The Christians Guide to Devotion, Part 4 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. The ſecond particular Help: Solitude and Religious A… ſemblies.
WE cannot but own, with a great earneſtned of mind, that Devotion requires Solitudy. We have our Maſter's word and deciſi… in the caſe. When thou goeſt to pray, ſayes he, enter in thy cloſet. Very ſtrange Prayers were thoſe of the Phyriſees, that prayed in the corners of Streets, or in t… Market-places. Our Lord Chriſt had good ground … indict them of Hypocriſie: Solitude is neceſſary, … only to avoid that Pomp and Parade which God … much deteſts in all things, and eſpecially in Devotio… but alſo to make our Prayer more pure and perfe… How ſhould the Soul, I wonder, be recollected into it ſelf, if a thouſand Objects lay hold on the Senſes, and draw it abroad? We muſt therefore be in ſuch a place where we need not defend it againſt the Aſſaults which ſenſual Objects make upon it. Let us retire never ſo far from the World, we ſhall be ſure to carry enough of the World along with us, and the Images of its Objects will perſecute us ſufficiently, without being voluntarily expoſed to the perſecution of the Objects themſelves. Yes, the Commerces of the faithful Soul with its God require a ſecret retiral. Our Lord is its Beloved, who caſts not his Favours upon the Crowd, and expoſes them not to the ſight of men, as St. Bernard ſayes, He loves Shadow and Retreat. And therefore the Spouſe will not let him go whom her Soul loveth, until ſhe has brought him into her Mothers houſe, and into her cloſet. If we have a deſign to do any thing wherein is need of Application, we ſeek a Retreat, that we may not be diſtracted: We are therefore to ſeek it for Devotion, ſince nothing in the World asks a more fix'd Conſideration. Far from all Witneſſes muſt the truly Devout Perſon be, to be intirely Free in all reſpects. Devotion has its Actions and its Words: it impreſſes its tranſports and motions upon the Soul, …nd the Body frequently may have its too; ſo that it ſhould not be expos'd to the view of men, who make ſo ill Judgments thereof. If theſe Reaſons have need of being upheld by Examples, we have that of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, to whom the Mountains did not ſeem ſecret or ſolitary enough; ſince he added to them the darkneſs of the Night: That of Daniel, who ſhut the door of his Chamber to pray: That of St. Peter, who went upon the Houſe-top to perform his Devotions: But this Subject is ſo little diſputed, and indeed ſo little diſputable, as we need not dwell upon it longer.
The neceſſity of Solitarineſs for Devotion, may give …s more extenſive Proſpects. There have been many great men, and (I would believe) many great Saints, who have thought Devotion and Solitude were ſo inſeparable, as that not only the truly devout were to ſet aſide ſome hours of Retreat, but their whole Life ought to be conſecrated to it. And 'twas this Sentiment which ſometime peopled the Deſarts of Thebes, and of Syria, with ſo many Anchorites. They fled the World to lift up their Souls more eaſily to God, and to acquire an habit of more pure and ardent Devotion. And hence perhaps might come the very name of Devotion, which is deriv'd from vowing ones ſelf to a thing, becauſe thoſe Chriſtians by a Vow, in a particular manner, conſecrated themſelves to God.
'Tis a matter extremely difficult to pronounce upon this ſort of Life; I would not condemn all thoſe that follow it. I do not doubt but many were led by the Spirit into the Wilderneſs, as our Saviour was: but I dare boldly ſay, that this Eſtate is ſubject to as great Temptations as a worldly life is. In my opinion, it's very much to preſume on one's own Strength, to go and lye expoſed to the ſtrokes of an Enemy ſo potent as the Devil. In Society, if one falls, another helps him up again, but in the Wilderneſs he muſt ſuſtain himſelf; he muſt ſtand upon his own bottom; he muſt be his own Paſtor, Guide, and Director of Conſcience: and he that believes he has Light enough to furniſh for all theſe Duties, hath too high an opinion of himſelf. I would ſpeak here nothing more forcible againſt this way of living, than what St. Baſil himſelf, a great Lover and Admirer of the Monaſtic Life, hath writ thereon. He believes that that ſort of Life is no more charitable than it is prudent. They have either need of ſuccour themſelves, or they are in a condition to give it to others. If they ſtand in need themſelves, 'tis an imprndence to be confined in a place where they can receive none. If they can afford it to others, this is to want Charity, and to rob Society of what might be uſeful to it. And with good reaſon he ſayes, that this is to deprive ones ſelf of the Hope to hear, one day, thoſe words from our Lord's Mouth, Thou gaveſt meat to him that was an hungred, drink to him that was thirſty; thou clothedſt him that was naked, and viſitedſt him that was in Priſon. In ſhort, I fear the Remark of this Father in the ſame place is not over true, that this Life (ſo far out of the path of Humility) is not a Stair-caſe to Pride: for theſe men, comparing themſelves to themſelves, as St. Paul ſpeaks, and ſeeing nothing more accompliſht than themſelves, perſuade themſelves they are Perfect. Every one ſees himſelf too near to know himſelf well, and does not know himſelf thoroughly enough to correct himſelf; and therefore an Anchoret who uſes not the eyes of another to examin himſelf, lets many ſins, without doubt, eſcape him, to which, Judges more ſevere than we are to our ſelves, would not have done that favour. To be brief; I have ſaid that ſo far is this kind of living from any great uſe to Devotion, as I believe 'tis an impediment to it: becauſe it is depriv'd of exerciſing the Works of Mercy, which are ſo neceſſary. A man in the Deſart hath his diſtractions; and if