are not like thy 〈◊〉 for even the speculations of our own inventions do not so much as create that reall peace of mind which is concluded by devotion This metaphor of Physick suggesteth to me the carrying it a little further on to my purpose for me thinks I may truly say of the spirit of devotion what some curious Naturalists have vented of a medicinall extraction they call the spirit of the world which giveth vegetation to all bodies they affirme it to have the vertue of restoring nature from decay to integrity and to preserve mans body long in an indeficient vigour and propose contrary effects produceable by this spirit respectively to divers constitutions but still to the benefit and redintegration of nature in each individuall whereunto it is ministred I may without questioning or signing this position make this application of it and affirme that these properties are really verified in the virtue of this supernatural spirit which I call Devotion so that I need not feare what I promise to perswade the taking it in that manner I have formerly receipted it whereupon I propose to every regular user thereof no lesse benefit then the conferring on them their finall desire in this life which is comprized under this notion of happinesse by which terme we understand the resting and quieting our mindes in the fruition of goods convenient and agreeable to our nature in which state I propose to shew that Devotion doth establish the minde of man in order whereunto I may well prefix this Axiome of Saint Augustine Lord thou hast made the heart of man for thy selfe and therefore it is alwayes restlesse untill it requiesce in thee Nothing hath so perplexed the wit of man as to determine the supreame felicity of this life The Phylosophers have been so divided about it as they seeme to have passed their lives in a continuall warre upon one another in the very treaty of this generall peace they sought to establish it seemeth Almighty God in revenge of the partitions and fractions they made of his unity broke their opinions into so many pieces as they could never joyâ—ne in one uniforme conclusion but as Saint Paul saith of them They grew vaine in their imaginations and in the darknesse of their hearts every Sect had a severall Phantasme of happinesse appearing to it Surely God who saw with what presumption they were building up the designe of their security in this life by the modell of their owne naturall Reason sent this confusion of opinions like that of the tongues amongst them to ruine that structure of humane felicity the wisdome of the world was raising for her refuge shelter against the stormes of Heaven And so these bricklayers of humane happinesse which they may be properlytermed in respect they wrought only upon the matter of the earth tempered by humane wisdome and with that stuffe thought to build up their forts of felicity were struck from Heaven into this confusion of language and dispersed into severall Sects in which every one spake a different tongue and never concurr'd in an intelligence to constitute one unanimous position touching the supreame felicity This point of mans constant happinesse seemeth to be in Morall Philosophie the great secret in search whereof most of the speculative Sages have imployed their studyes and have advanced no further then the naturall Philosophers have done towards finding the famous Elixir for the Moralists have made many usefull discoveries by the way whereby they have composed diverse excellent medicines for the infirmities of the minde but never any of them though they have much boasted it did attaine unto that consummate virtue which could settle the minde in a perfect tranquillity and invariable temper This virtuous power in morality as it answereth adequately to those properties the Chymicks attribute to their great worke so is there this Analogy betweene them that they both seeme much more feisable by their speculative rules then they are found by practicall experiment The swelling science of the Ancients which had never heard of the fall of Humane Nature grew too well conceited of her sufficiency thinking the perversity and wrynesse of the superiour part of the minde to grow only by an ill habit of stooping and bending towards the lower portion which is the sensitive appetite thus the Stoiks concluded that single reason might by the reflex of discourse see this indecent posture whereunto custome inclined her and so by degree rectifie and erect her powers to such a point of straightnesse as neither the delights nor the distresses of the lower and sensitive part of nature should ever bowe or decline the evennesse and rectitude of the minde and by this means they arrogated no lesse to mans sufficiency then even the power of remaining in a calme apathy and impassivenesse in all offensive emergencies But alas the wisdome of the world knew nothing of that inward bruise our nature had in her fall which keepeth her too infirme to be reduced to that perfect activity whereunto pure speculation might designe her we understand that repugnant law in our members by which all their imagined tenures of security were voyded when they came to their triall but they understood so little this law as what we know to be the defect of frail title namely our nature they took for the security of their estate of peace Me thinkes the Ancient Philosophers with all their wisdome and precaution were