liue one by another and that for one man to fret out all others and to liue by himselfe is in humane That Charity in one sight regards the benefit of another with her owne That in Vsury vsually the benefit goes most if not all of one side yea sometimes the benefit of the one riseth out of the losse of the other Now where these things are there such lending is the cause of fretting and vndoing So it remaynes they must eyther grant what they first denyed that men may fret and vndoe one another or else they must condemne their lending which is so fretfull and iniurious In briefe let vs first worke vpon mens Iudgements by informing them and not presently at the first sight flye on their wills and affections to racke and force them Againe where there are great and little faults to bee amended let vs not bee more busie for the little then the great nor equally importune an amendment of all together For verily I beleeue good occasions of Reformation haue beene lost because too many faults haue beene brought together to amendment yea little and doubtfull faults and such as might be healed with a good construction haue beene brought in equally vpon the File with those of greater moment And what doth this course doe but magnifie the tediousnesse of the worke and increase the difficulty of it What doth it but bring this answere to vse That changes are dangerous and euills well setled are better then much vnsetling by much amending What doth it but bring a doubt that nothing will satisfie since faults seeme more to be sought then found But I wish that alwaies there might bee an aduised and temperate demand in matters of Reformation and though it bee vnaduisedly demanded yet there may be giuen a iust and solide answere and such as might regard to please God by mayntayning the purity of his Spouse the Church rather then to satisfie or vnsatisfie the indiscretions of men Let Gods cause euer be maintayned whether proposed or opposed by our owne enemies A third fault of indiscreet Zeale is That it is censorious and passeth easily into condemnation both of things persons Not to speake of indifferent things too often censured I say some men and some matters are condemned eyther not heard or not vnderstood and yet the Heathen Romanes vsed not to condemne any before hearing and much more wee that are Christians ought to know those things whereof wee affirme There are heights of Dispensation which meane vnderstandings reach not vnto and yet for such sometimes they despise dominion and speake euill of Dignities Christ is censured for being among the sicke yet a Physician for the waste of a precious Oyntment yet going to buriall So the blame which belongs to their owne incapacity they cast on that which deserueth commendation and that which is in it selfe good is by them called euill only because they are not wise enough to see the goodnesse of it Againe there are many good actions of good men that by censorious Zeale are taxed as euill and yet are only knowne in some out-side of probability but the inside wherein the life of the action lyes is not knowne The Iewes were in a rage with Peter for going to the Gentiles yet when the cause was knowne his fault was found to bee a Vertue The Reubenites Gadites and halfe Tribe of Manasseth were indicted of Apostasie for building an Altar but that which was thought to bee Apostasie was indeed a memoriall and meanes of cleaning to the true God Wherefore let vs not be hastie to iudge according to apparances but let vs take time to iudge righteous Iudgements For if thou iudge another rashly and falsly GOD shall iudge both him and thee truly He shall iudge ouer the matter againe and shall acquite him whome thou condemnest and shall comdemne thee for condemning him So thy iudgement of another shall returne vpon thy selfe And surely in this point Let euery good Conscience comfort it selfe in it selfe and passe little to be iudged by another in that which another knowes not for thou standest to the Iudgement Seat of the Highest Wisdome and Mercie and not to the Barre of humane Ignorance or Malice Fourthly indiscreet zeale is often in the flesh when it thinkes it is in the Spirit yet will not beleeue it and so will not be cured First I noted that by following heate to farre it outgoeth the Spirit and runs out into the flesh And now I obserue that it being gotten into the flesh it still beleeues it selfe to be spirituall and so in steed of retyring it fortifies it selfe there Hence it comes that many fleshly contentions are mayntayned by Scriptures yea Sermons and Scriptures are fitted to passions not passions to Scriptures So flesh and bloud fights carnally with spirituall Weapons yea which is fearefull turnes spirituall Weapons into carnall Malice sometime rayleth in Scripture Phrases and beateth his Enemies with Diuinity and thinkes it may speake what it will so it bee in the words of Scripture if it haue a seeming opposition of vice it cares not how angry it bee though indeed Pamphlets of that kind be no other then Libels and Sermons then Philippickes Yet this abuse of Diuinitie shall bee maintayned by Diuinitie and so she is miserably forced to iustifie and continue her owne wrongs But let Baal plead for himselfe let not God be forced to speake for Baal nor the Spirit for the flesh