no man ordinarily desires to seem but good Now if it be a thing so desireable even by their testimonie who want goodnes to appear good how much more to be so in deed what is the emptie shadow to the solid body To shut up this Head As the shadow follows the body so doth the name and fame of good true goodnes with equally-mynded men And in stead of a thousand compasses of devise which men fetch about to obteyn the name of good and vertuous this one short and right-on way of being good indeed would serv the turn for the procureing it from all indifferent and wise judges The most compendious way to this honour is that in truth a man be as he would be accounted sayth the Heathen how much more ought Christians who are perswaded of Gods providence in ordering this and all his other blessings upon themselvs and others thus both to say and think and proceed accordingly And look what recompence of honour or other reward this playn and homely uprightnes which of all other vertues Laudatur alget is denyed from men God who seeth and loveth it will plenteously supply Blessed are the perfit in way who walk in the Law of Iehovah To chuse the right way of Gods law first and then to walk uprightly in it is to be guided by Gods own spirit to heaven CHAP. LII Of Sin and punishment from God WHatsoever swarveth from the law of God written in the table of the heart or of stone whether in our nature or actions eyther in the not being of that which should be or being of that which should not be which two are alwayes joyned together in originall sin and oftens in actuall is sin and evill yea the greatest yea the onely evill indeed Sin is worse then the divell as having made him evill whom God made good yea then all punishments yea then hell it self which God prepared and made and is therefore good to punish sin and sinners by And accordingly it was godlily sayd of one that if sin and hell were set before him the one on the one side and the other on the other that he must needs go through the one of them he would rayther enter upon hell then sin But blessed be God who will assuredly keep them from hell whose hearts are so set to keep themselvs from sin by his grace This sin is incident onely to reasonable creatures God the creator being above sin and unreasonable creatures beneath it For the disorders in bruit beasts they are not sin in them to whom there is no law but punishments of mans sin against God who hath subjected them to vanitie thereby to testifie how greatly he is offended at mans for whom at first he made them and all other creatures in a more excellent state The case of children is otherwise as being reasonable creatures made after Gods image in Adam and having the law written in their hearts as a subject capable both of good and evill which bruits are not Although sin be onely in reasonable creatures yet is it a most unreasonable thing otherwise it were not sin save as it crosses true reason eyther by lust against reason or shew of reason against truth So for particular enormities the more unreasonable the more sinfull as lusts against nature adulterie in a maryed person pryde in a mean prodigalitie in a needy covetousnes in him that abounds in riches prophanenes in a preacher and so of all other vices All sins save that first of Adam and mens very last are both sins in themselvs and effects of former sin and causes of latter and that not onely by Gods just though severe judgment in punishing one by another but oft times also by a kinde of naturall and necessarie coherence and affinitie Sometimes one sin brings on an other by provoking unto it as rash anger unto strife sometimes to back it as Peters denying of Christ did his after forswearing him sometimes to conceal it as all other evils draw on lying and theft murther many times sometimes to mainteyn it as pride doth covetousnes and oppression and sometimes to countenance it that it be not disgraced as Herods rash oath drew after it the beheading of Iohn the Baptist And of these commonly a lesser draws on a greater as lesser sticks set the greater on fire So also by those degrees of iniquitie do men proceed in one and the same particular enormitie in which as in a chayn drawing from heaven to hell each link moveth his next from the one and smaller end to the other greater First there is in a man concupiscence by which he is drawn away from God unto whom he ought to cleave with the whole heart And having once let goe his hold on him the true and unchangeable good he is forthwith seazed by some appearing and counterfeyt good and thereby entised as the byrd by falling on the ground is taken in the sâ—are from which whilst she held aloft she was free Vpon this inveigled affection and deceaved judgment thereby comes consent of will to have or do the thing which is evill called by the Apostle the conception of lust which that it may bring forth sin in outward act and exequution wants nothing but opportunitie This sin perfited by a continued course therein without repentance brings forth death unavoydably He therefore that begins to do evill or to forsake that which is good in the affection of his heart is like him that puts his feet into a pit and lets the hold of his hands go and without Gods gratious hand catching hold of him can never stay till he come to the bottom of the pit of perdition And no marvayl of this progresse in evill seeing everie sin how small soever in degree hath joyned with it the contempt of God As therefore the safest way against the flame is to quench the spark by which it may be kindled so against this fire of hell to quench betymes the spark of concupiscence and lust This is done partly by withdrawing from it the occasions and incitements of and unto sin which are as fewell for nourishing it as if it be the lust of anger and revenge not to give ear to words of provocation but to be as a deaf man that hearâ— not If of uncleanenes not to look upon a mayd If of drunckennes or excesse that way not to look upon the wine when it is red c. The second help is by smothering the corruption in the beginning which as fire if it have no vent goes out but getting passage breaks out into a flame Lastly as water fires contrarie quencheth it so do the spirituall means of grace as prayer meditation upon Gods word and the like quench by degrees the sparks of sin and fire of hell The greatnes of the sin is not alwayes to be esteemed by the thing done For as much crookednes may be found in a small line so may
and in them the last onely reigns To fear sin more then punishment which they of the last sort do is to love God more then our selvs On the contrarie to fear punishment more then sin which the second disposition leads to is to love our selvs more then God considering that by sin God is offended and we by punishment and that sin in the committing of it seems good to us and ill to God and that punishment in the exequuting of it is good in respect of Gods justice though evill to our sense The holy fear of God the Scriptures put many times for the whole service of God as being a generall vertue diffusing it self into all the parts thereof For we must trust to God with fear love him with fear obey him with fear and in conscience and consideration of his excellencie our own frailtie work out our salvation with fear and trembling that is do all things tending thereunto with that affection of heart And considering our boldnes as king Saul sayth of himself to step aside to our destruction it is worthily advertised by the wise man that he is blessed who feareth alwaies that is who sets himself in Gods sight continually making him the judg of all his wayes and works out of a serious consideration within himself unto what sin and miserie for sin he is exposed poore creature as he is Besides this fear of God is called the beginning of wisdom and that partly because the true reverence of his Majestie in the heart makes a man carefull and studuous to know and do the things which please him and to avoyd the contrarie as also for that God blesseth such an affection with good understanding and reveals his secrets to them that fear him Whereas on the other side a prophane heart is commonly punished with a foolish head and minde void of discerning specially in particulars what is good or evill God would have them that hearken unto him not onely safe but also secure and quiet from fear of hurt and evill For which purpose the Scriptures so oft both exhort them not to fear and propound arguments of encouragement unto them Not to exempt their hearts wholly from fear for that were to exalt them above the condition of mortall and frayl men but so far to bring that unruly passion under the regiment of fayth as that by it a man be not drawn to do any thing evill and unlawfull nor to forbear any requisite good in his place nor to be divided in his heart nor to shame himself nor to discourage others in that which is good It is wisdom for us so farr to fear an evill as to quicken our carefull use of all good means to escape it or being a crosse inevitable to prepare us the more patiently to bear it as not comeing unlooked for In which regard Christ spake to his disciples before hand of their approaching persequutions that when they came they should not be offended And further to fear evill is an evill both of sin and punishment and that of unbeleif specially if being hindred by fear we dare not doe that which apperteyns to our calling or be driven by it to do that which becomes not pietie Otherwise to be fearfull of heart and yet not to be overcome by it more commends a man then if he were without fear This fear though it be something excessive if not extream hath this good in it that it makes a man the more circumspect and causeth him to call his wits and other helps about him as men in danger use to doe It helps in deliberation and preparation though it hinder something in exequution But and if it once get dominion over a man and rule in him there is no such cruell and tyrant-like master within or without him It makes him cruell and a tyrant to others from whom it may any way be suspected that danger can come unto him and provokes to the oppression of whatsoever is in his way Neyther yet doth it exercise lesse tyranny over the fearfull himself It bereavs him of the use of understanding drives sleep from his eyes which sorrow procures disables the tongue from speaking and all the other parts of the body from doing their office by withdrawing the blood and spirits from them to the affrighted heart And whereas men by serious consideration and thought of things in hand are holpen against most other affections the objects of fear the more they are mynded and thought upon are the more terrible Some have through extreamitie of fear become grey-headed in a week or two as one M. Baâ—ning of â—ondon as I have heard and some in one night as is testified of the Duke of Mantuaâ—s â—â—â—sman Fâ—aâ—â—â—s us Gonzaga unto whom being committed to prison vpon suspicion of reason thought and care in one night brought grey hayr by subduction of nourishment And if we would further and in another and worse kinde take knowledg of this tyrants cruelty in constreyning even good men to do evill we may see Abraham for fear denying his wife David his reason Peter his master Christ in his person and many continually in his truth lesse or more He is a man that can overcome excessive fear by reason but a child of God that can overcome iâ— by true and sound fayth in Gods good providence over him Some though lambs amongst lyons yet are lyons amongst lambs feirce and terrible towards their underlings which cannot or dare not resist them and like the young ruffian in the Poet thaâ— shâ—wed his courage in beating a sillâ—-woman and poore bond slave that durst not strike again Such beleev not or forget that they have a mayster in heaven whose terrours if they knew with the Apostle they durst not in such sort be terrible unto others There are many governers in families and common wealths who if difference arise between them of the last sort and their subjects or between them of the first and their wives children and servants will dominere marveylously and be so stout and stern as if they were made of iron and steel Whereas on the contrarie if they have to doe with such as stand upon even ground with them specially such as have a liâ—le the higher ground they shâ—w all cowardize and base fear suffering them even to play with their noses Such a one was Reâ—oboam who spake â—oâ—ghly to the people under him but had no courage against the king of Egipt and so litle against Ieroboam that rebelled against him as that his own son Abijah taxed him of tendernes that is feeblenes of heart after his death Such another also was Naball so evill that none of his servants or family or others of whom he was secure might speak to him but perceaving himself to have been in danger though it were over by David whom and whose men he had rated and reviled in his druncken securitie at the very
nor a good man in that which is common to a wicked man with him seeing notwithstanding it the person may be out of Gods fauour and accursed And therefore Christ our Lord would not have his Disciples rejoyce or glorie that the Divels were subiect unto them which was though much yet common to the workers of iniquitie with them but that their names were written in Heaven Many so measure the good which they affoard others by the list of their own will as they deceav themselvs in the whole piece of their goodnesse by the bad list that goes about it They will do what good they list and when they list and where they list and as they list as though their goodnesse were not due debt though not immediately to men yet to God and so to men for and according unto God for whom even they ow love to all men who ow nothing els to any and the same upon Bill and therefore to be payed in Law whensoever and by whomsoever the Lord will call for it and not when and as pleaseth them These conditions are requisite that we may do well in doing good First we must do things in obedience to Gods Commandments and in honour of his Name and Gospel and must ever have that end in our ey as Archers have their Mark. Secondly That we do it at all times as we have opportunitie sowing our Seed in the Morning and in the Euening not holding our hand We must beware of that agueish goodnesse which comes by fits onely and when men are pleased for so they say the Divel is good Thirdly We must do good readily and whilst we have opportunitie not saying to our neighbour go and come again to morrow and we will do it if it be in our power to day For who knoweth what a day will bring forth and whether the opportunitie of doing good will continue till to morrow or no He that giveth or doth other good readily giveth twice He scarce once or at all that doth it slackly He rather in truth suffers a good turn to be drawn from him then doth it Living springs send out streams of water Dead pits must have all that they affoard drawn out with buckets We should therefore have the minde though we want the abilitie of Theodosius the Emperour who did much good upon request but more of his own accord and unasked and so meet as one saith a just request in the teeth and grant it before it be made as God many times doth ours He that defers a good turn looseth two things the time and manifestation of a loving affection Both which are precious And without which loving affection all the kindnesses which we shew to any are but so many false witnesses to the unbeleeving and unkind heart Fourthly According to our abilitie knowing that as our receavings are from God greater or lesse so must our accounts be for good doing It is true that God lookes to the heart of the doer and measures the work by the will as men measure the will by the work but this according to that which a man hath Els albeit poore men may love as much as the richer though they have not so much money to do good withall yet is not the will good except they do the good they are able And this our abilitie we must not measure according to our wantonnesse and unbelief but according to the truth of the thing and equitie of the case which is that our superfluities give way to our brethrens conveniencies our conveniencies to their necessities yea even our though great necessities to their extreamities for the supplying of them Fifthly We must have respect to mens present wants and not onely consider what we can best spare but withall what they stand most need of as having learnt of our Lord and Master in his Gospel that our dutie is to feed the hungry cloath the naked visit the sick c. as their need is whereby we may do a great good turn in a small matter even one loaf yea a shive to him that is hungry and the shewing of a spring of water to him that is thirstie being a benefit Sixthly We must do good to all knowing that wheresoever a man is there is place for a good turn but more specially to some according to the singular bond Naturall Civill or Religious wherewith God hath tied us together To good men we must do good because they do deserv it to strangers because they may deserv it and do stand in need of it to all men because God deservs it at our hands for them to our friends because we ow it them and to our enemies to heap coals of fire upon their heads the coals of charitie to thaw and soften their hardnesse if it may be and at which we must aim or els the coals of anger from God for their unplacablenesse towards us Lastly A good man how gracious soever and readie to do good guideth his affairs with discretion not sowing his seed in barren ground by bestowing favours without difference for that is rather to throw away then to bestow a benefit And it is not the least difference between mans good nature and Gods good grace that whereas the former makes men much-what alike kind to all the latter though also to all yet with great difference put between person and person as men sow their seed diversly in soils that differ Although this good nature and the grace of God be as different as Heaven and Earth the one being of our selvs that is of nature created and the other the gift of God by supernaturall grace and that a man be neither the neerer God for his good nature where the grace of God is wanting nor the further of for his ill where it pleaseth God to use his alsufficient work of grace yet the sweet and kind naturall disposition in some much advantageth the manifestation of their smaller measure which an ill nature as we speak so much obscures as it can scarse be seen of other men though the Lords ey peirce through all such humain prejudices It is the main order which God hath set both in grace and nature that the superiour should do good to the inferiour So God doth good to all and receavs good from none Our goodnesse reacheth not to him The Sun and Stars give their light and influence to the Earth but receav no thing back from it Parents lay up for their Children not Children for their Parents And for this end God bestows good things both inward and outward upon some above others in ample measure that their aboundance might supply the others want It were good for other men that the Mightie of the Earth duly considered this but better for themselvs as it is better to do good to others then to receav good from them But this most wise and
the works of his worship but in those also of our conversation with men and putting our selvs in all our waies under his protection and that specially in the time of distresse or danger that as the bodily hand gets and gathers strength by being diligently used in works competent so may also the Spirituall hand do which Faith is Now as for our succesfull wrestling against the Rulers of the darknesse of this World and spirituall wickednesses in high places we must put on amongst other parcels of the Armour of God the Shield of Faith so must we not forget the Helmet of Salvation Hope whose strength is great to bear off all blows of temptation and that with chearfulnesse For what burthens of afflictions and temptations will not he cherfully undergo that expects undoubtedly their speedie ending in endlesse happinesse Alexander the Great meaning to invade Asia and giving away his riches aforehand being asked what he would reserv for himself answered Hope But what is the shadow to the substance He hoped for the Kingdom of Persia we of Heaven And what if his hope stretched it self to the Monarchy of the whole World It was but to this World wherein also it was frustrated and perished with him But the Anchour of our hope is cast within the veil and extendeth to the World to come being also firm and stedfast and which cannot be disappointed nor shall have other end then in being perfited in the end of all the full fruition and eternall possession of happinesse with God Were it not for hope the heart would break but we having this hope faint not but hold fast the profession thereof without wavering yea even glorie in afflictions under the hope of the glorie of God Lastly Touching Love as it is the affection of union so it makes after a sort the loving and loved one such being the force thereof as that he that loveth suffereth a kind of conversion into that which he loveth and by frequent meditation of it uniteth it with his understanding and affection Thus to love God is to become godly and to have the mind after a sort deified being made partakers of the Divine nature in its effects to love the World is to become a worldling and so of the rest Thus in the Parable of the Tares the Children of the Kingdom are called good Seed and Wheat as growing and becoming Wheat of the Wheat or Seed sowen in them as the Wheat ear groweth of the Wheat corn As on the contrarie ungodly men are said to have eyes full of Adulterie and the like and not onely to be sinfull but sin unrighteousnesse darknesse and beliall as being even metamorphized and transformed into the evils which they love and delight in Oh how happie is that man who by the sweet feeling of the love of God shed abroad into his heart by the Holy Ghost which is given him is thereby as by the most strong coards of Heaven drawn effectually and with all the heart to love God again who hath loved him first and so becomes one with him and rests upon him for all good and happinesse For this our love to God there is required not onely the positive affection of the heart aspiring unto union with God upon knowledg of him as the chiefest good both in himself and to us in Christ and a contentation in him so known and obtained but withall that we exercise prove and approve that our love to him in our love to such good persons and things as unto which he hath imparted some sparks of his goodnesse especially to his good Children and good Word and Ordinances He cannot love him that begetteth saith the Apostle who loveth not him and that in deed and truth who is begotten in truth of affection and in deed of action for his comfort and this with greater bent of both as the graces of God are more eminent in him Neither loves he God that loves not his Word and that both in affection of heart and effect of readie obedience to all his Commandments We must take heed of a shadowish love of goodnesse and pietie onely in the abstract and must love it in the concrete where both the person and good in him is visible in whom Hypocrites for the most part hate and persecute it He but pretends to others the love of goodnesse or imagines it in himself that loves not good men for it Lastly He that loves not his brother whom he sees how can he love God whom he sees not Not but that there is matter of love infinitely more then in any or all men but because for the loving of God we want the advantage of sense and motive of compassion by which our love to our distressed brethren is holpen This love is the fulfilling of the Law the love of God being the greatest Commandment and the love of our neighbour like unto it It is also that to which the Gospel in the end leads us by which Gospel or new Covenant God writes his Lawes in the mind and heart of his and so perfits the one in the other And so naturall to Christians is this brotherly love as that the Apostle makes account he needs not write to the Churches to teach them that which God taught them so many wayes By this we know our selvs to be raysed from death to life by it all others know us to be Christs Disciples if we love one another See said the Heathens pointing at the Christians how they love one another and see said the Christians of them how they hate another Oh that Heathens could not now say of Christians as they sometimes said of them If we were perfit in this Love we needed no other Law to rule us either in the duties towards God or our neighbours no more then do the Angels in Heaven and Souls of the Faithfull men departed who by the Law of Love alone do live both most perfit and most happie lives And indeed to love as we ought is a verie happie thing wherein we resemble God and the Angels as by the contrarie we complice with the Divel and wicked men who live in mallice and envie hatefull hating one another And howsoever naturally we desire rather to be beloved then to love yet is it incomparably a more both excellent and blessed thing to love then to be beloved as it is to give rather then to receav Besides Love is the Loadstone of Love And the most readie and compendious way to be beloved of others is to love them first They taking knowledg thereof will be effectually drawn to answerable good will if they be not harder then Iron and such as have cast off the chains and bonds of common humanitie for even Publicans and sinners love those that love them Yea admit thy love of them never come to their knowledg yet will God by the invisible
