Iealousie The Sap Hatred The Fruit Persecution severally and apart for ignorance causeth Suspition and Suspition Hatred and Hatred Persecution But I cannot stand upon these SECT 61. Qu. IF Ignorance be such a generall cause of hatred and persecution as you have shewre What is the reason that so many great Scholers and wise men do also hate and persecute the godly Ans. Great scholers they may bee and wise men also in the worlds esteeme but in the maine and in Gods account they are nothing so for admit they have inlightned heads sufficient to leave them without excuse yet because they withhold the truth in unrighteousnesse and doe not glorifie God with their knowledge neither are thankfull but become vain in their imaginations their foolish hearts are darkned and so while they professe themselves to be wise in changing the truth of God into a lie they become fools and expresse it by thus hating God and his children Romans 1.18.21.22.25.30 So that Ignorance is the cause even in them also And indeed if they were wise they would foresee the torments of hell and prevent them as Bernard speakes Or if they knew God they would keep his commandments for hereby saith Saint Iohn is it knowne that wee know God if we keep his Commandements 1 John 2.3 but he that saith I know him and yet keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar and there is no truth in him Ver. 4. Yea these have sworne to keepe the commandements and to deny the world and yet are not content with their owne disobedience unlesse they cast aspersions upon them that obey Againe thirdly if they knew Christ they could not but love him and loving him they must needs love his members not persecute them for it is the very first part of our conversion to love them that love God 1 Joh. 3.14 and 4.7.8 and Joh. 13.35 But so many as are enemies to the crosse of Christ shew that they never knew God in Christ. As for their wisdome and learning you must know that men may be â—xquisitely wise and incomparably learned in the worlds opinion and yet very fooles in Gods account 1 Cor. 3.19 As sharp-eyed as Eagles in the things of the earth and yet as blinde as Beetles in the matters of heaven And knowledge consisteth not so much in the quantity as in the quality not in the greatnesse but in the goodnesse of it For as a little precious stone is of more worth then many other stones of greater bulke so one drop of wisdome guided by the feare of God is more worth then all humane learning One sparke of spirituall experimentiall and saving knowledge is worth a whole flame of secular wisdome and learning One scruple of holinesse one dram of faith one graine of grace is more worth then many pounds of naturall parts But learning and grace doe not alwayes keep company together Yea O Lord how many are there that have a depth of knowledge yet are not soule-wise That have a Library of Divinity in their heads and not so much as the least Catechisme in their consciences no rare thing for men to abound in speculation and be barâ—en in devotion to have full braines and empty hearts cleare judgements and defiled affections fluent tongues and lame hands Yea you shall heare a flood in the tongue when ye cannot see one drop in the life For example I might instance in Balaam whom the holy Ghost stiles a foole 2 Peter 2.16 And Iudas Mat. 27.3 4 5. And Paul before his conversion who even while hee was a persecuter like these men was eminent among the Pharisees for wit and learning but a very Ideot among the Apostles And lastly the Priests Scribes and Pharisees who were matchlesse for their wisdome and learning as wanting nothing that either nature or Art could inrich them withall yea and they were chiefly learned in the Scripture Gods Oracles which will make a man wise or nothing and yet our Saviour who could not bee deceived calls them foure times in one Chapter blinde and twice fools Mat. 23.16.17.19.24.26 Because they wanted faith and holinesse which are the sinewes and nerves yea the soule of saving knowledge inlivening feeding and strengthening the same for in the dialect of the Scripture a fool is a naturall man and a wise man a man sanctified Alas God regards not lip-learning and tongue-wisdome and braine-knowledge except it ceize upon the heart also and lead captive the affections to the government of the Gospel whereby wee are changed and transformed into new men after the image of Christ 1 Cor. 2.12 Eph. 4.20 to 25. Col. 3.10 except we digest our knowledge into practise and imploy our wisdome to his glory that gave it our neighbours good and the furthering of our owne salvation For with him wickednes is folly and the greatest sinner is the greatest foole and he most wise that is most religious and that offends least Prov. 1.7 Iob. 28.28 Prov. 9.10.12 and 11.3 Deut. 4.6 Hosea 14.9 Iames 3.13.17 2 Tim. 3.15 And he that is truly wise thinks that to be wisdome and folly which God thinks so Neither is