A Christian Library, Section 40 – Section 41
Sect. XL.
Now to wind up with a word of exhortation; if thou beest convinced are resolvest upon a new course; let thy resolution be peremptory, an… constant: and take heed, you harden not again; as Pharaoh, the Philistin… the young man in the Gospel, Pilate and Iudas did: resemble not the iro… which is no longer soft, than it is in the fire; for that good (saith Greg…ry) will do us no good, which is not made good by perseverance. If wi… these premonitions, the Spirit hath vouchsafed to stir up in thine heart an… good motions, and holy purposes to obey God, in letting thy sins go▪ quench not, grieve not the Spirit, 1 Thes. 5.19. Return not with the Dog to thy vomit; lest thy latter end prove seven-fold worse than thy beginning, Matth. 12.43, 45. O it is a fearfull thing to receive the grace of God in vain! and a desperate thing, being warned of a rock, willfully to cast our selves upon it. Neither let Satan perswade you to defer your repentance; no, not an hour; lest your resolution proves as a false conception, which never comes to bearing. Besides, death may be suddain: even the least of a thousand things can kill you, and give you no leasure to be sick.
Thirdly, If thou wilt be safe from evil works, avoid the occasions; have no fellowship with the workers of iniquity: neither fear their scoffs; for this be sure of, if your person and waies please God, the world will be displeased with both: If God be your friend, men will be your enemies: if they exercise their malice, it is where he shews mercy. But take heed of losing Gods favour to keep theirs.
Beda tels of a great man, that was admonished by his friends in his sicknesse to repent: who answered, He would not yet; for that if he should recover, his friends and companions would laugh at him: but growing sicker and sicker, they again prest him: but then his answer was, that it was now too late; for I am judged and condemned already.
A man cannot be a Nathaniel, in whose heart there is no guile; but the world counts him a fool. But Christ saies, Verily except ye be converted, and become as little children; ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Mat. 18.3.
Again, Satan and your deceitfull heart will suggest unto you, that a Religious life, is a dumpish and melancholy life: but holy David will tell you, that light is sown to the righteous, and joy to the upright, Psal. 97.11. Isa. 65.14. And experience tells, that earthly and bodily joys are but the body, or rather the dregs of that joy, which Gods people feel and are ravished with. As O the calm, and quietnesse of a good conscience! the assurance of the pardon of sin, and joy of the Holy Ghost, the honesty of a virtuous and holy life how sweet they are. Yea even Plato an Heathen could say, That if wisdom and virtue could but represent it self to the eyes, it would set the heart on fire with the love of it. And the like of a sinners sadnesse, as hear what Seneca saies; if there were no God to punish him, no Devil to torment him, no Hell to burn him, no man to see him: yet would he not sin, for the uglinesse and filthinesse of sin, and the guil… and sadnesse of his conscience. But experience is the best informer: wherefore take the counsell of holy David, Psalm. 34.8. O tast and see, that the Lord is good: blessed is the man, that trusteth in him. To which accordeth that of holy Bernard, Good art thou, O Lord, to the soul that seeks thee; what art thou then to the soul that finds thee? As I may appeal to any mans conscience, that hath been softned with the unction of grace; and truly tasted of the powers of the world to come; to him that hath the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost: whether his whole life be not a perpetual halellujah, in comparison of his natural condition. Whence they are able to sleight all such objections, as he did: you tell me that scrupling of small matters, is but stumbling at straws; that they be but trifles: When I know your tongue can tell nothing but truth, I will believe you.
Fifthly, Beg of God that he will give you a new heart, and when the heart is changed, all the members will follow after it, as the rest of the creatures after the Sun, when it ariseth. But without a work upon the heart, wrought by the Spirit of God; it will follow its own inclination to that which it affecteth; whatsoever the judgment shall say to the contrary: That must be first reformed, which was first deformed. It is idle, and to no purpose to purge the channell, when the fountain is corrupt. Whence the Apostle orderly bids us, first be renewed in the spirit of our minds; and then let him that stole, steal no more, Eph. 4.23, 24. Yea it is Gods own counsell, to the men of Ierusalem, Jer. 4. Wash thine heart from wickedness: that thou maist be saved, ver. 14. It is most ridiculous to apply remedies to the outward parts, when the distemper lies in the stomach. To what purpose is it to crop off the top of weeds, or lop off the boughs of the tree, when the root and stalk remain in the earth: as cut off the sprig of a tree, it grows still; a bough, an arm, still it grows, lop of the top, yea saw it in the midst, yet it will grow again; stock it up by the roots, then (and not till then) it will grow no more. Whence it is that God saith, Give me thine heart, Prov. 23.26. Great Cities once expunged, the dorpes and Villages will soon come in of themselves: the heart is the treasury and store-house of wickedness, Mat. 12.34. such as the heart is, such are the actions of the body which proceed from it, Mat. 12.35. Therefore as Christ saith, Make clean within, and all will be clean, otherwise not, Mat. 23.26. Therefore Davids prayer is, Create in me a new heart O Lord, and renew a right Spirit within me, Psal. 51.10. do thou the like, importune him for grace; that you may firmly resolve, speedily begin, and continually persevere, in doing and suffering his holy will: desire him to inform and reform you so, that you may neither misbelieve nor mislive; to change and purifie your naure, subdue your reason, rectifie your judgment, reform and strengthen your will, renew your affections, and beat down in you, whatsoever stands in opposition to the Scepter of Iesus Christ.
