The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 2 · Meditation 1
1. Holy and humble would profane proud man studie to be; if he knew how profane and vile that stable is, which he lodgeth within him, euen his heart.
IF man could know what man is through man his owne default, ô my soule, He is not sensible of pietie, he is not sensible of common honestie, who would not pitie man, who would not admire that man could be such a one as he is? O man thou seest these feete vponupon the which thou walkest, these hands by the which thou workest, thou knowest that thou hast eyes by the which thou seest, eares by the which thou hearest, a nose by the which thou smellest, a mouth by the which thou tastest, and a tongue by the which thou speakest, and diuerse members by the which thou touchest. Alwayes, hearken, hearken, ô my soule, knoweth man, notwithstanding of all this, that heart that is within him, by the which, alas, his seeing, his hearing, his smelling, his tasting, his touching is so fully corrupted, yea, fully debased that his whole behauiour is made to be loathsome, and abhominable before that holy wise God, who looketh onelyonly vponupon the heart, and according to the heart iudgeth of the whole man? That house to this day was neuer praised by any wise man, ô my soule, which hauing a faire outward shew in the eyes of man, looking without vponupon it; which hath neither hall, nor chamber within commodious for mans vse, or pleasant for mans delight; but contrariwise, which maketh the owner and professor of it by day afraide, lest any come to visit him (considering the naughtinesse of his lodging) and such as by night is hurtsome to himselfe, procuring vntounto him grieuous vnease, while others without thinke him to be at rest. While man, ô my soule, comparing himselfe with the other inferiour creatures, liuing and mouing aboue him in the aire, about him in the seas beneath, and with him in the earth here, casting his eyes sharply, sets his eyes solidly vponupon himselfe and them, and beginnes any way, narrowly to examine the admirable artifice of the bodie of man, and the more then commonly proportion of it, farre surmounting and excelling these creatures: I wonder not that he be made to crie out with Dauid. I will praise, thee o Lord, for I am wonderfully made, marueilous are thy workes and my soule knoweth it well. Alwayes sure I am, ô my soule, that the proud swanne was neuer so much dashed at the sight of his blacke feete, (considering the rare beautie of his faire feathers) as man should be cast downe, enriched with a reasonable soule, cloathed with so comely, so formall, and perfectly consummate a body, in respect of all the members, and in respect of eueryevery member of it, situate in their seuerall places so orderly, and in these places exercising their diuerse functions so exquisitely, (that the Phylosopher doubted not ro call man a very little world: man being as it were the verie Epitome and compound of all Gods workes) if besides these two eyes which he hath without in his bodie, he had but one eye in his soule, to looke vponupon that heart his God seeth, albeit his neighbour see it not, his God perfectly knoweth, albeit he himselfe can hardly know it; yea, can hardly be moued to paine himselfe to learne to know it, notwithstanding this be the onelyonly chiefe studie a man liuing here should take himselfe vntounto. For till a mans owne heart be knowne, by a man himselfe, impossibly is it, that a man can know his God to saluation. Now to the effect, ô my soule, that I may moue thee while I breath here, to paine thy selfe lesse about my eares, my eyes, my mouth, my hands, my feete, and in a word about my backe, and bellie, and to turne all thy labour vponupon that heart which is within me, deale with thy God for three things, and neuer ceasse to wearie him with thy prayers till thou be heard, and these three things be granted to thee. Now what be these three, ô my soule, I pray thee? A spirituall eye to see, a holy strong memorie to remember, and with these two graces, to make conscience of that thou seest, of that thou remembrest. Eyes to see not the workes of thy hands, and wandrings of thy feete; but the workes and wandrings of that heart that is within me; and so these thoughts escape me by day, by night; by day, while thou art waking, yea, waking not exercised about the things of this world, in the companie of few, of moe, or thy selfe alone. But while thou being a professor and hearer of the good word of God, art before thy God cast downe vponupon thy knees, speaking to his Maiestie by prayers in thy owne house, or in his Sanctuarie, or hearing his Maiestie speaking to thee by his word. By night when thou art sleeping vponupon thy couch, thy eares hearing no sound, thy eyes being closed, thy tongue being silent, thy hand being idle, thy feete