and true Goodness How can ye believe says our Savior and 't is the same Case with all other discountenanced and exploded Duties who receive honour one of another and seek not the honour which comes from God only Joh. 5.44 The chief Rulers even when convinced in their Consciences would not confess Christ because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God Joh. 12.42 43. And if I yet pleased men saith St. Paul I should not be the Servant of Christ Gal. 1.10 He that will be Good therefore and truly wise for God must arm against Censure and be content as Christ and his Apostles and the best men in all times were to hear himself call'd by hard Names and pass through good and ill Report 2 Cor. 6.8 Nay in trying Times especially if his Statioâ— is any ways publick it is scarce possible to avoid it but in seeking to shun he would tho in a 〈◊〉 measure run upon it For whilst for striking iâ— with the Crowd he is cryed up by those who arâ— in the Wrong he must expect tâ— be cryed dowâ— by those who are in the Right whose applause tho it makes less Noise yet ought to be of moâ—â— Moment We must not be dismay'd then becausâ— the World is against a thing but because there 〈◊〉 just Reason for it to be so We must not begin 〈◊〉 because it is commended nor give over a Dutâ— or Good thing because it is decryed We musâ— resolve to look what pleases God not what 〈◊〉 please the Multitude and then we are wise foâ— God not foolish for the Company of Simplâ— men and like to do what we ought to do Next to this of Pleasing God is Pleasing theâ—â— own Good Conscience And this is subordinate to thâ— former and a Consequent thereof since we caâ— never in Conscience be pleased with our Selves but when we think God is pleased with us Thâ—â— is a most wise End and of mighty importance 〈◊〉 be satisfied with our selves Without this we caâ— have no Happiness If we are discontented 〈◊〉 our minds whatever is without us can neveâ— please us Nothing makes us happy further thaâ— we are pleas'd with it and we can have no truâ— Relish of Pleasure in other Things whilst we 〈◊〉 uneasie and displeased with our selves Better all the World should be angry with us than God and our own Conscience So that the Wisdom which would secure the Power and Honour and afford us the Comfort and Pleasure of Religion must always propose to it self the Doing what will Please God and thereby our own Consciences And whether or no we have Done what we know is pleasing to him Spiritual Prudence sends us to learn not from others but from within our selves This is our rejoycing says S. Paul the testimony of our Conscience that in Simplicity and Godly Sincerity not with fleshly Wisdom but the Grace of God we have had our Conversation in the World 2 Cor. 1.12 And this is the great happiness of all upright Walkers that all their Comforts are from a Witness within themselves If our own Heart Condemn us not then have we Confidence towards God 1 John 3.21 Our own heart is near us So that at any time when we please we may ask it the Question It is Privy to all our Actings So that whensoever we enquire it can answer us And we are as privy to its Answers So that we need not go to learn of any what return is made to us Such is the Advantage of having this to learn from the Testimony of our own Hearts and Consciences And to their Testimony God and Spiritual Wisdom send us in this case For when the Question is about our own Actings the Things of a Man as the Scripture says are best known to the Spirit of the Man himself 1 Cor. 2.11 Tho we Do not know so much of others Yet under God we are all able to tell the most of our selves and no one else can say so much as our own Bosoms So that we must not fetch our Rejoycing from the Censures and Commendations of others nor be Chearful or Dejected according as they surmise or think of us But according as we know by our own selves It may be they are rash and unjust in their Censures and judge us unheard as indeed they are oft aptest to condemn us who know least of us But if all the while our own Conscience can testifie 't is otherwise we may say with S. Paul 't is a very small thing with me that I should be judged of you or of mans judgment 1 Cor. 4.3 If all the World speaks well what is that if we are accused in our own Consciences And if we are acquitted there that is worth ten thousand Witnesses and what signifie all their Accusations Let us take care therefore to Live so as that we may be well Reported of in our own Breasts and we need not look out for Comforts from the Opinions and Reports of others To know what is in us for our Joy or Sorrow we must not take our Account from Strangers we are best known to our own selves But now quite contrary to all this is the way of Fleshly Wisdom It s care and aim is not how to please God but how to come off among men It is more concerned for what is like to anger and offend them than for what will offend him As the Chief Rulers who believing in Christ knew to own him was most pleasing to God But yet did not confess him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue Jo. 12.42 It is for suiting its Carriage not to the Reality of things but to their Diseased Opinions It s Maxim is not to side with the Truth but to