Discretion Such workes are excellent both in matter and forme and so they are both good and reasonable But on the other side how lamentable are the defects in eyther when Zeale wants Discretion or Discretion wanteth Zeale Where Zeale wants Discretion can neuer doe a good Worke for the matter of it is naught where Discretion wants a good Worke is neuer well done for the manner of it is naught And then againe how lamentable are the Warres which proceed from these defects Where Discretion abounds but Zeale is defectiue there order is commonly the chiefe obiect calmenesse quietnesse and outward prosperity are chiefly regarded But on the other side true Zeale is sometime condemned of businesse of tartnesse of giddinesse and the Prophet is demanded who hath made him a Counsellor But if Discretion fight against true and sanctified Zeale let it know that it fights against the Spirit of God and then let Gamaliel disswade him from being found a fighter against God yea let Wisdome beare with smaller Indiscretions if accompanyed with the true Zeale of Sanctification for God giues his Graces many times to the weake and by weake and contemptible Instruments we know that God sheweth his owne strength by their weaknesse casting downe the strong holds of the flesh and setting vp his glorious Kingdome And when wee come into the Kingdome of God and see what great returne of Soules and good Workes some weake Saints haue made it shall bee no griefe of heart to the men of Wisedome that they haue winked at some lesser indiscretions and infirmities Yet on the other side there grow sometimes intolerable inconueniences where Zeale abounds and Discretion is much defectiue For by such holinesse is altogether proposed but the fitting shaping of things best to effect that holinesse is not well conceiued Good things are not done with the best aduantage but lose part of their goodnesse for want of good handling Zeale without discretion is but a wild kind of goodnesse and like a mettald horse without a bridle it carries the Rider into waves that are out of the way and makes him runne against all that are in his way And to take a view of it in some particulars I first obseru that it is vnreasonable and full of extremity by following reason beyond reason It is iust ouer-much and knoweth not the right bounds of Right and Trueth but with Peter when the feet only should be washed it will haue the head washed also It strayneth after things beyond possibility and fitnesse and if perchance the things be good in their matter which it aymeth at it doth it in too violent a manner and not proportionably to the value or weight of the things There are some things which ought to bee done and other things that should not bee left vndone and as wee see some oddes betweene Cummin and Righteousnesse so we see ods in Christs inioyning them But inconsiderate Zeale knowing that the paying of Cummin should not bee left vndone with an equall heat sometimes prosecutes both that Righteousnesse yea with a great heat pursues a small Trueth and a greater Truth with lesse heat Such was the Zeale of the Pharises whom Christ therefore iustly taxed as strayners of Gnats and swallowers of Camels And I wish there were none now-adayes that are vehemently hote against small matters of forme and cold euen to death in Couetousnesse Pride Extortion Oppression And to goe on a little farther after these that go on too farre we shall find that they follow little Truthes at too vnreasonable expences Marke we the Law of God in his ten Words marke wee the Gospell of Christ Iesus the Epistles of his Apostles and wee shall find Loue to bee the Soule of the Law the new Commandement by excellence of the Gospell the speciall charge of all the Epistles Aboue all things put on Loue there abide these three Faith Hope and Loue and the chiefest of these is Loue. Loue is the bond of perfectnesse it is the most excellent way it goes into heauen with vs and there it testifies for vs as Iohn saith that wee were the Children of God on earth Now if this be the most excellent thing if it be to be put on aboue all things and is not to bee put off when all things else shall bee taken from vs how is this precious Iewell rashly vndervalued and too often put off by inconsiderate Zeale In the difference of small Truth you shal see Loue throwne aside like a Cloke by one that goes to wrastling and as betweene beasts whom I am ashamed to name in a cōparison with Christians a little bone causeth great and gaping wounds I deny not but all Truth is valuable but all Truth is not equally valuable with Loue but Loue is to bee maintayned euen with those in whom some Truths are defectiue and some such defects of Truth are to be tolerated where they cannot be amended but with the breach of Loue. I speake not God knowes but with a desire that Truth were perfectly embraced but I giue aduice in that case where lesser Truths are remedilesly vnreceiued And in this case I say that this most excellent Loue is not to bee sold for the buying of such little Trueths neyther may wee loose a thing absolutely necessary to Saluation for things not so absolutely necessary There is a Trueth of the foundation euen a fundamentall Trueth that is necessary to Saluation a Trueth by the beliefe whereof we are fastned into Christ Iesus and whosoeuer denyes this Truth is without the compasse of that Loue which is due to the sonnes of God But whosoeuer holdeth this fundamentall Trueth and is thereby become a member of Christ Iesus Loue is due to that man euen the Loue of a sonne of God and doe not thou dare to hate him whom Christ loueth Though by infirmitie of iudgement hee deny some lesser Trueth or by weaknesse of humane nature fall into some small offences cut not thy selfe off from him for if thou doe thou canst not cut him off from Christ but thou cuttest thy selfe off from him who is one with Christ. Therfore beware of this cutting and concision for where Loue wants it hurts the man most where it wanteth and not the man toward whom it is wanting for where Loue is absent there Christ is not present if Faith worke not downward in our hearts by Loue it workes not vpward into vnion with our Head Christ Iesus Let not Zeale therefore buy Truth at too deere a rate but let it be equally earnest for the maintayning of Loue and Trueth What God hath put together let no man put asunder Wee are commanded to follow the Trueth in Loue and therefore woe be to them that diuide the following of the Trueth from Loue yea follow the Trueth in malice and hatred The Law was abrogated yet Paul would not haue the cessation vrged with violence and rigour yea hee tells the iudgers and condemners What are they that iudge and
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
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
World of Action into the company of persecuting Iewes seducing and hypocriticall Pharisies yea into the winnowing of Satan himselfe And indeed generally the Apostles liues were liues of Action and liues of Passion And if these Apostles bee the foundation and Christ the Corner stone then are Actiue men the chiefest in Heauen as beeing next vnto Christ and no Contemplatiue men may euer sit aboue them for the foundation will still be neerest to the corner stone and nothing may goe betweene them Contemplation indeed is absolutely necessary and in her owne turne and time more necessary then Action as Maries hearing in the time of Christs preaching was more necessary then Marthaes seruing but the same Maries action of anoynting Christ in a due season is as famous as her hearing of Christ. Contemplation must not end in it selfe but it must proceed and the due proceeding of it is to end in Action When Contemplation ends in it selfe we may reape some pleasure to our selues but nothing is reaped to God But so it may not bee for the end of our life is the seruice of God and the seruice of God is Faith working by Loue and the fruits of Loue are good Workes therefore we must proceed as farre as these good Workes or else wee are short of the end and scope of our life appointed by God And Gregory himselfe confesseth that the Contemplatiue Life is barren like Rahel and the Actiue fruitfull like Leah euen fruitfull in sauing of soules Now Rahel pleased not herselfe in her barrennesse nor should the Church of God but it should cry as heartily though not so impatiently Giue me Children or else I dye Neyther doth Christ the Husband of the Church loue or reward barrennesse but hee desires that wee beare much fruit and the especiall fruit especially crowned with the glory of Starres is sauing of soules Accordingly Christ when thrise he had questioned Peter of his louing him Peter had thrise affirmed it Christ doth not say to Peter If thou louest mee be thou still looking on mee sit still and enioy mee and reade and thinke only of me But Peter If thou louest me feed my Sheepe Feed my Lambes which shewes that a life of Action and Edification is the most noble Fruit notable Effect which Christ expects from his Louers And accordingly shall the last Sentence be pronounced Come ye blessed of my Father not who haue continually carryed me in your thoughts and beheld mee with your Contemplations but yee who haue spiritually and corporally fed me clothed me visited me in my members Therefore let vs take heed that wee take not heauen too soone neyther spend so much ouâ— time in enioying the earnest that we abate the inheritance assured vs by that earnest And indeed which is the second thing God deales