A Light to Grammar and All Other Arts and Sciences, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Mans body a curious Fabrick, but fallen much into decay, and by ill uſage, more decayes every day; yet as now it is, venerable. In what conſiderations to bee cheriſhed, and had in honour. In what caſes to be neglected, and deſpiſed.
THere is an itching humour in many, to gad & rome abroad like the Pilgrim in other Countries: In the meane time they care not though known to be ſtark blinde in their own. Thus it is alſo nearer home; we are moſt ſtrangers there; though the beſt leſſon in the world is for a man well to reade himſelfe; That is an excellent book, and much variety therein. I ſhall but dip my pen in it here and there, ſo as I may not doe what is already done aChilds Portion. Chap. 1..
I remember ſome have likened the great men of the world to the firſt letter of a Patent or limmed book, which though it hath large flouriſhings, yet it is but a letter. That is true, and hath its uſe.
But we think we may ſay, That man even at the loweſt is more then a letter, though we may ſuppoſe it to be of the moſt ſpreading, and largeſt ſize; hee is indeed a whole volume, and ſo many letters, ſo many leſſons, I had almoſt ſaid wonders: for ſo have ſome ſaid before me, who have gloſſed upon them, and running over the whole Table, have left us many good inſtructions, which at leaſure wee may gleane up by the way gZanch. de hom. creat. 1. 2. p. 680. D. Bartas p. 158. Cauſſin. p. 504. Cic. denat. Deil. 2. P. 101. Lact. de Opif. ca. 7. &c. Fab. Thet. P. 216. Naz. Orat 34. Amb. Heic. 1. 6. cap. 8.: For thy preſent uſe, look childe upon thy ſelfe, from the top to the bottome; look inward too, if thou canſt, the Anatomiſt will teach thee; ſpell every letter, and then put all together, and thou muſt needs ſay, All is wonderfull; how curiouſly framed am I! And then, ſo low a thought as this cannot finde place in thee; That ſo Lord-like a creature, ſuch a curious piece of workmanſhip, ſhould be framed for low and baſe work, the ſervice of ones ſelfe; of men b1 Ccr. 7. 23.; of the world; the luſts of theſe or any of theſe; no, ever the more noble the thing is, the more excellent its imployment whereto it is deſigned; if the ſunffers be of gold, it doth imply ſome honourable ſervice. It is good in ſome caſes, that man ſhould know his dignity, his houſe, his pedegree, being the off-ſpring of God; that his deportment may be anſwerable, with honour, and majeſty. The Father hath a full Bonum habes pi…orem no…i dep…e picturam. Ambr.ſpeech, we will give the full purpoſe of it; Thou haſt, O man, a perfect Artiſt, He hath curiouſly framed or limmed thee, excellently ingraven thee; Hee hath made thee the very Image, & picture of Himſelf, He hath drawne thee according to that pattern, as near as could be. Now learn thy duty, deale reverently with thy picture, doe not defile it, nor debaſe it, but looking upon the Ingravery, workmanſhip, the ſuperſcription thereon, give unto God that which is Gods, anſwerably honouring thy body, as the work of His hands, who is wonderfull in working: How reaſonable a requeſt is this? How many creatures they ſay, ſo many tongues in in the world, all ſetting forth the praiſe of the Creator, ſo it ſhould be in the great world, and in the little world too; ſo many members, ſo many tongues, all to joyne in that great ſervice of praiſe, which is the unceſſant work of the ſpirits of juſt men glorified. In every creature the Lord doth ſparkle out unto us love, ſaid a great Divine bOchinus.; So hath He done in every member of the body, love, bounty, mercy, and upon all the ſuperſcription is, Holineſſe to the Lord.
We have a world of matter here, for it is a little world wee are upon, but thus I have abridged it.
He that would heare a full Lecture upon this ſubject, let him reade our ſecond Reinolds cChap. 35.. Had I been Scholaſticall at this point. and ſhewed a little of a little, Learning I mean, I had ſhewed my ſelfe altogether, and neglected the childe. But my ſcope is his information, and to make my words ſo many hints, thereby to gain upon his underſtanding, which is indeed perfected by the worthieſt contemplations, but enabled thereto by the loweſt enquiry. In this method we paſſe on a little further.
