breeding. I would send them where their industry should be daily increased by praise; and that kindled by emulation. It is a good thing to inflame the mind: And though Ambition itself be a vice, it is often the cause of great virtue. Give me that wit, whom praise excites, glory puts on, or disgrace grieves: he is to be nourished with Ambition, pricked forward with honour, checked with Reprehension, and never to be suspected of sloth. Though he be given to play, it is a sign of spirit and liveliness; so there be a mean had of their sports and relaxations. And from the rod, or ferrule, I would have them free, as from the menace of them: for it is both deformed and servile.

Discoveries

113

IT

T comes equally to us all, and makes us all equal when it comes, The ashes of an Oak in the Chimney, are no Epitaph of that Oak to tell me how high or how large that was; it tells me not what flocks it sheltered while it stood, nor what men it hurt when it fell. The dust of great persons graves is speechless too, it says nothing, it distinguishes nothing as soon the dust of a wretch whom thou wouldest not, as of a Prince thou couldest not look upon, will trouble thine eyes, if the wind blow it thither; and when a whirlwind hath blown the dust. of the Churchyard into the Church, and the man sweeps out the dust of the Church into the Churchyard, who will undertake to sift those dusts again, and to pronounce, This is the Patrician, this is the noble

flower, and this the yeomanly, this the Plebeian bran. So is the death of Jesabel (Jesabel was a Queen) expressed; They shall not say, this is Jesabel; not, only not wonder that it is, nor pity that it should be, but they shall not say, they shall not know, This is Jesabel.

114

GOD

LXXX Sermons: Sermon XV

All Times are God's Seasons

OD made Sun and Moon to distinguish seasons, and day, and night, and we cannot have the fruits of the earth but in their seasons: But God hath made no decree to distinguish the seasons of his mercies; In paradise, the fruits were ripe, the first minute, and in heaven it is alwaigs Autumne, his mercies are ever in their maturity. We ask panemt quotidianum, our daily bread, and God never sayes you should have come yesterday, he never sayes you must againe to morrow, but to day if you will heare his voice, to day he will heare you. If some King of the earth have so large an extent of Dominion, in North, and South, as that he hath Winter and Summer together in his Dominions; so large an extent East and West, as that he hath day and night together in his Dominions, much more hath God mercy and judgement together: He brought light out of darknesse, not out of a lesser light; he can bring thy Summer out of Winter, though thou have no Spring; though in the wayes of fortune, or understanding, or conscience, thou have been benighted till now, wintred and frozen, clouded and eclypsed, damped and benummed, smothered and stupefied till nowhow God comes to thee, not as in the dawning of the day, not as in

the bud of the spring, but as the Sun at noon to illustrate all shadows, as the sheaves in harvest, to fill all penuries, all occasions invite his mercies, and all times are his seasons.

LXXX Sermons: Sermon II.

115

MY

Hearts

Y God, my God, all that thou askest of mee, is my Heart; My Sonne, give mee thy heart; Am I thy sonne, as long as I have but my heart? Wilt thou give mee an Inheritance, a Filiation, any thing for my heart? O thou, who saydst to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him upon the earth, shall my feare, shall my zeale, shall my jealousie, have leave to say to thee, Hast thou considered my Heart, that there is not so perverse a Heart upon earth; and wouldst thou have that, and shall I be thy Sonne, thy eternal Sonne's Cobeira, for giving that? The Heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? Hee that askes that question, makes the answere, I the Lord search the Heart. When didst thou search mine? Dost thou thinke to finde it, as thou madest it in Adam?, Thou hast searched since, and found all these gradations in the ill of our Hearts, That every imagination of the thoughts of our hearts, is only evill continually. Doest thou remember this, and wouldest thou have my Heart? O God of all light, I know thou knowest all; and it is Thou, that declarest unto man, what is his Heart. Without thee, O soveraigne goodnesse, I could not know, how ill my heart were. Thou hast declared unto mee, in thy Word, that for all this deluge of evill, that hath surrounded all Hearts,

yet thou soughtest and foundest a man after thine owne heart; That thou couldest and wouldest give thy people Pastours according to thine owne heart; And I can gather out of thy Word so good testimony of the hearts of men, as to find single hearts, docile and apprehensive hearts; Hearts that can, Hearts that have learnt; wise hearts, in one place, and in another, in a great degree, wise, perfit hearts; straight hearts, no perversnesse without, and cleane hearts, no foulnesse within; such hearts I can find in thy Word; and if my heart were such a heart, I would give thee my Heart. But I find stonie hearts too, and I have made mine such: I have found Hearts, that are snares; and I have conversed with such; hearts that burne like Ovens; and the fuell of Lust, and Envie, and Ambition, hath inflamed mine. . . The first kind of heart, alas, my God, I have not; the last are not Hearts to be given to thee; What shall I do? Without that present I cannot bee thy Sonne, and I have it not. To those of the first kinde thou givest joyfulnes of heart, and I have not that; To those of the other kinde, thou givest faintnesse of heart: And blessed bee thou, O God, for that forbearance, I have not that yet. There is then a middle kinde of Hearts, not so perfit as to bee given, but that the very giving mends them; Not so desperate, as not to bee accepted, but that the very accepting dignifies them. This is a melting heart, and a troubled heart; and a wounded heart, and a broken heart, and a contrite heart; and by the powerfull working of thy piercing Spirit, such a Heart I have; Thy Samuel spake unto all the house of thy Israel, and sayd, If you returne to the Lord with all your hearts, prepare your hearts unto the Lord. If my heart bee prepared, it is a returning heart; And

if thou see it upon the way, thou wilt garrie it home .. and the Peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keepe my Heart and Minde through Christ Jesus.

116

Devotions upon Emergent Occasions

The Bell

ERCHANCE hee for whom this Bell tolls, may

PERCHANCE for wwes not it tolls for him,

And perchance I may thinke my selfe so much better. than I am, as that they who are about mee, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for mee, and I know not that. The Church is Catholik, universall, so are all her Actions; All that she does, belongs to all. When she baptizes a child, that action concernes mee; for that child is thereby connected to that Head which is my Head too, and engraffed into that body, whereof I am a member. And when she buries a Man, that action concernes me: . . . As therefore the Bell that rings to a Sermon, calls not upon the Preacher onely, but upon the Congregation to come; so this Bell calls us all: but how much more mee, who am brought so neere the doore by this sicknesse. .. The Bell doth toll for him that thinkes it doth; and though it intermit againe, yet from that minutes that that occasion wrought upon him, hee is united to God. Who casts not up his E to the Sunne when it rises? but who takes off his Eia from a Comet when that breakes out? Who bends not his eare to any bell, which upon any occasion rings? but who can remove it from that bell, which is passing a peece of himselfe out of this world? No man is an land, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part