame of love, as the combu&s;tible materials which <HI>Elias</HI> had provided, entertain'd the flame that came down from heaven:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Reg.</HI> 3.18.</NOTE> &s;o charitie (which is the divine guift) may be nouri&s;hed and fomented by humane materials. And the purer this oyl of &s;tudie and ratiocination is, the brigh|ter &s;lame of love it produces. Wherefore the holy Spirit ad|vi&s;es us by S. <HI>Peter,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.5.</NOTE> that (in order to our becoming partakers of the divine nature) <HI>We u&s;e all diligence to adde unto our faith vertue, and to vertue knowledge:</HI> from which direction we may infer, that as vertue is a proce&s;&s;ion from faith, &s;o, knowledge is a promotion of vertue; and con&s;equently, that chri&s;tianitie,
<PB N="15" REF="18"> (the end whereof is the exaltation of vertue) requires the pro|&s;ecution of knowledge. We may therefore &s;afely re&s;t upon the deci&s;ion of S. <HI>Bernard</HI> in this inquirie: <HI>Some there are who de|&s;ire to learn, meerly that they may know more then others, and that is a &s;ubtile curio&s;itie; others there are who affect knowing, only that they them&s;elves may be known, and this is a windy vanitie; and there are divers that purcha&s;e knowledge to put it off again by &s;ale, and this is a &s;ordid prophanation of it: but there are &s;ome who pur&s;ue knowledge that they may edifie others, and this is pious charitie; and many de&s;ire to know, that they them&s;elves may be edifi'd and enlightn'd, and this is a zealous prudence. Of all the&s;e the two la&s;t only are not guiltie of the abu&s;e of knowledge, as coveting it in order to the advance of pietie and action.</HI> Wher|fore I may &s;ecurely conclude with S. <HI>Paul</HI> in this &s;ame ca&s;e, that when the fir&s;t &s;tories of wood and &s;traw &s;hall &s;uffer lo&s;s, <HI>the&s;e &s;uper&s;tructures of gold and &s;ilver upon this foundation, &s;hall abide and receive reward.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">How far our inqui&s;itivene&s;s may pa&s;s into the rea&s;on of Gods civil Providence.</HEAD>
<P>VVE are now come to the &s;econd que&s;tion; out of the Church into the &s;treets, (as I may &s;ay,) that is, into the common pa&s;&s;age of providence, through all civil So|cieties; where our nature &s;tands in need of a guide more then in the other &s;piritual ob&s;curities, by rea&s;on the&s;e &s;atisfactions re&s;pect more our pre&s;ent and &s;en&s;ible con&s;olations; and appe|tites &s;imply intellectual, are not incident to all capacities, but de&s;ire, referr'd to civil intere&s;ts, are &s;tirring in all apprehen&s;i|ons. Hence it is that the di&s;cernment of light and order in
<PB N="16" REF="19"> our temporal relations and concernments, &s;eems to the greate&s;t part of the world the mo&s;t important per&s;uance; and con&s;e|quently, they are more moved with the inquiry into the rea&s;ons of civill events, then, either of naturall productions, or religi|ous Con&s;titutions. And &s;urely, this intendment &s;eems not improper; for, as, in the Church, the Congregation may better &s;pare light, when they are a&s;&s;embled and &s;eated, then in the &s;treets, when they are bu&s;ied and commercing; becau&s;e, the action, in the one, is mo&s;t mentall, and the being invi&s;ible to each other, indangers not much di&s;order; whereas, in the other, where the notions are corporeal and &s;en&s;ible, the want of light mu&s;t needs cau&s;e all &s;ort of offence and confu&s;ion: So when we are once &s;eated in our Religion, a clear perception of all the parts and &s;ecrets of it is not &s;o requi&s;ite, in regard that an acquie&s;cence in that ob&s;curity, is a &s;afe po&s;ture; but, to the management and contrivance of our &s;ecular Affairs, there &s;eems more u&s;e of a di&s;cernment of the cau&s;es and circum&s;tances, which either promote or prejudice our ends. Wherefore our &s;ollicitude in order to the comprehen&s;ion of the rea&s;on of civil occurrences, &s;eems not irregular; e&s;pecially con&s;idering the great propen&s;ion of our nature to &s;uch addre&s;&s;es, and the de|light &s;he takes in the&s;e di&s;coveries; it imports much the giving our curio&s;itie a &s;ober direction towards the &s;triking fire and kindling light in the&s;e moral ob&s;curities of Providence; &s;ince we m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y confe&s;s with the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>Clouds and darkne&s;s are round about it.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;.</HI> 97.2.</NOTE></P>
<P>The e&s;&s;ential and interiour my&s;teries of the Deitie have a far different rea&s;on of their impenetrabilitie, from that of the exte|riour emi&s;&s;ions of Gods providence; for tho&s;e dazel us with the exce&s;s of their &s;plendour, and the&s;e blind us by their dimn&s;s and ob&s;curitie: &s;o what is mo&s;t intelligible in it &s;elf, is lea&s;t in relation to us; and what of it &s;elf has the lea&s;t claritie in regard of us, has the mo&s;t per&s;picuitie. This is verified of Gods e&s;&s;ence, and his exteriour orders; of the fir&s;t, God &s;eems to ask <HI>Job</HI> by way of remon&s;trating to him the incapacitie of man,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jeb</HI> 38.19.</NOTE> <HI>De|clare, if thou knowe&s;t where is the way where light dwelleth:</HI> And
<PB N="17" REF="19"> to the &s;econd, the other part of his que&s;tion &s;eems referr'd; <HI>And as for darkne&s;s, Where is the place thereof? that thou can&s;t bring every thing to its borders, and under&s;tand the paths of the hou&s;e thereof.</HI> From whence we may derive an adverti&s;ement again&s;t pre&s;uming to pry after the rea&s;ons of Gods providence in his own tracks and paths, a&s;piring to give an exact account of the intent of all occurrences; which is, to &s;eek the <HI>bringing every thing to his borders:</HI> but we are not &s;erv'd with an inhi|bition in point of our inquirie and inve&s;tigation of &s;ome con|gruous rea&s;on of all civil events and contingencies. For the <HI>holy Spirit</HI> gives us this warrant for a &s;ober and reverent &s;earch into his &s;ecrets, <HI>It is the glory of God to conceal a thing,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Prov.</HI> 25.2.</NOTE> <HI>but the honour of Kings is to &s;earch out a matter:</HI> whence we may infer, that mans intellect may remain &s;ubject to God, while it exer|ci&s;es this royal office of conferring and negotiating with his Privie Councels. And &s;urely though this &s;ort of divine Coun|cels exceeds mans full comprehen&s;ion; yet in &s;ome degree it bends and accommodates it &s;elf to our capacitie: For I con|ceive there can be no divine Order propos'd, re&s;pecting the Univer&s;e, whereof &s;ome general rea&s;on may not be rendred; as there is none likewi&s;e, whereof al the rea&s;on can be exhibited: &s;o invi&s;ible are the upper rings of the chains of Providence, and &s;o con&s;picious are the lower links thereof. Thus then the di|vine Councels partake both the&s;e qualities of being communi|cable, as well as in&s;crutable: I mean the general rea&s;ons of Gods conduct fall within our apprehen&s;ion, not the a&s;&s;ignment of &s;pecial cau&s;es to all particular events. As for in&s;tance, we cannot determine why good things befal this individual per|&s;on, and evil that other; yet we have &s;ome light of the general cau&s;es, why cro&s;&s;es commonly fal upon the vertuous and happi|ne&s;s flows upon the wicked; <HI>viz.</HI> becau&s;e the fir&s;t are u&s;ually to be purg'd by &s;ufferings, and the la&s;t to be puni&s;h'd by their &s;e|curitie: but we cannot di&s;cern whether the one &s;hall finally per&s;evere in his goodne&s;s, and the other remain in his indura|tion; nor indeed can we re&s;olve a&s;&s;uredly which of the two we &s;ee afflicted and pro&s;perous, is the worthy or the unde&s;er|ving
<PB N="18" REF="20"> partie.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 9.2</NOTE> The &s;earcher of hearts delivering us this truth, <HI>Man knows not whether he be worthy of love or hatred, but all things are re&s;erved uncertain for the time to come, becau&s;e all things do equally chance to the just and impious.</HI> So that in this ob&s;cure&s;t part of providence we meet only &s;ome fla&s;hes of light that af|ford us a broken view of the divine Councels, whereof we mu&s;t not expect a compleat manife&s;tation.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh</HI> 9.</NOTE>We may con&s;ider that when the di&s;ciples (in the ca&s;e of the man that was born blind) ask'd our Saviour, To who&s;e &s;in they &s;hould a&s;cribe this evil, to his own, or his parents? Chri&s;t did not di&s;allow their judgment and attribution of this un|happine&s;s to &s;ome demerit, nor reprehend their enquirie after the &s;pecial cau&s;e; but by his an&s;wer he enlightned the inquirers in this point of the incertaintie of their own conclu&s;ions, by declaring the cau&s;e far different from their &s;en&s;es, thereby to inform both them and us, that as man is not prohibited to make his rational di&s;cour&s;e upon Gods apparent judgments; &s;o is he not warranted to fix peremptorie determinations of the &s;pecial rea&s;ons of the divine Orders. And in conformitie to this, <HI>Tertullian</HI> gives us his opinion, <HI>Becau&s;e God the former of all things, contrived, ordained, and di&s;po&s;ed nothing but by rea&s;on; there is nothing that he doth not allow to be treated and di&s;cour&s;ed by rea&s;on:</HI> Which mu&s;t be under&s;tood of &s;uch &s;ubjects as are &s;eated within the precincts of mans rea&s;on; for humane rea&s;on hath a &s;phere as well as &s;en&s;e, beyond which it canno<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> act: What is held of the pure Intelligences, the Angelical &s;ub&s;tances may &s;erve to in&s;truct us in the nature of our humane intellect: for as they are &s;aid not to be in any place, as bodies are, by way of being enclo&s;ed or circum&s;crib'd therein; but by way of being determin'd there, in &s;uch &s;ort as they are not any where el&s;e, without their own &s;phere of activitie: (&s;o that ubiquitie and immen&s;itie is not attributed to them, though inclo&s;ure and circum&s;cription is not proper to their natures, becau&s;e it &s;eems a kind of re&s;traint and confinement, which is not &s;ortable to &s;pirits:) &s;o may we &s;ay of humane rea&s;on, that it has a proper &s;phere, where it is &s;o plac'd that it cannot exceed
<PB N="19" REF="20"> that term and latitude; neverthele&s;s we cannot complain it is bound up or con&s;train'd by this determination. Whence it follows that the amplitude and infranchi&s;ement of humane rea&s;on cannot be &s;aid properly to be impair'd by the&s;e limits and regulations.</P>
<P>This information of Chri&s;t to his di&s;ciples (that,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Act.</HI> 1.7.</NOTE> <HI>it was not for them to know the times and the moments which the Father hath put in his own power</HI>) cannot be accounted a re&s;traint, but ra|ther a rectifying of their under&s;tanding. Let us therefore in particular occurrences which tempt our curio&s;ities to a&s;&s;ign a &s;pecial cau&s;e to &s;uch effects, contain our di&s;cour&s;e within the bounds of generals; for in the inque&s;t of moral cau&s;es, the contrary of this rule, (which is well given in the &s;earch of na|tural) is to be ob&s;erv'd: that is, to draw as near as we can to particulars. In the &s;tudy of natural rea&s;ons, indeed the more we recede from particulars, the more we commonly depart from certainties; becau&s;e the cour&s;e of nature being invariable, ex|periments derived from particulars, afford mo&s;t certaintie in conclu&s;ions: but the cour&s;e of moral rea&s;ons to our eye, runing in no con&s;tant channel, the various effects of the &s;ame apparent cau&s;es, admit not of determin'd re&s;olutions, to fix every &s;ingu|lar event upon the true &s;pecial motive, becau&s;e we cannot di&s;|cern whether the &s;ubject upon whom &s;uch events fall, be qua|lified according to the rule whereby we judge. For who can a&s;&s;ure that this particular per&s;on, &s;eeming vertuous, is really what he appears? and con&s;equently, when he is oppre&s;s'd and afflicted, how can we conclude that he &s;uffers for &s;uch in|tents, as (we may &s;afely judge in general to be) tho&s;e of Di|vine Providence, in permitting the pre&s;ent oppre&s;&s;ion of the innocent? Many like in&s;tances are obvious, wherein we may judge rightly of the general cau&s;es of &s;uch con&s;equences, but very erroneou&s;ly of the particular, pertaining to that &s;ingle occa&s;ion; whereby I may &s;ecurely opine, that the more we drive at &s;ingular rea&s;ons in this part of divine Providence, the farther we depart from certaintie in our deliberations. It is therefore to &s;uch undertakers the Prophet declares this di&s;ap|pointment
<PB N="20" REF="21"> on Gods part;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 40.25.</NOTE> <HI>He makes the &s;earchers of &s;ecrets, as if they were not, and the Judges of the earth as a vain thing.</HI></P>
<P>Let us then upon this premis'd di&s;cour&s;e, &s;um up the&s;e three re&s;olutions: As to the fir&s;t que&s;tion, How far our rea&s;on may venture towards the &s;moaking Mountain of the Divine E&s;&s;ence, the Trinitie, and the Incarnation? The an&s;wer may fitly be taken from Gods order to <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Exod.</HI> 19.21.</NOTE> <HI>Charge your rea&s;on, le&s;t it &s;hould attempt to break through the bounds to gaze upon the&s;e My|&s;teries, and &s;o peri&s;h.</HI> The method ob&s;erv'd in heaven, by S. <HI>John,</HI> upon the opening of the &s;eventh &s;eal, may &s;erve as a direction to us,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Apoc.</HI> 8.</NOTE> in &s;peculating the&s;e &s;eal'd My&s;teries, <HI>There was &s;ilence in heaven about the &s;pace of half an hour:</HI> which words are ea&s;ily reconcil'd to tho&s;e that declare in heaven,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Apoc.</HI> 5 8.</NOTE> <HI>ince&s;&s;ant acclama|tions of HOLY, HOLY, HOLY;</HI> if we but under&s;tand this &s;ilence to denote a profound admiration of that object, unexpre&s;&s;able by any exteriour &s;ign or declaration. Where|fore if that &s;tate of Vi&s;ion affords no more then &s;ilent admira|tion of the&s;e prime objects: can there be any que&s;tion of our ob&s;erving a more profound &s;ilencing our Rea&s;on, and licen&s;ing our Wonder in that conver&s;ation with the&s;e my&s;teries, to which our faith only gives us &s;ome ob&s;cure admi&s;&s;ion? Let us therefore determine our dutie in this point, by the example of the Apo&s;tles, even when they were eating with Chri&s;t after his re&s;urrection,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh.</HI> 29.12.</NOTE> <HI>None of them dur&s;t ask him who he was, knowing that it was the Lord:</HI> &s;o let all our &s;peculations when they are admitted to the mo&s;t familiaritie with the&s;e My&s;teries, be &s;till afraid to inquire directly what they are, remembring that they are Gods own In&s;crutabilitie.</P>
<P>And for the &s;econd, touching the licen&s;e of our &s;earch into the rea&s;ons of lower religious my&s;teries; to the advice I have already exhibited, I &s;hall &s;ubjoin this propo&s;al; <HI>viz.</HI> to ob|&s;erve this caution of the children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> when they &s;aid to <HI>Mo&s;es, Speak thou unto us, and we will hear; but let not God &s;peak to us,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Exod.</HI> 20.19.</NOTE> <HI>le&s;t we die:</HI> that is to &s;ay, Let our Rea&s;on treat with the&s;e matters, by the mediation and interce&s;&s;ion of the <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>'s appointed by Chri&s;t to deliver out his orders, and acquie&s;ce in
<PB N="21" REF="21"> &s;uch &s;atisfactions as they &s;hall offer our Inquiries. And let not our private di&s;cour&s;e affect an immediate communica|tion with the holy &s;pirit, in order to a &s;atisfactorie rea&s;on of the&s;e Divine Ordinances, or pre&s;ume to re&s;olve our belief by any rational argument, independent on the mediate authoritie of the Church: Let our ratiocination in the&s;e ca&s;es be re&s;train|ed by this voice of the Spou&s;e, in the name of her Lord, <HI>What is this to thee? follow thou me.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh.</HI> 21.22.</NOTE></P>
<P>As to the third que&s;tion, re&s;pecting our knowing the ade|quate cau&s;es of moral actions and events, we may annex this memorial, that the pre&s;&s;ure of the di&s;ciples had no direct grant, when they urg'd Chri&s;t with, <HI>Lord &s;hew us the Father.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh.</HI> 14.8.</NOTE> This was a demand of a compleat illumination in all things at once; to which Chri&s;t gives us but ob&s;cure &s;atisfaction, in reply|ing, <HI>He that &s;ees me, &s;ees the Father;</HI> for how the Father dwelt in him &s;eems to have been their doubt, which he left &s;till in a dark re&s;olution. And &s;urely the labouring to po&s;&s;e&s;s the direct and preci&s;e rea&s;on of all humane occurrences, is to affect an in|tru&s;ion into the pre&s;ence of <HI>the Father of lights:</HI> No, we mu&s;t be contented with the light of Univer&s;al Providence, wherein the Divine Wi&s;dome remains cover'd, as God the Father did in his Son <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us;</HI> not to be di&s;cern'd particularly in all circum&s;tances, by the eye of our rea&s;on, no more then the Deitie was in Chri&s;t, by that of &s;en&s;e. Thus then, as we are allow'd to make a grand Inque&s;t upon the general cau&s;es of civil occur|rences; &s;o are we not warranted to bring in our particular ver|dict, towards a po&s;itive &s;entencing the &s;pecial motives of &s;in|gular acts of providence. Wherefore I may fitly addre&s;s this &s;entence of the holy Spirit to the total of the&s;e que&s;tions, (which may ju&s;tly temper all pre&s;umptions on the &s;ufficiencie of humane capacitie) <HI>If any man think that he knows any thing, he knows nothing yet, as he ought to know.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="22" REF="22">
<HEAD>The &s;econd Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Divine Providence. In three Sections.</HEAD>
<P>_THE Word that had no beginning is God him&s;elf:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh.</HI> 1.</NOTE> in, and by this Word were all things made. This is the word of Gods mind;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 1.1</NOTE> the fir&s;t word of his hand is his claim to the creation of Heaven and Earth. A &s;piritual darkne&s;s had almo&s;t over&s;pread the face of the whole earth; when the holy Gho&s;t broke forth this light, in this fir&s;t verbal irradiation upon that intellectual Chaos, whereunto the world &s;eem'd to be return'd, by what we find in the Philo&s;ophers confu&s;ed notions of the fir&s;t cau&s;e and pro|duction of the Univer&s;e: &s;ome &s;pirits re&s;orting to fire, others to water,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 13.</NOTE> &s;ome &s;cattering their imaginations ev'n as far as an innumerable ma&s;s of Atomes, to which they a&s;crib'd a ca&s;ual compact of the earth. In the&s;e di&s;tracted conjectures were the minds of men roving, many admitting ev'n the materials to be the makers of this Univer&s;e, and divers conceiving it to tran&s;cend the &s;tate of having had a beginning, and concluding it eternal. Thus void and formle&s;s for the mo&s;t part was the &s;piritual creation overca&s;t with this darkne&s;s,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts</HI> 14.16.</NOTE> God &s;uffering, as S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>all Nations to walk in their own ways:</HI> When
<PB N="23" REF="22"> over the&s;e waters of ignorance, the Spirit of God did move and ca&s;t forth this &s;hining light.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 1.1</NOTE> <HI>In the beginning God made hea|ven and earth.</HI></P>
<P>They who acknowledge this for the voice of their God, cannot mi&s;doubt his capacitie of conducting all &s;uch things to their proper end, which they confe&s;s, form'd by the &s;ame power out of nothing; for rea&s;on cannot conceive &s;o great a di&s;pro|portion between the Agent and any Act, as is between Nullitie and Entitie. Wherefore, admitting &s;uch an e&s;&s;ence as hath produc'd all &s;ubjects out of vacuitie and nothing; we cannot que&s;tion the &s;ufficiencie of that power, in order to the be&s;t end of his own beginnings. Hence they who are perplex'd in the attribution of all effects to the Divine Providence, do not for the mo&s;t part contemptuou&s;ly implead Gods power; but ra|ther with a &s;eeming re&s;pectfulne&s;s, &s;cruple the intere&s;ting his goodne&s;s in many irregular and unju&s;t occurrences in the cour&s;e of moral cau&s;es; and thus &s;eem rather to make God a com|plement, then to intend a contumacie again&s;t his Providence. Such weak Spirits deal, methinks, with God as S. <HI>Peter</HI> did with Chri&s;t: when he acquainted him with the &s;ufferings and indignities he was to undergo in <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> S. <HI>Peter</HI> an&s;wer'd with a re&s;pectful diffidence, &s;aying, <HI>Lord far be it from thee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat:</HI> 16.22.</NOTE> <HI>this &s;hall not be unto thee;</HI> covering the infirmitie of his faith with the tenderne&s;s and e&s;timation of his Ma&s;ters per&s;on: after this manner do &s;uch timorous &s;u&s;pen&s;ions, (which &s;cruple the a&s;cribing &s;uch orders to God, as they cannot adju&s;t to their own mea&s;ures of equitie; apprehending tho&s;e di&s;po&s;ures un|worthy of Gods contrivement,) &s;helter the feeblene&s;s of their under&s;tandings under a &s;uppo&s;ed firmne&s;s of their religious re|verence. The&s;e weak friends of God Almightie may well be an&s;wer'd, as <HI>Job</HI> did his mi&s;taking comforters:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 13.7.5.</NOTE> <HI>Doth God &s;tand in need of your lye? I wi&s;h you would altogether hold your peace, and it &s;hould be your wi&s;dom.</HI></P>
<P>But in regard of our being advi&s;ed to <HI>receive the weak in faith, but not unto doubtful di&s;putations:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 14.1.</NOTE> I &s;hall apply my ca|pacitie to the removing from &s;uch ingenuous &s;ouls, &s;ome little
<PB N="24" REF="23"> &s;tones of &s;candal, which lye in the way of pious pa&s;&s;engers through the rode of <HI>Providence;</HI> and taking them from under their feet, where they might indanger them, I &s;hall labour to put them into their hands; placing them in &s;uch &s;piritual &s;lings wherewith they may encounter and overthrow all tho&s;e arro|gant <HI>Phili&s;tims,</HI> who <HI>upbraid the Ho&s;t of the living God,</HI> revi|ling the confe&s;&s;ors of Divine Providence in all occurrences, as the mo&s;t repugnant to their own di&s;cour&s;e. And I confide, by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the &s;ame Providence, that my hands will be enabled to gather up the&s;e &s;tones out of the High-way, and to arm others out of the very &s;ame matter of their own offence; by which means the &s;eeming <HI>crooked ways of Providence &s;hall be made &s;traight, and the rough become &s;mooth,</HI> for the feet of &s;uch little ones as ingenuou&s;ly de&s;ire to make &s;traight &s;teps in the mazes of the Divine Admini&s;tration of the Univer&s;e.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the Introduction of evil into the world.</HEAD>
<P>HAving apprehended God under this notion of an Omni|&s;cient and Omnipotent goodne&s;s,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jam.</HI> 1.17.</NOTE> <HI>from whom every good and perfect gift de&s;cends, as from the father of lights, with whom there is no variablene&s;s or &s;hadow of alteration:</HI> the great que&s;ti|on is, how we can admit the lea&s;t &s;hadow of evil among his pro|ductions, without &s;ome derogation from his perfection: &s;ince, as natural &s;hadows are made by the re&s;i&s;tance of &s;ome bodie, to the pa&s;&s;age and tran&s;ition of light: &s;o the moral &s;hadow of evil &s;eems to re&s;ult from the oppo&s;ition of &s;ome thing, to the penetration and transfu&s;ion of the &s;upream goodne&s;s; which capacitie of excluding it bears &s;ome colour of detraction from that vertuous omnipotence. What &s;eems mo&s;t &s;trange at the
<PB N="25" REF="23"> fir&s;t a&s;pect towards the di&s;cu&s;&s;ion of this difficultie, is, that while we &s;eek to di&s;tance the &s;pring of evil, the mo&s;t we can from the divine e&s;&s;ence, we mu&s;t rai&s;e our &s;peculation as near God as we can; to find the original defection from goodne&s;s, we mu&s;t &s;oar as high as ev'n the &s;ublime&s;t created nature; the fir&s;t ex|terior mirror, wherein God by reflection &s;aw his own &s;imi|litude. For from this &s;upream Angel and orb of light, was derived the fir&s;t ecclip&s;e and ob&s;curation of it; in&s;omuch, that we may &s;ay of the fir&s;t &s;piritual creation, the contrarie to what is recorded of the material, <HI>viz.</HI> that this &s;ub&s;tance was full and in perfect form, and light was upon the face of it; and the &s;pirit of <HI>Lucifer</HI> (moving upon the face of his own nature) &s;aid, <HI>Let there be darkne&s;s, and there was darkne&s;s:</HI> for the holy Spi|rit brings this charge again&s;t him:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ezek.</HI> 29.17.</NOTE> <HI>Thine heart was lifted up becau&s;e of thy beauty, thou ha&s;t corrupted thy wi&s;dome by rea&s;on of thy brightne&s;s.</HI> Thus was the fir&s;t corruption of good (a term the mo&s;t remote from God) deriv'd from a point the neare&s;t him&s;elf of all his productions, namely, the &s;upreme&s;t Angel.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;s, this con&s;ideration is &s;o far from approaching God, towards any deficiencie of power or goodne&s;s; that rightly ponder'd, it removes his providence the mo&s;t of any I can apprehend from any colour of que&s;tion or redargution. For doth not the excellencie of this creature clear Gods intend|ing his perpetuitie in this perfection: &s;ince he was &s;o fortifi'd by nature, as there was nothing left to vitiate him, but the over-valuation of his own excellencie? Had he &s;een any created ob|ject who&s;e &s;imilitude he might have affected in re&s;pect of that precedencie; had his under&s;tanding been form'd but ev'n &s;o incompleat, as to admit of &s;o much as po&s;&s;ible ignorance, whether his de&s;ires were competent to his degree: this might have been &s;train'd towards a charge upon the <HI>Divine Provi|dence</HI> in this creation. But when there was nothing extant in his nature for an object of emulation, and the only thing above his nature was a being uncapable of &s;educement, (there being no entrie left for an evil appetite, except the freedome of his own will to break the order of his excellencie, by an inor|dinate
<PB N="26" REF="24"> a&s;pirement) what colour of impeachment is there left to lay upon the Providence that form'd this admirable Na|ture?</P>
<P>I will not enter into the di&s;qui&s;ition of what &s;ort of pride &s;tain'd this primitive puritie; whether it were an exce&s;&s;ive dile|ctation in his own natural beatitude as his la&s;t term, neglecting the &s;upernatural glory whereunto he was to attain by grace: or whether he affected his advancement to that &s;tate by his own connatural abilitie. My &s;peculation &s;ugge&s;ts to me this opi|nion, that it was a wi&s;h or a velleitie of &s;uch an independencie upon his Creator, as &s;hould render him as &s;elf-&s;ufficient in his own nature, as he knew God to be in his e&s;&s;ence: for though his knowledge could not admit the error of &s;uch a project as an equalitie with God; yet might it allow him the propo&s;ing a proportionate Independencie to that of the divine e&s;&s;ence, &s;uch as le&s;&s;er Soveraigns have in re&s;pect of greater Monarchs. But though our imaginations are left the libertie of a&s;&s;igning this fault to divers &s;orts of pride; yet our faith re&s;trains us to the believing the inve&s;ture of this creature in &s;upereminent per|fections both of grace and nature; in&s;omuch, as (could we &s;uppo&s;e his Creator doubtful of any future contingencie) we might &s;ay, he could not &s;u&s;pect the prevarication of &s;uch a na|ture; of which the holy Spirit &s;eems to ask this que&s;tion in &s;ome kind of wonder:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 14.12.</NOTE> <HI>How art thou faln from heaven (O Lucifer!) &s;on of the morning?</HI> Does not then the con&s;ideration of Gods tran&s;cendent munificence to this creature, fully refute all &s;cruple of his partaking in the introduction of evil into his creation?</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ezek.</HI> 28.</NOTE>Had a le&s;s beautiful <HI>flower of Paradice,</HI> out of an overblown appetite of undue excellencie, &s;hed this fir&s;t &s;eed of iniquitie; had an Angel of an inferior Hierarchie in di&s;dain of the order of his dependencie on the &s;uperior for illumination, rais'd the fir&s;t revolt upon this claim of <HI>I will a&s;cend and be like the mo&s;t high</HI> of my fellow creatures: this deflection from the rectitude of his order, had doubtle&s;s been &s;ufficient demerit to their maker. Yet methinks, this ca&s;e &s;eems to admit a more &s;pecious excu&s;e
<PB N="27" REF="24"> for the creature; and con&s;equently, would come nearer the reflecting on the providence of the Creator, for having left &s;uch a motive to this a&s;piring, as the&s;e unequal per|fections.</P>
<P>Suppo&s;e we likewi&s;e, that <HI>heaven had remained pure in his &s;ight, and he had not charged his Angels with follie,</HI> but the fir&s;t &s;eed of evil had &s;prung out of the root of humane nature; that the tongue of the &s;erpent had not &s;tung the innocent &s;tate of <HI>Adam,</HI> but without this exteriour temptation he had repin'd at his re&s;training precept, and &s;lipt into di&s;obedience; the commencement of evil thus, in this weaker nature would not have appear'd &s;o far from Gods intendment, becau&s;e of the admi&s;&s;ion of it, by a being more liable to deficiencie, then the Angelical.</P>
<P>Wherefore upon this examination of the entrie of evil into the Creation, wherein Gods provi&s;ion again&s;t it appears &s;o un|que&s;tionable; I conceive this verified, that the nearer we find the deficient cau&s;e of evil to the Divine E&s;&s;ence, the more is all &s;cruple of Gods contribution towards it remov'd from our ap|prehen&s;ion.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Di&s;cour&s;ing the permi&s;sion of the fall of Angels.</HEAD>
<P>OUR &s;peculations being entred, as it were, into the &s;e|cond vail of the Tabernacle, methinks, &s;ome curious attenders propo&s;e to them; the offering to draw the curtain be|fore the Holy of Holies, and to look into the mo&s;t inward my|&s;terie of Gods Providence; namely, his permi&s;&s;ion of the fall of Angels; who&s;e ruine he fore&s;aw before their creation, when
<PB N="28" REF="25"> nullitie &s;eems unto mo&s;t preferrable before extream mi&s;erie: &s;uch &s;ubtile enquirers may be pleas'd to remember, that many who had acce&s;s into the &s;econd vail, were not admitted into the third and mo&s;t &s;acred part of the Tabernacle: yet, as they were allow'd to direct the fume of their incen&s;e, towards the overture and partition of the holie&s;t curtain, and their perfume pa&s;&s;'d farther then their per&s;ons; &s;o in this my&s;terious man&s;ion of Divine Providence, whither our concluding rea&s;on is not admitted, (<HI>viz.</HI> into the mo&s;t &s;ecret retreats of Gods wi&s;dom) our di&s;cur&s;ive &s;peculation, fired with reverence and admiration may be addre&s;&s;ed, fuming and breathing forth a good odour of honour towards that incomprehen&s;ible E&s;&s;ence, in which <HI>are hid all the trea&s;ures of wi&s;dom and knowledge.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Col.</HI> 3</NOTE></P>
<P>With this prote&s;tation, that we do not lift up our &s;peculati|ons to make a &s;hew, but an offering of them in the Temple; we may con&s;ider that God mu&s;t have created the Angels ei|ther actually, in his pre&s;ence; or el&s;e &s;tated them in their way and acce&s;s towards it. If in the fir&s;t, might not there &s;eem &s;ome incongruitie, that a Being which had a beginning, &s;hould be at once begun and arriv'd at the la&s;t term of the nature there|of; &s;ince this propertie &s;eems peculiar to that E&s;&s;ence, which having no beginning, can have no medium towards an end, as containing all in the &s;tate of an eternal exi&s;tence? and how to di&s;tingui&s;h from an eternal Being, that which is con&s;ummate as &s;oon as it <HI>is,</HI> (with out the interpo&s;ure of any conceiveable &s;pace) exceeds my apprehen&s;ion; Eternitie it &s;elf being but an indivi&s;ible &s;tate of all duration without any change. And this mu&s;t have been the ca&s;e of the Angels, admitting them produc'd actually, in pre&s;ence of the Divine E&s;&s;ence.</P>
<P>Admitting the &s;econd manner, of their being &s;et in a way towards their end, which requir'd &s;ome con&s;equent act for their promotion: If we &s;uppo&s;e them &s;o powerfully conduct|ed by the will of their Creator, that they could not &s;lip awry in their proce&s;&s;ion; might not this interim of their tran&s;ition &s;eem vain in re&s;pect of the &s;u&s;pen&s;ion of a &s;tate whereof they could not fail, and whereunto they were to attain, without any
<PB N="29" REF="25"> contribution of their own free Acts? might not this interpo|&s;ure of delay &s;eem an undue pain to &s;uch natures as could wi&s;h nothing but that fruition?</P>
<P>Moreover, why may we not argue a greater noblene&s;s of nature from their capacitie of erring, then from a &s;tate of ne|ce&s;&s;ary indeficiencie; &s;ince the power of election endears the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the mo&s;t &s;piritual goods; as we may exemplifie by this in&s;tance: The fir&s;t principles of knowledge wherewith our under&s;tandings are nece&s;&s;arily po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, (being imprinted in them before any voluntary di&s;cour&s;e) affect not the mind with any delight, (as the knowledge that the whole is greater then the part, or that every effect has a cau&s;e; and many the like notorious verities &s;tamp'd upon our rational nature;) but what delectation the &s;oul finds in knowing re&s;ults from tho&s;e acqui&s;itions &s;he makes by her own voluntarie acts, the di&s;cove|ries &s;he makes by her free exerci&s;e are the objects of her delight, deriving conclu&s;ions out of her free faculties. In &s;ome report to this &s;tate of our minds, why may we not infer, that tho&s;e Intellectual &s;pirits by their voluntarie election of the &s;upream &s;piritual good obtain'd more joy then they would have done, by a nece&s;&s;ary adherence to that object?</P>
<P>Nor can we argue from Gods infallibilitie and exemption from a capacitie of error, the conveniencie of that &s;tate for a creature, becau&s;e God is Truth it &s;elf; &s;o that the lea&s;t di|gre&s;&s;ing from it, were a de&s;truction of his own E&s;&s;ence: where|fore his &s;urpa&s;&s;ing the po&s;&s;ibilitie of erring, is not a contracti|on, but a con&s;equence of his omnipotence; in&s;omuch as he cannot be &s;aid po&s;&s;ibly to be without the liberty of failing, but to be above it. But it will not follow, that this were a pro|per nature for a creature; which &s;pringing from nothing, im|mediately to an impo&s;&s;ibilitie of being defective; there might &s;eem too little difference between the original goodne&s;s by E&s;&s;ence, and the derivative by Participation. Wherefore Di|vines di&s;pute without irreverence, whether God can create a creature, which by the vertue of his &s;ingle nature might de&s;erve the beatifical Vi&s;ion? &s;o that the freedome from any aptne&s;s
<PB N="30" REF="26"> or propen&s;ion to errour, is as high a communication of good, as can be wi&s;h'd to a partaking goodne&s;s: nay, ev'n the liber|tie of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing &s;eems no diminution to the dignity of &s;uch a Being; for the capacitie of meriting &s;omewhat from the Cre|ator innobles more the nature then a nece&s;&s;itie of beatitude could, excluding all means of co-operation.</P>
<P>And may we not conceive that God is more glorified by a free act of his creature directed to the honouring him, then by his own &s;ingle purpo&s;e of ble&s;&s;ing his creature? For certainly if God could receive an acce&s;&s;ion of joy reflected from his works; we may apprehend it more likely to be deriv'd from a weaker voluntary love, then from a &s;tronger nece&s;&s;ary adhe|rence to his goodne&s;s: for in this he &s;ees but the effect of his power, and in the other a con&s;equence of his own amiablene&s;s in a free love and adoration. And to con&s;ider God, leaving it in the power of his &s;upreme&s;t creature to love him or no, is in my apprehen&s;ion, a mo&s;t admirable proof of his Divine Inde|pendencie and Self-&s;ufficiencie. So that rationally, the &s;tate wherein this &s;ublime&s;t Being was produc'd, &s;eems to my con|ception, the mo&s;t &s;ortable to the Divinitie of God, and the due relation of a creature.</P>
<P>If after this it be ask'd (con&s;idering the ultimate term of this Intellectual nature to be a nece&s;&s;arie adherence of his will to the love of God) whether a nece&s;&s;arie fixure of it in his pa&s;&s;age had not been an earlyer felicitie? I offer this &s;atisfacti|on; that in the la&s;t &s;tate of his perfection, the under&s;tanding (being perfected by the Divine Vi&s;ion) fixes and determines the will, which &s;eems a fair and orderly con&s;equence; but to &s;uppo&s;e the will invariably center'd antecedently to the accom|pli&s;hment of the under&s;tanding, when its nature is to follow the apprehen&s;ion, appears a kind of irregularitie. And this mu&s;t have been the con&s;titution of the Angels; if they had been created impeccable, yet di&s;tant from the pre&s;ence of the Divine E&s;&s;ence. Moreover we may adde this, that the beatifical Vi&s;ion may be con&s;ider'd either under the re&s;pect of a reward, or of a &s;imple perfection; as the fir&s;t, it relates to an intrin&s;ick worth and
<PB N="31" REF="26"> &s;ome proportionatene&s;s in the enjoyer; under the la&s;t notion, it denotes only an infinite excellencie in the conferrer. And is not Gods goodne&s;s more exalted by his imparting &s;o rare a gift, as a capacitie of &s;ome contribution on the creatures part, towards an eternal beatitude; then it would be by his nece&s;&s;i|tating this fruition? Is not the will a nobler power moving freely, though by a le&s;s-noble mover of it, then it would be, carryed pa&s;&s;ively by an extrin&s;ick though a purer vertue? Me|thinks we may in &s;ome &s;ort illu&s;trate the melioritie of this &s;tate of free-will in Angels, by &s;ome of their mini&s;terial acts among&s;t men: as when an Angel forms a bodie of air in perfect hu|mane &s;imilitude, and moves this &s;pecious bodie to and fro without the concurrence of any organi&s;ed parts; the mover in this ca&s;e is a more noble agent then when a natural body moves by the vertue of his own form and organs, as much as an Angel is worthier then a &s;oul. Neverthele&s;s we cannot &s;ay that the motion of the&s;e inanimate &s;pecies is a nobler action then the vital &s;tirring of a humane body; &s;o if God him&s;elf &s;hould have forceably conducted the will of Angels to their la&s;t term; albeit the mover had been more excellent, might not the motion have been accounted le&s;s perfect, by rea&s;on of the deadne&s;s and inanimatene&s;s of the &s;ubject mov'd? which might have been conceived rather a re&s;emblance, then a lively realitie of a will wanting the vital facultie of electing.</P>
<P>Upon the&s;e con&s;iderations I may opine with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to &s;uperiour judgments, that the Angels were produc'd in a more noble &s;tate, then if they had been rendred impeccable by the re&s;traint of their elective faculty: and I am per&s;waded that the highe&s;t &s;train of their<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Accidental beatitude is what joy the Angels and Saints receive in other &s;pi|ritual objects&punc; be&s;ides the divine E&s;&s;ence.</NOTE> accidental Beatitude, is the eternal reflection upon this fir&s;t voluntary Act of adherence to their Creator; and that this contemplation rai&s;es their three notes of <HI>HOLY, HOLY, HOLY,</HI> the higher, and ca&s;ts their crowns the lower before his throne, from whom they receiv'd this capacitie of co-operating in their own eleva|tion.</P>
<PB N="32" REF="27">
<P>If upon an&s;wer to this chief Article any tender curio&s;itie &s;hould enter this other Interrogatory, how the crime and the &s;entence can be adju&s;ted, the offence being finite, and the pe|nalty infinite? To this may be reply'd, that Gods goodne&s;s mu&s;t needs be ju&s;tified, when ev'n the excellencie of the nature of Angels occa&s;ions this &s;everitie; &s;ince from the dignity of their intellect, ari&s;es the invariablene&s;s of their wills, by rea&s;on that their judgments (being not form'd by divi&s;ible and &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ive di&s;cour&s;e, but &s;pringing up at once from a pre&s;ent intui|tion of the whole object of all compounded rea&s;onings) can|not varie, finding no new matter to move them: and con&s;e|quently, the will being fa&s;tned to the under&s;tanding, cannot &s;tir towards an alteration. This truth we experiment in the ope|ration of our &s;oul; for the judgments we make concerning the fir&s;t principles of rea&s;on, are always fix'd and immoveable, becau&s;e we judge of them without farther di&s;cour&s;e, by our fir&s;t &s;ingle apprehen&s;ion. As for in&s;tance, we may remember we never alter our conceit of the totals being more then any part of the &s;um; and many the like &s;imple acts of our under&s;tanding ap|prehending notions without any motion of di&s;cour&s;e. This be|ing then the eminent perfection of the Angelical Intellect to apprehend and conclude by the fir&s;t a&s;pect, it renders their will immoveable towards any retractation of their fir&s;t error; and con&s;equently their fault irremi&s;&s;able: for &s;urely there are none &s;o indulgent as to wi&s;h Gods pardoning a continued act of ha|tred and provocation.</P>
<P>And undoubtedly they who conceited an expiration of their pains, &s;uppo&s;ed likewi&s;e a ce&s;&s;ancie of their &s;in; and happily if that could intermit, there would in&s;tantly follow a reconci|liation with their Creator: (&s;ince in tho&s;e pure Intellects there can be no middle indifferent act between love and hatred.) For if the ble&s;&s;ed Spirits were glorified (as many hold) upon their fir&s;t-in&s;tants love of God; why may we not allow the &s;ame mercie to the fir&s;t relenting application of the faln Angels? But however, by this di&s;cour&s;e we find that the infinitie of their mi&s;ery re&s;ults from a perver&s;ion of the preheminence of their na|tural
<PB N="33" REF="27"> abilities; whereby ev'n the lea&s;t &s;hadow of &s;cruple va|ni&s;hes from about the lu&s;tre of divine equitie.</P>
<P>But &s;uppo&s;ing their invariable &s;tate of &s;in and &s;ufferance, ev'n the flames of their tortures afford us light, whereby to di&s;cern the ju&s;tice of divine Providence. For, be&s;ides the bright beams of Gods power and ju&s;tice, which &s;hine in every eye, methinks, by the help of &s;ome pro&s;pective &s;peculation, we may di&s;cry certain rayes of Gods mercie, nay, ev'n of his love, in their doleful condition. In which examination, we mu&s;t fir&s;t confe&s;s the crime of the&s;e (then happy) &s;pirits, to have been the highe&s;t point of iniquitie their nature could admit. For in regard of beginning, it was, at lea&s;t, from one of the fir&s;t exerci&s;es of their freedome; Chri&s;t witne&s;&s;es this again&s;t them, that <HI>from the beginning they &s;tood not in the truth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh.</HI> 8.44.</NOTE> And how many millions of Ages, according to our accompt, may this &s;in have been extant, &s;ince (it is held by all the Greek Fa|thers that) they were created before the material World; and their origine being not &s;pecified in the Word of God, the opinion is left free. So that in point of duration, we may con|ceive the crime as near being eternal as we can apprehend a beginning act. And for the malignity of its nature, we cannot imagine it more tran&s;cendent, being no le&s;s then the mo&s;t &s;uper|lative pride and ingratitude; whereof <HI>Lucifer</HI> &s;tands convict by this te&s;timony of the holy Spirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 14.</NOTE> <HI>I will a&s;cend up into hea+ven and be like the mo&s;t High.</HI> Which irritation was the highe&s;t offence a created nature could reach to; and yet the puni&s;h|ment was no way commen&s;urate to Gods power of revenge: for, as we have &s;hewn the extent of it to eternitie, to be rather an effect of the Angels wilful ob&s;tinacie, then of Gods po&s;itive order; &s;o is the inten&s;ivene&s;s and extremitie of the pain (which is left, as I may &s;ay, to Gods arbitrement) &s;taid, much &s;hort of infinitie. God could have &s;train'd their rack far higher then he did; and we may ob&s;erve &s;oberly, many clemencies and mitigations in their ca&s;es. Fir&s;t, after their &s;entence of perpetual impri&s;onment, doth not God permit them to goe abroad to <HI>inhabit the air, to compa&s;s the earth?</HI> which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ppears
<PB N="34" REF="28"> to be &s;ome &s;atisfaction by their &s;uing to Chri&s;t for the continu|ance of that liberty; and were they not allow'd for many ages, a &s;eeming dominion of this world, in&s;omuch that they dur&s;t own the right of di&s;po&s;ing it, ev'n before God him&s;elf? Were they not permitted to be ador'd by the Monarchs of the earth, and to re&s;ide in &s;uch magnificent Temples, as &s;avor'd more of their being Princes then pri&s;oners? nay, are they not &s;uffer'd to abide ev'n in the Temple of God, the body of man, and to exerci&s;e their appetites therein? And which is above all, were they not granted &s;ome power, ev'n over the body of God and Man, in the per&s;on of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, when they were allow'd to carry him to and fro? how often did he vouch&s;afe to conver&s;e with them? where we may note, that they never ask'd any thing of him relating to their own ea&s;e, but he accorded it; as in tho&s;e two ca&s;es wherein they were &s;uitors, not to be tortured by him,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Marc.</HI> 9.</NOTE> and not to be remanded to their pri&s;on; he gave them that new lodging they propos'd, granting the &s;ame large quarter the Legion reque&s;ted, in the herd of Swine. Therefore if <HI>Lucifer</HI> (whom we may well &s;uppo&s;e to have had the honor of con|ducting Chri&s;t by the eminence of the act, as well as by the prerogative of the claim to the world) if he, I &s;ay, in &s;tead of offering his forg'd title in exchange of adoration, had duely acknowledg'd the right owner of the world, and faln down and wor&s;hipp'd Chri&s;t, in recognition of his Deitie and his own dutie, tendring his mini&s;try towards the undeceiving the world in point of his pretended dominion: why may we not &s;uppo&s;e that this humble &s;uit, tending to Gods honour, might have mov'd Chri&s;t more then tho&s;e which re&s;pected meerly the Devils own ea&s;e, and yet were obtain'd? had he then upon the top of the Mountain aim'd thus at a&s;cending into heaven, by falling down at this &s;ummons,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 4.</NOTE> <HI>Thou &s;halt adore the Lord thy God, and him only &s;halt thou &s;erve:</HI> this po&s;&s;ibly might have been ac|cepted for a retractation of his fir&s;t pre&s;uming to &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>E&s;ay.</HI> 14.</NOTE> <HI>I will &s;it in the mount of the Congregation, I will a&s;cend above the height of the clouds:</HI> by this counter-fal to his fir&s;t, he might, hap|pily, have re-a&s;cended to his de&s;ign'd &s;tation; and by his
<PB N="35" REF="28"> Creator, been really <HI>transfigured into an Angel of Light.</HI></P>
<P>How near this conception reaches to preci&s;e truth, I need not examine, &s;ince all pious &s;peculations are not circum&s;crib'd within the limits of reveal'd verities: they may pa&s;s forward beyond them all, provided they reflect not directly back again&s;t any of them; which method I have, with reverence, intended to ob&s;erve. And I may likewi&s;e hope to have reach'd this point I &s;tood for, of &s;hewing you &s;ome claritie of Gods mercie and benignitie, ev'n in tho&s;e flames which afford no &s;uch light to their patients; for their crime has been evidenc'd to want the lea&s;t colour of extenuation, and yet their judgment has been manife&s;ted in many re&s;pects, &s;hort of the extreame&s;t &s;e|veritie: &s;o that to this ca&s;e we may fitly apply that of the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t,</HI> &s;poken for the illu&s;tration of Divine Providence, not only <HI>day unto day uttereth &s;peech,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 19.2.</NOTE> <HI>but even night unto night &s;heweth knowledge.</HI></P>
<P>If we have perceiv'd &s;ome &s;parks of Gods mercie flying about ev'n in this center of darkne&s;s; we &s;hall ea&s;ily di&s;cern many flames of his love &s;hining the brighter in the region of light, and rendred more inten&s;e by the&s;e contrarieties. May we not conceive ble&s;&s;ed S. <HI>Michael</HI> enjoying all his elder bro|thers de&s;ign'd inheritance? which he forfeited before po&s;&s;e&s;&s;i|on, and the other <HI>acquired, by con&s;ecrating him&s;elf to the Lord in the bloud of his rebellious brother:</HI> undoubtedly he beholds eternally his own faithful Motto, <HI>Who is like unto God?</HI> writ in his forehead, in &s;uch golden characters, that they &s;hew him his crown cover'd with one lay of gold the more, as a due &s;poil of this his victory. And &s;urely, the two parts of the fix'd &s;tars &s;hine perpetually the brighter, by the di&s;tribution of tho&s;e rayes among them that were de&s;ign'd for that third part, which fa&s;tned them&s;elves to the Dragons tail; in&s;o|much as there was not the lea&s;t atome of grace or glory in|tended for the Creature, lo&s;t to the Univer&s;alitie, though for|feited by the Individuals; for what was retrenched, as to the extent of it to more, was &s;upply'd by the inten&s;ives of it in the fewer; whereby the Divine Ju&s;tice was fully di&s;play'd, and
<PB N="36" REF="29"> the bountie not at all contracted. And by this means al&s;o there is not one grain <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;s of love return'd to God from the whole &s;tock of his Crea ures, then <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> hav<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">en by the beati|tude of each particular; by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">&s;on the degrees of imparted glory, rai&s;e proportion <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ely tho&s;e of r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">flected love; and con|&s;equently, if the C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eature, in general indures no abatement of his prepared glory, the Creator can find no diminution in his tribute of dilection.</P>
<P>And &s;uppo&s;ing this admirable order of di&s;tributing the por|tions of the demeriting children to the de&s;erving; we may conceive not only the felicitie of the ble&s;&s;ed Spirits indeared to them, by the contemplation of the other extream, as is decla|red by the holy Spirit in the&s;e words,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;.</HI> 57.</NOTE> <HI>The righteous &s;hall rejoyce when he &s;ees vengeance:</HI> but we may likewi&s;e apprehend the accur&s;ed Angels highly puni&s;h'd by the pro&s;pect of their own de&s;ign'd glories, &s;hining in the Crowns of their vanqui&s;hers. This intimation may well be part of their accidental cur&s;e; wherein the divine Providence may be honour'd by this ad|mirable act of puni&s;hing enemies, not by &s;everitie to them|&s;elves, but by liberality to friends. Here we may properly joyn with the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> in his admiration of <HI>One Aby&s;s calls upon another:</HI> the deep of Ju&s;tice &s;eems to flow into that of Mercie, and mutually to rai&s;e each other: for by this reciprocal per|ception of the pains and plea&s;ures of each &s;tate,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Apoc.</HI> 14.11. <HI>Apoc.</HI> 21.</NOTE> <HI>the &s;meke of tho&s;e torments which a&s;cends up for ever and ever</HI> may be &s;aid to perfume heaven, when it comes thither; and <HI>the water of the cele&s;tial Jeru&s;alem</HI> (when it falls after this manner into the center of the earth) turns into fre&s;h &s;ulphur, to &s;harpen and intend the flame. And thus we may imagine, that the <HI>drop of water</HI> which <HI>Dives</HI> beg'd, gave <HI>Lazarus</HI> &s;ome new refre&s;hment, and the fulne&s;s of his &s;treams reflected to the others drought &s;ome new inflammation. So while we contemplate the Divine Providence, drawing not only light out of the darkne&s;s of hell, but ev'n multiplying that darkne&s;s by the rayes of heaven, we may fitly clo&s;e up our &s;peculation with the a&s;toni&s;hment of the
<PB N="37" REF="29"> Prophet. <HI>Who &s;hall declare the powers of our Lord, and make known all his wayes?</HI></P>
<P>In offering up this incen&s;e of prai&s;e to the Divine Provi|dence, I have not pre&s;um'd to &s;tir any ring of the curtain about the <HI>Holy of Holies;</HI> having not &s;o much as pretended to give any po&s;itive rea&s;on of this in&s;crutable my&s;terie of the fall of Angels. My &s;peculations adventur'd but to look towards the Vail, and pretend to &s;ee but &s;uch a kind of gloomy light, as pa&s;&s;es through a dark colour'd traver&s;e, within which there is a great flame; &s;uch a manner of ob&s;curitie remains in the cleare&s;t conceptions we can produce upon this my&s;terious &s;ub|ject. Nor is our &s;peculation, upon the <HI>arcana</HI> of the &s;tate of the&s;e &s;pirits forbid; provided, they look in that order, which ev'n the &s;ix wing'd <HI>Seraphim</HI> upon the throne did ob&s;erve; who, <HI>with two of his wings cover'd his face, and with two his feet,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>E&s;ay.</HI> 6.</NOTE> <HI>and with the other two did flye:</HI> the vailing his face &s;ignified a re|verend confe&s;&s;ion, that the intellect, ev'n of the highe&s;t An|gels, was incapable of fully penetrating the Divine my&s;teries; the covering his feet imply'd a &s;hame to own, in his actions or advances, (whereof the feet are &s;ymbols) a proportionate ap|proach towards the comprehen&s;ion of Gods orders; and the flying with the other two wings imported the ardencie of his de&s;ire and affections to make &s;ome progre&s;s and advance in the perception of the Divine de&s;ignments.</P>
<P>This method I have &s;incerely propos'd to my &s;peculations, whereof I humbly acknowledge the di&s;proportion, as to the touching the &s;pecial rea&s;on of tho&s;e my&s;teries they have di&s;|cour&s;ed; and in this regard I &s;end them not abroad bare fac'd, confiding in their per&s;picacitie; nor do I pre&s;ume upon their having gain'd &s;o much ground towards the re&s;olution of this holy &s;ecret, as to dare look upon their feet: yet I may mo|de&s;tly own the fervent de&s;ire of making &s;ome advance, in the contemplation of this &s;o &s;ublime and &s;ecret my&s;terie: In order whereunto, I have adventur'd this expan&s;ion of my thoughts, to make &s;ome flight upwards, towards this mo&s;t inward re|ce&s;s of providence, re&s;pecting the Angelical e&s;tate.</P>
<PB N="38" REF="30">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Apoc.</HI> 5.</NOTE>Nor have we rea&s;on to lament, that <HI>none is found worthie upon earth to open nor to look upon this book:</HI> the adoring the &s;eals becomes the members, and the opening of them is re&s;erv'd to the head, who is worthy and able to un&s;eal it. For us, while we &s;ee here with our own eyes, our part is to look more towards his humilitie then his &s;cience; when we become like him, we &s;hall &s;ee with his eyes; and then the Angelical claritie will be but a proportionate object for our &s;ight: till when tho&s;e who have the be&s;t tun'd <HI>harps of God,</HI> ought to intend the &s;inging humbly, <HI>this &s;ong of the Lamb</HI> here, that they may &s;ing it triumphantly when they &s;tand upon the <HI>Sea of Gla&s;s; Great and marvellous are thy works,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Apoc.</HI> 15.</NOTE> <HI>Lord God Almighty; ju&s;t and true are thy wayes, thou King of Saints; Who &s;hall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorifie thy name?</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="39" REF="30">
<HEAD>The third Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Divine Providence in the Creati|on and conduct of the Terre&s;trial Globe. In two Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Gods Providence in the fall of Man.</HEAD>
<P>_OUR &s;peculations have been hitherto, but, as it were, in the fir&s;t day of the Creation; wherein the light has been but weak, and the object only an Aby&s;s of water: our conceptions (re&s;pecting the Angelical &s;ub&s;tances) have had but a faint wateri&s;h light from our rea&s;on, towards our di&s;cern|ment of the&s;e tran&s;cendent verities, we have di&s;cour&s;ed. We are now come to the &s;tate of the &s;econd day, wherein the firmament appears, dividing the waters, and occa&s;ioning the emergencie of the dry land. The Scene of our meditations is now chang'd, and our thoughts have the Terre|&s;trial Globe expos'd for their object; which is more propor|tionate to our faculty, then the cele&s;tial; wherein we have no &s;igns or <HI>Phoenomena,</HI> by which to form any judgment, (that is
<PB N="40" REF="31"> to &s;ay) no vi&s;ible lights in the firmament of Gods Word, by which to guide our meditations: wherefore we own not the offering you a me<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ure of tho&s;e truths, whereby to regulate your opinions; but only &s;hew you the light of &s;ome innocent conceptions, de&s;ign'd for an intellectual recreation.</P>
<P>Whether <HI>Adam</HI> (in his intellectual integritie) had any infus'd notion of the natures in general, and the &s;everal conditions of Angels may endure a pious di&s;qui&s;ition; for though we have no pillar of fire extant in the firmament of the Scriptures, to guide us in the ob&s;curitie of this que&s;tion; yet have we no flaming &s;word appearing to forbid our attempting to enter in|to this &s;ecret of Paradi&s;e, by a reverential di&s;cu&s;&s;ion of it. My opinion inclines much to the affirmative: for, as much as we enlarge his endowments, &s;o much we magnifie the bountie and benignitie of the Creator, to humane nature. And certain it is, that his knowledge did extend to &s;upernatural objects, as being created to that end; the means con&s;equently of his at|taining it, mu&s;t needs be proportionate thereunto. Where|fore it is held by many that he had by revelation, &s;ome notice of the my&s;terie of the <HI>Trinitie</HI> and <HI>Incarnation;</HI> not, as this la&s;t was referr'd to the redemption, but to the innoblement of humane nature; for the fir&s;t mu&s;t have imply'd the prenotion of his own fault, which is not to be admitted: but the la&s;t im|ports &s;imply the dignifying of his own Being, wherein he might &s;afely have rejoiced. And that part of the School which holds the Incarnation as prede&s;ign'd, ab&s;cinding from the fall of <HI>Adam,</HI> cannot fairly deny him the acquaintance of this &s;upream honour, intended to his nature.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or my part, I do not conceive any motive worthy of Gods familiaritie with fle&s;h and bloud, ab&s;tracting from that of re|pairing his own Image, being defac'd and become more like his enemie then him&s;elf. The &s;ingle de&s;ign of adornment and im|b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lli&s;hment of the figure remaining in the original integritie, &s;eems not &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">equ &s;ite a tendern<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;s; while man was in as perfect a &s;imilitude of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">od as his hand had drawn him, and in as &s;e|cure a way of becomming yet more like God, as his hand had
<PB N="41" REF="31"> &s;et him: what need was there that God &s;hould expo&s;e him&s;elf in a form le&s;s like him&s;elf, to honor this tran&s;itory &s;tate of man? when &s;urely, &s;uch an object would not have heightned mans de|&s;ire of &s;eeing God; which is rais'd mo&s;t by an intellectual appre|hen&s;ion of a vi&s;ion &s;urpa&s;&s;ing &s;o much our &s;en&s;e, that it exceeds all our imagination can preconceive. Wherefore I do not ac|quie&s;ce to that opinion; but did I admit it, I &s;hould believe the time of Gods Incarnation would have been cho&s;en before that of <HI>Adams</HI> tran&s;lation. For &s;urely, if any humane Creature were fit company for the Word of God cloth'd with humani|tie; it mu&s;t have been he, who had the mo&s;t of God in him, and i&s;&s;ued the mo&s;t immediately out of the &s;ame Word: the elde&s;t Son of God (as I may &s;ay) by the womb of time, had been the mo&s;t &s;uitable &s;ocietie for his only Son begotten in eter|nitie. And the earth likewi&s;e in her original integritie, (deri|ving all her beauties and verdure immediately from the hand of God, not the mini&s;trie of nature) had been the be&s;t worthy of Gods &s;ight, and the mo&s;t glorious &s;tage for his triumph: for in this ca&s;e, <HI>Gods delight among the &s;ons of men</HI> mu&s;t have been the de&s;ign of honouring their nature and the earths &s;ub|&s;tance, not of redeeming the one and purging the other; the Divine Per&s;on mu&s;t have come to triumph in life, not over death, which had remain'd in the &s;ame nullitie, as before the Creation.</P>
<P>But leaving this per&s;pective of heaven thus lightly touch'd over; becau&s;e indeed (as that of the skie does often in pour|tracts) it &s;tands here to grace, rather then fini&s;h this figure of <HI>Adam</HI> I am drawing; let us work on upon this part of his knowledge, touching the &s;tate of Angels. Wherein I conceive his full illumination to be very probable; for (ab&s;tracting from the congruitie of that grace with the re&s;t of his intelle|ctual perfections) methinks his ne&s;cience in this point might &s;eem &s;ome di&s;abilitie towards the maintaining his obedience; &s;ince how can we &s;uppo&s;e him fully under&s;tanding his penalty decreed, without any notice of the &s;tate of faln Angels? what could he apprehend more of this &s;entence, <HI>thou &s;halt dye the
<PB N="42" REF="32"> death:</HI> then a pre&s;ent ce&s;&s;ation of his being? the remaining in perpetual torment could not fall into his apprehen&s;ion, with|out a &s;pecial revelation; and yet we know the truth of his &s;en|te<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ce reached to this degree of an eternal puni&s;hment. And &s;urely, the notice of &s;uch a danger, mu&s;t have been more &s;trongly repre&s;&s;ive of his temptation, then the belief of a meer exinanition: for he could have no more notion of the evil of death, then was imparted by an infu&s;ed knowledge; he could figure to him&s;elf no image, whereof any &s;pecies could enter by his &s;en&s;es, &s;o that he may be &s;aid to have made death before he knew it: wherein Gods infinite goodne&s;s may be pleaded a|gain&s;t his executing a more &s;evere judgment upon this beloved Creature, then he had denounc'd to his apprehen&s;ion. If he had no intimation of the full &s;en&s;e of this death, adjudged to his di&s;obedience; would it not &s;eem to want the equitie of a Law, which declares the full penaltie a&s;&s;ign'd to the tran&s;gre&s;&s;i|on? Be&s;ides, certainly, it mu&s;t have conduc'd much to <HI>Adams</HI> pre&s;ervation to know that a nobler and purer nature then his own, had already been deceived by pre&s;umption; and faln to &s;o ba&s;e a &s;tate, as the highe&s;t of his wi&s;hes was the becoming his &s;educer, that he might con&s;equently prove his tormentor. Que&s;tionle&s;s then the premonition of this &s;tate of his &s;ollicitor to di&s;obedience, and the rigour of his penalty was not irrequi|&s;ite to fortifie him again&s;t the Devil and the Woman, both combin'd.</P>
<P>Nay, ab&s;tracting from the&s;e rea&s;ons of congruitie, to Gods goodne&s;s and <HI>Adams</HI> condition; may we not derive an argu|ment from the intrin&s;ick &s;tate of his natural perfections? name|ly, that ev'n the Serpents voice might wel make &s;ome di&s;coverie of that power which form'd it. For how could <HI>Adam,</HI> who had &s;o lately given him his name, (adapted by his compleat apprehen&s;ion of his nature) fail of this reflection, that the Ser|pents di&s;cour&s;e mu&s;t be drawn from a higher principle then his own natural capacitie: from whence he might infer the exi|&s;tence of &s;ome rational &s;ub&s;tance, as a middle &s;tate, between God and him&s;elf: For he could not mi&s;take this voice for
<PB N="43" REF="32"> Gods, with which he was &s;o well acquainted; and much le&s;s could the &s;en&s;e pa&s;s for Gods, as being &s;o repugnant to his for|mer Order. Wherefore it is no improbable inference, to de|duce <HI>Adams</HI> knowledge of the Angelical nature, from the ver|tue of his own Intellectual excellencie.</P>
<P>The&s;e arguments (though they fly not home to a determi|nation of this que&s;tion, yet if they make but fair pointings at the probability of my opinion) reach my mark; which is not to propound new beliefs, but to offer &s;ome new &s;piritual recre|ation: and &s;urely, intellectual agitations, admitting them in|innocent, afford conjointly Aliment as well as Exerci&s;e to the mind.</P>
<P>If we have gain'd this fir&s;t a&s;cent, we are not only well ad|vanc'd towards our end, but likewi&s;e fitly &s;eated for a di&s;cove|ry of the re&s;t of our way, towards the manife&s;ting to humane rea&s;on, the equitie of Gods providence in permiting the fall of <HI>Adam:</HI> for granting him acquainted with the &s;tate of revolted Angels, and having the terrors of that &s;entence join'd with the attractives of his pre&s;ent felicitie, to fortifie his obedience; how powerful &s;upernumerary defences were the&s;e, again&s;t the fairne&s;s of the fruit, and his facilitie towards the Woman? And &s;uppo&s;ing the deve&s;ture of the &s;upreme&s;t Angel, and the nakedne&s;s of the Serpent already expos'd to him, how horrid an object mu&s;t di&s;obedience have appear'd to his pure under|&s;tanding? whereby his crime comes nearer being commen&s;u|rate to his &s;entence, then by any other conception I can frame; Gods &s;ecuring provi&s;ions being all we can imagine; and this evidence on Gods part, appearing &s;o clear again&s;t mans tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, <HI>What could I do, that I have not done for this ge|neration?</HI></P>
<P>If it be alledged, the con&s;tituting man in the &s;tate of impec|cabilitie had been a greater mea&s;ure of Gods bountie: this may be reply'd, that the nobilitie of humane Nature con&s;i&s;ted more in the freedome, then it could in the fixure of his will, du|ring his pa&s;&s;age and tran&s;cur&s;ion through his material Paradi&s;e: that &s;tate was proper to his &s;piritual One, as the term of his
<PB N="44" REF="33"> progre&s;s. And that nece&s;&s;itie which might have &s;ecured more the Creature, would not have honoured &s;o much the Creator; God would have receiv'd no voluntary love, from his only creatures indued with that capacitie, if the affections of Angels and men had been determinately fix'd by their Creation. True it is, that could Gods glory in any degree have been eclip&s;ed by their deficiencie, this danger might &s;eem to require Gods prevention, by this determination of their wills; but indeed, ev'n their &s;tains do but &s;et off by the divers colours of Gods Attributes, by rendring his Ju&s;tice the more re&s;plendent; and con&s;equently, &s;erve to accompli&s;h the whole form of his glory, which is properly figur'd by the di&s;cription of that Angel in the Revelation,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rev.</HI> 10 1.</NOTE> <HI>Who had a Rainbow upon his head, and his face was like the Sun.</HI> The diver&s;itie of Gods Attributes, his Ju&s;tice, Mercie, Wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">dom, and the re&s;t, are like a Rainbow of &s;everal glories, &s;hining in his E&s;&s;ence; the claritie whereof is a con|&s;tant Sun, rather brightned then ob&s;cured by the&s;e different colours: &s;ince, therefore, this is the &s;tate of the Deitie, we cannot argue again&s;t Gods permi&s;&s;ion of &s;uch a defectibilitie, wherein his honour was no way intere&s;ted.</P>
<P>Should any one wi&s;h for more evidences in this rational tryal; I may refer him to all tho&s;e rea&s;ons di&s;cour&s;ed in the fall of Angels: for I conceive them as fit at lea&s;t, if not more, for this inferiour, then that &s;ublimer Nature. And when he re|flects upon the preference of man, in point of reparation; there will be in my &s;en&s;e, more wonder due to the con&s;ideration of his preceding <HI>Lucifer,</HI> in point of re&s;urrection, then to that of his being &s;uffer'd to follow him in his fall. Wherefore &s;uch as are not &s;atisfied with the&s;e rea&s;ons, mu&s;t give me leave to de|mand of them an an&s;wer to this que&s;tion of God him&s;elf, to the holie&s;t di&s;puter with him, <HI>Doe&s;t thou know the order of Heaven,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 18.33.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;halt thou put down the rea&s;on thereof on Earth?</HI></P>
<P>And as to the voluptuous lamenters of the difficulties of &s;al|vation, re&s;ulting from this fir&s;t defection of our Parent; let me remember them, how much the difficultie endears to them all
<PB N="45" REF="33"> their tran&s;itorie acqui&s;itions, ev'n in &s;uch pur&s;uits as have no intrin&s;ick value, but we are fain to prize them by the e&s;teem of our own labours and contention: May we not ju&s;tly then be taken off from excepting again&s;t this order of our purcha&s;ing eternal felicitie; wherein, not our vain fancie, but our divine faith a&s;&s;ures us, that the degrees of difficulties heighten to us, proportionatly, tho&s;e of joy and delectation;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1</NOTE> if <HI>as our pa&s;&s;ions abound, &s;o much &s;hall our con&s;olations.</HI> We may well an&s;wer &s;uch murmurers, as the Prophet did the carnal I&s;raelites,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ezek.</HI> 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.18.</NOTE> <HI>Yet the children of thy people &s;ay, the way of the Lord is not equal, but for them, their way is not equal.</HI> Wherefore, in order to a li|mitation of the curio&s;itie, and reprehen&s;ion of the &s;oftne&s;s of our Nature, I will call upon you to hear Gods voice out of the whirlwind, pleading his own cau&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 40.8.</NOTE> <HI>Wilt thou di&s;anul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou maye&s;t be ju&s;tified?</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Whether it be expedient, even for the wicked, there &s;hould be a God.</HEAD>
<P>VVE have &s;earch'd as high as the Source, and &s;ounded as low as the Center of all evil, the beginning in guilt, and the term of it in pain: and if we dive home into the Spring-head, we &s;hall find it deeper there, then in the profoun|de&s;t part of the Current; the culpable part being a greater ill then the &s;uffering. From whence we may not improperly de|rive this inquirie, (admitting the being of evil not at all detra|ctive from God) Whether the properties of God are not detri|mental to the nature of the wicked?</P>
<P>The Being of a God all Nature atte&s;ts, and for all her i&s;&s;ues,
<PB N="46" REF="34"> claims the honour of &s;o great an origine and extraction: every drop of rain, and each grain of dew challenges &s;o noble a Fa|ther.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 38.28.</NOTE> If <HI>the whole creation groans and travelles in pain, under the bondage of corruption,</HI> ev'n with the help of this &s;atisfacti|on, of being &s;ubjected by &s;o noble an Author; may we not &s;ay that every creature would repine and dete&s;t his own Being? had he not this comfort of being <HI>&s;ubjected to vanitie,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 8.20.</NOTE> <HI>not wil|lingly; by one who hath &s;ubjected the &s;ame in hope, to be deliver|ed from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious libertie of the children of God.</HI> Surely therefore, there was never any rational creature, who did really di&s;-believe all Deitie, they who have vented &s;ome vain imaginations in favour of this impietie, ra|ther &s;train'd their fancies (as I conceive) to &s;et forth the illi|mited extent, whereunto humane di&s;cour&s;e could reach (<HI>viz.</HI> ev'n to the calling in que&s;tion all power above it &s;elf) then &s;eriou&s;ly follow'd their own opinions; &s;o that it was but an e&s;&s;ay, how near their rea&s;on could get towards an Independen|cie on a &s;uperiour, not a per&s;wa&s;ion, that it could fully reach that condition.</P>
<P>And in fine, I &s;uppo&s;e they rather affected to &s;ay &s;omewhat on this &s;ubject, that others could not think; then that them|&s;elves thought, what they &s;aid in that argument. For I can ap|prehend how a flat &s;tupid &s;oul, (that cannot, as I may &s;ay, ta&s;te the difference of di&s;cour&s;e) might &s;wallow this irrational opinion without offence: but that an active &s;ubtile &s;pirit, (&s;uch an one as di&s;tills all its conceptions, by thoughtfulne&s;s and meditation) &s;hould not find a conviction of this errour, ev'n in the act of di&s;cu&s;&s;ing and defending it, falls not within my comprehen&s;ion. But, whatever was really their opinion, this is remarkable for the evincement of this truth: that ev'n they who impugn'd it, wi&s;h'd notwith&s;tanding, &s;uch a prefiding Soveraigntie, and preferr'd the good of &s;uch a Being, before their own per&s;wa&s;ions. I read of <HI>Euripides</HI> and <HI>Critias,</HI> that thought the fame of Divinitie to have been the invention of &s;ome prudent per&s;on, and well-de&s;erving of humane &s;ocietie; who finding the imperfectne&s;s of Laws towards the redre&s;s and
<PB N="47" REF="34"> &s;uppre&s;&s;ion of conceal'd and &s;ecret mi&s;chiefs, bethought him&s;elf of this remedie, A per&s;wading men of this mo&s;t beneficial in|vention, <HI>viz.</HI> the Being of a Divinitie; who&s;e nature being omni&s;cient, was pre&s;ent to the mo&s;t inward rece&s;&s;es of our thoughts, and his Power equal to his Puritie, for the puni&s;hing ev'n all the mo&s;t &s;ecret intentions of iniquity, which was re|pugnant to his nature. And, by this ingenuous induction of terror into the minds of men; this fiction &s;aid they, became more conducing to the common peace, then the other truth that al|low'd more licentiou&s;nes in private iniquities. <HI>Sextus Empericus,</HI> likewi&s;e, reporting the &s;en&s;e of the Athei&s;ts, con&s;orts them; aver|ring this opinion, that All of them acknowledg'd the beleif of a Deitie to be a very u&s;eful per&s;wa&s;ion: &s;o great a good is the Being of a God, that ev'n they who di&s;-beleived it, could not choo&s;e but wi&s;h it; and tho&s;e who&s;e guiltie terrours may tempt to wi&s;h none, cannot get the ea&s;e of di&s;-beleiving one. So powerful is the impre&s;&s;ion of a Divinity in humane Nature, that the mo&s;t erring beleifs are forc'd to di&s;cern the utility, and the mo&s;t perverted lives, the nece&s;&s;itie of &s;uch a Soveraign: who abounds with &s;uch benignitie ev'n towards the&s;e irritations, that he provides motives re&s;pectively proper for the rectifying each of the&s;e errors; offering the ingenuous rea&s;on, and the &s;en&s;ual fear towards their di&s;abu&s;e and re&s;ipi&s;cence.</P>
<P>I will not undertake to unblind the &s;peculative Athei&s;t, who dazles him&s;elf with the rayes of his own &s;peculations, while he looks upon his di&s;cour&s;e as the &s;upreme&s;t Authoritie: wherefore, methinks, God very ju&s;tly u&s;es &s;uch arrogant rationali&s;ts, as Chri&s;t did tho&s;e di&s;ciples with whom he con|ver&s;ed &s;o long, of him&s;elf;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luk.</HI> 24</NOTE> <HI>holding their eyes that they &s;hould not know him,</HI> while they were earne&s;tly inqui&s;itive, and faultily, incredulous: &s;o doth God entertain the&s;e di&s;cour&s;ers of Him: while they argue and rea&s;on upon the whole frame of nature, wherein God is pre&s;ent and vi&s;ible; He yet de&s;ervedly with|holds their di&s;cernment of him in re&s;pect of their unbelief of all tho&s;e te&s;timonies.</P>
<P>My thoughts are addre&s;&s;ed rather to &s;uch practical <HI>Athei&s;ts</HI>
<PB N="48" REF="35"> that &s;eem to treat with God as the <HI>Gerazins</HI> did with Chri&s;t; whom they de&s;ired to depart from them, (after they were con|vinc'd of his omnipotence, by his Miracle upon their Swine,) not out of unbeleif, but apprehen&s;ion of his power. In like manner, there may be &s;ome Sen&s;uali&s;ts, who are not in doubt of Gods nature and properties; yet may be tempted to wi&s;h a remove and ab&s;ence of a Divine &s;uperintendencie, as not wil|ling to part with their bruital and &s;wini&s;h appetites, which is all the &s;tock upon their earth, and apprehending his puritie, as repugnant to their fowl po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, which they would enjoy without any future accompt. Some &s;uch there may be, who living in open rebellion, may vote again&s;t the being of a Soveraign Ju&s;tice, &s;imply in order to their own indempnitie, di&s;liking only that Attribute of God, which is oppos'd to their own inordinate &s;elf-attributions: &s;uch would willingly &s;ign this mutual contract, allowing God his own claim, <HI>of the hea|ven of heavens, belonging to the Lord:</HI> with this <HI>provi&s;o,</HI> of <HI>his giving the earth to the &s;ons of men,</HI> without any accompt to the donor. Such humours would fain have that done to God, which the Jews did to Chri&s;t; though with a different intent: for they would have God blinded not &s;o much out of an ill will, to &s;trike him, as to keep him from &s;eeing how to &s;trike them. But to evidence the unrea&s;onablene&s;s of this wi&s;h, I will ask this que&s;tion, Whether admitting God could deve&s;t his propertie of revenge, they would condition the relinqui&s;hing their injurious appetites, and exchange their pre&s;ent plea&s;ures for an exemption from future penalties? Surely, many &s;en|&s;ual captives would reject this offer; &s;o little does the rever&s;ion of their fears weigh again&s;t the pre&s;ence of their fruitions; and &s;o remote &s;ufferings deduct &s;o little from the &s;en&s;e of their &s;o near delights. But the&s;e votaries of plea&s;ure may be convinc'd of the de&s;ireablene&s;s of ev'n a ju&s;t God, by the intere&s;t of their own predominant appetites.</P>
<P>Let the&s;e wor&s;hippers of &s;en&s;e but ponder, how all their deare&s;t cupidities are equally connatural to all men; and con|&s;equently, did not the fear of God re&s;train many from the
<PB N="49" REF="35"> &s;ame pur&s;uits, every one of their affections would meet with &s;uch troops of Competitors, that their lives would rather be a continuall combate, then a quiet po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of their appetites, the propriety &amp; &s;inglene&s;s of fruition which &s;o much heightens our &s;en&s;e, would be excluded by this confu&s;ed a&s;&s;aulting of all pretious temptations. For albeit humane laws may be &s;uppo|&s;ed &s;ufficiently coercive, in point of notorious violences upon legall rights and proprieties: yet, were the interior band of con&s;cience di&s;&s;olv'd, (which is a kinde of &s;piritual compre&s;s, that rather holds then binds up our will, working more by way of curing the infirmitie, then con&s;training the libertie of our ap|petites;) if this cover'd tye, I &s;ay, were &s;lip'd, and the manife&s;t knot of humane coercition only left, to hold all the &s;tre&s;s of our carnal impul&s;es; it were&punc; methinks, to leave us in &s;uch a &s;tate, as if vice were only prohibited by day light, and fully licen&s;ed by night; for the eie of humane law peirces not any clouded or vai|led iniquitie; &s;o that, when impietie were put to no con&s;traint, but to invent habits and dre&s;&s;es to cover her apparent defor|mity, this would oblige her but to goe a little about, not break her cour&s;e.</P>
<P>And, in this &s;uppo&s;ition, the various lu&s;ts and cupidities of men would be like a world of pri&s;oners, broken loo&s;e from all parts in the dark, running again&s;t and overthrowing one ano|ther; each in pur&s;uite of their particular liberty, wherof they would all indanger the mi&s;carriage, by the confu&s;ed multitude of &s;eekers of the &s;ame thing; &s;uch a &s;hocking and traver&s;ing of one anothers de&s;ign'd plea&s;ures would there be, if all con&s;ciences were loo&s;e to range in the dark, every one to &s;et his own game. When, be&s;ides the number of pretenders, to the fruits of earth|ly delights, being &s;o much augmented, and the &s;tock being not at all inlarged, the &s;hares mu&s;t needs abate to many; and then, &s;ince the deliciou&s;nes of this life is &s;o narrow, even as it &s;tands now divided by the exclu&s;ion of &s;elf-deniers, retrench'd from the number of enjoyers, by the re&s;triction of con&s;cience; how much more would it be dimini&s;hed to the voluptuous, if all &s;uch &s;hould &s;tand and contend for their portions? Doth not
<PB N="50" REF="36"> the carnal lover confe&s;s that the delight of his pa&s;&s;ion is bla|&s;ted by the air of his own &s;u&s;pition of the lea&s;t communitie in his po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion? And how much le&s;s &s;eed of jealou&s;ie and di|&s;traction is there ca&s;t abroad in the earth, by rea&s;on of tho&s;e many hands that are held by the hand of God from ta|king the Enemies hour in the night, to make this di&s;&s;emina|tion?</P>
<P>How many perfidious and voluptuous violaters both of ci|vil and religious duties; live &s;ecur'd from acts of retaliation, by the interpo&s;ure of the injur'd parties pietie &amp; con&s;cience? &s;o that their own incon&s;ideration of God does not conduce &s;o much to their affected injoyments, as the apprehen&s;ion of him in others. As many as were &s;uch <HI>fools as to &s;ay in their hearts, there is no God,</HI> would not be &s;uch fools as to leave injuries unre|&s;ented, or plea&s;ures unattempted. And, &s;uppo&s;ing every one &s;hould take this cour&s;e, which the Wi&s;e man reproaches in the licentious di&s;creditors of future accompts, re&s;olving thus,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> 2.8.</NOTE> <HI>Let us crown our &s;elves with Ro&s;e-buds before they be wither'd: let none of us goe without his part of voluptuou&s;ne&s;s; let us leave tokens of our joyfulne&s;s in every place, for this is our portion, and our lot is this:</HI> admitting this univer&s;al concurrence in the &s;ame pretences of voluptuou&s;ne&s;s; I am per&s;waded there would be many pa&s;&s;ionate Sen&s;uali&s;ts, that would rather wi&s;h every di&s;turber of their &s;ingle enjoyments, &s;o many invi&s;ible &s;pirits, with a power of puni&s;hing their pa&s;&s;i|ons in another World, then vi&s;ible men with a power of &s;haring the delight of them in this: &s;o much le&s;s di&s;plea&s;ure would they apprehend from the Nature of God, then from that of men.</P>
<P>Since the practical Athei&s;t then is permitted to live in this world, as if there were no God; and withal, has his lu&s;ts the more &s;ecured to him, by the Being of One, (having his plea&s;ures guarded, very often, by a power, uncon&s;ider'd by him&s;elf, and apprehended by others) is it not rea&s;onable, that as much as he values the &s;atisfaction of his appetites, &s;o much he &s;hould acknowledge to the Being of a Deitie?</P>
<PB N="51" REF="36">
<P>This being evinc'd, I may ju&s;tly propo&s;e to any impious per&s;on, (who is dazled and di&s;quieted by fits, with &s;ome fla|&s;hes of Gods ju&s;tice, &s;triking upon his eys,) either to reform his vitiou&s;ne&s;s, by which means he &s;hall be delivered from any pre|judice of that attribute; or if his gro&s;s delights overca&s;t to his eyes all the beams of Gods nature, all &s;tanders by will acknow|ledge he owes the commoditie and ea&s;ine&s;s of his own works of darkne&s;s to a double benignitie in God, <HI>viz.</HI> fir&s;t, His &s;hadow|ing to him his own terrifying light, whereby he is allow'd an uninterrupted po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of what he prefers before God; and &s;econdly, to Gods ca&s;ting forth &s;uch rayes upon others, as ter|rifie and repul&s;e them from &s;uch competitions, whereby to him the &s;hare is enlarged of his &s;o much affected po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>Upon the&s;e reflections, we find God &s;o far from leaving any part of the world without te&s;timonie of his Being and his Goodne&s;s, that ev'n his enemies receive greater external marks of it, then his friends; the accompli&s;hment of their de&s;ires, be|ing the more frequently allow'd them; Do not their ea&s;ie fe|licities bear witne&s;s to them of their benefit, by a &s;upreme Di&s;|pen&s;er? in&s;omuch that if there be any who imagine they riot and luxuriate &s;ecurely in the dark, out of &s;ight of all Providence, they abu&s;e them&s;elves like <HI>Baals</HI> Prie&s;ts, di&s;cover'd by <HI>Daniel;</HI> for every &s;ecure voluptuous &s;tep they make upon the du&s;ty plea&s;ures of this earth, leaves a print and mark of their debt to Divinitie. Wherefore ev'n the mo&s;t &s;en&s;ual mu&s;t acknowledge the advantage of a God; at lea&s;t in &s;uch a &s;ort as the carnal Jews judg'd of Chri&s;t, honoring him for his power of feeding them, though they did not confe&s;s him upon his dominion over the evil &s;pirits. Tho&s;e therefore whom God &s;uffers to live, as if he had not power to ca&s;t the Devil out of them; while they en|joy their beloved vices with &s;o much &s;ecuritie and command, that they &s;eem to have po&s;&s;e&s;s'd him by the &s;trange &s;ucce&s;s of their wi&s;hes: &s;uch mu&s;t confe&s;s them&s;elves plea&s;ur'd by the fear others have of the Devil, and the hatred he bears to God: for by that apprehen&s;ion, the number of Competitors, for their
<PB N="52" REF="37"> plea&s;ures is dimini&s;hed; and by this enmitie, the Prince of this world is engag'd to &s;erve them in their de&s;igns: both which contributions to their wi&s;hes, re&s;ult from the Being of a Dei|tie.</P>
<P>Having thus evidenc'd to the wicked the intere&s;t of their de|lights; we may ju&s;tly conclude, that thou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h it were better for them they had not been, yet is it al&s;o better for them that there is a God: Who &s;ince he mu&s;t appear at la&s;t to all that &s;eek him not, let me offer the practical Athei&s;t this a&s;&s;ured means of re|joycing in the Being of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 55.</NOTE> <HI>Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near&punc;</HI> for now he is near them, though he is not &s;een. How unhappy will that day prove, when he &s;hall be &s;een, and yet not be near them? as yet he appears not in judgment; and if he be &s;ought he may be found: when he &s;hall &s;hew him&s;elf in his judgment &s;eat, he &s;hall be &s;een by the wicked, but not be found.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="53" REF="37">
<HEAD>The fourth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">An&s;wering the mo&s;t important Obje|ctions again&s;t Providence. In four Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Whether the calamities of the vertuous, que|&s;tion Gods Povidence.</HEAD>
<P>_ALthough we have carryed the former que&s;ti|on again&s;t the Libertines, and evicted to them the expediencie of a God, by the fa|cilitation of their intere&s;ts; as al&s;o by Gods conde&s;cendencies to the vicious, we have &s;tated his goodne&s;s above di&s;pute: yet are we called to inquire, whether his &s;everities in this life to the vertuous, do not &s;omewhat di&s;colour the candor of his Providence?</P>
<P>To an&s;wer this: In the fir&s;t place we mu&s;t remember, that God de&s;ign'd man to none of the&s;e evils that infe&s;t him. As he was to remain naked, &s;o there were no thornes upon the earth to prick him: he &s;ow'd them, while he thought to pull one out, with which the woman had touch'd him, <HI>viz.</HI> her cu|rio&s;itie.
