True Happiness, Section 3
SECTION III.
How to seek true happinesse.
I have sought, that I will inquire.
THe first section of this doctrine hath told us that there is a happines (one thing) The second, that God is the fountain of it.The search of happinesse. Now followeth the third, how to seek it. And this is set down in two words, of Praying and Inquiring; and offereth to us two kinds of seeking: The first is the Inquirie of happinesse among many things: The second is the suiting of it from God by prayer after we have found it.
In this inquirie we shall consider the necessitie, difficulty, and the form. 1▪ The necessitie of it.The necessity is great, because it is about this greatest necessar one thing. We have it not by nature, but must get it by grace, so we are not born happy but made happy. We are miserable in our selves, and must be changed by happines, and this change is furthered by inquirie: Our life is short, our death uncertain; and when it approacheth, if it finde us unprovided, our misery shall be threefold: What then should we do in a short life; kDimittamus haec inania, & conferamus nos ad sola… inquisitionem veritatis. Aug.but cast off vanity, and set us for the search of the truth? Besides, it is the main end wherefore we are brought into the world, and if a new born childe could speak and were asked, wherefore he is born? He should answer: To seek the happines that he lost in Adam. We are not born to buy, and build, and heap riches, and honour together, but to enquire for salvation, as a childe is not formed in the belly to bide there, but to come forth, and to be a perfect man in the free light: It is a great lMagnum bonum est quaerere summum bonum. Ber.2The difficultie. 1. Cor. 2. 9. Colos. 3. 3. Primis pulchris inhiamus, & amplexamur nostra phàntasmata. Aug. ver. Rel. 49.good to seek the chief good.
The difficulty of this inquiry is first from the nature of happinesse: It is hid manna, the eye hath not seen it, nor the eare heard it, &c. And this our life is hid with Christ in God. Next from the multitude of false happinesses that deceive us: For Satan hath filled the way of our inquiry with sundry baits to divert us from the right, that on them we may stick as upon the chief good, and embrace our own fancies. Thirdly from our own disposition we are all born with a desire of happines, and every life in it own kinde desires to be better. If we ask any man though he were a fool, would you be happy? He would answer I would: For every being is desirous of mIpsa est vita beata quam omnes volunt, & omnino qui nolit eam nemo est. Aug. Conf. 10. 20.goodnesse or well being: The desire of meat, drink, raiment are no more rooted in us than that desire of happines, and these smallest desires serve the greatest: The appetite of the wills sacietie (which the schools call happines) is common, but few know the reason of that saciety, so that many labouring to choose a particular happines which their common appetite desired, have chosen misery for happines: It is as hard to finde out true happines as it is easie to have the common desire of it the one hath need of a supernaturall grace, as the other floweth from a naturall power. Fourthly, the practice of all ages proveth this difficultie: for of the many millions that sought out happines, none did finde it out except those whom God assisted by a speciall grace. The Philosophers travelled painfully, but brought out the winde; they were confident that they had found it, and yet found it not: But that confidence was double miserie, both in missing true happines, and then in resting upon their own deceit. They neither agreed with the truth, nor among themselves, nor any one of them with himself. If we look to the universall desire, rising from the common notion, we shal be forced to say, There is a happines: if we look on their diversitie, and contrarietie, we shall wonder at Sathans craft, abusing mans wit to erre so fouly about happines. And Solomon himself thought this task both worthy of him, and hard for him to finde out, what was that good or happinesse of the sons of men? Eccles. 2. 3.Wee must think it an hard task, whereon so many Philosophers have lost their labour, their time, and themselves.
The search it self goeth in two: the refusing of ill, and choosing of good.3. The forme of the search. The ill of sin must simply be refused, whether it be originall or actuall, inherent or adherent guiltinesse. It is the cause of our misery, and contrarie to good; it cannot enter in happines, but stayes it in us. Our miserie began at it, and our happines beginneth in turning from it. Adam was tried by the tree of knowledge of good and ill, which told him that so long as hee stood, hee had a known good, and was free from an unknown ill: But when he fell, he …o und experimentall knowledge of a lost good and purchased ill: That tree is yet our triall, if we will eschew the ill of sin, and follow the good of happines. There can be no happines in ill, neither can any man desire or love ill as ill, and sathan (whose malice is fed with it) doth not love it as ill, but as a good, as a satisfaction of his malitious will; And those men are most like to him, who seek their happines in ill. They make it their happines when they boast of it, as Lamech of his tyrannie, and Doeg of his calumnies, and politicks, that they can plot mischief, and bring it to passe. Who ever glorieth in sin, professeth that he counteth it his happines.
It may here be demanded:Afflicton stayeth not happinesse. If affliction can stand with happines? The name of it is miserable to the worldly; but that name hurteth not, where miserie is absent nNon obest nomen, cum abest miseria. Aug. Mor. Ecc. 27.. I answer, it can: for it is not the ill of sin, or of the fault, but the ill of punishment; and there is more miserie in the least sin than in the greatest crosse:2 Cor. 12. 10. and the Apostle called not himselfe miserable for his great affliction, but glorieth in it, I will glorie in my infirmities. But when he found the rebellion of his will against the law of his spirit,Rom. 7. 24. hee cryes out, Miserable man that I am. Gods love is the ground of our happines,Heb. 12. and affliction can stand well with it, for whom he loveth, he chasteneth. Sin woundeth the soul and bodie, and wasteth the conscience, but affliction purgeth all, and maketh Gods grace more sharp, and lively. Sin can admit no qualification, but must either be simply pardoned or punished, but affliction is qualified with grace to the godly, and furthereth them to happines; so that the spirit pronounceth them happie that are chastened of the Lord: Our happines is in no externall good, but in Gods favour, and the state of our person qualified with his grace and image in us: But affliction, though it spill externall blessings, yet it neither separateth us from his favour, neither destroyeth his grace, but augmenteth it. It can make us no more miserable, than prosperitie maketh the wicked happy. We need not now compare Lazarus in heaven with the rich man in hell:Luke … Even in this life, Lazarus in his rags and sores was more happy than the rich man in his costly apparell and daintie fair. Affliction is a medicine, and keepeth grace fresh in us,Pro. 1. 32. while ease and prosperitie slayeth the foolish. It is both the occasion, and whetstone of vertue; for God exerciseth them most whom he loveth and imployeth most. The best souldiers are set on hardest service, and none of them going out exponeth it as their Generals base account of them; but rather, that he esteemeth highly of their valour. God keepeth us from more miserie in making us repent former sin, and keeping us from sin that we might commit, than all the ill that affliction bringeth on us. Our daily crosses chase us daily to God who is our happines: and the godly count more of grace than of goods.Job 1. 21. Job, after he had lost all, kept his soul so fixt on God, that he made it manifest that they they were oNon illas sibi magnas, sed se illis, sibi autem Deum. Aug. de Mor. Ecc. 23.not given to him, but that he was more than they, and God was more to him than they and himself.
The second respect is to good,Choise of the best good. that we choose it; and that not every good, but the best: for wee are not now inquiring everie good, but the chief. Herein we must climb in two ascensions, the one in our self, the other in goods. For our self, we must not bide in our bodily senses, which are evill Judges of happines: but we must ascend from our body to our spirit, from our affections and will to our reason, and from that to the eternall law the rule of reason, and from that to eternall veritie the informer of reason in that law: So we must rise to the inlightned minde in Jesus Christ, that we may be inabled to make this search aright.
