our Blessed Lord and his Apostles and of all the Noble and Heroick Spirits the Martyrs and Confessors of all Ages whose Sufferings came not from Providence in a penal Way but as a Privilege Nay sometimes as in an useful especially in a publick Person they suffer so much not altogether to prove or punish themselves as to perplex others and punish the People thereby For the Sins and Transgressions of a People many are the Changes of Princes says Solomon Prov. 28.2 As on the contrary others Success is oft-times only to complete the time of their Respit before they are Dragged to Punishment or to allow them their full Measure of good things which as our Saviour intimates are more liberally proportioned out to them in this Life because they are to have none in the next till they have filled up the Measuâ—e of their Sins and so are Ripe for the Judgment of Providence So that as it is no Signification of God's Dislike that one Suffers by Providence for what Son or beloved is it the Father chasteneth not saith the Apostle Heb. 12.7 So neither is it of his liking and Favor that another succeeds by it there being as to this one Event as the Wise Man says both to the Righteous and the wicked Eccles. 9.2 I add lastly that what Favor or Disfavor the Event of Providence in way of Human Appearance carries with it is not to be soon Determined till the whole Train is seen the upshot whereof may and often doth lie very Remote and till it appears which Party is most Prosperous and Successful in the End The greatest present Unsuccessfulness is most Ordinarily made use of by Providence as a Step to much more valuable future Successes It s Method is to bring Light out of Darkness and to compass Final Successes by intermediate Disappointments And who then can say assuredly that Providence is for one or against another till they have run out the whole Length of the Chain of Effects and the End appears And this oft lies very far off much further it may be than we are like to live to see what it will prove And till this is seen all judging of the Favor or Disfavor of Providence from what Events went before is most uncertain not Right Judgment but Self-Flattery and Delusion whereof each Party serves and wherewithal it pleases it self according as its turn comes in the Ebbs and Flows and various Vicissitudes of the intermediate Successes Thus upon all these Accounts to name no more tho there is a Real Liking or Disliking in the Events of Providence which is known to and Design'd by God himself Yet is the Application of this to things or Persons so much all Uncertainties and the Favor or Disfavor of Issues so promiscuous as appears to us that from the Events of Providence alone we cannot learn whom he loves or whom he hates what is Pleasing or Displeasing to him No man as Solomon says in this case can know either Love or Hatred Good or Evil by all that is before him Eccl. 9.1 To learn this from Providence besides the visible Events we must weigh the Merit of Actions from Laws and stay the Final End of Successes which are the Recompence of them And when those are seen but not before from the Qualities of Persons and Attempts we must read whether any Success were for a just Encouragement of the Actors Righteousness or Punishment of the Sufferers Wickedness whether it is for Proof and Trial or for Recompence Always making the Voice of Providence to assert and establish the Moral Nature of things and the Laws and Duties Revealed in Scripture but never in any wise to Deny or Gainsay them And therefore the Signification of Providence is not to teach those that are ignorant of their Duty or of Good and Ill but only those that already understand it It is no Expositor of the Will of God to those who know it not but only an encourager of its Observance to those who know what it is Hence Men ought never to Cry up the hand of God or Call in Providence to Prove the Goodness of any Actions but only to press those which were Proved before It is not to instruct Men what is their Duty but to carry them on to the observance of those Duties wherein they are otherwise already instructed Hence also we must not think it enough in any Attempts to say we follow Providence and go as God makes way for us We are to follow Laws not Opportunities For Providence affords us Opportunities to break Laws as well as to keep them Power and Opportunity are among the necessary Causes of all that is Done And Providence puts things in Mens Power and Gives them Opportunity to Do them But Opportunities for ill things are not Warranties but only Trials and Temptations All ill Men follow Providence when they accomplish ill things which they could not Do without Providence Gave Opportunities and when Good Men whom they are pursuing for ill Ends falâ— into their Hands If any therefore are ignorant what their Duty is and trust to learn it from the Issues of Providenceâ— taking any Way for the Will and Command oâ— God when they see the hand of God or some remarkable Success attending it this will lead them into infinite Delusions It will carry them to justifie the most wicked Actions recorded in Scripture or in Daily Experience infinite Numbers whereof in all Times and Places God for wise Ends permits or speeds and prospers and thaâ— against the most Beloved