shall not be able to draw thee from the faith of the Lord Iesus Prov. 6 20 22 24. My Son keep thy Fathers commandement c. And it will keep thee So I may say here keep a good conscience and it will keepe thee it will keepe thee sound in the faith it will keepe thee from being drawne away by the error of the wicked and it will keepe thee from the Wine of the fornications of the Whore of Babylon CHAP. XV. The last Motive to a good conscience The misery of an evill one THe last Motive remaines and that is The fift motive to a good conscience The horrour and misery of an evill Conscience If men did but truly know what the evill of an evill conscience were and how evill a thing and bitter it will be when conscience awakens here or shall bee awakened in hell a little perswasion should serve to move men to live in a good conscience We may say of the evill conscience as Solomon speakes of the drunkard Pro. 23. 29. Who hath woe who hath sorrow who hath contentions who hath wounds but not without a cause Even the man whose conscience is not good even he that liues in an evill conscience An evill conscience how miserable it is we may see by considering the miserie thereof either in this world or the world to come 1. In this life When an evill conscience is awakened in this life the sorrow and smart the horror and terror is as the joy of a good conscience unspeakable An evil conscience in this life is miserable in regard of feare perplexity and torment To live in a continuall feare and to have a mans heart alwaies in shaking fits of feare is misery of miseries And such is the misery of an evill conscience Prov. 28. 1. The wicked flees when none pursues Onely his owne guilt pursues him and makes him flee His owne guilt causes a sound of feare in his eares Iob 15. 21. Which makes Proprium autem est nocentium trepidare Male de nobis actum erat quod multa seelera legem judicem effugiunt scripta supplicia nisi illa naturalia gravia de presentibus solverent in locum patientiae timor cederet Sonec ep 91. him shake at the noise of a shaken leafe Levit. 26. 36. yea that so scares him that terrours make him afraid on every side and drive him to his feet Iob 18. 11. Yea there are they in great feare where no feare is Ps 53. 3. So that a man with an evill conscience awakened may be named as Pashur is Ier. 20. 3. Magor-Missabib feare round about as being a terror to himselfe and to all his friends ver 4. An evill conscience even makes those feare fearefull feares of whom all other stand in feare How potent a Monarch and how dreadfull a Prince was Belshazzar who was able to put him into any feare whom all the earth feared And yet when his guilty conscience lookes him in the face awakened by the palme writing on the wall see where his courage is then Dan. 5. 6. Then the Kings countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his loynes were loosed and his knees smote one against another Who would have had his feare to have had his kingdome Let him now cloath himselfe with all his Majestie let him looke and speak as terribly as he can let him threaten the vilest vassall in his Court with all the tortures that tyranny can inflict and let him try if he can for his heart put his poorest subject into that fright and feare that now his conscience puts him into in the ruffe and middst of his jollity But I pray what ayles he to be in this feare in this so extraordinary a feare Hee can neither reade nor understand the writing upon the wall Indeed it threatned him the losse of his kingdome but hee cannot reade his threatning hee knowes not whether they be bitter things that God writes against him why may he not hope that it may bee good which is written and why may not this hope ease and abate his feare No no. Though he cannot reade nor understand the writing yet his guilty conscience can comment shrewdly upon it and can tell him it portends no good towards him His conscience now tells him of his godlesse impieties in profaning the vessels of the Temple of the true God and that for this his sacrilegious impropriation and abuse of holy things God is now come to reckon with him Thus can his conscience doe more than all his wise men All the wise men came in but they could not reade the writing nor make knowne to the King the interpretation thereof Dan. 5. 8. But his conscience is wiser than all his wise men and when they are as puzzeld that interprets to him that this writing meanes him no good and though he cannot reade the syllables yet his conscience gives a shrewd neere guesse at the substance of the writing and therefore hence comes that extasie of feare and those paroxysmes of horror It was better with Adam after his fall After his Sin committed we find him in a great feare Gen. 3. 8 10. and hee hides himselfe for feare Now observe how his feare is described from the circumstance of the time They heard the voyce of the Lord God walking in the garden in the coole of the day Luther layes the Emphasis of the aggravation of his feare upon this word the wind or coole of the day The night indeeed is naturally terrible and darknesse is fearfull whence that phrase Ps 91. The terrors of the night But the day and the light is a cheerfull and a comfortable creature Ec. 11. 7. Truly the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sun How is it then that in the faire day light which gives courage and comfort that Adam feares and runs into the thickets Oh his conscience was become Gravis malae conscientiae luxest Senec. ep 123. come evill and full of darknesse and the darknesse of his conscience turned the very light into darknesse and so turned the comforts of the day into the terrours of the night So that in this sense it may be said of an evill conscience which of the Lord is said in another Ps 139. 12. Vnto it the darknesse and the light are both alike As full of feare in the light as in the dark And besides the Lord came but in a gentle wind the coole breath of the day now what a small matter is a coole wind and that in the day time to to put a man in a feare Such small things breed great feares in evill consciences In what a wofull plight would Adam thinke we have beene if the Lord had come to him at the dead and darke midde-night with earth-quakes thunder and blustring tempest We may see the like in Cain After he had defiled his conscience with his brothers