Next we must ascend by the degrees of goodnesse in the things themselves;And that by degrees. for every creature of God is good, but not the chief good: Though we may respect it as good in the own kinde and degree, yet we may not rest on it for happinesse. As a man that seeketh a lost jewell in a house, casteth by all that cometh to hand till he finde it: Or as one in a well furnished shop seeking rare stuffe, though the merchant put many in his hand after other, yet he layeth them all by, till he finde that he desires: So in this search of happinesse, what ever good come in our way, we must shift it till we come to the chief good. If we ascend to the height of a minde inlightned by God, nothing will content us till we come to himself: As his own light discovereth him, so his own love shed abroad in our heart cannot rest on any good till it come to him. The dove sent out by Noah *Genes. 8. 9.found no rest till she returned to the ark, so the inquiring minde findeth no rest in the creature till it come to God in the covenant of grace. Spirituall things are better then temporall, and heavenly things better then earthly, and in spirituall things we must ascend from gifts to grace, and in grace from a common to a speciall grace, and in the speciall grace from a preveening to an exciting grace, from that to the operating and cooperating graces, and from those to preserving and persevering grace. From given grace, we ascend to giving grace, that maketh us acceptable: And from all graces inhering in us, and qualifying us, as faith, hope, holinesse, &c. we rise to the fountain-grace in God, even his free favour, whereby he hath*Ephes. 1. 3, 8. & ver. 2. 8. chosen and blessed us in spirituall things in Christ: This is the grace whereby we are saved, our chief good and true happinesse. The Prophet professeth this his search through heaven and earth, ending in this choice of God alone.*Psal. 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee, and in the earth I have desired none with thee? And the Apostle,*Philip. 3. 8, 9. I count all things but dung for the excellencie of the knowledge of Christ, and that I may know him, and be found in him. This is our highest ascent.
Reason it self craveth this,God is the best good. for we ought to seek the best good; and if these things be good, God is better who made them: They have their goodnesse of him, which is infinitely lesse then his goodnesse, as a drop of water compared to the sea: They are both better and greater in him then in themselves, and more truly also, as the originall is better then the extract. All goodnesse is both originally and eminently in him, and more perfect then in creatures, because what is in them a shadow, in him is truth: If we love riches, true riches is in his favour; If we love honour, true honour is in his testimonie; If we love true pleasure, it is in his peace. The authour of things is better then the things themselves, and he who made all, is to us for all things: He who made all is better then all, and that is our God, he departeth not because none succeedeth to him aSed longe his melior qui secit omnia, & non discedit quia ei non succeditur. Aug. Confess. 4. 11..
This is the right sett of our two chief affections,Hatred and love well se…. hatred and love: Of hatred, that we hate all ill absolutely. There are degrees of ill, some lesse and some greater, and answerably we should hate them all, but we may not love any degree of ill: this is our separation from it; for though it subsist in our substance & flesh, yet if it be not in our affection, but we abhor it, then God will assist us against it. It may lessen the degrees of our happinesse, but cannot destroy it: In like manner, there are degrees of good, and we should love every good according to the degree, till we ascend to the chief good, and love him with all our heart, and all our soul. These affections qualifie our person, for the hatred of ill divideth us from that ill we hate, and the love of good maketh us like that good we love; And our love to the degrees of good, maketh us grow in goodnesse and grace. The wicked keep neither this order nor aseending: They pervert all, and chuse for their happinesse a lesser good then they refuse, as worldly goods in place of heavenly. That is both a transposing of their heart and a descending, and so they prove the sons of Belial, according to the Hebrew, because they neither ascend in the Lords mountaine, but are unthrifts; neither take on them the Lords yoak, and it is their naughtinesse or knaverie, according to the Latines, that they turn themselves to nothing; for knaverie is the death of the life, so called because it turneth to nothing aMors vitae nequitia est, quia ab eo quod necquicquam est dicitur. Aug. ver. Rel. Their degrees must be keept..
But we must further distinguish these affections, for though we should hate all sinfull ill, yet we may not hate any good: We may wisely neglect lesser goods for the chief, but not hate them: Though we count lesse of a lesser good then of a greater, and comparatively neglect all in respect of God, yet we should abhor none.bQuicquid vituperatur in melioris comparatione respuitur. Ibid. ver. Rel. 41. What ever is neglected is in comparison of a better. It is not only sin to turn from good to ill, but even among goods to decline from eternall to temporall things, from visible to invisible, from the creatour to the creature, yeabEst igitur quoddam bonum quod si diligat anima peccat quia infra cam ordinat…m est. Ibid. 29. and to love any good too much that is lesse then our selves, because it is ordered under us. And that due love we give them is not to hold us on them, but to send us away to the chief good; for if these small goods be love-worthy, with what a love should we adhere to the fountain-good?
The most part of men run on riches, The worlds choice.honour, fame, power, and pleasure *Thom. 1. 2 ae.and yet true happinesse is not in any of them, nor in all together.1. Happinesse is not in riches, Riches, whether naturall, in food and raiment; or artificiall, in money, are but earth in their substance, and worthlesse in themselves: Though the wretch count greatly of them, they are only for use wherein they perish.2. Not in honour, Honour is not happinesse (though the ambitious man count it so) but a consequent of it, neither hath it true worth, but is a signe of it, and that discerned and proclaimed by the multitude a blinde judge of worthinesse: And though the supposed worth be in him that is honoured, yet the offered honour is more in the honourer; and at the best it is but a vanishing smoak. Fame, is happinesse to the vain-glorious man,3. Nor i… fame, but at the best it is a fruit, and not a cause thereof: It is oftner false then true, and can proclaim lowd where no happinesse is: Sathan useth it as a miserable subsidie to the dead, whom he hath killed with the hunger of vain-glorie, and as a bait to their consorts to devoure that same angle.4. Nor in power, Power seemeth happinesse to the stirring man, that he may perform his own purposes, and oppresse his enemies; but it is rather an instrument then happinesse, and more hurtfull to the abuser then to others; and the abufe of it maketh more miserable, then the possession of it can blesse.
As for pleasure, 5. Nor in pleasure.the happinesse of beasts, it is to be left to Epicures; for though some of them pretended a pleasure of the minde, yet when all is searched, that is but a pretence to colour their beastly opinion of bodily pleasure. They strove to purifie it with abstract explications, but their life refuted their discourse, and their grosse practice overthrew their subtill disputes.Est hominis optimum quod animam optimam facit. Aug. de Mor. Ecc. cap. 6. Pleasure is the bodies happines, but not the souls; and if we speak properly, the soul is rather the best thing of the body, then any bodily thing.
Moreover all these idols of the world are cut off from happinesse, because they are common as well to the wicked as to the godly, which cannot fall in true happinesse, the patrimonie of the saints. Next, happinesse bringeth contentment; but the more we have of these the more we thirst. Thirdly, true happinesse is not in externall things; but all these are externall.
The cause why so many seek these things for happinesse is,The worlds errour. they love them better then God, and from their own fancie do conceit a worth which is not in them, and alleadge a promise on them which they make not. It is truly said that they who love, fain dreams to themselves; The wretch thinketh that riches cry on him, saying, Come to me, I shall make thee happy: The ambitious man thinketh honour cryes so to him, so the epicure dreameth of pleasure, &c. But falshood riseth not of the things themselves, but of our own deceiving and deceived hearts aFalsitas oritur non ex rebus ipsis fallentibus. Aug. ver. Rel. 36.. These things neither promise happinesse, neither can performe; the errour of their fansie turned into a strong desire, maketh them father such promises on these things: even as fools and babes do imagine, that ringing bels do speak the thing that they think. And it is our reproch that we beleeve things that neither promise nor can perform, and hazzard our eternall happinesse on that credulitie: But when God promiseth who is both truth and omnipotencie, wee meet his word with infidelitie: If these things could speake, they would chide their lovers as the angels did the woman seeking Christ in the grave, Why seek yee the living among the dead? Why seek ye happinesse in us who have it not, but are worse then your selves?
Some again who seem more perfect,Happinesse is not in the gifts of the minde. seek happinesse in the gifts of the minde, as learning, vertue, wisedome, &c. These are better than the former, and yet come not to true happinsse; for these gifts are common, and many wicked men have excelled in them, and yet perished. They are as the light to the eye without seeing, a furnishing to seek it without fruit: The Philosophers who excelled most in these things were most miserable: The fleshly villanies of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle equalled and exceeded their morall vertues. Solomon found not happinesse in these morall vertues, but in the fear and obedience of God.
