A Childs Patrimony, Part 1 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. In this world the day and night have their courſe; when they ceaſe, it will be alwayes day or alwayes night: How that inſtructeth. What darkneſſe teacheth. How we are engaged to lie down with ſerious thoughts of God and His goodneſſe.
4. AT night, &c. I ſuppoſe now the Sun ſet upon us, when the beaſts go out to prey, and man retires from his hard labour under the Sun. It is a fit time for a man now, to retire into himſelf alſo, and to conſider not ſo much his little world, the ſeverall parts, powers and faculties of the ſame (Though that is a point of great conſideration, and would fill another book;) but how he hath employed theſe in the day-time to the glory of the Giver, and the good of them amongſt whom he lives. This is a ſtrong argument to preſſe home this conſideration, even this, That the longeſt day will have his night.
§ 1. Let that man, who hath ſpent the day in the maygame of the world, and, as the moſt do, who make no account of time, nor think themſelves to be accountable for it, let him ask himſelf, what contentment he findes in the pleaſures, ſo eagerly purſued all the day before; and what comfort they now give unto him, now that the night is come, and his doores ſhut upon him? He muſt needs anſwer that they are gone and paſſed; and moſt likely they have left but a ſad reliſh behinde. But yet if he be reſolved, when he is wakened, to tread the ſame wayes again of ſin and death, he muſt needs conſider withall, if he have the conſideration of a man, that, though now, through Gods gracious diſpenſation towards him, the night is and the morning will dawn; yet a night will come, which ſhall never have morning. A night, when our pleaſures, and profits, and honours, all that we call good things, and ſo dote upon, when all ſhall ſet and returne no more.
While we live here in this world; As the morning cometh ſo cometh the night; and as ſure as the night followeth day, ſo ſure ſorrow follows our pleaſures; which may teach us not to over-joy, or over-prize our worldly contentments, when the candle of God ſhineth upon our tabernacle, for they are ſhort and momentany, of ſmall continuance: As ſure as the night cometh, ſo ſure a change will come. And here alſo when it is night, we know the day will dawn again, in its apponted time; And though ſorrow may abide for a night, yet joy may come in the morning; It is eaſie with Him to make it ſo, Who turneth the ſhadow of death into the morning aAmos 5. 8.. And the darkeſt time here below, may cleare up again; comfort may return as the morning doth, and when troubles do uſher in comforts, they make comforts more comfortable. It is ſaid of the Sirens, that they weep in calme weather, and ſing in a ſtorm bAug. de Civil. lib. 12 cap. 20.; for they know that after a calme, they ſhall have a ſtorm, and after a ſtorm they ſhall have fair weather. The Morall teacheth us this point of wiſdome, in the time of adverſitie wiſely to conſider, and to look back cReſpice Trem. Eccleſ. 7. 14.to the change of things, to call to minde the time paſt, how it hath been: God hath ſet proſperitie and adverſitie, one againſt the other; Now the day is, but it will be night anon; now the night is, and anon the morning will be. And thus, I ſay, it is while we live here; juſt like travellers (as the father ſpake very uſefully dBaſil. in primum Pſal. p. 113.) This life is a way-fare, here we meet with ſome things, which do delight us, but they will away, we muſt paſſe by them. And here we meet with ſome thing, which will annoy and offend us; it will away too; we ſhall quickly be paſt it, for our courſe is ſpeedy; whether we wake or ſleep; as men a ſhip board, we ſaile onward to the port. Pleaſant and delectable things will away; our pains and griefs are of no long continuance neither, though they ſhould abide by us all our life long; for our life ſpeedeth like a poſt, or ſhip on the Ocean; thus while we walk like pilgrims here.
But a time is coming, after the full period whereof eforeign &c. Chryſ. ad Pop. Ant. Hom. 23. p. 268., there follows a day, which ſhall never have a night; and a night which ſhall never have a morning, I mean, a time, in the cloſing-up whereof, there ſhall not be this viciſſitude and intercourſe of day and night, but either all day, and no night, or all night and no day. The Fathers words will declare theſe fforeign. Chryſ. Ibid. Hom. ult. 77. foreign. p. 817.; Here, ſaith he, good things and evill things have their courſe and turn, as the day, and the night; now good, then evill; now evill, then good: And as here they have their changes, ſo here they have their end; I ſpeak of things of the earth. It will be ſaid of all our earthly contentments, as Abraham ſaid to Dives, we had them, we were clad, and we were fed gorgeouſly, deliciouſly, but now it is night, with thoſe contentments and with us; we had them, but we ſhall have them no more: So likewiſe of our grievances, we felt them; this ſorrow, and that burden; this pain, and that loſſe; but we ſhall feel them no more in this kinde: For death cures all diſeaſes and pains here.
