will not starttle nor make any impression upon them or they will a little open their Eyes and inquire into themselves and ask whether they be lovers of God or of the World I foresee the greatest part of Men into whose hands these Meditations shall fall will be secure and unconcern'd as they are under the weightiest Doctrines and loudest Thunders of God It is the Nature of worldly Love to stupifie it drowns in perdition it choaks the Word it makes Men Blind and Bold Senseless and Secure It Stiffles Choaks Deadens takes away all Heart and turns Men into meer lumps of Earth But perhaps there are others some others that will inquire Well be it so yet I suppose that the power of self-Self-love is so great that the inference they will make will be one of these two Either Oh I love God and therefore am not a lover of the World or Oh I am not a lover of the World therefore I love God MEDITAT XVII What it is to Love God BUt possibly there may be some ingenious Inquirer that with Philip will ask and say Shew us the Father and it sufficeth To him Christ answered Have I been so long with you and sayest thou shew us the Father As if he had said the invisible God is seen in me I am the Image of the Father So I say to these God is invisible but the Image of God is visible in the World The Image of God idneed is seen in the whole Creation and the Power Wisdom and goodness of God are to be observed and admired therein But especially it is to be admired in Man Man is more especially the Image of God and if we say we love God whom we have not seen and love not our Brethren whom we have seen we deceive our selves More especially it is to be observed in good Men Therefore is the Love of God so often described by the Love of the Brethren and of the Saints But principally True Goodness is the Nature of God God is Goodness Truth Love Holiness and he that loveth the World more than these is the Idolater and Adulterer here spoken of If any Man habitually in his Judgment or Affections prefer the Pleasures Profits or Honours of the World before Righteousness Goodness Truth and Holiness he is dead accursed I suspect that the Love of Christs Person is mostly a Notion amongst Men To follow his Example to imitate his Graces to copy out his Perfections is to Love him For although we have not heard Gods Voyce nor seen his Shape at any time yet if his Word abide in us we love him John 5. 37 38. He that loveth Christ must keep his Commandments If any man therefore prefer the world before the Commands of Christ before the favour of God or the peace of his own Conscience so far he is a lover of the World The son of the bond-woman and of the free cannot cohabit fleshly wisdom and the grace of God cannot at the same time predominate The love of God is a nature not a rapture or extasie much less a Mechanical thing Acted only upon the Stage of Fancy MEDITAT XVIII Of the false love of God BUt what is the love of the world so pestilent so malignant so poysonous that no love of God will grow by it in the same Soul Yes there may be a great deal of spurious love love of a false kind more properly called flattery than friendship Men may fancy they love God much and may cry God forbid but they should love him above all things Perhaps there may be some true love in a weak degree true I mean in opposition to dissembled Physically true for why may there not be a true love that is not saving But he that loves God aright as the supream good must needs love him with a supream and superlative affection But be it true or no in a Physical sense that love of God is not highest doth not prevail nor predominate that is easily crusht cast out gain-said If the Tares get above the Corn and smother it if the cares of the world choak the word those tares and cares are pardominant The men of Keilah made love to David perhaps they had some real kindness for him but their kindness for Saul was greater so that if he offer'd himself they would cast forth David and his men The love of God and the love of the World are inconsistent And that appears from the nature of the objects which are contrary the one to the other As also from the nature of love If any man love the World must be understood of a prodominant love then the love of the Father is not in him must be understood of a predominant love also God being the chiefest good the love of him must be the highest and strongest or else it is not such as the object requires If a Woman love her Husband well yet if she love him not above any other man she does not love with a right conjugal love which ought to be strongest of all others The proper and acceptable love of God must needs be predominant otherwise it is not fitted to the nature of the supream good Now it is impossible there should be two predominant loves in the same Soul at one and the same time MEDITAT XIX Of Predominant Love BUt it will be askt what goes to make a Predominant love Love yea even the love of God is capable of intention and remission There are those that depart from their first love in a great measure The Spouse was one while sick of love another while so lazy and languid that she would not so much as arise to open to her beloved when he knockt Particularly by how much worldly love prevails by so much Divine love languisheth and is invalidated They are like the houses of Saul and David the rise of the one is the fall of the other and they cannot be both supream in one Israel They are like a pair of Scales in this as the one rises the other falls but they differ in this that they are never equally poys'd A Predominant Love must be most intense in degree habitual and durable The intenseness of the love of God is so describ'd as I never read any thing like it Luk 10. 27. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul with all thy strength and with all thy mind How many All 's are here And yet if we had ten thousand times more powers and principals we ought to love God with them all too It is an emphatical translation of that elegant Text of the Apostle Rom. 5. 5. The love of God is shed abroad in our Hearts which if I might Periphrase upon in Scripture Phrase I would call it a covering of the Soul as the Waters cover the Sea The Soul of a lover of God seems to its self too scant to comprehend the supream good wishes its self wider and larger Oh that
one would give me the large heart of an Angel oh that God would fill up all my capacities and make me yet more capacious oh that he would take up all the room in me and oh that he would make for himself more room in my Soul than yet there is to entertain him And certainly this Predominant Love may be discern'd If I know not what I love best I know nothing Why may I not as well know whether I love God or the World best as I know whether I love bread or husks best By what we constantly choose when things come in competition we may know what we love best But may not the palate of the mind be so alter'd or vitiated as well as that of the body that what I choose at one time I may refuse at an other and prefer its contrary or disparate Yes certainly In every single wilful deliberate Act of Covetousnes or Impatience worldly love does predominate pro hic nunc But it will not denominate the man a lover of the world except it be habitual MEDITAT XX. Of Habitual love THe love that is so predominant as to denominate must be Habitual But may not an habitual lover of the World be converted into an habitual lover of God Yes sure This is the conversion that the Gospel speaks of To turn men from Idols to the acknowledgment of the true God is not a saving conversion To turn them from the commission or love of some single sin of the flesh as Drunkenness Whoring Swearing is a partial but not a saving Conversion The great and saving Conversion lies in changing the Temper the Nature and introducing Divine Habits The habit of worldly love may be destroyed and is destroy'd in all sincere Converts The habit of Divine love may be interrupted in its Acts weakened in its Vigor but shall not be quite destroy'd We read of some indeed that they had left their love Rev. 2. 4. But it does not appear that they had quite lost it or if we will say that they had lost it yet it was not it but some degrees of it that they lost not their love but their first love or some degrees of that love which they had at first I know not what should hinder but that every truly regenerate and habitual lover of God may make the same challenge as the Apostle did What shall sepaparate us from the love of God If it be said that the love of God towards his Elect is immutable and indefectible but so is not theirs towards him One may well reply that consequently the love of the Elect is lasting everlasting too If it be true that whom God loves he loves to the end and that he loves none with this peculiar love but those who love him it will fairly follow that their love is endless too MEDITAT XXI Lovers of the World willing to be deceiv'd ANd now methinks I see the secure world stand unconcern'd every one blessing himself Oh I am not this accursed lover of the world I do indeed now and then prefer the world my gain my pleasure my reputation before God and the observation of the dictates of my own Conscience as I perceive all men do but I do not make a constant custom of it I have no habit of it But hark a while though it be but in one single Act that thou preferrest the World before God or in a sin committed now and then yet glory not account it not a light thing It is something sure and indeed enough to humble and amaze all Men upon Earth to be now and then guilty of such folly and filthiness such Blasphemy Unrighteousness and Idolatry as this is to be but once guilty of preferring the Devil before God But examine Oh look inwardly Do not these acts proceed from an habit these sprouts from a root we had need to search narrowly and examine strictly for if we be mistaken here we are mistaken indeed fatally everlastingly mistaken The worldly mind generally denies and palliats its worldliness Men are generally asham'd to be call'd worldly minded men and very loath to believe themselves to be such notwithstanding which it is most certain that there are many such so that somewhere there will be found a deadly damning mistake MEDITAT XXII The Lovers of God most sensible of their Worldliness ON the other hand the heavenly mind the habitual lover of the Father is most sensible of and complains most of his own worldliness Lord How little do I discern this Disease or lay it to Heart in my self How little do I mourn over it in others where it is apparently praedominant notwithstanding it is so deadly If I be not a predominant lover of the Word yet alass in how many single acts have I given preference to it every one of which was horrible disloyalty and treachery Alas How early how earnestly how eagerly have I pursued the World in my Thoughts in a whole train of Thoughts from morning to evening How unseasonably too has it put it self into my Meditations how boldly intruded into my Devotions how sawcily thrust in it self to interrupt my communion with Heaven with an impudence and importunity exceeding an Harlots Fore-head Wo be to me if thinking more if speaking oftner of this World than of God be a certain mark of a predominant lover of the World who then could be saved Yet when I consider that where the treasure is the Heart will be also and again that out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth speaketh how can I chose but be asham'd and afraid Lord deliver me from looseness of Spirit from earthliness of Mind from meanness and ordinariness of Temper and Conversation Oh wind up my Heart to Heaven let my Converse be there and with thee Imploy my Mind in contriving my Soul in exerting acts of Love fill my Mouth with thy Praises and let Holiness to the Lord be written upon all my Actions and Enjoyments Oh how are the mighty fallen the high sunk down into a most mean and miserable condition How is the Gold become dim How shamefully does the noble Humane Nature embrace a Dung-hill and the Souls that came out of the blessed Creators hands purer than Snow have contracted a Visage blacker than a Cole Good God I believe Oh help my unbelief I love thee Oh pardon my want my weakness of love and shed abroad thy love in and quite over my dry and parched Soul Rather take from me whatever takes any part of my Heart from thee thâ—â— that I should be a partial an imperfect an unsincere lover of God! MEDITAT XXIII Notwithstanding Mens Self-deceivings there are many Lovers of the World ANd because no Man will confess himself to be a Lover of the World are there therefore none such Has the Apostle suppos'd an Impossibility or a Non Entity when he says If any Man love the World c. or are Men therefore not of the World because they say they
particularly in some future Meditations MEDITAT X. Of the Inconsistency of the Love of the World and the Love of God IT seems to be the plain Doctrine which the Apostle teaches That the Love of the World and the Love of God are inconsistent God and Mammon cannot cohabit there is no serving of two Masters especially being contrary the one to the other What communion hath light with darkness The reason of the incompatibility and inconsistency seems to be laid in the opposition Contraria mutuo se pallunt The same Fountain cannot send forth sweet waters and bitter Here the reason seems to lie in the limited straitned nature of the Fountain The narrow heart of man cannot contain two such Guests at once If the world be got into the Inn the Chambers of the Soul Christ must be cast into the Stable The same Soul cannot at once send forth the sweet aromatick Breathings of Divine Love and the nasty noisom stench and exhalation of earthly Love How should such a limited Agent perform two such contrary Acts at the same time But what May not a Man love God well and love the world well too No no man loves God well but he that loves him belt He only loves him aright that loves him with all his heart There cannot be two Bests One cannot love God with all his heart and the world with all his heart too But may not one love God best and yet love the world No For if you love the world unduly you do not love God best and if you love God best then your love of the world is not the undue love here forbidden The pure and conjugal Love admits no Rival Thalamus non patitur consortes There is an Essay no doubt to compound the matter and to make a medley and this medley I fear is the Religion of the most It is too evident that they entertain the world chiefly yet in good manners they would allow some room for God some little room upon a Sunday or an Holy-day or perhaps at some other times in some easie and cheap things The Whore in the Comedian was content to entertain two the one indeed she properly lov'd but because the other gave her Presents and good Gifts she was content that he should Haerere in aliqua parte saltem apud eam some little corner of her house she would allow him too It is as certain a sign of a whorish heart to prostitute it self to two as it was of a false Mother to admit of the division of the child The world indeed has no title at all to the heart of Man and therefore modestly desires only a little part an inferior love a subordinate love But together with this seeming Modesty the Witch is very cunning for she knows that that part will go night to bring in the whole and that God will reject the whole Mess if any part of it be defiled But God has a right to all and therefore demands all or none he will not take up with a corner of the heart The love of God fills the Soul where it comes as the light fills the Fir-mament MEDITAT XI Of the Evil of not loving God THE love of the Father is not in him Look about you all you that love the World Nay rather let us all look into our selves let us fear and search lest we be found lovers of the world for here is the dreadfullest Predicate that ever was pronounced the blackest brand that can be lay'd upon a rational being such love not God He had almost as good have said They hate him For indeed saving a little Philosophical Nicety it comes all to one He that is not for us is against us and yet more plainly The friendship of the World is enmity against God Now if we consider that it is the most Natural Necessary Reasonable Easie and Excellent thing in the World to love God and that it is the foundation of all other duties it will the better appear how sad a Character this is The love of the Father is not in him I will but glance upon some of these in this place and reserve the rest to anotner MEDITAT XII The love of God is most Natural IT is most Natural for man to love God However it is true too true that considering man in his state of Apostasie sin is most natural to him yet if we consider man as a rational Being only abstracting him from his depravation vertue particulaâ—ly the love of God is most natural to him and all sin particularly worldly love unnatural and alien to him which the Scripture plainly signifies when it tells us so often of the defilements of sin Now we know that what defiles must needs be alien to that which it defiles To love God was the duty of man before the Gospel was given yea or the Law either necessarily resulting from the relation between the Creature and the Creator It is most agreeable to the dictates of Nature though it be so sadly depraved it has not quite put off its Essence For what are Honour and Reverence and Adoration but Love exalted Love determin'd to a Superior Object And this the Heathens always thought just and equal to give to their Gods It is as natural for the soul to love to cleave to something without its self as for the Ivy to cling to the Oak The Soul naturally understands its own indigency and therefore goes out to one thing or other to find rest though through her Apostasie she is mistaken in her object and fancies rest where it is not Which indeed is rather Blasphemy than Atheism The love of a Superior Object of a Centre is so natural that it cannot be separated from the very constitution of the Soul That Centre must needs be some Superior Being and more excellent than it self And what can that be but God or what besides him can be sayd to be more excellent than the Soul it self God is remotely concern'd in the pursuits even of the Covetous and Ambitious howbeit they mean not so and therefore their in judicious tendencies are no thanks to them nor will ever make them happy To love the Lord our God with all our heart is the great Commandment indeed it is the Law of Nature inlay'd in the very constitution of the Soul belonging to all men in all ages of the world MEDITAT XIII Of the Easiness and Pleasantness of Loving TO love is Easie Cheap and Pleasant It is Easie it equires no Pains it breaks no Bones Whatsoever Curse lies upon all sublunary provisions we may eat the heavenly Manna without sweat Those Devils the Hâ—athenish Gods requir'd painful Services indeed sometimes Herculean Labors But the true God requires our Love he takes it as the most acceptable Sacrifice so acceptable that it shall stand in stead of all other Duties where they cannot be perform'd He that is dumb and cannot pray deaf and cannot hear blind and cannot read so poor that he
cannot give so close shut up that he may not receive shall yet be well accepted of the Father if he can love Christ Jesus has a Yoke indeed but it a Yoke of Government not of Punishment it is not galling to the Necks of his Disciples My Yoke is easie He has a burden too but it is light Christi sarcina pennas habet To love is Cheap it costs nothing Love indeed will grudge no cost will stick at no charge if it be requir'd but there is none requir'd to the exercise of Love she best way in the world for a poor man to be happy as we read the poor Woman was whose whole Inventory amounted but to two Mites and indeed a readier way for the Rich than though they should lavish Gold out of the Bag and make Oblations of Rams by thousands and Oyl by Rivers For what cares the self-sufficient God for these things What doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul Deut. 10. 12. To love is pleasant The very acts of Love are pleasent to him that exerts them They had a dismal way of serving their Gods of old time in an extatick frantick manner cum sacro horrore as Baals Priests cutting and slashing themselves or as the Priests of Apollo or Bacehus swelling raging and distracted Lucane I remember somewhere in his Pharsalia describes the Devotion that the Massilians pay'd to certain dreadful deities which they Worshipt in a dark grove so terribly as would make one wish to get as far off from such Deities as possible Nay he tells us that the Priest himself that went to Atone them was afraid of nothing more than lest he should meet one of them lest they should draw night to him in his drawing nigh to them Dominumque timet deprendere luci But love divine love the love of God is serene compos'd and sweet pleasent in its very actings ravishing the Soul that exerts it who takes just so much pains in loving as the Rivers do in running the Wind in blowing or the Sun in shining Good God! How infinitely and astonishingly kind and gracious art thou to the Sons of Men all whose very commands consist with our ease and are calculated for our pleasure Lord what can be more pleasant than to love to love that which is infinitely lovely What can be safer then to trust in Almighty Power What easier sweeter way of living then to cast all our care and lay all our burden upon infinite Wisdom and Goodness What more sweet and cordial than to hope in infinite Mercy and Veracity These Oh these sweet things are the matter of thy Law And Oh thou that hast to mercifully accommodated thy Laws to my pleasure mercifully accommodate my Soul to thy Laws that I may take pleasure in them MEDITAT XIV Of the Excellency and Necessity of the Love of God THe Love of God is Excellent and Honourable it puts a Beauty and Lustre upon the Soul This beautifies dignifies glorifies yea and in a sense deifies the Soul uniting her to God and so making her one with her Maker As Worldly Love dishonours and defiles as he that is joyned to an Harlot is one with an Harlot even a Limb of a Whore and he that is joyned to the World in Spiritual Adultery is a Limb of the World so he that is joyned to Christ is a Member of Christ The Soul acts most nobly exalts it self most bravely when it spends its powers upon the supream good If there be any Apotheosis of Souls this is it The Saints are the most excellent of the Earth and this is the Character of Saints that they love God Love ye the Lord all ye his Saints Of this I shall have occasion to enlarge my Meditations hereafter I will therefore proceed to think a little of the absolute necessity of the Love of God The Love of God is so necessary to the happiness of Souls that no Soul can be happy that hath it not predominant in him The precept makes it necessary which commands it in both Testaments and that over and over again and that as the principal Duty of Man It is a Commandment nay it is a great it is the great Commandment as our Saviours words are translated Matt. 22. 38. Now after all these inculcations can we imagine that God will dispense with this nay with the leave of the Popish Casuists be it spoken he cannot for it is a necessary means of Happiness God himself cannot make a Soul happy that hates him Considering the constitution of the rational Soul it is impossible that any thing should be his happiness below Communion with God Now there can be no Communion no Converse without Love Can a Soul dwell with him for ever and be happy in so doing that does not love him Ye hated me and cast me out says Jephthah Certainly the haters of God do ipsfacto cast themselves out of the presence of God MEDITAT XV. Why called the Love of the Father THe Love of the Father is not in him But why the Love of the Father rather the Love of God This seems to be done on purpose and to be more elegant and emphatical than if he had said the Love of God For it is a great aggravation of this unnatural sin the love of the World Father is an endearing Relation as appears by many Texts but methinks by no one more than that which proceeded from the Mouth of Christ and is now in the Mouth of every Christian Our Father God is fully ouâ— Father yea and Mother too the words both of begetting and bringing forth are ascribed to him of him we are begotten and brought forth Were it not monstrous that a Man should prefer his Horse or his Hounds and the Lives of them before his Father provide for them and let his Father starve More Monstrous it is to prefer the World before God Moreover The Father seems to be put elegantly in opposition to the World As if one should say What love the World more than the Maker of it The Moralist I think it is Cicero some where inveighs against the absurdity of those Men that adore Images and do not rather admire and reverence the skill that made them and the Ingenuity of the Carvers and Painters God is the Father of the World the Father as well as our Father the Father of Light the Marker of all that is pleasant profitable and honourable the Creator of Riches the Fountain of Pleasure and Honour So that to love the World rather than the Father whether he be consider'd as our Father or the Father of the World is lewd and absurd MEDITAT XVI Of Mens Apprehensions concerning the Love of God IF any Man Love the World c. I foresee that after all that I shall meditate upon this Subject the issue will be either that Men will be secure and never mind this thundering expression it
