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

§. I.

The fallicies of Opinion, & the Virtue of Truth treated.

ME thinkes I heare many, very impatient to see some more sensible object of temporall happinesse, exposed by Devotion, for our nature is not easily drawn to looke off from the delights it seeth, as I may say, face to face, and turne to those that are seene but darkly as through a glasse, which are the joyes of the other life, speculated only through the perspective of faith; I will not therefore propose to those vocations which are the addresse of my perswasions, the putting their nature into any severe straights or pressures, in hope only of remote reversions. I will assigne present con∣veniencies for the entertainment of our nature, and over-pay by good security of sincere secular joy, what may seeme taken away in that adulterate species, wherein our fancies use to ac∣cept the receites of our contentment: For surely Devotion

doth assigne the minde a rectified joy, in the use of temporall goods, instead of that vitious and counterfeit, which our three enemies (pretending to be our stewards) bring into our fancy that is prone, to take all, whatsoever hath but the image of sensible pleasure, without examining the substance; which facility to be deceived, the Prophet reproacheth in us, saying, We sell our selves for nothing.

Should a traveller passing through a forreign countrey, finding the coyne of the place raised to an excessive value, ex∣change into it all the good species of his own, thinking to make gain by this traffique, because the coyne is currant in his passage; as soon as he were passed that dominion, he would quickly repent his inconsiderate mistake; This seemeth to be the familiar case of man, who while he is in his transition and passage through this world, findeth the temporalities thereof, (which are the currant species of the place) cried up to such an over-value, as he is perswaded to turne all his affections into that species of joy, and at its issue out of this forreign re∣gion, he findeth the irreparable losse he hath made by the debatement of his talents in this exchange: And it is against this delusion, not against all commerce with secular joy in our journey, that Devotion issueth to us her inhibitions, lest by this ill husbandry in their way, when they come to account with their great Creditor, they be reduced to give a worse answer then he, who brought back his talent unimproved: I shall therefore exhibite to our minds (which must needs nego∣tiate in their passage through this world) the true Intrinsique value of those joyes, uttered in the commerce with the crea∣tures, that taking none but such as are allowed in their last audict, their traffique may bring home into their native coun∣trey not their Bonds forfeited, but rather Bils of exchange payable upon their Masters joy.

In answer then of the desire of having the truest happynesse of this life, specially determined; I declare that the felicity of this life consisteth in a constant rejoycing in truth: This is the assertion of Saint Augustine, and is easily verified to all ra∣tionall

dispositions; The first reply the world is like to make to this proposition, is Pilates question, What is truth? to which I answer,

Truth is a perfect and edequate similitude or likenesse, imprint∣ed in our understanding of the nature of the thing we conceive; So that when our conception is just equall to the being and property of the thing we conceive, we are said to understand truth. Wherefore the truth of knowing, is as it were the mould cast off from the truth of being, or the print of that seal, and so the image of the true being of a thing, is the figure of truth seated in our minds.

But this, which may seem a fair impression of the nature of truth, may perchance appear but a dark Character of the form of happynesse to my auditory, unto whom indeed I do not intend to assigne onely the speculative notions of verities for the subject of their satisfactions; but I will open farther this store of joy, (the rejoycing in truth) and shew how it contain∣eth the Prophets wine and milk, which he offereth to all for fetching it; From hence the contemplative life draweth that wine, whereof King David saith, My chalice inebriating how goodly is it; and the active sucketh that milk, which the Apostle saith is proper for their vocation, which nourisheth their minds with more sensible delectation issuing from the true use and ordinate love of the creature; And this is that, I may not un∣pleasantly call the milk which these Gentiles love best, to whom I present my breast.