that worth the name of knowledge which may be heard only and not seen Good discourse is but the froth of wisdome the pure and solid substance of it is in well framed actions What saith the Scripture Keepe the Commandements of God and doe them for this is your wisdome and understanding before God and men Deut. 4 6. And again He that is a wise man and indued with knowledge will shew it by his conversation in good works Iames 3.13 For SECT 62. RIghtly a man knows no more then he practiseth It is said of Christ 2 Cor. 5 21. that he knew no sinne because he did no sin in which sense hee knows no good that doth no good And certainly they who wander in the by-paths of sin and errour declare themselves ignorant of the right way of salvation Rom. 3.17 Saving knowledge of the truth works a love of the truth knowne it is an uniforme consent of knowledge and action Iob 28.28 He onely is wise saith Solomon that is wise for himself Prov. 9.12 He whose conscience pulleth all he hears and reads to his heart and his heart to God who turneth his knowledge to faith his faith to feeling and all to walke worthy of his Redeemer he that subdues his sensuall desires and appetite to the more noble faculties of the soule Reason and Understanding and makes that understanding of his serve him by whom it is and doth understand hee that subdues his lust to his will submits his will to reason his reason to faith his faith his reason his will himself to the will of God this is practicall experimentall and saving knowledge to which the other is but a bare name or title For what is the notionall sweetnesse of honey to the experimentall taste of it It is one thing to know what riches are and
Christs name shall suffer bruising in one kinde or other for his sake And then his heele is bruised when his Members are afflicted But all the hurt they can do is but to bruise the heele Bruise them in their Persons Estates Good Names For to hurt their best parts their Soules they shall never be able yea all this bruising in the end shall turne to the further good Of their Soules Here in Grace Hereafter in Glory And so you have the matter the Author the Subject the Object the Cause the End the Time the Manner the Place the Continuance the Issue and effects of this Enmity SECT 13. Quest. BY your opening of this Text and unveyling of the termes I see it looketh two severall wayes and that it reacheth out as it were with one hand a blessing to all beleevers aswell as a curse with the other to all wicked men and Spirits Answ. Yea it is like a Checker halfe white halfe black Consisting as Much of Mercy and Consolation as Judgement and terror resembling Moses who saved the Israelites and slew the Egyptians For as harsh as the words sound they are so full of grace and mercy and containe so much in a little that this text may well be called the Gospells Epitome yea the marrow or pith of the whole Bible compiled by wisdome it selfe A short yet absolute Sum of all holy faith yea the foundation of all whatsoever the Prophets and Apostles have written or Ministers do preach The key of the Scriptures as Ambrose calls the Creed It is but of a short sound but of a large extent little in shew infinite in sence In fine it is so large for matter so short for phrase so profound for depth so sweet for Consolation and yet so terrible for severity that it well suites with the Author who spake the words and none els Quest. I perceive then that to draw this Well dry to dig this Mine to the bottome and to speak of each severall in this universe were an Herculean work and fit for some divine Theseus or Solomon Besides it would require too large a vollume for Common use wherefore it shall content mee you only Anatomize that part or Member of the whole which is here termed Enmity by laying open the veines and Arteries thereof it being the very point or mayn Center the pole or Cardinall Axeltree upon which this text moves and is turned And that will be sufficient For where prevailing is by lyes there discovery is victory yet lest the Pages should still grow As fiâ—h into a multitude garble your notions and give us but the very Marrow of the matter And because Method to the matter is as fashion to Apparell and form to building propose what shall be your order of distribution Ans. As the Throne of Solomon was mounted unto by six staires so this Throne of Sathan this strong hold of the wicked may be mounted unto for I only intend a discovery at this time by a Ladder of six steps set upon this ground which is already laid or if this originall be counted for one step then the Ladder consists of seaven staves answerable to the seven steps which led up to that Temple in Ezekiels Vision Ezek. 40.26 For I will draw all our present discourse to one of these heads taking liberty so to place them as may serve best for my purpose and the Readers benefit Viz. The Originall of Enmity The Continuance of Enmity The