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
seriousness in Religion made odious or banished from the earth and that themselves may be taken for the Center and Pillars and Law-givers of the Church and the Consciences of all men may be taught to cast off all scruples or fears of offending God in comparison of â—â—â—â—â—â—ing them and may absolutely submit to them and never stick at any feared disobedience to 〈…〉 t They are the scorners and persecutors of strict obedience to the Laws of God and take those that â—ear his judgements to be men affrighted out of their wits and that to obey him exactly which alas who can do when he hath done his best is but to be hypocritical or too precise but to question their domination or break their Laws imposed on the world even on Kings and States without any Authority this must be taken for Heresie Schism or a Rebellion like that of Corah and his company This Luciferian Spirit of the proud Autonomians hath filled the Christian world with bloodshed and been the greatest means of the miseries of the earth and especially of hindering and persecuting the Gospel and setting up a Pharisaical Religion in the world It hath fought against the Gospel and filled with blood the Countreys of France Savoy Rhaetia Bohemia Belgia Helvetia Polonia Hungary Germany and many more that it may appear how much of the Satanical nature they have and how punctually they fulfill his will § 3. And natural corruption containeth in it the seeds of all these damnable Heresies nothing more natural to lapsed man than to shake off the Government of God and to become a Law-giver to himself and as many others as he can and to turn the grace of God into wantonness Therefore the prophane that never heard it from any Hereticks but themselves do make themselves such a Creed as this that God is merciful and therefore we need not fear his threatnings for he will be better than his word It belongeth to him to save us and not to us and therefore we may cast our souls upon his care though we care not for them our selves If he hath predestinated us to salvation we shall be saved and if he have not we shall not what ever we do or how well soever we live Christ dyed for sinners and therefore though we are sinners he will save us God is stronger than the Devil and therefore the Devil shall not have the most That which pleaseth the flesh and doth God no harm can never be so great a matter or so much offend him as to procure our damnation What need of so much ado to be saved or so much haste to turn to God when any one that at last doth but repent and cry God mercy and believe that Christ dyed for him shall be saved Christ is the Saviour of the world and his grace is very great and free and therefore God forbid that none should be saved but those few that are of strict and holy lives and make so much ado for Heaven No man can know who shall be saved and who shall not and therefore it is the wisest way to do no body any harm and to live merrily and trust God with our souls and put our salvation upon the venture no body is saved for his own works or deservings and therefore our lives may serve the turn as well as if they were more strict and holy This is the Creed of the ungodly by which you may see how natural it is to them to abuse the Gospel and plead Gods grace to quiet and strengthen them in their sin and to embolden themselves on Christ to disobey him § 4. But this is but to set Christ against himself even his Merits and Mercy against his Government and Spirit and to set his Death against the Ends of his death and to set our Saviour against our salvation and to run from God and rebell against him because Christ dyed to recover us to God and to give us Repentance unto life and to sin because he dyed to save his people from their sins and to purifie a peculiar people to himself zealous of good works Matth. 1. 21. Tit. 2. 14. He that committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinneth from the beginning For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 John 3. 8. John 8. 44. Direct 18. WAtch diligently hath against the more discernable decayes of grace and against Direct 18. the degenerating of it into some carnal affections or something counterfeit and of another kind And so also of Religious duties § 1. We are no sooner warmed with the coelestial flames but natural corruption is enclining us to grow cold Like hot water which loseth its heat by degrees unless the fire be continually kept under it Who feeleth not that as soon as in a Sermon or Prayer or holy Meditation his heart hath got a little heat as soon as it is gone it is prone to its former earthly temper and by a little remisness in our duty or thoughts or business about the world we presently grow cold and dull again Be watchful therefore lest it decline too far Be frequent in the means that must preserve you from declining when faintness telleth you that your stomachs are emptied of the former meat supply it with another lest strength abate You are rowing against the stream of fleshly interest and inclinations and therefore intermit not too long lest you go faster down by your ease then you get up by labour § 2. The Degenerating of Grace is a way of backsliding very common and too little observed How Grace may degenerate It is when good affections do not directly cool but turn into some carnal affections somewhat like them but of another kind As if the body of a man instead of dying should receive the life or soul of a Beast instead of the reasonable humane soul. For instance 1. Have you Believed in God and in Iesus Christ and Loved him accordingly You shall seem to do so still as much as formerly when your corrupted minds have received some false representation of him and so it is indeed another thing that you thus corruptly Believe and Love 2. Have you been fervent in Prayer you shall be fervent still iâ— Satan can but corrupt your prayers by corrupting your judgement or affections and get you to think that to be the cause of God which is against him and that to be against him which he commandeth and those to be the troublers of the Church which are its best and faithfullest members Turn but your prayers against the cause and people of God by your mistake and you may pray as fervently against them as you will The same I may say of preaching and conference and zeal Corrupt them once and turn them against God and Satan will joyn with you for zealous and frequent preaching or conference or disputes 3. Have you a confidence in Christ and his promise for
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
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
Only named as being formerly written of at large p. 180 An Appendix of the Reasons and measure of Divine and Self-love p. 182 CHAP. IV. Subordinate Directions against the Great sins most directly contrary to Godliness Part 1. Directions against Unbelief Q. Whether it be Unbelief not to believe that our own sins are pardoned and we elected Can a man be surer that he believeth than he is that the thing believed is true The Article of Remission of sin is to be believed applyingly p. 196. Thirty six Dir. or helps against Unbelief Q. Why the Prophets were to be believed Part 2. Directions against Hardness of Heart What it is The evil and danger of it p. 204 Part 3. Directions against Hypocrisie What it is and who are Hypocrites The Helps p. 210 Part 4. Directions against Inordinate Man-pleasing or Idolizing man or that over-valuing mans favour which is the fruit of Pride and Cause of Hypocrisie What the sin is and is not The difficulty of Man-pleasing Pleasing God is our business and End The Motives to it The signes of it p. 218 c. Part 5. Directions against Pride and for Humility What they are The Inward seemings of Pride that are not Pride The Outward seemings of Pride that are not it p. 229. The Counterfeits of Humility p. 232. Signes of the worst part of Pride against God p. 232. Signes of the next degrees of Pride against God p. 235. Signes of Pride in and about Religious duties p. 237. Signes of Pride in common converse p. 239. The dreadful consequents of Pride A summary of the signs of Humility p. 247 Many considerations and helps against pride Part 6. Directions against Covetousness Love of Riches and Worldly Cares p. 254. What Love of Riches is lawful what unlawful and what is Covetousness The malignity of it The signes of it Counterfeits or false signes of one not Covetous which deceive many False signes or appearances of Covetousness that cause many to be falsly accused Means to destroy it Part 7. Directions against the master sin Sensuality Fleshpleasing or Voluptuousness p. 264. The nature of Flesh-pleasing What meant by Flesh and what is mans Corruption What flesh-pleasing is unlawful and how far a sin The malignity of the sin The Plea or Excuses of Flesh-pleasers answered Counterfeits of Mortification or temperance which deceive many flesh-pleasers Seemings of sensuality which are not it The enmity of the flesh p. 264 CHAP. V. Further subordinate Directions for the next great duties of Religion necessary to the right performance of the Grand Duties p. 274. and first Directions for Redeeming or well improving Time What is time here and what are Opportunities What Redeeming it is To what uses and from what and by what Time must be Redeemed Directions Contemplative for improving Time p. 276. Directions contemplative for taking the due season p 283. Directions Practical for Improving Time p. 285. Rules to know what Time must he spent in Thieves or Time-wasters to be watcht against p. 288. 1. Sloth 2. Excess of sleep 3. Inordinate adorning of the body 4. Pomp and Curiosity in attendance house furniture provision entertainments Complement and servitude to the humour of Time-wasters 5. Needless Feasting gluttony and tipling 6. Idle talk 7. Vain and sinful company 8. Pastimes inordinate Recreations sports plays 9. Excess of worldly business and cares 10. Vain and sinful Thoughts 11. Reading vain books Romances Play books c. and vain studies 12. An ungodly heart which doth all things for a carnal end Eight sorts especially called to Redeem Time CHAP. VI. Directions for the Government of the Thoughts p. 294 Tit. 1. Directions against evil and idle Thoughts ibid. Tit. 2. Directions to furnish the Mind with good Thoughts Twenty great Subjects or Promptuaries affording abundant matter for Meditation p. 298 Tit. 3. Directions to make Good Thoughts Effectual 1. General Directions for Meditation or good Thoughts p. 304. 2. Particular Directions about the work of Meditation p. 306 Tit. 4. The difference between a contemplative and an Active Life Q. 1. What is a contemplative life Q. 2. Is every man bound to it Q. 3. Whose duty is it Q. 4. How far are all men bound to contemplation Answered in twelve Rules p. 309 Tit. 5. Directions to the Melancholy about their Thoughts Signes of Melancholy The Causes Directions for cure Special truths to be known for preventing causless troubles c. p. 312 c. Tit. 6. Twenty Directions for young Students for the most profitable ordering of their studying Thoughts p. 319. Twenty Instances of extreams to be avoided p. 323 CHAP. VII Directions for the Government of the Passions Tit. 1. Directions against all sinful Passions in general p. 327 Tit. 2. Directions against sinful Love of Creatures 1. Helps to discover sinful Love 2. Helps to mâ—rtisie sinful Love p. 329 Tit. 3. Directions against sinful Desires and Discontents p. 332 Tit. 4. Directions against sinful mirth and pleasure p. 335 Tit. 5. Directions against sinful Hopes p. 338 Tit. 6. Directions against sinful Hatred aversation or backwardness towards God and Godliness p. 339 Tit. 7. Directions against sinful Anger 1. Directions Meditative against it p. 341. Two Directions practical against it p. 342 Tit. 8. Directions against sinful fear 1. Of God p. 344. 2. Against sinful fear of the Devil p. 345. 3. Against the sinful fear of men and of sufferings by them p. 346 Tit 9. Directions against sinful Grief and trouble of mind When sinful p. 351 Tit. 10. Directions against sinful â—espair and doubting What it is When the day of Grace is past What sin is mortal and what is Infirmity c. p. 355 c. CHAP. VIII Directions for the Government of the senses Part 1. General Directions to Govern them all by faith p. 361. Deny not all our senses as the Papists p. 363 Part 2. Particular Directions for the Government of the Eyes p. 366 Part 3. Directions for the Government of the Ear. p. 368 Part 4. Directions for the Governing the Taste and Appetite p. 370 Tit. 1. Directions against Gluttony 1. What it is 2. What are its Causes 3. The greatness of the sin 4. Directions and Helps against it Rules for the Measure of Eating Tit. 2. Against excess of Drink and drunkenness 1. What it is The various degrees 2. The Causes 3. The greatness of the sin 4. The Excuses of it Q. May we drink when thirsty c. Q. May one drink healths 5. Twenty Questions for the conviction of drunkards Twelve Questions to prove that it 's their wilfulness and not meer disability to forbear Practical Directions against Tipling c. p. 381 Part 5. Tit. 1. Directions against Fornication and all uncleanness The Greatness of the sin Directions for the Cure p. 394 c. T it 2. Directions against Inward filthy Lusts. p. 400 Part 6. Directions against sinful excess of sleep 1. What is eâ—câ—ss 2 The Evil of it Q. Whether Love of sleep may be a
our faith Help thou our unbelief But he that approveth of his Doubting and would have it so and thinks the revelation is uncertain and such as will warrant no firmer a belief I should scarcely say this man is a Christian. Christianity must be received as of Divine infallible revelation But controversies about less necessary things cannot be determined peremptorily by the ignorant or young beginners without hypocrisie or a humane faith going under the name of a Divine I am far from abating your Divine belief of all that you can understand in Scripture and implicitely of all the rest in general And I am far from diminishing the credit of any truth of God But the Reasons of this Direction are these § 2. 1. When it is certain that you have but a dark uncertain apprehension of any point to think it is clear and certain is but to deceive your selves by pride And to cry out against all uncertainty as sceptiâ—isme which yet you cannot lay aside is but to revile your own infirmity and the common infirmity of mankind and foolishly to suppose that every man can be as wise and certain when he list as he should be Now Reason and experience will tell you that a young unfurnished understanding is not like to see the evidence of difficult points as by nearer approach and better advantage it may do § 3. 2. If your conclusions be peremptory upon meer self-conceitedness you may be in an error for ought you know and so you are but confident in an error And then how far may you go in seducing others and censuring dissenters and come back when you have done and confess that you were all this while mistaken your selves § 4. 3. For a man to be confident that he knoweth what he knoweth not is but the way to keep him ignorant and shut the door against all means of further information When the Opinion is fixt by prejudice and conceit there is no ready entrance for the light § 5. 4 And to be ungroundedly confident so young is not only to take up with your Teachers word instead of a faith and knowledge of your own but also to forestall all diligence to know more and so you may lay by all your studies save only to know what those men hold whose judgements are your Religion Too Popish and easie a way to be safe § 6. 5. If you must never change your first opinions or apprehensions how will you grow in understanding Will you be no wiser at age than you were in childhood and after long study and experience than before Nature and Grace do tend to increase § 7. Indeed if you should be never so peremptory in your opinions you cannot resolve to hold them to the end For Light is powerful and may change you whether you will or no you cannot tell what that Light will do which you never saw But prejudice will make you resist the light and make it harder for you to understand § 8. I speak this upon much experience and observation Our first unripe apprehensions of things will certainly be greatly changed if we are studious and of improved understandings Study the Conâ—roveâ—â—â—â—s about Grace and Free-will or about other such points of difficulty when you are young and â—â—s two to one that ripeness will afterward make them quite another thing to you For my own â—â—â—â—t my judgement is altered from many of my youthful confident apprehensions And where it heldeth the same conclusion it rejecteth abundance of the arguments as vain which once it rested in And where I keep to the same Conclusions and Arguments my apprehension of them is not the saâ—â— â—ut I see more satisfying light in many things which I took but upon trust before And if I had resolved to hold to all my first Opinions I must have forborn most of my studies and lost much truth which I have discovered and not made that my own which I did hold and I must have resolved to live and dye a child § 9. The su 〈…〉 is Hold fast the substance of Religion and every clear and certain Truth which you see in its own evidence and also reverence your Teachers especially the Universal Church or the generality of wise and godly men and be not hasty to take up any private opinion And especially to contradict the Opinion of your Governours and Teachers in small and controverted things But yet in such matters receive their Opinions but with a humane faith till indeed you have more and therefore with a supposition that time and study is very like to alter your apprehensions and with a reserve impartially to study and entertain the truth and not to sit still just where you were bâ—rn Direct 12. IF Controversies â—ccasion any Divisions where you live be sure to look first to the interest of Common Truth and Good and to the exercise of Charity And become not passionate contenders for any party in the division or censurers of the peaceable or of your Teachers that will not â—ver 〈…〉 their own understandings to obtain with you the esteem of being Orthodox or zealous men But suspect your own unripe understandings and silence your Opinions till you are clear and certain and jâ—yn rather with the moderate and the peace-makers than with the Contenders and Dividers § 1. You may easily be sure that Division tendeth to the ruine of the Church and the hinderance of the Gospel and the injury of the common interest of Religion You know it is greatly condemned in the Scriptures You may know that it is usually the exercise and the increase of Pride uncharitableness and passion and that the Devil is best pleased with it as being the greatest gainer by it But on the other side you are not easily certain which party is in the right And if you were you are not sure that the matter will be worth the cost of the contention Or if it be it is to be considered whether the Truth is not like to get more advantage by managing it in a more peaceable way that hath no contention nor stirreth not up other men so much against it as the way of controversie doth And whatever it prove you may and should know that young Christians that want both parts and helps and time and experience to be throughly seen in controversies are very unfit to make themselves parties And that they are yet more unfit to be the hottest leaders of those parties and to spur on their Teachers that know more than they If the work be fit for another to do that knoweth on what ground he goeth and can foresee the end yet certainly it is not fit for you And therefore forbear it till you are more fit § 2. I know those that would draw you into such a contentious zeal will tell you that their cause is the cause of God and that you desert him and betray it if you be not zealous in it and that it is but the counsel
