De Civit. Dei and in Psal 74. For as the True and Divine Love which reigneth in the Citizens of Hierusalem that is in the Servants of God takes its original spring from the Charity of God and makes them humble and to undervalue themselves for the honour and praise of God so in the same manner the Self-love of the Citizens of Babylon takes its original spring from their proper will and they raise themselves so high by reason of it that they come to undervalue and despise even God himself their own salvation and eternal interest We see in men divers sorts of affections divers sorts of judgements oâ—inions wills in so much that they â—re not more different in feature and â—n the frame and fashion of their Boâ—ies and natural Humors then they â—re in their proper Wills and Self-love â—nd the reason hereof is because they â—o not regard to conform themselves â—or to adjust their proper loves to the True Divine Love This is the source â—rom whence so much Self-love proâ—eeds men do not their endeavour to perform the will of God as they ought put follow too much every one their proper sensualities and private wills Oh would to God the onely true and perfect Love were well rooted and engraven in the hearts of men how would it make them true Followers and Imitators of those that live now â—n the Coelestial Hierusalem â— Without question they would then be all of one mind as the Apostles and Disciples of Christ were who so conformed themselves that as the Holy Text saith of them Acts 4. 32. they werâ— Cor unum anima una all one souâ— and one heart SECT 3. self-Self-Love contrary to the Love oâ— God Egredere de terratua de cognatione tua de domo patris tui Gen. 12. 1. Go forth of thy Countrey from thy kindred and thy Fathers house said Almighty God unto us all in the person of the Patriarch Abraham ouâ— Father insinuating hereby that you must all go forth and give over the love of worldly Creatures if you mean to love Coelestial you must pluck out of your selves all the weeds of self-Self-love and so root them out of your hearts that they may never grow up again self-Self-love is displeasing to God and altogether contrary to his love self-Self-love is the cause of all evils it perverteth the judgement overthrows and disturbs the mind stops and perverts reason dulls â—he understanding empoisons the will and shuts up the way to Eternal â—alvation He that loves not well doth not know God injures his neighbour â—orsaketh Vertue and seeks after honour riches and such like things â—oves the world and himself but not God Take heed therefore since it â—s this self-Self-love that destroys all commands and leads by it self all sinners â—o eternal damnation Why do you love Honour Riches â—nd other Corporal Objects of the World so much Why do you seek why do you hunt after them with so much greediness It is only because you love your selves inordinately Yet are you to leave all and forsake all even your selves and your own â—ife for the Love of God if you preâ—end to be everlastingly happy And â—he reason is because if the Love of God be not the first and chief in your affections sensual desires will usurp the prerogatives of Reason and get thâ— chief place which is due to God alone and so by consequence you forsake God for the love of your self and for the enjoying of your own propeâ— will and fancy you rob God of thâ— honour which is due onely to him aâ— the Creator and Maker of all Creatures To mortifie and subdue Self-love and our proper wills is not onely the Counsel but was also the Practice oâ— all the Ancient Fathers who used all their endeavors to weed and pluck out Self-love from themselves and to with-draw it also from the hearts of others especially of those who pretend to the perfection of Christian Vertue and Piety and have the state of a Religious Life in honour and esteem Now our proper will in this place signifies that absolute self-Self-love which men use and whereby they alwayes take complacency in themselves and ordain and refer all things to the satisfaction of themselves and of their own mind whereas on the â—ontrary true and perfect Christians â—enounce whatsoever is contrary to God and give themselves totally to Divine Love and to the performance â—f Gods Will and Commandments â—rdaining all to God and in a manâ—er denying all to themselves Seeing then that these two Loves â—re so contrary and opposite the one â—gainst the other it follows that such â—ikewise must be all the affections and â—he operations that proceed from â—hem that is opposite and quite conâ—rary one to another in so much that â—t is impossible these two Loves should ever reign at once or together at the â—ame time in one and the same heart â—eeing they are altogether incompatiâ—le You will never find the Love of God agree with the love of the world â—he love of Earthly Things with the â—ove of Coelestial the Carnal with the Spiritual And as it is impossible for Truth and Falsity to agree or Morâ—ality with Immortality Sweetness with Bitterness in a high degree oâ— Peace with War so in the same manner impossible it is to reconcile self-Self-love with the Love of God We cannot with one and the same eye aâ— the same instant look up to Heaveâ— and down to Earth so neither is it iâ— our power at the same time to lovâ— God and this world Therefore to humble and get thâ— Victory over Self-love we are firâ—â— to overcome our selves and shake oâ— the yoke and tyrannizing power oâ— our proper will which is the spring of all evil to us We must absolutely reject that if ever we mean to embrace Vertue as we ought and submit our selves wholly unto God beinâ— mindful of all the graces and benefitâ— we have received and do still everyday receive from him following herein the good counsel of Saint Augustin great Pillar and Doctor of thâ— Church Recordare quomodo creaviâ— te non existentem redemit te c Remember saith he how God createâ— thee of nothing how he redeemed â—ee with his own blood how he did â—ee thee being captive how he proâ—â—cted thee in thy infirmity how he â—riched thee being poor and naked â—nd how he will happily reward and â—own thee if thou remainest a true â—ver to him SECT 4. How Self-love opposeth the Love of God Upon the apprehension you might â—â—t perhaps be satisfied with me in â—â—ving onely declar'd That Self-love contrary to the Love of God but â—ould willingly know some particuâ—â—rities how and in what manner this â—â—lf-love repugns and opposes that â—hich is divine to comply in some â—easure with your desires and inâ—â—nations I say in the first place â—hat as Divine Love doth afford â—â—d cause to mankind all manner of â—â—iritual comforts consolations and â— kind of happiness so on the contrary
glory and boast theâ— selves in sin are absolutely uncapâ—ble of doing any good work pleasâ—â—â— to God or meritorious of eternal â—ward The reason is because theâ— take pleasure they delight and spoâ— themselves in sin then which nâ—thing can be more sinful No maâ— can make himself sport with thâ— which he really hates If thereforâ— we can play with sin whether â—â— our selves or others 't is certain wâ— do not hate it as we ought I adâ— moreover that though we shoulâ— grant that some good in order tâ— God might be done by these Self-lovers Self-praisers and Self-pleasers yet certain it is little or none would be done for the reason above-mentioned to wit because they place their chiefest pleasure in wickâ—d actions and all their endeavours â—re so bent and fixed upon their Vaniâ—ies and in taking complacency in â—heir own doings be they good or â—ad that oft times they do violence â—o themselves meerly for the augâ—enting the follies of their wickedâ—ess that is in striving to be more â—oolish and wicked Sect. 4. How Self-love is prejudicial to God and Men. Sect. 1. Self-love causeth Blasphemy Vndervaluing of God therefore prejudicial to him 2. Self-love looks always at his own interests in treating with neighbours therefore prejudicial to them 3. By Self-love we Seek all sorts of Vanities therefore prejudicial to our selves Sect. 1. Self-love causeth Blasphemy and an Undervaluing â—â— God therefore prejudicial â—â— him SInce it is the Divine Precept Tâ—â—â— we should love Almighty Goâ— above all things with all oâ— hearts that is to say by all oâ— Understanding without any erroâ— contrary to Faith and with all oâ— Soul that is to say with all our Wiâ— without any opposition or contraâ—â—ction to the Will of God with all oâ— Mind that is to say with our Mâ—mory not yielding to any oblivioâ—â— or voluntary forgetfulness of him and finally with all our Strengtâ— that is to say with all our endeavours and power not using aâ— slightiness or negligence in doinâ— his Service seeing I say thâ— we ought thus to love God it foâ—lows of necessity that if we do noâ— but the contrary being found negâ—igent in the performance of any the â—ore-mentioned particularities we â—o prejudice God and rob him of his â—ues and Rights For man cannot â—e cornival with God so as to give â—im no more than heâ— thinks meet â—ut must give all that is required and â—o all that is commanded and in such 〈◊〉 as it is commanded nor may â—e yield to any other love which iâ—â—ot in order to the supreme love of â—od And with most just reason it is that â—od doth thus claim all to himself â—ll Love all Service all Honour â—nd acounts himself in jur'd when aâ—y Love Honour or Service but â—hat he allows is performed to any â—hings else for he made all he 〈◊〉 â—â—d all Creatures even the whole â—niverse He gave us all the Being â—â—at we have all our Powers Faâ—ulties Parts We have nothing â—ut of his Gift and could do noâ—â—â—ing but for his help Therefore it is most due to him that we should love him as above-said with alâ— our Hearts with all our Souls with all our Mind and Strength This is Gods due by that great and universal Title of Creation to which that more Special Title of Redemption adds much right Bâ—â— alas how little sensible are we â—â— either how often do we trangâ—gress and leap over the limits of oâ— bound duty and how much negleâ—â— our oblâ—gation through the vehemeâ—cy of self-Self-love and the affection wâ— bear to our selves the world anâ— the things contained in it the richeâ— the honours the pleasures and vâ—nities of the world not to speak oâ— divers more unlawful objects thâ—â— to be found and too frequently stumbled upon which cause much disâ—â—nour to God and great prejudice â—â— our Souls through the innumerabâ—â— disorders and distempers which happen in Chistianity by occasion oâ— them blinding the understandingâ— and shutting up the eyes as it were of all Mankind through the preâ—alency of their mischievous efâ—ects One of the chiefest and greatest whereof is pride and ambition of which intending to speak more at â—arge in an other Treatise for the â—resent I will only say and desire it may be observed that through this â—xcessive pride and ambition God is â—ighly dishonoured and the rights of his absolute and sole Sovereignty â—resumptuously trampled upon and â—espised no less than by open Blaspheâ—y while through the pride of their â—earts men refuse to acknowlege him â—he only God the Creator of all â—hings and that his providence ruâ—eth the world and while out of the â—ame affection of pride disdaining to â—e under his power or command â—hey forbear not to speak evil of his Deity and either to deny or dispute â—is Supream Authority Divine Omnipotency c. Verities ever acknowledged from the beginning of the world continued in all the ancient Law and renued in the Gospel at the very birth of Christ and by the Publick Confession of all Chrians preserved to his present So that there seems nothing to be added to the pride of too many now adays but with Domitian the Emperor having thrust God out of his Throne to place themselves in it as if you please to consult ancient Histories you will find that Emperor to have done who through the exorbitancy of many other precedent Vices arrived at last to such a stupendious height of Pride Self-estimation and sottish Ambition as to require to be called and proclaimed God not enduring to hear of any other and as Eusebius Caesariensis relates of him Lib. 3. Hist Eccles cap. 19. 20. putting to death all those of the Tribe of David among the Jews that himself might be acknowledg'd the onely King and God of the whole World as Jesus Christ the son of David was by Christans confessed to be A great excess of pride and Self-love this was certainly in a mortal man to affect the honour and esteem of being accounted God yet it was no greater than what some others had attempted before him as for example Nabuchodonosor of whom according as holy Scripture reports Judith 6. v. 3. his servants were wont to speak thus Ostendam â—ibi quia non est Deus nisi Nabucodonosor I will shew you that there â—s no other God but Nabucodonosor and of Herod Acts 12. 22. who accepted of the Title of God though to his cost given him by the publick acclamation of the people And as these through pride think themselves to be Gods and require others to have the like opinion of them So there are that altogether deny God and either through pride or some other distemper of mind think there is no God at all to be acknowledged of whom the Prophet David coâ—plains Psal 13. v. 1. calling theâ— Fools though none think themselveâ— wiser men Dixit insipiens in corâ—â— suo Non est Deus The Fool haâ— said in his heart there is no God Câ—â—rupt they are and become
All which when Saint Anselm reflected upon he could not refrain from saying O my Soul when I consider and ponder well how much you are indebted to the Eternal God I blush at my former negligence in not performing my duty and great Obligation Tell me O Lord which way I am to turn my self and what I can do that will be acceptable to your Divine Majesty You have made and created me by your love therefore I owe you all and all that I am You have redeemed me in Love by your Sacred Death and Passion out of the perpetual slavery of Satan therefore I owe you all and all that I am You have promised me such eternal comforts and reward after my decease therefore I owe you all and all that I am In one word you did give your self wholly to me and for me therefore I owe you all and all that I am O Lord what satisfaction can Man give what recompence can he make for so many benefits already received and still to be received from your Hands and of your Bounty Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi said the Prophet David on the like occasion Psalm 115. 3. What shall I render to our Lord for all the good things that he hath rendered to me As if he had said I am full of confusion I am asham'd and troubled in mind what to do considering that he hath not only given and bestowed many great benefits upon me and mankind but hath also rendred good for evil mercy for ingratitude forgiveness for our sins and transgressions And we most unthankful have rendred to him evil for good for which cause reflecting upon what the truly penitent Sinner King David said in this case I resolve with all my heart and Soul to say the same with him Calicem Salutaris accipiam nomen Domini invocabo said he ubi supra v. 4. I will take the Chalice of Salvation say I and will invocate the name of our Lord that is to say Seeing that I am not able to render any thing worthy of Gods Favours to me I will do what I can I will gratefully acknowledge and accept his great benefits especially the sacred Cup of Christ which he was pleased to bless for the Salvation of Mankind and to drink of himself I will praise him and call upon his Holy Name SECTION VI. How to cure the pernicious Disease of Self-love Sect. 1. By with-drawing our love from all Corporal Objects 2. By humbling and undervaluing our selves 3. By overcoming our selves and sensual appetites Sect. 1. By with-drawing our love from all Corporal Objects To cure and totally to extirpate the pernicious disease of Self-love I must confess is no easie task it requires hard labour to overcome that inordinate Passion being a Vice so inveterate that nothing is more rooted in our hearts and so connatural that nothing is more pleasing to corrupt and unmortified nature so that to compass this end we must strive to our utmost and level all our actions intentions and wills so purely at Gods Honour and Pleasure as that we make him the only end we aim at and the sole object of our love for which purpose we cannot do better than to follow the example and counsel of the Seraphical Father Saint Francis saying daily in imitation of him Deus meus omnia Deus meus omnia O my sweet Jesus O my sweet Lord Thou art my God and all In the first place therefore great care is to be taken and exact diligence used for to with-draw our affections from all eternal objects whatsoever and to place and fix the same totally upon God for otherwise we run great hazard to fall short of our aim and that of the Evangelist will be found true in our selves Qui amat patrem aut matrem plus quam me non est ne dignus Matth. 10. v. 37. He that loveth Father and Mother more than God is not worthy of God that is deserves not to be accounted nor shall ever be accounted Gods true lover What love is more lawful or more recommended by God unto us than the love of Children to their Parents Wherefore seeing that even this kind of love to wit the love of Children to Parents and vice versa the love of Parents to Children c. can be no just excuse why we should not love God as we ought seeing that even this love when it is opposite to the love of God is forbidden us and we are commanded to cast it off there can be no reason to doubt but that all other loves of less nearness and concernment of less piety and vertue of less obligation in like occasion are likewise forbidden us and that we are commanded to with-draw our hearts from them and to give our selves wholly to the love of God above all things not to love any creature so much as we love God nor to be hindred by it from doing service The Evangelist Saint Luke seems to be yet more strict that we say not rigorous in the matter not only exacting to the full the accomplishment of what the Evangelist Saint Matthew mentions to wit that we should not love our Parents more than God or above and before God but requiring also that we should even hate our Parents if need requires it for Gods sake and renounce all affection love and Duty to them rather than to offend God or to forsake the least part of the love and Duty we owe to him for so we read Luc. 14. v. 26. Si quis venit ad me non odit patrem matrem c. adhuc autem animam suam non potest meus esse discipulus If any man cometh to me and hates not his Father Mother c. yea and his own life besides he cannot be my disciple It may seem an hard sentence but the meaning is easie This we are to do rather than hate God we must hate our Parents rather than do any thing which he will judge and esteem an hating of him we must renounce and cast off all love and duty to our Parents rather than to renounce or cast off our love and duty to God This expression therefore of the Evangelist obliges us to leap over all stumbling blocks that are laid in our way to hinder us in our going about Gods service We must renounce and reject whatsoever is most dear unto us yea our own selves and all the desires affections and inclinations of our Hearts how specious how morally good pious and honest soever they seem to be if they stand in our way and stop us from the supream love of God Fie upon all friendships must we say fie upon all affections that are attended with such mischiefs and do lead us into such dangers and fie upon all distracting and disquieting designs of the world which bend our imaginations wholly to the things unprofitable and impertinent thereby disturbing and separating us from the love of God
