The Souls Conflict With Itself, Chapter 10
CAP. X.
Meanes not to bee overcharged … sorrow.
TO helpe us further herein, besid… that which hath beene formerly spoken,
1. Wee must take heed of building an ungrounded confidence of happinesse 1. Changes must be forethought offor time to come: which ma… us when changes come, 1. Unacquainted with them; 2. takes away expectation of them; 3. and preparati… for them. When any thing is strange and sudden, and lights upon us unfurnished and unfenced, it must needs p… our spirits out of frame. It is good therefore to make all kinde of troubles familiar to us, in our thoughts at least, and this will breake the force of them. It is good to fence our soules beforehand against all assaults, as men use to keepe out the Sea, by raising bankes; and if a breach bee made, to repaire … presently.
We had need to maintaine a strong Garrison of holy Reasons against the assaults of strong passions; wee may hope for the best, but feare the worst, and prepare to beare whatsoever. We say that a set diet is dangerous, because variety of occasions will force us upon breaking of it: So in this world of changes, wee cannot resolve upon any certaine condition of life, for upon alteration the minde is out of frame. We cannot say this or that trouble shall not befall, yet we may by helpe of the Spirit, say, nothing that doth befall, shall make mee doe that which is unworthy of a Christian:
That which others make easie by Quae alii diu patiendo levia faciūt, sapiens levia facit diu cogitando.suffering, that a wise man maketh easie by thinking of beforehand. If we expect the worst: when it comes, it is no more than wee thought of. If better befals us, than it is the sweeter to us, the lesse wee expected it. Our Saviour foretels the worst: In the world you shall have tribulation, therefore looke for it, but then hee will not leave us. Ioh. 16. 33.Satan deludes with faire promises: but when the contrary falls out, hee leave his followers in their distresses. Wee desire peace and rest, but wee seeke i… not in its owne place; there is a rest for Gods people, but that is not here, nor yet, Heb. 4. 9.but it remaines for them; they rest fr… their labours, but that is after they are dead in the Lord. There is no sound rest till then. Yet this caution must be remembred, Rev. 14. 13.that wee shape not in o… Caution.fancies such troubles as are never likely to fall out, It comes either from weaknesse or guiltinesse, to feare shaddowes. We shall not need to make crosses, they will (as we say of foule weather) come before they be sent for. How many evills doe people feare, from which they have no further hurt, then w… is bred onelyonly by their causelesse fea…. Nor yet if they be probable, must wee thinke of them so, as to be altogether so affected, as if undoubtedly they would come, for so wee give certaine strength to an uncertaine crosse, and usurpe upon God, by anticipating th… which may never come to passe. It was rashnesse in David to say, I sh… 1 Sam. 27. 1one day perish by the hand of Saul.
If they be such troubles, as will certainely come to passe, as parting with friends and contentments (at least) by death; than I thinke of them so, as not to be much dismayed, but furnish thy heart with strength before-hand that they may fall the lighter. 2. Thinke of them so, as not to give up the bucklers to passion, and lye open as a faire marke for any uncomfortable accident to strike to the heart; nor yet so think of them as to despise them, but to consider of Gods meaning in them, and how to take good by them. 3. Thinke of the things we enjoy, so as to moderate our enjoying of them, by considering there must be a parting, and therefore how wee shall bee able to beare it when it comes.
2. If we desire not to be overcharged 2.with sorrow, when that which we feare is fallen upon us, we must then beforehand looke that our love to any thing in this world, shoot not so farre, as that, when the time of severing commeth, we part with so much of our hearts by that rent. Those that love too … will alwayes grieve too much. It is t… greatnesse of our affections which c… seth the sharpnesse of our afflictions. … that cannot abound without pride a… high-mindednesse, will not want wi… out-too-much dejectednesse. Love … planted for such things as can retu… love: and make us better by loving them, wherein we shall satisfie our lo… to the full. It is pitty so sweet an affection should be lost: So sorrow is … sinne, and for other things as they m… sinne the more bitter to us. The … of a Christian should be a meditati… how to unloose his affections from inferiour things; hee will easily die that … dead before in affection. But this will never be unlesse the soule seeth some thing better than al things in the world, upon which is may bestow it selfe. In that measure our affections die in the… excessive motion to things below, … they are taken up with the love and admiration of the best things. He that … much in heaven in his thoughts, is free from being tossed with tempest here below; the top of those mountaines that are above the middle Region, are so quiet, as that the lightest things (as ashes) lie still and are not moved. The way to mortifie earthly members that bestirre Col. 3. 1. & 5.themselves in us, is to mind things above, The more the wayes of wisedome lead us on high, the more wee avoyd the snares below.
