Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

:

thirst after righteousness too! if fuch minds as thefe retain the belief of a providence, fome awe of God, and fome degree of gratitude towards him, 'tis as much as may reasonably be expected from them and may this avail them as far as it can! Laftly, as to meditation, how can it be imagined, that fuch, whofe minds and bodies are fatigued and harraffed by worldly bufinefs, fhould be much inclined to it, or well prepared for it? How fhould thefe men form any notion of a perfect and exalted virtue, of devout and heavenly paffion? What conceptions can they have of the power and joy of the Holy Ghoft, of poverty of fpirit, or purity of heart, or the diffufion of the love of God in our fouls? What idea's can they entertain of an heaven, or of angelical pleasure and beatitude? In a word, the religion of men intent upon this world, when they pretend to any, which too often they do not, confifts especially in two things, in abstaining from wickedness, and doing the works of their civil calling; and how far they may be fenfible of higher obligations, I determine not. Good God! what a mercy it is to these poor creatures, that 'tis the fashion of their country, as well as a precept of our religion, to dedicate one day in feven to the fervice of God and their fouls! but have I not often taught, that purity of intention converts the works

of

of a fecular calling into the works of God? I have fo; 'tis univerfally taught; 'tis the doctrine of the gofpel; and therefore I fhall never retract it: but ah! how hard a thing is it for a worldly man to maintain this purity of intention! how hard a thing is it for a mind, eaten up by the love and cares of this world, to do all to the honour of God! tho' therefore I cannot retract this doctrine, yet the longer I live, the more reafon do I fee for qualifying and guarding it with this caution: let no man that defires to be faved, much less that defires to be perfect, take fanctuary in purity of intention, while he suffers the works of his fecular calling to ingrofs his foul, and entirely ufurp his time. If fecular works exclude and thrust out of doors fuch as are properly religious, it will not be eafy to conceive, how the power of godlinefs fhould be maintained, how any wife thoughts, or heavenly defires fhould be preferved in fuch men; or show, finally, thofe who have utterly given up themselves to the wisdom of this world, fhould retain any true value for those maxims of the gofpel, wherein confifts the true wisdom that is from above. All that I have faid against a life of bufnefs, may, with equal or greater force, be urged against a life of pleasure; I mean that which they call innocent pleafure: the

one

one and the other entangle and enfnare the mind; the one and the other leave in it a peculiar relish, which continues long after the hurry both of pleasure and bufinefs is over. But all this while, I would not have what I have faid to be extended further than I design it, to raise fcruples in virtuous and good men, inftead of reforming the too eager applications of the earthly to the things of this world.

CHAP. VIII.

Of the motives to Perfection. Several motives fumm'd up in short; and that great one, of having the other life in our view, infifted upon.

Nnumerable are the motives to Per

Ifection, which offer themfelves, to any

one that reflects feriously on this argument. An hearty endeavour after Perfection is the best proof of fincerity; the neareft approach to Perfection, is the nearest approach to the utmost fecurity this life is capable of. Great is the beauty and loveliness of an exalted virtue, great the honour and authority of it; and a very happy influence it has even upon our temporal affairs and to this may be ad ded, the peace and tranquillity of a wife

mind, fanctified affections, and a regular life. Befides, the love of God is boundlefs, and the love of Jefus is fo too; and therefore demand not a lazy, feeble, or unfteddy virtue, but a strong and vigorous one, a warm and active; fuch as a true faith, great hopes, and a paffionate love. do naturally excite us to. To all this I might add, that the Spirit of God is always preffing on and advancing, defirous to communicate himself to us more and more plentifully, if we be not backward or negligent our felves. But thefe, and many other inforcements to the duty of Perfection, fhould I enlarge on them, would fwell this treatife to an intolerable bulk. Nor indeed is it neceffary: for the 4th chapter, where I treat of the Fruit of Per fection, does contain fuch motives to it, as are fufficient to excite, in any one that reads them, a moft vehement defire and thirst after it. Here therefore all that I think fit to do, is, to put my reader in mind of another life: in the glories and pleasures of which, I need not prove that the perfect man will have the greatest share. This is a motive that must never be out of the thoughts of the man that will be perfect; and that for three reafons, which I will but just mention.

1. Without another life, we can never form any true notion of a perfect virtue.

So

Sociable and civil virtues may be fupported by temporal motives, and framed and modelled by worldly conveniences; but a divine virtue must be built upon a divine life, upon a heavenly kingdom. The reafon of this affertion is plain; the means must always bear proportion to the end where therefore the end is an imperfect temporal good, there needs no more than imperfect unfinished virtue to attain it; but where the end is heavenly and immortal, the virtue ought to befo too. Were there no other life, the ftandard and measure of the good or evil to be found in actions would be their fubferviency to the temporal good or evil of this world; and by a neceffary confequence, it would be impoffible to prove any higher degrees of poverty of fpirit, purity of heart, charity, and the like, to be truly virtue, than what we could prove truly necessary to procure the good, or guard us against the evil of this life and if fo, 'tis eafy to conclude what mean and beggarly kind of virtues would be produced from this ground.

2. Without another life, all other motives to Perfection will be infufficient. For though, generally fpeaking, fuch is the contrivance of human nature, that neither the common good of civil fociety, nor the more particular good of private men,

can

i

« ElőzőTovább »