■ 56 V •i'r <«&" ■I v .^ *^V &a aS 3&vmm:'*' " mam m / «cv— . sec N20 n- i inf-iiM i - i nt.ft.r Steps of Afcenfion T O GOD- Written Originally in Latin By the Famous Cardinal "BELLARMINE. Done into Englifh by a Divine of the Church of England. Clje ^econo CMttom LONDON, Printed , and are to be Sold by W. Freeman, at the Bihle, over againfl the Middle Temple Gate, in Fleetftreet, MDCCV. I TO THE Proteftant Reader. DOnt Imagine, good Reader, when thou feeft the Name of Cardinal Bellarmine, the great Champi- on of the Roman Caufe> that thou art going to be diffuted out of thy Religi- on ; affure thy felf here is not in this whole Manual, fo much as one Argument to beget in thee a Dijlike of that which thou profeffefl, and consequently, no Defign to carry thee o* ver to any diflani Communion : Thou hafl not here to do with Bellarmine the Polemick, and Controverfial, but with Bellarmine the Traclical Divine. Thou findefi him not in the Confiflory , but retird to his Clofet, Jlrippd of his Cardinal Robes, and appear- ing in the mean Habit of a Chriflian ?iU grim. Thou wilt dif cover no other Aim or Intention, but to make thee a true, zealous, and a fin cere Chriflian : To take off thy Af> feci ions from this vain, and perifhing World, and to fix 'em where Felicity can only be found. In order to fo great an End, he pre- fents thee with a noble Idea of the Creator of the Univerfe : With fuch a Reprefcntali- A z on To the ReaderT on of his Greatnefs and Purity, his Power and Wifdom, his Mercy and Juflice, that 3 twill be hard for thee to read with Adver- tencv, and not to have awful and reverend Apprehenfions of Him, or not to endeavour after a fuitable Behaviour towards fo Ado* rable a Being. The Good things above, and thefe below, he fets in fo true a Light, that all Subluna- ry will appear what they really are, mere Trifles and Child ifh Vanities ; the Ccleflial infinitely valuable, and worthy thy mqfl fo- licit ous purfuit. He very frequently puts thee in Mind , that thou confiflefl of Soul as well as Body : And tells thee there is Food as proper to the one as the other, and that the Soul is no lefs capable of Starving than the Body. Nor is he more induflrious to convince thee of the necefftty of Spiritual Food, than careful to provide it for thee : Such ' indeed as well digefled , will pre- fer ve thy Soul in a ft ate of Health and Vi- gour, as will keep it from forfeiting on Rich- es, Pleafures, and Honours : As will fecure it from the Lethargy of Indifferency and In- devotion : From the Tumours of Pride and Preemption , from the Spiritelefnefs of Def- pair; and, in a word, fuch Food as will in fome meafure enable thee to run the Race that is fet before thee, and to mount up with Eagles win^s to the place of Reft and Iran- quiiliip And To the Reader. And as the Book is replete with Notions truly fublime, pious, and Chriflian, Qfuck, and jo many as thou will hardly meet with elfe- where in jo little room,') fo are they orderly Digefled, and Regularly Method izd. It is no confusd, incoherent Rhapfody, but a per- feci Concatenation, of Thoughts, the fir jl Link naturally directing to the 2d, the 2d to the }d, andfo on to the end of the Chain. It was from the Conftderation of the fer- viceablenefs of this Manual to the Nobler part, that the Author calf d it his Benjamin, the Child of his Delight , that he preferred it fo much to the reft of his Practical or De- votional Traces, as to make it not only his Fa- vourite, but Companion, and to treat the 0- ther, in comparison with this, as Foreigners, and fuch as had no Relation to him. Now if the Original merit the Opinion I have of it, and this account be jufiifiable, I fhall need to make no Apology for attempting to make it more publick, no, tho I fhould not have done Right to the Author, hecaufe pro- bahly I may put fome of better Abilities , and more leifure, upon f applying my Deficien- cies. And as I (hall be very well pleas d if it meets with a kind Reception, fo if the con- trary be its Fate, I fhall not be dijiurb'd, being confcious of a good Intention, that is 9 not of Jranjlating either for Applaufe , or Profit, or out of a vain de firing of appearing in To the Reader. in Print, hut from an hopeful Profpeft it may have a good Effect upon J owe, as I humbly and comfortably conceive it has already had upon my What remains is to acquaint thee that I have omitted a few paffages in the Original \ Qfcarcely amounting to three Pages ) relating to Saints or Angels , or looking like Legendary Reports ', becaufe I would remove all preju- dice. By this Mutilation the Book lofes none of its Strength, for the Paffages I f peak of are Supernumerary^ the Author having fuffici- ently both proved and clear d his Points with* out them. Hmnpfiead 'June the 5th, J^J HALL* THE THE CONTENTS. Step. I. jOtitym the Confederation of Man. F Fol. i Step. II. From the Confederation of the Greater World. 20 Step. III. From the Confederation of the Earth. } 8 Step. IV. From the Confederation of Wa- ters, efpecially of Fountains. 5 ; Step. V. From the Confederation of the Air. 72 Step. VI. From the Confederation of Fire. Step. VlL From the Confederation of Hea- ven, Sun y Moon, and Stars. 1 03 Step. VIII. From the Confederation of the (fictional Soul. 122 Step. IX. From the Confederation of An~ gels. 140 Step. X. From the Confederation of the EJJence The Contents. EJJence of God by the Similitude of Corporeal Greatnefs. 156 Step- XI. From the Confideration of the Greatnejs of God's Tower, by Simili- tude of Corporeal Greatnefs. *77 Step. XII. From the Confideration of the Greatnefs of the Wifdom of God, by Si- milkude of Corporeal Greatnejs. \ 93 Step. Xill. From the Confideration of God's fr attic al Wifdom. to 6 Step. XlV. From the Confideration of God's Mercy. 23$ Step. XV. From the Confideration of the Greatnefs of Divine juftice y by the Similitude of Corporeal Greatnefs. 150 ERRATA. pAge if, line 14, tor tmpofpbility read Impaffibility. p. 29, 1. 4, r. Confi- latiohs. p. 36, after the Third Step, add, From the Confidttation of the Earth p. 44, !. 7, for Sitbtety r. Subtlety, p. 73, 1. 4, for proder r. proper: p. 80, 1, 5, for for JW«wi r. Mankind. THE 1 -. THE FIRST STEP OF THE Ladder of Afcenfion t o GOD. From the Confederation of Man. CHAR I. E that defires in earneft to ere& a Ladder by which he may afcend as high as to God Almighty, ought to make the firft Step, from the Confideration of himfelf. For every Indi- vidual amongft us, is both the Creature and Image of God, and nothing is nearer to us than our felves. Mojes therefore with good reafon thus advifes, Attend to 3 or narrow- B k Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. ly obferve thy felf. Upon which words Bafil the great compos'd a notable Difcourfe. For he that fhall carefully furvey the outward, and diligently infped: the inner Man, will find himfelf to be a fort of Epitome, and Abridge- ment of the Univerfe, and hence eafily take his Rife to the Creator of all things. But my Defign at prefent is, only to inquire into the four common Caufes. viz* i. The Author of my Being. 2. The Materials he compos'd me of. 3. The Form he endowed me with. 4. For what End he produc'd me. For by enquiring after the Author of my Being, I mall find him to be God alone. If I enquire after the Matter I am made of, it will appear to be entirely nothing; from whence I muft needs infer, that all that is in me was made by God, and that He has the fole Right and Propriety in me. If I en- quire after my Form, I mall find that I am the Image of God. If I make enquiry after my End, I fhall find the fame God , to be my fupream and compleat Happinefs. By this I muft needs underftand that I am fo nearly related to God, and have fo great a dependence upon him, that He, and none but He is my Creator, the Author of my Being, that He is my Father, my Example, Happinefs, ■Ax\d all things. And when my Underftanding fhall be fo fir enlightned, is it poffiblel /hould not feek him with the greateft ardour and defire? Hew can my thoughts not be taken up with the Contemplation of hini? How muft my heart pant after him ? how muft my Soul long to behold and enjoy him ? with what horrour muft I refieft on the ftupidity of Steps of Afcenfion to God. 3 of my heart, which for days., and months, and years, hath had nothing lefs in its thoughts and queft than God, who alone is all things tome? CHAP. II. BU T let lis a little more nicely examine each particular. I ask thee, my Soul, who it was that caus'd thee to be, when not long fince thou hadft no Being ? The Parents of thy flefh certainly did not beget thee, for that which is born of the fielh, is flefh ; but thou art not flefh but Spirit; neither did Heaven or Earth, the Sun or Stars produce thee, for chefe are bodies,but thou art incorporeal. Nor could'ft thou be owing for thy Being to An- gels, or Archangels, or other fpiritual Crea- tures, for thou art not produc'd from Matter, but created purely out of nothing, but none but an omnipotent God can bring fomething out of nothing. God then alone, when he faw fit, without any Co-adjutor or Affiftant, With his own hands, which are his Under- Handing and Will, did give thee Being. But perhaps thou wilt fay, it was not God him- felf, but fome of his Creatures that produc'd thy Body ; fo that the Soul ought to acknow- ledge God for her Author, but the Body fhould afcribe its Being to Parents. This is a great miftake ,• for though God make ufe of Parents that are Men and Women to beget flefh, as of the meaner! Labourers to build an Houfe, yet He himfelf not only is, but ex- B % pecte Steps of Afcenfwn to God. pects to be called, the Mafter-builder, the reaf and true Father of both Soul and Body, and confequently of the whole Man. For if they who begat thy flefh, were indeed theAuthors, and ( as I may fay ) the Architects of thy Body, they, no doubt, would know, how many Muicles , Veins, and Nerves, how many greater and leffer Bones, how many Humours, and Cavities could be found in an humane Body, all which they are ignorant of, unlefs they inform themfelves from Anatomy. Be- fides, when the Body is diltemper'd , when a Member is decay 'd or cut off, were they indeed the Authors of the Body, that very Art which at fir ft enabled them to frame it, would no queftion empower them to repair it : 3S you know, they who make Clocks, or build Houfes, underftand how to difpofe the feveral parts , and when diforder'd , to fet them right again. But thefe are things furpaffing the Power and Knowledge of Parents. Confider farther, that the joyning together of Soul and Bod} r , which is the principal part in the make of humane Nature, can only be effected by an Artift of infinite Power. For by what Art inferior to divine, can Flefh and Spirit be ib clofely conjoyn'd, as to become one Sub- ftance ? For the Body has no proportion , nor fimilitude with a Spirit. It was He there- fore that brought it about, who only doth wonderful things. Well therefore fpeaks the Spirit of the Lord by Mcftes Deut. 32. 6. Is not he thy father that hath bought thee ? hath not he maje thee and e- ft abided thee? And by the mouth of holy Job-, 10. 11, Thou haft chat bed me with skin and Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. fiejl), thou haft fenced me with bones and finews, And by the Royal Prophet, Thy hands have made andfajhiond me. And in another Pfalm, Thou haft formed me and laid thine hand upon me. And^ by that moft prudent Woman the Mother of the children of the Maccabees, 2 Mac. 7. 22. I cannot tell how you came into my Womb, for I neither gave you Breath nor Life, neither was it I that formed the Members of every one of you, but doubtlefs the Creator of the World, who formed the Generation of Man, and found cut the beginning of all things. From which Confideration our Lord Chrift, who is the Wifdom of God, enjoyns us to call no one Father upon Earth, Becaufe one is your Father who is in Heaven. From whofe Admonition St. Auguftin thus addreffed himfelf to God, touching his Child, that was illegitimately begot ; cc It is thou who didft w fo curioufly form and famion him, for,bating f€ the criminal part, I contributed nothing iC towards him. Well then, my Soul, if God is the Author of both Soul and Body, if He is thy Father, if thou art fupported and maintained at his Ex- pence, if thou deriveft from him all that thou haft, and all thy Expectations are from him, why doit not thou make thy boaft of, and glo- ry in, fo great a Father ? Why doft thou not love him with all thine Heart? Why doft thou not for his Sake look down with an Eye of Contempt upon all earthly, periling Things ? Why doft thou fuffer vain Defires to harbour in thy Breaft, and to Lord it over thee ? Lift up thine Eyes, and look upon him : Stand in no dread of what any Enemy thou haft uDon Earth can dp unto thee, when B 3 thou 6 Step of Afcenfion to God. thou hall an Almighty Father in Heaven. With what AiTurance thinkeft thou, and Affe&ion did David fay, I am thine ,fave me ? Couldeftthou comprehend,my Soul, what this means, that the Omnipotent and Everlafting God, who ftands in no need of thy Goods, whether of Mind, Body, or Eft-ate, and would notfuffer the leaft Detriment in thy Perdition, yet never turns away his Eyes from thee, and is in all Refpe&s as folicitoufly concerned for thee, as if thou wert his peculiar Trea- fure ; thou wouldeft certainly place thy whole Truft and Affiance in him, thou wouldeft reve- rence him as thy Lord, love him as thy Father, nor would the greateft Temporal Good orE~ vil be able to divert thy Love from him. CHAP. III. PRoceed we now to the Matter whereof Man is formed. That indeed is very mean, but the meaner it is, the fitter Matter it fuggefts to us, of begetting the Virtue of Humility, than which nothing in this State is more beneficial, nothing more rare, nothing therefore more highly to be prized, or more earneftly defired. As to the Matter then of the Soul without all doubt, it is purely nothing, than which, what can be conceived more defpicable and vain ? As for the immediate Matter of the Bo- dy, what is it but menftruous Blood ? A thing fo impure and filthy, that our Eyes have an Averfion to behold it, our Hands to touch it. Steps of Afcenfion to God. it and our Minds an Abhorrence to the very Thoughts of it. What was the firft Man com- pofed of but red and barren Earthy but Dull and Clay ? God formed Man, faith the Scrip- ture^ of the Duft of the Ground, And again faid God to Man, Duft thou art, and unto Daft fialt thou return. "Wherefore the Patriarch Abraham, mindful of his mean Originates thus preface his Addrefs to the Almighty, I ha've taken upon me tofpeak to my Lord who am but Duft and jfbes. But we have not yet fully difcovered the vilenefs of that Matter we are made of. For the very Dull or Earth, had its Original from nothing. For in the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth, which certainly he did not pro- duce from another Heaven and Earth, but from nothing. Thus we fee all that reduc'd to nothing, wFfefeof that haughty thing cal- led Man "is cofftfpofed, with refped both to Soul and Body. There is nothing therefore whereof he may glory, as if he had not re- ceiv'd it from God. The Works indeed of Men, whatever they are, whether they are the Produ&s of Art or Labour, have always fomething of themfelves, whereof were they fenfible, they might glory againlt their Ma- ker. For a Yeifcl of Gold, a Chcft of Wood, an Houfe of Marble or Ivory, had they the uie of Speech, might truly averr to their Ma- ker, I am owing to thee for my Form, but not for rtiy Matter, and that is more precious which I have from my felf, than what I have receiv'd from thee. But Man, who hath no- thing from himfelf, and of himfelf is aitoge-. ther'nothins;, hath nothing to glory of. And therefore the Apoftle affirms very .truly, If B 4 m 8 Steps of Afcenfton to God. any one reckons himfelf to be fomething when he is nothing, he deceiveth himfelf. And, What haft thou that thou haft not received ? but if thou haft received, why boafteft thou as if thou hadft not received ? With whom accords St. Cyprian, We ought to glory in nothing, becaufe we have nothing Obje£h of our own. But you will fay, Men are Au- thors of many noble Works, for which they are defervedly commended, becaufe Virtue Sol. improves by Commendation. What you fay is very true, Men are Authors of many noble Works, which merit Praife, and for which they may glory, provided they purfue the A~ poitle's Advice-, which is, That he who glory eth Jlwuld glory in the Lord. When a Man hath Ac- complished fome excellent Work, I defire to know of what Matter he made it..? By what Power he was able to go through with it ? By whofe Dire&ion and Affiilance he con- triv'd it ? He made it, no doubt, from Mat- ter, not which he himfelf, but which God creatde. He contriv'd and hnilh'd it not by his own Strength and Dire&ion, but by God's, without whofe Affiftance nothing laudable can be effected. God works many good * things in Mao, without Man's Concurrence, * but all the good Man doth, is from a Pow- er derived from God. Therefore God vouch- fafeth to ufe the Miniftery of Man in do- ing that good, which he could do of him- felf, the more to oblige Man not to affume the Glory to himfelf, but to glory in the Lord. Therefore my Soul, if thou art wife, always fit down in the low eft Place, and rob not God, in any Degree, of his Glory. Stoop to thine Steps of Afcenfion to God. thine own Nothingnefs, which is truly thine own, and all the "World fliall not be able to puff thee up into Pride. But becaufe this pre- cious Virtue of true Humility, was almoft de- parted from the World, and could neither be met with in the Writings of Philofophers,* nor in the Morals of the Gentiles, the Ma- tter of Humility came down from Hea- ven, who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be e<\ual with God, butmadehimfelfof %G reputation, and became obedient unto death, e- becaufe Love worketh no evil, and therefore Love, as the Apoftle informs us, is the fulfilling of the, Law. And on the contrary, he that keepeth his Word, that is, his Commandments, in him the Love of God is perfetf, according to St. John I Ep. 1. And therefore they who defire to be like their Pattern, ihould conform to St. Paufs Direction, Eph. f. Be Followers of God as dear Children, and walk in Love. For the Son is the Image of the Father, and all the excellency of the Image (as has been already obferv'd) is nearly to refemble the Original. Could'fl thou, my Soul, arrive at a clear linderftanding of thefe things, and being made like to thy Pattern in the Beauty of true Wifdom, and real Holinefs, approve thy felf to the King of Kings, what abundance of Peace wouldeft thou enjoy ! What Tides of Pleafure would ftill be flowing in upon thee ! How eafily wouldft thou flight all worldly De- lights ! And on the contrary, didftthou con- fid er how highly God Almighty is provok'd, when he fees his Images unadorned with the Light of Wifdom, and the Beauty of Juftice, to be funk in the Mire and Puddle of Sin, and wrapp'd up in Darknefs ; when he beholds Man, who was fo highly honour d, as to be like God, to be now compar'd to, and like the Beafts that perifh, thou wouldeft be in an horrible Dread and Confufion, and never be at reft, 'till with Flouds of penitential Tears, ifluing j e- Steps of Afcenfio?i to Go J. ifluing from an Heart truly contrite, thoti hadft waJri'd off all Stains and Defilements, and reccver'd a likenefs with thy moft beauti- ful Pattern. But becaufe in the mean time, whilft thou art abfent from the Lord, and walkeft by Faith y and not by Sight 3 thou ftandeft in continual need of thy Lord's Afliftance, both to retain that likenefs thou haft already acquir'd, and that thou may eft every Day be- come more like him, that is, more bright and beautiful ; figh heartily unto God, and thus addrefs thy felf to him • O holy and moft merciful Lord, who wert pleas'd to make this my Soul after thine own Likenefs, perfed: I moft humbly befeech thee this thy poor 1^ mage , enlighten its Underftanding, corn- pleat its Juftice, fecure it in the fecret of thy Tabernacle, that it may neither be denTd with the Dirt of carnal Concupifence, nor the Smoak of fecular Honour, nor the Duff, of worldly Cogitations. CHAP. V- TT remains now that we confider the lair, which we term the Final Caufe. Now the End for which Man was created, is no other than God himfelf. But there being a two- fold End; one Intrinfick, the other Extrinfick, we will briefly examine each apart. The In- trinfick End of every thing is fuch a State of Perfedion as any thing is capable of attain- ing. The Intrinfick End of a Palace is the iiniihing and Perfedion of the Palace, for we- diea Steps of A[ce?ifio?i to God. 15 then reckon it finim'd when it is in no refpedt deficient. The Intriniick End of a Tree, is that ftate of perfection which its nature re- quires ; for a Tree may then be faid to have attain'd its end, when it fpreads its Branches, produces Leaves, is beautified with Flowers, and laden with ripe Fruits. Man then, who is created for the higheft End, may then be faid to have attained his End, when his Un^ derftanding fhall fee God as he is, which vifion fhall be attended with univerfal Know- ledge, and his Will fhall enjoy that higheft good it was fo enamour d on : And the Body being cicath'd with Immutability and Impof- fibiiity, and other glorious Endowments, mall be poffefs'd of everlafting Peace and Feli- city. And fince the very Eflence of this fi- nal beatitude confifts in the feeing of God., by which we the Images of God, ihall be advanc'd to a Hate of Perfection, and anex- adt Similitude with our Divine Exemplar, therefore St. John fays, f Now we are the . v Sons cf God, and it doth not yet appear what we Jball be, but we know when he flail appear, we flail be like him, becaufe we fhall fee him as he is. Could'ft thou, O my Soul, conceive what this means, We flail be like him, becaufe we flail fee him as he is ; how quickly would all thefe Mills of earthly Defires vaniih and dis- appear? God is infinitely happy, and that purely on this account, becaufe he ftill be- holds Himfelf as he is, and enjoys Himfelf who is the Supream Good, which he clearly fees, and moll paffionately loves, His de- fire is, that thou likewife Jhould'ft partake of this 1 6 Steps of Afcenfion to God. this ineftimable Happinefs. So much is Ma *' 2-5- intimated in thefe words, * Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord ,• that is, come and be £ iharer in that Joy, which is the Happinefs of God himfelf. As alfo in that, I appoint unto you a Kingdom , as my Father hath appointed me> that ye may eat and drink with me at my Table in my Kingdom : That is, I will divide my Kingdom with you, and communicate that Honour, Power and Plea- fure, which I and my Father enjoy. Now who can conceive how great his Honour, Power, and Pleafure is, who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who is the Lord our God ? Surely he that can raife his thoughts and expectations to fuch an height, as to have a right notion of this our End, will be a- fham'd to fcramble for little parcels of Earth, to be difturb'd at the lofs of perilhing things, or to be tranfported for any worldly fuc- cefs and advantage ; he would be alham'd I fay, and blufh, to purfue fuch pleafures as Beafts hunt after, who has the honour to be a companion of Angels, in amity with the great God, and to have a fure Title to the unfpeakable Joys of Heaven. CHAR VI. NO "W the Extrinfick End of every thing is he, for whofe fake a thing is defignd and made. The End of a Palace is the Per- ion who inhabits itj the End of a Tree is the owner,- the End of Man is only the Lord his Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. 1 7 his God. For God not only made Man, but made him out of Matter of his own, and for himfelf : it is He who furnifhes him with all the Requifits of his Nature, and for a Ihort imperfed Service, rewards him with Eternal life. With good reafon therefore may he thus enjoyn , * Thou Jhalt worjhip the Lord * Deut. 6. thy God, and him only Jhalt thou flrve. But obferve, my Soul, and diligently attend. O- ther things which were created for Man, are ferviceable to Man, not themfelves. Ox- en labour and toil for their Mailers, not themfelves. Fields, Vine-yards, and Gar- dens, replenish Mans Cellars, Barns, and Pur- fes, not their own. Servants have the drudg- ery, fweat, and fatigue, the profit, eafe, and pleafure accrue to their Mailers. But thy gracious God, who Hands not in need of any thing thou hall, doth indeed require Man's Service, but permits him that labours to reap the benefit of his Service. O Gracious God, full of Mercy and Con- defcention, who would not heartily ferve thee, that is ever fo little acquainted with the gentlenefs of thy Fatherly Government ? What is it that thou injoynell thy Servants ? Thy Injunction is only this, That they take thy Toke upon them. But what kind CI Yoke ? Thou affureft them, that thy Toke is eajie, and thy Burden light. And who would refufe a Yoke which doth not pinch, and gall, but eafe and refreih the Bearer? Who would re- move his Shoulders from a Burthen, that doth not opprefs, but fupport ? With good reafon therefore didft thou add, And ye Jhall find reft to your Souls. And what is this Yoke J C of 1 8 Steps of Afcenfion to God. of thine, which imports no Fatigue but Re- f refliment ? Tis only this, Thou fait love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart. And what can we do with more eafe, and greater fa- tisfa&ion, than to be in love with Goodnefs, Beauty, and Beneficence, of which thou, my God, art wholly compos'd. And thy Ser- vant Holy David doth truly affirm of thy Commandments, that they are more to be de- fy- d than Gold } fweeter alfo than Honey , and the Honey-comb. And as if all this were too little, he adds , And in keeping them there is great Reward. How is this, my God ? Doll thou promife a Reward to the Obfervers of fuch Commandments, as are of themfelves more defirable than Gold, and fweeter than the Honey-comb? Thou doit indeed promife one, and that a very noble Reward : For St. James tells US, that God hath promised a Crown of Life to them that love him. And what is this Crown of life which he hath promis'd ? It is fo tranf- cendently great, that our Thoughts cannot reach the height of it. For thus faith St. Paul out of Efaias, Eye hath not feen, nor Ear heard, neither have enter d into the Heart ofA4an> the things which he hath prepard for them that love him ; therefore in keeping the Com- mandments, there is great Reward. But it is not only that firft and Great Command- ment that is profitable to Man that obeys, not to God that injoyns the obfervance of it ,• but all the other Commandments do improve, adorn, inilrud, and ennoble the Obedient, and render him eternally Good and Happy. Wherefore , my Soul, if thou art wile, be ever mindful, that thou art created to the glory Steps of Afcevfion to Go J. 1 9 glory of God, and thine own eternal Salva- tion. Remember that this is thy End, the Centre of thy Soul, the Treafure of thy Heart, If thou /halt attain to this End , happy /halt thou be, but woe unto thee if thou tail fliort of it. Therefore account that ching to be really good, that helps to this End, and that to be really evil, which debars thee from it. Profperity and Adverfity, Riches and Pover- ty, Health and Sicknefs, Honour and Dif- grace, are things which a wife Man will nei- ther covet nor decline. If they promote the Glory of God, and thy Everlafting Happinefs, they are good and defirable ; if they obitruft them, they are evil, and tihou oughteft to pray againil them, Ct THE 26 THE Second Step. From tht Confederation of the greater World CHAP. I. WE have made the firft Step of the Ladder of Afcenfion from the Con- fideration of Man, who is call'd the leffer World : my Purpofe is now to add a Second, from the Confideration of this huge Mafs, which we commonly call the greater World. St. Gregory Naz,. indeed tells us, that God placed Man as a great World in a lefs, which is true enough, if out of the World we exclude Angels $ for Man is greater than the whole World of Bodies in Virtue, tho' not in Bulk. But if Angels are included in theWorld,as here they are, then Man is a little World placed in a greater. In this World then which comprehends the Univerfality of things, there are many things which are alto- gether wonderful, but what doth more efpe- daily call for our Admiration, is their Great- nefs y Multitude 5 Variety , Efficacioufnefs, and Steps of Afcenfion to God. 2 1 and Beauty. All which being attentively weigh'd and confider'd (God enlightning the Eyes of our Under/landing) will help us to a fight of a Greatnefs, Multitude, Variety, Power, and Beauty of fuch Immenfity, that our Souls will be ravi/h'd into Tranfport and Extafy, in admiration of them, and when we mall fink to ourfelves again, we /hall look upon all things, but God, as mean and incon- fiderable. The Earth, certainly, is vaftly great, lb great, that 'tis faid Ecclus I. Who hath measured the breadth of the Earthy and the depth of Hell. And its greatnefs may in fome Meafure be hence conceived, that in the Flux of fo many thoufand Years from the Creation, the whole Surface (that the Wife Man calls the breadth) hath not yet been difcovered to thofe who have made a diligent fearch after it ; and I pray, what is the Bulk of Earth, compar'd with the Circuit of the higheft Heaven ? Aftro- logers make it (and with good reafon) no more than a Point. For we fee the Rays of the Sun, notwithftanding the interpofition of the Earth, fo to influence the Stars of the Firmament, as if the Earth were nothing at all. And if every Star of the Firmament (as "Wife Men generally allow) is greater than the whole Globe of Earth , and yet thefe Stars appear to us very fmall, by reafon of the great diftance, who can conceive the vaft ex- tent of Heaven, in which fo many Stars do /liine? If then the Wife Man fpeaks of the Surface and Depth of the Earth, what would he have faid of the exteriour Surface of Hea- ven, and the Depth of the whole World from C 1 the 22 Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. the higheft Heaven to the loweft Hell ? So very great is the Bulk of this World of Bodies., that no Thought or Underftanding can com- prehend it! Well then my Soul, it the World is fo great, how great is he that made the World ? Great is the Lord, faith the Prophet, and of his Greatncfs there is no end. Hear what Efai- as affirms of him, He hath meafured the Waters in the hallow cf his Hand , and meted out the Heaven with a Sfan 3 and comprehended the Di/fi of the Earth in a Meafure, Efa. 40. 12. Thefe, indeed, are Metaphorical Expreffions, for God is a Spirit, and can't properly be faid to have either Fin- gers or- Span. By thefe Similitudes the Scrip- tures plainly intimate , that God is much greater than his Creature, which Solomon more exprefly fhews, when he fays, the Heaven, and the Heaven of Heavens , cannot contain thee. And the truth hereof is manifeft ; for were there another World created, God would alfo replenish it : were many, nay, infinite Worlds produc'd, God would fill them all. But do not imagine, my Soul, that God doth fo fill the World, that a Part of him is in a certain Part of the World, and that he is whole in all the World, for God is without Parts, and is whole in the whole World, and whole in e- very part of it. Therefore he is every where prefent in his Omnipotency and Wifdom. If then thou art faithful to him, tho' an Army flood againft thee, thy Heart needeth not to fear, nor be difmayed. For why Jhould he fear any thing, who hath ready at hand a Father, Friend, and Spoufe, that is All-mighty, Ali-feeing, and that moft affectionately loves him ? But if 3 by thy Crimes, thou haft pro- voked Steps of Afcenfion to God. 23 vok'd God thy Judge, haft made thee an Omnipotent Enemy, from whom nothing is conceal'd, that abominates Sin, and will by no means clear the guilty, thou haft then all the reafon in the World to be horribly afraid, never to be at reft and quiet, till by hearty Repentance thou haft reconciled thy felf to God, and haft good aflurance of Mercy. B CHAP. II. U T now who fliall enumerate the Mul- titude of things created by one God, Maker of Heaven and Earth ? Who> faith Ecclus. jhall count the Sands of the Sea, and the Drops of Rain ? But omiting thefe minute things, how many Metals are there of Gold and Silver , of Brafs and Lead ? How many precious Stones, Jewels, and Pearls , in the Bowels of the Earth and Sea? How many are the Genus's, Species, and Individuals,of Herbs, Shoots, and Plants, upon Earth, and how many are the Parts of each ? How various are the Genus's, Species, and Individuals of per- fect and imperfeft, four footed, creeping, and flying Animals ? What variety likewife in the Genus's, Species, and Individuals of Fifties in the Sea ? Who is able to reckon them up ? What /hall we fay of the Multitude of Mankind, concerning whom it is faid, Ac- cording to thy Greatnefs haft thou multiplied the Sons of Men ? But to be brief, how many Stars are there in Heaven ? Above the Heavens C 4 how 24 Step of Afcenfion to Go J. how many Angels ? Of the Stars we read in the Scriptures indited by the Spirit of Truth, Gen. I <;. Number them if thou art able. In the 2 2d Chapter of the fame, he compares the Multitude of Stars with that of the Sand, which all Men allow to be numberlefs. Of the Angels Daniel thus writes, Thoufand of thoufands miniflet unto him, and ten thoufand times ten thoufand fiand before him. And it is the Opinion of fome, that the Multitude of An- gels is greater than that of all material things. This Multitude of things then , which a~ mounts to almoft an Infinity, created by one Omnipotent God, plainly demonftrates to us, that infinite Perfections are refident in the Divine Eflence. For God is pleafed, in fome meaiiire, to difcover himfelf to Man by his Creatures, but fince no Creature can ade- quately reprefent the infinite I'erfe&ion of the Creator, he hath multiplied the Creatures, and imparted to each of them fome degrees of Goodnefs and Perfection, that thence we might form a Judgment of the Creator's Goodnefs and Perfection, who comprifes in- finite Perfections, under the Perfection of one moft fimple Effence, much after the fame manner, as a Piece of Gold contains the va- lue of a great many Pieces of Brafs or Cop- per Money. Therefore, my Soul, whatever thing prefents it felf to thine Eyes or Fancy, with a /hew of fbmething rare and wonder- rul, maxke ufe of it as a Step to advance thee co the Knowledge of thy Creator's Perfection, which incomparably is more great and won- derful By this means it will come to pafs that the Creatures, which, as the V/ife* Man faithj Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. 2 5 faith, are made a Trap for the Feet of the impru- dent, will not deceive, but inftrud: thee ; not be the occafion of thy Fall, but of advancing thee to a better State. When therefore Gold or Silver, or what is moft valuable, offer themfelves to thy view, fay to thy felf, my God is more to 'be valued, who has promifed to be my Portion, on condition I flight and contemn thefe. If thou admireft the King- doms and Empires of this World , fay in thine Heart, how much inferiour are thefe to the Kingdom of Heaven , which is e- yerlafting, and which God, who cannot lie > hath promifed to give them that love him ? If Pleafures and Delights affault thy car- nal Senfe, fay in thine Heart, the Pleafures of the Spirit are much more joyous than thofe of the Fiefli, and the Delights of the Mind, than thofe of the Belly ,• for thefe are adminifter'd by a poor mortal Creature, the other by the Great God, the God of all Confolation. He that fliall be fo happy as to tafte thefe, may fay with the Apoille, I am filled with Comfort > I am exceeding glad in all cur Tribulation. To conclude, if any thing, tho' never fo fine and new, fo rare, fo great and wonderful, offer it felf to thee, on condition to forfake God, anfwer boldly and fay^ that all the Good which is in the Creatures, is to be found with infinite advantage in the Lord thy God, that therefore it is not for thy Intereft to exchange Gold for Copper, Jewels for Glafs, Things of Weight and Moment for inconfiderable Trifles, and Things cf Eternal Duration for thofe of a Momentary Continuance. CHAR 26 Steps of Afce?ifion to God. CHAP. III. BU T tho' the Multitude of created Things is admirable., and an Argument of the manifold Perfe&ion of the One God ; yet the Variety which appears in that Multipli- city is more admirable, and more apt to bring us to the Knowledge of God. For there is no difficulty with one Seal, to make many Impreflions exactly alike, nor in the fame Mould to caft a World of Letters ; but to va- ry and change the Forms almoft infinitely, as God hoth done in the Creation, befpeaks a Work truly Divine., and calls aloud for Ad- miration. To fpeak nothing of the various forts and kinds of things , which every one perceives to be ftrangely diverfified. How great a Variety is therein the very Individu- als of Herbs, Plants, Flowers, and Fruits ? Are not the Figures, and Colours, the Tafte and Smell, almoft infinitely various ? And don't we fee the very fame in living Creatures ? But what fliall we fay of Man- kind , when in a very numerous Army , two Perfons cannot be met with that are alto- gether alike ? Which is likewife obfervable in the Stars and Angels ; fi r one Star differeth from another Star in Glory, as St. Paul tells US in the former Epiftle to the Corinthians. Now lift up thine Eyes, my Soul, unto God, in whom are the Ideas' of all things, and from whom, as from an inexhauftible Fountain, this wonderful Variety did Spring, For God / " COPlci Steps of Afcenfiov to Go J. 27 could not have imprefs'd thcfe numberlefs Forms of things in the Creatures, had not the Ideas or Patterns thereof been in a moil eminent and extraordinary meafure in his Effence. With good reafon therefore doth the Apoftle cry out., O the height of the Riches of the Wifdom and Knowledge of God ! Needs mult that "Well be infinitely deep, wherein thofe Treafures of Wifdom and Knowledge lie, which could produce fuch an infinite va- riety of things. So that the holy Man illu- minated from above, might very well fay, My God and all things ! For that variety of Goodnefs which we fee diftributed to , and divided amongft the Creatures, is all united more eminently in God. But, my Soul, thou art ready to reply, it may be what you affirm is true, but the goodnefs of the Creatures we fee with our Eyes, we touch with our Hands, and tafte with our Mouth, we really poffefs and enjoy ,- but as for God we neither fee nor touch, tafle nor poffefs him, and conceive him in our Thoughts as a thing at a great diftance ,• it is therefore not to be wondred at, if the Creatures do more affe& us than God. But, my Soul, if thou haft a lively and a&ive Faith,, thou canft not but grant, that when this Life ends (which paffeth away like a Shadow) provided thou /halt per- fevere in Faith, Hope, and Charity, thou /halt fee God truly, and clearly as he is in himfelf, and /halt have a more clofe and intimate en- joyment of him , than now thou haft of the Creatures. Hear what thy Lord himfelf af- firms, Blejfed are the pure in hearty for they floall fee God. Liften to what the holy Apoftle favs, 28 Steps of Afcenfion to God. We fee now in a glafs darkly $ but then face to face. Attend likewife to the beloved Difciple, We Jhall be like him, becanfe we foall fee him as he is. Tell me now, my Soul, how much of this World is fallen to thy mare ? Thou canft not fay a third, or fourth part, no, it is but a fmall and inconfiderable fpot that thou art poffefs'd of, which in a little time, whether with, or againft thy confent , thou fhalt be fore'd to quit. But thou fhalt poffefs God wholly , in whom are all things, and thou malt poffefs him to all eternity, for God, as St. Paul faith, will be all in all. He will be thy Life, thy Food, and Raiment, Riches, Honour, Delight, and all. Befides thy gracious and indulgent God, expects not whilft thou art pilgrimizing in this World, that thou fhouldft be altogether without the Comforts of the Creatures, fo far from it, that he hath made them for thy ufe and fervice ; only he requires, that thou fhouldft ufe them with moderation and fobriety, that thou let the Poor and Needy partake with thee ; that thou keep them under, and fuffer them not to Lord it over thee ; that thcu ufe them after fuch a manner as may indear thee to the Donor. Confider therefore again, and again, whether it is not more for thy intereft to have as much of this World, as is necef- fary, whilft here, and when removd hence, to have the fruition of thy Creator himfelf, in whom ( as hath been often faid ) are all things, and that to all eternity ; or to rife early, and fit up late, and eat the bread of carefulnefs, to add houfe to houfe, field to field, and lade thy felf with thick clay, and yet to be diifatisfied and unea- fie, and at laft to be ftript of all temporal En- joyments, Steps of Afcevfion to God. 29 joyments, and fall fhort of the heavenly and eternal ? Befides, God is not at fuch a diftance from thofe that love him , but that he admi- nifters to them great confolation., even in this life,, much greater than thofe, which they that dote on the World meet with in the Creatures. For it is truly affirm cl in holy Writ ; I though upon God, and was comforted : Delight thy Jelf in the Lord, and he jhall grant thee the dtjires of thy heart. Thus Pfal. 86.4. Re Joyce the foul of thy Servant, for unto thee, Lord, do I lift up my Soul And, not to take notice of other Places, when the Apoftle faith, 2 Cor. 7. 4. i" am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. He doth not mean that Confolation fpringeth from Affliction, or Joy from Sorrow, for Grapes proceed not from Thorns ■, nor Figs from Thifiles ; no, his meaning is, that God vouchfafes thofe that love him, fuch fincere, pure, and folid Joys, to eafe their Grievances, that the Comforts of this World are no ways to be compared with them. Therefore, my Soul, be fully affur'd, and conclude, that he who frail be fo happy as to find God, doth with him find all things ,* that he who lofeth God, hath loft all things. CHAR IV. IT follows now that from the Power which God hath endowed the Creatures with, we advance to the infinite Power of the Cre- ator. There is not any thing in Nature but is furnifli'd with admirable Power and Effica- cy. 3 o Steps of Afcenfion to God. cy. If a Quantity of Earth, or a Stone de- scend from an high, with what violence doth it fall ? What can efcape breaking that ftands in its way ? What is able to make refiftance againft it? When the Holy Ghoft in the Re- velations would defcribe the mighty violence, by which Babylon the great, that is, all the wicked, /hall be thrown into Hell in the Day of Judgment, he tells us, 18. 21. And a mighty Angel took up a Stone like a great Mill- fione , and cafi it into the Sea, faying , thus with violence Jhall that great City Babylon be thrown down, and (hall be found no more at all. Water, which is foft and pleafant, and flows gently upon the Surface of the Earth when it is inraged, and fwells in Rivers or Brooks, it bears away all before it • nor have we feen it only deftroy poor Hutts and Cottages, but Gates^ and Walls of Cities, and Bridges of Marble. The Winds, which fometime are calm and b'ow gently, do force huge unweildy Ships againft Rocks, tear up old Oaks by the Roots, and tumble them down. I my felf have feen that which related I would not have believ'd, viz. a huge quantity of Earth torn up by a very ftrong Wind, anc} carried to a Village, fo that there remaind a very great Pit, whence the Earth had been forced, and that Village where it fell, was covered, and, as it were, buried with it. What fliall we fay concerning the Element of Fire ? How fud- denly doth a little Fire grow tofuch a Flame, that in a Moment it brings Houfes,and Woods to nothing ? Behold, faith St. James, how great a matter a little Fire kindhth ! What variety of Virtues do Herbs contain ? What admirable Virtue Steps of Afcenfion to God. 3 1 Virtue is found in Stones, efpecially the Load- ftone, and Amber. Amongft Animals,fome we find to be very robuft, and ifrong, as Lions, Bears, Bulls, and Elephants; fome very inge- nious and cunning,tho' very fmall, as Ants,Spi- ders and Bees. I forbear to fpeak of the Pow- er of Angels, the Virtue of the Sun and Stars, which are at a great diftance from us. How great is the "Wit of Man, by which fo many- Arts have been invented, infomuch that we are often in doubt whether to affign a Supe- riority to Art, or Nature. Lift up now, my Soul, the Eyes of thine Underftanding to God, and confider how great Virtue, Power, and Efficacy refide in the Lord thy God, whom we find thus ad- drefs d in the Oracles of Truth ; Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the Gods ? Exod. I $* And the Pfalmift fays of him, Who only doth great and wondro?4S things. And the blelfed A- poftle calls him, 1 Tim. 6. i ?. The BleJJed and only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. For whatever Power the Creatures have, they derive it wholly from God, nor can they enjoy it longer than God is pleafed to continue it. For who was the Caufe that Jonas had no hurt from the Waves of the Sea, nor the Teeth of the "Whale, but God i "Who but God clofed the Mouths of hungry Lions, and preferved Daniel from being their Prey ? Who, but the fame God, preferved the Three Children in the midft of a fiery Furnace ? Who was it that faid to the raging Wind, and ftormy Sea, Peace, be flill, and the Wind cea- fed, and there was a great Calm, but Chrift, the true God ? Now God who derives not his Vir- 32 Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. Virtue and Power from another, but whofe Will is his Power, and fuch a Power as no one can refill, he is always furniihed with infinite Pow- er. And all the Power of Man compared with that of God;, may not fo properly be term'd fmall and inconfiderable, as none at all. For thus faith the Prophet Ifaiah, Ck 40. 