Surely the Deuill is the same heere that he is in the Indies he sets as heauie taskes on them that will bee so kinde as to beare them for euen here also men must sacrifice to him the best endeauours and affections both of soule and bodie in Ambition Couetousnesse and other toylsome Vices and at last the very soule and bodie themselues must bee sacrificed in an eternall fire But bee yee weary of your gods O yee Heathen Christans and serue the true God who desires no other businesse but Holinesse and Righteousnesse and hath ioyned there with the ioyes of his heauenly and most comfortable Spirit and hath annexed thereunto the ioyes of an eternall and most glorious Kingdome And let no man hereafter be afraid of Religion because of sadnesse for by so doing he may condemne his sight or taste that discernes or rellisheth not the ioyes thereof but then whiles Religion is still one and the same euen a most glorious and comfortable thing Therefore let the Nouice or Apprentice of Religion especially desire the grace of that Spirit which is the Author of Religion to open his closed eyes to lighten his darknesse that hee may see the brightnesse and beautie of Religion and withall let him intreat the strength and supportance of the same Spirit to support stablish him in the beginnings of this new Arte and Science of Ioy both because the beginnings of all new Sciences require labour and constancie and because our Enemie the Deuill knowing the excellencie of these ioyes grudgeth them to Mankind and therefore mightily striues to tyre men in the verie entrance thereof But bee yee assured that if yee once come to be freemen in Religion being made free by the Spirit of Christ Iesus you will be rauished with the sweetnesse of God and your hearts wil pant for his ioyes as the Hart doth for the streames of waters you will bee inforced to say That the strongest is the sweetest that his ioyes alone are pure and cleare and that the ioyes of the flesh which you dranke so greedily heretofore are but puddle and mudde Though the laughter of folly perchance were lowder as the fire of Thornes yet the solid and massie ioyes of the Spirit are stronger and giue more true and kindly heate to the heart and soule For certain it is in Diuinitie as it hath beene discouered by her seruant Morallity sound ioy is a solemne thing And conuertibly may wee say Solemne ioy is your only sound ioy Wherefore let solid wise and sound Spirits seek this solid pure and weightie ioy suffering these light loose and muddie ioyes to bee as most often they are the companions of folly and brutish sensuality And herewith let your sowre Pharisies and Monkish Heraclites receiue an admonition that they doe not act Religion in the Vizard of vgly sowrenesse nor dogged austerity Religion is a louing and a louely thing and the Picture of it ought to bee like it selfe It is made all of light loue and light and loue are comfortable and amiable things cheerefully communicating themselues to others and alluring the eyes and hearts of others to behold and partake them If Religion then bee a drawer bee not thou a driuer neyther doe thou scarre away with thy grimnes those whom Religion would allure with her beauties There is a cheerfull grauitie as well as a light mirth or a lumpish terriblenesse and it were good for the paternes of Religion to looke as like it as they may I confesse one looke fitteth not all occasions but I ayme a generall seemlinesse leauing particular changes to bee framed by their particular occasions And though sorrow for sinne bee a vertue yet the publike shew of it except it bee in a publike cause is not still a vertue for it is a vertue many time to couer this Vertue Christ himselfe counselling to couer the humiliation of Fasting with the anoynting of the face But due exceptions being allowed the Christians charge is Reioyce continually he is enioyned to be amiable and of a winning conuersation that without the word some may bee wonne by their Eyes that are not yet by their Eares CHAP. IIII. That Religion is the true Roote of Valour and Power against the waking Dreames of the Philosophicall Wizard and the angry Rufâ—ian THere hath bin an ancient slander cast vpon the Christian Religion and it is now eyther nourished or reuiued that Christianity begets cowardize and kills fortitude And that it is a slander I hope it shall plainly appeare but in the meane time I desire the carnall gallant to wipe his eyes clouded with the myst of fleshly Humour that what doth appeare may also appeare to him for except he bring sight it is to no purpose for mee to bring Light As for the Philosopher hee is so wise already and broad-sighted like the bird of the Night that if I should perswade him to looke wider and clearer hee would become blinder by Anger then he was before by Error and therefore leauing him as being wise if his owne conceit bee true I beginne with the description of Fortitude True Fortitude is an habituall strength and resolution of the Minde which eyther leades a man constantly to a iust and reasonable aduenture of danger or when he is ouertaken by them sustaynes him constantly in them Now this true Resolution doth spring from Reason and by Reason is brought forth into Action So is true Valour wise and not blind for it is the Valour of a Man and not of a Beast Then heere are cut off all those rash Braueries and brutish Valours that bestow their owners vpon euery Swaggerer when hee pleaseth to call for their liues by some wilde looke or verball Iniurie Surely the reasonable Man is led into dangers eyther by Diuine prouidence or precept when GOD bids him vndertake dangers or bids dangers ouertake him Hee acknowledgeth no owner of his life but the giuer of it and he will then onely aduenture it when hee may shew the warrant of the giuer for he knowes himselfe to bee accountable and therefore will so carrie himselfe in dangers that hee may fayrely passe his account And surely a strange thing it is because some wilde beast is rude and vnmannerly therefore some honest and ciuill Man must hazard his Life or else the Countrie will not be contented For what hath the ciuill Man done why he should set his life in a ballance with a Russian If the Ruffian hath wronged him he ought to bee punished and the wronged ought not to hazard himselfe in an equall subiection to punishment with the doer of wrong neither because he is wronged in his Name is it Reason he should bee farther wronged in his Limbes or Life for in these Recreations the blind sword doth as often punish the wronged as the the wronger The wager is vnequall to lay the life of a Christian against the life of a Ruffian and farre more then an hundred to one and therefore hee may well
Wine more hereafter Secondly If thy tast delight thee how much is that exceeded by the delights of the Spirit The Church confesseth that the kisses of Christ Iesus who kisseth his Church by the Spirit are pleasanter then Wine Quam dulcia faucibus meis eloquia tua sayth Dauid Hee is fayne to aske how sweet because he cannot tell nor expresse the sweetnesse of it What is sweeter then hony sayth Samson and yet Dauid sayth The Word of God being tasted by the Spirit is sweeter then hony How many Saints haue left their meat and drinke for the Wine of the Spirit How many haue beaten downe their bodies by abstinence that they might the more fully tast the Sweetnesse of God Wherefore if thou wilt indeed tast sweetnesse get thee a Spirituall tast receiue the Wine of heauen giuen by Christ Iesus the Wisdome of God For he it is that Pro. 8. calleth the sonnes of men promising to fill them with delights vers 31. And surely those must needs be the chiefe delights which issue from the taste of the Deity which is the vppermost Sweetnesse Wherfore desire thou rather to taste God in himselfe then in his Creatures for that is the highest pleasure of tasting which flowes from the taste of the sweetnesse of the Highest Thirdly If thou desire Wine for the cheerfulnesse and ioy which it breedeth know that the Spirit of God is the Fountaine of Consolation and then chuse thou whether thou wilt drink of the streame or of the fountaine The Spirit of God hath in it the ioy and comfort of Wine Yea Wine hath his ioy and comfort from the Spirit for the Spirit of God as once by miracle so still by course of Nature turnes water into Wine But there is another euen a new Wine in the kingdome of God and this is the best wine A new Wine it is to vs but not in it selfe new to vs because wee were first filled with the old Wine of our fall and secondly with this Wine of excesse and after wee come to drink this wine of regeneration and glorification So it is new to vs but it is old in it selfe as flowing eternally from an eternally from an eternall Deity This is the true Wine which recoyceth the heart not of the body onely but of the soule also to which the outward Wine connot reach This is the Wine of blessed Spirits the drinking whereof is the cause of those vnvtterable ioyes which dwel in the dwellers with God In this the Spirit giues not some grosse and bodily relish thereby to become comfortable to the bodily part of Man but in this the Spirit communicates the sap tast and relish of its owne primitiue sweetnesse vigour and cheerfulnesse so that wee doe not so much tast comfort as the Comforter himselfe In the drinking of this Wine shew thy manhood Drinke deep and true healths for with this drinking is ioyned true and eternall health The more thou drinkest of this the wiser the holyer the more sober thou art for in the same Spirit wherein is cheerfulnesse is also Wisdome and Vertue The tast of this Wine is a bequeath of dying Christ Iesus to his beloued Spouse the Church whom he comforteth and supporteth with the flagons thereof in his absence before the Day of his great Marriage where it shall bee giuen in fulnesse And the comforts of it are sufficient to strēgthen vs against all sorts of griefe yea they make vs cheerfully to scorne and despise the pleasures of sinne they make vs to looke on death with disdayne as vpon a Snake whose fling and teeth are pulled out Death where is thy sting Graue where is thy victory They make vs to long for heauen and stirre vp the stomacke of the soule by these measured tastes of God to tast him perfectly in a most blessed full and eternall fruition But perchance thou wilt tell mee that thou tastest no such sweetnesse in God thou hast heard him spoken of in Churches and Pulpits and thou sayest thy prayers as others doe and yet thou perceiuest no such matter as I talke of Surely I must confesse This Wine is not for euery mouth neyther is euery mouth for this Wine The holy Wine must be put into holy Vessels for it is farre holyer then the shew-bread for the receiuing whereof Abimelech would that the young mens Vessels should be cleane The corrupt and lustfull Flesh as it tasteth not this Wine no more doth this Wine indure to be tasted by it this fruit of the tree of Life cannot be receiued but where the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and euill is spit out and denyed The louers of Egyptian Onions are no true tasters of celestiall Manna therfore striue to cast out the old Man corrupt with deceiuable Lusts which makes thy taste grosse and earthly and then thou shalt taste the sweetnesse of God and his consolations And hauing tasted it thou shalt despise the tast of thy former gluttonies and drinkings and thou shalt say with Dauid Thou hast put more ioy into my heart then formerly there was when the Oyle and Wine were plentifull This is a priuiledge of Saints bee thou a Saint and inioy the priuiledge Thirdly for drunkennesse had need to be haled out with a three-fold cord behold a benefit of this Spirituall wine which the other wanteth yea behold the same thing commendable in the one damnable in the other and that is excesse Thou must drinke too much of the outward wine but canst not drinke too much of the inward and therfore if thou loue safety better then danger loue the wine of the Spirit rather then the fruit of the Vine If thou knowest a Physitian that heales all that he meddles with and another that hath killed as many as he hath vndertaken doest thou not shew thy folly to preferre the killer before the sauer Surely the spirit saues all that it vndertakes and wine hath slaine many soules and bodies by excesse O loue life and seeke not death by the errours of this life Drinke the Spirit without feare but drink wine still in feare thou mayst not feare in the drinking of the spirit except thou wilt feare increase of comfort of light of holinesse Thou canst not drinke freely of wine without feare except thou do not feare the losse of light the losse of reason of goodnesse of thy whole selfe The spirit by how much it groweth in thee the wiser the better the more larger thou art But by how much more thou drinkest the wine of excesse the foolisher the wickeder the lesser thou art Therefore when thou takest the Cup of Saluation open thy mouth wide that it may bee largely filled but when thou takest thy cup of wine know it is a cup of danger and let in danger as sparely as thou mayst It is the saying of a Wiseman Hee that loueth danger shall perish in it and surely hee that loueth wine loueth danger and therefore hee that lowine is likely
inferences as loudly though not so truly it shall say Vos autem sic You shall not be as the kings of the Nations sayth one Text yet other Texts with their glosses will bring it so about that the Kings of the Nations shall be but your Vassals and shall be metamorphosed into Brutes euen Aspes and Basiliskes for Popes to tread on And hither tend the mayn endeuors of diuers later Popes euen to settle a principality by the Gospell Yea and when the Gospell would not helpe them for it will not they striue to establish it by warres by tumults by treasons things meerly repugnant and forbidden by the Gospell So necessary it is that the Pope must bee the Head of the World that he had rather kill the body then not be the Head So is hee a true and liuely Antichrist euen an opposite to Christ For Christ being the true Head of the Church gaue himselfe to death for the life of his body But this Man being as his owne say but a Ministeriall head giueth the body of Christ to distraction for the life of this imaginary Head On this Theme are spent the huge labours of Baronius And to this end is the Popes authoritie ouer Princes maintayned by Bellarmine and others and to this end is the doctrine of Treasons against excommunicated Princes taught printed by many of the Popes Parisites so that euery Protestant Prince may truly be called a Confessor for he confesseth the Christian Religion with the danger of his life Which transcendence both of pride and sinne though the Court of Rome maintayne yet because some members of the same Church haue confuted and disclaymed it I may the more truely call it a different kind of Religion Another sort shall bee termed Religio Theologorum the Religion of the Diuines or that doctrine which is ordinarily taught or acknowledged for the sauing of learned souls of this also there are three degrees The first is Crassa doctrina the grosser or lesse refined doctrine which was both more common more grosse before Luther and yet hath large entertaynment among â—hem such is the doctrine of Merits of condignity of Predestination ex praeuisis operibus of worshipping of Images with the worship due to the sampler c. which assertions if any would farther learne he shall finde them in the confutation of their owne â—eater Writers who among the Hereticâ—es confute also their fellows grosser opinions And those confuters are those which teach the second degree of Doctrine which is Doctrina limita a refined kind of Doctrine conceiued by the genuine interpretation of Scriptures yea inforced by the euident