The Drunkards Character, Section 163
§ 163.
I… any would ob…aine this excel lent grace of saving knowledge,6. Helpes to saving knowledge let him use these six helps and further ances,
1. Discard all filthy lusts and … affections.
2. Get an humble heart.
3. Procure the eye of a lively faith.
4. Bee constant in Prayer.
5. Be irequent and studious in the Scriptures.
6. Advise with others.
First, let him be careful to dispell and remove al filthy lusts and lewd affect…on…, for these are our Eues, First disc…rd…al fi… …hy lusts and affections.which doe deceive us; our Dalilahs, which …ull us asleep, while wee are deprived of the strength of our reason; our enemies, that are ever fighting against our soules, as Peter speakes, 1 Peter 2. 11. Yea, there needs no more to besot a man, then the inordinate love of money; for had one as many eyes as the Poets feign of Argus, the melody of gaine would play them all out, or fast asleepe. Our affections, like fire and water, are good servants, but evill master; for being corrupted and overswayed by lusts, there be no such enemies, as these homebred, and of a mans owne houshold.
Sinne is like the Albug…, or white spot in the eye, which dims our understandings, and makes fooles of Catoes and Platoes, and Tullies, and Achit…phels, leaving them never an eye to see withall. For as the Arke would not stay with the Philistins: so wisdome and grace will not stay with sinners, but …lieth from them, as believers would doe from a persecuting Tyrant. If Ierusalem forgets her first love, presently her right hand forgets her cuning, and her tongue cleaves to the roofe of her mouth, Psalm. 137. 5. 6. If sinnes come in at the fore-dore, graces will go out at the postern: what communion hath light with darknesse? they will not keepe company together: vertues drop from such a tree, like leaves and fruits in a great wind: yea, one sin openeth the doore for many vertues to goe out. If one vertue be offended, she lureth away all her fellowes; as when ner, was offended, he drew away many of Ishbosheth's friends, and they shrunk from him.
As a Judge to acquit his office, must be free from passion and affection, touching either party; and as our eyes, could not aright judge of colours, except they were void of all colours; nor our tongues discerne of tastes, unlesse freed from tasts: so no man can jndge aright of passions, except his mind be altogether free from passions. Wherefore bee not so much led by lust passion, or affection, as by reason. Wee know appetite in a burning Feavor, will call for cold drink, even to the overthrow of our lives, if reason gainsay it not. But as they that would see more sharply and certainly, shut one eye: so doe thou, let the eyes, or windowes of thy affections bee shut to the allurements of the world, and the flesh, least they draw thee from the right line of obedience: yea, shut to humane reason also, least it make thee mistake and swerve from faiths injunctions. And then if thou canst but bring thy flesh with it's lusts, a little asleep, while thy soule is waking, thou hast entred …hrough the gate into the porch of this heavenly Palace. But he that will doe this, must shunne all dispute with Sathan: of which else where.
Secondly, he must get an humble conceit of his owne wisdome.2 Get an humble heart. The first step to knowledge, is to know our owne ignorance; we must become fooles in our owne judgements, before we can be truly wise, 1 Cor. 3. 18. And indeed, the opinion of our knowing enough, is one of the greatest causes of our knowing so little: for what we presume to have attained, we seeke not after. Humble eyes are most capable of high mysteries, he will teach the humble his way, saith David, Psal. 25. 9. yea, the first lesson of a Christian is humility, Matth. 11. 29. Pro. 1. 7. and he that hath not learnt the first lesson, is not fit to take out a new.
One would thinke, that a worldly wise man, might most easily also make a wise Christian: but St. Paul saith, no, except first he becomes a foole, that is, acknowledge his cleare light and wisdome, which he hath so magnified for clearenesse, to be blindnesse and ignorance, he cannot be wise in this case, 1 Cor. 3. 18. Yea, saith St. Cyprian, it is as much lost labour, to preach unto a man the things of God, before he be humbled, with the sight of hi… wants, as to offer light to a blind man, to speake to a deafe man, or to labour to make a brute beast wise.
Pride is a great let to true wisdome, for God resisteth the pro…d, a…d onelyonly gives grace to the humble, Iames, 4. 6. 1 Pet. 5. 5. hence it comes to passe, that few proud wits are reformed. I am come unto judgement into this world, saith our Saviour to the Pharisees, that they which see not, might see; and that they which …ee, meaning in their owne opinion, might be made blind, Ioh. 9. 39. which was the reason he propounded his woes to the Pharisees, and his Doctrines to the people.
An heart full of Pride, is like a vessell full of aire: this selfe-opinion must be blowne out of us, before saving knowledge will be powred into us. Humility is the knees of the soule, and to that posture only the Lamb will open the booke: Christ will know none but the humble, and none but humble soules truly know Christ.
Now this grace of humility is obtained, by taking a serious view of our wants: the Peacock's pride is abated, when she pe… ceives the blacknesse of her legs and feete. Now, suppose we know never so much; yet that which we doe knovv, is farre lesse then …hat which we are ignorant of; and the more we know, the more we knovv vve vvant, at all, both vvise and holy …en, have felt and confest: yea, this vvas the judgement of the vvisest, even amongst the Heathen▪ … being demanded vvhy the Oracle of Delpho… should pronounce him the vvisest man of Greece, made ansvver, I know nothing, but this, that I kno… nothing; neither can there be any thing in me to …rifie the Oracle, e… cept this, that I am not wise, and know it; whereas others are not wise, and know it not; and to be ignorant, and knovv it not, is by farre the greater ignorance. So the renovvned Orator Cicero, even bevvayled his own emptinesse, I would, quoth he, I could light on the truth, as easily, as I can … fasehood: a negative knovvledge, vvas the greatest knovvledge, he vvould acknovvledge in himselfe.
He is wise, that can truly see and acknowledge his ignorance; he is ignorant, that thinkes himselfe wise: I'le cleare it by a similitude, being here below, we thinke one Iland great, but the whole earth unmeasurably; if we were above in the firmament, with these eyes, the whole earth, were it equally enlightned, would seeme as little to us, as now the least Starre in the firmament seemes to us upon earth: and indeed, how few Stars are so little as it? even such is the naturall mans mistake, in judging of, and comparing what he hath, with what he wants; naturall wisdome, with spirituall and Heavenly.
Wherefore, if thou perceivest not more strength and wisdome to be in the weaknesse and foolishnesse of Gods truth, 1 Cor. 1. 25. (which therefore only seemes weaknesse and foolishnesse, because the strength and wisdome of it is not perceived by the fleshly eye) then in the strength and wisdome of the profoundest Naturian, and, if thou beleivest not the godly to be most wise; doe not blame them for foolishnesse, but thy selfe for blindnesse, and desire the Lord (as Elisha did for his servant) to open thine eyes.
Thus, as by mortification and dying unto sinne, we come to vivification and living unto grace; or, as by dying the death of nature, we obtaine the life of glory: so by becomming a foole, a man may attaine to wisdome. Wherefore get humility, and thou hast mounted another step toward wisdome, entred a second roome of this Palace.