The preference of the contemplative life, before the active, is inferred from this respect, of affording a more clear and serene light, for the perception of Supernatural verityes; For contemplation is a fixure of the mind on the aspect and presents of truth: and although this act of contemplating be purely Intellectuall, yet the terme and end thereof rests in the affections, as the possession of our pursuits induceth joy; whereby this is demonstrated, that the happynesse of the con∣templative life consisteth in the rejoycing in truth; This sensi∣ble delight in contemplation flowing from the Superior por∣tion

of the mind down upon the Inferior, is a good Image of mans consummate Beatitude in Heaven; where the glory of the body is derived from the excesse and redundancy of the joy and blessednesse flowing from the soul; and in this order, the delight imparted to our affections by contemplation, fals from a superfluence of truth in our understanding. And thus, what may be said to be light in the Superior region of the Soul, seemeth fire in the lower; The first reporting to truth, and the latter to joy; which as it is a passion in our nature, may be said to be more materiall then the other in the same degree, as flame is lesse pure then the radiancy of the Sunne; but the comparative degrees of purity, between the acts of our Intel∣lect and our affections are not our Theam. Certaine it is, that all the sensible delectation of the contemplative life, streameth from the springs of Supernatural verities; we will therefore stay no longer on the top of Mount Sinai, which may seem all cloud to those that are below, while the Moseses that are upon it, find all splendor and clarity, and may not unfitly be said to see the hinder parts of that verity, in seeing the face whereof, consists the consummate rejoycing.

Comming then down into the Camp of the active life, it will be no hard task to prove the happinesse of that state like∣wise, seated in the rejoycing in truth, which hath so gratefull a savour even to our sensitive appetite, as I may say, none wish for quailes, but they desire to tast this Manna in them; I mean no body affecteth any sensible fruition, but as it is under the form of a true good: For as Saint Augustine reasoneth, let any be asked, whether he had rather joy in truth or in falsity, and the answer will bear no doubt; For although there be ma∣ny would deceive others in their happinesse, there are none would be deceived themselves in it, there is such a signature of the light of the countenance of verity, stamped upon the reason of man, as his understanding can propose nothing to his affections as matter of joy, but under the colour at least of truth; So that the object of all our affections is true delight, though the errour be never so great in the subject of our joy:

For no body can rejoyce under this notion of being deceived, the instinct of man is such, in order to truth, as he must pre∣sent that object to his Imagination, even out of the errour it self he rejoyceth in, so Essentiall is truth, for the terme of his acquiescence.

Supposing we do thus generally aim at truth for our felicity, I may well be asked, how it commeth to passe, that the sub∣ject of our joyes is oftener apparence and falsity, then the real good of this life's benedictions? the cause surely is, the parti∣ality of our imagination towards our sensitive appetite, rather then in favour to our reason; and thus Opinion, which is but a changeling introduced by Sense, passeth commonly for the right child; and certainly, Opinion may well be said to be the mean issue of sense, and Verity, the noble child of Reason; but by this unjustice of our imagination, it followeth, that all the delights which are touched but at our senses, are commonly accepted by our will for the true species of joy, from the credit of that test, without examining their nature in the fire of Ra∣tiocination; whereby it happens, that when we are the trulyest deceived, we are most believing in the truth of our happynesse; for when we misapprehend the most the nature of secular plea∣sures, having the least suspition or scruple of the mutability of such fruitions, our joy seemeth the most sincere, which pro∣veth clearly, that truth is but mistaken in the colouring, not unintended in the designe of our felicity.

In redresse of this error, Devotion taketh off the deceitfull colours of good and evill, which Opinion layes upon the crea∣ture, and presenteth to our understanding a naturall image both of the worth as well as the vanity which may be found in the rectified or vitious apprehension of all temporalities, & possessing us with the true nature of all our possessions, direct∣eth us how to rejoyce in the truth of such blessings, and there∣by satisfyeth that instinct of the mind with the reality, and doth not amuse it with the meer colour of verity.

Certaine it is, that temporall blessings, as health, beauty, wealth, and honour, are indued with a true and sincere good∣nesse,

wherein their owners may vertuously rejoyce: the point is, the discernment of this Truth, and the selecting that, only for subject of our delectation: because just as much as we stray from this principle, so much we remove from our hap∣pinesse; which depending on the satisfaction of our opinion, if that be unsound, in apprehending the nature of such goods as are the objects of our affections; we are in danger of being unhappy, by their being but true to their owne nature, while we are untrue to ours: For their true instinct is mutation and instability; and ours, the perception and use of that verity: whereby our understanding may sort an affection proporti∣oned to the nature of secular benedictions.

Notes

• 1 Cor. 13.
• Esay 52.
• Felicity de∣scribed.
• John 18. 38.
• Truth defi∣ned.
• Esay 55.
• Psal. 22. 1 Pet. 2.
• Contempla∣tion defined.