Advice to a Friend, Part 13
XIII.
IF ſo be you find your Dulneſs and backwardneſs to your Duty, at any time, continue ſo long and increaſe ſo much, that you are afraid there is danger in it, and it may prove pernicious to your Soul; then go and take counſel of your ſpiritual Phyſician, to whom I would have you open your caſe, as plainly and fully as you can. There is no ſmall ſafety in taking a good Guide by the hand, at all turns, as you walk in your way to Heaven. But then eſpecially it is a neceſſary piece of wiſdome to ask about your way betime, when you fear you may be out: and to open your grief at the beginning, when you are wounded with ſad apprehenſions, before the Sore feſter.
And if your Phyſician or Director could be your Friend alſo, then you would have a three-fold advantage for your relief; by the advice of a good Man, a Friend, and one of Gods Officers. For I believe the ſame words ſpoken by him, and by another, are not the ſame. They are the more acceptable when they come from a Friend; and carry the greater Authority from the Mouth of God's Miniſter. And therefore be no more backward to reveal the ſecrets of your Soul to Him, when it is beyond your own skill to heal your diſtempers; than you are to let a Phyſician know thoſe Maladies in your Body, which muſt be beholden to him for a Cure.
He may furniſh you with incentives, if you need quickning. He may revive you, when you ſeem as if you were a dying. He may lend you his ſupports and comforts, when you are feeble and diſconſolate. He may help you to diſtinguiſh between your fears and real dangers; between your weakneſs and your wilfulneſs; between your lazineſs, and your caution; between your bodily and your ſpiritual infirmities. He will be as a good Pilot to ſteer your Soul, when you are toſſed (like a Ship in a dangerous Sea and a dark Night) in the doubts and waverings of your own Mind. Yea, in your beſt eſtate, he may be of ſingular uſe to you, to keep you within the bounds of prudence; that you be not over-born with the too violent guſts of your own awakned affections and deſires. A Ship needs a Pilot in fair weather, as well as in a ſtorm: when it hath a proſperous Gale, as well as when it is driven with rough and furious, or with croſs Winds. She may be in danger then by undiſcovered Shelves and Rocks, or by carrying too great a Sail; as in the other caſe ſhe is, by Tempeſts and Hurricans, which tear her Sails in pieces. And ſhe muſt never ſail at randome, but ſteer to ſome certain Port; which cannot be performed without his direction, and muſt be the effect of his skilful guidance. Even ſo it is in the caſe of our Souls; which may be overturn'd in our ſpiritual fervours, unleſs we have ſome to manage us. When all things favour us, we may ſtrain our ſelves too much and be overſet, if there be none to govern our Motions. Our zeal may be indiſcreet, if we have not a wiſe and faithful Adviſer. It may ſpend it ſelf on little things, or thoſe that are unprofitable, if there be none to give directions about it: Or it may drive at no certain end, but flote as it happens, unleſs ſome body ſit at the ſtern, to order and rule it. We may hoyſe up too high a Sayle, and by making too much haſt be indangered; if we have not the aſſiſtance of one that can judg what we are able to bear, and that ſhall ſometimes ſlacken us in our too ſpeedy courſe. In ſhort, a great deal of time may be ſpent in ſome caſes, to ſmall purpoſe; without a greater prudence than our own, to husband it, and lay it out for us.
I muſt commend to you therefore the Rule, which one of the Jewiſh Doctors gave his Scholars (half of which you have had already) Provide your ſelf, In Pirke Aroth, Cap. 1.of a good Teacher, and a good School-fellow. A good Guide, and a good Companion, you will find exceeding uſeful to you. Eſpecially the Guide; who may ſometime be your Companion too. Such the holy Scripture calls our Leaders (Rulers we render it, XIII. Hebr. 17) the Conductors, and Governours of our motions, in the way to Heaven. Thoſe that take us by the hand, as I ſaid, both to guide and to ſupport us: by their advice and counſel; by their admonitions and exhortations; by Prayer and Bleſſing; by comforts and ſpiritual conſolations. They are Miniſters of the Word; Expounders of the holy Books; Monitors to our Duty; Mediators with God; and Diſpenſers of the Myſteries of Salvation: And therefore it will not be ſafe to travel without the Inſtructions of ſome or other of them. To whom when you have committed your ſelf, look upon Him as your good Genius, or tutelar Angel, (by which Name the higheſt Miniſters in the Church are called) whom you would have as near you as you can; and in whoſe company, and under whoſe care and tuition you may hope to arrive in ſafety at your Journeys end. To him it will be neceſſary to repair on all occaſions, that He may inſtruct and teach you in that whereof you are Ignorant; or awaken you, when you are ſleepy; or refreſh and chear you, when you are weary; or cure you, when you are ſick and ill at eaſe; or reſolve you in your doubts; or quicken your dulneſs; or bridle your fervours; in ſhort, that he may illuminate your mind to make a difference between truth and falſhood, reality and appearance, good and evil; and excite your will to embrace the one, and refuſe the other, with a conſtant affection.
