The Weavers Pocket-Book, Part 1 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
The Art.
The Weaver in Weaving ſometimes finds a Threed defective in the Warp, moſtly through the negligence, or other infirmity of him that wound the Warp on, …e not diſcerning the breach of the Threed. Sometimes alſo a Threed breaketh in the Striking; if it happeneth in the former, the Weaver Supplieth it, by another Threed, in its Room: If it breaketh in the Striking, he brings the two Ends together, and goeth on in his work. When he hath wrought a Plate then he looks it over, with an Instrument picks it out and bruſheth off the looſe knots: So goes on till he hath finiſhed his Web; Then he Cuts it off the Loom.
The Meditations.
1. THE Spiritual We…vers Warp is his Credenda, the ſeveral Propoſitions of Faith and Truth which are wound upon his Soul, partly by the Exerciſe of his Reaſon upon Natural Principles, partly upon the Revealed will of GOD in his Word: For the Candle of the LORD in our Souls is dighted both theſe ways. Reaſon working upon Natural Principles, will conclude, That there is a GOD, who made Heaven and Earth, that he muſt be Eternal, infinite, juſt and Holy, &c. That to him muſt be given account of our thoughts, words and Actions, That Man hath an Immortal Soul, &c. But there are many more Propoſitions of Truth, which Reaſon (working from Meer Natural Principles) will never Diſcover; yet are Concluded from Reaſon upon this Hypotheſis, That thoſe Sacred Books which we call the Scriptures contain the Revealed Will of GOD, and are the words of Him who cannot Lie. Now as Na…ural Light is not the ſame in all, but varieth according to the Capacity of a Man to Exerciſe his Reaſon, and the Helps he hath for it; ſo alſo there is a vaſt difference in Mens Concluſions from Scripture-Principles: Every Man is not alike able to ſearch the Scriptures, nor hath the like Advantage from Forrein Help; nor is ſo able as another to compare ſpiritual Things wi…h ſpiritual. There is not a greater Difference in Faces than there is in the Sentiments and Opinions of Pious Souls, who all have ſet up to themſelves the ſame End, viz. the Glory of GOD, who dayly Beg of GOD to Lead them into all Truth, and would not willingly believe a Lie; and neceſſarily there muſt be ſo unleſs it would pleaſe GOD that all Men ſhould be Born with the ſame Wit, Reaſon, Parts, and Arrive to the ſame Degrees of Learning, and have the ſame Helps of Inſtruction. Now it is impoſſible, that the two Contradictory Parts of the ſame Propoſition ſhould be True. Hence of Neceſſity every Spiritual Weaver, will at laſt be found to have ſome Threeds in his Warp defective: Some indeed more ſome leſs, but all ſome. Nemo ſine Crimine vivit; Optimus ille qui minimis urgetur, ſaith Horace. There is none liveth, who hath a right Apprehenſion of every Divine Truth. And this Reflection, were but Men poſſeſt with Common Humanity, would oblige them to bear each with his Brother. There will not be found a guiltleſs Perſon to throw the firſt Stone at his Neighbour. Neither is any M…n Infallible: Nor is there upon Earth any Infallible Judge; why do I then Judge, and condemn my Brother? may not he by the ſame Right Condemn me; Is there not the ſame Diſtance from him to me (Stand where he will) as from me to him? who ſhall judge betwixt Us? ſhall the Church, or any Authority of Men Determine betwixt Us? The Church indeed, yea the Civil Magiſtrate, may Determine, that nothing be Publiſhed within their Territories contrary to what they apprehend the will of GOD: But certainly no Man can make an Hair of Truths Head, White or Black. Truth will be Truth, and Error a Lie when Men have ſaid what they can; nor is any particular Church more Infallible than a Pope. My following a Multitude in an Error will no more excuſe me than the following of a Multitude to do Evil. I have no Judge under Heaven as to my Practice above my Conſcience. It is indeed my Duty to Hear the Church Reverently, to Examine what it ſaith Diligently, and to believe it, as my Conſcience tells me; it doth or doth not agree with the Holy Scriptures. Our Spiritual Weaver then may be aſſured that there are ſeveral Threeds Defective in his Warp; And therefore ſtands highly concerned to be ever and anon caſting an Eye upon it, Examining the Various Propoſitions which he hath embraced for Truth, and upon which he Buildeth and Directs his Practice. But it is very poſſible, that he may not be able to put in better Threeds when he hath done. He is a Bruit, no Man, that can Believe what he Liſteth, or whatſoever his Neighbour would have him to Believe. All a Chriſtians Duty in this Caſe is, 1. To Examine and Prove Propoſitions, to hear on both ſides, to compare Things Spiritual with Spiritual, &c. 2. To have the Perſwaſions to himſelf, in which he hath Faith different from the Church in which he Lives. 3. To Beg of GOD to Lead him into all Truth, and to Reveal what as yet is not Revealed to him, and to Pardon his Miſtakes, and not to Conceal any Truth Revealed to him in Unrighteouſneſs. Which doing he may be aſſured we have an High-Priest can have Compaſſion our Infirmities, Ʋpon thoſe that are Ignorant, as well as thoſe otherwiſe out of the way. Yet I fear ſome Errors of Faith are Damnable, ſuch as Infer an Impoſſibility of the Soul that is Poſſeſſed of them, to do thoſe things which the Scripture makes Neceſſary to Salvation, Faith and Repentance: Whether any other or no is more than I know.
