England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 63
COLOSS. 1.24.
Now I rejoyce, &c.
PAul was in priſon when he ſpake theſe words: ſo conſidered, braveneſſe of ſpirit ſparkles in every ſyllable of the expreſſion. Now I am in the mouth of the Lion, now I am in the belly of Hell, now I am in the face of Devils, now I own Chriſt, and triumph in all that I undergoe for his Name. Divine magnanimitie wee are to ſtand upon; 'tis a ſoule in all conditions openly very ſtout, and very amiable, in the purſuit of Gods will. Diſadvantages are many in a Chriſtian courſe, in none more: magnanimitie knowes none, 'tis one that can make a Trumpet ſound admirably, where there is no eccho; in a pit, in a dungeon; in his coffin, in his grave he will ſing, and make his chaines Late-ſtrings; among the dead he is alive, now I rejoyce. You have a Latine Proverb of warre, Mars communis, warre is of various event, ſometimes againſt one, ſometimes with one: ſo I may ſay of the warre of a Chriſtian, 'tis Mars communis, ſometimes we come off well, ſometimes we are taken and chained, ſometimes the battaile is ſo hot, that all run away: Magnanimitie ſtands to it then, fights alone; ſhee is oft a priſoner, but never a run-away; one is enough, to wit, Chriſt, though all elſe run away; or how ever diſadvantaged otherwiſe, yet upon this advantage, ſhee ſtands to it alone, and fights with many; yea, fights and ſings, thunders and harpes: you have the voice of great thunders and of harpes joyned together, Revel. 14.2. The ſervants of the Lord, fighting and thundring againſt Antichriſt, and yet harping and ſinging. Eſt virtus omnia ad gloriam ferens. A vertue that mouldes and ſhapes all things, good things, bad things, priſons, chaines, bloud, all to divine triumph.
Magnanimitie is alwayes very ſtout, but alwayes very amiable: when ſhee breaths and collects ſpirits, ſhe doth not curve her brow, frowne and fret, and the like, but ſmiles in the face of crueltie it ſelfe. Michal ſcoffed David, and ſtoned him with her mouth, but David ſmiles and dances. Paul in chaines at Rome rejoyceth, now I joy. In the belly of Hell, Jonah prayes, yea gives thankes, I will ſacrifice to the Lord with a voice of thankeſgiving; ſalvation is of the Lord. And the Lord ſpake unto the fiſh, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land, Jonah 2.9, 10. As the verſes goe, and are conjoyned, one would thinke they did carry this brave ſenſe, that as ſoone as God did behold Jonah in this brave poſture of ſpirit, not onelyonly big with prayer, but with praiſes, even in the belly of the Whale, that then he ſpake to the Whale to give him up, that then he ſpake to Hell to give up that perſon to Heaven, whoſe ſpirit and action was there before. There is an amiableneſſe of perſon, and an amiableneſſe of action, and Magnanimitie hath both; ſhee ſets the countenance right, the eye right, and the hand right: when ſhee is ſtout, 'tis in the truth, and for the truth; ſhee purſues a noble game, and abhorres all evill means to catch it; to get Earth, to get Heaven, ſhee will not be bribed; when there is any baſe carriage in a buſineſſe, none more ignorant of any ſuch thing, then a Chriſtian truly magnanimous. Chriſtian magnanimitie is borne of humilitie and ſimplicitie, and hunts after nothing more, then the incouraging of the parents of which ſhee came, but this ſhee purſues to the utmoſt. Things that are of the trueſt and higheſt glory, theſe doth a magnanimous Chriſtian, Nervis cunctis incumbere, intend with every ſinew: all things that are ſimply ſinfull, or but of meane account, come not into his thought. 'Tis virtus tendens ad maxima, a Chriſtian that ſtruggles to be of all Chriſtians the chiefe, for humilitie, for integritie, for faith, for love, for fruition, for emiſſion, for taking in of Chriſt, for laying out for Chriſt. A Chriſtian indeed magnanimous, is the greateſt Merchant-venturer to the tother world that is, he is mightie in ſtocke, he hath many millions of brave ſpirits in his bloud, and trades them out all for Chriſt and Heaven, in long voyages to come home rich; he hath no hand but to good, but to this he hath hand and heart, and nothing can fetch off either. Then anſwered I thus, and ſaid, The God of Heaven will proſper us, therefore we his ſervants will ariſe and build, but you have no portion, nor right, nor memoriall in Jeruſalem, Nehem. 2.20. A Chriſtian indeed magnanimous, hath truth in one hand, and life in the other, and this is his Motto, Take one, take both. This is his Motto every where, in libertie, in bonds, and this he ſpeakes and ſmiles, (now I joy.)
