The godly mans iourney to heauen containing ten seuerall treatises. Viz. 1. An heauenly chariot the first part. 2. An heauenly chariot the second part. 3. The blessed chariots man. 4. The lanthorne for the chariot. 5. The skilfull chariot driuer. 6. The gard of the chariot. 7. The sixe robbers of the chariot. 8. The three rocks layd in the way. 9. The only inne Gods babes aime at. 10. The guests of the inne. By maister David Lindsey Minister of Gods word at Leith.
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Title
The godly mans iourney to heauen containing ten seuerall treatises. Viz. 1. An heauenly chariot the first part. 2. An heauenly chariot the second part. 3. The blessed chariots man. 4. The lanthorne for the chariot. 5. The skilfull chariot driuer. 6. The gard of the chariot. 7. The sixe robbers of the chariot. 8. The three rocks layd in the way. 9. The only inne Gods babes aime at. 10. The guests of the inne. By maister David Lindsey Minister of Gods word at Leith.
Author
Lindsay, David, 1566?-1627.
Publication
London :: Printed by R. F[ield] for Robert Bird, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Bible in Cheapside,
1625.
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"The godly mans iourney to heauen containing ten seuerall treatises. Viz. 1. An heauenly chariot the first part. 2. An heauenly chariot the second part. 3. The blessed chariots man. 4. The lanthorne for the chariot. 5. The skilfull chariot driuer. 6. The gard of the chariot. 7. The sixe robbers of the chariot. 8. The three rocks layd in the way. 9. The only inne Gods babes aime at. 10. The guests of the inne. By maister David Lindsey Minister of Gods word at Leith." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A05560.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 3, 2024.
Pages
THAT GVARD MERCI∣fully
and happily prepared by that
blessed Spirit, that sole carefull kee∣per
and wise leader of the babes of
God soiourning here, alwayes to at∣tend,
and in euery place to defend
them;* 1.1 is that companie of heauenly
spirits and celestiall Angels, pitching
their tents round about those who be
Gods, and feare his name.
THat same sweetest Spirit of God, who
is a very deepe sea of loue, mercie,
wisedome, and prouidence; hauing pro∣uided
the babes of God, kept and led by
him, of a shining Lanterne; for the dire∣cting
of them in their iourney towards
their heauenly home: hauing found out
also a fit Carrier to beare this Lanterne
before them, and to discouer to them that
light inclosed within it, to the end that
thereby they might be happily helped
homewards: hath also out of his loue,
descriptionPage 386
mercie, wisedome, and prouidence found
out a most fit strong Guard, aboue and
beneath, before and behind, on this side,
and on that side; to attend these babes of
God while they soiourne here, not onely
absent in bodie from their Father and
friends, but who besides this, do liue as in
the lists amongst many monstrous and ir∣reconcilable
foes; to the end that no euill
come vnto them,* 1.2 or any plague approach
their tabernacle. Now this Guard happily
appointed by this vncreated Spirit, to at∣tend
those babes of God, be not troupes
of footmen, or companies of horsemen,
nor kings and Princes of the earth, who
do greatly brag and boast of their power;
nor chariots wherein those Kings and
Princes with their great men be carried,
but the very chariots of God, for so are
they styled by the Psalmist,* 1.3 yea the verie
fierie chariots of God: for so they are sti∣led
by that onely glorious and vncreated
Spirit,* 1.4 who made them and sends them.
Now the chariots, yea fierie chariots of
God guiding that Chariot wherein the
babes of God be carried towards their
Father, are those heauenly and holy spirits.
Scripture for our confirmation and con∣solation
descriptionPage 387
honors specially with three glo∣rious
titles: first, with the title of Angels;
hereby acquainting vs, as with that end
wherefore God hath appointed them, so
with that office whereunto they are ap∣pointed.
