A Light to Grammar and All Other Arts and Sciences, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
To converſe in Generalities is to keepe a childe upon the Pinnacle; the word is familiar; what it teacheth: what alſo the deſcent there-from: ſo leading to ſingulars, and the chiefeſt of them, the Man.
THus wee learne to ſtoop what wee may, to the low capacity of children, by making ſingulars, what we can, plain and viſible before them. To verſe them in Generalities, is to carry them in a cloud, or to keep them upon the pinnacle, yet becauſe ſo high we are, and it is a word we reade much of, we will get ſome informations from it, and ſome inſtructions alſo, by the deſcent there-from, which may lead us to ſingulars, and to the chiefe amongſt them, which is man, the Compendium or Abridgement of the great world; we ſhall teach the child to reade that book firſt, I mean himſelf: there we will begin, but in order, we ſuppoſe we are upon the pinnacle yet, and our hope is to gaine ſomething there.
1. What a proſpect have we here? yet not enough, no not enough to ſatiſfie the eye, much leſſe the ſoule, ſo capacious that nothing but heaven can fill it, the good things there: Iacobs enough onelyonly fills the ſoule, (as was ſaid) the foure quarters of the world, the regions of the Aire too, cannot affoord us enough to fill up the eye, and eare, notwithſtanding all, there would be a deſire after, and a capacity of more. Alas! what a poore thin is all this, which we can reach with our eye? much like the point where the compaſſe ſtands, where with you draw the circumference: and that is but an atome, like a mote in the Sun, or a grain of muſtard-ſeed; ſuch a thing is earth, and Sea too, in reference to heaven.
Lord give us to ſee into, and through theſe things, and then the vanity of them all will appeare: And wee ſhall know where reſt is to bee found, and enough, that we may ſay; Soule enter into thy reſt, for thou haſt enough laid up for many yeares; even to all eternity; for God is yours, and Chriſt yours, and then all yours; that was Iacobs enough, to ſatisfie even in Gen. 33. 11 as before.famine, in the greateſt wordly wants or ſtraights enough.
2. What beauty doe wee obſerve here! All this did the Lord bring out of confuſion, as He did light out of the womb of darkneſſe, and with no labour, by His word onelyonly. When the Lord is the doer, when He worketh, all wonder ceaſeth. Wee are perſwaded now nothing is hard to the Lord, Hee can make it dark at noone, and midnight as mid-day; If that Spirit will, dead bones ſhall live; A full Sea ſhall bee as dry land; Priſoners ſhall goe forth: They who are in darkneſſe ſhall ſhew themſelves: The Captives of the mighty ſhall bee taken away, and the prey of the terrible ſhall bee Eſay 49. Amos 5.delivered; for this is He, that brought this beauty out of confuſion, and by His Word, He ſpake, and it was done.
3. See how inſnaring this glory is! The tempter thought he could have taken his Lord with it. But bleſſed bee God the Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, Hee hath overcome this Tempter, and broke this ſnare to His children. They can ſee through this beacuty, and account the glory, and pompe thereof to be no better then a phanſie aActs 25. 23. foreign.. And indeed the wonder is, That ſo many ſhould ſtill be taken with this glory, ſith it is the confeſſion of all perſons in all ages downeward to this day, who greedily purſued, and hunted after that we call the Glory of the world, That the ſame thought deceived them, they wearied themſelves catching at, they thought, a ſubſtance, but when they came better to ſee into it, it was but a ſhadow, like ſome Apples wee read of, which ſeeme faire to the the eye, the leaſt touch turnes them into ſmoke, or aſhes, into which the Cities were turned, whereabouts they grow. A wonderfull deceit this is, That a reaſonable creature ſhould ſtretch out it ſelfe to catch a ſhadow: and open the mouth ſo wide to let in the Eaſt wind, or to feed upon aſhes.
4. We obſerve this place expoſed to all the injuries of Heaven. O the pinnacle of honour, how ſlippery, how troubleſome that ſtanding, how open to all winds, and weather! pray for him who hath his Seate there. Let all the Cenſers of the Saints, and the odors there have an influence upon his precious ſoule; hold him faſt, Lord, by thy own right hand, eſtabliſh him; Let him aDeut. 33.feel underneath the Everlaſting Armes, inſpire him alſo, be with his Spirit, put holy deſires into his heart, then give him his hearts deſire.