Adde not sinne vnto sinne It is a sinne great enough to come out of the Spirit into the flesh and to turne the busines of God into a Quarrell with men doe not adde this other sinne of abusing the spirituall Word vnto the mayntenance of thy fleshly contentions so by the Spirit to fight the battayles of his Enemy the flesh But to draw to a Conclusion Let all true Christians striue that their Workes bee the true Issues of Zeale maâ—ryed with Discretion for such Workes are the acceptable Salt and sauoury Sacrifices of Wise-men and not the loth some Sacrifices of Pooles Let them know that the fire of the Spirit the Mother of all true Zeale hath light in it aswell as heate and the heate should follow the light and not goe before it otherwise if the heate goe before the light or without it it may set on fire where it should but warme and so may breed a Confusion whereas the businesse of it is edification Let vs by ioyning the wisdome of Serpents with the innocencie of Doues become those excellent and perfect Stewards whom the Lord commends both for being wise and faithfull whose faithfulnesse giues meate to the Seruants and whose Wisedome doth it in season euen in fitnesse of manner measure and order And farre bee it from any sound Christian to put a Diuorce betweene that incomparable payre whose Marriage was in Heauen Zeale and Discretion or to thinke that one alone of them can bee a sufficient Parent of good Workes Much lesse let any man if hee find these separated by wretched Diuision seeke to bring them together in a more wretched Contention The parting of so louely a couple is lamentable but a malicious meeting of them is far more dolful For by their own good nature they incline to loue and vnity and therefore cursed is that Malice that changeth into Enmity the most excellent Vnity Hee that sets Vertues by the eares is as he that sets Brethren by the eares yea as one that makes Quarrels betweene Men and their Wiues Surely if the Peace-makers be blessed being the Children of the most High then such Quarrel-makers bee accursed and are the Children of the Lowest euen the most infernall spirit To conclude Let vs as the new borne sonnes of the Spirit lay aside all Maliciousnesse and lust of Contention which are the vices of the old man and expresse the true Vertues of a godly Nature receiued with the new man euen Charity Peace and Vnity Let not the difference of Education or Complexion or the vnkindly opposition of Zeale Discretion bee powerfull to a separation where the Vnity of one and the same Spirit hath made a coniunction But let the Spirit bee more followed leading vs to loue then the flesh prouoking to hatred And surely if wee bee not in loue wee are not in the Spirit for whosoeuer is in the Spirit is in loue yea hee is in loue with loue And as loue is commended by the Author of it which is the Spirit so it is also praysed by the excellent fruit of it called Edification for by loue the members of Christ cherish each other and by that cherishing increase in their growth Besides as Sion inwardly prospereth by loue so by the loue of Sion Babylon decayeth For the more Loue and Vnity in Sion the more strength the more strength in Sion the more terror yea the more ruin of BabyloÌ„ WheÌ„ the Banners are brought into the Vnion of an Army then they are terrible Cant. 6. And when Israel ioynes together in the Vnity of a Shoute then are the wals of Iericho most neere to their Downfall CYPRIAN de Vnitate Ecclesiae Pacificos esse oportet Dei filios corde mites sermone simplices affectione concordes fideliter sibi vnanimitatis nexibus coherentes Et post Erant perseuerantes omnes vnanimes in oratione ideo efficacibus precibus orabant ideo impetrare cum fiducia poterant quodcumque de Domini misericordia postularunt FINIS
most sincere and seuere Friends to giue testimonie of the Ingenuitie Vtilitie of those spirituall children and so in the mouth of two or three Witnesses let the words of such Writings stand Surely such haue a great aduantage aboue the Authour in censuring his Workes their Iudgments being free from the spectacles of selfe-loue which make al our own things seeme great in our owne eyes But wee ought to know that these must bee men of Iustice and Valour as well as of Iudgement to execute as well as to know for such only will not feare to displease their Friend that they may profit him they will saue a publique reproofe by a priuate and by the Chastisement of a Friend will preuent the torturing of an Enemie And Writers in this case must be more then patient for they must bee thankfull vnto to Censure which squareth fashioneth their Workes vnto their true end the common good And now that both the Authour and his Witnesses may haue a Rule and Remedie for the Riot and Excesse of writing euen of things of worth let them harken to an order alreadie set forth that new writings should still bring forth some new Addition to their subiect And indeed if this were obserued it wold stop the mouth of Detraction euen at the widest For in this case there is nothing left for Detraction to say but that it is offended with the increase of those Workes which increase either Knowledge or Vertue And if heere the Reader tell mee Physician heale thy selfe I answere him againe That except the Readers bee all healthy I am