he have not a Soul of an extraordinary temper, 'tis to be fear'd, they are more dangerous than thoſe met withall in the World. A mind abandon'd, without any Guide, makes oftentimes ſtrange ſlips. The wide World, and a narrow Lowlineſs, are moſt aſſuredly two very dangerous Extremities. There is need of extraordinary Grace to thrive well in either Conditions: ſo that thoſe who have receiv'd indifferent Gifts from Heaven, are to chooſe a Life that holds the middle betwixt theſe two Extreams. But, at leaſt, 'tis without Controverſie, that Solitude is abſolutely neceſſary at hours deſtin'd to Devotion: Which is not to be taken in ſuch a manner as to do any prejudice to holy Aſſemblies or Publick Devotions. They have their Uſe for Devotion, and under Pretext of praying in our Cloſet, we are never to deprive our ſelves of ſo neceſſary an Aid to Piety. True it is, every where elſe our Senſes are enemies to Self-recollection; but there both the Senſes and Imagination favour the motions of the devout Soul. The looking upon Churches, which are God's houſes, the preſence of Angels, who aſſiſt in thoſe places; the ſociety of a multitude of Souls that joyn their Vows as well as their Voices together; the Word of God reſounding in our Ears; the Prayers that are united, and being conceived by many hearts, make up but one Vow: All theſe things extremely help the Soul to make its elevations, and ſerve very much to baniſh worldly Ideas, to make holy ones ſucceed in their ſtead. Nay, 'tis not impoſſible too, but that among ſuch a crowd we may conſerve Solitude it ſelf. A Soul truly devout, in ſuch places, is ſo collected into its ſelf, that all the Objects which might do it an injury cannot find it; the faithful Perſon is in the Cloſet of his own heart; he leaves no door open but for God's Word, and for things able to inſtill Piety: but the doors are ſhut againſt the vain Objects that are too often to be ſeen in ſuch places. There is a Spiritual Solitude as well as a Corporeal, ſayes St. Bernard, and that is only in the midſt of a throng, which is exempt from vain and frivolous thoughts. But 'tis an horrible Profaneneſs to have indevour Diſpoſitions in the Church, to have there an heart open to all Vainities, to go thither to ſee and to be ſeen, to hear to get matter to play upon, and to catch at Syllables and Words. How great an account will theſe People have to make! 'Tis enough ſure to have offended man, and God himſelf, all the dayes in the Week, there needs no coming on the Sunday to declare War againſt him in his face. I ſhall not inlarge here to ſpeak of the manner after which we ſhould act in Religious Aſſemblies, becauſe I deſign here only to give Rules for Cloſet-Devotion.
Meditation.
WHere ſhall I find an happy Solitude, that may be to me an aſſured Sanctuary againſt the Perſecution of the enemies of my Soul? If I go from the World, I carry it along with me; if I enter into my Cloſet, I am followed by a crowd of fleſhly thoughts, that perfectute me cruelly. When I would ſave my ſelf in Deſarts, and dwell in the Rocks with the Owl and Cormorant, Vulturs are there, thoſe griping Cares that would tear and prey upon my Entrails. I ſhould be aſſail'd there by Flocks of Birds, and a multitude of vain and light Thoughts, which would lift me up from my ſelf, to throw me into the World. What muſt I do to remedy this great Evil? Thou knoweſt the Remedy, O Lord, I do not know it, do thou teach me. Here below there is no Heaven that can ſhelter and ſhrowd me from theſe Tempeſts; no charms that can lay theſe Devils, and conjure down theſe Fantoms of my Imagination. I muſt make me a new heart; for this is not ſo much the World's fault as my own. 'Tis not becauſe it purſues me, but for that I have placed it within me, and, which way ſoever I go, I carry it with me. If my heart were pure and clean, in the midſt of Cities and the greateſt Aſſemblies I ſhould find Solitude. My Soul being drawn up into it ſelf would be environed on all ſides with a contempt of the World as with a Rampart; The love of God and Godlineſs would keep the Avenues; They would be a good Guard, and would drive all Objects away which might come to interrupt me, ſo as I ſhould be alwayes in a place of ſafety.
Prayer.
O Bleſſed Lord, create in me a clean Heart, purifie it from the vain Images of the World, which Sin and Satan have engrav'd in my Soul: that; under the Wings of thy good Spirit and Love, I may find that Sanctuary againſt my ſelf, which I ſeek every where, but find no where. But why, O my God, ſhould not thy Grace, while we are in the fleſh, be ſufficient to deaden all its motions? why ſhould I have always theſe Amalekites and Moabites round about me, while I march and advance towards the heavenly Canaan, and the Jeruſalem which is above? why have we not here below thoſe Rivers of Grace, and why cannot I have a Floud and Sea to waſh my Entrails and cleanſe them from theſe miſerable Impurities? It is thy will O God that my Temptations be always near me, and the Philiſtines be always upon me, that I may watch and not ſleep on the lap of Dalila. It is thy will that I have evermore a Thorn in my Fleſh, the Meſſenger of Satan to buffet me, leaſt I ſhould be exalted above Meaſure. O my Saviour, command that the leaſt Temptation as not ſeize upon me, which is not common to man; give me an happy ſucceſs in all my Temptations, and ſtrength to be able to bear them. It is true, thy Grace is ſufficient for me: let it not fail me then; let it work its work in the midſt of my Infirmities; let it diſperſe my different thoughts; let it calm the Agitations of my Soul: let it make me to find a Sanctuary, where being far from Noiſe, Paſſions, and Affections, I may conſecrate to thee my Watchings, my Words, and my Thoughts, where I may be able to ſing thy Praiſes Eternally, and celebrate thy divine Majeſty.