The Whole Duty of Mourning and Preparing Ourselves for Death, Part 1 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. That Man himself is Frail, and is no Continuing City, or has any Duration here, Practically Considered, and Emblematically discussed.
TO shew that Man is no Continuing City, is easily demonstrated, by these following Qualifications, which a City ought to be Furnish'd with: and First, 'tis an Emblem of Strength, so says the Wise Man: Prov. 10.15, The rich mans wealth is his strong City: and the Psalmist says, who will lead me into the strong City? Psal. 60.9. this is the frequent Epithite, through the holy Book, strong and well fenced Cities: indeed there's the Combination of most Men and Arms, the Store-house of Munition, 'tis the Heart of the Body-publick, the Seat of most Spirit and Vigour, deservedly may these be called Strong Holds, and Good Fortifications.
II. Now what a City Man hath in this Sense, soon be your own Judges: Walk but about it, View well the Towers thereof, (if you can find any) how Weakly is he Fenced about with these thin Walls of Clay! Walls, that every Ague Shakes, every Dropsie Drowns, every Fever Fires, every Danger Batters; one Fort indeed there is in it, the Heart; but that so feeble as 'tis in a continual Trembling; a Palpitation not more for Breath than Trouble, Psal. 30.10. Watch-men too it hath, Eyes placed in a Tower, the Head, but neither fore-seeing or preventing Mischief; at best Exercises, either dimm or drowsie.
III. The Soldiers of it, the Hands oft Treacherous, advantaging the Enemy and by Sins Wounding his own Bosome, while in all this Extremity his Carriages the Feet are unable to convey him from Surprisal, or keep him from being Captive to the Grave: so Weak a City Man is, that even Worms can Conquer it: Pliny tells us, for a wonder, of a City undermin'd by Conies; but Worms Triumph o're this, and scarce e'er glory of the Victory: what is it I wonder, Philosophers call Man a little World for? is it because he hath such Earthquakes in him, so many Chollicks and Palsies? is it because he hath such Thunderings, sudden Noises in his Head? because such Lightnings, Inflammations in his Veins? He is a little World indeed, Himself the Earth, and his Misery the Sea: nay a great World of Weaknesses, born the most helpless of all Creatures, and lives the Sport of every least Distemper: how seasonable here for Man is St. Paul's acknowledgment: 2 Cor. 1.29. who is weak, and I am not weak. Yet put, the Case with David he be so Strong and come to Eighty Years, yet it is no Continuing City, but a doubled Misery Labour and Sorrow: Psal. 90.10. and a City of no Strength.
IV. Secondly, a City is a Figure of Vnity: Psal. 122.3. Jerusalem is as a City, that is at unity with it selfe: in unity, a city like each Building of it is an Aggregation of many into one, the proper place of Laws and Government, which are the Causes and Maintainers of Peace, Vnity and Concord: but alas! we have no such City, no Continuing Vnity, but rather here, continual Discord, Witness too many Vnquiet Families, our clamorous Streets, and the revenging Hall: indeed, so deep Root hath that Envious Mans Seed taken in the Ground of humane Hearts, that the whole World almost, is become little better then a Field of Tares.
V. In the Church, what Flouds, what Seas can lend us Tears enough to bewail this want of Vnity in matters of Religion? how is the seamless Coat of our Blessed Lord many times, Rent and Torn by Atheists, Libertines and Factious Novelists, which the Bloody Soldiers themselves spared, that it might Prefigure his Vnited Church? how was the Spouse like her Head and Saviour Crucified between two Malefactors, Schism and Faction! while I speak of Love, I will not Strait wish those Cut off, which did Trouble us, but as our Charitable Mother Church, hath taught us, Pray, Lord forgive our Enemies, Persecutors, and Slanderers and turn their Hearts: for Religion hath no such Scandal as this want of Union.
VI. And for the Common-Wealth, how full has it been of Jarrs and Contentions? the Elements, Fire and Water, not at such Strife as Men, sure that Prophet spake of those times, Ephraim against Manasseh, and Manasseh against Ephraim, and both against Judah: Isa. 9.21. all, so captious of Indignities, so apprehensive of all Trespasses such going to Law for Trivials; that which was antiently said of the Friars of this Realm, with a little Variation may now be said of the Lawyers, those liv'd of the Ignorance, but these wax Fat on the Strife of the People: Ah! what is become of that Sin Covering Amity? the Badge of Primitive Christianity! as Eusebius told a Bishop of his Age, that askt him, how he should know the Christians from the Infidels, in those Miscellaneous Times, Observe, says he, but how they Love each other, how fast those Brethren hold the Bands of Amity: and the same distinction gives the Bishop of our Souls: Hereby shall men know ye are my Disciples, if ye have love one to another: John. 13.35.
VII. But how are we degenerated into Nabalism? Love is fled, and not so much as Friendship left: very Ethnicks and Jews had both their Golden pair of Friends; as David and Jonathan whose Souls were Knit together; Theseus, and Peruhous, who durst Exchange their Bosomes, and be the mutual Currents of their flowing Hearts: but hard it is amongst Christians now to find Unity, as the Apostle says, I speak this to our Shame; now Love sits on the Lips, and can soon take her Flight; Frothy Courtship, Judas's Kisses, Ehud's Embracements are the Friendships of this Age; or if any be more real, yet are they oft Leavened with Inconstancy, and like the Leagues of War, hold but for their own hopes and ends; very Marygolds, that follow but the Sun, and Close against the Clouded Evening: Now, for that Heaven-born Spirit that dares be Faithful, in spite of all the Shuffles the Rude World puts on him; that knows not upon any Urgencies to Violate devoted Friendship, (yet to keep Word, is a Qualification of a Saint: Psal. 15.4.) but such a one, were as great a Rarity as Salomon's Female Vertue: Pro. 31.10.
