The Vanity of the Lives and Passions of Men, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Of the vanity of the paſsion of Flight, or Eſchewing.
GOd out of his infinite love to men, hath been pleaſed to furniſh them with arms to oppoſe their greateſt enemies, of which the paſſion of Cupidity is one of the moſt implacable; for of all the paſſions it is the harder to be ſubdued, becauſe it is the moſt ſucceſsful ſnare of Satan for the increaſe of his kingdom of darkneſs; by it ſin came firſt into the world, and hath infected like a contagious diſeaſe all the race of mankinde; For by the eye, which is the ſpring of mens deſires, Eve ſeeing the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledg of good and evil to be beautiful, ſhe coveteth the ſame, as it appears by theſe words;Gen. 3.6. And when the woman ſaw that the tree was good, and that it was pleaſant to the eyes, and a tree to be deſired to make one wiſe, ſhe took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave of it alſo to her husband with her, and he did eat; and ſo by her Cupidity, and Adams Credulity, men have been brought under the bondage of ſin. Now againſt this great enemy of mankinde, God hath been pleaſed to arm them with this paſſion of Flight, the great Antagoniſt of all covetous deſires; that as he had given men an inclination to deſire ſuch things as ſeemed good to their eyes and phanſies, they might alſo have an averſion to fly from ſuch things as ſeemed to traverſe their good and beeing, otherwiſe they might have ſeen their enemies coming upon them, when they had no arms to defend themſelves, nor power to eſchew or fly from their apparent danger, and had been inforced to cheriſh vices, and ſinful courſes, becauſe they could not eſchew, or fly from them, and to harbor a Gueſt whom they abhorred and deteſted. This paſſion being then ſo uſeful to men, and ſpecially for the propagation of a godly life; give me leave for the better deſcription of it, to ſpeak in order of theſe particulars.
1. Of the definition of Flight.
2. Of the objects of it.
3. Of the cauſes of it.
4. Of its proprieties.
5. Of its effects.
6. Of the uſes of it.
Firſt, Flight or Eſchewing is a paſſion, The definition of Flight.or averſion, that induceth men to avoid or fly from all things that ſeem to be evil, or inconvenient to them, or that may traverſe their good, and annihilate their beeing. Flight is the coſen German of Hatred, for they have many qualities alike, and is incident to the Concupiſcible appetite, and the violent enemy and great oppoſite to the paſſion of Cupidity, the ſpring of all covetous deſires: But men are to be cautious how they make uſe of this paſſion, or averſion, for otherwiſe they may flee from ſuch things as are good, inſtead to eſchew thoſe things that are evil: for ſuch is the depravation of this age; that Vertues are called Vices, and Vices are varniſhed over with the names of Vertues, and true and ſincere Piety is called Hypocriſie, and real Hypocriſie is termed godlineſs and Sanctity; They muſt then be as harmleſs as Doves, Matt. 10.16.and as wiſe as Serpents to make uſe of this paſsion aright, and then they will avoid and deteſt ſin as the greateſt of all evils, and love God, the perfection of all good and happineſs.
Secondly,The objects of Flight. The chiefeſt objects of this paſſion, are the guilt and puniſhment, which are often taken one for the other; ſome men taking the guilt for the puniſhment, and the puniſhment for the guilt; but guilt is the greater of the two, becauſe the puniſhment is but an effect of the guilt, and without guilt there would be no puniſhment; and yet becauſe death is commonly comprized under the puniſhment (for as St. Paul ſaith,Rom 6.23. The wages of ſin is death) men moſt commonly ſtrive to avoid and flee from the puniſhment, and with great eagerneſs purſue the guilt: I mean, they run chearfully after ſin, and fly with fear from the puniſhment, and ſo pervert the uſe of this paſſion that was given unto them by their Maker, on purpoſe to flee from ſin, that draws with Cart-ropes the wrath and judgments of God upon all Nations, and particuliar men that impenitently go on in their ſins. Men commonly fly from Serpents, Dragons, Lyons and Tygers, and from the contagious diſeaſe of the Plague, but they ſeldom flee from ſin, although it be more dangerous and deſtructive to their ſouls, then any of theſe things above related can be to their bodies, for they can but deprive them of this temporal life, but ſin, without the ſpecial grace of God, will caſt them body and ſoul into the everlaſting flames: and therefore let men fly from ſin if they intend to make a perfect uſe of this paſſion, and let them not (as our bleſſed Saviour ſaith of Fear) Flee from them that can kill the body, Matt. 10.28.but are not able to kill the ſoul.