hand of his providence bend their hearts by mutuall affection unto thee at least so far as is good for thee and wherein they are inflexible and defective he will make supply out of the aboundance of his love and goodnesse that so it may be verified which is written With the same measure that ye meet with all it shall be measured to you again To conclude this point Let the grace of God herein specially triumph over our corruption that whereas by nature we would be loved of them whom we hate by grace we may love them Which hate us And this is a great work of grace in deed and yet most necessarie for all Christs Disciples We must not be like the Pharisees who in stead of enlarging their own affections streightned the Law of loving their neighbours unto such as loved them or dwelt within a certain compasse of them but we must account all our neighbours that need pittie or help from us and our Christian neighbours and brethren also if the Lord have receaved them though they be neither minded in all things as we are nor towards us as we are towards them Lastly as Faith is to rule Love that it prove not lust and Hope that it prove not presumption so also must it Reason and Sense in all their operations which it no way abolisheth but orders and sanctifies And as in Nature the denomination is from the predominant qualitie so is it in our course of life To live by Reason is to live the life of a man To live by Sense is to live the life of a beast But to live by Faith is to live the life of the Son of God and to be in its effects partaker of the Divine nature and that not onely in the reasonable but in the sensitive faculties also For these three Faith Reason and Sense being all Gods works in a man cannot be contrarie in their right use one to another neither can any thing be true in one which is false in another neither doth or can any one of them destroy another but use order and perfit it Reason Sense and Faith both Sense and Reason For Faith comes by hearing at the first and is nourished and encreased both by hearing and seeing and by the benefit of all other Senses afterwards Neither can it possibly either be begot or nourished or encreased but by the discourse of Reason ordered and sanctified by the Spirit of God Which Spirits work is so effectuall as it makes even the meanest powers of nature created in a man to serv effectually for the furthering of the highest works of supernaturall grace Sweet is the harmonie of all the powers and parts both of the Soul and bodie of a sanctified person Reason is that wherein man goes before all other earthly creatures and comes after God onely and the Angels in Heaven For whereas God and Nature hath furnished other Creatures some with horns some with hoovs others with other Instruments and weapons both defensive and offensive man is left naked and destitute of all those but may comfort himself in that one endowment of Reason and providence whereby he is enabled to govern them all Now who would not strive to excell other men in that wherein men excell all other Creatures How much more in that to which few men attain true faith and the life thereof CAP. XI Of Atheism and Idolatry SOme are Atheists in opinion others in affection but many more in conversation of life There are but few of the first coat and which can so wholy blot out the remainders of Gods Image written by Creation in their hearts as to leav them altogether emptie and devoyd of the knowledg conscience and reverence of a Divine Majestie and which come to conclude roundly in their hearts that there is no God Yet some without doubt in time and by degrees proceed from Atheism in conversation to Atheism in affection and from Atheism in affection to Atheism in opinion and judgment Men civilly honest seldom or never become Atheists in perswasion but lewd and flagitious persons do who being pursued by the furie of an accusing conscience for hainous evils wish and no marvail that there were no Iudg in Heaven to condemn them and so come at last to be perswaded in themselvs of that which they gladly would have true and are justly left of God to such horrible delusion that so sinning without fear they may perish without remedie And this is the reason why there are more Atheists in opinion in our dayes then of old even because so many are more bent upon mischief and liveing wickedly in this world bear themselvs in hand and so get to beleev that there is no justice in the world to come Another reason is the proportion of wit to which our Age is come above the former In regard hereof it is that Atheism though dissembled and concealed by the same ungracious wit which begets it is a thousand times more to be feared in the Land then Papism Men have too much wit to become Papists in any generallitie and just enough to fit them for Atheists if Gods powerfull hand restrain them not The verie simple dare not become Atheists but are more in danger to prove superstitious and to beleev everie thing the verie understanding hardly can but have by sound reason and sad thoughts will they nill they some acknowledgment of a Divine Majestie forced upon them But persons of froathy wit and vicious life are fitly tempered for the impression of Atheism for the Divel Atheism is incomparably worse and more odious then Idolatry as it is more intollerable in a State or Kingdom to enterprize the overthrow of all Kingly Power and Soveraigntie then to detract how much soever from the lawfull Kings or Magistrates due honour and to give it to a Stranger Besides whereas Idolaters and superstitious persons having in them some reverence of a Divine Power are thereby both restrained from many mischiefs and provoked to many good actions the Atheist wanting both this Divine restraint and motive both runs riot in wickednesse and villanie and is barren of all good things neither doing good nor forbearing evill further then for meer fear or shame of men Atheists use to be verie confident in their assertions as the Orator observs in Vellejus partly lest they should seem unto others to doubt or fear that there is a God who will punish heir impieties and partly to encourage themselvs in their wickednesse as fearing lest they should be drawn into some conscience and aw of Gods Majestie It is oft true in this case amongst others that the most cowards are the greatest boasters Idolatry either makes that to be God which is not or God to be that which he is not It is exercised either in intending Divine worship so known to be to that which is not God or in intending a devised worship to the true God
is or can be false in Divinitie The truth in the inferiour facultie is subordinate to that in the superiour in all things and comes short of it in many things but can in nothing be contrarie unto it seeing God and his Spirits work cannot be contrarie to himself I ad though the truth be uttered by the Divel himself yet is it originally of God When he speaks a ly he speaks of himself but when he speaks the truth he speaks of God who so far useth or rather abuseth him as to utter and professe that which he hateth We ought to reverence excellent men but the truth more as Dionisius said of Nepos and Aristotle of Plato and Socrates And good reason seeing a main cause of our reverencing of men is their knowledg and profession of the truth No prescription say the Lawyers lies against the King say we with the Father against the truth which by the Verdict of a great King himself and his Nobles with him is greater then the King no space of time no patronage of person no priviledg of place from which blind or simple custom commonly getting footing and growing into use by succession is brought to coap with truth it self and that the most violently where the persons are the most bruitish and godlesse But our Lord Christ called himself Truth not Custom neither is Falshood Errour or Heresie convinced by Noveltie but by Truth This Truth is alwayes the same whilst The God of Truth is in Heaven what entertainment soever it finde with men upon Earth It is alwayes praise-worthy though no man praise it and hath no reason or just cause to be ashamed though it oft go with a scratcht face They that fight against it are like the Floods beating upon the strong Rocks which are so much the more miserably dashed in pieces by how much they are the more violently carried Though Fire and Sword assault it yet will it not be killed or dy and though by violence it be buried quick yet will it rise again and if not before yet when all Flesh shall rise again and when Truth which was first and before Falshood and Errour shall be last and abide for ever We must love and attain to the knowledg of the Truth in our selvs First Lest we be Clouds without rain promising that to others which we our selvs want and must in our places afterwards make manifestation and profession of it and not be like the grave insatiable in receaving in and barren in returning any thing back but must be alwayes readie as we see hope of doing good to propagate it like the Phylosopher who being found fault with for disputing with all that he met with wished that the bruit beasts also could understand him that he might impart something even to them yea in our kind like God himself that gives wisdom to all that asks it of him and to Christ the Lord that Word of God and true Light which inlightens everie one that comes into the World and sometimes even when we see no hope of doing good if dutie bind us though hope fail us that so the non-proficients may have cause rather to complain of themselvs for not learning then of us for not manifesting the truth unto them And albeit all truth is not to be spoken at all times A fool uttereth all his mind but a wise man keeps it in for afterwards yet nothing not true at any time or for any cause He that hath but a right Philosophicall spirit and is but morally honest would rather suffer many deaths then call a Pin a Point or speak the least thing against his understanding or perswasion A man in pleading for the Truth may shew his judgment and understanding best in the matter but his grace and godlinesse in the manner when he handles a good cause well and the Lords cause after the Lords manner Sometimes men pretend Gods Truth and zeal for it when indeed they make their pleas for Truth serv onely for hackneys for their lusts to ride on whither they would have them Sometimes men seriously intend Truth and yet mingle both with their good intention and it may be true assertion also such their personall corruptions and distempers as Christ looseth more by their inordinatenesse that way then he gaines both by their sound knowledg and fervent zeal of and for his Truth The most account a ly more shamefull then sinfull and therefore make it a matter of great disgrace to take the ly specially in the hearing of others and yet make it no matter of conscience to make the ly before God and his Angels Ah foollish People thus to honour your selvs and other vile men your likes more then God himself and the Angels with him and with all base in your Pryde who will rather bear the ly at your own mouth then at an others When a man speakes against his knowledg his own heart tels his tongue it lyeth which to put up quietly argues both a gracelesse and an abject spirit Whereas both grace and true courage also may be shewen in bearing the ly at an others mouth by overcoming such indignation and anger ryseing thereat as is harder to conquer then a Citty The Divell is the father of lyes which whilst they in the womb of whose heart he begets them impute to other and better causes mooveing them thereunto they are but like harlots who for theyr credits sake father theyr bastards upon honest men Many things even good may occasion lying as all good may do all evill but no thing can bring it forth and cause it save the womb of our own corrupt heart imprignated by the divell Now if both by the Law of God and light of nature it be an abhominable confusion for a woman to lie down before a beast what is it for man or woman to prostitute themselvs to Sathan for the gendring of so mis-shapen a monster as a ly is And very rightly is a ly called monstrous considering both the divels kindes of which it comes and also the disproportion in it often between the speach and the thing spoken and alwayes between the tongue and heart of the speaker Neyther doth the goodnes of the meaning though never so good excuse the evill of the doing when as a ly is told He that tels a ly for God is an accepter of persons and God wil surely reprove him saith Iob. And no marvayl Since his own heart condemnes him God which is greater then his heart and knoweth all things will condemn him much more And if a ly told that through it the truth of God may more abound to his glory procure just condemnation what may they expect that use to ly for meaner though good ends He that tels a ly for a good end puts the Divell into Gods service which neyther his truth needs nor his holynes will endure but he that tels a ly for an evill
open to receav advice from us as conceiving that we neither are forward to crosse his designe nor caried against him or it in passion contempt or unadvisednesse CAP. XXI Of Thoughts MEn say Thoughts are free and pay no tribute and this is true being understood of mens Custom-houses where they cannot be searched but as they bewray themselvs by some outward signe either word or work But so much the more watchfull we had need to be in our selvs over those close commodities lest we willingly feed a filthy though secret sinck within us which in time will shame us before men as it stinks in the mean while where it is in the Nostrils of God and men for it Besides if we do evill in word or deed men may help us either by contrarie examples or friendly reproofs or hatefull upbraydings or just punishments but against sinfull and unsanctified thoughts we have no help but from God alone and our selvs by his grace to whom alone they are known Everie thought of evill is not an evill thought but onely such as to which we adjoyn either consent of will or at least delight of affection For besides the thoughts of or about evill which are either in pure speculation or naturall consideration of the thing or with aversenesse of affection from the matter thought on there are thoughts meerly by suggection from Satan who being a Spirit and having such affinitie of nature with our Spirits and Souls can unite himself in his suggestions with our imagination after a manner by us unconceavable and offer unto us thoughts of great evill which yet we may by grace so resist as that they are to be accounted his sin and our crosse onely who are constrained to bear such temptations as we are compelled oftentimes to hear and bear the ill counsell of wicked men his Instruments with sin in them and grief in our selvs but without our sin if we no way hearken unto them yea with commendation both in the one and other in the victorie of Faith which we obtain over them Indeed we are too readie to receav such suggestions as tinder is to take fire specially being subtilely fitted by Satan to our speciall inclinations and occasions and so must be more carefull either to prevent them by nourishing in our selvs an abhorring of them or to quench them if they arise by the stream of Holy meditations running in our hearts They whose words and deeds are faultie and evill and yet plead their good hearts towards God are like malefactours who being convinced of theft or the like naughtinesse by plain evidence to their faces do appeal to the testimonie of such persons for their purgation as they know cannot be found If the hearts of such men could be seen of others as their works and words are they would appear worse then they as they do to God who seeth them There is no evill in the mouth or hand which was not in the heart first as the stream in the Fountain Neither can the flesh be corrupted except the mind be corrupt first Men judg of our thoughts by our words and actions but God of our words and works by our thoughts accounting the thing whether good or evill as done in his sight if once it be resolved on in the purpose of the heart Thus Abraham offered up Isaack by Faith and Iudas did that which he meant to do And as God judgeth of us and of our doings so ought we to do our selvs The thoughts of the righteous are righteous And by these good and evill men are best and trulyest differenced one from another Whereas all outward works ly common and are many of them oft exercised equally by good and bad No outward works are so good but Hypocrites have done them at times And few or none so evill but some godly haue at some times by temptation faln into them But how alike soever the outward faces of such sinfull actions be the difference is great in the heart of the doer and is so seen of God to be at the verie time of the doing and by after and better fruits in their time so manifested unto men afterwards to have been at that time when in the outward evill act no such difference could appear But our onely comfortable course and that by which our hearts are assured before the Lord is to provide that in them may run constantly so strong a stream of holy purposes and setled thoughts as may both overbear the contrarie current of our flesh and lusts and also carrie with it our outward man to all good and godly practises CAP. XXII Of Speech and Silence MAn is endowed above beasts especially with reason and with speech to uttet it without which his reason how deep and profound soever were little more profitable unto others nor many times to himself neither then a Spring hidden in the ground Hence the tongue is called the Index of the mind and as by the Index we know what is in the Book so do we by the speech what is conceaved in the heart Out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh And so readie is the passage from the heart to the tongue as that what is conceaved in the one is usually brought forth by the other neither doth any outward thing so soon bewray a man as his words Though Iacob brought his Brother Esaus hands and neck and meat and sauce and smell to his Father Isaak yet could he not bring his tongue and voyce And though a man put upon his hands the Gloves of dissimulation and the Shoes upon his feet and mask his face never so cunningly yet can he hardly so tip his tongue but in a short time a wise man will discover him discern whether he be good or bad specially whether he be wise or simple Great is the affinitie between the heart and mouth And so the Second Person in Trinitie is not called the Work but The Word of God Salomón in his Proverbs compares the speech of a wise and righteous man to a Tree of Life and to a Fountain of Life and to many other pleasant and profitable things Which must teach both them that speak to preserv pure that Fountain and to prune dig about and manure with all diligence that Tree that it may bring forth fruit to the hearers And so must it teach them that hear not to neglect that benefit but to admit and receav the words of truth and wisdom as seed by which they also may conceav and bring forth good fruit A word spoken in due season is like Aples of Gold in pictures of Silver And so a wise man must provide that his words be not onely Gold for their worth but also framed to silver-like opportunitie There being a time when nothing a time when something but no time when all things are to be spoken That which is generally spoken of a blessed
cursing swearing in his Books though in daily speech he scarse utter ten words without oath or execration Yea are there not many who by the glosse of pietie cunningly set upon their writings published to the World steal the opinion of pietie vertue from strangers and those that know them not whose ordinarie conversation in word and deed to them that are acquainted therwith proclaims them no better then verie Atheists and Epicures I ad even touching conferences and disputations of purpose appointed and used for light of truth that though they may be and are singularly profitable for that purpose to a modest and tractable disposition which will as well hear as speak and be as readie to learn truth of others as to teach it them yet to men of more unquiet and stiffe spirits the reading of Books is a course far more convenient for information For that therein will not be the provocation to inordinate anger and passion which in speech oftens falls in Besides he who comes to dispute comes specially to shew the truth to others but he that comes to read an Authour comes specially to learn something from him for the most part Great care is to be taken and circumspection used in writing of Books not onely though specially for conscience of God but also because the Author therin exposeth himself to the censure of all men and those not onely then living but also to be born when he is dead and rotten And under their censure he comes whether he be wise or foolish learned or ignorant of sound or of corrupt judgment and in part therewith whether of vertuous or vitious disposition He that commits any thing to writing gives men a Bill of his manners which everie one that reads may put in suit against him if there be cause in the Court of his own heart and neighbours ear Some through extream diligence are devourers of Books of infinite reading in whom if there be found any answerablenesse in memorie to retain judgment to dispose and wit accordingly to improve things read such persons prove singular But this is rare by reason of the different temper of the brain requisite for such furniture Some are of great reading but of so slipperie memorie as they are like Water-conduits which what they continually receav in at one end they let out as fast at the other Some again are meer Indâ—xes serving for nothing but to shew where and in what Authours things are to be found by benefit of their strong memorie There are also of those great Book-men that know better the most other mens judgments then their own in matters of controversie through injudiciousnesse or irresolution and if they come to settle upon any rather opinion then perswasion it is commonly according to the last Bool which they read It is best for ordinarie capacities to travell in some few Books though by occasion they may step into many and the same picked by good advice of unpartiall and experienced men and those throughly to digest and discourse upon as it is best for weak stomacks to eat of few and wholesom dishes Which may also be done for further use extention and applycation then the Authour himself conceaved or at least expressed And though Lucilius wished that his Books might be read neither of men verie learned nor altogether unlearned lest the one should understand nothing and the other more then he intended Yet indeed he reads a Book ill that understands not something more either in or at least by it then the Authour himself did in penning it As the maladies of the minds of many have been cured by reading of Books so have the diseases of the bodyes of some and those such as wanted no other Medicines if we may beleev Histories As of Alphonsus King of Spain by reading of Livy and of Ferdinand King of Sicily by reading of Quintus Curtius The cure is both more common and more excellent which the reading of the Holy Scriptures affoard CAP. XXIIII Of good intentions A Good meaning no more sufficeth to make a good action then a fair mark doth to make a good shot by an unskilfull Archer This hath been fully verified in the Iews who out of no lesse good end then the zeal of God and desire such as it was to do him pleasing service persequuted Christ and his disciples to the death What intention could be better or action worse We must not therefore take the sanctuarie of fools by good meanings without knowledg but first setting our faces towards heauen by meaning well must further so far honor God and humble our selvs unto him as to resigne our whole man also into his hands to be guided by him in the way thither joyning our prayers with his who had lesse need to fear stepping aside that way then wee and yet said With myne whole heart have I sought thee o let me not wander from thy commaundements And yet albeit a good end alone suffice not yet there is nothing eyther good or tolerable without it no not though it have never so good successe Although the good meaning excuse not wholy yet the evill wholy condems This good intention and end is the first and last in everie lawfull action It is the first and that which sets the agent awork to do what he doth whether working reasonably or naturally It is the last and so the best and that at which he ayms as the perfection of his work And this where it is found God so much regardeth as he sometimes prevents an evill action in him in whom he sees a good intention as is to be seen in Abimeleâ—k king of Gerar whom God kept from sinning against him and suffered not to touch Sarah Abrahams wife because he had taken her into his house in the integrity of his heart Sometimes also God rewards the good purpose yea though he refuse the work intended as incompetent for some speciall cause as in David when he would haue built the Lord an house Alwayes he that means well yea though the work be evill which he doth makes the divell after a sort serv God in it He that doth that which is good in it self for an evill end makes God serv Sathan He that doth that which is evill for a good end makes Sathan therein though not warrantably serv God as the means serv the end And considering how litle truly-good-doing there is amongst men in comparison it were well there were more good meaning yea though it were without knowledg By which both fewer mischeifs would be done they that are done would therein be lesse heynous We measure things sayth one and it is true in a respect by the ends of goodnes and so better misse and we shall misse lesse in the means then in the end He who hath the mark in his ey and aymes at it will hardly misse so much as he that takes a wrong mark to shoot at And for