Properties of Enmity The Causes Why wicked men hate and persecute the Godly The Ends Why wicked men hate and persecute the Godly The Reasons why God permits them The Reasons why The Godly suffer it so patiently These seaven shall limit my speech and your patient attention and I take them only to be inherent in the words there be some short adherent circumstances which I shall salute as I passe they may be within the circumference these are in the heart and Center And these alone as I suppose may serve as spectacles to see the Devill â—nd his Workes by in the matter of hatred and persecution SECT 14 Quest. TO begin with the second point proposed having dispatched the first and to proceed from Explication to Confirmation and so to Application How prove you that there hath been in all Ages past is now and ever shall be between these two Kings Sathan and Christ and their Regiments the wicked and the Godly a perpetuall War Enmity and strife according to the Lords prediction or Proclamation Ans. For proofe I could produce Testimonies and examples innumerable there being scarce a Page in the Bible which doth not â—ither expresse or imply somewhat touching this Enmity yea as if the Scriptures contained nothing else the holy Ghost significantly calls them the book of the Battailes of the Lord Numb 21.14 as Rupertus well observes And because examples give a quicker impression then Arguments the proofe shall be by Induction of particuler instances collected from the Scripures and Ecclesiasticall History wherein I will be briefe and only mention Three in every Age though the Sea of examples hath no bottome for that I shall be forced to speak more at large when I come to the properties and Causes of Enmity The continuance of the worlds Enmity in all Ages Viz. 1. In the old world before the flood 2. After the flood before the Law 3. After the Law before Christ. 4. Since the Gospell in the time of Christ and his Apostles 5. After the Apostles for the residue of the ten Persecutions 6. From the Primitive times and Infancy of the Church hitherto 7. For these present times wherein we live 8. For the time to come unto the Worlds end 1. To begin with the first Age Viz. the old World before the Flood Wee read of this War enmity and strife between Cain and Abell 1 Iohn 3.12 Betweene Lamech and the holy Seed Gen. 4.23.24 and between those wicked Gyants which Moses speaks of and the sons of God Gen. 6.2 to .12 Yea those Gyants bad battle to Heaven as our Mythologists add to ver 4. SECT 15. 2. AFter the Flood before the Law between all the men of Sodom and righteous Lot Gen. 19.4.9.11 2 Pet. 2.8 between Hagar and Ishmael the Bond woman and her son and Sarah and Isaac the Free-woman and her son Gen. 21.9.10 Gal. 4.29 And between Esau and Iacob first in the wombe the more plainely to shadow out this enmity Gen. 25.22.23 and after they were borne Gen. 27.41 SECT 16. 3. AFter the Law before Christ between Doeg and the eighty five Priests which he slew with the edge of the sword 1 Sam. 22.18.19 Between Iezabell and all the Prophets of the Lord which she destroyed 1 Kings 18.13.14 And between the Heads in Israel in Micahs time and all that were good Micah 3.2 SECT 17. 4. SInce the Gospell in the time of Christ and his Apostles this enmity so manifested it selfe not only in the Gentiles
58. chap. and 66.3 1 John 3 12. Matth. 7.22 23. Againe doe you pay God his dues also doe you repent and beleeve the Gospell precepts and menaces as well as promises doe you declare your faith by your workes doe you pray by the power of the spirit and with the understanding also 1 Cor. 14.15 doe you receive the word with good and honest hearts reade conferre and meditate upon it and also bring forth the fruits of it in your lif and conversation doe you sanctifie his Sabbaths and see that all under you doe the same love his children promote his glory and strive to gaine others to imbrace the Gospell instruct your children and servants and teach them to feare the Lord doe you feare an oath hate a lye c love zeale and devotion in others make conscience of evill thoughts vaine and unprofitable words grieve for your unprofitablenesse under the meanes of grace for the evill which cleaves to your very best actions and for sins of omissions c No you may bee good morrall honest men but none of these graces grow in the Gardens of your hearts You have a forme of godlinesse but you deny the power of it and are reprobate to every good worke 2 Tim. 3.5 Titus 1.16 Yea have you not strange conceits and base thoughts of the best men doe you not deeply censure condemne the generation of the just and thinke the worse of a man for having of a tender conscience doe you not envy hate scoffe at nick-name raile on and slander the people of God and mis-consture their actions and intentions watch for their halting and combine with others against them doe you not with Festus account zeale madnesse and religion