skill for the promoting of his own welfare By love of himself I do not mean that ravenous self-love which eaâ—s up all love of God and of other men save for a mans self but that affection of created nature enclyning everie man to procure his own true welfare to his power everie way The former is rather hatred of a mans self in effect whatsoever the positive affection be But now the question is what this himself means Himself is not his worldly riches nor honour nor any the like appurtenance but his Soul and body in a convenient state and constitution to perform good duties and to obtain true happinesse He that is wise for this himself is wise to God and for other mens true good But for that other common and commonly called self love in which men foolishly mistake by takeing that for themselvs which is not The best that can be wished to such is that they have little wit and lesse authoritie and that specially considering the deepest wisdom of such vermin is not to care how much and in how great things they harm others so they may benefit themselvs never so little in comparison like the thief that to get the Gold-ring would eat off the finger upon which it stuck close If the wealthiest life were the best wisdom were not so much to be desired considering how many meer Nabaâ—s and rich fools the World hath And if the merryest life were the best it were better to be a fool then wise The Fagle continually gnaws the heart of Prometheus And in much wisdom is much grief so as he that encreaseth knowledg encreaseth sorrow saith the wise man out of his own experience Whereas on the contrarie naturall fools and many artificiall fools also almost alwayes laugh and are merrie as having neither grace to mourn for sin not wit to be much troubled with crosses But for all that wisdom excelleth folly as far as light excelleth darknesse yea for that if there were nothing els Seeing by the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better whereas the laughter of fools is like the crackling of thorns under a pot There is in truth no greater recreation in the world then to converse with wise men Yet many cannot make themselvs merrie without a fool though Salomon amongst all the vain delights which he could devise or procure got not a fool to make him merrie with Such companions of fools might for the most part save that charg and say that in earnest which a wise man said for fashion When at any time I would be merrie with a fool I laugh at my self Salomon in his Proverbs uses to call good and godly men wise and wicked persons fools partly because there is folly and madnesse too in all wickednesse partly because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom as both making men carefull to learn their duties and having a promise of direction in the way that they shall chuse and partly to free true pietie and goodnesse from the reproach of folly and simplenesse cast upon them by worldly-wise men who as the Heathen-wise counted the Doctrine of the Gospel foolishnesse so do these worldly-wise judg all true conscience of it and obedience unto it to arise from want of wit and superstitious simplicitie But say men what they will the Gospel is the wisdom of God and the obedience of it the wisdom of Gods people in his sight and in all theirs that judg aright which to neglect and true happinesse in it is the madnesse of folly We say of some that they have good wits if wise men had them in keeping But as wooden daggers are fitter for some then those of Iron and Steel so a blunt wit is indeed fittest for him who wants discretion and wisdom how to use it without which the sharp is as dangerous as is the sharp Knife in a Childes hand or Dagger at a Fools back And as sharp wits without wisdom are dangerous so are they pernitious without grace serving to make men both more incorrigible and more inexcusable and fitter Instruments of the Divel for mischief even as the fat soyl unordered brings forth greatest plentie of thorns and weeds The Serpent was more subtile then any beast of the Field and of him before the rest the Divel made choyse to deceav by who accordingly so well fitted his turn at the first as ever since he hath well liked and much used such subtile and Serpent-like Instruments for mischievous purposes But the Serpent who was more subtile then other beasts was also cursed by the Lord above all other beasts and so are those Serpent-like men for whom how much better were it if they had been born Ideots and naturall Fools then to abuse Gods good gifts of naturall wit to the dishonour of the giver as they do CAP. XVII Of Discretion DIscretion is a skill enabling a man to improve himself in all his affairs and whatsoever he is or hath to best advantage according to variable circumstances and occasions Sapience or wisdom stands in bare contemplation of things excellent gathered from principles and conclusions Prudence and discretion are for practise which if we will distinguish the latter discretion is to be restrained to things fit or unfit This discretion is neither wit nor wisdom nor learning nor any Art liberall or illiberall but that which shews how to govern them all conveniently everie other thing with them like Iphicrates who was neither legionarie Souldier nor Archer nor Targeter but one that could rule and use all these And of such use is this discretion in the whole course of our life in regard of the infinite varietie of circumstances according to which particulars are performed conveniently or inconveniently as that we may daily observ men of lesser meanes for the World as riches trading and skill in faculties and yet doing well in it yea better by discreet manageing their little then others wanting this discretion with far greater helps and measure of means otherwise Yea even in Divine matters some of lesse knowledg zeal diligence and other generall graces by the benefit of this particular vertue are found more serviceable to God and profitable to men then others wanting it though far exceeding them in the former Discretion is to be preferred before wit or art or learning and onely comes after goodnesse in worth As the Serpent-like generation specially where truth and honestie goes with a scratcht face and is in disgrace of the times esteems men square upright in their courses for witlesse silly so must the more shallow-headed take heed that they sensure not discreet cariage and handling of things for craftie and unhonest considering that other men may do that in good honest discretion which they by defect thereof could not do but in evill conscience The same honestie sinceritie may continue in a man though in discretion applying himself diversly
