Heart-Salve for a Wounded Soul, Title page 1 – Dedication
HEART-SALVE FOR A WOVNDED SOUL; AND EYE-SALVE FOR A BLIND WORLD, OR Meditations of comfort for the Holy Living, and Happy Dying Chriſtian; either in the depths of dark Deſertion, or in the heighth of Heavens Glorious Union.
The Second Edition, with an Addition of an Elegie upon an Eminent Occaſion.
By Tho. Calvert, Miniſter of the Goſpel.
When he giveth quietneſs, who then can make trouble? When he hideth his face, who then can behold him? Job 34.29.
O aeterna veritas, & vira charitas, & chara aeternitas; Tu es Deus meus, tibi ſuſpiro die ac nocte: Aug. Confeſ. lib. 7. cap. 10.
LONDON, Printed by F. L. for Tho. Paſſenger at the Three Bibles on London-Bridge, and William Thorpe in Ouſegate in Yorke, 1675.
To the Beloved and Honoured Lady in the Lord, Urſula Barwick Widow, full of Grace and Gravity.
Madam,
I Have borrowed ſome confidence to ſet your name in the front of this Treatiſe, and concionary diſcourſes, which my thoughts are you will freely vouchſafe me without grudge. In this I put you not to be the lug or handle to a common Pot, but to a choice and Golden Veſſel: and whom you know of old ſeaſoned with Chriſts liquor for his ſervice. At firſt edition I did nominally affix no dedication, there being ſome reaſons preponderating in thoſe wretched times, full of the worſt parts of Arithmatick, Diviſions & Fractions of Church and State, Now firſt preſs being all exhauſt, and ſome urging to have it in a 2d birth. I have yielded it the liberty of coming into the World again. Nor I hope you will be aſhamed of publiſhing the holy life of your ſanctified Neighbour. Matters there are all over in print of ſeveral natures: ſome Adoxa, … Z…zer in Chiliad. 11.as pamplets in praiſe of Fornication & Drunkenneſs, of being in Debt, in praiſe of Baldneſs, of baniſhment, &c. Some are Amphilaxa, praiſing things of a middle nature, and indifferent, in themſelves neither good, nor evil. Some Paradoxa, ſtrange things cryed up and commended beyond all mens ſound opinions. Other writings are Eudoxa, of good and ſtanch report withall are good and wiſe, truly praiſe worthy, as Grace,St. Hieron in Pſalm 147. Virtue, Piety, Sobriety, &c. What I here give out is of this laſt ſort, that will ſute every good and holy palat, as Jews fable, that Manna anſwered every guſt. If they thought of Hony, of Partrigdes, of any deſired dainty, what they had in their minds, Manna was the repreſentative of it to their Mouths. your Ladyſhip I chooſe for facing this Script, … you are much … ſhe was,… much … …pon the delicate … one word and prayer, p…ly, privately, ſecretly And truly I muſt needs approve of your diet: for your body, caring to live Epicratically, rather than Hypocritically, Studying a courſe dayly of ſlender, ſober, and plain feeding (though compaſt with much infirmity, and indiſpoſitions) rather then to live medically and Phyſically, tranſlating the Apothecaries Shop into your fleſh.Barrad. in Itiner. Iſrael in Diſ. The firſt miſchief that let in all miſery upon us, was Eves and Adams ill diet, neglecting the Tree of life to ſeek and taſte the forbidden fruit. Indeed all our ſin, miſery, ſickneſs, death, wrath of God, and Hell came in at this Gate of an ill diet: for our firſt parents made it not their meat to obey and do the will of God, which ſhould have been their corporal & ſpiritual diet. But it is your ſpiritual order of diet I moſt aim at and commend, the humble and quotidian feeding your Soul with waiting on God in the way he has commanded you, and promiſed to bleſs you, you well digeſting that word of our beſt Lord, Labour not for the meat that periſheth, but for that meat which endureth to everlaſting life, Aquin. puſt. 63.which the Son of man ſhall give unto you. Other meat periſhes, and nouriſhes them that eat it to a periſhing life; but Chriſts ſpiritual food endures for ever, abides with us, and nouriſhes us to the growing up to eternal life. Neither this meat, nor the man periſhes. A modern Roman Doctor of Phyſick diſputes the caſe,Paul Zachias in Queſt. Medicolegal. lib. 7. Tit. 2. Queſt. 2. whether a Popiſh clergy man be excuſed and without blame, if ſore troubled with the Aſthma he abſtain from his office of reciting divine things, as Preaching, Reading, Praying, Singing. He indeed determines, that unleſs a ſore Paroxyſm, and a ſtrong fit of the ſame be afreſh come upon him, his ſpeaking, ſinging and loud voycing will do him no harm; for he ſaith, all practical Phyſitians ſay, it is profitable and helpful for them that are Aſthmatick, to read or ſpeak with an high voyce (that is, if they be able, and at the the inſtant not oppreſt with a violent aſſault) for it helps to purge the lungs of the matter impacted in them. But you look not to be ruled by him, but in and out of the ſtrong invaſions of the diſeaſe, you know how to breath high and loud in your Soul