Thou haſt, child, heard the beſt touching thy body, what it was once, what it ſhould be now in its proper uſe, and after its primitive Dedication. The worſt is in ſight, wee cannot be miſtaken, for we can ſee, and feele both, how weak, and fraile the body is, ſo ſenſible are we. Nay thou canſt ſee that little infant before thee; what a body is there? how underlayed and underpropt? what cares about it? how neceſſary all, if not inordinate, for how infirme and helpleſſe is that little thing aQuint. Caducum circa initia animal homus, &c. Declam. 306.! But he will outgrow his infirmity: No never, no more then Mephiboſheth did his lameneſſe, which he caught by a fall in the cradle of his infancy; we never outgrow our hereditary evils: they rather grow upon us, and get ſtrength by time. Infirmity, (we would include all under that generall word, that we may be the ſhorter) Infirmity growes up with him, it is that ſquire of the body, which in all its ſtages, attends the ſame, We ſee it ſo, we feele it ſo; I would we might ſtop here, but indeed we muſt not. Infirmity might be born with, and well paſſed over, for it is not properly evill, but there is that we may properly call wickedneſſe, and that is truly evill, and nothing in the world but that. We uſually ſay, The body is like a goodly Inſtrument. It is indeed, but quite out of tune, every ſtring thereof; what a jarring there is? or more plainly, what a deordination in all the members, and faculties of the ſame? how croſſe to that end, wherefore they were framed? So many members, ſo many tongues to give praiſe to their Creator; ſo it ſhould be, but thus it is; So many members, ſo many weapons, whereby we dayly maintaine a warre againſt God, and our ſelves. Such a thing is the body now, we heare, ſee, feele it even ſo, an infirme, ſick, corrupt, baſe body; Nay yet more, A very beaſt, a rebell. And yet from the beginning it was not ſo: It was as wee heard, but now its dignity is gone, its Dominion, and Lordſhip is much impaired: ſo ſin hath enfeebled it, weakned, nay indeed, left it as a carcaſſe to the ſowles of prey: But yet not without hope, That the time will come when both weakneſſe and wickedneſſe ſhall be done away; when it ſhall bee reſtored to its former dignity, and raiſed much above the honor it once had, when it ſhall hunger no more, thirſt no more, faint no more, wax pale no more, for it ſhall be as the Angels in heaven.
Here now I ſhould have carried the childe back to his firſt originall, and there bid him view himſelfe well, how unclean and filthy. And then have pointed him to the fountaine ſet open, wherein to waſh, and be cleane; but this is done in a fitter place kChilds Portion. Chap. z. & 3. &c.Indeed I ſhould not here have ſpoken of the body firſt, yet purpoſely ſo I did, becauſe it is ſo full in the childs eye: Nor ſhould I have ſpoken ſo much touching it, for in compariſon, the body will be nothing anon. And yet ſo much I have ſpoken, that I might gaine theſe things of the child, which in reaſon he cannot deny me.
1. When proud thoughts ſhall ariſe, as every moment they will, then, that hee ſmite them downe with the breath of his mouth; there is no ſuch ſword in the world, wherewith to ſmite the proud thought at once to the ground; he hath an infirme, weake, fraile body, ſubject, or obnoxious to all, that we call evill in the world: And ſo much it can endure, paine I meane, as, God for bid, (ſo one ſaid, who ſuffered a great deale, yet not paſſing ſtrength) ſo much ſhould be laid upon it, as it can beare. But ſuppoſe it in its full ſtrength, yet is its glory but like a flower, and how ſoone doth his breath goe forth, and returnes no more, then where is he? we may ſpeak bigge, and have high thoughts, but our breath is in our noſtrills, therewith we muſt ſmite them downe, for there is roome enough to let it out, before the next morning.
2. Becauſe the body is a venerable Monument, though worne and deſaced with time, yet I ſay venerable: We muſt uſe it reverently as wee doe the Temple, for that name the Spirit gives 1 Cor. 3. 16unto it: It is dedicated unto God, nay, wee may ſay properly touching theſe living Temples, they are conſecrated unto Him. We are carefull that the Temple hath no out ward pollution, no defilement at all; ſo carefull we muſt bee of our bodies, ſuch an honourable reſpect muſt they have. They are mighty words which follow. He that defiles the Temple, him will I deſtroy. If we pollute and defile our bodies, God will pollute foreign.us, He will make us vile, contemptible, as is a louſe, or like rottenneſſe, ſo much the word implies.
