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: \|MORAL ESSAYS,
u | L Contain’d: ‘in feveral
T REATIS E 5 7 ON : Many Important Durizs f | Written in French, by
Meffienrs du Port Royal.
7 Ë aithfully Rendred into Englife, by |
À Perfon of Quality.
Firft Volume,
LONDON. Printed for 7. Magnes and R. Bentley, in : | alee in Covent-Garden, near the Piazza! s, M DC LXXVIT.
| | \
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ADVERTISEMENT.
Othing eal be bere {aid of she Pro- foe the Author bad in bis Eye, when be made. thife Treatifes ;
‘mor of she Reafons be bas at prefent to publi them, nor of what extent the matter is which
be defign’d to comprehend under the Title be bath given them. Is is well known, the World caves tittle to be inform'd of thefe Pare . tioulars, and that baving no intereft but in abe Work, is felf, itgwvill judge thereof by its true intrinfick worth, not by thefe outward and forrein circunsances, We will therefere coutent ovr félves in gi- ne advice touching the Bock .it (Af, wnt the firft fall be of its Title. Moral Effays It would be à mifiake to conclude that ne- thing was pretended to be berein propos d, but fome uncertain and confus d Glimpfes , or flight Ideas of Chriftian Perfection, On the contrary, fome- of theje Trestifes give a Pree
_ fpeë fair enough, and there is none of them _that does net contain Truths mot felid, and
of the-greateft importance, ages ™
a
Advertifement. | The reafon then of making choice of this
“Title bas been, That Chriftian Moralrty ap-
pearing to be of too vaft an extent, to be all entirely bere treated ef. and the enterprife tee great to reduce into one Body that diverfity of Principles it contains, and thofe many De- voirs depending thereon: It bas been thought better. to-Effay to Treat it by Parts, now ap-
‘ty, now of another ; wbilit it bas been thoughe Sufficient, on the peculiar matters kere ban.
Aled, to. advance feveral Truths as they bave
offer d themfelves, without undergoing the trouble of difpofing and ordering them accor-
_ > ding to Method, And this is whats mark’d ont by the word Eflay® ‘
Perbaps this way of writing bas been cho- Jen for its eafinefs, Tet true it is, that this
. diforder. wants het its advantages, and-thofe na imconfiderableunes, For if we take notice , there is a necefity of filling Metbudical Works . with aninfinite number of things, which bave - no other benefit, than that of their being ree
quifite to Order; und to leave out others of great ufe, for this only reafon that they cannot bardfonly take place in the preféribed Me- £hod, | ° The necefity which one obliges. bimfelf to
| of tying and connecting together former - theughis, to thofe shat follow, brings in ano
ther
plying ones felf to the confideration of one du. -
am.
:
re Se sae OO a ee
a. + FL.
at. i ARS ee OR CR ne MO -
Advertifement:
ther, of adetitting many common trivial ores,
which are not taken np by choice or inclina- tion, and which are of no other ufe than to fd ap certain gaps and void places, and te
_ tye and kuit together the feveral parts of the . déféourfe. Sothat in pieces exatily methodi-
cal, many things are [aid againft ones mind, — and others omitted which one would bre {aid: Not that I pretend to equalize Writings compos’d of thoughts, baving no: conneion ene with another, to Treatifes thst are cobe. rent and methedical. No, I only pretend to conclude, that a Piece is not altegether to be flighted, though the parts whereof it is compoled be net rang'd in (0 'exaëf an order, .
"or fo neatly jointed one with' anether: And:
Experience makes out the Truth which I ad- vence ; from divers Writings ofthis kind, mbich bave bad great vogue end cfteim. But if fo precife an order'be net to be foughs fer in each particnlar Treati[e of this Volume;
* at ongbt with lefs reafon-to be expetted inthe
difpofition they bave -amengft themfelves 5 which is arbitrary enough: Neverthelefs, as Order and Metbod are of feveral- kinds, and :
. tbat there are few things where fome order
may not be imagin’ds: the following tonfille-. rations maygive « Reafon flaufible enough of she difpofition of thefeTreatifes. § —s *
an
Aa | The
L ———
NH
Advertifement, | The firft. duty of Man is to know bimfclfs.
. gmd.to know bimfelf isto be fully acqnainted:
with bis own corruption eud'wesknefs. ‘To. seach this is the fubjeël of the Firft Treatife;. Of the Weaknefs of Man. . Bus we ought. not to flop bere; baving. known our felves, we neu endeavour to. — know God; not by « Knowledge Barren and:
» Pbhilofopbical, but Beneficial and Cbri.
fitax by a Knowledge which. may be a.
_ Light to guide our fleps in this life, and:
bring me to the end we aim.at, And this- is the proper drift of the Second Treatife
_Of Submiffion to the Wil of God :-Which.
contains the Principles of all thofe duties we — ‘are obligedto, during the ceurfe of. our life 5. fince there are none. which are net in this don-
, ble contemplation of Gods Wil, confider’don.
one fide asthe rule of: owr attions, on the otber- asthe canfe of whatfoever wappens. | | . Had nos. Man been. corrupted, almoft-no. other infiruilions than this bad been needful ;. all -Cbriftian. Faftior: confifting in knowing and performing the WH. of God, But, as.
there are many. things that weakew in the.
Fults refolutions-they beve made of obeying. sy , and preferring bim before all things. elfe; they ought. te ufé many means te maine tain aud frengthen themjelves in their good: refolves.. The moft- commen, mef grace
: | moft.
Ee 20 wT St ee a ,
—
_ Advertifemenit: mf? anthoriz d by Seripture, and the Exas |
ples of Saints, are thofe of Fear, the fibje | ofthe Third Treatifes in which ore parties :
. barly confider’d the Reafons shat eventhe Fa |
have to live in.acontinual dread of Ged Ai
mighty.
‘The Three firft! Treatifes look diredily onl at the interior duties of Man, with relation either. te God or to bimfelf: Bus fince Goa bath oblig’d: the greateft. portion sf Mankind
_ to a life of commerce mith others, and that
Salvation ordinarily depends on sheir condut herein; it is needful to forefee the principa
_ errors we, fir she-mof part. commit.in tres- ting with erbers, and te. confider the mean.
bow to fiithem: And this bus been endes vowred to be done inthe Treatife which has fo Title, Of the means to conferve Peace a mongft Meh. = _ Laftly, having. given feveral nfefnl Ad: vertifements for conferving Peace ; it wa thought convenient to look up texards thi
| Fountain-bead of all divifions, in the Tres. «Rife of Rath Judgments, where endeaveur.
are us'd to regulate the mind in the Fudg- ments is makes of Man, and all other things and to infpire the love ef Truth and Fuftice and the hatred of: a certain ral prefumption æbich in the World gives fentence of an.in finite number of things, ? | , - , erba
-
“
Advertifement.:
- Perhaps thefe Two loft Treatifes may feenr te fome fill'd with a number of obfervations too little, too particular, and too common: But: perbaps allo there will be found fome who may reap fo much,the more. profit out of this minute handling thefe matters ashy experience: they feall kxow that the meft part of difcourfes
: meade in general, are of little ufe, fince either for reant of fincerity or knowledge there is al-
mot no body found who applies them bome to bimfelf. So that to oblige Men to reflect on their faults and duties, there is a neceffity of
- particularizing them in the moft plain and ' fimple manner that can be. Nor ought one
to be referved in this particular out-of fear, Left the things propes’d fhould.prave little aud. trivial. Here in the World all things are mean and little. through the meannefs of the
end all our aétions tend to: In Religion all a5 great through the greatnefs of that it pre.
pofes to it felf. Moreover, thofe who knom in what Chriftian Virtue confijts, are not.igno- rant, that it foews.it felf in nothing more than in regulating Men in their particular life, and ordinary. actions. The eccafions of doing great things are rare, and tke Grace ta perform them faithfully is not to be abtain'd but by that attention and care which every one fall. bave to acquit bimfelf of thofe com- mon duties which compofe the body of our.a- érons and life. + | ere
this Piece,
Advertifément, 7 There only remains to advertife, that js
“may be obferv'd in fome places ( which are
very few ) certain thenghts bave been bore
| row'd from Books publifh'ds viz. From the _ Thoughts of Mr. Pafchali the Art of
Thinking, and the Education of a Prince: Since thefe are become publick, it mas be- liew'd one might, by that right the publick has there tethem, make this nfe of them, and that no body could blame this procedure, bill by this fincere acknowledgement Fu- Stice was done their Authors, |
__Perbaps the Treatife of the Education of
.4 Prince may become one Voluma of thefe Moral Effayss its author baving acktow-
ledged, that be: could bave wif'd it might
from the beginning bave born that Title :
Since the Treatifes whereof it is compes’d are
fit to make part of the defignof thefé Efftays,
and tbat be gave his confent itfoould forthe future be book'd on as one of the Volumes of
eee" | anes Re atte tel
| |
)
| Kp a Judgments 2
| sasssss saree
TABLE
| Matters contain’d 1 in this VOLUME
The Firft Treatile.
‘Of the Weaknefs of Man. .
. The Second Treati. Of Submiffiow to the Will of Go First Part. .
: | Second Part. - 7
The Third Treatife. Of the Fear of God. : The Fourth Treatife. “Of the means te conferve Peace maf Men, Firft Part. I’ 2
Second Fart
The Fifth Treatife. MORA
|
L
ussansaete 4
MORAL ESSAYS,
Firft T reatife,
Df the weaknefs f Mar:
Miferere mes. Domine, quoniam ine
| firmus June
I.
Ride is a fwelling of the heart, by which mah dilates and mag- nifies himfelf in his own imagi- nation; and the Idea, or conceit
vf our felves it imprints in us, is an Idea
of ftrength, of greatnefs, and of excele ace. "Tis upon this fcose Riches puff
Sup; for they give usoccafion to efteem . pur felves as mighty and great. We look.
apon them according to the _expreffion of B t
. 3 s M #
2 The Fick Œreatilr,
the wife man, as a ftrong hold fhelteri us from the injuries of Fortune, and € bling us to Lord it over others: Sabff. tie divitis Urbs roboris ejus. And he {prings that inward haughtinels, which according to St. Angutine, the worm Riches.
- IL. \ .
The Pride of the Great, is of the fa nature with that of the Rich, and, like . confifts in the Idea they have of their o firength. Now, whereas, fhould tl confider themfelves alone, they could : find in themfelves wherewith to frame ! conceit: their euftom is, to add to tt own being whatever belongs to, or h any connexion with themfelves. A. gr man, in the Idea he frames of himfelf, not one fingle man alone, but aman m up of all thofe, whodepend on him; : he imagines himfelf to have as many ha as they altogether have, becaufe all th great his difpofe, and moveat his pleafi A General of an Army always looks himfelf as in the midft of his Souldi Thus it is that every one endeavours _ fill as much room as ‘he can in hiso thoughts; and it is but to augment : magngfe the Idea every one there frai of himfelf, that we prefs forward,
Of the Glenknets of Dar: 3
fitive to grow great in the world! °Tis
__ theend of the defigns of all ambitious men ;
‘
norhad Alexander and Cafèr any other in ali the battels theyfought. If one fhould
- "ask why the Grand Seignieur lately caus'd » the death of a hundred thoufand men in
Candia, with confidence one may anfwer, that it was onely to add to the pourtrai. ture which he had drawn of himfelf in
“his own mind, the title of Conqueror. | I
° I. LS This it is, that hath brought forth all
: . thofe haughty titles, which dayly increafe,
as this inward pride grows more exorbi- tant, or lefs difguis’d. I fancy that he who firft took the ttile of High and Mighty Lord, took'd on himfelf as rais’d above the . heads of his Vaffals ; and this it was he
_ would make known by this Epithete of .
» High, {fo little agreeable to the low lines
‘of man. The Eaftern much owt-goes our
European World, in the numeroufnefls of
.- titles, being much more foolifhly vain,
Entirepages are requir’d to contain thofe of the leaft of your Indian Kings; becaufe ’ there they fet down the number of their Elephants, Revenues, and Jewels, all which | compofe that imaginary being, which is — the Object.of their Vanity, | |
Ba I"
——
4 The Kirt Creatife,
| IV. _ Perhaps alfo what makes us defire wi fo much paffion the approbation of othe: is that hereby we are fettl'd and fortif in the Idea we have of our own Exc lence: for, this publick teftimony gives an affurance thereof; our approbators | ing as many witncfles, per{wading us are not miftaken in the opinion we have our delves,
. V.
Pride growing from Spiritual Endo ments, is of the fame kind with tt grounded on outward advantages; a1 like it, confiftsin an Idea reprefenting to our own eyes as great, and- making:
_ judge our felves worthy to be efteer
preferred, and refpeéted: whether :t Pride {pring from fome quality we diftin ly know in.us, or from a confus’d im: of fome excellence and grandeur we att
a bute to our felves.
VI.
From this Idea alfo rifes the pleaf or difguft we take in many little thin, which either pleafe or check us, with determining the seafon on the fudden. ' take pleafyreto win at all games what
_ ever, even without any fpice of covetc
nefs ¥ and weare difpleas’d when we loc
€ €
"Te
Of the Cüleaknels of Part,
_andwhy? when we loofe we look u
eur felves as unfortunate, which mpd an Idea of weakaefs and mifery; when
win, wefeem happy, and this reprefent to our minds an Idea of ftrength, anj makes us take our felves for fottunes Fa vourites. °*Tis with pleafure we talk ol fickneffes and dangers we. have run
through, for thus we appear to our felves,
either to have been Gods particular charge, or clfe to-have us’d much courage and much addrefs in overcoming thofe evils incident to humane life, VIL.
~ YE therefore our Pride proceed from the Hdea.wc have of our own ftrength and our own excellence ; the beft means of eftablifhe ing the contrary virtue ofhumility, will be to convince us of our own weaknefs. The
" tumor muft be lane’d, to give vent to the
wind that fwellsit up. We muft undeceive and free our felves from thofe falfe lights by which we appear in our own Eyes Great; by placing before thern our own littlenefs and infirmities: yet not fo as to difcourage and reduce our felves to defpair; but to the end we may be prefs’d on to fearch for, in God, that help, that fuccour, that greatnels and ftrength which we cannot fmd in our own being, no nor in whatever elfc is join’d thereunto, B 3 VIE,
6 Che Fick Creatile,
VII. |
But fpecial care is to be had, leaft doing this we tread in the fteps fome Writers, who, under colour of hv bleing and. bringing down the pride man, have endeavor’d to reduce his : ture to the condition of Beafts.; be hurrid to the extravagance of maintaiu it fo have no advantages over that of the *Tis true thefe difcourfes produce an cf quite oppofite to what they pretend; : are juftly efteem’d rather as difport: Wits, then reafonings of ferious perf Man hath within him a knowledge clear, fo lively, of his pre-erninence ab Beafis, that it is avanity to pretend obfcure it by little quirks, and little ; falfe.ftories. - All that truth it felf can is to teachus humility , and often we | but too many evafions to elude: its ar ments, how lively and prefling foe What can we then expe from thefe tle reafonings, whole falfity we fufficie ly know from a bofom-witnefs we can filence, © |
. IX. |
It is to be fear’d thefe difcourfes, inft af coming from a fincere acknowledgem of mans bafencfs, and a defire of In bling his. pride, on the contrary proc
DE the Cülenknels of Bar 7 from a fecret vanity, Or a taint in nature of ayet deeper malignancy. For there are fome, who, ‘deliring to live like Beafts, ‘find nothing much humbling in thofe Opinions by which they are made like to them; nay, they find a fecret comfort: for they grow lefs afham’d of their irre- gular ways, which thus appear more con- tormable to nature. Moreover they are glad to bring down, and leaft with them- {elves thofe whofe luftre and greatnefs dazle them : little care they to be of the fame nature with Brutes, fo they place but in the fame rank Kings and Princes, Wile men and Philofophers.
Let us not then lofe time in fifting thefe idle Fancies for proofs of our weaknefs, fince we have fo many true and real ones of it our felves: far this we need but take a view of our Bodies and Souls; yet not fuch a fuperficial and deceitful one, as, con-
_ -o¢aling what pleafes not, fhall only fee
_ before our eyes what we have a mind to fees - No, this view muft be a full diftinæ and fincere one, a view making us appear fuch as really we are; acquainting us with what we truly have of. weaknefs and ftrength, of contemptible, and great.
\
S . She Firit Creattle, ; T XI.
Looking then on man afar off, we pi fently perceive a Soul and Body fafien and ty’d together by an unknown, ni incomprehenfible knot ; by which it cor to pafs that the imprefhons of the Bo affe& the Soul, and thofe of the Soul wo: en the Body: whilft not one is able : conceive the reafon or ways of this cor munication betwixt natures fo much d fering. After this, approaching near to take a more diftinét furvey of the differing Parts, We find the body to be Machine compos’ d of innumerable: Pip and Springs, fitted to produce infinite d verfity of actions and motions, wheth: for the confervation of this machine, for other intents to which they ase d sected: That the Soul is an intellige being, capable of good or evil, of happ nefs or mifery: That there are certai actions of this Machineof our Body th: depend not en the Soul, and: that the: are others which need the concurrence « her will, and which would not be witt out it; and that even of thefe aGions for are neceffary for preferving this Machine
as eating and drinking; others for othe
purpofes.
XI
Re D o
ee +
and fadnefs, -
WF the Clleaknets of Ban: 9
a XII. - This Machine, though fo clofely united fo a Soul, is neither immortal nor free
from being diforder'd or difcompos’d: On the contrary, its difpofition is fuch, that
it can laft but.a certain number of‘ years, and in it felf carries the caufes of its own ruine and defiruction; nay, often it is fpoil’d and broken in pieces in a very fhort
time, It is fubje@, even whilft it fub-
fifts, to an infinite of painful difcompo- fures, which we call difeafes, Phyfitians in vain have attempted to give us an exact catalogue of them; they are more than they can know : it being impoffible this innumerable multitude of fprings and fmall pipes, conveying to and again the humoss and fpirits of the Body, fhould fubfift al. moft without fome diforder. But, which is more grievous, this diforder ftays. not in the Body, it feizes on the mind, affli@s. it, difquictsit, and is the caufe of its pain
| XYIL |
. Man hath a power to movecertair parts of this his Machine, whichare at the beck of his will, and, by the motion of it, to ftir and.move fome adjacent bodies, accordin
=. tothedegree of hisftrength: This ftrengt ‘bus
is. fomewhat greater in one, then another ;.
10 «=. he Fick Creatite,.
but very inconfiderable in all: fo that bring about any work of moment,he is f ced to make ufe of thofe great motions finds in nature,to wit, of Water,Air, a | Fire. Thus his own weaknefs is fupply and thus he can bring to pafs. many thin, which by himfelf he could not compa! but, after aH this, all he can do is w . inconfiderable ; and it is by taking a vi _ Of Man, affifted with all thofe helps | indufiry borrows from other bodies, : fhall make it appear, that the vanity
draws. from. his power and firength, is we
ili grounded.
. | AEV.
What gives bintlu to, and fofters: up. mn this proudi conceit, is, that f&lf-lo dues {O fut andi lock him up: in himfe that amongit the innumerable things the univer; Be oncly confiders thof th have fome selation to, or connexion wi Kimfelf; to him. his life in fome fort is ; Eternity ; for he little regards what « thee went before, or fhalk come after andhe makesa World of that little fphe of Creatures invironing him, having : influence on him, or on which he canal and according to the place and room | allots himfelf in this little world, it is, thi .he frames this advantagious Idea of h own greatnefss EL X\
RS LL. 7 »
= ‘OF the Meaknelsof Man 1x
| XV. . .