foolishnesse with Michal For men of the world think the Religious fooles and madde-men but the Religious know them to be fooles and madde-men Doe you not sharpen your tongues in gall and dip your pens in poyson to disgrace the graces of God in his children yea have you not beaten off many from being religious by your scoffes and reproaches and made them resolve against goodness and staggered others that have made some progresse in holinesse yes every place where you come and all that you are conversant withall can witnesse it Yea you hate zeale and devotion so invetterately that you can in no wise bear with it in others I speake not by rote for would I be so uncivill as you are or doe by you as you by others I could name hundereds of you though you will not confesse it when taken in the manner but justifie your so doing by many collourable pretences For poore soules you are so ignorant of Sathans wiles Ephes. 6.11 That with Saint Paul before his conversion you persecute the Church of God even out of zeale to the traditions of your fathers Gal. 1.13 14. Phil. 3.6 Which is the case almost of who not for this sinne is so epidemicall that take forty men where you please City or Country As they dwell passe the streets or sit in their pues and nine and thirty of them are malignants to the power of religion You will say it is a big word but I have warrant for it doth not our Saviour say you shall be hated of all men and nations for my names sake Matth 10.22 and 24.9 which infers that all who are not hated for religion are haters of religion Neither is Christ's name any where more spoken against then in Israel Luke 2.34 where all professe themselves to bee Gods people The like place you have Matth. 5.11 And what is meant by these words I will put enmity betweene the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman Gen. 3.15 but that all men living are either the womans or the serpents seed As for other sins one man is given to lust another to intemperance a third to swearing a fourth to cousening some to more than one some to all of them but who is not tainted with this sinne who is not an open or secret enemy to holinesse by reason of that generall contempt which is cast upon professors Yea who is there even of those that have resigned up their pride and their lust and their lying and their coâ—sening or what other sinnes they have beene prone to with whom this sinne doth not remaine as though they had a dispensation for this evill Yea and thinke they doe wondâ—rous well in it for they delude themselves with a multitude of misprisâ—ons and false surmises against the godly the soules of most men being drowned in their senses and carried away with weake opinions raised from vulgar mistakes and shadowes of things And which is worst of all they have so hardned their hearts and so seared their consciences with accustomary using it even from their infancy that a man were as good speake to a stone Ezek. 11.19 as admonish them of it having Pharoah's curse upon them an hard heart and a seared conscience And a bruit beast is as capable of good councel as they Yea braying in a Morter as Solomon speakes would not alter them Prov. 27.22 Neverthelesse though they resemble those Beasts that went into the Arke uncleane and came out againe uncleane yet it shall comfort me that I have done my best to plucke up this infectious weede out of mens hearts that I have hopefully ministred unto them whom I cannot cure And that I have brought water enough to wash these Blackamores white if it were in the power of water to do it Besides I did it as well for the godlies sake as for theirs I considered how my selfe was formerly forestalled with prejudice against goodnesse and how extreamly I mis-judged both actions and persons by reason of that generall contempt which was cast upon Professors which for many yeares hindred me from entering upon a religious course Yea when God of his free grace and good pleasure had brought me out of darknesse into his marvellous light and touched my heart with the load-stone of the Gospell that I was not beaten off againe from ever being religious through the daily scoffes and reproaches which in every place I met withall for refusing to doe as others with whom I was conversant no reason can be rendered but that of the Apostle whom he did predestinate them he also called and justified and saved Rom. 8.30 And O the depth Rom. 11.33 Wherefore when once my judgement was cleared and my prejudice cured by the sage councell of a friend and by pondering these few scriptures 2 Tim. 3.12 Mat. 10.22 23. c. and 24 9â—â— Luke 2.34 and 4.29 Iohn 15.20 Gen. 3.15 1 Iohn 3.13 1 Pet. 4.12 13 14. Luke 14 27. and 6.26 Mat. 5.10 11 12. Phill. 1.28 29. Both of them being driven home or set on by the rodde of affliction By Gods grace I not onely shooke off this slavish yoke of bondage and feare in which Sathan for the present held mee But probably
