they Patronize by their own Sincerity and Fairness They must never teach us how to cozen or insnare others They must never lie in Quirks and evasive Senses which Deceitfulness of the Laws themselves will ungird and prostitute them and only teach People how to cheat in their Obedience It will cut off the Simplicity of Obedience and call Subjects only to the invention of Subtleties to out-wit Laws instead of observing them For Laws are not kept but cozen'd and abused by evasive Glosses 〈◊〉 that this Simplicity as it must be most in â—â—â—mises chiefly when backed by solemn Oaths 〈◊〉 more especially when these are made by 〈◊〉 or Magistrates who are Sacred Persons 〈◊〉 most especially when they are made also in â—â—â—dience to Laws and in Words prescribed by 〈◊〉 â—aws themselves 〈◊〉 now contrary to all these Ways and 〈◊〉 of Simplicity is the Way of Worldly 〈◊〉 It may sometimes be for taking things 〈◊〉 and by bare-faced Violence where it 〈◊〉 â—ower enough But it s ordinary Method is â—â—â—ctise more covertly and its great Instruâ—â—â—â— is Craft and Deceit When there is need 〈◊〉 it is not apt to stick at forging a 〈◊〉 Lye and unpalliable Falshood to bring its 〈◊〉 about But where it practises with more 〈◊〉 facedness it will deceive as effectually by 〈◊〉 but deceitful Truths which are only 〈◊〉 Truths but real Falshoods Sometimes 〈◊〉 the end it may be mistaken it will hide it self 〈◊〉 Mist of Words At others it will play upon 〈◊〉 Faith of Men by Ambiguities of Words and â—â—â—â—ences expecting they will bite at one meanâ—â—â—â— whilst it reserves another to it self Or if 〈◊〉 doth not fall upon them to deceive directly iâ— will lead them about craftily by a Circle of Words or Circumlocutions intermixing secretly 〈◊〉 and false and laying Snares till it has got them within the Compass of Deceit at last It will be open in so much as shall serve its turn and artificially conceal what makes against it It represents things not as they are in themselves but in such Dress as best suits its own purpose amplifying or detracting palliating or disguiâ—sing not so as sets off its own Thoughts but 〈◊〉 Convenience Or if it is so nice as to boggle at the Abuse of Words it will more easily swallow a like Juggle and Deceit in Actions It will give the outward Appearances without inward Realities seem to be what it is not and not to be what it is Do in all things like those that profess what it thinks not or that denies what it really believes The outward Shews of its Belief or Expectations Mind and Judgmentâ— of its Desires or Affections what pleases or dislikâ—â— it are not the true Draught of its inward Sentiments but only of its outward Interests It pretends what it gets by not what it really is or believes and seeks it self not what it shews in all its Pretences Its Appearances are Hypocrisie its secret end still self-design its Method not Truth but Delusion not harmlesness to others but preventing tho by any Loss of theirs all Harm Dissatisfaction or Disappointment to it self So that instead of being true and single plain and open innocent and undesigning a worldly wise Man is all Lyes and Falshood Trick and Deceit full of Turnings and Windings Shifts and Evasions Mists and false Colors meer Shews and Pretences pretending and appearing one thing but being and intending another and never true to what he seems further than that happens to run true to his own self-ends and carnal Convenience He is not fixt to any just and â—â—nest Principles but is for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for accommodating his manners to serve turns 〈◊〉 for being quick-sighted at serving his own Adâ—â—â—tage by Deceit as I noted from S. Basil. By 〈◊〉 which deceitful Shews and false Seemings 〈◊〉 the Injury to Truth he violates Charity 〈◊〉 Justice oftentimes drawing Men in thereby 〈◊〉 their Prejudice And abuses Confidence 〈◊〉 to an ingenuous Spirit should lay on one 〈◊〉 highest Obligation working their harm by 〈◊〉 very Faith and Trust they repose in him 〈◊〉 for the most part highly abuses good things 〈◊〉 and that virtuous forwardness well meaning 〈◊〉 have to promote them whilst under a false 〈◊〉 and Shew thereof he steals away their â—â—ncurrence to his own unlawful Purposes or 〈◊〉 Self-Designs CHAP VII Of not discharging Relative Duties for ends of Religion or of our own Ease THE other Instance which I mentioned of Doing ill to bring about some Good desired in throwing off Relative Duties And this is another Care