The Christians Guide to Devotion, Part 4 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. The fourth general Direction; To perſevere in holy Duties, and not to ſtartle at any Difficulties.
WE have not repreſented Devotion as an eaſie thing to obtain, and therefore the Faithful need not be ſurpriz'd to meet with difficulties therein; much leſs are they to withdraw and deſpond: 'tis a new Advice I gave here to obtain it. Every upright Soul has frequently made experience, that in being willing to lift it ſelf up it has found the Wings of its Devotion clogged either by worldly Vanities or the ſluggiſhneſs of the Fleſh: in this Eſtate, if it relax, it is undone. Theſe Deſires, ſo neceſſary (as we have ſeen) muſt have Action and Courage joyn'd to them. Solomon ſpeaks in his Proverbs of the Motion of an idle Man, whoſe whole Strength was exhauſted in deſires: He always makes the beſt Reſolutions in the World, but never ſtirs out of his place. This lazineſs of the Soul perhaps might be what Solomon refers ſo much to; for he hath hardly a Chapter, but [as he paſſes along] he has a hit at the Sluggard. This ſluggiſhneſs of the Soul is the Vice of thoſe who drain themſelves dry in praiſing Vertue, and reſerve no ſtrength to run after and attain it. The falſly devout one does the ſame thing; he praiſes, he deſires it, but he yields to the firſt Temptation his Devotion meets withal. But doſt not thou know, that all Great things are difficult? Doth a Pilot abandon his Veſſel at the firſt rough Blaſt of Wind? Doth not a Rower, that goes againſt the Stream of a rapid River, ſtruggle ſtiffly to refiſt the Water? He holds on, tugs, wipes his Fore-head, takes Courage, and at laſt he overcomes. Does a Merchant renounce all Traffick for one loſs; or a Courtier all his hopes for one ill turn of Fortune? Every one ſtrives to regain by Diligence what his Diſgrace had taken away from him. We muſt alſo reſolvedly bend our ſelves againſt Indevotion; and when we perceive our Heart ill diſpos'd, its motions languiſhing, and its Devotions travers'd by Wand'rings, we are to quell and take our Heart lower till we have brought it to its Duty; we are to read, meditate, pray, let it be never ſo much againſt the Grain. Although the Devil comes to fill your Mind with evil thoughts, (ſays St. Baſil) you ought not therefore to abandon the uſe of Prayer; you are to make new and greater Endeavours. You muſt pray to God he would be pleas'd to break this thick Wall of vain thoughts which ſeparates you from him: you muſt beſeech him, that your Soul may be able ſoon to get to him without being retarded by meeting vain and evil Objects. And if the Enemy ſhould come even with a plentiful ſupply of Diſtractions, yet you are not to give back, nor loſe any Courage, nor renounce Victory in the midſt of the Combate. You muſt perſevere, till God, perceiving your Conſtancy, come to fill you with the light of his Spirit, put the Enemy to flight, purifie your Underſtanding, and furniſh your Reaſon with a divine Light, whereby your Soul, being put into the Poſſeſſion of a Tranquillity exempt from Troubles, may ſerve God with a perfect Joy. This holy Perſon inſinuates a Reaſon to us, which we ought to remember in the deſign of Perſeverance; which is, That the Devil never leaves off tempting us; therefore we are not to leave off reſiſting him: our reſiſtance doth not make him give back, ſo that we muſt not be foiled by his Temptations. God, who is the Spectator of our Warfare, and the Rewarder of our Labours, will with Pleaſure ſee the faithful Soul in conflict with it's Infirmities and Diſtractions, and when it is well nigh being ſubdued, will come at length and lend it his helping hand.
Perſeverance is a vertue of ſuch great uſe, that we owe to it the beſt works of Nature, of Art, and of Grace. If God had left the World imperfect, inſtead of a Miracle, he had made a Prodigy. There are particularly certain works, to which the laſt-hand is ſo eſſential, that if we do not conclude them, what had been begun, doth intirely periſh. If you leave a Picture after its firſt rough-drawing and deſign, theſe beginnings will not ceaſe ſubſiſting upon the cloath: but if you carry a wheel half way upon an hill, and then leave it to it ſelf for a moment; why, preſently it will get to the Valley's bottom again, and your labour will not only be imperfect, but will come juſt to nothing. Devotion is of this laſt ſort of things: if you leave it half done, what you had done, will ſoon periſh. 'Tis Penelope's web; what is done by day, is undone by night. If thy life be not a perpetual day, and if thou doſt not inceſſantly toil to advance thy Piety by Practice, one night only form'd by the darkneſs of Indevotion and the abſence of Gods Grace, will ruine the work of many years, and one minute of lazineſs will deſtroy that which Courage, upheld a long time, had produced. Thy Devotion, O Christian Soul, is no more than a ſpark. Nouriſh this ſacred fire preciouſly, blow it without remiſſion, gather combuſtible matter to it from all ſides; make thee a treaſure of good things, turn oft towards Jeſus Chriſt, thy Sun and thy Star, and this ſmall ſparkle will become a great fire, and this fire will cauſe a kindling, and that kindling will caſt up flames, and thoſe flames will lift thee to Heaven: But if thou neglect this ſpark, it will go quite out. Sampſon delivers himſelf up into the arms of Dalilah, he ſleeps in her breaſt, his hair is ſhav'd, which is the ſeat of his ſtrength, and when the awakes he goes according to cuſtom to take away the gates of Gath, and break the cords of the Philiſtines, but he doth not find himſelf the ſame Sampſon. So the Chriſtian that is weakned by a non-aſſiduity to Devotion, ſleeps in the arms of Pleaſure; his Soul is enervated: he thinks to return to his old wont of having commere with God, but the Devil attacks and overthrows him by a load of evil thoughts, under which his Devotion lyes bound as by ſo many Chains.