desire a greater conquest than to subdue the world and to trample all the deceitful glories and vanities thereof under your feet Can you think any victory more advantageous than that which of Captives makes you Kings for freedom and true liberty and of Slaves to Self-love and sin the Sons of God and Heirs with Christ of Eternal Glory A greater Conquest you cannot reasonably desire than to subdue all your enemies nor Dominion than to be master of your self and this is done by the way I have shewed you Happy therefore I say are those that conquer and overcome their passions yea much more happy are they than those that conquer Kingdoms and Countries but cannot conquer themselves Happy are those that can rule and govern their sensual love concupiscences and appetites so as not to transgress in them or by them Such a one is Lord of a great Empire Lord of this World and Heir of Heaven To be truly humble is a great Trophy and the right way to Jesus Christ is to subdue your own proper will to suffer injuries and other evils not seeking overmuch after any temporal interests or things concerning the Body Be content to suffer with Christ and for Christ and be sure that if you thus suffer you shall also reign with Christ For a little adversity you will enjoy a perpetuaâ— felicity therefore do not think iâ— a troublesome thing nor grieve thaâ— it is requir'd of you to fight with and to overcome your self for how bitter soever it may seem in the beginning the end of it will be sweet and God will fight for you and help you to get the victory only remembring this not to attribute the glory of â—he conquest to your own strength â—ut only to the Divine Majesty whose Grace gains you the Victory and â—et you must do your endeavour too â—or that Gods Grace helps none that â—ill not help themselves as well as â—hey can and you may observe that â—f those who only cry Lord Lord â—nd do nothing else it is said They â—hall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven None shall be crowned but â—hose that fight well and with couâ—age persevere to the end If two Men come to fight being both of â—qual strength courage and skill and â—oth alike arm'd naturally speaking â—t is certain that he that gets help or â— second to joyn with him will get â—he victory In the same manner it â—s between the Body and the Soul continually fighting supposing both equal and alike in strength if we favour and help the Body by idleness over much eating and drinking and will not deny it ought of its sensual desires be sure it will get the victory over the Soul and subdue her to its lure and appetite and so on the contrary if we favour and help the Soul by fervent Prayers to God if we support and uphold her by the practice of Vertues and arm her Cap-a-pe from Head to Foot with the whole Armour of Righteousness Faith Hope Charity Patience Zeal and other good Graces of the Spirit it is not to be doubted but she will have a glorious victory over the Body vanquish all the Vanities of the World and find a saving cure for all her languishings and distempers occasion'd by Self-love SECTION VII How to love God and our Neighbour Sect. 1. How we are to love God 2. How we are to love our Neighbour 3. How we are to love our Enemies 4. In what manner of love we are to love our Neighbour and our Enemies 5. How we may know our selves free from Self-love in loving God and our Neighbour Sect. 1. How we are to love God I must confess that all we have hitherto said or written serves in part to declare how we are to love God namely above all things with all our hearts with all our mind with all our soul and with all our strength This hath been often inculcated by us But such is the thing that whether we consider the difficulty and hardness or the utility and benefit of it it can never be insisted upon too much We cannot be too often called upon or too often put in mind of this duty and therefore I will in short speak a word or two more to that effect that if you desire to attain the Perfection of that Grace to wit of Divine Love I may by the mercy of God be a little helpful to you in order thereto Verily it standeth with great reason that we should love God in the manner above-said both Justice and Natural Reason dictating and commanding with all urgency that we should wholly give and dedicate our selves by love unto God and by lovinâ— him from whom we wholly possess and enjoy our selves to re-pay in some sort our Duty and Obligation Now for the better performance of this my advice is that you follow the counsel of the seraphical and subtle Doctor Scotus who says That we are to love God sweetly prudently and valiantly or with good courage Sweetly that you be not by any bitterness or amarulency that sometimes happens therein averted from loving him Prudently that you be not by the guil of your Ghostly enemy ensnared nor catch'd in any ambuscado of his Valiantly and with good courage that when you come to suffer injuries oppressions affronts for loving him you be not in any manner of wayes drawn or driven enticed or forced from his Divine Love either by the pomp and glory of the world together with the voluptuous Allurements of the Flesh or by the sterner violence of Persecution and Troubles threatned for loving him and being resolv'd for your part thus to proceed towards the Love of God there are Three Things more chiefly required of you The first is You must extirpate out of your heart all Sensual Love all Love that proceeds from Concupiscences all inordinate love of the World and purge your selves of all sorts of Self-love Inordinate Appetites and Passions and of all the sins that proceed from them It is the admonition of Saint Paul Ephe. 4. 22. Deponere vos secundum pristinam conversationem c. That you put off concerning the former conversation the Old Man which is totally corrupt through deceitful and erroneous lusts and be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind putting on the New Man which according to God is created in Justice and True Holiness And again Rom. 13. v. 12. Cast off saith he the works of darkness which are Self-love and Sin and putting on the armor of light which is the practice of Divine Love let us walk honestly as in the day not in Banquetting and Drunkenness not in Chamberings and Impudicities not in Strife and Emulation in a word nor in making any provision for the Flesh in Concupiscences or to satisfie the lusts thereof consonant unto which is that of Salomon Sap. 1. v. 4. In malevolam animam non introibit sapientia c. Divine Wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul nor dwell in a Body that is
Self-love being a Self-seeker â—â— all things never rests never cease troubling and intaingling it self anâ— others in all sorts of inconvenienceâ— dangers and evils being the Oâ— man which reigneth in mankind and causeth so great disorders anâ— confusions amongst men and so mâ—ny spiritual diseases in Christianity that even St. Paul himself Doctor â—â— the Gentiles could not restrain froâ— crying out desiring to be freed froâ— it Infaelix Ego homo quis me liberâ— bit de corpore mortis hujus Rom. 7. â—â— Vnhappy man that I am who shâ—â—â— deliver me from the body of this deaâ—â— This Self-love therefore may be saâ—â— to be as a wioked Monster in us thâ— totally ruins and destroys mankind in another place I shall further declaâ—â— and at present though it be impâ—sible to unfold and discover the wiâ—â—edness of this pernicious Monster â—â— the full I will endeavour in part â—â— make it appear how horrid and frigâ—â—ful he is by the opposition which â—â— hath against the Charity or Love of God Saint Paul doth much encourage â—e to this design having so incomâ—arably well demonstrated and declaâ—ed the excellencies of Charity or Divine Love so lively so fair so loveâ—y and so agreeable that nothing â—an be desir'd nor wish'd more perâ—ect and accomplish'd in these expresâ—ions Charitas patiens est benigna â—st Charitas non aemulatur c. 1 Cor. â— 3. 4. Charity or the Love of God â—s patient is benigne gentle kind Charity envieth not dealeth not perâ—â—ersly is not puffed up is not ambiâ—ious seeketh not her own provokâ—th not to anger thinketh no evil â—ejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoycâ—th in the truth Charity suffereth all â—hings believeth all things and â—eareth all things In a word Chaâ—ity abideth all wayes free constant â—ively simple or sincere without â—ny doubleness or disguizement causâ—ng no deceit nor using any dissimulation for having God only for hâ— last end in that respect she totalâ—â— resteth and sweetly reposeth in him But Self-love proveth quite contrâ—ry both within and without beiâ—â— alwayes deceitful and disguized â—â— all her proceedings blaming thâ—â— which should be praised and praisiâ—â— that which deserves blame esteeâ—ing her self better than all others yâ—â— sometimes feignedly undervaluinâ— and speaking meanly of her self â—â— the intent she may be the more praiâ—ed and exalted by others If sâ—â— speaks well of her neighbour 't is only â—â— bring him upon discourse or make hiâ— talkt of that afterwards she may fiâ—â— occasion to traduce and slander him â— for Self-love is subtle and seldom â—â— at any time wants ground true â—â— false to maintain or excuse to paâ—liate or hide the naughtiness of heâ— proceedings being like to a Squinâ—ey'd man who being bidden to looâ— on one side looks on the other â—â— wicked and deceitful Self-love tâ— whom it must be said what the Proâ—het Ahias said to the Wife of Jeroâ—oam that came to see him disguized â—xor Jeroboam curte aliam esse siâ—ulas 3 Reg. 14. 8. Jeroboams â—ife why doest feign thy self to be â—nother woman Secondly Charity or the Love of â—od makes a man value nothing â—or esteem any thing in this world â—ut vertue for which reason he lovâ—th all perfections and vertues in â—eneral but in a singular manner the â—ertue of Humility by which he alâ—ayes submitteth despiseth and unâ—ervalueth himself suffereth injuries â—pprobrious and abusive speeches conâ—â—sions and beareth all mortificatiâ—ns for Jesus Christs sake patiently â—nd meekly without commotion or â—esentment attributes no good actiâ—ns to himself but to God alone and â—nstead of praising commending â—nd thinking better of himself for doâ—ng well he humbleth himself flies â—onour declines and refuses the praises and applaudings of men whaâ— possible he can not seeking riches nor worldly pleasures or perferments but desiring rather to be commanded than to command or to have any power authority or dominion over others and in sine so contentâ— himself to live in all due submissioâ— under God and men that for ouâ— Lords sake he is alwayes ready to obey every humane creature that haâ— authority to command But on the contrary Self-love by wayes quite opposite to these causes a man to affect greatness honourâ— riches and plenty of all things to glorify himself in his Extraction Nobility Friends Estate Power anâ— Dominion over others to delighâ— much in the society and acquaintancâ— of great men and to take his pleasurâ— in all sensual vanities so as verâ— often to offend God through frailty anâ— undue complacence with the world Self-love causeth men to be proud so that they love to be praised considered honoured and respected makes â—hem desire to be imployed in great Offices and in things of great concern â—t makes one to equalize himself to great Persons and oft times to prefer himself before his Superiours and Betters and to despise all he thinks under him or inferiour to him This makes him glory in what he possesses and of what he can do but sad and dejected and full of melancholly when he falls into any want or necessity This makes us angry and full of fury when our conceits and discourses are not well taken or not approved and finally through Self-love it is that we are so easily and so much troubled in mind at every small thing that happens contrary to our desire and expectation Thirdly Charity or the Love of God causeth a man not to regard so much his proper utility and conveniencies as those that concern the common and publique good or are profitable to many for which cause he doth not take so much pains and labour for his own interest as he will do for others he is in a sorâ— common to all and upon that accounâ— loveth a common life abhoring alâ— singularities at all times being contented with little and giving willingly of what he has But on the contrary Self-love causeth men to be chiefly solicitous in what they undertake that it may be for their own conveniency interest and proper utility makes them unwilling and slow to do any thing gratis or for nothing They will be rewarded to the full and whether it be in praise favour or goods they alwayes pretend to a full value of recompence Those who are led by Self-love love to be praised in all their actions be they either good or bad such men love Singularities and desire in all things to be treated better then others and applauded above the rest envying their equals above measure more especially if honour place employments or charges be given to â—â—em for then they grow discontentâ—d grudge murmur and complain â—retending that themselves had been â—ore fit for such a great place and â—ore deserved to have had such a â—reat Office Honour or Dignity conâ—erred on them yea sometimes pleadâ—â—g not only their greater Merits greatâ—r Parts and Sufficiency but rather then â—il even greater need and want â—f it then others Behold here but â—ne of the least parcels of the evil â—ffects which proceed from self-Self-love â—ehold a glimpse of
and if â—â— happens that the objects of any of these branches or several kinds of inordinate Self-love be very predominant and prevailing in our affections it must of necessity be because the Love of God is proportionably weak and at a very low ebb in us and consequently it either puts us into or shews us to be in a most dangerous and sickly condition of soul even in the state of habitual mortal sin being withal deprived of Gods Grace for so long time as we remain in such estate so that we do not only languish but perish being destitute both of the Remedy and Physicians and although peradventure many notwithstanding their being in this bad condition through habitual Self-love do either by reason of their natural inclination or through the power of some other worldly interest forbear to commit those gross and palpable sins which Self-love and vicious affections do usually draw other men unto yet this will not excuse them nor put them in a good state towards so long as they â—re guilty and their hearts infectâ—d with self-Self-love But what shall we say now of â—hose who are so much subject and â—iven up to this vice that they set â—heir thoughts and endeavours wholâ— upon honours vanities pleasures â—â— as feasting and gaming or otherwise â—ngage themselves in Contentions or â—â— its at Law or siding with Factions â—n State so as that they seem to place â—heir whole delight in such things â—or although the particular actions of â—hese men considered singly may â—eem only to be venial yet let me â—ell them the whole number with â—nnumerable other aggravating cirâ—umstances renders them damnable â—nd that with great reason because â—t shews that through the vehemency â—f Self-love their affections are placed â—nd fixed in those objects as in their â—ast end which is to transgress the Hoâ—y Commandments of God in the highâ—st and most grievous manner besides the scandal they give We judge of their inward affections by their outward actions Wherefore if these worldly objects of Honours Vanities Pleasures and the like take up their whole employment or the greatest part of their time 't is evident that they are predominant over their affections and that God is not so much the object of their minds and thoughtâ— as he should be namely to reign iâ— them by Holy Love and to be the principal and chiefest end they aim at So that being destitute of Gods Grace and giving so great scandal by their life and manners they must needs be in a dangerous condition Certainly they do grosly deceive themselves in imagining that they love God above all things or that the Love of him is the most cordial of all their loves when as reflecting well upon themselves they would find that all their Love-actions and all the designs of their heart were so wholly bent and set upon worldly things that the service of God and salvation of their Souls were the least â—n all their thoughts least spoken of and least attended unto For the love by which they are bound to prefer God above themselves doth not consist in discourse and meerly talking of â—t but in doing what we are commanded and in doing it with real â—nd hearty affection therefore if they â—ntend to be cured of this dangerous Disease this languishing and Soul-â—estroying distemper of Self-love it must be as the Christian Doctrine â—oth teach and advise us to do nameâ—y that our Love of God be the most absolute the most affectionate â—nd cordial the most general and â—redominant of all other loves and â—hat it reign in us above and more â—han all other passions We must love God more then our own selves and â—ur own lives we must love him generally and in all things without â—xception that he commands us to â—ove desiring to please him more than to please our selves And besidâ— this we must be truly and sincere disposed to lose all things even thoâ— which are most dear unto us and â— suffer the greatest indignities if â—â—casion require rather than to forsaâ—â— him or lose his grace and favour aâ— consequently we must be ready â— embrace all persecutions sufferance yea death it self rather than to coâ—mit one mortal sin And this degâ—â—â— of Divine Love is the only cure the Languishing Disease and Disteâ—per of Self-love and is absolutely â—â—quisite for the Salvation of our Soâ—â— SECT 3. A Description of the same The Wise Hippocrates accordiâ—â— as 't is reported of him deplored his time very much the evil effects â—â— Avarice saying The Life of Mâ—â— is rendred miserable by the same â— may say the like with Father Caussâ—â— of self-Self-love since it is the most fatal plague amongst all the passions It is not a simple malady but a complex a malady composed of all the evils in the World it hath the shivering and heats of Feavors the ach and prickings of the Meagrim the rage of Tooth-ache the stupefaction of a Vertigo the furies of Phrenzy or Madness the black vapours of the Hypochondry the disturbances of the Waking and Fits of the Falling-sickness it hath the stupidities of the Lethargy the heaviness of Hearts-greif the pangs of the Collick the infections of the Leprosie the venome of Ulcers the malignity of the Plague the putrefaction of the Gangreen and whatsoever else is horrible in Nature Since therefore self-Self-love is such a strange and pestilent Disease in Morality that there is none like it in Nature nor more hurtful to Mankind I will dilate my self more at large with the same Father upon the Disasters that are daily in the sight â—â— the World caused by it Alas theâ—â— are millions of Men who would bâ— most fortunate and flourishing if the knew how to avoid the mischievoâ—â— power of this passion but using â—â— consideration nor endeavour to thâ— end they abandon their Bodies â—â— dishonour their Reputation to infâ—my their Estates to waste and miâ— spending and their whole lives to aâ— infinity of disturbances and torment For from hence it comes as we daâ—ly see the experience that Virgins â—â— Noble Blood and Families are stoln â—way Families dishonoured and dâ—solated and grieved parents precipitated into untimely Tombs by ingrateful Children From the same it follows that sâ— many Young Widows make shipwracâ— of their Honour in the World anâ— suffer themselves to be corrupted by incontinency that so many miserable Creatures that otherwise with the grace of God might have lived and died honourably after they have serâ—ed for a matter of talk to a City for time by reason of their evil and â—â—fortunate courses very often at last â—e in an Hospital Hence also it â—â—mes that so many Innocents are â—ade away by a death which preâ—ented their birth and many of them â—urthered and destroyed after their â—rth as it appears more or less at â—l Assizes and Sessions to the great â—ame of Christianity Besides all these how many poor â—fants are brought into this Life as â—recks at Sea are thrown upon the â—ocks or