light of the Word and approcheth very neere to that of the Reformed so that though not out of one yet out of all our Doctrine may bee proued and deduced And this is that which yeelds the matter of such workes as the Catholick Apologie Papa non Papa and such other which by the Romanists haue confuted the Romane Religion A third degree is Doctrina Spiritus aut Conscientia the Doctrine of the Spirit or Conscience which is when Men taught by the Spirit of God or enforced by the Light of their own Conscience confesse their owne vnworthinesse and wholly extoll as the surest Refuge the mercy of God in the merits of Christ. This former is frequently seen in Barnard Thomas Campensis and others that liued in that Church Men as I hope sanctified and taught by the Spirit Others also by the terror or conuiction of their Conscience haue acknowledged the same as Stephan Gardiner at his end and Bellarmine when after disputation of merits he confesseth this affiance in Gods mercy to bee the safest rest of the soule And no doubt when men are approching by death to the barre of a supreme Iustice before a perfect God with pure eyes if they haue any portion of the Spirit they abhorre themselues with Iob and doe so see and feare their own corruption that they cannot find rest but in perfect merits and a perfect satisfaction So that I doubt not but of these there is a reserued number euen a number reserued by Gods election which is truly Ecclesia Electorum hauing washed their robes white in the bloud of the Lambe A third and last sort of Religion may be called Doctrina Idiotarum euen that Doctrine which is taught to the common people apprehended and accordingly practised by them as sufficient to saue their ignorant Soules This is generally a Religion very neere fitted to brute beasts for it teacheth them to be saued in ignorance and by beleeuing as the Church beleeues Which is vpon the matter by beleeuing that which they know not and by not knowing what they beleeue So is the Soule which should bee the principall agent in Religion left out in Religion and lyes like the first Chaos voyd and full of darknesse And the body is principally instructed Accordingly they are taught by Images Pictures more then by preaching as men that haue fiue senses without but no sense within They must confesse they must doe penance they must say Creeds and Aue-Maries in Latine and those they must mistake for prayers they must worship Images and adore the Sacrament They must bring their bodies to the Church leaue behind their vnderstandings for in their Liturgie there is only worke for the eare and none through the eare for the vnderstaÌ„ding And as this teaching of Religion is brutish so is the practice Mechanical They worke it out with their limbes and the poore Soule stands by and knowes not a iot of the busines The mouth speakes the knee bowes the hand mooues on the beades or knocks vpon the breast the eye lookes vp the eare heares and yet the soule and spirit which giue the onely life and beeing to the worship that God a Spirit loues knowes nothing vnderstands nothing what the body is doing And as for the Images the poore wretches must needs commit flat Idolatry for I neuer heard that any of their Doctors did perfectly teach their common people to distinguish between Doulia and Latria but as one of their owne sayth If they worship them with all their heart they thinke they haue done it excellently Surely it cannot be conceiued that the ignorant Papists who haue no Commandement against Images should in this point doe better then the Iewes who had a plaine Commandement against them But the Iewes fell to Idolatrie against an euident Commandement yet these Doctors think that their people shall be held from Idolatrie onely by a distinction Surely they little regard the infirmity of miserable Man fallen into so great an Ignorance and Corruption that he is apt to learne Lyes of a stock and to be inflamed with Images vnder euery greene â—ree Neither doe they consider the strictnesse of Ielousy which in the Lord Almightie is as perfect and infinite as himselfe Now perfect Iealousie cannot abide to haue a known Adulterer come neere to his spouse neither can it indure to haue
destruction for the Church of God seeing her desperatenes hath nothing left but to cry continually Come out of her my people that yee bee not partaker of her plagues And God himselfe seeing her in the same remedilesse case that he saw Iuda and Israel 2. Chron. 36.16 beeing still the same God will no doubt vse the same Iustice and according to his owne Word will send downe that Angell of Power which shall lighten the Earth with his Glory and cry mightily with a loud voyce Babylon the great is fallen is fallen and become the habitation of Deuils and this is the reason of her torments because she faith I sit as a Queene and am no Widdow and shall see no sorrow But if withall some plaine particulars bee desired by which men without labour may see that they haue erred who cannot erre and therefore erre againe in saying they did not erre before not to referre them to the large Treatises of these Controuersies let them consider some few positions which are direct Oppositions to the Word of God S. Iohn sayth 1. Ioh. 1.7 The bloud of Christ purgeth vs from all sin Bellarmine sayth Iudic. de lib. concord That good Workes deserue remission of sinnes Saint Paul sayth 1. Cor. 1.15 That when the people vnderstandeth not he cannot say Amen neyther is edified Vers. 16 17. and withall commands That all things should bee done to edifying and to that end that when a strange tongue is spoken one should interprete or otherwise the speaker in an vnknown tongue should hold his peace Verse 16 17 18. But the Councell of Trent sayth in the Decree of the Sacrament cap. 9 That whosoeuer holds that Masse should bee said in the vulgar Tongue let him be accursed Againe the Commandement saith That no Image shall bee worshipped but Bellarmine sayes they may be worshipped and Azorius sayes with the worship of the sampler and so the Crucifixe with the worship of Christ. Christ sayth That the Apostles shall not bee like the Princes of the Earth in Dominion but the Papists say That to the Pope is giuen all power and the vse of both Swords yea they are set aboue Princes And surely to sum vp these foure points together Idolatry magnifying of their owne Merits staruing of Soules and intolerable Pride their Corruption is abominablyeminent so that it must bee a blinde man that seeth it not and a Whores fore-head that confesseth it not And assuredly for foure transgressions and for fiue if not fiftie God will certaine punish them especially for these crying ones by which God himselfe hath his honor communicated to Stockes the Son of God hath this honour diuided with the sonnes of men Those which are called Gods are subiected to the pride of the Man of Sinne and the Church of God for whom Christ dyed and shed his bloud hath their bloud spilt by ignorance and not knowing the Councell of God Acts 20.27 So by these short patternes we may know what kind of stuffe their Religion is made of yea to what a Religion they haue tied themselues by the sacred and fearefull bands of Canons Curses Since then they haue bound themselues to their diseases what remaynes to vs but this Curauimus Babylonem non est sanata abeamus quisque in terram suam Come out of her come out of her my people that ye be not prtakers of her sinnes and that yee receiue not of her Plagues CHAP. IX A cure of that Monasticall Melancholy that cuts off a Christians hands and turnes him all into eyes CHrysostome speaking comparatiuely of an actiue contemplatiue life * De Sacer. lib. 6. preferreth â—he vertue of the actiue before the conteÌ„platiue of the Priest before the Monke as of a King before a priuate Man For hee saith the contemplatiue Man sayleth in the Harbour and passeth a good life but it is in safety and quietnesse But the actiue Man goes through the World and yet is none of the World he meetes with tentations fights with them and ouercomes them he steereth his course aright through stormie and tempestuous Oppositions Againe he sayth that the Minister labours with his minde the Monke with his bodie On the other side Gregory * Moral in Iob l. 6. c. 18. Ezek. l. 2. Hom. 3. preferreth the Contemplatiue before the Actiue and to prooue it saith that the Contemplatiue Man enioyeth his Creator is already in Heauen the World is trodden vnder him and he feasteth on Blessednes so that he is as farre aboue the Actiue as Heauen is aboue Earth as blisse is aboue this miserable and sinfull World Now there beeing but one Truth how shall wee find this one Truth in this seeming diuersitie of Opinions For Truth is only to bee found in Vnity and not in contrarietie Yet by the Candle of Gods Spirit and Word let vs seeke this Groat of Truth that otherwise may bee lost in the darke First true it is which Gregorie sayth That Contemplation is heerein more excellent then Action That Contemplation seemes to gather the fruit and Action but to sow it So as gathering is more excellent then sowing so Contemplation seemes to exceed Action And as attayning the Hauen is more comfortable then tossing in the Sea so Contemplation is farre sweeter then Action But yet on the behalfe of Action must we consider two assured Truthes First that this World is made for another World and it is not the place of Rest but the way to Rest and our busines in this World is to prouide for a happinesse to be enioyed in another World Then though enioying in it selfe bee better then working yet vpon this consideration of circumstances it may bee better to worke then to enioy For if working here increase our enioying hereafter and enioying heere diminish our enioying hereafter doubtlesse it is better to worke in this place of working that wee may enioy in the place of enioying then by imperfect enioying here in a place of working hereafter to diminish our ioyes in the place of perfect enioying To gather fruit in an vndue time abateth of the bignesse and sweetnesse We must not think to haue our Heauen here but wee must labour in the sixe dayes of this life to enioy an eternall Sabbath hereafter We must heere bee turners of our Talent that being faithfull in little we may rule ouer much and not thinke that binding vp our Talent we may be idle heere and glorious hereafter we may not imagine that man had a body giuen him to liue only in his soule but the Maker of the body will also haue the seruice of the body and that not in workes of Pietie alone but of Charity also euen of mutuall helpe and benefit as being part not of a Separation but of a Communion of Saints Therefore though Peter thought it good to bee still in the contemplation of Glorie and would faine haue built Tabernacles therein Yet Christ carries him downe againe from the Mountaine of Vision into the
by the rule of riches the latter which is stark naught must bee the better man and if it bee so Loue if thou canst this admirable excellence superiority which sets thee vp higher in place by being worser in wickednesse Wouldest thou be this better man if thou mightst or rather wilt thou not rather scorne this so much valued place which is to bee gotten by excelling in wickednesse Surely a most pittifull eminence which is bought by the deprauation of a mans chiefest excellence the Image of God A lamentable dignity where the price of the soule must pay for the preferment of the body and thou must inwardly be most vgly that thou mayst outwardly bee glorious It were farre better for thee to bee the better man that thou mayst bee the worse then to bee the worse man that thou mayst bee the better But to giue thee comfort against this confusion I will tell thee Fourthly That this confused order shall bee righted by an order without confusion The day draweth neer wherein euery man shall bee seated in his right place euen according to true reall and inward excellence That as I told thee is the Image of God wherein whosoeuer now shines aboue the rest by grace shall hereafter shine aboue the rest in the eminence of Glory Therefore lift vp thy heart from earthly dignity vnto heauenly honour and set thy heart on that which shall bee thine by true iudgement by due administration and in an eternall fruition Thy worth shall bee truly valued and accordingly thy glory shall duly bee giuen thee and this glory shall bee giuen thee in a Kingdome which hath no end And then shalt thou see those glorious slaues whom vice heere preferred tumbled downe into a bottomlesse Pit and as farre below thee as hell is below Heauen Then shall it be no griefe of heart to thee that here thou wert misplaced by mistaking but thou shalt rather grieue for them that they were preferred by wickednesse vnto eternall misery It only remaynes that some of that thought that then shall fully possesse thee partly bee taken vp before hand that so thy future superiority may make thee fully pleased with thy present lownesse and the preferment of others by sinne may mooue in thee no other passion but pitty We see the sonne of a great Man can indure to be below in the Schoole because hee knowes he shall be high in the Countrey and quietly suffers those to take place of him of whome hee knowes by him place shal be taken We walke by faith and not by sight by the sight of the soule and not of the body and the soule seeing that heauenly exaltation let not bodily sight depresse vs but let that glorious eminence which wee see by faith erect and cheere vs. And now because by that vniuersall variety of euents all things comming alike to all or otherwise by diuine fauour immediate blessing wealth and honour comes sometimes to grace and goodnesse I thought it not vnfit to adde some cautions how the great good man should make vse of superiority First the loue of Pride which hath with it a swelling conceit of himselfe and a lesning contempt of others must be farre from being the cause of his being first but he must take it for orders sake which commonly brings two Companions Comelinesse and Quietnesse Secondly if there bee any doubt of the right of priority let him rather incline to the humble side then the proud and rather seeke to goe before in Humility then in place which is indeed Saint Pauls * Ro. 10.12 going before in going behind Thirdly let Charity accompany Humility which sometimes will giue prioritie for loue for some such there are whom you may winne by this Rattle and make them friends of enemies as children are pleased with Apples It is a bad Neighbour that is not worth more then his place though indeed he be not very good that will breake friendship for loue of the place But loue sometimes seeketh not her owne especially where loue must bee lost by seeking her owne for loue aboue all things seeketh loue Fourthly in the difference of place remember the Community of Nature yea perchance the priority of Grace so shalt thou not bee lifted vp in thy heart as thou art in thy place aboue men of thine owne dignity by Creation perchance better then thy selfe by the eminent Graces of Sanctification And where greater Graces sit below thee Let thy loue and courtesie acknowledge their inward dignity as their inferiority doth acknowledge thy outward eminence For as I told thee their excellence is the chiefest excellence and it is farre from Iustice that he should respect thy outward worth which is the meaner and thou shouldest not acknowledge his inward worth which is the better But let each haue his due thou the honour of outward eminence and he the honour and respect due vnto inward excellence CHAP. XVI Anti-Circe A potion that turnes Beasts into Men being before turned from Men into aBests MAny are the sores that afflict the minde of corrupt and miserable Man But of these many there are diuers that bee contented with the hurt of one single part or faculty of the soule as a Mote in the Eie and a Thorne in the Foot There is a single error in iudgement a particular straying of the will and a measured disordinatenesse of the Affections In which cases the amending of that one part where the griefe lyes is sufficient But there is a kinde of Men for such they were once that will not bee contented with such small sores but they will needes turne their minde into one whole sore Facies dicatur an vlcus you shall not distinguish the face of their once-reasonable soules from that of the brutish and still vnreasonable soules of Beasts They cast so much moysture on the Lampe of their vnderstanding so much mudde vpon their wils that the light of their vnderstanding is put out and the fethers of a diuine and celestiall will are vnable to mount and so the soule in her faculties is slaine and there remaynes nothing but the huskes and shels of Men for the Men themselues are turned out of doores To such mending will not serue the turne for they are dead They must goe beyond mending and had need to goe to new making For where the principia be not only laesa but as it were coesa an almost indelible Character of darknesse and sensuality being stamped on the soule how shall the soule be new lighted but by the first inlightner and how shall she of sensuall bee made spirituall but by a new-begetting of the Father of Spirits This masse of moysture is like the first Chaos voyde and without forme and darknesse is vpon the face of it What remedie remaynes but that now as then the spirit moue vpon the waters euen vpon this informed lumpe of Humidity There needs another fiat euen a voyce from Heauen Awake thou that sleepest and arise from