inwards of the man and with what heart and affection he undertakes any state or action so is the outward also because God is the God of order Also when a man knows himself to be orderly called to a condition of life he both sets himself more chearfully and roundly to the works thereof wherein he is assured he servs Gods providence by his order and appoyntment and with fayth expects a blessing from God upon his endeavours in that course of life in which his hand hath set him and with all bears with comfort the crosses befalling him therein as wee see in David whose sheild of comfort against all darts of danger was that God had selected him unto himself and annoynted him his king upon Sion the mountayn of his holynes Litle account is made by many of a lawfull outward calling whereas indeed it is that alone by which all states save those that are naturall and so are subject neyther to election nor change are both constituted and continued For what makes him who yesterday was none to day to be a magistrate in the common wealth minister in the Church steward in the family or any other officer or member in any orderly society but an orderly outward calling by them who have lawfull authority to confer that state upon him This being neglected opens a gap to all confusion in all states The gifts of a man enable him to his office his grace sanctifyes both the gifts and office to the person his inward calling perswades his heart to undertake the outward in desire to glorify God and in love to men his exequution of it in the works thereof presuppose it and testify his faythfulnes in it but onely the outward orderly calling confers the outward state and condition of life Abilitie for a mans calling is greatly to be desired for many reasons For first it is a thing well-pleasing in Gods sight specially in the most serviceable courses of life as we may see in Salomon who being called to the state of a King desired above all other things kingly endowments and therein pleased God greatly Secondly He whom God calls to a place or sets over a busines he enables accordingly as he did the same Salomon being set over a people many in number as the sand by the sea shore with wisdom and largenes of heart as the sand by the sea-shore Thirdly It is great case to a man when he is mayster of his place and course and able to play with it otherwise if he be compelled to strive continually with it it will both make his life burthensome and force him at some time or other to let fall the works thereof as unable to weild it Yet if such a one be willing and able to bear it out it is a good way for him to grow to great perfection by daily improveing his abilitie to the full as Milo by using to bear a calf every day proved able to bear him when he was grown an oxe Fourthly It is an honour to a man to be excellent in his faculty yea though it be mean in it self And so men excelling in mean trades or callings are more regarded then those who are mean in more excellent faculties One sayth truly that even plowmen and sheep-heards being excellent are applauded Lastly the unskilfulnes of the artisan dishonours the art it self how excellent soever in the eyes of many although in reason it should not so be seeing that the more excellent any profession is it finds the fewer whose worth can answer its excellencie Although callings most usefull and necessarie are most despised by prowd folks both because they are ordinary and common and followed by mean and ordinary persons yet it stands with a good conscience to provide that our course of life be such as in which we benefit humayne societyes And an uncomfortable thing it is to him that hath any either feare of God or love to men to spend his dayes and labour in such a course as by which more hurt then good comes to the world It is a good and godly course for a person diligently to read and seriously to meditate upon such places of holy Scripture as concern his or her speciall calling as for the magistrate diligently to read Deut. 1. 16. c. the minister 1 Tim. 3. and so for husband and wife father and childe mayster and servant and the rest that by so doing we may both more fully learn and better remember and conscionably practise the particular duetyes in which God would have us exercise our generall christian graces CHAP. XXVIII Of the use and abuse of things WE are said to enjoy God alone and to use the creatures because we are not to rest in them but in God onely to whom we are to be holpen by them And of the things which we use some of them we must use as though we used them not others as though we used them The World and all things serving for this life we ought to use with a kinde of indifferency and without setting the affections of our hearts upon it or them how busy soever our hands be about them spirituall good things on the contrary and which concern our eternall happines we ought to use as using them indeed with all earnest bent of affection upon them and as not suffering our selvs at any hand to be disappoynted of the fruit of them God sayth the wise man hath made every thing beautifull in his time and indeed every thing is good for something I mean every thing that God hath made for there are many vayn and leaud devises of men which are truly good for nothing as on the other side nothing is good for every thing And hereupon Prometheus told the Satyre when he would haue kissed the fire upon his first seeing it that if he did so it would burn his lips as not being for that use but to minister heat and light Some things alwayes bear as it were their use on their backs and cause also the right use of other things where they are found as the sanctifying graces of Gods spirit which yet some use more fully and faythfully then others and this is also a grace of God whereas all other things haue theyr good in theyr useing and not in their owning And a great poynt of wisdom and advantage for good it is to apply things to their right use and end whether great or smal He that can doe this spiritually is happy though he have receaved but one pound for others five or ten As on the other side how many were though not happy yet lesse miserable if they altogether wanted the wit learning riches and authority which they want grace to use according to the will of the giver A man hath that most and best whereof he hath the lawfull use And hereupon a follower of a great Lord was wont to say that he had in effect as much
good his satisfaction to whom we swear and for the ending and not the beginning of strife els we prostitute Gods name eyther to our own or other mens lusts Common and light swearing argues such a degree of irreverence of Gods Majestie as we may truly boldly say that the heart of a common and customary swearer is voyd of all grace and true fear of God And in weighing with my self with admiration and horrour the customarie swearing amongst so many considering that there is nothing in it as in other sins eyther profitable or pleasant or of credit in the world or that brings eyther reasonable or sensuall good I have made account that besides imitation of one another and custom which makes it half naturall to some and a conscience guiltie of want of credit in others which moves many to swear that they may be beleeved and want of wit in not a few who strive by accessory oaths to supply their defect of matter or other inabilitie of speach there is in this swearing veyn a deeper mysterie of mischeif then ordinary and that indeed men take it up specially in the divels intention who sets them a work and not a litle in their own in direct opposition of God and because he in his law hath so severely prohibited it If God had not in his word so expresly and severely forbidden it as he hath done certeynly there would not be the least part of it used that is Gracelesse men seem therein to affect a professed contempt of God and withall an opinion from men that they fear nothing neyther God nor divell as they say But God will make them feel that fear not the guilt of taking his glorious name in vayn which all creatures ought to honour and reverence This sin being directly against Gods majestie he reservs by his providence the punishment of it ordinarily to himself spiritually by hardnes of heart and impenitencie in this life usually to the end thereof and both bodily and ghostly by hell-fire for ever Where it is also like that the divels and damned men do and will swear and curse in their utter rejection from God and intollerable torment and so make their sin and course of blaspheaming as endlesse as their punishment for it CHAP. L. Of Zeal ZEal is by some well defyned the heat and intention of all affections and not eyther any one simple affection or composition of divers I add of the understanding also So men meditate zealously and love zealously and hate zealously and rejoyce zealously and mourn zealously and with great intention of heart The like is to be sayd of all the rest of the affections As nothing lives without naturall heat so neyther lives he the life of Christ indeed who is destitute of christian zeal to warm him in his affections and actions specially in matter of Gods worship and service in which whether wrong or right luke-warmnes is odious and loathsom The Lord will spue out of his mouth the luke-warm whether wyne or water Worldly wise-men despise zeal as prejudiciall to wisdom discretion So Festus judged Paul mad Michall accounted David as one of the fools for the singular zeal of God which they manifested But even this foolishnes of God is wiser then men Yet is it certeyn that men of great knowledg and judgment do seldom make that manifestation of Zeal which weaker persons do The former have their spirits most in their brayns and are exercised specially in the disquisition and discerning of truth from falshood and of good from evill The latter have them most in their hearts and accordingly give themselvs to the affectionate pursuit of that which they conceav to be true and good and alike to the avoyding and impugning of the contrarie Some deceav others by the pretence of zeal which they put on for their advantage as stage-players do vizours till their part be played And thus Ismaell deceaved the fortie men of Samaria with his crocodiles tears Also there are not a few who deceav both others and themselvs by seeming to both eyther to have the Zeal of God which they wholly want or much more then they have And of this number was Iehu how loud soever he cryed to Ionadab Behold the zeal which I have for the house of the Lord whereas in truth that which most set him awork was zeal for his own house though it may be he thought not so Besides craftines in this Iehues zeal there are two other properties the one suspitious where it is found and the other odious The former is a furious march against evill without an answerable pursuit of and affection unto the contrarie good Many are vehemently carryed against Antichristian devises in truth or so appearing unto them in whom yet appears litle love and affection to that which is of Christ in their own judgment Such are rayther carried by their own flesh then led by the spirit of God The other is crueltie To be aright and truely zealous cannot but be good seeing so many and those wise men desire at times to seem so though they be not True zeal must be for God and from God and according to God and having God both for beginning and end and rule of direction it cannot but it self be good and godly It must be for the Lord and for the furtherance of his glorie in the obedience of his will and in mans salvation and not for our own or other mens by-purposes And if it so fall out that by one and the same thing Gods cause and our own profit credit or other worldly advantage be promoted we had need keep a jealous eye over our selvs that we serv not our turn on God by making his ends as it were a bridg to our own as Iehu did Secondly as the fire of the altar came from heaven so must our coal of zeal be fetched thence as being the work of Gods spirit in our hearts in the use of prayer meditation upon the word of God read and heard the examples of others godly as it were ryding in the fierie chariot of Elyas and the like holy means by which this divine fire is kindled and nourished in mens breasts Thirdly it must be according to God both for the qualitie of the matter and quantity of the intention of affection For the former It is good alwayes even then and then onely to be zealous in a good matter and that neyther lightly presumed nor partially conceipted so to be but certeynly known els we burn not sweet incense with holy fire but dirt and doung in stead thereof Our zeal also must be apportioned to the object and that not onely considered in it self but also in the circumstances attending upon it in regard whereof things not alwayes the most good or evill in themselvs may justly deserv at our hands a great bent eyther of love to them or hatred against them And amongst other circumstances we must be carefull
a great evill be committed in a small matter Hereupon he that but gathered sticks on the Sabaoth with a high hand viz. in contempt of Moses and of God in him was to be stoned to death without mercy The sin is also greater as the temptation or occasion is lesse and therefore the rich man that having many sheep of his own took his poore neighbours lamb to enterteyn his stranger withall was adjudged worthy of death whether we take the words as they seemed to David or as Nathan meant them Likewise the forecasting of evill exceedingly aggrevates it as with him who devised mischeif upon his bed and after set himself in a way to practise it Others are overtaken by sin but such overtake sin So doth it not a litle if men sin that they may sin as it seems many swear that they may swear and as Austin confesseth of himself that being a boy he stole apples and cast them away when he had done He stole that he might steal Lastly sin becomes more sinfull if it have scandall and offence of men or other damage joyned with it Yet even for the least sin if any sin by any being against Gods infinite majestie may be accounted litle if God should presse the same upon the conscience and suffer Sathan to urge it to the full it would be a burthen intollerable and such as neyther the heavens could bear for the angels that sinned were cast from thence nor paradise for Adam for transgression was driven from thence nor the earth for that swallowed up Dathan and Abiram for their sin neyther could any men or angels undergo it without being born down into the bottom of hell by it and there onely it rests as in its proper center Happy are they who in the sense and feeling of the intollerable burthen therof come to Christ by fayth that he may ease them The sin against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven in this world or the world to come is not onely committed by them who have sometimes professed the gospell but by others also though never coming so far but being convinced of the truth thereof do maliciously hate blaspheme and persecute it and therein sin against the work of the Holy Ghost in their own hearts And this Christ insinuates against the Scribes Pharisees who yet never came to professe Christianitie The reason of the 〈◊〉 of this sin is not any deâ—ect eyther in the mercy of God or merâ—â—s of Christ as though the evill in it were greater then the good in them but for that God hath sâ—t those boâ—nds of his grace and mercy that he will never voâ—câ—â—afe fayth and repenâ—â—â—ce to that person who once so despyteth his spirit in that its holy work And considering how oft the Scriptures speak of this sin not onely for warning of persons in themselvs but also for direction â—oâ—ching others so â—inning it is to be feared that the same is more ordinarie where the gospell is preached then the most make account of and that many malitiously haâ—eing and persequuting specially after some singular profession made and forsaken true and conscionable gospellers would do the same by the gospell it self if they were not restreyned by fear of men and shame of the times The Lord oftens punisheth men in the same kinde wherein they have sinned and causeth to be â—eaâ—â—d unto them with the measure wherewith they meat to others Thus he drâ—â—â—ed Phâ—raoâ— in the sea who had formerly drowned the Israelitish infants and served king Aâ—oâ—â—bezek as he had served other kings before And this God doth to make his justice the more conspicuous and that mens punishments may be as glasses wherein their sins may be seen more clearly if not for their repentance yet for the warning of others When I seriously weigh and consider the fearfull greivous punishments which God so good and gratious hath partly exequuted in this life as upon the old world Sodom and Gomorrah Corah and his company and the like and partly threatned as in the end of this life in the soul so in the end of the world both in soul and body and the same for measure intollerable and endles in continuance Lord think I what sin can procure such punishment But when on the contrarie I consider the horrible contempt of God his word even in them to whom it is dayly and diligently offered Lord think I what punishment can be sufficient for such sin What is it then Man is fearfully wicked in sinning and God fearfully just in punishing where by fayth and repentance mercy is not obteyned My flesh trembleth for dread of thee and I fear for thy judgments CHAP. LIII Of Rewards and punishments by men MEN that are able and ready accordingly to reward the vertues of good men and well-deserving do therein not onely give them and God in them their due but doe give others incouragement also to apply themselvs to vertuous courses which finde so good acceptance and reward at mens hands specially at theirs who are of place and abilitie in the world Whereas on the contrarie for such to favour wicked and leaud persons is really to invite and perswade men to evill and litle better then plainly to hyre both them and others to doe naughtily The former in that their approbation and remuneration of goodnes and vertue bear the Image of God who plenteously rewards the well-doers the latter plainly resemble the divell who offered Christ the glorie of the kingdoms of the earth if he would fall down and worship him It is a known and approved saying that by rewards and punishments societies are preserved And of these two though occasion of rewards be more to be desired yet the exequution of punishments is more diligently to be looked unto for the preserving of humayn societies The reason is because whereas vertue as the phylosopher sayd rewards it self or more truely if it be true expects it reward from God vice and vileny on the contrary can be restreyned in the most and worst onely by the fear of punishment Neyther serv humayn laws to make men good but to keep them from such outrages and extreamities of evill as into which otherwise they were in danger to break The speciall use of the law of God it self where by his spirit he puts it not in mens minde and writes it not in their hearts is to restreyn lawlesse persons as murtherers whoremongers and the like how much more of mens There is then a mercifull crueltie when men save by severitie the persons themselvs that are punished and others also the punishment reaching to one or a few and the fear and warning to many There is on the other side a cruell mercy when men by spareing spoyl both the persons offending and others who by their impunity take boldnes to offend This foolish pitty spoyls the cittie if the magistrate use it so doth the
but which will quickly take a toy and indanger the overthrow of all As in a tempestuous sea the waves in the same place are sometimes lifted up and the depths at other times disclosed so in an unmortifyed and passionate heart one unlawfull inordinate passion often breaks into the contrarie as evill and inordinate as it as did Ammons inordinate love to his sister Thamar into as excessive hatred So some of extreamly prodigall become extreamly covetous of credulous suspitious of mad-merry sad without measure The cause is for that such persons are not led by the lore of reason or conscience but caryed headlong by pangs of passion and withall driven by the divell and so must needs go and run too though up and down the same way and forward and backward after his will As in a fish-pond some one great pike devours both the lesser fish of other kindes and of its own also so in divers some one affection is so predominate as it eats up not onely reason and conscience but with them almost all other affections Many are so sowred with discontentment and sorrow that they appear to have place left for nothing els in their heart some are set upon so merry a pin as if they had the image of laughter which Licurgus set up for the Lacedemonians ever before them Others again are so overgrown with anger as they seem to have no blood but choller running in their veyns If any danger be comeing towards them which all reason would teach them to fear specially they will pick a quarrell at something in or about it to set anger and indignation awork If God send greivous crosses upon them and thereby call them to mourning it shall go hard but they will finde what to be angry at in some person or other to turn the stream that way It is some disparagement ordinarily to the government of a wise man specially in their eyes who haue no share in the motive to make great manifestation of affection one or other therefore Ioseph when he would make himself known affectionately to his brethren commanded all the Egiptians out of the place So Zachariah foretelling the extream mourning which shall be by the familyes in Ierusalem when God shall pour upon them the spirit of grace shews that every family shall mourn apart and their wives apart Yet are there cases in which it stands as well with wisdom to manifest great affections as with grace or nature to have them And this David prudently considered and practised at Abners Funerall We should order our affections before we have any speciall provocations and set down with our selvs what may be before hand that if such or such a thing come to passe we will allow it such and such a measure of its compatible affection and no more that as feirce dogs though provoked by other mens voyces yet are quieted by their masters voyce to which they are used so the feirce motions of the minde may be by reasons voice with which they are formerly acquainted for that purpose made still and quiet These motions and affections are well ordered when they rise and fall according to the varietie and weight of objects To be greatly affected with small occurrences is womanlike weaknes litle with great matters stoicall blockâ—shnes And me-thinks he that hath a life to loose and considers it well should not easily come to fear excessively the losse of his goods nor he the losse of his bodily life who hath a soul to loose or save for ever And therefore Christ our Lord bids Fear not him that can kill the body and then hath shot his sting and can hurt no more but fear him who can cast both body and soul into hell As physitions fearing a mans over-bleeding at the nose open a veyn in the arm thereby to turn the course of the blood another way so we finding one affection or other inordinate in us and like to overflow if we cannot so rule and represse it as is meet by good reason shall do well to set some other affection a working by some moveing and lawfull object that so the stream being turned another way we may disappoint the passion which we cannot so well order For example If a man finde himself in danger of exoâ—bitancy in anger it is good for him to set afoote sorrow or fear by some such lawfull object as God offers him and so for other passions of the minde Or if the stream of the affection happ to run so strong as that we can not well turn it another way it is wisdom to get it upon some such object in the same way as wherein it may freely take its scope as the horse that can not be stayed yet may be guided into such a way as in which there is no great danger how fast soever he runs which may also be so heavie as will keep him from running fast in it Thus if sorrow fear or anger be like to work inordinately in us let us set them upon our sins and so the danger of all excesse will soon be over for the most part And indeed it is no small point of christian wisdom for a man to provide fit matter for his affections especially predominant in him to be exercised in Is any among you afflicted sayth the Apostle let him pray Is any merry let him sing Psalmes And by this means he shall neyther loose his own advantage for good nor further Sathans for evill by any passion or affection in him CAP. LV. Of Fear FEar hath onely evill for the object eyther evill in it self as is sin or to him that feareth as are the effects thereof temporall or eternall punishment and the anger of God inflicting them It is a base affection and the cognisance of the creatures infirmitie shewing him to be subject to evill from the fear whereof onely the creatour is absolutely free And so whereas courage and stoutnes of heart though none of the best procures unto men a kinde of respect in the eyes of others fear though better used makes them more contemptible A lyon is more regarded then many oxen though one oxe be of more use both for labour and meat and otherwise then many lyons But God loves rayther a good then a great heart And in the law Gods sacrifices were to be offered of lambs and kids and doves and pigeons fearfull creatures and innocent withall and not of Lyons and Eagles though they be the kings of beasts and birds There is in man a threefold fear of God arising from a threefold apprehension of his Majestie the first is of God as our glorious creatour and governour this is naturall The second as of a just and angry Lord which is servile The third as of our gratious Father in Christ called and being filiall All these are found in the true fearers of God in this life though the midle least which perâ—it love driveth out
