or ill-advised as not to hearken to it let such prepare their Ears for another Sound for a Voice of Terror and Indignation Prov. 1.24 Vocavi renuistis ego quoque in interitu vestro ridebo I have call'd upon you and you were deaf to my Admonitions I have call'd upon you by my Secret Inspirations whereby I have so often toucht your Heart so often have discover'd unto you the Severities of my Judgments have made you sensible of those Tormenting Flames that you will infallibly feel if you fall-under my Hands renuistis and you have slighted all these But when Death shall seize upon you and make you tremble with his cold Approaches when your poor Heart shall be terrify'd with that Gastly Company which shall then surround your Couch when in your last and dying Agony you shall call upon your God your Maker Prov. 1. and Redeemer Ego in interitu vestro ridebo I will then laugh at all your Miseries O Christians These Threats are able to daunt the most fix't Courage and the Effects of them which frequently happen do often create Despair How many in the World whil'st living were often and copiously blest with Sacred Documents from Above yet at the Point of Death because deaf to their First Call did want the Grace of a true Repentance and so lay down crusht in Sin. The strange Example of Origen methinks should wonderfully raise Attention in Us and make us listen diligently to the Written Word of God which is his Second Voice St. Epiphanius relates the Story of him in his Second Book He saith That this unhappy Man after his shameful Fall in Alexandria where forc'd by a cruel Persecution raised against the Christians he offered Incense to the Deity of those Heathen Idols not being able to bear the constant Taunts and Jeers daily flung upon him by men scandalized to see a Person of his Wit and Learning commit so base a Crime he resolves to with-draw to retire into the Holy Land and there unknown and disregarded spend the poor Remains of his dayes But Vltrices manus pariter The revengeful Hand of God went still along with him for he was no sooner got to Hierusalem but the Report of his Learning arrived with him and he was immediately intreated by the Inhabitants of that City to honour them with some select Piece of his Gallant Wit which had already gained Renown with them though they had not as yet been so fortunate as to be acquainted with his Person Origen excused himself all he could alledging his great Indisposition by reason of his long Travels with many other specious Pretences but none would gain Acceptance with those earnest Supplicants who before-hand had resolved to admit of no Excuse and would not be said Nay In fine finding himself extreamly prest he condescended to their Importunity he mounts the Chair and takes the Bible along with him which is the Written Voice of God intending to make the first Text of Scripture that should occur the Subject of his Discourse and thereupon dilate himself as the Holy Ghost should suggest unto him He opens the Book and the very first glance of his Eye fell upon that Verse of the Royal Prophet in his 49th Psalm Psal 49.16 17. Peccatori dixit Deus Quare tu enarras Justitias meas assumis Testamentum meum per os tuum tu enim odisti disciplinam projecisti Sermones meos retrorsum To the Sinner God hath said Why doth thou declare my Justices and takest my Testimony by thy Mouth Thou hast hated Discipline and cast my Words behind thee Which in short is thus How dare you announce my Law and my Gospel to this People now that you have so basely and so unworthily transgrest them both Having read these Words in a languishing Tone with a pale and reserved Countenance he shut his Book he laid it by and like a Person struck from Heaven did lose both Sense and Speech The People who did thither flock in Crouds to hear him were astonished at this new way of Preaching In the mean while poor Origen's Heart was daunted and seeing himself condemned by his own Words he did yield up his Soul to Grief his Eyes to Tears his Mouth to Sighs and Groans My God! What a Sermon was here ' specially for Origen to whose Heart God did speak and speak so as to make him Wiser by his Fall. Whilst we wretched Sinners can brave the Inspirations of Heaven and what we read make no esteem of we have just reason to fear that while thus we stop our Ears while thus we block up all the Avenues to our ill-instructed Heart Almighty God seeks no other way of Entrance and he who slights a proffer'd Guide may find no other Way to Bliss The rich Man in the Gospel desired to be reviv'd and live again on Earth that by conversing with his Brothers and describing unto them the Horrors of that Place of Torments where he had so long been detained a Sufferer he might teach them how to avoid it But Answer was made him Luc. 16.29 Habent Moysen Prophetas audiant eos If they will neither hear Moyses nor the Prophets 't is to be feared they 'l not believe a damned Soul tho' come from Hell and so his Suit was rejected Who of all Us that hath not experienced both these No Heart so averse which God hath not strove to win no Sinner so depraved for whom the Almighty hath not still a Pardon in reserve His Voice hath been heard several times and we like drousie idle Sheep do never mind it He did speak with his tears as soon as he was born Primam similem nobis emisit vocem plorans and only a few poor Shepherds and three strange Kings did take notice of it Being able