Vice flyes maynly at the face of this Image and seekes to scratch it out of the soule and so to leaue man as base and dishonorable as the Beasts whome man despiseth most So is this excesse a notable kinde of murder for it kils that which is indeed the man euen Reason and Vnderstanding And as it is thus contrary to the Creation by defacing that Image of God which the Creation planted in vs so it is also contrary to Regeneration and the recouery of that decayed Image So is it a murder of the second Adam in vs as well as of the first euen a murdeâ— of life eternall The new man saith Paul is created in knowledge and true holinesse but drunkennes it is a foule word and an honest eare is troubled with the sound of it quencheth the shining Lampe of knowledge and the spirituall fire of holinesse and leaues the soule of man as den of darkenesse and vncleannesse It thrusts a finger into the very eye of the soule euen the vnderstanding and puts it out and it leaues such a drosse and muddinesse on the will that it growes base and downward the fiery mountings of the spirit being quenched by the fogs and cloudes of moysture Namque affigit hums diuinae particulam Aurae Such lamentable effects of excesse you shal ordinarily see in these thirsty men or men-fishes for their life is only in liquido they haue commonly rebated and dull vnderstandings and base grosse and muddy affections They loue base company base places and base courses But if it be not yet odious enough behold the Monster it selfe as you go in the streets for you can hardly misse him and that will best affright you A certaine thing it is that perchance was lately a man but now hath nor soul nor body That little mouth of his hath swallowed downe his whole selfe he is intombed in his owne bowels and that which is buried in him is his Sepulchre Hee is now only Belly Foolishnesse and Sicknesse his panch hath buried the Wine and in the Wine is his wit buried his soule his hands his feet and perchance his last wealth Thete can be nothing sayd of him now but that hee is a meere Caske the shell of wine yet worse then that a Caske that marres the Wine and it selfe is marred by it You may strike him if yee will he feeles it not for he is dead as well as buried and whosoeuer would speake with him he must stay till hee come home for the drinke hath turned him out of doores But to what end doe I cast away my words If I speake to such a one I speake to the dead and how can hee heare And if I speake to the liuing He is not such and hee hath no need of my speaking Surely I will here take vp the saying of Salomon of the other generall death That it is good to see the house of death because the liuing shall lay it to his heart So though I haue small hope of the dead in excesse A Lazarus of that kinde being very seldome raysed vnto life yet let the liuing behold this house of death and hee may lay it to his heart Let those that stand by the falne take heed least they fall Let the vglinesse which they see abhorre in others make them striue not to bee that which they doe abhorre Beware of Wine because it tempts to excesse and therefore handle it with feare I speake now chiefly to them that excuse themselues by being ouertaken because it hath a sting in it But especially beware of excesse for without this sting the wine will hurt thee Be an equall Iudge betweene thy taste and thy whole selfe euen thy body thy soule yea Grace the soule of thy soule Bee not partiall to thy base sensuality but rather â—â— thy selfe and fauour those excellent things Gods Grace thy owne soule and bodie Abate that which would abatâ— thee and lose any thing rather then thy selfe A third dehortatiue is thâ— consideration of persons for the persons whom hee dehorteth are men and Christians and such of all other it worst becommeth A Swine oâ— a Heathen or a Heathens fellow a Swaâ—geret it becomes somewhat kindly But men of vnderstanding seruants members of Christ Iesus it fits by no meanes yea it is a miserable incongruity A man that hath some remnant of Gods Imaâ—e yea which is more that hath Gods Image renued in him yea is bought and brought to the wearing of this Image by the preciouâ— bloud of the Sonne of God that such a one should defile and deface Gods Image in himselfe this is a great absurditie Therefore hee coniureth them by their Manhood and by their Christanity that they would not put on this wilfull madnes by which both Manhood and Christianitie may be lost Christ hath dyed for thee doe not spoyle him with thy drinke for whom Christ dyed Doe not thou defile with thy Wine that which Christ hath washed with his bloud and where Christ indured so great a paine as accompanyed the shedding of his bloud and nayling on the Crosse for thy saluation doe not thou shed thy Wine vpon thy selfe to procure thy owne damnation Surely thou preferrest Wine before the bloud of Christ and before the Spirit of Christ. Thou art not a Christian but a Gadaren or rather the Hogge of the Gadarens now in carrying by the Deuill into the Deepe if thou preferre a Swinish pleasure before the most precious bloud of the Sauiour of the World Therefore behold thy dignity and that may suffice thee Thou art elect according to the fore-knowledge of God by the sprinkling of the bloud of Christ and the sanctification of the Spirit and is there a greater excellencie then this to bee a sonne of God so freely elected so preciously redeemed so diuinely sanctified And now put this filthinesse by the side of it a lothsome and odious comparison I confesse but profitable by the lothsomenesse and can any man indure to loose the Trinity that hee may gaine Sensuality to leaue to be a Saint that hee may be a Beast to lose Heauen that he may gaine Hell Me thinkes a man had neede bee drunke before-hand in this case to make a choice of Drunkennesse And now Paul passeth from the Vice to the Remedie An admirable fit and soueraigne Remedie as which helpeth it three wayes First by a contrariety for cures are most commonly by contraries and as excessiue wine hath bin shewed to be contrary to the spirit so is the spirit to it Secondly by a conformitie with it but excelling it and so the eminence of it calleth vs away from that which is meaner to that which is more precious as the offer of gold calls vs from siluer or brasse Thirdly by a priuiledge wherein it differs from it as not hauing the danger of wine which is excesse for there is no excesse in the spirit but excesse is a vertue in it and the greater measure the more commâ—ndation Now
that thou mayst be glad to bâ—e cured of this Vice by the contrariety of the Spirit see wherein the contrariety consists The surfet of wine makes darknesse in thy Vnderstanding and the Spirit light It makes brutish sensuality strong and heauy vpon the Will and affections and the Spirit exalts and purifies the Will by a cleane and celestiall grace Now if I leaue it to thy choyce whether thou wilt come out of Darknesse into Light from a seruile sensuality a true equality with Beasts into the glorious liberty of holy cleane and heauenly Minds I know thou wilt tell mee that there is no doubt in this choyce but that Light is farre better then Darknesse and a heauenly Mind is farre better then a sensuall Then doe but beleeue what thou sayest and doe what thou beleeuest and thou art cured Preferre in thy workes as well as thy words the light of the Deity shining on thy Soule before the darknesse of excesse sent vp from the grosse vapors of Moysture Bee thou farre more glad to haue thoughts of Purity thoughts of Felicity thoughts of Eternity then the beastly imaginations of filthy Lusts inflamed in thy Soule by the Lake of Brimstone that lies in thy Bowels Let neither the colour nor the tast of Wine be thought a fit counterpoyse to those excellencies of the Spirit but when Wine would tempt thee by them call him Mocker and tell him that pleasure is but a pretence but darknesse sensuality and eternall death is the drift of it Tell it thou hast a Light in thee more precious then the light of the Sunne the Father of Wine yea more excellent then any Creature and thou wilt not change this excellent light into darknesse for so small a price as a sight and a tast Say thou hast a quickening and purifying flame of heauenly Fire sent downe into thy heart and thou wilt not quench it for the World by the inundation of a brutifying Moysture And hauing chased away this tempting Ammonite that will not make peace with thee but by pulling out thy best eye retire into the Light and Vertue of the Spirit inflame it blowe it kindle it by Meditation by Prayer by Reading and the increase of this Light and Vertue wiâ— increase in thee loâ—hing of the Darknesse and Beastlinesse of excesse The Light of the Spirit and the graces therof will bee so highly precious in thy sight that thou wilt wonder that any man should goe downe from that Heauen of the Soule into the darke and miry Dungeons of a stupiâ—ied sightlesse filthy sensuall and sencelesse Mind Thou wilt admire that a man should wilfully put out so glorious a Lampe as the Light of the Spirit and that a man should quench that fire by which in some measure he is partaker of the Diuine Nature and all this to get into him the nature habite and condition of a Swine an Ape a Goat or a Lyon Wherefore take heed to the new Creature of God created in knowledge and holinesse which is farre more glorious then all the old Creatures Let that by all meanes bee preferred in its dignitie and supremacie let all Creatures serue it for so the Creator allowes but let it selfe bee brought in bondage to nothing Let it be kept bright and pure for the seruice and pleasure of the Creator who therefore beautified Man with a likenesse to his owne Heart that his heart might take pleasure in that likenesse And if the chiefe pleasure which God takes on Earth be this Beauty of Man then man himselfe should take his chiefest pleasure in prâ—â—eruing and adorning this Beauty Otherwise hee is an vngratefull Wretch not caâ—ing to gratifie the Creator with the pleasure of his owne Gifts and hee is an ignorant Foole for not taking a chiefe pleasure in that wherein the highest Wisdome is especially delighted But whosoeuer is the truly begotten sonne of that supreme Wisedome cannot but loue and cherish the Wisdome and Graces of the inner Man wherein stands the beautifull Image and likenesse of the most glorious Father And whosoeuer loueth and cherisheth it cannot but hate and abhominate that Excesse that casts blacknesse and filth on so bright rauishing and celestiall a Beauty Neyther doth here the Spirit of God bid vs to our losse but which is the second Remedie euen in those things wherein Wine is desirable the Spirit offers vs aduantage If the Wine bee pleasant to the eye the sights of the Spirit are farre more excellent for they are such as eye hath not seene The Spirit of God reueales sights vnvtterable and our soules anoynted with that eye-salue Looke into heauen and see him that is inuisible Glorious and delectable are the Contemplations of the Saints euen such that they grow rapt by the sights which they behold and are loth to come downe from that high Tabor of Vision into the low and base valley of outward and grosse conuersation The light of the body is the eye but the eye of Man is the Soule The Spirituall sight is mans most excellent Sight and Spirituall obiects are his most excellent obiects When we see outward things wee see but that which beasts may see with vs but when we see Spirituall things we see that which none but Men and Angels can see wherefore be thou filled with the Spirit wherby thou mayst see the true and kindly obiects of Men and Angels and dwell not in thy outward eies wherin Beasts may excell thee By thy inward sight thou shalt in some measure behold God thy chiefe Felicity the loue of God in Christ Iesus giuen for our Ransome the admirable Graces and Vertues of a holy and sanctifying Spirit In summe thou shalt see such diuine Sights that thou wilt not giue thy Contemplations for a Kingdome For at what price will a heauenly Soule sell his Meditations a Gregor in ps pâ—niâ— 4. Sion is by interpretation a Watch-towre and Sion is a type of the Church The Church of God stands on a Watch-towre and it sees more then seuen men on a Watch-towre and as her height is exalted on the towre of contemplation so her foundation is setled beneath on the Rocke of stability So as shee sees farre by her height shee is also stable by her foundation which amounts to this That Sion is a Watch-towre that cannot be remooued from her Contemplation Now if this heauenly Sight bee the most excellent Sight of Man dwell no longer in thy outward eies to behold eyther the colour spright or motion of Wine or of any earthly obiect But in the stedfast Watch-towre of diuine Contemplation behold sights worthy of a Creature indued with a heauenly Soule Scorne to dwell in an equality with Beasts when thou mayst come into a parity with Angels and if thou wilt needs looke on Wine Looke on the new Wine of the kingdome of Heauen which Christ now drinkes aboue and for which hee hath left the old hauing professed that hee will drinke no more of it But of this