to the knowledg of God This knowledg we must seek with all earnest diligence and store it up carefully in the treasurie of our hearts that knowing God we may love him and trust to him and fear him and honour him that as the Daughters of Ierusalem though before marvailing what ailed the Spouse of Christ to be so affectioned towards her beloved and so earnestly to seek after him as she did when they once came to take knowledg of his perfit beautie would then seek him with her So we knowing God specially in the face of Christ Iesus may so be ravished with love of his Majestie as to have our whole heart set to seek and find him in whose presence is satietie of joyes evermore CAP. II. Of Gods love GOd loveth himself first and most as the cheifest good and all other good things as he communicates with them lesse or more the effects of his own goodnesse And from this infinit love of his own infinit goodnesse is it that he so severely punisheth some Creatures though the Work of his own Hands which he alwaies loveth For first The Creature by sin violating Gods Holinesse and despising his authoritie in his righteous Commandments and so going on in impenitencie and unbelief and withall it being impossible that Gods love of his own Holinesse and Iustice and the honour of the same and the love of the Creatures happinesse so obstinatly dishonouring him should stand togither it cannot be but that the latter must give way to the former and greater and the Creature so sinning become miserable rather then God forgetfull of his own honour and glorie God reveales his glorious Majestie in the highest Heavens his fearfull Iustice in the Hell of the Damned His wise and powerfull Prouidence is manifest through-out the whole World but his gracious love and mercie in and unto his Church here upon Earth which he therefore hath chosen and taken near unto himself that in it might be seen the riches of his glorious grace And albeit all things in God are infinit and one yet are the effects of his love more wonderfull and excellent then of any other his Attributes as appeares in that his greatest and strangest work of giving his only begotten Son to the cursed death of the Crosse for his Enemies out of his love and mercie This the Scriptures and worthily call a great mysterie and which for the rarenesse of it was not onely hidden from the Sons of Men but also from the verie Angels in their perfection of created knowledg Which manifold grace and wisdom of God they therefore desire to look into and learn by the Church Love in the Creature ever presupposeth some good true or apparent in the thing loved by which that affection of union is drawn as the Iron by the Load-stone But the love of God on the contrarie causeth all good wrought or to be wrought in the Creature He first liveth vs in the free purpose of his will and thence worketh good for and in us and then loves us actually for his own good work for and in us and so still more and more for his own further work And hence ariseth the unchangablenesse of Gods love towards us because it is founded in himself and in the stablenesse of the good pleasure of his own will And although the arguments of comfort be great which we draw from the certain knowledg of our love to him yet are those infinitely greater which are taken from the consideration of his love to us as being not onely the ground of the other but in him also infinite and vnchangable And hereupon it was that the Sisters of Lazarus seeking help for their sick Brother sent Christ word not that he who loved him though that were not nothing but that he whom he loved was sick As by the hand of a friend reached unto us we are made partakers of the strength of his whole body to hold or help us up so by the hand of the love of God reached down from Heaven in the Gospel we become interessed in the most comfortable apprehension and happy use of all other his attributes whatsoeuer The more wise powerfull holy glorious eternall and infinite God is the more happy are we by means of his love and mercy in Christ which moveth him to use and improve them all for our good and to communicate them with us as his friends in their effects so far as serves for our happinesse He whom God loves though he know it not is an happy man He that knows it knows himself to be happy Which caused the Apostle to make in his own name and in the names of all the beloved of God that glorious insultation over all the enemies of his their happines that they could not seperate him or them not from the power or wisdom or holinesse but not from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus From this love of God as from a Spring head issueth all good both for grace and glory Yea by it which is more all evill by all Creatures intended or done against us is turned to good to us By it our afflictions work together with our election redemption vocation c. for our good By reason of it the stones of the Feild are at league with us the beasts of the Feild at peace with us yea even the very Sword that killeth us the Fire that burneth us and the Water that drowneth us is a kinde of Spirituall and invisible league with us to do us good Vpon the knowledg of this love of God shed abroad into our hearts by the Holy Ghost is laid the foundation and ground-work of whatsoever good thing we return again unto God with acceptation at his hands Vpon this we do build our Faith and confidence in him By this our cold and frozen hearts are not onely thawed but inflamed also with love again to him and to men for him As the Earth being heated by the beams of the Sun beating upon it reflecteth heat again towards the Heavens upon all the bodies between it and them Lastly from hence arise all the pleasing services wherewith we present his Majesty For howsoever we ow our selvs and whatsoever we are or can do vnto him as our gracious and powerfull Creatour absolute Lord yet can we do nothing heartily as we ought but from the Faith feeling of his love in Christ by the motion of the Spirit of a sound minde given unto us But being once drawn sweetly by the coards of Gods goodnes love we readily pleasingly follow after him as being debters and constrained not by necessity but w ch binds more strongly by love The tokens of this love of God in Christ are not onely by us highly to be prized but carefully to be discerned lest we bring our selves into a fools paradise and grow presumptuously secure which is the fore-runner of suddain and
certain destruction We must therefore in this scrutiny neither trust our selvs nor any other creature but God alone in the testimony of his Word Spirit which knows makes known the minde of God and by which we may unerringly learn First what the tokens of his love are and secondly who they are which partake of them and thirdly that we our selvs are of that blessed number Now amongst them all there is none so certain and infallible though those of feeling be more joifull as the gracious work of true repentance in the mortifying of the old man in his sinfull affections and in the quickning power of Christs Spirit to willing though weak obedience to all Gods Commandments As we may certainly know that the Sun shines by the beams and heat thereof below though we climbe not into Heauen to see so may we haue certain knowledge of Gods gracious love towards us without searching further then our own hearts and waies and by finding them truly and effectually turned from sin to God As God may so far hate some evill in a person for example the Adultrie of David and other sins accompanying it as to punish the same severely in this World and yet not hate the person himself so may he on the other side love some good in a man so far as to reward it highly in this life and neverthelesse not love but hate the person-in whom it is found as may be seen in the zeal of Iehu for the Lord against wicked Ahab and his House And if our narrow and partiall hearts can upon occasion hold and preserve this difference between persons and things how much more may and doth the same right well stand with the distribution of rewards and punishments made by the most holy and wise God As then when the Lord manifests some signes of his anger at us and hatred against the evils in us we must take heed we conclude not presently that therefore we in our persons are hated of him and cast-awaies except the evils raign in us without repentance so must we on the other side take more care considering how by selflove we are commonly in more danger thereof that we câ—oclude not of the love of God towards our persons from everie effect of some kinde of love and likeing of some particular good things in us and not except those good things be such as make us good also as Faith and holines do trans-forming us as it were into their Nature and kinde as in the Parable of the Wheat and Tares the good Seed is expounded the Children of the Kingdom because they grow of the good Seed of the Gospel and by their regeneration as it were turn verie Word and Spirit CAP. III. Of Gods promises THe promises of God are a kinde of midle thing between his purpose and performance of good unto them whom he loveth And as wicked Iezabel could not satisfie her hatred of Elyas the Prophet in intending evill to him and executing it upon him in time as she could unlesse with all she thundred out against him terrible threatnings in the mean while So much lesse can the love of our good God satisfie it self in a gracious purpose of good towards us in his heart and actuall performance of it accordingly in due time except with all he make it known unto us before hand both for our present comfort in the knowledg thereof and for the ground of our hope and expectation of the good things promised and accordingly to be receaved at his hands in their time He haveing by his promise bound over unto us both his love and truth and other Attributes for performance And herein the Lord provides verie graciously for his poore Servants who are oft-times brought into that distressed state both outward and inward as they have verie litle els save the promises of God wherewith to comfort themselvs Which yet are sufficient if we improve them as we ought considering first his love moveing him to promise and the unchangeablenesse of it secondly his wisdom directing him to promise nothing unfit thirdly his power enabling him and fourthly his truth bindeing him to all performance In regard whereof God hath made himself a debtor though not by receaving from us yet by promising unto us promise being as we say due debt God ever performeth what and as he promiseth and not one good thing for another as some think no not Heauenly for Earthly nor a greater good for a lesse For howsoever so to do might stand with his bountie and goodnesse yet his truth bindes him to his Word which is Truth Spirituall good things necessarily accompanying Salvation he promiseth absolutely unto his other good things ordinarily upon condition Which considering that through our abuse of them they may prove prejudiciall to our Spirituall man if so be the Lord should promise absolutely as the former it were many times indeed not to promise a benefit but to threaten a hurt rather And truly we may observe in the dangerous fals miscariages of the wise Salomon unto whom temporall good things were absolutely promised in the fullest measure and accordingly performed how graciously our wise and good God provides for our slipperie state in scantling his promise of good things of that kinde to our Spirituall skill and care of useing them for the advantage of our true and eternall happinesse We are therefore first to beware that we expect not absolutely temporall prosperitie lest by so doing we both wrong the Lords truth and our own Faith in the things promised indeed by doubting of them because we have failed of obtaining of other things by us presumed of but not promised by the Lord. Secondly We must as firmly beleeve and expect the performance of temporall promises as the Lord hath made them as of eternall For albeit his loue do not manifest it self in like degree in promiseing both yet his truth is alike bound to exhibit both being once promised Neither is that person in earnest with God who pretending Faith for eternall good things yet dare not trust his Word for temporall Such as despise Heavenly things and loue earthly usually pretend their trusting of God for the former of which they are indeed profanely secure but will trust themselvs and their own fingers for Earthly which in truth they set by I must therefore thus conclude with my self touching those matters Seeing God hath promised all good things to them that love him If this or that bodily good thing good in it self be indeed for my good I shall receave it from him in due time And if I receave it not it is a reall testimonie from him that indeed it is not good for me how much soever I desire it As Gods goodnesse shines most clearly in his promises so mans perversnesse abuseth and misapplieth them above all other parts of his Word A great many divide Gods promises from the other parts of his revealed
person that sinneth with all his parts and powers of soul and body is Gods work so is the preservation and sustentation of both person and personall abilities so is the naturall motion it self whether within or without the person in which the sin is like the halting in the Horses going and lastly so is not onely the voluntarie permission of the sin which he could easily hinder by his omnipotent power if he would oppose it but also the ordering both of sin and sinner to his own supernaturall ends For example The act of Iudah and Thamar morally considered was sinfull and impure but naturally good and blessed of God with a Son of whom Christ came according to the flesh So the abhominable sins of Absolom were ordered of God unto most just punishments of the sins of his Father David There is a two-fold use of the world and works of God in it the one naturall the other supernaturall The former is common to men with beasts who are alike cherished with the heat and influence of the Sun alike nourished by the Fruits of the Earth The other is peculiar to men with the holy Angels by which they behold the face of the Creators power wisdom goodnesse c. as in a most clear Looking-glasse and are provoked accordingly to praise and glorifie him in his wonderfull works even as by beholding some curious piece of workmanship much more if therewith we have singular use of it of a skilfull Artificer we are led in the view of the work to the commendation of the workman And look how much the Soul excelleth the body yea the Spirituall man the naturall so much is this use of Gods creatures more excellent then the former And so the opinion of the Philosopher who thought he was born to look upon the Sun and Heavens was not wide but short nor absurd but defective For he should have pierced further even through the Heavens unto him that made and governs them whose glorious power and goodnesse shineth in them that so he might have glorified him as God in his works For though by that glimpse of light in the Creatures we cannot attain to the knowledg of God as our Father in Christ yet are we both to honour him according to it and to be provoked by it to further search and enquirie after him in such means of revelation as by which he further manifests himself which are his Word and Gospel of Salvation Even as he that lying in a dark Dungeon spies some small glimpse of light will groap toward it by the wall hoping to finde some dore or window by which it comes in For neglect of this the verie wisest of the Heathens were left inexcusable and not glorifying God whom they knew in his works of creation of the World but vanishing in their own imaginations and serving the Creature rather then the Creator who is blessed for ever were given over of God to a minde void of judgment to do the things which are inconvenient Now of how much sorer punishment shall we be guiltie if together with this lesser glimpse of Divine light by the creatures we despise also the more glorious light of the Gospel not honouring God aright either as our powerfull Creatour or mercifull Redeemer by Christ Iesus But if we so honour him and make him great in our own hearts and before men what we can as he hath manifested and made known himself in his Word and Works he will honour us with himself for ever in glorie CAP. V. Of created goodnesse EVerie thing that is and hath being is in that regard good and of God The naturall parts and powers of body and Soul of most wicked men remain in themselvs notwithstanding all infection of evill in them Gods good Creatures so do the naturall acts and motions of those parts and powers in themselvs considered notwithstanding any morall accessorie of evill in them ariseing either from the evill affection wherewith or unlawfull object upon which they are performed There can be no evill in the Work which is not first in the Worker as the cause And so a wicked person being worse then a wicked action if the sin prevail not so far as to make the part or facultie of the person in which it is to cease to be a part or power created of God neither doth it so far prevail in the action or work as to make it cease to be in it self a created motion and therein a naturall good thing God is and so by all is to be acknowledged for the giver of everie good gift that is of everie thing save sin which sin is nothing that hath being in nature but an absence of and crosnesse to that which should be as darknesse is of and unto light And so the good Father would not say that his Mother gave him Milk but God by her And though the good which we enjoy come unto us by never so ready and ample means yet must we alwaies religiously minde that both the means are of Gods raysing and ordering and the blessing upon them for our good And if Iob saw by Faith that all the evils and harms that came unto him and his though by the Divels and wicked mens means were from the Lord as supream orderer of all things how much more should we look upon God as the Authour and worker of all the good that befalleth us Notwithstanding if God so far honour any persons as to make them hands and instruments specially voluntarie for the reaching of any blessing unto us from himself we also and that even therefore are to love and honour them as David not onely blessed the Lord as the Authour but Abigail also as the Minister of the good counsell which she gave him for the not avenging of himself upon Nabal Actions besides their naturall entitie or being are by one distinguished and that aptly according to a four-fold goodnesse First An action is sometimes good in it self and to them to whom it is done but not to the doer as works of mercie done but not for God Secondly Good in it self and in the doer but not to him to whom it is done as the Preaching of the Word to them that despise it Thirdly Good in it self and the doers and to them to whom it is done as the same Preaching to him that receivs it Fourthly Though neither good in it self nor in the doer nor for him to whom it is done as an evill or injurie yet good as it is ordered by God to an end supernaturally good Who as saith another would not suffer evill but as knowing how to work good out of it In actions of the third kinde onely goodnesse is entire in all it parts and relations A man should never glorie in that good how great soever which is common to a beast with him nor a wise man in that which is common to a fool with him no
equall order of God is perverted everie where by mans iniquitie and they who are lesse able must still be adding to the greaters heap so as if accounts were diligently kept it would be found in most places of the World that the meaner sort bestow more on the better able then these of them When I consider what good the rich and mightie otherwise in the World might easily do if they had hearts answerable and how little they do for the most part it seems horrible unthankfulnesse and iniquitie in them and matter of indignation against them But then on the other side when I consider how little good I my self do in my meannesse and others my likes to that which I should and might do if I did my utmost I finde reason to be most angry at my self and mine own unprofitablenesse and to be glad and thankfull that so much good is done by the other as is In benefits and good turns done and receaved it is the best and right order that he who doth them should forget and conceal them and he remember and speak of them that receavs them And therefore the first of the three Graces is so ordered as ever to look forward for the doing of more good and never backward to upbraid with good done which where it is used takes away the grace of the kindnesse and is as unpleasing as the after-upbraiding of meat in the stomack eaten with delight The other two ever look towards the first to signifie in how continuall remembrance benefits receaved should be born Which accordingly to acknowledg with thankfulnesse is a ready way to procure further good as from God who specially delights in a thankfull heart and would have a reflux of his blessings to keep them sweet as waters are by flowing to and fro so likewise from such men as either are or would seem to be like unto God in goodnesse and bountie To use to speak much of mens unthankfulnesse even where their hath been great fault that way for benefits receaved both argues a minde not so free in well-doing as is meet and that looks too much for thanks from men and too little for reward from God and is withall a course for a man to quench his own charitie and forwardnesse in other mens unthankfulnesse It is a more blessed that is both a more comfortable thing and that wherein a good work is more properly performed to give then to take to do then to receav good and so all good men should strive both to be able and willing so to do Yet should a good and wise man as God sends occasion be indifferent to either Neither can he in truth do kindnesse as he ought that is not willing to receav kindnesse as he needs It comes partly from a suspitious but specially from a vain-glorious heart that some who are forward in affoarding kindnesse can yet scarse though there be just occasion have the like fastened upon them Such desire to be too like unto God who doth good to all but receavs none back again from any But the verie greatest must remember that he is not God but man and so stands need of other men The head cannot say to the foot I have no need of thee Besides to refuse a kindnesse offered is to shame it as a ball ill sent and let fall to the ground Neither hath a true Christian any cause to be ashamed of his condition in receaving good from others seeing that as in doing good he is in Gods place so in receaving it in Christs stead CAP. VI. Of Equabilitie and perseverance in well-doing WHatsoever is done for God saith one is done equally and the Apostle more fully The grace of God teacheth us to denie ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly in our selvs justly towards others and holily towards God True goodnesse is comly and well proportioned in all the parts whereas the counterfeit is still at jar in it self and like the patches of a beggers cloak A wise man should be a wise man at all times and in all things and so should a good man be a good man Otherwise when a good thing is done specially if it be not ordinarie the goodnesse seems rather to arise from some other motiue from without then from within the person doing it Besides what strange thing is it to see a Stone fall downward or a Spark fly upward So nor to see a fool do foolishly or a lewd person like himself But for a wise man to do foolishly or a good man wickedly is not onely hatefull but monstrous He that hath not in him all Christian graces in their measure hath none and he that hath any one truly hath all For as in the first birth the whole person is born and not some parts so is it in the work of regeneration the whole person is born again though not wholy There is but one Spirit both of Faith and Hope and Love and Humilitie and Patience which all have that are Christs and If any have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his This Spirit though God but drop as it were into some and pour into others with a full hand so as one Christian far exceeds another in degree of graces yet are the habits of all graces and that as I conceav equally one with another though not equall to those in other men infused at once into the same mens hearts by that Spirit but so as in time by diuers occasions and means both the habits or graces themselvs and the excercise of them inward and outward have their different encrease in the same persons till ech have attained to the degree of grace allotted to him and serving for the preparing of him for the glorie prepared for him of God Perseverance in good is not any particular grace or vertue but the consummation and store-house of all vertue and goodnesse Evill men stand need of all graces the good onely of this of perseverance without changing to the end that they loose not the things which they have done or suffered but that they may receav a full reward and in due season reap if they faint not Where I speak of the necessitie of not changing I mean that changing which is either to the contrarie reigning evill or to a totall want of true goodnesse Otherwise even Nature which works most necessarily may have its most naturall work interrupted and changed for a time and yet not be destroyed witnesse the fire in Nabuchadnezars furnace which though it retained in it both the nature and heat of fire yet did not burn the three Confessours which were cast into it How oft do men though remaining in nature reasonable Creatures perform acts plainly unreasonable and brutish thorough ignorance or appetite How much more is it possible that a man though not wholy destitute of Gods grace may through the remainders of his corruption advantaged