Todifpell this error we are fo naturally | prone to, feems the reafon why God AF mighty, having a defign to humble 7eb under his fupreme Majefty, makes him as it were to come out of himfelf, and go abroad into the wide world, to contems plate it, and the things wherewith it is replenifhed ; to the end, that fetting bee ' fore his eyes how many beings and effects there are, furpafling, not onely his firength, . but his underftanding 3. he may thereby convince him of his impotences and weake nefs. And to fpeak truth, what is there fitter to defiroy that falfe Idea man frames of the greatnefs of his own being, whilft he compares himfelf only with himfelf, and other men like himfelf, then to oblige him to contemplate all the other Creatures à and to confider what they difcover to. us of the infinite greatnefs of God Almighty. The greater and more powerful God. fhali appear to our eyes, the lefs and fecblex fhall we find our felves, and it is dus ring the time we lofe fight of -his inf- nice greatnefs, that we eftéem our felves fomething. | ° - ° XVI ‘ To profecute therefore this hint the Scripture hath givenus, let every one con- . . a fider
¢
12 Che Fick Treatie, fider that infinite duration that is alread: gone, and will hereafter follow 3 anc frtding his life fiut up betwixt thefe two. . let him take notice what part it fills there of. Let him ask himfelf this queftion why he began to appear rather at this ther another inftant of this Eternity ? anc whether he perecive in himfelf a powe: either to give or conferve his own being “Let him put to himfelf the fame quer about extenfion or fpace; let him caft th ¢yes of his mind on that immenfity o bodies, where even his imagination éar find no limits : let him refleéon that vat extent of matter his fenfes difcover 5 it comparifon of which, let him confide: what is faln to his fhare; } mean tha portion of matter whercof. his body i: made: let him view well what it is, anc what place it fills in the Univerfe: Lei him endeavour to find out why it is pui * gather into this, then fome other place ol this infinite: extent, wherein he is as it were loft and fwallow’d up. Et is im. poffible but that he fhould conclude, ever the whole earth, by this furvey to be alittle dungeon wherein he finds himfelf <on- find: andif {o, what muft we fay of the {mall room he fills ontheearth? Tis. true, he hath a power to change place; but he | never
& . ,
=”
| DE the CEleaknets of Wan:
‘ever does this, but his lofs is as great
what he acquires, ‘and atall times he fin
himfelf like an unperceptible atome {wai
lowd up in this immenfity of the Uni verfe. 7 XVH.
To this confideration let him add, that of all the great motions which tofs up and down the matter of the world, and hurry about thofe vaft bodies which rowle over our heads : let him add the confideration : of whatfoever happens in this corporeal world, without dependance on him: let him put to this the contemplation of the Spiritual World, viz. that infinite num-
" ber of Angels and Devils, that prodigi-
ous number of deceafed ; which though dead in refpe& of us, are neverthelefs more
lively aud ative then before : farther, let
bim add the confideration of men now
~ jiving, who think not onhim, know him
not, and over whom he hath no power. And whilft he is in this contemplation, let him ask of himfelf what he is in this doublé world, what is his rahk, his force, .
his grandeur, his freagth, in comparifon
of that of all other Creaturcs. .XVIITE _ The principal end of this: contempls. tion is, to humble man in the prefence ot
2
14 he ficl Creatife, | God, and to teach him the knowledge his own weaknefs, compar’d to the in nite power of his Makers Nor. is it bufinefs of {mall confequence thus to hur ble ones felf: for, then only we grec proud of what we are in our felves, wh we forget what we are in refpeét of G Almighty. And for this reafon the Ar file St. Peter récommends to us the hu: bling of our felves under the power hand of God. Humiliamini {ub pote: manu Dei. Et alfo aims at the rooting of that yain complaifance man feels wh he confiders only the rank he holds ia t! little world, where he fhuts himfelf up! enlarging the Scene to him; and obligi “him to look on himfelf as one among many other beings, he is brought to k the Idea of that Phantaftick greatne which he onely afcribes to himfelf, as ap. from the reft of the Creation. But : rauft drive this. nail farther, and make
» appear, that-even all the firength he p
* furnes to. have in this his little world naught but meer weaknefs, and that vanity is ill grounded on all fides.
XIX. The ground of all this force, of all t pretended greatnefs, is onely our lif tor we regard our {elves only as here, :
rege nn, ne ene oe - oe - - ' . + t .
"OF the Cileaknels of Wan. à
look on (in a-:manner) all thofe whe an dead, as annihilated. But what is this life, whereon we build thefe pretenfions,
_and what pawer have we to preferve it ?
It depends on the good difpofition of a Machine fo delicate, and made up of fo
many Springs; that, inftead of wondring
how. it comes to be the caufe of its own ruine, we have reafon to admire, how it can fubGh at all The leaft Veffels which
either break, or are ftopt, by interrupting .
the ceurfe of the Blood aid Humours, fpoils its Oeconomy. A little blood fpilt in the Brain, is {uficient to ftop thofe pores by which the {pirits find paflage to the Nerves, and fo to ftill all its motions. We fhould be furpriz’d with wonder, did we but fee how frnall that is which ceufes onr death. - Sometimes a drop of: fome fosrain humour, a grain of matter wrong
plac’d doesthedeed; and this drop, this grain fuffices to ovesturn. ail the ambitious . _defigns of our Conquerors and Lords of the world, and even to annihilate them in
se{pect of men,
remember there was once fhown to a :
Perfon of great partsand quality, a piece
of Ivory, moftéuxioufly wrought: it was
4 man mounted on.a Pillar fo {mall, aed
p
— we -
16 he Firtt Creatile,
the leaft Wind wasfufficient to hatter | pieces the whole work; nor could er enough admire the exquifite addrefs of hit that madeit. Neverthelefs, this Genth man, inftead of being furpriz’d as the re were, did fhew himfelf to be fo ftruck wit
the frivoloufnefs of the piece, and fo-cor * cern’d for the lofs of time imploy’d in tt
making of it, that hecould not mind th: induftry the others were taken with, look’d on this fentiment as very juft, bu at the fame time conceiv'd it might -E rais’d to many things of greater conft quence. All thofe vaft-fortunes by whic as by different deprees, ambitious men af cend above the heads, not only of th commonalty, but alfo of the great one: are fuftain’d-by props as fmall, as frail i their kind, as were thofe of this piece o wrought Ivory. A turn of imaginatio: inthe mind of a Prince, a malignant va pour in the head: of thofe about him, ar enough to bring to the ground this prouc building, which after all,hath its founda- tion but on the life of our ambitious man He once dead, on a fudden his fortunes are everthrown and brought to nothing. And what is there more brittle, more weak chen the life of Man ? With care we may preferve this little. piece of Ivory, and keep
= \
_to a period.
the compa
Dt the Ceaknels of Pat. 1
keep it as long as we pleafe ; but let wh; diligence foever be. us’d to preferve lif there’s no means left to hinder its comin
XXT. . If men did but refle& on this unce: tainty of their lives, they would be inf nitely more referv’d, in engaging in { many -defigns, and fo many enterprife: ing of which require men im mortal, and bodies made otherwife the ours. Is it credible, that fhould one hav punétually told all thofe, ( who we hav feen in-our days, to have rais’d their foi tunes high, which neverthélefs have bee diflipated after their death } what fhoul
"happen to them and their Families ; an
given them exprefs notice, how that fo lowing the way they have taken, the fhould live in fplendor a certain term ¢
-years, yet with a thoufand cares, à thor
fand perplexities and'croffes, that the fhould do théir utmoft to fet up thelr F mily, to leave it powerful in goods an offices 5. that at a certain time they fhoul dye; and that afterwards. all tongu
and pens fhould be let loofe againft then
their families. extinguifh’d, their gooc
_diffipated : is it credible, I fay, that the
would have undergone all thofe pains f - |
18 The Fit Ereatile,
fo {mall a matter? for my part, I believe - it not. Though men do not pofitively promife to themfelves Immortality and Eternity, for this would be too grofs a folly ; yet at leaft they never exprefly fix their eyes on the narrow boundaries of their lives and riches: they are well pleas’d _to forget, or not to refleét on e’m. And for this reafon it is expedient to mind them thereof, by fhewing, how all the fortunes, all the grandeurs they heap up, have for a bafis but a life, that every thing is capable to deftroy. TT os XXIL 7 | Again, “tis but the laying afide the me- mory of our life'sfraitty, and an ungroun- ded confidence to efcape all dangers, which makes us undertake long Voyages to the end.of the world, and hurry as far as China our bodies, that is, as we think, all our being, only to bring back fome Spice and Varnifb. Truly, if our thoughts were juft, and if we equally balane’d our hazards with what we aim to acquire, we fhould certainly conclude, ‘that fo {mall gaines would not deferve to have fo weak a Ma- _. Chine as ours, expos’d to fo many dangers p . andinconveniences, But we voluntarily | * gtow blind, even againft our own inte- _ ¥efts, We onely love our life, and yet we a hazard.
7 CRT Tees Ua
. Ot the Weaknels of Ban. 19
hazard. it for every thing ; nay, we have eftablifh’d as a maxime amongft us, that the fear of hazarding it is difhonourable, XXIIL
If aman, no way by his duty obliged to take Arms, fhould, to excufe himielf for not going tothe Wars, alledge his not having a head Canon-prouf, sor a body
impenetrable by Swords and Pikes; fuch
an one methinks would {peak very judi-
cioufly, and very agrecably.to the com. _ mon difpofition of men, who onely value the goods of this prefent life. Fos, feeing ‘ we cannot enjoy them without we live,
a greater folly cannot, be committed, then to hazard that life whereon that enjoy- ment is bottom'd, Nevesthelefs, "tis — agreed amongft men, contrary to their
-own principles, to look on this difcourfe
as ridiculous: and why? becaufe they. have their reafons yet weaker then theix bodies, as fhallfhortiy be made appear. | XXIV, |
’ -But, as it is onely by diverting his thoughts from confidering the frailty of his life, that man runs into thefe extrava- gancies, and afterwards falls into this pre-
fumption of his own: firength; fo it will |
be requifite continually: to lay before his eyes, how all his greatne(s, whether of | 3 | | ‘ . . . body
20 ° Che fitEteatiles body or mind which he affumes to himfelf,
is entirely fix’d to this miferable life,
which of it felf is faften’d to nothing, but
expofed to the affault of a thoufand acci- dents. Nay, though no ill one befall us,.
‘ yet the whole Machine af the world with
*
an invincible force, labours inceffantly to deftroy our bodies: the motion of all na- ture dayly carries away fome part of us, our life is a building, whofe foundation, nature, without intermiffion, undermines, and which will fall, when the props that: fuftain it, fhall be ruin’d; nor doth any one precifely know how near, or how far he is off from this condition: XXV, ; .
’Tis frange men can. truft to their life as to fomething firm and folid; men, who have fo continual and fo convincing argu- ments of itsinfallibility, I mean not the deaths of thofe like themfélves, whom
‘every moment they fee difappear; and
who are as fo many Trumpets, proclaim- ing aloud, that they aremortals, and that it will fhortly be their turn to difappear too, as well as they. Neither fpeak E of
“unufual difeafes, which are as fo many
Jafhes to waken them out of théir Lethar.
gy, and warn them to think of dying.
I {peak only of the neceflity they lye under. | oO
> Oftheltleaknels of Dan. 2 . . OF repairing dayly the wañe of their Bc . dies by eating and drinking, What is the : of more force to make them feel their ow: | weaknefs, then, by this continual need, to convince them of the continual decay of that body they-endeavour to repair and make good againft that impetuous torrent Of nature, inceffantly hurrying it to death? Hunger and Thirft, properly {peaking, are mortal Difeafes; they {pring from caufes _ incurable, and if for fome time we give . aftop tothe effect, yet in the.end they carry it againft all remedies.
. XXXVI.
Let the greateft wit in the world be two days without eating, you fhall prefently fee him languithing, without action, with- _ out thought almoft, and folely taken up ' with the fentiment of his weaknefs and decay. There is a neceflity of nourifh- ment, to make thofe {prings of his brain play, without which his Soul can do no. thing.. What deferves tohumble us more than this neceflity? yet is not this the moft troublefome,fince’tis not the hardef to be cured; that of fleep is far more: that we may-live, we muft dye every day. <eafing to think and act like rational Crea- tures, and permitting our felves to fall in- toa condition wherein man is fearce di
, in:
4
22 he Fie Creatite,
ftinguith’d from Beafts; and this flate wherein we live not, carries away a great part of our life. __ + XXVIL
We muft undergo thefe neceflities be. caufe God hath laid them on us. Never- thelefs, it would be very reafonable, at leaft to look on them as marks of our weak- nefs, fince that partly to mind man of his abjeGtion, it hath pleas’d God every day in this manner to reduce him to the ftate and condition of Brutes. In the mean while, fuch is the extravagancy of men, that they change into eaufes of vanity, that which ought moft to humble them. There
is nothing wherein they make appear, (if .
their abilities ferve them ) more pomp and = magnificence, than in their Banquets; they pride
8
theinfelves in this thameful neceflity, .
and fofar they are from taking thence an occafion of humility, that even it ferves to diftinguifh them from others, when they are in acondition to do it with more ftate and oftentation.
XXVIII.
’Tis an eafie matter {peculatively to per- fwade men of the weaknefs of their bodies, and miferies of their nature ; thoughit be a task of much difficulty to make them draw this fo naturally flowing condufion,
| to
ttheCGieaknetsot Pam,
to wit, that they ought tofet no value
-whatfoever leans on fo tottering and
weak a foundation as their lives. But th |
-are fubie to ‘other weakneflts, whi :
they do not only negiect, but are not co . vinc’d they are lyable to them. They (| an efteemon their knowledge, their qui
fight, their virtue, the firength, and com.
préhenfivenefs of their underftanding; the, fancy themfelves capable of great matters The common difcourfes of men are full o
~. the Elogies they beftow on one another fo
thefe endowments of mind: and the pro. penfity they have toaccept without farthe: examen for currant, whatfoever is faid t« their advantage, is che caufe, that, if the
- haveany good quality, they take not thei:
meafures to judge thereof, from what it i really, but from that common Idea the
perceive of it in others. ,
| XXIX. But we ought to takefor a very grea weaknefs this propenfity to judge of things
_ mot according to truth, but the opinion
others. For, ‘tis evident, that a falf jadgement cannot give a real being towha has none. If then we are not humbl enough not to take a certain complaifanc in what we really have, ict us at leaft no be fo foolithly vain, as, upon the teftimon
c
weer a - '
wow me ee DR .
_ us at leaft lopp off whatfoever we
. the profit they thence reap, is to
‘~*~ es
24 «= The Fie Creatite,
of another, to attribute that to our fe which we may know we have not. WI! fore Ict us examine what it is that pufl up: let us fee what there is of real anc lid in humane fciences and virtues, am
inl
to be vain and falfe. _
XXX Knowledge is either of words, deed: things. Teafily grant, that men are abl make a great progrefs in the fcience of w and figns,that is,in the knowledge of arbitrary connexion they have made of tain founds, with certain Idea’s. I can
. admire the capacity of their mem
whcih are able to contain, without : fufion, fo many different images of thi provided it be granted me, that this: of knowledge is a great proof, not c of our great ignorance, but alfo of
‘being almoft incapable of knowing
thing; For, of it felf it isof no price benefit. ’Tis onely to come to the kn ledge of things that we learn the fen! words; “tis but the way and means, the end wefeek after: yet this way | long, thefemeans fo hard, that they us a great part of our life. Nay, n imploy it wholly on this ftudy ; an le:
Df the Uieakuels of Par, ay leamr,: that certain Ggns are Re apart by men, to fighifie certain things; without: being at ail ddvanced thereby towards knowing, their nature. :: Neverthelefs, Lo vain is man, that he car boaft of this kind of fcience, nay, on iedoth he build mof
"of is vanityy becaufe he ‘ath not power
ene
to withftand and fige the approbition of thofe Igderamus’s who are Wont to admire füch as arc-mafters of It. pep
. , , s ‘ } = - : = a , a (2 . « . , :
Du a? ee ee Sree Pree Se 1°) oo fae
i Mor is: thereenucli mote folldity inthe knowledge of Deidsor Mtoe te ges: How few are there t#tie,How finall the‘hugn- ber of thole- that arcexa@ly related In Hi fories ?. We may judge by fuch as wehave had peculiar knowledge of that have been, written : br “others, ONGw ‘where's’ the means to diftingnifh ‘the falle from the true, :
. the. uncertain from thé certain ones > We:
may in general know, that all Hiftorians: whatfoever, fall fhort of the truths if fin. cero, with à good intention, ifotherwife, | with «bad one's:-bir, ghe doth not’ ads- vertife us when “it-is"he ‘{werves from: truth, we canot but-Bé fometiines de. ceiv'd, ::. 92° Etro re :: rt ess | Evenithen, when we cannot fay that EH- ea C ftories .
26 : The Fit Creetile,: .: fories ase-falle, how différent are, the: from: the things chemiaiwes ? (what Schele tons arc Expleits there, eclated, that is feparated from phole fecretmotians :whicl gave them life, and: fram (hole circum ftances which -:comtributed ça give than faccels. :Theyarr sherdorcpropén die letons,.I.rmean. naked ations, Les Avdahia feem to. depend où few viprings;aletiosy) indeed they were neyer:prodaced, hat: wit
ependance on an infinite number c caufes, to which they were faften’d, an which prop'd them up, and gave the body.: his ‘kind. efi knowledge thes. very inconfidcrables ang indead oftbrecs ing in 53094) vain samplatfancey, rather to humble him with the fight -of h weaknef 3 fince at che fame time, that! finds his. mnjnd ,fill’d with fich ‘a nimber: Ideq’s,- drawn gut.-of Hiories, he «my alfo,confels, bimfel£ ustenly unable to-d flinguith the ¢rug ones, from shale that.a notfo, - Steg tay
PO + XXXIL., jdn oi We may place ta the fame. account, #
knowles ge we havs.of saree Oplnien !
ever pat which y Mave made :t fibres of their ipeculations 5, finge th: too make up a confiderable part of wh we call fcience.. For, as. if we be : | | t
{ ud
so OE the Cleaknelsof Man, 27 Eternity of time to lofe, we are not fa- * tisf’d with informing our felves what things in reality are, but we mutt keep an account tooof all the Fancies and Whim= fies of others concerning them: or rather not being able tofucceed in finding truth, we content our felves to know their fen- timents, who have gone in queft after it; and believe for example, we are great Phi- lofophers, or great Phyfitians, becaufe we know on each particular point the opinions | offevcralthatarefo. But, as we not richer for being acquainted with al the dreams of thofe whohave hunted after the art of making Gold; neither fhall we in like manner become wifer for having our memories burden'd with their imaginati- ons, who have fought after, but never found out truth. — | oo XXXIIT. ’ - Only therefore the knowledge of thing ' that is, that fcience which aims at fatis- fying our underftandings with truth is; _ what can have any folidity in it, Yet fhould men, even in this, advance far, and make great progrefles, they ought not. neverthelefs, therefore to fet a value and efteem on their felves; fince thefe barren. — knowledges are fo little able to ‘yield them any fruit or folid content, that one would | 2 |
1 . , - + ry wo tl de ot Pdf ee
N : ads, -
)
ti
28 he Fick Œrentile,
be full ashappy.in bidding them forthwith farowell, as in advancing them, by long toyle, tothehighelt pitch he can. Let a . grcat Mathematician labour, end break his brain as much as he pleafe, to find out fomê new flars in the Heavens, and trace the . ways of Comets: We need onely refle@& _ howeafily we may difpence with this fort of kaowledge, not to cnyy fir, and be fall as happy ashe. Andindeed, the con- tent we take in them, rifes not from the . poffcffion but acquifition of em, As foon as once we arrive there, they ceafe to be in our thoughts. . Tis only the {crutiny . and {earch which gives a diverfion to our mind, beçaufe it is fed with the vain hope of an imaginary good which it promifes it {elf in the difsovery: but that once over, and it no morcheld up and animated by that hope, it mu&, to avoid tedioufnefs, | feck fome other imployment, _ 7 XXxIv.
