and Power when the Motion of the Blood Humours and of the Animal Spirits or of the Fibres of the Brain which is the Organ of the Internal Sense which are annexed the Species of things that is to say the Impressions which remains of the Objects are disordered and embroiled in such sort that the Natural Order and Connexion of these Species cannot be observed and kept but are confusedly and tumultuously excited and stired up by a tumultuous and irregular agitation of the Organ in which they reside from whence comes necessarily that kind of Folly which consists in a disorder and a fantastick Confusion of Thoughts without Order and Dependance or Connexion because the Fibres of those Parts of our Bodies arâ— scorched up on which the Soul usually acts and to say this may not shake a Truth so well Establisheâ—â— and Proved that it needs no further Illustration therefore let it be our Care and Study to seek thâ— Kingdom above rather than to puzle our selves in the nicities of Nature or the manner how our Soul acts in our Body for better it is that the Soul and Body be free from pollution than to understand all the knowledge our Nature is capable of being enlightned with for 't is not he that understands al Mystâ—ies or all Secrets but he that is Obedient and Dutiful to the Divine Laws that shall be filled with Joy in the Heavenly Ierusalem that Place of spotless Purity where no Impure thing can dwell Wherefore our Lord chose rather to Suffer any Indignity than that we should continue in the Guilt of Sin because any pollution unquallifies us for his Kingdom and Robs us of the Happiness of being meet to be Citizens thereof For since Fruition is the end of Knowledge it is of great moment to us so to demean our 〈◊〉 as not to be unfit for the Union of Glory and amongst other aspiring Knowledge the due Knowledge of a Mâ—â—â—s self is highly conducive to attain to this Happiness for such a Knowledge shews him the Humility of the Frame he ought to be in to qualify him to be worthy to enter into this Glorious City where every Holy Soul will be beloved of Angâ—ls and admired of Men Such qualified Persons beâ—â—g the true Friends of God seeing they have defined to Wâ—â—ship God in the inward Court of their Souls as well as in the out Court of his Sanctuary and in the admiration of him in all his Works of Wonder for there is nothing of more concern to us than to be truly sensible of his exceeding Mercy which ought to be deeply It graven in all ouâ— Minds so as to raise our Sons to a high pitch of Gratitude for all the benefits we have momently received from him the rememberance of each of which are reviving Comforts and are able to cheer the Hearts of the most dejected Penitents for the true Sense of this assures them that they shall be for ever Blessed even to such a Perfection as to be Perfect Sovereigns in his Glorious Kingdom where every one will be a Sovereign Prince being Blessed with infinite Injoyments such as the beholding the unvailed Vision of God and the sweet Society of Saints and Angels where God Essence and Works will satisfie all Holy desires all Blessed wishes and eager Thirst after Purity and every Heavenly Injoyment 5. The Will which is that Invincible and Insurmountable movement which pusheth on all knowing Natures towards God is without doubt and Operates perpetually in Just Souls and in Reprobated Souls but it is there and Operates there very diversly The Just Souls have found the good they sought they are arrived to the term they have so long persued they imbrace it they possess it they lose themselves they plunge themselves drown and ingulph themselves in it When they are arrived to the Place of their repose to the Center of their Desires to the port of their Wishes they have nothing more to follow to search after in this Fortunate State they pâ—ssess because they taste with an inexplicable Tranquility and an incomprehensible Satiety the Soveâ—eign good and therefore are fully satisfied content and quiet But this Tranquility and this Satiety does â—â—t lull them to Sleep nor ever cloy them the Will â—atisfied and arrived to its term does not cease proceeding on always It Operates and Sturs up it self Eternally in a most happy repose these Holy Souls are always satisfied and always a Hungary always at quiet and always sturred up they Will and Desire always that which they have and would always have more for they are immediately United to the Sovereign good and to all his Joys and are always till vehemently desirous of being more United to â—im Thus the Will hath its Excellency and Perâ—ection in Holy Souls without any of the Imperâ—ections it is at present subject to for now it 's not â—ble to ballance it self betwixt True and False good for at present it 's sotting and wavering betwixt the False Images of good which the Immagination and the Senses presents to it in the present State and betwixt the true