Holy living in which are described the means and instruments of obtaining every virute, and the remedies against every vice, and considerations serving to the resisting all temptations : together with prayers containing the whole duty of a Christian, and the parts of devotion occasians [sic], and furnished for all necessities / by Jer. Taylor.

The Benefits of this exercise.

The benefit of this consideration and ex∣ercise being universal upon all the parts of piety, I shall lesse need to specifie any parti∣culars; but yet most properly this exercise of

considering the divine presence is, 1. an ex∣cellent [ 1] help to prayer, producing in us reve∣rence and awfulness to the divine Majesty of God, and actual devotion in our offices. 2. It [ 2] produces a confidence in God, and fearlesness of our enemies, patience in trouble, and hope of remedy, since God is so nigh in all our sad accidents, he is a disposer of the hearts of men, and the events of things, he proporti∣ons out our trials, and supplies us with reme∣dy, and where his rod strikes us, his staf sup∣ports us: To which we may adde this, that God who is alwaies with us, is especially by promise with us in tribulation, to turn the misery into a mercy, and that our greatest trouble may become our advantage by in∣titling us to a new manner of the Divine pre∣sence. 3. It is apt to produce joy and re∣joicing [ 3] in God; we being more apt to de∣light in the partners and witnesses of our conversation; every degree of mutuall abi∣ding and conversing being a relation and an endearment: we are of the same houshold with God; he is with us in our natural acti∣ons to preserve us, in our recreations to re∣strain us, in our publick actions to applaud or reprove us, in our private to observe us, in our sleeps to watch by us, in our watch∣ings to refresh us: and if we walk with God in all his waies as he walks with us in all ours, we shall find perpetual reasons to enable us to keep that rule of God, Rejoice in the Lord alwaies, and again I say rejoyce. And this puts me in minde of a saying of an old religious person,* 1.1 [There is one way of over∣coming our ghostly enemies, spiritual mirth,

and a perpetual bearing of GOD in our mindes.] This effectively resists the Devil and suffers us ro receive no hurt from him. [ 4] 4. This exercise is apt also to enkindle holy desires of the enjoyment of God, because it pro∣duces joy when we doe enjoy him; The same desires that a weak man hath for a Defender, the sick man for a Physician, the poor for a Patron, the childe for his Father, the espoused [ 5] Lover for her betrothed. 5 From the same fountain are apt to issue humility of spirit, ap∣prehensions of our great distance and our great needs, our daily wants, and hou••ly sup∣plies, admiration of Gods unspeakable mer∣cies: It is the cause of great modesty and de∣cency in our actions; it helps to recollection of minde, and restrains the scatterings and loosness of wandring thoughts; it establishes the heart in good purposes, and leadeth on to perseverance; it gains purity & perfection, (according to the saying of God to Abraham, Walk before me and be perfect) holy fear, and holy love, and indeed every thing that per∣tains to holy living: when we see our selves placed in the Eye of God, who sets us on work and will reward us plentiously, to serve him with an Eye service i•• ••ery pleasing; for he also sees the heart: and the want of this con∣sideration was declared to be the cause why Israel sinned so grievously, [For they say the Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not:* 1.2 therefore the land is full of blood, and the city full of perversness.] What a child would doe in the eye of his Father, and a Pupil before his Tutor, and a Wife in the presence of her Husband, and a Servant

in the sight of his master, let us alwaies doe the same: for we are made a spectacle to God, to Angels, and to men; we are alwaies in the sight and presence of the All-seeing and Al∣mighty God, who also is to us a Father, and a Guardian, a Husband, and a Lord.

Notes

• * 1.1

  In vitam S. Antho.
• * 1.2

  Ezek. 9 9. Psal. 10.11