Epitome of all our Obligations And were it necessary it were easy to demonstrate that as God is therefore infinitely Perfecter than all his Creatures because He really contains in his own Essence all Perfections whatsoever so our Obligation to Love him is incomparably greater than all other obligations because it eminently comprehends them all together This is enough to give us a confus'd Idea of our Duty at a distance If we draw the prospect nigher we shall find an infinite variety of pressing motives which enforce our Obligation Every single Excellency of the Object we adore is all Divine No shadow there of any Blemish to obscure those Charms which challenge our Affection Nothing in our God but what is infinitely amiable deserving infinitely more than All the Love that we are able to return Since therefore All and every one of his innumerable Excellencies are unlimited boundless since they All every one deserve a suitable Esteem since they command our Love as much as they deserve it hence it follows clearly that our Duty is as boundless as their Merit that as S. Bernard says There is no other Measure of our Love than Loving without Measure Amongst the numberless variety of those divine Perfections which the Eye has not seen 1. Cor. 2.9 nor the Ear heard nor have enter'd into the Heart of any man there is One which we are more acquainted with there 's One which in a manner makes the rest our own which of all is the most apt to make a sensible impression in a Generous Heart I mean that of a True Friend We read in Ecclesiasticus 6.15 that There is nothing comparable to a True Faithfull Friend and that in the ballance of the Wise He weighs much more than all the Gold Silver in the world As there is nothing Better upon Earth than a True Friend so there is nothing more pretended to And as the world deceives us most where we expect it least so there is hardly any thing in which it more deceives us than in this Of all that read these lines perhaps there is not one who has not been already very much mistaken in a Friend and 't is no wonder if we always 〈◊〉 so till we raise our hearts above this World fix them there where we are sure to find a True Faithfull One who Loves us gratis Always Lov'd us Lov'd us even when we were his Enemies and will for all Eternity continue the same Love unless we prove Vngratefull refuse to Love Him above all things as He very well deserves He Loves us gratis Not for any Good He gains by it or any litle Service we can do him He cannot stand in need of any of those Goods which every moment He bestows upon us 16.2 Thou art my God says the Psalmist My Goodness extends not to Thee When we have done all we can Luke 17.10 we are unprofitable Servants We have done our selves the greatest good we can imagine but our God is not a jot the better for 't Lib. 10. de Civ The Fountain says S. Austin is not better for our drinking at the Stream nor the Sun the better for our walking by his Light If I may use S. Paul's expression 2. Cor. 12.14 He seeks not what is Ours but Vs He seeks for nothing but our Love even this Command he lays upon us meerly for our Good Deut. 10.12.13 And Now says He what dos thy Lord thy God require of thee but to Love Him with all thy Heart vvhich I command thee this Day for thy Good Behold dear Christians a True Faithfull Friend and see how you can answer it to your Good Nature if you do not Love Him He always Lov'd us always thought of us not only all of us in generall but every one of us Lov'd us with a Love Eternall as Himself He says in the Prophet Jeremy 13.3 I have Lov'd Thee with an Eternall Love therefore with loving Kindness have I drawn Thee And what more powerfull Attractive can there be to draw us to Him than that Loving Kindness which from all Eternity took care of our Concerns contriv'd our future Happyness drew a Scheme of all the necessary means to bring us to it Except himself He hardly thought of any thing but Us Our first Creation our Redemption our Salvation were always in his Eye they were the Eternall Entertainment of his mind they were the Great Design which gave occasion to the first Production of this World which we ungratefully preferr before Him though He made it for us Never forsake your Old Friend Eccli 9.14 your New one will never be like Him Alas who can help it if we will be so ungratefull forsake so ancient a Friend we may be sure it is impossible to find a New one comparable to him He Lov'd us even when we were his Enemies T is true The first Production of the Universe was Proof enough no man can deny but that so Great a Gift bestowd upon us for our Use aboundantly sets forth the Greatness of his Love But yet the whole Creation of the World is nothing to the constant Conservation of it for our sakes who have so long so much abus'd it If the first bestowing of a more than ordinary favour without any previous merit on our side be such an argument of more than ordinary Love What is the constant repetition continuation of the Same so long a time although the longer we enjoy it we demerit more more are as obstinate in our Ingratitude as He is constant in his Kindness Was there ever any true hearty Love like this S. Paul expresses some ressemblance of it in a second Letter which he writes to the Corinthians declares his readyness to serve them though says he the more aboundantly I love you 1. Cor. 12.15 the lesse I am lov'd We read it in the 12. chapter which relates his Rapture into the third Heaven and without all doubt this Love of his was copyed there from the divine Originall If one small Spark of this celestial Love had such a wonderfull effect in the Apostle's breast What can we say or think of that immense boundless Fire of Everlasting Love which no Ingratitude of Man was ever able to extinguish Though our God foresaw how much it was in vain to court our Love although He was not ignorant that his Affection for so base so unworthy Creatures would be more despis'd the more he labour'd to endear us to him though He knew before hand the unparallelld Ingratitude of Man Nevertheless He sent his only Son to save us He could not hold his Hand He could not deny himself the Satisfaction of being infinitely Kind Be astonisht Jerem. 2.12 O ye Heavens at this S. John discoursing of this Love takes notice of no other motive of it than our Gratitude our indispensable
Obligation to be Gratefull to so Good a Friend 1. Jo. 4.19 We Love Him says he because He first Lov'd Vs He dos not say because He 's infinitely Good Perfect in himself but because He has been infinitely Good Kind to us His reason I gather from the 12. v. of the same Chapter where He says No man has seen God any time the 20. where he adds How can a man Love God whom he has not seen If we had ever seen him Face to Face 1. Cor. 13.12 as all the Blessed Spirits do in Heaven we should then have lov'd Him here as they do there The very Sight of Him although He never had been Kind would have transported us beyond all thoughts of any thing but Him it would have been impossible to entertain the least impression of any other Love in Competition with Him But because this Happyness is not to be expected here where 't is impossible to see Him as He is 1. Jo. 3.2 Therefore S. John the Disciple whom JESUS Lov'd Who by experience knew that no impression sinks deeper in a Generous heart Jo. 21. v. 7. than the endearing Obligation of returning Love for Love pleads nothing else but Gratitude for the fullfilling of this Great Commandement VVe Love Him 1. Jo. 4.19 says he because He first Lov'd us There 's nothing more obliging than the Love of a True Friend nothing else obliges us without it Whatsoever the interiour value of a Benefit amounts to when we cast it up the Obligation is not taxt by any other weight or measure than his Love to whom we stand indebted for it In this Case Ingratitude of all crimes is the most unpardonable a Crime so base which Human Nature so abhorrs that even the Worst of men who are asham'd of nothing else can never endure that any man should either say or think They are Vngratefull Other sins they publish to the World but This They always labour to conceal And though I scarce can think of any Wickedness so infamous but Some have been so Wicked as to Glory in it yet Ingratitude is so Vnworthy carries so much Baseness in the very Front of it that I could never hear of any that were ever Proud of being thought Vngratefull Rather than a Man should think They are so they invent a thousand frivolous pretences to disown the Obligation they quarrell with the Benefit revile the Benefactor that they may deny a less Ingratitude they hide it with a greater So asham'd they are to own this fault that they had rather be a thousand times ungratefull than be once esteemd so This is the Crime which many of us are so Guilty of although we as are as much unwilling to beleeve it as we are asham'd to own it And One of the most notorious aggravations of our great Ingratitude is this that we not only are so but are in a manner quite insensible of being so Because our God is infinitely more our Friend than any Other can be Therefore we regard Him infinitely less We cannot without indignation observe one man ungratefull to another The very Story of an ungratefull Action says Seneca puts us out of all Patience and gives us a loathing for the Author of it That inhuman Villain we cry to do so horrid a Thing And yet when we observe how horribly ungratefull a poor