The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 2 · Meditation 9
9. Cursed is he who scattereth himselfe from God by sinne, for he shall be scattered by God vntounto iudgement: blessed is he who is scattered by man into trouble for righteousnesse, for God shall gather him.
I Cannot cast my eyes ioyntly, ô my soule, vponupon the 2. 3. and 4. verses of that 15. of Ieremie, and vponupon the 10. 11. of the 27. Psalme, but lifting vp mine eyes, I must crie out, O the thrise miserable condition of all such who sinning against God, and thereby loosing a good conscience, scatter themselues from that God, who is onelyonly good, and that sole fountaine out of the which all goodnesse flowes! Of the happy and thrise blessed estate of all those who seruing God, and in doing so, keeping a good conscience, are scattered towards this place, towards that place; towards this trouble, towards that trouble; yea to this cruell death, to that cruell death; because they seeke God, because they serue God, because they will not sinne against God. Heare I not our great God, that iust Iudge of the world, speaking thus to his seruant Ieremie, ô my soule, touching the obstinate Iewes his rebellious children, who by many grosse sinnes had fearefullly scattered themselues from him:Ier. 15. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Cast them out of my sight and let them depart; and if they say vntounto thee, whither shall we depart? then tell them, thus saith the Lord. Such as are appointed to death, vntounto death: and such as are for the sword, to the sword: and such as are for the famine, to the famine: and such as are for the captiuitie, to the captiuitie: and I will appoint ouer them foure kinds, saith the Lord, the sword to slay, and the dogges to tare in peeces, and the foules of the heauen, and the beasts of the earth to deuoure, and to destroy. I will scatter them also in all kingdomes of the earth, because of Manasseh the sonne of Ezekiah king of Iudah, for that which he did in Ierusalem, who shall then hauehave pitie vponupon thee ô Ierusalem? or who shall be sorrowfull for thee? or who shall go to pray for thy peace? Of this Scripture (worthie of thy consideration, ô my soule, in this decaying age) is it not more then manifest, that these who sinning against the most high God, vnderunder the profession of his name, specially by countenancing idolatrie, adulterie, murther, and the like abhominations, be more then miserably accursed? for thereby depriuing themselues of the onelyonly sauing shadow of Gods louelove and protection, and couching themselues vnderunder that heauiest milstone of his indignatiō, they raise that strongest stormie wind of his deuouring wrath against them; which is not only able to ouertake them, but which hauing ouertaken them, hath skill with force to scatter them towards ten thousand miseries here, and to drowne them hereafter in that euer burning, yet neuer consumed lake. When I cast mine eyes againe vponupon the 10. verse of that 27. Psalm. penned by that sweetest singer of Israel Dauid: I must say, happie is he who seruing God, and keeping a good conscience in eueryevery thing, hath himselfe scattered from his house, from his kindred, from his countrey, and so from that honor, those pleasures, and that wealth he sometimes possessed, before men and amongst men: for I assure thee, ô my soule, (being well taught of God, instructing me by his word) that this man shall be gathered vp againe. But who shall gather vp such a man,Psal. 56. 8. ô my soule, Surely euen that holy one, louelove, pitie, and strength it selfe, who counts all the wandrings of his owne, who gathers all their teares in his bottle,Exod. 3. 7. whose groanes are heard of him, and whose affliction is seene of him. Yea, let King or subiect attempt to scatter such a one from this earth by cruell death, yet he shall be gathered vp by that God, who alwayes beholds his owne as signets vponupon his hand,Hag 1. 24. and who makes inquisition for them when they are dead.1. King. 21. 18. 19. Tell me, tell me, ô my soule, how sings that sweetest singer in the place alledged?Psal. 27. 10. Though my father and my mother should forsake me, yet the Lord will gather me vp. The malice of cursed Esau scatters Iacob, Gods blessed child, from the louing father and carefull mother of his flesh. But is he not gathered vp by God the Father of his spirit? The malice of Iosephs brethren scatters Ioseph from his kind father.Gen. 20. 