<PB N="54" REF="38"> And the fir&s;t &s;mart he felt was that of &s;hame; for cure whereof he pre&s;ently &s;ought a covering, and thought a few leaves &s;ufficient remedie: but &s;oon after, the thorns and briars grew up &s;o fa&s;t, that ev'n the skins of bea&s;ts were not ar|mour again&s;t their points; and the earth of her &s;elf became &s;o far from paying her voluntary tributes, that &s;he rais'd only arms again&s;t man, producing nothing freely, but thorns and briars. Man having thus di&s;compos'd the frames of both natures, intellectual and material; Gods infinite goodne&s;s un|dertook a greater work then his creating &s;o much good, out of nothing, <HI>viz.</HI> The extracting Good out of all this Evil: which if God had not been plea&s;ed to re&s;olve; it may well be thought he would have di&s;&s;olv'd and re-nihilated the Univer&s;e, rather then have left all tho&s;e evils we &s;ee in it, unre&s;erv'd to any con|&s;equent good.</P>
<P>Hence was deriv'd the mutation of the figure of Gods works, which at fir&s;t was &s;tamp'd as a circle of goodne&s;s; wherein every point joyning to one another, left not the lea&s;t interpo&s;ure of evil. But this figure being broken by mans irregularitie, the wi&s;dom of God reconnected the whole frame, changing the form into a kind of chain; wherein he coupled his own good|ne&s;s and mans evils, by &s;o admirable an internection that ev'n the wor&s;t parts of the chain drew &s;ome good after them; and by this concatenation, the Divine Providence left nothing &s;im|ply evil in the Univer&s;e; having thus plac'd all the mi&s;eries of this world, as introductions to &s;ome &s;ub&s;equent goodne&s;s.</P>
<P>In this Order then, the world &s;tands now recompos'd, in&s;o|much that there is no privative evil that has not &s;ome po&s;itive good link'd to it; as every &s;en&s;ible nece&s;&s;itie, a contiguous benediction touching upon it. The di&s;tre&s;&s;es and mi&s;eries of one part, have the charities &amp; munificencies of the other, coup|led together; &amp; no kind of &s;uffering, in one portion, wants a cor|re&s;pondent plenitude, in another: whereby is fram'd this con&s;ort|ing of goodne&s;s and evil, in this interchangeable concatenation.</P>
<P>When the pa&s;&s;ion of man invaded the earth, and began to tear in peices this common Mother, in contention for the large|ne&s;s
<PB N="55" REF="38"> of private inheritances; had God allotted every child a portion, (commen&s;urate to their nece&s;&s;ities, though not to their cupidities) this di&s;tribution would have left the viciou&s;ne&s;s of our nature, le&s;s allay'd with any commix'd vertue. The in|quination of riches would have been more &s;ordid, without pur|ging it &s;elf, by liberalitie to the exegencies of &s;ufferers; and po&s;|&s;ibly, every one being fitted with a competent provi&s;ion, the &s;o different humors of men would have lov'd their private &s;ufficien|cies, enough to have excluded any di&s;ta&s;te of this world; where|by the alienation from God would have been the more univer|&s;al, the world having &s;o good a title to every ones affection, as this common accommodation. For even with the help of all the thorns in our &s;ides or before our eys, to wit our own pains or the pre&s;&s;ures of others; how &s;ubject are we to embrace this earth, ev'n while it wounds us by this confixure of our &s;elves to it? if we find it not <HI>hard to kick again&s;t the&s;e pricks,</HI> how hard would it have been for us to have rais'd our heads from off our downy pillows, and &s;et our hearts upon the knowledge of a better and enduring &s;ub&s;tance; or not to have wi&s;h'd this our <HI>City perma|nent without &s;eeking one to come?</HI></P>
<P>Herein therefore is evidenc'd the admirable wi&s;dom and e|quitie of Divine Providence, in continuing the evils man had induc'd, and yet a&s;&s;igning them, both for his puni&s;hment and perfection; extracting out of them the good of his own Ju&s;tice, together with that of mans Ju&s;tification, and leaving him a means to be better qualified by the nece&s;&s;ities then accommo|dations of this world. For we are more innobled by our impart|ing ev'n of &s;mall &s;uccours, then by our impropriation of great abundance: &s;ince in this there appears only the Divine bountie, wrought upon us, and in that, the Divine nature, working in us; which is &s;o much more honor, as is the office of repre&s;enting God then the &s;tate of being pre&s;ented by him. Betwixt which there is &s;uch a difference, as between the matter and the form of an Angel, ca&s;t in gold; wherein though the material part be precious; yet the imaginary and fi|gurating is much more excellent: &s;o, though we admit
<PB N="56" REF="39"> the &s;ub&s;tance of riches po&s;&s;e&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d to be a valuable good; yet the act of mini&s;tring it out in benefits is the nobler propertie, as it per&s;onates the &s;upreme goodne&s;s.</P>
<P>This being admitted, we cannot deny the acknowledgment of this Divine capacitie to the order of the&s;e intervenient links of nece&s;&s;ities and di&s;tre&s;&s;es, in the chain of <HI>Providence.</HI> And towards the dignifying of this Office, Gods purpo&s;e &s;eems &s;o expre&s;s, that he has not only furni&s;h'd &s;ubjects for our per&s;o|nating his Office of beneficence&punc; but &s;ubmitted him&s;elf to be repre&s;ented by the &s;ame &s;ubjects; from whence re&s;ults this double gratification by our commercing with mi&s;eries; not only the releiving Agents being put into this Commi&s;&s;ion of repre&s;enting God; but likewi&s;e the redre&s;&s;ed Patients &s;tanding deputed for Gods &s;ub&s;titute.</P>
<P>And may we not farther elucidate the Divine benignitie, by this con&s;equence depending upon temporal nece&s;&s;ities, namely, the mini&s;tring means of retributions to God? What noble na|ture would not have wi&s;h'd that his Creator (without any de|rogation from his &s;elf-&s;ufficiencie) could have required his a&s;&s;i&s;tance? And is not this honour afforded by Gods appear|ing to us in nece&s;&s;ities? Doth not this correct the dangerous qualitie of plentie and fulne&s;s of bread, <HI>viz.</HI> the having means to return our &s;uperfluities into his hungring mouth, from who&s;e hands we had receiv'd all our provi&s;ion? By which retribution the appetite of gratitude is &s;ome way &s;atisfied; which is &s;o &s;harp in noble minds, that without &s;ome food of reciprocal of|fices, their &s;pirits &s;uffer and faint for want of &s;uch aliment as is provided for them by the nece&s;&s;ities of Gods &s;ub&s;titutes. And whereas there are &s;o few in the world, who repre&s;ent God by way of &s;upremacie: through whom we tran&s;mit our gratitudes to him in the form of reverence and &s;ubjection: may we not &s;ay that God de&s;ign'd abundance of &s;uch images of him&s;elf, as through which we might return him our thank|fulne&s;s, by way of &s;uccours and con&s;olations?</P>
<P>And moreover, doth not the unequal &s;tate of the rich and the poor (happening with equal worth and merit) argue to the
<PB N="57" REF="39"> believers of Gods Ju&s;tice, the immortalitie of our &s;ouls; and promi&s;e another life, where the ble&s;&s;ings and provi&s;ions &s;hall be found ju&s;tly commen&s;urate, to the de&s;erts of every recipient? Thus therefore, 'tis evident Gods incomprehen&s;ible Wi&s;dom, has &s;o contriv'd the connexion of order in the Univer&s;e, which man had di&s;compos'd; that ev'n tho&s;e apparencies which in their fir&s;t light, &s;eem to dazel our eyes (as to the di&s;cernment of his contrivance) upon &s;econd and &s;erious contemplation, mo&s;t fairly elucidate the Divine Providence. Wherefore, we may well conclude this que&s;tion, with the confe&s;&s;ion of <HI>David,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 18.10.</NOTE> <HI>The judgments of our Lord are true, ju&s;tified in them&s;elves.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Whether the pro&s;peritie of the wicked, and their advantages over the righteous in this world, que&s;tion not Gods Providence.</HEAD>
<P>ARE there not many who varie their judgments of Gods Providence, as &s;ome of the Jews did of Chri&s;ts power in miracles; whereof having been convinc'd by one evident proof, notwith&s;tanding they began to que&s;tion it again upon his not an&s;wering their imaginations, with another te&s;timonie? as, when they &s;aw him re&s;enting the death of his friend <HI>Laza|rus;</HI> &s;ome of them, with a wonder bending towards diffidence &s;aid, <HI>Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh.</HI> 11.37.</NOTE> <HI>keep this man from dying?</HI> in&s;inuating thereby, that &s;ince he had omitted to do for a friend, what required le&s;s power then that he had ex|erci&s;ed for a &s;tranger, his capacitie might well be &s;u&s;pected. Much after this manner there may be &s;ome who have yeilded to the equitie of Gods Providence, in point of his converting
<PB N="58" REF="40"> the &s;ufferings of the vertuous into ble&s;&s;ings: yet when they con&s;ider the pro&s;peritie of the ungodly, and their oppre&s;&s;ions upon the ju&s;t, they may waver again in their rectified per&s;wa&s;i|on, and ask, with &s;ome &s;cruple, Whether God (who can turn the afflictions of his friends into advantages,) cannot oppo&s;e the felicities of his enemies, and debar their inju&s;tice to his ad|herents, &s;ince this la&s;t &s;eems the le&s;&s;er prerogative? If &s;uch &s;tanders-by at the Tombs of Gods friends, will expect the &s;equence of the&s;e permi&s;&s;ions, they'l find, in their de&s;ignments a clear illu&s;tration, rather then any eclip&s;e, of the Divine Providence.</P>
<P>Since the Devil receiv'd that notorious affront from the di|&s;tre&s;&s;es of per&s;ecuted <HI>Job,</HI> he is not forward to a&s;&s;ault Gods friends, immediately by him&s;elf, with the&s;e batteries again&s;t their temporalities; he &s;eldome u&s;es his fire (&s;hot out of his region, as Prince of the Air,) or his whirlwinds (&s;ent from thence) to enter the hearts of the righteous, by this breach and ruine of their fortunes. Wherefore in his attempt upon the children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> he imploy'd his Emi&s;&s;arie <HI>Balaam,</HI> to corrupt them with plenties, rather then revolt them by priva|tions; and when the proude&s;t &s;pirit in per&s;on, undertook his ma&s;ter-piece of temptation upon <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> he &s;ought to work by offers, not by offences; thinking the Dominion of the world a more &s;ubtile temptation, towards pride and ambi|tion, then the want of bread, towards murmur and di&s;&s;atisfa|ction. And &s;ince the old &s;erpent left the mo&s;t of his &s;ting &s;ticking in the Cro&s;s, when he brui&s;ed his head again&s;t it; he is fain to relye more upon the corrupting properties of power and profit, then the qualities of cro&s;&s;es and afflictions, which have much counterpoi&s;on in them again&s;t temptation. In proof whereof, we may ob&s;erve, that the Devil acts commonly, by humane in&s;truments in mo&s;t of the mi&s;eries and afflictions, currant in the world; and men are not moved by the mi&s;chief, but the intere&s;t redounding to them, from the injuries and vio|lences whereby they afflict and di&s;tre&s;s one another. By which means the tempter makes &s;ure of his prize on the one &s;ide; for
<PB N="59" REF="40"> the iniquitie of the actors, alwayes, returns him gain; though he prove for the mo&s;t part, a lo&s;er, by the vertue of the pati|ents. In&s;omuch that we may &s;uppo&s;e, if the world were left to the admini&s;tration of the Devil, he would not ordain &s;o ma|ny tribulations and &s;ufferings, as now exerci&s;e it: temporal fe|licitie would be more con&s;tant, and &s;o more &s;educing then it is now; being di&s;credited much by a notorious infi|delitie.</P>
<P>It is the order of God, (to manife&s;t the undervaluable &s;car|citie and narrowne&s;s of this worlds trea&s;ures) to &s;hew us few in it abounding in wealth and power, by other means then the oppre&s;&s;ion and di&s;tre&s;&s;ing of others. It holds, as S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;ayes, in civil, as well as in natural productions: the things that are overcome, pa&s;s into the qualities of tho&s;e which ma&s;ter them, this is the order of things tran&s;itorie: if this world af|forded fulne&s;s and &s;atietie for every one, the vitiou&s;ne&s;s of the proud and voluptuous would want the purging qualitie upon patients, while it polutes the &s;ubject wherein it is active; if &s;ome injur'd partie were not exercis'd and purified by tho&s;e iniquities and di&s;orders. Wherefore temporal cro&s;&s;es and calamities are the re&s;ults of Divine Providence, rather then of diabolical policie.</P>
<P>Upon this conce&s;&s;ion then, that &s;ufferings are beneficial to the vertuous (which is the fundamental of our Religion, built upon the Cro&s;s) the prevailing and overpowering of the wicked proves a nece&s;&s;ary con&s;equence; &s;ince the Devil will not act immediately in his temporal per&s;ecutions, but by humane in|&s;truments; which he mu&s;t likewi&s;e pay out of the &s;poil and prize they make by his Commi&s;&s;ion. And is not this way of making fortunes for the Devils partie, now &s;o cu&s;tomarie, that methinks the wondering at it, is the greater wonder? For as ev'n little children which are bred in &s;hops where Antiques and Vizards are made, quickly overcome fear, and &s;oon come to play with them; conceiving their right u&s;es, which is not to fright, but to cover and di&s;gui&s;e, for &s;ome time: &s;o in this great Warehou&s;e of toyes and trifles, wherein we are brought
<PB N="60" REF="41"> up; the&s;e Ma&s;ques and Vizards of Divine Providence are &s;o familiar, that ev'n the weake&s;t minds may &s;eem pa&s;t the being tempted by them, and apprehend aright the chief de&s;ignment of &s;uch figures; which is, for the pre&s;ent to conceal Gods judgments, not to confound mans comprehen&s;ion.</P>
<P>I confe&s;s the fir&s;t beholders of this object had a &s;trange tem|ptation in their infeebled nature; they who were &s;educ'd by the Serpent to affect the knowledge of good and evil, when they &s;aw the great evil of death fall fir&s;t upon the good, and inflicted by the hand of the wicked, had more rea&s;on to apprehend this an effect of the Serpents &s;ingle power, without Gods concur|rence; then at fir&s;t they had to believe him able to make good his word of giving them a clearer &s;ight of good &amp; evil; they &s;ee|ing in the death of <HI>Abel,</HI> &s;uch an evidence of the &s;ubjection of the weaker to the wor&s;er brother, might have &s;u&s;pected the Serpents &s;haring in the worlds di&s;po&s;ure. And &s;urely <HI>Enos,</HI> who was the fir&s;t (after mans running away from Gods voice) that <HI>began to call upon the name of the Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 4.26.</NOTE> might well have been allow'd to have ask'd God <HI>Jeremies</HI> que&s;tion; &s;ince <HI>thou art ju&s;t Lord, why do the wicked pro&s;per?</HI> the power and felicity of the Giants in his dayes, who&s;e &s;trength was their law, might more pardonably have rais'd this diffidence of the divine Providence; but we who are acquainted with this order by the &s;equence of it in &s;o many ages as this world contains, may, by the familiaritie, be recon|cil'd to the aver&s;ion. But having be&s;ides &s;upernatural lights hung out from the beginning al the way to conduct us through the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages &s;o ob&s;cure to our nature, we are rendred unexcu|&s;able in our di&s;&s;atisfaction. Has not <HI>the Lamb &s;lain from the be|ginning of the world,</HI> opened the Book and the Seals, and &s;hew'd us the rea&s;on of this conduct, imprinted &s;o fairly that none can look upon it without reading it? This King of Innocence and Sufferance was to have a train, preceding him from the be|ginning of the world, to u&s;her him into it, who was to march in the middle of it, attended as well by tho&s;e that went before, as &s;uch who follow'd him; and from <HI>Abel</HI> to him&s;elf, all his dependants &s;uffer'd in order to his entry into that proce&s;&s;ion;
<PB N="61" REF="41"> as, &s;ince the re&s;t of his train doth and &s;hall to the end of the world continue in that cour&s;e, in conformitie to his prece|dence. For he was to make his entrie into the world my&s;ti|cally, as he did literally into <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> his company that went before him were to put off their fle&s;hly garments, and &s;trew them in his way; and the multitude which pa&s;&s;ed both before and after him, in this &s;elf-&s;acrificing order, were to honour and prai&s;e him in their &s;ufferances, <HI>Crying, Ho&s;anna, ble&s;&s;ed is he who comes in the name of our Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Since then the Co-heirs of eternal glory with Chri&s;t, are to bring this mark of legitimation,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 8.</NOTE> the <HI>becoming like unto his image:</HI> how can this office be perform'd &s;o properly as by the hand of the ungodly; &s;uch as mu&s;t have both inclination to the work, as well as appetite to the pay, which is power and pro&s;peritie? Would they (who are &s;candaliz'd with the fortunes of the unrighteous) have the Elect per&s;ecute and afflict one another? might not this office allotted to &s;ome of them, &s;eem like theirs that were to lead out the <HI>Emi&s;&s;arie Goat,</HI> who remain'd them&s;elves polluted for a while, by the act of purging others?</P>
<P>In this the wi&s;dom of Providence is mo&s;t adorable; which makes u&s;e of the uncleanne&s;s of Gods enemies, to purifie his friends. Can there be any thing conceived more admirable then for God to leave men their libertie to pervert his good|ne&s;&s;es, and for him to derive other goods from their malice and perver&s;ion? And this effect re&s;ults from tho&s;e exer|ci&s;es of their vertues, whereby the Grandees of the earth rai&s;e and prefer the great ones of Heaven; Upon which promi&s;e of the Holy Gho&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jo.</HI> 6.</NOTE> <HI>that the Fool &s;hall &s;erve the Wi&s;e man,</HI> S. <HI>Gregory</HI> asks how this is verified; &s;ince for the mo&s;t part, the fools command over the other? and an&s;wers, that the fool &s;erves the wi&s;e, ev'n while he domineers over him, &s;ince by his depre&s;&s;ion he exalts him.</P>
<P>Such is the force of Divine di&s;po&s;ition, which regu|lates all motions, that what declines from the rectitude of the fir&s;t a&s;&s;igned order, in falling, is plac'd in another; one
<PB N="62" REF="42"> mans will, as it bends and grows crooked, &s;erves to rectifie and &s;traiten anothers, and by this means there is no vice, in the hands of the Devils tenants, left to bring him in a clear revenue.</P>
<P>Therefore con&s;idering the Divine intendment in this permi&s;|&s;ive contribution to the pro&s;peritie of the wicked; I wonder no more at their out&s;ides of wealth and glory, then I &s;hould to &s;ee an Executioner very brave, after the &s;uffering of &s;ome great man, knowing &s;uch &s;poils to be his Fees; &s;ince the Devil has nothing el&s;e to give his In&s;truments, but &s;uch Vales as exter|nal commodities. We need not be &s;candaliz'd at tho&s;e &s;ala|ries, which God &s;uffers to be di&s;tributed to the mo&s;t unworthy, that the vertuous &s;hould not &s;et their hearts upon them; but prai&s;e their ambition to the <HI>&s;eeking of things that are above,</HI> not upon the earth, which are not foyl'd and di&s;credited by any of the wickeds participation. Wherefore S. <HI>Paul</HI> pre&s;&s;es this con|fidence upon the over born partie, <HI>In nothing be terrified by your adver&s;aries; which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of &s;alvation, and that of God.</HI></P>
<P>And if we will rightly examine the &s;tate of &s;inners, we &s;hall conclude them mo&s;t mi&s;erable, when they are allow'd to act their mi&s;chiefs: For, if it be ill to have de&s;ign'd evill actions, it is wor&s;e to have been able to effect them; without which capacitie, the affection to them is more likely to langui&s;h and &s;hrink away: &s;o that if each of the&s;e have a &s;ingle mi&s;erie in it, they are charg d with all three, whom we &s;ee willing, able, and acting their iniquities.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 12.6.</NOTE> Wherefore the holy Spirit tells us, that <HI>while the tabernacles of the Robbers abound, they provoke God boldly.</HI> When we &s;ee then a la&s;ting pro&s;peritie of the impious, rather then admire their &s;tation;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 5.3</NOTE> we are taught by holy <HI>Job</HI> how to conclude of their condition, &s;aying, <HI>I &s;aw a fool with a firm root, and pre&s;ently I cur&s;ed his beauty:</HI> knowing that the fruits of this root are but apples of <HI>Sodome;</HI> &s;pecious in colour, while they have within nothing but corruption and a&s;hes;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> 15.10.</NOTE> which the holy Spirit atte&s;ts thus to us, <HI>his heart is a&s;hes, and his hope more vile then earth:</HI> as if in the reprobate, the very fir&s;t prin|ciple of his life were already re&s;olv'd into the la&s;t period of death.</P>
<PB N="63" REF="42">
<P>Let then the &s;hining fortunes of the oppre&s;&s;ors, glorie with <HI>Herod,</HI> in their glittering out&s;ides and coverings of their cor|ruptions; &s;ince we may &s;ay to them,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 14.12.</NOTE> <HI>under you the moth is &s;trew|ed, and worms are breeding under your covering:</HI> the&s;e are truly your own cloathings; and thus did both <HI>Antiochus</HI> and <HI>He|rod,</HI> being &s;trip'd of tho&s;e other borrow'd garments, con&s;ume and rot away in theirs. They who gaze only upon the glo|rious robes of Tyrants, may well be dazled with their &s;plen|dour: we mu&s;t therefore take off our eyes from their Palaces, and look upon them <HI>in the Sanctuarie; where, under&s;tanding their latter ends,</HI> we &s;hall find they were &s;et up, thus to be de|luded, rather then dignifi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d. For doth not God very often en&s;nare powerful and pre&s;umptuous &s;inners with the opinion of their pa&s;t &s;ucce&s;&s;es; when they have but &s;ome &s;uch fal&s;e ap|pearance to delude them, as the <HI>Moabites</HI> had,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Reg.</HI> 4.3.</NOTE> to believe the waters the Sun &s;hin'd upon, were the bloud of the children of <HI>I&s;rael?</HI> Thus doth their own Sun &s;hine frequently deceive the enemies of God, after they have been allow'd &s;ome times to prevail over his children: and that which troubles very often, and dims the eyes of Gods people, is to &s;ee the bloud of the innocent &s;hed upon the ground like water, whil&s;t they behold this Sun-&s;hine of the per&s;ecuting party; which offends their eyes the mo&s;t, when they look &s;o much upon the beams, that they cannot di&s;cern the motion, wherein all their lu&s;tre is de|clining towards an eternal darkne&s;s; the pre&s;ent felicitie of the ungodly dazles them &s;o much, they con&s;ider not the tran&s;i|tory &s;wiftne&s;s, wherein it is pa&s;&s;ing away to irremediable mi|&s;erie.</P>
<P>Wherefore the &s;ure&s;t cour&s;e to keep our Faith in Divine Pro|vidence, from being (as I may &s;ay) Sun-burnt and di&s;colour'd by the&s;e irradiations of temporal glories, is to turn our thoughts to their We&s;t and Setting; where we commonly find light; only to undeceive us, in the valuablene&s;s of &s;uch tran&s;itory &s;plendors.</P>
<P>And <HI>Solomons</HI> advice (given in order to our pro&s;pect upon our own conditions) is as u&s;eful in this ca&s;e, to &s;ecure us from
<PB N="64" REF="43"> being deceiv'd in that of others,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 11.</NOTE> <HI>though a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the time of dark|ne&s;s: which, when it comes, all that is pa&s;t, is reproved of vanitie.</HI> This previ&s;ion of the time of darkne&s;s (whereunto the bright|ne&s;s and lu&s;tre of the wicked is running,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> 5 9.</NOTE> ev'n as <HI>a Po&s;t that ha&s;ted by, and like a Ship that pa&s;&s;es, which leaves no trace in the waves)</HI> will keep us &s;teddy in the adoration of D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">vine Providence: when we &s;ee tho&s;e great Ve&s;&s;els of Pyracie, with full winds carrying out all their fails, and making prize, and &s;inking the little innocent Traders in this our pre&s;ent Sea of confu|&s;ions.</P>
<P>S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> (upon this &s;ubject of the temporal advantages of the ungodly,) &s;ayes elegantly, that Gods order concerning <HI>I&s;mael,</HI> was a figure of his proceeding with many Aliens to his Covenant: for he gave him great worldy gifts, when he turn'd him out of his fathers hou&s;e: &s;o does he to the &s;ingle moral vertues of many gracele&s;s per&s;ons; he gratifies them with great &s;ecular pre&s;ents, for being the natural i&s;&s;ue of Rea&s;on, though he pu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s them out of his hou&s;e, as not being within the Covenant of Grace. Upon this account, were the glories of the gallant Heathen a&s;&s;ign'd to their moral vertues, which &s;prung from the &s;tock of nature, and therefore de&s;erv'd natural recompen|&s;es, while th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y were excluded from &s;upernatural rewards, as not being the conceptions of grace, whereto tho&s;e promi&s;es are &s;ingly annexed.</P>
<P>Having thus read part of the Rea&s;ons of State, (as I may &s;ay) whereupon the&s;e Commi&s;&s;ions of power and dominion over the vertuous, are permitted by God, and i&s;&s;ued out by the Prince of this World to the wicked. Methinks, the innocent &s;ufferers or &s;pectators, have le&s;s rea&s;on to be deceiv'd in the va|lue or wonder of the Actors prevalencies, then they them&s;elves to be abus'd in the conceit of their own preferences: for the Actors, like common Souldiers, never con&s;ider the cau&s;e, but the libertie is given them by their employment: as we find at|te&s;ted of that great <HI>A&s;&s;yrian,</HI> of who&s;e ambition and arrogance God was pleas'd to &s;erve him&s;elf, in his de&s;igns; the Prophet
<PB N="65" REF="43"> tells us how little he under&s;tood his Commi&s;&s;ion of purging Gods children, &s;aying, <HI>He thinks not &s;o,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 10.7.</NOTE> <HI>neither doth his heart e&s;teem it &s;o; but he imagines to de&s;troy and cut off nations.</HI> But Gods providence rightly under&s;tood, mu&s;t appear mo&s;t admi|rable, in that he &s;uffers not the Prince of this worlds mini&s;ters to make their fortunes in his &s;ervice; without obliging them to do his work, while they intend only their own de&s;igns: and by this order, S. <HI>Gregory</HI> &s;ayes, ev'n tho&s;e who peri&s;h for them|&s;elves, provide for the Elect. Wherefore the &s;ervants of God, when they are tempted by the eminent fortunes of the di&s;&s;ervers of him may an&s;wer their &s;cruples and &s;ettle their &s;pirits with this reflection;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Notum a &s;acu|lo.</NOTE> <HI>From the beginning the work of the Lord is known unto him&s;elf.</HI></P>
<P>If I have, by Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance, given but light enough to the reverend and cautious &s;eekers of God, to keep them from fal|ling in this dark pa&s;&s;age of his Providence, when they enter in|to it, I have &s;atisfied my de&s;ign; for we can expect no &s;uch day-light there, as may allow us to run incon&s;iderately through it. The ble&s;&s;ed &s;ouls them&s;elves, who have &s;uffer'd and been purg'd by this order, &s;eem not to have a compleat, though they have a &s;atisfactory illumination in this point, of the con|tinuing pro&s;peritie of the Princes of this worlds Mini&s;ters: for when they crie with a loud voice, <HI>How long Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Apoc.</HI> 6 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>thou who art holy and ju&s;t, doe&s;t thou forbear to avenge our bloud on them that dwell upon the earth?</HI> were they not an&s;wer'd, that their fel|low-&s;ervants and brethren were to be &s;ent after them, by the &s;ame way, and by the &s;ame hands? So that it appears to the end of the world, the&s;e exerci&s;ers and purgers of the Elect, &s;hall be imploy'd to deliver to Gods &s;ervants eternal glory, while they are allow'd them&s;elves the &s;moak and vapour of &s;e|cular felicitie. I may therefore properly clo&s;e up this &s;atisfa|ction I offer, with the voice of the Angel, <HI>He that hath an ear, let him hear: If any lead into captivitie, he &s;hall goe into captivitie: If any kill with a &s;word he mu&s;t be kill'd by a &s;word: here is the patience and faith of the Saints;</HI> which is to be exercis'd, in this world, till the whole Book of Providence
<PB N="66" REF="44"> &s;hall be laid open, in that day, whereof the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;peaks (in order to the clearing of all &s;u&s;pended doubts, in this worlds admini&s;tration,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 26.9.</NOTE>) <HI>When thou &s;halt do thy judgments in the earth, the inhabitants of the world &s;hall learn Ju&s;tice.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Whether Gods permi&s;sion of &s;o many wicked per&s;ons and actions, does not ju&s;tly &s;canda|lize the Godly?</HEAD>
<P>DID not <HI>Gehazi</HI> the &s;ervant of the Prophet <HI>Eli&s;ha,</HI> (who had &s;een as many miracles wrought by his Ma&s;ter, as he had occa&s;ions, requiring the u&s;e of them for him&s;elf, or the be|&s;towing them upon his friends) when he &s;aw <HI>an ho&s;t of Chari|ots and hor&s;es encompa&s;sing his Ma&s;ter,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Reg</HI> 4.6:</NOTE> fall into a perplexed diffi|dence of their &s;afetie; crying out to the Prophet, <HI>O what &s;hall we doe?</HI> as if this danger had &s;urpa&s;&s;ed the Prophets Preroga|tives. Like whom, are there not many &s;ervants of God, who after full &s;atisfaction in the ju&s;tice and kindne&s;s of Gods Pro|vidence, (in point of afflicting his children, and allowing his enemies to triumph over them, enjoying the vani&s;hing fruits of the earth) are yet &s;o weak, as when they look upon the multi|tude of the wicked and wickedne&s;&s;es, (which &s;eem to cover the world) to &s;cruple Gods order, in permitting &s;o many evils of guilt to overflow the earth? And methinks I hear the &s;ame terms (whereby the reliance upon Gods providence was then per&s;waded by his Spirit) u&s;ed by &s;ome towards the que&s;tioning this Order; &s;aying, <HI>Since God is able to &s;ave, as well by a few as by many,</HI> is he not likewi&s;e able to afflict and purge his children by a few, as well as by many wicked per&s;ons and actions:
<PB N="67" REF="44"> who&s;e exce&s;&s;ive number &s;eems &s;o to infect the very air of the world, that the vertuous had need of &s;trong antidotes to be able to re&s;i&s;t the contagion?</P>
<P>I confe&s;s this is a very di&s;tracting temptation; wherefore I will u&s;e the method of <HI>Eli&s;ha,</HI> to invoke Gods Spirit towards the opening of their eyes (that will turn them up towards <HI>the Mountain) that they may &s;ee more with them then again&s;t them.</HI> For as the Chariots and hor&s;es of fire, which were repre&s;ented to <HI>Gehazi</HI>'s intellectual &s;ight, (his corporal being already open, which let in his fears) re-a&s;&s;ur'd him: &s;o when the eye of our faith is open towards this mountain of Providence, we &s;ee the flames of it &s;hining &s;o bright about us, that we di&s;cern, ev'n many more goods to be with us, then evils again&s;t us. I mean, not &s;o many good per&s;ons, but goods in the univer&s;al notion; for the number of evil per&s;ons dimini&s;hes no more the number of &s;uch goods in Gods accompt, then the corruption of indi|vidual &s;ub&s;tances, &s;ub&s;tracts from the whole matter of the Univer&s;e: &s;ince God rai&s;es new moral as well as natural pro|ductions out of every defection, though our pre&s;ent apprehen|&s;ions are no more &s;atisfi'd with the con&s;equence, then our &s;en&s;es are, that water &s;pilt upon the earth is not lo&s;t. As it requires di&s;cour&s;e to per&s;wade us of this tran&s;lation of forms; &s;o doth it faith, to conclude this moral re&s;urrection of <HI>glory out of di&s;ho|nour, and power out of weakne&s;s:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.</NOTE> which we (who are per&s;wa|ded of Gods making all things out of nothing) cannot ratio|nally want; nor therefore (when we reflect upon't) appre|hend, that God &s;hould &s;uffer his creature to turn his goods in|to wor&s;e then nothing. For all evil pre&s;uppo&s;es a good, out of who&s;e depravation that &s;ucceeds; and if any &s;uch &s;hould remain &s;imply &s;o, it would prove wor&s;e then nothing. Surely then if God could not derive new goods out of all the perver|&s;ions of his creature, he would never have allow'd him a free|wil, whereby he might have detracted from his Creator: but he extracting &s;ucce&s;&s;ively new goods from every iniquitie of man, by the liberty of his enemies, effects his own immutable decrees. And &s;o the number of evil actors no more le&s;&s;ens
<PB N="68" REF="45"> that of Gods goods, then the multitude of rain-drops, falling into the earth, dimini&s;hes the quantitie of the worlds element of water. Wherefore the holy Spirit (declaring this truth) &s;ayes, <HI>If thou &s;inne&s;t, what doe&s;t thou again&s;t God? or if thy tran&s;gre&s;sions be multiplyed, what doe&s;t thou again&s;t him?</HI></P>
<P>Nay, let tho&s;e who are perplex'd with the rea&s;on of Gods permitting &s;uch a multitude of mi&s;chiefs, con&s;ider well, and they &s;hall find that many are of nece&s;&s;ary con&s;equence, from a few; becau&s;e one &s;in is both the cau&s;e and the puni&s;hment of another; in re&s;pect of our becoming, by the fir&s;t, le&s;s worthy of the divine aids and &s;upports again&s;t the next temptation, towards which we are &s;o much the more weakned by our for|mer fall: whence it follows, that God mu&s;t either permit ma|ny, or none at all. But to enforce this &s;atisfaction; let them weigh the evils God prevents, and they &s;hall find them far ex|ceeding tho&s;e he permits. What Prince in this our corrupted nature would not prove a <HI>Nero,</HI> or a <HI>Heliogabolus,</HI> either be&s;ti+ally cruel or &s;en&s;ual, did not Gods mercie re&s;train the flux of our inclinations? the goodne&s;s of his own nature oppo&s;ing it &s;elf to the iniquitie of all ours. We may therefore, (methinks) better wonder men &s;in no more, then that they &s;in &s;o much; which we mu&s;t a&s;cribe to Gods mercie, being above all his works. Nor is God like man, equally mov'd and affected with both oppo&s;ites: for the contrary of what honors or delights man, proportionately affronts and afflicts him; but God (who in his own immutability orders all changes; he who is no greater for having produc'd two Per&s;ons as great as Him&s;elf, nor le&s;s for their being equal to him) can much le&s;s admit any acce&s;&s;ion or deduction from the relations of his creatures. But could we &s;uppo&s;e any alteration in God, we might be&s;t al|low it by way of exaltation; and con&s;equently, we may con|clude, that the goodne&s;s of man comes nearer adding to his honor, then his evil to the &s;ub&s;tracting from it: for all good|ne&s;s has a po&s;itive re&s;emblance of God; which is a &s;tate of more excellence, then any evil (which is but a privative di&s;&s;imili|tude to him) can be of unworthine&s;s; Even annihilation in the
<PB N="69" REF="45"> creatures &s;eems not to remove it &s;o far from God, as &s;anctifica|tion approaches it: &s;ince, <HI>he that is joyn'd to the Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.17.</NOTE> <HI>is one Spirit;</HI> whil&s;t, what has no being, has but no oppo&s;ition to him: otherwi&s;e the nullitie of creatures before the creation, would have been incon&s;i&s;tent with his E&s;&s;ence. This point is al&s;o re&s;olv'd by the humanitie of Chri&s;t; by the merit and excellence whereof God is more honoured, then he is offended by the malice of all the reprobate Angels and men, from the Creation to the end of the world.</P>
<P>Why then (may &s;ome Divers in the deep of Providence &s;ay) doth God ordain no more good men and actions, whereof the raritie is &s;o notorious; &s;ince he's &s;o much honour'd by &s;uch divine re&s;emblances? This que&s;tion is not unlike that, Why God made not the world &s;ooner? &s;ince we may imagine &s;o many millions of years preceding in his eternitie, before the creation of the Univer&s;e, or any exteriour participation of his goodne&s;s. To this S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> an&s;wers, that neither was God le&s;s good nor glorious before this emi&s;&s;ion of his good|ne&s;s, nor the Creation a new will in him; but that from eter|nitie, he determin'd the production of this Univer&s;e in that time it was formed, and the effect follow'd that eternal de&s;ignation; wherefore the world was no &s;ooner, becau&s;e God ordain'd the exi&s;tence of it in that point it was produc'd. So may I reply, There is no more rectitude and re&s;emblance of God in this world, then he hath ordain'd from eternitie; con|currently with the gift of free-will to his creature, from the perver&s;ion whereof all deficiencie and di&s;&s;imilitude from God ari&s;es: which yet by leaving in the power of man, he &s;uffers him not to le&s;&s;en the number of the goods pre-ordain'd: for out of all tho&s;e works wherein the hand of the creature fails, in point of likening it &s;elf to God, he fails not to draw &s;omewhat re|&s;embling him&s;elf; as what proves unlike his goodne&s;s, he renders conformable to his ju&s;tice; and &s;o the &s;ame &s;trokes which take off from the image of one Attribute, work upon the fini&s;hing another. By which means, ev'n the &s;elf-disfigurement of the creature, tends to the perfection of his maker. So that it
<PB N="70" REF="46"> &s;eems to me upon the&s;e reflections, they (who apprehend God may lo&s;e &s;ome goods, by the number of evils he permits) may as well imagine he lo&s;t much time before the Creation, in his being honour'd and glorified by his works. We may there|fore ju&s;tly re&s;olve this que&s;tion, with the great experienc'd King in this point, <HI>Great are the works of God, and perfect in all his wills.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. IV.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Whether Gods &s;uffering many to fall them|&s;elves finally, who have long liv'd holily, and by who&s;e labours divers have been &s;aved, doth not ju&s;tly confu&s;e and &s;tartle us, in our confidence of Providence?</HEAD>
<P>VVHen I reflect upon the many my&s;terious forms, where|in the wi&s;dom of God expo&s;es it &s;elf to the con&s;i|deration of man; methinks there may be many a&s;&s;imulations deriv'd from what the holy Spirit &s;ayes of the Per&s;on of God, being in the form of Man, and ea&s;ily adapted to the Providence of God among men: (which, being al&s;o the wi&s;dom of God, in that re&s;pect is the &s;ame they were utter'd of.) We may therefore reverently &s;ay, Gods Providence conver&s;es upon earth in the habit and &s;imilitude of fortune; and &s;eems expos'd to all the weakne&s;s and inequalitie of chance, bearing (&s;in only excepted) all the apparent infirmities of inju&s;tice; for, from the Creation of the world, in moral occurrences; he may be &s;aid, very frequently to hide and ob&s;cure <HI>his eternal power and God|head;</HI> as much as S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ayes, he manife&s;ts it in his vi&s;ible na|tural
<PB N="71" REF="46"> productions. And certainly, if faith did not a&s;&s;ure us, that under the vail of humane confu&s;ion, the wi&s;dom of God were &s;ub&s;i&s;ting; we might ea&s;ily judge of his Providence, in many occa&s;ions, as the world did of Chri&s;ts per&s;on, and con|demn it as a meer natural figure of fortune, de&s;titute of all Di|vinitie. Wherefore this caution given again&s;t the mi&s;appre|hending the one, &s;erves properly for our con&s;ideration of the other; <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he who is not &s;candaliz'd in me.</HI></P>
<P>And in this ca&s;e we now treat, Gods Providence &s;eems to &s;tand charg'd with the like infirmitie that Chri&s;ts Di&s;ciples were, at his being apprehended: for here God &s;eems to aban|don tho&s;e who have long and u&s;efully follow'd and &s;erv'd him, both by their proper acts and acqui&s;itions of others: they who have had <HI>all the unclean &s;pirits &s;ubjected to them, and Satan lying long under their feet;</HI> yet at la&s;t, in &s;ome &s;trong temptation, have been &s;uffer'd to be us'd by the &s;ame Spirit, like the &s;ons of <HI>Scaeva, viz.</HI> overthrown and prevail'd upon, ev'n to a final perdition. Doth not this look like &s;uch a de&s;ertion on Gods part, as was reproachable in Chri&s;ts Di&s;ciples, in his extremi|tie? and may not tho&s;e Mini&s;ters, nay, (as S. <HI>Paul</HI> calls them) ev'n <HI>helpers of God,</HI> with more rea&s;on call to him in their &s;torm, as Chri&s;ts Di&s;ciples did to wake him, &s;aying, <HI>Lord care&s;t thou not if we peri&s;h?</HI> Do not the&s;e complaints of Gods old la|bourers (who have born the burthen and heat of the day) &s;eem ju&s;tly to perplex the enterers at the eleventh hour, and &s;ugge&s;t to them diffidence of their being tended and pre&s;erv'd? This is <HI>a hard &s;aying, and who can hear it?</HI> &s;ay many of the <HI>Caphar|naites,</HI> and fall back upon it. But methinks, this &s;eeming in|con&s;ideration of God towards his ancient &s;ervants, may be an|&s;wer'd, in the &s;ame manner as Chri&s;t did that which &s;eem'd &s;o exce&s;&s;ive an e&s;timation of his di&s;ciples, when he would needs wa&s;h their feet: &s;o God may be alledged, &s;aying to his con|founded que&s;tioners, <HI>What I do now you know not,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh.</HI> 13.7.</NOTE> <HI>but you &s;hall know hereafter.</HI> And upon this promi&s;e of future &s;atisfaction, let us, with S. <HI>Peter,</HI> not only offer our feet, but ev'n our heads, to be us'd by God as he plea&s;es; that is, not &s;imply acquie&s;ce
<PB N="72" REF="47"> to the Divine judgment upon others, but embrace his uncon|ceiveable order in point of our &s;alvations: for tho&s;e who are &s;haken and &s;candaliz'd at Gods order ev'n in this, which is one of the mo&s;t &s;eeming declinings of his equitie, at the be&s;t, incur <HI>Oza's</HI> tre&s;pa&s;s of incredulitie, when he &s;aw the Oxen &s;tum|ble, and the Ark lean towards a fall: and as his diffidence was &s;everely puni&s;h'd, &s;o all &s;uch wavering and vacillation of our confidence is in danger of &s;ome &s;harp re&s;entment.</P>
<P>The &s;ame method we u&s;e to under&s;tand the my&s;terious parts of Gods Word, is the be&s;t we can hold to apprehend aright the my&s;teries of his Works: for as in the fir&s;t, we interpret the ob&s;cure places by the clear ones; &s;o in the la&s;t mu&s;t we explain to our &s;elves the dark pa&s;&s;ages of Providence, by the clear evi|dences we have of Gods goodne&s;s, wi&s;dom, and equitie; where|of we have &s;o many convincing demon&s;trations in divers clear expre&s;&s;ions, that without being able to untie every knot and &s;mooth out every particular fold of his Providence; we may conclude with S. <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> that As God, his conduct of his creature mu&s;t be occult, but cannot be unju&s;t. We mu&s;t re|member, that God &s;ees not tran&s;itory motions by &s;ucce&s;&s;ive acts, as we do; who behold alternatively the various &s;equen|ces of things in their cour&s;e, not center'd in their term: the Divine Eye with one intuit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ve act, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es the end, together with the means of all con&s;equences; in&s;omuch that the means &s;eem &s;o little to affect God, as we find them &s;everal times al|ter'd, ev n after his own prenunciation of them: as in many of his judgments denounc'd by his Prophets in the ca&s;e of <HI>Nine|veh</HI> and <HI>Ezech as,</HI> this is evidenc'd; &s;o that the end is only con&s;iderable to God, and fix'd in his &s;ight: Wherefore if we could &s;uppo&s;e that terminable, we might &s;ay it were &s;tay'd and determin'd in the end of all things; His Spirit telling us, <HI>that his wi&s;dom reaches from end to end mightily,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.1.</NOTE> <HI>and di&s;po&s;es all things &s;weetly:</HI> As the end is the only object whereon Gods &s;ight may be &s;aid to be fix'd; the various incidents towards it may be conceiv'd, as all involv'd and made up into that figure which the concluding point expo&s;es to his view: for as it is the pa&s;&s;age
<PB N="73" REF="47"> of the la&s;t grain of &s;and which gives us the notion of that mea|&s;ur'd time we apprehend, (the &s;everal effluxes running only to this la&s;t unitie, which is form'd as the term of all the others mo|tions: and for that cau&s;e our con&s;iderations &s;tay not to reflect upon every &s;ingle grains omi&s;&s;ion;) &s;o much le&s;s doth God &s;tay his &s;ight upon the &s;ingle efflux of actions, tending to their la&s;t end alwayes pre&s;ent to his omni&s;cience.</P>
<P>Wherefore <HI>Judas</HI> waiting on Chri&s;ts per&s;on, and working miracles in his mi&s;&s;ion; and <HI>Saul</HI> in defiance of him, taking a contrary Commi&s;&s;ion, were not look'd upon by God, re&s;pe|ctively to the&s;e their tran&s;ient occupations; but with regard to their final de&s;ignments.</P>
<P>For this rea&s;on the holy Spirit &s;ayes, <HI>he con&s;idereth the end of every thing:</HI> what&s;oever he &s;ees by the way, he is &s;aid to con&s;ider only the end; and con&s;ideration imports a concern'd intendment, which a &s;imple vi&s;ion doth not include. Did not <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> ki&s;s <HI>Judas</HI> at his &s;eparation, and &s;trike S. <HI>Paul</HI> at his ad|mi&s;&s;ion? the&s;e acts look'd contrarie to their &s;everal ends, but &s;eem not con&s;ider'd by God: no more do the pa&s;&s;ing vertues or vices of the Elect and Reprobate fall into Gods concern|ment; only their final State which is fix'd and permanent, re&s;ts in his con&s;ideration. So that <HI>Origen,</HI> when he pull'd out his eye that was in danger to &s;candalize him; and S. <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> while he cheri&s;h'd his eyes overflowing with the &s;ame &s;candal, <HI>(having them full of adultery, and not cea&s;ing from &s;in)</HI> were lit|tle re&s;pected by God in the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages of their lives; nothing tran&s;itory (but as in order to its end) being worth His ani|madver&s;ion.</P>
<P>Gods admirable order di&s;po&s;es all the tran&s;ient operations of his holy Spirit, towards the univer&s;al good he de&s;igns: for the holy Gho&s;t pa&s;&s;es through no body, without producing &s;ome &s;pecial benefit; but many times he i&s;&s;ues him&s;elf in&s;trumental|ly through &s;ome, purpo&s;ely to remain in others, to whom he was de&s;ign'd. As S. <HI>Gregory</HI> notes, that the Divine Provi|dence &s;ets forth many in the way of vertue, which never proceed to perfection; only that they may &s;hew others the way, who
<PB N="74" REF="48"> are to arrive at the journeys end. And tho&s;e conduits, that export thus the holy Gho&s;t, act but the part of &s;uch Fonts that contain the waters of Bapti&s;m, which &s;anctifie tho&s;e to whom they are communicated, not tho&s;e who di&s;pen&s;e them. As is finely ob&s;erv'd by a &s;piritual Author, upon the threefold mi&s;&s;ion of the <HI>holy Gho&s;t,</HI> in the <HI>Dove,</HI> in a <HI>Cloud,</HI> and in <HI>Fire;</HI> In three manners the holy Gho&s;t has vi&s;ibly appear'd; to &s;ome he is given as a gift, not for the u&s;e of the gift; to others for the u&s;e of the gift, not for a gift; and to &s;ome, both as a gift, and for the u&s;e of it: the fir&s;t are good per&s;ons, but weak and imperfect, as to the communication of their goodne&s;s; the &s;econd, though interiourly corrupted and un&s;ound, yet well qualified for the tran&s;port of good to others; and the third, both good and perfectly &s;o, that is, fitted to multiply that qualitie. The fir&s;t indeed, &s;igh only with a Dove-like &s;implicitie, breath pietie inward, not blow it abroad; the &s;econd, like Clouds water many, but them&s;elves (after they have vented their moi&s;ture) are dryed up and di&s;&s;ipated by the wind of their own vain nature: but the third, at the &s;ame time kindle others, and are them&s;elves in|flam'd with the aliment of that holy fire they impart; foment|ing in their own bre&s;ts the incentives of love, while by the &s;pi|ration of the holy Gho&s;ts breath, they inflame their neigh|bors. The&s;e la&s;t are &s;uch as the holy Spirit terms, <HI>burning and &s;hining lights:</HI> and S. <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;ayes, <HI>they burn not that they may &s;hine, but rather &s;hine that they may burn:</HI> not expo&s;ing their abilities for &s;hew and applau&s;e to them&s;elves, but in order to the touching and affecting their neighbours, and improving their own zealous affections.</P>
<P>But of the&s;e other is our pre&s;ent que&s;tion; of whom the Prophet may well be &s;aid to &s;peak, when he &s;aith, <HI>Who are the&s;e that fly like clouds?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 16.8.</NOTE> and truly in the&s;e kind of clouds the Divine Providence &s;eems the mo&s;t ob&s;cur'd; &s;uch we may account <HI>Origen</HI> and <HI>Tertullian;</HI> who &s;eem'd to be &s;et as clouds over the heads of the Primitive Chri&s;tians to &s;hadow them from the ardors of per&s;ecution, and to water the faithful in the
<PB N="75" REF="48"> de&s;art of tho&s;e times; and yet were them&s;elves at la&s;t dry'd up, &amp; left void of that &s;piritual dew they had di&s;tild into the world. Such may, methinks, (following the Metaphor) be likened to tho&s;e clouds, in which Chri&s;t &s;eem'd to a&s;cend into heaven; which carryed him out of the &s;ight of his Di&s;ciples, but ro&s;e not &s;o high as heaven with him: for in like manner, many (who for &s;ome time are zealous and active Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;ti|anitie) carry Chri&s;t beyond the reach of the worlds &s;ight, their di&s;ciples not being able to di&s;cern, where they &s;ever and part them&s;elves from him; though they pa&s;s not up to his re&s;t and &s;tation, as not per&s;evering to the end, which is requir'd for their ri&s;ing as high as heaven. And thus the time and man|ner of their divi&s;ion from God, in the&s;e &s;uppo&s;ed eminent fol|lowers of Chri&s;t, will remain cover'd and ob&s;cur'd to the nea|re&s;t in&s;pections into their lives and conver&s;ations.</P>
<P>S. <HI>John</HI> him&s;elf gives no clearer accompt concerning the defection of tho&s;e de&s;erters he complains of, then this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 1.9.</NOTE> <HI>They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remain'd with us:</HI> he offers the per|plexitie of that tender age of Chri&s;tianitie no clear &s;atisfaction in point of the rea&s;on of &s;uch prevarications; only declares they were not really conjoin'd, where they appear'd to be. And &s;urely, our intellectual &s;ight is no le&s;s deceiveable in di&s;tant ob|jects, then our corporal, to which things &s;ever'd &s;eem conti|guous: For, as a Tower &s;tanding but near a Church, may ap|pear to us afar off, ev'n the Steeple of that Church, though it be indeed at a good di&s;tance from it; &s;o may the eye of our mind ea&s;ily be mi&s;taken in looking at that di&s;tance, we needs mu&s;t, upon the &s;pirits of others; and apprehend them united and conjoin'd to that truth and &s;inceritie from which they are really di&s;tant and unadhering. It is therefore a &s;afe advice, (con&s;idering the errablene&s;s of our judgments, when extended to foreign and remote &s;ubjects) to contain them, as much as may be, within tho&s;e terms where they may be exercis'd with the mo&s;t certaintie, which is, in our own interiour State; and to point them to that mark whither they may carry level
<PB N="76" REF="49"> (as it were) and &s;o much the &s;urer, that is, to the univer|&s;al ju&s;tice and equitie of God: and not mount them up|ward, to make them carry at randome; aiming at the far|the&s;t di&s;coveries our di&s;cour&s;e can reach to, in point of the cau&s;e of &s;uch effects, wherein our rea&s;on goes backward in effect, by the &s;ame degrees it hopes to advance: &s;o unrea&s;on|able a thought is it to attempt &s;uch penetrations: which &s;avour much of the <HI>Beth&s;amites</HI> proceedings with the Ark, the ble&s;&s;ing of who&s;e pre&s;ence they lo&s;t by a precipitate cu|rio&s;itie.</P>
<P>As the intellect of man is (after the manner) born of full age, as to &s;ome po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, which are &s;o connatural, that at the fir&s;t time it acts upon them, it enjoyes them as fully as in any &s;equence of di&s;cour&s;e. (The&s;e are principles known by the light of Nature, as &s;oon as propos'd:) &s;o me|thinks, there are &s;ome Propo&s;itions may be &s;aid manife&s;tly unintelligible, in the &s;ame degree the others are evident; namely, the Councels of Gods Order and Providence in the government of his rational Creatures; the comprehen&s;ion whereof, &s;eems at the fir&s;t propo&s;al, as plainly impo&s;&s;ible, as the conclu&s;ion of the whole to be greater then the part is no|torious and unmi&s;takeable. And the defection, of &s;ome emi|nent Commi&s;&s;ioners and Mini&s;ters of God, &s;eems to me as in|comprehen&s;ible, as any other notion is evident: Where|fore we ought no more to endeavour a clearing it to us by di&s;cour&s;e upon it, then we argue to induce the con&s;ent to principles impre&s;&s;'d upon us by the light of Nature: So that enlightned <HI>Job</HI> confe&s;&s;es, in point of di&s;cernment of Gods Order,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job.</HI> 9.11.</NOTE> <HI>If he come to me, I &s;hall not &s;ee him; if he depart, I &s;hall not under&s;tand.</HI></P>
<P>After S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> had made a long and &s;tudious di&s;qui&s;i|tion of the Nature of Time; he re&s;olv'd that though he had form'd &s;ome notion of it &s;atisfactory to him&s;elf, yet if he were requir'd to impart that &s;atisfaction to another, he could not hope for the &s;ame conclu&s;ion: &s;o truly, after all my di&s;|cu&s;&s;ions of this que&s;tion, albeit I my &s;elf re&s;t fully per&s;waded,
<PB N="77" REF="49"> that the reprobation of per&s;ons very remarkable for merits in the eyes of the World, calls not into doubt the equitie of Providence: yet can I not promi&s;e my &s;elf to have left my Readers in the &s;ame &s;atisfactory acquie&s;cence. Notwith|&s;tanding I may hope to offer &s;ome u&s;eful reflections from this &s;ubject, to all &s;orts of Per&s;ons.</P>
<P>To the be&s;t and mo&s;t confirm'd in pietie, I &s;end this Ani|madver&s;ion, that they <HI>have their trea&s;ure in earthen ve&s;&s;els;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor:</HI> 4.7.</NOTE> and by con&s;equence, how tenderly they ought to carry it, both in regard of the value of the contain d, and the vilitie of the continent. And &s;urely the pre&s;uming Libertines, who (as if they were the principal gue&s;ts, and ought to be &s;tay'd for) a&s;&s;ign their own time to come to the great Supper, may fitly be pre&s;ented with this con&s;ideration,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>If the righteous &s;carcely be &s;aved, where &s;hall the ungodly, and &s;inner appear?</HI> Where|fore, &s;uch &s;hall do well (in &s;tead of wondring how per&s;ons of eminent vertues and graces, can be finally reprobated by God) to begin to wonder how notorious neglecters of his grace can be, at la&s;t, recall'd and reconcil'd to &s;o offended a God; remembring that &s;harp menace,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luk</HI> 23</NOTE> <HI>If this be done to a green tree, what &s;hall be done to the dry one?</HI> The&s;e meditati|ons naturally i&s;&s;ue and run to the right hand and to the left, from this head; and may properly refre&s;h and &s;ecundate ev'n the be&s;t mould they fall upon, as well as &s;often and unparch the drye&s;t and barrenne&s;t earth they pa&s;s over. And as I offer the&s;e derivements from this &s;ubject, to rai&s;e our affections up|ward; &s;o to re&s;train the a&s;piring of our under&s;tandings towards this tran&s;cendent my&s;tery, I pre&s;ent this writ of inhibition from the holy Spirit, <HI>God will not hear without cau&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 35.13.</NOTE> <HI>and the omnipotent will behold the cau&s;es of every one; yea when thou &s;halt &s;ay he con&s;iders not, be judg'd before him, and expect him.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="conclusion">
<PB N="78" REF="50">
<HEAD>The &s;um and re&s;ult of all the&s;e Meditations on Divine Providence.</HEAD>
<P>AFter all the&s;e our di&s;qui&s;itions, we cannot (methinks) make a better judgment of <HI>Divine Providence,</HI> then in the&s;e words of the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 29. <HI>v.</HI> 11, 12.</NOTE> <HI>The vi&s;ion of Gods Councels is unto you as a book which is &s;eal'd, which men deliver to one that is learned, &s;aying, read this I pray thee; and he &s;aith, I cannot for it is &s;eal'd: and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, &s;aying, read this I pray thee; and he &s;aith I am not learned</HI> for the mo&s;t illuminate, and the mo&s;t illiterate are equidi&s;tant from di&s;cerning Gods Councels, and there is no height or eminence in nature, that rai&s;es us nearer this cele|&s;tial orb, then the lowe&s;t po&s;ition; that degree of grace we are &s;eated in, can only approach us to this heavenly altitude. For as he, who had climb'd to the top of the highe&s;t Mountain of the <HI>Alps,</HI> were not got &s;o near the Sun as one lying in the lowe&s;t Plain of <HI>Africa,</HI> by rea&s;on he is nearer the line wherein the Sun moves: &s;o a man that humbly re&s;ts in the lowe&s;t &s;tate of grace, is more advanc'd towards this &s;tation of the Divine Orders, then one who has by his di&s;cour&s;e, mounted to the &s;ub|lime&s;t pitch of &s;ingle rea&s;on; becau&s;e he is nearer that Orb, wherein the de&s;igns of Providence have their cour&s;es. Let us all therefore apply our under&s;tandings towards an advance in that element of grace, wherein the lower we &s;toop we &s;hall make the greater progre&s;s; and &s;ubmit them in a re&s;ign'd ac|quie&s;cence, to all the manife&s;tations of Gods plea&s;ures, and the occultations of his Councels.</P>
<P>My &s;peculations have long mov'd upon this &s;cale of Provi|dence; the highe&s;t part whereof, like <HI>Jacobs ladder,</HI> touches heaven, whil&s;t the lower re&s;ts upon the earth. And here be|holding Angels and men falling from the top of it; I have
<PB N="79" REF="50"> con&s;idered the fir&s;t, with &s;uch a weight upon them,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jude</HI> 1.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> as &s;unk them ev'n to the center of the earth, where they lye bound in darkne&s;s; and have found the other (though the unworthie&s;t creature) rais'd up, by the &s;ame hand that made them, and &s;et upon the lower &s;teps of the Ladder, with means to re|a&s;cend to their fir&s;t &s;tation. Let the &s;crupulous que&s;tioners of tho&s;e acts of Providence, which &s;eem &s;evere towards the &s;ons of men, exhibit a cau&s;e proportionate to this act of It in favour of mankind; and then, they may be allow'd to &s;cruple the rea|&s;on of tho&s;e occurrences, which look &s;o aver&s;ly to our rea&s;ons, and &s;o disfavourably to our nature. But &s;ince the infinite and incomprehen&s;ible love of God to man, can only be a cau&s;e ade|quate to &s;uch an act of indulgence; we (having &s;uch abundant &s;ecuritie of the partialitie of Divine Providence) ought to re&s;t per&s;waded of Its favourablene&s;s, ev'n in all tho&s;e encounters, which &s;eem the mo&s;t irreconcileable to our &s;en&s;e. For &s;urely, this not daring to tru&s;t God out of &s;ight, as I may &s;ay, is a di&s;|obliging we would not offer to friends, of who&s;e kindne&s;s we have had any tryal. And I may &s;afely affirm, that &s;hould God be pleas'd to manife&s;t to us the cau&s;es and con&s;equences of all tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, which are the mo&s;t offen&s;ive to our rea&s;on; we &s;hould, in that ca&s;e earne&s;tly demand the &s;ame events, which we commonly decline and deprecate.</P>
<P>Had the afflicted Patriarch been acquainted with Gods de|&s;ign upon his &s;on <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> in removing him, how much would he have petition'd and prais'd the &s;eparation he &s;o much lamented? Would not the captive Jews have rejoic'd in <HI>Da|niels</HI> &s;entence, if they had known the Furnace was de&s;ign'd but for his pa&s;&s;age up to a throne in <HI>Babylon?</HI> And &s;urely, had the mother of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> fore&s;een, that her &s;on was imbarqu'd upon the River, to be carryed up, ev'n to the admiraltie of <HI>Egypt;</HI> with what joy rather then &s;ollicitude, would &s;he have rigg'd the lit|tle Barque &s;he made him? In the&s;e ca&s;es fire was to impart only the qualitie of rai&s;ing upward, not ruining the matter ex|pos'd; and water, that of &s;upporting, not &s;uppre&s;&s;ing what na|turally was &s;ubjected to it: and of how many more of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ods
<PB N="80" REF="51"> wonderful conducts may it be &s;aid, <HI>We have pa&s;s'd through fire and water, and thou ha&s;t brought us to refre&s;hments?</HI> So when|ever we &s;ee the flames devouring, or the flouds overwhelming all our comprehen&s;ions of equitie or order, in humane accidents; let us re&s;t in a calm confidence of the benignitie of Providence and learn of experienc'd <HI>David,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;.</HI> 148</NOTE> to <HI>prai&s;e the Lord in this &s;pirit of &s;torms which fulfill his word.</HI></P>
<P>Nature in all her agitations and to&s;&s;ings, follows the order of Providence; but our rea&s;on when it grows tempe&s;tuous, runs again&s;t it: and the entring into an unquiet &s;olicitude about the cau&s;es of moral confe&s;ions, &s;eems to me as if the Ma&s;ter in a &s;torm &s;hould fall a &s;tudying his <HI>Ephimerides,</HI> to find out what Con&s;tellation produc d the ill weather, when all his thoughts &s;hould be apply'd to fit the Ve&s;&s;el to bear it. This is the part of our rea&s;onable facultie, <HI>viz.</HI> the endeavour of conforming our wills to the pre&s;ent exigence, not to &s;train it towards comprehen&s;ion of tho&s;e occult cau&s;es which rai&s;e the tempe&s;t. For &s;urely, humane rea&s;on, when it &s;eeks to pene|trate the Divine contrivements, flies (with <HI>Jonas</HI>) out of the way God hath appointed it; and rai&s;es a &s;torm by this excur|&s;ion, which is &s;oone&s;t calm'd by ca&s;ting our rea&s;on into the Aby&s;s of Providence: where the lower we &s;ink, the le&s;s wa|ving and fluctuation we &s;hall find in our &s;pirit, while it re&s;ts in this profound meditation, <HI>the judgments are the great Aby&s;s, thy paths are in many waters, and thy foot&s;teps are not to be di&s;|cern'd.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Apoc.</HI> 5</NOTE>The Book which S. <HI>John</HI> &s;aw, written within and without, &s;ignifi'd the decrees and executions of Providence. The cha|racters on the out&s;ide are tho&s;e purpo&s;es already reduc'd into acts; the &s;ight whereof, &s;urely excited that earne&s;t de&s;ire to &s;ee the &s;eals opened, and read the in&s;ide, which imported the councels and rea&s;ons of tho&s;e admirable events. But we may ob&s;erve, that after he had &s;een the &s;eal di&s;clos'd (by him who was only found worthy to open them) and the inward writing di&s;play'd before him, he was commanded to &s;wallow the book whole, that is, to embrace the compleated order, not to di&s;|cour&s;e
<PB N="81" REF="51"> or de&s;cant upon the parts:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Apoc.</HI> 10.9.</NOTE> when for a little pa&s;&s;ing &s;weet which he ta&s;ted in his mouth, he felt a great bitterne&s;s in his bowels, that is, he found &s;ome pre&s;ent &s;avour of &s;atisfi'd curio&s;itie, but a more la&s;ting di&s;gu&s;t of his incapacitie towards a farther comprehen&s;ion of Gods in&s;crutable conduct. In &s;ome proportion to this, all the mo&s;t enlightned in&s;pectors of natural or &s;upernatural &s;ubjects, may find &s;ome little reli&s;h in the food of their di&s;coveries and di&s;cernments, exceeding others; yet &s;till they remain with an emptie di&s;&s;atisfaction in point of their own under&s;tandings, as to a compleat comprehen&s;ion of what they require; &s;o the deeper part of their mind continues void and unfed, though their imagination be refre&s;h'd with &s;ome &s;uperficial conceptions: and thus the mouth may be &s;aid to be &s;weetned while the belly ta&s;tes nothing but bitterne&s;s.</P>
<P>Is it not &s;uperabundant recompence for this our pre&s;ent &s;tate of ignorance, that our eternal knowledge may be more enlar|ged by an humble acceptance of Gods order, and a faithful confidence in his ju&s;tice, then ev'n by any pre&s;ent illuminati|on? For whoever &s;hall have been more enflam'd with charitie then <HI>Daniel</HI> or S. <HI>John,</HI> &s;hall be more enlightned in heaven then either of them. The glorious Prophet &s;ees now more, for ha|ving been lock'd up in the Lions den, then for having had the dores of Providence &s;et &s;o open to him: and the ble&s;&s;ed Apo|&s;tle is now clearer-&s;ighted for having been ca&s;t into the Cal|dron of boyling oyl at <HI>Rome,</HI> then for his raptures and revelati|ons at <HI>Pathmos.</HI> Wherefore &s;urely, could God offer any good Chri&s;tian, either a clear knowledg of the rea&s;ons of &s;uch occur|rences as perplex him, or the merit of believing the equitie of all &s;uch events as confound his under&s;tanding; undoubtedly he would prefer the plea&s;ing of God by his faithful confidence be|fore the ea&s;ing of his pre&s;ent curio&s;itie. And let tho&s;e who would make that choice, but con&s;ider the ca&s;e, and they &s;hall find they have the &s;ame de&s;ert towards God, by &s;uch a beli<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">v|ing acquie&s;cence, as if, upon this offer, they had made the ele|ction.</P>
<P>Moreover, we have this promi&s;e to quiet our anticipating
<PB N="82" REF="52"> impatience, that <HI>nothing is now conceal'd which &s;hall not be made manife&s;t, when the heavens &s;hall be &s;heiveld up like a &s;crole;</HI> then the book of Providence &s;hall be unfolded and &s;pred open, as the firmament is now. Let &s;uch therefore as are mo&s;t affected with enquirie into the my&s;teries of Providence, provide for be|ing joy'd, when they &s;hall be reveal'd and detected to their un|der&s;tanding. Let them remember, their own &s;ecrets and inte|riors are to make part of the great &s;hew, and take care that they be not a&s;ham'd of that manife&s;tation; le&s;t then they call to the Mountains to cover them, and &s;eek to fly from that revelation of my&s;teries with more horror, then ever they pur&s;u'd them with &s;olicitude. For when our Saviour had, in part, &s;atisfi d the curio&s;itie of his di&s;ciples, in tho&s;e they inquired into, con|cerning this great di&s;playing of heaven; he pre&s;crib'd them this, as the mo&s;t u&s;eful knowledge, To &s;tudy their own hearts. <HI>Watch therefore and pray always,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luk.</HI> 21 37.</NOTE> <HI>that you may be accounted worthy to &s;tand before the Son of Man;</HI> who&s;e orders and de&s;igns we mu&s;t be content to follow, in &s;uch clouds as they are carried in; till we &s;ee him coming in tho&s;e clouds, which &s;hall unvail and un|cloud all our ob&s;curities.</P>
<P>We may therefore &s;um up all the fractions of our di&s;cour&s;e into this accompt; that many mo&s;t clear-&s;ighted &s;ouls have been abus'd and &s;educ'd by their de&s;ires of penetrating into the occult rea&s;ons of &s;upernatural orders; but never any, though mo&s;t &s;imple, was prejudic'd by a believing ne&s;cience, re&s;ting upon this advice of the Prophet, <HI>The Lord is a God of judgment, ble&s;&s;ed are all they that wait upon him.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.18.</NOTE> Wherefore when any of the&s;e perplexing objects we have di&s;cours'd on, are exhibited to our Rea&s;on; let us an&s;wer them all with this &s;olution of S. <HI>Paul, Who hath known the mind of the Lord?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>but we have the mind of Chri&s;t;</HI> which is recorded to us in this judg'd ca&s;e (at the &s;uit of his deare&s;t friends, ev'n at his &s;eparation from them) <HI>It is not for you to know the times or the &s;ea&s;ons, which the Father hath put in his own power.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="83" REF="52">
<HEAD>The fifth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the right u&s;e of Time. In three Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<P>_HAving been advertis'd upon what &s;ort of times we ought not to employ our inqui|&s;itivene&s;s; it follows now properly to in|form you unto what kind we are injoin'd to a&s;&s;ign our &s;tudious &s;olicitude. For as we advance not towards the di&s;covery of Gods times by any intendment of our in|du&s;try; &s;o we make a continual progre&s;s towards the comprehen&s;ion of the nature and de&s;ign of our own, by our &s;edulitie and application. Wherefore our Saviour Chri&s;t (who rejected the de&s;ire of his Di&s;ciples in the one, with <HI>It is not for you to know the times or the &s;ea&s;ons,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Act.</HI> 1.7.</NOTE> <HI>which the Father hath put in his power)</HI> recommended thus unto them, the pur|&s;uance and inque&s;t of the other; <HI>Watch therefore and pray, be|cau&s;e you know not at what hour you &s;hall be call'd upon.</HI> According to which, though Almighty God hath left it very hard to give a right and full definition of Time, yet has he lay'd very evident the making a right di&s;po&s;ition of it: for ev'n the ob&s;curitie of the one, conduces to the di&s;cernment of the other; by rea&s;on