17. AH Nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him lefs than nothing, and vanity. How egregioufly then do they betray their Folly,, who are afraid of the Creature,, and ftand not in dread of an Omnipotent God ? Who rely on their own, or their Friends Power, and repofe not their Truft in the All-mighty ? If God be for us, who can be againft us ', and if God be againft us, who will be on our fide ? Therefore humble thy felf, my Soul, if thou - art wife, under the mighty Hand of God. Keep clofe to him by true Piety and Obedience, and be not afraid what Man, or Devil, or any Creature, can do unto thee. But if thou haft fail'd in thy Duty, and in- curred the Divine Difpleafure, give no Sleep to thine Eyes, 'till thou haft reconciled thy felf to the Lord, for it is a dreadful thing in- deed, to fall into the Hands of the living God. CHAP. V. IT remains now that we confider the Beau- tifuinefs of things created, concerning which the Royal Prophet hath faid, Thou haft made me glad through thy Works, Pf. 92. 4. And certainly' as all the Things which God hath made Steps of Afcenfton to God. 35 made are goody fo will he that carefully fur- veys them, find them to be fair and beautiful. But omitting others, we will only confider thofe things which all Men allow, and own to be taking. How great is the beauty of a flowry Mead, of a Garden neatly kept, of a pleafant Wood, of the Sea not ruffled with the winds ; of the Air when fereneand unclouded ; of Springs, Rivers, and Cities; of the glitte- ring Firmament befet with Stars,as it were with Jewels ? How are we pleas'd with the beauty of Trees arrayed in their flowery Mantles, or bending under a load of fruit ? With the various forms of Beafts, the flying of Birds, and the fportings of Fifhes ? What mall I fay con- cerning the Beauty of the Moon and Stars, but efpecially of the admirably great, and bright beams of the Sun, whofe influence animates, and cheers the whole Earth ? But Men, to whom we addrefs our felves, are taken with nothing fo much as their own Beauty and Excellence. Many (faith the Preacher) have verified through the Beauty of a Woman. I have frequently feen, and lamented, Men of exquifite parts and ingenuity, fo enamour'd on the Beauty of Women j and on the contrary, grave and honourable Matrons dote fo mad- ly, and extravagantly on the Beauty of Men, as to flight their domeftick Affairs, to neglect their Children, Parents, yea Life it felf, not only temporal, but eternal too. 'Tis well known what the Scriptures have recorded > concerning David , Solomon , and Samfon : of fuch Examples all Hiftories are full. Now, my Soul, if fo great Beauty is im- parted to the Qeatures, how great, doit thou D imagin. 34 Steps of Afcenfion to God. imagin, is the Beauty of their Creator? For none can give to another what he has not himfelf. And if Men being pleas'd with the brightnefs of the Sun and Stars, have mifta- Wifd. 13 .k en thofe glorious Bodies for Gods, Let them confider, faith the Wifeman, how much more beautiful he is who rules over them, for he who be- getteth Beauty, hath founded all thefe. Now the greatnefs of the divine Beauty not only appears evidently in this, that all the Beauty which is difpers'd amongft the Creatures, is united in a far greater degree in him ; but in this alfo, that tho' he is invifible to us whilft we are at a diitance from him, and is but imperfectly known to us by our belief of the Scriptures, and in the Glafs of the Creatures, yet many Saints have been fo paffionately in love with him, as to retire from the World into Deferts and Solitudes, that they might contemplate him with more advantage. Of which num- ber were holy Mary Magdalene, Yaul the firft Hermit, St. Antony, and many more whom Theodoret gives an Account of in his Religious Hiftory. Others leaving their Poffeffions, and all that was dear to them, have confind themfelves co Religious Houfes, and been fubje& to the Wills of others, that they might be at amity with God. Others have expos'd their Lives to the moft dolorous Pain, to qua- lify themfelves to behold this infinite Beauty. Hear the Profeffion of one of them, viz,. St. Ignatius the Martyr in his Epiftle to the Ro- mans, cc Welcome Fire and Crofs, and the Fu- et ry of Wild Beafts : I value not the Breaking fC of Bones, nor pulling Limb from Limb, nor €< bruiling me from Head to Foot, nor all the Tor- Steps of Afcenfion to God. 35 " Torments the Devil can inflid, fo I may have €C the blefled Fruition of Chrift. Now if divine Beauty not yet feen, but only believ'd and ex^ pe&ed, createth fuch a longing defire, what will it do when the Veil is removed, and it fhall be feen as it is in it felf ? This will be the confequent of it, we fhall be fo tranfported with the River of that Pleafure, that we fhall not be able to look off it one Moment. Nor is it any wonder that Angels, and bleffed Spirits, do continu- ally behold the Face of their heavenly Father^ and that fuch a Vifion is attended with no Irkfomenefs or Satiety, when as God himfelf hath been eternally fatisfied in viewing his own Beauty, and will be ever happy in that Vifion. Search, my Soul, for this Beauty, fo- lic itoufly purfue it Night and Day, fay with the Prophet, As the hart panteth for the water- pf^ 42i brooks, fo fanteth my Soul after thee, O God, My Soul thirfteth for God , for the living God, when fhall I come and appear before him. Say with the Apoftle, We are willing rather to be ab- 2 Cor, j° fent from the body, and to be prefent with the Lord* Neither needeft thou fear any Pollution by being fo much in love with this Beauty, for the Love of divine Beauty is fo far from defi- ling our Hearts, that it refines and purifies them. For very true is that which the holy Virgin and Martyr, St. Agnes, affirmed, w I am cc in love with Chrift, whofe Mother is a Vir- gin, whofe Father knows not Woman : my Love to him is chafte,my Embraces pure and holy, my Entertainments are Spiritual, and there's no Carnality in the whole. But if thou doft,indeed,longfor the uncreated Beau- ty of thy Lord, thou muft do what th§ Apoftle D % ftb- if cc 3 6 Steps of Afcenfion to God. fubjcyns, Therefore we labour, thct whether cb- fent cr trefent we may pleafe him. If thou art pleas'd with the Beauty of thy Lord, be care- ful fo to behave thy felf, that he may have Pleafure in thee. When we jhall happily ar- rive at the land of the living and /hall be en- lightned with the brightneis of his Prefence, it will be impoffible for us not to pleafe. But in this State of Peregrination, it is hard not to be bemired in the filthy and puddle of Sin, for according to what St. James fakir, In many things we offend all. And the Prophet Da- vid to inform us how few the number of thofe are, that are undefined, hath declar'd this as a requifite to Happinefs, BleJJ'ed are the undefi- led in the way. Therefore if in this State of Abfence and Pilgrimage thou art ambitious to pleafe thy Beloved, thou muft not account a bare Velleity fufficient, but as the Apoftle advifes, thou mui\ firive to pleafe him, thou mull narrowly watch againll thofe Spots, which are the blemifh of the Soul : and if through inadvertency , or otherwife , any cleave to it, give thy felf no refl till thou hall clearly wip'd them off. Do but behold poor Women, who are defirous to pleafe their Husbands, how many Hours they fpend in plaiting their Hair, beautifying their Face, and getting Spots and Stains out of their Cloaths, that they may appear lovely in the Eyes of a Mortal Man^ who mull fhortly re- turn to Dull and Clay. What then doth it become thee to do, that thou may ell look a- miable in the Eyes of thine immortal Spoufe, who is perpetually viewing thee, and who deiires to find thee without fpot and wrinkle ? It Steps of AfcenfiOJi to God. 37 It imports thee no doubt to exert thy utmoft endeavour to walk in Holinefs and Righte- oufnefs before him , fpeedily and vigoroufly to remove all rubs and obtfacles in thy way thereto ; not to have regard to Flejh and Blood., nor to mind common Fame and Opi- nion^ for k cannot be that we fliould at one and the fame time pleafe God and the World, according to that of the Apoitle, If I pleafe Gal. 2, men > I cannot be thefervant of Chrifi* D % THE 38 THE Third Step. CHAP. I. WE have confiderd the World of Bodies in general : proceed we now to an Examination of the principal Parts thereof and make them inftru- mental in carrying us up to the Creator. The firlt that prefents its felf is the Earth, which tho' it hath the meaneft Situation, and appears lefs than the other Elements, yet is not really lefs than the Water, but is in worth and Dignity fuperior to them ail. Upon this account it is that we frequently read in holy Writ, that God made Heaven and Earth, as the principal Parts of the World, to which the reft are fubfervient : for he made the Heavens, as it were a Palace for Himfelf, and Angels : and the Earth a Palace PfaJ. 1 1 5. f° r Men. 7 ^ )e Hea ^ bait created us for thy felf, and our Heart; D a " « Ao Steps of Afcetifion to Go J. ec is reftlefs 'till it centers in Thee. King Solo- mon, as much as ever Man, was in purfuic of Reft, by Dominion, amaffing up Treafures, and contriving variety of Pleafures and De~ lights. He had a very fpacious Kingdom, and that in a State of perfect Peace and Tranquillity, for as the Scriptures acquaint us, i Kings 4. He had Dominion overall the Region on this fide the Ri-vtr ffcm Tophfah even to Afjah, over all the Kings on this fide the River ; end had Peace on all fides a- heat him. Such befides was the vaftnefs of his Wealth, that he maintain'd fourty thcufand Stalls of Hories for his Chariots, and twelve lb. thoufand Horfemen. And we read that his Navy brought Gold from Ophir in fuch quan- rv, that Silver was of no account,- that at Jerujklctn the Stones in the Street were not more common than that. As for Pleafures he 1 King 1 1 feem'd to have ingrofs'd them. "We read that he was in love with many frrange Women, that he had feven hundred Wives, PrincefTes, and three hundred Concubines. But. hear him fpea king for himfelf, Eccles. 2. I made me 'ir e tit ' I Forks, I builded me Houfes, I planted ?ne I InejJtrfls. I made me Gardens and Orchards, I planted Trees in them of all kinds of Fruit. I made we Roots ofWattr, to water therewith the Wood that fa mgeth forth 7'recs. I got ?ne Servants and Maid- ens ,* and had Servants bom in my Houfe ,° alfo I had •eat Rojjcjjwfis of great and fmall Cattle, above all that were in Jerufalem before me. I gather d me alfo Silver and Gold, and the peculiar Treafures of Kings, and of 'the Provinces ,• I got me Men-fingers, end IVorrt en -fingers, and the delights of the Sens of Men, asmufical Inflruments, and that of all forts, 9o twos great* and increas d --n ore than all that were Step of Afcevfion tcGcd. 41 were before me in ^erufalem, alfo my Wlfdom re- mained with me, and whatfoever mine Eyes de- Jtredy I kept not fro?n them, I with-held not my Heart from any foy, for my Heart rejoyced in all my labour y and this was my Portion of all my labour. This account he gives of nimfelf: and certainly., if Quiet and Satisfaction is to be met with here below, he could not have come fliort of it. He had Dominion, and Wealthy and PI eafures at command ,• and had a greater fhare of humane Wifdom, which is generally had in great efteem, than ever any Mortal was pofTefs'd of : And to make all thefe reliih the better, he enjoy 'd, for a long time, an uninterrupted Peace. Inquire we now whether in this Affluence of good things, he found Satisfa&ion, and could thence fill the Capacities of his Soul. I looked, faith he, on all the Works that my Hands had wrought , and on the Labour wherein I had weari- Eccles. 2. e d my felf and behold ! all was Vanity and Vexati- on of Spirit , and there was no Profit under the Sun. Soloman, you fee, found no Satisfaction amidft fo great Riches., and Pleafures, Wifdom and Honours ; nor indeed could he have attain d it, tho' he had poifefs'd them in a much greater meafure., for the Mind of Man is immortal, but thefe are vain aud tranfitory things. The Soul is of an Immortal Angellick Nature,- and a Soul capable of an everlalting Happinefs, can never acquiefce in that which is but temporary. As therefore an Humane Body cannot reft in the Air, tho' never fo fpacious, nor in the Water, be it never fo deep,, becaufe the Earth, and not thofe Elements^ is its Centre ,• fo the Soul of Man can never meet withreftin Aeri- al 42 Steps of Afcenfion to Gocf. al Honours, nor in Riches, that have their Original from Earth and Dirt, nor in waterifh, that is, unliable and muddy Pleafures, nor in the falfe Splendor of humane Knowledge, but muft expe& it from God alone, who is the Soul's Centre, the true, and only Place Pfal. 73. °^ re ^' ^ el * therefore doth the Father of Solomon cry out, Whom have I in Heaven but thee, and there is nothing in 'Earth I defire in com- parifon of thee. God is the frength of my Heart, and my Tort ion for ever. As if he had faid, J can meet with nothing either in Heaven or Earth, or in any other Creature under Hea- ven, or above Earth, which can procure me true Quiet and Happinefs. Thou only, my God, art a firm and folid Rock to my Heart, in Thee, and none but Thee, can I find 3. refting Place ; thou only art my Portion, mine Inheritance, mine All ,• the Univerfe, abftra&ed from Thee, is infignificant to my Eafe and Happinefs. And as Thou alone art the Giver of Reft, fo the Reft thou conferreft, is not for a little time, but for ever ; Thou alone, I fay, conferreft Eternal Reft, all other things are infufficient to content me one day. Art thou yet willing to acknowledge, my Soul, that God only is thy Rock, on which thou may eft fecurely reft; that other things are Va-r nicy and Vexation of Spirit ; that they are not Realities but Illufions, which do not comfort, but afflid, as being purchafed with Labour, poffeft with Fear, and loft with Grief and La- mentation ? Therefore, my Soul, if thou art wife, flight all fading and tranfitory things, left they involve thee in the fame Ruine : abide conftant and clofe to him who is the Rock of Ages Steps of Afcenfion to God. 43 Ages, and continues to Eternity. Lift up thy Soul to God on high, that it putrefy not on Earth. Learn true Wifdom from the Multitude of Fools, in vvhofe Perfon the Wife Man thus fpeaks. We have erred from the way wifd of Truth, and the light of Right eoufnefs hath not jhined upon us. We have wearied our felves in the way ofwickednefs and defiruBion, and have gone in difficult ways, hut the way of the Lord have we not known. What good bath Pride done us ? what ' advantage have we from boafiing of our Riches ? AH thefe things are pajjed away like afltadow, and we are confumed in our own naughtinefs. CHAP. 1 1. BU T a firm and folid Rock in another re~ fpe&, is a Symbol of the Lord our God; which the Wifdom of God hath explain'd to us in his Gofpel, when he tells us , That an Matth houfe founded upon a rock remains unmoveable, tho* ajjaulted by rains from above, tho winds beat up- pon its fides y and flouds attack it in the foundation ; but an houfe built upon the [and can ft and none of thefe flocks, but is thrown down at the firfi battery, and that the ruine of that hcufe is great. Thy Houfe, my Soul, which confifts of va- rious Powers and Operations, as of Rooms for Lodging, and for Entertainment, if it be founded on God, as on a Rock, that is, if thou ftedfaftly believeft on God, if thy whole Trull and Affiance is in him, if thou art rooted and fetled in his love, fo that thou canlt fay with the Apoftle, Who flail fepar 'ate m from the love of Chrift ? be at eafe and unconcern d , for nei- 44 Steps of Afcenfion to God. neither fpiritual wickednefs, which is above, nor the lulls of the flefh which are beneath us, nor our domeftick Enemies,fuch as Friends and Relations, which give us a fide-blow, with all their wiles and cunning ihali never prevail againft thee. Great , I own, is the power and fublety of Spiritual Powers, but yet inferiour to the Power and Wifdom of the Holy Spirit, which prefides over that Houfe which is founded on God. The Flefh oppofes the Spirit with all its might and main, and the lufls of the flefh do frequently worft the moil valiant ; but the love of God eafily vanquiiheth the love of the flefh ,- and the fear of God foon puts to flight the fear of the World. To conclude, a mans Enemies are thofe of his own Houfe , which with their pernicious counfells inveigle Souls to partici- pate with them in fin : but that Soul which is allured that it hath a Lord and Father, a Bro- ther and Spoufe, in the Court of Heaven, is not to feek how to contemn Friends and Re- lations, no, nor to hate them too , and can Rem. 8. fay with the Apoftle, I am ajjurd that neither death, nor life, nor any other creature can feparate me from the lo-ve of God , which is in Chri/r Jefm our Lord. But wretched with a witnefs is that poor Soul , whofe Houfe being founded on the Sand , cannot long hold out, but muft fubmit to mine and defolation: for how can it otherwife be, whenas he believes a Lie, and relies upon a weak Reed, when he owns no other God but his Belly, or his Cafh, and the fmoke of Honour ; all which things not only pafs fuddenly away, and come to nothing, but carry the Soul that adheres to them into ever- Ming deflxu&ion. CHAR Steps of Afcevfion to God. 4 5 CHAP. III. NO W another Property of the Earth confifts in this, that like a kind Nurfe it abundantly minifters Herbs , and other Fruits. for the Support of Men, and the reft of Animals. But this very Property doth, as it were, hand us to the Creator, as to the only real and proper Nurfe. For it is not the Eartrr, but God in it, that doth produce all good things : for thus faith the holy Spirit, by the Mouth of David, Who mahth grafs to?&l 147. grow for the Cattle, and herb for the Service of Man ,' and All watt upon thee, that thou may- pfoj IC . eft give them their Meat in due Seafon. That thou giveft them they gather, thou openeft thy hand, they are filled with good. And our Lord in his Gofpel, Look to the Fowls of the Air, be- Matth. & caufe they neither fow ncr reap , nor gather into Barns, for your heavenly Father feedeth them. And the Apoitle tells us, God left not ^a$ x £ himfelf without a witnefs, doing good from Heaven , giving Rain and fruitful Seajons, and filling our hearts with food and gladnefs. Neither do thefe Paffages contradict what we read in the firlt Chapter of Genefis, viz. Let the Earth bring forth grafs , the herb yielding fiedj, and the fruit- tree yielding fruit after his kind. For the Earth doth indeed bring forth- Grals and Trees that bear Fruit, but 'tis by virtue of that Power, which God hath endued them wi^ the Earth is but inftrumental, not only in the Production and Confervation of thefe Trees, but 4 6 Steps of Afcenfion to Gocf. but in the increafe alfo, and Supplies they Pfal. 148. furniih us with. Therefore David when he calls upon all Creatures to laud the Creator, fummons alio Fruit-Trees, and all Cedars: and the Three Children invite all things that Dan. 3. grow upon the Earth, to bkfs the Lord> to ■praife a?id magnify him for ever. And when all things in their way, do laud and praife God, how affectionately my Soul, art thou obliged to blefs and praife him, for all the Benefits thou continually partakeft of ? acknowledging in them the invifible hand of God, diftributing all things; and his Fatherly and unmerited Love, which is fo far from being invifible, that it manifeftly difco- vers it felf, and is inceflantly blefling thee from Heaven, and fupplying all thy Necefli- ties. But it is not enough to thy gracious God to do all this, unlefs he alfo produce in thee, as in his Spiritual Field, the moil noble branch of Charity. For Charity, as the belo- 1 Joh. 4. ved Difciple informs us in his Epiftle, is not of the World, but of God. But there pro- ceeds from Charity, as from a divine and hea- venly Tree, the beautitul and fragrant Flow- ers of holy Thoughts ; the pleafant Leaves of fuch Words as tend to the Safety of Nati- ons, and the Fruits of good Works, by which God is glorified, our Neighbour be- nefited, and Treafures laid up for our felves in Heaven. But woe to them, who like the Beafts that have no Understanding, defire to have their fill of the Fruits of Earth ; that greedily rake »them together , and hoard them up, and never think upon, nor are thankful to, the great Steps of Afcenfion to God. 47 great Donor, whofe Minds are like the Earth, which God hath curfed, which bringeth forth Thorns and Bryers. For what do fuch Perfons entertain their Thoughts with, in whofe Hearts God hath not dhTeminated the Seeds of chafte Defigns, but Fornications,Adulteries, Murders, Sacriledge, Thefts, Treacheries, and the like ? What do fuch belch out of their profane mouths, but Blafphemies, Perjuries, abufive Language, Herefies, Railings, fpiteful Reflections, falfe Teftimonies, Lies, and the like ? And laftly, what Fruits do fuch produce, but thofe poi- fonousones, we told you before were in their Thoughts, and which are termed by the A- poftle the Works of the Devil. Thefe are Gal 6 Thorns, which firft prick the Minds of them that breed them, with Sorrows and difmal Ap- prehenfions : that afFed the Reputation, Body, and Mind of their Neighbours, with grievous, and many times irreparable Injuries, from which, many Mifchiefs and Inconveniences are occafion'd to others. But, omitting thefe things : If thou, my Soul, art the Garden of the Cceleftial Dreffer, take efpecial care that thou be neither over- grown with Thorns nor Bryers, but cherifh with thy utmoft care, the Tree of Charity, theLillies ofChaftity, and Spikenard of Hu- mility, Be far from entertaining a Thought ; that thefe heavenly Branches of Virtues are owing to thy felf, and not to the Lord thy God, who is the Lord of Virtues, and the Infpirer of holy Purpofes. And when thy Fruits come to their full Growth and Ma- turity, do not facrifice to thine own Net, but acknowledge that all thou haft is owing to 48 Steps of Afcenfion to God. to him, and that all thy Abilities are front him. T CHAP. IV. Here remains the laft Commendation of Earth, ♦ evily know how to give good things to your Chil- dren , much more flj a II your Heavenly Father gi-ve the Holy Ghofi to them that ask him. He did not fay,he will give youBread,or Raiment,orWif- dom, cr Charity, or the Kingdom of Heaven, or Eternal Life; but he will give the Holy Spirit, becaufe they who have fuch a Pre- fent, are abundantly fupplied with ail things. Therefore ceafe not to put the Father in mind of the Son's Promife, and to offer fuch an Addrefs as this, with the greateft Affedion, and fulleft Affurance of being heard ; O Holy Father, Steps of Afcevfion to God. 61 Father, I prefent not my Petitions unto thee, crafting to mine own Righteoufnefs, but to the Promife of thine only begotten Son, who, to encourage us to make our Requefts known unto Thee, was gracioufly pleafed to fay, How much rather fljall your Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. Thy Son, we are afTur'd, is Truth, and cannot impofe upon us, make good therefore the Promife of thy be- John 1%, loved, who hath glorified thee upon Earth, and extended his Obedience to thee untOp^j. ^ Death, even the Death of the Crofs. Give 8# the Holy Spirit to thy humble Petitioner, give the Spirit of Fear and Love towards thee, that thy Servant may know no other Fear or Dread , but of incurring thy Difpleafure ; that he may love nothing but Thee, and his Neighbour for thy fake. Create in me a clean^&L St. Heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me. Cafi me not away from thy Vrefence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me ; re fore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation, and ftablijh me with thy Free Spirit. 10- II, \% t CHAP. VI. PRoceed we now to the Refemblance and Similitude which the Fountains of Water bear to God Almighty, from whence the Mind will be enabled to contemplate very won- derful things, fuggefted to us from the Cre- ator's Perfections. For, without doubt, there is reafon, why God in Holy Writ is called the Fountain of 'Life, the Fountain ofWifdom, and?C 16.9. a 62 Steps of Afcenfion to God. Jer. 2. j 3 a Fountain of living Water. That he is the Fountain of Effence, is inferr'd from the "Words of God himfelf to Mofes 3 Exodm 3. I am that lam. lam hath fent me unto you. All which the Apoftle feems to comprehend, when he A&s 17. faith , In him we live, and move ^ and hwve our 28. Being. For we are in him as in the Fountain of Effence, and in him we live, as in the Fountain of Life, and in him we move, as Wif. 7.24. in the Fountain of Wifdom. Becaufe Wif- < dom is more moving than any motion ,• flie paf feth and goeth through all things by reafon of her pirenefs. A Fountain of Water with us hath this Pro- perty, that it gives birth to Rivers,, and that thefe no longer run., than that flows upon them ; but the Fountain has no dependence on the Rivers,, becaufe it deriveth not its Wa- ters from them, but hath them in it felf, and communicates them with others. This is a lively Symbol and Note of the Divinity. For God is, in a moil proper Senfe, the Fountain of Effence, as receiving Being from none, and imparting it to all. Not any thing could give Being to God, fince Being is from the Effence of God, and Effence it felf is his Ex- igence, fo that it can neither be, nor be con- ceived, that God hath not ever been, nor that he doth not always exiff. Other things may for a time be, and not be, becaufe Being doth not neceffarily appertain to their Effence. For Inftance, it is Effential to Man that he be a Rational Creature, and if it were Effen- tial to him likewife to exift, he could not but always exift, but becaufe Exiftence is not of his Effence, therefore he may exiit, and not exift. Steps of Afcevfwn to Go J. €3 xift. God therefore is the Fountain of Be- ings becaufe his Effence a&ually includes perpetual Exiftence. And fo much thefe Words import, I am that I am : that is, I am Being it felf, and derive not my Being from another, but have it in my felf : it agrees to me alone, that Exiftence is Effential. From hence it is,, that Eternity and Immortality are proper to God, according to that of the A- poftle, I Tim. 1. Unto the King eternal, immor- tal, and in another Place, Who only hath Im- mortality. But other things receive Being frcm God in fuch a precarious manner, that long- er than they depend on him, and are fup- ported by him, they cannot fubfift. On this Account it is, that "the fame Apoftle fays of him, That He beareth all things by the Word of Heb. i. 3 his Power. For were not the Creation fuppor- ported and upheld by God, it would ccme to Ruine and Confufion in a Moment. Admire therefore, my Soul, and adore the Infinite Goodnefs of the Creator, who fo gracioufly fupports, and preferves all things, when he ftands not in any need of their affi- fiance : and let the Patience of the fame Creator be equally thy Wonder, and pro- pofe him to thy Imitation, who is fo kindLuk 6 ^, bcth to the unthankful and evil, as to maintain thofe who blafpheme him , and to continue thofe in being , that deferve to be reduced to nothing. Think it not therefore any hard Impofirion , when thou art commanded to bear with the Infirmities of thy Brother, and to return ads of Kindnefs for Hatred and Perfecution. But 64 Steps of Afcefjfion to God. But the Excellency of the Fountain of Be- ing confifts not only in this, that it receives not its Being from another Fountain, and in communicating Being to other things. For the Waters of Fountains, and thofe of Rivers are of the fame kind ; and tho' Fountains de- rive not their Waters from other Fountains, yet they haveCaufes of their Being, which are Vapours, and thefe again have their Caufes, and fo on till we afcend to the prime Caufe, which is God. But, my Soul, it is not with God thy Creator, as with the Creatures, he is diftinguifh'd from them by infinite Degrees of Honour, Nobility, and Excellence, and is truly and properly the Fountain of Being, be- came he doth not only not derive his Being from another Fountain of Being , but knows no Caufe at all. A Fountain of created Water, as you have been told, proceeds not from o- ther Water, but from another Caufe. The uncreated Fountain of Being finds nothing before it felf, depends on nothings ftands in need of nothing, is in no danger of receiving damage from another : but on the contrary, all things have their fole dependence on God, and He, as Judas Maccabeus affirms, can beck- en the whole Creation into Deftru&ion, 2 Mac. 8. 18. Admire thou, my Soul, and be enamour'd on this Excellency, this Beginning without Beginning, this Caufe without a Caufe, this infinite, unconfind, immenfe, and indifpen- fibly neceffary EiTence ; for all other things compar'd with this are merely fortuitous and contingent. And perhaps 'tis this which Luke jo. Truth it felf means, when he fays, One thing Steps of Afcevfion to Gccf. £§ is necefary. Therefore keep clofe to him , and faithfully ferve him • delight thy felf in lo- ving , and longing for him ; let all other things appear to thee what they really are^ Vile and defpicable in comparifon of him, and let no confideration touching them ruffle and difcompofe thee, feeing one thing is necet fary, and that fufficient for thine, and all o- ther Exigencies : but let thy main Concern be, never to fall from his Grace ,• and to en- deavour to pleafe him, and him alone, at all times, and in all Places. CHAR VIL NOW God is properly call'dthe Fountain of Life, becaufe he liveth, and hath Life in himfelf, yea, he himfelf is Life Eternal. This is, faith *St. John, i.Ep. $. the true God, and Life Eternal, and all things that live, re- ceive their Life from that Fountain, and when he withdraws his vital Influences, they die„ and return again to their Duft, as the fweet Singer of Ifrael tells us Pfalm 104. 29. To beget their like is proper to the living, but God begets a Son exactly like himfelf, i. e. God, and living. Fcr as the Father hath Life in himfelf, fo hath he given to the Son to have Life in himfelf ] as St. John teftifies in his GofpeL joh. < 2$ But the Father hath Life in himfelf, becaufe he is the Fountain of Life, and is not owing to another for it ,• and he hath given to the Son to have Life in himfelf, becaufe he hath communicated the fame Life, which he him- felf hath ^ and hence alfo the Son is the Foun- ts tain 66 Steps of Afcenfion to God. tain of Life^ but a Fountain derived from a Fountain., as he is God of God, and Light of Light. V/ho can declare, nay, who can con- ceive,, what the Life of God is, and what that Fountain of Life is, from whofe droppings Life is convey 'd to all the Living both in Hea- ven and Earth ? The Life we are acquainted with in this our State of Exile, is nothing elfe but an in- ward Principle of Motion, for thofe things are faid to live, whicn do fome way or other, move themfelves. From hence it is, by way of Similitude, that the Waters in Rivers are called Living, and thofe in Ponds, Dead, be- caufe thofe feem to have motion in themfelves, thefe ftirnot, unlefsforc'd by Winds, or fome external Violence. Thy God, my Soul, moft truly lives, and is the Author and Fountain of Life. For thus we frequently read in the Holy Scriptures, I Hue faith the Lord. And the Prophets often re- peat, the Lord li-veth, the Lord li-veth. And in Jer. 1 6. t ^ ie Prophet Jeremy, the Lord thus complains of his People, They have forfaken me the Foun- tain of living Waters. Yet for all this he is nei- Mai. v 6.ther moved by himfelf, nor by another; lam the Lord faith he, and am not changed ', and in another Place, God is net the Son of Man that he (Jmtldbe changed In the Ecclefiallick Hymn 'tis alfo lung, O God tht World's fir ft beauteous Fra: And Vigour lafi, 3 caufe Thourt the fame, And we Time's co??fh'?;t Ch.:?zges fee y Becqufe there is no Change in 'Thee. Akho J Steps of Afcevfion to God. 6j Altho' God begets a Son,, he doth it with- out any Change : tho' he fees, hears, fpeaks, loves, compaffionates, judges ; he doth all this without Change. Tho' he creates, and preferves, or on the contrary, deftroys, and throws things back into their Original State, and again renews, and alters, yet in his Operations he is quiet, and continues un- mov'd when any Change is brought about. How then (will you fay) doth he live, if he moves not himfelf? And how can he but live, if he is the Spring and Source of Life ? This Knot is eafily loos'd ; for it is a certain Argument of Life, if a thing acl of it Self, and is not mov'd by Another. But Life, for the moil part, in the Creatures, is an inter- nal Principle of Motion, becaufe they Hand in need of many things, that they may ex- ercifc the Functions of Life. But God is Infinite Perfection, and furninYd with all things from himfelf, therefore he acls indeed of himfelf, and is not mov'd by another, and Change and Motion are to him no Re- quisites. Created things itand in need of Change, that they may generate, and be ge- nerated, as generating from without them- felyes, and that which is begotten mull be changed to Being, from not Being. But God begets a Son within Himfelf, and within Himfelf produceth the Holy Ghoft, but nei- ther Son, nor Holy Ghoft, have need to be chang'd from not being to being, becaufe they receive that Being which always was, and they receive it not in Time but Eter- nity. Created things need the Motion of Augmentation, becaufe they are born with F % Imper* £8 Steps of Afcenfwn to God. Imperfe&ion, but God the Son is born with nbfolute Perfe&ion, and God the Holy Ghoft is produc'd with the fame. Created things need the Motion of Alteration , that they may attain feveral Qualities, which their Being requires; but God needs it not, ha- ving Effence of Infinite Perfe&ion. Cre- ated things need Motion to go from Place to Place, becaufe they are not in all Places, but God is whole and compleat every where. Beiides, the Creatures to be enabled to fee^ hear, fpeak, and work, have need of feveral Helps, and Affifcances, becaufe their Life is imperfect, and neceffitous ; but God needs no adventitious Aid to fee^ and hear all things, to fpeak to all, and to work all, and in all, becaufe he not only hath Life, but a compleat- ly perfed, and happy Life. And to inftance in the Act of Seeing. In order to exercife this Senfe, a Alan mull; have a vifive Faculty diitind: from the Soul, which properly lives; there mull be an Objeft, i. e. a colcur'd Body, plac'd without himfelf; there mull likewife be the Light of the Sun, or fome luminous Body ; there mull be a Medium, i.e. a transparent Body ,• there mull be a fenfible Species, which mull reach from the Objecl to the Eye; there mull be a Bodi- ly Organ, i. e. an Eye furniihed with various Humours, andfleihy Tunicles; there mull be Seniitive Spirits , and Optick Nerves , by which the Spirits may have Paftage ; there mull be a proportionate diilance, and the Application of the Faculty. Behold what Ailillances Men, and other Creatures, need to perform one vital A<5lion ! But God, in whom Steps of Afcenfon to God. 69 whom all Light is ceneer'd, flands not in need of any thing. His Infinite EfTence is to him Faculty,, Object, Species., Life, and all things elfe. God of Himfelf, by, and in Himfelf, difcerns all things that are, have been, or fhall be, and knows diftin&ly what- ever can be. Yea, before the "World was, God faw all things, neither was any Additi- on made to his Knowledge, or Vifion, by the Creation. What wilt thou be, my Soul, at that time, when thou /halt partake of this Life ? What hard thing doth God enjoyn thee, when he commands this corporeal, and animal, this neceffitous imperfect Life., to be expos'd for thy Brethren, or for the Caufe of himfelf, in order to an exchange for an eternal, glo- rious, and perfectly happy Life ? And if he deals not feverely with thee, in bidding thee fet fo fmall a Value upon Life, what an eafy and light thing fhould it feem, when he commands us freely to bellow our Riches, which are but dead, and fenfelefs Clay, on the Poor ; to abftain from fiefhly Lufts ,• readi- ly to renounce the Devil, and the vain Pomps of this World ; to long for, and pant after that Life, which is the only real, and true Life ? But 'tis high time now to advance, as well as we can, to the Fountain of Wifdom. The Fountain of Wifdom is the Word of God on High, faith Ecchfiafticus. And 'tis well, and fignificantly faid, on High,, becaufe the Foun- tain of Wifclom doth in a copious, and plen- tiful meafure flow upon holy Angels, and the Spirits of juft Men made perfect : but F J that 70 Steps of Afcenfion to God. that which falls to our fliare, who wander in a Wildernefs, and are in a State of Exile, may rather be'call'd a Vapour from, or Shadow of Wifdom, than Wifdom. Wherefore, my Soul, confider what Inqui- ries become thee ; pry not into things too high for thee, and above thy reach. Attempt not to find out Majeiiy to Perfection, left thou fhould'ft be overwhelm'd with its Glory. Ad- mire the "Wifdom of him, of whom the Apo- Bom< 6, ftle fpeaks, To the only wife God. Congratu- late thofe Helled Souls , that drink at the Fountain of Wifdom ; who, tho' they cannot comprehend God, which is only proper to the Fountain of Wifdom to do, yet they behold the Face of God, u e. the firfr. Caufe, without a Veil, and being enlightned with his bright- nefs, they make a right Judgment of all things. Neither in that Meridian Light of Wifdom, do they fear any Night of Error, Obfcurity of Ignorance, or Milt of Opinion. Afpire to, and pant after this happy State, and that thou mayeil fafely attain to it, love the Lord Colof 2-3.Jefus with all thy Soul, in whom are hid all the Treafures of the Knowledge and Wifdom of God. Tohn 14. ^ or ne natn &^ * n n * s Gofpel, He that loveth ii. me fljall be loved of my Father , and I will lo-ve him, end will manifefb my felf unto him. And what do thefe Words import, I will manifeft my felf unto him, but this, I will make a Difcovery of all the Treafures of the Knowledge and Wifdom of God, which are lodged in me ? There is implanted in every Man's Nature, a Defire of Knowledge, and tho' in molt, the Lufts of the Flefli have ftifled this Delire, yet when we /hall be divefted of this corrupti- ble Steps of Afcenfion to God. j \ ble Body, which cloggs, and depreffes the Mind, then this Defire fhall more vifibly ap- pear, and burn with greater Ardour, than all other Defires. How great, my Soul, will thy Portion of Felicity then be, when He whom thou loveft, and of whom thou art beloved, fhall fliew thee all the Treafures of the Knowledge and Wifdom of God ? But that thou mayeft not be fruftrated of fo great Hope and Expectation, be careful to keep the Commandments of Chrift ; for he himfelf hath faid, If any one love me y he will John 14. keep my Sayings and 3 he that loves me not, keep- *i> eth not my Sayings. And in the mean time let that be thy Wifdom which holy Job de- fcribes, when he faith, The Fear of the Lord Job 28. that is Wifdom , and to depart from Evil is Under- 28. fianding. And whatever Goodnefs thou find- eft in the Creatures, be allured that it de?. fcends from God the Fountain of all Goodnefs, that fo from the Goodnefs which thou dif- coverefl: in the Streams, thou mayeft be di- rected to admire that which is in the Foun- tain. F 4 THE 72 THE Fifth Step. From the Conftderation of the Air. CHAP, L THE Aery Element may prove an ex- cellent Teacher of Morality to Man- kind, if its Nature and Properties be duly obferv'd. Nor is it only adapted to teach Moral Philofophy, but alfo to difcover the Myfteries of Sacred Theology., and to raife up our Minds to God, if we attend to thofe feveral Benefits, which, by divine Appoint- ment, it inceffantly affords Mankind. Air, in the firft place, as it adminifters to Refpiration, preferves the Life of Man, and all earthly Creatures. In the next place it is fo abfolutely necefTary in order to our feeing, hearing, and f peaking, that if it fliould hap- pen to be wanting, tho' we have all other Requifites, Blindnefs,Peafnefs,and Dumbnefs would prefently feize on us all. And finally, fuch is the neceffity of Air,thatMen and other Creatures may be able to move, that take it away, and there's an end of all Motion ,• all Arts and Sciences are iifelefs, and all the Bu~ finefs Steps of Afcenfion to God. 7 3 finefs of Mankind is at a ftand. To begin with the firft. Did Men underftand that there is a Re- fpiration as proder, and neceffary to the Soul, as to the Body, many would be faved who now periih. The Body needs conti- nual Refpiration, becaufe the natural Heat, by which the Heart is inflamed, by the help or the Lungs, attrading the cool Air, and ejecting the hot, is fo temper'd, that it pre- ferves Life , without which Refpiration, it could not be continued. From which Con- fideration it is, that we ufually take living and breathing for the fame thing ; for every one that breatheth, liveth, and he that ceafeth to breath, ceafeth alfo to live. And thou, my Soul, that thou mayeft live a Spiritual Life, which is the Grace of God, haft need of con- tinual Refpiration, which is made by fending up ardent Sighs in Prayer unto God, and by fetching from him frelh Supplies of his holy Spirit. For what elfe is the meaning of thole Words of thy Lord, We ought always to p***/* Luke i& and not to faint, but this, thou oughteft al-, ways to figh, and receive new Spirit, that the Spiritual Life may not be extinguiihed in thee ? Which he repeats again, when he fays, Watch Luke 2 \ . therefore, and -pray continually. And the Apo- ftle confirms the fame in his former Epiftle to the TheJJalonians, faying, Tray without ceafing. 1 Thef f. With whom accords St. Peter in his former L- piftle, Be therefore prudent, and watch unto Pray- 1 Pet. 4. er. For this is true Wifdom, that we, who ftand in continual need of Divine Affiltance, fhould continually petition for it. Our Fa- ther, indeed^ knows what things we have- need 74 Steps of Afcenficn to God. need of, and he is ready to furnifh us with a plentiful Supply, efpecially of fuch things as promote our Eternal Salvation, but he will have Prayer the Inftrument of bringing them to us : for hereby more Honour accrues to him, and Benefit to us, than if all things fhould drop into our Mouths, whilft we are ftretcrf d out upon our Beds of Eafe, and our Hands folded to invite Sleep. Therefore our moil bountiful Lord exhorts, and earneftly Luke u importunes us to ask, when he faith, I fay un- to you, ask, and it fhatt be given you, feek, and ye ft all find, knock and it jhall be opened unto you ; for every one that asketh receiveth, and he that feeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it fliall be opened. And what that is which we fhould efpecially make Requeft for, and which will certainly be granted us, he declares a little after, faying, If ye being evil, knojv how to give good Gifts unto your Children, how much more fljall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Ghoft to them that ask him ? For this Holy Spirit we fhould conftantly and earneftly petition, and we need not doubt, but Prayer rightly qualified, will procure it, whereby we fhall have Refpiration in God, and fo preferve Spiritual Life, as holy David F&l. 1 20. did, who faid, 7 opened my Mouth, and drew in my Breath : that is, I open'd my Mouth in de- firing., fighing, and requefting, with groans that cannot be uttered ; and I drew in the rnoft delicious Air of the Spirit of God, which allay 'd the heat of Concupifcence, and efta- blifihed me in every good Work. Now th^ Cafe being thus, who will fay, that thofe Perfons live in a Spiritual Senfe, who fpend whole Days, nay, Months,and Years, and never Steps of Afcevfion to God. 7 § figh after God, nor fend up Petitions to him ? For it is a certain Sign of Death not to breath, and if to breath is to pray, it will be a Sign of Death not to pray. Spiritual Life, by which we are the Sons, of God, confifls in Love : Ye fee, faith St. John in his Epiftle, l John * , what Love the Father hath given us, that we jlwuld be called, and be, the Sons of God. But who is in love, and defireth not to fee the Perfon whom he loveth ? Who defires, and asks not for what he defires, from him, who he knows will give if asked ? .He then that prays not daily to fee the Face of his God, de- fires not to fee him ,• he that defires not, loves not ; he that loves not, doth not live. What follows then, but that we conclude thofe to be dead to God, though the World account them the only living, who converfe not with him daily in holy Prayer, nor lift up their Heart towards him ? Neither is he to be reckond in the number of fuch as pray, and breath, and live, that only draws nigh to God with his Lips ,♦ for wife Men define Prayer to be, not a beating the Air with the Voice, but the lifting up the Soul unto God. Therefore, my Soul 5 don't deceive thy felf, in fancying thou liveft to God, if thou doi| not earnestly feek him with thy whole Hearr^, and figh after him Day and Might. Pretend not that Multiplicity of Bufinefs allows thee not leifure for divine Conferences, and Pray- er. The holy Apoftles had a great deal of Bufinefs upon their Hands, and that too the Work of God, and the Salvation of Souls, infomuch that one of them could fay, Befidcs 2 Cor, u thofe 7^ Steps of Afcenfion to God. thofe things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the Care of aU the Churches, Who is weak, and I am not weak ? Who is offended and I burn not ? And yet this fame Apoftle, befides his very frequent mentioning of his Prayers, Phil. 3. writes thus to the Fhilippians, Our Conner fation is in Heaven* This he could fay, becaufe in the greateit hurry of Bufinefs, he convers'd with Heaven in defire, and did not at any time forget his beloved, otherwife he Gal. 2. could not fay, I am crucified with Chrift. Ne- verthelefs I live, yet not J, hut Chrifi li-veth in me* CHAP. II. ANother Property of the Air is, that it is the Medium by which the feveral kinds of Colours, and Sounds, come to our Eyes and Ears, without which we could neither fee nor hear, no, nor fpeak. On which Ac- count, in the firft Place we fhould give molt hearty thanks to God, for vouchsafing our Nature fo great a Benefit. And next, we fhould admire the Wifdom of our Creator, in a Work of fuch fubtlety and finenefs : that whereas the Air is a real Body, and fo great, that it is almoit. immenfly fpacious, yet it can neither be felt nor feen for its inexpreffible finenefs. Antiquity admired the fmeneis of one Line, which ApeUes drew with a Pencil, but that was both feen and felt, and there- fore no ways comparable to the finenefs of this, moft fubple Veil, which furrounds^ and touch- eth Step of Afcevfioii to Ged. 77 eth all Men, yet is ken of none by reafbn of its wonderful finenefs. But what adds to our wonder is, that though the Air is fo very fine, and thin a Body, yet when it is cut in two and parted, with the greater! eafe ima- ginable, it is fo clos'd and united again, as if it had never been feparated. Certainly, the greateft Artift cannot fo repair a broken Spi- der's Web, or a fine piece of Lawn when rent, but that the former Breach will appear. To this we may add, what calls for our utmofl Admiration, and is proper to Divine Wifdom alone, that innumerable Species of Colours, pafs at the fame time, and without mixing, thro' the very fame part of Air. He that in a Moon-fhine Night, plac'd in an high and open Place, beholds the Stars above, and fees beneath,the Fields all over bedeckt with Flow- ers, and beholds alfo Houfes, Trees, living Creatures, and many other fuch things, can- not but own, that the Species of all theie things are contain'd in that part of Air which is near him, and fo contain'd, as not to inter- mix one with another, But who can under- Hand or comprehend this? For how can it be, that a thing fo very thin and fine as the Air, ihould contain at one and the fame time, fo great variety of Forms ? And what, if -at the fame time, and place, there be the finging of the winged Quirifters on one fide, and the warblings of feveral Mufical Inftruments on another fide, and the murmurs of falling Wa- ters in another, mult not all thefe Sounds, or all their Species, of neceffity, be received at one and the fame time in "that very Air, which receives fo many Forms of Colours ? who, 8 7 Steps of Afcenfion to Go J, Who, my Soul, could fo order Matters, but thy Creator, who only doth wonderful things ? And if his Works are fo wonderful, how far more wonderful mull He himfelf be ? But there is another conveniency of this admira- ble Subtlety in the Air, when he faith, Be ye followers of God as dear Children, and walk in love, as Chrifi alfo loved m, and gave hlmfelf for 74s, an Oblation and Sacrifice to God, for a Jweet fmelling Savour. Match. 