2. The Weaver finds many a Threed Break in the Striking, yet is his Web not ſpoiled by it; But when it Happens, he ſtops, looks back, and lays up, and Re-unites his Threeds, and goeth on in his work: Thus doing, though there be many a Real Breach, yet the piece comes off, is approved, Merchantable and paſſeth: we have before conſidered all the Thoughts, Words and Actions of a Chriſtians Life as our Spiritual Weavers Striking. Infinite are the Threeds that break in it. The Righteous ſinneth ſeven times in a day; who can tell how oft he offendeth? He who thinks he can keep the whole Law of GOD in Thought, Word and Deed, is not more to be blamed for his Error, than for his Ignorance: If he knew what Holineſs that Holy Rule requireth he would never ſay ſo. It was becauſe the Phariſees did not know that GODS Law which ſaith Thou ſhalt not kill, forbade as well Raſh Anger and ill Words, as Bloody Actions; That they thought they could fulfill it; And if the Popiſh Doctors, did not give a Jejune Interpretation of a Divine Law no way Concordant to Holy Writ, they would never tell us of a poſſibility of works of Supererogation, or that any hath Oyl enough in his Lamp for himſelf and others, which was what the wiſe Virgins in the Parable denied. Our Threeds (the LORD Pardon them,) will break, and do break every day. What help in this Caſe, but to caſt our Eyes back upon our Actions; to take care ut ultima reſpondeant primis, to bring the Ends together again by Repentance, to make up the Breach by an Exerciſe of Faith on the LORD JESUS; to reſolve in GODS ſtrength to take more heed for the Future: This doing, though what is done cannot be undone, yet for the Satisfaction of CHRIST it ſhall be reckoned as undone, and our VVeb of Righteouſneſs accounted as perfect and accepted of GOD. The Soul is not made one who never ſinned, (That is impoſſible and importeth a Contradiction) but it is made as one that had never ſinned, that is, its Sins ſhall never hurt it.
3. The Weaver when he hath wrought a Plate (ſo they call ſo much of the Web made as can at once lie before his Eye) he looks it over, picks it, Bruſheth off the looſe Knots, (ſo I think they call the little parts of Wooll or Yarn picked off) how fitly doth this prompt the Spiritual Weaver to his every day work of Self Examination? Every days thoughts, words, Actions make him a plate of Work. Some Unevenneſs there will be in it, his Conſcience Spiritually Enlightened, is the Inſtrument he muſt uſe to Pick his VVork by Something will be found too much, in his Affections, Paſſions, Words, Pretences, &c. even in his beſt Actions, to be pickt out by a Penitent Heart, Diſclaimed, Abhorred, caſt from him as a filthy R…g; Something to be Bruſht off as no part of his Spiritual Web, yea as a Noiſome fly, which will make his whole Box of Precious Ointment to ſtink. He never proves a good work-man, who is not as good and as Diligent at picking, as at throwing of his Shuttle. He never makes a good Chriſtian, who is not as good at Examining his ways, as walking in a ſeeming Courſe of Piety and Righteouſneſs. Often Reckoning we ſay makes long Friends: Often Reckoning with GOD and our own Conſcience, will keep GOD and us long Friends, and our own Conſciences long Friends unto us. Oh that every good Chriſtian would Remember at the End of every day! My days work is now done but ſtill I have it to pick, and then retire into his Cloſet, and uſe his Conſcience to reflect upon his Actions, and ſee if it be (ſo far as his light will guide him) according to the Divine Rule; How much would this Contribute to the Evenneſs of a Chriſtians VVeb, and help him in the cloſe of his life to ſay after Hezekiah, LORD, Remember how I have walked before thee in Truth, and with a Perfect Heart!