of Spiritual Prudence viz. in the Second Place that in any Relations when 〈◊〉 grow burdensome to us for ends either of Religiâ—â—â— or of our own Ease it doth not admit of any Discharge of Relative Duties God both in Nature and Scripture has required us as to be just to all Men so to be Grateful to our Benefactors and Dutiful to our Superiors to honor obey and keep subject to our Parents our Princes and other Powers whom he has placed over us 1. And these Duties and Returns he calls for towards them whatever their Religion be whether true or false Be they Christians or Heathens Jews or Mahometans true Worshipers or Idolaters Children must honor and obey support and succor their Parents and Wives their Husbands and Servants their Masters and Subjects their Sovereigns These are among those things which Nature it self has writ in all Mens Hearts and wherein as S. Paul says they that 〈◊〉 not the written Law are a Law unto themselves their own Consciences bearing witness to them without the need of any further Revelation 〈◊〉 their thoughts accusing or excusing them according as they have kept or transgressed them Rom. â— 14 15. So that if the Relatives were all 〈◊〉 yet their natural Conscience without the 〈◊〉 of Scripture would teach one to call for at this Duty and another to shew and pay it 〈◊〉 accuse them if they did it not Accordingly when the Apostles went out to 〈◊〉 among Heathens and to proselyte those 〈◊〉 Relations were Worshipers of false Gods 〈◊〉 set up unclean Spirits or Devils for Gods 〈◊〉 do not in the least exempt them from any â—â—lative Duties towards such Idolaters but 〈◊〉 a greater Heartiness and Conscientiousness 〈◊〉 the due Discharge thereof Children obey your 〈◊〉 in all things as what is well-pleasing to the 〈◊〉 saith S. Paul Col. 3.20 And Servants 〈◊〉 in all things your Masters according to the Flesh 〈◊〉 all things in singleness of Heart as to the 〈◊〉 as serving therein the Lord Christ Vers. 22. 〈◊〉 Wives be in subjection to your own 〈◊〉 says S. Peter yea to those that obey not the Word but are to be won by the Wives good Conversation without the Word 1 Pet. 3.1 Honor the King says he again and submit your selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lord's sake whether to the King as supreme or unto Governors as sent by him c. 2.13 14 17. Ye
to go along with the Relations but with our Interests and fleshly Purposes To be all Kindness whilst we get by men or use them for our own Ends but to cast them off and set nothing by them when we have served our selves of them By all these and such like ways instead of leading a Life uniform and all of a Piece we have two Lives or a Life infinitely multiform and various according to all the Variety and turns of Convenience Having one Life in time of Peace and another in time of Persecution one when we come to get by a Duty another when we are call'd to lose by it one Duty towards a man whilst he pleases but another when he begins to displease us one at home and another abroad one when the Vogue is for a way and another when 't is against it one whilst we have some Turns to serve and another when those Turns are served Now this is not to lead single Lives but double or treble nay to change as oft as Humour Accident Ends or Convenience doth 'T is to be true and constant indeed to our own Humour or Interests but to nothing else It is not to be true to our own Professions and Pretences to make our Lives true to themselves or one part of them true to another And as the Scripture calls them Lying and Deceitful Talkers who speak Corde Corde with an heart and an heart as the Hebrew Phrase is So are they equally Lying and Deceitful Workers who live Vita Vita with a Life and a Life i. e. are Double Livers It is quite contrary to Simplicity Eye-service or having one Practice whilst the Master's Eye is over them and another when it is off them being directly contrary to Service with Singleness of Heart as St. Paul notes in the Case of Servants Eph. 6.5 6. 'T is no shew of single but of double Dealing the instability in all his ways or this Change and Mutability of Life and Practice being the Mark St. James gives of a Double-minded man Jam. 1.8 'T is to expose our selves to the Woes which belong to the Sinner that goes two ways as the Son of Sirach says Ecclus. 