But it is not fufficient that man draw matives of humility from the unprofitable- nels of thefe fClences; he ought moreover to acknowledge, that whatever can there- in be attain'd by him, is almoft nothing, and that the greateft part of humane Phi- lofophy, is onely a heap of things obfcure, gucertain, and even falfe. Nor need we
any
DE the Céleaknels of Dar 29 " ghy other proof than what hath happen’d in our days During the {pace of three thoufand yeats, Philofophers, on feveral principles; have diftours’d of nature: when, behold, from a corner of the world comes aman, who hath changed the whole face of Philofophy, and who pretends to make it appear, that all thofe who went before him, knew nothing of the princi- ples of nature, Nor are thefe onely vain promifes; for it muft be confefs’d, that this new comer gives us more light to- wards the cognifance of Natural Beings, than all thofe. together. Neverthelefs, what good luck foever he hath had in lay- - ing open the little folidity there, is in the Principles of the Vulgar Philofophy; yet he hath left in his own many obfcurities, impenetrable by humane wit. For Ex- . ample, whiat he tells us of Space, and of the nature of Matter, is the fubje@ of frange difficulties; and I fear much thofe who are not ftartled at them, are rather led by Paffion than Evidence. ‘What greater Example can we have of the weak- nefs of Mans Wit, than to find that for three thoufand years together, thofe a- mongft men who feem'd to bé the ft fighted, have bufied themfelves in reafon- ing about Nature: and yet after fo much
| ._ C3 labour
30 - Œbe Fic Œreatife, labour, and in fpight of the infinite num ber of Books they have writ.on this fubje@, we are to begin again; and the greateft profit we can draw from their works, is to learn, that Philofophy is a. vain employ- ment, and that in it we know almofi no-
. thing. |
XXXV.
When ignorant people caf their eyes on thofe great Libraries, which one may, in a manner, call the Magazines and Store- houfes of the thoughts of men; they fancy that man would be very happy, or at leaft
“very learned, who knew whatever is con- tained in thofe great heaps of Volumes, which they look on as Treafures of Light
and Truth. But here they judge. amifs : When all this fhould be got united into
* one head; yet would not this head be ei ther better order’d, or wifer, or happier : It would but increafe its confufion, and ‘obfcure and darken its light; and when all’s done, this head would not differ much from a material Library, . For as one can- not read but in one Book at once, and in that ‘but one Page; fo he that fhould have in his head all thefe Books, could not be a-
‘ble to apply himfelf at once but to one Book,and to one certain part of that Book. All the reft would in fome fort be as much a | - . out
- Dk the Mieaktels af Dan. SL out of his-thoaghts, asif he knew it notae - all; and all the advañtape he could draw thence, would be, that ke could fometimes fapply the want ‘of Books, by fearching
‘with trouble in his memory for what he skeeps there; and yet fhall he not'be {o af. fared thereof, as if he: at the famé time, ‘took the pains to confult his Books there- gpon, ot te
CU KXXVE
- .To comprehend therefore how fmallthe ‘fcience of men is, we miuft defcénd as it were by degrees to thé low pdint whereun- to tt'is reduced, Small would our know- tedgebe, were out Soul capable all atonc: _ to. apply it (cif, to whatfoever is Rér’d up -in our memory; for even then we fliould -kaow but few Truths, But we, as I juft ‘now faid, ‘are only capable of kabwing ‘one Obje@; and one Truth ata time: Al other things are buryed in our memory, as .if they were not there. Behold now our Science reduced to the knowledge of one ? only Object: “But in what manner too do -we know that ? If it contains divers qua- Heies, we refie& on but one at a time.’ We divide the moft fimple Beisigs into divers Fdea's, becaufe our Soul is too narrow to comprehend :them ‘all. Aîl'fstoo much for it : We. mit contra and - lefitn |
"un | Cc 4 what <!
i
32 . he AoE Creuse, ”
whatever we confider, or at leaf lopp off
the greateft part, to proportiami¢.to our littlenefs. Fes. Fe thay ie
| XEXX VIE : : : ‘ ayy’ The fecing, with our undérftandisg hath
fomething like co that, with our Eyes s ‘I mean the one is as fhort aud fuperficial as other. Our Eyes peirce not into the depth of Bodies, the furface terminates. their fight ; the farther they extend it, the more confufed it grows, and to view any
thing exa@ly, we muft lofe the fight of
all others, Obje&s, if remov'd far from us, are, by the weaknefs of the Organe wherein their. Image is received, :teduced bout nz. ‘Thole prodigious bulls we aa ut us. The ous. we Stars, to our Eyes are but Points, and ap. pear to'us almoft but as Sparks, Beboid the portraiture of the fight of our tnind ! "tis but the bark and (uperficies that we know. of moft things. We;:ae it were, loofen from them a: thin skin on film, to anake thereof the Obje@ of otir thoughts, If the Objedts be: of my extent, we-are confounded ; we mutt of neteflity confider them by picce-meal, and it often happens,
_ that the multiplicity of parts sé fub.di.
vide. them into, brings usiinbo that con- fafian aye defired to Sua: Wonfafam 4f Ts , . quic=
OE the Mledknelsot Dat... 33: guiquid pulverem [elium. off. If Objedts fe not near and prefent to our Serifes, “els but a point thereof we often reach tos and we frame Ideas % weak, {o fraall of ‘the greateft and moft dreadful things, that they make 2 lefs impreffion on our Under» fandings, than even the leaft of tho which move and work upon our Senfes. .
XXXVIIT.
But here’s not all yet; though what our Underftanding can comprehend of truth be confiderable ; yet hath it not even of this a firm and affured poffeffion: This often comes to be troubled by diffidence,. . incertainties. .. Falfity appears to us clad in Colours fo like thofe of Truth, that we lofe our felves,.and know not where we afte, Henceitis, that we lay hold on, and embrace Truth but weakly, and tremb- lingly as it were ; nor do we arm and de fend our felves againft this incertainty, but by a certain inftinét, and a certain fenti- ment,which makes us adhere to the Truths we know, -in fpight of the reafons which: .: feem contrary thereunto, |
| “XXXIX,. |
Behold then to what a low -ebb ‘the . knowledge-men fo much boatt of,. is redu-» ced , te wit, to the knowing a {rial num-:. ‘ Ber of Truths one by one, and.that in a :
. Cs.
5. weak «- |
weak and diffident mayner. But even of thefe ‘Truths how inany are almoft ufelefs;
and of thofe that’are ufeful in themfelves, how few are fo to us, and which may not — prove Principles of Error ? For it is ano- ther effe@ of the Weakacfs of Man, that _ even light blinds him fometimes as well as darknefs, and that Truth as well as Falfi- tydeceiveshim. And the reafon is, that, concluhons depending ordinarily on the connection of feveral Truths, not on the knowledge of one only ; it often comes to pafs that one fole Truth imperfectly . known, being by miftake look’d on as a fufficient guide, mifleads us into Errors. For Example, how many are there who run headlong into indifcretions, led by the knowledge of this. particular Trueb, that we owe correction to our Neighbour? How many are there who authorize their - debauches, by Maxims moft true, touch- ing Chriftian condefcenfion and com- | pliance, | If no track appear, we go aftray, if ma- ny, we are confounded; and the quick fight of our mind, which difcovers many reafons, and lays open to us large Pro: {pects, is as capable of deceiving us, as a doltifh Rupidity that fees nothing. Often _ we
IDE tbe Cleaknets of Pan; ‘35 we are'deceived by the imprefffon others give ‘us whilft they communicate:to us their Errors; and fometimes we deccive _our felves, -whilft we difcovef them in os . ‘thers; for we are inclined to bélieve, that they are wrong in alt, whereas they are tniftaken often but in part. =
NE 2, XLI S$
The difcovering of “Fruth in - monk : things, depends on the:Comparifon inadé betwixt ‘Likelyhoods :: But, what more deceitful than this Comparifon ? Or; what — | of it “felf-carriés Jefs of likelyhood, being : placed more in view by the manner Of exs. preffion, and confidered with more earnelte nefs and paffion, is capable of making « . deeper impreffion in our minds, ‘thar: mat ny other things ;‘ which, - though: groun- - ded-on reafons far more folid, are propoled : obfcurélys and harkried tonegligently, and | without: concern or paflion.: Hence the - | in-equality of clearnefs, ‘the in-equality of « application, and the insequality of paffion, 5 often counterpoife; or -entirely ‘overcome the-advaritage one: reafen-hath over ane. - ther, :cithes-im folidity-or tikelyhood;:. |
XLII. : | | ‘But whit adonithes mof of aliis, thétue the mind -of Man being fo-weak;fo‘nar-«- sow, fo'limited, fo: prone to. go aftrayy: M
TT
: the fame time, nevexthelels Op fall gf
refumption, that. there’s nothing it can.
pt believe it {elf capable of, pro there.
¢ any who in this particular do cajolle ad flatter it. What is there more appa-.
mtly above the undexftanding and reach . Fthe moft part of Mankind, particularly ¢ and ignorant fort, than to.
F the fimp {cern amongft the various Points-difpu- ‘and contefted among Chriftians, which
re to be rejcéted,. which to be followed? :
o decide rationally only one of thefe Que-
ions, there's required a. very great, and
dom found extent and comprehenfion of
ads What then fhall we fay-whea our: oncern is to decide them all, and, by.
»mparing the Reafons and Motives of each . helflan Society, to make choice of a Re... gion. In the mean time the Authors of: ew Hérefies have perfwaded a hundred :
illions of Men, that nothing herein fax-. afs'd the fixength of theiz-own wit, Nay;
ren this has been the way, by which they. ave brought them over to themfclves: . ‘beis followers have thought it a fine thing,
> be themfelves Judges of Religion by a
eculiar difcuffion of contefted Points; and -
xy have look'd on this right of judging 14s put into their hands, as a confidera- le advantage the Reman Church had une
a _«jaay
_
Df the tiiceknets of Dan: 37 juftly taken from then. -Nevertheléfs, we oughs not cfewbhere to feck for the caufe of this prefumption, then in the Weaknefs of Man. It folely-preceeds from this,that Man is.fo far. from knowing Truth, that he is ignorant of its Marks and Chara@ers. Of. ten he has but confuted Edei’sand Notions of the very terms cf evidence, and certis tude : - and hence it ishe applysthem by hs. zard to all tlic idle g s that ftrike his fight. Whatever pleafs.him, ftrair be. comes evident.. Thus when an Heretick hath made his ows fancies facred, by the ti- thes he gives them of undoubted Truths clearly. contained in Scripture 5: prefently. he {mothers all doubts which can be rais'd again& them;nor does he give himfelf leave to confider them ;.or if he do, he only looks on them as objections and. difficul- ties; and fo takes from them all the force Chey had to make any impreffion on his mind. Lo.
| XLHIL
If therefore humane wit be fo inconfrle-. rable even then. when it beftirs itfelf, and is in fearch of Truth, what thall wefay of it, when abaadon’d.to the weight of its own body, when it a@ts but by the Senfes, as it happens in moft part of Men, xLIV.
38: Chfit@reatile,. . ete KEIV cc "This is what the Scripture teaches ‘us; when it fays, That the Earthly dwelling prefles down the mind, thinking on many things. For, difcovering to us in: thefe | words the natural ativenefs of the mind, which makes it able of it felf to frame great varicty of thoughts,. and to compres hend an.infinite number of Objects; at the fame time it fets before our Eyes the condition whereto. the mind is reduced by its union with a corrupt Body, and by. the neceflities of this prefent life; which-fo clog and weigh down the mind, though of it felf never fo ative, penetrating’, and comprehenfive, that they confine it. to a very {mall circle of grofs and material Obs . je@s, amongft which it rowls continually; , but with a.motien flow and feeble, and . which fhewsnothing of the excellence and greatacfs of .its nature, kn fine, if we look about, and confider all. the Men in the world, we fhall find’a]moft all {0 {ottifh. and fiupid, that if Reafon be not intirely extinC in them, at leaft it is of fo little- ufe, that it amazes one to think how a Soul canbe reduced. to fuch a Brutality. A Canibal, a Brafilian, a Negro, a Green. lander , ox Laplander: about what bufies their thoughts? to huat, tofifh, todance,
to
* Of the Gleaknels of Man: 39 to revenge themfélves of theis Enemies; and that's all. _
XLV. °
' But, without travelling fo far for Exam-
ples of Mans ftupidity, what takes up the thoughts of our Labouripg Men? They think on their work, of eating, drinking, flceping, calling in their debts, paying cuftom,and a {mall namber of fixch things. _ Asfor other matters, they are, as it were, unfenfible ; and they are fo accuftomed to run -this-round in the little circle, that _ they become uncapable of conceiving any thing beyondit. H one tell them of God, Hell, Heaven, of Religion, and thé Pre- :. cepts and Rules of-Morality , they either underftand not, or in a trice forget what is faid,, and their minds prefently retusn again to this little circle of grofs Obje@s, whereunto they are acuftomed. H they are infinitely removed by their nature from that of Brutes, fuch asitin reality is; yet are they little different from the conceit we have of them; for we fancy a Brute to be a certain Animal, that thinks , yet thinks but little and feldom, whofe Idea's and thoughts are confufed and grofs, and whichis able to comprehend but a very {mall number of Objets. Thus we con- ceive a Horfe to be an Animal, which ur
40. . he Fick Creatite,
ofeating, fleeping, and running. For afl-
that, this is not the Idea of a-Horfe; fora
Machine thinks not at all: But it is the | proper Idea or Notion of a ftupid doltith - Man ; and to fay the truth, few other. - thoughts need be fuper-added to thefe, to .
frame the notion of a wild Tartar. - XLVI:
Neverthelefs, the number of thofe who. -
fcarce think at.all, and who are wholly em-. ployed about the neceffities of this prefent
life, is fo. great. of thofe others, whofe
minds are in fome motion and agitation,
is nothing .compar'd toit, For, even a.
mongft Chriftians, the number of ftupid |
oncs comprehends almoft all our Labouring . Men, all our Poor, the greateft part of.
Women of low degrec, and all Children, .
without exception. . All thefe {pend their .
whole life almoft on: nothing but the
thoughts: of fatisfying the neceffities of : their Bodies, of finding out a means how .
to live, of buying and felling; and even
of thefe things they frame thoughts con-.
fufed enough, But.of other Nations, par-- .
ticularly thofe who are. the moft Barba-.
rous, it comprehends the whole mafs of.
people, without any referveat ail. | ‘ XLVIL | Et is certain, that thofe who live by bos | uly
ss DE Abe Ceivaknele of Man “gz . ily labour, as ail the poor in the world de, think lefs than others; and that this Ja. bour and work makes even their Soul more heavy. On the contrary, Riches which allow more liberty and leafure to entertain one another, as allo thofé employments of * mind which oblige them todifcourfe toge. ther, hinder their Souls from falling into fo great aftupidity, ‘The mind of a Lady at Court is more fhining, sétive, than that of a Country Woman}. and the mind of a Magiftrate, than that of a Tradefman. But as there is more of motion, and more a- étion, f there is for the moft.part more of malice and vauity ; fo much, that thereis more. of real good in an honeft fimple ft. pidity, than in this aétivity full of artifice and po ue |
J fo" 'XLVIIE : Em fine, to finith the Pi@ure of the _ Weaknefs of Mans mind, we muft moreo- - | ver confider, that let his thoughts be never fo cxaG and tide, yet he bs often hurried with violence from them by as natural dif. order of his imaginatién, A {mall fly paf ‘fing before his Eyes.is able to difiraét him, ‘when in the moft ferlous contemplation. A thoufand Idle Idea’s and Whimfies di- © fturb and confourid' hith, in fpight of his ‘teeth 3 atid fo little is he mater of hints,
qo The Fick Ceeatie, |
that he cannot but caf a look at -leaft on:
thefe idle vain fancies, taking off his thoughts from confidering the moft impor.
tant matters. . May we not with.reafon .
call tiis condition of Man a beginning of folly? for, as abfolute folly confifts in an intire diforder of the imagination; pro- ceeding from hence, that the Images itre- prefents: are fo lively, that the: mind no more diftinguifhes the falfe from the true ones. fo the power that:the imagination has to fet before the mind thefe. Inrages, without the leave or confent of the Wild,
is a certain commencement of folly, and-to - render it compleat; there.needs only: an. encreafe of fome degrees of heat: in the
brain, and make thele Itnages more lively. So that betwixt the condition. of:the wi.
{eft man in the world, and that of the moft :
abfolute fools, theonly difference is (ome degrees of heat and agitation in the Ari mal Spirits. And wc:are not only forcd to own our felves capable of folly, but
moreover we mu ackaowledge that we
. fegl and fee it perfeQlyformd in iss whilft we know: not where it fticks, that it be- comes not abfolute by an intireeverfion of Our mind.
. XLIX. ee et | Though our xeafon be weak:even to the
degree
Ed
—~ -
_.. Of the Cülenknefsof an. 43
degree we have fhewn ; yet is this nothing in refpe& of the Weaknefs of the other part of Man, to wit, his Will: ‘And it
.-may be faid, comparing them together,
that his firength confifts.in his. Reafon, and that his weaknefs fprings from the impo- tency of his Will, to conduc& himfelf by seafon. - | *Tis agreed on all hands, that reafon is given to ferve us for a guide during this life ; that by it we may diftinguith betwixt Good and-Evil, and know how to regu- Jate our defires and actions But how few are they, who make ufe of it to this purpofe ; and who live, J fay not accos- ding to Tnith and Juftice, but even accor- ding to their own reafon, all blind and all ‘difordered as.it is? We are toft on the Sea of this world at the pleafure of our Pafñons, hurrying us fometimes this, fometimes that -way, like a Ship without Sail, without Pi- Jot: And it is not Reafon which makes ufe _of Paffions, but Paffions which make ufe of Beafon to compafs their ends; ‘and this’ is all the Read Reafon ftands ys in for. the
- moft part. .
Often alfo Reafon it felf is brib'd and corrupted, It fees what ought to be done, is convinc'd of the frivoloufnels g the EL ings
\
44 Che Fic Creatife,. things. we are carried away with: Yet can: it not ward off the violent impreffions- they give us. How many have engaged themfelves in Duells, at the fame time. deploring and condemning both this wretched Cuftom, and themielves for fol- lowing it ?- Yet they had not the power: to flight the judgment-of thofe fools, who would have efteemed them.cowards,fhould- they have obeyed and yielded to reafons Bow many ruine their Eftates in foolith- expences, and reduce themfelves to ex— - tream miiferies, becaufé they cannot over- come the falfe fhame they.fecl, not to do as- others do ?: _ ‘What cafier task is tliere than to cone
vince the world of the little worth und . Colidity of whatfoever draws man after it >- En the mean time, in fpight of all thefe Arguments, this Bugbear of Reputation, . Of Honour, of Place, and a thoufand of other things as vain and idle, lead and o- verturn men at pleafure 5. becaufe their Souls have neither force, folidity nor weight to fix.chem, ; |
LI. What would one fay of: a Soulder, who, - being advertifed in that, in a Show repre- fenting a Skirmifh, the Mufquets and Ca- nons only charged. with Powder, fhould . never,
Of the CHeakñets OF Ban. 45
:meverthelefs dop his head, and at the firft -difcharge run away? fhould not one fay,
that his cowardice approached near to
_ folly? And yet this is what we our felves
do every day. We are warned, that the words and judgments of Men arc as unca. -pable of hurting, as they are of being any way {erviceable to us, they can neither take from us our Goods, nor relieve or comfort us in our Evils, And neverthe. LG thefe words, thefe judgments are {ufi- © cient to trouble us, and difcompofe the
| -quiet temper pf our Souls. A wry look,
an ill word makes us cholerick, and we
prepare to returh it back, as if it were | Pom thi
ag very formidable, We muft be
_ #lastered and caréifed. like Childrén to be
’ kept in a good humour; elfe in our fafhion
we falla crying, as Children do in theirs, . . LH .
