A Beam of Light Darted Through the Clouds, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. What a Saint Practicall is.
KNowledge of the Myſteries and hidden Properties of naturall things, is for the moſt part the ſtudy and delight of the earthly man. Knowledge of the divine and glorious Myſteries of God in the Goſpell, is the ſtudy and delight of the holy and heavenly man.
Mr. Venning in ingenuous and godly man, hath of late in a ſmall book of his, ſet forth a Saint in the Theoreticall and Practicall Part, in ſeeming contradictions, yet very lively and truly.
I ſhall caſt in my Mite into this Treaſury, though it be not worth the looking on; yet it may challenge to be of the ſame coin, though ſmall.
1. He dwells in love, and love dwells in him, he loves all that bear his Fathers Image, a ſpark or a flame; where he beholds his Fathers ſtamp, he receives the perſon, he that loveth not his brother, abideth in darkneſſe, 1 Joh. 2.11.
2. He is more inwardly holy, then outwardly holy, he had rather be that which he ſeems not to be, then ſeem to be what he is not; he deſires not the face of Ianus, but the heart of Jeſus.
3. He abſtaines from evill, not becauſe men may ſee him, but God; he ſpeaks like Ioſeph, Gen. 39.9. How can I do this great wickedneſſe, and ſin againſt God? The ſight of God is more in his eye to affect him, then the ſweetneſſe of ſin is to allure him: As I remember a Monk being tempted to Adultery, the Harlot brought him into a ſecret place, and told him none could ſee them there: He anſwers her, who is God? is he nothing? bring me to a place where God ſeeth not, and I will commit it.
4. He eſtimates himſelfe the leaſt of all Saints, as Iohn, I am but a voice and no more, Mar. 1.3. he prefers all men before him, yet he aſpires to live above the higheſt Saint, he would be more holy then they, and yet more humble.
4. He walks ſo exactly as if there was no Goſpell, yet he dies ſo comfortably, as if there was nothing but Goſpell. Or thus, he ſo ſtrictly lives, as if he were to be ſaved by his own works, yet dies, as if there was no Law, his language is Pauls, Phil. 3.14 I preſſe forward toward the marke, as men run in a race, ſtriving for the maſtery, ſo doth he.
6. He is never ſatisfied with grace, but ſoon filled with the world, Ioh. 6.34. Lord, evermore give us this bread, not now and then, but alwayes, he knowes there is more in God then can be deſired, and yet he deſires more then he can attain to.
Lord, feed me with the crums that fall from thy table, rather then let me want, if I may not taſt the fineſt of the wheat, let me have the courſer, ſo it be bread it will nouriſh me: Davids language is his, As the Hart pants after the water brooks, ſo doth my ſoule after the living God; not a dead letter, but a quickning ſpirit, not the title or term of a God, but the living Lord: nothing below himſelf will ſerve his turne; unleſſe I injoy God in all, I want every thing.
7. He is more afraid of ſin then hell; for he knowes, where ſin reigns not, hell hath no dominion; and yet he can ſay, [1 Cor. 15.55.] O death where is thy ſting? Death came in by ſin, take the cauſe away, and the effect will ceaſe.
8. He reſpects Gods glory more then his owne profit, and he will pluck out his right eye and cut off his right hand, rather then God ſhall be diſhonoured, nothing is dearer to me, then him who makes me deare to himſelfe, 1 Pet. 2.7. to ſuch as believe he is precious, or honourable.
9. He is more afraid he ſhall not ſuffer for Chriſt, then afraid to ſuffer for him; I muſt, ſaith a gracious heart, tread his ſteps, follow him to his foot, injoy the Croſſe, and then I ſhall know how to weare the Crowne: we muſt fill up the meaſure of his ſufferings behind in the body; gold is not pure, till it be fire-proof, all things muſt be tried by fire, I count all things but loſſe and dung, or dogs meat, not worth the looking on: my owne righteouſneſſe muſt be burnt up, that where in I formerly boaſted, muſt now ſuffer loſſe, I am ready not to be bound only, but to die at Jeruſalem for the Name of the Lord Jeſus; ſelf and legall righteouſneſſe would pull me back from this ſuffering, but die I muſt to all ſuch carnall intereſts; I am to be loſt to the fleſh, that I may be found in the ſpirit as for outward ſufferings he expects them alſo, the aſhes of holy men are the beſt compoſt to manure the Church; if I die in fire, God will make me out of the aſhes; he ſaith to dry bones, live.
10. He loves all truth, for the Authors ſake, not for him that ſpeaks it. that truth which ſtrikes at his ſin, as well as that which ſhewes him a Saviour; Lord lead me into all truth, cut out my dead fleſh, let not ſin rule over me; rebuke them foreign, ſharply (or cuttingly) that they may be found in the Faith, Tit. 1.3. if God doth wound him, he knowes it is for his good.