sinful complacency as most commonly it is yet Self-love and Vanitâ— is for certain the principal motive aâ— cause of such pretensions to wit because the party is exteriourly fair amiable delightsome discreet â—â—vise affable and of good humour â—s they call it good company a â—ood disposition or that some other â—ke quality commends her to our fanâ—y all which are but the repasts of Self-love and do render all the Acts â—f Humane or seeming Moral Vertue â—xercised upon such occasions meer Vanities and Imperfections in no sort meritorious because they have not God but self-Self-love for their aim and object Whence it follows That be the Actions or Works which we do never so good in their own Nature never so Just never so Chast Temperate and never so commendable in the sight of the World yet proceeding or beâ—ng done only upon the account of Self-love Self-interest Self-complacency and not for the Love of God more than all instead of being valued or accounted perfect Vertue Meritorious Works c. they will rather be discommended and condemn'd for sin as the holy Scripture shews clearly in the Example of those Hypocrites who fasting for exteriour shew only exterminant vultus suos disfigure their Faces that they may appear to the World for to fast For what saith our Saviour of them Amen dico vobis quia receperunt mercedem suam Matth. 6. v. 16. Of a truth I say unto you they have received their reward As much is to be said of those that give Alms to the Poor as many of the Pharisees used to do in their Synagogues and in the Streets Markets and open Places having a Trumpet blown before them to shew what they were going to do they doing all this to be seen of men and that they might be honoured of men for their Charity Holiness and good Works all that they did was nothing worth Their doom is the same with the other Receperunt mercedem suam They sought their reward in Self-love in Vain Glory and Proper Will and therein they shall find it The condition therefore which such Men do expose themselves unto cannot â—ut be very dangerous which I shall â—onfirm by one further Example Supâ—ose one be really a covetous Man â—hat is inordinately greedy and desiâ—ous of worldly wealth and to heap â—p Riches yet for fear of the Temâ—oral Laws or being unwilling to lose his reputation by being a known noâ—ed Usurer or for some worldly respects he forbears that particular sin he does not put out his Money to use nor rob his neighbour in that particuâ—ar way and kind of robbery but yet his heart is as much set upon Riches and his mind as wholly occupied and taken up in getting and gathering worldly wealth he is as pinching sparing and close-handed towards the poor gives as little Almes as he that is a professed Usurer Will it serve this Mans turn think you will it save him from the Snares of his Ghostly Enemy that he does not put out his Money to use No verily If he hoards up without measure or end if he refuses to lend freely and to give liberally when just occasion and the necessity of his poor neighbour requires it of him being able he sins and it s much to be feared will be found one day in the number of those whom Saint Paul Ephes 5. 5. declares to be excluded the Kingdom of Heaven For though he doth not commit usury nor rob outwardly yet he is covetous in heart and that 's enough to work his ruine witness those words of the Apostle Neque fures neque avari c. Neither Thieves nor Covetous Persons shall inherit the Kingdom of God SECTION III. Of the fatal Ruin of Mankind by self-Self-love SECT 1. By taking more Pleasure and putting more Confidence in Worldly things than in God 2. By taking Delight in all manner of Sensualities of the Flesh 3. By their Glorying and Boasting themselves in Malice and Iniquities SECT 1. By taking more Pleasure and putting more Confidence in Worldly things than in God SAint Paul the Apostle and Doctor of the Gentiles writing to Timothy saith That the time will come That Men shall be Lovers of them selves and having said that subjoynes a List of innumerable sinnes to wit of Covetousness Pride Blasphemy against God Disobedienâ— to Parents Ingratitudes Incontinency Impieties and what not all issuinâ— from the root of Self-love he foâ—gets not to put into this Black Roâ—â— that Saint-seeming Vice or deadâ— sin of Hypocrisy telling us thâ— notwithstanding Men should be reallâ— guilty of so many and great Vices yet they will make much professioâ— of Vertue though there be no trâ—â— fear of God in their Hearts yet thâ— will pretend to Piety having a Foâ— of Godliness but denying the Powâ—â— thereof 2 Tim. 3. 2 3 4 5 c. â— if he had said they are so maâ— Wolves in Lamb-skins they will seeâ— outwardly Holy and Vertuous bâ— in their interiour are meer Hypocritâ— and great enemies of Vertue whâ— it will stand with their private Inâ—â—rests and Self-love to be so inâ—â—much that I cannot but remember â—here what our Saviour saith in the Gospel Joan. 12. v. 25. Qui amat â—animam suam perdet eam qui oâ—dit animam suam in hoc mundo in vitam aeternam custodit eam He that loveth his Soul shall lose it and he that loseth or hateth his Soul in this world doth keep it to life eternal His meaning is that whosoever loveth his Soul inordinately and otherwise then he should and not in due order to God shall surely lose it to all eternity Take heed therefore how you Love your selves and blame not me for telling you plainly the truth which is that the eternal Ruine of Mankind consists and is caused chiefly through these disorderly affections that is because we do neither place our Love where we ought nor exercise it as we ought which for the most part happens to us three manner of wayes The First is When a man does as â—t were Cast and drown himself in the Delights and Pleasures of the World and puts more confidence in his Riches and Worldly Pelf then he does iâ— God The Second is When he ruâ— head-long into all manner of Carnâ—â— Concupiscences permitting himseâ—â— to sink in the deepest abyss of sin iâ— that kind The Third is When Meâ— Glory and Boast of their Sinnes aâ— Iniquities As to the first of these to wit that a Man exposes himseâ—â— to great danger and commits a grievous oversight in suffering himself â—â— be so carried away with the vaâ—â— things of this World whetheâ— Riches Honours Pleasures and Fruition of them nay so much as to foâ—get himself and his own condition â— his own nature and excellency reâ—dring himself thereby like unto thâ— Bruit Beasts who have no reason and exercise no Understanding Diâ—cretion Prudence in the pursuit â—â— what they love and finally in having more confidence in Creature than in God the onely Creator Anâ— that which
And Chap. 5. 10. Dilectus meus candidus rubicundus c. My beloved is white and ruddy the choisest amongst ten thousand and according to the Royal Prophet Psalm 44. v. 3. Speciosus forma prae filiis hominum among the Sons of men none so goodly none so beautiful as he being most perfectly accomplisht and excelling in all internal and external endowments As for his great Goodness it likewise excels infinitely beyond all comparison the goodness of all men and of all creatures for according to the testimony of the Evangelist Luc. 18. v. 19. Nemo bonus nisi solus Deus None is good but God alone Tast ye therefore the sweetness of his exceeding goodness and say with the Prophet David Psalm 85. v. 5. Quoniam tu Domine suavis mitis c. Thou O God art good sweet and gentle and of much mercy to all those that call upon thee God of his own nature is good and benign ready to bestow benefits meek to remit offences and merciful to mitigate the punishments of those that love him No doubt therefore can be made but that as God is our Father most good most noble most wise most pleasant and agreeable most beautiful and fair most powerful mighty able and ready to help so he is more worthy of our love than any thing can be imagined in Mankind or in the whole race and order of Creatures Nunquid Deo potest comparari homo Job 22. v. 2. is there any thing in man that shall be compared to God no sure Divine Excellencies and Divine Perfections are such that man cannot reach the least shadow of them His goodness and mercy is such that he readily forgives all injuries all offences committed against him by sinners upon their true repentance how greatly soever and how often soever he be offended Si impius egerit poenitentiam c. saith the Prophet Ezechiel in Gods name If the impious will but do penance for his sins which be hath wrought and observe my Commandments to do them living he shall live and shall not die In conclusion he is as the Espouse in the Canticles speaks him Cant. 5. v. 16. Totus desiderabilis wholly and in all respects to be desired and to be loved There is nothing in him but what commands love in all that rightly look upon him David said of Jonathan that he was amabilis super amorem mulierum lovely beyond all the amiableness of Women How much more true is this of God the least of whose Beauties duly considered is able to ravish all hearts with the purer flames of Divine Charity Who would therefore having a perfect knowledge of these Divine Excellencies but subdue his heart to the love of them Who would not use all means and all endeavours in his power to conquer his own passion of Self-love and withdrawing his sensual affections from all worldly Creatures to fix a pure holy and perfect love on God alone and on his Neighbour for Gods sake Sect. 4. The third means and motive to overcome Self-love is by knowledge of the benefits we have received and are to receive from God As to the third motive which obligeth and induceth us to love God above our selves and all other Creatures it is grounded not only upon the benefits he confers upon us every moment which are infinite and continual according to the Sacred Text Acts 17. v. 28. In ipso vivimus movemur sumus in him we live move and have our being but also upon those that are still expected from him Either of these benefits are a sufficient motive to oblige us to love God above all and our selves only for his sake If we consider those of the first sort what greater reason of love can be imagined than to reflect that of our selves alone without his consent and permission yea without his special favour and assistance in the best things and those of greatest concernment to us we can do nothing without his leave and concurring help we are not able to lift up our foot from the ground or move a hand By his Creation we had our Being first given us and by his Conservation and continual Protection it is preserved to us with all our Powers and Faculties In him we live and without him we cannot live in him we move act and do such things as are agreeable or profitable to us but without him we neither move nor stir any more than a dead Corps so that it is of his mercy and free goodness that we do not every moment sink into our first and Primitive nothing as we should infallibly do if he were not pleased by the hand of his Providence and good will continually to hold us up This thing alone being well considered not to speak or mention as yet our Redemption or Salvation will make it more than sufficiently to appear that God is more worthy to be loved than we or the whole race of mankind are able to love For to say the truth neither the Angels nor the Archangels neither Cherubins nor Seraphins nor all the Holy Spirits of the Celestial Court of Paradice are able to do this their most united and unanimous affections in this kind their greatest and purest slames of love could not reach or come up to the merit or worthiness that is in God to be beloved Wherefore in this he condescends to our infirmity and requires us to love him above all other Objects not so much as he deserves to be loved but as we are able to love laying no other obligation upon us It behoves us therefore in all reason seeing God is so easily satisfied and requires of us no service but what is most reasonable that we give him our whole love and our whole hearts and serve worship and adore him with all our might and with all the power and vertue and strength of good will that possibly we can use This we may do if we will and it is all that he requires of us to do Fili praebi mihi cor tuum saith the spirit of God in the Proverbs Chap. 23. v. 26. My Son give me thy heart Shall we not give it him when he asks it so kindly of us Ah! if we be Sons if we be Loving Dutiful and Obedient Children and not stubborn Rebels we will give it him we will bestow it wholly upon him forsaking not only our selves but all other creatures to adhere closely unto him loving him with all our Hearts with all our Understanding with all our Will and in a word with all our Soul and our Spirit not suffering any thing to rest or have possession in our hearts that is contrary to his love nor minding ought but what may further us in his service never forgetting the merits of his great goodness towards us never tainting nor growing slothful in doing of his Commandments We will love him above all things as our Creator and Maker as our Saviour and Redeemer as our Everlasting Joy and Happiness
When we have done this and that the love of God begins to be well rooted in our hearts we are in the next place to do our endeavour that the same may increase and grow in us daily more and more which is best done by the continual practice and exercise of vertue and all manner of good works incident to our state and calling together with fervent prayers and observing such Rules of good life as by the Providence of God and the labours of pious men the Christian World as to that part is plentifully supplied with Let us have made never so great advancement in the love of God yet we are still to go on and not to make a stand in our Progress much less to think or perswade our selves that we have already attained such a perfect measure of loving God with all our hearts and all our souls as that we need not to add any more to it by Piety and Holy Living For such a degree of Divine Love is not to be pretended unto in this life until we come into the Heavenly Court of Paradise So long therefore as we live in this state of Mortality we are to go constantly forward in the exercises of Piety and Vertue For in this case it is rightly said Non progredi est regredi Not to go forward in the study and endeavour of Christian Perfection is to go backward and not to advance in the love of God is to fall back and come short more or less in point of duty and love to him and so they would find by experience in a short time whosoever should indulge to such a pernicious fancy to wit as to think they had done enough and that they loved God so well as that they needed not take any care of loving him better or with a more intense diligent exact and affectionate love Whereas the only measure of loving God is as S. Bernard often and excellently teacheth to love him without measure and never to think that we love him enough In consequence to what has been said it follows that all our endeavour must be imployed towards this end viz. of growing still more and more in the love of God and less and less in the love of this world of our selves and of all things that hinder or withdraw us from God whereto as Father Cressy rightly teacheth We must be guided by a divine light and assisted by divine grace The first for the removing such impediments as either corrupt nature or the Ghostly Enemy lays in our way to deceive us and make us give over the pursuit of vertues The second to help us forward in our journey and to bring us more near unto God till at length we be joyned to him by an immediate Union to which we ought to aspire as the end of our Creation and the ultimate perfection of our nature We must renounce as we have said before and fly from our selves that we may draw nigh unto God we must destroy Self-love in our souls that so the Divine Love may be raised up and increased in us we must give our selves to the exercise and practice of all vertues as well those which regard our selves and our Neighbour as those which concern God always remembring that those which concern our selves and our Neighbour usually called Moral Vertues are then only to be esteemed worthy of that name or to be stiled Vertues when they are exercised for the love of God and do effectually help to the mortification of our natural or corrupt passions affections lusts Those which properly and immediately concern God are called Theological Vertues and being these three to wit Faith Hope and Charity are conveniently put in practice all of them in the one exercise or duty of Prayer which includes all duties directly pertaining to God as namely of loving him with all our hearts and souls of trusting or putting confidence in him of believing his holy Word adoring his Divine Majesty obeying his Commandments submitting and resigning our selves to his Divine Will and Pleasure Follow therefore herein the good counsel of Father Grenadus who bids us not to suffer our minds to be intangled with over-much love of corporal objects or visible and worldly things whether they be Honours Lands Riches or other goods of this world Children Kinsfolks Parents Friends c. Forasmuch as this kind of love is a great occasion of all sorts of sins of cares vexations vain phantasies passions temptations and all kind of evil disturbance unquiet and disorder that is to be found in the world This Love according to S. Augustin is the poyse of the Soul and which way soever this Love draweth that way the Soul inclineth So that if this Love de set for Heaven then the Soul is drawn towards Heaven but if this Love be set upon Earth then is the Soul also bent towards Earthly things This being so it concerns us to walk warily never suffering our heart to fix upon or to cleave unto the love of visible things but rather to esteem them as things of small account as frail and uncertain and such as pass away in a moment Remove therefore your hearts from them and fix them wholly upon that which is their chiefest and most proper object viz. true felicity Sect. 2. By humbling and undervaluing our selves Deponentes omne pondus circumstans nos peccatum saith S. Paul Hebr. 12. v. 1. Laying aside all weight and sin that besets us as it were and incompasses us round about let us run with patience the Race that is set before us looking unto the Author and Finisher of our Faith Jesus who for the joy that was set before him indured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of God The reason of his Exhortation is by the example of Christ humbling himself for us unto death yea the painful and shameful death of the Cross to move us to humility and patience for his sake who endured so much in our behalf both living and dying Christ disdained not for our sakes being God to descend from his high Throne of Majesty in Heaven and to be made Man taking our humane and vile Nature upon him yea and to be vilified contemned and undervalued by men and that in such a measure of inhumanity and malice as is beyond all expression and therefore if we will be his true Disciples and live after his example we must not disdain to humble our selves as he did nor to be ill treated by men as he was The Servant must not expect to be above his Master nor the Disciple above his Teacher If Christ were so humbled for us we ought to humble our selves for him and where his honour and service requires it not to think much to be undervalued abused despised and persecuted even to death If we will be worthy followers of Christ we ought with S. Paul continually to bear about with us the mortifications of our Lord Jesus 2 Cor. 4.
