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

§. II.

The deficiency of single Natural Reason argued for Consolation in this case; and the validity of Grace asserted.

WHen I consider the strange undertakings of the Philosophers, me thinks they have charactered to us the power of Natural Reason, in a fabu∣lous figure or Romance, setting it out as vanquishing all cor∣poreal sensibleness, armed with never so many strong afflicti∣ons, dissolving and disinchanting all the Charms and Spells of Passions, although their characters be set never so power∣fully against the efficacy of Reason, which they exhibite in this predominancy, dispersing all Errors, rectifying all oblique Opinions; thus have they fancied the superior part of the minde, inthroned in such power as may easily blow away all ayr, even of any Sedition, that riseth in the inferior Regions of the imaginative or sensitive faculties; Reason remaining in the posture of the Queen of the Revelation, proclaiming, I sit Queen, and am no Widow, and shall see us sorrow.

But they who account upon this Self-sufficiency, shall quickly finde how impracticable these strong speculations will prove, when they are bound, and the Philistines are upon them; that is, inclosed in Solitude, and assailed by Natural distresses and vexations; if they shall then expect such a Her∣cules of their Reason, as they have seen painted by the Stoicks, that should break through all these Monsters, and remain

fortified by all these labors, they will soon perceive their projected securities had more of Poetry then of Prophesie: And sure I believe one that trusteth to the power of Natural Reason, upon the word of Philosophy, to deliver him from all faintness or deficiency of Spirit in this state of Vio∣lent Solitude, doth as if one should perswade himself inspired with the vertue of some fabulous Heroe, with whose chara∣cter he had been strongly affected by reading his Romance; for when he comes to combat his vitiated Nature in this Spi∣ritual atchievement, he will finde such a vanity in his specu∣lation. The Fable of Ixion is a good figure of this kinde of presumption; for projecting to enjoy Juno (that is, some celestial Prerogative) they do but embrace a cloud, and by this mixture they beget nothing but Chymera's.

Certain it is, that Christianity doth afford such Spiritual Samsons, as carry the gates of their Prisons away upon their shoulders up to the Mountains, and break all their chains as flax, raising their mindes, with the Psalmist, up to the moun∣tains, contemplating Gods Providence and his design upon them in so high a degree of resignation, as even their Pri∣son and their Solitude are rather Marks to them of their li∣berties, then Manacles of their Spirits; but the strength of such Samsons is derived from the vow, not from the veins or sinews of Nature: Is it by their offering up and consecrating their Reason to that Spirit, whose breath over∣throws all the strong holds, and destroyeth all the councels * 1.1 of Self-sufficiency, and replenisheth the evacuation which is made of our own Reason, to make room for that infusion: therefore such victorious Spirits profess, That the weapons of their warfare are not carnal, but such as are mighty to the de∣stroying of all the counsels of humanity, and bring into captivi∣ty all understanding unto the obedience of Christ; for as he himself assureth us, If the Son of man make you free, you shall be free in∣deed: * 1.2 So that all such infranchised mindes are convinced of the incapacity of their single Nature, to preserve this im∣munity, and acknowledge this condition to that Spirit which

ima〈…〉〈…〉 this freedom, by the degrees of restriction ••o putteth upon them of his own bands; for where the Spirit of * 1.3 our Lord is, there is liberty. This Spirit made St. Peter s••eep soundly in his chains between his two guards, that is, hold him reposing in a perfect stilne••s of minde in all his ex〈…〉〈…〉 disquiets, and preserved him in as much freedom of Spirit before his irons were struck off, as after the iron gates of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 City flew open before him; even while he lay in his Dun∣geon he was surely in the same freedom of minde, bound in his chains, as sitting on his chairs of Rome and A〈…〉〈…〉; and the Centurion that fell down before him at Ces••••ea, con∣strained his Spirit more then the Soldiers between whom he was laid down at Jerusalem.

The Soul of man then is capable of a state of much peace and equanimity, in all exterior bands and ag〈…〉〈…〉ions; but this capacity is rather an effect of the expropriation of our Reason, then a vertue resulting from her single capacity, for it is the evacuation of all self sufficiency that a〈…〉〈…〉h a replenishment from that Divine plenitude, from whose fulness we receive grace for grace; so that it is a super ve〈…〉〈…〉 * 1.4 gift, not a native graft in our Reason: And this tranq〈…〉〈…〉 of Spirit, he that led captivity captive hath given as a gift unto men, whereby we become partakers of his Divine Na∣ture, * 1.5 in this calm and serenity of minde, which he pa〈…〉〈…〉 out to us in all his several postures: Wherefore in our copy∣ing of this equality and imperturbation, we must protest with the Apostle, We have not received the Spirit of the World, * 1.6 but the Spirit which is of God; not in the l••a••ned words of mans wisdom, but in the Doctrine of the Holy Ghost.