miserable Creature is to our Creator we take litle notice of it we regard it with a cold indifference as if we were content it should be so We cannot plead in our defence that we are ignorant how much we stand indebted to him for his Love Alas we all know well enough that there was never any Love like His so True so Ancient so Constant If we plead Forgetfullness or Inadvertency 't will only make the matter worse by offering to mend it He is the most Vngratefull of all says the Morall Philosopher who Forgets either the Benefactor or the Benefit And yet when we have made the best we can of an ill Cause 't is certain that the true if not the only Reason why we are insensible of our Ingratitude is because we seldom call to mind almost quite Forget 1. Jo. 4.19 how Great our Obligation is to Love our God because He first Lov'd us All the Ends of the VVorld Psalm 22.28 says the Psalmist shall Remember and be Converted to God Let us Remember only What a Friend God is how infinitely Better than the Best we have besides Let us Remember only This and We shall be Converted We shall be asham'd of our Ingratitude and Love Him above all Things SECT III. That the Love of God is our Greatest Good WHatever our Duty is the very word Commandement is always odious to those who love their Liberty makes it so much harder to go down with them But yet if after second thoughts upon the matter we discover that One reason why it is our Greatest Obligation is because it is our Greatest Good Math. 11.30 the Yoke will then seem easy the Burthen light Three things there are which gain our Hearts command our Inclinations in a manner gouvern all our Actions and these three things are Honour Profit Pleasure Whatsoever we call Good falls under one of these three Heads t is either Honourable Profitable or Delightfull All these three accompany the Love of God none of them are ever be found without it 1. To begin with Honour I take for granted No man ought to judge that This or That is Honourable because the Generality of Mankind by mistake is apt to value admire it but before he gives his verdict every man should first consider well the merits of the cause A Wife Man though he liv'd amongst a Multitude of Infidells saw how much they honour adore false Gods he would not therefore presently conclude such Idols Honourable but would rather laugh at those who are so blind as not to see how litle They deserve it The Question is not what we by a vulgar errour are inclin'd to honour most but What it is that is most worthy of it And This upon a strict enquiry will appear to be the Love of God Honour at all hands is agreed to be a Testimony of some Excellence and Nothing can be truly honourable if it be not truly Excellent A man has no just Title to his Honour any more than what the common Duties of Civility amount to if he have not something in him more than ordinary some Perfection to distinguish Him raise him to a Height more elevated than the lowest Rank of men The Qualities which justly challenge men's Esteem are VVisdom Justice Power Whatsoever raises us to the Perfection of our Nature 2.2 q. 47. a. 13. As for VVisdom S. Thomas of Aquine has demonstrated that No man can be truly VVise who dos not Love God above all things He may be says he a VVise Merchant
in Us. Love is as Strong as Death Cant. 8.6 T is this Victorious Love which frees us from the Tyranny of all those Passions which divide the Kingdom of our Heart Math. 12.25.26 a Kingdom brought to Desolation where Satan casts out Satan How can this Kingdom stand How is there any true Content and Satisfaction to be found in it A Man who places all his Happyness in Humouring his Passions can never please himself till he has pleas'd them All And since it is impossible to please two Masters how is' t possible for any Man to please so many I might here appeal to each Man 's private Conscience for a farther Testimony of this Truth But if a Sullen Conscience even when it is upon the Wrack refuses to Confess We have the Word of God the best clearest Evidence we can desire The VVicked Isai 57.20 21. says He are like the troubled Sea when it cannot Rest whose VVaters cast up Mire Dirt There is no PEACE says my God to the VVicked On the other side when once the Love of God has full possession of our Heart when Christ Gouverns it by Faith the Holy Ghost by Charity Gen. 1.2 Math. 8.26 when the Spirit of God begins to moue upon the face of the VVaters it presently Commands the VVinds the Sea there succeeds a Great Calm In a word As much as Liberty is more agreable than Slavery As much as Unity is better than Division As much as Peace Content Ease are more Delightfull than perpetuall Disturbance Discontent Pain so much the Pleasure which attends the Love of God is Greater than the Pleasures of this VVorld Had it been possible for our Creator to oblige us All to Love Him gratis we might then have had more Colour for our Crime And yet it would have been no more than what He very well deserves He Lov'd us gratis without any possibility of Recompence He humbled himself to repair our Honour He quitted Heaven to promote our Interest He sufferd torments to procure our Ease And it would only be a Suitable Return if we preferr'd his Honour Interest Pleasure far before our own But as our Kind Gracious God has order'd it to our advantage we are All oblig'd to seek our Own True Honour Interest Pleasure despise the False Appearances of Honourable Profitable Delightfull which the World endeavours to delude us with When we have made the most we can of such an Obligation 't will amount to neither more nor lesse than What we dayly see before our Eyes Consider how the Ambitious the Covetous the Voluptuous love their Honours Riches Pleasures Is it not plain They Love them above all things And why should not we Love God as well as Worldlings Love the VVorld They Love it with all their Heart They desire nothing else but to enjoy it with all their Soul They have no passion for any thing else with all their Mind They think of nothing else but how to make a Figure in it Has God less charms than the VVorld Or is a Flattering Friend well known to be our Greatest Enemy more amiable than the Best of Friends most True most Ancient most Constant who has always Lov'd us better than we Love our selves Is it a Greater Honour for a Man to be the Divel's Slave than be a Favourite of God Is it a Greater Profit to be cheated in the End than be Eternally Rewarded Or are those Pleasures which are always mixt with intervalls of discontent anxiety pain greater than those Delights which are unchangeable immortall divine which even in this Vale of Misery begin our Heaven upon Earth Ah Christians We have litle reason to dispute the terms of such an Obligation where the whole Advantage is entirely on our Side So great Advantage that we cannot truly Love our selves Math. 22.38 unless we Love our Lord our GOD with all our Heart with all our Soul with all our Mind This is not only our Greatest Duty but our Greatest Good SECT IV. That the Love of God is the chief Grace of the Holy Ghost I Am come Luke 12.22 says our Saviour to Send Fire on the Earth what do I desire but that it may be Kindled This He desires for This He came and This we pray for in the Service of the Church Come Holy Spirit Fill the Hearts of thy Faithfull Kindle in them the Fire of thy Love The Holy Ghost came visibly at first prov'd his Presence by the Miracles He did But yet a Spirit is not naturally sensible when He comes invisibly He comes more like Himself nor have we any reason when He dwells within us to suspect that He is lesse at home because He lesse Appears abroad Although we do not see the Fire descend rest upon our Heads yet if the Love of God enflame us if it burn within our Hearts if it appear in our Devotion in our Conversation in our Actions 't is enough we then may hope we have receiv'd the Holy Ghost that our Saviour verifies in us his Promise which He made us when He said He shall be IN YOU Jo. 14. v. 17. He did not come in to the World to visit the Apostles only and abandon their Posterity Our Saviour did not send him to us that he might immediately forsake us but that He might remain with us for ever to the End of the World Jo. 14. v. 16. I will pray my Father says He that He may abide with you for ever The Spirit of God shall be in Vs T is a solemn Promise of our Saviour himself we cannot doubt of it although we cannot but admire it with profound astonishment Kings 3.8.27 like that of Solomon VVill God dwell with us on the Earth will the Spirit of God not only dwell here with us but within us If Heaven says he and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Thee How much lesse this House which I have builded If we find that Salomon was thus transported when he lookt upon his Temple compar'd it with the Majesty of God to whom he built it may not we admire much more the living Temple of the Holy Ghost If the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain the Spirit of God How much lesse this litle House of clay Can we imagine that this litle Heart of ours is more capacious than Heaven Or can our Heart contain our God if Heaven cannot Oh no our God is infinite He cannot be contain'd in either yet He dwells in both Hear the Psalmist 122.1 To Thee I lift up my Eyes O Thou that Dwellest in the Heavens Hear S. Paul 1. Cor. 3.16 You are the Temple of God the Spirit of God Dwells in You. Compare both Testaments the Old and New if you seriously beleeve them both conclude we have the same assurance that God dwells in Virtuous Souls as that He dwells in