5. There is no building Tabernacles here, a cloud would quickly overſhadow all: Though the beauty may pleaſe us, yet hath it no continuance, it paſſeth away as doth a fancy. The Stayres are before us, a ſure way downe by them, and no other: It were a madneſs to caſt a mans ſelfe downe, when hee may goe downe, ſo every one will judge: yet ſo the proud ſpirit tempted his Lord to doe, Caſt thy ſelfe downe, the Angels ſhall beare thee up. The diſciple is not above his Maſter, nor the ſervant above his Lord: if the Prince of darkneſſe tempted the Maſter of the houſe, how much more them of his houſehold?Mat. 10. 24, 25.
The great Tempters, Satan, and our owne hearts, prevaile mightily by very temptation; (in a figure) thus they tempt; Caſt, implunge your ſelves into ſin, the mercy of God ſhall beare you up: poyſon your ſoules with ſin, there is a Counter-poyſon: wound your ſoules deepe enough, the plaiſter is wide enough: ſurfet upon pleaſures; it is but ſpeaking a word, the Phyſitian is at hand. This is the deceit; nay, while we are looking upon the Staires, wee cannot thinke it leſſe then madneſſe, yet thus it is every day. 1. In good things wee ſeparate the meanes from the end; wee may have glory, there is no doubt of that, what ever becomes of grace, which is but the beginning or firſt fruits thereof. Salvation is ſure enough, though the meanes of reconciliation be neglected, deſpiſed altogether. We are ſure of Heaven, though on earth wee walke moſt contrary thereunto. 2. In evill things we ſeparate the end fro the meanes; we may walk in our own way, the way of death, and yet have life at the laſt; no queſtion of al this, but this is neglect neglect the Stairs.
6. Wee goe downe them now: for eaſie the deſcent is. So is the way of ſin to old nature: And ſo is the way of Omne in praecipiti vitiū ſtetit.Gods Commandements to nature renewed, as naturall as for fire to burne; for ſparks, thoſe light things, to flye up. My yo…ke is eaſie, my burden light; my Commandements not grievous; Truth hath ſaid ſo: New nature will ſeale unto it. 2. Wee goe gently downe the Staires, and very circumſpectly, a ſlip is dangerous: So wee muſt uſe the meanes, carefully, and this muſt ever be remembred, his way is ſafeſt, which is leaſt ſecure. Tutiſſimum ill…us iter, quod ſuſpectiſſimū ſuit Sen. Ep. 593. Wee ſtep in to view the Bell, that artificiall thing: Its ſound is yet more admirable: it may bee heard downe the water 20. miles, and more. Indeed ſound is the wonder in Nature, put the hand upon it, it checks the ſound, every ſoft ſubſtance will doe it: if it receive a cracke, it will never ſound cleare againe till it be new caſt. Such a thing is man, made of ſuch very mettle; he hath ſome flawes in him ever ſince his fall, and will never be perfect till the day of his reſurrection. He that expects a Man ſhould walke like an Angell, is much miſtaken, you muſt weigh him as you doe gold, give him his allowance; And if he be yet too light, hee may ſuſpect, he will bee found wanting at the Sanctuary, to which ballance hee muſt come. Certaine it is (I ſpeake it, becauſe we are apt to take too much allowance here) Hee that walkes by the leading of the good Spirit, (which wee ſhould all doe) walketh little ſhort of an Angel, for his way is above on high, ſo he eſcapes many ſnares below. 4. We ſhould paſſe by nothing of uſe, and then if we ſtep aſide to ſome old corner of the wall, we might, haply, find halfe a buſhell of Flies there, for ſo I am ſure ſome have done. I doe not thinke that Flies are more about the Temple now (though ſo anciently when beaſts were ſlaine there, and thence the name Beelzebub) then in ſome old unfrequented corner or cranie in the houſe or wall: But no matter where they bee: this is the little wonder, that they ſhould revive againe: yet ſo experience tels us they doe, nor they onelyonly, but Spiders, Frogs, Swallowes, &c. The wonder is yet a little more; how the ſpirits of theſe Creatures ſhould be maintained. It is ſomewhat ſtranger then that Beares ſhould live all