very character is Cholericke for it is a Locust that hath the tayle of a Scorpion and a sting in his tayle c. Reu. 9. But for Phlegmatickes there are no patternes like the Monkes whose Life in generall is paine by ease and labour in eating And in this payne and labor they expresse a wonderfull patience This is the man whom that excellent pensill of the Spirit Saint Paul describes weeping whose end is damnation whose god is their belly and whose glory is their shame And if you will see the face of Melancholy behold your Anchorite or Stillite who often by a fullen humour falls out with the world and falls into a corner and at best vndertakes voluntary temptations that hee may escape necessary ones This man also Saint Paul describes when hee calls his Religion a shewe of wisdome in wil-worship and humilitie and punishing the body And these differences haue also bred oppositions among them The Popes turning Religion to be a Pander for pride lusts and pleasures is condemned by diuers as Barnard Cassander Mantuan c. The Iesuite is condemned by the Priest yea by the founder Romanists for being too pragmaticall and the whole world cryes out on the Monckes and the Poets make songs on them But the Melancoly Christian seemes most reuerent as hee doth among vs yet they haue beene censured by men of Iudgement as Cornelius Agrippa de vanit sci cap. 62. and Barnard in Cant. sermo 35. and others who condemn that life which liues to it selfe profiteth not others and runnes into Salomons Vaesoli And no doubt by the lawes of flesh and bloud the Pope in his glory cannot but laugh at their Penury and he that reioyceth in his gayne by Fabula de Christo which was the blasphemous speedy of an impious Pope must needs thinke them mad that loose thereby eyther pleasure or profit No doubt as fitly by the Pope may be giuen to these men of penance that saying which was bestowed on the common people that sought a fatherly benediction Quando populus hic decipi vult decipiatur Againe the Philosophers had Sects agreeable to different Complexions The Epicure fitted eyther the Sanguine or Phlegmaticke the Stoicke and Cynicke the Cholericke and Melancolicke So much in all men that are meerly naturall doth the Body worke on the Soule and the Soule by the same blindnesse which it suffers from the Body hath this defect that it sees not that it is blind and therefore beleeuing that it sees it calls that an opinion which is indeed but a preiudice Now the Remedie of this Disease as of others is by contraries Surely as these Complexions of the Flesh in their extremities fight with the Spirit so doth the Spirit with them and therefore the Remedie of the Flesh is the Spirit and wee shall bee safe from the extremities and superfluities of the Flesh if wee keep our selues in the vprightnesse vnpartialnesse and indifferency of the Spirit Now this shall wee performe if wee be guided by certaine rules whereof it may be truly sayd that hee that keepeth these rules keepeth his way and he that keepeth his way keepeth himselfe in the Spirit and hee that keepeth himselfe in the Spirit keepeth his Life And most true it is that they that walke by these rules peace shall bee vpon them for they are the very Israel of God The First of these is this That euery man truely iudge himselfe his Complexion and Constitution in the outward glasse of the eye and the inward glasse of the soule so to find out the exuberant abounding and reigning Complexion and that being found to bee farre from fauouring and defending it in the things of God which is the vsuall manner of flesh and bloud But rather on the contrary let him suspect and stoppe himselfe in that way to which his inclination ouer-hurries him and condemne his errour when he goes astray and hauing condemned it returne backe to his true way Surely in this we must imitate the Nauigators The Nauigators know the right Line that leades to their intended Hauen and to that Line by the Compasse they set the course of the Shippe But if contrary windes ouer-rule them turne them from this right proposed Line to any one side then they reckon how farre they haue gone on the one side and by another returne they requite it and so bring themselues againe into their right intended way Doubtlesse our Life is a Voyage our Hauen is the Citie of God the Line of our course is Sanctification and the Spirit is our Compasse This Spirit pointeth vs our way and our Soules must resolue to run in that way But it so falls out that the tempests of the Flesh of Complexion of exorbitant Constitution carries vs aside what remaynes but that wee find out this Errour and finding it allow a returne as long and as large as our wandring But farre be from vs that foolish and dangerous Custome of those blind Soules who being hood wincked by Humour and Complexion doe make their Humors and Complexions the Guids of their Soules and not their Soules guided by the Spirit the Guide of their Humours Yea they thinke that Humor is the Spirit and so they erre by authority and are therefore farre more incurable This is to make the winde the Guide of the Shippe and not the Compasse and surely such men shal be sure neuer to come to their pretended Hauen For the end of the Flesh is Death and the fruit of the Spirit onely is Life Neyther is it hard for each man to finde out the superfluities of his flesh and to correct them if hee follow the Second Rule which is this Man must not compare himselfe with himselfe nor measure himselfe by himselfe for euery man is as tall as his own measure and he cannot thereby finde out his shortnesse or tallnesse But Man must seeke out for his patternes both the words and persons of men truly sanctified or rather the words and deeds of the Spirit speaking and liuing in them euen such whose vnpartiall vprightnesse hath wholly giuen them vp from the Flesh to the Spirit The chiefest is Christ himselfe whose vpright temper rectified and guided by an vnmeasured Spirit setleth him in a perpetuall equilibriousnesse apt vpon occasion to the effects of any Complexion yet vnapt without to be led by any of them Next to Christ are his Apostles And among them most conspicuous and most knowne in S. Paul In him shall yee see the reasonable vse of each Complexion while he chideth the Galathians and Corinthians while he reioyceth for the Romanes while he expresseth a feruent loue to Timothy and many other Saints yea to his owne Nation wishing with his owne perill that they might bee saued while he speakes weeping of those whose end is Damnation and being still one and the same man he is full of anger when Elimas resisted him and full of patience when the Iewes afflicted him And euen at this day are there paternes
this path of vertue it leades vs to Felicitie And when hee hath magnified his Philosophie to the highest Diuinitie chalengeth all the Goodnesse it hath as her seruant and addes more vnto it Now for the other two Epithites wherewith hee decketh Philosophie and whereof he robbeth Diuinitie Pleasantnesse and Power I haue fitted seuerall discourses for them yet withall respecting other faults But the Reader may set such pieces of them together as being inlayd in his memorie iointly with this may serue for an intire Confutation of these errours And that his memorie may not trauaile farre for the doing of it I heere immediatly adioyne them CHAP. III. A healing of their Griefe that are affrighted at Christianitie and runne away from it as from some terrible and vgly thing THere are some that thinke on Religion as vpon some fearfull Apparition and accordingly receiue the Image thereof into their Mindes in the likenesse of a sowre grim and austere visage And surely some Pharisies haue giuen a Confirmation hereunto But this is an especiall deceit and fraud of the Deuill to rob vs of the greatest ioy by a false feare of the greatest sadnesse Is there any more comfortable thing then the vnion of Man with his Souereigne Good Is there any thing more pleasant then light and true Christians haue in them the beames of the vppermost Light Is there any thing more rauishing then Beautie and these are delighted with the highest Beautie of the Creatour and with the lower Beauties of iust and holy men resembling the higher What delights Man more then to loue and to bee beloued and behold a Christian is the best louer and loued of the best Vertue was glorious in the eyes of the Heathen so that in regard of her they despised all labours and sufferings yea life it selfe Yet their Vertue was but of a bounded Nature as a standing Poole whose waters are by measure But the Vertues of Christianitie are continuall streames flowing from the eternall Fountaine of the Deitie and haue an vnlimited power of daily increasing I cannot I would not say all that the ioy of Christians can afford me I haue * Arté of Happâ—nesse elsewhere saued this labour Neither let men thinke but that these are matters of Fact and not of meere Speculation for the hearts of true Christians are at this day liuing Witnesses and the Sayings of the Dead cry aloud to confirme it Reade DAVID reioycing in his Psalmes and you will thinke him a man rauished so doth euery word swell with ioy prayse and exultation See him dancing before the Arke and if you bee no wiser then a very woman you will thinke him out of his wits but if you bee so wise as a good woman you will say his soule did magnifie the Lord and his Spirit reioyced in God his Sauiour Againe reade the Song of Dauid describing the extasies of loue and delight wherein the Church almost loseth her selfe as vnable to contayne them and you cannot but say that there is a ioy entered into the heart of man which cannot get it selfe wholy into it by comprehension nor get out of it by expression All the Instruments of Musicke all the Creatures both sensible and insensible are summoned together to helpe forth the vtterance of an vnvtterable ioy And how can you blame him for his soule is in the Courts of Heauen Where to be a doore-keeper for one day is better then to bee a thousand yeares in the Courts of Princes and yet most men thinke that Courtiers haue great ioy of their places Againe Gods Words are sweeter to him then the hony and you know Sweetnesse is the God of the Epicure Yea it is more precious then fine Gold and Gold is the God of the Worldling Thus a Christians ioy surmounteth the ioyes of the Naturallist euen Honour Pleasure and Profit But if this bee true you will say how comes it that so few seeke heauenly and almost all seeke earthly ioyes and perchance thou which readest it art also of the same minde Hereunto I answere That the fault is in the Taste not in the Meate in the folly of the Iudgement not in the Pearle when a graine of Corne is preferred before it To taste spirituall ioyes a man must bee spirituall for the spirit rellisheth only the things of the spirit and like loueth his like Betweene a spirituall man and spirituall ioyes there is as mighty an appetite and enioying as betweene fleshly meate and a carnall stomack Therefore the want of this taste and apprehension condemneth the World to be carnall but magnifies the ioyes spirituall as being aboue a grosse and carnall apprehension Surely the face of this world at the first view shewes vs a plaine euidence of its vnacquaintaÌ„ce with these ioyes it is so willingly soyled with the sweat of worldly labours so defiled with wallowing in the mire of voluptuousnesse so wrinkled with the cares of this perishing life They still cry out who will shew vs any good but they would haue this good shewed them in their Corne and Wine and Oyle But on the otherside if men did fully taste the sweetnesse and rightly value the preciousnesse of heauenly ioyes the World would run so fast from the World and presse so violently into the Kingdome of God that wee should extremely neede Sermons to perswade to the labours of the six dayes whereas now all Exhortations are too little toward the sanctâ—fying of the Seuenth And indeed the Primitiue times gaue examples hereof when there was plaine need of dehortation to keepe men from too much haste toward Persecution and too much flying from the World If thou therefore be as they were thou shalt bee readie to doe as they did Doe not as Fooles do who because they cannot taste the ioyes of a Christian therefore leaue to be Christians But euen because thou canst not tast them be thou more vehemently desirous to bee a Christian that thou mayest taste them For by being a Christian thou shalt taste the ioyes of a Christian whereas else thou losest thy selfe and them and sinkest downe to the base degree of a grosse and transitory creature and so of base and transitorie ioyes yea below them againe into a bottomlesse pit of endlesse darknesse But rather striue thou by earnest Prayer to the Father of Spirits to make thee spirituall that so spirituall things may be pleasing to thee and thou pleasing to him who is the chiefe of Spirits for Conformitie and Harmonie is the Law of Pleasure and Delight Therefore also on the otherside tread downe thy flesh and the taste thereof whose exaltation is the abatement of spirituall Life Taste and Feeling and whose abatement is the exaltation of spirituall fauour and discerning Another Obiection is framed by the World that Religion cannot bee pleasant because none speak more against Mirth and good Fellowship then these forward Christians and great Religionaries To this I answere That men truely wise and holy doe not preach against Mirth
but Madnesse and not against that Fellowship which is truely good but against that which passing vnder the name of good is full of all vice and wickednesse There is an honest and cleane Mirth which Oyle to the bones as the Wiseman sayth and this if the World could find the Salt of the World would not correct and chasten And indeed this alone deserues the Name of Mirth for the sport of sinne is a laughter at things lamentable and a ioy in stead of sorrow and is so vnseparable from sorrow that if it haue not the sorrow of temporall Repentance it shall haue a far greater sorrow of endlesse penance True it is that God at first gaue his creatures to man to be inioyed and now especially to Christians is that right renued so that Christianitie is so far from taking them from vs that it only giues them truly to vs. Againe God delighteth not in the sowrenesse of face in hanging downe the head like a Bul-rush in tormenting the body which though with some they may be esteemed as good out-sides of Religion and as Paul termes them shewes of Godlinesse yet of themselues they are of no value with God There is nothing in vs louely to God but righteousnesse and that which aduanceth it and there is nothing odious to God but sinne and that which serueth it If therefore the Creatures of God be vsed toward the aduancement and incouragement of Gods seruice in vs wee please him in their vse yea wee offend him in their neglect And the speech of Ionathan concerning Sauls forbidding of meate will God himselfe vse against vs these men haue troubled the Land for if they had eaten they had done greater seruice against the Enemies of God And for ioy it selfe we may see that God hateth it not For hee himselfe in the old Law appointed many feastes in which there was a plaine precept of Reioycing And in the new Law Paul telles Timothie that God giues vs all things abundantly to inioy and in the Acts hee testifieth that God filleth vs with food and gladnesse But our Mirth must bee wise and reasonable as becommeth those that are men and not Apes euen Creatures stamped with the Image and Character of God And too true it is that the Mirth of Man as the Wrath of Man seldome keepes such a measure that it fulfills the will of God Yet this cals for Watchfulnesse and measure vnto Mirth but sets not vnlawfulnesse on it if it bee measured and decent I denie not but Sadnesse is sometimes necessarie in Religion but not as it is Sadnesse but as Sadnesse is a Rod vnto Vice and as by humbling the Flesh it aduanceth the Spirit Sadnesse hath no worth by it selfe neither is it in Religion the end of it selfe but euen Sadnesse it selfe tendeth to Ioy. Religious men by Sadnesse walke vnto Comfort and indeed Comfort is an assured fruit of Spirituall Sadnesse Sorrow for sinne endeth in the ioy of forgiuenesse and sadnesse of meditation endeth in the ioy of Diuine contemplations So are we made merrie by Sadnesse and the weed of sorrow changeth it selfe vpon vs into the garment of gladnesse And this high priuiledge of Ioy hath a Christian aboue a Carnall man that whereas the Man of earth being sad is onely sad and sad vnto sadnesse the Christian being sad is sad vnto ioy How must not then a Christian bee a most ioyfull Creature whose very sadnesse endeth in ioy yea it is a means of procuring and making ioy