not mouing. Sure I am, sure I am, ô my soule, had preachers, had professours eyes to see, what vile, vgly, monstrous, cruell, bloudie, and brutish thoughts, ouertakes, and ouershadowes their soules, while they are sleeping while they are waking, yea, waking, and reading; waking, and praying; waking, and hearing Gods word; yea, deliuering and receiuing the Sacraments, and with this, First, a memorie to remember vponupon these thoughts; Secondly, grace to make conscience of them, (seeing our God should be loued with thy whole soule, strength, and minde.) He goes not to pulpit, he comes not to heare Gods word preached from the pulpit, who would not be compelled from one wounded soule drawing vp deepe grones, powring out with both his eyes bitter teares, crying out, ô Lord God how is it that man inriched with an heauenly, reasonable soule, with such a comely well ordered and decked bodie, in proportion and outward shape, farre surmounting all the inferiour workes of thy hands, let it be the gorgeous and glorious cabinates and places of Kings, and Princes made by the hands of men, carries not about him vponupon his head, vponupon his hands, vponupon his feete, to the view of man; but within him, to the sight of thy Maiestie, his alseeing quicke eye, such a foule stable, which with the raging sea, casteth vp the foule dirt of vile thoughts continually? Confesse, confesse, ô my soule, and be not ashamed to lay that open before God, Angels, and men, which thou canst denie to be true. Oftentimes hath my God who cannot lie, by that holy volume of sacred Scripture, indited by that Spirit of truth, and read by me, presented before me that stinking stable of that vile heart I carrie about with me. Alwayes, neuer was I any wayes truly sensible to my humiliation before God, of the nature of this stable of my heart, till through thy grace I was made to reade that touching my heart, vponupon the table of my heart; which I had read before in the volume of holy Scriptures. Oh Lord God that euer man hearkned vntounto Satan, and hearkning vntounto him, loosed thy glorious Image, to the which he was made: for had not man fallen from thee, such thoughts would neuer hauehave fallen vponupon him; yea, he would neuer hauehave carried about with him that filthiest stable, the like whereof is not to be found in the aire among the foules, in the seas among the fishes, nor in the earth among the beastes, out of the which such thoughts do flow. Let the sight and sense of this, ô my soule, leade thee mid-day, morning, and euening, with Dauid towards the throne of the grace of thy God, leaning strongly vponupon the merits and mediation of thy onelyonly Mediator, and Sauiour Iesus, begging with sobbes and teares, the blessed Spirit of sanctification, by whose mortifying power this stinking stable of my heart, may peece and peece be emptied of that vile matter, (alas, while I am sleeping while I am waking,) gusheth so abundantly out of it, to the offence of my God and to the continuall disquieting of my poore conscience; and by whose renewing force, this stinking stable being thus happily emptied of this vile matter, may be graciously turned in a cleane shining cabinet, well decked and hung with heauenly tapistrie, fit to receiue, fit to retaine through the working grace of this Spirit, the changer and keeper of it, euen that sweet Spirit of the Father, and of his Sonne; to the end that holy one making his abode and residence with me, yea, within me: I may hereafter so carie my selfe, that my thoughts, my lookes, my hearing, my smelling, my tasting, my touching, yea, my whole speeches, workes, and wandrings, may be such as may glorifie my Father, edifie my brethren, and stop the mouthes of my adueruersaries, and hauehave thee, ô my soule, assured, that thy God hath begunne graciously to giuegive, and to enrich thee with sauing grace; and that his Maiestie will not cease out of that his free louelove (which changeth not) to adde grace vntounto grace, till it please him (perfecting his happily begun and well prosecuted good worke) turne begunne grace into perfect and endlesse glorie. Could I see my heart, ô my soule, as the maker of it saw it when he said:Gen. 8. 21. I will henceforth curse the ground no more for mans cause, for the imaginations of the heart of man are euill, euen from his youth; as the searcher of it saw it when he said:Ier. 17. 9. The heart is deceitfull aboue all things, who can know it. As our Sauiour saw it when he said:Mat. 15. 18. 19. These things which proceed out of the mouth, come from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart come euill thoughts, murthers, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, Psal. 51. 10.slanders. O then, I would not cease vncessantly to crie with Dauid: Create in me a cleane heart, ô God, and renew a right spirit within me.