But in the next world, good things, and evil things are everlaſting. There Lazarus is comforted, and he ſhall be comforted, it ſhall be ever light with him; in the other place Dives is tormented, and he ſhall be tormented; how long? The anſwer to that breaks the ſpirit, and cauſeth the greateſt torment; it ſhall be ever night with him, for ever and ever; the thought hereof ſwallows the ſoul up in ſorrow: our very thoughts cannot reach unto the length of this night, we have not a thought to meaſure it gDrexelius 4. 2.; though we know the place of this darkneſſe, for it is utter darkneſſe and the furtheſt from light; and we know the paths that leade thereunto, yet we can never know the bound thereof hJob 38. 20.. How can we meaſure Aeternitie? Think we, then ſaith the Father iChryſ. Ibid., how unſufferable a burning-fever is, and that thou canſt not endure an hot bath, for one houre, heated above its proportion; how then wilt thou everlaſting burnings? how will thy heart endure this periſhing for ever? And conſider this with it, (which that Father hath in the ſame place) here if thy body be burnt, or otherwiſe hardly uſed, the ſoul will out, it will forſake its dwelling kNemopervaldè dolere & diu: aut extinguetur aut extinguet. Sen. ep. 78.; but if the body fall into theſe rivers of brimſtone, the ſoul muſt abide by it, there is no getting forth; as they were, I mean the body and the ſoul, joyned together like brethren in iniquitie, ſo muſt they ſuffer together; and no change ſhall they finde, no eaſe in their ſuffering; not ſo much as a ſick man findes, in changing of his bed; or what a tyred man findes, in changing his poſtures, or his ſides. This preſent life is well called a vale of miſerie, for here are pains, perils, gripings, &c. But our death here may be as well called a ſhadow of death: But a ſhadow in reference to that death, where we ſtill are dying, but never die; where we ſhall ſeek and wiſh for death, but death flyeth from us: But a ſhadow that to this. Think we here-on, and then we think on a ſhort day ſpent in pleaſures, and of an eternall night to be ſpent in ſighes. And this is the firſt conſideration, which may make us well to husband and improve the day of our peace, becauſe a night muſt follow the day of our peace, as the night follows the day; and at the end of time, a night, which ſhall never have day; or a day, which ſhall never have night.
2. It is very conſiderable, that as ſenſuall pleaſures continue not long, ſo the longer they continue, the more they ſatiate, but the leſſe they ſatisfie; They run one after another, and in their changes, they are moſt pleaſing; the eare is not ſatisfied with the ſame tune, be it never ſo ſweet, but quickly it deſires another; ſo the eye in ſeeing; ſo our taſte in reliſhing: all our ſenſes, ſaith the Father lforeign. &c. Chryſoſt. Tom. 1. Hom. 30. p. 338., have their meaſure, which will be ſoon at the top, and quickly ſatiated, though never ſatisfied: And contrary things become moſt pleaſant by their viciſſitude, and change. What is ſweeter then reſt to the wearied man? But if the reſt exceeds its proportion but ſome few houres, this reſt grows weariſome and reſtleſſe. What more pleaſant then the light? yet ſuch is our frail condition here, that if we ſhould have it long in our eye, it would not be delightfull: What more comfortleſſe then the darkneſſe? yet as our caſe is ordinarily, we ſhut out the light, that it may be more dark about us. So long as we inhabit fleſh, varietie delighteth; and ſtill the ſame, dulleth, ſatiates, yea quickly killeth.
Mr Dearings words are notable to this purpoſe mLect. 14.; All delights muſt have their change, and the greater the pleaſure is, the nearer is ſatietie, in any whatſoever appertaineth unto the body. Wouldſt thou never ſo fain ſell thy ſelf to ſerve any thing, thou ſhalt finde nothing that will give thee a perpetuall pleaſure to buy thy ſervice: hunger and thirſt are ſoon ſatisfied; the heavy eye-lid is eaſily filled with ſleep; Labour hath wearineſſe, and reſt is ſoon tedious; all play and paſtime, which ſo many make the crown & garland of their life, this alſo is dulneſſe in a little while, and this garland is as withered hay: another thing muſt come to take this up, or rather then this ſhould be ſtill, we would never play while we lived.
Bleſſed be God, that He hath given a day and night; the day maketh the night welcome, and the night the day; ſo like ringers we are, beſt pleaſed with changes nforeign &c. Eur p. Oreſt p. 8. foreign. Herc. fur. p. 4.; or like tyred men, a little refreſhed with ſhifting their beds, their ſides, and their poſtures. Oh, how ſhould we avoid theſe paths of death, which leade to that place, where there is no change, but from torment to torment! And how earneſtly ſhould we ſet our faces towards thoſe heavenly Manſions, where the Saints ſhall with open face behold the glory of the Lord; and ſhall have no other change, but a changing into the ſame Image, from glory to glory! oCor. 3. 18..