served by their owne nature as children use to doe one another at a certaine schoole-play when he that hides striketh him he holdeth blinded who being thought out of play is never guessed at and thus did our corrupted Nature while she her selfe held them blinded strike them and she was never suspected of the blow but the accidents of fortune were only taken for the strikers with which singly those Sages thought their mindes were exercising themselves for they never misdoubted this infidelity in Humane Nature they thought her intirely sound and selfe-sufficient to afford this consummate tranquillity of spirit in all seasons and thus they were like children kept blinded and strucken by the same hand which they never suspected charging fortune as a forreine actor with all those blowes that provoked their passions Upon which ground they presumed on the sufficiency of naturall Reason even to extinguish all passion or distemperance in their mindes but to these presumptions the Apostle answereth While they accounted themselves wise they became fooles And surely these Morall Ideas conceived by the Stolkes may well be coupled with the naturall Ideas supposed by the Platonikes out of which principle there may be some light drawne towards the inquiry into the nature of formes abstracted from matter although the position be erroneous After this sort we may derive much clarity towardes our discerning the latitude and power of morall virtue by these maximes of the Stoiks which are not sincerely true in their conclusions I may therefore justly bring in this
this precept requires not only a fervour which we feel our selves but a splendour that may illuminate others by the edification of our lives When our Saviour stateth us as pilgrims in this transitory world he advises us to have our Loynes girl and our Lights burning which intimateth promptitude to the exercise of Charity and fervency in the act of our love And Devotion comprizes fully this equipage for our journey since it collects us and strengthens us for motion and is likewise that fire which is the best security we can carry with us in our passage through the wildernesse we travail to arme us against all the wild sensualities that lie in our way since it hath this speciall virtue to fright and disperse all that is irrationall And this spirituall fire hath many analogies with materiall insomuch as the holy spirit sayes of it The coales thereof are coales of fire and have a vehement flame and me thinkes this one remarkable similitude betweene them may be fitly applyed viz. as fire doth convert many substances which were unfruitfull unclean into a matter both generative and clensing by the consumption and reduction of them into ashes which have both these qualities so Devotion by consuming our passions which were both barren impure converts our affections into the love of penance and mortification which are the ashes of our consumed offences and so are made both fruitfull and purging by this conversion into matter of humiliation by which kind of soyling many converts improve much the good seed fal'n into their hearts for that penitent reflexion Devotion makes upon our vaine and foul passions and affections which is the consumption and incineration of them becomes purgative by sincere contrition and generative of all fruites of Charity since the zeale of mortification is not only a marke of our repentance but a meanes of our perfection when holy David sayes he eate ashes like bread they were made of his loose passion consumed by the flame of his Devotion and so converted into seeds of penance and we know how fruitfull these ashes proved to his former sterility The water of expiation in the Law was made with the infusion of ashes and certainly there is nothing more clensing then the matter of our offences consumed by Devotion and aspersed upon our memories for nothing makes us more zealous to take out all their staines upon our lives according to the Apostles observation of the effects of godly sorrow What carefulnesse what clearing of our selves what indignation what vehement desire what zeal yea what revenge it workes so as you see what fertility Devotion raiseth out of the consumption and ashes of our sinnes which is the Apostles godly sorrow §. II. Devotion described a more familiar way and the best naturall temper in order thereunto BEcause Devotion hath hitherto spoke the Language of the Church it may seeme uneasie unto many to be understood therefore I shall put it into the vulgar tongue of the Court and so make it more familiar for apprehension and by the warrant of S. Pauls condescendence to the capacities he wrote unto I may speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh and therefore venture without any levity to say Devotion is a Divine passion Love raised to the height of passion upon humane objects is a power in our mind whereon most of the world doth rather pretend an excellency over others then plead any excuse for such an incapacity in their nature wherefore this will be an expression of devotion that will serve and fit most apprehensions And certainly as strangers doe discreetly to change their habit when they come to dwell in forreigne parts especially if they be rude and uncivilized so pure devotion being a stranger to our carnall nature which is of it selfe wild and undisciplined comming to plant it selfe and live with it may be better suited for