and solid goods which Instinct and Reason Philosophy and Religion preposses to it It is happily drawn in by the Presence and Injoyments of the Sovereign good whose Immensity draws them and carries them by force and fastens them to his Sovereign Beauty and to his Soverigâ— Delights for it 's his Wisdom in whom they see the Source of good and as it were all the true Treasure and Foundation of Life giving Excellencies and therefore cannot be turned aside by any False good but there is a vast difference betwixt these happy Souls and the Souls oâ— the Reprobate as to their final State for as to the latter of these the Fountain of good repulses them and throws them back from the Vision oâ— Glory and in the same time wounds and transperceâ— them with a Thousand deadly Darts they are Etâ—rnally thirsting after Pleasure but have Eternally nothing but Grief Pain and Dispair for their Portion So that the Will placed in them to be the beginning and seat of their happiness is found to be the Eternal principle and seat of their unhappiness and dispair for as all the agreeable Passions will be in Holy Souls so all the Afflicting ones will be in Reprobate Souls The Dispair of the Soul lies in the seeing and perceiving the Impossibilities of a voiding Evil and the not being able to attain the good she persues which must needs be a dejection and a discouragement accompanied with profound sadness because of this crue Sentiment of Privation and yet by some is called truly and properly Voluntary because the Will is thaâ— Motion by which the Soul is driven on invincibly toâ—wards God to Unite her self and to be United to him which is the Love of God in general and maâ— be called properly Voluntary for when the goâ— which is aspired after cannot be acquired Dispair bâ— consequence succeeds for the resentment of the Appetite preceeds
Love The Peace of Sinners how much move Sue and thirst intreat lament and grieve For all the Crimes in which they live And wait and seek and call again And long to save them from their Pain My Memory 's like a searce of Lawn Alas It keeps things gross and lets the purer pass Which makes me loath my self so vile O base repute 〈◊〉 better starve then eat such empty fruit Yet dear Lord let me ne're Confounded be Since all my Hope is plac'd in thee True Joys alone contentment do inspire Iâ—rich content and make our Courage higher The true fear of God desire and love Must in the height of all their rapture move For content alone 's a dead and silent Stone The real lite of Bliss is Glory reigning on a Throâ—e O let me in a lively manner see Dear Jesus Eternal Joys in thee Inable me to Praiâ—e thy Majesty with all my might Whose Grace and Favour is Sweet yea Infinite O let me Love thee since thy Divine care Hast promised me a share in thy Kingdom fair 'A Sea that 's bounded in a Finite Shore ' Is better far because it is no more ' Should Waters endlesly exceed the Skies They 'd drown the World and all what e'er we prize ' Had the bright Sun been Infinite the Flame ' Had burnt the World and quite consum'd the same ' That Flame would yield no splendor to the Sight ' 'T would be but Darkness tho 't were Infinite ' One Star made Infinite would all exclude ' An Earth made Infinite could ne'er be view'd ' But all being bounded for each others sake ' He bounding all did all most useful make ' And which is best in profit and delight ' Tho not in bulk he made all Infinite ' He in his Wisdom did their use extend ' By all to all the World from end to end ' In all things all things Service do to all ' And thus a Sand is endless tho but small ' And every thing is truly Infinite ' In its relation deep and exquisite ' O Lord be thou within me to strengthen me ' Without me to keep me ' About me to protect me ' Beneath me to uphold me ' Before me to direct me ' Behind me to reduce me ' Round about me to defend me O Lord I beseech thee give me a longing Affection after the Pleasures of thy Holy Spirit because they are noble and will advance my Soul to Eternal Happiness make me often Contemplate the Joys of Heaven the hopes of which is the Joy and Comfort of my Soul. A short Discourse of the Mortality of the BODY and Immortality and Excellency of the SOUL Isaiah 26. 