not sicke for he is not sick of writing that by writing cures the sicke Besides it must be confessed that when Diuinitie is the subiect this Rule though it may not wholy bee broken yet it doth sometimes receiue Dispensations and Inlargements for in some cases there may bee a great vse of repetitions and doublings And first this is very requisite in things chiefly necessary whereof the retention is highly profitable and the neglect and ignorance full of danger Secondly when the thing is full of difficultie eyther in regard of apprehension or practise so that it is not easily known or performed In these cases the saying of the Apostle is most true That to write the same things is for vs a most sure thing for euen heere also Detraction it selfe shall be forced to confesse that repetition is not vnnecessary where the matters repeated are not sufficiently conceiued or receiued neyther hath beene enough taught which hath not beene well heard No more then that man hath knockt enough to whome the doore was not yet opened Therefore if men would finde a fault about this kinde of repetition let them seeke it in themselues and then they cannot misse it for it is their owne dulnesse their neglect or at least their infirmitie that causeth it and vntill these faults be amended they cannot well lay a fault vpon repetition yet withal we may still remeÌ„ber that euen in these Patents of Licence there is a measure and reseruation for if the transcendent workes and words of our Sauiour Christ were in part suppressed because the World could not beare them I think thence doth plainely arise this Doctrine That the Capacitie of Mankind is the most commendable measure of writing Man may carry away for his vse that which is within his strength of bearing but a burthen greater then his strength spoyleth his strength and falleth it selfe to the ground Therefore fiue words remembred are better then a thousand forgotten and it is for losse and not for profit when so much is deliuered as the plentie destroyeth the memorie or tyreth the indeuours of the Learner Yet I confesse that a little redundance is safer and better then a little want For in outward vses we desire that a streame should carrie more water then we vse rather then to â—arrie till the springs rise It is easie to let the superfluous water to slide away it is easie for a man to read no farther then he reades for a tryal But here I cannot but speake to the nicensse and cloyednesse of this time a disease of Readers Plenty of knowledge hath beene turned into an occasion of lothing and knowledge only by plenty is become a light and dry meate as Manna to Israel Surely we are in an extreme faultinesse when in steed of thankfulnesse to God for plentie we returne lothsomnesse the blessings which he recheth to vs in mercie we put backe to him with neglect and scorne When thy friend inuiteth thee to a Feast and sets before thee plentie of Dishes thou takest kindly his abundance as a signe of his loue and except thou art a Glutton thou art not angry with him nor his meate because some of it is left vneaten Surely God heere giueth thee the foode and delicates of Heauen in the sundry dishes of the seuerall expressions and labours of his Seruants And why art thou not as thankfull to God as thou art to thy Neighbor Though there bee more then enough thou mayest take but enough the plentie forceth nothing vpon thee but only giueth thee choice Take therefore but that which sitâ—eth thee so much as thou mayest well ouercome and bee not angry but thankfull for that which is left for that may serue another as fitly as thy choice serueth thee A miserable disproportion it is that Gods plenty of goodnesse to vs should be made an occasion of diminishing our goodensse to him the more hee giues the lesse thankes hee should receiue Yea much rather let the abundance of his blessings procure an abundance of Thankesgiuing for this is verily the right duty of proportion to increase our thankes as God increaseth his blessings Now for the disease of not publishing I meane only of such things as haue worth in them this proceedes commonly of two causes The one is an errour in Iudgement when men being wisely mad they thinke it an especiall piece of reason to sit down in a selfe contentment and to delight themselues in themselues by themselues These men are their owne ends and indeed are no other then Churles in knowledge for as wretches keepe their Gold only for sight and not for vse so these hoarders of Knowledge make their Knowledge but a selfe-recreation not a matter of profit to others They are Fathers Nurses and Murderers of their owne Children hauing begotten them they kisse them and then burie them But these high-spirited men in their owne behalfe haue as they thinke a generous obiection What say they shall wee prostitute our high conceptions and heauenly raptures to the common vse and censure of the vulgar Here the word Common is the most emphaticall part of the question And surely in that very word I thinke lyes the best part of the answere For as these singulars make commonnesse the reason of their distaste of publishing So communicatiue men and louers of the publike haue thought that goodnesse doth
