The Christians Guide to Devotion, Part 3 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. That the Pleaſures of the Senſes, neither i… their Ʋſe, nor in their Abuſe, do agree wit… the ſpirit of Chriſtianity and Devotion.
I Know very well, that this Maxime muſt appe… ſtrange to the greateſt part of Mankind, eſpe… ally to them who are foreſtalled by thoſe Prin… ples which we have examined in the form… Chapter. The Maximes of the Church are as opp… ſite to thoſe of the World as Light to Darkneſs: T… World authorizes all the Pleaſures of Senſe, the Chu… condemns almoſt all. We do not here draw up a p… ceſs ſimply againſt thoſe debaucht People, whoſe na… is odious even in the Ears of the World: We conde… thoſe, that repute themſelves honeſt Perſons, who, … effect, have ſome degree of moral honeſty, and wh… life is ſhelter'd from the ſeverity of laws, but who… ſume and ſpend their life in the uſe of vain, worldly ple… ſures. All thoſe Pleaſures, that ſome believe Innoc… are Enemies to Devotion, and wholy diſagree with… Spirit of Chriſtianity, as well in their uſe as in their ab… Now if we cannot render this Truth victorious by p… rality of Suffrages, at leaſt wee will endeavour to ren… it evident by ſtrength of Reaſons.
And firſt of all, let us hear our Lord Jeſus; Chriſt ſpe… ing from on high: For where can we better find … Spirit of Chriſtianity than in Chriſt himſelf? Let us h… him painting out the way to us that leads to life. W… is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to Deſtruct… and many there be, which go in thereat. But ſtrait is gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life. If … wouldeſt be perfect, go ſell all that thou haſt, and follow … If any one would come unto me, let him take up his Croſs and follow me. If thy right Eye, or right Hand offend thee, pluck them [off] and caſt them from thee. Bleſſed are the poor: Bleſſed are they, which hunger and thirſt: Bleſſed are they that mourn and are perſecured. The Diſciples follow their Maſter, and tell us likewiſe: Mortifie your Members, which are upon the Earth. If any one love the World, the love of the Father abideth not in him. Be ye ſober and watch: Conform not your ſelves to this preſent wicked World. As Strangers and Pilgrims abſtain from fleſhly luſts. Have nothing to do with the unfruitful works of Darkeneſs: Make …t the Temples of the Holy Ghoſt the members of an Harlot. The Mind of the Prophets was not different from that of the Apoſtles, for they ſpeak after this manner: Go to now, I ſaid …f Mirth, it is vanity, and of Laughter, it is madneſs. It …s better for a young man to go to the Houſe of mourning, …han to go to the Houſe of feaſting: for that is the end of all …hen; and the living will lay it to Heart. It is good for a man … bear the yoke in his youth. I ſaid in my Heart, I will …reve thee with Mirth, therefore enjoy pleaſure; And behold his alſo is vanity. Rejoyce O young man in the days of thy ſouth: but know that for all [theſe] things God will bring hee unto Judgment. And now, in good earneſt, are all theſe …aughts of the Character of us Chriſtians now a dayes? …eſe Croſſes, theſe Thorns, theſe rough Wayes, theſe …rait Gates, this Yoke, this renouncing the World and …s Vanities, do they ſignifie that we can follow our Lord …eſus Chriſt in the equipage of Senſuality, ſometimes …mong Feaſts, ſometimes Dancings, ſometimes at Co…edies, and ſometimes at Play? Thoſe ſoft and effemi…ate Lives, that are ſpent at Carde and Dice, in vain …d lewd Converſations, in the intrigues of fleſhly love, …ave they any reſemblance with the combates, the …raſtlings, the races, from which the H. Spirit takes his …mblems to paint out to us the Life of the Faithful? …ight the good fight of Faith, and ſo run, that ye may obtain the prize. Keep under your Body and bring it into ſubjection… So fight not as one that breaketh the Air. Heaven and Earth, Life and Death, are not more oppoſite to one another, than the Effiminate life of us Chriſtians to this pourtraict of the Life of the Faithful which the holy Ghoſt hath given us.
But above all let us remember, that the Spirit … Chriſtianity and of Devotion loves nothing ſo much a… Mortification, to which ſenſible Pleaſures are mortal enemies. Mortifie your members which are upon the Earth, St. Paul bids us: do they mortifie their Members, that entertain and imploy them in Volptuouſneſs in lying upon Beds of Down, in pillaging Sea and Land to furniſh them with delicate Meats, in joyning A… to Nature to compoſe delicious Liquors for them, and in running after all that may enchant their Senſes? Some will ſay, that by theſe Member, whereof the Goſpel commnads the Mortification, … ought to underſtand Vices. Very well: But doe … we know that the Members of the Body are the orig… ne of the members of that Old Man, which makes Vice… we cannot kill Vice, but by mortifying our members. The fleſh is that unhappy Field accurſed by G… which produces Thorns and Thiſtles: the more ye… fatten this Earth, the more will it produce of the… venemous Plants. So that we are obliged to keep it … a great Privation of thoſe Pleaſures, that fomention cupiſence, to the end it may continue mighty barr… in reſpect of thoſe unhappy Products.