are deemed to be before It is best therefore first not to suspect without good cause next not to bewray our suspicion except we have great hope to over-aw thereby the suspected person There are many unreasonably though not altogether unoccasioned transported from the one of the extreams formerly mentioned to the other who being at first credulous and light of beleif and thereby oft deceaved at length come to trust none but would burn as they say their shirt if they thought it knew their secrets therefore set it down for a rule to have al men in jealousie Such overwise men are like the fool that because the sive deceaved him and let his drink run out would not trust his dish with it afterwards Howsoever things fall out it is best to keep our byasse alwayes on the right side and to encline still to a better rayther then to a worse opinion of men then they deserv For though it be best of all to judg of others just as they are yet seeing that is alwayes hard and sometimes impossible we shall lesse offend God in judging of men too well though sometimes to our own damage then too ill with certain injurie to them and sin in our selvs in the violation of the law of charitie which is not suspicious The generall cause of suspicion is the want of this true love whose propertie is to beleev all things and to hope all things which with reason can be beleeved or hoped for and so men are in danger to presume of and promise to themselvs more good of their wives and children and friends whom they entirely love then there is cause rayther then otherwise Notwithstanding a very inordinate and doating affection also breeds causlesse jealousie Another generall cause of suspicion is the knowledge and consciousnes which persons have of their own inability and weaknes any way Of beasts and birds hares and doves and such impotent and unarmed creatures and of men women the childish weak silly and decrepit are most given to suspicion as being most subject to be circumvented or oppressed So it hath been observed how the Scythians and other barbarous nations have laboured to supply their defects of wisdom for prevention of hurt from enemyes by excesse of suspicion It is true that this disease sometimes befals very wise men But this aryseth from an other and worse cause to wit an evill conscience Men muse as they use and suspect others by themselvs as is common with all leaud persons He that is good himself doth not easily suspect an other to be evill nor the evill that an other is good Besides an evill conscience accusing men and women that they in truth deserv not love nor respect nor credit easily perswades them that they are not loved nor respected nor credited by others Lastly it is oftens a punishment from God that as a man in debt suspects that every bush which he sees is a sargeant to arrest him so they which are without true grace and assurance of the pardon of their sinns from him should be suspicious that every one would deceav or hurt them otherwise It was Gods curse upon Cain when he had killed his brother Abel to suspect and fear that every one that he mett with would kill him Notwithstanding all these things sometimes God sends a spirit of jealousie upon interessed persons for the discoverie of evils in others formerly hidden which out of probable suspicion come to be searched into and by searching are found out And alwaies we must strive for that discretion and wisdom as not to take our marks amisse by censuring any rashly as Eli did Hannah for druncken because her lips went and her voice was not heard nor yet to be so fondly charitable as not to see the spots of mens leprosie breaking out in their foreheads We are not onely by innocencie to prevent just blame but withall by christian care and wisdom to provide that we hurt not our good name by coming under colourable suspicion of evill We provide things honest before God by preserving innocency but before men by giving no probable cause of their suspecting us And so doing if yet God by his providence so order that we come under it we must bear it patiently as a burden layd upon us by him eyther to prove us as it was not the least tryall upon Iob to be suspected by his freinds and others of hypocrisy or it may be to warn us to take heed of some sin of which we are in danger though not guiltie it may be for our present peace and safety as it happened to David by being suspected of the Lords of the Phylistims or it may be for their just punishment by whom we are unjustly suspected as in the same Davids case in being suspected by king Saul of affecting the kingdom to his own great harm in wanting him and the worthyes with him in the battle with the Philistims CAP. XLIIII Of Appearances IT is the royall prerogative of Gods infinite wisdom to judg of persons things as in truth they are It is mens yea angels unperfit condition in comparison under which God hath humbled them to judg of the one and other according to outward appearances leaving to him alone and the persons themselvs the hidden things of the heaâ—â— To appear evill to a righteous judgment is alwaies evill whether the person be evill or good If evill his evill appearance is but his inward evil manifested to be as it is and his inside turned outward If good he slaunders himself in appearing evill He that makes an ill shew we may well account evil and corrupt ordinarily seeing all save in the case of some speciall temptation desire to seem as good as they are to put the fayrest side outward He that is once well known to me for good and vertuous I will alwayes esteem so except I come to take certeyn knowledg of his after-declyning to evill So on the contrarie if I have once rightly and certeynly branded a man for evil I shall not easily come to think good of him except his after-repentance as playnly appear to me The reason is because bare time makes none of evill good or of good evill but onely confirms men in that which they are whether the one or other Although it be not simply a sufficient warrant for our answerable judgment of or caryage towards persons or things that they appear good or evill unto us because we often err in our judgments about them through ignorance negligence or partialitie yet is it a certeyn rule that we must never proceed eyther in judgment or practise against appearances for in so doing we condemn our selvs in the thing which we approve if it appear good and yet we condemn it so do we also in the thing which we condemn by holding any course of approbation towards that which seems evill unto us Notwithstanding such is the force of outward appearances
choaked for ever As on the contrary if a man do the thing which good is the conscience gives testimonie of Gods acceptance and therewith boldnes before him making him chearfull even in the sorrows of the world quiet in its turmoyl and happy in all extremitie of torments and withall satisfying him with the testimony from within himself against mens unjust accusations This Conscience makes a man eyther a conquerer over the whole world or a craven and ready specially in danger and being wakened to thrust his head in a hole But now the comforts are not greater in having this good conscience then are the dangers in mistaking it Many do craftily pretend it without cause merely for their credits before men whose hearts condemn them before God and whom God who is greater will condemn much more Many more are securely presumptuous and being ready to beleev that which they wish true are bold upon their good conscience so deemed not because they know and try themselvs and their wayes before the Lord by his word as they ought but because they know not nor will know and examine them And this is the vulgar conscience of ignorant persons that are free from those grosser sins which the light of nature condemns and of some others also not without understanding being of bold spirits and stout hearts and which will not easily be in fault eyther before the world or God himself There are besides these whose consciences are benummed and seared with an hâ—at iron who by practising at first and continuing after in sins against their