. Itisa thing mof certain, that the im< patience Men fhew on all occafions, hath its rife from fome pafñion. But the paflions themfelves {pring from weaknefs, and the flender tye their Soul has to true and {olid
_Goods., And, touhderftand this, we may
confider that, as it is not weaknef in. our Body to have need of the Earth to fuftain: it, this being the natyral condition of all Bodies 5 but we only then térm it weak,
o when
-
“
46 Œbe Firt Cteatife,
when it hath: need to be underprop’d by fome thing that belopgs not to it, when it muft be carried. or make ufe of a ftaff, and is in danger of being overturn’d by e-
very little blaft: So the weaknefs of the
Soul confifts not in that it needs fomething
of true and folid to fuftainit, and that it.
cannot fubfift as hanging in the Air, with out being fattned to fome Objet: Or, if this be a weaknefs, ’tis an effential one to what-
foever is created, which not being felf-fuf- .
ficient , is forc'd to feek elfewhere fome- thing for its fupport. | | _ But the true weaknefs of the Soul con- fifts,in that it refts and leans upon nothing, as the Scripture fays, and not upon things real and folid: Or, if it rely on fome Truth, this Truth fuffices it not, nor it hinders its need of a thoufand other props, the want of which throws it immediately down into defpair. This weaknefs of the
Soul confifts in chat the leaft blaft is able to
bereave it of its repole ; that the leaft-tri-
fic, thakes, torments, and troubles it ; and
in that it cannot make head againit the
impreiffion of a thoufand things, whereof
it {elf knows the fallity, and the nothing-
nefs, © _ a LIL
This is in little the Image of Mans
W cake
(
DE the ClenËnels of Wan, 47
| ‘Weaknefs:: And itis worth the while to
take a patticular view thereof, that one
may obferve: its different firokes. =
- Atthough Man cannot in this life have true cepote, yet “tis certain he is not al- “ways mclanct olly, :or in defpair, There is a neceffity. his Soul fhould fometime be
fixés tbecaufe it is weak. and unconftant,-
that. it: cannot even beina continual agi-
- tation”; The greateft misfortunes become
toleable intime, the.fentiment we have of them is loft and vanifhes away, Poverty, fhame, difeafes,.. the. lofs of our-being a:
bandoned..by.Friends + Patents, Children,
gives us blows whole {mare lafts not long ; the agitation they give us. by degrees grows: lefs, till it quite ceafes. |
The Soul. then at taft finds fome kind of
- gepofe, and it is comrnon toall Men, to:
have fometime or other during their life
acalm and untroubled difpofition of minds. ‘but that fo fickle and anfteady, that almoft .
- apy thing is enough to difcompofc it, The reafon is,. becaufe Man doth not: ‘maintain himfelf in it, by adhering toany
folid Truth he knows clearly 5 ‘but by leane: ing to.a number of petty fupports, andis
as it were faftned by a world of weak and
{mall threads, t@aino. lefs number of vain: things, and which depend not'on him. So | that
> itinivepoley | . While we are mafters of thefe things, .
48 Œpefirft Creatile.
that, as it always happens, that :fome of thefe threads break, he in part falls, and. thereby receives a’fbake, which difcampo~ feshim. Weare cajolled and carried away with the litele circle of friends aad approe vers which enviran us: For every one ene
deavours to procure himfelf fuch a ciscle,. ”
and ufually compofes, it, We are cdrried - away with: the obedience and affection of our Servants, the protection’ of. great . Ones, with our ditéle fuccefles, with prai- fes, divartifaments, and pleaftires.. We _ ate amuféd. with employments, with. the hopes we nousifh, with the: defigns’ we
form, :with the works we undertake, . - We.
are taken with the curiofity of.a Cabinet, a Garden, a Country Houfe. In fine, it
is wonderful to think to what. numbez of .
things the Soul adheres, and how little pirops and helps arc neceflary to:keep
Liv, :
we know not how great our dependance them is. But when they fail, as they: often do, by .our refentment for their. lofs, we learn, that we had a reality. and affetion to them. A broken .Glafs puts. us ont of patience; eur repofe there- fore depended thereon. A falleand rid - ~ culous
#
Of the Cenknelsof Pam: culous cenfure which an impertinent fell : fhall make of us, touches us to the quic The efteem therefore this impertinent { | low had, or at leaft, our not knowl, | the falfe judgment he made of us, conti |
_. buted to our repofe, and without our b:
ing aware of it, we refted and leane thereon, | aa | LV. ‘ |
We have not only a continual need o
thefe vain helps, : but fo great is our weak
‘nef, that they are not able to füffain u
long, We muft change; elfe by our weigh
we fhould break them. Whilft Birds-ar: in the Air, they.cannot flay there-withou
.. motion; nor eafily in the fame place, bot!
becaufe what fuftains them is not folid and on. the other fide, they have not forc and vigour enough of themfelves to-bea
up againft what drives them downwards They muft be in a continual agitation, an
by new impulfes given the Air, they mul without iatermiffon make it apt to [up port them. But as foon as they ceafe ti make ufe of this Art,Nature hath taugh them, like other heavy Bodies they fall ti
the ground. - Our Spiritual weaknefs fuf fers effets like to thele, ‘We reft and trui
to the Judgments of Men, to the Pleafure
of Senfe, td Humane Comforts, as to A 7 . D ." Bl
so . @be Kirt Œreatile,
Air that keeps us up for atime: But, be- caufe things of this nature have no folidi- ty, if we ceale to ftir, if we change not the Objects of our thoughts, we firait fall into melancholly and fadnefs,each Objet in
particular is not able to keep our Hearts
It is by continual changes the Sou!
maintains it felf in a condition it can away .
with, and that it hinders it felf from being
overwhelmed with. et and. melancholly.
Thus the Soul. fu __ tends by its own weight to difcouragement
vis only by Art. It
and defpair. Madnefs and Hell are the
center of corrupted Nature. Thefe in fome fort we carry about us, even during this life, and it is only to prevent its fecling them, that the Soul beftirs it felf 4o much, and fearches. employment out of it felf, in fo many interiour Obje@s. To cnflave the Soul perfectly to this Madnefs, one need but feperate it from all thefe Objects, and conftrain it to think only on it felé And, as this is the proper effect of Death, that would precipitate all Mankind into
this center of mifery, had not God, by.
his Omnipotent Power, given to fome o- ther Byafes, which draw them up to Hea- ven,
LVI. Et is not lefs true of the Will of Man con-
“
Of the eaknels of Pan 51 confidered. in it felf, and without the af. furance of God, than of his knowledge and underftanding, that whatever appears great in it, is naught but weaknefS; and that the names of force and courage, by
which we heighten and raile certain actions and difpofitions of the Soul, hides under them what is moft cowardly and bate. That which we take for running, is a Right; forrifing, à fall; for conftancy, lightnefs That immovable and inflexible Riffnefs
- which appears in fome a@ions, isnaught but a harduefs produced by the wind of
_ Paffions, (welling and puffing up like Ba-
©. foons thofe they are Matters of. Sometimes
this wind raifes them high, fometimes .
: throws them headlong down:but they are e.
. qually light and weak, whether high or low.
oi LVIL What is it makes fo many betake them-
… fetves to be Souldiers, a profeffion where-
- inthey mutt of neceflity expofe chemfelves
- to fo many dangers, and undergo fo much
- toil? Es it a defire to ferve their Prince
- and Country? For the moft part ’tis the.
| Teaft in their thoughts. °Tis therefore
becaufe they cannot lead an orderly and re- gular life; °tis becaufe they would fhun - that labour their condition engages them to ;-"tis becaufe they love what they fee D 2z 6
52 © Che Fir Creattle,
of licentious in the life of Souldiess; ’tisa weaknels of their mind, an illufion of their imagination, flattering them by falfe hopes; and which, fhewing them in a full light-che evils they would fhun, hides and conceals from them: thofe to which they expofe themfelves. . LVITT.
_ Do not think that gallant Man, who with fo much courage and fiercenefs mars . ches to the affault, does ferioufly contemn. Death, or reflet much on the Juftice of the caufe he fights for: No, he’s totally poffefs’d with the fear of the ill opinion the World would have of him, fhould he give back; and this opinion, like an Ene- my , preffes upon him, and permits him not to think on any thing elfe : And hence {prings this his undaunted courage.
LIX. _ Jeis not unpleafant to caft ones Eye, on thofe, whom the World would have to pafs for great Examples of humane force and generofity, in thofe paffages of their lives, where they wanted that wind which drives them forward in their fplendid and
pompous ations: For there we fhall fee . :
thofe pretended Hero's, who feem’d to out.brave Death, and laugh at what is moft terrible, brought down by the leaf
, crofs
s
DE the Cieaknels of Man, 33 crofs accident, and forc’d to own with fhame their weaknefS, Look on Alexan-
” der, who had caufed the whole Earth to
tremble, and who in the field had fo often affronted Death, feized on by a mortal
. fieknefs'in Babylon. Scarce had Death ap-
pear’d to him open fac’d, but prefently his
Palace is ‘filled with Sorcerers of both’.
Sexes, with Pricfts and Sacrifices. There
is no kind of faperftition he had not re- courfe to, to fhelter himfelf from that
Death which threatned him, and-whicly carried him. out of the World at laft, ha. ving firft kill’d him with its only look, and:
. reducd him to what was moft bafe and
defpicable, _ Could he give usa greater evi-
. dence, that when he feem’d to contemn
- Death, he thought it far off, and that
the paffions he was tranfported with, caft
hindred him from feeing it ? | Lx.
as it were a Veil before his Eyes, which
Neither let any imagine, there way more of true courage amongft thofe Hea- thens, who fcemd not thus tohave given themfelves the lye, and who to the fight: of the World dyed with as much courage, as they had‘lived, Let the Elogies and:
. Praifes, wherewith Philofophers, even to
envy, heighten and raife the Diath of Cato, | D3 be
\
\
54 Che Firt Creatite,
be as great and pompons as they will, twas but a real effective weaknefs that carryed him to that Brutality, which they look on. as the height of humane generofity. This is apparent enough in Cicere, when he fays, That Cato ewgbt te dye, rather than fee the face of a Tyrant. °Twas therefore the fear of feeing the face of Cefar, that infpired him with this defperate refolution, - He could, sot endure to fee himfelf under him whom he had endeavoured to ruine; nor 10 fee him triumph over his vain refiftance. ' Twas only to find in death a SanQuary again this Spedirum of a Cafar victorious, that carryed him to violate all the Laws of Nature. - Sewess, whole Idol Cate was; allows him no other reafon,when he makes him fay, Since the affairs of Mankind are in a defperate condition ; let us place Cato in ong of fafety. "Twas his fafety then alone Cate thought on, he only thought to re- move from before his Eyes an Objec his weaknels could not endure the fight of. So that, inftead of faying as Seneca does, That with violence be fet at liberty that Generous Soul, and contemner of all Humane Power: Generofhes illum contempteremg, omnis poten- tia Spiritum ejecit : We ought to fay, that out of pittiful weaknefs he could not ftand © an Obje& which all the Women and Chil-
dren
| Of the Cüleaknels of Wan. 55
dren of Rome could gaze at without trew ble; and that his dread therect was fo vio- lent,. that it forced him to leave this life by the greateft of all crimes.
LXL -
Thofe calm Deaths, without the appea- rance of paffion or fury, fuch as Socrates's was, might be look’d on as more generous. WNeverthelefs all this tranquility ,: all this ealmnefs, was but afmall matter, fince it . only fprung from ignorance and blindnefs. Socrates believed he ought not to be afraid of Death, becaufe, he faid, he knew not whether it were Good or Evil, But thus Re madeit appear, he had but a flender no- tion or Idea of the condition Death redu- ses us to. For is it not a great and terri- ble misfortune not to know whether we fhall be happy or miferable, when we are about to enter into a ftate of Being, which will continue for Eternity > Muft not one be prodigioufly infenfible, not to be tou. ¢hed with that dreadful uncertainty, and to be in an humour, when juft on the point of making this tryal, to be pleafed yet with the difcourfe of ones friends, and take pleafure in that vain fatisfaétion, which one recelves from the fentiments of love and efteem they then thew us? Yee this is what flld the Soul. of Socrates that day,
, D 4 which
x
56 Whe fit Crearite,
which, according to the opinion of Philo-
fophers, was the happieft of his Life, viz,
that of his Death. | LXIT . _
Hf Vertues purely humane be meer Weakneffes, what fhall we fay of Mens Vices? What greater weaknefs than that of an ambitious perfon ? He flights all the real and folid Goods of this life : He un. dergoes a thoufand dangers, expofes him. felf to a thoufand croffes;becaufe he cannot fuffer that another fhould have fome vain pre-eminence over him What greater , weaknefs than to efteem and take pleafure. as wedo in a thoufand ridiculous trifies, even then when we are perfwaded they are fuch? Where is the Man that is not cone vinced ‘tis a meannefs to think himfelf worthy of efteem, becaufe he is well clad, becomes a Horfe well, is dexterous in firiking a Ball, or walks gsacefully? In the mean time, how few are thofe who - are above thefe trifles, and who are not pleafed when they are praifed for | them. >
| LXIIL . a
What a weaknefs isit to find any guftin the divertifements of the World ? Can a Soul be reduced to a meaner condition, and more unworthy of. it felf, than chacing
away
Of the Weaknels of Ban, 37
away all other thoughts, to employ it {elf only about the care of carrying and mo- : ving the Body it animates, according to the cadence of fome Mufical Inftruments ; and in following certain brute Beafts which run after one another? Yet is this almoft all that makes’ up the divertifements ef Princes and great ones. This privatiom of ratiônal thoughts, this total applica- tion of the Soul, to fome Objects grofs; vain, aud ufelefs, creates what is pleafane inall Games. Thelefs Man as, as Man, . the more content he is. Thofe A@ions - where Reafon hath the greateft fhare, be» - - come troublefome, and quite tire him= . ~ The bent of his Nature,. is to reduce hins * as ‘nmch as can be to the condition of: Brutes.
LXIV. 0
Let Man diffemble as much as poffibld : he can his own weaknefs, he isneverthe- - lefy fenftble thereof; He endeavours what : he can to redrefs it; but fo void of Ligh? * and-Reafor is his carriage in the {carch of - . remedies, that inftead of diminifhing,: he : augments it. The true end and aim of: the ambitious and voluptuous Man, is bus to-undorprop and hold up his weaknefs by - fome externe fupport. The ambitiovr. : ftrives to do it-by Lufter. and-Anthority: -
| | D 5: thie
38 Che Fit Creatife, the voluptuous by Pleafures. Both the one and the other fceks to fatisfie their in- digency ; but both are equally unfuccef- ful, becaufe they do but increafe their ne ceflities and want , and by confequence # Chry bom. their weaknefs allo. What, 39. in Jean Lays * St. Chryfofome, doth di. P. 413: flinguifh Angels from Men, bus that they ave not needy as we are? Thus thofe who need the leaft, come neareft ta them, and thofe are the fartheft off, who - need the moft. -He who needs, (fays this Father in another place ) many things, is a flave to many things, is bimfelf the Servant of bis Servants, and depends more on them shan they on bim. So that the increafe of Wosldly Goods and Honours, being but the increafe of our flavery and dependance, reduces us to a more real and effective mi- fery. | . LXV. | Let us not therefore feek for ftrengthin - the Nature of Man. On which fide foe- ver we look on it, we fhall find naught but weaknefs and impotency, In God only, and his Grace we ought to feck for it. °Tis he alone can enlighten our dark- nefs, fx and fettle our Wits, fuftain our Temporal Life as long as he pleafes, and. at laft éhange the weaknefs and infirmities
ee tg L
DE the Wiehe of Wan 39 of our Souls:and Bodies into an cverlatting
“fate of Grength and glory, Whatloever
hath been faid of the Weakacfs of Man, — ferves only to exait and heighten the power of: that: Grace which fopports.bim,. Fos what force mufinot it have:tO make a Na. ture {o corrupted,’ fo. weak, fo-miferable; victorious over it {elf and Hell, to raif it above all things, and make it overcome the World, with whatever it hath of de. ceitful, pleafing or terrible, Magnus gras tia opus oft, ut cums omnibus amoribus terre- rsbas crrovtbus vincatur bic mundus, 7 LXVI. f But if it be truc, that nothing doth more manifeft the power of Grace , ‘than the WeaknefS of Man; one may fay fo, that nothing doth fo much lay open and difcover his weaknels, as. the Grèce and
: Rights God Almighty gives him ahd thas
in forme fort the infirmities of Nature are.
"more confpicious in thofe wham God hath . the moft favoured with his Grace... Et dei-
ferwes not fo much:our wonder, that Men furrounded: with darknefs,, neither. know ing what they ate, nor what: they, do; fod fowing. only the impreflions of theis Seni- fès, and the capricious hamoun of: their imagination; fhould appear light; incon- . fittent and weak, in all theisactionse ~ Exes:
who .
Ga … Che Pete Creatites: who: would not believe that -diofé whorn, God hath enlightned with fuch pure know ledge, to whom he hath made known their: double End, two Eternities, one of Bea- titude, the other of Mifery, attending them, who have their Souls. brim-full of thofe great and dreadful Objects of a Hell, _ of Devils, of Angels, of Saints, of a God, that dy’d for thofe who fhall prefer him be- fore all things elfe: Who would not have thought, I fay, that they would have been out .of:the reach of, and incapable to be- moved by. the trifies of this. world? And yet it is not {o : Eventheir Hearts are of- ten fenfible of the leaft things. They are mov'd.at a cold entertainment; an uncivil word fhakes them. Sometimes they fink un. der the. flightef temptations, even then when God gives them the Grace to overs : come the greateft. Moreover they. expes rience themilelves {ubje& to a thoufond paf fions, a thoufand idle thoughts, a thou- {and irrational motions.. The fopperies of the: world difturb their moft (erinus mes ditations : ‘And i£:they do notifall down- right into the precipicaof fin, yet ghey feel a certain weight and bent -which. diives them that way, aud at the fame time per: ceive they have no power to hinder their falling thither ; and that if God, fieuld a abandon
“4
| |
, Othe Uicaknels of Pan. 61 abandon them to themfelves,:they fhould in amoment be abforp’'d.. - : . LXVIL «
Thusit is, that they are the Men, whoto {peak.properly, areaware of their poverty, and can fay with the Prophet Ego virvidens panpertatem meam. . Worldly. Men are poor. and weak without knowing it.’ Tis whenhe would make'ufe of his firength, that a fick man knows the want thereof:’Tis but when we cndeavour to refit and make againft the
. torrent, which. drives. us down, that we
know-its rapid violence, Pious Men there. foreate only they who knaw their weaknefs, becaufe they alone endeavour to overcome
16 and though indeed they are viGtorious in
things of. moft importance, yet it is with fo many imperfections, and. fo many, faults, and at the fameaime they. perceive fo many Other things; wherein they overcome noty that they bave but fo much more reafon to
_ be convine'd of their own milery.
