of things and this is commendable where the matter is such as we either understand not throughly or may er in Some again though of weak understanding no sooner heare an objection against any thing which they hold but forth with they fall upon it with an answer And this they do oft out of a conceipt that it is a point of wit in them and credit to them to say something to everie thing though little to purpose to any thing in whom the Proverb is verified to the contrarie He that answereth a matter before he know it it is folly and shame unto him Others there are again who trust most to the Scorpions sting their venemous tongue in disgracing in stead of refuting both cause and person of their opposites by all possible means and these are for the most part such as presume that the times which they serv and their credits with them will countenance and authorize against their underling-adversaries the slaunders and calumnies which they either malitiously invent or lightly receav or uncharitably conceiv against them which therefore they spit freely abroad with black tongues as Serpents do their poyson to blast and corrupt whatsoever they light upon These hoat reproachers are often as cold disputers There want not also who affect differences in Religion with others either in wantonnesse and for ostentation of wit or in affectation of singularitie or in envie at Superiours or in contempt of Inferiours or to gratifie the Mightie by opposing such specially of mean condition as the other hate and despise But we should affect strife with none but studie as far as can be to accord with all accounting it a benefit when we can so do with any and the contrarie a crosse and the same the greater by how much their gifts or graces or places are greater or the bond nearer between them and us whether Naturall or Civill or Religious Lastly there are to be found too many who make either proud contempt or bold obstinacie a buckler to ward all blows of arguments that are or can be brought against their preconceaved opinions We ought to be firmly perswaded in our hearts of the truth and goodnesse of the Religion vvhich vve embrace in all things yet as knowing our selvs to be men whose propertie it is to er and to be deceived in many things and accordingly both to converse with men in that modestie of minde as alwayes to desire to learn something better or further by them if it may be as also to beg at Gods hands the pardon of our errours and aberrations which may be and are secret in us and we not aware thereof Whosoever offers the Word of God and holy Scriptures for justification of his Religion deservs to be heard and to have his cause examined for the verie Words sake whose testimonie he offers to produce as in civill course he who offers to bring for his cause witnesses honourable and worthy of credit will be admitted to plead it for his witnesses sake though not for his own No difference or alienation in Religion how great soever either dissolvs any naturall or civill bond of societie or abolisheth any the least dutie thereof A King Husband Father c. though an Heathen Idolater Atheist or Excommunicate is as well and as much a King Husband or Father as if he were the best Christian living and so both oweth and hath owing unto him reciprocally the duties and offices of that state in which he is set by an inviolable right which they that denie are monsters amongst men and enemies to humain societies Divisions amongst a few though not in the greatest matters are most observed because First It is expected that weak parties should be firmly united for their better defence Secondly A few and their doings are remarkeable for their fewnesse as a handfull of Forreighnours in a strange Countrey Thirdly their differences are oft more vehement partly for the greater zeal spirituall or carnall of the persons and partly because their opposition is more immediate whereas amongst many it will be hard but some mediatours will be found to moderate things And this is the reason why the danger of civill tumults is greatest in such Countreys as in which two Religions onely are in use Lastly All will be bold with them and readie to proclaim their miscariages to the full and above truth The most count it the best and safest way in differences of Religion without further question to take the strongest part that doing as the most do they may have the fewest finde fault with them Such forget God who is strongest of all But the best and safest way indeed is to get true and sound conscience of things certain and without controversie Such a person God will direct in his wayes so far and certainly as not to misse of the main end Life eternall and therewith in mercie will pardon all other his humain abberrations With mine whole heart have I sought thee Oh let me not wander from thy Commandments Men are for the most part minded for or against Toleration of diversitie of Religions according to the conformitie which they themselvs hold or hold not with the Countrey or Kingdom where they live Protestants living in the Countreys of Papists commonly plead for Toleration of Religion so do Papists that live where Protestants bear swey though few of either specially of the Clergie as they are called would have the other tolerated where the world goes on their side The verie same is to be observed in the ancient Fathers in their times of whom such as lived in the first three hundred yeeres after Christ and suffered with the Churches under Heathen Persecuters pleaded against all violence for Religion true or false affirming that it is of humain right and naturall libertie for everie man to worship what he thinketh God and that it is no propertie of Religion to compell to Religion which ought to be taken up freely that No man is forced by the Christians against his will seeing he that wants faith devotion is unserviceable to God and that God not being contentious would not be worshiped of the unwilling Whereas on the contrarie the latter having the Emperours Christian and on their side incited and pressed them to violent courses But considering that to tolerate is not to approve and that the Magistrates are Kings Lords over men properly and directly as they are their Subjects and not as they are Christs but that by accident and as the same persons who are civilly their Subjects are Spiritually Christs and Christians and lastly considering that neither God is pleased with unwilling worshipers nor Christian societies bettered nor the persons themselvs neither but the plain contrarie in all three the saying of the wise King of Poland seemeth approveable that it is one of the three things which God hath kept in his own hands to urge the conscience this way and to cause