They are appointed to be Legats
and Ambassadours, sent foorth by that
great King who hath made them, and
their office is to carrie and discharge such
commission and message, as shall please
his Maiestie to imploy them about. But
because that these euill spirits, who be the
auowed and irreconcilable aduersaries of
Gods babes, haue this stile of Angels, and
so of messengers giuen to them also; ther∣fore
it is, that these Angels who be sent
out from God to attend and guard his
babes, are honoured by that blessed Spirit
who directs them with some glorious e∣pithites
and stiles, not onely to the end
that they may be discerned from those e∣uill
Angels, but specially that the babes of
God guarded by them, may for their
greatest consolation be informed tou∣ching
that rare and inexpressible aduan∣tage
which they do reape by their atten∣ding
of them. And so the Angels atten∣ding
Gods children be called, The Angels
descriptionPage 388
of God;* 1.5the Angels of the Lord, the holy
Angels;* 1.6the Angels of light; the elect Angels,
the Angels of the power of God.* 1.7 This moued
Augustine writing on the 104. Psalme thus
to speake of them:* 1.8Quaeris nomen huius na∣turae?* 1.9spiritus est: quaeris officium?* 1.10Angelus est.
If thou aske after the name of this nature? it
is a spirit: if thou inquire after the office of it?
it is an Angell. Secondly, they be called
Watchmen & Keepers:* 1.11 for they be appoin∣ted
of God to watch ouer and keepe his
children, who liuing here, be not onely
subiect to securitie and carelesnesse, but
also to innumerable bloudie deuouring
enemies, who would vndoubtedly euerie
minute ouerthrow them, if they were not
kept by his Guard, who keeping Israel
doth neither sleepe nor slumber; albeit, a∣las,
his Israel doth sleepe and slumber con∣tinually.
Thirdly, they be called Seruants,
according to that,* 1.12He maketh the spirits his
messengers, and a flaming fire his ministers.
And againe,* 1.13Are they not all ministring spi∣rits,
sent out to minister for their sakes which
shall be heires of saluation? whereof it is ma∣nifest,
that these Angels be stiled Seruants
and Ministers, not onely in respect of God
their Soueraigne Lord and Maister, by
descriptionPage 389
whom they are imployed, but in respect
of Gods children whom they do serue, in
guarding them and watching ouer them,
lest they should be suppressed by their ad∣uersaries,
and depriued of that saluation
whereunto they are called. But here, ô my
soule, I must haue thee to vnderstand, that
thy blessed, all-sufficient, and Almightie
God doth not any wayes vse the seruice
and ministerie of these heauenly and holy
Angels, either because of necessitie on his
part, or of any worthinesse on theirs; for as
the Psalmist speaking of that great worke
of Creation, and magnifying the vn∣speakable
power of that great Creator,
doth say:* 1.14By the word of the Lord were the
heauens made, and all the host of them by the
breath of his mouth. He spake and it was done,
he commanded and it stood. So the Apostles
speaking of that no lesse great worke of
preseruation, & conseruation of all things
thus created, magnifying with the Psal∣mist
the power of the great Gouernour &
preseruer doth say:* 1.15He beareth vp all things
by his mightie word. But this he doth of his
own vndeserued fauour, & free grace on∣ly,
and that for 3. most weightie reasons,
which I wil pray thee, ô my soule, grauely
descriptionPage 390
to consider: first, this is done by our God
for the speciall glory of his owne glorious
& blessed name, which all powers in hea∣uen
and on earth should adore and reue∣rence
to that:* 1.16God made all things for his
own selfe. This moued the Psalmist aduan∣cing
the glorie of his God to crie out:* 1.17The Chariots of God are twentie thousand
thousand Angels, and the Lord is among
them as in the Sanctuarie of Sinai. This mo∣ued
Daniel giuing vs a view of the glorie
of our God to say:* 1.18I beheld till the
thrones were sit vp, and the ancient of dayes
did sit, whose garment was white as snow,
and the haires of his head like the pure wooll.
His throne was like the fierie flames, and his
wheeles a burning fire; A fierce streame issued
and came forth before him: Thousand, thou∣sands
ministred vnto him, and ten thousand
thousands stood before him.* 1.19Iohn happily
saw this when he said: Then I beheld,
and I heard the voice of manie Angels round
about the Throne, and about the beasts, and
the Elders, and they were thousand thou∣sands.
Whereof it is manifest, ô my soule,
that the first and principall office of the
elect Angels is, to magnifie and praise
the glorie, the grandor, the power, and
descriptionPage 391
the wisedome of God, their glorious and
gracious maker. Therefore what wonder
that Dauid (knowing this to be true)
directs his language vnto these Angels
thus:* 1.20Praise the Lord ye his Angels that ex∣cell
in strength, that do his commandement in
obeying the voice of his word: Praise the Lord
all ye his hostes, yea his seruants that do his
pleasure. Againe, it pleased our louing
wise Father, thus to honour these Angels
for their owne speciall honour, and bene∣fit.
