The Glorious Epiphany with the Devout Christians Love, To the reader – Table of contents
TO THE Devout Readers.
SO adorable, as Tertullian ſpeaks, is the fulneſs of the holy Scriptures, that the more we ſearch into them, the greater treaſures of Divine Wiſdom we diſcover there to imploy our meditations: and when we think we have found out all that belongs to one ſubject, new things preſent themſelves to fill us with greater joy and admiration. It is not long, ſince I ſent abroad ſo large a Treatiſe of that Eternal Life which Chriſt hath promiſed, that it ſeemed to comprehend all that the holy Books have delivered in that argument: But upon further thoughts I find, there is one moſt comfortable conſideration ſtill remains, which is the ſubject of this preſent Treatiſe. Wherein I have indeavoured to repreſent what a joy it will be to ſee our Lord himſelf come again from Heaven, attended with his holy Angels, to fetch us up thither to live with him for ever: and what a Paſſion we ſhould now have for him, and for his coming; whereby we ſhould run to meet him, and receive beforehand ſome glimpſes of that glory, wherein he will appear, and we together with him.
The greatneſs of that Bliſs we ſhall then receive, ought no doubt to be the frequent ſubject of our ſerious Meditation. Which will be the greater (as I have ſaid in another place) becauſe we muſt ſtay ſo long for it, as till the day of Chriſts Appearing. And it is a ſingular comfort, we muſt confeſs, to know that it will be ſo exceeding Great: though that very thing cannot but make us the more deſirous, he would be pleaſed to haſten it. For whatſoever joy we ſhall have before that time (as no queſtion the Paradiſe into which our Lord entred immediately after his death, before he was crowned with glory and honour, was a place of very much happineſs) it will not be compleated till he come again to bring us that Great Salvation, which the Scripture ſpeaks of, at the Reſurrection of the dead.
When we are at reſt from our labours in the other world, I cannot but think we ſhall long for that happy day; and that it will be part of our joy to expect it, with perfect aſſurance of its coming. And therefore it cannot but be a very delightful entertainment, to think of it, to hope and wiſh for it now, as the greateſt refreſhment we have of our labours, here in this life. For while our thoughts and deſires are thus imployed, we tread, if I may ſo ſpeak, upon the threſhold of Paradiſe, and begin to enter into the joy of our Lord.
But there is one expreſſion of St. Paul, which I mentioned in the concluſion of the ſecond Advice to a Friend (p. 64.) which excels all the reſt: for he makes it the proper mark of a Chriſtian to LOVE his appearing. Which I have undertaken therefore to explain in this Diſcourſe: that devout Chriſtians may know, what the Bleſſedneſs of that time will be; and what the Affection is we ſhould have for it; and what Reaſon there is, we ſhould be ſo affected towards it. The ſubject is ſo unuſual that I have not ſeen it any where handled; which made me the more willing to ſet about it: that I might in part both ſatisfie the deſire I have to do all the honour and ſervice I am able to our Bleſſed Lord and Maſter Chriſt Jeſus; and the delight I take in explaining his holy Scriptures. Of which to be ignorant, is to be ignorant of Chriſt himſelf, as St. Hierom's words are, in the beginning of his firſt Book of Commentaries upon Iſaiah.
I do not expect indeed, nor is it poſſible, that you ſhould have your minds alwayes poſſeſſed with ſuch thoughts, and that your hearts ſhould perpetually burſt out into ſuch paſſions, as I have here expreſſed: I my ſelf cannot think them over again, nor any like them, whenſoever I pleaſe. It is enough, (good Readers) and as much as we can reach, if you be thus affected at certain times, when your ſpirit is moſt ſerious and retired into it ſelf; and if you indeavour to habituate your ſelves to ſuch thoughts and deſires, that they may be ſo familiar and natural, as to become eaſie and delightful, when you will ſtand moſt in need of them.