naturall conscience have obteyned from the Lord this miserable priveledg and seal of their condemnation that their mindes should be voyd of understanding and hearts of sense and feeling even of heynous sins in time Better sayd the godly martyr sit in the stocks of this world then of an ill or accusing conscience And yet better a conscience accusing if not desperately then benummed and without feeling The dead flesh must be eaten out of the wound and sorenes come before soundnes so must a benummed conscience become accusing before it can become excusing aright The larger conscience the better if rightly informed To know that to be lawfull for me which indeed is lawfull is the perfection of understanding and strength of fayth as on the other side to be ignorant of it is to be weak both in knowledg and fayth But we must here put a difference between the conscience it self and the use of it for the largest use of conscience is not alwayes best though the judgment be Some things are so commaunded as they absolutely bynde conscience as to love God and our neighbour c. Some things again are so commanded in the generall as for example the obedience of the Magistrate keeping peace with all men and the like as yet they have this particular exception If we can without sinning on our parts for we must not do evill that we may do good But yet in these cases we are to be as large as we can and to go as far as possibly we can see it lawfull in conscience of the commandement of God Other things are in their kinde indifferent and such as we perform for our profit pleasure credit or other worldly commoditie In these we are to use lesse liberrie of conscience and to take heed that we give not the divell advantage by some blast of temptation or other to blow us into the ditch if we go to near the side of it And in observing this difference we have a conscionable use of our conscience It is a great question whether an erroneous conscience be to be followed or no and as ill resolved by many affirmatively after much dispute Not to follow it is evill and to do or leav undone that wherein the man so doing or not doing condemns himself and therein hath God also condemning him To follow it is for the blinde to follow the blinde the blinde person his blinde conscience into the ditch and to have God condemning him in his word though he justifie himself Besides then the violation of the conscience which is alwayes evill and a by-path on the left hand and the following it in evill as a by-path on the right which is sometimes worse then the former as in sins against the light of nature there is a third and midle way safe and good and that is the informing of the conscience better by Gods word and following it accordingly unto which also every person is bound for the duties of his generall and speciall calling It is the first dutie of a man to inform his conscience aright and then to follow the direction which it gives A good conscience is as the ship in which fayth sayleth to heaven and which they that put away make shipwrack of fayth We must therefore first get a good conscience by the sprinkling of the heart with the blood of Christ from the guilt of sin and with his spirit from the filth thereof and having got it must keep the same with all care and tendernes specially by eschewing presumptuous sins in which is much transgression and by which the conscience is wasted and consumed as iron by the rust We offend too much alasse through ignorance and infirmitie let us not ad to provoke the Lord by sinns against conscience in which we sin against a double voyce of God first speaking in his law and secondly in our own hearts Where this is no marvayl though the voyce of fayth and witnes of Gods spirit cease and that the conscience so violated excuse not but accuse CHAP. XLVIII Of Prayer NO christian exercise hath so many counterfeyts as prayer which whilst all would seem to practise few in truth experimentally know We may say prayers sing prayers and read prayers and hear prayers and yet not pray indeed Yea we may out of a kinde of naturall instinct by reason of the indissolible relation between the creature and creatour be caryed towards God so far as to appeal unto him or heartily wish good from him wherein as one sayth the soul gives testimonie to God and yet be far from praying aright that is from making known our requests to God according to his will with fayth in his love and the feeling of our own wants in our hearts And the reason why this true prayer is not every mans work is because God must first work it in mens hearts by powring upon them the spirit of grace and supplication thereby to teach them both what to pray as they ought for matter and how for manner and without the hand-leading of which spirit we dare not in truth approach unto God but do by reason of the guilt of sin flye from his presence as Adam did how nigh unto him soever we seem to draw Where with the Apostle I speak of making our requests known to God my meaning is not
whom they may be deceaved We are therefore to beware that we neither wrong our selvs by credulitie nor others by unjust suspition To receav without examination mens sayings is to make of men God to reject them lightly is to make of men Divels or fools at the best The latter hath pride and uncharitablenesse for the ground the former either argues men to be simple which cannot or idle which will not or presumptuous which think they need not or superstitious which dare not judg or which is worst of all the rest desirous in a kinde of humble hypocrisie to shelter an evill conscience before God under the shadow of great mens Authoritie To presse immoderately mens Authoritie in Divine things is to wrong Gods which alone is authentick and whose will and it alone and all it so far as is fit for us to know it we know more certainly to be contained and preserved without corruption in the Scriptures then any Fathers opinion in the Books which go under his name This also wrongs mens Faith and reason captivating them by prejudice and rather offering a hand to lead the blinde then a light for the help of him that hath eyes to see with I have known some who if they light upon a peremptorie Authour and bold asserter of things were readie to be still of the same opinion with the Book which they last read their weaker judgment being overborn rather by the strength of other mens asseverations then reasons Lastly this ingenders endlesse contentions as is to be seen in some Learned mens writings in which there is more adoe about the meaning of such or such a place in a Father then were enough to determine the whole controversie by the Scriptures and good Reason These things notwithstanding there is both a lawfull and convenient use of humain testimonie even in Divine things as first for the convincing of such thereby as regard it too much and Gods Word too little Thus Paul amongst Heathens even in his verie Sermons alledged Heathenish Poets and Phylosophers and we in our writings rightly alledg Fathers and Councels against Papists and others who more regard the saying of an ancient Father or Canon of a Councell then the written Word of the Ancient of Dayes They are twice overcome who are beaten with their own weapons in which they trust Secondly It induceth a morall probabilitie though no absolute necessitie of truth and though we see not the truth by other mens eyes but