to fight against his cause and work which is by fighting against the World and the Flesh and for the glory of God § 13. In opening to you this holy War I shall 1. Shew you what we must do on the Offensive part The Mâ—â—â—â—d 2. What on the Defensive part And here I shall shew you I. What it is that the Tempter aimeth at as his End II. What matter or ground he worketh upon III. What are his Succours and Assistants IV. What kind of Officers and Instruments he useth V. What are his Methods and actual Temptations 1. To actual sin 2. Against our duty to God § 14. 1. Our offensive arms are to be used 1. Against the power of sin within us and all its advantages and helps For while Satan ruleth and possesseth us within we shall never well oppose him without 2. Against sin in others as far as we have opportunity 3. Against the credit and honour of sin in the world As the Devils Servants would bring Light and Holiness into disgrace so Christs Servants must câ—si disgrace and shame upon sin and darkness 4. Against all the Reasonings of sinners and their subtile fallacies whereby they would deceive 5. Against the passions and violent lusts which are the causes of mens other sins 6. Against the holds and helps of sin as false Teachers prophane Râ—vilers ignorance and dâ—câ—it Only take heed that on this pretence we step not out of our ranks and places to pull down the powers of the world by rebellions For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal 2 Cor. 10. 4. § 15. 2. As to our Defence I. The ends of the Tempter which must be perceived are these 1. In general his aâ—m is at our utter ruine and damnation and to draw us here to dishonour God as much as he can But especially his aim is to strengthen the great heart-sins which are most mortal and are the root and life and spawners of the rest Especially these 1. Ignorance which is the friend and cloke to all the rest 2. Error which will justific them 3. Unbelief which keeps off all that should oppose them 4. Atheism prophaneness unhâ—liness which are the defiance of God and all his Armies 5. Presumption which emboldneth them and hides the danger 6. Hardness of heart which fortifieth them against all the batteries of Grace 7. Hypocrisie which maketh them serve him as Spies and Intelligencers in the Army of Christ. 8. Disaffection to God and his wayes and servants which is the Devils colours 9. Unthankfulness which tends to make them unreconcileable and unrecoverable 10. Pride which commandeth many Regiments of lesser sins 11. Worldliness or love of money and wealth which keepeth his Armies in pay 12. Sensuality Voluptuousness or flesh-pleasing Animi molles aetate fluxâ— doâ—â—s hâ—ud dâ—fficulter câ—pâ—untur which is the great Commander of all the rest For selfishness is the Devils Lieutenant General which consisteth chiefly in the three last named but especially in Pride and Sensuality Some think that it is outward sins that bring all the danger but these twelve heart-sins which I have named to you are the twelve Gates of the infernal City which Satan loveth above all the rest § 16. II. The Matter and Grounds of his Temptations are these 1. The Devil first worketh upon the outward sense and so upon the sensitive appetite He sheweth the Cup to the Drunkards eye and the bait of filthy lust to the fornicator and the riches and pomp of the world to the covetous and proud The Glutton tasteth the sweetness of the dish which he loveth Stage-playes and tempting sports and proud attire and sumptuous buildings and all such sensual things are the baits by which the Devil angleth for souls Thus Eve first saw the fruit and then tasted and then did eat Thus Noah and Lot and David sinned Thus Achan saith Josh. 7. 21. I saw the Garments Silver and Gold I coveted them and I took them The sense is the door of sin § 17. 2. The Tempter next worketh on the Fantasie or Imagination and prints upon it the loveliest image of his bait that possibly he can and engageth the sinner to Think on it and to rowl it over and over in his mind even as God commandeth us to Meditate on his Precepts § 18. 3. Next he worketh by these upon the Passions or affections which fantasie having enflamed they violently urge the Will and Reason and this according to the nature of the passion whether fear or hope sorrow or joy love or hatred desire or aversation but by none doth he work so dangerously as by Delight and Love and Desire of things sensual § 19. 4. Hence he proceedeth to infect the Will upon the simple apprehension of the understanding to make it inordinately cleave to the temporal good and to neglect its duty in commanding the understanding to meditate on preserving objects and to call off the Thoughts from the forbidden thing It neglecteth to rule the Thoughts and Passions according to its office and natural power § 20. 5. And so he corrupteth the understanding it self first to omit its duty and then to entertain deceit and to approve of evil And so the servant is put into the Government and the commanding powers do but serve it Reason is blinded by sensuality and passion and becomes their servant and pleads their cause § 21. By all this it appeareth 1. That Satans first bait is ordinarily some sensible or imaginary good set up against true spiritual good 2. That his first assault of the Reason and Will is to tempt them into a sluggish neglect and neutrality to omit that restraint of Sense Thought and Passion which was their duty 3. And that lastly he tempteth them into actual complyance and committing of the sin And herein 1. The bait which he useth with the understanding is still some seeming Truth And therefore his art and work is to colour falshood and make it seem Truth For this is the deceiving of the mind And therefore for a sinner to plead his mistake for his excuse and say I thought it had been so or so I thought it had been no sin or no duty this is but to confess and not to excuse It is but as much as to say my Understanding sinned with my Will and was deceived by the Tempter and overcome 2. And the bait which he useth with the Will is alwayes some appearing good And self-love and love of good is the principle which he abuseth and maketh his ground to work upon as God also useth it in drawing us to good § 22. III. The Succours and Auxiliaries of the Devil and his principal means are these 1. He doth what he can to get an ill tempered Body on his side For as sin did let in bodily distempers so do they much befriend the sin that caused them A cholerick temper will much help him to draw men to passion malice murder cruelty and revenge A sanguine and bilious
That if you Tempt 10. are weak he may either discourage you or which is more usual and dangerous make you think better of them than they are and to think you know much when its next to nothing and to make you wise in your own eyes and easily to receive an error and then to be confident in it not to discern between things that differ but to be deceived into false zeal and false wayes by the specious pretences and shews of truth and then to be zealous for the deceiving of others Also that you may be a dishonour to truth and godliness by your weakness and ill management of good causes and may give them away through your unskilfulness to the adversary If you are of stronger wits and parts the Tempter will draw you to despise the weak to take common gifts for special grace or to undervalue holiness and humility and overvalue learning and acuteness He will tempt you dangerously to lothe the simplicity of Christianity and â—f the Scriptures as to style and method and to be offended at the Cross of Christ. So that such persons are usually in greater danger of Infidelity Heresie Pride and insolent domineering over the flock of Christ than vulgar Christians that have lower parts § 20. Direct 10. Labour to be well acquainted with your selves If you are weak know your Direct 10. weakness that you may be humble and fearful and seek for strength and help If you are comparatively strong remember how weak the strongest are and how little it is that the wisest know And study well the Ends and use of knowledge that all that you know may be conâ—â—cted into Love and Holiness and use it as remembring that you have much to give account of § 21. Tempt 11. Moreover the Tempter will fetch advantage against you from your former life Tempt 11. and actions If you have gone out of the way to Heaven he would harden you by custom and make you think it such a disgrace or trouble to return as that it s as good go on and put it to the venture If you have done any work materially good while your heart and course of life is carnal and worldly he would quiet you in your sinful miserable state by applauding the little good that you have done If a good man have erred or done ill he will engage his honour in it and make him study to defend it or excuse it left it prove his shame and tempt men as he did David to hide one sin with another If he gâ—t hâ—ld of one link he will draw on all the chain of sin § 22. Direct 11. Take heed therefore what you do and foresee the end Let not the Devil get Direct 11. in one foot Try your way before you enter it But if you have erred come off and that throughly and betime whatever it cost for be sure it will cost more to go on And if he would make a snare of the good that you have done remember that this is to turn it into the greatest evil And that there must be a concurrence and integrity of good to make you acceptable and to save you Heart and life must be good to the End § 23. Tempt 12. Lastly He fitteth his Temptations to the season He will take the season just Tempt 12. when an evil thought is likest to take with you and when the Winds and Tyde dâ— serve him that will take at one time when a man hath his wits and heart to seek which would be abhorred at another In afflicting Times he will draw you to deny Christ with Peter or shift for your selves by sinful means In prosperous Times he will tempt you to security worldliness and forgetfulness of the night and Winter which approacheth The Timing his Temptations is his great advantage § 24. Direct 12. Dwell as with God and you dwell as in Eternity and will see still that as Time Direct 12. so all the pleasure and advantages and dangers and sufferings of Time are things in themselves of little moment Keep your eye upon Iudgement and Eternity where all the errors of Time will be rectified and all the inequalities of Time will be levelled and the sorrows and joyes that are transitory will be no more And then no reasons from the frowns or flatteries of the Times will seem of any force to you And be still employed for God and still armed and on your watch that Satan may never find you disposed to take the bait The Tempters Method in applying his prepared baits § 25. Tempt 1. The Devils first work is to present the Tempting bait in all its alluring deceiving Tempt 1. properties To make it seem as true as may be to the understanding and as good and amiable as may be to the will To say as much as can be said for an evil cause He maketh his Image of Truth and Goodness as beautiful as he can Sin shall be sugared and its pleasure shall be its strength Heb. 11. 25. Sin shall have its wages paid down in hand 2 Pet. 2. 15. He will set it out with full mouthed praises O what a fine thing it is to be rich and please the flesh continually to have command and honour and lusts and sports and what you desire Who would refuse such a condition that may have it All this will I give thee was the Temptation which he thought fit to assault Christ himself with And he will corrupt the History of Time past and tell you that it went well with those that took his way Jer. 44. 17. And for the future he will promise them that they shall be gainers by it as he did Eve and shall have peace though they please their flesh in sinning See Deut. 29. 19. § 26. Direct 1. In this case first enquire what God saith of that which Satan so commendeth Direct 1. The commendations and motions of an enemy are to be suspected God is most to be believed 2. Then consider not only whether it be good but how long it will be good and what it will prove at the end and how we shall judge of it at the parting And withal consider what it tendeth to whether it tend to good or evil and whether it be the greatest good that we are capable of And then you will see that if there were no good or appearance of good in it it could do a voluntary agent no hurt and were not fit to be the matter of a Temptation And you 'll see that it is temporal good set up to deceive you of the Eternal Good and to entice you into the greatest evil and misery Doth the Devil shâ—w thee the world and say All this will I give thee Look to Christ who sheweth thee the glory of the world to come with all things good for thee in this world and saith more truly All this will I give thee The world and Hell are in one end of the ballance
that giveth me all Life is not for meat or drink or play but these are for Life and Life for the higher Ends of Life § 16. 2. Look unto thy Redeemer drowsie soul and consider for what end he did Redeem thee Was it to wander a few years about the earth and to sleep and sport a while in flesh Or was it to crucifie thee to the world and raise thee up to the Love of God He came down to Earth from Love it self being full of Love to shew the Loveliness of God and reconcile thee to him and take away the enmity and by Love to teach thee the art of Love His Love constrained him to offer himself a Sacrifice for sin to make thee a Priest thy self to God to offer up the Sacrifice of an enflamed heart in love and praise And wilt thou disappoint thy Redeemer and disappoint thy self of the benefits of his Love The Means is for the End Thou maist as well say I would not be Redeemed as to say I would not Love the Lord. § 17. 3. And bethink thy self O drowsie soul for what thou wast Regenerated and sanctified by the Spirit Was it not that thou mightst KNOW and LOVE the Lord What is the Spirit of Adoption that is given to Believers but a Spirit of predominant Love to God Gal. 4. 6. Thou couldst have loved Vanity and doted on thy fleshly friends and pleasures without the Spirit of God It was not for these but to destroy these and kindle a more noble heavenly fire in thy breast that the Spirit did renew thee Examine search and try thy self whether the Spirit hath sanctified thee or not Knowest thou not that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his 2 Cor. 13. 5. Rom. 8. 9. And if Christ and his Spirit be in thee thy Love is dead to earthly vanity and quickned and raised to the most Holy God Live then in the Spirit if thou have the Spirit To walk in the Spirit is to walk in Love Hath the Regenerating Spirit given thee on purpose a new principle of Love and done so much to excite it and been blowing at the Coals so oâ—t and shall thy carnality or sluggishness yet extinguish it As thou wouldst not renounce or contemn thy Creation thy Redemption and Regeneration contemn not and neglect not the Love of thy Creator Redeemer and Regenerater which is the End of all § 18. Direct 2. Think of the perfect fitness of God to be the only Object of thy superlative Love Direct 2. and how easie and necessary it should seem to us to do a work so agreeable to right Reason and uncorrupted Nature and abhorr all temptations which would make God seem unsuitable to thee O sluggish and unnatural soul Should not an object so admirably â—it allure thee Should not such attractive Goodness draw thee Should not perfect amiableness win thee wholly to it self Do but know thy self and God and then forbear to love him if thou canst Where should the fish live but in the Water And where should Birds flye but in the Air God is thy very Element Thou dyest and sinkest down to brutishness if thou forsake him or be taken from him What should delight the smell but odours or the appetite but its delicious food or the eye but Light and what it sheweth and the ear but harmony And what should delight the soul but God If thou know thy self thou knowest that the Nature of thy Mind inclineth to knowledge and by the knowledge of effects to rise up to the cause and by the knowledge of lower and lesser matters to ascend to the highest and greatest And if thou know God thou knowest that he is the cause of all things the Maker Preserver and Orderer of all the Being of Beings the most Great and Wise and Good and Happy so that to know him is to know all to know the most excellent independent glorious being that will leave no darkness nor unsatisfied desire in thy soul. And is he not then most suitable to thy mind If thou know thy self then thou knowest that thy will as free as it is hath a natural necessary inclination to goodness Thou canst not Love evil as evil nor canst thou choose but Love apprehended goodness especially the chiefest good if rightly apprehended And if thou know God thou knowest that he is Infinitely good in himself and the Cause of all the good that is in the world and the giver of all the good thou hast received and the only fit and suitable good to satisfie thy desires for the time to come And yet shall it be so hard to thee to Love so agreeably to perfect Nature so Perfect and full and suitable a good even goodness and Love it self which hath begun to Love thee Is any of the Creatures which thou Lovest so suitable to thee Are they good and only Good and Perfectly Good and unchangeably and eternally Good Are they the spring of comfort and the satisfying happiness of thy soul Hast thou found them so Or dost thou look to find them best at last Foolish soul Canst thou love the uneven defective troublesome creature if to some one small inferiour use it seemeth suitable to thee and canst thou not Love him that is all that rational Love can possibly desire to enjoy What though the creature be near thee and God be infinitely above thee He is nearer to thee than they And though in glory he be distant thou art passing to him in his glory and wilt presently be there Though the Sun be distant from thee it communicateth to thee its Light and Heat and is more suitable to thee than the Candle that is nearer thee What though God be most Holy and thou too earthly and unclean Is he not the fitter to purifie thee and make thee Holy Thou hadst rather if thou be poor have the company and favour of the Rich that can relieve thee than of beggars that will but complain with thee And if thou be unlearned or ignorant thou wouldst have the company of the wise and learned that can teach thee and not of those that are as ignorant as thy self Who is so suitable to thy Desires as he that hath all that thou canst wisely desire and is willing and ready to satisfie thee to the full Who is more suitable to thy Love than he that Loveth thee most and hath done most for thee and must do all that ever will be done for thee and is himself most lovely in his infinite perfections O poor diseased lapsed soul if sin had not corrupted and distempered and perverted thee thou wouldst have thought God as suitable to thy Love as meat to thy hunger and drink to thy thirst and rest to thy weariness and as the earth and water the Air and Sun are to the inhabitants of the world O whither art thou fallen and how far how long hast thou wandered from thy God that thou now drawest
