will of that which they are most afraid of thinking As the spirits and blood will have recourse to the part that is hurt The very pain of their fears doth draw their thoughts to what they fear As he that is over-desirous to sleep and afraid lest he shall not sleep is sure to wake because his fears and desires keep him waking so do the fears and desires of the Melancholy cross themselves And withall the malice of the Devil plainly here interposeth and taketh advantage by this disease to tempt and trouble them and to shew his hatred to God and Christ and Scripture and to them For as he can much easier tempt a cholerick person to anger than another and a flegmatick fleshy person to sloth and a sanguine or hot tempered person to lust and wantonness so also a melancholy person to thoughts of blasphemy infidelity and despair And ost-times they feel a vehement urgency as if something within them urged them to speak such or such a blasphemous or foolish word and they can have no rest unless they yield in this and other such cases to what they are urged to And some are ready to yield in a temptation to be quiet and when they have done they are tempted utterly to despair because they have committed so great a sin and when the Devii hath got this advantage of them he is still setting it before them 27. Hereupon they are further tempted to think they have committed the sin against the Holy Ghost not understanding what that sin is but fearing it is theirs because it is a fearful sin At least they think they shall not be forgiven not considering that a temptation is one thing and a sin another and that no man hath less cause to fear being condemned for his sin than he that is least willing of it and most hateth it And no man can be less willing of any ☞ sin than these poor souls are of the hideous blasphemous thoughts which they complain of 28. Hereupon some of them grow to think that they are possessed of Devils and if it do but enter into their fantasie how possessed persons use to act the very strength of imagination will make them do so too so that I have known those that will swear and curse and blaspheam and imitate an inward aliene voice thinking themselves that it is the Devil in them that doth all this But these that go so far are but few 29. Some of them that are near distraction verily think that they hear voices and see lights and apparitions that the Curtains are opened on them that something meets them and saith this or that to them when all is but the errour of a crazed brain and sick imagination 30. Many of them are aweary of their lives through the constant tiring perplexities of their minds and yet afraid of dying some of them resolutely famish themselves some are strongly tempted to murder themselves and they are haunted with the temptation so restlesly that they can go no whither but they feel as if somewhat within them put them on and said Do it do it so that many poor creatures yield and make away themselves 31. Many of them are restlesly vexed with fears of want and poverty and misery to their families and of imprisonment or banishment and lest some-body will kill them and every one that they see whisper they think is plotting to take away their lives 32. Some of them lay a law upon themselves that they will not speak and so live long in resolute silence 33. All of them are intractable and stiffe in their own conceits and hardly perswaded out of them be they never so irrational 34. Few of them are the better for any Reason conviction or Counsel that is given them If it seem to satisfie and quiet and rejoyce them at the present to morrow they are as bad again it being the nature of their disease to think as they do think and their thoughts are not cured while the disease is uncured 35. Yet in all this distemper few of them will believe that they are melancholy but abhor to hear men tell them so and say it is but the rational sense of their unhappiness and the forsakings and heavy wrath of God And therefore they are hardly perswaded to take any Physick or use any means for the cure of their bodies saying that they are well and being confident that it is only their souls that are distressed This is the miserable case of these poor people greatly to be pittyed and not to be despised by any I have spoken nothing but what I have often seen and known And let none despise such for men of all sorts do fall into this misery learned and unlearned high and low good and bad yea some that have lived in greatest jollity and sensuality when God hath made them feel their folly § 3. The causes of it are 1. Most commonly some worldly loss or cross or grief or care which made too deep an impression on them 2. Sometime excess of fear upon any common occasion of danger 3. Sometime over-hard and unintermitted studies or thoughts which screw up and rack the fantasie too much 4. Sometime too deep fears or too constant and serious and passionate thoughts and cares about the danger of the soul. 4. The great preparatives to it which are indeed the principal cause are a weak Head and Reason joyned with strong Passion which are oftest found in Women and those to whom it is natural 5. And in some it is brought in by some heynous sin the sight of which they cannot bear when Conscience is but once awakened § 4. When this disease is gone very far Directions to the persons themselves are vain because they have not Reason and free-will to practise them but it is their friends about them that must have the Directions But because with the most of them and at first there is some Power of Reason left I give Directions for the use of such § 5. Direct 1. See that no errour in Religion be the cause of your distress especially understand well Direct 1 the Covenant of Grace and the Riches of mercy manifested in Christ. Among others it will be useful to you to understand these following truths 1. That our thoughts of the Infinite Goodness of God should bear proportion with our thoughts Special Truths to be known for preventing causeless troubles concerning his Infinite Power and Wisdom 2. That the Mercy of God hath provided for all mankind so sufficient a Saviour that no sinner shall perish for want of a sufficient satisfaction made for his sins by Christ nor is it made the condition of any mans salvation or pardon that he satisfie for his own sins 3. That Christ hath in his Gospel-Covenant which is an Act of oblivion made over himself with pardon and salvation to all that will penitently and believingly accept the offer And that none perish that hear the Gospel but
God and from a holy life when you run but into sin and Hell § 60. Tempt 30. Another great Temptation is in making them believe that their sins are but such Tempt 30. common infirmities as the best have They cannot deny but they have their faults but are not all men sinners They hope that they are not reigning unpardoned sins § 61. Direct 30. But O how great a difference is between a converted and an unconverted sinner Direct 30. between the failings of a Child and the contempt of a Rebel between a sinner that hath no gross or mortal sin and hateth bewaileth and striveth against his infirmities and a sinner that loveth his sin and is loth to leave it and maketh light of it and loveth not a holy life God will one day shew you a difference between these two when you see that there are siners that are justified and saved and sinners that are condemned § 62. BUt here are many subordinate Temptations by which Satan perswades them that their sins Tempt Temp. 1. are but infirmities One is because their sin is but in the heart and appeareth not in outward deeds And they take restraint for sanctification § 63. Direct 1. Alas man the Life and Reign of sin is in the Heart That is it's Garrison and Direct 1. Throne The life of sin lyeth in the prevalence of your lusts within against the Power of Reason and Will All outward sins are but acts of obedience to the reigning sin within and a gathering Tribute for this which is the King For this it is that they make provision Rom. 13. 14. On this all is consumed Iames 4. 3. Original sin may be reigning sin as a King may be born a King Sin certainly reigneth till the soul be converted and born again § 64. Tempt 2. The Devil tells them it is but an infirmity because it is no open gross disgraceful Tempt 2. sin It 's hard to believe that they are in danger of Hell for sins which are accounted small § 65. Direct 2. But do you think it is no mortal heinous sin to be void of the Love of God and Direct 2. holiness to Love the flesh and the world above him to set more by Earth than Heaven and do more for it However they shew themselves these are the great and mortal sins Sin is not less dangerous for lying secret in the heart The root and heart are usually unseen Some Kings as in China Persia c. keep out of sight for the honour of their Majesty Kings are the spring of Government but actions of State are executed by Officers When you see a man go or work you know that it is something within which is the Cause of all If sin appeared without as it is within it would lose much of its Power and Majesty Then Ministers and friends and every good man would cast a stone at it but its secresie is its peace The Devil himself prevaileth by keeping out of sight If he were seen he would be less obeyed So is it with the Reigning sins of the heart Pride and Covetousness may be Reigning sins though they appear not in any notorious disgraceful course of life David's hiding his sin or Rachel her Idol made them not the better It is a mercy to some men See Jer. 4. 14. Hos. 7. 6 7. that God permitteth them to fall into some open scandalous sin which may tend to humble them who would not have been humbled nor convinced by heart-sins alone An Oven is hottest when it is stopped § 66. Tempt 3. Satan tells them they are not unpardoned reigning sins because they are common Tempt 3. in the world If all that are as bad as I must be condemned say they God help a great number § 67. Direct 3. But know you not that Reigning sin is much more common than saving holiness Direct 3. and that the gate is wide and the way is broad that leadeth to destruction and many go in at it Salvation is as rare as holiness and damnation as common as Reigning sin where it is not cured This sign therefore makes against you § 69. Tempt 4. But saith the Tempter they are such sins as you see good men commit You play Tempt 4. at the same games as they you do but what you see them do and they are pardoned § 68. Direct 4. You must judge the man by his works and not the works by the man And there Direct 4. is more to be lookt at than the bare matter of an act A good man and a bad may play at the same game but not with the same end nor with the same love to sport nor so frequently and long to the loss of time Many drops may wear a stone Many stripes with small twigs may draw blood Many mean men in a Senate have been as great Kings You may have many of these little sins set all together which plainly make up a carnal life The power of a sin is more considerable than the outward shew A poor man if he be in the place of a Magistrate may be a Ruler And a sin materially small and such as better men commit may be a sin in Power and Rule with you and concur with others which are greater § 70. Tempt 5. But saith the Tempter they are but sins of Omission and such are not reigning Tempt 5. sins § 71. Direct 5. Sins of Omission are alwayes accompanied with some positive sensual affection Direct 5. to the creature which diverteth the soul and causeth the omission And so Omission is no small part of the Reigning sin The not using of Reason and the Will for God and for the mastering of sensuality is much of the state of ungodliness in man Denying God the heart and life is no small sin God made you to do good and not only to do no harm Else a Stone or Corpse were as good a Christian as you for they do less harm than you If sin have a Negative Voice in your Religion whether God shall be worshipped and obeyed or not it is your King It may shew its power as well by commanding you not to pray and not to consider and not to read as in commanding you to be drunk or swear The wicked are described by omissions such as will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts Psal. 10. 4. Such as know not God and call not on his name Jer. 10. 25. That have no truth or mercy or knowledge of God Hos. 4. 1. That feed not cloath not visit not Christ in his members Matth. 25. that hide their Talents Matth. 25. Indeed if God have not your hearts the creature hath it and so it is omission and commission that go together in your reigning sin § 72. Tempt 6. But saith the Tempter they are but sins of ignorance and therefore they are not reigning Tempt 6. sins At least you are not certain that
to draw another to waste his time in wantonness and foolish sports An ambitious or proud person is fit to kindle that fire in others A swearer is fittest to make a swearer â—nd so of many other sins § 33. 2. The Devil usually chooseth for his Instruments men that have no great tenderness of conscience or fear of sinning or of hurting souls He would have no such Cowards in his Army as men fearing God are as to his Ends It must be men that will venture upon hell themselves and fear not much the loss of their own souls and therefore must not be too tender or fearful of destroying others Butchers and Souldiers must not be chosen out of too tender or loving a sort of people such are not fit to go through his work § 34. 3. He usually chooseth Instruments that are most deeply engaged in his cause whose preferment and honour and gain and carnal interest shall be to them as Nature is to a dog or wolf or fox or other ravenous creature who think it a loss or danger or suffering to them if others be not hundered in good or made as bad as they Thus Demetrius and the other crafts-men that Act. 19. 24 38 39. lived upon the trade are the fittest to plead Diana's cause and stir up the people against the Apostles And the Iews were the fittest Instruments to persecute Christ who thought that if they let him alone all men would believe on him and the Romans would come and take away both their place and nation and that it was expedient for them that one man die for the people and that the whole nation perish not John 11. 48 49. And Pilate was the fittest Instrument to condemn him who feared that he should else be taken to be none of Caesars friend And Pharoah was the fittest Instrument to persecute the Israelites who was like to lose by their departure § 35. 4. when he can he chooseth such Instruments as are much about us and nearest to us who have opportunity to be oft speaking to us when others have no opportunity to help us The fire that is nearest to the wood or thatch is liker to burn it than that which is farr off Nearness and opportunity are very great advantages § 36. 5. If it be possible he will choose such Instruments as have the greatest Abilities to do him service One man of great wit and learning and elocution that is nimble in disputing and can make allmost any cause seem good which he defendeth or bad which he opposeth is able to do more service for the Devil than an hundred Ideots § 37. 6. If possible he will choose the Rulers of the World to be his Instruments that shall command men and threaten them with imprisonment banishment confiscation or death if they will not sin as the King of Babylon did by the three witnesses and Daniel Dan. 3. 6. and all persecutors have done in all ages against the holy seed For he knoweth that though not with a Iob yet with a carnal person skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life And therefore they that have the power of life and liberty and estate have carnal men by the handle that will rule them § 38. 7. He maketh the Rich his Instruments that having the wealth of the world are able to reward and hire evil doers and are able to oppress those that will not please them Landlords and Rich men can do the Devil more service than many of the poor They are the Iudas's that bear the bag As the Ox will follow him that carieth the hay and the Horse will follow him that carrieth the provender and the Dog will follow him that feedeth him and the Crow will be where the carrion is so carnal persons will follow and obey him that bears the purse § 39. 8. The Devil if he can will make those his Instruments whom he seeth we most Esteem and Reverence Persons whom we think most wise and fit to be our Counsellors we will take that from these which we would suspect from others § 40. 9. He will get our Relations and those that have our Hearts most to be his Instruments A Husband or a Wife or a Dalilah can do more than any others and so can a bosom friend whom we dearly love when all their Interest in our affections is made over for the Devils service it may do much Therefore we see that Husbands and Wives if they love entirely do usually close in the same Religion opinion or way though when they were first married they differed from each other § 41. 10. As oft as he can the Devil maketh the Multitude his Instrument that the crowd and noise may carry us on and make men valiant and put away their fear of punishment § 42. 11. He is very desirous to make the Embassadors of Christ his prisoners and to hire them to speak against their masters cause that in Christs name they may deceive the silly flock speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them Acts 20. 30. Sometimes by pretence of his Authority and Commission making poor people believe that not to hear them and obey them in their errors is to be disobedient rejecters of Christ and thus the Romish party carry it Sometime by their parts and plausible perswasive speeches And sometime by their fervency frightning people into error And by these two ways most Hereticks prevail None so succesfully serveth Satan as a false or bribed Minister of Christ. § 43. 12. He is exceeding desirous to make Parents themselves his Instuments for their childrens sin and ruine And alas how commonly doth he succeed He knoweth that Parents have them under their hands in the most ductile malleable age and that they have a concurrence of allmost all advantages They have the purse and the portion of their children in their power They have the interest of Love and Reverence and estimation They are still with them and can be often in their sollicitings They have the rod and can compel them Many thousands are in Hell through the means of their own Parents such cruel monsters will they be to the souls of any others that are first so to their own If the Devil can get the Parents to be cursers swearers gamesters drunkards worldlings proud deriders or railers at a holy life what a snare is here for the poor children § 44. V. In the Method of Satan the next thing is to shew you how he labours to keep off all the forces of Christ which should resist him and destroy his work and to frustrate their endeavours and fortifie himself And among many others these means are notable § 45. 1. He would do what he can to weaken even natural Reason that men may be blockish and uncapable of good And it is lamentable to observe how hard it is to make some people either understand or regard And a beastly kind of education doth much to
his own Master doth he stand or fall Men may step up into the throne of God and there presume to judge others according to their interests and passions but God will quickly pull them down and teach them better to know their places How like is the common censure of the world to the game of boyes that will hold an Assize and make a Judge and try and condemn one another in sport And have we not a greater Iudge to fear § 29. 3. It is God only that passeth the final sentence from whom there is no appeal to any other See Dr â—â—â—â—s 〈◊〉 pag. 42 43. Ma 〈…〉 â—â— 1 Coâ— 4. 3. But from humane judgement there lyeth an appeal to God Their judgement must be judged of by him Things shall not stand as now men censure them Many a bad cause is now judged good through the Multitude or Greatness of those that favour it And many a good cause is now condemned Many a one is taken as a Malefactor because he obeyeth God and doth his duty But all these things must be judged over again by him that hath denounced a Woâ— to them that call evil Isa â— 20. good and good evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness He that saith to the wicked thou art Righteous peâ—ple shall curse him nations shall abhor him Prov. 24. 24. It were ill with the best of the servants of Christ if the judgement of the world must stand who condemn them as fools and hypocrites and what they list Then the Devils judgement would stand But he is the wise man that God will judge to be wise at last and he only is the happy man that God calls happy The erring judgement of a creature is but like an ignorant mans writing the names of several things upon an Apothecaries boxes If he write the names of Poysons upon some and of Antidotes on others when 〈…〉 〈…〉 dâ—th nâ—t 〈◊〉 the Maâ—quâ—â— and Mummeâ—â—â—â— and triumphâ—â—f the â—oâ—â—d haâ—â—o stately and gallanâ— as candlâ—-light doâ—h Lord 〈◊〉 Eâ—â—â—â—y of Tâ—â—â—â— Why Lâ—â—s are Loved there are no such things within them they are not to be estimated according to those names How different are the names that God and the world do put upon things and persons now And how few now approve of that which God approveth of and will justifie at last How many will God judge heterodox and wicked that men judged orthodox and worthy of applause And how many will God judge orthodox and sincere that were called Hereticks and Hypocrites by men God will not verifie every word against his servants which angry men or contentious disputants say against them The learning or authority or other advantages of the contenders may now bear down the reasons and reputations of more wise and righteous men than they which God will restore and vindicate at last The names of Luther Zuinglius Calvin and many other excellent servants of the Lord are now made odious in the writings and reports of Papists by their impudent lies But God judgeth otherwise with more righteous judgement O what abundance of persons and causes will be justified at the dreadful day of God which the world condemned And how many will be there condemned that were justified by the world O blessed day most desirable to the just most terrible to the wicked and every Hypocrite How many things will be then set strait that now are crooked And how many innocents and saints will then have a resurrection of their murdered names that were buryed by the world in a heap of lies and their enemies never thought of their reviving O look to that final judgement of the Lord and you will take mens censures but as the shaking of a leaf § 30. 4. It is God only that hath power to execute his sentence to our Happinâ—ss or Misery There is one Lawgivâ—r that is able to save and to destroy Iam. 4. 12. If he say to us Come ye blessed we shall be happy though Devils and men should curse us For those that he blesseth shall be blessed If he condemn to hell the applause of the world will â—etch no man out nor give him ease A great name on earth or histories written in their applause or a guilded monument over their bones are a poor relief to damned souls And the barking of the wicked and their scorns on earth are no diminution to the joy or glory of the souls that shine and triumph with Christ. It is our Lord that hath the keys of death and Hell Rev. 1. 18. Please him and you are sure to scape though the Pope and all the wicked of the world should thunder out against you their most direful curses Woe to us if the wicked could execute all their malicious censures Then how many Saints would be in Hell But if it be God that justifie us how inconsiderable a matter is it who they are that condemn us Or what be their pretenses Rom 8. 33. § 31. Direct 5. Remember that the judgement of ungodly men is corrupted and directed by the Devil Direct 5. And to be over-ruled by their censures or too much to fear them is to be ovâ—r-ruled by the Devil and to be afraid of his censures of us And will you honour him so much Alas it is he that puts those thoughts into the minds of the ungodly and those reproachful words into their mouths To prefer the judgement of a man before Gods is odious enough though you did not prefer the Devils judgement § 32. Direct 6. Consider what a slavery you choose when you thus make your selves the servants of Direct 6. every man whose censures you fear and whose approbation you are ambitious of 1 Cor. 7. 23. Yee are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men that is Do not needlesly enthrall your selves Jam. 4. 4. What a task have men-pleasers They have as many Masters as beholders No wonder if it take them off from the service of God For the friendship of the world is enmity to God and he that will thus Oâ—â—â—â—n let â—e supâ—â—bus contemptuâ— diâ—â—s 〈◊〉 peâ—â—laâ—s â—â— urâ—a 〈…〉 malignitate pugnax contentione ventosus mendax vanitaâ—e non â—â—res a suspicioso timâ—râ— a pertiâ—ace vinci a deâ—â—caâ—o fâ—stâ—â—irs Secec dâ— Iâ—aâ— 3. c. 8. be a friend of the world is in enemy to God They cannot serve two Masters God and the world You know men will condemn you if you be true to God It therefore you must needs have the favour of men you must take it alone without Gods favour A man pleaser cannot be true to God because he is a servant to the enemies of his service The wind of a mans mouth will drive him about as the chasâ— from any duty and to any sin How servile a person is a Man-pleaser How many Masters hath he and how mean ones It perverteth the course of your hearts and lives and turneth all from God to this
not be sollicitous for pins or fool-gawds And the hopes of a Lordship or a Kingdom will cure the desire of little things A man that needeth a Physicion for the Dropsie or Consumption will scarce long for Childrens balls or tops And methinks a man that is going to Heaven or Hell should have somewhat greater than worldly things to long for O what a vain and doting thing is a carnal mind that hath pardon and grace and Christ and Heaven and God to think of and that with speed before it be too late and can forget them all or not regard them and eagerly long for some little inconsiderable trifle as if they said I must needs taste of such a dish before I dye I must needs have such a house or a Child or friend before I go to another world O study what need thy distressed soul hath of a Christ and of peace with God and preparation for Eternity and what need thy darkened mind hath of more knowledge and thy dead and carnal heart of more life and tenderness and Love to God and communion with him Feel these as thou hast cause and the eagerness of thy carnal Desires will be gone § 4. Direct 2. Remember how much your carnal Desires do aggravate the weakness of your spiritual Direct 2. Desires and make the sin more odious and unexcusable Are you so eager for a Husband a Wife a Child for wealth for preferment or such things while you are so cold and indifferent in your Desires after God and grace and glory Your desires after these are not so earnest They make you not so importunate and restless They take not up your thoughts both day and night They set you not so much on contrivances and endeavours You can live as quietly without more grace or assurance of salvation or communion with God as if you were indifferent in the business But you must needs have that which you desire in the world or there is no quiet with you Do you consider what a horrible contempt of God and grace and Heaven is manifested by this Either you are Regenerate or unregenerate If you are Regenerate all your instructions and all your experiences of the worth of spiritual things and the vanity of things temporal do make it a heynous sin in you to be now so eager for those things which you have so often called vanity while you are so cold towards God whose Goodness you have had so great experience of Do you know no better yet the difference between the creature and the Creator Do you yet no better understand your necessities and interest and what it is that you live upon and must trust to for your everlasting blessedness and content If you are unregenerate as all are that Love any thing better than God what a madness is it for one that is condemned in Law to endless torments and shall be quickly there if he be not regenerate and justified by Christ to be thirsting so eagerly for this or that thing or person upon earth when he should presently bestir him with all his might to save his soul from endless misery How incongruous are these Desires to the good and bad § 5. Direct 3. Let every sinful Desire humble you for the worldliness and fleshliness which it discocovereth Direct 3. to be yet unmortified in you and turn your Desires to the mortifying of that flesh and concupiscence which is the cause If you did not yet love the world and the things that are in the world you would not 1 Ioh. 2. 15. be so eager for them If you were not too carnal and did not mind too much the things of the flesh you would not be so earnest for them as you are It should be a grievous thing to your hearts to consider what worldliness and fleshliness this sheweth to be yet there That you should set so much by the creature as to be unable to bear the want of it Is this renouncing the world and flesh The thing you need is not that which you so much desire but a better heart to know the Vanity of the Creature to be dead to the world and to be able to bear the want or loss of any thing in it and a fuller mortification of the flesh mortifying and not satisfying it is your work § 6. Direct 4. Ask your hearts seriously whether God in Christ be enough for them or not If Direct 4. they say no they renounce him and all their hope of Heaven For no man takes God for his God that takes him not for his portion and as enough for him If they say yea then you have enough to stop the mouth of your fleshly desires while your hearts confess that they have enough in God Should that soul that hath a filial interest in God and an inheritance in eternal life be eager for any conveniences and contentments to the flesh If God be not enough for you you will never have enough Turn to him more and know him better if you would have a satisfied mind § 7. Direct 5. Remember that every sinful Desire is a rebelling of your wills against the will of Direct 5. God and that it is his will that must govern and dispose of all and your wills must be conform to his yea that you must take pleasure and rest in the will of God Reason the case with your hearts and say who is it that is the Governour of the World and who is to rule me and dispose of my affairs Is it I or God whose will is it that must lead and whose must follow whose will is better guided Gods or mine either it is his will that I shall have what I desire or not If it be I need not be so eager for I shall have it in his time and way If it be not his will is it fit for me to murmur and strive against him Remember that your discontents and carnal desires are so many accusations brought in against God As if you said Thou hast not dealt well or wisely or mercifully by me I must have it better I will not stand to thy will and government I must have it as I will and have the disposal of my self § 8. Direct 6. Observe how your eager Desires are condemned by your selves in your daily prayers Direct 6. or else they make your prayers themselves condemnable If you pray that the will of God may be done why do your wills rebell against it and your desires contradict your prayers And if you ask no more than your daily bread why thirst you after more But if you pray as you desire Lord let my will be done and my self ish carnal desire be fulfilled for I must needs have this or that then what an abominable Prayer is this Desire as you must Pray § 9. Direct 7. Remember what Covenant you have made with God that you renounced the world Direct 7. and the flesh and took him
and Love-songs and Romances and lascivious plays and the talk of wanton lust and dalliance 21. A self-provoking ear that hearkneth after all that others say against them which may kindle hatred or dislike or passion in them 22. A busie medling ear which loveth to hear of other mens faults or matters which concern them not and to hearken to twatlers and carry-tales and make-bates and to have to do with evil reports 23. A timerous cowardly unbelieving ear which trembleth at every threatning of man though in a cause which is Gods and he hath promised to justifie 24. An idle ear which can hearken to idle time-wasting talk and make the sins of twatlers your own All these ways and more you are in danger of sinning by the ear and becoming partakers in the sins of all whose sinful words you hear and of turning into sin the words of God and his servants which are spoken for your good § 3. Direct 3. Know when the hearing of evil and not hearing good is your sin that is 1. When it Direct 3. is not out of any imposed necessity but of your voluntary choice and when you might avoid it upon When hearing Evil is a sin lawful terms without a greater hurt and will not 2. When you hate not the evil which you are necessitated to hear and love not the good which through necessity you cannot hear but your hearts comply with your necessities 3. When you shew not so much disowning and dislike of the evil which you hear as you might do without an inconvenience greater than the benefit but make it your own by sinful silence or compliance 4. When you are presumptuous and fearless of your danger § 4. Direct 4. Know wherein the danger of such sinful hearing lieth As 1. In displeasing God Direct 4. who loveth not to see his children hearkning to those that are abusing him nor to see them playing too The danger of hearing boldly about fire or water nor to touch any stinking or defiling thing but calls to them Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you 2 Cor. 6. 16 17 18. 2. It is dangerous to your fantasie and memory which quickly receiveth hurtful impressions by what you hear If you should hear provoking words even against your wills yet it 's hard to escape the receiving of some hurtful impression by them And if you hear lascivious filthy words against your wills much more if willingly it 's two to one but they leave some thoughts in your minds which may gender unto further sin And it is dangerous to your passions and affections lest they catch fire before you are aware And it is dangerous to your understandings lest they be perverted and seduced and to your wills lest they be turned after evil and turned away from good and alas how quickly is all this done 3. It is dangerous to the speaker lest your voluntary hearing encourage him in his sin and hinder his repentance 4. And it is dishonourable to God and Godliness § 5. Direct 5. Do your best to live in such company where you shall hear that which is good and edifying Direct 5. and to escape that company whose conference is hurtful and corrupt Run not your selves into this When you are called into ill company temptation Be sure you have a call and your call must be discerned 1. By your office or place whether any duty of your office or relation bind you to be there 2. By your ends whether you be there as a Physicion to do them good as Christ went among sinners or to do the work of your proper calling or whether you are there out of a carnal man-pleasing or temporizing humour 3. By the measure of your abilities to attain those ends 4. By the measure of your danger to receive the infection 5. By the quality of your company and the probability of Good or Evil in the event § 6. Direct 6. When you are called into ill company go fortified with defensive and offensive arms as Direct 6. foreseeing what danger or duty you are like to be cast upon Foresee what discourse you are like to hear and accordingly prepare your selves Let your first preparation be to preserve your selves from the hurt and your next preparation to confute the evil and convince the sinful speaker or at least to preserve the endangered hearers if you have ability and opportunity If you are to hear a seducing heretical Teacher there is one kind of preparation to be made If you are to hear a beastly filthy talker there is another kind of preparation to be made If you are to hear a cunning Pharisee or malignant enemy of Godliness reproach or cavil or wrangle against the Scriptures or the ways of God there is another kind of preparation to be made If you are to hear but the senseless scorns or railings and bawlings of ignorant prophane and sensual sots there is another kind of preparation to be made To give you particular Directions for your preparations against every such danger would make my work too tedious But remember how much lieth upon your own preparations or unpreparedness § 7. Direct 7. Be not sinfully wanting in good discourse your selves if you would not be ensuared by Direct 7. bad discourse from others Your good discourse may prevent or divert or shame or disappoint their evil discourse Turn the stream another way And do it wisely that you expose not your selves and your cause to scorn and laughter And do it with such zeal as the cause requireth that you be not born down by their greater zeal in evil And where it is unfit for you to speak if it may be let your countenance or departure signifie your dislike and sorrow § 8. Direct 8. Specially labour to mortifie those sins which the unavoidable discourse of your company Direct 8. doth most tempt you to that where the Devil doth most to hurt you you may there do most in your own defense Doth the talk which you hear tend most to Heresie Seduction or to turn you from the truth Study the more to be established in the truth Read more books for it and hear more that is said by wise and godly men against the error which you are tempted to Is it to prophaneness or dislike of a holy life that your company tempt you Address your selves the more to God and give up your selves to holiness and let your study and practise be such as tendeth to keep your souls in relish with holiness and hatred of sin Is it Pride that their applauding discourse doth tempt you to Study the more the doctrine of Humiliation Is it lust that they provoke you to or is it drunkenness gluttony sinful recreations or excesses Labour the more in the work of mortification and keep the strictest guard where they assault you § 9. Direct 9. Be not
Treason against their King or reviled Magistrates and Superiours and perhaps attempted and done mischief as well as spoken it If you are superiours how unfit are you to judge or govern Is it not lawful for any to appeal from you as the Woman did from Philip drunk to Philip sober You will be apter to abuse your inferiours than well to govern them Also Drunkenness destroyeth civility justice and charity It inflameth the mind with anger and rage It teacheth the tongue to curse and rail and slander It makes you unfaithful and uncapable of keeping any secret and ready to betray your chiefest friend as being master neither of your mind or tongue or actions Drunkenness hath made men commit many thousand murders It hath caused many to murder themselves and their nearest relations many have been drowned by falling into the water or broke their neâ—ks with falling from their Horses or dyed suddenly by the suffocation of nature It draweth men to idleness and taketh them off their lawfull calling It maketh a multitude of thieves by breeding necessity and emboldening to Villany It is a principal cause of lust and filthiness and the great maintainer of whoredomes and taketh away all shame and fear and wit which should restrain men from this or any sin What sin is it that a drunken man may not commit no thanks to him that he forbeareth the greatest wickedness Cities and Kingdoms have been betrayed by Drunkenness Many a drunken Garrison hath let in the enemy There is no confidence to be put in a drunken man nor any mischief that he is secure from 12. Lastly Thou sinnest not alone but temptest others with thee to perdition It is the great crime of Ieroboam that he made Israel to sin The judgement of God determineth those men to death that not only do wickedness but have pleasure in them that do it Rom. 1. 32. And is not this thy case Art thou not Satans instrument to tempt others with thee to waste their Time and neglect their souls and abuse God and his creatures Yea some of you glory in your shame that you have drunk down your companions and carryed it away the honour of a sponge or a tub which can drink up or hold liquor as well as you And what is that man worthy of that would thus transform himself and others into such Monsters of iniquity § 55. IV. Next let us hear the drunkards excuses for even drunkenness will pretend to Reason and Obj. 1. men will not make themselves mad without an argument to justifie it 1. Saith the Tipler I take no mâ—re than doth me good you allow a man to eat as much as doth him good and why not to drink as much No man is fiâ—â—er to judge this than I For I am sure I feel it do me good Answ. What good dost thou mean man Doth it fit thee for holy thoughts or words or deeds Answ. Doth it help thee to live well or fit thee to die well Art thou sure that it tendeth to the health of thy bâ—dy Thou canst not so say without the imputation of folly or self-conceitedness when all the wise Physicions in the world do hold the contrary No it doth as Gluâ—tony doth It pleaseth thee in the drinking but it filleth thy body with crudities and flegme and prepareth for many Mortal sicknesses It maketh thy body like grounds after a flood that are covered with stinking slime or like fenny Lands that are drowned in water and bear no fruit or like grounds that have too much rain that are dissolved to dirt but are unfit for use It maketh thee like a leaking ship that must be pumpt and emptied or it will sink If thou have not Vomits or Purges to empty thee thou wilt quickly drown or suffocate thy life As Basil saith A drunkard is like a Ship in a Tempest when all the goods are cast over-boord to disburden it lest it â—ink Physicions must pump thee or disburden thee or thou wilt be drowned And all will not serve if thou hold on to fill it up again For intemperance maketh most diseases uncurable A Historian speaketh of two Physicions that differed in their Prognosticks about a Patient one forsook him as uncurable the other undertook him as certainly curable but when he came to his remedies he prescribed him so strict abstinence as he would not undergo and so they agreed in the issue when one judged him uncurable because intemperate and the other curable if he would be temperate Thou that feelest the drink do thee good dost little think how the Devil hath a design in it not only to have thy soul but to have it quickly that the mud walls of thy body being washt down may not hold it long And I must tell thee that thou hast cause to value a good Physicion for greater reasons than thy life and art more beholden to him than many others even that he may help to keep thy soul out of Hell a little longer to see if God will give thee repentance that thou mayest escape out of the snare of the Devil who taketh thee captive at his will 2 Tim. 2. 25 26. As Aelian writeth of King Antigonus that having great respect for Zeno the Philosopher he once met him when he was in drink and embracing him urged him to ask of him what he would and bound himself with many Oaths to give it him Zeno thanked him and the request he made to him was that he would go home and Vomit To tell him that he more needed to be disburdened of his drink than â—e himself did need his gifts The truth is the good that thou feelest the drink do thee is but the present pleasing of thy appetite and tickling thy fantasie by the exhilerating vapours And so the Glutton and the Whoremonger and every sensual wretch will say that he feeleth it do him good But God bless all sober men from such a good So the Gamester feeleth the sport do him good but perhaps he is quickly made a Beggar by it It is Reason and faith and not thy appetite or present feeling that must tell thee what and how much doth thee good § 36. Obj. 2. But I have heard some Physicions say that it is wholsome to be Drunk sometimes Obj. 2. Answ. None but some Sot that had first drunk away his own understanding I have known Physicions Answ. that have been Drunkards themselves and they have been apt to plead for their own vice Q. May one be Mâ—dicinally Drunk But they quickly killed themselves and all their skill could not save their lives from the effects of their own Beastiality even as the knowledge and doctrine of a wicked Preacher will not save his soul if he live contrary to his Profession And what if the Vomiting of a Drunkard did him some good with all the harm Are there not easier safer lawfuller means enough to do the same good without the harm He is a Bruit