Thirdly, The cauſes of Flight are ſo numerous,The cauſes of Flight. that they would be over-tedious to relate, I wil therefore ſpeak but of ſome of them: firſt, Men if they could, would fly from death, becauſe death is a moſt horrid thing, ſpecially to the Reprobate; and Nature doth hate and eſchew all things that may annihilate its beeing: ſecondly, Fear is an ordinary cauſe of Flight, for many great Armies have fled upon a panick fear, as Titus Livius Records in his Decades: but there be Inſtances for it in the holy Scriptures, as it appears, 2 Kings, Chap. 7. Verſ. 6. When the Lord made the hoſt of the Aſſyrians to hear a noiſe of chariots, 2 Kings 7.6.and a noiſe of horſes, even the noiſe of a great hoſt, and ſo raiſed their ſiege from Samaria, and fled away, leaving their tents full of riches, and all manner of proviſions: thirdly, The Prophet Ionah fled from the preſence of the Lord,Jonah 1.3. and Cha. 4.3. not to avoid evil, but to commit evil, in diſobeying the Commandment of the Lord, becauſe he knew that God was a gracious and merciful God, ſlow to anger, and of great kindneſs. A great weakneſs in a Prophet to be paſſionate and angry, becauſe God was pleaſed to be merciful to the Ninevites, and a greater infirmity to flee to Tarſhiſh from the Lord, becauſe he was aſſured that God would repent of the evil intended againſt them upon the ſight of their repentance: fourthly, Abſolom fled from the preſence of his father King David, 2 Sam. 13.28.after he had ſlain his brother Amnon at a Banquet under colour of love and hoſpitality, and went to Geſhur, and was there three years till his fathers wrath was appeaſed: fifthly, Jeroboam the ſon of Nebat, 1 King 11.40.fled from the preſence of Salomon, went into Egypt, and ſtaid there with Shiſhak King of Egypt till after Salomons death; for Salomon ſought to kill Ieroboam, becauſe he had been informed that the Prophet Ahijah had anointed him King over Iſrael: ſixthly, Joſeph the ſuppoſed father of our bleſſed Saviour, and the Virgin Mary, Matth. 2.12.with the Childe Chriſt Jeſus were commanded by an Angel of God to flee into Egypt, for fear that Herod would ſeek after the young childe to deſtroy him, whereby it appears, that the cauſe of mens flight doth commonly proceed from the fear of death, and not to avoid ſin: But if men to avoid luſt would flee from their beloved object,Gen. 39.12. as Ioſeph did fly from his lewd Miſtreſs, out of fear to offend the Lord, it were the onelyonly way to quench their laſcivious deſires; for in the paſſion of true love, between parties of unequal degree, there is not any better remedy to aſſwage and extinguiſh the flames of love, then to make the Lovers to abſent themſelves one from another at a far diſtance, and for ſome continuance of time, for ſith the dropping of a gutter doth in continuance of time, blot out any characters graven upon a Marble ſtone; there is more probability that the impreſſion of that object of beauty hath made in the imaginaon of men or women, wil ſooner be worn out, with a long abſence, and it is daily ſeen, that the laſt object of a beauty drives out of mens mindes the former impreſſions of another beauty: and daily experience doth ſhew, that to appeaſe wrath, the onelyonly remedy is to flee from, or to eſchew the preſence of him that is tranſported with that paſſion, for the cauſe being taken away the effects ceaſe; ſo the object being removed, which did cauſe the diſtemper in the ſoul, the paſſion by degrees doth vaniſh away.