a man to professe a Religion by working it first in his heart If the order in Israel be objected it may be answered First that the Land was holy as no Land now is that one Nation seperated from all other Nations to be the Lords peculiar people as no Nation now is the Kings types and figures of Christ as no Kings now are and Secondly That none were in truth compelled to the Israelitish Church and Religion but being of it whether Israelites or Proselites were to be cut off from the Lords people and destroyed out of Land for presumptuous sins or working iniquitie or for not serving God with all their heart and might Kings by this course would come short of the number of Subjects in whose multitude their honour stands and unto Churches few or none could possibly be added If it be further objected that men may be by the Magistrate constrained to the outward acts of justice honestie and the like though destitute altogether of the inward vertues It may be answered that these serv properly and immediately to preserv civill societies of which Magistrates are properly Kings and Lords and so do obtain their proper ends if the verie outward things be done though never so unwillingly But of Religious actions the proper end is not civill societie nor is attainable but by Faith and devotion in the heart of the doers Lastly To that of the Father that many who at first serv God by compulsion come after to serv him freely and willingly I answer that neither good intents nor events which are casuall can justifie unreasonable violence and withall that by this course of compulsion many become Atheists Hypocrites and Familists and being at first constrained to practise against conscience loose all conscience afterwards Bags and vessels overstrained break and will never after hold any thing Yet do I not denie all compulsion to the hearing of Gods Word as the means to work Religion and common to all of all sorts good and bad much lesse excuse civill disobedience palliated with Religious shews and pretences or condemne convenient restraint of publike Idolatry so as this rule of reason holds its place viz. that the bond between Magistrate and Subject is essentially civill but Religious accidentally onely though eminently For conclusion of this matter Let the godly Magistrate consider that as there is no Church-state and profession so truly Christian and good in which too many may not be found carried in their persons with a Spirit plainly Antichristian so there is hardly any Sect so Antichristian or evill otherwise in Church profession in which there are not divers truly though weakly led with the Spirit of Christ in their persons and so true members of his mysticall body With whom to deal rigorously for some few aberrations of ignorance or infirmitie were more to please Christs enemie in the oppressing of the person then Christ in so repressing his failing in some particulars specially if they be not fundamentall As then the Christian Magistrate hath his power of Magistracie from God which his Christianitie servs to sanctifie and direct so undoubtedly he is to use it for God and his honour that in his true worship in which he is specially honoured and against the contrarie yet with these two cautions First That as the greater sins of other kinds do not so violate and dissolv the marriage-bond as adulterie doth by reason of its direct opposition thereagainst so neither do Idolatry or Heresie how great sins soever in themselvs so outlaw a Subject civily as do Seditions Murthers Adulteries and the like directly violating and disturbing civill societies The second is That no authoritie of man may bring into or uphold in the Church either Doctrine or Ordinance of Religion or person which last is not lightly to be regarded seeing the other two serv for it unto which the Lord in his Word hath not first given testimonie of approbation for that use seeing Magistrates are not Governers against nor besides but under God in their Dominions CAP. VIII Of the holy Scriptures THe Holy Scriptures are that Divine Instrument and means by which we are taught to beleev what we ought touching God and our selvs and all creatures and how to please God in all things unto eternall Life I speak of beleeving things seeing Faith comes by hearing for els we know things touching God by that which we see feel and discern in and by his works We are led to the knowledg of God in his Power Wisdom Goodnesse Iustice and Mercie by his Works both without and within us And whensoever God either doth or suffers a thing to be done though not so much as insinuated formerly in his Word we then know it to be his will that such a thing should be as certainly as if he had expresly revealed it before in the Scriptures I speak of pleasing God in all things First because entire obedience so far as humain frailtie will permit is the immediate end and use of the Word of God and the way and means to Salvation Secondly to meet with that dangerous presumption of doing that which is necessarie to Salvation as many use to speak though with affected ignorance of and apparent disobedience to many of Gods Commandments Who knoweth with how little God can and doth save many being faithfull in learning what they can and in observing what they know Though much more be necessarie to such as have means to know more And thirdly because it is no childe-like but a bastardly disposition to take care for serving God no further though alas all be little enough for that then to be sure of the Fathers inheritance The heart of a man is then assured before God and hath a warrant from Heaven against eternall confusion when he can say with good conscience that he hath respect to all Gods Commandments God would have his will written that is his Word to become Scripture partly for more certaintie of truth to men and to preserv it the better from being corrupted as all make account that things set down in black and white as they speak are most firm partly for accord and unitie of Churches and Christians in the same truth who if they differ so much notwithstanding they use the same rule what would they do if their rules were different or uncertain and partly for more communitie seeing Books and Writings may easily both be dispersed whither the voyce of Teachers cannot come and also be read in private by Christians when they are apart from their Teachers Neither all things which the Prophets of God wrote were written by Divine inspiration but some of them humainly as their humain affaires common to them with other men required Neither was all wherein they were divinely inspired brought into the publike treasurie of the Church or made part of the Canonicall Scriptures which we call the Bible no more then all which they spake was spoken by the Spirit
wherein men make a will of God which is not and so a God willing which is not or els in an act of worship in it self though neither professed nor judged such by him that performs it Such mens actions reprove both their intention in heart and profession in word and can not be excused by either from Idolatrous This sin in Gods people is usually compared by the Holy Ghost to the whoredom of a Wife and Gods anger at it to the Husbands jealousie in that case And as Adulterie most directly impeacheth the mariage bond and so procures the Bill of Divorce so doth Idolatry the Churches Covenant with the Lord and provokes to sequestration from him Yet herein two rules must be held The former that not onely speciall Idolatry but even all or any other wickednesse with profane obstinacie adjoyned separates from God Secondly that all sin whatsoever is founded upon a kind of Idolatry In sins of omission we acknowledg not God for our God as we ought in doing what he commands In sins of commission we make some other thing our God as our riches if we trust to them as to God or our belly if for it we do what God forbids the doing of CAP. XII Of Heresie and Schism IT is an ancient and receaved saying that Heresie ariseth from want of Faith and Schism from want of Love which also hath its truth being rightly understood Yet if we mark we shall find the Scriptures to speak something otherwise of both the one and other then men commonly understand We usually call obstinate Errour in the foundation Heresie but the Scriptures many times seem rather to place it in the peruersnesse of the will and affections whether the matter be great or small then in the errour of the judgment the word also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying any election or choise of will which a man makes or Sect which he followeth whether good or bad whether in matters of greater or smaller moment Besides men are oftens accounted Heretiques with greater sin through want of charitie in the Iudges then in the judged through defect of Faith Of old some have been branded for Heretiques for holding Antipodes others for holding the originall of the Soul by traduction others for thinking that Marie the Mother of Christ had other Children by her Husband Ioseph the first being a certain truth and the second a Philosophicall doubt and the third though an errour yet neither against foundation nor post of the Scriptures building As there are certain Elements and foundations of the Oracles of God and of Christian Faith which must first be layed and upon which other truths are to be built so must not the foundation be confounded with the wals or roof nor errours lightly be made fundamentall or unavoidably damnable Yea who can say with how little and unperfit Faith in Christ both for degree and parts God both can and doth save the sincere in heart Whose Salvation depends not upon the perfection of the Instrument Faith but of the Object Christ. As on the contrarie there are some vulgar and common errours though lesse severely censured which are apparently damnable as by name for a man to beleev and expect mercie from God and salvation by Christ though going on in affected ignorance of or prophane disobedience to Gods Commandments And for Schism The Scriptures note it as sometimes made from the Church but most commonly in it From it by the ten Trybes sequestring themselvs from Iudah and Ierusalem the onely place where the Lord had promised to dwell by his solemn Church presence and after Christ by certain of the Hebrews forsaking the assemblies of the Christians The former was from the onely true instituted and ministeriall Church in the World which was then one individuall and not many as now and that by Idolatry The latter from all Christian Churches and persons by totall defection from Christ himself The other Schisms mentioned were made in the Church either through the carnall lusts bearing two great sway of envie strife and uncharitablenesse whilst the stronger despised the weaker and the weaker judged the stronger or by Heresie and prophanenesse of manners of which the Apostles Peter Iude and Iohn speak That which is commonly called Schism ariseth if it be affected from the conceipt of Faith and want of Love but may fall out upon simple errour of judgment or scrupulositie of conscience By occasion whereof a person may seqester himself eyther in or from some particular Church in some inferior courses of religion from them towards whom he yet bears much more true and hearty Christian affection then the most of them do who unite with them therein And if onely an uncharitable heart make an uncharitable person before God and a proud heart a proud person then he who upon due examination and certain knowledg of his heart findes and feels the same truly disposed to union with all Christians so far as possibly he can see it lawfull though through errour or frailtie he may step aside into some by-path that way yet hath that person a Supersedeas from the Lord in his bosom securing him from being attached for a schismaticall person and so found in the Court of Heaven what blame soever he may bear from men upon Earth or correction from God for his failing upon infirmitie therein No man can endure to be withdrawn from nor easily dissented from by another in his way of Religion in which above all other things he makes account that he himself draws nearest unto God Therefore to do this causlesly for not the seperation but the cause makes the Schismatick though out of errour or scrupulositie is evill more to do it out of wantonnesse of mind or lust to contend or affectation of singularitie most of all to do it out of proud contempt or cruell revenge against others CAP. XIII Of Truth and Falshood TRuth is either naturall or morall Naturall Truth stands first in the conveniencie and agreement of the notions of the mind with the thing conceaved and secondly of the means of manifesting it especially speech with the thing to be manifested Morall Truth stands in the conveniencie and agreement of a person with himself namely of his heart with his tongue and speech The same consideration is to be had of Truths contrarie in its kind which is Falshood Whereupon also it comes that a man may sin and speak falsly not onely in speaking that which he knows or may know to be false for what end soever he speak it yea though it be that he may not deceav but also in speaking that which is true in it self if he know it not that he might or so as he may deceav by it All truth by whomsoever spoken is of God and of his Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth in some its manner and degree of working Whereupon it followeth that nothing true in right reason and sound Phylosophy
in himself whether for wisdom or otherwise No one man but stands need of another and if for little els yet for counsell He that gives counsell to another therein stands in the place of God who is the Councellor and whose Mine Counsell is and sound wisdom This he that gives advice must well weigh that he neither dishonour the wisdom and goodnesse of God whose place for the dispencing of these attributes he sustains therein nor wrong him by whom he is so far honoured as to be sought to as Gods mouth And so must he also that takes counsell that he may neither seek it at Fools which none but Fools will do nor at godlesse persons specially in matter of conscience which he that doth desires to deceav himself and to mock with God Now of all Councellors in whom any wisdom and goodnesse is to be found the peremptorie and bold are most dangerous whose custom is to put men upon extreamities happily fitting their own ventersom disposition but oftens above the strain and strength of their friends or reach of reason either Whereas Councellors specially in more difficult and dangerous cases should both verie sensibly apprehend the difficultie and danger of the thing in deliberation and withall be carefull that they spur not on their friends whom they advise above their pace lest they tyre them by preposterous inforcements and put them upon such difficulties as they are not fit to struggle with Warinesse is best in advice and boldnesse in execution Dead men to wit in their Books were accounted by King Alphonsus for the best Councellors And indeed so are they in regard of one of the best properties of a good Councellor which is sinceritie and unpartialnesse A vertue rare specially in inferiours who too oft look asquint in their counsell as either casting how to advantage themselvs in councelling others or in following the direction of Achabs messengers to Michajah by speaking that which is good to rather then for the â—ing Which latter calamitie befals great men not onely by base perfidiousnesse of flatterrers but oftens by a just judgment of God punishing them with their own desires and so ordering that they that seek shall finde such as may rather deceav them by flatterie then trouble them with the truth Yet in these dead Councellors Books there is wanting a lively and likely discerning of such particular circumstances as must be observed and gathered by present discourse that men counsell not at adventure which no Books can sufficiently provide for In Books we best learn generall grounds of direction but that skill is unperfect must have joyned with it a large and piercing discourse of the Councellors mind who by comparing together things past and present with due respect to singular circumstances incident is able probably to gather things to come in which the life of counsell consists Some will eloquently propound and earnestly perswade to good and profitable courses in generall but in the mean while give no direction how or by what particular means to prosecute them for the attaining to the desired end Such Councellors are like him that is earnest in perswading with a travellor to hold the right way to the place where he would be but shews him not which it is and what are the marks of it Or to him who trims the Lamp diligently and fits it to burn but poures no Oyl into it As we understand even most necessarie things in vain except we love them So blinde love which alone in effect the bellows of loud but windie perswasion kindles in the brests of many avails nothing where knowledg guides us not in our way The fewest of them that ask good counsell do mean indeed to follow it Some ask counsell onely in good manners and to make shew of respect to friends Others for a colour that they did nothing but having first heard what such and such it may be wise and godly could say about it And not a few though they pretend to ask yet indeed intend rather to give counsell that is to have the courses allowed by others which they themselves affect A man may have divers ends in requiring the adviee of others and all of them honest and lawfull provided he alwayes keep his heart free to receav either information or confirmation or reformation from others upon good ground Three sorts of men though standing most in need of counsell are many of them most uncapable of it First They in great prosperitie Secondly They in extream affliction And thirdly Such as are weak and simple They of the first sort are for the most part high minded and lifted up in themselvs Nabal-like above the good counsell of other men presuming that they are able enough to direct themselvs The second are commonly either obdurate or melted in their miserie like Wax either too hard to receav or too soft to retain any impression as the Israelites for anguish of Spirit harkned not unto Moses the messenger of their deliverance The third are partly uncapable of advice through simplenesse and partly suspitious either lest they should be circumvented by their friends close-minding their own ends or els thought weak and too simple to govern and manage their own affairs by which prejudice it comes to passe many times that they become wilfull and headie because they would not be thought simple and unable to direct themselvs It is a rule wherein many wise men have agreed that it is more available for the Common-wealth to have an evill Prince and good Councellors then a Prince good and vertuous with corrupt Councellors about him for that it is more like that one should be bettered by many then many be corrupted by one But the mischief is that such as are nought themselvs will make choyse usually of such Councellors as themselvs are rather to flatter then better them as contrariwise the good commonly will chuse such as may further them in goodnesse When a thing verie inconvenient and absurd is propounded to us it is not best alwayes to manifest any great dislike though we both have it in our selvs and our reasons for it never so present except either urgent necessitie presse a sudden and violent stop of the matter or that we have to do with him whom we know we can oversway by our reasons and authoritie lest by that course our friend take occasion to withdraw himself and to conceal his affairs from us and so to steal miserie closely and it may be suddenly also if he be bent upon his course for fear that our importunitie should bring hindrance to his purpose But it is best at first to put off the thing and to provoke to further consideration and so to gain time with some small manifestation of dislike for the present thereby as it were pointing and making way for our after more vehement disswasions By which course we shall have our friends both ear and heart more
