The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 1 · Meditation 13
13. That white shining lillie Iesus, is not to be found but amongst pricking sharpe thornes.
SWeet Iesus, most sweet Iesus, yea Iesus farre sweeter then the honie and the honie combe, is that onelyonly rich Iewell more precious then the finest gold, fined seuen times, which is onelyonly worthy of thy louelove, ô my soule! as now I hope thou seest clearely, and perceiuest sensibly, to thy great contentment and vnspeakable ioy. Thou art a heauenly spirit, ô my soule, created by that vncreated Spirit, and redeemed by that eternall wisedome of God thy Father, Iesus God-man, & man-God, to liue, through, before him, and with him for euermore. And yet I must tel thee, ô my soule, that this sweetest honie Iesus, that this only precious golden iewel Iesus, (who alone being all things to thee, is onelyonly worthie of thy louelove, desire, and delight) is not to be found, but in a thorny bush, and amongst pricking bryers, as it were; so that when thou drawest neare to see him, to seeke him, & to embrace him, thou must be content to be pierced to the very quicke. And yet I must charge thee, ô my soule, albeit I should be pricked to the shedding of my bloud in seeking after him, ceasse not to seeke after him, till thou find him, for well is that bloud spent, which is spilt in seeking after him, and in finding of him. Yea albeit I should die when thou hast gotten him, ceasse not to sticke by him, ceasse not to keepe him. For ô how honourably dieth he, who dieth resolutely for seeking and keeping of that blessed Iesus, who died willingly, to the end that he might find him, and finding him, might saue him from that death which onelyonly deserueth the stile of death? Iesus thy louelove, ô my soule, who is onelyonly worthie of thy louelove, is not to be found, but in the thornie bush of pricking tentations, and amongst the sharpe bryers of stinging tribulations. And therefore if I, bending my eare to the enchanting voice of Satan, to the flattering speeches of this world, or to the alluring stings of my owne lusts) shall refuse with that selfe-louer in the Gospell to follow after Iesus,Mat. 8. 19. 20. because I shall want a hole to hide my selfe in, or a stone to lay my head vponupon; I shall assuredly depriue my selfe of Iesus. Yea, if I being possessed with the best things of the earth, euen in greatest quantitie, shall refuse at the commandement of Iesus to quit them all, I shall neuer be partaker of that treasure which is onelyonly to be found in heauen through him.Mat. 19. 21. 22. Hast thou forgotten, ô my soule, that badge and reward wisely prepared for thee, when thy sweetest liberall wise Sauiour is measuring out the things of this earth to thee, after that thou through his speciall grace, hast forsaken all things for him: Verily, I say vntounto you, there is no man, Marke 10. 29. 30.that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the Gospell, but he shall receiue an hundreth fold now at this present, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mother, and children, and lands with persecutions, and in the world to come eternall life. Thus hauehave what sweete flesh thou canst hauehave here on earth, ô my soule, thou must be content to eate it with the bitter hearbs of persecution, and yet while thy mouth is filled with nothing here beside bitternesse, assure thy selfe of the sweetnesse of glorie afterward: for as the crosse is Christs badge below, so the crowne is his reward aboue. The sense hereof moued Augustine to say, Non Christus regno terreno decoratus, August.nec Christus terrenis opibus diues, nec Christus vlla terrena felicitate praefulgens, sed Christus crucifixus …er totum orbem praedicatur. Christ is preached throughout the whole world, not decored with any earthly kingdome, not enriched with earthly goods, not shining gloriously through any glorious prosperitie▪ but crucified, and so couered with ignominie.