swim with the Stream It is for Doing what is in vogue and seeming to approve what is by most applauded whether it be good or bad It will assert an ill Cause when the Multitude are for it and desert a good Cause when 't is generally decryed It will renounce any Duty or Virtue when 't is exploded Strike in with the Oppressors of much envyed and hated Persons when they are trampled under foot tho it happens to know they are innocent or knows not that they are in fault or however faulty they are in other things tho it believes they are greatly wronged in the present Case and suffer against Justice it will always run along with all the Violences of the time And that as seeking not what is really good but what other men think and call so not as studying to please God but to Live at quiet and please the World steering all its Course not by Truth and Virtue which are a certain fix'd thing always one and the same but by the uncertain Blast of Popularity or vulgar Opinion Agreeable to this we may observe it is the Rule of worldly wise men to stand for Virtue and Duty not when it has few Friends and they must practise it
shall briefly observe how we are taught all this both to keep to one way and to shun the other in St. Paul's Practice For this is the Account which that blessed Apostle gives of himself Our Rejoying is this the Testimony of our Conscience that in Simplicity and Godly Sincerity not with Fleshly Wisdom but by the Grace of God we have had our Conversation in the World 2 Cor. 1.12 He Disclaims having had any Conversation by Fleshly Wisdom i. e. by having suited his Conversation to Fleshly Ends or Governing himself by Fleshly Methods Wisdom is seen in proposing of Ends and in choice of Means And Fleshly Wisdom is such as is fittest for Fleshly Purposes pursuing Fleshly Ends by Fleshly Courses especially by Deceit and Craftiness By Fleshly Wisdom he here means not Eloquence but Wickedness and Craftiness says Theodorit And to pursue all Things to Deal and Converse with all Persons of this World by Fleshly Wisdom is to serve the Ends or Appetites of our Flesh by them to take up at every turn with such things as are easiest to Flesh and Blood or make most for it and to compass them as need is by any Method especially by Craft and Deceit So that then men Converse by Fleshly Wisdom when they Govern their Conversations by Fleshly Considerations and Worldly Maxims and Compâ—ss their Ends by Unlawful and Deceitful ways and steer their Course in every thing they do or meet withall in this World as may give them most and best enjoyment of Worldly Things And this all they count wise who are fixt to this World and look no further But this the Blessed Apostle tell us was not his measure not by Fleshly Wisdom But by the Grace of God That is bâ— Religion or the Rules of the Gospel which is called the Grace of God as Containing his Graciâ—â—â—â—â—â—lings and Intentions towards us and aâ— both Declaring to us what we should Do and Offering us Grace whereby to Do it The Grace of God bringing Salvation teaches us c. saith St. Paul i. e. the Gospel doth Tit. 2.11 So that his Conversation he ordered all along not aâ— might get him or keep him most ease and interest in this World but as might best secure his innocence in every thing and the Rules of Religion His chief Care was at all times and in every Action to Do his Duty to keep the Orders and serve the Honour of Christianity All his Study and Deliberation was as a Man of another World not of this as one that sought to save his Soul not to pamper his Body what way he might be most innocent and holy not what would make him a more wealthy worldly easie or happy Person If a way or thing was never so cross to his Worldly Interests and to the Cravings of the Flesh to Discharge his Duty and keep a Good Conscience he would take or Do it And in any thing if a Duty was called for by the Gospel or the Grace of God for any Considerations of this World he would not forego it Not in Fleshly Wisdom but in Simplicity and Godly Sincerity which I have before explained at large and by the Grace of God or Rules of the Gospel I have had my Conversation in the World Lastly I shall Note the Comfort and Satisfaction he found in all this This is our Rejoycing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Glory and Triumph the Testimony of our Conscience c. Such a Cause of Rejoycing his Conversing in all Things without Fleshly Wisdom and by the Grace of God proved to him most fully afterwards But whilst he was Practising this Rule though he had plenty of inward Comforts and Satisfaction yet he found outward Trouble enough therein As he had no regard for this World or for the Rules of Fleshly Wisdom So had this World no more Favour or Regard for him All this time whilst he held on in the way of Simplicity and of the Grace of God he run through as much Rage and Rudeness and Persecutions of the World as any man This indeed was one thing he was still sure of and the great exercise of his Life in every Place So the Holy Ghost as he says witnessed to him that in every City Bonds and Afflictions abode or waited for him Act. 20.23 Nay these he met with in the highest Degrees Conflicting not only with the Malice but with the