for what they have But nevertheless how hard soever it may be to gouvern a man's Passion in some occasions 't is certainly a very poor excuse when there is nothing but the Temptation to attone for the Sin Let a Man lose what he will a judicious Stander by never likes Him the worse for being VVise enough to hold his Tongue And when we have made the best we can of the matter t is but an unbecoming thing to be so much transported as some are A Man's Reputation in this point is as much at stake as his Money and of the two 't is better to save one than lose both Vpon such Thoughts as these I have ever been reserv'd moderate in speaking of the Times I hold my Tongue as an Honest man may a VVise man ought I submitt to Providence as many a better Man dos And whatever my Thoughts may be I keep them to my self For this Reason also although it be no affront to the Creation to speak ill of the Chaos which preceded it I have even in those Affairs which were forerunners of the * 92. present Settlement taken care to say nothing of my own The Allusion is totally Theirs whom I dispute with The Application only is Mine I pretend to silence them by their own Principles therefore am oblig'd to give them fair Play I pretend not to argue from my own Ideas of things but from theirs should be very disingenuous if I did not represent them their own way according to their own liking All this while I know well enough what to think of these matters but is it not my business at present to tell any man my Thoughts VVhatsoever any man may deserve I accuse no man I endeavour to entertain my self with such Considerations as become a Contrite an Humble Heart I accuse my self in the Sight of God And as for Those who so violently accuse their Neighbours in the Sight of Men I have so much Zeal as to wish They would please to call home their Thoughts find them better Employment Mean time there 's nothing but the Grace of God can calm the Spirits of Men And One might as well pretend to chide the VVinds and the VVaves in a Storm as advise people in some occasions to be Silent The only way of Dealing with such Persons is to let them run on quietly till the Humour begins to be out of breath They take it kindly that they are not contradicted are afterwards more willing to hear Reason Let them alone Let them say what they please of the Mote in their Brother's eye Never interrupt them VVhen they have done Then is the Time even then 't is hard enough without Offence to mind them of a Beam in their own According to this Method I have in the Allusion given the Losers leave to talk And afterwards in the Application I make a Parallel which plainly shews Their Crimes are greater in the Sight of God than ever any Man 's were in the Sight of Men. VVhen our Saviour heard the Clamours of the People against the VVoman whom they loudly accus'd of Adultery He knew well enough what to think of the matter but however He kept his Thoughts to himself He saw how violent they were their stones ready in their hands themselves in great hast to execute the sentence of her Death All the while the Scripture says He seem'd as if he heard them not Jo. 8. v. 6. He contradicted nothing question'd nothing whatsoever they objected He gave all for granted In the end when they continued asking him v. 7. would not be quiet without an Answer He said He that is without Sin amongst you Let him first cast a stone at her And now pray give me leave to ask Had the VVoman any reason to take it ill of our Saviour because he said nothing in her defence Or had the People any just cause to be offended at him because he minded them of their Duty VVithout doubt She was pery well pleas'd to hear him say nothing against her And as for the People they were confounded by their own principles went away quietly one by one as soon as our Saviour had putt them in mind of being greater Sinners themselves In a word Both Parties were pleas'd The Design of his Argument was a Charity to the One And his VVay of Arguing was no Injury to the Other If I have not the same good Fortune in pleasing both Parties 't is none of my fault My VVay of Arguing and the Design of my Argument are Both exactly the Same VVhatsoever my Success may be My Comfort is I have done what I can to draw Good out of Evill and He who sees my Heart I hope will reward my Endeavours My Matter led me to it whether I would or no And 't would have been an uncharitable thing to step out of the way when I thought my self in such a fair one of Doing Good Page 67. line 18. way read may p. 91. l. 22. witten r. written p. 140. lin 11. r. p. 141. l. 7. have r I have p. 202. l. 10. Sprituall r. Spirituall p. 203. l. 10. dedepends r. depends p. 216. l. 10. has dishonour r. has dishonour'd p. 225. l. 23. his r. is p. 235. l. 22. not r. not for p. 280. l. 18. if we once r. if once p. 301. l. 14. bids always r. bids us always p. 331. l. 6. All is r. All his MOTIVES OF LOVE SECT I. How much it imports us to Love God above All Things WHen the Pharisee askt our Saviour VVhat is the Great Commandement in the Law Math. 22.36 Our dear Redeemer who came to perfect the Old Law who came to change the Law of Fear into a Law of Love who brought down fire from Heaven to enflame our Hearts replyd Thou shalt Love thy Lord thy God with all thy Heart v. 37. with all thy Soul v. 38. with all thy Mind This is the Great Commandement I fear that many of us litle think how Great it is We litle reflect on the one side how great our Obligations are to Love our God on the other side how great are the Advantages which cannot fail to attend this Love We litle consider how great our Ingratitude is if we omit our Greatest Duty How great our Folly is if we neglect our Greatest Good SECT II. That the Love of God is our Greatest Duty TO make it plainly appear that the Love of God above all things is the Greatest Duty of a Christian One would think it were enough to shew that 't is a Duty which comprises all our other Duties that it is the Total Sum of Christianity that without the least hyperbole it is the VVhole Duty of Man because all other Precepts whatsoever only are so many Branches of this Great Commandement which is the Root of all the rest Serm. de Orat. Domin S. Cyprian calls it the Grand
or a VVise Pilot a Wise Statesman or a Wise Generall because he may be Prudent in the choice of Proper Means well fitted to the Purpose Design of such Employments But 't is impossible to be a VVise Man without being VVise in order to the Proper End of MAN the great Design of his Creation which is nothing but the Knowledg the Love of God A Magistrate who is created meerly for the Publick Peace whatever he may be in other things if he be not VVise in order to that End He is not a VVise Magistrate And since All Mankind was created to be happy in an Everlasting Union with God Whatever a Person may be in other Affairs if he be not Wise in order to this End He may be a Wise VVhat you please but he is not a VVise MAN As for Justice I would gladly know how any Man is thoroughly truly Just who is perpetually Guilty of the most notorious injustice we can think of Such is the Man whoêre he be that dos not Love his Maker as he ought T is true He only is injust to God He only wrongs Himself he never wrong'd his Neighbour may be all his Life But what would you say of a Steward who only cheats his Master Would you think him a Just Man because he never cheats his Fellow-Servants As for Power I Confess it may be Great in some particular respects but never can be Absolute without the Love of God I may say the same of Power that S. Thomas says of Wisdom A Man without this Love may be a Powerfull Prince a Powerfull VVarriour or the like because without it He may have all Power necessary for the main Design of Gouvernment or VVar c. But since without this Love he neither can Command his Passions nor Himself 't is evident He has not all the Power necessary to attain the proper End of Man's Creation in a word He is no Powerfull MAN who is not Master of Himself Thus you may plainly see how these three Characters of VVise Just Powerfull which are the most esteem'd Honour'd in the World are only Shadows imperfect Semblances if separated from the Love of God You plainly see that it not only is the Greatest Excellence of Man most Honourable most Deserving our Esteem but that without it there is hardly any Thing which truly is so 2. As it is our Greatest Honour so it is our Greatest Profit S. Paul was so sensible of this that though the Fervour of his Zeal appears in all his Writings yet he never speaks with greater Emphasis than when he has a fair occasion to discourse upon this subject Though I speak 1. Cor. 13. says he with the Tongues of Men Angels have not CHARITY I am become like sounding Brass or a tinkling Cymbal And though I have the Gift of Prophecy understand all Mysteries all Knowledg and though I have all Faith so that I could remove Mountains have no Charity I am Nothing And though I bestow all my Goods to feed the Poor though I give my Body to be burn'd have not Charity it PROFITS me nothing He has reckon'd up the greatest Gifts best Advantages that he could call to mind yet he says They All are Nothing to our Purpose without Love On the other side the same Apostle teaches us that All things else are Profitable with it though they