3. Wee muſt cheriſh our bodies, they muſt be ſerved that may be ſerviceable: We muſt eat, though not to pamper Nature, yet to repaire it, and if need require, wee may take a little Wine for our ſtomacks ſake, and our manifold infirmities. We need not be long upon this, our eare is open to this counſell; wee will not bee indebted to our bodies. But let this be noted, how ſparing good people have beene towards their bodies, I may ſay, how niggardly religious. It would ſeeme ſtrange, if I ſhould relate what Clem: Alex: tels us concerning the Lord Chriſt in point of Abſtinency; but let that paſſe, certain it is, though one prattles be-ſpeaking liberty on the Lords foreign. Ioh. 3. 10.day in the afternoone, from our Lords example, telling us, Statim a Synagogâ, from Church preſently to dinneraMarke 1. 29.; yet when wee are ſober, wee ſhall read of healing firſt, &c. and that His meat was to doe the will of His Father; for other meat, and drinke, though He came eating, and drinking, Mat. 11. 19.yet ſuch was His moderation as wee read, as much as we need to imagine; and prattle what they will, Wiſdome is juſtified of her children; Obſerve wee S. Pauls example, for hee followed Chriſt, he was in hunger often; that is, he would have eate, but had it not: And in faſting often, when he might have eaten, he would not. But that I moſt obſerved, (the place is not at hand) is concerning Chryſoſtome, I ſee other men taking their fill of meate, and of wine: I marvell what they meane; doubtleſſe there will be a great fire, where wee caſt on a great deale of wood *We muſt withdraw the wood if wee would put out the fire. One told his friend, His Ague would not away; no I warrant you, anſwered he, it lieth too ſoft, and fareth too daintily, to leave his lodging. Mart. 12. 17. Epig. G…. 2. ….. For my part, I dare not take my fill of bread. Why? that he knew beſt; certaine it is, he durſt not at ſome times gratifie his body ſo far, as to give it its fill of bread. Such was the abſtinence of Gods people, ſo they denyed themſelves, and ſo uſed their bodies, as if they had been enemies there unto, beating them downe, and keeping them Durius tractandum ne animo male pareat. Sen.under, as ſervants, nay as ſlaves; For it is with our bodies, as with fire, and water, very good ſervants, but very bad Lords. Nay indeed they cannot bee Kings, but they will be Tyrants, and then behold the moſt unſeemely ſight in the world, the Prince goes on foote, and the ſervant rides on horſe-backe, and hath all the honour done unto him, whereas he ſhould have none at all, by Scripture allowance.
Laſtly then, now we have given the body its due, and a full portion, wee may remember in the ſhutting up of all, That there is very little account made of the body, all along the ſacred Writ. It is ſcarce named there, or if ſo, ſeldome with much honour; we reade there of a vile body, and dead bodies, and bodies of Beaſts, but when the Scripture ſpeakes of Men, then the body is left out, and the Soule is mentioned ſtill. The body (we meane by that all a man cals himſelfe) is in the Scripture a very diſregarded thing, and accounted of by the ſervants of the Lord, as a Beaſt, or as a carcaſſe, in ſome caſes, not worthy the caſting of an eye upon it. It is moſt worthy our conſideration, how ſharply the Lord Chriſt reproved Peter, when out of an inordinate foreign. Mat. 16. 22.affection, hee did beſpeake pity and commiſeration toward his Maſter, Get thee behind me Satan, The ſalvation of ſoules is before Mee, and thou doſt bid Mee to intreate My ſelfe kindly, to bee gentle, kinde, pitifull to my body; I tell thee, I tooke this body, it was prepared for this very end of old, that I might not ſpare it: therefore in that thou doſt chide, and rebuke foreign.thy Maſter, and wouldſt croſſe Him in that higheſt deſigne, the ſalvation of Soules, thou art a great blocke in my way, and ſavoureſt of nothing in ſo ſaying, but of ſelfe, which as it is crucified in the head, ſo muſt it in all the members. We will obſerve Pauls example once more; His good friends almoſt broke his heart with their love, Acts21. 