19. Thy dead Men shall live together with my dead Body shall they arise Awake and Sing ye that dwell in Dust For thy dew is as the dew of Herbs and the Earth shall cast out the dead Glory be to God on high and on Earth Peace Good will towards Men. Hallelujah 1. FIRST and above all let us consider how short and uncertain our lives are which are subject to a Thousand Frailties and Casualties and to Death every moment insomuch that our whole life is but short and troublesome and as a Wind that passeth away and cometh â—ot again which is evidently declared by the various â—nstances of the Mortality of Frail and Mortal Man That our very sleeping and waking is but a kind of living and dying nay Morning and Evening is but 〈◊〉 a Embâ—em of the representation of Death and the â—esurrection For God hath given every Man but a short time to be upon Earth so that upon the well â—encâ—ing it our well being in Eternity depends Whereâ—ore Divines say that every Hour or our Life after â—e are capable of receiving Laws and knowledge â—f Good and Evil we must give an Account how â—e spend our Time to the Judge of Men and Angels Therefore we must remember we have a great Work to do many Enemies to Conquer many Evils to preâ—ent many Dangers to go through many Necessities â—o serve much Good to do many Friends to support many Poor to relief besides the Needs of Nature and Relation our Private and Publick Cares so that God hath given every Man Work enough to do that there is no room for Idleness and yet there is room for Devotion Wherefore he spends his Time and Wealth well that imploys it in the Service of God by setting a part a great Portion of it for Religion and the Necessity of Mens Souls by filling up all the spaces of his Time with Devotion and by taking from Sleep to imploy in this Exercise Secondly Let him consider that hath but little â—leasure that he ought to set a part some solemn Time for the Venerable Worship of God Thrice in the Year at least tho he buy it at the rate of any Labour and Honest Art for the quiting of Worldly Business let him attend wholly to Fasting and Prayer in the dressing up of his Soul by Confession Meditation and deep Humiliation that he may make up his Accounts renew his Vows and improve his Time to the Glory of God and his own Souls good Seeing that we know not the Day of our Death we ought with all Care and Diligence to prepare for it that if it be our Lot to die Young we may also die Innocent before the Sweetness of our Souls are defloured that we may attain this favour of God that our Souls have suffered a less Imprisonment by being speedily freed form the load of the Body For at Death our Souls are equal to the Angels and Heirs of Eternity For it is observed by some that after the time that a Child is Conceived he never ceaseth to be to all Eternity so that if he dies Young or Old hâ— hath still an Immortal Soul and laid down his Bodâ— only for a time as that which was the Instrumenâ— of his Trouble and Sorrow for he will certainly havâ— a more noble Being after Death than he hath here Seeing these things are so let us endeavour to stamp Religion on our Souls that God may deliver us from Unrighteous dealings may we therefore always havâ— an Ear open to hear the just Complaints of the Poor and a Heart full of pitty to support them for the Soul must have the Prehemency over the Body because it is more Noble and infinitly more to be valu'd than the Body for the Body is to turn to Dust within a little time but in the mean while it is nourished by sleep which refreshes it and revives the Spirit Wherefore it is said of sleep it 's a kind of Death and whatsoever we take from sleep we add to Life Thirdly Wherefore be saith Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Ephes 5. 14. Arise thou sleepy Soul call upon thy God Jonah 1. 6. suffer it not to be drowsy or sleeppy when it stands upon the briâ—ks of Eternity
a vail I mention this not to divert any from aspiring to the highest degrees of Perfection but to reprove that preposterous course many ta 〈…〉 est weight upon those things 〈…〉 least and have more Zeal for 〈…〉 then for express downright Comm 〈…〉 the one to commute for the contemp 〈…〉 For some Men are apt to scruple small thi 〈…〉 not startle at Injustice or Oppression which 〈…〉 to be rectified that Men may have an equa 〈…〉 to all the Commands of God not letting any 〈…〉 slip their Observation For he that breaks the 〈…〉 command is guilty of all not but that he that brea 〈◊〉 them all is guilty of more severe Punishments then he that breaks but one But the meaning is he that breaks one shall not go Unpunished being deeply guilty of Disobedience God having required an equal regard to all his Precepts and who so gives him not their whole Heart offers to him but a lame and unacceptable Sacrifice for any thing less than the full power of our Wills cannot please God who is of purer Eyes than to behold any the least Evil with approbation for his Wisdom being so pure a Majesty cannot be pleased with any thing that is impure of Heart Necessary is it therefore to give him the full of our Mind Will and Soul or as our Catechism expresses it To serve him with all our strength in every Centure of our Lives For the more we serve him the more and better shall we be regarded honoured and rewarded by him the searcher of all Hearts Of the excellent Qualification of the Soul from its high Extraction ALthough Men do not know the Soul neither can they see it because it is like the Eyes of our Bodies it sees every thing but it self but it self 〈…〉 assuredly know that