an effect of frenzy not of hope 2 Since we can expect no peace fâ—om the Serpents seede let as many as are of the womans seede and of Christs side â—nanimously hold together It is hard to say whither Bazil and Eusebius who perceiving the Arrians to improve a difference between them to the prejudice of the Orthodox soone reconciled themselves and united their forces together against the common enemy are more to bee commended Or the Pope to bee abhorred who was so busie and hot against Luther that hee neglected to looke to all Christendome against the Turke Which declared that hee could easier disgest Mahometisme then Lutheronisme The case of too many in our dayes that thinke they love Christ fervently though wee may justly suspect the contrary by their being so busie and hot against the Reformation established Against which they cannot bring any expresse scripture only they seek straws to put out their own eyes puzzell others withall As Bernard speaks of somâ— in his time and sure I am it would argue more love to Christ and obedience to his gospell if they would ioyne with the godly party against Atheists and Papists As let but two Mastifes bee jarring betweene themselves when the Bare comes they forget private strife to assayle their common Enemy And certainly they might bee as firme friends to truth although they were not such bitter enemies to peace For as the case standeth it is hard to determine whether they more intend to doe God service or really doe the Devill and his instruments service by their contradicting and aspersing all that are not of their owne judgement 3 If the Lord have put this Enmity betweene us and the wicked Here is warrant in opposing comfort in suffering 4 If the seede of the Woman fight on Christs side and they have Gods word for their warrant they are sure to have him assist them and prevent their Enemies and is not that God wee fight for able enough to vindicate all our wrongs SECT 8. Quest. What occasioned the Lord to proclaime this enmity Ans. Adams siâ—ne in eating the forbidden fruite aâ—d Sathans malice in moving and seducing him thereunto was the meritorious cause the originall of this discord is from originall sin Quest. What was the finall cause or end why God proclaimed it Ans. His end was threefold in regard of himselfe the wicked and the godly 1 In regard of himselfe his principal â—nd was his owne glory which should aâ—ise from the manifestation or admirable composition of his justice mercy holinesse wisdome power and providence herein 2 In regard of Sathan and wicked menâ— that hee might for the present punish one sinne with another and in the end take due vengeance on them in their greater condemnation and finall Ruine and destruction 3. In regard of the Godly for their greater good as namely that they might by this affliction and chastisement be stopt in their course of sin be brought to the â—ight of their evills pasâ— and made repent of them and prevented from siâ—ning for the time to come and lastly to keep them in continuall exercise that so they might walke on in the way of holiness which will bring them to eternall happiness and not to be condemned with the world SECT 9. Quest. But how can God be the Author of it without being the Author of Sin Ans. Very well Even as the temporal Magistrate may put a felloâ— to death without committing of Murther That he which is the fountaine of all good is not the Author of any evill herein may appeare 1. By considering how the case stood at this time with Adam and al his posterity being condemned persons every moment expecting and waiting for that direfull sentence to be executed and inflicted upon them which God before had threatned in case they should transgress his Royall command Gen. 2.17 namely the sentâ—nce of death Which was threefold viz. of Body which is the temporall Death Soule which is the spirituall Death Body and soule which is eternall Death Opposite to that three-fold life of Nature Grace Glory The which if it had been fully and universally accomplisht we could have had nothing to say but that God was just as now we have no reason to give why so many should be Redeemed but because he is mercifull yet because he would according to his nature in Justice remember Mercy he ordained a Saviour and Remedy even Christ implyed in the Pronoune Relative Hee for so many as he had before predestinated to be borne againe by his word and Spirit Iohn 3. to a lively faith whereby they might lay hold on this Remedy yet with all hee did appoint that this their way to Heaven should be thorny and troublesome To which end he mixed with the sweet promise of Salvation the bitter Ingredient of griefe and sorrow Implyed in the word Enmity but yet more to justifie this Judgement of God that is to make it appeare just 2 It will appeare if we distinguish the ends of God Sathan and wicked men To which purpose I will instance in our Saviours example Iudas