Divine Grace and the Spirit of God who is Love according to the same Apostle 1 Joan. 4. 8. Quoniam Deus Charitas est These two Loves are so inseparable that as soon as one commeth to decay the other at the same time perisheth On these two Loves depend the whole Law of God and he that has them and does exercise them as he ought fulfils the Law according to that of the Apostle Rom. 13. 8 10. He that loveth hath fulfilled the Law and Love is the fulfilling of the Law and all that God has commanded us by the Prophets by the Apostles by the Evangelists by his Disciples or any other lawful Teachers yea by Moses or by Christ himself tends altogether to this end namely to love God and our Neighbour Christ our Saviour himself loved his Neighbour that is all Mankind for by taking our Nature upon him and by conversing with us in Humane Flesh he made us all his Neighbours and Brethren Christ I say himself loved Mankind so tenderly that all his Desires Entreaties Counsels and Commands tended to almost no other thing save only to excite move and stir us up to a mutual loving of one another and to mutual affections mutual good-will and kindheartedness one from another charging it upon his Disciples even at the last and when he was ready to leave the World in these express words Joan. 15. v. 12. This is my Commandment that ye love one another and telling them Joan. 13. v. 35. that hereby all men should know them to be his true Disciples if they had love one to another and when he gives the world precaution not to offend or do injury to any of his for that all offences committed against them are taken by him to be done against himself as we read Zach. 2 v. 8. Qui tetigerit vos tangit pupillam oculi mei He that shall touch you to do you harm toucheth the Apple of mine Eye I say to what end tendeth this precaution but to signifie how much we should love one another after the Example of Christ who declares himself as much sensible and seems to be as much offended at transgressions done against another as at those committed against himself I do not advance this truth without ground and reason seeing Christ himself in the Gospel makes it manifestly appear to be so to wit in the Parable of the King calling his Servants to account Matth. 18. v. 23 24 25 26 c. The good King when his poor indebted Servant asked him mercy being fallâ—n into arrears with him much more than he was able to pay presently and most willingly pardoned him and forgave him the whole Debt that is all the transgressions and offences which the Servant had committed against himself yet because the same ungrateful Servant would not forgive a small Debt nor have patience with his Neighbour or Fellow-servant he presently called him to him and rebuked him adjudging him to severe punishment as that he should be cast â—nto a Dungeon and there tormented not to come out till he should have paid the utmost farthing which â—e ought his Lord thus speaking to â—im Thou ungracious and wâ—â—ked Servant I forgave thee all thy Debt â—ecause thou be soughtest me oughtest â—ot thou therefore to have mercy upon â—hy Fellow-servant even as I had â—ercy upon thee immediately whereupon saith the holy Text he was delivered to the Tormentors By the conclusion of which Parable it is easie to see how absolute the will and pleasure of God is that we should love our Neighbour even as we love our selves and to do to them such things as we desire should be done to our selves But here a question maâ— perhaps be asked of some viz. Whether loving our Neighbour as our selves be such a condition or qualification of our love as that it is of it self sufficient for the fulfilling of the Precept of loving them I answer no it is not alwayes sufficient in some cases it is and in some it is not When the love of our Neighbour tends to the honour and glory of God then it is sufficient and then by loving our Neighbours as our selves we do fulfill Gods Commandment or the Precept of loving our Neighbour but when it is on the contrary that is when the love of our Neighbour tends to the dishonour of God or be such as he is offended by it then instead of being a fulfilling of Gods Commandement or a just performance of our Duty and Obligation it is matter of high displeasure against God and we incur the guilt of great and grievous offence in so loving our Neighbour And therefore as Lusitanus the honour of the Friers Minors doth well observe and admonish us Serm. 1. in Com. Apost Though the Commandment of God doth exact of us to love our Neighbours as our selves yet we ought to consider how this is to be done by reason that many men love themselves amiss not according to God but according to the lusts of concupiscence giving themselves up to all sorts of inordinate love so as to drown and cast themselves thereby into eternal perdition For such men to love thoir Neighbour as they love themselves were to make sport for the Devil and to aggravate their own damnation As for example a fawning and foolish Lover will not stick to say to some vain woman that he loves her as much as he loves his own self and with all his heart and though for the most part such people mean nothing less than they say yet they utter unawares a sad truth For they love themselves not well they love not themselves so as they ought but with a love that in fine will carry them headlong to Hell and plunge them into the deepest pit of Destruction Well therefore may they profess to their companions in lewdness that they love them as they love themselves and their own hearts and if their Copesmates consent with them and love them as well they will both have the Sentence of Eternal Wrath pronounced against them Go ye wicked into everlasting fire Matth. 25. 41. O unhappy love of our Neighbour that by loving sensually the Body hates his soul Such do not know how to love seeing that in loving themselves after this manner they destroy both their own and their Neighbours souls For true is that saying of the Prophet Qui diligit iniquiâ—atem odit animam suam He that loves iniquity hates his own soul Now to know the True Lovers from false and also how to love our Neighbour rightly the great Doctor Saint Gregory will teach us Ille veraciter amat proximum qui eum diligit in Deo Greg. Homil. 27. in Evang. Joan. cap. 15. True Lovers of their Neighbour are those that love him in God and for Gods sake which plainly shews how many there are that mistake themselves herein and love their Neighbour to little purpose as to God and his Divine acceptance because they love him not in God God is
not the principal Motive and Reason of their love They love him only with a natural love Thus Parents love their Children and Children their Parents Kindred love their Kindred or Relations Friends love their Friends and others love their Acquaintance Familiars Companions c. which Love although generally speaking it be not discommendable but lawful and honest in the eye of the world yet it is not that true love whereof we now speak being not grounded upon God nor exercised principally for his sake but upon natural grounds to wit upon the particular properties qualities and perfections Natural or Moral that are found in things and exercised meerly upon our own account for the good the pleasure the benefit content and profit that we receive by the persons we love by all which kind of love though we do not transgress any Divine Precept nor sin properly speaking yet neither do we deserve any reward for it at Gods hand because as the same holy Doctor says such Lovers amorem suum non spiritualiter sed naturaliter impendunt exercise love not after a spiritual but a natural and as it were carnal manner Such love may be commendable and honest but meritorious it is not We must therefore learn to be True Lovers by exactly observing and following the Commandment of Christ who when he first gave this Precept to the Apostles propounded himself as an example thereof to them Hoc est praeceptum meum ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos Joan. 15. v. 12. This is my Commandment that you love one another as I have loved you Our Saviour loves us in God and for our Eternal Good so in the same manner are we to love our Neighbour This great Doctor moreover observes and mentions it as a matter whereat some wondered others disputed and enquired solicitously how it could stand that God should require us so strictly to love our Neighbours since elsewhere and at other times he requires us not only to have them in aversion but also to hate them and not only our common Neighbours and such as may be accounted as well Strangers as Neighbours but even those of the nearest and dearest relation to us that is to say even our Parents Brothers Sisters Wives and Children As for example by Saint Paul he commands in very earnest and expressive terms that Men love their Wives saying Ephes 5. 26. Viri diligite uxores vestras c. Husbands love your Wives as Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it and yet by the Evangelist he sayes Qui Vxorem non odit non potest meus esse Discipulus Luc. 14. v. 26. Vnless Men hate their Wives they cannot be his Disciples Is Christ contrary to himself Does he command that by one Apostle which he forbids by another Nothing less For we ought to reflect and consider that the substance and effect of both Precepts is by discretion and a right understanding easily kept and observed and that in different respects and for divers reasons we may both love them and hate them We may love them for Gods sake as being our Parents Friends Wives and Neighbours whom God commands us to love We may hate them when they prove obstacles and hinderances to our chiefest good when they become stumbling blocks unto us in the way of our Eternal Salvation when the loving of them will not stand with our Love and Duty to God we may hate them For so it is written in the Exposition of this great Doctor above-mentioned There is no Creature saith he so dear unto us which we must not hate and forsake if it hinder us from Christ or from his Church or from Salvation And the reason is because no earthly Thing no Duty to Parents no Love to Wife or Children Countrey or to a mans own body and life can be any just excuse or plea for him against God or for the doing of any thing that may offend or displease God in the least Sect. 3. How we are to love our enemies Having thus declared That we are to love God and our Neighbour we are to make some enquiry about loving our Enemies a thing very much against the natural bent of our minds We do not at all times find it easie for us to love our Neighbors who either love us or at least do not hate us or wish our harm Much more difficult then it will be for us to love our enemies of whom we have apprehension that they do both that is both hate us and wish and practice harm to us But how difficult soever it is and what reluctancy soever we find in Nature against it we must conclude for the Affirmative That we are to love even our enemies and to exercise all the good Offices of love to them that we can saving the due Order of Charity according unto and admitting for good the reason of Marchantius We must love our Enemies saith he by vertue of this Precept which bids us to love our Neighbors Quia nomine proximi non solum intelligitur Amicus sed quilibet homo vivens Under the Name of our Neighbour is understood not only our Neighbour that dwelleth by us but every Man living and by consequence our Enemies are to be reckoned in that sense for our Neighbors and accordingly loved This Divine Precept is not only expressed or given in the Law of Grace but was in force under the Mosaical and Prophetical Laws In the Mosaical Law it is said Exodus chap. 23. to 4. Si occurreris bovi inimici tui aut asino erranti c. If thou meet thine enemies Oxe or Ass going astray bring it back to him Under a particular cause or occasion he expresseth a general Duty namely that where we have opportunity to do our enemy a good office we fail not to do it out of our love and good will to him In the Prophetical Law it is said Prov. 25. v. 21. Si esurierit inimicus tuus ciba illum c. If thine enemy hunger give him meat if he thirst give him water to drink for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head and our Lord will reward thee Not that we should intend evil to our enemy in doing him good but to shew that our doing him good shall be a better revenge than if we had heap'd coals of fire on his head For we both please God and may expect our reward for what we do and he if he repents not and ceases to be our enemy upon so just occasion given him must expect the effects of Gods displeasure first or last to fall upon him So likewise in another place it is said Cum ceciderit inimicus tuus ne gaudeas c. If thine enemy fall be not glad thereat and in his ruine let not thy heart rejoyce least perhaps our Lord see it and it displease him But in the Evangelical or New Law our Lord Jesus Christ doth more ratifie and confirm it Matth. 5. v.
c. It was not so much by your design as by the will of God that I was sent hither Therefore Load your Beasts and go up to my Father into the Land of Canaan and bring him and all your Kindred from thence and I will give you of all the good things in Egypt and you shall eat the marrow of the Land Thus did the good Joseph requite the unkind wickedness and ill-will of his Brethren with love But what shall we say of the Royal Prophet King David how much was he hated by Saul and how often persecuted by him to so great extremity that he was in imminent danger of his life thereby yet he never hated Saul upon that account but did him all the good Offices he could saving him several times when he was in his power and that David might at once have ridded himself of a cruel Enemy and gained both Crown Scepter and Kingdom to which he had right sufficient being by Gods special appointment anointed King over Israel to succeed after Saul The good King found his Enemy fast asleep his Spear fixed in the ground at his head and Abner with all the rest of his people sleeping about him yet would he not hurt him And when Abisai one of the Captains of King David offer'd himself to dispatch Saul at one blow alledging some shew of reason for it Because God had now deliver'd his Enemy into his hands and he ought not to neglect the opportunity which Providence gave him of securing himself David would by no means listen to the motion but forbad him doing any such thing in these express words 1 Reg. 26. 9 10 11. Kill him not For who can extend his hand against the anointed of our Lord and be innocent Vivit Dominus quia nisi Dominus percusserit eum c. As our Lord liveth unless God shall strike him he shall not be stricken by me or that his day come to die or that descending into a Battle he perish so God be merciful to me I will not lift up my hand against our Lords Anointed The New Testament wants not innumerable other Examples of this kind namely the Examples of all the holy Martyrs both of ancient and late Times who following the Example of Christ our Saviour have ever prayed for their Enemies and Persecutors with such fervent Devotion and ardent Charity that very often their Enemies and Persecutors have been converted by that means and become great Saints and Martyrs themselves Look but into the Acts of the Apostles there you presently meet with the Blessed Martyr Saint Stephen in the midst of his Sufferings praying for his Enemies in these words Acts 7. v. 60. Domine ne statuas illis hoc peccatum Lord lay not this sin to their charge The effect of which Prayer was besides other not mentioned the present Conversion of Saint Paul one of his greatest Persecutors For behold while he was in his greatest fury against Christians and posting in all haste to Damascus with Commission and Design to make havock of the poor Church there as we read Acts 9. 4 17. Christ appeared to him saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me As if he had said I should have lost thee standing so much against me and my name But my Servant and Martyr Stephen praying for thee for his sake you are a chosen Vessel unto me and shall bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings and Children of Israel In the same manner and for like reason it is reported by Saint Chrysostom of Saint James the Apostle that he who lead him to the Execution of his Martyrdom was so much moved with the great zeal and constancy of this holy Apostle that he ask'd him forgiveness for what he was to have done which the blessed Apostle most willingly gave him embracing him and saying to him Pax tibi sit Frater Peace be with thee my Broter At which Salutation the poor man was so animated and encouraged that he forthwith publickly professed himself to be a Christian and was upon that Confession made a Martyr having his head likewise cut off Let these few Examples suffise to give you strength and courage to do the same whensoever occasion shall require it of you At all times let us be prompt and willing to forgive our enemies seeing God is so ready at all times to forgive us having penitent recourse unto him Be not of the number of those who when duty requires of them to follow the example of Christ and to forgive and love their enemies make their excuse and say Christ was God and most Divinely perfect and consummate in all goodness but they are weak men and cannot reach so high perfection as to forgive and love enemies persecutors c. But in vain it is for them to use such speech it will not serve their turn it will be no just apology for them at the latter day And verily it is to be admired how such persons can say their Pater Noster or how they can address themselves to God to be forgiven in the terms they do For they say Dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut nos dimittâ—mus debitoribus nostris Forgive us our debts as we forgive our Debtors As we forgive others so let us be forgiven What iâ— this but to pronounce Sentence againsâ— our selves if we do not forgive others Delay not therefore to make good your promise and to discharge your obligation Forgive your enemies as you would be forgiven of God Love your enemies as you desire that God should love you For otherwise I do let you all know that who so hates his Neighbour or Enemy it matters not which all 's one in this case renders himself uncapable of begging forgiveness from God he is so far from obtaining his request that he cannot without most grievous sin and entangling his Soul with further guilt make such a request unless we do first lay aside all hatred by loving pardoning and forgiving our enemies in heart 't is in vain for us to expect any mercy from God It is against all reason that God should love him who is not in true Charity with all Those that wish harm to others and will not forgive injuries received it is evident they do not love they are not â—n true Charity and consequently not in God according to the Doctrine of the holy Apostle 1 Joan. 4. v. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love Sect. 4. In what manner of Love we are to love our Neighbors and our Enemies According to what we have said in the two precedent Paragaphs we must not only love our Neighbors and our Enemies but we must also forgive them yea though they should be obstinate and not repent for what they have offended us but should rather continue and encrease their enmity towards us than seem to desire reconciliation For we are not to reflect upon their obstinacy or disaffections but to perform what is requir'd on our
