as unduly inconsideratly and rashly neglect and refuse so great good which God lovingly and freely offers to our acceptance Wherefore Monks Anchorites Carthusian Fryers and others of the rigid and Stoicall sort of people are in a great error who superstitiously refuse and neglect Riches Honours Mariage Flesh Wine moderate and lawfull Recreations â—n their good use It seems they think themselves wiser in refusing then their Creator is in offering â—o great benefits This superstitious opinion is most commonly found in discontented brain-sicke men Surely they are injurious to reason unjustly depriving themselves of the good enjoyance of much happinesse yea to Religion and God himselfe very much detracting from his goodnesse and most free love and kindnesse From whence should this opinion and beliefe spring that God taketh pleasure in the refusall neglect of the good use and enjoyance of his creatures which hee freely commends exhorts and offers to our acceptance But the wiser Philosophers and Christians have beene and are of another opinion as Saint Paul was Rom. 14. 1 Tim. 4. The practice also of our Saviour Who saith of himselfe The Sonne of man came eating and drinking c. Matth 11. Of the Christians in the Primitive Church Who did eat their meat together with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart Acts 2.46 Of those which resorted to the feasts of Charity mentioned Iude 12. which are recorded to be certain Banquets which the Christians kept altogether and of divers other in all ages Do shew that this opinion of the free and cheerfull enjoyance of earthly happinesse in the moderate and good use therof ought to be embraced The objections to the contrary I shall endevour to answer in the following Sections So that if we will be ruled by Nature Reason Religion by God himself if wee will follow the opinion of the wiser Christians The practice of our Saviour and of those Christians in the Primitive Church and others in all Ages if we can use these earthly Felicities with Temperance to the glory of God wee may surely enjoy them in such good use freely and cheerfully Let us then enjoy God in all things and all things in him and to his glory The abstract of the fourth SECTION THat we in Earths delights free joy may finde Le ts banish Superstition from our minde Most certainly if we could truly see Religious excellencie we should be Enamour'd with its beauty presently However some do think that rigidly The same doth hinder earths felicity And therfore too too superstitiously Refuse the same so making others feare To tread these divine paths conceiting there Is nought but rigid solitarinesse Debarring them from earthly happinesse Wheras indeed the same doth much increase Terrestriall joys externall happinesse These men would seeme to be exceeding wise In studying altogether to despise All earthly pleasures insomuch they feare To see or taste therof as if they were Infectious in their good and harmlesse use And so because of dangers in abuse They weakly fear to enjoy them Thus they finde The world a grief a burthen to their minde Wheras in truth we ought without abuse To enjoy earth happinesse in its good use Freely to which Nature greatly excites us And reason also liberally invites us Justice and Temperance dâ— aswell condemne Stupidity and fayling in extreme As the other way intemperance in excesse Both hindering true delight and happinesse Religion also doth commend the joy Which in the temperate use therof we may Receive therin it bids us freely take Those pleasures which were onely for our sake Created and which God doth freely give For our necessities while here we live And moderate delectation Let us then Freely enjoy the same surely such men As will refuse such joy so great a blisse As heaven doth offer greatly do amisse But Lord do thou our mindes so guide so raise That we all things in thee and to thy praise May still enjoy and also that we may Thy self in all things evermore enjoy The fifth Section Wee may enjoy earthly Felicities notwithstanding their vanities c. THe reasons why many men do so much condemne the free and cheerfull enjoyance of earthly happinesses are because of their vanities dangers impediments and the like But I shall now endevour to shew that wee may and ought to enjoy them freely and cheerfully notwithstanding these And first in this Section Notwithstanding their vanities Those that would mayntain the contrary do worthily and truly tell us That earthly Riches Honours and Pleasures are vain short uncertain and transitory And that in comparison of eternall an heavenly Felicities they are not worthy to bâ— esteemed but