of as it is a Means or an Expression of the good or evil of the mind 14. Sometime the present time must be most regarded herein and sometimes the future For when some great sin or judgement or other reason calls us to a Fast when it becomes needful to the ends of that present day we must do it though the Body were so weak that it would be somewhat the worse afterward so be it that the Good which we may expect by it that day be greater than the good which it is like to deprive us of afterward otherwise the after loss if greater is more to be avoided 15. Many things do Remotely fit us for our main end which neerly and directly seem to have no tendency to it As those that are only to furnish us with natural strength and vigor and alacrity or to prevent impediments As a Travellers hood and cloak and other carriage seem rather to be hinderances to his speed but yet are necessary for preventing the cold and wet which else might hinder him more yea a possible uncertain danger or impediment if great may be prevented with a certain small impediment So it is meet that our Bodies be kept in that health and alacrity which is ordinarily necessary to our duty and in eating and drinking and lawfull recreations it is not only the next or present duty which we prepare for but for the duty which may be very distant 16. Ordinarily it is safest to be more fearful of excess of fleshly-pleasure than of defect For ordinarily we are all very prone to an excess and also the excess is usually more dangerous When excess is the Damnation of all or most that ever perish and Defect is but the Trouble and hinderance but never or rarely the Damnation of any it 's easie then to see on which side we should be most fearful cautelous and vigilant 17. Yet excessive scrupulousness may be a greater sin and a greater hinderance in the work of God than some small excesses of flesh-pleasing which are committed through ignorance or inadvertency When an honest heart which preferreth God before the Flesh and is willing to please him though it displease the flesh shall yet mistake in some small particulars or commit some daily errors of infirmity or heedlessness it is a far less hinderance to the main work of Religion than if that man should daily perplex his mind with scruples about every bit he eats whether it be not too pleasing or too much and about every word he speaks and every step he goes as many poor tempted melancholy persons do thereby disabling themselves not only to Love and Praise and Thankfulness but even all considerable service In sum All pleasing of the senses or flesh which is lawful must have these qualifications 1. Gods Glory must be the ultimate end 2. The matter must be lawful and not forbidden 3. Therefore it must not be to the hinderance of duty 4. Nor to the drawing of us to sin 5. Nor to the hurt of our health 6. Nor too highly valued or too dearly bought 7. The measure must be moderate where any of these are wanting it is sin And where flesh-pleasing is Habitually in the bent of Heart and Life preferred before the Pleasing of God it proves the soul in captivity to the flesh and in a damnable condition § 6. III. I am next to shew you the evil or malignity of predominant Flesh-pleasing For if the The Greatness of the sin greatness of the sin were known it would contribute much to the cure And 1. Understand that it is the sin of sins the end of all sin and therefore the very sum and Life of all All the evil wicked men commit is ultimately to please the flesh The love of flesh-pleasing is the cause of all Pride and Covetousness and Whoredom and wantonness and gluttony and drunkenness and all the rest are but either the immediate works of sensuality and Flesh-pleasing or the distant service of it by laying in provision for it And all the malicious enmity and opposition to God and Godliness is from hence because they cross the interest and desires of the flesh The final cause is it for which men invent and use all the Means that tend to it Therefore all other sin being nothing but the means for the pleasing of our fleshly appetites and fancies its evident that flesh-pleasing is the common cause of them all and is to all other sin as the spring is to the watch or the poise to the clock the weight which giveth them all their motion Cure this sin and you have taken off the poise and curâ—d all the positite sins of the soul Though the privative sins would be still uncured if there were no more done Bâ—cause that which makes the clock stand still is not enough to make it go right But indeed nothing but the Love of Pleasing God can truly cure the Love of flesh-pleasing and such a cure is the cure of every sin both positive and privative active and defective § 7. 2. Flesh-pleasing is the Grand Idolatry of the world and the Flesh the greatest Idol that ever wâ—s set up against God Therefore Paul saith of sensual worldlings that their Belly is their God and thence it is that they mind earthly things and glory in their shame and are enemies to the cross of Christ that is to sufferings for Christ and the doctrine and duties which would cause their sufferings That is a mans God which he taketh for his chief Good and Loveth best and trusteth in most and is most desirous to please And this is the flesh to every sensualist He loveth pleasure more than God 2 Tim. 3. 2 4. He savoureth or mindeth the things of the flesh and liveth to it and walketh after it Rom. 8. 1 5 6. 7. 8. 13. He maketh provision for it to satisfie its appetite or lusts Rom. 13. 14. H soweth to the flesh Gal. 6. 8. and fullfilleth his lust when it lusteth against the spirit Gal. 5. 16 17. And thus while concupiscence or sensuality hath dominion sin is said to have dominion over them and they are servants to it Rom. 6. 14 20. For to whom men yield themselves servants to obey his servants they are whom they serve or obey Rom. 6. 16. It is not bowing the knee and praying to another that is the chief Idolatry As Loving and Pleasing and Obeying and Trusting and Seeking and Delighting in him are the chiefest parts of the service of God which he preferreth before a thousand sacrifices or complements So Loving the flesh and Pleasing it and Obeying it and Trusting in it and Seeking and Delighting in its pleasures are the chief service of the Flesh and more than if you offered sacrifice to it and therefore is the Grand Idolatry And so the flesh is the great enemy of God which hath the chiefest Love and Service which is due to him and robs him of the Hearts of all mankind that are
of Christs Body and Blood aright But besides all these what a deal of duty have you to perform to Magistrates Pastors Parents Masters and other superiours to subjects people children servants and other inferiours to every neighbour for his soul his body his estate and name and to do to all as you would be done by And besides all this how much have you to do directly for your selves for your souls and bodies and families and estates Against your ignorance infidelity pride selfishness sensuality worldliness passion sloth intemperance cowardize lust uncharitableness c. Is not here matter for your thoughts § 15. Direct 15. Overlook not that life full of particular mercies which God hath bestowed on your Direct 15. selves and you will find pleasant and profitable matter for your thoughts To spare me the labour of 15. All our particular Mercies repeating them look back to Chap. 3. Dir. 14. Think of that mercy which brought you into the world and chose your Parents your place and your condition which brought you up and bore with you patiently in all your sins and closely warned you of every danger which seasonably afflicted you and seasonably delivered you and heard your Prayers in many a distress which hath yet kept the worst of you from death and Hell and hath Regenerated justified adopted and sanctified those that he hath fitted for eternal life How many sins he hath forgiven How many he hath in part subdued How many and suitable helps he hath vouchsafed you From how many Enemies he hath saved you how oft he hath delighted you by his word and grace what comforts you have had in his Servants and ordinances in your relations and callings His mercies are innumerable and yet do your meditations want matter to supply them If I should but recite the words of David in many thankful Psalms you would think Mercy found his Thoughts employment § 16. Direct 16. Foresee that exact and righteous judgement which shortly you have to undergo Direct 16. and it will do much to find you employment for your thoughts A man that must give an account to 16. The account at Judgement God of all that he hath done both good and evil and knoweth not how soon for ought he knows before to morrow me thinks should find him something better than vanity to think on Is it nothing to be ready for so great a day To have your justification ready your accounts made up Your Consciences cleansed and quietted on good grounds To know what answer to make for your selves against the accuser To be clear and sure that you are indeed Regenerate and have a part in Christ and are washed in his blood and reconciled to God and shall not prove hypocrites and self-deceivers in that trying day when it is a sentence that must finally decide the question whether we shall be saved or damned and must determine us to Heaven or Hell for ever and you have so short and uncertain a time for your preparation will not this administer matter to your Thoughts If you were going to a Judgement for your lives or all your estates you would think it sufficient to provide you matter for your thoughts by the way How much more this final dreadful judgement § 17. Direct 17. If all this will not serve the turn it 's strange if God call not home your thoughts Direct 17. by sharp afflictions and methinks the improvement of them and the removal of them should find some 17. Our Afflictions employment for your thoughts It 's time then to search and try your ways and turn again unto the Lord Lam. 3. 4. To find out the Achan that troubleth your peace and know the voice of the rod and what God is angry at and what it is that he calleth you to mind To know what root it is that beareth these bitter fruits and how they may be sanctified to make you conformable to Christ and partakers of his holiness Heb. 12. 10. Besides the exercise of holy patience and submission there is a great deal of work to be done in sufferings to exercise faith and honour God and the good cause of our suffering and to humble our selves for the evil cause and to get the benefit And if you will not meditate of the Duty you shall meditate of the pain whether you will or not and say as Lam. 3. 17 18 19 20. I forgate prosperity and I said My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord Remembring mine affliction and my misery the wormwood and the gall My soul hath them still in remembrance and is humbled in me Put not God to remember you by his spur and help your meditations by so sharp a means Psal. 78. 33 34 35. Therefore did he consume their days in vanity and their years in trouble when he â—lew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God and they remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer § 18. Direct 18. Be diligent in your callings and spend no time in idleness and perform your labours Direct 18. with holy minds to the glory of God and in obedience to his commands and then your thoughts will 18. The business of your Calling have the less leisure and liberty for vanity or idleness Employments of the body will employ the Thoughts They that have much to do have much to think on For they must do it prudently and skillfully and carfully that they may do it successfully and therefore must think how to do it And the urgency and necessity of business will almost necessitate the thoughts and so carry them on and find them work Though some employments more than others And let none think that these Thoughts are bad or vain because they are about worldly things For if our Labours themselves be not bad or vain then neither are those thoughts which are needful to the well-doing of our work Nor let any worldling please himself with this and say My thoughts are taken up about my calling For his calling it self is perverted by him and made a carnal work to carnal ends when it should be sanctified That the thoughts about your labours may be good 1. Your Labours themselves must be good performed in obedience to God and for the good of others and to his glory 2. Your Labours and thoughts must keep their bounds and the higher things must be still preferred and sought and thought on in the first place And your Labours must so far employ your thoughts as is needful to the well-doing of them but better things must be thought on in such labours as leave a vacancy to the Thoughts But diligence in your calling is a very great help to keep out sinful thoughts and to furnish us with thoughts which in their place are good § 19. Direct 19. You have all Gods spiritual helps and holy ordinances to feed your meditations Direct 19. and
eternity This is the Apostles method 1 Cor. 7. 29 30 31. But this I say brethren the time is short It remaineth that both they that have Wives â—e as though they had none and they that weep as though they wept not and they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not and they that buy as though they pâ—ssessed not and they that use the world as not abusing it or as if they used it not for the fashion of this world passeth away So you will Desire as if you desired not when you perceive well how quickly the thing desired will pass away § 16. Direct 14. In all your Desires remember the account as well as the thing desired Think Direct 14. not only what it is now at hand but what account you must make to God of it For to whom men give or commit much of them they require the more Luk. 12. 48. will you thirst after more power more honour more wealth when you remember that you have the more to give account of Matth. 25. Have you not enough to reckon for already unless you had hearts to use it better § 17. Direct 15. Keep your selves close to the holy use of all your mercies and let not the flâ—sh Direct 15. devour them nor any inordinate appetite fare ever the better for them when you have them and this will powerfully extinguish the inordinate desire it self We are in little danger of being over eager after things spiritual and holy for the honour of God Resolve therefore that all you have shall be thus sanctified to God and used for him and not at all to satisfie any inordinate desire of the flâ—sh and then the flâ—sh will cease its suit when it finds it fares never the better for it You are able to do much in this way if you will If you cannot presently suppress the Desire you may presently resolve to deny the flesh the thing desired As David would not drink the water though he longed for it 2 Sam. 23. 15 17. and you may presently deny it the more of that you have If you cannot forbear your thirst you can forbear to drink If you cannot forbear to be hungry you can forbear to eat whatever is forbidden or unfit If Eve must needs have an appetite to the forbidden fruit yet she might have commanded her hand and teeth and not have eaten it If you cannot otherwise cool your Desire of curious Apparel wear that which is somewhat homelyer than else you would have worn on purpose to rebuke and controul that desire If you cannot otherwise quench your Covetous desires give so much the more to the poor to cross that desire You cannot say that the outward act is out of your power if you be but willing § 18. Direct 16. When your Desires are over-eager bethink you of the mercies which you have Direct 16. received already and do possess Hath God done so much for you and are you still calling for more even of that which is unnecessary when you should be giving thanks for what you have This unthankful greediness is an odious sin Think what you have already for soul and body estate and friends and will not all this quiet you even this with Christ and Heaven unless you have the other lust or fansie satisfied and unless God humour you in your sick desires § 19. Direct 17. Understand how little it will satisfie you if God should give you all that you Direct 17. carnally desire When you have it it will not quiet you nor answer your expectations You think it will make you happy and be exceeding sweet to you but it deceiveth you and you promise your selves you know not what And therefore desire you know not what It would be to you but Isa. 29. 