as to wish and make Prayers to Almighty God that all Mankind may be converted and become one in Christ and if we cannot suffer death for the good of others I mean so great good and so greatly tending to Gods Honour as is the Conversion and Salvation of Sinners yet at least let us not be unwilling to suffer injuries at their hands and afflictions for their sakes and to edifie them what we can by the example of a true Christian Life both active and passive in doing well and suffering ill when occasion â—equires This is but the common Duty of all True Christians and â—urely he must be thought to have but â— weak and faint Love of Christ that cannot or will not do thus much for his Saviours sake who hath done and suffered so much for him and hath â—eft us his own Example expresly to that end namely to shew how much we are to condescend to others and deny our selves to procure their good in order to God Exemplum dedi vobis saith he I have given you an Example that as I have done to you so you should do also to others Sustain therefore patiently for unto this you are called because Christ hath suffered for us the just for the unjust leaving us an example that we should follow his steps 1 Pet 2. v. 21. Let us therefore follow our Saviour and Redeemer since they that follow him walk not in darkness but enjoy the light of life Sect. 5. How we may know our selves free from Self-love in loving God and our Neighbours Seeing that the Love of God must be predominant over all other Loves and reign over all our Passions Affections Lusts Desires c. as we have already declared it cannot but seem reasonable and a thing to be wish'd for by all such persons as do seriously concern themselves in things of the Spirit that we should at least in brief point at and shew them the means how by Gods Grace they may come to a pious and probable assurance that they do truly love God above all things and by consequence that their hearts are free from the pestilent and dangerous Vice of self-Self-love To satisfie whose desires I think it necessary to add a word or two further upon that Subject First In the general I say that to proceed securely in this matter it behoves us exactly and without all partiality to consider what the course of our lives hath been and is whither bend our affections inclinations desires what is the intent and design of all our actions for if these either wholly or at least principally tend unto and be directed to Gods Honour to the health of our Souls and to the gaining of a good Eternity all 's well we walk safely and may promise our selves good from God As on the contrary If we find our lives to be dissolute and careless and our mind more set upon Vanity and the things of the World than upon God we must fear the worst yea know for certain that as to our Spiritual Estate things go not well with us The predominant affections that are in us will easily shew what we are and to whom we belong Amongst Men of the World we see that for the most part in every one of them some passion or other one or more predominates over all the rest and makes such persons to be accordingly esteem'd some avaritious some ambitious some voluptuous and given wholly to pleasures others extravagant and humorous and as much over-born with fancy finally others too much re-senting and apt to revenge all which are so denominated and judged from their principal Love and the Affection which they do principally bear and shew either towards Riches or Honours Worldly Greatness Pleasures and the like the whole conduct of mens lives being as it were tinctur'd or rather tainted with that principal Affection which reigns in them This shews us our selves for in the same manner it is with us No man hath reason to think himself free from Self-love or that he loveth God above all things which is necessary to Salvation if examining his life his actions his employments desires and pretensions he do not find the principal bent frame and design of them to be towards God and that his Honour and our eternal good are the things chiefly look't at by us The love which we bare to God must be a Love not of bear Words not vain transitory Thoughts which perish and come to nothing but it must be a Love of Effects a Love that produceth good Actions and good Works It must not be an idle Love nor a talking nor a vaunting but a working Love a diligent and industrious Love a Love that loves to be doing to be always busie and imployed in the works of love And therefore we must take heed that we do not deceive our selves in taking the acts of our Understanding for the acts of Love or Divine Affection There is not a mortal man living that hath the use of reason whose understanding does not tell him that he ought to love God more than himself yea there is not a true man who hath not some inclination of Will though weak faint and uneffectual to love God more than himself and yet for all that want the true Grace of God for as much as we must know that the Love of God doth not consist in that act of the Understanding nor in those inclinations of Will but it consists altogether in putting the said acts or judgments of the Understanding and inclinations of Will in practice and by consequence if we want those things which are the proper effects and fruits of Divine Love and Friendship how can we think our selves to be Gods true Lovers or Friends and if the true Love of God dwells not in us 't is certain that Self-love and Self-interest doth By this therefore we may judge whether we have the true love of God or not or whether we be not still under the domiâ—ion of Self-love For the acts and proper effects of Divine Love as all Divines teach are to be united in our affections to God and in all things to look at him as our chief and only good If it be thus with us we love God if otherwise we love our selves This is one Rule and I think the principal whereby to know what our condition is in order to God and whether we be free from Self-love Yet I think it not amiss to mention some others that I observe to be re-commended by pious and learned Men. According to F. Cressy the property of true Divine Love is to unite all our affections to God and to make them all one in him as in our Chief and Soveraign Good and that out of this love we are to take joy in his Divine Perfections and Excellencies and that he is upon the account of them so adored and glorified in heaven by the Angels and by all Saints Besides this we are according to the same good Author
what a Self-lover â—s alwayes ready to say and do beâ—ng altogether for himself and scarce â—or any body else But alas the time â—s coming when they must repent of â—his their inordinate Love if not in â—his world yet assuredly in the next â—or all eternity SECTION II. Self-love the original spring of all Spiritual Diseases SECT 1. All the Spiritual Diseases of Christians from Self-love 2. Self-love it self a most daâ—gerous Disease 3. A Description of the same 4. The beginning and continuance of that pernicious Disease 5. How that pernicious Disease corrupteth all Vertues anâ— good Actions SECT 1. All Spiritual Diseases of Christianâ— from Self-love FOr the most part as soon as â— man findeth himself weak and sickly he presently doth his endeavour to know the original cause of â—â—at his corporal Disease and infirmiâ—â— consulting with Physicians that â—y their means and prescriptions a â—resent and fit remedy may be apâ—lied for the ease of his pain I say â—e same of the Spiritual Diseases of â—hristians If any of them would now from whence the Languishing â—nfirmities of their Souls which hold â—nd torment them daily do proceed Divines will unanimously tell them â—â— is a continual Feaver of Self-love â—â—at troubles them which according â—â— Saint Augustin is the root of all â—â—ns and consequently of all the Spiâ—â—tual Diseases Distempers Sickâ—esses and Infirmities which afflict â—â—em being the source and spring of â—ll evil and the plague of humane â—â—â—fe in so much as it may be said to â—â—e that Trojan Horse bearing fire â—nd swords saccage and rapin in its â—owels This Self-love may be well â—ompared to a Malignant Feaver of which as there be several sorts and all of them for the most part mortaâ— and deadly so are there several sort of Self-love all in their kind pernicious and dangerous consisting somâ— in pride some in ambition some iâ— vanity and presumption there aâ—â— Self-esteemings Self-admirings Self-complacencies and pleasings Self-delights Self-praisings Self-interests Self-wills with innumerable otherâ— of like nature which apparently spring from the main root of Self-love Saint Ambrose one of the chiefesâ— and greatest Physicians of Souls â— writing upon Saint Lukes Gospel Lukâ— 4. 38. speaketh of Seven sorts of these Pestilential Feavers which are mosâ— dangerous to Christians The firsâ— riseth from pride ambition and hypocrisie c. The Second from covetousness the unsatiable desire oâ— money or worldly things The Thirdâ—â— from sensuality and prodigality iâ— meat and drink The Fourth from the concupiscence of the flesh wantonness in unlawful desires and pleasures The Fifth from troublesome humours â—nd bad conditions as anger and oâ—her disorderly passions The Sixth â—â—om a great negligence in good works â—nd carelessness in the performances â—f good purposes and resolutions The Seventh and last from envy â—nd displeasure taken at others properties happiness good c. All which properties are fully contained â—â— Self-love for from thence proceed â—mbitions rebellions sacriledges â—reacheries rapines in a word all â—hat which is most horrid in Nature For it being the root of all sin â—here must of necessity grow up from â—â— as from their Tree and Stock â—he Boughs and Branches of all â—orts of Iniquity and Vice of which â—lso the Apostle Saint John takes noâ—ice in his Epistle namely 1 Joan. â—â— 16. where he mentions the concuâ—iscence of the flesh that is all bodiâ—y and carnal pleasures the concupiâ—cence of the eyes by which may be â—nderstood the inordinate desire of understanding knowledge c. anâ— pride of life which may also be caâ—led the concupiscence of the Will â— breaking out into all inordinate actâ—ons So that under these three coâ—cupiscences are contain'd and coâ—prehended the whole sinful state â—â— Mankind and by the Catholiqâ—â— Church and all Divines of the samâ— are commonly sorted or divided inâ—â— Seven branches namely Pride Câ—vetousness Lechery Anger Envy Gluttony and Sloth All which is fuâ—ly agreeable to the saying of the Sâ—raphical Doctor Saint Bonaventurâ— who speaking of Self-love useth theâ— expressions It must be confessed saitâ— he that Self-love is the original caâ—â—â— of all evil and wickedness and thâ—â— by means thereof all sinful actioâ—â— come forth or shew themselves witâ— all the Languishing Infirmities thaâ— attend our Spiritual Estate As for Example Doth not priâ—â— and ambition proceed from Self-love Have they any other original fountaiâ— or spring are they any thing else but an inordinate Love of our own proper excellencies and a desire to be commended in all our actions above and before others Doth not envy rise up from the same root Is it any thing but the inordinate Love of our selves that makes us grieve and be displeased at others felicity good parts vertue c. when we compare our selves with them and to grudge that others should be equal to us or to proceed in dignities before us Whence comes sloath negigence and remissness in Gods service but from hence namely that out of inordinate Love to the pleasures and delights of the Palate we pamper our selves and our carcasses so much that we become idle thereupon unapt and unwilling to take any pains care or diligence in things that concern the good of our souls and our spiritual interests Doth not anger come from hence Is it for any other reason then that of Self-love and inordinate esteem of our selves that we are so full of wrath and passion so easie to be provok'd and sâ— ready to take revenge upon very frivolous accounts and that with every one Whence comes lechery oâ— the intemperate pursuing of sensualâ— or carnal pleasures It is an effect oâ— Self-love though one of the ignoblest and least worthy of man that we are transported so far beyond measure with those wanton concupiscences of the flesh The same I musâ— say of gluttony it is from an inordinate and no due love of our selves that we exceed so much in our appetite and affections towards meat and drink From this disorderly love it is that we affect so much to feed on delicacies and dainties even to the making a God of our Belly Lastly As concerning covetousness it proceeds most apparently from hence and from the inordinate love of our selves it comes that we are so unsatiably greedy and desirous of Riches Wealth money and all other worldâ—â— possessions so that for conclusion â—ith infalible truth it may be said â—â—at this Self-love is a Mother vice â—nd that from thence all the vices â—â—nnes evils and spiritual maladies â—hat so unhappily infest Mens Souls â—ave their original and do spring â—s Branches do from their proper Tree â—nd Stock and as Rivers flow from â—heir Springs and Fountains SECT 2. Self-love it self a most dangerous Disease It is not without just cause and reaâ—on that these Seven Branches of â—elf-love are commonly called and â—ear the Title of Mortal or Deadly â—eeing all the vicious and corrupt inâ—erests and practices of men are reâ—uced to some one or other of them â—s we have already declared
brought to shore so expoâ—â—d to poverty and miseries that conâ—â—dering the matter well we may â—nclude and say that through Self-â—â—ve many chast Wedlocks are disturbâ—d many Poysons mingled producâ—â—g wicked effects that many Halâ—ers are put about the Necks of Self-â—â—vers many Swords drawn and â—any sad Tragedies begun in the night â—hat are ended at high-noon-day upon a Scaffold Oh how happy are thoâ— Souls which through the grace oâ— God are exempt and free from thâ— Vice of Self-lave which produceth sucâ— mischiefs and disasters in the world Let us therefore follow and use aâ— our endeavour to put in practice thâ— Wise Counsel of Solomon in thâ— Book of Ecclesiasticus Chap. 21. â— 2. As from the Face of a Serpent â—â— from sin fly from Self-love becausâ— as a Serpent comes slily upon us anâ— stingeth the Body so all sin anâ— consequently Self-love steals upon anâ— hurts the Soul SECT 4. The beginning and continuance of this pernicious Disease Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Romans giveth a true account of thiâ— old inveterate malady of our Souls saying Rom. 5. v. 12. Sicut per â—num hominem peccatum in hunc mundum intravit et per peccatum mors â—ta in omnes homines mors pertranâ—it in quo omnes peccaverunt As â—â— the Doctor of the Gentiles would â—ave said That sin which proceeds â—â—om self-Self-love as we have before â—emonstrated entred into this world â—rom the beginning and from the â—reation of the same by that sin of self-â—elf-love death passed unto all men â—n which they have all sinned for eâ—en in the Law of Nature sin was in â—he World from old and death did â—eign until Moses even on them that â—ad not actually sinn ed which is â—s much as to say that from Adam â—n the time of the Law of Nature â—here was sin in the world and â—hough in a manner they knew it not â—et this Spiritual Disease we speak of â—eigned even then as likewise in the â—ime of Moses when the Commandâ—ents or Law of God taught the conâ—rary to wit that God was displeasâ—d therewith and therefore men â—ught to avoid the same But by reason that all mankind were maculate with original sin they had no strengâ—â— of themselves-nor grace to be frâ—â— from Self-love So that thereupon sin did reign â—ver men and also death and damnaâ—tion by reason of Self-love Infant that did never actually offend beinâ— conceived and born in original sin were nevertheless lyable to death anâ— subject to all Spiritual Diseases anâ— to all the Maladies and Corruptions oâ— the Soul having their Nature defileâ— and destitute of Original Justice being averted from God by means of Adams transgression Christ only excepted who was conceived by thâ— Holy Ghost without the Seed of Man and his blessed Mother the Virgiâ— Mary who was preserved from contracting the guilt of original sin by special grace and the extraordinary perfection of God as many godly men judge but as for all the rest â—â— mankind they were born in a weak and sickly condition of Soul by reason of that sin ever since men were â—â—eated having been holden and torâ—ented by all sorts of Spiritual Diâ—â—empers even the most dangerous â—ost pestilent most violent and â—â—ntinual insomuch that by the â—â—me they were all subject to Satan â—â—d lyable to eternal sorrows they â—ere all made the Children of wrath â—e slaves of sin and every way most â—â—serable Yea these infectious â—â—seases came to such a height upon â—â—e whole race of mankind that â—â—e few only excepted they were â— swept away and perished in the â—â—neral Floud as is to be seen in â—enesis Chap. 7. v. 1 2. c. These most violent fits of sin and â—â—traordinary punishments for the â—â—me were not so soon passed over â—t many great pains and labours folâ—â—wed upon men and that for the â—ace of four hundred years together â—â—der the slavery of King Pharaoh â— the Land of Egypt after which â—â—ing delivered and freed from that cruel bondage they were soon afteâ— visited and afflicted with other grievous calamities and miseries for the space of more than Threescore Yeaâ— together to wit in the Babyloniâ— Captivity where the Royal Propheâ—â— David by the Spirit of Prophecy describes them lamenting and be moaning themselves Psalm 136. â— 1. Super flumina Babylonis illiâ— sedimus flevimus c. Vpoâ— the Rivers of Babylon there it wâ— that we sale and bewailed the aâ—flicted estate of Sion They could noâ— refrain to mourn remembring thâ— great calamities which for their siâ— God had brought even upon his owâ— Sanctuary How many other Feaverâ— sometimes continual sometimes intermitting how many heats of burning torments and pain how manâ— cold fits of desolation and want have men at several times been subject unto and made to undergo upoâ— this account Have we not heard â—â— those surprizes of sudden destructioâ— which came upon the people of Sodom â—nd Gomorrah and all the adjacent â—ountries when they were wholly â—onsumed by Fire as it is described â—en 19 v. 24. Do we not read also â—ow in the time of Elias the Prophet â—â—d at his Prayers Fire came down â—om Heaven and consumed those unâ—â—dly wretches that were sent to apâ—â—ehend him 4 Reg. 1. v. 10. How â—any cold and comfortless long fits of â—mine Pestilence and Mortality â—ere others exercised and plagued â—ith for their sinnes the Heavens â—ing so shut that it rained not for â—any years together and the earth â— parched with drought that it yieldâ—â— no water and people forced thereâ—â— in a languishing and perishing â—â—ndition to wander up and down â—â—king water to drink and finding â—e as we read Hierem. 14. 1 2 3. â— and in many other places of holy â—ipture In the sacred Gospel of Saint John â—hap 5. v. 5. we read of a man that had been diseased in body thâ— space of Thirty Eight Years in Hierusalem and had for a long time waâ—â—ed the stirring of the water there bâ— which an Angel from Heaven curâ— those which first came into the watâ—â— after the stirring of whatsoever â—â—sease they had This poor man hâ—â— lain there expecting his cure eigâ—â— and thirty years together being â—â— reason of his great weakness continâ—ally prevented by some other boâ—â— that stepped into the water befoâ—â— him and therefore deserved at lengâ—â— to be pittied by our Lord Jesus Chriâ—â— and cured by his Almighty Word aâ— Command But alass How muâ—â— more was the whole universal woâ—â— all mankind to be mourned for aâ— compassionated which had lain lâ—guishing not only the space of Thiâ— Eight Years but ever since the Crâ—â—tion of Adam that is by the accoâ—â—â— of some more than Five Thousâ—â—â— Six Hundred and Twenty Years â—â—ing all that time infected and contiâ—â—â—ly vexed with the feavor of original â—â— which lay upon all and every one â—â—d with a Thousand other actual diâ—â—empers maladies and diseases of the â—â—ul which held and afflicted parâ—â—cular persons some in one kind â—â—me