future What Understanding Will or Power arâ— formally in God How he knoweth future contingents with a hundred such like Then remember that you make use of this rule and say with Mâ—ses Dâ—uâ— 29. 29. The secret things belong to the Lord our God but those things that are revealed unto us and to our children for ever that we may do all the words of his Law There are many rare profound discoveries much gloryâ—d of by the Masters of several Sects of which you may know the sentence of the Holy Ghost by that instance Col. 2. 18. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a vâ—luntary humility and worshipping of Angels intruding into thâ—se things which he hath not seen vainly puft up by his fleshly mind Reverently withdraw from things that are unrevealed and dispute them not § 17. Direct 6. Be a careful and accurate though not a vain Distinguisher and suffer not ambiguity Direct 6. and confusion to decâ—ive you Suspect every word in your Question and anatomize it and agree ☜ upon the sense of all your common terms before you dispute with any adversary It is not only in Sâ—e my Preface bâ—fore the second Part of the Saiâ—â—s Rest. Edit 3. c. A man of judgement shall hear ignoâ—â—nâ— mâ—n dâ—ffer and know that â—hâ— mean one thing and yet â—â—â—â—y themselves will never agree L. Bacoâ— Ess. 3. many words but in one word or syllable that so much ambiguity and confusion may be contained as may make a long dispute to be but a vain and ridiculous wrangling Is it not a ridiculous business to hear men dispute many hours about the Cur credis and Into what faith is to be resolved and in the end come to understand that by Cur one of them speaks of the Principium or Causa Veritatis and the other of the Principium patâ—factionis or the Evidentia Veritatis or some other cause And when one speaks of the Resolution of his faith as into the formal Object and another into the subservient testimony or means or into the proofs of Divine attestation or many other causes Or to hear men dispute Whether Christ dyed for all when by for one man meaneth for the benefit of all and another means in the place or stead of all or for the sins of all as the procuring cause c. Yet here is but a syllable to contain this confusion What a tedious thing it is to read long disputes between many Papists and Protestants about Justification while by Iustification one meaneth one thing and another meaneth quite another thing He that cannot force every word to make a plain confession of its proper signification that the Thing intended may be truly discerned in the Word he will but deceive himself and others with a wordy insignificant dispute § 18. Direct 7. Therefore be specially suspicious of Metaphors as being all but ambiguities till an Direct 7. explication hath fixed or determined the sense It is a noisome thing to hear some dispute upon an unexplained ☜ Metaphorical word when neither of them have enucleated the sense and when there are proper words enow § 19. Direct 8. Take special notice of what kind of beings your enquiry or disputation is and let Direct 8. all your terms be adapted and interpreted according to the kinds of beings you dispute of As if you ☜ be enquiring into the nature of any Grace as Faith Repentance Obedience c. remember that it is in genere moris a moral act And therefore the terms are not to be understood as if you disputed about meer Physical acts which are considered but in genere entis For that Object which must essentiate one Moral act containeth many Physical particles which will make up many Physical acts As I â—ave shewed in my Dispute of Saving Faith wiâ—h Dr. Barlow and of Iustification If you take such a man for your King your Commander your Master your Physicion c. if you should at the Barr when you are questioned for unfaithfulness dispute upon the word take whether it be an act of the phantasie or sense or intellect or will c. would you not be justly laught at So when you askt What act Faith or Repentance is which contain many particular Physical acts When you dispute of Divinity Policy Law Warr c. you must not use the same terms in the same sense as when you dispute of Physicks or Metaphysicks § 20. Direct 9. Be sure in all your disputes that you still keep distinguished before your eyes the Direct 9. Order of Being and the Order of Knowing that the questions de esse lying undetermined in your way ☜ do not frustrate all your dispute about the question de cognoscere As in the question Whether a man should do such or such a thing when he thinketh that it is Gods Command How far Conscience must be obeyed It must first be determined de esse whether indeed the thing be commanded or lawful or not Before the case can be determined about the obligation that followeth my apprehension For what ever my Conscience or Opinion say of it the Thing either is Lawful or it is not If it be Lawful or a duty the case is soon decided But if it be not Lawful the error of my Conscience altereth not Gods Law nor will it make it lawful unto me I am bound first to know and then to do what God revealeth and commandeth and this I shall be bound to what ever I imagine to the contrary and to lay by the error which is against it § 21. Direct 10. Be sure when you first enter upon an enquiry or dispute that you well discover how Direct 10. much of the controversie is verbal de nomine and â—ow much is material de re And that you suffer not ☜ your adversary to go on upon a false supposition that the Controversie is de re when it is but de Non ex verbis reâ— sed ex rebus verba esse inquirenda ait Mysoâ— in Laert. p. 70. Basil Edit nomine The difference between names and things is so wide that you would think no reasonable man should confound them And yet so heedless in this point are ordinary disputers that it is a usual thing to make a great deal of stir about a controversie before they discern whether it be de nomine or de râ— Many a hot and long dispute I have heard which was managed as about the very heart of some material cause as about mans Power to do good or about the sufficiency of Grace or about Iustification c. when the whole contest between the Disputers was only or principally It is a noble work that Mr. Le Blanck of Sedan is about to this purpose stating more exâ—ctly than hath yet been done all the Controversies between us and the Papists which how excellently he is like to perform I easily conjecture by the Disputes of his
Direct 2. exercise of your function but the promoting of Iustice for the righting of the just and the publick It was an ill time when Petr. Bles. said Officium officialium est bodie jura confundere lites suscitare transactiones rescindere dilationes innectere supprimere â—eâ—iâ—atem fovere mendacium quaestum sequi aequitatem vendere inhiare actionibus versutiâ—â— concinnare gâ—od and therein the pleasing of the most righteous God For your work can be to you no better than your End A baâ—e end doth debase your work I deny not but your competent gain and maintenance may be your lower end but the promoting of justice must be your higher end and sought before it The question is not Whether you seek to live by your Calling for so may the best nor yet Whether you intend the promoting of Iustice for so may the worst in some degree But the question is Which of these you prefer and which you first and principally intend He that looketh chiefly at his worldly gain must take that gain instead of Gods reward and look for no more than he chiefly intended For that is formally no Good work which is not intended chiefly to please God And God doth not Reward the servants of the world Nor can any man rationally imagine that he should reward a man with happiness hereafter for seeking after Riches here And if you say that you look for no Reward but Riches you must look for a Punishment worse than Poverty For the neglecting of God and your Ultimate End is a sin that deserveth the privation of all which you neglect and leaveth not your actions in a state of innocent indifferency § 5. Direct 3. Be not Counsellâ—rs or Advocates against God that is against Iustice Truth or Innocency A bâ—d cause would have no Patrons if there were no bad or ignorant Lawyers It s a dear bought fee which is got by sinning especially by such a wilful aggravated sin as the deliberate Direct 3. pleading for iniquity or opposing of the Truth Iudas his gain and Aohitophels counsel will be too hot at last for conscience and sooner drive them to hang themselves in the review than afford them any true content As St. Iames saith to them that he calleth to weep and howl Bias fâ—râ—ur in câ—â—sis orandâ—s summus aâ—que vehemenâ—â—ssimu◠〈◊〉 bonam tamen in parâ—em â—â—câ—ndi vâ—â— exerâ—â—â— solâ—tum Laâ—tius â— 53. â—uâ—um est hâ—mines propter justitiam diligâ—râ— non autem justitiam propter homines postpâ—nere Gregor Reg. Justitia non novit patrem vel matrem Veritatem novit personam non novit Deum imitatur Cassian Plutarch saith that Callicratidas being offered a great summ of money of which he had great need to pay his Seamen if he would do an unjust act refused To whom saith Cleander his Counsellor Ego prosecto hoc accepissem si fuissem Callicratidas He answered Ego accepissem si fuissem Cleander for their approaching misery Your Riches are corrupted and your garments moth-eaten your Gold and Silver is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire ye have heaped treasure together for the last dayes What ever you say or do against truth and innocency and justice you do it against God himself And is it not a sad case that among profâ—ssed Christians there is no cause so bad but can find an Advocate for a fee I speak not against just counsel to a man that hath a bad cause to tell him it is bad and perswade him to disown it Nor I speak not against you for pleading against excessive penalties or damages For so far your cause is good though the main cause of your Client was bad But he that speaketh or counselleth another for the defence of sin or the wronging of the innocent or the defrauding another of his right and will open his mouth to the injury of the just for a little money or for a friend must try whether that money or friend will save him from the vengeance of the Universal Judge unless faith and true repentance which will cause Confession and Restitution do prevent it The Romans called them Thieves that by fraud or plea or judgement got unlawful gain and deprived others of their right Lampridius saith of Alexander Severus Tanti eum stomachi fuisse in eos judices qui furtorum fama laborassent etiamsi damnati non essent ut si eos casu aliquo videret commotione animi stomachi choleram evomeret toto vultu inardescente ita ut nihil posset loqui And afterwards Severissimus judex contra fures appellans eosdem quotidianorum scelerum reos solos hostes inimiâ—osque reipublicae Adding this instance Eum notarium qui falsum causae brevem in confilio imperatorio retulisset incisis digitorum nervis ita ut nunquam posset scribere deportavit And that he caused Turinus one of his Courtiers to be tyed in the Market-place to a stake and choaked to death with smoak for taking mens money on pretence of furthering their suits with the Emperour Praecone dicente Fumo punitur qui vendidit fumum He strictly prohibited buying of Offices saying Necesse est ut qui emit vendat Ego vero non patiar mercatores potestatum quos si patiar damnare non possum The frowns or favour of man or the love of money will prove at last a poor defence against his Justice whom by injustice you offend Facile est justitiam homini justissimo defendere Cicâ—ro The Poet could say Iustum tenacem propositi virum Non civium ardor prava jubentium Non vâ—ltus instantis tyranni Mente quatit solida Horat. But if men would first be just it would not be so hard to bring them to do justly Saith Plautus Iusta autem ab injustiâ— petere insipientia est Quippe illi iniqui jus ignorant neque tenent § 6. Direct 4. Make the cause of the innocent as it were your own and suffer it not to miscarry Direct 4. through your slothfulness and neglect He is a lover of money more than justice that will sweat in the cause of the Riâ—h that pay him well and will slubber over and starve the cause of the poor because he getteth little by them What ever your place obligeth you to do let it Vix potest negligere qui novit aequitatem nec facile erroris viâ—io sordescit quem doctrina purgaverit Cassiodor be done diligently and with your might both in your getting abilities and in using them Scaevola was wont to say ut lib. Pandect 42. tit refer Ius civile vigilantibus scriptum est non dormientibus Saith Austin Ignorantia judicis plerumque est calamitas innocentis And as you look every Labourer that you hire should be laborious in your work and your Physicion should be diligent in his employment for your health so is it as just that you be diligent
any thing and fearless in the greatest perils For what should he fear who hath escaped Hell and Gods displeasure and hath conquered the King of terrours But fear is the duty and most rational temper of a guilty soul and the more fearless such are the more foolish and more miserable § 2. Direct 2. Be sure you have a warrantable Cause and Call In a bad cause it is a dreadful Direct 2. thing to conquer or to be conquered If you conquer you are a murderer of all that you kill If you are conquered and dye in the prosecution of your sin I need not tell you what you may expect I know we are here upon a difficulty which must be tenderly handled If we make the soveraign power to be the absolute and only Iudge whether the Souldiers cause and call be good then it would follow that it is the duty of all the Christian subjects of the Turk to fight against Christianity as such and to destroy all Christians when the Turk commandeth it And that all the subjects of other Lands are bound to invade this or other such Christian Kingdoms and destroy their Kings when ever their Popish or malicious Princes or States shall command them which being intollerable consequences prove the Antecedent to be intollerable And yet on the other side if subjects must be the Judges of their cause and call the Prince shall not be served nor the common good secured till the interest of the Subjects will allow them to discern the goodness of the cause Between these two intollerable consequents it is hard to meet with a just discovery of the mean Most run into one of the extreams which they take to be the less and think that there is no other avoiding of the other The grand errours in this and an hundred like cases come from not distinguishing aright the case de esse from the case de apparere or cognoscere and not first determining the former as it ought before the latter be determined Either the cause which Subjects are commanded to fight in is really lawful to them or it is not Say not here importunely who shall judge For we are now but upon the question de esse If it be not lawful in it self but be meer robbery or murder then come to the case of Evidence Either this evil is to the subject discernable by just means or not If it be I am not able for my part to justifie him from the sin if he do it no more than to have justified the three witnesses Dan. 3. if they had bowed down to the golden Calf or Daniel 6. if he had forborn prayer or the Apostles if they had forborn preaching or the Souldiers for apprehending and crucifying Christ when their Superiours commanded them For God is first to be obeyed and feared But if the evil of the Cause be such as the Subject cannot by just and ordinary means discern then must he come next to examine his Call And a Volunteer unnecessarily he may not be in a doubtful cause It is so heinous a sin to murder men that no man should unnecessarily venture upon that which may prove to be murder for ought he knoweth But if you ask what Call may make such a doubtful action necessary I answer It must be such as warranteth it either from the End of the action or from the Authority of the Commander or both And from the end of the action the case may be made clear that if a King should do wrong to a forreign enemy and should have the worse cause yet if the revenge which that enemy seeketh would be the destruction of the King and Countrey or Religion it is lawful and a duty to fight in the desence of them And if the King should be the assailant or beginner that which is an Offensive War in him for which he himself must answer may be but a Defensive War in the commanded Subjects and they be innocent Even on the High-way if I see a stranger provoke another by giving him the first blow yet I may be bound to save his life from the fury of the avenging party But whether or how farr the bare Command of a soveraigne may warrant the subjects to venture in a doubtfull cause supposing the thing lawful in it self though they are doubtful requireth so much to be said to it which Civil Governours may possibly think me too bold to meddle with that I think it safest to pass it by only saying that there are some cases in which the Ruler is the only Competent Judge and the doubts of the subject are so unreasonable that they will not excuse the sin of his disobedience and also that the degree of the doubt is oft very considerable in the case But suppose the cause of the War be really lawful in it self and yet the subject is in doubt of it yea or thinketh otherwise then is he in the case as other erroneous consciences are that is entangled in a necessity of sinning till he be undeceived in case his Rulers command his service But which would be the greater sin to do it or not the Ends and circumstances may do much to determine But doubtless in true Necessity to save the King and State subjects may be compelled to fight in a just cause notwithstanding that they mistake it for unjust And if the subject have a private discerning judgement so far as he is a voluntary agent yet the Soveraign hath a publick determining judgement when a neglecter is to be forced to his duty Even as a man that thinketh it unlawful to maintain his Wife and Children may be compelled lawfully to do it So that it is apparent that sometime the Soveraigns cause may be good and yet an erroneous conscience may make the Souldiers cause bad if they are Volunteers who run unnecessarily upon that which they take for robbery and murder and yet that the Higher Powers may force even such mistakers to defend their Countrey and their Governours in a case of true necessity And it is manifest that sometimes the Cause of the Ruler may be bad and yet the cause of the Souldier good And that sometimes the cause may be bad and sinful to them both and sometime good and lawful unto both § 3. Direct 3. When you are doubtful whether your Cause and Call be good it is ordinarily Direct 3. safest to sit still and not to venture in so dangerous a case without great deliberation and sufficient evidence to satisfie your consciences Neander might well say of Solons Law which punished them Neander in Chron. p. 104. that took not one part or other in a Civil War or Sedition Admirabilis autem illa atque plane incredibilis quae honoribus abdicat eum qui orta seditione nullam factionem secutus sit No doubt he is a culpable Neuter that will not defend his Governours and his Countrey when he hath a call But it is so dreadful a thing to
Quest. 7. Answ. No not by private assault or violence But if the crime be so great that the Law of the Land doth punish it with death if that Law be just you may in some cases seek to bring the offendor to publick justice But that is rare and otherwise you may not do it For 1. It belongeth only to the Magistrate and not to you to be the avenger 2. And killing a man can be no meet defence against calumny or slander For if you will kill a man for prevention you kill the innocent If you kill him afterward it is no Defence but an unprofitable revenge which vindicateth not your honour but dishonoureth you more Your patience is your honour and your bloody revenge doth shew you to be so like the Devil the destroyer that it is your greatest shame 3. It is odious Pride which maketh men over-value their reputation among men and think that a mans life is a just compensation to them for their dishonour Such bloody Sacrifices are fit to appâ—ase only the blood-thirsty Spirit But what is it that Pride will not do and justifie CHAP. XI Special Directions to escape the guilt of persecuting Determining also the case about Liberty in matters of Religion THough this be a subject which the guilty cannot endure to hear of yet the misery of persecutors the blood and grones and ruines of the Church and the lamentable divisions of profâ—ssed Christians do all command me not to pass it by in silence but to tell them the truth whether they will hear or whether they will forbear though they were such as Ezek. 3. 7 8 9 11. § 1. Direct 1. If you would escape this dreadful guilt Understand well what Persecution is Else Direct 1. you may either run into it ignorantly or oppose a duty as if it were persecution § 2. The Verb Persequor is often taken in a good sence for no more than continuato motu vel ad extremum sequor and sometime for the blameless prosecution of a delinquent But we take it here as the English word Persecute is most commonly taken for inimico affectu insequor for a malicious or injurious hurting or prosecuting another and that for the sake of Religion or Righteousness For it is not common injuries which we here intend to speak of Three things then go to make up Persecution 1. That it be the Hurting of another in his Body liberty relations estate or reputation 2. That it be done injuriously to one who deserveth it not in the particular which is the cause 3. That it be for the cause of Religion or of Righteousness that is for the Truth of God which we hold or utter or for the worship of God which we perform or for obedience to the will of God revealed in his Laws This is the cause on the sufferers part what ever is intended by the Persecuter § 3. There are divers sorts of Persecution As to the Principles of the Persecutors 1. There is a Persecution which is openly professed to be for the cause of Religion As Heathens and Mahometans persecute Christians as Christians And there is an Hypocritical Persecution when the pretended cause is some odious crime but the real cause is mens Religion or obedience to God This is the common Persecution which nominal Christians exercise on serious Christians or on one another They will not say that they Persecute them because they are Godly or serious Christians but that is the true cause For if they will but set them above God and obey them against God they will abate their Persecution Many of the Heathens thus persecuted the Christians too under the name of Ungodly and evil doers But the true cause was because they obeyed not their commands in the Worshipping of their Idol Gods So do the Papists persecute and murder men not as Professours of the truth which is the true cause but under the name of Hereticks and Schâ—smaticks or Rebels against the Pope or what ever their malice pleaseth to accuse them of And prophane nominal Christians seldome persecute the serious and sincere directly by that name but under some Nickname which they set upon them or under the name of Hypocrites or self-conceited or factious persons or such like And if they live in a place and Age where there are many Civil Wars or differences they are sure to fetch some odious name or accusation thence Which side soever it be that they are on or if they meddle not on any side they are sure by every party whom they please not to hear Religion loaded with such reproaches as the times will allow them to vent against it Even the Papists who take this course with Protestants it seems by Acosta are so used themselves not by the Heathens but by one another yea by the multitude yea by their Priests For so saith he speaking of the Parish Priests Priests among the Indians having reproved their Diceing Carding Hunting Idleness Lib. 4 c. 15. pag. 404 405. Itaque is cui Pastoralis Indorum cura committitur non solum contra diaboli machinas naturae incentiva pugnare debet sed jam etiam confirmatae hominum consuetudini tempore turba praepotenti sese objicere ad excipienda invidorum ac malevolorum tela forte pectus opponere qui siquid à profano suo instituto abhorrentem viderint proditorem hypocritam hostem clamaâ—t that is He therefore to whom the Pastoral care of the Indians is committed must not only fight against the Engines of the Devil and the incentives of nature but also now must object or set himself against the confirmed custome of men which is grown very powerful both by time and by the multitude and must valiantly oppose his breast to receive the darts of the envious and malevolent who if they see any thing contrary to their profane fashion or breeding cry out A Traitor An Hypocrite an Enemy It seems then that this is a common course § 4. 2. Persecution is either done in Ignorance or Knowledge The commonest persecution is that which is done in Ignorance and errour when men think a Good cause to be bad or a bad cause to be good and so persecute Truth while they take it to be falshood or good while they take it to be evil or obtrude by violence their Errours for Truths and their evils as good and necessary things Thus Peter testifieth of the Jews who killed the Prince of life Act. 3. 13 14 17. I know that through Ignorance you did it as did also your Rulers And Paul 1 Cor. 2. 8. which none of the Princes of this world knâ—w for had they known it they would not have Crucified the Lord of glory And Christ himself saith Joh. 16. 3. These things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father or me And Paul saith of himself Act. 26. 9. I thought verily with my self that I ought to do many things contrary to the name
named 3. What are the particular wayes and sorts of scandal 4. The greatness of this sin 5. Directions to avoid it § 2. I. I shall not need to stand upon the Etymologie of the word Scandal whether it come Scandal what it is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 claudico as Erasmus thought or from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 curvum c. Martinius Stephanus Lyserus c. have sufficiently done it whither I referr you As for the sense of the word it is past doubt that the ordinary use of it in Scripture is for a stumbling block for a man to fall upon or a trap to ensnare a man And in the Old Testament it is oft used for a stumbling stone on which a man may fall into any corporal calamity or a snare to hurt or ruine a man in the world As Exod. 10. 7. 1 Sam. 18. 21. 25. 31. Psal. 119. 165. Ezek. 7. 19. Sept. But in the New Testament which speaketh more of spiritual hurts it is taken for a stumbling block or temptation by which a man is in danger of falling into sin or spiritual loss or ruine or dislike of Godliness or any way to be turned from God or hindered in a Religious holy way And if sometimes it be taken for Grieving or Troubling it is as it hereby thus hindereth or ensnareth So that to scandalize is sometimes taken for the doing of a blameless action from which another unjustly taketh occasion to fall or sin or be perverted But when it signifieth a sin as we take it in this place then to scandalize is By something unlawful of it self or at least unnecessary which may occasion the spiritual hurt or ruine of another 1. The matter is either something that is simply sinful and then it is a double sin or something Indifferent or unnecessary and then it is simply the sin of scandal 2. It must be that which may occasion anothers fall I say occasion For no man can forcibly cause another man to sin but only occasion it or tempt him to it as a Moral Cause § 3. II. By this you may see 1. That to scandalize is not meerly to displease or grieve another What is not Scandal that is by many so called For many a man is displeased through his folly and vice by that which tendeth to his good and many a man is tempted that is scandalized by that which pleaseth him When Christ saith If thy right eye or hand offend or scandalize thee pluck it out or cut it off c. Mat. 5. he doth not by offending mean displeasing or grieving For by so offending it may profit us But he plainly meaneth If it draw thee to sin or else he had never added that it is better to enter maimed into life than having two eyes or hands to be cast into Hell That is in a word Thy damnation is a greater hurt than the loss of hand or eye and therefore if there were no other way to avoid it this would be a very cheap way So pedem offendere in lapidem is to stumble upon a stone The most censorious and humorous sort of men have got a notion that what ever offendeth or displeaseth them is scandalous And they think that no man must do any thing which grieveth or displeaseth them lest he be guilty of scandal And by this trick who ever can purchase impatiency and pievishness enough to be alwayes displeased with the actions of others shall rule the world But the truth is the ordinary way of scandalizing these men is by pleasing them § 4. I will give you one instance of scandal in Scripture which may help this sort of people better to understand it Gal. 2. 10. to 16. Peter there giveth true scandal to the Jews and Gentiles He walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel but laid a stumbling block before the Jews and Gentiles And this was not by displeasing the Jews but by pleasing them The Jews thought it a sin to eat with the Gentiles and to have communion with uncircumcised men Peter knew the contrary but for fear of them of the circumcision lest they should be offended at him as a sinner he withdrew and separated himself This scandal tended to harden the Jews in their sinful separation and to seduce the Gentiles into a conceit of the necessity of circumcision and Barnabas was carryed away with the dissimulation Here you may see that if any think it a sin in us to have communion in such or such Congregations with such persons in such worship which God alloweth us not to separate from it is a sin of scandal in us to separate to avoid these mens offence We scandalize them and others even by pleasing them and by avoiding that which they falsly called scandalous And if we would not scandalize them we must do that which is just and not by our practice hide the sound doctrine which is contrary to their separating error § 5. 2. And it is as apparent that to scandalize another is not as is vulgarly imagined by the ignorant to do that which is commonly reputed sinful or which hath the appearance of a sin or which will make a man evil thought of or spoken of by others Yet commonly when men say This is a scandalous action they mean it is an action which is reproachful or of evil report as a sin And therefore in our English speech it is common to say of one that slandereth another that he raised a scandal of him But this is not the meaning of the word in Scripture Materially indeed scandal may consist in any such thing which may be a stumbling block to another But formally it is the Tempting of another or occasioning his fall or ruine or hurt which is the nature of scandalizing And this is done more seldome by committing open disgraceful sins and doing that which will make the doer evil spoken of For by that means others are the more assisted against the temptation of imitating him But scandal is most commonly found in those actions which are under least reproach among men or which have the most plausible appearance of good in them when they are evil For these are apter to deceive and overthrow another § 6. 3. And it is also apparent that it is no sinful scandalizing to do a duty or necessary action which I have not power to forbear though I know that another will be offended or fall by it into sin If God have made it my duty even at this time I must not disobey him and omit my duty because another will make it an occasion of his sin It must be either a sinful or an indifferent action that is scandal or something that is in my own power to do or to forbear Yet this must be added that Affirmatives binding not ad semper to all times and no duty being a duty at every moment it may oft fall out that that which else would have been my duty at
man is bound to punish himself As when the Law against Swearing Cursing or the like doth give the poor a certain mulct which is the penalty He ought to give that money himself And in cases where it is a necessary cure to himself And in any case where the publick good requireth it As if a Magistrate offend whom none else will punish or who is the Judge in his own cause he should so far punish himself as is necessary to the suppression of sin and to the preserving of the honour of the Laws As I have heard of a Justice that swore twenty Oaths and paid his twenty shillings for it 2. A man may be bound in such a Divine Vengeance or Judgement as seeketh after his particular sin to offer himself to be a sacrifice to Justice to stop the Judgement As Ionah and Achan did 3. A man may be bound to confess his guilt and offer himself to Justice to save the innocent who is falsly accused and condemned for his crime 4. But in ordinary cases a man is not bound to be his own publick accuser or executioner Quest. 10. May a Witness voluntarily speak that truth which he knoweth will further an unrighteous Quest. 10. cause and be made use of to oppress the innocent Answ. He may never do it as a confederate in that intention Nor may he do it when he knoweth that it will tend to such an event though threatned or commanded except when some weightier accident doth preponderate for the doing it As the avoiding of a greater hurt to others than it will bring on the oppressed c. Quest. 11. May a witness conceal some part of the truth Quest. 11. Answ. Not when he sweaâ—â—â—â—h to deliver the whole truth Nor when a good cause is like to suffer or a bad cause to be furâ—â—â—â—ered by the concealment Nor when he is under any other obligation to reveal the whole Quest. 12. Must a Iudge and Iury proceed secundum allegata probata according to evidence and Quest. 12. proof when they know the witness to be false and the truth to be contrary to the testimony but are not able to evince it Answ. Distinguish between the Negative and the Positive part of the Verdict or Sentence In the Negative they must go according to the evidence and testimonies unless the Law of the Land leave the case to their private knowledge As for example They must not sentence a Thief or Murderer to be punished upon their secret unproved knowledge They must not adjudge either Moneys or Lands to the true Owner from another without sufficient evidence and proof They must forbear doing Iustice because they are not called to it nor enabled But Positively they may do no Injustice upon any evidence or witness against their own knowledge of the truth As they may not upon known false witness give away any mans Lands or Money or condemn the innocent But must in such a case renounce the Office The Judge must come off the Bench and the Jury protest that they will not meddle or give any Verdict what ever come of it Because God and the Law of Nature prohibit their injustice Object It is the Law that doth it and not we Answ. It is the Law and you And the Law cannot justifie your agency in any unrighteous sentenâ—e The case is plain and past dispute Tit. 2. Directions against Contentious Suits False Witnessing and Oppressive Iudgements § 1. Direct 1. THe first Cure for all these sins is to know the intrinsick evil of them Good Direct 1. thoughts of sin are its life and strength When it is well known it will be hated and when it is hated it is so far cured § 2. I. The Evil of Contentious and unjust Law-Suits 1. Such contentious Suits do shew the power of selfishness in the sinner How much self-interest is inordinately esteemed 2. They shew the excessive love of the world How much men over-value the things which they contend for 3. They shew mens want of Love to their neighbours How little they regard another mans interest in comparison of their own 4. They shew how little such mens care for the publick good which is maintained by the concord and love of neighbours 5. Such contentions are powerful Engines of the Devil to destroy all Christian Love on both sides and to stir up mutual enmity and wrath and so to involve men in a course of sin by further uncharitableness and injuries both in heart and word and deed 6. Poor men are hereby robbed of their necessary maintenance and their innocent families subjected to distress 7. Unconscionable Lawyers and Court-Officers who live upon the peoples sins are hereby maintained encouraged and kept up 8. Laws and Courts of Justice are perverted to do men wrong which were made to right them 9. And the offender declareth how little sense he hath of the authority or Love of God and how little sense of the grace of our Redeemer And how far he is from being himself forgiven through the blood of Christ who can no better forgive another § 3. II. The Evil of False Witness 1. By False Witness the innocent are injured Robbery and Murder are committed under pretence of truth and justice 2. The Name of God is horribly abused by the crying sin of Perjury of which before 3 The Presence and Justice of God are contemned When sinners dare in his sight and hearing appeal to his Tribunal in the attesting of a lye 4. Vengeance is begged or consented to by the sinner who bringeth Gods curse upon himself and as it were desireth God to plague or damn him if he lye 5. Satan the Prince of malice and injustice and the Father of lyes and murders and oppression is hereby gratified and eminently served 6. God himself is openly injured who is the Father and Patron of the innocent and the cause of every righteous prson is more the cause of God than of man 7. All Government is frustrated and Laws abused and all mens security for their reputations or estates or lives is overthrown by false witnesses And consequently humane converse is made undesirable and unsafe What good can Law or right or innocency or the honesty of the Judge do any man where false-witnesses combine against him What security hath the most innocent or worthy person for his fame or liberty or estate or life if false witnesses conspire to defame him or destroy him And then how shall men endure to converse with one another Either the innocent must seek out a Wilderness and flye from the face of men as we do from Lyons and Tygers or else Peace will be worse than War For in War a ma 〈…〉 ay fight for his life but against false witnesses he hath no defence But God is the avenger of the innocent and above most other sins doth seldome suffer this to go unpunished even in this present world but often beginneth their Hell on Earth to such perjured
Sedition among the people and accounting them as the filth and off-scouring of the world That zeal which murdered and destroyed many hundred thousand of the Waldenses and Albigenses and thirty thousand or forty thousand in one French Massacre and two hundred thousand in one Irish Massacre and which kindled the Marian Bonefires in England and made the Powder Mine and burnt the City of London and keepeth up the Inquisition I say that zeal will certainly think it a service to the Church that is their Sect to write the most odious lyes and slanders of Luther Zuinglius Calvin Beza and any such excellent servants of the Lord. So full of horrid impudent lyes are the writings of not one but many Sects against those that were their chief opposers that I still admonish all posterity to see good evidence for it before they believe the hard sayings of any factious Historian or Divine against those that are against his party It is only men of eminent conscience and candour and veracity and impartiality who are to be believed in their bad report of others except where notoriety or very good evidence doth command belief above their own authority and veracity A siding factious zeal which is hotter for any Sect or party than for the common Christianity and Catholick Church is alwayes a railing a lying and a slandering zeal and is notably described Iames 3. as earthly sensual and devilish causing envy strife and confusion and every evil work Direct 4. Observe well the Commonness of this sin of backbiting that it may make you the more afraid Direct 4. of falling into that which so few do scape I will not say among high and low rich and poor Court and Countrey how common is this sin but among men professing the greatest zeal and strictness in Religion how few make conscience of it Mark in all companies that you come into how common it is to take liberty to say what they think of all men yea to report what they hear though they dare not say that they believe it And how commonly the relating of other mens faults and telling what this man or that man is or did or said is part of the chatt to waste the hour in And if it be but true they think they sin not Nay nor if they did but hear that it is true For my part I must profess that my conscience having brought me to a custome of rebuking such backbiters I am ordinarily censured for it either as one that loveth contradiction or one that defendeth sin and wickedness by taking part with wicked men And all because I would stop the course of this common vice of evil-speaking and backbiting where men have no call And I must thankfully profess that among all other sins in the world the sins of SELFISHNESSE PRIDE and BACKBITING I have been most brought to hate and fear by the observation of the commonness of them even in persons seeming godly Nothing hath fixed an apprehension of their odiousness so deeply in me nor engaged my heart against them above all other sins so much as this lamentable experience of their prevalence in the world among the more Religious and not only in the prophane Direct 5. Take not the honesty of the person as sufficient cause to hear or believe a bad report of Direct 5. others It is lamentable to hear how far men otherwise honest do too often here offend Suspect evil speakers and be not over-credulous of them Charity thinketh not evil not easily and hastily believeth it Lyars are more used to evil speaking than men of truth and credit are It is no wrong to the best that you believe him not when he backbiteth without good evidence Direct 6. Rebuke backbiters and encourage them not by hearkning to their tales Prov. 25. 23. Direct 6. The north wind driveth away rain So doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue It may be they think themselves religious persons and will take it for an injury to be driven away with an angry countenance But God himself who loveth his servants better than we is more offended at their sin and that which offendeth him must offend us We must not hurt their souls and displease God by drawing upon us the guilt of their sins for fear of displeasing them Tell them how God doth hate backbiting and advise them if they know any hurt by others to go to them privately and tell them of it in a way that tendeth to their repentance Direct 7. Use to make mention of the good which is in others except it be unseasonable and will Direct 7. seem to be a promoting of their sin Gods giâ—ts in every man deserve commendations And we have allowance to mention mens vertues oftner than to mention their vices Indeed when a bad man is praised in order to the disparagement of the good or to honour some wicked cause or action against truth and godliness we must not concur in such malitious praists But otherwise we must commend that which is truly commendable in all And this custome will have a double benefit against backbiting It will use your own tongues to a contrary course and it will rebuke the evil tongues of others and be an example to them of more charitable language Direct 8. Understand your selves and speak often to others of the sinfulness of evil speaking and Direct 8. backbiting Shew them the Scriptures which condemn it and the intrinsecal malignity which is in it as here followeth Direct 9. Make conscience of just reproof and exhorting finners to their faces Go tell them of Direct 9. it privately and lovingly and it will have better effects and bring you more comfort and cure the sin of backbiting Tit. 3. The Evil of Backbiting and Evil Speaking § 1. 1. IT is forbidden of God among the heinous damning sins and made the character of a notorious wicked person and the avoiding of it is made the mark of such as are accepted of God and shall be saved Rom. 1. 29 30. it is made the mark of a reprobate mind and joyned with murder and hating God viz. full of envy debate deceit malignity whisperers backbiters Psal. 15. 2 3. Lord who shall abide in thy tabernacle Who shall dwell in thy holy hill He that backbiteth not with his tongue nor doth evil to his neighbour nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour And when Paul describeth those whom he must sharply rebuke and censure he just describeth the factious sort of Christians of our times 2 Cor. 12. 20. For I fear lest when I come I shall not find you such as I would and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not Lest there be debates envyings wraths strifes backbitings whisperings swellings tumults Ephes. 4. 31. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be kind one to another and tender hearted § 2. 2. It is