Fourthly, The proprieties of Flight are as numerous as the cauſes of it, and there is as great a ſimilitude between Hatred and Flight,The proprieties of Flight. as there is between Love and Deſire: firſt, it ſeemeth to fly from evil, and doth aim at the good: ſecondly, Flight in outward appearance ſeems to be a coward, and yet it is as generous as the Deſire; for to fly from ſin is a greater valour then to fight in the field with a valiant enemy: Sith it cannot be denied, that he that hath the maſtery over his own paſſions, and can mortifie the cupidities of his deſires, is a greater conquerer then Ceſar: thirdly, As the Deſire calls Hope to its aid when it cannot obtain that which is difficult, ſo Flight calls to its aid Fear and Hatred, that it may with ſwifter wings fly from the evil that is overpowerful: fourthly, As the deſire is a ſign of indigence, poverty and want, ſo Flight is an evidence of Impatiency and Imbecillity; and as men obtain by the proſecution of their deſires, ſuch things as they want, ſo men by flight free themſelves of thoſe things they moſt abhor and deteſt: fifthly, The propriety of Deſire is to open and dilate the heart, to make the ſame more eager after the proſecution of the good it aims at; ſo Flight ſhrinks up the heart, and debars ſin from coming in to it: ſixthly, As men by the means of the Deſire injoy and poſſeſs the good, even ſo men by the help of Flight preſerve themſelves from evil. In a word,Deſire and Flight are the two Champions of Love and Hatred. Deſire and Flight are the two faithful Champions of Love and Hatred; for as Love cannot execute any generous achievement without the aid of the Deſire, ſo Hatred cannot perform any noble exploit, without the help of Flight.
Fifthly, the effects of Flight,The effects of Flight. tend either to the preſervation of the body, or of the ſoul; I will then firſt ſpeak of that of the body, and acquaint you, that all horrid and terrible things that may procure the annihilation of mens beeing, or deprive them from the good they aim at, inticeth this paſſion, either to eſchew or fly from them.1 Sam. 18.11. and 19.10. It moved David to avoid the Javelin that Saul threw at him, with an intent to ſmite him even to the wall, but David fled and eſcaped: again, when he was informed by Jonathan, that Saul his father did ſeek after his life, then he fled again to Nob, to Ahimelech the Prieſt; and divers other times when he was in danger, he fled from the preſence of Saul and all to preſerve his life. And St. Paul being at Damaſcus, and hearing that the Jews had ſet wait for his life, and. watched the gates day and night to kill him,Act. 9.23, 24 the diſciples took him by night and let him down by the wall in a basket, preſerving his life by his flight. It appears then by theſe two Inſtances, that the effects of Flight tend ſpecially to the preſervation of mens beeing; and when they fly from ſin, to the prevention of the danger of their ſouls: for they have no better remedy, as it hath been ſaid already, to free themſelves from luſt, and from all laſcivious deſires, then to flee from the objects that engender the ſame. But why they fly ſooner from the puniſhment of evil, then from the guilt of ſin, I will hear enlarge my ſelf, and intreat the Reader to take notice, that it is onelyonly the natural men, that do ſo much abhor the puniſhment,Why men fly from the puniſhment, rather then from the guilt of ſin. and are ſo eager to preſerve the guilt, for the true children of God do more deteſt the guilt then the puniſhment, for they know the puniſhment of ſin is as inſeparable from the guilt, as the ſhadow is from the body, and they fear more to offend their gracious God, then the puniſhment of ſin: but the wicked who have their portion in this life are afraid of the puniſhment more then of the guilt, becauſe their ſupream good is in this life, which puniſhment ſeems to interrupt; but the children of God carry their Croſs, and have nothing but diſgraces, trouble, and vexations in this life, and expect their ſupream bliſs and happineſs will be in the world to come, and are confident and aſſured, that the corrections and puniſhments, that God inflicts upon them becauſe of their ſins, are but ſo many evidences that their heavenly Father doth love, and hath a care of them, and ſo do adore the arm, and kiſſe the hand of God that is pleaſed to chaſtiſe them, For whom the Lord loveth, ſaith St. Paul, Heb. 12.6.he chaſteneth and ſcourgeth every ſon whom he receiveth; but the wicked murmur at the leaſt corrections they receive from the hand of God, and ſay with the two men that were poſſeſſed with evil ſpirits,Matth. 