the purpose of introduction with the apparell of passion which is native then with her owne habit of purity though more decent and becoming for this exteriour simil 〈…〉 de may give the love of God at first more convenient conference with our sense which usually doth but looke strangly at her when she appeares first in her owne spirituall habit which is so different from the spotted garment of flesh and blood So that Devotion being thus put into the fashion and speaking the language of the place it comes to may hope for admittance without much wonder unto our understandings and by acquaintance with them informing them of the benefits of her association may obtaine a plantation in our wills and affections and thus by degrees come to be naturaliz'd in our dispositions and by this easie way of introduction Devotion may come to get possession in some minds by commerce of a good companion sooner then by open claime of her owne rights for we may conclude what right Devotion hath to our mindes by this that when prophane passion seekes to value it selfe and to possesse the minds of others it puts on a heavenly habit and speakes the language of Devotion in reverence and adoration thus as it were confessing the due interest piety hath in our hearts May not piety then to recover the easilier her due without irreverence be put into the lighter figure of passion I may therefore in order to a pious successe propose the being devout under the tearmes of being in love with Heaven because it is the likeliest way of perswasion to the world to propose not the putting away but the preferring of their loves and so transferre them to a fairer object not extinguish the fervency of their act and I believe without any levity of conceipt that hearts wrought into a tendernesse by the lighter flame of nature are like mettals already running easilier cast into Devotion then others of a hard and lesse impressive temper for Saint Austin said the holy Magdelen changed her object only not her passion and one may joyne him with her to authorize this opinion for love like gold though it be cast into an idol the perversion of the forme doth not disvalue the mettall and we know the same gold that Gods People tooke from his Enemies in the forme of their idols after it was purged by fire was consecrated to the tabernable and then it seemed to have a double capacity of honouring God as an offering of his servants and as a trophe from enemies so when the flame of the holy Spirit which is Devotion hath purged and purified our loves that were cast into the images of humane passions the same love is sanctified and assigned to Divine Service and brings a more speciall glory to God as it is not only an oblation of his children but also a spoile of his enemy This is not meant to countenance the alienation of our loves at any time from God but to commend that disposition of nature where love seemes the predominant instinct for
which they perish as some do that wade themselves unawares beyond their depth who go into the water at first with caution and security as they believe and are carefull to find ground at every advance of one of their legs but when the water gets to a certaine height though they feel ground still they cannot use their legs which are carried up by the streame before they are out of their depth and thus they perish by this ill measured confidence Even so the most cautious lovers do often cast themselves away for as long as they feel but the feare of God as a ground they go still upon and finde no temptations which the Scripture familiarly figureth to us by waters force away absolutely their consents which are the souls feet they think themselves safe while they feel the ground of a good resolution but comming on by degrees into such a depth of temptation as the sensitive appetite doth surreptiously lead them into their feet are easily carryed away and so they are lost by this unexperienced presumption and thus as Solomon saith we find There is a way which seemeth right unto man but the ends of it are the wayes of death Me thinks Solomons experience should disabuse all men in the relying upon the virtue of their Spirit when we see that his so singular induement with the holy Spirit was not security against the danger of this presumption we are warned by the Apostle not to extinguish the Spirit and nothing puts it out so soon as the bodyes being set on fire the pure immixt fire of the cloven tongues will not hold in long in cloven hearts they must be perfect Holocausts which are to entertain that flame and when the eyes are but warming themselves at strange fire that is intending onely an innocent delight in the sight of beauty they are often in too much danger of being taken by this incentive Holy Saint Bernard bringeth in Eve looking upon the fruit while it was so yet in her eye when she saw it pleasant faire to the eye and asketh her why do you look so longingly upon your own death why are you so taken in looking upon that which if you tast you are lost you answer that you do but cast your eye and not your hand upon it and that you are not forbid to see but to eat O though this be not your actuall crime yet is it an aptitude thereunto for while you are thus amused the serpent covertly windeth into your heart first by blandishments he intangleth your reason and then by fallacies he diverteth your fear affirming you shall not surely die and