that though the disproportion between them and their Assurance or Hope or Desire seem infinite and the end which they aim at by their Magnanimity is judged impossible though their attempt appear a ridiculous madness to them to whom the Verities of Religion appear incredible yet they are no whit discouraged or disheartened at the matter but stoutly march on being animated by the alarum of such a Trumpet such a Drum as Magnanimity is His Faith is more Divine by conquering the discouragements of the World than if he met with no censure or opposition IF you would have the Character of a Magnanimous Soul he is the Son of eternal Power and the Friend of infinite Goodness a Temple of divine and heavenly Wisdom that is not imposed upon by the foul and ragged disguises of Nature but acquainted with her great Capacities and Principles more than commonly sensible of her interests and depths and desires He is one that has gone in unto Felicity and enjoyed her beauties and comes out again her perfect Lover and Champion a Man whose inward stature is miraculous and his Complexion so divine that he is King of as many Kingdoms as he will look on One that scorns the smutty way of enjoying things like a Slave because he delights in the Celestial way and the Image of GOD. He knows that all the World lies in Wickedness and admires not at all that things palpable and near and natural are unseen though most powerful and glorious because men are blind and stupid He pities poor vicious Kings that are oppressed with heavy Crowns of Vanity and Gold and admires how they can content themselves with such narrow Territories yet delights in their Regiment of the World and paies them the Honour that is due unto them The glorious Exaltation of good Kings he more abundantly extols because so many thousand Magnanimous Creatures are committed to their Trust and they that govern them understand their Value But he sees well enough that the Kings glory and true repose consists in the Catholick and eternal Kingdom As for himself he is come unto Mount Sion and to the City of the living GOD the Heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable Company of Angels to the General Assembly and Church of the First-born which are written in Heaven and to GOD the Judge of all and to the Spirits of Just men made perfect and to JESUS the Mediatour of the New Covenant And therefore receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved he desires to serve GOD acceptably with reverence and godly fear And the truth is he can fear nothing else for GOD alone is a consuming fire He very well understands what the Apostle saith and dares believe him I cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my Prayers that the GOD of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of Glory may give unto you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of him the eyes of your Understanding being enlightened that ye may know what is the HOPE of his Calling and what the RICHES of the GLORY of his INHERITANCE in the Saints And what is the EXCEEDING GREATNESS of his POWER to us-ward who believe according to the WORKING of his Mighty Power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own RIGHT HAND in the HEAVENLY places far above all Principality and Power and Might and Dominion and every Name that is named not only in this WORLD but in that also which is to come And hath put ALL THINGS under his feet and he gave him to be HEAD over all Things to the CHURCH which is his BODY THE FULNESS OF HIM THAT FILLETH ALL IN ALL. Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the Power that WORKETH in us Unto him be Glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all AGES World without end Amen A great and a clear Soul knoweth that all these intimations must needs be true for it is an amazing Miracle that they should be otherwise Infinite Love and Eternal Blessedness are near allyed and that these should cease is contrary to all Nature in GOD in the Soul of Man in Heaven in Earth in the order of the Universe and contrary to all that VISIBLE GLORY which in the World appeareth CHAP. XXIX Of Modesty It s Nature It s Original Its Effects and Consequences MODESTY is a comely Grace in the Behaviour of a Man by which he piously dissembleth his own Perfections and blusheth at his Praises It springeth from a certain fear and sence of his Imperfection 'T is the shadow of Guilt and a beautiful cover of Original Corruption It is sometimes Natural and which is contrary to all other Vertues more truly vertuous for being so For then it is Simple Genuine and Real but studied Modesty is affected and artificial yet where Nature has not been so obliging as to give the endowment 't is not altogether to be condemned since it is agreeable to the best of our conditions in this World and supplies a defect in his Nature that is born without it IT is akin to Shame yet increases the honour of him that wears it it is the shade of Vertue yet makes it brighter It is a tincture of Humility visible in a vermilion and deeper die and the more natural and easie the more sweet and delightful IT charms the Envy of those that admire us and by seeming to extinguish our worth gives it a double beauty It reconciles a man to the Enemies of his Grace and Vertue and by a softness irresistible wins