Directions for a Comfortable Walking with God, Title page – Dedication
SOME GENERALL DIRECTIONS FOR A COMFORTABLE WALKING with God:
DELIVERED IN THE LECTVRE AT KETTERING IN NORTHhamptonshire, with enlargement:
By Robert Bolton, Bachelor in Diuinitie, and Preacherof Gods Word at Broughton in the same County.
The second Edition: corrected and amended; with a Table thereunto annexed.
AT LONDON, Imprinted by Felix Kyngston, for Edmund Weauer, and are to be sold at his shop at the great North doore of Pauls Church. 1626.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE, AND TRVLY NOBLE, EDWARD Lord Mountague of Boughton, a fruitfull increase of all heauenly graces; and all watchfull preparation for the Glory that shall be reuealed.
Much Honored and Noble Lord;
ALthough the eminency of your other personall worth, great Wisdome, and noble parts, a sufficient attractiue to eueryevery honest heart, by reason of the particular interest it hath in the common state of goodnes; or your speciall bounty to my selfe, which ought to stir vp an ingenuous minde, to apprehend any opportunity of due and deserued acknowledgement; or your publike deportment in the face of our Country, so worthy, and Honorable; and managed with such true honesty, graue moderation, and noblenesse of spirit, which cannot but draw from eueryevery heart truely sound to our great Lord in Heauen, and His Royall Deputy our highest Soueraigne vponupon earth, a great deale of reuerence & louelove; I say, though any of these seuerally, might exact from me, a more exact and able demonstration of the thankefull deuotions of my heart: yet my Lord, (and you may beleeue mee) there is another thing besides all these, which was the strongest, and most predominant motiue to quicken mee to this Duty, and Dedication; euen your sincere and inuincible affection to the Gospell of Iesus Christ, His faithfull Ministers, and most precious Wayes. And this, to tell you the truth, is farre the fairest, and most orient flower in the Garland of all your goodnesse; and incomparably aboue all your Greatnesse, were you aduanced euen to desert; nay, to the highest top of all earthly felicities, and mortall honour. For howsoeuer, the world euer beside it selfe in point of faluation, and starke blind in the right apprehension of Heauenly things, doth …ote vponupon guilded miseries, stinging vanities, golden setters; and wickedly deemes aHaec iustorum simplicitas deridetur: quia ab h… ius mundi sapientibus, puritatis virtus, …atuitas c…editur. Greg. in …ap. 12. Iob cap. 16.pursuite of purity, the height of folly: yet I can assure you in the Word of life and truth; the richest, and rarest con…luence of all humane happinesses; the most exquisite excellencie, and variety of the greatest worldly pompe and splendour, that euer the Sunne saw, since the first moment of its creation, or shall looke vponupon while it shines in Heauen, is but dust in the ballance, to one graine of grace; it is but bEt quid diuitiae, per…untes & transitoriae facultates, nisi … aeter na diligentibus sunt … Greg. in 1 Reg. cap. 2.dung to an humble minde, sauingly illightened with a forecast, but of the least glimpse of that incomprehensible, endlesse glory which shall shortly be reuealed: It is all in the true valuation, but as a vaine cNon debet pro magno habe…i honor humanus; quia nullius est ponderis fumus. August, de Ci…it. Dei, lib. 5. cap. 17.smoake; which doth not onelyonly vanish, as it riseth, and vtterly looseth it selfe at the highest; but also drawes teares frō a mans eyes; nay, at last, wrings the very heart-strings of eueryevery impenitent soule, with that extremest euerlasting horrour, which would burst ten thousand hearts, seriously and sensibly to thinke vponupon before-hand. It is not onelyonly vanity, but also vexation of spirit. Let worldly wisdome say what it will, and hold them melancholike, and dCùm coeperit Deo quis que vi…ere, mundum contemnere, iniurias suas nolle vlcisci, nolle hîc diultias, non hîc quaerere foelicitatem terrenam, contemnere omnia, Dominum solùm cogitare, viam Christi non deserere; non solùm à Paganis dicitur insanus; sed quod magis dolendum est; quia & intus multi dormiunt, & vigilare nolunt, à suis, à Christianis audiunt—Dictum est & de ipso Domino, quod insaniret. August. in Psal. 84.madde, who by the helpe of the holy Ghost hold a constant counter-motion to the course of the world, and corruptions of the time, that they may keep a good conscience, the richest treasure, and dearest Iewell that euer the heart of man was acquainted with; who infinitely desire, rather to be