VIII. Thirdly, a City is an Emblem of Safety; of Safety by Consequence as before of Strength, indeed our Safety is by Defence, that by Strength, and both by such wellfenced Cities, (as Instrumental means:) in the 35. of Numb. 6. you read of Cities of Refuge, Cities where very Delinquents might find Safety: but we have none such here to secure us, even from undeserved Dangers, no, of all the Fortifications in the World, I would fain see that Place, that could Wall out a Famine, or a Pestilence, I'm sure Samaria was a wellfenced City, and yet both these entred it, and well nigh Un-peopled it: 1 Kings. 18.
IX. Nor need we go so far for sad Examples: they have entred our own Cities, and no Fence here are Judgment-proof, not Argob's Cities, let them be Wall'd as high as Heaven: Deut. 3.5. a Shower of Vengeance, Hell out of Heaven shall Rain down on Sodom, be it never so well immur'd: and indeed, who dares put Confidence in City-Walls, that hath ever heard or read of Jericho: Josh. 6.20. an Arm of flesh is but a Bruised Reed, no Safety in either Horses or Chariots; Pharaoh found one of them, as David says, but a Vain thing to save him: Exod. 14.25. where his Chariots hurried the faster to destruction, for their Wheels being off, and what Safety in the Multitude of an Host, Senacherib will tell you, whose Confidence was as great as his Army: 2 Kings. 19.35.
X. But those who rely only upon their own Strength, God is not in all their Thoughts; Like that Proud Emperor, Nero, that Cut off the Heads of all the Gods in Rome, and caused the Image of his own to be fixed upon them, we Sacrifice to our own Sword and Spear, when 'tis the right hand of the Lord, that bringeth mighty things to pass; Strength of Arms, I confess are Means and Instruments of War, but unless from God, whence they are all? and, without his assistance may soon again become a Prey to Tyrants, the Sport and Rattle of the Wind and Waves; some may Remember we have been driven to that of David: Psal. 6.10, 11. thou, O God, wentest not forth with our Armies, till we came to his Acknowledgments there, of Vain is the help of Man. God will have the Glory of our Welfare, and it is requisite he should, since he is the Author of it, who else live here in a Shop of angry Meteors, violent Elements each of which would soon Destroy us, were not he our Lord Protector: how often therefore does David call him Rock, and Refuge, Strength, and Tower, Castle and Fortress: Conclude we then with him, Psal. 4. Thou O Lord, only makest us to dwell in safety.
XI. Lastly, a City is a Hieroglyphick of Rest, and therefore in the 21st. of Josh. 'tis said, God gave his people Cities which they builded not, and rest round about them: nay, Eternal Rest it self borrows an Expression from the Name of City: 'tis call'd the New Jerusalem, the City of the Living God: Heb. 12.21. but Man is no Citizen of this, as 'tis a Representative of Rest, his Life a Giddy-wheel; the Orbs, the Clouds, the Winds, the Rivers not so full of Motion; I speak now of the Travells of his Mind, that busie Spirit hurried through Thousands of the Worlds Distractions, which yet if best Employed, is subject to be tired: even Reading is a Weariness, says the Royal Preacher: Eccles. 12.12. and there is no end of many books; unless an end of their Author.
XII. But if this Mill Grind Empty, have not the Mind good things to Work on, and how does it set it self on Fire! on Fire of Hell, by Sinful and Cupidinous Revolutions! what mischief leaves it un-imagin'd on the Bed, unpractis'd up! how full of all Contemplative uncleanness! even to the making up that Sinful climax: Gen. 6.5. the Heart of Man: the thoughts of the heart, and imaginations of the thoughts, are all evil continually: no Rest from Sinning: and thence how Restless, think you, is the Guilty Conscience, only in this particular, like God, that it never Slumbers, nor Sleeps; the Clamour of this inward Voice, deadens the Voice of Ravens or of Thunder; not only audible to us Waking, but interrupting of our best Repose, Job. 7.13. When I say my bed shall comfort me, and my couch shall give me rest, then thou frightest me with dreams, and terrifiest me with visions.
XIII. To be thus uneasie, is enough to make one with David, ones own Metamorphosis, Psal. 55.6. O that I had the Wings of a Dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest: at rest from the distracting Cares that follows this vain Worlds Affairs! at rest from the impetuous Solicits of the Flesh! at rest from the importunate Temptations of the Devil! at rest from the refractory Impieties of wicked Company. All which, make every honest David sigh out here, Wo is me, that I am constrained to dwell in Mesech, and have my habitation among the tents of Kedar, Psal. 120.5. Thus is our Life a tossed Ark, tumultuous without, sick within; and the poor Soul, like Noah's restless Dove, can find no ground to fix on, till she return from whence she flew at first; and then indeed she rests, Rests from her Labours, so says the Spirit, Rev. 14.13.
XIV. But here, we have no continuing City; no City of Rest: Now, Job summs up all the Particulars, and produces the Total, in his 14 Chap. v. 1.2. Man that is born of a Woman is of few days, and full of trouble; he cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not, that is, hath no continuing City. And having thus demolish'd this Earthly City, how can we now choose but with Metellus sacking Syracuse, lament the transient vanity thereof, and bewail our strong Desires of so weak an Object, as no Continuing City.