<PB N="84" REF="53"> that the continual flux and incon&s;i&s;tencie, which renders the comprehen&s;ion of it &s;o ab&s;truce, directs us the more &s;en&s;iblie to a continual attention to the moral pa&s;&s;age of it.</P>
<P>We may therefore lo&s;e Time by looking it away; as many have done by too long inqui&s;itions into the natural Being of it: not unlike the Dog in the Fable, letting goe the &s;ub&s;tance to catch at the &s;hadow. For &s;urely the end of our time may be term'd the &s;ub&s;tance of it, in re&s;pect whereof the motion &s;eems but the &s;hadow; the natural apprehen&s;ion of Time being but as the mea&s;ure of motion; whereas the moral notion of it, is as the <HI>medium</HI> of re&s;t, which is as much worthier then motion, as the &s;ub&s;tance excels the &s;hadow: wherefore to this &s;ub&s;tantial part of Time, namely, the Chri&s;tian u&s;e of it, we &s;hall a&s;&s;ign all our inqui&s;itions.</P>
<P>Philo&s;ophie (to indear to us the value of time) tells us, that we have nothing but <HI>that</HI> we can account our own: we are but tenants at will to fortune in all our other po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions; owners and proprietaries only of time. But Chri&s;tianitie leaves us not in this loo&s;e notion of it, as an arbitrary proprietie: it gives us a clearer evidence towards the right u&s;e thereof, by in|forming us what kind of proprietie we have in it; namely, that it is ours, rather in the nature of &s;piritual goods, then of &s;ecular: for we are but u&s;ufructuaries, without right of alienati|on, becau&s;e the &s;tock truly belongs to the Church, and reports to the method of Eccle&s;ia&s;tical revenues, whereof part is allot|ted to the &s;upport of the per&s;on benefic'd, according to his qualitie; and part to pious u&s;es. We may &s;ay, the time of a Chri&s;tian is thus portion'd, the be&s;t part due to his inte|rior religious duties, part to the compliance with his exterior vocation, and part a&s;&s;ign'd to the foreign nece&s;&s;ities of our neighbour; in&s;omuch as we receive this talent upon obliga|tion of improvement; and tho&s;e only who are able to &s;hew their gain, &s;hall enjoy the fruits of it, when Time it &s;elf &s;hall be no more.</P>
<P>If we are not then allow'd &s;o much as to burie this Talent,
<PB N="85" REF="53"> that is, to let the hour-gla&s;s of our life run out in a drow&s;ie in|difference, not fowling much, but not weighing at all the &s;ands thereof; if this management of Time will not pa&s;s the great Audit, what can they expect who are continually pawning it for all the vanities they can take up upon it? for which, when they are to engage nothing but their Time, they &s;tick at no proportion requir'd: In&s;omuch that it pa&s;&s;es for a good qua|litie, to be able to pa&s;s away our time for the mo&s;t of this worlds commodities; and they are accounted the mo&s;t dex|terous, who can get the mo&s;t credit with the world, only upon the caution of their Time; &s;uch being be&s;t e&s;teem'd, for who&s;e &s;ingle company the world will give the mo&s;t of tho&s;e vain commodities it exchanges. What can &s;uch hope for, when they have no Time left, and be&s;ides owe for all they have made of the pa&s;t? Can they conceive to forfeit le&s;s then all that remains for reprizal upon them; which is no le&s;s then their eternitie?</P>
<P>But the greate&s;t part of the&s;e ill husbands pre&s;ume they do not ab&s;olutely forfeit the Time they thus boldly morgage, be|lieving they may redeem it when they plea&s;e, upon this favour|able clau&s;e in the bond, <HI>At what time &s;oever a &s;inner repents him of his &s;ins, from the bottome of his heart, they &s;hall be remit|ted:</HI> but they little con&s;ider the &s;trictne&s;s of this condition; namely, of <HI>the bottome of his heart;</HI> they think not on the depth they are to &s;ound; nor on the time it requires to dive into the bottom of mans heart, from whence this repentance mu&s;t be drawn; which will be accepted for the redemption of his Time.</P>
<P>For though there &s;hould be nothing but &s;traws or chaff, (that is, vanitie rather then vice) to ob&s;truct the pa&s;&s;age; yet ev'n they will ask more time then we can conceive (while our ima|gination is thus ob&s;tructed) to be remov'd and ca&s;t out: for that kind of levitie naturally de&s;cends into our hearts, and is not from thence drawn upward without much violence, by the force of grace. If of our &s;elves we cannot get &s;o far as a good thought, which lies but in the &s;uperficies of our heart, why
<PB N="86" REF="54"> &s;hould we think a little time will &s;erve to reach ev'n to the cen|ter of it, from whence we mu&s;t extract that repentance which mu&s;t be offer'd for ran&s;ome of our pretious Time? Wherefore, upon this &s;ummons of the holy Spirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 46.8.</NOTE> <HI>(Return ye tran&s;gre&s;&s;ours to your heart,)</HI> S. <HI>Gregory</HI> &s;ayes, that the Prophet &s;ends the &s;inner far back, when he commands him to his own heart; for commonly he has &s;tray'd &s;o far, and incon&s;iderately abroad, that he has much adoe to find his way home. Let not there|fore the&s;e incon&s;iderate pre&s;umers account it an ea&s;ie retro|gre&s;&s;ion into the bottom of it, &s;ince ev'n the heart it &s;elf of a &s;in|ner, when it is &s;ought for, is not ea&s;ily retriv'd.</P>
<P>How deplorable then is this error of the world, where tho&s;e who have mo&s;t Time to &s;pare, conceive their parts to be, only to cut off, and &s;horten it, as if it were the only enemie they were &s;et to defeat, and this the &s;ole <HI>warfare of their life upon earth?</HI> Doth not this &s;eem the opinion of Courts, where our great enemie the Prince of the air, is commonly entertain'd as the chief Engineer for inventions to make away our Time? in&s;o|much, as there, the Philo&s;ophers reproach &s;eems notoriou&s;ly incurr'd, that A great part of our life &s;lips away in our doing nothing, a greater in doing ill, and all in doing &s;omewhat el&s;e then what we &s;hould do. This will ea&s;ily be verifi'd to tho&s;e, who remember this declaration of the holy Spirit, of what we have to doe in this life;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.15.</NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t dyed for all, that tho&s;e who live, &s;hould not live to them&s;elves, but to him who dyed for them:</HI> which refers to all vocations that claim any intere&s;t in the death of Chri&s;t. How do they then corre&s;pond to this injuncti|on, that a&s;&s;ign all their time to their own &s;olaces? and yet how many (whom God hath left mo&s;t to doe, to thank him for the&s;e fruits which his benefits bear them, of ea&s;e and lea&s;ure) &s;eem the mo&s;t troubled what to do with their time; when this &s;o &s;mooth and poli&s;h'd lea&s;ure they look upon, might well re|flect to them (were they not too dim-&s;ighted) a debt, which challenges that loo&s;e time for the di&s;charge of it? This is therefore a fair means for tho&s;e, who (by Gods &s;pecial benigni|ty) abound in time, unapply'd to their vocation, to &s;ecure them|&s;elves
<PB N="87" REF="54"> from any weari&s;omne&s;s, <HI>viz.</HI> to remember they have more work to thank God for this very vacancie, then they can po&s;&s;ibly di&s;charge in that time, which &s;eems redundant to their weak minds. And by this thought, the very time they have to &s;pare, will &s;hew them rather their want, then &s;uperfluitie of it. And when they con&s;ider what truth it &s;elf tells us, that our whole life is but ev'n <HI>A vapour that appears for a little,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>James</HI> 4.15.</NOTE> <HI>and then vani&s;hes away;</HI> they will not &s;o ea&s;ily make it their bu&s;ine&s;s to rai&s;e artificial fires to rarifie and ha&s;ten this vapours di&s;&s;i|pation.</P>
<P>If tho&s;e who&s;e chief thought is how to pa&s;s away their time, were told, that they were &s;tudying how to &s;horten their lives; this would &s;eem to them a preci&s;e &s;peculation, not a po&s;itive truth: and yet this is commonly true, as to their natural life, by rea&s;on of tho&s;e unhealthful di&s;orders which they make their pa&s;times; but as to their &s;upernatural, it is &s;o manife&s;t, that them&s;elves &s;carce di&s;pute it. Notwith&s;tanding, &s;ince they can|not deceive them&s;elves by that mi&s;take, they will do it by this mi&s;-per&s;wa&s;ion, that they &s;hall have time left to recover this ill husbandry; as if it were as much in their power to recall time, as to ca&s;t it away: nay more, it &s;eems to them the ea|&s;ier work; for they pre&s;ume to redeem ev'n years with hours: &s;uch a bargain do they impo&s;e upon God, who, though &s;ome|times out of his infinite goodne&s;s, he accepts &s;uch compen&s;a|tions, yet is it never upon pre-contract, as the&s;e negotiators &s;eem by their dilatorie confidence to have agreed. Wherein they proceed more like Courtiers of <HI>Felix,</HI> then Converts of S. <HI>Paul:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Act.</HI> 24</NOTE> for when they are frighted with the thoughts of <HI>ju&s;tice, cha&s;tity,</HI> and <HI>the judgment to come,</HI> they de&s;ire their con&s;ciences to leave troubling them for the pre&s;ent, and &s;ay they will call back tho&s;e con&s;iderations <HI>in convenient time;</HI> but commonly they find that convenient time, no more then <HI>Felix</HI> did to recal S. <HI>Paul.</HI> Be&s;ides the&s;e, there are &s;ome who for the pre&s;ent, di&s;claim any inclination towards this Providence, yet will notwith&s;tanding, entitle them&s;elves to the priviledge of &s;ome rare examples. But they who account upon the good Theef's recovery of his time,
<PB N="88" REF="55"> as a precedent for their hopes, may as well conceive, that the way to become a King, is to goe into the field to &s;eek A&s;&s;es, becau&s;e <HI>Saul</HI> was cho&s;en in that action; this other imperti|nence being really no le&s;s, &s;ince their pretence is to a greater Crown, by as improbable a tittle; for, &s;uch extraordinary graces of God are demerited, by nothing more then by mans pre&s;uming to di&s;po&s;e of them. Wherefore God (after having forborn King <HI>Mana&s;&s;es</HI> fortie years, and &s;taid for his repen|tance) cut off his &s;on <HI>Amon</HI> in the fir&s;t two years of his out|ragious impieties: the rea&s;on whereof is well conceiv'd by a grave Author, That the &s;on pre&s;um'd upon Gods patience and long &s;uffering with his father, and re&s;olv d to redeem the offen|ces of his youth by a late repentance; which a&s;&s;ignment God was not pleas'd to accept. Let us therefore, in the in&s;tant of all our good purpo&s;es, remember this excellent truth of S. <HI>Gre|gory, He who hath promis'd pardon to all penitents, hath not pro|mis'd to &s;tay a day for their repentance.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Mans debt of his Time may be di&s;charg'd by his regular di&s;tribution of it.</HEAD>
<P>TO be &s;trongly affected with the pretiou&s;ne&s;s of our time, we mu&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly ponder this truth, that we had forfeited the ble&s;&s;ing of eternitie; ev'n before we had enjoy'd one mo|ment: and that God him&s;elf was pleas'd to enter into the tran|&s;itory indignitie of time, and give us many of his years, to re|e&s;tate us in a capacitie of redeeming our eternitie by the appli|cation of our time: &s;o that they who intend to recover their eternal lo&s;s, cannot &s;uppo&s;e the means to be their diverting of what they only have, to pay for their re-inve&s;ture. Wherefore
<PB N="89" REF="55"> the time of a Chri&s;tian &s;eems to be &s;et out upon this extent, to &s;atisfie the debt owing upon the redemption of his Eternitie: and yet &s;uch is the goodne&s;s of our Creditor, that all our hours are not &s;eque&s;tred from our private di&s;po&s;ings, and a&s;&s;ign'd to the acts or thoughts of religious di&s;charges; but what&s;oever is laid out upon every ones &s;ecular vocation, is receiv'd too into accompt. So that a Courtier may di&s;charge part of his debt by his waiting-hours, as well as a regular by his Canonical; and he that eats his bread in the &s;weat of his brow, di&s;counts off his &s;um, as well as he that macerates him&s;elf with the hunger and thir&s;t of righteou&s;ne&s;s in his Cell. For the mo&s;t laborious vocations have all that time required for their offices, pa&s;&s;'d upon their accompt; the hours requi&s;ite for our re&s;pective cal|lings, being the a&s;&s;ignments our Redeemer him&s;elf has made of our Time: the foot di&s;charges its duty as well by being in the dirt &s;ometimes, as the eye doth by being clean. From whence it follows, that tho&s;e to whom God leaves mo&s;t of their time una&s;&s;ign'd to exterior actions, are to pay in the more to his pri|vate u&s;e, in offices of Religion and Pietie, by this his Ordi|nance, <HI>To whom mo&s;t is given, mo&s;t &s;hall be required of them.</HI></P>
<P>God therefore, exacts not the payment of our time all in one &s;pecies of actuall devotion, provided there be an habitual refe|rence of it to him, <HI>There is a time to laugh, and a time to weep;</HI> for mirth and jollitie, as well as meditation and recollection. And our recreations (which &s;eem but cyphers) are brought into the reckoning, when the figure of their habitual direction to this accompt is &s;et to them: &s;uch kind of uncon&s;ider|ing refre&s;hments being provided ev'n by God, for the mind's &s;leep and repo&s;e; which di&s;po&s;es it the better for exerci&s;e, &s;up|po&s;ing them to be taken &s;o orderly, that they may relax only, not ravel out the contexture of our dayes work; mi&s;taking which end, to apply our thoughts to nothing, but barely the pa&s;&s;ing of our time, (though it be in harmle&s;s amu&s;ements,) is to take a kind of <HI>opium;</HI> to keep our minds as it were in a con|tinual lethargie, rather then in a refre&s;hing libertie, in order unto our chief application.</P>
<PB N="90" REF="56">
<P>Hence it is, that they who con&s;ider the pretiou&s;ne&s;s and &s;car|citie of time, make it their &s;tudy how to &s;tay it, as it were, in pa&s;&s;ing; which is to be done after the manner that corporal reflections are made, by &s;taying the light from pa&s;&s;ing through a diaphanous body; becau&s;e tran&s;parent matters retain not the images &s;et before them. And not unlike to this, we may, as it were, &s;top time, (then which there's nothing more tran|&s;parent) interpo&s;ing &s;ome &s;olid thoughts in the pa&s;&s;age of it: by which we draw reflections thence, of all tho&s;e good &s;pecies that are in&s;erted into the motion of it. But whil&s;t we &s;et no &s;erious con&s;iderations in the way of it, our time pa&s;&s;es away (as light doth through a clear tran&s;parencie) reflecting no re|pre&s;entation of the lightne&s;s and inanitie of all things fluent and tran&s;itorie.</P>
<P>The world is apt enough to make one kind of gla&s;s of their time, u&s;ing it as a Pro&s;pective, to explore and di&s;cover tem|poral dangers which have any appearance of a&s;&s;aulting their fortunes: as &s;oon as any &s;uch enemy appears within di&s;tance of our &s;peculation, we &s;et all our time to look forward towards the clear di&s;cernment of tho&s;e remote perils. And as at this end of the gla&s;s we approach to our view remote probabili|ties; &s;o looking often at the other end, we di&s;tance and re|move from our apprehen&s;ions, very near po&s;&s;ibilities of more important dangers; namely, the end and ce&s;&s;ation of our time: which po&s;&s;ible hazard, though it be as near as every &s;ucceeding moment, yet commonly appears at a great di&s;tance to our apprehen&s;ion. The&s;e two ill u&s;es the world makes of time, by way of a Pro&s;pective gla&s;s: Wherefore I propo&s;e this good one, derivable from it in the nature of a Mir|ror or reflecting-gla&s;s, to &s;et before it often this image of the life of man made by the holy Spirit, <HI>viz.</HI> its be|ing but a <HI>&s;hadow,</HI> a <HI>dream,</HI> a <HI>vapour;</HI> and when it reflects to us our life under the&s;e notions, we &s;hall &s;ooner be in fear of the cea&s;ing, then in thought for the pa&s;&s;ing of our time.</P>
<P>How &s;trangely incongruous is this practice of the world,
<PB N="91" REF="56"> to be alwayes confe&s;&s;ing and complaining of the frailty of our life, and yet living as if we were immortal; ca&s;ting that away of which we lament the &s;carcitie, and providing for the dura|blene&s;s of that whereof we acknowledge the impermanencie? And do not they act the&s;e parts, who are thoughtful only how to pa&s;s their time, and to e&s;tabli&s;h their fortunes? What would we &s;ay of one who having his veins cut, to bleed to death, were making his horo&s;cope in &s;tead of his confe&s;&s;ion? Yet may not this be &s;aid the ca&s;e of tho&s;e, who &s;eeing the continual elap&s;e and expiration of their time, are &s;tudying to know what &s;hall become of it? Did ever any per&s;on in a dangerous &s;ickne&s;s put out his e&s;tate for term of life? and yet in this evident uncertain|tie of our time to come, we are often putting out not only our pre&s;ent, but ev'n our plea&s;ant po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of it, upon protracted expectations. Is not this venture made by &s;uch who are in painful pur&s;uits and purcha&s;es of not only ungodly, but un|likely rever&s;ionarie plea&s;ures? never thinking of the cour&s;e of time, which runs on ince&s;&s;antly, as to the con&s;um|ption of our life, but not to the carriage of it, &s;o far as we have bargain'd for the term of our future po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion.</P>
<P>The&s;e precautions are &s;ugge&s;ted to us ev'n by &s;imple natu|ral prudence; which from the mouth of the Philo&s;ophers, ad|vi&s;es us to draw of Time as of a torrent, which runs not long by us; and out of which we mu&s;t &s;tore our re&s;erve, providing again&s;t that &s;hall be pa&s;&s;'d and exhau&s;ted. Let tho&s;e then (who in &s;tead of laying it up in con&s;erves for that provi&s;ion, are draw|ing of it, only to make bathes for their pre&s;ent &s;olace and de|licacie) remember <HI>Dives;</HI> who (after having done nothing but bathe and anoint his body in this torrent) came quickly to langui&s;h for a drop of water. O what would not the prodi|gals of Time in that ca&s;e, give for &s;ome grains of that &s;and, which &s;eem'd too many to them while they were pa&s;&s;ing here|tofore through their hour-gla&s;&s;es? While they may therefore, by laying it up, convert that &s;and into incorruptible trea&s;ure; Let
<PB N="92" REF="57"> them con&s;ider and e&s;teem tho&s;e grains, not for what they are, but what they may be made: and &s;ince we cannot &s;top the hole they run through now, let our cares and attentions run along with them to gather all we can in this their pa&s;&s;age; by this means our hours goe not from us, whil&s;t we goe along with them. And &s;ince we are &s;o convinc'd of the velocitie of time, let us match it with our celeritie in making beneficial u&s;es of it; for as S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;ayes elegantly, <HI>He only may be &s;aid Ma&s;ter of time, who in the &s;wifte&s;t current of it, layes &s;uch founda|tions as are not tran&s;itory.</HI></P>
<P>Pro&s;peritie is accompanied with one, no &s;mall prejudice, (as to the keeping a good accompt of time) by having no &s;en&s;ible marks, that remon&s;trate the &s;wift flux and decur&s;ion of our hours. For as while the Sun runs through an ev'n and cloudle&s;s skie, we hardly perceive the motion till it meet &s;ome cloud, through which as it pa&s;&s;es, we di&s;cern more &s;en&s;ibly the pa&s;t cour&s;e and progre&s;&s;ion: &s;o in the motion of our time, as long as it is pa&s;&s;ing through the &s;erenitie of this lower element, in various temporal felicities; we little think of the &s;wiftne&s;s and ha&s;te it makes, through this fair way to an end and expiration; but when it meets with &s;ome unequal and ob&s;cure intervention, through which it is to be tran&s;ported, then we reflect upon that velocitie wherewith it flew in tho&s;e elaps'd occurrences; and we perceive how unla&s;ting and momentary tho&s;e vani&s;h'd de|lights were in their pa&s;t tran&s;ition.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<PB N="93" REF="57">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Advices to the happy ones of this world, to attend the pa&s;&s;age of their time.</HEAD>
<P>COn&s;idering the aptne&s;s of tran&s;itory happine&s;s to deceive us in the tran&s;itorine&s;s of our time; the motion whereof is rendred in&s;en&s;ible, by the &s;tilne&s;s and ea&s;e of our &s;en&s;es, while their appetites are carry d &s;moothly forward in this motion; it imports the ea&s;ie and pro&s;perous lives of this age, to apply the mo&s;t attentive vigilancie to the con&s;ideration of their time. And tho&s;e familiar watches we u&s;e to &s;et to bring the hours before us as they pa&s;s (I mean our clocks) may be of excel|lent u&s;e; if we de&s;ign them, not only as civil &s;ervants, but as militant Sentinels, to adverti&s;e us every hour, that the enemie is advanc'd a &s;tep upon us. For truly death (as being come nearer us) may be &s;aid to &s;peak louder and louder to us in every &s;uc|ceeding clock; and tho&s;e who mark it, may hear his voice, whil&s;t by this reflection the &s;triker of every bell, becomes as it were a tongue &s;et into a Deaths-head, &s;hrilly allarming our ears each hour with fre&s;her news of his approach. And as every <HI>toling bell</HI> may be &s;aid to be the clock of death, &s;o every clock may be term'd, not unaptly, the <HI>Pa&s;sing bel</HI> of time, which tells us the expiring of the la&s;t hour; by which our thoughts may antici|pate the like in all that are to come: If the pa&s;&s;ages then were open and unob&s;tructed between our ears and our hearts, the &s;ound of every bell might &s;eem to articulate the&s;e words, <HI>The time pa&s;t is dead, the pre&s;ent dying, the future doubtful of ever li|ving to you:</HI> and &s;ure (if the&s;e alarms were heard as often as they ring) they would keep tho&s;e more awake, then they &s;eem to be, who &s;lumber away the mo&s;t part of their life, re&s;ting, by the repletion of their &s;en&s;es. Are we not advis'd <HI>to watch conti|nually, becau&s;e we know not at what hour of the watch the enemy
<PB N="94" REF="58"> comes?</HI> but though we do &s;leep in the intervals, yet how much a greater &s;hame is it not to wake when we are call'd upon and told that he is advanc'd? wherefore the mi&s;&s;ioners of <HI>France</HI> (who are living marks of a true Apo&s;tolical &s;ucce&s;&s;ion) &s;eek to e&s;tabli&s;h this practice in all places where they teach, that per&s;ons of all conditions, make &s;ome &s;hort addre&s;s to God, at the &s;triking of every clock. Which act is con&s;i&s;tent with the imployment of all vocations, and conducing much to the com|plying with our chief calling of <HI>Chri&s;tian,</HI> without diver&s;ion of our &s;econdary duties: for in &s;ome it induces a pious familia|ritie with God, and carries the thought of him along in the pur&s;uit of their bu&s;ine&s;s in hand; and for the common &s;ort, (who&s;e callings &s;eem to weigh and depre&s;s their thoughts down to the earth) the&s;e little intervenient rai&s;ings of their minds upward keep them from growing crooked by &s;tanding &s;o continually &s;tooping and declined, which is but nece&s;&s;ary: For though it be not required that per&s;ons of all Callings have their minds, for the mo&s;t part, actually erected towards hea|ven; yet is it requi&s;ite to keep them habitually &s;traight, that when the due &s;ea&s;ons demand the rai&s;ing them towards God, their &s;hape may appear in a fair and becoming rectitude.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e this practice is, in my opinion, very &s;ervice|able, as to the enducing a good habit of mind towards the pre|&s;ence of God; I humbly recommend to every one that &s;hall vouch&s;afe to read this petition, the giving &s;ome little &s;hort an|&s;wer to the call of every clock, which &s;eems to &s;ummon them to give God &s;ome acknowledgment of the hour pa&s;t: though we do but &s;et our hand anew to the bond of our Redemption, &s;igning to Chri&s;t the debt we acknowledge to his Cro&s;s, yet ev'n this little hourly recognition of the mercie of the time pa&s;t, may procure us more credit then we imagine for the time to come.</P>
<P>And as for tho&s;e who are &s;o much ma&s;ters of their dayes, that they attend not to the publick account of time, but reckon by their own private mea&s;ures which they carry about them; let me be&s;eech them, as often as they take mea&s;ure of the day
<PB N="95" REF="58"> by tho&s;e artificial motions, to pa&s;s on forward with their thoughts as far as to the fir&s;t mover; &s;uffering not the ratio|nal nature to be le&s;s faithful in the accompt of his time to his Maker, then the inanimate matter is to his ma&s;ter: and if our Watches do us this good office of carrying our minds towards God upon their motions, ev'n when they goe fal&s;e for Time, they will goe true for eternitie. And this is a better u&s;e then we u&s;ually make of our Watches, e&s;pecially &s;uch as wear them rather for their matter then their motion, and more to pa&s;s their time, then to reckon it; u&s;ing indeed their time it &s;elf no otherwi&s;e then their Watches, whil&s;t they e&s;teem it more for the fair and plea&s;ant out&s;ide, then for the propertie and u&s;es. Thus happily, this light mark &s;et upon the fancie of &s;ome of my Readers, may make more impre&s;&s;ion then a more weighty pre|cept lay'd upon their con&s;cience, whereof there are many, upon this &s;ubject, too heavie for Courtiers to carry about them; but this is &s;o portable, as I may hope it may be admitted ev'n into that nice &s;ocietie.</P>
<P>How carele&s;s is the world in giving a good accompt to God of their time, and yet how curious in making Time give a ju&s;t accompt of it &s;elf to them? Art hath found means to &s;et &s;uch Spyes and Watches on the Sun, that he cannot look out, but they take hold (as I may &s;ay) of his &s;hadow and &s;tay that, forcing it to tell them how far he is gone that day. And who does not hearken to the natural Sun's voice, when he cries, <HI>La|bour while you have light, the night comes when no body can work?</HI> This warning all the negotiators of the age take, and thereby mea&s;ure their intendments: may not then this re|proach of our Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s be fitted to this practice of the world, when the Sun &s;peaks to you in his own name, then you receive and believe his adverti&s;ements; but what he &s;aith to you in the Creators name that &s;ent him, finds no regard or attention in you? for all the informations the Sun brings us, (as to the natural cour&s;e of our dayes, as al&s;o the &s;ea&s;ons and properties of our years) are carefully ob&s;erv'd; and this is as &s;peaking to us in his own name: but for tho&s;e intellectual ad|verti&s;ements
<PB N="96" REF="59"> he offers us, (as the being a vi&s;ible figure of that &s;piritual light allow'd us to fini&s;h our &s;piritual works; &s;ince the motion and remove of the Sun is a continual remembrancer of that eternal night, which is running &s;o &s;wiftly towards us) how &s;eldome do the&s;e &s;ugge&s;tions, pre&s;ented in the name of his Creatour, how &s;eldom find they our &s;erious animadver|&s;ion?</P>
<P>How prudent then! nay how ble&s;&s;ed are they who&s;e &s;tudies have taken &s;o rightly the elevation of their &s;piritual Pole, that their hours are drawn like &s;o many lines upon every day where|on the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s marks the moral motion of their time. In proportion to whom by practi&s;ing upon our Watches, as I have propos'd, we may by degrees come to make them cele&s;tial Dials, drawing from them an accompt of the moving of Gods Spirit in our &s;ouls. Of &s;uch cele&s;tial Mathematicians it is S. <HI>Gregory</HI> &s;ayes, <HI>Time runs on, but carries not away the righte|ous man becau&s;e it cannot lift him up.</HI></P>
<P>The fluentne&s;s and incon&s;i&s;tencie of time has not this incon|venience, to deny us the taking a dimen&s;ion of it; which (as I have &s;aid) every one attends, and thereby rules and propor|tions his bu&s;ine&s;s, his recreations and his religious duties; wherefore God too, to whom we owe all time, &s;eems in this world to &s;tand to our di&s;cretion, for what time we will allow him; nay, rather like a Suitor then a Soveraign, he &s;ayes him|&s;elf he is content to <HI>&s;tand at the door and knock</HI> to &s;ee if we be at lea&s;ure; and we ordinarily account our &s;elves re&s;pectful enough to him, if we let him into our thoughts morning and evening, though ev'n then it be cu&s;tom that admits him, rather then con|&s;ideration that &s;eeks him. In Courts does not God &s;eem to be lodged only in the Chappel, coming &s;eldom abroad into any of the other rooms of State or Councel? as 'tis the time a&s;&s;ign'd of cour&s;e to the Chappel, that carries the Courtiers thither, to|wards Gods pre&s;ence; whereto they &s;carce make any free-will-offering of their own time, though God makes this advantagi|ous offer to them, which is verifi'd in nothing more preci&s;ely, then in this particular of our time, <HI>Give and it &s;hall be given
<PB N="97" REF="59"> unto you, a good mea&s;ure pre&s;&s;ed down, and running over into your bo&s;ome;</HI> for the exchange propos'd is no le&s;s then Eter|nitie.</P>
<P>To &s;uch therefore as &s;hall be per&s;waded by the&s;e con&s;idera|tions, to exchange ev'n what they cannot keep for what they can never lo&s;e; I will recommend a very profitable method for this commerce: which is, to a&s;&s;ign &s;ome of their be&s;t mo|ments to this negotiation, namely, the fir&s;t of every morning as &s;oon as they find their &s;ouls (as I may &s;ay) quick in their bodies, &s;ince every mornings waking is an image of our fir&s;t animation, as every nights &s;leep is of our expiring; for &s;urely the fir&s;t born of our &s;ouls are mo&s;t &s;pecially due to their Crea|tor, which was in&s;inuated by Gods claim to all the material primogenitures. And of the &s;piritual i&s;&s;ues of our lives, the&s;e fir&s;t-births of every day, are the fitte&s;t to be offer'd; not only as they are of obligation, but as of mo&s;t benefit to our &s;elves: for this fir&s;t motion of our wills may ea&s;ily di&s;po&s;e and apply our fancie, before the &s;educing &s;pirit (which alwayes watches) hath pre&s;ented it with any light images to play with; who when he thus finds the holy Spirit po&s;&s;e&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d of his avenues, will be fain to goe, at lea&s;t, a great way about, before he can get into our apprehen&s;ions. Now &s;leep naturally allays and &s;tills the &s;torms of our pa&s;&s;ions which ri&s;e in our fancies (that emo|tion which continues in &s;leep, de&s;erving rather to be called air &s;tirring, then wind blowing, becau&s;e it di&s;orders not our rea|&s;on) &s;o that the morning finds our minds much calmer and ev'ner, then after the imagination hath &s;tirr'd up the &s;en&s;itive appetite, by &s;uch &s;pecies as incen&s;e that turbulent part of the &s;oul. Wherefore before this di&s;compo&s;ure and divi&s;ion of the &s;ouls faculties, the morning mu&s;t needs be the fitte&s;t time to look upon it in the mo&s;t united and entire condition; and con|&s;equently the propere&s;t to offer it to God, who demands <HI>the whole heart, mind, and &s;trength of man</HI></P>
<P>Moreover, &s;ome few grains of incen&s;e will perfume the Tem|ple of the holy Gho&s;t, more then a far greater proportion, af|ter it hath been annoy'd with ill &s;avours: wherefore in this fir&s;t
<PB N="98" REF="60"> vacuitie of our awaking minds, before any vain images have breath'd their air into the fancie, I would recommend the firing this gr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">n of incen&s;e in the temple, namely, the repeating this word <HI>Eternitie</HI> twice or three with an attentive con&s;ideration. (For meth nks it may not be unfi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y call'd a <HI>Spiritual Mercurie,</HI> being of &s;o &s;ubtile a nature, as we can hardly take it into our mouths but it will fly and di&s;per&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t &s;elf into all the vains of our hearts, and produce &s;ome operation:) and I may &s;afely promi&s;e, that this li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tle grain, which may properly be term'd the &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d of the kingdom of God,) though it &s;eems &s;o &s;mall when it is f r&s;t ca&s;t into our thoughts, will grow up by degrees to &s;pread-&s;uch branches, as ev'n the highe&s;t &s;peculations may build their ne&s;ts in them; for the thought of <HI>Eternitie,</HI> when it takes root and &s;preads in our meditation, is able to bear and &s;upport the whole frame of &s;peculative and practical devotion. Wherefore if Courtiers could be per&s;waded to carry the thought of <HI>Eternitie</HI> abroad with them into the u&s;ually in|fected air they breath in; I dare &s;ay they would find it an ex|cellent pre&s;ervative again&s;t the common contagions of tran&s;i|torie vanities: For certainly, where&s;oever the &s;erious con&s;ide|ration of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t (which may aptly be called our Ark of alliance with God) &s;hall be placed, all the Idols of temporary trifles, will by degrees, like <HI>Dagon,</HI> not only lo&s;e their hands, but ev'n their heads by this conjunction; And when endle&s;&s;ne&s;s and ever|la&s;tingne&s;s is &s;et, in our thoughts, by things uncertain to la&s;t one moment, and cert in to end within a very few; the&s;e two notions compared together, will ea&s;ily reclaim any rea&s;onable mind, fir&s;t from vain act ons, and then from &s;uch affections and de&s;ires: after which manner we may break off both the hands and the head of the worlds <HI>Idol.</HI> I will therefore leave this Soveraign confection of King <HI>David</HI> at the beds head of Courtiers, for them to take every morning at their waking; <HI>All other things peri&s;h;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;.</HI> 101</NOTE> <HI>but thou O Lord art the &s;ame, and thy age pa&s;&s;eth not away</HI></P>
<P>Having given the mind this breakfa&s;t; be&s;ides that time of the day which cu&s;tome a&s;&s;igns for &s;piritual refection, I will
<PB N="99" REF="60"> re-mind you of that motion of making &s;ome little pau&s;es at every clock, whether by a mental only, or &s;ome manife&s;t Act, as the pre&s;ent occa&s;ion allows: Which little <HI>Parenthe&s;is</HI> needs not be &s;o long, as to break the &s;en&s;e of our pre&s;ent action, and yet its gain of time will be very important. By the&s;e &s;teps our thoughts de&s;cend ea&s;ily to our evenings recollection of our whole days employment; which is as requi&s;ite for all, who intend to keep an accompt of their time, as a Journal to a Regi&s;ter. This review and abridgment of the day, keeps the value of our time alwayes in our eye; and as it is truly &s;aid of Play, that no body lo&s;es &s;o much that playes but ready mony, as tho&s;e who run upon the &s;core; &s;o certainly tho&s;e who look upon the time they lo&s;e, never run out &s;o much, as tho&s;e who goe upon tru&s;t with their &s;ouls from one confe&s;&s;ion to another without this dayly recollection, which keeps the time ready currant before their minds. And without doubt the life of a Chri&s;tian &s;hould be govern'd like the cour&s;e of a Seaman, who keeps quotidian reckonings from every elevation he takes; whereby he judges of his advances and deviations in his voyage. So we by this dayly ob&s;ervation and accompt of our time, come to know whereabouts we are in our &s;piritual cour&s;e. Another great benefit re&s;ults from this method, which is the bringing us acquainted with our &s;elves, who are very often the greate&s;t &s;trangers we conver&s;e with in the world; for our faultie Nature commonly &s;eeks to thru&s;t us into a croud of other fa|miliarities, that we may not ea&s;ily di&s;tingui&s;h her particular faults; there is an application in the world call'd <HI>the &s;tudy of men,</HI> much e&s;teem'd; yet u&s;ually our &s;elves, the only per&s;on in the world we are bound to know, is the lea&s;t &s;tudied by us. O that they who ca&s;t away &s;o much time upon their gla&s;&s;es, would learn that for the mo&s;t part, they are there di&s;gui&s;ing them&s;elves to them&s;elves; whereas this other mental reflecti|on, I propo&s;e, &s;hall do the quite contrary, <HI>viz.</HI> give them a true repre&s;entation of them&s;elves, and ev'n the finding them&s;elves advance in years by this recollecting mirror, &s;hall be rather a delight then a di&s;plea&s;ure; for time as it runs away, &s;hall bring
<PB N="100" REF="61"> new beauties to that mind, which is &s;olicitous in this dayly re|view of it &s;elf. Wherefore this con&s;tant &s;urvey of our con&s;ci|ences is commonly propos'd, not only in order to proficiencie, but ev'n to per&s;everance in true Chri&s;tianitie.</P>
<P>When I reflect upon the common &s;train and compo&s;ition of the world, I conclude it mo&s;t u&s;eful for the clo&s;e of this di&s;|cour&s;e, to combat this familiar abu&s;e of our pre&s;uming upon the recoverablene&s;s of time; which many accompt upon &s;im|ply by their own intending it; as if a good purpo&s;e very re|motely a&s;&s;ign'd, were &s;ecuritie enough for this redemption. How many are there who think it &s;ufficient to allot their old age for this a&s;&s;ignation? which is methinks the &s;ame thing, as to bid a Creditor provide to pay him&s;elf, for God mu&s;t fur|ni&s;h his own a&s;&s;ignment. How fooli&s;h an ingratitude is this, to give from God all we are in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of, and to expect he &s;hould be invited to give us much more for the redemption of our forfeit? Let tho&s;e who de&s;ign this recovery, con&s;ider how improbable this project is, (&s;uppo&s;ing that voluntary &s;orrow and repentance is the lea&s;t they can conceive to offer for this ran&s;ome,) to allot a time for this work, wherein naturally we can do nothing but grieve and lament our infirmities and mi&s;eries, to wit, in our old age or our accidental &s;ickne&s;s, which illegitimates all the &s;pecies of &s;ufferance, by effacing the mark that only renders it currant with God; that is, the &s;tamp of our own voluntary election: for as there is no time lo&s;t but by a free engagement, &s;o there is none to be recover'd, but by voluntary penalties. Wherefore to de&s;ign old age or &s;ickne&s;s for &s;atisfaction of our youthful debts, is as if a Merchant &s;hould account his Creditor &s;atisfi'd, by a &s;hipwrack or &s;ome other ruine of his e&s;tate. Let us not therefore incur this ab&s;urd impro|vidence, but by the warning of God him&s;elf, let us (while we have it) <HI>redeem the time, becau&s;e the dayes are evil:</HI> and &s;ince Chri&s;t hath told us, <HI>the ill of every day is too much for it &s;elf;</HI> let us not venture to put wilfully the evils of many dayes toge|ther, but make every day provide for it &s;elf by this quotidian &s;piritual Audit and recollection.</P>
<PB N="101" REF="61">
<P>Oh how admirable is the infinite mercie of God, who &s;ayes, <HI>All the day long have I &s;tretch'd forth my hands to people that believ'd me not;</HI> an&s;wering to that of <HI>the Lord will make more &s;tay, not come as yet.</HI> What wonder then if he come at la&s;t like a Thief in the night and de&s;troy us? for he that for a while is content to &s;tand at the dore and knock, cannot be kept out when he will break in upon us; and at that terrible in&s;tant how many millions of plea&s;ant years would we exchange for the re&s;pite of one &s;orrowing minute?</P>
<P>I will therefore propo&s;e to all the rejoicers in the lo&s;s of their time, either ab&s;olutely to re&s;olve never to intend the recovery of their lo&s;t time; or el&s;e as &s;oon as they do re&s;olve it, to be|gin; &s;ince few will wholly re&s;ign their right to a happy eter|nitie, and yet the mo&s;t part do actually, that which intentio|nally they di&s;claim. For, <HI>Now, while it is call'd to day, is the acceptable time,</HI> we only are a&s;&s;ured of: and only to the &s;piri|tual oeconomie of &s;uch Stewards, who watch every day for the coming of their Ma&s;ter, this reward is promis'd, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he whom when the Lord comes he &s;hall find doing thus, for he will &s;et him over all his goods;</HI> which are no le&s;s then eternal. Where|upon the holy Bi&s;hop of <HI>Geneva</HI> was wont to give this advice; Let us be &s;o faithful in the management of our time, that God may be invited to tru&s;t us with his eternitie; in confirmation of which Councel, I will add this of God him&s;elf,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 51.38.</NOTE> <HI>Work your work betimes, and he will give you your reward in his time.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="102" REF="62">
<HEAD>The &s;ixth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Venial Sin. In three Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the Nature and Malignitie of Venial Sin.</HEAD>
<P>_THo&s;e who &s;et this Watch we have pre&s;crib'd upon their hours, may be truly &s;aid to di&s;appoint the Enemie of his &s;eed-time; leaving him little night by this regular vi|gila<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cie and attention to the p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;age of their dayes. By which means, his plants th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t are mortally venomous, m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y be kept from taking roo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. Yet are there certain noy&s;ome weeds, (which the rankne&s;s of our earth doth natural|ly produ<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e, &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ce it was acc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;ed which, though they do not quite choak the good gr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">in&punc; yet &s;ub&s;tract <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ch from that ali|ment w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ereo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> depe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the thriving and growth of it: where|fore it foll<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> now <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">pp &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ely to give &s;ome dir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ctions in order to the weeding of the&s;e noxious excre&s;cencie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</P>
<P>Such I may properly t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rm all our inord<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nate p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;ions and
<PB N="103" REF="62"> affections, that tre&s;pa&s;s never &s;o little again&s;t our rule of loving God and our neighbour; but exceed not &s;o far, as to break off the love du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to either, though they bow it &s;omewhat from the &s;traightne&s;s of that Precept, which is the rule and &s;quare of it. Of this kind are all our over-&s;harp angers, or animo&s;ities, and all &s;orts of inordinate appetences, either mental or corporal; which I refer to the title of Pa&s;&s;ions: and under the notion of aff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ctions, I under&s;tand all loves and de&s;ires apply'd ev'n to licit obj<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cts, but exceeding in mea&s;ure the mean pre&s;crib'd by right rea&s;on; which mu&s;t con&s;equently be &s;ome offence again&s;t God the Fountain and &s;upreme Being of Rea&s;on; and though not &s;o much as to incur His greate&s;t anger, denounc'd again&s;t the full violation of his precepts, yet &s;ufficient to de|&s;erve his di&s;like. Which difference Divines expre&s;s thus; that tho&s;e &s;ins which turn our faces directly backward from the way of eternal life, are mortal, as tending to eternal death: Tho&s;e which do but digre&s;s and &s;tray a little out of it, (without the other retrogradation) are venial, that is, pardonable; as ad|judged only to temporal penalties for expiation. The la&s;t therefore do but divert our &s;ouls from the &s;traightne&s;s of their cour&s;e, by &s;ome little bending and deflection towards the creature; the other totally avert them by an ab&s;olute conve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;i|on to the creature, fully oppo&s;ite to the commandments of the Creator; and by this direct oppo&s;ition, mu&s;t con&s;equently tend to an eternal &s;eparation from God.</P>
<P>Our laws have terms very proper to explain the di&s;tinction between the&s;e two &s;orts of &s;in. There are &s;ome crimes we call <HI>capital,</HI> and others <HI>penal:</HI> to this la&s;t head, all le&s;&s;er breaches of the law are referr'd under the notion of mi&s;demeanours, which are not &s;entenc'd to death, but other temporary puni&s;h|ments: So that I conceive <HI>Venial &s;ins</HI> are &s;ignificantly ex|pre&s;&s;'d to us, by this term of <HI>&s;piritual mi&s;demeanors;</HI> under which notion S. <HI>Paul</HI> compri&s;es the&s;e lighter peccancies, of which he admoni&s;heth the <HI>Corinthians, I fear when I come, I &s;hall not find you &s;uch as I would; le&s;t there be debates, envyings,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12 20.</NOTE> <HI>wraths, &s;trifes, whi&s;perings, &s;wellings;</HI> that is, little pettie ill
<PB N="104" REF="63"> offices, or trivial vanities; all which are tre&s;pa&s;&s;es again&s;t the Divine Ju&s;tice, but not offences that incur capital puni&s;hment. And when the <HI>righteous man is &s;aid to fall &s;even times a day,</HI> it cannot be under&s;tood, a downright fall; but rather &s;o many foils given the &s;pirit by the fle&s;h in their continual wre&s;tlings, and contention. For the &s;pirit cannot be &s;aid to be thrown down, till it fall from the grace of God, whereof the&s;e little &s;toopings under the frailtie of humane nature, make us not guil|ty. But 'twill be needle&s;s for me to treat the ca&s;e as a Ca&s;ui&s;t, to convince the di&s;&s;enters from this doctrine; &s;ince they who di&s;agree with us, are the mo&s;t concern'd, by their own confe&s;|&s;ion, in this cleanne&s;s and expurgation I &s;hall propo&s;e; becau&s;e tho&s;e who hold all &s;ins to be <HI>mortal,</HI> are the mo&s;t &s;trictly obli|ged to endeavour an exemption, ev'n from the lea&s;t tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ions.</P>
<P>The mo&s;t &s;teddie hands draw &s;traighter lines (&s;pecially when they are to be long ones) guided by a rule then by their own una&s;&s;i&s;ted motion; wherefore our heavenly Father fa&s;t|ned their rule and &s;quare to the fir&s;t children he began to teach, by exterior figures and characters; &s;etting it upon their arms and between their eyes, that in all the &s;trayings and evagations of their thoughts, the pre&s;ence of this guide might recall them. And &s;urely one of the chief occa&s;ions of the obliquitie and wryne&s;s of the actions of Chri&s;tians, is the incogitancie, and thoughtle&s;sne&s;s on this precept, exhibited by Chri&s;t Je&s;us for the regulation of our lives&punc;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 5.48.</NOTE> <HI>Be you perfect as your heavenly Fa|ther is perfect;</HI> which doth not import an equalitie, but a &s;imi|litude in perfection; the identitie is intended in the kind, not in the degrees of puritie, as our &s;ouls a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e the perfect images of God in their rea&s;onable nature, not in the extent of their excel|lence.</P>
<P>Our part is, to pre&s;erve a puritie in our thoughts and actions, conformable, though not commen&s;urate unto Gods: We mu&s;t therefore in the fir&s;t place, firmly imprint this per&s;wa&s;ion in our minds, that this model of uprightne&s;s is expos'd unto us not only as an attractive propo&s;ition, but as an obliging pattern:
<PB N="105" REF="63"> and con&s;equently, we mu&s;t keep this re&s;emblance of perfection always in our eye, which he (who fir&s;t &s;tain'dd our immaculate nature) doth continually labour to withdraw from our at|tention, to oppo&s;e the reparation of the image he has defac'd; in&s;omuch as ev'n tho&s;e who may be &s;aid, not <HI>to wra&s;tle again&s;t fle&s;h and bloud;</HI> that is, again&s;t the gro&s;&s;er impurities of our corrupt nature,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eph.</HI> 6.12.</NOTE> are &s;till invaded by <HI>the principalities and powers of &s;piritual wickedne&s;&s;es.</HI> There are many, before whom the Tempter dares not appear, but as <HI>Lucifer,</HI> ri&s;ing in the morn|ing; for as Prince of darkne&s;s, he would rather fright then fan|cie &s;uch commercers. As he compa&s;&s;es the earth he takes all habits which conduce be&s;t to his acce&s;s, re&s;pectively to his &s;e|veral addre&s;&s;es: where this &s;ubtile &s;pirit finds he cannot ea&s;ily be receiv'd, as in his kingdom like a Prince, he will come ev'n like a Pedler; bring in all kind of toyes and trifles to trade for; and with many harmle&s;s &s;ouls, he hath no greater commerce then the&s;e pettie &s;educements, leading them a&s;tray by &s;ome inordinate affections. <HI>The fallacies of trifles,</HI> (as the Wi&s;e man &s;aith) <HI>ob&s;cures better things, and the incon&s;tancie of de&s;ires per|verts well-meaning minds.</HI></P>
<P>Are there not many well-di&s;pos'd &s;pirits, of which we may &s;ay, they are &s;ubject to be over-reach'd by the Seducer, only in the form of a <HI>Charlatan;</HI> becau&s;e they will take &s;ome receits from him as curio&s;ities, though they will not tru&s;t him with their health? He may put off to them many vain faultie de|lights, but no foul vicious de&s;ires; which may be re&s;embled to the u&s;ing &s;ome outward applications, by the advice of <HI>Mountebanks,</HI> from whom we would take nothing inward; be|cau&s;e we believe the wor&s;t end of the one, to be but a harmle&s;s effectle&s;&s;ne&s;s; but the danger of inward <HI>recipes</HI> is more &s;erious, which &s;ober per&s;ons will not adventure. Thus the Charlatan-Spirit, by his cajollerie, per&s;wades many ea&s;ie per&s;ons to &s;et vain and wanton apparencies, and liberties upon the exterior of their behaviors, which will take nothing que&s;tionably dange|rous into their hearts; becau&s;e they believe the fir&s;t con&s;i&s;tent with vertue and pietie, and by this in&s;inuation, many venial
<PB N="106" REF="64"> &s;ins &s;lide into very innocent interiour di&s;po&s;itions.</P>
<P>Methinks I may properly &s;ay, there are many who make the &s;ame difference between venial and mortal &s;in, as mo&s;t women do between the u&s;ing white or red upon their faces; of which two, the la&s;t is accounted cleanly and harmle&s;s to the health; the fir&s;t, foul and offen&s;ive to it; wherefore many who are ve|ry free in u&s;ing red, will not allow the u&s;e of white. So there are divers who &s;cruple not venial &s;in, becau&s;e 'tis con&s;i&s;tent with the life of grace, and doth much &s;et off to them the gu&s;ts of fle&s;h and bloud; yet they will not re&s;olvedly admit mortal &s;in, becau&s;e 'tis incon&s;i&s;tent with the life of Grace, which they are con&s;cientious enough to prefer before their worldly appe|tites. But let me de&s;ire &s;uch weak devotions to reflect, that, as it is &s;aid of red, at lea&s;t, it alwayes &s;poils the natural com|plexion; &s;o doth all venial &s;in take away the proper beautie of Grace, and keeps it &s;o pale, as it never hath the colour of zeal; which tincture &s;hould &s;hine out and blaze in Chri&s;tian vertue. To &s;uch infirm di&s;colour'd pieties it is, I addre&s;s this exhorta|tion, and for whom I implore of God his mercie, by the pro|fit of this remon&s;trance, according to this command of his holy Spirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg">S. Tho. ep. <HI>1.</HI> c. <HI>5.</HI> v. <HI>16.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Who knows his brother &s;ins a &s;in not unto death, let him ask life, and it &s;hall be given him.</HI></P>
<P>Let all pre&s;umers on their &s;teddine&s;s in the way of grace, re|member the admonition of the Wi&s;e man,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 19.1.</NOTE> <HI>He that neglects &s;mall things&punc; &s;hall fall by little and little;</HI> for there is no cu&s;tom &s;o weak, that hath not more power over our nature, then we intend to give it: in&s;omuch as there are many ma&s;tered un|awares by tho&s;e actions, the effects whereof, they conceive to be at their di&s;po&s;ure. For as we &s;ee children turn round &s;o long in &s;port, that they fall down at la&s;t, when they would &s;tand; &s;o there are many, who playing in the mazes of little faults, bring their minds to &s;uch a dizine&s;s, as throws them down when they mean to &s;tand and intermit that amu&s;ement.</P>
<P>Nor doth this our common plea of the propen&s;itie of our natures to &s;uch declinations defend us; for 'tis not the natural aptne&s;s, but our voluntary adherence to the&s;e mi&s;demeanors,
<PB N="107" REF="64"> that is criminal: the one is a charge left upon our e&s;tate by in|heritance; the other an engagement of our own contracting. The generation that &s;ucceeded tho&s;e fir&s;t children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> who &s;hould have de&s;troyed the Infidels, were not to be blam'd for letting them live among them, unle&s;s they contracted alli|ance with them: &s;o the&s;e defects, which are left by our fir&s;t father, like thorns in the &s;ides of our nature, are not accounted our crimes, unle&s;s we marry our affections to them. To be naturally prone to vanitie, pa&s;&s;ion, &s;elf-love, or intemperance, is neither &s;in nor &s;hame in this our hereditary &s;tate of deprava|tion; for the holy Spirit tells us clearly,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>James.</HI> 1.14.</NOTE> <HI>that every one is tempt|ed, and allured by his own concupi&s;cence; which, when it concei|veth, beareth &s;in.</HI> Whereby we perceive that till we join and couple our affections to our infirmities, the pregnancie of our &s;ingle nature doth not bear any crime without the conjunction with our will, which we mu&s;t by all po&s;&s;ible means decline. For that may be aptly &s;aid, in order to this di&s;&s;wa&s;ion, which God &s;pake in the ca&s;e of the&s;e childrens marrying with the In|fidels; <HI>Surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Reg.</HI> 11.2.</NOTE> Cer|tainly <HI>Solomon</HI> little thought at fir&s;t, that his dalliances with &s;trange women &s;hould have drawn him unto Idolatrie; but at la&s;t, ev n he unhappily verifi'd this principle; <HI>He who &s;eeks dan|ger &s;hall peri&s;h in it.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The danger of cheri&s;hing any of our known faultine&s;s, for fear of inducing habits.</HEAD>
<P>VVE have &s;hew'd you the nature of the&s;e &s;piritual mi&s;|demeanors; nor can we too much detect to you the treacherou&s;ne&s;s of &s;uch Inmates, becau&s;e we are commonly
<PB N="108" REF="65"> betray'd, by our pre&s;umption upon our &s;trength to &s;uppre&s;s them when we plea&s;e; or to keep them, at lea&s;t, from pa&s;&s;ing into capital offences. And upon this &s;uppo&s;ition there are too many, whom we may compare to Cammels in the Law, which were legally clean in point of their heads; but not &s;o in re&s;pect of their feet: for &s;uch as will voluntarily retain venial &s;ins only, may be &s;aid to be conformable to the Go&s;pel in regard of their heads, that is, their intentions; but not Evangelical in point of their feet, which &s;ignifie their lower affections: Which puritie we know, is coun&s;elled by our Saviour, telling us, that <HI>he who is wa&s;hed, mu&s;t likewi&s;e wa&s;h his feet.</HI> And Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;ayes, that the&s;e feet are mo&s;t fouled by our walk|ing in the whited paths of this world; tho&s;e thorns and briars which prick them, keep them cleaner then that &s;weet powder they tread &s;o &s;oft upon.</P>
<P>Wherefore we are bound carefully to &s;hake off this du&s;t; for by our neglect it ea&s;ily &s;ticks to us; and by degrees, &s;ettles to &s;uch a fa&s;tne&s;s that it require<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ev'n the warm water of tears to wa&s;h it away. We mu&s;t therefore beware of cheri&s;hing ev'n the lea&s;t faultie affection; becau&s;e we deceive our &s;elves if we believe we do but retain it, for we advance it; imper|ceptibly it winds it &s;elf inward, through the folds of our in&s;en&s;itive appetites; &s;o that we di&s;cern not how far it is &s;inuated, till we come to recal it, with purpo&s;e to ca&s;t it out; then we find how much it hath wrapped and enfolded it &s;elf in our de&s;ires, and how unea&s;ie it is to extricate this &s;o deep|ly engag'd affection.</P>
<P>Let us reflect upon that terrible example of the young man in the Go&s;pel, who had ob&s;erv'd all the commandments from his youth; in&s;omuch as our Saviour is &s;aid to have looked upon him, and loved him. Whereby we may conceive that he came charg'd with no mortal &s;in, when he was invited to wa&s;h his feet; which had too much, as it &s;eems, of this earth &s;ticking to them, for the following of Chri&s;t. That in|ordinate love of temporalities, (who&s;e power and ma&s;terie over him, he knew not) was &s;trong enough to hold him back,
<PB N="109" REF="65"> ev'n again&s;t the force of Chri&s;ts own voice; and that affection which till then, had not ventur'd to attempt the breach of any commandment; when the que&s;tion came between the breaking that inveterate habit or the command of Chri&s;t, the cu&s;tom of loving the world carried it again&s;t &s;o practi&s;ed a religious conformitie.</P>
<P>And do we not frequently ob&s;erve, that familiar practi&s;es blind ev'n zeal it &s;elf, as to the di&s;cernment of our errors? For with what zealous fervour did <HI>Jehu</HI> de&s;troy the Temples of <HI>Baal;</HI> and yet connived at the &s;tanding of <HI>Jeroboams</HI> golden Calfs? It &s;eems that Time and Cu&s;tom had &s;o cover d over that unconformitie, that the &s;harpe&s;t eyes of zeal could not pe|netrate the vail of habitual error. Let none therefore be &s;atis|fi'd with their fervour, in dete&s;ting all notorious &s;ins; if they find their affections combin'd and charg'd with any known di|ver&s;ion from the perfect love of God: for &s;urely it is no pro|per addre&s;s to God, for per&s;everance in the &s;tate of grace, to expect this tolleration of a friend&s;hip and dearne&s;s with our viti|ous nature. Tho&s;e who &s;tudy not much to know them&s;elves, &s;hould, methinks, be at lea&s;t as prudent in Gods cau&s;e, as they are in the worlds bu&s;ine&s;s; which is, not to tru&s;t too much to one they know not: and &s;urely; the more they (who by a due inque&s;t, come to any knowledge of them&s;elves) are ac|quainted, the le&s;s they will tru&s;t them&s;elves, as to this kind of fidelitie: for truly our nature is &s;o treacherous, as we can|not tru&s;t her with our frailties without being betray'd into greater faults. How commonly do little offences, that are the children of indifferent actions, become the parents of greater &s;ins? which is the indu&s;trie of the evil &s;pirit, to exalt his Imps above the &s;tock from whence they are deriv'd. How familiarly do little light vanities beget formal pride? vain and wanton courtings, vitious pa&s;&s;ions? little loo&s;e dalliances, compleat impurities? Small di&s;gu&s;ts and di&s;likes, direct hatred, and uncharitablene&s;s? The &s;ame i&s;&s;ues have all other vitious extreams, which are at fir&s;t deriv'd from &s;mall exce&s;&s;es: &s;o ea&s;ie is it for him (who
<PB N="110" REF="66"> (who was able to corrupt the &s;incere &s;tock of our whole na|ture) when he finds the&s;e corrupt &s;hafts rooted in us, to en|graff upon them graffs of another &s;pecies; the fruit whereof &s;hall exceed the nature of the root that bears it. For thus by the&s;e degrees, the &s;haft of venial &s;in rooted in our affections, comes to bear the fruit of mortal, which is, Death.</P>
<P>Let us con&s;ider whether that &s;ubtile enemie, who can taint and vitiate ev'n our be&s;t practi&s;es and di&s;po&s;itions, by in&s;inuating vanitie and &s;elf-love into them; whether it be likely he will leave vitious habits, &s;topping &s;hort of his end? For he gets nothing by carrying &s;ouls no farther then Purgatory; all pains that purifie, being rather tortures to him then triumphs. And &s;urely we may imagine, that ev'n the flames of Purgatory work upon the evil &s;pirits by way of incen&s;ing their envie again&s;t &s;uch who&s;e puni&s;hments they perceive to be in order to their eternal triumphs; whil&s;t they know their own to be in con&s;e|quence to a &s;entence of endle&s;s torment.</P>
<P>We cannot therefore but rea&s;onably apprehend to be at la&s;t carry'd farther by the&s;e perver&s;e inclinations then we intend. Let us not be deceiv'd by the &s;low motions of the evil &s;pirit; concluding, that becau&s;e we have long entertain'd the&s;e venial &s;ins, without their having carried us to any mortal, therefore their cour&s;e is limited. For it is a con&s;equence to the Devils re&s;train'd power, to act but &s;lowly and indirectly; it is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ods &s;pecial propertie to will and act both at once. Wherefore the Devil does not undertake to throw any down perpendicu|larly into hell, but leads them by winding and turning de&s;cents: the motion of the &s;erp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nt being flexuous and crooked, the &s;ub|ject mov'd mu&s;t needs follow the manner of the mover. Hence it is that we &s;hould rather apprehend the farther progre&s;s of &s;uch &s;ins, by their long po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of us, then judge of their in|nocence by their dilatorie effects: for we cannot conclude of our power to re&s;train them, till we have really ejected them; and tho&s;e who are upon that undertaking, will &s;oon perceive, that ev'n their own will (upon the &s;trength whereof they relie for this delivery) is half gain'd again&s;t the propo&s;al of the un|der&s;tanding;
<PB N="111" REF="66"> and as S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> informs us in this ca&s;e, they &s;hall find but a velleitie, or half willing, not an entire union and declaration ev'n of that power towards this di&s;po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>If S. <HI>Paul</HI> (who had the power of ca&s;ting out all Devils but his own) did &s;o much apprehend his incroachment, &s;hall we venture to harbour any of the evil &s;pirits emi&s;&s;aries, and pre&s;ume we are &s;till ma&s;ters of our hou&s;e? It is a certain rule, that the Devil was never gain'd and made a friend of by good u&s;uage; nor ought we to &s;u&s;pect him the le&s;s for our having been long, as I may &s;ay, well us'd by him, without any manife&s;tation of his mortal malice. Our Saviour Chri&s;ts example hath taught us how to proceed with him: He would not admit the Devil &s;o much as to prai&s;e or honour him; to intimate unto us, that ev'n when he appears the mo&s;t fair and harmle&s;s, he is not to be allow'd the lea&s;t corre&s;pondence.</P>
<P>How different from this of Chri&s;t, is the &s;tile of the world? where, in point of prai&s;es and commendations, the de&s;ign is &s;eldom &s;u&s;pected, though commonly there appears evidently more of the intere&s;t of the giver in them, then of the honour of the receiver. To this &s;ort of &s;educement, the frailer &s;ex is &s;o &s;ubject, as ev'n when the Tempter is in the po&s;ture, and figure, mo&s;t &s;peaking this condition, (that is, in the faire&s;t &s;tate of na|ture, and dre&s;&s;es of art) then he finds the ea&s;ie&s;t admi&s;&s;ion, and the greate&s;t confiding. But let me humbly advi&s;e that &s;ex to be very &s;u&s;pitious of all prai&s;es that refer to the perfections of &s;ingle nature: for if there be true matter of &s;ome excellence in their per&s;ons, they are in danger enough with their own gla&s;&s;es: but if there be no real occa&s;ion of prai&s;e in them, they are in danger to be deceiv'd, notwith&s;tanding their own gla&s;&s;es: &s;o apt are they to be abus'd in this point, that they will com|monly take any bodies word, rather then judge by their own eys in this kind of &s;elf-knowledg: they cannot therefore be too &s;cru|pulous in giving acce&s;s to prai&s;es, and valuations of their per|&s;ons. For &s;urely, I may &s;urely &s;ay, that mo&s;t of tho&s;e indear|ments addre&s;&s;'d to the exterior of women, by the <HI>Charlatannery</HI>
<PB N="112" REF="67"> of the world, are like Mercurie water, which though it may &s;mooth and whiten the cheeks, yet blacks and corrupts the teeth; &s;o that while that (which is only for &s;hew and unne|ce&s;&s;ary) is mending, what is for u&s;e and nece&s;&s;itie, is impair'd: ju&s;t thus (in the ca&s;e of the&s;e feminine flatteries) as the body, who&s;e beautie is not nece&s;&s;arie, is &s;omewhat grac'd; the &s;oul who&s;e puritie is of ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;itie, is mo&s;t commonly di&s;|colour'd and poluted.</P>
<P>This admonition is one of the mo&s;t pertinent I can conceive for that &s;ex, which is naturally le&s;s expos'd to mortal &s;in, and more unto venial then the other; they having many cu&s;to|mary and connatural re&s;traints upon them, as to the gro&s;&s;er vices, from which men have no retention, but that of con&s;ci|ence. They therefore ought to be the more &s;crupulous in che|ri&s;hing any of tho&s;e diver&s;ions from pietie, which the cu&s;tom of the world will rather countenance then reproach to them: for tho&s;e faults, whereof &s;hame doth adverti&s;e them, there needs not a &s;tander by to prevent &s;uch over&s;ights. And &s;urely it is to be imputed to the&s;e habitual, though but venial peccancies, that we find &s;o many of an indifferent temper in devotion, and &s;o few of an edifying zeal; for the&s;e little mental ob&s;tructions breed that &s;piritual Green &s;ickne&s;s which we &s;ee in many di&s;|po&s;itions; who&s;e &s;piritual performances it renders &s;o pale and di&s;colour'd, that there appears no bloud of devotion (which is zeal and ardour in pious imployments) and as in natu|ral &s;ickne&s;s, &s;o it happens in this &s;piritual; &s;uch infirm mindes never thriving untill the&s;e ob&s;tructions be re|moved.</P>
<P>In conformitie to this, the holy Bi&s;hop of <HI>Geneva</HI> &s;ayes ele|gantly and truly, that venial &s;ins in well di&s;pos'd minds, are like Spiders got into a Hive of Bees; which, though they do not kill the Bees, yet they always &s;poil the hony. The &s;ame mi&s;chievous con&s;equence re&s;ults from this other intermixture; for if grace it &s;elf be not lo&s;t, yet the fruits and works of it, at lea&s;t, are kept from thriving by this ill neighbourhood. Nor can any, upon con&s;ideration, expect le&s;s then a great
<PB N="113" REF="67"> abatement and depri&s;ure of their &s;ouls in the account of God, when his pure &s;ight beholds this protected impuritie. How conducing are any &s;uch affections to that State which our Sa|viour recommends? <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are the pure of heart, for they &s;hall &s;ee God.</HI> Sure it is, that the great bu&s;ine&s;s of a Chri&s;tian in this world is to intend the &s;eeing of God continually, as clearly as the eye of faith can di&s;cover him; and undoubtedly the&s;e grains or motes willingly left in that eye, keep the &s;ight of it from being laid wide open towards the object, &s;uffering it to look up but intermittingly, in &s;uch a &s;ort, as material grains or motes got into our natural eyes, keep them twinckling and half open; and by that means contract much the extent and plea&s;ure of that &s;en&s;e. No le&s;s certain is it, that &s;uch inherent impurities &s;horten the pro&s;pect of Faith towards cele&s;tial ob|jects, and render the exerci&s;e of that &s;piritual view unea&s;ie, and undelightful: for unle&s;s that eye of the mind be clean and pure, the whole powers of it will certainly be very much dimm'd and ob&s;cur'd. Wherefore all &s;uch as have the&s;e films and thin skins of impuritie growing over the eye of their faith, although they find no &s;en&s;ible pain, that is, no notorious offence to their con&s;cience, yet (if they de&s;ire a clear di&s;cernment of their way, and to look far before them, in order to their &s;afe&s;t pa&s;&s;age) mu&s;t they intend the clean&s;ing, and ab&s;ter&s;ion of the&s;e darkning interpo&s;itions.</P>
<P>We may therefore conclude this exhortation to all well-affected &s;ouls, cheri&s;hing their venial &s;ins, with this adverti&s;e|ment; that it is a kind of <HI>Balaams</HI> divinitie, <HI>to love the reward of iniquitie, and yet to profe&s;s the de&s;ire of dying the death of the righteous:</HI> So great danger is there to affect and entertain the plea&s;ures and flatteries of perverted inclinations, ev'n while we purpo&s;e to live the life of the vertuous and innocent; for this very pre&s;umption of re&s;training (when we li&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> our voluntary defects, is the greate&s;t of our faults, when it is rely'd upon, for our ju&s;tification; &s;ince, &s;urely they who confide in their pur|po&s;es of limiting the progre&s;s of &s;uch faultie affections, do me|thinks, as if the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> after they had marry'd the
<PB N="114" REF="68"> forbidden women, &s;hould have made this excu&s;e, that they did it not to have children by them; it being no le&s;s probable, that our affections coupled with the&s;e inordinate appetites, &s;hould beget a fouler i&s;&s;ue. They therefore who de&s;ire to &s;e|cure the &s;ubjecting their own frailties, mu&s;t endeavour the &s;up|pre&s;&s;ion, not connive at the &s;upport of any of their vitious infir|mities;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.14.</NOTE> in conformitie to this &s;olicitation of S. <HI>Peter, As chil|dren of obedience, not fa&s;hioning them&s;elves according to the fir&s;t de&s;ires of their ignorance; but as he who hath called them is holy, &s;o let them be holy in all manner of conver&s;ation.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The means of rectifying our inclinations, per|verted to Venial Sin.</HEAD>