Fleshly mirth endeth in sadnesse and spirituall sadnesse endeth in mirth and so if that be well that ends well the sadnesse of a Christian is better then the mirth of a Heathen There is yet a third Obiection That Religion is attended with opposition and persecution and these are terrible things to flesh and bloud I answere that if this bee so yet is Religion a ioyfull thing For these are not in Religion but after Religion and indeed they are qualities of Irreligion Religion it selfe is busied about excellent things as vnion with God conformitie to God fruition of God and persecution and opposition comes from Irreligion Atheisme and Malice Religion must needs be the more excellent because it hath such Enemies as wicked men and wicked spirits as one commended Christianitie because Nero persecuted it If great Armies come to conquer a Land it is likely to be a Land of pleasure and fertilitie for barrennesse and worthlesnesse seldome call for Conquerors Enuie the Deuills torment and pleasure seeth some invaluable ioy which he would take from vs by outward vexations but certayne it is that as it is a ioy whose fulnesse is beyond the reach of Mans heart so the fastning of it is aboue the reach of the Deuills hand for nothing can reach high enough to take it from vs. Yea when he reacheth to it by the persecutions of the bodie hee increaseth the ioyes of our soules for as tribulations abound so doe consolations abound also So in this point is a Christian also a most ioyfull Creature whose afflictions breed consolations and whose enemies are instruments of comforting them euen by afflicting them So in all things are wee more then Conquerors Ioy is our part which nothing may take from vs but all changes by an vnchangeable Law doe worke our Ioy. Therefore doth the Christian enioy tribulations and takes them for aduancements yea the disciples of Christ reioyce in their sufferings for Christs sake as testimonies of worth and estimation with their Lord. So a Souldier takes pleasure in that which to an ordinarie man is a terrour yea hee inioyeth his scarres and wounds as markes of valour and steps vnto Honour And as the sight of future aduancement doth cheere vp the Heauenly Souldier so doe the present ioyes of the Spirit of consolation As the bodie is pricked or scourged without the heart is bathed within in the celestiall oyle of ioy and gladnesse The comforts within rise according to the suffrings without yea with them by them and aboue them God the Creator is within comforting and they are but Creatures that are without afflicting and how shall wee not bee full of Courage of Comfort since hee that is in vs and with vs is so infinitly greater then hee and all they that are without vs and against vs But as the Carnall Man hath had leaue for his obiections against Religion so I desire leaue of him a little to question the ioyes of his Carnality For I am in great doubt that many sinners haue more trouble and worke to be damned then many Christians to be saued I say it falleth out by Diuine Mercie on the one and Iustice on the other that if some righteous men haue the Deuill for a hard Enemie some sinners haue him also for a cruell Master Generally the peace of the wicked is fearefull hollow interrupted and finally ending in sorrow If Affliction come to him as the first Curse giues some taste of it selfe vnto all hee receiueth the
neede of humane Inforcements Againe this is an excellent proofe that there is one generall Teacher by a Diuine Light illuminating the Church and it giues great comfort to the members of it that in some matters of Religion one man beeing many hundred myles distant or borne many hundred yeares after another receiueth some bright euident and glorious Truth which he seeth plainly to bee true and heauenly but receiueth it not of man by hearing or reading but of God alone by Meditation and yet he shall meet with another man so farre from him or with some workes of one so farre afore him which will tell the same Truths as being by that one Teacher also reuealed vnto them Againe there were among the Martyrs and Fathers men of as great and sound vnderstanding as any of these Wizards are yea they haue at first as much contemned and reiected Christ by their naturall knowledge yet at length they haue changed their minds and haue sought him as ardently as before they contemned him despitefully Now you cannot imagine that they would haue forsaken the light of their naturall Reason but that they saw a more glorious Light neyther would they haue spared their Candle but vpon the rising of the Sunne And surely these Seers doe as much wonder at the naturall mans not seeing as the not-seers at the seeing But the God of this World hath blinded their eyes that the glorious Light of the Gospell should not shine vnto them and this blindnesse cannot bee taken away by Arguments and being taken away Arguments are needlesse And this must bee thought the true Reason why in the Councell of Nice the Reasons of the learned Fathers could not preuayle with the Heathen Philosopher yet the playne narration of the Faith by a simple Priest preuayled The vayle of the flesh lay on his heart and their Reasons could not take it away but the Spirit of God tooke it away then the euidēce of a plain proposed truth perwaded him And indeed God only hath the Key which vnlockes the heart and that is the spirit Eloquence and Logicall Demonstration are not those Keyes which may open the Soule That which is fastned in our generation must be loosed by Regeneration the remedie must bee equiualent yea preualent to the Disease It may not bee a naked bare and vnactiue word that may cure the deed of excecation done to the heart but it must be an operatiue forcible and effectual word that speaks what it does and does what it speakes If such a Word say let there bee light there shall be light and then the light of our soules shall see the great Obiect of our Soules the perfect Light Christ Iesus But before this light and sight bee created in vs let that Infinite Light shine right into the eyes of blindnesse and darknesse the darknesse will neuer comprehend it And euen to them that see they will deny their sight and sweare that they are blind also But whither it be fit for vs to beleeue their blindnesse or our owne sight let euery man iudge In their owne wisdome they will hold That Sensus non fallitur circa obiectum And by that will prooue the Sunne shines or the Swan is white because the vnhindered fence hath apprehended it to be so And why should not wee enioy the same priuiledge and say much more That a soule clarified and illuminated by the purest spirit is not deceiued in spirituall Obiects but as Salomon saith it seeth more and more truely then seuen men on a Watch-towre and as Paul saith The spirituall man discerneth spiritual things Surely the spiritual eye as properly and as naturally seeth spirituall things as the bodily eye doth bodily things yea it should doe it better and more assuredly because this spirituall sight came more newly immediately from the Maker but our fight comes from him to vs through many men and many infirmities of those men much soyled and dimmed And here comes in fitly to be answered a second Obiection which is an Imputation of captiuitie vndergone by our vnderstandings in the matter of Faith To this I answere That in true Religion it is not a brutish captiuitie by which the vnderstanding yeelds vp her eyes to be put out herselfe to bee blindfold but the vnderstanding receiuing a better sight yeelds vp the worse and so doth not loose her light but change it for a better yea it changeth captiuitie for freedome for euen that blindnesse that captiuated is is led into captiuity but the vnderstanding is more free then before as an eye that is freed from blindnesse For the Sonne by his Spirit hath freed vs from that naturall darknesse wherein we were borne 2. Cor. 3 16 17. But they will re-inforce this Obiection from the vsuall forme of teaching young or new Christians Their first instruction they say is to beleeue and they take Credo for their beginning But do Christians herein otherwise then other Teachers of Sciences It is knowne for a Maxime without the bonds of Religion Oportet discentem credere Hee that learnes an Arte must at first beleeue the Teacher of the Arte and then after being skilfull in his Arte hee may looke himselfe into the truth of his Art So in Christianity at first Religion must be receiued vpon trust but this is by Learners only not true and formed Christians The Church must at first teach her Children vntill they be taught by Christ and then indeed they are only true and formed Christians when Christ himselfe hath taught them Some of the Samaritans beleeued the woman at first concerning Christ but being taught by Christ they went beyond that beliefe and beleeued himselfe and they adde their Reason Wee now know that he is the Christ. So is Knowledge still the kindly foundation of our Religion which heerein out-strips other Arts. For the yong beginners must at first beleeue the Artists themselues and proceeding farther must generally vpon trust beleeue principles which they hold most from Aristotle who as the Doctor saith in his Preface is often contrary to himselfe and exceeds in grosse absurdities all them that went before him And if some transcendent spirits shake off trust and authority and search the Fountaines of things they find that the Principles themselues are indemonstrable and what cannot be demonstrated I hope must bee taken vpon blind beliefe But this fauour they will not allow vnto Christians neyther doe wee much desire it for we see and know our selues what we beleeue whereof wee affirme and wee see by the highest purest and most vndeceiueable light and we want not the Glow-worm of demonstration to tell vs that wee see the chiefest Light Christ Iesus by our Faith and the light which wee see is the same Light by which wee see Herein only is the trouble that we cannot communicate our sight vnto blindesse and they will not allow vs to beleeue by seeing what for want of seeing they cannot beleeue Therfore when with Stephen
8.14 c. I will summe all vp in the words of Saint Peter 1.1.1 We are elect by God the Father through the sanctification of the Spirit and the sprinkling of the bloud of Iesus Christ. But this thou wilt say thou doubtest not but confessest that the Trinitie by Christs humanity saueth vs but thou sayst that this Saluation is imparted to vs by the Ministery and the defect of the Preacher may stop the benefit of the hearer I confesse indeed if his defect be in preaching then there is an abatement of the benefit of hearing but if his preaching be sound and sufficient Gods Word soundly vttered by him is able to saue vs without the Preachers Goodnesse or Sanctification The Preacher is Vehiculum verbi verbum is vehiculum Christi Christus est fons vitae The Preacher brings the Word and the Word brings Christ and Christ brings Saluation If now the heart of man doe but open that the King of Glorie may enter in saluation is come into his house And surely if the spirit within open when the Word without knockes or Christ in the Word there is an entrance of Life eternall So is it brought to this narrow poynt That when the Spirit meets the Word in the heart and opens to it Christ enters in the Word and there is but this left to say That the Spirit hath so tyed himselfe to the goodnesse of the Minister that he will not open the heart of the hearer except he heare a holy Teacher But this is a fearfull saying and worthie of detestation This is to tye the free Spirit of God vnto Man whose libertie Christ hath taught saying The Spirit bloweth where it listeth This were to make the Spirit to stand in need of his owne graces and to bee beholding to the grace of the speaker to giue grace to the hearer This were to bring Christians not to receiue their saluation from the fulnesse of Christ but partly from the fulnesse of the Minister Then it might be truly sayd that Paul were something and Apollo something whereas St Paul sayth they were nothing but God onely that gaue the increase Then might we be baptized into the name of Paul for from whom wee receiue the grace of Baptisme in his Name may wee receiue Baptisme This were to ouerthrow St Pauls Assertion and to breake his golden chayne in pieces who sayth that Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by preaching for by this noueltie hearing doth not saue vs except the Preacher bee also saued so where Paul tyeth Faith to hearing these haue vntyed Faith from hearing except the Preachers goodnesse tye it vp againe But what did our Sauiour Christ meane to cause his Disciples to heare the Scribes and Pharises in Moses chayre whom he termed Hypocrites and on whom he heaped his woes Either Christ commanded them to doe that which was vnprofitable or these men vainly condemne that which Christ commanded And Paul reioyceth that Christ was preched by enuious and persecuting Preachers and I hope persecutors are not likely to be sanctified Surely it is the beauty of Christ Iesus that rauisheth a soule touched and warmed by the Spirit It is not essentiall to the moouing of Loue that the Painter himselfe be handsome so his picture bee euident and liuely and the comlinesse of the person represented admirable If the Painter be vnlike his owne picture the beauty of the picture disgraceth his vglinesse but remaynes louely it selfe Who is there that if he were condemned to death as wee are all naturally to death eternall but would gladly receiue a pardon from the king by the hands of a condemned man Surely the eye of a man touched by the Spirit doth looke more stedily on the happinesse of the message then the miserie of the Messenger For God sends sometimes a message of happinesse by a Messenger that is miserable as hee sent blessings to Israel by the mouth of cursed Balaam This is true though it bee obiected that vnsanctified men are not called and not being called are not sent For Iudas a worse then Balaam had the calling of an Apostle was ordayned to preach and to cast out deuils Mark 3.14 and obtayned part of the Ministerie Act. 1.17 God giueth not his gifts in vaine but they are for the edification of the Church So is the gift of Prophecie 1. Cor. 14.4 Eph. 4.12 yet many that haue this gift of edification shall be commanded to a So it seemes the promise of shining like the stars for conuersion of soules Dan. 12.3 hath an implicite condition of godlinesse which hath the promises of this life and that to come 1. Tim 4.8 depart for want of Sanctification Though they loose the priuate benefit of the gift of God yet God will not loose the fruit of his owne gift which hee gaue for the publike Wherfore let not the Preacher looke into the soule of his Hearer to find his saluation in his Hearers conuersion for hee shall not find it there but in his owne Soule if there he find Sanctification Neither let the Hearer looke into the soule of the Preacher in his Sanctification to finde his owne Saluation for hee shall not find it there but in his owne Soule if therein he can find Faith and Holinesse Surely the dayes of persecution had not this wantonnesse of Hearing but they reioyced as the Spouse in the Canticles by any meanes to heare newes of him whom their Soule loued But whereto doth all this tend To giue encouragement to a wicked Ministery God forbid I wish verily that all the gatherers of Saints were Saints and that those who expresse a scandalous b Tit. 1.7 S. Gregor de past cura lib. 1.2 Hooker lib. 5. see 81. contrariety to Sanctification were remoued if incorrigible For no doubt though such may quicken some by their doctrine yet they kill others by their example and a man-killer is not fit to be a Minister whose very Trade is Saluation Besides though a Ministers goodnesse giue not the esse of Saluation yet no doubt it giues the melius esse For a Minister that liues well is a double Preacher hee preacheth both by words and workes so he preacheth with a witnesse and his life is a witnessing or Martyrdome of his doctrine But the good Preacher and euill Liuer is but a single Preacher yea he labors by his Life to confute his Doctrine Now where the Spirit speaketh twice by Illumination and Sanctification he is more heard then where he speaketh but once Surely the liues of Saints and especially of Ministers are the liuely bookes of the Ignorant and in them should they reade the Characters of Vertue and Holinesse But my purpose is this First that God alone may haue the glory of our Saluation and that with the Virgin our spirits may reioyce in God our Sauiour It is the singer of the Spirit issuing from Christ Iesus that giues life to the Letter and brings the aduantage of the New Couenant
