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

§. III.

Resultancies from the meditation of humane frailty, and a resolving the right of Happy∣nes as belonging to Devotion.

THe state of humane Nature being thus determined, me thinks there may be an excellent medicinall extraction drawn (by prudence directed by Grace) out of the na∣ture of temporal felicity, in order to the fortifying our minds, which may not improperly be tearmed the Spirit or salt of hu∣mane frailty, since it may work upon the mind, as Phisitians say, those kind of Diaphoretical medicines do upon the body, the which although they do not produce any violent sweat, yet they clense by opening the pores, and keeping the body in a continued transpiration and breathing out of the Malig∣nity; After this manner may our minds be purged and recti∣fied by this meditation of our frailty, which notwithstanding it forceth not out any notorious expressions of the contempt of this world, in a sensible alteration of our course of life, yet it may maintain the mind in a constant temper of purifying, by a soft evacuating much of the uncleannesse of her sensitive appetite, through an insensible perspiration of mortifying thoughts; and the proper time to minister this receipt, is in the health of our fortune, while we are in an easie fruition of the joyes and solaces of this life; for then the perswasion of their insecurity holds us loose from that dangerous adherence which carryeth away our peace along with their removals; but this prescript looseth much of the efficacy, when it is ta∣ken; but after our mindes are decayed and infeebled by the sadnesse and weight of affliction, because in that ease they commonly want that vigor of reason, which should cooperate with this remedy, and in that respect, what might have been a sufficient stay to our minds, while they stood straight and

upright, may not be able to redresse and erect them, when they are faln and dejected; I will therefore leave this prescription thus signed by the Holy Spirit; Say not, I possesse many things, * 1.1 and what evill can come to me hereafter? but in the good dayes remember the evill, for the malice of one hour maketh oblivion of great voluptuousnesse: and therefore in another place the same hand giveth this advice, From the morning to the even∣ing * 1.2 the time changeth, All things are soon done before the Lord, A wise man will fear in every thing.

But lest me should conceive happynes to be inconsistent with this injunction of continuall fear, we must understand, that there are two feares respecting this world, which may stand in morality, answering most of the properties of the same in Divinity, viz: a filiall and a servile feare, the first whereof feareth but as a child of humanity, by the knowledge of the frail Nature of all temporalities; the other, as a slave to mundanities, being mastered and subjected by Sensuality; So that the filiall fear riseth from an ordinate love, and right ap∣prehension of the condition of the Creatures, and the servile springeth from a misprision of their Nature, and an undue subjection unto them; wherefore this first filiall fear, is but virtuous and precautionall, and so compatible with a hap∣py constitution, for it perplexeth our present fruitions, no more then the generall notion of our mortality offendeth our present health: the knowledge that we must die, doth not make us sick; no more doth the understanding, that our temporary delights are to passe away, disrelish their present savour.

Let this prenotion then of intervenient changes in all our most secured conditions, of stated as requisite, for the settle∣ment of tranquility in our mindes, since at all times, tem∣porall felicity is either going away from us, or we from it; for whatsoever the best of our times bring us in their revolutions, they carry us away from them at the same time, by the motion of our Mortality; in proof whereof the Spirit of Truth telleth us, we are but a breath of aire passing on and not retur∣ning. * 1.3

Thus have I, after the method of Saint Paul with the Athe∣nians, indeavored to confute the two Sects of the Stoicks and Epicureans, and I conceive to have voyded both their titles to happinesse; the first, claiming it in the right of our single Na∣turall Reason, the other, challenging it in the name of our sa∣tisfied senses; to neither of which, I hope in God to have shew∣ed, that felicity can rightly be adjudged, by reason the specu∣lations of the Stoicks are but like well painted scenes, which at a convenient distance seeme to expose reall fruits, waters, and shades; but when you come into them, you finde nothing but paintings and barren colours. Much after this manner, while you looke upon the pure Theory of their maximes, they seeme to containe peace, serenity, and satisfaction of spirit, i•• all the earthquakes of this world; yet this faire shew lasteth but while our conditions are at a convenient distance from a ne∣cessity of acting those principles, for when we are pressed under the ineumbe••t miseries of this life, to practise this I deal self-suf∣ficiency, we are then brought as it were into the scenes of those maximes, for then we finde all those figurings of apathy and impassivenesse, to prove but coloured and fruitlesse concepti∣ons, in respect of those Soveraigne effects were promised the minde, at the distance of speculation.

And I presume to have cast the other Sect by these two evi∣dences brought against it, viz. the unfaithfulnesse of all ma∣teriall goods, in point of duration and fixure, and the fickle∣nesse, even of our owne affections, in the esteeme of such fru∣itions; wherefore the former of these two Sects stands convin∣ced of stating happinesse, in what can never be obtained, and the other, in what can never long be preserved; whereupon they may both justly receive their sentences, the first from the Apostle, pricking thus their swelling knowledge, If any man * 1.4 think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet, as he ought to know: and the case of the other stands thus judged by the Prophet, you shall conceive heat, and bring forth stubble, your * 1.5 spirit as fire shall devoure you.

May I not then say, that felicity is in the worlds opinion,

as the unknowne God was in the Religion of the Athenians? for though it have an Altar assigned unto it, yet neither the true nature of happinesse is rightly apprehended, nor the addresses to it duly determined, and the termes of Saint Paul on that occasion, will very ••igh fit my purpose, What therefore you * 1.6 ignorantly pursue, that I declare unto you, and manifest how the true felicity of this life, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; that is to say, it is not seated in the speculative edifices of Philosophy, nor in the materiall structures of sensible fru∣itions, but resideth in this spirituall mansion of fervent and rectified Devotion, which produceth a right understanding of the value of all things transitory, and induceth a confi∣dence of enjoying eternall peace of mind, and inva••ible felici∣ty of body.

I have already set up before you an entire figure of Devotion, by which you may draw the just proportions of that virtuous bit, which calmeth all humane passions, in that degree our nature can be serened and quieted in this life; instructing us, how Gods universall order admitteth not our being happy in all our temporall desires; and therefore Devotion fixeth all our desires upon Gods order, and so maketh the accomplish∣ment of his designes, the chiefe terme of our wishes: and by this course, as God changeth his exterion sentence sometimes, but never his i〈…〉〈…〉 councell; so godly and devout soules may ••ary in the apparencies of their present happinesse, but never alter in the in••rinsique state of a blessed condition. For as much as in all extrinsique changes, Devotion hath this rest of the Ps••lmist, when upon the vexations of the senses, the soule 〈…〉〈…〉s to be reduced to My soule refused to be comforted, there followeth presently, I was mindefull of God, and was de∣lighted * 1.7 in this mindfulnesse of God. Devotion sixeth all our security, and by fastning our mindes to what is im∣moveable, they themselves are rendered as it were unal∣terable.

Upon what we have discoursed, I may conclude my pro∣position firmely established, and resolve by the Authority of

the wisest of men, The heart that knoweth the bitternesse of his * 1.8 soule, in his joy shall not the stranger be mingled. That is, an ad∣vised man man admits an exterior foundation of his happinesse▪ And for an unquestionable security of my promise, I will leave you this ingagement of the Psalmist, Delight in the Lord, and * 1.9 he will give thee the petitions of thy heart.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ecclus. 11. 24
• * 1.2

  Ecclus. 18. 26
• * 1.3

  Psal. 78. 39.
• * 1.4

  1 Cor. 8. 2.
• * 1.5

  Esay. 33. 11.
• * 1.6

  Acts 17.
• * 1.7

  Psal. 76. 4.
• * 1.8

  Prov. 14.
• * 1.9

  Psal. 36.