Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

those particular means: but on the other hand, they who understand God's ufual and ordinary way of acting and governing, and upholding the world, will not tye him up from means; no, nor expect that he fhould appear for their relief immediately and miraculously. Though if any one have a miraculous faith truly grounded upon fome Special and particular promife, I will not contend with him, only I would defire to fee his miraculous faith juftified by fome miraculous works, which I conceive do always attend it. But the converse with creature-cures which I forbid, is the immoderate feeking them, or the inordinate ufing them. To feek after means in themselves unlawful, can never become lawful: but I speak not of these. For although fome are come to that height of Atheism and abjuration of God, as to retain the Devil himself for a counfel in a time of straits, as Saul did: and contract with the prince of death for the prefervation of life in time of fickness, as Ahaziah did: and I doubt very many fall into acquaintance with that evil fpirit, and receive affiftance from him before they be well aware, by meddling with unphysical, unfcriptural, unwarrantable cures: yet the greatest danger is not in these: in licitis perimus omnes, the greatest danger is of mifcarrying about things in themfelves lawful. And that is chiefly by thofe two ways which I named but now. Take heed therefore of immoderate feeking after created helps. Be not anxious, perplexed, tormented in mind by a paffionate defire of any of thefe. Oh what a raging and unquenchable thirst have many mea after creature-cures! They will move heaven and

earth,

earth, and almost hell too (with her in the poet) but they will find out relief, Give me a physician, or I die fays one give me a trading, good markets, a plentiful crop, or I am undone, fays another. What, man! is thy life lapt up in a pill, or incorporated into a potion? Is thy main happiness in the abundance of these things here below? Or wilt thou fay to the wind, blow here in this quarter, and no where elfe; tye up the supreme and free agent to a form and method of working? Let not such a prophane disposition be found amongst us. Again, if you have found out hopeful creature-cures, take heed of ufing them in an inordinate manner, laying ftrefs upon them, looking earnestly on them, as though they by their power and proper virtue could make the lame to walk, or the fick to recover. Eye not, much less depend upon the virtue of any created means as diftinct from God. But acknowledge the power, and virtue, and goodness of every created being, to be the power, and virtue and goodness of God in that creature; and fo confequently use it in fubordination and fubferviency to the fupreme caufe, who can at pleasure, let loofe or fufpend the influences and virtues of every fuch means.

[ocr errors]

rown

4. Converfe not with creature-loffes in a time of affliction. The finful foul that hath traggled off from God, and centered upon the creature is always intemperate and reftless if it be disappointed in its converfe with creature-cures, and fees that for all thefe, his comforts are cut off, health, liberty, friends, are perifhed; then he falls to converfe with his loffes, and fpends the powers of his foul in difcontents, complaints, and many dismal

[ocr errors]

paf

paffions. Oh then, alas, I am undone! What Jhall I do for the hundred talents! I am the only man that bath feen affliction; no forrow like unto my forrow: I fhall go foftly all my days, for the joy of my heart is perished, the delight of my eyes is cut off. Thus Rachael weeps for her children, and will not be comforted: Rizpah attends the carcafles of her fons, and will not be parted from them, 2 Sam. 21. It is a ftrange thing that a foul fhould live upon its loffes: and yet how many do fo! Their very foul cleaveth to the duft, where their creaturecomforts are interred; whose fouls are fo much bound up in the creature, that they will needs live and die together with them. If God fhall fmite the gourd, and make it wither, Jonah droops, and will needs die too, Jonah iv. 89. If Jofeph be miffing a while, Jacob will not be comforted; no, he will go down into the grave unto his fon mourning, Gen. xxxvii. 35. Who would have thought to have heard fuch words, from fuch wife men, as a prophet and a patriarch! oh the strange and unbounded power which this unfeemly crea ture-love hath obtained over the beft of men! which `makes me call him a happy man, almoft more than a man, compeer of angels, who hath learnt to converfe with God alone. Well, converfe not with creature-loffes; let not your foul take up its lodging by the carcaffes of your created-comforts, with Rizpah; dwell not upon the lowest round of the ladder, but climb up by it to the meaning of God, and to fome higher good, and more excellent attainment. They live to their lofs, who live upon their loffes; who dwell upon the dark fide of the difpenfation: for every dark providence

G

hath

hath one bright fide, wherein a godly foul may take comfort, if he be not wanting to himself.

[ocr errors]

5. Converfe not with flesh and blood. By flefh and blood, I fuppofe the apoftle means no more than men, Gal. i. 16. And indeed if we confer with men only for counfel, and repair to men only for comfort in a time of affliction, we fhoot fhort of the mark. But by flesh and blood the scripture elsewhere often means, man in this his animal state, as he is in his corruptible, mortal body, as 1 Cor. xv. 50. and many other places. And in this fenfe I speak, when I fay converse not with flesh and blood. Judge not according to your fenses; let not your own fenfual appetite determine what is good or evil, fweet or bitter: confult with rectified reafon, and not with brutish appetite; confer with faith, and not with fancy. Rectified reafon will judge that to be really good, which our fenfual appetite diftaftes: an enlightned mind will judge that to make for the intereft of the foul, and its eternal bappy ftate which fenfe judges hurtful to the intereft of the body, and its animal ftate. It is not poffible there fhould be any order, nor confequently any peace or reft in that foul, where the inferior faculties domineer over the fuperior, and fenfitive powers lord it over the intellectual; and where raging appetite, and extravagant fancy muft clamber up into the throne to determine cafes, and right reafon must stoop and bow before it.

Be admonished to fly converfe with all thefe, if you would converfe rightly, purely, properly, comfortably with God, which is the higheft office and attainment of created nature. Confider what

I have faid concerning this exccellent and high employment; and awaken your fouls, and all the powers of them to meet the Lord God, and converfe with him aright in the way of his judgments. Converfe with God, with God in Chrift, with God in his promifes, with God in his attributes, and labour to do it not fpeculatively, notionally, but really, practically, accordingly as I have directed in the foregoing difcourfe. Religion is not an empty, airy, notional thing; it is not a matter of thinking, nor of talking; but it' hath a real exiftence in the foul, and doth as really diftinguish, though not fpecifically, one man from another, as reafon distinguishes all men from beasts: converse with God is fet out in fcripture, by living, and walking, and the like. Let me inculcate this thing therefore again, and press it upon you, and I fhall finish all. As the way of glorifying God in the world, is not by a meer thinking of him, or entertaining fome notion of his glory in our heads, but confifts in a real participation of his image, in a god-like difpofition, and holy converfation, according to that of our Saviour, John xv. 8. Herein is my father glorified, &c. So the way of converfing with God in his feveral attributes, is not a thinking often with ourselves, and telling one another that God is juft, wife, merciful, &c. though this be good: but it is a drinking in the virtue and value of thefe divine perfections, a working of them into the foul; and on the other hand, the foul's rendering itfelf up to God in thofe acts of g grace which fuit with fuch attributes, as in water, face anfwereth to face. I do not call bare performance of duties a conver

G 2

fing

« AnteriorContinua »