The True Christians T est, Part 2 · Meditation 3
MEDITAT. III. Of the Votaries of Penance.
AS for the Votaries of Penance, though it may well be doubted whether they feel a ſmart anſwerable to the ſhrugs and ſowre faces that they make; and though it may be charitably ſuppos'd that they ſuſtain themſelves very well with rich cordials and good fare, whereby many Pilgrimages of an hundred or two hundred miles long become leſs troubleſome to them than many a poor mans journey or labour of a day, and ſo their pretenſions are not juſt; yet ſuppoſe all to be true that is pretended, how will it certainly conclude a contempt of the World.
For will not Diogenes amongſt the Heathens pretend to as much neglect of the pleaſures of the World, and the eaſe of the fleſh, by lying in his Tub, as any body can do by travelling abroad bare-foot, and bare-leg'd. Will not the Diſciples of the Phariſees put in for the ſeverity of frequent Faſts, and match the Diſciples of John, outdoe the Diſciples of Jeſus? And will not the Prieſts of Baal put in for a ſhare of the honour due to Laſhing and Slaſhing Devotion as well as any Goſpel Prieſts? There will never be any firm and comfortable inference, ſo long as it may be required what do you more than others, thoſe none of the beſt neither? So then the Enquiry will be, at whoſe command, out of what principle, for what end, all theſe ſeverities are executed. If any of theſe fail, the contempt of the World is but a pretence. And who knows not but that the worſhip of the Gentiles and of the Baalitiſh Jews too, perform'd with ſo much ſmart and ſacred horror, is accounted of God and all good men, ſlaviſhly ſuperſtitious, and a hateful will-worſhip. If the Principle out of which all theſe ſeverities are perform'd, be ſo pure as it ought, it will produce an uniform ſelf-denial, and holy obedience, and a contempt of the World in all the branches of it, as well as in the pleaſures; ſo that if there be not an Humility, Charity, Faith, Hope, Zeal, anſwerable to theſe bodily exerciſes, they will profit nothing. If a man give his body to be burnt and in the mean time have a mind to burn his Brother, he is no Martyr, no nor Saint neither.
And may not the Worldly Life be maintain'd, and cheriſht in the acts of Self-love, Self-ſeeking, Selfconfidence, Pride, and Self-feeling, amidſt all this abſtemiouſneſs, and theſe ſeverities excercis'd upon the body.
Yea, what if all theſe things ſhould be nothing but to bribe the Juſtice of God, to tye the hands of his vengeance, to eſtabliſh a righteouſneſs of ones one, to purchaſe by merit a ſorry carnal kind of heaven merely external and future. If ſo then they are ſymptoms of a ſlaviſh and ſuperſtitious, but are utterly inconſiſtent with a holy and religious mind. And who knows not but that all this may be, yea and evey diſcerning Chriſtian does vehemently ſuſpect that it often is.
From hence, O my Soul, take an occaſion to conſider, that thou as to thy natural Capacity art able to act without the help of the fleſh, and without any dependance thereupon; and conſequently capable of committing ſins of the Spirit as well as ſins of the Fleſh, however in a lax ſenſe, whatever is contrary to God may in Scripture be call'd fleſh, and ſo all ſins may be call'd Works of Fleſh. When thou haſt laid aſide this Fleſh, thou canſt not reaſonably think of, nor patiently endure to think of a long ſleep, till the time that thou ſhalt re-aſſume it; and if after thy releaſe from Fleſh, thou ſhalt ſtill be able to act, then ſure it may be fairly concluded, that even ſome of thy Acts, even whil'ſt thou art in the Body, are purely ſpiritual, and do little or nothing depend upon the Body.
Though thou canſt not be guilty of Adultery, or Drunkenneſs, without the help of the Body, yet it is no fault of the Body, or a very remote one, that thou art proud, ſelf-will'd, unbelieving, and uncharitable. All filthy and unrenewed Souls will not be the leſs, but rather much more ſuch, by leaving the Fleſh. Diſtinguiſh therefore carefully between the ſins of the Fleſh, and of the Spirit; and reckon that thy firm and chaſte adherence to the ever bleſſed God thy Centre, and entire Reſignation of thy ſelf to him, is thy Virginity, and much to be preferr'd before Temperance and Continency. What if thou have kept thy hands from picking and ſtealing, if in the mean time by Pride thou rob God of his Honour, or by Unbelief Chriſt of his Glory, How art thou honeſt? What if thou haſt not ſmitten with the Fiſt of Wickedneſs or Violence, if by Self-Will thou have Rebelliouſly contended againſt the Authority of Heaven, and ſecretly oppoſed the Will of God, How art thou Loyal? What if thou have not proſtituted any of thy fleſhly Members to Adulterous Aſpects or Embraces, yet if thou have in a way of Self-love fondly admired and wantonly dallied with thy own Perfections, as ſomething diſtinct from God, How art thou Chaſte? What if thou haſt ſo ſeverely chaſtiſed the Body, that thou may'ſt ſeem to have battered the Out-works of Sin, yet if it ſtill lodge in the Caſtle of thy Heart, if thy …ody be empty with Faſting, and the Heart full of Pride, and Conceits of thy own Righteouſneſs and Merits, if the Fleſh by ſevere Diſcipline, and many Macerations, be made obſequious to thee, and thou in the mean time remaineſt unſubdued to the Authority and Will of God, What real profit haſt thou by this bodily Exerciſe, or how canſt thou think, without Blaſphemy, to commute with God? If thou think by Penance to commute for true Converſion and Repen ance, as men by money commute for Penance, thou art in the worſt ſenſe Simoniacal, and it will be ſaid to thee, Thy Penance periſh with thee.
Lord, Make me to feel the mighty power of Holy Religion upon my Soul, ſubjecting it to thy Authority, reconciling it to thy Will, uniting it to thy Perfection, and conſorming it to thy Purity; purging me from all ſecret Selfiſhneſs, cleanſing me from all Hypocriſie, Unbelief, Pride, and Sacrilegious Conceits of my own Worthineſs! And then I will not fear, whether in a Virgin, or Conjugal ſtate; whether by the auſterity of John, or the freedom of Jeſus, to be accepted of thee, and either wholly to eſcape, or victoriouſly to prevail against the ſins of the Fl…ſh!