A Christian Directory Volume I Part 67

_Instance_ IX. Thus also the vulgar separate the mercy and the justice of G.o.d! As if G.o.d knew not better than man to whom his mercy should extend. And as if G.o.d be not merciful, if he will be a righteous governor, and unless he will suffer all the world to spit in his face and blaspheme him, and let his enemies go all unpunished.

_Instance_ X. Thus many separate threatenings and promises, fear and love, a perfect law and a pardoning gospel. As if he that is a man, and hath both fear and love in his nature, must not make use of both for G.o.d and his salvation; and the lawgiver might not fit his laws to work on both. As if h.e.l.l may not be feared, and heaven loved at once.

_Instance_ XI. Thus hypocrites separate and conceit their seeming holiness and devotion to G.o.d from duties of justice and charity to men. As if they could serve G.o.d acceptably, and disobey him wilfully!

Or as if they could love him whom they never saw, and not love his image in his works and children, whom they daily see. As if they could hate and persecute Christ in his little ones, or at least neglect him, and yet sincerely love him in himself.

_Instance_ XII. Thus, by many, Scripture and tradition, divine faith and human faith, are commonly opposed. Because the papists have set tradition in a wrong place, many cast it away because it fits not that place: when man's tradition and ministerial revelation, is necessary to make known and bring down G.o.d's revelation to us; and a subservient tradition is no disparagement to Scripture, though a supplemental tradition be; and man must be believed as man, though not as G.o.d; and he that will not believe man as man, shall scarce know what he hath to believe from G.o.d.

_Instance_ XIII. Thus many separate the sufficiency of the law and rule from the usefulness of an officer, minister, and judge. As if the law must be imperfect, or else need no execution, and no judge for execution. Or as if the judge's execution were a supplement or addition to the law. As if the question, Who shall be the judge? did argue the law of insufficiency; and the promulgation and execution were not supposed.

_Instance_ XIV. Thus also many separate the necessity of a public judge, from the lawfulness and necessity of a private judgment, or discerning in all the rational subjects. As if G.o.d and man did govern only brutes; or we could obey a law, and not judge it to be a law, and to be obeyed; and not understand the sense of it, and what it doth command us. As if fools and madmen were the only subjects. As if our learning of Christ as his disciples, and meditating day and night in his law, and searching for wisdom in his word, were a disobeying him as our King. As if it were a possible thing for subjects to obey, without a private judgment of discretion. Or as if there were any repugnancy between my judging what is the king's law, and his judging whether I am punishable for disobeying it. Or as if judging ourselves, contradicted our being judged of G.o.d.

_Instance_ XV. So, many separate between the operation of the word and Spirit, the minister and Christ. As if the Spirit did not usually work by the word; and Christ did not preach to us by his ministers and amba.s.sadors. And as if they might despise his messengers, and not be taken for despisers of himself. Or might throw away the dish and keep the milk.

_Instance_ XVI. Thus many separate the special love of saints from the common love of man as man. As if they could not love a saint, unless they may hate an enemy, and despise all others, and deny them the love which is answerable to their natural goodness.

_Instance_ XVII. Thus many separate universal or catholic union and communion from particular. And some understand no communion but the universal, and some none but the particular. Some say we separate from them as to catholic communion, if we hold not local, particular communion with them; yea, if we join not with them in every mode. As if I could be personally in ten thousand thousand congregations at once, or else did separate from them all. Or, as if I separated from all mankind, if I differed from all men in my visage or complexion.

Or, as if I cannot be absent from many thousand churches, and yet honour them as true churches of Christ, and hold catholic communion with them in faith, hope, and love; yea, though I durst not join with them personally in wors.h.i.+p, for fear of some sinful condition which they impose. Or, as if I need not be a member of any ordered wors.h.i.+pping congregation, because I have a catholic faith and love to all the christians in the world.