a Compassion in all Spectators It is a Vertue which by refusing the honour that is due unto it acquireth more a real Counterfeit and the only honest and true dissimulation It is an effeminate yet a laudable quality a spice of Cowardice more prevalent than Courage a Vertue by which we despise all meaner Honours while we are ambitiously carried to the highest Glory It seemeth inconsistent with Magnanimity yet is her youngest Sister IT hath not many Objects nor are its Aims apparent nor its Ends conspicuous It is the Mother of fine and delicate Resentments its strength consisteth in tenderness and fear He that is Magnanimous in one respect may be modest in another Praises and Commendations are the fuel of its Nature it feedeth upon them while it grows by rejecting them It delights in what it feareth and is full of discords but more full of harmonies It is pleased in its displeasure and alwaies fighteth with its own Repugnancies It is a Vertue mixt of Sence and Reason its region is in the Body more than in the Soul and in all its Spiritual motions it is attended with Corporeal impressions The Blood and Spirits dance in the Veins as if Nature were delighted with its own Confusions By captivating the favour of Men upon Earth it affecteth the very Angels in Heaven with much of pleasure It
other mens Souls shining in the Acts of their Understanding throughout all Eternity and extending themselves in the Beams of Love through all Immensity and thereby transformed every one of them into a Sphear of Light comprehending the Heavens every Angel and every Spirit being a Temple of GODS Omnipresence and Perfection this alone will be a ravishing Spectacle to that Goodness which delights to see innumerable Possessors of the Same Kingdome Much more will the Perfection of the Kingdome it self which by infinite Wisdome is so constituted that every one is the Sovereign Object the First born and Sole heir and End of the Kingdome Every one the Bride of GOD every one there a King yet without Confusion or Diminution every one distinctly enjoying all and adding to each others fruition TO understand all this and not to delight in it is more miserable then not to understand it To see it without being able to enjoy it is to pine away in a prison from whence we see the Glory of a Palace and repine in our misery at the Pleasures of those that are about it To delight in these Things without being affected with them is impossible Nor is there any Affection but that of Love whereby we can enjoy them THE Angels see the Glory of GODS Kingdom and delight in it the Damned see the Joys of the Blessed and are tortured by them the Wicked upon Earth neither see nor are affected with them the Saints on Earth apprehend them in part and believe them desire and endeavour after them they wait with Expectation for the whole and by certain degrees as it were in a Glass enjoy the Image and Reflection of them As many as they comprehend they actually delight in for their love is awakened and extended to the goodness of all they understand which it feeds upon by meditation and turnes into Nourishment for the Beneffit of their Souls which are made more Great and Strong and Vigorous by their Fruitions But without Love it is easie to see that no Goodness can be at all enjoyed GOD does desire Love from us because his Wisdom very well knows that without Love the World would be in vain and the End of the Creation frustrated his Goodness is diffusive and infinitly desires to communicate it self which it cannot do unless it be Beloved To receive it is the highest service we can do unto it nothing being more agreeable to the Nature of his Goodness then that it should be enjoyed His Blessedness consisteth in the pleasure he taketh in the Felicity of others and brancheth it self out into two Parts the Pleasure of Communicating all to others and the pleasure of receiving all from others in the satisfaction which he taketh to see others Blessed in the Returns of those joys and Praises which are offered up to his Goodness and Glory His Glory desires to be seen and delighted in To be esteemed and beloved to be honored and admired is natural to Glory the Brightness of whose splendor is more Sensibly Pleasant in the Reflection of its face and in the Joy that it makes in anothers Soul His Holiness takes Pleasure in pure and upright Actions of all which Love is the fountain There is an Objective fitness and Excellency in Love for which it is infinitely valued by him It is one of the first and immediate Properties of Love to desire to be beloved to make its object most Amiable and Beautiful as well as Blessed to be united to it to have its own Goodness acknowledged its Essence approved its excellency desired admired and delighted in to see all its Actions Appearances Gifts and Tokens esteemed and to feel its own Efficacy in the Grateful Acceptance it finds in the Raptures it occasions in the flames it enkindles in anothers Soul Now Love is the fountain of all Honour Gratitude Praise and Esteem By Love the Soul is transformed into the Similitude of GOD by love made Bright and Beautiful all its Blessedness and Glory are founded in its Love it is by Love it self made Communicative and Diffusive and Great and Rich and as the Scripture speaketh fit for Delights All Obedience and service are