Ʋſe. Wee are put by providence to ſpeake upon a ſeaſonable ſubject; times call us to move bravely every one in our place. Furie is abroad, and furie is at home, nothing but a brave ſpirit can now kiſſe Chriſt, and ſmile in the face of both. Greatneſſe will over-bear, and joſtle a weak ſpirit, though otherwiſe good as a childe from his father, and make him cry, and take on dolefully, for want of that countenance which did ſmile upon him. Power generates pride, unleſſe it ſit in a very ſweet breaſt; the effects of this are bloudie, and not a man can withſtand to any purpoſe, but he that is ſteele to the backe. 'Tis ſaid of Ʋzziah, that when he was ſtrong, that is, externally ſtrong, that he was lifted up to his deſtruction. This Prince after his great victories, fell upon the worſhip of God, and carried it by his owne greatneſſe as he pleaſed, (which is a plague proper to pride, to be ſpiritually and deſperately wanton; to creepe into the Temple, and to confront God as highly as may be.) And the Text tells us of Azariah, and fourſcore brave Prieſts of the Lord that withſtood him, ſaying, It pertaines not to thee, O King, to burne incenſe, but to the Prieſts of the Lord, which are conſecrated; goe out of the Sanctuarie, thou haſt treſpaſſed, and it ſhall not be for thine honour. There were fourſcore of theſe magnanimous ſpirits then, would there were fourſcore thouſand of theſe now in the Chriſtian world, they are much needed, to withſtand violence againſt the worſhip of God, againſt the priviledge of Miniſters and people. Blindneſſe hardens men: fooles will as ſoone ſtrike with a club, as with a twig, as ſoone ſtab with a knife, as with a ſtraw, every one that bowes not downe to the Idol of their fancie: this is ſtoutneſſe to deſtruction, as the forecited Scripture ſpeakes, and 'tis pitie it ſhould deſtroy any but ſuch as are guiltie of it: and yet it will, if not withſtood. What a dolefull condition would all have come to, if thoſe few brave ſpirits, had given way to all that the King in the blindneſſe of his heart would have done! A Chriſtian indeed magnanimous, is he that ſtands in the gap in a time of wrath, and none elſe: this man is a Phinebat, an Azariah, one that ſtayes the plague, the ſword, the wrath of God, that eates upon us, and would eate us out all, unleſſe ſome ſuch brave ſpirits appeared abroad, and at home, in the field, and in the Citie. You can doe no ſervice to quench the fire of jealouſie, that now burnes, unleſſe you get more fire in your hearts. Life and death is in the ballance, and the ſcales ſtand, which ſcale will weigh downe we cannot tell; onelyonly this I can ſay, this grace of Magnanimitie put in that ſcale where the life of the Kingdome lies, would turne the beame preſently, and life ſhould weigh downe death; peace and proſperitie, ruine and deſolation. 'Tis pitie that brave ſpirits are no more ſmil'd upon; ſome ſuch buddings of hope are now and then, but they are blaſted againe; men are alive a while, and then dead. Perſons which are in ſuch a condition, that are pretie well one while, and at deaths-dore againe another while, men have ſtill feare leſt ſome vitals waſt in ſuch a ſtate, which is not yet diſcerned. England, if death ſhould cure all thy diſeaſes at laſt, for want of a little life, what a dolefull giving up the ghoſt will this be! Whither wouldeſt thou carry thy cold off-ſpring, that they might grow more warme? To ſuch and ſuch plantations beyond the Seas? Between thee and them is a great gulph, and it may be, they that would goe to them ſhall not, & they that thou wouldeſt ſhould come to thee will not: they that ſtay in the Citie, famine may devoure; they that goe to flie out, a ſword may cut off; A Serpent, a Lion, or a Beare, ſword, famine, or plague, may divide all between them, within dore and without. Surely, England, thy giving up (if ever that ſad day come, which the Lord grant it may not) will be with ſuch ghaſtly groanes, with ſuch hideous ſhreechings, with ſuch tabering of breaſts, and tearing of haire, with ſuch weeping, and wailing, and gnaſhing of teeth, as ſcarce ever any eye ſaw, or eare heard, ſince wrath and deſolation began among the Gentiles.
Wherefore call upon thy ſelfe, O England, and call upon thy Phyſicians for Chriſtian magnanimitie: tell them what death thou feareſt, and what grudgings of it thou feeleſt alreadie in ſeverall parts. Where there be palſies, and ſuch diſeaſes, which are by cold, which be numbe and dead the parts, there rubbing is good to fetch heat and agilitie. Rub one another frequently, exhort one another daily, ſtrike fire in one anothers breaſts, admoniſh, reprove, but doe all in love. Paſſion generates paſſion; wild-fire is not magnanimitie, this burnes all, it doth not ſave all. Magnanimitie ſprings out of love; 'tis a ſtout ſpirit candid with the ſweetneſſe of Chriſt, and made a Lamb and a Lion, as Chriſt was; a Lamb, when among ſheep, to be led by them; but a Lion, when among Beares and Wolves, to awe and lead them. Magnanimitie is the perfecteſt temper of Chriſt, in all this world; 'tis a Lion lying downe with a Lamb, and doing it no hurt; and a Lamb playing upon the hole of an Aſpe, and receiving no hurt: it is one that can doe no hurt, but can and will doe much good; 'tis one that fels himſelfe like Chriſt, at a very low rate, to doe good to all.