8. like a dreaming feast which would leave you hungry in the morning § 20. Direct 18. Remember still that the greatest hurt that the Creature can do thee is in being Direct 18. overloved and desired and it is never so dangerous to thee as when it seemeth most desirable If you remembred this aright you would be cast into the greatest fear and caution when any thing below is presented very pleasing and desirable to you § 21. Direct 19. Consider that your desires do but make those wants a burden and misery to you Direct 19. which otherwise would be none Thirst makes the want of drink a torment which to another is no pain or trouble at all The lustful wanton is ready to die for love of the desired mate which no body else cares for nor is ever the worse for being without A proud ambitious Haman thinks himself undone if he be not honoured and is vexed if he be but cast down into the mean condition of a farmer When many thousand honest contented men live merrily and quietly in as low a condition It is mens own Desires and not their real wants which do torment them § 22. Direct 20. Remember that when you have done all if God love you he will be the chooser Direct 20. and will not grant your sick desires but will correct you for them till they are cured If your child cry for a knife or for unwholesom meat or any thing that would hurt him you will quiet him with the rod if he give not over And it is a sign some rod of God is near you when you are sick for this or that or the other thing and will not be quiet and content unless your fansie and concupiscence be humoured Tit. 4. Directions against sinful Mirth and Pleasure § 1. MIrth is sinful 1. When men rejoyce in that which is evil as in the hurt of others or in mens Stoici dicunâ— severos esse â—apâ—entes quod neque ipsi â—oquantur ad voluptatem nâ—que ab aliis ad voluptatem dicta admittant Esse autem alios severos qui ad rationem acris vini severi dicantur quo ad medicamenta potius quam ad propinationeÌ„ utuntur Laert. in Zenone sin or in the sufferings of Gods servants or the afflictions of the Church or the success or prosperity of the enemies of Christ or of any evil cause This is one of the greatest sins in the world and one of the greatest signs of wickedness when wickedness is it that they rejoyce in 2. When it is unseasonable or in an unmeet subject As to be merry in the time and place of mourning to feast when we should fast or for an unsanctisied miserable soul to be taken up in mirth that is in the power of sin and satan and near to Hell 3. Mirth is sinful when it tendeth to the committing of sin or is managed by sin as to make merry with lies and fables and tempting unnecessary time-wasting dances plays or recreations or with the slander or abuse of others or with drunkenness gluttony or excess 4. Mirth is sinful when it is a hinderance to our duty and unfitteth
Idolatry of the Israelites it is as they feared their Idols of Wood and Stone To fear them shewed that they took them for their Gods 2 Kings 17. 38 39. Dan. 6. 26. § 7. Direct 7. Consider that it is a folly to be inordinately fearful of that which never did befall Direct 7. thee and never befalleth one of many hundred thousand men I mean any terrible appearance of the Devil Thou never sawest him nor hearest credibly but of very few in an age that see him besides Witches This fear therefore is irrational the danger being utterly improbable § 8. Direct 8. Consider that if the Devil should appear to thee yea and carry thee to the top of Direct 8. a Mountain or the pinnacle of the Temple and talk to thee with blasphemous temptations it would be no other than what thy Lord himself submitted to who was still the dearly beloved of the Father Matth. 4. One sin is more terrible than this § 9. Direct 9. Remember that if God should permit him to appear to thee it might turn to thy very Direct 9. great advantage by killing all thy unbelief or doubts of Angels and Spirits and the unseen world It would sensibly prove to thee that there is indeed an unhappy race of Spirits who envy man and seek his ruine and so would more convince thee of the evil of sin the danger of souls the need of godliness and the truth of Christianity And it is like this is one cause why the Devil no more appeareth in the world not only because it is contrary to the ordinary Government of God who will have us live by faith and not by fight but also because the Devil knoweth how much it would do to destroy his Kingdom by destroying Infidelity Atheism and security and awakening men to faith and fear and godliness The Fowler or the Angler must not come in sight lest he spoil his Game by frighting it away § 10. Direct 10. If it be the spiritual temptations and molestations only of Satan which you fear Direct 10. remember that you have more cause to fear your selves for he can but tempt you and if you do not more against your selves than all the Devils in Hell can do you will never perish And if you are willing to accept and yield to Christ you need not inordinately fear either Satan or your selves For it is in the name and strength of Christ and under his conduct and protection that you are to begin and finish your warfare And the Spirit that is in us is greater and stronger than the Spirit that is in the world and that molesteth us 1 Iohn 4. 4. And the Father that giveth us to Christ is greater than all and none can pluck us out of his hands John 10. 29. And the God of peace will tread down Satan under our feet Rom. 16. 20. If it were in his power he would molest us daily and we had never escaped so far as we have done Our daily experience telleth us that we have a Protector Directions against the sinful fear of men and sufferings by them § 1. Direct 1. Bottom thy soul and hopes on Christ and lay up thy treasure in Heaven be not a Direct 1. worldling that liveth in hope of happiness in the creature and then thou art so far above the fear of men Omma Christe tuâ— superant tormenta ferendo Tollere quae nâ— queunt haec toleraâ—e queunt His vita â—aruisse fâ—uâ— est posâ—isse potiri Et superasse paâ—â— est superesse mori as knowing that thy treasure is above their reach and thy foundation and fortress safe from their assaults It is a base hypocritical worldly heart that maketh you immoderately afraid of men Are you afraid lest they should storm and plunder Heaven Or lest they cast you into Hell or lest they turn God against you or lest they bribe or over-awe your Judge No no these are none of your fears No you are not so much as afraid lest they hinder one of your prayers from prevailing with God nor lest their Prison walls and chains should keep out God and his Spirit from you and force you from your communion with him You are not afraid lest they forcibly rob you of one degree of grace or heavenly mindedness or hopes of the life to come If it be lest they hinder you from these by tempting or affrightning you into sin which is all the hurt they can do your souls then you are the more engaged to cast away the fears of their hurting your bodies because that is their very temptation to hurt your souls No it is their hurting of your flesh the diminishing your estates the depriving you of your liberty or worldly accommodations or of your Ad tribunal aeternum judicis justâ— provocatio salva est â—â— solet is perperam judicata resemderâ— Pâ—tra â—h Dial. 66. li. 2. lives which is the thing you fear And doth not this shew how much your hearts are yet on earth and how much unmortified worldliness and fleshliness is still within you and how much yet your hearts are false to God and Heaven O how the discovery should humble you to find that you are yet no more dead to the things of the world and that the Cross of Christ hath yet no more crucified it to you to find that yet the fleshly interest is so powerful in you and the interest of Christ and Heaven so low That God seemeth not enough for you and that you cannot take Heaven alone for your portion but are so much afraid of losing earth O presently search into the bottom of this corruption in your hearts and lament your worldliness and hypocrisie and work it out and set your hearts and hopes above and be content with God and Heaven alone and then this inordinate fear of man will have nothing left to work upon § 2. Direct 2. Set God against man and his wisdom against their policy and his Love and mercy Direct 2. against their malice and cruelty and his power against their impotency and his truth and omniscience and righteousness against their slanders and lies and his promises against their threatnings and then if yet thou art inordinately afraid of man thou must confess that in that measure thou believest not in God If God be not wise enough and good enough and just enough and powerful enough to save thee so far as it is â—est for thee to be saved then he is not God Away with Atbeism and then fear not man § 3. Direct 3. Remember what man is that thou art afraid of He is a bubble raised by Providence Direct 3. to 〈…〉 ut the world and for God to honour himself by or upon He is the meer product Joâ— 13. â—5 Psal. 1. 5 6. 68. 2. Psal. 73 20. Job 20. 8. Victor uticâ—â—â—â— saith of Au gustine that he dyed of fear Nunc illud eloquentiae quod ubertim per omnes
unacquainted with the particular weaknesses and dangers of your own hearts or Direct 9. any of your sinful inclinations That when you know where the wall is weakest you may there make the best defense That wanton word will set a wanton heart on fire which a sober mind doth hear with pity as a bedlam kind of speech A pievish passionate heart is presently disturbed and kindled with those words which are scarce observed by a well-composed soul. § 10. Direct 10. Hear every sinful word as dictated by the Devil and suppose you saw him all Direct 10. the while at the speakers elbow putting each word into his mouth and telling him what to say For it is as verily the Devil that doth suggest them all as if you saw him Suppose you saw him behind the rayler hissing him on as boys do dogs in fighting and bidding him Call him thus or thus Suppose you saw him at the malignants ear bidding him Revile a holy life and speak evil of the ways and servants of the Lord Suppose you saw him behind the wanton bidding him use such ribbald talk or on the stage suggesting it to the actors or at the ear of those that would provoke you to passion to tell them what to say against you This just supposition would much preserve you § 11. Direct 11. Suppose you heard the end annexed to every speech As when you hear one Direct 11. tempting you to lust suppose he said come let us take our pleasure a while and be damned for ever So also in every word that tempteth you to any other sin if the Tempter put in the sin do you put in Gods wrath and Hell and separate not that which God hath adjoyned but with the serpent see the sting § 12. Direct 12. Observe when the infection first seizeth on you and presently take an antidote to Direct 12. expel it if yâ—u love your souls The signs of infection are 1. When your zeal abateth and you grow more indifferent what you hear 2. Next you will feel some little inclination to it 3. Next you will a little venture upon an imitation 4. And lastly you will come to full consent and so to ruine If you feel but a remitting of your dislike and hatred or any filth or tincture left on your thoughts and fantasie go presently and shake them off Bewail it to God in true Repentance and wash your souls in the blood of Christ and cast up the poison by holy resolutions and sweat out the remnant by the servent exercises of Love and Holiness PART IV. Directions for Governing the Tast and Appetite Tit. 1. Directions against Gluttony § 1. THE most that is necessary to be said to acquaint you with the Nature and Evil of this sin is said before in Chap. 4. Part 7. against Flesh-pleasing But something more particularly must be said 1. To shew you what is and what is not the sin of Gluttony 2. To shew you the Causes of it 3. The odiousness of it and 4. To acquaint you with the more particular Helps and Means against it § 2. I. Gluttony is a Voluntary excess in eating for the pleasing of the Appetite or some other carnal So the Israâ—lites Num 11. loathing Manna because they must have change of dyet waâ— a sin of gulâ—sity or gluttony being more for Appetite than Health end Here note 1. The Matter 2. The end or effect of this excess 1. It is sometime an excess in quantity when more is eaten than is meet 2. Or else it may be an excess in the Delicious quality when more regard is had of the Delight and sweetness than is meet 3. Or it may be an excess in the frequencie and ordinary unseasonableness of eating When men eat too oft and sit at it too long 4. It may be an excess in the costliness or price when men feed themselves at too high rates 5. Or it may be an excess of curiosity in the dressing and sawâ—ing and ordering of all 2. And it is usually for some carnal end whether it may be properly called Glttony if a man should think that at a Sacrifice or thanksgiving he were bound to eat inordinately and so made the service of God his end we need not enquire though I see not but it may have that name For that 's a case that is more rare and it is undoubtedly a sin And it is Gluttony if it be done for the pleasing of Even fruitful land saith Plâ—tarch enricheth not if it cost too much the manuring So here others that are importunate with you But the common Gluttony is when it is done for the pleasing of the Appetite with such a pleasure as is no help to Health or Duty but usually a hurt to Body or Soul the Body being hurt by the excess the soul is hurt by the inordinate Pleasure § 3. Yea it is a kind of Gluttony and excess when men will not fast or abstain when they are required from that which at other times they may use with abstinence and without blame If a man use not to eat excessively nor deliciously yet if he will not abstain from his temperate dyet either at a publick fast or when his lust requireth him to take down his body or when his Physicion would dyet him for his health and his disease else would be encreased by what he eateth this is an inordinate eating and excess to that person at that time Or if the Delight that the appetite hath in one sort of meat which is hurtful to the body prevail against reason and health so with the person that he will not forbear it it is a degree of Gulosity or Gluttony though for quantity and quality it be in it self but mean and ordinary § 4. By this you may see 1. That it is not the same quantity which is an excess in one which is in another A labouring man may eat somewhat more than one that doth not labour and a strong and healthful body more than the weak and sick It must be an excess in quantity as to that particular person at that time which is when to please his appetite he eateth more than is profitable to his health or duty 2. So also the frequency must be considered with the quality of the person For one person may rationally eat a little and often for his health and another may luxuriously eat ofter than is profitable to health Eccles. 10. 16 17. Wo to thee O land when thy King is a child and thy Princes eat in the morning Blessed art thou O land when thy King is the son of Nobles and thy Princes eat in due season for strength and not for drunkenness 3. And in point of costliness the same measure is not to be set to a Prince and to a plow-man that is luxurious excess in one which may be temperance and frugality in another But yet unprofitable cost which all things considered would do more good another way is
Charity or Justice is sinful 2. And all deceit that is performed by a lye As Augustine saith There are some lyes which are spoken for anothers safety or commodity not in malice but in benignity as the Midwives to Pharaoh These lyes are not commended in themselves but in the deceit or charity of them They that thus lye will deserve that is be in the way to be at last delivered from all lying There is also a lying in jeast which deceiveth not because he that it is spoken to knoweth it to be spoken in jeast And these two sorts are not faultless but the fault is not great A perfect man must not lye to save his life But it is lawful to silence the truth though not speak falsly In Psal. And in Enchirid he saith Mihi non absurdum c. It seemeth not absurd to me that every lye is a sin But it is a great matter or difference with what mind and in what matters a man lyeth Some think a Physicion may lye to entice his Patient to take a Medicine to save his life He may lawfully deceive him by hiding a Medicine and by true speeches and dark which he thinketh will be misunderstood but not by falshood § 15. Quest. 11. Wherein lyeth the proper vice of lying Is it in deceiving or in speaking falsly Quest. 