Boyle, Robert (1627-1691)

Occasional Reflections Upon Several Subjects

London

Printed by W. Wilson for Henry Herringman

1665

"As Jonathan made those very things, whereby his Enemies, the Philistins, sought to intrap, or destroy him, Incouragements to fight with them, and Omens of his Victory over them. And as scarce any Time is so short, but that things so Agile, and asspiring as the Flames of a Devout Soul, may take a flight to Heaven, (as Nehemiah could find time to dart up a successful Prayer to the Throne of Grace, whilst he stood waiting behind the King of Persia's Chair) so by these extemporary Reflections, as well as by other mental Acts of Piety duely made, a Devout Soul may not onely rescue these precious Fragments of Time, but procure Eternity with them."

And indeed, the Affairs and Customs of the World, the Imployments of our particular Callings, the allowable Recreations, that Health, or Weariness requires, and the Multitude of unfore-seen, and scarce evitable Avocations, that are wont to share our Time among them, leave us so little of it, to imploy in the set and solemn Exercises of Devotion, and make those so unfrequent, that our Hearts are in great Danger, of being, by the Business, and Pleasures, and Hurry of the World, if not perverted from Aspiring to, at least too long diverted from Enjoying, Communion with God, and kept too much Strangers to Him, if in the long Intervals of our more solemn Exercises of Devotion, we be not careful to lay hold on the short, and transient Opportunities of Cherishing, and reviving, that Grace in us, and do not by the Rises given us by the Things that occur, take occasion to make frequent, though but short Flights Heaven-wards, in extemporary Reflections, serious Soliloquies, piercing Ejaculations, and other mental, either Exercises, or Expressions of Devotion, by which means, we may make those very objects, and occasions, that would Discourage, or at least Distract, our Minds, elevate and animate them: As Jonathan made those very things, whereby his Enemies, the Philistins, sought to intrap, or destroy him, Incouragements to fight with them, and Omens of his Victory over them. And as scarce any Time is so short, but that things so Agile, and asspiring as the Flames of a Devout Soul, may take a flight to Heaven, (as Nehemiah could find time to dart up a successful Prayer to the Throne of Grace, whilst he stood waiting behind the King of Persia's Chair) so by these extemporary Reflections, as well as by other mental Acts of Piety duely made, a Devout Soul may not onely rescue these precious Fragments of Time, but procure Eternity with them.
(pp. 10-11)

Motion::Flight

Reading

2 entries in ESTC (1665, 1669).

Occasional Reflections Upon Several Subjects, Whereto Is Premis'd a Discourse About Such Kind of Thoughts.(London: Printed by W. Wilson for Henry Herringman, 1665). <Link to ESTC><Link to EEBO-TCP>

07/28/2014