SECT. 7. The supply which God gives in other faculties. HATH God taken away thine eyes?-But hath he not given thee an abundant supply in other faculties? Are not thine inward senses the more quick? thy memory stronger; thy phantasy more active; thy understanding more apprehensive? The wonders, that we have heard and read of blind men's memories, were not easy to believe, if it were not obvious to conceive, that the removal of all distractions gives them an opportunity both of a careful reposition of all desired objects, and of a sure fixedness of them where they are laid. Hence, have we seen it come to pass, that some blind men have attained to those perfections, which their eyes could never have feoffed them in. t It is very memorable, that our Ecclesiastical Story reports of Didymus of Alexandria; who, being blind from his infancy, through his prayers and diligent endeavours reached unto such a high pitch of knowledge in logic, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, as was admired by the learned Masters of those Arts; and, for his rare insight into Divinity, was, by great Athanasius, approved to be the Doctor of the Chair in that famous Church. What need we doubt of this truth, when our own times have so clearly seconded it? having yielded divers worthy Divines, God's Seers, bereaved of bodily eyes. Amongst the rest, there was one " in my time, very eminent in the University of Cambridge, whom I had occasion to dispute with for his Degrees, of great skill both in Tongues and Arts, and of singular acuteness of judgment. It is somewhat strange, that Suidas reports of Neoclides; that, being a blind man, he could steal more cunningly than any that had use of eyes. Sure, I may say boldly of our Fisher, that he was more dexterous in picking the locks of difficult authors, and fetching forth the treasures of their hidden senses, than those, that had the sharpest eyes about him: insomuch as it was noted those were singular proficients, which employed themselves in reading to him. If they read books to him, he read lectures the while to them; and still taught more than he learned. As for the other outward senses, they are commonly more exquisite in the blind. We read of some, who have been of so accurate a touch, that, by their very feeling, they could distinguish betwixt black and white. And, for the ear, as our Phi Ruffin. Eccl. Hist. 1. ii. c. 7. Cambridge. "Mr. Fisher, in Trinity College in * Suidas ex Aristophane. losophers observe, that sounds are sweeter to the blind than to the sighted; so also, that they are more curiously judged of by them: the virtue of both those senses being now contracted into one. But the most perfect recompence of these bodily eyes is, in the exaltation of our spiritual; so much more enlightened towards the beatifical vision of God, as they apprehend more darkness in all earthly objects. Certainly, thou shalt not miss these material eyes, if thou mayest find thy soul thus happily enlightened. SECT. 8. The benefits of the eyes, which once we had. THINE eyes are lost:-It is a blessing, that once thou hadst them. Hadst thou been born blind, what a stranger hadst thou, in all likelihood, been to God and the world! Hadst thou not once seen the face of this heaven, and this earth, and this sea, what expressions could have made thee sufficiently apprehensive of the wonderful works of thy Creator? what discourse could have made thee to understand what light is? what the sun, the fountain of it; what the heavens, the glorious region of it; and what the moon and stars, illuminated by it? How couldst thou have had thy thoughts raised so high, as to give glory to that great God whose infinite power hath wrought all these marvellous things? No doubt, God hath his own ways of mercy, even for those that are born dark; not requiring what he hath not given; graciously supplying, by his Spirit, in the vessel of his election, what is wanting in the outward man: so as even those, that could never see the face of the world, shall see the face of the God that made it. But, in an ordinary course of proceeding, those, which have been blind from their birth, must needs want those helps of knowing and glorifying God in his mighty works, which lie open to the seeing. These once filled thine eyes; and stay with thee still, after thine eyes have forsaken thee. What shouldst thou do, but walk on, in the strength of those fixed thoughts; and be always adoring the Majesty of that God, whom that sight hath represented unto thee so glorious; and, in an humble submission to his good pleasure, strive against all the discomforts of thy sufferings? Our Story tells us of a valiant soldier, answerable to the name he bore, Polezelus; who, after his eyes were struck out The Lord Verulam.-Fr. Bacon, in his Natural History. in the battle, covering his face with his target, fought still; laying about him as vehemently, as if he had seen whom to smite. So do thou, my son, with no less courage: let not the loss of thine eyes hinder thee from a cheerful resistance of those spiritual enemies, which labour to draw thee into an impatient murmuring against the hand of thy God: wait humbly upon that God who hath better eyes in store for thee, than those that thou hast lost. SECT. 9. The supply of one sense by another. THOU hast lost thy hearing:-It is not easy to determine whether loss is the greater? of the eye, or of the ear: both are grievous. Now all the world is to thee as dumb, since thou art deaf to it. How small a matter hath made thee a mere cypher amongst men! These two are the senses of instruction: there is no other way for intelligence to be conveyed to the soul, whether in secular or in spiritual affairs: the eye is the window, the ear is the door, by which all knowledge