rather to be despised It is most certaine indeed that those soulâ— which do often contemplate the heavenly glorâ— and are truly raised to the knowledge of divinâ— things are elevated above all pleasures and Felicities of the earth in as much as Eternity is abovâ— time and infinite Felicities above vanities Anâ— in these thoughts they are often so raised abovâ— themselves that if they were capable of vanitiâ— they woud not know themselves while theiâ— souls are thus contemplating on the treasures thâ— glory and the delights of heaven So as they do in part taste before hand of the sweetnesse of those Felicities which they hope to receive at the end of their life which makes them very generously to tread under foot all the pleasures and greatnesses of the earth while their souls are in such contemplations directing their aymes to heaven And it is also most true that the Felicities of the earth are not worthy to be compared with those of heaven either in worth or duration of time they are altogether vain even as nothing in such comparison Yet notwithstanding in respect of our nature infirmities weaknesses and necessities And in â—â—spect of themselves also without such compaâ—â—on They are to be well esteemed both in reâ—â—ect of time worth even as the gifts and blessings of God commended yea commanded to be joyed in their good use rather then neglected refused As serving also to many excellent uses â—â—d purposes even to increase in us divine and â—â—avenly joys and happines of all which I shall â—re also discourse of somewhat more particuâ—rly And first in respect of our selves In that they â—â—e naturall and necessary to us Which appears 〈◊〉 their pleasantnesse and variety of curious coâ—urs harmonious sounds pleasant tasts and fraâ—rant smels which God hath particularly approâ—riated to every kinde of creature affording raâ—her delight then necessity But if wee consider â—ow necessary they are also As that wee cannot mayntain our selves not live without them we â—hall know That they are to us of much worth â—nd therfore to be well esteemed and freely enâ—oyed in their good use Necessity and pleasure is an excellent Marriâ—ge in Nature And it is good reason that those actions which are necessary should also be delightfull to which as hath bin said both Nature and Reason invites us And therefore such as goe
happinesse As for example The azur'd Heaven so richly deckt and counterpointed with Stars and rowling Torches never ceasing over our heads enjoying the same by contemplation he mounteth higher and is carried with admiration feare love and reverence of the Authour and soveraigne Lord of all So that we can even by our corporall eys from the Earth look to the Moon the Sun the starry Heaven and therein sweetly please our selves in the view and contemplation of their glorious aspect Their bright lovely twinkling silver heavenly rays from thence by the eye of reason wee can see further to the Christalline Heaven yea to the Emperiall above the Spheres and there contemplate farre more excellent glory delights and happinesse So as even by reason in and through these earthly Felicities our dim eyes as through spectacles may espy some light of God himselfe and of his infinite beauty pleâ—santnesse sweetnesse and excellency But if wee adde the eie of Faith also to our Reason wee may view farther and see more plainly This Author of all happinesse God himselfe and his Celestiall glory And taste of the ocean of his infinite sweetnesse and heavenly pleasures And as Reason so faith also in the view and contemplation of heaven may make a very good use of earthly comparisons similitudes delights and happinesse Wee often finde in the sacred Scriptures that earthly comparisons are used to expresse heavenly excellencies to our apprehension So as by the Riches Honour Kingdomes Crowns Glory Delights and Pleasures of the Earth wee may looke infinitely higher by the light of Reason and of Faith and therby contemplate those infinitely more excellent Treasures Crowns Kingdomes Glory and Delights of Heaven Faith goes before time and makes things future present in such sort as therby we may even in this life in some degree possesse the happinesse of Heaven in so much as by faithfull and heavenly contemplation we may even set our souls in Heaven before-hand tasting already of future happinesse entertayning our selves with God himself and with Angels And so enjoying in our thoughts and contemplations a Paradise of heavenly Pleasures and Felicities on earth Let us therfore often in contemplation by the light of Reason and of Faith which are the best Opticks view and contemplate those glorious