All these erred foully in their search,The godly surpasse the world. yet not alike. The world is as a great mans house, to whom many resort: Some stay in the lower roomes with their companions; but some go to the hall, and yet stand there gazing on pictures, or rich hangings, but the wiser sort passe all these, and stay not till they finde him in his cabinet. So all men are busie for happinesse, but the most part remain below on riches and pleasure: Other that seem of greater spirits, climb up to honour, and are bewitched with the painted hangings of worldly glorie, or adore the gifts of their own minde: But the godly pittie these men in their errours, who are intised with such trifles. They know that they are not called to a worldly felicitie, but to a heavenly; they passe from one good to another, and urge pensively their inquirie, till they come to God himself. So the church in her search could not stay, till she found him whom her soul loved. God is above all, whom if we follow we learn well; if we apprehend, we learn both well and blessedly: his following is our appetite of happinesse, his apprehending is happinesse it self aAug. Mor. Eccl. 6. & 11. It is to be sought in God alone..
Let us therefore in this inquirie lift our mindes above all things, visible or created, and seek true happinesse in God alone; for none can make man blessed, but God that made man: *Non facit hominem …eatum, nisi qui fecit hominem Deus. Aug. Epist. 52.Seek the thing that you seek, sayeth one, but not where you seek it. You seek a blessed life in the region of death, it is not there. For how can there be a blessed life, where there is no life? And we may say: Woe to that bold soul, which hopeth, if it depart from God, that it can finde any thing better than God. For the soul goes into fornication when it departeth from, and seeketh not out of him these things pure and clean, which it will never finde till it returne unto himbQuomodo enim beata vita ubi nec vita? Aug. Confess. 4. 11. Ibid. 6. 16. Ibid. 2. 6. Id. Psal. 62. Id. de Mor. Ecc. 6. & 11..
The choice it self.
WE have heard of the search of happinesse,The choice it self. followeth the choice it self: I know school-divinitie speaketh otherwise, and thinketh (some of them at least) with the Philosopher, that election is not of the end, but of the midst to it: But I am content to speak rather with Christ, than the Philosopher, who commended Marie for chusing that one thing that was necessarie: and Divines speak roundly, What shall we chuse to love but that, than which we finde nothing better aQuid autem eligamus, quod diligamus nist quo melius nihil invenimus? Aug. Epist. 52.. There is formally a choice of the end. This choice is the act of the will, and goeth in foure speciall works, Inclination, Apprehension, Retention, and Rest.
Inclination, … By inclination.when the will inclineth and applieth it self to the sought and found happinesse. *Es. 26. 8.The desire of our heart is unto the…. We have naturally a desire of happinesse; but when the truth hath particularly revealed it, then we desire it more firmely. And this hath not only the last judgement of the practicall understanding (as some speak,) but more, the finger of Gods spirit bowing the will to it; for many in their reason do apprehend things to be good, and yet their will followeth not. The Creator of the will doeth bow it to good, else that pointing of the minde were not sufficient: All the time of our search the will stood in suspense, but now being informed by the minde of the nature of happinesse, and bowed by the spirit, it inclineth to it willingly: Our first sin began at a declining from God, and our first good disposition beginneth at the inclining of our will to him againe.
2. Apprehension is,2. Apprehension. when the will embraceth that greatest good with greatest power.*Cant. 3. 4. I layed hold on him, whom my soul loved: In griping other goods, it abideth in it self, and gripeth them slenderly, as inferiour goods, but it goeth out of it self gladly to this chief good, and quitting that proud title of mistresse of her own actions, is glad to go out of her self, and to be taken up in that chief good. For the pure and perfect soul, subjecteth it self unto happinesse aSummo bono anima pura & persecta subjungitur. Aug. Mor. cap. 1..
3.By retention. Tene tenentem. Bernard. Retention is our firme keeping of happinesse. *Cant. 3. 4.I would not let him go, till I brought him in the house of my mother. This keeping is his keeping of us; for as inclination is by his power, our apprehension by his griping of us, so this retention is by his holding of us:*Rom. 11. 18. The stock beareth us, and not we the stock.
4. A sweet rest on this good followeth,A Rest. which is the sweeter, the greater our search hath been: As Scripture hath some mysteries, otherwise men would neither seriously search, nor sweetly finde out the truth: Aug. ver. Rel. 17.So in the search of happinesse, the more labour the sweeter rest: If Adam had painfully laboured for his happinesse, he had kept it better than he did: Easie finding, maketh slack keeping, but a painfull conquest is carefully preserved: It is but the continuance of one care, and that with more joy in the preservation, than was in the purchase.
This choice is accompanied with a conscience of it self; We are conscious of this choice.for our conscience goeth along all this work, and maketh us conscious, both of our seeking and finding: God hath joyned it to the reasonable soul, as a witnesse of all actions, yea even of the least motion of our affections:1. Joh. 2. 3. We both know that they are, and we know that we know: The conscience making us sensible of the own consciousnesse: So that it is a comfortlesse religion, that involveth men in the confusions of an implicite faith towards God, and holdeth them in senselesnesse of their own estate, as not being conscious of that they do. They destroy the image of the Trinity in us, which is knowen by conscience:Aug. Civ. 11. 27. Our being; to know that our being; and to love both: Our being in him hath no death, our knowledge hath no ignorance, and our love no offence; but they confound all. He is senselesse, who feeleth not the work of his own affections, when he hateth, or feareth, or rejoyceth; so here if we love God, we need no more doubt that we are beloved of him, than that we love him. By this I know that it is true that is said aPer hanc intelligo vera que dicta sunt & haec me intelligere per hanc rursus intelligo. Aug. ver. Rel. 49.. And again, I know that I know these things: and when I love God, I can no more doubt that I am beloved than that I love bEgo verò amans amari me dubitare non possum non plus quam amare. Bernard. Cant. 84. Solomons experience..
But the experience of the Saints, will clear this practick point of the search, and finding of happinesse: And first in Solomon: He wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, than which the world hath nothing more perfect of this purpose cVnus Ecclesiastes copiosissimè mundana in contemptum adducit. Aug. Mor. 21. Eccles. 2. 3.: Therein he expresseth his consultations ending in just sentences: His counsell-house for this inquirie was his heart, I said in my heart: where gathering all his thoughts in the presence of God, he pondered things deeply. Next he proponeth the purpose for consultation, that he might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do uuder the heaven all the dayes of their life. Thereafter he bringeth in all these common places of worldly happinesse, as riches, honours, wisedome, possessions, &c. and sentenceth every one of them: This also is vanitie and vexation of spirit. Moreover in the beginning of the sixt Chapter he gathereth Paradoxes, adjudging rather happinesse to the contrary of these things, than to themselves.*Eccles. 6. 4. & 10. That it is better to be in the house of mourning, than of laughing. That the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. And in the end he closeth with the sum of all,*Eccl. 12. 13. that to fear God and keep his commandments, is the duty of man: If we look to the beginning of his discourse,*Eccles. 1. Vanitie of vanities, all is vanitie, it is like a program affixed on the entrie of a citie, to tell that all things in the world are but vanitie: vanitie in their being, because they are but shadowes of true goods; vanitie in their work, because they work not that good we expect; and vanitie in their durance, because they perish in using: The first is a vacuitie; the second is a weaknesse; and the third an evanishing. And his conclusion is to set us upon that chief good, to wit God, and his worship.
The second practice is in the Apostle,S. Pauls experience. who had many priviledges; he was a Jew*Act. 22., brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, profited greatly in learning, and so zealous of the law, that he*Act. 9. 2. sought commissions to persecute the Gospell: But when he compareth all these things with the excellent knowledge of Christ, he counteth them but*Philip. 3. 8. losse and doung, and setteth down his choice of true happinesse in termes, that after long inquirie,*1. Cor. 2. 2. he had judged and decreed to know nothing but Christ and him crucified.