5. Imitate God the Father., Who caufeth his Sun to ■ rife upon the good and evil, and giveth Rain both to the jufi and unjufi. Imitate God the Son, who having anum'd Humane Nature for our fakes, fpared not his own Life to deliver us from the Powers of Darknefs, and from everlafting Perdition. Imitate God the Ho- ly Ghoft, who plentifully flieds abroad his moil precious Gifts, that he may purify our Souls, and of earthly and carnal, make us • become Heavenly and Spiritual THE §5 THE Sixth Step. From the Confideration of Fire. CHAP. L FI R E is an Element fo very pure and noble., that God himfelf was pleafed to be call'd by that Name^ according to what both Mofes and Paul affirm., Our God is a Dent. 4. con fuming Fire. And when God firft appeared Heb, 12. to Mofes, it was his pleafure to be (ten in Fire., which feized on a Bufh, and did not confume it. God, faith Mofes, appear d in ^Exod, 3. Flame of Fire out of the midft of the Bufij and he faw that .the Bujh burned, and was not confu- ted. And when God likewife came to give his Law to his People., he appear'd in the likenefs of Fire ; for thus faith the fame Mo- fes, Mount Sinai was all on fmoak, becaufe the Exod. ig. Lord defended upon it in Fire. Agreeably to which Myftery^ when the new Law was to be published., the Holy Ghoft appear d to the A $ s 2# Apofties in Tongues of Fire. And finally., they who in Heaven make the nearefc Ap- proach to God., are called Seraphim, that is fiery ^ becaufe they conceive a greater degree G 3 of 26 Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. of Fervour and Heat, from that Divine and moft ardent Fire, than the other Orders of Angels do. It will therefore be no difficult Matter to make us a Step, from the Nature and Properties of this Element, which by the Affiilance of Prayer and Meditation, will ad- vance us nearer to God. It will certainly be lefs difficult to mount upwards with Ellas in a fiery Chariot, than to make Steps of Afcen- fion from either Earth, Water, or Air. Come we then to confider the Properties of Fire. Fire is of fuch a Nature, that in different things, it works after a different^ and many times a contrary manner. Such things as Wood, Hay, and Stubble, it forth- with confumes : but Gold, Silver, and preci- ous Stones it purifies, and renders more beau- tiful. Iron, which is naturally black, cold, hard, and heavy, Fire fo tranfmutes into con- trary Qualities, that it prefentiy becomes bright and hot, foft and light ; nay, that it /nines like a Star, burns like Fire, diffolves .like Water, lays afide its ponderoufnefs, and becomes fo light, that the Smith can ma- nage it at Pleafure. Ail thefe things manifeftly agree to God. And in the firft place, Wood, Hay, Stubble, according to the Apoftie, in his former Epi- Cor. 3. ftie to the Corinthians , fignify evil Works, which cannot bear the Fire of Divine Judg- ment. And, indeed, it is not to be imagin d how forely all Sins difpleafe God, who is moft pure Fire ,• and with how great Zeal he confumes and deftroys them, if they may be deftroyed by Repentance, that is, if the Sin- ner is in a State that is capable of Repentance ; for Steps of Afcenfion to God. 87 for by Repentance all Sins are done away : but if the Sinner is uncapable of Repentance, as evil Spirits are, and all Men after this Life,, then the "Wrath of God lights upon the wick- ed themfelves, for as the Wife Man faith, The wicked and his wickednefs are abomination to Wifd. i±, the Lord. Now how great and fevere this ha- tred is, which God executes upon the finally impenitent, the Devil can atteft, who finned once, and tho' he was a moft glorious Angel, and (as fome conceive) the Prince of the nrft Order of Angels, and the moft excellent of the Creatures of God; yet was prefently thrown down from Heaven, ftripp'd of all his Supernatural Grace and Glory ,• transfor- med into a moft ugly Monfter, and enflav'd to everlafting deftrudion. Of this Chrift is witnefs, who came down from Heaven to deftroy the Works of the Devil, that is., Sin : .and is therefore called the Lamb of God which taketh away the Sins of the World. Now that Chrift might deftroy the Works of the Devil, and make compleat Satisfaction to Divine Juftice, who can declare., or fo much as conceive., what Hardihips he endur'd ? Who being in the Form of God, tnade himfelf of no PhiVp. 2. reputation, and took upon him the Form of a Ser- vant ; who when he was rich became povr for our 2 Cor. 8, Jakes ; who had not a Place where to lay his Luke 9. Head, tho' he was the Creator of both Hea- ven and Earth : He came to his own, and his John 1. own received him not ; when he was reviled, he \ Per. 1. reviled not again ,• when he fuffered, he threatned not, but committed himfelf to him that judgeth right ecufly ; who his own f elf did bear our Sins in Philip. 2 his own Body on the Tree : He humbkd himfelf j p ec# 2t ' G 4 and S 8 Steps of Afcenfion to God. and became obedient unto Death; even the Death of the Crofs .: by ivhofe Stripes we are healed : And laftly, being mocked, fpit upon, fcour- ged, crown d with Thorns, crucified with the greater! Reproach, and moft grievous Pain, fried his Blood, and expir'd. All this he underwent- to deftroy the Works of the Devil, and to attone for our Sins. To this the Law of God attefts, which forbids, and puniJneth, Sin in general, and leaves not fo r - much as an idle Word unaccounted for. And how mult he abominate all great and heinous Crimes, who cannot endure fo much as an Piklm 10, idle Wor( j > rke Law c jr the Lord ^ unde fil ec [ y and the Precepts of the Lord give light ,• they utterly diflike Impurity and Darknefs ; neither can there be any Communion betwixt Light and Darknefs, nor betwixt Righteoufnefs and Iniquity. To conclude, Hell it felf is wit- neis hereto, which God hath prepared for the Wicked, and Sinners, who, when they might have been cleanfed with the Blood of the im- maculate Lamb, either refufed or negie&ed : For it is equitable that there mould be no end of Punifhment to thofe, whofe Sins fhall e- veriaitingiy remain. But what the Nature of infernal Puniihment is, and how great, I dare not fo much as confider in my Thoughts* But of this we will fay fomething more in the laft Step. Therefore, my Soul, fince Iniquity is fo deteftable in the fight of God, if thou loveft God above all things, thou oughteft alfo to hate Sin above all things. Have a care of being impos'd upon by thofe who go about co extenuate and excufe Sin ; See that thou cheat Steps of Afcenfion to God. 8p cheat not thy felf by falfe reafoning. If Sin is not difpleafing to thee, both in thy felf and others, pretend what thou wilt, thou loveft not God, and if thou loveft him not, thou art loft and undone. But further, if thou art not ungrateful to Chrift, how much thinkeft thou, art thou indebted to his Love and Labour ? For his fhedding his Blood, and dying for thee ? To Chrift, I fay, who wafnd thee from thy Sins, and reconciled thee to his Fa- ther ? Canft thou think much after this to fuffer fomething for Chrift, or for his Sake, and with his Affiftance, to make a ftand a- gainft Sin,even unto Blood ? But to conclude, if thou canft not patiently dwell with everlafting Burnings, fure I am, thou oughteft as impa- tiently to continue in Sin ; nay, thou ought- eft to fhun it, and all occafions of being be- tray'd to it, as thou wouldeft fhun the Face of a Serpent. Make then a firm and ftedfaft Refolution, always to joyn the greateft Hatred of Sin, with the greateft Love to God. CHAP. II. NOW there are fome things, fuch as Gold, Silver, and precious Stones, which Fire doth not deftroy, but perfect, and renders more bright and radiant, becaufe (as the fame Apoftle there explains them) thofe i Cor. %. Metals denote good and perfed Works, which are approved of in the Fire of Divine Judgment, and fhall receive a great Reward. Thofe Works God approves of, becaufe they are 9o Steps of Afcenfion to God. are his own Gifts,, and .when he crowns our Merits (faith St. Auguftm) he crowns his own Gifts. For they are done at his Command, by his Affiftance, by his conferring upon us the Power of a&ing., and by his directing us by the Laws which he hath ena&ed, and the Rules which he hath prefcrib'd. Gold, in- deed^ denotes Works of Charity : but how can it be, that fuch Works mould not be highly pleafmg to God, who is Love it felf ? iJohn4.5ii ver d enotes Works of Wifdom, of thofe Perfons, 1 mean, who inftrud many unto Ddn. 12. Righteoufnefs : and fuch Works are very grateful and acceptable to God ; for thus faith Matth. 5. the Wifdom of God, He that doth, and teacheth, thefamejliallbe called great in the Kingdom of God. Precious Stones are the Works of a chafte and continent Soul, which Works Ecckfiafiicus 5 ^. affirms to be invaluable. And from hence it is, that in the Ecclefiaftical Office, in Praife of holy Virgins, the Gofpel is read concern- ing the precious Pearl that was found. How grateful Virginal Purity is to God, we may learn from the Prophet Efaias, who in the Name of God, foretells to the Eunuchs., that Matth 1 p. i s to thofe who have made themfelves fo, for Ei'ai. $6. tne Kingdom of Heaven ; Unto them will I give in mine Honfe, and ivithin my Walls, a Place and a 'Name better than of Sons, and of Daughters, and I will give them an everlafting Name, which jhall not he cut off. Which Place St. Jugufiine in his Treatife of holy Virginity, demon- foates in a lofty Harangue, that it fhould be underftcod of holy Virgins both Male and female, Steps of A[cenfion to Go J. $ i Neither yet fhall only the Charity of Martyrs, the Wifdom of Do&ors, or Purity of Virgins, be approve! of in the Fire of Divine Judg- ment, and receive a full Reward, but all o- ther good Works, provided they be done in Charity, fhall be reckoned amongft the Golden Veffels ; /hall be able to endure the Divine Fire, and fhall not fail of a Reward. For to fuch will the Lord fay at the laft Judgment. Come ye bleJJ'ed of my Father , receive the Mat. 2$, Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World, who have given Bread to the Hun- gry^ Drink to the Thirfty, Lodging to the Stranger, Clothing to the Naked, Confolati- on to the Sick, and to the Imprifoned. And M at . IO * the fame Lord hath gracioufly promifed, fhat thofe fhall not fall fhort of their Reward, who out of Charity fhall give only a Cup of cold "Water in the Name of a Difciple. Art thou fenfible., O my Soul, of the great difference betwixt feme Works, and others? And wherein canft thou difcovermcre wretch- ed Folly, than by rifmg early, and fitting up late , by inceffant Toil and Drudgery , to pick up dry Wood, Hay, and Stubble in that very Place, and at the felf fame time, where- in, had ft thou any Vvlfdom, thou may eft fur- nifh thy felf with Gold, and Silver, and pre- cious Stones, and that with the greateft Eafe and Plealure ? that thou wert wife, that then Deut. 3 2, wouldft under fi and this, and confider thy latter end ? Confider, I fay, that at the laft Day when all thefe things will be examined, and try'd in the Fire of Divine Judgment; the firft fhall have the Honour of Divine Applaufe, and be crown'd with Eternal Life ; and that the $2 Steps of Afcevfion to God. the laft will perifh in the Tryal, and be re- ducd to Smoak and Arties ! Why doll thou now make choice of what thou wilt moll certainly repent to have chofen ? And why doll thou not now condemn , when thou may eft to good purpofe , what thou wilt afterwards do to no purpofe at all i And if it fo happens that thou canft not now fee into thefe things, and the interpofition of worldly Concerns permits thee not to difcern pure and plain Truth ; pray with the greateft earneftnefs and affe&ion, with that blind Luke 1 8. Man in the Gofpel, Lord grant that mine Eyes Pfal. 1 1 8. way be opened : or with the Prophet, Open mine Eyesy that I may fee the wonderful things of thy Law. For fure it is no lefs than a Wonder, that the Works which are done in Charity, ihould become Gold, Silver, and precious Stones ; that thofe which are not done in Charity, rtiould be converted into dry Wood 3 Hay, and Stubble. CHAP. III. PRoceed we now to confider another Pro- perty of Fire. For we have yet only learn'd from it the manner of Divine Opera- tions in thofe who carry their Sins to the Grave, or perfevere in good Works to the end of their Life. Now by another Similitude drawn from the fame Fire, we may under- stand how God operates with thofe whom he calls from Sin to Repentance, Steps of Afcenfion to Gcd 93 A finful Man is like to Iron, the which whilft it is at a diftance from the Fire, is black, cold, hard, and heavy ; but if it be put into the Fire, it is made bright, warm, foft, and light. Every Sinner wanteth interiour Light, and walketh in Darknefs, and in this Helped refembles the blacknefs of Iron. For notwithstanding that in the Sciences, and in his Tranfa&ions with Men, he feems to be not only very witty, but very judicious too ; yet in paffing Judgment about what is really good and evil, he is blind, and in a more wretched Condition, than a Man that is blind indeed. For fuch a one difcerns nothing, and therefore ftirs not without a Guide ; but a Sinner fancies he fees, what he fees not, or fees one thing for another, and takes good for evil, and evil for good ; great for little, and little for great ; long for fhort, and fhort for long ; and therefore is always miftaken in his Choice. This is what the Apoftle faith concerning the Heathen Idolaters, Having the E?f> f- Under ft anding darkned through the Ignorance which is in them , becaufe of the blindnefs of their Heart. This is what our Lord himfelf fo often up- braids the Scribes and Pharifees with in the Golpel, that they were blind 3 and leaders of the M.ztth.i~~ blind. This is what the Prophet Efaias faith to the Jews of his time, Hear ye deaf dnd^*^ *~ look ye blind that ye may fee. And to thefe he foretells the coming of Chrift, who fhoukl open the Eyes of the blind ; and fpeaking of the New Teftament in the Perfonof God, he adds, And I will bring the blind by a way which they know not, and will lead them in Paths which they have not known j I will make darknejs light before 24 Steps of Afcevfion to God. before them, and crooked things firaight. Laftly, fhall not the wicked themlelves acknowledge fo much after this Life, when Pain fhall begin to open the Eyes of their Mind, which had Wifd. 5. b een clofed by Guilt and Wickednefs ? We have erred, will they fay, from the way of Truth, and the Light of Right eoufnefs hath not JJiined upon m, and the Sun of Right eoufnefs rofe net upon us. Nor is it any wonder that they are thus blind, who are alienated from God both in 1 John 1. -^ill and Mind. For God is Light, and in him is no Darknefs at all. Whereupon the fame A- poftle concludes, He that faith he is in the Light, and hateth his Brother, is in Darknefs until now. And a little after, He that hateth his Brother is in Darknefs, and walketh in Darknefs, and know- eth not whither he goeth, hecaufe Darknefs hath blinded his Eyes. Nor is the only Caufe of Sinners Blindnefs, that they turn away from God who is Light, Wifd. 2. but Malice is another, which, as the Wife Man faith, hath blinded them. For the Paffions of the Mind, fuch as Love, and Hatred, An- ger, Envy, and other things which are com- prehended under the Name of Malice, do fb blind the Mind, that they fuffer not the Truth to be difcerned ,• but are like difco- lour'd Profpe&ive GlafTes, which reprefent white things as red : or Glaffes k contriv'd, as to make great things of fmall, or fmall of great,- or near of very remote, or very remote of near. He that is far engag'd in Love, judg- eth the thing he is in love with, to be very amiable , ufeful and excellent, nay, indeed, neceffary, and fuch as he cannot be without, and therefore to bs purchafed, tho' with the Step of Afcenfion ft God. 9 5 the neglect and mine of all his other Con- cerns, On the contrary, he that hates the very fame thing to a great degree, looks upon the fame as devoid of Lovelinefs and Beauty, accounts it ufelefs, incommodious, nay, de- ftrudive to him, and therefore will fpare no Coil to keep it at adiftance. But if that black and rufty Iron be applied to the Fire, that is, if the Sinner begin to turn from Sin, and convert to God, according to that of the Pfalmift, Come unto him^ and be ye enlightned ' y pf a j, „ he begins by little and little to clear up, and by that Light todifcernthe plain Truth of the Matter, according to what the fame Prophet affirmeth, In thy Light wefljallfee Light. And Pfal 34- having at laft broken the difcolour'd Perfpe- chives of Paffions, and taken up inftead there- of, the Chryftalline ones of Charity unfeign- ed, he judgeth eternal things to be great; and temporal things to be (mall, and incon- fiderable, as they really are : and very evi- dently perceives , that all the Glory, and Beauty of the Creatures, is no ways compa- rable to the Light of Wifdom, and Truth, which is in God, and is God. Such an one is ready to cry out with St. Augufiin. ff I be- " gan to love Thee too late, O ancient and cc new Beauty, I loved Thee too late ! And becaufe Chrift faith, Ye Jhall know the Truth;, and John 8. the Truth (hall wake you free ; he that is illumi- nated, and, by the light of Truth, delivered from the Fetters of Concupifcenfe, Avarice, Ambition, and the reft of the Pafficns, is with the Prophet tranfported with Joy, and faith, Lord thou hafi broken my Bonds aj under , Iwillof-jt££ £ # fer to thee a Sacrifice of Vraife 3 and will call on the Name of the Lord. CHAP. p6 Steps of Afcenfion to God. B CHAP, IV. U T Fire doth not only render Iron bright and fluning, that at firft was ob- fcure, and dark, but of cold makes it warm,- and not only warm, but fo vehemently hot, that itfeems to be true., and living Fire. Great is the Lord, and great is his Power, who makes a Man that is cold by Nature, and ready to tremble at the /haking of a Leaf ; one that has neither Courage to fpeak, nor fliew his Face, nor to attempt any thing of difficulty ; who makes filch an one, by heat- ing him at the Fire of Charity, more daring than a Lion, to roar as frightfully, to over- come all Oppofition, readily to engage with Difficulties, and to cry out with the Apoftle Phil. 4. Tauly who was enflamed by this Fire, I can do all things through him that strengthens me. But let us fpeak particularly of the Effi- cacy of this Fire ; and firft let us briefly difcourfe of the Efficacy of Words, and then of the Efficacy of Deeds. There are now, and ever have been, in the Church, many Preachers of God's Word. What is the Reafon that fofew are converted at the Calls and Ex- hortations of fo many Men ? In fome great Ci- ties, during the time of Lent, there is opportuni- ty of hearing Sermons every Day, and yet when that time is over, there appears little or no Re- formation in the Life,and Converfation of the Citizens. The fame vicious Inclinations, the fame Injuftice and Pride, the fame Coldnefs and Steps of Afcevfw?i io God. $J and IndifFerency, the fame DifTolutenefs is to be feen. I cannot affign a more probable Reafon for the Unfuccesfulnefs of their La- bours, than making it their primary care to deliver learned, elegant, and florid Harangues, after a cold, unaftedionate and unmoving manner. In a word, there is a want of that great Charity, which only can animate the Hearts of Speakers, and inflame and change the Hearts of them that hear. I fpeak not this as if Preachers were afraid of their Lungs, or did not ufe Addon enough in their Pul- pits ,• for we know very well that Guns, without a Charge of Bullets make a thun- dring Report, but execute nothing. What I complain of, is, their not expreffing a zea- lous Affe&ion for God, and the Salvation of Souls, and that not diflembled, but real ; not extorted, but flowing as it were naturally from the fountain of the Heart. St. Peter was un- acquainted with Rhetorick, or the Art of Speaking, his Skill did chiefly confiit in ma- naging a Boat, in mending his Nets, and in a dexterity of caiting them. But when the Holy Ghoft came upon him in tongues of Fire, and fill'd him with flaming Charity, he prefently began to fpeak in the midft of the City Jerufalem, with fo great Power, Zeal and Efficacy, that by one Sermon he con- verted thoufands to Faith and Repentance. AQs * Nor do we find that in his preaching, he rais'd his Voice to any extraordinary height, or fa- tigu'd himfelf with theatrical G enures. We find related in the life of an holy Preacher, who was inconfiderable for Learning, and un- vers'd in rhetorical Arts, that the People heard H his 9$ Steps of AfcenfiontoGod. his Sermons with fuch Attention , as if he had been an Angel from Heaven. The rea- fon given for their Attention is, becaufe his Words were as burning Fire, and piercing into the inner parts of the Heart. And that the People were greatly edified, and excited to Repentance, in hearing him, is attributed to this, that the Preacher was a Coal of Fire, and his "Word a Burning Torch. But this divine Fire discovers its Efficacy no lefs in Ads than in "Words. God decreed by his Apoflles to bring the World in iiibjecHon toHimfelf. Some he fent to the Ethiopians, fome to the Indians, fome to the Scythians, fome to the Br it aim, and others to other pla- ces. By thefe Inftuments he decreed to de- ilroy the Idols of the World, to ere& the Tro- phy of the Crofs, to change Laws and Cu- ifoms, and to overthrow the Tyranny of the Devil. Should any have foretold this to the Apoflles when they were fifhing in the Lake Gemiefaretk ; or when, at the Paffion of our Lord, they fought for places to hide them- felyes ; they wou'd have loo^d on fuch a Pre- diction no better than a Dream, or an old Woman's Fable ,• and yet, not long after, all this was efFe&ed, and by no other Force than 2 John 4. than that of moil ardent Chanty, which the Holy Ghoft had enkindled in their Hearts : 2 Cor. 13. For love, as the Apoille faith, cafis cut fear, en- dure th all things, hopeth all things ; accounteth all things porlible, and with the Apoftle cry - Phi!. 4. eth out, / can do all things through him who firengtheneth me. Thus we iee Idolatry uni- versally overthrown ; Chriftian Churches e very where founded ; and the Trophy of the Crofi Steps of Afcenfwn to God. pp Crofs ere&ed in all Kingdoms ; and all this without an Army of Soldiers, or any warlike provision ^ by the means and endeavour of thofe Men, that were furniJn'd with no other Armour but that of Charity. CHAP. V, Fire hath this further Proper ty, that of hard it makes Iron foft, fo that it may with eafe be made thin, and beaten into Plates, and receive any Figure which the Artift hath a mind to imprefs upon it. Great is the force of Fire upon Iron ; but far greater is the Power of God upon the obftinate and obdurate Hearts of Men. Hear what St. Ber- nard faith In his Book of Confideration. cc It c * is only., faith he, an hard heart which is " not horribly afraid of it felf, by reafon of cc its Infenfibilky. What is then an hard ct heart ? It is that which is not wounded cc with Compunction^ nor mollified with Pie- cC ty, nor moved with Prayers ; that relents cf not at Menaces, that is harden d by Stripes, ct is ungrateful for Benefits, and regardlefs cc to counfel and advice. He adds a little after : cc It is that which neither fears God, cc nor reverenceth Men. For the truth of all which we need only appeal unto Pbaraob 3 who, the more God inflicted his Scourges up- on him, was fo much the more hardened < and the more the Mercy of God iignaliz'd it felf, in removing the Scourge, the more was he encouraged to defpife and contemn II i Godr Luke ioo Steps of Afcevfion to Go J. God. But if at any time, God is pleafed to enkindle one Spark of Fire, of true and fin- cere Love to himfelf, in a Heart that is never fo hard, it will prefently grow foft, and melt like Wax ; nor can Obftinacy, though never fo ftiff, and of longftanding, hold outagainft the Power thereof - but that will prefently become an Heart of Flefh, which was an Heart of Stone ; and Waters /nail flow from congealed Snow affoon as the Spirit of the Lord blows upon it. This is exemplify 'd to us in that Woman in St. Luke, who took fuch delight in finning, that neither the Admoni- tions of a Brother, nor the Rebukes of a Si- fter, nor the Reputation of her Family, nor her own Difgrace, could move to betake her felf to a virtuous courfe ; and yet one ray of Chrift defcending into her Heart, and there enkindling a fpark of divine Love, on a Hidden made fo through a change in her, that (he was not aftiam'd (tho' a perfon of quality) to proftrate her felf at Chrift's Feet at a publick Entertainment ; and diifolving into Tears, to bath his Feet therewith, and to make a Towel of her Hair to wipe them, and out of an excefs of love, to kifs the lame Feet, and to anoint them with very coftly and fweet Ointment, to intimate, that for the future fhe would dedicate her felf, and all Ike had, to the Service of Chrift. For this was fhe vouchfafed this gracious An- fwer from our Lord, Her Sins> tho mayy, are her , becaufe (Ik loved much. C H A P; Steps of Afce?tfion to God. i o i CHAP. VI. THere remains the laft Property of Fire, that it rarifies things grofs, and enables them with eafe to mount upwards. What is the reafon that Men not heated with Divine Fire, are fo heavy hearted, and that the Pro- phet faith to them, How long will ye love va-V&\» 4 nity, and feek after lies ? The reafon is given by the Wifeman, from the day that they go out of their mothers womb, till the day that they return to the mother of all things. Now what this heavy yoke is, which in the body of Man thus encumbers the Soul, the fame Au- thor acquaints us a little after, when he adds, Wrath and envy, trouble and difquietude, fear of death , and anger, and fir if e , and other things which are called the pajfums of the Soul. Theie things fit fo heavy upon Man, that he can fix his Eyes on nothing but Earth, on which he lies groveling, to which he is naifd and glew'd, fo that he cannot raife himfelf from thence to feek after God, nor to run the ways of his Commandments. But when the Divine Fire defcends from on high, and begins to kindle in the heart of Man, thofe Paffionsdo ienfibly dwindle and mortifie, and the heavy burden grows light ; and if this heat gathers ftrength, the Heart of Man eafny throws oft its burden, and initead thereof, takes the Wings of a Dove, and is able to fay with the Apoftle, Our converfation is in heaven; anc ^phil. 2 ,' bis Heart being as it were enlarged by Fire, H ] profeffes 102 Steps of Afcenfion to God. Luke x 2, profeiTes with David, I have run the ways of thy commandments, fince thou hafi enlarged mine PfaL ns^ heart. Doubtlefs fince our Saviour faid, I am come to fend fire upon earth, and what will I but that it be kindled? We have feen great num- bers of Men fo to unburden themfelves, as to quit all affection to Honours and Riches, and carnal delights, and have faid to Chriit de- parting hence to Heaven, Draw its after thee. From hence fo many Churches and Religious Houfes have been erected ; fo many Perfons have retired to Defarts, that they might more clofely converfe with God ; that even the &poc. i 4 . weaker Sex have been able to run the ways of God's Commandments, and to follow the Lamb whitherfoever he went. O bleifed Fire that doit not Confume, but Enlighten ; or if thou may 'ft be faid to coniume, it is only our noxious Humours, which would otherwife ftifle and extinguish Life ! O who will help me to a Touch from this Fire ? a Fire which by the light of true V/ifdom, would perfectly cure me of the Black- nefs of Ignorance, and the Darknefs of an Er- roneous Confcience • which would exchange the Cold of Lazinefs, Indevotion, and Care- lefnefs, for the Ardour of Love ; that would never fuffer my Heart to be hardened, but ever mollifie it with its Heat, and make it o- bedient and devout : and laitly, which would take away the heavy Yoke of worldly con- cerns, and earthly De/ires, and with the wings of holy Contemplation, which nouriiheth Cha- rity, and makes it thrive, would raife mine Heart on high, fo that I might fay with the ¥fclm 85. Prophet, make glad, O Lord, the foul of thy fervavA, for I have lifted up my foul unto thee* THE £03 THE Seventh Step. From the Confederation of Heaven, Sun, Moon and Stars. CHAP. I. WE fhall not in this place need to be at the expence of any great pains to approach one Step nearer to God, from confederation of Heaven, for the royal Prophet hath fliew'd us the way, who in his Pfalms thus fings, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the Firmament JJieweth his handy * work. And becaufe there are two Seafons, In which, from confidering the Heavens, we afcend to God on the wings of Contempla- tion, viz,, Day and Night ; of the former he thus writes in the fame Pfalm, He hath plac'dVlllm 19. his tabernacle in the (nn, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a gy- ant to run a race. His going forth is fro?n the end of heave?t, and his circuit unto the ends of it, and there is nothing hid from the feat of it, Of the Other fealon he writes in another Pfalm, /Pfalm 8. fee the heavens , the works of thine hands, the moon H ^J sud 1 04 Steps of Afcenfion to God. and ftarrs which thou hafl ordained. Begin we with the former Seafon. The holy Spirit, by the Pen of David, records a four-fold com- mendation of the Sun, which prefents it felf to our View in the day-time ; the nrft, that it is the Tabernacle of God ; the fecond, that 'tis very beautiful ; the, thirds that 'tis very fwift, inceffant, and indefatigable in its Mo- tion ,* the fourth j that it principally difplays its Power in adminiftring Light and Heat. All which Confiderations made the Wifeman Ecclus. 4. pronounce it, A marvellous infirument, the work of the mofi High. In the nrffc place then, God the Univerfal Creator hath pkch'd his Tabernacle in the Sun, as in a thing of the greateft Note and Eminency; that is, God hath made choice of the Sun, rather than any other corporal things to dwell in, as in a Royal Palace, or Divine Sanduary. God indeed filleth Hea- ven and Earthy ) : ea, Heaven, and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him ,* yet is he faid there more efpeciaily to refide, where he dif- covers greater Evidences of his prefence, by his wonderful Operations. But fmce in the original it is faid, In them (that is, in the Hea- vens) bath he Jet a tabernacle for the fun ; we infer from this part of the Pfalm, another Ex- cellency of the Sua, which is not inconfift ent with the former. The Sun is a vaftly great thing y for which God hath prepared a molt fpacious, beautiful, and noble Palace. For God would have Heaven its felf to be the Pa- lace of the Sun, where it might have a fpaci- ous Orb to move in, and flied its Influences ; and that the Sun it felf fliould be the Palace of Steps of A(ce?ifio?i to God. i o 5 of God, who is King of Kings. As there- fore we know the Greatnefs and Eminency of the Sun, becaufe Heaven is its Tabernacle ; (o we know, in fome meafure, the Great- nefs and Eminency of God, by this, that the Sun is his Tabernacle,- the Sun, that admirable Inftrument, than which nothing is found more wonderful amongft corporeal things. In the next place, David, that he might difcover to us the exquifite Beauty of the Sun, from things that we are acquainted with, he compares it to a Bridegroom going out of his Chamber : For Men are never more curious in adorning themfelves, nor more defirous to fet themfelves off to the belt Advantage, than at that time they are Bridegrooms ,• for then they take efpecial care to recom- mend themfelves to, and appear amiable in the Eyes of the Bride, with whom they are paffionately in love. But if we could fled- faftly behold the Sun, and were able to make fo near an approach to it, as perfectly to difcover his Quantity and Quality, we mould not need the Similitude of a Bridegroom to comprehend its Incredible Beauty. All the Beauty of Colours dcth certainly depend on Light ,• and in the abfence of Light, all the Gracefulnefs thereof vaniihes ,* therefore no- thing is more beautiful than Light, and God himfelf, who is Beauty it feif, was pleased to be calFd Light. God, faith St. Jolm y is light , 1 John and in him is no darknefs at all. Beiides, a- mongfl; corporeal things, nothing is more lu- cid and bright than the Sun, and coniequent- iy, nothing is more fair and beautiful than the i o £ Steps of Afcenfion to God. the Sun. To this we may add, that the Beau- ty of inferiour things, and efpecially of Man- kind, doth foon decay ; but the Beauty of the Son doth not perifh by age, nor fuffer the leaf! diminution, but continually chears all things with equal Splendor. Do we not perceive how all things, feem after a manner, to rejoice at the rifing of the Sun ? For not only Men are affe&ed therewith, but Winds breath more fweetly., Flowers difplay all their Beauties, Herbs raife their drooping heads, and Birds fill the Air with delightful Ditties. Hence old Tobit reply 'd to the Angel wi/h- '5 Chap. J n g hi m always Joy, What joy can hefal me, who jit in darknefs, and fee not the light of the fun. Well then, my Soul, confiderwith thy felf, if the created Sun at its Up-rife thus cheareth all things ,• what will the uncreated Sun do, who is infinitely more bright and glorious, when he fhall arife to be leen, and contem- plated by pure hearts, not for a little time, and then difappear, but for evermore ? And what a difmal and melancholy hour will come upon thofe poor Wretches, who Jhall be difmifs'd to take up their final Abode in everlaiting darknefs, where they will never be vifited by the chearful Influence either of the created or uncreated Sun ? And what Joy and Exultation fhall come to that Soul, that fhall be thus faluted by the Father of Mattfi.a 5* Lights, Erjer thou into the joy of thy Lord, CHAP, Steps of Afcenfion to God. i o 7 CHAP. II, IN the next place the fame Prophet cele- brates the molt wonderful courfe of the Sun, which rejoyceth, faith he, as a Gy ant to run a Race. A mighty Gyant, fure, if his Steps bear proportion to the bulk of his Body, and if hcs as nimble, as ftrong, will travel a great way in a little time. As the Prophet before had compar'd the Sun to a Bridegroom, that he might reprefent to us, as well as he could, the Beauty of the Sun j fo afterwards he com- par'd him to a Gyant, that by fuch another Similitude, he might difcover to us like wife, the wonderfully fwift motion of the fame. But if inftead of Man, tho' never fo great and mighty, he had compar'd him to Birds flying, to the fvviftnefs of Arrows out of a Bow, nay, to Winds, and Lightning, he had fallen very fhort of the Truth and Rea- lity of the matter. For if there is Truth in what we behold with our Eyes, that in the fpace of twenty four hours the Sun runs thro' the whole Circuit of his Sphere ; and if the Circuit of his Sphere doth very much ex- ceed that of the Earth ,• and if the Circuit pf the Earth contains about twenty thou fa nd Miles, all which are certainly true ,• it ne - ceffarily follows, that the Sun every Hour runs many thoufand Aiiles. Every Hour did I fay ? yea 3 every Quarter, and almoft every Minute of an Hour. For he that has a mind to obferve the Rifing or the Setting of the Sun, i o 8 Steps of Ajcenfion to God. Sun, efpecially in an open Horizon, as at Sea, or in an open Country, will find that the whole Body of the Sun mounts above the Horizon in lefs fpace than the eighth part of an Hour ; and yet the Diameter of the folar body is much greater than the Diameter of the Earth, tho' this contains feven thoufand miles. I my felf had once the Curiofity to know exactly how long the whole body of the Sun was a fetting. At his touching the Horizon, I began to read the fifty firft Pfalm, and had fcarcely read it twice over, when it was quite out of fight : So that in this little time, in which this Pfalm was twice read o- ver, the Sun mull have travell'd above feven thoufand Miles. Who could give credit to this, were it not demonftrably certain ? Now if any one farther add to what hath been ofFer'd, that this Body, whofe Motion is fo very fwift, is much greater than the whole Globe of Earth, and that fo very expeditious a Motion of fo huge and vail a Body, is per- form'd without either Intermiflion or Fatigue ; and if God fliould fo order it, mall be fo to E~ temal Ages 5 furely if he is not more ftu- pid, and more infenfible than a Stock, he cannot but admire the infinite Power of the Creator. Good reafon therefore had the Preacher to call this Sun, A wonderful In- jtrumenty the work of the mofi High y and i great indeed that made it. CHAP. Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. i op CHAP. III. THE efficacy and force of Light, and Heat, remains to be fpoken to., of which David faith, There is nothing hid from the heat Pfalm 19, thereof, This one Luminous Body, plac'd in the midft of the "World, gives Light to all the Stars, to the whole Aery Element, to all Seas, and the whole Globle of Earth • and by its enlivening Heat, makes all things that fpring out of the Earth, ail Corn and Plants to become green and leavy \ brings all Fruits to Maturity, from one end of the World to the other. It alfo extends its In- fluence beneath the Earth, and produces all forts of Metals. Wherefore St. James in the beginning of his Epiftle, compares God him- felf with the Sun, faying, Every good gift, and James i% every perfect gifty is from above , and cometh down from the father of light s, with whom is no varia- blenefsy neither Jhadow of turning. The Sun in- deed is the Parent of corporeal Lights, but God the Father of fpiritual : But in three particulars there is a very great Inequality betwixt God and the Sun. For nrft, the Sun, in order to replenish the whole Earth with Light and Heat, muft move from one place to another ; but God being whole in all pla- ces, has no need of fuch Change and Shift- ing ; therefore St. James faith, With whom there is no change. In the fecond place, the Sun, by reafon of its continual exchange of place, makes Day to fome, and leaves others m 1 1 o Steps of Afcenfion io God. in Darknefs, fhines in one place, and difap- pears in another. But God, without Motion, is every where prefent, therefore St. James adds, With him is no Jliadow of thange. Laft- ly, from the Sun, the Father of corporeal Light, all the Gifts and Benefits which come immediately from the Earth, are produc'd, which is a great commendation of it. Thefe are Benefits ; but neither the moil excellent, nor perfect, no, they are trivial, temporary, perifhable, that make not the PoffefTors good, and fuch as any one may abufe, and which indeed the generality of Mankind make only Innruments of their perdition. But from Gcd the Father of fpirituai Lights, all the moft excellent and perfect Gifts defcend, fuch as make the Poffeflbr throughly good and hap- py, and which conduct him that cheriflieth and retains them, to a State of true Felicity, u e. to a State where is Abfence of all thing? that are Evil, and Prefence of all things that are Good. Inquire now, my Soul, what thofe good and perfect Gifts are, which are from above, and come from the Father of Lights, that when thou hail found them, thou mayft think them worth thy Concern, and endea- vour to the utmolt of thy Power to become poflefs'd of them. But there is no need of making any long or laborious fearch after them , the very nature of the bun will fuf- ficientlv inform thee what they are ; for the Sun performs all things by Light and Heat j thefe are the Gifts which the Parent of corporeal Light and Heat confers. And in like manner, thofe good and perfect. Gifts which" Steps of Afcenfion to God. which are from above, and come down from God, the true Father of Lights, are the Light of Wifdom, and the right application, or dif- pofing of Charity. The Light of Wifdom, which makes a Man truly wife, and which no one can ufe amifs, and which brings us to the Fountain of Wifdom, which is plac'd in our Country which is above, is that which teaches us to flight things temporal, and to make great account of eternal : That in- ftru&s us not to put our Hope or Confidence in uncertain Riches, but in the living God : That teaches us not to take the place of Ex- ile, for our Country ; nor to be in love with the ftate of our Pilgrimage, but to bear it patiently : And laftly , that teaches us qui- etly to endure this prefent Life with the ha- zards and temptations to which we are fre- quently expos'd, but to long for Death, be- Caufe, BleJJ'ed are the dead which die in the Lord, Now the right Application or Dilpofition of Charity, what is it, but to love God, who is the End of all our Defires, without any Bounds, or Meafare; and to love other things, which are only Means to this End, moderately, and within compafs,, that is., fo far as is necelfary to attain our End, which is Everlaiting Life ? Amongft all Alankind, there is not certainly fo much as one to be found, who inverts the Order, with re- ipedto Bodily care, fo as to love Health mo- derately, and a bitter Potion immoderately, as knowing, that one is the End, and the c - ther but the Means. How comes it then that fo many, who would pafs for wife Men, ob- lerve no meafure in heaping up Riches, in gratifying III 1 1 2 Steps of Afcenfwn to God. gratifying the Lufts of the Flefh,and in mount- ing up to the pinnacle of Honour, as if fuch things were the End of the Heart of Man : But in loving of God., and in the fearch after Eter- nal Felicity, do confine themfelves to fo nar- row a compafs, as if they were only means to the End; not the End of all means ? The reafon is only this ; they are World ly-wife, but want that wifdom which is from above, and comes from the Father of Lights., and be- caufe their Love is not flxt upon proper Obje&s, and therefore is not true Loveywhich cannot but be fo fixt ; but are full of Deilres, which are not from the Father, but from the World. Thou therefore, my Soul, whilft thou art Pilgrimizing here below, and at a diftance from thy Country j whilft thou converfeft a- mongft Enemies, who are always plotting and contriving againft true Wifdom, and true Charity, who put Craft for Wifdom, and Luft for Love j pray heartily with Sighs unto the Father of Lights, that he will caufe thofe good and perfect Gifts, the Light of true Wifdom, and the Ardency of rightly dire&ed Chanty, to defcend into thine Heart, that being replete herewith, thou mayeft inoffen- fively run the ways of God's Commandments, and arrive at that Country, where the Wife and Charitable drink at the very Fountain of Wifdom, and feed on the fincere Milk of Charity. CHAP, Steps of Afcenfio?i to God. 113 CHAP. IV. I Am now come to the time of Nighty in which the Heavens, by the help of the Moon and Stars, advance us nearer to God, For thus faith David, I will confider the Hea- vens, even the Works of thy Hands, the Moon and Stars which thou hafi ordained. Could we lee Heaven it felf, the Prophet would not fay, ( by way of Explication of what he had before laid down ) The Moon and Stars which thou hafi ordained. And were our Sen^ fes indeed able to reach the very Heaven, or could we by certain reafon find out its Na- ture and Qualities, this, no doubt, would give us a notable Lift towards our Creator, "We know indeed, there have been feme, who from the motion of the Stars, have de- fin'd the nature of Heaven to be a Quint- eiTence, fimple, incorruptible, and which perpetually moves round : but neither are we ignorant, that others would have Heaven to be the Element of Fire, which moves not round, nor is incorruptible, with refped to its parts : but we are not upon the enquiry after Opinion, but of certain Science, or the Dodxine of Faith, that from thence we may contrive, what will infallibly contribute to our farther knowledge of God. "We will therefore with the Prophet content our felves to erect an Inftrument of Afcenfion from the Moon and Stars which we behold , as we have juit now done from the Sun, which is the Light, and Prince, of other Lights. * I The 1 1 4 Steps of Afcenfio?i to God. The Moon hath two properties, which may be ufeful to us, in our Afcenfion and Approaches to God. The firft is, that the nearer it advances towards the Sun, fo much the more it is enlightned in its upper part, which looks towards Heaven ,• and obfcured in the lower part, which has refpect to the Earth. And when it is dire&ly under the Sun, and wholly in Conjun&ion with it, then it is altogether bright towards Heaven, and dark towards Earth : and on the contrary, when it is in oppofition to the Sun, it ap- pears all over bright to thofe who inhabit the Earth, but altogether dark in its upper part, which they behold who dwell above. This property of the Moon may be a no- table Admonition, or Example to Mankind, and inform us, how folicitous we ought to be of approaching to God the true Father of Lights, of being in fubje&ion to, and in conjunction with Him , the Moon repre- fents Man, the Sun God. When the Moon is in oppofition to the Sun, then, with a Light borrowed from the Sun, it looks on- ly upon the Earth, and as it were, turns its back to Heaven : whence alio it appears very beautiful to the Earthly Inhabitants, but very ilkfavour'dto thofe above. Juft fo, poor Mortals, when they have departed a great way from God, as that prodigal Son, when he \vcnt from his Father, and rambled into a far Country, make no other ufe of the Light of Reafon, which they have received from the Father of Lights, but only to pore upon Earth^ and turning God out of their •thoughts, they mufe only upon Earth, con- fin? Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. 1 1 § fine their love to Earth, and are wholly taken tip, in procuring the good things thereof, and for fo doing, are applauded as fagaeious and fortunate Men, by the Children of this "World : but by thofe, who can better judge, that is, by the Cceleftial Inhabitants, are ad- judg'd to be poor, and naked, and deform'd, wretched and miserable. Now on the con- trary, the Moon when being in Conjunftion with the Sim, is perfe&ly in fubje&ion to it, is then altogether bright in the upper part, has refped only to Heaven, and as it were, turns its back to Earth, and utterly difappears to human Eyes. Even fo when the Wicked begins to return to his Duty to God, and by a through Converfion fubjeets himfelf by true Humility to God, the true Sun of Souls 5 - and is in Conjunction with him by Charity, then he fully complies with the Apoftle's Advice, in feeking the things above , where Cbrift is at the Coldf. 3. right hand of God, and minds heavenly, not earth- ly things, and is then flighted and contemn'd by die foolifh, and accounted as already dead. For he that is truly fubjed to God, is mor- tify 'd to the WorlS, and his Life is hid with Chrift in God : But when Chrifi who is his HfeColbC j, jhall appear, then frail he alfo appear with Chrifi in Glory, as the fame Apoitle there adds. And this is the reafon (as St. Augufiin ob- ferves in his Epiftle to Januarius) that the Palfover of the Lord, as well in the old, as new Law, could not be celebrated till the fall Moon was over, that is, till the Mooa which at full, is in Oppofition to, begins to return to a Con jun&ion with, the Sun, for God was pieafed by this Cceleftial Sign to de- 1 t clar^ 1 1 6 Steps of Afce?ifwn to God* ctare, that Man, who by his Iniquity is in Oppofition to God, begins his Converfion to him by the Paffion and Refurre&ion of our Lord; and haftens to his Favour, and to an Union with him, by the Merits of Jefus Chrin\ But thou, my Soul, if by the gracious Af- fiftance'of God, thou happeneft to find thy felf in fubje&ion to the Father of Lights, ana* in a bleffed Conjunction with him through ardent Charity, follow not the Guife of Fools, who as .Ecckjiafticus witneffeth, change like a 7 . the Moon; but propofe Wife-men to thy Imitation, who are itedfaft as the Sun. The Moon makes not greater hafte to be in Con- junction, than when me is fo, to be in Oppo- fition again : but thou, if thou art wife, for- fake not the Grace which thou haft once at- tained ; retreat not from it , but keep thy ground ; thou wilt no where find any thing that will ftand thee in fo much itead ; nor canft thou be affur d if thou voluntarily re- cede(t , whether ever thou /halt be re-ad- mitted ; for he that hath promifed Pardon to the Penitent, and Grace to them that return, hath neither promifed thee a longer conti- nuance of life, nor the gift of Repentance. Turn boldly then thy Back to the Earth, and ^x thine Eves upon thy Sun ,• there let thy Acquiefcence be, there thy Delight, and there fettle thy Abode. Say with the Apo- itle, It is good 'for m to be here : And with Ig- ' natius the Martyr, It is better fir me to live with Chrijt) than to be Emperor of the Uni-verfe. Nor be thou concern'd at the Cenfures of "Worldlings, «for he is approved, not whom the World, but whom God, commends- CHAP- Steps of Afcenfton to God. 117 CHAP. V. TH E Moon has another Property, which reprefents God's Behaviour towards his ElecT:. For the Moon hath dominion over the Night, as the Sun hath over the Day, as Mofes tells us 'mGenefis, and Da that Veffel of Ele&ion, who being wrapt up into the third Heaven, heard unfpeakable words, fuch as no Man may utter ; one while Cor 7. declares, I am full of confolation, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation ; another while he 'breaks out into Sighs and Lamentations, fay- ing, I fee another law in my members warring againfi the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of Jin, which is in my mem- bers, O wretched man that I am, whojliall deli- ver me from the body of this death. And in his Co?. i„ fecond Epiftle to the Corinthians , We would not brethren have you ignorant of our trouble, which came to us in Afia, that we were preffed out of meafure above ftrength, infomuch that we defpaird even of Life. And St. Chryfofiome to the fame purpofe acquaints us^ that this is God's beha- viour towards the Saints in general, that he neither deals out to them continued Joys, nor Sorrows, but makes the life of the Righteous an admirable Checker of Profpe- rity and Adverfity. And (o much of the Moon, CHAP. vr. AMongft the Ornaments of Heaven, the Stars remain to be confider'd, which Ecckfiafiicus calls the Beauty of Heaven, but pre- Steps of Afcenfion to God. 1 1 p prefently adds, The Lord on high enlightning the Ecclus 43, world. For all the beauty of the Stars, yea, of the Sun and Moon, is nothing but an Efflux from the Father of Lights : Nor is it the Sun by Day, nor the Moon and Stars by Night, that enlighten the World, but 'tis God who dwells on high, that makes the Sun, Moon, and Stars, Inftruments of conveying Light to the "World. It is God y as Baruch faith, Baruch 3« that fendeth forth light, and it goeth ,* calleth it again, and it obeyeth him with fear. The fiars ftined in their watches, and rejoiced, when he cal- leth them they fay her ewe are ; and fo with chear- fulnejs they (loewed light to him that made them. By which is fignified to us the infinite Power of God, that could in a moment, with the greater!: eafe imaginable, produce, adorn, and fet on working fuch vaft and glorious bodies. What with us is to Call, with God is to Cre- ate with a Word : for he calls thofe things which are not, and by Calling, gives them Being. And for the Stars to fay, lo ! here we are ,• is nothing elfe, but prefently to ftart up into Being, at the Voice of him that commanded, and to enter upon Adion. And to ihew Light with Chearfulnefs unto him that made them, is to pay Obedience to their Creator with fuch readinefs and facility, as if they had the greateft complacency in O- bedience. But there is one thing obfervable in the Stars, which calls for the greateft ad- miration, that whereas their Motion is fvvift alrnoft beyond Imagination, and that Amotion at no time fufpended, and they run in a ling, fome falter, lurae Mower, yet fo exact- ly obfeive their meafure, and proportion, one I 4 with i2o Steps of Ajcenfion to God. with another, that from thence refults a moft harmonious and delightful Concent. Of this Concent God fpeaketh in the Book of Job 9 Job, *8. when he faith, Who fia 11 declare the ordinances of Heaven^ and who fliall make the harmony there- of to Jleep ? The Harmony he fpeaks of, is not of Words or Sounds, which are under- stood by the Ears of the Body ; but an Har- mony of Proportions in the Motions of the Stars, which is apprehended by the ear of our Understanding. For the Stars of the Fir- mament, all at the fame time run over the whole Circuit of Heaven with equal fpeed, in the fpace of twenty four hours ; but thofe {even Stars which are called Planets, or Wan- dring Stars, have different Motions affign'd them, fome fafter, fome flower ; fo that the Stars of the Firmament feem to imitate the Bafs, (to ufe familiar terms) and the Planets to make a perpetual and moft delightful Counter-tenor. But thefe are things above cur Sphere, and this Concent founds beft in their Ears, who having their Refidence in Heaven, understand the reafon of thefe Mo- tions. And fmce the Stars, ftiil obferving Distance and Proportion, are never tir'd by continual turning round, they feem to lead everlaiting delightful Dances over the Hea- vens, like honourable Virgins, well skill'd in the Art of dancing. But thou, my Soul, advance, if thou canft, a Step higher/ and from the exceeding great Brightness of the Sun, the Beauty of the Moon, from the multitude and variety of the other Lights • from the admirable Har- mony of the Heavens, and the molt delighr- ful Steps of Afcenfion to God. 121 fill Dances of the Stars ; confider what it will be to fee God above the Heavens, that Sun, who dwells in Light inacceffible ,• to behold that Virgin, the Queen of Heaven, who is beautiful as the Moon, and makes glad the whole City of God ; to behold the Quires and Orders of many thoufands of Angels, who adorn the higheft Heavens with Bright- ness and Number furpaffing the Stars : to view the Souls of holy Men intermixt with the Quires of Angels, as Planets interfpend with the Stars of the Firmament. And what it will be to have our Ears entertain'd with Songs of Praife, and an everlafting Haleluja molt 1 weedy founding in the Streets of that City from harmonious Voices. For hence it will come to pafs, that thou wilt not greatly admire the Beauty of the viable Heavens, and that all things below will appear next to nothing, and by confequence, unworthy any great Regard or Eiteem. THE 122 THE Eighth Step. From the Confederation of the (fictional Soul CHAP. I. E have hitherto been furveying all fuch things as we term corporeal, whilff. we endeavour by Content plation to afcend from Creatures to the Crea-^ tor. Now we find the Souls of Men fuperiour in Dignity to all Bodies, and know they have a place affign'd them (tho' the meaner!) a- mongft Spiritual Subftances, betwixt which and God, we ar^ not acquainted with any Medium, fave only the Hierarchies and the Orders of Angels. But further, the human Soul hath fb great a fimilitude with God the Creator, that I J*;now not any way, whereby we may more eafily attain to the Knowledge of God, than from the Confideration of our own Soul. Therefore God will have Man to be inex- cufable, if he remain without the knowledge of God, when by the concomitancy of Di- vine Affiftance, he may eafily attain to it, by acquainting himfelf with his own Soul. la Steps of Afce?ifion to Go J. 1 23 In the firft place then, the Soul of Man is a Spirit; for fo the holy Fathers expound thole words in Genefis, The Lord God made man Gen- 3. of the duft of the earth, and breath' d into, his nc- fir 1 Is the breath of life. And that ofTobit, Com- To bit 3, mand my Spirit to be taken from me. As alio that of Ecclefiafies, The body returns to the earth Eccles 1 2. whence it was, and the fpirit to God who gave it. But although the word Spirit doth agree alio to the Wind j for we read in the Pfalms, Spi- pfai. 149, ritus proceUarum, The ftormy Wind ; and in the Golpel, Spiritus ubi z>ult fair at, The Wind blow- John %* eth where it lifieth. Yet doublefs, this Spiritus procellarum is a very thin Body, which by rea- fon of its extreme Subtlety, doth more near- ly refemble fpiritual nature, than any other body whatfoever. But the Soul of Man is properly a Spirit, not a Body, neither is it produe'd from matter, but is created of God. In which point Chriftians are generally a~ greed. Here then commenceth the Excellency of the Soul, and its Similitude with God. For^ God is a Spirit, as our Saviour plainly declares, John *. God is a fpirit, and they that worfhip him, muji workup him in fpirit and truth. But though God is a Spirit, and the human Soil! a Spi- rit ,• yet God is a Spirit uncreated, and the Creator ; the Soul a Spirit created: from whence arifes an infinite diftance, betwixt, that Spirit which is a Soul, and that which is God. Therefore as much as the Soul has caufe to rejoice, that it is in the rank of Spi- ritual Subftance, and by Nature more digni- fied and ennobled than Heaven and the Luminaries thereof j fo much reafon has it to be 124 Steps of Afcenfion to God. be humbled, and proftrate it felf before the Creator, becaufe it was made of nothings and of it felf is nothing. s ! CHAP. II. Econdly, the human Soul, as being a fim~ pie Spirit, is alfo Immortal, for it is inca- pable of either being Divided or Annihilated. But in this regard likewife., as muchreafonas it has to glory for having fo great advantage above brutim Animals, whofe Souls periih with the Body, fo much caufe hath it to ad- mire, and ftand amazed at, the Excellency of its Creator, who is not only Immortal, but Everlafting too. For there was a time when the Human Soul had no Being ; and that it ever had, is wholly owing to the Will of God : and if God fo will, can again be re- duc'd to nothing, though it has no Princi- ples of Corruption in it ; therefore the Apo- : Tim- 6 file did rightly affirm that God only hath Im- mortality ; for He alone is uncapable of diifo- Iution., either by violence or accident, or a- ny other way, forafmuch as he is Being it felf, Life it felf, and the Fountain of Being and Life, C H A P. 1 1 1. THirdly, the Human Soul is endued with the light of Underftanding ^ for it doth not only know Colours, and Taltes, and Smells,, Steps of Afcenfion to God. 125 Smells, and Sounds, and Heat, and Cold, and Soft, and Hard, and the like things, which are the proper Objects of corporeal Senfe ; but can alfo judge of Subftance, and not only of things Angular, but alfo univerfal ,• and is not only acquainted with things prefent, but can make a guefs at Futurities, and by its difcurfive Fa- culty, mounts above the Heavens, dives into the bottomlefs deep, by Caufes finds out Ef- feds, and by EfFeds runs back to Caufes, and finally by the Strength of its Underftand- ing approacheth to God himfelf, who dwells in Light unacceflible. This is the Light which St. John mentions in his Gofpel, He was the John fi true light, which enlightneth every Man that co- meth into the World, And David in his Pfalms, Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon P&1« 4< m; and elfe where he advifes, Be not as the Horfs and Mule, which have no Uftderfanding, Great is this Dignity of the Soul, by which Man be- comes like unto God, and . unlike Brutes : and hence Man not only may, but ought, to infer the Greatnefs, and Excellency of the Lord his Creator. For the Soul is endued with the Light of Underftanding, but God is Light it felf, and Underftanding it felf. The Soul runs backwards and forwards., from Caufes to EfFeds, and from EfFeds to Caufes, and in fo doing makes a laborious fearch af- ter Knowledge j God by one pure Ad of In- tuition perfedly knows all things at once. The Soul underitands the things which are in being, and therefore its knowledge depends on things : God by underftanding, caufes things to be, and therefore the being of things depends on the knowledge , of God. The Soul, 126 Steps of Afce?ifion to God. Soul, after a fort, makes a guefs at things future; God has always as clear and diftind: a View of what is to come, as he has of things that are pall, or prefent. The Soul Hands in need of many things, that it may exercife its tinderflanding Faculties, fuch as the Objed:, Species, Fancy, and the like. God wants no- thing, for his Effence is all things to him, and by confequence, 'tis Underflanding it felf. To conclude, the Soul, whilft imprifon'd in the Body, is not only incapable of feeing God, but can neither fee Angels, nor it felf, nor doth it properly fee any Subilance, though corporeal ; is miftaken in many things, is ig- norant in moil, in very many doth but opine, hath knowledge but of very few. But there is nothing whereof God is ignorant ,• about which he conje&ures, or is under any Mi- Hgb , flake or Fallacy, for all things, as the Apoftle faith, are naked and bare before his Eyes. It therefore Man makes fo great account of his Knowledge, as to be puft up with it, i Cor 8 as t ^ ie Apoftle faith, how much ought he to admire the Knowledge of his Creator^ to which all our Knowledge being compared, will appear to be Ignorance, not Know-* ledge ? CHAP. IV. FOurthly, there is in the Soul of Man at- nother fort of Knowledge, which is not conyeriknt in Speculation, but Adrion. Hence' it U that we have fo many Philofophical Steps of Afcenfion to God. 1 2 7 Treatifes of Vice and Vermes fo many Laws of Princes, and prudent Decrees of Lawyers; fo many Inftitutions, and Exercitations to help us to the Art of living well. Wherein is difcover'd great Strength, and Clearnefs of Reafon in Man, and by which our Nature is very highly dignified above that of Brutes. . But all this is nothing to that eternal Law, which refides in the Mind of the Creator, from which, as from an overflowing Foun- tain, all Laws, and all Ordinances have pro- ceeded : for, as St. James faith in his Epiftle, There is one Law-giver and Judge, that is God.** mts ♦• He is Truth, and Righteoufnefs, and Wifdom, p by whom Kings reign, and Prinzes decree Judg- ment. Therefore thou wilt never be Mafter of the Art of living well, and happily, till being admitted into Chrift's School, who is the only true Mafter, thou haft learned from his Precepts and Examples, that Righteoui^ nefs, which exceed eth the Righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees ; I may add, that of thePhilofopherstoo; the end of which Righte- oufnefs,, is Charity out of a pure Heart, and of a good Confcience, and of Faith unfeigned, CHAP. V. Fifthly, the Soul of Man poffeftes a third fort of Knowledge, which confifts in contriving and making things Ingenioufly and Cunningly. Spiders indeed can hangup their Webs, Birds can build their Nefts, and Bees make Honey., a#d Foxes find out Holes which 128 Steps of Ajcenfion to God. which ferve them for Houfes : bur thefe Creatures by a certain Inftind: of Nature, make one and the fame thing, after one and the fame way. But the Soul of Man, en- dued with Reafon and Judgment, hath found out innumerable Arts, by which- he commands the reft of Creatures, and lords it over them whether they will or no : wrings are insigni- ficant to Birds ; the deeper! Waters fecure not Fifties ,* the great Strength of Lions and Bears doth not help them ,• the Fiercenefs of Hories and Mules avails them nothing ,- nor doth Swiftnefs deliver Stags and Roes : for very Boys with Snares, Birdlime, and Nets, catch Birds ; and Fillies with Hooks and Drags : But Men by cunning and Art have found out a way to inclofe Bears, and Lions, in Cages of Iron, and carry 'em about ; to hamper Boars and Stags in Cords, or difpatch them with Inftruments of Iron.; to tame Horfes and Mules, and make them obedient to their Command. What fliall I fay of the Art of Navigation ? What clearneis of Wit did ap- pear in the Soul of Man, who made Huge Ships, laden with vail Burdens, not only run with Oars as with Feet, but to fly with Sails, as with Wings, through the liquid deep ? What fliall I fay of Husbandry ? Who can but itand amazed at the Wit of Man, that looks upon, and considers, Corn, Vineyards, Orchards, Filh-ponds , and \arious Rivu- lets forc'd againit Nature to water Gar- dens, and moilten the Fields ? What (hall we (ay of Architecture ? Who is net feiz'd with : miration thatilirveys Palaces, Temples, Ci- ties, Towers, Amphitheaters, Pyramids and Obelisks ? Steps of Afcenjion'to Go J. 1 2p Obelisks ? I omit the Arts of Painting and Carving j by which there is fometimes io lively a reprefentation made of human Faces 3 or other things^ with Colours on a Board, or with a carving Initrument in Marble, that they feem to be real, and neither Painted nor Carved. I likewife pafs over other Arts contriv'd by the Wit of Man, either for our Neceffity, Conveniency, or Pleafure, being fo many, that it would be endlefs to enume- rate them. Well then, my Soul, be not backward iri exprefling thy Gratitude to God, who hath thus diftinguifli'd thee from the nature of o- ther Animals ; but withal, life up the eyes of thy mind to the fame Creator, who is the true Fountain of that Wit and Wifdom which contrive all things, and bring them to per- fection. All thy Skill, and all thy artful Con- trivances, are but an Efflux and Emanation from that Fountain. And if thou ftandefl in Admiration at the Wit of Man, that hath learn'd by Art and Industry to get the do- minion over irrational Creatures, how much rather ihouldit thou admire God, whom all things, both with, and without, Life, do ferve and obey ? And if thou aecounteft it a mighty matter, that Man hath invented fo many Arts relating to Navigation, Agricul- ture, and Architecture, why ftould it not feem much rather wonderful, that God by his. Wifdom hath founded the Heavens, the Earth, and Seas, 2nd has them all at his' b- and command ? And if thou art amazed at the Skill of Painters, and the Art of repre- filming- a Face to the life in Marble K art 130 Steps of Afcenfion to God. art thou not rather aftoniih'd at the Art of thy Creator, who form'd a real and living Man out of Clay, and built a true and living Woman out of the Rib of Man ? Efpecially if thou farther confidereft, that Men can do nothing without divine co-operation , and that God has no Coadjutor or Afliftant. CHAP. VI. Sixthly, the Soul of Man is endued with Freedom of Will, which is common to him with God and Angels, and whereby he is principally diftinguifh'd from other Crea- tures. This is a noble Priviledge, and Angu- lar Excellency, But the Liberty that is in God the Creator, fo far excells that in the Soul of Man, that ours compar'd with the Divine, appears not to be fo much as the Jha= dow of it. Firft, the Liberty of Man's Will is infirm and feeble, readily inclining to make choice of things evil and hurtful : the Divine Will is fortified beyond a poffibility of Submitting, or fo much as inclining to Evil. For as to be capable of dying, is the Infirmity of a Mortal Body ; to be un capa- ble, is the Health and Vigour of a Glori- ■fy'd Body ; fo to be able to commit Sin, is the infirmity of Free-will ; not to be able to fin, will be the ftrength of the fame Will, when God jhall confer that upon us in Hea- ven by Grace, which He himfelf doth always poifefs by Nature. Befides, our Freedom of Will is mch a Freedom, as can will, and not will, Steps of Afcexfwn to God. j 3 1 will, as alfo that can will, and can be un- willing ; but is not able to accomplifh what it would have done, or to hinder what it would not have done, no not in its felf ,• how much lefs in others ? Hear what Lamentati- on the Apoftle makes in his Epiftle to the Romans, The good that I would, that do I not ; Rom. 7 but the evil that I would not , that I do. And who amongft us doth not experience the fame ? I have a mind to pray with attention to God, and I injoin my Imagination, whillt I apply my felf to Prayer, not to ramble, nor draw me to mufe on other things : and yet I cannot keep it to its Duty • and whilft I am a little remifs in the matter, I find my felf deluded by my Imagination, and fallen from prayings to the minding of other things, I have a mind not to covet, nor to extend my Anger beyond the Limits of Reafon, and by virtue of Freedom of \vlll, I lay my Com- mands on my Irafcible or Concupifcible Fa- culties, (which ought to fubmit toReafon) that they wholly give up themfelves to Reafon s dominion, and that they fuffer not themfelves to be any ways feduc'd by the Senfes of the Body ; yet I often find my felf difobey'd, and that left undone, which I would have done, and that done,, which I would not. But what is very itrange., and very much to be pityed, the Mind commands the Body, and it prefentiy obeys ; the Mind commands its felf, and finds refinance. cc From whence, " faith St. Auguftin, comes this monftrous un« cc accountable thing ? The Mind commands €C that the Hand be in motion, and there is fuch " a Compliance, that you can hardly diftin- K z < to deliver me $ mal to help me. Step's of Afcenfion to Go J. 133 CHAP. VII. SEventhly, the Soul of Man hath a Ratio- nal Will., which cannot only dellre things prefent, particular, and corporeal, fuch as Brutes deflre ,• but alfo good things that are Abfent, General, and Spiritual, which are difcover'd to us by Faith or Reafon, and by confequence, that fupreme and infinite Good, which is God himfeif. And hence it is that Man is capable of great Virtues, efpecially of that Gf Charity, the Queen of all. Brute Animals have love, but 'tis only a love of Ccncupifcence ; the love of Friendffrip they Jmow nothing of. But thou, my Soul, art capacitated by God for that Gift, which is the Fountain of all Gifts, that is of molt bright and beautiful Charity, which fo unites thee with God the Supream Good, that thou abideft in him, and he in thee : For God is i John i, love, and he that abideth in love^ abideth in God 3 and God in him. But if this be fo great a good in a created Will, how great mult that good be wherewith the Divine Willis replenlih'd i The Will of God alone is capable of infinite Love, with which the infinite Goodnefs of God deferves to be loved. Nor doth this Will itand in need of Virtues, nor doth it want dire- ction from the Underftanding: for that and the Underftanding are the fame thing, as Wifdom and Charity in God are the fame. CHAR 1 34 Steps of Afcevfion to Go J* CHAP VIII. THE Sou! of Man is in an human Body, but in a far different manner than the Souls of Brutes are in their Bodies. The Souls of Brutes are eompos'd of Matter, and reach to the extenfion of the Body, fo that part of their Soul is in part of their Body, and the whole in the whole. But the Soul of Man being a Spirit incapable of diviiion, is after a wonderful manner intire and whole in the whole, and intire and whole in every part. And though it fills the whole Body, yet takes up no room in the Body : and when the Body encreafeth, the Soul doth not en- creafe, only begins to be where it was not before : and if a Member be cut off, or pe- rifh, the Soul is not diminiihed, nor dwindles, but ceafes to be in that Member in which it was before, without being hurt or maimed. This is a true Reprefentation of God's Exi~ frence in things created. For God is an in- divifible Spirit, and yet fills the whole World, and every part thereof j neither takes he up any room., and is whole in the whole World, and whole in every part of the World. And when a new Creature is produc'd, God begins to be in it, nor is he moved. And when any Creature happens to be deiiroy'd, or to die, God is not deftroy'd, nor dies, but ceafes to be there, and that without changing place. Therefore there is in theie refpe&s, a refcmblance betwixt God and the Soul. But yet in many refpe<5b (as it is fit it fhould be) God Steps of Afcenfwn to God. 135 God has very much the Pre-eminence : for the Soul, that it may be in the Body, and that it may govern, and a&uate the Body, doth neceifariiy require a bodily form, and to be fo conjoin'd with it, that of Soul and Body there be made one Man. God needs not that there fhould be any Form, or Soul of the World ; nor that one Subftance fhould be made of Himfelf and the World. But this happens to him by his Immenfity, to be in all places : by his indivifible Unity, to be whole in all places : by his Omnipotency, that he governs all things, fupports all things, and moves all things. But farther, the Soul, tho' 'tis faid to be in the whole Body, yet is not properly in any parts but in thofe that are a- ni mated, or living parts ,♦ therefore 'tis not in the Humours, in the Nails, in perifhed or dead Members. God is abfolutely in all things, not only in corporeal, but alfo in fpiritual ; nor is it indeed poffible that any thing fhould be, and God not be in it. Beiides, the Soul is no where but in its own Body, and that of very fmall Dimenfions, and in which all the Parts are tyed up together : for if any Part were feparated from the reft, the Soul could not be in it : but God is whole in this Uni- verfe of things, though vaftly great, and its Parts, though contiguous, are not ty'd toge- ther : and though feveral other Worlds fhould be created, God would be in them all. For upon this account it is written, The Heaven, 2 Chr. 6. and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee. For if another Heaven, and another Earth were made, He would alfo be in them ,• yea, though new Earths and new Heavens were K 4 infinitely i%6 Steps of Afcenpon to God. infinitely multiplied,, He would fill them all $ and there would not be any thing in which he mould not be. i H A P. IX. Ninthly, the Soul of Man, befides thofe things which have been faid, contains within it felf, an Image, though but an ob- fcure one., of the moft Sacred Trinity, both as it hath a comprehenfive Memory, the Fa- culty of Understanding, and of loving : .and alfo, becaufe the Mind by Underftanding, forms a fort of Word of its own, and from the Mind and Word proceeds Love : becaufe that which is known by the Mind, and repre- fented by the "Word , as good, is prefently be- lov'd, and defir'd by the Will. But yet God the Father in a far more eminent and divine manner, begets God the Word ,• and the Fa- ther and the Word breath forth God the Holy Ghoft, who is living and true Love, and the living Fountain of all chaite Love. And for this reafon the Myftery of the Trinity fur- paffes the natural means of gaining Know- ledge ; nor can the moft learned Philofopher come to underftand it, without Supernatu- ral Affiftance. For the Soul of Man produces the Word and Love , which are not Sub- ftances, but Accidents, and therefore are not Perfons : but God the Father begets the Word of the fame Subftance with himlelf, and the Father and the Word breath forth the Floly Ghoft of the fame Subftance alfo with Them- felves | Steps of Afcevfion to God. i^J felves ; from whence the Father, and Son, and Holy Ghoft, are rightly termed three Perfons. But farther, the Soul of Man pro- duces a Word 'which continues not long, and the Will produces Love which is not laiting : but God the Father begets the "Word which is Eternal, and the Father and the Word breath forth the Holy Ghoit, who is alfo Eternal : for God cannot be without his Word, and his Spirit. But to make an end ; by one word the Soul of Man reprefents one thing, and therefore is fain to multiply Words, not only thofe of the Mind, but thole of the Mouth too ; and the Will of Man nraft produce ma- ny Acts of Love, if it will love many things: but God by one Word, fpeaks all truth, and by one only ad of Love, doth love all that is good. CHAP. X. LAftly, this is alfo proper to the Human Soul, that whilft it is in the Body, tho 5 it be neither feen, nor heard, nor moved, and is fcarcely perceived to be ink, and when it departs from the Body, nothing feems want- ing to the Body ,• yet it fupplies it with Senle, Motion, Difcourfe, Subfrftence , Beauty, Strength, and with all the good it enjoys. For how comes it about, that Man, whilft li- ving, doth fee, hear, difcourfe, walk about, fubfrff;,' that he is brisk, beautiful, and lovely, but from the Soul that is in him ? And how doth it happen, that when he is dead, he nei- ther 1 3 8 Steps of Afcenfio?i to God. ther fees, nor hears., .nor difcourfes, nor moves, but lies in a frightful Pofture, is become ule- lefs, and not to be endur'd, but that the Soul is departed^, from whence all its Good was derived ? So thy God, O my Soul, whilft he lives in thee by his Grace, doth make thee fee what things Faith prefents to thee, and to hear what the Lord fpeaketh in thee, and to walk to the Heavenly Jcrufakm, in the way of his Commandments, and to addrefs thyfelf in Prayer unto God, and to thy Neighbour in holy Exhortations j 'tis He that makes thee to be iiedfaft and immoveable in good Works, and to fight manfully againft invifible Enemies, and to appear beautiful in the Eyes of the invi- fible God, and his Angels. But beware, left the Grace of God departing from thee,which is the Life of thy Soul, thou fcould'ft feel thofe LofTes which the firft Death infli&s, and then be dragg'd to the fecond Death, from which there is allowed no Refurre<5Hon. O that the Lord would open the Eyes of thine Under- standing, that thou mighteft behold the glo- rious Beauty, and tranfcendent Brightness of a Soul acceptable to God, and united to him by true Charity, what a favourable Afped God caftsupon it, what Manfions he prepares for it, what glorious Promifes he has made it, and how it is long'd for by Angels, and o- ther Hefted Spirits .' Sure I am, thou would- eft then carefully preferve the Beauty of thy Soul, and not fuiTer any finful Blemim to deform it : and if any fuch thing mould hap- pen, thou would'ft never be at reft, till with Floods of penitential Tears thou hadft walh'd it oft. And if by the fame Grace of God,, the Steps of A [ten [ion to God. i ^ the eyes of thy Underitanding were open d, lb that thou couldft fee how great the Filthi- nefs of a finful Soul is, how unfavoury in God's Noitrils, fuch as of a putrefy 'd Carcafs,- and what an Abhorrence God and the Holy Angels have to look upon it, though perhaps it be a Tenant to a beautiful Body, finely adorn- ed, and very amiable in the Eyes of Men • without all doubt, thou wouldeft be under fuch dreadful Apprehensions that no Tempta- tion Should prevail- with thee to blemifh thy Soul, or having blemiih'd it, to continue in that polluted State, THE 140 THE Ninth Step. From the Confideration of Angels. CHAP. I. E are now arrived at the higher! Step of Afcenfion to God, from the Confideration of created Sub- flan ces, for of fuch none is Superior to An- gelical. "We will therefore confider Angeb, firit, with refpedfc to the Excellency of Na- ture ; next as to the height of Grace ; and laftly with regard to thofe Offices which they execute. For it is not my purpofe to treat of any Point relating to thofe glorious Beings, but what tends to elevate the Mind unto God. Now an Angel compar'd with the Rational and Human Soul, may properly be term'd a perfed Soul : as the Soul likewife may be call'd an imperfed Angel. For thus the Pro- phet (peaks concerning Man, with refpect. to ! i 3< his Soul, Thou haft made him a little lower than the Angels, For an Angel is an entire, and compleatly Spiritual Subftance ; the Human Soul but in Part, and imperfe&ly fo, as being 1 Steps of Afcenfion to God 141 the Form of the Body, and from henee Part of the Man. Therefor^an Angel is altogether Spirit, Man in part Spirit, in part Flein ; or partly an Angel, and partly a Brute : as if one fhould fay, an Angel is compos'd wholly of Gold, Man is made up part of Gold, and part of Clay. Wherefore that is true which the Prophet faith, Man is a little lower than the dngels ; and this is likewife true, that the Soul of Man, becaufe it is part of the Man, is a little lower than an Angel. From whence ic follows that an Angel is more like to God, than either Man, or the Soul of Man, becaufe God is a Spirit, not a Body, nor the Form of a Body. But tho' an Angel bears a greater Refemblance to God, it doth not hence fol- low, that God is not a Spirit infinitely Supe- rior to the Dignity of Angels ; for God is a Spirit uncreated, eternal, unmeafurable, who only hath Power, Wifdom, Goodnefs, and Excellency. Wherefore, my Soul, if thou art ready to own that the Angelical Nature deferves thy Admiration, how much more oughtefl thou to admire, and ftand amazed at, the Nature of God, which fo far fur- mounts the Dignity of Angels, that there is not the leaf!: room for Companion ? CHAP. II. BU T not only in Nature or Subftance, may an Angel be term'd a perfed Man, and Man an imperfect Angel, but alfo in Un- derftanding and Knowledge, For Man, or m the 142 Steps of A[cenfio?i to God. the Human Soul, is at great Pains in attain- ing to the knowledge of things, as being un- der neceffity of ufing the Miniftery of the Senfes, and by running backwards, and for- wards, from Effects to Caufes, and from Cau- fes to Effects, to pick up Knowledge by piece Meal, and from hence alio, is frequent- ly encountred with Doubts, is often under e- gregious Miftakes, and feldom arriveth at cer- tainty of Knowledge. But an Angel by one view, has an infight into a thing, and at once difcoversitsCaufes and Effecis, and penetrates not only into the Accidents, but to the very Subftance of the thing : nor doth he only behold Corporeal, but alfo Spiritual things. So that Man, whilft he pilgrimizeth here be- low, in point of Underftanding, is not a lit- tle, but fo far inferior to Angels, that be he never fo ingenious, and never fo inquifitive after Knowledge, if he be compared with an Angel, deferves to be no more accounted of, than a Child not yet weaned from the Bread. For the Prophet hath truly fung of us Mor- tals, Out of the mouths of babes and [ticklings thou hal. 8. prfcchd praJfe. Hear the Judgment or Solo- ■won, the wifeft of Men, concerning that Knowledge of ours, which fo puffeth up. All things arc fill of trouble or difficulty, Man can- Ecclef. 1. not titter it : And again, No Man can find out Ecclcf. 3. the Work thai God maketh from the beginning to the end. If all things are full of Difficulty, and can- not be accounted for by Man, and if Man tmderftands nothing of this vifible V/orld from the vei y fir ft thing that Was created to the la ft ; underft'ands I fry, nothing perfe&Iy, fo as to be Steps of A(ce??fion to God. T43 be able to unfold the Nature, Properties, Acci- dents^ Powers, and other things which belong to it ; in what Errors will he intangle him- lelf, if he fhall attempt to find out the things which are above the Heavens ? Wherefore, my Soul, if thou art wife, pur- fue wholefom Knowledge, and feek after the Wifdom of Saints, which confiits in fearing God, and keeping his Commandments : Do thou conceive greater delight in Prayer, than in Difputations ,• and in Charity that edifies, than in Knowledge that puffeth up ; for this is the way which leadeth to Life, and to the Kingdom of Heaven, where we iittle ones fhall be made equal to the Angels, who always behold the Face of our Father which is in Heaven. CHAP. III. THere is, befides, a third thing wherein the Human Soul is not a little, but ve- ry much, inferior to an Angel. The thing I mean is Power and Dominion over Bodies. For the Soul of Man can move its own Bo- dy, by the fole Command of Will, but has no Power to move other Bodies after this man- ner ; and it moves its own Body by a Pro- greffive Motion upon Earth, but cannot fikf- pend it over the Water, or convey it on high into the Air, and carry it where it has a Mind : but Angels by the mere impulfe^ of Spirit, that is, by the Command of the Will, raile 144 Steps of Afcenfion to God. raife heavy Bodies up on high, and carry them whicher they pieafe. Thus one Angel took away Habbakuk, and carried him in a little time to Babylon, to bringDaniel his Dinner, and re- conveyed him to Palefiine. Befides, Man can- not maintain a Fight with his Enemies, with the Spirit alone, but is forc'd to make ufe of his Hands., and Inftruments of V/ar ; but An- gels without thefe, or the like Weapons, en- gage with an Hoft of armed Men, and with- out any other Artillery, but only that of the Spirit, do always come off victorious. Thus one Angel once flew an hundred eighty five thoufand Ajjyrlans. And if an Angel can do fiich great things, what can the Creator, and Lord of Angels do ? Certainly, he that made all things of nothings can reduce all things to nothing. The Mind of Man by the Art of painting, and carving, with great Labour of Body, and Application of Mind, can make Images of Men to refemble living and real Men, that feem to breath, and to be alive indeed. Angels without any Pains and Trou- ble, without the help of Hands, and Initrti- ments, and almoft in a Moment's Space, can fo fit themfelves with a Body from the Ele- ments, that prudent Men themfelves /hall take it for the Body of a Man, becaufe it fpeaks, walks, eats, drinks, and may be hand- Gen, is. led, felt, and alfo wa/hed. So Abraham pro- vided Meat for the Angels, and wafhed their Heb. 13. Fctt, becaufe, as the Apoftle explains it, he entertained Angels, whiift he thought he on- . 