Crowns Treasures Delights Felicities which wee expect hereafter to possesse in the Heavens and as in a mirrour behold his glory who is the fountain Perfection of al pleasure happines It is the poore despised and miserable mans onely hope and joy on earth To be rich honorable and happy in Heaven The rich honorarable and prosperous man also with reason imagines That if Terrestriall Prosperity afford him some Felicities and Pleasures Hee shall be much more happy when he shall possesse those eternall Riches Honours and Pleasures of Heaven Let our souls then often soare aloft upon the wings of Reason and of Faith unto the Empirean Heaven where our desires shall be accomplished with all manner of Felicities Would we have Thrones This Imperiall Heaven shall be our Footstool Would wee have Crownes Glory and Immortality shall environ our heads Do we desire Treasures Inestimable riches are in this house of our God Would we have Pleasures Rivers of pleasures are at his right hand for evermore Let us then untie our selves from the covetous ambitious intemperate and vitious desire of these earthly Felicities and with a Pitch full of desire and love elevate our Thoughts to those most glorious Riches Kingdomes and Pleasures of Heaven The riches of the World so much as wee do possesse In the good use therof let us still enjoy freely and cheerfully onely let us convert our covetous base sordid and vitious desire therof To the love desire and enjoyance of a contented minde and of the riches of divine grace Those eternall Treasures of Heaven yea even to possesse God himselfe In such desires let us greatly rejoyce So also Honour and good repute may we still enjoy And instead of that ravenous and unsatiable thirst of ayry and vain honour composed of Pride Vain-glory Hypocrisie and sundry vices Let every one of us aspire by the assistance of the Divine Power to be Lord of himself The Worlds Master To triumph over all infernall Powers To be a Sonne of God an heire to the Kingdome of Heaven And in such desires and aspirations Let us take marvellous joy and Pleasure All lawfull and good pleasures also in such good use let us freely enjoy onely let us convert our vain vitious unlawfull intemperate desire therof To desire and wish for those most sweet pleasures which proceed from a happy tranquillity of the soule and joy in God and to taste in some measure before hand of that divine Manna that celestiall Nectar those fountaines of Pleasures which wee hope and expect to enjoy with God himself for ever in the Heavens Let us then freely and cheerfully walke into this terrestriall Paradise the vast Palace of the World and enjoy the felicities thereof for to this end they were created that we should use them well and so enjoy them Even the meanest delights therof were ordained for this purpose and may be of excellent use As for example The chirping of Birds who learn to sing of Nature to charme our eares through the sweet harmony of their warbling when these please our eares then may we think of the sweet Musick of Saints and Angels which shall ravish our spirits And the Fountaines though insensible yet strive with the sweet murmurs of their prety purlings to afford us delectation When this delights our thoughts Then may we contemplate those heavenly Fountains of Life which shall fill us with extreme delectation for ever In this Terrestriall Palace the Spring the Summer and Autumne are incessantly busied in producing our happinesse for a season but let us think in the Celestiall Paradise an Eternitie shall accomplish us with more felicity then we can imagine Here we see the Sun Moon Stars The Skies Fire Torches Pearles Gold and divers other glorious sights and beauties Let us then think of that Glory of which if wee could with Saint Peter espie but one ray wee should like him be so dazeled at the glittering thereof as wee should for ever desire to dwell there and to build Tabernacles When we see and taste of sweet and pleasant Cates Banquetting Festivall and dainty meats of all sorts of sparkling and delicious wines and other pleasing liquors Let us then think of that Celestiall Manna the food of Heaven of that divine Nectar the sweetnesse of eternall joy and happinesse That everlasting Lovefeast to which the Angels shall invite us and where wee shall enjoy infinite pleasures and happinesse for ever This divine Manna this heavenly Nectar if we could but taste therof but truly think therof indeed it were sufficient to charme our spirits and sweetly to bring them into a most pleasing extasie In so much that in such heavenly thoughts and contemplations wee may already in