religious, then rich; to bee good, then great; to enioy the fauour of God, then the soueraignty, and pleasures of all the kingdomes of the earth: yet assuredly, when all is said, and truely summed vp; it is onelyonly the true feare of Gods blessed Name; a zealous forwardnesse for his glory, goodnesse, and good causes; at this day, vnhappily, and to the ruine of infinite soules, called by the world, pragmaticalnesse, and, Too much precisenesse, which can truely beautifie, and adorne both all other personall sufficiencies; and indeed sanctifie and blesse all publike imployments and seruices of State. For the first: A Professor euen something Popish, doth yet truely teach, that eNobilitas Heroica est eminentia quaedam notabilis, &c.—per quam homo fi… per adoptionem Filius Dei, fit Sponsa Christi, sit Templum Spiritus Sancti: sine quâ, nobilitates caet… rae nihil sunt, nhiil proficiunt. Gers. Tractat. De nobilitate.Heroicall nobilitie is an illustrious eminency shining in a man by the heauenly infusions of supernaturall grace, whereby he is made by adoption the sonne of God, the Spouse of Christ, the Temple of the holy Ghost; without which, all other Nobilities are nothing; not worth a button. Suppose a faire and goodly horse to the eye, as exquisitely featured, colourd, paced, as that fained by Bartas, to be managed by Cain; yet if he wāted mettle, he were worth nothing to a man of spirit. GiueGive me the most magnificent glorious Worldling, that euer trod vpō earthly mould; richly crowned with all the ornaments, and excellencies of nature, art, policy, preferment, or what heart can wish besides; yet without the life of grace to animate and ennoble them, hee were to the eye of heauenly Wisdome, but as a rotten carkasse stucke ouer with flowers, magnified dung, guilded rottennesse, golden damnation. And that which is more dreadfull; when the sunne of his short Summers day is set, the hot gleame of transitorie prosperity past, and the bitter tempestuous winters night of death approacheth; from which all the Gold and Pearle of East & West can no more deliuer him, then can an handfull of dust; I say, then shall bee powred vponupon his head, that terrible showre of snares, fire and Psal. 11. 6.brimstone, and an horrible tempest. His soule sinkes immediatly in a moment into the depth of remedilesse misery, and is desperately plunged for euer into the bottome of the burning Lake. His body descends into the graue, as into a dungeon of rottennesse & horror, arrested, as it were, by the second death, in the deuils name, and at length haled and dragged vntounto the terror of that great and last Day; where no creature can rescue him, no mountaine couer him, from that vnquenchable wrath, & neuer-dying Worme, which shall euer lastingly, day and night feed vponupon his soule and flesh. Wheras now, on the other side, that poore neglected One, who hath in truth giuen his name vntounto Christ and his gainefull seruice, perhaps by the World most disdainfully and contemptuously trampled vponupon euen into the dust, with the feet of cruelty and pride; at least most certainly, euer made extremely vile, and contemptible by the villany of fCùm coeperit homo Christianus cogitare proficere, incipit pati linguas aduersa… tium. Quicunque illas nondum passus est, nondum proficit: quicunque illas non patitut, nec conatur proficere. August. in Psal. 119.tongues, and gHeb. 11. 36, 38.cruell mockings; yet is such an One as the World is not worthy of: in the meane time, in the meaning of the holy Ghost, hIsa. 6. 2, 3.a Crowne of glory in the hand of Iehouah, as beautifull and amiable, as the bloud of Christ and his righteous roabe can make him; crowned full gloriously with iEzech. 16. 14. zech. 13. 11.Gods owne comelinesse which hee hath put vponupon him; designed from all eternitie in due time, (for so his sanctification now assures him) to weare an euerlasting Crowne of blisse. And when his pilgrimage is past, death is to him the day-breake of eternall brightnesse. VponUpon his last Bed, his blessed soule shall finde that fresh-bleeding Fountaine for sinne and for vncleannesse set wide open vntounto it, by the hand of Faith, ready now at its departure, to raze out the last sinfull staine: It may confidently, in the Name of Christ cast it selfe into the open armes, enlarged bowels, and dearest embracements of the Father of all mercies: It may feele the glorious presence of the sweetest Comforter, presenting vntounto it a foretaste of Heauenly ioyes: It shall hauehave the last sweetnesse, and triumphant truth of all the promises of life, able to confront and confound