to be the footstoole of the spirit But if thou abide constant in the spirit thereby art possessor of thy owne soule and a commander of things transitorie thy sowing to the spirit shall make thee to reape of the spirit and thy Haruest shall bee life euerlasting Thou shalt also stop the mouthes of them that speake euill of Dignities and for the abuse would take away the vse Thou shalt bee called a builder of Sion and a repayrer of the breaches of Ierusalem But on the otherside They that sow to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption They that build vp a Babell shal be stricken with confusion They that partake with the Harlot in her sinnes shall partake with her in her plagues and * Reuâ— 18 7 8. one of her chiefe sinnes is Pride and her plagues are Mourning Famine Death and Fire Their soules shall be banished from the Tree of Life which is the extremity of hunger They shall be sent into weeping and gnashing of teeth which is the most bitter mourning and to the second Death where the Worme dyeth not and the fire neuer shall be quenched CHAP. XIII A double fault in teaching one that fretteth the whole flesh the other nourisheth the proud flesh one thinkes to saue men by angring despising them the other will not saue them rather then offend them OVr Sauiour CHRIST sayth Wâ— to you when all men speake well of you and Saint Paul sayth I seeke to please all that by all meanes I may winne some In these two Sayings there is a shew of Contrariety between the Master and the Seruant Christ accounts them accursed with whom all are pleased and yet Paul striues to please all though those with whom all are pleased bee accursed And according to the misinterpretation of these two places haue risen two Errours the one of them that thinke their Ministery neuer well set on worke or sufficiently confirmed vntill it hath stirred vp the whole World against them The other of them that thinke it the chiefe discretion of their Ministery not to speake any thing which by a reproofe of euident sins may hazard the loue of any of their hearers But Verity being euer the Companion of Vnity and Christ and Paul speaking both infallible Verity they are certainly at Vnity Now this Verity like a right Line will plainly shew the crookednes of both these Errours and this Vnity will condemne their contentiousnesse that fal out about the defence of Errours Christ speakes not to this end that the Ministers should labour for hatred or striue that men should speake ill of them but he sayth That the ill speeches of men are ordinary consequents of a faithfull Minister yea a faithfull man Hee doth not tell the Ministers that they should follow hatred but he tels the Ministers that hatred will follow them Hee doth not set the Minister by the eares with the World but hee saith the World will take the Minister by the eares Hee is of Saint Pauls minde that he would haue the Minister in all indifferent things to please all but yet he denounceth that though such courses be taken of pleasing yet the very exercise of the Ministery will mostly get displeasure And heereof no better example then Paul himselfe with whom though striuing to please all yet the most of all were much displeased So that both these Sayings may bee harmoniously contracted into one sentence Striue to please all that you profit some yet striuing to please all be ye sure that some will bee displeased For the Seed of the Serpent will hate Seed of the Woman and the World that only loues her own will hate them that are not of the World But that we wander not on eyther hand into these diuers Errors let vs find out the right paths of truth euen the true Lawes of pleasing and displeasing In pleasing let this bee the first Law That Ministers are to propose a good end in their pleasing they must not please men to their damnation nor please them to Gods dishonour nor for their owne vaine glory but they must please them to saue them and to bring them to serue and glorifie their Creator Secondly they must please them in things lawfull euen in things good or at least indifferent They may not please them in euill that good may come thereof neyther may they sooth them in their sinnes which is to edifie the Kindome of Satan but if there bee at anytime a conniuencie at no hand may there be a combination nor incouragement it must bee for the more profit euen to watch a better oportunity And still be it prouided that no perfect peace by any meanes be made with sinne Aboue all let a Minister striue to please in holinesse of life for the beautie thereof hath often stolne away the hearts of the gain-sayers and gained their affections euen against their wils Yea let his Gesture haue an amiable comelinesse befitting one that is a Man of God And such is a graue Humility euen without Pride or Basenes not carnally but spiritually both confident and humble Thirdly let them please them in the wisdome and discretion of their Dispensation Let them giue the great Ones their Honours and Respects let Festus be called Noble and let King Agrippa haue his commendations of beleeuing the Prophets for this is not to giue Titles or to call good euill but to speake truth and to giue honour to whom honour belongeth A wicked Man may be outwardly honorable and thou mayst not rob him without because hee is alreadie robbed within Thou mayst cast him downe by spirituall iudgement but not degrade him of his temporall dignity thy weapons are spirituall not carnall and thy Masters Kingdome is not of this World If thou doe otherwise rayle on the Pope as much as thou wilt thou art surely a limbe of him for he robs men wholy of temporall honour for spirituall offences and thou robbest them in part Eccl. 12.12 But thou shalt prooue thy selfe an ill Fisher for soules if thou wilt not bayte thy doctrine or behauiour with that sweetnesse or ceremony by which the fish will byte the better and be the sooner caught In summe know the estate of thy Flocke in particular to bee to euery one a seuerall Man in thy priuate conuersation and still one man in the publike Be that to euery Man by which thou mayest winne him most For thou must bee all for gaine a true Worldling but of another World Thirdly in indifferent things as lawfull and decent recreations allow them yea sometimes therein ioyne with them God that filleth vs with food and gladnesse allowes these blessings especially to his blessed ones the rest haue it by stealth Let vs not make the gate of Heauen narrower then God hath made it neyther let vs make Religion a ghastly thing by vnnecessary opposing of Nature for the businesse of Religion is not to crosse Nature created but Nature corrupted euen our Corruption not our
Creation Yet in Recreation both Decency and Sobriety must bee regarded Besides thy presence may restraine or reform sinne But indeed if there bee anvnreformable course of sin as blsphemy c. I know not well how to allow any patience of wickednesse neyther how the conuersation of the Sodomites can be at the same time vnto Lot both a recreation vnto his minde and a vexation to his soule Lastly please them by outward profiting them If almes hospitality a milde exaction of dues may winne them shew with Paul that thou seekest not theirs but them And now as concerning a generall displeasing farre be it from vs to make it eyther a vertue or a touchstone It is not to be prosecuted as a businesse nor taken for a marke Christ indeed makes generall pleasing an ill signe but generall displeasing hee makes not an infallible good signe for euen the wicked Iewes as Paul sayth are contrary to all men Yea to all men they are a reproch But the true and laudable displeasing must bee imposed not sought and imposed for duties absolutely necessary and performed in due manner It must be for the profession or practise of that Truth which to conceale will be to the losse of Gods glory or for the reproofe of those sinnes which the same glory cannot suffer to bee vnreprooued Yet must these things bee done with a hearty desire that they may please since it is a true Rule That it is a foolish kinde of Rhetoricke to alien his affections whose iudgement thou seekest to gaine And most That a Christian ought to seeke peace with all men and to doe all things in loue Vnauoydable and imposed persecution is the Crowne and reioycing of a Christian and he is neerest the twelue Thrones that is neerest the Apostles in necessary losses for Christs sake But let vs not snatch such glory out of Gods hands nor with the sonnes of Zebedee intrude our selues into the right and left hands of Christ for they only shall haue these seates to whom they are appointed of the Father If God call vs to Confession or Martyrdome let vs runne to it or at least run to him by Prayer that he will enable vs to run and that so wee may obtayne But if God call not but wee runne without his call let vs know That that running makes Confessors and Martyrs of the Deuill CHAP. XIIII The Diseases of Representation which infect by the eye and eare IT was a cleere Truth which the Poet said That pierceth deeper into the heart which enters by the eye then that which enters by the eare Heereupon growes the excellence of representation which as it hath beene vsefull so it hath beene also in great vse and the vsefulnesse of it hath beene so eminent that men haue imployed the strength of their wits to turne Eares into Eyes euen to fasten on their imaginations the same character shape by hearing which hath bin beheld by seeing So that though the outward gates were diuers yet by that diuersity almost the same inward apprehension and knowledge eyther of persons or actions are receiued into our mindes Hence is it that the Poet Orator or Historian describes a person or a quality with such lif that though the Eare heare but words yet the Eye sees the things at least thinkes it sees them And by this liuely portrature of wit the matter is so euidently presented to the imagination and so stedily riuitted to the memory that it is our owne and pregnantly readie for vse vpon euery occasion But this vse hath bin likewise poysoned with abuse and that excellent Pensill of the Soule wit and conception which should haue paterned and fastned vertue to our affections in her truely amiable feature and haue stripped vice before our eyes into her natural vglinesse contrarily it hath giuen a painting of Pleasure vnto Vice and made it louely by the adornment of wit which of it selfe is most foule and abominable So in steed of being helpfull to the minde by a vigorious impression of vertue it hath beene made a stampe of the Deuill mightily to print vice into our soules by representing the Images of Death vnto Life Another kind of representation of the manuall Pensill hath also beene vsefull for the liuely expression of persons actions and stories In the Histories of Martyrs this hath conueyed their sufferings to the mindes of men with a mighty current that the dead similitude hath set life in the affections and that which moued not it selfe yet moued the beholder both to compassion and indignation But this kind also hath bin abused and that most grossely vnto spirituall corporall vncleannesse It hath been abused to Idolatry eyther while that which is worshipped is painted or that which is painted is worshipped To paint the God-head which only for it selfe is to bee worshipped is a dumbe blasphemy and a silent Lye It sayes God can bee represented by colours or that hee is visible to the Eye and so makes vs beleeue we see what indeed cannot be seene So to speake truth it shewes to vs what God is not and not what he is not a likenesse but an vnlikenesse of God and whereas they pretend it to bee Gods Picture it is meerly a Picture of not God A grosse fault it is also to worship that which is painted For though the body of Christ himselfe to be pictured and yet I neuer knew any sound proofes that hee hath a true Picture yet may not the Picture bee worshipped with the honour due to Christ. Though his Humanity may be worshipped yet that is for his vnion with the Deity euen a true reall and hipostaticall vnion But the vnion betweene the Image and the patterne is only Imaginary not reall or hypostaticall so that while we may well say wee worship Christ because he is God wee cannot say wee worship the Image because he is Christ. A farre more reall vnion there is betweene the Saints Christ euen the members and the head for Christ sayes The Father is in him and hee in them yea if Christs Prayer be heard we are one with him yet because it is not a personal and hypostaticall vnion with the God-head euen Peter himselfe forbids Cornelius to worship him Therefore farre be it that a bare likenesse should deserue worship when a reall and participating vnion doth not This Pensill of the hand hath bin also a Factor for vncleannesse while it presenteth incendiary spectacles to the eies of humane frailty Surely Concupiscence is a free horse and wanteth not sharpe spurs but a strong bitte it is readie of it selfe to carry away the soule and breake her necke by a high fall into a low place euen as low as Hell But these men least damnation should not be swift enough set wings on her armes and spurres on her sides that shee may flye away with the soule by an extreame and irreuocable celeritie Thus are they quite contrary to the Spirit of God for that sees and pitties