by his best hours and of a good man by his worst is the way to be deceived in them both Direct 14. Look not unequally at the good or evil that is in you but consider them both impartially Direct 14. as they are If you observe all the good only that is in you and overlook the bad or search after nothing but your faults and overlook your graces neither of these wayes will bring you to true acquaintance with your selves Direct 15. Look not so much either at what you should be or at what others are as to forget Direct 15. what you are your selves Some look so much at the glory of that full perfection which they want as that their present grace seemeth nothing to them like a candle to one that hath been gazing on the Sun And some look so much at the debauchery of the worst that they think their lesser wickedness to be holiness Direct 16. Suffer not your minds to wander in confusion when you set your selves to so great a Direct 16. work But keep it close to the matter in hand and drive it on till it have come to some satisfaction and conclusion Direct 17. If you are not able by meditation to do it of your selves get the help of some able Direct 17. friend or Pastor and do it in a way of conference with him For conference will hold your own thoughts to their task and your Pastor may guide them and tell you in what order to proceed and confute your mistakes besides confirming you by his judgement of your case Direct 18. If you cannot have such help at hand write down the signs by which you judge either Direct 18. well or ill of your self and send them to some judicious Divine for his judgement and counsel thereupon Direct 19. Expect not that your assurance should be perfect in this life For till all grace be perfect Direct 19. that cannot be perfect Unjust expectations disappointed are the cause of much disquietment Direct 20. Distinguish between the knowledge of your justification and the comfort of it Many Direct 20. a one may see and be convinced that he is sincere and yet have little comfort in it through â— sad or distempered state of mind or body and unpreparedness for joy or through some expectations of enthusiastick comforts Direct 21. Exercise grace when ever you would see it Idle habits are not perceived Believe and Direct 21. repent till you feel that you do believe and repent and Love God till you feel that you love him Direct 22. Labour to increase your grace if you would be sure of it For a little grace is hardly Direct 22. perceived when strong and great degrees do easily manifest themselves Direct 23. Record what sure discoveries you have made of your estate upon the best enquiry Direct 23. that it may stand you in stead at a time of further need For though it will not warrant you to search no more it will be very useful to you in your after doubtings Direct 24. What you cannot do at one time follow on again and again till you have finished A Direct 24. business of that consequence is not to be laid down through weariness or discouragement Happy is he that in all his life hath got assurance of life everlasting Direct 25. Let all your discoveries lead you up to further duty If you find any cause of doubt Direct 25. let it quicken you to diligence in removing it If you find sincerity turn it into joyful thanks to your Regenerater and stop not in the bare discovery of your present state as if you had no more to do Direct 26. Conclude not worse of the effects of a discovery of your bad condition than there is Direct 26. cause Remember that if you should find that you are unjustified it followeth not that you must continue so you search not after your disease or misery as uncurable but as one that hath a sufficient remedy at hand even brought to your doors and cometh a begging for your acceptance and is freely offered and urged on you And therefore if you find that you are unregenerate thank God that hath shewed you your case for if you had not seen it you had perished in it And presently give up your selves to God in Jesus Christ and then you may boldly judge better of your selves It is not for despair but for recovery that you are called to try and judge Nay if you do but find it too hard a question for you whether you have all this while been sincere or not turn from it and resolvedly give up your selves to God by Christ and place your hopes in the life to come and turn from this deceitful world and flesh and then the case will be plain for the time to come If you doubt of your former repentance Repent now and put it out of doubt from this time forward Direct 27. When you cannot at the present reach assurance undervalue not a true probability or Direct 27. hope of your sincerity And still adhere to universal grace which is the foundation of your special grace and comfort I mean 1. The infinite Goodness of God and his mercifulness to man 2. The sufficiency of Jesus Christ our Mediator 3. The universal gift of Pardon and Salvation which is conditionally made to all men in the Gospel Remember that the Gospel is glad tidings even to them that are yet unrecovered Rejoice in this universal mercy which is offered you and that you are not as the Devils shut up in despair And much more rejoice if you have any probability that you are truly penitent and justified by faith Let this support you till you can see more Direct 28. Spend much more time in doing your duty than in trying your estate Be not Direct 28. so much in asking How shall I know that I shall be saved as in asking What shall I do to be saved Study the duty of this day of your visitation and set your selves to it with all your might Seek first the things that are above and mortifie your fleshly lusts Give up your selves to a Holy Heavenly life and do all the good that you are able in the World Seek after God as revealed in and by our Redeemer And in thus doing 1. Grace will become more notable and discernable 2. Conscience will be less accusing and condemning and will easilier believe the reconciledness of God 3. You may be sure that such labour shall never be lost and in well doing you may trust your souls with God 4. Thus those that are not able in an argumentative way to try their state to any full satisfaction may get that comfort by feeling and experience which others get by ratiocination For the very exercise of Love to God and man and of a Heavenly mind and holy life hath a sensible pleasure in it self and delighteth the person who is so employed As if a man were to take the comfort of his Learning or Wisdom one way is by the discerning his learning and wisdom and thence inferring his own felicity But another way is by exercising that learning and wisdom which he hath in reading and meditating on some excellent Books and making discoveries of some mysterious excellencies in Arts and Sciences which delight him more by the very acting than a bare conclusion of his own Learning in the general would do What delight had the inventers of the Sea-Chart and magnetick traction and of Printing and of Guns in their inventions What pleasure had Galileus in his Telescopes in finding out the inequalities and shady parts of the Moon the Medicean Planets the adjuncts of Saturn the changes of Venus the Stars of the Via lactea c. Even so a serious holy person hath more sensible pleasures in the right exercise of faith and Love and holiness in Prayer and Meditation and converse with God and with the Heavenly hosts than the bare discerning of sincerity can afford Therefore though it be a great important duty to examine our selves and judge our selves before God judge us and keep close acquaintance with our own hearts and affairs yet is it the addition of the daily practice of a Heavenly life which must be our chiefest business and delight And he that is faithful in them both shall know by experience the excellencies of Christianity and Holiness and in his way on Earth have both a prospect of Heaven and a foretaste of the Everlasting Rest and Pleasures FINIS
6. Cases about losing and finding Q. 1. Must we seek out the loser to restore what we find Q. 2. May I take a reward as my due for restoring what I found Q. 3. May I wish to find any thing in my way or be glad that I find it Q. 4. May I not keep it if no owner be found Q. 5. If others be present when I find it may I not conceal or keep it to my self Q 6. Who must stand to the loss of goods trusted to another p. 130 Tit. 7. Directions to Merchants Factors Travellers Chaplains that live among Heathens Infidels or Papists p. 131 Q. 1. Is it lawful to put ones self or servants specially young unsetled Apprentices into the temptations of an Infidel or Popish Countrey meerly to get Riches as Merchants do p. 131 Q. 2. May a Merchant or Embassadour leave his Wife to live abroad p. 132 Q. 3. Is it lawful for young Gentlemen to travail into other Kingdoms as part of their education The danger of Common Traveling p. 133 Directions for all these Travellers in their abode abroad p. 135 CHAP. XX. Motives and Directions against Oppression The sorts of it The greatness of the sin of Oppression The Cure p. 137 Tit. 2. Cases about Oppression especially of Tenants p. 140 Q. 1. Is it lawful to buy land of a liberal Landlord when the buyer must needs set it dearer than the Sâ—lâ—er did Q. 2. May one take as much for his Land as it is worth Q. 3. May he raise his Rents Q. 4. How much below the full worth must a Landlord set his Land Q. 5. May not a Landlord that is in debt or hath a payment to pay raise his Rents to pay it Q. 6. If I cannot relieve the honest poor without raising the Rent of Tenants that are worthy of less charity may I do it Q. 7. May I penally raise a Tenants Rent or turn him out because he is a bad man Q. 8. May one take house or Land while another is in possession of it Q. 9. May a rich man put out his Tenants to lay the Lands to his own dâ—mesnes Q. 10. May one Tenant have divers Tenements Q. 11. May one have divers Trades Q. 12. Or keep shops in several Market Towns CHAP. XXI Cases and Directions about Prodigality and sinful waste What it is p. 143. Wayes of sinful waste Q. 1. Are all men bound to fare alike Or what is excess Q. 2. What cost on visits and entertainments is lawful Whether the greatest good is still to be preferred Q. 3. What is excess in buildings Q. 4. May we not in building dyet c. be at some charge for our Delight as well as for Necessity Q. 5. When are Recreations too costly Q. 6. When is Apparel too costly Q. 7. When is Retinue Furniture and other pomp too costly Q. 8. When is House-keeping too costly Q. 9. When are Childrens Portions too great Q. 10. How far is frugality in small matters a duty Q. 11. Must all labour in a Calling Q. 12. May one desire to increase and grow rich Q. 13. Can one be prodigal in giving to the Church Q. 14. May one give too much to the poor Q. 15. May the Rich lay out on conveniences pomp or pleasure when multitudes are in deep necessities Directions against Prodigality p. 143 c. CHAP. XXII Cases and Directions against injurious Law suits witnessing and judgement p. 148 Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Law suits and proceedings Q. 1. When is it Lawful to go to Law Q. 2. May I Sue a poor man for a Debt or Trespass Q. 3. May I Sue a Surety whose interest was not concerned in the debt Q. 4. May I Sue for the Use of Money Q. 5. May Law Suits be used to vex and humble an insolent bad man Q. 6. May a rich man use his friends and purse to bear down a poor man that hath a bad cause Q. 7. May one use such forms in Law Suits Declarations Answers c. as are false according to the proper sense of the words Q. 8. May a guilty person plead Not guilty Q. 9. Is a man bound to accuse himself and offer himself to justice Q. 10. May a witness voluntarily speak that truth which he knoweth will be ill used Q. 11. May a witness conceal part of the truth Q. 12. Must a Iudge or Iury proceed secundum allegata probata when they know the witness to be false or the Cause bad but cannot evince it T it 2. Directions against these sins p. 150. The evil of unjust Suits The evil of false witness The evil of unjust judgements The Cure p. 150 CHAP. XXIII Cases of Conscience and Directions against backbiting Slandering and Evil speaking p. 152 Tit. 1. Q. 1. May we not speak evil of that which is evil Q. 2. May not the contrary be sinful silence and befriending mens sins Q. 3. What if Religious credible persons report it Q. 4. If I may not speak it may I not believe them Q. 5. May we not speak ill of open persecutors or enemies of Godliness Q. 6. What if it be one whose reputation countenanceth his ill Cause and his defamation would disable him Q. 7. If I may not make a true Narrative of matters of fact how may we write true Histories for posterity Q. 8. What if it be one that hath been ofâ— admonished Q. 9. Or one that I cannot speak to face to face Q. 10. In what Cases may we open anothers faults Q. 11. What if I hear men praise the wicked or their sins T it 2. Directions against back-biting slandering and evil speaking p. 154 Tit. 3. The great evil of these sins p. 155 CHAP. XXIV Cases of and Directions against Censoriousness and sinful judging p. 157 Tit. 1. Cases Q. 1. Am I not bound to judge truly of every one as he is Q. 2. How far may we judge ill of one by outward appearance as face gesture c. Q. 3. How far may we censure on the report of others Q. 4. Doth not the fifth Command bind us to judge better of Parents and Princes than their lives declare them to be Q. 5. Whom must we judge sincere and holy Christians Q. 6. Is it not a sin to err and take a man for better than he is Q. 7. Whom must I take for a visible Church member Q. 8. Whom must I judge a true Worshipper of God Q. 9. Which must I take for a true Church Q. 10. Whom must we judge true Prophets and true Pastors of the Church p. 157 Tit. 2. Directions for the Cure of sinful Censoriousness p. 159 Tit. 3. The evil of the sin of Censoriousness p. 160 Tit. 4. Directions for those that are rashly censured by others p. 162 CHAP. XXV Cases and Directions about Trusts and Secrets p. 163 Tit. 3. The Cases Q. 1. How must we not put our Trust in man Q. 2. Whom to choose for a Trust Q. 3. When may I commit a
as enough for you yea as All or else you take him not as your God Direction 18. IF you would prove true Converts come over to God as your Father and felicity with Direct 18. desire and delight and close with Christ as your only Saviour with thankfulness and joy and set upon the way of Godliness with pleasure and alacrity as your exceeding priviledge and the only way of profit honour and content and do it not as against your wills as those that had rather do otherwise if they durst and account the service of God an unsuitable and unpleasant thing § 1. You are never truly changed till your Hearts be changed And the Heart is not changed till Passibilis timor est irrationabilis ad irrationabiliâ— constitutâ—â— sed â—um praecipit qui cum disciplina recta ratione consistit cujus proprium est reverentia Qui enim propter Christum doctrinam â—jâ—s Deum timet cum reverentia ei subjectus est cum â—â—e qui per vâ—rbâ—â—a aliaque tormenta timer Deum passibilem timâ—rem habere videtur Dâ—dâ—rus Alâ—x 〈◊〉 Pâ—t 1. the Will or Love be changed Fear is not the man but usually is mixt with unwillingness and dislike and so is contrary to that which is indeed the Man Though fear may do much for you it will not do enough It is oft more sensible than Love even in the best as being more passionate and violent but yet there is no more Acceptableness in all than there is Will or Love God sent not Souldiers or Inquisitors or Persecutors to convert the world by working upon their Fear and driving them upon that which they take to be a mischief to them But he sent poor Preachers that had no matter of worldly fears or hopes to move their auditors with but had authority from Christ to offer them eternal life and who were to convert the world by proposing to them the best and most desirable condition and shewing them where is the true felicity and proving the certainty and excellency of it to them and working upon their Love Desire and Hope God will not be your God against your wills while you esteem him as the Devil that is only terrible and hurtful to you and take his service for a slavery and had rather be from him and serve the world and the flesh if it were not for fear of being damned He will be feared as Great and Holy and Iust but he will also be Loved as Good and Holy and Merciful and every way suited to be the felicity and Rest of souls If you take not God to be better than the Creature and better to you and Heaven to be better for you than earth and Holiness than Sin you are not converted But if you do then shew it by your willingness alacrity and delight Serve him with gladness and chearfulness of heart as one that hath found the way of life and never had cause of gladness until now If you see your servant do all his work with groans and tears and lamentations you will not think he is well pleased with his Master and his work Come to God willingly with your hearts or you come not to him indeed at all You must either make him and his service your delight or at least your Desire as apprehending him most fit to be your delight so far as you enjoy him Direction 19. REmember still that Conversion is the turning from your carnal selves to God and Direct 1â— therefore that it engageth you in a perpetual opposition to your own corrupt Conceits and Wills to mortifie and annihilate them and captivate them wholly to the holy Word and Will of God § 1. Think not that your Conversion dispatcheth all that is to be done in order to your salvation No it is but the beginning of your work that is of your delight and happiness You are but engaged by it to that which must be performed throughout all your lives It entereth you into the right way not to sit down there but to go on till you come to the desired end It entereth you into Christs Army that afterwards you may there win the Crown of life And the great Enemy that you engage against is your selves There will still be a Law in your members rebelling against the Law that the Holy Ghost hath put into your minds Your Own Conceits and your Own Wills are the great Rebels against Christ and enemies of your sanctification Therefore it must be your resolved daily work to mortifie them and bring them clean over to the Mind and Will of God which is their Rule and End If you feel any conceits arising in you that are contrary to the Scripture and quarrell with the Word of God suppress them as rebellious and give them not liberty to cavil with your Maker and malepertly dispute with your Governour and Judge but silence it and force it reverently to submit If you feel any Will in you contrary to your Creator's Will and that there is something which you would have or do which God is against and hath forbid you remember now how great a part of your work it is to fly for help to the Spirit of Grace and to destroy all such rebellious desires Think it not enough that you can bear the denyal of those desires but presently destroy the desires themselves For if you let alone the desires they may at last lay hold upon their prey before you are aware Or if you should be guilty of nothing but the Desires themselves it is no small iniquity being the corruption of the Heart and the Rebellion and Adultery of the principal faculty which should be kept loyal and chaste to God The crossness of thy Will to the Will of God is the summ of all the impiety and evil of the soul And the subjection and conformity of thy Will to his is the Heart of the New Creature and of thy Rectitude and Sanctification Favour not therefore any self-conceitedness or self-willedness nor any rebelliousness against the Mind and Will of God any more than you would bear with the dis-jointing of your bones which will be little for your ease or use till they are reduced to their proper place Direction 20. LAstly Be sure that you renounce all conceit of self-sufficiency or merit in any thing Direct 20. you do and wholly rely on the Lord Iesus Christ as your Head and Life and Saviour and Intercessor with the Father § 1. Remember that without him you can do nothing John 15. 5. Nor can any thing you do be acceptable to God any other way than in him the beloved Son in whom he is well pleased As your persons had never been accepted but in him no more can any of your services All your repentings if you had wept out your eyes for sin would not have satisfied the Justice of God nor procured you pardon and justification without the satisfaction and merit of Christ. If he
of flesh and blood which maketh you pretend Moderation and Peace and that it is a sign that you are hypocrites that are so lukewarm and carnally comply with error and that the cause of God is to be followed with the greatest zeal and self denyal And all this is true if you be but sure that it is indeed the cause of God and that the greater works of God be not neglected on such pretences and that your Zeal be much greater for Faith and Charity and Unity than for your opinions But upon great experience I must tell you that of the zealous contenders in the world that cry up The Cause of Consuming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 use at 〈◊〉 â—o 〈◊〉 up the owners of it Whatever tâ—â—y say oâ— do against others in theâ—â— inâ—â—mperaâ—e violâ—nce they teach otherâ— at last to say and do against them when they have opportunity How the Orâ—â—odox taught the Aâ—â—iaâ—s to use severity against them may be sâ—en in Victor utic p. 447 448 449. in the Edict of Hunneâ—yâ—hus â—â—gem quam dudum Christiani Imperatores nostri contra eos alios haereticos pro honorisicentia Ecclesiae Catholiâ—ae dedâ—runâ— adversus nos illi proponere non eâ—ubuerunt v. g. Rex Hun. c. Triumphalis Majestatis Regiae probatur esâ—e virtutis mâ—â—a in autores conâ—lia retorquere Quisquis enim pravitatis aliquid invenerit sibi imputet quod incurrit Nullâ—s 〈◊〉 homâ—usion Saceâ—doâ—es assumanâ— nec aliquid mysteriâ—â—um quae magis polluunt sibi vendicenâ— Nullam habeant oâ—dinandi licentiam Quod ipsaâ—um legum continentia demonstratur quas induxiâ—â—e Imperaâ—oâ—ibuâ— c. viz. Ut nulla exceptâ—s superstiti 〈…〉 s suae â—nâ—stibus Ecclesia pateret nuâ—lâ—s liceret aliis aut convictus agere aut exercere convâ—ntâ—s nec Ecclesias auâ— in uâ—â—iâ—â—â—â— aut in quibuâ—dam 〈◊〉 locis God and Truth there is not one of very many that understandeth what he talks of but some of them cry up the Cause of God when it is a brat of a proud and ignorant brain and such as a judicious person would be ashamed of And some of them are rashly zealous before they have parts or time to come to any judicious tryal and some of them are mis-guided by some person or party that captivateth their minds and some of them are hurried away by passion and discontent and many of the ambitious and worldly are blinded by their carnal interests and many of them in meer pride think highly of an Opinion in which they are somewhat singular and which they can with some glorying call their Own as either invented by them or that in which they think they know more than ordinary men do And abundance after longer experience confess that to have been their own erroneous cause which they before entitled the Cause of God Now when this is the case and one cryeth Here is Christ and another There is Christ one saith This is the cause of God and another saith That is it no man that hath any care of his Conscience or of the honour of God and his profession will leap before he looketh where he shall alight or run after every one that will whistle him with the name or pretence of truth or a good cause It is a sad thing to go on many years together in censuring opposing and abusing thâ—se that are against you and in seducing others and mis-imploying your zeal and parts and time and poysoning all your prayers and discourses and in the end to see what mischief you have done for want of knowledge and with Paul to confess that you were mad in opposing the truth and servants of God though you did it in a zeal of God through ignorance Were it not much better to stay till you have tryed the ground and prevent so many years grievous sin than to scape by a sad repentance and leave behind you stinking and venemous fruits of your mistake And worse if you never repent your selves Your own and your Brethrens souls are not so lightly to be ventured upon dangerous untryed wayes It will not make the Truth and Church amends to say at last I had thought I had done well Let those go to the Wars of disputing and 〈◊〉 and câ—nsuâ—ing and siding with a Sect that are riper and better understand the cause Wars are not for Children Do you suspend your judgement till you can solidly and certainly inform it and serve God in Charity quietness and peace And it s two to one but you will live to see the day that the contenders that would have led you into their Wars will come off with so much loss themselves as will teach them to approve your peaceable course or teach you to bless God that kept you in your place and duty § 3. In all this I deny not but every truth of God is to be valued at a very high rate and that he that shall carry himself in a neutrality when Faith or Godliness is the matter in controversie or shall do it meerly for his worldly ends to save his stake by temporizing is a false-hearted hypocrite and at the heart of no Religion But withal I tell you that all is not matter of Faith or Godliness that the Autonomian-Papist the Antinomian-Libertine or other passionate parties shall call so And that as we must avoid contempt of the smallest Truth so we must much more avoid the most heinous sins which we may commit for the defending of an error And that some Truths must be silenced for a time though not denyed when the contending for them is unseasonable and tendeth to the injury of the Church If you were Masters in the Church you must not teach your Scholars to their hurt though it be truth you teach them And if you were Physicions you must not cramm them or Medicate them to their hurt Your power and duty is not to Destruction but to Edification The good of the Patient is the end of your Physick All Truth is not to be spoken nor all Good to be done by all men nor at all times He that will do contrary and take this for a carnal principle doth but call folly and sin by the name of zeal and duty and set the house on fire to rost his Egg and with the Pharisees prefer the outward rest of their Sabbath before his Brothers life or health Take heed what you do when Gods honour and mens souls and the Churches peace are concerned in it § 4. And let me tell you my own observation As far as my judgement hath been able to reach the men that have stood for Pacification and Moderation have been the most judicious and those that have best understood themselves in most controversies that ever I heard under debate among good Christians And those that suriously censured them as lukewarm or corrupted have been men that had least judgement and most passion pride and foul mistakes in the points in question § 5. Nay I will tell you
never yet found cause to repent or be ashamed of it Remember that the fruit of sin was bitter and that when your eyes were opened and you saw your shame you would fain have fled from the face of God and that then it appeared another thing to you then it seemed in the committing Remember what grâ—ans and hearts grief it hath cost you and into what fears it brought you of the wrath of Gâ—d 〈…〉 how long it was before your broken bones were healed and what it cost both Christ and you And thâ—s will make the very name and first approach of â—in to cast you into a preventing fear A Bâ—ast that hath once fallen into a Gulf or Quick-sand will hardly be driven into the same again A Fâ—sh that was once sâ—â—icken and scap't the hook will fear and fly from it the next time A Bird that hath once escap t the Sâ—are oâ— the Tallons of the Hawk is afterwards afraid of the fight or noise of such a thing Remember where you fell and what it cost you and what you scaped which it might have cost you and you will obey more accurately hereafter § 19. Direct 6. Remember that this is your day of tryal and what depends upon your accurate 〈…〉 obedience God will not crâ—wn untryed Servants Satan is purposely suffered to tempt you to try whether you will be true to God or not All the hope that his malice hath of undoing you for ever â—â—nsisteth in his hope to make you disobedient to God Methinks these considerations should awaken you to the most watchful and diligent obedience If you were told before hand that a Thief or â—â—t purse had undertaken to rob you and would use all his cunning and industry to do it you would then watch more carefully than at another time If you were in a Race to run for your lives you wâ—uld not go then in your ordinary pace Doth God tell you before that he will try your obedience by temptation and as you stand or fall you shall speed for ever and will not this keep you watchful and obedient § 20. Direct 7. Avoid those tempting and deluding objects which are still entiâ—ing your hearts from Direct 7. your obedience and avoid that diverting crowd and noise of company or worldly business which drowns the vâ—iâ—e of Gods commands If God call you into a life of great temptations he can bring you safely through them all But if you rush into it wilfully you may soon find your own disability to resist It is dangerous to be under strong and importunate temptations lest the stream should bear us down But especially to be long under them lest we be weary of resisting They that are long solicited do too often yield at last It is hard to be alwayes in a clear and ready and resolute frame Few men have their wits much less their graces alwayes at hand in a readiness to use And if the Thief come when yoâ— are dropt asleep you may be robbed before you can awake The constant drawings of temptation do ofttimes abaâ—e the habit of obedience and diminish our hatred of sin and holy resolutions by â—low insâ—nsible degrees before we yield to commit the act And the mind that will be kept in full subjectiâ—n must not be so diverted in a crowd of distracting company or business as to have no time to thâ—â—k on the motives of his obedience This withdrawing of the fewel may put out the fire § 21. Direct 8. If you are unavoidably cast upon strong Temptation take the Allarm and put on all Direct 8. tâ—e 〈◊〉 of God and call up your souls to watchfulness and resolution remembring that you are now aâ—â—ng your enemies and must resist as for your lives Take every temptation in its naked proper sense â—s coming from the Devil and tending to your damnation by enticing your hearts from your subjection unto God suppose you saw the Devil himself in his instruments offering you the bait of preferment oâ— honour or riches or fleshly lusts or sports or of delightful meats or drinks to tempt you to excess and suppose you heard him say to you plainly Take this for thy salvation Sell me for this thy God and thy soul and thy everlasting hopes Commit this sin that thou maist fall under the judgement of God and be tormented in Hell with me for ever Do this to please thy flesh that thou maist displease thy God and grieve thy Saviour I cannot draw thee to Hell but by drawing thee to sin And I cannot make thee sin against thy will nor undo thee but by thy own consent and doing Therefore I pray theâ— consent and do it thy self and let me have thy company in torments This is the naked meaning of every temptation Suppose therefore you saw and heard all this with what detestation then would you reject it With what horror would you fly from the most enticing bait If a Robber would entice you out of your way and company with flattering words that you might fall into the hands of his companions if you knew all his meaning and design before hand would you be enticed after him Watch therefore and Resolve when you know before hand the Design of the Devil and what he intendeth in every temptation § 22. Direct 9. Be mâ—st suspicious fearful and watchful about that which your flesh doth most desire Direct 9. â—â— finds the greatest pleasure in Not that you should deny your bodies all delight in the mercies of God If the body have none the mind will have the less Mercy must be differenced from punishment and must be valued and relished as mercy Meer Natural pleasing of the senses is in it self no mâ—ral good or evil A holy improvement of lawful pleasure is a daily duty Inordinate pleasure is a sin All is inordinate which tendeth more to corrupt the soul by enticing it to sin and turning it from God than to â—it and dispose it for God and his service and preserve it from sinning But still remember it is not sorrow but Delight that draweth away the soul from God and is the fleshes interest which it sets up against him Many have sinned in sorrows and discontents but none ever sinned fâ—r sorrows and discontents Their discontents and sorrows are not taken up and loved for themselves but are the effects of their love to some pleasure and content which is denyed them or taken from them Therefore though all your bodily pleasures are not sin yet seeing nothing but the pleasures of the flesh and carnal mind is the End of sinners and the Devils great and chiefest bait and this only causeth mens perdition you have great reason to be most afraid of that which is most pleasing to your flesh and to the mind as it is corrupt and carnal escape the delusions of fleshly pleasure and you escape damnation You have far more cause to be afraid of prosperity than of adversity of riches than of poverty
it And what do men at death say of it And what do converted souls or awakened consciences say of it Is it then followed with delight and fearlesness as it is now Is it then applauded Will any of them speak well of it Nay all the world speaks evil of sin in the general now even when they love and commit the several acts Will you sin when you are dying § 29. Direct 10. Look alwayes on sin and judgement together Remember that you must answer for Direct 10. it before God and Angels and all the world and you will the better know it § 30. Direct 11. Look now but upon sickness poverty shame despair death and rottenness in the Direct 11. grave and it may a little help you to know what sin is These are things within your sight or feeling You need not saith to tell you of them And by such effects you might have some little knowledge of the cause § 31. Direct 12. Look but upon some eminent holy persons upon earth and upon the mad prophane Direct 12. malignant world and the difference may tell you in part what sin is Is there not an amiableness in a holy blameless person that liveth in love to God and man and in the joyful hopes of life eternal Is not a beastly Drunkard or Whoremonger and a raging Swearer and a malicious persecutor a very deformed loathsome creature Is not the mad confused ignorant ungodly state of the world a very pittiful sight What then is the sin that all this doth consist in Though the principal part of the Cure is in turning the Will to the haired of sin and is done by this discovery of its malignity yet I shall add a few more Directions for the executive part supposing that what is said already have had its effect § 32. Direct 1. When you have found out your disease and danger give up your selves to Christ as Direct 1. the Saviour and Physicion of souls and to the Holy Ghost as your Sanctifier remembring that he is sufficient and willing to do the work which he hath undertaken It is not you that are to be Saviours and Sanctifiers of your selves unless as you work under Christ But he that hath undertaken it doth take it for his glory to perform it § 33. Direct 2. Yet must you be willing and obedient in applying the Remedies prescribed you by Christ and observing his Directions in order to your Cure And you must not be tender and coy and fineish and say This is too bitter and that is too sharp but trust his Love and skill and care and take it as he prescribeth it or giveth it you without any more ado Say not It is grievous and I cannot take it For he commands you nothing but what is safe and wholesome and necessary and if you cannot take it you must try whether you can bear your sickness and death and the fire of Hell Is humiliation confession restitution mortification and holy diligence worse than Hell § 34. Direct 3. See that you take not part with sin and wrangle not or strive not against your Direct 3. Physicion or any that would do you good Excusing sin and pleading for it and extenuating it and striving against the Spirit and Conscience and wrangling against Ministers and godly friends and hateing reproof are not the means to be cured and sanctified § 35. Direct 4. See that malignity in every one of your particular sins which you can see and say Direct 4. is in sin in general It 's a gross deceit of your selves if you will speak a great deal of the evil of sin and see none of this malignity in your Pride and your worldliness and your passion and pievishness and your malice and uncharitableness and your lying backbiting slandering or sinning against conscience for worldly commodity or safety What self-contradiction is it for a man in prayer to aggravate sin and when he is reproved for it to justifie or excuse it For a Popish Priest to enter sinfully upon his place by subscribing or swearing the Trent Confession and then to preach zealously against sin in the general as if he had never committed so horrid a crime This is like him that will speak against Treason and the Enemies of the King but because the Traytors are his friends and kindred will protect or hide them and take their parts § 36. Direct 5. Keep as far as you can from those temptations which feed and strengthen the sins which Direct 5. you would overcome Lay siege to your sins and starve them out by keeping away the food and fewel which is their maintenance and life § 37. Direct 6. Live in the exercise of those graces and duties which are contrary to the sins which Direct 6. you are most in danger of For grace and duty is contrary to sin and killeth it and cureth us of it as the fire cureth us of cold or health of sickness § 38. Direct 7. Hearken not to weakning unbelief and distrust and cast not away the comforts of God Direct 7. which are your cordials and strength It is not a frightful dejected despairing frame of mind that is fittest to resist sin but it is the encouraging sense of the love of God and thankful sense of grace received with a cautelous fear § 39. Direct 8. Be alwayes suspicious of carnal self-love and watch against it For that is the Direct 8. burrow or fortress of sin and the common Patron of it ready to draw you to it and ready to justifie it We are very prone to be partial in our own cause as the case of Iudah with Thamar and David when Nathan reproved him in a Parable shew Our own passions our own pride our own censures or back-bitings or injurious dealings our own neglects of duty seem small excusable if not justifyable things to us whereas we could easily see the faultiness of all these in another especially in an enemy when yet we should be best acquainted with our selves and we should most love our selves and therefore hate our own sins most § 40. Direct 9. Bestow your first and chiefest labour to kill sin at the Root To cleanse the Heart Direct 9. which is the fountain For out of the heart cometh the evils of the life Know which are the Master-Roots and bend your greatest care and industry to mortifie those And that is especially these that follow 1. Ignorance 2. Unbelief 3. Inconsiderateness 4. Selfishness and Pride 5. Fleshliness in pleasing a bruitish appetite lust or fantasie 6. Senseless hard-heartedness and sleepiness in sin § 41. Direct 10. Account the world and all its pleasures wealth and honours no better than indeed Direct 10. they are and then Satan will find no bait to catch you Esteem all as dung with Paul Phil. 3. 8. And no man will sin and sell his soul for that which he accounteth but as dung § 42. Direct 11. Keep up
Idolatry 8. A perverse Spirit causing staggering and giddiness as a drunken man Isa. 19. 14. § 5. In the New Testament 1. He is sometimes called simply a Spirit Mar. 9. 20 26. Luke 9. 39. 10. 20. 2. Sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unclean Spirits Luke 6. 18. as contrary to the Holy Spirit and that from their Nature and effects 3. And after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doemons a word taken in a good sense in Heathen Writers but not in Scripture because they worshipped Devils under that name unless perhaps Acts 17. 18. 1 Tim. 4. 1. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with respect to their knowledge and as some think to the knowledge promised to Adam in the temptation 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Tempter Mat. 4. 5. Satan Mat. 4. 1 Pet. 5. 8. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an enemy Mat. 13. 28 39. 7. The strong man armed Mat. 12. 8. Angels 1 Cor. 6. 3. 2 Pet. 2. 4. Angels which kept not their first state Jude 6. 9. A Spirit of divination Acts 16. 16. 10. A roaring Lyon 1 Pet. 5. 8. 11. A Murderer John 8. 44. 12. Belial 2 Cor. 6. 15. 13. Beelzebub Mat. 12. the God of flies 14. The Prince of this world John 12. 21. from his power over wicked men 15. The God of this world 2 Cor. 4. 5. because the world obey him 16. The Prince of the power of the air Eph. 2. 2. 17. The Ruler of the darkness of this world Eph. 6. 12. Principalities and powers 18. The Father of the wicked John 8. 44. 19. The Dragon and the old Serpent Rev. 12. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the calumniatâ—r or false accuser often 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the evil one Mat. 23. 19. 22. An evil Spirit Acts 19. 15. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the destroyer and Abaddon the King of the Locusts and Angel of the bottomless pit Rev. 9. 11. unless that speak of Antichrist § 6. 3. He is too strong an enemy for lapsed sinful man to deal with of himself If he conquered us in innocency what may he do now He is dangerous 1. By the greatness of his subtilty 2. By the greatness of his Power 3. By the greatness of his Malice And hence 4. By his constant diligence watching when we sleep Mat. 13. 25. and seeking night and day to devour 1 Pet. 5. 8. Rev. 12. 4 § 7. 4. Therefore Christ hath engaged himself in our Cause and is become the Captain of our See my Treatise against Infidelity as before cited salvation Heb. 2. 10. And the world is formed into two Armies that live in continual War The Devil is the Prince and General of one and his Angels and wicked men are his Armies Christ is the King and General of the other and his Angels Heb. 2. 14. and Saints are his Army Between these two Armies are the greatest conflict in the world § 7. 5. It is supposed also that this War is carried on on both sides within us and without us by inward solicitations and outward means which are fitted thereunto § 8. 6. Both Christ and Satan work by Officers instruments and means Christ hath his Ministers 1 Cor. 3. 5. 4 1. 2 Cor. 11. 15. Acts 13. 8 9 10. to preach his Gospel and pull down the Kingdom of Satan And Satan hath his Ministers to preach licentiousness and lies and to resist the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ. Christ hath his Church and the Devil hath his Synagogue Christs Souldiers do every one in their places fight for him against the Devil And the Devils Souldiers do every one in their places fight against Christ. The Generals are both unseen to mortals and the unseen Power is theirs but their Agents are visible The Souldiers fight not only against the Generals but against one another but it is all or chiefly for the Generals sakes It is Christ that the wicked persecute in his Servants Acts 9. 4. And it is the Devil whom the godly hate and resist in the wicked But yet here are divers notable differences 1. The Devils Servants do not what they do in love to him but to their own flesh but Christs Servants do what they do in Love to him as well as to themselves 2. The Devils Army are cheated into Arms and War not knowing what they do But Christ doth all in the open light and will have no servants but those that deliberately adhere to him when they know the worst 3. The Devils servants do not know that he is their General but Christs followers do all know their Lord. 4. The Devils followers disown their Master and their work they will not own that they fight against Christ and his Kingdom while they do it But Christs followers own their Captain and his cause and work for he is not a master to be ashamed of § 9. 7. Both Christ and Satan work perswasively by moral means and neither of them by constraint and force Christ forceth not men against their wills to good and Satan cannot force them to be bad but all the endeavour is to make men willing and he is the Conquerour that getteth and keepeth our own consent § 10. 8. Their Ends are contrary and therefore their wayes are also contrary The Devils end is to draw man to sin and to damnation and to dishonour God And Christs end is to draw men from sin to Holiness and salvation and to honour God But Christ maketh known his end and Satan concealeth his End from his followers § 11. 9. There is somewhat within the good and bad for the contrary part to work upon and we are as it were divided in your selves and have somewhat in us that is on both sides The wicked have an honourable acknowledgement of God and of their greatest obligation to him a hatred to the Devil a love of themselves a willingness to be happy and an unwillingness to be miserable and a conscience which approveth of more good than they do and condemneth much of their transgression This is some advantage to the perswasions of the Ministers of Christ to work upon And they have Reason capable of knowing more The Souldiers of Christ have a fleshly appetite and the remnants of ignorance and error in their minds and of earthliness and carnality and averseness to God in their wills with a nearness to this world and much strangeness to the world to come And here is too much advantage for Satan to work on by his temptations § 12. 10. But it is the predominant part within us and the scope of our lives which sheweth which of the Armies we belong to And thus we must give up our names and hearts to Christ and engage under his Conduct against the Devil and conquer to the death if we will be saved Not to fight against the bare Name of the Devil for so will his own Souldiers and spit at his name and hang a Witch that makes a contract with him But it is