Two errours in the inquirie of happinesse are here to be condemned:Not to search is brutish. The first seeketh not at all; they think happinesse is easily found, and will fall to them as rype fruit: And because they look easily up to heaven, they think it as easie to go up thither; But they should remember, that though naturally the way be broader, because it is from the center to the circle, yet spiritually it is straiter, because God is our center, and we upon the earth are in the circumference; They are as grosse as beasts, who have neither foresight, consultation, nor election, and are carried only with the sway of appetite, which is not much different from the weight of a stone: These men say in their heart,Psal. 14. 1. that there is not a God; and though the common notions of nature tell them there is one,*Rom. 1. 18. they hold that righteousnesse of God in unrighteousnesse; but in the matter of happinesse, though they have a naturall appetite of it, yet they take no paines to seek it out. Herein they carrie their conviction in their bosome: for in all other matters they use consultation, as in contracts of marriage, plees for their inheritance: But in the matter of happinesse, how few dare say, that in all their life time they have taken one houre to advise ripely, how to come to it? We have all time and leisure enough for other matters, but little or none for happinesse. I know that every one cannot make that painfull inquirie like Solomon and Paul. God was to imploy them to teach others, and therefore tooke more paines on them; yet every one in some measure should make this search, and bring their souls to this question, How shall I finde and obtain true happinesse? If it be not in a question, it will never come to a consultation, nor a sentence, nor a search.
The second errour is worse in a bad consulting Fleshly searching.They*Esay 30. 1. take counsell, but not of God, and advising with flesh and bloud, call in three dangerous counsellours: Their bodily sense, their predominant lusts, and the custome of the world. Their bodily sense goes no further than things present: Their predominant lusts leadeth them on their own delight. Avarice counselleth the greedy man to seek riches: Pride biddeth the ambitious man seek honour, &c. And the custome of the world adviseth them to conforme them to it, lest they incur the anger of the world, and be persecuted for crossing its choice. These are like Rehoboams young Counsellors, brought up with himself: The first is bruitish, and biddeth satisfie the body: The second is violent, and biddeth please the predominant lusts; The third is politick, to do as others do, and to hazzard on a common errour, rather than on an happinesse uncertaine, and unseen to them. But they shall at last seriously (though too late) repent their foolish choice aFatuam electionem serò, sed seriò dolent. Basil. 212.: They serve these creatures which they chuse, and lose both their happinesse and themselves, whereas by the choice of God, they might both be free, and served of these creatures, which now they make their masters bHis rebus quicunque beatus esse vult serviat necesse est, velit nolit. Aug. ver. Rel. 38. God directeth us in this search. 1 By his word,.
But God saveth his own from these errours, and leadeth them in a wise search and chusing, by his word, his example, and work. By his word, generally bidding us,cColoss. 3. 1. Seek the things above, and not the things beneath, dJoh. 2. 15.and forbidding us to love the world and the things of it: And specially,eMatth. 6. 19. forbidding the rich to lay up their treasures in earth, but in heaven: He sayeth to the leacherous,fGalat. 6. 8. He that soweth to the flesh, shall reape of the flesh: He sayeth to the proud,gLuk. 18. 14. That he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted: He sayeth to the revengefull man,hMatth. 5. 39. & 44. Aug. ver. Rel. 3. If any smite thee on the one cheek, hold up the other also: And to the contentious, love your enemies. We must not looke what man sayeth, or what our owne fleshly minde suggesteth, but what his oracles sayeth, And subject our weak reasons to his divine speeches aNostrasque ratiunculas divinis subjiciamus affatibus. Aug. Tom. 1. 168. d. By his example,.
Next by example: Because when Christ took our nature he walked in the best way to happinesse, and that in two: In contemning those things that the world loveth, and induring those things which it fleeth: He saw men love riches, but he chose povertie: They thirsted for honour,*Joh. 6. 15. but he refused to be a King: They abhorred contempt and contumelies, but he indured them patiently: They counted injuries intolerable, but he was scourged and tormented. There is no greater sin, than to covet those things which he contemned, and to abhor those things which he indured: All his life on earth was a discipline and paterne of Christian manners aOmnia que habere cup ebam us, vilia fecit—tota ejus vita disciplina morum fuit. Ver. Rel. 16..
Thirdly by his worke, 3 By his work.and that in Correction and Direction: In Correction, because he maketh us to forsake other small goods, which otherwise wee would keep as happinesse: For when we finde them but weak, and not able to be our constant contentment; and when in their losse, we finde our comfort in spirituall things, we forsake the weaker, and take us to spirituall graces. In direction, when he leadeth us in this search, and in place of the three bad counsellours, the bodily sense, predominant humour, and custome of the world, he giveth us other three, a sanctified minde, a pure conscience, and his word as a threed, to lead us through the labyrinth of the worlds errours: The light of that truth directeth us, and the worke of his spirit guideth us in that direction:*Psal. 73. 24. He guideth us by his counsell, that he may bring us to glorie.
But let none think,This search is a work of grace. that this search and choice commeth of himselfe, as many who turne great blessings into curses, when being made great of God, they use not his gifts as given to glorifie him, but take the glorie of them to themselves: But he that taketh glorie of Gods gift, is a theef and brigand: The Schoole sayes, That to will, to love, &c. are elicite acts of the will, and flow from her inward power: If they mean of morall and naturall things, we dispute not with them, but if of supernaturall and spirituall things, it is a proud peece of divinitie, for Scripture saith,*Philip. 3. 13. That God worketh in us, both to will and to do: aMagnum donum quaerere Deum. Bern. Gant. 84.It is a great gift of God to seek God; It is second to no gift, because it is the first; It succeedeth no grace, which hath no precedent, and cedeth to none that hath the perfection of all. Let no soul seeking God turne that great good into a great ill, by ascribing it to it self, but let it know, that it is preveened and sought by him, before it seeke him. The church sought Christ in the night, but was first sought of him: And David confessing his*Ps. 119. 176. wandering like a sheep, prayeth to God, seek thy servant. If it had been in his owne power, he needed not to pray for it; he would, but he could not, and that his will was of Gods effectuall grace: Therefore let every soul that seeketh God confesse, that it is sought before it seek, and is beloved before it love him.bNon est invenire Domino sed praevenire, & inventionem praeventio excludit. Bern. fol. 18 1. Col. 3. Our invention then is Gods prevention, and that prevention excludeth invention; cQuae sivisti non quaerentes …e, & quaesivisti ut quaererent. Aug. Confess. 11. 2.hee sought us who sought him not, that we might seek him: He preveeneth us with two blessings, of Love and Seeking; Love, the cause of seeking, and seeking the fruit of his love: And hereof commeth our seeking, because he seeketh and findeth us; If wee were not sought we could not seeke him, and being sought we cannot but seeke him: Neither can we seeke before we be sought:dNec non quaesita quaerere potes, nec non quaerere quaesita nunc potes. Bernard. fol. 185. 3. 4. Neither can we but seek when God hath sought us. eSuasio est quaesitio, & persuasio est inuentio. Ibid. col. 4. Quaerimus votis, fide invenimus. Ibid.Gods suasion is his seeking of us, and his persuasion is his finding. Our desire of him is our seeking of him, and our faith and delight is our finding of him. We seek him by desire, and finde him by faith.
Of all that is spoken of this search,The godly are happie in their search. we gather three things: The happinesse of the godly man in his search; The distinction of mankind; And our duty. The happinesse of the godly, in that they are not left to themselves, but are guided therein by a divine wisedome and justice: In wisedome, because they passe by all other things, till they come to God: They count of other goods as becommeth, but not as the chief good, they are lesser goods, but not prime, they follow happinesse, but lead not to it aSubdita debent esse non praedita; sequentia, non ducentia. Aug. Epist. 52.:bAmant quod sibi eripi no… potest. Aug. ver. Rel. 45. Deum nemo potest eripere. Ibid. 47. They love that, that cannot be taken from them: none can take God from them. Many of the Ancients make these three equivalent, Wisedome, Veritie, and Happinesse, because it is truth that directeth to happinesse, and wisedome that findeth it out, and this is true wisedome to chuse the best, and the thing that will not be taken from us. It was Maries wisedome, that she chused the thing that would not be taken from her.
Next they are guided by divine Iustice, Their righteousnes therein.to give every thing the owne due; To God their greatest love, and to his gifts they measure according to their kinde, and degree of goodnesse: They seek God for their happines, and leave the world unto worldlings:aPerfecta est justitia quae potius potiora & minus minima diligit. Ibid. 48. That is perfect justice, that loveth best things greatly, and meane things meanly: None have the ballance of the sanctuarie in their heart, but the sanctified ones; their mindes inlightned of God value things rightly, and their pure affections follow accordingly, and therefore they are only the right esteemers of things; but the worldling is a blinde judge, he neither knowes the excellencie of things spirituall, neither the basenesse of worldly things, but as a sow, embraceth the dongue-hill of wordly contentments, and contemneth the heaven, yea they are the serpents brood, because they*Gen. 3. 14. eat the dust of earthly trifles, and are the more sweet morsell to him againe.