thus sharpens the curiosity while he suggesteth the cupidity and by these degres presenteth the fruit and putteth you out of the garden and this is commonly the event of the children of Eve who entertaine this party with the serpent weighing no temptation when it lights first upon their eyes till it fall too heavy on their hearts to be removed Therefore Saint Austin giveth us an excellent advise since the Devill doth watch thy heel do thou watch his head which is the beginning of an ill suggestion when he proffereth first an ill motion reject it then before delectation arise and consent follow thus while thou breakest his head he shall not be able to bruise thy heel And sure Saint Austin is one of the best Counsellors we can consult in this case for he reads it decided in that book which he was commanded to take up and read while he was studying the case which advise as it came from the same voice so it wrought the same effect take up thy bed and walk for it raised him from being bed-rid in this passion and set him a walking with him who is the way the truth and the life We cannot recuse Saint Austine as a party against this passion when he professeth he had studied long the agreement of it with Piety therefore let us heare the result of his studies All the while he was in this disceptation he confesseth he found two wils in himself the one carnal the other Spirituall which by a daily contention did sever and dissipate his mind and thus by experience he found the combate between the flesh and the Spirit which while his mind sought to part and reconcile she was hurt by both parties conscience wounded her on the one side and custome struck her on the other on which she was the most sensible so as his senses swayed him commonly to a partiality thus he sheweth us the links of that chaine which lovers by degrees find their wills fastened by an easie seduced appetite raiseth passion and that cherished induceth custome and that uncontrolled imprints necessity which becometh a punishment of perverted liberty for the law of sinne is the violence of custome by which the mind is drawne and held at last even against her owne reluctancie but deservedly for having willingly fallen into this necessity in this manner he confesseth that often upon the motions of the Spirit which invited him to break off all treaty of accord and to declare for the redemption of his captived appetite he found himselfe kept as it were in a slumber in these meditations of rising out of that soft bed of sensuality and while he lay stretching himselfe to wake overcome still by his drowsinesse he lay still tossing in this resolution And alas how familiarly do we rowle our selves asleep againe in this doubtfull drowsinesse while we are halfe awake purposing to rise and break off our fancyes dreames and illusions O then let Saint Austin's alarum keep us awake while we are in this halfe-wishing or vellity towards our casting off the workes of darknesse let us not lie still stretching and consulting our senses whether the night be farre spent and the day be at hand that is whether there be not enough of our youth left to promise us time to make our selves ready for the last day let us not slumber in this rumination but rise and put on the Lord Jesus Christ and not lie turning our selves to and fro which is to make provision for the lusts of the flesh Saint Austin after he had rowsed himselfe upon this alarum rose up directly and set himselfe to such exercises as kept him alwayes in that vigilancy which is required not to enter into temptation he presently broke off all treaty with this passion and hath left this excellent test for lovers to touch their affections to try if they be of that purity which is onely currant with God They love God lesse then they ought who love any thing besides God which they love not for God This is to state God in our affections as he hath proclaimed himselfe to our faith to be the beginning and end of all things Now whether a passion to the creature can by any compasse of humane frailty be drawne into this perfect circle moving first from the love of God and reflecting still
That oâ—â— High Priest found the fire of this Charity which came out of the flames of Mount Sinia as much altered in apparence as Nehe 〈…〉 did the fire of the Altar that had been hid during the Captivity which seemed turned into a thick water And Christ Jesus like Neheâ—â—as took the same matter of the former precept and spread it again upon the Altar and extracted the first fire out of it for our High Priest explicated and unfolded this precept of Loving our neighâ—â—â—â— the vertue whereof had long layen concealed and seemed rather turned into a thick water of bitterness against enemies then to retain any spark of love for them But Christ by his explication and dilating of this precept hath revived the fire that lay covered in it and replaced it on his Altars which kindleth now one of the best smelling Sacrifices we offer up in the Temples of the Holy Ghost which is the loving of enemies and doing good to those that hate us This may at first sight seem such a burthen laid upon Christians as their fathers could not â—ear but when we look upon the donative given at the same time that the imposition was laid we may acknowledge these retributions not to be tythes or first-fruits of that treasure which is dispensed to us for our inablements to this discharge