yet all could not make them shake hands with a good coÌ„science The raine floods and winds could not bring downe the house founded upon the rocke Mat. 7. Notwithstanding all trials a good conscience stands to it and holds it owne and speakes as once Father Rawlins did the Bishop Rawlins you left mee Acts and Mon. Rawlins you find me and Rawlins by Gods grace I will continue Try yet a good conscience farther with the tentations on the right hand which commonly have as much more strength in them above the other as the right hand hath above the left and yet we shall find the right hand too weake to plucke a good conscience out of its station It was a sore tentation wherwith Moses was assaulted The treasures and pleasures the honors favors of the Aegyptian Court Princesse All these wooe him not to goe the people of God Had that people been setled and at rest in Canaan yet had it beene a great tentation to prefer Aegypt before Canaan But the people are in Aegypt in affliction in bondage therfore so much the more strength in the tentation What will you be so mad to leave all for nothing certaine honours for certaine afflictions who can tell but you may be raised to this greatnesse to be an instrument of good to your people You by your favour in the Court may bee meanes to ease them of their bondage and so you may doe the Church service with your greatnesse c. Here was a tentation on the right hand and with the right hands strength Well and how speeds it Is Moses able to withstand it See Heb. 11. 24 25 26. He refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs Daughter c. All would not doe nor stir him a whit Those faithfull Worthies before mentioned could not be stirred with all the cruelties their adversaries could invent I but it may be a tentation on the right hand might have made them draw away the right hand of fellowship from a good conscience Well their enemies therefore will try what good they can do that wayes Heb. 12. 37. They were tempted that is on the right hand they were sollicited and inticed and allured with faire promises of honours favours preferments as Bonner used to deale with the Martyrs hee had sometimes butter and oyle as well as fire and faggot in his mouth Thus were they tempted but yet what availed these tentations Iust as much as their stones sawes swords prisons all a like They for all these tentations keepe a good conscience to their dying day and hold fast the faith and truth unto the end A good conscience is of the mind of those trees in Iothams parable Iudg. 9. It will not with the Olive lose its fatnesse nor with the Fig-tree lose its sweetnesse nor with the vine its wine of cheerfulnes to have the fattest and sweetest preferments and pleasures of the world no though it were to raigne over the trees It was an excellent resolution of Benevolus Benevolo Iustina praecepit ut adversus fidem patrum imperialia decreta dictaret Illo vero se impia verba prolaturum abnuente celsiorem honoris gradum spopondit si maÌ„data perficeret cui Benevolus Quid mihi pro impietatis mercede altiorem promittis gradum hunc ipsum quem habeo auferte dunt inâ—gram fidei conscientiam tuear Ac protonus cingulum ante pedes ejus abjecit Sâ—gon de occid Imp. l. 1. pag. 200. in his answer to Iustina the Arrian Empresse profering preferments to him to have beene instrumentall in a service which could not be done with a good conscience What doe ye promising mee an higher degree of preferment for a reward of impiety yea even take this from me which already I have so that I may keepe a good conscience And so forthwith hee threw at his feet his girdle the ensigne of his honour Thus doth a good conscience throw and trample honour and preferment under foot to maintaine its owne integritie Thus can nothing corrupt a good conscience I have beene young and now am old and yet never saw I the righteous forsaken to wit of God Psalm 37. David out of his experience could have said as much in this point I have beene young and now am old yet never saw I God and godlinesse forsaken by the righteous by the man that had a good conscience But the man that had a good conscience when hee was young will hold out and have it when he is old It is the great honour and grace of a good Conscience which Walden thinks he spake to the disgrace of Wickliffe Ita ut cano placeret quod inveni complacebat He was young and old one and the same man Old age decayes the body the strength the senses but conscience it touches not that holds out sound to death As of Christ in another sense Heb. 13. So may it be said of a good conscience in this Yesterday and to day and the same for ever A good conscience is no changeling but let a mans estate change from rich to poore from poore to rich or let the times change from good to evill or from evill to worse or a mans dayes change from young to old let his haires and head change yet among all these changes a good coÌ„science wil not change but hold it owne untill its last day Now put mens consciences upon this triall their inconstancie either in good causes or courses will discover their naughtines In a good cause how many are like Darius his coÌ„scieÌ„ce struggles a great while for Daniel he knew he was innoceÌ„t he knows the action to be unjust and therfore labours all day till the setting of the Sun for his deliverance Dan. 6. 