Secondly,This choice divideth mankinde. this distinguisheth mankinde in it selfe. —Mankind hath many divisions, but this is a speciall one from the choice of happinesse, and so goeth in two parts: One the*Psal. 24. 6. Generation of those that seeke the Lord, the other of them that seek him not.*Psal. 4. 6. Many say who will let us see good things? But Lord lift up above me the light of thy countenance. This is not like Martha and Marie:Aug. de Verb. Dom. serm. 26. 27. These two sisters choice were both good, for Marthaes businesse was commendable, but Maries was better: The one was busie in the workes of Charitie, doing good to the bodie of Christ; the other in the workes of Pietie, about his Godhead:Martha and Marie. The one to feed his body: The other to be fed of his spirit: and yet he counteth more of Marie, who neglected his body, to feed her owne soul, than of Martha, who neglected her owne soul, to feed his bodie: He was fed in spirit by her, whose spirit he did feed: This was a work of the same love, that made him neglect himself to save us; he came to do divine things, and to suffer humane miseries for us, and so to be hungrie and eat: He subjected himselfe to be a guest in mans houses, who is preparing mansions in heaven for men, and yet in this voluntary necessitie, giveth more than he taketh, and is gladder to feed us,The godly erre sometimes in their choice. than be fed.
Iacob and Esau do more represent these parties, the one in pietie waiting on God, and injoying the blessing: The other profanely contemning the blessing, and following his fleshly delights. Sometimes the godly will follow the common errour, and chuse the world, as*Gen. 13. 11. Lot inticed with the fatnesse of the vallies, chused to dwell in Sodome; but that folly cost him deare, for beside the societie of Abraham, he lost his wife, and all his goods: There is no other cure of their folly, but the losse of that their choice.
Herein the godly and the wicked,The godly and the wicked have concord and discord. have both a concord, and discord in their choices: They agree in the matter, in that they chuse contrary things, the godly chuse God for their happinesse, and the wicked, the trifles of the world: They cannot encroach one on another, for the choice of the one is the refuse of the other, and the refuse of the one, is the choice of the other: And yet they discord, because these contrary courses flow from contrary dispositions, which breaketh out in enmity in the wicked; for though they be content, that the godlies choice leave the trifles of the world to them, yet they are angrie at it, because it proveth them fools, who chuse that which the godly refuse: And Sathan augmenteth this discord, to avenge his double quarrell upon the godly: The one, in disdaining his baits, whereby he allureth the wicked, the other, for loving of God, whom he abhorreth: Yea the wicked mocke the godly as fools, for their refusing of the world, and chusing of God aAug. lib. Arb. 3. 5.. But it is like Ismaels mocking of Isaac, *Gen. 21. 9., or rather as foolish children, mocking the prudence of the ancient, which they can neither chuse nor follow. But the godly indure that ignorant censure patiently, as wise men do either contemne or neglect the ignorance of babes, or else bear with them, till they come to riper judgement.
This expresseth that which God did by chusing his owne out of the corrupt masse: Eternall separation, and temporall.Albeit they were borne twins as Jacob and Esau, yet they are divided at their birth, and setting their backs to other, the one runneth to God, the other to the world: The one as right-handed men follow good: The other as left-handed men follow ill: This is that Solomon telleth us,*Eccles. 10. 2. That the heart of a wise man is at his right hand, but the heart of a foole is at his left hand, that is, not in situation, but in use: For God hath given our soul many strong and sweet powers toward good, as love, to love it; to desire it; to hope before we get it; and rejoyce, when we have found it: These are as the souls right hand, which in their worke to good, carrieth her self dexterously. But ill is set at our left hand, and God hath armed us against it, with Hatred, Feare ere it come, and Sorrow when it is come; which serve to rebate and keep us in separation from it: Therefore when the wicked set their soul for the seeking and embracing of ill, they turne left-handed like the Benjamites, who with their left-handed skill,Judg. 20. 16. were foreward and able to defend a villanie;*Psal. 144. 7. Their right hand is a right hand of iniquitie, because they prefer the things that should be postponed, as the right hand is to be preferred to the left aDextra eorum dextrainiquitatis, quia haec praeposuerunt, quae …uerant post ponenda. Aug. Ep. 52.. But the godly are contrarie, they*Psal. 16. 8. 1 It is a resolution of election. set God before them, and finde him at their right hand, and all the dexteritie they have is for good.
This furnisheth also to the godly a resolution, for three things: The first, of their election before time: For no soul can chuse God for its portion, but that soul that is chosen of God, and our chusing of him is his work in us, meeting that his eternall election in the own kinde. Next our present estate: 2 Of our pr… sent state.For if wee love God sincerely, wee may be sure wee are beloved of him, if we seek him: we are first sought of him; if we finde him, we are first found of him in merciemercy: If we desire him, we are the men of his desire, as*Dan. 10. 11. Daniel was: If we delight in him, we are the children of his delight, &c. For all these works of the soul neither breed in us, neither begin at us, but he preveeneth us in them all, and worketh that meeting to himselfe. Thirdly,3 Of our future state. of our estate to come; For if wee be righthanded men in God, in chusing and seeking true happinesse, then at the last day,*Mat. 25. 32. he shall set us at his right hand, and keepe us in an eternall separation from the wicked, when he shall say,*Ibid. 25. 34. Come ye blessed of my Father, inherite the kingdome prepared for you aOmnes cupiunt felicitatem, & boni & mali, sed nulli inveniunt nisi boni. Aug. Ep. 121. c. 4. We should seek the Lord.. Now wee are not distinguished in our wishes, but in our courses, for both good and ill desire happinesse, but none obtaine it but the good, and that by a separation from the wicked, before time, in time, and after it.
Lastly our dutie is, to be of*Psal. 24. 6. that generation that seek the Lord. Some are neither sought of him, nor seek him, as they who lie hardened in their sinnes: Others are sought of him, but seeke him not as yet, as the elect in Baptisme whom he inquireth, and acquireth aQuae…ivit & acquisivit. Bern. sol. 97.in that second generation, though they know it not. But the third sort are best, who are so sought of him, that he maketh them seeke him againe. This is the generation of them that have him, and seeke him, for if they had him not they could not seeke him:bTestimonium gustatae gratiae est esuries vehemens. Ibid. And a cleare testimonie that we have tasted grace, is this vehement hunger of grace. God is most simple, and wee should seeke him in simplicitie. And let us seeke him truly, that hath not another like him, nor another beside him, nor another above him: If wee seeke him*Deuter. 4. 29. with all our heart, wee shall finde him, for he cannot withdraw himselfe from those that love him. Love maketh up all the parts of this inquirie, for he is sought by love, and found and kept by love:cImus ad eum non ambulando, sed amando, non pedibus, sed moribus, amores nostri sunt mores nostri. Bernard. We go to him not by walking, but by loving, and we have him so far present as wee love him, wee go to him not on our feet, but on our manners, and our love is our manners.
Happinesse is to be sought by prayer.
Have I desired.
THis is the other part of the seeking: By prayer: The first was a seeking out of the thing it selfe, and now when he findeth it in God, he seeketh it of him by prayer.
In the order it is to be marked,Prayer and practice should be joyned. that seeking of happinesse, and praying for it, are well joyned together: for if they be separate they are unprofitable. Some pray only without labour, as the old Euchites. But they should remember, that God who giveth us a heart, and a tongue to pray, giveth us also hands and feet to worke and walk. This was*Num. 23. 10. Balaams warsh wishing, his desires were so weak, that they pearced not his heart, how could they pearce the heaven? He put not his hand to labour, how should God open his hand to blesse? They had no strength to banish or mitigate his avarice or pride: The fleshly heart cannot conceave the birth of true happinesse, nor admit the love of it, and these weake wishes are more forced on it from outward occassions, than bred in it, at least they are soon strangled by the predominant love of some vanitie.