In the uncertainty of all events here, labour to frame that contentment in and from our owne selves, which the things themselves wil not yeeld; frame peace by freeing our hearts from too much feare, and riches by freeing our hearts from covetous desires. Frame a sufficiencie out of contentednesse; If the soule it self be out of tune, outward things will doe no more good than a faire shooe to a gouty foote.
And seeke not our selves abroad out of our selves in the conceits of other men. A man shall never live quietly, that hath not learned to be set light by of others. He that is little in his owne eyes, will not be troubled to be little in the eyes of others. Men that set too high a price upon themselves, when others will not come to their price, are discontent. Those whose condition i… above their worth, & their pride above their condition, shall never want sorrow; yet wee must maintaine our authority and the Image of God in our places, for that is Gods and not ours, and we ought so to carrie our selves as we approve our selves to their consciences, though we have not their good words; Let none despise thy youth, saith Saint Paul to Timothy, that is, Walke s… before them as they shall have no cause. It is not in our owne power what other men thinke or speake, but it is in o… power (by Gods grace) to live so, th… none can thinke ill of us, but by slandering, and none beleeve ill but by too much credulity.
3. When any thing seiseth upon us, wee must take heed we mingle not o… 3owne passions with it; wee must … ther bring sinne to, nor mingle … with the suffering: for that wil trouble the spirit, more than the trouble it … We are more to deale with our ow… hearts, than with the trouble it selfe. We are not hurt till our soules be hurt. God will not have it in the power of any creature to hurt our soules, but by our owne treason against our selves.
Therfore we should have our hearts in continuall jealousie, for they are ready to deceive the best. In suddaine encounters, some sinne doth many times discover it selfe, the seed whereoflyeth hid in our natures, which wee thinke our selves very free from. Who would have thought the seeds of murmuring had lurked in the meeke nature of Moses? That the seeds of murther had lurked in the pittifull heart of David? 2 Sam. 12. 9That the seeds of deniall of Christ had lyen hid in the zealous affection of Mat, 26. 72.Peter towards Christ? If passions breake out from us, which we are not naturally enclined unto, and over which by grace wee have got a great conquest; how watchfull need wee be over our selves in those things, which by temper, custome, and company, wee are carried unto? and what cause have wee to feare continually that wee are worse than we take our selves to be?
There are many unruly passions lye hid in us, untill they be drawne out by something that meeteth with them; either I by way of opposition, as when the truth of God spiritually unfolded, meets with some beloved corruption, it swelleth bigger; the force of Gunpowder is not knowne untill some sparke light on it; and oftentimes the stillest natures (if crossed) discover the deepest corruptions. Sometimes it is drawne out by dealing with the opposite spirits of other men. Oftentimes retyred men know not what lies hid in themselves.
2. Sometimes by crosses, as many people whilest the freshnesse and vigour of their spirits lasteth, and while the flower of age, and a full supply of all things continueth, seeme to be of… pleasing and calme disposition; b… afterwards when changes come, like Iobs wife, they are discovered. Th… that which in nature is unsubdued, openly appeares.
3. Temptations likewise have a searching power to bring that to light in us which was hidden before. Sathan hath beene a winnower, and a sister, of Luke 22. 3.old: hee thought if Iob had beene but Iob 1.touched in his body, hee would have cursed God to his face.
Some men out of policie conceale their passion, untill they see some Aperta perdunt odia vindictae locum.advantage to let it out; as Esau smoothered his hatred untill his fathers death. When the restraint is taken away, Men (as wee say) shew themselves in their Solve Le… nem & senties.pure naturalls; unloose a Tyger or a Lyon, and you know what he is.