are not of the World Whether it be meet to hearken unto God and believe him or Man let us now judge We may easily suppose Man to be bribed and blinded in his own case What the judgment of God is we shall soon discern in his Word by which we may briefly examine all the Ages of the World The primitive state of Man no doubt was a state of pure and Divine Love As the Creator is said to take pleasure in the workmanship of his Hands so doubtless the rational Creature delighted himself in his Creator and in him only admired himself and the rest of the Creation But this lasted not long Alas how soon did the worldly Spirit begin to prevail Cain the Heir of the World chose the World for his portion and the love of the Father his Grandfather was not in him For if a Man love not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen The Old World neglected Righteousness and the Preacher of it We read what their main study was they were intent upon Marrying Building Planting and such like sensual entertainments and chose that part till they were taken away from it If we consider the Antediluvian World we shall find that it had but few Men in it but who were worldly Men. Next take a view of the World that follow'd the Flood and resolv'd that the Flood should never follow them I mean the Babelites and the Men of that Age the Sensual Nimrods the Capacious Giants the Idolatrous Canaanites Amorites Perizzites and the rest of that Herd and what can we find amongst them but Worldliness Violence and Uncleanness But there was another Seed and sure that was all Holy I mean the Children of Abraham the Seed of Israel no it is too evident that all Israel were not Israelites indeed witness the many hundred thousands that lusted after the Flesh-pots nay the very Onions and Garlick of Egypt that prefer'd their Bondage before the promised Land and the free exercise of their Religion Follow them into that Land and take notice of their great Idolatry and other Iniquities committed frequently and almost generally under the Government of their Judges Nay view them under the Government of their best Kings and take an account from David's own mouth and you will find that even then there wre many that said Who will shew us any good or if you will in English Metre the greater sort craved worldly Gods Not long after the Israelites were so bad that the poor Prophet thought that he was left alone a Worshipper of the Father In the days of the Prophet Jeremiah rich and poor and all were so universally apostatiz'd that by crying a good man up and down the streets of Jerusalem one was not to be found Jer. 5. in prinâ— In the days of the Son of Man the best sort of Men reputed were Lovers of the World more than of the Father or if you will have it in our Saviours own words They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God they received honour one of another And how men stood affected in the following times his Followers will tell us one Apostle declaring That all men sought their own things and another complaining That the whole world lay in wickedness And if the world be so mended in these dregs of time that none of this Breed are left we shall need to expect no new Heavens nor new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness But alas we are so far from that refinement that we must still cry out as they of old O curvae in terras animae coelestiam inanes MEDITAT XXIV Who are Lovers of the World in general THere are then nay there are many Lovers of the World But what Jehu will now appoint us a Sacrifice for the Worshipers of Baal for they skulk amongst the People whereby we may discern them Give them an invitation an encouragement lay a bait before them and we shall find them out In general it is certain That in the matters of doing and suffering there are multitudes to be found In doing They that account any of the known Commandments of God so heavy ungrateful and troublesom that they wilfully refuse to do them are Lovers of the World The Lovers of God do whatsoever things he commands them Joh. 15. 14. they follow the Lamb let him lead them whether he will Abraham that Friend of God is fam'd for his chearful obedience in hard and grievous things as in forsaking his own Land to go he knew not whither and in sacrificing his beloved Isaac Oh severe Command but oh Angelical Obedience To the Lovers of God his Commands are not grievous Loving Paul whom the Love of Christ constrain'd was ready to do any thing to take any pains for the Name of Jesus and the honour of it In case of Suffering They that will not quit all worldly interests rather than disown Christ or wilfully and deliberately violate a known Commandment are Lovers of the World more than of God Sufferings try men If ye seek me if ye cleave to me saith God let these things go leave your hold of the world quit your worldly interest This is so frequently inculcated in the Gospel that it seems needless to bring any particular proof Those famous general Texts are enough if they be but glanc'd at If any man take not up his Cross he cannot be my Disciple If any man will not deny Father and Mother House and Lands for my sake he is not worthy of me If a man will not cut off his right hand and pluck out his right eye for Christ he is not a Lover of him MEDITAT XXV Of the Lovers of the World more particularly BUT because dolus latet in universalibus I will consider more particularly that if it may be some one or other may be convicted If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him I will consider the World in a Physical and in a Theological sense Man in a Moral and Political Capacity and God under all those Notions in the 17th Meditation Consider the World in a Physical sense and it is certain that whosover loves admires enjoys the World and the Beauties thereof in a way of opposition to God or competition with him or indeed separation from him is not a right Lover of the Father However beautiful the Fabrick of the World is we ought not to love it in opposition to God not esteem the Creature in a way of derogation from the Creator It 's true a Man may with Jannes and Jambres say Digitus Dei est hic and seem to own the goodness and power of God in the Creation and yet be a meer Egyptian But yet no true Israelite will say Digitus Dei non est hic no Lover of the Father will exalt the power of natural causes so as to exclude the Author of them It becomes a Royal Society to admire the King
may all created Strength say may the Behemoth and the Leviathan say Pass on from the chief of the ways of God to God himself contemplate the Allmighty Adore and Reverence the Absolute Indefeatable Uncontroulable Unchangeable Eternal Being compar'd with whom our strength is as straw and all our might but as rotten wood And why stand ye sucking at me may all Created Sweetness say may the Honey and the Honey Comb say Go from the Cistern to the Fountain to the uncreated Sweetness entertain your selves and fill your Souls with the Heavenly Manna in comparison of which Fountain all the Rivers of Created Pleasures are as the Waters of Marah in comparison of which Manna all created entertainments are rather Husks than Bread fitter for Swine than Souls And why dote ye on me may all Worldly Glory say may Solomon in all his Glory say if you will aspire let nothing terminate your Covetousness Ambition below the Supream Goodness and the Inaccessible Glory the Glory of the Highest who hath stampt some little of himself upon me whereby I become desirable or glorious but in comparison of whose brightness I am a dark shadow and a total Eclipse MEDITAT XLVI A further Motive to the Love of God FIfthly Consider that to love God is to gain God It may justly make one wonder to see Men take such pains to gain the World and yet so indifferently affected to the enjoyment of God himself Rising up early and lying down late and eating the bread of sorrows describes but a little of that pains and solicitousness which men use for gaining the World in comparison of that compassing of Sea and Land running of strange hazards adventuring Health and Life Soul and all in pursuit of Wealth and Honour which we may every where discern amongst the greedy Merchants and Ambitious Courtiers and Warriers of the World And after all this it proves that they seek but a very mean thing that they gain but a little of that which they seek and that they are not satisfied with that which they gain Is it worth an Age of pains to gain the Creature yea a small handful of it yea and such an handful too as is gone as soon as it is well gain'd and can any Man that is Master of his Reason choose but think it much more worthy of all possible endeavors to gain the Creator and make the Supream good his own Our Saviour seems to make a supposition of a thing not to be suppos'd when he speaks of a single Man gaining the whole World like unto which there are many Hyperbolical suppositions made in the Holy Scripture But the gaining of God is no Hyperbolical Supposal but a Real Proposal It is sincerely propounded to the Sons of Men and if they fail of it it is their own fault and folly It hath pleased God so to constitute the Rational Soul that nothing besides himself can be the happiness of it It is impossible in the very nature of the thing that any thing below infinite Truth and Goodness should satisfie the Understanding and Will of man or that the same should be any otherwise perfected but in the possession of this Blessed Object It must needs follow then that he is willing to be enjoy'd else he had been cruel to the Souls of Men in giving them faculties which should never be perfected and Appetites that should alwaies be craving and never satisfi'd It must needs be that the Supream Good is most Communicative of himself and that he who every where commands us to give to them that ask us and not to turn away from them that would borrow of us must himself be infinitely willing to be found of them that seek him This being certain it will as certainly follow that the loving of God is the enjoyment of him Dilige frueris It is Love that Assimulates and Unites and makes this blessed Object our own Solomon tells us That he that loveth Silver shall not be satisfi'd with Silver yea it is true also that he that loveth Silver oftentimes does not so much as possess Silver poor men may be covetous as well as rich and there are many in the World no doubt whose hearts do mightily hanker after the World that yet miss of it who pursue this shadow and it flies from them But no man ever set his heart upon God and was disappointed of the enjoyment of him Though many love Riches that never come to be Rich and beautiful Mistrisses that are never admited into their Embraces yea and the Admirers of their own Beauty are miserably disappointed Norcissâ—s like they cannot so much as come to a kiss of that sweet mouth that they so fondly contemplate in the Glass having no advantage of their own fair Faces save the beholding of them with their Eyes yet it is far otherwise with the Lovers of God This most Beautiful and Blessed Object is not shye of himself he envys no good thing no not himself to his Lovers and Friends As the Benign Sun envies not denies not his precious Light no not to the meanest Inhabitant of the Earth that will but look at him see him and you enjoy him so neither does the Father of Light deny himself to any that do but heartâ—â—y desire him love him and you enjoy him For what other way can there be suppos'd to be of enjoying God Every man is alike nigh to God yea and the Devils as nigh as Men Set aside the loving of God and the meanest Man in the World is as much a Kâ—â— to him as the mightiest and the Apostate Spirits as near to him as his Menial Servants the Courtiers of Heaven If we could suppose an unloving Soul to be admitted into Heaven and to be as nigh the Throne of God as the Angels are this very Paradice would be a Purgatory to him and the Bosome of Abraham a Bed of Thorns Oh how Blessed and yet how easie a thing is it to enjoy God Love him and he is your own If Kingdoms could be got with loving what man would not be a Prince If great Fortunes could be obtain'd by being desired who would not be sure of a Rich Match If the meer setting ones Heart upon Silver and Gold would make them to increase the Prophesy would certainly fail of having the Poor always with us God is more easily got than Gold Believe in Jesus and you have him Love God and you are possest of him Droop not thou meanest obscurest poorest of the Children of men come lift up thy head and take Courage I shew thee a way a certain way an easy way how thou mayst be as excellent as rich as honourable as any of the Princes of the Earth as the Angels of Heaven Love the Father for if any man Love the Father and the Son they will come unto him and make their abode with him Good God what Honour and Happiness is this that thou bestowest on thy Saints MEDITAT XLVII A Further Motive
to the Love of God TO this consideration might well be added That the Lover of God in gaining God gains all other things Habet omnia qui habet habentem omnia All things are yours says the Apostle to the Lovers of God and all other things shall be added to you says Christ to the seekers of the Kingdom of God Love God and you gain all other things in him and with him It was a generous Speech of the Roman General when they offered him great Treasures to be Friends with him I matter not your gifts said he I had rather command a People that have all those Riches than have them my self If it should be suppos'd That a Man should enjoy God and nothing of the World with him yet it were a more excellent and happy condition to enjoy him who hath and indeed is All things than to enjoy all other things without him The Lovers of God are sure of enjoying other things with him the things even of this World shall be added to them so far as is convenient for them However though they should live and die as Poor as Job when he was at the poorest and as forlorn as Lazarus yet they enjoy all things in God For whatever is truly sweet pleasant lovely beautiful in the whole Creation is more excellently enjoy'd in God than as it lies scatter'd up and down amongst the Creatures Duleius yea and Plenius too ex ipso forte libuntur aquae The witty conceit of the Rabbins concerning their Manna that it tasted that to every particular Palate which he desired to eat and so the Fathers that fed upon it eat as many sorts of Meat as they desir'd out of the same Dish the more shame for them then to Lust after Quails This conceit â— say will a little illustrate that great Truth of a compendious enjoyment of all things in God In him alone the deliciousness of the whole Creation is enjoy'd and reâ—â—â—sht all at once and so the Apostles Riddle is intelligâ—â—ly interpreted That the Lovers of God though they have nothing yet possess all things But this is onely by the by I pass to a further Motive to the Love of God If we do not Love him we shall not we cannot Live with him Surely to Live with God and abide with him for ever must needs be accounted the happiest State that man is capable of and most men at least when they see they must Live here no longer do profess to desire it And those few that do not desire it yet are afraid of the contrary even these dread the Sentence of Depart from me ye Cursed Sâ—re there is no man so profligate that can firmly believe and steadily think of an eternal separation and exclusion from the beautiful presence of God but would ten thousand times rather wish to be quite unmade than be made so miserable But so miserable must all the Lovers of the World all the Haters of the Father be There are many Mansions in our Fathers House indeed but they are only prepared for them of the Houshold The Sons of the Bond-women must be cast out be there never so much Room in the House to hold them These Children of Whoredom this spurious off-spring of Christian mamonists are hateful and must be cast forth not by their Brethren as Jephthah was but by that God of whom they falsly say That he is their Father Ye hated me and cast me out Jephthah said Ye hated me and therefore I will cast you out will God say to them that once said Depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy ways will he say Depart from me I know you not But to the Lovers of the Father will the Son say Come ye beloved of the Father inherit the Kingdom Thâ—se shall for ever abide and dwell with him whom their Soul loved as they sought him earnestly they shall find him certainly and having found him enjoy him everlastingly They shall not come and see where Jesus dwells and abide with him a day as the two Disciples did of old but for evermore For so it is his gracious Pleasure that where he is there they should be also MEDITAT XLVIII A further Motive to the love of God LAstly Let us consider with our selves that whatever inducement there is to the Love of the World there is the same to the Love of God and greater Is there any worthy consideration that recommends the World to our Affections and does not the same recommend God I will not here again think of the beauty or excellency of the Creatures having already shewed that the God that made any of them excellent must needs be more excellent than they Do we Love the World for its convenience and agreeableness to our Appetites Meats and Drinks because they gratifie our Hunger and Thirst Fields because we are served by them Sleep because we are refresht by it Warm Houses because they are a defence to us Friends because they are a Kin to us because they Love us or assist us Goods and Cattle because they bring in Money or Money because it answers all things And is not God the most agreeable good to us Have not our Souls their appetites as well as our Bodies And what can gratifie and perfect our Understanding Wills and Affections but Truth and Goodness yea and as to Corporeal Appetites although God has ordained such things as Meat and Drink and Sâ—â—â—p Houses and Friends and Money for our gratification â—â—freshment defence assistance yet he can perform all thâ—se for us without the help of those Man liveth not by Bread alone but by every Word that proceedâ—th out of the Mouth of God who can maintain us and refresh us forty days yea forty years or ages if he please without Meat or Drink or Sleep He is nearer a Kin to us than any Relation and can assist and comfort us in the absence of Lovers and Friends and take care 〈◊〉 even 〈◊〉 our Father and Mother do cast us off An◠〈◊〉 should be granted to supply the want of all things 〈◊〉 God is more full and agreeable who can supply the want of Money it self They were Rich men and wanted no good thing nay they made many Rich and gave such good things as Money cannot purchase who said Silver and Gold we have none But to digress a little I see no reason to grant such an omnipotence to Money nor with the leave of the 〈◊〉 such a Translation of the Text whether we 〈◊〉 all things or all men By answering all things 〈◊〉 be meant that it stands instead of all things It could noâ— stand instead of Meat to Midas who starv'd in the midst of his Gold for though men should eat Gold as â—hey say the Jews did in the Siege of Jerusalem it would not keep them from famishing It could not stand instead of Drink to the thirsty King if it could he that had so much of it would not have been so prodigal as
to offer a Kingdom for a Cup of Water It cannot stand instead of so mean a thing as Apparel he that is never so well loaden with thick Clay may for all that be in such Circumstances that he starves with Cold. Neither by answering all things can be meant that it can purchase all things and furnish men with whatever they want If it could how comes Money and the want of the most desirable thing in the World to be so compatible as in our own Language to be made up into one Word called the Rich-Gout It often happens that Health cannot be purchased with Money Aegro Dives habet nâ—mmâ—s sâ—d â—â—â— habet ipsâ—m Liberty is often not recoverable Life not preserâ—aâ—le by Money The poor Apostle might have had his Liberty if he had had Money But the King of Judah had Money enough and yet could not get his Liberty Rich men may fall into the Hands of such men that will not regard Silver nor delight in Gold that they should receive a ransome for them from thence Is â—3 17. And as for Ingenuity Learning Wisdom Grace one may say of them as Wise Solomon who did Simul amare sapâ—re Cant. 2. 9. says concerning Love If a Man would give all the substance of his House for them it would utterly be contemned nay rejected with Scorn thy Money perish with thee Neither is it true That Money answereth all men as others interpret it who thus Paraphrase upon the Words Let there be Money and all Mâ—n have their Hearts desire For there are many in the World that prefer the Favor of God and their own Consciences before Thousands of Gold and Silver Nay and those very men who love Money best and have most of it too are not yet answered they are not satisfy'd by Money I could heartily wish for the sake of those that Damn themselves with the Love of Money and take encouragement so to do from this Text that the Translation of it were amended or the Sense fully explained by the just consideration of the Context according to the learned Tremellius the judicious Cartwright or if any one can do it better Do men love the World because it is pleasant to them they see and tast and handle it I confess the World by being so nigh our Senses does affect and charm them But is not God as nigh to us as any thing in the World The invisible things of him are seen by the things that are made praesentem monstrat quae libet herba deum Well might the Apostle say He is not far from every one of us Act. 17. 27. Which is but a Rhetorical Meiosis for he is very nigh to every one of us so nigh that he is in us and over us and round about us or rather indeed we are in him who is the infinite Goodness and omnipotent Life containing all things in himself God is as nigh to our Reasons as the World is to our Senses and it is as easie and obvious to conclude that some one made the World as it is to see that it is made Do men love the World because they apprehend it necessary to them they cannot live contentedly and pleasantly nor indeed live at all without it This may be presumed to be one of the fairest excuses for the Love of the World For who can choose but love that which is necessary to Life How can any man live without Money as the World goes In extream old Age we shall be forsaken and miserable if we have not Estates therefore we will stick at nothing to get them whilst we are young This necessariness of the World may indeed justifie the moderate industry of Men for the obtaining of a competent Portion of it but it will never justify coveting after abundance nor the predominant Love of the World For Life it self for whose sake we say we Love the World is in it self but a mean thing and not very desirable and in comparison of the favour of God abominable and to be hated But supposing Life never so desirable and consequently the World necessary and consequently the Love of it justifiable yet certainly God is more necessary to us than the World or any thing in it Our Souls are sure more excellent than our Lives and consequently the Grace of God which is the Life and Happiness of Souls more necessary than the World can be to the maintainance of Life It is not necessary to us to Live but it is necessary to be Saved If a Man lose his Life he may find it again but if he lose his Soul it is past Recovery Without the World we cannot Live therefore it is necessary without God we cannot be Saved therefore He is more necessary Nay indeed neither can we Live without hâ—â— it is because he is that we are and if we could suppose that he should withdraw himself from the World it may easily be conceived That the World would hide its Head and steal away into its first nothing MEDITAT XLIX A Concluding Meditation I Can imagine nothing that does really commend the World or any thing herein to our Affections or Entertainment but it is in a higher degree or a more excellent kind to be found in God The superlative Love of God must needs therefore be most just and reasonable And oh would to God it might appear so to all Men to all the Children of God Oh thou Father of Men and Father of Mercies set home those Considerations of the reasonablenesâ— necessity easiness pleasantness seemliness profitableness of this Love of thee upon the Hearts of all Men that as thou lovest them more then they so they may love thee more than themselves or any thing else How long O Lord shall it be observed to the breaking of the Hearts of thy Friends that thou art hated by so great a Part of that Creation that is nothing but the product of thy own Love and Goodness What a fearful horrible Rebellion is this World thrown into when the Children of the Most High rise up against their Father their very Hearts riâ—â— against him against his Service against his People against his Name and Authority Oh sad Apostacy of 〈◊〉 Nature Oh lamentable degeneracy of rational Faculties How are men transformed into Moles hating the Light and making to themselves Places and Paradices in the Base Earth How are Souls converted into Swine feeding upon Husks and wallowing in Filthiness How stupendiously are the rational Palates vitiated who loath the Honey and the Honey-comb to whom Love it self is hateful Oh Lord pity this unnatural viperous Generation that are without natural affection to their Father cast forth thy Cords of Love and reconcile this undutiful rebellious Off-spring to thy Blessed and Lovely Self Hear me O my God in these Requests which on my own behalf and on the behalf of all the undutiful Crew of lapsed Souls I humbly present to thy Merciful Majesty Disparage all the Wealth and Glory