14. but yet overcome with the Presidents Princes urgencie ver 16. he coÌ„mands him to the Lions den Here was a natural conscience standing for equity and justice but yet no good conscience it holds but till Sun set and his conscience went downe with the Sun His coÌ„science yields is overcome though it know the act to be unjust Pilats conscience makes him plead for Christ In his conscience he acquits him and thrice solemnly professes that hee finds no fault in him and therefore cannot in conscience condemne him yea withall seekes to release him Iohn 19. 12. Is not here now a good conscience Indeed it had beene so in this particular fact if his conscience had beene inflexible and had held out But when Pilate heares them say that if he be his friend he is no friend to Caesar Iohn 19 12. and whilest withall hee is willing to content the people Marke 15. 15. Now that there is feare on the one side and desire to curry favour on the other where now is his conscience Now hee presently delivers him to be crucified though he knowes in his conscience that there is no fault in him What a good conscience hath many a Iudge and Lawyer How stiffely will they stand
mortale hoc vulnus accepe c. Morn Myst Iniq. p 259. my right hand wounded with this right hand I sware to my Lord Henry the Emperor But the cōmand of the Pope hath brought me to this that laying aside the respect of mine Oath I should usurpe an honour not due to me But what is now come of it In that hand which hath violated mine Oath I am wounded to death And so with anguish of heart he ended his dayes An example so much the rather to bee marked that men may see how God blesses the Popes blessings his dispensation with Oaths specially whē they are given to arm men to rebellion against their lawfull Soveraignes 4. The equity of Gods justice appeares in that Pro. 26. 27. Who so diggeth a pit shall fall therein and he that rolls a stone it will returne upon him Such was Gods justice upon Haman he makes a gallowes for his owne necke Hitherto wee may referre the justice of God when God turnes mens beloved Sins into their punishments Whoredome was the Levites Concubines Sin Iudges 19. 2. and Whoredome was her death ver 26. The Lord Deut. 28. 27. threatens the botch of Aegypt and how frequently is the Sin of uncleannes smitten with the French botch the fruit of the Sin How frequent are the examples of Gods Iustice upō drunkards drunkennesse their Sin and drunkennesse their death And so that Proverbe is often verified Prov. 5. 22. His owne iniquity shall take the wicked himselfe and he shall be holden with the cords of his Sins 5. The equity of Gods Iustice appeares in this when he makes the place of sin the place of punishment Wee have frequent examples of this in Scripture This was threatned Ahab 1 Kin. 21. 19. In the place where dogs licked the bloud of Naboth shall dogs licke thy bloud And this was made good 2 Kin. 9. 26. In Tophet the place where they had slain their Sons Daughters would God slay the Iews Ier. 7. 31 32. And as their houses were the places of their sins so should their houses be the places of their punishment Ier. 19. 13. And because the Sabbath was prophaned in the gates of Ierusalem therefore in the gates thereof would God kindle a fire Ierem. 17. 27. And remarkable is that Ezek. 6. 13. Their slaine men shall be amongst their Idols round about their Altars and under every thicke Oak the place where they did offer sweet savor to all their Idols Such was the Iustice of God in that late blow upon the Popish company In the very place where they used to dishonour God the hand of God was upon them they were slaine and their carcasses crushed in the place of their Mass-worship the first floore falling into their Massing place so they their Crucifixes Images all dashed together God doing with them as with the Egyptians Num. 33. 4. not only smiting them but also executing judgment upō their gods yea not onely so but executed them and their gods in the self-same place where God had been by them so much dishonoured 6. The equity of Gods justice is to be seen in the time of his punishments God oft makes that time wherin men have sinned the time of his judgemēts At the time of the Passover did the Iews crucifie Christ and at the time of the Passeover was Ierusalem taken Heavie is the calamity that is befaln the Churches beyond the seas the time wherein the first blow was given is not to be forgottē The first blow was upon the Sabbath upon that day was Prague lost What one thing have all those Churches fayled in more than in that point of the religious observation of that day that day they neglected to sanctifie by obedience upon that day God would be sanctified in his justice upon them in the time would have them reade one cause of their punishment Neither is the time wherein God did that late justjce upō those popish persons to be forgottē It is somwhat that after their Roman accoūt it was upō their fift of Novemb. God would let those of that Iesuited brood see how good it was to blow up Parliament houses and happily would have them learne more loyalty and religiō than to scoffe at our new holyday Of this kind was Gods justice upon one Leaver who rayling on the worthy Martyr servant of Christ Mr. Latimer saying that he saw that evill favoured knave Latimer when hee was burned and that hee had teeth like an Horse his Son the same houre at the same time as neer as could be gathered wickedly hanged himselfe And the same was Gods justice seazing upon Stephen Gardiner the same day that Ridley and Latimer were burned Since then there is such an equity in Gods administratiō of justice let it be our care and wisedome to observe the same Learne to comment upon Gods works of Iustice and to compare mens wayes and Gods works together God is to have the praise and glory of his justice upon others as well as of his mercie to ourselves now we shal then be best able to give God this glory when we so observe his administration that we may be able not only to say The Lord is just but the Lord is just in this and that particular when we can say as Revel 16. 