Answ. tween the Being of a duty and the Knowledge of a duty and remember that the first Question is whether this be my duty and the next How I may discern it to be my duty And that God giveth it the Being by his Law and Conscience is but to know and use it And that God changeth not his Law and our duty as oft as our opinions change about it The obligation of the Law is still the same though our Consciences err in apprehending it otherwise Therefore if God command you a duty and your opinion be that he doth not command it or that he forbids it and so that it is no duty or that it is a sin it doth not follow that indeed God commands it not because you think so Else it were no error in you nor could it be possible to err if the thing become true because you think it to be true God commandeth you to Love him and to worship him and to nourish your children and to obey the higher powers c. And do you think you shall be discharged from all these duties and allowed to be prophane or sensual or to resist authority or to famish your children if you can but be blind enough to think that God would have it so 2. Your error is a sin it self And do you think that one sin must warrant another or that sin can discharge you from your duty and disannull the Law 3. You are a subject to God and not a King to your self and therefore you must obey his Laws and not make new ones § 33. Quest. 2. But is it not every mans duty to obey his Conscience Quest. Answ. Answ. No It is no mans duty to obey his Conscience in an error when it contradicteth the command of God Conscience is but a Discerner of Gods command and not at all to be obeyed strictly as a Commander but it is to be obeyed in a larger sense that is to be followed where ever it truly discerneth the command of God It is our duty to lay by our error and seek the cure of it till we attain it and not to obey it § 34. Quest. 3. But is it not a sin for a man to go against his Conscience Quest. Answ. Answ. Yes Not because Conscience hath any authority to make Laws for you but because interpretatively you go against God For you are bound to obey God in all things and when you think that God commandeth you a thing and yet you will not do it you disobey formally though not materially The Matter of Obedience is the thing commanded The form of obedience is our doing the thing because it is commanded when the Authority of the Commander causeth us to do it Now you reject the Authority of God when you reject that which you think he commandeth though he did not Quest. § 35. Quest. 4. Seeing the form of obedience is the being of it and denominateth which the Matter doth not without the form and there can be no sin which is not against the authority of God which is the formal cause of obedience is it not then my duty to follow my Conscience Answ. Answ. 1. There must be an integrity of causes or concurrence of all necessaries to make up Obedience though the want of any one will make a sin If you will be called Obedient you must have the matter and form because the true form is found in no other matter You must do the thing commanded because of his Authority that commandeth it If it may be called really and formally Obedience when you err yet it is not that obedience which is acceptable For it is not any kind of obedience but obedience in the thing commanded that God requireth 2. But indeed as long as you err sinfully you are also wanting in the form as well as the matter of your obedience though you intend Obedience in the particular act It is not only a willful opposing and positive rejecting the Authority of the Commander which is formal disobedience but it is any Privation of due subjection to it when his Authority is not so regarded as it ought to be and doth not so powerfully and effectually move us to our duty as it ought Now this formal disobedience is found in your erroneous Conscience For if Gods Authority had moved you as it should have done to diligent enquiry and use of all appointed means and to the avoiding of all the causes of error you had never erred about your duty For if the error had been perfectly involuntary and blameless the thing could not have been your particular duty which you could not possibly come to know Quest. § 36. Quest. 5. But if it be a sin to go against my Conscience must I not avoid that sin by obeying it Would you have me sin Answ. Answ. You must avoid the sin by changing your judgement and not by obeying it For that is but to avoid one sin by committing another An erring judgement is neither obeyed nor disobeyed without sin It can make you sin though it cannot make you duty It doth ensnare though not oblige If you follow it you break the Law of God in doing that which he forbids you If you forsake it and go against it you reject the authority of God in doing that which you think he forbids you So that there is no attaining to innocence any other way but by coming first to Know your duty and then to do it If you command your servant to weed your corn and he mistake you and verily think that you bid him pull up the corn and not the weeds what now should he do Shall he follow his judgement or go against it Neither but change it and then follow it and to that end enquire further of your mind till he be better informed and no way else will serve the turn § 37. Quest. 6. Seeing no man that erreth doth know or think that he erreth for that 's a contradiction Quest. how can I lay by that opinion or strive against it which I take to be the truth Answ. It is your sin that you take a falshood to be a truth God hath appointed means for the Answ. cure of blindness and error as well as other sins or else the world were in a miserable case Come into the light with due self-suspicion and impartiallity and diligently use all Gods means and avoid the causes of deceit and error and the Light of Truth will at once shew you the Truth and shew you that before you erred In the mean time sin will be sin though you take it to be duty or no sin § 38. Quest. 7. But seeing he that knoweth his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with Quest. 〈…〉 â—e that knoweth it not with few is it not my duty chiefly to avoid the many 〈…〉 against my Conscience or Knâ—wledge Answ. 1. Your duty is to avoid both and if
basest of the people whose poverty might tempt them to discontent nor set thee upon the pinnacle of worldly honour where giddiness might have been thy ruine and where temptations to pride and lust and luxury and enmity to a holy life are so violent that few escape them He hath not set thee out upon a Sea of cares and vexations worldly businesses and encumberances but fed thee with food convenient for thee and given thee leisure to walk with God He hath not chained thee to an unprofitable profession nor used thee as those that live like their beasts to eat and drink and sleep and play or live to live But he hath called thee to the noblest and sweetest work when that hath been thy business which others were glad to taste of as a recreation and repast He hath allowed thee to converse with Books and with the best and wisest men and to spend thy dayes in sucking in delightful knowledge And this not only for thy pleasure but thy use and not only for thy self but many others O how many sweet and precious truths hath he allowed thee to feed on all the day when others are diverted and commonly look at them sometimes a far off O how many precious hours hath he granted me in his holy Assemblies and in his honourable and most pleasant work How oft hath his Day and his holy uncorrupted Ordinances and the communion of his Saints and the mentioning of his Name and Kingdom and the pleading of his cause with sinners and the celebrating of his praise been my delight O how many hundreds that he hath sent have wanted the abundant encouragement which I have had When he hath seen the disease of my despondent mind he hath not tryed me by denying me success nor suffered me with Ionas according to my inclination to overrun his work but hath ticed me on by continued encouragements and strowed all the way with mercies But his mercies to me in the souls of others have been so great that I shall secretly acknowledge them rather than here record them where I must have respect to those usual mercies of believers which lye in the common road to Heaven And how endless would it be to mention all All the good that friends and enemies have done me All the wise and gracious disposals of his providence in every condition and change of life and change of times and in every place whereever he brought me His every dayes renewed merciâ—s His support under all my languishings and weakness his plentiful supplies his gracious helps his daily pardons and the Glorious Hopes of a blessed Immortality which his Son hath purchased and his Covenant and Spirit sealed to me O the mercies that are in One Christ one Holy Spirit one Holy Scripture and in the Blessed God himself These I have mentioned unthankful heart to shame thee for thy want of Love to God And these I will leave upon record to be a witness for God against thy ingratitude and to confound thee with shame if thou deny thy Love to such a God Every one of all these mercies and multitudes more will rise up against thee and shame thee before God and all the world as a monster of unkindness if thou Love not him that hath used thee thus Here also consider what God is for your future good as well as what he hath been hitherto How all sufficient how powerful merciful and good But of this more anon § 24. Direct 7. Improve the vanity and vexation of the Creature and all thy disappointments and Direct 7. injuries and afflictions to the promoting of thy Love to God And this by a double advantage First By observing that there is nothing meet to divert thy Love or rob God of it unless thou wilt Love thy trouble and distress Secondly That thy Love to God is the comfort by which thou must be supported under the injuries and troubles which thou meetest with in the world And therefore to neglect it is but to give up thy self to misery Is it for nothing O my soul that God hath turned loose the world against thee That Devils rage against thee and wicked men do reproach and slander thee and seek thy ruine and friends prove insufficient and as broken Reeds It had been as easie to God to have prospered thee in the world and suited all things to thy own desires and have strawed thy way with the flowers of worldly comforts and delights But he knew thy proneness to undo thy self by carnal loves and how easily thy heart is enticed from thy God And therefore he hath wisely and mercifully ordered it that thy temptations shall not be too strong and no creature shall appear to thee in an over-amiable tempting dress Therefore he hath suffered them to become thy enemies And wilt thou love an enemy better than thy God What! an envious and malicious world A world of cares and grief and pains a weary restless empty world How deep and piercing are its injuries How superficial and deceitful is its friendship How serious are its sorrows What toyish shews and dreams are its delights How constant are its cares and labours How seldome and short are its flattering smiles Its comforts are disgraced by the certain expectation of succeeding sorrows Its sorrows are heightned by the expectations of more In the midst of its flatteries I hear something within me saying Thou must dye This is but the way to rottenness and dust I see a Winding-sheet and a Grave still before me I foresee how I must lye in pains and groans and then become a lothesome corpse And is this a world to be more delighted in than God What have I left me for my support and solace in the midst of all this Vanity and Vexation but to look to him that is the All-sufficient sure never failing good I must love him or I have nothing to love but enmity or deceit And is this the worst of Gods design in permitting and causing my pains and disappointments here Is it but to drive my foolish heart unto himself that I may have the solid delights and happiness of his Love O then let his blessed will be done Come home my soul my wandering tired grieved soul Love where thy love shall not be lost Love him that will not reject thee nor deceive thee nor requite thee as the world doth with injuries and abuse Despair not of entertainment though the world deny it thee The peaceable region is above In the world thou must have trouble that in Christ thou maist have peace Retire to the harbour if thou wouldst be free from storms God will receive thee when the world doth cast thee off if thou heartily cast off the world for him O what a solace is it to the soul to be driven clearly from the world to God and there to be exercised in that sacred Love which will accompany us to the world of Love § 25. Direct 8. Labour for the truest
20. Insomuch as it sâ—â—mâ—th one of the greatest impediments to the Conversion of the Heathen and Mahomâ—tan world and the chiefest means of confirming them in their Iâ—â—â—â—delity and making them hate and scorn Christianity that the Romish and the Eastern and Southern Churches within their view do worship God so dishonourably as they do as if our God were like a little Child that must have pretty toyes bought him in the Fair and brought home to please him Whereas it the unreformed Churches in the East West and South were Reformed and had a Learned Pious Able Ministry and clearly preached and seriously applyed the Word of God and worshipped God with understanding gravity reverence and serious spirituality and lived a holy heavenly mortified self-denying conversation this would be the way to propagate Christianity and win the Infidel world to Christ. § 43. Direct 12. If you will glorifie God in your lives you must be above a selfish private narrow Direct 12. mind and must be chiefly intent upon the publick good and the spreading of the Gospel through the world A selfish private narrow soul brings little honour to the cause of God It s alwayes taken up about it self or imprisoned in a corner in the dark to the interest of some Sect or Party and seeth not how things go in the world Its desires and prayers and endeavours go no further than they can see or travel But a larger soul beholdeth all the earth and is desirous to know how it goeth with the Cause and Servants of the Lord and how the Gospel gets ground upon the unbelieving Nations and such are affected with the state of the Church a thousand miles off almost as if it were at hand as being members of the whole body of Christ and not only of a Sect. They pray for the Hallowing of Gods Name and the coming of his Kingdom and the doing of his will throughout the Earth as it is in Heaven before they come to their own necessities at least in order of esteem and desire The prosperity of themselves or their Party or Countrey satisfieth them not while the Church abroad is in distress They live as those that know the Honour of God is more concerned in the welfare of the whole than in the success of any party against the rest They pray that the Gospel may have free course and be glorified abroad as it is with them and the Preachers of it be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men 2 Thess. 3. 1 2. The silencing the Ministers and suppressing the interest of Christ and souls is the most grievous tydings to them Therefore they pray for Kings and all in authority not for any carnal ends but that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty 1 Tim. 2. 1 2 3. Thus God must be glorified by our Lives DIRECT XVI Let your life on Earth be a conversation in Heaven by the constant work of Gr. Dir. 16. Faith and Love even such a faith as maketh things future as now present and the unseen world as if it were continually open to your sight and such a Love as makes you long to see the glorious face of God and the glory of your dear Redeemer and to be taken up with blessed Spirits in his perfect endless Love and Praise MY Treatise of The Life of Faith and the fourth Part of The Saints Rest being written wholly or mostly to this use I must refer the Reader to them and say no more of it in this Direction DIRECT XVII As the soul must be carried up to God and devoted to him according to all the Gr. Dir. 17. foregoing Directions so must it be delivered from carnal selfishness or flesh-pleasing I pass not this by as a small matter to be passed by also by the Reader For I take the Love of God kindled by Faith in Christ with the full Denyal of our carnal selves to be the sum of all Religion But because I would not injure so great a duty by saying but a little of it And therefore desire the Reader who studieth for Practice and needeth such helps to peruse the mentioned Books of Self-denyal and Crucifying the World which is the grand enemy to God and Godliness in the world and from the three great branches of this Idolatry viz. the Love of sensual pleasures the Love of worldly wealth and the proud desire and Love of worldly honour and esteem And the mortifying of these must be much of the labour of your lives OF this also I have written so much in a Treatise of Self-denyal and in another called The Crucifying of the World by the Cross of Christ that I shall now pass by all save what will be more seasonable anon under the more Particular Directions in the fourth Tome when I come to speak of Selfishness as opposed to the Love of others I Have now given you the General Grand Directions containing the very Being and Life of Godliness and Christianity with those particular sub-directions which are needful to the performance of them And I must tell you that as your life and strength and comfort principally depend on these so doth your success in resisting all your particular sins And therefore if you first obey not these General Directions the more particular ones that follow will be almost useless to you even as branches cut off from the Stock of the Tree which are deprived thereby of their support and life But upon supposition that first you will maintain these Vital parts of your Religion I shall proceed to Direct you first in some particulars most nearly subordinate to the forementioned duties and then to the remoter branches APPENDIX The true Doctrine of LOVE to GOD to HOLINESS to OUR SELVES and to OTHERS opened in certain Propositions Especially for resolving the Questions what self-love is lawful What sinful Whether God must be loved above our own felicity And how Whether to Love our felicity more than God may stand with a state of saving grace Whether it be a middle state between sensuality and the Divine nature to Love God more for our selves than for Himself Whether to Love God for our selves be the state of a Believer as he is under the promise of the New Covenant And whether the spirit and sanctification promised to Believers be the Love of God for himself and so the Divine nature promised to him that chooseth Christ and God by him out of self-love for his own felicity How God supposeth and worketh on the principle of self-love in mans Conversion With many such like To avoid the tediousness of a distinct debating each Question THough these things principally belong to the Theorie and so to another Treatise in hand called Methodus Theologiae yet because they are also Practical and have a great influence upon the more Practical Directions and the right understanding of them may help the Reader himself to determine a multitude of Cases of Conscience the
Actions divers from that which commandeth my affections As those that put children relations families neighbours under our especiall charge and care though often others must be more loved 20. That Good which is the object of Love is not a meer Universal or General notion but is allwaies some particular or singular being in esse reali vel in esse cognito As there is no such thing in rerum natura as Good in a meer General which is neither the Good of natural existence or of moral perfection or of Pleasure Profit Honour c. Yea which is not in this or in that singular subject or so conceived so there is no such thing as Love which hath not some such singular object As Rada and other Scotists have made plain 21. All Good is either GOD or a CREATURE or a Creatures Act or Work 22. GOD is GOOD Infinitely Eternally Primitively Independently Immutably Communicatively of whom and by whom and to whom are all things The Beginning or first efficient the Dirigent and ultimately ultimate cause of all created Good As Making and Directing All things For Himself 23. Therefore it is the duty of the Intellectual Creature to Love God Totally without any exceptions or restrictions with all the Power Mind and Will not only in degree above our selves and all the world But also as GOD with a Love in kind transcending the Love of every Creature 24. All the Goodness of the Creature doth formally consist in its threefold Relation to GOD viz. 1. In the Impresses of God as its first Efficient or Creator as it is his Image or the effect and demonstration of his perfections viz. his Infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness 2 In its Conformity to his Directions or Governing Laws and so in its Order and Obedience 3. And in its Aptitude and Tendency to God as its final cause even to the demonstration of his Glory and the Complacency of his Will 25. All Created Good is therefore Derivative Dependant Contingent Finite Secondary From God By God and To God receiving its Form and Measure from its respect to Him 26. Yet as it may be subordinately From man as the Principle of his own Actions and By man as a subordinate Ruler of himself or others and To man as a subordinate End so there is accordingly a subordinate sort of Goodness which is so denominated from these respects unto the Creature that is himself Good subordinately 27. But all this subordinate Goodness Bonum à nobis Bonum per nos Bonum nobis is but Analogically so and dependantly on the former sort of Goodness and is something in due subordination to it and against it nothing that is not properly Good 28. The best and excellentest Creatures in the foresaid Goodness-related to God are most to be loved and all according to the Degree of their Goodness more than as Good in relation to our selves 29. But seeing their Goodness is formally their Relation unto God it followeth that they are Loved 〈◊〉 only for his sake and consequently Gods Image or Glory in them is first Loved and so the true Love of any Creature is but a secondary sort of the Love of God 30. The best being next to God is the universe or whole Creation and therefore next him most to be loved by us 31. The next in Amiableness is the whole coelestial society Christ Angels and Saints 32. The next when we come to distinguish them is Christs own Created Glorified Nature in the Person of the Mediator Because Gods Glory or Image is most upon him 33. The next in Amiableness is the whole Angelical society or the orders of Intellectual Spirits above man 34. The next is the spirits of the Just made perfect or the Triumphant Church of Saints in Heaven 35. The next is all this lower world 36. The next is the Church in the world or militant on earth 37. The next are the particular Kingdoms and Societies of the world and so the Churches according to their various degrees 38. The next under societies and multitudes are those individual persons who are Best in the three fore-mentioned respects Whether our selves or others And thus by the objects should our Love that is Rational be diversified in Degree and that be Loved best that is best 39. The Amiable Image of God in man is as hath oft been said 1. Our Natural Image of God or the Image of his three Essential properties as such that is Our Vital Active Power our Intellect and our will 2. Our Moral Image or the Image of his said properties in their perfections viz. Our Holiness that is Our Holy Life or spiritual vivacity and Active Power Our Holy Light or Wisdom our Holy Wills or Love 3. Our Relative Image of God or the Image of his Supereminencie Dominion or Majesty which is 1. Common to Man in respect to the Inferiour Creatures that we are their Owners Governâ—rs and End and Benefactors 2. Eminently in Rulers of Men Parents and Princes who are Analogically sub-owners sub-rulers and sub-benefactors to their inferiors in various degrees By which it is discernable what it is that we are to Love in man and with what variety of kinds and degrees of Love as the Kinds and degrees of amiableness in the objects differ 40. Even the Sun and Moon and frame of Nature the Inanimates and Bruits must be Loved in that Degree Compared to Man and to one another as their Goodness before described that is the Impressions of the Divine perfections do more or less Gloriously appear in them and as they are adapted to him the ultimate end 41. As God is in this life seen but darkly and as in a Glass so also proportionably to be Loved For our Love cannot exceed our Knowledge 42. Yet it followeth not that we must Love him only as he appareth in his works which demonstrate him as effects do their cause For both by the said works improved by Reason and by his word we know that he is before his works and above them and so distinct from them as to transcend and comprehend and cause them all by a continual causality And therefore he must accordingly be Loved 43. It greatly hindereth our Love to God when we overlook all the intermediate excellencies between Him and us which are much better and therefore more amiable than our selves such as are before recited 44. The Love of the universe as bearing the liveliest Image or impress of their Cause is an eminent secondary Love of God and a great help to our Primary or Immediate Love of him Could we comprehend the Glorious excellency of the universal Creation in its matter form parts order and uses we should see so Glorious an Image of God as would unspeakably promote the work of Love 45. Whether the GLORY of God in HEAVEN which will for ever beatifie the beholders and possessors be the Divine Essence which is every where or a Created Glory purposely there placed for the felicity of holy spirits and
Only by Rom 1â— 1â— Pride cometh contention Prov. 13. 10. He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife Prov. 28. 25. What is their wrath their scorns their railing and endeavouring to vilifie those that have offended them but the foam and vomit of their pride Proud haughty scorner is his name that dealeth in proud wrath Prov. 21. 24. § 68. Sign 17. A proud man is either an open or a secret boaster If he be ashamed to shew his Sign 17. Pride by â—pon bâ—â—â—â—ing then he learneth the skill of setting out himself and making known his excellencies in a closer and more handsome way His own commendations shall not seem the design of his speech but to come in upon the by or before he was aware as if he thought of something else or it shall seem necessary to some other end and a thing that he is unavoidably put upon as against his will Or he will take on him to conceal it but by a transparent veil as some proud women hide their beauties Or he will conjoyn the mention of some of his infirmities but they shall be such as he thinks no matter of disgrace but like proud womens beauty-spots to set out the better part which they are proud of But one way or other either by ostentation or insinuation his work is to make known all that tendeth to his honour and to see that his goodness and wisdom and greatness be not unknown or unobserved And all because he must have mens approbation the hypocrites reward He is as buried if he be unknown Proud and boasters are joyned together Rom. 1. 30. 2 Tim. 3. 2. Theudas the deceiver boasted himself to be some body Acts 5. 36. Simon Magus gave out that himself was some great one and the people all gave heed to him from the least to the greatest saying This man is the great power of God Acts 8. 9 10. Such love the praise of men more than the praise of God John 12. 43. But the humble hath learned another kind of language not affectedly but from the feeling of their hearts to cry out I am vile I am unworthy to be called a child My sins are more than the hairs of my head And he hateth their vanity that by unseasonable or immoderate commendations endeavour to stir him up to pride and so to bring him to be vile indeed by proclaiming him to be excellent Much more doth he abhor to praise himself having learned Prov. 27. 2. Let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth a stranger and not thine own lips He praiseth himself by Works and not by Words Prov. 31. 31. § 69. Sign 18. A proud man loveth honourable Names and Titles as the Pharisees to be called Sign 18. Rabbi Matth. 23. And yet they may have so much wit as to pretend that it is but to promote their service for the common good and not that they are so weak to care for empty names or else that they were forced to it by some bodies kindness without their seeking and against their wills § 70. Sign 19. Pride doth tickle the heart of fools with content and pleasure to hear themselves applauded Sign 19. or see themselves admired by the people or to hear that they have got a great reputation in the world or to be flockt after and cryed up and have many followers Herod loveth to hear in commendation of his Oration It is the voice of a God and not of a man It is a feast to the proud Acts 12. 22. to hear that men abroad do magnifie him or see that those about him do reverence and love and honour and idolize him Hence hath the Church been filled with busie Sect-masters even of those that seemed forwardest in Religion which was sadly prophesied of by Paul to the Ephesians Acts 20. 29 30. Two sorts of troublers under the name of Pastors pride hath in all Ages thrust upon the Church Devouring Wolves and dividing Sect-masters For I know this that after my departure shall grievous Wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them See also Rom. 16. 16 17. § 71. Sign 20. Pride maketh men censorious and uncharitable They extenuate other mens vertues Sign 20. and good works and suspect ungroundedly their sincerity A little thing serves to make them think or call a man an hypocrite Very few are honest or sincere or godly or humble or faithful or able or worthy in their eyes even among them that are so indeed or that they have cause to think so A slight conjecture or report seemeth enough to allow them to condemn or defame another They quickly see the Mote in a Brothers eye Their pride and fancy can create a thousand Hereticks or Schismaticks or hypocrites or ungodly ones that never were such but in the Court of their presumption Especially if they take men for their adversaries they can cast them into the most odious shape and make them any thing that the Devil will desire them But the humble are charitable to others as conscious of much infirmity in themselves which makes them need the tenderness of others They judge the best till they know the worst and censure not men until they have both evidence to prove it and a call to meddle with them having learned Matth. 7. 1 2 3 4. Iudge not that ye be not judged § 72. Sign 21. Pride causeth men to bate Reproof The proud are forward in finding faults in Sign 21. others but love not a plain Reprover of themselves Though it be a duty which God himself commandeth Lev. 19. 17. as an expression of love and contrary to hatred yet it will make a proud man to be your enemy Prov. 15. 12. A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him neither will he go unto the wise Prov. 9. 7 8. He that reproveth a scorner getteth himself shame and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot Reprove not a scorner lest be hate thee Rebuke a wise man and be will love thee It galleth their hearts and they take themselves to be injured and they will bear you a grudge for it as if you were their enemy If they valued or honoured you before you have lost them or angred them if you have told them of their faults If they love to hear a Preacher deal plainly with others they hate him when he dealeth so with them Herod will give away Iohns head when he hath first imprisoned him for telling him of his Sin though before he reverenced him and heard him gladly They can easily endure to be evil and do evil but not to hear of it As if a man that had the Leprosie loved the disease and yet hated him that telleth him that he hath it or would cure him of it This pride is the thing that hath made men so unprofitable to each other by
their opinion or sâ—ct We little consider how great a hand this Pride hath had in our desolations God hath been scattering the proud of all sorts in the imaginations of their own hearts â—â—ke 1. 51. § 88. Direct 7. Look to a humbled Christ to humble you Can you be proud while you believe Direct 7. that your Saviour was cloathed with flesh and lived in meanness and made himself of no reputation and was despised and scorned and spit upon by sinners and shamefully used and nailed as a malefactor to a cross The very incarnation of Christ is a condescension and humiliation enough to pose both â—â—th â—â—4 Mâ—â—â—â—0 men and Angels transcending all belief but such as God himself produceth by his supernatural testimony and spirit And can Pride look a crucified Christ in the face or stand before him Did God take upon him the form of a servant and must thou domineer and have the highest place Had Joâ—â— 1â— â—◠〈◊〉 2 â— 8 9 10. not Christ a place to lay his head on and must thou needst have thy adorned well-furnished rooms Must thou needs brave it out in the most fantastick fashion instead of thy Saviours seamless coat Doth he pray for his murderers And must thou be revenged for a word or petty wrong Is he patiently spit upon and buffeted And art thou ready through proud impatiencie to spit upon or busâ—â—t others Surely he that condemned sin in the flesh condemned no sin more than Pride § 89. Direct 8. Look to the examples of the most eminent saints and you will see they were all Direct 8. most eminent in humility The Apostles before the coming down of the Holy Ghost on them contended which of them should be the greatest which Christ permitted that he might most sharply rebuke it and leave his warning to all his Ministers and Disciples to the end of the world that they 〈◊〉 12. 7. 〈◊〉 44 13. that would be greatest must be the servants of all and that they must by conversion become as little children or never enter into the Kingdom of God But afterward in what humility did these Apostles labour and live and suffer in the world Paul made himself a servant unto all that he might gain the more though he was free from all men 1 Cor. 9. 19. They submitted themselves to all the injuries and affronts of men to be accounted the plagues and troublers of the world and as the scorn 1 Cor. 4. 12 13 14 15. Acts 24. 5. and off-scouring of all things and a gazing stock to Angels and to men And are you better than they If you are you are more humble and not more proud § 90. Direct 9. Look to the holy Angels that condescend to minister for man and think on the blessed Direct 9. souls with God how far they are from being proud And remember if ever thou come to Heaven how far thou wilt he from pride thy self Such a sight as Isaiahs would take doâ—n pride Isa. 6. 1 2 3. I saw the Lord sitting upon a Throne high and lifted up and his train filled the Temple Above it stood the Sâ—raphims Each one had six wings with two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet and with two he fled signifying Humility Purity and obedience And one cryed unto another and said Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts His Glory is the fulness of the whole earth So Rev. 4. 8. and vers 10. The Elders fâ—ll down and â—ast down their Crowns before him that sitteth on the Throne Look up to Heaven and you 'l abhor your pride § 91. Direct 10. Look upâ—n the great imperfection of thy grace and duties Should that man be Direct 10. proud that hath so little of the spirit and image of Jesus Christ That believeth no more and feareth God no more And loveth him no more And can no better trust in him nor rest upon his word and love Nor no more delight in him nor in his holy laws and service One would think that the lamentable weakness of any one of all these graces should take down pride and abase you in your own eyes Is he a Christian that doth not even abhor himself when he perceiveth how little he loveth his God and how little all his meditations on the Love and blood of Christ and of the infinite Goodness of God and of the heavenly Glory do kendle the fire and warm his heart Can we observe the darkness of our minds and ignorance of God and strangness to the life to come and the woful weakness of our faith and not be abased to a loathing of our selves Can we choose but even abhor those hearts that can love a friend and love the toys and vanities of this life and yet can love their God no more That take no more pleasure in his name and praise and word and service when they can find pleasure in the accomodations of their flesh Can we choose but loath those hearts that are so averse to God so loth to think of him so loth to pray to him so weary of prayer or holy meditation or any duty and yet so forward to the business and recreations of the flesh Can we feel how coldly and unbelievingly we pray how ignorantly or carnalâ—y we discourse how confusedly and vainly we think and how slothfully we work and how unprofitably we live and yet be proud and not be covered with shame O for a serious Christian to feel how little of God of Christ of Heaven is upon his heart and how little appeareth in any eminent holiness and fruitfullness and heavenliness of life is so humbling a consideration that we have much ado to own our selves and not lie down as utterly desolate Should that soul admit a thought of pride that hath so little Grace as to be uncertain whether he have any at all in sincerity or not That cannot with assurance call God Father or plead his interest in Christ or in the promises nor knoweth not if he dye this hour whether he shall go to Heaven or Hell Should he be proud that is no readier to dye and no more assured of the pardon of sin nor willinger to appear before the Lord If one pained member will make you groan and walk dejectedly though all the rest do feel no pain a soul that hath this universal weakness a weakness that is so sinful and so dangerous hath cause to be continually humbled to the dust § 92. Direct 11. Look upon thy great and manifold sins which dwell in thy heart and have been Direct 11. committed in thy life and there thou wilt see cause for great humiliation If thy body were full of Toads and Serpents and thou couldst see or feel them crawling in thee wouldst thou then be proud Why so many sins are ten thousand fold worse and should make thee far viler in thy own esteem If thou were possessed with Devils and knewest it wouldst
mourning where you may see the end of all the living and be made better by laying it to heart and let not your hearts be in the house of miâ—th Eccles. 7. 2 3 4. Delight not to converse with men that be in â—â—nâ—ur and understand not but are like the beasts that perish for though they think of perpetuating their houses and call their lands after their own names yet they abide not in their honour and this their way is their folly though yet their posterity approve their sayings Psal. 49. 20. 12. 13 14. Converse with penitent humbled souls that have seen the odiousness of sin and the wickedness and deceitfulness of the heart and can tell you by their own feeling what cause of humiliation is still before you With these are you most safe § 106. I have been the larger against PRIDE as seeing its prevalency in the world and its mischievous effects on souls and families Church and State and because it is not discerned and resisted by many as it ought I would fain have God dwell in your hearts and peace in your societies and fain have you stand fast in the hour of temptation from prosperity or adversity and fain have affliction easie to you But none of this will be without humility I am loth that under the mighty 1 Pet. 5. 6. Lam. 3. 29. 2. 19. Amos 3. 8. 1 Pet. 5. 5. Iames 4. 6. Dan. 5. 22. 2 Châ—â—n 34. â—â— hand of God we should be unhumbled even when judgements bid us lay our mouths in the dust The storms have been long up the Cedars have fallen It is the Shrubs and bending Willows that now are likest to scape I am loth to see the prognosticks of wrath upon your souls or upon the Land I am loth that any of you should through Pride be unhumbled for sin or ashamed to own despised godliness or that any should through Pride be unhumbled for sin or ashamed to own despised godliness or that any that have seemed Religious should prove seditious unpeaceable or Apostates And therefore I beseech you in a special manner take heed of pride be little in your own esteem Praise not one another unseasonably be not offended at plain reproofs Look to your duties and then leave your reputations to the will of God Rebuke pride in your children Use them to mean attire and employments Cherish not that in them which is most natural now and most pernicious God dwelleth with the Humble and will take the Humble to dwell with him Isa. 57. 15. Job 22. 29. Put on humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering forbearing one another Col. 3. 12 13. Be clothed with humility Serve the Lord with all humility of mind and â—e will exalt you in due time Acts 20. 19. 1 Pet. 5. 6 7. PART VI. See an excellenâ—â—ract a◠〈◊〉 〈…〉 3. 〈…〉 Pat. though 〈…〉 Directions against Covetousness or Love of Riches and against worldly Cares I Shall say but little on this subject now because I have written a Treatise of it already called The Crucifying of the World by the Cross of Christ in which I have given many Directions in the Preface and Treatise against this sin § 1. Direct 1. Understand well the Nature and Malignity of this sin both what it is and why it is so great and perillous I shall here shew you 1. What Love of Riches is lawful 2. What it is Direct 1. that is unlawful and in what this sin of Covetousness or Worldliness doth consist 3. Wherein the Malignity or Greatness of it lyeth 4. The Signs of it 5. What Counterfeits of the contrary vertuâ— do hide this sin from the eyes of worldlings 6. What false appearances of it do cause many to be suspected of Covetousness unjustly § 2. I. All love of the creature the world or riches is not sin For 1. The works of God are I 〈…〉 all Good as such and all Goodness is amiable As they are related to God and his Power and Wisdom and Goodness is imprinted on them so we must love them even for his sake 2. All the impressions of the Aâ—tributes of God appearing on his works do make them as a Glass in which at this distance we must see the Creator and their sweetness is a drop from him by which his Goodness and Love â—s tasted And so they were all made to lead us up to God and help our minds to conâ—â—â—â— with him and kindle the Love of God in our breasts as a Love-token from our dearest friend And thus as the means of ouâ— communion with God the Love of them is a duty and not a sin 3. They are naturally the means of sustaining our bodies and preserving life and health and alâ—â—â—â—ty And as such our sensitive part hath a Love to them as every Beast hath to their food And this Love in it self is not of moral kind and is neither a vertue nor a vice till it either be used in obedience 〈…〉 Reason and so it is good or in disobedience to it and so it is evil 4. The creatures are necessary means to support our bodies while we are doing God the service which we owe him in the world And so they must be Loved as a means to his service Though we cannot say properly that Riches are ordinarily thus necessary 5. The Creatures are necessary to sustain our bodies in our journey to Heaven while we are preparing for eternity And thus they must be loved as remote helps to our salvation And in these two last respects we call it in our prayers our daily bread 6. Riches may enable us to relieve our needy brethren and to promote good works for Church or State And thus also they may be loved so far as we must be thankful for them so far we may Love them For we must be Thankful for nothing but what is Good § 3. II. But Worldliness or sinful Love of Riches is 1. When Riches are loved and desired and Covâ—â—ousness what Phâ—l 3. 7 8 9. â—am 1. 10. Phil. 4. 11. 1 â—â—m â— 8. Prâ—v 23 4. â—abour not to be Riâ—h sought more for the Flesh than for God or our Salvation even as the matter or means of our worldly prosperity that the flesh may want nothing to please it and satisfie its desires Or that Pride may have enough wherewith to support it self by gratifying and obliging others and living at those rates and in that splendour as may shew our Greatness or further our Domination over others 2. And when we therefore desire them in that proportion which we think most agreeable to these carnal ends and are not contented with our daily bread and that proportion which may sustain us as passengers to Heaven and tend most to the securing of our souls and to the service of God So that it is the end by which a sinful Love of Riches is principally to be discerned when they are lâ—ved for pride or flesh-pleasing as they are the matter