The True Christians Test OR A DISCOVERY Of the LOVE and LOVERS OF THE WORLD In Two Parts I. Of MAN Considered in his Moral Capacity in an Hundred Meditations Derived from 1 John 2. 15. II. Of MAN Considered in his Political Capacity in Forty nine Meditations Derived from 1 John 2. 15. Non dubium est quam illud magis amemus quod anteponimus Salv. In so saying thou reprovest us also By Samuel Shaw Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed by Thomas James for Samuel Tidmarsh at the Kings-head in Corn-hill MDCLXXXII To the Right Honourable THEOPHILUS Earl of Huntingdon Lord Hastings Hungerford Botreaux Molyns and Moyls RIGHT HONOURABLE WHen Men are once firmly perswaded of the certainty of another World and do verily believe the Doctrine of Eternal Life revealed in the Holy Scriptures of God there is all reason in the World methinks to conclude that the first Enquiry should be How they themselves shall become partakers of it For who can be imagin'd to be sincere in his belief of so Glorious and Blissful a State that takes no thoughts how he shall obtain it or not so many thoughts as what he shall eat and drink and put on that sits down contented having given himself that cold answer which was once given to the Mother of Zebedees Children It shall be given to them for whom it is prepared Therefore to justifie the sincerity of their belief most Men do fancy to themselves something or other that will entitle them to this happiness though not so much perhaps because they account it so blessed a thing to obtain as dangerous and shameful to miss of it Amongst the many particulars that men do imagine will give them a claim to Everlasting Life The Love of God is one of the greatest and as much pretended to as any It is so Universal a Plea that I scarce think there is any Man who calls himself a Christian but he will make it Not to love God sounds so ill that it makes the Ears of the most Profligate Christian to Tingle when it is charg'd upon him But notwithstanding all these pretences to the Love of God it is most Evident that a great part of the pretenders are indeed strangers to it inasmuch as they may be convicted of the Love of the World which is inconsistant with it To find out and cast out therefore the Love of the World must needs be the most important Enquiry and Endeavour of Man of every man in the World Your Lordship will easily believe me if I tell you that although Men be never so great and high in the World if the World be great and high in their Hearts the Love of God is not in them Although Men have never so much of this worlds Good if at the same time they be unmerciful and uncharitable the Love of God dwells not in them This is expresly the Apostle James his Doctrine But to speak a little the closer though a man be instructed in all Wisdome and furnisht with all Variety of Arts and Sciences that he can name all things as properly as Adam or discourse of their Natures as learnedly as Solomon if yet the Love of the World be Predominant in him he is but a vain pretender to the Kingdom of Heaven a great stranger to the Life of Angels Though a Man know and believe all the wonderful Doctrines deliver'd in the Holy Book if this Faith do not operate to the purifying of the Heart from the Love of the World he is at present as far from having a true title to the Kingdom of Heaven as they of whom the Apostle gives this Character That they Believe and Tremble In a word though a Man be a Member of the Purest and most Reformed Church be never so Orthodox in his Judgment never so constant and specious in External Acts of Worship never so even and blameless in his Conversation never so exact in Works of Righteousness and abundant in Works of Charity and Mercy if yet in his heart he prefer the World before God he will be interpreted a Lover of the World and consequently an Enemy of the Father I do verily believe my Lord that I do here present you with a Treatise written about the most Important Enquiry in the World They are Morning Meditations stollen from the ordinary Employment of my Life which I do present to the World meerly to advance the Love and Honour of God amongst Men and do Dedicate to your Lordship in a grateful acknowledgment of your kind Respects to me and in Testimony of the Honour that I bear to your Lordships good Design of promoting Piety and establishing Peace in this Nation I beseech your Lordship favourably to accept the Oblation and I heartily pray God that as his Providence hath made you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very Illustrious amongst the English Families so by his Grace you may ever approve your self Tam re quam nomine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh how Blessed and Honourable a thing will it be found to be sooner or later to be a Sâ—ncere and Ardent Lover of God! To his good Grace and Guidance I heartily recommend your Lordship and rest My Lord Your Honours most humble Servant SAM SHAW The True Christians Test OR A DISCOVERY Of the LOVE and LOVERS OF THE WORLD In Forty nine Meditations Derived From 1 John 2. 15. The Second Part. Of MAN Considered in his Political Capacity By Sam. Shaw Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed by Tho. James for Samuel Tidmarsh at the Kings-head in Cornhill MDCLXXXII To the Right Honourable THOMAS Earl of Stamford Lord Gray of Grooby MY LORD I Have little more to recommend me to your Lordship than that I am your Countreyman and Neighbour which yet is a Relation that your singular Humility and Affability is not wont to despise though in a person otherwise despicable ethough But your Lordships Love of and great desâ—re to serve the Interest of your Countrey does recommend you abundantly to the World and does tempt me to speak of it in this Dedication My Lord I intend not a Panigyrick of your Lordship which they that are acted by a Worldly Spirit and design Worldly Advantages might think worth their while to contrive May your praise be of God and not of Men And of God I am sure your praise will be if you be a Predominant Lover of him I beseech your Lordship to strip your self of all your Worldly Quality bâ—t an hour or two whilst you peruse the black Characters of a Lover of the World and the just Motives to the Love of God and then whatever exceptions Learned or Witty or Worldly men may make against these Meditations which I believe will be many if you do not judiciously account the Love of God to be the highest Honour and purest Happiness of Man I will be content how loath soever to be accounted not to be what really I am Your Honours Most humble Servant SAM SHAW THE HEADS Of
I must meditate of Idolatry Under the second of Witchcraft And under the third more particularly of Self-Willedness and Ingratitude and in general of the Devilish Nature And so I will shut up this First Part which concerns Man consider'd in his Moral Capacity with a Cautionary Meditation lest any one should falsely judge another Man to be a Lover of the World who is not so and endeavor to prevent mis-judging In the Second Part I will first endeavor to undeceive the False Pretenders to the Love of God and here meditate of Monastick Persons of the Votaries of Virginity of the Votaries of Penance and of Quakers of Pretenders to Charity and Righteousness And having diseharg'd that Examination I will proceed to consider Men in their Civil Capacity and meditate of Conformists and Nonconformists of Parents Guardians Tutors of Persons marrying and giving in Marriage of Patrons of Chaplains of Judges and Magistrates Arbitrators Electors Jurors of Landlords and Tenants of Tradesmen of Inn-Keepers of Beggars of Wagerers of Gamesters of Debtors of Creditors particularly of Usurers And so conclude with some Dissuasives from the love of the World and Motives to the love of God MEDITAT III. Of the World THE World is taken either in a Physical Sense or in a Theological In a Physical Sense it signifies that vast Globe that make up Heaven and Earth and Sea and all things contained in them But in a Theological Sense it is put in opposition to God as it is here in this Text of the Apostle John and often elsewhere The World taken in a Physical Sense is lovely and the Strength Beauty Order and Variety thereof are to be Reverently regarded and admired as the workmanship of Infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness It is very proud and prophane or very foolish to despise the World in this Sense and to disregard the Operation of God's Hands To despise the Workmanship reflects a Dishonour upon the Workman and those that see nothing excellent in the World may be justly suspected to see nothing above it The Psalmist says Psal 111. 2. The works of the Lord are sought out of all that have pleasure in them and I â—hink if we Translate it have pleasure in him the Divinity will be as good if the Grammar should not The best Men are the best Philosophers for they make the best Observations upon the admirable Structure and Furniture of the World they see most beauty in it who behold and admire the Divine Wisdom Power and Goodness shining forth in it He that converses in the World and beholds the many Demonstrations there given and the Lectures there read and does not from thence learn the Eternal Power and Godhead is a Notorious Dunce He that does understand and know them and does not love and admire them is prophane and proud and so for all his knowledge may be truly said to know nothing Of these prophane Philosophers I shall have occasion to meditate hereafter amongst the Lovers of the World At present I only conclude That Philosophy especially the Philosophy that discovers and comments upon the stately Fabrick the harmonious Order the magnificent Furniture and the admirable Variety of the World the proper Causes and Ends of Things is a very Laudable Study in its own Nature and may be a singular means for the advancement of the Name and Honour of the Blessed Creator It was an extraordinary Expression of a Person of great Quality amongst us when he was but about two and twenty years old That he could be content even then to quit this World and all the Pomps and Hopes thereof though it were for no higher Felicity than to be perfected in the knowledge of Natural Things I cannot tell precisely what degree of value we ought to set upon Philosophical Learning but this we know That no Man in the World and in all the Ages thereof were more famous and admirable than those two Princes of the Jews Moses and Solomon who excell'd in this kind of Learning And the great God himself has given fair encouragement to the study of it by those Philosophy-Lectures that he read out of the Whirlwind to the Eastern Prince which are contained in the 38 39 40 41 Chapters of the Book of Job MEDITAT IV. Of the World taken in a Theological Sense THE World taken in a Theological Sense is put in opposition to God and so it signifies all that which is contrary to the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ and Warreth against it and true Religion all that which doth not comply with the Will of God or withdraws the hearts of Men from him And consequently all that which besides the knowledge and love of God Men covet delight in or lament In this Sense it is said 1 John 5. 4. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World And Gal. 6. 14. that the true Believer is crucify'd to the World and the World to him In this Sense The Friendship of the World is said by the Apostle James to be Enmity against God and by the Apostle John to be hatred of him This is sometimes called Mammon and is put in opposition to God sometimes it is call'd our own things in opposition to the things of Jesus Christ. And this appears to be the meaning of it in this Text which I meditate upon by the following Verse which explains the World by the Lust of the Eye the Lust of the Flesh and the Pride of Life which certainly if they be put together are of a large Extent In this Sense we read of Worldly Lusts Tit. 2. 12. of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Things of the World 1 John 4. 5. of the Fornicators of the World 1 Cor. 5. 10. of the Rulers of the darkness of this World Ephes 6. 12. of the Spirit of the World the Wisdom of the World the Nations of the World Luke 12. 30. the Men of the World which have their Portion in this Life Psal 17. 14. the Sorrow of the World 2 Cor. 7. 10. The World in a Theological Sense is in general whatever is not God and so even Life it self may be call'd the World The Apostle James puts the Theological Notion of the World out of dispute in that famous Text wherein he describes the pure Religion to be a keeping of ones self unspotted from the World Jam. 1. ult So then the Apostle St. John means If any Man love any created Being or cleaves to it more than God or prefers it before him he is a Lover of the World and consequently no Lover of the Father MEDITAT V. Of the Noble Affection of Love IF any Man love c. The Noblest Affection that God hath endu'd the Sons of Men yea or the Angels of Heaven with is Love For when that blessed Being was minded to copy out Himself upon the rational Creature He made it apt to love as He Himself is Love God is Love and the power of Loving is his Image However Liking and Lusting and Appetite
belong to Beasts Love properly belongs to the rational Creature neither can there be any proper Love without understanding and choice And those Species of the rational Creation that are most able to love or able to love most are the most Noble and Divine Love is the Union of the Soul with the Object beloved and makes it as much one with it as it 's possible to be with a thing that is not our self Now how shameful a thing is it that such Noble Affections should match themselves so basely especially when such an excellent Object is in view The Daughter of a mighty Prince chusing a Scullion Boy for her Husband is not so unseemly a sight as the Soul of Man enamor'd of the World neither is the Eagle catching Flyes or the King of Israel hunting a Flea so ridiculous The Prodigal Gentleman turn'd Fellow-Commoner with the Swine or great Nebuchadnezzar herding himself with the Oxen is not so absurd The beautiful Sun indeed in its kind Condescension doth visit the very Dunghils as the glorious God is said to be even in Hell it self but will not lodge his Beams there But alas this Noble Off spring of Heaven the rational Soul how familiarly doth it lodge and lie down with the World and rest in the Embraces of that which is not God! A Debauchery every whit as abominable as a Humane Body lying down before a Beast Our Bodies indeed are a part of the Machine of the World and it is no great wonder if they be delighted in it as the Beasts are But for Souls and Spirits to immerse themselves in to unite themselves to material Objects and mundane Things is as odious and as monstrous to behold as the coupling of living Men to dead Bodies which the Poet describes as a great piece of Cruelty in the Tyrant Mezentius The style of the Prophets makes it an Argument of extreme Desolation when filthy Birds and Beasts do rest in a Land when wild Beasts of the Desart lie there when their Houses are full of doleful Creatures and Owls dwell there and Satyrs dance there and wild Beasts of the Wood cry in their Houses and Dragons in their pleasant Palaces as the Prophet Isaiah elegantly expresseth it Isa 13. 21 22. when the wild Beasts of the Desart meet with the wild Beasts of the Islands and the Satyr cryes to his Fellow the Shrich-Owl rests there the great Owl makes her Nest and lays and hatches and the Vultures be gathered every one with his Mate as the same Prophet expresseth it Isa 34. 14 15. Filthy Affections do certainly argoe a desolate Soul forsaken of God and forlorn and do extremely desile that which was once and ought to be the Temple of God And what shall be the Portion of these Profaners the Apostle Paul tells us 1 Cor. 3. 17. If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy MEDITAT VI. Of the Love of the World YET we must consider what this Love of the World is that is so dangerous And here sure it must be granted even by the devoutest Lovers of the Father Negatively First That it is not every kind glance toward the World that is it If so we may well stand and wonder and ask with the Disciples of old Who then can be saved Although one may apply our Saviours words hither and say If any Man look upon the World to lust after it in his heart he hath committed Adultery with it Although Discontent nay even the very rathering of Things is to be suspected yet certainly it is too severe to determine every single fond glance toward the World to be this damnable love of it There was a famous time wherein the Sons of God beheld the Daughters of Men and I think there will be no time wherein they will be perfectly blind to them whil'st we carry about with us these Bodies it is to be feared that the Beauties and Gayeties of this World will be creeping in at our Senses or Fancies and more or less infesting and infecting our hearts Secondly That a moderate seeking of the World so as to provide Things honest in the sight of God and Man is not it If it were as the Apostle speaks in another Case We must go out of the World For we see there is no living in it without some degree of caring for it No it must needs be an immoderate an excessive Love that is so dangerous and fatal If it be ask'd When that is I answer Whenever it prefers the World or any thing therein before God and that which God is Alas then every single Act of Covetousness wherein the World is preferred before God is Vicious Yes so it is and pernicious and necessarily to be repented of And if it be a Temper it is that damnable Love of the World here spoken of This Love must be predominant and it must be a Temper or else it cannot denominate the Man a damnable Lover of the World Lot committed Incest and I doubt was drunk too but I do not think the love of Wine or Women was predominant in him David committed Adultery but I do not think that he was of an Adulterous Temper But they that are carried by a predominant and habitual Love of the World are the Lovers of the World here spoken of whether they be the Covetous whom God abhorreth or the Proud whom he resisteth or the Voluptuous who are dead to the living Lord MEDITAT VII Men are to try themselves by their Love IF any Man love c. It seems that God doth estimate Men by their Loves not by their Impulses nor their Professions not by their Words no nor by their Actions neither For although it is true That pure Affections will ordinarily produce pure Actions and that as Faith worketh by Love so Love sheweth it self by Works yet Actions materially good do often prom a Principle not Divine and Pure but Carnal and Corrupt Therefore the great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Tryes of the Reins visits and views the hearts of Men and from thence he values them It doth not only appear from this Text but indeed from the whole current of Scripture that the Estimate that God makes of Men is from their hearts Hence it is that we read so often concerning such and such men that they had such and such Faults and Failings in their Conversation or Government yet nevertheless their hearts are perfect with the Lord And other men were thus and thus specious and zealous in their Conversation yet their hearts were not perfect with the Lord And of others that they were very formal and forward Professors but in the mean time their heart went after their Covetousness It were endless to shew the special regard that God has to the hearts and affections of men And ought not we to estimate our selves as God estimates us If any man love c. This sure is the chiefest and one would think the easiest thing in the world to
be known It is without Controversie the chiefest thing and most material for Man to know concerning himself what he loves best If I know that God is the Supreme Good and that it is my greatest Duty and highest Perfection to love him best it must needs follow that it is my greatest Concernment to know that I do so For if I once attain to this understanding I will not be beholden to any Fortune-teller to acquaint me with my future condition in this World nay I will thank no Divine to fore-tell me my condition in another Man has nothing Better than his Affections nothing Nobler than his Heart Love is better than Beneficence Lazarus in being able to Love had a nobler Portion than Dives in being able to Give And shall this Heart this Love be given to the World A Man may converse in the World and be concern'd about it and yet not love it that 's well that may comfort us But a Man may also know God talk of him profess him perform many Duties to him worship him with much Pomp and seeming Sanctimony and yet not love him that may startle us It is easie in all other things for a Man to tell what he loves best Cannot every man tell what Dish of Meat or what Sort of Drink pleases him best or what Neighbor he prefers most And it is not a wonder that Men should not know whether they love God or the World best Is' t not a wonder that Men should be so mad or blind as not to see themselves Lovers of the World Surely the heart of Man is deceitful and that not only to other Men as some would have the meaning of the Text to he but to himself also I never yet knew a Man that would confess himself to be covetous though all the Symptoms of Covetousness were upon him Though the Plague-spots and Sores are upon them yet they will not confess themselves to be infected To undeceive if it may be the Lovers of the World is the design of the Publication of these Meditations Lord be merciful unto its and suffer not our hearts to be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin MEDITAT VIII Of the Extent of Worldly Love IF any man c. Methinks this Phrase supposes that all sorts of Men are subject to this Evil and liable to this Disease And indeed the more I think of it whether the Text suppose it or no the truer it seems to be When I consider great Men I do not see that they are so above the World as to despise it neither are the Poor so below the World as to despair of it as it is in some Cases No all sorts of men are subject to this Plague nothing secures us from it Riches do not it should seem by the Psalmist that the increase of them rather causes Men to set their hearts upon the World If Riches increase set not your heâ—â—ts upon them Poverty does not the poorer the prouder oftentimes and sometimes the covetouser too Holy Orders do not witness the greediness of the Clergy of all Churches Retiring into a Monastery cannot as the many unclean Practices committed there will testifie Holy Profession or an early resolution in Baptism cannot witness the multitudes that fight under the Worlds Banners who then protested to fight against it to their Lives end It is a close Evil or Devil rather and is found in company with Learning with Inspiration and the Spirit of Prophecy as in Balaam in company with Prayers and Sacrifices as in Saul in company with Fortitude as in Jeroboam in company with Zeal and Profession as in Jehu in company with legal Righteousness much Gravity Demureness seeming Self-denial and Maceration as in them who in the Gospel are said to love the praise of Men more than the praise of God It is found in conjunction with Circumcision neither is it washt away by that Ordinance that is called a putting away of the filth of the flesh But if we will come to a strict Examination we must consider Man in his Moral and in his Political Capacity And this God willing I intend to do in its proper place MEDITAT IX Of the Evil of worldly Love IF any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him Lord what a terrible thing is this that is predicated of so small a fault He doth not love God! Why what could have been said worse of him If a man do not love God he is as bad as a Devil he is cursed with the chiefest curse If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be anathemamaranatha Who would believe that so fearful a thing should be predicated of so small a matter If he had said If any man blaspheme God maliciously oppose him spitefully commit Murder be rebellious against all Superiors beastly in all Behavior dwelleth in all Pride and Malice or the like then it had been likely enough that he should be esteemed a hater of God But to say If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him Who can believe this Is it so great a matter to love the world Yes from the Predicate we may infer how great a matter it is The Spirit of God would not have predicated this of a thing of an ordinary size every body declares against the sins of the Flesh rails at Drunkenness Adultery Murder Injustice Extortion every Body brands Thieves and such like People But the sins of the Spirit go unespy'd and damn mens Souls more effectually See how damning a thing it is to misplace affections Oh how sadly is the world mistaken How weakly do men judge How many will find themselves in Hell shortly who had hoped that they were in the Suburbs of Heaven The common cry is A very good man a very honest man a civil good-natur'd Neighbor but a little with the closest Paulo attentior ad rem A small fault they think But is Idolatry and Adultery a small Fault This love of the world is really they one had as good bow down before a graven Image as love the world It is very observable how the Commands of the Gospel are mostly calculated for the regulating of the affections of Love Care Joy Grief and how it forbids and inveighs against the sins of the Spirit Pride Malice Distruct Envy Covetousness and the like The renovation of the Will and regulation of the Affections is the great work of Regenerating Grace It is paltry Pharisaism to mind paying of Tythes and to neglect the love of God Say not oh say not it is a small thing to love the world but say oh how it defiles how it exposes how it damns what Idolatry and Adultery and Blasphemy is it Arise O my precious Soul fully not thy beautful wings by resting upon so filthy a Dunghil by preying upon so loathsom a Carrion How evil and abominable the love of the world is I shall have occasion to consider more