founded in Love And if a Creature that is Beloved must freely give up it self to anothers Pleasure before it can shew its Love or intirely be enjoyed Love is of all other things in the World most fit to answer Love because the very heart and Soul is given thereby to the Person that desires it LOVE is the Fountain of all Benefits and Pleasures House Estate and Lands Authority Wealth and Power Life it self is consecrated and Devoted by a Lover to his Object So that on our side all is given to GOD by Love as well as by Love it is received from him The Heavens and the Earth and all the Creatures are Gifts and Tokens of his Love Men and Angels are a Present of his Love which he hath infinitely adorned and made endlessly serviceable to every Soul that is Beloved All these his Love would have us to receive with a due Esteem and therefore is it than of his Love he will have us to exercise our reason aright and Love them as much as their Goodness deserveth When we see and understand their Excellence and Esteem them according to the transcendent value that appeareth in them we adorn our selves with their fair Ideas we enlarge and beautifie our Souls with Bright and clear Apprehensions and which is much more with regular and well ordered Affections we enrich our selves and increase our Greatness in the fruition of his Gifts we are lively and pleasant and vigorous Creatures full of Knowledge and Wisdome and Goodness and fit to offer up all these things unto him again while we empty them as Helps and Advantages in that Service which we pay unto him For our Love to himself is enkindled by these Incentives and while we sacrifice our selves and them unto him we delight in nothing more then to see him that is so Great in Love and Bounty the Author and Possessor of all his Glories CHAP. VIII Of the Excellency of Truth as it is the Object and Cause of Vertue The Matter and form of Vertuous Actions That their form is infinitely more Excellent then their Matter and the Heathen Morality infinitely defective and short of the Christian. I do not see that Aristotle made the End of Vertue any other then a finite and temporal Felicity which is infinitely short of that felicity which is here begun and enjoyed for ever He did not make GOD the Object and End of the Soul and if all Acts are distinguished into their Kinds by their Objects and their Ends those Vertues must be infinitely base that have no other Objects or Ends but Creatures and those only Divine and Noble that flow from an infinite and Eternal Original respect an infinite and Eternal Object rest in an Infinite and Eternal End His Difinition of Felicity importeth all this but his Behavior makes me to
and to be really laden with all the bunches of Grapes that beautifie it The Excellency of its Nature is vain if its Fruit be never brought to perfection There is a Glory in the Work which the silent Habit is uncapable of It is the Life and Vigour of the Exercise in which all the brightness consisteth Even Diamonds in the Quarry are dull and dim they receive not their full lustre and Price till they are cut and polished GOD hath placed our Trial in sharp and bitter Atchievments because the Love that is exprest in Agonies and Conflicts acquires other kind of Beauties that produce more violent and strong Effects in the Mind of the Spectator and touch the Soul of the Beloved with more quick and feeling Compassions than any Love expressed in Ease and Pleasure can pretend to And since all our Felicity consists in the violence of Gods Love his great and perfect Sence of our Beauty and Honour his full and compleat delight and Complacency all that which affecteth his Soul with more feeling and tender Resentment must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and precious to us because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 us more dear and precious to him We live in him more effectually and feel our selves rooted in his Love and crowned with his Comâ—lacency more abundantly by how much the more his Affection bleedeth and his Pity which enbalms Love is stirred up to receive us And therefore it is that St. Peter saith We are in Heaviness for a season through manifold Temptations that the Trial of our Faith being much more precious than of Gold that perisheth though it be tried with Fire might be found unto Praise and Honour and Glory at the Appearing of Jesus Christ. For as we have before observed Love is more effeminate in a condition of Repose where all is sweet and easie to our selves there can be no Fidelity no Patience no Fortitude no actual Sacrificing of all our Contentments and Joyes to our Beloved no Victory over Death and Hell and the Grave no Self denial no Endearments springing from the same no Prelation of our Object above our selves no loss of Honours Riches Liberties and Lives for our Objects sake and the more of this is Actually done the more of Necessity must be the following Joy of Glory And for this Cause doth St. Peter further exhort us Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery Trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you But rejoyce in as much as ye are Partakers of Christs Sufferings that when his Glory is revealed you may be glad also with exceeding Joy If ye be reproached for the Name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon you on their part he is evil spoken of but on your part he is glorisied THIS he speaketh I confess of the Persecutions Imprisonments and Flames of the Martyrs that were Gods Friends and the Champions of his Truth in the World that in vindication of his Glory endured the Brunt and received all the Arrows of his Enemies in their Bosom but no Man has cause to be discouraged For where the greatness of the Cause is wanting and the apparent glory of the Consequence unseen as for the most part it is in all our common and ordinary Afflictions there to submit to the Will of GOD where there is so much Baseness as in Poverty in Sickness where there is so much Unprofitableness in private Losses and Calamities where there is so much Obscurity meerly because it is GODS pleasure and because in other things he hath infinitely obliged us and prepared infinite and eternal Joyes this hath a peculiar Grace in its nature that in ordinary occurrences makes our Patience more rare and extraordinary THERE are a thousand things that may be said on this Theme which for brevity I must pass All I shall observe further is this that as the Scriptures open the design of Patience and unvail the face of its mysterious Nature so doth Reason shew its invincible height and magnanimity Patience is a Vertue whose element is in Miseries it owes its being to Pains and Calamities were there no Miseries there could be no Patience Evils are its Play-sellows it feeds upon Sorrows thrives by Disadvantages grows rich by Poverties it must needs surmount all Opposition for the more it endures the greater it is It is impossible for Calamity to hurt Patience it is made perfect by Sufferings The more Patient a man is his Patience is the greater and the greater his Patience is the more strong and mighty his Soul is Nothing can quell him or discourage or overcome him that is compleat in Patience He dareth all things because he can endure them All his Martial and Heroical Vertues are knit together in Patience Fortitude it self cannot win the field without it The most valiant Souldier is but useless if he cannot endure Hunger and Cold and Heat and Rain the Incommodities of a March and lying on the Ground VVhile he that endures all things marches on and gets into the Field where Fidelity Love and Loyalty are tried and cannot be hindered from the full and perfect exercise of all these because he can bear any thing that is Evil he can do any thing that is Good He will fight the good fight with alacrity and at last most certainly attain the Crown of Righteousness and the Kings favour CHAP. XXV The Cause of Meekness is Love It respects the future beauty and perfection of its object It is the most supernatural of all the Vertues The Reasons and Grounds of this Vertue in the estate of Grace and Misery It s manifold Effects and Excellencies Of the Meekness of Moses and Joseph MEEKNESS is a Vertue of the Third estate as well as Patience Patience regards Calamities Meekness VVrongs The Injuries that we receive from others are its proper Objects It springs from Love and tends to its Continuance and Preservation It hath something peculiar in its nature because it gives Immutability to Goodness and makes our VVorth not to depend on other Mens Deservings but our own Resolutions It is fed by Charity and like a grateful Off spring of a Parent so amiable helps in its greatest extremity to preserve it from its extinction For all Love by Nature dies into Distaste when its Object hath offended because Approbation which is the first step to Esteem and Esteem it self which is a degree to Love have no other Object but something that is Amiable and sit to be beloved And again every thing that is divested of all its excellence is common if not odious and lost to our Affection till Meekness comes in to rescue and save both our Love and it from its dismal Period It s End is the Recovery of what has offended Hope and Possibility are the foundation of its exercise Prudence is the Guide by which it is conducted to the satisfaction of our desire in the restitution of Amity between us and our Adversary
enjoyment I hope in like manner nay I see it plainly And of all these Joyes the Cross of Christ is the Root and Centre I confess it is difficult to gain this high and divine Contentment because its measure and value is infinite Nay there are other causes both Temporal and Eternal that may seem to be impediments One was a business which David did experience The prosperity of the Wicked They live in so much Splendour Pomp and Grandeur have so much Respect and Reverence paid unto them and reign as it were in the high Esteem of all that are round about them in such a manner that a Poor good man is hardly lookt upon among them His condition seemeth Servile and he is little regarded David carried the Temptation far higher yet triumphed over it Psal. 73. 