some measure feast on the joyes of Eternity taste of the delights of Heaven on Earth And so I might instance in a thousand other occasionall Meditations Thus if wee can use these Terrestriall happinesses well we may freely and cheerfully enjoy the same Even with a divine a heavenly minde and they may further us in the attainment and also enjoyment of heavenly delights and happinesse And when wee have made such a good use of them as Children do of their A B C and Battledore or of toyes and trifles such as they apprehend By these Learning and comming to the knowledge of farre more excellent matters and afterwards seeing themselves beyond and above them do even contemne these in comparison of the more excellent things which they have then learned yet still scorn not to use these Letters and Rudiments of Learning But so as that they can be above them and use them as they list for their own advantage So let us having by these earthly felicities spelled and learned eternall and heavenly Excellencies endevour to be above and even to contemne these earthly in comparison of the heavenly felicities which are infinitely more excellent yet so as that without such comparison and in respect of our nature and necessities of their Author And their good use wee still esteeme them wel accordingly stil use them for our own advantage And so in all respects to increase our joy and happinesse still endevouring by these as by Letters to read and learne further into those infinitely more excellent treasures Glory and delights of Heaven And certain it is that those souls which are raised to a supernaturall and divine temper to a high degree of knowledge and contemplation in the heavenly felicities are the most happy men even in this World in as much as they enjoy the happinesses of the earth with a gracious creared cheerfull joyfull and heavenly minde and also do in some measure already taste of and enjoy â—hose felicities which they pretend to receive hereafter and to enjoy eternally while their souls are here solacing themselves in the contemplations of Heaven In so much that even on earth in such divine Contemplations we may set our spirits in Heaven enjoying also a Paradise of heavenly pleasures and happinesse Tasting in some degree the delights of Heaven beforehand so as it seems we may enjoy two Heavens The first Heaven on Earth the other Heaven in Heaven Ascending at the end of the Careere of this life from one Heaven to another from this Terrestriall to the Celestiall Paradise The abstract of the eighth SECTION SEe then Religious lovely pleasantnesse It crowns us every way with happinesse It addes unto earths joyes and recreations And makes these adde to heavenly consolations And when such heavenly joys in us we finde We may enjoy the Earth with heavenly minde When we in earthly blessings take delight We may look higher thence direct our sight Above the Sphears to God himself to Heaven From whence these come and there contemplate even The eternall glory which we shall possesse Even God himself and heavenly happinesse For by the eye of reason our dimme sight May through these earthly pleasures spie some light Of heavenly joys and so may be excited To taste therof To which we are invited O taste and see how good the Lord is saith King David Then by Reâ—son and by Faith Let us look up to Heaven If we consider The sweetest Pleasures of the World together Reason will tell us If in creatures bee Such excellency much more may we see Taste and enjoy In the Creators worth From whence as little drops these do spring forth If in these drops some pleasures we do take How more shall we in that mightie Lake That Sea of sweetnesse which we shall possesse In God himself and heavenly happinesse If on the Earth so many Pleasures be Which is the place of our mortalitie Much more delights in Heaven shall we see Which is the place of our Eternitie When we the azur'd Heaven richly deckt With glorious rowling Torches whose aspect Doth often mount our mindes in Contemplation Vp to their Author and with Admiration With reverence with feare with joy and love To think of him their Lord who dwels above All these we then with reason must confesse He is all wisdom power and happinesse We can with our Corporeall look even Vnto the Sphears viewing those lights of heaven The Sun the Moon and twinkling stars so bright Whose lovely glorious silver heavenly light Gives pleasing delectation from thence higher Our sprightly souls by reasons light aspire To the Imperiall Heaven where we may Contemplate marvailous glory heavenly joy So as through earthly pleasures our dull sight May as through Spectacles by reasons light Look up to