2.12 And therefore this Duplicity of Life and Manners must never find place in the Simplicity of Christians But is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or that wicked Versatility of manners and Dexâ—erity in accomodating it self to all Turns whereby the Great St. Basil sets off that evil sort of Prudence which is most quick at espying what is for its worldly Profit and serves its Ends upon the Simple and Well-meaning by Deceit 3. A third Thing implied in Christian Simplicity is Openness in what it declares or ought to profess without Concealments or close Reserves This is another thing which the Scripture understands by and calls for in this virtuous Simplicity Thus St. Paul opposes the Manifestation of the Truth to handling of the Word of God deceitfully 2 Cor. 4.2 By Manifestation of the Truth iâ— meant setting it forth with Openness which would not suffer it any longer to lie hid but make it manifest and apparent to those he had to deal with Yea such Openness as would câ—â—mend them to every mans Conscience in the sight of God i. e. such as every man must needs know was sufficient in his own Conscience which altho for Ends they may sometimes deny in this World yet their Conscience must needs own and give Testimony to when they come to be posed before God Thus when St. Paul alledges the Testimony of his Conscience for his having lived in Simplicity and godly Sincerity 2 Cor. 1.12 St. Chrysostom on the Place explains it by Living with all liberty and having nothing cover'd or â—â—umbrated In Simplicity i. e. without any Hypocrisie or Cover says Photius Thus one thing in the Description of the Simplicity of the Just given by St. Gregory the Great is Sensum verbis aperire to make its Speech or Expression lay open its meaning According to all which Cicero says homo simplex apertus and aperta simplexque mens setting off Simplicity by Openness And Hesychius explains 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sincere by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 manifest or open as well as by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 undeceitful By this Openness we must not understand an obligation to tell all a man knows and to keep nothing secret We must not disclose other mens Secrets when they are intrusted with us And no Good Christian will inform against a Good Man or discover what he knows of him to his Unrighteous Persecutors Nay he will not tell all he knows or publish the Vices of ill men when it serves no End either of their own emendation or giving others warning of them but only to work their Shame and Prejudice We are not to Proclaim all the Good we know by our selves which would be Vanity and Ostentation Nay nor all the ill as our Faults or Imperfections which would be the way in time to be regardless of Censure and throw off all shame and then as the Scripture says we should only declare or publish our Sin like Sodom Isa. 3.9 We are not to make every one acquainted with our Business or to divulge our own Projects and Designs thereby to give them the trouble of our Cares or to provoke malevolent Censures and Oppositions but only as we are led thereto in way of Friendship and Confidence or to seek Advice or for Information of those we are concern'd with or other like reasonable and prudent Inducements In these and a Number of other like Cases 't is not the Part either of a Good or wise man to be open and divulge all he knows but to hide many things and keep them secret 'T is a Fool says the wise Son of Sirach that travails with a word as a woman doth with a child till it be brought forth Whereas wise men are for letting many things dye with them never fearing as the other doth lest a word pent up in their bâ—easts should burst them Ecclus. 19.10 11 12. As it is a Vertue to shew openness of some things So it is a Vertue to shew taciturnity of others There is a time to keep silence as well 〈◊〉 a time to speak saith the Preacher Eccles. 3.7 Indeed it is a Part of great Goodness and Prudence to know when to be silent as well as when to speak and to know not only what can be said but also what may better be omitted and left unsaid in all Cases So that to be open in every thing a man knows and able to hold nothing is not the openness of Simplicity here mention'd which is a virtuous Disposition But this is in what a man is bound and ought to profess there to be open Or where a man pretends or undertakes to inform others and open his own Thoughts there to deal openly and frankly with them Where we either voluntarily undertake to declare