<P>VPon the&s;e propo&s;als of Chri&s;tian puritie, methinks, I meet divers &s;en&s;es, ev'n in the vertuous and well-di&s;|pos'd hearers; very many with <HI>Sarah</HI> laughing behind the dore, at the improbabilitie of this tran&s;cending of their own nature (con&s;idering the inveterate habits of the&s;e kinds of de|fects) and little hoping this fecunditie of grace, which they notwith&s;tanding, &s;incerely de&s;ire; &s;ome few indeed with the ble&s;&s;ed Virgin, &s;urmount the bounds of their own nature, and (per&s;waded of the&s;e &s;trange effects of grace,) do with an humble affiance, ask this que&s;tion: <HI>How &s;hall this be done:</HI> &s;ince we find no aptitude in our nature to this &s;tate of puritie? To the&s;e I may &s;afely an&s;wer in the terms of the Angel, <HI>the power of the Hig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;t &s;hall over&s;hadow you;</HI> and as you believe with promptitude, &s;o &s;hall you be delivered of this burthen of your nature with a more gratious facilitie then tho&s;e others; to whom al&s;o I may reply, (in our Saviours words to the doubt|ing
<PB N="115" REF="68"> Father in the Go&s;pel, who de&s;ired him to help his &s;on if he could) <HI>If you can believe, all things are po&s;sible unto God:</HI> where|by I &s;uppo&s;e a lively active faith, working by proper natural means &s;ugge&s;ted by grace, in order to redre&s;&s;ing this crooked|ne&s;s, by a frequent bowing our nature again&s;t the bent it &s;tands fix'd to, through cu&s;tomary declinations; for &s;urely, there are many &s;ingle de&s;irers of puritie, who in them&s;elves, may ask this que&s;tion of the weak di&s;ciples; Why cannot we ca&s;t out the&s;e evil inclinations? to which their an&s;wer is annexed, that the&s;e kinds of evil habits are not to be ca&s;t off, but by fa&s;t|ing and prayer; that is, by ab&s;taining from &s;uch practices as feed and nouri&s;h the&s;e natural appetencies, and by a zealous recour&s;e to God for his concurrence with this endeavour to rectifie the&s;e perver&s;ities.</P>
<P>The&s;e two expedients are to be conjoin'd; for he (who while he pray'd to God to be deliver'd, &s;hould not actually labour to retrench &s;ome of his faultie cu&s;tomes) may be ju&s;tly reproach'd with &s;uch a meanne&s;s of &s;pirit, as one who under|hand &s;ought to do ill offices to an enemie at Court, and yet flatter'd him every day before his face; which &s;urely is an un|politick proceeding with the ma&s;ter and di&s;cerner of hearts, who may well an&s;wer &s;uch &s;uiters, <HI>in words you acknowledge God, but denie him in deeds.</HI></P>
<P>And tho&s;e who (upon the &s;trength of their own natural vertue) pre&s;ume to ma&s;ter their vitious propen&s;ities, with|out much recour&s;e to the auxiliary power of prayer, may be charg'd with &s;uch a vain braverie, as one who would chu&s;e rather to combat a wild bea&s;t in duel, then u&s;e any art to de|&s;troy him; for certainly our animal part will be too &s;trong for our &s;ingle rational in this incounter. We ought therefore, un|doubtedly to confederate the&s;e two powers of prayer and pra|ctice, again&s;t the habitual po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions of the&s;e corrupt inclinati|ons. In order to which method, this Councel of our Saviour is very proper, <HI>the one you mu&s;t do, and the other not omit.</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t Principle whereby we mu&s;t direct our Conduct, is, that all our faultie affections and familiarities are not totally
<PB N="116" REF="69"> to be deve&s;ted, and di&s;mi&s;&s;ed together. We know our de|clining nature does not &s;o much as fall perpendicularly into ex|tremities of vice, but commonly &s;inks and &s;lides downward by flexious and oblique de&s;cents; much le&s;s can we expect it &s;hould remount this &s;teep point of puritie, but by many turnings and pliant in&s;inuations, both of grace and rea&s;on. It is re|markable, that when God by his own immediate power, deli|ver'd and conducted his people out of <HI>Egypt,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Exod</HI> 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.17.</NOTE> he would not carry them the neare&s;t way through the <HI>Phili&s;tins,</HI> le&s;t being to combat &s;o &s;trong enemies in their fir&s;t enterpri&s;e, they &s;hould be frighted and return back into <HI>Egypt,</HI> rather then adventure to overcome that oppo&s;ition. Whence we may derive this in&s;truction, not to pre&s;ume to carry our weak nature, at fir&s;t parting from our habitual appetites, that way which &s;eems the directe&s;t to perfection; le&s;t by meeting with too much repugnancie at once, we may be frighted with the diffi|culties, and retire back to the cu&s;tomary ea&s;es and inclinations of our corrupt nature.</P>
<P>The method therefore I would propo&s;e, in order to a deli|very from the dominion of our faultie adherencies, is to be|gin to disband them by their lea&s;t parties; undertaking at fir&s;t the di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;ing &s;ome of our lea&s;t affected familiarities, which many times &s;erve as wedges to combine the greater and ma&s;ter affections. And this cour&s;e has not only &s;ome fa|cilitie, as to the prevailing upon tho&s;e &s;pecial enterpri&s;es, but likewi&s;e conduces much to the loos'ning of the whole band and compact of our imperfections. Wherefore let not tho&s;e who are con&s;cious of never &s;o few of the&s;e habitual mi&s;de|meanours, per&s;wade them&s;elves they are &s;o incon&s;iderable, that they require not this con&s;traint upon their nature; for every thing that is di&s;plea&s;ing to God, is made great by the act of accounting it little. S. <HI>Paul</HI> rely'd not ev'n upon his being uncon&s;cious of any offence, con&s;idering God was to be the judge of his puritie. Nor let any who are over|run with never &s;o many of the&s;e weeds, neglect this e&s;&s;ay, upon the belief of the impo&s;&s;ibilitie of their delivery by
<PB N="117" REF="69"> this method of beginning to pick out the lea&s;t and loo&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t of the&s;e inherent faults: for &s;urely they may be undeceived very aptly, by the common Parable of the Husbandman, who &s;ent his &s;on to clean&s;e a piece of ground cover'd over w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">th weeds; who (as &s;oon as he &s;aw the multitude he was to work upon) apprehended an impo&s;&s;ibilitie in the task; and therefore lying down in the field, &s;lept out the time appointed for his labour: after &s;ome dayes, being ask'd by his father, whether the work were fini&s;h'd? he an&s;wer'd, that he had not &s;o much as at|tempted it, upon the belief of its unfea&s;ablene&s;s. Where|upon, it being demanded what he had done all the time he was appointed to labour upon it, and he confe&s;&s;ing he had lay'n down and &s;lept out his hours a&s;&s;ign'd to what he con|ceived &s;o impo&s;&s;ible; his father de&s;ired him to take this ad|vice; namely, to return into the field, and begin to work but the fir&s;t day as long as he was wont to &s;leep; and after &s;ome dayes tryal of this cour&s;e, if he continued in de&s;pair of fini&s;hing, he &s;hould be excus'd from his pur&s;uance of it. Pre|&s;ently then, in conformitie to this order, he began the work; and being di&s;abus'd in point of the infea&s;ablene&s;s, pur&s;u'd his task, and perfected it in le&s;s time then he had before lo&s;t in &s;leeping. This is ea&s;ily apply'd; for &s;urely there are many minds well grounded in faith and pietie, which are notwith|&s;tanding much annoy'd with the&s;e weeds of faulty affections; from which they never attempt a delivery upon this mi&s;per&s;wa|&s;ion of the improbabilitie of the de&s;ign; which, if they had but begun once with this method of loos'ning and ca&s;ting out the lea&s;t of the&s;e peccant cu&s;tomes, would find by degrees a facilitie towards an entire expurgation;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.9.</NOTE> remembring that <HI>God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.</HI></P>
<P>Such therefore, as are but tainted with &s;ome few of the&s;e tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, will account it a gentle expedient, to endeavour the clearing only the lea&s;t of them at the fir&s;t e&s;&s;ay; and tho&s;e who are pe&s;ter'd with many of the&s;e undue affections, cannot ac|count it a &s;evere injunction, to di&s;charge them&s;elves of their lea&s;t delighting familiarities. To make a trial of what that change
<PB N="118" REF="70"> will produce; let tho&s;e who have &s;o long known the plea&s;ure of yeilding, but once experience that of re&s;i&s;ting a temptation: this very motive of varietie may be allow'd to &s;ome effemi|nate minds, to &s;weeten at fir&s;t this &s;elf-denial. And &s;urely, I may &s;ay with S. <HI>Paul,</HI> that at the beginning of this redre&s;sment, <HI>whether in pretence or in truth</HI> this reformation be e&s;&s;ay'd, it may be admitted; for God doth often allow imperfect mo|tives, to make the fir&s;t overtures towards perfection. And I may promi&s;e upon this e&s;&s;ay, that &s;ince cu&s;tom did render ev'n the &s;ervitude of the &s;pirit, under the &s;en&s;e agreeable, it will much more make the liberty and dominion of the Spirit over the inferiour partie, joyful and &s;atisfactory.</P>
<P>This propo&s;al doth, methinks, void the Common Plea, whereby we &s;eek to defend the&s;e kinds of po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, namely, the frailtie and infirmitie of our nature: for &s;urely, there is no pretender to vertue, that will not be a&s;ham'd to claim &s;o much priviledge again&s;t the rights of it, as to be excus'd from attem|pting this clearing of the lea&s;t mote in their eye. As for in|&s;tance, They who are apt to be di&s;temper'd with inordinate an|ger, let them propo&s;e to them&s;elves, the checking this pa&s;&s;ion, at fir&s;t, in &s;ome of the lea&s;t provocations that ordinarily occur. Such as are affected with the vanitie of apparel and curio&s;itie in per&s;onal adornments; let them re&s;olve to quit &s;ome one of their lea&s;t fancied, and lea&s;t noted exce&s;&s;es. Tho&s;e who are over deli|cate, or profu&s;e in their diet; let them begin to retrench &s;ome of their mo&s;t incon&s;idered &s;uperfluities. As al&s;o, they who tre&s;|pa&s;s in licen&s;es of their tongues, for all &s;orts of idle words; let them but re&s;train the&s;e liberties in &s;ome of their weake&s;t tem|ptations: and this &s;ame order directs us in all our &s;everal pec|cant habits, and inclinations. For here it may be fitly ap|plyed, what <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> told the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of their enemies the natives of the Land, <HI>You cannot de&s;troy them all at once, le&s;t the bea&s;ts of the field increa&s;e upon you:</HI> &s;o all our mundanities are not to be a&s;&s;aulted at once, for fear of our &s;en&s;itive natures being &s;ubject to too great and &s;udden a de&s;olation, and di&s;|may'dne&s;s: I may therefore &s;ay with <HI>Mo&s;es, Your God will de&s;troy
<PB N="119" REF="70"> them by little and little.</HI> And to &s;mooth to them the fir&s;t entry into this reformation, they may be allow'd to account, at fir&s;t, that &s;ingle relinqui&s;hment to be the only one, wherein they are to con&s;train them&s;elves. The advice given by a holy per&s;on, as to the contending again&s;t the foule&s;t temptations, will &s;erve much fitter in the&s;e le&s;s criminals; which is, &s;o to combat, as if that &s;ingle conflict were to be the la&s;t enemie we were to en|counter. For the very victory will give us fre&s;h courage and confidence to a&s;&s;ault and ma&s;ter the remains, upon the pre|vailing in our fir&s;t ent<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rpri&s;es: ev'n our nature has another &s;pi|ritual &s;uccour, (which&punc; though it may be imperfect, as to the meriting, yet is not improper, as to the exciting us to the un|dertaking of new difficulties,) namely, the very &s;elf-e&s;teem which commonly &s;teals in along with all the conque&s;ts of the rational part upon the &s;en&s;itive; &s;o that after our fir&s;t victory, it may &s;afely be expected, that ev'n our &s;elf-value will not neg|ligently re&s;t in a &s;ubjection to the remaining defects; but be in|cited and in&s;pirited towards an attempt upon the re&s;t of our imperfections. And by this means, that vertue which was in|firmed by the weakne&s;s of nature, may come to <HI>be perfected ev'n by her infirmitie.</HI></P>
<P>For the truth is, our di&s;abilitie to re&s;train mo&s;t of the&s;e tre&s;|pa&s;&s;ing liberties, ari&s;es from our in&s;inceritie in controlling them: becau&s;e, for the mo&s;t part, we u&s;e them, as we do wanton and knavi&s;h children, whom we chide in &s;uch a &s;ort that it pa&s;&s;es ra|ther for a cheri&s;hing of their life and &s;pirit, then a &s;erious di&s;like of their forwardne&s;s: thus we commonly complain of our frailties, and &s;eem to wi&s;h them redre&s;&s;ed, but enter not into any &s;erious method of reformation. Upon which &s;ubject S. <HI>Gregory</HI> &s;ayes very pertinently, We are &s;o untrue to our &s;elves, that we yeild to be flatter'd by our &s;hames; and that we may &s;in with the le&s;s reproach, we are content to own our unworthine&s;s, our nature exchanging ev'n her pride, to pur|cha&s;e her meaner pa&s;&s;ions. Now by this expedient I propo&s;e, upon the &s;uppre&s;&s;ing of any of our faults, our rational part be|gins to delight in that &s;uperioritie, which exceeds the former
<PB N="120" REF="71"> &s;en&s;ible delectation; and well di&s;po&s;ed &s;pirits come quickly to profe&s;s with the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, Sinners have told me of fabulous plea&s;ures, but they are not comparable to tho&s;e of thy Law.</HI></P>
<P>Let me therefore be&s;eech all vertuous minds, (for to &s;uch on|ly I direct this Remon&s;trance,) to con&s;ider how unrea&s;onable it is, to entertain any, never &s;o little &s;in, pretending to excu&s;e it by this infirmitie of our nature; when for that very rea&s;on we are advi&s;ed to expel it, in regard of our pronene&s;s to be drawn by every little fault into greater infidelities. Wherefore rather then u&s;e the infirmitie of our vitiated nature, to cover and pal|liate their offences, let them &s;erve them&s;elves of it, to di&s;co|ver and repre&s;ent to them frequently, the mi&s;erie of their con|dition, and the peril of yeilding in any degree, to this unhappy propen&s;ion: And &s;ince the inculpablene&s;s of their meerly na|tural imbecilitie, abates to them the &s;hame of owning it, let them not at lea&s;t voluntarily &s;urcharge them&s;elves with &s;uch imperfections, as want that excu&s;e and extenuation: for when the will con&s;pires to propagate our hereditary infirmities, how can the &s;pirit hope to cover this affected nakedne&s;s with this or|dinary fig-leaf laid upon it,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 4.7</NOTE> of &s;aying, <HI>The woman thou gave&s;t me for my companion</HI> (that is, the frailtie of my &s;en&s;itive nature) <HI>tempted me?</HI> when the &s;pirit is a&s;&s;ured thus by the Spirit of God, <HI>though &s;in lyeth at thy dore, yet his de&s;ire &s;hall lye under thee, and thou &s;halt rule over him.</HI></P>
<P>To all &s;uch as God &s;hall be plea&s;ed to move by the&s;e &s;ugge|&s;tions, I will humbly propo&s;e this way of entry into this cour&s;e of &s;piritual purgation, by a re&s;ort to the &s;pring of all perfection <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> and by po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing them&s;elves of his interior pre|&s;ence, by that means he has left his Church: for Chri&s;tians need not treat with him as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did with God, to condition with him for his going up with them, &s;ince they have their God and deliverer always ready to go before them, and lead them out of the captivity of the&s;e ill habits, into a &s;tate of freedom. And &s;urely; nothing is &s;o powerful to engage our nature to an intendment of puritie and cleanne&s;s, as the frequent receiving of &s;uch a gue&s;t as our Saviour Chri&s;t, who delights only in the
<PB N="121" REF="71"> neatne&s;s of his entertainment; towards which, the preparation we make by clean&s;ing his lodging, is a work, our nature is ea|&s;ilier per&s;waded to, then upon our ordinary days to intend &s;o much order and decencie: for when we frequently dre&s;s up the Altar of our hearts, and undu&s;t it from all the&s;e little foulne&s;&s;es, by degrees we come to be aided ev'n by one weakne&s;s of our nature, towards the delivery from others; our meerly natural &s;hame to find our &s;elves &s;o often repeat the &s;ame faults, and bring back &s;till the &s;ame &s;elf-accu&s;ings working upon us, and often rectifying &s;ome perver&s;e inclinations, by the very di&s;dain of &s;uch an imbecilitie.</P>
<P>There is nothing therefore, in my under&s;tanding, more condu|cing to this clearing and unob&s;tructing our minds, then frequent confe&s;&s;ion to the &s;ame &s;piritual director; emptying them often of the&s;e peccant humours, and repleni&s;hing them with the bread that came down from heaven: which by degrees changes and improves the whole con&s;titution of our minds, and di&s;&s;avours to them the &s;harpne&s;s and piguantne&s;s of tho&s;e vain and light reli&s;hes. And &s;urely, our &s;pirits mu&s;t be di&s;gu&s;ted with tho&s;e unwhol&s;ome reli&s;hes, by the gu&s;t of &s;ome other &s;avour of a no|bler and higher delight; which are &s;piritual &s;uavities, whereof S. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;ayes, <HI>Dulcis e&s;t Dominus &s;i tamen gu&s;ta&s;tis: God is &s;weet above all things, when he is once truly ta&s;ted:</HI> and to induce a right ta&s;te of the &s;weetne&s;s of God, there is no &s;o ready means, as to feed upon him often in that cele&s;tial manner, as he has left him&s;elf in his Church; which hath this conformitie with our feeding on him in the &s;tate of glory and vi&s;ion, <HI>viz.</HI> that the frequent participation gives rather fre&s;h appetite then any &s;atiety.</P>
<P>And certain it is, that all tho&s;e glittering pa&s;&s;ions, which &s;o much affect our &s;en&s;es, get their lu&s;tre in the ab&s;ence of that in|tellectual light, which as &s;oon as it appears, deads and di&s;-lu&s;tres them. They are but &s;quibs, which in the night &s;hine like &s;tars, but in a bright Sun-&s;hine, have no &s;uch &s;plendour: For while our affections are all in the ob&s;curitie of &s;en&s;ual appetites, the
<PB N="122" REF="72"> toyes and trifles of this world, crack and glitter in our fight; but as &s;oon as our de&s;ires are brought into the light of the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s and puritie, all tho&s;e vanities utterly lo&s;e their fire and lu&s;tre.</P>
<P>Let tho&s;e then, who are well di&s;pos'd towards puritie and &s;anctitie, begin to place their minds in this pre&s;ence of the glorious &s;piritual Sun, who&s;e Sphere is in the Churches Al|tar; and it is very much to be hoped, that by degrees, their affections will be remov'd out of that darkne&s;s, which gives &s;ome &s;parkling lu&s;tre to the vanities and levities of the world. But let them not be diverted from pur&s;uance of this re&s;ort to the Father of light, becau&s;e perhaps they find not a pre|&s;ent claritie and full illumination in their minds: for this light is commonly infus'd by &s;uch degrees as our Saviour us'd with that blind man,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mare.</HI> 8.</NOTE> who&s;e eyes, at the fir&s;t touch, were but half opened, when he &s;aw men &s;eeming like trees to him; but at the &s;econd, he di&s;cerned clearly all objects: &s;o by the&s;e &s;ucce&s;&s;ive motions, this &s;piritual light enters into our &s;ouls; at fir&s;t with a twinckling &s;ight, we begin to perceive the vanitie and unwor|thine&s;s of &s;uch adherences: afterwards by degrees, we di&s;cover clearly the foulne&s;s of &s;uch amu&s;ements; and the great impedi|ment they are to the advance and exaltation of grace. And in that full light, we quickly come to endeavour to disband and break the knot of our vitious habits, and make this &s;uit quite contrary to our former extenuation of our faults; praying, <HI>That our heart may not decline into that iniquitie of &s;eeking excu&s;es for our &s;ins.</HI></P>
<P>And thus we advance into a pious &s;olicitude of picking and &s;ifting out ev'n the lea&s;t of our imperfections, and delight more in the candor and cleanne&s;s of our minds, then we did in tho&s;e other complacencies and &s;oothings of our fancies; when the Spirit gaining continually upon the &s;en&s;e, re&s;olves <HI>as we have born the image of the Terre&s;trial man,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.</NOTE> <HI>&s;o now to bear the image of the Cele&s;tial.</HI> And in honour of this <HI>Hea|venly mans</HI> entrie into their hearts, &s;uch receivers of him are
<PB N="123" REF="72"> not content to cut down onely boughs, and to &s;trew leaves before him; but ev'n &s;trip them&s;elves of their cloaths and lay them down at his feet, to make clean and adorn the way of his advance into their &s;ouls.</P>
<P>For methinks this difference may be aptly made between them who only forbear &s;ome vitious practices, which are not much fa&s;tned to their inclinations, and &s;uch who re|trench ev'n their mo&s;t intimate faultie affections; the fir&s;t may be &s;aid to be like them who did but cut down boughs and &s;trew leaves for our Saviour Chri&s;ts entrie into <HI>Jeru&s;alem:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mare.</HI> 11.</NOTE> but the&s;e &s;econd, like tho&s;e others, who &s;tripped them&s;elves and laid ev'n their garments down before him, to honour his pre&s;ence. The one doe but offer what is loo&s;e and &s;e|ver'd from their hearts; the others pre&s;ent what is the clo|&s;e&s;t and mo&s;t united to their minds; namely, tho&s;e mo&s;t delightful habits, which like their cloaths, warm, cheri&s;h, and adorn mo&s;t our &s;en&s;itive appetites; which the Apo&s;tle &s;ayes, we are &s;o unwilling to have deve&s;ted, but would be clothed upon them: and con&s;equently &s;uch contributors to the honour of Chri&s;ts triumph over &s;in, mu&s;t have the mo&s;t meritorious title to his la&s;t entry and triumph in the heavenly <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> where the degrees of elevation and precedencie, are taken by tho&s;e of this lifes puritie and &s;anctitie.</P>
<P>If the&s;e motives, working in&s;trumentally by the grace of Chri&s;t, convince any to make this e&s;&s;ay of purging their lives, by this method of undertaking &s;ome of their lea&s;t affecting tre&s;pa&s;&s;es; I am confident they will find the &s;ame facilitie towards a full deliverie, and tho&s;e &s;ucce&s;&s;ive de|grees of delight in the ma&s;terie, which I have promis'd this pious application.</P>
<P>Let me then end with this &s;upplication to all per&s;ons, free from the &s;tronger chains of the Tempter, yet &s;till en|tangled in the&s;e little &s;nares of Venial Sin; That they
<PB N="124" REF="73"> would often reflect upon the foundation of this di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Be you holy, as your Heav<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nly Father is holy:</HI> and con|jointly remember Saint <HI>Johns</HI> invitation to this intend|ment of &s;anctitie, which by the promi&s;es annex'd to it, may &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">me all &s;uch as hope for the one, without a&s;piring by the other: for they who expect to become like <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> when they &s;ee him in his highe&s;t glory, ought not to forget this con|dition,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.3.</NOTE> <HI>Every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth him&s;elf, even as he is pure.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="125" REF="73">
<HEAD>The &s;eventh Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the purgation of Souls &s;tained with Venial Sin. In five Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The Nature of Purgatorie; wherein great pains and plea&s;ure are conjoin'd.</HEAD>
<P>_FRom the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Venial Sin,</HI> the de&s;cent is &s;o natural to the con&s;ideration of <HI>Purga|torie,</HI> that my thoughts (which have hi|therto declin'd all pa&s;&s;ages leading to|wards any controverted devotion) cannot but yeild to this propen&s;ion that carries them into the Survey of It: through which yet they &s;hal pa&s;s, rather like travellers, then tryers of the ground; making only a narrative, not pleading the ca&s;e. In order whereunto, I &s;hall offer only a literal rela|tion from the mouth of a mo&s;t eminent Saint; whom God was plea&s;ed to conduct through this &s;tate of purgation in this life: which was a noble Lady of the family of <HI>Adorni,</HI> now
<PB N="126" REF="74"> reverenc'd by the name of S. <HI>Katherine</HI> of <HI>Genoua.</HI> And I am per&s;waded, the di&s;cour&s;e will &s;o far move ev'n their Rea&s;on, to who&s;e Faith it does not reach, that they will admit the opinion as rational, though not obligatorie: which &s;hall therefore tempt me to venture the &s;trength of it into both the&s;e dangers, the eminencie of the Italian Language, and the poorne&s;s of mine.</P>
<P>This holy &s;oul, while &s;he re&s;ided in the fle&s;h, being ca&s;t into the Purgatorie of the flaming love of God, which refin'd her from all impuritie, that &s;o pa&s;&s;ing out of this life, &s;he might immediately be admitted to his pre&s;ence (the &s;weet de&s;ired term of her love) by means of this amorous fire, &s;he compre|hended in what manner the &s;ouls departed in charitie remain in the local Purgatory, to be purg'd from all dro&s;s and &s;tain of &s;in; whereof in this life they had not made an expurgation. And ju&s;t as &s;he being put into the amorous Purgatorie of the divine fire, remain'd united to his divine love, and content with all that was wrought in her; &s;o &s;he under&s;tood the &s;tate of &s;ouls in the common Purgatorie, and gave this account of their condition.</P>
<P>Souls that remain in Purgatorie, (as far as I can apprehend) can have no other election but to be in that place; and this, by the order and di&s;po&s;ition of God, who has ju&s;tly deter|min'd it thus. Nor can they any more turn towards them|&s;elves, or di&s;cour&s;e to this purpo&s;e; I have committed &s;uch &s;ins, for which I de&s;erve to be kept here; would to God I had not committed them, for then I &s;hould now go to Heaven: nor yet can they think &s;uch an one &s;hall be delivered &s;ooner then I, or I then he: they can have no remembrance of them&s;elves or others, in point of good or evill, which may any wayes intend or remit their ordinary &s;ufferance, but find &s;o much contentment in their being conformable to Gods order, and that he &s;hould work what and however he plea&s;es, that ev'n in their greate&s;t pains, they cannot think on them&s;elves. They only contemplate the operation of the Divine goodne&s;s; which acts with &s;o much mercie to man, in order to the bringing him
<PB N="127" REF="74"> to him&s;elf, that they can have no di&s;cernment of either &s;uffe|rance or ea&s;e, from whence may re&s;ult proprietie, or &s;elf-regard: for if they could have &s;uch &s;entiments, they would not be in pure charitie.</P>
<P>They cannot ev'n di&s;cern that they endure the&s;e pains for their &s;ins, nor retain any &s;uch impre&s;&s;ion in their minds, &s;ince it would imply &s;ome active imperfection which cannot con&s;i&s;t with that place, wholly exempt from farther actual &s;inning. No, the cau&s;e of their Purgatorie they &s;ee, only once, as they pa&s;s out of this life, and never more; becau&s;e it would import &s;ome &s;elf-con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>Remaining then in charitie, and incapable of being diverted by any actual defect, they can no longer wi&s;h or de&s;ire ought but the pure will of pure charitie; and being thus in that purg|ing fire they are in the Divine appointment, which is pure cha|ritie: nor can they in any point decline from it, being exclu|ded from actual &s;in, as well as merit.</P>
<P>I verily believe, notwith&s;tanding this &s;tate of &s;uffering, there can be no contentment imagin'd comparable to that of a &s;oul in Purgatorie, except that of the Saints in heaven: and this &s;atisfaction increa&s;es daily, by the influence of God upon the&s;e &s;ouls; which augments by the &s;ame degrees that the im|pediment of this influence wa&s;tes, and is con&s;umed. The ru&s;t and dro&s;s of &s;in, is this interpos'd ob&s;tacle; which, as the fire works off and con&s;umes, &s;o the &s;oul is the more di&s;cover'd and di&s;pos'd to the divine infu&s;ion. Ju&s;t as a thing that is cover'd cannot admit the &s;plendor of the Sun; not by rea&s;on of the Suns incapacitie, which continually &s;hines, but through the op|po&s;ition of the covering; who&s;e interpo&s;ition, as it is remov'd, proportionably the beams illu&s;trate and clarifie the &s;ubject: &s;o in this ca&s;e, the ru&s;t, to wit, &s;in, is the covering of the &s;oul; which in purgatory the fire con&s;umes by degrees, and accor|ding as it wears off, the &s;oul is di&s;cover'd to the true Sun, God him&s;elf; and con&s;equently the &s;atisfaction improves, as much as the ru&s;t and dro&s;s is abated, being the more di&s;play'd to the Divine irradiation. And thus the one ri&s;es and the
<PB N="128" REF="75"> other falls away, till the full time be accompli&s;h'd.</P>
<P>Notwith&s;tanding which, the inten&s;ne&s;s of the pain is not re|mitted, but only its duration contracted. In the mean while, as to the will, they can never account their &s;ufferings pains; &s;o much are they plea&s;ed with the order of God, to which their will re&s;ts united in pure love and charitie. Yet, on the other &s;ide, they indure &s;o extream a pain, as no tongue can expre&s;s, nor imagination apprehend the lea&s;t &s;park of it, unle&s;s God by a &s;pecial favour &s;hould reveal it; as by an extraordinary grace he vouch&s;afed a little glimp&s;e to my &s;oul: but I am un|able to infu&s;e the light of it into others with my tongue, though this view which our Lord gave me, never &s;ince departed out of my mind. I'le impart to you what I can of it, and &s;uch will conceive it, who&s;e under&s;tanding the Lord &s;hall plea&s;e to open.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The rea&s;on of Purgatorie, and comparing the &s;tate of Hell with It.</HEAD>
<P>THE <HI>foundation of all &s;ufferings, is original or actual &s;in.</HI> God created the &s;oul pure, &s;imple and clear from all &s;tain of &s;uch; with a certain beatifying in&s;tinct, turning to|wards him&s;elf; from which in&s;tinct original &s;in (which in the womb &s;he meets) removes her; whereto, when actual &s;in is added, the &s;oul is more di&s;tanc'd; and the farther &s;he departs, the more malignitie &s;he contracts: wherefore God, le&s;s &s;till corre&s;ponds with her.</P>
<P>Con&s;idering then, that all po&s;&s;ible goodne&s;s has its nature, by participation from God; who confers it on irrational crea|tures, as he has ordain'd in an equal and con&s;tant mea&s;ure,
<PB N="129" REF="75"> which never fails them; but on the rational, more or le&s;s, as he finds the pa&s;&s;age unob&s;tructed by &s;in. Hence it is that when a &s;oul is drawing near to her fir&s;t pure creation, in charitie and candor, the in&s;tinct and appetite of beatitude begins to rai&s;e and kindle it &s;elf; increa&s;ing &s;till with &s;uch an impetuous ve|hemencie of flaming love, which pre&s;&s;es her to her final term that any impediment &s;eems in&s;upportable; and the nearer &s;he approaches, and the more di&s;covers, the more is the aggrava|tion of her &s;ufferance.</P>
<P>Now, becau&s;e &s;ouls in Purgatorie are free from the culpable|ne&s;s of &s;in, they have no interpos'd partition between God and them; except that pain which &s;u&s;pends the effect and perfe|ction of the in&s;tinct and appetencie of beatitude. Wherefore di&s;cerning evidently of how great importance every little let and hindrance proves to them; and finding this in&s;tinct, by a nece&s;&s;ary ju&s;tice, with-held and retarded from accompli&s;hment: hence ari&s;es an extream fire, ev'n like that of hell, excepting the guilt, which only renders the wills of the damned malignant; to whom God imparts none of his goodne&s;s; and there|fore they remain in a de&s;perate malicious wilfulne&s;s again&s;t the will of God.</P>
<P>Whence it is evident, that the perver&s;ne&s;s of the appetite op|pos'd to the will of God, con&s;titutes the crime; and the per|tinacitie in the malicious will continues it: Wherefore that of the reprobate in hell, (who have pa&s;&s;'d out of this life with this malicious will) neither is, nor can be remitted; becau&s;e they cannot change their will, being once dead, &s;o di&s;pos'd: in which pa&s;&s;age the will is fix'd either to good or evil; which of them it was then determin'd; according to what is written, <HI>W<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ere I &s;hall find thee,</HI> (that is, at the hour of death, in what will, either of &s;inning or of being penitent for having &s;inn'd,) <HI>there will I judge thee:</HI> of which judgment there is never any repeal, by rea&s;on that after this life the libertie of free-will is no more pliable, but &s;tands firm to that po&s;ture it was found in at the point of death. The damned therefore being found in that point with a will to &s;in, carry with them the guilt in an infinite
<PB N="130" REF="76"> degree; and yet the puni&s;hment is not &s;o much as they de&s;erve, albeit what they have in point of duration is endle&s;s; but the &s;ouls in Purgatorie retain only the pain of their &s;in; the guilt having been remitted at the hour of their death, when they were taken in a &s;tate of &s;orrow and contrition, and grieving for their offences ag<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">in&s;t the Divine goodne&s;s: wherefore their pain is finite and decrea&s;es continually in point of la&s;tingne&s;s, as has been explain'd. (O mi&s;erie exceeding all other, and &s;o much the more in that humane blindne&s;s, allows it not a due con&s;i|deration!) Neither is the pain of the damn'd infinite in point of quantitie, by rea&s;on that the infinite goodne&s;s of God &s;heds &s;ome drops of his compa&s;&s;ion ev'n into hell: for man dying in mortall &s;in, de&s;erves infinite pain, as well as everla&s;ting time to &s;uffer it. But the mercie of God has ordain'd the time only infinite, and the pain limitted in quantitie, for as much as he might ju&s;tly have infl cted more then he has &s;entenced.</P>
<P>O how dangerous is &s;in committed with malice? becau&s;e man hardly comes to repent it; and not cancelling it by re|pentance, the crime remains perpetually, as long as the per&s;on per&s;i&s;ts in the liking of the &s;in committed, or the will of &s;uch a tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion. But the &s;ouls in Purgatorie have an entire con|formitie of their will to that of God; by rea&s;on whereof his goodne&s;s corre&s;ponds with them, and they remain content (as to their will) and purifi'd from all crime; in which re&s;pect, tho&s;e &s;ouls re&s;t as pure as at the in&s;tant of their creation: for departing this life penitent and contrite, God immediately par|dons the culpable part; and there &s;ticks upon them only &s;ome dro&s;s or ru&s;t of their pa&s;t offences, from which they are after cleans'd and purg'd by means of the pains of that fire; where being clear d from all crime, and united to God by their will, they &s;ee God clearly, according to that degree he di&s;covers him&s;elf in that &s;tate. They perceive likewi&s;e how much the fruition of God is to be e&s;teem'd: and &s;ouls created to that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd, feel &s;uch an impul&s;e and &s;ympathie of union with God, which attracts them &s;o &s;trongly to him by that natural corre|&s;pondence between the &s;oul and God, that it is not po&s;&s;ible to
<PB N="131" REF="76"> give any rea&s;on, or imagine any figure or &s;imilitude &s;ufficient to illu&s;trate this matter, adequately to what the mind appre|hends by an interiour &s;entiment: Neverthele&s;s, I will exhibit one which offers it &s;elf to my imagination.</P>
<P>Suppo&s;e that in the whole world there were but one loaf of bread, which were to relieve the hunger of all the creatures; and that they were to be &s;atisfi'd meerly by the &s;ight of <HI>it.</HI> In this ca&s;e, man (in health) having by nature an appetite to eat; if he could not feed, yet neither fal &s;ick nor die, his appetite would never dimini&s;h: and knowing that loaf of bread alone could &s;atisfie him; while he wanted it his hunger could never be eas'd, but would be kept in an intollerable pain; and the nearer he approach'd, without being able to &s;ee it, the more this natural appetite would be &s;harp'ned; which by a vehement in&s;tinct, is wholly intent upon that wherein con&s;i&s;ts all his &s;atisfaction. Suppo&s;ing him then a&s;&s;ured never to get &s;ight of this bread; in that in&s;tant he would feel a compleat hell, like the damned &s;ouls, which are depriv'd of all hope ever to &s;ee God, the true food of &s;ouls; but the &s;ouls in Purgatorie enjoy the hope of &s;eeing this bread, and to be &s;atiated with it; wherefore they &s;uffer by this hunger, and endure this pain during the time on|ly they are &s;u&s;pended from this divine refection, which is <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> true Bread, true God, our Saviour, and our Love.</P>
<P>As a &s;pirit clean and purifi'd, has no other center of re&s;t but God, this being the end of its creation: &s;o a &s;oul &s;tain'd and po|luted with mortal &s;in, has no other term but Hell, God having appointed that for Its place; wherefore <HI>Judas</HI> is &s;aid to have gone <HI>into his own place;</HI> and &s;o in the in&s;tant that every &s;oul is &s;ever'd from the body, it goes &s;traight to its appointed one. And certainly a &s;oul departing in mortal &s;in, (if it did not find in that point of time, this determination, proceeding from the ju&s;tice of God) would remain in a greater hell then the other: as being out of that ordination which partakes &s;omewhat of the compa&s;&s;ion of God, &s;ince he inflicts not &s;o much puni&s;hment as the &s;oul de&s;erves:) whereupon not finding a more conve|nient place, nor of le&s;s mi&s;ery, by the appointment of God,
<PB N="132" REF="77"> the &s;oul ca&s;ts it &s;elf into Hell, as into Its proper place and center.</P>
<P>So, in the point of our Purgatorie; the &s;oul &s;eparated from the body, not finding her &s;elf in that puritie and cleanne&s;s wherein &s;he was created; but &s;eeing in her &s;elf an impediment, and that removeable only by the means of Purgatory; quickly and willingly &s;he throws her &s;elf in thither: and if &s;he did not find that appointment apt to deliver her from this incumbrance, in that in&s;tant the &s;oul would beget in her &s;elf a Hell much &s;har|per then Purgatorie: for perceiving that &s;he could not attain the de&s;ired end, by rea&s;on of that ob&s;tacle, the attainder of that de&s;ire is &s;o much affected, that, in order to its con&s;ecution, the fire of Purgatorie &s;eems not con&s;iderable; though (as I have &s;aid) it be in &s;harpne&s;s, like to that of hell; yet con&s;idering it as &s;uch a medicine, it &s;eems nothing terrible.</P>
<P>I will add likewi&s;e, that I plainly &s;ee on Gods part, Heaven has no dores &s;hut, but all who de&s;ire to enter may: becau&s;e he is all mercie, and is turn'd towards us with open arms to wel|come us into his glory. But I find, notwith&s;tanding, the Di|vine E&s;&s;ence to be of &s;o high a puritie, and &s;o much exceeding what can be imagin'd, that a &s;oul (having but &s;o much imper|fection &s;ticking to her, as ev'n the lea&s;t atome comes to) would &s;ooner ca&s;t her &s;elf into a thou&s;and hells, then appear in the pre|&s;ence of that Divine Maje&s;tie, tainted with that blemi&s;h&punc; wherefore finding Purgatory ordain'd to take out that &s;tain, &s;he flies into it; and conceives it a great mercie, as a means of clearing that ob&s;truction.</P>
<P>The whole nature of Purgatorie, can neither be expre&s;&s;'d by any tongue, nor comprehended by any under&s;tanding; but this I can di&s;cern, that its pains are no le&s;s then tho&s;e of hell: notwith&s;tanding which, I perceive the &s;oul, &s;potted with the lea&s;t defect, accounts it an indulgent grace, as I have &s;aid, not making <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">in &s;ome re&s;pect) any reckoning of it, compared with the impedimental &s;tain, which intercepts her fruitive love. And me thinks, I &s;ee the &s;ouls in Purgatorie more tormented, by finding in them&s;elves any thing that di&s;plea&s;es God, and for
<PB N="133" REF="77"> having voluntarily contracted that indignitie, by offending &s;uch a Goodne&s;s; then by any other &s;ufferance deriv'd from Purgatorie: the rea&s;on whereof is, that being in &s;tate of grace, they clearly di&s;cern the importance of that impediment, which &s;uffers not their approach to God.</P>
<P>All whatever I have &s;aid in compari&s;on of what my own &s;pirit is certifi'd and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;'d of (as far as I have been able to comprehend in this life) is &s;o &s;hort and weak; that all views, words, or &s;entiments, all imagination, all ju&s;tice, all truth &s;eem trifling, and nothing towards its expre&s;&s;ion; and I am out of countenance that I cannot find more preci&s;e words, and of higher indearment. For I &s;ee &s;o conformable a &s;ympathie and con&s;onancie between God and the &s;oul, that when God &s;ees her tending to that puritie, wherein he created her, he touches her with a certain attractive kind of flaming love, &s;ufficient to an|nihilate her, notwith&s;tanding her immortality; and transforms her &s;o much into him&s;elf, that &s;he di&s;cerns her &s;elf to be no other then God; who continually proceeds drawing and fire|ing her, and never leaves till he has reduc'd her to that &s;tate and being, whence &s;he fir&s;t lap&s;ed; that is, in the &s;ame puritie in which &s;he was created.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The manner of Gods operation upon Souls in this &s;tate.</HEAD>
<P>VVHen the &s;oul, by interiour light, &s;ees her &s;elf thus drawn by God, with &s;o much amorous ardor; through the heat of that flaming love of her &s;o &s;weet Lord and God, which &s;he feels &s;uperabound in her &s;pirit, &s;he (as it were) melts, and wholly di&s;&s;olves her &s;elf. Then perceiving
<PB N="134" REF="78"> by the Divine light, how God never cea&s;es to draw and con|duct her, tenderly towards her compleat perfection, with &s;uch continual care and providence; and this out of the &s;ole mo|tive of pure love, whil&s;t &s;he on the other &s;ide, by rea&s;on of this impediment of &s;in, finds her &s;elf not in a capacitie of following this attraction of His; that is, this uniting a&s;pect which God ca&s;ts upon her, in order to this conjunction; and perceiving be&s;ides how important this retardment is, which &s;u&s;pends her acce&s;s to the divine &s;plendour; together with her own in&s;tinct, which earne&s;tly wi&s;hes the removal of that impediment, that &s;he might vigorou&s;ly follow that uniting a&s;pect: I &s;ay, the &s;en&s;e and con&s;ideration of the&s;e things, is that which produces the principal pains, wherewith &s;ouls are afflicted in Purgatory; not that they are very &s;en&s;ible of the painful part (though it be very extream) but they re&s;ent much more the oppo&s;ition they find in them&s;elves to the will of God; which they plainly &s;ee kindled with an exce&s;&s;ive and pure love to them. And this love, together with this unitive a&s;pect, draws perpetually and &s;o powerfully, as if it intended nothing el&s;e: in&s;omuch that the &s;oul is &s;o vehemently affected with it, that if &s;he could find another Purgatorie &s;urpa&s;&s;ing this, to clear &s;o much the &s;ooner this impediment, &s;he would quickly ca&s;t her &s;elf into it, through the impetuo&s;itie of that &s;o con&s;onant and combining love between God and her.</P>
<P>Moreover, I perceive an emi&s;&s;ion from that Divine love of certain beams and fiery lightnings upon the &s;oul; and tho&s;e &s;o piercing and active, that methinks they are &s;ufficient not on|ly to annihilate the body, but ev'n, if it were po&s;&s;ible, the very &s;oul. The&s;e irradiations have two effects, by the one they purifie, and by the other they annihilate: as gold, the more you melt it, the better it becomes; and &s;o much it may be wrought and purged&punc; that all imperfection will be voided and evacuated. This effect is wrought by fire upon materialities; but the &s;oul cannot be annihilated in God, but well may it in it &s;elf: and the more it is purifi'd, the more it may be &s;aid to be extenuated and annihilated as to it &s;elf; remaining at la&s;t per|fectly
<PB N="135" REF="78"> purifi'd in God. And as gold, when it is refin'd to four and twentie <HI>caracts,</HI> can be no more wrought upon by any fire; becau&s;e the imperfection only can be &s;eparated and extracted: &s;o the Divine fire acts upon the &s;oul, God holding her &s;o long in it, till all imperfection be con&s;um d, and &s;he be brought, as I may &s;ay, to the &s;tate of four and twenty <HI>caracts,</HI> (&s;uppo&s;ing eve|ry one in their proper degree of puritie.) And when &s;he is thus clarifi'd, &s;he remains all in God; who having brought her to him&s;elf in this ultimate puritie, &s;he becomes thenceforth impa&s;|&s;ible, becau&s;e there is no matter left to work upon: whence, if in this pure &s;tate &s;he were kept &s;till in the fire, it would be no longer painful; but rather a fire of Divine love, and as it were, eternal life without any contrarietie.</P>
<P>I have explain'd how that infl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m'd in&s;tinct of reunion to God, connatural to the &s;oul, finding an impediment again&s;t this conjunction, makes the &s;ouls Purgatorie. Now this la&s;t act of love does this work, without any contribution from the man, who&s;e &s;oul is cover'd with &s;o much occult and &s;ecret im|perfection, that if one in this life could di&s;cern them, he would go near to de&s;pair: but this his la&s;t &s;tate purges and con&s;umes them all by degrees; and when they are con&s;um'd, God gives the &s;oul &s;ome di&s;cernment of them, to the end &s;he may compre|hend the Divine operation which rai&s;es in her the fire of love, di&s;&s;olving and nullifying tho&s;e impurities that are to be con|&s;um'd.</P>
<P>And we mu&s;t under&s;tand that tho&s;e acts wherein man con|ceives &s;ome perfection, are in the &s;ight of God all defectuo&s;i|ties; as in all things which have &s;ome &s;hew of perfection, to wit, mans &s;ight, his feeling, hearing, his willing, or his me|mory; in all the&s;e, when he acknowledges not their notions from God in all their acts, man contuminates him<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">elf: becau&s;e to render the&s;e operations perfect, they ought to be wrought in us, without us, as to the being the principal agents; and the operations of God mu&s;t be <HI>in the man, God,</HI> as the fir&s;t Actor. Such are the effects which God produces in the la&s;t and highe&s;t operation of pure and clear love in this life, flowing &s;imply
<PB N="136" REF="79"> from him&s;elf, without any merit of ours: which actings of Gods Spirit are &s;o penetrative and incendiarie to the &s;oul, that the body incompa&s;&s;ing it, &s;eems to con&s;ume as in a &s;harp flame; nor can ever be eas'd till it be di&s;&s;olv'd by death. True it is, that the love of God which over-flows in the &s;oul (accord|ing to my apprehen&s;ion) affords it &s;uch a contentedne&s;s, as cannot be expre&s;&s;'d: but as to the &s;ouls in Purgatorie, this con|tentment abates not one &s;park of their pain; rather that love, by the &s;en&s;e of being &s;u&s;pended from fruition, heightens their &s;ufferance, by the &s;ame degrees that the love whereof God has made them capable, is exalted in puritie.</P>
<P>So that the &s;ouls in Purgatorie feel a conjunction of great pain and plea&s;ure, wherein neither of them deduct from the mea&s;ure of the other. In which &s;tate could they purge and clear them&s;elves by contrition, they would in an in&s;tant di&s;|charge their whole debt; &s;o high and inten&s;e a &s;train of It would they produce: and this by rea&s;on of their clear di&s;|cerning the infinite prejudice of that impediment, which delays their conjunction with their end and con&s;ummation, God. And let this be receiv'd for truth that ev'n the lea&s;t farthing is not forgiven tho&s;e pure &s;ouls of what they owe; the Divine ju&s;tice having &s;o decreed it. Thus it &s;tands on Gods part: as for the &s;ouls on the other &s;ide, they have no proprietie nor election, and can &s;ee nothing but &s;imply the will of God; nor de&s;ire any other &s;tate then that of Gods ordination. If any alms are given them by tho&s;e in this world, which abridges their time, they are not in &s;tate to be affected by it in any re|&s;pect, but under the notion of the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;tice of the Divine plea|&s;ure; in all referring them&s;elves to God, who &s;atisfies him&s;elf as &s;eems be&s;t to his infinite goodne&s;s. For if they could reflect upon the&s;e alms, &s;eparately from the Divine bountie, it would be a proprietie and &s;elf-will in them; which would intercept their &s;ight of Gods will, and that would prove a hell to &s;uch &s;ouls: wherefore they remain immoveable in all that God ap|points them, as well in their ea&s;e and contentment, as their pain and affliction; and can never turn their thoughts upon them|&s;elves,
<PB N="137" REF="79"> &s;o much are they inwarded and transform'd into the Di|vine plea&s;ure, being entirely re&s;ign'd to his mo&s;t holy deter|mination.</P>
<P>In&s;omuch, that if we could &s;uppo&s;e a &s;oul pre&s;ented to the &s;ight of God, having as yet never &s;o little left to purge; this would prove a great injury to her, and become a greater &s;uffe|rance then ten Purgatories: becau&s;e that pure goodne&s;s, and &s;upreme Ju&s;tice could not like &s;uch an object: wherefore it would be di&s;corre&s;pondent in re&s;pect of God; and the &s;oul &s;ee|ing him not fully &s;atisfi'd, though there wanted but the twinck|ling of an eyes time for her perfect purgation, would feel ev'n that, an intollerable condition; and to clear that little ru&s;t, would choo&s;e rather a thou&s;and hells, then the &s;tanding be|fore the Divine Pre&s;ence with the lea&s;t remnant of impu|ritie.</P>
<P>Hence it was that this ble&s;&s;ed Soul, di&s;covering the&s;e things above treated in the Divine light, was wont to &s;ay, <Q>I could wi&s;h I were able to crie &s;o loud, as might terrifie all mankind that are upon earth, with this exclamation, O mi&s;erable man! why doe&s;t thou &s;uffer thy &s;elf to be thus blinded by this world, and again&s;t &s;o important a nece&s;&s;itie as that wherein thou wilt find thy &s;elf at the point of death, make&s;t no provi&s;ion? All of you &s;helter your &s;elves under the hopes of Gods mercie, which you exalt and magnifie to co|ver your improvidence; but you con&s;ider not that all that goodne&s;s will turn to your condemnation, for having pre&s;u|med to contervene the will of &s;o &s;weet and benign a God. Should not that goodne&s;s prevail with you towards the &s;tri|ving to comply with his intire will, in &s;tead of imboldning you to tran&s;gre&s;s it, by this undue pre&s;umption? becau&s;e his Ju&s;tice likewi&s;e mu&s;t have its due perfection; and con&s;e|quently, mu&s;t &s;ome wayes be adequately &s;atisfi'd. Pre&s;ume not therefore upon the&s;e kind of words, <HI>I will confe&s;s before I dye, and &s;o gain a plenary indulgence; by which means I &s;hall in&s;tantly be di&s;charged of all my &s;ins, and a&s;&s;ure my &s;alvation:</HI> for, think well, and you will find, &s;uch a Confe&s;&s;ion and Con|trition,
<PB N="138" REF="80"> as is requi&s;ite for the gaining of this plenarie Indul|gence is &s;o hard to be obtain'd, that upon examination, you will rather tremble, then be confident; and conclude it much more likely to be di&s;appointed, then to obtain this Indulgence.</Q></P>
<P>I &s;ee the &s;ouls in Purgatorie remaining in the di&s;cernment of the&s;e two operations. The fir&s;t is, they indure willingly their pains; it &s;eeming to them that they &s;ee clearly God has us'd them with great mercie, con&s;idering what they have de|&s;erv'd: and being fully po&s;&s;e&s;&s;'d of the infinite dignitie and excellence of God, they confe&s;s that if his goodne&s;s did not temper his ju&s;tice with mercie, (&s;atisfying the fir&s;t by the mo&s;t pretious blood of <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI>) ev'n one &s;ingle &s;in would not be over-puni&s;h'd with a thou&s;and perpetual hells; in contem|plation whereof they &s;uffer the&s;e pains &s;o unrepugnantly, that they would not abate them&s;elves one grain or &s;cruple of them, acknowledging how ju&s;tly they are impos'd and ordain'd by the Divine &s;entence. So that in re&s;pect of their will, they complain no more of God, then if they were already in eternal beatitude.</P>
<P>The other operation is, a contentedne&s;s which they feel, be|holding the order of God, working with &s;o much love and commi&s;eration in his de&s;igns upon &s;ouls. And the&s;e two ope|rations God imprints in one in&s;tant in tho&s;e &s;ouls, who (being in the &s;tate of grace) apprehend and po&s;&s;e&s;s them truly to the be&s;t degree of their pre&s;ent capacitie; whence they derive much &s;ati faction, which does not intermit, but rather increa|&s;es as they approach nearer God. They &s;ee nothing as in them&s;elves, but all as in God, to who&s;e plea&s;ure they are more attentive, then to their own pains; and con&s;ider not them, com|pared with the other; becau&s;e the lea&s;t fight can be had of God, &s;urpa&s;&s;es all &s;orrow or delight which can be conceived by man; notwith&s;tanding which &s;uperexcellence, yet it alters not in the&s;e &s;ouls the lea&s;t grain, either of their contentment or &s;ufferance.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="section">
<PB N="139" REF="80">
<HEAD>SECT. IV.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">A Declaration of what pa&s;&s;'d in the &s;oul of S. <HI>Katharine</HI> of <HI>Genoua;</HI> conformable to this &s;tate of Purgatorie.</HEAD>
<P>THE &s;ame manner of purgation which I di&s;cern of the &s;ouls in Purgatorie, I find in my own &s;oul; e&s;pecially, the&s;e two la&s;t years pa&s;t, and every day I advance into a clearer perception of it. I perceive my &s;oul &s;eated in this body, as in a &s;tate of Purgation, &s;uitable and corre&s;pondent to the local Purgatorie: &s;till in that degree which the body may indure without di&s;&s;olving; and yet by little and little &s;till augment|ing, till the term comes of death and di&s;&s;olution. I find my &s;pirit alienated from all things (even &s;piritual ones) which might mini&s;ter any nouri&s;hment; &s;uch as is any chearfulne&s;s, delight, or con&s;olation; and it has no capacitie of &s;avoring any thing whatever, temporal or &s;piritual, either by my will, my under&s;tanding, or memory; in &s;uch &s;ort, as to be able to &s;ay, I am better pleas'd with one thing then with another.</P>
<P>My interior is be&s;ieg'd in &s;uch a manner that all things what ever offer'd any refre&s;hment, either to the &s;piritual or corporal life, have been by little and little &s;ub&s;tracted from it; and &s;ince this &s;eque&s;tration, my &s;pirit perceives that all &s;uch matters were food and refection for it: but being di&s;cern'd by it, to be of a con&s;olatorie nature, they are all &s;o much di&s;liked and underva|lu'd, that they are vani&s;h'd without ever returning: the rea&s;on is becau&s;e the &s;pirit is mov'd by a forcible in&s;tinct, to di&s;charge it &s;elf of all impediments of perfection; to &s;uch a degree of &s;elf-rigor that it would almo&s;t con&s;ent to be put ev'n in hell, to attain its intention: wherefore it works earne&s;tly in the &s;epa|rating of all &s;uch matter, wherewith the inward man may feed
<PB N="140" REF="81"> it &s;elf; and be&s;ieges it &s;o &s;ubtilly, and &s;o vigilantly, that the lea&s;t mote of imperfection cannot pa&s;s into it without being di&s;cover'd and rejected.</P>
<P>And as for the exterior part, becau&s;e the &s;pirit in no &s;ort corre&s;ponds with it, that likewi&s;e remains &s;o &s;traightned and be&s;ieged, that it can find nothing upon earth wherewith to &s;o|lace it &s;elf &s;uitable to its humane in&s;tinct and appetite. No other comfort is admittable, but God; who operates all this by his love, moved by his Mercie thus to &s;atisfie his Ju&s;tice. And this con&s;ideration imparts much peace and acquie&s;cence, which neverthele&s;s deducts nothing from the pain and pre&s;&s;ure; nor could my &s;oul indure &s;o much as could move a wi&s;h of &s;tirring never &s;o little out of the divine ordination. She neither can get out of Pri&s;on, nor &s;o far as to de&s;ire enlargment, till God hath wrought all that is requi&s;ite for her due purification: My only contentment being that God may be &s;atisfi'd; nor can I conceive any greater torment then the lea&s;t digre&s;&s;ion from the divine appointment, &s;o ju&s;t and &s;o compa&s;&s;ionating I apprehend it.</P>
<P>All the&s;e things which I have di&s;cours'd, I di&s;cern; and me|thinks, touch them, as it were; but cannot find words com|petent to expre&s;s what I would deliver: that which I have ut|tered I find wrought &s;piritually in my &s;elf, and therefore I have declar'd it. The Pri&s;on wherein I conceive my &s;elf, is this World, the Band &s;eems to be my Body, and my Spirit, enlight|ned by grace, is that which is &s;en&s;ible of the importance of being re&s;train'd or retarded by any impediment from the con|&s;ecution of its end and perfection; and this inflicts great tor|ture on the &s;oul, by rea&s;on of the &s;harpne&s;s and &s;ubtiltie of this appetite of union with God: who&s;e ardencie is rais'd by tho&s;e &s;teps &s;he advances towards him; and con&s;equently the pain is mea&s;ur'd by the degrees of e&s;timation &s;he conceives of this di|vine conjunction. The more the &s;oul is purg'd the clearer &s;he lookes towards God, and the impediments &s;eem the more ter|rible and afflicting; chiefly by rea&s;on that (remaining wholly apply'd and intent upon God, having no impedimental
<PB N="141" REF="81"> pa&s;&s;ion) &s;he judges without any errour or &s;educement.</P>
<P>The compatibilitie of the&s;e two &s;entiments of pain and peacefulne&s;s in the &s;oul may be illu&s;trated, in this manner. As a man, who &s;uffers him&s;elf rather to be kill'd then offend God, is &s;en&s;ible of dying and feels the pain of it; but the Divine grace kindles a zeal in him; which makes him value the honor of God more, then he apprehends corporal death: &s;o the &s;oul contemplating the order of God, con&s;iders more that will and appointment, then all the interior or exterior &s;ufferances, how grievous &s;oever they can be rendred; and this becau&s;e God, by whom this work is wrought, excells all things that can be felt or apprehended. So that the participation which God af|fords the &s;oul of him&s;elf (how little &s;oever) holds her &s;o im|ploy'd and immers'd in that Divine Maje&s;tie, that &s;he can make no account of any other object what&s;oever: therefore &s;he de|ve&s;ts all proprietie, and neither &s;ees nor under&s;tands any pain or dammage &s;ingly referr'd to her &s;elf; all which (as hath been clearly exhibited in the former di&s;cour&s;e) is di&s;cern'd by the &s;oul in that in&s;tant, only when &s;he pa&s;&s;es out of this life. Finally, for the conclu&s;ion of all, it mu&s;t be under&s;tood that Almightie God &s;eparates and annihilates all that is left of the man, and Purgatory works this refinement and purifica|tion.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. V.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The Authors Conclu&s;ion upon this Di&s;|cour&s;e.</HEAD>
<P>THus have I &s;hew'd the in&s;ide of Purgatorie to tho&s;e who (perhaps) have hitherto &s;een the exterior figure only; and that de&s;ign'd by &s;uch as accounting it a <HI>Chymera,</HI> have drawn
<PB N="142" REF="82"> it like one, with antique and extravagant lineaments: doing, as if the Prie&s;ts of the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eathen &s;hould have expos'd only the out&s;ide of the &s;tatue of <HI>Silenus,</HI> which being in form of a <HI>Sa|tyre,</HI> was likelier to provoke contempt, then expectation of any thing within it to be reverenc'd; whereas being opened, it con|tain'd an Altar decently adorn'd with many things accounted &s;acred in their religion. The maligners of this doctrine of Purgatorie, have methinks, us'd a wor&s;e kind of indirectne&s;s in their expo&s;ure of it; by &s;hewing only the exterior disfigur'd and colour'd over with fanta&s;tick and ridiculous &s;uppo&s;itions; &s;etting <HI>Indulgences</HI> about it, in wry and di&s;torted po&s;itions, crookeded by venalitie and corruption. Such a deform'd picture they &s;et forth of Purgatorie, as is drawn very often more by their aver&s;ion, then their apprehen&s;ion; their own judgments not being &s;o dark as their di&s;affections: But now I hope upon this in&s;ight I have given of the interior of this doctrine, I may flatter my &s;elf, that ev'n tho&s;e who acknowledge not any thing &s;acred or religious in the &s;ub&s;tance of this point, cannot yet reproach any part of it as extravagant or unrea&s;onable.</P>
<P>And this occa&s;ion remembers me of what pa&s;&s;'d with a per|&s;on of our Nation (of a &s;harp and ingenuous &s;pirit) concern|ing his &s;en&s;e of <HI>Catholick Religion;</HI> after he had been abroad awhile, and only &s;een &s;ome exterior practi&s;es of it, <HI>viz.</HI> &s;uch as pa&s;s through the &s;treets in <HI>Proce&s;sions;</HI> where <HI>Reliques</HI> and <HI>Images</HI> are &s;ometimes carried in manners apt enough to &s;candalize &s;trangers and undi&s;ciplin'd per&s;ons in the intention of the Church. Upon which mi&s;under&s;tanding, he was wont to &s;light and deride much her Ceremonies. In an&s;wer to &s;ome of his reproaches, he was ask'd one day by a Prie&s;t, if he (who &s;eem|ed &s;o malevolent to the Ceremonies of Catholique Religion) had ever been in the Churches, and &s;een the celebration of our highe&s;t mi&s;teries, and the performance of our Divine Services? he reply'd that he had already &s;een too much, &s;ince his liberties concerning it were already offen&s;ive: but (&s;ayes he) if you will allow me the freedom of &s;peaking out all I think, after this farther in&s;ight into your Church, I will goe with you to any
<PB N="143" REF="82"> &s;olemn exerci&s;e of your Religion you &s;hall de&s;ire. This con|dition was agreed by the Prie&s;t; who carry'd him to &s;ee high Ma&s;s &s;aid on &s;ome great Holiday, where the Gentleman be|hav'd him&s;elf with much mode&s;tie and attention to all that pa&s;&s;'d. And after his &s;urvey of the Church, with the order and ob&s;ervances practi&s;ed; when he came back, being call'd upon to deliver his opinion of what he had &s;een; he an&s;wer'd, <HI>There is a great difference between your Church and your Street Religion; I confe&s;s 'tis great pittie this is not the true one, the order, decen|cie and maje&s;tie of your wor&s;hip, &s;avours &s;o much, and becomes &s;o well the direction to the greatne&s;s and maje&s;tie of the true God.</HI> To which the Prie&s;t reply'd, &s;ince you are better &s;atisfi'd with the fir&s;t &s;tep you have made within dores; let me propo&s;e to you a farther vi&s;it into the in&s;ide of our Church, (as I may well call the doctrinal and credential part of our faith:) the &s;oundne&s;s and rea&s;onablene&s;s whereof, will &s;urely give your under&s;tanding a more proportionable &s;atisfaction, then your eyes have recei|ved in the difference you have acknowledg'd between our Church and our Streets. Whereupon not long after, this per|&s;on, by the &s;ame &s;teps as he advanc'd into the interior part of our doctrine lodged his under&s;tanding wherever it came; and never receeded one &s;tep back, but remain'd firmly &s;eated at length in the <HI>Catholick Church.</HI></P>
<P>And truly, methinks, the&s;e three different views of Catho|lique Religion by an adver&s;ary, may be re&s;embled to the&s;e three manners of &s;eeing the Author of it, <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</HI> The fir&s;t is &s;uch a kind of &s;ight, as if one, who had heard Chri&s;t much de|fam'd for a Seducer of mean people, &s;hould have met with him afterward in the &s;treet, follow d only by fi&s;her men, Publicans, and notorious &s;inners; con&s;idering which appearance, the un|dervaluing of him were not to be wondred at. The &s;econd is as if the &s;ame per&s;on &s;hould afterward have been per&s;waded to follow him into &s;ome hou&s;e in which he convers'd with his fol|lowers: where reflecting upon the aminablene&s;s of his per&s;on, the &s;weetne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s of his behaviour, the meekne&s;s of his &s;peech, the decencie of all his motions, the gravitie and order of all his
<PB N="144" REF="83"> actions; the&s;e exterior attractives would probably reconcile an ingenuous mind &s;o far to him, as to &s;ugge&s;t a de&s;ire of being clearly inform'd of his propo&s;als and motives to the people. The third manner is, as if he &s;hould have pur&s;ued his informati|on by following Chri&s;t till he heard him preach his doctrine, and &s;aw him confirm it by divers miracles: whereupon, in all apparence, he would have remain'd Chri&s;ts Di&s;ciple.</P>
<P>Thus tho&s;e who have heard <HI>Catholique Religion</HI> much tra|duc'd in point of the wor&s;hip of Images and honouring of Re|liques, meeting a Proce&s;&s;ion in the &s;treets, where the figures and reliques of Saints are expos'd with much re&s;pect and reverence, cannot at fir&s;t be wondred at for believing this calumnie veri|fi'd; no more then a zealous Jew for crediting the Phari&s;aical a&s;per&s;ions, upon the fir&s;t &s;ight of Chri&s;t, apparently an&s;werable to their accu&s;ations. Whil&s;t tho&s;e (who are mov'd but to vi&s;it the <HI>Catholique Church,</HI> with reverence and con&s;ideration of the exteriour religious offices corre&s;ponding to the familiaritie with <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> his outward and humane carriages and acts) will ea&s;ilie be &s;o far di&s;prejudic'd in point of the doctrine, as to &s;eek the acquainting their under&s;tandings with the grounds and rea|&s;ons of this Religion; which an&s;wers to the hearing of Chri&s;t preach the conformitie of his moral precepts to right rea&s;on, and &s;eeing him confirm his &s;upernatural verities by divine Power. And in this method of &s;urveying Catholique Religion, that is, by &s;tudiou&s;ly examining the articles of Faith, there ap|pears &s;o much con&s;onancie with rea&s;on in all the practical part, and &s;o great force of continued authoritie, con&s;tantly &s;ucceed|ing from Chri&s;ts own mouth (which is no le&s;s convincing then a vi&s;ible miracle) as in all likelihood will compo&s;e a body of motives nece&s;&s;arily prevalent, upon an ingenuous under|&s;tanding.</P>
<P>I may therefore after this long pa&s;&s;age through this fire of love, mode&s;tly pre&s;ume that it has warm'd the affections of &s;uch, to who&s;e under&s;tanding it may perhaps not have given &s;ufficient light. So that it is not unlikely, many may &s;ay with the Gentleman I mention'd, that our written differs much from
<PB N="145" REF="83"> our talk'd on Purgatorie; and that &s;urely if this <HI>Theory</HI> be not true, 'tis great pitie it is not; &s;ince this exqui&s;ite refinement of &s;ouls &s;eems to be rea&s;onable, before their admittance into the incomprehen&s;ible puritie of God; and to have this purifi|cation wrought by love is &s;uch a means, as all generous hearts, would wi&s;h. For how many are there, that would prefer grie|vous &s;uffering, con&s;orted with great loving, before the being &s;tupidly unaffected with either pa&s;&s;ion? Wherefore this cha|racter of Purgatorie will probably affect mo&s;t of tho&s;e fair in|genuous &s;ouls, to which I de&s;ign it.</P>
<P>Before I &s;hut up the dore of Purgatorie, I will affix this advice upon it, which may afford a plenarie Indulgence to both parties. To tho&s;e who believe the doctrine, I will pro|po&s;e the living, as if they believ'd it not; apprehending every voluntary venial &s;in, as if it were the fewel of the eternal fire, fomented by hatred, not by love. And to &s;uch as di&s;-believe it, I would urge the living as if they did apprehend &s;uch a &s;tate of tran&s;itorie puni&s;hment, appointed for all tho&s;e frailties and faultine&s;&s;es which they own in their lives; not relying upon their &s;ingle faith for the removing of tho&s;e mountains of &s;traw and &s;tubble, which our daily imperfections do accumu|late; but to be as punctual and preci&s;e in the taking off every &s;ingle &s;traw, that may incumber their con&s;cience, as if it were to &s;ink them below Purgatorie. And by this care, the fir&s;t may happily, by Gods mercie, e&s;cape it: the la&s;t, by the &s;ame mercie, pa&s;s through it. The rectitude of their af|fections to God, having mov'd his goodne&s;s to rectifie their faith.</P>
<P>To which purpo&s;e, I will conclude with this Prayer, for all &s;uch who&s;e conceived light is true darkne&s;s, That they may have the grace to embrace the belief of Purgatorie in this life, and e&s;cape the experience of it in the next: really pa&s;&s;ing as immediately to heaven, by the apprehen&s;ion of It as they vainly promi&s;e them&s;elves, in their di&s;-belief and incon|&s;ideration of it.</P>
<PB N="146" REF="84">
<P>Let, therefore, the re&s;ult of this Di&s;cour&s;e, to all Auditors, be the rai&s;ing a mo&s;t vigilant attention to this remon&s;trance of S. <HI>Peter,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1 4 <HI>to the</HI> 10.</NOTE> that <HI>God hath given us exceeding great and preti|ous promi&s;es; that by the&s;e you may be partakers of the divine Nature; having e&s;cap'd the corruption that is in the World. Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your cal|ling and election &s;ure; for if you do the&s;e things, you &s;hall never fall: but &s;o an entrance &s;hall be mini&s;tred to you abundantly, into the everla&s;ting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="147" REF="84">
