Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

.

Dens at the approach of Day-light. The World may make men go befide themselves, Confideration reduces the whole man to fobriety. Confideration indeed may put men upon actions, which, in the World's apprehenfion, may be madness; Thus it made St. Anthony part with all his fubftance to the poor, that he might have Treasure in Heaven; and made others live upon Herbs, and Bread and Water only, that thereby they might fubdue their Lufts the better; but of this, none can judge fo well, as he that is the Fountain of Wisdom, even that God, who is Wisdom it self; and if he fet the mark of Wisdom on them, the verdict of the World is to be regarded no more, than the judgment a blind man gives of Colours. I know, he that will deny himself in fenfual pleafures, and trembles at a fin, which others laugh at, and is afraid of offending God even in fmalter matters, and prays with all prayer and fupplication, watching thereunto with all perfeverance, paffes for a mad-man with men, whofe Consciences are defiled; but fuch mens tongues are no flanders: And Confideration would fhew, that nothing is more agreeable to the rules of Wisdom and Prudence, than to live in conformity to the Will and Pleasure of him, who is the great Sovereign of the World, and hath given us Souls capable of being govern'd by Moral Laws and Precepts, and is resolv'd to fcourge him with Scorpions, that knows his Mafters will, and doth it not.

It was fin made the Prodigal distracted, it was this puffed him up, and tempted him to fay with Pharaoh, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? It was this made him ill-natured, and turbulent, difcompofed his understanding, and robb'd him of the Notions which Nature and good Education had planted in him; and in this he discover'd his folly, that he left his Father's house, and travell'd into a far Country, as far from Heaven and Holinefs as he could, and there wasted his substance with riotous living; whence it came to pass, that a Famine arifing in the Land, he would fain have fill'd his belly with the husks the Swine did eat, and no man would vouchfafe them to him. Confideration brought him to himself, and to his happiness again, and his pondering, How many fervants of my Father have bread enough, and to spare, and I perish with hunger? I will arife, and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have finned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon; make me as one of thy hired fervants, Luke 15. 17, 18, 19. This, Ifay, brought his reason into order again, and confequently prepared for his quiet and happiness. And indeed, the confeffion of Men, who put off the old, and put on the new Man, created after God in righte oufnefs and true holiness, fhews what we are to think of Confideration. When they come in good earneft to reflect on their former finful life, they are ready to call themselves a thouQ 3 fand

fand Fools, and Beasts, and Sots, and wonder how it was possible for them to live fo long directly contrary to reafon, and to all the principles of gratitude and humility. Confideration fets all to rights again, and they would not for any thing, but that they had ruminated on their folly, and compared it with the intereft of their Souls, and the will of God, in order to a just aggravation of their madness; for now they are fenfible, that before they understood nothing to any purpose, and acted but like Changelings, contrary to all the dictates of the Law of Nature, and their own Consciences. Thus Confideration, as Ananias did to Saul, comes in, and immediately there fall from the finners eyes, as it were feales, and he receives fight forthwith, and arifes,and is ftrengthned, Acts 9. 19. And Wisdom enters into his heart, fuch Wisdom as before he was a stranger to: The Merchandife of it is better than the Merchandife of filver, and the gain thereof than fine gold: She is more pretious than rubies, and all the things thou canst defire are not to be compared unto her. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that retains her, Prov. 3. 14, 15, 16, 17.

Confideration enlightens him, and makes him wifer than Socrates, more learned than the Dru ides, more fagacious than the Brachmanęs, more quick than the Gymnofophifts, more apprehen five than the Perfian Magi; Epicurus, though called the Sun of the World, Anaxagoras, though

though ftiled the Mind of Mankind, Aristotle, though furnamed, the Sea of Wisdom, the Miracle of Learning, and the laff attempt of Nature, yet are nothing compared with a Man whom Confideration hath reduced to that wif dom which is from above, first pure, then peaceable, gentle, eafie to be entreated, without partiality, and without hypocrifie, full of good works.

VIII. Impediment.

VIII. An opinion, that Conversion, or turning to God, as Divines do reprefent it, is not neceffary to Salvation. We may charitably believe, that most men, who are averfe from Confideration, come to Sermons, and we may fuppose, that as careless as they are in hearing the Word of the living God, fometimes before they are aware, fomething ftrikes their hearts, and fticks with them; which when they are any way fober, or free from business, will goad and fting them into Confideration of their ways, and not seldom, with Agrippa, they are almost perfwaded to take their finful lives into ferious Confideration, and feel good purposes, and wishes, and intentions, and defires in their Souls, to fet time apart for pondering how they may be converted, and dedicate themselves fincerely to God's fervice, in order to their everlasting bliss. But in fuch cafes, either the Devil, or their corrupt hearts, are ready to whisper in

04

their

their ears, that converfion is not fo operofe, fo laborious, fo dreadful a thing, as is described in publick difcourfes; and that the Men that Preach, ftretch it farther than needs; and confequently Confideration, how to get into that ftate, that's recommended to them, is altogether needless; for if that ftrictness and clofe walking with God be not neceffary, why fhould any Man break his brains with Confideration how to attain to that humble, self-denying, circumfpect life, that is faid to be the effential ingredient of Converfion.

I know not how Converfion can be made more neceffary, than Chrift hath made it. If daily bread be neceffary, if meat and drink be neceffary, if rayment be neceffary, if health and strength be neceffary, then Converfion is neceffary, for it is the bread which comes down from Heaven, it is the meat and drink of our Souls; This must keep them warm, and cover them, and make them healthy, and strong, and vigorous. It's that, which Heaven is entailed on, and without which, Men (if they dare take the word of that Jefus, whom they do believe to be the Son of God) can look for nothing elfe but everlasting deftruction: Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Mat. 18. 3. are the exprefs words of him who came from Heaven, to reveal his Fathers will; words, which should ftrike like Thunder, pierce like Lightning, frighten like Ghofts, and, like Charms, bind the

Soul

« AnteriorContinuar »