The Art of Happiness, Part 3 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. That wee should striue to increase our happinesse, and by what meanes.
BEing knit vntounto hap pinesse by the knot of a most high and blessed Vnion, wrought by that Faith in Christ, which surrenders vsus vp to the sanctification of the Spirit, what remaynes but that we striue to preserue and increase our selues therein? It is no lesse wisdome to keep then to get; yea it is more folly negligently to lose a thing gotten, & the labour by which it was gotten, then hauing taken no paines for it, nor hauing tasted the sweetnesse of it, to hauehave beene altogether without it. And though the renewing Spirit bee strong in apprehension, and where it once takes roote, it will not wholly quit the ground, yea we must know that the retchlesnesse & hard heartednesse of Man, by shutting vp the heart against the dew of heauen, and by cherishing the weedes of naturall corruption, may so much grieue & afflict him, that the seede of grace and glorie, sowne in vsus, may be much withered and pined. For the Spirit which is within vsus, as it holdeth vsus, so it lookes to bee held by vsus; as it quickens vsus, so it lookes to be quickned and inflamed by vsus; And on the other side, it grieues, it pines, it drieth, it dyeth (to our feeling, though not in it selfe) when it wanteth comforting, incouraging, cherishing. And the Spirit being thus quenched within vsus, the spirituall trading for happinesse decayeth, & so our losse of heauenly ioyes doth daily increase, yea the comforts of God in our way to happinesse doe still abate, and we are often left in a temporal hell, euen in horror of mind, & vexation of conscience, which is the night of the soule, Wisd. 17.14. Farre be it therefore from vsus, to kill that which giueth vsus life, to quench that which is the Light of our darknesse, to pull backe our hand from this hand of God, which offers to leade vsus to eternall Life. But let it be the most earnest indeuor of our hearts and soules, to comfort and cherish this heauenly Seede, wherein lyes wrapt our euerlasting glorie and happinesse. Let vsus be merciful to our selues, by being kinde to it; for thou canst not sow to this Spirit, but thou must sow also to thy owne glorie; for the Spirit is a most sure Rewarder of all the seruice done vntounto it. And to whom it hath beene an Author of sowing in labour, to them it will also bee a Giuer of a most blessed haruest in glorie: yea, according to the measure of sowing, shall be the measure of reaping. Wherefore let vsus not bee content, onelyonly to get this glorifying Spirit, nor hauing gotten it, only to keep it, but let vsus in an vnsatiable couetousnesse, euer bee increasing it, euer be getting vponupon it. How can a Man be full inough of happines? How canst thou stint thy seeking, since there is no stine of an infinite felicitie? and such is that which thou seekest. Surely, if thou euer didst taste thy Soueraigne Good, thou canst not but ouer hunger and thirst after him, thou canst not but cry out, Euermore giuegive me this water of life. Let thy worldly couetousnesse reach thee the manner of a spirituall couetousnesse. That tells thee, that goods are good, and thou canst not hauehave too much of that which is good Now the Spirit tells thee, that God is goodnesse it selfe, and the summe of all things that are good. Wherefore thou shouldest be still hungrie, still thirstie, after the liuing God; neuer hauing inough of that happinesse, whereof there is still some degree beyond that which thou hast.
Wherefore fastning one foote, that thou slide not backe in the path of happinesse, aduance the other, & so march on stedfastly to the Congregation of the first-borne, to the spirits of iust and perfect Men, to the Mediator of the new Alliance and Couenant, and to the happy presence of the liuing God. Thy path is in the Spirit; walke in the Spirit, and thou walkest toward God; walke feruently in the Spirit, let it in flame thee, and bee inflamed by thee; & thou walkest swistly towards God; and the more this fire of Grace is kindled in thee, the more shall thy shining be, when thou art a Starre in glorie. For the same Spirit which is the seede of Sanctification, is also the seede of Glorification: the first it brings forth in this life, the other in the next. As certainly as it shewes the first, so certainly will it bestow the latter, and the latter in the degree of the former. For according to the power of the quickning Spirit within vsus, shall be the power & excellence of the Spirit raising vsus, and according to the power of the Spirits sanctifying, is the power of the Spirits quickning: Sanctifying and quickning being knit together, and so prospering together in the prosperitie of one and the same Spirit. Therefore to increase our glorie, we must striue to increase our holinesse; and by holinesse and other helps aduancing, and supporting holinesse to in crease, comfort and cherish the Spirit, by which both holinesse and glory may be increased.