must needs be subject yea every Soul not only for wrath but Conscience sake says S. Paul Rom. 13.1 5. Whenas at this time as is notorious Kings and Sovereiâ—â— Powers were Heathens Thus careful were they not to seem in the least to set Men free from any Relative Duties and Obligations towards their Heathen and Idolatrous Relations And this with the more exactness to cut off from the Heathen World who knew well enough the Dueness and Necessity of these things and the Guilt of the contrary without the Preaching of the Apostles all color for aspersing Christianity as overthrowing Justiâ—â— and Morality as pulling up Foundations of Nature and setting persons loose from the Obligations of their several Relations Which would have been the greatest Scandal that could haâ—â— been fixed upon Religion and have made it to turn the Moral and Natural Obligation as well as the Heathen Superstition of the World upside down Teach Wives to be obedient to their own Husbands and to take care of their Children that the Word of God be not blasphemed And Servants to be obedient shewing all good Fidelity that they may adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in alâ— things says S. Paul Tit. 2.4 5 9 10. Submit 〈◊〉 every Ordinance of Man says S. Peter for so is the will of God that with well doing ye may put to silence the Ignorance of foolish Men. 1 Pet. 2.13 15. Again 2. He calls for these Relative Duties and Performances towards Men of all Religions whatever their Performance on their Part be towards us We must be dutiful Children to hard improvident or careless Parents and faithful Servants to 〈◊〉 and unequal Masters and obedient 〈◊〉 to bad Husbands and good and true 〈◊〉 to ill administring and unrighteous 〈◊〉 â—â—â—vants be subject with all fear not only to the 〈◊〉 and Gentle but also to the froward saith S. Peâ—â—â— not only whilst you receive Right but when 〈◊〉 good Conscience towards God you suffer wrongâ—â— at their hands 1 Pet. 2.18 19. 〈◊〉 Pontius Pilate was far from discharging the 〈◊〉 of a good Governor to our Blessed Saviour 〈◊〉 his Blood only to satisfie the Peoples Claâ—â—s against the Conviction of his own Conscience 〈◊〉 yet our Lord took care to approve himself a 〈◊〉 Subject towards him as he had done beâ—â—â— towards the Chief Priests forbidding his Serâ—â—â—â— to use the Sword against them in his own 〈◊〉 owning even at that time his Power 〈◊〉 from above Jo. 19.11 Ananias the High Priest did not sure perform 〈◊〉 his part when sitting to judge Paul by Law commanded him to be smitten contrary to the Law 〈◊〉 23.2 3. But yet even under this Grievance 〈◊〉 â—aul confesses he ought him all the same Duty 〈◊〉 he should have owed to a more just Judge â—â—d begs pardon for having forgot himself and not spoken so reverently towards him upon that occasion as the Law required towards the Ruler of the People Vers. 5. Saul unquestionably was guilty of Male-administration in an high degree and far from discharging towards David his Duty of Protection yea moreover he was reprobated by God or rejected from being King 1 Sam. 15.23 But yet for all that David was still bound in Conscience to perform his Duty of Subjection towards this unrighteous Sovereign As he did when he had the highest Temptation and the most Providential opportunities to rid himself of him owning him even then for the Lordâ— Anointed and saying Who can lift up a hand against him and be guiltless 1 Sam. 24.5 6. Ch. 26.9 Lastly No man will say the Emperors and Rulers in the Apostles Days performed the Part of Good Governors Persecuting the true Religion instead of Protecting it preying upon the Remains of Roman Liberties instead of preserving them and Ruling by Blood Injustice and Oppression instead of just and regular Administration But yet towards these Non-Performers and Notorious Violaters of Princes Duties the Apostles injoyn all the Subjects of the Empire most punctually and Conscientiously to discharge their Duties putting them in mind to be subject to Principalities and to obey Magistrates Tit. 3.1 not only for Wrath but Conscience Rom. 13.5 as the Will of God and for the Lord's sake 1 Pet. 2.13 15. All which God strictly exacted and Good Men in all times most Conscientiously performed not daring to shake off Subjection and rise up against God's Vice-gerents when they proved the most unjust Invaders of Religion and Rights as they who list may see proved at large In all these Relations each side must look to what concerns themselves Their Duties are Mutual but not Conditional so that we may