The Marrow of the Oracles of God, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
The miseries of life, in respect of our selues.
THus hauehave wee cause to be wearie of life, in respect of God, the euill angels, and the World. Now if there were none of these to molest vsus, yet man The causes in our selues why we should not be in louelove with life: as.hath enough in himself to marre the liking of this present life. For,
1. The remainders of corruption 1. The remainders of corruption of nature.of nature still lie like a poyson, a leprosie, a pestilence in thee: thou art vnderunder cure indeed but thou art not sound from thy sore, thou art La…rus still. This very consideration made Paul wearie of his life, when he cried out, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliuer mee from this body of death? Rom 7. And if in this respect we be not of Pauls mind, it is because wee want of Pauls goodnesse and grace. And thus corruption of nature is the more Which is the more grieuous.grieuous, if we consider either the generalitie of the spreading the infection, or the incurablenesse of it, or the ill effects of it.
For the first, this is a leprosi 1 Because it is spred all ouer vsus.that spreads all ouer. There … no sound part in vsus, our … ▪ our memories, our wills and affections: yea our very consciences are still impure within vsus: there is no good nature in vsus in any one faculty of our soules, but there is a miserable mixture of vile infection.
Secondly, this is the worses, because this is incurable. There 2 Because in vsus v…curable.lieth vponupon vsus a very … of sinning, wee cannot but offend. Of the flesh it is well said, I can neither liue with the…, nor without thee. The flesh is an inseperable ill companion of our li… ▪ wee can go … to … it, &c.
Thirdly, if wee consider but some of the effects of this corruption 3. 4 Effects of … of nature in vsus. 1. Ciuil war within vsus.in … as▪
1. The eiuill warre it causeth in our soules: there is no businesse can bee dispatched, that concernes our happinesse, without a mutiny in our owne hearts. The flesh is a domesticall Rebel, that daily lusts against the Spirit, as the Spirit hath reason to lust against the flesh, Galatians 5. 17.
2. Secondly, the insufficiency 2. Insufficiencie for our callingit …eeds in vsus for our callings. The greatest Apostle must in this respect cry out, Who is sufficient for these things? Though Gods wor…e be all faire worke, yet we see that eueryevery man is extremely burthened with the defects and mistakings, and insufficiencies which befall him in his course of life.
2. It works a perpetuall madnesse …. A stirring kinde of madnesse.in the heart of a man, in some respects worse then that of some lunatickes: For they are mad at some times of the yeere, onelyonly, or chiefly; but man is seldome, or neuer free from this inward madnes of heart. Salomon saith, The heart of the sonnes of men is full of euill, and madnesse is in their hearts while they liue, and after thnt, they goe to the dead. Now this madnesse appeares in this, that men can neuer bring their hearts to a settled contentment in the things they enioy, but death coms in vponupon them, before they know how to improue the ioy of their hearts in the blessings they enioy, whether temporall or spirituall. This vile corruption of nature diffuseth gall into all that a man possesseth; so as it marreth the taste of eueryevery thing.
4. It fils our hearts and liues with innumerable euils; it ingenders, 4. Swarms of euill thoughts and actionsand breeds infinitely swarmes of euill thoughts, and desires, and abundance of sinnes in mens liues and conuersations, so as godly Dauid cries out; Innumerable euils hauehave compassed me about, and I am not able to looke vp. They were more then the haires of his head, therefore his heart failed him, Psal. 40. 12.
5. It is continualy madnes, to be…ray vsus to Satan and the world, in all the occasions of our life.
6. It will play the Tyrant, if it get any head: and leade vsus capti…e, and giuegive wretched lawes to the members: yea, eueryevery sinne, which is the brat bred of this corruption, is like a fury to fright and amaze vsus: there is a very race of diuels bred in vsus, when Satan and the flesh ingender together in vsus.
2. And as wee are thus miserable 2. In respect of the remainders of the pu nishment of sinne.in respect of the remainders of corruption, so are we in respect of the remainders of the punishment of sinne vponupon our spirits: Our hearts were neuer fully free since the first transgrssion, our minds are yet full of darkenesse; that euē godly men do seriously cry out, They are but as beasts; they hauehave not the vnderstanding of men in them: And in many passages of life they carrie themselues like beasts, Psalme 32. 9. Eccles. 3. 18. The ioyes of Gods presence are for the greatest part kept from vsus: our consciences are still but in a kind of prison: when they goe to the s…at of iudgement to giuegive sentence in any cause, they come forth with fetters on their legs, as prisoners themselues; besides the many personall scourges light vponupon our soules in this life.
3. Lastly, the very condition of our bodies should not bee ouerpleasing 3 If wee respect the condition of our bodies.to vsus: our deformities, and infirmities, & the dangers of further diseases, should tire vsus out, and make vsus account it no louely thing to be present in the body, while wee are absent from the Lord. And thus of the miseries of our liues also. Now it remaines that I should proceed to the second sort of contemplations, that is, those that are remoouals: namely, such meditations, as take off the obiections, which are in the hearts of men.