aboue the Old by writing Gods Word in our hearts which the old Law could not performe Secondly I desire that the Ministers would turne away the eyes of the people from their goodnesse as the cause of their Saluation saying with the Apostles Why gaze ye on vs as if we by our owne power or vertu had made you whole The God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob hath glorified his Sonne Christ Iesus and his power not our goodnes doth giue this perfect soundnesse Thirdly I desire that Hearers would not refuse Christ Iesus liuely offered and described vnto them though they know not the holinesse of the Preacher Let not any turne the Church into a Iudgement seat and censure their Ministers Life while they should heare his Doctrine This is to bee Iudges and not Hearers I wonder what such Hearers would doe if they had beene in Israel when Salomon preached after his many scandalous sinnes which made his Sanctification doubtfull to many But let the same Salomon aduise thee Bee not rash with thy mouth but bee more neere to heare then to offer the sacrifice of fooles Say with Samuel Speake Lord for thy seruant heareth and not Heare Lord for thy seruant speaketh and what speakes hee damnation of the Preacher Let vs rather looke on our own miseries and defects then on the Ministers and then we shall haue more mind to seeke our own cure from the Word then to examine whether hee bee sicke that would cure vs. Let vs not doubt but if the seed be good and the ground bee good it will bring forth much fruit whatsoeuer becom of the Sower CHAP. XII Spirituall Wickednesse in high places and the Remedie of it IT hath beene a great cause of the miserie of the Church in generall and of the members of the same Church in particular that spirituall exaltations haue begotten carnall gloriations and that the Flesh hath lifted it selfe vp by the increases of the Spirit as the Froth mounts by the flowing of the Water And how can it chuse but draw Misery when it procures an Almightie Wrath which Wrath is attended with an equall Vengeance And if any would doubt how it should procure so terrible a Wrath let him but behold the mis-shapen vglinesse and absurd inconsequence of this Sinne and it cannot but anger his eyes and much more the pure eyes of a most holy God who cannot abide to sowe good seed and to reape Tares to plant the noblest Vines and to gather the sowrest grapes But first let vs consider this sin how it growes and then how vgly it is when it is growne This Sin comes to his growth thus When God out of the riches of his Grace powreth on man the gifts of his Spirit by which he riseth vnto a spirituall excellence and perchance thereby to some outward dignitie then the Flesh mounts vp straight to mannage and enioy the fruits and issues of the Spirit So what hath beene gotten by the Spirit hath beene eaten and digested by the Flesh and so Grace haue beene brought to nourish her whom she should chiefly haue slayne This is the infirmitie of wretched Mankind Sinne is so fast wouen into our Flesh and among sinnes especially Pride that the Flesh most vnsensibly will bee proud when her Foe the Spirit prospers though indeed the prosperitie of the Spirit by the kindly operation of it should bee the destruction of the flesh Occidat modo imperet sayth the Flesh I will aduenture my life so there may bee that excellence by which I may aduance my Pride And as this is strong in the Roote so it hath beene generall in the Fruit it hath spred his effects from the Cedar of Lebanon to the Hisfop on the wal frō him that ascends aboue the clouds and will be like vnto the most High to the lowly shrub that growes in the humble Vale. For this very Sinne hath puft vp the Man of sinne vnto his monstrous hugenesse that he is growne to hee the king of the children of Pride and this infirmitie indangered the most humble St Paul who gloried in distresses so that hee had need of buffetting In the one the Hornes of the Lambe defend and maintaine the mouth of the Dragon and in the other the transcendence and abundance of Reuelations which were aboue the vtterance of Man might haue lifted vp his conceit to haue thought himselfe to bee more then a man And as I can hardly thinke any prouder then the king of Pride so I can scarse thinke any humbler then St Paul and therefore I thinke all men haue a degree of this Corruption and that more or lesse as they approch i◠likenesse to the pride of the man of sin or as they com neer to the humilitie of blessed St Paul And let not men altogether look vpward or outward to find this sinne either aboue or without them but let them looke into themselues and they may find as much Geometricall Pride in themselues as they doe Arithmeticall Pride in others as much Pride proportionably to their Low places and Graces as others haue to their Higher gifts and Dignities Yea it was not true only in the Time of Diogenes but it is true now also That sometimes a greater Pride below goes about to pull downe a lesser Pride aboue Yet I must needs confesse that a little Pride aboue is in this more offensiue because more conspicuous and there an example of Pride doth most harme where a patterne of Humility would haue done most good But now let vs goe aside to behold the vglinesse of it and perchance the very sight of it may serue for a Remedie What is more monstrous then that which is most vnreasonable and what is more