delivered him to death for gaine the Iewes for Envy Pilate for feare the Devill provoked each of them through this Enmity Christ himselfe to obey his Fathers will God the Father in love to sinners and for their Redemption each did one and the same thing But to contrary ends so when this Enmity breaks forth in the wicked Sathan hath a hand in it as a malicious Author As when he entred into Iudas and made him betray Christ Luk 22.3 Man himselfe as a voluntary Instrument as when Pharoah hardened his owne heart against the Children of Israel Exod. 9.34 God as a most Righteous Judge and Avenger as when hee also hardened Pharoahs heart Exod. 9.12 but how even by permitting the seed of the Serpent from his owne malicious inclination to hate the seed of the Woman not by infusing this malice nor by withdrawing any grace but only by denying that grace which hee was not bound to give he doth not infuse corruption he doth not with hold the occasion Even as when the Rider gives his fiery horse the Reyns we saie he puts him on In mercy infusing this Enmity into the seed of the Woman against the seed of the Serpent Not against their persons as they are his Creatures but only against their condition disposition and wicked conversation we and the Devill should never have falne out we agree but too well but that God hath put an enmity between us Yea in the last place as God turned the treachery of Iudas not only to the praise of his Justice Mercy c. but to the good of all beleevers so he turnes this Enmity of Sathan and wicked men to his Childrens great advantage and his own glory And hereupon is that distinction of adversities as they come from Sathan they are usually called temptations as they come from men
suffer little but the lash of evill tongues but were wicked mens powers answerable to their wils and malice they would deliver us up to be afflicted put us out of the Synagogues excommunicate and kill us as our Saviour shewes Iohn 16.2.33 and Mat. 24.9 Yea their enmity and hatred would be so virulent and bitter that the brother would betray the brother to death the Father the Son and the Children would rise up against their Parents and cause them to dye the kinsman against the kinsman and the friend against the friend only for professing Christs name being religious as himselfe affirmes Math. 10.34 35 36. Luke 21.16.17 Neither is it strange for this was one of the endes of Christs comming into the World as appeares Mat. 10.34.35 where himselfe saith Think not that I am come to send Peace but the sword meaning between the seed of the Serpent the Seed of the Woman for I am come to set a man at variance against his Father the daughter-in-Law against the Mother-in-Law and a mans enemies shall be they of his owne houshold Luke 12.51 52 53. Neither want we precedents of this For by whom was upright Abel persecuted and slain but by his owne brother Caine Who scoffed at righteous Noah but his owne son Cham By whom was that vertuous and religious Lady Barbara put to death for imbracing the Christian Faith but by her owne Father Dioscorus Who made Serena the Empresse a Martyr for her faith in Christ but her owne Husband Dioclesian Who helped to burne Bradford but Bourne whose life he had formerly saved And lastly by whom was our Saviour Christ betrayed bu◠by his owne Disciple Iudas SECT 21. 8. FOr the time to come As this strife and enmity in the wicked against the Godly was early in its entrance taking its first being in the beginning of time and hath constantly continued hitherto so it will be long in continuance and endure to the end of time as the Scripture shewes Yea the last remnants of time are likely to have the most of it because as in them love shall wax cold Math. 24.12 so as love groweth cold contention groweth hot More expresly the Holy Ghost foretels That in the last dayes shall come such perilous times that all who will live godly shall suffer persecution and that toward the end of the World there shall be scoffers false accusers cursed speakers fierce despisers of them that be good such as shall turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and deny God the only Lord and our Lord Iesus Christ And being fleshly not having the Spirit they shall speak evill of the things which they know not And whatsoever things they know naturally as bruit beasts which are without reason in those things they shall corrupt themselves And that many shall follow their damnable wayes whereby the way of truth shall be evill spoken off And that as Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses so these also shall resist the truth being men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the Faith being before of old ordained to condemnation 2 Tim. 3.1 to 13. 