The Diseases of the Time, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Spirituall Wickednesse in high places, and the Remedie of it.
IT hath beene a great cause of the miserie of the Church in generall, and of the members of the same Church in particular, that spirituall exaltations hauehave begotten carnall gloriations, and that the Flesh hath lifted it selfe vp by the increases of the Spirit, as the Froth mounts by the flowing of the Water. And how can it chuse but draw Misery, when it procures an Almightie Wrath, which Wrath is attended with an equall Vengeance. And if any would doubt how it should procure so terrible a Wrath, let him but behold the mis-shapen vglinesse and absurd inconsequence of this Sinne, and it cannot but anger his eyes, and much more the pure eyes of a most holy God, who cannot abide to sowe good seed and to reape Tares, to plant the noblest Vines and to gather the sowrest grapes. But first let vsus consider this sin how it growes, and then how vgly it is when it is growne. This Sin comes to his growth thus. When God out of the riches of his Grace, powreth on man the gifts of his Spirit, by which he riseth vntounto a spirituall excellence, and perchance thereby to some outward dignitie, then the Flesh mounts vp straight to mannage and enioy the fruits and issues of the Spirit; So what hath beene gotten by the Spirit, hath beene eaten and digested by the Flesh, and so Grace hauehave beene brought to nourish her whom she should chiefly hauehave slayne. This is the infirmitie of wretched Mankind. Sinne is so fast wouen into our Flesh, and among sinnes especially Pride, that the Flesh most vnsensibly will bee proud, when her Foe the Spirit prospers, though indeed the prosperitie of the Spirit by the kindly operation of it, should bee the destruction of the flesh. Occidat modo imperet, sayth the Flesh, I will aduenture my life, so there may bee that excellence by which I may aduance my Pride. And as this is strong in the Roote, so it hath beene generall in the Fruit, it hath spred his effects from the Cedar of Lebanon, to the Hisfop on the wal, frō him that ascends aboue the clouds and will be like vntounto the most High, to the lowly shrub that growes in the humble Vale. For this very Sinne hath puft vp the Man of sinne vntounto his monstrous hugenesse, that he is growne to hee the king of the children of Pride, and this infirmitie indangered the most humble St Paul, who gloried in distresses, so that hee had need of buffetting. In the one the Hornes of the Lambe defend and maintaine the mouth of the Dragon, and in the other the transcendence and abundance of Reuelations, which were aboue the vtterance of Man might hauehave lifted vp his conceit to hauehave thought himselfe to bee more then a man. And as I can hardly thinke any prouder then the king of Pride, so I can scarse thinke any humbler then St Paul, and therefore I thinke all men hauehave a degree of this Corruption, and that more or lesse as they approch i… likenesse to the pride of the man of sin, or as they com neer to the humilitie of blessed St Paul. And let not men altogether look vpward or outward, to find this sinne either aboue or without them, but let them looke into themselues, and they may find as much Geometricall Pride in themselues as they doe Arithmeticall Pride in others, as much Pride proportionably to their Low places and Graces, as others hauehave to their Higher gifts and Dignities. Yea, it was not true only in the Time of Diogenes, but it is true now also, That sometimes a greater Pride below, goes about to pull downe a lesser Pride aboue. Yet I must needs confesse that a little Pride aboue is in this more offensiue, because more conspicuous, and there an example of Pride doth most harme, where a patterne of Humility would hauehave done most good. But now let vsus goe aside to behold the vglinesse of it, and perchance the very sight of it may serue for a Remedie. What is more monstrous then that which is most vnreasonable, and what is more vnreasonable then on Christ to build Antichrist, on the Spirit to graffe the Flesh, and vponupon Grace to mount the corruption of Nature. What agreement hath a carnall tumour with Spirituall excellence, what interest hath Corruption in Sanctity, the Old Man in the New? Wherefore let the house of Israel bee the Flesh, and the house of Dauid the Spirit, and then Israel may truly say, What portion hauehave wee in DAVID, and what inheritance in the Sonne of ISHAI? Neyther let any thinke that the height of the Flesh can be any grace or preseruatiue to the eminences and dignities of the Spirit. For Pride cannot procure safety or prosperity, since it drawes the resistance of God and the hatred of men. But there is a Spirituall vigour and authoritie, which agrees both with humilitie and eminence, and this keepes men in a true state of minde, free from that Pride which makes a man the enemie of God, and free from that basenesse which makes a man the scorne of men. For wee may not thinke of an humilitie which is opposite to the dignitie of the Spirit (yee true Nobilitie of the Soule) nor to dispensatiue vigor; (for vertues are not contrary) but on that which is contrarie to a carnall Tumour, a needlesse swelling, a weed of the Flesh. And surely (that we may farther see the absurditie of this Pride) wee can vse no better meanes for the begetting of Humility, then the consideration of those excellencies on which the Flesh vsually begetteth Pride. For doest thou enioy a great measure of Gods chiefe Graces? Doe but as Iacob did, Take but one of the least of these Graces and set them in one balance, and thy selfe in the other, and the voice of Humility cannot but break out of thy mouth, Lord I am lesse then the least of thy blessings. If with Dauid in one sight thou beholdest thy own naturall corruption & misery, and the great workes which God hath wrought both in thee and for thee, Humility must speake out of thy mouth as it did out of Dauids, Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him, and the sonne of man that thou regardest him? And thy Psalme shall beginne and end not in thy owne excellence, but in the excellence aPsal. 