the blind fury of our lusts it comes into vs to quench their heat and to abate their rage It giues vs also sober counsels by restrayning our senses vnder discipline and custody so to put off the dangerous temptations which by the senses would breake in vpon vs. But these men haue a contrary busines they kindle that which the Spirit quencheth they set fire on the body which is the house of the soule they giue life vnto that which is mans death and striue to kill men better that are already too much dead in sinnes and concupiscences Brokers for the Deuill that make wares for hell and the returne of their merchandise is the soules of men But leaue off this needlesse as well as wicked Trade Lust is as good an euill Painter as your selues it needs no obiects nor representations for it selfe chuseth obiects fast enough and makes to it selfe too many imaginations and pictures But if you will shew the excellence of skill doe something of rarity and make such Images that may fright away Lust by the apparition of torments and miseries attending it or may perswade Temperance by some liuely patternes and characters of Sobriety and the excellent benefits following it Another kinde of Representation and which is done most to the life is that which is done most by the liuing so that life it selfe dwells in that Representation Hence things so represented though past are freshly animated by the spirits of others and liue in them againe and that so naturally that they seeme not to be others but the same and not so much to bee the second as the first And surely if this Representation were of profitable commendable things in a profitable and commendable manner I doe not see how it can be condemned except a thing may be condemned for being profitable or for being a Representation The first no man will affirme and I thinke the latter can hardly bee defended for the personating of others may be patterned euen by Diuine examples One Prophet takes to him the representation of a foolish Shepheard another of a man wounded by him whose prisoner he set free a third of a man fettered in chaines and all these to teach more liuely and to mooue more forcibly But such great abuses haue defiled this kind of Representation that it hath not onely left the true and naturall profit of it but it hath seemed to many graue and godly men rather fit to bee taken away then hopefull to be cured On the other side I see no hope of the taking away and therefore I desire it may bee cured and to that end am willing to shew the chiefe corruptions of it so that eyther the diseases may bee healed or the whole may abstaine from being infected A first Abuse of this kind of Representation is in the person represented when such are represented for pleasure whose representation to wise men is lothsome or to weake men is dangerous I should here beginne with the transfiguring of men into fooles so to make men merry with the deprauation and abasement of a Creature made to Gods Image yea of the very Image of God in that Creature For this feeds that euill humour and condition of foolish men that vseth to reioyce in folly and make it selfe merry with that which makes a wise man eyther angry or sorry But the world is inexorable in this point and they will not haue the foole taken from them but wil needs delight in their like and therefore I will passe to points of more hope and greater possibilitie A second Fault in this kind is the Representation of Women by Men which I thinke is a most dangerous and pestilent Spectacle I need not goe to the old Law for proofe but only appeale to new and lamentable experience and desire the confession of them that know the times whether the shape of a woman hath not made masculine loues and whether the maide hath not procured loue to the boy I am loth to speak of that wherof the very speech is lothsome but it may not bee that sinnes should haue priuiledge to prosper because they are lothsome to be mentioned but euen because they are lothsome they should the more terribly be reprooued But I will goe a middle-way betweene saying all and nothing and wish that there were not so much merchandize of Play-boyes nor so much counterfeiting intisement to that trafficke Sure I am in some Countries at some times the purchase and attendance of a play-boy hath been a speciall ornament and if there bee faults issuing of this fountaine I onely say thus much That for such Lands vse to spew out their Inhabitants Heauen raynes down Hell on Earth and men of Earth goe downe aliue to Hell A third Fault is when the persons of men eyther holy by profession or conuersation are brought forth to the mockes and scornes of prophane Herods In such God himselfe is sacrilegiously derided while eyther his functions or graces are turned into laughing stockes It is a cursed laughter that laughs at him by whom we laugh and he who made laughter doth also make weeping and as certainly as they now laugh and his Spirit is grieued so hereafter will hee laugh and they for griefe shall weepe and that weeping shall be eternall for it shall be caused by a worme that dieth not and a fire that neuer shall be quenched A second sort of Abuse is when euill speaches that corrupt good manners are represented Of these I will name three sorts A first is rotten and filthy language wherein one defiles his owne tongue that he may defile another mans eares he takes the fire of his owne lust and by his tongue flings it in at the windowes of the eare to set young or youthful souls on fire And left this poyson should doe no harme filthinesse very often is conserued and sugred in wit that death may be sure to be swallowed and that the filthinesse may enter and pierce the deeper being poynted by the sharpnesse and pleasantnesse of wit Surely such men become deuills vnto men and turne wit into temptation peruerting that excellent issue of the Soule to bee a Factor for the Flesh yea to carry errands of beastlinesse between Flesh and Flesh the inuenter and the hearer Yea the Soule by this meanes becomes a destroyer of Soules for while it foldeth vp the Flesh in sweetnesse it killeth the Soule that made it and the Soule that heares it if with hearing it be loued as it will be if wit can doe it But besides this lowe debasing of so high and excellent a power of the Soule Let mee tell them for an aduantage that it is often the signe of an hungry and needy brayne for as filthinesse sometimes borrowes of wit to make it handsome so a bad wit often borrowes of filthinesse to make it selfe toothsome for a little wit with a great deale of filthines hath often among vulgar and muddy eares more fauor then much wit if it
to perish by it While thou fitst at thy wine the wine seemes to thee to be still the same because it is still of the same colour and the same taste and taken out of the same Vessell but I tell thee that the wine at the fourth or fifth draught is not the same that it was at the first or second The wine at the first or second draught perchance was comfortable or physicall but at the fourth or fifth it is furious and vnholsome It refresheth thy spirits at first but it destroyes them at last and so the same wine which was at first thy comfort is at last thy poison Therfore hold thy hand from wine when it beginnes to bee poyson know the time when it changeth and take heed thou keepe thy selfe on this side of the Change On this side thou art Master both of it thy selfe and thou mayst rule both thy selfe and it beyond the wine will be thy Master and thou shalt doe what it pleaseth Then shall thy mouth speake lewd things and by speaking or not speaking it shall proclayme thy shame Wherefore if thou loue thy liberty if thou loue the possession of thy selfe stop thy appetite betweene the wine that refresheth and the wine that destroyeth And that thou mayst bee the more strong in this power of Abstinence with a purified soule thirst after the wine of the Spirit with which they that thirst shall be filled and with which they that are filled doe scorne both the thirst and fulnesse especially the excesse of earthly wine Thus haue I made a Whip of a twice threefold Cord out of this exhortation of S. Paul there withall to whip these deuourers of drink not out of the Temple but into the Temple from the Chappels of Satan I wish they would in this point bee Papists and whip themselues also if not withall yet with some of these cords that so by such wholsome wounds their euill might be purged I confesse I haue left out one word of this verse which word seemes to be the occasion of the whole Verse and it is the word drunken I might say for an Answer that I wish it were wholly left out in deeds as it is heere in words but if that will not serue for an Answere Let it be this The matter of the word is the subiect of this Discourse and the word excesse reacheth close vnto it But for the word it selfe as I haue for the most part auoyded the lothsome naming of it So I desire that the lothsomenesse of the name may make the owners leaue it and intreat them to this end to preach sometimes to themselues and their Sermon shall bee only an houres repetition of this word Drunken I doubt not but the beastly sound of it in the eare the muddie cadence of it on the tongue will bee so fulsome so odious to them that in the vglinesse of the word beholding the lothsomenesse of the deed they will hate and anoyde the deed whereof the word is so abominable CHAP. XVII Certaine false Appetites that distaste the Food of life though drest in it owne kind if not drest to their owne minde THere are at this day many seuerall tastes that affect seuerall manners of deliuering the Word of God Some affect roughnesse some verball Rhetoricke some a short and sandy Eloquence The first pretends for himselfe that the profit of the Word consisteth in supernaturall power not in humane elocution and that the intising words of mans Wisdome rob that diuine power of the glory of conuersion But the man of the man of this opinion must know first that he findes no precept of rusticitie harshnesse or roughnesse of speech in the Scripture Secondly on the contrary hee shall find in the Preacher Prophets and Apostles yea in Christ himself pleasant words delightfull comparisons perswasiue exhortations often very eloquent and moouing expressions Thirdly God speaking by man vnto man though the power of God be the very effectuall cause of conuersion only baptiseth with fire yet the outward powerful expression ioyning and conspiring with the inward conuerting power may giue a degree thought not a being and may blow the fire which the Spirit kindles The Spirit in the speaker or writer according to his degree commonly stirreth inflameth and exalteth the Spirit in the hearer and that so much the more strongly by how much more swift forcible penetratiō ithath through the outward man into the inward Now a cleere sound and masculine expression openeth wide the doore of the vtter man so that the spirituall meaning contayned in the words passeth in fully strongly and swiftly And so the actiue vehemence thereof doth as it were struck hard on the soule and leaues a print thereon The Word is the Looking-glasse bearing the Image of the Spirit that speaketh and therin is the Spirit speaking discerned by the Spirit hearing The more this spirit is discerned the more beauty and so the more loue and so the more power Now the cleerer the Glasse is the more discerning therefore the spirit made more excellent in an euident word is more louely and more powerfull Surely if we could see spirituall thoughts in their Primitiue beauty without the grosse mediation of words their excellence would rauish vs their glory would command and master vs. But now thoughts shining to vs thorow the Lanthorne of words the cleerer the Lanthorne is the more bright and cheerfull is the Light and the thicker it is the lesse doth it direct and the lesse doth it comfort Fourthly besides the benefit of euidence handsome expression helpes the memorie and God speaking to man by man no doubt well knowes their mould to whome hee speakes and is willing that all fauour especially by the Ministerie of man Rom. 6.19 should be done vnto man and that words should be fitted to the best aduantage of Nature A Parable of Christ a tuned and proportioned Psalme of Dauid a Prouerbe of Salomon yea one of the Fathers harmonious Sentences sometime take more hold of the memory then a rough and ragged exhortation Yet I speake not this that I may vse Pauls words to shame them that haue not to condemne Moses Exod. 4.10 for want of vtterance but to exhort others from condemning and that they doe not condemne but desire the more excellent gifts for God gaue Moses Aaron euen to diuine knowledge an eloquent vtterance God hath giuen diuers gifts vnto men all to edification now all together shall edifie most if the higher imploy their Talents not condemning but incouraging the lower if the lower exercise their gifts rather imitating thē enuying the higher But in imitation let euery Man hold this Rule That he imitate no further then his strength will make it good Otherwise while he seekes to be another and leaues to be himselfe being short of the other he loseth both himselfe and the other euen what he would be and what he might be The second is a hunter of meere
words and the out-side of speaking with a neglect of the inside such a one is a Pharisie in words as the ancient ones were in deeds Against these especially doe the Reasons of the first oppose for these goe about to intice men and to slacke their affections with Eloquence not to turne them not to conquer them with power These draw men to themselues rather then to Christ for their hearers if they bee not of the wisest as most are not commend the Sermon much and the Preacher more and Christ least of all And indeed they leaue their audience commonly as they found them for profit but somewhat better for pleasure Their mishap is this that the eare is not the soule for if it had beene so then so many soules by them had beene gained as hearers were pleased Surely this eare-teaching or eare-scratching pierceth not home but it is like an Arrow without an head It hath indeed the woodden head of the flesh but it wanteth the mettall and steele of the spirit by which it should enter into the heart and diuide betweene the soule and the Spirit Let these men therefore remember that the Kindome of God though it may be aduanced by words that make power euident yet it consisteth not in words but in power The spirit speaking though in course and plaine words may saue a soule but the top of humane Eloquence not edged with the spirit will neuer enter in deepe enough to saue the hearers The third sort affect a language of ends and such a stile as is all of inlayings They are full of short breathes and if they perswade you not on a sudden they haue done Againe they darken the sence by not allowing it room enough Surely it hath beene a misery of these latter times to affect both in Latine and English such a speech of parcels that hurts the memory trauailes the vnderstanding doth both nibble and sting the will not gripe it not lift it not weld or manage it When the memory would claspe it it is all one as if you did claspe a handfull of sand the harder you squeese it the more it flits When the vnderstanding beholds it eyther it is payned in opening the fast and hide-bound shels of it or if it haue some ease in that kind it spyes but a short glimpse of Light and but a Gloworme of Reason and bee the way neuer so darke it must be content with that flash of Lightning When the wil and affectons meete it they rather finde in it the taste of an Epigram then of a doctrine of sawce then of meate And if there bee any strength in it yet it is so bound in by breuity that it giues but a plucke to the will and drawes it not by a continued might so if the mind will not be moued with the pange of a sentence it may scape well enough from this kinde of teaching Surely these minutes of stile and littlenesses in discoursing doe not well expresse Maiesty and Power And that should they striue to expresse who are the mouthes and pens of the highest Maiesty and the highest Power Againe in regard of the hearers or readers that which should enter with power should issue with power that which should goe to the heart should issue from the heart and not bee only a flash or fire-worke of the braine And now that I may the better free my Reader and my selfe from mistaking and being mistaken I am ready to tel him what I intend not and what I intend First I intend not to lessen their deserued estimation and so their edification whose naturall gift is a cleere and concise expression I know there are of this sort that merit good Readers and haue many of them and I wish them prosperitie in the Name of the Lord. Such men are themselues when they write and not others and if they should bee forced from this kind they should like Diamonds bee lessened by new fashioning and I thinke verily that wherin a man strength lyes therein should he glorifie his Creator and not by going out of his strength seeke to serue and glorifie God by his disability And this doe they commonly who leaue that Character whereunto they were fashioned and reach after another but reach not to it To such the Apostles counsell is good Physick Let euery man vnderstand according to sobriety and his owne measure But secondly