5. not only Righteous art thou O Lord that judgest but righteous art thou O Lord that judgest thus Thus they sinned and thus are they punished It is good to observe all the circumstances of Gods justice that so not onely the justice but the wisedome and equity of Gods justice may be seen and this is to trace the Lord by the foot Psal 68. 24. Especially wee should be thus wise in personall evils that befall our selves that by our punishment and the circumstances thereof we might be led to the consideration of our sins and so might say as Adonibesek As I have don so hath God rewarded me Learne to give God the praise of his equity as of his justice So doth David Ps 7. 15 16 17. I will praise the Lord according to his righteousnesse Tremble and Sin not Take heed how and wherein we Sin lest by our Sins wee teach God how to punish us Take heed of abusing thy tōgue in swearing rayling scoffing lest God lay some terrible judgment upon thy tongue here or some peculiar tormēt upon thy tongue in hel hereafter Take heed what measure thou measurest to others lest thou teach God to measure the same to thy selfe Take heed that thou make not thine house a den of spuing drunkards lest God make thine house to spue thee forth Take heed how thou use thy wits thy strength take heed of sinning in thy Children or any thing else thou hast lest God make the matter of thy Sin the matter of thy punishment FINIS A Table of the severall Chapters of this Treatise CHAP. I. THe Introduction of the discourse following Fol. 1 CHAP. II. Conscience described 9 CHAP.
into an hatred and dislike of sauing religion and sauing powerfull profession of it Into which who so falles how woefully falls he That scandals do bring this woe vpon the world and proue ruining stumbling blockes thus to make them fall is further cleere by that Mal. 2. 8. Yee are departed out of the way It is a charge vpon the Priests The u Misera eorum conuersatio plebis tuae miserabilis subuersio est Bernard in conuers Pauli ser 1. Priests that preached professed the law they departed out of the way they committed grosse and fowle scandals what was the issue of it A great deale of mischiefe followed vpon it namely a woe an heauie woe vnto the people from their scandals But what was that woe Yee haue caused many to stumble at the Law that is to stumble at true religion and the wayes of God When the people saw the Priests that professed and preacht the Law and who so great Zelots for the Law as they when they saw these Priests to liue so loosely and so scandalously they began to start at it and to question happily whether this Law this religion they preached and professed were of God or no. And if this were their law and their religion for their parts they were resolued neuer to haue to doe with such a Law with such a religion Thus their scandals did stumble thē And thus did their scandals bring an heauie woe vpon the people for what a woefull condition was this thus to stumble at the Law at the true religion of God what was this but to seale vp and make sure their owne damnation for if they would none of the Law they could none of Heauen if shut out of Heauen what remayned but Hell The Lord had it is likely a long while called vpon the people by his Prophets they would not hearken nor repent nor imbrace the truth of God The Lord therefore in his Iustice resolues to be reuenged vpon them by bringing a woe vpon them And what woe would God bring vpon them This woe of stumbling at religion that so hee might make sure worke with them that since they would not be saued when hee offred them saluation therfore now they should neuer be saued But now what course will God take to effect this and bring this woe vpon them He will in his wise prouidence lay the stumbling blocke of the Priests scandals in their way at which they shall so stumble as to dislike the Law and to fall into an vtter distaste of religion by which they should make sure worke against their owne saluation And so woe was vnto the people from the Priests scandals 2. Scandals make way for woe in that they make way to occasion men of the world to fall into the fowle and woefull sinne of blapheming Gods holy Name It is a woefull thing to fall into that sinne especially so to fall into it as to make that the ioy of our hearts which tends to the reproach and dishonour of his Name The Name of God is a glorious and a fearefull Name Deut. 28. 50. and therefore how woefull and fearfull a thing for a man to blaspheme that Name What doth he better then cut himselfe off from all communion with God that blasphemes his Name that flies in his face and triumphes in his reproach It is said of the malicious Iewes Act. 13. 