inward hearty submission to the Will of God! They are always reckoning these Murmurings and Discontents and Acts of Self-will amongst humane infirmities at worst but such as they desire not to be cured of neither God says Come away the selfish worldly Nature cryes I will not come or yet a while longer And what is Rebellion if this be not It cannot be but that God takes ill all that reluctancy and lothness that is found in us as he did in Lot and especially Lot's Wife Remember her O my Soul when ever thou offerest fondly to look after worldly things in any way of reluctancy against the Will of God! But it will be said Have not good men been unwilling to dye when they have known it to be the Will of God to remove them Was not Hezekiah loth to stir when he had a Message sent him from Heaven Set thine house in order for thou shalt dye To this I reply If good men have been guilty of this Lothness and Non-compliance it is no part of their goodness Good men are never the better for many things that are recorded of them in Scripture yea make the best we can of it certainly it is an imperfection to be loth to dye and if it be no worse I am sure a wise man will not be proud of it nor a good man pleas'd with it The best and most perfect Saints have been usually willing to dye There was no more to do with Aaron but Go up into this Mountain and put off thy Cloaths and dye there and he went up and undrest himself and dyed No more to do with Moses but Go up into this Mountain and see the Land of Canaan and dye and he went up and saw and dyed If I should here stand to take a View of the way of the Saints entertaining Death I should find that all of them entertain'd the Summons of Death contentedly many chearfully and some not so much chearfully as greedily onely Hezekiah desired to live a little longer to see the Kingdom settled and as it should seem to see an Heir of the Crown and it must be made an example to encourage Lingringness and Lothness to dye It 's true he prayed to live but whether he was absolutely unwilling to dye or no or whether he resisted the Will of God I dare not determine and I know no body can prove For even Christ himself prayed That the Cup might pass from him yet with submission of his Will Not my Will but thy Will be done MEDITAT XXVIII Of not longing after a better Life â—dly IF any man be content to spend his Eternity in this world in this imperfect state though it were supposed to be sinless he hath not arrived at that degree of Divine Love as becomes every Christian to aspire unto If the prodigal Soul do truly repent if he do see that there is a Dearth in the whole Creation an insufficiency in the world to entertain him he will resolve to return to his Fathers house And he that could be content for ever to dwell in a strange Land and take up with the Husks that are there declares himself a stranger to the Bread of his Fathers house It may be some one will doubt and ask Whether there be any man so fond of Life as to wish to live Eternally in this Body To which I answer That men plainly see and know that they cannot they must not spend their Eternity here and therefore will not confess they desire any such thing accounting it a shame to be thought to be fond of a thing impossible But yet really many men wish it might be so as having no View Belief or Hope of a better state The extremities of old Age indeed do force men to wish for death who yet have no good mind to dye but if any worldly man could live in health peace and youthful vigor it is not to be doubted but that he would be well content to live here always The Poets make themselves sport with one Tithonus who wish'd for Immortality in this world and it was granted him That he should never dye But he had forgot to put in this That he should not grow old neither so that when he was extremely grown with old Age and good for just nothing he would fain have dyed but could not But if God would add indefectibility of wealth health and strength to Immortality no doubt but that every worldly man would put up Tithonus's Prayer And indeed wishing to live another day and yet another and then another is a kind of wishing to live eternally here He is strangely forgetful of himself and his true interest unkind to his own centre who does not breathe after a state of Perfection to come And he that does so aright will be growing up into it here He that rightly desires Heaven would not willingly stay for all of it till the world to come That which the Poet accounted vicious in the Sons of Men is virtuous and laudable in the Sons of God Filius ante diem c. even in this present Life to lay hold upon Eternal Life What then must men leap out of the Body No but live above the Body grow up into a Godlike nature into a resemblance of Christ Jesus which is Heaven Whil'st we live in this Body we cannot be happy by reason of our Senses Fancies Appetites we must needs therefore desire a better Body if we study our own Felicity Yea suppose the best that we could live without sin yet all this while we are but of a low Form we are capable of more excellent accomplishments It becomes a truly generous mind to aspire after Perfection after a complete rest in its centre after the fullest enjoyment of the Supreme Good And what meanest thou O my Soul to cling so close to this foreign this unsuitable Relation It there any thing more to be enjoy'd here Are there any more children in this barren womb of the world And what meanest thou O my lazy Soul that thou flaggest in thy motions art content with thy attainments that thou art ever and anon baiting upon the creature upon husks and dost not mind thy journey What an Ass was Issachar who saw that the Land was pleasant and bowed down his shoulder to bear and became Servant to Tribute What a Fool art thou to fancy any rest here and couch down so tamely under thy burden They knew not what they said who â—â—â—'d It is good for us to be here Consider what that Here was and that they had more temptation to be there in that Mount than thou hast to be in this vail of tears Sure thou know'st not what thou dost who sittest down contented to be here MEDITAT XXIX Of desiring to be dissolved BUT is it possible that any man should desire to dye Absolutely to desire Dissolution Philosophers will not allow but all Divinity will allow a desire of Perfection to be with Christ and fully to
after his own Image or God who made him poor for even Poverty it self may be called the Gift of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As if he should say Shall he be reproached or wronged whom the Master of the Family has employ'd in the meanest Offices of the Family It is not the Servants Fault that he is so mean if any man reproaches he reproaches not so much him as his Master The Foot cannot help it that it is not the Head Most Men are poor of God's making but if any make themselves poor it is not for any Man to oppress them nor for every Man to reproach them neither For Reproach is a sort of punishment which every Man may not inflict There are several sorts of Oppression in Goods in Money as they that detain the hire of the Labourer in racking of Rents in selling making Men pay the more for their Necessity in Rights in Liberty c. some of which I shall have occasion to meditate of hereafter and therefore will dismiss them at present MEDITAT XXXV Of Bribery THey that take Gifts to pervert Justice or favor any Cause in Judgment are Lovers of the World for they prefer it before Truth and Righteousness I do not think that every Present is a Bribe but I think it is safest for a Minister of Justice not to take Gifts at all lest he should be corrupted There is certainly a wonderful power in Gifts to blind the eyes even of the wise Exod. 23. 8. Every man saith the wise man is a Friend to him that giveth Gifts which argues the great interest that wâ—rrldly profit hath in the heart of man and consequently how hard and noble a thing it is to be purged of worldly Love Giving is indeed Noble Beatius est dare quam accipere Giving to the Poor is a God-like Act but either to give or receive Gifts for the perverting of Justice is abominable Bribery in this respect is generally a greater sin than stealing in that stealing is mostly committed by men that have need and Bribery commonly by them that have none The lesser the Temptation the greater the sin Bribery may be committed in many things besides money the Bottle and the Bag do speak as corrupt Language as the Purse And there are many kinds of indirect Bribery per alium as bad as that which is direct and per se There is a kind of Bribery in Ecclesiasticks that hunt after popular acceptance and Chaplains that preach pleasing things or stifle Doctrines that they know will be unpleasing however edifying to gain Preferment which if the Law would allow the Exposition might perhaps more properly be called Simony than Bribery Yea there is a strange kind of blasphemous Bribery that men use towards God I doubt the greatest part of worship in the world is intentional Bribery Some go about to bribe God with their Prayers and Fastings and Forms of Devotion some with their Alms and Acts of Charity as they of old did with their Oblations and Sacrifices of whom the Satyrist speaks wittily Illorum lachrymae mentitaque munera praestant Ut veniam culpis non abnuat ansere magno Scilicet tenui Papano corruptus Osiris Nay it is to be feared that however precious a Doctrine Faith is there are many that under the Notion of believing do indeed go about to bribe the Justice of God with the Righteousness of Christ as indeed all those do who lay great stress upon the Righteousness of Christ and themselves take no care to be Righteous Although our Apostle hath so plainly told us That he that worketh righteousness is righteous There is also a great deal of Political Bribery in the world when Councellors Senators or other Trustees betray that Sacred thing their Trust for money or moneys worth Perhaps some of this will fall in when I come to consider Man in his Political Capacity if it should not I know it is easie for any man to enlarge upon it in his own Meditations MEDITAT XXXVI Of thâ—se that offend in the undue degree of seeking Riches UNder the Notion of Unjust are comprehended not only those that use undue means but also they that use due means in an undue manner to get worldly Riches and these are equally Lovers of the world These are of two sorts either such as offend in the degree or such as offend in the season of seeking the world They offend in the degree who although they follow Merchandize or Trades in themselves lawful yet pursue them so ardently so eagerly with so much intenseness of mind which is an excess of diligence as idleness is a defect of it that they plainly appear to make the world their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and other things their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the world their God and the things of God a by-business They invert our Savours divine counsel and seek first the world which is the alia spoken of in Mat. 11. or rather aliena to the Soul but as for the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness they are very indifferent They work out their livelihoods with more fear and trembling than their salvation give all diligence to make their callings and the effects of them sure but little or none to make their calling and election sure They pull and hale the World as with Cartropes they rise up early sit up late eat their bread in carefulness waste their strength spend their age in toil and sorrow perhaps shorten their days with immoderate labour and will be found at last to be felo de se For a man may be a Murderer as well by employing his hands too violently for himself as by laying violent hands upon himself They are resolv'd to secure their worldly interest but they will trust God with their souls as if they hoped those would fare well enough in course To trust God with our souls is good but to pretend to do it and in the mean time to neglect them our selves is a prophane kind of Faith Men do not thus trust him with their Bodies or Estates The Faith that rightly trusts does also love and work and work by Love MEDITAT XXXVII Of those that offend in the undue season of seeking the World THey offend in the season of seeking the world who follow their worldly Employments in any season that ought to be devoted to the service of God by his special command Concerning the special season of Prayer we have nothing certain that I know of though it is most proper and seemly to begin every day with God most reasonable that the devout ejaculation of Thanksgiving or Supplication should take place of worldly Cares and Contrivances and should keep house in the soul at night when they are all dismist A Dog is a mans servant which he turns out of doors at night when he takes his children to bed with him the Dog may not enter in in the morning without leave till the door be opened for him whereas
the Children get up and come into the house when they please We do indeed read of the hour of Prayer but it is hard to say which hour it was or if we could Where is the Divine Authority the stamp of God for the observation of it But the Lord's day is certain known commanded to be observed They that then ordinarily prefer the management of worldly business before the worship of God appear to be Lovers of the world I know we must allow here for the works of necessity and mercy these are to take place of the Sabbath The preservation of Life though it be but of a Beast is an act of mercy which God himself prefers before Sacrifice and so did the Lord of the Sabbath by his example teach us to do A Physician is excusable in travelling to relieve his Patient so that it be in the sight of God rather in merciful Care than worldly Covetousness But if the expectation and desire of a Fee be most predominant it is in vain to pretend necessity God shall find it out before him it will bear them out but badly to plead The Law allow'd it But who shall excuse the Lawyers and other men that travel Journies upon ordinary occasions and upon business of light moment and violate the Lord's day to save a little money or a little labor or for more convenient dispatch of worldly business To contrive to take a Sermon in their way to be at Church at such a place by such an hour I doubt will not salve the matter before a jealous God Christ says Ye cannot serve God and Mammon But these ingenious Worldlings have found out a way to do it They can travel a good days journey of 20 or 30 miles perhaps and yet contrive to be at some Church twice the same day Then they say to God Lo there is that which is thine the rest is my own Why may I not make the best use of it Thus they divide the day betwixt God and the world But whether he that requires a whole day for his service will accept such partnership viderint illi it is good to consider well of it MEDITAT XXXVIII Of Worldly Confidence AFter Injustice comes worldly Confidence to be condemn'd Trust and Confidence is a part of Worship Worldly Confidence therefore is Idolatry Yea it is Blasphemy to rest in and upon the Creature inasmuch as God alone is the Rest of Souls and the Confidence of the Ends of the Earth To confide in the duration of Riches is a piece of Foolery because they are winged and so uncertain Thou Fool this night c. But this is not the Folly that I mean To trust in Riches to râ—pose ones self upon them therefore to account our selves happy or safe because we have them to rejoice mainly in them crying Be merry Thou hast Goods laid up for many years This is the worldly Confidence that God has so often cursed baffled and forbidden God shall destroy thee for ever sayes the Psalmist Psal 52. The righteous shall laugh at him saying Lo this is the man that made not God his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches Job reckons it amongst the highest of wickednesses to say to Gold Thou art my Hope or to the fine Gold Thou art my confidence Job 31. 24. They that trust in Riches Riches shall not profit them either to bribe the Enemy who shall despise their Silver and Gold as the Prophet speaks or to purchase health in time of sickness strength and swiftness shall not avail God will baffle these by making the Enemy swifter and stronger to pursue Ye said we will ride upon the swift therefore shall they that pursue you be swift Isa 30. 16. Charge them that are rich in this world that they do not trust in uncertain riches says the Apostle Lord what a strange thing is Man He must not only be admonish'd but charg'd Why what 's the matter That he do not trust in Riches uncertain Riches Why if they be uncertain there is no danger of trusting in them Yes they are uncertain and he knows it yet he must be charg'd not to trust in them It were endless to give an account of the disappointments of those that have rely'd upon and thought themselves safe in their temporal Prosperity and worldly Riches out of Sacred and Prophane History or of the Princes of the Earth that have been miserably befool'd with the number and strength of Men Horses and Ships wherein they have confided more than in the Lord of Hosts MEDITAT XXXIX Of Covetousness or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I Will now consider of Covetousness which is an undue desire of worldly wealth This desire is undue by the kind of the wealth or by the degree of the desire And so we are covetous either when we lust after that which is another mans or intemperately desire worldly wealth of our own though we use no indirect means to obtain it The first of these is that Covetousness directly aimed at in the Tenth Commandment called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is a sort of invading of another Mans Right There is a good Covetousness a coveting earnestly the best Gifts but this improperly called Covetousness For to speak properly we are not to covet the Gifts and Graces that are in other men although in themselves they are covetable yet as they are other mens they are not the object of our desires There may be a bad desire of a good thing Evil Covetousness is of earthly things and it supposes an impotent and worldly mind and an over-high valuation of earthly things it argues us to be led by our Senses and not by right Reason This Covetousness is a kind of spiritual Adultery Not only he that looks upon his Neighbors Wife but he that looks upon his Neighbors House or Land or Goods to covet them is guilty of worldly Love and that is spiritual Adultery A sin little regarded I doubt but certainly very dreadful The first unchaste glances of the Eye towards any thing that is our Neighbors is forbidden and it becomes us to be offended at them to make haste to suppress them to repent of them But if we allow them to grow up into wilful and steddy desires they are that predominant Love of the World that the Apostle tells us is so pernicious See what severe notice God takes of this kind of Covetousness how he visited it in Eve who coveted an evil Covetousness to her Posterity in Achan and Ahab who coveted an evil Covetousness to their own Houses There is no Man that is over-greedy of having but will sometimes desire to have what is none of his own If this be the standing Maxim Oportet habere We must have it will follow Unde habeat quaerit nemo It is no matter how he comes by it They deceive themselves that excuse their Covetousness by saying I covet nothing of yours I desire nothing but mine
men to be rich as he prefer'd the Dog Hazael to be King of Syria for no good will to him but ill will to Israel Neither is Revengefulness the sin of great men only A poor man may be as revengeful and take as much pleasure in fancying and meditating Revenge as the Blades of the World in executing it who for a word spoke awry forsooth presently term'd an Affront must have Satisfaction And to the Carnal whether Rich or Poor no doubt but Revenge is very sweet and the Fancy as much tickled and delighted with the speeulation of it as the bodily Senses with any Act of Intemperance or Uncleanness Who can chuse but apprehend the pleasure that the swaggering Giant took in fancying Revenge to be taken upon Ulysses who had befool'd and blinded him when he hears the Poet expressing it thus O si quis referat mihi casus Ulyssem Aut aliquem ex sociis in quem mea saeviat ira viscera cujusdam c. Oh that some happy luck would bring That Rogue Ulysses who 's the King Of that damn'd Crew or any other Belonging to him Son or Brother That I might tear him limb from limb Before Life hath forsaken him Whose very Guts I 'ld rend and eat My fattest Venison not such meat How would I make my Teeth to meet In 's trembling Head and Hands and Feet Oh how I 'ld quaff the Rogues Hearts blood Till in my Throat I made a Flood One would think he saw him tearing the Flesh and drinking the Blood of these men And indeed what was the greatest part of the Renowned Bravery of the Romans and Grecians in their Wars but Revenge But if we will stand a little and compare the provocations done to Christ Jesus and his Behavior under them all we must confess and say so great Fortitude all the revengeful Champions in the World never shew'd as he in not revenging himself at all as he in his Father forgive them they know not what they do No nor as his dear Disciple Stephen in his Lord lay not this sin to their charge Acts 7. ult I do not think it is simply unlawful to go to Law But if any man go to Law without the least mixture of Uncharitableness or Revengefulness the same is a perfect man I doubt Lawyers do as truly live upon the Diseases of mens Minds as Physicians of their Bodies Well I see there is no Revenge allow'd me towards my Neighbor and yet there is such a kind of Appetite in my Nature I will spend it therefore upon its proper Object Though Self-Murder is the worst of of Murders yet Self-Revenge is the best of Revenges Be reveng'd upon thine eyes O my Soul not by pulling them out but by shutting them by bringing them into Covenant Have thy Senses betray'd thee Deny them their liberty in some things lawful Keep under that Body that has been petulam and troublesome It was too severe Revenge in the Pepish Saint who cut off his right hand that had suffered a too affectionate kiss of a Female But if thy Senses abuse their liberty retrench them deny them sometimes of things lawful if they will adventure upon things unlawful Oh blessed God whose infinite Purity impartial Justice all-wise Love do render thee alone fit to take Revenge and to retaliate thine own injuries and mine too perfectly mortifie in me this Appetite and all that Pride and self-Self-love that are the fuel of it And inasmuch as I see it is by no means safe that such a Sword be committed into the hands of such a mad fool as I am help me to commit my Cause to him that judgeth righteously without forestalling him or prescribing to him not determining the way nor hastening the time nor so much as desiring the thing Oh that I may be able to say I have not desired the evil day Lord thou knowest that I may seek the peace of Babylon though I be a Captive in it yea though in her peace I should be no sharer MEDITAT LIII Of Cursing AS a Species of Revenge or at least a Product of a revengeful mind I may here seasonably meditate a little upon Cursing There is a solemn Cursing or delivering up to mischief performed by Church-Censure which is a kind of revenging of God's quarrel a Discipline that he himself has committed into the hands of Men which they must take heed to use for him not for themselves The greatest thing for ought I know that God has committed into the hands of men This is easily but wretchedly perverted when the Ministers of it revenge their own Cause and Quarrel serve their own interest and not Gods Gratifie their own Lusts more than the Will of God when they had rather that men suffer'd than were reform'd were damn'd than amended There is an Extraordinary and Prophetical Cursing proceeding from an extraordinary motion of the Holy Spirit found only in pure minds and yet but seldom in them neither Such was Elisha's cursing the ill-bred Children 2 Kings 2. Those passages of David in the Psalms I rather take to be a Prophetical Denunciation than a Cursing of the Wicked Let us be sure we know what spirit we are of before we adventure to imitate these inspired men And alas Why should we curse the Wicked who are hastening to greater Evil than we can wish them Besides Charity would rather command us to pity them and pray for them So did Christ Jesus so did holy Stephen so did St. Paul for his Judge Agrippa and his Persecutors the Jews Acts 26. 29. There is an extraordinary Self-cursing by way of Protestation to be used sparingly in weighty matters I refer this to extraordinary Swearing There is a prophane Cursing And this is either extraordinary or ordinary and both symptoms of a worldly mind Extraordinary prophane Cursing is when People in cool blood knowing what they say from a malicious mind and sometimes with great solemnity of kneeling down lifting up their hands putting off the Hat do imprecate mischief upon a person that has wrong'd them or offended them This when it is done in its Formalities looks like a Sacrament of the Devil an Ordinance of Hell a kind of an Exorcism But a horrible presumption certainly it is a prescribing to Infinite Wisdom a taking of Gods Work out of his hands an usurpation of Divine Prerogative Wicked bold man How darest thou take upon thee the government of the world and judge any man before his time Dar'st thou imploy the Almighty in a work wherein he takes no pleasure engage Love it self to act against his own nature unmercifully To pray God not to have mercy upon man is the highest blasphemy It is as if one should pray him to cease to be God Ordinary prophane cursing is either of our selves or others and each is threefold upon slight occasion upon none at all or worse than none First of our selves When men upon every slight occasion to confirm every inconsiderable truth which it is