good Nor is he most beloved of God who hath rolled over the greatest number of good thoughts in his mind or of good words in his mouth no nor he that hath stirred up the strongest passions hereabouts but he that Loveth God and Heaven best and hateth sin most and whose will is most confirmed for Holiness of life He that goeth about his labour in obedience to God may have as much comfort as another that is meditating or praying But neither labour nor prayer is matter of comfort to an ungodly carnal heart Yea if decay of memory or natural ability take you off both Action and Conâ—â—mplation you may have as much acceptance and solid comfort in a patient bearing of the Cross and an obedient ☜ cheerful submission to the holy Will of God Tit. 5. Directions to the Melancholy about their Thoughts IT is so easie and ordinary a thing for some weak-headed persons to cast themselves into Melancholy Read more after Paâ—t 3. against Despair by over-straining either their Thoughts or their Affections and the case of such is so exceeding lamentable that I think it requisite to give such some particular Directions by themselves And the rather because I see some Persons that are unacquainted with the nature of this and other diseases exceedingly abuse the name of God and bring the profession of Religion into scorn by imputing all the affects and speeches of such Melancholy persons to some great and notable operations of the spirit of God and thence draw observations of the methods and workings of God upon the soul and of the nature of the legal workings of the spirit of bondage As some other such have divulged the prophecies the possessions and dispossessing of Hysterical Women as I have read especially in the Writings of the Fryars I do not call those Melancholy who are rationally sorrowful for sin and sensible of their misery and sollicitous about their recovery and salvation though it be with as great seriousness as the faculties can bear As long as they have sound Reason and the imagination fantasie or thinking faculty is not crazed or diseased But by Melancholy I mean this diseased crazynes hurt or errour of the imagination and consequently of the understanding which 〈◊〉 dicunt â—â—p entem nunquam sanitate mentis excâ—dere Incidere tamen aliquando in imaginationes absurdas propter atraebiâ—is redundantiam sive ob delâ—rationem non quidem deviatione rationis verum ex imbecilâ—itate naturae Laert. in Zâ—â—one is known by these following signes which yet are not all in every Melancholy person § 2. 1. They are commonly exceeding fearful causlesly or beyond what there is cause for every thing which they hear or see is ready to increase their fears especially if fear was the first cause as ordinarily it is 2. Their fantasie most erreth in aggravating their sin or dangers or unhappiness every ordinary infirmity they are ready to speak of with amazement as a heynous sin And every possible danger they take for probable and every probable one for certain and every little danger for a great one and every calamity for an utter undoing 3. They are still addicted to excess of sadness some weeping they know not why and some thinking it ought to be so and if they should smile or speak merrily their hearts smite them for it as if they had done amiss 4. They place most of their Religion in sorrowing and austerities to the flesh 5. They are continual self-accusers turning all into matter of accusation against themselves which they hear or read or see or think of quarrelling with themselves for every thing they do as a contentious person doth with others 6. They are still apprehending themselves forsaken of God and are prone to despair They are just like a man in a Wilderness forsaken of all his friends and comforts forlorn and desolate their continual thought is I am undone undone undone 7. They are still thinking that the day of Grace is past and that it is now too late to repent or to find mercy If you tell them of the tenour of the Gospel and offers of free pardon to every penitent believer they cry out still too late too late my day is past not considering that every soul that truly repenteth in this life is certainly forgiven 8. They are oft tempted to gather despairing thoughts from the doctrine of Predestination and to think that if God have reprobated them or have not elected them all that they can do or that all the world can do cannot saâ—e them and next they strongly conceit that they are not elected and so that they are past help or hope not knowing that God electeth not any man separatedly or simply to be saved but conjunctly to believe repent and to be saved and so to the end and means together and that all that will repent and choose Christ and a holy life are elected to salvation because they are elected to the means and condition of salvation which if they persevere they shall enjoy To Repent is the best way to prove that I am elected to Repent 9. They never read or hear of any miserable instance but they are thinking that this is their case If they hear of Cain of Pharaoh given up to hardness of heart or do but read that some are vessels of wrath fitted to destruction or that they have eyes and see not ears and hear not hearts and understand not they think This is all spoken of me or this is just my case If they hear of any terrible example of Gods judgements on any they think it will be so with them If any dye suddenly or a house be burnt or any be distracted or dye in despair they think it will be so with them The reading of Spira's case causeth or increaseth Melancholy in many the ignorant Author having described a plain Melancholy contracted by the trouble of sinning against Conscience as if it were a damnable despair of a sound understanding 10. And yet they think that never any one was as they are I have had abundance in a few weeks with me almost just in the same case and yet every one say that never any one was as they 11. They are utterly unable to Rejoyce in any thing They cannot apprehend believe or think of any thing that is comfortable to them They read all the threatnings of the word with quick sense and application but the Promises they read over and over without taking notice of them as if they had not read them or else say They do not belong to me The greater the mercy of God is and the riches of grace the more miserable am I that have no part in them They are like a man in continual pain or sickness that cannot rejoyce because the feeling of his pain forbiddeth him They look on husband wife friends children house goods and all without any comfort as one would do that is going to be executed for some
avoided And usually narrow sighted persons are fearful only of one extream and see no danger but on one side and therefore are easily carried by avoiding that into the contrary § 38. I think it not unprofitable to instance in several particular Cautions that you imitate not them that put asunder what God hath conjoyned and cast not away truth as oft as you are puzzled in the right placing or methodizing it § 39. Inst. 1. The first and second Causes are conjoyned in their operations and therefore must not Instance 1. be put asunder If the way of influx concourse or co-operation be dark and unsearchable to you do not deny that it is because you see not how it is The honour of the first and second Cause also are conjunct according to their several interests in the effects Do not therefore imagine that all the honour ascribed to the second cause is denyed or taken away from the first For then you understand not their order Otherwise you would see that as the second causeth independance on the first and in subordination to it and hath no power but what is communicated by it so it hath no honour but what is received from it and that it is no less honour for the first cause to operate mediately by the second than immediately by it self And that there is no less of the Power Wisdom or Goodness of God in an effect produced by means and second causes than in that which he produceth of himself only without them And that it is his Goodness to communicate a power of doing good to his creatures and the honour of working and causing under him but he never loseth any thing by communicating nor hath the less himself by giving to his creatures For if all that honour that is given to the Creature were taken injuriously from God then God would never have made the world nor made a Saint and then the worst creatures would least dishonour God Then he would not shine by the Sun but by himself immediately and then he would never Glorifie either Saint or Angel But on the contrary it is Gods honour to work by adapted means And all their honour is truly his As all the commendation of a Clock or Watch is given to the Workman And though God do not all so immediately as to use no means or second causes yet is he never the further from the effect but immediatione virtutis suppositi is himself as near as if he used none § 40. Inst. 2. The special Providence of God and his being the first Universal cause are conjunct Instance 2. with the culpability of sinners and no man must put these asunder Those that cannot see just how they are conjoyned may be sure that they are conjoyned It is no dishonour to an Engineer that he can make a Watch which shall go longer than he is moving it with his finger Nor is it a dishonour to our Creator that he can make a Creature which can Morally determine it self to an action as commanded or forbidden without the predetermination of his Maker though not without his universal concourse necessary to action as action If Adam could not do this through the natural impossibility of it than the Law was that he should dye the death if he did not overcome God or do that which was naturally impossible and this was the nature of his sin Few dare say that God cannot make a free self-determining agent And if he can we shall easily prove that he hath and the force of their opposition then is vanished § 41. Inst. 3. The Omniscience of God and his Dominion Government and Decrees are conjunct with Instance 3. the liberty and sin of man yet these by many are put asunder As if God must either be Ignorant or be the author of sin As if he made one poor by Decreeing to make another Rich As if he cannot be a perfect Governour unless he procure all his subjects perfectly to keep his Laws As if all the fault of those that break the Law were to be laid upon the Maker of the Law As if all Gods will de debito were not effective of its proper work unless man fulfill it in the Event And as if it were possible for any Creature to comprehend the way of the Creators Knowledge § 42. Inst. 4. Many would separate Nature and Grace which God the author of both conjoyneth Instance 4. When Grace supposeth Nature and in her Garden soweth all her seed and exciteth and rectifieth all her powers yet these men talk as if Nature had been annihilated or Grace came to annihilate it and not to cure it As if the Leprosie and Disease of Nature were Nature it self And as if Natural Good had been lost as much as Moral Good As if man were not man till Grace make him a man § 43. Inst. 5. Many separate the Natural Power of a sinner from his Moral impotency and Instance 5. his Natural freedome of will from his Moral servitude as if they were inconsistent when they are conjunct As if the Natural faculty might not consist with an evil disposition or a Natural power with an habitual unwillingness to exercise it aright And as if a sinner were not still a man § 44. Inst. 6. Many separate General and special Grace and Redemption as inconsistent when they Instance 6. are conjunct When the General is the proper way and means of accomplishing the ends of the special Grace and is still supposed As if God could not give more to some if he give any thing to all Or as if he gave nothing to all if he give more to any As if he could not deal equally and without difference with all as a Legislator and righteously with all as a Iudge unless he deal equally and without difference with all as a Benefactor in the free distribution of his gifts As if he were obliged to make every Worm and Beast a man and every man a King and every King an Angel and every Clod a Star and every Star a Sun § 45. Inst. 7. Many separate the Glory of God and mans salvation God and man in assigning the Instance 7. ultimate End of man As if a Moral Intention might not take in both As if it were not finis amantis and the end of a Lover were not union in Mutual Love As if Love to God may not be for ever the final act and God himself the final object And as if in this magnetick closure though both may be called the End yet there might not in the closing parties be an infinite disproportion and one only be finis ultimate ultimus § 46. Inst. 8. Yea many would separate God from God while they would separate God from Heaven Instance 8. and say that we must be content to be shut out of Heaven for the Love of God! When our Heaven is the perfect Love of God And so they say in effect that for
soon as Isaac had given it to Iacob Answ. When he had sold his birth-right it was too late to recall it for the right was made over to his Brother It seemeth to be Isaac's Repentance which â—â—aw found no place â—â—â—â— But â—â— it be spoken oâ— the unacceptableness of his own Repentance when it was too late it signifieth not that any mans is too late in this life as to 〈…〉 and it was not Repentance and cryes and tears that could recal the right he had sold nor recal the words that Isaac had spoken But this doth not prove that our day of grace doth not continue till death or that any man Repenting before his death shall be rejected as Esau's repentance was The Apostle neither saith nor meaneth any such thing The sense of his words are only this much Take heed lest there be any so prophane among you as to set so light by the blessings of the Gospel even Christ and life eternall as to part with them for a base lust or transitory thing as Esau that set more by a morsel of meat than by his birth-right For let them be sure that the time will come even the time mentioned by Christ Matth. 25. 10 11. when the door is shut and the Lord is come when they will dearly repent it and then as it was with Esau when the blessing was gone so it will be with them when their blessing is gone Repentance and cries and tears will be too late For the Gospel hath its justice and terrors as well as the Law This is all in the Text but there is no intimation that our day of Grace is as short as Esau's hope of the blessing was § 15. Obj. 4. Saul had but his time which when he lost he was forsaken of God Obj. 4. Answ. Saul's sin provoked God to reject him from being King of Israel and to appoint another in Answ. his stead But if Saul had Repented he had been saved after that though not restored to the Crown And its true that as God withdrew from him the spirit of Government so many before death by the greatness of their sins cause God to forsake them so far as to withhold those motions and convictions and fears and disquietments in sin which sometime they had and to give them over to a reprobate mind Rom. 1. 28. to commit all uncleanness with greediness and glory in it as being past feeling Eph. 4. 18 19. If it be thus with you you would be no better you would not be recovered you think sin is best for you and hate all that would reform you § 16. Obj. 5. It is said 2 Cor. 6. 2. Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvavation Obj. 5. And Heb. 3. 7 12 13. To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin Answ. This saith no more than that the present time is the hest yea the only certain time and we Answ. are not sure that the day of salvation will continue any longer because death may cut us off But if it do not yet sin is a hardening thing and the longer we sin the more it hardeneth yea God may withhold the motions of his spirit and leave us to our selves to the hardness of our hearts and thus he doth by thousands of wicked persons who are left in impenitency and hatred of the truth But most certainly if those men Repented they might be saved and the very reason why they have not Christ and life is still because they will not consent § 17. Direct 6. Understand by what help and strength it is that the Obedience to the Gospel must be Direct 6. performed not meerly by your own strength but by the help of grace and strength of Christ If he have but made you willing he will help you to perform the rest You are not by this Covenant to be a Saviour and sanctifier to your selves but to Consent that Christ be your Saviour and the Holy Spirit your Sanctifier You might else despair indeed if you were left to that which you are utterly unable to do Though you must work out your own salvation with fear and trembling it is he that worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. § 18. Direct 7. Understand well the difference between mortal sins and Infirmities that you may not Direct 7. think that every sin is a sign of death or gracelesness but may know the difference between those sins which should make you think your selves unjustified and those sins which only call for particular humiliation being such as the justified themselves commit Though in the Popish sense we take no sin to be venial that is which in it self is properly no sin nor deserveth death according to the Law of works yet the distinction between Mortal and Venial sin is of very great necessity that is between sins which prove a man De quâ vide Tract Râ—b Baâ—oâ—â—â—â— Of Mortal and Venial sin in a state of death or unjustified and sins which consist with a state of Grace and justification between sins which the Gospel pardoneth not and those which it pardoneth that is all that stand with true Repentance There are some sins which every one that Repenteth of them doth so forsake as to cease committing them And there are some lesser sins which they that Repent of them do hate indeed but yet frequently renew as our defective degrees in the exercise of Repentance it self faith love trust fear obedience our vain thoughts and words some sinful passions omissions of many duties of thought affection word or deed towards God or man some minutes of time over-slip us prayer and other duties have a sinful coldness or remissness in them and such like Many such sins are fitly called Infirmities and Venial because they consist with Life and are forgiven It is of great use to the peace of our Consciences to discern the difference between these two for one sort require a Conversion to another state and the other require but a particular repentance and where they are unknown are forgiven without particular repentance because our general repentance is virtually though not actually particular as to them One sort are cause of judging our selves ungodly and the other sort are only cause of filial humiliation Any one may see the great need of discerning the difference but yet it is a matter of very great judgement doctrinally to distinguish them much more actually to discern them in every instance in your selves The way is to know first what is the condition of the New-Covenant and of absolute necessity to salvation or justification and then every sin that is inconsistent with that condition is mortal and the rest that are consistent and do consist with it are venial or but infirmities As Venial signifieth only that sort of sin which is
Direct 6. It must be well considered how powerful and dangerous things sensible are and how Direct 6. high and hard a work it is in this our depraved earthly state to live by faith upon things unseen and to rule the sense and be carryed above it that so the soul may be awakened to a sufficient fear and watchfulness and may fly to Christ for assistance to his faith It is no small thing for a man in flesh to live above flesh The way of the souls reception and operation is so much by the senses here that its apt to grow too familiar with things sensible and to be strange to things which it never saw It s a great work to make a man in flesh to deny the pleasures which he seeth and tasteth and feeleth for such pleasures as he only heareth of and heareth of as never to be enjoyed till after death in a world which sense hath no acquaintance with O what a glory it is to faith that it can perform such a work as this How hard is it to a weak believer And the strongest find it work enough Consider this that it may awake you to set upon this work with that care that the greatness of it requireth and you may live by faith above a life of sight and sense For it is this that your Happiness or misery lyeth on § 9. Direct 7. Sense must not only be kept out of the Throne but from any participation in the Government Direct 7. and we must take heed of receiving it into our counsels or treating with it or hearing it plead its cause and we must see that it get nothing by striving importunity or violence but that it be governed despotically and absolutely as the Horse is governed by the Rider For if the Government once be halved between sense and reason your lives will be half bestial And when Reason ruleth not Faith and Grace ruleth not For faith is to reason as sight is to the eye There are no such Beasts in humane shape who lay by all the use of Reason and are governed by sense alone unless it be idcots or madmen But sense should have no part of the Government at all And where it is chief in power the Devil is there the unseen Governour You cannot here excuse your selves by any plea of necessity or corstcaint For though the sense be violent as well as entising yet God hath made the Reason and Will the absolute Governours under him and by all its rebellion and violence sense cannot depose them nor force them to one sin but doth all the mischief by procuring their consent Which is done sometime by affecting the fantasâ—e and passions too deeply with the pleasure and alluring sweetness of their objects that so the higher faculties may be drawn into consent and sometime by wearying out the resisting mind and will and causing them to remit their opposition and relax the reins and by a sinful privatiâ—n of restraint to permit the sense to take its course A head-strong Horse is not so easily ruled as one of a tender mouth that hath been well ridden And therefore though it be in the power of the Rider to rule him yet sometime for his own case he will loose the reins and a Horse that is used thus by a slothful or unskilful Rider to have his will when ever he striveth will strive when ever he is crossed of his will and so will be the Master As ill-bred Children that are used to have every thing given them which they cry for will be sure to cry before they will be crost of their desire So is it with our sensitive appetite If you use to satisfie it when it is eager or importunate you shall be mastered by its eagerness and importunity And if you use but to regard it over much and delay your commands till sense is heard and taken into counsel it s two to one but it will prevail or ar least will be very troublesome to you and prove a traytor in your bosome and its temptations keep you in continual danger Therefore be sure that you never loose the reins but keep sense under a constant government if you love either your safety or your ease § 10. Direct 8. You may know whether Sense or Faith and Reason be the chief in Government by Direct 8. knowing which of their objects is made your chiefest End and accounted your Best and loved and delighted in and sought accordingly If the objects of sense be thus taken for your Best and End then certainly sense is the chief in Government But if the objects of faith and Reason even God and life eternal be taken for your Best and End then faith and reason are the ruling power Though you should use never so great understanding and policy for sensual things as Riches and honour and worldly greatness or fleshly delights this doth not prove that Reason is the ruling power but proveth the ☜ more strongly that sense is the Conquerour and that Reason is depraved and captivated by it and truckleth under it and serveth it as a voluntary slave And the greater is your learning wit and parts and the nobler your education the greater is the victory and dominion of sense that can subdue and rule and serve it self by parts so noble § 11. Direct 9. Though sense must be thus absolutely ruled its proper power must neither be disabled Direct 9. prohibited nor denyed You must keep your Horse strong and able for his works though not head-strong and unruly And you must not keep him from the use of his strength though you grant him not the Government Nor will you deny but that he may be stronger than the Rider though the Rider have the ruling power He hath more of the power called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 natural power though the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be yours So is it here 1. No man must destroy his bodily sense The quickest sense is the best servant to the soul if it be not headstrong and too impetuous The Body must be stricken so far as to be kept under and brought into subjection 1 Cor. 9. 27. but not be disabled from its service to the soul 2. Nor must we forbid or forbear the exercise of the senses in subordination to the exercise of the interior senses Heb. 4. 14. It is indeed a smaller loss to part with a right hand or a right eye than with our salvation But that proveth not that we are put to such streights as to be necessitated to either unless persecution put us to it 3. Nor must we deny the certainty of the sensitive apprehension when it keepeth its place as the Papists do that affirm it necessary to salvation to believe that the sight and taste and smell and feeling of all men in the world that take the Sacrament are certainly deceived in taking that to be Bread and Wine which is not so For if all the senses of all
that hath given us the higher faculty requireth that we use it as well as the lower And remember that they are not meer co-ordinate faculties but the sensitive faculty is subordinate to the Intellectual And accordingly that which the sensible creature objectively revealeth through the sense unto the Intellect is something to which things sensible are subordinate Therefore if you stop in sensible things and see not the Principle which animateth them the Power which ordereth and ruleth them and the End which they are made for and must be used for you play the Beasts you see nothing but a dead carkass without the soul and nothing but a useless senseless thing You know nothing indeed to any purpose no not the creature it self while you know not the use and meaning of the creature but separate it from its Life and Guide and End § 15. Direct 12. First therefore see that you ever look upon all things sensible as the products of the Direct 12. will of the invisible God depending on him more than the Sunshine doth upon the Sun and never see or taâ—â—e a creature separatedly from God Will you know what a plant is and not know that it is the earth that beareth and nourisheth it Will you know what a Fish is and yet be ignorant that he liveth in the water Will you know what a branch or fruit is and yet not know that it groweth on the Tree The nature of things cannot be known without the knowledge of their causes and respective parts It is as no knowledge to know incoherent scraps and parcels To know a hand as no part of the body or an eye or nose without knowing a head or a body without knowing its life or soul is not to know it for you make it another thing It is the difference between a wise man and a fool that Sapiens respicit ad plura insipiâ—ns ad pauciora A wise man looketh comprehensively to things as they are conjunct and takes all together and leaveth out nothing that is useful to his end but a fool seeth one thing and overseeth another which is necessary to the true knowledge or use of that which he seeth see God as the Cause and Life of every thing you see As a carkass is but a ghastly sight without the soul and quickly corrupteth and stinketh when it is separated so the Creature without God is an unlovely sight and quickly corrupteth and becomes a snare or annoyance to you God is the beauty of all that 's beautiful and the strength of all that 's strong and the glory of the Sun and all that is glorious and the wisdom of all that 's wise and the goodness of all that 's good as being the only original total cause of all You play the Brutes when you see the creature and overlook its Maker from whom it is whatsoever it is Will you see the Diall and overlook the Sun Remember it is the use of every Creature to shew you God and therefore it is the use of every sense to promote the knowledge of him § 16. Direct 13. See God as the Conductor orderer and disposer of all the creatures according to their natures as moved necessarily or freely and behold not any of the motions or events of the world without observing the interest and over-ruling hand of God Sense reacheth but to the effects and events but Reason and faith can see the first cause and disposer of all Again I tell you that if you look but on the particles of things by sense and see not God that setteth all together and doth his work by those that never dream of it you see but the several wheels and parcels of a Clock or Watch and know not him that made and keepeth it that setteth on the Poise and winds it up to fit his ends Ioseph could say God sent me hither when his Brethren sold him into Aegypt And David felt his Fathers Rod in Shimei's curse § 17. Direct 14. See God the End of every creature how all things are ordered for his service and Direct 14. be sure you stop not in any creature without referring it to a higher end Else as I have oft told you you will be but like a Child or illiterate person who openeth a Book and admireth the workmanship of the Printer and the order and well forming of the Letters but never mindeth or understandeth the subject sense or end Or like one that looketh on a comely picture and never mindeth either him that made it or him that is represented by it Or like one that gazeth on the Sign at an Inn-door and praiseth the workmanship but knoweth not that it is set there to direct him to entertainment and necessaries within And this folly and sin is the greater because it is the very end of God in all his works of Creation and Providence to reveal himself by them to the intellectual world And must God shew his Power and Wisdom and Goodness so wonderfully in the frame of the creation and in his daily general and particular providence and shall man that daily seeth all this overlook the intended use and end and so make all this glorious work as nothing or as lost to him Sense knoweth no End but its own Delight and the natural felicity of the sensitive creature such as things sensible afford But Reason must take up the work where sense doth end its stage and carry all home to him that is the End of all For OF Him and THROUGH Him and TO Him are all things to whom be Glory for ever Amen Rom. 11. 36. § 18. Direct 15. Besides the General Use and Ultimate End of every creature labour for a clear acquaintance Direct 15. with the particular Use and nearer End of every thing which you have to do with by which it is serviceable to your Ultimate End And suppose still you saw that special use as subserving your highest End as the Title written upon each creature As suppose upon your Bible it were written The Word of the Living God to acquaint me with himself and his will that I may please and glorifie and enjoy him for ever And upon your godly friend suppose you saw this Title written A Servant of God that beareth his Image and appointed to accompany and assist me in his service unto life everlasting Upon your meat suppose you saw this Title written The provisions of my Father sent me as from my Saviours hands not to gratifie my sensuality and serve my inordinate desires but to refresh and strengthen my body for his service in my passage to everlasting life So upon your Clothes your Servants your Goods your Cattel your Houses and every thing you have inscribe thus the proper use and end § 19. Direct 16. Know both the final and the mediate danger of every thing that you have to do Direct 16. with and suppose you still see them written upon every thing you see The final
answer 1. Regard your duty more than what men think of you Prefer virtue before the thoughts or breath of men 2. But yet if you do it wisely the wise and good will think much the better of you You may easily let them see that you do it not in fordid sparing but in love of Temperance and of them if you speak but when there is need either for eating more or less and if your discourse be first in general for Temperance and apply it not till you see that they need help in the application 3. It is undenyable that healthful persons are much more prone to excess than to the defect in eating and that nature is very much bent to Luxury and Gluttony I think as much as to any one sin and it s as sure that it is a beastly breeding odious sin And if this be so is it not clear that we should do a great deal more to help one another against such Luxury than to provoke them to it Had we not a greater regard to mens favour and fansies and reports than to God and the good of their souls the case were soon decided § 11. 7. Another cause of Gluttony is that Rich men are not acquainted with the true Use of 〈…〉 aâ—te alios Aâ—tes quae liberalis â—uerâ—nt mechaâ—iâ—ae â—vaseâ—e ipsâ—â— qui â—â—lloâ—â—m dâ—â—â—â— philo sophi â—â—â—â—tores â—â—â—â—iâ—â— aâ— pâ—tâ—es patâ—â—â—â— esse solent 〈…〉 atque a 〈…〉 â—actiâ—â—â—â— â—â—que intelligaâ— nullam esse râ—â—â—â—quam spem salâ—tâ—â— Nobâ—â—itatâ— tribuâ—tur quod est Gulae aâ—t procâ—lâ—â—bio â—â—â—â—itatis Petrarch Riches nor think of the account which they must make to God of all they have They think that their Riches are their own and that they may use them as they please or that they are given them as plentiful provisions for their flesh and they may use them for themselves to satisfie their own desires as long as they drop some crums or scraps or small matters to the poor They think they may be saved just in the same way that the Rich man in Luk. 16. was damned and he that would have warned his five Brethren that they come not to that place of torment is yet himself no warning to his followers They are cloathed in purple and fine linen or silk and fare sumptuously or deliciously every day and have their good things in this life and perhaps think they merit by giving the scraps to Lazarus which its like that Rich man also did But God will one day make them know that the Richest were but his Stewards and should have made a better distribution of his provisions and a better improvement of his Talents and that they had nothing of all their Riches given them for any hurtful or unprofitable pleasing of their Appetites nor had no more allowance for Luxury than the poor If they knew the Right use of Riches it would reform them § 12. 8. Another cause of Gluttony is their unacquaintedness with those Rational and Spiritual Exercises in which the delightful fruits of Abstinence do most appear A man that is but a painful serious Student in any noble study whatsoever doth find a great deal of â—erenity and aptitude come by Temperance and a great deal of cloudy mistiness on his mind and dulness on his invention come by fulness and excess And a man that is used to holy contemplations meditation reading prayer self-examination or any spiritual converse above or with his heart doth easily find a very great difference how abstinence helpeth and Luxury and fullness hinder him Now these Epicures have no acquaintance with any such Holy or Manly works nor any mind of them and are therefore unacquainted with the sweetness and benefit of abstinence and having no taste or tryal of its benefits they cannot value it They have nothing to do when they rise from eating but a little talk about their worldly business or complement and talk with company which expect them or go to their sports to empty their paunches for another meele and quicken their appetites lest Luxury should decay as the Israelites worshipped the Golden Calf and as the Heathens their God Bacchus Exod. 32. 5. They sate down 1 Cor. â—0 7. to eat and drink and rose up to play Their dyet is fitted to their work Their idle or worldly lives agree with gluttony But were they accustomed to better work they would find a necessity of a better dyâ—◠§ 13. 9. Another great cause of Gluttony is mens beastly ignorance of what is hurtful or helpful Of this see more in my Book of self-denyal to their very health They make their Appetites their Rule for the quantity and quality of their food And they think that nature teacheth them so to do because it giveth them such an Appetite and because it is the measure to a beast And to prove themselves Beasts they therefore take it for their measure As if their natures were not Rational but only sensitive or nature had not given them Reason to be the superiour and Governour of sense As if they knew not that God giveth the Bruits an appetite more bounded because they have not Reason to bound it and giveth them not the temptation Sâ—e Plutarâ—ks Precepts of health of your delicate varieties or giveth them a concoction answerable to their appetites and yet giveth man to be the Rational Governour of those of them that are for his special service and apt to exceed And if his Swine his Horses and his Cattle were all left to their Appetites they would live but a little while If promiscuous generating be not lawful in mankind which is lawful in bruits why should they not confess the same of the Appetite Men have so much love of life and fear of death that if they did but know how much their Gluttony doth hasten their death it would do more to restrain it with the most than the fear of death eternal doth But they judge of their digestion by their present feeling If they feel not their stomachs sick or disposed to vomit or if no present pain correct them they think their Gluttony doth not hurt them and think they have eaten no more than doth them good But of this more anon in the Directions § 14. 10. Another great cause of Gluttony is that it is grown the common custome and being not known is in no disgrace unless men eat till they spew or to some extraordinary measure And so the measure which every man seeth another use he thinketh is moderation and is fit for him whereas the ignorance of Physick and matters of their own health hath made Gluttony almost as common as eating with those that are not restrained by want or sickness And so every man is an example of evil to another and encourage one another in the sin If Gluttony were but in as much disgrace as whoredome yea or as drunkenness is and as easily known and as commonly taken notice of it would contribute
would be more offended Therefore I shall only give you these general intimations 1. Nature is content with a little but Appetite is never content till it have drowned Nature 2. It is the perfection of concoction and 〈…〉 Senec. goodness of the nutriment that is more conducible to health than the quantity 3. Nature will easilier overcome twice the quantity of some light and passable nourishment than half so much of gross and heavy meats Therefore those that prescribe just twelve Ounces a day without differencing meats that so much differ do much mistake 4. A healthful strong body must have more than the weak and sickly 5. Middle aged persons must have more than old folks or children Juvenum viâ—tus est Nihil â—â—â—â—us Soâ—â—at 6. Hard Labourers must have more than easie Labourers and these more than the idle or Students or any that stir but little 7. A body of close Pores that evacuateth little by sweat or transpiration must have less especially of moisture than another 8. So must a cold and flegmatick constitution 9. So must a stomach that corrupteth its food and casteth it forth by periodical bilious evacuations 10. That which troubleth the stomach in the digestion is too much or too bad unless with very weak sickly persons 11. So is that too much or bad which maketh you more dull for study or more heavy and unfit for labour unless some disease be the principal cause 12. A body that by excess is already filled with crudities should take less than another that nature may have time to digest and waste them 13. Every one should labour to know the temperature of their own bodies and what diseases they are most enclined to and so have the judgement of their Physicion or some skilful person to give them such directions as are suitable to their own particular temperature and diseases 14. Hard Labourers err more in the quality than the quantity partly through poverty partly through ignorance and partly through appetite while they refuse that which is more wholsome as meer Bread and Beer if it be less pleasing to them 15. If I may presume to conjecture ordinarily very hard Labourers exceed in quantity about a fourth part Shop-keepers and persons of easier Trades do ordinarily exceed about a third part Voluptuous Gentlemen and their Servingmen and other servants of theirs that have no hard labour do usually exceed about half in half But still I except persons that are extraordinarily temperate through weakness or through wisdom And the same Gentlemen usually exceed in Variety Costliness Curiosity and Time much more than they do in quantity so that they are Gluttons of the first magnitude The Children of those that govern not their appetites but let them eat and drink as much and as often as they desire it do usually exceed above half in half and lay the foundation of the diseases and miseries of all their lives All this is about the truth though the Belly believe it not § 48. When you are once grown wise enough to know what in measure and time and quality is Venter praecepta non audit Senec. fittest for your health go not beyond that upon any importunity of Appetite or of friends For all that is beyond that is Gluttony and sensuality in its degree § 49. Direct 8. If you can lawfully avoid it make not your Table a snare of Temptation to your Direct 8. selves or others I know a greedy appetite will make any Table that hath but necessaries a snare to iâ— If you will not take this counsel at least use after meat to set before your guests a Bason and a â—eather oâ— a Provang to vomit it up again that you may shew some mercy to their bodies if you will shew none to their souls self But do not you unnecessarily become Devils or tempters to your selves or others 1. For Quality study not Deliciousness too much unless for some weak distempered stomachs the best meat is that which leaveth behind it in the mouth neither a troublesome loathing nor an eager appetite after more for the tastes sake But such as Bread is that leaveth the Palate in an indifferent moderation The curious inventions of new and dilicious dishes meerly to please the Appetite is Gluttony inviting to greater Gluttony Excess in Quality to invite to excess in Quantity § 50. Object But you 'll say I shall be thought niggardly or sordid and reproached behind my back if my Table be so fitted to the temperate and abstinent Answ. This is the pleading of Pride for Gluttony Rather than you will be talkt against by belly-gods A Sensualist craving to be admitted of Cato among his familiars Cato answered him I cannot live wiâ—h one whose Palate is wiser than his brain Erâ—s or ignorant fleshly people you will sin against God and prepare a Feast or Sacrifice for Bacchus or Venus The antient Christians were torn with Beasts because they would not cast a little Frankincense into the fire on the Altar of an Idol And will you feed so many Idol bellies so liberally to avoid their censure Did not I tell you that Gulosity is an irrational vice Good and temperate persons will speak well of you for it And do you more regard the judgement and esteem of belly-gods § 51. Object But it is not only riotous luxurious persons that I mean I have no such at my Table But it will be the matter of obloquy even to good people and those that are sober Answ. I told you some measure of Gluttony is become a common sin and many are tainted with it through custome that otherwise are good and sober But shall they therefore be left as uncurable or shall they make all others as bad as they And must we all commit that sin which some sober people are grown to favour You bear their censures about different opinions in Religion and other matters of difference and why not here The deluded Quakers may be witnesses against you that while they run into the contrary extream can bear the deepest censures of all the world about them And cannot you for honest Temperance and Sobriety bear the censures of some distempered or guilty persons that are of another mind Certainly in this they are no Temperate persons when they plead for excess and the baits of sensuality and intemperance § 52. 2. For variety also make not your Table unnecessarily a snare Have no greater variety than the weakness of stomachs or variety of Appetites doth require Unnecessary variety and pleasantness of meats are the Devils great instruments to draw men to Gluttony And I would wish no good people to be his Cooks or Caterers When the very brutish Appetite it self begins to say of one dish I have enough then comes another to tempt it unto more excess and â—â—other after that to more All this that I have said I have the concurrent judgement of Physicion 〈…〉 n who condemn fulness and variety as