Persons not excepting his own Son or the holy Church Besides as it is made to justifie the Urgers of it in their Waâ— to Day it may be and ordinarily is as well made to Shame and Condemn them to Morrow Successes usually running as at one time remarkably for so at another time as remarkably against them It is no Rule for the wise and well instructed who never take it for a Rule of Duty but always bring it to the Rule and expound the Liking or Disliking of God therein by their known Duty It is only a Rule for the Ignorant to take up and those as it finds so it will leave ignorant of their Duty nay which is worse it will mislead them as I say into the Greatest Errors and Violations thereof carrying them into Sin and Shame enough too before they have Done It is a way for Men that know or may know they are Doing ill to flatter themselves or abuse others with faint but false Colors of God's acceptance And this may pass among the Worldly Wise who seek to be in Ease and Credit in their Worldly Injoyments 'T is a Part of Worldly Prudence so to expound these Events of Providence not as may best serve their Duty but their Worldly Ends. But he who would be Spiritually Wise or Wise for his Duty must always fetch it from the Laws of God which are the Rule of Duty And never make Providence which
Truths which a little deliberation and enquiry would shew to be Falshoods Former Tenets and Opinions which usually are so very tedious and difficult to be extirpated shall be laid aside upon much less Argument and offer of proof than that whereby they had before been maintained Yea the very same things shall be offered as good Arguments which when offered by others had been cast out and confuted as false ones Variety of Topicks shall be started to make up in number what they lack in weight And tho all are so uncertain that they who use them keep themselves upon the reserve and are afraid to stand or fall by any one alone yet they shall conclude that some or other of them is right and sufficient to prove what they draw from it Which I think is not the way of seeking Truth but serving Interest 'T is to resolve upon the conclusion before one sees the Reason which can make it good Worldly Wisdom says this must be held and then if one Topick that is pressed for proof cannot make it out another must Yea confessedly weak and false Arguments shall pass for Evidence and great Names or Numbers when they fall on this side fleshly Wisdom will call in its own Case a proof of Right Tho looking abroad every where else in the World where store of Opinions about other matters have these same Supports and yet are condemned by our selves at the same time in our Neighbors Case it shall be ready to Declare that Names and Numberâ— are no sure Argument of Truth but too commonly the false colour and fair show of Errour These and such like are the effects of that affected ignorance which worldly Wisdom would be held in of any Duties which it is like to lose by And this is quite opposite to spiritual Prudence and must never be yielded to by any that would make sure their eternal concerns or pass for truly religious honest virtuous Dispositions In matters of Salvation the best and truest security is being in the right way And I know no relief for any man in the wrong but a sincere willingness to see and follow the right when the Providence of God shall lay it sufficiently before him Which gives no relief at all to those who for want of love to a saving Truth especially when persecuted and through too much love of this world are afraid to come in the way thereof and unwilling to let it in 1. It is not enough for one that seeks to approve himself a good man that he follow that Duty which he sees but he must also take care to see every thing which is his Duty that he may follow it The Knowledge of our Duty must not sure be ranked among indifferent things for Faith as well as Obedience makes up the Gospel-terms To believe and know what Christianity makes necessary to be known is as requisite as to Do what it makes necessary to be Done Nay to know those things which are necessary to be Done is as necessary as to Do them since we cannot do them till we know them Indeed if the Ptovidence of God affords not an honest mind the opportunity of such Knowledge he will graciously connive both at the want of Knowledge and Practice But if we have no mind to know what we might know we shall suffer both for the want of Practice and Knowledge 'T is plainly there a want of Virtue in the heart that causes a want of Understanding in the head such evil doers as our Lord says love darkness and hate the light and will not come to it lest their deeds should be reproved Joh. 3.19 20. An honest mind must never be unwilling or afraid to see its Duty no not where 't is most costly It must have a Love for it when 't is persecuted as well as when 't is applauded when in the eye of the world it is a losing as well as when it is a gaining Virtue They must receive the love of the Truth that they may receive the belief thereof and to keep off as St. Paul says from being of their number that perish in their unrighteousness by believing lyes because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved thereby 2 Thess. 