is or can be false in Divinitie The truth in the inferiour facultie is subordinate to that in the superiour in all things and comes short of it in many things but can in nothing be contrarie unto it seeing God and his Spirits work cannot be contrarie to himself I ad though the truth be uttered by the Divel himself yet is it originally of God When he speaks a ly he speaks of himself but when he speaks the truth he speaks of God who so far useth or rather abuseth him as to utter and professe that which he hateth We ought to reverence excellent men but the truth more as Dionisius said of Nepos and Aristotle of Plato and Socrates And good reason seeing a main cause of our reverencing of men is their knowledg and profession of the truth No prescription say the Lawyers lies against the King say we with the Father against the truth which by the Verdict of a great King himself and his Nobles with him is greater then the King no space of time no patronage of person no priviledg of place from which blind or simple custom commonly getting footing and growing into use by succession is brought to coap with truth it self and that the most violently where the persons are the most bruitish and godlesse But our Lord Christ called himself Truth not Custom neither is Falshood Errour or Heresie convinced by Noveltie but by Truth This Truth is alwayes the same whilst The God of Truth is in Heaven what entertainment soever it finde with men upon Earth It is alwayes praise-worthy though no man praise it and hath no reason or just cause to be ashamed though it oft go with a scratcht face They that fight against it are like the Floods beating upon the strong Rocks which are so much the more miserably dashed in pieces by how much they are the more violently carried Though Fire and Sword assault it yet will it not be killed or dy and though by violence it be buried quick yet will it rise again and if not before yet when all Flesh shall rise again and when Truth which was first and before Falshood and Errour shall be last and abide for ever We must love and attain to the knowledg of the Truth in our selvs First Lest we be Clouds without rain promising that to others which we our selvs want and must in our places afterwards make manifestation and profession of it and not be like the grave insatiable in receaving in and barren in returning any thing back but must be alwayes readie as we see hope of doing good to propagate it like the Phylosopher who being found fault with for disputing with all that he met with wished that the bruit beasts also could understand him that he might impart something even to them yea in our kind like God himself that gives wisdom to all that asks it of him and to Christ the Lord that Word of God and true Light which inlightens everie one that comes into the World and sometimes even when we see no hope of doing good if dutie bind us though hope fail us that so the non-proficients may have cause rather to complain of themselvs for not learning then of us for not manifesting the truth unto them And albeit all truth is not to be spoken at all times A fool uttereth all his mind but a wise man keeps it in for afterwards yet nothing not true at any time or for any cause He that hath but a right Philosophicall spirit and is but morally honest would rather suffer many deaths then call a Pin a Point or speak the least thing against his understanding or perswasion A man in pleading for the Truth may shew his judgment and understanding best in the matter but his grace and godlinesse in the manner when he handles a good cause well and the Lords cause after the Lords manner Sometimes men pretend Gods Truth and zeal for it when indeed they make their pleas for Truth serv onely for hackneys for their lusts to ride on whither they would have them Sometimes men seriously intend Truth and yet mingle both with their good intention and it may be true assertion also such their personall corruptions and distempers as Christ looseth more by their inordinatenesse that way then he gaines both by their sound knowledg and fervent zeal of and for his Truth The most account a ly more shamefull then sinfull and therefore make it a matter of great disgrace to take the ly specially in the hearing of others and yet make it no matter of conscience to make the ly before God and his Angels Ah foollish People thus to honour your selvs and other vile men your likes more then God himself and the Angels with him and with all base in your Pryde who will rather bear the ly at your own mouth then at an others When a man speakes against his knowledg his own heart tels his tongue it lyeth which to put up quietly argues both a gracelesse and an abject spirit Whereas both grace and true courage also may be shewen in bearing the ly at an others mouth by overcoming such indignation and anger ryseing thereat as is harder to conquer then a Citty The Divell is the father of lyes which whilst they in the womb of whose heart he begets them impute to other and better causes mooveing them thereunto they are but like harlots who for theyr credits sake father theyr bastards upon honest men Many things even good may occasion lying as all good may do all evill but no thing can bring it forth and cause it save the womb of our own corrupt heart imprignated by the divell Now if both by the Law of God and light of nature it be an abhominable confusion for a woman to lie down before a beast what is it for man or woman to prostitute themselvs to Sathan for the gendring of so mis-shapen a monster as a ly is And very rightly is a ly called monstrous considering both the divels kindes of which it comes and also the disproportion in it often between the speach and the thing spoken and alwayes between the tongue and heart of the speaker Neyther doth the goodnes of the meaning though never so good excuse the evill of the doing when as a ly is told He that tels a ly for God is an accepter of persons and God wil surely reprove him saith Iob. And no marvayl Since his own heart condemnes him God which is greater then his heart and knoweth all things will condemn him much more And if a ly told that through it the truth of God may more abound to his glory procure just condemnation what may they expect that use to ly for meaner though good ends He that tels a ly for a good end puts the Divell into Gods service which neyther his truth needs nor his holynes will endure but he that tels a ly for an evill
