The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 1 · Meditation 23
23. Consider here seriously, that fearefull haruest of most bitter sheaues, that poysoning seed of sinne bringeth out.
THe wise gardner iudgeth of his tree by the fruite thereof, as the vertuous husbandman iudgeth of his seed according to his haruest. But, ô my soule, when shalt thou, learning to be holily and truly wise, begin to iudge of sinne thine onelyonly enemie, by that fruit, by that haruest, alas, which it bringeth forth! How fearefully hurtfull is that strange haruest that followeth it? I must tell thee here, ô my soule, that that sinne wherein I was conceiued and borne, and which, alas, I must keepe alwayes within my bosome while I liue here, bringeth foorth fruite and sheaues, which be so fearefully bitter, so horribly hurtfull, that if this bitternesse and hurt could be perceiued, euen by vsus who call our selues Gods children, we should be easily moued with that chosen vessell of God, vncessantly to crie out: O miserable man that I am, who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death! Knowest thou not, ô my soule, that thou and this my bodie came ioyntly in one minute, ioyned together in this world, as two kind twins louing each other most entirely, embracing each other most kindly? yea knowest thou not, ô my soule, that thou and this my body hauehave liued since that time of my birth in this world some yeares together, as husband and wife, most strictly maried one to another, euen before God, and by God? And yet that bitter roote of sinne, which, alas, was conceiued, was borne, & which liueth within vsus, will hauehave thee, ô my soule, (in despite of all we can deuise or do) separate from this bodie of mine, and this my bodie separate from thee. But doth bitter sinne stay here, notwithstanding this be a sharpe stroke? No, ô my soule, for sinne euen after this separation is made, doth make that bodie within the which sometime it lodged, in regard of the vile and filthie stinke it sendeth foorth vntounto their nostrils, most odious and abominable, though sometime pleasant to the eyes of the beholders, and fragrant vntounto the smell of such as approched neare vntounto it. In such sort, that the louing father cannot suffer his tender child, being dead, to abide in one house with him: and the pitifull hearted mother, is contented that the dead corps of her dearest child, euen within some few houres, be put foorth of her doores. But heare, ô my soule, wonderest thou not, that a more vile stinke and loathsome smell floweth from the very dead corps of Gods children, then from the dead carions of other creatures, as of fowles, fishes, and beasts? Ceasse to wonder at this, ô my soule, and learne to thinke vponupon that loathsome spring from whence this proceedeth. I must tell thee, ô my soule, that the bodie of the holiest man that euer liued on earth here (that glorious sacred bodie of blessed Iesus being excepted) lodgeth a more vile and stinking guest (onelyonly loathsome to God and his Angels) then euer the bodies of any fowle, fish, or beast did lodge. I must confesse indeed, that the bodies of these creatures do lodge corruption, yea, much corruption, as may be easily perceiued while they liue, and especially when they be dead. Alwayes that stinking loathsome guest of sinne they do not lodge, which the very bodies of Abraham, Isaac, Iacob, Iames, Iohn, Peter, Paul, could not but lodge. And therefore no wonder that a more noysome stinke flow from the very dead bodies of Gods Saints, then from the carrions of these reasonlesse creatures. But doth sinne stay here, ô my soule, albeit this be a deepe stroke? No, no: for sinne will hauehave that stinking dead bodie, in the which it lodgeth, whether it be buried in the bowels of the earth,Gen. 3. 19. or vnderunder the seas,Eccles. 12. 