The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 1 · Meditation 12
12. Let all sicke in soule because of sinne, to whose eares the sound of the sweet name of that great Physitian Iesus is come, by the meanes of the Gospell, seeke to him for medicine, whom they cannot find but in his word.
IN many respects, ô my soule, is the estate of man, now, alas, lying vnderunder sinne to be pittied, but in this respect specially; that being naturally sensible of the mortall clay vessell, he is naturally senslesse of his immortall heauenly soule. What man hauing a maimed or diseased bodie, hearing who can cure him, and knowing where he may find that cure, seeketh not without delay for that man, for that cure? yea longeth not euen with wearinesse to be with that man, or to hauehave that man with him? And yet, alas, while man is not onelyonly wounded, but dead in soule, through a greater number of sins lying in him, then there be haires in his head, he doth not onelyonly refuse to heare that Physitian Iesus, and to come to that Physitian Iesus,Psal. 40. 12. who is onelyonly able to cure him; but he doth euen find an heart to hate such, a tongue to reuile such, yea now and then an hand to strike such as do aduise him to heare that Physitian▪ to beleeue that Physitian, and to be content to receiue his potions, and to hauehave that his salue applyed to him which is able to cure his soule. Naaman the Syrian being infected with leprosie, informed by that base handmaid who serued in his house, that there was a man in Israel able to cure him, did not stint till he went thither, so desirous was he of corporall health.2 King. 5. That poore woman, who was long subiect to a bloudie issue, knowing and beleeuing what Iesus was able to do to her, is not afraid to throng through the people till she come to Iesus, so carefull was she to be made whole. Did blind Bartimaeus (knowing that Iesus was comming by, and that he was able to helpe him) stay from crying,Mark. 10. O Sonne of God be mercifull vntounto me. Yea, which thou must admire ô my soule, no soone… heareth he this said to him, Be of good comfort, arise, he calleth thee, but forthwith (albeit he was blind) he threw away his clothes, and hastened towards Iesus. Oh Lord God, when shall the Naamans of this our age, leprous in soule, by reason of their many monstrous sinnes, hearkening vntounto, and beleeuing the voyces and counsels of his Elisaeus, seeke after that water of the Spirit and of the word▪ which is onelyonly able to cleanse them? When shall the men, the women of this age, grosly defiled from the top of the head to the sole of the foot, through that continuall running issue of iniquitie, which maketh them not onelyonly vncomely, but loathsomely stinking in the nosthrils of God, of Angels, and of men, sensible of God, runne, led by faith, towards that hem of Christs garment, euen his blessed word, that by it this their running stinking issue may be happily dried vp? When shall the blind men of this age find spirituall feete to runne with courage and with confidence towards that bright Sunne of righteousnesse▪ Mala. 4. 2.and light of the world,Ioh. 8. 12. Iesus, to the end that they may see, that the things which be seene here, are temporall, and not to be rested vponupon, and that the things which are not seene otherwise then by faith, are eternall, and onelyonly to be loued, and longed for? Remember for thy owne warning and wakening, ô my soule, that louing inuitation made to thee by thy Sauiour:Mat. 11. 28. Come vntounto me all ye that are wearie and loaden, and I will ease you, and ye shall find rest vntounto your soules. And no wonder that he charge thee thus, ô my soule, and with this charge ioyne this so large a promise, for there is all-sufficiency of medicine with him, to cure all thy diseases and sores. Bernard looking on this, doth first make an humble confession touching mans diseases, and then sound a melodious song touching Christ his medicine: Triplici morbo laborat genus humanum, principio, medio, & fine, id est, natiuitate, vita, & morte: natiuitate immunda, vita peruersa, morte periculosa▪ Venit Christus, & contra hunc triplicem morbum attulit triplex remedium: Bern. in sent fol. 117Natus est, vixit, mortuus est. Natiuitas eius purgat nostram, vita eius instruit nostram, mors eius destruit nostram. Mankinde is subiect to a threefold disease, in the beginning of his life, progresse, and end, that is, in his birth, in his life, and in his death; his birth being foule, his life peruerse, and his death dangerous. Christ came into the world bringing with him a threefold remedie against this threefold disease: He is borne, he liueth, he dyeth, his birth purgeth our birth, his life directeth our life, and his death destroyeth our death. And to make this the more sensible, and comfortable to thee, ô my soule, doth not Bernard bring in the Physitian Iesus, thus from the heauens speaking vntounto thee by his owne sweetest and refreshing lips: Conceptio mea emundat tuam, vita mea instruit tuam, mors mea destruit tuam, resurrectio mea praecedit tuam, ascensio mea praeparat tuam, Spiritus meus adiuuat infirmitates tuas. My conception purgeth thine ô Christian, my life directeth and instructeth thine, my Resurrection goeth before thine, my Ascension to the heauens prepareth away whereby thou mayest ascend thither also; yea my Spirit helpeth thy infirmities. O when shall our professors of Christ see and feele sweet Iesus to be that whom Ambrose happily out of sense founded vponupon cleare Scripture, saw him to be: Omnis anima accedat ad Christum: quia omnia Christus est nobis. S… vulnera curare desideras medicus est, si febribus aestuas fons est, si grauaris iniquitate, Ambros.iustitia est, si auxilio indiges virtus est, si mortē times vita est, si coelū desideras via est, si tenebras fugis lux est, si cibum quaeras alimentum est. Let eueryevery soule draw neare to Christ, because Christ is all things to vsus all. If thou desirest to cure thy wounds he is a Physitian, if thou be burning in an hot feauer, he is a pleasant fountaine ready to yeeld thee abundance of cooling water to refresh thee, if thou be loaden with iniquity, he is righteousnes to free thee from that burthen, if being weake thou findest thy selfe to hauehave need of helpe, he is strength to sustaine thee. If thou feare death, he is life to quicken thee, if thou desire heauen, he is the way to leade thee to it, if thou flie darknesse, he is light to enlighten thee, if being hungrie thou desirest meate, he is nourishment to feede thee. But if these louing inuitations will not be able to allure men carefully to seeke after this onelyonly blessed and rich Iesus, let that his iust conuiction pronounced long ago, against the abusers of his merciemercy and long suffering, affray them for attempting to despise him.Luke 13. 34. 35. O Ierusalem, Ierusalem, which killest the Prophets, and stonest them that come to thee, how often would I hauehave gathered thy children together, as the henne gathereth her birds vnderunder her wings, and ye would not. Behold your house is left vntounto you desolate. Io. 15. 22.If I had not come and spoken vntounto them, they should not hauehave had sinne, but now hauehave they no cloake for their sinne.