The Life of Faith, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. The vse of Faith to a growne Christian.
NAy Christian, now I hauehave gotten thee hither, I must draw thee yet a pegge higher, and tel thee, it is a small thing for thee to come to an ordinary pitch of cheerefulnesse, except thy ioyes exceedes the mirth of a worldling, yea of a professed Epicure in the qualitie and quantitie of it. If thy mirth bee not a sweeter and more rauishing mirth of an higher kinde, of a more pure defecate nature, of a more constant tenure, then any Carnall man what euer, thou disparagest Faith, thou art very little and yong in the Kingdome of Heauen, which consists not in meates and drinkes, but in ioy vnspeakeable and glorious, in the ioy of the Holy Ghost. And must not that needes bee another manner of ioy then euer entred into the heart of a naturall man, then euer a Sardanapalus tasted of? Yes vndoubtedly. So must bee construed that text, 1. Cor. 2. not of the ioyes of Heauen, which here the spirituall man himselfe cannot tell what they shall be, but of the Gospels ioy, of the Wine and Fatlings already prepared and now reuealed to the beleeuer by the Spirit: which if the carnall man scorne and scoffe at, thou canst no more helpe him or prooue to him, then a seeing man to a blinde man that hee sees orient rich colours. It is enough for thee to secretly feele and enioy it. Only it ought in thy life so to be expressed; yea, so to shine in thy forehead, so to be read in the very face of thee, that their teeth may be set on edge, and that they may enquire, what is thy beloued aboue other beloueds? what is that makes this man thus merry in all estates? Thus let them enuy at thine, let not thy soule descend to theirs.
Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better then the vintage of Abiezer? Shouldest thou that hast tasted of the grapes of Canaan, long after the Onions and Garlick of Aegypt? Is Pharphar like vntounto Iordan? hast not thou Riuers of water euer flowing out of thy belly? and wilt thou stoope to their puddle waters, to their stolne waters, blousing, carding, dicing, whoring, &c. which should not thy soule altogether lothe and abhor, after the taste of Faiths Nectar and Ambrosia. But euen their ordinary and lawfull delights, the wine and oyle, musicke, hunting, hawking &c. to these God allowes thee to stoope for thy bodies sake, as the Eagle to the prey, or as Gideous souldiers to soope thy handfull, not to swill thy belly full. If Plato could tell the Musitians, that Phylosophers could dine and sup without them, How much more easie is it for Saint Augustine to weane himselfe from the childish rattles and may games of carnall delights, to bee merry without the Fiddle. Good leaue hast thou, yea, right and title to vse all externall recreations, wherof before thou wert but an vsurper, but vse them aright as if thou vsedst them not, knowing how to put thy knife to thy throat, and how to be without them: to bee as one that liueth not by them but by Faith.
Were it not odious to see a man that hath a spouse peerelesse for beautie, to liue with a deformed blouse? to see one professing some liberall Science, to liue by some base manuall trade? no better fight is it to see a Christian vpholding his ioy by course and earthly pleasures, that hath more noble and generous, yea, Angelicall delights; then which, what hath heauen better but in degree only, and manner of fruition? what hath this world comparable? Alas poore Phylosophers, when I read your Treatises of Tranquillitie of mind, of consolation, of remedies against both Fortunes, though in some things you come neere the kingdome of Heauen, yet how dull are your comforts to one of ours? the highest of yours to the lowest of ours? Had you but through a creuis or Lettice seene the things which the eie of Faith seeth with open face, how would you in comparison of Christianisme hauehave loathed your Stoicisme and Epicurisme? Had you but with the tip of your tongue, tasted of Faiths dainties, how would you hauehave magnified Faith aboue all your Cardinall vertues? you that so composed your liues by ieiune and empty contemplations of an autarky in vertue by the rules of nature; what stately liues would you hauehave led and liued, if the grace and hopes of the Gospel had appeared to you by the rules of Faith? As for you Poets of the lighter and pleasanter veine, when I read your oades and sonnets, chaunting out your choice ioyes and loues, your wishes and vowes, framing a conceited happinesse to your selues, as the highest you could imagine or desire: what low streines and meane aire do I reckon them, in comparison, of our Christian and diuine hymnes? what pittifull subiects for such sublimated wits? what difference between your oaten pipes and our heauenly harpes? Salomon that loued both these loues, liued both liues, and sung songs of both sorts, when God raised his muse to an higher tune, and taught it to sing the song of songs, how despised he his former windy vanities in comparison of his new spirituall delicacies. Wherefore, O Christian, that hast such transcendent obiects of thy thoughts aboue al other men, why shouldest thou not euer keepe thy soule vponupon the wing, euer in a manner bee in the third heauens, rowling and tumbling thy soule in these beds of roses: I meane these meditations of thy Iustification, sanctification and saluation through Christ, without which, why should one day passe thee? why any one part of a day? why should not thy soule hauehave her due drinkes, breakfasts, meales vndermeales, beuers, and aftermeales, as well as thy body? Thus to redeeme time, thus to taske and tye thy soule to such heauenly round of worke, would it not make the Mill of time pleasant, the yoke of businesse easie? would not pretious time glide swiftly and easily away like a boate with full winde and tide needing no oares; or a free mettald horse needing no spurres, needing no idle pastime to driue it before thee? shall it not be a pleasure to thee to want other pleasures? Thus mayest thou make all thy daies Christ-tides, Easters, Whitsundaies, Birthdaies, and Holydaies: not enuying Foelix his felicitie, Festus his festiuitie, nor Diues his daily purple and delicious fare: but liuing a life kingly and Angelicall, in comparison of the vulgar sort.