2.10 11 12. This Love will not only make them to listen to it but to be inquisitive after it where sufficient instruction is not voluntarily offer'd and thankfully to see and receive the will of God whether it be with their worldly interest and fleshly inclination or against them And this is true Docility and Teachableness of Temper which is what the Scripture calls the ear to hear or the necessary Preparative profitably to hear a Religious or Moral Lecture 'T is necessary to Faith especially of those Truths or Laws of God which are more unsavoury and uneasie to flesh and blood And being such a previous Requisite of Faith and implied in it 't is sometimes in Scripture expressed thereby Pray that I may be delivered from unreasonable men says St. Paul for all men have not faith 2 Thess. 3.2 Noting those who receive or reject what is tender'd only by Humour or inclination of Flesh and Blood not by Reason as men void of Faith i. e. of a teachable Temper and Disposition 3. Thirdly Christian Prudence is alike for taking care of both Tables or for discharging faithfully as all the Duties of Piety so equall all others of Justice and Morality Since both are equally parts of God's will they are equally a matter of its care and its constant aim and study is how it may inviolably observe both and transgress neither but never to set one against the other Both Tables it receives as coming from one Authority and claiming one Obedience Well knowing that he that said Thou shalt not worship an Idol said also Thou shalt not kill or steal And if thou keep free from Idolatry yet if thou kill as St. James argues in this case thou art become a Transgressor of the Law Jam. 2.11 There is no transgressing of one to save another nay there is no breaking of one to save all For whosoever shall keep the whole Law besides saith the same Apostle and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all v. 10. And if for breaking that one he will be punish'd as if he had broke all there cannot be any room left to think of breaking one tho it were upon pretence to save all Which I call a Pretence because indeed it is a mere Pretence For the Commandments never oppose one another and we can never reasonably pretend to break the latter that we may keep the former since if we please we may at all times keep both and as we never can have any Authority so neither can we be under any necessity of breaking either The Effect and Consequence I shall observe from hence is 1. First That we never oppose the first to the second Table As the Pharisees who to keep
worldly Perils Very Frightful were these Perils in the Apostles days which Drive many from this way of Couragious Confessors to shifts of Deserting Cowardice tempting them sometimes to conceal themselves and to forsake the Publick Assemblies against both which St. Paul absolutely declares Rom. 10.9 10. Heb. 10.23 25 and sometimes to fall quite off from the way of Christ to that of their Persecutors And what now doth he that sits upon the Throne say to such Persons As he that continueth constant or overcomes shall inherit all things So the fearful or cowardly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Unbelievers or false and unfaithful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. the timorous mistrustful Deserters who fell in their Tryals for want of Faith and Patiâ—nce formerly held the Glory of Saints tho now made the scoff and derision of prophane Spirits these says he together with Murderers and Whore-mongers and Idolaters all Lyars shall have their part in the Lake which burns with Fire and Brimstone which is the second Death Rev. 21.7 8. Among all Reprobates yea before all he first places these Cowardly Deserters for their share in this Lake of Fire and Brimstone says Tertullian The Foundation of this Confessorian Constancy and Freeness is Love to Christ and to his Laws and Doctrines For when Love is perfect as St. John says it casts out Fear which in time of Danger is the Parent of all Revolting tergiversations or hypocritical and unlawful Compliances And herein adds he is our Love made perfect that we may have Boldness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Freeness and Fearlesness in Confession which it is the Perfection of Love to inspire us with in the Day of Judgment or when brought before any Tribunal for the Cause of Christ because as he is so are we in this world viz. in a Persecuted state wherein we are to shew this Constancy and Courage as he did 1 Joh. 4·17 18. And the Cure of Cowardice or the Spirit of Fear St. Paul notes is by the Spirit of Love which is the Spirit of Power 2 Tim. 1.7 And therefore the Spirit writing to the Church of Ephesus which was it seems in danger of falling into the Practices of the temporizing Gnosticks when he calls them back to their former Courage and Constancy in Tryals bids them return to their first Love Rev. 2.4 This Love to Christ and the ways of Godliness when in a great many it is strong enough for times of Peace is apt to be much shaken and impaired in their hearts in times of Tryal and Persecutions Because iniquity i. e. of Persecutors as the Context shews shall abound love of many says our Saviour shall wax cold Mat. 24.12 And as it decays so will the Confessorian Constancy and Courage which is shewn by virtue thereof and timorous Haltings