1 c. Truly GOD is good to Israel even to such as are of a clean heart But as for me my feet were almost gone my steps had well nigh slipt For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the Wicked For all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning Whether it be through Nature or its Corruption I cannot tell at least I will not stand to dispute it but it is somewhat grievous to see men of the same mould with our selves so highly magnified and our selves slighted and unable to appear with Equality among them because the true Greatness of our Souls is hidden oppressed and buried as it were in the Meanness of our Condition But yet we have excellent Company David and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and all the Martyrs that are now so glorious And if you please you may consider what these Great men do when the shew is over We when we come abroad are weak and despised and they when they are alone A Vertuous man is Great within and glorious in his Retirements is honoured also among men in Truth and Reality the rest make an outward shew and are honoured in Ceremony We are accepted in the eyes of GOD and his holy Angels and they are condemned Their Life is a Dream and ours is Eternal We expatiate over all the World with infinite Joy and Pleasure in our Solitudes and they are nothing when they return to themselves That wherein the greatest difficulty of all doth consist is the boundless desire and ambition of the Soul whereby we are tempted to envy any thing that is above us and for ever to be displeased unless our glory and blessedness be Eternal I do not mean Immortal only but of everlasting Extent and infinite Beauty We soar to the Best and highest of all that is possible And unless in all Ages and Kingdoms our Satisfaction be compleat and our Pleasure exquisite we are prone to be tormented with the perfection of our Desires But GOD having given himself and all his Kingdom and Glory to us there is no room for Complaint All his Power being glorified by his Wisdom and Goodness for our advancement we need nothing but a clear sight of the face of Truth and a lively sence of our Condition to ravish and transport us into Extasies and Praises THE happiness of a Contented Spirit consists not alone in the fruitions of its Bliss but in the fruits and effects it produceth in our Lives It gives us many advantages over Sin Temptation Fear Affliction Poverty Sickness Death and all other Casualties to which we are obnoxious by reason of our frail and fickle condition But all these I shall pass over and only mention two which are worth our care and desire Security and Power AS there is a vain and empty Contentment so there is a rash and foolish Security For a man to wink at all Hazards to which he is exposed and without any consideration of what may befal him to give himself up to his ease and pleasure is as great a madness as it is for a General environed with Enemies to sleep without his Guards or be totally negligent of his Camp and his Army But when he has Conquered all his Enemies then to be filled with Melancholy fears and Pannick terrours is as great a weakness as a man of Worth can be capable of Even in the midst of them when he has surveyed all their strengths and made full provision for their incursions he may take his rest with liberty provided he be moderate and wary in his proceedings This last is our Condition We must not live as if there were no Sickness and Death in the World We must remember there are Calamities of every kind and fortifie our selves with Principles and Resolutions against them all put on the whole Armour of GOD which is called sometimes the Armour of Light and stand prepared for all Assaults whatsoever When we have so done as it is a terrible thing to be surprized so it is a glorious thing with open eyes to see and know all the Evil that is in Death Imprisonment Persecution Shame and Poverty Famine Banishment Pain and Torment and yet to be secure in the midst of our fruitions There is a worthless and there is a divine Security It is a poor business for a man to be secure that has nothing to lose A Beggar sings upon the Road without any fear of Thieves But to be full of Gold and Jewels yet safe from danger to be secure in a Palace of Delights in the midst of a Kingdom and in the possession of all its glory to rest with safety this is a valuable and sweet Security a safety enriched with solid Enjoyments much more is it here upon Earth to have the bliss and security of Angels Among Wolves and Tygers and Bears and Dragons among Thieves and Murtherers Bloody Men and Devils among Dead-mens Bones and Graves and Sepulchres when showers of Arrows fall round about us and Hell is beneath us this is something more than to be secure where no danger is near no Calamity possible It is a kind of triumph in Security and hath a peculiar glory in it which the very security of Heaven is incapable of And yet poor frail Man obnoxious and liable to all these destructions is safe among them all when he is once gotten into the heart of GOD's Kingdom and surrounded with Felicity It s very Beauties are its Strengths He knows himself beloved of the eternal GOD and that the King of Terrors is but a disguised Bug-Bear a dark and doleful passage to the Ignorant but to him a bright and transparent way to the King of Glory This Blessedness is of stable incorruptible nature which nothing can destroy It digesteth all kind of Evils and turneth them into nourishment There is a Wisdom above us and a Wisdom within us that maketh all things work together for good to them that love GOD and nothing is able to hurt us but our selves Now for Power which Felicity giveth There is an intrinsick power in the enjoyment it self for which Felicity is to be admired in