by our own yet may we be something held up in the arms of their testimonie to see it the better and so be helped as Zacheus was by the Tree into which he clymbed to see Christ. So the Apostles in penning some parts of Holy Scripture upon occasion of differences in the Churches and opposition to their Apostolicall Authoritie took in for the better passage with men of Gods undoubted truth the concurring testimonie even of ordinarie Christians though both the Decrees Epistles were penned by infallible and immediate direction of the Holy Ghost as well and as much as any other parts of Canonicall Scriptures Thirdly Citation of humain Authoritie helps to wipe away the aspersion of Schism singularitie when we can shew that our assertions and practises have agreement with such as are in account in the Churches Lastly It commends both a mans modesty diligence when he enquires after and withall his cause in the eyes of men when he appears to know the judgments of others in the things he handles as it is on the other side an imputation to him that knows them not and that even where it is otherwise no benefit to know them The Authoritie of him that prescribeth or commandeth within his limits is the same whether the matter be great or small God is God in the smallest things which he requires and man but man in his deepest charges The Prophets and Apostles in their writings are extraordinarie and Pastors and Teachers ordinarie Ministers and neither are either more or lesse in any part of their Ministerie for the instruction of the Churches So likewise all true Reasons are of the same force in themselvs to confirm that for which they are brought neither is any one stronger then other but onely more evident The best but proves of itself the things to be so and the meanest if sound doth as much CAP. X. Of Faith Hope and Love Of Faith Reason and Sense FAith in generall is a firm assent upon knowledg to an affirmation for the credit or authoritie of him that affirmeth a thing whether God or Angel or man To some things we assent by Sense and naturall light to some for certain proof of Reason but the assent of Faith rests upon the fidelitie of the speaker and not upon the Sense or Reason of the thing how agreeable to either soever it be Yet so as the more reasonable the thing related is the more readily we beleev it to be true The thing beleeved Faith apprehends primarily as a matter of truth and therein hath its seat in the understanding Divine Faith assents to the revealed will of God for the authoritie and truth of God which cannot deceav That Faith or act of Faith by which we are justified is a due assent to and application of the promises of the Gospel as made and appertaining to us in particular the generall promise upon condition of application duly and rightly made being as much for certaintie as either extraordinarie revelation or particular nomination of person This application of Gods promises in Christ hath evermore affiance necessarily and immediately ioyned with it For being by the Spirit of God and Word of the Gospel perswaded of Gods love in Christ we cannot but trust unto him rest and repose our selvs upon him and expect accordingly from him all good But as we must lay hold of the stay or prop before we can rest upon it So must Faith go before affiance in order of causes and we lay hold of Gods love before we can repose our selvs upon it Hope is the expectation of the good things promised having Faith for its foundation These two Faith and Hope have many the same objects yet neither all nor any in the same respect We beleev things past present and to come but hope for things to come onely We beleev both promises and threatnings both rewards and punishments in the order set by God but hope onely for things desireable And for the verie same things in themselvs beleeved and hoped for as for example the resurrection of the body and life everlasting we beleev them as present in Gods promises which Faith applyes unto us but hope for them as absent and to come in performance unto which Hope carieth us Faith begets Hope for by beleeving the forgivenesse of our sins and Gods promises for the present we are encouraged to expect and hope for all future good And Hope again as a good Childe helps to
in respect of men howsoever such wiâ—y-beguiliâ—s may for a time if they carrie close amongst other advantages get the opinion of prudent and politick persons and be accounted the more wise by how much they have the more skill to deceav yet if their craftinesse come to be found out and appear they become oftens a prey to all alwaies a scorn to the most simple like the wily fox who being once catched hath his skin pluckt over his ears wherewith everie fool will have his cap furred as a worthy Lord was wont to say Such are heirs apparent to Achitophels comfort and reward His rule was peremptorie that said A wise man will not deceav nor cannot be deceaved So was his profession both of wisdom and honestie lowd who chose this Motto Fâ—llere vel falli res odiosa mihi And though usually it be worse to deceav then to be deceaved though Austin and who not met with many that would deceav but never with any that would be deceaved as a sin is worse then a crosse yet whereas to be deceaved is alwayes either a crosse or a sin or both a man may in some case and manner deceav without either as did Athanasius the President Lucius who pursuing him and approaching neer the boat wherein he was asked for Athanasius and was answered by him whom he knew by name but not by face that Athanasius was hard before him and that if he made hast he might presently overtake him who thus escaped deceaving his Arian persecuter by speaking nothing but the truth and that both wisely and with good conscience CAP. XVI Of Wisdom and Folly SOme have been found not onely contented with but glorying in the name of irreligious and unhonest but hardly ever any were willing to bear the note of foolish or unwise And even of them in whom is found some true love of vertue and goodnesse how few are there that either indeed do or would be thought to do any thing in fauour thereof which might in the least degree impeach the credit of their wisdom in the eyes of the partiall world So fain would all be counted though few in truth be wise The main reason of this seems to be that whereas the want of wisdom imports impotencie and inabilitie Irreligion and dishonestie are by election and free choyse The pride of men if Gods grace correct it not makes them more impatient of a want either inward or outward arguing them to be weak and impotent then of a grosser vice in either upon their own free election and choyse of will And hence it is that many boast of things done by them for some particular advantage which they know to be evill and unlawfull It is the first and a great point of wisdom to know wherein true wisdom stands specially seeing that the thing which God cals wisdom and which the world cals wisdom are as different as Heaven and Earth yea as Heaven and Hell That cannot but be best which God so valueth It is known from the Worlds wisdom by first its object Secondly the properties which attend it Thirdly the School where it is learnt Fourthly the end to which it tends The object is Christ primarily who of God is made unto us wisdom and in whom are hidden all the treasures thereof which the Gospel the wisdom of God openeth unto