4. Further, let us see more every day into the state of our owne soules; what 4.a shame is it that so nimble and swift a spirit as the soule is, that can mount up to heaven, & from thence come downe into the earth in an instant, should whilest it lookes over all other things over-looke it selfe? that it should bee skilfull in the story (almost) of all times and places, and yet ignorant of the story of it selfe? that we should know what is done in the Court and Countrey, and beyond the Seas, and be ignorant of what is done at home in our owne hearts? that we should live knowne to others, and yet die unknowne to our selves? that we should be able to give account of any thing better then of our selves to our selves? This is the cause why we stand in our owne light; why wee thinke better of our selves than, others, and better then is cause. This is that which hindreth all reformation, for how can wee reforme that which wee are not willing to see, and so wee lose one of the surest evidences of our sincerity, which is, a willingnesse to search into our hearts, and to bee searched by others. A sincere heart will offer it selfe to triall.
And therefore let us sift our actions, and our passions, and see what is flesh in them, and what is spirit, and so separate the precious from the vile. It is good likewise to consider what sinne we were guilty of before, which moved GOD to give us up to excesse in any passion, and wherein we have grieved his Spirit; Passion will bee … moderate, when thus it knowes, it must come to the triall and censure. This course will either make us weary of passion, or else passion will make us weary of this strict course. Wee shall find it the safest way to give our hearts no rest, till we have wrought on them to purpose, and gotten the mastery over them.
When the soule is invred to this dealing with it selfe, it will learne the skill to command, and passions will be soone commanded, as being invred to be examined and checked; As wee see doggs, and such like domesticall creatures, that will not regard a stranger, yet will be quieted in brawles presently, by the voice of their Master, to which they are accustomed. This fits us for service. Unbroken spirits are like unbroken horses, unfit for any use, untill they be thorowly subdued.
5. And it were best to prevent 5. We must crush the first motions of sin.(as much as in us lieth) the very first risings, before the soule bee overcast; Passions are but little motions at the first, but grow as Rivers doe, greater and greater, the further they are carried from their Spring. The first risings are the more to bee looked unto, because there is most danger in them, and we have least care over them. Si… like rust, or a Canker, will by little a… little eate out all the graces of the soule There is no staying when we are once downe the hill till we come to the bottome. No sin but is easier kept out, t… driven out. If wee cannot prevent wicked thoughts, yet wee may deny them lodging in our hearts. It is our giving willing entertainment to sinfull motions, that increaseth guilt, and hinder… our peace. It is that which moveth God to give us up to a further degree of evill affections. Therefore what we are afraid to doe before men, we should bee afraid to thinke before God. It would much further our peace to keep our judgements cleare, as being the eye of the soule, whereby we may discerne in every action and passion, what is good, and what is evill: as likewise to preserve rendernesse of heart, that may checke us at the first, and not brooke the least evill being discovered. When the heart begins once to be kindled, it is easie to smother the smoke of passion, which otherwise will fume up into the head, and gather into so thicke a cloud, as wee shall lose the sight of our selves, and what is best to bee done. And therefore David here labours to take up his heart at the first; his care was to crush the very first insurrections of his soule, before they came to break forth into open rebellion; stormes we know rise out of little gusts. Little risings neglectd, cover the soule before wee are aware. If wee would checke these risings and stifle them in their birth, they would not breake out afterwards to the reproach of Religion, to the scandall of the weake, to the offence of the strong, to the griefe of Gods Spirit in us, to the disturbance of our owne spirits in doing good, and to the disheartning of us in troubling of our inward peace, and thereby weakning our assurance. Therefore let us stop beginnings as much as may be; and so soone as they begin to rise, let us begin to examine what raised them, and whither they are about to carry us. The way to be still, is to examine o… Psal. 4.selves first. And then censure what stands not with reason. As David doth, when he had given way to unbefitting thoughts of Gods providence, So foolish, saith he, was I, and as a … Psal. 73. 22.before thee.
Especially, then looke to these sinfull stirrings, when thou art to deale with God. I am to have communion with a God of peace; What then doe turbulent thoughts and affections i… my heart? I am to deale with a patie… God, why should I cherish reveng… thoughts? Abraham drove away t… birds from the sacrifice, Gen. 15. 11. Troublesome thoughts like birds … come before they be sent for, but they should finde entertainment accordingly.
