The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 2 · Meditation 17
17. All men should so liue in the world, that they may amend the world; but chiefly those whom God hath set ouer others.
TRemble, tremble, ô my soule, while that I hauing my eares opened, am compelled, alas, against my heart to heare men, euen set in authoritie ouer others, some hauing the very charges of soules, others ruling ouer the bodies and goods of people, yet both crying to my hearing, albeit to my great griefe: We came in the world to liue in the world, and not to amend the world. Oh, ô my soule, that euer a man, especially called a Christian, and set ouer Christians, should hauehave lodged an heart within him, finding a tongue to vtter a speech so grosly sauouring of vncouth Atheisme. Tell me, tell me, ô godlesse professour, thinking and speaking thus: Wherefore were the foules of the aire, the fishes of the seas, with many other good creatures of God, wherewith this earth is plenished, created? I know thou wilt answer me without any delay, To feed and serue man. Alwayes did that wise God create them for man, onelyonly to the end that man might liue here, and not to the end that man liuing here, might seeke and serue that God who made them for man, and man for himselfe? O Iohn the Baptist, tell me wherefore thou camest into the world? was it not to turne the hearts of the fathers towards the children, and the disobedient vntounto the wisedome of the iust man, to make readie a people prepared for the Lord,Luk. 1. 77. 79. To giuegive knowledge of saluation to Gods people, by remission of their sinnes, to giuegive light to them that sit in darkenesse, and in the shadow of death, and to guide our hearts in the way of peace. O blessed Iesus, wherefore camest thou in the world? came not thy Maiestie as a Physitian furnished with perfect medicines, to quicken and cure euerie dead and diseased soule, and to be life to dead men,Mar. 2. 17. to be light to blind men, yea by calling sinners to repentance, by seeking the wandring sheepe, the lost groat, and the prodigall child, not onelyonly to amend the world which was hurt,Luk. 1. 5. 4. 8. 20. 21. 22. but to saue the world which was condemned? O holy Apostles, wherefore were ye called, and sent forth through the world by your Lord and Maister, was it not that ye being witnesses to him, both in Ierusalem, and in Iudaea, and in Samaria, and vntounto the vttermost parts of the world, might by preaching of the Gospell not onelyonly amend, but saue the condemned I…w, the condemned Gentile, which should beleeue in Iesus? Tell me, ô Dauid, wherefore was it that thy God did chuse thee, and take thee from behind the Ewes with yong: was it not that thou mightest feed his sheepe in Iacob, Psal. 78. 70. 71.and his inheritance in Israel? Yea, tell me, ô Paul, wherefore be these powers which be of God ordained by God, is not this done for the wealth of those who do well,Rom. 13. 3. 4. and to take vengeance vponupon them who do euill? Canst thou forget, ô my soule, that wholsome counsell giuen by the Spirit to the Ephesians, and in their name to all those who would declare themselues to be such, whom God hath mercifully called from damnable darknesse of ignorance, of infidelitie, and of debaucherie, vntounto the sauing light of knowledge, of faith, and of holinesse.Ephes. 5. 11 HaueHave no fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse; but euen reproue them rather. Yea, heare I not Paul thus speaking, and directing the very meanest Christian:1. The. 4. 14 We desire you brethren, admonish them that are vnruly, comfort the feeble minded, beare with the weake, be patient towards all men. Yea what shall I say, is not the Iew long before the incarnation of blessed Iesus thus charged:Leuit. 19. 17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart, but thou shalt plainly rebuke thy neighbour, and suffer him not to sinne. Shall euerie one, ô my soule, who cals him father (who without respect of persons, iudgeth according to eueryevery mans worke) be found so farre as lies in him, to correct and amend those amongst whom, and with whom they liue, and shall not the rulers be much more bound to do this, who be set ouer them by God, and for whom they must some day giuegive an account to God? I wonder if these blind rulers of the Church, who maintaine the alledged vile opinion, hold that for the oracle of God, or for the inuention of some braine-sicke man. When I shall say vntounto the wicked, ô wicked man, thou shalt dye the death, if thou do not speake and admonish the wicked of his way. That wicked man shall dye for his iniquitie, but his bloud will I require at thine hand;Ezech. 33. 8. 9. Neuerthelesse if thou warne the wicked of his way to turne from it, if he turne not from his way, he shall dye for his iniquitie, but thou hast deliuered thy soule. Paul saw with a clearer eye, & spake with a cleaner mouth, who hauing sent from Miletum to Ephesus, and called the Elders, he could not onelyonly remember vntounto them his owne paines and fidelitie, trauelling alwayes by all meanes to gather in many soules to his blessed Maister, but grauely charging them: Take heed to your selues, and to all the flocke whereof the holy Ghost hauehave made you ouerseers, Act. 20. 18. 