Downrighâ— Rage and Madness of the People They were ready to tread him Down like Dirt under their Feet and valued him no more than the sweepings of the Streets We are saith he as the Filth of the World and as the off-scouring of all things unto this Day 1 Cor. 4.13 Here had he need enough to betake himself from Simplicity and the strict Rules of the Gospel or Grace of God to Fleshly Wisdom could any thing on Earth have driven him thereto And he met with outward Trouble and Sorrow enough for his Conscientious and Religious Stiffness that he would not And yet after all this he doth not in the least Repent of all his Sufferings nay were they all to be suffer'd over again or as many more set before him he is as ready as ever he was to hold on still in the same Course He looks upon those Sufferings in this way with other eyes than common Spectators do rating them as Favours and the truest matter of Glorying and Joy His Case all this while seemed most miserable to others but they saw only the outside and viewed it at a distance whereas in truth it was all the time happy to himself The Pains of his Sufferings were soon gone but the Peace and Joy thereof were lasting Whilst the Pains and Troubles were most pressing upon him he had still a stream of inward Joys and Consolations coming in that did refresh and support him under them God comforting him as he says in all his Tribulations and still as the Sufferings of Christ abounded in him so his Consolations also in Proportion abounding by Christ 2 Cor. 1.4 5 But though these Joys came with his Sorrows yet they did not vanish with them but staid and stuck by him afterwards for a full and abundant Compensation And this is the Comfort of all truly Religious and upright Sufferers as this Holy Apostle was they are best pleased with themselves when others are most displeased with them Though they have not the Joys of this World yet they have Joy in it Joy whilst they lose the good things thereof yea therefore joy because they lose them and still a greater measure of joys the greater their loss is if it be for Discharging a Good Conscience towards God or for keeping the Rules of Righteousness and the Service of Jesus And they have a clear Prospect of most ineffable and lasting Joys so soon as ever the Scene shall change and they shall be taken and removed from hence Come thou Good and Faithful Servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord Mat. 25.21 But
if any means serve the Flesh and be desirable upon that account it little troubles or concerns it self whether it savour of Veracity or Deceit whether in the account of Conscience and Religion it be good or bad Now this virtuous Simplicity is an undisguised and invariable Tenour of Truth and Innocence It excludes all doing hurt and is especially opposite to all the ways and Methods of Deceit It speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nazianzen marks of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Simplicity of his Father i. e. undisguisedness of Soul and unfallaciousness of Manners or Conversation Whatever it seems it is and it never is what will vex or harm others It is â—eracity without Lyes Singleness without Double-dealings or corrupt Mixtures Openness without studied Concealment and close Reserves of what it is call'd to profess Plainness without amusing or misleading Dress of what it professes and Harmlesness without doing any Wrong or Hurt to others Such an uniform Veracity and Undeceitfulness both of Mind and Carriage is that Simplicity which Christian Prudence requires of us And which God calls for when he bids us to throw out all Deceit Mar. 7.22 to lay aside all Guile and Hypocrisies 1 Pet. 2.1 to be no Deceitful workers 2 Cor. 1â— 13 And declares him only to be fit to stay in God's Tabernacle and dwell in his holy Hill who speaketh the Truth in his heart or whose words never go against the thoughts and intents of his Heart but always express and bear out what is there Psal. 15.1 2. 1. The First thing implied in virtuous Simplicity which Christian Prudence injoyns is Veracity in opposition to Falshood and Lyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesychius explains by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being sincere by being true or veracious Simplicity bottoms all on Truth which it never tempers or brews together or daubs over with Falshood He that is for Simplicity in Truth must needs abhor Lyes never speaking contrary to what he thinks which sure is not to speak the Truth in his heart as God requires nor giving in a False Testimony of Persons or Relation of things 1. This will exclude all spontaneous use of False Speeches when of themselves men are ready to frame or tell Lyes for Ends. Contrary to the Rule of Spiritual Wisdom which every where most plainly forbids Lying and says Lye not one to another Brethren seeing ye have put off the Old man Col. 3.9 and tells us of the Lake of Fire for those that love and make Lyes Rev. 21.8 27. And also all speaking Lyes out of Fear or Compliance when for escaping Rebuke or soothing men any Persons expresly assent to things against their own Judgments or say and unsay in different Companies Thus to the Deacons who going about from house