the winter, yet lye as dead, for their ſpirits may bee maintained upon the old ſtock of Greaſe: but that theſe poore thin Creatures ſhould ſo live and be revived, is ſtill ſome kinde of wonder to mee; though we know very well; Flies choaked in water, will revive againe being put into hot aſhes. I will relate ſtranger things then theſe (it is a very ready way to make the Child learne as was ſaid aforeign) from a very good hand, but the Author doth not deſire we ſhould beleeve all we read bCō. Phyſ.. A boy was ſtarved with cold, not found till foure daies after, yet by the hotteſt applications was revived. In Swounds and Traunces, ſome have beene taken for dead, laid out for the grave, nay brought thither, and there revived; (it was high time to awake) this truth many will ſeale unto. That which is not ſo credible is this: In the remoteſt parts of Muſcovy, where it is extreme cold, the men lye frozen all the winter, and then as the Sun beats towards them, revive againe, (like the Tortoiſe who goes to his bed about the 16. of September, and comes out of his mouldy Cabbin the very ſame day of April following.) We need not beleeve all this: But this is certaine, That the ſpirits are wonderfull tenacious, we cannot drive them from the body, neither with heate not could. As it is ſaid of water, (the Wiſeman notes a foole thereby) beate it in a Mortar, it will bee water foreign Luc. de Sexti.ſtill. So theſe ſpirits, doe what you will, they will not away, as wee ſee in the Limbeck-diſtillations, &c. This animall Spirit, rather then it will forſake its matter, though putrified, and rotting away, it will goe and forme Other little Creatures of another kind, as experience ſhews us in all Corruption. We intend the uſe in all this, elſe it had beene vaine; Doth God take care for Oxen? ſhall the poore flye bee remembred in the appointed time? or is this for our ſakes altogether? for our ſakes no doubt this is written; That when we muſt to our earth, whence we were taken, we may goe downe to that Chamber of death, and make our beds there, in hope, that dead bones ſhall live; they that ſleepe in the duſt, ſhall awake, for they are not dead there, but ſleeping. We cannot but remember a ſhort controverſie marvellouſly carried, in a full contrariety of words, but meering in a Point of an eternall Truth; the controverſie was concerning the Rulers Daughter: The Lord Chriſt ſaid of her, She is not dead aMat. 9. 24.. The ſtanders by laughed him to ſcorne, (the words of Chriſt are to the wiſeſt of the World ſtill fooliſhneſſe) and they knew what they did well enough; for, ſaith Saint Luke bLuk. 8. 53., They knew ſhe was dead. What dead, and not dead? Yes, and yet a truth in both. She was dead to Nature, and Nature was Judge now: they knew it to be ſo, being naturall men altogether; they ſaid true enough, though they ſhould not have laughed him to ſcorne. Our Lords words are true alſo, nay Truth it ſelfe, and Spirit too: She is not dead, not dead to Chriſt, who is the reſurrection and the life; the body is not dead to Him. When He ſhall ſay to the Priſoners, Goe forth, to them that are in darkneſſe, Shew your ſelves, then preſently ſhall the prey bee taken from the mighty, and the lawfull Captive delivered from the King of Terrours. It is no labour to Chriſt; if He ſpeaks only, the Land and the Sea ſhall give up their dead, Death ſhall be ſwallowed up in victory. It ſhall bee then, when the Lord Chriſt ſhall ſpeake, as wee know, (and it is worth our knowledge) once it was, And the Lord ſpake unto the fiſh, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
We will take theſe ſacted Scriptures along with us, and the ſent of them which is wonderfull reviving. Now we may ſuppoſe, we are going by theſe dark Chambers, where our beds are alſo, and wee may bee laid thereon, wee know not how ſoone: Wee muſt not forget any of this. And ſo we are come to our home, where we ſhould be moſt verſed; I meane that great ſingular before ſpoke of; over that I ſhall, by Gods grace, reade the next Lecture.