fair opportunity be given for it It is the part of a delicate sensual Soul a Lover of the World to fear the removal of his dearest Friend to prefer their Lives and Companies before the Will of God and its being done I do willingly grant that Friends and Relations are to be loved and delighted in yea I think of all sensual Pleasures this is the most innocent and the least beastly though some Beasts are very fond of their Relations and others are great lovers of Society and good men have been more apt to fall into Fits of this Sensuality than any other that I can think of Any one that reads the Story of Jacob and Joseph and Benjamin of David and Absalom and Adonijah will be apt to think so Nay indeed it were a part of gross Beastliness not to leave off sorrowing for the Asses and cry What shall â— do for my Son Alas lest the proper young man Saul should be lost Yet as Relations are to be loved onely in God so they are readily to be quitted and forsaken for him or at his command His Will ought to be dearer to us than their company Many are so fond of their Children that they cannot abide to look off them They contemplate them by day dream of them by night This love as great as it seems to be is not perfect for it hath fear in it and this fear hath torment I will not here say how evil this Love is but I am sure these People are ill prepared to forsake Children for Christ's sake Abraham was not so fond of his onely Isaac No he shall die if he were a thousand Isaacs if God call for him Nay he shall die by his hands rather than he will gain-say the Will of God Every good Christian is of the same temper of the same predominant disposition to be willing to give up Isaac And no doubt but that if we had the same command the same thing would be our indispensible Duty But alas Qâ—otusquisque est Abrahamus How few Abrahams does this Age afford If we sit loose from Husbands Wives Children â—â— we be in a chearful disposition of resigning them at all times it is an act of Faith as acceptable as Abrahams A Man may offer up his Son though he do not bind him upon the Altar as there are many Martyrs that were never brought to the Stake The 3 young men in Daniel were as properly Martyrs in venturing upon the fiery Furnace as if they had been burnt To mortifie this worldly Fear let us believe and consider That whatever is lovely in Children will still live and may be as well enjoy'd in God as if they were alive Besides it is worth the while to ask Who knows how those Children will prove If we had a Prophet here perhaps he would answer us as he did Eli 1 Sam. 2. 33. The Child of thine that shall not be cut off shall be 〈◊〉 â—onsâ—me thine eyes and to grieve thine heart But I shall wave the further prosecution of this and adjourn it till I come to consider of the worldly love of persons MEDITAT LVIII Of the Fear of Poverty and Loss of Goods POverty is formidable to Men not so much I suppose because it is deadly few fearing to be so poor as to starve as because of the disgrace that attends it Nil habet infoelix paupertas durius in se Quam quod ridiculos homines facit But this is a Cross that we must be ready to take up if we will approve our selves to be Lovers of God Disciples of Christ Moses took it up and his Countreymen the believing Hebrews took it up Of later Times the Noble Marquess Caracciola took it up It is a Tribulation which all that will enter into the Kingdom of God must be content to pass thorough if it lie in their way To use sinful shifts or comply with sinful terms to avoid Poverty denominates a Lover of the World Lord what lying flattering deceiving and disingenuous stifling of Conscience is used to prevent Poverty And is there any thing in it so formidable May not a man be all that which is good and happy and yet poor May he not be wise and poor virtuous and poor poor and blessed Blessed are the poor c. Nay are there not many Immunities in Poverty a â—â—eedom from many temptations temptations to Pride Luxury and Oppression which do attend a rich condition Are there not in it many advantages to Virtue to Humility Contempt of the World dependance upon God 〈◊〉 thirâ—â—ing after Eternal Life But when I 〈◊〉 â—â—verty hinders nothing that Riches can help us in a poor man may be as learned valiant virtuous wise yea and as charitable too as the rich It will be reply'd Oh but he cannot be so well esteemed of The poor is neglected and hated of his Brethren the poor mans wisdom is not regarded I answer No matter for that if it deliver the City regarded or not regarded For what is the regard and valuation of men This very respect to Estimation Acceptance and Honour is one of the worldly Lusts to be mortify'd so far is it from being able to justifie the worldly fear of Poverty Blessed Jesus who willingly becam'st poor to make me and many rich thou hast taken the sting out of Poverty â—ay thou hast sanctify'd thou hast enrich'd it Thou left'st all to come seek me make me willing to leave all to follow thee make me able to follow thee even in leaving all for thee MEDITAT LIX Of Fear of Persecution TO be shie and delicate in venturing upon Persecution Restraint Wrongs for Truth and the Gospels sake and to prefer deliverance from these before the Will of God before a sanctify'd use of them and exercise of grace under them denominates a Lover of the World Whosoever represents Persecution taking in the loss of Estate Goods good Name favor of the World Liberty of Life to himself so formidable as that for fear of it he will deliberately forsake God deny his Truth profess Error or Falshood go contrary to and continue in a contradiction to the known Word of God and the Sentiments of his Conscience is a Lover of the World Persecution is a Cross that every faithful Disciple of Christ must be ready to take up when ever his Master calls him to it Holy Paul was ready to take it up in the whole weight of it Not only to be bound at Jerusalem but to dye for the Name of the Lord Jesus The believing Hebrews took it up They might have escap'd Persecution by denying Christ but they were not so nesh although they were but young Christians They would not accept of deliverance Heb. 11. 35. And the same is the predominant temper of all the genuine Disciples of Christ Whosoever will not forsake House and Lands for my sake is not worthy of me Who would value such a Friend that will not so much as put his Nose into a Storm to help
his Friend How will he then leap in up to the Chin for him Such professors Christ may well upbraid in the words of Absalâ—m to Hushai Is this thy kindness to thy friend why went est thou not with thy friend It is very observable how faithful worldly men are to their worldly designs and Dalilahs What pains does the mammonist voluntarily take what diseases and dangers does the sensualist run upon what persecutions does the ambitious expose himself to These all take up their cross and follow their Dalilah At what a chargeable and costly rate do giddy opinionists maintain error and humor at the price of confiscation and imprisonment and banishment And will not the servants of Wrath be at as much charges for her Are the children of this World not only wiser but kinder than the children of Light Surely if we were the children of wisdom we should justify her stand for her to the last drop of sweat yea and of blood too I know no reason indeed nor revelation for the courting of persecution But inasmuch as it must be the lot of all that will be godly in one kind or degree or other it is good to get our minds possest with it prepar'd for it reconcil'd to it that when it comes we may not flye from the Serpent but take him by the tail and he will turn into a rod in our hand If there be any excellency in Righteousness any thing desirable in Blessedness then sure there is some good at least eventually in persecution for they are near akin Blessed are they that are persecuted for Righteousness sake Mat. 5. 10. MEDITAT LX. Of Honour in general and of Pride THe third of the things of the world are its Honours A predominant lover of Worldly Honor denominates a man a lover of the World and consequently void of the love of God See how our Saviour opposes Faith and Ambition making them inconsistent â—o 5. 44. How can ye believe that receive honour one of another There is an Honor which is not Worldly a Praise that is of God and not of man This renders men yea the meanest and obscurest of men honourable the excellent of the earth And to be ambitious of it is an agument of a truly heroick and exalted mind I mean to desire to be a Son or a Daughter of God An immoderate affectation of Worldly Honour is Pride And to prefer it before innocence to seek it glory in it maintain it rather than truth and a good conscience makes a lover of the World To have a right sense of ones own worth in any kind is not Pride but Justice It is no man perfection to be deceived nor his duty to think woâ—â—â— of himself than he is for then he must needs think falsly which is the infirmity af the understanding whose perfection it is to apprehend things as they are But there is less fear of this less danger in it than there is of an overweening To expect a just estimation is but just and modest enough nay sometimes laudable for it may be very serviceable and may make a man seviceable So that every man may well be allow'd to be tender of his reputation But yet patiently to bear disgrace and not to stomach a disappointment is generous and to go through bad report is Christ-like To require and exact a reverent behaviour from inferiours is just though oftentimes they that stand most severely upon it miss of it most respect being such a kind of thing as often flyes from him that follows it and follows him that flyes from it There are many objects of Pride such as Birth Wit and Learning and Standing Strength and Power and Victory Riches Interest a Party and the Propagation of it Children Beauty Priviledges Apparel yea even Vertuous Actions To glory in any of these unduly is Pride and denominates a lover of the World MEDITAT LXI Of the Honour of God and the way of seeking it GOds glorifying himself is not such a thing as vain mans seeking to make himself great by carnal means It is in short The raying forth of his own Perfections the displaying of Himself the communications of his own Goodness Mens glorifying of God is not a fancying or speaking much of the glory of God But it sustains a double notion The less proper notion is the exalting of the Name and Honour of God ascribing all good to him owning him as the Fountain of all So we glorifie him in the reverend thoughts that we have of him in making honourable mention of him dedicating things to his use and service In this Sense Atheisticalness and Unbelief are dishonours to God as also all taking his Name in vain swearing spending all upon our lusts c. The more proper notion is The displaying of his Perfections imitating his Goodness Justice Patience Mercy Charity acting suitably to what his Unimitable Perfections do require as submitting to his Soveraignty depending upon his Omnipotence behaving our selves sincerely in the sense of his Omniscience observing such Rules and Measures in all our Actions as make them agreable to his holy Will In a word our Saviour who best knew 〈◊〉 â—ho was so entirely devoted to it who came into the World on this very errand has more clearly and compendiously told us what it is Jo. 15. 8. Herein is my Father glorified if ye bring forth much Fruit. MEDITAT LXII Of Self-honouring MAn was not made for himself However common a thing it is it is low and base for Man to make himself his own end There is nothing more absurd or unreasonable than Pride nothing more excellent or honourable than Humility It is truly said Quo minus sibi arrogat homo eo evadit clarior et nobilior Man does most honour himself by debasing himself and so on the contrary And as there is nothing more absurd so there is nothing more dangerous It were Ten thousand times safer to stand in the fore-front of the hottest battail than that God should set him in battail aray against us and yet that is the import of that phrase He 〈◊〉 the proud There is Pride in unbelief and refusing the terms of the Gospel The wicked through the pride of his heart seeketh not after God Yea indeeed Pride seems to be the cause of all disobedience If ye will not hear says the Prophet My soul shall weep in secret places for your Pride To seek the advancement of our Names our own Credit and Estimation more than the Name of God is worldly Come see my zeal for the Lord said Captain Jehu There lies more Emphasis upon the word My than upon the Lord. How this should be pardonable in men I know not when it is no less than Treason in the Ambassador of a King Hezekiah fell into a Fit of this when he made ostentation of his Treasures and David when he numbred the People at both whom God was displeased But the one humbled himself for the pride of his heart
more than the Image of God in them is to make Self the Standard of our Love and the Creature to truckle to the Creator To speak properly that Kindness and Benignity in Parents that Dutifulness and Obedience in Children that Faithfulness and Sweetness in Husbands and Wives that Tenderness and Helpfulness in Brothers or Sisters or any Friends by which chiefly they are lovely is of God is God and so to be lov'd and relish'd And to love them under a distinct limited consideration as ours or as a kin to us is not so pure and spiritual as it ought to be The truth is there is nothing ours For God is the Proprietor we are only the Possessors and why should we be so fond of that which is anothers It looks like a piece of melancholy as if a man should go into a Jewellers shop and there fondly hug a Jewel which is only shew'd him or put into his hands to judge of the worth of it How do poor Worldlings act over the part of mad men when they seem to themselves very wise The part of that Melancholist that I have read of who would stand upon the shore and make much mirth at the coming in of every Ship saying It was laden with his own Goods And as for Relation what is it but a Notion It is something I know not what extrinsick to us And why should I be fond of every man that is call'd by my Name Or why should any man be proud that he is call'd Charles and is Name-sake to a great King And what is Relation to us What are we that it should be so lovely a thing to be like us To be like to God to be a Kin to him indeed is something the nearer to him the Nobler and the Happier I must needs have a foolish and false and proud conceit of my self sure that am â—ond of a Child because he resembles me Lord Thou art nearer of Kin to me than all the World The material World is nothing at all of Kin to my Soul not so much as my Cloaths are to my Body But in thee I subsist Thou hast done that for me that Father and Mother could never do Let all Relation be swallow'd up in thee that I may be in a spiritual sense another Melchisedeck MEDITAT LXXVII Of the Love of other Men. TO love and esteem man any man more than God denominates a Lover of the World To love man qua man and consequently every man is a Christian Duty and an high Perfection it is as if it were to be transformed into the Nature of that blessed Being whose Name is Love God is recommended to us by this God is Love Christ commends him to our imitation in this especially Mat. 5. 44 45. Christ Jesus is commended to us by this Oh the wonderful Love that he shew'd to Mankind in laying down his Life for them yea his whole Life before he laid it down was Love it was teaching healing feeding men serving the Necessities of Souls and Bodies The best of Men are commended for this Moses the meekest of Men David sympathizing with his very Enemies in their Afflictions Jeremiah mourning over the Sins of Israel and the Calamities even of Moab Paul most passionately desirous of the salvation of the persecuting Jews The best of Heathens commended for it Socrates profest That he knew nothing but to love he styled himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Servant of Love It is the Speech of a Jesuite Neminem odit qui Deum amat He that loves God hates no man By this Epithete things are commended The best wisdom is that which is gentle and loving and the best Valor is kind and apt to forgive But it will be asked Is every man lovely Yes there is something lovely in every man something of God that Love will delight in No man is so bad but there may be found something of good Nature good Manners good Offices at some time or other all this is an Emanation from God If none of this were yet the Relation wherein man stands to God as a reasonable Creature makes him lovely We love our sown Corn in Hope and many other things Let us love the worst of men in hopes that they may be good Lord shed abroad this Large Liberal Generous Grace into my heart Enlarge my heart that it may comprehend all mankind This is better than with Barzillai to entertain a King and his Army or with Ahasuerus to keep open house for a Kingdom Thus shall I though I have nothing to give be as Charitable as the Rich and more munificent than the Princes of the Earth I charge thee O my Soul this day in the presence of the God whose Name is Love that thou hate no child of man and that thou mayst be sure not to do it that thou dost not so much as secretly despise the meanest or suspend good offices towards the worst or rejoice in the sins or sufferings of the most injurious of men But alas what pity is it that this divine affection should be depraved that Love it self should become filthy and unchaste Separate man and his perfections from God and then love him or them distinctly and this love becomes adulterous For although all men are to be loved in God and for his sake yet no man is to be loved any otherwise than so They prefer Man before God who stand admiring the Excellencies and Perfections of any man as the accomplishments of this or that particular Being and not as Beams from the Father of Lights It is the part of unrefin'd minds to admire diversity of gifts and overlook the same Spirit How nobly does the refined Soul live and act who viewing the Perfections of all men in God the Fountain enjoys them all as fully and deliciously as if they were his own They also who have mens persons in admiration being partial in their estimation or commendation of 〈◊〉 reason of their greatness or of some advanâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 got by them This the Apostle taxeth as a 〈◊〉 thing There is indeed a kind of civil honour and respect 〈◊〉 â—o men by vertue of their Office Authority and â—igher Station in the World and a peculiar grateful â—â—spect to be shew'd to Benefactors But to have the Eyes blinded the Judgment briâ—ed the Noble affection of Love made mercenary by any secular greatness either to love men the more or to think that God does so because of their temporal Prosperity and Grandeur is to call the proud happy and to bless the covetous whom God abhors it is to prostitute that Virgin affection that should be preserved chast We ought to think and estimate according to God to love as he loves and to hate the deeds of the Nicholaitans which he also hateth otherwise we prefer the World before God To delight in the company and either profane or jejune communication of worldly or wicked men more than in the society of the godly is a worldly love
In our hearts to love or esteem any vile person be he of what Civil Capacity he will before them that fear the Lord be their Civil Capacity never so mean is as good an Argument of an unsanctifi'd mind as the contrary is of a Citizen of Zion Psal 15. 4. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned In this Courtly Age it would be lookt upon as an unmannerly behaviour in the Prophet who would not vouchsafe to look towards the King of Israel 2 Kings 3. 14. But certainly it is worse than unmannerly to have the greatest respect and kindness for them that are not at all of Israel MEDITAT LXXVIII Of Flattery THis brings me to think of the foul vice of Flattery which although it be not always an Estimation of men for men often flatter those whom in their hearts they disesteem and despise yet it would be thought so and is as worldly as the other An humble behaviour indeed is ornamental soft answers are good and useful To approve or commend a good man or a good action is so far from being simply evil that sometimes it is duty and may serve good ends But it requires a great deal of wisdom For First It easily mingles it self with something evil and is corrupted by Covetousness Slavish fear or Self-love Men may most set off themselves and study to endear themselves most when they commend other men Secondly It is easily perverted to ill ends and may as soon make me prouder as better Commendation therefore must be given Justly Seasonably Proportionably and should be mixt with the remembrance of God as Paul's was to Philemon ver 4 5. Flattery is sometimes gross in words commending evil and calling it by good names assenting to every thing at a venture or denying without reason Magnifying some little thing beyond its desert and extenuating some foul fault into a meer peccadillo or unavoidable infirmity Sometimes it is more fine and subtile in actions in a crouching truckling over-obsequious behaviour I need say no more of Flattery than that it is First an argument of a mean and slavish mind The truly generous mind that adores truth knows not how to give flattering Titles Secondly that it is of most mischievous consequence and very pernicious in its effects because it inâ—â—â—â—â— Princes Courts and Great Mens Houses Flatterers by blinding the Judgment of Princes do at once put out the eyes of a Nation For they lead â—hose out of the way who when they are misled cause the rest of the world to err We know how fatal it prov'd to Ahâ—â—â— when his Chaplains the Prophets and the Courâ—â—◠〈◊〉 together to deceive him Go up and prâ—sâ—â—◠〈◊〉 the Prophets Let thy word be as one of 〈◊〉 says the Courtier And with what indignation God does 〈◊〉 the daubing of these Prophets and their putting 〈◊〉 under mens heads and arms the Prophet Ezekiel does acquaint us Lord what is man or his power who can onely kill the body that I should fear and flatter him in any thing that is hateful to thee What Profit or Preferment can I expect from man that shall Countervail thy dishonour or the prejudice done to truth and holiness by sordid Flattery or sinful Complyance Oh that the interest of God and Religion be exalted in my soul far above all these petty carnal Considerations And oh that the Messengers of God would seriously examine whether they be not the servants of men of the worst part of men even their lusts by imprisoning the Truth lest it should fly in some honourable or worshipful face whether they do not tremble to speak of temperance before incestuous Felix or whether they can take such fair leave of their Patrons as Paul took of his Ephesians I have kept back nothing that was profitable to you MEDITAT LXXIX Of Worldly Business UNder this Phrase The World is comprehended also the Work Employment and Business of the World To prefer the Business of this World before God denominates a predominant Lover of the World God has indow'd Man with active Principles designing him for Business To be active is to be like God who is life it self He is not an idle Spectator enjoying himself and minding nothing else neither doing good nor evil as some prophane men in the Prophet imagin'd him but he is good and doth good An idle and unactive life is unmanly and infamous No station does exempt men from Business Gentlemen and Ladies have their Callings There is Business accommodated to all sorts of men Having already of Idleness I will say no more of it here but this A good man must needs love Business as it is a Vehicle of Grace For how can a man exercise Righteousness Mercy or Charity without Business The necessities of humane life are so many either our own own or other mens that it is impossible any man should be idle but who is of an idle sensual temper To prevent mistakes I will first consider what is not to prefer the business of the World before God To be diligent and industrous in our Callings with a good design is not it To be more in worldly Business than in heavenly is not it God himself has allow'd six dayes to one To employ our hands in working more than in lifting up to Heaven is not worldly If we speak properly To observe due measures and propound right ends in worldly Business is Conformity to the Will of God and heavenly God acted like himself in the Creation of the world as well as in the Redemption of it and so do godly men in employing themselves about worldly Objects as well as spiritual The Angels are as well in Heaven when they are employ'd upon Earth in preserving the goings of the Saints as in their most immediate Contemplations To give the Precedency to worldly Business as to Management and Action is not simply and always it A lesser Business and more ignoble may be prohic 〈◊〉 more necessary than a greater and preferrible to it The Necessities of the Body may take place of the Conveniences of the Soul To do every thing in its proper season is a point of high Wisdom and indeed Religion Let us always remember that Religion is in the due management of worldly Business as well as otherwise To do Works of Necessity or Charity on the Lord's day is not it To have a reverend esteem for that day is good and necessary Religion flourishes in a Kingdom or a Soul as that is observed But yet there may be a Superstition in it which our Saviour by his Example and Doctrine has endeavor'd to heal The Sabbath was made for man and must give place to him But let all take heed they do not create Necessities or pretend them as I doubt too many of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Physical and Chyrurgical Tribe do To put ones self upon Business to offer ones service for the good of a Neighbor to meddle in other mens matters uncall'd by