2. Pet. 2.2 3.3 Iude 4.10 16 18 19. And so much of the continuance Now to wind up with a word of Application If it be so that all the Godly that have gone before us have been envyed hated traduced nick-named and persecuted by wicked men and all that come after us shall be let no particular member of the Church look to faire better then the whole body we see the Patriarchs went this way the Prophets this way the Apostles this way the Martyrs this way this way went all the Saints and servants of God and do we look for an easier way Yea if the dearest of Gods Children in former ages have suffered so much for Christ beene put to such cruell deaths and torments for keeping of a good conscience let us praise the Lord who hath dealt with us farre otherwise and pray for good Magistrates to whom next under God we owe the thanks Yea if our Fore-fathers so willingly underwent those fiery tryals let none for shame shrink-under the burthen of an aiery tryall only 2. If the brother persecute the brother the son the Father the Parent his Childe the Hnsband his Wife the Disciple his Lord thinke it not strange to be persecuted of any for lightly they which are not persecuted are persecutors themselves SECT 22. Quest. HAving proved the Continuance of this Enmity in all ages now tell us what be the Signes and Properties of it Ans. They are either Mentall Verball or Actuall The first whereof are inward and secret the two later outward and manifest Quest. What are the mentall properties which you call inward and secret Ans. They are foure in number It being their manor 1. To envy the good Estate of the Godly 2. To contemne the meane Estate of the Godly 3. To rejoyce at the evill Estate of the Godly 4. To hate them First it is 〈…〉 ner of wicked men out of Enmity to envy the vertuous and good estate of the godly For envy shall lead the Troope as Iudas lead the Souldiers and it may challenge the first place in the right-hand file as pride doth in the Popes Catalogue of the seaven deadly sinnes because it was the eldest and first borne sin that ever was in the Devill after he was cast out of Heaven and the first that ever he begate upon our nature after we were cast out of Paradice which makes St. Austin therefore call it as by a kind of excellency the Devills sin Thus Caine envied his brother Abel Gen. 4.5 Saul David 1 Sam. 18.28.29 and those unbeleeving Iewes Paul Acts 17.13 The wicked take as much delight to see the vertuous life of an holy man as sore eyes do to look upon the Sunne How contrary are good Angels and evill men The Angels rejoyce at that whereat these powte and stomack they are ready to cry and burst for Anger at that which makes musick in Heaven But why is it These Antipodes to vertue having lost all good themselves are vexed to see it in another a true note to know the Serpents Seed by for it is the Devils cognizance 1. Iohn 3.14 15. as Love is Christs Iohn 13.35 And as it is the very Lees of vice so it hath a punishment answerable for by a just judgement of God their owne malice turnes back into their owne bowels as it is Psalm 7.14 15 16. and slayeth them as the swords of Gideons enemies kild themselves Iudges 7.22 For that none might have cause to envy the envious man againe but all to pity him envy it selfe is a fire which consumes that fuell a Worme which gnaweth that gourd a viper which eats through those bowels a Moath which fretteth that garment wherein it is bred nourished and maintained it is the consuming of the flesh and rotting of the bones Prov. 14 30. And for hereafter if wicked men thus envy the
out that sore judgement seven months and brought upon their god Dagon and the whole Countrey a very great destruction and perceived that all which were guilty of keeping and prophaning the Arke suffered in the judgement and onely they at last could bring forth this conclusion Peradventure it is God's hand that smote us yet it may bee it is but a chance that hath hapened unto us Ver. 9. Wherein it is evident they did half beleeve and no more Their consciences told their hearts there was a powerfull God to revenge the prophaning of his Arke but their hearts were very loth to give assent thereunto and so fares it with these when they wrong and persecute his Children Or they may be likened to those untoward Israelites Exod. 16. Who did in part beleeve God when hee told them If they reserved of the Manna untill morning it should stinke and that if they went to gather it on the Sabbath they should finde none who would have thought it foule scorne if one should have told them they beleeved no such thing for all they had seene so many Miracles yet t is apparent they did but halfe beleeve him for what else made them try whether hee spake true or no after they were flatly forbidden ver 20. or Lastly they are like the unbeleeving Iewes who considering the Oracles that CHRIST spake and the Miracles which he wrought were forced to testifie both these of him for all they hated him never man spake as this man doth and We never saw it on this fashion yet this have yee seen and beleeve not saith our SAVIOUR Iohn 6. 