to God, when you breath ſtraitly and ſtrainingly to thoſe about you. Madam go on in this wholeſome diet for Body and Soul: and if, while you are here below, you cannot in Body and Soul get into Heaven, yet continue and abide on the threſhold of this beautiful Gate of the Heavenly Temple of Gods mercy: the Patient abiding of the meek ſhall not periſh, nay ſuch ſhall be fatherly and ſweetly ſupported to the end. Phyſitians cannot ſpeak ſo much of the advantage of good and orderly diet for Body, but from the word of God, we may reaſon as ſtrong for the benefit of ſpiritual diet for the Soul: Let them tell us from their puni-godling,Hippocrat. lib. de vet. Med. that if the ſick would uſe the ſame diet they do, that are ſound and whole, the Art of medicines would fall to nothing. Hereby he intimates, that great is the dignity of exquiſite looking to diet,Aurel. Severin. in Trin. Chit. as if it were all medicine. Wherefore they tell us, that the right hand in diſeaſes and wounds is Phyſick and Chyrurgery, but the left hand is diet, which doth very much. Now if we would ſtudy the moſt neceſſary Phyſick by direction of divine Medicks, then is nothing ſo neceſſary, as to learn to know God and ourAl…uinus. Souls. Philo the Jew tells us, the Eſſens three Principles were theſe, they ſtudied wholly to be foreign, to ſeaſon all their life and labours with love of God,Philo. Jud love of men, love of virtue. But we have a full voice of direction,Mic. 6.8. and better particulared to us from Micah in his Ternary, He hath ſhewn thee, O Man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee; but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humby with thy God. Or take we St. Pauls three, To live ſoberly, Righteouſly, and Godly, Tit. 2.in this preſent world. Or if we hearken to him he will tell us of taking good heed to theſe two things, which are the complex of the whole counſel of God.Acts 20. & 27. Repentance towards God, and Faith toward our Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Or laſtly, take his unum magnum, his one great point of exerciſe, To have always a Conſcience void of offence towards God and towards Men. Act. 24.16.Gen. 5.12.All comes to this one, to imitate Enochs holy Peripateticks, to walk with God continually. Many things of beauty and novelty are lookt after in this World, outwardly glorious and rich things are applauded: men and great perſons dote upon rarity, and ſplendors of this World, and think thoſe men are in a kind of Heaven, though they be very fairly forward in a way to Hell.Plato in T…ae…. Thus the glorious Tent and Tabernacle of the great Perſian Kings were called Ouranoi, the Heavens: you have learnt better to know Chriſt in the Soul, and the Soul in Chriſt to be Heaven upon Earth. He that believeth hath everlaſting life. What a glorious vanity was that of Kings of Cuſco and Mexico, one of them having a glorious Garden, where all the Trees, Fruits,Lord St. Aug. Herbs, Plants, Flowers according to order, and greatneſs they have in a Garden, were curiouſly framed in Gold: and in his Cabinet all the living Creatures were known in Earth or Sea curiouſly faſhioned and caſt in Gold. A princely Heatheniſh vanity, would make his life no better then a, St. Auguſtine calls this life, A ſhadow in Moonſhine, which is little more then ſhadow of a ſhadow. I know you more ſtudy to have all the fair flowers of Heaven, Faith, Patience, Humility, Meekneſs, Love of Chriſt, Thankfulneſs &c. caſt in a ſanctified model, by Gods Spirit kept in your heart and life, exceeding maſſy gold. Carlo Boccomeo, Bp. of Millain, Canoniſed for a Saint, ſaid well, A Biſhop ſhould have no Garden, but the holy Scriptures. Go you on ſtill to make Prayer your Garden and Flowers, and by holy glorifying of God, as St. Chryſoſtome directs, Give up your five ſpiritual ſenſes to wait on God continually. For the Soul has ſpiritual ſeeing, ſmelling, taſting, touching, hearing; which in their way applyed to God, and his manifeſtations, you ſhall not only pleaſe God, but give him Muſick, and be his Decachorda Cithara, St. Chry. in op. Imperfecto in cap. 22. S. Matth. Hom. 24.his ten ſtringed Harp to praiſe him. No farther will I detain you, but pray for you, that you may have ſupport of Gods Spirit in your great infirmities, tryals, and gravid years, to anſwer them from Heaven with grace ſufficient for you, and very efficient in you, that when your ſtrength of fleſh and heart fails you, God may come in with freſh ſtore and aſſure you of Holy Aſaphs viaticum, that he will be the ſtrength of your heart, & your portion for ever. He the Guide & Faher of his Iſrael lead you, till per foreign a right Chriſtian comfortable death, he bring you ad foreign, to an immortal life, which all good Mortals wait for by Jeſus Chriſt the bleſſed Purchaſer, and unfailing Preparer of it.
So prays your obſervant ſervant in the Lord. T. C.