LxVIIJ.
Not anly thén the moft imperfect, the
leat illuminated, and’ thof to whom we
give the name of weak. ought to fay toGad,
lave mercy.on me O Lerd.for Lam weak, But
the moft perfe&, the moft'ftrong, and thofe _ who received the moft light, and gréatelt favours from Almighty God.For the proper
LAC),
62 he Kirt Creatifr, &e.
ee of this ligtit isto make them fé fur ther into, and frave a deeper fentiment of their own meannef and mifery,and to make them acknowledge before Almighty God, that they are nothing but darknefs in theit Underftanding,, nothing but weaknefs and
unconftancy in their Wills that their life ig ””
only an Image which palles away,a Va
that of it Re is difpers’d. is this Light
that makes them cry te God with the Pro.
phet; My Being is but 2 notbing before thee, Et fubftentia mea tanquam nibilumsmete, And
that, taking thus from them all confidence.
in their own firength, vilifiesand annihilates
them in their own fight, fills them at the ” fame time with admiration. of the Infinite
Power of God, and of the incomprehenfible .
Abyf of his Wifdom; and {fo makes them,
throw themfelves into his Arms by an hum. - |
ble confidence, acknowledging that he a-.
_ Jone is able to fupport them amongft fo ma -.
ny difeafes and weakneffes, whois ableto . . free them from fo many evils, to make
:_ thäm victorious over fo many enemies 5 fi. - nally, that it is only. in him they can find- that Strength, that Héalth, that Light
. which they cannot. find in themfelves, no. |
nor in all the other Creatures befides. | | The End of the fi Tveatife..
Second: - |
| ‘|
7 + d
| | Part L | | | 63 EH LETEIEEE TOTTNES | Second Treatife. |
Of Submifsion to the Will of God.
Firt PART.
Doce me facere voluntatens fuame,guia | Deus mews es im
I.
HE mof general difference the “Holy Scripture puts betwixt Juft Men and Sinners, is, that the firft walk in the ways of
_ God, the fecond in ways of their own. So
that he hath fumm’d up the diforders to
_ which Gods Juice abandon’d the Hea
thens into thisone faying, comprehending thein all: Dimifis omnes Gentis sugredi vias er 3
64 Of Submittion Treat. ET.
tua: He left all, Nations to walk in their own ways, On the contrary the Prophet concludes all the infiru@ions JESUS CHRIST was to give the world in this other : He hall seach us bit. ways, Docebit nos VIAS ed.
IL "Now to know what it is to walk in ones. own ways, we need but coufider what St. Pasl {ays in another place, of the condition of Men before Faith. Hefays, then, that they walk’ din the vanity of their own fen- timents, and follow’d the will of the flefh, and their own thoughts. Ambulantis in vanitatis fenfus (ui, facientes voluntatem car- mis G cogitationem. On the other fide, to know what it is to walkin the ways of God, we need but take notice of -this paf-
= cee de
fage of St. Peter, where, {peaking of what :
the Faithful newly converted fhould pro. pofe to themfelves to do, he fays, That they ought to refolve to lead the reft of their life in followiug the Will of God,and not the defires of Men, Vt jam non defide-
rijs bominum fed Voluntate Dei quod reliquum _
eft in carne vivat temporis. So that, to fol- Jow ones own will, is to walk in ones o vn way,and to live Jike a Heathen: Afd to
follow the will of God, isto walkin the |
way of God, and to live like a Cheftian |
Part, I:
Totbe CUof God. Gs. r uo Ill. | . Hence the fifi Motion Grace infpired. into St. Pasi, when perfectly converted,, was tomake him fay to JESUS CHRIST. Lord wbat is thy Pleafure that I fhould do?. Domine, quid vis me facere ? And this Mo. tion of Grace carried with it-a renouncing, of all his life paft, in which -he had only follow'd his ewn inclinations ; a firm ree folution to follow the Will of God during the remainder of his life ; and an hearty dee, fire of coming to the knowledge of it, So that in fome fort it.comprehended all the Vertues St. Paul practicd afterwards ; as the Tree and Root contains the Fruit. which the Tree is to produce inits proper fealon, - Eu te
._ AV, Thete is no Chriftian who ought not to: :
fay to God by the Example of St, Pent, Lord, what is it thy Pleafurethet I {hould de? Nor is it enough .to fay it at the bcginaing of ones. converfion 3..tis a proteftation to be renewed without intermiffion all ones life; becauf our own Will, which never dies in us, is alway endeavouring to re-
“ poffefs it felf.of its Empire, andtoabolifh
the Reignof the Will of God. | We oùght always to defire to know the Will of God, becaufe our ignorance Every « | momen,
66 SM Submiffion Treat Ir. moment hides it from us: We ought al ways to have a defire of followingit, be- caufe our conçupifcence never ceafés to- draw us from it, that it may: carry-us to: . what it loves, But totheend this defire, this proteftation of obeying God prove not unfruitful, and remain à meer notion: without effect, it will be profitable feri. oufly to meditate what it is-to foHow the.
Will of God, and in what mantier we. ought to practice this effential duty of-
Chriftian Life, in all che particular Ren-- counters of ours.. And to do this, we muft firft know what is: the Wall of God. we.intend to follow, i
J | we 4 The Holy Scripture, and the Doétrine _
of the Church, obliges us to look on the. Will of God in two manners. Firft, as. the Rule of our Duties, prefcribing us: what we ought:to do, fhewing us the dif-
pofitions we ought to aimat, difcovering
to us what we ought to defire, what to
fhun, whither to tend 5 condemning all
Evil, and commanding all Good. Se-
condly, as the caufe of whatever happens
in the World, except fin; efficacioufly pro=
ducing whatever is good, and only permit.
ting evil, to draw good out of it.
VI
—
PartL Œotbe GUiof Gad. 67
VI.
- Aceording to the firft conception, the
Holy. Scripture gives the Will of God di.
_- vers names, ail denoting the fame thing,
Tis that Low Eternal, whereof St. Auftin fpeaks fo often, forbidding us to difturb, and commanding us to-preferve the order of Naturej;and which,placing Man betwixt God, and Creatures corporeal and inani- mate, forbids him to fettle his love on any. thing but the Sovereign Being ; {ince he cannot do that but by leaving the rank and place he has in the order of things, and putting himéelf under what is either-his in- ferior or equal, "Tis that Divine Fuftice which fparkles in our Souls, as the fame
Se. Afin {ays rendring whatfoever is
conformable, if amiable to us, though o- therwife we fhould. find nothing thercin which would draw our love. It is bat in loving and following this Jaltice, that Men are Juft ; and it isby receding from it chat. - they become unjuftand finners. Thefe are thofe Fudgments, thole Fuftifi- |
cations, David {peaks of fo often, that is
to fay, thofe Juft and Holy Rules and Ordi- nances infruG@ting Man what he ought to do; and which are written in God himfelf, becaufe they are nothing but his all Juft, .
and all Equitable Will. I¢ is that Wifaem ;
_ -
62 . OtSubmiffion: Tréat.IE
. the Wife Man fpeaks'of in all his Books,
which one ought to thirft after without in- termiffion, that one ought-to-fearch for, dike Silver; that ferves us fora guidein-our way, afd that dwells in God, ‘and with
Gnd.. Omnis fapientis « Domine Deo ef,
d cum illo fuit femper, & eff ante evum. Thefe are thofe Consmandments and Pre. cepts the Scripture calls Eternal, and-which ft enjoys us to have always before our Eyes; and Keep‘clofe in our Hearts; which ought to walk with us; which ought not-to leave us in our fleep, and which ought to be the firft Object of our thoughts when we a-
wake, Lige ea in corde tuo jugiter, cum ambulaveris gradianturtecum, cum dormite-- vis cuftodiant re, Gr evigilans loquere cum
UTC ; . Je is that Light, which makes us be the Children à Ligh » which is the caufe thae fome walk according as they either leave or follow it, Quia mandatum lucerna eb, Oy lex lux,
It is that Truth according to which itis
faid of the Juft, that they walkin Truth,
that they ‘are is Truth, and that they do the Irush, Eaftly, it is God himfelf; for all thefe names fignifie but the Will of God, and the Willof God is God himfelf.: .
Vil,
in Darknefs, others in Light, | |
Part. Co the Giliof Son. 69 VIE. | This Juftice, this Law, this. Divine Truth, is made manifeft tous by the Holy Scripture, and particularly by the New Tefiament. And it is one of the fenfes of this Verfe of St. Paul, Fuftitia enim Dei is co revelatur ex fide in fidem. . But the outward revelation ferves for nothing, if
interiorly God does not. enlighten our :
minds ,. if he doth not fhine in them as
Truth and Light, and if he do not'there :
make manifeft the Beauty of his Juftice, Wherefore it is faid, That there was a True Ligh enlightning all Men coming inte sbis
orld, Erat Lux Vera que illuminat ome nem Hominem in bune Mundnm.: . That is to fay, Men are not enlightned but as far as it pleafes this Divine and uncreated Light to fhine in their Underftandings.
| VI.
It is by following this Juftice, by con- forming to it, by loving and defiring it, that Juft Men-increafe in Jultice. By de. parting from it Men are unjutt, wicked,cor- rupted, difordered; becaufe this Jnftice is _ Effential Order, Effential Vertue, Effen-
' tial Holinefs. And as this Juftice is God | himfclf, fo it is evident, that the Love of this Juftice, is the Love of God, a. d that it is the fan & thin. with Charit ys. ind that
| 0
4
70 DF Submillion Treat: to a@ by the love of Juftice, is to aét by. | Charity, and by the Principle of the love © of God. | |
IX.
Hence we may fee, that one may have Charity, and act by the dictates thereof, though he know not fo much, and that fometimes one is, and aéts without Cha- sity, when lie thinks himfelf lively moved thereby. : For there are certain perfons, who, finding in themfelves no.fenfible de- votion towards the Humanity of our Lerd Fefus Chrift, and reading fometimes the ftory of his Paffion, without any tender feelings or favour, imagine they love him not, becaufe their love is not accompanied with this fenfible devotion. But, if thefe felf~fame Perfons have in great horror fin and injultice, if they love the Law and Jue ftice of God, if they efteem that Righ. © |
teons and Holy, if they effe@ually yield obedience to it, and not fin, fhould God even promife them impunity; They truly love JESUS CHRIST as God, be- caufe he is this Juftice, this Wifdem, this Eternal Law which they-love. On the contrary, there dre fome, who feelin them-
felves fenfible motions, for JESUS . CHRIST, who fhed tears when they read what he had fuffered for us; and ne-. vere
Part. TL Cothe Cailof God. 71
verthelefs have no true love for God, be. eaufe they love not Fwfice and Fudgment, as the Scripture {peaks 5 they are not pierc'd through with a certain fentiment, which " makes us feel the Law of God as all amia- ble, all juf, and which makes us {ubmit wich all willingnefs and love,
7 Xe
. With thefe thaugkts; with this fenti. ‘ment David was lively touch’d, when in his Lay Pfalms, he criesout, The Law of . God is all pure., by its Beauty drawing - Soulstoit. Lex Domini inemactlata, con~ -vertens Animas, The Ordinances of God are Faithful, they never deceive their Fol- lowers: They give Wifdom, not tethe Proud who refift, but to the Humble whe fubmit. Teftimoninm Domini fidele, faq pientiam preflans parvulis. The Juttices, that is, the all Equitable Wills of our. Lord, are Rightnefs it (elf, and they fill - Souls with Joy. Fujlisie Domini Rette, letificantes Corde. His Commandments are full of Light, and clear the Eyes of the Soul. Preceptum Domini Lucidum, illu- minans Occulos. The Fear of our Lordis . Holy; it pañles not away like that of Men, it endures for ever. Timor Domini Santius, permanens in (eculum feculi. The Judgments of God are Truth it felf, they
are
D
72 ME Submiffion Treat. I
are juft of themfelves. ‘fudieis Domixi Vera, juflificate in femisipfa. They are to to be defir'd above all the Riches of the ‘World, and are fwecter than the moft des . ficiods Honey. Defiderabilia fuper Aurum
prefiolum multum, & dulciora fuper Mel & feñum, All thefe expreffions come from
a Soul tranfported with the Beauty of the -
Law of God, of his Juftice, of his Righ-
teoufnefs , of his Sweetnefs; and which :
trains it felf to exprefs the motions it feels, the motions God caufes init, at the fame time he makes this his Divine Law fhinc and fparkle in its Spirit. XI -
The Church is fo fully perfwaded, that this Love of the Law of God is the-foun- dation of Chriftian Piety,that therein con- _ fifts true Charity, and that meditating on this Law ought to te our continual enter- tainment; that whereas fhe divides andaf= figns to, different days the inltructions of
'- the Scripture, and the reft of the Pfalms;
laying no obligation on us to confider and ponder themevery day, fhe appoints us for _ our daily food that admirable Pfalm, in
which David, in {uch a variety of expref- fions, asks of God the Knowledge and
Love of his Law. And this to the end, ~.
that reciting, it each hour of the day, it fhould ©
~
PP n 7 . .
PartL Cathe Cail of Soy. 73
fhould be to us a continual admonifher,
not to loofe fight of this Divine Light, ca- pable of guiding us in the darknefs of this
life, and without which we always go
aftray. ,
. XII. . | Whatever is contained in this Pfalms, is
reduced to that Prayer of St. Past, Do.
mini, quid me vis facere? or to this Verfe ‘of another P{alm. Doce me facere volunta-
tem taam, quia Deus mens es. tu, Teach me to doshy Will, becaufe thou art my God. All the Verfes of this wonderful Pfaim fay but the fame thing, though in different expref- fions. As for Example, when the Pro- phet in the beginning fays: Beati immacn- lati invia, qui ambulant in lege Domini. He
acknowledges to God Almighty, that he
> admires the happinefs of thofe who obferve
_ his Law ; and {9 makes Known the defires .
he has to imitate them. Now this defire
- made known to God Almighty,isa Prayer, - by which he begs Grace to know his Law,
and ftrength tofulfill it. So when he de-
clares, that thofe who fin, do not walk ia -
Gods ways. Non enim qui operantur inie quitatem in viis ejus ambulaverunt, It is
as if he‘caft a look of anger on the life of © diforderty people, . and ‘a-lodk of love and | holy jealoufie on-that of the good: And,
i$
74 TE Submillion Treat. 1. this two fold regard ; containing in it the love of Juftice, and a hatred ot Enjuftice
or $in, is a double Prayer, whereby he begs of God the Knowledge and Love of
his Law. ‘It would beeafiefor methusto .
run over all the other Verfes, to thew that they all atm at the fame Mark.
| XE | . The frequent repetition of the fame Prayer, thews evidently these is none more important; wherefore it is good to look
ao
into the bottom of it, and to know of © L
what extent itis: Andthis we may learn from the manner St. Pasl has expreft it in, faying, Lord, what mouldft thon bave me to do.? Domine, quid me vis facere? Firit, ’tis remarkable, he demands not of
God what in general is to be done, or .
what a Chriftian is obliged todo}; but he asks what he himfelfin particular ought to do. His, défie is not only tobe inftru- ed in the commion: duties, but alfoin the particular ones, : Kor certain Laws of God arc in fome fort general, becaufe they. ought to be kept by all; and there arco-
thers particular, relating to each anes pe
culiar and different difpofitiag.. Every
‘one hath received fome gift from God Ale ~
mighty proper..co him{élf; and we muft have a çare not te défire, to fexve God in a, . ; . _ the
Og CR DR RS Ce Bee ee 7” . e . ry ry , . .
Part L Cathe CCU of Gov. a5
_ the gift proper to another, God expects
not fronr all the fame things, What is a Vertue in one, may be a Vice in another.
. In fome fort every one of us have a different
way allotted to lead. us to God, and our Prayer muft be, that he not only would make known to us the common road, but alfo the path particularly appointed us.
_ Domine, quid me vis facere? |.
Thefe words may be a prefervative for us
_againft a deceipt ordinary amongft perfons
of Piety, which is to think little on their
- own obligations, and much on thofe of o.
thers: “There are fome well skill' din the
. duties of Kings, Great Ones, Matters,
Servants; who know what the Confeffa- rius, the Penitent, what the Rich and the Poor ought to-do, but are ignorant of . what is to be done by themfelves, They are bufie people in other mens affairs, but mind not their own. They are full of words to edifie and inftru@ others, : but for themfelvess they are poor and barren of ali. The reafon is, they do not fincere _ ly pray to God, that he would make known unto them what he would have them to do. For one.of the. firft Lights hé would give them, would be to apply their thoughts
much about themfelves., and little about Loe rs a a . others.
76 : “ME Submilion Treat. I
| others. Er que pracipit tibi Dens ila co-
gite femper. Think always on thet, which - God bath commanded thee to do, fays the —
Wife Man. There is therefore no. time left us to think on.what others are com- ' manded to do, unlefs God himfelf com- mands us to think thereon; and that even thefe thoughts of ours, make up a
- part of our own devoirs, and that they
are athelp for us to comply more faithfully therewith. Forit is not abfolutely evil to make the obligations of others, part of
our own meditations; but we muft not _
ftick there,.we mutt apply to our felves _ what we find to be the duties of others. -
XV. ; + . ° There is almoft no knowledge of any thing fo peculiarly belanging to others, which makes us not underftand fome duty’ and obligation peculiar to our felves,and which may not bé reduced into practice for our
edification, had we the fame-care to draw
profit, from the Spiritual Riches pafling through our Souls, as the covetous have to gain by thofe Temporal ones pafling . through their-hands, ‘ ‘We’are.for Example acquainted with the dangers which attend the condition of great Oncs, the multitude of obligations where- with they are charged, and the dificuities OO they
woos ae
Part Cothe Cll of Sod. 77
they meetin acquitting themfelves. Let us thank God he hath not made us Great.
Let us pray for thofe that are, let us give ©
God thanks for fuch as comply with theis
- condition, let us admire their Vertues, let us grow better by their Example, and - humbler by comparing our {elves to them.
