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

§. VII.

Some speculations suggested to recreate our Spi∣rits in sufferance, and to invigorate our Faith.

IF I have made any extraordinary discovery of Springs, passing so long through this Desert (in my journey ou•• of Egypt unto the Land of Promise) I hold my self bound to set the best marks I can upon all such Refreshments, that they may the easilier be resorted to by such as by any acci∣dent shall be engaged in this desolate Peregrination; and I need not fear to be tedious in this office, no more then Phy∣sicians in their attendances upon Patients: I will impart therefore another Receit I have found very efficacious, which is mixed with the wine of Philosophy, and the oyl of Divinity, it hath both the quickness and vigor of Reason to work upon our Fancy, and the unction of Faith also to supple and molifie the unpleasantness of our Nature, in these constraints of Solitude: This is then the prescript, to make even the multiplicity of the evils and diseases of this life medicinal unto us, by considering how many we are free from, of those we might easily have altogether; as for Ex∣ample, If we are in Prison and in health, to remember we have a greater blessing then that we want, and how much ••reer we are then diseased Princes, close Prisoners within their Curtains. If we chance to be sick and in Prison both at once, we may consider, That we have as much of this violent restraint taken off from us, as is imposed upon us by this Na∣tural one, in which we are cōmitted by our own body, since in this case all states are reduced to the same confinement, be∣ing under the Arrest of Sickness, and therefore our liberty may seem as it were recover 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by our infirmity, since no body is in pain to want what they could make no use of if they possessed it.

The more then we have of this evil of sickness, the lest we have of this other of imprisonment, for the sicker we are, the less capable we become of the use of liberty; so that we may say, Nature seem••th to have provided, that the 〈…〉〈…〉 of our bodily evils, should cure the next worst of our cor∣p〈…〉〈…〉 su〈…〉〈…〉s, since the wa•••• of health 〈◊〉〈◊〉 prop〈…〉〈…〉∣nately to remedy the privation of liberty.

And again, if this violent separation from the world ••e but the policy of an adverse party, to intercept all ou•• contri∣butions, to the promoting of the cause which they impu〈…〉〈…〉, then we may reflect, how much better our condition is, then if we were under the indignation of some inh〈…〉〈…〉 tyrannies, which use tor••••res as instruments which 〈…〉〈…〉, curiosities play upon, to draw those tunes out of th〈…〉〈…〉 their fancies or their fears have set; and ••o such mis〈…〉〈…〉, we may remember our selves to be exposed: thus we 〈◊〉〈◊〉 discourse over all the mischiefs of this life, wh〈…〉〈…〉 we might have ben condemned, and it is likely, we shall finde upon this accompt, the number of our exemptions in our present stare, a just mitigation of our senten〈…〉〈…〉 this ingenious diligence of our reason, we may finde 〈…〉〈…〉 be••s enough of miseries, that stand as I may say, Neu〈…〉〈…〉 and levying them thus by our meditation, we may bring th•••• in to our succor, to defeat those which are actually declared against us, whereby we may be said to overthrow 〈…〉〈…〉 the multitude of her own forces, while (by ou•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉∣ptions from so many of the worlds greater ••alamiti••s) 〈…〉〈…〉 facilitate the cariage of our owne portion, and by the 〈…〉〈…〉 of the Gospel, we may properly make, in this occa〈…〉〈…〉, those which are not against us to be with us.

This little hint will serve to lead our thoughts into 〈…〉〈…〉 fields of meditation, upon the numerous in〈…〉〈…〉 of 〈…〉〈…〉 Age, which surrounding by enemies, the more it 〈…〉〈…〉 the likelier it is to draw our eyes up to the mo〈…〉〈…〉 with the Psalmist, from whence we may expect our 〈…〉〈…〉 and looking faithfully up to those hills with the 〈…〉〈…〉

we shall de••ery supernatural Auxiliaries, whereof we may * 1.1 truly say ••o our fearfull se••ses, as to our amazed servants, 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 for there are more with us then against us.

I have set most of my spiritual notions with the foilies of humane perswasions, considering how much such conjun∣ctions conduce to a be••tering the water of the jewels of Di∣vinity into the eyes of our nature; S. Paul used this art, when he was content to speak after the maner of men for the infir∣mity of our flesh. But now I will present you with an advise * 1.2 sincerely Divine without any, plau••ible adjunction to illu∣strate it, which is in this order of distributing the day I have proposed, to assign some special part of every day, (the measure whereof I do not define) to a serious medi∣tation upon the immensity of eternity, and the momenta∣riness of this life, we may consider the time of all ages, like a little globe of smoke vanishing into the vast region of air; for all time holds less proportion to eternity, then the least vapor doth to the whole air into which 〈…〉〈…〉s vanished; if then the duration of all time, be so disproportioned to eter∣nity, when we sever our single part in this point of time, how neer a Nothing must it appear to us; and it may be the time of our suffering is but a small parcel even of our own life: This computation must needs shew us the shortness of that time, which our weak Nature thinks often long, measuring it not as it is in flu••, but as it seemeth stay∣ing in our ••aney, and distant from some earthly de••ire whereunto we would be carried; and so this our mis∣counting of the length of time, ariseth always from this error, that we do not reckon upon it, as it is in motion to∣wards eternity; but rather regard it under the notion of a remora or retardment, in that haste we have to satisfie some passion, in pursuit whereof Time it self seemeth too slow for our P••ney.