to write Man he did raise his Voice he did speak louder he preached almost daily and only a Samaritan a Zacheus a Centurion a Magdalen were awaked from the sleep of Sin at the Sound of it Jewry and Hierusalem were quite deaf He ascended the Pulpit of the Cross and did speak with so much Violence he did read his very Throat and sent forth his Soul at it and only one poor Thief did hear and was sensible of the Noise he made The Scribes and Pharisces Herod and all the Soldiers were at the very foot of the Chair and could not or would not hear one single Syllable When he rose from the Grave he did speak so earnestly he moved the very Stone from off him and yet the Watch remained fast a-sleep Dicite quia vobis dormientibus They were none of his Sheep they did not hear his Voice or if they did they wanted both Simplicity and Obedience which are two Qualities absolutely requisite for good Sheep as you will find by my Second Point POINT II. Vocem meam audient They will hear my Voice THE Prince of the Apostles called the Sheep of JESVS who are the true
Job Job 4.12 declares He felt the Effects of this Voice in his own Person Ad me dictum est Verbum absconditum quasi furtive suscepit auris mea venas susurri ejus quasi vocem aurae lenis audivi To me was spoken a Secret Word and as it were by stealth my Ears received the Whisperings thereof like the Pleasant Murmurs of some purling Stream or like a Gentle Breeze against the Leaves Some are of Opinion That Eliphas did only boast and Liranus saith It is a pure Mistake because saith he God seldom if ever reveals his Secrets to wicked Men such as Eliphas was However were it so or were it otherwise l. 5. c. 20. the Great Saint Gregory takes an Occasion from these Words of his to make us acquainted with the Loving Conduct of our God towards his Favourites He Explicates the Inspirations of the Almighty by a Metaphor drawn from the Pure Rivulets softly gliding through the Woods or upon a Gravel whose little grumbling Murmur and pleasant Noise is so still a Man must press his Ears to hear it it is so delicate The Inspirations of our God slide so easily into the Heart of Man and pass away so gently they be often gone before we feel them our Mind being divided about the little Affairs of Life and our dull Spirits unfit for the Maxims of a Spiritual Conduct Yet the Manner the very Method of this Interior Voice is admirable Love and Fear do interchangeably play their Part St. Greg. ut supra they do each solicite and terrify the Heart of Man Aliquando amore aliquando nos terrore compungit The Voice of Love is full of Consolations it doth charm us sometimes in Prayer and regals our Appetites with Delights that are wholly Spiritual in our Communions This is that Voice the Spouse doth mention in the Canticles with so much Reverence Cant. 2.14 Sonet vox tua in auribus meis vox enim tua dulcis Beloved of my Soul speak unto me let your Voice but reach the Ears of my Heart it is charming to a Miracle it is all Divine as all devout Souls do testifie that have heard it Saint Gregory compares it to that Kiss Cant. 1.1 the Chaste-Lover did covet with so much Ardor Osculetur me osculo oris sui c. 1. de dev Nom. and St. Denys calls it Stimulos dulces divini amoris The sweet Incentives of Divine Love they awake your drowsie Souls and push them forward and make them walk with large Steps in the Service of their God they effectually thrust them on and yet its Force is Sweet and full of Comfort it moderates whatever is harsh in the Rule of Vertue Aliquando amore aliquando nos terrore compungit Those stiff-neckt Souls whom Love and Sweetness cannot gain upon terrore compungit He hath his Terrors in Store and where Love cannot compass Menaces and Threats do gain the Point and make their hard Hearts supple and comply The Thoughts of Death the Dread of Hell the Rigours of a Divine Justice the Sting of Conscience the gastly Shapes which Sin alwayes leaves behind terrifies a miserable Soul instills in him a horror for his Sin makes him hear and at length love his God. I find in the Book of Job a certain Passage fit to our present Purpose Job 33.15 Per somnum in visione Nocturna quando irruit sopor super homines Fear and Apprehension seize upon a Man in the Night whilst asleep and in his Dreams suddenly do reach the Ears of his Heart surprise his Soul and in a Language above what 's common lays before his Eyes the miserable Condition wherein he languisheth and instructs him how to get free So that these Nightly Horrors are often the Inspirations of the Almighty Job 15.21 Sonitus terroris semper in auribus impii Almighty God is so solicitous to save Man that he raiseth a frightful Noise in the Ears of the Impious which doth terrifie them continually St. Paul deciphers this Voice of God as he doth all things else in a most wonderful manner and saith That whensoever and whomsoever it calls upon it is still in order for their greater Good it Remonstrates the Dangers that surround them it shews the Means of Evasion and declares the Advantages of a better State. You Worldly Man who fondly and even foolishly ingage your Heart to these things below Are you not truly sensible that the Acquisition of what you covet is both dangerous and painful How many do sell their Souls for those very things which afterward do vex and torment them A little Riches for example unjustly gotten bring along with them a thousand Troubles and Disquiets