11. or in speaking contrary to the thoughts Answ. It is the Aggravation of a lye that it be an injurious deceit But the malignity of the sin doth not consist in the meer deceit of another mans intellect For as is said it may be a great benefit to many men to be be deceived A Patients life may be saved by it when his Physicion findeth it necessary to his taking a Medicine which without deceit he will not take And so children and weak-headed people must be used Now such a charitable deceit as such can be no sin Therefore the common nature of a lye consisteth not only in the purpose of deceiving ☜ but in the speaking falsly contrary to the mind Else it would follow either that all deceit is sin or that all lying or false speaking is lawful where the deceit of another is charitable or lawful which are neither of them to be granted Yet is it not every untruth that is a lye Some Schoolmen distinguish between mentiri as being contra mentem ire and mendacium dicere as if to tell a lye were not alwayes to lye because not contrary to the mind But then by mendacium they mean no more than falsum § 16. I conclude then that A Lye is the voluntary asserting of a falshood And the more it What a Lye is tendeth to the injury of another the more it is aggravated but it is one thing to be injurious and another thing to be a lye When I name a falshood I mean that which is apt to deceive the hearer So that it is necessary to the Being of a lye that it be deceitful though the purpose of deceiving be found only in the more explicite sort of lyes For falsum dicitur à fallendo It were not false if it were not deceitful or apt to deceive For an unapt or figurative expression which hath a right sense as used by the speaker and hearer is no falshood In one Language a double negative affirmeth and in another a double negative is a more vehement kind of denyal and yet neither is to be called by the others an untruth By asserting I mean any expression that maketh the falshood our own as distinct from a historical narration For it is not lying to repeat a lye as only telling what another said By Voluntary How sin is Voluntary Tolle voluntatem nec erit discrimen in actu I mean not only that which is done knowingly upon actual will and deliberate choice or consent but also that which is done ex culpa voluntatis by the fault of the will and is to be imputed to the will For it is of great necessity to observe this about every sin that whereas we truly say that all sin is Voluntary and no further sin than Voluntary yet by Voluntary here is not meant only that which is actually willed but all that the will is guilty of For it is true that Austin saith Ream linguam non facit nisi rea mens The tongue is not made guilty but by a guilty mind But then it must be known that the Mind or Will is guilty of forbidden Omissions as well as Actions And so it is a lye or Voluntary untruth when the mind and will do not restrain the tongue from it when they ought As 1. When a man erreth or is ignorant through willful sloth or negligence and so speaketh falsly when he thinks it true this is a culpable falshood and so a lye because he might have avoided it and did not And this is the case of most false Teachers and Hereticks So also if a man will through passion custome or carelesness let his tongue run before his wits and speak falsly for want of considering or heeding what he faith this is a culpable untruth and a lye and it is Voluntary because the will should have prevented it and did not though yet there was no purpose to deceive § 17. You see then that there are two degrees of Lying 1. The grossest is the speaking of a known falshood with a pâ—rpose to deceive 2. The other is the speaking falsly through culpable ignorance errour or inconsiderateness § 18. Direct 1. Be well informed of the evil of the sin of Lying For the common cause of it Direct 1. is that men think that there is no great harm in it unless some one be greatly wronged by it But it is not forbidden by God only because it wrongeth others but it hath all this evil in i◠§ 19. 1. Lying is the perverting of mans noble faculties and turning them clean contrary to their natural use God gave man a tongue to express his mind and reveal the Truth and Lying doth monstrously Verba propterea instituta sunt non ut pâ—r ea se invâ—câ—m bominâ—s fallanâ— sed ut eis quisque in alterius noâ—itiam â—â—gitationes suas pâ—oferat Verbis ergo uti ad fallaciam non ad quod sunt instituta peccatum est Aâ—g Eâ—chi id turn it to the hindering of the mind and truth yea to the venting of the contrary to both And as it is the evil of Drunkenness to be a voluntary madness or corruption of so noble a faculty as Reason so it is the fault of Lying to be the corrupting perverting and deforming both of the mind and tongue and by confusion a destroying of Gods work and creature as to its proper use § 20. 2. Lying is the enemy and destrâ—yer of Truth And Truth is a thing Divine of unspeakable excellency and use It is Gods instrument by which he maketh man wise and good and happy Therefore if he should not make strict
cases when they come is the present question Nay the Question is yet harder Whether to avoid such inconvenience one may contribute towards anothers sin by affording them the means of committing it Answ. 1. No man may contribute to sin as sin formally considered 2. No man may contribute to anothers sin for sinful ends nor in a manner forbidden and sinful in himself 3. No man may contribute to anothers sin when he is not naturally or morally necessitated to it but might forbear it But as it is consistent with the holiness of God to contribute those Natural and providential mercies which he knoweth men will abuse to sin so is it in some cases with us his creatures to one another God giveth all men their lives and time their Reason and Free-will which he knoweth they will abuse to sin He giveth them that meat and drink and riches and health and vigour of senses which are the usual means of the sin and undoing of the world Object But God is not under any Law or obligation as we are Answ. His own perfection is above all Law and will not consist with a consent or acting of any thing that is contrary to holiness and perfection But this I confess that many things are contrary to the order and duty of the creature which are not contrary to the place and perfection of the Creator 1. When man doth generate man he knowingly contributeth to a sinful nature and life For he knoweth that it is unavoidable and that which is born of the flesh is flesh And yet he sinneth not Ioh. 3. 6. Eph. 2. 2 3. by so doing because he is not bound to prevent sin by the forbearance of Generation 2. When one advanceth another to the office of Magistracy Ministry c. knowing that he will sin in it he contributeth accidentally to his sin But so as he is not culpable for so doing 3. A Physicion hath to do with a froward and intemperate Patient who will please his appetite or else if he be denyed his passion will increase his disease and kill him In this case he may lawfully say Let him take a little rather than kill him though by so doing he contribute to his sin Because it is but a not-hindering that which he cannot hinder without a greater evil The sin is only his that ☞ chooseth it And it is specially to be noted that that which Physically is a positive act and contributing to the Matter of the sin yet Morally is but a not-hindering the sin by such a withholding of materials as we are not obliged to withhold which is the case also of Gods contributing to the matter of sin If the Physicion in such a case or the Parent of a sick and froward Child do actually give them that which they sin in desiring that Giving is indeed such a furthering of the sin as cannot be lawfully forborn lest we do hurt and therefore is morally but a not hindering it when we cannot hinder it 4. If a man have a Wife so proud that she will go mad or disturb him and his family by rage if her pride be not gratified by some sinful fashions curiosities or excesses if he give her money or materials to do it with to prevent her distraction it is but like the foresaid case of the Physicion or Parents of a sick Child In these cases I will give you a Rule to walk by for your selves and a caution how to judge of others 1. Be sure that you leave nothing undone that you can lawfully do for the cure and prevention of others sins And that it be not for want of zeal against sin through indifference or slothfulness that you forbear to hinder it but meerly through disability 2. See that in comparing the evil that is like to follow the Impedition you do not mistake but be sure that it be indeed a greater evil which you avoid by not hindering that particular sin 3. See therefore that your own caanal interest weigh not with you more than there is cause and that you account not meer fleshly suffering a greater evil than sin 4. But yet that dishonour which may be cast upon Religion and the Good of souls which may be hindered by a bodily suffering may come into the comparison 5. And your own duties to mens bodies as to save mens lives or health or peace is to be numbred with spiritual things and the materials of a sin may in some cases be administred for the discharge of such a duty If you knew a man would die if you give him not hot water and he will be drunk if you do give it him In this case you do but your duty and he commits the sin You do that which is good and are not bound to forbear it because he will turn it to sin unless you see that the hurt by that sin is like to be so great besides the sin it self as to discharge you from the duty of doing good 2. As to others 1. Put them on to their duty and spare not 2. But censure them not for the sins of their families till you are acquainted with all the case It 's usual with rash and carnal censurers to cry out of some godly Ministers or Gentlemen that their Wives are as proud and their Children and Servants as bad as others But are you sure that it is in their power to remedy it Malice and rashness judge at a distance of things which men understand not and sin in speaking against sin Quest. 2. IF a Gentleman e. g. of 500. or 1000. or 2000. or 3000. li. per annum could spare honestly half his yearly rents for his Children and for charitable uses and his wife be so proud and prodigal that she will waste it all in house-keeping and excesses and will rage be unquiet or go mad if she be hindered what is a mans duty in such a case Answ. It is but an instance of the fore-mentioned case and must thence be answered 1. It is supposed that she is uncurable by all wise and rational means of perswasion 2. He is wisely to compare the greatness of the cvil that will come by crossing her with the good thâ—â— may come by the improvement of his estate and the forbearance of those excesses If her rage or distraction or unquietness were like by any accident to do more hurt than his estate may do good he might take himself disabled from hindering the sin And though he give her the money which she mis-spendeth it is not sinning but only not hindering sin when he is unable 3. Ordinarily some small or tolerable degree of sinful waste and excess may be tolerated to avoid such mischiefs as else would follow but not too much And though no just measure can be assigned at what rate a man may lawfully purchase his own peace and consequently his liberty to serve God or at what rate he may save his Wife from madness or some mortal mischiefs of
to a more edifying Church that useth all the publick Ordinances of God unless the publick good forbid or some great impediment or contrary duty be our excuse § 36. 11. If a true Church will not cast out any impenitent notorious scandalous sinner though 2 John 10. 11. 2 Tim. 3. 5. Rom. 16. 17. 1 Cor. 5. 11. I am not to separate from the Church yet I am bound to avoid private familiarity with such a person that he may be ashamed and that I partake not of his sin § 37. 12. As the Church hath diversity of members some more holy and some less and some of whole sincerity we have small hope some that are more honourable and some less some that walk Mat. 13. 41 30. Jer. 15. 19. 1 Cor. 12. 23 24. blamelesly and some that work iniquity So Ministers and private members are bound to difference between them accordingly and to honour and love some far above others whom yet we may not excommunicate And this is no sinful separation § 38. 13. If the Church that I live and communicate with do hold any tolerable error I may differ therein from the Church without a culpable separation Union with the Church may be continued with all the diversities before mentioned D. 3. § 10. § 39. 14. In case of persecution in one Church or City when the servants of Christ do flye to another having no special reason to forbid it this is no sinful separation Matth. 10. 23. § 40. 15. If the publick service of the Church require a Minister or a private Christian to remove to another Church if it be done deliberately and upon good advice it is no sinful separation § 41. 16. If a Lawful Prince or Magistrate command us to remove our habitation or command a Minister from one Church to another when it is not notoriously to the detriment of the common interest of Religion it is no sinful separation to obey the Magistrate § 42. 17. If a poor Christian that hath a due and tender care of his salvation do find that under one Minister his soul declineth and groweth dead and under another that is more sound and clear and lively he is much edified to a holy and heavenly frame and life and if hereupon preferring his salvation before all things he remove to that Church and Minister where he is most edified without unchurching the other by his censures this is no sinful separation but a preferring the One thing needful before all § 43. 18. If one part of the Church have leisure opportunity cause and earnest desires to meet ofter for the edifying of their souls and redeeming their time than the poorer labouring or careless and less zealous part will meet in any fit place under the oversight and conduct of their Pastors and not in opposition to the more publick full assemblies as they did Acts 12. 12. to pray for Peter at the house of Mary where many were gathered together praying and Acts 10. 1 c. this is no sinful separation § 44. 19. If a mans own outward affairs require him to remove his habitation from one City or Countrey to another and there be no greater matter to prohibite it he may lawfully remove his local communion from the Church that he before lived with to that which resideth in the place he goeth to For with distant Churches and Christians I can have none but Mental Communion or by distant means as writing messengers c. It is only with present Christians that I can have local personal communion § 45. 20. It is possible in some cases that a man may live long without local personal communion with any Christians or Church at all and yet not be guilty of sinful separation As the Kings Embassadour or Agent in a Land of Infidels or some Traveller Merchants Factors or such as go to convert the Infidels or those that are banished or imprisoned In all these twenty cases some kind of separation may be lawful § 46. 21. One more I may add which is when the Temples are so small and the Congregations so great that there is no room to hear and joyn in the publick Worship or when the Church is so excessively great as to be uncapable of the proper ends of the society in this case to divide or withdraw is no sinful separation When one Hive will not hold the Bees the swarm must seek themselves another without the injury of the rest By all this you may perceive that sinful separation is first in a censorious uncharitable mind condemning Churches Ministers and Worship causelesly as unfit for them to have communion with And Secondly it is in the personal separation which is made in pursuance of this censure But not in any local removal that is made on other lawful grounds § 47. Direct 4. Understand and consider well the Reasons why Christ so frequently and earnestly Direct 4. presseth Concord on his Church and why he so vehemently forbiddeth Divisions Observe how much the Scripture speaketh to this purpose and upon what weighty Reasons Here are four things distinctly to be represented to your serious consideration 1. How many plain and urgent are the Texts that speak for Unity and condemn Division 2. The great Benefits of Concord 3. And the mischiefs of Discord and Divisions in the Church 4. And the Aggravations of the sin § 48. I. A true Christian that hateth fornication drunkenness lying perjury because they are forbidden in the Word of God will hate Divisions also when he well observeth how frequently and vehemently they are forbidden and Concord highly commended and commanded John 17. 21 22 23. That they all may be One as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also See Rom. 14. throughout Rom. 15. 12. 5 6 7. may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be One even as we are One I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in One and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as Ephes. 4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. thou hast loved me Here you see that the Unity of the Saints must be a special means to convince the Infidel world of the truth of Christianity and to prove Gods special Love to his Church and 1 Pet. 3. 6. 1 Cor. 12. throughout Phil. 3. 15 16. Acts 2. 1 46. 4. 32. also to accomplish their own perfection 1 Cor. 1. 10. Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions or Schisms among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement For it hath been declared to me of you my brethren that there are contentions among you Rom. 12. 4 5. Psalm 133. 1 Cor. 8. 1