Others take great paines to finde out happinesse, but pray not to God for it, so the Philosophers thought by their labour, and good use of naturall abilities, to attaine it, and would not pray for it aPhilosophi felicitatem sibi parandam putarunt, non impetrandam. Aug. Epist. 52.. And indeed upon their grounds of a self-sufficiencie, they needed not pray to him. Therefore we must joyne them together. Labouring in faith is Gods presence with us as his instruments, working that in us that wee pray for: In prayer, wee crave that he would worke happinesse in us: In labour, we strive that he would worke with us: The successe of our labours dependeth*1. Cor. 3. 6. on his blessing, and that blessing is obtained by prayer. This is a compleat seeking of happinesse, when both go together: There is no happinesse without fruition, and no fruition without Vnion, and no union without endevouring for obtaining: Divine light discovereth it, faith apprehendeth it, and love feeleth it. Therefore we must labour diligently for the increase of discovering light, of apprehending faith, and feeling love, that wee may grow in that fruition, and rejoyce in the conscience of that growth.
In the word of his prayer,Prayer hath 1 A conscience of want. we shall first consider the prayer it selfe, and then the properties of it inclosed therein. In the prayer it selfe three things are offered: The conscience of want going before; The desire to have; And the hope of obtaining. The conscience preceding is of a double want, both of happinesse it selfe, and of merite or worth to purchase it. If we had it in our selves, we needed not seeke it, and if we had merite to deserve it, we needed not suit it of God: But wee have none of those, and therefore wee must aske it. Wee have set times to pray, both publick and privat; but are often coldrife therein, and doe it more of custome than conscience. Therefore God sharpneth our conscience with a felt necessitie and want, as a whetstone, to make our prayers fervent. When Seth called his son*Gen. 4. 26. Enosh, that is, miserable or calamitous, then men began to call upon the name of the Lord: So that name expressed that they were sensible of their miserie, and that felt miserie maketh men religious.
Next commeth the desire to have that thing which we want,2 A desire to obtaine it. and that is the prayer it self: For a ground, we looke to Gods merciemercy; and for price, we looke to Christs merite. Herein is the worke of faith, to make the prayer faithfull, as the preceding conscience maketh it fervent: It specifieth our desire, and maketh it supernaturall; for it is the hand of our soul, meeting Gods hand, who offereth his blessings to us in the promise: as a lively childe, taketh the pap of his mother greedily, and sucketh milk out of it largely: So the faithfull soul opening wide the mouth of the desire taketh in the promise, and sucketh the blessing of God out of it. We present his promises, as his owne handwrit and obligation: And he deigneth by his promises to be debter to us, to whom he forgiveth all debt aTanquam Chirographa—dignaris enim quibus omnia debita dimittis, etiam promissionibus tuis debitor fie…t. Aug. Confess. 5. 9. True prayer is a heart-prayer..
True prayer is not so much in our words, as our heart: Words in publick prayer are necessary for others to heare and follow us: And in privat prayers they serve to hold our mindes constant; but the life of prayer standeth in faithfull desires: For long speech is one thing, and a strong affection is another, and the worke of prayer is done more by groans, than by words, and by tears more than talk aHoc negotium plus gemitibus quàm sermonibus agitur, plus fletu. quàm affatu. Aug. Ep. 121. c. 10.: And the Lord careth not much for the cry of our flesh, but for the crie of our heart; For his eares are in our heart, and he heareth us say nothing to him, but what he hath first spoken to us bQuia aures tuae in corde meo, & nihil audis à me quod non mihi tu prius dixeris. Aug. Confess. 10. 2.. Moses was silent at the red sea, and yet God said to him,*Exod. 14. 15. why cryest thou? His mouth was close, but his heart was crying to the Lord, he was grieved to see the peoples danger, and yet beleeved God, who promised to deliver them, and was challenging God in his heart to keepe his promise: Therefore one saith, That the people cried, but God heard them not: Moses cried not, and yet the Lord answered him. cClamavit populus & non audivit Deus: Silebat Moses & audivit. Aug. serm.. And the reason is cleare, because the crie of the people was in murmuring and fleshly reason, which God misregardeth, but the secret and heart-cries of Moses, were the language of the holy Spirit: And the Apostle seemeth to point at this, when he telleth the worke of the spirit helping us to pray, bringeth forth*Rom. 8. 26. sighes and groans, which cannot be uttered. We call him then into our selves, when we call upon him dIn meipsum eum vocabo cum invocabo eum. Confess. 1. 2..
Light cares can speake,Groanes are good prayers. but great cares doe stupifie with silence: Weak desires are easily expressed, but excessive desires cannot be equalled by speech. A rod serveth a man in a small worke, but in a greater he casteth it away, and taketh him to stronger instruments: So the tongue is a sufficient interpreter in other things; but here wee leave it, and take us to groans and sighs, the best language of the heart. Men may be neere and not heare us, and yet our groans be heard in the heaven of heavens: We cannot bide in our selves, but would be at God, and yet cannot win to him as we would, therefore we groan under that restraint. Gods suggestion to our heart is by inspiration of heavenly power, making us capable of grace: And by infusion, powring in that grace he offereth. So our best speach to him is by aspiring, not of ambition, but of affection, in breathing to him as the*Psal. 42. 1. chased hart doeth to the waters. The kisses of Christ on our soul, are better impressed and stamped by him, than can be expressed by us aOsculum Christi melius impressum quam expressum. Bern.. So the best expressing of our soul to him, is better by thrusting it on him, than by uttering of words.
This excessive desire of God is wrought in the heart by himself,God maketh us desire him. he filleth it both with him…elf, and a desire of him, that he may make it sensible of both: The more it is full of him, it desireth him the more, and the more it powreth out it selfe in that desire, it is satiat the more, and the more the desire increaseth: And in this heavenly inebriation, satiety provoketh our thirst. The more we have of God, we thirst him the more, and are inflamed with new desires. Superstitious worshippers thinke by their prayers, as charmes, to devocat and draw God out of heaven. And the Idolater thinketh to command him, but both separate themselves from him: But the godly seek him in their heart, and thrust their heart on him. It is also a touch of that*Cant. 2. 5. sicknesse of love, when the soul burneth in a desire of God, and that sicknesse is the health of the soul, and God sensibly filling the heart, is the cure of that sicknesse. This prayer then is nothing else, but a laying of his desirous heart, open to the fountaine to drinke in happinesse. Who so hath receaved this affectuous devotion, and devout affection to God, hath already conceaved the birth of happinesse, and shall travell therewith now painfully, now joyfully, till he be delivered of it in his full deliverie from all miserie aCum accepit sponsa hoc osculum concepit. Bern. Cant. 4. 3 Hope of obtaining..
Thirdly, hope of obtaining happinesse followeth our faithfull prayers, for what faith beleeveth, that hope expecteth: It is as soone in our hope, as it is in our faithfull desire, and long before it be in our hand; and yet as sure as it were in our hand, though sometime interveen; for*Heb. 10. 37. he that is to come, will come, and not delay; *Rev. 22. 12.And behold I come, and my reward is with me; *Psal. 9. 18.And the hope of the godly shall not perish. Our hope is greatly confirmed, by the tastes of happinesse we finde in prayer: We may more firmely expect that, that we finde begun already, and these first fruits assure us of the fulnesse in due time: Such faithfull desires powred out with a delightfull freedome, are not only the Lords harbengers in our heart, to tell that he is comming, but the ushers of his entrie, and tokens that he is already come. He is in that heart that earnestly desireth him, and with libertie powreth it selfe out on him.