when their appetite desireth it to the hindring of concoction and the increase of Crudities and Catarhs and to the secret gradual vitiating of their humours and generating of many diseases and this without any true necessity or the approbation of sound Reason or any wise Physicion Yet they tipple but at home where you may find the pot by them at unseasonable times § 12. 3. The third degree are many poor men that have not drink at home and when they come to a Gentlemans house or a feast or perhaps an ALE-house they will pour in for the present to excess though not to Drunkenness and think it is no harm because it is but seldom and they drink so small drink all the rest of the year that they think such a fit as this sometimes is medicinal to them and tendeth to their health § 13. 4. Another rank of Bibbers are those that though they haunt not ALE-houses or Taverns yet have a throat for every health or pledging Cup that reacheth not to drunkenness and use ordinarily to drink many unnecessary cups in a day to pledge as they call it those that drink to them And custom and complement are all their excuse § 14. 5. Another degree of Bibbers are common ALE-house haunters that love to be there and to sit many hours perhaps in a day with a pot by them tipling and drinking one to another And if they have any bargain to make or any friend to meet the ALE-house or Tavern must be the place where Tippling may be one part of their work 6. The highest degree are they that are not apt to be stark Drunk and therefore think themselves less faulty while they sit at it and make others drunk and are strong themselves to bear away more than others can bear They have the Drunkards appetite and measure and pleasure though they have not his giddiness and loss of wit § 15. 3. And of those that are truly Drunken also there are many degrees and kinds As some will be drunk with less and some with more so some are only possessed with a little diseased Levity and talkativeness more than they had before Some also have distempered eyes and stammering tongues Some also proceed to unsteady reeling heads and stumbling feet and unfitness for their callings Some go further to sick and vomiting stomachs or else to sleepy heads and some proceed to stark madness quarrelling railing bawling hooting ranting roaring or talking non-sense or doing mischief the furious sort being like mad dogs that must be tyed and the sottish prating and spewing sort being commonly the derision of the boys in the streets § 16. II. Having told you what Tipling and Drunkenness is I shall briefly tell you their causes But briefly because you may gather most of them from what is said of the Causes of Gluttony 1. The first and grand causes are these three concurrent A beastly raging appetite or gulosity A weakness of Reason and Resolution to rule it And a want of Faith to strengthen Reason and of Holiness to strengthen Resolution These are the very cause of all § 17. 2. Another cause is their not-knowing that their excess and tipling is really a hurt or danger to their health And they are ignorant of this from many causes One is because they have been bred up among ignorant people and never taught to know what is good or bad for their own bodys but only by the common talk of the mistaken vulgar Another is because their Appetite so maiâ—â—reth their very Reason that they can choose to believe that which they would not have to be true Another reason is because they are of heathful bodies and therefore feel no hurt at present and presume that they shall feel none hereafter and see some abstemious persons weaker than they who began not to be abstemious till some chronical disease had first invaded them And thus they do by their Bodys just as wicked men do by their souls They judge all by present feeling and have not wisdom enough to take things foreseen into their deliberation and accounts That which will be a great while hence they take for nothing or an uncertain something next to nothing As Heaven and Hell move not ungodly men because they seem a great way off so while they feel themselves in health they are not moved with the threatning of sickness The cup is in their hands and therefore they will not set it by for fear of they know not what that will befall them you know not when As the thief that was told he should answer it at the day of judgement said he would take the other Cow too if he should stay unpunished till then so these Belly-Gods think they will take the other cup if they shall but stay till so long hence And thus because this temporal punishment of their gulosity is not speedily exercised the hearts of men are fully set in them to please their appetites § 18. 3. Another cause of Tipling and Drunkenness is a wicked Heart that loveth the company Why Gregory set up Wakes and Church-Ales and Meetings on Holy-days in England you may see Li. 10. Regist. Ep. 71. in policy to win the heathens Qui boves solent multos in sacrificio daemonum occideâ—e debet his etiam de hac re aliqua solemnitas immutari ut die dedicationis vel natalitiis martyrum tabernacula sibi circa easdem ecclesias quae ex fanis commutatae sunt de ramis aborum faciant religiosis conviviis solennitatem celebrenâ— Nec Diabolo jam animalia immolent sed ad laudem Dei in esu suo animalia occidant donatori omnium de satietate sua gratias agant c. But do Christians need this as heathens did when we see the sad effects of such riotings Lâ—gâ— Aâ—ost l. 3. c. 34. of wicked men and the foolish talk and cards and dice by which they are entertained One sin ticeth down another It is a delight to prate over a pot or rant and game and drive away all thoughts that savour of sound Reason or the fear of God or the care of their salvation Many of them will say It is not for love of the drink but of the company that they use the ALE-house An excuse that maketh their sin much worse and sheweth them to be exceeding wicked To love the company of wicked men and love to hear their lewd and idle foolish talk and to game and sport out your time with them besides your tipling this sheweth a wicked fleshly heart much worse than if you loved the drink alone Such company as you love best such are your own dispositions If you were no Tiplers or Drunkards it is a certain sign of an ungodly person to love ungodly company better than the company of wise and godly men that may edifie you in the fear of God § 19. 4. Another cause of Tipling is Idleness when they have not the constant employments of their
genuine 1. There is a zeal and activity meerly Natural which is the effect of an active temperature of body 2. There is an affected zeal which is hypocritical about things that are good when men speak and make an outward stir as if they were truly zealous when it is not so 3. There is a selfish zeal when a proud and selfish person is fervent in any matter that concerneth himself for his own opinions his own honour his own estate or friends or interest or any thing that is his own 4. There is a partial factioâ—s zeal when errour or pride or worldliness hath engaged men in a party and they think it is their duty or interest at least to side with the Sect or Faction which they have chosen they will be zealous for all the Mat. 23. 15. Opinions and wayes of their espoused Party 5. There is a superstitious Childish carnal zeal for small indifferent inconsiderable things Like that of the Pharisees and all such hypocrites for their Washings and Fastings and other ceremonious Observances 6. There is an envious malicious zeal against those that have the precedency and cross your desires or cloud your honour in the World or that contradict you in your conceits and ways such is that at large described Iam. 3. 7. There is a pievish contentious wrangling zeal that is assaulting every man who is not squared just to your conceits 8. There is a malignant zeal against the Cause and Servants of the Lord which carryeth men to persecute them See that you take not any of these or any such like for holy zeal § 3. If you should so mistake these mischiefs would ensue 1. Sinful zeal doth make men The mischiefs of false zeal doubly sinful As holy zeal is the fervency of our grace so sinful zeal is the intention and fervency of sin 2. It is an honouring of sin and Satan as if sin were a work and Satan a Master worthy to be fervently and diligently followed 3. It is the most effectual violent way of sinning making men do much evil in a little time and making them more mischievous and hurtful to others than other sinners are 4. It blindeth the judgement and maketh men take truth for falshood and good for evil and disableth Reason to do its office 5. It is the violent resister of all Gods means and teacheth men to rage against the truth that should convince them It stops mens ears and turns away their hearts from the Counsel which would do them good 6. It is the most furious and bloody persecutor of the Saints and Church of Jesus Christ It made Paul once exceeding mad against them Act. 26. 10 11. and shut them up in Prison and punish them in the Synagogues See Jam. 3. and câ—mpel them to blaspheam and persecute them even unto strange Cities and vote for their death Thus concerning zeal he persecuted the Church Phil. 4. 6. 7. It is the turbulent disquieter of all Societies A destroyer of Love a breeder and fomenter of contention and an enemy to order peace and quietness 8. It highly dishonoureth God by presuming to put his name to sin and errour and Rom. 10. 2. Act. 21. 20 22. to entitle him to all the wickedness it doth Such zealous sinners commit their sin as in the Name of God and fight against him ignorantly by his own pretended or abused authority 9. It is an impenitent way of sinning The zealous sinner justifieth his sin and pleadeth reason or Scripture for it and thinketh that he doth well yea that he is serving God when he is murdering his Servants Ioh. 16. 2. 10. It is a multiplying sin and maketh men exceeding desirous to have all others of the sinners mind The zealous sinner doth make as many sin with him as he can Yea if it be but a zeal for small and useless things or about small Controversies or Opinions in Religion 1. It sheweth a mind that 's lâ—mentably strange to the tenour of the Gospel and the mind of Christ and the practice of the great substantial things 2. It destroyeth Charity and peace and breedeth censuring and abusing others 3. It dishonoureth holy zeal by accident making the prophane think that all zeal is no better than the foolish passion of deceived men 4. And it disableth the persons that have it to do good even when they are zealous for holy truth and duty the people will think it is but of the same nature with their erroneous zeal and so will disregard them § 4. The signs of holy zeal are these 1. It is guided by a right Judgement It is a zeal for The signs of holy zeal Truth and Good and not for falshood and Evil Rom. 10. 2. 2. It is for God and his Church or cause and not only for our selves It consisteth with meekness and self-denyal and patience as to our own concernments and causeth us to prefer the interest of God before our own Numb 12. 3. Exod. 32. 19. Gal. 4. 12. Act. 13. 9 12. 3. It is always more careful of the substance than the circumstances It preferreth great things before small It contendeth not for small Controversies to Mat. 23. 22 23. Tit. 2. 14. the loss or wrong of greater truths It extendeth to every known truth and duty but in due proportion being hottest in the greatest things and coolest in the least It maketh men rather zealous of good works than of their controverted Opinions 4. Holy Zeal is alway charitable It is not cruel 2 Pet. 2. 7 8. â—â—â—â—k 9. 4. 1 Cor. 5. and bloody nor of a hurting disposition Luk. 9. 55. but is tender and merciful and maketh men burn with a desire to win and save mens souls rather than to hurt their bodies 1 Cor. 13. Zeal against the sin is conjunct with Love and pity to the sinner 2 Cor. 12. 21. 5. Yet it excludeth that foolish pity which cherisheth the sin Rev. 2. 2. 1 King 15. 13. 6. True zeal is tender of the Churches Unity and Peace It is not a dividing tearing zeal It is first pure and then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits Jam. 3. 17. 7. True zeal is impartial and is Gâ—n 38. 24. 2 Sam. 12. 5. as hot against our own sins and our Childrens and other relations sins as against anothers Mat. 7. 4. 8. True zeal respecteth all Gods Commandments and is not hot for one and contemptuous of another It aimeth at perfection and stinteth not our desires to any lower degree It maketh a man desirous to be like to God even Holy as he is Holy It consisteth principally in the fervour of our Love to God when false Zeal consisteth principally in censorious wranglings against other mens actions or opinions It first worketh towards good and then riseth up against the hindering-evil 9. It maketh 2 Cor. 8. 3. Act 18. 25. Exod. 36. 6. a man laborious in holy duty to God and diligent in
and temperature of your children which is a great advantage for the choosing and applying of the best remedy 8. You have opportunity of watching over them and discerning all their faults in time But if a Minister speak to them he can know no more what fault to reprehend than others tell him or the party will confess You may also discern what success your former exhortations had and whether they amend or still go on in sin and whether you should proceed to more severe remedies 9. You have opportunity of speaking to them in the most familiar manner which is better understood than the set speech of a Minister in the Pulpit which few of them mark or understand You can quicken their attention by questions which put them upon answering you and so awaken them to a serious regard of what you say 10. You are so frequently with them that you can repeat your instructions and drive them home that what is not done at one time may be done at another Whereas other men can seldom speak to them and what is so seldome spoken is easily neglected or forgotten 11. You have power to place them under the best means and to remove many impediments out of their way which usually frustrate other mens endeavours 12. Your example is near them and continually in their sight which is a continual and powerful Sermon By all these advantages God hath enabled you above all others to be instruments of your Childrens good and the first and greatest promoters of their salvation § 6. Motive 6. Consider how great a Comfort it would be to you to have your children such as you Motive 6. may confidently hope are the children of God being brought to know him and love and serve him through your own endeavours in a pious education of them 1. You may love your children upon an higher account than as they are yours even as they are Gods adorned with his Image and quickned with a divine celestial life And this is is to love them with a higher kind of Love than meer Natural affection is It would rejoyce you to see your children advanced to be Lords or Princes But O how much greater cause of joy is it to see them made the members of Christ and quickned by his Spirit and sealed up for life eternal 2. When once your children are made the children of God by the Regeneration of the Spirit you may be much more free from care and trouble for them than before Now you may boldly trust them on the care of their heavenly Father who is able to do more for them than you are able to desire He loveth them better than you can love them He is bound by promise to protect them and provide for them and to see that all things work together for their good He that clotheth the Lillies of the fields and suffereth not the young Lions or Ravens to be unprovided for will provide convenient food for his own children though he will have you also do your duty for them as they are your children While they are the children of Satan and the servants of sin you have cause to fear not only lest they be exposed to miseries in this world but much more lest they be snatched away in their sin to Hell Your children while they are ungodly are worse than among Wolves and Tygâ—rs But when once they are renewed by the Spirit of Christ they are the charge of all the blessed Trinity and under God the charge of Angels Living or dying they are safe For the Eternal God is their portion and defence 3. It may be a continual comfort to you to think what a deal of drudgery and calamity your child is freed from To think how many Oaths he would have sworn and how many lyes and curses he would have uttered and how bâ—aftly and fleshly a life he would have lived how much wrong he would have done to God and men and how much he would have pleased the Devil and what torments in Hâ—ll he must have endured as the reward of aâ—â—â—â— and then to think how mercifully God hath prevented all this and what service he may do God in the world and finally live with Christ in glory What a joy is this to a considering believing Parent that taketh the mercies of his children as his own 4. Religion will teach your children to be more dutiful to your selves than Nature can teach them It will teach them to Love you even when you have no more to give them as well as if you had the wealth of all the world It will teach them to honour you though you are poor and contemptible in the eyes of others It will teach them to obey you and if you â—all into want to relieve you according to their power It will â—it them to comfort you i st the time of your sickness and distress when ungodly children will be as thorns in your feet or eyes and cut your hearts and prove a greater grief than any enemies to you A gracious child will bear with your weaknesses when a Châ—m will not cover his Fathers nakedness A gracious Child can pray for you and pray with you and be a blessing to your house when an ungodly Child is fitter to curse and prove a curse to those he liveâ— with 5. And is it not an exceeding joy to think of the everlasting happiness of your Child and that you may live togâ—ther in Heaven for ever When the foresâ—en misâ—ry of a gracâ—lâ—ss Child may grieve you when ever you look him in the face 6. Lastly It will be a great addition to your joy to think that God blessed your diligent instructions and made you the instrument of all that good that is done upon your children and of all that good that is done by them and of all the happiness they have for ever To think that this was conveyed to them by your means will give you a larger share in the delights of it § 7. Motive 7. Remember that your Childrens Original sin and misery is by you and therefore in Motive 7. juâ—â—ice you that have undone them are bound to do your best to save them If you had but conveyed a leprosiâ— or some hereditary Disease to their bodies would you not have done your best to cure them O that you could do them but as much good as you do them hurt It is more than Adamâ— sin that runneth down into the natures of your Children yea and that bringeth judgements on them And even Adams sin cometh not to them but by you § 8. Motive 8. Lastly Consider what exceeding great need they have of the utmost help you can afford Motive 8. them It is not a corporal disease an easie enemy a tolerable that we call unto you for their helpâ—â— But it is against Sin and Satan and Hell fire It is against a body of sin not one but many â—oâ— small but pernicious having seized upon the heart
14. between light and darkness a believer and an Infidel Answ. It maketh it unlawful for a Believer to marry an Infidel except in case of true necessity Because they can have no Communion in Religion But it nullifieth not a marriage already made nor maketh it lawful to depart or divorce Because they may have meer conjugal Communion still As the Apostle purposely determineth the case in 1 Cor. 7. Quest. 15. Doth not the Desertion of one party disoblige the other Quest. 15. Answ. 1. It must be considered what is true Desertion 2. Whether it be a Desertion of thâ— Relation it self for continuance or only a temporary desertion of co-habitation or congress 3. What the temper and state of the deserted party is 1. It is sometimes easie and sometimes hard to discern which is the deserting party If the Wife go away from the Husband unwarrantably though she require him to follow her and say that she doth not desert him yet it may be taken for a desertion because it is the man who is to rule and choose the habitation But if the man go away and the woman refuse to follow him it is not he that is therefore the deserter Quest. But what if the man have not sufficient cause to go away and the woman hath great and urgent reasons not to go As suppose that the man will go away in hatred of an able Preacher and good company and the woman if she follow him must leave all those helps and go among ignorant prophane heretical persons or Infidels which is the deserter then Answ. If she be one that is either like to do good to the Infidels Hereticks or bad persons whom they must converse with she may suppose that God calleth her to receive good by doing good or if she be a confirmed well-setled Christian and not very like either by infection or by want of helps to be unsetled and miscarry it seemeth to me the safest way to follow her Husband She must lose indeed Gods publick Ordinances by following him But it is not imputable to her as being out of her choice and she must lose the benefits and neglect the duties of the Conjugal Ordinance if she do not follow him But if she be a person under such weaknesses as make her remove apparently dangerous as to her perseverance and salvation and her Husband will by no means be prevailed with to change his mind the case then is very difficult what is her duty and who is the deserter Nay if he did but lead her into a Countrey where her life were like to be taken away as under the Spanish Inquisition unless her suffering were like to be as serviceable to Christ as her life Indeed these cases are so difficult that I will not decide them The inconveniencies or mischiefs rather are great which way soever she take But I most incline to judge as followeth viz. It is considerable first what Marriage obligeth her to simply of its own nature and what it may do next by any superadded Contract or by the Law or Custome of the Land or any other accident As to the first it seemeth to me that every ones obligation is so much first to God and then to their own souls and lives that marriage as such which is for Mutual help as a Means to higher Ends doth not oblige her to forsake all the Communion of Saints and the place or Countrey where God is lawfully worshipped and to lose all the helps of publick Worship and to expose her soul both to spiritual famine and infection to the apparent hazard of her salvation and perhaps bring her children into the same misery nor hath God given her Husband any power to do her so much wrong nor is the Marriage-Covenant to be interpreted to intend it But what any humane Law or Contract or other accident which is of greater publick consequence may do more than Marriage of it self is a distinct Case which must have a particular discussion Quest. But what if the Husband would only have her follow him to the forsaking of her estate and undoing her self and children in the world as in the case of Galeacius Caracciolus Marquess of Vicum yea and if it were without just cause Answ. If it be for greater spiritual gain as in his case she is bound to follow him But if it be apparently foolish to the undoing of her and her children without any cause I see not that Marriage simply obligeth a Woman so to follow a fool in beggary or out of a Calling or to her ruine But if it be at all a controvertible Case whether the Cause be just or not then the Husband being Governour must be Judge The Laws of the Land are supposed to be just which allow a Woman by Trustees to secure some part of her former Estate from her Husbands disposal Much more may she before hand secure her self and children from being ruined by his wilful folly But she can by no Contract except her self from his true Government Yet still she must consider whether she can live continently in his absence otherwise the greatest sufferings must be endured to avoid incontinency 2. Moreover in all these cases a temporary removal may be further followed than a perpetual transmigration because it hath fewer evil consequents And if either party renounce the Relation it self it is a fuller desertion and clearer discharge of the other party than a meer removal is Quest. 16. What if a Man or Wife know that the other in hatred doth really intend by poyson or Quest. 16. other murder to take away their life May they not depart Answ. They may not do it upon a groundless or rash surmise nor upon a danger which by other lawful means may be avoided As by Vigilancy or the Magistrate or especially by love and duty But in plain danger which is not otherwise like to be avoided I doubt not but it may be done and ought For it is a duty to preserve our own lives as well as our neighbours And when Marriage is contracted for mutual help it is naturally implyed that they shall have no power to deprive one another of life However some barbarous Nations have given men power of the lives of their Wives And killing is the grossest kind of Desertion and a greater injury and violation of the Marriage-Covenant than Adultery and may be prevented by avoiding the murderers presence if that way be necessary None of the Ends of Marriage can be attained where the hatred is so great Quest. 17. If there be but a fixed hatred of each other is it inconsistent with the Ends of Marriage Quest. 17. And is parting lawful in such a case Answ. The injuring party is bound to Love and not to separate and can have no liberty by his or her sin And to say I cannot love or my Wife or Husband is not amiable is no sufficient excuse Because every person hath somewhat that is amiable if it
correcteth his child much less is God to be judged an enemy to you or unmerciful because his wisdom and not your folly disposeth of you and proportioneth your estates A carnal mind will judge of its own Happiness and the Love of God by carnal things because it savoureth not spiritual mercies But Grace giveth a Christian another judgement rellish and desire As Nature setteth a man above the food and pleasures of a Beast § 4. Direct 4. Stedfastly believe that God is every way fitter than you to dispose of your estate and Direct 4. you He is infinitely wise and knoweth what is best and fittest for you He knoweth before hand Psal. 10. 1â— 1 Sam. 2. 7. what good or hurt any state of plenty or want will do you He knoweth all your corruptions and what condition will most conduce to strengthen them or destroy them and which will be your greatest temptations and snares and which will prove your safest state Much better than any Physicion or Parent knoweth how to dyet his Patient or his Child And his Love and kindness is much greater to you than yours is to your self And therefore he will not be wanting in willingness to do you good And his authority over you is absolute and therefore his disposal of you must be unquestionable It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good 1 Sam. 3. 18. The Will of God should be the Rest and satisfaction of your wills Acts 21. 14. § 5. Direct 5. Stedfastly believe that ordinarily Riches are far more dangerous to the soul than poverty Direct 5. and a greater hinderance to mens salvation Believe experience How few of the Rich and Rulers of the earth are holy heavenly self-denying mortified men Believe your Saviour Luke 18. 24 25 27. How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God For it is easier for a Camel to go through a needles eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God And they that heard it said who then can be saved And he said The things which are unpossible with men are possible with God So that you see that the difficulty is so great of saving such as are Rich that to men it is a thing impossible but to Gods Omnipotency only it is possible So 1 Cor. 1. 26. For ye see your calling Brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty nor many noble are called Believe this and it will prevent many dangerous mistakes § 6. Direct 6. Hence you may perceive that though no man must pray absolutely either for Riches or Direct 6. Poverty yet of the two it is more rational ordinarily to pray against Riches than for them and to be rather troubled when God maketh us Rich than when he maketh us poor I mean it in respect to our selves as either of them seemeth to conduce to our own good or hurt though to do good to others Riches are more desirable This cannot be denyed by any man that believeth Christ For no wise man will long for the hinderance of his salvation or pray to God to make it as hard a thing for him to be saved as for a Camel to go through a needles eye when salvation is a matter of such unspeakable moment and our strength is so small and the difficulties so many and great already Object But Christ doth not deny but the difficulties to the poor may be as great Answ. To some particular persons upon other accounts it may be so But it is clear in the Text that Christ speaketh comparatively of such difficulties as the Rich had more than the poor Object But then how are we obliged to be thankful to God for giving us Riches or blessing our labours Saith 〈…〉 to 〈…〉 s Quando 〈…〉 ra em nâ—â— pecunâ—atum egens ad te veâ—◠〈…〉 Aâ—rtip Answ. 1 You must be thankful for them because in their own nature they are good and it is by accident through your own corruption that they become so dangerous 2. Because you may do good with them to others if you have hearts to use them well 3. Because God in giving them to you rather than to others doth signifie if you are his children that they are fitter for you than for others In Bedlam and among foolish children it is a kindness to keep fire and swords and knives out of their way But yet they are useful to people that have the use of reason But our folly in spiritual matters is so great that we have little cause to be too eager for that which we are inclined so dangerously to abuse and which proves the bane of most that have it § 7. Direct 7. See that your poverty be not the fruit of your idleness gluttony drunkenness pride Direct 7. or any other flesh-pleasing sin For if you bring it thus upon your selves you can never look that 1 Cor. 7. 35. it should be sanctified to your good till sound Repentance have turned you from the sin Nor are you objects worthy of much pity from man except as you are miserable sinners He that rather chooseth to have his ease and pleasure though with want than to have plenty and to want his case and pleasure it is pity that he should have any better than he chooseth § 8. 1. Slâ—thfulness and idleness is a sin that naturally tendeth to want and God hath cursed it to be punished with poverty as you may see Prov. 12. 24 27. 18. 9. 21. 25. 24. 34. 26. 14 15. 6. 11. 20. 13. Yea he commandeth that if any that is able will not work neither should be eat 2 Thess. 3. 10. In the sweat of their face must they eat their bread Gen. 3. 19. And six dayes must they labour and do all that they have to do To maintain your idleness is a sin in others If you will please your flesh with ease it must be displeased with want and you must suffer what you choos◠§ 9. 2. Gluttony and drunkenness are such beastly devourers of mercy and abusers of mankind that shame and poverty are their punishment and cure Prov. 23. 20 21. Be not among wine-bibbers amongst riotous eaters of flesh for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty and drowsiness shall cloath a man with rags It is not lawful for any man to feed the greedy appetites of such If they choose a short excess before a longer competency let them have their choice § 10. 3. Pride also is a most consuming wasteful sin It sacrificeth Gods mercies to the Devil in serving him by them in his first-born sin Proud persons must lay it out in pomp and gawdiness to set forth themselves to the eyes of others In building and entertainments and fine clothes and curiosities And Poverty is also both the proper punishment and cure of this sin And it is cruelty for any to save them from it and resist God
that be gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Act. 13. 39. And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses Heb. 8. 12. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more If it be the weakness of his grace that troubleth him let him choose such passages as these Isa. 40. 11. He shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bâ—som and shall gently lead those that are with young Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would Matth. 26. 41. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak Joh. 6. 37. All that the father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Luk. 17. 5. The Apostles said unto the Lord Increase our faith If it be the fear of death and strangeness to the other world that troubleth you remember the words of Christ before cited and 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 4 5 6 8. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from Heaven For we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened not for that we would be uncloathed but cloathed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life we are confident and willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. Phil. 1. 23. For I am in a strait between two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Rev. 14. 13. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them 1 Cor. 15. 55. O Death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory Act. 7. 59. Lord Iesus receive my spirit Fix upon some such word or promise which may support you in your extremity § 6. Direct 6. Look up to God who is the Glory of Heaven and the Light and Life and Ioy of souls Direct 6. and believe that you are going to see his face and to live in the perfect everlasting fruition of his fullest Love among the glorified If it be delectable here to know his works what will it be to see the Cause of all All Creatures in Heaven and Earth conjoyned can never afford such content and joy to holy souls as God alone O if we knew him whom we must there behold how weary should we be of this dungeon of mortality and how fervently should we long to see his face The Chicken that cometh out of the shell or the Infant that newly cometh from the womb into this illuminated world of humane converse receiveth not such a joyful change as the soul that is newly loosed from the flesh and passeth from this mortal life to God One sight of God by a blessed soul is worth more than all the Kingdoms of the earth It is pleasant to the eyes to behold the Sun But the Sun is as darkness and useless in his Glory Rev. 21. 23. And the City had no need of the Sun nor of the Moon to shine in it For the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof Rev. 22. 3 4 5. And there shall be no more curse but the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and his servants shall serve him and they shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads and there shall be no night there and they need no candle nor light of the Sun for the Lord God giveth them Light and they shall reign for ever and ever If David in the Wilderness so impatiently thirsted to appear before God the living God in his Sanctuary at Ierusalem Psal. 42. How earnestly should we long to see his Glory in the Heavenly Ierusalem The glimpse of his back-parts was as much as Moses might behold Exod. 34. yet that much put a shining glory upon his face v. 29 30. The sight that Stephen had when men were ready to stone him was a delectable sight Act. 7. 55 56. The glimpse of Christ in his transfiguration ravished the three Apostles that beheld it Mat. 17. 2 6. Pauls vision which rapt him up into the third Heavens did advance him above the rest of mankind But our Beatifical sight of the Glory of God will very far excell all this When our perfected bodies shall have the perfect Glorious Body of Christ to see and our perfected souls shall have the God of Truth the most perfect uncreated Light to know what more is a created understanding capable of And yet this is not the top of our felicity For the Understanding is but the passage to the Heart or Will and Truth is but subservient to Goodness And therefore though the Understanding be capable of no more than the Beatifical Vision yet the Man is capable of more even of receiving the fullest communications of Gods Love and feeling it poured out upon the heart and living in the returns of perfect Love and in this entercourse of Love will be our highest Ioyes and this is the top of our heavenly felicity O that God would make us foreknow by a lively faith what it is to behold him in his Glory and to dwell in perfect Love and Ioy and then death would no more be able to dismay us nor should we be unwilling of such a blessed change But having spoken of this so largely in my Saints Rest I must stop here and refer you thither § 7. Direct 7. Look up to the Blessed Society of Angels and Saints with Christ and remember their Direct 7. blessedness and joy and that you also belong to the same society and are going to be numbred with them It will greatly overcome the fears of death to see by faith the Joyes of them that have gone before us and withall to think of their relation to us As it will encourage a man that is to go beyond Sea if the far greatest part of his dearest friends be gone before him and he heareth of their safe arrival and of their Joy and happiness Those Angels that now see the face of God are our special friends and guardians and entirely Love us better than any of our friends on earth do They rejoiced at our Conversion and will rejoice at our Glorification And as they are better and Love us better so therefore our Love should be greater to them than to any upon earth and we should more desire to be with them Those blessed souls that are now with Christ were once as
Dâ—â—r l. 1. p. 46. â—aâ—th that Possi 〈…〉 s believed that Epiâ—urus thought there was no God but put a sâ—orn upon him by describing him like a man idle careless c. which he would not have done if he had thought there was a God to any of his creatures 3. God is Omnipresent and therefore you may every where lift up holy hands to him 1 Tim. 2. 8. And you must alwayes worship him as in his sight 4. God is Omniscient and knoweth your Hearts and therefore let your Hearts be employed and watched in his worship 5. God is most wise and therefore not to be worshipped ludicrously with toyes as children are pleased with to quiet them but with wise and rational worship 6. God is most Great and therefore to be worshipped with the greatest reverence and seriousness and not presumptuously with a careless mind or wandring thoughts or rude expressions 7. God is most Good and Gracious and therefore not to be worshipped with backwardness unwillingness and weariness but with great Delight 8. God is most Merciful in Christ and therefore not to be worshipped despairingly but in joyful Hope 9. God is True and faithful and therefore to be worshipped believingly and confidently and not in distrust and unbelief 10. God is most Holy and therefore to be worshipped by Holy persons in a Holy manner and not by unholy hearts or lips nor in a common manner as if we had to do but with a man 11. He is the Maker of your Souls and Bodies and therefore to be worshipped both with soul and body 12. He is your Redeemer and Saviour and therefore to be worshipped by you as sinners in the humble sense of your sin and misery and as Redeemed ones in the thankful sense of his Mercy and all in order to your further cleansing healing and Recovery 13. He is your Regenerater and Sanctifier and therefore to be worshipped not in the confidence of your natural sufficiency but by the Light and Love and Life of the Holy Ghost 14. He is your Absolute Lord and the Owner of you and all you have and therefore to be worshipped with the absolute resignation of your self and all and honoured with your substance and not Hypocritically with exceptions and reserves 15. He is your Soveraign King and therefore to be worshipped according to his Lawes with an obedient kind of worship and not after the Traditions of men nor the will or wisdom of the flesh 16. He is your Heavenly Father Mat. 15. 2 3 6. Mar. 7. 3. to 14. Col. 2. 8 18 2â— and therefore all these Holy dispositions should be summed up into the strongest Love and you should run to him with the greatest readiness and Rest in him with the greatest Ioy and thirst after the full fruition of him with the greatest of your Desires and press towards him for himself with the most servent and importunate suites All these the very Being and Perfections of God will teach you in his worship And therefore if any controverted worship be certainly contrary to any of these it is certainly unwarranted and unacceptable unto God § 8. Direct 7. Pretend not to worship God by that which is destructive or contrary to the Ends of Direct 7. worship For the aptitude of it as a means to its proper end is essential to it Now the Ends of worship are 1. The Honouring of God 2. The Edifying of our selves in Holiness and delighting our souls in the contemplation and praises of his perfections 3. The communicating this Knowledge Holiness and delight to others and the increase of his actual Kingdom in the world 1. Avoid then all that pretended Worship which dishonoureth God not in the opinion of carnal men that judge of But with the Ba 〈…〉 Aâ—â—â—â—a the 〈…〉 p. 2. 9. â— 2. 〈…〉 riâ—u signa oâ—â—â—â—â— exteâ—num cultum diligenter câ—â—are His quippe delectâ—ntur d 〈…〉 homines animaleâ— N. B. â—donec paulatim aboleatur memoria gustus praeteritorum So Gâ— â—issiâ— sâ—â—â—â—h iâ— viâ—a Gâ—eâ— Nâ—oâ—as that they turned the Pagans Festivals into Festivals for the Martyrs to please them the better Which Bâ—dâ— and many others relate of the practice of those times him by their own misguided imaginations but according to the discovery of himself to us in his works and Word Many Travellers that have conversed with the soberer Heathen and Mahometan Nations tell us that it is not the least hinderance of their conversion and cause of their contempt of Christianity to see the Christians that live about them to worship God so ignorantly irrationally and childishly as many of them do 2. Affect most that manner of worship caeteris paribus which tendeth most to your own right information and holy resolutions and affections and to bring up your souls into nearer communion and delight in God And not that which tendeth to deceive or flatter or divert you from him nor to be in your ears as sounding brass or a tinkling Cymbal or as one that is playing you a lesson of Musick and tendeth not to make you better 3. Affect not that manner of worship which is an enemy to knowledge and tendeth to keep up Ignorance in the world Such as is a great part of the Popish worship especially their reading the Scriptures to the people in an unknown tongue and celebrating their publick prayers and praises and Sacraments in an unknown tongue and their seldome preaching and then teaching the people to take up with a multitude of toyish Ceremonies instead of knowledge and rational worship Certainly that which is an enemy to knowledge is an enemy to all Holiness and true obedience and to the Ends of worship and therefore is no acceptable worshipping of God 4. Affect not that pretended worship which is of it self destructive of true Holiness Such as is the preaching of false doctrine not according to godliness and the opposition and reproaching of a holy life and worship in the misapplication of true doctrine and then teaching poor souls to satisfie themselves with their Mass and Mass Ceremonies and an Image of worship instead of serious Holiness which is opposed Prov. 24. 24. He that saith to the wicked thou art Righteous him shall the people curse Nations shall ahhor him And if this be done as a worship of God you may hence judge how acceptable it will be Isa. 5. 20. Wo unto them that call Evil Good and Good Evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter To make people believe that Holiness is but Hypocrisie or a needless thing or that the Image of Holiness is Holiness it self or that there is no great difference between the godly and ungodly doth all tend to mens perdition and to damn men by deceiving them and to root out Holiness from the earth See Ezek. 22. 26. 44. 23. Jer. 15. 19. If thou take forth the pretious from the vile thou shalt be as