to house were like to be under the Temptation to say and unsay or speak different things as might best suit with different Companies St. Paul gives it as a particular Charge not to be double-tongued 1 Tim. 3.8 Nâ—t double-tongued that is says Theophylact 〈◊〉 thinking one thing and saying another or saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one thing to one and another thing to another And to the Ephesians that putting away lying they speak every man truth with his neighbour as being members one of another forbidding Lyes not only in direct Assertions but in Soothing and Dissimulation against those as Grotius observes who to curry Favour with Jews or Gentiles were apt to speak contrary to what they thought Eph. 4.25 'T is not for such virtuously simple Persons to speak Lyes in Officiousness or with intent to hurt none but to do others a kindness For ill is not to be done that good may come of it and therefore to do others a kindness they may no more break this than they may any other Precept The Rule of Kindness to our Neighbour is to love him as our selves but tell a Lye we dare not for the sake of our own Advantage and so not for his Nay we must not tell a Lye in hopes to do good thereby to Religion or for the sake of God himself This really was the Case of Job's Friends They were forgers of lyes against him Job 13.4 But all those were officious Lyes or out of their Officiousness as I before noted to God himself And yet Job's was a just Reproof against them Will ye speak wickedly for God and deceitfully for him v. 7. Veracity or speaking Truth we must carefully practise not only for its Usâ—fulness or doing Kindness but for the Truth 's sake We must bear a conscientious regard to it as it bears the Image of God wherein we were at first formed and whereto we are renewed in Christ. Put on the new man says the Apostle which after God is created in true Holiness or the holiness of Truth Wherefore putting away lying speak every man Truth c. Eph. 4.24 25. God is the God of Truth and of Veracity or true speaking And the Devil God's grand Enemy is particularly noted as the Father of Lyes and a Spirit of Falshood And as the Authors and Heads themselves are so are their Children distinguish'd by the same They that love and speak Truth are Children of the God of Truth as they that love and utter Lyes are Children of the Father of Lyes For his Children they are as our Saviour told the Jews whose works and lusts they do And he abode not in the Truth from the beginning because there is no Truth in him When he speaks a Lye he speaks it of his own for he is a Lyar and the Father of it Joh. 8.39 44. Veracity then or speaking Truth is what we are bound to not only as beneficial to our Neighbours but as resembling God or bearing his Image and being a Divine Perfection And accordingly this is the injunction of the Scriptures not to lye one to another whatever be the Pretence to speak as the Psalmist says that Truth which is in our heart not that Falshood which makes for our Brother's convenience To put away all guile and hypocrisies which admits not of retaining any to serve turns as St. Peter says 1 Pet. 2.1 Some indeed have fetch'd a Plea for Officious Lyes from the Case of the Egyptian Midwives or the Practice of David in his Distress when he fled from Saul or other Scripture-instances But the Practice of a Good Man is no Argument a thing is well done if it be visibly against the Rule of Well-doing No not tho it have encouragement from God as in the Case of the Midwives whose houses God built for their sparing the Israelitish infants For in such mixt Actions a Gracious God is prone to reward the Good which is predominant and over-look the ill which is compassionably interwoven with it as he did with the Midwives if they spoke falsly recompensing their Charity not their officious Falseness Not to dispute whether what they said was really false
to go along with the Relations but with our Interests and fleshly Purposes To be all Kindness whilst we get by men or use them for our own Ends but to cast them off and set nothing by them when we have served our selves of them By all these and such like ways instead of leading a Life uniform and all of a Piece we have two Lives or a Life infinitely multiform and various according to all the Variety and turns of Convenience Having one Life in time of Peace and another in time of Persecution one when we come to get by a Duty another when we are call'd to lose by it one Duty towards a man whilst he pleases but another when he begins to displease us one at home and another abroad one when the Vogue is for a way and another when 't is against it one whilst we have some Turns to serve and another when those Turns are served Now this is not to lead single Lives but double or treble nay to change as oft as Humour Accident Ends or Convenience doth 'T is to be true and constant indeed to our own Humour or Interests but to nothing else It is not to be true to our own Professions and Pretences to make our Lives true to themselves or one part of them true to another And as the Scripture calls them Lying and Deceitful Talkers who speak Corde Corde with an heart and an heart as the Hebrew Phrase is So are they equally Lying and Deceitful Workers who live Vita Vita with a Life and a Life i. e. are Double Livers It is quite contrary to Simplicity Eye-service or having one Practice whilst the Master's Eye is over them and another when it is off them being directly contrary to Service with Singleness of Heart as St. Paul notes in the Case of Servants Eph. 6.5 6. 