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

§. II.

Motives to constancy, after a prudent ele∣ction of our Cause.

GOd hath left us sufficient marks, by which to discern the right of publike Causes, though our mistake of them be very familiar, being swayed by some private partiality, which looks more upon the beam reflected back on our selves, then upon the direct beam, as it shines upon the publike good: But supposing us mis-led by our judge∣ment, I conceive it less blameable to persevere firmly in our first application, then to be shaken from our party meerly by the motions of adverse Events. In the first case man doth but miss his way in seeking God, and in the last he seems to fear God may miss his way in coming to man; for we know God is often said to come down to men in several acts of his Providence, and when the Psalmist says, He bowed the Hea∣vens and came down; there was a cloud, and mist under his feer•• So that we must not look to trace his paces, nor judge of his design by some strokes and touches of his hand, but expect the time when the whole piece of his universal Providence

shall be exposed and finished altogether: Then we shall di∣scern how all postures, which taken severally did seem de∣formed, when they are set together in the whole design, do make an admirable concordance of Justice and Mercy. We must remember what S. Peter says, A thousand years, * 1.1 and one day, are the same instant object to God; so as he sees all the broken and sh••vered pieces of our several times, intire at once in the mirror of his intellect, whereby all is evenness and uniformity in his spirit and sight, which is fraction and irregularity in our successive view of the broken portions of his Providence.

Do not they then who are confused and distracted in their Opinions, upon the prevalence of unjust actions against the honest and unquestionable party, do, as if one should see a crooked and mis-shapen figure severed from the whole de∣sign, whereof it is a part, and knowing it to be of a great Masters hand, should yet wonder at it, and suspect the fail∣ing of the Artist? when if this single figure were seen in the complete design, it would appear to be made for that mis-shapen posture it was to represent, in order to the per∣fection of the whole piece: For the particular present events in Humane actions which seem crooked, and deflected from the rule of Justice, are such portions of Gods Providence, severed for a time from the whole configuration; for which reason, in this single existence of them, they seem dis∣proportioned: Wherefore in this case we should look up∣on parts and portions of Gods works with the eyes of the wise man, concluding, All things live, and remain for all * 1.2 uses, and they are all obedient: all things are double one a∣gainst another, and he hath made nothing imperfect: So, that which taken single may seem imperfect to our sense, be∣ing set doubled, and united to that part it belongs unto, becomes uniform, and complete in the total of Gods Justice.

Since then our Faith tells us, That God hath disposed * 1.3 all things in weight and measure, we must suspend our judge∣ment

while the ballance is yet suspending, and not resolve by the present raising or depression of the scale, unless we pretend to hold Gods hand where our eye leaves it: For we know the scales of Providence are always in motion, as the Psalmist says, Now he humbles this part, now he exalt•• the * 1.4 other: Whereupon this is that holy Kings supercession and suspense of his judgement, in these tides of the Abysse of Gods Providence, Thy cogitations are too profound for me. David rests his own cogitations in that depth which they cannot fathom, and satisfies his incapacity with rejoycing in Gods Incomprehensibleness, proclaiming joyfully, Thy Justice is as the Mountains, and thy Judgements as the vast Ocean, in which they who will study the reasons of the ebbings and flowings of happy and adverse Events in all kinde of Causes, shall be more confounded then the Phi∣losopher was in the reason of the tides of the Sea. But one may more properly relieve himself, by doing with our Reason, as it is said he did with himself, by casting it into the bosome of the unsearchable Order; concluding, Since I cannot comprehend the design of it, it shall con∣tain and involve my submission to it. And being thus sunk deep enough into that Divine Element, we shall not feel the storms and agitations which are on the upper part of the waters.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2 Pet. 3. 9.
• * 1.2

  Ecclus. 42.
• * 1.3

  Sapi••nt▪ 11. 12.
• * 1.4

  Psal. 91.