so with vs in this life that contemplation cannot be a whole imployment to Man Therefore as before it appeared to be vnlawfull now it also appeares to be impossible For well doth euery Saint of God know that the glory and comfort of contemplation lasts but some turnes and then comes an ebbe of grace a night of vision and perchance a long storme of Satans buffettings Eyther the Spirit withdrawes his glorious beames from the soule or the soule it selfe is forsaken of the body as not able to endure a long bent of high Meditations or else the flesh hath leaue to take vs downe by temptation that the height of Contemplation may not hurt vs by an equall height of Pride For the height of Contemplation is made most safe and profitable to vs by the lownesse of Humilitie and Infirmity is a chiefe preseruer of Humilitie And euen in these times though we haue not the ioy ability of Contemplation yet are wee outwardly able for Action and we can profit others when we seeme wholly vnprofitable to our selues Therefore to fall into a true moderation and indifferency betweene Contemplation and Action let this be our Rule that Contemplation nourish and feed Action but not deuoure it that we contemplate to know God and to loue God that we know and loue him to please him and serue him in the Actions of some profitable vocation We may not quench Contemplation for it warmes the soule cheereth and heateth her to action Againe wee must not exclude Action for that is to water the roote and to pull away the buds and so to preuent the fruit The excellency of Contemplation and Action is the Concord of them therefore let vs bee contemplatiue that wee may bee actiue and in our actiuenesse striue verily to expresse our Contemplation For Contemplation is then most commendable when it is expressed in deeds and not when it is meerly borne and buried in thoughts And it shall be more true glory to a true Christian amid the world to despise the world to resist it to ouercome it then wholly to runne away from it Yet briefly for caution let no man take any more to his taske then he is duely called to and his strength can beare let not the horse take on him the burden of an Elephant neither let men indanger themselues farther in secular imployments then grace giues them good hope to returne with safety I will conclude in the saying of c Gregor in Ezek. hoâ—il â— in Iob. lib. 10. c. 11. Gregorie The holy beasts did goe and returne and did goe and not returne So the Saints they goe from their sinnes and returne no more to them but in another kind of going they goe from Contemplation to Action and returne again from Action to CoÌ„templation for these continuall returnes nourish and refresh each other and it is vnprofitable or vnpossible for a Christian to continue still in one without returning to the other Thus doing we shall be those labouring Contemplators who onely are the blessed ones that dye in the Lord wee shall rest from our labours of Action and our workes shall follow vs and then our good Actions shall bee turned into the ioyes of an eternall Contemplation CHAP. X. Against hungry and pinching Holinesse a foolish craft of some that if they may saue much here they care not though they be saued but a little hereafter IT is a lamentable thing to see not so much how the men of the world but how some men of Religion doe fit their seruice for God For in these men is the greatest wonder who professe friendship and familiarity with God and yet deale deceitfully with Him So stedily doth Nature worke on her worke of Corruption in the Children of Nature though hauing vndertaken a profession of Grace yea euen in the very Children of Grace though not wholly or finally for euen Peter in something is to be blamed and Barnabas is seduced Gal. 2. Nature I say continues her old worke euen the same which in the dayes of old shee wrought in the inhabitants of the Land of Israel who being taught by the Priest to serue the God of heauen were
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
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
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
of the iudged hee sayth Hee shall bee holden vp for God is able to make him stand The different decency of haire is iustly recommended by Paul to different sexes yet if any man will be contentious herein he will not ioyne battaile with him but tells him that neyther hee nor the Churches of God haue any such Custome as Contention I wish wee could truely say so too and that the fight begun about Easter euen Loue lost for a holiday were not now renewed in the like kinde though on other occasions But I desire the saints of God seriously to consider this That if the Church of God haue no such custome as Contention how can they that haue such a custome as Contention be the Church of God Let the Zealous consider that the kindly heat of the fire of the Spirit is Loue and not Contention but if this heat grow contentious it ceaseth to bee Spirituall Wine is no longer wine but vineger when it hath lost his comfortable and sprightly heat and hath fret it selfe into sowrenesse and tartnesse And surely the heat Zeale which is degenerated from edifying and comfortable charity into opposition biting and iudging is no longer the heat of the Spirit but a rage of the Flesh. A Second marke of indiscreet Zeale is that it is vnseasonable and full of confusion It will haue perfection to be the fruit of a moment and it will not stay for seasons and occasions The Pharises would haue the old bottles presently filled with new wine and the Children of the wedding to fast while the Bridegroome was with them If they would haue stayd vntill the bottles had beene renewed or the Bridegroome had beene departed their Zeale had beene approoueable whereas now it was vnseasonable In many cases wee are aduised to beare euill men patiently and not to breake out into a fury if at such times as wee would they cannot breake the snares of the Deuill but our patience is to expect if at any time God will that they may escape Many there are that are impatient of euill men and driue them away by terrour and despight if they be not presently conuerted yet it directly breakes this precept and shewes that they would bee masters and authours of mens saluation and not waiters vpon God that only giues the increase When they haue spoken it must be done whereas it shall not be done vntill God speake What if God will haue him called at the twelfth houre wilt thou damne him if hee be not conuerted at the ninth houre waite thou on Gods leasure for God will not waite on thy pleasure he may saue him at last if thou driue him not from hearing by thy fiercenesse and if thou doe so thou edifiest to Hell and art not Gods but Satans Minister Againe others are vnseasonable in not being as wise Fishers for Soules as men are for Fishes They seeke not with Paul to catch them by craft neither striue so farre to please as pleasing may bee an aduancement of profiting Yea there is a delight taken sometimes in falling right ouerthwart an errour or infirmity so a boysterous wind makes the man hold his cloke the faster which a warme sunblast would haue gently perswaded from his backe It is not amisse to ground the perswasions of things not beleeued on things beleeued of duties vnpractised on duties practised and reproofes of faults on commendations of vertues Paul telling King Agrippa hee beleeued the Prophets had wonne him almost to bee a Christian and when he meanes to chide the Corinthians as in some points Carnall and not Spirituall he beginnes his Epistle with the title of Saints and thankes to God that they were rich in vtterance and knowledge And since we haue fallen into mention of Pauls behauiour to Agrippa by that and other such examples may wee learne the comelinesse of discreet admonition and the ragged harshnesse of indiscretion Agrippa before Paul spake with him was much lesse then a Christian for hee was but almost a Christian when hee had done with him Yet Paul doth not call him Vnbeleeuer but takes hold on that beliefe which he gaue to the Iewish Religion by that to bring him to the Christian. Dauid shed the bloud of Vrtas but Nathan did not call him Murderer but first gayned his own iudgment from him and set it against himselfe He tooke Dauid by craft and Nathan did not at first condemne him before hee had set Dauid against Dauid and made him to pronounce sentence vpon himselfe Saint Ambrose admonisheth Theodosius of his cruell execution of the Thessalonians but ue doth it with such reuerence to his person with such expression of Loue and meere seeking of his Saluation That a most valiant Emperour could not but receiue patiently the Spirituall bonds wherewith hee tyed him below that hee might take a course to free himselfe aboue No doubt but the like occasions may still befall and Princes may neede Admonition and why should they not haue them if they neede them for else were they more miserable then common men and Salomons woe were especially vpon them because when they fall there were none to helpe them vp But it being granted that they may fall and that falling they are to be raysed by Admonition Let the matter of the Admonition be fitted to the Fault be it Murder Adulterie vnhallowing of Gods name c. but let the manner bee framed to the best aduantage of preuayling which generally is with a regard to the dignity of the person and the remaynder of his Vertues Let it appeare that that which speakes is Loue and that for which it speakes is Saluation and how can any heart if it haue goodnesse in any proportion to greatnesse shut it selfe against Loue bringing with it Saluation I doubt not but there are certaine fiery Spirits that like no example but that of the Prophet See how this Murderers sonne hath sent to take away my head but they know not that one kind of Spirit fits not all persons times and occasions but they ought to know That is the best Spirit which fits best with these particulars and is most likely to effect that good which it intends The others doe but driue away the birds with noyse which they pretend to take with nets This Art of Admonition is most excellently described by Gregorie the Great in his Morals vpon Iob lib. 12. cap. 3. and vpon Ezekiel libr. 1. homil 11. And now let vs goe downe from the top of mankind to the bottome and there see how ordinary men may bee discreetly disswaded from ordinary sinnes For example If you would get Vsury from a man I thinke it not best to flye suddenly into his face with the cudgell of Damnation for that may make him stand vpon his guard and fall to the defence of his sinne but deale with him vpon confessed grounds and on those build that which is not confessed Tell him at first that which hee cannot denie that men must all