the vtmost rage, and very Powder-plot of all the powers of darknesse, made good vntounto it: A mighty guard of blessed Angels shal attend vponupon it; waiting with longing and ioy to beare it triumphantly into the bosome of Abraham. His bodie shall goe into the graue, as into a chamber of rest, and bed of Downe, sweetly perfumed vntounto it, by the sacred body of the Sonne of God lying in the Graue; locked there full fast with the barres of the earth, and fenced with the omnipotent Arme of God, as a rich Iewell in a Casket of gold, vntill the Resurrection of the iust. And then, after their ioyfullest meeting, and glorious re-vnion, they shall both bee for euer filled with all those vnmixed pleasures, blessed immortalities, & crowned ioyes, which the dwelling place of God, the glory of Heauen, and the inexhausted fountaine of all blisse, Iehouah himselfe blessed for euer, can affoord. Now let the scornefullest opposite to the power of godlinesse, tell me in cold blood; whether that honorable wretch; or this honest man bee more truely noble and happy? For the second: So naturall, saith gLib. 5. Sect. 1.Hooker, is the vnion of Religion with iustice, that we may boldly deeme, there is neither, where both are not. For how should they be vnfainedly iust, whom Religion doth not cause to be such; or they religious, which are not found such by the proofe of their iust actions? If they, which imploy their labour and trauaile about the publike administration of Iustice, follow it onelyonly as a Trade, with vnquench able and vnconscionable thirst of gaine, being … in heart perswaded that Iustice is Gods owne Worke, and themselues his Agents in the businesse, the sentence of right, Gods owne verdict, and themselues his Priests to deliuer it; for malities of iustice do but serue to smother right, and that which was necessarily ordained for the common good, is through shamefull abuse, made the cause of common misery. Full well did this learned man perceiue, and rightly apprehend, that the purity and power of Religion alone, doth truely honour all Honours, dignifie all dignities, actuate with acceptation and life all morall vertues and endowments of art, sweeten all gouernment, strengthen all States, settle fast all Imperiall Crownes vponupon Princes heads: That it is no humorous conceite, but a matter of sound consequence, that all, either personall duties, or imployments of State, are by so much the better performed, by how much the men are more religious, from whose abilities the same proceed: That when Heauen is made too much to stoope to Earth; Piety to Policy; Publike good, to priuate ends; there authoritie is embittered, inferiours plagued, and too often, Law and Iustice turned into Wormewood and rapine. He truly intimates, what a deale of hurt is done; what a world of mischiefe is many times wrought, insensibly and vnobseruedly; when a wicked wit, and wide conscience weld the sword of authoritie. For it is easie, and ordinary for a man so mounted, by legall sleights; putting foule businesses into faire language; and by a dissembled pretence of deeper reach, to compasse his owne ends; either for promotion of iniquity; or oppression of innocency: especially, sith he knowes himselfe backt with that Principle in Policy: It is not safe to question or reuerse transactions of State, though tainted perhaps with some impressions of miscarriage & error: And that it is holden a Solaecisme in State-wisdome, and vnseemely, for priuate innocency to contest too busily with passages of publike Tribunals. These things I thus discourse, and declare vntounto your Lordship, to represent vntounto you the vanity of that honour, which is not directly and sincerely subordinate to the Honour of God: (at the best, it is but a breath, and yet not able to blow so much, as one cold blast vponupon vngodly great Ones, when being suddenly carried from their stately and sumptuous dwellings, they shall bee cast into vnquenchable flames.) To let you see the excellencie, and worth of those happy wayes, to which it hath pleased the Lord of Heauen, out of his speciall mercy, to bend the eye of your Noble minde: and that you may know what it is alone hath had power, and the prerogatiue, (and shall for euer, in whomsoeuer takes Gods part) to make you, both more truely Honourable in your Selfe, and more faithfully seruiceable to our King and State; both to cast a Diuiner lustre vponupon your personal vertues, and to make your managing of publike businesses (many times most vnworthily swayed awry, by that foule fiend, Faction, partialitie and priuate ends) worthy, conscionable and iust. For which, eueryevery honest eye in our countrey that lookes vponupon you, blesseth you; and shall mourne most bitterly for your absence from amongst vsus, when you shall be gloriously gathered to your Fathers. So let all that truely louelove the Lord Iesus, His blessed Gospell, and Seruants, bee as the Sunne, when he goeth foorth in his might, and at last full sweetly set in the boundlesse Ocean of immortall blisse. In these wayes of life, my Noble Lord, which in the sence and censure of Truth it selfe, are Prou. 3. 