Moreover this word containeth three properties of his prayer:Prayer should be, 1 In humilitie. Humilitie, Absolutenesse, and Constancie. Humilitie, because it is an humble asking, and not a proud exacting, and so excludeth mans merite, which cannot stand with the humilitie of prayer: If he had merit for happinesse, he would not beg it as a gift, but exact it as a debt. The Apostle cleareth this, for when he hath said,*Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sinne is death, if he had followed the rules of Logick, he would have said, that the reward of righteousnesse is life eternall: But he knew that could not stand with Gods merciemercy, and Christs merite, therefore he calleth life eternall, the free gift of God. And to this truth God provided himselfe a witnesse even among the Cardinals: The Apostle (saith he) saith not that the wages of righteousnesse are life eternall, but the gift of God is life eternall: That we may understand, that we obtaine eternall life, not by our merits, but by the free gift of God. Therefore he subjoynes (In Christ Iesus our Lord.) Behold the merit, behold the righteousnesse, whose wages life eternall is: But to us it is a free gift through Iesus Christ aEcce meritum, ecce justitiam …ujus stipendium est vita aeterna. Nobis autem est donum. Cajetan. Rom. 6. We cannot deserve happinesse..
Reason also proveth this: For all the good wee have, whether naturall or spirituall is his gift. Naturall goodnesse commeth by his providence, both in it selfe, and the right use. And though they were both of our selves, they have no proportion to deserve any grace: No good deserveth another, but farre lesse doeth naturall good deserve happinesse: And all supernaturall goodnesse is his gift also, and every degree of it is a native growth of his donation, without the respects of merit or reward; for that same merciemercy that giveth the beginning, giveth also the increase and perfection of grace. Our state also goes in two; first we are miserable in our selves, and then happy in God; and what good can be in miserie to deserve the least happinesse? While we are in miserie, we can deserve no happinesse, and when God beginneth happinesse in us, that beginning is neither a reward of any preceding merit, neither a merit of any following goodnesse: But all is the worke and gift of grace. Againe, both the name and nature of grace excludeth merit, for*Psal. 36. 7. grace properly cannot be valued at any price, neither hath miserable man any price to give for it: Therefore the greatnesse of the giver, the excellencie of the gift, and povertie of the receaver make it to come freely.*Esay 55. 1. Ho, every one that is a thirst, come to the waters, come and buy without money, without merit. *Apoc. 22. 17.And he that is a thirst let him come, and drinke of the water of the well of life freely.
That pride of the Pelagians is grounded upon the indifferencie of the will to ill and good, Free-will destroyeth her Adorers.and on a like furniture for both, which deny flatly mans miserie, and the grace of God: In such a pride they cannot pray, because they neither feel their miserie, nor seek to merciemercy. They are like the Pharisee that*L…k. 18. 11. counted with God, and put him in his debt, and like sturdy beggars, who boast of their birth, and doe rather threaten than beg, and deserve more to be thrust to a house of correction, than to be helped with almes: So God plagueth these proud Justitiaries with a judiciall pride, that not*Rom. 10. 3. subjecting themselves to the righteousnesse of God, but seeking to establish their owne righteousnesse, they cut themselves off from Christ and his grace.
It were better to them with the*Luk. 18. 13. Public an humbly to beg merciemercy, and with the blinde man*Marc. 10. 47. at Jericho, to cast away the menstruous clouts of their supposed righteousnesse, that they may be cloathed with the righteousnesse of Christ. They are like the old Giants, whom the fables said, would take the heavens by force, and for that end heaped mountains upon mountains. So doe they adde Condignitie to congruitie, and dignitie to condignitie, Supererogation to dignitie, and confidence in them all: This is nothing but the old blinde cyclopick superarrogancie, and will have the like successe with these Giants:Socrates lib. 3 For we may say of them as Jovian said to Acesilas a Novatian, disputing of the perfection of his followers. Go to Acesila, set that ladder to heaven, and thou wilt finde it too short to carry thee thither. *Gen. 28. 12.They cast aside Jesus Christ the ladder of Jacob, and make to them a ladder of pride to their owne ruine.
Heaven hath no open doore to the prayer of a proud Pharisee,Proud prayers enter not heaven. but all the gates of it are cast open to an humble supplicant, David disclaimed merit. *Psal. 143. 2.Enter not into judgement with thy servant, & appealed only to merciemercy,*Psal. 51. 1. Have merciemercy upon me according to the multitude of thy compassions. And the faithfull venture on that humilitie: What I have (saith one) I have taken it of God, and not presumed it of my selfe, —for what I am commendably, it is not of my ingine, neither of my merit, but of his free gift: And what merit can be in man, whom the deliverer from sinne Iesus Christ himselfe found altogether a sinner? Or how shall a man trust in himselfe to be happy, who cannot guide his minde (his best part) from errour aSi quid habeo à Deo sumpsi, non à me praesumpsi—non enim meo vel ingenio vel merito, sed ejus dono sum, fi quid laudabiliter sum. Aug. Epist. 52.? And if the Prophet saith truly,*Jer. 17. 5. Cursed is he who putteth his trust in man, much more is he accursed, who trusteth in himselfe for happinesse.
Next this prayer for happinesse must be absolute, 2 It is absolute.and not conditionall, and that because happinesse is absolutely necessary.bNon oramus ut divitiae & honores adveniant, sed ut ea quae bonos & beatos efficiunt. Aug. Ord. 2. 20. We crave common blessings with this condition, if God thinke it expedient, as health, libertie, wealth, &c. But when we pray for remission of sins, life eternall, and happinesse, we seeke them absolutely. All things that we aske go in three ranks. The first are good in themselves, and yet better us not, as riches and honour, &c. because they qualifie not our person with any good change: The second are god in themselves, and make us better, but cannot beatifie us; as learning, wisedome, prudence, &c. The third is both good, maketh us better, and beatifieth us, and therefore is simply to bee craved of God: This distinction setleth the godly in a great doubt, they pray oft and earnestly for some things, and yet are not heard, and therefore thinke that God hath cast them off. But here is a resolution, for God neglecteth not their prayers, but hath them written before they utter them. And his refuse is not in anger, but because he thinketh it not expedient: and though he refuse one thing, it is to give us a better; as he refused to stay Sathans buffering to the Apostle,*2. Cor. 12. 9. yet gave him sufficient grace to indure it. Besides, we may plainly say, that God heareth ever his owne, although not to their will, yet to their weale bDeus non semper ad v… luntatem, sed ad utilitatem ex…udit. Aug..
Our will that leadeth us in rebellion against his Commandments,We should not stick to our owne will. should not rule his hearing of our prayers. For oftentimes God giveth us blessings that wee never sought, and holdeth from us in that same merciemercy, many things that we seeke:Bernard. de Quadr. ser. 6. As a wise father giveth his sonne nourishment, though he seek it not; but if that same childe cry and weepe for a knife, he will refuse him, because he foreseeth he may hurt him with it. It had beene good for*Ps. 78. 29. Israel that God had refused to give them flesh in the wildernesse; and for Balaam, that God had stayed him as well in his second as in his first desire.Item in 1. Ioh. Tract. 6. But happinesse hath a more absolute course;Aug. in hunc locum. for God hath purposed it absolutely for his owne: he hath promised it absolutely, and what ever condition is required of faith or repentance, he worketh it in us. Christ hath purchased it, and prayed for it absolutely, and upon these grounds absolutely we seeke it of God; Rachel said to Jacob*Gen. 30. 1. Give me children, or else I die. How much more reason have we to crave of God, that he would give us happinesse to conceave Jesus Christ by faith, or else we perish?
The third propertie of this prayer is Constancie: 3 It is constant.For faithfull prayer knowes no end but obtaining of that it seeketh, and this is both in constant love of the chiefe good, and constant seeking of it:1 In love to the chief good. The love we have to chiefe good changeth not, but increaseth daily: Worldly happinesse giveth not this constancie; Men seek one thing to day, and another to morrow, they burne even now in a desire of honour, and at once in greed of riches, as occasion offereth, or possibilitie of obtaining appeareth, they change both their object and course: But the godly who chuse true happinesse, neither repent their choice, nor change their course, but grow in the like of their choice and love of happinesse: They can change the place of their dwelling, their complexion, their diet and contentment in common goods, but not in the chiefe good: These things are but for the way, and for a short time, but the other for eternitie, and in the current of changes upon other things, he holdeth ever fast his love to happinesse: The more he knoweth it, the more he loveth it, and blesseth God who hath directed him in that choice. Herein he is not so much active as passive, and that both willingly, & in a sort of sweet violence, captivated with the delights of his most beloved and desired good. It possesseth him rather, than he doeth it, and he is more in it, than in himselfe: The sweetnesse he findeth in it, suffereth him not to change for any other: God may blesse him with many other goods, and Sathan may turne them as baites to withdraw, or divert him from the chief good, but he never changeth his first love: The first impression of the joyes of happinesse are so deepe in his heart, that no contentment of lesser goods can either divert it by change, or diminish it by equalitie. And though God from heaven would bid him make a new search of happinesse, he would still fall upon his first choice.
