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.

Means of Hope, and remedies against Despair.

The means to cu••e Despair, and to con∣tinue

or increase Hope, are partly by consi∣deration, partly by exercise.,

1. Apply your minde to the cure of all the proper causes of Despair: and they are weak∣ness of Spirit, or violence of passion.* 1.1 He that greedily covets, is impatient of delay, and desperate in contrary accidents; and he that is little of heart, is also little of hope, and apt to sorrow and suspicion.

2. Despise the things of the World, and be indifferent to all changes and events of providence; and for the things of God the promises are certain to be performed in kinde; and where there is lesse variety of chance, there is lesse possibility of being (a) 1.2 mocked: but he that creates to himself thou∣sands of little hopes, uncertain in the pro∣mise, fallible in the event and depending up∣on ten thousand circumstances (as are all his things of this World) shall often fail in the expectations, and be used to arguments of distrust in such hopes.

3. So long as your hopes are regular and reasonable, though in temporal affairs, such as are deliverance from enemies, escaping a storm or ship wrak, recovery from a sick∣ness, ability to pay your debts, &c. remem∣ber that there are some things ordinary, and some things extraordinary to prevent de∣spaire. In ordinary, Remember that the very

hoping in God is an endearment of him and a mea••s to obtain the blessing [I will deliver him because he hath put his trust in me.] 2. There are in GOD all those glo∣rious Attributes and excellencies which in the nature of things can possibly create or confirme Hope. GOD is 1. Strong. 2. Wise. 3. True. 4. Loving. There cannot be added another capacity to create a confidence, for upon these premises we cannot fail of recei∣ving what is fit for us. 3. GOD hath oblig••d himselfe by promise that wee shall have the good of every thing we desire: or even l••sses and denials shall work for the good of them that fear God. And if we will trust the truth of GOD for performance of the gene••al▪ we may well trust his wisdome to choose for us the particular. * But the extraordinaries of GOD are apt to supply the de••ect of all natu∣ral & humane possibilities. 1. GOD hath in ma∣ny instances give extraordinary virtue to the active causes and instruments: to a jaw∣bone to kill a multitude; to 300 Men to de∣stroy a great Army; to Jonathan and his Ar∣mour-bearer to rout a w••ole Garrison. 2. He hath given excellent sufferance and vigorousness to the sufferers, arming them with strange courage, heroical fortitude, in∣vincible resolution, and glorious patience: and thus, he laies no more upon us then we are able to bear: for when he increa∣ses our sufferings, he lessens them by in∣creasing our patience. 3. His providence is extraregular and produces strange things beyond common rules: and he that lead Israel through a ••ea, and made a Rock powre

forth waters, and the Heavens to give them bread and flesh, and whole Armies to be destroyed with phantastick noi••••s, and the fortune of all France to ••e recovered and in∣tirely revolved by the arms and conduct of a Girle against the ••orrent of the English for∣tune & Ch••val••y; can doe what ••e please, and still retains the same affections to his people, and the same providence over man∣kinde as ever: and it is impossible for that Man to despair,* 1.3 who remembers that his Hel∣per is Omnipotent, and can doe what he please: let us rest th••••e a while▪ he can if he please: And ••e is infinitely loving; willing enough: and he is infinitely wise, choosing better for us then we can doe for our selves. This in all ages and chances hath supported the af∣flicted people of GOD, and carried them on drie ground through the Red Sea. GOD in∣vites and cherishes the hopes of Men by all the variety of his providence.

4. If your case be brought to the last ex∣tremity, and that you are at the pits brink, even the very Margent of the Grave, yet then despair not; at least put it off a little longer: and remember that whatsoever fi∣nal accident takes away all hope from you, if you stay a little longer, and in the mean while bear it sweetly, it will also take away all despair too. For when you enter into the regions of death, you rest from all your la∣bours and your fears.

5. Let them who are tempted to despair of their salvation, consider how much Christ suffered to redeem us from sin and its eter∣nal punishment: and he that considers this

must needs believe, that the desires which God had to save us were not lesse then infi∣nite, and therefore not easily to be satisfied without it.