Nevertheless, it is our familiar presumption, to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 much upon the vertue of Humane Reason, whereof the Philosophers have made so lovely Images, as many full 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Pygmal••ons Fancy, of falling in love, as it were, with the Statu•• of Morality, which wanting the soul and a〈…〉〈…〉 of Grace, will be found cold and speechless, when they expect the spirit and life of Consolation, in such pri〈…〉〈…〉

as these of Liberty and Company, which seem to shake even the Centre of our natural app〈…〉〈…〉es.

Those who ••••st then upon the power of natural Reason, for the dispossessing themselves of all anxieties and vexa••ions of Spirit, will be served like the Sons of S〈…〉〈…〉; for the malignity of the world will answer them. The grace of God * 1.7 I submit unto, as having a power to displace and ex••el my Mischiefs; but who are you, that undertake by Nature, to cast our all those Evils where with you are possessed, and to ••••ee your Spirit by a lesser power, then that which doth possess it; your Senses in your vi••iated Nature being stronger in their appetites, then your single Reason is in her dis∣courses: So as when their Senses are much offended by the worlds Malices, such undertakers will be prevailed upon by the present passion, and ••e put to flye naked and wounded in this Enterprise, as the Sons of S••••va were in their Ex∣o••cisms.

The Philosophers who projected Reason to be such a powerful Actor, thought she was onely to contend against the infirmity of Flesh and Blood, knowing not that the Minde was to wrastle with Superior powers, Spiritual rulers, in high places; against which, there is no fence, but the putting on the whole armor of God: for bare Reason cannot be of proof against those fiery darts of Murmure, Repinings and Desolations of Spirit, which great extremities of sufferance cast at our hearts; Reason being so far from making a con∣stant resistance, as very often she joyneth with the provoca∣tions, and concurreth, with the perswasion of revolting against Patience, as a more reasonable thing to complain and repine, then to resist our Senses, in this onely appetite which is left to satisfie our Nature, the ease of bemoaning and lamentation.

We are so much more enlightened then they who boast∣ed of this Self-sufficiency, as we are in defiance like Ene∣mies, with those they worshipped as gods; so that we had need have better Arms then those they have left us, to com∣bat

with▪ And we may observe the insufficiency of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 presumptions by this instance, that what they erected 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Trophy of their Victory, is to us the greatest brand of in∣famy and poverty of Spirit, which was the running away out of this life, upon any extremity of pressure: This even in rectified Reason, is the ignoblest way of yielding, rather then an act of conquering; insomuch as this, which seemed to them a demonstration of their position of the mindes im∣passiveness, is an evident confutation of their opinion, for this is a total surrender to the power of that passion which hath made this life intolerable.

Cat himself, whom Seneca adoreth as the Deity of Phi∣losophy, dissolved all the frame of his Maximes, when he was fain to open a violent passage for the flight of his Spirit out of the pressures it either felt or feared; Was it not 〈◊〉〈◊〉∣fillanimity to choose in favor of his Senses, a softer blow from his own hand, then he feared from Fortune▪ He should have suppressed the apprehension of tyranny, and not have drenched his thirst of liberty in his own blood; why did he not quench that and or, by casting away his dag〈…〉〈…〉, as he did the glass of water in the Desert, where he refreshed his whole Army, by extinguishing his own Natural appe∣tite: This had been the best proof of the apathy of his minde, the resolving to suffer even servitude in an Imp〈…〉〈…〉∣ble temper; but by this Self distrusting, he did sign with his blood the retractation of his Maxime, confessing Se••∣vitude to be insufferable to his minde; This precipita∣tion cannot be vindicated from the charge of impatience and discomposure in his minde, which is the disproof of all the Stoical assertions: Christianity glorieth not in 〈…〉〈…〉y innate, but in an infused vertue, saying, He that is in you, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 * 1.8 greater then he that is in the world.

And so the power that holdeth the Spirit of a good Christian, is Forein and Divine, and consequently 〈◊〉〈◊〉 stronger then any that can shake it, although the worlds Earthquakes may make a local mutation of his person, 〈◊〉〈◊〉∣mains

still calmly in any posture wherein God shall set him, upon whose providence he knoweth all rowlings and fluctua∣tions to be current, and seeth his own security, with the Psal∣mist, at his right hand, which stayeth him from being moved; * 1.9 the same hand that removeth him in all his local changes, holdeth him in a tender love to that power, which together with the pains of his senses, introduceth the spirit of resigna∣tion: These reflections may be well applyed, to dispossess that presuming spirit of the children of this age, who pretend to expel all sense of misfortunes, by the Exorcism of Moral Philosophy and Natural Reason.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2 Cor. 10.
• * 1.2

  John 8. 36.
• * 1.3

  2 Cor. 3. 17.
• * 1.4

  1 John 16.
• * 1.5

  2 Pet. 1.
• * 1.6

  1 Cor. 2. 12, 13.
• * 1.7

  Acts 19.
• * 1.8

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 John 4.
• * 1.9

  Psal. 15.