<HEAD>The eighth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Peace and tranquilitie of Spirit, in all occurrences. In three Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">What this Peace is; and the advantages of it.</HEAD>
<P>_HAving &s;hew'd that grievous pain, and great peace are really con&s;i&s;tent in this impecca|ble State of <HI>Purgation;</HI> it will be yet more u&s;eful to di&s;cu&s;s how in this our pre&s;ent &s;tate of perillous temptation, a fair peace and &s;erenitie of mind may be maintain'd in all our <HI>exteriour troubles and agita|tions.</HI></P>
<P>'Tis much debated, what di&s;po&s;ition or compo&s;ure of mind is the mo&s;t proper, in order to a &s;piritual progre&s;s and <HI>tendence</HI> to perfection: whether the enjoying much light; or remaining in privation and ob&s;curitie: whether the being &s;oftned and &s;weetned by the dew of Heaven in the exerci&s;es of pietie, or be|ing
<PB N="148" REF="85"> exerci&s;ed by dryne&s;s and barrenne&s;s of Spirit: and for the exterior condition, whether the ea&s;e of health, or the vexation of &s;ickne&s;s, the conveniencie of plenty, or the con&s;traint of po|vertie; the priviledge of honour, or the quiet of ob&s;curitie, are the mo&s;t conducing to a &s;piritual proficiencie; and it may be rightly determin'd that the readie&s;t and &s;afe&s;t way to this end, is to keep our mind in a con&s;tant peace, in all the &s;everal &s;tates and conditions of this life; to &s;ettle our &s;pirit in an equal re|po&s;e, and &s;u&s;tain that in an invariable acquie&s;cence. So that this an&s;wer of the divine Oracle may re&s;olve all inquiries,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 33.</NOTE> <HI>Seek peace and pur&s;ue it.</HI></P>
<P>Which being admitted, three things may happily be de|manded: Fir&s;t, what this peace of the mind is, and the ble&s;|&s;ings of it. The &s;econd, how we &s;hould obtain it. And the third, how we &s;hould con&s;erve it.</P>
<P>To an&s;wer the fir&s;t, we cannot do better then offer S. <HI>Augu|&s;tines</HI> definition: <HI>Peace is the &s;erenitie of the mind, the tranquili|tie of the &s;oul, the &s;implicitie of the heart, and the band of love.</HI> And the &s;ame Author el&s;ewhere &s;preads the branches of this root, more at large: &s;aying, <HI>Peace is a ranking and di&s;po&s;ing of things con&s;onant and di&s;&s;onant, in &s;uch proportion and order, that each one holds the proper place and rank belonging to it.</HI> Where|by he means (as he &s;ayes him&s;elf) that <HI>Peace is nothing but the tranquilitie of Order:</HI> which con&s;i&s;ts, as S. <HI>Thomas</HI> explains it, in keeping all pa&s;&s;ions, wherewith a man may be affected, from ri&s;ing into &s;uch a degree of turbulencie as may di&s;compo&s;e the calm and tranquilitie of our under&s;tanding or affecti|ons.</P>
<P>Wherever things are in order and their natural po&s;ition, there peace mu&s;t con&s;equently be found; and on the contrary where things are confus'd and mi&s;plac'd, there mu&s;t certainly follow trouble and di&s;cord. In this &s;entiment S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;ayes: While things are out of their rank and order, they are troubled and di&s;quieted; as &s;oon as they are reduc'd into their due place, they re&s;t and are at peace. And in pur&s;uit of this &s;ubject, he &s;ayes, The peace of the body, is the ju&s;t and equal
<PB N="149" REF="85"> temper of the fir&s;t qualities, and the convenient po&s;ition of all the parts of the body: the peace of the &s;en&s;itive &s;oul is the quiet of its appetites; the peace of the rea&s;onable &s;oul is the mutual concord between the faculties and their operations; and the peace of the whole man, con&s;i&s;ts in the conformitie of his will, to that of his Creator; This then is a declaration of what is meant by that term <HI>Peace.</HI></P>
<P>And of this ine&s;timable trea&s;ure (whereof the Mine is, ev'n in our own inclo&s;ure) we cannot make too great account: Wherefore the directors of &s;piritual life, advi&s;e the intendment of this peace of &s;pirit, as the mo&s;t &s;olid foundation of all piety, con&s;idering that the two chief ble&s;&s;ings of this life, are the grace of God and the peace of the &s;oul; and con&s;equently, the greate&s;t evils are &s;in and di&s;quiet; whereof the fir&s;t extingui&s;h|eth grace, and the la&s;t expels peace. Wherefore we may ob|&s;erve that S. <HI>Peter</HI> makes this his fir&s;t wi&s;h to tho&s;e to whom he addre&s;&s;es his in&s;tructions: <HI>Grace and peace unto you be multi|ply'd.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1</NOTE> And S. <HI>Paul</HI> makes the &s;ame entrie into mo&s;t of his Epi&s;tles, &s;aying, (in pur&s;uit of this recommendation) <HI>The wi&s;dom of the Spirit is life and peace;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 8.6.</NOTE> inferring that a &s;piritual life e&s;&s;entially con&s;i&s;ts in this interiour harmonious acqui|e&s;cence.</P>
<P>For as the life of the &s;oul is grace, &s;o the chief vital act of this &s;oul, is this kind of peace. Hence it is, that when our ene|mie fails of his attempt upon our grace, he turns his a&s;&s;ault up|on our peace of mind: which if by any artifice he can carry, the other is expos'd to imminent peril; a troubled mind having in it as many breaches for the evil &s;pirit to enter, as it has &s;eve|ral overtures of trouble and di&s;quiet. And &s;uch &s;pirits are not only laid open, but almo&s;t blinded, as to the defen&s;ive part; &s;ince the clouds of pa&s;&s;ion intercept the light of their di&s;cour&s;e and reflections, by which they &s;hould act again&s;t this inva&s;ion: for there is no di&s;compos'd &s;oul that has not &s;ome tincture of that timiditie, which the holy Spirit &s;ayes,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> 17.11.</NOTE> <HI>is a betrayer of the con&s;ideration of &s;uccour.</HI></P>
<P>Whereas peace and &s;erenitie of mind afford a clear skie to|wards
<PB N="150" REF="86"> the di&s;cernment of the Enemies approaches; and in this calm light, the &s;pirit looks ea&s;ily round about, through all the latitude of our under&s;tanding, to reach defen&s;ive notions, counterpointed to the offen&s;ive &s;ugge&s;tions. They therefore who de&s;ire to advance &s;ecurely in the narrow way of Virtue and Pietie, ought in the fir&s;t place to re&s;olve a continual vigilance and attention upon this interior peaceful con&s;titution; and likewi&s;e, indeavour an equal tranquilitie and compo&s;ure in all their exterior demeanour: Whereby they may promi&s;e them|&s;elves the arriving in &s;afetie to a good mea&s;ure of perfection; becau&s;e this &s;tate is an excellent di&s;po&s;ure of the &s;oul for Divine Communications. Upon which &s;ubject S. <HI>John Climacus</HI> &s;ays, This tranquilitie of the &s;oul is adorned with &s;hining vertues, as the Firmament with &s;tars; and may therefore be fitly called the Firmament of the Spirit. Wherein too, &s;eems mo&s;t manife&s;t|ed that high Prerogative of the Grace of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1</NOTE> S. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaks of; <HI>Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious pro|mi&s;es, that by the&s;e we may be made partakers of the Divine Na|ture.</HI> For the &s;oul in this State, becomes a lively image of that nature, which is infinitely &s;weet and calm, incapable of any trouble, whatever it does, or is done to it. And indeed this &s;imilitude is not acquired, by the activitie of the Spirit in any vertu, &s;o much as by this equanimitie in all occurrences.</P>
<P>In all bodies that have circular motions, there is one point which re&s;ts firm and immoveable, and the parts neare&s;t to that point, have the le&s;s motion; whereas tho&s;e that are farthe&s;t from it make a larger circle, and move &s;wifter: God is that immoveable point in the Univer&s;e, about which all the Crea|tures are turned; to whom the nearer we are &s;eated, the le&s;s motion and unquietne&s;s we are &s;ubject to: and the more we are removed from him, the more we are agitated by violent revo|lutions. Wherefore <HI>David</HI> &s;ayes of God, <HI>his habitation is of peace:</HI> whence it follows that the evil Spirits &s;tate is perpetuall trouble and agitation. <HI>As the whirlwind pa&s;&s;es, &s;o is the wicked; but the righteous is an everla&s;ting foundation.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Prov.</HI> 10, 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> In proof whereof, the holy Scripture always expre&s;&s;es the condition of the wicked
<PB N="151" REF="86"> by &s;ome re&s;tle&s;s &s;imilitude, as the circulation of a wheel, the ventilation of &s;tubble before the wind, or the e&s;tuations of a &s;tormy Sea. And on the contrary, the &s;tate of the righteous is always de&s;cribed by things fixed, &s;erene, and uniform; as Rocks, Stars, and Columns. So that 'tis not only unque&s;tion|able that this peace is the way to perfection; but it may be &s;aid, it is the perfection it &s;elf which this our imperfect conditi|on doth admit: For &s;urely the perfectne&s;s of the &s;oul re&s;ts in the peace and concord of all the powers, as that of the body doth in health, which is nothing but the peace of its humors and members. Wherefore S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;ayes, <HI>Perfection is found in peace;</HI> and for that rea&s;on the children of God are called Peace-makers. And S. <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> affirms, <HI>the &s;upreme&s;t point of wi&s;dom is tranquilitie of &s;pirit.</HI> In order whereunto, the great maxime of Spiritual per&s;ons is <HI>unum fieri,</HI> to become one; to remain in an identitie of mind. This is the neare&s;t acce&s;s we can make to that unitie from whence we are derived, and to the accompli&s;hment of our Saviours prayer, <HI>being one,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ioh.</HI> 17.</NOTE> <HI>as his Father and he are one.</HI> And for our comportment in the exterior commerces incident to our vocations, this peace di&s;po&s;es us ex|cellently to conver&s;e with our neighbours, and qualifies us to treat with them more acceptably and more efficaciou&s;ly&punc; for this Maxime holds in moralitie, that it is proper for what is fixed and &s;table, to turn and move things moveable: So that a peaceable and &s;etled mind is mo&s;t capable to calm and pacifie &s;uch as are troubled and di&s;tracted. To this &s;pirit of Chri&s;tia|nitie the winds and the waves of Pa&s;&s;ions are obedient: for we have often experienced that the &s;weetne&s;s and meekne&s;s of the children of God <HI>(the ble&s;&s;ed Peace-makers)</HI> hath allayed the &s;torms of turbulent Spirits.</P>
<P>Since then this peace is &s;o great a trea&s;ure, that it contains ev'n all Chri&s;tian perfection; let us, by the advice of S. <HI>Paul,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> 4.</NOTE> <HI>Make ha&s;te to enter into this re&s;t, &s;ince this &s;piritual Sabbath may be entered into by the &s;ons of God.</HI> And &s;uch &s;ouls as celebrate this interior fe&s;tivall of the holy Spirit, enjoy unconceiveable delights and &s;olaces; of which even the body partakes as the
<PB N="152" REF="87"> animals among the Jews did of their Sabbath: for the peace and &s;uavitie of the &s;pirit over-flows the &s;en&s;itive portion of the &s;oul, and affects it with a &s;en&s;ible joy and delectation.</P>
<P>Of this &s;tate of Peace, the light of Nature gave the Philo|&s;ophers &s;ome glimp&s;es; but &s;urely &s;ingle rea&s;on is to this ac|compli&s;hed compo&s;ure of our &s;pirit, but what the ceremonies of the Synagogue were to the Religion of the Church of Chri&s;t, <HI>viz.</HI> &s;hadows only and figures of this reality: For the di&s;cour&s;es of the ancient Rationali&s;ts did but prefigure this true and real &s;erenitie of mind, which the holy Spirit was to <HI>effu&s;e</HI> abundantly into the &s;tate of Chri&s;tianitie. It is therefore a &s;pe|cial gift &s;olely appropriated to Chri&s;tians. Whence our Savi|our is entituled the Prince of Peace, his Divine Per&s;on having brought it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="4 letters">t into humane nature by his conjunction with it. Wherefore S. <HI>Paul</HI> calls him, <HI>Our Peace:</HI> at his birth, the An|gels with joyful acclamations proclaimed this Peace; a little before his death, to &s;hew he did not intend to carry it away with him, he left it by Te&s;tament to his Apo&s;tles; and after his re&s;urrection, to confirm his donative, he &s;aluted his Di&s;ci|ples often with, <HI>Peace be unto you;</HI> and to keep them in a con|tinual u&s;e of this gift, he commanded them to proceed in a fre|quent di&s;tribution of it to all hou&s;es where they &s;hould enter. Since his peace then is our portion, let it be our chiefe&s;t attenti|on and exerci&s;e;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> 8.10.</NOTE> let us re&s;olve with the <HI>Wi&s;e man. To take it to live with us, knowing that it will be a Coun&s;ellour of good things, and a comfort in all cares and vexations.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the means to acquire this Peace.</HEAD>
<P>AFter the expo&s;ure of this admirable ble&s;&s;ing, methinks I &s;ee every one inamour'd of it, as it imports their ca&s;e
<PB N="153" REF="87"> in this life; and addre&s;&s;ing their &s;uit to Chri&s;t with the <HI>Sama|ritan,</HI> for &s;ome of that water, which &s;hould keep them from ever thir&s;ting, and taking &s;o much pains as to come to the <HI>Well</HI> for their nece&s;&s;ities. Every one would gladly have this Peace, that &s;hould quiet all their appetites, and &s;ave them the labour of con|tending again&s;t their own Pa&s;&s;ions and the &s;ence of all exterior injuries: &s;o that if it could be had for once asking, there would none be de&s;titute of it: but when we mu&s;t &s;ell all we have for this <HI>Pearl,</HI> many retire with the young mans <HI>po&s;&s;e&s;sion;</HI> and choo&s;e rather to venture their peace then to part with their pa&s;|&s;ion. And to excu&s;e this pu&s;ilanimitie, an&s;wer, as the Jewes were forbid to do by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Deut.</HI> 30.</NOTE> <HI>Which of us is able to goe up to hea|ven to bring it down to us?</HI> So much difficultie many object to unblame their faintne&s;s, or to cover their predominant fancie: but I may an&s;wer this eva&s;ion with S. <HI>Paul,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 10</NOTE> This Peace <HI>is nigh thee, ev'n in thy mouth, and in thy heart:</HI> &s;eek it but there and you &s;hall find it, as &s;oon as you have but voided your heart of tho&s;e cupidities that cover it.</P>
<P>The be&s;t means then of finding this peace is to purge our minds from erroneous and fal&s;e opinions: for commonly, mi&s;|apprehen&s;ions induce mo&s;t of our di&s;quiets. How many things vex us without any cau&s;e? our imagination anticipates many evills, which never really befal us; and are we not very often like children frighted with Vi&s;ards? Upon which experience <HI>Seneca</HI> &s;ayes, What we &s;ee happen to bea&s;ts, we &s;hall find man &s;ubject to, if we examine the extravagances of his fears. The very colour of red enrages a Bull; an A&s;pe ri&s;es up and &s;hoots it &s;elf at a &s;hadow, the &s;haking of a linnen cloath affrights Bears and Lions. All wild and &s;avage Natures are ea&s;ily mov'd, and to the &s;ame terrors light and un&s;teddy minds are abnoxious; the lea&s;t doubt or appearance of any di&s;plea&s;ure is enough to confu&s;e and di&s;tract them. Wherefore one of <HI>Pythagoras</HI>'s fir&s;t principles was, not to goe in the high wayes, which is, not to follow the vulgar opinions concerning the goods and evils of this life.</P>
<P>Upon this ground this cour&s;e is to be taken, When any
<PB N="154" REF="88"> lovely alluring object attracts our de&s;ires, or any contrary one moves our aver&s;ions, we mu&s;t beware not to &s;uffer our affections to be carryed away with the fir&s;t impre&s;&s;ions; but pau&s;e and hold, as it were, this di&s;cour&s;e with our de&s;ires, <HI>Stay, pa&s;s not fo ward, till I have examin d this object&punc; whence it comes, whither it tends, what it brings, and what it will leave behind it:</HI> Let us con&s;tantly make thi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> di&s;cu&s;&s;ion; for thereon depends the li|bertie or &s;ervitude of our Spirit our peace, or our perplexity.</P>
<P>Whoever then will po&s;&s;e&s;s his own mind mu&s;t allow all foreign and exterior things very little power over his affections: which precaution is expre&s;sly given us by the holy Spirit, <HI>a heart that knows his own bitterne&s;s, a &s;tranger doth not intermix in his joy.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Prov.</HI> 1.25.</NOTE> And to avoid the intervention of any &s;tranger, he mu&s;t fill it up with the ma&s;ter of it, and &s;eek his peace and felicitie in the re&s;idence of God in all the powers of his mind; leaving no vacuitie for company unfit for his attendance.</P>
<P>The error of the Philo&s;ophers was, that man might be fully content with him&s;elf, drawing his happine&s;s out of the &s;tock of his own rea&s;on; and their mo&s;t &s;piritual morals &s;uppo&s;e this &s;elf-&s;ufficiencie: which abu&s;e S. <HI>Augu&s;tin</HI> reprehends in them, and a&s;&s;ures that a more noble cau&s;e is required for that effect, name|ly, the contemplation of the pre&s;ence of God in us, becau&s;e na|turally of our &s;elves we are variable and unquiet; our under&s;tan|ding, will, and all our faculties are inclined to error, variation, and trouble; in&s;omuch that we mu&s;t rather go out of our &s;elves, then &s;tay in them to find a f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">xure and e&s;tabli&s;hment, that qualitie being only attainable by adhering to &s;omething immoveable.</P>
<P>The more we adhere to our &s;elves, the more we are expos'd to fluctuation, becau&s;e the very ground of our Nature is a con|tinual Earthquake, &s;o that the le&s;s we re&s;t upon our own bottom the firmer we prove: We mu&s;t therefore fa&s;ten our &s;elves to that head which was content to be nailed to procure &s;tabilitie for his members; and certainly the only way to perfect firm|ne&s;s of Spirit, is (that which the wi&s;dom of the world accounts folly) S. <HI>Paul</HI>'s confixure to the cro&s;s w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">th Chri&s;t. There is no &s;tab lay of &s;pirit but what is fa&s;tned by his nails; which we may properly call the&s;e three vertues. The fir&s;t is Patience, who&s;e
<PB N="155" REF="88"> proper fruit is peace; the propertie of this vertue is to give the mind a temper of proof again&s;t the evils of this life; which do but glance upon it, without piercing it, or leaving tho&s;e disfigu|ring &s;cars of inordinate anger, &s;orrow, or any other pa&s;&s;ion. <HI>Tertullian</HI> makes this lovely figure of Patience, Her whole coun|tenance is calm and pleas'd, her forehead not un&s;mooth'd by any wrinkle either of grief or anger, her <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ight mode&s;tly bending under eye-lids that expre&s;s a moderate plea&s;edne&s;s, her mouth clos'd in honour of &s;ilence, her complexion &s;uch as is deri|ved from innocence, and pre&s;erved by a&s;&s;urance: Wherefore Chri&s;t tells his Di&s;ciples,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luk</HI> 21 19.</NOTE> that <HI>in patience they &s;hall po&s;&s;e&s;s their &s;ouls.</HI> So that the pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ctice of this vertue is ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;a|ry towards the maintenance of peace; for &s;ince our life con|&s;i&s;ts of continual vici&s;&s;itudes of different temptations and &s;uffe|rances, 'tis not po&s;&s;ible to con&s;erve tranquilitie without this &s;hel|ter of patience: and a &s;oul that is well fortifi'd w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">th it, can hard|ly lo&s;e her peace by any forein ho&s;tilitie, as the P&s;almi&s;t pro|mi&s;es, <HI>a thou&s;and &s;hall fall at his &s;ide,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 90 7.</NOTE> <HI>and ten thou&s;and at his right hand, but it &s;hall not come nigh him.</HI></P>
<P>The other nail of the Cro&s;s is <HI>Humilitie:</HI> which our Saviour him&s;elf drives into our minds with his own hand, <HI>Learn of me to be humble and meek of heart, and you &s;hall find re&s;t in your &s;ouls.</HI> We cannot doubt of this effect, upon this a&s;&s;urance; and &s;ure|ly true humilitie has this advantage of conferring the trea&s;ure of a &s;olid peace of &s;pirit; becau&s;e it rejects all anxietie, di&s;plea&s;ure, or fear of depre&s;&s;ion, contempt, or injurie. For undoubtedly if we narrowly examine the cau&s;e of our &s;orrowings and di&s;|quiets, we &s;hall find their &s;pring to ri&s;e in &s;ome cover'd pride, &s;ome &s;ubtle ambition, or &s;ome &s;ecret &s;elf-e&s;timation, and always for want of true humilitie; it being evident that if a man did keep his thoughts in his own Center of nullitie, wherein real humi|lity will fix him, he mu&s;t needs find re&s;t and tranquilitie: but while he is out of this Center, he mu&s;t con&s;equently move and waver in a continual un&s;teddine&s;s.</P>
<P>The third fa&s;tning to the Cro&s;s; is a &s;uppre&s;&s;ion, or at lea&s;t, a compre&s;&s;ion and contracting of our de&s;ires. For &s;ince all di&s;|plea&s;ures
<PB N="156" REF="89"> ri&s;e from the di&s;appointment of &s;ome de&s;ire; the fewer we have of them, the le&s;s we are &s;ubjected to di&s;turbance. And doth not the holy Spirit a&s;cribe all our unpeaceablene&s;s to our cupiditie;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>James</HI> 4.1.</NOTE> <HI>from whence come wars and &s;trifes? come they not hence, ev'n of your cupidities which war in your members?</HI> So that the multiplicitie of de&s;ires is the &s;eed of all our interior quarrels: for ev'n the &s;ucce&s;s of the greate&s;t part of them cannot &s;ecure our tranquilitie, &s;ince the mi&s;carrying of any one inter|mixes &s;ome trouble and di&s;plea&s;ure; tho&s;e who have divers pa&s;&s;ions are witne&s;&s;es of the incon&s;i&s;tencie of peace with plurali|tie of pretentions. Since then the contracting our de&s;ires, is the only addre&s;s to a con&s;tant compo&s;ure of Spirit; &s;urely the be&s;t application is to direct them to that, which in <HI>One,</HI> contains all things, namely, a conformity and confixure to the will of God in all occurrences. This union of our affections in&s;tates us in the fruition the Prophet <HI>David</HI> de&s;cribes, <HI>Great peace have they who love thy law, and nothing &s;hall offend them.</HI> An adhe|ring to the law of providence, renders even all changes and vi|ci&s;&s;itudes our own pretentions: for our unhappine&s;s ri&s;es not from our being oblig'd to any thing, but our being aver&s;e to that obligation. Let then all the pretenders to peace, procure to &s;implifie and unifie their de&s;ires by this &s;ingle addre&s;s to the will and order of God: for the &s;eeking varieties in the Crea|tures, is but a looking to find what we have lo&s;t by mi&s;&s;ing the unitie of the Creator; it is but the being out of our way that makes us range and ca&s;t about into &s;everal quarters; which is a con&s;equence of our fir&s;t &s;traying and deviation.</P>
<P>Having exhibited the means of acquiring this happy &s;tate of <HI>Peace,</HI> we mu&s;t follow the method of the holy Spirit, which &s;ayes not only, <HI>Seek peace,</HI> but <HI>pur&s;ue it</HI> too. It remains there|fore that we endeavour to offer &s;ome directions for the con&s;er|vation of this trea&s;ure, having once gotten it; that when a man has <HI>found this peace which the &s;oul loveth, he may hold it, and and not let it goe;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Cant.</HI> 3.</NOTE> <HI>untill it bring the Spirit into the chamber of his mother, of her who conceiv'd it.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<PB N="157" REF="89">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the means to con&s;erve this Peace of Spirit.</HEAD>
<P>IT was a very wi&s;e reproach which <HI>Augu&s;tus</HI> laid upon <HI>A|lexander,</HI> when he wondred how <HI>Alexander</HI> could appre|hend the want of exerci&s;e for his vertue after the conque&s;t of the whole world; &s;aying that the &s;ecuring its dominion requi|red no le&s;s vertuous activitie then the conque&s;t. And &s;urely the &s;ame maxim holds in this our &s;piritual warfare, in this our little world: wherein after the &s;ubjection of all our pa&s;&s;ions, and the concerting of our interiour peace, a continual vigilancie and activitie of Spirit, is requi&s;ite for the duration and permanencie of this concord. It is no rare thing to have &s;ome intervals of &s;til|ne&s;s and tranquilitie of mind; for ev'n the vitious, who&s;e pa&s;&s;ions are in &s;ome voluptuous cha&s;e, if they chance to &s;eize their prey, enjoy a few moment's peace in that fruition; till &s;atietie invites them to &s;ome change of appetite, and propo&s;es new motion and pur&s;uit of &s;ome fre&s;h cupiditie, by which means the end of the pa&s;t plea&s;ure is the beginning of &s;ome pain. In reference whereunto, the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> &s;ayes, <HI>repentance and infelicitie is in their wayes, and they have not known the way of peace:</HI> for, as we &s;aid before, <HI>Peace is the tranquilitie of Order;</HI> and the inter|mitting peace of the voluptuous is <HI>but the ea&s;ie motion of di&s;or|der,</HI> there being nothing of real acquie&s;cence in the highe&s;t pitch of their fruitions. So that if we reflect upon their &s;atis|factions, we &s;hall find the peace of the ungodly is nothing but unpuni&s;h d di&s;order. Some &s;hort truces they have upon the ta|king and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing &s;ome fortifi'd and defended pa&s;&s;ion; but commonly 'tis &s;carce time enough to burie the dead pains and
<PB N="158" REF="90"> difficulties, (that is, to forget the troubles and di&s;quiets this &s;uc|ce&s;s has co&s;t them) b fore &s;ome new de&s;ire ri&s;es up, and a&s;|&s;aults their pre&s;ent quiet; in&s;omuch that be&s;ides their mortal enemie, their con&s;cience, ev'n their cupidities, which they ac|count the mo&s;t friendly, do certainly entertain an interior mu|tiny and commotion: Wherefore the holy Spirit affirms, <HI>there can be no peace to the wicked.</HI></P>
<P>And as the worlds &s;uitors have &s;ome ea&s;ie intervals of &s;uperfi|cial peace; &s;o have ev'n Gods &s;incere&s;t &s;eekers &s;ome unea&s;ie in|termi&s;&s;ions, wherein the exterior or &s;en&s;itive portion of their mind is mov'd and agitated; but this emotion is but as the &s;haking of the leaves and branches in a &s;trong wind, according to <HI>Jobs</HI> Metaphor; while the &s;haft and root are not at all &s;tirr'd or unfa&s;tned. We mu&s;t not therefore expect to exempt this part of humane Nature from the agitation of the fir&s;t impul&s;es of our &s;everal affections. The trea&s;ure (&s;ayes S. <HI>Paul</HI>) which we carry in an earthen ve&s;&s;el, is not the le&s;s for having &s;o brittle a cover: wherefore he declares, though <HI>we are troubled on every &s;ide, yet we are not di&s;tre&s;&s;ed;</HI> and the pre&s;erving our &s;pirits from di&s;tre&s;s in the di&s;turbance of our &s;en&s;es, is that point of equanimitie in all occurrences, which our advices are di|rected to maintain. In order whereunto, we mu&s;t con&s;ider, that all action wherein we i&s;&s;ue out &s;omewhat of our &s;elves, ought to be manag'd &s;o that we may remain ma&s;ters of what we export upon all occa&s;ions; which cannot be, unle&s;s we pon|der and proportion our attention to the importance of the acti|on. And to be able to mea&s;ure our application adequately to our bu&s;ine&s;s, we mu&s;t endeavour not to enter into any action with a mind either alienated or pa&s;&s;ionate: for the one looks another way, while it &s;hould mark its own path and &s;teps; and the other over-looks all the way, gazing only at the end, with|out a convenient de&s;igning of the means. Wherefore both the&s;e di&s;po&s;itions are unapt to produce a good i&s;&s;ue; and by con&s;equence, are unlikely to m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">intain tranquilitie of mind. Hence the Philo&s;ophers reproach'd the world&punc; that few or none conducted their actions by councel, but the mo&s;t floated upon
<PB N="159" REF="90"> the &s;tream of cu&s;tom; being rather carryed away by &s;ome exteriour violence, then lead on by quiet con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>To po&s;&s;e&s;s our &s;elves therefore fully before we di&s;pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e them into action, we ought to recollect our &s;elves a little, e're we en|ter into any exerci&s;e; and as it were, tune our minds, and &s;et them to their right key before we begin to u&s;e them; ac|cording to the &s;ub&s;tance, which is the goodne&s;s of our action. The fir&s;t circum&s;tance we ought to weigh, is the time; which when we have determin'd, we mu&s;t not &s;eek to precipitate, but calmly ob&s;erve the occurrence of it. <HI>All things have their time</HI> (&s;ayes <HI>Solomon</HI>) and <HI>the wi&s;e mans heart di&s;cerns both time and judgment, becau&s;e to every purpo&s;e there is time and judgment.</HI> Wherefore our Saviour an&s;wer'd tho&s;e who pre&s;s'd him to ad|vance his charitie, <HI>My hour is not yet come:</HI> he did not ha&s;ten it, but attended it in a peaceful conformitie.</P>
<P>Next, having once re&s;olved upon the opportunitie of our entry into any action, we mu&s;t beware of &s;etting a peremptorie time for the fini&s;hing it; in &s;uch a po&s;itive manner at lea&s;t as that, whatever comes on't, we re&s;olve to end our work at &s;uch a time; for &s;uch a determin'd prefixure indangers our di&s;quiet when any thing intervenes to intercept that a&s;&s;ignment; and in all de&s;igns we mu&s;t allow &s;omewhat to &s;pare for intervenient accidents. VVe &s;hould therefore only re&s;olve to a&s;&s;ign &s;o much time as &s;hall be requi&s;ite to fini&s;h our work, without any pre&s;crib'd limitation.</P>
<P>It is likewi&s;e very important in all our pro&s;ecutions, not to act with too much earne&s;tne&s;s and ha&s;ting our &s;elves. A &s;ted|die diligence carries forward farther then loo&s;e precipitation: upon which ground <HI>Tacitus</HI> complains, that ev'n good men fall often by over-ha&s;ting them&s;elves; and &s;ayes, that in what|ever we vehemently either love or hate, lea&s;ure and paw&s;ing is alwayes &s;afe&s;t: celeritie and certaintie are peculiar only to heavenly motion. And in order to this truth, <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;ayes, <HI>The lame man in the way out-goes a cour&s;er;</HI> to warn us that pre&s;|&s;ing ha&s;te more likely carryes us out of our way, then fa&s;ter to our end.</P>
<PB N="160" REF="91">
<P>To maintain our peace at home, we mu&s;t likewi&s;e provide for our &s;afe commerce abroad with our neighbour; becau&s;e we are ea&s;ily mov'd and di&s;turb'd, when we meet with froward and unrea&s;onable negotiators of affairs. Wherefore to &s;ecure our temper, we mu&s;t con&s;ider it is no common thing to meet a rea&s;onable treater of bu&s;ine&s;s, nor is it an ea&s;ie matter to rectifie crooked and perverted under&s;tandings. Remember what pains ev'n <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> took with men; and yet with the help of his mi|racles, how few he converted; account the per&s;wading of ano|ther out of his own &s;en&s;e a difficult matter, and you will not be ea&s;ily troubled at the unprevailing of your own rea&s;on. Con|&s;ider of what kind of per&s;ons <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;ayes, there is an infinite number; and an&s;wer your &s;elf in the rejectings of your rea&s;on, with this Animadver&s;ion,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Prov.</HI> 18.</NOTE> <HI>A fool receives not the words of the wi&s;e, unle&s;s he &s;peaks &s;uch things as are in his own heart.</HI></P>
<P>Con&s;idering therefore the nature of man, it follows evident|ly, that we ought not to undertake, either too much bu&s;ine&s;s, or any of an importance di&s;proportion'd to our &s;tate or capa|citie; le&s;t either the number or the weight of our affairs may confu&s;e or oppre&s;s us: no body is apt to overcharge him&s;elf with a material burthen, yet how many are forward to do it with mental ones? To correct this unadvi&s;edne&s;s, <HI>Seneca</HI> &s;ayes, that the &s;ound advice of <HI>Democritus</HI> will avail very much towards the &s;ecuring our peace of mind, <HI>viz.</HI> neither in our particular fortune, nor the publique concernment, to imbrace either more or greater bu&s;ine&s;s then we can di&s;charge. For whoever in|gages him&s;elf in many imployments, will hardly ever pa&s;s a day without &s;ome cro&s;s encounter to di&s;order him, either from the men with whom, or the affairs which he negotiates. Whence it follows, that to deliver us from the&s;e trouble&s;ome inciden|cies, when we have any bu&s;ine&s;s undertaken or committed to us, we ought to mea&s;ure our capacities with our de&s;igns, and compare our humors with tho&s;e we are to communicate: and if they be per&s;ons pa&s;&s;ionate, &s;u&s;pitious, &s;crupulous, or any other way unea&s;ie to conver&s;e with, we mu&s;t u&s;e &s;everal prepa|rations of our &s;pirits, re&s;pecting the tempers of our negotia|tors;
<PB N="161" REF="91"> remembring alwayes this rule, that It is not the perfecti|on, but the proportion of rea&s;on which works upon the minds of men.</P>
<P>And in order to the &s;ecuring our peace, this mu&s;t be always re&s;olv'd, In ca&s;e any body interrupt our enterpri&s;e, or ev'n to|tally defeat it, not to admit any violent anger, but &s;trive to contain ev'n our exteriour re&s;entments; con&s;idering that who|ever di&s;appoints us in one good action, gives us an occa&s;ion of exerci&s;ing another, namely, an act of patience; and we mu&s;t reflect, that in Chri&s;tianitie, &s;uffering is a nobler thing then act|ing; and whoever peaceably overcomes his own natural repug|nancie to mi&s;adventures, obtains a greater victory then the ma|&s;tering of any exterior oppo&s;ition.</P>
<P>This point is likewi&s;e very wel worth advi&s;ing, not to be much mov'd by the cro&s;&s;ings and vexations we meet with through the ignorance or negligence of our own &s;ervants. This re&s;traint of our natural indignation again&s;t &s;uch as are &s;ubjected to us, is a great and difficult vertue, becau&s;e we have no outward hold upon our nature to bridle it, upon the&s;e occa&s;ions where we may &s;o &s;afely let loo&s;e our pa&s;&s;ion; and this full &s;wing that our hu|mor finds without any re&s;i&s;tance, may ea&s;ily produce a habit of anger in us, which will di&s;compo&s;e our interior no le&s;s then a conte&s;ted exerci&s;e of our pa&s;&s;ion. And &s;urely tho&s;e are the mo&s;t dangerous vices, which are practi&s;ed with the mo&s;t ca&s;e and indempnitie.</P>
<P>As they that us'd to debauch with their own dome&s;ticks are not &s;o much expos'd to the outward ill con&s;equences, but are the apter therefore to &s;et their affections upon tho&s;e vices they enjoy with &s;uch conveni<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nce, without any check to their depra|ved inclination: &s;o tho&s;e who are accu&s;tom'd to let loo&s;e this pa&s;sion of <HI>anger</HI> upon &s;uch &s;ubjects where it finds no difficulty to repre&s;s it; as they are le&s;s liable to outward quarrels and conte&s;ts; &s;o are they more apt to contract a habit of that pa&s;si|on, and more frequently in danger of an interiour trouble and di&s;plea&s;ure, by rea&s;on they find no &s;en&s;ible curb to hold in their vitiated nature. We &s;hould rather therefore in this ca&s;e, do as
<PB N="162" REF="92"> we are wont when we are to act any part publickly; we com|monly practice it before our dome&s;ticks and familiars, to per|fect us for the publick di&s;charge: &s;o this part of peace and com|po&s;edne&s;s of mind, which we are to perform upon all publick occa&s;ions, we &s;hould practice with our private and familiar pro|vocations, to confirm us in a peaceful and equal temper in all the occurrences of foreign temptations.</P>
<P>Since we cannot hope to extingui&s;h all wi&s;hes and de&s;ires re|ferring to this world, in the paucity and good conduct of tho&s;e few nece&s;&s;ary ones con&s;i&s;ts the &s;ecurity of this propos'd peace. We mu&s;t therefore &s;tudiou&s;ly ob&s;erve the letting pa&s;s the fir&s;t impul&s;e and <HI>impetus</HI> of our nature; and determine neither end nor means upon our fir&s;t conceptions: but let them &s;tand and cool, and after they have &s;etled, then draw &s;econd thoughts out of them. For we mu&s;t remember we have been plants and bea&s;ts before we came to be men; that is, we have continued long in the acts of meerly vegitative and &s;en&s;itive nature, before we got to the Rea&s;onable; whence commonly our fir&s;t moti|ons &s;avour &s;till, mo&s;t of the irrational, being but &s;trains of pa&s;|&s;ion; and the &s;econd cogitations are only the products of rea|&s;on and di&s;cernment. So that when you find any ardour or ve|hemence in your de&s;ires, &s;u&s;pect and pau&s;e upon them; though they be in&s;tincts, &s;eeming never &s;o pious and zealous. For all acts of our mind ri&s;ing with eagerne&s;s and emotion, (though they may aim at a good end, yet) are not likely to choo&s;e the propere&s;t means; becau&s;e over-pre&s;sing and acceleration ad|mit not weighing and mea&s;uring, which are requi&s;ite for pru|dent election.</P>
<P>This rule of debated and deliberate proceeding, holds ev'n in our zeal for the conver&s;ion of &s;ouls, which is the mo&s;t divine function we can exerci&s;e: and as it is a copying of our Saviour, &s;o ought it to be perform'd in his &s;pirit which is void of all trouble and pa&s;&s;ion. Let us in all &s;uch applications, remem|ber that our good Angel moves us, and de&s;ign to work upon others, as he doth upon us; with &s;uch a kind of orderly com|munication. For our own perfection ought to be much more
<PB N="163" REF="92"> attended, then that of others: wherefore we mu&s;t not impair our own in the lea&s;t degree, to improve never &s;o much our neighbours (becau&s;e God hath &s;etled that order in our chari|tie;) but make only &s;o much ha&s;te to bring peace into our neighbours hou&s;e, as that we indanger not the &s;hedding any of our own by the way. For the feet of tho&s;e that evangelize peace, are never &s;o beautiful as when they come &s;oftly, choo|&s;ing the faire&s;t way with a calm deliberation.</P>
<P>This part of moderation in point of gaining others, is not &s;o unea&s;ie, as that we are to act in our own lo&s;&s;es and di&s;tre&s;&s;es: as in our deprivements of health, honour, friends, and fortune: for ev'n in all the&s;e a&s;&s;aults and &s;tormings of adver&s;itie, we mu&s;t &s;eek to defend our interior peace. In order whereunto we may reflect temperately upon the nature of tho&s;e things that can &s;o ea&s;ily be forc'd from us; and pre&s;ently apply our &s;elves to maintain that which we cannot lo&s;e without betraying our &s;elves: which is making a benefit of all the&s;e privations, if we render not up our tranquilitie of &s;pirit: but part quietly with all other ornaments, re&s;toring them as lent goods, which brought no interior peace with them, and therefore have no right to car|ry any away. Let us rai&s;e our thoughts as &s;oon as we can out of this moveable world, &s;o &s;hall we find no want of what mu&s;t roll along with the worlds revolution: and if we advance our &s;pirits as far upward as heaven, we &s;hall find all tho&s;e peri&s;h|able goods tran&s;mitted thither, and tran&s;muted into an incor|ruptible &s;pecies. Wherefore in this ca&s;e, the receipt that con|tains the vertue of all other precepts, is (as &s;oon and frequently as we can) to form lively acts of Faith, Hope, and Charitie, the objects whereof are eternal felicitie: which we may antici|pate, in &s;ome manner, by the&s;e acts of our mind; and con&s;e|quently, with much ea&s;e, bear the disfurniture of &s;uch tran&s;ito|rie moveables, as were rather ornaments then materials of our fabrick; con&s;idering that this denudation may prove the grea|te&s;t beautifying of our &s;piritual edifice.</P>
<P>Nay, this peace of mind, propos'd is &s;o important towards the con&s;ummation of the new man, that it mu&s;t not be infring'd,
<PB N="164" REF="93"> no not by our &s;piritual lo&s;&s;es: for ev'n our own faults and im|perfections ought not to interrupt it; which &s;eems a rea&s;onable occa&s;ion to di&s;quiet us. To &s;ecure our peace again&s;t this &s;o fair pretence of di&s;turbance, we mu&s;t be advis'd not to enter into any &s;harp or froward di&s;plea&s;edne&s;s upon the occa&s;ions of our defects and frequent lap&s;es. We mu&s;t not remain dejected or di&s;may'd upon our frail retrogradations and returns to our per|verted inclinations. We mu&s;t not u&s;e this common di&s;com|pos'd di&s;cour&s;e, That we &s;hall never mend, having &s;o often re|laps'd; and that it is not to be hoped we &s;hall rectifie this or that enormitie in our nature, or &s;uppre&s;s &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ion: for &s;uch like &s;entiments that &s;eem the fruits of penitence, commonly do not &s;o much as grow upon the root of Grace; but rather upon the &s;tock of our proud nature which di&s;dains to fail &s;o often, and indure that <HI>reviling.</HI> But certain it is, as much as we de|duct from the peace of our mind, &s;o much we &s;ub&s;tract from our abilitie to cooperate with the grace of God towards our reformation: for this di&s;order'd emotion contracts and pin|ches our &s;pirits, cools our affections by the belief of improba|bilitie of amendment; and drives us &s;ooner into de&s;pair, then into a fervent diligence towards our redre&s;s. Never did trou|ble and di&s;order of mind contribute to the purgation of a &s;oul, no more then the rubbing our eyes doth to the taking out of them a mote or flie: For this &s;ort of vexation but clo&s;es the eye of our rea&s;on; whereas calm and quiet con&s;ideration doth, as it were, open the eye lids, and gently remove the impedi|ment. Hence it is that whatever di&s;tracts and confu&s;es us, breaking our peace of &s;pirit, comes not from Grace; but ei|ther from our nature, or the enemie of it, who &s;eeks to blind us with the&s;e fla&s;hes of his lightnings.</P>
<P>Our cour&s;e mu&s;t therefore be upon all our failings and reci|divations pre&s;ently to turn our hearts upon God without trou|ble or impatience; humbling our &s;elves profoundly before his mercie; acknowledging freely our fault, and that without his &s;uccour we had faln much lower; avowing in his pre&s;ence our &s;trong propen&s;ion to all ills, and our impotencie towards any
<PB N="165" REF="93"> good; endeavouring to conceive a real and &s;incere &s;orrow for our &s;in; asking pardon with the confidence of a child to a fa|ther, with a firm purpo&s;e of never relap&s;ing into the &s;ame fault: for which purpo&s;e, we mu&s;t u&s;e &s;pecial attention to avoid all in|ducements to that infirmitie, and not amu&s;e our &s;elves in the di&s;qui&s;ition of many di&s;quieting punctilios: as, Whether we have confe&s;s'd all; whether we have produc'd an act of true con|trition; whether our &s;ins be remitted, or &s;uch like &s;crupulous di&s;|cu&s;&s;ions, which &s;erve to wrack, not to rectifie a con&s;cience.</P>
<P>This we ought to practice in all relap&s;es; and (with the &s;ame order and confiding in God, and an equal repo&s;e of &s;pirit at the la&s;t as well as fir&s;t confe&s;&s;ion) bring with us always &s;ince|ritie in the de&s;ire of amendment, and humilitie for our impro|ficiencie: both which are darkned and di&s;&s;ipated by the di&s;or|der of our &s;pirit. We are mo&s;t in danger of this an&s;wer, <HI>Ne|&s;cio vos,</HI> I know you not, when the image of God (our rea&s;on) is the mo&s;t disfigur'd by irregular motions. There is much difference between a contrite and a confus'd heart: the fir&s;t is pre&s;&s;'d by grace under the weight of rea&s;onable &s;orrow, the other is but broken with natures falling upon it: for natural grief alwayes brings &s;ome di&s;orderly parting and di&s;&s;ipating of the &s;pirit.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7</NOTE> Whence S. <HI>Paul</HI> rejoyces not that his penitents did &s;orrow, but that they did &s;orrow according to a godly manner, that they might receive dammage in nothing. This peace therefore and compo&s;ure of mind, wherein our &s;orrow works <HI>fortiter &amp; &s;uaviter,</HI> &s;trongly and &s;weetly, is to be intend|ed; and all unquiet exerci&s;e ev'n of well-apply'd &s;orrow, is to be di&s;councell'd: that in our &s;uing for eternal peace to God, we may appear members of our great Peace maker; who, in the bearing of all &s;ins and &s;orrows, never le&s;&s;ened his interior &s;tate of re&s;t and acquie&s;cence.</P>
<P>Next we mu&s;t be advi&s;ed that the great enemie of our peace (when he finds minds &s;o well ordered that he cannot ea&s;ily rai&s;e their de&s;ires or pa&s;&s;ions to a &s;editious in&s;urrection) labours very often to corrupt ev'n their pious di&s;po&s;itions, to trouble and di&s;quiet them with &s;cruples and terrors of con&s;cience; by
<PB N="166" REF="94"> which &s;ugge&s;tions, their peace of &s;pirit is very much di&s;turb'd: for when we look through this per&s;pective of a &s;crupulous ima|gination, all our fears and apprehen&s;ions are multiply'd to &s;uch a degree, that ev'n flies appear mon&s;ters, the lea&s;t of our infir|mities &s;eem horrid infidelities; and by the&s;e fal&s;e terrors, our minds are kept in continual alarms that admit not repo&s;e and &s;ettlement, which is that &s;tate God requires for a congruous co|operation with his grace. As God allows not libertini&s;m and di&s;&s;olution, &s;o doth he not impo&s;e any con&s;traint or pre&s;&s;ure up|on our &s;pirits, to which his Spirit imparts a holy frankne&s;s and libertie: <HI>Where the Spirit of God is, there is libertie,</HI> &s;ayes the Apo&s;tle; and liberty is as connatural to the &s;oul of man, as con&s;traint and compo&s;ure of mind are incompatible. All ex|terior violence will admit interior peace, becau&s;e our will may conform to all impo&s;ures; but when the will is di&s;&s;enting and repugnant to the exigence, there can be no peaceable con&s;titu|tion. Since then this freedom of &s;pirit is e&s;&s;entially requi&s;ite to the peace propos'd, the remedie of tho&s;e &s;cruples which pain and pre&s;s our &s;pirits, is much to be de&s;ired: and &s;urely there is no &s;o ready and &s;afe delivery from the&s;e perplexing apprehen|&s;ions, as to re&s;ign our under&s;tandings quickly and entirely to the conduct of &s;ome prudent &s;piritual Director, without refle|ction upon our own &s;ugge&s;tions; re&s;olving that (under the no|tion of &s;elf-relinqui&s;hment, and committing our &s;elves to the order of Gods Mini&s;ters) nothing that remains within the compa&s;s of a doubtful ill, can be criminal to the &s;ubmitting party. This con&s;ideration may quickly quiet and a&s;&s;ure all the mo&s;t &s;hie and &s;tarting apprehen&s;ions of a &s;crupulous con&s;ci|ence; which may boldly &s;ay in this ca&s;e of relyance on Gods Mini&s;ter, <HI>I will an&s;wer to tho&s;e that reproach me, that I have rely'd upon thy word.</HI></P>
<P>Having repre&s;ented to you the nature, beauty and benefit of this peace of &s;pirit, with the means to acquire and con&s;erve it: I hope this di&s;cour&s;e will detect the errour of many who &s;eek peace in the pur&s;uance of their pa&s;&s;ions, and (as the
<PB N="167" REF="94"> <HI>Wi&s;e man</HI> reproaches them) <HI>living in a great war of igno|rance, call &s;o many and &s;o great evils, peace.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> 14.23.</NOTE> There is no doubt but &s;uch a trea&s;ure requires a mining deep for it; and is never found, as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;ayes, <HI>In the &s;oft earth of effeminate li|vers.</HI> Whoever then &s;hall be per&s;waded by the grace of God to <HI>&s;eek peace and pur&s;ue it,</HI> by due means pre&s;crib'd, &s;hall upon his purcha&s;e, confe&s;s with the <HI>Wi&s;e man, I have labour'd but a little, and found much re&s;t:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> 7.10.</NOTE> for in this acqui&s;ition is fully veri|fi'd, <HI>I have loved it above health and beautie, for the light that comes from it never goes out; all good things come along with it.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="9" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="168" REF="95">
<HEAD>The ninth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Chri&s;tian Humilitie. In four Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 14.</NOTE><HI>_HOW art thou faln from heaven, Lucifer! thou &s;on of the morning?</HI> The Prophet &s;oon an&s;wers his own wonder, <HI>thou ha&s;t &s;aid in thine heart, I will a&s;cend into heaven, I will be like the mo&s;t High.</HI> Here we find Pride &s;o much out of the way to heaven, as that created nature, (which was plac'd &s;o near it by creation, that it was a wonder how he could mi&s;s the way,) did notwith&s;tanding mi&s;take it by pre|&s;umption; and fell into an immen&s;urate di&s;tance from it, carrying the next excellent nature to his own along with him.</P>
<P>We may well then ask with the Prophets wonder, How did&s;t thou ri&s;e again <HI>Adam,</HI> thou &s;on of darkne&s;s? Ev'n by a means more wonderful then the fall of <HI>Lucifer, viz.</HI> an humilitie &s;tranger then his pride: <HI>He in whom it was no robbery to equal him&s;elf to God, bow'd down the heavens, and de&s;cended, and took upon him the form of a &s;ervant, humbling him&s;elf even unto death</HI> By this humilitie man was drawn out of the center of darkne&s;s:
<PB N="169" REF="95"> whereas by pride, Angels fell from their fulne&s;s of light, into that center where they remain chain'd by its inflexibilitie, for ever. So that our way to heaven is mark'd out &s;olely through the &s;traight and narrow path of <HI>humiliation.</HI></P>
<P>And in pur&s;uance of this order of mans re&s;tauration, Humi|litie was that ble&s;&s;ed mould of earth, into which the fir&s;t &s;eed of Chri&s;tian Faith was ca&s;t; for that humble aba&s;hment where|with the ble&s;&s;ed Virgin received her fir&s;t glorious &s;alutation, was that di&s;po&s;ition the holy Gho&s;t te&s;tifi'd to be the mo&s;t pro|per for his po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing and over&s;hadowing this Ve&s;&s;el of Grace. Which truth he proclaims by her own mouth, (a&s;cribing to her humilitie, Gods exaltation of her,) <HI>becau&s;e God hath looked upon the humilitie of his hand-maid, therefore all generations &s;hall call me ble&s;&s;ed:</HI> In&s;omuch, that we may &s;ay, an humble heart was the fir&s;t womb honour'd by our Saviours con|ception.</P>
<P>O what different i&s;&s;ues had our fir&s;t mothers a&s;piring, and our &s;econd mothers &s;elf-depre&s;&s;ing! how forward was the fir&s;ts pride to confide ev'n in a Serpent, that promis'd her the becoming like a God, and how backward was the &s;econds mo|de&s;tie to believe ev'n an Angel, that anuntiated to her &s;uch an exaltation, as the being over&s;hadow'd by God? The fir&s;t alas, who look'd &s;o boldly upward to heaven, had her eyes opened, only to ca&s;t them down upon her own &s;hame; whereof &s;he was quickly fain to be beholding to bea&s;ts for a covering: whil&s;t the &s;econd, who look'd downward in &s;uch a &s;elf-de&s;pection, had her eyes opened and fix'd on heaven to &s;ee her glory in be|ing over-&s;hadow'd by the holy Gho&s;t; which was the cover|ing of the nakedne&s;s of all mankind: &s;uch are the different pro|ductions of Pride and Humilitie.</P>
<P>Surely as Faith is the root of Chri&s;tianitie, &s;o humilitie may well be call'd the &s;haft and body of the Plant, and methinks this may be fairly adapted to it, which is the great prai&s;e of the Orange tree; whereof 'tis &s;aid the body is of bra&s;s, the flow|ers of &s;ilver, and the fruit of gold: for the &s;ub&s;tance of this vertue is &s;o &s;trong, that it indures all things, re&s;i&s;ting all changes
<PB N="170" REF="96"> of &s;ea&s;ons without decay or diminution; it bears flowers of candor, affabilitie, and innocence in our lives and conver&s;ations, &s;ending forth the good odour of Chri&s;t; and its fruit is purity and charity, which is the gold of Chri&s;tianitie, as it &s;ets the price, and rules the commerce of all Chri&s;tian vertues. So that the&s;e three properties are aptly adju&s;ted to the qualities of this admirable Plant: whereof the Serpent &s;eems to have &s;o near kill'd the root in Paradi&s;e, that there grew very little of it in the earth, till <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> &s;hed the &s;eed of it again into his mo|ther; and grew him&s;elf in the earth to the highe&s;t pitch of it, that ev'n faith can reach to, ev'n to an exinanition of him|&s;elf. What can be conceiv'd more to exalt this ine&s;timable ver|tue?</P>
<P>Of all Chri&s;tian vertues, there is none &s;o familiarly own'd, and in reality &s;o rarely po&s;&s;e&s;&s;'d; whereof the rea&s;on &s;eems to be, that it is the cheape&s;t counterfeited; for the exterior figure of it co&s;ts our nature le&s;s then that of other vertues. None can make a &s;hew of Patience or Charitie without great expence to our Nature; the very outward hand&s;om carriage of cro&s;&s;es and injuries, without any interior conformitie, co&s;ts us much &s;elf-con&s;traint; and likewi&s;e the apparent exerci&s;e of communica|tive charitie, when it is practi&s;ed upon an unchri&s;tian motive, requires &s;ome &s;elf-deprivement: but the ca&s;ting our exterior upon a mould of &s;eeming humilitie co&s;ts us no expropriation; the very counterfeit fa&s;hion of the world renders it almo&s;t ha|bitual. Hence it is, that we &s;ee &s;o much of this &s;eeming hum|blene&s;s in the commerces of the world; which is indeed but like the wild Orange tree, that has the &s;ame bark, and bears as fre&s;h leaves, but neither flowers nor fruit: &s;o this wants both the odour, and the cordial vertue of the right Plant of &s;incere Humilitie.</P>
<P>This admitted, it mu&s;t needs be very u&s;eful to give the world an overture into the in&s;ide of real Humilitie; which S. <HI>Tere&s;a</HI> doth excellently in this definition, <HI>Humilitie is practical veritie:</HI> which more explain'd; intends that It is a right under&s;tanding of our &s;elves, by an evidence of our own unworthine&s;s; &s;o that in
<PB N="171" REF="96"> other terms, Chri&s;tian humilitie is <HI>a clear in&s;pection into, and a full de&s;pection of our &s;elves.</HI> And &s;urely, as Divines &s;ay, that ev'n the pure&s;t &s;eparated &s;ouls are not qualifi'd for &s;eeing the Divine E&s;&s;ence, but by a &s;pecial &s;upplement which they call <HI>the light of glory;</HI> by the proportions whereof, every one di&s;|cerns more or le&s;s of that beatifical vi&s;ion: &s;o we may &s;ay, that ev'n the cleare&s;t-&s;ighted minds, in this complex'd conditi|on, are not &s;ufficiently di&s;pos'd for this &s;elf-di&s;cernment, with|out the &s;upernatural acce&s;&s;ion of the light of Grace by which they are qualifi'd for the perception of their own de&s;picable nul|litie; and according to their degrees of this light, they make more or le&s;s penetration into this veritie, which is manife&s;ted by the lives of the mo&s;t eminent Saints: who&s;e humilitie has al|wayes held proportion with all their miraculous &s;anctitie.</P>
<P>This definition detects to us the currant error of the world; where commonly every one proportions to him&s;elf his humili|tie, by his temporal birth and condition, rather then by his &s;pi|ritual e&s;tate and regeneration: when indeed the humilitie of our head <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> &s;hould run through all his members; like the blood in our natural veins, of which each ve&s;&s;el has his proper fulne&s;s deriv'd from the &s;ame &s;pring, and proportion'd to the &s;everal u&s;es they are to afford the whole body. We mu&s;t there|fore endeavour to undeceive the world in the&s;e mi&s;conceptions it has both of the nature and the mea&s;ures of <HI>Humilitie.</HI> For in the ordinary commerces of mankind, all affabilitie and fair proportioning them&s;elves to the &s;ocietie, (without any manife&s;t pre&s;umption) is accounted &s;ufficient humilitie; and in Courts, courte&s;ie, civility, and officiou&s;ne&s;s has that e&s;timation: (which commonly are but Garden flowers, growing upon the &s;talk of &s;elf-love; and &s;o we &s;ee them fairer or le&s;s blown, according to the air of applau&s;e they are &s;et in:) but this is not the &s;oil wherein humilitie thrives; for it may be fitly &s;aid of it, <HI>non invenitur in terra &s;uavitur viventium:</HI> it &s;eldom grows in this &s;oft delicate &s;ort of earth; not that it will not live, if it be well rooted in any &s;oil; ev'n in that where the&s;e thorns of worldly &s;olicitudes and riches abound mo&s;t, toward
<PB N="172" REF="97"> the choaking it: nay, our great Lord and Ma&s;ter expects the growth of this Plant in the&s;e rich grounds; for it is upon this &s;tock of povertie of &s;pirit, that our Palms are graffed, which we gather in this world, and carry in our hands into Paradi&s;e. Wherefore the holy Spirit advi&s;es <HI>the rich man to glory only in his humilitie.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The obligation of the highe&s;t conditions to con&s;erve humilitie.</HEAD>
<P>SUre it was by a &s;pecial providence, that the Di&s;ciples of Chri&s;t ask'd him this que&s;tion, <HI>Who &s;hall be the greate&s;t in the Kingdom of Heaven?</HI> to which he made a child give them their an&s;wer, to enlighten them in the di&s;proportions between greatne&s;s in order to heaven, and that of this world: for had not Chri&s;t determin'd this que&s;tion, the Kings and Gran|dees of the earth would find few propo&s;ers of humilitie and &s;elf-aba&s;ement to them; and tho&s;e few would hardly find any converts to this doctrine. But &s;ince the King of Heaven <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> has declared, that not only the ranks are allotted by the mea&s;ures of humility, but ev'n the entrie is condition'd upon a great proportion of humblene&s;s and &s;implicitie of &s;pirit, (affirm|ing, that <HI>unle&s;s we become like little children, we &s;hall not enter into the kingdom of heaven:</HI>) This obliges all &s;uch as have commi&s;&s;i|on to &s;peak with them of heaven, to exhibit to tho&s;e great ones this their Kings Proclamation, <HI>Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart.</HI> So that this injunction is con&s;i&s;tent with all their exterior elevations who are of Chri&s;ts order; as well as their interior humiliation, and all Chri&s;ts &s;piritual exactions are competent with his temporal orders. Souls have no vi&s;i|ble
<PB N="173" REF="97"> degree of eminence in the world, and may therefore com|ply with this duty of &s;elf-depre&s;&s;ing, which the bodies of Prin|ces cannot de&s;cend to, without infringing the publick order of Superioritie. But the Prince may have as much humilitie in his heart, as the Petitioner in his hand; and he that gives alms may be as poor in &s;pirit, as the receiver of them. All the exte|rior expre&s;&s;ions of this vertue derive their value from the heart; and the &s;everal apparent exerci&s;es of it, are to be &s;quar'd re&s;pe|ctively to the divers parts we hold in the civil body of &s;ocie|tie: the head and the feet have their proper evidences and act|ings of this vertue; which I may call <HI>The &s;oul of practical Chri&s;tianitie.</HI></P>
<P>Princes are commonly &s;tiled the <HI>Images of God,</HI> in re&s;pect of their &s;uperioritie in admini&s;tration of temporal Ju&s;tice. And by this vertue, methinks I may not unaptly &s;ay they become mo&s;t &s;pecial images of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, as he was God and Man: &s;ince humilitie &s;eems to make a kind of hypo&s;tatical Union be|tween their &s;acred per&s;ons and their humane Nature: for though their per&s;ons &s;eem divine, yet their natures mu&s;t appear humane; that is to &s;ay, though their per&s;ons are exteriorly in|thron'd with all maje&s;tie and glory, yet their interior mu&s;t be all meekne&s;s and humanitie; which in conformitie to Chri&s;t, &s;hould make this proclamation to all their &s;ubjects, <HI>Come and learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart;</HI> and endeavour, in pur&s;uance of this &s;imilitude, <HI>to make their yoaks &s;weet, and their burthens light.</HI></P>
<P>The Cro&s;s which is &s;et as the highe&s;t part of our Princes Crowns, is not there to beautifie the exterior figure; but to ex|pre&s;s the interior duty of their Office: it is not a meer &s;pecious, but a &s;peaking character; in&s;inuating the &s;pirit of that original of Kings (by whom they all reign) and intimating that the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;hould be &s;eared in the highe&s;t part of their Royaltie. Methinks we may well convince Princes in this point as Chri&s;t him&s;elf did the Tribute-gatherers, asking them, who&s;e character is the cro&s;s they wear upon the top of their Crowns? to which they mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily an&s;wer that it &s;ignifies Chri&s;ts
<PB N="174" REF="98"> dominion over them: <HI>Give then</HI> (may we reply) <HI>unto Chri&s;t, that is Chri&s;ts;</HI> let him reign in you, as you do by him: let benignitie, meekne&s;s, and humilitie appear in the mo&s;t eminent parts of your <HI>Office:</HI> for <HI>he who hath not the Spirit of Chri&s;t, is none of his Image.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 8.</NOTE></P>
<P>And in my contemplation of this original, by which I am drawing and coppying the &s;pirits of Princes, this thought of|fers it &s;elf to me; which methinks &s;erves very pertinently for my de&s;ign. It is manife&s;t that the humilitie of Princes cannot be modell'd by the figure of Chri&s;t conver&s;ing upon earth; be|cau&s;e his exterior was de&s;titute of all tho&s;e outward dues which are e&s;&s;ential to their Office. But I may &s;ay, ju&s;t as Chri&s;t has now &s;tated him&s;elf upon earth, &s;o humilitie ought to be in the Monarchs of it. For we know Chri&s;ts body is really and in|tirely in the ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament, though not in a vi&s;ible form or according to local extention; in like manner, though humility be not expos'd in the &s;en&s;ible apparences of the condition of Princes, yet mu&s;t it be in them really and compleatly; howe|ver the exterior marks of their dignitie admits not a local ma|nife&s;tation of it. And I may &s;ay, it is a duty in their Subjects to believe that grace to be really in their per&s;ons, notwith&s;tand|ing all their &s;en&s;es can judge by, of their vi&s;ible &s;tate and glo|ry, &s;eems to contradict this per&s;wa&s;ion: and thus, (in report to our &s;imilitude) the effects may be found, whereof the &s;ub|ject tempts no &s;en&s;ible expectation.</P>
<P>And &s;urely this &s;overaign pre&s;ervative of humilitie (which may well be call'd <HI>the &s;alt of all moral vertues</HI>) is more requi|&s;ite for the &s;oundne&s;s of the minds of Princes, then of others; becau&s;e not only their vices are more contagious; but ev'n their vertues are more apt to be tainted and corrupted by the ill air of flattery, that flyes more about them then any other. Be&s;ides this &s;ea&s;oning of humilitie is only the pre&s;ervative for all their natural good qualities. And as it is healthful for their own minds, &s;o is it more operative and influent upon others, then any other vertue: for it not only moves the affections, but al&s;o enlightens the under&s;tandings of their followers, to di&s;cern
<PB N="175" REF="98"> the nece&s;&s;itie of this; when tho&s;e in whom it &s;eems not of &s;o much dutie, &s;hew them the requi&s;itene&s;s of it: in&s;omuch that Princes, who but recommend other vertues to their depen|dants, &s;eem to infu&s;e this by their exerci&s;e of it; &s;ince all their inferiors mu&s;t thence be convinc'd of the more ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;i|tie of this qualitie in their conditions. We remember how the Phari&s;ees (in di&s;credit of Chri&s;ts doctrine) ask'd, If any of the Princes had believ'd in him: as if their example had been a better argument for the people then ev'n Chri&s;ts miracles: and &s;urely Subjects may have &s;ome excu&s;e for not accompany|ing their Princes in other good qualities; where the advantage of their e&s;tates facilitates their practice, and exalts their e&s;tima|tion of &s;uch vertues: but in this to which their e&s;tate &s;eems to indi&s;po&s;e them, and contrarily, their degree of inferiors fairly ac|commodates them, herein an unconformitie can bear no ex|tenuation.</P>
<P>And as this vertue is of extraordinary merit in &s;uch per&s;ons as the world looks upon as patterns, &s;o is it of mo&s;t u&s;e to the Grandees of the earth, as to improving their temporal fortunes: for the more humble opinion they have of them&s;elves, the more &s;en&s;e they have of the advantagious preference of their conditions; which cannot be &s;o well reli&s;h'd without this &s;ea|&s;oning of humilitie. Pride always carries with it an underva|luation of all we po&s;&s;e&s;s in re&s;pect of what we claim by our de|&s;ert; and by this &s;elf-deceit, entertains in us the&s;e two di&s;&s;onant humors of vain-glory, and di&s;-&s;atisfaction in our &s;tate; for as it &s;wels, it fils us with wind, which fumes and offends all our pre&s;ent po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions with &s;elf elevation above all that is enjoy'd. How did the&s;e fumes of pride blind <HI>Haman,</HI> making him &s;o diz|zie in that height from whence he fell? whereas this pre&s;erva-of humilitie kept <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> clear-&s;ighted in the &s;ame degree of elevation. Wherefore the great ones that have mo&s;t to lo&s;e, are the mo&s;t concern'd to pre&s;erve the ta&s;te, as well as the &s;afe|tie of their fortunes, by this temper of their &s;pirits; which &s;weetens to them all their cares, and &s;anctifies all their de|lights.</P>
<PB N="176" REF="99">
<P>Let then the Princes and Grandees of the world look upon this, as the greate&s;t advantage of their &s;uperioritie; namely, that their eminencie renders their humilitie &s;o much the more meritorious towards God: for the promi&s;e of exaltation to tho&s;e that humble them&s;elves mu&s;t needs be their due, in a com|men&s;urate degree. Mean per&s;ons often to the eye of the world, innocently di&s;credit this excellent vertue, by being believ'd to make a vertue of nece&s;&s;itie: and Princes as much exalt it, by &s;hewing it to be of &s;o ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;itie, that ev'n their condi|tions cannot be improv'd to the be&s;t without it.</P>
<P>Thus have we humbly indeavoured to &s;hew the Mightie of the earth, that not only pietie, but prudence coun&s;els them to &s;tudy this &s;elf-under&s;tanding; according to the Apo&s;tles or|der, <HI>mea&s;uring them&s;elves by them&s;elves,</HI> not by their local ele|vation above others: by which cour&s;e they will find this truth, That the honour of a Chri&s;tian is, as S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ayes, <HI>to for|get tho&s;e things which are behind, and reach forward to tho&s;e that are before him;</HI> which is, the glory purchas'd by the humilitie of God, and promis'd only to the humblene&s;s of man. I may then clo&s;e this advice with the &s;ummons of the P&s;almi&s;t: <HI>Be ye wi&s;e therefore now ye Kings, be in&s;tructed ye Judges of the earth; &s;erve the Lord with fear,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 2.</NOTE> <HI>and rejoice with trembling.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">A farther exhibition of the benefits of humi|litie, in order to the good of &s;ocietie: And the explication of &s;elf-love; &s;hewing how it undermines humilitie.</HEAD>
<P>IT was not to enlighten the world with intellectual claritie, that <HI>the Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> di&s;play'd him&s;elf: for the earth &s;eems to have enjoy'd a fuller bightne&s;s, as to all rational
<PB N="177" REF="99"> &s;ciences, before then &s;ince; the wi&s;dom of the Philh&s;ophers having left us that light, by which we &s;till &s;ee our way in our rational di&s;coveries. The Gentiles may be &s;aid to have had better <HI>pro&s;pective,</HI> but not &s;o good <HI>reflecting gla&s;&s;es</HI> as we, they &s;aw farther forward into all external natures, but look'd not &s;o clearly back into their own: &s;o that all their knowledges and di&s;coveries mu&s;t needs rai&s;e their &s;elf-e&s;timation, by the &s;ame degrees they found the capacitie of their &s;ouls extended to far|ther comprehen&s;ions: and con&s;equently, could find no motive of humilitie in this &s;elf-dilating: whereas the light of the Go|&s;pel is &s;et for &s;elf-reflection, and looking back upon the origi|nal of our &s;oul, where it finds the nullitie from whence it is de|riv'd, and con&s;equently meets motives of humiliation. 'Tis no wonder that knowledge in a meer Rationali&s;t, &s;hould produce the natural effect of &s;welling and elation: the grace of Chri&s;t being the only Antidote again&s;t this poi&s;on, wherewith our na|ture was fir&s;t infected.</P>
<P>This is evidenc'd by ob&s;erving that the proud &s;pirit did &s;o much prevail ev'n upon the vertues of humane nature, by this interfu&s;ion of pride, that he made no le&s;s u&s;e of them among the Heathens then of their vices; as S. <HI>Paul</HI> witne&s;&s;es, they <HI>grew vain in their own cogitations, and accounting them&s;elves wi&s;e, they became fools.</HI> And did not the Seducer &s;erve him&s;elf of the mo&s;t eminent natural advantages found among&s;t the Ancients, perverting them into &s;nares and &s;educements to the people? for all the gods of the Gentiles were men, excelling in &s;ome qua|litie beneficial to mankind: and by the art of the Devil and ignorance of man, rais'd to the opinion of Deities; as <HI>Jupiter, Mars, Mercurie, Vulcan, Ceres, Bacchus,</HI> and the re&s;t were all men; who in their times, had, by &s;ome &s;pecial vertues and qualities, contributed eminently to the publick utilities of humane &s;oci|etie: and the Promoter of pride and fal&s;hood, found means to render the&s;e per&s;ons more pernitious to mankind, then they had been profitable; by drawing out of their goods the greate&s;t ill can befall us, which is, <HI>to wor&s;hip the creature in &s;tead of the Creator.</HI></P>