us He that knows Christ aright in the Gospel knows both God and man and the most gracious and glorious effects of both united in one Secondly The wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be entreated full of mercie and good fruits without jangling and without hypocrisie The other is clean contrarily qualified thick and muddie with lusts and monstrously compounded arrogant self-willing and self-loving inexorable quarrelsom craftie and cruell Thirdly The wisdom of God is learnt in the School of Christ and upon the Book of Holy Scriptures the other hath so many Masters as there are corrupt either lusts within a man or customs in the World Lastly The wisdom of God teacheth to provide surely for the Spirituall and Eternall state though with prejudice to the bodily and temporall The other bids make sure worke for the flesh and pinch not it though the Spirituall man speed hardly by it He that will be wise to God must be a fool to the World which yet makes him not a fool in worldly affairs but skilfull how to order them aright both for the Spirituall life and naturall also as far as it is subordinate unto it The high-way to wisdom Divine or humain is to observ and consider the reasons and causes of things He that beleevs a thing because God affirms it shews faith he that does it because God commands it obedience but he that joyns with these the reasons of the Doctrine or exhortation in the Word gets into his heart the props of wisdom against the storms of temptation both of unbelief and disobedience So in humain affairs he that minds or remembers things to be thus or thus gets skill in the things but he that observs and learns the reasons and causes why they come so to passe or are so done he takes the right course to become wise in the matter of what kind soever A wise man is the same though his outward state be changeable yea changed from a prosperous to an afflicted or the contrarie way els he but hits right at aventure when he doth well in either of both His condition is rather happily fitted to him as the howre once a day comes to the hand of the Clock that stands alwayes still then he to it by true wisdom A wise man will wish the more prosperous state but fear the more afflicted and use that which falls and his wisdom in it The Sayler which wants skill may misse his course or drown his Ship in a fair wind but he needs most skill in a tempest So is the wisdom of a man most seen in the right guiding of himself and his affairs in a stresse of trouble and affliction I have seen it in experience that many specially women and women like men who have shewed forth much goodnesse in a quiet and prosperous state of things if any great storm of tryall have happened to have overtaken them have through the want of wisdoms chart and compasse lost all and not onely been altogether uncomfortable but above measure burthensom both to others and themselvs The Apostle by the work of the wisdom of God knew both how to be abused and how to abound He that is not wise for himself first cannot be wise for another either in bodily or spirituall things though he may do him good in both But that is rather by occasion or in humour then upon ground of true wisdom God and nature which teach everie man to love himself most and his neighbour truly and heartily as himself teach him withall to use his best wit and
as that in cases they bynde us in conscience both for judgment and practise to that which indeed is not true nor due but wherein we are altogether deceaved As when we receav a matter for truth which yet indeed is not so upon the clear testimonie of two or three witnesses worthy of credit so far as we can discern or when we esteem an hypocrite cunningly dissembling for good and godly as did Phillip Simon Magus It is a fortunate sin to suspect him without apparent cause that dissembles and an infortunate vertue to be deceaved in him The appearance of evill by the Apostles prescript is to be absteyned from Which yet we must not understand absolutely of whatsoever seems evill unto others for then we should absteyn from all or the most good whereof there is litle but some or other misdeem it But the meaning is properly that in prophesying of which the Apostle speaks as we are to hold that which is good and proved so to be so if any thing be delivered of which we have a sinister suspicion as fearing that some poyson cleaveth to it though not plainly so discerned by us we with-hold our assent till by fayth we can receav it And in the generall that if a thing appear amisse and evill unto others especially unto weaker brethren though it be not such of it self yet we forbear it except eyther conscience of duety simply binde us unto it or that some greater conveniency appear in doing it then is the inconveniency of or to others in misconceaving of us and our doings If it be a good thing to appear good how much more to be so indeed It is also the readiest way and most compendious for any to appear and be thought wise vertuous or godly to be in truth such For God will both so far as it stands with his glory and the persons good give occasion of manifestation of that good which is and also provide that others may accordingly take knowledg of it And though many things be secret in the mean while yet when the Lord shall come he will both bring to light the hidden things of darknes and make manifest the counsels of the hearts and then shall everie one have prayse of God The Lord bestoweth his graces upon men not onely for their own good but for the good of others also and that as otherwise so for the manifesting and shewing forth the vertues of him who hath called them out of darknes into his marveylous light Who must therefore provide carefully both to be as they appear for their own comfort and to appear as they are to the glory of God and good of men Yet so as their first and greatest care herein be that their appearances be not above their existences and that they make shew of no more then they have As in the outward estate it is the high way to povertie or worse for a mans expences to exceed his receipts his layings out his comings in so in the spirituall course to overstreyn in outward manifestations is a way tending to all impudent and desperate hypocrisie under a form of godlynes without the power thereof And for other gifts as knowledg wisdom learning eloquence or the like he that in the manifestation of them will streyn above his reach may easily crack his credit and make himself ridiculous to others like the stage-player who with too much wypeing of his borrowed beard puls it from his face and so bewrayes his bare chin And though a forth-putting man play his part so well as many do that he not onely satisfy but draw into admiration his simple spectators who cannot discern between shadow and body yet shall he hardly or not at all escape the censure of vayn-glorious and arrogant by more judicious men We are oftens angry and offended at others for wronging us by conceaving a worse opinion of us then we deserv whereas in right we should be angry at our selvs for giving them occasion so to judg by our ill and suspicious appearances For albeit thereby he whose heart and way is upright in Gods sight loose not his comfort with him who sees the heart yet by his misappearances made in word or deed he may justly forfeyt his credit with men to whom it apperteyns to judg of the tree by the