We know the difficulties waiting on Prieft- hood :. Let this thought extinguifh in us all defires of a condition fo high, and fo dangerous: Let it prompt us to beg of God, that he would beftow on his Church Holy Priefts, that he would San@ifie thofe
. thatare. Wehave fome Items to take no-
tice of thediforder of feveral Monatteries 5; let this provoke-us to lament before Ale
_mighty God, and entertain fentiments of fear 5. for they are fo many marks of Gods * wrath on his Church, whofe {ad effe&s we alfo ought to ftarid in-dread of, if by humi.
lation and pennance wehave not a care to: prevent them. Thus whatfoever we know of others, will be profitable to our felves,
. -and thefe knowledges,inftead of making us: ‘wander out of our felves, will be a means:
to bring us home tq our felves,
. XVI. * , 3. St. Paul, asking of God what he would have him to do, does not ask {pe-
culative knowledges ufelefs for the conduc
mm
78 Of Submiffion Treat. It.
of his life: No, he asks Knowledge necef- {ary for action. Domine, quid me vis fac cere ? Hence we learn, that the Lights and Knowledge it is lawful for us tu beg and look for at the hands of God Almighty.are - thofe for ation, thofe that are neceffary for the guidance of our fteps. Euxcerns pedsbus meis verbum tuum, & lumen femitis meis. We ought not to ask of God that we may fee far about us; it fuffices to fee where we ought to fet our feer, and that God make his Will known tous, fill as. we are to execute It. ’
* The farther we caft our fight, the le.
clearly da we fee the way we walk in, And: for this reafon it is the Wife man tells us, That true Craft confifts in knowing ones own, not the ways of others. Sapientis. - Colidi ‘dt iateligere viens fuam and that the Crafty Man is always employed in con«
Gdering carefully where he fhall place his. -
fieps:; Aftstus confiderst greffis fuos. , XVEL. |
But this way we out to know, theft fieps we ought to guide, do not only point out the exterioraétions, which we are to.
regulate according to the Laws of God 3 :
but alfo the interior motions of our Soul. For the Heart hath its fteps, its way, and:
thefe are nothing but its affeGtions, that wo, - is |
Partl. Œotbe Cailiof Gov. 79 ts to fay ~ its defires, its fears, its hopes ; which we ought erideavour to render con- -formable to the Law of God, by loving only what that approves of, gnd rejcétiny, what that condemns. Lafily, St. Pasi demands of God in gee. neral, that he would make his Will known to him, Domine, quid me vis facere > he excepts nothing. He offers God a Heart -prepar’d to put in execution all his Orders:- and hereby teaches us, that, when we beg - to know Gods Will, we muft have a fin- cere defite to know it wholly, and that we. ought not to have in our hearts certain - wilfull referves, by which we with not to: know it in fome particular point, left we: fhould thereby be obliged ro execute it, For, one of the greateft and commoneft defects of Men, is, not to defire to know Gods Will, even then when they feem with. grcateft order to beg the Grace of knowing it. We have almoft all of us certain de fects, which we would not have touch’d, and which we hide as much as poffible from God, and from our félves, And for this reafon St, Paxf doth not only with that the Celofians fhould know the Will of
God , but he wifhes morcover that they - |
fhould be replenifhed therewith, Us mples- | | wal
ne
sé © 4
80 OF Submiflion Treat. Ib. mini agnitione voluntatis ejuc.: that is to fay, that there fhould be no fecret corners in ‘their Souls; in their Hearts, where this Divine Light fhould not enter and fhine ; “and that they fhould have no voluntary affections or tyes, which fhould hinder God from filling them with his Knowledge and Grace. ON | 7 : XIX. | How many do we fee that daily fpend whole hours in meditation, who, not- with{tanding, never reflet on thofe faults, which all the world fees in them,and theme. _fclves alone are ignorant of all their life long? It is becaufe at ‘the firft they made referv’d Cafes of them. They unfold and lay open to God all the reft-of their Heart: but they take fpecial care not to difcover that corner, where they have plac'd thofe imperfetions they cherifh. In the mean — time they make general proteftations, that they defire nothing more than to know the. Willof God, They daily recite this Pfalm, wherein this only Prayer is found; and it » Accms to them, they fay it from the bottom: ~ of their Hearts: But, befides that Heart from which they pronounce. thefe Prayers, they have another that difavows them 3. they have one Heart for God, and ano- ther for themfelves. They have one, de. ue * firous
Part k Go whe CHM of Son. 82
firous of obeying God, in fome things not . very troublefome; they. have another; which being ty’d to certain other things; will not know that they areevil. And. thus they. are to be numbered amongit . thofe she Wife Man threatens in thefe. words. Ve. duplict Corde. Woe to thefe that bave s donble Heart :. And. amongft thofe of whom he fays, They fhall not profper s becaufe they walk in a double path, Cor ingrediens duabus viisnen babebit:
face: Bus, D
XX.
. Hence we leary, that it fuffices not to: ask of God the Knowledge of: his: Will. if we beg not alfo-this fimple and fingle — Heart, having-no other defiré than that of. fulfilling it: Wherefore the Prophet does not only callthofe happy,who only-own to God a:defire of knowing his Will,but thofe who defire to found the bottom thercof,and feek. after ic with their whole Heart: Beati qui‘ fcratantur teflimonis ejns, in tete Corde exe.
uirunt eam, who do not only limit-theme
elves within the defire of (esving God.but who can fay with the fame Prophet, Ja. toto Corde meo exquifivi te, ne-repellas-me @- maudatis {uis. Thefe are thofe Juft ones, whom their fimplicity. guided in the right way. Sinpliciras juftorune diriget:eos. - Bo-
A
-caufé
82 OF Sudmillion Treat. IE caufe God never fails to enlighten thofe who have no other defire than that of: fol. lowing him 7 7 ae XXI. | Many there axe who require Exercifes of Devotion for the Morning; and wkich are- prefcrib’d them by others, according to the . knowledge and motions of Piety.each one bath, But none feenis more natural, nor more profitable than an oblation of ones. " elf, fuch as St. Pasl’s was ta Almighty. God for fulfilling his Will all the day ;. to. beg-of him the Grace to know it 5. tofore-
"- fe ones own ations; to order them accor-
ding to. the Light and Knowledge he gives. us; and to befeech-him to give us.firength. to fulfill what he wouchfafes.to let us know.
‘ef his Will. For we ought net to be fa. tisfied. when. we have in General ask'd of-
‘God Almighty, that he would inftru@ us:
touching our Duties; but we ought: to, have recourle to, and confult him on cach. particular.aGtion, and that not-only about. the exterior, part thereof, but alfo about. the interior difpofitions requifite, that in. the. day time we may endeavour. to. pra- ctice them accordingly, Thus we fhall. obferve the counfel of the Wile Man, ad-. vifing ds to entertain our {elves with the. Commandments of God fram ous. awake- | ing:
Partl Cathe CHINE OT. 82 . ing in the Morning : Et-evigilaus loquere cum cis. | | | XXIT. - This is properly the Idea St. Asftin- fram’d to himfelf of true Devotion or Piety, Wherefore having in his Third. Book of the Trisity, a mind: to give us the Pourtraiture of a Wife Man, that isa true Chriftian, he defcribes him in thefe words. . © Let us conceive in our miads a Wife Man, whofe Soul is enlightned by that Trxth which it ternal and Immatable. WHO CON.-- SULTS IT ABOUT ALL HIS A- CTIONS, WHO NEVER DOES. OWN WHICH HE SEES NOT. IN THIS TRUTH THAT HE OUGHT TO DOIT, to the endy that obeying and-fubmisting bimfelf thereto, be may aft and do like à Fuft Men. But we ought not to fancy, that thofe who
_. are noe wife, that is, are rot: arriv’d at
this degree of perfection, are thereby dif- penfed from confulting this Law. Their obligation is as great as that of the Wifeft : Nay, they ate not fuch, becaufe they do not confult it, and fo it is impoffible they feuld do wells fince todo well, is nothing but to love this Law, and to fubmit, an follow it in all our ations.
XXIIE,
84 . MF Submiion Treat. if. | .. XXHL oe But it ought not to fuffice, that we only, at the beginning of the day confult Gods Law and Juftice; we muft as much as pof- fible endeavour never to loofe the fight of it: And:above all, when any new thing . prefents. it {of to be done which was not in the order of thofe we had propos‘ to do: we mul caft a look towards God to ask of ‘him what he would have us to do, and.toconfult his Law. how he would have us carry our {elves init, So that it feems one cannot frame a better Idea of Chri=- ftian life and Piety, than. by confidering it as a life of ‘continnal attention to. what ‘God requires of us in each condition, and - each a@ion, whether: exterior or interior : And that it: is this difpofition the Prophee . tells us of, whemhe fays; Pravideham.Do. minum ia confpeilu meo femper. For, this. regard towards God, is the regard of à Slave towards his-Mafter, of a Son to- “-wards hisFather, at oncecontaining afiae cere defire of: knowing his:Ordérs, and a preparation of Heart to follow. them. Pro- . perly this Exercife is that which may, be call’d The Exercife of-the. Prefence. of Gody . fo, much recommended to us in Books of _ Devotion. In fine; ’tis.that which God himfelf recommended.to wirabsm, when,
y.
Partl Co the CGI OE Go. 85. he order’d him to walk in: his Prefence, Ambala coram me & efto perfeütm. Fort, to
* walk ‘before God, is to have God prefent, °
’tis.to confult his Law continually, and to guide ones {elf by his Light: For,. this
_ Light, and this Eaw, are but .one and che
fame thing: ; . : . ~ XIV. |
- There is this differcnce betwixt exterios and interior actions, that it is much bet»
ter-known whether the exterior be confor. |
mable, or contrary to thé Law of God, ‘ than it is‘of interior ones; which are of- ten hid in the mifts raifed by concupifcence; : fo that we cannot afcertain our felves we have the bottom of our Heartin the ftate as God would have it, But-asit.is impof- fable for us to free ounfelves of this uncer tainty, fo s.pht we got to leave off the care of régulating our exterior;. ‘the ree formation of it being. a: means to:the ine terior reformation of our Souls. Where. __ fore, though we have not yet fentiments fuch as. we ought, we muft not omit do. ing what we ought to do. If we find
motionsof Pride within, letusendeavour °°
fo much the more to fhew our felves hum- ble without.:: 1f we find any. Bittcrnefs of Heart againft any one; it. is the Will of
sod we fhould not haveany regard thereto,
ME
. 4
se
°
© Hypocrite in this manner of proceeding : ”
guides and rnles the exterior parts of the .
SG Of Submiffion Treat. If:
but that we fhould behave our {elves to.
wards him, as if we had our Heart full of Love and Tendernefs.. Nor is there any
Since it is grounded en Truth, and that; if it be ‘not conformable to thofe: motions
which are on the furface of our-Soul, yet is.
it commanded by that portion-of it, which
Body. XXV
This is the only means. to Come to cone.
ftant and uniform Piety; a Piety which only follows God, which. confults not. ones own fentiments, humour.or inclina-
tions,and which outwardly fhews only fuch :
hamours, {uch fentiments as are confor- mable to the deed we. are doing, If the
_occafion happen wherein. it isfit to be gay
and merry, Jet gayityand mirth be fhewn; .
if: to be fad, Jet fadniefs appear. There are certain occafions. wherein tenderneG, truf;
cordialnefs, compaflion ought to befhewn: —
In thefe let us endeavour to excite in our.
felves fuch motions and fentiments, as our- ' reafon guided by the Will of God tells us, - are then convenient and profitable. If it- be not poffible to have alively:fenfé-thereof,. at Jeaft let us bear the marks. of them. in. our exterior ; and by this means we may:
hope
Path. CotieCUMOE Do. g-
hope God will give us the Grace to regu.
late our interior motions, as for the Jove
him we have already. fram’d our exte. . sior actions. ,
| XXVI,
Skilful Courtiers have no humours o
© their own; they borrow all theirs fron
thofe they have a mind to plea. ‘Ti ' their. intereft which in them produces that fuperfical joy, that apparent fadnefs, thok ' Pleafant looks, that general complacency which appears without. True Piety ir
". fome fort imitates this procedure, only
changing the Principle :. For, whereas in. tereft is the Rule Men of the World guide _ themfelvesby, Pious Perfons take the Law _. af God for theirs, in which they {ce bott the way how they. ought to treat with each particular perfon, and the interior. difpo. .fition they ought therein to have, ff ir themfelves they. feel this difpofition, they cherifh it 5. if. not, they endeavour what | (hey can to procure jt; at lealt.they im. . Print it in theirexterior aGions by little
and little, to worKit inte their Hearts, 7 XXVIL | Several, who have near at hand ob. ferv'd a great.Ser vant of God, who at pre. " fent is the Ornament of the Church o «Rance, fay, that.hehath divers looks, aci , cording
83 OF Submififon Treat. IL. cording to-the variety of aétions he. ap- plies himfel£ te. He hath one for the Al-
tar and Church, in which a profound re . |
collection is to be obferv'd;. another in civil converfation, fhewing chearfulnefs ; a grave and ferious one, where Authority is to be made ufe of; and another fit and complacent , where fit occafions require There is not a more excellent practice of Mortification than this, to fupprefs all our hümours and inclinations, to level and: fmooth all cheir unevennefles, and to make only fuch motions appear, as reafon prompts us toin every-action. ThisMor+ tification is a:hidden one, for none takes . notice of it; it is a conitant continualone, beeaufe our inclinations are always found mixt in what we do, never ceafing, whee ther in folitude or company, to putus by the -order. God hath appointed, This Mortification gives not to any fubjects of complaint; the Eamily is unconcern’d : Phyficians, whether Spiritual :or. Corpos ral, never forbid: it:. Nay, it even gives us leave to hide the Mortifieations of “our: Mind. under Corporal Refrefhments, when - Realon orders us to allow and fubmit-our lves thereunto ;. moreover: it: males. us . ' ay
#
Part L Œothetüillof Gov. 89
‘ay -afide certain demeanours which often
contribute to nourifh the vanity we take in Mortification, when we have left the practice of it. | XXFX,
Befides, nothing brings to our know- kdge more acts of Vertue fit to be put in pra@ice, than this continual attention te the Law of God,- becaule nothing more . blinds our Eyes from difeovering them, - than giving our [elves up to the guidance
Of our owninclinations, *T'is this atten-
tion which teaches us to contribute, as far as Chriftianity will give leave, towards the divertifement of others in converfae tion, to infimuate our felves into their affections, by a complacency without af.
fcétation 5 to fuffer their importunities ;
to admonith’ them of fome faults, but -
. that by ways {weet and proportion d to
their humours to fhun crofling them to no purpofe; it teaches us to hold our peace when we ought, to-fpeak when ’tis: fit; and fo to comply with a number of little obligations, which are not heeded by thofe who guide themfelves only by hu-
mour. And this is one of the Senfes cf — .
that faying of the Wife Man, Qui inqui- sant Dominum advertent omnia, Who feck after God, take notice of al things. XX.
90 OfSubmiffion Trea
. XXX. *Tis this attention to the Will of God, which makes us lead a regular, even, and “uniform life, which makes us faithfully. practice the fame things in the fame occa- fions. For if we propofe to our felves on- ly to ferwe.God, with reafon we fhall judge
our felves more conformable to his Will,. if we keep to fome certain order of beha- ~
. viour in things indifferent , than if we quitted it out of humour or capricioufnefs. ‘Fhe lefs fhare we our felves have in things, the more reafon we have to believe ‘tis
God we follow indoingthem: And thofe
which. of themfelves are equally. and indif. ferent, become equal and diffèrent, when we add to fome of them this Reafon of U- niformity in the fame Exercifes, XXXE But if this delire of guiding our felves
by the will of God. makes us in things in-.
différent, to prefer Otder and Equality, be- fore Diforder and Inequality: In like:
manner it frees us from an over- weaning Love for fuch Exercifes, and makes us.
Lupple and fixible, fo that we eafily. change them when God requires it ; becaufe, de- firing nothing more than toobey him, we
are equally content when we equally find: -
means Of practicing this obedience. Wheres
fore, :
LY
_PartE Œo the CET of ‘Gon. or
fore what Rules foever we have prefix’d our felves in things indifferent, we ought €o- be ready to alter them when occations are.offer’d,- whercia God lets us know he expects fomething elfe at our hands, *Tis an effect of this flexibility, when fuch as. love their fludiés, ceafe not with care to. apply themfelves to civil converfatiôn, which chey affect not, when Charity ree
. quiresit at their hands. This makes them
in fome fort loofe their time, when God wills them to do fo; to quit without
_ trouble their employments; not from any . fx'd and fteddy defigns ; and to keep them-
felves always in the Hands of God AL . mighty, to usdertake fuch things as he.
makes them underfand, are agrecable to.
his Divine Will.
| . XXXIL
but we meft take care left we fuffer this: flexibility to degenerate into irrefolution 5, for fince Men appropstate to themielves but a very fmall portion of their time, it.. is impoffable they fhould apply themfelves. to any one thing, without quitting others. Now in making oneschoice, things of les.
moment ought to. give place to thofe of
greater, and a fet choice muftof neccffity.
" -Be made; which once done, ought not
eafily tobe changd. If, fos. Example, we. | Oo cannot.
92 Of Submifion Treat. IT. cannot employ our felves about the con. duct of fore particular perfons, and at
the fame.time labour for the good of the —
Churchs we are to confider whether of thefe two may be done with more profits and whether is more futable to our voca. tion. If we cannot diftribute ouratten. . tion to feveral ttudies, we ought to confine it to onc, and witha good will {uffer-our - want of skill in the reft, If we cannot.
* fatishie fo many works. of Charity, we -
muft retrain ouf {elves tofuch as are with. in our power, having always before our Eyes the advice of the Wife Man, which Ought to ferve usas a Rule in many occa fion, Fili, me in maltis fint allus tui, . . | XXXIIT. | Hence it is cafie to perceive, that the obedience practic’'d amongft Religious, is rather facility found-out by the Saints for ‘obferving the Law of God, than a new | ' feverity they have added to the Gofpel. . For it is never Jawful for one, in what condition foever, to make ‘concupifcence the rule of his ations, or to guide him- ‘felf by his own proper will, and capri- cious humour, The Will.of God ought _ always to be our Rule, whether in things - _ of the greateft importance, ar of the leatt -concern. Now it being fometimes a matter Ju | cs 0. a
{
À
Part Œotbe Giflof So. 93
es
of difficulty to know this Will of God,
_ and our own being often ready totakeits - * place; the Saints haveintroduc'd this fub-
jeétion to a fuperior,: to the end Religious
Perfons may determinately. know what to : do in things indifferent: For thus the
' Will of God is made as it were more fen-
fible, it being certain, that the Religious
, ought to obey their Superiors in things of
ne on à
coo
=
en aes
this nature ; whereas thofe who areunder - none, are more put to it to know whatit_ - is God in the like occafions requires them to.do. -
| XXXIV. . .
If we havea Heart fimple and right, we fhall clearly fee what the Will of Gad is, even in the leaft occafions; Nature and Concupifcence only hides it fromus. To.
‘this’end St, Pas! admonifhes us to renew
our Spirit, that we may know the Will of God. Resouamini in novitate fenfus ve. fri ns probetis que fit Voluntas Dei bona, bene placens @& perfediz, If therefore we per-
' ceive, that we do not difcover what is the
Will of God, we ought to believe: it is, becaufe we are not renewed ; it is becaufe we live the Life of Adam; that is, be-. caufe’ we think only on the things of this World, becaufe. our-Heart is full of the love of this World, and void of the
| | ove
04 Of Submifion Treat Il. fove of God, from whence fprings the re. newing of the Soul.
Oo XXXV. |
We muft not fancy to our felves, be. caufe we have not made Vows topraétice ‘the feveral Duties of a Religious Life, we are therefore difpenfed from fuch as con- _ ferve and increafe Piety. The declaration God makes of his will in this particular, | is general, when he fays, Hae eff Voluntas Dei, Janilificatio-veftre. This declaration obliges us to work and endeavour without intermiffion our own Sanétification ; and to lay hold on all méans proper for that end, and which are taught us by this very Law or Will of God. So that if we are not plae’d under the conduct of a Mafter of - Novices, whofe task it is toexercifeusin : Vertue, not under that of a Ghoftly-Fas ther, whofe ‘Charity does us thefame pood
Office; yet ought the Law of God te . ftand us in ftead of both thefe, and thence we ought to draw fuch exercifes, and fuch . practifes, as are proper to heal our Sores, * and advance us in the way of Salva tion, -
a, - XXXVI _ This defire of knowing the Will of God, bas a particular relation to the prefent time: For though fometimes we may fore ec
Part. L ŒCotbeCfllof Gad. 95
- fee what we ought ta.do hereafter, yet
muit we never take carcof that, but when it is our prefent duty tocthink thereon. So that one may fay, the way of Truth, and
“the way of Life, confift in cenfdering
”_ what God requires we fhoald do in the pre.
fent inftant, and in putting it in pra@ile
‘forthwith'; that is, in praying, when
God Wills us topray; in {uffering, when God would have us to fuffer ; in being in ation, when God requires we fhould; in
) - employing our thoughts either about the - future, or about our felves, or about
others, when God orders they fhould be fo employed, |
XXXVIT | There is in this World: no condition fo
~ wnhappy, nor fo diforderly, which we may nat, in the prefent inftant leave, to re. ' place our felves in the rank and order God
appoints us; nor is there any fo Happy, fo Haly, fo Conformable to the Will of God, which ‘weimay not allo loofe every mo-
. ment. There isa Line drawn from each
degree, and each condition towards God; a3 foon as we come to tread on this Line, - we are in the.order he appoints.. If we
- are in fin, the Line which léads towards - God, is to renounce it, to refolve to lay
‘hold on‘all: the neceffary means of quitting
ES
®
96 Of SubmiMion Treat |
it, and at the fame time to fall a practicing fuch as feem to be moft according to Gods order. If we ‘have enter’d unduly into any Office, and that it isneceffary to leave
it, and we may immediately do fo, webe- |
take pur felves to the order God hath ap- pointed, if effectually wequit it. But if
Prudence permits not that we free our ~
hands of it fo foon, it is fufficient we do it in defire3- and then, though we have en- ter’'d on it contrary to the order of God, " yet is it not contrary thereunto, that we continue ; fince it is now no more ourown,
but his Will which keeps us there, ©
: XXXVI. Thus not only the Juft, who confulting the Law of God here at the bottom of
their Hearts, an anfwer of Peace, as the.