vnreasonable then on Christ to build Antichrist on the Spirit to graffe the Flesh and vpon Grace to mount the corruption of Nature What agreement hath a carnall tumour with Spirituall excellence what interest hath Corruption in Sanctity the Old Man in the New Wherefore let the house of Israel bee the Flesh and the house of Dauid the Spirit and then Israel may truly say What portion haue wee in DAVID and what inheritance in the Sonne of ISHAI Neyther let any thinke that the height of the Flesh can be any grace or preseruatiue to the eminences and dignities of the Spirit For Pride cannot procure safety or prosperity since it drawes the resistance of God and the hatred of men But there is a Spirituall vigour and authoritie which agrees both with humilitie and eminence and this keepes men in a true state of minde free from that Pride which makes a man the enemie of God and free from that basenesse which makes a man the scorne of men For wee may not thinke of an humilitie which is opposite to the dignitie of the Spirit yee true Nobilitie of the Soule nor to dispensatiue vigor for vertues are not contrary but on that which is contrarie to a carnall Tumour a needlesse swelling a weed of the Flesh. And
by the rule of riches the latter which is stark naught must bee the better man and if it bee so Loue if thou canst this admirable excellence superiority which sets thee vp higher in place by being worser in wickednesse Wouldest thou be this better man if thou mightst or rather wilt thou not rather scorne this so much valued place which is to bee gotten by excelling in wickednesse Surely a most pittifull eminence which is bought by the deprauation of a mans chiefest excellence the Image of God A lamentable dignity where the price of the soule must pay for the preferment of the body and thou must inwardly be most vgly that thou mayst outwardly bee glorious It were farre better for thee to bee the better man that thou mayst bee the worse then to bee the worse man that thou mayst bee the better But to giue thee comfort against this confusion I will tell thee Fourthly That this confused order shall bee righted by an order without confusion The day draweth neer wherein euery man shall bee seated in his right place euen according to true reall and inward excellence That as I told thee is the Image of God wherein whosoeuer now shines aboue the rest by grace shall hereafter shine aboue the rest in the eminence of Glory Therefore lift vp thy heart from earthly dignity vnto heauenly honour and set thy heart on that which shall bee thine by true iudgement by due administration and in an eternall fruition Thy worth shall bee truly valued and accordingly thy glory shall duly bee giuen thee and this glory shall bee giuen thee in a Kingdome which hath no end And then shalt thou see those glorious slaues whom vice heere preferred tumbled downe into a bottomlesse Pit and as farre below thee as hell is below Heauen Then shall it be no griefe of heart to thee that here thou wert misplaced by mistaking but thou shalt rather grieue for them that they were preferred by wickednesse vnto eternall misery It only remaynes that some of that thought that then shall fully possesse thee partly bee taken vp before hand that so thy future superiority may make thee fully pleased with thy present lownesse and the preferment of others by sinne may mooue in thee no other passion but pitty We see the sonne of a great Man can indure to be below in the Schoole because hee knowes he shall be high in the Countrey and quietly suffers those to take place of him of whome hee knowes by him place shal be taken We walke by faith and not by sight by the sight of the soule and not of the body and the soule seeing that heauenly exaltation let not bodily sight depresse vs but let that glorious eminence which wee see by faith erect and cheere vs. And now because by that vniuersall variety of euents all things comming alike to all or otherwise by diuine fauour immediate blessing wealth and honour comes sometimes to grace and goodnesse I thought it not vnfit to adde some cautions how the great good man should make vse of superiority First the loue of Pride which hath with it a swelling conceit of himselfe and a lesning contempt of others must be farre from being the cause of his being first but he must take it for orders sake which commonly brings two Companions Comelinesse and Quietnesse Secondly if there bee any doubt of the right of priority let him rather incline to the humble side then the proud and rather seeke to goe before in Humility then in place which is indeed Saint Pauls * Ro. 10.12 going before in going behind Thirdly let Charity accompany Humility which sometimes will giue prioritie for loue for some such there are whom you may winne by this Rattle and make them friends of enemies as children are pleased with Apples It is a bad Neighbour that is not worth more then his place though indeed he be not very good that will breake friendship for loue of the place But loue sometimes seeketh not her owne especially where loue must bee lost by seeking her owne for loue aboue all things seeketh loue Fourthly in the difference of place remember the Community of Nature yea perchance the priority of Grace so shalt thou not bee lifted vp in thy heart as thou