The Spirit of Chriſtianity and of Devotion is a Spirit of ſtrength; but pleaſure is ſoft: It ſoftens the So… and effeminates the courage: and the Church requi… a vigorous Soul, and an heart of a Temper, which ca… not be wounded by the moſt weighty blows; nor t… moſt edged and hacking gleaves of the Churches E…emies. We are to march thorough an hundred and … dred ſharp Swords: He that would follow the Truth of Jeſus Chriſt ought to reſolve to ſuffer Perſecution, ſince we have alwayes, in our head, the Devil and the World. But can a ſoft and voluptuous Life be proper to diſpoſe us to Martyrdom? In going out of a perfumed Bed, in riſing from a Table almoſt weigh'd down with delicious meats, with an head fill'd with the furnes of a debauch; are we in a good ſtate to mount Scaffolds, to enter into Flames, and, without quaking, look upon Racks and Tortures? whether is it more reaſonable to look for the Heroes of Jeſus Chriſt, capable of facing Death it ſelf, among our Chriſtians, that overwhelm and (as it were) fuddle themſelves in pleaſures, or among thoſe, whoſe auſtere and retired Life has declared War to all the pleaſures of the World? But, ſays one, we are not called to Martyrdom, and according to all appearances we ſhall never be. It may be ſo: but ſtill it is of great importance, we ſhould alwayes have the neceſſary Diſpoſition to ſuffer Martyrdom. For God will judge us not only according to what we do, but alſo according to what we would do. Furthermore, does any one believe, that the Sword and Fire of the Perſecutors of the Church are the moſt dangerous of all Temptations? we imagine, we have need of ſtrength and courage only to vanquiſh or undergo ſuch torments. But alas! Some who have come off victorious from their bloody Bartels, have yet fallen into the ſnares of the Devil; and ſome that have born the marks and brands of the Lord Jeſus, have become children of Hell, by letting 'emſelves be ſurpriz'd by the Devil of Pride, Covetouſneſs, Uncleanneſs, or Hereſie. Such an one who had torn a young Lion to pieces in his ſtrength, broken the bands of the Philiſtines and pil'd heaps of dead bodies with the jaw-bone of an Aſs, falls into the …racelets of a Dalilah, and is lead in herchains to an Idol Temple: This truth the World is not ignorant of. It was well ſaid, that the Delights of Capua did more than the ſword of the Romans, and that they found out the way to ſoften and break thoſe hard Africans, that march'd after Hannibal; and made victory to march after them. So the Tranquillity, God beſtows on us, ought not to make us ſleep in the Arms of Voluptuouſneſs: Proſperity is a ſtrong Temptation, and pleaſure it ſelf is a Monſter, which we cannot overcome without a vigorous Reſiſtance.
Meditation.
I Am reading a maxime, that makes me tremble. God will judg us both according to what we do, and according to what we would have done, if we had bin expoſed to thoſe Temptations which may fall out in the Providence of God. True it is, there is ſcarce room for doubt in this maxime. And it's certain, that my God would have the higheſt purity of Heart; that no one is innocent in his ſight, becauſe he has committed no evil, but becauſe he has not the inclination to commit it. He ſounds the depths of the Heart, and ſearcheth the Reins, and he will judg according to what he knows, and not to what men ſee. In my heart he ſees crimes in their very buds: And if theſe ſins have not ſhot forth by reaſon of want of Earth, if they have not come forth for want of Occaſion and Opportunity, I am therefore the more innocent; But on the other ſide alſo, who can undergoe the Terrour and Amazment that ſuch a thought inſpires? I may be then puniſht for a thouſand crimes I never committed. So that it will be uſeleſs to me not to find in my life either Paricides, or Sacrileges, or Adulteries, or Idolatries, or Apoſtaſies, ſince that I might have the ſeeds of them in my heart, and might have fallen into them, if I had been tempted and puſht on that awayes. I muſt therefore give up mine Account before God. O my heart, canſt thou anſwer for thy ſelf? Thou art profoundly, and it may be deſperately wicked, who knows thee? Canſt thou ſay with a perfect confidence; Although I ſaw the beauty of Bathſkeba, I would never fall into the ſnares of Incontinence with David? If I were tempted as Solomon, I would never become an Idolater, as he did? If I ſaw preſent death, I would never deny my Maſter with St. Peter? If theſe pillars were ſhook and broken, what aſſurance canſt thou have of reſiſting theſe winds, nay Hurricanes of Temptation, thou who art but a broked Reed? And if I muſt be judged for all the crimes I could commit, what will become of me, what ſhall I do, whither ſhall I turn my ſelf, ſince till this preſent