28.feede the Church of God, which he hath purchased by his owne bloud. Sensible was Moses of that care rulers should hauehave to hauehave Gods people reformed, when before his death he could say with courage and authoritie: Behold I hauehave set before thee this day, life and good, death and euill, in that I command thee this day to louelove the Lord thy God, to walke in his wayes, to keepe his commandements, his ordinances, and his lawes, that thou mayest liue, and be multiplied, and that the Lord thy God may blesse thee in the land whither thou goest to possesse it. But if thy heart turne away, so that thou wilt not obey, but shalt be seduced, and worship other gods and serue them: I pronounce vntounto thee this day, that ye shall surely perish, ye shall not prolong your dayes in the land, whither thou passest ouer Iordan to possesse it. Deut 50. 17 16. 17. 18. 19.I call heauen and earth to record this day against you, that I hauehave set before you, life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore chuse life that both you and your seed may liue by louing the Lord thy God, by obeying his voice, and by cleauing vntounto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy dayes, that thou mayst dwell in the land which the Lord sware vntounto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Iacob to giuegive them. Religious Iosuah was sensible of this, when sending backe Reuben, God, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh, to the land of their possession, he could aduise them thus: Take diligent heed to the commandements and law which Moses the seruant of the Lord commanded you: Ios. 22. 5.that is, that ye louelove the Lord your God, and walke in his wayes, and keepe his commandements, and cleaue vntounto him, and serue him with all your heart, and with all your soule. The sense hereof moued Iosuah before his death (hauing assembled the whole tribes of Israel to Sechem) thus to command them: Feare the Lord, and serue him in vprightnesse, and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers serued beyond the floud, and in Egypt, and serue the Lord. Yea, this moued him to make a couenant with the people that day, to write all the words of that couenant in the Booke of the Law of God,Ios. 24. 24. 25. 26. 27. and to set vp a great stone which he pitched vnderunder an oake, that was in the sanctuarie of the Lord, and to say vntounto all the people: Behold this stone shall be a witnesse vntounto vsus, for it hath heard all the words of the Lord, which he spake with vsus. It shall be therefore a witnesse against you, lest ye leaue your God. Let these rulers then, ô my soule, be accursed, who dare maintaine that they came in this world to liue in this world, but not to amend this world: for if this world had not need of amendment, it could not possible hauehave need of any ruler at all; for the whole hauehave no need of the Physitian,Mar. 2. 5. but the sicke.
17. Prepare thy mouth for bitter gall, after that God the Father hath brought his sweetest honey to thee; and yet see thou offend not with the tast of it.
HAth thy God, ô my soule, sweetly this day sounded in thine eares the soft voice of consolation, promising vntounto thee comfort, deliuerie & his best things: be not offended if to morrow thine eares be made to heare the sharpest sound of the bitter wind of confusion, threatning thee with greater troubles and griefes, then euer thou heardest or felt before. O Iacob, hath not thy God propined thee liberally with the birthright, inriched thee gloriously with his blessing: but must thou not heare afterward that Esau thy brother hath auowed to kill thee?Gen. 17. 29. wherupon thou must be contented, not onelyonly to turne thy backe vponupon thy tender parents, but with paine and griefe to serue a churlish Laban for twentie and one yeares? O Ioseph, seest thou not to day thy brethrens sheaues standing vp and doing reuerence to thy sheaue, but must thou not be contented euen after that to see thy brethren stripping thee naked of thy parti-coloured coate,Gen. 37. 39. and after, first putting thee in the ditch, and then selling thee to the Midiani…es, to be carried downe to Aegypt. O distressed Israel, hearest thou not Moses & Aaron, the commissioners of thy God, to day sweetly telling thee, that they were sent of God to bring thee out of Aegypt, that thou mightest celebrate a feast to the Lord thy God in the wildernesse?Exod. 4. 29 30. 31. Alwayes must thou not be contented, the next day to heare Pharoahs taske maisters speaking thus to thee bitterly? Thus saith Pharaoh, I will giuegive you no more straw, go your selues, get you straw where ye may finde it, notwithstanding the number of brickes which you made in time past, shall not be diminished. 1. Sam. 16. 17.O Dauid, telleth not Samuel thee that thou shalt be king of Iudah, yea, annointed he thee not with oyle in the name of the Lord, to certifie thee hereof? Alwayes after this, must thou not be contented, not onelyonly not to find a nights lodging in thine own house, but not so much as a caue or hole to hide thy selfe in, in all Iudaea and Israel? Thus he who to day heareth blessed Iesus, who is louelove it selfe, promising vntounto him a crowne, must be contented to morrow to hauehave wise Iesus lodening him with a crosse. But ô wherefore dealeth our wise God with his owne thus? for speciall graue reasons, ô my soule, is this done, I assure thee: for hereby he trieth the faith, the hope, the patience of his owne; hereby he stirreth them vp earnestly to deale with him by earnest praier: for he will hauehave his owne to aske that from him, which he is to giuegive vntounto them: yea, this he doth to moue his owne, being set at libertie, to be the more thankfull, and to vse Gods good things bestowed on them the better: to make the wicked, his and their vniust enemies, the more inexcusable; and to conquise the greater glorie vntounto his owne name, when hauing in spite of all oppositions performed that liberalitie which he promised graciously to his owne, he aduanceth them, and ouerthroweth his and their enemies.