hold their own mercies upon the condition of their own continued fidelity And let their Apostasie be on other reasons never so impossible or not future yet the promise of continuance and consummation of the personal felicity of the greatest Saint on earth is still conditional upon the condition of â—his persevering sidelity 6. Even before Children are capable of Instruction there are certain duties imposed by God on the Parents for their sanctification viz. 1. That the Parents pray earnestly and believingly for them Second Commandment Prov. 20. 7. 2. That they themselves so live towards God as may invite him still to bless their Children for their sakes as he did Abrahams and usually did to the faithful's seed 7. It is certain that the Church ever required Parents not only to enter their Children into the Covenant and so to leave them but to do their after duty for their good and to pray for them and educate them according to their Covenant 8. It is plain that if there were none to promise so to educate them the Church would not baptize them And God himself who allowed the Israelites and still alloweth us to bring our Children into his Covenant doth it on this supposition that we promise also to go on to do our duty for them and that we actually do it 9. All this set together maketh it plain 1. That God never promiseth the adult in Baptism though true believers that he will work in them all graces further by his sanctifying spirit let them never so much neglect or resist him or that he will absolutely see that they never shall resist him nor that the spirit shall still help them though they neglect all his means or that he will keep them from neglecting the means Election may secure this to the Elect as such but the Baptismal Covenant as such secureth it not to the baptized nor to believers as such 2. And consequently that Infants are in Covenant with the Holy Ghost still conditionally as their Parents are And that the meaning of it The Holy Ghost is promised in Baptism to give the Child grace in his Parents and his own faithful use of the appointed means is that the Holy Ghost as your sanctifier will afford you all necessary help in the use of those means which he hath appointed you to receive his help in Obj. Infants have no means to use Answ. While Infants stand on their Parents account or Wills the Parents have means to use for the continuance of their grace as well as for the beginning of it 10. Therefore I cannot see but that if a believer should apostatize whether any do so is not the question and his Infant not be made anothers Child he forfeiteth the benefits of the Covenant to his Infant But if the propriety in the Infant be transferred to another it may alter the case 11. And how dangerously Parents may make partial forfeitures of the spirits assistance to their Children and operations on them by their own sinful lives and neglect of prayer and of prudent and holy education even in particular acts I fear many believing Parents never well considered 12. Yet is not this forfeiture such as obligeth God to deny his spirit For he may do with his own as a free benefactor as he list And may have mercy freely beyond his promise though not against his word on whom he will have mercy But I say that he that considereth the woful unfaithfulness and neglect of most Parents even the Religious in the Great work of holy educating their Children may take the blame of their ungodliness on themselves and not lay it on Christ or the spirit who was in Covenant with them as their sanctifier seeing he promised but conditionally M. â—â—istoâ— pag. â—3 As Abraham as a single person in Covenant was to accept of and perform the conditions of the Covenant so as a Parent he had something of duty incumbent on him with reference to his immediate seed And as his faithful performance of that duty incumbent on him in his single capacity so his performing that duty incumbent on him as a Parent in reference to his seed was absolutely necessary in order to his enjoying the good promised with reference to himself and his seed Proved Gen. 17 1. 18. 19. He proveth that the promise is conditional and that as to the continuance of the Covenant state the conditions are 1. The Parents upright life 2. His duty to his Children well done 3. The Childrens own duty as they are capable to give them the sanctifying Heavenly influences of his Life Light and Love in their just use of his appointed means according to their abilities 13. Also as soon as Children come to a little use of Reason they stand conjunctly on their Parents Wills and on their own As their Parents are bound to teach and rule them so they are bound to learn of them and be ruled by them for their good And though every sin of a Parent or a Child be not a total forfeiture of grace yet both their notable actual sins may justly be punished with a denyal of some further help of the spirit which they grieve and quench 11. And now I may seasonably answer the former question whether Infants Baptismal saving grace may be lost of which I must for the most that is to be said referr the Reader to Davenant in Mr. Bedfords Book on this subject and to Dr. Sam. Ward joyned with it Though Mr. Gatakers answers are very Learned and considerable And to my small Book called My Iudgement of Perseverance Augustine who first rose up for the doctrine of perseverance against its Adversaries carried it no higher than to all the Elect as such and not at all to all the Sanctified but oft affirmeth that some that were justified sanctified and Love God and are in a state of salvation are not elect and fall away But since the Reformation great reasons have been brought to carry it further to all the truly sanctified of which cause Zanchius was one of the first Learned and zealous Patrons that with great diligence in long disputations maintained it All that I have now to say is that I had rather with Davenant believe that the fore-described Infant state of salvation which came by the Parents may be lost by the Parents and the Children though such a sanctified renewed nature in holy Habits of Love as the adult have be never lost than believe that no Infants are in the Covenant of Grace and to be baptized Obj. But the Child once in possession shall not be punished for the Parents sin Answ. 1. This point is not commonly well understood I have by me a large Disputation proving from the current of Scripture a secondary original sin besides that from Adam and a secondary punishment ordinarily inflicted on Children for their Parents sins besides the common punishment of the World for the first sin 2. But the thing in question is
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
do it And so sweet is Revenge to their furious nature as the damning of men is to the Devil that Revenged they will be though they lose their souls by it And the impotency and baseness of their spirits is such that they say Flesh and blood is unable to bear it § 11. 10. Another cause of murder is a wicked impatience with neer relations and a hatred of those that should be most dearly loved Thus many men and women have murdered their Wives and Husbands when either Adulterous Lust hath given up their hearts to another or a cross impatient discontented mind hath made them seem intollerable burdens to each other And then the Devil that destroyed their love and brought them thus far will be their teacher in the rest and shew them how to ease themselves till he hath led them to the Gallows and to Hell How necessary is it to keep in the way of duty and abhor and suppress the beginnings of sin § 12. 11. And sometimes Covetousness hath caused Murder when one man desireth another mans estate Thus Ahab came by Naboth's Vineyards to his cost And many a one desireth the death of another whose estate must fall to him at the others death Thus many a Child in heart is guilty of the murder of his Parents though he actually commit it not Yea a secret gladness when they are dead doth shew the guilt of some such desire◠while they were living And the very abatement of such moderate mourning as natural affection should procure because the estate is thereby come to them as the heirs doth shew that such are far from innocent Many a Iudas for Covetousness hath betrayed another Many a false witness for Covetousness hath sold anothers life Many a Thief for Covetousness hath taken away anothers life to get his money And many a Covetous Landlord hath longed for his Tenants death and been glad to hear of it And many a Covetous Souldier hath made a trade of killing men for Money So true is it that the Love of money is the root of all evil and therefore is one cause of this § 13. 12. And Ambition is too common a Cause of Murder among the great ones of the World How many have dispatched others out of the World because they stood in the way of their advancement For a long time together it was the ordinary way of Rising and dying to the Roman and Greek Emperours for one to procure the murder of the Emperour that he might usurp his Seat and then to be so murdered by another himself And every Souldier that looked for preferment by the change was ready to be an instrument in the fact And thus hath even the Roman seat of his Mock Holiness for a long time and oft received its Successours by the poison or other murdering of the possessours of the desired place And alas how many thousand hath that See devoured to defend its Universal Empire under the name of the spiritual Headship of the Church How many unlawful Wars have they raised or cherished even against Christian Emperours and Kings How many thousands have been Massacred How many Assassinate as Hen. 3. and Hen. 4. of France Besides those that fires and Inquisitions have consumed And all these have been the flames of Pride Yea when their fellow-Sectaries in Munster and in England the Anabaptists and Seekers have catcht some of their proud disease it hath workt in the same way of blood and cruelty § 14. 2. But besides these twelves great sins which are the nearest cause of Murder there are many more which are yet greater and deeper in nature which are the Roots of all especially these 1. The first cause is the want of true Belief of the Word of God and the judgement and punishment to come and the want of the Knowledge of God himself Atheism and Infidelity 2. Hence cometh the want of the true Fear of God and subjection to his holy Laws 3. The predominance of selfishness in all the unsanctified is the radical inclination to murder and all the injustice that is committed 4. And the want of Charity or Loving our Neighbour as our selves doth bring men neer to the execution and leaveth little inward restraint § 15. By all this you may see how this sin must be prevented and let not any man think it a needless work Thousands have been guilty of murder that once thought themselves as far from it as you 1. The soul must be possessed with the Knowledge of God and the true Belief of his Word and judgement 2. Hereby it must be possessed of the Fear of God and subjection to him 3. And the Love of God must mortifie the power of selfishness 4. And also much possess us with a true Love to our neighbours yea and enemies for his sake 5. And the twelve fore-mentioned causes of murder will thus be destroyed at the Root § 16. II. And some further help it will be to understand the Greatness of this sin Consider therefore 1. It is an unlawful destroying not only a Creature of God but one of his noblest Creatures upon earth Even one that beareth at least the natural Image of God Gen. 9. 5 6. And surely your blood of your lives will I require at the hand of every beast will I require it and at the hand of man at the hand of every mans brother will I require the life of man whoso sheddeth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed for in the image of God made he man Yea God will not only have the beast slain that killeth a man but also forbiddeth there the eating of blood v. 4. that man might not be accustomed to cruelty 2. It is the opening a door to confusion and all calamity in the World For if one man may kill another without the sentence of the Magistrate another may kill him and the world will be like Mastiffs or mad Dogs turned all loose on one another kill that kill can 3. If it be a wicked man that is killed it is the sending of a soul to Hell and cutting off his time of Repentance and his hopes If it be a Godly man it is a depriving of the World of the blessing of a profitable member and all that are about him of the benefits of his goodness and God of the service which he was here to have performed These are enough to infer the dreadful consequents to the Murderer which are such as these III. 1. It is a sin which bringeth so great a guilt that if it be repented of and pardoned yet Conscience very hardly doth ever attain to peace and quietness in this World And if it be unpardoned it is enough to make a man his own Executioner and tormenter 2. It is a sin that seldome scapeth vengeance in this life If the Law of the Land take not away their lives as God appointeth Gen. 9. 6. God useth to follow them with his extraordinary Plagues and causeth their sin
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
enough to implant it in all the hearers why do your Children go so long to School and after that to the Universities and why are you so long Preaching to all your Parishioners Sure you preach not novelties to them as long as you live And yet thirty or fourty years painful preaching even of the same fundamentals of Religion shall leave many ignorant of them in the best Parishes in the Land There must be a right and ripe disposition in the hearers or else the clearest reasoning may be uneffectual A disused or unfurnished mind that hath not received all the truths which are presupposed to those which you deliver or hath not digested them into a clear understanding may long hear the truest reasons and never apprehend their weight There is need of more adoe than a bare unfolding of the truth to make a man receive it in its proper evidence Perhaps he hath been long pre-possessed with contrary opinions which are not easily rooted out Or if he be but confident of the truth of some one opinion which is inconsistent with yours no wonder if he cannot receive that which is contrary to what he so verily believeth to be the truth There is a marvellous variety of mens apprehensions of the same opinions or reasons as they are variously represented to men and variously pondered and as the natural capacity of men is various and as the whole course of their lives their education company and conversation have variously formed their minds It is like the setting together all the parts of Watch when it is in pieces If any one part of many be misplaced it may necessitate the misplacing of those that follow without any wilful obstinacy in him that doth it If in the whole frame of sacred Truth there be but some one misunderstood it may bring in other mistakes and keep out many truths even from an honest willing mind And who is there that can say he is free from errour Have not you perceived in your selves that the truths which you heard an hundred times over to little purpose when you were Children were received more convincingly and satisfyingly when you were men And that you have found a delightful clearness in some points on a sudden which before you either resisted or held with little observation or regard And yet it is common with the scandalizers of souls to cry out against all that conform not to their opinions and will as soon as they have heard their reasons that they are stubborn and refractory and wilful and factious and so turn from arguments to Clubs as if they had never known themselves or others nor how weak and dark the understandings of almost all men are But they shall have judgement without mercy who shew no mercy And when their own errours shall all be opened to them by the Lord they will be loth they should all be imputed to their wilful obstinacy And perhaps these very censorious men may prove themselves to have beenonthe wrong side For Pride and uncharitableness are usually erroneous § 34. Direct 12. Engage not your selves in an evil cause For if you do it will engage you to Direct 12. draw in others You will expect your friends should take your part and think as you think and say as you say though it be never so much against truth or righteousness § 35. Direct 13. Speak not rashly against any cause or persons before you are acquainted with Direct 13. them or have well considered what you say Especially take heed how you believe what a man of any Sect in Religion doth speak or write against his Adversaries of a contrary sect If experience had not proved it in our dayes beyond contradiction it would seem incredible how little men are to be believed Psal. 119. 69. in this case and how the falsest reports will run among the people of a Sect against those whom the interest of their opinion and party engageth them to mis-represent Think not that you are excusable for receiving or venting an ill report because you can say he was an honest man that spoke it For many that are otherwise honest do make it a part of their honesty to be dishonest in this They think they are not zealous enough for those opinions which they call their Religion unless Vix equidem credar sed cum sint praemia falsi Nulla â—atam dâ—bet testis habere fidem Oâ—iâ— l. Rom. 3. 7 8. Jam. 3. 14. â—â—â—â—â— â— 8. they are easie in believing and speaking evil of those that are the Adversaries of it When it may be upon a just tryal all proveth false And then all the words which you ignorantly utter against the truth or those that follow it are scandals or stumbling blocks to the hearers to turn them from it and make them hate it I am not speaking against a just credulity There must be humane belief or else there can be no humane converse But ever suspect partiality in a party For the interest of their Religion is a more powerful charm to the Consciences of evil speakers than personal interest or bribes would be How many Legends tell us this how easily some men counted Godly have been prevailed with to Lie for God § 36. Direct 14. Take heed of mocking at a Religious life yea or of breaking any jeasts or scorns Diâ—â—â—â— 14. at the weaknesses of any in Religious exercises which may possibly reflect upon the exercises themselves Many a thousand souls have been kept from a holy life by the scorns of the vulgar that speak of it as a matter of derision or sport Reading the Scriptures and holy conference and prayer and instructing our families and the holy observation of the Lords day and Church-discipline are commonly the derision of ungodly persons who can scorn that which they can neither confute nor learn And weak people are greatly moved by such senseless means A mock or jear doth more with them than an argument They cannot endure to be made a laughing-stock Thus was the name of a Crucified God the derision of the Heathens and the scandal of the World both Jews and Gentiles And there is scarce a greater scandal or stumbling block at this day which keepeth multitudes from Heaven than when the Devil can make it either a matter of danger or of shame to be a Christian or to live a holy mortified life Persecution and Derision are the great successful scandals of the World And therefore seeing men are so apt to be turned off from Christ and Godliness never speak unreverently or disrespectfully of them It is a prophane and scandalous course of some that if a Preacher have but an unhansome tone or gesture they make a jeast of it and say He whined or he spoke through the nose or some such scorn they cast upon him which the hearers quickly apply to all others and turn to a scorn of Preaching or Prayer or Religion it self Or if men differ from each other
12. Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul having your conversation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evil doers they may by your good works which they shall behold glorifie God in the day of Visitation And it was the aggravation of the Hereticks sin that many shall follow their pernicious wayes by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of 2 Pet. 2. 2. O then how carefully should Ministers and all that are Godly walk The blind world cannot read the Gospel in it self but only as it is exemplified by the lives of men They judge not of the Actions of men by the Law but of the Law of God by mens actions Therefore the saving or damning of mens souls doth lie much upon the lives of the Professours of Religion because their liking or disliking a holy life doth depend upon them Saith Paul of young Women I will that they give no occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully for some are already turned aside after Satan 1 Tim. 5. 14 15. Hence it is that even the appearance of evil is so carefully to be avoided by all that fear God left others be drawn by it to speak evil of Godliness Every scandal truly so called is a stab to the soul of him that is scandalized and a reproachful blot to the Christian cause I may say of the faults of Christians as Plutark doth of the faults of Princes A wart or blemish in the face is more conspicuous and disgraceful than in other parts § 42. Direct 20. Let no pretence of the evil of Hypocrisie make you so contented with your secret innocency Direct 20. as to neglect the edification and satisfaction of your neighbours When it is only your own interest that is concerned in the business then it is no matter whether any man be acquainted with any good that you do And it is a very small matter how they judge or what they say of you The approbation of God alone is enough No matter who condemneth you if he justifie you But when the vindication of your innocency or the manifestation of your virtue is necessary to the good of your neighbours souls or to the honour of you Sacred profession the neglect of it is not sincerity but cruelty CHAP. XIII Directions against Scandal-taken or an aptness to receive hurt by the words or deeds of others § 1. IT was not only an admonition but a prophesie of Christ when he said Wo to the world because of offences It must be that offence come And Blessed is he that is not offended or scanlized in me He foreknew that the errors and misdoings of some would be the snare and ruine of many others And that when damnable herefies arise many will follow their pernicious wayes by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of 2 Pet. 1. 2. Like men in the dark where if one catch a fall he that comes next him falls upon him There are four sorts of persons that use to be scandalized or hurt by the sins of others § 2. 1. Malignant enemies of Christ and Godliness who are partly hardned in their malice and partly rejoyced at the dishonour of Religion and insult over those that give the offence or take occasion by it to blaspheme or persecute 2. Some that are more equal and hopeful and in greater possibility of conversion who are stopt by it in their desires and purposes and attempts of a godly life 3. Unsound Professors or hypocrites who are turned by scandals from the way of Godliness which they seemed to walk in 4. Weak Christians who are troubled and hindered in their way of piety or else drawn into some particular error or sin though they fall not off § 3. So that the effects of scandal may be reduced to these two I. The perverting of mens judgements to dislike Religion and think hardly either of the doctrine or practice of Christianity II. The emboldning of men to commit particular sins or to omit particular duties or at least the troubling and hindering them in the performance Against which I shall first give you distinctly some Meditative Directions and then some Practical Directions against them both together § 4. I. Direct 1. Consider what an evident sign it is of a very blind or malicious soul to be so apt Direct 1. to pick quarrels with God and godliness because of the sins of other men Love thinketh not ill of those we love Ill will and malice are still ready to impute what ever is amiss to those whom they hate Enmity is contentious and slanderous and will make a crime of virtue it self and from any Topick fetch matter of reproach There is no witness seemeth incredible to it who speaketh any thing that is evil of those they hate An argument a baculo ad verber◠is sufficient Thus did the Heathens by the primitive Christians And will you do thus by God Will you terrifie your own consciences when they shall awake and find such an ugly Serpent in your bosome as Malice and Enmity against your Maker and Redeemer It is the nature of the Devil even his principal sin And will you not only wear his livery but bear his image to prove that he is your Father and by community of natures to prove that you must also have a communion with him in condemnation and punishment And doth not so visible a mark of Devilisme upon your souls affright you and make you ready to run away from your selves Nothing but devilish malice can charge that upon God or godliness which is done by sinners against his Laws Would you use a friend thus If a murder were done or a slander raised of you or your house were fired or your goods stollen would you suspect your friend of it Or any one that you honoured loved or thought well of You would not certainly but rather your enemy or some lewd and dissolute persons that were most likely to be guilty You are blinded by malice if you see not how evident a proof of your devilish malice this is to be ready when men that profess Religion do any thing amiss to think the worse of Godliness or Religion for it The cause of this suspicion is lodged in your own hearts § 5. Direct 2. Remember that this was the first Temptation by which the Devil overthrew mankind Direct 2. to perswade them to think ill of God as if he had been false of his word and had envyed them their felicity Gen. 3. 4 5. Ye shall not surely dye For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil And will you not be warned by the calamity of all the world to take heed of thinking ill of God and of his Word and of believing the Devils reports against him § 6
think their own understanding and stability is sufficient to preserve them do shew by their pride that they are near a fall 1 Cor. 10. 2. The company of sensual persons at Stage-playes Gaming inordinate playes and wanton dalliance For this is to bring your Tinder and Gunpowder to the fire And the less you fear it the greater is your danger § 24. Direct 7. Look more at the good that is in others than at their faults and falls The Flye Direct 7. that will fall on none but the galled ulcerous place doth feed accordingly Is a professor of Religion Covetous Drunk or other wayes scandalous Remember that it is his Covetousness or drunkenness that is bad Reprove that and fly from it and spare not But Religion is good Let that therefore be commended and imitated Leave the Carrion to Dogs and Crows to feast upon But do you choose out the things that are commendable and mind and mention and imitate those § 25. Direct 8. Lastly Think and speak as much against the sin and danger of taking-scandal as Direct 8. against the sin and danger of giving it When others cry out These are your religious people Do you cry out as much against their malignity and madness who will dislike or reproach Religion for mens sins Which is to blame the the Law-makers or Laws because they are broken or to fall out with Health because many that once were in health fall sick or to find fault with eating because some are lean or with clothing because some are cold Open to your selves and others what a wicked and perillous thing this is to fall out with Godliness because some are ungodly that seemed godly Many cry out against Scandal Scandal that never think what a heinous sin it is to be scandalized or to suffer mens sins to be a scandal to you and to be the worse because that others are so bad No one must differ from them in an opinion or a fashion of apparel or in a mode or form of Worship but some are presently scandalized Not knowing that it is a greater sin in them to be scandalized than in the other by such means supposing them to be faulty to give them the occasion Do you know what it is to be scandalized or offended in the Scripture sense It is not meerly to be displeased or to dislike anothers actions as is before said But it is to be drawn into some sin or hindered from some duty or stopt in the course of Religion or to think the worse of truth or duty or a godly life because of other mens words or actions And do you think him a good Christian and a faithful or constant friend to godliness who is so easily brought to quarrel with it Or is so easily turned from it or hindered in it Some pievish childish persons are like sick stomachs that no meat can please you cannot dress it so curiously but they complain that it is naught or this ayleth it or that ayleth it when the fault is in themselves Or like children or sick persons that can scarce be toucht but they are hurt Do you think that this sickliness or curiosity in Religion is a credit to you This is not the tenderness of Conscience which God requireth to be easily hurt by other mens differences or faults As it is the shame of many Ladies and Gentlewomen to be so curious and troublesomely neat that no servant knoweth how to please them so is it in Religion a sign of your childish folly and worse to be guilty of such proud curiosity that none can please you who are not exactly of your mind and way All men must follow your humours in gestures fashions opinions formalities and modes or else you are troubled and offended and scandalized As if all the world were made to please and humour you Or you were wise enough and great and good enough to be the rule of all about you Desire and spare not that your selves and all men should please God as exactly as is possible But if the want of that exactness in doubtful things or a difference in things disputable and doubtful among true Christians do thereupon abate or hinder your Love or estimation of your brethren or communion with them or any other Christian duty or tempt you into censoriousness or contempt of your brethren or to Schism Persecution or any other sin it is you that are the great offenders and you that are like to be the sufferers and have cause to lament that sinful aptness to be thus scandalized CHAP. XIV Directions against soul-murder and partaking of other mens sins THE special Directions given Part 3. Ch. 22. to Parents and Masters will in this case be of great use to all others But because it is here seasonable to speak of it further under the sixth Commandment and the matter is of greatest consequence I shall 1. Tell you how men are guilty of soul-murder 2. And then give you some General Directions for the furthering of mens salvation 3. And next give you some special Directions for Christian Exhortation and Reproofs § 1. 1. Men are guilty of soul-murder by all these wayes 1. By preaching false soul-murdering doctrine such as denyeth any necessary point of faith or holy living such as is opposite to a holy life or to any particular necessary duty such as maketh sin to be no sin which call good evil and evil good wich putteth darkness for light and light for darkness § 2. 2. By false application of true doctrine indirectly reflecting upon and disgracing that holiness of life which in terms they preach for By prevarication undermining that cause which their office is appointed to promote As they do who purposely so describe any vice that the hearers may be drawn to think that strict and Godly practices are either that sin it self or but a Cloak to hide it § 3. 3. By bringing the persons of the most religious into hatred by such false applications reflections or secret insinuations or open calumnies Making men believe that they are all but Hypocrites or Schismaticks or seditious or fanatical self-conceited persons Which is usually done either by impudent slanders raised against some particular men and so reflected on the rest or by the advantage of factions controversies or Civil Wars or by the falls of any professours or the crimes of Hypocrites whereupon they would make the World believe that they are all alike As if all Christs family were to be judged of by Peters fall or Iudas falshood And the odious representation of Godly men doth greatly prevail to keep others from Godliness and is one of the Devils most successful means for the damnation of multitudes of souls § 4. 4. The disgrace of the persons of the Preachers of the Gospel doth greatly further mens damnation For when the people think their Teachers to be Hypocrites Covetous Proud and secretly as bad as others they are very like to think accordingly of their doctrine
is the way to make the sinner think that it is a small or jeasting matter To perswade men to conversion or a godly life without a melting love and pity to their souls and without the reverence of God and seriousness of mind which the nature and weight of the thing requireth is the way to harden them in their sin and misery All these wayes may a man be guilty 1. Of the sin and 2. The perdition of another § 27. But here on the Negative part take notice of these things following How we are not guilty of other mens â—in or ruine 1. That properly no man doth partake of the same formal numerical sin which is anothers Noxa caput sequitur The sin is individuated and informed by the individual will of the offender It is not possible that another mans sin should be properly and formally mine unless I were individually and formally that same man and not another If two men set their hands to the same evil deed they are distinct causes and subjects of the distinct formal guilt though Con-causes and partial causes of the effect So that it is only by multiplication that we make the sin or guilt of another to become the matter of sin to us the form resulting from our selves § 28. 2. All men that are guilty of the sin and damnation of other men are not equally guilty Not only as some are pardoned upon repentance and some remain impenitent and unpardoned But as some contribute wilfully to the mischief and with delight and in a greater measure and some only in a small degree by an oversight or small omission or weak performance of a duty by meer infirmity or surprize § 29. 3. All that do not hinder sin or reprove it are not guilty of it No more than all that do not punish it But those only that have power and opportunity and so are called by God to do it § 30. 4. If another man will sin and destroy his soul by the occasion of my necessary duty I must not cease my duty to prevent such mens sin or hurt Else one or other will by their perverseness excuse me from almost all the duty which I should do I must not cease praying hearing Sacraments nor withdraw from Church-communion because another will turn it to his sin Else Satan should use the sin of others to frustrate all Gods worship Yet I must add that many things cease to be a duty when another will be so hurt by them § 31. 5. I am not guilty of all mens sins which are committed in my presence no though I know before hand that they will sin For my calling or duty may lead me into the presence of those that I may â—ore know will sin Wicked men sin in all that they do And yet it followeth not that I must have nothing to do with them Many a failing which is his sin may a Minister or Church be guilty of even in that publick Worship of God which yet I am bound to be present at But of all these somewhat is said before Chap. 12. CHAP. XV. General Directions for the furthering of the salvation of others THE great Means which we must use for the salvation of our Neighbours are § 1. Direct 1. Sâ—und Doctrine Let those who are their instructors inculcate the wholsome Principles of Godliness which are Self-denyal Mortification the Love of God and man the Hopes of Heaven universal absolute obedience to God and all this by faith in Iesus Christ according to the Holy Scriptures Instead of Novelties or vain janglings and perverse disputings teach them these Principles here Direct 1. briefly named over and over an hundred times Open these plainly till they are well understood These are the necessary saving things This is the doctrine which is according to godliness which will make sound Christians of sound judgements sound hearts sound conversations and sound consciences God sanctifieth his chosen ones by these Truths § 2. Direct 2. Therefore do your best to help others to the benefit of able and faithful Pastors and Direct 2. Instructers A fruitful soil is not better for your seed nor a good pasture for your Horse or Cattel nor wholsome dyet for your selves than such instructers are for your neighbours souls If you love them you should be more desirous to help them to good Teachers or plant them under a sound and powerful Ministry than to procure them any worldly benefits One time or other the Word may prevail with them It is hopeful to be still in mercies way § 3. Direct 3. The concord of their Teachers among themselves is a great help to the saving of the Direct 3. flock John 17. 21 25. That they all may be One as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me Concord much furthereth reverence and belief and consequently mens salvation so it be a holy concord § 4. Direct 4. The Concord also of godly private Christians hath the same effect When the ignorant Direct 4. see here a Sect and there a Sect and hear them condemning one another it teacheth them to contemn them all and think contemptibly of piety it self But concord layeth an awe upon them § 5. Direct 5. The blameless humble loving heavenly lives of Christians is a powerful means of Direct 5. winning souls Preach therefore every one of you by such a conversation to all your neighbours whom you desire to save § 6. Direct 6. Keep those whom you would save in a humble patient learning posture and keep Direct 6. them from proud wranglings and running after novelties and Sects The humble Learner takes root downward and silently groweth up to wisdom But if once they grow self conceited they turn to wranglings and place their Religion in espoused singular Opinions and in being on this or that side or Church and fall into divided Congregations where the business is to build up souls by destroying Charity and teaching Sectaries to overvalue themselves and despise dissenters Till at last they run themselves out of breath and perhaps fall out with all true Religion § 7. Direct 7. Do what you can to place them in good families and when they are to be maâ—â—ied Direct 7. to joyn them to such as are fit to be their helpers In families and relations of that sort people are so near together and in such constant converse that it will be very much of the help or hinderance of their salvation § 8. Direct 8. Keep them also as much as is possible in good company and out of bad seducing Direct 8. company Especially those that are to be their familiars The worlds experience telleth us what power Company hath to make men better or worse And what a great advantage it is to work any thing on mens minds to have interest in them and intimacy with them Especially with those
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