7. to returne to that dust out of the which it was taken. But doth sinne stay here, albeit this would seeme to be the dead stroke, beyond the which none can go in the child of God? No, no, for telleth not historie vsus, yt out of dead corpses of men and women, there ariseth most monstrous and noysome beasts? yea vglie toades and cruell serpents. Augustine in his 48. Sermon to his brethren the Hermits, affirmeth that toades are bred in the braines of dead corpses, and that serpents be bred in their kidneyes. Yea writeth not Augustine, that he being at Rome, saw a toade in the scull of one of their Emperours? Dare I here forget the like strange spectacle, (by Gods speciall prouidence I doubt not (for my better resolution touching the veritie of the things alledged) presented to mine owne eyes, being in the Churchyard of Leith in the monethmonth of Iune anno 1615. For being there delighting to behold for a while those honest men, who were then busied about the building of the steeple, I espied within a grassie bush the scull of some dead corps, hauing in the vpmost part of it a little voide. And hauing a purpose to cause the Sexton put the scull vnderunder the earth, looking on it more narrowly, I saw through the voide part of it (to my great astonishment) a toade of huge bignesse, whereupon I called the workemen to consider this spectacle with me, and hauing made a little discourse vntounto them, of the miseries, vilenesse, vanitie, and pride of man, we all began to consider how we might hauehave the toade separated from the head, but that we found altogether impossible, till the bone was violently broken, so little was the voide part of it, and so big was the toade. Let the Reader iudge where this toade was bred and fostered. For he who knoweth all things (blessed be his name) knoweth that I saw it lodged as said is. O my soule, what if these things could be considered by men, and especially by women in this our licentious foolish age: would they take such paines and delight to fat their clay bodies with all sorts of pleasures and pleasant things as they do? Would they, euen with the wracke of their estate, feed bellies, dresse their heads, couer their backs so daintily, so gloriously, which must be brought so low, and be made a mother to conceiue, a nurse to foster, yea a lodging to keepe such vgly monsters? Yea if this could be considered, ô my soule, ô with what an hatred would the child of God hate sinne! and with what a care would he arme himselfe against sinne, seeing nothing beside sinne hath brought all these euils vponupon poore miserable man. Bernard could no sooner thinke vponupon this, but he behooued, standing amazed, to crie out: Vnde haec tanta pusillanimitas, vt egregia creatura, capax aeternae beatitudinis & gloriae magni Dei, vtpote cuius est inspiratione condita, similitudine insignita, cruore redempta, spiritu adoptata, fide dotata, miserum non erubescat corporeorum sensuum gerere seruitutem, omittere curam cordis, & curam carnis gerere, impinguere & fouere cadauer putridum, quòd paulò post vermium esca futura nullatenus dubitatur. From whence cometh this so great basenesse of spirit, that man, that notable creature, capable of euerlasting blessednesse, and of the glorie of the great God, by whose breath he was made, with whose image he was marked, by whose bloud he was redeemed, by whose spirit he hath his adoption sealed vp, and is enriched by faith, should not, alas, be ashamed to be a slaue to his corporall senses, to omit all care of his soule, and to hauehave a care of his bodie, to be solist to fat and foster his rotten carrion, which shortly afterwards is to be made the meate of wormes. O when shall we of this loose licentious age, onelyonly carefull to hauehave our bodies dressed, and altogether carelesse of our soules, learne to confesse that to be true, which Augustine saw and confessed long ago.August. Dum infirmitatem carnis nostrae timemus, salutem animae negligimus, quia caro si delicate nutritur occidit spiritum, sicut enim tinea lanam deuorat & ligna foenum & stipulam ignis comburit, ita delicata caro animan concremat & consumit. While we feare the weaknesse of our body, we neglect the saluation of our soule: for if the flesh be delicately fed, it slayeth the spirit, for as the mothe destroyeth the wooll and timber, and as the fire consumeth hay and stubble, so a bodie giuen to pleasures burnes vp and consumes the soule. O when shall the Christians of this age looke wisely vponupon their soules and bodies, and looking on them learne to discerne betwixt them, and discerning aright betwixt them, begin to spend their time here, as Bernard well grounded by Scripture, aduiseth them: Tempus hoc animabus non corporibus assignatur. Dies salutis est non voluptatis, cum iudicium carnis ex anima pendeat. Carni nihil potest vtilius quam saluti animae prouideri. This time is appointed for our soules, and not for our bodies, this time is the day of saluation, not of fleshly delectation: considering the iudgement of the body depends vponupon the soule; and so man cannot possibly prouide better for his bodie then by seeking that which is able to benefit his soule.