45. that they spake against Pauls doctrine contradicting and blaspheming And marke what followes vers 64. Seeing yee put the word of God from you and iudge your selues vnworthy of euerlasting life loe we turne to the Gentiles See then when they blasphemed what they did They put away the word from them they iudged themselues vnworthy of life they caused God to turue away the meanes of saluation from them Such a case is a woefull case and to this case will contradicting blaspheming of God and his truth and Religion bring men And therefore in this regard are scandals wofull euents because they occasion men to blaspheme and speake euill of God and his truth When Dauid fell into that foule Scandal what followed vpon it See 2. Sam. 12. 14. By this deede thou hast giuen great occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme Those amongst the people that were haters of true godlinesse and enemies to the powerfull profession thereof and so enemies of God when Dauid fell into this sinne they fell into a woefull case they presently fall a blaspheming of Religion and speaking euill of godlinesse and he that blasphemes godlinesse blasphemes God and so by this meanes causes God in wrath peremptorily to turne from them So Rom. 2. 23. 24. thorough you the name of God is blasphemed amongst the Gentiles So that the scandalous sinnes of the Iewes were stumbling blockes to the Gentiles that made them fall into that fowle sin of blaspheming that must needes make them vnworthy of eternall life 3. Scandals make way for woe in that they make way for the hardning of the hearts and stiffening of the neckes of sinnefull men in their euill wayes It is a very dangerous thing for a man to bee in a sinnefull way but for a man to haue his hand strengthened in his Iniquity to bee hardened in any sinne this is a woefull condition It is the greatest woe and curse that can be to haue ones hart hardened Lam. 3. 64. 65. Render vnto them a recompence O Lord according to the worke of their hands Giue them obstinacie of heart thy curse vnto them Salomon speakes of the plagues in the heart 1. King 8. 38. The plague in the body is a woefull disease and what then is the plague in the heart God threatens Pharaoh with this plague Exod. 9. 14. I will at this time send all my plagues vpon thine heart and see how God did it Exod. 10. 2. Goe into Pharaoh for I haue hardened his heart Therefore the Hardnes or Hardening of the heart is the plague of the heart God sent ten plagues vpon Pharaoh but this plague of his heart in the hardening of it was ten times greater then all the plagues of Aegypt It is that which vsually God premises and fore-sendes when hee meanes to prepare men to temporall destruction When God meanes resolutely to speede a particular person or a whole nation and to bring ineuitable destruction vpon them God first makes way for it by the hardening of mens hearts Exo. 14. 17. When God would get himselfe honour in the destruction of Pharaoh and the Aegyptians I will saith hee harden their hearts and they shall follow them and I will get me honour vpon Pharaoh So Iosh 11. 19. 20. Not a City that made peace with the children of Israel saue the Hiuites the Inhabitants of Gibeon They tooke all in battell But why did not other Cities doe as the Gibeonites why did not they submit and seeke their peace Because God had a purpose they should bee destroyed and to make the surer way for it gaue
And such doe and will reioyce Now truely all before considered we see what little cause they haue to be so ouer-ioyed there is a great deale of Ioy and merriment more then there is cause All considered wee may truely say vnto them as Iam. 4. 9 Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your ioy into heauinesse Woe vnto the world because ofscandals When scandals come into the world a woe comes vnto the world messengers of vengeance to doe executions of Iustice are sent by God And will the world be so blind and witlesse to reioyce and triumph in that which comes to bee their bane and ruine their sorrow and their smart Hath the silly beast any cause to leape and friske when hee sees the trap set vp and bayted that will ensnare and murder him It is probably thought that when Noah fell so foule and shamefully in his drunkennes that Canaan Chams sonne first * Hebreus etiam id tradebat ratione confirmabat primum Chanaan verenda aui sui vidisse suoque solum patri narrasse tanquaÌ„ de sene ridentem Theodoret. Quaest in Gens 57. saw his grandfather in that case and so went and told his father Cham of it for else why should Noah curse Cham in his sonne Canaan rather then in any other of his sonnes Hee had other sonnes besides Gene. 10. 6. And the sonnes of Cham Cush and Mizraim and Phut and Canaan Why therefore cursed bee Canaan rather then Cush Mizraim or Phut Like enough that Canaan as the Iewes probably coniecture first espied Noah in that case and he being an vngracious youngster one without all Religion and possibly an hater of all goodnesse one that had like enough beene often sagely admonished and sharply reprooued by Noah And little content did the holynesse austeritie and religious carriage of Noah giue either to Canaan or to Cham. Now therefore Canaan when hee sees him in his drunkennes and in that shamefull pickle in his nakednesse he tels it to his father and his father after to Shem and Iaphet and that with Ioy and gladnesse with mocking and derision for otherwise for Canaan to haue seene it occasionally and to haue told it his father or for his father to haue seene it occasionally and haue told it his brethren had beene no matter of offence but quest onlesse they both told it with much ioy and reioycing Like enough Canaan when he first espied it came running to his father with much ioy in his face Oh father I can tell you excellent Newes the brauest Newes that can be Newes that will doe you good at the very heart doe but goe along with me and I will shew you such a sight as you neuer saw Look where that old Dotard lies drunke and in what a base and shamefull fashion This is he that alwayes telling me of my swearing censuring mee for my want of religion this is hee that was so holy so full of his religion and godlines see there how like a beast he lies And surely if Canaan did tell Cham of it Chams fact was exceeding vnnaturally villanous the text sayes Gen. 9. 