the Care of keeping them is fenc't with Fears and Apprehensions and Chagrin Vexation of Mind and a Grief unspeakable do attend and wait upon their Loss O! were it not much better saith the Loving Spouse of our Souls to abandon all these which will infallibly leave us Their Friendship is false and their deceitful Amity the certain Cause of many Crosses Cares and Crimes If you must still be getting seek and purchase the Goods of Heaven which are only true Goods and can only satisfie the Heart of Man and make him happy It is strange to see how this Interior Voice familiarly converseth with and pressingly solicits the Heart of a Sinner Few here I am apt to believe that have not at some time experienc'd what I am now about to say How often hath God spoken to your evil-disposed Heart in the midd'st of your Wickedness while you were actually offending him How often hath he suggested to you the Severity of his Decrees and the Vanity of your Presumption in letting you see that a sudden Death would frustrate you of that long-expected Moment which you reserved till the last to cry Peccavi and for your final Repentance Do you not fear the Devil who is ready to seize upon you who should your Soul depart in flagranti delicto when in the height of Wickedness would infallibly carry you to Eternal tormenting-Flames O wretched Man Think upon your End and reflect that the time which now is lent you are dies acceptabiles Dayes of Mercy and these once let slip in vain Eternal Death and Horror closely waits upon their Train The Children of the Jews were earnest heretofore in their Suit to Moyses that they might never-more hear their God to speak because his Words were generally delivered in Threats and Thunder Exod. 20.9 Non loquatur nobis Dominus ne forte moriamur We shall certainly die if He but speak But this Interior Voice is of another Temper Loquetur pacem in plebem suam Psal 84.9 It is a Voice of Peace of Comfort and Consolation dissipateth the Clouds of Ignorance and calls the Wandering Sheep home to Fold and consequently all that are or would be good are bound to hear it Oves meae vocem meam audient And if any are so stupid
I had not made them sensible of their Duty to God of their Obligations to the Almighty if I had not discovered unto them the Malicious Deceits of their common Enemy the inconstant Vanity of the World if I had not made them acquainted with the rewards of Vertue and given them a sight of Heaven and Hell let them have seen the Pains of one and the Delights of Paradise they might have pretended some excuse but now they have none Apoc. 3.15 Vtinam calidus esses vel frigidus sed quia tepidus es incipiam te evomere Would to God you were either Hot or Cold but because you are but Luke-warm Incipiam te evomere I shall begin to Cast you out To be Hot in the Scripture Phrase is to have a lively Faith and a copious store of good works to be Cold is to be poor and destitute of both but that man is neither he is only Luke-warm who having had some sparks and lights of Faith did suffer them to be put out and die for want of feeding them with the constant practice of good Works A Man might object to these what the Idolaters said heretofore to the Antient loose Christians Vbi est as Salvian relates lex Catholica quam credunt Vbi Pietatis Charitatis praecepta quae discunt Where be those Catholick Verities that Faith and Law which they profess Where be those Precepts of Piety and Chastity which they are commanded to observe They pretend they Believe the Gospel which prescribes Continence to its hearers and they live quite contrary they would be thought to Imitate Jesus Christ who exhorts them to give to the Poor and they steal from their Neighbour They hear the Voice of their Shepherd but never observe it In nobis Christus patitur opprobrium Our dissolute life is a disgrace to Jesus and that Religion of ours which is founded in his Blood is not only made despicable but is Prophaned by our loose comportment I would have all scandalous sinful Catholicks once before they Dye make one serious reflection on those Words of Holy Job Semel loquitur deus secundo Job cap. 33.14 id ipsum non repetit God speaks Once but seldom repeats the same thing over a Second time as who should say be attentive to the Word of God receive his Inspirations Simply Submissively and Punctually Obey whatsoever they shall suggest unto you least if once neglected Secundo idipsum non repetat you may never have them a Second time And You Soveraign Pastor of our Souls Pastor of all the World who art that good Shepherd Joan. 10.11 that laid down Your Life for Your Flocks security Bonus Pastor animam dat pro ovibus suis It was thro' Your Death we have been freed from the Jaws of the Infernal Woolf and now do Feed in Safety Psal 100.3 Nos autem populus ejus oves pascuae ejus Own us as Yours and make us always Hear Your Voice Let us be simple as Lambs obedient as Sheep and when Night shall come Beloved Pastor of our Souls when you shall separate your Sheep from amongst the Goats place us on Your Right Hand Inter oves locum praesta ab hoedis nos sequestra In fine Dear Jesus bring it so about that having had You here for our Lord and for our Pastor we may have You a whole Eternity in Heaven for our Reward and for our Crown Which God of His Infinite Bounty grant Your Most Sacred Majesty and all this Pious Assembly In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Amen FINIS