plainly of it That it is the Euidence of things not seene that is by Faith wee see Spiritually things vnseene Carnally Now I hope where is sight and euidence there is not blindnesse and darknesse Againe when Peter confessed Iesus to be the Christ Christ tells him that flesh and bloud hath not reuealed it to him but his Father in Heauen and I trow had not Peter reason to beleeue in Christ when the Father in Heauen had reuealed him and haue the Artists any such euidences of the ground of their Arts. Againe Ioh. 17. This is life eternall to know thee to be very God and hee whom thou hast sent Christ Iesus So Christ must be knowen before he become our Life eternall And Ioh. 10. I know my sheepe and I am knowne of mine And 1. Cor. 2.10 The reason of this our Knowledge is shewed God hath reuealed to vs by his Spirit the things that hee hath prepared for vs. And ver 12. Wee haue receiued the Spirit of God by which wee know the things that are freely giuen vs of God And Vers. 15. A man made Spirituall discerneth all things and himselfe is iudged of no man that is not Spirituall for how can a blind man iudge the sight of a seer And therefore euen in this point which I now defend wee may well scorne to be iudged by blinde naturall Men that know not our fight and therefore know not the things which they gainsay but euen for that cause deny them to bee Furthermore Paul Eph. 1. speakes of the Spirit of Wisdome and Reuelation by which the eies of our vnderstandings may be inlightned to know the riches of our calling and the great Power of God in the resurrection of Christ. And to conclude excluding many more with an euident testimony let vs consider that of the second to the Cor. 3.18 We all with open Face beholding as in a Glasse the glory of the Lord are changed vnto the same Image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord which is presently followed in the next Chapter with these words That God who commanded Light to shine out of Darknesse hath shined in our hearts to giue the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the Face of Iesus Christ which indeed is but a Comentarie of Christs short words Ioh. 14.21 He that loues mee I will shew my selfe visibly vnto him Now if God haue so shined visibly in our hearts that by the beames of his light we haue a knowledge of his glorious worke of our Redemption in Christ Iesus yea if Christ hath shewed himselfe plainly to vs who can hinder vs to beleeue that wee know euen to beleeue in an all-sufficient Sauiour reuealed to vs by the transcendent Light of an omnipotent Creator Therfore will wee triumph in the reasonablenesse of our Beleefe wee will boldly tell the naturall Man Quod vidimus testamur and we worship that which we know We will answere with Peter Ioh. 8. Wee beleeue and know that thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God And let the heart of euery true Christian speake what it sees and it cannot but affirme that it seeth an admirable wisedome in the mysterie of Saluation it beholdeth Christ a most absolute Redeemer and Christ shines to him in an incomparable Beauty as the fayrest of Men And this euidence is not without a seale for hee feeles power accompanying Light A new Light hee hath which some yeeres before he had not and a new power hee hath felt to follow that Light The things which now seeme glorious to him and are his chiefest Treasures were before contemptible and holinesse which before was loathsome is now his chiefest delight And whence can such a change come that a man should be cleane turned out of himselfe but by a hand that turneth hearts as Riuers of waters Therefore truely may it be said that the Light of Faith is sealed by the Spirit of Promise Ephes. 1.13 So that we beleeue the Truth not only by a single promise but euen with a witnesse But the naturall Man will obiect two things First That this Sight of ours is but an Imagination and wee see only because we thinke we doe see but we answere first That he that denyes our sight is himselfe blind and therefore cannot see that wee doe not see Salomon sayth the Foole walketh in darknesse but a Wise man hath his eyes in his head Now Salomons Foole is a Naturall man and the Wise man is a man Sanctified and how can the Foole finde by his darknesse that the Wise man finds nothing by his Light It is no argument that I doe not see because his blindnesse cannot perceiue my Sight But he will haue mee prooue it to him that I see But I answere that though I should prooue it he cannot conceiue it For my selfe is Spirituall and he is Carnall and if I describe to him a Spirituall sight or obiect his carnalitie cannot conceiue a Spirituall kind of seeing but euen the sight of the Spirituall man is folly to the Carnall man If there were a people of perpetuall blindnesse and a seeing man should come among them and tell them what glory there is in the Sunne the Moone and the Starres I wonder by what Argument his sight can proue it to their blindnesse for whatsoeuer his sight affirmeth their blindnesse will eyther doubt or deny And indeed except a man can communicate sight hee can hardly communicate an Image of his seeing And as a blind man on the one side cannot receiue vndenyable proofes of Light and sight but the beliefe thereof must bee fundamentally grounded vpon a trust of the Reporter and this indeed may be the blind belief which he meanes which is indeed the beliefe of the blind beleeuers and not of the seeing and therefore is not true beliefe So on the other side to proue the brightnesse and beauty of Light to one that sees is as friuolous and vaine as the other impossible If hee should come to a man of sight in a cleare and cloudlesse day and beginne with him thus Sr I assure you the Sunne shines and I can proue it by most euident reasons the hearer would doubt more of the Speakers discretion then of his assertion So it is among the Children of Light Christ Iesus the Sonne of Righteousnes the Obiect of their Faith shines on their hearts with an open face and for one of these to come to another and to tell him that Christ Iesus is the Sonne of God the head of the Church and the Sauiour of his body that in him are hid the treasures of true wisedome and happinesse he would answere as Elisha to the Prophets speaking of the translation of his Master I know it well hold you your peace And this was long agone prophesied that such Demonstrations should bee needlesse among the sonnes of GOD For it was foretold that true Beleeuers should be all taught of God and his teaching should saue 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
we say that we see Christ Iesus sitting at the right hand of God the blinde Wizards are ready to throw stones at vs for confessing what we see or for seeing that which is hid from them But though our Reasons cannot open their eyes yet God who brought Light out of Darknesse can doe it and therefore wee pray vnto him with the Prophet for his Seruant Lord open their eyes and then with Balaam that illuminated Wizard falling into a trance with their eyes opened they may vtter their Parable There comes a Starre out of Iacob and a Scepter out of Israel out of Iacob shall he come that shall haue Dominion CHAP. VII Aphorismes of Predestination THE root of Predestination is vnsearchable the wit of man is shorâ— and shallow contentiousnesse is endlesse because doubts are manifold and humours incompatible therefore I thinke it best in a perplexed matter to set downe short and euident Truâ—hes by light to chase away the errours of those that deceiue beeing deceiued and by breuitie to make knowledge portable so eyther easie or pleasant to the knower First it is fit for man to know That no man doth know the secrets of God but by the Reuelation of GOD. Therefore iust as they are reuealed so they are to bee conceiued and beleeued The reuelation of Gods secrets must informe and teach our vnderstandings iudgements what they are but our vnderstandings or iudgements must not tell themselues what these secrets are so we must be passiue in a submissiue receiuing them not actiue in an inuentiue contriuing of them Therefore mans reason must lye still and meerly suffer when the highest Reason and Wisdome speaketh vndiscouerable Mysteries it must heare and beleeue as a Learner and