Compliances and Revolts will still succeed in its place But he that shall endure unto the end or whose Love and Constancy at such times shall both hold out the same shall be saved v. 13. But now quite contrary to this is the way of worldly Prudence which is never for professing Persecuted Truths or practising Persecuted Duties It s care is not how to confess but how to conceal or Dissemble its Sentiments at such times Instead of looking then to the Duty it looks to it self and considers not what is Good but what is safe Distressed Virtue at the best it neglects or Disclaims in open view which it thinks to make up by approving or practising it in Private It divides it self between God and the World and seeks to content him by a Secret or invisible Observance and to content it too by open and visible Neglects or Violations of oppressed Religion and Righteousness on such Tryals But now instead of conscionable lawful Prudence this is nothing but wicked Subtilty and mere carnal or Satanical Suggestions For to persuade on any trying Call not to shew forth an incumbred and afflicted Duty but to let it alone is the Voice of Flesh and Blood not of Religion it never comes from God but from Satan So Christ told Peter when he counselled him to fly the Obedience of the Cross and instead of that costly way of Doing the Will of God to look more to himself Get thee behind me Satan saith he thou art an offence unto me for thou savourest not the things that be of God but the things that be of men or mere carnal humane Wisdom Mat. 16.23 24. And thereupon he immediately repeats this Precept to his Disciples telling them If any man will come after me he must not hearken to Peter's Advice to stand still or step out of the way when the Cross is laid upon any Duty but take up his Cross and follow me And follow me i. e. going on still under the Burden of the Cross in the Duty whereto I call and going on also therein after my Example as you see notwithstanding the Cross now in my way I do v. 24. It is a deceitful Shuffling on both sides playing fast and loose or Halting between two Opinions as those of Israel did who in their hearts stood right for God but yet to please Ahab and Jezabel and for fear of the Times externally Complied in the Worship of Baal and went to his Sacrifices Whom Elijah the Prophet reproved saying How long halt ye between two Opinions If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal then follow him 1 King 18 21. If it were enough thus to serve one invisibly in our Hearts whilst we visibly serve the other in external appearance there would be no necessity of what our Lord declared that no man can serve two Masters Mat. 6.24 It is at best but to affect the Duty whilst we plainly fly all the Scandal and Offence thereof Which if it be a lawful Prudence there is no ingagement to preach up Persecuted Truths against Persecuting Errours as St. Paul thought there was for all the Cross that lay upon it when he preached down Circumcision so zealously set up by the Jews Gal. 5.11 There will be an end of the Scandal of the Cross which when tack'd to any Duty will be no longer a Scandal or an Occasion of Sin if we may lawfully pass it by and let the Duty it is laid upon alone without Sin Especially taking up the Cross when placed in the way of Confession could never be the Condition of Worthiness in Christ's Disciples as our Lord declares it is Mat. 10.32 38. and afterwards in opposition to Peter's Advice of ways to Prevent it by forbearing the Duties burden'd with it which he imputes as I noted to carnal Wisdom and the Suggestion of Satan Mat. 16.23 24. Men may bear the Cross when it comes upon them by Necessity and they cannot help it But then only they take it up when they might let it alone if they would viz. by forbearing or avoiding the Duty whereto it comes annexed And if they may be worthy
if any means serve the Flesh and be desirable upon that account it little troubles or concerns it self whether it savour of Veracity or Deceit whether in the account of Conscience and Religion it be good or bad Now this virtuous Simplicity is an undisguised and invariable Tenour of Truth and Innocence It excludes all doing hurt and is especially opposite to all the ways and Methods of Deceit It speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nazianzen marks of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Simplicity of his Father i. e. undisguisedness of Soul and unfallaciousness of Manners or Conversation Whatever it seems it is and it never is what will vex or harm others It is â—eracity without Lyes Singleness without Double-dealings or corrupt Mixtures Openness without studied Concealment and close Reserves of what it is call'd to profess Plainness without amusing or misleading Dress of what it professes and Harmlesness without doing any Wrong or Hurt to others Such an uniform Veracity and Undeceitfulness both of Mind and Carriage is that Simplicity which Christian Prudence requires of us And which God calls for when he bids us to throw out all Deceit Mar. 7.22 to lay aside all Guile and Hypocrisies 1 Pet. 2.1 to be no Deceitful workers 2 Cor. 1â— 13 And declares him only to be fit to stay in God's Tabernacle and dwell in his holy Hill who speaketh the Truth in his heart or whose words never go against the thoughts and intents of his Heart but always express and bear out what is there Psal. 15.1 2. 