breach almost uncurable because no professions of repentance or future fidelity can be trusted Thus I have partly shewed you the Malignity of Perjury and Covenant-breaking § 3. Direct 2. Be sure that you make no Vow or Covenant which God hath forbidden you to keep Direct 2. It is rash vowing and swearing which is the common cause of Perjury You should at the making of your Vow have seen into the bottom of it and foreseen all the evils that might follow it and the Temptations which were like to draw you into perjury He is virtually perjured as soon as he hath sworn who sweareth to do that which he must not do The preventive means are here the best § 4. Direct 3. Be sure you take no Oath or Vow which you are not sincerely resolved to perform Direct 3. They that Swear or Vow with a secret reserve that rather than they will be ruined by keeping it they will break it are Habitually and Reputatively perjured persons even before they Lege distinctionem Grotii inter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aanot. in Matth. 5. 33. Modern Policy supposed Dr. Sand rosts Princ. 7. 1. We are ready to interpret the words too kindly especially if they be ambiguous and its hard to find terms so positive but that they may be eluded indeed or seem to us to be so if we be disposed 2. Some are invited to illicite promises qua illicite because they know them to be invalid 3. Some are frighted into these bonds by threats and losses and temporal concernments and then they please themselves that they sweâ—r by Duâ—eâ—s and so are disengaged 4. Some are Oath-proof c. break it Besides that they shew a base hypocritical profligate conscience that can deliberately commit so great a sin § 5. Direct 4. See that all fleshly worldly interest be fully subdued to the interest of your souls Direct 4. and to the will of God He that at the heart sets more by his body than his soul and loveth his worldly prosperity above God will lye or swear or forswear or do any thing to save that carnal interest which he most valueth He that is carnal and worldly at the heart is false at the heart The Religion of such an Hypocrite will give place to his temporal safety or commodity and will carry him no further than the way is fair It is no wonder It is one of Solons sayings in Laertius p. 51. Probiâ—itateâ—n â—uâ—â—â—â—rando certiorem habe What will not an Atheistical impious person say or swear for advantage that a proud man or a worldling will renounce both God and his true felicity for the World seeing indeed he taketh it for his God and his felicity even as a Believer will renounce the world for God § 6. Direct 5. Beware of inordinate fear of man and of a distrustful withdrawing of your hearts Direct 5. from God Else you will be carryed to comply with the will of man before the will of God and to avoid the wrath of man before the wrath of God Read and fear that heavy curse Ier. 17. 5 6. God is unchangeable and hath commanded you so far to imitate him as If a man Vow a Vow unto the Lord or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond he shall not break his word he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth Numb 30. 2. But man is mutable and so is his interest and his affairs And therefore if you are the servants of men you must swear one year and for swear it or swear the contrary the next when their interest requireth it you must not be thought worthy to live among men if you will not promise or swear as they command you And when their interest altereth and requireth the contrary you must hold all those bonds to be but straws and break them for their end◠§ 7. Direct 6. Be sure that you lose not the fear of God and the tenderness of your consciences Direct 6. When these are lost your understanding and sense and life is lost and you will not stick at the greatest wickedness nor know when you have done it what you did If faith see not God continually present and foresee not the great approaching day Perjury or any villany will seem tolerable for worldly ends For when you look but to mens present case you will see that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hands of God no man knoweth Love or hatred by all that is before them All things come alike to all there is one event to the righteous and the wicked to the good and to the clean and to the unclean to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the Good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that feareth an â—ath Eccles. 9. 1 2. But in the end men shall discern between the righteous and the wicked Mal. 3. 18. Therefore it is the believing foresight of the end that by preserving the fear of God and tenderness of Conscience must save you from this and all other heynous sin § 8. Direct 7. Be not bold and rash about such dreadful things as Vows Run not as fearlesly Direct 7. upon them as if you were but going to your dinner The wrath of God is not to be jeasted with Usq ad aras was the bounds even of a Heathens kindness to his friend Meddle with Oathes with the greatest fear and caution and circumspection It 's terrible here to find that you were mistaken through any temerity or negligence or secret seduction of a carnal interest § 9. Direct 8. Especially be very fearful of owing any publick doctrine or doing any publick act Direct 8. which tendeth to harden others in their Perjury or to encourage multitudes to commit the sin To be Nunc nunâ— qui sâ—dera rumpit Ditatur Qui servat â—get Claud. anâ— forsworn your selves is a dreadful case but to teach whole Nations or Churches to forswear themselves or to plead for it or justifie it as a lawful thing is much more dreadful And though you teach not or own not Perjury under the name of Perjury yet if first you will make plain perjury to seem no Perjury that so you may justifie it it is still a most inhumane horrid act God knoweth I insult not over the Papists with a delight to make any Christians odious But with grief I remember how lamentably they have abused our holy profession while not only their great Doctors but their approved General Council at the Laterane under P. Innocent the third in the third Canon hath Decreed that the Pope may depose Temporal Lords from their Dominions and give them unto others and discharge their Vassals from their Allegiance and fidelity if they be hereticks or will not exterminate Hereticks even such as the holy men there condemned were in the Popes account To declare to
bound at all to keep my oath in his sense if my own sense was according to the common use of the words Prop. 7. Though I may not lye to a robber or tyrant that unjustly imposeth promises or oaths upon me yet if he put an oath or promise on me which is good and lawful in the proper usual sense of the words though bad in his sense which is contrary to the plain words whether I may take this to save my liberty or life I leave to the consideration of the judicious that which may be said against it is that Oaths must not be used indirectly and dissemblingly that which may be said for it is 1. That I have no obligation to fit my words to his personal private sense 2. That I deceive him not but only permit him to deceive himself as long as it is he and not I that misuseth the words 3. That I am to have chief respect to the publick sense and it is not his sense but mine that is the publick sense 4. That the saving of a mans life or liberty is cause enough for the taking a lawful oath Prop. 8. In case I misunderstood the imposed Oath through my own default I am bound to keep it in both senses my own and the imposers if both be consistent and lawful to be done For I am bound to it in my own sense because it was formally my oath or Vow which I intended And I am bound to it in his sense because I have in Justice made the thing his due As if the King command me to Vow that I will serve him in wars against the Turk And I misunderstand him as if he meant only to serve him in wars against the Turk And I misunderstand him as if he meant only to serve him with my purse And so I make a Vow with this intent to expend part of my estate to maintain that War whereas the true sense was that I should serve him with my Person In this case I see not but I am bound to both Indeed if it were a promise that obliged me only to the King then I am obliged no further and no longer than he will For he can remit his own right But if by a Vow I become obliged directly to God himself as a party then no man can remit his right and I must perform my Vow as made to him § 27. Rule 13. If any impose an ambiguous oath and refuse to explain it and require you only to Rule 13. swear in those words and leave you to your own sense Dr. Sanderson thinketh that an honest man Sand. p. 193. Caâ— 4â— should suspect some fraud in such an oath and not take it at all till all parties are agreed of the sense pag. 193 194. And I think he should not take it at all unless there be some other cause that maketh it his duty But if a Lawful Magistrate command it or the interest of the Church or State require it I see not but he may take it on condition that in the plain and proper sense of the words the oath be lawful and that he openly profess to take it only in that sense § 28. Rule 14. If any power should impose an Oath or Vow or promise which in the proper usual sense Rule 14. were downright impious or blaspheamous or sinful and yet bid me take it in what sense I pleased though I could take it in such a sense as might make it no real consent to the impiety yet it would be impious in the sense of the would and of such heynous consequence as will make it to be unlawful As if I must subscribe or say or swear those words There is no God or Scripture is untrue though it 's easie to use these or any words in a good sense if I may put what sense I will upon them yet the publick sense of them is Blaspheamy and I may not publickly blaspheam on pretence of a private right sence and intention § 29. Rule 15. If the Oath imposed be true in the strict and prâ—per sense yet if that sense be not Rule 15. vulgarly known nor sufficiently manifest to be the imposers sense and if the words are false or blaspheamous in the vulgar sense of those that I have to do with and that must observe and make use of my example I must not take such an oath without leave to make my sense as publick as my oath As if I were commanded to swear that God hath no fore-knowledge no knowledge no will c. It were easie to prove that these terms are spoken primarily of man and that they are attributed to God but analogically or metaphorically and that God hath no such humane acts formaliter but eminenter and that forma dat nomen and so that strictly it is not knowledge and will in the primary proper notion that God hath at all but something infinitely higher for which man hath no other name But though thus the words are true and justifiable in the strictest proper sense yet are they unlawful because they are blaspheamy in the vulgar sense And he that speaks to the Vulgar is supposed to speak with the Vulgar Unless he as publickly explain them § 30. Rule 16. If the supream power should impose an oath or promise which in the ordinary obvious Rule 16. sense were sinful and an inferiour officer would bid me take it in what sense I pleased I might not therefore take it because that such an officer hath no power to interpret it himself much less to allow me to take it in a private sense But if the Law giver that Imposeth it bid me take it in what sense I will and give me leave to make my sense as publick as my oath I may take it if the words be but dubious and not apparently false or sinful so there be no reason against it aliunde as from ill consequents c. § 31. Rule 17. If any man will say in such a case when he thinketh that the imposers sense is bad I Rule 17. take not the same Oath or Engagement which is imposed but another in the same words and I suppose not inferiour officers authorized to admit any interpretation but I look at them only as men that can actually execute or not execute the Laws upon me and so I take a Vow of my own according to my own sense though in their words as a means of my avoiding their severities As this is a collusion in a very high and tender business so that person if the publick sense of the oath be sinful must make his professed sense as publick as his Oath or promise It being no small thing to do that which in the publick sense is impious and so to be an example of perfidiousness to many § 32. Rule 18. Though an Oath imposed by an Usurper or by violence is not to be taken in formal obedience Rule 18. nor at all unless
Love are the Churches dissolution which first causeth sissures and separations and in process crumbleth us all to dust And therefore the Pastors of the Church are the fittest instruments for the cure who are the Messengers of Love and whose Government is paternal and hurteth not the body but is only a Government of Love and exercised by all the means of Love All Christians in the world confess that LOVE is the very â—â—â—â— and perfection of all Grace and the End of all our other duties and that which maketh us like to God and that iâ— Love dwelleth in us God dwelleth in us and that it will be the everlasting Grace and the work of Heaven and the Happiness of souls and that it is the excellent way and the character of Saints and the Nâ—w Commandmâ—nt And all this being so it is most certain that no way is the 1 â—â—â—â— 4. 7. 8. â—â—â—â— 13 35. 〈…〉 way of God wâ—â—câ—â—â— not the way of Love And therefore what specious pretences soever they may have and one may cry up Truth and another Holiness and another order and another Unity it seâ—â— to jâ—â—â—â—â— their â—nvyings hatred cruelties it is most certain that all such pretences are Satanical deceiâ—â— And â—â— they bile and devour one another they are not like the sheep of Christ but shall be dâ—â—â—â—â—â—d one of another Gal. 5. 15. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour therefore Love is the fulfilling 〈…〉 4. 2. 〈…〉 of the Law Rom. 13. 10. When Papists that shew their love to mens souls by racking their bodies and fryâ—â—g them in the fire can make men apprehensive of the excellency of that kind of Love they may â—â—â—â— it to the healing of the Church In the mean time as their Religion is such is their Concord while all those are called Members of their Union and Professors of their Religion who must be burnt to ashes if they say the contrary They that give God an Image and Carkass of Religion â—â—â—â— 1. 4 are thus content with the Image and Carkass of a Church for the exercise of it And if there were nothing â—llâ— but this to detect the sinfulness of the Sect of Quakers and many more it is enough to satisfie any sober man that it cannot be the way of God God is not the author of that Spirit and way which tends to wrath emulation hatred railing and the extinction of Christian Love to all â—â—vâ— their own Sect and party Remember as you love your souls that you shun all wayes that are destructive to universal Christian Love § 83. Direct 6. Make nothing necessary to the unity of the Church or the communion of Christians Direct 6. which God hath not made necessary or directed you to make so By this one â—olly the Papists are become see 〈…〉 p. 52â— the most notorious Schismaticks on earth even by making new Articles of faith and new parts of worship and imposing them on all Christians to be sworn subscribed professed or practised so as that no man shall be accounted a Catholick or have communion with them or with the Universal Church if they could hinder it that will not follow them in all their Novelties They that would subscribe to all the Scriptures and to all the antient Creeds of the Church and would do any thing that Christ and his Apostles have enjoyned and go every step of that way to Heaven that Peter and Paul went as far as they are able yet if they will go no further and believe no more yeâ— if they will not go against some of this must be condemned cast out and called Schismaticks by these notorious Schismaticks If he hold to Christ the Universal Head of the Church and will not be subject or sworn to the Pope the Usurping Head he shall be taken as cut off from Christ. And there is no certainty among these men what measure of faith and worship and obedience to them shall be judged necessary to constitute a Church-member For as that which served in the Apostles dayes and the following ages will not serve now nor the subscribing to all the other pretended Councils until then will not serve without subscribing to the Creed or Council of Trâ—nt so no body can tell what New Faith or Worship or Test of Christianity the next Council if the world see any more may require and how many thousand that are Trent-Catholicks now may be judged Hereticks or Schismaticks then if they will not shut their eyes and follow them any whither and change their Religion as oft as the Papal interest requireth a change Of this Chillingworth Hales and Dr. H. More have spoken plainly If the Pope had imposed but one lye Dâ— H. More saith Myst. Redemp p. 495. l. 10. c. 2. There is scarce any Church in Christâ—ndome at this day that doth not obtrude not only falshood but such falsehoods that will appear to any free Spirit pure contradictiors and impossibilities and that with the same gravity authority and importunity that they do the holy Oracles of God Now the consequence of this must needs be sad For what knowing and conscientious man but will be driven off if he cannot assert the truth without open asserting of a gross lye Id. p. â—26 And as for Opinions though some may be better than other some yet none should exclude from the fullest enjoyment of either private or publick rights supposing there be no venome of the persecutive spirit mingled with them But every one that professeth the faith of Christ and believeth the Scriptures in the Historical sense c. to be subscribed or one sin to be done and said All Nations and persons that do not this are no Christians or shall have no communion with the Church the man that refuseth that imposed lye or sin is guiltless of the Schism and doth but obey God and save his soul And the Usurper that imposeth them will be found the heinous Schismatick before God and the cause of all those Divisions of the Church And so if any private Sectary shall feign an opinion or practice of his own to be necessary to salvation or Church communion and shall refuse communion with those that are not of his mind and way it is he and not they that is the cause of the uncharitable separation * See Hales of Schisme p. 8. § 84. Direct 7. Pray against the Usurpations or intrusions of intrusions of impious carnal ambitious Direct 7. covetous Pastors into the Churches of Christ. For one wicked man in the place of a Pastor may do more In Ecclesiâ—s plus certaminum gignunt verba hominum quam Dei magâ—sque pugnatur fere de Apolline Petro Paulo quam de Christo Retine divina Relinque humana Bucholcer to the increase of a Schism or faction than many private men can do And carnal men have carnal minds and carnal interests which are both unreconcileable to the spiritual holy mind and interest For the
carnal mind is enmity against God and is not subject to his Law nor can be Rom. 8. 7. And they that are in the flesh cannot please God v. 8. And you may easily conceive what work will be made in the Ship when an enemy of the Owner hath subtilly possessed himself of the Pilots place He will charge all that are faithful as mutineers because they resist him when he would carry all away And if an enemy of Christ shall get to be Governour of one of his Regiments or Garrisons all that are not Traytors shall be called Traytors and cashiered that they hinder not the treason which he intendeth And as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit even so it is now But what saith the Scripture cast out the bond-woman and her son c. Gal. 4. 29 30. It is not the sacred office of the Ministry nor the profession of the same religion that will cure the enmity of a carnal heart against both Holiness and the Holy seed The whole business of the world from age to age is but the management of that war proclaimed at sins first entrance into the World between the seed of the woman and the Serpent And none of the serpents seed are more cruel or more successful Gen. 3. 15. than those of them that creep into the Armies of Christ and especially that get the conduct of his Regiments Neither Brotherhood nor Unity of profest Religion would hold the hands of Poetae nunquam perturbarunt Respublicas Oratores non raro Buchoâ—tz malignant Cain from murdering his Brother Abel The same Religion and father and family reconciled not scoffing Ishmael to Isaac or prophane Esau to his brother Iacob The family of Christ and an Apostles office did not keep Iudas from being a Traytor to his Lord. If carnal men invade the Ministry they take the way of ease and honour and worldly wealth and strive for Dominion and who shall be the greatest and care not how great their Power and Iurisdiction is nor how little their profitable work is and their endeavour is to fit all matters of Worship and discipline to their ambitious covetous ends and the spiritual Worshipper shall be the object of their hate And is Acosta l. 6. c. 23. p. 579. Nothing so much hurteth this Church as a rabble of hirelings and self-seekers For what can natural men that scarce have the Spirit do in the cause of God A few in number that are excellent in vertue will more promote the work of God But they that come hither being humble and lovers of souls taking Christ for their pattern and bearing in their bodies his Cross and death shall most certainly find heavenly treasures and inestimable delights But when will this be When men cease to be men and to savour the things of men and to seek and gape after the things of men With men this is utterly impossible but with God all things are possible Because this is hard in the eyes of this people shall it therefore be hard in my eyes saith the Lord Zech. 10. pag. 580. I may say to some Ministers that cry out of the schismatical disobedience of the people as Acosta doth to to those that cryed out of the Indians dulness and wickedness It is long of the Teachers Deal with them in all possible love and tenderness away with Covetousness Lordliness and Cruelty give them the example of an upright life open to them the way of truth and teach them according to their capacity and diligently hold on in this way who ever thou art that art a Minister of the Gospel and saith he as ever I hope to enjoy thee O Lord Jesu Christ I am perswaded the harvest will be plentiful and joyful l. 4. p. 433. passim But saith he we quickly cease our labours and must presently have hasty and plenteous fruit But the Kingdom of God is not such Verily it is not such but as Christ hath told us like seed cast into the earth which groweth up by degrees we know not how p. 433 434. Hieroms case is many anothers Concivit odia perditorum Oderunt eum haeretici quia eos impugnare non desinit Oderunt Clerici quia vitam eorum insectatur crimina Sed plane eum boni omnes admirantur diligunt Posthumianus in Sulp. Severi Dialog 1. And Dial. 2. Martinus in Medio caetu conversatione populorum inter Clericos dissidentes inter Episcopos saevientes cum fere quotidianis scandalis huic atque inde premeretur inexpugnabili tamen adversus omnia virtute fundatus stetit Nec tamen huic crimini miscebo populares soli illum Clerici soli nesciunt Sacerdotes nec immerito Nosce illum invidi noluerunt quia si virtutes illius nossent suorum vitia cognovissent it any wonder if the Churches of Christ be torn by Schism and betrayed to prophaneness where there are such unhappy guides § 85. Direct 8. In a special manner take heed of pride Suspect it and subdue it in your selves Direct 8. and do what you can to bring it into disgrace with others Only by Pride cometh contention Prov. How the Jesuites have hereby distracted the Church read Mariana Archiâ—pisc Pragensis Censur de Bull. Iesâ—it Daâ— Hospital ad Reges c. Auâ— Ardingbelli Paradoxa Iesuitica Galindus Giraldus c. Arcana Iesuit 13. 10. I never yet saw one schism made in which Pride conjunct with Ignorance was not the cause nor never did I know one person forward in a schism to my remembrance but Pride was discernably his disease I do not here intend as the Papists to charge all with Schism or Pride that renounce not their understandings and choose not to give up themselves to a beastial subjection to Usurpers or their Pastors he that thinks it enough that his Teacher hath Reason and be a man instead of himself and so thinketh it enough that his Teacher be a Christian and Religious must be also content that his Teacher alone be saved But then he must not be the Teacher of such a damning way But by Pride I mean a plain over-valuing of his own understanding and Conceits and Reasoningâ— quite above all the Evidences of their worth and an undervaluing and contempt of the judgements and reasonings of far wiser men that had evidence enough to have evinced his folly and â—rror to a sober and impartial man Undoubtedly it is the Pride of Priests and people that hath so lâ—mensably in all ages â—orn the Church He that readeth the Histories of Schisms and Church-confusions and marketh the effects which this age hath shewed will no more doubt whether Pride were the cause than whether it was the wind that blew down Trees and houses when he seeth them one way overturned by multitudes where the tempest came with greatest force Therefore a Bishop must be no Nâ—vice lâ—st being lifted up with pride 〈◊〉
salvation as the ungodly world doth Oh with what scorn and holy indignation would they refuse a world if it were offered them instead of God with what detestation would they reject the motion to any sin § 10. Direct 10. When you would revive in your minds a right apprehension and estimation of all earthly Direct 10. things as Riches and Honours and Greatness and Command and full provisions for the flesh bethink you then how the blessed souls with Christ esteem them How little do they set by all those things that worldlings make so great a stir for and for which they â—ell their God and their salvation How contemptible are Crowns and Kingdoms in their eyes Their judgement is more like to Gods than ours is Luk. 16. 15. That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God All the world would not hire a Saint in Heaven to tell one lie or take the name of God in vain or to forget God or be estranged from him for one hour § 11. Direct 11 When you see the Godly under the contempt of sinners here accounted as the filth of Direct 11. the world and the off-scouring of all things defamed reviled hated and persecuted Look up then to the 1 Cor. 4. 12 13. Saints with Christ and think how they are esteemed and used And when you would truly know what â—am 3. 45. a Believer is think not how they are esteemed and used by men but how they are esteemed and used by Christ. Judge not of them by their short afflictions nor by their meanness in the flesh but by their endless happiness and their glory above Look up to the home and world of Saints if you would know what Saints are and not to the few scattered imperfect passengers in this world that is not Heb 11. 33. worthy of them § 12. Direct 12. When you are tempted to think meanly of the Kingdom of Christ as if his flock were Direct 12. so small and poor and sinful as to be inconsiderable look up to the world of blessed souls which dwell above And there you shall see no such paucity or imperfections or blemishes as are here below The Subjects there are such as dishonour not their King Christs Kingdom is not of this world Joh. 18. 36. If you would know it in its Glory look up to the world where it is Glorious If when you hear men contemn the Kingdom of the Saints of Christ and at the same time did but see as Stephen did a glimpse into that Kingdom and all the Glory of the blessed there what thoughts would you have of the words which did dishonour it § 13. Direct 13. When you hear sinners boast of the Wisdom or Numbers of their party and appealing Direct 13. to the learned or great ones of the world look up to the blessed souls with Christ and ask whether they are not more wise and numerous than all the sinners upon earth The greatest Doctors are ignorant and unlearned in comparison of the meanest soul with Christ The greatest Monarchs are but worms in comparison of the Glorified Spirits with God If they say to you Are you wiser than so many and so wise and Learned men ask them Are you or all the ungodly wiser than all the blessed souls with Christ Let the wiser party carry it § 14. Direct 14. When you are tempted to be weary of a holy life or to think all your labour is vain Direct 14. look up to the blessed souls with Christ and there you will see the end of Holiness There you will see that of all the labour of your lives there is none that you are so sure to gain by and that in due time you shall reap if you faint not and if you sow to the spirit of the spirit you shall reap everlasting life Gal. 6. 8 9. And that when you have done the will of God if you have but patience you shall inherit the promise Heb. 10. 36. Ask your selves whether any of those blessed souls Repent now of the Holiness of their lives on earth or of their mortifying the flesh and denying themselves the delights of sin § 15. Direct 15. When you are tempted to turn back in the day of tryal and to forsake Christ or Direct 15. his cause when persecution ariseth then look to the blessed souls above and see what is the end of suffering for the sake of Christ and righteousness To foresee the great reward in Heaven will convince you that instead of being terrified by sufferings you should rejoyce and be exceeding glad Are you to lie Mat. 5. 11 12. in Prison or to burn in the Flames so did many thousands that are now in Heaven And do you think that they repent it now Ignatius Polycarp Cyprian and many such holy men were once used as hardly as you are now and put to death by cruel men Rogers Bradford Hooper Glover and multitudes with them were once in Prison and burnt in the Flames but where are they now and what is the end of all their pains Now whether do you think the case of Bonner or Bradford to be best Now had you rather be Gardiner or Philpot Now which think you doth most repent the poor Waldenses that were murdered by thousands or the Popes and Persecutors that murdered them § 16. Direct 16. When you are dismayed under the burden of your sins the greatness of your corruptions Direct 16. the weakness of your graces the imperfection of your duties look up to the blessed souls with Christ and remember that all those Glorified spirits were once in flesh as you now are and once they lay at the feet of God in tears and groans and cryes as you do They were once fain to cry out of the burden of their sins and mourn under the weakness of their graces as you now do They were once as much clog'd with flesh as you are and once as low in doubts and fears and bruised under the sense of Gods displeasure They once were as violently assaulted with temptations and had the same corruptions to lament and strive against as you have They were once as much afflicted by God and man But is there any of the smart of this remaining § 17. Direct 17. When you are deterred from the presence of the dreadful God and think he will not Direct 17. accept such worms as you look up to the blessed souls with Christ and remember how many millions of your brethren are there accepted to greater familiarity than that which you here desire Remember that those souls were once as dark and distant from God and unworthy of his acceptance as you now are A fearful Child receiveth boldness to see his Brethren in his Fathers arms § 18. Direct 18. When you are afraid of Satan lest he should prevail against you and devour you Direct 18. look up to the blessed souls with Christ and
Orbs besides what Scripture saith even reason will strongly perswade any rational man 1. When we consider that Sea and Land and Air and all places of this lower baser part of the world are replenished with inhabitants suitable to their natures And therefore that the incomparably more great and excellent Orbs and Regions should all be uninhabited is irrational to imagine 2. And as we see the Rational Creatures are made to govern the Brutes in this inferiour world so reason telleth us it is improbable that the higher Reason of the inhabitants of the higher Regions should have no hand in the government of man And yet God hath further condescended to satisfie us herein by some unquestionable apparitions of good Angels and many more of evil spirits which puâ—s the matter past all doubt that there are inhabitants of the unseen world And when we know that such there are it maketh it the more easie to us to believe that such we may be either numbered with the happy or unhappy Spirits considering the affinity which there is between the nature of our souls and them To conquer senseless Saducism is a good step to the conquest of irreligiousness He that is well perswaded that there are Angels and Spirits is much better prepared than a Sadducee to bâ—lieve the immortality of the soul And because the infinite distance between God and man is apt to make the thoughts of our approaching his Glory either dubious or very terrible the remembrance of those myriads of blessed Spirits that dwell now in the presence of that glory doth much embolden and confirm our thoughts As he that would be afraid whether he should have access to and acceptance with the King would be much encouraged if he saw a multituâ—e as mean as himself or not much unlike him to be familiar attendants on him I must confess such is my own weakness that I find a frequent need of remembring the holy Hosts of Saints and Angels that are with God to embolden my soul and make the thoughts of Heaven more familiar and sweet by abating my strangeness â—mazedness and fears And thus far to make them the Media that I say not the Mediators of my thoughts in their approaches to the Most High and Holy God Though the remembrance of Christ the true Mediator is my chief encouragement Especially when we consider how servently those holy Spirits do love every holy person upon earth and so that all those that dwell with God are dearer friends to us than our Fathers or Mothers here on earth are as is briefly proved before this will embolden us yet much more § 18. Direct 5. Make use of the thoughts of the Angelical Hosts when you would see the Glory and Direct 5. Majesty of Christ If you think it a small matter that he is the Head of the Church on earth a handful of people contemned by the Satanical party of the world yet think what it is to be Head over all things far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come that is Gave him a power dignity and name greater than any power dignity or name of men or Angels and hath put all things under his feet Ephes. 1. 21 22 23. Being made so much better than the Angels as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they Of him it is said Let all the Angels of God worship him Heb. 1. 4 6. Read the whole Chapter Our Head is the Lord of all these Hosts § 19. Direct 6. Make use of the remembrance of the glorious Angels to acquaint you with the dignity Direct 6. of humane nature and the special dignity of the servants of God and so to raise up your hearts in Magna dignitas fidelium animarum ut unaquaeque habeat ab ortu nativitatis in custodiam sui Angelum depuâ—atum imo plures Hitro Luke 20. 36. thankfulness to your Creator and Redeemer who hath thus advanced you 1. What a dignity is it that thâ—se holy Angels should be all Ministring Spirits sâ—nt for our good that they should love us and concern themselves so much for us as to rejoyce in Heaven at our conversion Lord What is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him For thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour Psal. 8. 4. 5. 2. But yet it is a higher declaration of our dignity that we should in Heaven be equal with them and so be numbered iâ—to their society and joyn with them everlastingly in the praise of our Creator 3. And it is yet a greater honour to us that our Natures are assumed into union of person with the Son of God and sâ— advanced above the Angels For he took not on him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham Nâ—r hath he put the world to come in subjection to the Angels Heb. 2. 5 16. This is the Lords doing and it is wonderous in our eyes § 20. Direct 7. When you would admire the works of God and his government look specially to the Direct 7. Angels part If God would be glorified in his works then especially in the most glorious parts If he take delight to work by Instruments and to communicate such excellency and honour to them as may conduce to the honour of the principal cause we must not overlook their excellency and honour unless we will deny God the honour which is due to him As he that will see the excellent workmanship of a Watch or any other Engine must not overlook the chiefest parts nor their operation on the rest So he that will see the excellent order of the works and Government of God must not over-look the Angels nor their Offices in the Government and preservation of the inferiour creatures so far as God hath revealed it unto us We spoil the Musick if we leave out these strings It is a great part of the glory of the works of God that all the parts in Heaven and Earth are so admirably conjoyned and joynted as they are and each in their places contribute to the beauty and harmony of the whole § 21. Direct 8. When you would be apprehensive of the excellency of Love and Humility and exact Direct 8. obedience tâ— the will of God look up to the Angels and see the lustre of all these vertues as they shine Heb. 1. 14. Psal. 103. 20 21 in them How perfectly do they Love God and all his Saints Even the weakest and meanest of the members of Christ With what humility do they condescend to minister for the heirs of salvation How readily and perfectly do they obey their Maker Though our chiefest pattern is Christ himself who came nearer to us and appeared in flesh to give us the example of all such duties yet under him the
with Government in Athens Quia plebs aliis institutis moribus assueverat Laert. in Platone and many other Philosophers that were fittest for Government refused it on the same account through the disobedience of the people your own If your Rulers sin you shall not answer for it but if you sin your selves you shall If you should live under the Turk that would oppress and persecute you your souls shall speed never the worse for this It is not you but He that should be damned for it If you say But it is we that should be oppressed by it I answer 1. How small are temporal things to a true believer in comparison of eternal things Have not you a greater hurt to fear than the killing of your bodies by men Luke 12. 4. 2. And even for this life do you not believe that your lives and liberties are in the power of God and that he can relieve you from the oppression of all the world by less than a word even by his will If you believe not this you are Atheists If you do you must needs perceive that it concerneth you more to care for your duty to your Governours than for theirs to you and not so much to regard what you receive as what you do nor how you are used by others as how you behave your selves to them Be much more afraid lest you should be guilty of murmuring dishonouring disobeying flattering not praying for your Governours than lest you suffer any thing unjustly from them 1 Pet. 4. 13 14 15 16 17. Let none of you suffer as a muderer or as a thief or as an evil doer or as a busiâ—-body in other mens matters yet if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorifie God on this behalf If ye be reproached for the name of Christ ye are happy Live so that all your Adversaries may be forced to say as it was said of Daniel Dan. 6. 5. We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him concerning the Law of his God Let none be able justly to punish you as drunkards or thieves or slanderers or fornicators or perjurâ—d or deceivers or rebellious or seditious and then never fear any suffering for the sake of Christ or Righteousness Yea though you suffer as Christ himself did under a false accusation of disloyalty fear not the suffering nor the infamy as long as you are free from the Guilt See that all be well at home and that you be not faulty against God or your Governours and then you may boldly commit your selves to God 1 Pet. 2. 23 24. § 46. Direct 22. The more Religious any are the more obedient should they be in all things lawful Direct 22. Exâ—â—l others in Loyalty as well as in Piety Religion is so far from being a just pretence of rebellion that it is the only effectual bond of sincere subjection and obedience § 47. Direct 23. Therefore believe not them that would exempt the Clergy from subjection to the Direct 23. Civil powers As none should know the Law of God so well as they so none should be more obedient to Kings and States when the Law of God so evidently commandeth it Of this read Bilson of Christian subjection who besides many others saith enough of this The Arguments of the Papists from the supposed incapacity of Princes would exempt Physicions and other Arts and Sciences from undâ—r their Government as well as the Clergy § 48. Direct 24. Abase not Magistrates so far as to think their office and power extendeth not to Direct 24. matters of Religion and the worship of God Were they only for the low and contemptible matters of this world their office would be contemptible and low To help you out in this I shall answer some of the commonest doubts § 49. Quest. 1. Is the Civil Magistrate Iudge in Controversies of faith or Worship Answ. It hath Quest. 1. many a time grieved me to hear so easie a Question frequently propounded and pitifully answered Who shall be Iudge in poâ—nts of faith and Worship by such as the publick good required to have had more understanding in such things In a word Iudgement is Publick or Private The Private judgement which is nothing but a Rational discerning of truth and duty in order to our own Choice and practice belongeth to every Rational person The Publick Iudgement is ever in Order to execution Now the execution is of two sorts 1. By the Sword Of thâ—se things see my Prâ—positions of the Difference of the Magistrates and Pastors power to Dr. L d. Moul. 2. By Gods word applyed to the case and person One is upon the Body or Estate The other is upon the Conscience of the person or of the Church to bring him to Repentance or to bind him to avoid Communion with the Church and the Church to avoid Communion with him And thus Publick Judgement is Civil or Ecclesiastical Coercive and violent in the execution or only upon Consenters and volunteers In the first the Magistrate is the only Iudge and the Pastors in the second About faith or worship if the Question be who shall be protected as Orthodox and who shall be punished by the Sword as Hereâ—ical Idolatrous or irreligious here the Magistrate is the only Judge If the Question be who ☞ shall be admitted to Church Communion as Orthodox or ejected and excommunicate as Heretical or prophane The Rex sacrorum among the Romans was debarred from exercising any Magistracy Plut. Rom. Quest. 63. here the Pastors are the proper Judges This is the truth and this is enough to end all the voluminous wranglings upon the Question Who shall be Iudge and to answer the cavils of the Papists against the Power of Princes in matters of Religion It is pity that such gross and silly sophisms in a case that a Child may answer should debase Christian Princes and take away their chief Power and give it to a proud and wrangling Clergy to persecute and divide the Church with § 50. Quest. 2. May our Oath of Supremacy be lawfully taken wherein the King is pronounced supream Quest. 2. Governour in all causes Ecclesiastical as well as Civil Answ. There is no reason of scruple to him that Of the Oath of Supremacy understandeth 1. That the title Causes Ecclesiastical is taken from the ancient usurpation of the Pope and his Prelates who brought much of the Magistrates work into their Courts under the name of Causes Ecclesiastical 2. That our Canons and many Declarations of our Princes have expounded it fully by disclaiming all proper Pastoral power 3. That by Governour is meant only one that Governeth coercively or by the sword so that it is no more than to swear that In all causes See Bilson of subject p. 238 256. Princâ—s only be Governours in things and causes Ecclesiastical that iâ— With the Sword But if you