not instruct as a Teacher For who hath knowne by his owne wit the inward minde of the Lord for his secrets are only known to his own Spirit and to those to whom that Spirit reueales them Therefore iust as the Scriptures speake let vs heare and learne this secret of Predestination especially where it is handled ex proposito for in such places good Teachers set downe plainly the state of the Question and an especiall place of that kind is the 9. and the 11. to the Romanes Secondly I affirme or rather the Scripture before me that though God discouers to vs that hee chuseth some and leaueth others yet the reason of Gods will in chusing or leauing is hidden from vs. Paul cryes out O depth and how vnsearchable are his counsels and his wayes past finding out And againe he worketh all according to the pleasure of his owne will which indeed be the very words of one that hides his reasons of doing referring vs only the knowledge of his pleasure Againe Where he will he hardeneth where hee will he sheweth mercie So his wil is the Horizon and vtmost extent of our reuealed knowledge in this point Thirdly the will of God hath euer ioyned with it Wisdome and Iustice it is not a rash Will without Knowledge but whom he knew before those he predestinated Pharaoh is hardened not without aduice but that God may get glory vpon him and Paul thus expresseth the wisedome of this businesse in generall To shew the riches of his mercy on some and the seuerity of his wrath on others Againe His will is iust for else how should God iudge the World for how can the Iudge of the World but doe iustly but I say some part of Gods Iustice is to man in this life vnsoundable and is kept for the day of the declaration of the iust Iudgement of God and yet some part of his wayes in this are discernable to haue euident Iustice. Fourthly the Iustice of God is thus far euident That man being made righteous freely falling and in his fall ruining corrupting his whole House Family and Posterity God who by mans free falling is free from the fault of his falling hath power to punish sinne in all men in whom hee finds it As sinne it is contrary to him and so punishable as sin contracted by mans free-will without Gods inforcement or cooperation quatenus sin God is left free to bee a Iudge and not to be excepted at as a party Fiftly Man being in this state of misery corruption without Gods fault or partaking and God knowing that it would bee so euen before the foundations of the World before the same foundations of the World might wel and iustly resolue to leaue some part of man in this selfe-purchased misery who cannot clayme any right or merit of restoring and hee might chuse another part to Mercie God being by mans free act of sinning left free eyther to Iustice or Mercie to leauing or chusing And being free he chuseth or leaueth as in his secret Wisdome he knowes most aduantagable to his glory Sixthly true it is that God fore-appointed Christ Iesus to be the Sauiour of his Elect his Elect to be saued by Christ Iesus and all these from eternitie Christ was a Lambe flaine before the beginning of World and the Elect were chosen to Saluation before the beginning of the World though the Election purposed to execute it selfe by Adams fall yet the fall of Adam in it selfe was voluntary and not necessary I say in it selfe it was not necessary for the certaintie of Gods Decree did not lay any necessitie on the freedome of Adams will and yet neyther did the freedome of Adams will in danger the certaintie of the Decree yea the freedome of Adams will both cleares God from necessitating it and yet certainly and infallibly effects Gods Decree For in that Adams will is free God doth not incline it to fall and so therein is God cleared from inforcing his sinne And in that Adams will is free Adam will certainly fall and certainly effect the Diuine Decree Adam left to himselfe cannot accuse God for mouing him to sinne Sure God is the stability of all his Creatures particularly of mans will and if God purpose to get himselfe glory on mans fall hee need no other meanes to bring it to effect but by giuing him free will For the will left free to it selfe as it is â—ree from God tempting so it is free from God supporting wher God doth not support though the will might make man to stand if it would yet it will not do it though it might Therefore when Adam by his free-will will certainly fall we ought rather to speake of a voluntary certainty then an inward necessitie And indeed Gods Decree hath as cleare sure a passage to his marke by a voluntary certainty as by a a necessity yea by coaction it selfe For where God leaues the will free this free-will will freely but certainly fall and where it will certainly fall by that certainty the certaintie of the Decree passeth safely to his assured marke So likewise to doe right to Gods purity and that he is not the author of sin it sufficeth that we find the fal
aboue the Old by writing Gods Word in our hearts which the old Law could not performe Secondly I desire that the Ministers would turne away the eyes of the people from their goodnesse as the cause of their Saluation saying with the Apostles Why gaze ye on vs as if we by our owne power or vertu had made you whole The God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob hath glorified his Sonne Christ Iesus and his power not our goodnes doth giue this perfect soundnesse Thirdly I desire that Hearers would not refuse Christ Iesus liuely offered and described vnto them though they know not the holinesse of the Preacher Let not any turne the Church into a Iudgement seat and censure their Ministers Life while they should heare his Doctrine This is to bee Iudges and not Hearers I wonder what such Hearers would doe if they had beene in Israel when Salomon preached after his many scandalous sinnes which made his Sanctification doubtfull to many But let the same Salomon aduise thee Bee not rash with thy mouth but bee more neere to heare then to offer the sacrifice of fooles Say with Samuel Speake Lord for thy seruant heareth and not Heare Lord for thy seruant speaketh and what speakes hee damnation of the Preacher Let vs rather looke on our own miseries and defects then on the Ministers and then we shall haue more mind to seeke our own cure from the Word then to examine whether hee bee sicke that would cure vs. Let vs not doubt but if the seed be good and the ground bee good it will bring forth much fruit whatsoeuer becom of the Sower CHAP. XII Spirituall Wickednesse in high places and the Remedie of it IT hath beene a great cause of the miserie of the Church in generall and of the members of the same Church in particular that spirituall exaltations haue begotten carnall gloriations and that the Flesh hath lifted it selfe vp by the increases of the Spirit as the Froth mounts by the flowing of the Water And how can it chuse but draw Misery when it procures an Almightie Wrath which Wrath is attended with an equall Vengeance And if any would doubt how it should procure so terrible a Wrath let him but behold the mis-shapen vglinesse and absurd inconsequence of this Sinne and it cannot but anger his eyes and much more the pure eyes of a most holy God who cannot abide to sowe good seed and to reape Tares to plant the noblest Vines and to gather the sowrest grapes But first let vs consider this sin how it growes and then how vgly it is when it is growne This Sin comes to his growth thus When God out of the riches of his Grace powreth on man the gifts of his Spirit by which he riseth vnto a spirituall excellence and perchance thereby to some outward dignitie then the Flesh mounts vp straight to mannage and enioy the fruits and issues of the Spirit So what hath beene gotten by the Spirit hath beene eaten and digested by the Flesh and so Grace haue beene brought to nourish her whom she should chiefly haue slayne This is the infirmitie of wretched Mankind Sinne is so fast wouen into our Flesh and among sinnes especially Pride that the Flesh most vnsensibly will bee proud when her Foe the Spirit prospers though indeed the prosperitie of the Spirit by the kindly operation of it should bee the destruction of the flesh Occidat modo imperet sayth the Flesh I will aduenture my life so there may bee that excellence by which I may aduance my Pride And as this is strong in the Roote so it hath beene generall in the Fruit it hath spred his effects from the Cedar of Lebanon to the Hisfop on the wal frō him that ascends aboue the clouds and will be like vnto the most High to the lowly shrub that growes in the humble Vale. For this very Sinne hath puft vp the Man of sinne vnto his monstrous hugenesse that he is growne to hee the king of the children of Pride and this infirmitie indangered the most humble St Paul who gloried in distresses so that hee had need of buffetting In the one the Hornes of the Lambe defend and maintaine the mouth of the Dragon and in the other the transcendence and abundance of Reuelations which were aboue the vtterance of Man might haue lifted vp his conceit to haue thought himselfe to bee more then a man And as I can hardly thinke any prouder then the king of Pride so I can scarse thinke any humbler then St Paul and therefore I thinke all men haue a degree of this Corruption and that more or lesse as they approch i◠likenesse to the pride of the man of sin or as they com neer to the humilitie of blessed St Paul And let not men altogether look vpward or outward to find this sinne either aboue or without them but let