More particularly, when the days, wherein you live, are evil; or when you are under any private trouble; or when you would at any time retreat from the world and ſolace your ſelf in angello cum libello, in a nook with a Book (to ſpeak with Tho. à Kempis, who thought this the higheſt pleaſure upon earth) or when the Church calls upon you to ſequeſter your ſelf for devotion; and eſpecially when old age you feel creeping upon you, and you think of drawing your ſelves by degrees out of this life: At all ſuch ſeaſons as theſe (and chiefly when you come near to your journeys end) this Proſpect cannot but be moſt pleaſant; and ſuch aſpirations and ſighs after the day of Chriſts appearing, be the moſt raviſhing muſick; and to be tranſported with ſuch ardent longings, as are here repreſented, make Afflictions light and eaſie, ſolitary retirements exceeding ſweet and delightful, old age cheerful, and death it ſelf very comfortable.
But you muſt not imagine that Love can arrive at its higheſt pitch preſently: nor muſt you be troubled or diſcouraged, becauſe you cannot inſtantly, or when you would, raiſe in your ſelves ſuch paſſionate longings after Chriſts appearing. Love is a thing that grows, and, as I may ſay, ſteals upon us by degrees; and the paſſion we feel, at certain ſeaſons, diſpoſes us by little and little to be perfectly in love with that Good, which is ſet before us. A Good ſo great and ſo deſireable, that we do not follow our own beſt inclinations, if we uſe not our utmoſt indeavours to be ſo happy, as to behold that admirable Countenance (to ſpeak in the language of St. Chryſoſtom) of our bleſſed Saviour the King of Glory. For if (ſaith he *Homil. penult. in S. Johan. p. 925.) when we read the ſtory of his life, death and reſurrection, we are ſo inflamed, that our hearts burn within us, and we wiſh we had lived in thoſe days when he was converſant on earth, that we might have heard his voice, and ſeen his face, and kept his company, and touched him, and miniſtred unto him: think with your ſelves what it will be to ſee him, not any longer in a mortal body, nor doing humane things, but attended with the hoſts of Angels, when we alſo our ſelves ſhall be freed from this mortality, and, beholding him, ſhall enjoy ſuch felicity as exceeds all expreſſion.
Let us do all we can, I beſeech you, that we may not miſs of ſo great a glory. There is nothing too hard for us, if we have a will to it: nothing too burdenſom, if our mind be not averſe from it. For if we ſuffer, or endure, we ſhall alſo reign with him. And what is it to ſuffer? If we bear afflictions, if we endure perſecutions, if we walk in the narrow way; which to nature indeed is laborious, but to them who chuſe it and have a good will to it, is light and eaſie, by the hope of things to come. For our light affliction which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; whilſt we look not at the things which are ſeen, but at thoſe which are not ſeen.
Let us lift up our eyes then from theſe things here, and direct them towards Heaven; let us imagine always theſe unſeen joyes, and look upon them. For if we be converſant with theſe things, we ſhall neither be inticed with the ſweet things of this world, nor ſink under the load of thoſe that are grievous to be born. But we ſhall laugh theſe, and all ſuch like, to ſcorn; and never ſuffer any thing either to depreſs us, or to puff us up: provided we ſtill ſtretch forth that deſire, and look towards that love. What did I ſay, that we ſhall not feel the evil things of this world to be grievous to us? More than that, we ſhall ſcarce mind them, or think that we ſee them. For ſuch is the nature of love, that it makes us imagine we ſee even thoſe who are abſent from us (but much deſired by us) every day with us. foreign for great is the ſoveraign power, and, as we ſpeak, the tyranny of love. It neglects all things, and tyes the ſoul faſt to thoſe it loves. And therefore if we thus love Chriſt Jeſus, all things here will ſeem but a ſhadow, but an image, but a dream; and we alſo ſhall ſay, Who ſhall ſeparate us from the love of Chriſt?