since the grace of Christ Jesus passeth all understanding much more then this precept transcendeth natural reason For single morality hath by the hands of the Philosophers affected to draw an exterior colouring of this image of Charity in arrogating impassiveness unto humane wisdom We then unto whom the Divine wisdom hath imparted it self in so admirable a maner teaching and acting this office may well avow the gift to be much greater then the charge And truly when they are ballanced together this order seemeth more an infranchising then a fettering of our Nature which without it seemeth rather bound then free to revenge such is the dominion of our irritated passions so that Christ by this injunction may be said to have set us at liberty not to seek our own vindications wherein the violence of our Nature seemed before to ravish us of Free-will wherefore even in this point wherein the Gospel seemeth the most coâ—rcive and constraining it may rightly be said to be The Law of Liberty he that in our Nature led captivity captive by this sort of Charity hath given the same gift unto men as his members whereby they are inabled to triumph by the same love over all foraign and inâ—rinsique enmities We then who may own a participation of the Divine Nature cannot justly except against this obligation of acting more by the inspirations of that Nature then by the instincts of our own and our Savior seemeth to have affected so much the inviscerating this disposition in our hearts as he claimeth the first introduction of this precept to recommend it to us as a special property of his mission that the kindeness to his person might sweeter the asperity of the command he saith he giveth us this as a new commandment To love one another and thus owneth the having instituted what he did but redintegrate it seemeth he meant by setting the most he could of himself to this order to work the better upon our Nature by that sympathy which is more sensible between him and us then between us and the other persons of the Trinity and surely all the prints of this duty were so efaced as these conjunctions co-existing in Christs person seemed requisite to induce this renovation viz. Man for a capacity of suffering from enemies for our example and God for a power of imparting an ability of imitating such returns of love to injuries and violations But supposing these two capacities united in the person of the precepter of this conformity the newness of such a person taketh off all wonder from any innovation can be induced by such a Ministery And me thinks we may say of this Doctrine of Loving enemies as S. Paul did of that of the Resurrection of the dead though in this point Christs infirmity and passiveness promoteth the Commandment aâ— in the other his prerogative and exemption evinceth the article That if Christ had not risen from the dead the preaching of the Gospel would have been vain So if Christ had not forgiven his enemies his death and returned them love and benefits for all their provocations the preaching of this article would have been of little efficacy for we know Christ found it wholly antiquated in the Law and how little is it actuated in the time of the Gospel with the help even of Christs precedent though he dyed for his enemies and requires of us but the living with ours as if they were our friends this is but a favorable exaction were the retribution claimed but by an equal when God himself is then the sufferer as well as the imposer how can we be affected more with Humans enmity then with this Divine friendship and leave following of Gods patern of charity to copy out Mans draught of malignity in his offending both God and his Brother Must not this preference of the example even of them we hate before that of God appear a strange ingratitude when we calmly reflect upon it since God hath been so solicitous both for the cure and comfort of our infirm Nature as he himself in the person of Christ Jesus chose to want all those things the cupidities whereof do use to deprave and vitiate our affections that by his contemning them they might be deprised and vilified to our appetites nor hath he staid at this privation but passed on even to an assumption and toleration of all those things whereof the terror and apprehension useth to divert us from the preference of his verities that by his society we might be reconciled to these aversions and animated in the pursuance of his preferences Would we but consider then the remission of Offences to one another as a debt we owe our Savior Christ we might repute it a blessing to have some of that species of Charity to repay unto him wherein he hath given us no less a treasure then our own Salvation and without the help of enemies we could have none of this precious species of love which Christ so highly valueth insomuch as our friends and favorers may be said not to be so useful to us as our afflicters and maligners when we make the best of them for they indebt us more and more to God and these help towards our discharge and acquittance by a means of paying in some part of the most difficult conformity we owe in Christian Religion And we may observe That Christ hath intailed most of his Beatitudes upon such estates as come to us by enemies not by friends as all sorts of sufferances and that friends commonly do less for us then we require whereas enemies in this respect do more for us then we can