instruments of the Devil § 4. III. The Evil of Unrighteous Judgements 1. An unrighteous Judge doth condemn the Cause of God himself For every righteous cause is his 2. Yea he condemneth Christ himself in his members For in that he doth it to one of the least of those whom he calleth Brethren he doth it to himself Matth. 25. It is a damnable sin Not to relieve the innocent and imprisoned in their distress when we have power What is it then to oppress them and unrighteously condemn them 3. It is a turning of the remedy into a double misery and taking away the only help of oppressed innocency What other defence hath innocency but Law and Justice And when their refuge it self doth fall upon them and oppress them whither shall the righteous flye 4. It subverteth Laws and Government and abuseth it to destroy the ends which it is appointed for 5. Thereby it turneth humane society into a state of misery like the depredations of hostility 6. It is a deliberate resolved sin and not done in a passion by surprize It is committed in that place and in that form as acts of greatest deliberation should be done As if he should say Upon full disquisition evidence and deliberation I condemn this person and his cause 7. All this is done as in the Name of God and by his own Commission by one that pretendeth to be his Officer or Minister Rom. 3. 3 4 5 6. For the Iudgement is the Lords 2 Chron. 19. 8 10. 19. 5 6 7. And how great a wickedness is it thus to blaspheme and to represent him as Satan an enemy to truth and righteousness to his servants and himself As if he had said God hath sent me to condemn this Cause and person If false Prophets sin so heinously who belye the Lord and say He hath sent us to speak this which is untruth the sin of false Judges cannot be much less 8. It is sin against the fullest and frequentest prohibitions of God Read over Exod. 23. 1 2 3 c. Lev. 10. 15. Deut. 1. 16 17. 16 18. Isa 1. 17 20 23. Deut. 24. 17. 27. 19. Cursed be he that perverteth the judgement of the stranger the fatherless and widow and all the people shall say Amen Ezra 7. 26. Psal. 33. 5. 37. 28. 72. 2. 94. 15. 106. 3. 30. Prov. 17. 27. 19. 28. 20. 8. 29. 4. 31. 5. Eccles. 5. 8. Isa. 5. 7. 10. 2. 56. 1 2. 59. 14 15. Ier. 5. 1. 7. 5. 9. 24. Ezek. 18. 8. 45. 9. Hos. 12. 6. Amos 5 7 15 24. 6. 12. Mic. 3 9. Zech. 7. 9 8. 16. Gen. 18. 19. Prov. 21. 3 7 15. I cite not the words to avoid prolixity Scarce any sin is so oft and vehemently condemned of God 9. False Judges cause the poor to appeal to God against them and the cryes of the afflicted shall not be forgotten Luke 18. 5 6 7 8. 10. They call for Gods Judgement upon themselves and devolve the work into his hands How can that man expect any other than a judgement of damnation from the righteous God who hath deliberately condemned Christ himself in his cause and servants and sate in judgement to condemn the innocent Psal. 9. 7 8 9. The Lord hath prepared his throne for judgement and he shall judge the world in righteousness he shall minister judgement to the people in uprightness he will be a refuge for the oppressed Psal. 37. 6. He will bring forth righteousness as the light and thy judgement as the noon day Psal. 89. 14. Iustice and judgement are the habitation of his throne Psal. 103. 6. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed Psal. 146. 7. In a word the sentence of an unjust Judge is passed against his own soul and he calleth to God to condemn him righteously who unrighteously condemned others Of all men he cannot stand in judgement nor abide the righteous doom of Christ. § 5. Direct 2. When you well understand the greatness of the sin find out and overcome the root Direct 2. and causes of it in your selves Especially selfishness covetousness and passion A selfish man careth not what another suffereth so that his own ends and interest be promoted by it A covetous man will contend and injure his neighbour when ever his own commodity requireth it He so much loveth his money that it can prevail with him to sin against God and cast away his own soul much more to hurt and wrong his neighbour A proud and passionate man is so thirsty after revenge to make others stoop to him that he careth not what it cost him to accomplish it Overcome these inward vices and you may easily forbear the outward sins § 6. Direct 3. Love your neighbours as your selves For that is the universal remedy against all Direct 3. injurious and uncharitable undertakings § 7. Direct 4. Keep a tender conscience which will not make light of sin It is those that have Direct 4. seared their consciences by infidelity or a course of sinning who dare venture with Iudas or Gehezi for the prey and dare oppress the poor and innocent and feel not nor fear not whilst they cast themselves on the revenge of God § 8. Direct 5 Remember the day when all these causes must be heard again and the righteous God Direct 5. will set all strait and vindicate the cause of the oppressed Consider what a dreadful appearance that man is like to have at the Bar of Heaven who hath falsly accused or condemned the just in the Courts of men What a terrible inditement accusation conviction and sentence must that man expect If the hearing of righteousness and the judgement to come made Faelix tremble surely it is infidelity or the plague of a stupified heart which keepeth contentious persons perverters of justice false witnesses and unjust Judges from trembling § 9. Direct 6. Remember the presence of that God who must be your final Iudge That he seeth Direct 6. all your Pride and Covetousness and all your secret contrivances for revenge and is privy to all your deceits and injuries You commit them in his open sight § 10. Direct 7. Meddle not with Law Suits till you have offered an equal arbitration of indifferent Direct 7. men or used all possible means of love to prevent them Law Suits are not the first but the last remedy Try all others before you use them § 11. Direct 8. When you must needs go to Law compose your minds to unfeigned love towards him Direct 8. that you must contend with and watch over your hearts with suspicion and the strictest care lest secret disaffection get advantage by it And go to your neighbour and labour to possess his heart also with love and to demulce his mind that you may not use the Courts of Iustice as Souldiers do their weapons to do the
worst they can against another as an enemy but as loving friends do use an amicable arbitration resolving contentedly to stand to what the Iudge determineth without any alienation of mind or abatement of brotherly love § 12. Direct 9. Be not too confident of the righteousness of your own cause but ask counsel of some Direct 9. understanding godly and impartial men and hear all that can be said and patiently consider of the case and do as you would have others do by you § 13. Direct 10. Observe what terrors of Conscience use to haunt awakened sinners especially on a Direct 10. death-â—ead for such sins as false witnessing and false judging and oppressing and injuâ—ing the innocent even above most other sins CHAP. XXIII Cases of Conscience and Directions against Backbiting Slandering and Evil Speaking Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Backbiting and Evil Speaking Quest. 1. MAy I not speak evil of that which is evil And call every one truly as Quest. 1. he is Answ. You must not speak a known falshood of any man under pretence of Charity or speaking well But you are not to speak all the evil of every man which is true As opening the faults of the King or your Parents though never so truly is a sin against the fifth Commandment Honour thy Father and Mother So if you do it without a call you sin against your neighbours honour and many other wayes offend Quest. 2. Is it not sinful silence and a consenting to or countenancing of the sins of others to say Quest. 2. nothing against them as tender of their honour Answ. It is sinful to be silent when you have a call to speak If you forbear to admonish the offender in love between him and you when you have opportunity and just cause it is sinful to be silent then But to silence backbiting is no sin If you must be guilty of every mans sin that you talk not against behind his back your whole discourse must be nothing but backbiting Quest. 3. May I not speak that which honest religious credible persons do report Quest. 3. Answ. Not without both sufficient evidence and a sufficient call You must not judge of the action by the person but of the person by the action Nor must you imitate any man in evil doing If a good man abuse you are you willing that all men follow him and abuse you more Quest. 4. May I believe the bad report of an honest credible person Quest. 4. Answ. You must first consider Whether you may hear it or meddle with it For if it be a case that you have nothing to do with you may not set your judgement to it either to believe it or disbelieve it And if it be a thing that you are called to judge of yet every honest mans word is not presently to be believed You must first know whether it be a thing that he saw or is certain of himself or a thing which he only taketh upon report And what his evidence or proof is and whether he be not engaged by interest passion or any difference of opinion Or be not engaged in some contrary faction where the interest of a party or cause is his temptation Or whether he be not used to rash reports and uncharitable speeches And what concurrence of testimonies there is and what is said on the other side Especially what the person accused saith in his own defence If it be so heinous a crime in publick Judgement to pass sentence before both parties are heard and to condemn a man before he speak for himself it cannot be justifiable in private judgement Would you be willing your selves that all should be believed of you which is spoken by any honest man And how uncertain are we of other mens honesty that we should on that account think ill of others Quest. 5. May I not speak evil of them that are enemies to God to Religion and godliness and are Quest. 5. open persecutors of it or are enemies to the King or Church Answ. You may on all meet occasions speak evil of the sin and of the persons when you have a just call but not at your own pleasure Quest. 6. What if it be one whose honour and credit countenanceth an ill cause and his dishonour would Quest. 6. disable him to do hurt Answ. You may not belye the Devil nor wrong the worst man that is though under pretence of doing good God needeth not malice nor calumnies nor injustice to his glory It is an ill cause that cannot be maintained without such means as these And when the matter is true you must have a call to speak it and you must speak it justly without unrighteous aggravations or hiding the better part which should make the case and person truly understood There is a time and due manner in which that mans crimes and just dishonour may be published whose false reputation injureth the truth But yet I must say that a great deal of villany and slander is committed upon this plausible pretence and that there is scarce a more common cloak for the most inhumane lyes and calumnies Quest. 7. May I not lawfully make a true Narration of such matters of fact as are criminal and Quest. 7. dishonourable to offenders Else no man may write a true History to posterity of mens crimes Answ. When you have a just cause and call to do it you may But not at your own pleasure Historians may take much more liberty to speak the truth of the dead than you may of the living Though no untruth must be spoken of either yet the honour of Princes and Magistrates while they are alive is needful to their Government and therefore must be maintained oft times by the concealment of their faults And so proportionably the honour of other men is needful to a life of love and peace and just society But when they are dead they are not subjects capable of a right to any such honour as must be maintained by such silencing of the truth to the injury of posterity And posterity hath usually a right to historical truth that good examples may draw them to imitation and bad examples may warn them to take heed of sin God will have the name of the wicked to rot and the faults of a Noah Lot David Solomon Peter c. shall be recorded Yet nothing unprofitable to posterity may be recorded of the dead though it be true nor the faults of men unnecessarily divulged much less may the dead be slandered or abused Quest. 8. What if it be one that hath been oft admonished in vain May not the faults of such a one be Quest. 8. mentioned behind his back Answ. I confess such a one the case being proved and he being notoriously impenitent hath made a much greater forfeiture of his honour than other men And no man can save that mans honour who will cast it away himself But yet it is
a sin which gratifieth Satan and serveth his malice against our neighbour He is malitious against all and speaking evil and doing hurt are the works which are suitable to his malignity And should a Christian make his tongue the instrument of the accuser of the brethren to do his work against each other § 3. 3. It signifieth want of Christian Love For love speaketh not evil nor openeth mens faults without a cause but covereth infirmities Much lâ—ss will it lye and slander others and carry about uncertain reports against them It is not to do as you would be done by And how essential Love is to true Christianity Christ himself hath often told us § 4. 4. It is a sin which directly serveth to destroy the hearers Love and consequently to destroy their souls If the backbiter understood himself he would confess that it is his very end to cause you to hate or abate your love to him whom he speaketh evil of He that speaketh good of a man representeth him amiable For amiableness and goodness are all one And he that speaketh evil of a man representeth him hateful or unlovely For hatefulness unloveliness and evil are all one And as it is not the natural way of winning love to intreat and beg it and say I pray you love this person or that thing but to open the goodness of the thing or person which will command love So is it not the natural way to stir up hatred by intreating men to hate this man or that but to tell how bad they are which will command hatred in them that do believe it Therefore to speak evil of another is more than to say to the hearers I pray you hate this man or abate your love to him And that the killing of Love is the killing or destroying of mens souls the Apostle Iohn doth frequently declare § 5. 5. And it tendeth also to destroy the Love and consequently the soul of him that you speak evil of For when it cometh to his hearing as one way or other it may do what evil you have reported of him behind his back it tendeth to make him hate you and so to make him worse § 6. 6. It is a great make-bate and peace-breaker where ever it is practised It tendeth to set people together by the ears When it is told that such a one spake evil of you in such a place there are then heart-burnings and rehearsals and sidings and such ensuing malice as the Devil intended by this design § 7. 7. They that use to speak evil of others behind their backs its ten to one will speak falshoods of them when they do not know it Fame is too ordinarily a lyar and they shall be lyars who will be its messengers How know you whether the thing that you report is true Is it only because a credible person spake it But how did that person know it to be true Might he not take it upon trust as well as you And might he not take a person to be credible that is not And how commonly doth faction or interest or passion or credulity make that person incredible in one thing who is credible in others where he hath no such temptation If you know it not to be true or have not sufficient evidence to prove it you are guilty of lying and slandering interpretatively though it should prove true because it might have been a lye for ought you knew § 8. 8. It is gross injustice to talk of a mans faults before you have heard him speak for himself I know it is usual with such to say O we have heard it from such as we are certain will not lye But he is a foolish and unrighteous Judge that will be peremptory upon hearing one party only speak and knoweth not how ordinary it is for a man when he speaketh for himself to blow away the most confident and plausible accusations and make the case appear to be quite another thing You know not what another hath to say till you have heard him § 9. 9. Backbiting teacheth others to backbite Your example inviteth them to do the like And sins which are common are easily swallowed and hardly repented of Men think that the commonness justifieth or extâ—â—â—â—atâ—th the fault § 10. 10. It encourageth ungodly men to the odious sin of backbiting and sâ—andering the most religious righteous person It is ordinary with the Devils family to make Christs faithfullest servants their table-talk and the objects of their reproach and scorn and the song of drunkards What abundance of lyes go currant among such malignant persons against the most innocent which would all be shamed if they had first admitted them to speak for themselves And such slanders and lyes are the Devils common means to keep ungodly men from the love of godliness and so from repentance and salvation And backbiting Professors of Religion encourage men to this For with what measure they mete it shall be measured to them again And they that are themselves evil spoken of will think that they are warranted to requite the backbiters with the like § 11. 11. It is a sin which commonly excludeth true profitable reproof and exhortation They that speak most behind mens backs do usually say least to the sinners face in any way which tendeth to his salvation They will not go lovingly to him in private and set home his sin upon his conscience and exhort him to repentance but any thing shall serve as a sufficient excuse against this duty that they may make the sin of backbiting serve instead of it And all is out of carnal self-saving They fear men will be offended if they speak to their faces and therefore they will whisper against them behind their backs § 12. 12. It is at the least but idle talk and a mis-spending of your time What the better are the hearers for hearing of other mens mis-doings And you know that it no whit profiteth the person of whom you speak A skilful friendly admonition might do him good But to neglect this and talk of his faults unprofitably behind his back is but to aggravate the sin of your uncharitableness as being not contented to refuse your help to a man in sin but you must also injure him and do him hurt CHAP. XXIV Cases and Directions against Censoriousness and unwarrantable Iudging Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Iudging of others Quest. 1. AM I not bound to judge truly of every one as he is Answ. 1. There are many that you are not bound to meddle with and to Quest. 1. pass any judgement at all upon 2. There are many whose faults are secret and their virtues open And of such you cannot judge as they are because you have no proof or evidence to enable you You cannot see that which is latent in the heart or done in darkness 3. You neither ought on pretence of charity nor can believe an evident known untruth of any man Quest. Doth not charity