<PB N="178" REF="100">
<P>This has the Father of Lies labour'd from the beginning, and pur&s;ues &s;till to delude us in point of &s;elf-knowing: for up|on all our goods he &s;eeks to &s;et an over valuation; to hollow and undermine the only &s;olid foundation of durable vertue, which is, <HI>humilitie.</HI> In proof whereof we may ob&s;erve, that during the reign of the Prince of this world, he not only ad|mitted, but &s;eem'd to promote moral vertues in his Court; knowing they could not con&s;pire again&s;t his prerogative, while they wanted humilitie to temper and conduct them to their end. Wherefore we find not this vertue (that &s;hould have manag'd all the other) at all extant in this Kingdom, (which is call'd <HI>that of darkne&s;s,</HI> notwith&s;tanding the full brightne&s;s and &s;plen|dor of both their intellectual lights and moral vertues:) &s;o that although many of its Courtiers &s;eem'd to &s;peak with tongues of men and Angels, yet in effect they were but <HI>&s;ounding bra&s;s, or tinckling Cymbals.</HI></P>
<P>The Prince of Peace therefore, when he came to de&s;tr y the kingdom of this U&s;urper, brought no new moral vertue, but humilitie, to act again&s;t it: and by this he overthrew all the &s;trong holds of nature, rais'd again&s;t the obedience of Chri&s;t; leaving it as the &s;pecial di&s;tinctive mark between his children of light, and the others of darkne&s;s. So that we may truly &s;ay of this admirable qualitie, this &s;pirit was not as yet given, becau&s;e <HI>Je&s;us</HI> was not as yet humbled. And truly he who came to e&s;tabli&s;h peace in his kingdom, knew there was no &s;uch power|ful means to confirm and entertain it in humane &s;ocietie, as this band of humilitie: for peace being the tranquilitie of order, nothing pre&s;erves order &s;o much as humblene&s;s of mind; which keeps every one in their proper place and &s;tation, content with their rank and vocation. If we reflect upon it, we &s;hall find that all troubles, wars, and di&s;&s;entions ari&s;e from &s;ome appetite of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing and departing from the order of our &s;tate and condition: and <HI>humilitie,</HI> which mea&s;ures our pretences by the &s;quare of our vocation, contains our de&s;ires within their due bounds; whereby the order and union of &s;ocieties is pre&s;erv'd, and magi&s;tracie is alwayes re&s;pected and obeyed. For &s;o in|capable
<PB N="179" REF="100"> is true humilitie of being provoked to publick &s;edition, that it re&s;ents no injuries, but tho&s;e which extend to infractions of publick ju&s;tice.</P>
<P>The&s;e proprieties of the Apo&s;tle, may be duly a&s;crib'd to a &s;incere humblene&s;s of &s;pirit, <HI>He &s;uffers long and is kind,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.</NOTE> <HI>&s;eeks not his own, is not ea&s;ily provoked, rejoices in truth, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things:</HI> And &s;urely a Societie of men, thus &s;pirited, could admit of no di&s;cord or di&s;order. That which entertains peace and union in Religious Communi|ties, is not &s;o much the &s;pirit of au&s;teritie, as this of humilitie: and it is the &s;carcitie of this &s;pirit in the world, which rai&s;es &s;o much di&s;&s;ention in all &s;ecular Societies. Wherefore humilitie is undoubtedly the mo&s;t univer&s;al remedie can be mini&s;tred to rectifie all defects and indi&s;po&s;itions, not only of the Spiritual, but ev'n of the Civil and Politick Body of mankind: &s;o that if any Politician &s;hould di&s;credit it in point of u&s;efulne&s;s to the &s;upport and advancement of civil Societies and Common|wealths, arguing from the unactive apparencies of this vertue; he would in my mind mi&s;take much: like the ancient fable, which &s;uppos'd the &s;tomach to have been idle, becau&s;e it perform'd not the office of motion as the limbs, nor of &s;en&s;e as the head; where|as it dige&s;ts and di&s;tributes nouri&s;hment to the whole body. For &s;o humblene&s;s of &s;pirit, though it &s;eems not exteriorly active, yet it concocts and converts into &s;piritual aliment the notions of all other vertues, and di&s;pen&s;es proportionate &s;u&s;tenance into the &s;everal faculties of the mind, whereby they are rendred order|ly active: and by this means provides, as the Apo&s;tle &s;ayes, <HI>again&s;t the &s;chi&s;m of the mind.</HI></P>
<P>Pride and vain glory are forein declared enemies to humility; and con&s;equently, we need not give intelligence of them: but there is a dome&s;tick and bo&s;ome-traitor in our nature, wherein we confide &s;o much, that he mo&s;t commonly di&s;credits all his accu&s;ors, and this is <HI>&s;elf-love,</HI> which we &s;o &s;eldom &s;u&s;pect, that we mo&s;t commonly commit all our de&s;igns to the conduct of this confident: Is it not therefore requi&s;ite to impeach and charge this Traitor as &s;trongly as we can, by detecting his de|ceitful
<PB N="180" REF="101"> qualities? To di&s;cover then the guiltine&s;s of <HI>&s;elf love,</HI> we mu&s;t examine it by the&s;e two precepted duties, of <HI>loving God and our neighbour:</HI> for it becomes vitious proportionately to what it deducts from the payment of the&s;e two debts of our nature. And from the undue appropriation of our love, it is termed <HI>&s;elf-love in an ill &s;en&s;e,</HI> as affecting &s;ome unrightful pro|prietie. To which our nature &s;tands bent ever &s;ince her fall; as if the tendring and cheri&s;hing her private appetites were the only &s;olace of her pre&s;ent infirmitie. When indeed the contra|ry is the only cour&s;e for her recovery: all indulgence then to the intere&s;ts of the fle&s;h again&s;t the Spirit is rightly call'd &s;elf-love in a criminal &s;en&s;e.</P>
<P>This corrupt inclination to undue proprietie covers it &s;elf &s;o hand&s;omly with the rights of nature, that it deceives in &s;ome degree, ev'n the mo&s;t exact accountants with God and their neighbour: for when a &s;trict examen keeps it from making any notorious &s;tealth, it &s;till finds means to wa&s;h and clip &s;ome grains off from the&s;e two other loves; and thus picks up a &s;ub|&s;i&s;tence ev'n in the mo&s;t di&s;intere&s;ted &s;elf-deniers. But com|monly in the commercers of the world, &s;elf-love makes open prize of the others rights; leaving them none but what remains after their private affections are &s;erv'd, and the refu&s;e only of their love is allow'd to the mo&s;t due a&s;&s;ignment of God and our neighbour. The Apo&s;tle witne&s;&s;es this con&s;equence, ma|king this chain of vices link'd by &s;elf-love, <HI>Men &s;hall be lovers of them&s;elves,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.</NOTE> <HI>covetous, boa&s;ters, proud, bla&s;phemers, di&s;obedient to parents, unthankful, unholy:</HI> and certainly by the degrees of this peccant humor, all the&s;e vitious derivations will follow; for entire &s;elf-lovers have no regard to any duty, but as they con|ceive it in order to their private &s;atisfactions. Which high de|gree of <HI>&s;elf-love,</HI> is properly that <HI>cupiditie</HI> the holy Spirit &s;ayes is <HI>the root of all evil.</HI></P>
<P>And we may truly &s;ay, all tho&s;e deep vices that running long in our affections, have made &s;o wide beds and channels in our <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ature, do at fir&s;t flow from this Spring head of <HI>&s;elf love;</HI> which when it ri&s;es fir&s;t, &s;eems but &s;ome &s;mall &s;hallow appetite, but
<PB N="181" REF="101"> having enlarg'd it &s;elf as it runs on, changes the name; like Ri|vers which gather their name by their growth, not from their Spring. So pride, ambition, lu&s;t, and avarice, all of them i&s;&s;ue out of this &s;ource of <HI>&s;elf-love;</HI> and change their names, as they come to be heightned and &s;wollen by accidents, which rai&s;e the&s;e &s;everal &s;elf-&s;eekings, up to the degree of full pa&s;&s;ions: and thus the&s;e three great &s;treams come to their fulne&s;s and depth, (which the Apo&s;tle &s;ayes, water all our accur&s;ed earth) the <HI>lu&s;t of the eyes, the lu&s;t of the fle&s;h, and the pride of life.</HI></P>
<P>And the &s;ame con&s;equence may be truly inferr'd from the oppos'd extreme, which is, <HI>Abnegation</HI> and <HI>Self-denial.</HI> For from that &s;ource ri&s;e all the large&s;t and fulle&s;t vertues of Chri|&s;tianitie; as charitie, humilitie, temperance, and the re&s;t: who&s;e denominations are &s;everal, re&s;pectively to their objects; but in effect are all only greater or le&s;s &s;elf-denials The Spring of all Chri&s;tian vertue ri&s;ing thus out of our Saviors mouth, <HI>he that doth not renounce all that he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es, cannot be my Di&s;ciple:</HI> and it may be confidently promis'd to all tho&s;e who believe, and act according to this order, that out of their <HI>bowels &s;hall flow rivers of living water,</HI> all &s;piritual and practical vertues &s;hall from this &s;ource, find a con&s;equent emanation.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. IV.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Some means propos'd in order to the obtaining and pre&s;erving true Humilitie.</HEAD>
<P>THere is no profe&s;&s;ion in Chri&s;tianitie has more &s;cholers, and yet fewer graduats; every one applauds the dictates, but few pa&s;s on to the due degrees of humility: the Di&s;ciples them|&s;elves, while they were following Chri&s;t with their feet, were going backward from him with their heads: and whil&s;t they
<PB N="182" REF="102"> were &s;training and pre&s;&s;ing to precede one another. He who looked all wayes at once, &s;aw how little their minds were fol|lowing his, and reproach'd them for that deviation. How many are there in the world, who&s;e exterior motion &s;eems tend|ing to humilitie, while their interior moves quite retrograde to that apparence? No vertue may ju&s;tlier complain, <HI>this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.</HI> Nor is this to be wondred at, &s;ince a great part are mi&s;taken in the notion of it, abu&s;ing them&s;elves in the opinion of their owning it: and few there are but deceive them&s;elves in the conceit of the facilitie to obtain it, concluding they can humble them|&s;elves when they plea&s;e. When indeed this pre&s;umption di|&s;tances us from it, by the &s;ame degrees it ri&s;es in us: for the mo&s;t e&s;&s;ential qualification requir'd for the attaining this vertue, is the di&s;cernment of the unaptne&s;s of our nature to incline to &s;incere humilitie.</P>
<P>Wherefore the fir&s;t tincture nece&s;&s;ary to prepare our minds for the perfecter receiving the grain of this vertue, is a being im|bued with this per&s;wa&s;ion, That our nature is highly proud and &s;elf-&s;eeking in all her own inclinations. Which conclu&s;ion will con&s;equently propo&s;e to us the mi&s;tru&s;t of our natural propen|&s;ions, and a &s;trict examination, before we let them pa&s;s into purpo&s;es: whereupon in all &s;erious di&s;qui&s;itions of our natural &s;ugge&s;tions, we &s;hall &s;urely find &s;elf-love their fir&s;t mover. We &s;hall therefore do well to allay and temper them alwayes with &s;ome grains of &s;elf-denial; abating &s;omwhat in our pur&s;uit, from what nature propo&s;es to attaining; and thus by ea&s;ie de|grees begin to practice the ma&s;terie of our de&s;ires; gently intro|ducing &s;elf-denial under the notion of a &s;elf-conque&s;t, not a con&s;traint.</P>
<P>By this method we may come by little and little to &s;tay the &s;wing of the mo&s;t violent impul&s;es of &s;elf-love; as we do the violent motions of a material weight, that &s;wings with too much force to be taken hold on at once; which we therefore fir&s;t &s;eek to break with &s;ome little &s;tops, and &s;o &s;lacken the mo|tion by degrees, till it be come &s;o gentle, that we lay hold and
<PB N="183" REF="102"> &s;tay it at our plea&s;ures. After this manner mu&s;t we endeavour to &s;top the impetus of &s;elf-&s;eeking nature: continuing to check it by degrees, and to &s;lacken the pur&s;uance of honor and e&s;ti|mation, till we come to acquie&s;ce, ev'n to the worlds di&s;value and depre&s;&s;ion. And towards the breaking the fir&s;t impetuou&s;|ne&s;s of any &s;elf-&s;eeking, let me pre&s;ent you with this counterpoi&s;e of the Apo&s;tle, which I have often found the mo&s;t powerful re|&s;traint upon my vain nature: <HI>Chri&s;tus &s;ibi non placuit &amp;c. Chri&s;t &s;ought not to plea&s;e him&s;elf, but the reproaches of the &s;corners fell upon him.</HI></P>
<P>For &s;urely one can hardly look this Image of Chri&s;t in the face, without blu&s;hing at our own affectation of glory, and ex|altation. I would therefore gladly pre&s;ent this Antidote to the Commercers in the world, who venture ev'n all the ea&s;es of their lives to trade for prai&s;e and vain-glory: Let them but &s;inke the&s;e few words into their minds, every morning; <HI>Chri&s;tus &s;ibi non placuit, &amp;c.</HI> which may happily &s;top a little, if not divert their pre&s;ent pro&s;ecution.</P>
<P>And let me propo&s;e to &s;uch as are not &s;o apt to be mov'd by Crucifixes, as by Cabinet Images. Let me mind them how little they them&s;elves believe true of all the prai&s;es and e&s;timati|ons they give tho&s;e with whom they exchange the&s;e commo|dities: why &s;hould they then e&s;teem tho&s;e honours more real they expect from others, and &s;eek as the trea&s;ure of their life? Methinks this reflection &s;hould much work upon the &s;elf-lovers of the world: &s;ince they cannot value that glory they pa&s;&s;io|nate &s;o much; unle&s;s they believe it unfainedly conferr'd by their applauders. And &s;urely, if Worldlings did but &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider, how much they them&s;elves undervalue mo&s;t per&s;ons; and tho&s;e mo&s;t of all whom they are mo&s;t oblig'd to flatter: they mu&s;t needs enter into an incon&s;ideration and di&s;value of all tho&s;e hollow affectations; which cannot endure the lea&s;t touch of con&s;ideration, without confe&s;&s;ing their emptine&s;s and nullitie. And this may be to very many, a more proportionate motive towards their undeceiving then a more &s;piritual animadver|&s;ion.</P>
<PB N="184" REF="103">
<P>But to &s;uch as are di&s;po&s;ed for more &s;piritual applications, I &s;hall offer this object; which is not only rememorative, but ev'n operative upon well temper'd &s;ubjects, <HI>viz. Looking</HI> often <HI>upon the author and fini&s;her of our faith Chri&s;t Je&s;us: in whom it was no robbery to equal him&s;elf with God;</HI> yet <HI>he made him&s;elf of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a &s;ervant.</HI> Here now, how can one (who mu&s;t commit a robberie in &s;eeking to exalt him&s;elf) while he looks upon this original which he is to copie, find any colour of &s;elf-e&s;teem to work with? And cer|tain it is, that heaven &s;hall have no other furniture in it, but portraicts of Chri&s;t Je&s;us; nor can we take his re&s;emblance &s;o like in any feature, as in his humilitie: &s;ince his other graces fall not &s;o near our imitation. The manner then of forming this figure may be borrow'd from that of material images; which are either made as pictures, by appo&s;ition; or as &s;tatues, by &s;ub&s;traction. So the mind mu&s;t be wrought, after the man|ner of the fir&s;t, by priming it at the beginning, with the notions of Chri&s;tian vertues; then by degrees laying upon it the colour and manife&s;tation of them in their practi&s;es; and at length fi|ni&s;hing the picture there, by &s;ucce&s;&s;ive applications and impre&s;|&s;ions: but our bodies mu&s;t be handled in the other manner of &s;tatue-work, which is all by &s;ub&s;traction and retrenchment, that is, by continued &s;elf-denials and abatements of the appe|tites of our &s;en&s;itive nature. And this is a certain method to form in us that re&s;emblance, whereby only we &s;hall be known at the great appearance; where none but the &s;imilitude of Chri&s;ts humilitie, &s;hall become like him in glory, when they look upon him: which happy point, whoever intends really to perfect in him&s;elf, mu&s;t frequently meditate on his original; and in all occa&s;ions of &s;elf-&s;eeking, reflect upon this &s;o different air in Chri&s;t, <HI>Christus &s;ibi non placuit, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>And that while we are working this figure by &s;ub&s;traction and retrenchment, we may not be tempted, <HI>to ki&s;s our own hands,</HI> (which <HI>Job</HI> forewarns of) that is, to arrogate any thing to our own vertue and &s;ufficiencie; whereby, as I may &s;ay, we paint the old man, while we &s;eem to be cutting out the new (for
<PB N="185" REF="103"> this &s;elf-complacencie may form interior pride by the &s;ame acts we figure our exterior humiliation,) in precaution to this temptation, let me advi&s;e all &s;uch as take in hand this work of &s;olid humilitie by the way of &s;elf-denial, to look alwayes up|ward when they mea&s;ure their graces and fidelitie; and downward, when they weigh their pains and difficulties; that is, when they are mov'd by nature to value their me|rits, let them contemplate the tran&s;cendence of &s;ome Saint in that particular; and when they are &s;olicited to lament their la|bours and &s;ufferances, let them look downward upon &s;uch pre&s;&s;ures and di&s;tre&s;&s;es in others as much exceed their own. This is a very powerful means to pre&s;erve us either from pre|&s;umption in our acquiries of graces, or dejection in the repug|nancies of our nature; and by this &s;o important equilibration of our &s;pirit, humilitie may be &s;etled in all our exerci&s;es. For whoever propo&s;es a &s;piritual progre&s;&s;ion, mu&s;t know, that with|out this con&s;tant equal light of humilitie, he can never be a&s;&s;ured of his advance: Since, ev'n the mo&s;t &s;hining fervors of the Spirit may prove but &s;uch a kind of light, as great fla&s;hes of Lightnings give in a dark night, affording for &s;ome &s;hort time much bright|ne&s;s; which &s;erves not to direct a traveller &s;afely forward in his way; for he may be very near a precipice, and yet not perceive it by that cur&s;ory &s;plendor: So may the brighte&s;t intermitting illuminations of the &s;pirit, without this continu'd daylight of humilitie, avail us little towards our end; &s;ince we may be near the Angels precipitation, without di&s;covering it by this fla&s;h.</P>
<P>Certain it is therefore, that no elevation of our &s;pirits is &s;o &s;afe a promotion, as a &s;ober meditation on our own indignitie and de&s;picablene&s;s; evinc'd to us by this our pronene&s;s to vitiate and pervert ev'n our be&s;t qualities. Whence, me|thinks nothing &s;hould &s;erve us for a &s;tronger motive to con|temn our &s;elves, then this reflection upon the difficultie we find to become humble: when as upon a right mea&s;ure of our &s;elves, we mu&s;t needs wonder how it is po&s;&s;ible we &s;hould be proud: and yet, how ju&s;tly may we reproach this age (with S. <HI>Ambro&s;e,) Vidi multos humiliatos, &s;ed paucos humiles, I
<PB N="186" REF="104"> have &s;een many humbled, but few made humble.</HI> Too oft neither exterior depre&s;&s;ion, nor interior conviction work this impre&s;&s;i|on of humilitie, which God loves &s;o much, that he often (as S. <HI>Augu&s;tin</HI> &s;ayes) permits &s;in which he abominates in well di&s;|pos'd &s;ouls, of purpo&s;e to augment this in them. For as there is no vertue of long per&s;everance, which is not rooted in humi|litie; &s;o there is no vice pertinacious, in an humble di&s;po&s;ition.</P>
<P>Thus have I, I hope, &s;ufficiently evidenc'd the requi&s;itions of <HI>humilitie,</HI> for our per&s;everance in pietie, and fini&s;hing our cour&s;e between this world and the next. For in this Sea we are pa&s;&s;ing, <HI>humilitie</HI> may be fitly &s;aid to perform the office of the Mariners needle; which is no le&s;s requi&s;ite then the &s;ails to make the Port: &s;ince as Faith, Hope, and Charitie, acting the part of &s;ails give motions to the &s;pirit; &s;o humilitie &s;teers and directs them towards their final termination.</P>
<P>Nor yet is this frequent meditation on our unworthine&s;s, or the purpo&s;e of labouring in &s;elf-denial, &s;ingly &s;ufficient to a&s;&s;ure the acqui&s;ition of this vertue; there mu&s;t be added a &s;upernatu|ral &s;upplement towards this &s;ubduing of our nature in this her &s;tronge&s;t part of proprietie and &s;elf-love. And this &s;uccour mu&s;t be &s;ought by con&s;tant and frequent prayer: begging hu|militie as earne&s;tly, as we u&s;e to do tho&s;e advantages which are no wayes conducing to it; calling upon the true opener of our eye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, with the blind man in the Go&s;pel; <HI>Domine fac ut videam, Lord grant me the &s;ight of my &s;elf;</HI> that the Serpent, who at fir&s;t &s;hew'd me my nakedne&s;s, may not now blind me in another man|ner, by covering and concealing it from me with tho&s;e fal&s;e co|lours he &s;eeks to &s;et upon it, to hinder me from rai&s;ing humilitie out of that corruption and deformitie which he has betraid us to. This &s;elf-di&s;cernment, is a grace to be a&s;&s;iduou&s;ly implor'd, <HI>le&s;t we be circumvented by Satan,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;ayes, <HI>for we know his purpo&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;um therefore of my propo&s;als in order to the obtaining and maintaining this &s;o excellent combiner of all other Chri&s;ti|an vertues, is fir&s;t frequent recollection, to po&s;&s;e&s;s our minds with the rea&s;onables of humilitie, inferr'd from our own real un|worthine&s;s:
<PB N="187" REF="104"> next, frequent and a&s;&s;iduous prayer, to obtain the &s;uccour of Grace again&s;t our connatural appetite of &s;elf-love: and thirdly, a continual application to the practice of &s;elf deni|als. Wherein though we begin with taking off but grains, by de|grees we &s;hall find our force grow with our fidelitie; and by ea&s;ie a&s;&s;ents, we may ri&s;e towards this &s;tation (all Chri&s;tians &s;hould a&s;pire to) of <HI>jam non ego, &s;ed vivit in me Chri&s;tus:</HI> not living by our own natural life, &s;o much as by that &s;piritual animation of our head Chri&s;t Je&s;us, in who&s;e conjunction we hope for a life wherein we cannot over-love our &s;elves; which is to be obtain'd only by a &s;elf-de&s;pi&s;ing in this life; For <HI>he that loves his life, &s;hall lo&s;e it; and he that hates it, &s;hall turn it into life everla&s;t|ing.</HI> I may therefore fitly clo&s;e up this Remon&s;trance, with this promi&s;e of the Apo&s;tle; <HI>If the&s;e things</HI> advi&s;ed you, <HI>be in you, and abound, they &s;hall make you not barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t; but he that lacks the&s;e things, is blind and &s;ees not afar off;</HI> he &s;ees not through the &s;hining de|lu&s;ions of this world into the true glories of the next, to which we mu&s;t arrive by this councel of the holy Spirit, <HI>Humble your &s;elves that God may exalt you in the day of his vi&s;itation.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="10" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="188" REF="105">
<HEAD>The tenth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of SICKNESS. In five Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the Origine, together with the offen&s;ive|ne&s;s of &s;ickne&s;s.</HEAD>
<P>_IS it not a very cro&s;s unhappine&s;s in our na|ture, that when it imports us mo&s;t to be confident of our &s;ouls immortalitie, ev'n then we are mo&s;t mov'd to di&s;tru&s;t it? For does not this befal us in our corpo|real indi&s;po&s;itions? wherein our &s;oul (as if it were fa&s;tned to the body) not only &s;eems to decline by the &s;ame degrees that &s;inks; but very frequently (like the more terre&s;trial portion) appears to fall the fa&s;te&s;t, and to draw the other down the fooner: The&s;e two mental infirmities are verifi'd in our corpo|real one. For in all great &s;ickne&s;&s;es, the &s;oul &s;eems to have no other function then &s;uch as di&s;credit to her her own immortali|tie; while &s;he feels her &s;elf only by &s;uffering and wre&s;tling for life, finding all marks of her concatenation with the bodie, and
<PB N="189" REF="105"> none of her independencie; and in light indi&s;po&s;itions does not the mind very familiarly bend and &s;inke the fir&s;t; and by her faintne&s;s deject and depre&s;s the bodie fa&s;ter then the di&s;ea&s;es by their natural oppre&s;&s;ions?</P>
<P>The&s;e experimental truths may ju&s;tly extort from our &s;uffer|ing &s;ouls S. <HI>Pauls</HI> condol<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nce, <HI>O wretched man!</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>R m</HI> 7.24.</NOTE> <HI>who &s;hall deli|ver mee from the body of this death?</HI> To which indeed our Sa|viour affords us a con&s;olatorie an&s;wer, upon another occa&s;ion, <HI>This infirmitie is not unto death, but to the glory of God:</HI> however in regard of this perplexitie &s;o u&s;ually incident to our &s;pirits, it is one of the be&s;t offices can be done them to con&s;ult the remedies of the&s;e their exigencies. In order whereunto, we mu&s;t &s;urely ob&s;erve the &s;ame method in the con&s;ult, about this root of all humane infirmities, which we do in the cure of all the branches: <HI>viz.</HI> we mu&s;t &s;earch the &s;pring of &s;ickne&s;s it &s;elf, and to that di|rect our medicinal applications. And in this que&s;tion, what is commonly the mo&s;t difficult in other &s;uch like con&s;ults, is here the mo&s;t obvious; namely, to re&s;olve the fir&s;t and certain cau&s;e of the di&s;ea&s;e: for every patient can tell whence he derives this obnoxiou&s;ne&s;s to &s;ickne&s;s; all know how we were poi&s;on'd in our root, which communicates this infirm condition to all the &s;ucceeding productions. But what is not commonly known, and yet very pertinent to our redre&s;s, is, that our original infir|mitie began to di&s;clo&s;e it &s;elf fir&s;t by &s;uch marks as are now re|ceiv'd for &s;igns of health; which are, hunger and lu&s;t: for our nature was at fir&s;t &s;tated in &s;o happy an integritie, that our fir&s;t father &s;hould have acted (in order to the pre&s;erving his indivi|dual and propagating his &s;pecies) by the direction of rea&s;on, not the provocation of &s;en&s;e; he &s;hould have fed and fructifi'd, exempt from the preceding di&s;tre&s;s of hunger, or the pre&s;&s;ure of carnal &s;timulation.</P>
<P>And &s;urely <HI>Adam</HI> (con&s;idering his &s;entence, as &s;oon as he found the wants of his nature importune him) pre&s;ently con|cluded that his body was condemn'd to &s;uffer by his own &s;en&s;es becoming his Executioners; and that their di&s;orderly nece&s;&s;i|ties &s;hould by degrees unciment, and at la&s;t di&s;&s;olve this union of
<PB N="190" REF="106"> &s;oul and bodie: &s;o that his clear under&s;tanding could not fail to di&s;cern the con&s;equences of tho&s;e two in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ulting appetites of hunger and lu&s;t; and to judge them the &s;eeds of un&s;oundne&s;s and defection: but by a &s;trange providence, he &s;aw death actually po&s;&s;e&s;&s;'d of mans body (very probably) before he had ever felt any dangerous di&s;temper in it, and the &s;on was dead before the fir&s;t father was &s;ick; God being pleas'd that death &s;hould take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion by the &s;ame means it had a title to humanitie, which was by &s;in, not by nature; and as the corruption of the &s;oul, entituled death; &s;o the vitiou&s;ne&s;s of mans mind, not the defi|ciencie of his bodie, fir&s;t executed the &s;entence. Certainly therefore, when <HI>Adam</HI> &s;aw <HI>Abel</HI> dead, by &s;o &s;udden and &s;urpri|zing a means; we may well &s;uppo&s;e, he would have accounted it a &s;ingular grace if God would have granted to the re&s;t of his children, the a&s;&s;urance of being advertis'd of their end, by the &s;ummons of &s;ome di&s;ea&s;e.</P>
<P>And methinks it is no improper &s;peculation to conceive <HI>A|dams</HI> penance and purgation to have con&s;i&s;ted much in corporal infirmities join'd to his labours; his condition being &s;ubject to few other &s;ufferings, by rea&s;on of that great reverence and &s;ub|jection all his i&s;&s;ue were like to render him: for he was &s;urely honour'd as King of the earth, during his life, by all his proge|nie; and con&s;equently may be &s;uppos'd to have receiv'd his greate&s;t mortifications from the thorns which grew up in his own body; &s;o that &s;ickne&s;s may be accounted the original counter-poi&s;on to &s;in. Wherefore, as a holy per&s;on thought very well, in my conceit, that con&s;idering the unavoidable mi&s;eries &s;in had introduc'd into life, the decree of death was a mercie, rather then a rigour: &s;o may I &s;ay, that &s;uppo&s;ing the &s;entence of death, the annexure of &s;ickne&s;s to life, was a miti|gation of the judgment: for con&s;idering the far exceeding mi|&s;eries con&s;equent to an ill death; that which commonly con|duces to the amendment of life, and di&s;po&s;ure to a happy di&s;&s;o|lution, (with the co&s;t of tran&s;itorie, at the wor&s;t, and u&s;ually, but intermitting pains) ought to be e&s;teem'd a helpful a&s;&s;ociati|on to life. We propo&s;e not therefore to paint or di&s;gui&s;e &s;ick|ne&s;s,
<PB N="191" REF="106"> &s;o that it may look hand&s;omely; but to &s;et it out with &s;uch acceptable commodities, as may take off our eyes from the ill a&s;pect of the bearer, and fix them upon the benefit and va|lue of the pre&s;ents: as it is no hard matter to divert ev'n the in|ce&s;t eyes from the face of a Moore, and to place them up|on his hands cover'd with trea&s;ures and pretious offer|ings.</P>
<P>My endeavour then mu&s;t tend to evidence to the &s;oul in this &s;tate of oppre&s;&s;ion, that this her <HI>infirmitie is not to death, but to the glory of God.</HI> And to this end I mu&s;t adverti&s;e her, that as the impediments of the body abate the exerci&s;e of her natural powers; &s;o by the &s;ame degrees &s;he may make them deduct from her moral infirmities; and by that means render this &s;en&s;ible &s;ub&s;traction of tho&s;e natural faculties, a &s;piritual purgation, taking &s;o from &s;ickne&s;s, phy&s;ick for the infirmities of health; which we know &s;o commonly breeds dangerous moral ob&s;tructions, that it occa&s;ion'd this remark of a holy per|&s;on, <HI>An un&s;ound mind is the mo&s;t dangerous in a healthful and &s;ound body.</HI></P>
<P>Our &s;ouls indeed, in a &s;trong and vigorous &s;tate of body, are ordinarily turn'd the wrong &s;ide outward: that is to &s;ay, All their powers, as to their external operations, are then the mo&s;t lively and forceable (for our minds are &s;etting them&s;elves out to the be&s;t, in all vi&s;ible exerci&s;es;) but contrariwi&s;e, in their internal actings, (as to &s;elf-reflections and &s;piritual attentions) their faculties are the more &s;lack and un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ttentive, this will be granted by familiar experience: which &s;hews us how much more earne&s;tly we applie our minds to &s;et off, ev'n their intelle|ctual commodities for &s;ale to the eyes of the world, then we do to wear them inward (as I may &s;ay) in mental exerci&s;es, whereby to make &s;ecret or private acqui&s;itions. How apt are we to &s;tudy the exporting of our be&s;t thoughts (ev'n as &s;oon as we can vent them) for the exchange of prai&s;e: rather then to work upon them by &s;ingle internal contemplation; &s;o to im|prove the intrin&s;ick value, rather then the forein opinion of our minds? and yet this alas, is the lea&s;t reprehen&s;ible practi&s;e of
<PB N="192" REF="107"> our &s;ouls in this their wrong po&s;ition: for the eager applicatio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of their faculties to the pur&s;uit of the bodies appetencies, and the drow&s;ie attention to intellectual occupations, is far more re|proachable; in both which &s;elf-conver&s;ions, may not the &s;oul be accounted turn'd the wrong &s;ide outward, &s;ince its be&s;t parts are &s;et from the &s;ight of God, towards the eye of the world; in that po&s;ture which <HI>Ezekiel</HI> &s;o much reproaches,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ezech.</HI> 8.16.</NOTE> <HI>having the back&s;ide of our minds turn'd towards the Temple, and their faces towards the Sun ri&s;ing;</HI> preferring &s;en&s;ible light and warmth, (that is, prai&s;es and plea&s;ures) before &s;piritual promotion. Now how much the &s;trength of health &s;erves to overbear the &s;oul to|wards the&s;e two undue preferences, I need not fear any conte|&s;tation.</P>
<P>And does not &s;ickne&s;s very frequently conduce much to rectifie this inverted po&s;ture of our minds, turning their be&s;t &s;ide up|ward towards heaven? For &s;urely it may be &s;aid to be to death, what clouds are to rain; which alwayes put travellers in mind of wet, though they do not alwayes &s;uddenly produce it: &s;o that we prepare for ill weather upon this warning, either by ha&s;tning our pace, or by covering or &s;heltering our &s;elves again&s;t the incommodities of it. In like manner, &s;ickne&s;s al|wayes brings death into our minds, though not pre&s;ently to our bodies:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Infirmati &s;unt, &amp; po&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a accelera v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">runt.</NOTE> and upon this notice, we commonly prepare again&s;t it, either by quickning the motions of our love to God, or by cloathing our &s;elves with good works, or at lea&s;t, by taking &s;helter under the cover of repentance.</P>
<P>When the travelling <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> were weakned, they made the more ha&s;te: And how often do we &s;ee bed-rid minds (as I may well term &s;uch as have been many years unable to &s;tir, but as they were mov'd and turn'd by their &s;en&s;es,) ri&s;e from this im|potent &s;tate, when their body is ca&s;t into the bed; and &s;eem to have &s;ome of their powers bent and redre&s;&s;'d, by tho&s;e degrees the &s;inews and ligaments of the body are &s;lackned and remit|ed? which I under&s;tand, as to the elevation of the will; not to the rai&s;ing or intention of the intellectual portion in any di&s;|cour&s;ing exerci&s;e: for in this part of her &s;ub&s;tance, the mind
<PB N="193" REF="107"> runs alwayes the bodies adventure, and lo&s;eth proportionably with the &s;ufferings and decayes of this partner. Whence it is that the &s;oul becomes infeebled towards any rational enquirie into her own nature; and con&s;equently remains the le&s;s able to &s;ever her &s;elf by di&s;cour&s;e, from the infolding and complication wherein &s;he &s;eems ingag'd in the bodies materialitie: and at the time when &s;he has mo&s;t need of the di&s;cernment of her indepen|dance, is the lea&s;t di&s;pos'd for this perception.</P>
<P>But how &s;hall the mind of man (will many &s;ay) extricate it &s;elf, out of this compri&s;ure and involvedne&s;s in the bodies pa&s;&s;ions and infirmities? This may be obtain'd in &s;ome u&s;eful mea&s;ure, and that by this means; namely, by the &s;ouls labour|ing to pre&s;erve much indifference and unconcernment in all the bodies appetites and delectations in the be&s;t conditions of health; for as much as th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">it can &s;ever it &s;elf from the inte|re&s;ts of the fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;h, in point of &s;olaces, &s;o much may it be &s;eque|&s;tred from the others &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">fferings. It were unju&s;t to pretend ex|emption from the &s;en&s;e of condolance, yet to claim the be&s;t &s;hare in con&s;olations: to adhere to things in motion, and t ex|pect &s;tabilitie, is a vain propo&s;al; &s;ince ev'n the greate&s;t weights be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ng imbarqu'd for balla&s;t, are carry'd o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> as fa&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s the lighte&s;t &s;ails. Wherefore, this di&s;-engagement of the &s;pirit from the voluptuous appetites of the fle&s;h, is to be &s;tudied and intended, when the health and vigour of the body &s;olicites mo&s;t the minds combination towards the &s;en&s;es &s;atisfaction: for to what proportion the &s;piritual part is immers'd in the&s;e material gu&s;ts and reli&s;hes, &s;o much of it, as it were, is &s;unk and plung'd in our own blood; and con&s;equently, is carry'd along with the &s;eve|ral tides of our bodily con&s;titution. In&s;omuch that there are many voluptuous minds, by who&s;e bodi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s, as in a kind of wea|ther gla&s;s, one may di&s;cern their condition; and as their blood ri&s;es or falls in &s;oundne&s;s and vigor, their &s;ouls &s;eem to be rais'd or dejected by the &s;ame gradations. Since it is then &s;o notori|ous, that our minds mu&s;t &s;uffer with the &s;tate of the body, pro|portionably to that fa&s;tning and adherence to their &s;en&s;es, which they are voluntarily ingag'd in: the exemption from this &s;uf|fering
<PB N="194" REF="108"> mu&s;t be obtain'd, by a re&s;traint of our wills from this in|timate union with the bodies &s;en&s;ual intere&s;ts in the &s;tate of a healthy con&s;titution.</P>
<P>This is not, I confe&s;s, an ea&s;ie work, by rea&s;on there are, as it were, two other &s;ouls in our bodies, which in order of time precede much the rational in their exerci&s;es: for the vegitative and &s;en&s;itive are in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of fle&s;h and blood, &s;o long before the other appears, that this la&s;t &s;eems but a production upon their roots; &s;ince we find it come up into action, but as the other two &s;end it forth by their growths. And yet we may proper|ly in this ca&s;e &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 11.</NOTE> <HI>It is not you that carry this root, but this root you.</HI> For methinks, the&s;e two properties of vegitation and &s;en&s;e, which appear before the other, are to the rational, what the &s;talk and leaves are to a ro&s;e or any other &s;weet flower; both of which come forth in their perfect &s;tate, before the odour expo&s;eth it &s;elf: and yet the odour is the mo&s;t worthy part of the whole nature, making the &s;pecifical difference of the plant; though the &s;en&s;ible communication of this be&s;t qualitie attends the di&s;|po&s;ure of the meaner parts, which are to &s;erve as pipes and con|duits to give it pa&s;&s;age. Much after which &s;ort, the rational por|tion of humane nature (though the noble&s;t, and con&s;tituting the e&s;&s;ential difference and prerogative above all the powers of other creatures) expects the &s;itting and adaptation of organs, wrought by the actings of the&s;e two lower powers, before it i&s;&s;ue and ma|nife&s;t its own worthier operations. But true it is, that by the advantage of &s;o long a prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of their powers, (though but in mini&s;terial preparation for the dominion of rea&s;on) they very commonly (like Mini&s;ters governing in the Princes non-age) indear them&s;elves &s;o much to it in this weaker &s;tate, that the rational part (when it comes to age, as I may &s;ay) is go|vern'd and led away by their appetites; the greate&s;t di&s;orders whereof begin at the &s;ame time that rea&s;on &s;hould enter into the full manage of the whole nature: but then the&s;e two powers, under the notion of favorites, very familiarly govern and di&s;|po&s;e of the whole rights of their ma&s;ter; and from their unruly cupidities is deriv'd the di&s;compo&s;ure and infirmitie of the bo|dy,
<PB N="195" REF="108"> whereof the intellectual faculties mu&s;t needs partake the in|di&s;po&s;itions.</P>
<P>Since then the rational part cannot pre&s;erve the dominion (nay, nor long, its delight) by yeilding to the alluring intere&s;ts of the&s;e two irrational powers: we mu&s;t offer &s;ome motive to a|vert it from this adherencie in the mo&s;t per&s;wa&s;ive &s;tate of the &s;en&s;es; that is, in the fulne&s;s of health. And &s;urely, this diver&s;i|on may be fitly propos'd to rea&s;on. Con&s;ider that tho&s;e marks, whereby our fir&s;t father di&s;cern'd the entrie of his infirmities; namely; (Hunger and Lu&s;t) are not only &s;eeds of all our future di&s;ea&s;es, but indeed pre&s;ent indi&s;po&s;itions of our corrupted na|ture: &s;o that when the&s;e two favorite &s;en&s;es, Ta&s;ting, and Touching, fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tter our minds the mo&s;t, towards the rendring them&s;elves up to their delights, we mu&s;t &s;tudy to remember that this &s;tate of vigour in the body, is originally, an act of rebellion again&s;t rea&s;on; and for the pre&s;ent, is an admitting as many enemies, (ev'n into the bodie) as we let in exce&s;&s;es by tho&s;e ports; for di&s;ea&s;es enter mo&s;t freely and mo&s;t dangerou&s;ly un|der the colour of friends, and complacent mini&s;ters of the bo|dies inclinations; continuing their acce&s;&s;es in the &s;ame manner they made their fir&s;t entrie by the way of flattery and in&s;inua|tion.</P>
<P>And by this kind of introduction, we receive mo&s;t of our di&s;ea&s;es, <HI>viz.</HI> the plea&s;ing exce&s;&s;es recommended by our &s;en&s;es: in which complacencie of the &s;oul, &s;he is alwayes &s;ick, though imperceptible, in the very acts of the bodies health and vigour: Wherefore it is no wonder that in the fall and dejection of it, &s;he &s;hould &s;hare in the oppre&s;&s;ion. Is it not then clear, that to deliver our rational &s;oul from a communion in &s;uffering with our irrational, we mu&s;t labour to &s;ever the conjunction of the fir&s;t in the inordinate intere&s;ts of the other? and by the &s;ame mea&s;ure we practi&s;e this, the &s;pirit in all the ruines and di&s;&s;oluti|ons of the fle&s;h may remain &s;ound, and a&s;&s;ured of a &s;tate of per|manencie and immortalitie. For though the outward lights of the &s;oul may be clos'd up, by the interpo&s;ure of the bodies ruines; that is, the capacitie of di&s;cour&s;e and expre&s;&s;ions much
<PB N="196" REF="109"> darkned; yet tho&s;e very demoli&s;hments may (as I may &s;ay) break out new lights upward, whereby the &s;ight may a&s;cend clearer up to heaven, by an elevation and tran&s;mi&s;&s;ion of the will to God: and the &s;pirit exerci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ng freely acts of faith, may re&s;t confident of being an <HI>incorruptible trea&s;ure, though in a ve&s;&s;el of clay,</HI> while it finds that crack and crumble away; and in the tot|terings and declinations of the body, may make this interior re&s;t for it &s;elf,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.16.</NOTE> <HI>For this rea&s;on we do not faint; though the man which is without be corrupted, yet he that is within is renewed.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of a &s;piritual regiment, in the fir&s;t acce&s;s of any indi&s;po&s;ition.</HEAD>
<P>VVHen upon any light di&s;plea&s;ure of our Prince, we are committed to our chambers or hou&s;es, our fir&s;t thoughts are not how to recreate our &s;elves there, but how to re|concile our &s;elves to the offended power. This may well be admitted as our ca&s;e in our ea&s;ie&s;t di&s;tempers, to wit, the being &s;ent by our ma&s;ter home to our own bodies, as a mark of &s;ome di&s;plea&s;ure: and therefore, conformable to that method, our fir&s;t application ought to be in order to his &s;atisfaction, not to the &s;olaces of our pre&s;ent condition. For there is no cra&s;ine&s;&s;e we feel, that is not a record of Gods having been offended by our nature; and every little ach about us is a thorn or briar &s;pringing out of that offen&s;ive earth, whereof we are compos'd. Wherefore ev'n the &s;ofte&s;t pain is in Gods &s;till voice, an <HI>Adam, where art thou? viz.</HI> a memorial of the faultine&s;&s;e and frailtie of our bodies, which we inve&s;t as the &s;ons of <HI>Adam;</HI> to which, tho&s;e who at the fir&s;t call, an&s;wer not (by an
<PB N="197" REF="109"> humble reflection upon their debt to God, and upon their own infirm nature; but immediately have recour&s;e to the &s;uccors of external remedies) may be &s;aid to run under the leaves for &s;helter and &s;uccour, as &s;oon as they hear God &s;tirring. For the re&s;orting fir&s;t to the vertue of Plants and products of the earth, Is it not ju&s;t &s;uch a prepo&s;terous impertinence as <HI>Adams,</HI> &s;o &s;oon as he perceiv'd his nakedne&s;s? This is therefore the &s;afe&s;t pre&s;cript; to repair in the fir&s;t place to that <HI>Tree of life,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rev.</HI> 22</NOTE> <HI>the leaves whereof are ordain'd to heal the Na|tions.</HI></P>
<P>And let no body protract this addre&s;s upon the &s;lightne&s;s of the &s;ummons for there is no &s;o little di&s;order'd emotion of the pul&s;e, that beats not an alarm ev'n of death: and &s;ince ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> worldly amu&s;ements and diver&s;ions admit not a continual keeping our minds in duty upon the approaches of that enemie; to continue that incon&s;ideration upon the actual a&s;&s;aulting of a quarter, were a &s;hameful &s;elf betraying. I allow not herein the deferring preparation for death, till this warning of &s;ickne&s;s: for well advis'd per&s;ons &s;hould prepare in their be&s;t health, again&s;t the known impediments of &s;ickne&s;s towards that preparation; &s;ince commonly, when we are the neare&s;t death, by this way, we are the mo&s;t di&s;tant from the means of &s;ecuring our pa&s;&s;age. For all tho&s;e rational powers that di&s;po&s;e us the be&s;t, by contend|ing again&s;t the intere&s;ts of the &s;en&s;itive ones, are then all engag'd to &s;uccour and defend them; by rea&s;on their oppre&s;&s;ion com|pri&s;es, then, the rational parts deficiencie: wherefore this can|not be the mo&s;t proper, ev'n becau&s;e it is the mo&s;t pre&s;&s;ing &s;tate towards this intendment. I do therefore earne&s;tly di&s;&s;wade this dilatorie a&s;&s;ignment.</P>
<P>But &s;urely they, who, upon the fir&s;t &s;tep of &s;ickne&s;s, doe not immediately part towards God; but flye fir&s;t to material remedies, and &s;tay, as commonly mo&s;t do, to be carryed to God by our di&s;ea&s;es pace: &s;uch may be &s;aid truly to apprehend the ill of &s;ickne&s;s, more then the ill of death; which is &s;uch an unrea&s;onablene&s;s, as ev'n tho&s;e,
<PB N="198" REF="110"> who incur it by this cour&s;e, will blu&s;h to avow; for this appre|hen&s;ion of &s;uffering doth certainly &s;harpen deaths &s;ting, and commonly not abates the edge of &s;ickne&s;s.</P>
<P>Having begun by this due prepo&s;ure of our chief obligation; the application to the remedies of art challenges the next place: in de&s;ign of which &s;uccour, God has implanted medicinal ver|tues ev'n in the briars and thi&s;tles of the field; and ordain'd that by the labour and culture of man, one part of the earth &s;hould afford both antidotes and remedies again&s;t the corrup|tions of the other. And for extracting the&s;e benefits, God has a&s;&s;ign'd intellectual labourers for this culture: who not only &s;tudy the &s;urface, but dig into the bowels of the earth, draw medicinal light out of its darke&s;t rece&s;&s;es, and render the &s;ame materials which are the &s;harpe&s;t in&s;truments of death, the quick|e&s;t Admini&s;trers of life.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 38.1.</NOTE> No wonder then, if he enjoin us to <HI>honor the Ph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;itian, for the need we have of him; for the mo&s;t High hath created him:</HI> and truly con&s;idering our condition, there is no &s;ecu|lar vocation, whereof we have &s;o preci&s;e a nece&s;&s;itie. For we may &s;uppo&s;e it fea&s;able for a man to &s;erve him&s;elf in all other offices ab&s;olutely requi&s;ite to his &s;ub&s;i&s;tance; but it is not po&s;&s;ible for him (in violent di&s;ea&s;es, whereto we are all liable) to be his own Phy&s;itian. So that admitting this our inevitable need, and Gods gracious provi&s;ion, I may apply what S. <HI>Paul</HI> directs for the Mini&s;ters of Gods Ju&s;tice, to the&s;e of his Compa&s;&s;ion; and ad|vi&s;e you to be <HI>&s;ubject unto the</HI> Phy&s;itian,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 13</NOTE> <HI>not only for fear, but likewi&s;e for con&s;cience &s;ake.</HI> For what is a&s;crib d to &s;piritual Phy&s;ick which is Penance) &s;uits well to corporal, <HI>viz.</HI> to be <HI>tabula po&s;t naufragium,</HI> a Planke after Shipwrack; &s;ince both &s;uppo&s;e the integritie of our nature ca&s;t away, and mini&s;ter thereupon their re&s;pective &s;uccours to &s;oul and body: be&s;ides, as they rapport to one another in their bitterne&s;s and unplea&s;ant|ne&s;s to our &s;en&s;itive portion, &s;o do they in their rectifying and &s;anative properties.</P>
<P>And our receiving the <HI>Phy&s;itian</HI> under this notion of a Mini|&s;ter and Commi&s;&s;ioner of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">od, be&s;ides the mediation of a ble&s;&s;ing to the remedies) affords this &s;pecial &s;en&s;ible ea&s;e <HI>viz.</HI>
<PB N="199" REF="110"> the allaying and qualifying much of the bitter and di&s;ta&s;tfulne&s;s of our Phy&s;ick. for as we u&s;e to gain upon the aver&s;ions of our &s;tomachs by the mediation of our affections, (as when we choo&s;e per&s;ons very agreeable and belov'd to mini&s;ter to us ve|ry nau&s;eous medicines; and by this intere&s;t of our fancie, find a facilitation toward the taking off tho&s;e di&s;gu&s;tful <HI>recipes:</HI>) So when we have po&s;&s;e&s;&s;'d our minds with this character of our Phy&s;itian as Gods Mini&s;ter, and apprehend all our pre&s;cripts as dictated and deliver'd to us (as it were) by his hand; this conception may much &s;weeten to us all the &s;en&s;ible di&s;&s;avours of our remedies. And by this order we &s;hall not incur King <HI>A&s;a</HI>'s irregularitie; while we find God in the Phy&s;itian,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Chron.</HI> 16.</NOTE> not &s;eek and confide in him as our God: for by that method, we may not only allay the di&s;&s;avours of the matter, but reconcile us to all the effects of our medicaments: whil&s;t we take life or death as from that hand of the Lord whence they both are i&s;&s;ued. By which means Saint <HI>Pauls</HI> cordial is mini&s;tred to us, <HI>Gods being glorified, whether by our life, or our death.</HI></P>
<P>After this order taken in our &s;piritual and natural hou&s;es; the next care ought to be the &s;etting our civil hou&s;e in order: which is to be done by a method quite different from that we proceed by in our natural Economie. For that hou&s;e is to be rectifi'd by repairing and piecing up; but this, by parting and taking in pieces: our bodies being well &s;tated by compo&s;ing the difference of the parts with the whole; and our e&s;tates, in this ca&s;e, be&s;t di&s;pos'd, by dividing the whole into parts. And mo&s;t commonly, the great &s;olicitude we have in &s;etting this civil hou&s;e in order for our life, brings it into di&s;order, as to the di&s;po&s;ing of it in this occa&s;ion: for the &s;tronger we have built it, the more pain we find to take it a&s;under; and there are few that in this architecture, do not follow as near as they can, the rule of &s;eating their hou&s;e upon a rock, to make it of proof again&s;t the rain and winds of the world. But how many have its foundation and materials &s;unk &s;o deep into their affections, that they &s;eem to become parts ev'n of their natural hou&s;e: in&s;o|much
<PB N="200" REF="111"> that the working upon the civil one, when it is to be chang'd or remov'd, &s;eems to &s;hake and weaken the natural? How common is it to apprehend the advice of making a Te|&s;tament, as a &s;entence given again&s;t our recovery: and how often does the terror of parting with our goods ha&s;ten the part|ing with our bodies; the good or ill &s;tate whereof follow much the quiet and compo&s;ure of our affections? And to this mental infirmitie we may impute many of tho&s;e inte&s;tate ends: though in &s;ome there is likely a mixture of a judgment; to minds, namely, that apprehend giving, and death alike; and having liv'd in this wretched &s;tate, are not allow'd the ble&s;&s;ing of giving, when happily they would do it freely and with comfort. Such mean <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ouls may be &s;aid to have for|feited their goods by the law of Chri&s;tianity, and death makes the &s;eizure, without allowing them any di&s;po&s;ure.</P>
<P>But my &s;ubject leads me not towards the rectifying this enor|mitie of health; but only to propo&s;e the regulating and rank|ing in a due place, this care in &s;ickne&s;s: in reference whereto, I have &s;eated this intendment of &s;etting our hou&s;e in order, in that due place which may be challeng'd by our &s;ecular tyes and obligations. And &s;urely this di&s;charge and expoliation, in the fir&s;t a&s;&s;aults of &s;ickne&s;s, is no le&s;s proper then a &s;ick mans un|dre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf, when he is advis'd to take his bed: for without doubt, there is as much difference in the &s;piritual ea&s;e of one deve&s;ted of the&s;e obligatory &s;olicitudes, and anothar cloath'd and begirt with them; as between a &s;ick mans lying in his wearing clothes, or in his naked bed. Wherefore let every one in this ca&s;e with their fir&s;t conveniencie, exempt them&s;elves from this reprehen&s;ive note of S. <HI>Paul.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor</HI> 5</NOTE> <HI>We who are in this taber|nacle, &s;igh and are burdened, becau&s;e we would n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t be uncloath'd:</HI> But let them begin cheerfully to &s;et their hou&s;e in order, by their taking it a&s;under like a tent, without much labour; and &s;trengthen their &s;pirits with this con&s;olation of the holy Gho&s;t, <HI>We know that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">f this earthly hou&s;e of this tabernacle be de&s;tro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">. 5 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc;</NOTE> <HI>we have a building of God, a hou&s;e not made with hands, but eter|nal in the heavens.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<PB N="201" REF="111">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of &s;ome con&s;olatorie receipts for &s;ickne&s;s.</HEAD>
<P>I Mu&s;t confe&s;s that &s;ickne&s;s needs all the good offices can be devis'd, to reconcile us to the injuries and offences of it; e&s;pecially &s;ince this exerci&s;e of patience affords not the exam|ple and &s;ocietie of our &s;uffering King and Head, <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us;</HI> whereby we might be directed in our behaviour. In all our other trials we have him in our eye, with this memorial of the holy Spirit; <HI>In that he &s;uffered and was tempted,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.18.</NOTE> <HI>he is able to &s;uccour tho&s;e that are tempted:</HI> but in this thornie path we find no prints of his footing. The rea&s;on given is, that he, no wayes par|taking of original &s;in, (whereof our bodily infirmitie is a pro|duct) was to have his body only liable to external injuries, whereof our bodies &s;hould have been &s;u&s;ceptible in the &s;tate of integritie; and being de&s;ign'd to die for others, not him&s;elf, (all his &s;uffering being addre&s;t for &s;atisfactions of our offences) this particular one might have &s;eem'd more natural and involuntary then his other to which he &s;o manife&s;tly contributed a willing &s;ubjection: and moreover, his bodily indi&s;po&s;ition might have been an impediment to the exerci&s;e of his mi&s;&s;ion. But waving the rea&s;on as a mi&s;terie, we find not any mention of our Saviors induring any interior corporal infirmitie; but &s;o much the con|trary, that his fle&s;h cured all di&s;ea&s;es that touch'd it: &s;o that in this point, we want S. <HI>Peters</HI> admini&s;tration of &s;uccour, by &s;ee|ing <HI>Chri&s;ts &s;teps and his example left, that we may follow them.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2 22.</NOTE></P>
<P>Yet notwith&s;tanding the want of Chri&s;ts company in this &s;uf|fering &s;tate, we have his compa&s;&s;ion of it abundantly extant in his life: for we find him &s;o tenderly affected to all &s;ick per&s;ons, that he never omitted the cure of any that was offer'd him,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 4.23.</NOTE> <HI>he went a|bout healing every &s;ickne&s;s, and every di&s;ea&s;e among the people:</HI> and we have this te&s;timony of the good effects of &s;ickne&s;s, that it
<PB N="202" REF="112"> drew all tho&s;e it po&s;&s;e&s;t, unto Chri&s;t; it brought ev'n from the farthe&s;t parts of <HI>Syria,</HI> and wherever his fame reach'd, patients and &s;uppliants to him: in&s;omuch that we may &s;ay, the voice crying in the De&s;art did not bring &s;o many, as that crying within our own dores: for we may very probably believe there was no &s;ick body, ev'n among&s;t the mo&s;t ob&s;tinate Jews, that re&s;orted not to Chri&s;t. And admiting his &s;piritual cure to have been alwayes annex'd to his corporal (which is con&s;tant|ly believ'd, and that ju&s;tly; becau&s;e it was a double defeat at one blow to the Devil, who&s;e works Chri&s;t came to de&s;troy;) we may conclude that this &s;uffering &s;tate did partake more of the benefit of his &s;ufferings, then any other. How much more happy then, were their di&s;ea&s;es then their dignities to the peo|ple Chri&s;t came chiefly to vi&s;it? for was it not ask'd, as a thing incredible, Whether any of the Princes had believ'd in him? Whereas, &s;urely it might have been ask'd, as a much &s;tranger thing, Was there any di&s;eas'd body that did not &s;eek him? So much more ble&s;&s;ed among the cho&s;en people of God, was this &s;tate of infirmitie, then that of felicitie. Had the <HI>womans i&s;&s;ue of bloud</HI> been &s;topt by the Phy&s;itians, <HI>upon whom &s;he had &s;pent all her &s;ub&s;tance,</HI> it is a great que&s;tion, whe|ther, having her health, &s;he would have crouded &s;o confidently to have touch'd <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> (here, <HI>vertue was truly perfected in infirmitie:</HI>) And had the <HI>rich young man</HI> come to our Sa|viour, for the cure of &s;ome grievous di&s;ea&s;e; it is not likely he had gone away from him wor&s;e then he came; but the wants of his body would &s;urely have counterpois'd the weight of his fortune, which overturn'd him: for we know how much le&s;s force our worldly po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions have to draw our minds, when they have no hold upon our bodily fruitions, then when they are fa&s;t|ned to them by tho&s;e chains of &s;en&s;ual enjoyments; which &s;ick|ne&s;s doth mo&s;t commonly di&s;&s;olve. The <HI>bed-rid Paralitick</HI> broke through hou&s;es to get to Chri&s;t; and went richer away with his bed upon his back, then the unhappy <HI>young man,</HI> who could not get through his own hou&s;es and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions; which drew him back, and carried him away from Chri&s;t, in a more-to-be-pittied
<PB N="203" REF="112"> impotencie, then that wherein the other &s;ought him. May not then the&s;e te&s;timonies of the &s;erviceablene&s;s of &s;ickne&s;s to our be&s;t part, deduct much from our wor&s;er parts aver&s;ions?</P>
<P>It will admit a hard que&s;tion, Whether the &s;tate of indi|gencie or of infirmitie, be the mo&s;t tolerable? they are both &s;o grievous, that I believe the pre&s;ent &s;ufferers, in each kind, often wi&s;h an exchange with one another: for ev'n the beggars health is &s;ome times a pain to him; when his hunger exceeds his alms: and the bed-rid mans riches prove often a vexation, when he finds him&s;elf re&s;train'd from tho&s;e liberties and plea|&s;ures, which his fortune offers him. How often doth the men|dicant wi&s;h him&s;elf enclos'd in the rich mans bed with his di&s;|ea&s;e, and &s;erv'd with his accommodations. And how com|monly would the &s;ick ma&s;ter of the hou&s;e have chang'd places with the &s;uppliants at his dore? But Gods method in the di|&s;tribution of cro&s;&s;es, is not unlike that of his graces; whereof <HI>every one hath his proper gift:</HI> and I may &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.</NOTE> <HI>the manife&s;tation of his cro&s;s is given to every one, to profit withal,</HI> in their &s;everal exerci&s;es. Wherefore I am enclin'd to think, that if this ex|change were practicable, (with this condition, that each one &s;hould be afterward confin'd to his choice) both parties would &s;ometimes repent them of their bargain. For in this ca&s;e, our cro&s;s would be all of our own making, and nothing of the hand of God in it; which lightens all the burthens it layes on, by remaining a re&s;t and &s;upport to the bearer. <HI>Manus domini teti|git me,</HI> the hand of the Lord hath &s;tricken me, was <HI>Jobs</HI> &s;traw that lay under him in his dunghil; he found one hand under him, while the other was upon him; and in this manner the weights are counterpois'd, which God impo&s;es: whereas con|trariwi&s;e, when we feel our own hands &s;ingly in our burthens, they are not only impotent as to our ea&s;e, but &s;o much dead weight for aggravation. Wherefore I pre&s;ume this &s;imple &s;elf-pre&s;ence, in our cho&s;en cro&s;&s;es, would &s;harpen all their cor|ners. Whence the be&s;t &s;weetning we can take with this bitter potion of &s;ickne&s;s, is to infu&s;e into it this con&s;ideration,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;.</HI> 75.8.</NOTE> <HI>In the
<PB N="204" REF="113"> hand of the Lord is the cup, it is full mix'd, and he pours out the &s;ame:</HI> for commonly when we &s;trive to mix it our &s;elves, we but put in the dregs; the portion of &s;inners, added to that of &s;ufferers. This error is one of the greate&s;t vexations of our life, a &s;eeking to alter the things them&s;elves, and not our own opini|ons of them; when this is in our power, and the other out of it: we may change our apprehen&s;ions of &s;ufferings, not our obnoxi|ou&s;ne&s;s to them. And yet alas, how &s;tudiou&s;ly do we intend the unattainable part, and how coldly endeavour the fea&s;eable? Whoever then &s;eeks an antido<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e again&s;t this infirmitie of our nature, mu&s;t procure to fortifie his mind again&s;t the pre&s;&s;ures of his body; which is a practicable work: and not hope to change the cour&s;e of nature, by any art or caution, &s;o far as to an exemption from &s;ickne&s;s; which priviledge tran&s;cends our con&s;titutions.</P>
<P>In order then, to the moderating our apprehen&s;ions of the evils in this &s;ort of &s;ufferance, I will pre&s;ent you a meditation, borrow'd from a very holy per&s;on, and one much exercis'd in this tribulation: He &s;aid, that <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us&punc;</HI> our head, having offer'd nothing in this kind to the ju&s;tice of God, in his own per&s;on, makes now continually this offering, in his &s;uffering members; and to expiate the offen&s;ive plea&s;ure of <HI>Adams</HI> ta&s;te, by this means pre&s;ents the bitterne&s;s and di&s;reli&s;h of all things exerci&s;ing that &s;en&s;e. Wherefore, every di&s;eas'd member of Chri&s;t &s;hould account him&s;elf under the notion of a &s;acrifice, de|&s;ign'd by his head, towards the continuance of his &s;uffering ob|lations; whereby he propitiates God for the remi&s;&s;ion of their corporal offences: in which regard every pious patient may be allow'd to &s;ay, <HI>I fulfil the re&s;t of the afflictions of Chri&s;t in my fle&s;h.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. <HI>Col.</HI> 24.</NOTE> Now admitting this conception (which is very excellent in my &s;en&s;e) what a &s;olace mu&s;t this be to have all the infirmi|ties of our fle&s;h, and often the very con&s;equences of our &s;ins, taken into Chri&s;ts hands; and valued to us as mini&s;tries in his &s;ervice, while they &s;tand for offerings upon his accompts? in|&s;omuch that in this relation every feaver may be &s;aid to fire in|cen&s;e, as it pa&s;&s;es through Chri&s;ts hands; and every opening
<PB N="205" REF="113"> of a vein, is &s;o much blood pour'd out upon the Altar, by way of an acceptable &s;acrifice; taking Chri&s;t for the Prie&s;t that offers it. Surely this &s;tate thus con&s;idered, mu&s;t every parcel of it, every &s;igh or groan, afford &s;ome refre&s;hment, by this holy reference: The con&s;umption of our bodies may upon this &s;core, like the ancient Ho&s;ts of the Temple, derive an acceptablene&s;s from their &s;ignification, which they had not in their &s;ub&s;tances: and by this appliance, the corruption of our nature may prove the &s;eed, ev'n of our regeneration.</P>
<P>We may well conceive, that our head and High-prie&s;t en|dears this &s;acrifice to God, above any of our other cro&s;&s;es: not only becau&s;e it co&s;ts man the mo&s;t of any; but likewi&s;e for this &s;pecial propertie, of being mix'd with le&s;s impuritie then our other &s;ufferances. For mo&s;t of our other afflictions involve, either an actual offence again&s;t God, or &s;trong temptations to|wards it, as in all per&s;onal injuries and affronts we receive from our neighbour, there is not only a pre&s;ent guilt in the actor, but the patient is al&s;o &s;harply tempted to undue re&s;entments. And likewi&s;e in external per&s;ecutions (as in violent deprivements of libertie and goods) there is, both, &s;in on the oppre&s;&s;ors part; and not only much provocation to the &s;ufferer towards mur|mur and repugnancie; but al&s;o a pre&s;&s;ing &s;olicitation of our minds towards worldly cares and &s;olicitudes, to recover &s;uch accommodations: in&s;omuch that in the&s;e exerci&s;es of our &s;pi|rits, God is certainly offended in the one half, by the actors ini|quitie; and very likely, to be di&s;pleas'd in the other by the &s;ufferers irre&s;ignation.</P>
<P>The&s;e &s;piritual prejudices are incident to our other cro&s;&s;es, from which &s;ickne&s;s &s;eems priviledg'd; to deduct much from its corporeal painfulne&s;s; for it is not inflicted by external violence: whence all the re&s;entment we are mov d to, is &s;uch as is ever medicinal to the &s;oul; namely, a &s;elf que&s;tioning and di&s;plea&s;ure at our own di&s;orders, when we find them the authors of our di&s;ea&s;e; which commonly rai&s;es that <HI>godly &s;orrow</HI> (the Apo&s;tle approves as) <HI>producing ju&s;t indignation,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7 11.</NOTE> <HI>Zeal and re|venge.</HI> Nor does this privation, like our other de&s;titutions of
<PB N="206" REF="114"> fortune, call our minds into the world, and urge our &s;olicitudes towards recoveries, and new traffique for earthly commodities; but rather averts and divorces our thoughts from &s;uch inque&s;ts. So that upon the&s;e con&s;iderations, &s;ickne&s;s cannot be deny'd this excellent propertie, of being the &s;ounde&s;t and lea&s;t tainted with an offen&s;ivene&s;s to God of all tho&s;e cro&s;&s;es and tribulations, wherewith he di&s;ciplines his children.</P>
<P>Methinks then, I may not unfitly &s;ay, in favour of this &s;o di&s;ta&s;teful cup, All other afflictions (wherewith God treats and medicines our infirm &s;ouls) are like tho&s;e Drugs which have &s;ome poi&s;onous qualitie; by which though they purge divers peccant humors, yet they likewi&s;e offend &s;ome &s;ound part of the bodie: but &s;ickne&s;s may be &s;aid to have the propertie of a <HI>Cri|&s;is;</HI> whereby nature expels &s;electedly, the nocent part which op|pre&s;&s;es her, and &s;o relieves, without any injurious mixture. For in tho&s;e cro&s;&s;es whereby God is offended on the one &s;ide by the actors, though they purge the patients, yet there is this noxious condition, which is di&s;plea&s;ing to God, ev'n while it has &s;ome good operation: but, in this cro&s;s of &s;ickne&s;s, there is not that mixture of iniquitie, by which any law is violated; and there|fore it works more &s;imply the purgation of the &s;ufferer. Whence it may be re&s;embled to the operation of a &s;piritual <HI>Cri&s;is:</HI> while tho&s;e other tribulations, having in them &s;o much offen&s;ive vio|lence, like tho&s;e &s;trong drugs, taint and deprave &s;ome members of Chri&s;ts body, though to others they &s;erve for remedies and re&s;tauration.</P>
<P>And &s;urely, for this rea&s;on in part, <HI>David</HI> preferr'd &s;ickne&s;s before tho&s;e other cro&s;&s;es denounc'd him: for by falling into the hands of God &s;inglie, he could not apprehend a farther of|fence to him, while he was the only executor of the judgment. And was not <HI>Ezechias</HI> treated more favorably by this exerci&s;ing di&s;ea&s;e, then any other of the Kings of I&s;rael, by their expo&s;ure to foreign enemies? he was, but, as it were, committed to his own hou&s;e; and the others deliver'd up to publick ju&s;tice: &s;uch a difference there is between being puni&s;h'd by our own or others bodies.</P>
<PB N="207" REF="114">
<P>I may therefore very rea&s;onably offer the&s;e motives of allevi|ation to this &s;tate of &s;ufferance; that we have to do with God &s;ingly in this affliction, and that he has cho&s;en for us the mo&s;t innocent purgation; which ought to allay much the a&s;peritie of it. Let me, then, pre&s;cribe this Cordial, in the fir&s;t &s;ei&s;ure of our di&s;ea&s;e: the taking it as a mercie, to be <HI>faln into the hands of God, and not of man.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. IV.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Some u&s;eful thoughts propos'd to in&s;truct and ea&s;e the mind of thoughtful per&s;ons; e&s;pe|cially in &s;leeple&s;s nights.</HEAD>
<P>SInce Phy&s;itians pretend not any art to &s;uppre&s;s melancholy and di&s;tracting thoughts; nor can promi&s;e &s;o much as the &s;u&s;pending them by the interpo&s;ure of &s;leep, which leaves, as it were, their &s;hadows floating in our fancie; while rea&s;on, their &s;ub&s;tance, remains excluded: if material applications undertake not this mental ca&s;e; it mu&s;t needs be very u&s;eful to admini&s;ter &s;ome &s;piritual remedies, that may po&s;&s;e&s;s the mind with proper, if not plea&s;ant occupations.</P>