never can be so without it VVeknow Rom. 8.28 says he that All things work together for GOOD to those who LOVE God The Secret of changing all things in to Gold has in vain long time been sought for but the mystery of changing all the meanest of our Actions in to more than Gold is much more easy to be found 1. Cor. 10.31 VVhatever ye do says S. Paul Do all to the Glory of God every thing you do will have more value in his sight than all the Gold Silver in the World The least Degree of Love the coldest Act of Charity Math. 10.42 even the Giving a Cup of cold water for the Love of God our Saviour tells us shall in no wise loose its Reward So true is that of S. Austin All things else are Profitable with it Nothing else is truly so without it 3. As it is our Greatest Profit so it is our Greatest Pleasure There is Nothing so Delightfull even in this World as to Love God with all our Heart with all our Soul with all our Mind T is hard enough I know to make the World beleeve it Because although the Truth be in it self as clear bright as the Meridian Sun Our Passions raise a cloudy Mist before our Eyes which intercepts the Sight of it All Persons whose Affections are fixt upon the Pleasures of this World can hardly ever be persuaded but that the Love of God is the Dullest the most Insipid Thing imaginable They easily conceive that Nothing is so Honourable as to be a Saint And that it is but very litle Profit for a Man to gain the VVorld Math. 16.26 loose his Soul The Honour the Profit are agreed upon But where 's the Pleasure All that can be said upon this subject They are unacquainted with They understand it not He preaches in an unknown Tongue who preaches the Love of God to those who never Lov'd Him The Language of Love says S. Bernard is Barbarous to those who Love not As soon as ever they begin to turn their back upon these rotten Pleasures look towards Heaven presently these Darlings of their Heart begin as it were Conf. lib. 8. to pull them by the sleeve as Saint Austin words it whisper in their Ear Do you Forsake Vs And from this moment shall we have your Company no more FOR EVER Shall we NEVER see you more Thus they sollicite Thus they importune tempt them to differr the time of their Conversion Do you think it possible to Live without the Pleasures of this World Ah Christians T is not only possible it is the Greatest Pleasure in the World to Live without them T is true The very Thoughts of Separation are like Thoughts of Death But then we ought to reflect that as we feel no pain when we are Dead but all our pain is only whilst we are in Dying So we feel the pain of leaving worldly Pleasures whilst we are Deliberating what to Do But we are Dead We feel no pain at all when once we are Resolv'd upon 't You are Dead 3.3 says S. Paul to the Colossians and your Life is hidden with Christ in God I am Dead 2.19.20 says the same Apostle to the Galatians the Life which I now live in the Flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God who Lov'd me See the powerfull Effects of Love It makes us as insensible to all the Pleasures of this World as if our Inclinations were already Dead quite Extinguisht
Corner of the World in which He is not Present So the Holy Ghost would cease to be our Infinite and Souvereign Good if any Corner of our Heart have any thing lodg'd in it that excludes Him When once we have receiv'd the Holy Ghost our Heart is the Kingdom of God He is the Absolute and Only Monarch that commands it He cannot Alienate the least part of his Title to the Gouvernment He cannot any way admitt of a Companion in his Throne Our Heart is the Throne of the Most High And if we remember what became of Lucifer I hope it will suffice to make us sensible how dangerous a thing it is to place a Creature in the Throne of God Isai 14.14 make it like the Highest S. Austin wondring at the overflowing measure of Gods Holy Spirit in the Apostles Hearts observes that the reason why they were so full of God was because they were so empty of his Creatures They were very Full says he because they were very Empty because they were so Empty of the Spirit of this World therefore they were so full of the Spirit of God O that our Hearts were Empty O that they were purg'd cleans'd like theirs from all inordinate affection to this World We then should be prepar'd like Them ready to receive the Fullness of the Holy Ghost T is a great Work will require some time Why are we then so flow in undertaking it Acts. 1.11 VVhy do we stand Gazing We gaze we lift our eyes to Heaven But yet we stand our feet are fixt upon the Earth We preferr Heaven before Hell of the two we had rather be there But of the three if it were possible we had rather be always here How long will you love Vanity Psal 4.2 says the Psalmist This World is nothing else but Vanity How long will you Love it Eccles 4. v. 16. T is Vanity Vexation of Spirit How long will you delight in it It flies before you like a Shadow 6. v. 12. How long will you run afterit Alas t is but a Shadow if you overtake it The VVorld passes away 1. Jâ— 4.17 T is an unkind illnatur'd VVorld which passes by us with a flattering smile will not stay a moment with us If it had ever been a true faithfull Friend to any man We should have some pretence to justifie our expectation of its being Kind But since we know it never was so to its greatest Favourites We way be sure it never will be so to us The Time will come when we shall plainly see although perhaps too late that All is Vanity we shall love no more what we are now so fond of The Love of all those Trifles which our Infancy was once much pleas'd withall is now forgot and we so much contemn those childish entertainments that unless we saw the same in other Children we should scarce beleeve we ever lov'd them As when we advance in years we see the folly of our Childhood so upon our Deathbed we as plainly see the folly of our Life we then discover that the Honours Riches Pleasures of this World are only so many serious Trifles which are therefore more ridiculous because more serious When once the Period of our Time approaches When we are upon the Borders of Eternity When we are as it were betwixt two Worlds the End of this the Beginning of the next which never will have end Then it is that all our Joys begin to vanish out of sight they are the same to us as if they never had been present Than it is that all our Miseries are every one in View such Miseries as never can be past but will for all Eternity be always present When once that Hour comes we shall be Wise enough to undervalue contemn what we so dearly love But then I fear We shall be VVise too late Our useless VVisdom will not rise in Judgment for us but against us O let us now endeavour to be VVise disengage our Hearts from all inordinate affection to this world that we may be prepar'd for the receiving of this Grace which is the best surest Pledge of the Eternall Glory which we hope for in the world to come MOTIVES OF FEAR SECT I. How much it imports us to remember the Day of Judgment WHen the Disciples askt our Saviour what would be the Sign of his Coming and of the End of the VVorld Math. 24.3 v. 36. Our Saviour answerd that the Day Hour were not to be known before hand that his Coming would be like a Flash of Lightning v. 27. when they least expected Him Therefore v. 44. says He be ready for in such an Hour as you think not the Son of Man will come v. 35. Heaven Earth shall pass away but my VVords shall not passe away The World shall have an End The Son of man shall Come to Judge the World The Hour of his Coming shall surprise us when we think not of it If we knew before hand we should certainly prepare And we have much more reason since we do not know it But alas our Saviour Jesus Christ himself has prophecied v. 38. that As in the days that were before the Floud they were eating drinking marrying giving in marriage till the Day that Noe entred the Ark v. 39. And Knew not till the Floud came and took them all away So also shall be the Coming of the Son of man He told us how it would be every day we see how true it is We mind nothing but eating drinking marrying giving in marriage We seek for nothing but Diversion Sport Pastime We now Rejoyce But then when the World ends our Joys will end with it Then we shall Grieve not only then Math. 24.30 but for ever THEN all the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn They shall All mourn Not All the Just Not All God's Friends Not All devout pious Christians who not only in their Baptism but also during Life renounc'd the Vanities Pleasures of this World All these will have just reason to abound with Joy at the Approach of their so long defir'd everlasting Happyness Psal 126.5 They sow'd with Tears but now shall reap with Joy All the Tribes of the Earth All Those whose Hearts were always fixt upon the Earth upon the Honours Riches Pleasures of the Earth THEY shall All mourn And not without sufficient Reason For 1. They shall see the fatall End of all their transitory Happyness 2. They shall see the sad Beginning of their everlasting Misery SECT II. That our Last Day is the fatall End of all our transitory Happyness AS on the one side Nothing can be truly Little which is Infinite So on the other Nothing can be truly Great which has an End Baruch 3. v. 25. Our God is Great says the Prophet has no End As if
