The Handmaid to Private Devotion, Part 1
THE PREPARATION TO RELIGIOVS exercises in generall.
PAR. I. Of Deuotion.
PRemeditation is the preparation to priuate prayer; priuate to publicke; priuate, and publicke to the hearing the word; priuate, and publicke prayer, together with the hearing of the word to the worthie participation of the holy Sacrament. For the Sacrament receiues strength and vigour from the word preached; the word preached from publicke prayer; publicke prayer from priuate Deuotion; and that from premeditation, and consideration of the nature of deuotion, and necessitie of preparation it selfe to all holy duties, in the immediate worship of God.
Deuotion is the harts warmth,Of deuotion or rather lifes bloud of religion: It is a sacred bond knitting the soule vntounto God: It is a spirituall muskle mouing onelyonly vpward, and lifting vp the hearts, eyes, and hands continually vntounto heauen. And because it consisteth rather in the feruour of the affections, then light of the thoughts, of blaze, or lustre in the words, it is better felt then vnderstood, and yet better vnderstood then can be expressed. Especially, priuate deuotion, which is the Saint to whom I deuote this Treatise. For priuate deuotion (to shunne ostenta…ion, and hypocrisie in heauenly things) alwayes shuts her selfe vp in her closet, desiring no eye to see her but her Fathers in secret. Math. 6. 6.Wounded she is (like the spouse in the Canticles) with the darts of diuine louelove; Greg. in Cant.and continually bleedeth, but inwardly in teares of compassion,Lachrimae sanguie animae, August. compunction, and excessiue ioy. There appeares no externall orifez in the flesh to be seene. Shee resembles the strange plant in Plinie,Plin. lib. 21. c. 16. which buds inwardly, Flos nasc…tur non euidens sed in occulto, & intùs germinatus,and shooteth forth no bud, blossome, or leafe outwardly. For if priuate deuotion cometh once to be knowne, it ceaseth to be priuate. The greatest commendation of it is like to that of the Garamantite,Plin. 37. c. 7. Garamantitis summa commendatio est, quod velut in translucido stillantes intus fulgent aur…ae gu…ae semper in c… te, non in corpore. a precious stone, that hath no beautie nor lustre in the outside, or in the surface, but within the bodie of it appeares golden drops of diuine infusion. What Cyprian speaketh of the w…rke of regeneration may be truly applyed to this vertue.Cypr. epist. l, 2 Sentitur priusquam discitur. It is felt before it can be spoken of, and it must be kindled in the heart by the Spirit, before it can be felt. It is the true Vest all fire that should be still kept burning in the heart;Val. Max. L…u. but if it go out (like that of the Vestals) it must bee kindled from heauen. To thee therefore ô most holy Spirit I addresse my prayer, to kindle and keepe this fire in my soule by thy heauenly blasts. Heate my heart with the feruour of true Deuotion, and touch my tongue with a coale from thine altar, that the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart may inflame all that reade these deuotions with a louelove of deuotion it selfe, and true Zeale.
Lev's censure may seeme too tart: He that is not more religious in Lent then at other times hath no religion as all. But I hauehave good warrant to suspect the sinceritie of their Deuotion altogether, who are not more deuout in priuate then in publike. For fire, the closer it is kept, the hotter it burneth; and the exhalations which are violently detained in cranies vnderunder ground, and can hauehave no vent, are of force to moue the earth it selfe. It cannot be otherwise but that the penitent, or compassionate eye, which droppeth in publike should runne and gush out with riuers of waters in priuate. The afflicted soule, which sometimes stealeth a groane, and fetcheth a sigh in the Church, offers vp often prayers with strong cries at home. He that is affected and eleuated with spirituall ioy in publike, is transported when he is alone, and hath priuate communications with God. S. Paul spake words of truth and sobernesse to the Corinthians,2. Cor. 5. 13. Whether we he besides our selues it is to God, or whether we be sober it is to you. And Saint Ierome confirmeth it with an oath,Epist. tom 1. & Mar…an. inuit Ieron. T…stor deum, po…t heudomid… … &c. v…su… sum mihi versari inter agmina angelor. that after many dayes (nay weekes) spent by him in fasting and prayer, in the end hee was rauished in spirit, and seemed to hauehave priuate conuersation and familiaritie with quires of Angels. My intent is not to detract any thing from publike deuotion; but my desire is to adde to priuate. Publike is more solemne, but priuate ought to be more frequent: Publike makes more noise, but priuate (for the most part) hath a deeper channell. Our Sauiour diuideth blessednesse equally betweene them both; Blessed (saith he) is he that heareth the word and keepeth it: it is publike deuotion that heareth the word preached, but priuate that keepes it: Publike gathereth Manna in greater aboundance; but priuate is the golden Omer that preserueth it. The Hart doth not so pant and bray for the riuers of waters, as the soule of eueryevery religious man longeth for the waters of life, running plentifully out of the golden spoutes of the Temple, the Ministers of the word; but priuate deuotion it is that breedes this longing after the publike Ministerie. Let vsus take a patterne of Deuotion from our blessed Sauiour, to whom all deuotions are due. What commandeth hee by expresse precept? When thou prayest enter into thy closet: Math. 6. 