fruit or leavs or any other outward mark or note rayther then by the sap Cunning naughtines hath oftens more credit in the world then unadvised honestie CHAP. XLV Of Offences IT must needs be considering mans frailty Sathans mallice and Gods providence that offences come sayth Christ our Lord but wâ— be to the person by whom they come Wo be to him first that gives offence next to him that takes it where he should not as the same our Lord teacheth els where saying Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me that is who takes not occasion of stumbling to hinder himself in the way of godlynes eyther at my person or doctrine or works or followers or at the persequutions and contradictions raysed against me and myne by myne and their adversaries And considering how many such like stumbling stones are in the narrow way of Christ which leads unto life he is a happy man indeed that hath eyther power to remove them or wisdom to decline from them or nimblenes of grace to leap over them Offence may be given where none is taken as in such evill actions as whereby others may or might be but are not provoked to evill and so Peter was an offence or scandall to Christ Or offence may be taken where none is given and so Christ and the gospell were a stone of stumbling and rock of offence to both the houses of Israel and so are many good and lawfull things yea necessarie also to many now Offence also may both be given and taken in the same action and that eyther in things simply evill as when one provokes and an other is provoked to evill by false doctrine corrupt counsayl ill example or the like or in things of indifferent nature but unseasonably used to the effectuall hindrance of others in the way of godlynes In such cases as I last mentioned offence is given through want of charitie and taken through want or weaknes of fayth in the particular God would have us walk in fayth towards him and love towards men that so doing we may neyther offend God nor men But these two which the Lord hath joyned together Sathan would not onely disjoyn in many but so oppose as eyther may oppresse or destroy other Hence some are so strong in fayth and zealous for faythfulnes towards God as they are lifted up above charitie towards men not considering how they ought to receav the weak and bear and forbear them yea apply unto them in many things and drive according to their pace as fearing to offend one of those litle ones And though we may
so far to have respect to that of persons as to hate evill most in them whose persons we most love and so in our wives children and friends more then in strangers and in our selvs most of all And he that hath not learnt to bear things amisse in others which he will not bear in himself hath eyther too much fleshly zeal or too litle spirituall or both which two oftens lodg in one breast by which it comes to passe that many are earnest to pluck the moat out of their brothers eye that perceav not the beam in their own Notwithstanding as it doth not detract eyther from the dignitie or necessitie of naturall heat in our bodyes that there is found in some an agueish and unnaturall heat far greater then the naturall so neyther in truth and just valuation of things doth it derogate from the excellencie and necessitie of the heat of true zeal and life of grace in the godly consisting therein that many are zealous amisse whether knowing and so deceaving others or not knowing and so deceaving themselvs of what spirit they are CAP. LI. Of Hypocrisie HYpocrites have their names from stage-players as rayther playing then working that which is good and vertuous and the same onely upon the stage and to please lookers on And as amongst stage-players the same persons act divers parts at divers times and those very different one from another so is it with the actions of hypocrites They hold no correspondencie one with another but some of them cover and others discover their masters shame as Noahs sons did their fathers And as such persons are never constant for none can long play the counterfeyt untyred so neyther are they free in any one kinde of good but have a goodnes rayther like the water in a dead pit forced out at tymes with buckets then of a living spring which sends out its streams freely and constantly Yea further as Iacob though for his fathers blessing he covered his hands and neck very cunningly was bewrayed by his tongue and voyce so hardly can a counterfeyt carry his matters so close but that oft times even in one and the same work there will be found a jarr of the parts one with another so as eyther the tongue will check the hands or the hands the tongue or both mutually to the shewing and shaming of all When great hypocrites and deep dissemblers are left of God to fall into any grosse or scandalous evill they seldom or never recover their former shew of religion neyther as one sayth will the lambs skin which the wolf wears being once shorn ever grow agayn but God in judgment leaving them in some speciall temptation to grosse wickednes in which they loose their credit in the world which alone they sought and so break the hedg which formerly restreyned them doth punish their former close dissimulation with after open profanenes Young hypocrites commonly prove old Atheists It may well be sayd as it is in the Proverb that Hypocrisie is spun with a fine thread considering how hypocrites deceav and over-reach others and oft times weaker persons those that are wiser then they how much more considering how thereby they deceav themselvs In which latter there is a transgression and evill both in deceaving and being deceaved For albeit a man may often without sin be deceaved by another yet never so by himself seeing the spirit of a man may if it do not alwayes know the things of a man This self deceavablenes ariseth in men eyther from presumption when they think they need not or from slouth that they will not take the payns or from an evill conscience that they dare not trye and examine themselvs and their works and estates with God as they ought Besides hypocrites by false appearances getting credit with others come to esteem themselvs better then they are because others esteem them so This hypocrisie is indeed not onely a base but a foolish evill Base in dissembling the evill which it hath and is ashamed of and in counterfeyting the good which it hath not and is ashamed to seem to want And therefore notably proud people scorning as they use to boast to dissemble seldom come under this coat but do usually appear to men as voyd of grace and goodnes as they are before God Foolish it is if in nothing els yet in covering from men that evill which God seeth and hateth and will punish with infinitely greater both losse and shame and torment then any or all men will or can and not onely the evill dissembled but therewith the dissimulation also which men legally do not Great must the hypocrites portion be in Gods plagues with whom as the principall the apparantly evill as but an accessorie hath his portion appointed It is one thing to doe a work in hypocrisie which onely hypocrites doe and an other thing to do it with hypocrisie which is still ready alasse to mingle it self with the work of Gods grace in all our best actions as Tobyah and the rest of the heathen would have mingled themselvs with the Lords people in the building of his temple The same may be sayd of