Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A29287
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The break-neck of presumptuousnesse in sinning applyable unto the occasions of these times.
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1644
(1644)
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Wing B4338; ESTC R20115
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14,349
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33
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precipitation The second consequence remaineth As the devil tempted to presumption by instigating to dangerous ends in neglect of ordinary meanes so did he by a Scriptum est tempt thereunto by pretence of a good and holy end of honouring God thereby as hath been said notwithstanding Christ giveth him a shamefull repulse by this his Scriptum est Thou shalt not tempt c. The full Theorem in this is given by the Apostle not to do evil that good may come thereby which drawes me to a doctrine then which none is more necessary for these times when our pretences for violent rapines our Sic volumus imprisonments our thirsting after wounds and bloodsheds as ingendred fomented fosterd and inforced by that which is called a Cause were it never so godly yet sure we know that be as much as can be said for a good intent of glorifying God by unjust meanes it cannot but be to the dishonouring of him whilst it wanteth Gods own warrant and Scriptum est as hath been plainely shewn Onely we cannot conceale that this Theorem doth draw from us another inference as our last conclusion The ends of all actions morally according as the learned know are the principall formes like the formes of creatures dant nomen esse making them good or il therefore will it directly follow that if ill actions for good ends be condemnable then good actions for wicked ends much more and that such actions may be devilish the devils themselves have shewne by their addresse to Christ which hath been alledged where they made that open and joynt confession of our fundamentall Article of Christian faith saying Thou art the Sonne of God and again The Sonne of the Highest which they did more then once Now none can deny but the confession it self severed from all evil circumstances had been divinely good but Christ never would endure to heare Devils preach though a truth concerning the Honour of his Godhead but he put them to silence knowing that the Devil speake he well or ill he will be the Devill still he either speaking a falsum a lye or if truth yet ad falsum to a false and wicked end Enough of this Doctrine I come to our citation of three parties which may appeare as they shall be summoned First are the Pharisaicall Hypocrites boasting of their fasts and prayers and just tythings but to what end The Gospell tells us to have applause of men onely their long prayers excepted which were to devoure Widowes Houses Behold their downfall Woe be unto you Woe be unto you Thus doth Christ multiply woes upon them 2. Romish Pharisees are the next who pride themselves in the merit of their works merits of condignity according to the exact justice of God which is an act of Excellence proper to the Sonne of God and against that Scriptum est Luke 17. 10. When you have done all that is commanded say you are unprofitable servants And their downefall is elegantly resembled by Pope Gregory the first and best of that name and therefore entituled a Saint who as he did disclayme all conceite of merit in himselfe so did he condemne it in all others His simile is this Eleazar the valiant man of warre killed an Elephant that was comming upon him but so that the beast having received his deadly wound in his downfall light upon Eleazar and crushed him to death even so they who glory in conquering their vices are therein conquered and subdued themselves through their opinion of merit 3. Lastly to reflect upon our English selves if it were that our fasts and prayers were not boasted of they might be better thought of But did never any so before us Yes in the Prophet Esay the Jewes did exprobate God we have fasted and thou seest not But let us see what God saith thereunto you fast to strife and debate is this a fast that I have chosen shewing that God did abhorre it Prayers we have and that extraordinary long beyond all examples of all times in whatsoever people of God whether some of them fish thereby for Widowes houses they themselves know best but questionlesse it is done in a singularity if not as Christ spake of the Pharisaicall thinking the rather to be heard of God As for Almes deeds I wish they were so visible as to deserve a questioning the end why The Acts which are most in sight are contributions against Rebellious Ireland and the Popery thereof and this we might be perswaded of if we saw not visibly the baite of their conditions for devouring not onely houses but all of those Papists possessions and livedomes within the Nation Besides the like faith here at home devouring in hope the use of money by publique faith or else if that should faile of delinquents lands The downfall is infallible for that if Goats which are at Christs left hand because unprofitable creatures are to receive a terrible doom much more Beares Wolves Tygers and all Ravenous birds and beasts of prey who have yeelded to the temptation of the Devil must be in association with them in Torment whereof we have that Scriptum est of Christ saying Depart from me ye wicked into Hell fire prepared for the Devill and his Angells from which Lord deliver us and every one of whom we have spoken by the merits of Jesus Christ FJNJS Matth. 4. 3. Adoc 12. 10. Apoc. 9. 11. Mark 3. 11. Heb. 12. 2. Jamâ—s 4. 7. Gen. 3. Bzovius lib. Pontificatus 2 Thes. 2. 3. Ribera Viega in Apoc. 14. 18. Rhemists Testam. Annot. in Apoc. 17. Psal. 91. 11. John 8. 4. 1 Kings 22. 21. 1 Pet. cap. 2. Rom 13 3 4. 1 Reg. 11. 1 Kings 11. 29. Judges 3. 12. Eph. 4. 14. Rom. 13. 5. 1 Cor. 11. 29. Gal. 5. 6. E ph. 2. 10. Calvinus advers. Anabapt. Qui se ab universa soc â—â—â—te Christians segregant ne contaminarentur coâ—um sordibus porro quid accidit Dominus cos cum tam arroganti caepto dissipavit Hinc ergo moneamur cum sub specie studii perfectionis imperfectionem nullam tole are possumus aut in corpore aut in membris Ecclesiae tum Diabolum nos tumefacere superbia Hypocrisi seducere ut ad deserendum christs gregem nos instiget certo scicus se victoriam obtinere cum nos inde â—bduxit Cum enim nusquam alibi sit aut remissio peccatorum aut salâ—…s tamet si vitae plusquam Angelicae speciem prae nobis seramus tamen si tali audacia nos sepaâ—emus a Christiano coetu simus Diaboli