not break with them tho they break with us The breach of their Part is ill in them And therefore since what is ill in one cannot be good in another the Breach of ours must needs be answerably ill in us too So that not to go along with them in an ill thing or be condemned for Company we must every one take care 〈◊〉 discharge our own Duty whether our Relatives make due Return of Duty and discharge theirs towards us or no. Indeed all the Laws of the Second Table or the Duties of Justice are absolute in Obligation without regard either to the Religion or to the Good Performances and Moral Qualities of Men. We must speak Truth and keep Faith and Promises especially when confirm'd by solemn Oaths and deal justly and where we have received Favours remember them gratefully especially in their need and return them as we can even towards the worst Persons to men of the worst Carriage and of the worst Religions Hereticks or Infidels The Jews â—ere for streightning the Exercise of Justice Gratitude and Kindness not extending it to men of an opposite and hated Religion but confining the Neighbour mention'd in the Law to a Fellow Jew or one of their own Nation and Religion But to cure this our Lord instructs them in the Parable of the man falling among Thieves that the Jews must be Neighbours even to the Samaritans bidding him that asked Who is my Neighbour after he had related how Neighbourly the Samaritan dealt by the Jew in Distress Go and do thou likewise Luk. 10.29 30 37. Honour thy Father and Mother thou shalt not kill thou shalt not commit Adultery thou shalt not steal thou shalt not covet thou shalt not bear false Witness are Commandments that oblige equally towards all Persons We are no more at Liberty to break any of them towards a Pagan than towards a Christian a Papist than a Proetstant an ill and unjust than towards a Good and Righteous Man More particularly kind we ought to be to the Houshold of Faith and those of our own way But just and true and grateful is what in common we are bound to be to all All this is plainly owned and implied in that Maxim which is confessed by all sober Persons and expresly denied by none but some wild Enthusiasts viz. That worldly Dominion
and Enjoyment of this Life For it costs us abundance more Labour and Vexatious Thought to Revenge an Injury than it need do to put it up To Forgive it is only to bear the Disquietude that is past but to Revenge it is to throw away a great deal more of our Quiet after it and to add to our former Sore by a New and in probability much Greater Heap of fresh Toil and Danger What Rules are so Wise for the Enjoyment of our selves of Health of Body and Ease of Mind in this Life as Sobriety and Temperance and Chast and Due Regulation of Fleshly Pleasures and Moderation in all things As bringing our Minds in every thing to our Conditions noâ— affecting still to have what suits our Fleshly Likings but to like what God is pleased to send us As Mortification and due Subjection of Bodily Appetites instead of pampering of them as sitting loose to this World instead of being Worldly minded and fond thereof As Living upon Providence and trusting to God more than to our selves or to any humane Provisions and being resigned to his Will or Contented and Desirous rather that he should Do his own Will as we profess in our Daily Prayers than that he should Do ours Than all which what can better prepare us to receive all the Vicissitudes of this Life to give us least Trouble from the ill or afford us most Comfort Contentment Unwearying and true Enjoyment from the Good Things thereof What Rules lastly could Conduce so much to Settle Happiness as in Neighbourhoods so in Families greater Societies and all Relations as the due Discharge of all those Duties which Religion Prescribes in those Relations By Parents being careful to Educate their Children well and to Provide for them keeping them under an wholesom Government but kind and without â—nnecessary Provocation and by Childrens being full of Respect in all things and obedient to them again By Wives being subject in all things innocent to their Husbands and Husbands being Kind and Condescensive to their Wives as to their own Flesh. By Masters Governing with Equity and forbearing Threatning and Servants not answering again but shewing heartiness in what Service they perform and Doing it with Diligence and all Fidelity By Princes being Wise and watchful for the Publick Good and Ruling all in the