in another As for Example â—ow many distempers of wilful igâ—â—rance and errour in the mind How â—any ulcers of envy and malice in â—e will How many fallings and ofâ—â—nces happened through frailty of conâ—â—piscences It would be endless to â—â—ckon all the Infirmities and Lanâ—â—ishings of Soul that lay upon and â—pressed mankind in such a manner â— was even incurable before the comâ—â—g of Christ and till he came to â—ply his Grace and the Merits of â—s Death and Passion for their Cure â—aving after him the Balsome of the â—â—craments to that end as namely â—e Water of Holy Baptism for the â—ashing away that foul stain of Oriâ—â—nal sin in every one and of all aâ—â—ual sin committed before Baptism in such as were rightly Baptized aâ—â— the other Sacraments especially thâ— Holy Eucharist and Pennance for thâ— healing of all actual wounds maâ— in the Soul by sin committed aftâ—â— Baptism Insomuch that before tâ—â— coming of Christ and also since â—â— all those that are through sin deprivâ— of the merits of his passion and â—â— those two Sacramental Antidotes â—bove-mentioned it may be rightâ— said even now at this present whâ— the Prophet Isaias of old said of tâ—â— Israelites Omne caput languiduâ— et omne cor moerens a planta peâ— usque ad verticem non est in eo sanitâ— Isa 5. v. 5. Every Head is sâ—â— and every Heart in heaviness frâ—â— the Sole of the Foot even to the Croâ— of the Head there is no Health â—â— Soundness All their Kings all thâ— Princes all their Priests Prophâ—â— and People were Soul-sick all â— them from the highest to the loweâ— languished through ingratitude aâ— other innumerable iniquities commâ—â—â—ed against God there was none of â—hem of what condition soever but â—ad defiled themselves by sin had corrupted their wayes and were subject to many spiritual imperfections and that which rendred their condition most deplorable and despeâ—ate was as it follows in the Prophet Ibid. because that Vulnus liâ—vor plaga tumens c. their Wounds and Bruises and Putrified Swelling Sores which sin had bred in them were not bound up by the Care and Skill of any Spiritual Physician They would not repent of their sins they would do no Pennance they would hearken to no good Counsel the Holy Oyl which should have mollified their hard hearts and brought health unto them infine they would make no use of any of those Remedies which were prescribed for recovery of their Spiritual Health and for the staying of further judgments whence the Prophet adds in the same place v. 7 9. Therefore is your Land still desolate your Cities burâ— with Fire Et nisi dominus exercâ— tuum reliquisset nobis semen c. Vâ—less the Lord of Hosts had left us â— Seed we should have been ere now â— Sodom and been like unto Gomorrah â— but blessed be God who of his infâ—nite mercy doth still preserve somâ— good and holy people in the World that his Church may never fail SECT 5. How this pernicious Disease of Selâ—-love corrupeth also all Vertuâ— and good Actions The Exercise and practice of Vertues is observed and done diversâ— wayes and therefore Plotinus thâ— Philosopher distinguishes the rational Vertues of the Soul in two generâ—â— kinds making some meerly morâ— or civil to wit such as polish anâ— adorn the manners and outward conversation others he make purgativâ— of the Minde Spirit and Understandâ—â—g of Men from errours perverse â—udgments and opinions Those of the â—â—rst sort are not so absolute Vertues â—s those of the second are by which â—e are after a sort made to the likeâ—ess of God All the Vertues that are â—ertues indeed are purgative Oâ—â—ers distinguish the same Vertues inâ—â— imperfect and perfect supposing â—â—at such division serves better for the â—eclaration of their several natures â—ut it comes much to one and the â—â—me For under those which they â—le imperfect they include all those â—hich others call moral or civil and â—arce any other for those which â—â—ey call natural and humane are â—ally moral vertues and pertain to â—e polishing of the civil life not â—â—rightly indeed stiled and accounted â—â—perfect seeing that if they do not â—â—oceed from Self-love as very ofâ—â—n they do yet they are alwayes â—â—nsistent with it and tend only to â—â—me worldly object Others they call perfect because they perfect us iâ— order to God having God for theâ— principal object and end and makinâ— us pure and holy after our propâ—â— measure and degree in his sight which are all by another name righâ—ly called purgative because they purgâ— and cleanse our Souls of those Vices which bar our sight of God and maâ—â— us seem unpleasing to him In furthâ—â— Confirmation of what has been saiâ— we are to know it is the general opâ—nion of Divines That Vertues of tâ—â— first sort to wit those we call Nâ—tural Civil and Moral considerâ—â— in themselves alone or in their owâ— Nature are of no effect nor esteeâ— with God as being imperfect aâ— practiced by a certain instinct aâ— inclination of nature whereto â—â— the most part self-Self-love and private iâ—terest or at the best humane râ—â—son and prudence that is world wisdom carries us As for Exampâ—â— How exactly do many men yea â— wise and well grounded persons oâ—serve the Civil and Temporal Laws â— the Land The cause is they â—ar to do otherwise reflecting upon â—e penalties and punishments inflictâ— upon transgressors How many â—omen live chast and contain themâ—â—lves in the bounds of Wedlock not â— much minding to fulfil Gods Comâ—andment or to be chast continent â—r Gods sake but meerly for the â—ame and ignominy which they apâ—rehend would follow and happen to â—â—em should they abandon themâ—â—lves to sin and to an unlawful liâ—erty in that kind How many exâ—rcise patience not for the Love of â—ertue but for fear either to disturb â—hemselves to little purpose or to disâ—lease the party that gives the occaâ—â—on Morover How many are there to â—e found in the world that seem to â—ove their Friends their Kindred and â—elations that seem most dutiful and â—bservant to their Parents as in duâ—y all are obliged to be and yet how often is it likewise found that all â—â— most of these observances dutifulness complacency proceed meetly from Self-love and not out of thâ— Love of God or from any principle â—â— true Piety Love Duty c. Wâ— fear that if we should not seem loving dutiful kind c. we shoulâ— lose the good-will of others wâ— should be deprived of some great estate great fortune or great hopes anâ— thus it is for interest only and for oâ—â— own ends for the most part that wâ— are dutiful and observant towards Pâ—rents As much may be said of mâ—ny that make great shew of affectâ—on and of great Love to those of an â—ther Sex it may be feared such kinâ—nesses and courtships carry with theâ— much abuse and corruption and thâ— if the chief object or end be not lust â—â— some
is worst of all is that â—aving thus tasted the inordinate â—ensualities and Delights of the World they come by degrees to be â—isaffected and to take no pleasure in â—hings Celestial For as Saint Paul â—ith 1 Cor. 2 v. 14. Animalis hoâ—o non percipit ea quae sunt Spiritus â—ei The sensual Man petceiveth not â—hose things that are of the Spirit of â—od It is therefore a certain Truth â—â—at the more a Man approaches by â—elight and pleasure to worldly things he less his affections are to things of â—eaven and the more backward he â—oes daily from them Ah would â— God Men were as well rooted and â—xed in the Love of God as they are â—â— the Love of the World How â—ould the Pleasures and Possessions of â—e World seem tedious to them and â—ther a perpetual torment than a peretual delight joy c. For so Saint â—ugustine judgeth Lib. 13. of his â—onfessions saying The effects of â—â—ue Love that is the Love of God is sweetness but the effects of Self-loâ—â— is bitterness This is also manifest and furthâ—â— confirmed in the Gospel by the Eâ—ample of the Rich Man who as â—â— read in St. Luke Chap. 12. v. 1â— trusted so much to his wealth and the abundance which he had gather together that he said thus to â—â— Soul O anima mea quid timeâ— habes multa bona posita in annos â—â—rimos ' requiesce comede bibe â—â— lare O my Soul what fearest thâ—â— thou hast much Goods laid up for mâ— Years take thine Ease Eat Drâ—â—â— and make good Chear Eat good Mâ— Drink good Liquor Banquet â—â— fill nothing shall be wanting to thâ— See how this unhappy Man altoâ—â—ther destitute of the Comforts whâ— come from God resolves to have â—â— to take his Humane Consolation his Riches and in the Wealth he â—â— gathered but to his eternal grief â— sorrow he sound that he propt him up and rested upon a broken Stâ—â— â—r the next night that followed â—ade him see how much he was deâ—ived the Devil his and Mankinds â—eat Enemy coming and taking his â—â—ul from him Alas What good â—hat benefit did this miserable wretch â—â—ceive of all the Wealth and Goods â— had laid up he only heaped up â—â—series and eternal damnation upon â—â—mself while he put more confiâ—â—nce in the Creature that is in his â—ods Riches and Wealth than he did â—â— the Creator and relied more secure â—â—on his treasures than in God for â—hich cause at length the enemy of â—â—uls was permitted to take possession him SECT 2. By taking Delight in all manner of Sensualities of the Flesh In the second place it is no less cerâ—â—n hat man exposeth himself to most â—â—ident and great danger of his Soul in running headlong into all mannâ—â— of Fleshly Concupiscences and Lustâ— and permitting himself to sink into tâ—â— deepest abyss of sin through thâ—â— filthy kind of Self-love it being in oâ— Vice the most absolute defiance thâ— can be given to Vertue and Honestâ— and in one kind of sin the greatest prâ—varication and contempt that can â—â— declared against Gods Commanâ—ments which require Holiness in â—â— and Sanctification both of the Spiâ— and Flesh whereas through the prâ—valency of this Vice we see even â—â— daily experience many worldly mâ— loving themselves their ease and pleâ—sures over much in effect to renounâ—â— their very Baptism and all the Hoâ— Vows and Promises which eithâ—â— there or at any other time they evâ—â— made to God and his Saints and â— to enjoy their present pleasure aâ—â— to have their carnal affections and vâ—luptuousness satisfied yea for â—â— part I cannot but profess to belieâ—â— concerning many men that withâ—â— â—heir hearts they would become Aâ—heists Epicures Turks and Infidels â—r what you will any thing or noâ—hing in point of Religion proâ—ided they could be morally and well â—ssured of the Fruition of their temâ—oral pleasures and that notwithâ—â—anding they should have all their deâ—â—res in that kind accomplished in â—is world as that unfortunate Aâ—â—ila is said to have done who beâ—â—g born and educated in Christianity â—nd taken for the most Learned Man â—f his time having translated both â—e Old and New Testament also â—ritten and Composed several good â—orks or Books full of Sound and â—hristian Doctrine yet unhappy man â— length he forsook Christianity reâ—ounced his Baptism and declared himâ—â—lf a Jew for no other reason but â—â—ly to marry a Wife that was one of â—â—at profession Alas How many are to be seen eâ—ery day that do the same or like thing â—on the same or like account namely for to live at liberty in the commoâ— road of the most notorious sinners Especially if they be such persons aâ— stand in danger of being corrected and rebuked for their faults either by Bishop Superiour or Prelate of the Church SECT 3. By their Glorying and Boasting themselves in Malice and Iniquities Having in the two fore-going Paragraphs made evidently appear botâ— by Scripture Reason and sad Examples the general Ruin of Mankind by Self-love I shall not doubt in thâ— which follows in like manner to makâ— evident the dangers and manifold inconveniencies that men expose them selves unto by glorying in their siâ— and iniquities as some do and by justifying themselves when they have doâ— amiss as others Saint John the bâ— loved Disciple of Jesus Christ hath this â—einous crime in so great detestation â—hat he will not have the Faithful to â—ray for them who take delight in â—in and remain obstinately and impeâ—itently therein avouching the same â—o be a sin unto death Est peccaâ—um ad mortem non dico ut pro eo â—â—uis rogit 1 Joan. 5. v. 16. There â—s a sin saith he unto death I do â—ot say that any should pray for that â—in And verily it is no wonder that â—o great a sin to wit as the gloryâ—ng in and boasting of sin is should be greatly detested seeing the same hath been abhorred in all Ages both under the Ancient Law and the New The Prophet David enveyeth very much against those that were addicted to this sin saying unto them in â— way of correction and reproof Quid gloriaris in malitia c. Psal â—1 v. 3. Sinner why doest thou glory in thy Malice why doest thou boast â—hy self thou which art mighty in iniâ—uity As if he had said Why dareest thou be so bold so presumptuous so impudent as not only to transgress Gods Holy Commandments and thereby to offend him but to persevere obstinately therein and so far from true repentance and an humble acknowledgement of thy fault that thou takest a vain glory therein and boastest thy self for having committed so many sins so great and grievous wickedness Verily if it be as 't is commonly said humanum quid a humane thing or infirmity to fail sometimes iâ— our duty and to offend God and dâ— abolicum quid a devilish thing to persevere and continue in sin how much more devilish and detestable must it be to
Process and Suiâ—â— at Law what by private quarrels contentions animosities what througâ— hatred envy and ill-will what by slanders detraction and defamation what by fraud and deceit what by rapine and violence what by murthers poysoning and other evil practises he is incessantly molesting and doing him prejudice sad experiences whereof appear every day iâ— the world not to speak of more publick mischiefs and calamities which happen and are originally hatch'd by Self-love of which in due place But for private wrong and injury done to our Neighbour through Self-love that one example which is mentioned in the third Book of Kings Chap 21. v. 7 8 9 c. may well serve instead of many It is that of Achab and Jezabel wickedly plotting and procuring the death of Just Naboth for no other reason but because he would not part with the Inâ—eritance of his Fathers for to make Achab a garden of pleasure What â—orrid mischiefs were caused by the â—elf-love of David in the matter of Bathsabee and Vrias first defiling â—he Wife and then commanding the â—eath of the Husband as we read Reg. Ch. 11. In fine all other murthers slaughers and violences of that nature â—hich are daily committed do they â—roceed have they any other spring â—r root than the inordinateness of his passion of Self-love All conâ—entions in Courts of Justice all â—leadings and debates in Parliament â—hey have no other original ground â—ut Self-love All the Wars that are â—etwixt Kings and Princes and which are the great and almost perâ—etual plague and scourge of Chriâ—endome whence come they but â—â—om self-Self-love The same is to be â—id of all Domestick contentions â—nd discords their original source is self-Self-love so that in a word we may safely conclude of this vice that it is the common Fountain even of all the evils in the world that are committed against our Neighbour Neither need I to spend time any further to particularize or prove as it were by retail this most certain truth it being so evident in the gross beside to mention or go thorough with all particulars that might be alledged in proof would be a work of no end a mans whole life might be imployed therein And truly which of those two Philosophers I should wish to be revived whether Democritus that laught at all things or Heraclitus that wept for all things I cannot easily resolve The World affords matter enough for the exercise of both humours But till we can mend things that are amiss by over-much vexing at them I think 't is best to make as light as we can of the evils we cannot help or hinder With as equal therefore and unmov'd affections as I can I look upon the various proceedings of men and observe â—he vanities and follies of those who â—re wholly addicted to pleasures and of those who with like eagerness pursue their profits and interests of gain and see how vehemently and â—niversally the Spirit of Self-love agitates and works in them all how â—estless they are to put their proper will and sensuality in execution and â—ow solicitous till they have obtain'd â—heir desire which may be obtain'd â—ut can never satisfie their wills may be fulfilled but their minds are â—ever the more at rest Seneca lib. 1. de Tranquilitate â—itae takes part with Democritus â—nd maintains that he had more reaâ—â—n to laugh at the state of the â—orld or humane affairs considerâ—â—g the great vanity and folly that is â— them than Heraclitus had to deâ—ore them with his tears and the â—â—ief reason he gives for his Opinion is that as there is no ground or cause in reason to cry to be sad angry or any way troubled in our selves at any thing that a Fool or a Mad-man says or does seeing they are people out of their wits as we say void of common sense reason and understanding so there is no reason that Heraclitus or any other of his complexion should cry weep mourn or lament in any passionate sort the evils which he sees in the world seeing they are but the actings for the most part of mad thaâ— is of perverse and obstinate people playing their pranks and doing contrary to all reason There is no greaâ— cause to lament one that goes to the Gallows sporting and dancing as â—â— he were going to a Feast such â— man deserves to be less regarded â—ven for his vain joy and unseasonable alacrity in seeming so little tâ— consider or lay to heart the sad condition of his approaching end â—â— the same manner when we see mâ— go wilfully and with delectation to â—ternal miseries only because they will satisfie their Self-loves and â—njoy their Self-wills and sensual â—leasures to the full hearing no admonition and receiving no instruction to the contrary why should we pity them I say why should we pity them â—ot being ignorant that all good Christians who apprehend and reâ—ect better upon their unhappiness â—ut of a spirit of more perfect chariâ—y will not fail to pity them and â—o have a great compassion for their â—ad and deplorable estate and for â—he imminent danger they are going â—o precipitate themselves into for all â—ternity But I mean they give no â—ause of themselves to be pittied I â—o willingly say Alas for them â—las that for a short momentary â—leasure they will thus choose to sufâ—er eternal torments as Job says of â—hem chap. 21. v. 13. Ducunt in boâ—is dies suos in puncto ad inferna descendunt They spend their dayes in wealth the worldlings chief and only God and in a moment go down to Hell Verily at a dear rate they buy their Pleasure and the fruition of their Self-Loves Had Dives mention'd in the Gospel Luc. 16. 19 c. well considered the Exchange he was to make after death for the Pleasures he enjoyed in this life I cannot doubt but he would have bettered his ways and prevented the hearing of that hard sentence from the mouth of Abraham his Father Ibid. v. 25. Recordari fili quiâ— recepisti bona in vita tua nunc autem cruciaris Remember Son that in thy life time thou receivedst good things but now thy life of pleasure is ended and thou art come into torments But alas I say again when we begin to speak of the torments which damned Souls endure to these Self-ended People and worldly Self-lovers we seem to them as if we told them stories to fright Children they are too old and wise to believe us â—hat which Christ did teach and preach they reject for fables and untruth Alas for them there is no Faith for them nor any other true Christian Vertue Self-love domineers Self-love bears all the sway Self-love is all in all with them Unhappy men at so great a peril to pursue that which at length will certainly deceive every one of them and reward their pains and pursuits with perpetual sorrows Ah! would to God they would open their eyes a little and that his grace might unblind their understandings