8.of God; Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth? Surely if thou takest a true account of what thou hast receiued of God, thou hast taken a true account of what thou owest him; now the more thou hast receiued, the more thou owest, and the more thou owest, I hope thou wilt not bee the more proud, but the more humble. Though God alloweth thee enioying of his graces, yet thou owest him the seruice & glory of them, therefore think as well of the greatnesse of thy obligement as of the greatnesse of thy exaltation by them. The more graces thou hast receiued, the more seruice doth God exspect, and a larger account. And though the man that sits downe and swells in Spirituall excellencies, seemes to be at his Rest and iourneys End, yet be not thou emulous of him, for hee hath taken his reward before his time. The true and kindly reward of Spirituall graces is a Spirituall happinesse, which being put ouer to another life (which also is Spirituall) he is altogether short of it, who in this life indeauours to find it. Hee that in Spirituall graces aymes at temporall rewards as his chiefe ends, this man makes the Spirit a drudge to the Flesh, he makes the Israelite to build Towers for the Egyptian, he hath begunne in the Spirit and ends in the flesh, and woe be to him whose end is worse then his beginning. 2. Pet. 2.20. But let Spirituall honour and aduancement, be vsed and employed by the same Graces by which they were gotten, and let Grace then florish and fortifie most, when it is most manured, dressed and encouraged. The higher Grace is aduanced and rewarded, the more power, and the more matter it hath for good workes. A man truly Spirituall knowes his owne dignitie and nobililie, that he is a sonne of God, a Citizen of Heauen, an inheritour of a kingdome, and hee doth not value any worldly honour equall with this. Therefore for any outward additions, hee will not abate his inward excellence, neither will he giuegive away the greater for the meaner. But he sayth to outward dignities as God sayd to the Prophet; Let them returne to thee, but returne not thou to them. He will hauehave outward things by a Spirituall vse to become Spirituall, but he will not suffer himselfe who is Spirituall, by Carnall things to be made carnall. If Religion beget wealth, he will not suffer the daughter to eat vp the mother, but the mother commands the daughter & keepes her in obedience to that which bare her; otherwise it were a most notable sacriledge, to take the things of the Spirit from the Spirit, and to giuegive them to the flesh, and the very prophanenesse of Belshazzar, to drinke carnall carowses in the spirituall Vessels of the Temple.
But let vsus remember the hand of God was against him on the Wall, and the hand of God was quickly vponupon him with a finall ouerthrow. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, let vsus striue to please him, let vsus feare to offend him, and this shall wee doe if we follow our Sauiours counsell, by giuing the things of God vntounto God. Neyther let any man thinke it an easie thing in outward aduancements, to continue inwardly spirituall, or to vse outward things in a spirituall manner. For prosperity hath bin found a most dangerous temptation, and it requires great care and a strong spirit rightly to mannage it. There is ancient league betweene our flesh and the World, the knot where of though it bee cut by the Circumcision of the spirit, yet the smiles and glances which the World casts on vsus in outward glory and prosperity, doe easily awake the louelove that was layd to sleepe, and entise the flesh to renew her first Friendship with the World. Therefore hath hee need of the faith of Moses, that will refuse the pleasures of sinne, and change them for the coldnes and abstinence of Mortificatiō. But let him▪ with Moses hauehave an eye to the recompence of the reward; and that sight will make him resolute. Let him remember the good Seruant, who the more Talents hee receiued of his Master the more hee increased (not to himselfe) but to his Master, And the more Talents he increased to him, the more Cities he receiued of him. Let him, with Saint Paul, not looke on the things that are seene, but on the things that are not seene, because the things seene are but temporall, but the things not seene eternall; and then if hee be wise hee will vse things temporall for the aduancement of things eternall, and not lose things eternall by a carnall fruition of things temporall.
To conclude, if the man that hath inward Graces, by those Graces hauehave gotten a spirituall Eminence, that hee shines as a greater Starre from which the lesser differ in Glorie, let him indeauour to preserue and increase his excellence, as well as to obtayne it. This shall he doe if hee adde one Grace more to the rest of his Graces, and that is Humility. For Humility is a Grace that is the keeper of Graces, yea, it is an increaser of them. So a Christians chiefe way of aspiring is by Humility, and by lownesse to be exalted. On the otherside, if Grace be followed by Pride, Pride lessens that wherein it seekes to fasten her rootes, so that the more proud a man is of Grace, the lesse cause of Pride he is likely to hauehave, for Grace will lessen as Pride increaseth.
Againe, hath thy inward excellence receiued the addition of some outward Dignitie, let the spirit that got it command it, doe thou make it spirituall, and let it not make thee carnall. Doe not thou lose that which thou art, for that which thou hast, but bee thou still thy selfe, and let the things of Nature bee the seruants of Grace. Be thou still spirituall in thy affections, in thy actions, for if thou abide in the spirit, thou abidest in thy excellence, and if thou goe from the spirit to the flesh, thou goest downe really, though thou mountest imaginarily, for the top of the flesh is too bad to be the footstoole of the spirit. But if thou abide constant in the spirit, & thereby art possessor of thy owne soule, and a commander of things transitorie, thy sowing to the spirit shall make thee to reape of the spirit, and thy Haruest shall bee life euerlasting.
Thou shalt also stop the mouthes of them that speake euill of Dignities, and for the abuse would take away the vse. Thou shalt bee called a builder of Sion, and a repayrer of the breaches of Ierusalem. But on the otherside, They that sow to the flesh, shall of the flesh reape corruption. They that build vp a Babell, shal be stricken with confusion. They that partake with the Harlot in her sinnes, shall partake with her in her plagues: and *Reu…. 18 7, 8.one of her chiefe sinnes is Pride, and her plagues are Mourning, Famine, Death and Fire. Their soules shall be banished from the Tree of Life, which is the extremity of hunger, They shall be sent into weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is the most bitter mourning, and to the second Death, where the Worme dyeth not, and the fire neuer shall be quenched.