22. And C ham the father of Canaan saw the nakednes of his father not occasionally and at vnawares so might Shem or Iaphet haue done But if Canaan did first tell Cham of it as very probably hee did then C ham like an vngratious varlet as he was could not be content to heare of it but to reioyce and glad his heart the more he must goe see the sight hee must goe feed his eyes with it and that he might be sure of it and obseruing all the seuerall circumstances hee might haue the more to make vp his mouth And then after this in scorne and derision and with insulting insolency goes reports it to Shem and Iaphet So that what betweene an vngracious sonne and a gracelesse grand-childe there was sure no small Iubilation and exultation in Noahs scandal and drunkennes But now as merry and iocund as Cham and Canaan were let vs see a little what cause they had for it and consider if their were not that in it that was enough to marre their merriment and to haue turned their mirth into mourning Alas all considered full little cause had they to be thus vpon their merrie pinnes It could not be but the scandal of Noahs drunkennes must come but woe to Cham and Canaan because of that scandal God had a purpose to bring a woe and a curse vpon Cham and Canaan and vpon the Canaanites his posterity that they should be rooted out and cut off by the sword of Israel But how now should way bee made to bring this curse vpon the heads of them Noah shal fall into a scandal thereby shall they be occasioned by reason of their naughty spirits to doe as they did and then no sooner shal Noah awake from his wine but hee shall awake with a solemne curse in his mouth which should be as the oracle of God Cursed bee Canaan a seruant of seruants shall hee bee vnto his brethren And now I pray what cause haue b Sed O miser Ham quam beatâ—s eâ— qui nunc dâ—miâ— inuenisti quod quaerebas venenum scilicet insaluberrima rosa Luther in Gen. 9. Cham and Canaan so to reioyce at their fathers fall Woe be to them because of this offence because in this offence of his there is a trap and a snare set to catch them and a way preparing to bring a sorrowfull curse vpon theÌ„ both And haue they then thinke wee any great cause of merrimeÌ„t wil any man that is in his wits reioyce at that euent whose errand purposely is to bring Gods curse vpon him So little cause had Cham and Canaan to reioyce at Noahs fall And euery whit as little cause hath the world to reioyce when scandals come for then woe comes God is setting his ginnes and snares traps to catch some hee sends forth his messengers of wrath to doe seuere Iustice vpon persons that haue beene vnprofitable vnder the Gospell Suppose God should send the sword amongst men would men reioyce and bee glad at it See Ezec. 21. 9. 10. A sword A sword is sharpened and also fourbished It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter it is fourbisht that it may glitter should we then make mirth I trow not And why not make mirth in such a case Because the sword brought woe and mischiefe with it because it came to be dismall and fatal because it was a messenger of wrath and vengeance And why then make men mirth at scandals when they come May we not truely say of this laughter Thou art mad and of this mirth what doth it Eccl. 2. 2. Come not scandals with a woe as well as the sword And it hee not as mad that reioyceth at the comming of scandals as hee is that reioyces at the comming of a sword Say a scandal a scandal it is fowle and heynous it is come with woe to make
a sore spirituall slaughter should wee then make mirth and reioyce at it God forbid Woe vnto the world because of scandals and shall we laugh and sport with Gods woes This makes scandals doubly woefull That same is good counsel which Salomon giues Prou. 24. 17 18. Reioyce not when thine enemy falles and let not thine heart bee glad when he stumbles If a man haue an enemie that hates him if any crosse or calamity befalls him a man may not reioyce at it nor bee glad of it not onely when he falles and God vtterly ruines him but if he doe but stumble and God lay but some smaller crosse vpon him Now marke the reason least the Lord see it and it displease him and he turne away his wrath from him and so turne it vpon thee So that the summe of the reason is least God should bee angry and his wrath should be against thee Marke then If I may not reioyce at a mans outward stumbling and fall then how much lesse may I reioyce in a mans spirituall stumbling and falling how much more will that displease and anger God If I may not reioyce at his outward fall least God should be angrie then much lesse when in another mans spirituall stumbling and fall God is angrie with mee and out of his anger against mee disposes his fall Little cause haue I to reioyce at anothers stumbling and falling when God in wrath disposes of another mans stumbling to make mee stumble and of another mans fall to make me fall What cause haue I to reioyce at his stumbling falling who therefore stumbles and fals that I may stumble and fall at him And thus is the very case here Such as doe giue scandals doe stumble that others may stumble at them doe fall that others may fall at them Ierem. 