Now to know what these helps are, we must seeke in the Oracles of God, whose office and mayne purpose is to shine as a Light to mankind, that standeth in the darke place of a clouded and corrupted soule, and to guide their feete into the way of Peace and Rest. This sure Word of GOD, was giuen by GOD vntounto Man, to direct Man vntounto God; And to effect this, it hath a power to make the children of men, the sonnes of God; Yea it hath a power to nourish this spirituall and heauenly sonship, & so bestoweth a gift of growth, as well as a gift of life: for it causeth the sonnes and heires of God to grow vntounto their perfect stature of Grace & Glory. The great Spirit of God, which powreth that portion of the Spirit into vsus, wherein lyes our sanctification and sealing, powred also in the Prophets, Seers, and Apostles, the Word and Counsell of God. So the Spirit within vsus, and the Word without vsus, are neere of kin; they hauehave one Father, euen the Spirit, which is God and being brethren, they must needes cherish, louelove, and strengthen each other. Yea the Spirit of GOD which best knowes, how the Spirit issuing from him, may bee cherished, hath by that Word, of purpose shewed vsus sundry meanes, by which that which hee hath giuen vsus, may be increased. And God expects, that wee which were dead and are now raised to life by him, though in our deadnesse wee could not moue towards him, yet being quickned, wee should by imployments and exercise stirre vp the life bestowed on vsus, kindling it by those helps which his Word ministreth vntounto vsus. So behold, O Man, a double mercy; one, that the indeuours of the Saints may increase their glorie; another, that meanes, helps, and directions are giuen for the aduancement and execution of such indeuours. Wee must not be still like Embrious, and children in their first conception, to hauehave the nourishment of life, sent in o vsus without our knowledge and will; but being now at least babes in Christ, wee must desire and sucke the sincere Milke of the Word, that wee may grow thereby; or, being strong men, we must desire and digest the solid meate, by which wee may grow from strength to strength; wee must by manly exercises seeke to fortifie the power of Christ in vsus, and we must worke towards the increase of our spirituall estate, by heauenly traffike and marchandize, that the talents of grace being increased, may increase the talents of glorie.
But now perchance it wil bee demanded what these helps are, by which the Man of GOD may enlarge his stature, and grow vp to his head Christ Iesus. For satisfaction to which demand, I would point him to the Word of God, which is the Treasure of the perfect knowledge of this Arte of felicitie; but yet to giuegive some stay to hungrie soules, that presently desire the prosperitie of the Spirit, & will not bee delayed, I may name some of the chiefest, though likewise I may leaue others vnnamed, to stirre them vp somewhat to seeke for their owne prouision. And here, as the first means of increasing the Spirit, I will name the increasing of those meanes, by which the Spirit was first receiued; we must striue to increase that faith and affiance, by which wee cleauing vntounto Christ, Christ claue vntounto vsus. For the more wee cleaue vntounto Christ, the more Christ cleaueth vntounto vsus; the more we comprehend him, the more he doth comprehend vsus by a larger and fuller possession of vsus. Faith increased, increaseth our capacitie of Christ Iesus, and as wee are inlarged in our owne bowels by faith, so doth Christ inlarge himselfe within vsus by his Spirit. To this end let vsus remember what hath beene formerly set forth, as the meanes of breeding faith, and in those meanes let vsus bee the more conuersant, as wee would bee the more plentifull in faith, and more ingraffed in the obiect of faith, Christ Iesus. Briefly, let vsus feruently and continually pray with the Disciples, vntounto the Author and Finisher of our faith, Lord, increase our faith: Let vsus be frequently conuersant with Christ Iesus, and often behold him liuely described in the Word, in the Sacraments, by hearing, by seeing, by receiuing, by meditation. The more Christ is looked on, the more trust, and the more louelove, and so the more Vnion. Wee cannot looke on the fairest of Men, but we shall bee rauished with his louelove; for, hee kindleth our affections as coles of fire, and as a vehement flame. And surely, if wee looke into his Word, and into the seales of his Word, wee cannot choose (if wee bee spirituall) but wee must plainly looke on Christ himselfe. For the Word of Christ is the Image of Christ; hee hath stamped on it his owne likenesse, and therein wee may see him borne, liuing, teaching, dying, & rising againe. Therein may wee behold his graces and gifts, his excellencie and dignitie, his louelove vntounto Men, and his labours for Men. The Sacraments also Christ hath imprinted with his owne resemblance; and they are the characters and representations of Christ. So in them may wee see Christ redeeming by passion, and washing by regeneration, feeding and quickning by viuification, yea performing his part of the whole Couenant of Life. And CHRIST being thus discerned, what dull heart will not rise vp toward him in a stronger affiance, in a more firie louelove? Wherefore walking along with the staffe of Prayer in our hands, let vsus still bee tasting of these restoratiues of Faith, that so faith being cherished, may cherish the Spirit, and the Spirit being cherished, may cherish our life eternall.