so as to make them see the truest effects of the Love of God which are absolutely contrary to the effects of Self-love For why the effects of Divine Love are all of them good yea they are all the good that can or ever will be desired but contrariwise the effects of Self-love are all of them evil and are all the evils that men can possible think imagine or fear Since then there be two sorts of Love namely the Love of God and thâ— Love of our selves and that all trâ—â— good and happiness is to be attributed to the Love of God as on the contrary all wickedness and all evils to Self-love we are now to maâ—â— our choice we must go either to thâ— right hand or to the left we muâ—â— practice either what is Divine oâ— else Self-love Consider the mattâ—â— therefore well and proceed as yoâ— see cause by what hath been hitherto said you cannot but have observ'â— and know that all the actions of those that exercise Self-love tend wholly to their own praise and commendation and to exalt themselves and if at any time they applaud Vertue it is only to praise themselves the more upon a precarious and false supposition that they are such For though they applaud it they never practice it Their practice is only what the Poet Ovid describes Laudamus veteres sed nostris utimur annis â—n conclusion where Self-love reigns â—l Vertue all Justice all acts of â—harity all good Discipline are sent â—â—to exile are banished and on the â—ontrary Cruelties Commotions â—ars Lusts Adulteries Murthers â—esolations and Tumults Furies and â—yranny Persecutions and Robbeâ—es Pride and Ambition yea all â—ices without exception which can â—e named are in such vogue that â—othing can withstand them and in â—uch credit and practice that it is in â—ain to speak against them By Self-love every one is prejudiâ—ed By means of Self-love poor Orphans lose their right and poor Wiâ—ows sustain wrong none consideâ—ing their cause none regarding or giving ear to their just complaint Through Self-love the poor perish or live miserably few or none takeing pitty or having any compassioâ— of their hard condition In fine aâ— sorts of men suffer more or less â—â— some respects or other through thâ— prevalency of this passion Froâ— hence from this cursed root Treasons are contriv'd and spring Felonies are committed Perfidiousneâ—â— and Deceits practiced Churches aâ— robbed Matrons and Virgins defiled Religion and all Fear of God laid aside and forgotten insomuch that hereby the Proverb comes to be verified Mala etiam non quaerentibus obtiâ—gunt bona vix accedunt etiam quâ—rentibus Evils though not sought after will be found and take place but God though never so much sought after will scarce be found This was the answer of that famous Diogenes the Philosopher when one asked him what his Opinion was touching Mens Estate and Condition in this World And truly in my judgement the answer was to purpose for so much as generally speaking Vice is much more rife in the World than â—ertue and consequently men are â—ore apt and are better furnish't to â—rocure Evil than to procure Good â—oth to themselves and their neighâ—ours Sect. 3. By Self-love we seek all sorts of vanities therefore it is prejudical to our selves Having so largely declared in the â—wo precedent Paragraphs how Self-â—ove is most prejudical to God and our Neighbour tending to Gods dishonour and our Neighbours harm it hence of necessity follows that the same Self-love is also most prejudicial to our selves for if God be offended by our Self-love as we have plainly demonstrated that he is the very same transgression committed against him by Self-love doth wound our own poor Souls to a spiritual death and if withal our Neighbour be prejudiced or harm'd by it as 't is certain he is it doth also include that we our selves are prejudiced and receive hurt thereby no less than ouâ— Neighbour seeing we cannot unjustly harm our Neighbour but we offend God and by offending God we hurt our selves so that there needâ— not much to be spoken to prove this verity to wit that Self-love is prejudicial to our selves as well as to others nevertheless to keep a deceâ—um in our proceedings since I have not been sparing or restrain'd my self in shewing the evils and mischievous effects of Self-love in relation to God and our Neighbour it seems but requisite that something should more particularly be proposed to shew the like effects which it has upon our selves and how much we our selves are prejudic'd by indulging to the passion of Self-love First you are not ignorant that Self-love according to the Ancient Fathers doth blind the eyes of Mankind dulling the Spirits and weakning their Understanding insoâ—uch that being to make choice of â—y thing for the most part they â—use for the worse and more espeâ—â—ally when the matter concerns â—â—eir spiritual estate or good As for â—xample there is nothing in this â—orld that a man loveth better than â—is Life his Soul his Ease his proâ—er Will his Pleasures his Sensualiâ—â—es his Vanities and the like and â—et 't is certain and well donsidering â—e would easily see it that all these â—ven the best of them Life and Soul â— inordinately loved are extreamly â—ontrary and prejudicial to his true â—ood For in this sense according to â—he Evangelist Joan. 12. 25. Qâ—i â—mat animam suam perdet eam c. He that loveth his life shall lose it â—nd he that hates his life in this World that is loves it not nor makes any reckoning of it in compaâ—ison of his love and duty to God shall keep it to life everlasting The â—ame is to be said of the soul according to Saint Matth. ch 10. 39. As for the rest ease proper will pleasures c. they are meer Vanities not worth the wishing for aâ— witnesseth the wise Solomon in those words Eccles 1. v. 14. Vidi cuncta quae fiunt sub sole ecce Vniversâ— Vanitas I have seen saith he and considered all things that are done under the Sun and behold they are all vanity and affliction of Spirit which is to say they are things wherein no full satisfactinn of raind no perfect content is to be found and that therefore men do vainly and to their own prejudice to set their minds their love and affections so much upon them Yet will not men be perswaded their minds are still set upon the things under the Sun and not on those above it they still mind the world and worldly things worldly riches worldly honours worldly pleasures worldly power c. and with such an eagerness of appetite do they hunt after these things as if â—â—ey were the chiefest good and â—â—at all happiness consisted in them â—eglecting the care of their Souls for â—e love of them quite contrary to â—e advice and exhortation of the â—lessed Evangelist Saint John who â—howing the harm that comes to men â—y setting their minds and affections â— much upon worldly
all our loves And in the third and last place it must be founded in the knowledge and due consideration of the benefits we have receiv'd in this world and do daily still receive from God as also of the reward of eternal joy and felicity prepared for the faithful in the next Sect. 2. The first means to overcome self-Self-love is by the knowledge of our selves of our own nothing unprofitableness vileness miseries and affliction The Royal Prophet David one of the greatest Monarchs of the World in his time had so deep and serious a reflexion of this matter with himself to wit of his spiritual nihileity or being nothing in comparison of God of his unprofitableness vileness miseries that he could not but sadly lament his condition and freely acknowledge that he was but a worm and not a man vermis non homo Psalm 21. 7. the reproach or scorn of men and the out-cast of the people And again Psalm 72. v. 22. Ad nihilum redactus sum c. I am brought to nothing saith he and knew it not If this great King had such humble and mean conceits of himself when he thought upon the Greatness and Majesty of God how much more should we be moved to make the same and if it were possible how much more lowly reflexions of mind when we have the like occasion how should we humble and abase our selves in the presence of God when we consider our natural vileness baseness sad condition and continual miseries The better to induce us to this let us think upon the life of all our Predecessors and Progenitors what were they all but dust what was the first man Adam made of but of the clay of the Earth that was our first and common extraction Look upon your particular Generations and Conceptions Behold you were conceived in iniquity saith David Psalm 50. v. 7. you were born in Original Sin the links whereof concupiscence and weakness do still remain in you and should give you cause to lament Job having such a reflexion in his mind did no less for while he lay upon the Dunghill perplexed inwardly and afflicted outwardly he addressed himself to God and made his prayer to be cleansed from all the filthiness of his Conception saying Job 14. v. 4. Quis potest facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine nonne tu qui solus es Who can make clean him that is conceiv'd of unclean seed who but thou alone O Lord Homer lib. 17. hath a saying That amongst all the living Creatures which are upon the face of the Earth there are none so unhappy as man the truth whereof may be seen daily by experience in the birth of all Children When man is first born and cometh forth into the world there is nothing can be imagined a more rueful and despicable object than he nothing more imperfect nothing more weak nothing more indigent of all things naked uncomely not to say deformed and attended with filth and nastiness than man is Alas he is one that Nature it self would not allow to have a cleanly and neat coming into the world but on the contrary sent him in all covered with blood and more resembling a lump of impure flesh than a Creature indued with a reasonable Soul Insomuch that none will readily touch him or take him up from the ground on which he falls in similiter factam decidi terram c. Sap. 7. 3. none will cherish him none imbrace him but those that undertake the office for hire or the Mother who by force of natural inclination cannot but love her own Child Shall we speak of his nourishment in the Womb or what happens to him presently after whiles unborn it is known that he has no other nutriment than the impure Flowers and Menstrual of the Mother being close covered with a garment of the same which so soon as the poor Infant is unvested of is burnt or buried and not suffered to be seen Wherefore it is no wonder that as soon as man is born he naturally begins to cry thereby presaging and proclaiming so much as he can his future miseries and sad condition Ah that man would but consider this well how little reason would he then see to be so high-minded so proud and to love himself so much he would see more cause to have an aversion or loathing of himself than otherwise As to your condition after birth you were no sooner come to the use of reason but you understood that you were to labour hard for your living it being the Sentence or Judgment of God pronounced upon 〈…〉 first transgression which our 〈…〉 Adam and Eve committed 〈…〉 In the sweat of thy 〈…〉 shalt eat bread saith God to 〈…〉 Genes 3. v. 19. till thou 〈…〉 the ground from whence thou 〈…〉 taken for dust thou art and 〈…〉 dust thou shalt return Add unto this that so long as he lives he is subject unto and very frequently visited with calamities afflictions miseries and the like So that recalling to mind what is abovesaid and well considering the troubles both of body and mind which he endures with the uncertainty and shortness of his life I am confident it will more or less humble his thoughts and in consequence through the grace of God abate the vehemency of Self-love and better dispose him to the loving of God alone and above all other things In brief if you would take a true Model of your self think upon the dead Let your mind seriously reflect upon some Friend Neighbour or other Acquaintance deceased think what he is now become nothing but dust nothing but earth ashes rottenness and corruption so must you be how rich soever how powerful soever how elevated and high soever you be either in your own conceits or in the honours and dignities of this present world The time is coming when all these things will signifie nothing to you though to your self you seem to be in good health strong lusty and in the flower of your Age and think to live a long time alas these are deceitful thoughts vain immaginations a sudden Feaver or some other unexpected sickness disease or mischance easily changes the face of your affairs and puts an end to your ungrounded hopes though you look well and find your self every way well disposed for the present yet take my Counsel do not rely upon a staff so apt to break fix your mind and meditations rather upon death have a Skeleton always before your eyes which will teach you more truly what you are and what you must come to than all the painted images of the worlds good There you will see the Origin of your Nobility and the end of your Glory The dead was what you are at present and your lot will be what they are now Verily if you would but look seriously upon your self you would find but little matter or reason to cherish and love your self so much What is Man according to his Body Job will tell
becomes not thereupon more or less sad idle remiss and negligent in Gods service Wherefore if we desire to be victorious and to gain a full Conquest over all our Ghostly Enemies and all Ghostly impediments defects infirmities whatsoever let us be willing to receive all sorts of Humiliations from Gods hand and from the hands of men Let us even rejoyce and be glad whensoever we find our selves vilified and undervalued by men and whensoever we are destituted of Consolations Let us rejoyce to submit our selves not only to our chief Prelates and Superiours but also to our Equals and Inferiours following therein the example of Christ our Lord who submitted himself to such and so low as to become obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Philip. 2. v. 8. Sect. 3. By overcoming our selves and sensual Appetites You have heard of old that the life of man is a continual warfare upon Earth as the holy Job testifies in his Book Chap. 7. v. 1. saying Militia est vita hominis super terram c. We cannot live in any place or in any condition or state whatsoever without continual opposition and repugnancy we must be always fighting and consequently always in trouble and danger never secure of our selves never at perfect rest never in perfect peace and a great reason hereof is that wheresoever we go we carry in our selves and in our own bosom our Enemy who never ceases to oppugn and hinder us especially in our spiritual proceedings This S. Paul clearly insinuates 2 Cor. 4. v. 16. where he speaks of a twofold man dwelling in every one of us to wit our selves and this our Enemy saying Licet is qui for is est noster homo corrumpitur tamen qui intus est renovatur de die in diem Although that our man which is without us doth corrupt and perish by little and little yet that which is within us is renewed day by day By which expression the man without us signifies our Body together with its naturâ— Affections Concupiscences and Lusts which die or ought to die and decay in us every day and the maâ— within us our Soul or interiour Spirit with its faculties and graces which should proportionably live be renewed and every day gather more and more strength in us These two Men or parts of Man are so fast chained and joyn'd together that the one cannot be without the other and yet are so opposite and contrary the one to the other that the life of the one is the death of the other Between these two Men all the Contradictions Contentions and Opposition incident to our life are tried for which cause the Apostle attributes to them several names by which they may be distinguished the one from the other for that end calling one of them the Spirit the other Flesh the one Body the other Soul one of them the Law of the Mind Spirit Soul c. the other the Law of Bodily Members One he calls the Old Man the other he calls the New and finally as here one the Exteriour or outward Man the other the Interiour or inward all which several names do serve very properly to represent to us the several and peculiar natures properties and inclinations of these two men and that we ought to obey and follow the inclinations of the one but to reject the motions and resist the inclinations of the other following herein the Counsel of the same Blessed Apostle which he gives Galat 5. v. 16. Dico aut em vobis Spiritu ambulate desideria carnis non perficietis I say unto you to all you that desire to be happy walk in the Spirit and the lusts of the Flesh you shall not fulfil Where we see that obedience to the Spirit and its motions is commanded but the motions that is the lusts of the Flesh we must not fulfil And again Rom. 8. 13. If you walk according to the Flesh you shall die but if by the Spirit you mortifie the deeds of the Flesh you shall live It is required of us that we mortifie and overcome the Flesh by the Spirit and for as much as the Flesh rebelleth so much and so often against the Spirit the Spirit must be encouraged by all the good means we can use against the Flesh and the sensual motions thereof So that the only way for a Christian to obtain tranquility and perfect peace is to be continually fighting with this Enemy We must seek our Peace in Wars our Life in Death that is in dying to sin that we may live to God and finally our greatest liberty in servitude for if we be the servants of God and of Righteousness we shall be free from the slavery of sin and wickedness which is the best liberty of all The great courage liberty and power of a vertuous Man sheweth it self best in overcoming himself and his passions To subdue and make subject the sensual appetites of the Flesh to the Spirit is the work of a great and heroick mind as on the contrary to follow and obey them overmuch speaks a great tepidity and weakness of heart In this kind of Combate 't is no disgrace to flie and run away but rather 't is the best art of fighting for by flying and running away we are sure to gain the victory neither does any thing more discourage vex trouble and mortifie our adversary than to know that we dare not encounter we dare not come up to him By flying from the World we avoid the snares of the World by flying from the Flesh we escape the temptations of the Flesh and by flying and running from our selves we make void and of no effect all private affections all private and proper interests that may be hurtful unto us and all the private designs of self-Self-love So that by flying we conquer the World the Flesh the Devil our wicked selves also and all We lead captive all evil inclinations whatsoever and so pacifie and quiet our exteriour or outward Man as that we make the interiour or inward Man to reign and rule in us in much peace gaining thereby a more glorious and illustrious triumph than if we had vanquished whole armies and subdued the mightiest Kingdoms of the whole World Josue by flying and running away from the City of Hay Jos 8. 15. obtain'd a great victory over his enemies and subdued that City which but a little before had put the whole Army of Israel to flight So if you will conquer and subdue to Reason all your unreasonable and disorderly appetites the only way is to flie from them not to attend to them nor hearken to any thing they suggest The same is to be said of your fighting and contending with the world and your selves to get the victory over them you must flie you must renounce the world and deny your selves the world and all its glory magnificencâ— or vain pomp riches honours pleasures c. Your selves and all your private concupiscences lusts designs Can you