1. The First thing implied in virtuous Simplicity which Christian Prudence injoyns is Veracity in opposition to Falshood and Lyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesychius explains by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being sincere by being true or veracious Simplicity bottoms all on Truth which it never tempers or brews together or daubs over with Falshood He that is for Simplicity in Truth must needs abhor Lyes never speaking contrary to what he thinks which sure is not to speak the Truth in his heart as God requires nor giving in a False Testimony of Persons or Relation of things 1. This will exclude all spontaneous use of False Speeches when of themselves men are ready to frame or tell Lyes for Ends. Contrary to the Rule of Spiritual Wisdom which every where most plainly forbids Lying and says Lye not one to another Brethren seeing ye have put off the Old man Col. 3.9 and tells us of the Lake of Fire for those that love and make Lyes Rev. 21.8 27. And also all speaking Lyes out of Fear or Compliance when for escaping Rebuke or soothing men any Persons expresly assent to things against their own Judgments or say and unsay in different Companies Thus to the Deacons who going about from house to house were like to be under the Temptation to say and unsay or speak different things as might best suit with different Companies St. Paul gives it as a particular Charge not to be double-tongued 1 Tim. 3.8 Nâ—t double-tongued that is says Theophylact 〈◊〉 thinking one thing and saying another or saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one thing to one and another thing to another And to the Ephesians that putting away lying they speak every man truth with his neighbour as being members one of another forbidding Lyes not only in direct Assertions but in Soothing and Dissimulation against those as Grotius observes who to curry Favour with Jews or Gentiles were apt to speak contrary to what they thought Eph. 4.25 'T is not for such virtuously simple Persons to speak Lyes in Officiousness or with intent to hurt none but to do others a kindness For ill is not to be done that good may come of it and therefore to do others a kindness they may no more break this than they may any other Precept The Rule of Kindness to our Neighbour is to love him as our selves but tell a Lye we dare not for the sake of our own Advantage and so not for his Nay we must not tell a Lye in hopes to do good thereby to Religion or for the sake of God himself This really was the Case of Job's Friends They were forgers of lyes against him Job 13.4 But all those were officious Lyes or out of their Officiousness as I before noted to God himself And yet Job's was a just Reproof against them Will ye speak wickedly for God and deceitfully for him v. 7. Veracity or speaking Truth we must carefully practise not only for its Usâ—fulness or doing Kindness but for the Truth 's sake We must bear a conscientious regard to it as it bears the Image of God wherein we were at first formed and whereto we are renewed in Christ. Put on the new man says the Apostle which after God is created in true Holiness or the holiness of Truth Wherefore putting away lying speak every man Truth c. Eph. 4.24 25. God is the God of Truth and of Veracity or true speaking And the Devil God's grand Enemy is particularly noted as the Father of Lyes and a Spirit of Falshood And as the Authors and Heads themselves are so are their Children distinguish'd by the same They that love and speak Truth are Children of the God of Truth as they that love and utter Lyes are Children of the Father of Lyes For his Children they are as our Saviour told the Jews whose works and lusts they do And he abode not in the Truth from the beginning because there is no Truth in him When he speaks a Lye he speaks it of his own for he is a Lyar and the Father of it Joh. 8.39 44. Veracity then or speaking Truth is what we are bound to not only as beneficial to our Neighbours but as resembling God or bearing his Image and being a Divine Perfection And accordingly this is the injunction of the Scriptures not to lye one to another whatever be the Pretence to speak as the Psalmist says that Truth which is in our heart not that Falshood which makes for our Brother's convenience To put away all guile and hypocrisies which admits not of retaining any to serve turns as St. Peter says 1 Pet. 2.1 Some indeed have fetch'd a Plea for Officious Lyes from the Case of the Egyptian Midwives or the Practice of David in his Distress when he fled from Saul or other Scripture-instances But the Practice of a Good Man is no Argument a thing is well done if it be visibly against the Rule of Well-doing No not tho it have encouragement from God as in the Case of the Midwives whose houses God built for their sparing the Israelitish infants For in such mixt Actions a Gracious God is prone to reward the Good which is predominant and over-look the ill which is compassionably interwoven with it as he did with the Midwives if they spoke falsly recompensing their Charity not their officious Falseness Not to dispute whether what they said was really false