Prophet faid, Awdism quid loquatur in me Deminus Dens, quoniam loquetur pacem in plebem fam, nor the Saints, Et fuper Sanêlos fhos : But alfo the greateft fianers, provided they enter into themfelves, and turn towards God, Et in eos qui vertuntur
ad Cor. This Divine Light fhews to.ah
away of Peace, It is true, this way is more rugged tofome than others,and often it appears to thofe who are inimerft in fin,
‘fo uneven and pr£cipitiôus, that they de-
fpair of being able.to walk therein. But Le provided
, A —
eee mess I one ee ‘ \
LE
, Pare E. Cathe CHAT of Gé. 97
provided they wilt but ufe violence to themfelves, it is not intpoflible bur they too may walk init: For, chis fame Lighe which difcovers to them the way, thews
them alfo the faccoar which they may .
obtain by their Prayers, and: which can
give them ftrengttr greater than their own ~weaknefs. |
XXXIK, . a . Theconfideration of Gods Will, as Ju- Rice, conftitutes the Piety of true Chri. flans here on Earth, and will make up th: Eternat Happinefs of the Bleffed in Fea. ven. In this contemplation confifts thae torrent of pieafuses- wherewith they willbe inchriated: For, their Sovereïign delight - fall be to find nothing in themifslves op. pofite tœthe fuffice of God Almighty, and m being in a perf fubic@fon to him. Their Glory fhall be, that this Jattice rutey over them: And thus thall. their Charjty Be all pure, becaufé they fait mor refer God to themfelves, but themfetves to God, - and God alone they thal? love ia them- felves, Wherefore Sr. Avftis, expreffing the ftate: of the Bleed: in Heaven, fays, That they (hall conrinually aunibilate them
+
~ feives in: she: Prrjente of God: preferring him
before themfelves by on Eternal Love, | | F ° | XL. ‘
98 : DE Submiflion Treat.IL . XD. U But, which is firange, by an effed. quite contrary; what. God fhall make . known of his Juice to the wicked, fhall be their greateft torment, and fhall be that which will throw them head-long ~ into Hell. For as a Holy Woman, to : whom God had imparted great Light, : fays, A Soul is no fooner feparated from . Bhe Body, but it goes firaight.to its prom’ per place: And if being dead, it fbould not find that out, which she Decrees of Gods Fuftice bath prepared for it, its Hell svould be a thoufand times greater, becaufe st would fee it felf out of the order and — difpoftion of God: Finding therefore for it felf no place more proper, or Jefs painful than Hell, it cafts it felf bead-long thitber as te its Center, and the place moft conve- sient for it, Not becaule a damn’d Soul loves this Juftice, but becaufe this Juftice being kiown, confounds and convinces it of ts own unworthinefs, a thing it can- not fuffer. there is a Knowledge of God which incites us to unite our felves to him, and to lay our felves open to the Light of his Divine Eyes. . There is a- aother, Which makes us fly from him, and a wk
sh
+. -Tt is therefore
Partl Co the Clilof Gon: 99
withdraw our {elves as much as we can out of his Prefence, Adam and Cain had experience of this impulfe after their fins; the one being induced thereby to hide himfelf- in Paradice, the other to
wander like a Vagabond in the World,
thinking fo to out-run the remorfe of Confcience , which gave him no repofe. This fentiment annex’d to fins, is not a fentiment of fear and horrour , but one Of rage and defpair. . We cannot endure the fight of him whom we have offen: ded, whom we hate; becaufe ic conti. nually. upbraids us.with eur faults. We would deftroy him if we could ; bat fince we cannot, we fhun him, and hide our
‘felves from him to our power. The
fentiment is weak in this life, where we
but imperfe@tly apprehend the deformis ty of fin; but in the next it fhall be without limits, when our fins fhall -
fhoot - out their Thorns,.as St. Auftix.
. fpeaks, and our fides fhall be pierced therewith, So
XLII
. that the Damned fhould precipitate
themfelves into Hell; as a place the
out of this fentiment, |
moft darkfome, and remoteft from God, —~-
‘and where they hall be lefs pierc’d by. ‘:.: , | F 2 _ the
100 . Of Subnifiion Treat. ” thopenctrating Rays of his jufics. There . 4 to much Tight for therm im any place elfe, and their Eyes cannot lufes that lighe they hate, — Ps ' !’Fhe greateft torment we can infi@& on thofe who. have forse’ Eyes, is to ex. bof: them to a fill light , and force them - to look on it, The greateft- Hell of the Damned would be to force them 40 appear in. the Light of the Saints, and to fhew them on one fide their Glory, . Gods Love towards them; on the. o- _ ther, their. own deformity , and the ha- tred God bears them. oe Thus their greateft defire is, to hide themlelves as much as poflible they can from this killing light. = | The profpe& of: Gods Juftice. joyn’d to his Mercy and Love, brings comfort and cafe; but that of this fame Juftice joyn’d: to his hatred, is what kills and leads to defpair. '
XLIIE.
_. ‘We may be mov'd by Pride to quit à place whereof we are not worthy: Fx-
+ dag was not humble when remorfe for
bis fin made. him judge himfelf unwore - . thy. to live, He could not fuffer the
:.' > seproach of his unworthinels,. And: ta
. ! fhun
Part L. Go theca of Gab, ror fun it, he iefe hi Nf. In the fame manner the Darmmed freely feate all the other places they are . unworth? of, to fhun the fight of that penetra. ting Light, convincing therh of their crimes , and chacing them before it, as the Angel chaced Adam out of Para- ice. ;
They cannot fuffer to be out of Gods Order; not becaufe they love his Or- der, but becaufe they cannot bear the interns reproach of their own difor- cr. :
- Hell therefore is the~Center of the Damned, as Darknefs is the Center of
them who fly the Light. It is the |
place where the Light of God incon- veniences them the leaft, where the reproaches of their Confciences are leaft:
‘fernfible ‘and where their Pride fuffers
the leaft confufion, Se it is a kind
- of refrefhment to them to be there.
If they could,-they -would deftroy. God,
and his Order, but they know they can. °
not; therefore they hide themfelves in: the Abyfs of Hell, aid théÿ could wif that there were a greater Chaos be. twixt God and them, to fhelter them- felves , if poffible, from the Rays of
= E 3. that.
4
|
“102 Of Submiffion &c. ‘Treat. IL. that Truth which defcends and pierces their ent > even in a the dcpths of that
Abyis.
The End of she Firft Part of the À ‘Sen cond Treatife.
Second .
Pa te DE LLIETIEE Bases bass _ Second Paar. | _ OF : |
' The Second T reatife,
Of Submifsion to the Will f God, | EL
W° “7'E have newly feen the firft way | of confidering the Will of God'‘containing in fome fort the whole life of a Chriftian 5 fince it con- tains the Knowledge and Love of Gods | Law. -But even this profpeét thewing us this Law, as the rule of our a@ions, of it {elf leads us to: à Submiffion to the Will of God, confider’d, as the caufe of what- foever happeris in this World ,: fin ex- cepted, which he only permits: And.this is the fecond way, according ¢o which we ot | Fa . have
104 Of Submifiion Treat. F
have faid Gods will ought to be confider’d. For dilcerning by Faith thefe great Truths, - that God Creates all things, that he Or- dains and Governs all, that nothing hap- pens without his Providence,that in what- foever comes to-pafs in the World, he ci- ther exercifes his Juftice or Mercy, that no Creature hath any power but what he be flows, that all are either the Infiruments or Minjfiers of his Decrees, and accor- ding to the expreffion of Scripture, but as an Ax in the band of bim that cuts, or as a.
Staff in the band of bim that fitikess We
fee alfo at the fame time, in the fame Will, ' conftder’d as Supreme Juftice; that it is fit
_he fhould reign, and we obeys that.it is. his part to guide, and ours to follow ; that we ought to conform our felves to his Will, end not defire that he thould fubmit . to ours; that his Will being alweys Ju, always Holy, it is. afo always Adorable, always ,woxthy of our Submiflion and - Love, though the effeGs thereof fome- times prove herfh aud tropblcefome: Far, only fach Souls as are unjuft can find fault with what Jufice it {elf dors; andfothe — - troubles we fometimes feel,to fubmit toit, is. only,,a proof of our own; injuttice asd coxrupt Mature; which fhould make us lay she blafne, not on God, bus ous Élus,
, | | baying,
-——~ ,
5 —
' Pare le Co the GMT Gev.. 105 faying with the Prophet, Nonwe Des fab. — jeeta crit Anins mta7 O my Sel, wil. thon:
net. fubmsis. shy i hak God 7. | But to fix our felves if this Submiffion, :
to which even Juftice it felf obligés us, ft:
is good often to régard and confider this.
: Will of God, as it operates in the World, -
and a@s through all the Creatures, For’ the caufé in part of that dffitisfaétion we: feeliin what happeris to us, fprings from: our ftopping at, and not looking beyond:
the Creatures, and in that we impute to:
them the events of things. We only take notice of the Rod that firikes and chafti- fes us, we fee not the hand that manages: : it. If we difcern’d God every where, and:
look d onbim through the Veil of hisCrea~-
tures,if we faw that.it is he who gives thèm.
ail the force they. have, that it is hé who.
drives them forward to do what # good,
‘and who in’ what. is evil diverting their’
malice from Rich objé@s whitherit‘might’ carry. them, gives. it no other liberty than: fuch as ferves to put in execution his Eter- nal decrees;. the fight of His. Juftice and: Majeity wélild' give. a’ check to.our. come" plaints, our murmictings and impatiences: In his ptefence we dirt not’ fay, ‘we dés five not what. we Riffers- we tidak have - | | oF S$. ne
106 Of Submiftion Treat. IL:
no other fentiments than thofe which made Holy David fay, I held my peace, I was bumbled , becaufe thon didff this. Ob moutui cr bumiliatus fum, queniam tu fe- citi. But we are pleas’d, when from our Eyes we can hide thefe Truths, that we may have fome pretence to cafe our felves, and difcharge our ill humours on the Crea- tures 5 that we may complain of their in-. ~ juftice; that we may think our Selves in. the right, and be perfwaded, that we fuf- fer wrongfully what is inflicted on us. | I
Did we fix the Eyes of our Soulon this: — fir& and Sovereign caufe of all events, we fhould fee the whole face of things in fome fort chang’d as tous; that is, we fhould be oblig’d thereby to alter the greatelt part. of the Notions and Idea’s we have fram'd. to our felves of what paffes there, We fhould find none oppreft who were inno- cent ; we fhould only fee the guilty punifh.. * ed. The World no more t@us would be : a place of diforder and jars; it would only. be one of Juice and Equity. We fhou'd — acknowledge that nothing is taken from
any.but what he deferves to loofe,that none {uffers above his deferts, that juft ec and, firength are always joyn’d there together, whereas,injuffice is always weak. and impor _ a | tent 3,
PartIl ŒotbeQUol God, 107 tent; we fhould fee no evils, no misfor- tunes, but daly juft chaftifements of Mens fins; that none dyed here either by the neceflity of Nature, or the accidents. of Fortune, but that Men deférving death are punith’d therewith, and that in time _ and circumftances moft fuitable. In fine,
that all here is Equitable and Holy, as well in re{pect of God ordaining all things, as Men on whom his decrees are executed. Only the Minifters of this over-ruling Will can be guilty of injuftice ; yet cannot their injuftice hinder what they do from: proving juft and equitable to thofe who fuf- crits | , oe
Taking our meafures from this Idea, What is an Army ? ’Tisa Troop of Exe. cutioners of Gods Juftice, which he fends to kill thofe who- have deferved to-dye,and whom he hath condemn’d to this punifh- ment. Whatare two Armies fighting to- gether > They are the Minifters of this Di- vine Juttice, punifhing one another, and precifely executing nothing but what God hath order’d. What is Murder > "Tis the: punifhment of a Criminal by the hand of an unjuft Minifter. What are Thieves ? They. are certain people, unjufily execu- Ring the juft deciee, whereby. God has ore
DS
dex’d:
108 «= OF Submniffiow Treat, IL
der'd certain perfons fhould be depriv’d of . their Goods ?. What is a King? He is a - {courge in the. Hands of God fox punifh- . ment of the wicked, - | oo
‘Tis only this profpedt that lays before:
our Eyes Gods Empire over the World, : and his eminent power over all his Crea : tyses. Should we otherwife look on things, if would feem that the malice of Men had the upper hand of God himfelf, at leaft for-a time, and that.cheir Iniquitym -| overcame his Juftice, Wherefore we max - - believe: thet the Prophet, upon this cone . templation of Gods Infinite Power, guise . ding all things to the Ends bis Mercy | and judgment hath fet, cries out :. That
God bath: Reign'd, that be bath clad hima Seif with Beauty avd Force, Nothing but : a -contemplation of Gods Provi-. dence being capable of making us to fee
Qyder and beauty in that confufion the !
World.is.in, and of difcovering.ta us Gods. Supreme Empire over. it, maugre the vio~
Ignce of unjuft Men contespning and flight
‘ieg his Willand Laws. | |
VE
© The recital of things paf’d. is but in: fome foxt,. ta fuch.as-confider the Word
Part H Co the CEliiof God. roo
by a Light purely Humene, Hiftory. of the Devil, and the Reprobates; be-: caule the perfons acting moft on the Thea-
. ter of the World, and who have the grea-
teft fhare in atl the accidents whereby it is. kept in motion, are, for the moft part, the Citizens of Babylon, in whom the De-
wil dwells, and by whomhea@s. But to:
thofe who carry their contempktion higher, all Hi@ory in fome fort is the Hi
fiday of Gods. becaufe they only:find in it the execution. of his Will, the decrees - of. _. his Juftice, and the effects of his Power...
All there tends. to edification, becaufe all
_ there is jufi.and equitable.
. VEL - ° - Time pals'd is an Abyfs without bot.
' tom, {wallawing and devouring all things.
tranfitory:. that.to come is another, to
"ys impenetrable. One- ef thefe Abyéès f cpntinæliy flows into the other; the time
to come difcharges it felf iusto the time:
; - paft, by gliding through the prefent. We
. are plac’d beewhxe chefe two Abyfles: For.
we perceive and are aware how the time
-- ¥ come flows into what is pafs'd; and
‘this makes the prefent time, as what is,
‘profeat makes up all our life. What is - plis no more and what’s to-come, is not: ‘Yeh at all. Hence: obferve what our con
ition:
gro > Of Submiffion Treat. If."
dition is. What therefore we: ought to- do, is to undertake that part which God
for the prefent affigns us,looking on what's. paft, and what's to come, according as:
God requires we fhould. | VILL | For although what’s paft ceafes to be in: refpeét of us, and what's to come, is not yet; yet both the one and the other exift in refped&t of God. His Will grafps all time, What's paft, is fo, becaufe he de-
creed it fhould be at a certain time; and.
what's to come, will be becaufe he hath affigned another time for it, Thus’ his Will comprehends, and: in fome manner: makes Holy all events whatfoever, whether pañ or to come. In his. Will-we find them
. altogether, and as that is always adorable,"
we are obliged by it to look with venera-:
tion on all:events, whether pat or future;
for that tye and dependance they have on-
this Divine Will. ; , ou X.
: There is this difference betwixt things. patt,and to come;that as we know in parti- _ cular fimewhat of the paft, fo we may in: particular approve of it, and praife Gods Providence in its events, But as we fee
nothing of what's to come, andthat”tis -
yet hid in God, we cannot exercife the
Part IL, Cothe Ciel Sd. IL
Submiffion we owe tohis Will, otherwife.
: than by a general acceptation of al] his de-
crees which we ought always to regard as moft Sacred and moft Juft. : x."
What’s paft, and what'stocome, being
fo ftriétly ty'd to’ the’ Wjil of God, at the
fist fight one would think that Faith in us could only raife fentiments of Venerae tion and Submiffion for both the one and.
. others and chat even in refpe@ of things
efent, which depend not on us, we t. ni have the like fentiments and hes tion, But if chis be fo, what will be-. come of that penitential forrow, we have for our fins paft? What of that tendernefs and compaflion, whofe principal obje& is: the prefent troubles and miferies? What will become of that prudent Forecaft, by:
_ ._ which we endeavour to prevent and fhun
. them? Muft we be afraid left God exercife. - his Juftice? Muft we take on, and affi@
our felves for what he either doeshimfelf, — or permits to be done? Does not God when be permits Evil; think it better to permit than hinder it, as with eafe he could? And if his thoughts are fuch, fhould:
mot ours be conformable tohis How near
is the fhallow Wit of Man, and pron¢here-
to draw that blafphemons conclufion ee à vthich
112 Of Sadmetion Treat. IL
which was faifly imputed te St. Peu, That
Mens fins were not to be condemn'd, fince
God thereby was glorifid. Qxid adbue.
tanguam Peccator judicor à x
XE But thefe difheulcies arife only from our.
not confidering the Will of God in its
fullextent, from our feperating his Wilk —
confider’d as Juftice, and the Rule of all things, from the fame Will confidei’d as. - their Caufe and Principle... For let us joyn. together thefe two confiderations, and we
. fhall find, that God permits fin only by. that Will which is the Caufe of things,: whilft at the fame time he condemns and-
hates the fame by his Will,confider’d as Ju-
ftice,to which fan iscontrary and oppoñte :. -
Whilf he punifhes finners for. their -
Grimes by his Will confider d as operative, and the Caufe of Beings, at the fame time,
he makes i¢ known by his Eternal Law,
that thefe Crimes are cantrary to that Ju. Rtice which is nothing but that felf fame Will Thus the effe@s of his Juftice at once imprint in our Souls a Twofold Idea, vizs’
that of the Will of God permitting fins, and that of the difarder of the fanie fins: : which it condemns: and thefe two Ob--:
. jects ought to raife in. us two kinds of: Seatiments 5. one by which we approve of: - : ; what.
—~--
wr
Part. IL: Cothe CaM of Gov. 113
what comes nom God, another by which
> wecondenin that which comes from Man.