4. This whole work muſt be done till our piece comes quite off the Loom. Self-Examination, Repentance, Watchfulneſs, are not the works of a day, or a Month, or a Year, but of our whole Life; No work for Lent or Ember-weeks, or Faſting-days only, but the work of every day, every week: The good Chriſtian can never find a time for a Carnival. Travellers tell us, that in the Popiſh Countreys, particularly at Venice, the VVeek before their Mortifying time of Lent is called by that Name, a VVeek given up to all Manner of Luſt, Luxury, Gaming, Lewdneſs, and Prophaneneſs as a preface to their Mock-faſt that is to follow, which make their Lenton-weeks an undue Proportion of time for the Diſgorging their Polluted Souls of the Preceeding Crapula. Theſe are ill Spiritual VVeavers, that ſpoil more of their work in one week than they can again make good in many. The work-man in the LORDS work who needs not be aſhamed is quite another thing; He is alwayes at work either Weaving or Picking, either working or looking over, ſearching or proving what he hath done, whether it be good or well done, yea or no, till his piece comes off the Loom; His Hands and Eyes never ceaſe, and to him that doth thus, GOD will ſay, Well done! Good and Faithfull Servant, enter into thy Maſters joy. The VVeaver cuts his own piece from the Loom, and ceaſeth to work when he hath made his Piece to the Length and Breadth, which he or his M…ſter hath propoſed. The good Chriſtian might do ſo to, if his Lengths and Breadths propoſed by his great LORD were not ſuch as he can never reach and fulfill; But his Mark to which he is to preſs forward, the perfect Man, the meaſure of the ſtature of the Fulneſs of CHRIST, mentioned, Epheſians ….13. is ſuch a Length and Breadth as the beſt Chriſtian can never hope to Reach, and muſt therefore die in his work; ſtill forgetting what is behind, ſtill Preſſing Forward to what is before. He cannot take off his work when he pleaſeth, becauſe he will never have done it; he cannot finiſh his Courſe till GOD hath finiſhed his Life: The work which GOD hath given him to do, is not to depart from his Statutes all the Dayes of his Life.
The Peom.
Do ſome Threeds fail in every Warp?
Why do I at my Neighbour Carp,
Becauſe he is not of my Faith,
Nor can I think true what he ſaith?
Who made my ſoul Judge in his caſe,
What but my own impudent Face?
Do'nt I from him differ as much
As he from me? Is the caſe ſuch
The Church muſt judge? But yet I ſhall,
To my own Maſter, ſtand, or fall.
The Church ſhal judge what ſhal be taught
Within her Territories naught.
I must not publiſh then what ſhe
Doth contradict, and not agree:
But ſhall not still my thoughts be free
From any humane Tyranny?
Shall ſhe determine me to do
What Conſcience ſaith will bring me woe?
Muſt we ſubſcribe what our hearts tell
Ʋs, will but lead us into Hell?
Or, can we believe what we list?
And must we! or our Neighbours fiſt
Into it buffet us? Where's gone
The Protestant Diſcretion?
Rome hath the beſt of't, if that we
Muſt have Infallibility.
Whoſo believes, becauſe the Church
Believes, is in the Romiſh Lurch:
He for's Religion ne're will burn,
And waits forth' next wind to turn.
May I miſtake? What ſhall ſecure
Me, coming to the Churches Lure?
GOD will forgive me, if I ſlide
Ʋnder the Conduct of that guide
Which he hath in me ſet; and in
Foundation-doctrines do not Sin:
Though in my warp, ſome threeds amiſs
Or in my VVoof Infirmities.
If do what I can upon
My Conſcience Information,
For what I have, or have not done
I trust CHRIST's Satisfaction.
OnelyOnly I muſt both Bruſh, and Pick
Each plate of work, for't will be ſick
Of Imperfection: and this I
Muſt every day do, till I die.
VVhen GOD my work cuts off the Loom,
Then will my private Judgement come;
And I ſhall have my Wages given,
VVhichWhich muſt be either Hell; or Heaven.