For ſuppoſe (to give an inſtance) any Man ſhould make a tendry to you of ſome Principles, which he labours to prove you ought to receive, as Articles of the Chriſtian Faith: How can you be ſecure that you ſhall not drink in ſome poyſonous Conceits, under the ſugared Name of Truth; unleſs you take advice of thoſe, that have their Senſes more exerciſed to diſcern, than your ſelf? And ſo, in all other caſes, know for certain, you will never be ſo well able to inſtruct and counſel your ſelf, as they: never ſo well underſtand the Sacred Books, as by the help of their Interpretations: nor be ſo well ſatisfied you do your duty, as by conſulting with them, whoſe work it is to ſearch and make enquiries into the Laws of God. Every Man may know ſo much of the Law, as to keep him from quarrelling, or treſpaſſing upon his Neighbours: But he will not depend upon his own knowledg in every thing that concerns his eſtate, eſpecially when any part of it is in diſpute, or he would have it well ſetled according to his hearts deſire. And though ſome ordinary things in Phyſick, the vertues of certain Herbs and Plants, may be underſtood by any Body with a little pains; yet none will truſt themſelves, or their next Neighbours, in caſe of a ſharp Diſeaſe, but ſend, if they be able, for a Man of the greateſt repute in his faculty, to look after their health, and adminiſter Medicines to them. Juſt thus it is in the caſe of our Souls: it is too much preſumption and careleſs confidence, to rely upon our own counſel alone, in the ſetlement of our everlaſting eſtate, or in the Cure of thoſe Diſorders and Diſtempers in our mind which threaten danger; we ought to take good advice, and, for fear of miſtake, have the judgement of ſome more skilful Perſon to ſecure us, as well as our own.
And indeed, from hence you may learn what account God makes of your Soul (and how highly it ought to be valued by your ſelf) for the ſafety of which He hath made ſuch careful and plentiful proviſion. Having, next to the gift of his Son, and of the Holy-Ghoſt, ſetled an order of men to miniſter unto Souls; to look after them, and ſee that they do not periſh, for want of inſtruction or good advice. As he would have our Saviour lay down his life for them, ſo he hath, thereby, made him a moſt compaſſionate High-Prieſt, and preferred him to a Kingdome; which is nothing elſe but an Office, Power and Authority, to take care of Souls, and do them good continually. By vertue of which, he hath committed Authority unto others in a perpetual ſucceſſion, that they ſhould watch for Mens ſouls, as the Apoſtle to the Hebrews ſpeaks: declaring to them their own worth, and his love; ingrafting that Word in them, which is able to ſave them; calling them to repentance; eſtabliſhing them in the Faith; incouraging their Progreſs in vertue; ordering their goings; feeding them with his bleſſed Body and Blood; abſolving them from their ſins; aſſiſting them in their laſt agony, that they may finiſh their courſe with joy.
This is the effect of a peculiar kindneſs to Souls. He hath not dealt ſo with our Bodies: for we never heard of a Company of Men appointed by God to invent pleaſures and contrive ways for the feaſting of our Senſes. There are none ſeparated and ſet apart by him, to teach the World how to get riches, and improve their Eſtates, and fill their Coffers. But all the wiſdom of Heaven is employed to other purpoſes: having ordained Men to teach us how to live above thoſe things, and to repleniſh our minds with his knowledg, and our wills with his love. This he hath made their conſtant function, and perpetual employment, to the Worlds end.
And therefore be not ſlack to uſe their Miniſtry, nor doubt of the bleſſing of God upon it. But have ſo much love to your Soul, as to apply your ſelf to them for aſſiſtance, who are particularly concerned to give it: and ſo much love to God, as to be confident he will make thoſe means ſucceſsful, which he hath particularly ordained for your good.
A PRAYER.
I Adore Thee, O Lord, the Father of Mercies, who haſt deſigned Mankind to the greateſt felicity in everlaſting Life. And haſt not left us, in purſuance of it, to the uncertain gueſſes of our own Mind; but ſent thy dear Son into the World, both to aſſure us of that happineſs, and to direct us, by his holy Doctrine and Example, how we may attain it. Bleſſed be the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Son of Righteouſneſs hath viſited us from on high, to give light to them that ſate in darkneſs, and in the ſhadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Great is thy love, O Lord, which, after he had left the World, ſent his Apoſtles, and other Miniſters of thy Word, to be the Meſſengers of Reconciliation and Peace, the Leaders and Conducters of Souls, the Stewards of thy Myſteries, and the Guides unto Bleſſedneſs. Great is thy love; which to this day continueth a merciful care over Souls; in providing a ſucceſſion of faithful Paſtors and Inſtructors, to teach us our duty, to reduce us when we go aſtray, to reſolve us when we doubt, to help us when we are weak or weary; and by their counſels, admonitions and comforts, to bring our Souls back again ſafe to Thee, the Father of Spirits.
I ſee, O Lord, how dear and precious our Souls are in thy ſight: for which our Saviour hath done and ſuffered ſo much, and imployeth still the care and pains of ſo many Perſons to take the charge and overſight of them, and guide them unto their Reſt. My Soul bleſſes Thee, and all that is within me praiſes thy holy Name, as for all other thy Benefits, ſo for the many good Inſtructors I have met withall, the many good Leſſons I have been taught, and the pious Counſels and Advices I have received. I thank thee for putting me into the Hands of ſuch Friendly and skilful Guides; and that I have never hitherto wanted ſome to conduct me, in all the dangerous and troubleſome paſſages of my Life. Be pleaſed ſtill to favour me with the continuance of the like happineſs: enduing me with wiſdome to chuſe, and grace to follow ſuch a perſon, who may, on all occaſions, clearly inlighten my underſtanding, ſettle my doubts, confirm my reſolutions, quicken my endeavours, direct my zeal, keep all my paſſions in order, and ſecure my goings in thy paths. That ſo I may neither miſs my way, nor proceed with irregular motions, nor be diſcouraged in it: but hold an even, steady and conſtant courſe in well doing; till they to whom thou haſt committed the care of me, deliver me up in peace and ſafety, into the hands of the great Shepheard, and Biſhop of our Souls, Chriſt Jeſus. To whom be Glory and Dominion for ever.
Amen.