them looke into themselues and they may find as much Geometricall Pride in themselues as they doe Arithmeticall Pride in others as much Pride proportionably to their Low places and Graces as others haue to their Higher gifts and Dignities Yea it was not true only in the Time of Diogenes but it is true now also That sometimes a greater Pride below goes about to pull downe a lesser Pride aboue Yet I must needs confesse that a little Pride aboue is in this more offensiue because more conspicuous and there an example of Pride doth most harme where a patterne of Humility would haue done most good But now let vs goe aside to behold the vglinesse of it and perchance the very sight of it may serue for a Remedie What is more monstrous then that which is most vnreasonable and what is more vnreasonable then on Christ to build Antichrist on the Spirit to graffe the Flesh and vpon Grace to mount the corruption of Nature What agreement hath a carnall tumour with Spirituall excellence what interest hath Corruption in Sanctity the Old Man in the New Wherefore let the house of Israel bee the Flesh and the house of Dauid the Spirit and then Israel may truly say What portion haue wee in DAVID and what inheritance in the Sonne of ISHAI Neyther let any thinke that the height of the Flesh can be any grace or preseruatiue to the eminences and dignities of the Spirit For Pride cannot procure safety or prosperity since it drawes the resistance of God and the hatred of men But there is a Spirituall vigour and authoritie which agrees both with humilitie and eminence and this keepes men in a true state of minde free from that Pride which makes a man the enemie of God and free from that basenesse which makes a man the scorne of men For wee may not thinke of an humilitie which is opposite to the dignitie of the Spirit yee true Nobilitie of the Soule nor to dispensatiue vigor for vertues are not contrary but on that which is contrarie to a carnall Tumour a needlesse swelling a weed of the Flesh. And
surely that we may farther see the absurditie of this Pride wee can vse no better meanes for the begetting of Humility then the consideration of those excellencies on which the Flesh vsually begetteth Pride For doest thou enioy a great measure of Gods chiefe Graces Doe but as Iacob did Take but one of the least of these Graces and set them in one balance and thy selfe in the other and the voice of Humility cannot but break out of thy mouth Lord I am lesse then the least of thy blessings If with Dauid in one sight thou beholdest thy own naturall corruption misery and the great workes which God hath wrought both in thee and for thee Humility must speake out of thy mouth as it did out of Dauids Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him and the sonne of man that thou regardest him And thy Psalme shall beginne and end not in thy owne excellence but in the excellence a Psal. 8. of God Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth Surely if thou takest a true account of what thou hast receiued of God thou hast taken a true account of what thou owest him now the more thou hast receiued the more thou owest and the more thou owest I hope thou wilt not bee the more proud but the more humble Though God alloweth thee enioying of his graces yet thou owest him the seruice glory of them therefore think as well of the greatnesse of thy obligement as of the greatnesse of thy exaltation by them The more graces thou hast receiued the more seruice doth God exspect and a larger account And though the man that sits downe and swells in Spirituall excellencies seemes to be at his Rest and iourneys End yet be not thou emulous of him for hee hath taken his reward before his time The true and kindly reward of Spirituall graces is a Spirituall happinesse which being put ouer to another life which also is Spirituall he is altogether short of it who in this life indeauours to find it Hee that in Spirituall graces aymes at temporall rewards as his chiefe ends this man makes the Spirit a drudge to the Flesh he makes the Israelite to build Towers for the Egyptian he hath begunne in the Spirit and ends in the flesh and woe be to him whose end is worse then his beginning 2. Pet. 2.20 But let Spirituall honour and aduancement be vsed and employed by the same Graces by which they were gotten and let Grace then florish and fortifie most when it is most manured dressed and encouraged The higher Grace is aduanced and rewarded the more power and the more matter it hath for good workes A man truly Spirituall knowes his owne dignitie and nobililie that he is a sonne of God a Citizen of Heauen an inheritour of a kingdome and hee doth not value any worldly honour equall with this Therefore for any outward additions hee will not abate his inward excellence neither will he giue away the greater for the meaner But he sayth to outward dignities as God sayd to the Prophet Let them returne to thee but returne not thou to them He will haue outward things by a Spirituall vse to become Spirituall but he will not suffer himselfe who is Spirituall by Carnall things to be made carnall If Religion beget wealth he will not suffer the daughter to eat vp the mother but the mother commands the daughter keepes her in obedience to that which bare her otherwise it were a most notable sacriledge to take the things of the Spirit from the Spirit and to giue them to the flesh and the very prophanenesse of Belshazzar to drinke carnall carowses in the spirituall Vessels of the Temple But let vs remember the hand of God was against him on the Wall and the hand of God was quickly vpon him with a finall ouerthrow Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord let vs striue to please him let vs feare to offend him and this shall wee doe if we follow our Sauiours counsell by giuing the things of God vnto God Neyther let any man thinke it an easie thing in outward aduancements to continue inwardly spirituall or to vse outward things in a spirituall manner For prosperity hath bin found a most dangerous temptation and it requires great care and a strong spirit rightly to mannage it There is ancient league betweene our flesh and the World the knot where of though it bee cut by the Circumcision of the spirit yet the smiles and glances which the World casts on vs in outward glory and prosperity doe easily awake the loue that was layd to sleepe and entise the flesh to renew her first Friendship with the World Therefore hath hee need of the faith of Moses that will refuse the pleasures of sinne and change them for the coldnes and abstinence of Mortificatiō But let him with Moses haue an eye to the recompence of the reward and that sight will make him resolute Let him remember the good Seruant who the more Talents hee receiued of his Master the more hee increased not to himselfe but to his Master And the more Talents he increased to him the more Cities he receiued of him Let him with Saint Paul not looke on the things that are seene but on the things that are not seene because the things seene are but temporall but the things not seene eternall and then if hee be wise hee will vse things temporall for the aduancement of things eternall and not lose things eternall by a carnall fruition of things temporall To conclude if the man that hath inward Graces by those Graces haue gotten a spirituall Eminence that hee shines as a greater Starre from which the lesser differ in Glorie let him indeauour to preserue and increase his excellence as well as to obtayne it This shall he doe if hee adde one Grace more to the rest of his Graces and that is Humility For Humility is a Grace that is the keeper of Graces yea it is an increaser of them So a Christians chiefe way of aspiring is by Humility and by lownesse to be exalted On the otherside if Grace be followed by Pride Pride lessens that wherein it seekes to fasten her rootes so that the more proud a man is of Grace the lesse cause of Pride he is likely to haue for Grace will lessen as Pride increaseth Againe hath thy inward excellence receiued the addition of some outward Dignitie let the spirit that got it command it doe thou make it spirituall and let it not make thee carnall Doe not thou lose that which thou art for that which thou hast but bee thou still thy selfe and let the things of Nature bee the seruants of Grace Be thou still spirituall in thy affections in thy actions for if thou abide in the spirit thou abidest in thy excellence and if thou goe from the spirit to the flesh thou goest downe really though thou mountest imaginarily for the top of the flesh is too bad
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
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
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