9 Iy entertained Men. Which alfo happned to when he brought two Angels into his ufe, whom he, took only for Men that Steps of Afcevfion to Go J. 145 were Strangers. So alfo the Angel Raptkiel, convers'd many days with the younger Tobit, walking, fpeaking, eating, drinking, as if he had been truly and properly a Man : and yet he himfelf afterwards, when he was about going away, tells him, / feemcd indeed to eat and drink with you ,• but I make ufe of i?.vijible meaty and of drink which cannot be feen of men : and on a iudden vanifhed out of their fight* It proceeds, no doubt, from a great Power, to form on a fudden fuch a Body, as can in no refped be diftinguiih'd from an human and living Body : and on a fudden at pleafure fo to dhTolve this Body, that there mall not remain any print or footftep thereof. But if the Power of Angels is fo great and won- derful, who have no more Power than what he was pleas'd to furniih them with ; how great muft the Power of their Creator be ? Even as the Knowledge of Angels and ours, compar'd with the Knowledge of God is Ig- norance ; and as the Righteoufnefs of Angels and Men, compar'd with that of God is Un- righteoufnefs ,• fo the univerfal Power of An- gels and Men, if laid in the balance againft that of God, will weigh lighter than Vani- ty it felf. Therefore our God is truly called, the only Wife, only Good, and only Powerful CHAP IV. LAftly, if we confider the place of Angels and Men, we mail find in this refped alfo, that Man, or the Human Soul^ is not a t Httlf 1 4^ # Steps ofAfcenfion to God. little, but much inferiour to an Angel. Pot God hath affign'd the human Soul its Station on Earth, but the Angels have their place in Heaven., that is, in the Palace of God : Pfal. 1 14. F° r the heavens are the Lords, but the earth hath he given to the fons of men. Hence it is that Mat. 24. our Lord calls them the Angels of heaven ; and Lu. 15. in another place faith, There is joy in heaven over one finner that repent eth ; and a little after, There frail be joy in the prefence of the Angels of God, over one finner that repenteth. Befides, God hath fo ty'd the Soul to the Body, that it muft of neceffity attend it in all its moti- ons. But God hath not encumber'd the An- gels with Bodies., and hath empower'd them to pafs with all imaginable fpeed, from Hea- ven to Earth, and from Earth to Heaven, or wherever they pleafe. So an Angel who comes the nearert to God in Dignity of Na- ture/doth in fome meafure aifo by his fubtle- ty referable his Omniprefence : For God is at all times in all places, by the Immeniicy of his Nature, and fince he is in all places, he has no need of changing place. An An- gel by the fwiftnefs of his motion, doth pafs with fo much eafe from place to place, and prefent himfelf in all places, that after a man- ner he may feem to be every where. But, my Soul, if thou wilt hearken to the God of Angels, thou {halt have no caufe either to envy them their height of place, or that no Fatigue attends their wonderful fwiftnefs of motion : For not only thou, my Soul, when loofed from the Body, {halt be equal to the Angels, but when re-united to the Body which Chrift ihall make like Iris own glorious Bo- dy* Steps of Afcenfion to God. i 47 dy, thou and thy Body /hall poffefs Heaven as thine own home ,• and the Body it felf be- ing fpiritualiz' d, /hall initantly be without Labour or Fatigue in any place where thou its Soul malt will and require it to be. The Lord doth not go about to impofe upon thee, when he faith in his Gofpel, In my Fathers John ix* houfe are many manfions : and, I go to prepare a place for you ; and if I go, and prepare a place for you , I will come again, and take you unto my felf that where I am, there ye may be alfo : and, Father, I will that thofe whom thou hafi given me, be with me where I am, that they may beheld my glory which thou haft given me. But thou art not to learn where Chrift is, and what a Bo- dy he. hath ,* for thou every day confeffeft and fay eft, The third day he arofe again from the dead ; He afcended into heaven. Thou know- eft alfo, that his Body after the Refurredion us'd to enter into the room, where the Dif~ ciples were affembled ,, when the Doors were /hut ; and that when he departed thence, he did it not by walking, but vaniihing away j that is, he convey'd his Body from one place to another fo very nimbly, as if it had been a Spirit, not a Body. But if thou aimeft at fuck a glorious State, thou mult conform thy Body, whiift below, to" the body of Chrift's Humility, and then Chri(t will fafhion thy Body like to his own Glorious Body. Next thou mult tread in thofe fteps he did, For Chrift fufferd for J4s, leaving us an example that we fiwuld follow his fteps, as St. Tetter tells US, i Petcf £ And what are thefe Steps I Who did, faith he, no fin, neither Was guile f am d in his mouth $ who whm hi was reviled^ reviled not again, when he. i i fiifered 148 Steps of Afce?t[ion to God. fuffered he threatned not. There are two foot- fteps of Chrift, from which if thou ftrayeft, thou art out of thy way, and wilt never come to thy Country. Thou muft abftain from doing evil, and patiently bear it when offer'd ; and, which follows from hence, thou mult do good, and expect no fuitable return in this World : and which is the fumof all, thou muft love thy Neighbour for God's fake, with a true and ilncere love of Amity, not with the love of Concupifcence ; thou muft love him freely, without any expectation from Man, being content with a retribution from God, which exceedeth all that thou canft conceive, CHAP. V. COme we now to the Dignity of Angels, according to Grace. In this refpeci in- deed Man is more than a little inferiour to Angels. For at the beginning God fo crea- ted the feveral Angels, as at once to found their Nature, and infufe Grace in them, as St. Augufiln (hews us in his Books of the City of God. And then by their clofe adhering to God, from the firft turning of their Mind towards him, when the reft fell, they were prefently crown'd withBlifs and Glory. There- fore their State of Pilgrimage was very fhort, and their Abode in Heaven Eternal j if that little Interval of time between their Creation and Beatitude, may be termed a Pilgrimage. We Men indeed received Grace with Nature at our Creation, but it was in our firft Parent, not Steps of Afcenfion to God. 44^ not in our felves ; and therefore when he fell, we all fell with him, according to that of the Apoftle, All have finned. But though we are R om , 5 reconciled to God by the Mediator of God and Men, Chrift Jelus ; yet are we fentenc'd to a tedious Banifhment, and whilft we are in the body, we are abfent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, and not by fight ; and one thing that mightily affli&s pious Men, and fuch as long for their Country, is, that we live in the mean time amidft very fierce and cruel Enemies, and are in danger, thro* their flight and cunning, of being excluded from our moft pleafant and delightful Coun- try: from hence come fuch Expreflions as thefe, Woe is me that my fojourning is prolonged ; that I dwell in the Tents of Kedar ,* my foul hath been a very great fir anger. CHAP. VI. IT remains now that we fpeak fomething of the Offices of Angels, which are in num- ber five. The firft is, to iing Praifes and Hymns inceflantly to the Creator. And that we may underftand how much God values this fervice, we muft confider, that Angels of the higheft order are appointed to this Office, after whom as Precentors, all the Quires of Angels do tune their Voices, with incredible Jubilation. Hear the Prophet Ifaiah, I faw the Lord fitting upon a throne, high and lifted up $ and his train filled the temple. Above it ftood the Seraphim, each one had fix wings ; with two where** 1 5 o Step of Afcenfton to God. of they cover d his feet, and with two they did fly. And one cryed to another, and f aid, Holy, holy, ho- ly is -the Lord of hofis, the w hole earth is full of his glory. Here you read of Seraphim, which are Princes of the higher! Order ; you lee that they put a Veil over his Face and Feet, which is a fign of Reverence ; as if they durft not behold his Face, or touch his bare Feet : you fee, that the fame fly as they fing, which fignifies Affe&ion, and Defire of ad- vancing ftill nearer and nearer to God. Which two things are neceffary for thofe who defire to pleafe God while they fing his Praifes, that is, that they join Love with Reverence, and Reverence with Love, which the Prophet Da- pf . vid exprefly requires, faying, Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice before him with trembling. From hence/ my Soul, may 'ft thou learn, how great Reverence is due to God, when as the Prime Nobility of Heaven, who continu- ally ftand before him, and always behold his Face, and yet neither from the Eminency of their ftation, nor their long acquaintance, dare at any time lay a fide Fear and Reve- rence, whiift they fet forth his praife : and what wilt thou fay for thy felf, who art but Duff, and Allies, when thou fhalt be accufed of Drowfrnefs, and wandering Thoughts, at that time, when thou art to bear a part in io Divine a Work, to which thou waft not worthy to be admitted ? Learn at leaft for. the future, from fo great an Example, to of- fer up Hymns and Praifes to God, with Fear and Trembling, with Attention and Watch- fulnefs, with Love and longing Defires. Ano- Steps of Afcenfion to God. 1 5 1 Another Office of Angels is to offer the Pray- ers of poor Mortals,, and to recommend them to God : for thus faith the Angel Raphael in the Book of Tobit, When thou fray 'edfi with tears ,T 'ob. it and didfi bury the dead, and did ft leave thy din- ner ^ I offer d thy prayer to the Lord. And in the Revelations John faw an Angel ftanding be- fore the Altar, having a golden Cenfer, and^ QV - s * there was given unto him much incenfe, that he ffwuld offer It with the prayers of all the faints up- on the golden altar which was hefcre the throne. Here is to be feen the wonderful Clemency and Mercifulnefs of our God : for, not think- ing it fufficient, firft: by his Prophets, then by his Son, and Apoftles, to encourage us to pray, and make our requefts ,' he adds with- al a Promife, that he will give us whatfoever we petition for : Ask, faith he, and it fhall be Luke 1 1 , given , and, if ye (l)all ask the Father any thing in J ^ l $° my name, he will give It you. And as if he had not been yet liberal enough in his Promtfes, he gives us farther encouragement, by of- fering a reward ,• But thou, faith he, when thou prayeft, enter Into thy clofet, and when thou haft fliut to the door, pray to thy Fat herein fecret, and thy Father which feeth In fecret, flu threw ard 'thee | that is, mall give thee fomething more than what thou haft petitioned for : for thus faith the Lord in the fame place, concerning Alms and Fafting, Thy Father which feeth in fecret fiaU reward thee. But as if all thefe Arguments of a fatherly affe&ion were not fufficient, God hath appointed Angels, as his moil conflanfc Attendants to take care of Prayers, as cf Me^ morials for the poor, which they offer, and read in his prefence, that no Petition 01 poo? L 4 Sv.. t §2 Steps of Afcenfion to God. Supplicants might be forgotten. What earth- ly Prince ever promifed a Reward to fuch as came to petition for Favour or Juftice ? And yet they who apply to the Princes of this World., are Men, as Princes themfelves are Men., fonnd of the fame clay, and fubjects alfo of the fame God, who is King of Kings. But if it be too much for Princes to give a reward to fuch as come with petitions, yet methinks it fhou'd feem but fair and equitable, to give them free admittance, and to depute fome faithful Officer, that may carefully pre- ferve the Petitions of their fubjects, and fo- licite for quick Difpatch. The third Office of Angels confifts in this, that they are lent as Ambaifadors to iignifte • God's Will and Pleafure, efpecially about the affairs of Redemption, and eternal Salvation. For thus faith the Apoftle to the He hews, Are Heb, r. they not all miniftrivg (firits,fent to minlfier to them who foall be heirs offalvation ? Thus we find in many places of the Old Teiiament,that Angels appear'd to the Patriarchs and Prophets, and revealed to them what God would make known to the World. Thus alfo we read in the New Teftament, that the Arch-Angel Gabriel was lent a Meffenger to Zacharias, and to the bleffed Virgin ; and alfo that Angels were fent to Shepherds, to Jofeph, and after the Refurredion of our Lord, to thofe Wo- men that were at the place of his Interment : and after the Afcenfion, to all the Difciples. Now the reafon that God, who is in all pla- ces, and can without affiftance, fignifie his pleafure in the hearts of Men, and yet will make ufe of the miniftery of Angels, feems tQ Steps of Afcevfion to Go J. 153 to be., that Men may the better be convinc'd, that God fuperintends human affairs, and that all things are govern'd, and direded by him. For Men might eafily perfwade them- felves, that Divine Infpirations are their own Dedudionsfrom Reafon, or their own Coun- fels : but when they fee or hear that Angels are fent, and their Predidions exactly ful- fiU'd, they can make no doubt, but that God has regard to human affairs ; and that he doth more efpecially difpofe and order thofe things which appertain to the eternal well-being of his eled. A fourth Office of Angels is the Protedi- on of Men, both in particular, and in ge- neral. For God our Father hath been gra- cioufly pleas'd to recommend the Infirmities of poor Mortals to the fupport of his molt powerful Servants ; and to fet them over them, either as Schoolmafters over Children, or as Truftees to Minors, or Patrons to Cli- ents, or as Shepherds to Sheep, or Phyfici- ans to the Sick, or as Guardians to Orphans, or Protedors to fuch as cannot defend them- felves, without being fhelter'd under the wings of the more potent and great. That Angels guard and protect Men in particular, David witneffeth, He pall give his Angels charge over^^ p r thee, that they keep thee in all thy ways. Ano- ther Witnefs, and that a moil Authentick one, is Chrift himfelf, Take heed that ye defpife not M at ,g o one of thefe little ones, for I fay unto you y that their Angels in heaven do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. And of tneir being Protedors of Provinces, and Kingdoms, Daniel bears witnefs, who calls the Angel that pro- 154 $ te P s °f Afc en fion t0 God. prote&ed the Kingdom of the Terjtans 3 the £>in. io. PHnce of Ferfia : and the Prote&or of the Kingdom of Greece, he calls the Prince of the Grecians % and the Protedror of the Chil- dren of Ifraelj he calls by his proper name Michael And laftly, St. John tells us of the Protectors cf Churches, when he makes men- tion of the Angel of the Church of Efhefus, and of the Angel of the Church of Smirna, and of others. Seeft thou not, my Soul, how concern'd the great Majefty of Heaven and earth is for us his poor Servants, tho' he {lands in no need of any thing we have or can do ? What can he do, which he has not already done, to exprefs his wonderful love ? He hath laden us with Kindnefs, to invite us to ftay with him : He hath fenc'd us with Guards, that we fhould not run away : He hath (unroun- ded us with Defence, that we might not be forc'd from him : what could he more, were we his peculiar Treafure, as he indeed is our great and only Treafure ? Therefore, my Soul, at laft fubmit to Love ,• and being o- vercome by the kindnefs of fo great a Lover, wholly furrender, and irrevocably make over thy felf i be not moved at any thing that is feen ; let thy Thoughts dwell upon things invifible, and let thy Heart pant after them. For the things which are feen are temporal; but the things which are not feen are eternal. The laft Office of Angels is, that they arm themfelves like common Soldiers, or Com- manders, to work revenge upon Nations, and to rebuke a finful People. They are An- gels who deftroy'd Infamous Cities with Fire ancl Steps of Afcenfio?i to God. 1 5 % and Brimftone ,• that flew the firft-born all over ss£gyp ; who overthrew many thoufand Ajjyrians at one affault : they are Angels who at the laft day fhall feparate the Wicked from amongft the Jull, andfiaU throw them in- to a furnace of fire. Therefore let pious Men love holy Angels,, their Fellow-citizens : let the Wicked Hand in dread of the Power of Angels., who exe- cute the Wrath of an Omnipotent God, out of whofe Hands there is no efcaping. THE i5<£ THE Tenth Step. From Confederation of the EJfence of God y by Similitude of corporeal Greatnefs. CHAP. I. WE hav? afcended as high as we can by created Subftances, nor are we yet arriv'd at that knowledge of God; which, even in this valley of Tears we may attain to, by Contemplation, It re- mains then,, that we confider whether by thofe Dimenfions of corporeal Quantity,which we are acquainted with, we can afcend to the breadth and length, the heighth and depth of the invifible ErTence of God. For of things created^ thofe are faid to be Great, which have the four great Dimenfions. But in the V faints , and elfewhere, 'tis often faid that God is Great, and that of his Greatnefs there is no End. Sure I am St. Bernard, who was emi- nent for Speculation, made great Advances in the knowledge of God, by his considera- tions of thefe Dimenfions. Nor was he the firft that contriv'd fuch Xnftruments of Af- cenfron. Steps of Afcevfwn to God- 157 cenfion, but learn'd the way from the Apo- ftle, who enter'd into the third Heaven and Paradife. For thus faith the Apoftle to the Ephefians, That ye may be able to comprehend with Eph, 3, all Saints, what is the breadth, and length, and leighth, and depth. For he that /hall attentive- ly confider, will certainly find that there is no fulnefs, nor any thing ftable, or folid, cut of God ; but that all things have ftrait, and narrow bounds, are mean, empty, and fuperficial : but will find God's Immenfity to be true Breadth ,- his Eternity true Length ; the Sublimity of his Nature true Height; and his Incomprehenfibility true Profoundnefs , Depth indeed without bottom: Again, he will find his Omnipotency to be true Height; his Infinite Wifdom true Depth ,- his Bow- els full of Compaffion 3 true Breadth,- his Stri&nefs and Impartiality of Judgment, L e. his compleatand perfect Juffice, true Length. But it is not enough to confider thefe things Superficially, if we have a mind to Afcendon High, and find out what we feek for,- no, we muft think on them, till we have a full knowledge of them. For this is what the A- poftle faith, that ye may comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth, and length, and heighth, and depth. Now that Perfcn has this Comprehenfion, who after the moll ferious, and attentive Confederation, is fully perfwa- ded that the thing is fo, and is fo fully per- fwaded thereof, that he fells all that he hath, and makes haft to purchafe the Treafure he hath found. For therefore the Apoftle added, with all Saints, for none but Saints do clearly comprehend thefe things j or, no one hath a 158 Steps of Afcenfion to God. a right eomprehenfion of them, but he mull be made holy. Nor doth St. Aug. contradict what we have faid, in his Epiftle to Honora- tm, affirming^ that the Apoltle defcribes the Crofs of Chrift, by breadth, lengthy height, and depth. For, (as he there tells us) the tranfverfe Wood (or piece a crofs) to which his Hands were faftened, when he was cru- cified, appertaineth to breadth ; the long piece on which his crucified Body hung, to length ; that part appearing above the Crofs, where- on was the Infcription, to Height ; that which was fixed in the Ground., and was oilt of light, to Depth. By this I fay., St. Aug. doth not contradict my Meaning, but rather admira- bly help to explain it : For the Crofs of Chrift is the way to obtain true breadth, length, height, and depth. For though the Crofs of Chrift appear to Humane Eyes, to have nei- ther breadth, length, heighth, nor depth ; yet it really reacheth from Eaft to Weft, and from North to South, it hathfpread its Glo- ry far and wide, by the preaching of the Apoftles : And its top reacheth to the higher! Heaven, which it hath open'd, like a Key, to the Elect,* and hath likewife penetrated to the bottom of Hell, which againft God's Chofen, it hath eternally ihut, C H A P. II. LE T us begin with his Effence, and then we will pafs to his Attributes. The Ef- fence of God, onfeveral accounts may, with gOQC? Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. 1 5^ good reafon, be termed very broad. Firft, it is exceedingly broad in it felf, and uncapabte of being meafur'd, as comprehending all the perfedions of things created, and of things that may be created, and (till infinitely more perfedions. For what thing foever is, Jhall or may be made, is certainly contain'd in God, in a more eminent manner, and mea*- fure. Therefore other things are good with fomething added, as, a good Man, a good Horfe, a good Houfe, a good Garment, and fo of all other things. But God is all man- ner of good ; for when Mofes faid, Shew me thy Glory, God anfwer'd, I will ihew thee all Good. Had a Man fome one Thing by him, comprifing all the objeds of the Senfes, in the higheil degree of perfedion, fo that he ihould have no Temptation to ilep out of his Houfe, either for the fake of feeing, hear- ing, fmelling, tailing, or touching, having at home as great Delights in that One Thing, as the moil Voluptuous Perfon can defire, would not fuch a thing be of great worth and value ? But if befides, that One Thing contained in it, as great plenty of all manner of Riches, as the moll covetous perfon could wifh for, fo that he fhould have no defire to go out of his Houfe for larger Acquifitions^ would not this yet farther recommend the Thing ? Again, if This Thing could furnifh thofe who have it, with as much Honour and Dignity as the moil Ambitious can af- pire to, would not the worth of fuch a Thing feem altogether invaluable ? And if the fame Thing could fatisfie, not only the defire of Man, but alfo of an Angel, which is as much 1 60 Steps of Afce?}fio?i to God. much greater, and more capacious than Man's, as the knowledge of Angels is great- er than Man's, what would'ft thou fay of it ? And yet the goodnefs of fuch a Things would come far fhort of the goodnefs of God, which is fo great, as to fatisfie, and fill the infinite defire, or rather the infinite capacity of God. O admirable Breadth of Perfection in the Di- vine EfTence, containing fuch Immenfity of good Things, as can fully fatisfie the infinite capacity which is in God ! For God never goes out of himfelf, becaufe he hath all good things in himfelf : And before the foundati- on of the World, was as rich, and happy as after, becaufe God made nothing, but what was in himfelf before, in a more excellent manner. Underftandeft thou, my Soul, what a Good thou fhall enjoy in thy Country, if thou lov- eft God by the way, and what a Good thou jhall be depriv'd of, if thou mifapplyeft thy Love ? For God will give Himfelf, that is, All manner of Good, to be enjoy'd by thofe who love him, when he fhall fay to the good and faithful Servant, Enter into the joy of thy Lord. B' CHAP. III. U T the Immenfity of God appears in \ another refpeft, as filling every place in Jer, 23. th 2 whole Creation. I fill Heaven and Earthy faith the Lord. And were there more "Worlds, he would fill them all. If, faith David, I jhall Steps of Afcenfion to God. \6i flail afcend up to Heaven, thou art there. If I g# Piiil. 139, down into Hell, thou art there alfo. To which I add, if I go above the Heavens, beneath, or out of them, I {hall not be alone, becaufe Thou wilt be there : for neither, indeed, can I be at all, except I am in thee, and thou fupport me, who doft fupport all things with the Word of thy Power. Neither doth God only fill all Bodies with his immenfe Great- nefs, but alfo all Spirits, Hearts, and Aiinds. For how could he make a Scrutiny and Search into Hearts, if he were not in Hearts ? And how could he hear the Petitions of Hearts, if he had not an Ear at our Hearts ? And how could the Prophet fay, I will hear what God the Lord will fpeak in me, if God did not apply his Mouth to the Ears of our Heart ? Happy is that Soul which is in love with God, becaufe her beloved is ever prefent; becaufe fhe always carries him in her Bofom, and is always cherilhed in the Bofom of her beloved : For he that abideth in love, abideth in God, and l J°" n 4* God in him. Nor doth God only repleniih all things with his Prefence, but with his Glory alfo. For this is the Cry of the Seraphim,, The whole I&i- & 'Earth is full of his Glory. And David faith fur- ther, O Lord our God, how wonderful is thy name in all the earth, who haft fet thy Glory above the Heavens ! As if he had faid, not only thy Name, Renown, and Glory, have filled the whole Earth with Admiration, but have a- fcended up to Heaven, yea, are advanced a- bove the Heavens. And, to fay no more, Ecclefiafticm addeth, The Works of God are p'^EccIus *, of his Glory : For there is not a Creature in M Hea~ 1^2 Steps of Afce?ifion to God. Heaven or Earth, but which continually praifeth God. And this is the Reafon that David in his Pfalms, and the Three Children in Daniel, exhort all Creatures to blefs and praife the Creator, For they knew very well that a great many Creatures were uncapable of hearing Exhortations ; but becaufe they knew that all the Works of God were good, and by being fo, did in their kind praife the Creator ; they did therefore congratulate, and encourage them ft ill to proceed as they had begun. And furely he who wants not the Eyes of his Underftanding, may lee that all the Works of the Lord are as it were Cenfers, fending up a fweet Odour to the Glory of God : and he that has underftanding Ears, may hear, as it were, a various Harmony of ail forts of Mufical Inftruments, praiiing God, and lay- ing, It is be that hath made its, and not we our (elves, For tho' wicked and ungodly Men do every where abound, that curie God, and blafpheme his Name, yet even thefe, tho' a- gainil their Will, are forc'd to praife God af- ter the manner that the Work commends the Workman. For in them the Power of God, by which they are made, is very confpicuous, and io is the Wifdom of God, by which he governs them ; and his Good nefs, which con- tinues their Being, tho' they are ungrateful And wicked ,• and his Mercy and Righteouf- nefs, by which he doth cither juftly icntcnco them to Punilhment , or mercifully wait for their Repentance, and Amendment. There arc Multitudes here below, that are •Jeaf to thefe Voices of the Creatures, yet they Steps of Afcetifion to God. \ £3 they ceafe nor to cry : not are there want- ing innumerable Angels, and holy Men, who carefully liften to thefe Praifes : that are de- lighted therewith., and continually employ 'd themfelves in celebrating the Divine Crea- tor with Hymns, and with Songs of Praife. CHAP. IV. NO W the length of Divine ElTence is God's Eternity, whofe Duration neither had beginning, nor fhall have end, and fiiall continue the fame without the leaft Change or Alteration : Thou art the fame, faith the Pfalm- ill, and thy years fliall not fail. And St. Paul calls God the King of Ages, becaufe he alone is not fubjed to Ages, but prefides over them, dire&s, and governs them, for He and only He preceded all Ages. Other things either have Beginning and End, and never conti- nue in the fame State, or have a Beginning without End, and without change of Sub- itance, but might, were it the Creator's Plea- fure, alfo ceafe to be. Therefore Eternity is fo proper to God only, that it can agree to no Creature ; nor has any Prince ever yet arrived at fuch an height of Arrogancy, as to affume , amongft the many Titles have been ufurped, that of Eternity; or if any did., it was in another Senfe, as Confiantine was ftila Eternal Emperor, becaufe he had not the Go- vernment for a certain time, but for Life. But thou, my Soul, mayeft be reckoned amongft both thefe kinds of Creatures. For thou haft a Body which began to ba when it M a #as $4 Steps of Afcenfion to God* was conceived^ and was born • and which gradually increas'd to that fize, and meafure, which God had before appointed ; and then began to decreafe, and in a ihort time Death will put an end to its Being, and fo never continues in one State, being at all times, and in every part, fubjed to change. The Pro- phet hath pronounced Sentence of thy Body, by the Similitude of Hay. In the morning they are like grafs which groweth up; in the morn- ing it flour ijloeth and groweth ftp, in the evening it is cut- down and wither eth. For in the Morn- ing, that is, in Childhood, the Body of Man is green like Grafs, but quickly pafleth from thence to Youth : in the Meridian of Youth it ficuriiheth, and prefently makes a Tranfition to old Age : in the Evening of old Age, it falls down, grows ftiff by Death, withers in the Grave, and returns to its primitive Dull. Behold, therefore, my Soul, at what a diftance thy Body is from Eternity ! As to thy felf, thou waft created in time, whereas before thou wail nothing ; and in this refped: there is a vaft difparity betwixt thee, and thy Creator • but now thou art created, thy Duration will be Eternal, and this thou haft in common with thy Creator. But fince thou art fubject to change, whilit in the Body, from Vice to Virtue, and from Virtue to Vice, and fince in whatfoever Condition thou /halt be found af- ter thy departure from the Body, in the fame thou ihalt be adjudg'd, either to reign eter- nally with God, or to fuffer everlaiting Tor- ments with the Devil ; therefore thy princi- pal Care ought to be, to ftun Vice, and al- ways to tread in the Paths of Virtue. Beware there- Step of Afcenfion to God. 1^5 therefore of being feducedby the Allurements of the Flefh, to the eternal Detriment both of that and thy felf ; but crucifie the Flefh, with the vicious Inclinations thereof, that af- ter a few Days are over, not only thou thy felf may eft lead a Life of Eternal Happinefs, but that alfo thy Flefh may have a glorious Refurre&ion, and jointly with thy felf remain everlaftingly united with the Divine Eifence. But tho' the Souls of the bleffed, and the ho- ly Angels alfo, fhall participate of God's E- ternity, in that moft fublime and happy Uni- on with God, by Vittue of the Beatifick Vifi- on, and Love, which Union fhall not only be endlefs, but alfo firm and unfhaken ,• yet In many other Refpe&s, they fhall be capable of varying and changing Thoughts, Affecti- ons, and Place. Therefore they fhall always admire, and look up with Wonder at, the Divine Eternity above them, in which there can be no Change of Mind, Will, or Place, and yet nothing fhall be wanting to it, but it fhall perpetually be poffefs'd of all things, which by Eternal Changes it might have fur- ni/h'd it felf with. Wherefore length of E- ternity is an Infinite thing, and equally pro- per to God, as the breadth of Immenfity. CHAP. V. TH H E next thing in order to be confi- ■*• der'd is, the Height of Divine ErTence, with refped to which David thus addreffes God, Thou only art moft high. Now God alone Mj' is 1 66 Steps of Afcenfwn to Go J. is mod high in Nobility of Nature : for things are fo much the more noble, and emi- nent., by how much the more pure, and more abftra&ed from Matter. This we fee firft in corporeal things : for "Water is fuperior to Earth in Nature, becaufe purer ; and on the fame Account, Air is fuperior to Water ; Fire to Air, and Heaven to Fire. "We fee the fame things fecondly, in fpiritual things. For the Underftanding is fuperior to Senfe, becaufe Senfe hath a bodily Organ, which the Un- deiilanding needeth not : and the Under- ftanding of an Angel is fuperior to that of Man, becaufe Man needs the miniftery of Imagination and Fancy, which an Angel doth not : and ampngft Angels, thofe are of a fu- perior Rank, who underfland moil things by the feweft Species. And therefore God, who only is a pure Acl, and ftands in need of no- thing without himfelf, neither Organ, Ima- gination, nor Species ; no, not the Prefence of any Object without himfelf, but his Elfence it felf is all things to him, and nothing can happen to him, which he always actually had not, and to have actually, is always to be a fimple and pure A£t; on thefe Accounts I fay, the Divine Nature is moft High and Sublime, and God can by no means have an equal. Ifai. 14. Therefore he that faid, I will be like the moft High, was prefently tumbled from Hea- ven to the depth of Hell, as Efaiab defcribes it. And Chrift our Lord faith of the fame, Ifaw Satan like lightning fall from Heaven. God is aifo molt High en another Account, as he is the prime fupream Caufe of all things, the Efficient, Exemplary, and Final Caufe, Steps of Afcenfion to God. 1 6j Caufe. He is the higheft Efficient Caufe, becaufe there is nothing created with a Fa- culty to ad in any Refped:, which had not that Faculty from God, but God derives his Power from none. Further, there is no Caufe which can exercife its Powers, except it be me^d by God; but God ismov'd of none. Laft- ly, amongft created things, thcfe are term'd iu- perior Caufes which are Univerfal, on which particular depend, as the Heavens, and An- gels , which move the Heavens ,* but God created both the Heavens and Angels : He then only is the fir ft, and higheft Efficient Caufe. He is like wife the prime Exemplar v Caufe, becaufe God made all things after the Forms and Idea's which are in himfelf. Laft- ly, he is the prime final Caufe, becaufe he . created all things, as the Wife Man faith, for Himfelf, that is, to manifeft his Glory. But God is very properly called, as he is, The mop H>gh, becaufe he fitteth upon the higheft Throne. I faw, faith Efaias, the Lord fitting upon an high and lofty Throne. And becaufe a Seat hath a two-fold Vfe, one to give Judg- ment from, another to take Reft on, we wii} feverally confider thefe Ufes. C H A P. VT. AN D firft, God hath the higheft Seat, becaufe he is the fupream Judge. For Abraham calls God the Judge of all the Earth ± Ccn< iS and David faith, that he is a Judge of the Cods : that is, God judgeth Judges themfelves, who M 4 in i £8 Steps of Afcenfion to God. Pf.il. 82. in the Scriptures are called Gods. But St. James very plainly affirms, There is but one Lawgiver ^ and Judge: that }s, God alone is properly Lawgiver, and Judge, becaufe he gives Laws to all, and receives from none, he judges al^ and is judged of none. Befides, God is not only 2. Judge, but he is alfo a King, and fo acis not as a Judge commiffion'd by R eVt the King, but as a fupream King, and Prince ,• pr -95.76 from whence he is call'd King of Kings, and a great King above all Gods ,* and terrible among(t the Kings" of the Earth ; thereafon is, becaufe he transfers Kingdoms, and Empires at his Plea- fufe, from one Nation to another, and when he pleafes, taketh away the Breath of Kings. But Jaftly, God is not only a Supream Judge and King, but alio an Abfolute Lord, which is the higheft Title of all. For Kings are not fuch abiclute Lords over Subjeds, as that they can at Pleafure deprive them of Eitate or Life. Of this, King Ahab is an Evidence, who had a Mind to Nabcttis Vineyard, but could not ccme at the Poffeflion of it, but by the Ca- lumny and Fraud of his Wife, which occa- fion'd a moil deplorable Death to them both. But Gcd Is truly and properly a Lord, all things ferve him, and he is Servant to none, who can, when he pleafes, reduce all things to nothing, as at firit he made all things of nothing. Gcniider then, my Soul., in what Fear and Dread we poor vV'orms of the Earth mould be, when we think on Him, who fits upon a Throne exalted to fuch an height, that He has nothing at all above Him. If I am jour Lord: or Majhr, faith he by Malachy, where is 'my Steps of Afcenfion to God. \6$ my fear ? And if the Supream Princes in the Heavenly Court, itand before Him with fear and trembling, what Behaviour will become us, who are mortal and frail Creatures, and co-habit in this Vale of Mifery with Beaftsthat, peri/h ? But this feems ftrange that the moft High God ftould not delight in Creatures that are like Himfelf, that is, fuch are as high and lofty, but in thofe that are humble and mean; for thus faith God by Efaias, To this Man will Ifai. 6& I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite Spirit, and trembleth at my Word. And David tells Us,that although God is high, yet hath he refpecl unto things that are lo7i>. And yet, 'tis true, God is pleas'd with things that are high and lofty, and in this refped like Himfelf,- but they are things that are really fo, not fuch as feem to be, and are not. Therefore God loveth not the Proud, who ought not to be termed high and lofty, but Men haughty and puft up. But he loves the humble, and fuch as tremble at his Word, becaufe the lower they debafethem- f elves, the higher they are exalted "by God himfelf. And they who are exalted by God, are high indeed. Therefore the very fame Perfons are both humble, and lofty ; humble in their own Eyes, lofty in the Sight of God. Cculd any one have feen, not only with the Eyes of his Body, but thofe of the Heart too, and the fame Divinely illuminated, the rich Glutton drefs'd up in fine Lirmen, and Purple, and fitting at a Table furnifh'd with all fcrts of Delicacies, attended with many Servants, carefully executing their feveral Offices ; and could at the fame time have feen poor humble Lazarzs fitting at the rich Man's Gate, half na- i jo Steps of Afcenfion to God. naked, and full of Sores, and begging to be fed with thofe Crumbs which fell from the rich Man's Table ; he, I fay, that could have feen this, had feen a rich Man, whom the World accounted exceedingly happy, moil abominable and vile in the Sight of God, and his Angels , and no better than the filth and ofTscouring of the Earth. For that which is ¥ Tr f> highly eft eem d with Men, is Abomination to the Lord, as our Lord tells us at the fame time that he gives a Defcription of the Glutton. On the contrary, he would have {cm poor and mean Lazarus ennobled and honour'd, as a Pearl of great Price, in the Sight of God and his Angels ; as the IiTue plainly fhewed. For Lazarus, as a Favourite of God, is conveyed by the Hands of Angels into Abrahams Bofom : infernal Spirits draggaway the rich Man, who was odious to God, and throw him into that Fire which never will be quenched. Eut why do I inftance in Lazarus ? No one was ever in more Efteem with God, than our Lord Je- fus Chrift, even with refped to his Humanity, and yet none is found more humble than he, either in Heaven or Earth, as he very truly Matt.ii. affirmed of himfelf. Learn of me, for I am meek and lewly in heart. For by how much the more clearly that moft holy Soul underftood the infinite height of Divinity, than all o- thers, fo much the more clearly under flood \\z the vilenefs of the Creature, which is made of nothing • and therefore being alfo a Crea- ture, makes greater Submiffion to God than others, humbles himfelf, and exalts God, and is likewife exalted by God above all Creatures, even Angels themfelves. And the fame may Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. 171 be affirmed of Angels and Holy Men • for none are more humble than they who have the higheft Seats in Heaven, becaufe the nearer they are admitted to God, the more clearly they perceive what a vaft difference there is betwixt the Greatnefs of the Creator, and the Littlenefs of the Creature. Wherefore, my Soul, love thou Hmility, if thou defirelt true Preferment. Be a follower of the Lamb without blemifh, imitate the Vir- gin Mary, Cherubim and Seraphim, who all, the higher they are, the more humble they appear. CHAP. VII. NO R has God only the higheft Seat, with refped to Univerfal Judicature, but alfo becaufe he enjoys greater Reft than o- thers, and brings Reft and Quietude to all with whom he takes up his Refidence. The higheft Seat of God is the exalted height of his Reft • for though he governs the Univerfe, wherein are continual Wars, and Conflicts of Elements, and of Beafts, and Men ; yet he undifturbedly paffeth Judgment, as we read in the Book of Wifdom, and always enjoys a profound Peace ; nor can any accident in- terupt his Quiet, or his Contemplation of Himfelf, wherein confifts his everlafting De- light. In this refped: alfo he is called the King of Jerufakm, which is the Vifion of Peace. But his proper Seat is with the blefled Spirits, and thence he is faid to fit upon the Cherubim. But God is rather laid to fit up- on 172 Steps of Afcevfion to God. on the Cherubim than Seraphim, beeaufe Cherubim fignifies Abundance of Knowledge, but Seraphim the Ardour of Charity ; Now Reft is a confequent of Underftanding, but Care and Anxiety attend Charity, unlefs it be temper'd with Difcretion. Therefore alfo the Soul of the Righteous is called the Seat of Wifdom. 66. Laftiy ., when I£faias faith, Heaven is my Throne ; Pfal. 114. and when David affirms, The Heaven of Hea- vens are the Lords ; by the Heaven of Heavens are meant the Spiritual Heavens, whofe dwel- ling is above the Corporeal Heavens, that is, the bleffed Spirits, as St. Auguftin declares in his Expofition of the hundred and fourteenth Pfalm. But to thefe Heavens God gives Co wonderful a reft, that the Peace they enjoy is what paffeth Underftanding. St. Bernard ufes a very apt Similitude in his Sermons on the Canticles to explain this Reft : God who is Difpaffionate and Quiet, makes all things fo ,* and to behold hi?n in his .Quietude , is to have Reft our felves. Thus have we objcrvd fome earthly To- tentate, after the trouble of debatim Caufts, an- fwering of Petitions, and giving Audience, difmijjing the Crowd, and fuming vexatious Cares, to retire to his Apartment, and go into his Bed-Ch amber with a few, whom he vouchfafeth the honour of this Trivacy and Familiarity ' refting fo much the more fecurely, by how much the more privately ^ enj eying the greater Quiet, the more pleas d he is to have ?io?te in his Preface but Favourites, and thofe whom he loves. By which Account St. Bernard Ihews, that God doth not carry- himfelf as a Judge to the Spirits of the Blef- fed, but like a Friend and Familiar. And in- deed, the Intimacy is not to be exprefs'd, which Steps of Afcenfion to God. 173 which is in this Life betwixt God and pure Minds ,• infomuch that this Saying, My de- light is with the Sons of Men ; and that other, My Secret is with the Righteous, feem to be fully accomplilhed. From hence furely it is, that all Saints, though they fuffer'd Affliction in the "World, yet had Peace in their Heart, becaufe God was there, and therefore always look'd plea- fant and ferene, and were fo indeed, for he that cannot lie had faid unto them, Tour John j6. Heart flidl rejoice, and your Joy no Man Jhall take from you. CHAP VIII. TH E fourth part of Greatnefs is yet be- hind, which is call'd Depth. Now there appears a manifold depth in the Effence of God. Firft, the Divinity it felf in him is moil profound, becaufe it is not fuperficial and thin, but very full and folid. The Deity is not like a Mais that is [gilded over, and has nothing of Gold but what appears on the furface and outfide, and within is only Cop- per or Wood ; but like a Mafs that is all over Gold, a huge and vait Mafs ; or rather like a Mine of Gold, fo very deep that it can ne- ver be exhauited : Thus God is altogether Incomprehenfible, becaufe as a Mine of Gold, in which can be difcovered no bottom, is ne- ver exhauited by digging • fo likewife God, of whofe Greatnefs there is no end, is never fo perfectly known by a created Mind, but that 174 Steps of Afce?ifion to God. that farther Difcoveries may ftill be made ; and that infinite depth can only be fathom'd by God, becaufe he alone is infinite in Un- demanding. But fecondly, God is profound, with refpeft to place ; for as he is moft high, becaufe he has the Prefidency over all things, and is above all things ; fo likewife God is the moft profound, becaufe he is put under all things, that he may be a Foundation for them ; and is beneath all things, that he may fupport all : For as the Apoftle faith, He beareth all things with the VJord of his Power* Therefore God is, as it were, both the Foun- & Chro. 6. dation and Roof of the Building, in whom we all live and move and have our being. Solomon therefore faid very truly, The Heaven, and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee j becaufe God more properly contains the Heavens, and the things which are under Heaven^ as being both above the Heavens and below the Earth. Laitly, God's Invifibility is hib Depth ; for God is light, but inacceffible ; he is truth, but very retir'd ; more referv'd than what is I'fal. 17. moftly fo. He hath made darkncjs his hiding place, faith David; and He is a God, faith ifai 45. Efaias, that hideth himfelf St. Auguftin once making enquiry after God, fent out his Eyes, as Menengers from Earth to Heaven, and all things anfwered, We are not what thou feekefi, for he made us. Therefore not finding God in his furvey of outward things, he began to travel through things inward, and found of a truth, that this way we more eafily approach to God ; for he knew that the Soul is more ex- cellent than the Body ,• and the internal Senfe better than the external ; and the Under- ftanding, Steps of Afcenfiott to Go J. j 75 Handing, which is yet more inward, better than the internal Senfe. From hence he concluded, that God, who is more inward than the Underftanding, is more excellent than the Underftanding ; and therefore that whatever we underftand, or conceive, is not God, but fomething inferiour to God, who is more excellent than any thing we can con- ceive or underftand. Well then, my Soul, if thou art better than thy Body, to which thou imparteft Life, be- caufe that is a Body, thou a Spirit ; and the Eye of thy Body doth not fee thee, becaufe that is without, but thou art within • be thou affured, that thy God is better than thou art, becaufe he gives thee Underftanding, and is, as it were, the Soul of every Soul ,* and there- fore thou canft not fee him, becaufe he is a Spirit, higher and more inward than thou* and thou, as I may fay, haft thy abode with- out, he his within in his moft fecret and pro- found Recefs. But fhalt thou never be ad- mitted to that Secret ? God forbid : For our Lord that cannot lie, hath (aid, BleJJed are the Mar. f. pure in Heart 3 fir they ft all fee God, Nor doth the Apoftie deceive us when he faith, We fee now as in a Glafs darkly , but then face to face : Nor St. John the Evangelift, who faith, We know that when he Jliall appear we fiall be like hint) becaufe we foall fee him as he is. And what will that joy be, when being admitted to this Intimacy, thou ft alt fee and pofleJs Light it felf, Glory it felf, Beauty it felf, Goodnefs it felf ? At that time it will plainly appear, how empty, tranfitory, and inconsi- derable the temporary Goods of this World are, ij6 Steps of Afcenfion to God. are, With which being intoxicated, Men for- get the true and everlafting Goods. But if thou heartily thirfteft after the living God > and if thy Tears are thy Meat Day and Night, whilfl: it is faid, where is thy God ? delay not to purifie the Heart, with which God is to be feen ; nor be weary of afcend- ing in Heart, till the God of Gods appear in Sion ; nor be backward to love God and thy Neighbour ; nor be content to love in "Word and Tongue, but love in Deed and in Truths for this is the way which leadeth to Life. THE *77 THE Eleventh Step. From the Confideration of the Greatnefs of God's Tower ■, by Similitude of corporeal Greatnefs. CHAP. L GREAT is the Lord, and of his Great- nefs there is no Meafure nor Bounds. Nor is he only Great becaufe Omni- potency is his Height ; unfearchable Wifdom his Depth j Mercy, univerfally difFus'd, his Breadth • Juftice, like a Rod of Iron, his Length ; but becaufe each of thefe Attributes have the magnitude of infinite Breadth, Lengthy Height, and Depth. And to begin with Power, or rather Om- nipotency ; the Power of God hath its breadth which confifts in extending to an in- finity cf Things : For, in the fim place, it reacheth to all things that are made ; becaufe there is nothing in the whole Univerfe, from the molt glorious Angel, to the meaneft Worm ; atod from the higheft Heaven, to the depth of Hell, which w#s not made by the I) Power 178 Step of Afcenfion to God. Power of God. All things, faith St. John? Were made by him, and without him is not any thing made ; and, the World was made by him. It alfo extends it felf to all tilings which fhall be in fucceeding Ages., to Eternity : For, as nothing could have been made but by him, fo can nothing hereafter be made without Rom. 11. him -, for thus faith the Apoille, Of him, and through him, and to him are all things. It ex- tends it felf to all things which can be, tho* they never fhould be * for thus faith the An- Luke 1 . gel, Nothing Jim 11 be impof/ible with God. And our Lord himfelf faith, With God all things are pjjible. It extends it felf to the utter defini- tion of things that are made ; for as it was in God's Power, by a deluge of Waters, to deftroy all Men and Cattle which were in the Earth, excepting a few which he would have to be preserved with Noah in the Ark ; fo can he by a deluge of Fire,, deftroy at once not only all Men, and all Cattel which fhall be found alive at the lail Day ; but alfo all Trees, and all Cities, and all things elfe in 2 Pet. 3. the Earth : The day of the Lord will come, faith Si. Peter, as a Thief, in which the Heavens Jhalh fafs away with great noife, the Ekme?its Jlnill melt with fervent heat, the Earth, and the Works that are therein (hall be burnt up. Great furely is this latitude of Divine iPower, which no Man can fufliciently admire, unlefs he hath iiim'd up the multitude of things which God hath made, can, and will make. But who can count fo vail: a Multitude, fave he whole Knowledge is Infinite, and without Limitati- on ? But the magnitude of this Power is much enhans'dj if we conilder how great a thing k Steps of Afcenfion to God. \ \k it is to diffolve things made by fo powerful an hand, and of fo many Ages continuance, in the Space of one poor Moment, and with- out the leaft Difficulty, or, as Judas Mac-* 2 Mac cabeus fpeaks, to reduce them to nothing with a Beck. TVho, O Lord, amongfi the mighty , is like imto thee ? CHAR II. NO W the Length of Divine Power ap- pears in this, that whereas God continu- ally co-operates with all things which he hath made, and neither is, nor will ever be fatigu'd with his Co-operation : becaufethe Power of God can no ways be diminiihed, weakned, or broken, as being conjoin d with real Eternity, or rather when it felf is the very Eternity of real Divinity. Many ftand in Admiration, that the Sun, and Moon, and Stars, have been fo long time in Motion, and move fo fwifcly, from Eaft to Weit, and return into their Circles without Intermiffion : and the thing would be admirable indeed, but that we know them to be carried by an Omnipo- tent God, who fuppcrts all things by the Word of his Power. Others again cannot but wonder that the infernal Fire mall not be confumed by eternally burning, nor the Bodies of thofe Wretches be diffolved by per- petual frying in Flames. And, indeed, this might not only be accounted wonderful, but impoflible too, were not He, who makes that Fire, fo to burn continually, that it never' % 1 ftrrald So Steps of Afcenfton to God. Jhould be quench'd ; and that fo preferves the Bodies of thofe tormented in that Fire, that they mould eternally be tortur'd, and never confum'd ; were not He, I fay, that thus or- ders it, an Omnipotent and Eternal God. And laflly, others wonder, that God fupports and upholds all things , and undergoes no Fatigue in fuftaining fo vaft a Bulk, of almoft an infinite Weight. For, a Man of Might and Strength, an Horfe, an Ox, or Elephant, can bear a confiderable Weight, for a ihort inconfiderable time.; but to bear the whole Weight of Nature and Creation without Pain or Wearifomnefs, for Eternal Ages., fur- paifes the Power of all created things. But they had reafon to wonder, if God had Strength in Weight and Meafure, as all cre- ated things have : but iince the Power of God is without Stint or Limitation, and he is in- finite in every refped: • it is not ftrange if infinite Strength can eternally bear the molt ponderous Bulk, without being fatigu'd or tir'd.. Let us therefore cry out with the Prophet ILfes, Who , O Lord amongft the might j is like unto thee ? C H A P. 1 1 1. II E next thing to be confider'd, is the Height of God's Power, which is placd efpecially in two things. For in the firft place, his'Omnipotency maybe faid to. reach a very great height, becaufe He alone, hath made thofe things which are moil High and Eminent. The Steps of Afcenfion to God. 1 8 1 The things which are below the Moon, God alone made at the firft Creation of things : but the fame things by the Agency of Crea- tures^ may be generated, tranfmuted, cor- rupted : for the Elements are tranfmuted one into another, as to the Parts of each, and out of the Earth are produced Herbs and Trees ; and Animals are propagated from Animals - y Fifties breed in Water : Clouds and Rain in the Air ; Comets in the Fire. But Heaven, and the Stars, which are Bodies of a very great height, were created by God a- lone, as they are preferved by him • nor has any Creature the leaft Agency, either in the mar king, altering, dhTolving, or preferving them. I fee the Heavens, faith the Prophet, the TVork Pfal. 8, of thy Hands , the Aloon, and the Stars which the u haft ordained. For the highefl: and moil noble Works, the mod High hath referv'd for Him- felf, He began to frame them from the very Foundation, and 'twas He that brought them to their Height and Perfection. So likevvife Spi- ritual things, as Angels, and the Souls of Men, which are the moft noble and fublime Works of all, thefe God alone by his infinite Power hath created, and doth prefeive, and will for ever fecure from Annihilation and Corruption. Nor have Creatures any iTiare in the Creation of thefe things ; and tho' they fhould unite their whole Force, they would not be able either to produce, or de- itroy, one Angel, or one Soul. In the n^xt Place the height of Divine Power is manifestly feen in Miracles, which, as St. Augufime tells us cc are Works beude the ordinary Courfe cc and Order of Nature, which happen to N 3 cr the i S 2 Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. cc the Admiration and Aftonifhment of all Nature., and Angels themfelves. What Angel was not aitoniirf d, when at the Command of f. ic Jcfhux* the Sun, and Moon, who run their Courfe with incredible Speed, did on a (rid- den (rand (till ? And that we may not fup- pcfe this to have been a fortuitous Accident, (nor, indeed, can any Man imagine, that fo extraordinary a thing mould be wrought by mortal Man, whofe Station was on Earth) the Holy Spirit tells us, that God cbeyd *fc Voice of Mm, Nor did Jojhua properly fpeak to the Sun and Moon themfelves, whom he knew uncapable of hearing his Command, but directed his Prayers to the Lord, and muft be underftood to fpeak after this manner \ Thou Sun, at God's Command, (land (till upon Giheon, and thou Moon in the Valley of Jjahn. But the Lord obeyed the Voice of Man, that is, he made thofe Lights obey the Voice of Man. For in the (acred Ora- cles, God is (aid to do thofe things, which he caufes to be done. Thus in Genejis, when the Lord faith unto Abraham^ Novj I know that then ftarcfi God : the Meaning is, now have I caufed, that both thou thy (elf, and others, may know, that thou really and truly fearefc God. Of this kind alfo was that Work, de- noting the height of Divine Power, when the Mcon, at the PaMion of our Lord, which then was at the greater]: diftance from the Sun, came to the Sun with a moil rapid Courfe., and being under it three Houis, caus'dDark- n'efsin the Earth ,• and when thofe three Hours were c ■-. ^turned with the fame inexpref- iibie Speed to the Place from whence it came. All Steps of Afcenfion to God. i 83 All which St. Dionyjtm the Areopagite affirms that he faw, and made Obfervations upon it. And this Miracle, indeed, is contrary to the for- mer, but not lefs wonderful, it being equal- ly ftrange and unaccountable, and above the Power of Nature in general, either to Hop the Moon in her Courfe, or force it to a greater Speed. I pals by thofe Miracles of giving Sight to the Blind, and of raifing the Dead, and many other of that fort, which God wrought by his Prophets, Apoftles, and others of his faithful Servants , all which things cry out, Who, O Lord, among fi the "migh- ty is like unto thee ? But I cannot omit that laft and greateft Miracle, which God will exhibit at the End of the World, when all that have died in fo many Ages mall rife together, tho' the Bodies of moil are crumbled into Dull and A/hes ,• tho' fome have been devoured by wild Beafts, and fo have been converted into feveral Bodies ; tho' others have been buried in Gardens and Fields, and have been tranf- muted into feveral kinds of Herbs. Which of the Angels will not be in amaze, to fee, at the Almighty's Command, fo many Mil- lions of Men refume, at the twinkling cf an Eye, their own Bodies, tho' they have difap- pear'd for many Ages, tho' the manner of their Deaths have been very different, and the Particles of each Body very distantly dif- persM ? This demonftrates fuch an height of Divine Power, that with refped thereto we may likewife fay, Who, O God, amcngft the migh- ty , is like imio thee ? N 4 CHAP, 184 Steps of Afcenfion to God. CHAP IV. THERE remains for our Confideration the Depth of Divine Power, which feems to ccnfift in thofe Ways and Methods which God makes ufe of in his Works of Cre- ation. For who can dive into his way of making fomething out of nothing ? Thofe could not fee into this Depth, who concluded upon this as a try'd and certain Principle, that out of nothing, nothing is made. And we alfo in this matter, believe what we do not fee. But we confidently rely on God, who cannot deceive : we believe, I fay, that Heaven and Earth, and all that therein is, were created by God himfelf, and that there was no precedent Matter to work upon. Nor had God, indeed, made all things that are made, had there been any thing prepar'd to make them of. But how, or by what means, any thing could be made, whereof there was no precedent Matter, is a very profound A- byfs, which we are net able to fearch into, and find out. But further, God did not only anake all things out of Nothing, but made them alfo in Nothing ,• that is, without pre- cedent Space, or Place, wherein that might be difpos'd which was made, which, in cor- poreal things efpecially, can hardly be con- ceiv'd. Here therefore is like wife an impe- netrable Abyfs. Take away, faith St. Aiiguftinc in his Epiftie to Dardanm y Space of Vlace fr f cm Bodies^ and they will not be any where 3 and be- caufe Steps of Afcenfion to God. 185 caufe they frail not be any where, they will have m Being at all. Therefore if there were no- thing before God created Heaven and Earthy where did God place Heaven and Earth? They could not certainly be placed in no- thing, and yet created they are, and are them- felves place to themfelves, becanfe He that is Omnipotent both would, and could have it fo , tho' our Underftanding cannot compre- hend how it comes to be fo. To this God alluded when,pleas'd to difcover his Omnipotency to holy Job, he faid, Where waft thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth, J ^ % declare if thou ha ft TJnderft ending, who laid the Meafures thereof, if thou canft tell ? or who hath firetched the Line npen it ? upon what are the Foun- dations faften d ? or who laid the Corner- fi one there- of ? And for our fuller Convi&ion that thefe Works of Divine Omnipotency do merit the greaterr. Commendation, the fame Lord im- mediately fubjoyns, When the Morning Stars Jung my Praifes together, and all the Sons of God flwutedfirjey. For the holy Angels who were created together with Heaven and Earthy and are as it were, fpiritual, bright, and glorious Stars, fo that they feem worthy , in feme meafure, of the glorious Appellation of God's Sons, when they faw Heaven and Earth ftart out of nothing, and plac'd in nothing, and yet folidly founded upon their own Balis, they prais'd the Omnipotent Architect with great Admiration and Rejoycing. Nor doth this Confideration lefs perplex the Underftanding, that God, by the fole Command of his Will, ere&cd fuch immenfe and vail Fabricks. For we know that in Euiid- 1 8 6 Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. Buildings no ways comparable for Greatnefi, how many Instruments., Engines, and La- bourers, the Mafter-Buiiders have Occafion for. Who then by Studying can find out, how Works cf fuch Stupendous Greatnefs, and fuch admirable Variety, Should be ac- complished merely by Virtue of the inter- nal Will, which never goeth out of him that willeth ? God fpake, (to himfelf no doubt, for the Word of God is in God, and is God himfelf) he fpake, I fay, by commanding, and expreSIing the Power of Will : Let the Heavens be made, and they were made > let the Earth be made, and it was made ; let there be Light, let there be Sun, let there be Stars, let there be Trees, let there be living Crea- tures, let there be Men, let there be An- gels, and without more ado they were all made. To this add, that the fame God, were he fa pleas'd, can, with only one Beck, de- Itroy all thefe things, and the Univerfe toge- ther. But there is yet another Depth behind, and is this, that God made all thefe things, io wonderful for Multitude and Greatnefs, and variety of Parts, and Members, in one Moment of Time. With us, the Works of Art, and Nature require length of time to be brought to Perfection. We See that Herbs are fown a considerable time, before they are grown up : Trees require Some Years to take Root, tofpread their Branches, and bring forth F.uit,- living Creatures carry their young a great while in the Womb, and after feed them a long time before they can Shift for themfelves. I need Say nothing of Arts, every one knows that a little time is infuf- %|ent, Steps of Afcenfion to God. 1 8 7 ficient, even to the moil Ingenious, to perfed and compleat their Works. How great then is the Divine Power, which brings the mightieft things to Perfe&ion in lefs time than we can mention them ? Nor do I enquire whether God finifh'd Heaven and Earth, and all that is therein, in one mo- ment ? Or whether his firft Creation of Things took him up fix entire Days ? for my bufinefs is not to folve Queftions, but to contrive helps to Afcend to God from the confiderati- on of Things. This is then what I afTert, and fland amazed at, that every particular thing had the firft and laft Stroke from the Omnipotent Creator's Hand in one moment of Time. As for Earth, and Water, and Air, and Fire, there is a general Agreement that they were made in a Moment ,• and likewiie, that Angels were fo made. Touching the Firmament, and the divifion of Waters, it is well known, that all thefe were made by the fole virtue of the Word, faying, Let there be a Firmament in the midst of the Waters, and that too in a Moment ,• for it follows, And they were made. St. Chryfofiome faith, He did but ipeak, and the Work follow'd. And upon thefe words, Let the Earth bring forth the green Herb, and it was fo, he thus flourilhes : Who can confider, and not be amazed, that thefe few words of the Lord, Let the Earth bring forth, fhould beautine the face of it with va- rious Flowers, as with a Garment curicuflv embroidered. You might have feen the Earth, which was before deform'd and uncul- tivated, ail on a Hidden vie, in a manner, with Heaven it felf, for Beauty and Orna- ment. 1 8 8 Steps of Afcenfion to God. ment. And afterwards, upon thefe words., Let there be Light, he thus refle&s ,• He did but fpeak, and this admirable Inftrument, the Sun, was created. "What if we fliould add, that in the fame Moment, and by the fame Word, the fame Creator made the Moon, and all the Stars. And upon thefe words, Let the Waters bring forth, &c. he thus defcants, What Tongue can fufficiently exprefs the Creator's Praife ? For as he only laid of the Earthy Let it bring forth, and it was immediately ena- mel'd with infinite Flowers and Herbs of fe- veral kinds ,• fo now he only fays, Let the Wa- ters bring forth, and there were inftantly cre- ated, fo many kinds of creeping and flying Creatures as cannot be recounted. Who there- fore among!? the mighty is like unto thee, O Lord ? CHAP. V. AND now, my Soul, thou art fully in- form'd, how great the Power of thy Creator is, which, as to Breadth, extends it felf to all things ; as to Length, is of eternal duration, and which fupports and governs all things without fatigue or wearilbmnefs : As for Height,reacheth to the making thofe things which not only feem, but really are impofli- ble to all but God : As for Depth, doth fo effect and bring about things, that the man- ner of his Operations is above created Un- derftanding, becaufe he makes all things of nothing, in nothing, without Inftruments, and Time, only by his Word and Command. He Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. i S? Hcfpake, faith the Prophet, and they were made ; P&1- *49> he commanded^ and they were created. From which, if thou art wife, thou wilt inferr, how much it concerns thee, whether God is pleas'd or angry with thee ; whether he is thy Friend or thine Enemy : For if thou haft incurr'd his Difpleafure, and provok'd his An- ger, he can ftrip thee in a Moment of all thofe things wherein thou haft plac'd thy Delight ; and inflid all kinds of Miferies up- on thee, from which thou canft not be deli- vered, for who can encounter Omnipotency ? Should it be thy Fortune to meet thine im- placable Enemy, when thou art naked, and unarm'd, and he fhould affault thee with an Inftrument of Death, what would'ft thou do ? How would'ft thou Sweat, grow Pale, and Tremble, and falling upon thy Knees, how earneftly would'ft thou beg for Mercy ? And yet fuch an Enemy is no more than Man ; and it may be, that either by running away, or by refiftance, or by difarming him, thou might'ft efcape Death : But what wilt thou do with an offended God, from whom there is no making thy efcape, becaufe he is in all places ; againft whom Refiftance doth not fig- nine any thing, becaufe he is Omnipotent- nor canft thou put any ftop to his Proceedings, for ; his Order and Execution go hand in hand. Therefore the Apoftle had good reafon to fay, It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Heb. 10, living God. But, on the contrary, if God is thy Friend, and thou art his Favourite, who can be in a more happy condition than thou ? for he is able to enrich thee with all Good Things j and if he is thy Friend, he is no lefs wil- ipo Steps of Afcenfion tp-God. willing than able fo to do, and withal to de- liver thee from all Evils. It is in thy power, whillt on this fide the Grave, to render him either a God of Anger and Vengeance, or si tender Father and companionate Friend : for God, both by the Prophets in the firft place, and then by his Son and Apoftles in the Holy Scriptures," is perpetually calling to us, invi- ting Sinners to Repentance, and the Righte- ous to keep his Commandments, that fo he may account the one and the other his moft dear Children, and Heirs of his eternal King- Ch. 33. dom. Hear what is faid in Ez^ekiel, As I live, faith the Lord God, I have no flea fare in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live ; turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ivajs, for why will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael ! And a little after, As for the wickednefs of the wicked he /hall not fall thereby, when- ever he /hall turn from his Wickednefs. And Efaia's and Jeremy, and the other Prophets con- firm what Ez,ekiel faith, for they were all in- fluenced by one Spirit, which made them proclaim one and the fame thing. Hear the Son of God, when he began to preach : Jeftis Ch. 4, began (faith Matthew} to f reach and to fay, Re pent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Hear Paul the Apoflle fpeaking of himfelf and his Feliow-Apoftles, in his fecond Epiffle to the Corinthians, We are, faith he, Ambajjadors for 2 Cor. j, Chrisf, as though ChriH did exhort you by us, we befeech yen in the name of ChriH, be ye reconciled unto God. What can be more plain ? what more comfortable ? The Apoffie in the name of Ghriff, befeeches us to be reconcii'd to God, intreats and begs, that we would pro- pitiate' Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. t $ i pitiate him j and not provoke him to anger againft us. Who now can have any doubt of God's being mercifully inclin'd to us, if we heartily return unto him ? There is no doubt but he will receive thcfe that return, as that moft indulgent Father receiv'd his Prodigal Son. But after our return and obtaining Pardon, what doth he require of us, in order to continue his Friends, and his Sons, but to keep his Commandment ? If thou wilt enter into Life, faith our Lord, keep the Commandments. Obj. And left thou fhould'iT. be tempted to fay, without the Divine Afliftance there can be no keeping of the Commandments. Sol. Hear St. Auguft'm, in his explication of the Pfalms, who fpeaking of that Com- mandment, which imports the greateft dif- ficulty of all, that is, of laying down our Life for our Brethren, doth ufe thefe words ; God would not command us to do this, if he adjudgd it impoffible for Man to do it. And if, confidering thine Infirmity, thou faint eH under the Command- ment, ftrengthcn thy felf by Example. And in- deed Example is very fignificant to thee : He that gave the Example, is ready, and at hand to aid and fuccour thee. And that in the Mouth of two Witneffes every Word may be eftabiifhed, hear St. Leo, Cod, faith he, doth juftly infisl upon the Obferuation of his Commands, becaufe his Grace is ready to co-operate with our Endeavours. Why then, my Soul, art thou afraid to betake thyTelf boldly to the way thou art command- ed to walk in, when thou art accompanied by him, who by the mighty efficacy of his Grace, makes what is crooked limit, and rough ways plain ? By the concurrency of this Grace i^2 Steps of Afcenfion to God. Grace the Yoke of the Lord is made earte^ and his Burden light : And St, John affirms, that his Commandments are not grievous : But if they ihould feem grievous, confider how much more grievous the Torments of Hell will be $ nor wilt thou adventure, if thou art not befides thy felf, to make the Experiment. But confider this again and again, and never let it flip out of thy Mind, that New is the feafon of Mer- cy^ that Hereafter will be the time of Judg- ment : that Now thou art at liberty to offend,- Hereafter a neceffity will be laid upon thee of fuffering molt grievous Purilhment : That Now we may, without difficulty, tranfadt and accommodate Matters with God ; and, with a little labour of Repentance, obtain Favour and Pardon ; and with a fhort Sor- row, buy off everlaiting Lamentation ; and, contrariwife, that the Kingdom of Heaven may now be purchas'd by good Works, pro- ceeding from the virtue of Charity ; that Hereafter one drop of cold Water cannot be- procured with the Wealth of the Univerie* THE *93 THE Twelfth Step. From the Confederation of the greatnefs of the Wifdom of God y by jimilitude of Corporeal Greatnejs. CHAP. I. HOW far the Apoftle was in the right, when in the clofe of his Epiftle to the Romans, he affirms , That God is only Rom- 16. wife, whoever will attentively confider the breadth, length, height, and depth of Divine Wifdom, will eafily underftand. And to be- gin with Breadth ; there needs nothing to evince the Wifdom of God to be infinitely rroad, but to confider, that he perfectly and diiiin&ly knows all things in nature, from the molt glorious Angel, to the moil defpicable Worm : Nor do intire Subftances only fall within his Knowledge, but he is acquainted alfo with their Parts, Properties, Powers, Ac- cidents and Actions. From hence are thofe Sayings, Thou telkfi my Steps $ and, The Lord hath r effect to the ways of Man, a?id confidant h all his wings. Now, if he number and con- * * O fider 1^4 Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. fider every Step, how much more the A&ions of the Mind, whether they are good or bad ? And if God hath numbred our very Hairs, Mat* 10. according to the Saying of our Lord, The hairs of your head are all numbred ,* how much rather doth he know all the Members of our Bodies, and all the Faculties of our Minds ? And if he knows the number of the Sands of the Sea, and of the drops of Rain, as is in- Chap. i. inferr'd from Ecckfiaftkus ; how much rather may we conclude, that he knows the number of the Stars, and Angels ? And if he fhall bring every idle word that Men fhall utter, into Judgment, as our Lord himfelf teftifies, then doubtlefs he mult hear at one and the fame time the words of all Men ; and not on- ly thofe words which are uttered by the Or- gans of the Body, but even thole of the Mind, that is, Mens Thoughts and Defires. How great then and how unmeafurable is this Latitude of Wifdom, which comprehends all things at once, which are, have been, which ihall be, and which are capable of being ? Nor is it any difparagement to the Divine Mind, that ib many, and fuch mean things fall under his Cognizance, as the infatuated V/ifdom of fome Philofophers hath fancied : We might perhaps fufpecl fuch a thing, if God, as we, did derive his Knowledge from Things ; but when he feeth all things in his Lffence, there is no danger of difparagement. And yet 'tis far more noble to attain to Wif- dom by fearching and inquiring after it, which is proper to Man, than to be utterly devoid of it, which is the cafe of Brutes ; as It is better to be blind, which is proper to Ani- Steps of Ajcenfion to God. 1 9 5 Animals^ than without Blindnefs to be inca- pable of feeing, which is the Cafe of Stones. Nor are the other Members of the Body more noble than the Eyes, becatife they cannot be blinds but the Eyes are more noble than they, as having the Faculty of feeing, tho' they are in a capacity of becoming blind, as St. Auguftin very well argues in his Bock De Civi- tate Deh And upon this account, my Soul, thou oughteft to be very careful at all times and places, to regulate thy Thoughts, Words, and Actions, according to divine direction, becaufe there is not a Thought, Word, or A&ion, but what is feen, heard, and obferv'd by God. For if thou wouldeft not adventure to a&, or fpeak any thing amifs, tho' thy Inclinations did earneftly follicit thee there- to, wert thou perfwaded that only a Man did hear or fee thee ; how dareft thou fo much as harbour a wicked Thought, whilft God beholds with Indignation ? cc Admit, * faith St. Auguftine, a Man could efcape hu- a mane Eyes, what will he do with that Ccs- a leftial Overfeer, from whom nothing is con- w ceal'd. And St. Bafil in his Book of Virgi- nity, fpeaking to a Virgin fhut up in her Clo- fet, and alone, doth admomfh her to reve- rence her Spoufe, who is every where prt^tnty as like wife God the Father, with the Holy Ghoft, and the innumerable Company of Angels, and together with them the holy Spirits of the Fathers : For, faith he, there is not one of all thtfc, who Jeeth not all things in all Places. O happy Soul of mine, wert thou at •all times fenfibie, of thy being plac'd on a, confpicuous Theatre, even in the groffeft O 2 Dark- ip6 Steps of Afcenfion to God. nefs, and profoundeft Silence ; how perfect a Life wouldeft thou lead i how carefully would- eft thou avoid all Irreverence, and all wan- dering of Thought ! For this is what the Lord fometimes faid to the Patriarch Abraham, Walk before me, and be thou perfect ; that is, confider that thou art ever in my Sight, and then thou wilt not fail to be perfect. CHAP. II. TH E Length of Divine Wifdom mani- fefts it felf in the Knowledge of things future : for God has fuch a penetrating Sight, that from Eternity, he faw what fhouid hap- pen to the end of Time, and beyond that, to Eternity : to which Length there can be no- i39« thing added, no, not in Imagination. Thou underfiandefi, faith David in the Pfalms, my thoughts afar off; and a little after, Thou know eft all things, l. e. the things that are now, thofe that have been of old, and fuch as pall be hereafter. The Prophetical Books abound with very clear, and very true Predictions, which they Jpoke not of themfelves, but as Zacharias Luke r fings, God /pake by the mouth of his holy Pro- phets, which have been (ince the world began. And this fore-feeing things future, and pre- dicting when they mould happen, is fo pro- per to' God alone, that He himfelf faith by TLfaias, Declare the things that JJjall be hereafter 9 and by this we flu II know that ye are Gods, And that we may confider a few PafTages out of many : Efaias hath thefe Words, Thus faith thf Steps of Afcevfion to God. jpy the Lord to his Anoint ed, to Cyrus, whofe right hand I have holden, to fubdue Nations before him, and turn the backs of Kings, &C. Where the Mo- narchy of the Perjians is fortold, and the firft King of the Terjians is called by his proper Name, Cyrus ; and a reafon is fubjoyn d, why God would exalt Cyrus, viz,, becaufe he Inould loofe the Babylcnijh Captivity : all which things were accomplilhed about two hundred Years after. Daniel likewife by the Simili- tude of an huge Statue, whofe Head was of Gold, the Breaft Silver, the Belly and Thighs Brafs, the Feet part of Iron, and part of Clay, very plainly foretells the four Monarchies, of the Babylonians, Per/tans, Grecians, and Romans : and under the la ft Empire, he foretells the Kingdom of Chrift, that is, the Chriftian Church, and that it ihould be greater than all thefe. And then fo plainly defcribes the "Wars of the SuccefTors of Alexander the Great, that fome Heathens have fufpe&ed the Ac- count not to be given till after the Wars were finiihed. And to omit other Paftages, Chrift himfelf, lamenting in Luke the Definition of Jerufalem, which was to happen many Years after, defcribes every thing fo diftin&ly, and particularly, as if he were not prophefying of what was to come, but relating what had already happen'd. I omit many other Pre- dictions, wherewith, as I faid before, the Books of the Prophets abound. Now Aftro- logers, and all other Diviners, who would feem to be the Apes of God, are to be laugh'd at, and exploded. Nor is it poffible they fiiould give a true Account of future Con*, tingencies, efpecially in things at Liberty, O 3 unleis ip8 Steps of ^f- en/ion to God. unlefs they cafually hit upon Truth. For whereas the Will of God fuperintends, and prcfides over all Caufes, neceffary,contingent, and free, and can hinder inferior Caufes, when he pleafes ; no Man can foretell any thing with certainty, but he to whom God is pleas'd to manifefthis Will, as he often did to the Prophets. And this is fo true, that the Devils efpecially affeded to be account- ed Gods hereby, becaufe they gave out Ora- cles, and foretold Futurities, as St. Augufiine attefts in his Bocks De Civitate Dei. But the fame eminent Do&or of the Church, in his Book of the Divination of Demons, plainly demonitrates, that their Divination is as falfe as their Divinity. For they declare nothing in plain terms, fave what they themfelves will do, or what being already done, in fome ether Place, they having the advantage of na* tural Quicknefs, relate as future to thofe that are remote ; or what, according to their long Experience of the Courfe of Nature, they conje&ure will happen : As Mariners ufe to foretell Storms ; Husbandmen Rain j Phyfi* cians Difeafes. But thefe Demons being in- terrogated about future Events, of which they are ignorant, they either anfwer indirectly, or in Equivocal Terms ; and when they are accufed of Fal/hood , and Miftake , they charge their Inquirers with Dulnefs, in not rightly apprehending their Anfwer. There- fore the Lord our God, of whofe Wifdom there is no bounds, is the only Oracle of Truth ,• and foretells what is true of all things future, even of things contingent, and free. CHAP. Steps of Afcenfion to God. 199 CHAP. III. NO W the Height of Divine Wifdom is very lofty indeed, and very far furpaf- feth the Sublimity of Human or Angelical Wifdom. The Height of Wifdom is known by the Excellency of its Object, Power, Spe- cies, and Acting. The Objed of Divine Wifdom, both Natural, and Adequate, is the Divine EfTence it felf, which is high in fuch a tranfcendent Degree, that it is not a pro- portionate Objed either to Humane, or An- gelical Understanding. Therefore the An- gels of the very fupream Order, cannot af- cend fo high as to fee God, except they are lifted up by the light of Glory. And this is the reafon why God in holy Writ, is faid to be invifible ; To the King eternal, immortal, in- x Tim. i» vifible, the only wife God ; faith the Apoftie in his former Epiftle to Timothy. Who aifo tells us in another Place, that Gad dwells in light chap. 6. that cannot be approached. Then fecondly, Pow- er, which in us is an Accident, in God is a Divine Subltance, and therefore is in Him in a much nobler and higher Degree than in us. And then thirdly, Species is by fo much the more eminent, by how much the more things it reprefents ; and therefore Angels, the more univerfal, and the fewer Species they have, are faid to have fo much the higher Knowledge. How great then is the height of Divine Wifdom, who has no other Species, but his own Eifence, which is but one, and O 4 is oo Steps of Afcevfion to God* is fufficient of ir felf alone, for God both to reprefent, and know, not only Himfelf, but all things befides, that either are created, ftall, or may be created. And in the fourth and laft Place, that is accounted the moft no- ble and fublime Wifdom, which knoweth moft things by the feweft Ads : but God by one only Act of Intuition, which ftill continues vigorous and immutable in him, perfectly knows both Himfelf, and all other things. The Wifdom therefore of God,has the Pre-emi- nence, and ought to be terrnd the molt High. Lift up now, my Soul, thine Eyes, and fee hew vaft a difference there is betwixt thy Knowledge, and the Wifdom of thy Creator. For thou by many A&s in running backward and forward, this way, and that way, canft hardly attain to a perfect Knowledge of fome one thing : but on the contrary, thy Creator, by one only A6t, moft clearly and diftin&ly fees Himfeif, and all things befide. And yet thou thy felf, huddled up as thou art in Dark- nefs, mayeft afcend upon the Wings of Faith and Love, to fuch an height, that after thou haft laid a fide this mortal Body, and /halt be changd from Glory to Glory, in the Light of God, thou mayeft fee God, who is Light ,* and being made like unto God, thou alfo at one View, and that continuing for ever, /halt be able to fee God - in Himfelf, as alfo thy felf, and all things that are created in God, at the felf fame time. For what is there, (faith St. Gregory in his Dialogues) that he doth not fee y who beholds him that feeth all things ? And what Pleafure, what Glory, what Plen- ty of all things flialt thou find, when admit- ted Steps of Afcenfion to God. 20 1 ted to inacceffible Light, thou fhalt partake of all the Treafures of thy Lord ? The Queen of Sheba in hearing the Wifdom of Solomon, and beholding the regular Order amongft the Servants of his Houfe, was aftoniih'd even to Extafy, and at laft thus cry'd out ,• Happy are thcfe thy Men, and thefe thy Servants, ivho ftand continually before thee, and hear thy Wifdom, And what proportion is there between the Wif- dom of Solomon, and the Wifdom of God, who is not only wife, but Wifdcm it felf ? And what is the Regularity and Order of So- lomons Servants, compared with that of the fe- veral Orders of Angels, of whom thoufands of thcujands minifier unto him, and ten thou fan d times ten thoufand ft and before him ? Surely if thou hail but the leaft reli/h of thefe things, thou wouldeft run all Hazards, thou wouldeft undergo the greateft Labour, and willingly fiiffer the greateft fmart to gain the Favour of God. Humble thy felf therefore under the mighty Hand of God., that he may exalt ihse in the day of ViMtation. Humble thy Undemanding^ and make it obedient to Faith, that thou mayeft be exalted to Yifion. Bring down thy Wiii to the Obedience of the Com- mandments, that thou mayeft be exalted to the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God : e- nure thy outward Man to Patience and La- bours, that God may glorifie it, and exalt it; to everlafting Peace and Quiet. CHAP. <2 r*. O Steps of Afcenfion to God. i C PI A P. IV. T remains that we confider the Depth of Divine Wifdom, which feems efpecially to confift in fearching out the Reins and Hearts., that is., in the Knowledge of Men's Thoughts, and Defires., efpecially of fuch as they fhall hereaft erentertain. From hence pro- i King.i6ceedthefe Sayings., Man feeth the things that ap- 2 Chio. 6. pear ^ bat the Lord looketh into the Heart : and thou only know eft the Hearts of the Sons of Men. Thus in Pfalm 139, Thou under ft andeft my Thoughts afar off, thou compafefi my Path, and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my Ways ; and in another Place,, He hnoweth the Secrets of the 27, Heart. So feremy y The Heart of Man k wicked and unfearchabhy who fhall know it ? I the Lord who fcarch the Heart and the Reins. Which Place the feventy thus render, The Heart of Man is deep, and unfearchable. And St. Je- rome expounding this Place, doth put us in mind that the Divinity of Chrift is from hence fully prov'd , becaufe he difcovered the Thoughts of Men, which God alone can fee Mat. 9. into. Thus we read. When J ejus perceivd Luke 6. their thoughts : But he knew their thoughts : And, Why do ye think thefe things in your hearts. Therefore every Thought, and every Defire of Man, even prefent, and really in being, are fo very deep^ that neither Angels^ Devils, nor Men, can dive fo far as to find them out : but yet a future Thought or Defire, is a much greater Deep. Men and Angels are fo far from Steps of Afcevfion to God. 203 from penetrating into thefe, that they cannot fo much as conceive the Methods of God, (who only knows them,) in his Inquiry and Search into them. And this David feems de- firous to fignify when he faith, Such Knowledge is too wonderful for me, i. e. Such Knowledge is fo myfterious that I cannot underftand the reafon of it : It is high, and I cannot attain unto it : that is, it lies out of my reach, and I can by no means comprehend the reafon of it, But he fpeaks of the Knowledge of future Thoughts. For he had faid, Thou didfi un- der ft and my thoughts afar off, and didfi fcrefee ail my ways. Of the fore-knowledge therefore or thefe Thoughts, and thefe Ways, he thus faith, This Knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot attain unto it : To this per- haps it may be anfwer'd, that God fees thefe future Thoughts in his Eternity, to which all things are prefent, or in the pre-derermina- tion of his Will. But were it fo, fuch Know- ledge would not be wonderful : for we our felves can eafily tell what we will do, or what things are prefent, and before our Eyes. But the Scripture faith, that God fearcheth the Pveins, and Hearts, and there fees what Men defire, and mufe upon, and what Thoughts and Defires fhall afterwards be lodged there. Now this is admirable indeed, how God, by fearching the Reins, and Hearts, can fee what is not yet in Being there, and what depends on the Choice of the Will, whether ever it /hall be. Therefore as it be- longs to the height of Divine Power, to make fomething out of nothing, and to call the things which are not, but fhall be, as the things 204 Steps of Afce?ifio?i to God. t : ~z* which are ; Co it belongs to the Depth cf Divine Wifdom, that by fearching the Reins and Hearts, he can fee what is not yet there, as if it now were, and which without peradventure ihall be there. B' CHAP. v. UT my bufinefs being, not to difpute, but to elevate the Soul towards God ,• rouze up therefore thy felf, my Soul, and mount a- Lam. 3. bove thy felf, as Jeremy advifes, and confider that profound Abyfs of Divine "Wifdom, which fearches the inner parts of the Heart, and difcerns many things there, which the Heart it felf fees not. O blelfed Peter, when thou faidfl unto thy Lord, Though I fiould die with thee, yet will I not deny thee : Certainly thou didfr. not diflemble, but fpakeft in fincerity and uprightnefs of heart : nor didft thou fee that Infirmity in thine Heart, which was vi- able to thy Lord, when he faid, Before the Cock crow, then fitalt deny me thrice. For the moil skilful Phyfician, faw an Infirmity in thine Heart, which was concealed from thee : and that was true which the Phyfician foretold, not what the Patient boafted of. But be thankful to thy Phyfician, who, as he fore- faw, and foretold thy Diftemper, fo by in- citing thee to Repentance, applied an effectu- al Remedy to thy Soul, and recover'd thee from thy Sicknefs. O gracious, holy, moft wife, and powerful Phyfician, cleanfe me from all my fecret Offences, What foul Sins am I guil- Steps of A[cenfio?i to God. 205 guilty of, which I neither forrow for, nor wafh away with my Tears, becaufe I fee 'em not ? Thou who fearcheit the' Reins, and the Hearts, vouchfafe me evermore the Affift- ance of thy Grace : Thou who feeft all things, difcover to me thofe corrupt Defires, and evil Works which I do not difcern : and looking mercifully upon me, open fuch a Fountain of Tears, that before it is too late, all my Sins maybe wafh'd off, and done away by thy Grace, Amen. THE 206 THE Thirteenth Step. From the Confideration of Gods Tragical Wifdom. CHAP. I. E have confider'd the "Wifdom of God as it is in Theory : his Pra- ctical Wifdom falls now under Consideration, which alfo we may call his effectuating Wifdom. This Wifdom hath its Breadth, Length, Height, and Depth. The Breadth is known by Creation, the Length by the Prefervation of things created, the Height by the Work of Redemption, the Depth by Providence and Predeftination. Pfal. 104. And, to begin with Creation, God made all things in Wifdom, as the Pfalmift faith, and hath pcurd it out upon all his Works, as Ecclefiafti- ens writes. As therefore by the Creation of all things out of nothing, we know the Pow- er, fo by the admirable Contrivance, which is vifible in every Part, we admire the Wif- dom of the Creator. For he hath difpofed things in general, and every thing in parti- cular, Steps of A[cenfio?i to God. 207 clar, in meafure, number, and weight, as the Wife Man tells us. And this is the Savour Wifd. 1 u wherewith God hath feafon d all things : by this Savour we come to underftand how re- lifhing Wifdom is, how amiable and defirable a thing. All things then which are created, have a certain Meafure, a certain Number, and a certain Weight , both to diiiinguifh them from God, who hath no Meafure be- caufe he is Immenfe ,• nor Number, becaufe he is perfe&ly One, and limple as to his Ef- fence; nor Weight, becaufe his Price and Value furpafs all Price and Value : and alfb as they are good and beautiful ,• and Mofes very truly faid, God [aw all things which he had made 3 and they were 'very good. All created things then have fuch a Meafure as is necef- fary to attain that end for which they are made, nor can any thing be added to, or ta- ken from, that Meafure, but the thing will be render'd deformed, or ufelefs, and therefore not fo good as it was : God, faith Ecclefiafies, made all things good in their feajcn y nor can we add to, nor take from y tbofe things which God hath made^ that he might be feared. Therefore to the Heavens God hath affignd a very fpa- cious Meafure, becaufe they are to encompafs all things that are beneath them : to the Air he hath given a Meafure much morter.than that of Heaven, but greater than to the Earth and Waters, which make one Globe, and are inclos'd on all fides by the Air. To the Elephant he hath given a Body of an huge bulk, to enable him to carry ponderous Bur- dens, and to bear up under a Tower full of Men. The Horfe he hath made lefs, becaufe he 2o 8 Steps of Afcenfio?i to God. he was defign'd to carry cnly one Rider. He hath made the Birds fmall, that they might build their Nefts in the Branches of Trees. He hath made Bees and Ants very minute, that they may hide themfelves in Holes, either of Flives, or in the Earth. The very fame thing we may fay of Number. God hath created one Sun only, becaufe one is fufficient to il- lustrate the whole Earthy and make Day by its brightnefs. He hath likewife made but one Moon, becaufe one is enough to illumi- nate the Night ; but Stars he would have in great abundance., that in the abfence of Sun and Moon, which happens in their Con- junction, they might in fbme meafure difpel the Darknefs of Night. Nor has he only ap- pointed a necelfary number to all things in general, but hath likewife fo constituted the number of Parts in particular things, that no Addition nor Diminution can be made. God hath given Man two Eyes, two Ears, two Hands, two Feet, one Nofe, one Mouth, one Breait, one Head, and thus he appears a very beautiful and comely Creature. Invert the Order, and make up a Man with one Eye, and two Nofes, with one Ear, and two Mouths, v/ith one Hand, and one Foot, two Breafts, and two Heads, nothing could be contriv'd more ugly, nothing more unfit for Service. Laftly , God hath given Weight, that is, fuch Eitimation to every thing, as its Nature required. Now by the Name of Weight, or Eilimation, we understand Qualities, which make things good and valuable. For there are three things which give all things their Perfection ; firit, Num- ber, Steps of Afce?tfion to God. 20^ Number of Parts, which is neceffary that no part be wanting: Second ly, Commenfuration, or a fit proportion of parts ; Laftly, internal or external Qualities, as lovelinefs of Co- lour in the outward fuperficies of the Body, and inward Vertue, or Power ; which is ufe- ful or neceffary for performance of divers Actions which we are neceffarily engag'd in. But the great Power which God hath endow- ed fome very minute and fmall things with, is wonderful indeed, and looks as if he were pleas'd to /hew his Power in great things, and his Wifdom in fmall. Who is able to conceive what great virtue there is in a Grain of Muftard-feed, which is fo very fmall, that we can fcarce take a diftind view of it, and yet produces fo great a Tree, that Birds may lodge in the Branches thereof, as he who is Truth it felf tells us in his Gofpel ? Nor is fuch Virtue only proper to this, but common to all Seeds, in which are virtually contain'd the Roots , the Trunk , Branches, Leaves, Flowers, and Fruits of the greateft Plants. Doubtlefs had we not learn'd this by certain experience, Men could hardly be perfwaded, that from fo fmall a Seed, fo vaft a bulk of things, and of things fo very different, could ever fpring. Who alfo could conceive, that in an Ant, a Flea, a Fly, and fuch very lit- tle Animals, there mould be nimble Feet 5 an Head, an Heart, external and internal Senfes, nay, that there is in fome, though uncertain meafure, both Prudence, and Judg- ment in them ? Who, laftly, could conceive that fuch fmall, and, in appearance, fuch defpicable Creatures as thefe, ihould be able P to a i o Steps of Jfcenfiofi to God. to penetrate, and skrew themfelves into live Flefiij and that even a Gnat Ihould awe and terrifie Lyons and Elephants, thofe migh- ty Animals ? Great therefore is the Lord, and great is his Wifdom, as well in the fmal- left, as greater! things. Galen, that Prince of Phyficians, admir'd, though an Heathen, the Divine Artifice, which appear'd in a Mans Hand, andburft out into the Creator's praife. 