A CONTRITE AND HUMBLE HEART WITH Motives Considerations to prepare it PARIS M.DC.XCII Permissâ—… Superiorum PSALM L. A Contrite Humble Heart O God Thou wilt not despise I. SAM VII Prepare your Hearts to God Serve Him onely TO THE READER THe Subject which I treat of is the Best of Hearts a Contrite an Humble One. A Heart which is the Price of Heaven An inestimable Jewel which deserves our selling all we have to purchase it What disadvantages it may have sufferd in my hand who have prepar'd fashion'd it according to my Fancy I pretend not to excuse As rough as unpolisht as it is the Jewel is entire the interiour Value of it is the same within it self And that 's aboundantly sufficient to attone for all Besides Contrition and Humility affect not the advantage of a Modish Outside Plain Sincerity becomes them infinitely more An humble Penitent who has an angry God to please trembles under his Almighty Hand has something else to think of When a Magdalen once comes with penitentiall Tears to bathe her Saviour's feet she quite forgets her Looking-glass comes without consulting it She brings her precious Ointments with her But these are only for her Lord They are not either to adorn her self or please the Company The Method I have followd may perhaps seem arbitrary require a line or two to justifie it I begin with the Love of God 1. Because it is the First the Greatest indeed the Whole Duty of Man 2. Because although the Practise of Repentance commonly begins with Fear goes on with Hope ends in Love yet where our Practise ends our Theory begins and what is last perform'd is generally first design'd and principally aim'd at 3. Because there is no ground for either Hope or Fear before we Know our Duty When we know it and consider well how little we observe it Then it is that we begin to tremble at the thought of our Appearance at the Bar The Terrour of a Living God awakens us and makes us sensible how fearfull a thing it is Hebr. 10.31 to fall in to his hands For this reason in the second place I shew the generall Motives of our Fear Which to prevent Despair I counterballance with the Motives of our Hope And after all because Presumption is the greater danger of the two our Pride inclining us to think Repentance easy our self-Self-Love dayly tempting to Differr it therefore I have taken care to shew the Danger of Delay These Preparations I thought proper for a Contrite an Humble Heart When I describe Contrition I enlarge much more upon the Resolutions of Amendment than the Sorrow due to Sin because these Resolutions are commonly the more neglected of the two A little Melancholy or a little Tenderness of nature with no more than meerly Self-Love in the Case may oftentimes produce a sensible concern and even Tears when we reflect upon the danger we are in Though all this while our Darling Humours our beloved Sins are every jot as dear to us as ever Some slight Thoughts we have in generall of doing so no more But these are only superficiall They produce not a sincere hearty Detestation of our Crimes They are to God what our Compliments are to our Neighbours These are Words of course Those are Thoughts of course Both signifie just nothing These two Sections of Contrition * 91. have been printed apart by One who sign'd the Paper as his Act Deed inviting others to take pen in hand Intro Par. 1. ch 21. do the same I sign it not with my Hand but only wish my Reader my self may sign it with our Hearts In the first four Sections of Humility I offer little or nothing of my own It would not have become me to pretend to much acquaintance with so rare a Virtue And besides in such a Matter so extremely disagreable to our Corrupted nature there was need of more Authority than mine I conclude with the Character of a Good Christian Having describ'd his Heart I thought it would not be amiss to finish the remainder of his Character In this also I advance not a word of my own Should I presume to draw a Christian to the life 't would be in me as great a Vanity as if my Reader should pretend to sit for the Picture I produce the Scripture chiefly the Fathers now and then a Modern Author Any helping Hand was welcome in so difficult a Piece No matter Who I am I am a Son of the Church Submitt my self entirely to Her * S. Pacian B. of Barcelone My Name is CHRISTIAN my Surname CATHOLICK the rest I have leave to conceal God's Honour my Neighbour's Good is All I aim at And as to either of these Designs I have no other Name but what is altogether useless Advertisement I Have yet something more to say which I had almost quite forgotten It relates not either to the generall Design of this little Tract or to any considerable Part of it but only to some few pages in the last Section of Humility Having there proposed one generall Motive of that Virtue by setting forth the great Enormity of Sin I proceed to severall aggravating Circumstances of it and amongst many others I undertake to prove that there never was nor ever can be upon Earth any Impiety Disloyalty or Treachery equall to that of a Sinner This could not be perform'd without answering the Objections of some people who seem to be of another Mind And my present Business is only to put my Reader in a way of observing who it is that speaks that he may not confound my Adversaries words with mine I have heard of a Man who opening the first Volume of S. Thomas of Aquine lighting by chance upon the third article Utrum Deus sit He no sooner cast his eye upon the following words Videtur quod non but immediately he shutt it again laid it by as a book pernicious not fit to be read T is a grosse mistake to imagine that every thing which is said in an Author is said by him In Scripture it self there is many a thing said which the Scripture dos not say For example T is said in Scripture that There is no God Ps 14. v. 1. and yet the Scripture dos not say so t is the Fool that says so in his Heart And this is my Case in the three Articles above mention'd There are severall things said in them which I do not say There are Things alluding to some Transactions which I had no inclination to speak of but being Objected by Others I could not avoid Answering As to the Matter of the Objections I say nothing my self but only Argue against Those who are inclin'd to say too much T is commonly said that Losers have leave to talk Nor is it altogether without reason VVhy should they not have it They pay
away the difficulty Whatsoever the Occasions are Ibid. He roundly answers that our Charity begins at home that if it inclines us to desire our Neighbour's spirituall good with much more reason it inclines us to desire our Own that if our Reputation may be usefull to our neighbour our Disgraces Humiliations incurr'd without our fault may prove more beneficiall to our selves If when I preach says he or when I practise any virtue which is edifying I am pleas'd with praises which endanger my Salvation because their good Opinion of me helps them to improve by my instruction example How much reason have I for my own sake to rejoyce a great deal more when having done my best I still am undervalued despis'd because by this means I my self am more acceptable to God and more secure of my Eternall Happyness Our Saviour himself See R. ch 29. whose Charity inclin'd him to descend from heaven to sacrifice his life for Sinners knew that many unbelieving Souls were lost by undervaluing despising him He knew that many millions of them would have been converted if they had admir'd honour'd him as he deserv'd yet He never sought for wordly Honour as a means to save them but although though their Souls were dear to Him his honour was not Jo. 6.38 As He came from heaven not to do his own will but the will of him that sent him So He came to seek the Honour of his Father not his own I honour my Father Jo. 8.49.50 says He I seek not my own glory T is enough that whilst I only seek his Honour He takes care of mine that although I never seek my own v. 50. yet there is One that always seeks judges it always will be sure to do me justice Let us follow the Example of our Saviour Let us make it the cheif Business of our life to do the will of him that sent us not our own Let us honour our Father in Heaven Let his Honour only be the Object of our care never let us mind our own but rest content that He himself takes care of it Let no appearance of our Neighbour's Profit cheat us into an Ambition of being popular but let us faithfully in all things do our Duty for the Love Honour of our God as for mens opinion of us let us leave it to his Providence His Honour here below is left as I may say to our discretion He committs it to our care He forces not our Liberty but only offers the assistance of his Grace lets us Honour him serve him as we please Shall God thus trust his honour in so bad a hand as ours shall not we be satisfied to trust our honour in so good a hand as His SECT V. Third Degree of Humility THe Third Rodr. ch 30. Last Degree is the Humility of Saints who are most humble in the sight of God when they are most esteem'd celebrated by the World When a Person full of faults imperfections has a mean opinion of himself esteems himself no better than he is is content to be reputed such as he esteems himself We may commend him says S. Bernard but have little reason to admire him Who admires to see a poor man have a mean opinion of his riches think himself no richer than he is rest content that others think so too but if a Rich man rank himself amongst the poor treat them with respect as if he were