The other is in his prayer,2 In his prayer. he will not leave seeking, till he obtaine happinesse: It is not at our hand, nor found at the first, but we must pray often for it: We faint if we be not heard at the first, but that is our fleshlinesse, who would have God subject to us: The gift is his owne, and he knoweth his time, and it is our part patiently to wait on: So David,*Psal. 40. 1. I waited patiently on the Lord: And Jeremie,*Lam. 3. 24. 26. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in him: It is good that a man should both hope, and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. And Christ giveth us the parable of the*Luk. 18. 1. poore widow, who importuned the judge, till she was heard: It is counted a courtesie among men, to take with the first refuse, but with God, it is no courtesie, but infidelitie; and we cannot give him greater rest, than to importune him with our desires of happinesse: And the*Mat. 25. 28. Canaanitish woman is commended for it, that shee cried out, till she was heard. So should wee doe in praying for happinesse: and that the more, because we get it not here in the fulnesse, but in the degrees, which should strengthen our patience, because they are obligements on Gods part. His purpose is in himselfe, and his promise is knowen and beleeved of us, and if providence begin to performe them both, it is a sort of engaging of him who is libertie, (if wee may …o speake) to performe that he hath begun. Gods delay is in respect of us, but not of himselfe: It is the triall of our faith, the proofe of our hope, the opening of our heart in large desires, and a way to sweeten our delights, when our desire is filled. For the more and longer we have thirsted, the sweeter shall our satietie be; and our prayers are not so much in particular times, as the constant opening of our desires to God, when our hearts, like emptie vessels, lie at the fountaine, and like the*Joh. 5. 5. man at the poole of Bethesda, wee wait on till God heale us. He will have us exercised in prayer, that wee may receive that, that he prepareth to give us aVult exerceri orationibus desiderium ut possimus capere quod praeparat dare. Aug. Ep. 122..
This answereth a question which some move,Devout men want never matter of prayer. when they heare of some who are oft and long at their private devotion: They aske, what purpose they had to be so oft, and long with God? But if we be sensible of our miserie, wee will never want purpose to pray to God, though it were to crave againe, and againe this true happinesse; we get it not at the first, nor at once, but by degrees: and though the matter were one, yet we have need of a new affection of that same matter; and when that affection decayes, wee have need to have it repeated. The Apostle biddeth us*1. Thess. 5. 17. pray continually: which is not so to be taken, as though we should ever be on our knees, in the action of prayer, because he hath commanded us to labour in our particular callings; but of our constant affection, our habituall desire, and continuall disposition, for seeking of God, which most shew themselves in the frequent action of prayer, though not in the continuall.
Out of this I raise three things: First our dutie: Happinesse is not our desert.That if we would obtaine true happinesse, wee aske it of God by prayer. Wee are every way craving and begging creatures, because wee are ever necessitous. Though our grave have the name from craving, yet from our conception to our grave, wee are craving continually. In the womb wee crave nourishment, and then libertie by birth; and at our birth, our weeping is a craving, to testifie, that a miserable and indigent creature is come into the world. Though there be some reason of the first weeping, because we are come from a warme lodging to a colder, yet the maine reason of it is, because we are entring into the valley of miserie, & the fittest saluting of it, is by teares: And all our time in this life is nothing but a world of necessities, after other, of rayment, food, physick, &c. But among all, wee care least for this one thing. Our body is sensible of the owne wants, and seeketh for them, but our soule is senselesse, and in the multitude of prayers, scarcely have we one about true happinesse: But wee owe to that chiefe good our greatest love, the greatest care to obtaine, and so the most frequent and fervent prayers. Christ taught us this by expresse command; *Matth. 6. 33.Seeke first the kingdome of God, and these things shall be cast to you: So that comparatively other things are scarce to be sought; but a promise made, that they*Matth. 6. 33. shall be cast to us. And in his prayer he perswadeth the same order: First, to pray, that God may be glorified in the hallowing of his name, and so our glorification will follow his glorie. Next, that his kingdome may come, both insubduing his enemies, and ruling us by his grace, to our happinesse. Thirdly, that as his revealed will directing us, should be done by us, so the secret will of his purpose, may be performed on us, in our happinesse. Likewise the petition for remission of sinnes committed, and the other for escaping tentation to sinnes, that might be committed: Of all these petitions only one is for daily bread, or temporall things, and that cast in the mids, where is least, either attention or intention. So Christ hath put the matter of happinesse in that prayer, that wee may daily aske this one necessarie thing of God, though the most part rehearse the words, without thinking on that matter.
Next we may inferre, that our praying for happinesse is a worke of happinesse in us: Prayer for happinesse is happinesse.That chiefe good communicateth it selfe to us diversly, according to our necessities: As sinne originall is not a single sin, but a multitude and masse of corruptions, defiling all our powers, like a pulpous or chairie root, which in one containeth many severall roots, as in garlick, or such like: So that naturall vitiousnesse containeth ignorance, senselesnesse, infidelitie, pride, and all other corruptions in us: Even so the chiefe good hath all goods in it, and sendeth out it selfe to men to cure these miseries: It is light, to inlighten our ignorance; It is life, to quicken our senselesnesse; It is merciemercy, to pardon our sinne, and strength, to keepe us from falling; It is good, to allure us, and a prevening power, to stirre us up to pray for it, so that our very praying for it, is its prevening worke. This is all of God, who worketh powerfully, and abundantly in us;*Psal. 81. 10. He bidd…th us open our mouth wide, and promiseth to fill it. And he himselfe openeth the mouth in moving our desire. As Physitians force up the mouths of some patients, under their convulsions, and then powre in some cordials to refresh them: So God, by the convictions of our conscience, openeth our hearts to desire, and then giveth us the happinesse that we desire. Thus the chiefe good giveth it selfe to us in this life, by parts and degrees, but in heaven*1. Cor. 15. 28. Go… shall be all in all, and we shall possesse our chiefe good once, at once, and eternally.
Lastly,Sure grounds of obtaining our prayer. we have here sure grounds of hope to be heard in this prayer, for we pray not alone, but have moe intercessors than we know of: We feele when we pray our selves, and are sensible of the assistance of Gods spirit, when*Rom. 8. 26. he helpeth our infirmities, with groans, that cannot be expressed: *Esay 65. 24.But our necessitie cryes also to God, and he heareth it, though wee know it not; Yea before wee were, and before our necessitie was in us, it cryed to his commiseration from eternall, and his bowels were moved toward us:*Joh. 1…. Christ also prayeth for us, that the fruit of his obedience may be applied to us: The covenant also supplicateth for us, and casteth it selfe open before him, intreating him, to accomplish all that he hath promised to us: And his owne name and glorie pleadeth for us,*Ezek. 36. 22. For my owne names sake I will doe this. Besides these, his justice intercedeth for us:*1. Joh. 1. 9. If wee confesse our sinne, he is faithfull and just to forgive us. It is as native to justice to absolve the innocent, as to punish the guiltie; And wee are cleane before him, when we are clad with Christ*Jer. 23. 6. the Lord our righteousnesse. It is as just to pardon the faithfull penitent, as to punish the faithlesse impenitent: So when Christ hath applied to us the fruit of his obedience, Gods justice pleadeth for happinesse to us. It is merciemercy enough in God to heare us when we call, but this is more,*Isay 65. 24. before they call I will answer. These things may assure us, we shall be heard. All this is bred in the bowels of Gods commiseration, and the brood of so tender mercies must be acceptable to him, and so our happinesse sure withall. Where his will, and our weale, and so many intercessours concur, who can stay our happinesse?