fruits without partiality and hypocrisie and to speak evil of no man And where this is obeyed how quietly and easily may Princes govern § 97. 14. Christianity setteth before us the perfectest pattern of all this humility meekness contempt of worldly wealth and greatness self-denyal and obedience that ever was given in the world The Eternal Son of God incarnate would condescend to earth and flesh and would obey his Superiours after the flesh in the repute of the world and would pay tribute and never be drawn to any contempt of the Governours of the world though he suffered death under the false accusation of it He that is a Christian endeavoureth to imitate his Lord And can the imitation of Christ or of Luke 20 18. Matth. 21. 42 44. Acts 4 11. 1 Pet. 2. 7. 8. Zâ—ch 1â— 3. his peaceable Apostles be injurious to Governours Could the world but lay by their Serpentine enmity against the holy doctrine and practice of Christianity and not take themselves engaged to persecute it nor dash themselves in pieces on the stone which they should build upon nor by striving against it provoke it to fall on them and grind them to powder they never need to complain of disturbances by Christianity or Godliness § 98. 15. Christianity and true Godliness containeth not only all these Precepts that tend to peace and order in the world but also strength and willingness and holy dispositions for the practising of such precepts Other Teachers can speak but to the ears but Christ doth write his Laws upon the heart so that he maketh them such as he commandeth them to be Only this is the remnant of our unhappiness that while he is performing the Cure on us we retain a remnant of our old diseases and so his work is yet imperfect And as sin in strength is it that setteth on fire the course of nature so the relicts of it will make some disturbance in the world according to its degree But nothing is more sure than that the Godliest Christian is the most orderly and loyal subject and the best member according to his parts and power in the Common-wealth and that sin is the cause and holiness the cure of all the disorders and calamities of the world § 99. 16. Lastly Consult with experience it self and you will find that all this which I have spoken hath been ordinarily verified What Heathenism tendeth to you may see even in the Roman Government for there you will confess it was at the best To read of the tumults the cruelties Read the lives of all the Philosophers Orators and famous men of Greece or Rome and try whether the Christians or they were more for Monarchy Arcesilaus Regum neminem magnopere coluit Quamobâ—em legatione ad Antigonum fungens pro patria nihil obtinuit Hesich in Arces It s one of Thales sayings in Laert. Quid difficile Regum vidisse tyrannum senem Chrysippus videtur aspâ—rnator Regum modice fuisse Quod cum tam multa scripserit libros 705. nulli unquam regi quicquam adscripserit Senâ—ca faith Traged de Herc. fur perillously Victima haud ulla amplior Potest magisque opima mactari Jovi Quam Rex iniquus Cicero pro Milon Non se obstrinxit scelere siquis Tyrannum occidat quamvis familiarem Et 5. Tusc. Nulla nobis cum Tyrannis societas est neque est contra naturam spoliare eum quem honestum est necare Plura habet similia the popular unconstancy faction and injustice How rudely the Souldiers made their Emperours and how easily and barbarously they murdered them and how few of them from the dayes of Christ till Constantine did dye the common death of all men and scape the hands of those that were their subjects I think this will satisfie you whither mens enmity to Christianity tendeth And then to observe how suddenly the case was altered as soon as the Emperours and Subjects became Christian till in the declining of the Greek Empire some Officers and Courtiers who aspired to the Crown did murder the Emperours And further to observe that the rebellious doctrines and practices against Governours have been all introduced by factions and heresies which forsook Christianity so far before they incurred such guilt and that it is either the Papal Usurpation which is in its nature an enemy to Princes that hath deposed and trampled upon Emperours and Kings or else some mad Enthusiasticks that over-run Religion and their wits that at Munster and in England some lately by the advantage of their prosperity have dared to do violence against Soveraignty but the more any men were Christians and truly Godly the more they detested all such things All this will tell you that the most serious and Religious Christians are the best members of the Civil Societies upon Earth § 100. II. Having done with the first part of my last Direction I shall say but this little of the second Let Christians see that they be Christians indeed and abuse not that which is most excellent to be a cloak to that which is most vile 1. In reading Politicks swallow not all that every Author writeth in conformity to the Polity that he liveth under What perverse things shall you read in the Popish Politicks Contzen and abundance such What usurpation on Principalities and cruelties to Christians under the pretence of defending the Church and suppressing Heresies 2. Take heed in reading History that you suffer not the Spirit of your Author to infect you with any of that partiality which he expresseth to the cause which he espouseth Consider in what times and places all your Authors lived and read them accordingly with the just allowance The name of Liberty was so pretious and the name of a King so odious to the Romans Athenians c. that it is no wonder if their Historians be unfriendly unto Kings 3. Abuse not Learning it self to lift you up with self-conceitedness against Governours Learned men may be ignorant of Polity or at least unexperienced and almost as unfit to judge as of matters of Warr or Navigation 4. Take heed of giving the Magistrates power to the Clergy and setting up Secular Coercive power See Bilson of Subject p. 525 526. proving from Châ—ysost Hilary Oâ—â—gen that Pastors may use no force oâ— terror but only perswasion to recover their wandering sheep Bilson ibid. p. 541. Parliamenâ—s have been kept by the King and his Barons the Clergy wholly excluded and yet their Acts and Statutes good And when the Bishops were present their voices from the Conquest to this day were never Negative By Gods Law you have nothing to do with making Laws for Kingdoms and Common-wealths You may teach you may not command Perswasion is your part Compulsion is the Princes c. Thus Bishop Bilson So p. 358. under the name of the power of the Keys And it had been happy for the Church if God had perswaded Magistrates in all ages to have kept the
not ad semper no act especially external is a duty at all times Therefore not this of revealing an offenders fault And if it be not alwayes a duty then it must be none when it is inconsistent with some greater benefit or duty For when two goods come together the greater is to be preferred Therefore in case that you see in just probability that the concealment of the sinner will do more hurt to the Common-wealth or the souls of men than the saving of your life is like to do good You may not promise to conceal him or if you sinfully promise it you may not perform it But in case that your life is like to be a greater good than the Not promising to conceal him then such a promise is no fault because the disclosing him is no duty But to judge rightly of this is a matter of great difficulty If it be less than life which you save by such a promise it oft falls out that it is a lesser good than the detecting of the offence § 18. But it will here be said If I promise not to conceal a Robber I must conceal him nevertheless for when he hath killed me I cannot reveal him and I must conceal the bribe-taker for till I have promised secrecy I cannot prove him guilty And he that promiseth to forbear a particular good action whilest he liveth doth yet reserve his life for all other good works whereas if he dye he will neither do that nor any other But this case is not so easily determined If Daniel dye he can neither pray nor do any other good on earth And if he live he may do much other good though he never pray And yet he might not promise to give over praying to save his life I conceive that we must distinguish of duties essential to the outward part of Christianity or of constant indispensible necessity and duties which are alterable and belong only to some persons times and places Also between the various consequents of omissions And I conceive that ordinarily a man may promise for the saving of his life that he will forbear a particular alterable duty or relation As to read such a Commentary to speak with such a Minister to be a Magistrate or a Minister c. in case we have not before bound our selves never to give over our Calling till death And in case that the good which will follow our forbearance is likely to a judicious person to be greater than the evil But no man may promise to omit such a duty as God hath made necessary during life as not to love God or fear or trust him not to Worship him and call upon him and praise him nor to do good to mens souls or bodies in the general or not to Preach or Pray while I am a Minister of Christ or not at all to Govern while you are a Governour For all these contradict some former and greater promises or duties Nor may you omit the smallest duty to save your life at such a time when your death is like to do more good than your life would do without that one duty Apply this to the present case § 19. Quest. 12. If another man deceive me into a promise or Covenant against my good am I bound Quest. 12. to perform it when I have discovered the deceit Answ. Yes 1. In case that the Law of the Land or other reasons for the publick good require it 2. Or in case that you were faulty by negligence heedlesness or otherwise guilty of your own deceit in any considerable and avoidable degree Otherwise in that measure that he deceived you and in those respects you are not obliged § 20. Quest. 13. If the contracting parties do neither of them understand the other is it a Covenant Quest. 13. Or if it be whose sense must carry it Answ. If they understand not each other in the Essentials of the Contract it is no contract in point of Conscience except where the Laws for the publick safety do annex the obligation to the bare external act But if they understand not one another in some circumstances and be equally culpable or innocent they must come to a new agreement in those particulars But if one party only be guilty of the misunderstanding he must bear the loss if the other insist on it § 21. Quest. 14. Am I bound to stand to the bargains which my friend or trustee or servant maketh Quest. 14. for me when it proveth much to my injury or loss Answ. Yes 1. If they exceed not the bounds of that commission or trust which they received from you 2. Or if they do yet if by your former trusting and using them or by any other sign you have given the other party sufficient cause to suppose them entrusted by you to do what they do so that he is deceived by your fault you are bound at least to see that he be no loser by you though you are not bound to make him a gainer unless you truly signified that you authorized them to make the contract For if it be meerly your friends or servants errour without your fault it doth not bind you to a third person But how far you may be bound to pardon that errour to your friend or servant is another question and how far you are bound to save them harmless And that must be determined by laying together all other obligations between them and you § 22. Quest. 15. If I say I will give such or such a one this or that am I bound thereby to do it Quest. 15. Answ. It is one thing to express your present mind and resolution without giving away the liberty of changing it And it s another thing to intend the obliging of your self to do the thing mentioned and that obligation is either intended to man or to God only and that is either in point of rendition and use or in point of veracity or the performance of that moral duty of speaking truth If you meant no more in saying I will do it or I will give it but that this is your present Will and purpose and resolution yea though it add the confident perswasion that your will shall not change yet this no further obligeth you than you are obliged to continue in that will And a mans confident resolutions may lawfully be changed upon sufficient cause But if you intended to alienate the title to another or to give him present right or to oblige your self for the future to him by that promise or to oblige your self to God to do it by way of peremptory assertion as one that will be guilty of a lye if you perform it not or if you dedicate the thing to God by those words as a Vow then you are obliged to do accordingly supposing nothing else to prohibit it § 23. Quest. 16. Doth an inward promise of the mind not expressed oblige Quest. 16. Answ. In a Vow to God it
several tempers and strength and appetites 2. And between the restraint of Want and the restraint of Gods Law And so it is thus resolved 1. Such difference in quantity or quality as mens health or strength and real benefit requireth may be made by them that have no want 2. When want depriveth the poor of that which would be really for their health and strength and benefit it is not their duty who have no such want to conform themselves to other mens afflictions Except when other reasons do require it 3. But all men are bound to avoid real excess in matter or manner and curiosity and to lay out nothing needlesly on their bellies yea nothing which they are called to lay out a better way Understand this answer and it will suffice you § 5. Inst. 2. Another way of Prodigality is by needless costly Visits and Entertainments Inst. 2. Quest. 2. What cost upon Visits and Entertainments is unlawful and prodigal Quest. 2. Answ. 1. Not only all that which hath an ill original as Pride or flattery of the rich and all that hath an ill End as being meerly to keep up a carnal unprofitable interest and correspondency but also all that which is excessive in degree I know you will say But that 's the difficulty to know when it is excessive It is not altogether impertinent to say when it is above the proportion of your own estate or the ordinary use of those of your own ranck or when it plainly tendeth to cherish gluttony or excess in others But these answers are no exact solution I add therefore that it is excess when any thing is that way expended which you are called to expend another way Object But this leaveth it still as difficult as before Answ. When in rational probability a greater good may be done by another way of expence consideratis considerandis and a greater good is by this way neglected then you had a call to spend it otherwise and this expence is sinful Object It is a doubt whether of two goods it be a mans duty alwayes to choose the greater Answ. Speaking of that Good which is within his choice it is no more doubt than whether Good be the object of the will If Good be eligible as good then the greatest good is most eligible Object But this is still a difficulty insuperable How can a man in every action and expence discern Whether a man is bound to prefer the greatest good which way it is that the greatest good is like to be attained This putteth a mans conscience upon endless perplexities and we shall never be sure that we do not sin For when I have given to a poor man or done some good for ought I know there was a poorer that should have had it or a greater good that should have been done Answ. 1. The contrary opinion legitimateth almost all villany and destroyeth most good works as to our selves or any others If a man may lawfully prefer a known lesser good before a greater and be justified because that the lesser is a real good than he may be feeding his Horse when he should be saving the life of his child or neighbour or quenching a fire in the City or defending the person of his King He may deny to serve his King and Countrey and say I was ploughing or sowing the while He may prefer sacrifice before mercy He may neglect his soul and serve his body He may plow on the Lords Day and neglect all Gods Worship A lesser duty is no duty but a sin when a greater is to be done Therefore it is certain that when two goods come together to our choice the greater is to be chosen or else we sin 2. As you expect that your Steward should proportion his expences according to the necessity of your business and not give more for a thing than it is worth nor lay out your money upon smaller commodities while he leaveth your greater business unprovided for And as you expect that your Servant who hath many things in the day to do should have so much skill as to know which to prefer and not to leave undone the chiefest whilest he spendeth his time upon the least So doth God require that his servants labour to be so skilful in his service as to be able to compare their businesses together and to know which at every season to prefer If Christianity required no wisdome and skill it were below mens common Trades and Callings 3. And yet when you have done your best here and truly endeavour to serve God faithfully with the best skill and diligence you have you need not make it a matter of scrupulosity perplexity and vexation For God accepteth you and pardoneth your infirmities and rewardeth your fidelity And what if it do follow that you know not but there may be some sinful omission of a better way Is that so strange or intollerable a conclusion As long as it is only a pardoned failing which should not hinder the comfort of your obedience Is it strange to you that we are all imperfect And imperfect in every good we do Even by a culpable sinful imperfection You never Loved God in your lives without a sinful imperfection in your Love And yet nothing in you is more acceptable to him than your love Shall we think a case of Conscience ill resolved unless we may conclude that we are sure we have no sinful imperfection in our duty If your Servant have not perfect skill in knowing what to prefer in buying and selling or in his work I think you will neither allow him therefore to neglect the greater and better knowingly or by careless negligence nor yet would you have him sit down and whine and say I know not which to choose But you would have him learn to be as skilful as he can and then willingly and chearfully do his business with the best skill and care and diligence he can And this you will best accept So that this holdeth as the truest and exactest solution of this and many another such case He that spendeth that upon an entertainment of some great ones which should relieve some poor distressed families that are ready to perish doth spend it sinfully If you cannot see this in Gods cause suppose it were the Kings and you will see it If you have but twenty pound to spend and your Tax or Subsidie cometh to so much If you entertain some Noble friend with that money will the King be satisfied with that as an excuse Or will you not be told that the King should have first been served Remember him then who will one day ask Have you fed or clothed or visited me Mat. 25. You are not absolute Owners of any thing but the stewards of God! and must expend it as he appointeth you And if you let the poor lye languishing in necessities whilest you are at great charges to entertain the rich without necessity or a greater good
and Dice and Stage-playes and so much on Hounds and needless pleasures c. Or rather So much to promote the preaching of the Gospel so much to set poor children to Prentice or to School so much to relieve distressed families c. Let Matth. 25. be well read and your account well thought on § 27. Direct 5. Keep an account of your expences and peruse them before a Fast or a Sacrament Direct 5. and ask conscience how it judgeth of them Yea ask some holy prudent friend Whether such proportions are allowable before God and will be comfortable to you in the day of your extremity If you are but willing to be cured such means as these will not be in vain CHAP. XXII Cases and Directions against injurious Law-Suits Witnessing and Iudgement Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Law-Suits and Proceedings Quest. 1. IN what cases is it lawful to go to Law with others Quest. 1. Answ. 1. In case of necessary defence when the Plaintiff doth compell you to it 2. When you are entrusted for Orphans or others whom you cannot otherwise right 3. When your Children or the Church or poor whom you should do good to are like to suffer iâ— you recover not your talent that God hath trusted you with for such uses from the hands of unjust men And they refuse all just arbitrations and other equal means which might avoid such suits 4. When your own necessity constraineth you to seek your own which you cannot get by easier means 5. When your forbearance will do more hurt by encouraging Knaves in their injustice than it will do good 6. When ever your cause is just and neither Mercy peace nor the avoiding of scandal do forbid it That is when it is like to do more good than harm it is then a lawful course But it is unlawful to go to Law 1. When you neglect just arbitrations patience and other needful means to avoid it 2. When your Cause is unjust 3. When you oppress the poor by it 4. When it is done in Coveâ—ousness revenge or pride 5. When the scandal or hurt to your Brother is like to be a greater harm than the righting of your self is like to do good Then must you not go willingly to Law Quest. 2. May I sue a poor man for a debt or trespass Quest. 2. Answ. 1. If he be so poor as that he cannot pay it nor procure you satisfaction the Suit is vain and tendeth but to cruelty 2. If he have no means to pay but that which will deprive him of food and rayment and the necessaries of his life or comfort you may not sue him unless it be for the supply of as great necessities of your own or in a trust for Orphans where you have no power to remit the debt yea and for them no cruelty must be used 3. If your forbearance be like to make him ableâ— by his diligence or other means you should forbear if possible 4. But if he be competently able and refuse to pay through knavery and injustice and you have better wayes to use that money if scandal forbid not you may seek by Law to recover your own from him Quest. 3. May I sue a Surety whose interest was not concerned in the case Quest. 3. Answ. If his poverty make it not an act of cruelty nor scandal prohibite it you may Because he was willing and declared his consent that you should have the debt of him if the principal pay not To become Surety is to consent to this And it is no injury to receive a mans money by his own consent and Covenant He knew that you had not lent it but on those terms and you had reason to suppose that he who would undertake to pay another mans debt had sufficient reason for it either in relation or counter-security But as you must use mercy to the principal debtor in his poverty so must you also to the surety Quest. 4. May I sue for the use of money as well as for the principal Quest. 4. Answ. This dependeth on the Case of Usury before resolved In those cases in which it may not be taken it may not be sued for Nor yet when the scandal of it will do more harm than the money will do good But in other cases it may be sued for on the terms as the Rent of Lands may Quest. 5. May Law-Suites be used to disable or humble an insolent wicked man Quest. 5. Answ. You may not take up an ill cause against him for any such good end But if you have a good cause against him which otherwise you would not have prosecuted you may make use of it to disable him from doing mischief when really it is a probable means thereto and when neither scandal nor other accidents do prohibite it Quest. 6. May a rich man make use of his friends and purse in a just cause to bear down or tire Quest. 6. out a poorer man that hath a bad cause Answ. Not by bribery or any evil means For his proceeding must be just as well as his cause But if it be an obstinate knave that setteth himself to do hurt to others it is lawful to make use of the favour of a righteous Judge or Magistrate against him And it is lawful to humble him by the length and expensiveness of the Suit when that is the fittest means and no unjust action is done in it Still supposing that scandal prohibit it not But let no proud or cruel person think that therefore they may by purse and friends and tedious Law-Suits oppress the innocent and attain their own unrighteous wills Quest. 7. May one use such forms in Law-Suits as in the literal sense are gross untruths in Declaratitions Quest. 7. Answers or the like Answ. The use of words is to express the mind And common use is the interpreter of them If they are such words as the notorious common use hath put another sense on than the literal one they must be taken in the sense which publick use hath put upon them And if that publick sense be true or Quest. 8. false accordingly they may or may not be used Quest. 8. May a guilty person plead not guilty or deny the fact Answ. Common use is the interpreter of words If the common use of those words doth make their publick sense a lye it may not be done But if the forinsick common use of the denyal is taken to signifie no more but this Let him that accuseth me prove it I am not bound to accuse my self or In foro I am not guilty till it be proved then it is lawful to plead Not-guilty and deny the fact except in cases wherein you are bound to an open confession or in which the scandal will do more hurt than the denyal will do good Quest. 9. Is a man ever bound to accuse himself and seek Iustice against himself Quest. 9. Answ. 1. In many cases a
not every one that committeth a sin after admonition who is here to be understood but such as are impenitent in some mortal or ruling sin For some may sin oft in a small and controverted point for want of ability to discern the truth and some may live in daily infirmities as the best men do which they condemn themselves and desire to be delivered from And even the most impenitent mans sins must not be medled with by every one at his pleasure but only when you have just cause Quest. 9. What if it be one whom I cannot speak to face to face Quest. 9. Answ. You must let him alone till you have just cause to speak of him Quest. 10. When hath a man a just cause and call to open anothers faults Quest. 10. Answ. Negatively 1. Not to fill up the time with other idle chatt or table-talk 2. Not to second any man how good soever who backbiteth others no though he pretend to do it to make the sin more odious or to exercise godly sorrow for other mens sin 3. Not when ever interest passion faction or company seemeth to require it But Affirmatively 1. When we may speak it to his face in love and privacy in due manner and circumstances as is most hopeful to conduce to his amendment 2. When after due admonition we take two or three and after that tell the Church in a case that requireth it 3. When we have a sufficient cause to accuse him to the Magistrate 4. When the Magistrate or the Pastors of the Church reprove or punish him 5. When it is necessary to the preservation of another As if I see my friend in danger of marrying with a wicked person or takeing a false servant or trading and bargaining with one that is like to over-reach him or going among cheaters or going to hear or converse with a dangerous Heretick or Seducer I must open the faults of those that they are in danger of so far as their safety and my charity require 6. When it is any treason or conspiracy against the King or Common-wealth where my concealment may be an injury to the King or damage or danger to the Kingdom 7. When the person himself doth by his self-justification force me to it 8. When his reputation is so built upon the injury of others and slanders of the just that the justifying of him is the condemning of the innocent we may then indirectly condemn him by vindicating the just As if it be in a case of contention between two if we cannot justifie the right without dishonour to the injurious there is no remedy but he must bear his blame 9. When a mans notorious wickedness hath set him up as a spectacle of warning and lamentation so that his crimes cannot be hid and he hath forfeited his reputation we must give others warning by his fall As an excommunicate person or malefactor at the Gallows c. 10. When we have just occasion to make a bare narrative of some publick matters of fact as of the sentence of a Judge or punishment of offenders c. 11. When the crime is so heinous as that all good persons are obliged to joyn to make it odious as Phinehas was to execute judgement As in cases of open Rebellion Treason Blasphemy Atheism Idolatry Murders Perjury Cruelty Such as the French Massacre the Irish far greater Massacre the Murdering of Kings the Powder Plot the Burning of London c. Crimes notorious should not go about in the mouths or ears of men but with just detestation 12. When any persons false reputation is a seducement to mens souls and made by himself or others the instrument of Gods dishonour and the injury of the Church or State or others though we may do no unjust thing to blast his reputation we may tell the truth so far as justice or mercy or piety requireth it Quest. 11. What if I hear dawbers applauding wicked men and speaking well of them and extenuating Quest. 12. their crimes and praising them for evil doing Answ. You must on all just occasions speak evil of sin But when that is enough you need not meddle with the sinner no not though other men applaud him and you know it to be false For you are not bound to contradict every falshood which you hear But if in any of the twelve fore-mentioned cases you have a call to do it as for the preservation of the hearers from a snare thereby as if men commend a Traytor or a wicked man to draw another to like his way in such cases you may contradict the false report Quest. 12. Are we bound to reprove every backbiter in this age when honest people are grown to Quest. 12. make little conscience of it but think it their duty to divulge mens faults Answ. Most of all that you may stop the stream of this common sin Ordinarily when ever we can do it without doing greater hurt we should rebuke the tongue that reporteth evil of other men causelesly behind their backs For our silence is their encouragement in sin Tit. 2. Directions against Backbiting Slandering and Evil Speaking Direct 1. MAintain the life of brotherly Love Love your neighbour as your self Direct 1. Direct 2. Watch narrowly lest interest or passion should prevail upon you For Direct 2. where these prevail the tongue is set on fire of Hell and will set on fire the course of nature Iam. 2. Selfishness and passion will not only prompt you to speak evil but also to justifie it and think you do well yea and to be angry with those that will not hearken to you and believe you Direct 3. Especially involve not your selves in any faction Religious or Secular I do not mean Direct 3. that you should not love and imitate the best and hold most intimate communion with them But that you abhor unlawful divisions and sidings and when error or uncharitableness or carnal interest hath broken the Church into pieces where you live and one is of Paul and another of Apollo and another of Cephas one of this party and another of that take heed of espousing the interest of any party as it stands cross to the interest of the whole It would have been hardly credible if sad experience had not proved it how commonly and heinously almost every Sect of Christians do sin in this point against each other And how far the interest of their Sect which they account the interest of Christ will prevail with multitudes even of zealous people to belye calumniate backbite and reproach those that are against their opinion and their party Yea how easily will they proceed beyond reproaches to bloody persecutions He that thinketh that he doth God service by killing Christ or his Disciples will think that he doth him service by calling him a deceiver and one that hath a Devil a blasphemer and an enemy to Caesar and calling his Disciples pestilent fellows and movers of
a man choose for a matter of trust Quest. 2. Answ. As the matter is One that hath wisdom skill and fidelity through conscience honesty friendship or his own apparent interest Quest. 3. In what cases may I commit a secret to another Quest. 3. Answ. When there is a necessity of his knowing it or a greater probability of good than hurt by it in the evidence which a prudent man may see Quest. 4. What if another commit a thing to me with charge of secresie and I say nothing to him and so Quest. 4. promise it not Am I bound to secresie in that case Answ. If you have cause to believe that he took your silence for consent and would not else have committed it to you you are obliged in point of fidelity as well as friendship except it be with robbers or such as we are not bound to deal openly with and on terms of equality Quest. 5. What if it be a secret but I am under no Command or Promise at all about it Quest. 5. Answ. You must then proceed according to the Laws of Charity and Friendship and not reveal that which is to the injury of another without a greater cause Quest. 6. What if it be against the King or State or common good Quest. 6. Answ. You are bound to reveal it so far as the safety of the King or State or common good requireth it Yea though you swear the contrary Quest. 7. What if it be only against the good of some third ordinary person Quest. 7. Answ. You must endeavour to prevent his wrong either by revealing the thing or disswading from it or by such means as prudence shall tell you is the meetest way by exercising your love to one without doing wrong to the other Quest. 8. What if a man secretly entrust his estate to me for himself or children when he is in debt Quest. 8. to defraud his Creditors Answ. You ought not to take such a trust And if you have done it you ought not to hold it but resign it to him that did entrust you Yea and to disclose the fraud for the righting of the Creditors except it be in such a case as that the Creditor is some such vicious or oppressing person as you are not obliged to exercise that act of charity for or when the consequents of revealing it will be a greater hurt than the righting of him will compensate especially when it is against the publick good Quest. 9. What if a delinquent entrust me with his estate or person to secure it from penalty Quest. 9. Answ. If it be one that is prosecuted by a due course of Justice cujus poena debetur reipublicae whose punishment the common good requireth the case must be decided as the former You must not take nor keep such a trust But if it be one whose Repentance giveth you reason to believe that his impunity will be more to the common good than his punishment and that if the Magistrate knew it he ought to spare or pardon him in this case you may conceal his person or estate so be it you do it not by a lye or any other sinful means or such as will do more hurt than good Quest. 10. What if a friend entrust me with his estate to secure it from some great taxes or tributes to Quest. 10. the King May I keep such a trust or not Answ. No if they be just and legal taxes for the maintenance of the Magistrate or preservation of the Common-wealth But if it were done by a Usurper that had no authority or done without or beyond authority to the oppressing of the subject you may conceal his estate or your own by lawful means Quest. 11. What if a man that suffereth for Religion commit his person or estate to my trust Quest. 11. Answ. You must be faithful to your trust 1. If it be true Religion and a good cause for which he suffereth 2. Or if he be falsly accused of abuses in Religion 3. Or if he be faulty but the penalty intended from which you secure him is incomparably beyond his fault and unjust Supposing still that you save him only by lawful means and that it be not like to tend to do more hurt than good to the cause of Religion or the Common-wealth Quest. 12. What if a Papist or other erroneous person entrust me being of the same mind to educate Quest. 12. his Children in that way when he is dead and afterwards I come to see the errour must I perform that trust or no Answ. No 1. Because no trust can oblige you to do hurt 2. Because it is contrary to the primary intent of your friend which was his Childrens good And you may well suppose that had he seen his errour he would have entrusted you to do accordingly You are bound therefore to answer his primary intention and truly to endeavour his Childrens good Quest. 13. But what if a man to whom another hath entrusted his Children turn Papist or Heretick Quest. 13. and so thinketh errour to be truth what must he do Answ. He is bound to turn back again to the truth and do accordingly Obj. But one saith this is the truth and another that And he thinketh he is right Answ. There is but one of the contraries true Mens thinking themselves to be in the right doth not make it so And God will not change his Laws because they misunderstand or break them Therefore still that which God bindeth them to is to return unto the truth And if they think that to be truth which is not they are bound to think otherwise If you say They cannot It is either not true or it is long of themselves that they cannot And they that cannot immediately yet mediately can do it in the due use of means Quest. 14. What if I foresee that the taking of a trust may hazard my estate or otherwise hurt me and Quest. 14. yet my dying or living friend desireth it Answ. How far the Law of Christianity or friendship oblige you to hurt your self for his good must be discerned by a prudent considering what your obligations â—â—e to the person and whether the good of your granting his desires or the hurt to your self is like to be the greater and of more publick consequence And whether you injure not your own Children or others by gratifying him And upon such comparison prudence must determine the case Quest. 15. But what if afterward the trust prove more to my hurt than I foresaw Quest. 15. Answ. If it was your own fault that you foresaw it not you must suffer proportionably for that fault But otherwise you must compare your own hurt with the Orphanes in case you do not perform the trust And consider whether they may not be relieved another way And whether you have reason to think that if the Parent were alive and knew your danger he would expect
direct you in it and confer about it And it is best for you if he be one that excelleth you herein that he may add something to you But then you will not be such to him and so the friendship will be unequal 20. Lastly There must be some suitableness in Age and Sex The young want experience to make them meet for the bosome friendship of the aged though yet they may take delight in instructing them and doing them good And the young are hardly reconcilable to all the gravity of the aged And it must not be a person of a different sex unless in case of Marriage Not but that they may be helpful to each other as Christians and in a state of distant friendship But this bosome intimacy they are utterly unfit for because of unsuitableness temptation and scandal Directions for the right Use of special Bosome Friendship Direct 1. ENgage not your self to any one as a bosome friend without great evidence and Direct 1. proof of his fitness in all the foregoing qualifications By which you may see that this is not an ordinary way of duty or benefit but a very unusual case For it is a hard thing to meet with one among many thousands that hath all these qualifications And when that is done if you have not all the same qualifications to him you will be unmeet for his friendship what ever he be for yours And where in an age will there be two that are suited in all those respects Therefore our ordinary way of duty is to love all according to their various worth and to make the best use we can of every ones grace and gifts and of those most that are nearest us but without the partiality of such extraordinary affection to any one above all the rest For young persons usually make their choice rashly of one that afterwards proveth utterly unmeet for the Office of such a friend or at least no better than many other persons Nay ten to one but after experience will acquaint them with many that are much wiser and better and fitter for their love And hasty affections are guilty of blind partiality and run men into sin and sorrow and often end in unpleasant ruptures Therefore be not too forward in this friendship Direct 2. When you do choose a friend though he must be one that you have no cause to be Direct 2. suspicious of yet reckon that it is possible that he may be estranged from you yea and turn your enemy Causeless jealousies are contrary to friendship on your part and if there be Cause it is inconsistent with friendship on his part But yet no friendship should make you blind and not to know that man is a corrupt and mutable creature especially in such an age as this wherein we have seen how personal Changes State-changes and changes in Religion have alienated many seeming friends Therefore Love them and Use them and Trust them but as men that may possibly fail all your expectations and open all your secrets and betray you yea and turn your enemies Suspect it not but judge it possible Direct 3. Be open with your approved friend and commit all your secrets to him still excepting Direct 3. those the knowledge of which may be hurtful to himself or the revealing of them hereafter may be intollerably injurious to your self to the honour of Religion to the publick good or to any other If you be needlesly close you are neither friendly nor can you improve your friend enough to your own advantage But yet if you open all without exception you may many wayes be injurious to your friend and to your self and the day may come which you did not look for in which his weakness passion interest or alienation may trouble you by making all publick to the world Direct 4. Use as little affectation or ceremony with your friend as may be but let all your converse Direct 4. with him be with openness of heart that he may see that you both trust him and deal with him in plain sincerity If dissimulation and forced affectation be but once discovered it tendeth to breed a constant diffidence and suspicion And if it be an infirmity of your own which you think needeth such a cover the Cloak will be of worse effect than the knowledge of your infirmity Direct 5. Be ever faithful to your friend for the cure of all his faults and never turn friendship Direct 5. into flattery yet still let all be done in Love though in a friendly freedome and closeness of admonition It is not the least benefit of intimate friendship that what an enemy speaketh behind our backs a friend will open plainly to our faces To watch over one another daily and be as a glass to shew our faces or faults to one another is the very great benefit of true friendship Eccles. 4. 9 10 11. Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labour For if they fall the one will lift up his fellow But wo to him that is alone when he falleth for he hath not another to help him up It is a flatterer and not a friend that will please you by concealing or extenuating your sin Direct 6. Abhor Selfishness as most contrary to real friendship Let your friend be as your self Direct 6. and his interest as your own If we must love our neighbour as our selves much more our dearest bosome friends Direct 7. Understand what is most excellent and useful in your friend and that improve Much Direct 7. good is lost by a dead hearted companion that will neither broach the Vessel and draw out that which is ready for their use nor yet feed any good discourse by due questions or answers but stifle all by barren silence And a dull silent hearer will weary and silence the speaker at the last Direct 8. Resolve to bear with each others infirmities Be not too high in your expectations from Direct 8. each other Look not for exactness and innocency but for humane infirmities that when they fall out you may not find your selves disappointed Patience is necessary in all humane converse Direct 9. Yet do not suffer friendship to blind you to own or extenuate the faults of your dearest Direct 9. friend For that will be sinful partiality and will be greatly injurious to God and treachery against the soul and safety of your friend Direct 10. And watch lest the love estimation or reverence of your friend should draw you to Direct 10. entertain his errors or to imitate him in any sinful way It is no part of true friendship to prefer men before the truth of Christ nor to take any heretical dividing or sensual infection from our friend and so to dye and perish with him Nor is it friendly to desire it Direct 11. Never speak against your friend to a third person Nor open his dishonourable weakness Direct 11. to another