put more confidence in their riches for their safetie and welfare then they do in Gods providence and by them promise themselvs all aboundance of happines This madnes befals not the but half-mad prodigals Thirdly The covetous doth good to none nor to himself neither many tymes wanting as well the things he hath as the things he hath not God not giving him power to eat of and use his riches Whereas the prodigall doth good to manie though not well Fourthly Covetousnes is a base and beggarlike vice Prodigalitie a worshipfull honourable and kingly sin Fiftly Povertie and want the fruits of prodigallitie prove oft times good scool-masters to the ding-thrift for his bettering as we see it fell out with the prodigall son But the effects of Covetousnes which are usually riches and plentie harden the hould-fast causing him to blesse himself the more in his wicked way The ryot of the prodigall drawes him dry but the gettings of the other serve to feed his disease which causeth him dropsie-like the more he hath to desire the more Ad we unto all these that whereas age is some remedie against other vices specially against prodigalitie which grows old and decayes with the person in whom it is Covetousnes then grows young so as they who are but thriftie in youth are usually covetous in age And though it seem and indeed be unreasonable that the lesse way men have to go they should be carefull for the more viandour and provision for their journey yet are there divers colourable occasions though no just causes of this maladie As first age being impotent and unable to susteyn it self is occasioned the more carefully to seek and gâ—t riches as a staffe to lean on But for this we shall never see any more greedie then such as have more then enough for many ages their aboundance no more quenching their lust then fuell doth the flame Secondly the aged are oft charged with families and freinds for whom they are to provide from which burden youth is free for children are not to lay up for the parents but parents for the children But for this also we see that a man though he be alone and have no second neyther child nor brother puts no end of labour to get nor is ever satisfyed with riches I have not in my life observed any more given to covetousnes then such as have not nor are like to have children to leave their goods to Thirdly the other lusts of prodigal youth languishing in age the heart not being set upon God and true goodnes which alone could fill and satisfy it findes onely the lust of coveting riches a fit guest to harbour in it wherewith the flesh mainteyns it self that it fall not wholly into decay So Symonides being accused of covetousnes answered that whereas the delight of all other pleasures was gone he nourished his age with that alone profitable pleasure And lastly which is worst of all though God have set religion and covetousnes at such variance that they can not possibly reign in one person None can serve God and mammon And again He that loveth this world the love of God dwelleth not in him yet we see it that religion working in persons a loathing of excesse in worldly vanities their flesh so works with it as it disposeth very manie to such a warines as between which and playn covetousnes there is too near affinitie Yea how many have I known who having passed the danger of the high-way ground and understood the word of God preached and professed the same and of the stonie ground too in undergoing some troubles and persequutions for the same yet nourishing in themsevs too much love and care of worldly riches have had all their goodnes choaked before the harvest by those dangerous thornes Against this so dangerous deceitfull and close-cleaving evill we are first to get into our hearts fayth in Gods providence as well and as much for the good things of the life present so far forth as they are good indeed as of that to come He that dares not in the use of good means trust God for this life doth not indeed trust him for life everlasting how oft soever he say over his creed Such a man mocks with God in making a shew of trusting him with that which in truth he profanely despiseth whereas for worldly good things which he desires in earnest he will trust God no further then he sees him Though the Lords love shew forth it self more in heavenly then in earthly things yet his truth bindes him alike to performance as he hath promised upon which he that dares not rest for the lesser makes but a shew of resting for the greater Secondly we must get contentation with that which we have seeing God hath said to us I will never leav thee nor forsake thee esteeming and saying with our selvs that this which we enjoy with a good conscience and by means lawfull diligently used is our alotment from God by the sanctified use whereof he will provide competently for our temporall state and further our eternall Thirdly considering how uncerteyn means of our good even for this life all earthly things are and how many times they become the very snare thereof as in the case of Naboth and how alwaies the coveting of them deprives of the hope of a better for the covetous is an idolater and hath no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God it is both sin and folly inordinately to affect the getting or keeping of them But as the Pharisees being covetous mocked at Christ when they heard him speak against their joyning the serving the mammon of unrighteousnes with the serving of God so men in all ages becomeing rich by covetousnes and proud by riches are ready to mock at whatsoever God or man can say against their gaynfull wickednes Considering how many poore people want and of those not a few the living members of Christ Iesus we ought to make great conscience eyther of spending prodigally or sparing covetously any thing lesse or more wherewith we might comfort them and shew them mercy how much more of that whereby we should deal justly with them in giving them their due which should first be done CHAP. XXXII Of Health and Phisick HEalth is the greatest bodily blessing which God bestows upon any in this life yet is it one of the least regarded partly by reason of its commonnes to al sorts of people poore and rich fools and wise the vilest and most excellent otherwise partly for that it is a naturall good thing which we bring for the most part into the world with us and so oftens preserv without any sensible change And accordingly we see that no man is the more honoured for his health which can scarse be sayd of any other good thing whatsoever The benefit of this most sweet sause of al other goods is scarsly
petition as we forgive them that trespasse against us the petition being Forgive us our trespasses adding therein that if we forgive not them that trespasse against us neyther will our heavenly father forgive us And this exhortation sayth one if we be not more hard then iron and steel cannot but soften us and make us appeasable and ready to remit offences considering how many and great our offences are against the Lord for which he both so justly might and so easily could take revengment upon us And since vengeance is the Lords and that he will repay we must beware we take it not further into our hands then God gives it us lest medling with edged-tools in Gods shop we surely cut our selvs deep howsoever they scape against whom we use them And besides the conscience of offending God by revenge in wish word or deed we may take instances of inducement to forgivenes from circumstances of all the persons that injurie us If it be a meaner person then our selvs that wrongs us let us forgive him in pittie of his weaknes If our superiour let us pittie and forgive our selvs the former in charitie the latter in wisdom Is he a malicious and unmerited enemy why should we marvayl if he do his kynde Have we hurt him before he but gives us our due and why should we not take it at his hands Is he a good man let us be ready to forgive him whom God forgives Is he wicked Alas we may well forgive him considering how fearfull vengeance if he repent not God will take on him for that and other his sins Many who think it divelish as indeed it is to offer an injurie think it but manly to requite it But it is sayth one evill as well to requite as to offer since God forbids both And there is sayth another onely this difference between them that he who offers the injury is before in mischief and he that requites it comes after therein as fast as he can With which two joyn a third witnesse saying that to render evil for evill is to make two divels for one Not to be revenged for an injury done is not alwayes to forgive it For this may be through want of power or of courage or in a kinde of haughtines of mynde when a man esteems himself above the wrong done or scorns to fyle his fingers with his adversarie Neyther yet is it sufficient though it be a great thing that we wish him no hurt who hath wronged us but we ought further also so to keep our hearts that they rejoyce not at his fall or slumbling by any other means least the Lord see and it displease him and he turn his wrath from him upon us All the other wayes we may be accessory before this way after the fact Notwithstanding we may have cause to be glad if the injurious and oppressours be restreyned by some work of Gods over-ruling providence that the fox being chayned up may no more worry the lambs But this is not to rejoyce for his hurt but for his good Lastly as God forgives injuries against him which all sins are if for the same he hate not the person so sinning though he both be angry at him and correct him and therein provide for the repayring of the honour of his majestie impeached by him so may men forgive injuries done against them in spirituall sense and holy manner if therefore they hate not nor wish hurt to the person that hath wronged them though in cases they provide for his due correction and also for the repayring of the damage susteyned by him in theyr body goods or good name by lawfull means CHAP. XXXV Of Patience IT is our sinfull condition that makes us subject to crosses our humayn that makes us sensible of them without which sense of them we were no more patient in bearing them then the stone is patient upon which the weight of the wall lyeth But in the bearing of such evils as are brought upon us or befall us with equanimitie and moderation true patience is seen The grace it self must be in us even without crosses and we by it in heart martyrs without fire or sword but so can not the use of it be no more then there is use of a salve where there is no soar And thereupon the Apostle sayth that affliction worketh patience that is occasions the exercise and increase of it And hence it is that men are most deceaved in the measure of this grace and esteem their inches eâ—ns till by tryall of evils they finde the contrarie But patience tryed by afflictions and found firm and good gives above other graces experimentall assurance of Gods love Whereupon the Apostle in the place forenamed gives it alone the honour of working experience And no marvayl seeing by it God gives a poore and feeble creature such experience of his powerfull grace and goodnes for the bearing and bearing out of those crosses and miseries both inward and outward which without this staf of supportance were intollerable Neyther is the work of Gods goodnes lost in them to whom he imparts this grace seeing by it if by any other they shew forth the vertues of God and honour him in so many of his attributes in the exercising of it As first of his will both commanding and approving it as Christ tels the church and Angell at Ephesus I know thy works and labour and patience Secondly of his justice as acknowledging really that all the afflictions which they suffer are lesse without comparison then their sins deserv Thirdly of his power and that both over them with which they struggle not but making a vertue of necessitie quietly bear what he layes upon them and also in them in susteyning them that they faynt not under their burden Fourthly of his wisdom in effectuall acknowledgment that he hath his good holy ends of his so dealing with them though oft times not so particularly known to them Lastly of his goodnes in dealing with them in their chastisements as with sons for their profit and that they might be partakers of his holynes without which last all the rest how honourable soever to God are uncomfortable unto man Vpon this goodnes of God we do in our afflictions specially exercise the two mayn graces of Fayth and Hope Fayth perswading our hearts that God loves us as well in our greatest afflictions as out of them and will do us nothing but good by them is as the foundation for this bulwork of patience Hope assureth us of happy issue out of them all which if we wanted what would it avayl us though we had the strength of men and angels to bear miseries Some Christians have sayd that Patience is a miserable remedy But how much better said the Heathen Byas that he onely is miserable that wants patience for the bearing of his misfortunes As
whom they have trusted and not without cause it being as vile as common to deccav him whom we could not have deceaved if he had not trusted us But if all things be rightly weighed the most have most cause to complain of themselvs for makeing no better choyse He is but right served in all mens judgments that hath his broath running out which he puts into a riven dish And first God is love and no marvayl then if there be no firmnes in that love which is not founded in God and goodnes As on the other side if a man be deceaved by such a freind as he trusts upon the shew of pietie and goodnes which he makes he hath comfort with God unto whom he had respect in trusting him Men that trust others upon the testimonie and commendation of any and are deceaved by them use to complayn to them for whose cause they trusted them He that looks in his league of freindship to the appearance of godlynes and vertue which the other makes takes his friend after a sort upon Gods word and testimony and if he happen to be deceaved by him may complayn and moan himself to God as David complayned of Achitophell the traytour with whom he had taken sweet counsayl and walked into the house of God as a freind But on the contrarie he that leagues himself with a vayn and godles person especially with respect and liking to any vanity or leaud quality in him if he be deceaved by him afterwards as like enough he will be may go to the divell to complayn upon whose word in effect he took him Some do discover their pryde and ambition by affecting acquaintance and societie with their superiours thereby eyther to become or to seem greater then they are So do others not a litle if not more bewray their pride by affected sorting with much meaner persons then themselvs that they may have honour and respect from them and domineer amongst them which in truth though under an appearance of humilitie shews the prouder minde It was swelling pride in Caesar that he rayther desired to be the first in the least village of Italie then the second in Rome it self He that will throughly reform and correct his faults had need eyther of singular circumspection and jealousy over himself and his wayes for the finding out of his own faylings or of faythfull freinds who will seriously admonish him in which dutie christian freindship is specially differenced from all other or els of bitter enemyes who will not spare nor fayl to cast his faults in his teeth that so he may make a medicine of their mallice as physitions make triacle of venemous serpents And as Iason had his impostume opened and so healed by his enemies sword in the wars which his freinds the physitions could not cure so we receav sometimes that good by our enemyes reproaches which our freinds eyther cannot or will not affoard us by their loving and faythfull advertisements A wise man makes better use of his enemies then a fool of his freinds To him that knows the use of true freindship no earthly thing is more delightfull then the sweet societie of wise and honest freinds whether for recreation after studie or labour or communication in a prosperous state or comfort in an afflicted He that so esteems not this benefit is unworthy of it Yet for my self though I have ever thus valued truly loving freinds notwithstanding considering unto how many dangers and calamities mine afflicted state hath been exposed I have counted it a benefit that I have not had many such as were in danger to take excessive sorrow for my miserie that hath or could befall me Some freinds in this respect have a very ill and unfreindly fashion If any good come to them they conceal it from their freinds if any hurt they hasten to fill their ears with that to the utmost Such are more perversly chyldish then children For as they will streight complayn to their mothers of any hurt that befals them so on the other side if any good come to them though it be but an apple or nut they will as readily run and acquaynt them with it also Such persons are commonly lovers of themselvs envious and unthankfull We on the contrarie should rayther hasten and desire to manifest to our freinds matter of gladnes when good befals us then of sorrow in our crosses and shew therein both our love towards them in procuring their rejoycing with us and also our wisdom and strength of fayth and patience in the silent swallowing of our sorrows without greiving our freinds more then needs must So we read of the woman that had lost her peice she lighted the candle swept the house and sought it diligently and all this she did alone but when she had found it then she called in her freinds and neighbours to rejoyce with her It is best mourning alone and best rejoycing with companie Some freinds are rayther to be used then trusted namely such as are more able then entire or free-hearted Some agayn are rayther to be trusted then used saue in case of necessitie and then also sparingly and those are such as whos 's truly loving affections exceed their abilitie And in these considerations the proverb oft times fitteth Rich mens purses and poore mens hearts Wealth maketh many freinds and povertie tryeth them as the winde shews which clouds have rayn in them and which not And so though the rich have the more freinds yet the poores better appear to be faythfull in giving testimony that they love their freinds for God and the persons themselvs which to know is not a small priveledg that poore men have above others who can hardly discern whether their persons or riches be loved A freind sayth the wise man loveth at all times and a brother is born for adversity He sayth not A freind is born for prosperitie though it be one end of freindship that we might have with whom to communicate and rejoyce in a prosperous state of things but for adversity this being the more principall end specially in our sinfull and sorrowfull state for which God hath linked men together in all societies which the wiser sort of the heathen have seen by the dim light of nature and that it apperteyns specially to the office of a true freind to ease his freinds greif by speach to affoard him counsayl in doubtfull cases to drive away sadnes by his chearfulnes and to refresh him with his very presence And for such persons in societies as in effect make account that they are onely for other mens prosperitie and not for their afflicted state and that others are for their help and benefit and they for their own these are the verie moths and caterpillers of family church and common wealth and so far from deserving the fellowship of men as they are scarse worthy of the flocks and heards of beasts of which divers
are helpfull to their fellow as they are able and the other need As none can sin against the Holy Ghost and irremissibly but they whom God hath receaved into some degree of fellowship with him at least in the knowledg of the truth so there is no so great enmitie amongst any others as amongst them who of freinds become enemies A brother offended is harder to be wonn then a strong citty and such contentions are like the bars of a castle A twyne thread if it be broken is more easily knit together then a cable And the hard Adamant if it hap to be beaten in peices with the hammer flyes into such small dust as is scarse discernable And no marvayl if where men look for love and kindenes they finde in truth or supposition the contrary that which agrees not with a freindly affection that there they conceave most indignation and greatest matter of alienation It is therefore requisite that a freind shew himself freindly for the preserving inviolated that bond of amitie with his freind and avoyd all make-bates persons or things And of this sort not onely greater unkyndenesses use to be but even smaller also if they be frequent as men consume their states many times by small if dayly losses and mispendings And if it so come to passe that our freinds become or appear so ill as that in their freindship there is more hurt or danger then in their hatred it is yet better we untwyne then break the coard of former freindship save where some extraordinarie unworthines suddeynly breaks out and which urgeth present renunciation Lastly when we are necessarily pressed eyther to the one or other let us rayther do it with sorrow then anger and withall have in us a disposition to reassume our old course of kindenesse if there appear cause afterwards as the storks when the winter is over do affect their former nests CHAP. XXXVIII Of Credit and good name CRedit and good name with men so follows vertue and good deserts like the shadow the body as it remayns notwithstanding Gods good gift sundry wayes First in bestowing upon men vertue and goodnes to deserv it for which also the gifts of God are to be the more welcom Secondly in guiding them to manifest and improve their endowments to the advantage of their good name not as stage-players but as good stewards of the gift of God that way Thirdly by moving the hearts of other men to have them in due respect and estimation to which purpose it is sayd of Ioseph and others though of most singular desert in regard of men that God gave them favour in their eyes Many rayther desire a great name then a good and therefore rayther enterprise great then good matters Some matters greatly great as they in the East who to get them a name would build a tower whose top should reach heaven Such also was the levell of the huge and high Pyramides built by the Egiptian kings Some things greatly strange though mean as Parmeno in his artificiall imitation of the gruntling of a sow Some greatly dangerous as those Funambuli who rayther will venture their necks then want a name Some again things if no otherwise yet greatly odious as Herostratus in burning the temple of Diana in Ephesus with wilde fire And so Pilate is famous for crucifying Christ and Iudas for betraying him so is Ieroboam known by this brand He that made Israel to sin But a great name so got and left to posteritie is like to the great stinck of a lamp or candle when it is gone out whereas the memoriall of the righteous is blessed and like the smell of the costly oyntment of spykenard wherewith Mary annoynted our Lords feet the sweet sent whereof filled the whole house And this good name of the godly and vertuous living amongst good men upon earth when they are dead is a kinde of pledge of their souls living for ever with God in heaven This none neglect but they who mean to do nothing to deserv it nor despise but with endangering their own hardning in evill both against the fear of God and shame of the world This good name is rayther to be chosen then great riches sayth he who could well discern what was best Which shews both that he who impayrs anothers credit by slaunder is worse then a theif and steals a more pretious thing as also that he who seeks and gets it to himself undeservedly is as well to answer to God for his undeserved credit with men as is a theif for his stoln goods This credit and good name we may desire as a good pleasing naturall thing and for our more comfortable living amongst men and so David prayed sundry times in one Psalm that God would turn away reproach from him which he so feared But this good name and note with men we are specially to desire to honour God withall and to further and prefer goodnes with others as otherwise so chiefly by the good regard and respect wherein they have us to advantage the example and other provocations of vertue and godlynes proceeding from us for more ready imitation by and better acceptance with them And them who thus labour to honour God with the honour and respect which he vouch safes them from others he will surely honour with men so far as is meet and with himself for ever Whereas the vaynglorious and ambitious that eyther seek honour above their desert or onely thereby to advance themselvs and theirs above other men they lift up themselvs against God and climbe higher then that the bow will bear them and God first or last will throw them down into perdition And whereas God would have us seek good name fame by well doing if any seek it by evill as in evill times and companyes too many do as Austin confesseth of himself that in the dayes of his vanitie he oft did evill not onely in lust of the thing but for prayse by it amongst his consorts and sometimes also slaundered himself with the evils which he had not done lest seeming more chast he should be more contemptible then the rest such do no better then set the divell in Gods place and glory in their shame whose end without repentance is damnation For God will keep his place in heaven and from him shall men at length and for ever receave prayse for wel-doing and not from the divell for evill Neyther yet is credit alwayes gotten with men by following it no more then a mans shadow is but he that seeks to honour God in his mayn intention God will cause some strinkling of his own prayse to reach unto him and covering his sins from his divine eyes will so farr as is meet cover them from the eyes of men also and therewith as it were commend his vertues to their acceptation specially if withall such a man joyn with his