'What, O Chriftian, oughteft thou to do, who art allured, that not only the Bodies of Men and other Creatures j but alfo the Hea- vens, and Stars, and Angels, and Mens im- mortal Spirits were made with molt exquifite skill by the fame moll wife Creator ? CHAR II. NOW the length of practical "Wifdom illu- ftriouily appears in the Prefervation of things,as we have already affirm'd the breadth of it doth in the Creation. Therefore the great and admirable Wifdom of God is feen in his prefervation of created things, and giving them power to laft, fuch things efpecially as are of a corruptible Nature. And in the firft place, if a Man confiders how God nourijheth Herbs, Plants, living Creatures, and Mens Bodies themfelves, and makes them to thrive and grow, that their Be- ings may be of a lafting Duration, amaz'd even to Stupefa&ion he cannot fufficiently admire the Divine "Wifdom. For He nou- riiheth Herbs and Plants from Earth and Wa- ter, Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. 21 % ter, and makes the Nutriment pafs from the Roots to the Trunk, and from this conveys it upwards by an invifible hand to the Bran- ches, Leaves, and Fruits, and makes it pene- trate all parts in a wonderful way and man- ner. So likewife from Herbs, and fruits of Trees, and from the very Fle/h of living Crea- tures, he nouriineth other Animals, yea, Men themfelves, and makes the nutriment reach to, and penetrate all the parts of the Body with incredible eafe and pleafure. God deals like a very expert and good-natur'dPhyfician, who knows how to temper his Medicines, that the Patients may take them without ei- ther difficulty or relu&ancy. For Meats cer- tainly are Phyfick, which unlefs frequently taken by poor Mortals, they muft quickly re- turn from whence they came. But God our moft loving, and wife Phyfician, in the firft place, hath put a tafte and relim into Meats,, that they may be taken with pleafure ,• and hath almoft infinitely varied them, that we might not be cloy'd : And then, by various alteration in the Mouth, and Stomack, in the Liver and Heart, converts the meat into Juyce fo thin and fubtle, that without cutting out a way, or giving any pain, it may pals through all the great, and fmall Veins, and pores of the Body, and may penetrate to the feveral Parts of the Fleih, Bones, Nerves, and all this without our perception, yea, when our Senfes are lock'd up in Sleep. Philofo- phers in contemplation of fuch things, Hand amazed at the Cunning and Art of Nature. But what Cunning can there be in things in- animate^ and void both of Senfe^ and P.ea- P 2 fon ? 212 Steps of Afcenfwn to God. fon ? It is not therefore any Cunning in Na- ture, which calls for admiration, but the Wif- dom of the Creator, which not only made Nature, but contriv'd the way of bringing a- bout thefe wonderful things. Hear the Wif- dom of God fpeaking in the Gofpel, Covjider Mat. 6. the Lilies of the Field how they grow, they toil not, neither do they fpin, yet God clothtth them. It is God, you fee, and no Cunning of Na- ture, who makes the Lilies to grow, and that they are fo beautifully array 'd. And the fame may be affirm'd of the nutrition, and growth of all things living, according to that faying *j Cor.-, of the Apoftle, Neither he that plant eth is any thing, nor he that watereth, but God that giveth theencreafe. And if the Wifdom of God doth fo wonderfully feed, nourifh, and preferve Plants and Animals in this mortal Life, ima- gine, my Soul, if thou canft, how God feeds the minds of Angels, and Men in that Life which is Eternal. For here on Earth we are fupported with earthly Food, but fuch as is prepar'd by Divine Wifdom ; but in Heaven, Wifdom it felf is Meat and Drink to thofe who live for ever. O happy thou, couldfl thou fully underftand the Importance of thefe words, God frail be all in all'. Couldit thou comprehend what it is for God, the fupreme and infinite Good, to be Food, and Rayment, Life and all things to all Saints, iurely thou wouldeft (light all things that are prefent, and wouldll have no appetite for, nor long- ing after, any thing, but only the things which are above. But let us proceed to the reft. This alfo looks miraculous^ that God in preferving, and propaga- Steps of Afce?ifion to God. 2 1 3 propagating the life of Mortals, hath given to the fmalleft things Inceflant Motion, and though of long continuance, yet unattended with fatigue. Men have beaten their Brains, and put their Invention upon the Rack,to con- trive a Clock which might go a few^ hours without being at a ftay, with once winding up. With how great wifdom then hath God contriv'd, that the nutritive Power mould per- petually operate, and without the leaft inter- miffion, all the time that the Plants or Ani- mals do live ? And likewife that the Lungs and Arteries mould be inceffantly in motion for the fpace of feventy or more years? For the nutritive Power muft needs operate, and the Lungs and Arteries be in motion, from the beginning to the end of Life. And there- fore in thofe who live to eighty or ninety years, the Lungs and Arteries muft of ne- ceffity be moving all that time. And in the Antediluvians, who extended their Lives^ to nine hundred years, the Lungs and Arteries, thofe weak and flender things, muft be in perpetual Agitation all that time, without reft or ceffation. Surely, they who admire not thefe things, and from consideration thereof, are not aftonim'd at,, nor adore the Divine Wifdom, the Light of Wifdom, they may conclude, doth not mine upon them. To this we may add in the third place, that the Wifdom of God, although it could without the labour of Men and other Ani- mals, and without the Miniftery of the Sun, and other fecond caufes, both produce and preferve Herbs and Trees, that all things living might have their proper food j yet was P j he A 214 Steps of Jfcenfion to God. he pleas'd to make ufe of the Miniftry of fe- cond caufes, and the Labour, and Induftry of Men, and other Creatures, that they might not be enfeebled by lazinefs,- but that all things might exercife their powers, and facul- ties. It was likewife his pleafure that amongft Men, fome fliould be Rich, others Poor, that all might have opportunity to exercife Vir- tue, and might be joynd together by the band of Charity. For hence it comes to pafs, that rich Men may exercife Liberality and Pity ,• and poor Men Patience and Humili- ty ; and that rich Men fliould ftand in need of the affiftance of the poor, to till their Lands, to feed their Cattle, and to provide thofe things by various Arts, which are ne- ceffary for all : And on the contrary, that the poor fliould need the affiilanceof the rich, to be fupply'd with Money and Inftruments, whereby they may provide themfelves Food and Raiment, and other Neceffaries. Nor have the poor any reafon to complain of Di- vine Wifdom ; for God who knows all things, and loves all Men, hath given every one what is moll conducible to his Attainment of everlaiting Life. As with us Phyficians in- joyn fome of their Patients a fpare Dyet, and put them to the trouble of bleeding : To o- thers they allow "Wine and Flefli, and bid them make much of themfelves. I queftion not but a great many poor Men are now In- heritors of the Kingdom of Heaven, who, if a large fliare of this worlds Goods had be- fallen them, would have been ruin'd for e- ver. And though the rich alfo may be (aved_, if they endeavour to be rich in good Works., and Steps of Afcenfion to God. 215 and freely part with what the God of both poor and rich entrufted them with, not to hoard up, but to communicate with the ne- ceffitous ; yet it muft be granted that Pover^ ty is a fafer, plainer, and more expeditious way to Heaven, than a ftate of Pienty and Affluence. Our Bleffed Matter doth not de- ceive US when he faith, Verily I fay unto you, ]\,f aL , 5 , that a rich Man can hardly enter into the King- dom of Heaven : And again,, BleJJ'ed are ye poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God : And, Woe to you that are rich, for you have your confolation. Nor doth the Apoftle deceive us, when he affirms in his former Ep. to Tim. 1. 6. They that will be rich fall into temptation, and into the fnareof the Devil, and into many fooliflj and hurt- ful lufis , which (ink men into defiruclion , and perdition. And what our Lord, and his Apo- ftles taught by Word, the fame they con- firmed by Example. For our Lord faith of himfelf, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air L u k e $. have nefts, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his Head. And the Apoftle faith of him- felf, and of his Fellow-Apoftles, To this hour i Cor. 4 we both hunger and thirfi, and are naked, and buffeted, and have no certain place of abode. And we cannot but conclude, that the Wifdom of God, and the Children, and Difciplesof Wif- dom, made choice of the molt plain, and fafe way to Life. But becaufe, as the wife Man faith, the number of fools is infinite, there Ecclu$ 1 are but few that of themfelves make choice of this way, but molt decline it, as if befet with Briars and Thorns, or, as if a lion were in it, P 4 The 2i 6 Steps of Afcenfion to God. ■ The laft thing in which the length of Di- vine Wifdom is feen, is, that as that is eter- nal, fo the fame hath implanted a very vi- gorous Inftind: in all things of Self-preferva- tion, and of propagating their Life., and Ef» fence, as far as they can. We fee Men, when they apprehend their lives in danger, to leave no ftone unturnd, nor to fpare either Coft or Pains. We fee Creatures of all kinds ftruggle with the more potent beyond their power, to preferve Life. We fee a Candle when burning, and almoft out, beftir it felf feveral times, and put forth a great flame, infomuch that it feems to contend in very great earner!; with Extin&ion. We fome- times fee drops of Water hang upon Wood or Stone, and reduce themfelves into a globu- lar form, and keep themfelves as long as they can from difperfion and deftru&ion. We fee Heavy things contrary to nature Afcend, and Light things unnaturally to Defcend , that there may be no vacuum, nor they, fever'd from other things, uncapable of prefervation. But 'tis yet more wonderful, that, for the propagating of the Species, God hath infus'd an unconceivable Affe&ion in Parents for their Progeny. We fee a Hen that has al- moft khTd her felf to give life to Chickens, weak and feeble as Hie is, maintain a brisk fight againit Kites, Dogs, and Foxes. What pains and travel Women readily undergoe, in bearing and educating Children, no Body- is ignorant. This proceeds from the coun- fel of Divine Wifdom, who to keep up this Propagation, as a fliadow of Eternity, hath impreis'd a mighty love in all Animals, even in Steps of Afcevfion to G ocf. 217 in the moft favage Brutes,towards their young. For whereas there are a great many Animals, for whofe deftru&ion Men lie in wait, ei- ther for their own profit's fake, as Hares, Boars, Deer, Thrufhes, Quails, Partridges, almoft all Fifties ; or to keep themfelves from being annoy 'd, as "Wolves, Foxes, Serpents, and innumerable other fuch Creatures ; ma- ny Species of Animals, 'tis very probable, had long fince perinYd, had not the "Wifdom of God, by this innate affe&ion, provided for their prefervation and propagation. But if there is naturally fo great an Affe&ion in all things for this Life, which is fo very fhort, and fo full of mifery, what Affedion ought we to have for a life of Blifs and Immortali- ty ? O the blindnefs and ftupidity of Man- kind! all things make their utmoft Efforts to preferve a momentary life, a life that is fcarce fo much as the fhadow of Eternity, and Man thinks it not worth his while to take moderate pains for a real Eternity of a moft bleffed Life. All things by natural In- ftind:, are afraid of temporal Death, and fliun it above all Evils : Man furnifh'd with Rea- fon, and inftru&ed by Divine Faith, neither ftands in dread of everlafting death, norftmns it, at leaft not as he ufes to dread and fliun the Evils of this temporary life. So true is the affirmation of the Preacher, The number of fools is infinite : And that of Truth it felf in the Gofpel, Narrow is the gate, and fir ait is M at . 7. the -way that leads to Life, and few there he that find it. CHAR 2 1 8 Steps of Afcenfion to God. -i — C H A P. 1 1 1. NOW the height of God's practical Wif- dom is clearly difcover'd in the work of Redemption. I was not fated, faith St. Aug. with the admirable pleafure of contem- plating the height of thy CounfeJs, for the falvation of Mankind. It was very high counfel indeed, through the ignominy of the Crofs to make up all thofe loffes which the Wilinefi of the Devil had brought upon us, by the difobedience of our firft Parents, and fo to make up, that the work repair'd be- came more beautiful than it was before it needed reDaration. Four evils fprang from the fin of the firft Man : Firft an Affront to God from the pride and difobedience of Adam ; Se- cond iy,puni/hment to the firft Man,which was entail'd utxm his Pofterity, that is, a privati- on of Divine Grace, and of everlafting Hap- pinefs ; Thirdly, a caufing of forrow in the Angels, who were highly difpieas'd for this affront which was offer'd to God, and for the mifery of Mankind ; Laftly, matter of rejoy- cing to the Devil and malignant Spirits, who triumph'd for Man's being worfted, and o- verthrown by them. All thefe evils the Wi£> dom of God removed, and turnd to a great- er Good, by the myftery of the Crofs : So that we may cry out, O happy errour that procured fuch, and fo great, a Redeemer ! For if an Artift by Skill and Induftry could fo reoair a new and pretious Garment, that by Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. 219 by fome Accident had got a rent, as to ren- der it more neat, and valuable, that might well be termed a fortunate rent, which oc- cafion'd this additional beauty. The firft Man then being blown up into pride by the Craft and Envy of the Devil, affe&ed to be like God, difobey'd him, and tranfgrefs'd his Commandment, and fo, in a manner affum'd to himfelf, the honour which was due to God. But Chrift the fecond Adam, who is the Wifdom of God, humbled himfelf, and be- came obedient unto Death, and thereby reftored greater honour than that, which the firft A- dam took away by his pride and difobedience. For Adam was a mere Man, and had he o- bey'd, he would have found no difficulty in his obedience. For what great matter was it for our firft Parents, to abftain from the fruits of One forbidden Tree, when they had o- thers in Abundance, and thofe of the beft kind ? Therefore their fin indeed was very grie- vous, and fo much the more grievous, by how much the more eafie their obedience might have been, which would have imported no labour. But Chrift was God and Man, and humbled himfelf to become obedient to his Father, in the molt difficult and laborious matter, that is, the Death of the Crofs, a Death full of Pain and Ignominy. If there- fore the Eminency of the Perfon, and the profoundnefs of his humility, and obedience be confiderd, nothing can be imagin'd great- er, or more meritorious, or more honoura- ble to God, than ChrifVs lowly obedience. Therefore our Lord laid very truly in the Gofpel, I have glorified thee on Earth, For Je- fus . ■-- 220 Steps of Afce?2fio?i to God. fus Chrift did indeed glorifie God the Father with Glory altogether inexpreflible, before the Angels of God., and all the Holy Spirits of the Prophets, and others to whom thcfe things were revealed. And if the Angels at ChrhTs Nativity for the Lowlinefsof the Man- ger fung, Glory to God in the highefi, much more did they fing the fame Song with greater Jubilation for the Meannefs of the Crofs. As to Man himfelf, if he had not finned, he had, at the belt, only attain'd to an Equality with Angels: But now, by the Redemption which is in Chrift Jefus, Mankind hath ob- tain d, that one Man fhould fit at the right hand of God, being exalted above all An- gels, and be the Head and Lord of Angels and Men. For thus the Apoftle Peter writes et. 3. concerning Chrift ; Who is gone into Heaven, Angels and Authorities and Towers, being in Cub- jection to him : And his Fellow-Apoftle Paul to the Philippians ; Wherefore God hath highly ex- alted him, and hath given him a Name, which is above every Name, that at the Name of "Jefus, e- very knee fooud bow, of things in Heaven, in Earth, and under the Earth. Thus the Son, by the humility of his Paffion, glorified the Father in a manner not to be declar'd : And in fuch a manner the Father glorified the Son, in exalting him to his right Hand. Which honour hath fo affe&ed all Mankind, that they are ungrateful to the higheft degree, if they do not readily acknowledge fo migh- ty a kindnefs, and make not the molt grate- ful Returns they are capable of. "Wherefore fo great an Addition of Honour accruing to M^a over and above what they fhould have had, Steps of Afcenfion to Gcd. 22 1 had, if the firft Man had not mifcarried, they have reafon to cry out, O happy Error, which procur'd fuch, and fo great a Redeemer ! And as the holy Angels were affected with Sorrow, for the Fall of the firft Man, as for a moil fore Calamity befalling their younger Brother, fo did they exceedingly rcjoyce, for that plenteous Redemption which Ghrift made. For if there be Joy in Heaven before the Angels, over one Sinner that repenteth, how much rather may we fuppofe there was very great rejoycing in the prefence of the fame Angels, when they found that by the Man Chrift, a plenary Satisfaction was made to the Juftice of God, in behalf of Mankind; , and the Kingdom of Heaven open'd to Be- lievers by the Key of the Crofs ? Nor may we fufpecl: that the holy Angels took it ill, that God advanc'd the Man Chrift to an Emi- nency above theirs ; for thofe bleffed Spirits have nothing to do with Envy or Malevo- lence, but always burn with hearty and fin- cere Love : and Charity envieth not, is not puffed up, is not affii&ed for another's good, but joys and rejoyces together with all good Men, for any Benefit befalls them, as much as if it were their own. But the Devil, who for a time infultingly triumph'd, for having vanquifh'd and over- thrown the firft Man, felt much greater Sor- row from the Vi&ory of the Man Chrift, than was his own former triumphant Joy. For thus much is atchiev'd by Chrift's being victo- rious, that now, not only Men, fuch &>Adani was, but even Women and Children infult the Devil, and triumph over him. It had been 222 Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. been no Shame to the Devil to be overcome by Adam in Paradife, when he was free both from Ignorance and Infirmity, and was armed with Original Righteoufnefs, which made the inferior part fo fubje& to Reafon,that it could make no Refinance, tinlefs the Mind it felf were firfr. rebellious to God. But now for the Devil to be worfted by a mortal Man, that is but a Pilgrim and Foreigner, obnoxi- ous to Ignorance and Concupifcence, is a ve- ry great Difgrace : and yet he is overcome by the Grace of Chrift, and fo overcome that many eredr. Trophies of Chaftity, Patience, Humility, Charity, tho' the Devil constantly affauks them with his fiery Darts of Tempta- tions and Perfecutions. And in this the height of Divine Wifdom calls for the greateft admi- ration. For God faw it neceffary for Man- kind, in order to efcape the Plots of the De- vil, to beget in them a Contempt of tempo- ral Goods, of the Pleafures of the Flefh; the Superfluity of Riches, the Glory of this World, and the like Snares, which drown fuch as are led captive, in Deftru&ion and Perdition. What contrivance had he, that thefe things /Kould become diftaftful j and that the contrary, that is, Chaftity, Poverty, Humility, Patience, and Contempt of the World, jliculd be pleafant and delightful ? It was this ,- He himfelf came down from Hea- ven, and by taking upon him the Form of a Servant,render'd a very bitter and dreadful Re- medy, (but neceffary to diitemper'd Man,) fo pleafant and agreeable, that now many Men are more in love with Fa (ting, than Riotous e ating^ better pleas d with Poverty than with Riches j Steps of Afc€?ifio?i to God. 223' Riches 5 fonder of Virginity than Marriage ; more defirous of Martyrdom than of Pleafures ; choofing rather to obey than bear Rule ; to be defpis^ than honour'd ; to be govern'd than have others at their Beck ; to be humbled than exalted. For who feeing God in the likenefs of Man, full of Wifdom and Grace, who is uncapable of being either impos'd up- on, or impofing upon others ; who I fay, that fees this blefled and glorious Perfon, poor, humble, patient, continent, and which is more admirable, naii'd to a Crofs for the Re- demption of Mankind, and dying, (after he had voluntarily fhed his Blood) out of molt ardent Charity, is not encourag'd and pro- vok'd to Imitation ? This was the high and wonderful Contri- vance of Divine Wifdom, which Efaias al- ludes to when he faith, Make known thy -ways amongft the people. But yet even to this Day, this Wifdom of God which extends to fuch an height, appears to be Fooliinnefs, not only to the wile in this World, as the Apoftle faith in his former Epiftle to the Corinthians, but alfo to carnal and fenfual Men, who believe in Chrift, but refufe to tread in his Steps, whom the fame Apoftle calls Enemies of the Crofs of Chrift. But do thou, my Soul, en- deavour to fuck Honey from a Flint, and Oyl from the hardeft Rock, that is, Wifdom from Folly, the Wifdom of God from the Foolifhnefs of the Crofs. Confider ferioufly and attentively who he is that hangs up- on the Crofs, and why he is lifted up thither : and when thou haft found, that it is the very fame that fits above the Cheru- bimj 224 Steps of Afcevfion to God. bim, nay, that fits at the right hand of Ma- jelly on high ,• thou wilt eafily underftand, that he hangs not there for his own Of- fences,, nor on the account of his own Im- potency, or others Power,- but voluntarily, out of a moll earnell Defire of fatisfying the Divine Juftice for the Sins of the whole World ; for the Honour and Glory of God the Father, for the eternal Salvation of all the Eledfc, and as the Apoftle faith, that he might prefent to himjelf a glorious Church, not having fpot or wrin- kle : and laftly, out of his love to thee, be- caufe he had a Kindnefs for thee, and gave Gal. 2. himfelf for thee, an Offering and Oblation to God, for a fweet fmelling Savour. When, I fay., thou /halt have made this Difcovery^ let thy Love be inflam'd towards fo great a Bene- fador, and in Imitation of him, begin to thirft heartily after the Glory of God, the Sal- vation of all Nations, but efpecially after the Beauty and Glory of the Univerfal Church, and thine own Salvation. Begin to long for a perfect Abhorrence of Sin, for Purity cf Heart, for Perfection of Righteoufnefs ; that thou may ell in time advance a Step higher, and long for a Participation of the Crofs of thy Lord, and mayell glory in Tribulation, and Diftrefs ,• that afterwards thou mayeil, with the Righteous, be partaker of the Re- furre&ion unto Glory, and not unto Puni/h- ment with the Wicked. CHAP- Steps of Afcenfion to God. 225I CHAP IV. TH E Depth of Practical Wifdom remains, which confifts in Providence, and Pre- deftination, and the Judgments of God. For thus it is written. Thy Judgments are a great deep. And from hence in the firft place, it may be inferr'd, that the Providence of God is altogether wonderful, becaufe it immedi- ately governs all things that are created, and direds them to their proper Ends. His care, faith the Wife Man, is equally concerned for all things : that is, there is not fo much as one thing in the Univerfe which God takes not care of, infomuch that a Sparrow falls not to the Earth, without the Providence of God, as our Saviour affirms. He that can count the Multitude of things which are in the Uni- verfe, the fame may in fome meafure guefs at the greatnefs of Divine Wifdom, which go- verns and directs not only things in general, but every thing in particular. One Empe- ror indeed may govern the whole World by a general, but not fuch a particular Provi- dence, as can extend it fell to each of his Subjects, and therefore mult call in to A Affi- ance, a great many Deputies and Viceroys. But God taketh care of every one, as of all,, and of all, as of every one. A [farrow is not fcro-Gt of God \ and all the hairs of cur head are numbred) and not fomuch as one of them fhall be loft, becaufe his Providence continually wateheth over us, The young Ravens when; 226 Steps of AftenfiontoGoJ. forfaken of their Parents, are not forfaken of God. How fe en rely then mayfl thou reft, my Soul, in the Bofom of fuch a Father, tho' plac'd in the Horror of Parknefs ? amidfl the Mouths of Lions and Dragons ? tho' en- compafs'd with innumerable Legions of in- fernal Spirits ? Only adhere to him with fin- cere Love, with holy Fear, with Heady Hope, and full Trull and Affiance. Nor doth the Providence of God only fuperintend, and take care of every individual thing, and the Wifd. 8. things that are prefent, but alfo reacheth from end to end ftrongly y and dlfpofeth all things fweet-* ty. For God is therefore calfd the King of Ages, becaufe he himfelf hath appointed the Order of Ages, the Succeflicns of Kingdoms, the Viciffitudes and Changes of Times from Eternity. Nothing new, nothing unforefeen, nothing unexpected can befal God. The thoughts^ indeed, of men, as the "Wife Man faith, are full of anxiety , and the ijfues of cur Trovldmce uncertain^ becaufe we can make but erroneous Gueffes about Futurities. But God as certainly knows what inall be, as what is pail, or prefent, and before the Foundation of the World, difposd the Succeffions, and Or- ders of all things in his Mind. But becaufe the way of Divine Providence is very intri- cate, and his Judgments a great deep, thence it comes to pafs, that fome Men feeing ma- ny Evils committed, and the fame pafs'd over with Impunity, ruili upon that Precipice of believing that Flu man Affairs are not mana- ged by Divine Providence, at leail, that all Evils are committed by God's Approbation $ both which Conceits are impious, but efpe- daily Steps of Afcenfioh to God. 227 cially the laft, as St. Auguftin difcaurfes. But what mifleads Men into the Precipices of Er- rors^ is their feeing one part of Divine Pro- vidence, and their not difcerning another part ,• and whereas they ought to wait for the Iifue of things, which will be manifest to all at the lafi judgment, they adventure rafhly to pafs Judgment before the time, and fo fail into pernicious Errors. Therefore the Apoftle cries out in his former Epiftle to the Corinthians, Judge nothing before the time, until l Cor. 4> the Lord come, who will bring to light the hidden things of darknefs, and make manifeft the counfels of the heart. St. Auguftin illustrates this point by a notable Similitude ; cc Should any one, ff faith he, come where there is a ccmpleat cc piece of Embroidery, and could fee only cc one part of the Checkery, he would cer- cc tainly condemn the Contriver, as ignorant iC of the Laws of Order, and Compofition • cc he would condemn him becaufe he fees cc only a fmall part of the "Work, whiift the cc geateft part is conceal'd from him ; but if cc he faw the whole Deilgn, and the Con- cc nexion of the parts one with another, would_, cc doubtlefs, extol both the Work, and the cc Author of it. Even fo,a great many who fee the Profperity of the Wicked, and the Mife- ries and Oppreflions of the Righteous, and being ignorant what God has in referve, ei- ther for the Wickednefs of the Ungodly, or for the Patience of the Righteous, break forth into biafphemous Words, or fay with them in Job, Thick clouds are a covering to him that he feeth not, and he walketh in the circuit of Heaven ; or with thofe in Malachj, who fay 5 Q 2 Every 228 Steps of Afcenfioji to God. Mai, 2 , Every one that doth evil is good in the fight of the Lord, and with fuch is his delight. Another Similitude St. Augufiin frequently made ufe of, taken from Poetry. cc For if any one that cc has heard but the beginning of an Heroick cc Verfe, ftould condemn the whole., he could fC not efcape the imputation of Folly : he fc fhould fufpend his Judgment till the whole " had come to his Ears, and then criticife up- cc on what he diflik'd. So do they act very im- prudently^ who dare difcommend the moil regular Providence of God, before the whole Scheme of it comes in view. Therefore, my Soul, prevent as much as in thee lies, the Commiffion of Evil, for Co God commands thee : but why he himfelf permits Evil, leave to his Judgment, which may be referv'd and fecret, but cannot be unjuft. CHAP. V. BU T tho'' the way of Divine Providence in the Adminiitration of Human Affairs, is a great Abyfs ,- yet the way of Eternal Pre- deftination and Reprobation is incomparably a greater depth. For why God ihould lade many evil Men with the good things of this World, and inrlid no Punifhment on their Sins In this Life ,• and on the contrary, why he permits many innocent Perfons to be pinch- ed x with Poverty, to be unjuftly molefted, why he fufTers the unrighteous to infiid Pu- nifnments on them,and at laft to facrifice their Lives, cannot in every particular be account- ed Steps of Afce?ifion to God. 229 ed for by us, yet in general we can affign ibme probable Reafon. For God many times fuffers the "Wicked to thrive and profper, to reward fome of their good "Works of Morality, which are not to have any mare in the Felicity of Heaven : or to invite them by temporary Kindneffes, to turn from their Sins, and to bring them to the hope and defire of fuch Kindneffes as laft for ever : but he doth not always puniih their Sins in this Life, becaufe there is fufficient Puniiliment referv'd for them in Hell : but the Righteous he fuffers to be in want, to fufFer Bifgrace, and various Afflictions, both ro do away their fmaller Offences , and likewife that he may crown their Patience, Humility, and good Works, with greater Glory and Splendor in another State. But why God loved Jacob, and hated Efau, be- fore they had done any Good or Evil, who can fo narrowly fearch as to find I And this is what the Apoftle admires in his Epiftle to the Romans. For they were twin-Brothers, Rom. 9> Sons of the fame Father, and Mother, and yet God lov'd one by Predeftination, and hated the other by Reprobation. And left fome^ mould fay, God forefaw the good Works of the one, and the evil "Works of the other ; the Apoftle prevents this Objection, affirm- ing that this was done, that the Purpofe of God according to Election might ftand ; and alledgeth the Words of God unto Mofes, lExod. 3. will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compajfion on whom I will have compajjion. And who can forbear wondring, that one Perfon mould perfevere a long Q 1 time 230 Steps of Afce?ifion to God. time in good works, and at the end of his life, fall away and perifh, as Judas the Trai- tour ? Or that another, who had run a long 'Courle in Sin and Vanity, fhouid be con- verted at the end of his life, and inftantly go to Paradife, as the Penitent Thief? You Ob. will be apt to reply , Judas betray'd Chrift, and the Thief made confeffion of him. True Sol indeed, but could not Chrift have lock'd upon Judas > as he look'd upon Peter ? Could he not have infpir'd fuch efficacious Grace into Judas, as the moil obdurate heart can- not hold out again!!. ? And could not Chrift have given to both the Thieves Faith and Re- pentance^ while they were hanging with him on the Crofs , as well as he gave to one ; or have permitted both to die in their Sins, as he permitted one ? And who can account, why God fhouid take away fome, left Malice fliould change their Under- Handings as the wife-Man fpeaks of Enoch, and leave a great many to themfelves, and permit them to become evil of good, and to carry their Malice with them to the Grave ? And what fliall we fay of whole Nations, whereof fome very early,, others very late, were called to Faith, without which none can be faved ? For he that believeth not, is condemned already ; and, as the Apoftle faith, Horn. 10. Whofoever Jhall cad on the name of the Lord, Jhall be faved. How then fljall they call on whom they have not believed ? And how fliall they believe on whom they have not heard ? And hew fliall they hear without a preacher? And how Jhall they preachy except they are fent ? Theft Steps of A fcen fi on to God, 231 Thefe are very high and profound Secrets, which the Father hath conceal'd in the Abyfs of his own WiFdom, which the Apoftle doth not explain but wonder at, when he faith • O the height of the riches both of the wifdom and knowledge of God, how unf ear ch able are his judg- ments, and his ways paft finding cut ! Fcr who hath known the mind of the Lcrd ? Or who hath' been his counfeller? This only we may affure our Felves, that there is no Unrighteoufnefs with God : And that at the laft day there will not be fo much as one Perfon that can- not truly Fay, Righteous art thou, O Lord, and true are thy judgments. BeFides, this Uncer- tainty how God will finally deal with us, tends to the Benefit of us all. For hence it comes to paFs, that neither the Wicked need defpair of Salvation, and that the Righteous will find reafon not to prefume of certain Salvation: From this Confideration Good Men will not give over the Wicked for loll, but pray for all, and folicitoufly concern themfelves for the Salvation of all. From hence even the moft Virtuous and Pious are reftrain'd from being InFolent, and Af Fuming, as being ignorant, what a day may bring forth : And all are warned to work out their Salvation with fear and trembling. And now, my Soul, having confider'd all thefe things, let it be thy great bufineFs, to make thy calling and eleBicn jure, by good works, as the Apoftle Peter exhorts thee in his fecond Epiftle. But what thofe good Works are, which make our Calling and Ele&icn fure, the Apoftle John teaches us, when he Faith, My little children, let us not love in word, nor in Q 4 tongue ) 232 Steps of Afcenfion to God* tongue , but in deed, and in truth. For Charity is a thing with which no Man is condem- ned^ without which no Man is faved. But Chanty manifefts it felf by Works, that is, in beftowing an Alms on the Poor, or for- giving Enemies the Wrongs they have done us, not from hope of Retribution in this World, or out of fondnefs to any Creature, but from a true Principle of fincere love to God, and pur Neighbour. And becaufe it is not e- nough to begin, but he that f erf ever es unto the end, the fame pall be faved; therefore the A- poftle faith, Strive to make your calling and e- leEHon fire, that is, Mind the bufinef s of Sal- vation, with all imaginable Care and Solici- tude. And indeed if there is any probable Argument of Divine Election, it is, when the bufinefs of Salvation is uppermoft in a Man s thoughts, and he prays without cea- fing to God for the Gift of true Repentance, and true Humility, and perfect Charity and Perfeverance unto the end : And not content only with Prayer, he ftrives to the extent of his Ability, to feek, and to find the Kingdom of God and the Righteoufnefs thereof, accor- ding to our Saviours Admonition, THE 233 THE Fourteenth Step. From the Conftderation of God's Mercy. CHAP. I. TH E Holy Spirit in facred Writ, fo won- derfully extolls the Mercy of God, as to magnifie it above all his Works. For thus faith the fweet finger, The Lord is good to all, pf. l4 ,^ and his mercies are over all his works. We /hall without Difficulty difcover the greatnefs of this Divine Attribute, if we needfully attend to the breadth, length, height, and depth thereof. The breadth of Divine Mercy con- fifts in this, that God, and none but God, is able to take away all Miferies, and that he doth take fome from all things ; and this, purely out of love and kindnefs to his Crea- tures, not from any benefit which from thence flows to himleif. Created things in- deed can take away fome miferies, as Bread takes away hunger, Drink thirit, Clothing na- kednefs, Knowledge ignorance, and the like ; but notwithstanding all created Aids and Af- iiftance, fome miferies will ftill cleave unto us. 34 Seps of Afcenfion to God. us. Be fides, there are fome miferies, which are fo much the more grievous, by how much the more occult., and lefs obvious to our view, to which God only can apply a Remedy. Such are the fnares of Devils, who are formidable for number, dangerous for their very great cunning,and by no means to be flighted upon the account of power, and ( which mightily aggravates all this, ) ve- ry ill-affe&ed towards Mankind. Such like- wife are the mifrakes and blindnefles of an Erroneous Mind and Confcience, which we our felves apprehend not to be in ourfelves, infomuch that many times we fancy all to be well within, when we are forely out of or- der, and dangeroufly, yea, defperately fick. Who can deliver us from fuch miferies, but only an Omnipotent Phyfician? And becaufe many times, when we know nothing of it, God in great pity refcues us from fuch mi- ieries, all Men may juftiy be charged with Ingratitude towards God, as our Lord him- felf atteits, when he faith, Tour Heavenly Fa- ther is kind, both towards the unthankful and e- *uiL For it is but a very finall and inconfi- derable part of God's kindneffes, that fall un- der our Cognizance, and for what doth fo, we exprefs not our gratitude with that hu- mility and devotion that we ought. But far- ther, created things are fo far from taking a- way all Miferies, that they take away but very few, and thofe few they take not" away from all, but from a few, God referving to himfeif the power of taking away all affli- ctions from all : And though he takes not a- way all from all, yet there is no Man but par- Steps of Afcenfion to God. 235 partakes of fome Divine Favour. Well there- fore faith the Prophet, The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. The Church in her Pray- ers faith, O God whofe property it is to have mercy : Becaufe it belongs to him to take a- way mifery, who is without mifery himfelf ; and appertains to him, and him alone, to take away all mifery from all Perfons, who only is free from all manner of mifery. But who is completely free from all mifery, fave God alone, who is a pure Ad:, the Supreme Good, and of whofe EiTence is Beatitude ? O my Soul, could thy thoughts comprehend what manner of life that of thy Lord, and Father is, a life elevated above all mifery, a life of pure and unmix'd Felicity, how im- patient would'ft thou be, till thou hadft fliel- ter'd thy felf under his Wing, that it might likewife be faid of thee, No evil flail betide thee, nor any plague come nigh thy dwelling ? But you will fay, if God can take away all 0b . miferies from all things, why doth he not fo, when as he is the Father of Mercies, that is, a moft merciful and companionate Father ? How comes it about that afflictions are fo ve- ry rife amongft Mankind, under the Go- vernment of the Father of Mercies ? And why is it faid, The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord ; and not rather, on the contrary, the Earth is replenifli'd with all kinds of mife- ry? God can indeed totally exempt Man Sol, from all kinds cf mifery, but he only takes away fuch as his WifJom judges (it to be remov'd. But the Divide Wifdom doth not judge it expedient for them, that a! afHic"Hcr,s mould be remov'd j and many times judges it mercy to 23 6 Steps of Afcetifion to God. to continue them, that room may be made for greater mercy. The Apoftle intreated the Lord thrice, that the Thorn in the Flelh might be taken from him, and he was not heard, becaufe power is perfected in weak- nels. God took not from Lazarus the mifery of poverty and fores, that he might be con- vey 'd with greater mercy, by Angels, into Abrahams Bofom. And how would rich Men have fuch opportunities of improving their talents of "Wealth, were there not fuch as are hungry and thirity, naked and fick, ftrangers and prifoners, that cannot help themfelves ? And if there were no Tempta- tions, nor Encounters with Infernal Spirits, where would there be any Triumphs, and Crowns of Virgins and ConfefTors ? And were there no Labours, nor Sorrows, where would be the Crown of Patience ? And were there no Perfecutors, where would be the Palm of Martyrdom ? Therefore in this our Hate of Exile, it may be truly affirm'd, both that the Earth is full of Miferies, becaufe our very Sins coniider'd apart, are very great mi- feries ; and alfo that the Earth is full of the Mercy of the Lord, becaufe the Converfion of Sinners, the good Examples of Holy Men, and other-innumerable kindnefles of God,both temporal and ipiritual, what are they but continual, and very great Mercies from God our Creator ? Let us therefore give thanks to our gracious God, becaufe as our Tribu- lations abound, while we are travelling thro* this vale of Mifery, fo our Confolation a- boundeth through his mercy. O God> faith p..vid ? thy mercies are in Heaven: For in Hea- ven Steps of Afcenfion to God. 237 ven will be pure Mercy without any mix- ture or allay of Mifery ,• Mercy nils that place,, and leaves not the leaft room for Mi- fery. CHAR II. NO \X r the length of Divine Mercy is his Forbearance or patience , which the Scriptures ufually conjoyn with Mercy, as an Appendix, or Species thereof. For thus faith Davidy the Lord is merciful and gracious , P£io3, flow to anger y and plenteous in mercy : And in a- nother Vfalm much to the fame purpofe, The Lord is fi'U of mercy and pity y forbearing, and very merciful. The long-fuffering and pa- tience of God our moil merciful Father to- wards A'iankind, is admirable indeed, farfur- paffing thatof Mailers towards their Servants, nay, that of Parents towards their Children, though both are Men, and fprung from the fame Original. And firft, God is long-fuf- fering towards Offenders, waiting for their Amendment with incredible patience • fome- times bearing from the Spring of their Youth, to the Winter of old Age, the violation of his Laws, and the rending of his Name in pieces; and all this while, Showring down A&s 14, his bltjfings upon them from Heaven, giving the?n rain and fruitful feajonsy filling their hearts with food and gladnefsy as the Apoltle writes. And what Mailer, or Parent, is there amongfl Men, fo meek and gentle, who, feeing him- felf Contemn d and Affronted days without number, 238 Steps of Afcevfion to God. number, by a Son or Servant, would not at laff. difcard them ? But the Mercifulnefs of God is not overcome by the malice of Men, but he ftill exercifes Patience, not willing 2. Pet* 3. ^at any Jhould Perijl), but that all Jhould come Ck ^. to Repentance, as St. Peter affirms in his fecond Epiftle. And the wife Man fays, Thy com- Wifd. u.pajfion, O Lord, falls upon all Men, and thou winkeft at mens faults in expectation of their re- pentance. But his patience is yet more vifible in this, that whereas many Sinners by the grace of God, being drawn out of the pud- die of Sin, and the mire of Pollution^ and from being the children of Darknefs, made the children of Light ; and call'd from a ftate of Damnation, to the Adoption of the chil- dren of God, and to an hope of the Kingdom of Heaven ; relapfe again, and again, many times and often, to their former filthinefs and ingratitude, yet are not forfaken by God's patience and forbearance, but moft lovingly waited for, and invited to Reformation and Amendment ; and if they do heartily repent, they are received again, and with the Pro- digal in the Gofpel, affe&ionately imbrac'd, and reftor'd to their former Honours and Dignities. It was with good reafon, that when St. Peter inquir'd how ofc he was ob- lig'd to forgive his Brother that finned a- gainfl him, whether feven times ? Our Lord anfwer'd, I fay not unto thee, untill Seven times, but until Seventy times /even. For he would have us to imitate himfelf, in granting Par- don to Penitents. But he hath fet no bounds to his favour and reconciliation, but fuch as terminate our lives. As long as the Sinner Steps of Afce??fio?i to God. 239 Sinner liveth, though he attain to an hun- dred years and more, all the while Sinning, and Repeating the fame fins, yet is he admit- ted to Pardon by his molt indulgent Father. Repentance, fo it be ferious, and proceed from an heart truly Contrite, and Humble, is never too late for our merciful Father. But from this confideration no Man ought to abufe the Goodnefs of God, nor put off his Conversion from day to day, fince we are all ignorant of the hour or day, when our Souls fhall be diilodg d., and appear at the Tribunal of a molt righteous Judge. Nay, by this great and unfpeakable goodnefs of God, all Men fhould be won to Repentance, For if the Lord be fo kind towards Sinners, that fo often backflide, how Lovingly, and how like a Father will he treat thofe who af- ter they have once tailed the Grace of God, can never after be prevailed upon, by the greateil Importunity of Temptations, to be feparated or divorced from it? But there is yet another fort of Divine Forbearance, which calls for the greateil Love and Admiration, which God exercifes, in bearing with the offences of the righteous themfelves. For God of his infinite kindnefs, hath made us Friends, from being Enemies, Sons of Ser- vants, Heirs of his Kingdom, from meriting eternal Death: And yet are we Ungrateful to fo high a degree, as continually to return him evil for good. For if the Apoftle James Faith, In many things w? offend all ,• what ac- knowledgments of deficiency in Duty ought we to make, who come fo far ihort of A- poftolical Perfection i Behold ! we are dif- ccurfing 240 Steps of Afcenfion td God. courfing with God in Prayer, and are carry- ed away by our roving Fancies to mufe up- on impertinent things, and turn as it were our backs upon Him. What Mailer upon Earth, would fuffer his Servants who are ftanding in his prefence, and talking with him, to depart abruptly from him, and go chat with their fellows ? What inall I fay of idle Words ? of vain Thoughts ? of unprofi- table Works ? of Excefs in Meat and Drink ? in Sleep and Diverfions ? of remiisnefs about holy Things ? of omiffion of fraternal Cor- reption ? of other Offences without number, of which all of us are continually guilty ? And yet our God is gracious and gentle, and of great mercy to all that call upon him. He bears with fuch Rudenefs, and Incivility ( as I may fay) and fooleries of his Children, as Men cannot bear with from one another. This St. Auguftin takes notice of in Comment- ing upon thefe words of the Vfatmift$ Thou Lord art rood and gracious. Where he bewails the Infirmity of Men, who cannot refrain their thoughts from wandring, even when they are prefenting their Petitions to God, and magnifies the Divine Lenity in bearing fo many Indignities from his Servants. For he knows vvhereof we are made, and deals with us as a Mother doth with her little Child, me ftill feeds and cheriflies it, though it lift up its hand againll her. But though God fo far bears with his Servants Offences, as not to flop the intercourfe of Friendship, nor to diiinherit them, yet will he not difmifs them unrevenged at the day of Judgment, where- in we muft give an account even for idle words,. Steps of Afce?ifion to God. 241 words, unlefs cur Prayers and Tears have help'd to artone for them. Therefore, my Soul, account not thefe offences flight and trivial, but reckon thy feif to have forely of- fended, if at any time engag'd in Prayer, thou permittefr. thy thoughts to go aftray, make Confeffion thereof immediately, and heartily lament and bewail thy Careiefnefs, by which method thou wilt difcourage theib flies from obtruding themfelves. CHAR III. NO W follows the height of Divine Mer- cy, which is taken from the Caufe which moved God to Mercy, which indeed is very high, and exalted above all the Hea- vens, according to that of the Tfalmift, Thy mercy O Lord is in the Heavens, and, Mtrcy flail be built up for ever in Heaven, For fome Men have pity on others, becaufe they are Ser- viceable, and that they cannot well be with- out their Affiftance : And this indeed is the very loweft degree of pity, as reaching no higher than our own Profit ,• for the fake of which we pity our Horfes, Dogs, and Cat- tle. Others have pity on the acccunr of Confanguinity, or Friend Jhip, becaufe they are Sons, or Brethren , Acquaintance or Friends, and this is a Step higher than the other, and is upon the confines of Virtue. Others in the laft place, have Ccrnpaffion, becaufe they are Neighbours, that is, Men like themfelves, fprung from the fame God, and the fame Clay, Therefore they confider R not, 242 Steps of J[cenfto?i to God. not., whether they are Friends or Enemies, Virtuous or Vitious, Natives or Foreigners, but have pity upon all whom they know to be created after the image of God: And this is the higheft Pitch that Mortals can arrive at. But God hath companion indeed on all Things., becaufe they are his Creatures ; but in a peculiar manner on Men, becaufe they are his Images ; and in a more peculiar manner flill, on the Righteous, becaufe they are his Sons., Heirs of his Kingdom, and Joynt-Heirs with his only Begotten. But if thou inquire!! why God made the World ? Why he formed Man in his own Image ? Why he juftified the Wicked ? Why he adopt- ed them for his Sons? Why he appointed them Heirs of his Kingdom? No anfwer can be return d, but, that fuch was his Will and Pleafure : Or why he would have it fo, but only that he is Good. For Goodnefs is of a diffufive nature, and readily communi- cates it fcif. Therefore mercy is built up in Heaven, and from the higheft Habitation, that is from the heart of the liipreme Father, came down upon Earth, and overfpread the lame, according to that of the Prophet, The Earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. As there- fore in us God finds matter for puniihment, lo in himfelf he always finds what prompts him to mercy. up now, my Soul, the Eyes of thy mind to that higheft fountain of Mercy,- be- hold that fupreme Purity, that has not the leaf! Allay of any felnft Defign. And when thou hea eft our great Mafter in his Exhor- tations, fiying, Be ye merciful^ as jour Father Steps of Afcenfion to God. 243 is merciful i endeavour to theutmoft, not on- ly to pity thy Fellow-Servants., but to pity them with that purity of AfFed:ion, where- - with our Heavenly Father pityeth us. If thou forgiveft him that detracts from thy Reputation, and blackens it with flanders, forgive heartily, and bury the Offence in ex- ternal Oblivion : For our Father alfo forget- eth our Offences, as the Prophet Ezek. writes ; Ezek, 1 & and removes our Iniquities as far from us, as the Eaft is from the Weil, according to Da-?