27. 28. The lying tongue of a shamelesse whore,Gen. 37. and the facile heart of a credulous vnthankfull maister,Gen. 39. scatters the same Ioseph once againe from the house of his maister whom he serued truly, towards a darke prison where he was entertained roughly. But is he not in despite of all these gathered vp againe?Gen. 41. yea, so gathered vp that he is set aboue all his brethren, and aduanced more highly then euer his maister Potipher was. That irreconcilable hatred which Saul most iniustly, yea more then brutishly, vnthankfully conceiued, and fostered in his heart against religious,1. Sam. 18. & 19. & 27. sincere, honest Dauid, scattered Dauid from the court, from Dauids owne house, yea, from the whole holy land towards the countrey of the vncircumcised Philistins. But is he not gathered vp by his God, and not onelyonly brought backe to the holy land, to his owne house,2. Sam. 2. 5. to the Kings palace, but with royall triumph at length (according to Gods promise made to him) set downe in that royall chaire of Iudah and Israel? Abel is scattered from the very earth, and this earth hath it selfe dewed with the drops of his bloud; but is he not sought for? yea, is not his bloud gathered vp againe, and layed as a most heauie burthen vponupon the shoulders of the sh…dder of it?Gen. 4. Hearest thou not, ô my soule, that Euangelicke Prophet bringing in thy God, singing in thy eares most comfortably and ioyfully thus?Isa. 54. 7. 8. For a little while hauehave I forsaken thee, but with great compassion will I gather thee: for a moment in my anger hauehave I hid my face from thee for a litle season, but with euerlasting merciemercy hauehave I had compassion vponupon thee, saith the Lord, thy Redeemer. O through how many sundrie parts of this earth be the deare children of God scattered! O in how many sundrie parts of this earth be they buried! yea, ô how many religious parents be farre buried from their religious children? how many religious children be farre buried from their religious parents? ô how many religious husbands be far buried from their religious wiues? and how many religious wiues be farre buried from their religious husbands? yea what shall I say, ô my soule, ô how oft (by the force of fierce persecution) hath one and that same child of God, had his verie dead corps scattered towards diuers parts of the earth, his head remaining in one place,Mark. 6. 7. 28. 29. as the head of Iohn the Baptist remained with the filthie strumpet Herodias, and his bodie in another, as the body of Iohn the Baptist was carried from Herod his prison, and buried by his disciples. Alwayes, ô my blessed Iesus, thou who wast heartily contented to be scattered from thy Father for me for a while, to the end that I through thy Maiestie might be gathered to him for euermore. What saith thy Maiesty to me for my comfort against all this? Hearken, hearken, ô my soule, vntounto that which Matthew brings from that sweetest comforting mouth of thy gracious Sauiour to thy eares: The Sonne of man shall send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet, Mat. 14. 21.and they shall gather together his elect from the foure winds, and from the one end of the heauen to the other. Thou seest then, ô my soule, that it is neither honorable nor profitable, but alwayes ignominious and fearefully hurtfull to man, to scatter himselfe from God by sinne; for such a man shall assuredly either first or last be scattered vntounto iudgement. And that it is neither ignominious nor hurtfull, but very honorable, and euer profitable for the child of God, to be scattered by fierce cruell man to trouble, to persecution, yea, to death it selfe; for louing, for seeking, and for seruing of his God, and cleauing to him. I charge thee therfore, ô my soule, that thou attempt not for the louelove of gaine, for the feare of punishment, or for any pleasure whatsoeuer to sinne against thy God, lest he scatter thee from him to a thousand euils before men here, and to the hell hereafter with the diuell: and with this I command thee, that thou louelove, seeke and serue his Maiestie with all thy strength, euen to the end; were kings, were subiects set against thee to trouble thee, to slay thee; for assuredly he who forgat not to gather vp poore contemned Lazarus, shall remember to gather thee vp.