let the Obiector cease from this Language for here I haue brought him to the Damme of these Monsters This customary naturall vnnaturall Religion is the very Mother of them For Nature hauing receiued a Religion by custome this Religion like a Spirit possesseth it and driues it headlong like the Gadaren Swine into desperate actions Nature growes mad vpon a Religion knit by custome to her instinct and in her violence shee thinkes the Extremity of Deuotion to be the very Marke of Perfection Therfore shee goes furiously onward and ouerthrowes all that stands in her way thinking then shee pleaseth God best when she is most furious in his seruice and therefore sometimes she will do Massacres and Murders that shee may bee sure to haue serued him sufficiently So mad and brutish is this carnall Deuotion that it thinkes to please the Iudge of the World by those cruelties which a iust man doth lothe and detest And detestable as it is to good men so much more to true Religion which is the Doctrine of Goodnesse and hath beene before described to be peaceable and temperate Therefore farre bee it from any man to accuse true Religion of that which it selfe doth accuse But let this Brat bee brought to the true Dam of it and that shall be found to be the flesh but neuer the Spirit The Spirit maketh Sheepe and not Wolues 〈◊〉 hath armed many with Patience to suffer Tyranny but hath taught none to bee Tyrants Quem videris gaudentem sanguine Lupus est Whosoeuer delights in bloud for conscience sake is a Limbe of Antichrist the great Wolfe of of the Church the Flocke of Christ. But let vs hasten from this diseased Religion and seeke out a Remedy euen a Remedy for this Deuotion of Custome which Custome is an equall Nurse to all Religions A Nurse it is to all Religions a like Mother of most vnlike Children The vnity of the Mother cannot reconcile the Differences of the Children but like the Earth shee nourisheth all Herbes euen of contrary qualities But this while the Contention of these Children is most foolish for each striueth to be right heire when not one of them is lawfully begotten Therefore a first Remedy for these Bastard Religions is to know the Whoredome of their Mother and a second to know the true Father of true Religion The falshood of the Mother hath been already expressed but it must be known as well as told they must take notice of it as well as heare of it And let them take this for an assured signe of a Whorish Mother of Religion when they finde the same and no other Fountaine of Religion but that which will serue to beget a Religion contrary to that which is held If thou holdest thy Religion because thou art accustomed to it for carnall Reasons and by a common hand thou holdest not Religion truely yea though thou hold the true Religion But because Truth best reproueth Falshood and Rightnes Crookednesse I will set forth the true Father of true Religion that the Adulterous Mother may the better bee knowne and auoyded God is a Spirit and therefore the Religion that pleaseth God must be spirituall But man is carnall defiled by a carnall Generation and therefore can neyther know nor giue vnto God a spirituall Seruice Therefore is it needâ—ull that the supreme Spirit teach this carnall man a spirituall seruice which his Carnality cannot find out Yea farther it were 〈…〉 giue him a spirituall Vnderstanding to discerne and approue a spirituall Seruice being â—aught vnto him which flâ—sh and bloud cannot doe So wee see there is need of a spirituall Doctrine and a spirituall Mind Man hath nothing in him to please God withall Hee is all Darknesse and Pollution therefore God must send from Heauen thaâ— which hee will haue man to send acceptably vnto Heauen Man that is now most contrary to God must be conformed to him before hee can receiue from God and returne to God a Seruice conformable vnto God So it remaynes that true Religion must bee a spirituall Doctrine taught by God vnto Man and the true meanes of receiuing a spiritual Doctrine is a spiritual Mind This is the right hand of Religion and Nature is the left and these right-handed Men are the only true receiuers of true Religion For a spirituall Minde meeting with a spiritual Religion by Vniformity grow to an Vnity they kisse imbrace and claspe one another and the gates of Hell cannot plucke them asunder The Spirit that gaue the Word seasons the Heart and the Heart meeting the Word borne of the same Spirit with it selfe ioynes it selfe to it in a brotherly Affection and Vnity Now this only true admittance of true Religion hath notable Priuiledges annexed to it which are both markes of Excellence Difference aboue and from other false meanes of receiuing Religion One excellent and necessary Prerogatiue is this That the spirituall Man hath God for his Teacher hee learnes the counsels of God of that Spirit which only knoweth Gods Counsell and only acknowledgeth it Hee holdeth diuine things by a Diuine hand and receiues them from the Deity it selfe Though his outward Man receiue Elements and Rudiments of Religion by Birth or Education yet his inward man receiueth them by Heauenly inspiration the same Spirit which mooued holy men to speake moouing holy men to heare and beleeue For in the Saints the Spirit of God is the last resort rest and Pillar of Truth and how can they but beleeue when a spirituall Mind plainly discerneth the Truth of spirituall things It hath also a second priuiledge of safetie and in that safety a third of rest and quietnesse For a Religion being once â—ruly discerned approued knit to the heart by the Spirit the Spirit which leades vs into the Truth doth stablish vs in the Truth by the same Light by which it shewes vs the Beauty of Verity it discouers the deformity of Errour yea it will ioyne hands with no Religion but that which is kinne to it Shew the Spirit the whole Millaners shop of Religions which Mountebanke Satan hath set to sale in the world none of them wil fit his hand though neuer so much flourished ouer with the imbrodery of humane wit and earthly Glory The Spirit which gaue the Word will acknowledge no other but the Word of the Spirit My Sheepe sayth Christ heare my voyce but a strangers voice they will not heare Iohn 10. And now what an admirable priuiledge of rest and quietnesse is hereunto annexed The carnall man if he escape the Restinesse gotten by Custome or imposed by Authority hee runneth like the dispossessed spirit through all places both wet and dry seeking rest for his Religion And how can hee finde rest since there is no true rest but in the Truth and that Truth being hidden from flesh and bloud all other Religions that appeare are but Errors and who can blame a man to run from an Error as soone as hee hath found it This
I doubt was the Disease of Montagne who professeth that hee continued in the Romish Religion because if he left that hee beleeued he should run through all and neuer bee at rest So hee kept that Religion it seemes for his owne sake and not for the goodnesse of the Religion because he would find rest not because hee had found the Truth But much better doe they that by the Spirit imbrace true Religion because by the Spirit they discerne it to be true Such men seeke Truth rather then rest for hauing found Truth they know rest comes in vpon the Bargaine They follow that truth which is followed with rest but they by no meanes will follow that rest which is diuorced from Truth They seeke for Truth and Truth giues them rest but the other seekes for rest though rest hold him in Error So he is resolued to be sure of his rest though he be not sure of his Religion But as this is a Bastard holding of Religion so is it a bastard rest for it is a wrong rest that is grounded on Error and Truth only giueth a true rest By the same reason might a Pagan or Mahometane stablish himselfe in Paganisme and Mahometisme because Custome hath giuen each of them a Restinesse in their Religions But let that man who desireth by a right hand to recâ—â—ue the Truth and from the Truth to receiue rest and with that rest safety from Errour Let him I say lift vp his eyes on high Beccause he hath his Chaire in Heauen who teacheth the hearts on Earth Let them vehemently intreat God that by the Spirit which only knoweth his counsels he will reueale his counsels that by the Spirit which gaue the Word to the Speaker hee will fasten the Word in the Hearers and that by a spirituall and heauenly minde they may discerne and hold Spirituall and Heauenly Truth And this let them doe importunately and vnâ—essantly Importunately both in regard of the weight of the Petition for the very weight of our Saluation lyes on this spirituall receiuing of Religion and in regard of the efficacy of Importunity to which Christ hath promised the holy Ghost Luke 11.8 13. Vncessantly because God may delay thee yet hopeful that he wil not finally deny thee He calleth some at al houres it is to no purpose to goe from him for hee only hath the words of eternall life and hee only can giue them to thee and settle them in thee A second reason of difference in Religion is difference of Complexion for many times that is called a Warre of Religion which is but a War of Complexion And surely pitty it is That the Religion of many or at least the zeale of it is but their Complexion and yet they thinke themselues to excell all others in the zeale of Religion when they doe but exceed them in the heate of Complexion And yet vnder this forged Banner of Religion they combate boldly with other Complexions yea sometimes with the Spirit it selfe the true and only roote of true Religion For indeed it fals out that Complexions being different by their difference they fall into discord and not so only but they are at difference with the Spirit it selfe both because the Spirit is of no Complexion and because the Spirit vpon occasion maketh vse of any Complexion which when it doth it gaines the displeasure of that Complexion which is contrary to that whereof it makes vse So by seuerall turnes euery Complexion combateth with the Spirit in those whose Religion is Complexion and whose Complexions are not commanded by the Spirit the true Author of Religion This in patternes will more euidently appeare Set before you a man of Choler his humour is hote and this heate being applyed to Religion