This irregularity in our nature, may be much corrected, by pondering seriously every day the property of time, and the state of e〈…〉〈…〉ity: I do not meane to impose upon

any body a subtile penetration into any abst••use conceptions upon these subjects, only a pious reflection upon the familiar notions of each of them, as the lightness and inanity of the one, the weight and immensity of the other; unto which every one may conceive himself passing on, as a straw upon a ••or∣rent; and at the foot of this precipice, suppose an Ocean of endless joy or misery, which hath a division in it of these two qualities, of Good or Evil, but no difference in the infinity of either; and we may contemplate, how we are not carried to either of these, as we are the greater or the lesser straws, but as we come off clean or fowl from this torrent of time; it is not by the greatness, but by the purity of our lives, that we are delivered over to these divers states, in this indivisible eternity; these are 〈◊〉〈◊〉∣tations competent to all sises of mindes, in reference to this method of meditation on Eternity: When King David was upon this application, as he saith, I thought upon old * 1.3 days, and the Eternal years had I in minde; he telleth us th•••• he swept his Spirit, that thought presently applied him to the cleaning of his Spirit, which temporary objects had bedusted; and sure our soul in this point is like our eye, which may have dust and filth in it, while it is closed, whereof it is not sensible, but as soon as it is open, it presently findeth the offence: so our minde, wh〈…〉〈…〉 she is shut to the apprehension of eternity, may have many impurities in her which she discerneth not, but as soon as her thoughts are wide open upon that object, she feeleth the offensiveness of every fowl Atome sticking on her, so as this cogitation of the Royal Psalmist, is the readiest * 1.4 address to that cleanness of heart, to which our Savior hath annexed the seeing of God.

Me thinks this lesson is given us by the nature our soul, which partaketh both of Time and Eternity, (as having a beginning and no end) to couple in our thoughts the images of both these Beings, that as the minde draweth fluent and transitory affections from time, she may derive

also fixed and permanent desires from Eternity; and this intermixture of these divers impressions, is the greatest setlement or simplicity a soul can attain unto during her ope∣ration, by such organs as are meerly temporary; and the Holy Spirit giveth this security, to the frequent meditation on the ending and endlesness of our two lives, In all thy works * 1.5 remember thy latter ends, and thou will not sin for ever: And sure∣ly this habitual prospect on our end, will abate much the sense of any present condition; for it affecteth us not with what we are, or have been, but with what we are to be for ever: and since by Na••••ue death hath a share in every day we live, they who let this debt run on, without pay∣ing unto it any of their time, will finde the sum risen so high, as they will at last come to owe death even their eternity: But by this order I propose, of assigning some parcel of every day to this discharge, we may convert that portion we pay death, into a debt accrening unto us, of eternal life, which at our last day death shall be forced to deliver to us.

In order to this address of your cogitations, I will offer you this obvious conception, to suppose all states of life imbarqued upon one vessel, and that continually sink∣ing, (which surely is sensible enough to such as are not dizied and distracted by the motions of it) and when the vessel is palpably sinking, doth the General who is comman∣ding above, think himself in a better state, then the slave working in his chains? Doth he that is in the lanthorn ac∣count himself happier, then he that lieth in the hold, because he is like to perish some minutes later? Do not they all then alike forget what they have been, and think onely on what they are to be? they who will accustom themselves to ruminate upon this similitude, reporting aptly to all the conditions of this life, which are in an equal certainty of expiration, may easily forget their present posture, and be pos∣sessed intirely with their future expectation, which in one instant becomes unalterable to all Eternity; and they can∣not

be assured, that this instant is not as near them as their next thought I surely then I am perswaded, that whosoever shall fasten his thoughts attentively once every day upon this meditation, shall not be disquieted with that kinde of life he is reduced unto, but rather joyed, to consider that he is in a capacity of making our of any sort of life, never so grievous, a life everlasting, and eternal beatitude, whereof he may be assured from S. Paul, the Patern and Patron of prisoners, whom he may suppose speaking this to him in his chains, Our light affliction (which is but for a moment) work∣eth for us a far exceeding and eternal weight of glory; and if our * 1.6 prisoner be one that hath the thorns of an ill life to pull out of his conscience, he will think himself much happies while he is in a state which conduceth to his repenting of what he hath done, then when he was in a condition that did contribute to his doing what he was to repent.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2 Kings 6. 16.
• * 1.2

  Rom. 6.
• * 1.3

  Psalm. 76. 6.
• * 1.4

  Matth. 5.
• * 1.5

  Ecclus.
• * 1.6

  2. Cor. 4. 17.