And indeed nothing is more usual than to endeavour to drown the cry of the sins of the present times by talking loudly of the crying sins of the former Oh cry'd the Jews Our fathers what wicked men were they to kill the Prophets when themselves persecuted and hated the great Prophet of the Church An other great instance of hypocrisy is when men assume to themselves an ostentate Religion and do not heartily embrace nor love it The Worldly Wisdom has invented a great many artifices in this matter Sometimes the Hipocritical Wisdom will instruct men to commend Vertue and Vertuous persons to seem vertuous Yea it will Preach up many good works and press them most confidently I had almost said impudently with many arguments and motives that they will not meddle with the practice of bind severe duties upon their hearers which themselves will not touch with one of their fingers Who has not with astonishment and loathing heard the loose and careless exhort to Devotion and dilligent Godliness the Covetous to Liberality them require others to pray continually and the prophane to charge the rest that they swear not at all This wisdom will instruct men to pray especially if it be in a publick place where they may do it clare ut audiat hospes for many good gifts and graces which they have no mind to receive to be enabled to do many good things which yet they never so much as once go about and to be adorn'd with that holiness which they deride and hate in them that are adorned with it Sometimes the hypocritical wisdom instructs men to take a good and constant care of their outward behavior and conversation that it be dâ—mure and sober and honest and as to any scandalous thing unexceptionable All this is good and yet is nothing but an artifice of the hypocritical wisdom if the heart in the mean time be full of Pride and Covetousness Malice and Revengefulness Impurity and Impatience if the will be selfish and reluctant against the Will of God This was the devilish wisdom of the Hypocrites of old whom the wisdom of Heaven detected and told them That notwithstanding their Sheeps cloathing they were imvardly ravening Wolves notwithstanding their outward cleanliness and many washings they were inwardly full of Excess and Repine notwithstanding their external whitings and garnishings they were inwardly corrupt and rotten Another Artifice to seem Religious is to be scrupulous of little Faults and zealous for lighter Duties not but that tenderness of Conscience and zeal for all the Commands of God are excellent Accomplishments But they are nothing but an Artifice of the hypocritical wisdom when at the same time great and Camel-like sins are swallow'd down and the weighty matters of the Law are neglected Oh take heed of coming into the Judgment Hall for fear of being defiled but venture to condemn and hang the innocent if you envy him Be as punctual as may be in paying the Tythes to the Levite so exact as to be a Cutter of Cummin but it is no great matter for Faith and the Love of God All the Art is here to find out what is really little or light for according to mens prejudices a little variation in a matter of Ceremony or Order must needs be interpreted a Sin as mortal as Blasphemy and on the other hand a seemly handsome ceremonious observation have great weight laid upon it as the Love of God and our Neighbor Oh that God would give us to see the necessities of our own Souls the nature of true substantial Holiness that transfâ—rms us into the Image of God to eye the example of Christ who was not wont to lay stress upon little things And oh Lord that we may all see how odious Hypocrisie is to Truth and that if the shew of Holiness be desirable it self must needs be much more beautiful MEDITAT XCIII Of the God of this World AMongst other worldly things I read of the God of this World and the Prince of this World whom to adore and obey is certainly a Symptom of a worldly mind The Eternal Jehovah is the rightful and onely proper God and Prince of the World But yet by an improper speech the Devil is also called The God of this World 2 Cor. 4. 4. He is thus called either by a Metonymie of the Adjunct or by a Metaphor By a Metonymie a thing is said to be that which it is onely in opinion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thus the Devil is the God of this World in his own opinion for he venditates himself as such Matth. 4. 8 9. All these things will I give thee And Luke 4. 6 7. All this power will I give thee and the glory of them for that is delivered unto me and to whomsoever I will I give it And in the opinion of men who take and worship him for God as the Dog is said to be the God of Egypt because it is worshiped by them instead of God and the â—â—lly is said to be the God of Epicures Phil. 3. 19. Or else by a Metaphor The Name of God is Metaphorically apply'd to the Devil For as the true God administers his Kingdom of Grace in Believers and is devoutly worship'd by them so the Devil worketh his malignant works in the hearts of wicked men and is obey'd by the Children of disobedience Ephes 2. 2. that is God to every man which he doth most esteem and advance in his heart And so although there is really a difference between God and Mammon yet be Metaphorically said That Mammon is the God of covetous men When I consider how often in Scripture things are said to be that which they only seem to be or are taken to be either by a mans self or others I cannot but wonder at the unreasonable Clamor that some People make not sticking to Rail at us for Lying and Equivocating when we thus speak If the Spirit of God had not authoriz'd and consecrated this Expression of the Devils being the God of this World how may we imagine that the Pretenders to Simplicity and Propriety of Speech would have hooâ—ed it out of the World for Blasphemy And methinks the necessity of Humane Learning and particularly of Rhetorick may fairly be commended and established from this Consideration There are so many passages of this nature in Scripture that I cannot but record some few of them to stop the mouths of irrhetorical Censures The Diabolical Spectrum is expresly call'd Samuel which was only so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Sam. 28. 12. Hananiah is called a Prophet Jer. 28. because he was accounted for such And so is Epimenides called by the Apostle Tit. 1. 12. the Prophet of the Cretians for as Laertius tells us he was so accounted of by them and after his death they sacrificed to him Joseph is called the Father of Jesus Luke 2. 48. only because he was so reputed as the Text afterwards
our Lives a doing of God's Will and a preparation for his Kingdom But yet I dare not conclude it to be a Symptom of predominant worldly Love when I hear David crying in some case O spare me a little c. For when we urge the predominant Love of God as absolutely necessary we do not mean by predominant that it should be in the strictest sense perfect The Love of the meanest Saint is predominant and the Love of the devoutest is imperfect There are many other mistakes about the predominant Love of the World which are occasionally met with and corrected in the aforegoing Meditations Lord Suffer not my inflamed heart to rest in the lowest evidences of a predominant Love to thee no nor to be at rest till it arrive at the highest Demonstrations Expressions and Exercise thereof Though the consideration of Sincerity and Predominancy may sustain and comfort me yet let nothing short of Perfection content and satisfie me Oh Almighty Love wrap up my amorous Soul in thy Self And Oh cast forth thy Cords of Love and draw the estranged Souls of men unto thy Self Pity the infinite numbers of prodigal Apostates that have forsaken the Bread of their Fathers house and like Swine feed upon empâ—y Husks those many Noble Souls all of them like so many Kings by their Câ—â—ation that â—s it were with their Thumbs cut off 〈◊〉 gathering Crâ—m for their sustenance Restore their maimâ—d Faculties and lift up their Heads out of Prison change their Prison Garments and let them eat Bread before thee 〈◊〉 And Oh grant that all the Lovers of the Father may be judicious and regular in their own Devotions and charitable towards the Devotions and Affections of their Brethren Amen Amen MAN Considered in his POLITICAL CAPACITY PART II. MEDITAT I. Of the False Despisers of Riches IT is too too evident that the many sorts of persons before nam'd are in the judgment of God Lovers of the World even all that prefer the Profits pleasures Honours Persons Business Fashions of the World before God that is before Righteousness Truth Peace Publick Good Holy Order Charity Purity and the Sacred Will of God But because there are really many of these that will not yet acknowledge themselves to be such let us examine a little more closely to find out if possibly who they are that lie under this black character and to whom it doth agree And now I will a little examine Man considered in his Political Capacity for in that he is more discernable than in his Moral And here methinks I hear a Generation of Monastical People whether Papists or Protestants it matters not blessing themselves and saying It is apparent that they of all People in the World are no Lovers of it They are so far from coveting the Riches of the World that they give away all they have and reject the kindness of those that would give them more They embrace Poverty as a great Perfection and Nakâ—dness as an Ornament It was a high Character of them That took joyfully the spoiling of their Goods But what Perfectionists are these that spoil themselves The Disciples of Jesus were mortified men who reckoned two Coats superfluous but these Evangelists are even weary of the Incumbrance of one Nay they seem to out-vie the Son of Man himself of whom it is said That he had not whereon to lay his Head As if he stood in need of some House or Artificial Conveniencies whereas the cold Earth everywhere affords these hardy Soldiers of his a sufficient Bed and the spangled Heavens a Canopy To all which great Pretensions I only suggest these two or three Inquiries 1. It is highly reasonable that these Pretenders to a Contempt of Worldly Riches do inquire into themselves Whether in Deed and in Truth they do what they seem to do Whether there be no Fallacy Hypocrisie or Juggle in this Matter For we have read of those that pretended to part with all to the Church who yet kept back for their own dear selves and by laying their money at the Apostles feet seem'd to trample it under their own who yet for all their seeming Faith and Contempt of the World did not so strip themselves of all but that they kept a Rag for a sore Finger Ananias and Sapphira are Examples 2. It may be proper to inquire Whether some of the Heathens themselves whom you so undervalue as the Refuse of men have not done as much as all this comes to This I take for granted according to the Logick of Divinity it self that it is but a sorry Perfection in a Christian that does not excel all that can be found in a Heathen Mat. 6. 32. If they seek after these and these things it becomes Christians to seek after higher if they do such and such things it behoves Christians to do greater Now I suppose it is an easie thing to find many men as perfectly and voluntarily poor amongst the Heathen Philosophers as amongst Christians amongst the Cynicks as well as the Hermits as much Contempt of the World to any mans thinking in a Tub as in a Cloyster But it will be said These men did not neglect the World out of a pure design therefore 3. It will not be amiss that these Christian Contemners of the World do examine their Principles and Ends for if this voluntary casting away of the World be only a Trick to draw and convert the eyes of the World to themselves and to procure an estimation of mortifi'd men or a piece of Bribery to merit or purchase the Rewards of Heaven or a design to get Riches by a pretended Contempt of them or a Cloak for Idleness that they may eat and drink of the Best without doing any thing for it chusing rather to eat their Bread in the sweat of other mens Brows than of their own If any such things as these I say happen all this Contempt of the World is spoiled and becomes contemptible in the eyes of God nay indeed it proves to be a Device for the more effectual maintaining of the Worldly Life And who knows but that it may so happen or rather who knows not that it does Contempt of the World must be impartial and regular or else it will not pass for Devotion And if a man predominantly love the World in any branch of it he 's justly denominated a Lover of the World however he may seem to despise it in many other branches of it It is a sorry shift to endeavor to be thought to despise the Riches of the World and in the mean time to be enslaved to worldly Ease and Idleness to some men it is the greatest sensual pleasure in the World to do nothing Has not the same God who commanded us not to covet nor love the World also commanded to work and get our Livings Oh but they have spiritual Work to do What Merchant so industrious as they that compass Sea and Land to make Proselytes And did not Paul
Bed It is an evident Argument that they do not chuse Thee and Thou for Humility or as a denying of the Honours of the World for they contend hotly That this is the most proper Grammatical way of speaking it is not a Case of Conscience but of Grammar and they also give the same expressions to God himself when yet they intend to honour him as we do As for giving and receiving Honour let them examine themselves Whether they be not desirous to be well thought of well esteemed of when they think they deserve it Whether themselves can take it well to be slighted and neglected by those of whom they deserve well To advance ones own Righteousness to be Righteous in ones own eyes as the Pharisees were and to stand upon our own Justification by the perfection of our own Holiness is as proud and legal a Spirit as any and the highest kind of Self-honouring To have mens persons in Admiration to value them as having any thing of themselves in them is a carnal way of giving Honour to men MEDITAT IX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or Publick Benefactors ANother sort of Pretenders to a just Contempt of the World and a predominant Love of God are those Rich men of the World who 〈◊〉 a great part of their Estates in Publick Works Buildings or Indowings of Churches Schools Hospitals Work-Houses for the Poor or the like This Charity is very Commendable especially when we consider how most Great Men spend their Estates But it 's more highly Commendable in those that have Children of their own and who in their Life-time part with so considerable a share of their Estates to Charitable Uses But yet even amongst these the Love of the World may be found predominant A Worldly Heart may be found not only amongst them that squander away their Estates prodigally and all they have in Riotous Living Luke 15. 13. But even amongst them that bestow all their Goods to feed the Poor 1 Cor. 13. 3. It was a plausible Argument that the Pharisees used to our Saviour when they argu'd That a certain Gentleman loved their Nation because he had built them a Synagâ—gue But I do not think it to be a concluding Argument to prove the predominant Love of God For this as well as Building and Garnishing the Sepulchres of the Prophets may agree to an Hypocritical Generation How Plausible and Commendable soever therefore the Charity of these great Benefactors may be yet if any such Benefactor design and provide for the Celebration and Perpetuation of his own Name more than the Advancement of the Name of God and the Propagation of Religion and Virtue in the World he will be found ultimately to sacrifice to that great Idol Self-Interest and not to God If any such Benefactor build up Churches of Stone and at the same time hate demolish or neglect the Living Temples of God and love not his Saints above all other men it 's but like the silly mockery of those whom the Gospel exposes to Contempt that honor'd the Dead Prophets with many outward Shews and in the mean time persecuted the Living to death Or if any rob Peter to gratifie Paxl Build Alms houses out of the Alms that they have kept back out of the gain of Oppression and Usury It 's possible a man may build and endow Schools for the Instruction of others and yet himself remain in a state of Ignorance not caring to know not so much as the necessary things that belong unto his peace That a man may build Work-houses for others and yet sit down careless and slothful in the matters of his own Soul nor take pains to work out the salvation thereof That a man may provide comfortably for the future state of Widows and Impotent in this World and yet make no provision for his own Eternity in another and so if I may allude to the Apostle be poor whil'st he makes many rich or at least relieves their poverty All External Acts of Charity and Benificence as well as of Devotion are competible to the Animal Life as well as the Divine and may be acted over as plausibly to a pur-blind Observer by a Self-lover or a Lover of the World as by a Lover of the Father MEDITAT X. Of the Pretenders to Righteousness AS the Righteous Lord loveth Righteousness so certainly the predominant Lovers of Righteousness are Lovers of the Righteous Lord. Looking upon these one cannot but love them at first sight as it 's said of Christ This Righteousness is such a qualification as without which no man can have the confidence to lay any claim to the Gospel Character of a good man It seems to be so famous a Species of Vertue that it is in Scripture Tropology put for Goodness or Vertue in general as Fortitude was amongst the Heathens Fortes creantur fortibus bonis Sacrifices were of divine institution and an honourable way of mens drawing nigh to God and rightly offer'd up were very acceptable to him yet Charity is prefer'd before them I will have mercy c. and yet Righteousness seems to have the precedency of Charity it self If the obligation to Justice be not stronger than the obligation to Mercy yet it seems to have a priority and requires to be first served if there be a competition for Charity it self looks like a kind of Felony if it antevert Righteousness being a giving away of that which is of right another mans But as there are many things call'd unrighteousness which indeed deserve not to be so clamor'd against which I think will fall under some of my future Meditations so I doubt there is a great deal that is magnified for Rightouseness that deserves not to be so celebrated For suppose one of these pretenders to Righteousness be never so exact in matters of dealing with his Neighbour Just in matters of Bargain Faithful in matters of Trust Punctual in payment of Debts Wages Promises if yet he be unjust to God in with-holding his Heart from him to whom it is due and entertain the World or Carnal Self in the highest Room there he is a Lover of the World and not of the Father as truly as a Wife is unrighteous who allthough she does not waste her Husbands Estate yet gives her self away from him and opens her Bosom to a Stranger The Righteousness that will Denominate a Man a lover of God must be in Conjunction with Faith Meekness Temperance Charity and Purity If our Righteousness be not so it 's some Spurious or Mechanical thing But is it possible that a Man should be thus exactly Righteous and yet not a Lover of the Father Why not That self-Self-love the Lord of the World may be the very Spring from which External Righteousness does flow to be seen of Men acepted of Men to Maintain a good Reputation amongst Men and to have a good Credit with them was the best Principle from which the Righteousness of the Pharisees proceeded which yet was as
but the Estate or the Portion I would fain know what is the predominant Motive And to say Love is blind is a woful shift it is but a sitting down tamely and being content with the Character of a Fool. It is too true That the Love of the World does so blind the eyes of Men that they can see none of these Infirmities Deformities Inequalities nor ill Consequences neither that do plainly enough accompany or attend their Matching but this does not render them the more excusable nor methink should it give them any ease It was a little Alleviation of blind Sampson's misery grinding in the Prison to think that the Philistines had put out his Eyes by Force But for men to put out their own Eyes and then cry They cannot see or expect to be pitied in their Drudgery is utterly in vain Their Bondage and Drudgery indeed renders them Pitiable but the Blindnes that is alledged for the cause of it renders them ridiculous But shall we think then that every Man and Woman is bound to seek after the best and accept of none but the best Persons in Marriage I shall not trouble my self about this Captious Question But sure I am Goodness with every Lover of God ought to be a more powerful Charm than either Wealth or Beauty It is the best Match where they all meet but that will not be always However if a man cannot have them all he can tell which he is resolved to have and which he can be best content to want This I am sure of if it be not a mans Duty absolutely to seek the best Wife that he can get it is much less his Duty to aim at the richest I conceive the whole World of wicked Men and Women is justly divided into Unbelievers and Hypocrites and I cannot but wonder that Men should think themselves bound by the express Commandment not to match themselves unequally with Unbelievers and yet make no scruple at all of unequal yoking themselves with Hypocrites and such I am confident God reckons all unregenerate Persâ—ns to be I conclude this black List with those who rather than not have Fortunes will make their way to them by Felony at one Blow breaking the Fifth Seventh Eighth and Tenth Commandment For ought I can perceive the Marriage must be Lawful before the Conjunction can be excused from being Adulterous And he that takes a Wife against the consent of Parents or Guardians and against the prescribed method of the Law drinks stolen Waters though he may say as I have heard Children That he takes them as his own Nay though Parents had no Right in the disposing of their Children to Marriage yet there is a shameful Violation of Commutative Justice in stealing Fortunes for which there is no Satisfaction given And indeed they that steal Fortunes are commonly such as are not able to buy them or pay proportionable Jointures for them But to what a height of Worldly Baseness does this arrive when this Adultery and Felony are exercised upon Children when their Infancy and Estates which ought to secure them are both instrumental to betray them To ensnare the Child because she is a Child is like robbing the Poor because he is Poor Magnum memorabile nomen Stulta dolis astuti hominis si victa puella est .. MEDITAT XVI Of Patrons HOW agreeable it is in a well-constituted Church that meer Lay-men should have the power of presenting Ministers to Benefices and what is the way in other Churches or whether their way or ours be better does not belong to my present Meditation It seems likely to be attended with many Conveniencies if the People of each particular Parochial Church should freely Elect their own Pastor But what Inconveniencies might attend that too in time I cannot tell and therefore I will not determine any thing about it I do not apprehend it to be any where contrary to the Canon of the Scripture That Presentations be made to Pastoral Charges as they are here in England considering the Constitution and Circumstances wherein we are But that amongst these Patrons there is a great deal of Corruption and many things that denominate them Carnal and Lovers of the World is too obvious Simony indeed as our Law understands it seems to be a Sin of Man's making and I doubt Men deal with it accordingly few reckoning their Consciences to be bound by it otherwise than their Oath that they take against it does somewhat straiten them which straits they think they may safely use all possible shifts to be delivered out of never mattering to be Casti if they can but be Cauti But supposing it to be only forbidden by a Humane Law yet the Reasons whereupon that Law is grounded seem to be so just and strong that the Law does oblige upon an higher account than its own And many presentations will be found to be corrupt and carnal in the sight of God which do not appear Symoniacal in the eyes of Men or the sense of the Law To be a Pastor to a Congregation and a Steward to any part of the Houshold of God is certainly an Honourable Empolyment and does require much Skill Faithfulness and Industry To Feed and Cloath and Conduct Souls is an Employment which the great God does not disown neither does he refuse to be called their Shepherd and the Stewards which he deputes must needs be so Able Faithful and Painful as to give each of his Family their Meat in due Season It must needs therefore be the Duty as it will be the great Honour of all Patrons as far as in them lies to prefer Overseers to the Flock of Christ according to their worthiness and sitness Of how great use to the Kingdom of Christ and the Salvation of Souls the settling of such Pastors in Congregations has been and consequently how great an honour those Conscientious Patrons are worthy of who haue been the Instruments of their settlement I can easilier contemplate with admiration than tell to satisfaction Who can with an heart unbroken consider the manifold fatal Consequences of setting Unworthy and Unqualified Pastors over the Congregations of Christs Flock The Consequences are no less than the very ruin of multitudes of Souls And what shall I think then of those Patrons who never at all regard the quality of the person but the quantity of the Gift They remember sure the sin of Jeroboam who made Priests of the lowest of the people and therefore are resolved to run far enough from him and make Pastors of the richest of the people But their Covetousness is no less Carnal than his Prodigallity They will not be so base as those of whom the Prophet complained That they polluted the Holy Office for handfuls of Barley and pieces of Bread but they will not stick to do it for handfuls of Silver and pieces of Money There is no such Famine in Samaria sure that an Asses Head should be so much esteem'd and the Souls