the least considerable of them all This very well deserves our admiration By this description of the third Degree we plainly see that the Humility of Saints the Humility of Sinners is the same in Substance though they differ in Perfection T is true we wonder not to see a man stand steddy upon even ground But when we see the same man stand as firm upon a lofty pinnacle we gaze wonder at him All this while the Man 's the same though we admire him more because the place is higher the difficulty greater So 't is in our present case Humility is either of the Judgment or the Heart The third Degree is comprehended in the First Second But however we admire much more an humble Saint because his eminent degree of Sanctity is higher the difficulty of his being humble therefore seems much greater I say seems greater because I am not apt to think it is so upon second thoughts My reason in short is This. Humility of judgment of heart are chiefly grounded in the Knowledg of our selves Love of God The First induces us to have a mean opinion of our selves the more we know our selves the more we think our selves contemptible the more we judge that we deserve to be despis'd by all the World The Second makes us glad to be neglected desire to be contemn'd And as the Love of God encreases in our hearts the more we have scorn the transitory honour of this world the more we love to follow the Example of an humble God the more we heartily desire to be agreable to none but him as being every day more sensible of this great Truth He only is approv'd 2. Cor. 10.18 whom God commends Let us only lay these notions right together 1. The Knowledg of our selves Love of God is that which makes men Saints No Person ever was a Saint without them No man ever was a Sinner with them And the more this Knowledg and this Love encrease the Greater is the Sanctity 2. This Knowledg this Love is that which makes men Humble Knowledg helps them to be humble in their Judgments Love assists them to be humble in their Hearts The more they Know Love the greater is the assistance of God's Grace which is the only means of making all things easy to us Why then may we not conclude Whoever is a Saint the greater Saint he is the easyer 't is for him to be humble Sinners indeed have much more matter for Humility to work upon Their Weakness their Corruption the Misery of their deplorable condition are incomparably worse But which is worst of all they are so miserably blind as not to know their misery A Beggar in his drink imagines he 's a Prince is as proud as if he were T is true he 's miserably poor but since he knows it not what signifies it He 's as proud as if he were the richest man alive T is so with Sinners They are drunk with Self-love Pride Vanity They little know much less think how Poor how Miserable how Contemptible they are And we may very well apply to them those words of the Apocalypse Because Thou sayst Ch. 3.17.18 I am rich have need of nothing knowst not that thou art wretched miserable poor blind naked Therefore I counsell thee to annoint thy eyes that thou mayst See This is
the generall Reason why Humility is harder to be found in Sinners than in Saints The First have more to humble them but the more they have the blinder they are the less they know it The Second have less to humble them but the less they have the more their eyes are open by God's Grace the more clearly they discover what 's enough to make them fear tremble all their life SECT VI. First Reason why the greatest Saints are the most humble I Shall only add two Reasons more because all Saints I speak of such as are now living are compris'd in these two Classes They are either such as have been Sinners heretofore or such as may be so hereafter The first Reason is so universall that it comprehends them both but more particularly Those who have preserv'd the Innocence of their Baptismall Grace D. Sp. ch 26. T is gatherd from that Oracle of Scripture work out your Salvation with Fear Trembling Philip. 2.12.13 For it is God who works in you to will to do according to his pleasure See the unsearchable Abyss of the Almighty's Judgments where t is dangerous to dwell too long search too curiously lest it cast us into an excess of Fear T is enough that none are sav'd but who persever to the End that the greatest Saints can never be assur'd of their Perseverance T is a speciall Gift which the Apostle chiefly points at when he says Rom. 9.18.16 God has mercy on whom he will have mercy It is not of him that wills or him that runs but of God that shews Mercy And again Ephes 2.8.9 By Grace you are sav'd that not of your selves it is the Gift of God Not of works lest any Man should boast Alas how is it possible for any Saint to be assur'd of his condition for the future since he is not certain even of his present State Who can sound the bottom of our Heart Or rather Who can sound the Heart of God tell us what He thinks of our condition Who is He that can assure us We are good enough to be Rewarded by Him wo be to that Life how innocent soever says S. Austin Psal 19.12 which He Judges without Mercy VVho is He says David that can understand his failings Cleanse me from my secret faults Psal 143.2 O Lord and enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified if once Thou judgest him according to the utmost rigour of thy Justice Who is there that dos not tremble when he hears the Just Holy man whom God himself was pleas'd to praise confess that all his life time God was such a Terrour to him Job 31.23 he was hardly able to endure it Who can without trembling hear the Prophet Isaiah tell us 64.6 we are all unclean all our righteous works like filthy Rags Or hear S. Hierom in the life of S. Hilarion tell us how that blessed Saint was terrified at the approach of Death to encourage his departing soul said to himself Go forth my Soul what are thou Now afraid of Thou hast serv'd thy God these threescore ten years dost thou tremble Now to appear before him Let us therefore fear tremble in the way to Heaven Never let us fancy we are so advanc't in Virtue that we need not fear The greatest Saints were never so Presumptuous as to banish from their thoughts the Fear of God Philip. 2.12 They workt out their Salvation with Fear Trembling They were always full of Fear this Fear always Humbled them They were not Blinded as we are with Passion Humour but as they improv'd in Grace they every day discover'd more more their secret Imperfections The Property of Grace is to enlighten the Understanding as well as to enflame the Heart It makes us Know our Misery Love our God who only can deliver us These two Effects of Grace were lively represented on the Day of Pentecost by that mysterious Fire which rested on the heads of the Apostles Fire gives Light Heat as the Fire encreases it affords more Heat greater Light So Grace Enlightens and Enflames the Minds Hearts of Saints with Knowledg of themselves Love of God as their Grace improves this Heat and Light encrease They discern more clearly the innumerable dangers that surround them become more Humble under the Almighty Hand of God 1. Pet. 5.6 S. Paul compares the different States of Sin Grace to Light and Darkness Night and Day Rom 13 12.13 The Night says he is spent the Day is at hand Let us cast of the works of Darkness put on the armour of Light Let us walk honestly as in the Day A Traveller benighted walks he knows not where He hardly sees his Hand much less his Feet He sees perhaps some Stars shine through the clouds whose sparkling light serves only to amuse him mislead him to a Precipice But when the rising Sun appears the Stars immediatly vanish out of sight our Traveller no longer gazes there but has a much more usefull prospect of the Earth below him where he plainly sees the Ground he go's upon the Risings the Descents the Inequalities Precipices of it Sinners like benighted Travellers march blindly on mind little what they Do much less where they Go. However now then they practise some good actions either out of custom or good nature amuse themselves with some few semblances of virtue whose dim lustre seems perhaps more sparkling in the Darkness of that Night which hides them even from themselves But t is not so with Saints Their Night is spent their Day appears The Sun of Justice Rises in their Hearts 2. Pet. 1.19 Their Virtues like the Stars which only shine in Darkness disappear immediatly The Clay which they are made of the Corruption of their Nature the Enormity of Sin the Power of their Passions the Weakness of their Reason These are Motives of Humility which Now they clearly see dayly have before their eyes Besides all This they plainly see an infinite variety of Artifices Disguises of Self-love which easily assumes all shapes counterfeits all Virtues even Charity it self And therefore they suspect the best of all their Actions trembling at the very thought of them for fear they may be secretly corrupted by Self-love But above all the importunity of Pride which never ceases to attack them but continually endeavours to surprise them notwithstanding all these motives of humility is that which seems the most extravagant of all their faults humbles them the most Behold the Misery of Man And what can be more miserable if the Sight of so much misery suffices not to humble him the greatest Saint who is not conscious to himself of any forfeiture of his first Innocence has no Assurance of his being justified D.