art in thy place aboue men of thine owne dignity by Creation perchance better then thy selfe by the eminent Graces of Sanctification And where greater Graces sit below thee Let thy loue and courtesie acknowledge their inward dignity as their inferiority doth acknowledge thy outward eminence For as I told thee their excellence is the chiefest excellence and it is farre from Iustice that he should respect thy outward worth which is the meaner and thou shouldest not acknowledge his inward worth which is the better But let each haue his due thou the honour of outward eminence and he the honour and respect due vnto inward excellence CHAP. XVI Anti-Circe A potion that turnes Beasts into Men being before turned from Men into aBests MAny are the sores that afflict the minde of corrupt and miserable Man But of these many there are diuers that bee contented with the hurt of one single part or faculty of the soule as a Mote in the Eie and a Thorne in the Foot There is a single error in iudgement a particular straying of the will and a measured disordinatenesse of the Affections In which cases the amending of that one part where the griefe lyes is sufficient But there is a kinde of Men for such they were once that will not bee contented with such small sores but they will needes turne their minde into one whole sore Facies dicatur an vlcus you shall not distinguish the face of their once-reasonable soules from that of the brutish and still vnreasonable soules of Beasts They cast so much moysture on the Lampe of their vnderstanding so much mudde vpon their wils that the light of their vnderstanding is put out and the fethers of a diuine and celestiall will are vnable to mount and so the soule in her faculties is slaine and there remaynes nothing but the huskes and shels of Men for the Men themselues are turned out of doores To such mending will not serue the turne for they are dead They must goe beyond mending and had need to goe to new making For where the principia be not only laesa but as it were coesa an almost indelible Character of darknesse and sensuality being stamped on the soule how shall the soule be new lighted but by the first inlightner and how shall she of sensuall bee made spirituall but by a new-begetting of the Father of Spirits This masse of moysture is like the first Chaos voyde and without forme and darknesse is vpon the face of it What remedie remaynes but that now as then the spirit moue vpon the waters euen vpon this informed lumpe of Humidity There needs another fiat euen a voyce from Heauen Awake thou that sleepest and arise from
to perish by it While thou fitst at thy wine the wine seemes to thee to be still the same because it is still of the same colour and the same taste and taken out of the same Vessell but I tell thee that the wine at the fourth or fifth draught is not the same that it was at the first or second The wine at the first or second draught perchance was comfortable or physicall but at the fourth or fifth it is furious and vnholsome It refresheth thy spirits at first but it destroyes them at last and so the same wine which was at first thy comfort is at last thy poison Therfore hold thy hand from wine when it beginnes to bee poyson know the time when it changeth and take heed thou keepe thy selfe on this side of the Change On this side thou art Master both of it thy selfe and thou mayst rule both thy selfe and it beyond the wine will be thy Master and thou shalt doe what it pleaseth Then shall thy mouth speake lewd things and by speaking or not speaking it shall proclayme thy shame Wherefore if thou loue thy liberty if thou loue the possession of thy selfe stop thy appetite betweene the wine that refresheth and the wine that destroyeth And that thou mayst bee the more strong in this power of Abstinence with a purified soule thirst after the wine of the Spirit with which they that thirst shall be filled and with which they that are filled doe scorne both the thirst and fulnesse especially the excesse of earthly wine Thus haue I made a Whip of a twice threefold Cord out of this exhortation of S. Paul there withall to whip these deuourers of drink not out of the Temple but into the Temple from the Chappels of Satan I wish they would in this point bee Papists and whip themselues also if not withall yet with some of these cords that so by such wholsome wounds their euill might be purged I confesse I haue left out one word of this verse which word seemes to be the occasion of the whole Verse and it is the word drunken I might say for an Answer that I wish it were wholly left out in deeds as it is heere in words but if that will not serue for an Answere Let it be this The matter of the word is the subiect of this Discourse and the word excesse reacheth close vnto it But for the word it selfe as I haue for the most part auoyded the lothsome naming of it So I desire that the lothsomenesse of the name may make the owners leaue it and intreat them to this end to preach sometimes to themselues and their Sermon shall bee only an houres repetition of this word Drunken I doubt not but the beastly sound of it in the eare the muddie cadence of it on the tongue will bee so fulsome so odious to them that in the vglinesse of the word beholding the lothsomenesse of the deed they will