3. It is of uſe to conſider, what darkneſſe is, and what the bounds of the ſame; the reſolution is ſhort; we ſhall finde it to be no poſitive thing, but a meer privation; and as boundleſſe it is, as the light was, for it is but the abſence thereof. If I take a candle out of a room, I do not put darkneſſe into the ſame room, but in taking away the candle, I leave the room dark: Thus of the great candle of the world; it doth not make this ſide of our globe dark, but withdrawing it ſelf from our ſide, it leaves us in darkneſſe.
This is of uſe to informe us; That, there is no efficient cauſe of darkneſſe, either in our great world, or in our little,, but a deficient altogether pVide Auguſtde civit. lib: 12. cap. 6, 7.; which cauſe is underſtood by the ſame way, that darkneſſe is ſeene, or ſilence is heard; we heare ſilence, by hearing nothing; ſo we ſee darkneſſe by ſeeing nothing; Shut the eye, and behold darkneſſe. Our enquiry is nought touching the efficient cauſe of an evill will, or of a dark minde, ſaith Mornaeus qMale qu…ritur unde mal…m efficiatur., for there is no ſuch cauſe thereof. If light withdraw it ſelf, either from our world without, or from our world within, there needs no more to leave all darke rforeign, &c. Baſil Hex Hom: 2 pag 18, 19., yea, and to expoſe us to the power of darkneſſe, and to lead us to the houre of temptation. The uſefull enquiry then is, Who is that fountain of Light? Which lighteth every man, that cometh into the world? And we muſt acknowledge here, if there be truth in us, and ſay contrary to that, which the Fathers of old ſaid in an opinion of themſelves we ſee not, nor can we ſee; Nay, we ſhall ever ſit in darkneſſe, and in the very ſhadow of death, untill this Light, this Day-ſpring from on high ſhall viſit us; who at the firſt, cauſed the light to ſhine out of darkneſſe, and made the aire light before He gave the Sun; And this is that Sun of Righteouſneſſe. We muſt acknowledge farther, That as we have many wayes to ſhut out of our roomes this light in the aire, but no way to ſhut out darkneſſe; ſo there is an heart in us, which can oppoſe this fountain of Light ſhutting our eyes againſt it, and thruſting it from us, ſo reſiſting the Holy Ghoſt; but for darkneſſe, we are held and chained in it, and againſt that we have no power; A conſideration, if put home, that will hide pride from us, and humble us to the duſt, that from thence we may preſent this great requeſt, To the Hearer of prayers; Lord, that we might receive our ſight ſMark. 10. 51.. Lord, that thou wouldeſt give unto us, the ſpirit of wiſdome and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of our underſtanding bring enlightned, that we may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the Saints, &c. Epheſ. 1. 17, 18, &c.
4. It is conſiderable, how ſmall a thing doth make the place about us light, ſupplying the want of that great body; which is now with the other ſide of our globe. What the Sun cannot do, ſaith Chryſoſtome, a little candle can tforeign Ad Epheſ. Hom. 12.: for, not to ſpeake of the ſtarres, thoſe great lights, which then ſhew cleareſt when the night is darkeſt) a ruſh-candle, a Glow-worm, the bones of a fiſh, a rotten piece of wood, will dart you out a light, which, though the fainteſt, all the power of that darkneſſe, we properly call night, cannot withſtand.