6. Let no man despaire of Gods mercies to forgive him, unlesse he be sure that his sins are greater then Gods mercies. If they be not, we have much reason to hope that the stronger ingredient will prevail so long as we are in the time and state of repentance, and within the possibilities and latitute of the Covenant; and as long as any promise can but reflect upon him with an oblique beam of comfort. Possibly the Man may e••re in his judgment of circumstances, and there∣fore let him fear: but because it is not cer∣tain he is mistaken, let him not despair.

7. Consider that God who knows all the events of Men, and what their final condition shall be, who shall be saved, and who will perish, yet he treateth them as his own, calls them to be his own, offers fair conditions as to his own, gives them blessings, arguments of mercy, and instances of fear to call them off from death, and to call them home to life, and in all this shows no despaire of hap∣piness to them, and therefore much lesse should any Man despaire for himself, since he never was able to read the Scroles of the eternal predestination.

8. Remember that despair belongs only to passionate Fools or Villains, (such as were Achitophel and ••udas) or else to Devils and damned persons: and as the hope of salva∣tion is a good disposition towards it; so is despair a certain consignation to eternal

ruine. A Man may be damned for despairing to be saved. Despair is the proper passion of damnation. God hath placed truth and fe∣licity in Heaven:* 1.4 Curiosity and repentance upon Faith: but misery and despaire are the portions of Hell.

9. Gather together into your spirit, and its treasure-house [the Memory] not only all the promises of GOD but also the remembran∣ces of experience, and the former senses of the Divine favours▪ that from thence you may argue from times past to the present, and enl••••g•• to the 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and to greater bles∣sings. For although the co••j••ct•••••••• and ex∣pectations of Hope are not like the conclu∣sions of Faith, yet they are a Helmet against the scorchings of Despair in temporal things, and an anchor of the soul sure and stedfast against the fluctuations of the Spirit in mat∣ters of the soul. S. Bernard reckons divers principles of Hope by enumerating the in∣stances of the Divine Mercy; and we may by them reduce this rule to practise in the fol∣lowing manner: 1. GOD hath preserved me from many sins; his mercies are infinite; I hope he will still preserve me from more, and for ever. * 2. I have sinned and GOD smote me not: his mercies are still over the penitent; I hope he will deliver me from all the evils I have deserved. He hath forgiven me many sins of malice, and therefore surely he will pity my infirmities. * 3. God visited my heart and changed it: he loves the work of his own hands, and so my heart is now become: I hope he will love this t••o. * 4. When I repented he received me graci∣ously;

and therefore I Hope if I doe my en∣devour he will totally forgive me. * 5. He helped my slow and beginning endevours, and therefore I hope he will lead me to per∣fection. * 6. When he had given me some∣thing first, then he gave me more. I hope therefore he will keep me from falling, and give me the grace of perseverance. * 7. He hath chosen me to be a Disciple of Christs institution; he hath elected me to his King∣dom of grace, and therefore I hope also to the Kingdom of his glory. * 8. He died for me when I was his enemy, and therefore I hope he will save me when he hath reconci∣led me to him, and is become my friend. * 9. God hath given us his Son, how should not he with him give us all things else? All these S. Bernard reduces to these three Heads, as the instruments of all our hopes: 1. The charity of GOD adopting us. 2. The truth of his promises. 3. The power of his per∣formance: which if any truly weighs, no infirmity or accident can breake his ••••pes into undiscernible fragments, but some good pl••••ks will remain after the greatest storm and shipwrack. This was Saint Pauls in∣strument: Experience begets hope, and hope maketh not ashamed.

10. Doe thou take care only of thy duty, of the means and proper instruments of thy purpose, and leave the end to GOD: lay that up with him, and he will take care of all that is intrusted to him: and this being an act of confidence in God, is also a means of security to thee.

11. By special arts of spiritual prudence &

arguments secure the confident belief of the Resurrection, and thou canst not but hope for every thing the which you may reason∣ably expect, or lawfully desire upon the stock of the Divine mercies and promises.

12. If •• despair seises you in a particular temporal instance, let it not defile thy spirit with impute mixture, or mingle in spiritual considerations; but rather let it make thee fortifie thy soul in matters of Religion, that by being thrown out of your Earthly dwel∣ling and confidence, you may retire into the strengths of grace, and hope the more strong∣ly in that, by how much you are the more defeated in this, that despair of a fortune or a success, may become the necessity of all virtue.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• (a) 1.2

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Homer.
• * 1.3

  Heb. 2.18.
• * 1.4

  V. ••ea••