zealous heart towards God good thoughts and speeches of other men good doings unto them God will provide that others shall mete the like measure to him again in thinking and speaking well of him As the whitenes of the Ethiopians teeth is the more remarqueable by reason of the blacknes of his whole body so are the few vertuous doings of some persons the more noted and they the more famous for the same by reason of their contrarie course in evill Things eyther rare in themselvs or not expected from such or such persons are most observed so are the commendable actions in them whose ordinarie course in evill gives men litle cause to look for better And by this means it comes to passe that divers specially great men who have many trumpetters of their few vertues and scarse any that dare so much as see their vices get often times a greater name of just mercifull and pious for some one or a few works of those kyndes like the Ethiopians teeth though in a course of injustice and impietie then many others do by the constant practise of those and other vertues Seeing honour and respect is in the hand of the honouring and not of the honoured we are for the right valuation of mens credits in the world to have speciall regard to the persons that honour others whether by praysing them or otherwise For fools will prayse men lightly and at a venture flatterers having linguas venales for their own advantage vayn and leaud persons such as are like themselvs in praysing of whom they prayse themselvs by reflexion But to be praysed by them who themselvs are prayse-worthy is both a reward of vertue and a blessing of God But above all things we must remember that whatsoever eyther we think or speak of our selvs or others of us onely he whom the Lord commendeth is approved without or against whom he that would be commended of men shall not be defended of men when God judgeth him nor delivered by men when God condemneth him And what doth it advantage him that runns a race that the standers by approve of his running if the Agonothetes or Iudges of the course disalow him And what will it avayl any if all men and Angels should extoll him never so highly and even clap their hands at him in admiration of his excellencie if God the judg of all and by whose sentence he is eternally happie or miserable should condemn him and cast him of as unworthy Let our mayn care then be that wee may alwayes be accepted of God And for acceptance with men let us not neglect it for that were desperatenes nor yet set our mynds too much upon it lest to procure or keep it we loose favour in a better place Let us rayther fear with the Apostle lest any think of us above that which indeed there is cause and if we be approved or happen to be praysed by any let us with the godly Father considering both our wants and other things amisse take thereby occasion of blushing in our selvs and with another of begging at Gods hands that he would make us answerable to the good that any think or speak of us CHAP. XXXIX Of Contempt and Contumelie COntumelie hath a sting as the saying is and is hard to be born eyther by wise or good men how mean otherwise soever Even the worm being troden upon will turn again neyther can any esteem eyther so highly of another or so meanly of himself as to think he deservs to be contemned by him And therefore Ionathan though both wise godly and humble-mynded being reviled by king Saul his father scarse kept himself within the bounds of due respect eyther to a Father or king Many sayth one can better endure paynfull stripes then contumelious words And hence it is that povertie is more greivous unto many then other ordinarie crosses because it brings with it more contempt in the eyes of others Now although the fear of God in a person should in all equitie procure him honour and respect from all yet as the phylosopher advised in his time Wouldst thou take up the study of wisdom prepare thy self to become a laughing stock to many c. so in ours and all ages must Gods most faythfull servants much more arm themselvs against contemptuous and contumelious caryages by many if against any other temptation following therein the Holy Apostle who approved himself to God in honour and dishonour yea the son himself the author and finisher of our fayth who for the joy set before him not onely indured the crosse but also despised the shame And this the more carefully we must do because the divel will never fayl to stir up his cruell instruments to ply the servants of God with the most sharp and byteing rods of contempt and vilitie in the middest of theyr other most greivous afflictions as is to be seen in Christ our Lord and David his type that they finding themselvs despised in those their calamities which should move compassion towards them in all mens eyes might even be broken in their hearts and so through deâ—payr fall from their stedfastnes as many do not being sufficiently rooted in Gods promises by faith whereby to bear this sore-pressing temptation Many buy at a dear rate the use of a few contemptuous speaches and that not onely at the hands of superiours and equals but oft times of meaner persons then themselvs with whom they loose more love and respect by one contumelious passion then they can recover by many freindly actions Yea men so impatient are all of contempt are better satisfied and contented with a respective denyall of a benefit then with a contumelious graunt of it yea I add further with a playn injurie of some kinde then with a favour so sauced because in some injuries persons are thought worthy to be mynded though not for good towards them in the other case worthy to be despised even by them from whom they receav good He that despiseth the poore eyther such in estate or naturally impotent in minde or in body despiseth God that made him so at which he is alwayes as truely displeased in a measure as he was at the children upon whom he sent a shee-bear to teare them in pieces for mocking at the prophets bald-head though he do not so visibly manifest his anger He that despiseth a man for the grace of God appearing in him which is too frequent in ours and all evil dayes despiseth and almost despyteth the verie spirit of God which made him so But he that despiseth a wicked and vile person in liew of his vilenes despises the divell and sin that made him so And albeit the followers of Christ should not come near a proud or disdaynfull spirit yet ought they to get and mainteyn in themselvs a kinde of spirituall highnes of minde by which vileny
and a vile person for it may be contemptible in their eyes and vices as said one not onely odious but ridiculous Some have gotten the foxes cunning in scorning the grapes for their sowernes which for their height he could not reach to affecting the contempt of that good which they want and cannot obteyn that so they may seem to want it upon judgment as a thing not worthie the having and not of impotencie So some contemn learning others policy others other things as unworthie their having which they indeed are unworthy to have and unable to attain to Others partially say with Salomons buyer that things are nought when they would have them easily for nought Thus Lot sayd of Zoar which he would have God spare for his cause Is it not a litle one Lastly there are who in a cruell craft use to vilifie and debase what they can such persons and things as they either have oppressed unjustly or mean to oppresse Thus Saul purposing to oppresse David still terms him in contempt The sonn of Ishai So did the Ephramites term the Gileadites for like purpose fugitives of Ephraim amongst the Ephramites and amongst the Manassites The Iews and others Christ a Samaritan and Galâ—lean And wicked men now the faithfull servants of Christ Lutherans Hugonites Calvinists and by other more contemptible names that so they may make themselvs and others the better beleev that it matters not what is done to or becomes of so vile and unworthie persons But men are men though they be sowed in bears skins that dogs might worrie them And the contempt cast upon the Lords servants by those carnall and craftie enemies neyther makes the oppressed by them lesse precious in Gods sight nor their oppressions lesse odious Men on the contrarie when they have in hand any thing hard or greivous to an other should bethink themselvs of what is good and commendable in the person that thereby they may breed in their hearts due respect of him and not wrong him If the grace of God though in never so great weaknes that we wrong not it If the image of his authoritie wisdom or other honourable attribute that we wrong not it If nothing els yet that he is a man and so deservs all humayn respect to be given unto him as the Apostle bids Honour all men Men say Familiaritie breeds contempt whereupon many fearing to be contemned by others dispose themselvs to contemn others by a supercilious and overly behaviour But as there is a mean in familiaritie as in all other things so they most fear contempt by it who have least worth in them to free themselvs therefrom and therefore in jealousie and consciousnes of their own wants take up a theatricall and affected strangenes and statelynes specially towards their inferiours and equals Such are like the asse in the Lions skin but by braying when they should roar are discovered and become more ridiculous then if they had alwayes shewed their asses ears Considering how greivous a thing and hard to be born contempt is it is wisdom in a man not easily to think himself despised by others and that even for his own peace But if an injurie be offered rayther if it may be to impute it to unadvisednes or negligence or almost to any other originall in the offerer then to contempt Besides an aptnes to conceave a contempt shews a minde uncharitable discontented and usually proud withall as looking too much for respect Lastly he that judgeth himself despised by another specially being troubled at it honoureth him therein since it cannot be but that he desires to be respected of him with whose contemptuous cariage towards him he is troubled CHAP. XL. Of Envie ENvie is a greif conceived at the good of another specially by him that wants it himself whereof the highest degree is so to envy it to him as we desire it our selvs It is a verie shamefull affection and which no man will own how many so ever use it Some will confesse and professe upon occasion that they hate or fear or scorn others but none that they envie anie And no marvayl for though many deserv to be hated feared and despised yet none to be envyed Good and wise men are to be honoured in and for all the good things that God hath given them Foolish and corrupt to be pittied in their greatest jollitie considering what their end shall be And though there be cause to greiv in a sort at the prosperitie and power of unworthy persons yet this is not because those things good in themselvs are good to them but because they abuse them to their own and others hurt It is like a fire ascending upwards still ayming at that which is above it for though superiours oftens grudg at the good of inferiours yet raither this is indignation then envie Or rayther it is like smoak not onely in the former respect but also for that as smoak is greatest at first and before the fire burn clear but after the flame bursts out vanisheth away so is envy greatest in the first rising of any in vertue or honour or other eminent good but by continuance of time and vertue in the envied is tyred out and gives over He that envyeth maketh another mans vertue his vice as Bernard confesseth of himself and an other mans happines his torment whereas he that rejoyceth at the prosperitie of another even thereby if no other way is partaker of the same Yet were this vice the more tolerable if besides men our selvs and others we in it did not so directly wrong the Lord and that which is worst even in his goodnes which it not onely perverts as other vices do but abolishes as much as it can It is and worthily accounted in some horrible impiety to complayn of God that he made the world no better But what is it then to quarrell with him for making it so good As in truth an envious person doth saying unto God in effect why hast thou bestowed this vertue this knowledg this honour these riches or the like good upon this man or woman So the first labourers in the vyneyard sayd of the last to him which hyred them why givest thou so much unto them How injurious soever notwithstanding this cancker worm is both to God and men yet is it in this point most just that it punisheth and tormenteth with no small torment him in whom it beareth swey consuming his heart as rust doth the yron whereon it groweth and rotting his verie bones whiles he liveth The good gifts of God as riches honour wit learning c. in any eminencie often endanger their owners by puffing them up with pride in themselvs And if they have the grace and modestie to use them aright yet are they dangerous to others becoming oftens fewell to kindle their fire of envy withall And so it fell out
as that in cases they bynde us in conscience both for judgment and practise to that which indeed is not true nor due but wherein we are altogether deceaved As when we receav a matter for truth which yet indeed is not so upon the clear testimonie of two or three witnesses worthy of credit so far as we can discern or when we esteem an hypocrite cunningly dissembling for good and godly as did Phillip Simon Magus It is a fortunate sin to suspect him without apparent cause that dissembles and an infortunate vertue to be deceaved in him The appearance of evill by the Apostles prescript is to be absteyned from Which yet we must not understand absolutely of whatsoever seems evill unto others for then we should absteyn from all or the most good whereof there is litle but some or other misdeem it But the meaning is properly that in prophesying of which the Apostle speaks as we are to hold that which is good and proved so to be so if any thing be delivered of which we have a sinister suspicion as fearing that some poyson cleaveth to it though not plainly so discerned by us we with-hold our assent till by fayth we can receav it And in the generall that if a thing appear amisse and evill unto others especially unto weaker brethren though it be not such of it self yet we forbear it except eyther conscience of duety simply binde us unto it or that some greater conveniency appear in doing it then is the inconveniency of or to others in misconceaving of us and our doings If it be a good thing to appear good how much more to be so indeed It is also the readiest way and most compendious for any to appear and be thought wise vertuous or godly to be in truth such For God will both so far as it stands with his glory and the persons good give occasion of manifestation of that good which is and also provide that others may accordingly take knowledg of it And though many things be secret in the mean while yet when the Lord shall come he will both bring to light the hidden things of darknes and make manifest the counsels of the hearts and then shall everie one have prayse of God The Lord bestoweth his graces upon men not onely for their own good but for the good of others also and that as otherwise so for the manifesting and shewing forth the vertues of him who hath called them out of darknes into his marveylous light Who must therefore provide carefully both to be as they appear for their own comfort and to appear as they are to the glory of God and good of men Yet so as their first and greatest care herein be that their appearances be not above their existences and that they make shew of no more then they have As in the outward estate it is the high way to povertie or worse for a mans expences to exceed his receipts his layings out his comings in so in the spirituall course to overstreyn in outward manifestations is a way tending to all impudent and desperate hypocrisie under a form of godlynes without the power thereof And for other gifts as knowledg wisdom learning eloquence or the like he that in the manifestation of them will streyn above his reach may easily crack his credit and make himself ridiculous to others like the stage-player who with too much wypeing of his borrowed beard puls it from his face and so bewrayes his bare chin And though a forth-putting man play his part so well as many do that he not onely satisfy but draw into admiration his simple spectators who cannot discern between shadow and body yet shall he hardly or not at all escape the censure of vayn-glorious and arrogant by more judicious men We are oftens angry and offended at others for wronging us by conceaving a worse opinion of us then we deserv whereas in right we should be angry at our selvs for giving them occasion so to judg by our ill and suspicious appearances For albeit thereby he whose heart and way is upright in Gods sight loose not his comfort with him who sees the heart yet by his misappearances made in word or deed he may justly forfeyt his credit with men to whom it apperteyns to judg of the tree by the fruit or leavs or any other outward mark or note rayther then by the sap Cunning naughtines hath oftens more credit in the world then unadvised honestie CHAP. XLV Of Offences IT must needs be considering mans frailty Sathans mallice and Gods providence that offences come sayth Christ our Lord but wâ— be to the person by whom they come Wo be to him first that gives offence next to him that takes it where he should not as the same our Lord teacheth els where saying Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me that is who takes not occasion of stumbling to hinder himself in the way of godlynes eyther at my person or doctrine or works or followers or at the persequutions and contradictions raysed against me and myne by myne and their adversaries And considering how many such like stumbling stones are in the narrow way of Christ which leads unto life he is a happy man indeed that hath eyther power to remove them or wisdom to decline from them or nimblenes of grace to leap over them Offence may be given where none is taken as in such evill actions as whereby others may or might be but are not provoked to evill and so Peter was an offence or scandall to Christ Or offence may be taken where none is given and so Christ and the gospell were a stone of stumbling and rock of offence to both the houses of Israel and so are many good and lawfull things yea necessarie also to many now Offence also may both be given and taken in the same action and that eyther in things simply evill as when one provokes and an other is provoked to evill by false doctrine corrupt counsayl ill example or the like or in things of indifferent nature but unseasonably used to the effectuall hindrance of others in the way of godlynes In such cases as I last mentioned offence is given through want of charitie and taken through want or weaknes of fayth in the particular God would have us walk in fayth towards him and love towards men that so doing we may neyther offend God nor men But these two which the Lord hath joyned together Sathan would not onely disjoyn in many but so oppose as eyther may oppresse or destroy other Hence some are so strong in fayth and zealous for faythfulnes towards God as they are lifted up above charitie towards men not considering how they ought to receav the weak and bear and forbear them yea apply unto them in many things and drive according to their pace as fearing to offend one of those litle ones And though we may
do nothing simply evill to please men for that were to prefer them before God nor betray the truth to gratifie them so better scandall arise then truth forsaken yet are we not onely to do or leav undone things of indifferent nature wherein we have libertie for the preventing of offence and so to depart from our own right but withall both to do divers things which out of the case of offence were sin as Paul circumcised Timothy and for a time also to forbear both the publishing and practising of some truth to the which in time we do ow testimony both wayes Others on the contrarie are so full of charitie towards men and fear of offending them as that for and sometimes under pretence thereof they will both adventure to do many things which God plainly enough forbids and neglect the practise of other things commanded them and all Christs disciples in his gospell Many pretend the weaknes of others where in truth they shew their own weaknes others that they would do such and such things to which indeed both conscience of God and duty to men bindes them but for offence And what is this offence many times Surely oftens nothing els but the waspishnes of some peevish and imperious persons caryed against others with hatred or contempt or envy or divers of those passions But this is not to respect the weak in fayth but the strong in passion To be offended at good things in men which is the propertie of an evill minde is to be offended at God in men To be offended at things indifferent is to be offended as it were at men in men But to be offended at evill in men in due manner and measure is to be offended at the divell in men In this last case no man should think much at due opposition and reproof seeing it is not properly against him but against Sathan in him Readines to take offence and exception at and against other men in their faylings shews eyther weaknes of understanding in the offended when they discern not eyther of mens temptations under which they lye or what they may and ought to bear in their brethren Or it shews pride which makes men eyther out of envy apt to bark at others upon every small occasion or to despise them in their wants and weaknesses through over-valuation of their own excellencie whereas on the contrarie they should support them that they sinck not under the burden of their infirmities or els it comes from hypocrisy out of which many seek to cover both from other mens eyes from their own also their proper beam-like corruptions by quarreling at the moats in their brothers eye I never knew any more forward to take offence then such as were most apt to give it nor any more hardly brought to bear with saylings at the hands of others then such as stood in greatest need to have both God and men to bear with no small things amisse in themselves Oh hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own ey and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the moat out of thy brothers ey None should plead his own offence against a thing but his reason nor say this should not be done because it offends me but it offends me because it should not be done being contrary to the word of God To say to another do not this because it offends God shews love to God and do not this because it offends others love to men But to say do it not because it offends me without rendring further reason against it is from playn self-love and is an absurd and insolent request and motion All should take care not to offend one another but none should look much not to be offended by others for that is to nourish weaknes in himself and to provide trouble and disquietnes for himself before hand CHAP. XLVI Of Temptations GOD tempts a man and Sathan tempts him and one man tempts another Gods temptations are as he is good and for good and no other thing but so many tryals of the fayth patience love wisdom and obedience of his creatures not that he might know them for he understands the thoughts a far of but that they might have use make manifestation of the grace of the heart in outward acts that others might know them and they themselves or that by accident as they speak the contrarie vices of unbeleif impatiencie and the like might be discovered where they lye hid which is good also It is good on Gods part and for his church that mens naughtines where it is should in its time be discovered Where also we gather it to be our Saviours meaning to teach his disciples and us all in them to pray against temptations as they are provocations unto sin but not as they are moderate tryals of fayth and therewith that our heavenly father would so sweeten the bitternes of them with the sprinklings of the sence of his love in Christ as that they may not be excessive or intollerable Sathans temptations on the contrarie are as he is evill and for evill and sin eyther outwardly by fitting of objects or stirring up of instruments or provyding of furtherances of evill of all sorts or in regard of the heart and soul by suggestion of evill thereto together with the so disposing and stirring up of the humours of the body as that they may be ready instruments for the myndes inordinate passions And albeit he cannot compell eyther the understanding to assent or the will to consent or the affections to liking and so not the body to the acting of evill yet being a spirit he is undoubtedly able to unite himself in his suggestions with our spirits after an unknown manner and the same also verie perswasive specially with such as upon whom he is by the Lord in anger let loose for the punishment of former sins by latter So we read that Sathan filled the heart of Annanias entred into the heart of Iudas works in the children of disobedience and blyndes the minde of the unbeleevers Notwithstanding all which his both power and mallice seing he can doe nothing to hurt but by the permission of God and power which he hath from him and that justly given though on his part unjustly used we are still to remember the good counsayl by one given us which is never to fear the power of the divell more then the offence of God This were to fear the exequutioner more then the judg Though a man cannot be drawn away but by his own concupiscence yet may he be tempted otherwise and be compelled to suffer temptations which is humayn and divelish onely to be overcome of them by assent consent or liking And where none of these three is there is the divels sin and but mans crosse as one sayth in the temptation If the thought of evill arising in the heart be such as unto which