_Instance_ XVIII. Thus are the outward and inward wors.h.i.+p separated by many, who think that all which the body performeth is against the due spirituality; or that the spirituality is but fancy, and contrary to the form or outward part. As if the heart and the knee may not fitly bow together; nor decency of order concur with Spirit and truth.

_Instance_ XIX. Thus many separate faith and obedience; Paul's justification by faith, without the works of the law, from James's justification by works, and not by faith only, and Christ's justification by our words, Matt. xii. 47. And thus they separate free grace and justification from any necessary condition, and from the rewardableness of obedience (which the ancients called merit): but of this at large elsewhere.

_Instance_ XX. And many separate prudence and zeal, meekness and resolution, the wisdom of the serpent and the innocency of the dove; yielding to no sin, and yet yielding in things lawful; maintaining our christian liberty, and yet becoming all things to all men, if by any means we may save some. These instances are enough, I will add no more.

_Direct._ XVIII. Take heed of falling into factions and parties in religion (be the party great or small, high or low, in honour or dishonour); and take heed lest you be infected with a factious, censorious, uncharitable, hurting zeal: for these are much contrary to the interest, will, and Spirit of Christ. Therefore among all your readings, deeply suck in the doctrine of charity and peace, and read much, reconciling, moderating authors; such as Dury, Hall, Davenant, Crocius, Bergius, Martinius, Amyraldus, Dallaeus, Testardus, Calixtus, Hottonus, Junius, Paraeus and Burroughs their Irenicons.

The reading of such books extinguisheth the consuming flame of that infernal, envious zeal described James iii.; and kindleth charity, and meekness, and mellowness, and moderation in the heart; and cureth those bloodshotten eyes, which are unable till cured to discern the truth. It helpeth us to knowledge, and to that which is more edifying, and keepeth knowledge from puffing us up. And experience will tell you at long running, that among ancients and moderns, Greeks and Latins, papists and protestants, Lutherans and Calvinists, remonstrants and contra-remonstrants, prelatists, presbyterians, independents, &c., commonly the moderators are not only the best and most charitable, but the wisest, most judicious men.

_Direct._ XIX. With all your readings still join the reading of the Scriptures, and of the most holy and practical divines; not fantastical, enthusiastic counterfeits, Paracelsian divines; but those that lead you up by the solid doctrine of faith and love to true devotion, and heavenly-mindedness and conversation.

This must be your bread and drink, your daily and substantial food: without this you may soon be filled with air, that cannot nourish you, and prove in the end as sounding bra.s.s and tinkling cymbals. These will breed strength, and peace, and joy, and help you in your communion with G.o.d, and hopes of heaven, and so promote the end of all your studies. There is more life and sweetness in these, than in things that are more remote from G.o.d and heaven.

_Direct._ XX. Lastly, Do all as dying men: promise not yourselves long life, lest it tempt you to waste your time on things less necessary, and to loiter it away; or lest you lose the quickening benefit, which the sight of death and eternity would yield you in all your studies.

The nearer you apprehend yourselves to death and heaven, the greater help you have to be mortified and heavenly. This will make you serious, and keep up right intentions, and keep out wrong ones, and powerfully help you against temptations, that when you have studied to save others, you may not be cast-aways; nor be cheated by the devil with the sh.e.l.l, and leaves, and flowers, while you go without the saving fruit.

I have spoken the more on this subject of governing the thoughts, because it is so great and excellent a part of the work of man; and G.o.d doth so much regard the heart; and the Spirit of Christ and Satan so much strive for it; and grace is so much employed about it; and our happiness or misery, joy or sorrow, is greatly promoted by our thoughts. And more I would have said, but that in the third chapter, and in my "Treatise of the Divine Life," there is much said already.

And for a method and directions for particular meditations, I have given it at large in the fourth part of the "Saints' Rest," from whence it may easily be taken, and applied to other subjects, as it is there to heaven. It is easy to write and read directions; but I fear lest slothfulness, through the difficulty of practice, will frustrate my directions to the most. But if any profit by them, my labour is not lost.