fear of God with Clemency and Justice And Subjects on the other hand ever honouring their Rulers as the Ministers and Vicegerents of God obeying their Commands where Conscionably they may and keeping in their Subjection not throwing it off and forcibly resisting where they cannot obey Such as these are the Rules of Religion both towards our selves and towards others And better cannot be given for attaining the wise Ends of Life and for ordering our selves as the best studied Prudence would have us in Conversation or Business by our selves or with others and in all Relations So that every Religious Good Man whilst he keeps to the ways of Duty and Religion follows the wisest Courses and the best Rules of Prudence for this Life Yea though he should not be among those that pass for the Wise but the Weak and Simple Understandings though he should not see their Conduciveness for these Ends nor follow them for the Worldly Wisdom but only for the Religion of them Though he has not the skill and apprehension to see and judge of Secular Prudence yet whilst he keeps to the Rule of his Duty he has always this which is the best Proof of Prudence ever to be found in the most Prudent and Secular wise ways Having the Grace of being Good and Honest he cannot miss of Doing what the best Understandings must needs say is most Prudent and Discreet The Wisdom of God guides him where if left to himself he could not like better Understandings shew much Wisdom of his own And following what God has prescribed he is sure to act wisely though he is not able to say much to others to shew them the Wisdom and Conduciveness of his own Actings The Ways of Duty wherein he walks are chosen of God and are the Ways of Gods Prudence for serving the wise Ends of Life And the most Prudent Persons had better follow him than their own Understandings they can never find such another Director nor make any other choice of ways so Wise and Prudent for themselves But besides these ways of Duty for compassing the Ends of Life which are ways of God's chusing Worldly Wisdom has a great many more of its own which God has left Free and whereof he has said nothing The worldly Ends of Life themselves are rather our Liberty than Duty more God's Permission than Injunction And in pursuing them besides the Duties of Religion whereby we set them on whilst we are serving him there are multitudes of other ways wherein Worldly Wisdom has its latitude and that a very wide compass And in this Field of Worldly Prudence when it proposes its Ends and Pursues them by its own Methods this is 2. Secondly The other thing I would note of Spiritual Prudence That when worldly Wisdom sets up Ends or thinks to serve it self by ways Prejudicial to Godliness it over-rules it in all such motions Sometimes Worldly Prudence is for setting up ill things for Ends. It proposes how to serve Vices or Vanities how to compass Ends of Ambition or Covetousness Lust or Revenge Vain-Glory or Intemperance It aims at the accomplishing or serving of a Sin which is no End of Life of God's Making nor any part of his Creation but begot between Satan and our selves and meerly of his and our Production And Spiritual Wisdom quite throws out such ends which being the Stain and Reproach the Misery and Destruction of Life must never be turned into the aim thereof As it doth also all setting up the Real Advantages and useful things of this world for last and main Ends. Not seeking at all to serve God or shew forth any Virtue thereby which is to turn them into an opportunity and matter of Religion but only to satisfie our Fleshly Appetites and enjoy our Selves therein Again in seeking the Good things of this Life Worldly Prudence is apt to transgress in Means and Methods And the Prudence of Religion is as to prevent its setting up Undue Ends so to keep out any thing Ill or Vndue in the way or course it takes over-ruling it in these not as agrees most with Worldly Minds but as best becomes Christians Particularly I shall observe 1. First In Pursuing any Worldly Ends it keeps it from serving it self by Doing any Forbidden and Vnlawful Things And besides all that has been hitherto Discoursed to this Purpose with a more especial Eye to Ends of Duty and Religion I shall here set this off briefly in some most obvious Instances in the course of Secular Affairs In Competition the Way of Worldly Wisdom is for Doing any thing that will overcome It will use any Means and take all as lawful that seems