unbelief indevotion the like corruptions It is no marvayl that Atheist and Epicures judg all that make shew of pietie and godlynes specially above the size custome of the times conceipted fantasticall and very hypocrites seeing they measure others by themselvs And knowing that if they should make the semblance of godlines which the others do it should be no better in them then hypocrisy and fancie they conclude the same roundly upon others from their own premises And of this they are also desirous to perswade both themselvs and others Themselvs for a kinde of envious comfort in evill that others are as ill as they and for their own hardning out of that imagination Others for their miserable credit when they are not thought leaud alone They being themselvs Sadâ—cees would fayn think others have them thought Pharisees by others A tang of this also is to be found even in them who are not voyd of all goodnes towards such as a litle overstep them in the wayes of godlynes Though hypocrisie be in it self a verie odious thing and so evill as it corrupts all good in him in whom it reigns making both his works of devotion and of mercy abhominable to the Lord yet considering how litle true good is in the world it were well for others at least that there were more hypocrisie in many then there is Which would help both to represse in them many grosse enormities for shame and to keep credit with men which now shamelesly they practise and also provoke them to many outward good works for the good of others at the least which now they wholy and boldly neglect in professed godlesnes and dishonesty Besides hypocrisie yeilds though it intend it not a full and loud testimonie to true vertue and godlines seeing
and in them the last onely reigns To fear sin more then punishment which they of the last sort do is to love God more then our selvs On the contrarie to fear punishment more then sin which the second disposition leads to is to love our selvs more then God considering that by sin God is offended and we by punishment and that sin in the committing of it seems good to us and ill to God and that punishment in the exequuting of it is good in respect of Gods justice though evill to our sense The holy fear of God the Scriptures put many times for the whole service of God as being a generall vertue diffusing it self into all the parts thereof For we must trust to God with fear love him with fear obey him with fear and in conscience and consideration of his excellencie our own frailtie work out our salvation with fear and trembling that is do all things tending thereunto with that affection of heart And considering our boldnes as king Saul sayth of himself to step aside to our destruction it is worthily advertised by the wise man that he is blessed who feareth alwaies that is who sets himself in Gods sight continually making him the judg of all his wayes and works out of a serious consideration within himself unto what sin and miserie for sin he is exposed poore creature as he is Besides this fear of God is called the beginning of wisdom and that partly because the true reverence of his Majestie in the heart makes a man carefull and studuous to know and do the things which please him and to avoyd the contrarie as also for that God blesseth such an affection with good understanding and reveals his secrets to them that fear him Whereas on the other side a prophane heart is commonly punished with a foolish head and minde void of discerning specially in particulars what is good or evill God would have them that hearken unto him not onely safe but also secure and quiet from fear of hurt and evill For which purpose the Scriptures so oft both exhort them not to fear and propound arguments of encouragement unto them Not to exempt their hearts wholly from fear for that were to exalt them above the condition of mortall and frayl men but so far to bring that unruly passion under the regiment of fayth as that by it a man be not drawn to do any thing evill and unlawfull nor to forbear any requisite good in his place nor to be divided in his heart nor to shame himself nor to discourage others in that which is good It is wisdom for us so farr to fear an evill as to quicken our carefull use of all good means to escape it or being a crosse inevitable to prepare us the more patiently to bear it as not comeing unlooked for In which regard Christ spake to his disciples before hand of their approaching persequutions that when they came they should not be offended And further to fear evill is an evill both of sin and punishment and that of unbeleif specially if being hindred by fear we dare not doe that which apperteyns to our calling or be driven by it to do that which becomes not pietie Otherwise to be fearfull of heart and yet not to be overcome by it more commends a man then if he were without fear This fear though it be something excessive if not extream hath this good in it that it makes a man the more circumspect and causeth him to call his wits and other helps about him as men in danger use to doe It helps in deliberation and preparation though it hinder something in exequution But and if it once get dominion over a man and rule in him there is no such cruell and tyrant-like master within or without him It makes him cruell and a tyrant to others from whom it may any way be suspected that danger can come unto him and provokes to the oppression of whatsoever is in his way Neyther yet doth it exercise lesse tyranny over the fearfull himself It bereavs him of the use of understanding drives sleep from his eyes which sorrow procures disables the tongue from speaking and all the other parts of the body from doing their office by withdrawing the blood and spirits from them to the affrighted heart And whereas men by serious consideration and thought of things in hand are holpen against most other affections the objects of fear the more they are mynded and thought upon are the more terrible Some have through extreamitie of fear become grey-headed in a week or two as one M. Baâ—ning of â—ondon as I have heard and some in one night as is testified of the Duke of Mantuaâ—s â—â—â—sman Fâ—aâ—â—â—s us Gonzaga unto whom being committed to prison vpon suspicion of reason thought and care in one night brought grey hayr by subduction of nourishment And if we would further and in another and worse kinde take knowledg of this tyrants cruelty in constreyning even good men to do evill we may see Abraham for fear denying his wife David his reason Peter his master Christ in his person and many continually in his truth lesse or more He is a man that can overcome excessive fear by reason but a child of God that can overcome iâ— by true and sound fayth in Gods good providence over him Some though lambs amongst lyons yet are lyons amongst lambs feirce and terrible towards their underlings which cannot or dare not resist them and like the young ruffian in the Poet thaâ— shâ—wed his courage in beating a sillâ—-woman and poore bond slave that durst not strike again Such beleev not or forget that they have a mayster in heaven whose terrours if they knew with the Apostle they durst not in such sort be terrible unto others There are many governers in families and common wealths who if difference arise between them of the last sort and their subjects or between them of the first and their wives children and servants will dominere marveylously and be so stout and stern as if they were made of iron and steel Whereas on the contrarie if they have to doe with such as stand upon even ground with them specially such as have a liâ—le the higher ground they shâ—w all cowardize and base fear suffering them even to play with their noses Such a one was Reâ—oboam who spake â—oâ—ghly to the people under him but had no courage against the king of Egipt and so litle against Ieroboam that rebelled against him as that his own son Abijah taxed him of tendernes that is feeblenes of heart after his death Such another also was Naball so evill that none of his servants or family or others of whom he was secure might speak to him but perceaving himself to have been in danger though it were over by David whom and whose men he had rated and reviled in his druncken securitie at the very