6. In all our grievances, let us lo… to something that may comfort us, … 6.well as discourage: looke to that wee enjoy, as well as that wee want. As i… prosperity God mingles some crosses to diet us; so in all crosses there … something to comfort us. As there is a vanity lies hid in the best worldly good: So there is a blessing lies hid in the worst worldly evill. GOD usually maketh up that with some advantage in another kinde, wherein wee are inferiour to others. Others are in greater place, So they are in greater danger. Others bee richer, so their cares and s…res be greater; the poore in the world may bee richer in faith than they. The Iam. 2. 5.soule can better digest and master a low estate than a prosperous, and is under some abasement i… is in a lesse distance from God. Others are not so afflicted as we, than they have lesse experience of Gods gracious power than wee. Others may have more healthy bodies, but soules lesse weaned from the world. We would not change conditions with them, so as to have their spirits with their condition? For one halfe of our lives, the meanest are as happy and free from cares, as the greatest Monarch: that is, whilest both sleepe; and usually the sleepe of the one, is sweeter than the sleepe of the other. What is all that the earth ca… afford us, if God deny health? and this a man in the meanest condition may enjoy. That wherein one man diff… from another, is but title, and but for a little time; Death levelleth all.
There is scarce any man, but the good hee receives from God is more than the ill hee feeles, if our unthankfull hearts would suffer us to thinke … Is not our health more than our sickenesse? doe we not enjoy more than we want, I meane, of the things that are necessary? Are not our good dayes more than our evill? but we would go to heaven upon Roses, and usually o… crosse is more taken to heart, than … hundred blessings. So unkindly … deale with God. Is God indebted to us, doth hee owe us any thing? those that deserve nothing, should be cont… with any thing.
Wee should looke to others as good as our selves (as well as to our selves) and than we shall see it is not our owne case onelyonly; who are we that we should looke for an exempted condition from those troubles which Gods dearest children are addicted unto.
Thus when we are surprised contrary to our looking for and liking, wee should study rather how to exercise some grace, than give way to any passion. Thinke, now is a time to exercise our patience, our wisedome, and other graces. By this meanes wee shall turne that to our greatest advantage, which Satan intendeth greatest hurt to us by. Thus we shall not onelyonly master every condition, but make it serviceable to our good. If nature teach Bees, not onelyonly to gather hony out of sweet flowers, but out of bitter: Shall not grace teach us to draw even out of the bitterest condition, something to better our soules? We learne to tame all creatures, even the wildest, that wee may bring them to our use; and why should wee glve way to our owne unruly passions?
7. It were good to have in our eye, the beauty of a well ordered soule, and 7.wee should thinke that nothing in this world is of sufficient worth to put us out of frame. The sanctified so… should be like the Sunne in this, whi… though it worketh upon all these in… riour bodies, and cherisheth them … light and influence; yet is not mov… nor wrought upon by them againe, b… keepeth its owne lustre and distance… ▪ So our spirits being of a heave… breed, should rule other things bene… them, and not be ruled by them. It … a holy state of soule to bee under t… power of nothing beneath it selfe; A… we stirred? than consider, It this m… ter worth the losse of my quiet? Wh… wee esteeme, that wee love, what wee love, we labour for; And therefore … us esteem highly of a cleare calme temper, whereby we both enjoy our God, and our selves, and know how to ra… all things else. It is against nature f… inferiour things to rule that, which th… wise Disposer of all things hath set above them. Wee owe the flesh neither suit nor service, wee are no debt… to it,
The more wee set before the so… that quiet estate in heaven, which t… soules of perfect men now enjoy, and it selfe ere long shall enjoy there, The more it will be in love with it, and endevour to attaine unto it. And because the soule never worketh better, than when it is raised up by some strong and Anima nunquam melius agit, quā ex imperio alicujus insignis affectus.sweet affection; let us looke upon our nature, as it is in Christ, in whom it is pure, sweet, calme, meeke, every way lovely. This sight is a changing sight, love is an affection of imitation, we affect a likenesse to him we love. Let us learne of Christ to be humble and meeke, and then wee shall finde rest to our soules. Math. 11. 29.The setting of an excellent idea and platforme before us, will raise and draw up our soules higher, and …ke us sensible of the least movings of spirit, that shall be contrary to that, the attainement whereof wee have in our desires. He will hardly attaine to meane things, that sets not before him higher perfection. Naturally we love to see symetry and proportion, even in a dead picture, and are much taken with some curious peece. But why should wee not rather labour to keepe the affections of the soule in due proportion? Seeing a me… and well ordered soule is not on… lovely in the sight of men and Ang… but is much set by, by the great Go… himselfe. But now the greatest care… those that set highest price upon the… selves is, how to compose their o… ward carriage in some gracefull m… ner, never studying how to compose their spirits; and rather how to … the deformity of their passions then … cure them. Whence it is that the fou… inward vices are covered with the fairest vizards, and to make this the worse, all this is counted the b… breeding.