is who dayly gives him all he has to whom he ows the bread he eats the air he breaths the ground he goes upon the hand he moves the very life he spends in Sin all the Time allowd him to repent Can such a Creature so oblig'd by such a Benefactor be so basely so horribly ungratefull to betray Him preferr before Him the unreasonable satisfaction of a silly Humour of a shamefull Passion of a sinfull Inclination Open once for all thy Eyes Blind Sinner confess that no Ingratitude but that of Judas can compare to thine A Slave I wish he were so to his Master A Slave to Passion Humour A Slave to Sin Misery A Slave condemn'd to worse than Galleys during Life afterwards to the Eternall Flames of Hell 1. Cor. 2.9 where neither Eye has seen Nor Ear has heard nor has it ever entred into the heart of any Man what Torments God's great Justice has prepar'd for those who dare abuse his Mercy A vile Slave deliver'd from the mischief of all This by God himself descending from his Glory living here a poor painfull life laying down the same with every drop of his most precious bloud to pay the the ransom of this Wretch That such a Slave deliver'd so by such a Hand should offer to abuse the Mercy which once sav'd him still holds him by a slender thred from falling into everlasting Misery A Servant I should have said A miserable Insect full of sinfull putrefaction A vile Spawn of Man's originall Corruption A Worm whose very Crawling on it's fellow-dust is more Preferment than it can deserve That such a Thing as This should be so proud as to despise the Master of the World So Great so VVise so Infinitely Perfect so every way Deserving as He is This Vermin has indeed a Soul an Angell once by Grace but now by Sin a Devil black as Hell it self Gen. 3.5 Isai 14.14 a Lucifer that will be knowing Good Evill will be like the Highest will pretend to Gouvern in his Master's House despise his Orders slight his Menaces neglect his Admonitions Be astonisht Jer. 2.12 O ye Heavens at this A most insolent Criminall A Criminall so insolent as to offend before God's Face in presence of his Generall his King his Father his Deliverer his Benefactor his Master and besides all this in presence of his Judge before the very Bar where he continually is upon his Tryall for his everlasting Life or Death Our Saviour says that Whosoêre beleeves not Jo. 3.18 is condemn'd already We may say the same of every Sinner In the very moment he offends He is condemn'd already His All-Seeing Judge is always VVitness of his Thoughts Words Actions Desires and He no sooner is a Criminall but He is Tryd Judg'd This Insolence of his in some respect exceeds all other Aggravations of his Crime T is an Extravagance of which we hardly find the least Example betwixt Man Man We often hear of Souldiers that Desert But whensoêre they go they steal away We never hear that they acquaint their Generall with such Designs We often hear of Subjects that conspire against the Gouvernment but never hear them talk such matters loudly in the hearing of their Prince We often hear of Murders Robberies many other Outrages committed in the World But when the Prisoner once was brought to Tryall did you ever hear He either Robb'd or Murder'd at the Bar No no such Insolence was never heard of betwixt Man Man And yet this very Insolence is infinitely less than Ours which we are always guilty of in every Mortall Sin I say no more I tremble at the very thought of having said so much when I reflect how All that we can either say or think will nêre convert us without Grace There 's nothing but the Grace of God can make a deep Impression of it in our Hearts VI. Our Saviours Idea of Sin the Impression it made upon Him OUr Saviour Jesus Christ best knew the great Enormity of Sin we may judge how great it is by the Impression which it made upon Him when the approaching Hour of his Passion laid before his Eyes the terrible Idea of it T was the first bloudy Scene of all his Sufferings He began to be Sorrowfull very heavy Math. 26.37 A Deluge of Grief broke in upon his Soul quite overwhelm'd his Heart lay so heavy upon his fearfull Thoughts He was not able to conceal it any longer support the pressing weight of his Affliction all alone in silence His three most Dear most Familiar Disciples were surpris'd so much to see this suddain alteration in their dearest Lord They were not able to enquire the Cause but like Job's three Friends they stood astonisht spoke not one word to Him Job 2.13 because they saw his Grief was very Great Our Saviour could hold no longer but broke out into this dolefull expression Math. 26.38 My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull even unto Death Ah my dear Disciples if you knew as well as I do all the Motives of my Grief you would not wonder that the very Thought of them makes me look pale shews you the face of Death in my countenance The violent pangs of my afflicted Soul are so sharp piercing that did not my Divinity support me preserve my life I should immediatly this very moment dy upon the place Stay a while and watch with me Math. 26.38 You who love me best who have been always most familiar with me Be not now so unkind as to leave me in this sad condition all alone Stay a while watch with me till my Storm of Grief blow over Dear Christians Let us stay a while with these three Disciples not only admire but search into the cause of this great alteration in the Soul of our Redeemer How was it possible that now He should begin to fear so much that Death which all his life He had so much desir'd His Love for Man his Desire of dying for us were conceiv'd by the operation of the Holy Ghost they came into the World with him ever after so employ'd his Thoughts He scarce could talk of any thing else Amongst his Disciples his common Discourse was of his Sufferings the Cup he was to drink his Obligation his Readyness his Impatience to fullfill the Prophecies I have says he Luke 12.50 a Baptism to be baptis'd with how am I straitned till it be accomplisht When the time drew nearer He redoubled his desires of dying for us Luke 22.25 with Desire I have desir'd to eat this Passeover with you And why says S. Chrysostom Because it is a preparation to my Passion which I have so long so earnestly desir'd He knew from the beginning every Torment every degree of it Often reflected on each Circumstance apart as often took delight in
the clear full Idea He had of it was proportion'd to his Beatifick Vision of God's Essence by consequence the perfectest that ever was His clearest Sight ardent Love of God were in a manner infinite So were his Knowledge his Hatred of all Mortall Sin And the Impression this Idea made upon him was the chief if not the only Reason why our Saviour could not hold from telling his Disciples My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull Math. 26.38 even unto Death His Soul was overwhelm'd with such a Deluge of Affliction that his Grief not being able to contain it self within the Bounds of Nature violently forc'd it self through all his Pores in Tears of Bloud Ah my dear Jesus when shall I be able to make such a perfect Act of true Contrition for my Sins as Thou hast made for mine When shall I be able to say My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull even unto Death When shall I lament my grievous Sins in Tears of Bloud Give me at least Jerem. 9.1 water to my Head Fountains to my Eyes No Contrite Heart but Thine bleeds otherwise than at the Fyes and 't is I hope enough for me if I can be so sorry for my Sins as to lament them all the days I have to live rather Die than ever Sin again VII The Saints Idea of Sin How much it humbles Them THere 's Nothing but the Grace of Jesus Christ can make us Saints There 's Nothing else can make us clearly See and heartily Detest the Malice of our Sins The greater share we have of this great Grace the more we see it detest it so much more we fear and tremble at the very thought of it as our Grace encreases we grow every day more humble by remembring it To make this out I need not write the lives of all the Saints A Pattern is enough to judge of all the Piece especially such a one as S. Deg. 5. John Climacus an ancient Father of the Church has left behind him He assures us Ar. 20. his Relation is no Fable He affirms that what he says Art 2. He saw with his own eyes that He was a whole month in their Company Ar. 27. Draw near says he all You who have provok't the wrath of God by your Offences Come Hear the Wonders He was pleas'd to let me See for my Edification Be attentive to my words all You who have a mind to reconcile your selves to God by a sincere Conversion When I was says he in the Monastery of Penitents I saw Men so extremely humbled with the grievous weight of their Offences that their cries prayers to God would even move the stones themselves With heads bow'd down eyes upon the