of Men be fed with Dung No No the Famine is in the Appetites of covetous Patrons who care not what silly refuse of men they Present nor how they infect or starve the Souls of men so they can but fill their own Pockets with the Shekels of the Sanctuary with Gold Chymically Extracted out of these Leaden Priests There are a more wary Sort that can make a shift to escape the Censure of the Law who are yet acted by as strong a Worldly Love as these That can match a Daughter or an Hâ—ndmaid with a Presentation saying to their Clerk as Boaz to his Kinsman At what time thou buyest the Field thou must buy it also at the hands of Ruth Or if sufficient Security be given for the Resignation of it to see how grateful the Clerk will prove within that time or to see whether by that time a Son or Daughter may not need it for a Portion it makes the matter a little the more safe but never a whit the more honest For considering the great importance of this matter whosoever prefers Consanguinity or Affinity Acquaintance Importunity of Friends before Learning and Piety and Aptness to Teach must needs appear to be acted by a Worldly Spirit and to bear the black Brand of our Apostle Alas How rare is this pure sincere ingenuous judicious proceeding in this matter How few Pastors are married to their Flocks without the predominant mediation of Friends Monies Importnity good Turns received or expected Relation or some such thing which is Alien to the true Qualifications of a Minister MEDITAT XVII Of Chaplains THE Employment of a Chaplain is accounted Honourable by vertue of the Relation that they bear to Princes or Peers or Persons of great Estate of Quality But it seems to be more Honourable upon the account of the Relation thâ—â— they bear to the great God whose Agents and 〈◊〉 they are For as the Pastors and Rectors of 〈◊〉 and Parishes are accounted God's 〈◊〉 even by Scripture Authority so these 〈◊〉 may well â—e accounted his Nuncio's or Envoys and their duty no doubt is to deliver Errands from God to them that are called gods but must die like men And they seem to have a greater advantage and a fairâ—r oppartunity of doing Good than their Brethren If Timothy who for ought I can perceive was no Chaplain was yet charg'd to charge the Great and Rich to be Humble and Religious much more is it the Duty of these who may have the care of their Prince or Patron when the Bishop or the Pastor cannot And to be the Instrument of converting one Prince and his Court yea or one Peer and his Family to the serious and diligent Service of God of how great Honour and Use would this be Oh that all our Chaplains would propound to themselves the Prophet Nathan for their pattern and his success in bringing David to Repentance would be for their Encouragement It is not fit indeed to be so Clownish as to say to Princes Ye are wicked but yet it is fit enough to say Ye are the men with Nathan and with Elijah Ye are the troublers of Israel And the same Elihu says It is not fit to give flattering Titles to men I would fain know of these men if they do not charge their Patrons and warn them who shall and where their Blood will be required if they die in their Sins I hope there are many upright men in this Relation in the World who design not so much to live upon their Patrons as that their Patrons may live to God to sanctifie their Tables rather than to be fed at them But if there be any that prefer Ease and Secular Advantage before the Discharge of a good Conscience that seek to be accepted of their Patrons more than to approve themselves to God their great Master the Sacredness of their Function will not excuse them from being Lovers of the World What then shall we think of those That because One puts into their Mouths and Purses are silent and say nothing or to no purpose in matters that ought to be spoken loud and often plainly and frequently and so for a Bribe betray the Souls of them whom they are entertain'd on purpose to preserve or as the Text speaks Transgress for a morsel of Bread That stand by and see the Sinful Sensual Proud Covetous Prophane Conversation of their Patrons and of their Families and Retinue and never yet so much as once Expostulate with them as Eli Why do ye such things Nor softly whisper in their Ears Nay my Brethren do not so wickedly Such a Chaplain was Amaziah who prophesied at Bethel And what of those that do plainly encourage their Patrons to Pride Idleness Excess Oppression and to a Formality and Indifference in Religion persuading them that so much Strictness and Exactness does not become their Quality magnifying an Half-faced Devotion for perfect and that for a very good Deed which they know is done by halves And what of those who run into the same Excess of Riot the same Sensuality it may be into the same Prophaneness too for Compliance-sake and to humour those upon whom they have dependance Such a Chaplain was the young Levite of Bethlehem Judah who for a Suit of Apparel and about Twenty shillings a Year and his Victuals did not stick at any Idolatry that his Master Micah was given to Judges 17. In any way to prefer Self-Entertainment or Advancement or the Humouring Pleasuring or Gratifying of Men before the Exercise of Grace the using of a good Conscience the Reformation of Sin the Promotion of Godliness and the Advancement of the Glory of God is a Symptom of a Worldly Mind though it be found amongst Pastors of Congregations or Chaplains of Families MEDITAT XVIII Of Judges and Magistrates THE Great Judge of the World has deputed here and there some amongst men to be his Vicegerents in the Administration of Justice This certainly renders their Employment very Honourable and he is a very bold and wicked man that dare contemn so much as the Reflections of the Authority of God or the Majesty of Heaven at what Rebound soever But as this Relation renders them Honourable and a sort of Gods or Sons of God so it does engage them to the greatest Purity and Impartiality imaginable lest they bring a Reproach upon their Lord and the sons of Belial take occasion to invert the Proverb and say As are the servants such is their Master The Truth is They that are Imitators of the Divine Purity Justice and Goodness are in a far better sense the Sons of God than they that only act in the World by his Commission For how far soever the inferior multitude are bound to obey them it is evident that the God whose pure Eyes cannot endure to behold Iniquity does not farther own them for his than as they act by his Authority that is agreeably to his holy Nature and just Laws I wish it were
Soul against the whole World And shall we think a little scantling of this World a fit match for Millions of Souls Dost thou not know O my Soul that thou art the Son of God the Brother of Angels nay even of the Angel of the Covenant by Adoption and canst thou pitch and fix upon any Object below God himself It is unreasonable it is unjust it is sinful and shameful Believe it all inordinate love of thy self is an Incestuous and of other things a Sodomitical Conjunction And besides the Relation and Capacity of Souls we may distinctly consider the wants and necessities of Souls which are such that the World and the fulness thereof cannot supply or relieve The Appetites and Thirsts of Souls are great and strong which the Creatures Cistern can never slake and quench There is a kind of infinity in the lustings and cravings of Souls which all the Possessions and Conquests of the World could never yet fully gratifie Curtae nescio quid semper abest rei You may as well imagine that Behemoth that drinketh up Jordan into his mouth should be satisfi'd with one drop of a Bucket or the wrangling of a hungry Infant for the full Breast should be from day to day silent by Gawds and Rattles as that the Thirsts of a Soul which are after Rest and Happiness should be quencht and satisfi'd by Creature fulness No no the whole World is those Husks that will not fill the Belly of the Hungry Prodigal Take it in all its dimensions and a Man may say of it The Bed is too short for a Soul to stretch it self upon and the Covering is too narrow for a Soul to wrap it self in To which I may add That the Heart of Man is also a Sacred Thing a Thing Consecrate to God The Prophanation of Temples was ever bann'd our Saviour was never so transported with Zeal as against the Profaners of the Temple but certainly to entertain the World into our Hearts is greater Prophaneness than to drive a Trade in the Temple to make a Dove House or a Stable of it MEDITAT XXXVI From the Consideration of the Nature of the World THe uncertainty and unsatisfyingness of the World and all worldly things is a popular Theme which every young Scholar can Rhetoricate upon and declaim against before he have made any experiment of it or any Choice of a better Object The Books of Men are as full of Invectives against the World as their Hearts are at the same time of the love of it He 's a very fool indeed that cannot repeat the words of the wise Man and cry all is vanity but he 's a wise Man who heartily believes what he repeats and acts agreeable to his belief The Poetical Fancies do prettily resemble pleasures to Syrenes which sing sweetly and by their pleasant voice and beautiful aspect allure the Passenger to themselves and then hugg him and kill him And who can deny that this is somewhat like to Solomons whorish Woman in the Proverbs They compare Honour to Icarus his Wings mounting him so unreasonable high that they are melted off by the heat and so down comes that aspiring Mortal to a degree lower than that from which he arose and leaves nothing behind him but a ridiculous fame of bold Aspiring Magnis tamen excidit ausis Not unlike which is the description that the Psalmist makes of man that is in Honour and abideth not He stands upon Pinnacles indeed but they are very slippery ones from which he is soon cast down into destruction They resemble Riches to the great Wooden Horse which the silly Trojans entertain'd into the very heart of the City and rejoyc'd in it as a rare Present sent them by the Gods but it prov'd full of deadly Enemies that presently Murdered them in their security And does not the Apostle speak to the same purpose when he tells us That they that will be Rich fall into Temptations and a Snare and many hurtful Lusts which drown Men in Perdition and coveting after them is piercing ones self thorow with many Sorrows I have read of a Bird in some parts of India that has a Note singing in the language of that Countrey Here he is This he is always singing as our Countrey Cuckows Hereby many curious Travellers are invited to the Tree where he sits who spying them come removes further to another and after that to another still calling them by the same Note whereby it has happen'd that many in seeking to find the Bird have lost themselves The Application is easie for the things of this World Invite and Allure and Promise much Content Lo Here it is And lo There it is but no body could ever light of it there for when one comes near them the deceitful Birds take to themselves Wings and flye away for so the wisest of men tells us in plain words Eccles 5. 10. He that loveth Silver shall not be satisfi'd c. and concerning Pleasures the same Wisdome said That its madness and of Mirth what does it Eccles 2. 2. and concerning Honour he thought the same thing for all that comes says he is Vanity This Meditation is capable of much enlargement but it does not need it Therefore I will dismiss it and consider further Whether those things be indeed Riches Pleasures and Honours which are call'd by those names I suppose that these things of the World are not onely empty and unsatisfying and therefore unfit to be the Object of our Love but that they are deceitful in nor being what we call them as well as in not giving what we expect from them Shall these sorry things deserve the name of Riches Honour and Pleasure that are full of Poverty Disgrace and Bitterness Can I be properly said to be Rich when with my Riches I am poor or Honourable when with my Honours I am the more abject and slavish or a man of pleasures when with my pleasures I am the fadder And is it not thus The true measure of riches is not how much the more one has but how much the less he wants for riches were not intended only that we might have more but that nothing should be wanting Now consider that famous rich man in the Gospel for Example whether he was the richer or the poorer for that plentiful Crop he reaped This increase made him sollicitous and sleepless made him more indigent then he was before And was it not poverty then For now the Text tells us he wants bigger Barns consequently a great many Workmen to build him more Servants and Cattel to manage his Husdandry And I pray what can poverty it self do more than make a man want I suppose a poor man in the common sense to be made rich well he wants Men and Arms to defend his riches Servants to manage them a Retinue to wait upon him now he wants a Stately House and that wants Stately Furniture he wants many other things and those things want many
other things still so that the poverty is mightily increased by the mans being inrich't And is it not thus with Honours too Was not Haman base and vile with all honour who was subject to Mordecai a Captive a Slave If it be said it was by accident I answer that all honour lies perfectly at the mercy of the People they kill or save by the turning of a Thumb as they did in the Arena of old It is ill provided for proud men whose Greatness depends upon a small matter which is in the power of the meanest man to deny And to be a servant to so many men and those of the meanest too methinks is a great reproach And as for pleasure I doubt not but that honest self-denying Urias had more satisfaction of mind in not going home to his Wife than David had in fetching her home to him his denying of pleasure was pleasant whereas the others pleasure was painful and shameful And wilt thou O my Soul be impos'd upon wilt thou be so childish as to pursue a painted and gadding Butterfly which either thou canst not catch or it will weary thee to catch it or it will at last ashame thee of the pains and weariness that thou hast been at in catching it when thou seest it will not answer thy expectations Nay worse wilt thou follow a falsity a delusion a shadow instead of a substance a name instead of a thing Wilt thou travel all the day in pursuit of a Notion and at last it will prove nothing but a Fallacy Is it such an admirable atchievement after all thy pains and ploddings and periclitations of health and case and soul and all to be falsly called rich or honourable Nay nay for stark shame lose not the substance for the shadow and yet not get that neither Reckon rather that true riches stand in not wanting any thing then in having much and not wanting depends upon not desiring lessen thy desires and thou art truly and compendiously become rich If thou desirest many worldly things to make thee happy thou both missest of thy happiness which these things can never afford and loosest a great part of thy self too in the enquiry for look how many desires do distract thee so many bits and parcels of thy self are wanting every Concupisence runs away with a piece of thee To think to be made happy by the addition of more worldly things is just as if one should go about to make up an entire Garment all of Patches MEDITAT XXXVII From the Consideration of the Nature of Love WHen I begin to think of the Nature of Love I see a wide Field open wherein I might either tire my self or lose my self I will therefore confine my Mind to the Meditation of the Nature of Love as it is Giving Transforming Uniting and Subjecting These are Four famous Properties of it to give away the mind to the Object to assimulate it to it to unite it and to subject it thereunto From every one of which will arise a strong Disswasive from the Love of the World He that loves gives And what does he give He gives his heart he gives himself The Text seems to justify this Notion That predominant loving is a giving away of the Heart to any Object My Son give me thy heart He that predominantly loves God gives him his heart And it is true on the other hand that the Covetous Man is given to the World and the Sensualist is given to Pleasures Anima est ubi amat non ubi animat The Soul that loves sojourns abroad all the while and is anothers not its own He that loves God gives himself to God and dwelleth in him which giving away of our selves is most advantageous For in lieu of this poor gift our selves we receive God who is infinitely better than Ten thousand Selves But he that by Love gives himself to the World parts with the best he has even himself for nothing He gives himself to that which can give him nothing back again cannot so much as love him In which respect I doubt not to affirm that the Covetous Man is the greatest Prodigal in the World he parts with that which is most precious for no price at all For to allude to our Saviour he hath nothing in Exchange for his Soul Again Let us a little consider the Assimulating Nature of Love As he that looks into a Glass even by looking into it makes a face therein so he that loves even by loving contracts a similitude No Man loves God but he forthwith necessarily becomes God-like How precious and honourable must this love be then that makes this blessed Transformation And how vile and dishonourable is that worldly love that transforms Man into Money nay into Muck The Poets tell of a covetous King that turn'd all he toucht into Gold but lo here a stranger sight the Covetous Worldling turning even himself into Gold by loving it Wouldst thou be content O Man that God should turn thee into Gold or Silver into House or Land Why then wilt thou make this voluntary Transformation of thy self And yet so it is thou becomest the thing that thou lovest even as a lump of Brass Cast and Carv'd into the shape of a Man is said to be a man but cut the Effigies of a Beast upon it and it will be call'd a Lion or a Dog Yea more than so the nature of Love is not only Assimulating but Uniting The Soul of Man is no otherwise united to any Object but by Love this makes him as much one with God as he is capable if God be his best belov'd Object and it makes him one with the World if that be his darling even one with a Whore if he be by love joyn'd unto her The Particles of some Worms cut off seek to be united to the Head sure I am that man who is call'd a Worm and no Man being by his Apostacy cut off from God ought ever to be enquiring after his Original and seeking to be re-united to the blessed Object from which at first he is so unhappily divorc'd In a word the nature of all created love is to subject the Heart to the Belov'd Object Qui aliquo fruitur ei necesse est ut per amorem subdatur He that loves God above all confesses that he needs him above all and seeks to be made happy in conjunction with something more excellent than himself is which is but reasonable and indeed honourable And so he that loves the World Predominantly proclaims his need of and dependance upon the World in the enjoyment of which he expects himself to be happy which is unreasonable and shameful The covetous Rich Man does not so properly possess the World as indeed is possest by it the World has the command of his Heart therefore it is his Master and he is the worst of Slaves as giving himself into a voluntary bondage and that to the vilest and meanest of Masters What
place in the Creation shall I assign to that man that loves the lowest things for by loving he makes himself lower than they and it will puzzle all Philosophy to tell where to place that man that is lower than the lowest Shake off these shameful Fetters O my Soul burst this Yoke thou art call'd to liberty renounce this Ahominable servitude and reckon that if for an Hand-Maid to be Heir to her Mistress is a matter of Pride for a Mistress to eâ—slave her self to her Hand-Maid is matter of shame and reproach The gracious Creator hath plac'd thee in a noble degree and rank of the Creatures the lines are fallen to thee in a good place do not wilfully degrade thy self by forsaking thy station and thrusting thy self down below the lowest to thy eternal disparagement and amazement Lest whilst thou stand'st in a mixture of disdain and pity beholding the mighty Nebuchadnezzar herding himself with the Oxen thou plunge thy self into a more dishonourable condition then this and suffer thy self to be ridden by thy own Beast MEDITAT XXXVIII From the Consideration of the Nature of the Love of the World Idolatrous and Adulterous HAving briefly considered what the World is and what Love is I will now put them together and a little consider what Worldly Love is And indeed I cannot think of any thing abominable but I find it to be that Methinks I hear the Pathetical words of the blessed one fouâ—â—â—â—g in my ears Oh do not that abominable thing that I hate Jer. 44. 4. It seems that all sin is abominable and hated of Gods Soul But if one thing may be said to be more abominable than another I doubt not but Predominant Worldly Love is the most abominable of all things as having in it the nature of all those things which are of all sober Judges accounted most abominable I will confine my self to five or six of the worst that I can think of And here I will begin this black Roll with Idolatry This is confest by all Christians to be an abominable thing insomuch that that very part of the Christian World which we most suspect of it are as studious to excuse it as they are bold to commit it And there is a great deal of reason why all men professing the knowledge of the true God should abominate Idolatry when they hear him in his Word so passionately charging the World against it so terribly threatning the Commission of it and read what lamentable Devastations he made amongst the Jews because of it which the Prophet excuses by a strange expression The Lord could no longer bear because of their Idolatry Jer. 44. 22. But as abominable as it is the Love of the World is in it What the Apostle says of one Branch of it by the same Argument that Covetousness is Idolatry Pride and Sensuality are no better The highest Act of Worship is Love consequently he that loves the praise of Men more than the praise of God that is a lover of Pleasures more than of God is a down right Idolater Gold and Silver need not to be made into Images to be objects of admiration He that loves and delights and trusts in them chiefly has given the Worship peculiar to God to them and made them his God already Idols may be and commonly are set up as properly in the Heart as in Houses Ezek. 14. 3. and Idolatry as well committed by the inclinations of the Will as by the bending of the Knee There cannot be more palpable Idolatry in the world than making that a God to ones self which is none Is not the Sensualist an Idolater in the most proper speech whose Belly is his God as the Apostle phraseth it By the like propriety of speech one may say of the proud Gallant that he makes his Back his God nay an Horse an Hawk or an Hound may be as truly an Idol to a Christian as a Calf is to an Egyptian A second abominable thing that I think of is Adulâ—â—ry Whatever favourable Opinion this Wicked and Wanton Age has entertain'd of this Vice I 'm sure the Holy God accounts it abominable and ordained in his Common-wealth of the Jews that the Adulterors should be stoned to Death Such is the Opinion that God has of Adultery that he most usually by his Prophets compares that incomparable sin of Idolatry to it and calls it going a Whoring after other Gods It must needs be a foul pattern by which that Monster of Idolatry is drawn And is not the love of the World Adultery Is not the heart of Man as much dedicate and due to God as any Mans Wife is peculiar to him Do Men justly complain of great wrong done to them and may not God as justly complain of the alienation of Hearts May not God reasonably be offended that such a vile thing as Mundanes should be his Rival and defile the Heart of Man which he esteems his greatest Jewel It 's plain by the judgement of the great Searcher of Hearts that she that lusts after another Man more than her own Husband is a Whore and has already committed Adultery with him in her Heart It must needs be that the Soul that lusts after and cleaves to any Object more than to God to whom Souls are most nearly related and to whom they are most firmly bound is abominably Unchast and Adulterous in her loves Souls have no way of playing the Whore but by mis-loving and by how much the meaner the Object of their love is so much the groffer and more shameful their Adultery So that the Soul Prostituting it self to the World is not only Adulterous but indeed Sodomitical in this Conjuction For t is all one with lying down before a Beast which is forbidden by the law abhorr'd of Nature and damned by the gentile Theology under the Fable of Pasiphae and her Bull and their Monstrous off spring the Minotaur Vencr is Monument a nefandae MEDITAT XXXIX Of the Blasphemy and Sacriledge of Worldly Love A Third abominable thing that I think of is Blasphemy To speak evil of God injuriously reproachfully of the Deity may justly be accounted horrible amongst the Servants of the true God when it was judged abominable even by the Heathens whose Gods themselves were abominable Paul's Companions had like to have been pull'd in pieces by the Zealous Ephesians for disparaging Diana and the onely way that the Town Clark could take to appease the multitude was to tell them whatsoever people said of her Diana was a very brave Goddess and to deny that Paul's Companions were Blasphemers of her for he knew well enough that if such a horrible thing as Blasphemy were prov'd against them the people would not have stay'd for any Judicial Sentence to be past upon them Now there is a Blasphemy of the Heart as well as of the Tangue So the Fool Blasphemes who says in his heart there is no God and so do all they that either â—scribe to God