36. They saw they heard they wondered they were convinced yet they beleeved not therfore their own eyes in seeing their own eares in hearing their own hearts in wondring their own convicted reasons shall but witnesse against their unbeleefe Ioh. 16.9 And indeed if they did not in some part beleeve a Judgement to come they should be worse than the very Devills themselves there is no Hell Quis Daemonum hoc asseret What Devill will so affirme They know it and feele it Why say the Legion to Christ art thou come to torment us before the time Matth. 8.29 And shall not men tremble to deny what the Devils confesse sayes Chrysostome Wherefore beleeve it peremptorily â— ye fooles mad men yea believe it avoid it by beleeving to purpose ye shall avoyd it otherwise if ye will give more credit to your deceitful hearts than to what the Word speaks as Eve beleeved the word of the Serpent Adam the word of Eve both before the Word of God God will leave you to be confuted by fire brimston if you wil not beleive what is written you shall feele what is written SECT 70. Ob. BUT here it will be objected That the wickedest man that lives presumes upon Gods mercy in Christ and thinkes he shall be saved as well as the â—heife upon the Crosse yea hee will prove by Scripture that at what time soever hâ— repents his sinnes shall be pardoned Ezech. 18.21 22. Yea there is scarce a man on earth but hee thinkes to goe to Heaven Answ. True the flesh prophesies prosperity to sin yea life and salvation as the Pope promised the Powder Traytors â—nd to this the Devill sets his sâ—ale wheâ—â—upon while prosperity lasteth they can turne the grace of God into wantâ—nâ—esse and even apply Christ's Passion as a warrant for their licenciousnesse and take his death as a licence to sin his Crosse as a Letters Pattent to doe mischeife Yea the Devill and sinne so infatuates and besots them that they thinke to have part in that merit which in every paâ—t they have so abused to be purged by that blood which now they take al occasions to disgrace to be saved by the same wounds which they swear by and so often swear away to have Christ an Advocate for them in the next life when they are Advocates against Christ in this and that Heaven will meet them at their last hour when all their life long they have galloped in the beaten road toward Hell The Devil makes large promises and perswades his they shall have what they desire yet ever disappoints them of their hopes as he did our first Parents Diabolus mentitur ut fallet vitam pollicetur ut perimat saith Saint Cyprian But all one their carnall hearts shall be flint unto God wax to the Devil who blowes this presumption into them whereby they believe the promises let go the threatnings You shall die saith God is heard but You shall not die saith the Devil is believed as it fared with Eve when she eat the forbidden fruit Yea they believe the promises that they shall have them but they believe not the precepts to do them nor the threatnings that they shall suffer them for their not believing and disobedience which shewes that they truly believe neither Yea this makes it plain that either they believe there is no God at all or else that God is not just and true nor speakes as he meanes in his word which is worse or if they do believe that he is a just and true God they believe also that they shall be punished as he threatens for their provoking of him and they provoke him that they may be punished which is worst of all So that take them in the best sense they are but like David's fool which saith in his heart there is no God and lives thereafter which is never a whit strange for it is usuall with them to thinke there is no God for whom it would make that there were none what we would have to be we are apt to believe I confesse it is hard for men to believe their own unbelief in this case they that be most dangerously sicke are least sensible of their own sicknesse much more hard to make them confesse it for he whose heart speakes Atheisme will confesse with his tongue that he believes there is a God and that he is just and true and that every tittle of his Word is equally â—rue which being granted this must necessarily follow that God will as well punish the disobedient as reward the obedient which in another fit they are apt enough yea too forward to believe For it is Satan's method first to make men so senselesse as not to feel their sinnes at all and then so desperate that they feel them too much in the first fit men live as if there were no Hell in the last they die as if there were no Heaven for wicked men are altogether in extremes at first they make question whether this or that be a sin at last they apprehend it such a sin that they make question whether it can be forgiven either God is so mercifull that they may live how they list or so just that he will not pardon them upon their repentance SECT 71. BUt to prevent after claps let this point