choaked for ever As on the contrary if a man do the thing which good is the conscience gives testimonie of Gods acceptance and therewith boldnes before him making him chearfull even in the sorrows of the world quiet in its turmoyl and happy in all extremitie of torments and withall satisfying him with the testimony from within himself against mens unjust accusations This Conscience makes a man eyther a conquerer over the whole world or a craven and ready specially in danger and being wakened to thrust his head in a hole But now the comforts are not greater in having this good conscience then are the dangers in mistaking it Many do craftily pretend it without cause merely for their credits before men whose hearts condemn them before God and whom God who is greater will condemn much more Many more are securely presumptuous and being ready to beleev that which they wish true are bold upon their good conscience so deemed not because they know and try themselvs and their wayes before the Lord by his word as they ought but because they know not nor will know and examine them And this is the vulgar conscience of ignorant persons that are free from those grosser sins which the light of nature condemns and of some others also not without understanding being of bold spirits and stout hearts and which will not easily be in fault eyther before the world or God himself There are besides these whose consciences are benummed and seared with an hâ—at iron who by practising at first and continuing after in sins against their naturall conscience have obteyned from the Lord this miserable priveledg and seal of their condemnation that their mindes should be voyd of understanding and hearts of sense and feeling even of heynous sins in time Better sayd the godly martyr sit in the stocks of this world then of an ill or accusing conscience And yet better a conscience accusing if not desperately then benummed and without feeling The dead flesh must be eaten out of the wound and sorenes come before soundnes so must a benummed conscience become accusing before it can become excusing aright The larger conscience the better if rightly informed To know that to be lawfull for me which indeed is lawfull is the perfection of understanding and strength of fayth as on the other side to be ignorant of it is to be weak both in knowledg and fayth But we must here put a difference between the conscience it self and the use of it for the largest use of conscience is not alwayes best though the judgment be Some things are so commaunded as they absolutely bynde conscience as to love God and our neighbour c. Some things again are so commanded in the generall as for example the obedience of the Magistrate keeping peace with all men and the like as yet they have this particular exception If we can without sinning on our parts for we must not do evill that we may do good But yet in these cases we are to be as large as we can and to go as far as possibly we can see it lawfull in conscience of the commandement of God Other things are in their kinde indifferent and such as we perform for our profit pleasure credit or other worldly commoditie In these we are to use lesse liberrie of conscience and to take heed that we give not the divell advantage by some blast of temptation or other to blow us into the ditch if we go to near the side of it And in observing this difference we have a conscionable use of our conscience It is a great question whether an erroneous conscience be to be followed or no and as ill resolved by many affirmatively after much dispute Not to follow it is evill and to do or leav undone that wherein the man so doing or not doing condemns himself and therein hath God also condemning him To follow it is for the blinde to follow the blinde the blinde person his blinde conscience into the ditch and to have God condemning him in his word though he justifie himself Besides then the violation of the conscience which is alwayes evill and a by-path on the left hand and the following it in evill as a by-path on the right which is sometimes worse then the former as in sins against the light of nature there is a third and midle way safe and good and that is the informing of the conscience better by Gods word and following it accordingly unto which also every person is bound for the duties of his generall and speciall calling It is the first dutie of a man to inform his conscience aright and then to follow the direction which it gives A good conscience is as the ship in which fayth sayleth to heaven and which they that put away make shipwrack of fayth We must therefore first get a good conscience by the sprinkling of the heart with the blood of Christ from the guilt of sin and with his spirit from the filth thereof and having got it must keep the same with all care and tendernes specially by eschewing presumptuous sins in which is much transgression and by which the conscience is wasted and consumed as iron by the rust We offend too much alasse through ignorance and infirmitie let us not ad to provoke the Lord by sinns against conscience in which we sin against a double voyce of God first speaking in his law and secondly in our own hearts Where this is no marvayl though the voyce of fayth and witnes of Gods spirit cease and that the conscience so violated excuse not but accuse CHAP. XLVIII Of Prayer NO christian exercise hath so many counterfeyts as prayer which whilst all would seem to practise few in truth experimentally know We may say prayers sing prayers and read prayers and hear prayers and yet not pray indeed Yea we may out of a kinde of naturall instinct by reason of the indissolible relation between the creature and creatour be caryed towards God so far as to appeal unto him or heartily wish good from him wherein as one sayth the soul gives testimonie to God and yet be far from praying aright that is from making known our requests to God according to his will with fayth in his love and the feeling of our own wants in our hearts And the reason why this true prayer is not every mans work is because God must first work it in mens hearts by powring upon them the spirit of grace and supplication thereby to teach them both what to pray as they ought for matter and how for manner and without the hand-leading of which spirit we dare not in truth approach unto God but do by reason of the guilt of sin flye from his presence as Adam did how nigh unto him soever we seem to draw Where with the Apostle I speak of making our requests known to God my meaning is not
fond love of parents the family This love Salomon respecting the effect more then the affection cals hatred saying He that spareth his rod hateth his son Notwithstanding this and that God hath left power and charge also of punishments in all societies family church and common wealth which they that exercise bear the image of Gods justice and holynes the honour whereof they are to preserv and to breed and continue in them over whom they are set a reverend aw of their authoritie for their good yet considering both mans frailtie and pronenes to offend and miserie in suffering for offences all in authoritie should still encline to the more favourable part and rayther to come short then to exceed measure in punishing even where the offence is evident and where it is doubtfull to forbear at any hand He that punisheth another whether as judg or exequutioner eyther must know legally that he hath done evill and deserved it otherwise the authoritie of the whole world cannot bear him out from being a murtherer before God The law which sayth Thou shalt not murther forbids specially violence in judgment Besides punishments must be administred with sorrow and commiseration as rewards with joy and gladnes It is pittie men should deserv punishments and deserving them pittie but they should have them yet are we to pitty them in their miserie also which he that doth remembers himself to be a man Lastly it is worthy the observing which one hath that in all punishments respect is to be had to things to come rayther then past For howsoever the punishment be just onely in lieu of the offence committed yet is it profitable onely because it tends to prevent after offences eyther in the person punished or in others warned by it And hereupon another would not have a wise man punish because an offence is committed but least it should be committed afterwards of which the former renders this reason that things past cannot be recalled but things to come may be prevented Temporary torments specially those more great are greivous to conceav of how much more to undergoe yet will the sad and serious consideration of those that are eternall eat them up as it were and make them seem nothing in comparison Whereupon it was that Polycarpus tould the proconsul who threatned to burn him if he did not renounce Christ Thou threatnest me with the fire which would burn for a time but presently after should be extinguished because thou art ignorant of the fire of the judgment to come prepared for the eternall punishment of the wicked Fear not them then which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul But rayther fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell CHAP. LIIII Of the Affections of the minde OVR affections as love sorrow fear and the rest are common to us with bruit beasts which therefore the understanding must order that they be not bruiteish and with them the will for its yeilding of consent to their motions or withholding it from them But as the litle sticks set the greater wood a burning so do they most what set the understanding and will aworking in sensuall objects For example One sees a naturally pleasing good thing but belonging to another or not to him as Achans wedg of gold His affection of love and appetite is inordinately caryed unto it and is ready to sollicit the will to consent to the getting and enjoying of it But now if the understanding do its dutie it steps in represseth the affection and restreyneth the will by discerning and discovering that the good thing desyred is anothers and therefore not to be desyred or had by him But as the fumes arysing from a corrupt stomack darken and dim the bodily eyes so in sensuall persons the understanding is commonly besides its own inherent blyndnes so corrupted with partiall and brutish affections as that it neglecteth all due search and disquisiâ—ion and unadvisedly judgeth that good which is pleasing to appetite and sense and so being sweyed and led by the affections as a foolish waggoner by his horses draws with it the wils consent which obteyned the evill is done in Gods account and wants onely opportunitie for outward effect Although the seat of the affections be the soul whose motions they are and not the bodyes yet do they more or lesse vehemently and efficatiously act and exercise themselvs as the blood and spirits the souls immediate instruments are more or lesse fitted to their hand Hence is it that anger in the heart moved by some occasion is so vehement in a cholerick body sorrow or fear in a melancholick and so for the rest These our affections are eyther merely naturall in us or sanctifyed by grace or morally corrupt and inordinate Nature and so naturall affections is content with a litle corruption not with a great deal as the thirst which is naturall is quenched with a draught or two but that which is unnaturall and agueish not with a whole vessell of drink This and the reason of it he layes down wittily that sayth Naturall desires are finite but those arysing from false opinion have no limits as he that goes his right way hath some end of his journey he that wanders none And as for sanctified affections they alasse are too feeble in us and as Iehu was known by his furtous marching so may they be by their soft and lazy pace neyther if they were excessive were they sanctified that is directed by grace and good reason nor are they easily so if they be any thing vehement but have commonly too much flesh mingled with them And no marvayl for setting our affections above where Christ is and whither the spirit of grace advanceth them we clime up the hill and withall draw after us the clog of our flesh lusting the contrarie way whereas sensuall men led by their lusts goe down the hill and are caryed headlong to evill Besides sensuall objects are present to the outward senses by which the affections are moved but things spirituall are seen a far of as needing the direction and discourse of fayth for provokeing of affection unto them which makes their work in this case more weak and slow Yet being created faculties they are the greater the better if rightly ordered And so it is not unbrobably sayd by some that Christ had the greatest fear sorrow anger c. upon him that ever man had or could have But as the stronger the horses in the waggon are though the better yet the more dangerous so are those horses of the soul in us lest by misguidance they overthrow all And as for violent and inordinate affections the person in whom they are found how wise or wel meaning soever otherwise or howsoever bent upon some good course is no more to be trusted to then the charyot drawn by unbroken horses going for the present quietly on and in a good way
receav it with advantage Of this sort are they who use to dispraise themselvs that others may the more commend them and who forsooth will alwayes come the hindmost and sit the lowest that they may be the more solemnly preferred to the first place Others also their crafts-maysters in this trade will be very submissive to their superiours which are but a few that their inferiours being many may learn thereby to honour them the more So Herod shewed how desirous he was of honour from his subjects by the honour which he gave to Caesar and Agrippa Lastly there are who put on pride by strutting and looking and speaking stately and other affected forth-puttings to free themselvs from contempt Such are like Esops Asse in the Lyons skin and have like successe with him in the end The proud so loves himself as none other can endure him Not God for to him he is abhominable nor humble men because he is not as they are and as he should be nor other prouds because he is as they are who would be singular and have none other like them And as God hates the proud so he resists them and no marvayl for they in a singular manner resist him Some sinners are most directly immediately against themselvs as the â—louthfull prodigall c. some against other men as the covetous slaunderer cruell c. But the proud exalts himself most directly against above God whom alone all creatures should exalt and magnifie And he whom God resists must needs fall though the whole world would take his part Persons are vulgarly most noted for proud by their apparaell And indeed by it if eyther too costly for stuffe or affected for fashion or curiously put on not onely the flag of pride as Augustin cald it is displayed but the vice nourished Many say to their fine cloaths in effect as Saul said to Samuel Honour me before the people And this also they may effect with them that know them not nor their estates and may get them more credit with such then they deserv for which they are to answer God But to them that know them and their condition they thereby make themselvs a by-word and ridiculous for their pride and vanitie A second mark of pride may be taken from mens lofâ—ie eyes stretched forth necks and other the like strutting gestures A third contempt of mean persons and things A fourth excessive care not to be neglected or contemned by others and trouble if so it fall out A fifth Continuall striving and janglings with others A sixt Crueltie in word or deed towards feeble adversaries A seaventh Affectation of singularitie being unlike to others Good men in evill dayes are compelled to be singular in many things as Lot was in Sodom but never affect it An eighth An aptnes to observ and task others as proud Lastly A readines to speak of ones own worth or of his great acceptance with others of worth Thraso like The speciall remedyes against pride are first Consideration how God forbids hates and resists the proud who will therefore have a fall if not upon earth into hell Secondly Meditation upon our sins and miserie for the same Thirdly Thinking raâ—ther what good we have not then what we have Fourthly That if in any good thing we goe before others we remember that it is God that hath differenced us and that having receaved it we should not glory as if we had not receaved it Fiftly A serious fore casting with our selvs that the more our receipts are the greater our account to the Lord must be which if we consider as we ought will rayther make them matter of humiliation unto us then of arrogancie Lastly it will something help to keep the heart down if we consider that others are instruments of Gods glory and of good to men as well as we CHAP. LVIII Of Modestie MOdestie adorns other vertues and good things in a person as blushing doth a comely countenance And though many vertues of which it is a very unperfit one as some call it and as others the keeper of other vertues be more serviceable yet none is more gracefull in the eyes of others then this mayden and swâ—et grace modestie For this some have thought our saviour bare that singular affection to the beloved disciple And what a loadstone it is to draw mens affections we all finde in our own experience as being prone in matters of comparison and controversie between others rayther to favour the more modest then the more able or more worthy eyther otherwise Where it is it covers many faults and inabilities from being seen and where they do appear procures sometimes excuse and alwayes commiseration It commends a Man not onely for that which he hath but often even for that which he hath not For as some by arrogateing to themselvs something which they have not or know not give others occasion to think them destitute of that which they have or know indeed so others modestie in the things which they have receaved procures unto them often times the opinion from other men of having that which in truth they want Even a fool when he holdeth his peace which modestie will teach him to do is accounted wise It is an odious thing to see men deserving litle to arrogate much to themselvs which yet is as usuall as for a wyndy stommack to swell and that specially in vain confidence and conceipt of knowledg whereas men of understanding indeed are more modestly mynded The formers brayn by streytnes of apprehension can hold but one thing at once whereas men of larger discourse so apprehend this or that reason for or against a matter as that at the same instant other things also offer themselvs to their consideration which may justly occasion modest doubting about it And as an advised person by the reflection of his understanding knows his knowledg so doth he his ignorance as we see a shadow by the light about it without which all would be black darknes So Menedemus was wont to say that men comeing to studie in Athens were at first wise men after that very punyes and ignorants for that as leather vessels or bags being emptie are stiffe and hard but being filled with â—â—quour are soft and plyable so is it with men commonly as they have lesse or more knowledg This tincture of vertue as Diogenes cals it though it be more usefull for the young then old and for women then men for the covering of their infirmities which through immodest boldnes irrespectivenes and want of fear of shame and reproof in which modestie consists they proclaym to the world yet is it necessarie for all states sexes and persons at all times whether alone or in company with others whether conversing with God or men The Apostle testifies of himself that he served God amongst the Ephesians in modestie of minde and many tears
into how many needles dangers do they throw themselvs in which many perish besides those into which God brings them and that all their life long Above all other how great and many are their spirituall dangers both for nourishing and encreasing the corruption which they bring into the world with them and for diverting them from all goodnes which Gods grace and mens endeavour might work in them These dangers and difficulties howsoever they make not Gods blessings in giving children to be no blessings or deserving to be lightly esteemed yet should they moderate our desire of them and greif for their want that none should say eyther to God or one to another as Rahell did to Iakob Give me children or els I dye specially if we weigh withall that though the Lord give us divers towardly good yet one or two proving leaud and wicked will break our tender hearts more then all the rest will comfort us like as in the naturall body there is more greif by the akeing of some one part though but a tooth then comfort and ease in the good and sound state of all the rest If children considered aright of the carefull thoughts sorrows and fears and sore peyns withall of their parents they would think they ought them more honour service and obedience then for the most part they do We seldom consider and prize worthily the cares and peyns of parents till we become parents our selvs and learn them by experience Many bodily diseases are hereditarie and so are many spirituall in a sort and that both by naturall inclination and morall imitation much more that as the Lord sayth of Israell Thou art thy mothers daughter so may it be sayd of many that they are their fathers and mothers sons and daughters in evill Yet if it so come to passe that God vouchsafe grace to the childe of a wicked father and that he see the sins which he hath done he commonly hates them more vehemently then if they had been in a stranger and good reason considering how they have been his dearest parents ruine Yea further even where grace is wanting the child oft tymes by observing and sometimes by feeling also the evils of his fathers sin is driven though not from his evill way into a good way yet into the contrary evill Thus a covetous father oftens makes a prodigall son so doth a prodigall a covetous The son of the covetouse takeing knowledg how odious his fathers covetousnes is to all and therewith perswading himself and being perswaded by others about him that there is enough and more then enough for him takes occasion as prodigally to pour our as his father hath mizerly hoarded up as on the contrarie the son of the prodigall both seeing feeling the hurt of his parents lavishnes is thereby provoked to lay the harder about him for the repayring of his fathers ruines Love rayther descends then ascends as streams of water do and no marvayl if men love where they live as parents doe in children and not they in them Hence also is it that grandfathers are more affectionate towards their childrens children then to their immediates as seeing themselvs further propagated in them and by their means proceeding on to a further degree of eternity which all desire naturally if not in themselvs yet in their posteritie And hence it is that children brought up with their grandfathers or grandmothers seldom do well but are usually corrupted by their too great indulgencie It is much controverted whether it be better in the generall to bring up children under the severitie of discipline and the rod or no. And the wisdom of the flesh out of love to its own alleges many reasons to the contrarie But say men what they will or can the wisdom of God is best and that sayth that foolishnes is bound up in the heart of a child which the rod of correction must drive out and that he who spares his rod hurts his son not in the affection of person but effect of thing And surely there is in all children though not alike a stubbernnes and stoutnes of minde arising from naturall pride which must in the first place be broken and beaten down that so the foundation of their education being layd in humilitie and tractablenes other vertues may in their time be built thereon This fruit of naturall corruption and root of actuall rebellion both against God and man must be destroyed and no manner of way nourished except we will plant a noursery of contempt of all good persons and things and of obstinacie therein It is commendable in a horse that he be stout and stomackfull being never to be left to his own government but alwayes to have his rider on his back and the bit in his mouth But who would have his childe like his horse in his bruitishnes Indeede such as are of great stomack being throughly broken and informed become verie serviceable for great designes els of horses they become asses or worse as Themistocles his mayster told him when he was a childe that eyther he would bring some great good or some great hurt to the common wealth Neyther is there need to fear left by this breaking the children of great men should prove base spirited and abject and so unapt to great imployments for being Adams sons whose desire was to have been like unto God and having those advantages for maysterfulnes and highthoughts which great mens children want not unto whom great affayrs are appropriated usually they will not easily be found unfurnished of stomack and stoutnes of minde more then enough wherein a litle is dangerous specially for making them unmeet for Christs yoak and to learn of him who was lowly and meâ—k For the beating and keeping down of this stubbornnes parents must provide carefully for two things First that childrens wils and wilfulnes be restreyned repressed and that in time lest sooner then they imagine the tender sprigs grow to that stiftnes that they will rayther break then bow Children should not know if it could be kept from them that they have a will in their own but in their parents keeping neyther should these words be heard from them save by way of consent I will or I will not And if will be suffered at first to swey in them in small and lawfull things they wil hardly after be restreyned in great and ill matters which their partiall conceipt and inexperienced youth with the lusts thereof and desire of libertie shall deem small and lawfull as the former And though good education specially the grace of God may afterwards purge out much other evill and weaken this also yet will such unbroken youth most commonly draw after it great disquietnes in crosses when they fall and in the whole course of life a kinde of unweyldines inflexibilitie and obstinacie prejudiciall to the partyes themselvs and uncomfortable at least to such as converse with them The second help