64. 12. The mightie man hath stumbled against the mightie and they are both fallen together It is spoken of the Egyptians ruined in war It may bee that one Captaine that hated his fellow might see him fall by the sword of the enemie Now though he were his enemie that he see fall had he any cause to reioyce Not any at all Why so Because Gods prouidence disposed that the fall of the first should make way for the fall and ruine of the next Hee that fell first shoud lie in his fellowes way as a stumbling blocke at which hee should stumble and fall also Thus we saw before that the fals of such as professe Religion are but as stumbling blockes in other mens wayes to precipitate them into ruine And iudge then what cause they haue to reioyce thereat If a man should see a stumbling stone or a stumbling blocke laid on purpose at a pits brinke to topple him headlong ouer into the pit would that man reioyce that that blocke were laid there I thinke not This is the case here Scandals are stumbling blockes laide at hell pits mouth to precipitate and head-long worldly wicked men downe into hell So that to reioyce at scandals is to reioyce at the matter and instrument of their owne sorrow to reioyce at that which will surely send them to Hell Hee that reioyces in such a case Much good may his ioy doe him I enuie no man such ioy There fell out a scandal in the Church of Corinth 1. Corinth 5. Now whereas vpon the euent of it they should haue beene mourning and heauie they were in another veine Verse 2. 6. They were glorying and reioycing They did not reioyce in or at the scandal that such a man that made such a profession was fallen but they reioyced in their owne gifts in the gifts of their Preachers What Church had such Preachers what people had such gifts And reioyce they might in these things but now it was vnseasonable they should now rather haue beene mourning because of this scandal Therefore the Apostle sharply takes them vp Verse 2 6. And ye are puffed vp and haue not rather mourned your glorying or reioycing is not good If then the Apostle reprooues them thus for reioycing when there was a scandal though they reioiced not at the scandal how much more vehemently and sharply would he haue reprooued them if they had reioyced at and for the scandal How much more in this case would he haue said your reioycing is not good Woe to the world because of scandals and yet many make these matters of woe laughing matters but woe vnto them that in such a cause laugh for they shall weepe and after-time and after-wit will teach them that neuer had they greater cause of weeping then euen then when they were vpon their merry pinnes because that at which they made themselues so merry came with a woe vnto them 2. Secondly this lets vs see what great cause of feare warines and caution there is in case of scandalous euents Since they bee such dangerous euents let men haue a speciall care they be not ensnared and entrapped by them When scandals fall out wee see there is a trap and a snare set there is a stumbling block laid therefore it should bee a mans wisdome and watchfulnes that he be not caught in the trap that he be not ensnared in the gin that he stumble and fall not at the block We see that God hath put that wisdome warinesse and shinesse into some creatures that if a trap or a snare bee set for them they are very shie iealous of comming neere it or medling with the baite and out of a feare of being taken they will decline and shunne the snare though tempted and allured thereto by such baites as otherwise they haue a full good minde vnto Such much more should bee the shinesse and wary iealousie of men in the case of scandalous euents Doe wee see at any time such as professe religion to fall into any fowle enils then thinke thus with thy selfe I had thought that when such euents had come to passe the danger of them had beene onely a personall danger to the partie Delinquent that it had beene onely for the discouerse and for the disgrace of him I neuer dreamt of any further matter and therefore I thought I might haue made a may-game of them and haue reioyced and triumphed in their fals But now I see there is a further matter in them then I was aware of I see that they come to passe by Diuine Prouidence to bring a woe vpon other mens heads I see they come that some may bee occasioned to stumble at Religion at the Law at the Word and from the ancient pathes that hereupon they should resoluedly reiect renounce sauing Religion and the sauing powerful profession thereof to their owne assured ruine for euer I see now that they bee disposed by a Diuine Prouidence that some men being occasioned to blaspheme Gods Name Truth may feele the weight of Gods reuenging hand I now see there is a Diuine finger in them and that they come to occasion some men to harden