11. He counts the higheſt life in the creature to be the greateſt death, and knowes he can never live well untill he be out of the world, Pſal. 119.96. I have ſeen an end of all perfection; in ſeeing one thing in the world he hath ſeen all; for all in the world is but the ſame earth appearing in various formes and figures, the world▪ to him is but as the track of a ſhip at Sea, ſoon made and ſoon marr'd, all its beauty is but skin-deep, 'tis a Tohu and Bohu in a comely garb.
12. He prayes more to have ſin cured, then to have it covered; Lord take away my ſin rather then the affliction, leave no ſore unhealed, though I ſuffer by it, yet I would have no ſore left running, leaſt the dogs of this world feed upon me, I would not be meat for ſuch cormorants, as Paul (2 Cor. 12.8.) beſought the Lord thrice againſt his temptation, ſo doth he, he ſeeks to weare out ſin by his warring againſt it.
13. He knowes his happineſſe conſiſts not in knowing the nature of God, but in being made partaker of the Divine Nature, a bare knowing God to be, cannot make me to be; ſuch as are joyned to the Lord are one ſpirit, 'tis ſpirit-work to know God, I muſt be divine as well as ſpeak ſo, 1 Pet. 2.3. If ye have taſted that the Lord is gracious; the word foreign, gracious, notes ſweet, profitable, taſt makes judgement, I muſt taſt God to be good, ſweet, gracious, and then I ſhall act and ſpeak divinely.
14. No grief goes ſo neare his heart, as his grievous ſtrayings from the life of God; he holds it as neceſſary in ſome reſpect to ſorrow for ſin, as to joy in God: they that ſowe in tears ſhall reap in joy, there muſt be a ſeedtime before a harveſt; as David ſpeaks, ſo doth he, Pſal. 51.4. Againſt thee, thee onelyonly have I ſinned: that which aggravates an evill is that it's committed againſt love, Peter thus went out, and wept bitterly, Semper Lachrymis ſuffuſos habuiſſe oculos; ſome obſerve that ever after Peter had his checks furrowed with continuall tears: relapſe into ſin makes relenting.
15. He receives ſtrikings as well as ſtrokings with patience and thankfulneſſe; a true ſon of Job, the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, bleſſed be his Name, not curſe God, and die, as the woman counſelled him.
This effeminate woman the world is mans Tempter to miſcall his Maker, look on God ſaith ſhe, he afflicts thee to deſtroy thee, he will damne thee at laſt; a gracious heart anſwers, thou ſpeakeſt like a fooliſh woman, Rom. 8.28. I know all things worke for my good, frownes as well as ſmiles, whatever is called good, or whatever is called evill; God brings light out of darkneſſe, unity out of diſparity; as God ſpeaks, ſo doth he, Eſa. 54.17. No weapon formed againſt me ſhall proſper: the true proſperity of a thing is in its continuance, but all things againſt me ſhall have a change, therefore not proſper: he ecchoes to David, it's good for me that I was afflicted, affliction in Gods Schoole makes us proficients.
The more you beat the wallnut-tree, the more it bears; ſo the Saints gaine by loſſes, after ſuch an afflicton, ſuch a mercy I had: contraries fruſtrate one another, life doth death, joy doth ſorrow, affliction firſt comes, and ploughs up the fallow ground of my heart, then is the ſeed ſowne; he ſpeaks not as that wicked King, 2 King. 6.33. This evill is of the Lord, why ſhould I wait any longer? but rather, what evill in me brought this? true and juſt are all thy Judgements, O Lord God.
16. He ſees nothing of the fleſh dwelling in another, but asks at home, Is not this evill in me? As Plato, when he ſaw any one dumb in the ſtreet, would ſpeak to himſelf, Num ego talis? Am not I ſuch a one? the more inward any thing is, the more ſtrong, whether it be good or evill; ſin is moſt aggravated by a ſuppoſing ſecreſie, he makes inquiry as the Diſciples, Mat. 26.22. Maſter, is it I? He loves to ask, though he be not guilty.
17. He is as holy in his Cloſet as in the Church, when from the Saints, as well as with them; in all his walkings he is as light in the world, Mat. 5.16. no ſociety of men can extinguiſh his fellowſhip with God.
18. He ſo purſues holineſſe, as if he held free-will; yet he prayes for it, as if he had power to do nothing, 2 Cor. 3.5. We are not ſufficient of our ſelves to thinke one good thought, man cannot work in Gods Myſtery, 'tis an Art, which all the Maſters of Art are yet but punies in this School, divine leſſons are weightier, harder and higher then their divinity Lectures.
19. He counts no ſin ſmall, but believes every ſin hath weight enough to weigh him to death; if he diſcern a mote in his brothers eye, he thinks there is a beame in his owne; he had rather make ſin more then it is by aggravation, then ſeek to make it leſſe; for he that hideth his ſin ſhall not proſper.
20. He is more zealous for power then forme, he had rather leave undone ſmaller matters, then neglect the weighty things of the Law; righteouſneſſe, juſtice, truth, theſe have Gods proper ſtamp upon them, therefore to be moſt looked after.
Theſe are ſome cleare demonſtrations of a practicall Chriſtian, for there are many falſe Chriſtians now gone out in the world.