hate and anoyde the deed whereof the word is so abominable CHAP. XVII Certaine false Appetites that distaste the Food of life though drest in it owne kind if not drest to their owne minde THere are at this day many seuerall tastes that affect seuerall manners of deliuering the Word of God Some affect roughnesse some verball Rhetoricke some a short and sandy Eloquence The first pretends for himselfe that the profit of the Word consisteth in supernaturall power not in humane elocution and that the intising words of mans Wisdome rob that diuine power of the glory of conuersion But the man of the man of this opinion must know first that he findes no precept of rusticitie harshnesse or roughnesse of speech in the Scripture Secondly on the contrary hee shall find in the Preacher Prophets and Apostles yea in Christ himself pleasant words delightfull comparisons perswasiue exhortations often very eloquent and moouing expressions Thirdly God speaking by man vnto man though the power of God be the very effectuall cause of conuersion only baptiseth with fire yet the outward powerful expression ioyning and conspiring with the inward conuerting power may giue a degree thought not a being and may blow the fire which the Spirit kindles The Spirit in the speaker or writer according to his degree commonly stirreth inflameth and exalteth the Spirit in the hearer and that so much the more strongly by how much more swift forcible penetratiō ithath through the outward man into the inward Now a cleere sound and masculine expression openeth wide the doore of the vtter man so that the spirituall meaning contayned in the words passeth in fully strongly and swiftly And so the actiue vehemence thereof doth as it were struck hard on the soule and leaues a print thereon The Word is the Looking-glasse bearing the Image of the Spirit that speaketh and therin is the Spirit speaking discerned by the Spirit hearing The more this spirit is discerned the more beauty and so the more loue and so the more power Now the cleerer the Glasse is the more discerning therefore the spirit made more excellent in an euident word is more louely and more powerfull Surely if we could see spirituall thoughts in their Primitiue beauty without the grosse mediation of words their excellence would rauish vs their glory would command and master vs. But now thoughts shining to vs thorow the Lanthorne of words the cleerer the Lanthorne is the more bright and cheerfull is the Light and the thicker it is the lesse doth it direct and the lesse doth it comfort Fourthly besides the benefit of euidence handsome expression helpes the memorie and God speaking to man by man no doubt well knowes their mould to whome hee speakes and is willing that all fauour especially by the Ministerie of man Rom. 6.19 should be done vnto man and that words should be fitted to the best aduantage of Nature A Parable of Christ a tuned and proportioned Psalme of Dauid a Prouerbe of Salomon yea one of the Fathers harmonious Sentences sometime take more hold of the memory then a rough and ragged exhortation Yet I speake not this that I may vse Pauls words to shame them that haue not to condemne Moses Exod. 4.10 for want of vtterance but to exhort others from condemning and that they doe not condemne but desire the more excellent gifts for God gaue Moses Aaron euen to diuine knowledge an eloquent vtterance God hath giuen diuers gifts vnto men all to edification now all together shall edifie most if the higher imploy their Talents not condemning but incouraging the lower if the lower exercise their gifts rather imitating thē enuying the higher But in imitation let euery Man hold this Rule That he imitate no further then his strength will make it good Otherwise while he seekes to be another and leaues to be himselfe being short of the other he loseth both himselfe and the other euen what he would be and what he might be The second is a hunter of meere
the Wisedome of dispensation suffered this roaring Lyon no longer to terrifie but vntill his Terror did mollifie Hee aymed indeed at despayre and destruction but the Church aymed at Humiliation and Conuersion yea to Consolation and Saluation For indeed Humiliation for Sin is the way to Conuersion from Sin and Conuersion from Sinne is the way to the consolations of the Spirit and the comfortable Spirit is both the guid and way to Life eternall Therfore when the man is humbled Satan is cashiered the Horse-leach is taken away when he hath sufficiently abated the vicious and superfluous bloud And now the man formerly forsaken by all is comforted of all the gates of Heauen are vnlocked to him and hee is restored to both the Heauens the Communion of Saints and the ioyes of the Spirit Thus are wee healed by wounding and by humbling wee are exalted O admirable vse and command of Satan Hee is an enemy to God yet doth him seruice he is an aduersary to Man and yet helps him A strange thing it is that Satan should helpe the incestuous Corinthian to the destruction of his flesh and the edification of his soule A strange thing that Satan should teach b 1. Tim. 1.20 Himeneus and Alexander not to blaspheme His Kingdome is seated in the Flesh and yet the Flesh he destroyes Hee is the Author of blasphemies and yet hee teacheth not to blaspheme But is Satan