hee calleth Zeale Then hee inferres the more heate the more Zeale the more Zeale the more Religion Hence he blowes that fire of his flesh vntill hee hath kindled in himselfe some flame of Intemperance or perchance hath set the House of God on fire about his Eares On the otherside behold a Phlegmatick His Complexion preacheth to him that Religion consists all in Quietnesse and liuing peaceably among his Neighbours Therfore he prayseth Moderation so much that his Religion takes cold and hee loues an easie Ignorance more then a diligent Knowledge He is dully patient in dishonour done to God hee is contented with quiet prophanenesse and well setled Superstitions Whence I guesse this man to haue beene the first father of this Position Malum bene positum non debet moueri But now as wee haue seene these two asunderâ— so bring them together and you shall presently see a battaile But the Cholericke man is first in the coâ—baâ—e and hath the Phlegmaticke by the coller â—re hee be aware At the first â—low he denounceth damnation to him for key-coldnesse â—or doing Gods worke negligently for his vngodly Patience for man-pleasing for temporising and at last he cals him Formalist On the other side the Phlegmaticke when he is awaked by the clamour of the Cholericke cals him an angry Gospeller a Fyer-flinger a Schismatick a Sower of dissention and perchance a Puritan though that word sometimes bee also bestowed on the very grace of the Spirit Besides if the Phlegmaticke be throughly spurred by the Cholericke so that hee arise to any height from the cushion of his Flesh hee will then looke ouer into the life of the Cholericke and tell him his discoueries Hee will say that all his heat is not zeale because hee is as hote in his owne quarrels as in the quarrels of God yea in matters of Earth as much or more then in matters of Heauen that he will sooner bee reconciled when God is offended then when himselfe is touched that his heat is not spirituall because it hath Pride ioyned with it and that out of Pride hee pretends to pull downe Pride and that hee is angry with dignities because he hath them not and that if hee had them he would presently bee at friendship with them Thus doe we see these two in a miserable and vehement conflict where it is pitty to leaue them long But another spectacle calls vs aside from which being returned I shall desire to part them by that Spirit of Loue which puts asunder those that come together in combates and brings together by Loue those that went asunder in Hatred The first Man that I take notice of in this new spectacle is of a Sanguine Complexion This man being of a pleasant constitution will haue a pleasurable Religion He thinkes that the Text Reioyce continually is to be taken litterally and strictly and hee will not endure any doctrine that may not manifestly arise from this Text. He likes wel pastimes recreations on the Sundayes though Seruice be the shorter and he sayes That some Ales with a little spice of Drunkennesse maintayne Loue. Hee vnderstands not the word Mortification but thinkes it is killing of a mans selfe and he is neuer in
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
they see not Hee is inwardly and really more noble for he hath a free large and emancipated soule which they haue not Hee is more powerfully valiant for hee fighteth the battailes of the Lord against spiritual powers and against the whole Kingdome of darknesse But with this honour that is to be magnified is adioyned a misery to be pittyed For as he fighteth for God against the World and the Prince of the World so the World with all the Complexions thereof yea with the Prince thereof fight together against him His Sword is against euery man and euery man against him and though hee be not euill but a true Israelite in whom is no guile yet therefore the euill World hateth him because hee is not like them Surely the quarrell of the World with the sonnes of God is not because they are naught but because they are vnlike and vnlikenesse is to them as sufficient a cause of debate as wickednesse Yea where there is an vnlikenesse there false wickednesse shal be imputed that which of it selfe is faultlesse may seeme iustly to be condemned as being guilty of that which is truly faulty Because they are vnlike they are hated and because they are hated they must be accused To say truth they are not hated because they are wicked but they are made wicked because they are hated Now this slanderous odiousnesse arising from vnlikenesse is thus hatched Eyther because a man beleeuing fully his owne rightnesse makes himselfe a rule vnto others condemnes them when they swerue from this Rule or because viewing his owne crookednesse in a comparison with a goodmans righteousnesse he finds this comparison of righteousnesse to bee a checke and reproofe to his crookednesse But whatsoeuer the cause is Too true it is That vnlikenesse hath made many Quarrels betweene them and these Quarrels of vnlikenesse too often flow from the opposition of Complexion against Sanctification The sanctified man beeing free from all Complexions yet sundry times vpon sundry occasions serues himselfe of sundry Complexions then commonly hee is censured by the seruants of those Complexions that are contrary to those that are his Seruants For indeed the spirituall man is the Lord of Complexions but the carnall is their seruant Hence as they fight among themselues so most commonly they fight all with him For the spirituall being of no faction nor seueraltie but affecting vniuersall Goodnesse serues himselfe of the goodnesse of each Complexion and refuseth the vices and extremities of it So by reason son of his different temper from all hee hath Enemies of all being Virtus in medio vitiorum Hence the Stiptick and hide-bound or angry Christian when he sees the spirituall man conuersing with Sinners though perchance with hope of edification and cure or some euidence of smoking grace hee cryes out against him and cals him good-fellow an eater with Publicans and Sinners If hee see him vsing some lawfull comfort recreation he cals him a Glutton a Drunkard a Libertine If he see him conuersant with men of the contrary Faction or excusing a Ceremony for the loue of Peace he doubts of his Saluation and holds him to bee fallen from the Faith and takes him for little lesse then one of the damned If the sociable sanguine and neighbourly Christian see the spirituall man with a notable difference to affect those that excell in Vertue to condemne the Drunken meetings of carnall Feastings the lasciuious gestures of dancing prouocations the beastly mirth of Tongues tipt with filthinesse the prophanations of times consecrated to diuine vses the contempt of Gods Word and the carelesse burying it in fleshly recreations He cryes out vpon his purity and defies it and sayes too much Religion hath made him madde If the Lazie Phlegmaticke heare the right Christian cry aloud to the sleeper in security Away thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead if hee see him painfull in studie abstinent in fasting not slothfull in seruice but zealous to good workes angry with Sinners and reprouing them for their amendment he accounts him a busi-body one that hates his owne quietnesse and hee sayth as Acts 17.6 These men that haue turned the World vp-side downe are come hither also Lastly your melancholy man he is angry also with the Communion of Saints with the Physicians beeing among the sicke with the peace of the godly if their Coates bee not all of one fashion or if one haue a dust on his Coate which the other hath not He condemnes the spirituall man for being at Feasts of Loue for drinking a little Wine though hee haue an infirmity in his stomacke and hee is angry with any visible glory of the visible Church If the true Christian receiue any preferment he holds him a Demas and one that hath forsaken Paul and hath imbraced the World and if hee conuerse with any that are lesse hide-bound then himselfe though perchance more honest hee takes him for a Formalist and a Time pleaser So the spirituall man scapes not his blowes neyther and thus hee is beaten of all sides But though this to many be a great disheartning to bee as Ieremy a man against all men and all men against him yet to the Children of Wisdome it is a Testimoniall and incouragement That is indeed true Wisdome which is contrary to the corruption of all humours and by reason of this contrariety is refused of all both piping merily and mourning dolefully Carnall mirth hateth spirituall sadnesse and carnall sadnesse hateth spirituall mirth yet the wisedome of of the Spirit is still true Wisedome euen the Wisedome of God and is iustified still both by the Father and the Children Therefore stand thou strong in the path of the Spirit and let this opposition on all sides bee vnto thee a testimony and approbation that thou art on no side but in the midst Thy businesse is to turne neyther to the right hand nor to the left though terrours assayle thee both on the right and on the left keepe thou the narrow way of Verity that leadeth to Eternity Thou art going to Canaan looke aswell for vnkindnesse of thy Cousin the Edomite a seeming professor as of thy Enemy the prophane Amalakite Thou artfighting a good fight for the Crowne of Righteousnesse expect to be in perils not only by Robbers but in perils by false Brethren the Crowne when it comes will pay for all Lastly I note one Combate of the flesh yet seeming to bee of the Spirit and that is the Combate betweene Zeale and Discretion A Combate I confesse which I grieue to speake of for it is the falling out of Brethren or rather of Man and Wife I had much rather to contemplate how blessed is the Marriage and vnity of these two and how faire and beautifull is their issue Surely the fruits of this Vnion are farre more glorious then the Apples of Gold with Pictures of Siluer For it is the absolutenesse of each holy Worke when it is fashioned by the Zeale of