minute, I cannot give an account of the ſins which I have commited? Think thus for thy comfort, O my Soul, that if thou art capable, of thy ſelf, to fall into ſins of ſurprize, and to yield to unforeſeen Temptations, by the ſtrength of that Grace, which is, and God will preſerve in thee, thou art, on the other ſide, capable to lift thy ſelf up again, to break out and weep bitterly, ſo as if God looks upon the ſins as commited, which thou might'ſt have commited if thou had'ſt bin tempted to commit them, he conſiders them alſo as effaced by Repentance, which he would thou had'ſt, if thou had'ſt commited them: though this does not hinder thee from working out thy Salvation with Fear and Trembling. Fear that piercing and ſevere Eye, which ſees and puniſhes thy ſins to come, as well as the preſent; which knows and abominates thoſe evil diſpoſitions of thy heart thou art not accquainted withal, as well as the ſins thou wotteſt of. Choak the buds of thy Vices, leſt they come to bring forth bitter branches, and be imputed to thee, though they ſhould bring forth nothing. Endeavour in thy ſelf to have Diſpoſitions to all good works, and habits of all the Vertues. And in doing this, although God Almighty's Providence does not preſent thee with means to exert and exerciſe thoſe Vertues, yet his goodneſs will judge thee according as thou would'ſt have done had'ſt thou had the means. If thou art poor, and out of a condition to give Alms, the Judge will not fail to ſay; I was an hungry, and thou gaveſt me meat, thirſty and thou gaveſt me drink, naked and thou cloathedſt me: yes, ſays he, thou haſt done it, becauſe thou would'ſt have done it, if it had been in thy power.
Prayer.
THE more I think of thee, O my God, the more I find thy Judgments incomprehenſible and thy Ways paſt finding out. I ſtand in infinite arrears to thy goodneſs, but I owe thee infinitely more than I ſee: and the benefits, that are hid from me, ſurpaſs thoſe which are known to me; for thy mercy hath depths which it is impoſſible to ſound. I ought to look upon as ſo many goods, all the evils, I am ſaved by thee from: ſeeing I am but a weak Mortal, and a thouſand enemies that continually are juſtling me, would give me a thouſand aſſaults, and a thouſand times wholly ſeize upon me, were it not for thy protecting me and preventing them. But above all, into the number of Obligations I ought to put that which I have to thy Sovereign goodneſs, the infinite number of ſins, which I might have, but have not committed. For I may thank the World for the ſeeds of all thoſe crimes, and thoſe ſeeds had ſprouted firſt and grown up to the height of the Cedars of Libanus, if thy good Grace had not choak'd them. I am environed with Temptations, and there is not one of them but is allyed to ſome motion of my concupiſcence: inſomuch that if thy Grace were not a Bridle to my heart, that tames and breaks it, it would fling out every moment, and take its full ſwing in diſſoluteneſs. So I acknowledge, O my God, St. Auguſtin.that to thee I owe all the good I have, and all the evil I have not; I owe to thee the Remiſſion of all the ſins I have commited, becauſe thou haſt pardoned them; and I look upon as pardoned all thoſe I have not commited, becauſe thy Grace hath prevented my committing them. This teaches me in what manner I ought to underſtand that which thou haſt told me, O my Saviour, To whom little is forgiven, the ſame loveth little. This was to diſcover the proud Phariſee, to whom thou ſpakeſt, the ſource of his Indevotion and his little love. He believ'd he had leſs obligation to thy Mercy, becauſe having committed fewer ſins, as he thought, he believ'd he owed thee much leſs. As for me, I ſay, to whom leſſer is forgiven, the ſame loveth more. Yes, O my God, I have more obligation for the ſins which thou haſt prevented my committing, than for thoſe, thou haſt remitted me: It is a much greater good to render a man invulnerable, than to cure him of the Wounds he has received; it is better never to fall into the Fire and Water, than to be drawn out thence with the peril of continuing there: And it is more happy alwayes to be well, than to recover of a ſickneſs. But above all, ſince it is a great unhappineſs to have offended thee, O God, 'tis a much greater bleſſing to have bin preſerved from ſin by thy Grace, than to re-enter into favour after having violated thy moſt ſacred Majeſty. O my Redeemer, deliver me then from all iniquity to come, prevent me in all my miſdoings, dry up the ſource of my crimes, root every ill diſpoſition out of my heart, diſpoſe me to all the Vertues; that I may be judg'd in thy ſight to have fulfill'd all Righteouſneſs, that I may be rewarded even for the good works I had not done, becauſe I had an intention to do them.