FOOTNOTES:

[301] Sicut ignis in aqua durare non potest, ita neque turpis cogitatio in Dei amante: quoniam omnis qui Dei amator est, etiam laboris amans est: caeterum labor voluntarius, naturaliter voluptati inimicus exist.i.t. Marcus Erem.

[302] See the directions for prayer, hearing, reading, and the sacrament. Part ii.

[303] See in my tract on Heb. xi. 1, called "The Life of Faith."

[304] See my book of the Mischiefs of Self-ignorance.

[305] Thus evil may be made the object and occasion of good: it is good to meditate on evil to hate it, and avoid it. Keep acquaintance with conscience, and read over its books, and it will furnish your thoughts with humbling matter.

[306] Psal. cv. 22; See Psal. civ. cv. cvi. cvii. cxxii. cxxiv. cx.x.xv.

cx.x.xvi. cxlv. cxlvii. cxlviii. cxlix.

[307] Phil. ii. 13; 2 Cor. iii. 5; xii. 9.

[308] Of this see the fourth part of my "Saints' Rest" more fully.

[309] Gal. vi. 10; 2 Thess. iii.

[310] See Dr. Hammond on the place, and on 1 Tim. v. and on t.i.t. ii.

[311] Petrarch speaking of his intimacy and esteem with kings and princes, addeth, Multos tamen eorum quos valde amabam effugi: tantus mihi fuit insitus amor libertatis; ut cujus vel nomen ipsum libertati, vel illi esse contrarium videretur, omni studio declinarem. In Vita Sua.

[312] Read more after, part iii. against despair.

[313] Stoici dic.u.n.t sapientem nunquam sanitate mentis excidere: incidere tamen aliquando in imaginationes absurdas propter atrae bilis redundantiam, sive ob delirationem non quidem deviatione rationis, verum ex imbecillitate naturae. Laert. in Zenone.

[314] Col. ii. 18-23.

[315] John iii. 16; 1 John v. 10-12; Rev. xxii. 17; John v. 40.

[316] Acts xxvi. 18; Eph. i. 18, 19; Col. i. 13; 1 Pet. ii. 9; Rom.

viii. 7; 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15.

[317] Nos autem nec subito cpimus philosophari, nec mediocrem a primo tempore aetatis in eo studio operam curamque consumpsimus, et c.u.m minime videbamur tum maxime philosophabamur. Cicero de Nat. Deor. page 5.

[318] Primum contemplativae sapientiae rudimentum est meditari, condiscere, et loquitari dedicere. Paul. Scalig. Thes. p. 730.

[319] Since the writing of this, I have begun a Methodis Theologiae.

[320] Read well Vincentius Lirinensis.

[321] Sana consultatio est ex eruditia; multarumque rerum peritia et experientia. Plato in Laert.

[322] c.u.m opiniones tam variae sint et inter se dissidentes, alterum fieri potest, ut earum nulla, alterum certe non potest, ut plus una vera fit. Cicero de Nat. Deor. page 5.

CHAPTER VII.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE Pa.s.sIONS.

The pa.s.sions are to be considered, 1. As in themselves, and the sin of them as respecting G.o.d and ourselves only: and so I am to speak of them here. 2. As they are a wrong to others, and a breach of the commandments which require love and duty towards our neighbour: and so I shall speak of them after.

Pa.s.sions are not sinful in themselves, for G.o.d hath given them to us for his service; and there is none of them but may be sanctified and used for him. But they are sinful, 1. When they are misguided and placed on wrong objects. 2. When they darken reason, and delude the mind, and keep out truth, and seduce to error. 3. When they rebel against the government of the will, and trouble it, and hinder it in its choice or prosecution of good, or urge it violently to follow their brutish inclination. 4. When they are unseasonable. 5. Or immoderate and excessive in degree. 6. Or of too long continuance. 7.