Sixthly and lastly; If you receive any power against you former corruptions, forget not to be thankefull, yea study all possible thankfulness. For that you and I are not at this present frying in Hell flames, never to be freed; that we have the offer of grace here, and glory hereafter, it is his unspeakable goodness. And there is nothing more pleasing to God, nor profitable to us; both for the procuring of the good we want, or continuing the good we have; than thankfulness. He will sow there, and there onelyonly plenty of his blessings; where he is sure to reap plenty of thanks and service: but who will sow those barren sands, where they are sure not only to be without all hope of a good harvest, but are sure to loose, both their seed and labour. Consider what hath been said, and the Lord give you understanding in all things. And so much for the Second Part. An Appendix followes: wherein you have instances of all sorts: how sin besots men.
THE TRYALL OF TRUE WISDOM; WITH How to become Wise indeed.
OR, A Choice and Cheap Gift for a Friend; both to please and pleasure him: Be he inferior or superior, sinful or faithful, ignorant or intelligent.
By R. Younge of Roxwel in Essex, Floreligus.
Add this as an Apendix, or Third Part, to The Hearts Index. And, A short and sure way, to Grace and Salvation.
Section 41.
LUcian tells of an Egyptian King, who had Apes taught (when they were young) to dance, and keep their postures with much art: these he would put into rich Coats, and have them in some great presence to exercise their skill; which was to the admiration of such as knew them not, what little sort of active, nimble men the King had got: And such as knew them, thought it no less strange; that they should be trained up to so man-like, and handsome a deportment. But a subtile Fellow that was once admitted to see them, brought and threw amongst them, a handful of Nuts: which they no sooner spied; but they presently left off their dance, fell a scrambling, tore one anothers rich Coats; and to the dirision of the beholders (who before admired them) they discovered themselves to be meer Apes.
These ensuing Notions (which I have purposely taken, as a handful out of the whole sack, to squander away amongst my acquaintance) are such Nuts, as will discover not a few (who are men in appearance, and their own opinion) to be as wise, and well affected as Aesops Cock; that preferred a barley Corn, before a Pearl: or Plinies Moal, that would dig under ground with great dexterity: but was blind, if brought into the Sun. Or Diaphontus, that refused his mothers blessing, to hear a song: Or the Israelites, who preferred Garlick and Onions, before Quails and manna.
Men no more differ from Beasts, Plants, Stones; in speech, reason, shape, than some differ from others, in heart, in brain, in life. Whence the very heathen Poets usually & most fitly compare some men to stones, for their hardness, and insensibleness; others to plants, that only fill their veins; a third sort to beasts, that please their senses too; a fourth to evil Angels, that only sin, and cause others to sin; a fift to good Angels, that are still in motion, alwayes serving God and doing good, yet ever rest.
Again, Experience teaches, that mens judgements and censures are as various, as their pallats: For what one admires, another slights; as is evident by our Saviours Auditors; of which some admired, others censured, a third sort wept, a fourth scoft, a fift trembled, a sixt blasphemed when they heard him. And how should it be otherwise, when the greater part, are as deeply in love with vice and error; as the rest are with vertue, and truth. When mens conditions, and constitutions vary as much; as their faces. As the Holy Ghost intimates, in comparing several men, to almost every several creature in the Universe. Nor is the Epicure more like a swine, the Lustful person a Goat, the Fraudulent man a Fox, the Backbiter a barking Dog, the Slanderer an Asp, the Oppressor a VVolf, the Persecutor a Tyger, the Church-robber a wild Bore, the Seducer a Serpent, yea a Devil, the Traytor a Viper, &c. 2 Tim 4 17. Luk. 13.32. Phil. 3.2. Psal 22.12, 13, 16, 20, 21. & 74.13, 14, 19. & 80.13. Matth. 23.33. Dan. 7.4, 5, 6, &c Zeph. 3.…, 4, &c. Cant. 2.15, 17, &c. then every of them is unlike another.
Amidst such a world of variety, I have chosen to set forth, how one man differs from, and excels another in brain, and to prove, that to be wise indeed, is the portion but of a few, even amongst us. And this discovery alone (as I deem) will be richly worth my pains, and each mans serious Observation.