Advice to a Friend, Conclusion
THUS, My Friend, I have finiſhed this little Labour of Love (to ſpeak in the Language of St. Paul, 1 Theſſ. 1.3.) which I wiſh may prove ſo ſerviceable to you, that it may do more than produce that Patience of hope in you, which he mentions in the ſame place. I would have you to be filled with the joy of hope, or, as he ſpeaks in another Epiſtle, (XV. Rom. 13.) with all joy and peace in believing. It becomes one of your underſtanding and goodneſs: nor is there any greater effect of true Wiſdome (as Seneca hath obſerved) than the equality and evenneſs of our joy. Nothing ſure can hinder it in you, but the inequality perhaps at ſometimes of your bodily temper, which is not to be avoided. But in that caſe I have inſtructed you what to do; and I am ſure you will not fail to follow my Directions therein, and in all the reſt, whatſoever pains it coſt you. For I need not ſend you to Muſonius to learn this great truth (of which you are as ſenſible as it is incourageing) that if a Man do any good thing with labour, the labour paſſes ſoon away, but the good remains: and if he do any evil with pleaſure, the pleaſure preſently flies away, but the evil remains. So great is the difference between doing well, and doing ill, that you can never, I know, be tempted from the one unto the other. It is too late now to put a cheat upon you. The pleaſures of ſin cannot deceive one, whoſe ſenſes are ſo well exerciſed to diſcern between good and evil. You may be abuſed, it is poſſible, with fears and jealouſies of your ſelf; and be caſt down when you have no liſt to do any thing that is good, or when you miſtake, or have committed a little fault: but as I ſaid in the beginning, ſo I conclude, be ſure you hold faſt an unmoveable belief of the goodneſs of God to you; which will defend you from the danger of thoſe aſſaults, and prevent all the miſchief which otherwiſe they might do you.
He doth not expect Children without all faults; and you may be ſure cannot be unwilling to pardon them, when he knows that's the way to incourage them to grow better. There is no reaſon to ſuſpect his ſincerity, when he tells us, that he deſires not the Death of a Sinner: Or to imagine that he ſecretly undermines us, while he openly profeſſes love and friendſhip to us: or to fear that he intends to make us the Trophees of his meer Power and Greatneſs; or to draw us after Him, as his Captives, in any other Chariot than that of his Omnipotent Goodneſs, in which he rides all the World over. Believe this, and it will never let you deſpond in the worſt condition; nor ſuffer you to be jealous of any of his commands, or fancy that he will lay impoſſible tasks upon you. And you will have as little cauſe to be ſuſpicious of his Providence, or to take too heavily any thing that he doth: but will ſtill believe, notwithſtanding any objections or contrary appearances, that all things ſhall work together for your good. And whatſoever there is that might diſhearten you, this will make you perſiſt in a reſolute perſwaſion that GOD is willing and deſirous to receive your Petitions, and will grant a gracious anſwer. He cannot envy his bleſſings to any: nor loves he to ſuppreſs his kindneſs within himſelf. For envy proceeds from weakneſs and from want, which incline a Perſon to ſeek how he may ingroſs every thing, and appropriate it to his own particular being. But he who in his own Nature is ſo perfect that he can want nothing, is inclined no doubt to let others participate with him in his happineſs, ſince he will ſtill remain as full as he was.
