Three tractates by Jos. Hall, D.D. and B.N.

SECT. VI.

NOw, that these mutuall re∣spects may bee sure not to cool with intermission, the de∣vout heart takes all occasions both to think of God, and to speak to him. There is nothing that he sees, which doth not bring God to his thoughts. In∣deed there is no creature, wher∣in there are not manifest foot∣steps of omnipotence; Yea, which hath not a tongue to tell us of its Maker. The heavens de∣clare * 1.1 the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handy∣work; One day telleth another, and one night certifieth another: Yea, O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisedome hast thou * 1.2 made them all: The earth is full

of thy riches, so is the great and wide sea, where are things creep∣ing innumerable, both small and great beasts: Every herbe, flower, spire of grasse, every twigge and leafe; every worm and flye; every scale and feather; every billow and meteor, speaks the power and wisdome of their infinite Crea∣tor; Solomon sends the slug∣gard to the Ant; Esay sends the Jews to the Oxe and the Asse; Our Saviour sends his Disciples to the Ravens, and to the Lil∣lies of the field; There is no creature of whom we may not learn something; we shall have spent our time ill in this great school of the world, if in such store of Lessons, we be non∣proficients in devotion. Vain Idolaters make to themselves i∣mages of God, wherby they sin∣fully represent him to their thoughts and adoration; could they have the wit and grace to

see it, God hath taken order to spare them this labour, in that he hath stamped in every crea∣ture such impressions of his infi∣nite power, wisdome, goodnes, as may give us just occasion to worship and praise him with a safe and holy advantage to our souls: For the invisible things of God from the Creation of the world, are clearly seen, being un∣derstood by the things that are made, even his eternall power and Godhead. And indeed, where∣fore serve all the volumes of Naturall history, but to be so many Commentaries upon the severall creatures, wherein we may reade God; and even those men who have not the skill, or leisure to peruse them, may yet out of their own thoughts, and observation, raise from the sight of all the works of God suffici∣ent matter to glorifie him. Who can be so stupide as not to take notice of the industry of the

Bee, the providence of the Ant, the cunning of the Spider, the reviving of the Flye, the worms indeavour of revenge, the subtil∣ty of the Fox, the sagacity of the hedge-hog; the innocence and profitablenesse of the sheep, the laboriousnesse of the Oxe, the obsequiousnesse of the Dog, the timerous shifts of the Hare, the nimblenesse of the Dear, the generosity of the Lion, the cou∣rage of the Horse, the fiercenesse of the Tiger; the cheerfull mu∣sick of Birds, the harmlesnesse of the Dove, the true love of the Turtle, the Cocks observation of time, the Swallows archite∣cture; shortly, (for it were easie here to be endlesse) of the seve∣rall qualities, and dispositions of every of those our fellow∣creatures, with whom we con∣verse on the face of the earth; and who that takes notice of them, cannot fetch from every act, and motion of theirs, some

monition of duty, and occasion of devout thoughts? Surely, I fear many of us Christians, may justly accuse our selves as too neglective of our duty this way; that having thus long spent our time in this great Academy of the world, we have not, by so many silent documents, learned to ascribe more glory to our Creator; I doubt those crea∣tures, if they could exchangetheir brutality with our reason, being now so docible as to learn of us so far as their sense can reach, would approve themselves bet∣ter scholars to us, then we have been unto them.

Withall, I must adde that the devout soul stands not always in need of such outward moni∣tors, but finds within it self, suffi∣cient incitements to raise up it self to a continuall minding of God; and makes use of them ac∣cordingly; and, if at any time, being taken up with importu∣nate

occasions of the world, it finds God missing but an hour, it chides it self for such neglect, and sets it self to recover him with so much more eager affecti∣on: as the faithfull Spouse in the Canticles, when she finds him * 1.3 whom her soul loved, with∣drawn from her for a season, puts her self into a speedy search after him, and gives not over till she have attained his presence.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ps. 19. 1, 2.
• * 1.2

  Ps. 104. 24.
• * 1.3

  Cant. 5. 6.