I pray God increaſe it, and make it abound more and more in all our hearts; that it may draw continually nearer towards its perfection: and make us likewiſe to abound in all the fruits of the ſpirit; which are the higheſt expreſſions of our love, and the beſt preparation for the day of Chriſts Appearing. For true Devotion doth not terminate in the heart: it goes further, and hath its effect in the life and actions. And eſpecially excites us to love, or charity towards all mankind, and above all to our Chriſtian Brethren; as that which bears the greateſt reſemblance to him whom we love. The Commandment which St. Paul charges Timothy to keep without ſpot, till our Lords appearing; was, for the moſt part, acts of Charity, as you will find briefly touched in this Book. And therefore theſe we ſhould labour to inliven by our Devotion; which is then truly Great, when it makes us ſo: and raiſes our ſpirits above all anger and peeviſhneſs, covetouſneſs and eager deſire of wealth, envy and vain ambition, evil ſurmiſes and jealouſies, fretfulneſs and impatience, with all thoſe other mean qualities, which are the enemies of Chriſtian Charity.
Some Readers perhaps may think, that I ſtrain Devotion here unto too great an height; and may be apt, at the entrance, to lay this Book aſide, becauſe they imagine I have expreſſed that paſſion of love, which we ſhould indeavour after towards Chriſts appearing, beyond the truth: But I muſt intreat them, to do me the right and themſelves the kindneſs, to read on; and they will find in concluſion, the whole deſcription of it made good by the plain words of the holy Scriptures.
In the ſtudy of which if we did all conſcientiouſly imploy our ſelves, it is to be hoped God would ſtill preſerve to us that ineſtimable Treaſure: which contains ſuch admirable foreign (as the forenamed Father ſpeaks) Medicines of the ſoul; both to cure our diſeaſes, and to comfort and reſtore our tired or languiſhing ſpirits. For they are that living water our Lord ſpeaks of; which whoſoever drinks, hath in himſelf a Well or Fountain of comfort and perpetual refreſhment, ſpringing up into everlaſting life.
xxij. Rev. 20. COME LORD JESƲS.
St. Chryſoſtom Tom. vj. p. 709. foreign.
IMPRIMATUR
Hic Liber cui titulus The Glorious Epiphany, &c.
Geo. Thorp Reverendiſſimo in Chriſto Patri & Dno, Dno Gulielmo Archiep. Cantuar. à Sacris Domeſticis. April. 30. 1678.
THE CONTENTS.
CHAP. I. COntaining an Introduction to the enſuing Diſcourſe.
CHAP. II. Shewing what is meant by the APPEARING of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
CHAP. III. A further Illuſtration of the APPEARING of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
CHAP. IV. The certainty of this APPEARING of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
CHAP. V. Containing the Ʋſe we ſhould make of what hath been delivered in the foregoing Chapter.
CHAP. VI. Of the means to excite that LOVE in our hearts, which we ought to have for Chriſts APPEARING.
CHAP. VII. Two further ſteps in this Love of Chriſts Appearing.
CHAP. VIII. The Progreſs of this Love to Chriſts Appearing in three ſteps more.
CHAP. IX. This Love to the Appearing of our Lord further deſcribed in three other fruits or marks of it.
CHAP. X. All this ſhown to be the ſenſe of the Holy Scriptures.
CHAP. XI. Reaſons for our Love to this Appearing, drawn from the reſpect we ought to have to our Lord himſelf.
CHAP. XII. Other Reaſons why we ſhould love his appearing, drawn from the love we have to our ſelves.
CHAP. XIII. Two other Reaſons why, if we love our ſelves, we muſt needs love this Appearing.
CHAP. XIV. Two Reaſons more, to induce us to raiſe our thoughts and affections to the Appearing of our Lord.
CHAP. XV. Three Conſiderations more to draw our Affections to the Appearing of our Lord.
CHAP. XVI. Of the mighty power and pleaſure of Love, when it is ſetled in the heart.
CHAP. XVII. Of the means whereby this Love may be ſetled in our hearts; and the Benefit thereof.
CHAP. XVIII. A continuation of the former Argument, concerning the mighty power of the Divine Love; and the Benefit we have by loving our Lords Appearing.
CHAP. XIX. More expreſſions of this devout affection, towards our Lords Appearing; and the way whereby we may excite them.
CHAP. XX. The Concluſion.