necessary part thereof The second in dealing thus with sacred Scripture which maketh the lye utterly Sacrilegious Two others are discerned in the Devils consequence one in his pretentions thus If thou be the Sonne of God c. to wit that thereby thou mayest manifest thy dignity and speciall interest thou hast in the favour of God The second in his intention If thou be the Sonne c. that by trying conclusions he might work his own destruction Let us begin with his lye It is no newes to heare that the Devil can lye whom Christ thus branded saying that he is a lyar and the Father of lyes as if lying were a property essential unto him who no sooner heard this questiō Who shal deceive Ahab but instantly answered as if this were an office peculiar unto himself and said I will be a false speaker in the mouth of all Ahabs Prophets But the manner of this lying is worth inquiring into The tenour of the Text which he cited runneth thus He namely God Will give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy wayes they shall hold thee up in their hands that thou dash not thy foot against a stone But the Devil omitteth that clause to keep thee in all thy wayes whereby is meant the wayes of his own revealed ordinances as all the Psalmes speake which were directory words and made against the Devills temptation of seeking extraordinary and hazardous wayes of mans own will He did thereby intend therefore a lying delusion as many expositours Ancient and others have observed and the Devil being as Christ hath said the father of lyes every one that liveth in the world will acknowledge that he hath had an innumerable off-spring therein Now the manner of lying is twofold one close by that equivocation which is called mentall reservation which we may call Jesuiticall because of their more special profession and practise thereof instructing every Priest when he is examined by a Magistrate and in danger to be discovered that being asked Art thou a Priest he may answer slily I am no Priest reserving this notion in his minde to tell it unto you Which Jesuiticall art and subtilty in the Priests answer we discerne here to have been Satanicall in this Devilish temptation by his concealment of the former words of the Psalmes As for example thus He hath given his Angels charge over thee not uttering the next words In all thy wayes could not but reserve in his minde a purpose of not telling it unto Christ For it is impossible but that he who omitteth words lest they should be told hath the same cōception in his mind But they tell it and print it in their books that this kind of answer by reservation is no lye Let us therefore try this out of Gods book Ananias having sold his possession for a piece of money and laid it down at the Apostles feet to be distributed in common craftily kept back a part thereof to whom Saint Peter said Why hath Sathan possessed thy heart to lye to the Holy Ghost Now lying is not without some expression of words which must have been to this question Thou Ananias hast thou sold them that possession but for so much and he answering but for so much and concealing a part could not but conceive in his mind a selling it but for so much for ought that Peter should know which as we have heard from Peter himselfe came from the Devil and therefore was as I said a Satanicall lye And I leave it that I may come to that which is open direct and flat lying which is commonly practised amongst men and may be called as Bernard termeth every brazen faced sinne Daemon meridianus We reade of distinct and peculiar Nationall sinnes as being more predominant in some countryes then others some branded with the infamy of Drunkennesse some of Gluttonie some of Venery and the like some have become Proverbialls for lying whence we have the Graeca fides the faith meaning faithlesnesse of the Grecians Punica fides the faith of the Punicks and fides Cretensium the Cretians faith to which we may adde if we consider our proficiency in forging lyes in the compasse of three yeares I speake to our shame our fides Anglicana whether Privata or Publica exceeding the three former put them all together when as still our to morrow doth give yesterday the lye So epidemical is this leprosie amongst us I returne to the Text It is written So then this we speak of is used by the devil in his false allegation of the said Scripture aggravating the lye to make it sacrilegious The devil saith the Apostle can translate himselfe into an Angel of light this he doth most whensoever under the colour of singularity and of newly devised strictnesse of manners and opinions he seduceth men into new heresies and schismes as is taught us Col. 2. 23. But yet can there be any transformation more delusive and sacrilegious then this the perverting of the right sense of Scripture whether by false glosses or and that especially by abusing the sense of Scriptures by omission of words and circumstances which contradict the intention of the Objectours upon which point come wee now more especially to insist Many houres would not suffice to rehearse the many Romish sophistries in this kind of abusing of Scriptures in every controversie but I have singled out one onely most pertinent for the present time which is their doctrine of Subjects taking up Armes against Soveraignty for restoring of Religion and calling it a just cause for justifying of their former Irish and now English Popish Rebellions which may give you a cleare scantling how to judge of the rest Thus beginning with this their Maxime That the power of all Government is alwayes resident in the people and therefore for Religions sake they may make their Insurrections at pleasure Their first Scripture is out of the 1 Pet. 2. 13. where speaking of a King he saith he is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a creature of man or humane creature which we say is most true in constituendo in constituting a King or any forme of Government But rege constituto the King being constituted and established the power of Government by the ordinance of God is in the Governour and not in the people and therefore they wittingly conceale that Peter having said of the creation of a King that it is Humane addeth presently he being once authorized an injunction upon the people saying Submit your selves unto him How during their owne wills nay for he subjoyneth for the Lords sake So that now he is not mans creature but Gods who immediately putteth an obligation upon them of obedience unto him This is the first point and for proof of this our Exposition we have the testimony of S. Paul where that which S. Peter called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} humane creation he entituleth it expresly {non-Roman} {non-Roman}