Who among men can denie, that sub∣iect
••s much honoured by his King, who
he imployes to be his ambassadour to
carrie his will to his neighbour Princes,
and not onely at home to attend him in
his royall Palace? And must not these An∣gels
thinke and confesse themselues to be
both happie and honourable, whom that
onely soueraigne King of kings hath ap∣pointed
not onely alwayes to attend the
throne of his glorious Maiestie, there to
behold him, but also receiuing from him
directions as do please him, are sent forth
of him to do his will vpon earth here. O
how farre was that Angell Gabriel ho∣noured,
when being acquainted with the
blessed time of that glorious incarnation
descriptionPage 392
of that sweetest Sauiour of the world
(long hid vp from the knowledge of An∣gels
and men) he was sent to the Vir∣gine
Marie to say to her;* 1.21Feare not Marie,
for thou hast found fauour with God, for loe
thou shall conceiue in thy wombe and beare a
Sonne, and shalt call his name Iesus, he shall be
great, and shall be called the sonne of the most
hie, and the Lord God shall giue vnto him the
Throne of his Father Dauid, and he shall
reigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer, and of
his kingdome shall be no end? O how farre
was this Angel Gabriel honoured of God,
when he was sent vnto Ioseph, to whom
this Marie was affianced not onely to
shew him that that which was conceiued
in Maries bosome, was conceiued by
the holy Ghost, but with this to bring
vnto Ioseph the name wherewith they
should name the child when he should be
borne, and the reason wherefore he
should be named so, saying to him in a
dreame,* 1.22Ioseph the sonne of Dauid feare
not to take Marie for thy wife, for that which
is conceiued in her is of the holy Ghost and she
shall bring forth a sonne, and thou shalt call
his name Iesus, for he shall saue his people
from their sinnes? O how farre were these
descriptionPage 393
heauenly Spirits honoured of God, when
first one of them being acquainted with
the happie birth of this blessed Iesus, was
directed towards the shepheards keeping
watch by night, because of their flocke
about the place where blessed Iesus was
borne, to intimate vnto them with the
blessed birth of that holy one, the onely
honourable and profitable end wherefore
he was borne,* 1.23 saying vnto them: Be not
affraid, for behold I bring you glad tidings of
great ioy that shall be to all the people: that is
that vnto you is borne this day in the Citie of
Dauid a Sauiour, which is Christ our Lord?
And when after this, there was with this
Angell a multitude of heauenly souldiers
directed from the Throne of God, to
praise the vnsearchable higth, and depth,
length, and breadth of his loue, passing
all finding out, manifested towards men
in making his onely Sonne, sole solace,
and dearest fellow, content to become
man, for the safetie of man: saying, Glorie
be vnto God in the high heauens, and peace in
earth, and towards men good will? O how
farre was that Angel honoured of God
who was directed to attend this blessed
meeke Lambe, drawing neere the place
descriptionPage 394
of expectation, and not onely carrying in
his hand,* 1.24 but conueying to his head that
bitterest cup of the Lords wrath (so that
his sweat was like drops of bloud trick∣ling
downe to the ground) and to com∣fort
him in this his agonie? O how farre
were these two Angels honoured of God,
who were directed not onely to attend
the buriall, and resurrection of this glori∣ous
Lambe, sitting one at the head, and
the other at the feete where the bodie of
Iesus had lien,* 1.25 but also to proclaime his
resurrection to the women who came to
the graue of Iesus.* 1.26Be not affraid, ye seeke
Iesus of Nazareth which hath bene crucified,
he is risen, he is not heare, behold the place
where they haue put him? O how farre were
these two Angels honoured of God, who
were sent not onely to attend the glorious
ascension of this mightie God, the Saui∣our
of the world, but with that to preach
and proclaime his comming againe from
the heauens to iudgement, saying to his
disciples where they were looking sted∣fastly
towards heauen, after that a cloud
had taken their most louing kind Maister
out of their sight:* 1.27Ye men of Galilee why
stand ye gazing, this Iesus which is taken vp
descriptionPage 395
from you into heauen, shall so come as ye haue
seene him go into heauen. Thirdly, this was
done that hereby our God perfectly ac∣quainted
with the miseries and distresses
of his owne secret ones, lying vnder a
thousand crosses, and subiect to a world
of tentations, might haue a verie sea of
speciall consolation conueyed to them.