'T is no shew of single but of double Dealing the instability in all his ways or this Change and Mutability of Life and Practice being the Mark St. James gives of a Double-minded man Jam. 1.8 'T is to expose our selves to the Woes which belong to the Sinner that goes two ways as the Son of Sirach says Ecclus. 2.12 And therefore this Duplicity of Life and Manners must never find place in the Simplicity of Christians But is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or that wicked Versatility of manners and Dexâ—erity in accomodating it self to all Turns whereby the Great St. Basil sets off that evil sort of Prudence which is most quick at espying what is for its worldly Profit and serves its Ends upon the Simple and Well-meaning by Deceit 3. A third Thing implied in Christian Simplicity is Openness in what it declares or ought to profess without Concealments or close Reserves This is another thing which the Scripture understands by and calls for in this virtuous Simplicity Thus St. Paul opposes the Manifestation of the Truth to handling of the Word of God deceitfully 2 Cor. 4.2 By Manifestation of the Truth iâ— meant setting it forth with Openness which would not suffer it any longer to lie hid but make it manifest and apparent to those he had to deal with Yea such Openness as would câ—â—mend them to every mans Conscience in the sight of God i. e. such as every man must needs know was sufficient in his own Conscience which altho for Ends they may sometimes deny in this World yet their Conscience must needs own and give Testimony to when they come to be posed before God Thus when St. Paul alledges the Testimony of his Conscience for his having lived in Simplicity and godly Sincerity 2 Cor. 1.12 St. Chrysostom on the Place explains it by Living with all liberty and having nothing cover'd or â—â—umbrated In Simplicity i. e. without any Hypocrisie or Cover says Photius Thus one thing in the Description of the Simplicity of the Just given by St. Gregory the Great is Sensum verbis aperire to make its Speech or Expression lay open its meaning According to all which Cicero says homo simplex apertus and aperta simplexque mens setting off Simplicity by Openness And Hesychius explains 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sincere by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 manifest or open as well as by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 undeceitful By this Openness we must not understand an obligation to tell all a man knows and to keep nothing secret We must not disclose other mens Secrets when they are intrusted with us And no Good Christian will inform against a Good Man or discover what he knows of him to his Unrighteous Persecutors Nay he will not tell all he knows or publish the Vices of ill men when it serves no End either of their own emendation or giving others warning of them but only to work their Shame and Prejudice We are not to Proclaim all the Good we know by our selves which would be Vanity and Ostentation Nay nor all the ill as our Faults or Imperfections which would be the way in time to be regardless of Censure and throw off all shame and then as the Scripture says we should only declare or publish our Sin like Sodom Isa. 3.9 We are not to make every one acquainted with our Business or to divulge our own Projects and Designs thereby to give them the trouble of our Cares or to provoke malevolent Censures and Oppositions but only as we are led thereto in way of Friendship and Confidence or to seek Advice or for Information of those we are concern'd with or other like reasonable and prudent Inducements In these and a Number of other like Cases 't is not the Part either of a Good or wise man to be open and divulge all he knows but to hide many things and keep them secret 'T is a Fool says the wise Son of Sirach that travails with a word as a woman doth with a child till it be brought forth Whereas wise men are for letting many things dye with them never fearing as the other doth lest a word pent up in their bâ—easts should burst them Ecclus. 19.10 11 12. As it is a Vertue to shew openness of some things So it is a Vertue to shew taciturnity of others There is a time to keep silence as well 〈◊〉 a time to speak saith the Preacher Eccles. 3.7 Indeed it is a Part of great Goodness and Prudence to know when to be silent as well as when to speak and to know not only what can be said but also what may better be omitted and left unsaid in all Cases So that to be open in every thing a man knows and able to hold nothing is not the openness of Simplicity here mention'd which is a virtuous Disposition But this is in what a man is bound and ought to profess there to be open Or where a man pretends or undertakes to inform others and open his own Thoughts there to deal openly and frankly with them Where we either voluntarily undertake to declare