6.and what commendeth hee most by his owne practise? It is true, he calleth his house the house of prayer; and as we reade, that he was daily preaching: so I doubt not but hee was daily praying in the Temple; yet ye shall find him oftener on the Mount, Math. 14. 27.or in the Garden, Math. 26. 36.or in some priuate solitarie place praying alone,Ma…ke 1. 35. then in the Temple;Luke 6. 12. yea,Luke 9. 8. 28 and continuing longer in prayer,Luke 11. 1. spending sometimes whole nights in it.Luke 22. 45. This practise of our Sauiour hath bene a president to all those whose names in the Church of God are,Iohn 17. and hauehave bene as a sweete ointment for daily offering the sweetest incense of prayer to God. Religious men neuer are wanting in publike assemblies, but they exceed in priuate Deuotion. Publike exercises of religion be their feasts, but priuate their ordinarie. Where find you Daniel but in his chamber at his Deuotion looking towards Ierusalem? Dan. 6. 10.Where find you Dauid but in his couch,Psal. 6. 6. watering it with his teares,Psal. 77. 6. and communing with his owne heart in the night? Acts 10. 30.Where find you Cornelius but in his house in praying? Where find you Saint Iohn on the Lords day but in the Ile alone by himselfe in the spirit. Reuel. 1. 10.The powring out our speciall complaints to God, our vowes to refraine such companie and such occasions of sinne; the ripping vp of our whole life with a particular confession of our sins, aggrauated by all circumstances, and all those parts of repentance, or the soules discipline mentioned by Saint Paul are most necessarie exercises of religion,2. Cor. 7. 11. yet cannot be so safely done, nor so decently, nor so effectually in publike as in priuate. These parts are not to be acted on the stage, but within the hangings.Commodius ista inter transiguntur. Ex. He that actes these on the stage will hauehave the person of an hypocrite put vponupon him for it.Luke 22. 44. Where was our Sauiour in his agonie but alone in Gethsemaine? Math 26. 36.Where was hee transfigured in his prayer but on the holy Mount alone?Math. 17. 2. Moses his face shined after he came from his secret parlie with God▪ Exod. 34. 29.and our soules shall shine with all spirituall graces, if we hauehave often priuate conference with him by prayer, but alwayes with due reuerence and preparation before.
PARAG. 2. Of Preparation.
Preparation to religious exercises is twofold.
1 Extraordinarie, as watching, fasting and the like, of which see the admonition for Ash-wednesday.
2 Ordinary. which consisteth in
1 Clensing our conscience from the guilt and staine of foule sinnes, especially grosse actuall sins newly committed.
2 Sequestring our thoughts from worldly cares & businesses.
3 Considering before hand what the RELIGIOVS worke is wee are about, and how we ought to performe it, and carrie our selues in it.
Moses put off his shooes, Purgation.and Dauid washed his hands before he drew neare to God. Exod. 3. 5.The Iewes and Turkes,Acts 7. 53. at this day,Psal. 26. 6. wash themselues before they enter their Temples; and the ancient Pagans vsed many ablutions and lustrations before they durst come in sight of their faigned gods. Math. 12. 44.The vncleane Spirit in the Gospell had a cleane lodging, and shall we entertaine the most pure and holy Spirit of God in an vncleane roome in our soules? What Courtier presumeth to come into the Kings presence in stinking and nastie cloathes, or with his hands and face all besmeared with dirt, or spotted with inke? How dare we then appeare before God with a foule and nastie conscience; with a heart full of malice; eyes full of adulterie; hands full of the treasures of wickednesse; mouthes full of deadly poyson of Aspes? When wee hauehave defiled our eyes with vnchast lookes, shall we presently cast them vp to heauen, and confidently looke God in the face, who is a God of most pure eyes, and cannot endure the least spot of impuritie? when we hauehave defiled our hands with bloud or vncleannesse, or telling our vse money, shall we presently lift them vp in supplication to God? when wee hauehave defiled our tongues with corrupt and rotten communication, foreign.shall we presently employ them in diuine prayer? when we hauehave defiled our bodies with beastly lusts, and wallowed in the mire of swinish pleasures, shall wee presently present our selues as a sacrifice vntounto God in priuate or publike deuotion? God by his holy Prophet teacheth vsus another lesson;Esay 5. 6. wash you; make you cleane; put away the euill of your doings from before mine eyes; Cease to do euill, learne to do well: Come now let vsus conferre and reason together.