subject to sin Wherefore it is very true and in this case necessary to be observ'd what Father Granada says Such as desire to love Almighty God should endeavour to sequester themselves and depart from the practice of all sins As to the second thing required you must know that before you can obtain the grace of loving God above all Creatures it is necessary that you be very serious in your thoughts and apprehensions of God and that you delight your self to consider and meditate in your mind both the truth of his Existence and also how important a thing it is for you and all men rightly to believe and conceive of him and worthily to serve him To which end it shall not be amiss to call to mind and reflect upon the Motives which I have already in part alledged in the Fifth Section Sect. 3. for the exciting and stirring up mens hearts to Divine Love that is to say some of those Attributes Perfections and Proper Excellencies which are to be contemplated in the Divine Nature and do worthily move us to a due esteem and love of him and particularly that we do often and devoutly think upon the Perfections and Excellencies of our Lord Jesus Christ who is God Incarnate or God made Man for us and to procure our salvation in whom the Fulness of the Divinity doth inhabit corporally and in whom are hidden all the hidden Treasures of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God Colos 2. 3. and in whom all the good Properties Perfections and Excellencies whether pertaining to the Divine Nature or Humane to God or Man that can merit Love Reverence Honour and Esteem from us are found to admiration and excess he is Splendor Gloriae figura Dei Patris The Brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Image or Figure of Gods Substance as to this purpose the Apostle speaketh Heb. 1. v. 3. Cum in forma Dei esset c. saith the same Apostle again Phil. 2. v. 6. making or confessing him to be the Form that is the most true internal and perfect resemblance of his Fathers Nature The Vapour or Breath of the Power of God and a bright streaming or Emanation of Glory from the Almighty He is the Brightness of Eternal Light the Vnspotted Mirror or Glass of Divine Majesty and Image of his Goodness Sap. 7. 25 26. In fine he is God of God True God of true God and consequently perfect and absolute in all the Properties of Divine Majesty and Glory and the Fountain of Perfection and of all Good in his Creatures which thing well considered I cannot doubt but they will make us see how just and reasonable it is that he alone should be lov'd and honoured by us above all Creatures as containing in himself all the Causes Motives and Reasons of Love and Honour As to the third thing requisite for the obtaining of Divine Love it is to recal often to mind the Graces and Benefits the Gifts and Favors which we have received and do daily receive at Gods hand as well those receiv'd before Baptism as since the benefit of our Creation whereby we have our Being the benefit of his Providence whereby we are preserved in our being defended from all Evil and supplied with all necessary Good The benefit of our Redemption and the great kindness which God therein hath shewed towards his Creatures to wit in sending his only Son our Lord Jesus Christ to take humane Flesh upon him in the Womb of the most pure and immaculate Virgin his Mother and in the same Flesh to die and redeem us from the slavery of our Ghostly Enemy and from everlasting Damnation By which means being already in right of Creation and Providence our loving Father through the Mystery of Incarnation he became our Brother our Saviour and in a more special manner our Lord our King our God our Governour and our last end Yea by reason of this Union and Communion of Nature with us he becomes through Grace the Heavenly Spouse of every one of our Souls being married to him in Faith and Charity And therefore as our Spouse so loving so good so rich so great so beautiful so provident so tender-hearted he deserves to be requited and repayed by us with the same that is with a most intense most cordial most affectionate sincere and if it could be an infinite love and as he is our last end he is to be supreamly look'd at aim'd at regarded and intended by us in every thing of moment that we do or take in hind Considering therefore that we have such motives and reasons to love God above all and especially our Blessed Saviour God Incarnate let us use no delay let us shew no backwardness to return him love for love and to to render him our most humble and daily thanks for all his benefits and mercies remembring that of Solomon Sap. 16. v. 28. Quoniam oportet praevenire Solem ad Benedictionem tuam c. That we ought to prevent the Sun to give thanks to God and the Morning-light to adore and make prayers to him and that if we do it not but remain unthankful for his Benefits it shall befall us as is said in the same place v. 29. Ingrati spes tanquam hybernalis glacies tabescet c. The hope of the Vngrateful shall melt away as a Winter-Ice and shall perish as unprofitable Water Sect. 2. How we are to love our Neighbours None can be so ignorant as not to know that it is part of our Duty to God to love our Neighbour since that God himself doth so positively and precisely require it of us by the Evangelist Matth. 22. v. 39. Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self The same Commandment is repeated in diverse other places as namely Luc. 10. v. 27. Rom. 13. v. 9. Galat. 5. v. 14. Jam. 2. v. 8. Yea it was a Law in force unto the Jews as well as Christians according as we read Levitle 19. 18. The just and honest love of our Neighbour is so united annex't and as it were chained with the Love of God that for the same loves sake whereby we love God we are commanded to love our Neighbour yea Saint John the Evangelist argues that through want of loving our Neighbour we cannot love God and calls him Lyer that pretends the contrary to wit that we may love God truly and acceptably without loving our Neighbour Siquis dixerit c If a man saith he shall say I love God and hateth his Brother he is a lyer giving this reason For he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen 1 Joan. 4. 20. and making his reason good with this final assertion viz. And this Commandment have we from God that he who loveth God loveth his Brother also These two loves proceed and come forth from the same Root and have the same Original Cause to wit
to desire and occasion being given to endeavour so much as in us lies that all Creatures acording to their several capacities may serve love and adore him That the Infidels Heretiques and all Sinners may be converted to him and truly repent of their disobedience and rebellion against him that so by love he may reign in all hearts and all hearts be sad for the offences of their own or others committed against him In pure love to him we are to determine faithfully to serve him and to take joy in all things that please him Moreover with indifferency we are to accept all things from his hands and to take them in good part as well things displeasing and offensive to Nature as pleasing It is required of us all to be heartily sorry for all things that are done or happen contrary to his Divine Will and Pleasure to love all things that are grateful to him and pertaining to his Honour his Service and his Glory and that meerly for his sake we should love all men yea even our Enemies and Persecutors doing our endeavour also where we judge it convenient to express some effects of love to them more than to others as being special Instruments to procure us greater good from God than those Friends who do all they can to please us and to foment and flatter us in vain things It is expected from us that we do all the honour we can to Almighty God and all the service and good offices in our power to our Neighbour for his Sake in nothing seeking our own commodities further then his Goodness allows but in all things his good pleasure We must imitate and follow his holy Examples in all kind of Vertues and Perfections to our utmost possibility and particularly it should be our Design to love others with the like Freeness of love wherewith he loved us without looking to our own profit or interest in loving He loved us meerly for our good not for his own so should we love our Neighbour pretending nothing but to do him good by our love and not our selves We must resolve never to accept any contentment but in him nor other happiness but in himself alone We must not set bounds to the measure of our love but still endeavour to love him more and better We are to be resigned and willing to suffer for him in this State of Mortality being contented for the present only with the hope of Fruition afterward that is in Heaven We are to hate our selves our corrupt and vicious Nature our bad Inclinations our Unsensibleness of his great Mercy and Goodness towards us c. with a most perfect hatred never being weary of persecuting and mortifying our selves We are bound to love him equally in his Commandements as his Rewards and to rejoyce or take contentment in any act of Temporal Severity exercised by him upon us We are never to cease praying that God would shew us the defectousness of our love and that he would daily give us his grace more and more to encrease both in the degrees of Fervour and Purity These are the Marks the Signs the Fruits and real Effects of the True Love of God and by them we may perceive when and whether or no we be free from the pest of Self-love Self-esteem Self-seeking and Self-pleasing This little which hath been said will serve to shew our state if we consider it well But alass where shall we find a Soul that can shew all these or the most part of these Rules exactly observ'd and practised by her However our duty is to aspire to all Perfection and to the Practice of all these good Rules and Helps thereto as much as may be yet as to the measure of our Perfection submitting our selves and being resigned therein to the Will of God of whose grace it is that we attain to any measure or degree of perfection For so is his holy pleasure The End of the First Part. THE SECOND PART OF THE Languishing Diseases OF CHRISTIANS Proceeding from SELF-PRIDE DRUNKENNESS And CARNAL CONCUPISCENCE CURED 4 ESDR 8. 31. We and our Fathers languish with such Diseases but thou for Sinners shalt be called Merciful LONDON Printed 1677. The First Treatise OF THE SECOND PART OF THE LANGUISHING DISEASES OF CHRISTIANS Proceeding from Self-Pride SECTION 1. Pride a General Disease amongst Christians SECT 1. Heaven and Earth was infected with it 2. Self-Pride of the Nobility and Gentry 3. Self-Pride of great Ladies 4. Self-Pride of other Women Sect. 1. How Heaven and Earth was infected by Pride THE Pestilent Fevor of Self-Love as Saint Ambrose very well observeth is usually attended with Two Symptoms or ill Signs as bad as it self which are Pride and Ambition Febris enim nostra ambitio est c. saith that Father The Feavor that troubles and agitates our Souls not suffering them to rest in any thing tha 's good is Ambition which according as Saint Augustine Saint Bonaventure Isidore Hugo and many others have described it is the inordinate love and appâ—tite of our own commendation and a desire to excel or to be thought to excel others in our actions which if they be publick and concerning the Common-wealth is then most properly termed Ambition but if the actions be private and concern only our Domestick Conversation and Behaviour it is called Pride being but one and the same feavorish Distemper of Self-love more or less extending and shewing it self A Feavor or Spirituall Distemper this is so malignant that it causeth many other Diseases and Dangerous Symptoms of Soul to Mankind as for example many Vain-gloryings many and much Vain-boasting and Vaunting of ons Self much Flattering of others much Wantonness much Hypocricy and Dissembling innumerable Impertinencies and Curiosities of like nature frequent Ingratiudes frequent Disobediencies to those in lawful Authority frequent Seditions and Commotions publique frequent Contentions and Contests more private frequent Disrespects to Superiours and Despisings of Equals and those beneath us together with many other such like Distempers and Disorders under which and by means whereof not only private persons but Kingdomes and Common-wealths languish daily and endure all the mischiefs of Devastation and Misery not to be ended but with utter ruin unless care be taken to apply fit remedy in due time and season not to menton the harm that is done to the Soul by means of them The first that ever was troubled with these Distempers to wit of Pride and Ambition was Lucifer that reprobate Angel together with all his wicked Crew who through the excess of Pride and the inordinate Love and conceit of his own excellency extolled himself to such a height as to pretend to be equal to God according to the relation which is given of him by the Prophet Isaias Chap. 14. v. 14. where the wicked Angel saith thus in his heart In Coelum conscendam super astra Dei exaltabo solium meum c. I will climb up into Heaven above the Stars of
to which Saint Paul reckons Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Murther Envying c. among the Works and Sins of the Flesh no less than Adultery and Fornication So that in this sense every Voluptuous Man as the Drunkard and Glutton and every one that takes pleasure in sin may be said to be a Carnal or Sensual Man and that Carnal Concupiscence reigns in him and according to Plutarch and such Authors he is put into the Rank of Sensual and Voluptuous Persons not who haunts Brothel-houses or defiles his Neighbours Wife but he that is sluggish in weighty Matters that neglects the good of the Common-wealth when his place requires him to attend it that omits to perform the Officâ— of a good Parent or good Friend when there is just occasion to shew himself such But we take Carnal Concupiscences here in the strictest sense as signifying that particular sort of Concupiscence or Fleshly Lust which tends unto and is exercised in the unlawful Conjunction of Man and Woman to wit in Adultery Fornication Incest c. or in some other Actions of Affinity and like Nature with these This is of all kinds of Voluptuous and Carnal Concupiscence the most Unclean the most Filthy the most Vile and most Pernicious being stiled even by the very Heathen Philosophers and others a Furious and Raging Passion which corrupts â—he Senses of Men and like a Burnâ—ng Flame wastes and consumes more or less all Mankind Hippocrates according to the Relation of Peter de la Primauday Master of the French Academy asâ—erts that Carnal Copulation hath a â—ery great Affinity and participates â—ot a little in Nature with the Disease called Epilepsie or in the Common English Expression the Falling-Sickness and according to the same Author together with divers other Physicians there is nothing held more certain in Physick than that the immoderate use of Venerous Pleasure spoiles the Natural Beauty defiles the Body causing it to Stink and Corrupt dries up the Natural Moisture overmuch which is the Foundation of Life makes the Face Pale Wan and to look Yellow weakens the Limbs and Joynts ingendreth the Sciatica Gouts Collick Griefs and Pains of the Stomach Passions Lipothymical as Swoonings Faintings Giddiness of the Head Dimness of the Sight and that which is worst of all the Leprosie of the Pox it shortens Life and impairs both the Mind Understanding and Memory very much finally according to the Prophet Osee Chap. 4. v. 11. it takes away the Heart from God and from all Good Fornicatio Vinum Ebrietas auferunt cor What can be more said to make a Vice odious to all that regard God or themselves or that desire to enjoy Health of Soul or Body How detestable therefore ought it to be unto us How should we hate and abhor all Adulteries Fornications Incests and all other Violations of Chastity which ought not to be so much as named amongst Christians according to that Commandment of the Apostle Ephes 5. v. 3. Fornicatio autem omnis immunditia c. But Fornication and all Vncleanness let it not be once named among you as becometh Saints knowing that no Whore-monger nor Vnclean Person hath any Inberitance in the Kingdom of God What Curses are there threatned by God against this foul Sin Search the Scripture and it will tell you Under the Law of Moses it was Death Deut. 22. 21. The Prophets proclaim all manner of Judgments against it witness that alone of the Prophet Hieremy speaking in the Person of God against those high-handed sinners who assembled themselves by Troops in Harlots Houses and were like Fed-Horses every one after his Neighbours Wife Shall I not visit for such things as these saith he and shall not my Soul be avenged on such a People as this Jer. 5. 7 8 9. Doubtless he will be avenged and so the Apostle assures us saying Heb. 13. 4. Honorabile connubium in omnibus c. Marriage is Honourable with all and the Bed that is Vndefiled But Whoremongers and Adulterers God will Judge God himself will be their Judge first or last let them look to it if they escape Temporal Punishment he hath the Flames of an Eternal Fire ready for them which they shall never escape It was this Sin that brought Fire and Brimstone from Heaven upon the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah Gen. 19. 13. It was this Sin that brought a Plague upon the People of Israel in the Wilderness whereby Twenty four thousand of them and more were in an instant as it were swept away 1 Cor. 10. 8. and the Wrath of God was so incensed against them that had it not been for the Holy Zeal and Prayer of Phineas the Son of Aaron the High Priest he had destroyed them utterly as we may read Numb 25. How hurtful and dangerous a thing then is it to suffer these Carnal and Fleshly Appetites to reign in us considering how vehemently they draw us to the Practice of those things which bring Destruction upon Body and Soul From this vile sin it comes that Men abuse themselves so much beneath the Dignity of their Sex as to submit both their Bodies and Souls to the unconstant will and lawless desires of a dishonest Woman which we see by too frequent and sad Experience in many Persons who forgetting at once both Conscience and Honour are so bewitched with the inveiglements of some lewd Women their Whore or Concubine that if she commands or desires it they are ready to hazard all that they can hazard Life Liberty Reputation c. to give her content yea so far are they oft-times transported with this damnable wicked blind desperate passion that in fine they make themselves an Example to a whole Kingdom or Country upon an open Scaffold and yet this is called Love These lewd and wicked people cover their vile and unlawful affections with the holy name of Love which where it is rightly such is always grounded upon Vertue and is the Cement not of lustful and wanton amorousness but of loyal and honest-amity and friendship The love of Carnal Concupiscence is not true love but lust an unlawful passion or affection grounded upon the apprehension of some pleasing but false good which will in the end be found a most real and pernicious evil from which God deliver us Sect. 2. Carnal Concupiscence infecteth the whole World By what hath been said above you will have learnt in a general way how that Carnal Concupiscence when 't is immoderately and unlawfully yielded unto causeth much harm and many Diseases both of Body and Soul to Mankind Our endeavour is next to be by declaring some particularities to make this truth further to appear namely that the World at present is and hath ever been from time to time through all Ages generally infected corrupted and poyson'd as it were with this contagious Vice According to the Seraphical Doctor S. Bonaventure in the first beginnings of the World this disease prevailed so much upon men and caused so great