what he is not as Ignorance or Injustice or deny to him what he is as Omniscience and Omnipotence or else ascribe that to the Creature which onely and of right belongs to him Thus every Idolater who gives Divine Worship to a Creature is a manifest Blasphemer of God and so are all Predominant Lovers of the World who by the Predominant pursuit of the World do declare they expect happiness from the Creature which is onely to be found in God and in the enjoyment of him It may seem harsh when 't is spoken in plain words that every covetous proud and sensual Soul is a Blaâ—â—â—emer but there is nothing truer nor scarce plainer I do not speak of any single Act of Blasphemy that these Worldlings are guilty of but indeed they live in a constant and continued strain of Blasphemy Is it not evident that all these Men seek Happiness Rest Satisfaction in the great abundance of Worldly Things It is obvious to every one that they do insatiably pursue them there can be no cause of this assign'd but that they fancy and promise to themselves some satisfaction and happiness in the enjoyment of them And is not this plainly to ascribe to the Creature that felicitating and filling Vertue which individually belongs to the Creator Is it not to give the Glory and Essence and Incommunicable Attributes of God to another Does not he disparage a Fountain of Living Waters who repairs to a broken Cistern to quench his Thirst Does not he disparage the nature of Bread who passes it by and seeks to fill his Belly with Husks That which is a disparagement to these if it be committed against God is Blasphemy He is the only Root and Center of Souls and to take up in any thing below him as an ultimate rest and satisfaction does highly dishonour him and plainly Blaspheme him How justly may it be answer'd to this Worldly Crew at the last day when finding their miserable disappointment they shall seek to enter into everlasting Rest I know you not you have receiv'd your Consolation you have had your Reward in your life time you received your good things Get ye to your Gods therefore of Gold of Silver and such other Worldly Deities to which all a long you Blasphemously ascrib'd a filling and satisfying Vertue The poor woman in the Gospel that had spent all her Living upon Physicians and could get no Cure was indeed after admitted to a touch of the Hem of the Garment of Jesus and healed But they that spend all their Heart upon the World seeking for rest in the things that cannot afford it shall not find it when they come to seek it where it is No no it s just that they that blasphemously make this World their God should be dispos'd of with the God of this World The Fourth abominable thing that I think of is Sacrilâ—dge or a Robbing of God How abominable a thing this is one may easily discern by those Pathetical words of God himself Mal. 3. 8. Where he asks as it were with wonderment Will a Man rob God It can scarce be thought that there should be any such bold Villany in the Nature of things The Heathens accounted it a fearful thing to rob their god who indeed possest nothing Every body know how Prometheus was fastned to Mount Caucasus and had a Vulture perpetually assign'd to feed upon his Liver for defrauding Jupiter at a Feast putting him off with Bones cover'd with Fat when he got the best Morsels to his own Trencher and stealing Fire from Heaven Which Sacriledge Jupiter did so much stomach as Lucian somewhere tells the story that he thought instead of being bound to Mount Caucasus he deserv'd the whole Mountain to be thrown upon him and instead of one Vulture he deserv'd sixteen to torment him Are they esteem'd to rob God who with-held Tithes and Offerings from him and shall not they be much rather so esteem'd who deny him their Hearts Our hearts are due to God he requires them My Son give me thy heart this is his great Commandment Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart The heart of man is most sacred the very Temple the living Temple of the living God and if it be accounted abominable Sacriledge to steal holy Vessels out of the Temple what shall we call it when we steal the Temple it self So do all they that with-hold their Hearts from God and bestow them upon the World MEDITAT XL. Of the Ingratitude and Perjury of Worldly Love THe next abominable thing that I can think of is Ingratitude A thing so abominable that the very Heathen by the light of Nature every where ery out upon it with the sharpest invectives imaginable I need name none of them having once quoted that famous Aphorism of theirs Qui Ingratum dixerit omnia dixit Call a man ungrateful and you call him all that naught is But yet there are degrees here and some kind of Ingratiâ—â—de is more abominable than other Of all the kinds ingratitudes towards God is the worst and or all Ingratitude towards God the giving away of the Heart is the worst and to give it to such â— vile thing a hurtful thing and his Enemy too makes it still worse God has given us all the good we have yea even that good that is given us by our Parents Tutors Patrons Benefactors he is the Dâ—â—r of it And for all this he looks for nothing from us but that we should love him And is it noâ— Monstrous Injustice and Ingratitude to deny him that He gave us these very heartâ— and shall we go and give them to his and our own profest Enemy Talk no more of the abomiâ—â—â—â—â—ness of the graceless Lads that kill'd their Masters with their Pen-knives of Absâ—lom taking up Arms against his Father of Rebellious Subjects pursuing their King to death by those very Swords 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put into their hands of the Churl that denied a Meals Meat to him that had kept all his Flock in the Wilderness one covetous Man out does them all and every Predominant Lover of the World 〈◊〉 denys his heart to the God that gave it him is 〈◊〉 abominable than all they It was a very cutâ—â—ng Reflection that our Saviour made upon the ungrateful people amongst whom he converst I have done many good works amâ—ng you for which of these is it that ye stone me And what shall he be able to answer to whom the Father of Mercies shall put this Question I have made thee what thou art I have given thee what thou hast for which of these Mercies is it that thou hatest me If it be answer'd Nay Lord wherein did I hate thee It will soon be reply'd to the Eternal silencing of the ungrateful Wretch in as much as thou didst not love me thou hated'st me thou didst not love me for if any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him But I will adjourn the
further Prosecution of this to some following Meditations concerning motives to the Love of God and consider the last abominable thing which the Love of the World is and that is Perjury The Jews of our Saviours time had very broad Consciences and many fowl things they made a shift to swallow such as Revenge Hatred of Enemies Neglect of poor Parents and the like yet Perjury was such a Morsel as they could never get down though they had made void many of the Commands of God yet for stark shame they left this standing in its full force Thou shalt not forswear thy self but shalt perform to thy Lord thy Vows What Opinion the Heathen had of Perjury appears by the strange punishments that they say the gods inflicted upon Laomedon King of Troy for falsifying the Promissory Oath that he had made to Neptune and Apollo which vengance did not onely light upon him and his Age but reacht unto posterity So that many years after they cry'dout Laomedonteae luimus perjuria Trojae Herod that could digest Murder and Incest hard bits one would think yet boggled at Perjury though the Oath was a rash one and made but to a Girl and that upon no valuable consideration neither yet his stomach as vitated as it was so nauseated Perjury that he would perform it It seems it was accounted by them an abominable Blasphemy to call God to Witness to a lie to make truth it self a lyar but let the promise be made to whom it would how much more abominable must it needs be when that promise is made to God That is at the same time to defraud and blaspheme the Majesty of Heaven And so do all they who solemnly in the presence of God covenant and swear to fight under his Banner against the World and afterwards turn to the World and enter into a Covenant of Friendship with that which they had once declar'd their deadly Enemy Mercury in the Fable stomach'd â—t grievously that Battus should betray him to himself Et me mihi perfide prodie Me mihi prodis Certainly more intollerable affront cannot be put upon the Majesty of Heaven than that men should swear by him to him and then forsake him making themselves at once guilty of Fraud and Blasphemy which all the Lovers of the World do If now there be anything abominable in Idolatry Adultery Blasphemy Sacrilege Ingratitude Perjury the Predominant Love of the World must needs be abominable even to amazement which is really all these and what needs what can be said more to disswade us from it O Merciful God who alone canst effectually deal with the Hearts of Men perswade us thorowly of the undefiling Nature of thy Love that we may make it our great study to keep our selves unspotted of the World MEDITAT XLI General Motives to the Love of God AND now address thy self O my Soul to the last and sweetest part of thy work to Meditate of som powerful Motives to enflame thy self and the rest of the benumnâ—d World with the Love of God Strengthen me O my God this once not that I may be reveng'd upon but that I may perform the greatest kindness to thine Enemies by rescuing them out of their miserable bondage and inlarging their Souls in the most pure and generous love of thee I let down my Net once more not without thy Command Oh that by thy gracious Assistance and Blessing I may enclose a number of Souls and translate those who all their days have swam in Earthly delights and in the brackish Sea of this World into the sweet Rivers of Pleasures that are at thy right hand or rather into the pure Fountain of Peace and Joy and Pleasure which thou art for evermore And here methinks I have the whole World and all the Individuals therein thronging about me each offering its Vote each offering it self an Orator to plead the Cause of God The holy Psalmist in his 148 Psalm calls upon the whole Creation Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens and the Waters that be above the Heavens the Earth and the Deeps and all the Inhabitants of all those Angels and the Hosts of God the Lights of Heaven Vapors and flying Fowls of the Air all Men great and small young and old Beasts and Cattel and Creeping Things and all Vegetables I say he calls upon them to Praise and Celebrate the Lord but methinks I hear all these calling upon me and all Mankind to love the Lord and to delight our selves greatly in our God For certainly there is nothing in the Creation but does plainly declare the Loveliness of God and whatsoever does so does as good as Preach and say Oh love the Lord ye Children of Men. But I see I shall lose my self in this immensity I will therefore confine my self to some few Topicks from whence to fetch Arguments and Motives to the Love of God The nature of our Christian Profession the Nature of our own Souls the Nature of God the Nature of Love the Nature of the Love of God will furnish us with powerful Motives to the Love of God as well as all these with the Nature of the World and of Worldly Love â—urnisht us with disswaâ—â—ves from the Love of the World For there is as much excellency in the Nature of God and of the Love of God to recommend them as there is unsuitableness and unsatisfyingness in the World or abominableness in Worldly Love to disparage them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no hard thing for a devout Mind to fetch mighty 〈◊〉 the Love of God from the same Heads the Argument being a little altered from which the dissâ—â—asives from the Love of the World were fetcht As for Example if we should therefore not love the World because it is unsuitable and insufficient to us and not that which it seems to be then we should therefore love God because of his infinite fulness and because he is the onely substantial and agreeable good If we should therefore not love the World because by loving we give we assimulate we unite we subject our selves to the World if this be the Nature of Love then what can be more excellent and advantagious to us than the Love of God If we should therefore not oâ—e the Word because the love of the World is Abominable Idolatrous Adulterous Blasphemous Sacrilegious Ungratful and Perjurious The Love of God being on the contrary Excellent and Divine Pure Chast Just Ingeniouâ— and Reasonable ought mightily to allure and attract us unto it self And so of the rest But here also I should be tempted to be too large I will therefore limit my self to a few Considerations which I have found most powerful over my own Soul Oh would it might please God to bless them with a mighty Influence that they may come to the Hearts of those into whose hands they may come MEDITAT XLII A Particular Motive to the Love of God FIrst I am wont to consider that God loves us best of any one The Law of
Nature suggests yea dictates and requires this that we love those that love us our Saviour takes it for granted that all men do this because the worst of men do it yea the very Beasts do it Saevis inter se conveniâ— Ursis Nay it seems that there is a kind of an agreement in Hell and an Order and Amity amongst the Devils else their Kingdom could not stand If two cannot walk together except they be agreed how much less can Four thousand for so many was a Roman Legion in our Saviours days dwell together in one Man without some mutual kindness The Nature of Love is sociable it can endure any thing but solitude this it can no more endure than the Wind can endure to be and not to blow Now what properer Object of Love can there be than one that loves us or a thing that is our own No one is our own so properly as he that loves us I am more truly possest of a Friend that loves me than of a Child that I carry in mine Arms or Wife that I lay in my bosome that cares not for me Of all the World therefore God is most ours because he loves us best The love that comes from above is strong We commonly observe that the love that comes down from Parents upon their Children is stronger than that which rises up from the Children to their Parents An Arrow falling from an high wounds deeper What deep impressions then in the hearts of Men should the Arrows of Love make that are shot from above the highest Heavens It is truly said That God hates nothing of what he hath made His hatred of the Wicked and of the Devils if we understand it aright is not so much his hatred of them as their hatred of him There is no such thing as hatred in the pure Nature of God his Name is Love and certainly he is nam'd according to his Nature But speaking after the manner of Men he is said to hate Evil-doers onely to denote a contrariety of his Nature to Sin and Wickedness as if one should say Fire hates Water or Light hates Darkness It is a passage of St. Bernard somewhere in his Meditations Diligo te Deus plusquam mea plusquam meos plusquam me That was a pure strain of Devotion and to be imitated by every Soul of Man that understands the nature of his Happiness and Relation wherein he stands to God But if we alter the Grammar of it it is as true Divinity still Deus diliget me plusquam mea plusquam mei plusquam ego God loves us better than all our Friends loves us better than we our selves love our selves Of all our Friends our Relations are suppos'd to love us best and of all Relations our Parents The Love of God towards us therefore is compared to the love that a Father bears to his Son that serves him and a Mother to her Sucking Child But it infinitely excels these for what wretched Mortal can pretend to love with that strength and wisdome as God loves If we who are by Nature evil and impotent Parents can love our Children tenderly how much more doth our Heavenly Father It is our Saviours own Argument and it concludes as strongly concerning loving as concerning giving And if giving good things be an Argument of Love God loves us better than our Parents for he has given us much more then our Parents could for he hath given us noble Souls and his Son to redeem them yea and he gave us those very Parents themselves who give us any good thing He loves us better than we love our selves I am much taken with that expression of the Satyrist speaking of the Gods and their Providence towards Men Charior est ipsis homo quam sibi Gods love towards us is purer and wiser than our own He loves us so well that he will deny us things hurtful to us though we pray for them so well that he will afflict us for our good though it be sore against our wills so well that he will remove us out of this world that we are so fond of into a much better which we poor Souls have little mind of MEDITAT XLIII A further Motive to the Love of God SEcondly I consider that I am beholden to God and it is by him that I am able to love any thing therefore I ought to love him above all things The bare possession of any thing is not the enjoyment of it it is not by having but by loving things that we enjoy them If meer possession were enough the Sparrows had enjoy'd the Altar of God as much as David and the Owls had been as happy in the full Barns of the Gospel rich Mâ—n as he himself Light is sweet but it is to them that see it and so are Meats and Drinks and Perfumes but it is only to them that can taste and smell Nâ—buchadnezzar in his distraction when the heart of a Man was taken from him had no more enjoyment of his Princely treasures than a Jack-Daw or a Mâ—â—pie has of a Thimble or a Bodkin that they have hoarded up Beauty is a pretty thing but if there were no Looking Glasses in the World to represent it the Ladies would not be so proud of it as they are nor dote upon themselves as they do I durst appeal to the greatest Mammonist in the World Whether he would think it worth his care and toyl to covet and serape together great Masses of Money if he were sure he should be depriv'd of the power of taking any pleasure in it Certainly if it be Vanity and an Evil Disease that a man should have Riches Wealth and Honour and no power to eat thereof Eccles 6. 2. It must needs be worse to have these things and not be able so much as to love them or esteem them lovely The Poets tell a pretty tale of Apâ—lle that having promised the Princess Cassandra the Gift of Prophecying for a Nights Lodging with her the afterward refusing but he not able to falâ—â—sie his word he endow'd her with the Spirit of Prophesie indeed but entail'd this mischief upon it that though she Prophesi'd never so truly she could never be believ'd Suppose God should give a man all the conveniences advantages and ornaments imaginable and should annex this onely curse to them that he should not be able in any degree to take any pleasure in any of them I wonder who would account this man happy sure I am he himself would not Is it not God that gives us those Aâ—â—ections and that Power by which we love any thing ought we not to love him above all things by whom it is that we love all things It was a reasonable Expostulation of the Prophet He that hath madâ—th Ear shall no he hear And is it not as reasonable to ask He that haâ—h made the Ear shall not he be heard He that hath created the affection of love in us shall not he
and Sweetness and Beauty and Bravery of the World in our apprehension that we may look upon them as things unsuitable inadequate inferiour to our Noble Natures meer Husks and Trash Dust and Gravel in Comparison of the proper food of Souls Display thy Divine Excellency Sweetnesâ— Fullness Infinite Goodness Suitableness and Allsufficiency to us that we may be throughly convinc'd that thou art altogether lovely and that all other things yea Heaven it self are to be loved for thy sake Let thy good Spirit move upon our Affections and overshadow these Souls so long till it have impregnated them with Divine Love Whether Love be like Water do thou shed it abroad in our Hearts till it overflow all our Faculties as the Waters cover the Sea or whether it be like Fire let the Breath of the Lord Blow it up into a victorious and irresistible Flame Grant good God that this Love of Thee may express it self in the Faith Love and Obedience of thy Blessed Son Jesus in the Entertainment and Prosecution of the Motions of thy Holy Spirit in a sincere Love of all Men in a singular Delight in the Saints in the constant preference of Truth Righteousness the Establishment of Peace and Order the Advancement of the Gospel the Favour of God and our own Consciences before Riches Honours Pleasures Self-pleasing the Favour of Men the Propagations of Parties and all Worldly Interest whatsoever in the preferrence of the Peace and Holiness of our Souls before the gratifications of the Body and the securing of a happy Eternity before the serving of Time Finally I beseeeh Thee O my Gracious Father be daily adding Fewel to this Holy Fire maintain and encrease this pious Ardor Keep us in thy Love waiting for the Mercy of Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life Be daily winding up these Heavy and Lingring Hearts unto Thy Self and carrying on these imperfect Longings till thou hast ripened them into Perfect Lively Fearless Endless Love and Delight in thy Heavenly Kingdom for the sake of the Son of thy Love who hath loved us and given himself for us that we might give our Selves to Thee To him with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Thanks Love and Obedience for evermore Amen FINIS Books Printed for and sold by Samuel Tidmarsh at the Kings-head in Corn-hill THE Triumphs of Gods Revenge against the Crying and Execrable Sin of Murther to which is added Gods Revenge against Adultery A Chronicle of the Kings of England from the time of the Romans Government and continued unto the Fourteenth of his now Majesties Reign by Sir Richard Baker The Court of the Gentiles Compleat by Theophilus Gall. The Use of Passions written in French by I. F. Senault and put into English by Henry Earl of Monmouth A Treatise of Peace and Contentment of Mind by Peter Du Moulin Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty A Treatise of Sacramental Covenanting with Christ shewing the ungodly their Contempt of Christ in their Contempt of the Sacramental Covenant by J. Rawlet An Explication of the Creed the Ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer with the Addition of some Forms of Prayer by John Rawlet Artificial Versifying a New Way to make Latine Verses whereby any one of ordinary Capacity that only knows the A. B. C. and can count 9 though he understands not one Word of Latine or what a Verse means may be painly Taught and in as little time as this is Reading over how to make Thousands of Hexameter and Pentameter Verses which shall be true Latine true Verse and good Sense by John Peter price 6d stitcht Day of Doom or a description of the day of the great and last Judgment with a Discourse about Eternity Christian Directions shewing how to walk with God all the day long A Word â—o Saints and a Word to Sinners The Young Mans Guid through the Wilderness of this World to the Heavenly Canaan shewing him how to carry himself Christian like in the whole course of his Life All three by Thomas Gouge Tables for the use of the Excise Office whereunto is added an Introduction to Decimal Arithmetick and a short Treatise of Practical Gauging also the Excise-mans Aid by John 〈◊〉 Directions with Prayers and Meditations for the worthy receiving the Blessed Sacrament by the famous Charles Drelincourt A Help to English History containing a Succession of all the Kings of England the English Saxons and the Britains the Kings and Lords of Men and Isle of Wight as also of all the Marquesses Earls Bishops thereof with the Description of the places from whence they had their Titles Martial Epigrams Helvicus Colloquia Ovidii Opera Caesars Commentaries Erasmii Collâ—quia Ovidii Metamor cum Not. Farnabii Seneca's Tragedies Virgil. cum Not. Fornab Greek Testament of a full Character