by it we 〈…〉 inabled to do actions of Piety 〈…〉 Consciences dictates to us what is 〈…〉 done for that is a good and faith 〈…〉 that whensoever we do amiss we do 〈…〉 our Souls and stupifie our Consciences 〈…〉 Evil or cause others so to do But to a 〈…〉 let us begg of God to give us a chast Spi 〈…〉 is the Crown of faithful Souls Wherefore 〈…〉 said of Virginity that it is the Life of Angels 〈…〉 animal of the Soul the advantage of Religion which is a mutual a strong and voluntary inclination to the Worship of God for it is empty of Cares and ought to be full of Prayers which are fed with Fastings it is very advatagious to Devotion and Retirement for whosoever is careful of his Time and Behaviour shall not be robbed of his reward for his good intentions Secondly Then fail not of being eminent in your Generations for Virtue and Piety by being burning and shining Lights unmingled with any manner of Evil that you may follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth But above all be Humble for that is the Ornament of our Holy Religion and it makes you to differ from the Wisdom of the World. For our Learning is then best when it teaches us Humility for to be proud of our Learning is the greatest Ignorance in the World for our Learning is so long in getting and so very imperfect that the Learnedest person in the World knows not the Thousandth part of that which he is Ignorant of so that he cannot attain to any Maturity of Knowledge proportionable to that of Angels No Man therefore has any cause to boast of his excellency for what thou hast thou hast received from God and art the more Obliged to return him Thanks for it and thou art bound to improve the Grace that he hath given thee to his Glory Consider then that thou wer't nothing before thou as Born and what wer 't thou in the first Regions of â—y dwellings before thy Birth but uncleaness What â—â—ast thou for many Years after but Weakness and â—â—ailty As the Psalms expresses It even as the smoak â—at vanisheth away Ps 102. 3. A great debtor then â—â—t thou to God to thy Parents to the Earth and all â—â—e Creatures For all Men that have ever been were â—â—ressed with Hunger and the Frailties of human Naâ—re so that the best and wisest Persons are subject â—o the Necessity of Nature wherefore there is great â—â—ause of Humility for the Spirit of Man is light and â—oublesome his Body is bruitish and sickly he is conâ—ant in his Folly and Errour inconstant in his Manâ—er and Good Purposes his Labours are vain intriâ—ate and endless his Fortune is changeable but selâ—om pleasing his Wisdom comes not till he be ready 〈◊〉 die or at least till he have spent great part of his â—â—me in wast His death is certain always ready at â—he Door but never far off upon these or the like Meâ—â—itations If we dwell on them or frequently retire 〈◊〉 consider them we shall see nothing more reasonable â—an to be Humble and nothing more foolish than to â—e Proud Humility consists not in railing against our â—â—lves or wearing mean Cloaths or going softly or â—â—bmissively but in a hearty and real mean Opinion â—f our selves Thirdly Believe thy self then an unworthy Person 〈◊〉 heartily as thou believest thy self to be Hungry Poor 〈◊〉 Sick when thou art so love to be concealed and 〈◊〉 esteemed off Be not troubled when thou art â—ighed and undervalued and when thou hast done â—ny thing worthy of praise return it to God who is â—â—e Giver of the Gift and Blesser of the Action and â—â—ive him thanks for making thee the Instrument of is Glory Secure a good Name to thy self by being â—irtuous Pious and Humble and when People have â—n occasion to speak well of thee take no content in â—raise when it is offered thee but let thy rejoycing be in Gods Gift but let it be alay'd with Fear lest thâ— Good bring thee to Evil. Pray often for Gods Gracâ— with Humility of gesture and passion of desire thaâ— God may be Glorified by thy Example of Humility which may be as well in a low condition as in a ricâ— Begg God 〈◊〉 irriâ—h thy Soul with all Graces anâ— when thou had attained them give God thanks 〈◊〉 them Pâ—ide hinders the acceptance of our Prayerâ— Humility pierceth the Clouds and will not give oveâ— till God accepts neither will it depart till the mosâ— high regards For he resisteth the Proud but 〈◊〉 Grace to the Hâ—mble St. Jam. 4 6. Then begg Gâ—acâ— and Pardon that it may be a remedy and relief aâ—gainst Misery and Oppression and be content in 〈◊〉 conditions begg Tranquility of Spirit Patience iâ— Affliction that we may gain Love abroad and Peacâ— at home Coâ—sider the blessed Sâ—â—iour of the World 〈◊〉 who left the 〈◊〉 of his Father the Lord of Glory 〈◊〉 who took upon him the liâ—e of Labour and came tâ— a State of Poverty to a Death of Malâ—fâ—ctouâ—s to thâ— Grave of Death and the intolerable Calamitiâ—s which we deserved Therefore it 's but reasonable that wâ— should be as Humble in the