<P>I &s;hall therefore offer this in the fir&s;t place, as a &s;ea&s;onable co|gitation, To ruminate &s;eriou&s;ly upon the deformitie of &s;in, ex|pos'd to our apprehen&s;ions in the &s;uffering and disfigurement of our body; &s;ince in our own pains and vexations, we mo&s;t ea&s;ily perceive the nakedne&s;s of that which has introduc'd the&s;e unhap|pine&s;&s;es. For though every mi&s;erable or di&s;eas'd body be a fi|gure of &s;in unvail'd; and by how much more horrid, &s;o much liker it is: yet the father of this deformitie entertains our &s;e|duc'd nature in &s;uch aver&s;ion from tho&s;e objects: that we com|monly
<PB N="208" REF="115"> ha&s;te our eys over tho&s;e unplea&s;ant pa&s;&s;ages, and &s;tay not long enough for their imprinting in our thoughts the Image of &s;in: for he breaks tho&s;e foul &s;pecies as &s;oon as he can, by the variation of the object; carrying our eyes to the beautie and loveline&s;s of fair and &s;ound bodies: wherein he covers &s;o well the fouln<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of this, that in them it becomes a temptation rather then a terror. So that the calamities of other bodies di&s;cover not &s;o ea&s;ily to us the ugline&s;s of &s;in: but when our own comes to be torn and disfigur'd, he cannot divert our eyes by the al|lurement of other pro&s;pects; our looks being &s;o fix'd upon them, that the reflection of &s;ins image imprints in our thoughts a lively picture of it. For then the Devil with all his arts can|not fa&s;ten his flattering colours upon a tortur'd and di&s;&s;olving bodie, no more then we can paint upon du&s;t or a&s;hes, which di&s;&s;ipate as &s;oon as they are touch'd: &s;ince, ju&s;t &s;o, when our own bodies are falling in pieces, no &s;pecies of beautie will fix and &s;eat it &s;elf in our eyes: and con&s;equently, we then mo&s;t clearly di&s;cern the natural foulne&s;s of &s;in; which is as much more horrid then any corporal pain or deformitie, as eternitie is longer then the longe&s;t time.</P>
<P>And the having this mon&s;ter in our eye, renders the ill-fa|vour'dne&s;s of any tran&s;itory puni&s;hment much more tolerable. For when we con&s;ider that our health and vigour have often be|got and nurs'd this mon&s;ter; with the &s;ame love, as if it were a fair and dear i&s;&s;ue, which our &s;ickne&s;s and &s;ufferance di&s;covers to us to be of a very dete&s;table nature: as much then as we ab|hor this de&s;tructive errour, &s;o much we deduct from the di&s;ta&s;te of our pre&s;ent grievances: when the&s;e breaches made into our bodies, let in that light, by which we &s;ee the avoidance of eter|nal torments, whereof we can judge be&s;t when we are in actual pains. And the&s;e con&s;iderations may ea&s;ily produce patience; while we accept our &s;ickne&s;s under the notion of a delivery from a greater, and not as an ab&s;olute affliction.</P>
<P>By this means likewi&s;e, the mind intends her own bu&s;ine&s;s; and is not taken up with the bodies importunate clamors which call for a continual attendance to bemoan, at lea&s;t, its com|plaints;
<PB N="209" REF="115"> and commonly the &s;en&s;itive part is like a child, &s;ooner &s;till'd when it cryes, by chiding, then by cheri&s;hing and bemoaning: wherefore the rational &s;oul &s;hould rather look &s;e|verely, then fondly upon the complaining body: to which purpo&s;e, while our thoughts lei&s;urely ball<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nce again&s;t our &s;uffer|ings, our own demerits to God, or confront our condition with many others, (of who&s;e offences we cannot judge &s;o &s;ure|ly as of our own, and yet may conclude their burthens heavier,) the&s;e reflections may at lea&s;t alleviate our grievances, if not &s;i|lence our laments.</P>
<P>Let tho&s;e then, who lye upon their ea&s;ie beds, &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">v'd with &s;uch accommodations as would, certainly be a cure to many thou&s;and of their &s;ick brethren in the &s;treets and h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ghwayes; let them &s;end forth their thoughts to vi&s;it tho&s;e fellow-&s;ufferers, who&s;e very di&s;ea&s;e is the de&s;titution of &s;uch helps as over-flow about them: and tho&s;e objects cannot choo&s;e but deduct much from the accompt of their own mi&s;erie. And &s;urely God leaves &s;uch affrighting pro&s;pects in tho&s;e publick places on purpo&s;e to encounter tho&s;e daintie and nice eyes; which in their own Pala|ces, behold nothing but material or metaphorical flattering-gla&s;&s;es, that reflect to them only the loveline&s;s of humane na|ture: and to this end, he &s;eems to &s;et &s;o many horrid figures in the way, where tho&s;e wandring eyes pa&s;s, only, towards &s;ome new varied delighting object, <HI>viz.</HI> to &s;hew them the way of all fle&s;h and blood, which they are moving in, and commonly, the fa&s;ter, the le&s;s they think of it. Methinks tho&s;e bodies bro|ken and cleft by &s;ickne&s;s and other violences, are the hou&s;es of our humanitie: left open for our thoughts to enter and &s;ee with|in dores the frailtie of their materials; while our own are &s;hut up to us by &s;ome pre&s;ent health and happine&s;s: in&s;omuch that &s;uch di&s;tre&s;&s;'d carca&s;&s;es offer this charitie; namely, the furniture of this truth, which is the pa&s;&s;engers great want, and alwayes co&s;ts them &s;o dear; while they ask but a &s;mall alms of tho&s;e incon&s;idering and &s;traying eyes: for which they may &s;erve as guides to &s;et them into their way of di&s;cerning truly their own &s;tate and con&s;titution, thus laid open to their &s;en&s;es; which they
<PB N="210" REF="116"> relye mo&s;t upon for their opinions, not con&s;idering their makers information,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> 35.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> that <HI>man is but rottenne&s;s, and the &s;on of man but as a worm.</HI></P>
<P>And let our pre&s;ent patient (vi&s;iting the &s;treets and the high|wayes, now, to take the air of common &s;ufferance) con&s;ider, for a receipt, how often he has run away from the voice of the publick criers of humane mi&s;erie (as I may well term them;) with little attention either to what they petition'd or proclaim'd: and if he be rightly &s;en&s;ible of his pa&s;t incon&s;ideratene&s;s, the ex|ce&s;s of their mi&s;erie will afford him more charitie, then his ful|ne&s;s of means did allow them. For he will be &s;omewhat eas'd by comparing their &s;urpa&s;&s;ing grievances with his own: whereas they, receiving no relief from his compa&s;&s;ion, found po&s;&s;ibly &s;ome addition to their calamitie, by the compari&s;on of his con|dition. The circum&s;tance of <HI>Lazarus</HI> lying at <HI>Dives</HI>'s dore, did undoubtedly &s;harpen the pain of his hunger: and had the corruption of <HI>Dives</HI> full diet broke out into &s;ores, the looking out upon <HI>Lazarus</HI>'s ulcers and their dre&s;&s;ings, &s;et by his own balms and odours, mu&s;t needs have lightned his complaints. And thus a <HI>Lazar</HI> may, in this life, ca&s;t water upon the tongue of a <HI>Dives,</HI> though, in the next, he mu&s;t heap coals of fire.</P>
<P>As for &s;uch rich and religious per&s;ons, who venture frequent|ly their be&s;t health towards the relief of the wor&s;t that is found in Spittles and Ho&s;pitals; (where the in&s;ide of humane nature &s;eems to be turn'd outward, in the expo&s;ure of nothing but foul|ne&s;s, ordure, and corruption:) this naked view of man, leaves in &s;uch minds, &s;o lively images of the mi&s;eries of their brethren, that when they fall &s;ick, what abatement they find in the tax of their own di&s;ea&s;e in re&s;pect of others, or advantage in their &s;uc|cours, &s;erves to deduct &s;o much from the &s;en&s;e of their affliction; and then, what was the mo&s;t noi&s;ome and offen&s;ive in their cha|ritable offices, proves the mo&s;t ea&s;ing and con&s;olatorie in this &s;tate of their infirmitie: For in this their nece&s;&s;itie, all the &s;ick they have tended and &s;uccour'd, return them (as I may &s;ay) their vi&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s; coming into the pre&s;ence of their memories, and attend|ing
<PB N="211" REF="116"> there to &s;olace their minds: and then the mo&s;t loath&s;ome di&s;ea&s;es, and the mo&s;t loading nece&s;&s;ities, that pre&s;ent them&s;elves to their con&s;ideration, mini&s;ter to their lighter &s;ufferings the mo&s;t extenuation; practi&s;ing this advice of the holy Spirit, <HI>He &s;hall look upon men and &s;ay, I have &s;inned,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 33.27.</NOTE> <HI>and have not recei|ved what I de&s;erv'd.</HI></P>
<P>Commonly indeed, we propo&s;e to the &s;ick, rather light and carele&s;s amu&s;ements, then &s;uch &s;erious cogitations; and 'tis certain, &s;uch rockings and lullings of our fancie are proper in their turns: but the rational part mu&s;t have nouri&s;hment as well as re&s;t, in this condition. Wherefore the mind ought to have her time of feeding upon this &s;olid meat of &s;piritual reflections, and then the&s;e other emptie and indifferent recreative thoughts take their place with more conveniencie and fitne&s;s; as &s;leep and repo&s;e follow properly after &s;u&s;tenance and refection. So too, when the mind is &s;tock'd with &s;olid notions, it will not fear being left in the dark; that is, depriv'd of tho&s;e exterior lights of comfort which friends hold about the bed: for a a &s;pirit furni&s;h'd with interior watch-lights, is much le&s;s per|plex'd with &s;leeple&s;s nights; then one left &s;olitarie in the dark, void of &s;uch impre&s;&s;ions as may keep out the affrighting images ri&s;ing from a di&s;temper'd brain which is a familiar ca&s;e; when the inferior office of the &s;tomach who&s;e place is to &s;hut up, by &s;weet vapours, all the dores and windows of the &s;en&s;es, that neither the lights of rea&s;on, nor the noi&s;e of memory may exer|ci&s;e the brain; &s;o that the ce&s;&s;ancie of this Ma&s;ter-Actor may impart re&s;t to the whole body:) when this lower part is &s;o vi|tiou&s;ly affected, that it &s;ends up nothing but rude and offen&s;ive company to the brain; it is commonly more ea&s;e to awake our rea&s;on and di&s;cour&s;e, to confute their deceitful terrours, then to expect that &s;leep &s;hould come in to our &s;uccour and ex|tingui&s;h tho&s;e blazes, wherewith our fancie is fired, and the whole brain tormented. In&s;omuch that this happens many times to &s;ick per&s;ons (whereof I am an experienc'd witne&s;s) that it is more ea&s;e to watch again&s;t tho&s;e affrighting &s;lumbers, then to hope for repo&s;e or refre&s;hment by them. Wherefore,
<PB N="212" REF="117"> to the&s;e di&s;tracting watchings, which want exterior amu&s;e|ments, there &s;hould be mini&s;tred &s;ome con&s;erve of pertinent meditation.</P>
<P>In this weari&s;ome &s;tate, <HI>where &s;leep flyes from our eyes,</HI> and the more thoughts we &s;end after to &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">k it, the farther it goes from us: the next way to lay our &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rits at ea&s;e, is to call off our imagination from that pur&s;uit of this Image, and fix it upon the original, which this copie, contrarie to all others, by an <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">xce&s;&s;ive u&s;e of it, rather excludes, then expre&s;&s;es to our m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd. For a little reflection will &s;erve to repre&s;ent to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s how often the &s;oundne&s;s and deadne&s;s of &s;leep has remov'd <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">om us all thoughts of death: Let us therefore, in this de+p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">vement of &s;leep, make u&s;e of our waking; and not lo&s;e th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t too, by a &s;top<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">i'd incogitancie: but rather, by &s;ome u&s;eful recogitations, recover many of tho&s;e nights, which the abu&s;e of &s;leep has &s;et upon our accompt, to be di&s;charg'd by vigi|lancie.</P>
<P>If we con&s;ider the nights repo&s;e &s;hould &s;erve us as a continual memorial of our la&s;t re&s;t, and our bed &s;tand for a model of our Coffin: If we have often drawn the&s;e notions from them; or &s;o far from this good u&s;e, have &s;erv'd our &s;elves of them both, as means of forgetting, not only our temporal, but ev'n, our eternal death. If upon the&s;e examinations we find that this time, which was ordain'd to be the mo&s;t innocent and harmle&s;s of our life, has been perverted into the mo&s;t guilty and offen&s;ive; having cho&s;en the night, de&s;ign'd for a ce&s;&s;a|tion of the evils of labour, to make it an expedient for the more activitie in the ill of &s;in rendring that darkne&s;s, which &s;hould put out all iniquitie&punc; the means of covering and &s;ecuring it: They who have many of the&s;e truly horrid waking nights upon their accompt, may be much comforted to think, that by this faultle&s;s wakefulne&s;s, they may through the workings of a contrite &s;pirit, retract the guiltine&s;s of their voluntary watches; wherein (as the holy Spirit reproaches them) <HI>they &s;leep not till they have done mi&s;chief.</HI></P>
<PB N="213" REF="117" MS="y">
<P>Tho&s;e, to whom riotous intemperancie has heretofore &s;o ea&s;ily furni&s;h'd &s;leep, that they have had no time to reflect upon that undue means to which they ow'd their unhappy re&s;t (which ro&s;e from the gro&s;s and foul vapours of &s;in, whereby their rea&s;on was more extingui&s;h'd before, then in their &s;leep, their dreams having more of it in them, then their di&s;cour&s;e:) when &s;uch lavi&s;h unthrift healths come to be arre&s;ted by &s;ickne&s;s, and then by the &s;oul, charg'd with the debt of &s;o much time, which the body is to an&s;wer for, as having ca&s;t that away which belong'd to her. In this ca&s;e, the &s;ick body may think him&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lf favour'd, by this intermi&s;&s;ion of &s;leep; whereby he may repay to his &s;oul by his penitent wakings, &s;ome of that time he is indebted, by his vitious &s;leeps: accounting ju&s;t, that, having by the exce&s;s of diet, grown &s;o much in debt, now by the want of appetite, he &s;hould be brought to make his re&s;titution. And if, as he may by his watchfull thoughts, he draw the light of, grace out of this darkne&s;s; keeping his intellectual eyes open upon the differences of the&s;e two &s;tates, repo&s;ing &s;ecurely in &s;in, or being in this di&s;counting and &s;atisfactory di&s;quiet: he will ea&s;ily acknowledge it a more mi&s;erable condition to be in a &s;ound &s;leep, with any mortal &s;in, then painfully and penitently awake, in the mo&s;t mortal &s;ickne&s;s: &s;ince to the one, the devil makes his bed in his health; and to the other, God makes it, in his &s;ickne&s;s, while he keeps him in this expiatory vigilancie, and is di&s;po|&s;ing him to eternal re&s;t. Wherefore, in this &s;tate, I &s;hall propo&s;e to &s;uch re&s;tle&s;s penitents this awaking cordial of the Apo&s;tle: <HI>The night is pa&s;t, and the day is at hand;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 13.12</NOTE> <HI>let us therefore ca&s;t off the works of darkne&s;s, and put on the Armor of light.</HI> So that if in our life pa&s;t, we have made u&s;e of darkne&s;s, more &s;ecurely to forge offen&s;ive weapons again&s;t God and our neighbour: we may now, while we are ju&s;tly de|barr'd the be&s;t u&s;e of natural darkne&s;s, which is re&s;t, &s;et our thoughts to work upon this defen&s;ive Armor of Light, <HI>viz.</HI> a &s;olid penitence, and a deep contrition; and in that di&s;po&s;ition
<PB N="214" REF="118"> conform our &s;elves to our pre&s;ent &s;tate, &s;aying with the A|po&s;tle,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 5.6.</NOTE> <HI>Let us not &s;leep as others do, but let us watch and be &s;ober.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;uch as have not &s;o much weight of guiltie &s;leep upon their memorie to counterpoi&s;e the heavine&s;s of their eyes, and &s;o hold them open; in a &s;atisfactory purgation <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">f their having often pre&s;um'd, in health, to clo&s;e them&s;elves, while they &s;hut up &s;o horrid a bedfellow as mortal &s;in; yet the&s;e le&s;&s;er accomp|tants want not, it may be, much abu&s;e of &s;leep to an&s;wer for. As many tender indulgers of their bodie, who have, in their health, a&s;&s;ign'd exce&s;&s;ive mea&s;ures of &s;leep, towards the flat|tering of the fle&s;h; and under the title of the bodies health, have retrench'd the mind of half her life: when &s;ickne&s;s makes this repri&s;al of &s;ome time to render to the &s;oul; may they not well reflect upon this ju&s;tice, and acquie&s;ce to it? How few are there that cannot charge them&s;elves with many watching nights pa&s;t away plea&s;antly, either in the de&s;igning or acting of vanities; and may not remember with what a chearful and light&s;ome di&s;|po&s;ition, without the lea&s;t touch of &s;leepine&s;s, they have fea&s;t|ed, play'd or &s;ported away whole nights: and on the contrary, how drow&s;ie and heavie-ey'd they have been at tho&s;e exerci&s;es where time was to be recover'd, not pa&s;&s;ed away? one of tho&s;e day-hours is often too heavy for tho&s;e eyes to bear, without &s;inking under it; which can carry whole nights broad open, without feeling any heavine&s;s, while they are running in cha&s;e of their appetites and pa&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>The&s;e Prodigals of health and time when they come to want ev'n the husks, as it were, of tho&s;e &s;weet &s;leeps, for which they were wont to choo&s;e their own hours; in this condition envy|ing ev'n their own mercenaries, which abound in what they langui&s;h for. As when the &s;ervants that watch with them can|not drive &s;leep from their eyes, while it fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">es from their ma&s;ters: and the very &s;leep that is about them, &s;erves but to di&s;quiet them; for the &s;ounder it is in him that &s;hould watch, the far|ther it proves from him that &s;hould &s;leep; t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e attendants re&s;t contributing to the attendeds waking and di&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">urbance: when this
<PB N="215" REF="118"> tender patient, as I &s;aid, lies in this unea&s;ie to&s;&s;ing of body and mind; let him fix his thoughts upon the levities and vanities of his health: and let him imagine he is, by this agitation, throw|ing off tho&s;e feathers and &s;traws, wherewith his ea&s;ie and de|lightful bed heretofore has cover'd him; which if he goe out of the world with them &s;ticking upon him, will prove fuel to that purging flame; who&s;e the &s;harpne&s;s &s;urpa&s;&s;es all we can apprehend, except that which has eternitie added to its a&s;pe|ritie.</P>
<P>And when he con&s;iders, that by a patient and penitent ac|ceptance of this vexatious &s;tate, he may ca&s;t off much of that foulne&s;s, who&s;e purgation is indi&s;pen&s;able; and thinks how u&s;e|ful the&s;e re&s;tle&s;s hours may prove to work out that, which re|po&s;e would but cover over, not expunge. The&s;e &s;erious atten|tions will &s;ooner &s;till and ea&s;e his mind, then a weari&s;ome long|ing, and expectance of &s;leep. This was King <HI>Davids</HI> remedie, who wanted no artifice to procure re&s;t;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;.</HI> 76.</NOTE> when <HI>his eyes were kept waking, and he was troubled and &s;pake not;</HI> he &s;ayes, <HI>I was con|verted in the night, with my heart I was exerci&s;ed, and made clean my &s;pirit.</HI> Wherefore this work which we may be&s;t do in the dark, is to be intended in this conjuncture, whereby we may convert that time, into the improvement of a bet|ter life, then that which this re&s;tle&s;s po&s;ture can im|pair.</P>
<P>As this is the mo&s;t di&s;con&s;olate &s;tate of &s;ickne&s;s, &s;o it re|quires the mo&s;t powerful applications: I have therefore us'd all my art, to extract ev'n out of the poi&s;onous bodie of &s;in, (thus calcin'd and con&s;um'd by the ardors of our feavour) &s;uch a &s;pirit or &s;alt of penitent reflections, as may give ea&s;e to the Patient; not by &s;tupifying, but by quickning his &s;en&s;es: and &s;weeten the natural nece&s;&s;itie of his waking, by the vertuous a&s;&s;ignation of it. And &s;ince the be&s;t means to a&s;&s;ure us again&s;t &s;tarting at the &s;ight of death, is to look frequently and fixedly with broad open eyes upon it; &s;urely, in this &s;tate, when the approach of it &s;eems to hold them thus unclos'd, we &s;hould ke<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">p our &s;pirits awake, and watching upon deaths incroach|ments;
<PB N="216" REF="119"> which are di&s;cernable by the &s;hortning of this &s;hadow of death; namely, &s;leep. For we know that th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">r and more perpendicular death it &s;elf comes to be over our head, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he le&s;&s;er this &s;hadow of it grows. Wherefor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n this its evident ad|vance towards us (when we may perceive our hours pa&s;&s;ing a|way by the want of this &s;haddow) we may well think it time to &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t our voluntary watch, by this order of <HI>watch and pray, le&s;t you enter into temptation.</HI> And by th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s pious intendment, the &s;oul may b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>found filling her Lamp at midnight,</HI> with that oil which will not only light her in her way, but likewi&s;e a&s;&s;wage and leni&s;ie the dolors of the body in the pa&s;&s;age: wherefore in all re&s;pects, I may recommended this manner of improving this grievous and tedious time to nature; by the mediation of the vi|gilancie of grace, whereby we are intituled to this promi&s;e of eternal re&s;t, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they, whom when the Lord cometh, he finds watching.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. V.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The re&s;ult of all t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;e con&s;iderations: and the good u&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s to be made of &s;ickn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;s.</HEAD>
<P>VVE have con&s;ulted upon &s;ickne&s;s it &s;elf in the ab&s;tract; and having found the &s;pring of it ri&s;ing in the brain of man, (for his &s;training to elevate his under&s;tanding bruis'd that, and broke his body in pieces with the fall:) we may won|der the le&s;s that the &s;oul &s;eems to &s;uffer and wa&s;te with the bo|dies infirmities, &s;ince &s;he is culpable of this def<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ction. So that though &s;he lo&s;e not her immortalitie by this unhappy act; yet it &s;eems not unju&s;t, &s;he &s;hould be &s;ome times frighted by this ap|pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hen&s;ion in tho&s;e extr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">mities of the bodies &s;ufferings, deriv'd from her own peccancie: Nor can it be expected that &s;uch a
<PB N="217" REF="119"> mind, as has &s;erv'd it &s;elf of the fairne&s;s and clearne&s;s of the bodies con+&s;titution, only to plunge it &s;elf the deeper into fle&s;h and blood, &s;o to take the fuller draught of the &s;weets of every &s;en&s;e; when the gall (as I may &s;ay) overflows into each of their cups, &s;uch mind &s;hould not then ta&s;te the bitterne&s;s of this change, and &s;eem almo&s;t poi&s;oned by this di|&s;ta&s;tefulne&s;s. Wherfore we have advis'd the &s;oul to keep her &s;elf (as much as her &s;tate will allow) di&s;intere&s;ted in the bodies tran&s;itory felicities; a|gain&s;t who&s;e deceitful out&s;ide we are premoni&s;h'd by their Maker, to value them as the beauty of flowers, or of gra&s;s; &s;uch marks of their va|ni&s;hing away has God been pleas'd to &s;et upon tho&s;e his gifts, which by their pre&s;ent loveline&s;s, might indanger our incon&s;idering their imper|manent nature. The &s;oul then, ought to make u&s;e of the bodies &s;oundne&s;s and integrity, as a pa&s;&s;enger of a bright &amp; clear day; to make the farther di&s;covery of her way, out of the body &s;he is pa&s;&s;ing through&punc; &amp; the clear|ne&s;s and good di&s;po&s;ition of her organs may &s;erve her as the better pro|&s;pective gla&s;&s;es; by w^c^h her eie may reach tho&s;e di&s;tances that in the time of their being clouded and overca&s;t, &s;he cannot attain. And this is the happie and prudent advantage of health, <HI>viz.</HI> by the activity and good di&s;po&s;ure the mind is in, to fore&s;ee the inevitable pa&s;&s;age, through infir|mitie &amp; indi&s;po&s;ition; wherunto &s;he is tending in this &s;tate of her peregri|nation: and by this prenotion of her con&s;equent danger, (of being ob|&s;cur'd by the bodies darkne&s;s) to prepare &s;uch a &s;tock of &s;elf-knowledge; that when the light of her di&s;cour&s;e grows dim in the bodies clouds, yet the acts of her intellect may be clear and light&s;om, whereby &s;he re&s;ts a&s;|&s;ur'd of her own independencie on the bodies di&s;&s;olution: concluding her remove to tend towards that permanent &s;tation, which is pointed at, from the &s;ouls fir&s;t i&s;&s;uing out of it; from w^c^h in&s;tant it moves in a circu|lar return, as not having here a permanent abode, but &s;eeking another that is to come. This excellent &s;ugge&s;tion, from the ble&s;&s;ing of health, is &s;ingularly remarkable in holy <HI>Job&punc;</HI> whom S. <HI>Gregory</HI> admires more for his previ&s;ion and preparation for &s;ickne&s;s and mi&s;erie in his pro&s;perous integritie, then for his vertuous tollerancie of his afflictions: who&s;e won|derful progno&s;tick is manife&s;t in this his profe&s;&s;ion, <HI>My &s;ighing comes be|fore I eat, and my roarings are pour'd out like the noi&s;e of waters; for the thing I fear'd is come upon me, &amp;c. Job.</HI> 3.24. And &s;urely this premedi|tation of his obnoxiou&s;ne&s;s to all his calamities, conduc'd much to the pre&s;erving his mind in her integrity; untainted by the ulcers of his
<PB N="218" REF="120">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="219" REF="120">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="218" REF="121"> bodie and unoffended by the wounds of his fortune: that find, <HI>he ador'd, as he fell;</HI> and his &s;oul, keep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ng it &s;elf in a counterpo|&s;ition to his fle&s;h, remain'd erected in the others dejection. And we have one antidote more then he had; which is communi|cated to us by his &s;ickne&s;s, and was the only want he &s;eems to have &s;uffer'd in his extremitie: namely, that God often exer|ci&s;es his mo&s;t favour'd &s;ervants, with &s;ickne&s;s and other tribula|tions, meerly to refine and heighten their puritie: this is a cor|dial, which ev'n, the mo&s;t purg'd and &s;incere &s;ouls may take; to give them re&s;t in tho&s;e flames that melt them down, in order to this refinement: and tho&s;e who find their &s;ouls and bodies charg'd with gro&s;s polutions, may comfort them&s;elves with meditating on tho&s;e rare effects, this purgation of &s;ickne&s;s has produc'd. They may remember how much happier <HI>Naaman</HI>'s lepro&s;ie prov'd to him, then his Lieutenancie of <HI>Syria;</HI> his in|firmitie procuring a clean&s;ing to the foulne&s;s of his felicitie: for how unlikely is it, that if his health had &s;uited to his other hap|pine&s;s, he would have made any account of the fame of the Prophet? the rivers of <HI>Dama&s;cus</HI> would have &s;erv'd to bathe in; and entertain that mental lepro&s;ie, which ea&s;e and delicacie engender.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mar.</HI> 5.</NOTE> How little hope is there, that <HI>Jarus</HI> the Prince of the Synagogue, would have become a &s;uppliant to one, whom the re&s;t of his Town did &s;o much contemn, had not his daugh|ters &s;ickne&s;s &s;olicited this application?</P>
<P>And may not this he brought for a legitimate extenuation of the ills of &s;ickne&s;&s;e?<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mar.</HI> 6.</NOTE> to con&s;ider that ev'n in <HI>Nazareth,</HI> Chri&s;ts own Town, wherein he liv'd three parts of his life, only &s;ome few &s;ick per&s;ons ta&s;ted the ble&s;&s;ing of his &s;ocietie: the re&s;t were &s;candaliz'd at the eminence of his wi&s;dom and vertue, and ren|dred their relation &s;o much the more criminal by their repug|nancies.</P>
<P>The&s;e and the like recogitations cannot choo&s;e but temper and allay &s;omewhat the bitterne&s;s of this cup; when the pre|&s;enting of the benefit is join'd with the pre&s;ence of the di&s;gu&s;t: and who can deny that very familiarly, the &s;ame things we <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">p|prehend, as in&s;tantly de&s;tructive, become the in&s;truments of pre|&s;ervation?
<PB N="219" REF="121"> like the fi&s;h,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Tob.</HI> 6.</NOTE> which young <HI>Toby</HI> apprehended as a mon&s;ter ready to devour him; yet was it de&s;ign'd by God, both as aliment for his journey, and medicament for his fathers eyes: &s;o how often do tho&s;e affrighting di&s;ea&s;es, which at fir&s;t &s;hew us the graves mouth open to &s;wallow us, &s;erve as means of longer life, and of cures to &s;ome &s;piritual blindne&s;s; in&s;omuch that the contrary to the end of voluptuou&s;ne&s;s is often verifi'd in the term of this vexation; for it proves a way which at fir&s;t &s;eems to be wrong; but <HI>the i&s;&s;ues thereof lead unto life.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Prov.</HI> 14.12.</NOTE></P>
<P>If there were a <HI>Pool of Bethe&s;da</HI> extant; I pre&s;ume it would have more votaries, then any priviledg'd Altar in the world: and many a poor impotent bodie, that were not likely in a long time, to get the fir&s;t place, would notwith&s;tanding re&s;ort to this po&s;&s;ible relief. I therefore exhibit this &s;piritual Pool to all infirm Patients, which is commonly, acce&s;&s;ible to all conditi|ons; namely, the contemplation of the un&s;oundne&s;s and cor|ruption of &s;inful fle&s;h and blood; who&s;e waters the meane&s;t cripple and the &s;icke&s;t beggar, have not only an Angel to &s;tir, but likewi&s;e to ca&s;t every one into them. All our good Angels are ready to do both the&s;e offices; and &s;urely &s;ick <HI>Jobs</HI> Guar|dian was &s;tirring the&s;e waters, and bathing his &s;ores in them, while he was patiently &s;craping him&s;elf with a Pot&s;heard, and meditating (as S. <HI>Gregory</HI> inferrs) how one fragment of broken earth was &s;erving another: by which cogitation, in the clean&s;ing and exter&s;ion of his bodie, he pre&s;erv'd his mind taintle&s;&s;e and undefil'd; wiping away all murmur or repugnancie towards this his vi&s;itation: and keeping his &s;pirit fix'd upon the tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n&s;i|tory peri&s;hablene&s;s of humane nature, concluded for his own ea&s;e, what may &s;erve us in all our griefs and dolours, <HI>While his fle&s;h is upon him, he &s;hall be &s;orrowful; and while his &s;oul is in him,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 14 22.</NOTE> <HI>it &s;hall mourn.</HI></P>
<P>We have made a vi&s;itation general to the &s;ick, we have en|terd Palaces and private hou&s;es, &s;urvey'd the Spittles and high|wayes; and in both the&s;e extreams, we find &s;ome medicaments afforded reciprocally from to each the other; the great ones look|ing down upon the far exceeding mi&s;eries of their fellows in na|ture
<PB N="220" REF="122"> may find &s;ome extenuation in their own lighter exemp|tions; and the mo&s;t depre&s;&s;'d looking upward upon the com|mon expo&s;ure of all conditions to the greate&s;t &s;ufferance of this life, which is &s;ickne&s;s; may take &s;ome alleviation in their &s;urchage; by con&s;idering that ev'n tho&s;e, from whom they receive all the ea&s;es of their life, are but level and equal with them, in the mo&s;t grievous affliction of life. For the Founders of Ho&s;pitals, and the Patients in them are Fellow Commoners in the &s;tate of &s;ickne&s;s: So that as the Benefactors may deduct &s;omewhat from their burthens, by weighing them with tho&s;e whom they reliev'd; the&s;e may likewi&s;e abate &s;omewhat of their exceeding di&s;tre&s;&s;es, by comparing their equalitie with their Ma&s;ters, in this greate&s;t affliction.</P>
<P>Wherein God ob&s;erves his commutative ju&s;tice to our offending nature; rather then his di&s;tributive, re&s;pecting every per&s;onal offence. For &s;ince the fir&s;t per&s;on infected our Nature, That infects every per&s;on &s;ince: &s;o that God him&s;elf, when he put on our humanitie, thought not fit to red integrate it, in this point of impa&s;&s;ivene&s;s, but has ra|ther apply'd the &s;ufferings of our per&s;ons, towards the pur|gation of our nature; and enabled our &s;ouls to render our bodies impa&s;&s;ible at their &s;econd a&s;&s;ociation; whil&s;t in their fir&s;t conjunction, they are to remain fellow-&s;uf|ferers,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> 9.14.</NOTE> the body which is corruptible, pre&s;&s;ing down the &s;oul.</P>
<P>Wherefore the univer&s;al remedie mu&s;t be repeated in this clau&s;e, The contemplation of the mi&s;eries annex'd to &s;in|ful fle&s;h and blood, mu&s;t be the Antidote, taken in our be&s;t health to prepare us again&s;t the &s;urprize; and the A|pozeme, to ea&s;e us in the pre&s;&s;ure of &s;ickne&s;s, the holy Spirit pre&s;cribes us in this Ordinance,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 11.27.</NOTE> <HI>In thy good dayes be mindful of the evill; and in the evill, forget not the good.</HI> By which practice, our health &s;hall not be in danger of the &s;urprize of &s;ickne&s;s; nor our &s;ickne&s;s liable
<PB N="221" REF="122"> to the de&s;pair of betterment and melioration. I will there|fore leave all my Vi&s;ited,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 14.7.</NOTE> with the&s;e cordials of S. <HI>Paul</HI> by them, <HI>None of us lives to him&s;elf, neither doth any of us dye to him&s;elf; for whether we live, we live unto our Lord; or whether we dye, we dye unto our Lord:</HI> up|on the taking whereof we &s;hall find wrought in us this his re&s;olution: Therefore, <HI>in all confidence,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Phil.</HI> 1.20.</NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t &s;hall be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="11" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="222" REF="123">
<HEAD>The eleventh Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">OF DEATH. In four Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<P>_WE have been long treating and pre&s;cribing to &s;ickne&s;s; not in order to the &s;aving of life, but to the killing of death; which is oftner done by the &s;ting of &s;ickne&s;s, then by any other in&s;trument: for when that is any thing &s;harp, the &s;ting of death, which is &s;in, &s;eems unpointed. And when &s;in cea&s;es, death may be &s;aid to be mortally &s;ick; it lies a dying with the &s;ame body it is killing, and expires con|jointly with the peri&s;hing &s;ubject wherein it &s;ub&s;i&s;ted, (which are the material elements of the body, the &s;oul at the &s;ame in|&s;tant entring into a fuller life:) &s;o that &s;ickne&s;s, oftner then health, may &s;ay, <HI>O death&punc; I have been thy death.</HI></P>
<P>Youth and health &s;eem &s;eated by nature, in &s;uch an elevation above death, that they cannot look down into a grave, without growing dizzie &amp; amaz'd: &s;uch a &s;teep precipice they appre|hend between life and death; whereas the true rea&s;on of this lightne&s;s of their heads, is the hollow trifles they are fill'd with. It is the imbecilitie of the &s;en&s;e, not the ter|rour of the object, that works upon the&s;e heads: Wherefore to
<PB N="223" REF="123"> &s;ettle and a&s;&s;ure them they ought to look down often upon this term where they mu&s;t re&s;t; and &s;o by degrees, they'l not only be able to doe that confidently, but even to walk down that mi&s;conceived precipice, between their gardens and their graves. They will con&s;ider unmovedly, that the &s;ame earth which now opens her pores to pre&s;ent them with all the fruits and flowers they delight in, will &s;hortly open her mouth to &s;wal|low them up; and by way of re&s;titution, turn them into that matter, which &s;hall produce for others the &s;ame commodi|ties they owe the earth in their times. The&s;e cogitations will prove ea&s;ie and familiar to them, when they are accu&s;tomed, with <HI>David,</HI> to <HI>cary their life in their hands; not forgetting the law of God and nature.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Death</HI> is the creature of rebellion; and in revenge thereof, is allow'd by God, to ma&s;ter his own maker, <HI>viz.</HI> our rebel|lious nature; which is &s;truck with &s;uch a terror of this her creature, that of her &s;elf, &s;he but flies continually from it, &s;carce daring to look it in the face; which is notwith&s;tanding, the only defence &s;he has again&s;t it. Did not he who fir&s;t &s;aw death, fly from it, with this confu&s;ed amazement,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cain.</NOTE> fearing it in every face he &s;aw? But his unexperience may better be ex|cu&s;ed, then our timerou&s;ne&s;s; who have &s;een it in all times and things, for &s;o many thou&s;and years, &s;ince his introduction of it: and yet, does not our weak nature commonly turn her face from it, as if that were &s;ome kind of eva&s;ion? Methinks, tho&s;e who are afraid to meditate upon the cour&s;e of nature, (which is inevitably carrying them to death upon the current of time) may be &s;aid to do, as if a pri&s;oner (being hurry'd down a river) &s;hould alwaies turn his face up the &s;tream, not daring to look that way which he knew him&s;elf certainly mo|ving: Is it not &s;uch a kind of weakne&s;s and impertinency in us, to attend only to the relations of life; not turning our con&s;iderations towards the cour&s;e and con&s;equence of our death? And this is the rea&s;on why we &s;o &s;eldom know the be&s;t way to this our inevitable end; namely, becau&s;e we &s;o rarely &s;et our eyes to look upon the pa&s;&s;age wherein we are moving;
<PB N="224" REF="124"> as if our thoughts, going retrograde, could carrie our bodies back along with them; when the truth is, at our fir&s;t &s;tep into this life,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iob</HI> 16.23.</NOTE> we enter (as holy <HI>Job</HI> &s;aies) <HI>into a path in which there is no reverting.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;pirit of man therefore in our peregrination through this life, ought as little to tru&s;t fle&s;h and blood, in point of Councel, for an intentivene&s;s upon the progre&s;&s;ion therein; as a traveller to be advi&s;ed by his ho&s;t, whether he &s;hould march on, or &s;tay and loyter in his hou&s;e: Such kind of invitations having our &s;en&s;itive nature, to amu&s;e and divert the &s;pirit by this familiar per&s;wa&s;ion, that we have time enough for that in|tendment. For, does not our nature look to regulate the minds application to this pa&s;&s;age towards death, by what may be termed <HI>Natures own Dial, viz.</HI> our Age; by which account, for the mo&s;t part, we are deceiv'd? Since our ages &s;urely can give us no more &s;ecurity of the &s;ucceeding proportions of our life, then dials can of the continuance of tho&s;e beams, by which they &s;hew us how long the Sun <HI>might</HI> &s;hine that day out upon our horizon; but not how certainly it <HI>&s;hall</HI> (not mar|king how &s;oon a cloud may intercept that &s;plendor:) So, albeit nature, by our ages, may &s;hew what time our life may la&s;t, yet cannot they a&s;certain us how long it &s;hall continue&punc; for none of tho&s;e intercepting accidents, which break off the cour&s;e of nature, are notifi'd to us by our age, no more then the change of weather is upon Sun-dials. Wherefore grace calls upon us to watch continually; as not knowing at what hour we may be &s;urprized; for we are oftner benighted, by the intervention of ca&s;ualties, then by the natural efflux of time.</P>
<P>Death is allow'd to u&s;e us more like our ma&s;ter then our crea|ture; it &s;eldom &s;taies for natures leavings. Nor can we complain of it; for &s;ince our delu&s;ion and &s;urprize w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s its making, we cannot expect other, then that there &s;hould be &s;urprizing and deceiving in its nature; wherefore as credulity and pre&s;umpti|on produc'd it; caution and diffidence mu&s;t prepare again&s;t it. Let not then even Youth and Health (Natures greate&s;t
<PB N="225" REF="124"> &s;trengths) make us &s;lacken our watches; for death very often makes u&s;e of them as the be&s;t blindes for his approaches; and Nature of her &s;elf, &s;eldom looks through them upon the enemy, when they are before her. How frequently doth death work, and even &s;pring the Myne; while our youth and health is buil|ding up that hollow earth, which in an in&s;tant is blown up and evaporated?</P>
<P>How rea&s;onable is it then to propo&s;e to our youth and health, that &s;ince they account death &s;uch an enemy, they would pro|ceed with it, as with one; that is, &s;eek to provide again&s;t it: which may be done by an ea&s;ie means; <HI>viz.</HI> by but making them&s;elves familiar with it. The great and only real enemy of our nature, the old &s;erpent (who makes no prize, but by deaths hand) u&s;es all his arts to divert this intelligence, knowing how ea&s;ily, by that means, it may be gain'd by us, again&s;t him: and commonly he prevails &s;o far with our youth, that it pa&s;|&s;es without any &s;erious corre&s;pondence with death (in&s;omuch, that many of tho&s;e who brave it every day in publick, dare not conver&s;e with it in private) &s;o fondly are they abu&s;ed in the way to the &s;ecuring them&s;elves again&s;t this apprehended enemy.</P>
<P>Alas! how common is it, to &s;ee the youth of the world grow as bold with death (when 'tis but cover'd over in the &s;moak of fame and vain-glory) as if they were agreed of an exchange, be|tween their own vital, and a little of the flattering breath of o|thers: and yet the &s;ame per&s;ons can hardly be per&s;waded to be&s;tow never &s;o little of their breath, to conver&s;e with death bare-fac'd, as it is the i&s;&s;ue of &s;in? How weari&s;ome is the lea&s;t di&s;cour&s;e of it, to the bold libertines of this age; who even by the &s;ting of death, &s;in; are rendred in&s;en&s;ible of its poy&s;on: and by this unhappy cour&s;e, find that &s;econd death which &s;o &s;eldom comes into their apprehen&s;ions.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<PB N="226" REF="125">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the Folly, as well as &V;nchri&s;tianne&s;s of Du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ls.</HEAD>
<P>LOoking down from the Pinnacle of the Temple, into the hou&s;es, &s;treets, high-waies, and fields of the world; where I find death acting in &s;o many and &s;o divers po&s;tures; methinks there's no one whereby the Prince of darkne&s;s tri|umphs more over our humane nature, then (this wherein he im|ployes our courage, even the vertue of our nature to de&s;troy it &s;elf) by the de&s;perate practi&s;e of <HI>duels.</HI> It mu&s;t needs there|fore be very pertinent to our pre&s;ent &s;ubject, to labour the di&s;|arming of death; and taking away the&s;e unnatural weapons, which procure &s;o many double deaths, and con&s;equently Tro|phies for the enemy of mankind.</P>
<P>Since God him&s;elf was plea&s;ed, as S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>To partake of fle&s;h and bloud;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> 2.</NOTE> <HI>that through death, he might de&s;troy him who had the empire of death:</HI> Methinks the devil has repair'd the lo&s;s of many other prerogatives, by this particular power which &s;eems increas'd. He hath lo&s;t mo&s;t of his Altars; but to this Idol of private &s;ame and vainglory, he has more &s;acrifice, then even in the fulne&s;s of his reigne: For death &s;till flies about this age, upon &s;ames wings, &s;o little apprehended, that our youth &s;eem rather di&s;ciples &s;till of the Heathen Poets, then of the Heavenly Apo&s;tles; who&s;e doctrine is, that, <HI>Tho&s;e who live by Chri&s;ts death, are not to live to them&s;elves, but to him who died for them.</HI> So that our lives are li&s;ted and in &s;ervice, again&s;t the Prince of this world; and con&s;equently, it is quitting our par|ty to venture our lives either for revenge, or popular vain-glory: for the&s;e are truly the enemies colours, under which we are &s;o de&s;perately forward: in&s;omuch, that the more we de&s;pi&s;e death in the&s;e occa&s;ions, the more we combat for our enemy,
<PB N="227" REF="125"> who by this undue contempt of death, while we fight for his &s;ide, reduces us into the bondage of it.</P>
<P>Methinks the devil entertains the youth of the world in this dependance on him, as he did the Ancient Gentiles, <HI>viz.</HI> by returning them &s;ome fair an&s;wers out of the mouth of this Idol, Fame, which pa&s;&s;eth for the Oracle, whereby they govern their actions, and whereto they make &s;uch offerings as were u&s;ed too among the Gentiles, with an infu&s;ion of humane bloud. May it not then be truely &s;aid, they who keep up this bloudy prerogative of the Devil, are more &s;ubjects of <HI>Apollyon,</HI> or the de&s;troyer, then of the &s;overaigne Saviour of man|kind.</P>
<P>Is it not &s;trange that many who are &s;uch lovers of this life, that all their thoughts and actions are a&s;&s;ign'd to the cheri&s;hing and &s;weetning it, by all the voluptuou&s;ne&s;s and &s;en&s;uality they can compa&s;s; in&s;omuch, that when death is but di&s;cours'd of &s;eriou&s;ly, their &s;pirits flie off, as tho&s;e evil ones did from <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> crying, <HI>What have we to do with thee!</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 8.</NOTE> <HI>thou art come to torment us before our time:</HI> Yet when this &s;ubtile &s;pirit of Honour does but whi&s;per to them, ev'n the&s;e pre&s;ently &s;tart out of their beds of ea&s;e, and run out naked to meet death (having nothing but &s;in to defend them&s;elves again&s;t it; for murder is the &s;ecu|rity they propo&s;e to them&s;elves:) and in this &s;trange madne&s;s, as if they had di&s;arm'd it by having &s;in in their hands, they confi|dently expo&s;e them&s;elves to temporal and eternal perdition?</P>
<P>O how mi&s;erable an e&s;tate is this; when the only &s;ting of death, which is &s;in, is become the only receipt mini&s;ter'd to &s;ave our lives!</P>
<P>May not tho&s;e two &s;o oppo&s;ite iniquities in this licentious Youth, be fitly termed <HI>a po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion,</HI> in an order quite contrary to that of the <HI>Spirit Legion</HI> in the Go&s;pel, who po&s;&s;e&s;s'd the man fir&s;t, and then the &s;wine? For here, the evil &s;pirit ap|pears fir&s;t in the bea&s;t, that is, in the foulne&s;s and &s;en&s;uality of their lives; and from thence pa&s;&s;es into the man; namely, into that vain affectation of manhood and valour, the de&s;perate fu|ry whereof, even the chains of voluptuou&s;ne&s;&s;e cannot hold
<PB N="228" REF="126"> from ca&s;ting the man away. Be&s;ides, this di&s;temper hath this &s;pecial mark of a po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, that no civil act nor order can find remedy for it: for, does not this raging humour, like the <HI>Spirit Legion,</HI> break all the chains and bands of civil penalties; and how &s;eldom is it &s;ubjected even to the exorci&s;mes and con|jurations of Religion?</P>
<P>For, are there not many fully convinc'd of the impiety of this practi&s;e, who in their hearts dete&s;t this action; yet may be &s;aid to be like divers of the principal Jews, who after they believ'd in Chri&s;t, dur&s;t not profe&s;s it, for fear of that order the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> had made, that whoever profe&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> &s;hould be ca&s;t out of the Synagogue? So there are divers who after their approbation, dare not practi&s;e this Chri&s;tian precept, of not re&s;enting injuries, for fear of the worlds ungodly order, that ca&s;ts &s;uch out of the &s;ociety of popular e&s;timation, who pra|cti&s;e a conformity to this duty; and therein re&s;emble true Jews far more then true Chri&s;tians; &s;eeking, as <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> reproach'd them, <HI>Glory from one another, and not from him who only can give it; preferring the glory of men before that of God.</HI> With what face can the&s;e undervaluers of eternal glory, hope to look upon the King of it, who&s;e di&s;&s;imilitude they have &s;o much affected in this life? how can they pretend to become like him in the other, when they venture their lives &s;o frankly, on pur|po&s;e to di&s;re&s;emble him, <HI>viz.</HI> to re&s;ent the injuries, and &s;olli|cite the prai&s;es of men?</P>
<P>This unhappy condition of the Dueli&s;ts of this age (which I may not unfitly call the <HI>life-guard</HI> to the <HI>Prince of darkne&s;s</HI>) remembers me what S. <HI>Jerome</HI> &s;aith of the ancient famous <HI>Gen|tiles;</HI> What are you the better for being prai&s;ed by men, while you are &s;corn'd and reviled by divels? What gain you to be flatter'd where you never are, when you are tormented where you are eternally? Let them think calmly what a bargain they are making, when they are bidding their eternity for a bla&s;t of air; and what then they can an&s;wer to this que&s;tion of the holy &s;pirit, You lovers of &s;ame, <HI>Which of you can dwell with everla&s;ting infamy?</HI> For every &s;inner &s;hall be everla&s;tingly
<PB N="229" REF="126"> tormented, by the contrary of his own vitious pa&s;&s;ion. They who can re&s;olve this in cold bloud before they go into the field, may be allow'd to run the fortune; for I conceive, very few that take time to weigh and counterpoi&s;e this hazard with what they &s;eek in exchange, will re&s;olve the adventure.</P>
<P>I am not ignorant of the common &s;ecular defence again&s;t the&s;e eccle&s;ia&s;tical cen&s;ures; the plea is, They mu&s;t either go out of the world, or enter into this contract of honor; which is the band of &s;ecular &s;ocieties. To this I an&s;wer, If there were no other world, I &s;hould agree that life were lo&s;t in this, when the e&s;teem of the per&s;on is peri&s;hed; but he who has bidden us pull out our right eye, and cut off our right hand, and go thus maim'd out of this world, rather then indanger the other lifes mi&s;ery and torment, has certainly brighter beams of glory to return us; for every little &s;pot of &s;hame we are a&s;per&s;ed with, from the unclean mouths of the world, while we are figuring our conformity to Chri&s;t: Suppo&s;ing this per&s;wa&s;ion, what difficulty can there be in going out of the worlds errors and mi&s;-accounts, without quitting our &s;ecular vocation, that is, to de&s;pi&s;e the worlds injurious di&s;vallue, and a&s;&s;igne our reparati|on upon the other life's remuneration? I am verily per&s;waded, that whoever could re&s;olve to endure the &s;hame and reproach of the world, rather then dare to injure <HI>Chri&s;t's</HI> doctrine in this way of righting him&s;elf, would pa&s;s in <HI>Chri&s;t's</HI> Court of Ho|nour, in the rank of a Martyr; and might at lea&s;t entitle him|&s;elf to the promi&s;es made to tho&s;e who had left even more then father or brother, or hou&s;es and goods, if not then even life it &s;elf. O upon how glorious a throne would &s;uch a re|linqui&s;her be &s;et to judge all the preferrers of worldly fame be|fore immortal glory! And with what a horrid confu&s;ion will the other unhappy criminals confe&s;s to the&s;e their Judges, <HI>How &s;en&s;ele&s;s were we, when we accounted your lives folly?</HI></P>
<P>But in this my Meditation on motives to reclaim this inhu|manity, when I remember what continual exhortations the Church exhibits towards the conver&s;ion of mens opinions; and
<PB N="230" REF="127"> what &s;harp comminations it u&s;es for the re&s;traint of this impie|ie: I break off that application, and conclude as I have not unaptly term'd it, a <HI>po&s;&s;e&s;sion;</HI> whence I &s;hall do better to treat it by way of Prayer then of Precepts: and truly my &s;oul &s;hall be very zealou&s;ly addicted to this exorci&s;m.</P>
<P>I have character'd this &s;pirit of duelling as ugly and deform'd as I could: and &s;urely it is not an improper figure, in this de&s;ign of death I have in hand; becau&s;e death is fouler in that &s;hape then in any other. Happily too many may &s;ooner reflect more upon the deformitie of this &s;in; beholding it in this piece of Di|vine, then in the other of &s;ecular Ju&s;tice. I be&s;eech Almightie God to &s;et his hand to, and touch it over; &s;o that they who look upon it, may find his hand in it, that has <HI>tran&s;lated us from life to death, by the dilection of our brother.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Adverti&s;ements to young Women again&s;t their diver&s;ions from con&s;idering of death.</HEAD>
<P>VVE have endeavour'd to di&s;arm death of one of the &s;harpe&s;t weapons the Devil furni&s;hes him, in the hands of men; which are the &s;words of Duelli&s;ts: nor will it be le&s;s u&s;eful to e&s;&s;ay his di&s;arming of tho&s;e darts, whereof, though but fabulous, yet he makes real u&s;e: for, as the Apo&s;tle &s;ayes, <HI>the end of them is death.</HI> The&s;e are tho&s;e vain &s;hafts of prai&s;es and flatteries which Loves Poetical Quiver affords; to wound indeed the under&s;tanding and judgment of young women; by which means, they are in danger of making no provi&s;ion again&s;t death, through that great di&s;tance the fal&s;e lights of vain men &s;eem to &s;et them in, from mortalitie and peri&s;hing. Is not the &s;tile of the world to young women &s;uch, that one may
<PB N="231" REF="127"> &s;ay, men &s;eem to be &s;tudying an exchange for mans fir&s;t decep|tion; by &s;hutting the eyes of women towards the di&s;cernment of the evils of this life; and con&s;equently to puni&s;h them by their over-loving it? For now adayes few conver&s;e with youth|ful and hand&s;om<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> per&s;ons, but to entertain them with &s;hews and triumphs of their own beauties: being led &s;o far from the thought of their own frailtie, that commonly, they hear of no|thing, but what them&s;elves are idly &s;aid to con&s;ume and de&s;troy; not a word of their own true peri&s;hing and con&s;umption. It would be thought a rude, if not an unrea&s;onable advice, to tell them, that when they look upon their mo&s;t partial gla&s;&s;es, ev'n then they &s;ee but a deaths-head; and yet this is a verier truth then tho&s;e reflections which the flatteries of the world make them; for that will one day be true, and every day advances that truth; whereas the other fain'd immortal a&s;criptions ne|ver were true, and are every day going farther off from the ap|parences of it. But alas, for the mo&s;t part, this frail &s;ex in the world, is &s;o incon&s;idering of truth, that while they have beams of prai&s;es and fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tteries in their faces, they imagine not they m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ke any &s;hadow behind them: when the truth is, all the while they live in the belief of the&s;e vain adulations, they <HI>are &s;itting in darkne&s;s, and the &s;hadow of death.</HI></P>
<P>The familiarity with truth, is certainly, the only means for a &s;afe and friendly acquaintance with death. Hence it is that they who &s;eldom hear of him, but in &s;ome &s;uch fiction, as they cannot credit, ev'n while they are fancied by it (as in all tho&s;e frivolous attributions to them&s;elves of the power of life and death,) &s;uch cannot be much wondred at, for remaining in an incon&s;ideration, and incogitancie of their own di&s;&s;olution. For by the means of tho&s;e amu&s;ements, women may be &s;aid, too frequently, held inchanted by their own charms; &s;ince ev'n their advantages of nature, perverted by flatteries, dazel and blind them, in the under&s;tanding their own nature. This befals them, when beautie (the fadingne&s;s whereof is the greate&s;t de|t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ctor and impeacher of our frailtie) proves an in&s;urer of the la&s;tingne&s;s of this life: and <HI>when this light becomes darkne&s;s, how
<PB N="232" REF="128"> great mu&s;t this darkne&s;s be?</HI> when the creature, by this account, takes Gods ble&s;&s;ings as pawns for &s;ecuritie of her idle wi&s;hes; and by them, induces an unmindfulne&s;s of her Creators order, imprinted in the &s;ame fading colours and figures that make all mortal beautie.</P>
<P>Does not this veritie manife&s;t how pernicious that fabulous entertainment (which young women are diverted by) is to the knowledge of them&s;elves: for though in the&s;e plea&s;ant parts which men are acting before them, there may be many &s;o in|nocent that they mark the language only, and mind not the plot: yet at the be&s;t, the&s;e vails of fal&s;ities keep them unacquainted with the face of truth: by which they &s;hould come to va|lue life, not as it diverts them, but as it di&s;po&s;es them for death.</P>
<P>I may therefore very ju&s;tly propo&s;e to all young women, the &s;u&s;pecting and di&s;crediting all great prai&s;es and indearments of them&s;elves, which are offer'd them: For &s;urely, the more they are believ'd, the le&s;s they are true. Let them credit only &s;uch as profe&s;s the making love to truth; who will inform them that beautie is the greater ble&s;&s;ing, the le&s;s it is valu'd and ac|counted upon; and teach them to extend its ble&s;&s;ing beyond the duration of its matter. For the vertue of neglecting it while it continu'd &s;hall remain a la&s;ting beautie; when the frail matter is pa&s;s'd and peri&s;h'd: and we know corporal beautie is &s;o peri&s;hable a fruit of nature, that it &s;eldom la&s;ts out her &s;ea|&s;on. Wherefore, not to be &s;educ'd by its pre&s;ent attractives, is the only means of gathering and laying up the ble&s;&s;ing of beautie: remembring what the holy Spirit admoni&s;hes us, <HI>Beau|ty is vain, and hand&s;omne&s;s deceitful; the woman that fears God &s;hall only be prai&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>I have labour'd to di&s;councel the crediting tho&s;e exce&s;&s;ive commendations (which are for the mo&s;t part, unbeliev'd ev'n by the pre&s;enters them&s;elves) as being much in order to my de&s;ign: for &s;uch as are out of danger of being affected with the&s;e flatteries, are well advanc'd towards the knowledge of the little e&s;timablene&s;s of this life. And this per&s;wa&s;ion will lead them,
<PB N="233" REF="128"> by an ea&s;ie gradation to an acquaintance and corre&s;pondence with death: which being thus entred into, will be &s;o far from overca&s;ting the light&s;omne&s;s of any legitimate delights, that it will clear and di&s;&s;ipate, ev'n mo&s;t of the clouds and ob&s;curi|ties of life; and keep them from being &s;urpriz'd by the fore|&s;een eclip&s;e.</P>
<P>Let me therefore be&s;eech the&s;e young per&s;ons, to whom I addre&s;s this advi&s;e, that in &s;tead of the fa&s;hion of a&s;&s;igning &s;o many thoughts to this purpo&s;e of pa&s;&s;ing plea&s;antly their time; they would allot &s;ome little portion of every day to the thinking on what is to follow after all their time is pa&s;t; and when they look &s;o far forward, they'l find death expecting them in that po&s;ture they have put it, by the pa&s;&s;ing of their time: either as a bridge, lying under their feet, only to pa&s;s them over to eternal beatitude; of as a torrent roaring, and frighting them with a precipitous fall. If they will but con&s;ider that all our life is but a compo&s;ition of death, and every day works upon it, ev'n while we think lea&s;t on't; they'l ea&s;ily be per&s;waded to a&s;&s;ign &s;ome time in each day to the &s;urveying this work: which once done we can never mend again; and by this me|thod of a daily &s;upervi&s;ing, can hardly be ill fini&s;h'd: we have the Holy Gho&s;ts word for it, <HI>Think on thine end, and thou &s;halt never &s;in.</HI> This cour&s;e of frequent meditation on death, &s;hall &s;et the practi&s;er &s;o much above the fear of it, that this of the Prophet may fitly be apply'd to this ca&s;e, <HI>The &s;ucking child &s;hall play upon the hole of the a&s;p;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 11<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> 8.</NOTE> <HI>and the weaned child &s;hall put his hand into the Serpents ne&s;t.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="section">
<PB N="234" REF="129">
<HEAD>SECT. IV.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The duties of a good Chri&s;tian, in order to his death.</HEAD>
<P>I Have a&s;&s;ail'd the two greate&s;t &s;trengths, the enemie of humane nature holds in it; namely &s;en&s;ualitie and vain|glory in the &s;tronger, levitie and &s;elf-love in the weaker &s;ex. And if by the grace of God, I have made &s;ufficient overture for tho&s;e pious con&s;iderations I have pre&s;ented; it will be ea&s;ie for them once entred to turn the enemies artillery again&s;t him&s;elf: for as &s;oon as true devotion po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es it &s;elf of the con&s;iderations of the end of man, death may ea&s;ily be turn'd again&s;t hell and the Devil be defeated by his own arms.</P>
<P>The&s;e pa&s;t remon&s;trances we have made to the youth of both &s;exes, may &s;eem to many &s;ound Chri&s;tians, but a kind of worm-&s;eed given to purge the children, only in Chri&s;tianitie, of the&s;e corruptions incident to their youth. We &s;hall there|fore now labour to &s;erve in &s;ome of the &s;olid meat of the Go|&s;pel;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> 6.</NOTE> fit aliment for <HI>&s;uch as have their &s;en&s;es exercis'd in the di&s;cernment of good and evil.</HI></P>
<P>The ble&s;&s;ed Apo&s;tle S. <HI>Paul</HI> (who had as many triumphs over death, as d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">yes in the world, <HI>by his d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ing dayly</HI>) &s;hews us death as it were an U&s;her that receives Chri&s;tians into the Chur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h militant,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom</HI> 6.</NOTE> and conveys them into the triumphant, <HI>Know ye not that all we that are baptized in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, are baptized into his d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ath? for we are buried with him by bapti&s;m into death&punc; but if <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e be dead with Chri&s;t, we believe we &s;hall like|wi&s;e live again with him.</HI> So that as we enter into the Church mil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tant by a my&s;tical; we cannot pa&s;s into the triumphant, but by a natural death. Whereby is prov'd, that the perpetual thought of death ought to be our guide and conduct through this life; and con&s;eq<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ently our bu&s;ine&s;s in this world is to extri|cate,
<PB N="235" REF="129"> not plunge and immer&s;e our &s;pirits into the appetites of fle&s;h and blood: for the Apo&s;tle explains his meaning of being dead in the bapti&s;m of Chri&s;t, &s;aying, <HI>tho&s;e who are his,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gal.</HI> 5.</NOTE> <HI>have crucified the fle&s;h, with all the affections and lu&s;ts thereof.</HI> For which work nothing is more efficacious, then the intervention of our mortalitie, &s;ince in our combat with the old man, (who would alwayes fain die of age, rather then of a violent death, that is, rather expire by nature then be extingui&s;h'd by grace,) we find no &s;o powerful &s;uccour, as the calling in the cogitati|ons of our inevitable end; our mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate nature is &s;eldom bold enough to hold up &s;in in the face of death: wherefore the &s;tronge&s;t pa&s;&s;ions do but blind life, they dare not brave death; but divert the &s;oul from looking upon our end, not embolden her to defie it.</P>
<P>The Serpent pur&s;ues this fir&s;t method with the &s;ons of <HI>Adam;</HI> he pretends not that the beautie of the fruit &s;hould overcome the terror of death, when they are both &s;et together in our eye; but keeps the one out of &s;ight, with this &s;ugge&s;tion, <HI>nequaquam moriemini, ye &s;hall not dye,</HI> though you ta&s;te the fruit: thus ei|ther diverting them from the thought of death, or deluding them by the promi&s;e of life, enough to provide again&s;t the dan|ger of it: &s;o that the fle&s;h, the world, and the Devil, all three join'd, are not &s;trong enough again&s;t the pre&s;ence of death, when it is brought face to face before them. We may conclude how powerful God intended death &s;hould be towards the preventi|on of &s;in; when he &s;erv'd him&s;elf of that menace, aptly to keep &s;in out of humane nature: and though he then ju&s;tly turn'd it into the puni&s;hment of &s;in; yet has he &s;till left in it much vertue towards the oppo&s;ition and exclu&s;ion of &s;in.</P>
<P>In proof whereof, ev'n the greate&s;t libertines may be allow'd to do any thing, which they would not &s;tick to do at the hour of their death: whereof not only the coercive, but the directive power is &s;o much acknowledg'd even by the light of natural rea&s;on, that a meer Philo&s;opher affords us this excellent &s;en|tence, <HI>This is the &s;upreme point of wi&s;dom, to do only &s;uch things all the time we are in the greate&s;t probabilitie of li|ving
<PB N="236" REF="130"> which we would do, if we were in the pre&s;ent expectance of dying.</HI> In confirmation of which truth, I may &s;afely bring S. <HI>Pauls</HI> te&s;timony, and propo&s;e no more to Chri&s;tians, <HI>Walk by the &s;ame rule;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Phil.</HI> 3.15.</NOTE> <HI>as many as will be perfect, mu&s;t be thus minded.</HI></P>
<P>And undoubtedly, the &s;quaring our actions by this rule, is not only u&s;eful, as to the regulating our vitious appetites, but likewi&s;e very conducing to the mitigation and &s;weetning of all our pre&s;&s;ures and &s;ufferings. Let any one in his &s;harpe&s;t &s;orrows and afflictions, but &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider what &s;en&s;e he &s;hould have of them, if he lay then a dying; and ponder inge|nuou&s;ly how little he &s;hould be mov'd with this pre&s;ent vexa|tion in that ca&s;e: whether he would not look forward rather, to the con&s;equence of this &s;uffering, then to the in&s;tant inconve|niencie. Would not all his thoughts be &s;et upon that &s;tate, which he look'd upon as perpetual; not on this tran&s;itory mo|ment of &s;en&s;ible di&s;quiet? Certainly whoever &s;hall u&s;e this pre|&s;cript of judging his actions and &s;ufferances, as if he were but neer dying; &s;hall never be much tran&s;ported by his &s;en&s;es, either to inordinate plea&s;ures, or overcharging &s;or|rows.</P>
<P>This admitted, the be&s;t advice that can be given to the happy conditions of this life, is, That they would con&s;ider all their pre&s;ent e&s;tabli&s;hments, as tran&s;itory and dying things: and that (according to this affection the <HI>Arabian</HI> bird is &s;aid to have to perpetuitie) while they are building their ne&s;ts of odours and &s;pices, it may be more in contemplation of their grave, then their habitations; expecting not a permanencie, but a more glorious rena&s;cencie. And let no one think to ju&s;tifie him&s;elf upon the en|gagement of his condition in this world, in point of his tena|citie and adherence to this life; &s;ince there is no temporal feli|citie allow'd by God to have this tempting qualitie of pro|mi&s;ing the protraction of life. Wherefore, &s;ince no e&s;tate either di&s;&s;wades or debars us the meditation on death; let us in all e&s;tates interpo&s;e this cogitation of holy <HI>Job,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 14.14.</NOTE> <HI>All the dayes in which I am now in warfare, I expect until my change do
<PB N="237" REF="130"> come;</HI> which will mediate a peace between the changes and differences of all conditions.t</P>
<P>The mo&s;t mi&s;erable per&s;on &s;itting upon the earth, looking into it, as the common receptacle of all tho&s;e that are in Palaces, as well as tho&s;e that are unhous'd, may comfort him&s;elf with as ea&s;ie a lodging there, as any he then envies; for that &s;hining earth, which to day &s;eems gold-ore, to morrow is mingled with coal du&s;t; and no di&s;cern|ment to be made between the Prince's and the beggar's a&s;hes. Methinks, enemies, who are alwayes digging one anothers graves, labour in this mean work, for want of looking down into the grave they are making; which view may &s;hew them, that they are burying them&s;elves in that earth they &s;eek to open to cover their enemy; to whom every wound they wi&s;h or give, may be &s;aid to ca&s;t &s;o much earth upon them&s;elves, and &s;uch as will lye the heavie&s;t on them in their own graves. And by this object, the contrary pa&s;&s;ion of &s;en&s;ual love may have its eyes open'd, by having the du&s;t of a grave blown into it; &s;o di&s;covering the meanne&s;&s;e and vilitie of that matter, whereof it has &s;o abu&s;edly valued the fruition, the pre&s;ence of death will quickly unblind the&s;e two &s;o contra|ry pa&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>If the figure of death were well form'd in the minds of the world, that of fortune (which is now &s;o much in|cen&s;ed by the fumes of &s;everal pa&s;&s;ions) would lo&s;e mo&s;t of its votaries: The goods of death, which once given, are everla&s;ting, would be much more &s;ued for then tho&s;e of fortune, which, if ever be&s;tow'd, are never la&s;ting. I have not more admir'd any conceit of a meer rationali&s;t, then this complement of a Philo&s;opher to death, who &s;eem'd to value it &s;o much above fortune, that he could not agree &s;he &s;hould have any part in the di&s;po&s;ing it; he could af|ford fortune the di&s;pen&s;ing all the commodities of life, but no di&s;po&s;ure of the benefits of death; when (as I may &s;aie) he broke out in a mortal exta&s;ie, into this reque&s;t to it.</P>