£. 103., the Depth of it is moil likely to be difcover'd in the Effedrs. That mercy then which des- cends no lower than to kind Expreffions, is not to be term'd a profound, but a mere fu- perficial Mercy. That Mercy hath a great- er Deptrr, which doth not only eafe, and re- freih the miferable with words of Confolati- on, but alio with real Benefadions. But that is moil profound which not only helps the Mile table by difcourfing with them, and conferring their Goods on them ; but alfo by fuffering on their account, and by undergo- ing Labours and Sorrow for them. Now our God; of whofe Mercies there is no end, hath exprefs'd his Mercies to us in all thefe ref- peets. And in the firft place, he hath fent to us the Holy Scriptures, as Letters of Con- folation ; for we may fay with the Maccabees y i Ma. 12. Having at hand to comfort us the word of God. Nor doth God only talk to us by Letter, but alio by the Difcourfes of Preachers, who are lent to us as Amhaffadors from Chrift in this our Pilgrimage, and by internal Infpirations, with promifes of Aid and Protedion. J Pf. 85. will hear;, faith David, what God the Lord will fay, for he will /peak peace unto his People. And next, the benefits of God's mercies, againft our manifold miferies^ both Spiritual, and Temporal, Steps of Afcenfion to God. 245 Temporal, are fo many that they cannot be numbred. For as the Tfalmifi faith., He is flill crowning us with loving kindnefs, and tender mercies, that is, he furrounds us on all fides with the Bleffings and Benefits of his Mercies. Thirdly, the Mercy of God by the A4yftery of Incarnation Condefcends to the fuffering of Labours and Sorrows , of Hunger and Thirft, of Difgrace and Reproaches, of Wounds and Bruifes, of the Crofs and Death, to redeem us from all Iniquitie , and from everlafting Death, which is the due reward of Iniquity. Is there yet any Abyfs of great- er Depth to which the mercy of God could ftoop and defcend ? There is doubtlefs. For this he did not from any Obligation, but of mere Grace and Favour ,• For he was madejk.^ an offering for us 3 becaufe it was his pleafure. For who could put any Force upon the Son of God, ( who thought it no robbery to be equal with the Father,) to deveit himfelf of Glory, and take upon him the form of a Ser- vant 2 To become poor for us, that we thro' his poverty, might be made rich ? To be humbled unto death, even the death of the Crofs, that he might quicken and exalt us ? Nothing certainly but love forced him ; no- thing but pity compell'd him. But we are not yet got to the bottom of this Depth : For in the work of our Salvation, he was pleas'd to communicate the Glory and Honour of it with us. That divifion which was made by the Angelical Hoft, feems very fuitable, was, Glory to God on High, on Earth Peace : Honour to God, Benefit to Mankind. But fuch is God's mercy, that he would have all R 3 the 2^.6 Steps of Afcenfion to God. the Benefit to be ours, the Glory to be part- ly his, and partly ours. For it was his plea- fure to confer Grace upon us, whereby we might co-operate to our own Salvation, and fo might be thought worthy of that eternal life , which Chrift hath merited for us : Not that Chrift's Merit is inefficient, but that he might communicate with us the Praife and Glory of our own Salvation. From M*t» 20. hence is that faying in the Gofpel, Give him his h're, or reward: And the Apoftle thus glories, Thci e is laid up for me a crown ofrighteoufnejs. Laft- ly, the mercy of God towards Mankind is moil profound , efpecially towards pious Men , and fuch as fear God, becaufe it furpalTes the Affection of Fathers and Mothers, than which we know not any greater upon Earth. *y Hear the Prophet Efaias, Can a mother forget her fucking child , that fie flwuld not have Com- panion on the fon of her womb? (lie may forget , yet will not I forget thee. Hear David, As a fa- ther pityeth his children, fo the Lord pityeth them that fear hhn. And left thou ihouldft fay, there are Parents in the World, whofe love ro their Children converts fometimes into hatred ,• David makes this addition to what he had faid concerning the mercy of God towards his Children : The mercy of the Lord is from cverlafiing, and to everlafiing, upon them that fear him. And that his mercy is of fuch Duration , the Apoftle gives us Affurance F . i. when he calls God, The father of mercies, and the God of all Confolaticn. Therefore God is not only a Father to them that fear him, but a moil merciful Father, and very inclinable to comfort and fbpport us, fpr he takes a~ way Steps of Afcenfion to God. 247 way the miferies of Afflictions and Tribula- tions from his People, when he fees the Re- moval thereof expedient for them, and here- in approves himfelf the Father of Mercies : and to enable them patiently to bear thofe miferies, which he judges expedient for them to be exercis'd with, he fupplies them with ineffable confolation, and herein /hews him- felf to be the God of all Confolation. Now the Apoftle affirms him to be the God of all Confolation for two reafons. Firfc, becaufe God knows how to comfort his Children in all kinds of Tribulation : Which furely the World cannot do, becaufe many times the Spring and Source of Tribulations is con- ceal'd from it. Even as Job's Friends were miferable Comforters, as he himfelf tells us, becaufe they knew not the Caufe of his Di- ftemper, and fo mif-applyed the Remedy : Or fometimes the Tribulation is fo great, that no human Confolation can be adequate to it. But God who is a moft Wife, and moll powerful Phyfician , can make an abfolute Cure of all manner of Difeafes : And therefore the Apoftle faith, who ccmforu etb us in all our Tribulation. Secondly, He is called the God of all Confolation, becaufe he can apply comfort in fo plentiful a man- ner, that 'tis more Eligible to fuffer Affli- ction with fuch ftrong liipport, than to have neither the one nor the other. This was ex- perimentally found by Theodoras a Youth, and Confeffor in the perfecution under Julian the Apoftate, who was fo exquilitely tor- tur'd for the fpace of ten hours, ( in which time he had wearied feveral Executioners, ) R 4 thac 24.8 Steps of Afcenfion to God. that no age records fuch an ki\ ; and yet hi was in a pleafant humour all the time, and fling Davids Pfalms: And then only gave Indications of difpleafure when he was or- der d to be taken down, by reafon of the great Support he receiv'd from the prefence of an Angel, amidit his tortures, as Ruffinus informs us. And therefore 'tis no wonder if 2 Cor. 7. the Apoille fay, I am filled with comfort, I aw exceeding glad in all our Tribulations : And in his firft chapter of this Epiftie, Who com- forts us in all our Tribulation, that we may be a- lie to comfort them who ere in any trouble. What thinkeft thou now, my Soul, of that abundant, durable, pure and unconceiable Mercy of the Lord, who Hands not in need of any Good we either have, or can do, and yet out cf his abundant kindnefs, is as much concem'd for his poor Servants, as if all his happinefs depended on them ? What grate- ful Returns wilt thou make him ? What canft thou ever do to make thy Gratitude keep pace with his Mercy ? Endeavour at leait fo tar as in thee lies, to conform thy A&ions to his will and pleafure. And becaufe it is 6. written, Be ye merciful, as your Father is mer- 'y and, Take pity on thy Soul, and -pleafe God ; Let thy firft bufmefs be, carefully to fearch cut the miferies of thy Soul. For in- deed the miferies of the body are obvious e- nough, and we need not put any in Mind to pity them : For if the Body has fafted but a Day,orhas had a reftefs Night, or is in Pain by a fall, or wound, it prefently breaks forth in- to Outcries and Lamentations, and we are - eful to apply fuitable Remedies, But the Soul Steps of Afcenfion to God. 24^ Soul is denyd her proper Food for weeks to- gether, or languiiheth under the Wounds it has receiv'd, or is under a deadly Stupefacti- on^ and no body takes care of it, none lends it an helping hand. Therefore frequently vifitthy Soul, and fee how it fares : Examine its feveral Faculties, and confider in what ftate of health they are, whether they have made any proficiency in knowledge and love of the true Good ,• or on the contrary, whether they labour not under Ignorance, orlanguiih not under feveral Lulls ,• or whether the Un- derftanding is not blinded with Malice, and the will corrupted with the maladies of Pride or Envy. And if thou fin deft this to be thy cafe, cry unto the Lord, and fay, Have mercy upon me, for I am -weak, Confult Spiritual Phy- ficians, and apply feafonable Remedies. And then, in the next place, have thou compani- on on the Souls of others, whereof an infi- nite number are in a loft condition though Chrift d^ed for them. O my Soul, did ft thou throughly underftand the price of Souls, i. e. the pretious Blood of the Son of God, and the great flaughter that is made of them by infer- nal Wolves, and malignant Spirits, roaring like Lions to make a prey of them,* thou couldeft not,I am fure, but heartily pity them, and endeavour their Refcue by prayer unto God, and all other ways. Laftly, Compani- onate the bodily neceffities of thy Neighbours,, not with thy Tongue, and in Words, but in Deed and in Truth, remembring the faying of thy Lord, BleJJed are the merciful, for they ftall obtain mercy. THE 250 THE Fifteenth Step. From Confederation of the greatnefs of DiYine Juftice, by the Similitude of Corporeal Greatnefs. T CHAP. I. HE Jufticeof God in Holy "Writ has a fourfold Acceptation; firft it is taken for univerfal Juftice , which comprehends all Virtues, and is the fame thing as Holinefs or Righteoufnefs, as in that of the H5< Tfalmifiy The Lord is righteous in all his ways, aiid holy in all his works. Secondly, it is ta- ken for Truth, or Fidelity, as in the $ift Pfalm,* That thou mighteft be jufcified in thy fay - ings. Thirdly, for diftributive Juftice, or that Juftice which returns due rewards ,• as i Tim. 4, in the fecondEpiftle to Timothy , There is laid up for me a crown of righteoufnejs y which Cod y the righteous Judge jhall render unto me in that day. Laftly, 'tis taken for vindidive Juftice, or that Juftice that takes vengeance on Sin, as in that of the Vfalmijl> Upon the wicked he [ball rain fnares y fire y and brimftone 3 and an hor- rible Steps of Afce??fion to God. 251 rihle tempefl, this fiiall he the portion of their cup, becaufe the Lord is righteous, and loveth righte- oufnefs. We fhall in fome meafure have a no- tion of the greatnefs of Divine , Juftice, if we confider the breadth of his univerfal Ju- ftice ,- the length of his juftice that confifts in Truth and Fidelity,- the height of his Ju- itice that diftributes rewards in Heaven ,- and the depth of his juftice that inflids never- ending punifhments upon the wicked in Hell. And to begin with breadth ,- That with us is called Univerfal Juftice, which difpofeth a Man to regulate all his adions according to law in each particular, and therefore com- prehends all virtues both Divine, and Mo- ral. But there is a certain virtue, which in- cludes all virtues in it felf, and has the com- mand over the Ads of all virtues, and which direds them to their ultimate end, and this is Charity. Which although it is but a par- ticular virtue, and one of the Theological, may notwithstanding be termed Univerfal Juftice. For this difpofes a Man to a fiiita- ble behaviour towards God and his Neighbour, and fo is the completion of the whole law. Thus faith the Apoftle; Love worketh no evil 5 Rom. \$« and he that lovelh hath fulfilled the law, there- fore love is the fulfilling cf the law. And St. Aug. in his Book of Nature and Grace faith ; cc Charity begun, is Juftice begun,- Charity a improv'd, is Juftice improv'd ,- great Cha- CQ rity, is great Juftice, compleat Charity, is cc compleat Juftice. But farther, there are in God all virtues which prefuppofe no Im- perfection, and in lieu of fuch as do, there is fomethingfar better and more excellent. and 252 Steps of Afcenfion to God. and therefore there is no deficiency of good- nefs in him, hut rather fuch an infinite and immenfe degree of that, and Holinefs, that, he very jivfrly claims the title of, Only Good, and only Holy. Therefore Faith, that The- ological Virtue, is not in God, becaufe that is of things not feen, but God fees all things ; nor is there Hope in God, becaufe that is an expectation of things future, but God who poffeifes all things from Eternity, can have no expectations. There is no repentance for any Omiffion or Commiffion, for God can do nothing amifs. There is in him no Hu- mility ,• becaufe this curbs a Man from vain- ly afcending above himfelf, and confines him to his proper place, but God is the moft High, and therefore has nothing above himfelf to afpire to. But there is refident in God, Charity, that Queen of Virtues, in a very ample, yea, in a meafure infinite, and unmeafurable. For he infinitely loves Himfelf, becaufe he alone perfe&ly knows that infinite good which is his EfTence,- he alfo loves all things which he hath made. For thus faith the wife Man, Wif. 1 1 . Thou love ft all things that are y and hat eft none rf thofe things which thou haft made. For God by his wifdom underftands how to feparate evil from good, *. e. a Defed, from Nature, even in Devils, and the very worft of Men ; and he. loveth Nature which he made, but hates the ddzd: which he made not. Laft- ly, this virtue is fo truly and really in God, that he is pleas'd to be call'd by that name, j £ p# 4> according to St. John, God is love. But our Love compar'd with the Divine, is very ftrait and narrow. For there are abundance of things Steps of Afce??fion tcGcd. ' 253 things which we therefore love not, becaufe we know them not : And many things which do fall within our knowledge, have no /hare of our Love, for want of skill to diilinguiih the good that is in them from the Evil. And there are a great many things confeffedly good, which we love not as we ought to do, and therefore not with true love, becaufe we our felves are evil, and actuated rather by our Lulls and Appetites, than by Love and Charity. Our love to God is imperfect, not only as being inferior to the merits of his goodnefs, of which that of Angels them- • felves falls fhort ; but alfo becaufe we love him lefs than we ought, and lefs indeed than we are capable, did we give up our felves more conftantly and vigilantly to Prayer and Contemplation. And there attend upon this Queen of Virtues in the Lord, a moil no- ble Retinue of other Virtues, as, moil mag- nificent Liberality ,• inexpreffible Favour and Condefcenfion,* unheard of Patience and For- bearance ,♦ a more than Fatherly Affe&ion, and Endearingnefs ; never failing Truth and Fidelity ; Mercy that fills Heaven and Earth ; moil exad and inflexible Juilice, and Lailly, Holinefs fo very bright and pure, that the Stars are not clean in his fight, and the Seraphim amaz'd and ailcnifh'd cry out, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God cf Hofts ! O my Soul, didil thou attentively confider thefe things, with what fear and trembling would il thou Hand before God, when thou offerer! thy Prayers, and thy Praifes to him ? But efpecially, thou, would'il approach to the Ho- ly Altar with the profoundeft Reverence and Humi- 254 Steps of Afcenfion to God. Humility, and there in the prefence of the bieffed Angels, receive the molt, comfortable Sacrament of Chriit's Body and Bloody and thankfully commemorate the infinite kind- nefs and condefcenfion of God, in offering up his only begotten Son for the Salvation of Mankind. B' CHAP. II. U T let us proceed to the reft. The length of Divine Juftice difcovers it felf in Truth and Fidelity. The Lord, faith the Prophet ^ is faithful in all his fayings ; that is, the promifes of the Lord which many ages fince were pronounc'd by the Prophets, have at no time yet faifd, nor fhall fail at any time hereafter, they are more firm and fteadfaft than Heaven and Earth. For thus faith the Luke 1 6. Lord j It is eafitr for Heaven and Earth to fafs away, than one tittle of the law to fail. "Where, by Law., our Lord understands not only the Truth of his Commands, but likewife of all his promifes. For our Lord's Commands muft either be fulfilled, or the violation of them be punifli'd : And his Promifes are founded upon a fure and everlafting Balis. On which Mat. $. account alfo our Lord faith, Heaven and Earth jloall pafs away, but my words JJjall not fafs a- Ifa. 40. way : And Efaias, The word of the Lord endu- Pf. in. reth for ever : And David, His com?nandments are faithful, and fiand fafi for ever, and ever. And the Apoftle, Let God be true, and every man a lyar ; And again, It is imfojjible for God to Steps of Afcenfion to God. 255 to lie ; the reafon of which is, becaufe he can neither be deceived, becaufe he is Wi£- dom ; nor deceive, becaufe he is Goodnefs ; nor fail, becaufe he is Omnipotency. But Men, although they are wife, and good, and powerful, yet are capable both of deceiving, and of being deceived ,* becaufe their know- ledge extends not to all things, nor have they power to accomplifh all their pleafure : And even thofe, who when they engage their word, do really purpofe to make it good, may afterwards change their minds, and have no regard to their Promifes. Wherefore, my Soul, if thou art wife, put thy whole truft in God, keep clofe to him alone, and cait all thy care upon him. Walk circum- fpe&ly with the Lord thy God, and he will be watchful for thy fafety. Take efpeciai care of fining againft his Juftice, and his Mercy Jhall always defend thee, fo that thou fhalt not fear what either Man or Devil can do unto thee. CHAP. III. NO W the Height of Divine Juftice is feen in the Retribution of that Hea- venly Reward, which God the Supream, and moil righteous Judge, hath prepar'd for them who live Godly and Righteous Lives. And, firft, we ihall be able to take a right Eftimate of the Magnitude of this Juftice, if we make a Comparifon betwixt God the fupreme Judge, and Men that are fubordinate Judg- es : 25 6 Steps of Afcevfion to God. es : And, Secondly, if we fhall weigh the reward of one, againft that of the other, that is, the Recompence which God will give, with that which Men ufually return. Humane Judges both Civil and Ecclefiaftick, very rarely give a juft reward to fuch of '■htir Subjects and Servants, as they are in- ed tt , and this for many Reafons. Forper- ps their Ability extends not fo far as tore- ward every Mans Merit : Or it may be the Merits cf their Dependents are not within the Sphere of their Knowledge, at leaft they can- not make an exad, and juft Eftimate there- of, as depending on the Sincerity, and De- votcdnefs of their Mind : Or it may be, their own Injuftice, Avarice, or fome other perverfe Affections, will not permit them to make a due retaliation to their faithful fervices: Or, kftly, it may happen either by deaths feiz- ingthem before they have made due acknow- ledgments and returns ; or by fummoning the other, to whom Rewards are owing, be- fore they can enjoy the fruits of their La- bours. But to convince us that no fervice which is done by the Righteous, mall fail of reward, we are told that fo mean a fervice as the giving a Cup of cold Water to the thirfty, (hall not be forgotten. And St. Luke fpeaks of a bountiful reward promis'd by our Luke 6. Lord, Good mea fare ^ and prefs'd down y and fa- llen together , and r wring cver^ jhxll men give into your bofom. Nor is there danger, left the righteous mould go unrewarded from want of Ability in God, becaufe he is Lord and Proprietor of all things, and can with a bare word , infinitely increafe and multiply all things. Steps of Afcenfton to God. 257 things. Ncr need v/e fear left he mould be miftaken in judging either of the Quantity or Quality of our Services, becaufe he is moil Wife, and all things art of en and bare to his eyes, and he himfelf fearches the Hearts and Reins of his Servants that engage in his Service, and therefore throughly underftands with what Mind and Intention^ with what Zeal and Induftry, they have all along ad> ed. Nor can we be lufpicious of any un- kind defign in God., of defrauding his poor Servants, and Children of a juft reward, be- caufe he is faithful in all his fayings. Nor laftly, is he capable of dying, becaufe Im- mortality molt properly is his, and all things live unto him : fo that there is no danger left we fhould fail of juft Rewards, through the death of him that mould confer them. Let us therefore ftedfaftly refolve, that all the good works which any righteous Man doth, mall receive a juft reward from God the righteous Judge : That , confequently 'tis the fafeft courfe to be employ 'd in his Ser- vice, becaufe he's a juft Pay-mafter ; and that 'tis a dangerous and foolim thing to put confidence in Men, and from them to ex- pe& a juft Reccmpence of cur pains. Let us now compare both Rewards ; the Rewards of God., with the Rewards of Men ; thofe above in Heaven, with thefe below in Earth. What recomperxe., I befeech you, can poor Mortals render thofe who toil for them all Day long, that pafs the Night without fleep, and hazzard their lives in Bat- tels ? O the blindnefs of Mankind ! What ex- pectation can we have from them, but of S things 258 Steps of Afcenfion to Go J. things that are abject, mean, and perilhable ? But from God we may infallibly look for fiich things as will both Enrich and Ennoble us, and flay with us to Eternity : And yet, alafs! the other are courted, thefe flighted and contemn d. St. Chryfoftcm in his Com- ment on St. Mat. compares the Palaces, Ci- ties, and Kingdoms of this World, which fo raife Mens Admiration, to thofe Fabricks, which Children make of Chalk and Clay ; which little Hutts, and trifling Edifices, coil the poor Children a great deal of pains, but feem very Ridiculous to thofe that are paft the time of Childhood. And it frequently happens, that when the Father or Mafter of thefe Children obferve them to be fo taken up with fuch Trifles, as to neglect their Books ; he kicks all down, and overturns with the greateft eafe in one moment, that which coft them a great deal of time and thought to build up. Even fo, ftately Palaces, monu- mental. Towers, Caftles, fortifi'd Towns, and Kingdoms of Men, are no more than poor Cottages of dirt, if compar'd with thofe Goods, which are eternal in the Heavens •> and are beheld with deriiionfrom Heaven, by the bleffed Angels, and are many times levell'd with the ground, by a frown only from our Heavenly Father; to inform us, what mere Vanities, and Illufions all fublunary things arc. Which, though new ad ays, few take iKjtice of, yet a time will ccme, that is, the laft Judgment, when all Ihall take notice, though it be then too late and infignificant. 7$'e day of fuJkmmt , faith St. Hilary, will plainly repeal to us 3 the Emptinefs] Vanity, and Nothing-* Steps of Afcerifioji to God. 259 Noth'wgnefs of all things below. But let lis a little more accurately declare what thofe Heavenly Rewards are, which in thefe Irre- ligious and Atheistical times are generally nothing valued in companion of the Trifles of this World. In the firil pl^ce there will be good things in great abundance in the Kingdom of Heaven, or rather there will be all things that can be defir'd : For all the In- habitants of that City iball bebieifed. Now what is Beatitude, but a complete Collection, or meeting together of all good things ? There muff, therefore be the Goods of the Mind., Wifdom, and all the Virtues.; the Goods of the Body, as Beauty, Health, and Vigour ; external Goods, Wealth, Pleafure, Glory. Then fecondly,all thefe things fliall be fuperlatively great, and in the higheft degree of Perfection and Eminency. For God who manifefted his power in the Creation of the World out of nothing, his Wifdom in Go- vernment and Providence, and his Love and Goodnefs, in the Redemption of Mankind, by the myfferious Incarnation and Paffion of his Son, will then difplay the magnificence of his Glory, and the bountifulnefs of his Li- berality, in distributing Rewards, Palms, and Crowns to thofe, who lhall triumph over their Enemy the Devil. And this wifdom fhall be, not only a view of Divinity in the glafs of the Creatures, but the very, and true Vifion of the Effence of God, that Caufe of all Caufes ; and of the very prime and fu- pream Truth : From which moil: Glorious Vi- fion, the Souls of Saints fhall fhine with fiich luftre and radiancy, that St. John faith of S 2 that 260 Steps of Afcenfion to God. that future Glory , We fall be like him , becaufe we fall fee him as he is. From this ex- alted Wifdom (hall proceed that Queen of all Virtues, Charity : Charity fo fervent, that always adhering clofe to the Supream Good^ it neither will nor can be divorc'd from it. So the Soul, and all its faculties fhall be im- moveably fetled in a ftate of compleat Hap- pinefs: The Body fhall ftine like the Sun, as our Lord himfelf attefts, when he faith, Then the righteom jhall fane as the Sun y in the kingdom of their father. Such will their Beauty be. Their health will be Immortality ; their itrength Impaflibilty : And laftly, the Body, which now is Animal, will then be Spiritual, L e. it will be fo perfe&ly obedient to the Spirit, that when commanded, it mail move more nimbly than the Winds, and by its fub- tlety pafs through Walls. And then its Rich- es will be, not only to want nothing, but with God, and in God, to poffefs all things. For he will make them Rulers over all his Goods, Mat. 24. What /hall I fay concerning Plea- fure, when as it is written, They fall be abun- dantly fatisfied with the plenty of thy hovfe, and thou flialt make them drink of the river of thy plea! ure s ? What mind is able to conceive the greatnefs of that delight, which the fruition of the fupream Good imports ? To behold beauty itfelf? To tail fweetnefs it felf? To enter into the joy of the Lord, that is, to participate of that felicity , which renders God himfelf happy ? The Honour and Glo- ry of Saints furpaffes all Eloquence, for up- on the Stage of the Univerie, Men and An- gels being Spectators, every Saint fhall have the Steps of Afcenfion to God. 261 the honour of Divine Applaufe, and be pre- fented with a vi&orious Crown ; and, (which is the higheft honour they are capable of, ) they fhall be feated on Chrift's Throne, as Co-partners of his Kingdom : For thus we read in the Revelations, He that overcometh, to R e v. 3. him will I give to Jit with me on my throne, as I alfo have overcome, and do fit with my father in his throne. This noble pitch of Honour the Prophet admir'd., when he acknowledged that it was too wonderful for him. Now if to this multitude and excellency of good things, we fuperadd Eternity , which wonderfully heightens their Value, who fhall be able to conceive the greatnefs of Celeftial Felicity ? And yet we fhall experience by poffeffing , what we are not able to comprehend by thinking, if by leading a Pious, Righteous, and Sober Life, we fhall be admitted to thofe bleffed Regions. For the good things of that place, which through the afliftance of Divine Grace, are procurd with momentary pains, fhall endure to all Eternity. What, my Soul, haft thou to fay to all this? Haft thou a mind to purfue childiih Diver- fions in ere&ing little Houfes of Clay, and to unqualine thy felf for the inheritance of that Kingdom that fhall never have an end ? Wilt thou be content, ( which I cannot without horrour think of) to delight in brutifh plea- fures, who art invited to Angelical Enter- tainments, and Joys that cannot be exprefs'd? Let thy Mercy, bleffed Lord, avert this from the Soul of thy Servant, but rather ftriketer- rour into my Fleih, and let obedience to thy J^aws become fweeter to me than Honey, S 5 an4 262 Steps of Afcenfion to God. and the Honey-comb, that by crucifying the Flefh with the Affe&ions and Lulls, I may boldly afpire to thole fpiritual, and everlafl- ing delights of thy Paradife. Grant to thy Servant, O Lord, to follow the Heps of thy 'Chriil, who being meek and lowly in Heart, When he was reviled, rc-viled npt again, when he fujfered, he threatned not. Grant me to live foberly, rightecufly, and godly in this World, that with fome Alfurance, I waj look for that hlejj'ed hope, and the Glorious Appearance of the great God, and our Saviour jefus Chrifi. C H A P. IV. IT remains that we confider that juftice which God exercifeth in punilhing Sin- ners in the Abyfs of Hell, by doing which with ferioufhefs and advertency, we /hall find that to be very true indeed, which the Apo- ftle affirms in his Epillle to the Hebrews, It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. For, ( to follow the order which We have obferv'd in that Juilice, which re- wards the fen ices of Holy Men ) God, the righteous Judge will net difmifs the fmalleft Sins unpunilried, fuch as idle words; for thus we read in the Goipel, Every idle word which wen frail f peak, they fhall give an account of in the day of Judgment. There are many Crimes indeed, which here efcape puniiriment, fome- times for want of power to inflid: it, the Cri- minals being either too mighty, or too nim- ble for Juilice : Or becaufe Men are igno- rant Steps of Afcenfion to God. 263 rant of what is done, or the Offences are not attefted by legal Evidence, or becanfe the Judges have no mind to pnnifh, being either corrupted by Bribes, or work'd upon by Kindnefs, or deprav'd by their own Ma- lice. But God is omnipotent, and therefore there is no refilling his Power. He is like- wife in all places, and therefore there is no concealing our felves from him. Whither [hall Pfal. 139 I go, faith Davh! j from thy fplrit , or whither Jhail I flee from thy prefence ? If I climb up info Heaven, thou art there, if I go down into HeS 9 thou art there alfo. He is likewife moil wife, and knoweth all things,, even fuch as lie in the darker! corners, and molt private receifes of the Heart, nor needs he evidence to prove the Crimes, when as the Confciences of Men ferve the Lord for a thoufand Witneffes. And then in the lalt place, no Gifts, nor Favours can corrupt the Juftice of God, be- canfe no addition can be made to his Happi- nefs by any thing we have. Conclude we therefore, that there is not any Sin from the greater! to the leaf!, from the molt Heinous, to the molt Venial, that can efcape God's vindictive Juftice, uniefs it be done away by Repentance. For by how much the more abundant God's Mercy now is in pardoning, the more rigorous and fever e will his Ju- itice hereafter be in taking vengeance. Of this time Efaias faith, hi a feafon 'acceptable If ^j. have I heard thee, and in the day of fal-vation have I fuccourd thee. "Which the Apoftle ex- plaining in his later Epiltle to the Corinthians, Faith, Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold 2 Cor. 6. no7P is the day of falvation. And the Prophet S 4 Ztph. 2^4 Steps of Afcenfion to God. Zepb. cries out of the time fucceeding this i Chap, life, That day is a day of wrath , a day of tribu- lation and dlflrefs, a day of Calamity, andmife- rjy a day of d.irknefs and gloom inefs, a day of rain, and of a mighty wind, a day of the trum- pet and of the alarm : Nor fhall all Sins only be ptinifli'd, but fhall be punifh'd with fuch dreadful Torments, as can hardly now enter into any Man's thoughts. For as the Eye hath not feen, nor Ear heard, neither have enter'd into the Heart of Man the things which God hath prepar'd for them that Love him ; fo neither hath the Eye ken, nor the Ear heard, nor the Heart conceived what God hath prepar'd for them that Hate him. For the miferies of Sinners in Hell will be very many, very fevere, without any allay, or intermixture of confolation ; and which infinitely heightens the mifery, they will be everlafting, and without end. FirfL, they will be very many, becaufe every faculty of the Soul, and all the fenfes of the Body fhall have their proper Tormentors. Confider and weigh the words of that Sentence, which the fupreme Judge fhall pronounce at the foft Mat. i y- day : Depart fro?n me ye curfed into e r v?rlaflmg pre. Depart, that is, away with you from the fociety of the Bleffed, being depriv'd for e- ver of the vifion of God, which is the high- eft and EfTential Happinefs, and the ultimate End for which ye were created. Te curfed, that is, do not for the future expect any kind of Blefling, for ye fhall be deprived of all the Influence of Grace, of all Hope of Salvati- on,* no more fhall the Waters of Wifdomrain down upon you, nor the Dew of Holy In- fpiration Steps of Afcevfion to Go J* 265 fpiration defcend into your Hearts : No more mall the Rays of Heavenly light fhine upon you : No more fhall the Grace of Repen- tance, nor the BlofTom of Charity, nor the Fruits of Good Works germinate in you : No more toEternity > fhall he vifit you that comes from on high. Nor fhall you only want Spiritual, but even Bodily good things, not only Eternal, but Temporal Goods : There will be no dazlingMettals foryou,no Recrea- ting Diverfions, no Comfort nor Confolati- on, but ye fhall be like that Figtree, which as foon as it had my Malediction.,, immedi- ately wither'd at the Roots. Into the fire, that is into a furnace of exceedingly hot and unquenchable fire, which will not feize up- on feme fingle Member, but on all together, and affiift you with moil fenfible pain. Ever- lifting, i> e. into^fire which needs no fewei to maintain the vehemency of heat , for 'tis kindled by the breath of Almighty God, that as the guilt which is in you will never be done away, fo neither fhall your punifhmenr; have an end. Therefore the Prophet ifaias had reafon to cry out, Who among ft yen can abide with devouring flame ? Who can dwell with everlafiing burning ? As much as to fay, not a Man can patiently bear them, but they dial! be conftrain d to bear them with impatience, indignation, and defpair. And in the 66th Chap, he adds, Their worm dyeth not, and their Ifa. 33. fire is not quenched. "Which words we find re- peated more than once in St. Mark. For the Worm of Confcience will be fuperadded to their other Afflictions, as will alfo the bit- ter Remembrance of that time, in which the wicked 266 Seps of Afcenfion to God. wicked might eafily have efcaped punilhment, had they endeavoured it, and have been par- takers of everlafting Joys. And left any fhould fancy that the damned may find fome alleviation of their forrows, by walking a- bout and exchanging place • hear what our Lord himfelf faith, Bind him hand and foot, and caft him into cuter darknefs, there Jljall be weeping and gnawing of teeth. Therefore thofe poor wretches, being tyed Hand and Foot in eternal bands , (hall always be con- fined to the fame place, depriv'd of the Light of Sun, Moon, and Stars : And frying in thofe fires which are heated with Divine fu- ry, (hall weep and lament, and gnaflh their teeth out of Rage and Defpair. Nor (hall they only fufFer moft doleful- miferies in Hell, that ihall be thruft into that place of hor- rour, but alfo extream poverty, difgrace, and ignominy., with the utmorlTShame and Con- fufion of face. For in a moment mall they be depriv'd of their Palaces, Fields, and Vineyards, . and of their numerous Flocks and Herds ,• they (hall be ftripp'd of their gay and fafhionable Apparel ; they (hall no lon- ger behold their glittering Silver and Gold, nor their fparkling Gems and Diamonds ; they (hall be reduc'd to fiich Gircumftances, as to petition for a drop of cold "Water, and find a Denial. Befides, thofe haughty, and vain-glorious Men, who cannot now brook the leaft injury, or affront, and that prefer the fupport of their Grandeur above all things befides, (hall fee all their Crimes and Mifde- meanours brought to light , and publickly expos'd upon a Stage, where all Mankind, and Steps of Afcevfiov to Go J. 26 7 and the whole company of Angels fhall he fpe<5lators, the greateft Appearance that e- ver was, or fhall be ; all their crimes, I fay, fhall become manifeit, though committed in fecrecy, and conceal'd in the obfcureft re- ceffes of the Heart, though never fo abomi- nable, fnch as Treacheries , Robberies, In- cefts, Sacrilege : For as the Apoftle faith, in his former Epiitleto the Corinthians, Whin the Lord fiall come to judge the world, he will bring to light the fecret things of darkyiefs, and will make manifest the counfeh of the heart, and then fliali every one have fraife from God ; and fure at that time every wicked, and unrigh- teous perfon fhall inftead of Praife, find Re- bukes and Difpraife from God. But fo great will be the Shame and Confufion of the Wick- ed at this Appearance, that St. fajffl flicks not to fay, that 'twill be one of the moft grievous Punifhnients, efpecially to the Hy- pocritical, Proud, and Vain-glorious, who have no other God, ( or rather Idol ) in this World, but Honour. But if what we have faid concerning the lofs of all that is valua- ble both here and hereafter, of that molt af- flictive Pain, and that Difgrace and Igno- miny, which wait upon the Impenitent to another World, were ever to End, or to have any Intermixture of Confolation or Refrefh- ment, (as all Misfortunes have in this life,-) they might in fome Meafure be accounted tolerable Evils. But fince 'tis certain, and pair, all doubt, that as the Felicity of the bieffed will eternally laft without having any allay of Mifery ; fo alfo the Torments of the damned will everlaftingly continue without any 26 S Steps of Afcenfion to God. any intermixtures of Comfort ; fince this is the cafe, they certainly are blind and infa- tuated to the laft Degree, that exert not their utmoll endeavours to gain Heaven., and to fhare in the Joys of the Celeflial Paradife, though the way lies through Briars, and Thorns, through Tribulations and Dangers, through Infamy and Death, all which the Apoftle calls light and momentary afflictions, CHAP. V. AND if to any one it feems unaccoun- t\ table, why a God of infinite Mercies hath appointed fuch fevere and tailing Pun- ifhments for the offences of Men, which are done and pall in an inflant, and for fuch as appear not very provoking; let the ob- je&or hear what St. Augufiin hath to lay in his Book of the City of God : " "Whoever *• ( faith he ) reckons fuch Condemnation cc either unjuil, or too fevere, knows not u certainly how to make a right eftimate of and the glorious Victory at Vigo. ADVERTISEMENT. Printed for Jacob Tcnfon at Grays- Inn-Gate. /^Hotce Prefidents upon all Acts of Parliament , relating ^ K> the Office and Duty of a Juftice of Peace ; including thofe made and pa fled in the Firft Year of the Reign of Queen Anne. With Notes and Inftructions thereupon ' taken out of the faid Acts, and particular Cafes in Law adjudg'd therein. Alfo a more ufeful Method of making up Court-Rolls than hath been hitherto published in Print. By Hjchard Kjlbum, Efq; late one of the Juftices of the Peace for the County of %ent, and Principal of Staple-Inn. The Seventh Edition, very much enlarged, with New Preiidents to the year 1703. To which is added, feverai Law Cafes never before Printed. By G. F. of Grays-lm, Efq;. DATE DUE JttH" , +9 r ^ w* m<%&** - CAYLORO PRINTED IS U S A. ■I BH !^ltft . JP W?-: ^H - \