God to the finful Men of Ifrael, when he bid them turn and repent, Efa. 26. 20. To fhew, tkat a Chamber is a fitter place for their work than a Theatre, and a Closet more proper than a Hall or Dining-room, and locking our felves up, a better preparative than delighting in variety of company. It was, I confefs, too lavish an expreffion which the Hermit in Sulpitius used, That he who was vifited by Men could not be vifited by Angels; yet in fome refpect he faid true; and he that doth not love to be alone fometimes, is not like to receive the vifits of these Ministring Spirits. It was in retirement, that Elijah railed the dead Child, Reg. 17. 19. and by the River Chebar it was in a lonely place, that God appeared to Ezechiel; so he revealed himself to Mofes in the Bush, when at a great distance from Men, and Crouds of People: And therefore it was excellent advice Saint Chryfoftom gave to a Man, who intended for Salvation. Depart from the High-way, and tranfplant thy felf in fome inclosed ground, for it is hard for a Tree that ftands by the way-fide, to keep her fruit till it be ripe. What St. Bafil faith of a Solitary Life, may in a great measure be applied to fuch retirement. It is the School where Men are taught Celestial Doctrine, and Divine Arts and Sciences are infused by nothing fo foon, as by this Difcipline. This is a Garden of Delights, where Virtues, like glittering Flowers, fend forth their grateful Odours. Here grows the Red Rose, fervent Charity. Here riles the Milk-white Lilly, Chastity. Here Here the Myrtle of Mortification is feen, and the Frankincense of Prayer is here to be found. O Retirement, the joy of Sanctified Minds, and the Seat of all Spiritual Gufts; Thy Virtue is the fame with that of the Babylonian Furnace, for by Faith thou keepeft off the burning heats of luft. Thou art that Oven, where the Veffels of Honour are prepared. Great Store-houfe of Hea venly Wares, where all the rich Merchandize of the Spirit is hoarded up. Vaft Shop of Spiritual Exercises, where the Soul comes to be restored to her Creator's Image, and returns to the purity of her Original. Thou makeft indeed the Lips pale with Fasting, but makest the Soul fat, and flourishing. Thou makest the Good Man ftand in the Castle of his own clarified Mind, and look down with contempt of this nether World! Sacred Tent, where our holy War is carried on, Camp of God, Tower of David, where hang a Thousand Shields, all fit to keep off the fiery Darts of the Devil! Field, where the Lord's Battles are fought, where the Soul fights against the Flech, and the Flesh against the Soul. O Retirement! The happy place where Vices die, and Virtues live, and where Men learn what it is to arrive to perfection. Great Ladder of Jacob, whereby Men climb to Heaven, and Angels come down to Men. Sweet and golden Way, whereby a Christian goes home to his Father's Houfe! Bath of the Soul! Death of Sin! Purgatory of Filthinefs. Thou destroyeft the fecret Intrigues of Pride, wafheft away the naftiDd4 nefs nefs of Sin, and elevateft the Soul to the brightnefs of Angels! For indeed we find, that as a Man's reason is more free in fuch Retirements, fo God is the readier to meet him, as the Angels did Jacob, in his privacy, and to difplay to him the vanity of that World, he hath doated on,the Scarlet dye of those Sins, he hath delighted in, and that miraculous Love, he hath undervalued, and trampled on, with the vengeance he hath procured, and been greedy of: For now it appears, that the Man is in good earnest to be faved, and to fuch, God never denies his favour, for moft Men play with Religion, go about it, as if it deferved no pains, and therefore here God doth no mighty work, as being loath to caft his Pearls before Swine. He that retires to confider, what he must do to be faved, makes Religion his bufinefs; and, those that seek me thus, fhall find me, faith Eternal Wisdom, Prov. 8. 17. Such Mens minds he is willing to overfhadow with the power of the Higheft, fuch Men prepare to meet their God, and God certainly will not fail them. And, Chriftians, fay you what you will, either the Gospel is no Gospel, or you'll find by woful experience, that without you are at fome trouble about your everlasting concerns, and deny your felves in your time, profit, cafe, pleasure, and punctilio's of Greatness, to mind your Spiritual Intereft; and without Heaven doth coft you fomething more than ordinary, God hath no Heaven for you. He that retires, and fets afide his Worldly business, and makes bold with the company he is in, and leaves them to take a view of his duty to God and Man, that Man lays force upon the Kingdom of Heaven, I am fure- offers violence to his carnal Intereft, violence to Flesh and Blood. The Heathen could fay, that the gods fell all their Gifts and Riches for diligence and industry. And we find it to be true of the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and that person who retires and takes pains, with Zacheus, to see Chrift, may expect the fame gracious return, which was made to that Publican, This Day Salvation is come into thy Houfe. The truth is, fhould God discourse a Sinner, that is in company with other Men, or going about his fecular affairs, he would find him yawn and gape, and stretch himself, and gain as much attention, as he that tells a story to a Man, whofe mind is employed about other objects; he seems to give him the hearing, but when a great part of the Tale is told, he starts up, and asks, What do you fay? But in private, where there is none but God and his own Confcience, God can best answer the finners objections, against a serious confcientious life, and the finner is moft likely to attend to God's propofals; for here, if his Flesh and Blood doth plead, that the fin he is to leave, is fweet and pleafing, and profitable, God can presently argue with him Doft thou call that fweet, which is most bitter and grievous to thy God, and muft expire into the bittereft Groans? Is that fo pleafing to thee, which offends, and grieves thy bleffed Redeemer, who defcended into Hell to fnatch thee out of it? And, And, can any profit here counterpoife the Eternål lofs of thy Soul? So if he plead, that the fin he harbours, is but a little one, his Confcience can immediately dash the Plea, and reply; How! Can that be little which offends an infinite Majefty? Can that be little which nailed Chrift to the Crofs Since thou knoweft, that this little fin is injurious to God's Holiness, What delight canst thou take in affronting him, in whole power it is, either to save thee, or to damn thee? The lefs it is, the greater fhame it is, that thou shouldft plead for keeping it; the lefs it is, the fooner it may be parted withal; O flatter not thy felf, thy great love to this fin, makes the fin it felf great; and, Canft thou be faid to love God, that canft hug that, which thou knowest runs counter to his Honour and Glory? In the fame manner, all other exceptions may be answered, and the Sinner finding, that the reafons he formerly thought invincible are fo eafily dashed, and blown away, is most likely to hearken to the far ftronger arguments of God, and his own Confcience: The rather, because he retired on purpose, to have a clearer fight of his ways than before he had; and fince God doth vouchfafe him fo diftinct a profpect of his Folly, and prepofterous Love, he justly thinks, that not to yield to God's reafonings, is to mock 'him, and favours of fuch ingratitude as admits of no excufe. Indeed, without Retirement, our Thoughts and Confiderations flow at large, like water in the Sea, and we can make no great obfervations concerning them: But in Retirement, they |