Heaven to God himself and spie Some glimpses of his glorious Majestie And so may taste already in some measure The Ocean of his sweet and heavenly pleasure But if we adde faiths light to reasons eye We then may far more plainly cleerly spie The glory of God his bright celestiall treasures And tast the sweetnesse of his heavenly pleasures Faith 's of such power such force as that it can Make future things seem present to a man It prevents time so as therby we may Pleasures of Heaven in some degree enjoy Beforehand setting our blest souls in Heaven In faithfull contemplations therin even Our selves with God and Angels entertayning And in such glorius heavenly thoughts remayning Most sweetly pleas'd and joyfull Thus we may On earth a heavenly Paradise enjoy Let 's often then by faith and reasons light From earth unto the Heavens direct or sight And there contemplate on those glorious treasure Crowns Kingdoms sweetest eternal pleasures Which we expect hereafter to possesse In God himself in heavenly happinesse It is the poore despised miserable Mans onely hope to be rich honorable And happy in the Heavens The mighty man The rich and prosperous with reason can Also imagine If he do possesse In earths prosperity some happinesse He shall be much more happy in those treasures Those heavenly riches honour glory pleasures Let then our soules be mounting up aloft Vpon the wings of faith and reason oft To God to the Imperiall Heaven where We shall be fill'd with sweetest pleasures There Wou'd we have Crowns Immortall Glory shall Environ us If Thrones The Imperiall Heaven shall be our footstool if treasures Eternall riches are with God If pleasures Rivers of pleasures various infinite store There are at his right hand for evermore Let us then with a pitch full of desire Of love and joy lift up our thoughts aspire To those inestimable glorious treasures Those heavenly Thrones Crowns Kingdoms Râ—ches Pleasures Let us convert all our vain vitious Earthly desires to the ambitious Yea covetous and intemperate desire Even to extremes when thus we do aspire Of heavenly things herein let us possesse Our souls even with immoderate happinesse Freely then let us trace this Paradise The Worlds vast Palace let us with our eyes Our eares and all our sences since we may The pleasures therof cheerfully enjoy Even the meanest pleasures were we see Created for this purpose and may be Of excellent use as chirping notes of Birds Who sing to please our eares the same affords Vs prety delectation when they sing Who can but please to hear their warbling When these sweet birds doe please our eares then may We sweetly contemplate and think what joy We shall possesse when full of sweet desires We shall hear Angels sing in heavenly Quires Who with the Musick of their harmony Shall charm our souls into an extasie The fountains also though insensible Do strive as farre as they can possible With their sweet purling murmurs to delight us So let these prety pleasures then invite us To think of heavenly fountains of that River Which with extrem delights shall fill us ever On earth time doth produce joy for a season In Heaven eternitie joy past our reason Let transitory joy then puts in minde Of heavenly joys wherof no end we finde On Earth we see many and glorious lights Sun Moon Stars Fire Cold other pleasing sights And shining Beauties Let us then I pray Think of that glory which if but one ray We could espie the glittering therof would So dazle our weak eyes as that we should For ever like Saint Peter wish to bee And dwell where we this glorious sight may see When we do taste sweet liquors rich and neat Wine of all sorts and curious dainty meat Let these sweet pleasures oftentimes excites us To which the Angels also do invite us To think and tast of that Celestiall Feast Which shall for ever make us truly blest â—hat feast of love and pleasures where we may Infinite sweetnesse evermore enjoy This heavenly Manna this celestiall food This divine Nectar is so sweet so good That if but truly taste therof we could But truly think therof indeed we should Be sweetly charm'd into a Rapsody Of heavenly pleasures such an extasie As that we should taste of in some degree Before hand Pleasures of Eternitie So if we thus can use terrestriall joy Looking therby to God to Heaven we may Enjoy the same with happy heavenly minde And therby also heavenly joy may finde So that on earth already we may even In some degree enjoy delights of Heaven And when this lifes careere shall have an end From heaven on earth to heaven in heaven ascend A Paradise of pleasures so we may Both here on earth and in the heavens enjoy FINIS