13and pity towards him, weeping and blub bering about him, and all their lay was, Goe not up to Jeruſalem, if thou doſt, thy carcaſſe will ſmart for it: What tell yee me of my Cracaſſe? I know full well, that bounds and afflictions doe abide me. I know my body muſt ſmart, but what care I for that? let them bind it, beat it, kill it, doe with it what they can, I have caſt up my reckoning, and counted the coſt, and am bound in my ſpirit faſter then they can bind mee. Gods will bee dont, mine is ſo meekned that it can ſubmit. So God may have glory, I am well content to be abaſed, for that is indeed to honour the body: ſo His Kingdome bee advanced, whether by life or by death, I am careleſſe; The will of the Lord bee done. Here would come in now a cloud of witneſſes all ſpeaking out, That their bodies, they eſteemed them not, beat them, bind them, ſtarve them, burne them, what cared they; It was well obſerved touching them; They lived, and died, as if not at home in their bodies, ſo mortified where they; wee have whole volumes filled with ſuch, what ſhall I ſay, Heroick? rather Chriſtian-like reſolutions. I will ſingle out one amongſt thoſe Worthies, it being freſheſt in my memory, and read his anſwer to a friends letter, which was to this purpoſe, (I never tye my ſelfe to words) Sir, matters Biſhop Rid'ey to Mr. …reſt. p. 1569.are fully debared, Arguments heard, and things brought to an iſſue now, you may ſee the ſtake before you: An argument, you will never anſwer with all your Logick, wee are too hard for you there, you muſt turne or burne; agree or dye. I pray you, Sir, conſider now, you are going towards a ſcorching element: pity your ſelfe, ſhew more love to your body then ſo, It hath done you much good ſervice, doe not let it now frie in the fire, after all this. So hee beſpeakes his friend, and pity to his body, the ſaving a temporall life.
The good man anſwers to this purpoſe. You write plainly, Sir, I thank you for that, and I like it well, you tell me what I muſt truſt to; now the Lord bee praiſed, I know whom I have truſted to. But I pray you, doe you conſider? I have conſidered very well, you ſpeake of turning or burning, the Stake, and the Faggot: I tell you one graine of Gods truth is more, and miniſters more joy to me, then all that you call torment, can cauſe paine: Againe you tell me, I muſt dye, ſo much I can tell my ſelfe, I muſt dye whether I agree or no, ſure enough. But not in the fire, you will ſay, perhaps yes, in ſome fiery diſeaſe, which may ſcorch the body more then fire can: or God may (to a revolter) kindle a flame within him, pierce him through, and through with fiery darts (that's a burning indeed worſe, then that in Taberah.) Alas Sir, you are quite out, Numb. 11. 3.you ſpeake but of a Faggot fire I am ſure; the paine that the body endures there, is but like the mirth of fooles: Not ſo much, compared to that paine, which is properly ſo called, as the leaſt drop to the wideſt Ocean. What is that? Nothing. Againe, you ſpeake but of a bodily death, we know that. Alas, I pray you remember your ſelfe, The death of the body! had I a body, and a body, many bodies, I could ſurrender them all, ſacrifice them all to fire for Him, who gave his body, and blood both for me: hee hath a hard heart that doth not beleeve this. God forbid, that I ſhould ſave my body, and deſtroy my ſoule: God forbid, that I ſhould make an agreement with the adverſary, and ſo cauſe a divorce, an eternall ſeparation betwixt my God and mee; God forbid, that I ſhould, to eſcape this death, which is common, incurre the guilt of eternall damnation. Now I have ſaid all, and it is no more then the words of theſe Worthies, if we pleaſe to looke a little further, then upon one letter, for though I cannot tie my ſelf to the ſame words ſtill, yet I muſt be a faithfull relater.
And now it doth fully appeare what eſteeme the Saints of old have had of their bodies, and how farre they went in mortification there. Of great uſe to the child and man both, for if we would bee as they are, wee muſt doe as they did.
Here endeth our Lecture upon this carcaſſe; we have viewed it, and ſeene what it was, what it is, what it ſhould be; In what conſiderations it muſt be honoured, cheriſhed, &c. In what caſes alſo it is to be deſpiſed, neglected; wee leave it now in expectation of what it ſhall be, and paſſe on to behold the treaſure, the All of a man, his ſoule. And here we ſhall goe on ſtooping ſtill, as low as we can, in ſo high a matter, to the low capacity of a childe, as I may think to gaine upon him. No matter though the words ſound not well in a Scholars eare; ſo the child reliſh them, I have my end.