8.29. What have we to do with thee? art thou come to torment us before the time? for ſo they injoy the pleaſures of this life, they care not what will become of them in the world to come, being of this minde, That one bird in the hand is better then two in the buſh. But to return from whence this digreſſion brought me: one of the chiefeſt effects of Flight, is, that it is the protector of Womens and Virgins Chaſtity, and makes yong men free themſelves from vitious and debauſht company, which they are to flee from, as from a contagious Air, or from the ſight of a Serpent, for ill company are Satans Panders, and the corrupters of youth, and as men cannot handle Pitch without ſoiling their hands, ſo young folk cannot haunt ill company without they blemiſh their reputation, and defile their maners, nor remain in their innocency, for they are the Schools of Sin, and ſin draws the wrath of God upon men, from whoſe wrath it is impoſſible to flee, as the Prophet David ſaith, Whether ſhall I go from thy Spirit? Pſal. 139.7, 8, 9, 10.or whether ſhall I flee from thy preſence? If I aſcend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in bell, behold thou … there; If I take the wings of the morning and dwel in the utmoſt parts of the ſea, even there ſhall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand ſhall hold me. Now ſith it is ſo, that ſin draws upon men the wrath of God, that cannot be eſchewed nor avoided, becauſe it is a conſuming fire; For a fire, ſaith Moſes, is kindled in his anger, Deut. 32.22.and ſhall burn unto the loweſt hell, and ſhall conſume the earth and ſet on fire the foundations of the mountains; how careful ſhould they then be to eſchew, and fly from ſin?
Sixthly, The uſe that men ſhould make of this paſſion of Flight, ſhould be to flee from all appearance of evil, as well as from ſin, and not transfer their own ſins upon others as Adam did upon Eve, The woman, ſaith he to the Lord,Gen. 3.12. whom thou gaveſt to be with me, ſhe gave me of the Tree, and I did eat. Much leſs to charge and accuſe men of ſins, of which they are moſt guilty themſelves, for this kinde of ſin is altogether in faſhion in theſe days; neither muſt men make conſcience of one ſin, and make none of another; ſome will make ſcruple to ſwear, but they will make no account to lye a hundred times in a day, ſo they may with theſe lyes delude their brethren, and attain to their own ends. Others will forbear to eat Fiſh upon a Friday, but will make no account of drabbing and whoring; others will flee from one ſin, and will run eagerly after another. In a word, there never was an age more addicted to painting then this, for the moſt notorious ſins are ſo varniſhed and painted over, that men take Vices for Vertues: And that is the reaſon why I ſaid in the beginning of this Chapter, that men ſhould be cautious how they make uſe of this paſſion, for fear they flee from the good in lieu to eſchew the evil, or get an habit of averſion againſt the good, in ſtead to have it againſt the evil: but if this paſſion of Flight be applied againſt its right object, it will prove to be of great efficacy to the propagation of a godly life, for it is impoſſible to love and affect the good unfainedly, before men have obtained a ſtrong averſion againſt the evil; and therefore to attain to that bleſſed condition that the Prophet David ſpeaks of in the firſt Pſalm, they muſt flee from all maner of converſation with the wicked, Bleſſed is the man that walketh not in the counſel of the ungodly, Pſal. 1.1, 2.nor ſtandeth in the way of ſinners, nor ſitteth in the ſeat of the ſcornful, but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth he meditate day and night. Pro. 4.18.And Salomon ſecondeth him thus; Enter not in the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men, avoid it, and paſs not by it, turn from it and paſs away; This triple gradation of Salomon ſheweth with a great Emphaſie, how neceſſary it is for men to flee from the converſation of wicked men, and from all appearance of ſin; and yet there are too many that add ſin to ſin, and ſo fall under this cenſure of the Prophet Iſaiah, Iſai. 31.3.Wo to the rebellious children, ſaith the Lord, that take counſel, but not of me, and that cover with a covering, but not of my Spirit, that they may add ſin to ſin. To conclude, It is apparent that the paſſion of Flight, except it be to flee from ſin, is but vanity, for Gods wrath can over-take and finde out (as it hath been ſhewed) impenitent ſinners whereſoever they flee.