enters: in matters of observation, by the eye; in matter of faith by the ear, Rom. x. 17. Had it pleased God to shut up both these senses from thy birth, thy estate had been utterly disconsolate; neither had there been any possible access for comfort to thy soul and if he had so done to thee in thy riper age, there had been no way for thee but to live on thy former store: But, now that he hath vouchsafed to leave thee one passage open, it behoves thee to supply the one sense by the other; and to let in those helps by the window, which are denied entrance at the door. And, since that Infinite Goodness hath been pleased to lend thee thy ear so long, as till thou hast laid the sure grounds of faith in thy heart; now thou mayest work upon them in this silent opportunity with heavenly meditations; and raise them up to no less height, than thou mightest have done, by the help of the quickest ear. It is well for thee, that in the fulness of thy senses, thou wert careful to improve thy bosom, as a magazine of heavenly thoughts; providing, with the wise Patriarch, for the seven years of dearth: otherwise, now that the passages are thus blocked up, thou couldst not but have been in danger of affamishing. Thou hast now abundant leisure to recal and ruminate upon those holy counsels, which thy better times laid up in thy heart; and, to thy happy advantage, findest the difference, betwixt a wise providence and a careless neglect. SECT. 10. The better condition of the inward ear. THINE outward hearing is gone :-But thou hast an inward and better ear, whereby thou hearest the secret motions of God's Spirit, which shall never be lost. How many thousands, whom thou enviest, are in a worse condition! They have an outward and bodily ear, whereby they hear the voice of men; but they want that spiritual ear, which perceives the least whispering of the Holy Ghost. Ears they have, but not hearing ears; for fashion, more than use. Wise Solomon makes and observes the distinction: The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them; Prov. xx. 12. And a greater than Solomon can say of his formal auditors, Hearing they hear not; Matt. xiii. 13. If thou have an ear for God, though deaf to men; how much happier art thou than those millions of men, that have an ear for men, and are deaf to God! SECT. 11. The grief that arises from hearing evil. THOU hast lost thy hearing:-And therewith no small deal of sorrow. How would it grieve thy soul to hear those woeful ejaculations, those pitiful complaints, those hideous blasphemies, those mad paradoxes, those hellish heresies, wherewith thine ear would have been wounded, if it had not been barred against their entrance! It is thy just grief, that thou missest of the hearing of many good words: it is thy happiness, that thou art freed from the hearing of many evil. It is an even lay, betwixt the benefit of hearing good, and the torment of hearing evil. CHAP. XII. COMFORTS AGAINST BARRENNESS. SECT. 1. The blessing of fruitfulness seasoned with sorrows. THOU Complainest of dry loins and a barren womb:-So did a better man before thee; even the Father of the Faithful: What wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless? Gen. xv. 2. So did the wife of faithful Israel: Give me children, or else I die; Gen. xxx. 1. So desirous hath nature been, even in the holiest, to propagate itself; and so impatient of a denial. Lo, children and the fruit of the womb are an heritage and gift, that cometh from the Lord; Psalm cxxvii. 3. Happy is he, that hath his quiver full of such shafts; v. 5. It is the blessing, that David grudged to wicked ones; They have children at their desire; Ps. xvii. 14. It was the curse, which God inflicted upon the family of Abimelech, King of Gerar, that he closed up all the wombs in his house, for Sarah's sake; Gen. xx. 17, 18: and the judgment threatened to Ephraim, is a miscarrying womb, and dry breasts; Hos. ix. 14: and Jeconiah's sad doom is, Write this man childless; Jer. xxii. 30. As, on the contrary, it is a special favour of God, that the barren hath borne seven; 1 Sam. ii. 5: and it is noted by the Psalmist, as a wonder of God's mercy, that he maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children; Ps. cxiii. 9. It is pity he was ever born, that holds not children a blessing: yet not simple and absolute, but according as it may prove. She hath a double favour from God, that is a joyful mother of children: many a one breeds her sorrow, breeds her death. There is scarce any other blessing from God seasoned with so much acrimony, both of misery and danger. Do but lay together the sick fits of breeding, the painful throws of travail, the weary attendances of nursing, the anxious cares of education, the fears and doubts of misguidance, the perpetual solicitude for their provision, the heart-breaking grief for their miscarriage; and tell me, whether thy bemoaned sterility have not more ease, less sorrow. SECT. 2. The pains of child-bearing. IT is thy sorrow then, that thou art not fruitful:-Consider that thou art herein freed from a greater sorrow: In sorrow, shalt thou bring forth children; Gen. iii. 16. Do but think upon the shrieks and torments, that thou hast seen and heard in the painful travails of thy neighbours. One, thou hast seen wearying the days and nights, in restless pangs; and calling for death, in a despair of delivery: another, after the unprofitable labours of midwives, forced to have her bowels ransacked by the hand of another sex: One hath her dead burthen torn from her by piece-meal: another is delivered of her life and birth together. One languisheth to death, after the hand of an unskilful midwife: another is weary of her life, through the soreness of her breasts. All these sorrows thou |