ground I heard them say we confess O Lord we confess that we deserve to suffer all chastisements afflictions because our Sins are such that should we Summon all the Vniverse to weep for us the Tears of all the world would never make sufficient Satisfaction There remains one only thing we ask one only thing we pray for that Thou never mayst correct us in thy Anger Ps 6.1 nor chastise us in thy great displeasure but a little spare us through thy infinite Mercy T is enough O Lord that Thou deliver us from those inexplicable Torments hidden in the Center of the Earth VVe dare not ask a full perfect Pardon we who have not kept the holy Laws of our Profession but have broken them again when Thou hadst given us the most endearing Marks of Love Mercy in forgiving of our Sins Who ever saw them Laugh Who ever heard amongst them any idle Talk Who ever could observe that any Passion transported them Or any Anger mov'd them Alas they hardly knew what Anger was their great Affliction and continuall Grief had now extinguisht in them all Emotions of Resentment There was never known the least appearance of Dispute the least lashing out in Discourse the least Sign of Vainglory There was no Jollity of Feasting no Concern for the body no Love of ease pleasure no Thought of Wine no Use of fruits no Care for delicacies pleasing to the palate The Desire of all such things was quite extinct And after all there was not to be found the least Censoriousness or least appearance of an Inclination to Judge their neighbours Some of them now then would knock their breasts and as if they were already at the Gate of Heaven Open us said they O Judge of Mankind Open us the Gate of Happyness which we have shat by Sin Others would say Luke 1.79 Give light to us O Lord who sitt in Darkness in the Shades of Death guide our steps into the way of Peace Others again will the Almighty look upon as any more Is' t possible to pay our Debts satisfy for our Offences will our God once more afford us any Comfort we are laid in chains of Sin And shall we one day hear him say Come forth They always had their Hour of Death before their eyes sometimes they would say to one another what will then become of us what Sentence will our God pronounce upon us what will be our End shall we be then call'd home from Banishment to which we have been hitherto condemn'd for our Offences Shall such Criminalls as we find any favour then Such Sinners as we are Such miserable wretches coverd with Confusion Darkness Have our Prayers mounted to the Throne of God Or have they been rejected as they well deserve If well receiv'd how far have they prevail'd Have they obtaind a full Discharge or only Part Alas they could not have much force proceeding from such mouths so sinfull so impure as Ours At other times They thus discourst their fears doubts what think you Brethren Do you think that we advance Do you think that we obtain the effect of our Demands Do you think that God will once again receive us Do you think He 'l open us the Gates of Heaven VVho can tell said the Ninivites who knows but God may change the Sentence which He has pronounc't against us Though perhaps He will not free us from the rigorous Chastisements which we have deserv'd However Let us labour all we can Do whatever we are able If He open us the Gate of Heaven we are Happy if He dos not He is Just therefore never let us cease to bless Him Doubtfull as we are of what may be our Destiny we must continue all our life still knocking at the Door Perhaps our Importunity our Constancy our Perseverance may find Admittance in the End Behold the Language of the Saints Consider how their Fear Trembling humbles them in Presence of their angry God Consider the Idea which They have of Sin how different it is from what we generally have Consider the Impression which it makes upon them compare it with our Stupidness our Hardness our Insensibility
not here 't is only to be found hereafter They as earnestly Desire the Happyness of Heaven as a Hart long hunted thirsts for Water T is a Duty indispensably incumbent upon all true Christians to Desire it above All Things Hear S. Austin Ibid. Ch. 21. He who finds himself at Ease on Earth who is contented to live always Here And finds his greatest Joy Satisfaction in this world will never enter Heaven If you ask the Reason He replys because He has not in his Heart the Love of God whoever dos not Sigh above all things Wish for the Enjoyment of Eternall Life Examine well your Heart If God should promise you a long Life upon Earth tell you You shall here enjoy whatever you can wish for Riches Pleasures Honours Health Prosperity what you please besides shall every where attend you Only You shall never See me You shall never have a Share with Me in Heaven would you be Content whoever is in such a Disposition dos not yet begin to Love Him above All Things Hear the Royall Prophet Ibid. Ch. 22. Hear the Language of his Love As the Hart pants after water Ps 42.1.2.3 so my Soul pants after Thee My God My Soul is thirsty for Thee O Thou Living God the only Life Comfort of my Soul My Tears have been my Entertainment Day Night t is the only Ease of my impatient Grief to have the Liberty of weeping in thy Absence VVhen shall I appear before my God When once that happy Day approaches Ps 17.15 when I once Behold thy Face I shall be Satisfyd but never shall be satisfyd till then T is this Ps 27.4 only this One Thing I always have Desir'd of Thee that I may Dwell in thy House for ever behold thy Beauty All God's Children say the same Ibid. they dayly pray to their Eternall Father that his Kingdom come And their Desire of Everlasting Life though sometimes out of Mind is always in their Heart By this they Pray incessantly By this they are attentive to God's Presence in the midst of those Employments Affairs which otherwise would easily divert them from the Thought of Him By This they frequently Recall their wandring Thoughts Renew their decaying Fervour Enflame their cooling Love Encourage their desponding Hearts March a great deal faster towards Heaven VVhen the Scripture commands us says S. Austin to Pray Always we are not therefore oblig'd to be always on our knees or always singing Psalms in Choire we only are oblig'd to have continually in the Bottom of our Heart a true Desire to leave this Earth enter into Heaven This continuall Desire must still persever in our Heart VVe always must lament sigh and say I am a Captive a Pilgrim I am far from Home I am not with my God T is true S. Austin adds a Just Man may divert himself sometimes spend some hours in such Employments as appear quite different from Gaining Heaven T is alas the Servitude of his Captivity which thus obliges him to work for the Egyptians whilst he is a Slave to Pharaoh But however in the midst of all his Slavery He never can forget the Land of Promise He laments He sighs He always wishes to be There And Thus He always Prays to God that He will please to grant him the Possession of that Souvereign Good which only can Suffice to make Him truly for ever Happy THE CONTENTS Motives of Love § 1. How much it imports us to Love God above All Things pag. 1 § 2. That the Love of God is our Greatest Duty 3 § 3. That the Love of God is our Greatest Good 20 § 4. That the Love of God is the chief Grace of the Holy Ghost 40 § 5. That we ought to prepare our Hearts for this great Grace 57 Motives of Fear § 1. How much it imports us to remember the Day of Judgment 71 § 2. That our Last Day is the fatall End of all our transitory Happyness 75 § 3. That our Last Day is the sad Beginning of our Everlasting Misery 90 Motives of Hope § 1. How unreasonable a thing it is for any Sinner to Despair 109 § 2. That God can help us if He will 115 § 3. That God will help us if we please 130 Danger of Delay § 1. How apt we are to Differr Repentance 149 § 2. How dangerous it is to Differr Repentance 153 § 3. Reasons why Delay is so Dangerous 161 § 4. That we ought to begin immediatly without Delay 172 A Contrite Heart § 1. Sorrow for our Sins 189 § 2. Resolutions of Amendement 193 An Humble Heart § 1. The Necessity Advantages of Humility 201 § 2. First Degree of Humility 213 § 3. Second Degree of Humility 219 § 4. An Objection answer'd 233 § 5. Third Degree of Humility 242 § 6. First Reason why the greatest Saints are the most humble 249 § 7. Second Reason why the greatest Saints are the most Humble 262 I. The Enormity of Sin 273 II. The Treachery of a Sinner 285 III. The Disloyalty of a Sinner 296 IV. The Impiety of a Sinner 303 V. The great Ingratitude Presumption Pride Insolence of every Sinner 311 VI. Our Saviours Idea of Sin the Impression it made upon Him 319 VII The Saints Idea of Sin How much it humbles them 335 The Character of a Good Christian § 1. The Perfection of his Duty 352 § 2. His Contempt of the VVorld 362 § 3. His Desire of Heaven 372 FINIS