Miscellanea spiritualia: or, Devout essaies: composed by the Honourable Walter Montagu Esq.

§. I.

The vertue of Devotion exalted, and the vanity of some Philosophers detected.

THis inscription may seem to many to speak like a Mountebanks Bill, that discrediteth the common Schoole of Nature, and promiseth by one receipt the cure of all diseases; and I pray God this offer may obtaine, what the large undertakings of their Bills familiarly do, which by speaking so faire, invite many that believe not fully the pro∣mises, to trie the experiment of their medicines; for if this my plausible prescript gaine but so much either upon the curi∣osity, or the beliefe of any, as to draw them to an essay of this my receipt, in that order I have indited it, I need not feare the discredit thereof by the operation, since they who are drawne by any motive to follow this voice of the Psalmist, to come and * 1.1 see how sweet the Lord is, do quickly make this confession with him, Even the fables, sinners have told me, are not like thy 〈◊〉〈◊〉; * 1.2 for even the speculations of our own inventions do not so much as create that reall peace of mind, which is concluded by devotion.

This metaphor of Physick suggesteth to me the carrying it a little further on to my purpose; for, me thinks I may truly

say of the spirit of devotion, what some curious Naturalists have vented of a medicinall extraction, they call the spirit of the world, which giveth vegetation to all bodies, they af∣firme it to have the vertue of restoring nature from decay to integrity, and to preserve mans body long in an indeficient vi∣gour, and propose contrary effects produceable by this spirit, respectively to divers constitutions, but still to the benefit and redintegration of nature, in each individuall whereunto it is ministred: I may without questioning or signing this position, make this application of it, and affirme that these properties are really verified in the virtue of this supernatural spirit, which I call Devotion: so that I need not feare what I promise, to perswade the taking it, in that manner I have formerly re∣ceipted it: whereupon I propose to every regular user there∣of, no lesse benefit, then the conferring on them their finall desire in this life, which is comprized under this notion of happinesse; by which terme we understand, the resting and quieting our mindes in the fruition of goods convenient, and * 1.3 agreeable to our nature, in which state I propose to shew, that Devotion doth establish the minde of man; in order whereunto I may well prefix this Axiome of Saint Augustine, Lord thou hast made the heart of man for thy selfe, and therefore it is alwayes restlesse untill it requiesce in thee.

Nothing hath so perplexed the wit of man, as to determine the supreame felicity of this life. The Phylosophers have been so divided about it, as they seeme to have passed their lives in a continuall warre upon one another, in the very trea∣ty of this generall peace they sought to establish: it seemeth Almighty God, in revenge of the partitions and fractions they made of his unity, broke their opinions into so many pieces, as they could never joy••ne in one uniforme conclusion, but as Saint Paul saith of them, They grew vaine in their imaginati∣ons, and in the darknesse of their hearts, every Sect had a * 1.4 severall Phantasme of happinesse appearing to it.

Surely God, who saw with what presumption they were building up the designe of their security in this life, by the

modell of their owne naturall Reason, sent this confusion of opinions, like that of the tongues amongst them, to ruine that structure of humane felicity, the wisdome of the world was raising for her refuge & shelter, against the stormes of Heaven. And so these bricklayers of humane happinesse, (which they may be properlytermed, in respect they wrought only upon the matter of the earth, tempered by humane wisdome, and with that stuffe, thought to build up their forts of felicity) were struck from Heaven into this confusion of language, and di∣spersed into severall Sects, in which, every one spake a diffe∣rent tongue, and never concurr'd in an intelligence to constitute one unanimous position touching the supreame fe∣licity.

This point of mans constant happinesse, seemeth to be in Morall Philosophie, the great secret, in search whereof most of the speculative Sages have imployed their studyes, and have advanced no further then the naturall Philosophers have done towards finding the famous Elixir; for the Mora∣lists have made many usefull discoveries by the way; whereby they have composed diverse excellent medicines for the infir∣mities of the minde, but never any of them, though they have much boasted it, did attaine unto that consummate virtue, which could settle the minde in a perfect tranquillity and inva∣riable temper. This virtuous power in morality, as it answereth adequately to those properties the Chymicks attribute to their great worke; so is there this Analogy betweene them, that they both seeme much more feisable by their specu∣lative rules, then they are found by practicall experi∣ment.

