DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3689#0119
a Devout and Holy Life. 117
Chapter XIII.
That not only a life of vanity, or sensuality,
but even the most regular kind of life^ that
is not governed by great devotion^ sufficiently
shows its miseries, its wants, and emptiness
to the eyes of all the world. This repre-
sented in various characters.
IT is a very remarkable saying of our Lord and Saviour to
his disciples, in these words : ' Blessed are your eyes, for
' they see, and your ears, for they hear.' They teach us
two things: First, That the dulness and heaviness of men's
minds, with regard to spiritual matters, is so great, that it
may justly be compared to the want of eyes and ears.
Secondly, that God has so filled every thing, and every place,
with motives and arguments for a godly life, that they who are
but so blessed, so happy as to use their eyes and their ears, must
needs be affected with them.
Now though this was in a more especial manner, the case of
those whose senses were witnesses of the life and miracles and
doctrines of our blessed Lord, yet it is as truly the case of all
Christians at this time. For the reasons of Religion, the calls to
piety, are so written and engraved upon everything, and present
themselves so strongly, and so constantly to all our senses in
everything that we meet, that they can only be disregarded by
eyes that see not, and ears that hear not.
What greater motive to a religious life, than the vanity, the
poorness of all worldly enjoyments ? And yet who can help
seeing and feeling this every day of his life ?
What greater call to look towards God, than the pains, the
sickness, the crosses, and vexations of this life ; and yet whose
eyes and ears are not daily witnesses of them ?
What miracles could more strongly appeal to our senses, or
what message from heaven speak louder to us, than the daily
dying and departure of our fellow-creatures ?
So that the one thing needful, or the great end of life, is not
left to be discovered by fine reasoning and deep reflections; but
is pressed upon us in the plainest manner, by the experience of
all our senses, by everything that we meet with in life.
Chapter XIII.
That not only a life of vanity, or sensuality,
but even the most regular kind of life^ that
is not governed by great devotion^ sufficiently
shows its miseries, its wants, and emptiness
to the eyes of all the world. This repre-
sented in various characters.
IT is a very remarkable saying of our Lord and Saviour to
his disciples, in these words : ' Blessed are your eyes, for
' they see, and your ears, for they hear.' They teach us
two things: First, That the dulness and heaviness of men's
minds, with regard to spiritual matters, is so great, that it
may justly be compared to the want of eyes and ears.
Secondly, that God has so filled every thing, and every place,
with motives and arguments for a godly life, that they who are
but so blessed, so happy as to use their eyes and their ears, must
needs be affected with them.
Now though this was in a more especial manner, the case of
those whose senses were witnesses of the life and miracles and
doctrines of our blessed Lord, yet it is as truly the case of all
Christians at this time. For the reasons of Religion, the calls to
piety, are so written and engraved upon everything, and present
themselves so strongly, and so constantly to all our senses in
everything that we meet, that they can only be disregarded by
eyes that see not, and ears that hear not.
What greater motive to a religious life, than the vanity, the
poorness of all worldly enjoyments ? And yet who can help
seeing and feeling this every day of his life ?
What greater call to look towards God, than the pains, the
sickness, the crosses, and vexations of this life ; and yet whose
eyes and ears are not daily witnesses of them ?
What miracles could more strongly appeal to our senses, or
what message from heaven speak louder to us, than the daily
dying and departure of our fellow-creatures ?
So that the one thing needful, or the great end of life, is not
left to be discovered by fine reasoning and deep reflections; but
is pressed upon us in the plainest manner, by the experience of
all our senses, by everything that we meet with in life.