Heart-Salve for a Wounded Soul, To the reader
THE EPISTLE To the READER.
FAith and aſſurance, the Chriſtians Ourania, is better worthy Wooing and fighting for, then the Grecians Helena; the one is but the ſubject of a worm-eaten beauty, the other carries with it a decor and beauty that no old age (no not Eternity it ſelf) can wrinkle or furrow with uncomelineſs: holy Souls find it hard in the getting, and meet with … task, that makes them implo… all their ſhoulders and ſinews fo… the keeping of it. The Labours of the Saints to fight with the Monſters that Satan ſets on work againſt them,2 Cor. 2.11. Revel. 2.24. the ſcruples, doubts, fears, diſtempers, temptations, helliſh methods, noemata and depths of the Serpent, do put a name of ſoftneſs and facility upon all Hercules his labours,Phil. 1.6. Phil. 4.13. & ſore tryals with Beaſts and Men; yet this is their comfort, their help is more, for Chriſt having begun his Grace, will ſtand by them, and work for them till all his Heavenly buſineſs be perfected; and though the Serpent may rend the Skin, and wound the fleſh of the Heel, yet Gods Servants ſhall end in capite, in the Head, both bruiſing the Head of the Serpent, and being ſure to have the benefit as members of Jeſus Chriſt their Head, of whom they hold. The firſt of theſe Texts was addreſſed and dreſſed for the wounded Heel of a gracious Saint, that was ſtruck ſick by the Serpent, of which ſore (drinking up the moyſture of her Spirits) ſhe was dangerouſly, deeply, and diſtreſsfully ſick, lying in the valley of the ſhadow of death 3 Quarters of a Year, day and night combating with God, about Ecclipſes of his Face, deſertions, manifeſtations of wrath, apprehenſions of hell, which ſqueezed out frequent confeſſions and complaints of an estate worſe then Cains, an owning of the Sin againſt the Holy Ghoſt, a challenging reprobation as its due portion. And beſides the, ſenſe of an angerful duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page God, there was continual combating with the ſpiteful Spiri… of Hell, every day ready t… write its own Epitaph with the blackeſt letters of damnation, and a loſt Soul: All theſe accompanied with ſolitude, and ſecrecie, with two & three days together faſting, praying, and weeping, till the eyes were turned into buckets, and few ſpiritual comforters and legati pacis to be met withal, ſave one ſpirit of Grace, that had bound up the Soul in this Reſolution, Though God will not be my God, yet I will die praying and ſeeking after him: and a poor meſſenger of God, who having but a little Oyl in his cruſe, by dayly dropping of it into the wound, it both increaſed and healed with the dropping. It pleaſed God at length, to make the winter and ſad wea…her of this ſtorm-beaten …l to be over & end, ſo as the flowers appeared, ſinging of birds was come and the voice of the Turtle was heard, & a cheerful Soul, began ſweetly to ſing in its Cage of Clay. The ſorrows were deep, the comforts roſe very high; and as once wormwood waters were drunk in the Cellar of bitterneſs, and the banner over the Soul ſeemed in …reat letters to have it The Lord hath forſaken me: Cant. 2. Iſa. 49.14.Now …t is led into the Wine Cellar of of Gods promiſes, the ſweetest comforts are broached and drunk, and the Lords banner of love is ſpread over. Here Heaven out of Heaven, and ſome of the masters joy deſcended down, before the Soul aſcended up to it. After the Veſſe… had been ſeaſoned ſome months with this unknown and admirable new Wine of living comforts,Largiſſimum quoddam caeli gremium, Bernard in Cantic. Ita mihi viſus ſim tanquam unus ex illis beatis eſſe, O Si dureſſet. Idem in cantic. Ser. 23. the Lord by a Chariot of ſickneſs, and that a violent one, hurries the Soul to Heaven, firſt giving it cluſters of Canaans Grapes, and then making it walk through Jordan to come into the promiſed Land, and eat of all the fruits of bleſſedneſs to the full. The ſecond Tractate was after the cure of the Heel, at the celebration of the triumph in the Head Jeſus Chriſt.Titulum frontis erade, ut mutaſit pagina, & quod ſufficit, loquatur materiam, non loquatur autorem. Sever. Sulpit. in Epiſt. ad. Hiſtor. D. Mart. We ſay no more of the diſcourſes and treatiſes, but that they may ſtill be profitable even after the hours of their first hirth; they are of age, whether they can ſpeak much for themſelves or no, I know not; you may ſee no great deſire there was