The He…wes placed all their happinesse in peace, and when they wo… comprise much in one word, they would wish peace. This was that the Angels brought newes of from heav… at the birth of Christ. Now peace … seth out of quietnesse and order, a… God that is the God of peace, is the God … 1 Cor. 14. 33.order first. What is health, but when … the members are in their due posit… and all the humors in a setled quie… Whence ariseth the beauty of the world, but from that comely order wherein every creature is placed; the more glorious and excellent creatures above, and the lesse below? So it is in There must be an uniformity in the lives of Christians.the soule; the best constitution of it is when by the Spirit of God it is so ordered, as that all be in subjection to the Law of the minde. What a sight were it for the feet to be where the head is, and the earth to be where the heaven is, to see all turned upside downe? And to a spirituall eye it seemes as great a deformity, to see the soule to be under the rule of sinfull passions.
Comelinesse riseth out of the fit proportion of divers members to make up one body, when every member hath a beauty in it selfe, and is likewise well suited to other parts; A faire face and a crooked body, comely upper parts, and the lower parts uncomely, suit not well; because comelinesse stands in onenesse, in a fit agreement of many parts to one; when there is the head of a man, and the body of a beast, it is a monster in nature; And is it not as monstrous for to have an understanding head, and a fierce untame… heart? It cannot but raise up a holy indignation in us against these risings, when wee consider how unbeseeming they are; What doe these base pass… in a heart dedicated to God, and given up to the government of his Spirit? what an indignity is it for Princes to goe a foot, and servants on horse-ba… for those to rule, whose place is to … ruled? as being good attendants, b… bad guides. It was Chams curse to be… sevant of servants.
8. This must be strengthned with a strong selfe-denial, without which there 8can be no good done in Religion.
There be two things that most trouble us in the way to heaven; corruption within us, and the crosse without …, that which is within us must be deni…, that that which is without us may b… endured. Otherwise we cannot follow him by whom wee looke to be saved Christians must deny themselvesThe gate, the entrance of Religion, … narrow, we must strip our selves of o… selves before we can enter; if we bring any ruling lust to Religion, it wil prove a bitter root of some grosse sinne, or of apostacie and finall desperation.
Those that sought the praise of men, Ioh. 12. 43.more than the praise of God, could not beleeve, because that lust of ambition, would, when it should be crossed, draw them away. The young man thought it better for Christ to lose a Disciple, than that hee should lose his possession, Mat. 19. 22and therefore went away as hee came: The third ground came to nothing, because the Plough had not gone deepe Mat. 13 22.enough to breake up the rootes, whereby their hearts were fastned to earthly contentments. This selfe-deniall wee must carry with us through all the parts of Religion, both in our active and passive obedience; for in obedience there must be a subjection to a superiour, but corrupt selfe, neither is subject, Rom. 8.nor can be, it will have an oare in every thing, and maketh every thing, yea, Religion serviceable to it self. It is the Idol of the world, or rather the god that is set highest of all in the soule; & so God himselfe is made but an Idol. It is hard to deny a friend who is another selfe, harder to deny a wife that lyeth in the bosome, but most hard to deny our selves. Nothing so neere us as our selves to our selves, and yet nothing so farre off. Nothing so deare, & yet nothing so malicious & troublesome. Hypocrites would part with the fruit of their body, Mic. 6.sooner than the sinne of their soules.