Must thou not confesse, ô my soule, that
this must necessarily be a verie infallible
ground of inexpressable ioy to the child
of God, when not onely he knowes (be∣ing
taught of Scripture) that the Lord
his God hath such a care of him,* 1.28 that not
so much as a haire can fall from his head
without his prouidence; that he hath al∣wayes
his eares open to heare, and his
eyes bended towards him. But that be∣side
this he hath not onely created and
furnished most plentiously the aire, the
seaes, and the earth for him, but that he
hath made these verie celestiall spirits for
his preseruation while he liueth here, as
is manifested vnto him by that golden
sentence:* 1.29For he shall giue his Angels charge
ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes, they
shall beare thee in their hands that thou hurt
not thy foote against a stone. Where the spi∣rit
descriptionPage 396
would directly (knowing the nature
and office of these Angels the gaurd of
Gods babes) compare them to a nurse
to whom the children of some great King
and Prince, are committed to be fostred,
after that they are borne: and besides this
vnto pedagogues, to whom children after
they are come to some few yeares are vn∣credited,
to the end they may be con∣ueyed
in and out by them, to and from
some schoole, there to be instructed, cor∣rected,
and brought vp in the knowledge
of good letters and honest meanes. Now,
ô my soule, I must tell thee, that these ho∣ly
Angels of God, set ouer Gods babes
as their nurses, and pedagogues; discharge
three most notable, and profitable du∣ties
vnto them. For first, so soone as we
are come into this world, they take vs as
it were by the hand, euer keeping, and
defending vs against the diuell, and all
other aduersaries, so that nothing can be∣fall
vs without the speciall prouidence of
our God, & as is expedient for his glorie,
and our good. This moued our Maister
thus to direct vs:* 1.30See that ye despise not one
of these little ones, for I say vnto you that in
heauen, their Angels alwayes behold the face
descriptionPage 397
of my Father which is in heauen. This mo∣ued
Dauid to say:* 1.31The Angel of the Lord
pitcheth about thē that feare him, and deliue∣reth
them.* 1.32Lot had a speciall proofe of this,
hauing an Angel directed from heauen to
send him away from Sodome before the
ouerthrow of Sodome. Hagar had a spe∣ciall
proofe of this, when flying from her
mistresse Sarah, and hauing her child Is∣mael
brought vnto deaths doore through
thirst, she had an Angel readie in her grea∣test
strait to comfort her, and deliuer him,
saying to her;* 1.33What ayleth thee Hagar?
feare not, God hath heard the voyce of the
child where he is, arise take vp the child and
hold him in thy hand, for I will make of him
a great people, and God opened her eyes and
she saw a well of water.* 1.34Iacob had proofe of
this, when being sore affraid because of
his brother Esau; he tooke himselfe no
sooner to his iourney, then the Angels of
God did meete him, which made Iacob,
when he saw them, to say: This is Gods
host. Elias had a rare speciall proofe of
this when the King of Aram sent horses
and chariots and a mightie host to Da∣than
where he was by night to compasse
it, to the end, the poore man of God
descriptionPage 398
might no wayes escape; his God from
the heauens sent horses and fierie chariots,
filling the mountaines round about Elisha,* 1.35
so that there was moe with him then
there was with his enemies.* 1.36 The Apostles
found this, when being imprisoned for
preaching in the name of Iesus, they had
the Angel of the Lord by night readie to
open the prison doore, and to bring them
forth. Secondly when death shall ap∣proach
the child of God by sea, by land,
in companie, and alone, in the hands of
friends, in the hands of foes; albeit the
husband be absent from his wife, and the
wife from the husband: the child from the
parent, or the parent from the child, and
so forth: yet the poorest distressed loath∣some
Lazarus being Gods child,* 1.37 shall
haue these blessed Angels to attend him,
who shall not be wearie night and day
to stand by his bed till his soule leaue his
body, to the effect by them it may be con∣ueyed
to his fathers house. Thirdly, in the
end of the world these blessed spirits, shall
not refuse to gather the verie dead bones
of the dead bodies of Gods children to
the end that their bodies being ioyned
with their soules; they may in bodie and
descriptionPage 399
soule raigne and rest with these Angels
before God for euermore; according to
that, sweetly sounded by our Maister:
The sonne of man shall come in the cloudes of
heauen with power and great glorie,* 1.38and he
shall send his Angels with a great sound of a
trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the foure winds, and from the one
end of the heauen to the other. Oh, ô my
soule, when shall my heart begin to sepa∣rate
it selfe from earthly and sensuall
thoughts, and meditate a little vpon these
things? Surely, surely, couldst thou, ô my
soule, consider rightly that thy God
would offer by them to thy consideration,
sure I am thou wouldst draw foure seueral
& soueraigne lessons out of this discourse
hath bene brought to thy eares, by him
who made thee, and loueth thee deerely.