I beseech you brethren marke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that cause or commit scandals or offences And to what purpose should they marke them That they might decline and shunne their company Marke them and Auoid them And therefore wee see the Apostles seuerity in the exercise of discipline in the case of the Incestuous Corinthian In the name of God he doth excoÌ„municate cast him out not onely from societie in holy things but makes a rule vpon it that if any that professe religion liue in any scandalous course that they should not afford him ciuill familiar conuerse 1. Cor. 5. 11. If any man that is called a brother be a fornicatour or couetous or an Idolater or arayler or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one no not to eate It is not to be denyed but vpon good sound euidences of true repentance a broken vessell may be mended vnsauoury salt may regaine his sauour and so there may be an healing of their errour and a receiuing of such into publique and priuate communion againe for I presse not g Marcianus se Nouatiano coÌ„iunxit tenens haereticae praesumptionis durissimam prauitatem vt seruis Dei poenitentibus dolentibus ecclesiam lachrymis gemitu dolore pulsantibus diuinae pietatis paternae solatia subsidia claudantur nec ad fouenda vulnera admittantur vulnerati sed sine spe pacis coÌ„municationis relicti ad luporum rapinam praedam diaboli proijciantur Cyp. Epist 67. Nouitian rigidity but yet till such repentance doe appeare all scandalous persons though not touched with Church censures are to stand excommunicate out of the hearts and familiar fellowship of al Gods people What difference betweene a leprous and a scandalous person and the leper during his leprosie till hee were clensed was to be shut vp and kept apart If thy right hand scandalize thee cut it off and cast it from thee Math. 18. 8. This hath a truth in this case If a man that hath bin deere pretious fall into scandal yet spare him not but let him bee cut off and cast out of society til he be brought to such truth of repeÌ„taÌ„ce as becomes h Adeo non pudet aut piget admissorum tamen audent venire in ecclesiam sanctorum audent missceri gregi Dominico Tales interdum tolerat ecclesia ne prouocati magis etiam perturbent populum Dei. Sed quid prodest non eijci caetu piorum si merueris eijci Nam eijci remedium est gradus ad recuperandum sanitatem eiectionem meruisse summa malorum est Ac frustra miscetur caetui sanctorum c. Cypr. de dupl Martyr And how-euer men fallen into some fowle scandal may escape the publique censure of eiection and excommunication and by intrusion haue fellowship in holy duties of worship yet litle comfort shall such mens consciences haue so long as publique satisfaction is not giuen to the Church of God for what shall it profit a man not to be cast out of the congregation of the faithfull so long as he deserues to bee cast out for for a man to bee cast out is a remedy and a degree towards the recouery of spirituall health But to deserue casting out as all scandalous persons doe that will not and doe not subiect to Gods ordinance of publique satisfaction and confession is the height of all euill Such was the ancient i Nam cùm in minoribus delictis poenitentia agatur iusto tempore exomologesis fiat inspect â vita eius qui poenitentiam agit nec ad communicationem quis venire possit nisi prius illi ab episcopo clero manus fuerit imposita quanto magis in his grauissimis extremis delictis ante omnia moderatè secun dum disciplinaÌ„ Domini obseruari oportet Nemo abhinc importuno teÌ„pore acerba poma dâ—cerpat nemo naueÌ„ suaÌ„ quassataÌ„ perforataÌ„ fluctibus priusquaÌ„ diligenter refecerit in altuÌ„ denuo committat Nemo tunicam scissam accipere induere properet nisi eam abartifice perito sartam viderit à fullone curataÌ„ receperit Cypr. Epist 12. Legimus literas quod Victori Presbytere antiquaÌ„ poenitentiam plenam egisset temerè Therapius collega noster immaturo tempore praepropera festinatione pacem dederit Quae res nos satis mouit recessum esse à decreti nostri auctoritate vt ante legitimum plenum tempus satisfactionis sine petitu conscientia plebis pax ei concederetur Cypr. Epist 59. seuerity of discipline that such as had giueÌ„ scaÌ„dal were neither suddenly nor easily readmitted into Communion but there was first publike confession a time it seemes of the tryall of their repentance before they had a fresh admittaÌ„ce into Church-fellowship Greene apples too soone gathered they thought might set ones teeth on edge and it was dangerous to set a ship to sea that had bin crackt flawed before it were thoroughly repayred againe Yea and it was strange to see the k O si posses frater charissime istic interesse â—ùm praui isti peruer si de schismate reuertantur videres quis mihi labor sit persuadere patientiam fratribus nostris vt animi dolore sâ—pito recipiendis malis curandisque consentiâ—nt vix plebi persuadeo imò extorqueo vt tales patiantur admitti Cypr. Epist 55. ancient zeale of the people against such with how much adoe they suffred such as had giuen scandal and had not yet giuen sufficient euidence of their repentance to bee readmitted and receiued into the Church againe Nay further wee shall finde that in i Inter Christianae religionis professores ordinati sunt aliquot qui inquirunt in vias mores accedentium vt non concessa facientes candidatos religionis arceant à suis conuentibus c peccantes praecipuè libidine contaminatos è suâ republic â reijciunt nostri rursum vero resipiscentes haud secus quaÌ„ rediuiuos recipiunt tandem ea tamen conditione vt quoniaÌ„ lap si suÌ„t excludantur in posteruÌ„ ab omnibus dignitatibus magistratibus ecclesiasticis Origen cont Cels lib. 3. Origens time there were some appointed to looke into the wayes and manners of the people professing christian religion that if they carried themselues offensiuely they might be kept out from the publique meetings And further if any were found sinning scandalously especially if defiled with lust and vncleannes they cast them out of the Church And when vpon their repentance they were receiued againe yet was it with this condition that because they had fallen into scandal they should be excluded for euer after from all ecclesiasticall dignity and gouernement And we soe that in m See Cyprian Epist 64. 68. Cyprians time also it went for good discipline that a Bishop that had falleÌ„ into Idolatry and defiled himselfe with that scandalous sinne though he might communicate as Lay persons yet might