The swelling science of the Ancients, which had never heard of the fall of Humane Nature, grew too well conceited of her sufficiency, thinking the perversity and wrynesse of the superiour part of the minde, to grow only by an ill habit of stooping and bending towards the lower portion, which is the sensitive appetite; thus the Stoiks concluded, that single reason might by the reflex of discourse, see this indecent po∣sture,

whereunto custome inclined her; and so, by degree rectifie and erect her powers to such a point of straightnesse, as neither the delights nor the distresses of the lower and sen∣sitive part of nature, should ever bowe or decline the evennesse and rectitude of the minde; and by this means they arrogated no lesse to mans sufficiency, then even the power of remaining in a calme apathy and impassivenesse, in all offensive emergen∣cies. But alas, the wisdome of the world knew nothing of that inward bruise our nature had in her fall, which keepeth her too infirme, to be reduced to that perfect activity, where∣unto pure speculation might designe her; we understand that repugnant law in our members, by which, all their imagined tenures of security were voyded, when they came to their tri∣all; but they understood so little this law, as what we know to be the defect of frail title, namely, our nature, they took for the security of their estate of peace.

Me thinkes the Ancient Philosophers with all their wis∣dome and precaution were served by their owne nature, as children use to doe one another, at a certaine schoole-play, when he that hides, striketh him he holdeth blinded, who being thought out of play is never guessed at; and thus did our corrupted Nature while she her selfe held them blinded, strike them, and she was never suspected of the blow; but the accidents of fortune were only taken for the strikers, with which singly, those Sages thought their mindes were exerci∣sing themselves; for they never misdoubted this infidelity in Humane Nature, they thought her intirely sound and selfe∣sufficient, to afford this consummate tranquillity of spirit in all seasons; and thus they were like children kept blinded, and strucken by the same hand which they never suspected, char∣ging fortune as a forreine actor, with all those blowes that pro∣voked their passions. Upon which ground they presumed on the sufficiency of naturall Reason, even to extinguish all passi∣on or distemperance in their mindes: but to these presumpti∣ons the Apostle answereth, While they accounted themselves wise, they became fooles.

And surely, these Morall Ideas conceived by the Stolkes, may well be coupled with the naturall Ideas, supposed by the Platonikes; out of which principle, there may be some light drawne towards the inquiry into the nature of formes ab∣stracted from matter, although the position be erroneous. After this sort, we may derive much clarity, towardes our discerning the latitude and power of morall virtue, by these maximes of the Stoiks, which are not sincerely true in their conclusions. I may therefore justly bring in this evidence of the wisest of men, against this Sect of pure Moralists, presu∣ming upon the Stock of naturall wisdome, You have said, you * 1.5 would become wise, and it departed farther from you.

The felicity of a Christian is stated upon a farre different principle, namely, in the perception of the defectivenesse of our Nature, as being maimed by her first fall, and in the ac∣knowledging the insufficiency of our single Reason, to mode∣rate and compose the disquiets of the mind, without a super∣naturall adjunction of Grace; by which we are, as Saint Peter * 1.6 telleth us, called out of the darknesse of the Phylosophers, into this admirable light, to see the curse that is upon our earth, and to discerne that we are not, in this life, Lords of our ease, but tillers of this foule earth of our corrupted Nature, which we can never weed so perfectly, as to gather out of it a pure and immixed felicity; it is by a supernaturall light shining in our dark places, that we are inlightned in a right apprehension, of what degree of happinesse we may project in this life; and Grace doth us this good office, by a detecting to us the naked∣nesse of our nature, not by a covering and palliation of her disfigurements; and in the point of establishing our happinesse, Grace may well be said to instruct Reason as her Disciple, in the termes of Truth himselfe to his Disciples, Abide in me, and I in you: For, as the branch cannot beare fruit of it selfe, except it * 1.7 abide in the vine, no more can Reason, unlesse it abide in Grace; & when our Reason (which originally consider'd, is properly a branch of the root of Grace) doth abide therein, it bringeth forth much fruit of such felicity as the season of this life can afford for our resection.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 23.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 118.
• * 1.3

  Happinesse defined.
• * 1.4

  Rom. 1. 21.
• * 1.5

  Eccle. 7. 24.
• * 1.6

  1 Pet. 2. 9.
• * 1.7

  John 15.