XII. By this contemplating the Will of God, we bring to an amicable agreement
. thofe fentiments which at the firft fight
appear fo contrary and irreconcilable,’ as ‘well in refpe@ of what is paft, as what’s to come. We are forry for our fins, be-
: caufe in God's Sovereign Juftice we fee
them condemn’d of injuftice, infolence and ingratitude. In the fame Juitice allo we fe it is but fit and equitable, that we
‘fhould have thefe fentiments, and that we |
fhould endeavour to excite them in our felves, But knowing too that God has
permitted us to fall into thefe Gne, to the
end they might ferve to bring on the de-
i= of his Providence; we cannot but re
this At this know , ccm it isquft. And though. this knowledge ought not to take of the t pret and rove fe our
. fanless yet t it to appeafe thofe trou. |
bles, thofe exceflive unquiet griefs which
— otherwife they would caufe: Since, in.
fine, it is equally jit we fhould, ( having in: Our: pr ‘ Gods Jaftice c dilcovering to us the enormity of our fins) be fore rowful for them; and that we thould
| ce | to be troubled and. vexed thereat,
. having
114 fSœubmifion Treat. i. having in fight the Will of God, who, (to the end they might ferve his defigns)has permitted them to happen, | XHIL . It is properly this peace, this teanquili- ty which proceeds from the contemplation: of Gods Sovereign Will, that the Apoftle wifhes to all Chriftians, when he fays, Pax Chrifti que exuperat omnem fenfum, cuftodiat corda veftra © inteligentias vdtras, This - Peace furpaffes. all the other Sentiments, but does not fifle or extinguifh them. They neverthelefs are excited in our Hearts: by the Light of Faith, difcovering to us
what God judges of our aG@ions; yet,not= -
withftanding thefe Sentiments of forrew, wé ecafe not to be at peace within our felves,when we confider that it isa God a]} ft, who permitted thefe fins, and that
e will heteafter forgive them. One of thefe would be lame and imperfe& with-
out the other;. but, being joyn’d and uni-
ted together, they frame a Pennance with- out defpair, and a Peace without pre- fumption.
XIVe 4
God does not equally difcover thefe Truths to all, and fo the motions they ex- cite have not always an equal vehemency. For Example, in. this life God employs
ne muc
fences.
Pact I. Œo the iM of God. 117
much his Saints in meditating on the oppo. fition their fins have to the Law of God;
* here with the fame evidence he difcovers
not to them the Beauty of his Divine Will, permitting thefe fins to happen for their Good, andhis Glory. And thus the motions and refentments of Pennance, which they feel at the fight of their fins, ° are much more lively, much more fenfible, than that comfort they receive from the hope they have that God one day willout —
_ of thefe very faults extra@ hisown Glory,
and their Salvation. On the other fide, in the next World, the-Saints fhall be fo thoroughly poffefs'd with Joy, that. they: have contributed towards Gods. Glory, and {o fill d with admiration of his Provi- dence, which through the ways they have. gone, has guided them to Heaven, that they fhall be no more capable. of refen-. ting the leaft forrow for their pat of.
So
. XV. , Neither ought this confideration of Gods Will make us infenfble of the evils. of our Neighbour. It is true, nothing happens to them but: what is right and juft ; but we fee in this.fame Will confi-.
der”d as Law, as juftice, as Fruth; that
Mankind is net in the ftate he was.created , ~ 40r 5
“116 Of'otbmMNION = Treat. 1. for; that thefe evils (priig not from Na ture, asit was inftituted, but from its difs order ; that they are not conformable to _the firft order of God, nor to his firft in. clination, which is all for goodnefs, In this Will of God we fee the ties which uw. nite us to thole miferable ones, and which: ought to induce us tolove them. There allo we fec that it is but juft, wé fhouid love there, we fhould defire to fuccour and help them, we fhould be troubled at their Evils, and that God does approve we fhould ask and beg of him thofe fuccours and helps they ftand inneed of. Et is im. poffible all thefe thoughts fhould not ex. cite in us fentiments of Compaflion ; and that other confideration.of Gods Will, by
‘which he chaftifes Men by théfe Evils,
q@ught-only to ftand us in ftead to moderate. thele relontments, not to ftifie, dnd quite take themaway. : :
XVI .
In fine, the confideration of Gods Will, as doing all, as cafrying on all for his own Glory, oùght not alfo to hinde® thofe juft fore-fights we ought to have for the future, becaufe we know that the Law
of God ordains us to ufeall teafonable care :
' ang précaution to prevent certain 4cc'« dents, and to procure others, heaving ne-
VCXe
Part li. Co. the GÜMIO Ged. 117 westhelefs the fuceefs to his Providence, and paying a general Submiffion to his decrees... St. Past defir dto go.and Preach the Gofpel at Rome, nay he laid the debgo; but it was with fubroifion to, and depandance an the Willof God. In
laying the defign, he obey’d the Will of |
God as a Law and Rule: Es fubmicti |. the execution thereof to the Will of G
he obey'd him as the Savercign caufe of all things, according to the fame Rulcsof his Eternal fuftice. Fos, itis (as we have faid ) Juftice it felf which obliges us to fait our felves.in all events to his Holy Wil. ; | 7
XXVIL
Fhe life of Faith therefore, which is the life of the Jud, obligas them ta fubmit
themfel ves to. the coramon di@ates of hu. | Sane Prudence, and. to make ufe of hu. Mane means, to bring thofe things. to paf which they may reafonably defire; be.
caufe this: Faith, forbids us.to tempt: God
And this athes confideration of God» abfolute Will, as governing aad doing al}, only ferve to comfort us when things fall out contrary. to.our dehre; and:ought nat to give us occafion. of rafhly forc-telling wbat’s tocome, or guiding our ations hy cérfain. Prophetic: Inflin@s, which for
the
~
118 Of Submiffion Treat. IL
the moft part are only the effeêts of our imaginatioa, on which God has forbid us torely. We know not whether it.is Gods Will there fhould be Peace or War. Whe- ther fuch and fuch diforders dhould have an endorno, Whether he will make his de- figns fucceed by this or that means; yet ought we not tointermit our endeavour for " procuring peace, and remedying diforders, nor ceafe to ufe fuch means as we judge proper for the ends we aim at, leave ing neverthelefs the fuccefs to God AI. mighty. . - _ XVII. |
This fame reafon ought to make us-very referv'd and cautious, in taking for Marks of Gods Will our lighting in Scripture, or other Books of Devotion, on certain pla- ces which feem to us conformabie to fome thoughts and defigns we have in our heads, For thotgh it be certain we light not on thefe places, but becaufe it is Gods Wills yet is it not certain we fhould happer on <hem for fuch a purpofe,or that they.ought to ferve us asa Rule to guide our felves by, *Tis ‘our Fancy that draws this confe- quence, and that rafhly; becaufe it fuppo. fes God could not have permitted fuch a hit butforfuch anend. Onthe contrary, who knows but he may have permitted it
| , as
Part. IL ŒotbeCQN of God, 119
as a tryal, whether we would with conftancy walk in the way of Faith, ad. hering to the common Rules of Pru. dence: Or whether we would give our felves over to the motions of vanity,which 40 naturally are raifed iaus, when we ima: gine God does us peculiar favours; and places us above the ordinary rank of Men, to whom. he makes his Will known only by the general documents of Scripture, and the ordinary inftruGtions of the _ Church? It feems therefore not good to
build much on thefe cafual hits, and that touching them, we ought to fear what the Scripture fays of Dreams, Ubi multe . funt fomnia plurime Junt vanitates. For, the vanity of Dreams confifts , not in conchiding that God is the caufe of fuch a Dream, which is always truc in fome fenfe; but in applying fuch and fuch a fignification thereunto, Now the like va. nity is to be found in our judgments, when we think God has fuch défigns in permit- ting fuch accidents. ~
| XIX, . |
The confideration then of Gods abe :
folute Will, docs not make any alteration
in the ordinary way of judging of things ;
nor cuts it off the application of humane
means, or the ufe of humane knowledge | an
120 Of Subuiffion Treat. 1. andinfight. But, it reftrains all unquiet, over-hafiy, and too vehement wifhes for things not yet comé to pals, and al! trou
ble and melancholly for fuch asarecither :
prefent or paf For, if we be fully per.
fwaded, that God does all things, and
that he can do nothing but what is jeft, having given fuch order about our af fairs, as he commands we fhould, we onght totally to deliver our felves up to him, and im peace expe@ the accomplithment of his Eternal defign. And as thefe deferve our adoration, when by the event they become mauifeft to us, fo alfo no lefs do they even beforehand deferve the fame, whilft they lie hid amongf the ferets of his Provi- dence, | : a —
XX. | | It is true, that amongft thefe events
fome are the effects of his Mercy, others |
of his Juftice. But-as Mercy and [uitice are equally adorable, an equal: fabmift fon: is due to beth. but wh: this dif ference: The fubmiflion paid to che eftts of Mercy, oughe @rdinarily to be accom- panied with joy and thanks: That to
, Re mm a GAA =.
_thofe of Juftice with. humiliation and__
terror. ;
It is often. impofkble-amoneft humane . ancients
Du mn
accidents to diftinguith the effe@ts of his
Mercy from thofe of his Juftice ; becaufe. .
oar Soul is too narrow to comprehend that : infnite Chain of Cdufes fo linked er, that fometime the greateft evils are faften ed to what feems the greateft good; and on the contrary, the greateft good to what feemis the greateftevik So that ha-
‘ving according to the diGates of ordi- '
* nary, Prudence done what is in our power,
not only Faith, but Reafon it {elf obliges us to an indifferency, astothe event, be- caufe by it we know that our: skill is too
fhort, too narrow to frame a right and
{ound judgment thereof, | XXIL
«To the end we may be innur’d to a Sub- — miffion to Gods Will in affairs of greateft | importançe, able to fhake and difmay the. Soul; we muft begin and accuftom our’ felves to honour and refpe& it in the leaf. circumftances of our lives; becaufe that - _ rules thofe as well as the greateft. Nay, : in looking on thefe finall things as effects
of Gods Sovereign Will, faith is more ful-
ly exercifed : Becaufe Mén feel more dif’ ficulty in attributing to God ordinary and . petty events, than great ones. Onethere- fore throughly poffe(s’d with this thought,
will never fay fuch an accident is trouble- *. G forme,
PartIL 9 the Gill of Gon. 127
322 Of Submiflion Treat. I. fome, becaufe looking on it as ordain’d by God, °tis not allow’d him to be troubled atit. He will never complain of a meet- ing difappointed, of an unfcafonable vifit, of his fervants loitering, of his being made Wait too long, or being refufed fome fa- wour: No little lofs, no unfeafonablenefs. of the weather, nor generally any of thofe . ordinary occurrences of life, which ufually - caufe impatience in. others, will difcom. pofe him, oo
XXITL |
‘ With this felf-fame difpofition ought every one to fuffer his corporal defects ; as deafnefs, weaknefs of fight, and gene- rally whatfoever may render one con- temptible in the fight of Men; as want
memory, want of addrefs and wif, ' want of temporal goods, meannefs of Birth: And that without ever complai. ” ping thereof; as well becaufe thefe come from the Hand of God, as becaufe we know not whether they be not more for our advantage , than thofe other quali- ties, which would pleafe us better; Nay, we know not but that in fuffering thefe wants in this manner, they. will become reaHy more beneficial. The fame is to
_ 7 be faid of difeafes, calumnies, evil treat.
ments, the {mall efteem the World has | 7 OF
Partil. ŒotbeQuilof Ged. 122
for us, the hatred and prejudices i¢ may have againit us, Becaufe God Almighty cither does or permits all this; we muft look on it with a calm and peaceful Eye, keeping, our {elves in the rank he has put us, and adoring his decrees. And the Will of God which governs all thefe things, ought to have more power over eur Souls, to make us cheerfully accept thereof, and render them amiable to us; then whatever they have of ungrateful, -
to make us reject the fame, and carrying
us on to impatience and murmur, - XXIV. a |
=, Certain accidents are the neceffary con:
fequences of our own fins; if thefe con. fequences prove favourable, they admi- nifter to us à peculiar caufe of praifing
_ the Mercy and-Bounty of God, who could.
draw good from evil, and change into means of faving us, that which only de-
ferv’d chaftifement, andthe withdrawing. of his Graces. But X thele confequen-
ces be troublelome and hard, a$ when - our fins have involvd us in great evils, Spiritual or Temporal, if our difordess have been the caufe of many. Crimes, if thefe confcquences continue, and are pro: - pagated ; then ought we not to look on them without forrow. For the Will of - - oo G 5° 7 : : God
ony
424 OÙ Submiffion Treat. 1
God confider’d as Juftice, commands us to! grieve, to humble oar felves, and do pen-
‘mance forfuch, and to endeavour to give a ftop to thefe bad confequences, by our better Decds and Prayers: But, at the
fame time it commands us to be calmarid :.
quiet, without trouble, without anxicty, and to comfort our {elves by the confide- ration of his Will that has permitted:
them, and will certainly draw his Glory _
vut of them, -_
‘ XXV. °
No fin ‘hath had fo fad a confequence as that of our firft Parents ; fince all tlie e- vils that have faln on Mankind, all the fins that the whole World hath commit- ted, and the damnation of that innume- rable number of reprobates,are the efftts of it: Yet che Will of God has not been wanting to comfort them in itsand if it did’ not take from them all forrow, whilft they remain'd in this World, becaufe it was but juftaud reafonable they fhould do pennance for their faults; yet hath it quite extin- guifh’d all grief in the other; fince, maugre thofe dreadfül confequences of their fin, which fhall continue for all Eternity, Adam and Eve for ever enjoy that peace and con- folation which belongs to the Jpf. And this is the greatch Example imaginable of
‘what
——-A.
Partll. Co the GAM OF Ged, -125 ‘what the contemplation of Gods Will can do towards appeafing thofe troubles which -. Maturally ought to {pring from the confe- . . quences of our fins; and having feen this, what ill effe@s foever our Gults canhawe—.
. had, whatever*diforders they hayecauled,
none. ought to loofe his hope, ner give _ himfelf over to grief out of-a certain kingl of defpair, | a 7
XXVI. .
Gods Will thus confider’d, not only.
-makes us fuffer with peace and calmn
the effects of our fins, but allo to bear
with patience our own defeGQs and imper-
Feétions, as well as thofe of others. And
thus it caufes a good agreement betwixe —
thofe two fo feemingly oppofite fenti-
ments; the thirftand zeal of Juftice which
makes us hate our fins, and that patience
which makes us fufémthem : becaule we
fee that God-hath-prefcrib’d us both. The
Soul refign’d-to God fays indeed tohimin - the fenfe of hex-miferies, Lord bow lang
' wilt thou fuffer me to continue in shis flate ?
"Sed tu me Domine ufque quo? Mean while
leaves not to be at peace im it: Shere- :
folves to make the term of her Life-to be
‘ that of her Patience, and at once to wage |
a continual war againft imperfections, and neverthelefs to bear with her felf, Poon
Gag à
e- +
126 Of Submifign Treat. IL
‘them, ‘without ever giving her felf over to ‘difcouragement ; -whilft the is content with that meafure of Grace,God is pleafed tO give her: And this is it the learns from
that advice of the Wife Man. Qui ti.
men> Dominim, ciftodiant® mandats ipfiw,
© pétieutiom babebunt #]q; ad inffetiionem.
‘spf + * — XXVIL . In fine, the greateft effets of our Sub.
“miffion to Sovereign Omnipotent .
Will, is, that (in the ‘uncertainty of his Eternal decree, touching. our predeftina- tion, and of that Sentence which he hhall pronoance at the hour of our Death, by
which he puts. in execution the former.
decree, and allots.us either a happy or mi- fexable Eternity ) the Soul is brought by it to acknowledge that God is Juft, : and «that.fhe adores as fuch; according to
“the words and mind of the Prophet, ‘fay- - ing. with him to God, Fa wramibuc tuisfor-
tegmee: In thy bands ymy ter. But the is "very careful not: to abandon her (elf over- much to this theught., not to dive’ too
: : Grinto its the weaknefs of our underftan- , ding being unable to bear it. She therefore.
wholly applies. her felf to.confider. what God. commands her; to do in this refpec, ‘and what-difpoñition-he by his Fruth and his Law prefcribes, :
La
° ne ne —-
XXVIH. ,
| Pait. I. Cotpettitiof Son, 177 |
. XXVIII. . Now. in this Law the fees, firt, that”tis juft the fhould [pare her own weaknefs, and not -bufié her {elf about fo dreadful a
_ ‘thought. Secondly, that we have nv: -reafon to think that this decree will not “prove favourable to her, fince God by ma-
ny Graces-has call’ her out, and {tpera- ted her amongft fo many Infidels, fo ma- ny Hereticks, {o many others who never: think on God ; and has plac’d her amongit thofe few of the Faithful in his Church, who know his Law, and have fome defire to obferveit. In this Truth the fees, that. inflead of Bufying her felf unprofitably: with thoughts of-difiruft, which cannot
‘but do her harm, fhe ought folely to ene
deavour to correct faults, to provide re. . medies againft the future; to put her (lt into the way of God) if fhe be not altea.
‘dy there, and to walk faithfully-in it, if
fhebe,
| | XXIX: | _ … She fees chat Gods Will is, the fhoufd
nourifh and'kcep alive her hope by all the juft means Truth furnithes her with 5 and that above all the take heed not to look on God: Almighty as au Enemy, having no love or kindnefs for her. For this Ideais -
_ falfe, and execrable even In:refpe of the
- G 4 | damned:
-° 128 DF Satanidion Treat. I. damned themfelves. God made not Ecath, fays the Scripture, and be takes no pleafure in the lofs of the Living. If his Creatures depart from him, sit is, by making them-
’ felves unworthy of the effeéts of his good- _- . nefs, and by their wilful malice obliging him tofhew then: thofe of his Juftice, Go never wants’ the Bowels of Mercy to receive finners, if they be converted, and - return to him. Like a Father he has al- ways his Bofom open to receive them, and it is always their fault if they convert not themfelves, It is true, that by a fecret Juftice God thinks himfelf not bound to change the corrupted will of the repro- bates; but this Will of Jufticein himdocs .
not deftroy that Effential Goodnefs, which :
is the very Law and Will of God himfelf, which makes him ready to receive into fa- . vour every converted finner, forfaking his fins, and makes him command, that every nner fhoùld turn and forfake them. From : this Goodnefs fprings that Patience of which St. Paul fpeaks, inviting finners to do Pennance. Let them de that, and Gods Mercy will always be open to them, and his Grace abundantly flow upon them, ' who ftop the current, and damit up; ne. verthelefs all fuch Graces lie alwaysready his Treafury.. | 7 Po XX!
_ < sere
N a
LORS =
. Parti Cothe MMe Ge, 59
XXX,
| “There is nothing then which more fa.
cilitates the condu@t of Chriftian life,than this contemplation of Gods Will in its
whole extent; for by it we fee that the.
whole life of a true Chriftian, is a life of
‘Peace, with aneven calmnefs, contempla-
ting in Gods order the paft, prefent, and future, perpetually cogfulting his Law, to learn from thence what is to be done every moment, and to know the interior difpo- fition of mind we ought te Have in refpeét
of thofe affairs we are to employ our felves
about : Thefe difpofitions become various according to the variety of Objedts ; and they include all the lawful paffions of joy,
. fadnefs, defire, fear, love, anger, com- ’ - paffion, which fuch Objects ought toex- cite, Yet are all thefe paflions joyn’dto
that general difpofition of repofe and peace, which the profpe& of Gods Sove- reign Will entertains, and nourithes in the bottom ef a Chriftians Soul; that Peace which calms all particular unquiet mo. tions; that Peace which they always enjoy who love the Law of God, as David {ays. Fax multe diligentibus legem tuam; that
, Peace which JESUS CHRIST be
gueathed to his Difciples, when he left the
- World, and which the Woxld knows not.
G5 P ceme
. Æ :
‘Iso DF Submiffion &c. Treat: IE Pacem r