<PB N="238" REF="131">
<Q><L><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lucan.</NOTE>Mors utinam pavidos vita &s;ubducere nolles,</L>
<L>Sed virtus te &s;ola daret.</L></Q>
<P>That it would not deliver any mean unworthy per&s;on out of this life, and that death might not be found by chance, but only be conferr'd by vertue. This excellent &s;train of imagination &s;avour'd of a &s;oul that found it &s;elf impri&s;on'd in this inclo&s;ure of fle&s;h and bloud, and thought that infran|chi&s;ement the worthie&s;t gift could be afforded it. But we Chri&s;tians, from a higher principle, may tell him that we are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of his wi&s;h; for it is vertue only (not fortune or nature) that confers on us the benefits of death, &s;ince it is the death of the righteous only <HI>is pretious:</HI> that of others is but a double cur&s;e both to &s;oul and body; <HI>for the death of a &s;inner is the wor&s;t of all things,</HI> being the end of all his delightfull &s;ins, and the beginning of his endle&s;s puni&s;h|ment. But if the Philo&s;ophers courted death, only to take their life hand&s;omly from them, which they accounted but a weari&s;om repetition of identitie (&s;o far as to affirm that in this re&s;pect, not a brave and vertuous per&s;on only, but even a curious and a voluptuous, might out of delicacy and love of variety, de&s;ire to die: What a &s;hame is it for Chri&s;tians to fear death, whom it not only delivers from a laborious life, but tran&s;ports into a glorious, joyfull, and eternal one? for &s;o <HI>pretious in the &s;ight of God, is the death of his &s;ervants,</HI> that <HI>they,</HI> not only <HI>re&s;t from their labours,</HI> but are received <HI>into their ma&s;ters re&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>But that which rai&s;es in us the terror of death, is the wa|vering and trepidation between the hope and fear of our &s;en|tence; which is con&s;equent to our unreadine&s;s for tryal: and this unpreparedne&s;s comes from our &s;tudying too much our titles and rights of life, little thinking on the evidences we mu&s;t bring in at our death: for, how familiar is this &s;trange unadvi&s;edne&s;s in our youth, to be &s;ollicitous in providing for our old age, whereof we are &s;o uncertain; and not to prepare
<PB N="239" REF="131"> for death, whereof we are &s;o much a&s;&s;ured? knowing <HI>it is appointed that every one &s;hall die,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> 9.</NOTE> <HI>and after that comes judg|ment</HI></P>
<P>Such therefore as refer the preparation for death, to &s;ickne&s;s or old-age (when their minds are taken up by nature in the de|fence of life) may be &s;aid to let their light go out, and begin to read by a coal, which they mu&s;t blow continually to keep a|live: ju&s;t &s;uch a work methinks tho&s;e have, who&s;e minds being mo&s;t applied to the &s;uccour of their bodies, have likewi&s;e this other task, to purge and purifie them&s;elvs. And be&s;ides the impertinency on our parts, the ju&s;t di&s;dain on Gods ought to terrifie us out of this incon&s;ideration; which propo&s;es to give God, not only the lea&s;t, but even the wor&s;t of our time. O then, let all Chri&s;tians be corrected in this mi&s;-counting, by that ad|vice of the holy Spirit; <HI>Remain not in the error of the wicked; confe&s;s God before thy death; he humiliation of a dying man pe|ri&s;heth as nothing;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ecclus.</HI> 17.27.</NOTE> <HI>living and &s;ound in health &s;halt thou make this confe&s;&s;ion of God and prai&s;e him and glory in his mercies.</HI></P>
<P>There are few who a&s;&s;igne not &s;ome time for their prepara|tion, and that which they &s;uppo&s;e &s;ufficient for a happy end; let me only be&s;eech then every one that affords any time to the&s;e Lines, not to relie upon a remote a&s;&s;ignment; for, be&s;ides the danger of intercepting ca&s;ualties, the pre&s;umption di&s;credits much the purpo&s;e. Let them therefore allot &s;ome little por|tion of every day to the meditation of death; and they w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll quickly feel that vulgar fear confuted, of being melancholy, over-pen&s;ive, and indi&s;pos'd for company: For certainly they will after &s;ome practi&s;e of this method, find &s;uch a return of peace, and &s;ettlement of &s;pirit in all occurencies, that they'l confe&s;s all the time lo&s;t that was defer'd, it being &s;o evident we can never begin too &s;oon, nor &s;tudie that too much, which we can never come to trie whether we know it &s;ufficiently. And tho&s;e that are upon this inque&s;t, &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll not find their natural death the &s;ooner, yet make their eternal life the &s;urer: where|as tho&s;e who flie from this acquaintance with death, as from a &s;pie, and betrayer of their t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">mporal delights, are in great
<PB N="240" REF="132"> danger hereafter of &s;eeking death, and not finding it.</P>
<P>And &s;urely tho&s;e who upon earth are &s;o conver&s;ant with death, that their <HI>life is buried in God with Chri&s;t,</HI> at their egre&s;s out of this world, rather put off then put on their graves; for they enter into that immortal life, from which the earth that covered, &s;eparated them; &s;ince if <HI>the &s;pirit of him that rai&s;ed up</HI> Je&s;us <HI>from the dead, dwell in you, he that rai&s;ed up Chri&s;t &s;hall al&s;o quicken your mortal bodies, by his &s;pirit that dwels in you.</HI> And by this manner of living, death; in&s;tead of being the &s;ti|pend of &s;in, is made the pay-ma&s;ter of eternal life.</P>
<P>O with what a joyfull a&s;&s;urance may they welcome death, who have lived by the &s;pirit of <HI>Chri&s;t?</HI> for if they can &s;ay to him, as he did to his father at his return out of this world; <HI>Je+&s;us, I have glorified thee upon earth, I have fini&s;hed the work which thou gave&s;t me to do;</HI> They may likewi&s;e &s;ay, <HI>Now Je&s;us glorifie me with thy own &s;elf.</HI> This account of our lives &s;hall certainly obtain this petition at our death. I will therefore clo&s;e up this Remon&s;trance with this Chri&s;tian Principle, All &s;uch as can &s;ay with S. <HI>Paul, They live but to Chri&s;t,</HI> may al&s;o &s;ay, <HI>They die but to gain.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="12" TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="241" REF="132">
<HEAD>The twelfth Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of Aeternitie and the day of Judg|ment. In two Sections.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The &s;entence of the Reprobate.</HEAD>
<P>_WE have been long in our cour&s;e, &s;tanding for this Port in another world. Our meditati|ons at fir&s;t &s;etting out, kept the Coa&s;t of this world; making our ob&s;ervations up|on the &s;everal a&s;pects of divine Providence, referr'd to the whole earth: but our latter con&s;iderations have carried us far off from the Coa&s;t; Humilitie leaving us but &s;uch a remote &s;ight of the &s;hore, as look'd rather like clouds then land, (for a true humble &s;pirit looks more like a part of heaven then earth) and the contemplation of death keeping &s;till &s;ome gloomy &s;ight of the world. Now we are arriv'd at eternitie; where we have lo&s;t all glimp&s;e of this earth, and begin to make <HI>that new heaven and new earth,</HI> which our whole cour&s;e is bound
<PB N="242" REF="133"> for: and the fir&s;t making of this Port of <HI>Eternitie,</HI> is the arri|val at it, becau&s;e in it there is no &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of time.</P>
<P>What <HI>Eternity</HI> is, may be much ea&s;ilier conceiv'd then com|municated to another; as S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Time,</HI> We can tell our &s;elves what it is, but if ask'd by another, we cannot pro|mi&s;e to tell him. But &s;ince our faith &s;aves our rea&s;on that pains of &s;eeking to comprehend it, I &s;hall not need repeat many of tho&s;e fine de&s;criptions which have been made of it: we are &s;atisfied to believe it, A beeing and duration everla&s;ting; a new &s;tate of living, into which our &s;ouls, as &s;oon as they depart out of our bodies, enter; expecting a re-union at the day of Judgment to live together thenceforward for ever. This belief of Eternitie is &s;ufficient for the obligation of faith: we need not &s;train our under&s;tandings, to apprehend the difference between perpetual time and it, (conceiving this Aduration, without parts or &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion) it &s;uffices, to form this conception of that Article of our faith, <HI>life everla&s;ting.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> 9.29.</NOTE><HI>It is appointed</HI> (&s;ayes the holy Spirit) <HI>to all men, once to dye; but after this, the judgment.</HI> This la&s;t clau&s;e of the &s;en|tence renders death univer&s;ally terrible. For though dying only is bitter enough to tho&s;e that have <HI>peace in their &s;ub&s;tances and wealths of this world;</HI> yet the Spirit tells us al&s;o that to the mi&s;er|able and afflicted, it is often welcome and acceptable: but this &s;equence of death, to be judg'd every one according to his works; this &s;trikes &s;ome terror, not only into the mo&s;t afflicted, but ev'n into the be&s;t affected to the next life; the mo&s;t &s;ancti|fied tremble at this indiction of the la&s;t judgment. Did not ev'n S. <HI>Paul</HI> (though he could accu&s;e him&s;elf of nothing) &s;u&s;|pend his opinion, becau&s;e, <HI>He who was to judge him, was God?</HI> And does not the <HI>man after Gods own heart,</HI> (King <HI>David</HI> in the &s;ame contemplation &s;ay, <HI>My fle&s;h trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments?</HI> If the great Monarch <HI>Xerxes,</HI> looking upon his Army of &s;o many hundred thou&s;and men, wept; in this con&s;ideration, that all that &s;o glorious hoa&s;t of men, within a few years, was by death, to be reduc'd to a&s;hes&punc; how much a&s;toni&s;h'd would he have been, if he had apprehend|ed
<PB N="243" REF="133"> that he, and all they, were to appear all naked and confus'd together at the tribunal of God, where he was to account for the ca&s;ting away mo&s;t of their lives; and that the &s;entence was to be no le&s;s then eternal torture? O how would this repre&s;entation have deaded his pride, and abated his ambition!</P>
<P>We Chri&s;tians can hardly think of death, &s;eparate from this concomitant Judgment, whereof we are to expect two: the fir&s;t at the in&s;tant of the &s;ouls i&s;&s;uing out of the body, which pa&s;&s;es immediately into a light, wherein the &s;entence is notifi'd to her in &s;uch an evidence as leaves neither doubt nor appeal. How this knowledg is imparted, whether by the natural pow|er of a &s;oul &s;eparate, to di&s;cern the truth of all things it has been acquainted with; or by a &s;pecial impre&s;&s;ion from its good Angel upon the under&s;tanding, is not material to determine: (for it is not probable that Chri&s;t in per&s;on is manife&s;ted to e|very judg'd &s;oul, &s;ince we are told, that <HI>the heavens mu&s;t receive him till the time of re&s;titution of all things, which God hath &s;po|ken by the mouth of his holy prophets &s;ince the world began;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts</HI> 3.21.</NOTE> and moreover, when he is to appear as a Judg, he is &s;aid <HI>to de&s;cend from heaven.</HI> Wherefore) the mo&s;t probable is, that this &s;entence is di&s;cern'd by the &s;elf-inherent light of the &s;oul, and notifi'd by the mini&s;trie of an Angel: but as for the la&s;t and univer&s;al Judgment, there is no doubt concerning the manner of it, <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elf having told us, <HI>We &s;hall then &s;ee the &s;on of man coming in the clouds of heaven with great glory.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Matth.</HI> 24.30.</NOTE> And in this la&s;t &s;entence there is nothing alter'd in point of the finality of the Judgment; though &s;ome circum&s;tances there are that exalt the joyes of the elect, and others that aggravate the pains of the reprobate, as the con&s;equences of their good or ill actions, even after their death, <HI>viz.</HI> what operation their vertues or vices have had upon others, even to the end of the world, &s;hall (re&s;pectively to their qualities) be &s;et upon their &s;everal accounts, to afford them either glory or confu&s;ion; and this is one of the rea&s;ons given for the equity of this &s;econd judgment, that the recompence or puni&s;hment may be fully commen&s;urate, to the whole &s;um of the de&s;erts of the per&s;ons
<PB N="244" REF="134"> judged; as S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>We mu&s;t all appear before the judg|ment &s;eat of Christ,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.10.</NOTE> <HI>that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or evil.</HI></P>
<P>In the fir&s;t Judgment there is one place more then in the &s;e|cond, relating to temporary &s;entence; but this third place (whereof I have di&s;cours'd at large in a &s;pecial Treati&s;e) is but a pa&s;&s;age, not a perpetuity of this &s;tation, which mo&s;t &s;ouls make in their way to the heavenly <HI>Jeru&s;alem:</HI> Some few Chri|&s;tians there are, who&s;e expiration we may call a re&s;piration, a breathing back into the &s;ame breath of life, from whence they had their fir&s;t emi&s;&s;ion; &s;uch are many holy Virgins in the Ca|tholick Church, who, like candid Tapers, burn out in a con&s;e|crated flame before the Altar, in&s;omuch that their fle&s;h and blood may be &s;aid to be rather their continual oblation, then their own fruition; many of the&s;e pure &s;pou&s;es of the Lamb make an immediate effu&s;ion of their &s;ouls, into the bo&s;ome of their Spou&s;e; &s;o do all Martyrs who wa&s;h their fle&s;h in their blood; to which the blood of the Lamb hath imparted that vertue, of taking all the &s;tains out of the &s;potted garment of the fle&s;h. And I am per&s;waded that all callings furni&s;h &s;ome of tho&s;e gue&s;ts (even the high-waies, &s;ome) who have their wedding garment &s;o clean upon them, that they need no chan|ges, nor be &s;hifted by the way: But for the mo&s;t part, our &s;ouls coming out of our bodies, are u&s;ed as coming from a contagious place, that is, &s;u&s;pended &s;ome time in order to their purgation.</P>
<P>But we have pa&s;&s;ed the &s;cene of time, and are at the &s;tation of <HI>Eternity,</HI> Wherefore let us hearken to the voice of the Trumpet, and turn our thoughts upon the la&s;t Judgment, &s;um|mon'd by the voice of, <HI>Ri&s;e ye dead and come unto judgment.</HI> Wc will fir&s;t turn to the left hand, that we may clo&s;e up at the right, and end the day with the benediction. To heighten the terror of this day, God will have it a &s;ecret to the Angels, and a &s;urprize to the inhabitants of the earth, who &s;hall be found eating and drinking, marrying and building, till the Sun in an
<PB N="245" REF="134"> in&s;tant &s;hall with<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">raw his light, and the Moon &s;hew only the bloody colours of the day;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.</NOTE> when (as S. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith) <HI>The day of the Lord &s;hall come like a thief; in which the heavens &s;hall pa&s;s away with a great noi&s;e, and the Elements &s;hall melt away with fervent heat; the earth al&s;o, and the works that are in it &s;hall be burnt up.</HI> After this preparation, the whole material world be|ing offer'd as a holocau&s;t to honour the appearing Judg, <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us;</HI> he &s;hall manife&s;t him&s;elf &s;itting in the clouds, as on his Tribunal, with unconceivable &s;plendor and maje&s;tie; and all the &s;ons of <HI>Adam</HI> &s;hall be pre&s;ented before him, their &s;ouls and bodies equally naked, not only to the Judg, but even to one another. Here &s;hall be the accompli&s;hment of our Judg|es prediction, <HI>There is nothing hidden that &s;hall not be revealed.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 10.26.</NOTE> And then the detection and manife&s;tation of the &s;ecrets of hearts (which now-a-daies are &s;ifted with &s;o much curious perplexity) &s;hall be one of the greate&s;t terrors of that day, when each condemned per&s;on &s;hall &s;ee his condemnation, even under his own hand; whereof it may be he writ a part while he was over-inqui&s;itive upon the hearts of others, and too little intent upon his own. Here we &s;hall &s;ee a fair unfolding and deplication of Gods providence in all the &s;trange occurrences of humane e|vents, which our weak brains (grown dizzie by turning round in the enquirie of their cau&s;es, and finding none) call fortune: Here in an in&s;tant we &s;hall be inform'd of what the wi&s;e&s;t of men, <HI>Solomon,</HI> &s;o much treated in his heart to under&s;tand, and yet could never comprehend; namely, why all things are re&s;er|ved in uncertainty till the la&s;t day; <HI>Why all &s;ucceeds alike, to the ju&s;t, and to the wicked; to him that offers victims, and to him that contemns &s;acrifice:</HI> Then we &s;hall fully under&s;tand how all the&s;e di&s;cords compo&s;e the harmony of univer&s;al Providence; in&s;omuch, that even that dolefull note of <HI>Go ye cur&s;ed,</HI> &s;hall be by tho&s;e very wretches 'tis &s;et for, confe&s;t to be in tune to that irreproachable harmony of Gods order from all eternity, com|po&s;ed of their own following demerits.</P>
<P>At this dreadfull day, the <HI>blind Jew,</HI> who rent his garments when it was foretold him by this his Judg (whom he could
<PB N="246" REF="135"> not &s;ee while he was his pri&s;oner) &s;hall have his heart torn a&s;un|der by his own bla&s;phemy, and his eyes opened only to be ca&s;t into eternal darkne&s;s. Here &s;hall the licentious and <HI>irreligious Chri&s;tian</HI> &s;ee tho&s;e wounds his Saviour took for him, all &s;hut a|gain&s;t him; and all tho&s;e which his own &s;ins and bla&s;phemies have given him, opened again&s;t him to pronounce his &s;entence. And now the <HI>varni&s;h'd hypocrite,</HI> and the <HI>vaporing Libertine,</HI> who &s;eem'd &s;o different, &s;hall be coupled, and di&s;cern'd to have been both of one party, though they wore &s;o different colours in their lives. The ob&s;curing and darkning of the fir&s;t's works, and the &s;econd's works of darkne&s;s were the &s;ame thing, al|waies in the &s;ight of this all-&s;eeing Judg.</P>
<P>O! how &s;hall the <HI>voluptuous worldling,</HI> at this day, find all his &s;en&s;es ri&s;e up again&s;t him? even tho&s;e he mo&s;t &s;ought to flatter and corrupt, &s;hall prove his accu&s;ers and tormentors. Now the <HI>la&s;civious Lover</HI> (who hath, as S. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith, <HI>his eyes fil'd with adultery and ince&s;&s;ant crimes</HI>) &s;hall have his eyes open'd, and perceive how blind he was, while he thought his &s;oul to be in his eyes; he &s;hall quickly be &s;ent to the element of that fire, whereof the feigned <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">orch of his fanta&s;tick God, was a fire-brand, and be forced to confe&s;s, That for having &s;o much abu|&s;ed the fairne&s;s of natures light in beauty, as to rai&s;e foul flames out of it; he is ju&s;tly condemn'd to &s;uch flames as con&s;i&s;t with perpetual darkne&s;s, where his bo&s;ome-&s;in, after it is dead and rotten, &s;hall turn into his hearts corroding worm that &s;hall ne|ver die. O then! how foul a thing is &s;infull man, even when he is in the full &s;plendor of all his &s;en&s;ual fruitions; &s;ince his fle&s;h is quickly to be re&s;olv'd into dying vermin; and his &s;pirit is forming in it &s;elf a worm, that &s;hall alwayes gnaw upon it, and never die.</P>
<P>The ju&s;tice of that day &s;hall be &s;o exactly compen&s;ative to the works of the judged, that the vindication of every &s;in &s;hall not only be commen&s;urate in quantity to the offence, but like|wi&s;e in quality be adju&s;ted to it; as God de&s;troyed the Aegyp|tians by tho&s;e foul animals they had wor&s;hip'd, &s;o here the &s;ame unclean &s;en&s;ualities, to which every one hath &s;acrific'd, &s;hall be
<PB N="247" REF="135"> their &s;pecial tormentors; and the dete&s;tation of the &s;ame &s;ins we have mo&s;t delighted in,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rev.</HI> 18</NOTE> &s;hall be the wrack of every tortur'd con&s;cience. <HI>As much as he has flow'd in delights, &s;o much let him be wrung in torture,</HI> is the Commi&s;&s;ion given to the execu|tioners; and albeit &s;ome &s;hall be beaten with more, and &s;ome with fewer &s;tripes, as they have more or le&s;s known the will of their Ma&s;ter: yet every &s;ingle &s;ufferer &s;hall have the cup of his angui&s;h &s;o full, that he &s;hall conceive his own mea&s;ure or mi&s;ery, more pre&s;s'd down and runing over, then any other; by which means the multitude of fellow-&s;ufferers &s;hall not afford the lea&s;t extenuation by the common &s;olace of &s;ocietie.</P>
<P>Nay, when the pain of &s;en&s;e is &s;traind up to the la&s;t extre|mity, the torture of the &s;pirit &s;hall yet exceed that, as much as the dignitie of it excels the other: and (which is mo&s;t a&s;to|ni&s;hing) this &s;hall &s;urely be, though the &s;oul be but her own tormenter, and left to wrack him&s;elf whil&s;t the Devils have the torturing of the body; for the angui&s;h and repining at the privation of beatitude &s;hall be a torment, the &s;oul &s;hall never think &s;he can be cruel enough in enforcing: the &s;pirit that knows the tendere&s;t parts of it &s;elf, &s;hall &s;et the wrack to them of &s;elf-dete&s;ting, and always &s;training the &s;orrow of being depriv'd of that ble&s;&s;edne&s;s; the lo&s;s whereof it can a&s;cribe now only to its own fault: and &s;o what the damned acknow|ledge they might have been, &s;hall be the greate&s;t exa&s;peration of what they are; by which means, God forceth the &s;oul to do ju&s;tice on her &s;elf, and render the pain of her privation tran&s;cend|ing that of the bodies pa&s;&s;ion. To all which we may add the perpetual increa&s;e of the actual torture, by the certain knowledg of the everla&s;tingne&s;s of this condition.</P>
<P>Let the Libertines of this world look but fixedly upon this &s;tate; and then an&s;wer the que&s;tion of the Prophet, <HI>Which of you can re&s;olve to dwell with the&s;e eternal ardors?</HI> Oh that the bold Libertine wits of this age, (who make a je&s;t and raillery of the menaces of this day, and upon their faith, familiarly try the edge of their fancie) would con&s;ider, they &s;hall then have all tho&s;e points of their imagination turn'd inward upon their
<PB N="248" REF="136"> con&s;cience, and &s;tuck upon them with an eternal compunctio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> as the Apo&s;tle <HI>Jude</HI> tells us, <HI>Behold the Lord comes with thou|&s;ands of his Saints,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iude</HI> 15</NOTE> <HI>to execute judgment upon all their hard &s;peeches&punc; which the ungodly &s;inners have &s;poken again&s;t him.</HI> And let the voluptuous para&s;ite of his own body, (who his affected his &s;oul in this life, only to flatter and delight his fle&s;h,) reflect upon this con&s;equence of his &s;en&s;ualitie: that as his &s;oul com|monly parts with his body, with much angui&s;h and reluctancy; &s;o at this day it &s;hall be reunited to it, with much more horror and repugnancie, when they &s;hall be both conjoin'd to heighten each others &s;ufferings by this re&s;ociation.</P>
<P>How wonderful is it, that men who believe all this, &s;hould yet think le&s;s of this day of Judgment, then of any &s;uit their pa&s;&s;ions &s;olicite, or any trial of their intere&s;ts in the Courts of this world: and yet how familiar is it to u&s;e the pious admoni|tions, referring to this &s;ubject, as <HI>Felix</HI> did S. <HI>Paul?</HI> when they come to terrifie us with the day of Judgment, (being mov'd and aba&s;h'd at them, as he was) <HI>we remit them to another fitter time:</HI> which we account more &s;ea&s;onable, when we are, as I may &s;ay, ca&s;t out of all the Courts of this world, and com|mitted to our beds, needing no &s;tronger guards then our cur|tains to impri&s;on us. When we are grown &s;o deaf that we can hear no &s;ofter mu&s;ick, then we propo&s;e the hearkning to the lowd trumpet of this day; and when we can &s;carce &s;ee any thing upon the earth, then we appoint our looking upward to &s;ee Chri&s;t Je&s;us comming in the clouds, in his glory; but alas, how many are ca&s;t into utter darkne&s;s, before that day they have pre&s;um'd to a&s;&s;ign for their looking towards heaven? how ju&s;tly did the holy Spirit complain, <HI>Ye &s;ons of men, how long will ye be thus heavie hearted; why do you love but vanitie and &s;eek after lies?</HI></P>
<P>O let us then take <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> his coun&s;el, while he was under the notion of our Solicitor upon earth, again&s;t that day he &s;hall come to be our Judge,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luk</HI> 21 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">5.</NOTE> <HI>Take heed to your &s;elves le&s;t at any time your hearts be overcharged with the cares of this life; and &s;o that day come upon you unawares: for as a &s;nare, &s;hall it
<PB N="249" REF="136"> come on all tho&s;e that dwell upon the face of the earth. Watch therefore, and pray alwayes, that you may be accounted worthy to e&s;cape all tho&s;e things that &s;hall come to pa&s;s, and to &s;tand be|fore the Son of man.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Of the &s;entence of the Elect.</HEAD>
<P>LEt us now turn our faces to the right hand; that our ex|piring meditations may go off from the &s;tage, looking up to Heaven: whither I be&s;eech God they may lead all tho&s;e minds, that have been pleas'd to keep them company in their travel through this world. On this &s;ide of the day we &s;hall &s;ee nothing but light and Sun-&s;hine, hear nothing but mu&s;ick and melody: His &s;plendor (who has put out the Sun) &s;hall not dazel us; and his voice (which tears the Mountains) &s;hall &s;ing to the elect the&s;e joyful words, which &s;hall with once pro|nouncing, leave them an eternal harmony,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 25.</NOTE> <HI>Come ye ble&s;&s;ed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda|tion of the world.</HI> O what an unconceivable joy will this be, to all tho&s;e who hear this call into no le&s;s then their ma&s;ters own joy and exultation; where &s;ecuritie of its eternity is given in the highe&s;t in&s;tant of the fruition?</P>
<P>Now &s;uch as have been partakers of Chri&s;ts Pa&s;&s;ions, and not taken their eyes off from him in &s;uch &s;ufferings and disfigu|rings as love only could per&s;wade the looking upon; &s;hall &s;ee him, in &s;uch a dazling &s;plendour as his love only could impart to them a capacitie of beholding: for the &s;ame brightne&s;s that has put out the Sun, &s;hall by the rayes of love, infu&s;e a power into his lovers, of looking familiarly with eyes wide open, upon tho&s;e beams of glory which &s;hine upon them: ev'n all the glory
<PB N="250" REF="137"> and maje&s;tie of the King of Heaven, which &s;hall &s;mile &s;o friendly upon the ble&s;&s;ed, that the familiaritie of it &s;hall be one of the greate&s;t wonders of the day; for not only an acquain|tance, but ev'n an obligation &s;hall be own'd by the King of glo|ry; who &s;hall acknowledge to have been fed, cloth'd, and vi|&s;ited by tho&s;e who have alwayes accounted them&s;elves unpro|fitable &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">vants: tho&s;e, who all their lives, have been begging at his dore, with, <HI>Lord! I am not worthy thou &s;hould&s;t come under my roof,</HI> &s;hall now have the relief and &s;uccour of their King and Ma&s;ter attributed to them; and under the title of a debt, and as their right, be crown'd with their ma&s;ters joys, becoming like him, by the act of looking on him.</P>
<P>O then let us remember, to what claims this kingdom is a&s;&s;ign'd, <HI>viz.</HI> only to the titles of humilitie and charitie! There &s;hall be many who will pre&s;ume to challenge acquaintance that day with Chri&s;t, for having eaten and drunk with him, who &s;hall be rejected as not known by him; but none of tho&s;e for|got, who have given him meat and drink: without daring to think of it, they &s;hall all be call'd and &s;et at that table, where the Ma&s;ter of the Fea&s;t &s;hall mini&s;ter to them: and what &s;hall be &s;erv'd in at that &s;ervice? no le&s;s then full &s;atietie, to both the&s;e coveting faculties of the &s;oul of man (which in this life are in|&s;atiable) the Will and the Under&s;tanding; both which here &s;hall be adequately &s;atisfi'd with their re&s;pective objects. All tho&s;e my&s;teries which in this life have been &s;o ob&s;cure, that our faith could &s;carce find any light in them, &s;hall now appear &s;o light&s;om, that their claritie &s;hall be the object of our intelle|ctual beatitude; ev'n the glorious Trinitie &s;hall be &s;o far from dazling our intellect, that our &s;ouls &s;hall look upon it as on a mirror, reflecting to them their own glory. Now <HI>Faith</HI> and <HI>Hope,</HI> (which have been the two great lights &s;et in the &s;piritual firmament of this world, over our day and our night) &s;hall be extingui&s;h'd by perfect knowledge and con&s;ummate love: for then we <HI>&s;hall know as we are known;</HI> and enjoy as much more then we could hope, as the &s;oul can for the pre&s;ent, hope more then &s;he can enjoy.</P>
<PB N="251" REF="137">
<P>This is the day of accompli&s;hment to Chri&s;ts promi&s;e of <HI>rendring to every one, according to their works, the good mea&s;ure and running over into their bo&s;ome.</HI> Each &s;oul &s;hall have &s;uch a plenitude, as &s;hall require no addition: for though the mea|&s;ures &s;hall not be all alike, yet the fulne&s;s &s;hall be equal, re&s;pect|ing every capacitie: &s;o that there &s;hall be as little want either of joy or glory, in the differently proportion'd &s;ouls, as there is of light in any of the le&s;&s;er &s;tars. The lea&s;t Saint &s;hall have an equality of proportion, though not of quantitie, ev'n with the glorious Virgin. And this commen&s;urate di&s;tribution, &s;hall be none of the lea&s;t joyes, in adoration of the divine Ju&s;tice, which &s;o admirably provides this adequate compen&s;ation.</P>
<P>Nor, &s;hall there be &s;o much as any &s;en&s;e of the body left un|rewarded, re&s;pectively to the action it has been laid out in, or the &s;uffering laid down in for Chri&s;t Je&s;us; who &s;hall re&s;tore the bodies of his Saints &s;o glorified, that they &s;hall contribute, ev'n to Heaven, &s;ome acce&s;&s;ion of beatitude. And as all tho&s;e wounds which &s;o much darkned and di&s;lu&s;tred the Lamb o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> God, while he was offer'd upon earth, &s;hall now become the mo&s;t radiant and re&s;plendent parts of his body: &s;o &s;hall all the &s;cars and &s;icatrices of the Saints become as &s;o many &s;tars &s;et in the firmament of their Now cele&s;tial bodies; which &s;hall then differ in clarity and &s;plendor, as they have here in candor and charitie.</P>
<P>The &s;potle&s;s <HI>Virgins</HI> who have contracted them&s;elves to the immaculate Lamb, and liv'd as it were, divorc'd from their bo|dies, &s;hall this day con&s;ummate their marriage; and having their happy bodies reunited to them, become tho&s;e <HI>entire Pearls</HI> which make the <HI>gates of the heavenly Jeru&s;alem:</HI> And the ble&s;&s;ed Martyrs, who have laid down their fle&s;h, and pour'd forth their blood, as the materials and ciment for the foundati|on and con&s;truction of this city militant, &s;hall now have their bodies transform'd into tho&s;e <HI>pretious &s;tones,</HI> which garni&s;h and adorn the <HI>walls of this triumphant Citie:</HI> If every drop of cold wat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r we have given out of the pure &s;pring of charity, &s;hall be converted into Pearls, whereof our crowns &s;hall be compos'd;
<PB N="252" REF="138"> what an in e&s;timable value will be &s;et upon every drop of our bloud pour'd out under the Altar? where it lyes trea&s;ur'd up, till it be that day transform'd into &s;ome &s;uch glorious &s;ub&s;tance as &s;hall be thought worthy to &s;hine in the triumph of the blood of the Lamb of God: who&s;e glory mu&s;t certainly, then, as much tran&s;cend all other bodies, as the Martyrs immortal ones &s;hall their own disfigur'd and deform'd ones here on earth; who as they parted chearfully with their bodies, &s;hall have a proportionate joy and comfort in their re-a&s;&s;umption.</P>
<P>The fire of this day that &s;hall con&s;ume and di&s;&s;ipate the re&s;t of the material world, &s;hall congregate and refine the golden ore, left in the du&s;t of the Saints; and make of it that pure <HI>tran&s;pa|rent gold</HI> which &s;hall <HI>pave the heavenly Jeru&s;alem:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rev.</HI> 21 <HI>Mat.</HI> 12.</NOTE> in&s;omuch that the ju&s;t &s;hall not only be as the Angels of God, in the b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ti|tude of their &s;pirit, but be&s;ides, have an incomprehen&s;ible glory, in each of their bodies; which &s;hall by mutual irradiations, re|flect to one another light and &s;plendor unexpre&s;&s;able; making in a di&s;paritie of glory, a communitie of joy: for each one &s;hall enter into his fellows, as well as his Ma&s;ters joyes. This torrent of plea&s;ure which is promis'd, &s;hall not only flow from the highe&s;t parts of heaven to the lowe&s;t, but run back again up|ward too, in a perpetual reflux: for ev'n the lowe&s;t ranke in this kingdom, both receives and retributes &s;ome joy to the &s;u|preme&s;t: whereupon the P&s;almi&s;t &s;ayes, <HI>Hieru&s;alem ut civitas cujus participatio ejus in idip&s;am.</HI> We may therefore ju&s;tly be|lieve more then we can conceive, that the Saints &s;hall be inebri|ated by the overflowing of that hou&s;e of God, drinking of the torrent of tho&s;e delights.</P>
<P>When the Lord of life, and King of this heavenly City, made his fir&s;t entrie into it, after his triumph over death; he opened but one of the leaves of the great Gate; to let in &s;ouls, only for the &s;olemnitie of that day, when the Patriarchs and Prophets waited on him in this triumphant return: and there is but that half left open as yet; for admi&s;&s;ion of only &s;ouls, till his return from his &s;econd i&s;&s;uing into the clouds, but then the gate &s;hall be &s;et wide open, for the reception of bodies al&s;o; which &s;hall
<PB N="253" REF="138"> be &s;o di&s;pos'd and &s;uited for the triumph of the day, and the dignitie of the place, that they &s;hall confer &s;ome glory, as well as contract perfect beatitude by their admi&s;&s;ion. And after this great entry, the gates &s;hall be &s;hut to all eternitie; and &s;o clo&s;e, that not &s;o much as a wi&s;h &s;hall ever get out, or into it again: O then how unconceivably ble&s;&s;ed or accur&s;ed is the admi&s;&s;ion or exclu&s;ion of this unalterable in&s;tant!</P>
<P>The perfect &s;tate of this beatitude is &s;o little to be repre|&s;ented in words, that ev'n our imagination is more dazled in the a&s;pect of it, then our eye is by a fixure upon the Sun: and &s;ure|ly our mo&s;t tran&s;cendent conceptions make but a &s;uch a draught of it, as Painters can of the Sun; who when they have us'd &s;trokes of gold to make the brighte&s;t radiancie they can, we &s;ee how weak and faint a &s;hadow, rather then an Image, they repre|&s;ent of its beams: &s;o when our fancies have &s;umm'd up and &s;ubli|mated all the mo&s;t glorious and cele&s;tial notions they can col|lect, as an idea of the beatitude of heaven; we may conclude, there is yet more di&s;paritie between the realitie and our repre|&s;entation, then between the natural and the painted Sun. S. <HI>John</HI> the Evangeli&s;t, when he came to put this figure, as I may &s;ay, into colours; that is, into &s;uch notions as we can &s;en&s;ibly ap|prehend, he drew it by Diamonds, Pearls, and Gold, the mo&s;t precious materials he could find; which was but to carry our apprehen&s;ions to the highe&s;t pitch of e&s;timation they can reach; that is, &s;peaking to our &s;en&s;es, as it were, in their own language. And S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ets the &s;ame figure before us vail'd, without any &s;en&s;ible delineation; but tran&s;cending all our notions by way of negative, &s;aying, <HI>What the eye hath not &s;een, nor the ear heard, nor can come into the heart of man, is that which God hath prepared for tho&s;e that love him.</HI> And &s;urely, what S. <HI>Denys</HI> &s;ayes, (treating of the names of God) holds very well, referr'd to heaven, <HI>viz.</HI> that <HI>God is better expre&s;s'd by ne|gatives, then by affirmatives;</HI> that is, by &s;aying He is infi|nite, immen&s;e, incomprehen&s;ible, and the like, then by any po|&s;itive attribute; which affirms him to be &s;omewhat we can conceive: &s;o undoubtedly, the joyes of heaven are better de|&s;crib'd,
<PB N="254" REF="139"> by denying them to be &s;o &s;mall or limitted as any we can apprehend, then by any po&s;itive affirmation of what they are. For an image of the beauty and beatitude of the Saints is &s;o impo&s;&s;ible to be well pourtraicted, that after the mo&s;t &s;ublime notions which the whole world has deliver'd of it, though our under&s;tanding had a clear impre&s;&s;ion of them all, yet when we come into the &s;ight and pre&s;ence of the original, we &s;hall not know it by any &s;pecies we have conceiv'd of it: no, the forgetting rather of all we have ever imagin'd, is the com|prehen&s;ion and fruition of this beatitude.</P>
<P>Notwith&s;tanding this, the u&s;es of the&s;e &s;piritual images, which Divines form of the joyes of heaven, are very great: for as they &s;ay of material Images in Churches, they are the books of the illiterate, and the remembrancers of the mo&s;t learned; &s;o, the gro&s;&s;er &s;ort of apprehen&s;ions may, as it were, read their hopes in the&s;e lines or characters of heaven; and the mo&s;t illuminated may, by the&s;e repre&s;entations, refre&s;h their hopes and enliven their faith. Wherefore the meditation on the images of our propos'd felicitie in heaven, is much to be recommended; in order to in&s;tructing the vulgar apprehen|&s;ions, and inflaming the mo&s;t clear &s;ighted &s;pirits.</P>
<P>For as tho&s;e, who are mounted up above the flat parts of the earth, to the greate&s;t elevations, which mountains, towers, or pinacles can rai&s;e them to; though when they look upward to the skie, they find not the cele&s;tial bodies of the Planets appearing bigger and nearer their true magnitudes; yet when they look down upon the terre&s;trial bodies, they &s;ee them &s;eeming much le&s;&s;ened and dimini&s;h'd: &s;o they, who have their minds elevated in the contemplation of heavenly beati|tude; albeit they come not near the di&s;cerning the real great|ne&s;s and immen&s;itie of that &s;upreme object; yet having their minds &s;eated in this elevation, when they look downward up|on all earthly delights, they all appear &s;o much contracted and dimini&s;h'd, that they &s;carce &s;eem the &s;ame things, as when their minds grovel'd upon the &s;ame level with them, thinking on, and pur&s;uing nothing but earthly &s;atisfactions.
<PB N="255" REF="139"> This is therefore the great benefit of our &s;peculations upon hea|ven; not &s;o much to po&s;&s;e&s;s our minds of the full worth and value of it, as to di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;s them of the fal&s;e accompt and e&s;ti|mation of all worldly cupidities.</P>
<P>This con&s;equence &s;hould, methinks, be &s;ufficient, to at|tract our thoughts frequently upward to the orb of our cele|&s;tial promi&s;es. For though our meditations cannot pene|trate into the rayes of glory, yet looking down from that &s;tation, they clearly di&s;cover the ba&s;e matter and compo|&s;ition of all our terre&s;trial fruitions. And by this means all the glittering vanities of this world will become like glo-worms in the Sun: for what in the ob&s;curity of our pa&s;&s;ions &s;hin'd and &s;parkled, without any evidence of the matter, whereof it was compos'd, will in that light of meditation, appear all filth and worm-eaten, without any bright|ne&s;s.</P>
<P>And on the contrary, all our &s;ufferings and pre&s;&s;ures, which (while we look not out of this world) &s;eem &s;o dark and di&s;con&s;olate; brought once into the&s;e divine rayes of that future glory they promi&s;e, they'l become light&s;ome and tran&s;parent, looking through this Pro&s;pective of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a farr more exceeding weight of glory.</HI> And &s;urely, they <HI>who&s;e conver&s;ation is in Heaven</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle &s;ayes) may not only bear &s;weetly all the a&s;perities of this life, but al&s;o reject all the &s;pecious allurements of their cor|poral eyes: with this di&s;-regard, <HI>We contemplate not things vi&s;i|ble: for all that is to be &s;een is tran&s;itory; and what is not to be &s;een, is eternal.</HI></P>
<P>Moreover, this contemplation of Eternitie, will certainly produce a ju&s;t valuation of our time: in order whereunto, let me leave with you this admirable conception of S. <HI>Tere&s;a,</HI> in the view of both the&s;e &s;tates, <HI>O how &s;hort is the longe&s;t life, con&s;idered as it is a&s;&s;ign'd to the purcha&s;e of eternal happine&s;s; and how long is the &s;horte&s;t hour, in regard of the liablene&s;s to forfeit this felicitie?</HI></P>
<PB N="256" REF="140">
<P>This &s;hort reflection compri&s;es both the duties and dangers of our lives; how much we &s;hould covet, and how carefully intend the &s;ecuring this happy Eternitie. To which center I have drawn all the lines of this book: which I be&s;eech God may find them&s;elves weigh'd and mea&s;ur'd by man, as they wil be by God; not as they delight the Reader, running through his fancie, but as they direct him, &s;taying in his will, and guid|ing him to the end of his creation, <HI>everla&s;ting happine&s;s.</HI> Which as it is to be no le&s;s then a &s;imilitude with the divine nature, &s;o it requires no le&s;s then our a&s;&s;imulation in this life to the Son of God: for the beloved Apo&s;tle &s;uppo&s;es that qualification&punc; when he expo&s;es this exaltation, &s;aying, <HI>We are now the &s;ons of God,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.2.</NOTE> <HI>but yet it is not made manife&s;t what we &s;hall be; we know when he &s;hall appear, we &s;hall be made like him: and every one that hath this hope, &s;anctifieth him&s;elf as he is &s;anctified.</HI></P>
<P>Having brought you hither, I may civilly leave you; and de&s;ire all &s;uch as are mov'd with an a&s;piring love to this heaven|ly abode, to a&s;&s;ign &s;ome little part of every day to the contem|plation of it, and the way to it; di&s;mi&s;&s;ing all earthly diver&s;i|ons with this an&s;wer, <HI>Our conver&s;ation is in heaven, from whence we look for our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Phil.</HI> 3.20.</NOTE> <HI>who &s;hall change our vile bodie, and fa&s;hion it like his glorious body, by that power whereby he is able to &s;ubdue all things to him&s;elf.</HI> And to all &s;uch as u&s;e faithfully this application of their &s;ouls, I may &s;afely promi&s;e, from his mouth to whom the keyes of this Kingdome were given,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.11.</NOTE> If you <HI>u&s;e this diligence to make your election &s;ure; the entrance &s;hall be mini&s;tred to you abun|dantly, into the everla&s;ting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="conclusion">
<PB N="257" REF="140">
<HEAD>Conclu&s;ion.</HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Have now ex<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ibited the other half of that Moral Map I had undertaken &s;ome years &s;ince; when, my re&s;traint from natural motion up and down the earth, gave me more liberty to &s;tudy this &s;piritual Geographie: and now the two parts being join'd, form that compleat Globe, of which I had promis'd the Edition. The&s;e la&s;t &s;heets unfolding the &s;tate and figure of Heaven, are intended as a kind of &s;phere, to compa&s;&s;e the Globe: whereby I propo&s;e not to make a good draught of the glorious &s;tate of Heaven, but a more clear di&s;covery of the contemptible condition of earth.</P>
<P>For as when we &s;ee a Map of the Univer&s;e, the earth &s;eems much bigger then when it is figur'd by a Globe, &s;et with a &s;phere about it. So the greatne&s;s and temporal plea|&s;ures of the Earth con&s;idered &s;ingle, &s;eem to have much larger proportions, then when they are compared, and &s;et forth together with the immen&s;e glories of Heaven; where eternity incompa&s;&s;es all finite time, and le<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ens the &s;hew of it, much more then the large&s;t &s;phere does the &s;malle&s;t Globe.</P>
<P>I have therefore &s;et this &s;tate of <HI>Eternitie,</HI> to enclo&s;e my own and all others con&s;iderations and attentions to this work. For undoubtedly while we behold Time and Eternitie toge|ther, we may ea&s;ily take better mea&s;ures then we u&s;e to doe, of all tran&s;itory delights: not giving them &s;o di&s;propor|tionate a value, as our pa&s;&s;ions, uncon&s;idering everla&s;ting, &s;et upon momentary fruitions. And &s;urely, I may &s;ay that in this one application and intendment, of weighing and mea&s;uring Time with Eternity, is compris'd the <HI>Law</HI> and the <HI>Prophets:</HI> for it is an exerci&s;e of the &s;oul, propper to &s;atisfie our Rational Nature&punc; and our Religious Duties. I will therefore leave all the&s;e lines &s;eal'd up with this double &s;tamp of S. <HI>Paul</HI> (which I be&s;eech God may alwayes remain
<PB N="258" REF="141"> in the eye of my Readers) <HI>We look not at the things that are &s;een,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.18.</NOTE> <HI>but <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t the things that are not &s;een: for the things which are &s;een, are temporal; but the things which are not &s;een, are eternal.</HI></P>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><P><BIBL><HI>PHIL. 3.13.</HI></BIBL> Fratres ego non arbitror me comprehendi&s;&s;e, unum autem, quae qui|dem retro &s;unt oblivi&s;cens, ad ea vero, quae &s;unt priora exten|dens meip&s;um ad de&s;tinatum per&s;equor ad bravium &s;upernae vo|cationis Dei in Chri&s;to Je&s;u.</P>
<P><BIBL><HI>S. BASIL.</HI></BIBL> <HI>Cui adhuc patria &s;olum dulcis e&s;t nimis delicatus e&s;t, cui om|nis terra Patria fortis e&s;t, cui omnis terra exilium &s;anctus e&s;t: primus amorem mundi fixit, &s;ecundus &s;par&s;it, ultimus extinxit</HI></P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="index">
<PB N="259" REF="141">
<HEAD>AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE OF Some of the mo&s;t remarkable points of In&s;truction in the&s;e TREATISES.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<HEAD>A.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>ADams</HI> knowledge extended to &s;upernatural objects, <HI>pag. 40</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Angels</HI> created before the material world, <HI>pag. 33</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Gods clemencie to the faln Angels, <HI>ib.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Athei&s;ts</HI> acknowledge the belief of a Deitie very u&s;eful, <HI>pag. 47</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The diver&s;itie of Gods <HI>Attributes,</HI> like a Rainbow of &s;everal glories <HI>pag. 44</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Actions</HI> how to be regulated, <HI>pag. 159</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Accidents</HI> of death no more notified to us by our age, then the change of weather by a Sun-dial. <HI>pag. 224</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Attributes</HI> of God not to be expre&s;&s;ed, <HI>pag. 253</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>B</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>BEautie</HI> is the greater ble&s;&s;ing, the le&s;s it is valu'd, <HI>pag. 232</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Accidental <HI>Beatitude</HI> defin'd, <HI>pag. 31</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Every toling-<HI>Bell</HI> may be &s;aid to be the clock of Death, and every clock the pa&s;&s;ing-<HI>Bell</HI> of time, <HI>pag. 93</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bu&s;ine&s;s,</HI> how much, and in what manner to be undertak<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n, <HI>pag. 160</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Body</HI> indebted to the &s;oul for much time &s;pent in vitious &s;leep, <HI>pag. 213.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>A &s;piritual Pool of <HI>Bethe&s;da</HI> exhi|bited for all infirm Patients, <HI>pag. 219</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Heavenly <HI>Beatitude</HI> not di&s;cernable, <HI>pag. 254</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>C</HEAD>
<ITEM>THe interior band of <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> what, <HI>pag. 49</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="260" REF="142">
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> ki&s;s'd <HI>Judas</HI> at his &s;eparation, and &s;truck S. <HI>Paul</HI> at his admi&s;sion <HI>pag. 73</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The life of a <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> &s;hould be go|vern'd like the cour&s;e of a Seaman <HI>pag. 99</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Cro&s;s</HI> upon Princes Crowns, what it &s;ignifies, <HI>pag. 173</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>D</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>DUels,</HI> the folly and unchri&s;tian|ne&s;s of them, <HI>pag. 226</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Duelli&s;ts,</HI> the Life-gard to the Prince of darkne&s;s, <HI>pag. 228</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The common &s;ecular defence of <HI>Duels</HI> an&s;wered, <HI>pag. 229</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Death</HI> the Creature of Rebellion, <HI>pag. 223</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The more perpendicular <HI>Death</HI> hangs over our head, the le&s;&s;er its &s;hadow grows, <HI>pag. 216</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>What <HI>Euripides</HI> and <HI>Cretias</HI> thought of <HI>Divinitie, pag. 46</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>How the <HI>Devil</HI> a&s;&s;aults Gods friends, <HI>pag. 58</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>What means he u&s;es to &s;educe &s;ouls, <HI>pag. 105</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>'Tis a con&s;equence to the <HI>Devils</HI> re|&s;trained power, to act but &s;lowly and indirectly, <HI>pag. 110</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Decree</HI> of <HI>Death,</HI> rather a mer|cie then a rigour, <HI>pag. 190</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>We ought to prepare for <HI>Death</HI> in our be&s;t health, <HI>pag. 197</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David</HI> preferr'd &s;ickne&s;s before tho&s;e other cro&s;&s;es denounc'd him, <HI>pag. 206</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Death</HI> to be proceeded with as an ene|mie, <HI>pag. 225</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>E</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>ETernitie</HI> twice or thrice repeat|ed every morning with con&s;ide|ration, very available, <HI>pag. 98</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Evils</HI> God prevents, far exceed tho&s;e he permits, <HI>pag. 68</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Expedients</HI> again&s;t Venial &s;in, <HI>115, 121.</HI> and the parable of the hu&s;|band man apply'd, <HI>pag. 117</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>An <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Prote&s;tants &s;en&s;e of Ca|tholick Religion, as he found it beyond Sea, <HI>pag. 142</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Eternitie,</HI> what it is, <HI>pag. 242</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>F</HEAD>
<ITEM>IN purcha&s;ing eternal <HI>Felicitie</HI> the degrees of difficulties heigh|ten to us proportionately tho&s;e of joy <HI>pag. 45</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Founders</HI> of Ho&s;pitals and the Pa|tients in them, are Fellow-Com|moners in the &s;tate of &s;ickne&s;s, <HI>pag. 220</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Familiaritie</HI> with truth, the only means for a &s;afe and friendly ac|quaintance with death, <HI>pag. 231</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>G</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>GOds</HI> e&s;&s;ence is the act and object of his intelligence, <HI>pag. 3</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Gods</HI> enemies receive greater exter|nal marks of his <HI>being</HI> and <HI>good|ne&s;s,</HI> then his friends. <HI>pag. 51</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>God</HI> more honour'd by the merit and excellencie of the humanitie of Chri&s;t, then he is offended by the malice of all the reprobate Angels and men, <HI>pag. 69</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Why <HI>God</HI> ordained no more good men and actions, <HI>pag. 69</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Gods</HI> conduct of his creature mu&s;t be occult, but cannot be unju&s;t, <HI>pag. 72</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Per&s;ons of all conditions ought to make &s;ome &s;hort addre&s;s to <HI>God</HI> at the &s;triking of every clock, <HI>pag. 94</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="261" REF="142">
<ITEM>Fir&s;t moments of every day fitte&s;t to be offered to <HI>God, pag. 97</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The holy <HI>Gho&s;t</HI> pa&s;&s;es through no bo|dy, without producing &s;ome &s;pecial benefit, <HI>pag. 73</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The holy <HI>Gho&s;t</HI> has vi&s;ibly appeared in three manners <HI>pag. 74</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace</HI> is the means to advance to|wards the &s;tation of Divine Pro|vidence, <HI>pag. 78</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The terror of parting with our <HI>Goods,</HI> often ha&s;tens the parting with our bodies, <HI>pag. 200</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>God</HI> often exerci&s;es his mo&s;t favor'd &s;ervants with &s;ickne&s;s and other tribulations, meerly to refine and heighten their puritie, <HI>pag. 218</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>H</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>HUmilitie</HI> defin'd <HI>pag. 170, 171</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Humilitie</HI> brings peace of &s;pi|rit, <HI>pag. 155</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Humilitie</HI> was that ble&s;&s;ed mould of earth into which the fir&s;t &s;eed of Chri&s;tian Faith was ca&s;t <HI>pag. 169</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>As Faith is the root of Chri&s;tianity &s;o <HI>Humilitie</HI> may well be called the &s;haft and body of the plant, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of all Chri&s;tian vertues, none &s;o fa|miliarly own'd, and in reality &s;o rarely po&s;&s;e&s;s'd, <HI>pag. 170</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Prince may have as much <HI>Hu|militie</HI> in his heart, as the Petiti|oner in his hand; and he that gives alms, may be as poor in &s;pi|rit as the receiver of them, <HI>pag. 173</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Humilitie</HI> the &s;alt of all moral ver|tues, <HI>pag. 174</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Means propos'd for attaining and con&s;erving it, <HI>pag. 183, 184</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hunger</HI> and thir&s;t, not only &s;eeds of all our future di&s;ea&s;es, but pre&s;ent indi&s;po&s;itions of our corrupted nature, <HI>pag. 195</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>I</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>A Jews</HI> reply to a Gentile touch|ing the name of his God, <HI>pag. 5</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The &s;tate of <HI>Infirmitie</HI> (among the people of God) more ble&s;&s;ed, then that of felicitie, <HI>pag. 202</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>It is more ea&s;e to watch again&s;t af|frighting &s;lumbers, then to hope for repo&s;e or refre&s;hment by them. <HI>pag. 211</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Job</HI> more admired for his previ&s;ion and preparation for &s;ickne&s;s and mi&s;erie in his pro&s;perous integrity, then for his vertuous tollerancie of his afflictions, <HI>pag. 217</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The day of <HI>Judgment</HI> a &s;ecret to the Angels, and a &s;urprize to the In|habitants of the earth, <HI>pag. 244</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>What &s;hall then be di&s;cover'd, <HI>pag. 245</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>K</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>KNowledge</HI> in our nature pre|cedes love in prioritie of time, <HI>pag. 14</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>L</HEAD>
<ITEM>THE di&s;gui&s;e and ill u&s;e of <HI>Looking-gla&s;&s;es, pag. 99</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>A <HI>Lazar</HI> may, in this life, ca&s;t water upon the tongue of a <HI>Dives,</HI> though in the next he mu&s;t heap coals of fire, <HI>pag. 210</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>La&s;civious Lover,</HI> what his end, <HI>pag. 246</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Libertines,</HI> what their doom, <HI>pag. 246, 247</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>M</HEAD>
<ITEM>ALL our <HI>Mundanities</HI> are not to be a&s;saulted at once, <HI>pag. 118</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>My&s;teries</HI> of our Religion were
<PB N="262" REF="143"> not de&s;ign'd for objects of humane knowledge, <HI>pag. 10</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Man</HI> dying in mortal &s;in de&s;erves in|finite pain as well as everla&s;ting time to &s;uffer it, <HI>pag. 130</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>It avails us <HI>more</HI> to love then know heavenly objects, and to under&s;tand rather then affect earthly ones, <HI>pag. 12</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Multiplicitie</HI> of de&s;ires is the &s;eed of all our interior quarrels, <HI>pag. 156</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>How <HI>Mans</HI> mind may be extricated out of the involvedne&s;s of his bo|dies infirmitie, <HI>pag. 193</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>A <HI>Meditation</HI> in &s;ickne&s;s, <HI>pag. 204</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mortal</HI> &s;in a horrid bedfellow, to &s;leep withal, <HI>pag. 214</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>N</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>NAture</HI> in all her agitations fol|lows the order of Providence, but our rea&s;on runs again&s;t it, <HI>pag. 80</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Nights</HI> repo&s;e &s;hould &s;erve us as a continu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l memorial of our la&s;t re&s;t, and our Bed &s;tand for a mod<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l of our Coffin, <HI>pag. 212</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>P</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>PRoficiencie</HI> in knowledge, is the mo&s;t natural, as well as the mo&s;t noble appetite of man, <HI>pag. 2</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>By what kind of <HI>Pride Lucifer</HI> fel, <HI>pag. 26</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>No <HI>Privative</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">vil but has &s;ome good link<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d to it. <HI>pag. 54</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Pro&s;peritie</HI> of the impious, what, <HI>pag. 62</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Pre&s;umptuous</HI> &s;inners are often en|&s;nar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d with the opinion of their pa&s;t &s;ucc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;es, <HI>pag. 63</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Perver&s;ne&s;s</HI> of the app<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tite opp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ed to the will of God, con&s;titutes the crim<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">; and the perti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">acity in the m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">licious will continues it, <HI>pag. 129.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Pains</HI> of <HI>Purgatory</HI> no le&s;s then tho&s;e of Hell. <HI>pag. 132</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Yet there is conjunction of great <HI>Plea|&s;ure</HI> therewith, <HI>pag. 136</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The compatibilitie of <HI>Pain</HI> &amp; <HI>Peace|fulne&s;s</HI> in the &s;oul illu&s;trated, <HI>pag. 141</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Authors advice to both parties concerning <HI>Purgatorie, pag. 145</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Peace</HI> and tranquilitie of &s;pirit de|fin'd, <HI>pag. 148, 149</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>The excellencie and commoditie of it, <HI>pag. 151</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The means to acquire it, <HI>pag. 153</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The means to con&s;erve it, <HI>pag. 157</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Patience</HI> figur'd by <HI>Tertullian, pag. 155</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Peace</HI> of the ungodly is nothing but unpuni&s;h'd di&s;order, <HI>pag. 157</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Pride,</HI> its ill effects, <HI>pag. 175</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Phy&s;itians,</HI> the nece&s;&s;itie and dignitie of them, <HI>pag. 198</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>R</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>RElap&s;es,</HI> what our practi&s;e ought to be therein, <HI>pag. 164, 165</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The con&s;equences of the good or bad actions &s;hall exalt the joyes of the Elect, and aggravate the pains of the <HI>Reprobate, pag. 243</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>S</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>SElf-love</HI> and its deceits detected, <HI>pag. 179, 180</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sen&s;uali&s;ts,</HI> how inordinate in their wi&s;hes, <HI>pag. 48</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>We may better wonder men &s;in no more, then that they &s;in &s;o much, <HI>pag. 68</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Many clear-&s;ighted <HI>Souls</HI> have been abu&s;ed by their de&s;ires of penetra|ting into the occult rea&s;ons of &s;u|pernatural orders, &amp;c. <HI>pag. 82</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The difference between venial and mortal <HI>&s;in, pag. 103</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="263" REF="143">
<ITEM>Venial <HI>Sins</HI> may properly be termed &s;piritual mi&s;demeanors, <HI>ib.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>S. <HI>Katharine</HI> of <HI>Genoua</HI>'s &s;en&s;e of Purgatorie, <HI>pag. 126, 139</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Suffering</HI> is a nobler thing then act|ing, <HI>pag. 161</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Scruples,</HI> how much they di&s;turb peace of &s;pirit, <HI>pag. 266</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Self-denial,</HI> how to be introduc'd, <HI>pag. 182</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sickne&s;s,</HI> its origine, <HI>pag. 189</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sickne&s;s</HI> may be &s;aid to be to death, what clouds are to rain, <HI>pag. 192</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>What we ought to do in the fir&s;t ac|ce&s;s of <HI>Sickne&s;s. pag. 196</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Con&s;olatory receits for <HI>Sickne&s;s,</HI> but no examples from our <HI>Savior, pag. 201</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sickne&s;s</HI> may be &s;aid to have the pro|pertie of a Cri&s;is, <HI>pag. 206</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>How the un&s;leeping time of <HI>Sick</HI> per|&s;ons may be improv'd <HI>pag. 215</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The good u&s;es to be made of <HI>Sickne&s;s, pag. 217</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Soul</HI> ought to make u&s;e of the bodies &s;oundne&s;s, as a Pa&s;&s;enger, of a clear day, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Some</HI> little portion of every day ought to be allotted to the medita|tion of death, <HI>pag. 239</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sentence</HI> of the Reprobate and elect <HI>pag. 241, 249</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>T</HEAD>
<ITEM>THE end of our <HI>Time</HI> may be term'd the &s;ub&s;tance of it, <HI>pag. 84</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>We are only owners of <HI>Time, ib.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Ill &s;pending <HI>Time</HI> &s;hortens life, <HI>pag. 87</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The hours requi&s;ite for our re&s;pective callings, are the a&s;&s;ignments God him&s;elf has made of our <HI>Time, pag. 89</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Time</HI> &s;eems &s;hort whil&s;t we enjoy temporal felicities, &amp;c. <HI>pag. 92</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>How fooli&s;h an ingratitude it is to allot old age, for the recovery of our youthful mi&s;pent <HI>Time, pag. 100</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Some u&s;eful <HI>Thoughts</HI> propos'd to in&s;truct thoughtful per&s;ons in &s;leeple&s;s nights, <HI>pag. 207, 208</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>U</HEAD>
<ITEM>O&V;R <HI>Under&s;tanding</HI> hath a po&s;&s;ible infinitie, <HI>pag. 4</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>As <HI>Virtue</HI> is a proce&s;&s;ion from faith: &s;o knowledge is a promotion of vir|tue, <HI>pag. 14</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Why cro&s;&s;es commonly fall upon the <HI>Virtuous,</HI> and happine&s;s flows up|on the wicked, <HI>pag. 17</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Vanities</HI> will ask much time to be ca&s;t out, <HI>pag. 85</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Unrea&s;onable</HI> to entertain any, never &s;o little &s;in, upon pretence to ex|cu&s;e it, by the infirmitie of nature, <HI>pag. 120</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Vertue</HI> only, not fortune or nature, confers on us the benefits of death, <HI>pag. 238</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>W</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>VVI&s;dom</HI> preferrable before riches, <HI>pag. 4</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>'Tis better for the <HI>Wicked</HI> that there is a God, <HI>pag. 52</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Wicked</HI> &s;hall be employ'd to the end of the World to deliver eter|nal glory to Gods &s;ervants, <HI>pag. 65</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>A pious u&s;e of <HI>Watches</HI> pre&s;crib'd <HI>pag. 95</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="264" REF="144">
<ITEM><HI>Women</HI> cannot be too &s;crupulous in giving acce&s;s to prai&s;es and va|luations of their per&s;ons, <HI>pag. 111</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Women</HI> naturally le&s;s expos'd to &s;in then men, and why, <HI>pag. 112</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Women</HI> &s;ee a Deaths-head, when they look in their mo&s;t partial gla&s;&s;es, <HI>pag. 231</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Women</HI> enchanted by their own charms, and how, <HI>pag. 231</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>X</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>XErxes</HI> looking upon his nume|rous Army, wept, and why, <HI>pag. 242</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P>IN the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">p. to the Queen p. 4 l. 6, read of <HI>his</HI> chiefe&s;t. p. 16. l. 11. r. the <HI>motions</HI> are. p. 25. l. 32. r. in <HI>his.</HI> p. 45. l. 10. dele <HI>in.</HI> p. 51. l. 33. dele <HI>&s;uch.</HI> p. 62. l. 13. r. <HI>rai&s;e</HI> their. p. 76. l. 11. r. after <HI>a</HI> man|ner. p. 105 l. 15. r <HI>bringing</HI> all. p. 108. l. 24. r <HI>in&s;inuated.</HI> p. 112 l. 4. r. <HI>impaired.</HI> p. 121. l. 18. r. <HI>pi|guantne&s;s.</HI> p. 129. l. 28. r. <HI>to</HI> which. p. 174. l. 32. r. <HI>the only.</HI> p. 175. l. 14. r. <HI>the</HI> degree. &amp; l. 30. r. <HI>pre&s;ervative.</HI> p. 178. l. 11. r. <HI>his</HI> kingdom. p. 190. l. 2. r. <HI>in&s;ulting.</HI> p. 191. l. 4. r. <HI>nice&s;t.</HI> p. 124. p. 215. dele <HI>the,</HI> p. 217. l. 4. r. &s;uch <HI>a</HI> mind, p. 218. l. 1. r. that <HI>we</HI> find, p. 219. l. 35. r. <HI>each to the,</HI> p. 220. l. 5. r. <HI>&s;ur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">harge,</HI> p. 225. l 6. r. <HI>upon</HI> that, p. 245. l. 5. r. <HI>withdraw,</HI> p. 237. l. 20. r. into <HI>them,</HI> &amp; l. ult. r. <HI>moral</HI> exta&s;ie, p. 247. l. 16. r. <HI>her</HI> &s;elf, p 253. l. 11. r. <HI>but &s;uch a.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="144">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