in the Author to ſend them abroad, though they have been deſired. They were conceived and born in the year 1632. when the Womb they came from could plead nothing but unripeneſs and youth, and therefore hopes his pardon may be the ſooner ſued out; it is now fifteeen years ſince almoſt, Horoces no…um prematur in annum; It hath the ſame matter and form it had, unaltered; only that …f Eſay has the Concluſions all …andled, and ſo ſuff…rs a little …ddition of what was not ſpo…en, to fill up the Text. I have …me reaſons why I make this walk in publick, for, firſt, I owe ſo much to her memory my ſelf. 2. There is ſome need of …eviving her graces for others that knew her, among whom …uch examples are rare living, …nd are rarely thought of when the parties are dead; for we are very prone to bury good examples, but evil examples have a dayly Reſurrection, 3. No great reaſon app…ars, but that now when ſo many Wild Gooſe Quills are writing, and ſo many Soul poyſoning, and Faith blaſting Themes are dayly printed and publiſhed, to the detriment of many Souls, ſet out with the plauſible and gay flouriſhes of new Truth, and new Revelations, but it will ſtand the ſervants of God in hand to put out ſomething practical, and ſound, to fill the hands of their …riends with that which is wholeſome, though it be not ſo glori…as to the eye and fancy, We run like the Dromedary in the wilderneſs after Doctrines of new Theories, and we forget the old rules of holy practical Theologie; O that in Science we were more ſober, and in Conſcience more ſound! It was a true cenſure of our, and former times, that the Primitive and foregoing ſervants of God had leſs Science,Beza in Epiſt. lib. Epiſt. 1. Andreae Duditio. and more Conſcience: and our men and age have more Science, but leſs Conſcience. that is, leſs integrity and ſimplicity of Conſciſcience; the former times were full of Fire, and ours full of Glow-worms. That good Soul about whom theſe enſuing lines were, might for a wakened and right Conſcience) challenge ſome praiſe, to ſet her forth as exemplary, ſpecially to her rank, that they might not ſtrive to be called fine Ladies, Ladies always in the faſhion, but what is better, Ladies in the faith, and as St. John's Elect Ladies; But living ſhe deſired it not, and dead ſhe needs not any ſuch thing. Flatterly commonly, and Wit ſometimes has gone very far in the praiſe of things,Pirkhaimerus laudavit podagram. Janus D…uza umbram. Joannes Bruno Italus etiam Diab…lum. Frid. Taubman in Virgil. Culic. where all was an occult quality, ſo hidden as could not be found. Auguſtine ſaith of Julian the Pelagian, that he was [idoneus dicere panegyricum Satanae] He was fit to make an Oration in praiſe of the Devil: And one Bruno an Italian did expreſly do it: But away with ſuch fancies, it will be better for us to enquire after the great Rabbies and Maſtors under which ſhe tutor'd did, and we alſo may profit, and attain to exact holineſs; and they were three great Tutors,Melch. Adam. in vit. Luth. that (Luther writes) make a compleat Divine, Meditation, Prayer, Temptation. Reader, peruſe, ponder, practiſe, thou mayſt find what (rightly conſidered) may teach thee to be a Chriſtian Centinell, to watch thy Soul, and keep thy ſpiritual peace carefully, leſt thou come to the mournning and great cries of Ramath, with Rachel, to weep if not for the Children of thy womb, yet for thy peace and aſſurance, the Children of the Lords womb, and be much troubled becauſe they are not. A right uſe of the departure of good Souls may be learnt ſo much the rather becauſe it is ſo neglected, as if there were no more thoughts of heart to be had about the withering of Roſes, then the cutting up of Nettles; the departure of a Stephen, and the death of a Cain. Thou mayſt if thou wilt receive ſome benefit, if not, this is one witneſs more againſt thee then thou kneweſt of before: good things if they profit not, they hurt. I will not abuſe my ſmall leiſure to a larger prodrom, or extended, Epiſtle, leſt, as the lips of a fool ſwallow up himſelf,Cicero de Accio. In orationibus multus & ineptus. De legibus, lib. 1. ſo my lines might be cenſured. If this and ſuch like Treatiſes may keep any from converſing in the frothy todder of Pamphlets idle and vain; or if any Soul may hereby learn better to mind duty, and either keep or recover ſenſe of ſweet mercy, he ſhall rejoyce Who is
The Churches ſervant in the Goſpel. T. C.