If the Heavens ſhould ſtop only for a day, perhaps there would follow a general ſlaughter and ſubverſion of Nature; and much more without doubt the inferior things would receive a conſiderable damage. When the ſuperior part of our Soul ſtops its divine motions, we cannot queſtion but that a great diſorder ariſes in the lower part: for the paſſions which would ever be the maſters, do manage wiſely theſe moments of Relaxation to prepare a Revolt. So that our Piety and Devotion muſt have the conſtancy, ſwiftneſs and order of the heavenly motions, ſo as this little World may be always in a good Eſtate. Nothing ſhould hinder or interrupt the courſe of Devotion. You ſee Daniel, all the terrours of Death could not ſtop him in his divine race. He muſt be caſt into the den of Lions; if he invokes God; yet this hinders him not from falling down at his ſet hours towards Jeruſalem, the holy City Above all, let us be far from the way of the World, that runs to its own affairs, as if they were the moſt preſſing. Let us give to God preſerably, what belongs to him: and let us be at no farther trouble for the reſt. 'Tis ſaid of the Serpent, that he ſecures his head, when he is purſued, and expoſes his body, if he can't ſave it. The hours conſecrated to Devotion are the head of our life, and 'tis an holy prudence not to expoſe them but to draw them out of Danger, leaſt the Devil and the World devour them.
In ſhort, perſevering is far better than violent Devotion, 'tis much better to go a little pace, but to be going always, that to run impetuous, yet interrupted races. Some are devout only by fits: for a day, nothing more ardent, more humble, more mov'd; but on the morrow ſo well dryed up in the torrent of their Tears, that you can't ſee ſo much as the tracks of 'em. The ardency of this fever is ſo extremely well quench'd as the leaſt heat is not to be found. A conſtant mediocrity is preferable before theſe Exceſſes of a ſmall Duration. Not that I think it not very neceſſary, that Devotion have its Feſtivals, and labour extraordinarily to rewaken it ſelf on certain dayes and times. Theſe are the Extraordinaries of Piety, to which we are to return as frequently as we can, and mainly never to want it at times deſtin'd to pious Uſes and Works; as the participation of the bleſſed Sacrament of our Lord's Body and Blood: But beſide theſe Extraordinaries, I would have the Soul have it's ordinary courſe well regulated; and if that cannot be done always with thoſe great motions, as it were to be wiſht, yet that it never fall in the leaſt in the Reſpites and Intermiſſions.
Meditation.
HAve not I great reaſon to faint, and deſpair of ſucceſs in all my deſigns, if I do but conſider the greatneſs of the Undertakings, the difficulties to be met withal therein, and the meanneſs of my own Strength; or, to ſpeak better, my Weakneſs, and my Nothing. I aim at great things, for I aim at becoming one with my God. I would become like him; I would renew his Image in me; I would cleanſe my Heart, ſo corrupt with Sin; I would rebuild this great Houſe which Sin and the Devil have brought to ruin; I would aſcend the Throne; I wou'd become King and Prieſt to God my Father. Alas! my Soul, where in thy ſelf wilt thou find ſtrength to do ſuch great things, thou, who art only Darkneſs, Weakneſs, and Pollution? If thou had'ſt no other Enemy to engage with but the Devil, how wilt thou vanquiſh that red Dragon which hath ſeven Heads and ten Horns? That wicked Serpent at the beginning poyſoned our firſt Parents with the breath of his Mouth. And now he infects all the Sources where we drink; he lays his Snares in all our Paths; and more eſpecially, he never makes greater Endeavours to deſtroy us than when we make ours to unite us to God by Prayer and Devotion: then he ſtirs up all the Fantomes of our Imagination to carry us out from God's Preſence: He raiſes the Waves of our Paſſions and Concupiſcence to keep us from that ſafe Harbour. And truly, 'tis his Intereſt to do thus; for thou never fighteſt him, O my Soul, with more Succeſs, than by Prayer, when fervent and devout: ſo that he mingles Heaven and Earth together to diſtract thee, and inſtill into thee Sentiments of Coldneſs. Do notflatter thy ſelf: if thou doſt not ſee the Enemy with thy fleſhly Eyes, yet he ſhoots his fiery Darts at thee: he ſpeaks with thee, he attacks thee, he tempts thee by the mouth of thy Luſt, which never fails him, and has made a League with him. But ſtill, O my Soul! loſe no Courage: if thou canſt do nothing of thy ſelf, thou canſt do all things through thy Saviour, who ſtrengthens thee. Watch, be ſober, perſevere, lay this evil Spirit, and drive him far from thee: Reſist the Devil and he will flee from you. He preſſes upon none but thoſe that give back.
Prayer.
AND thou, O Lord Jeſus, my Redeemer, the great Spirit of Light, oppoſe thy ſelf for me to this Spirit of Darkneſs. Let the Lion of the Tribe of Juda break the Jaw-bones of that roaring Lion that turns upon me to devour me. Let the holy Seed of the Woman break this Serpent's head; give me Antidotes againſt his Poyſon. Let thy Grace heal the Wounds which his Bitings and Stings have made in my Soul. Ʋphold me in all the Difficulties which that dangerous Enemy makes me meet with in my Spiritual Exerciſes. When I enter into my Cloſet or thy Temple, be like a brazen Wall about me to defend me from the Acceſs of Evil Spirits. So as under the Wings of thy Protection and Love, I may live, during theſe Moments, in a clear and calm Air, in a profound Peace; by favour whereof, I may conſecrate to thee all my Thoughts, my Will, my Heart, my Ʋnderſtanding, and my Imagination, and nothing may withdraw me from thee.