Secondly,2. Sequestration. he that will consecrate his thoughts and affections by priuate Deuotion vntounto God, must remoue and sequester them from earthly affaires, and worldly negotiations. For the cares of this life, as they choake the seedes of the word: so they stifle deuout meditation in the wombe that conceiueth them. It is not more difficult to cast vp one eye to heauen, and the other downe on the earth at the same instant, then to fixe our cogitations and intentions at once, on God and the world. Holinesse in the Greeke implyeth a direct contradiction to earthlinesse:foreign ab foreign & foreign. Hagios is deriued from A: the priuatiue particle, and Ge signifying earth as if you would say vnearthlinesse. God is a Spirit, and cannot be otherwise seene of vsus then in spirit.Math 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. The soule of man is the glasse most truly representing Gods image. If a glasse be furd, or soyled with dust or dirt, it reflecteth no shape or proportion aright:Bern. de nat. dom. Tergat. speculum, mundet spiritum suum qui scitit videre deum. but wipe the dust from the glasse, and you shall see clearely. So (saith Saint Bernard) rub thy glasse, wipe away all dustie earthlinesse from thy mind, and thou shalt see God in thy soule, and conceiue cleare and diuine imaginations of him.
Thirdly, he that desireth that God should hauehave respect to him,3. Preconsideration. and to his spirituall offerings, must bee more readie to heare the wise man,Eccles. 5. 1. and looke to his foote, then to make hast to offer the sacrifice of fooles. What is it to offer the sacrifice of fooles, but rashly, and vnaduisedly, not to bring and lay downe, but to throw his gifts on Gods Altar without considering what he offereth, or … ▪ or to whom? He that makes no more of prayers to God then of speaking with one of his companions, nor of perusing inspired Scriptures, then reading a peice of Aristotle or Liuie, nor of participating of the blessed Sacrament, then taking a morsell of bread, or drinking a cup of wine, can expect no blessing for the vse, but rather ought to feare a curse for the abuse of these meanes of saluation. These ordinances of God sanctifie not such, but they rather prophane them.
Numa Pomphilius forbad any man vnderunder a great penaltie to salute his gods in the high way, or to pray, or bow, or to do any reuerence to their temples, or images, as they walked by them in the streets:Wo…erus de polymathiâ sacris religiosae debetur. and Wouer yeelds a reason of this law better then the law it selfe, Diuine Maiestie (sayes hee) must not be sleighted, holy duties must not bee suddenly sl…bbered ouer, but performed with reuerent regard, … religious cunctation or delay to frame and compose the mind vntounto them. But men hauehave forgotten the feare of the Lord, euen in his presence, and vnderunder his eye. The holy name of God is made so common in mens mouthes, and his dreadfull Maiestie so cheape in their estimamation, that as they speake of him without reuerence, so also they speake to him without aduised premeditation. They are farre from Dauids modestie, who went step by step,Suspenso gradu. and fetched a compasse to come to Gods altar.Psal. 26. 6. I will wash my hands in innocencie, and so I will compasse thine altar; but these make but one step to it. They suddenly and rudely rush vponupon Almightie God, Heb. 12. 29.neuer thinking that he is a consuming fire.
Augustus being inuited by a priuate Gentleman to his house, & entertained but slenderly, below the maiestie of so great an Emperour, in stead of thanking him, gaue him a secret, but smart checke for it, I knew not (said he) before that we were such familiars. Nesci…bam me tibi eam familiarem esse. Eras. Apoth.But hath not the King of heauen and Monarke of the whole world more iust cause to censure in the like manner, or more seuerely those among vsus that seeme most forward to inuite and entertaine him; who runne into his presence without shewing any reuerence; speake vntounto him without bowing their knee; heare him in the Ministry of the Word without vncouering their heads; participate of the dreadfull Mysteries (as the Fathers call them) of his blessed Body and Blood;Tremenda mysteria. sitting at the Communion as they doe at their ordinary table, without expressing any thankfull humility, or giuing testimony, that they discerne the Lords body from common meat. Is this to serue the Lord Christ with feare? To reioyce vntounto him with trembling? To kisse the Sonne least hee be angry? Nay to fall lowe before his footstoole, because hee is holy? But I will speake no more of Preparation to holy duties in generall, least the preludium grow longer then the lesson I am now to prick.