contrary to himselfe and is his Kingdome diuided in it selfe No surely But one that is stronger then hee both in wisdome and power manageth both his craft and malice to ends which himselfe intendeth not The Deuill is one and the same still euen purely malicious And in this malice hee tempts men being in high bloud vnto a presumption of sinning And by the same malice hee tempts the same men being cast downe vnto a despayre of Mercie Now as Remedies are by contraries so a measure of despaire is medicinable to a measure of presumption And iust so farre doth God suffer Satan to goe on in his temptation as temptation is profitable and no farther Therefore while Satan is driuing the Offender to despaire God stops his course when the Sinner is come to due humiliation And then as it was with Christ in the Wildernesse so it is with the humbled Sinner Satan is dismissed the Angels come and minister to him And as God doth publikely administer this Remedie to the members of his Church in publike Euils so also doth he priuately exhibite it to his choysest Saints in their priuate Necessities And so a messenger of Satan was sent to buffet Paul that by the strokes of him who is the king of pride God might teach his seruant Humility But what shall we say to these things Are men at this day willing to take this physicke of the Physician of our Soules Christ Iesus or doe not most men that are of any growth thinke themselues too great to bee taken by this Net of Mercy but are willing to breake through that they may be taken in the Net of Iudgement I wish wee had not farre more need of the words of Saint Ambrose then he had when he vsed them c S. Ambros apologia Dauid cap. 2. What great or rich man sayth hee shall yee now find that will take it well to be reproued of a fault Yet this man Dauid being glorious in Kingly power and often approoued by Diuine Oracles when he was reprooued by a subiect because hee had grieuously offended did not repine in a rage but confessing reâ—ented by Repentance And a little after Other men when they are reproued of the Priests increase their fault by going about to deny or diminish it so that by the same meanes by which they should haue beene amended they increase their sicknesse Had this holy Man a cause to complain to whose keyes the Emperour Theodosius submitted himselfe both for binding and loosing and haue not our dayes much more wherein men of a farre inferiour greatnesse thinke it a speciall priuiledge belonging to their dignity to sinne without controlment And yet if wee looke clearly into the matter a priuiledge to sin quietly is but a priuiledge quietly to be damned But I think it much rather a miserable in conuenience of greatnes and a meere abuse of it when the terror therof is employed to fright away grace so terrifie saluation These are they of whom it is said Potentes potenter cruciabuÌ„tar The mighty by the abuse of their owne might shall be most mightily punished And if greatnesse would but take a proportion of wisdome and patience and thereby soundly examine why he is angry when hee is iustly reprooued I thinke he will be so farre from finding a reason for his anger that hee will on the other side find a reason of thankes and reioycing For put the case as it is too often that a great man hath offended to him the Man of God speakes or writes in due or respectiue manner and discouers his Sinne and his danger by sinning The mayne intent of Gods seruant is but to take away the Sinne that would slay him and instead of Sinne and Death to recommend vnto him Grace and Life Now wherein hath this man offended whose only businesse is to take from greatnesse Sinne and Misery and to giue it Vertue and Happinesse Surely thou hast nothing to dislike except it bee to be lesse wicked and lesse miserable and to be more vertuous and more happy Yet though without a reason greatnesse will in this case often be angry though it haue most reason to bee angry with it selfe for being angry without a reason But when reasons faile I thinke this must represent one That it is a dishonour for a superiour to bee reprooued of the inferiour and it is commonly a little great Man that doth not think more honourably of himselfe then of most of the Priesthood To this I answere that this exception is made all of stomack nothing of reason And first I could confute much of it by proouing and proposing the dignity of Priesthood from whose Spirituall power it being as the Scripture sayes a power vnto edification of exhorting teaching reproouing yea binding and loosing I thinke no true member of Christs Church should desire to be exempted Besides Saint Paul without any distinction writes to the Thessalonians to acknowledge those that laboured among them who as he affirmes were ouer them in the Lord. Whence might bee deduced this Doctrine That the Layitie in generall is the Flocke and the Priests are the Shepheards and spirituall Shepheards in the administration of spirituall things are ouer their Flockes But flesh bloud is loth to heare of any Eminence though it bee but spirituall and not of this world Therefore I must talke with it in a Language more naturall to it and therevpon I reply That an Inferiour which in his manner of speaking keeps safe and whole the dignity of the Superiour to whom hee speakes and in