hearing of it his heart dyed in him and he became like a stone These lyons paws and roarings amongst the poore beasts are odious in civill administrations more in domesticall most of all in church-governments where they are found which ought to be specially doctrinall and exemplarie Let us fear as we ought the doing of wrong to others over whom we have advantage and God will so provide that we shall not excessively fear hurt from them who have power to hurt us CHAP. LVI Of Anger ANger as fear and sorrow and other affections of aversnes hath onely evill in truth or appearance for the object on which it worketh But whereas fear and sorrow out of a kinde of impotency withdraw the person fearing or sorrowing from the evill feared or sorrowed for Aâ—geâ— in strength and stoutnes as being the strongest of aâ—â—â—ffections intends the driveing away and dâ—peâ—iâ—g of the evill at and against which it riseth Which being also as Chrisippâ—s cals it and experience confirms a blinde thing there is nothing so sacred and precious which it will spare but without difference it flyeth where the wings are not clipt upon friends as well as foes and upon unreasonable creatures as well as upon men And so Zerxes in anger bet the sea and threatned the mountayns if they hindred his passage Yea it will not spare the truth it self if it be against its purpose No nor God neyther as we may see not onely in furious blasphemers or peircers of God as the word imports but even in the prophet himself who was angry even to the death at God for sparing Niniveâ— It is therefore rightly called a short fury as differing from playn madnes in nothing but time And in truth it is pittie that they in whom it reigns specially pleasing themselvs in its fits are not chayned up like mad men or that they have eyther riches or strength or authoritie or wit or any thing els to hurt with It were good he had no other thing in his power who is not in his own power as no angry man is If a wrathfull man saw himself in a glasse when his fit is upon him his eyes burning his lips â—umbling his face pale his teeth gnashing his mouth foaming and other parts of his body trembling and shaking or but some of these deformities he would and worthily loath himself and it may be amend things for after as some have done But if the same person saw the face of his soul in the glasse of Gods word and the deformities thereof in Gods sight he would much more abhor himself and start aside as terrified at the sight of so hideous a monster This rash anger whether causlesse or unmeasurable where some cause is hath alwayes evill in it though it be never so speedily repressed upon which if the sun be let go down that it lodg all night in the heart it becomes mallice by the morning Men nourish it in pride and because they will not give place to other men not considering that in so doing they give place to the divell and become like him in mallice wherein he exceeds himself This anger God so brands as he scarse doth any created affection in forbidding the making of friendship with an angry man and walking with the furious for fear of learning his wayes and getting a snare to the soul. For though all affections becoming inordinate are vicious and that God would have his servants watch diligently against the excesses of sorrow fear joy and the like yet doth he never give warning of the fellowship of such as in whom they reign for fear of learning them Neyther is there that danger of smitling by other passions which is by this If Salomon were a wise man and took not his marks amisse who so oft and plainly sets out a fool by rash anger and wrath there are many more fools in the world then go in the moâ—ly coats and the same no small fools neyther considering how many specially of them who take a priveledg from their greatnes to give scope to their passions eyther affect or give way to inordinatenes in this kinde as if otherwise they could not sufficiently manifest their wisdom and discerning and goodnes in dislikeing and greatnes in controuling things amisse in others But as vainglorious men desire to shew their authoritie in needles commands so do fools affect the shewing of their wisdom goodnes and greatnes in needles anger The links whereof a chayn may be made to tye up this feirce dog that he do not more hurt then good in byteing and commit not a greater offence by unadvisednes and excesse then the person hath done which he is set upon are specially these First lowlines of minde by which he that thinks not himself great thinks no great hurt done if he be a litle wronged Whereas on the otherside the high mynded conceavs great indignation that his understanding should be opposed his authoritie neglected his will crossed his credit impeached or any thing sayd or done importing any undervaluation of his presumed worth of himself Christ the Lord teacheth both by example and doctrine that humilitie and meeknes are inseparable companions A second consideration what is just with God in regard of our sins to bring upon us though by mans unjust provocations and injuries And this was Davids remedy when Shemei reviled him A third True love to others which is not easily noâ— excessively provoked to anger at such as wrong us but rayther moves to pittie them as the Father wished Scapula a great persequuter of the Christians that if he would not spare them he should spare himself who should have the worst of it A fourth is a litle delay and forbearance eyther for the inward working or outward uttering of anger whilst we gather our wits about us which he that can bring himself to will oftens by finding just cause of anger at himself forbear being angry at others And to this tended the counsayl given unto Câ—sâ—â— that he should neyther do nâ—r speak any thing in anger till he had saâ—d over the Greek Aâ—phabet A fifth is not to take libertie to be a litle angry at trâ—â—â—eâ— for he that useth himself to that will not keep from extreamitie â—â— great matters The last is to avoyd occasions of provocationâ— whether persons or things which whilst angry folk for the most part affâ—ct they gather such for the fire wherewith to burn themselvs hasten to discover their own shâ—me make wâ—y for the divels temptations unto which they give way afterwards CHAP. LVII Of Humilitie and Meeknes HVmilitie is that vertue by which we are taught to vâ—lue according to not abâ—ve the worth ourselvs and all the good things which God â—ath given us I say according to the worth for men may as one sayth not subjâ—ct but aâ—jâ—ct themselvs and sometimes we see men specially