Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

deed, there is no creature, wherein there are not manifest footsteps of Omnipotence; yea, which hath not a tongue to tell us of its Maker." The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy-work: one day telleth another, and one night certifieth another. Yea, O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all. The earth is full of thy riches; so is the great and wide sea, where are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts," Psa. xix. 1, 2; civ. 24, 25. Every herb, flower, spire of grass, every twig and leaf; every worm and fly; every scale and feather; every billow and meteor, speaks the power and wisdom of their infinite Creator.-Solomon sends the sluggard to the ant; Isaiah sends the Jews to the ox and the ass; our Saviour sends his disciples to the ravens and to the lilies of the field. There is no creature of whom we may not learn something. We shall have spent our time ill in this great school of the world, if in such store of lessons we be nonproficients in devotion. Vain idolaters make to themselves images of God, whereby they sinfully represent him to their thoughts and adoration: could they have the wit and grace to see it, God hath used means to spare them this labour, in that he hath stamped in every creature such impressions of his infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, as may give us just occasion to worship and praise him with a safe and holy advantage to our souls."For the invisible things of God, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead," Rom. i. 20.—And, indeed, wherefore serve all the volumes of natural history,

but to be so many commentaries upon the several creatures, wherein we may read God; and even those men who have not the skill, or leisure, to peruse them, may yet, out of their own thoughts and observation, raise from the sight of all the works of God sufficient matter to glorify him. Who can be so stupid as not to take notice of the industry of the bee, the providence of the ant, the cunning of the spider, the reviving of the fly, the worm's endeavour of revenge, the subtilty of the fox, the sagacity of the hedge-hog, the innocence and profitableness of the sheep, the laboriousness of the ox, the obsequiousness of the dog, the timorous shifts of the hare, the nimbleness of the deer, the generosity of the lion, the courage of the horse, the fierceness of the tiger, the cheerful music of birds, the harmlessness of the dove, the true love of the turtle, the cock's observation of time, the swallow's architecture; shortly, (for it were easy here to be endless,) of the several qualities and dispositions of each of those our fellow creatures, with whom we converse on the face of the earth; and who that takes notice of them, cannot fetch from every act and motion of theirs, some monition of duty and occasion of devout thoughts? Surely, I fear many of us Christians may justly accuse ourselves as too negligent of our duty this way; that having thus long spent our time in this great academy of the world, we have not, by so many silent documents, learned to ascribe more glory to our Creator. I doubt those creatures, if they could exchange their brutality with our reason, being now so teachable as to learn of us so far as their sense can reach, would approve themselves better scholars to us than we have been unto them.

Withal I must add, that the devout soul stands not always in need of such outward monitors, but finds within itself sufficient incitements to raise up itself to a continual minding of God, and makes use of them accordingly; and if at any time, being taken up with importunate occasions of the world, it finds God missing but an hour, it chides itself for such neglect, and sets itself to recover him with so much more eager affection, as the faithful spouse in the Canticles, (v. 6,) when she finds him whom her soul loved withdrawn from her for a season, puts herself into a speedy search after him, and gives not over until she have attained his presence.

VII. Now, as these many monitors, both outward and inward, must elevate our hearts very frequently to God; so those raised hearts must not entertain him with a dumb contemplation, but must speak to him in the language of spirits. All occasions, therefore, must be taken of sending forth pious and heavenly ejaculations to God. The devout soul may do this more than a hundred times a day, without any hinderance to his special vocation. The housewife at her wheel, the weaver at his loom, the husbandman at his plough, the artificer in his shop, the traveller in his way, the merchant in his warehouse, may thus enjoy God in his busiest employment. For the soul of man is a nimble spirit, and the language of thoughts need not take up time; and though we now, for example's sake, clothe them in words, yet in our practice we need not. Now, these ejaculations may be either at large, or occasional. At large, such as that of old Jacob, "O Lord, I have waited for thy salvation;" or that of David, “O save me for

thy mercies' sake." And these either in matter of humiliation, or of imploration, or of thanksgiving in all which we cannot follow a better pattern than the sweet singer of Israel, whose heavenly conceptions we may either borrow or imitate.

66

In way of humiliation, such as these :—“ Heal my soul, O Lord, for I have sinned against thee," Psa. xli. 4. "O remember not my old sins, but have mercy upon me," lxxix. 8. If thou wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, O Lord, who may abide it?" cxxx. 3. ‘Lord, thou knowest the thoughts of man, that they are but vain," xciv. 11. "O God, why abhorrest thou my soul, and hidest thy face from me?"

66

66

66

66

In way of imploration :- Up, Lord, and help me, O God," Psa. iii. 7. "O let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed," cxix. 80. "Lord, where are thy old loving mercies?" lxxxix. 48. "O deliver me, for I am helpless, and my heart is wounded within me,” cix. 21. "Comfort the soul of thy servant, for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul," lxxxvi. 4. not far from me, O God," lxxi. 10. "O knit my heart unto thee, that I may fear thy name," lxxxvi. 11. "Thou art my helper and redeemer, O Lord, make no long tarrying," lxx. 6. "O be thou

66

"Go

my help in trouble, for vain is the help of man,” lx. 11. "O guide me with thy counsel, and after that receive me to thy glory," lxxiii. 23. "My time is in thy hand, deliver me from the hands of mine enemies," xxxi. 17. "O withdraw not thy mercy from me, O Lord,” xl. 14. “Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, because of mine enemies," v. 8. "Ŏ let my soul live, and it shall praise thee,” cxix. 175. In way of thanksgiving :—“O God, wonderful

C

66

art thou in thine holy places," Psa. lxviii. 35. “O Lord, how glorious are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep," xcii. 5. "O God, who is like unto thee!" lxxi. 17. "The Lord liveth, and blessed be my strong helper," xviii. 47. "Lord, thy loving-kindness is better than life itself," lxiii. 4. "All thy works praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints give thanks unto thee," cxlv. 10. "O how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all," civ. 24. "Who is God but the Lord, and who hath any strength except our God?" xviii. 31. "We will rejoice in thy salvation, and triumph in thy name, Lord," xx. 5. "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness," cvii. 8. "Oh how plentiful is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up them that fear thee!" xxxi. 21. Thou, Lord, hast never failed them that seek thee," ix. 10. "In thy presence is the fulness of joy, and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore," xvi. 11. Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him?” viii. 4. "Not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give the praise," cxv. 1.

66

66

for

VIII. Occasional ejaculations are such as are moved upon the presence of some such object, as carries a kind of relation or analogy to that holy thought which we have entertained. Of this nature I find that which was practised in St. Basil's time; that, upon the lighting of candles, the manner was to bless God in these words, "Praise be to God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost," which that father says was anciently used; but who was the author of it he professes to be unknown. To the same purpose was the Lucernarium, which was a part of the evening office of old.

« AnteriorContinuar »