You think it is impoſſible (as Proclus well ſayes) that darkneſs ſhould approach the Sun, who is the Parent of Light:foreign. But it is more impoſſible that any envy ſhould touch God, whoſe Nature is ſo excellent, that he hath given to all what they have. What is there left for him to envy, who hath already all that can be? For what want can there be in Infinite Fulneſs? What Weakneſs and Infirmity in the Omnipotent Deity? Who is there that can ſhare and go halfs with the Fountain of all Good? Let Us not therefore look upon GOD, as if we thought Him afraid that we ſhould be too good, or enjoy too much good; or as if He were unwilling we ſhould be exceeding happy. For He is ſuch a Good, that He hath filled and repleniſhed all things; and doth good, and beſtows Benefits continually upon them all. And why ſhould you think your ſelf excluded out of the vaſt compaſs of his Love; or imagine after He hath done ſo much for you, that his Bounty is exhauſted? Do you not feel what kindneſs GOD hath implanted in our Hearts, towards each other? How free, how diligent, how unwearied a Friend is in ſerving a Perſon whom he loves intirely? And what is there better natur'd than that Religion which Chriſt hath taught Us; the top of which is Love and Charity; and that is both a Bountiful, and a Meek, and a Patient Vertue? For it ſuffers long and is kind, ſo St. Paul begins its Character; it beares all things, and indures all things, ſo he ends it. And is it poſſible, do you think, that GOD ſhould give Us that, which is not in Himſelf? Or that He ſhould command Us to accompliſh our Souls with that Perfection, which is not eminent in his own moſt excellent Nature? We are ſure that our loving kindneſs is but a weak imitation of His. And therefore may conclude that He will have Patience with Us, and not be eaſily provoked; but bear with our Infirmities, and be exceeding kind in beſtowing his Bleſſings, and Pardoning our Offences, and delight in doing both; becauſe there is nothing He ſo much delights to ſee in Us, as this Image of His loving kindneſs. So the greateſt Men in the Church of CHRIST have reſolved.
Some empty their Bags, (ſaith Gregory Nazianzen) others macerate their Fleſh;Orat. 17. and there are thoſe who quite abandon the World, and retire out of it; and ſome who have conſecrated their deareſt pledges to GOD. But thou needeſt do none of theſe; there is one thing thou mayeſt bring and offer to Him in ſtead of all, and that is loving kindneſs, (forgiving of Injuries, and doing Benefits) in which God rejoyces more than in all the reſt put together. A proper Gift; an unſpotted Gift; a Gift that provokes the Divine Bounty to be ſtill more Liberal in His Favours to Us.
For, it is impoſſible that He ſhould be out-done by Us, or that we ſhould equal Him in tenderneſs and compaſſion: of which He hath given Us ſuch a ſurpriſing and glorious inſtance in the Son of his love Chriſt Jeſus; that we ſhould be very unjuſt as well as ungrateful and unkind, if we ſhould not expect more from him, than we would do from the beſt Friend in the World. We ſee in our Lord what the Divine Love will incline Him to do: We are ſatisfied beyond all reaſonable cauſe of diſtruſt how propitious and gracious He is: So that you ought to be confident, whatſoever defects you find in your ſelf, that He who hath begun a good work in you, will pe…form it unto the Day of CHRIST JESUS. It is but handſome and becomeing that you ſhould have this Opinion of Him. Judge by your ſelf and your own good inclinations, whether you ought not to have ſuch high thoughts of Infinite Love. You owe to Him all the good you have: and there is more Reaſon, as I told you, that He ſhould perfect his own work, than there was that He ſhould begin it. And therefore let your Eyes be ever towards the Lord. Commit your Self to Him, in aſſured hope of His continued Love to you. Beſeech him to fulfill in you all the good pleaſure of his goodneſs; and that, according to the truſt you have repoſed in Him, He would keep you from falling, and preſent you faultleſs before the Preſence of his Glory with exceeding joy.
I cannot tell you how oft I have ſaid AMEN to this; nor how much I am inclined to continue this Diſcourſe further than I have deſigned: For Wiſdome it ſelf (as the ſame Gregory Nazianzen hath obſerved) which give meaſures to all things elſe, ſets none to Friendſhip; which ought to know no bounds, nor be confined within any limits. Orat. 12.But I ſhall contain my ſelf within the compaſs which I preſcribed my ſelf at firſt; and add no more, unleſs it be that Prayer of R. ElieZar, with which he is ſaid to have concluded Daily all his other Prayers.
Let it be thy good pleaſure, O Lord, that Love and Brotherly kindneſs may dwell in our lot.
For why ſhould I prolong this Letter, in making any needleſs declarations, how much I am, where, or how-ſoever our lot falls,
Yours in love unfeigned, S. P.
THE END.
End of the text · Simon Patrick, Advice to a Friend (1673)