pressed with great burdens of temptations in a kinde of abjectnes of minde to moulder away and make their gold litle better then drosse by undervaluing Gods goodnes towards them Such are unthankfull to God uncomfortable in themselvs and unprofitable unto others in comparison Besides there is an humble hypocrisy when men so subjâ—ct themsâ—lvs to others specially superiours as they reverence their viâ—es or suffer their reason more if their fayth and consciences to be captived to their lusts And hence comes the worshiping of Angels and other poynts of will worship in which the shâ—w of â—isdom in the inventers imposers and of humilitie in the followers bear â—wâ—y Lastly there is a desperate humilitie when out of an evill and accusing conscience a man knows and judges himself out of Gods favour and a vile person But now the most of this humilitie hath joyned with it no small pride That of the first kinde is very rare and the infinitely more common and dangerous disease is the overswelling of the heart through excesse of self-love and presumption Self-love disposeth a person to think himself and to desire to be thought of others to have the excellency which he hath not Herewith the minde is easily corrupted and vayn man induced to presume of that goodnes in himself which he wants and to be lifted up with that which he hath Many by stouping loose of their bodily height but few stoop too low in conceipt of themselvâ— Yet as Christ Iesus ceased not to be God though he humbled himself to the taking upon him the form of a servant so neyther is any man eyther in truth or account of God or good men the lesse but much the more excellent for his lowly appearance to himself or others Yea as the same Christ our Lord stepped from the shamefull crosse to the height of his glory and exaltation so he that will make any high building in christianitie must first think of and lay this low foundation of humilitie This lowlynes of minde is the mother of meeknes as Christ insinuates saying Learn of me for I am lowly and meek The humbly-mynded if a crosse come or injurie be offered bears them moderately as thinking moderately of himself yea meanly in regard of his sins and the miserie to which they expose him The proud through want of consciousnes hereof if he be a litle crossed is feirce and violent â—ove dignas concipit iras What He A man of his worth so to be used specially by such a one And as the boar wheâ—s and sharpens his â—uskes in his own foam so doth a proud person whet and sharpen his heart hands and tongue to indignation and revenge in the froathy and foamish imagination of his own worth Seeing that in evill dayes the meek and milde in spirit following Christs example who was as a lamb dumb before the shearer not opening his mouth are in danger not onely to be shorn but to be flayed also the most in the wisdom and lust of the flesh think it better to â—owl with the wolves and to byte too then by departing from evill specially by bearing wrongs patiently to make themselvs a pray But here fayth steps in and leads the meek to Gods promises that he shall inherit the earth and that God will arise to judgment to save all the meek of the earth and that he will see and hear and in due time right the wrongs of meek Moses though he passe them by and as a deaf man hears not But for the violent and self-avenger he puts himself out of Gods protection and goes upon his own hazzard As the stommack swels eyther with good meat excessively used or with winde and ill humours so there is â—carse any thing eyther so good or so evill but mans corrupt heart takes occasion of prydeing and puffing up its self by it The prophet speaks of some who boasted in evill and the Apostle of others whose glorying was in their shame If former ages have been bold ours is impudent this way in which it is hard to say whether the pride which persons take in good or in evill be greater Many shame not to boast of the evils practised by them which modest men are ashamed to hear of and some of the evils which they never did nor dare nor can doe thereby to get credit with vayn persons If pride in good be hatefull it is abhominable in evill specially when men bely themselvs to get matter of glorying in mischief as Austin confesseth he in his youth had done Fools glory in their moâ—ley coats and therein shew why they wear them But worse then mad are they who glory in sin and are lift up for that which cast the Angels from heaven Adam out of Paradise and Nabuchadnezzar out of his kingdom amongst the beasts of the feild and which will cast all into hell that delight in it As wicked men pride themselvs in their evils so are the good in danger to be enamoured of their goodnes And as he that beseigeth a cittie if he can neyther obteyn it by composition nor take it by assault nor constreyn it by hunger will in the last place if he can undermine and blow it up with gunpouder So our and Gods enemy Sathan when he cannot corrupt or destroy Gods servants otherwise attempts and that oft successively the lifting them up with vayn conceiptednes of themselvs and their own worth The holy Apostle was in danger to be exalted above measure with the number of revelations for the preventing whereof he needed a messenger of Sathan to buffet him So God for the keeping and driveing of pride from his servants sometimes brings great afflictions upon them and humbles them thereby and sometimes he doth this by suffering them to fall into other sins to remedy that greater sin of pride as men use to drive out a greater pin with another somewhat smaller How close doth this corruption cleav unto us and how dangerous is it withall for the purging out of which the Lord useth such a medicine There are in this pride many strange touches some being proud in and some of their humilitie Of the first sort were they who being vaynly puffed up by their fleshly mindâ— in voluntarie humblenes worshâ—ped Angels From a touch of this kinde Peter was not free when he so refrâ—ctâ—rily refused to suffer Christ to wash his feet There is also danger of being proud of not being proud nor â—oftie in caryage apparaell or contempt of inferiours and of being called rayther goodman then mayster and rayther mayster then Sir knight Besides all these many will goe on their tiptoes though barefoot being proud of no man knows what eyther within or without them and none more then they There want not also amongst the rest who put out pride to usurie that by forbearing it a while and uâ—ing for it humble and submissive appearances they might after