I intend to shew and proue that a continuall Discourse or Treatise made all of parcels though it may haue good things in it yet it is not the best kind of Language for edification And besides the reasons shewed before that it often darkens the matter that it hurts the memory that it wants the power and maiesty which the Word of God both requireth and deserueth to make vp an absolute proofe I will adde a most absolute example and the reason of the example The example is Saint Paul that strong Writer of Epistles as the very malice of his Enemies did confesse who knew the best kind of deliuering Diuinity 1. Cor. 2. and both told it vs in writing that spirituall things must be fitted with spirituall words and as there he saith in writing practised that which he told vs. If you will see his practice search his Epistles and among them that to the Romanes which indeed is a Master-piece There you shall see that his manner of teaching is deepe in knowledge strong in reasoning pregnant in expression powerfull in perswasion Hee doth not trusse vp his words too close neyther doth hee thin them so much that they can scarce be discerned but to a full and substantiall matter he giueth the fulnes of speech and expression Yea where hee seemes most to excell hee sometimes doubles and makes returnes and giues two or three sights or countenances of the same matter that our knowledge and memory may bee assured and that hee may not bee thought to grudge vs his matter by grudging vs words And yet Epistles I thinke may best pleade breuity Besides in his perswasions and exhortations he expresseth vehemence of affection and ferour of spirit which small ends doe smally and weakly performe And secondly if wee will search into the reason of this Example by searching what is spirituall we shall find that the Spirit worketh mans conuersion especially by light and power as hauing to doe with a darke and impotent Mankind and therefore it expresseth it selfe best makes it selfe most euident by a lightsome and powerfull speech euen words of brightnesse and feruour So both by Pauls example and the reason of that Example I haue fetched the patterne of most profitable Language If yet you would haue more proofe behold also noble Esay the very primate of the Prophets and the Ambassadour of God whose tongue was touched with the fire of Heauen This great Prophet doth not vsually skip and leape in the short steps of broken Sentences but he walketh with Maiesty in the full paces of an expressiue iust
and mighty Language Hee doth what we should do euen make sweetnesse to wayte vpon strength not make strength to melt it selfe away into sweetnesse Let the Bees come vnto Samsons Lion but let not the Lion spend his strength in running after Bees Now the vse which hence I would gather is a double Medicine for a twofold Disease The one is for the Readers or hearers disease For many of these are sick of iudgement and will not reade or heare any but those that are short and sweet euen such as conuey Religion into them by Pils and not by Potions They are like chicken that cannot eate bread except it be in crummes But let such get vnto them the true appetite of a true Christian and then spirituall matter deliuered spiritually that is with euidence force will be very good if not the best food to their soules And I would wish them to condemne their owne stomackes and to seeke to amend them when they condemne or neglect a sound and Apostlicall deliuery of the Word For certainly that Soule is not very spirituall in her appetite that rellisheth not spirituall Doctrine deliuered in it owne that is in a spirituall manner For true in this it is also That Like loues his Like and on the otherside where there is no loue there is no likenesse but that which loues not is vnlike to that which is not loued So the appetite that loues not a spirituall kind of teaching is to be suspected that it selfe is not spirituall and that want of likenesse is the true cause of the want of loue And if it be so then let men looke into themselues for the fault and not out of themselues and after let them looke themthemselues to the Physician of our soules Christ Iesus praying him to touch their hearts as hee did the heart of Lydea with his opening Spirit and then no doubt shall they bee attentiue hearers of the man that speakes spirituall things in spirituall words The other is for the Writers or Speakers disease and this very often is affectation Euery man must be of the fashion and so if this Language of pieces be the fashion that must bee affected But the affectation heereof is vicious both because it affects a vice in speaking and likewise because it marres the naturall ability in which the Affectator would haue better excelled and whereby hee would haue beene more perswasiue So haue I seene a good Trotter make a bad Ambler and fall into a Racke which is neyther of them both Wherefore to draw all to a summe Let edification be the end of speaking and hearing writing and reading that it may bee so spirituall things must be fitted with a spirituall Language The excellence and moouing of diuine Musick is then chiefest when the Tune speaketh like the Ditty So if the light and power of the Spirit vtter themselues in words of light and power it speakes most mouingly to our soules Wherefore let spirituall words haue in them spirituall euidence and spirituall feruor for so doe they best speake to the Vnderstanding Will and Affections And let the whole matter haue a sufficient allowance of words for so doth it best speake to the memory Yet this wee may know that with a large and full expression a sententious definitious and comprehensiue Position is often a very good Companion The largenesse giues a full appearance of the matter to the vnderstanding and workes a full impression of it into the memory then the breuity becomming the modell and pith of the largenes makes it more portable and ready for vse And we may see a string which by the sudden turne of a Key hath broken by a leisurable winding hath risen beyond the degree where it brake Lastly if with the Preacher to the words of Truth and an vpright writing there arise pleasant words let euery man make vse of his Talent to the profit of the lender Instruction pointed with delight pierceth the more sharply and sticks the more stedfastly And these bee the very Nayles of Salomon the fastning of which he commends in the Teachers But let euery man serue God in his owne place and not breake his ranke to doe some strange Exployt For as there is not an expectation of doing God seruice where God hath not giuen ability so neyther is there an acceptation of that seruice which is done without an abilitie giuen of God 1. Pet. 4.11 For such a Worke is not the fruit of the power but of impotence and it cannot please him because it is done without him For as euery good thing comes from God so that which comes not from God is not good and that which is not good can neuer please God CHAP. XVIII That the Vse of the Keyes is an excellent Remedie for the Diseases of the Church if it selfe be not diseased and that it is not to bee taken for a priuiledge to bee free from Remedies and not from Diseases WHen I reade a Cyprian Epis. 10.11.55 de â—aâ—â—s the practice of Penitence in the Times of the first Loue it reioyceth mee greatly to see the beauty of the Church which could not chuse but shine in a notable fairenesse when the spots were so duely and carefully taken away the faces of the spotted being throughly washed by the teares of repentance Open Sinners were not admitted into the Communion of Saints neither was the bread of the Children giuen vnto dogges neyther by an equall bounty to the godly and the wicked was there an equall incouragement to godlinesse and iniquity But a separation was made betweene the sicke and the whole and this separation had no other intent but edification euen an edification of the Spirit by the destruction of the Flesh. So could men finde no fault with the dispensers of this power hauing nothing to complaine of but that their liues thereby were sought to bee amended and their soules to bee saued I confesse the cause was weighty for which the gates of Heauen were to be locked great in matter or great in manner great in the thing done or great in the wilfulnesse of the doer And this not without reason for the doome is heauy and fit for the backe of a strong mighty Euill It was a short damnation a temporall Hell a measured deliuery vnto Satan man being shut out of Heauen vpon Earth euen the company of Saints and shut out of Heauen in Heauen euen the ioyes and comforts of the Spirit of Consolation Neither could it but bee an excellent Remedie because it was so fitted to the Disease A degree of Presumption is incountred with a degree of Despaire the Scorpion is made a medicine against the Scorpion and Satan is set on worke to take him downe by Terror vnto Saluation whom before he animated and puffed vp to destruction Hee that sayd at first Sinne boldly for yee shall not die at all now he changeth his voyce and sayth Thy sinne is greater then can be forgiuen thee But
to bee found of an vpright euen a spirituall conuersation and their followers should wee bee that so follow the followers of Christ. Neyther must that backward reasoning be heard among Christians to argue from their own apprehensions or vertues therby to proue what is Truth and Goodnesse which is to reason from themselues to Christ but they must reason from Christ to themselues they must say This Christ did therefore I must doe so and not this I do therefore Christ did so For that were to make thy selfe Christ and Christ a Christian. Yet this many doe and from their owne inclinations fashion the shapes of paternes to themselues not themselues to them And as we must conforme our selues to the deeds of the Spirit so we must to the words of the Spirit and to doe both wee our selues must be spirituall euen the freemen of God Vpon which is grounded the third Rule which is this That euery Saint and sonne of God by the ayde of the Spirit inwardly freeing him and outwardly teaching him must striue to haue an vniuersall libertie of soule free and inclinable to the approouing of all Truthes and to the loue and practice of all goodnesse I say this is a great and glorious liberty of the sonnes of God and of them alone that their soules being liâ—ted vp from the hinges of the flesh and new fastned to the spirit thereby they haue a freedome to mooue whensoeuer the Spirit moues and to loue whatsoeuer the Spirit loues All Truthes are gladly receiued all Goodnesse is highly esteemed bee it in a Complection different yea contrary For this Freeman of God must haue the liberty both of his Iudgement and Will hee will be bound Prentise to no Sect partiality or piece of Truth or Goodnesse but will bee as large as Truth and Goodnesse it selfe And if you will know his Sect the truth is he is only of the Sect of Truth and Goodnesse And that is no Sect. For these he approues wheresoeuer he finds them in what Complexion Religion or Nation soeuer and it seemes Saint Peter himselfe was of this Sect yea God himselfe fauoureth it for Saint Peter saith that of a Truth he perceiued That God in all Nations accepted those that feare him and worke Righteousnesse Therefore henceforth Let no man tye himselfe to a part by some corporeall likenesse or preiudice of birth or education and so separate himself from the whole but let euery true Christian bee a true Catholike euen an vniuersall thing entertayning Truth and Goodnesse in all persons and Complexions yea entertayning all persons and Companies if there bee Truth and Goodnesse in them For let the great and little Sectaries Romanists and Separatists know That the name of Catholicke is most properly his whose iudgement is free to the receite of all Truths but especially and actually of the Fundamentals of Saluation and whose will is free to the imbracing of all persons indued with sanctified Goodnesse issuing from the knowledge of Truth The true Saint is a louer of all sanctifying Truth and a louer of all that are sanctified by the Truth This Saint Iohn testifies when he boldly assumes That the elect Lady was loued in the Truth of all them that loue the Truth Therefore let men boast of singularity and separation that is fearfull to mee which is to them preeminence For they that cut off Saints from them cuts themselues off from the Communion of Saints Yea let not a difference in small Truthes make separation It may bee that Complexion hath only made this difference and hath made him or thee I know not which too straite or too large but take heed that thou doe not for a difference in Complexion separate thy selfe from thy owne Brother The great and certaine Truth and mayne Goodnesse that are in him are more strong to bind thee to an vnion then the difference in small Truths and Duties be to make a Diuision Yea that great Goodnes that is in him except with the Pharisies thou thinke better of thy selfe then others may make thee to suspect thy selfe rather then him And suspect thy selfe and spare not if thou dost not finde in thy selfe this vniuersall liberty of soule which approues all solid truth and sanctified Goodnesse in any person yea loues the persons of that Truth and Goodnesse Let not the flesh part what the Spirit hath ioyned together let not the difference of bodies put a-sunder what the vnity of Grace hath conioyned neyther doe thou know men hereafter according to thy owne flesh but according to Gods Spirit But if thou wilt try whether thou doest make a true spirituall discord see whether thou dost equally make it with men of thy owne Complexion Constitution if they be voyd of Truth and Goodnesse and whether thou dost loue and entertayne any Truth and Goodnesse though he be neuer so much outwardly different that professeth it But if thou sticke at eyther of these thou art not yet a Freeman of the Spirit but a slaue of thy flesh thy loue and hatred are thy owne and not Gods And surely so it appeares in many of this kind for a spirituall hatred dwels in a spirituall heart and a spirituall heart is a charitable heart and a charitable heart euen where it hates there it wisheth that it might haue cause to loue Accordingly these spirituall and charitable haters of Vice rather then Person seeke the amendment of those that they hate they striue as much as is lawfull and possible to liue in peace with all men they attend if at any time they may recouer them from the snare of the Deuill But the Complexionary Zelots think more of Confusion then Conuersion they seeke out Reasons to maintayne a Rent and Difference and to account men of Infirmitie Enemies rather then Brethren and except a man will presently bee saued they will presently damme him But wisdome is iustified of her Children this is the wisdome of the Spirit euen to vnlade our selues of the flesh to free our selues from all the preiudice burden and bondage of it and to dwell in that pure peaceable and vniuersall spirit which entertayneth gladly all Truth and loueth willingly all Goodnesse yea where they are not it wisheth they may bee and expecteth vntill they be But before I leaue this subiect I must both magnifie and pitty the Man truly spirituall He ought to be magnified because hee that is mighty hath magnified him and hath set him in a high degree The Knife of the Spirit hath ript off the flesh from his soule and the flesh doth no more command him but he is a spirituall Freeman His soule is free from darknesse by a maruelous euen a Celestiall Light and his will is free from the bands and chaines of the flesh by a seuering cutting and absoluing Spirit Hee is taller then the sonnes of men and as much higher then they as the Spirit is higher then the flesh and by that step of aduantage hee lookes into Heauen which