And first, thou wilt see that great care the
Lord thy God hath of thee, out of that
great loue wherewith he loued thee,
which moued him to make and appoint
so heauenly a hoast to attend thee, for the
gaurding and keeping of thee. Secondly,
this would stirre thee vp iointly to feare
and loue this God, to feare him, who al∣wayes
hath in readinesse such a great
descriptionPage 400
armie of spirits to execute his will and to
take his part against all such dare abuse
him or his children in any sort. Knowest
thou not, ô my soule, that thy God in
one night, by an Angel, smote in the
the campe of Ashur an hundredth foure∣score
and fiue thousand,* 1.39 who durst rise vp
against him and against his people? Let
this stirre thee vp, ô my soule, ••o loue this
God who hath them all in his hands rea∣die
to be imployed to saue, to comfort,
and to deliuer thee. Thirdly, let the sense
hereof make vs ashamed to speake that,
to do that, either priuately out of compa∣nie,
or publickely before others, which is
repugnant to the good will of God, and
which thou wilt be ashamed to speake
before any religious honest man: seeing
thy words, speake them where thou canst;
thy deedes, do them where thou wilt; are
heard or seene by those Angels who al∣wayes
attends thee. It were good that
both men and women did hearken to that
watch-word vsed by the Apostle.* 1.40There∣fore
ought the woman to haue power on her
head, because of the Angels. For as these
Angels, being beholders and markers of
our carriage, and actions, are reioyced
descriptionPage 401
and incouraged as it were by our good
behauiour; so are they greeued by our
leud life, and prophane carriage. Finally
and lastly, this would comfort thee, ô my
soule, vnder, and against all our troubles,
considering that our Father, redeemer,
and comforter; hath appointed these hea∣uenly
spirits his messengers, to be our
painfull nurses, and faithfull pedagogues,
whatsoeuer our estate be here to the
iudgement of blind men; but specially
this should strengthen vs against that
fearefull day of death, in the which this
dustie tabernacle must be layed downe,
making thee, ô my soule, thus triumphing
ouer death, to speake to thy selfe; let me
not be cast downe, because death ap∣proacheth
me, because these my eares
shall be closed from hearing any more a∣mong
men here, because my eyes shall be
stopped, frō seeing any more among men
here, from henceforth neuer shall I heare
that, see that, or do that which may of∣fend
my God, and beside that I shall heare
such things (in that palace to the which
I am going) see such things, feele, and
possesse such things; which in sweetnesse
and excellence, shall farre surmount all
descriptionPage 402
heretofore seene, felt, and possessed by me;
yea, let it not trouble me, that this my
clay bodie, which lieth here vnder sick∣nesse,
pined sore in euerie member of it,
destitute of father, mother, husband, wife,
brother, sister, or any liuing whatsoeuer,
to care for it; seeing that blessed Spirit
the comforter of Gods elect lodgeth
within me, assuring me that God is mine,
and I am his; and considering these hea∣uenly
spirits, attendeth my sicke and
pained bodie which they shall not
forsake, till breath forsake it; for
howbeit these spirits my attendants, be
nor seene by these my corporall dimme
eyes, yet I am clearely seene of them, and
assuredly granted by them, acorrding to
that charge they haue receiued of that
great Angel of the couenant who
gaue himselfe for me, and who
hath ordained to attend me,
till they bring me
where he is.