liue one by another and that for one man to fret out all others and to liue by himselfe is in humane That Charity in one sight regards the benefit of another with her owne That in Vsury vsually the benefit goes most if not all of one side yea sometimes the benefit of the one riseth out of the losse of the other Now where these things are there such lending is the cause of fretting and vndoing So it remaynes they must eyther grant what they first denyed that men may fret and vndoe one another or else they must condemne their lending which is so fretfull and iniurious In briefe let vs first worke vpon mens Iudgements by informing them and not presently at the first sight flye on their wills and affections to racke and force them Againe where there are great and little faults to bee amended let vs not bee more busie for the little then the great nor equally importune an amendment of all together For verily I beleeue good occasions of Reformation haue beene lost because too many faults haue beene brought together to amendment yea little and doubtfull faults and such as might be healed with a good construction haue beene brought in equally vpon the File with those of greater moment And what doth this course doe but magnifie the tediousnesse of the worke and increase the difficulty of it What doth it but bring this answere to vse That changes are dangerous and euills well setled are better then much vnsetling by much amending What doth it but bring a doubt that nothing will satisfie since faults seeme more to be sought then found But I wish that alwaies there might bee an aduised and temperate demand in matters of Reformation and though it bee vnaduisedly demanded yet there may be giuen a iust and solide answere and such as might regard to please God by mayntayning the purity of his Spouse the Church rather then to satisfie or vnsatisfie the indiscretions of men Let Gods cause euer be maintayned whether proposed or opposed by our owne enemies A third fault of indiscreet Zeale is That it is censorious and passeth easily into condemnation both of things persons Not to speake of indifferent things too often censured I say some men and some matters are condemned eyther not heard or not vnderstood and yet the Heathen Romanes vsed not to condemne any before hearing and much more wee that are Christians ought to know those things whereof wee affirme There are heights of Dispensation which meane vnderstandings reach not vnto and yet for such sometimes they despise dominion and speake euill of Dignities Christ is censured for being among the sicke yet a Physician for the waste of a precious Oyntment yet going to buriall So the blame which belongs to their owne incapacity they cast on that which deserueth commendation and that which is in it selfe good is by them called euill only because they are not wise enough to see the goodnesse of it Againe there are many good actions of good men that by censorious Zeale are taxed as euill and yet are only knowne in some out-side of probability but the inside wherein the life of the action lyes is not knowne The Iewes were in a rage with Peter for going to the Gentiles yet when the cause was knowne his fault was found to bee a Vertue The Reubenites Gadites and halfe Tribe of Manasseth were indicted of Apostasie for building an Altar but that which was thought to bee Apostasie was indeed a memoriall and meanes of cleaning to the true God Wherefore let vs not be hastie to iudge according to apparances but let vs take time to iudge righteous Iudgements For if thou iudge another rashly and falsly GOD shall iudge both him and thee truly He shall iudge ouer the matter againe and shall acquite him whome thou condemnest and shall comdemne thee for condemning him So thy iudgement of another shall returne vpon thy selfe And surely in this point Let euery good Conscience comfort it selfe in it selfe and passe little to be iudged by another in that which another knowes not for thou standest to the Iudgement Seat of the Highest Wisdome and Mercie and not to the Barre of humane Ignorance or Malice Fourthly indiscreet zeale is often in the flesh when it thinkes it is in the Spirit yet will not beleeue it and so will not be cured First I noted that by following heate to farre it outgoeth the Spirit and runs out into the flesh And now I obserue that it being gotten into the flesh it still beleeues it selfe to be spirituall and so in steed of retyring it fortifies it selfe there Hence it comes that many fleshly contentions are mayntayned by Scriptures yea Sermons and Scriptures are fitted to passions not passions to Scriptures So flesh and bloud fights carnally with spirituall Weapons yea which is fearefull turnes spirituall Weapons into carnall Malice sometime rayleth in Scripture Phrases and beateth his Enemies with Diuinity and thinkes it may speake what it will so it bee in the words of Scripture if it haue a seeming opposition of vice it cares not how angry it bee though indeed Pamphlets of that kind be no other then Libels and Sermons then Philippickes Yet this abuse of Diuinitie shall bee maintayned by Diuinitie and so she is miserably forced to iustifie and continue her owne wrongs But let Baal plead for himselfe let not God be forced to speake for Baal nor the Spirit for the flesh Adde not sinne vnto sinne It is a sinne great enough to come out of the Spirit into the flesh and to turne the busines of God into a Quarrell with men doe not adde this other sinne of abusing the spirituall Word vnto the mayntenance of thy fleshly contentions so by the Spirit to fight the battayles of his Enemy the flesh But to draw to a Conclusion Let all true Christians striue that their Workes bee the true Issues of Zeale maâ—ryed with Discretion for such Workes are the acceptable Salt and sauoury Sacrifices of Wise-men and not the loth some Sacrifices of Pooles Let them know that the fire of the Spirit the Mother of all true Zeale hath light in it aswell as heate and the heate should follow the light and not goe before it otherwise if the heate goe before the light or without it it may set on fire where it should but warme and so may breed a Confusion whereas the businesse of it is edification Let vs by ioyning the wisdome of Serpents with the innocencie of Doues become those excellent and perfect Stewards whom the Lord commends both for being wise and faithfull whose faithfulnesse giues meate to the Seruants and whose Wisedome doth it in season euen in fitnesse of manner measure and order And farre bee it from any sound Christian to put a Diuorce betweene that incomparable payre whose Marriage was in Heauen Zeale and Discretion or to thinke that one alone of them can bee a sufficient Parent of good Workes Much lesse let any man if hee find these separated by wretched Diuision seeke to bring them together in a more wretched Contention The parting of so louely a couple is lamentable but a malicious meeting of them is far more dolful For by their own good nature they incline to loue and vnity and therefore cursed is that Malice that changeth into Enmity the most excellent Vnity Hee that sets Vertues by the eares is as he that sets Brethren by the eares yea as one that makes Quarrels betweene Men and their Wiues Surely if the Peace-makers be blessed being the Children of the most High then such Quarrel-makers bee accursed and are the Children of the Lowest euen the most infernall spirit To conclude Let vs as the new borne sonnes of the Spirit lay aside all Maliciousnesse and lust of Contention which are the vices of the old man and expresse the true Vertues of a godly Nature receiued with the new man euen Charity Peace and Vnity Let not the difference of Education or Complexion or the vnkindly opposition of Zeale Discretion bee powerfull to a separation where the Vnity of one and the same Spirit hath made a coniunction But let the Spirit bee more followed leading vs to loue then the flesh prouoking to hatred And surely if wee bee not in loue wee are not in the Spirit for whosoeuer is in the Spirit is in loue yea hee is in loue with loue And as loue is commended by the Author of it which is the Spirit so it is also praysed by the excellent fruit of it called Edification for by loue the members of Christ cherish each other and by that cherishing increase in their growth Besides as Sion inwardly prospereth by loue so by the loue of Sion Babylon decayeth For the more Loue and Vnity in Sion the more strength the more strength in Sion the more terror yea the more ruin of BabyloÌ„ WheÌ„ the Banners are brought into the Vnion of an Army then they are terrible Cant. 6. And when Israel ioynes together in the Vnity of a Shoute then are the wals of Iericho most neere to their Downfall CYPRIAN de Vnitate Ecclesiae Pacificos esse oportet Dei filios corde mites sermone simplices affectione concordes fideliter sibi vnanimitatis nexibus coherentes Et post Erant perseuerantes omnes vnanimes in oratione ideo efficacibus precibus orabant ideo impetrare cum fiducia poterant quodcumque de Domini misericordia postularunt FINIS