17.wayes of pleasure, and paths of sweetest peace; it is the infinite desire of my heart, and drift of this Treatise I now offer into your Honours hands; that you would still aduance forward, and doe more nobly still. That you would improoue to the vtmost, the height of your excellent Vnderstanding to a further, and more full comprehension of the Mysterie of Christ; which though it bee a Sealed Booke, to the sharpest sight of the most piercing humane wisedome; yet reueales to eueryevery truely humble, spirituall eye, the rich and Royall treasures of all true sweetnesse, contentment and peace. That you would hold it your greatest honour and happinesse, as it is indeed, to grow still in fruitfulnesse aC…los. 1. 1….in eueryevery good Worke; in bRom. 12. 11.feruency in spirit, in c1. Iob. 3. 3.puritie, in dPhil. 3. 20. Colos. 3. 2.Heauenly-mindednesse, in eEphes. 5. 15.precise walking, &c. with singular watchfulnesse, and the more punctuall, and frequent search and perusall of your spirituall state; both because the depths and delusions of Satan are most intricate and infinite: and because Not many noble, &c. 1. Cor. 1. 25. That you would hold on in that valiantnesse for the Truth, and all good causes; which ordinarily gathers vigour and puissance proportionably to the swelling fury of all aduersarie, either mortall, or infernall powers: Euer patiently passing by with generous magnanimitie, and braue contempt, all the vile fIob 30. 8, 9. Psal. 35. 15, 16. and 69. 12. I am verò illud quale, quàm sanctum, quòd si quis ex Nobilibus ad Deum conuerti coeperit, statim h…norem nobilitatis amittit: aut quantus in Christiano populo honor Christi est, vbi religio ignobilem facit? Statim enim vt quis melior esse tentauerit, de e…ioris abiectione calcatur, ac per hoc omnes quodammodo mali esse coguntur, ne vises habeantur. Ita seculum totum iniquitatibus plenum est, vt aut mali sint, qui sunt in illo, aut qui boni sunt, multotum persecutione crucientur. Si honoratior quispiam religioni se applicue…it, illicò honoratus esse defistit—Si fuerit splendidissimus, fit vilissimus. Si fuerit totus honoris, fit totus iniuriae—Si bonus est quispiam, quasi malus spernitur: Si est malu…, quasi bonus honoratur. Nihil itaque mirum, si deteriora quotid…è patimur, qui deteriores quotidiè fumus. Saluianus. De ver… iudicio & prouid… tia Dei. Lib 4. pag. 128, 129.raylings and contradictions of Satans Reuellers, and Popish insolencie; (For vainely to affect the acclamations, and applause of worthlesse men: or to bee deiected vnmanlily with their vniust accusations and anger; are both equally ignoble, and most vnworthy a man of Honour, and vertuous gAnimae sorti… & constantis est, posse ob…uctari his qui auellere moliuntur, & nihil facere vt hominibus placeat: sed oculum suum intendere ad illum insopitum oculum, & ab eo solùm gloriam expectare—nulliúsque pili facere humanam laudem, vel conuitia, sed transire vt vmbras & somnia. foreign. Chrysost. in c. 6. G…. Hom. …3.resolution. Yours shall bee the Crowne and comfort, when all Popery and prophanenesse shall lye buried in the dust, and dungeon of Hell. In a word, the thirstie longing of my heart, and heartiest prayer shall euer be; That you may shine eueryevery day, more and more gloriously in all personall sanctitie, plantation of godlinesse in your owne Family, and where you hauehave any thing to doe; and in an holy zeale for setting forward the affaires of God, when, and wheresoeuer you hauehave any power or Calling. That when the last period of your mortall abode in this Vale of teares, which drawes on apace, shall present it selfe: You may looke death in the face without dread; the graue without feare; the Lord Iesus with comfort; and Iehouah blessed for euer, with euerlasting Ioy. Thus let all the sauing blessings of our most bountifull heauenly Father, through Iesus Christ, by the Holy Ghost, be plentifully and for euer vponupon your Honourable Selfe, and all your sweet and Noble Children.
Your Honours most truely in all seruices for the saluation of your Soule, ROBERT BOLTON.