Book III. of J E S U S C H R I S T. xo3

God, in afflicting thee, hath abandoned all Care and Concern for thy Benetit^ (ince even that tender, that unparallel'd, that unconceivable Affection, with which he loved his own dear Son, hindred not his making that "Very Captain of thy Saltation ferfcB ^^y - thro' SiijjWings.k.ndi what art Thou ? What is the beft of Men in comparifon of Him ? What are thy Agonies and Tryals, the very wortt of thine^ ia comparifon of His ?
Chap. XXXVI.
Of feeking God alone.
Difciple, ] *T^HY Mercy, Lord, is great, which hath X thus far affifted me; but IHll, I feel, I want a larger Portion of thy Grace, which may con- dud: me to fuch a State of Perfection, as may fecure and fet me at Liberty,from all the Obllrudions, which the Creatures lay in my Way. For,fo long as I retain an AfFedion or Concern for any thinginthis World, I find my Soul checkt and reftrainedin herMoun^'ngs to Thee and Heaven. How often do I make the Pro- phet's Wifli my own, Oh that I had IFings pf^,;„^iy^ like a Dovcy for then would I fly away and be at re jl ^ Lo then would I get me away far off^ and re- main at a diftance from the W^orld. Now what is more at eafe, more ab(lra(5ted from the World , than a true fingle-heartedHonefty ? What can bcaO of Free- dom equal to His, who covets nothing upon Earth ? All created Beings fliould indeed be puifwd over, and left behind inthisFlight- and aMan muft makeaSti-ctch, even beyond himfelF, and abandon his owa N •■ ra! Inclinations andDeteds,in order to get a diftir-itView of the Creator, and thofe Perfections in him/o which
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no Creature bears any Refemblance. Now this is th^ very Reafon^ why fo few employ their Thoughts in Heavenly Comtemplations with any fenfible Delight • tecaufe when they attempt it^ they do it unskilful- ly ^ and bring thofe Worldly AfFedions along with them^ that damp and difguft them in the Underta- king-
It is not^ I Gonfefs^ an eaile Matter, nay, 'tis not poffible to Flefh and Blood, by its own Strength, thus \o purge the AfFedions. Nothing lefs than a liberal and very powerful Infpiration of Divine Grace can thus exalt the Mind, and as it were carry the Man out of himfelf. But, till fuch Exaltation of the Soul have difengaged one from all Teinpo^ai Interefts, and fhem, God himfelf ; all his Knowledge and imagined Excellencies are very little worth. For,whatever falfe Notions of Honour and Greatnefs Men may delude themfelves with, yet itiil all They have poor and little Souls, and dote upon that which ought to be difdaiq- ed, who allow any thing, bcndes the Infinite and E- ternal God, a very honourable Place in their Affecti- ons and Elleem. For All, which is not God, is Va- nity and Nothing, and ought to be nothing regard- ed, flow vaft a difference is there between the Wif- €(om of anKjrtified piousMan, enlightned fiom above^ and ^he pompous Learning of a profound and ftudious i)ivine ? That Knowledge, which defcends frorn above, fpeaj^s its heavenly Original, by marvellous ^nd noble Effeds ; and works a greater Change in ihe Man, a greater Improvement in profitable Know- ledge ^ than all that Comprehenfion which the bed Capacities, and the moft indefatigable Induftry, can ^yer attain to.
We often hear very glorious Charaders of Divine CQntemplation,and the wonderful Delights and Tran-? fpof;§ attending it ^ and Thefb a great many appear
very
Book Til, of J E s u s C H R I s T. 205;
very fond of. But then they have no regard to the ne- ceflary Preparations for it j their Minds are full of fenfibie Idea's, and poiTefs'd with the things of this prefent World, and the Subduing and Mortifying their Defires and Paffions is a Matter they take no care about. And, while their Affairs continue in this Pofture, they are in no degree qualified for thofe Ex- ercifes of the Mind. Methinks it is a moft unaccount- able Folly, and argues, that Men forget what Spirit they are of^ when they call themfelves Chriliians, i,e. Spiritual Perfons that have folemnly renounced the World with its Vanities, and the Flefii with its linful Lulh j who profefs to believe and to feek Happinefs in a future State, and to place that Happintfs in the Perfection of their Souls ; and yet, in Reproach and Contradi(5iion to thefe Profeflions, fuffer Body and Senfe to run away with them • lay out themfelves en- tirely upon perifhingand paltry Advantages,whilethe fubftantial and everlalling are wretchedly negleded, and their Souls foperfedly forgotten,, that they fcarce afford one ferious thought to their moft important con- cerns. Or, if at any time they fet themfelves to think, fomeTrifle prefently interruptsand draws them off from any profitable Recollections Nay, they themfelves fly our, and are glad to be diverted from a fevere Exa- mination into their own State ^ which is fure, if dili-- gently purfued^to prefent them withObjecfts of Shame and Sorrow,fuch as will wound their Sight, and foon make them weary of this necelTary Work.Tbus we ne- ver trouble our felves to obferve which ws:y our In- clinations are difpofed, or whither they tend ,* nor do we ferioufly bewail the abominable Inipurity of our Hearts, though there be nothing but Impurity there. The •way of aU Fltjh is corrupt ttfon q^^ y- tbc Earth ^ and that univerfal Corruption, fays the Scripture, brought a Flood to deftroy Man- kind and every Creature, But whence, do we think,
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proceeds fuch Corruption of Manners ? from the Cor- rupt Affections of Mcn^ no doubt. For, if this Foun- tain be not fweet, the Action, which is but a Stream and Emanation from it, muft of neceffity be flat and bitter. For a pure Heart is the Ground-work of a holy Life ; and as naturally fprings from it^ as the Fruit from the Tree.
And herein we are much to bl?me, that fo little Regard is had to the Difpoiitions of the Hearty with- out which no true Judgment can ever be made, ei- ther of our felves or others. But this, which is in truth of |o;reatefl Confequence ; the very Point, upon which a Man's whole Character turns, feems to be laid afide, as a thing too nice and fpeculative to be very curious in. We fix our Eyes upon the outward Adion, confider what, or how much a Man hath done ; but with what Sincerity, with what Zeal, with what honeft Intention he did it, or whether with none of all chefe Qualifications, we trouble not our lelvs^. to enquire. So again, for the Eftimate we make of Perfons, they are all foreign from the true and proper Foundation of Merit and Refpe The Riches, Valour, Beauty, Judgment, Wit, Elo- quence, s good Style, or a fweet Voice, or a Knack of Mana^-ement in Town or Country-bufmefs, his Prefermeiits, or his Profeffion, Thefe we immediate- ly take care to be informed of, and proportion our Value and Refpecls accordingly : But a Man*s Hu- mility anc' Poverty of Spirit, his Meeknefs and Pa- tience, hi:; Devotion and Piety, Thefe are feld'om. mentioned in the Charader, or recommended as Mo- tives to inJuce Regard. Thus Nature and Grace have their different Profpeds and AfFedions. The for?Ker locks at the Outfide of a Man, and rates him according to things that are not his 3 the latter pla- ces all within, and fets not at all by external Orna- ments and Advantages. The Former builds upon a
falfe
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