But here we muſt remember a darkneſſe, which, we reade of, ſo thick and palpable, that it over-powered the fire and candle, it put both out, neither could burne the while, As Philo Iudeus tells us, as well as the Apocrypha uWiſd. 17. 5.. This tells us firſt, that He, who is the God, not of ſome but of all conſolations, can take away ſome comforts, and ſupply us with other-ſome, which may not be ſo full in our eye, but yet as ſatisfying & more contentfull: He can put our acquaintance farre from us; He can ſuffer the divell to caſt ſome into priſons, and into dungeons, where the enemy thinks there is no light to be expected, ſo wiſe they are in their generation, and ſo prudently they have contrived: But the enemy is miſtaken, for He, who formeth light, and createth darkneſſe; He that made the light to ſhine out of the wombe of darkneſſe, He that makes a candle ſupply the want of the Sun; He that turneth the ſhadow of death into the morning; He that doth theſe great and wonderfull things; He it is, that gives His children light in darkneſſe, and ſongs in their night: As Peter found it, (for behold to him a light ſhined in the priſon xAct. 12. 7.) ſo ſhall it be with all that truely feare the Lord; A light ſhall ariſe to them in darkneſſe *Iſa. 58. 10. Pſal. 112.; There is ſome cranny left, whereby to let in light; and a way open with the Lord for deliverance from all the expectation of the enemy, though all the wayes be blocked up to man, both in reſpect of the priſon and the Iron-gate yAct. 12. 11.. The children of Iſrael, children of the day, and of the light, ever had in deſpight of the enemy, and ever ſhall have light in their dwellings zExod. 10. 23, though theſe dwelling are priſons, caves and dungeons, which the enemy calleth, and indeed ſeeme to be like the ſhadow of death. This meditation may be more enlarged; for, if nature be ſo ſolicitous (as was ſaid *Preface. p. 19.) in recompenſing what is wanting; much more then ſo, will the God of nature do. He takes from Moſes a diſtinct and treatable voice; He Himſelf will be a mouth to Moſes; He takes away Iohn a great light to His Church, He gives the Lord Chriſt, The Light of that Light; He takes away Chriſt (His bodily preſence,) He leaves them not orphans comfortleſſe, He gives His Church a fuller meaſure of His Spirit. He takes away ſtrength of body, He gives ſtrength of faith, eſtabliſhment of heart; He takes away a deare childe, by that ſorrow, as by a ſanctified meanes, He formeth Chriſt in the heart. It is of high uſe to conſider how God doth ſupply in one kinde, what He takes away in another, as He doth make the little candle to ſupply the abſence of the great Sun.
Laſtly, when we lye down we are to be taught, as to recount the mercies of the day, ſo to call to minde the dangers of the night. Houſes are marked out in the day-time, and broke open in the night; houſes alſo are fired in the night. And how helpleſſe is man, amidſt theſe caſualties and dangers! If a ſleep, the theefe findes him bound to his hand; and if fire take his chamber, he is fewell for it; ſuch ſad examples we have known, & our eyes have ſeene. The deſtroying angel, but one of Gods guard, hath ſet forth in the night, and before the morning hath executed his commiſſion; our adverſary wil do that to us ſleeping, which he cannot waking; many have gone to bed well, and before morning have made their appearance before the Iudge of the whole world, and then as they lay down, ſo they riſe up, and ſo provided or ſo deſtitute; there is no time for proviſion then, when we are ſummoned to appeare. Naturally all things ſeeme black unto us in the night, and if we ſee no danger, nor ſee any reaſon of danger, yet our fancy can create dangers unto us. The Lords ſecond comming is often mentioned in the ſacred Scripture, and as often, in the night, which defines not the time, but ſhews the manner of His coming. As a thiefe in the night, as a ſnare, ſuddenly, when, by the moſt, leaſt expected. All theſe conſiderations ſhould teach us, to watch over our hearts, and to take a ſtrict account of our wayes, at our lying down, and to lift up our eyes to the Keeper of Iſrael, that His eyes may be upon us for good, appointing a ſure Guard about us in the night. As we cannot tell what a day may bring forth, ſo nor can we know, how our feares may increaſe before the next morning; we cannot (no not the wiſeſt of men) look forward a few houres, to tell what may happen before the day-dawn aImminentium neſcius. Tac. de Paeto. 15. 2.; which ſhould engage our heart to Him, who changeth not. And that it may be ſo, we muſt remember our prayers, and our praiſes; theſe being performed in a right manner do ſecure us, touching protection in the night: prayer will help us againſt carefulneſſe, notwithſtanding our dangers are ſo many as we have heard; it will ſuck out the heart of our feares and ſorrows bPreces hirudo curarum. Melanch., ſo as they ſhall not hurt us, nor diſmay us, but that we may lye down in peace: But then we muſt remember what prayer is; It is, ſaith Luther, The unutterable groaning of thoſe, who despaire of any ſtrength in themſelves cPrecatio eſt gemitus inenarrabilis desperantium deſe. Luther in Gen.. It is not every prayer, which ſecureth us, there is a prayer which more provoketh uttered only from the lips, in ſuch a manner as would not be accepted before our Governour dMelac. 1. 8..
We muſt remember our tribute of praiſe too, & great reaſon, That we ſhould praiſe the Lord, who hath yet ſpared us in the night of our ignorance, when we could not enquire after Him; and in the night of our vanitie, when we cared not for Him; and in the night of our ſorrow, when our ſpirits were overwhelmed, that we remembred Him not. Thus hath He patiently ſpared, and hitherto watched over us to ſhew mercy; when we were ſecure and careleſſe in our duties towards Him, which engageth us the more to give the more praiſe to His name. And ſo much may teach us to keep ſound wiſdome and diſcretion, that when thou lyeſt▪ down, thy ſleep may be ſweet; ſo I have done with thoſe foure ſeaſons in the day, ſo ſeaſonable for inſtruction.