righteousnesse of another hath blotted much Paper and stained yea spoyled all our good workes I should also speak something touching the necessitie of defiling that monster so Luther calls it and these gods before pointed at for if that be not done nothing is done and if that be done all is done if the Idols in the heart are cast out thence and defiled stocks and stones cannot stand before the eye they shall be defiled too but as the saying is this is all the labour this the worke indeed I can say but this to it in reference to Pauls words and Luthers after him Gal. 1.15 See Luther his excellent Exposition thereon When God is pleased what for my pharisaicall Religion or my blamelesse life in my conceit for my prayers fastings and good workes No much lesse then for my abominations my doting upon my Idols every thing my heart could delight in Is He pleased with this No how then For His merce grace alone to reveale His Sonne unto me When I shall turne indeed and indeed from Idols and my face from all my abominations then I am sure for so it hath beene and so it is with all the faithfull and true Penitents so they and so I shall loath my Gods and my selfe because I made them so Ezek. 6.9 20.43 Then my heart must defile his Idols and when the heart doth it then it is done But here the heart will stand out maintayning his strong holds while it hath a being in its selfe and upon his owne bottome he will maintaine his Idol as long as he can and maintaine war against him that would destroy it and take it away I goe on to make yet more manifest those thoughts of heart about this defiling worke which may yeeld us a good understanding of our Selves and of the Times and then I am at my Marke the White I aime at and would carry all unto SECT XIII The heart to maintaine its Idoll maintaines warre against him that would smite at it and defile the same He will not yeeld up his strong hold while he hath a being in himselfe TIme was when I thought I could reade another mans heart better then mine owne and others to be mad and my selfe a sober man I looked into the second Chapter of Exodus and found an Iraelite there I thought if there were a man in the world at that time mad and beside himselfe that was he Moses would have given him good counsell and have reformed him how doth he accept of such a kindnesse for truly he that seekes to reforme me does me the greatest kindnesse that can be imagined for he that would destroy my Idol would save my soule How doth that Israelite accept the kindnesse of his friend As we read Intendest thou to kill me Exod. 2.14 There we may observe how hee requited the loving kindnesse of a friend he counted reforming a killing it was a death to him to bee counselled and reformed he was not himselfe sure when he spake so and so I thought See now how I could judge another man to be mad who stands or falls to his owne Master there is no man if the Lords hand hath not beene upon his heart to tame it somewhat and bring it into order but is as stout and mad as was he nay more besides himselfe then was that Israelite because he may have a greater light to walke by than had that Israelite for he lived in Egypt we live in the Goshen of the world This then is the conclusion That the heart standing in its old posture and frame setled upon its owne bottome and principles stands as opposite to reformation or sound counsell I will take the former word all along as the two poles which the Astronomers call in English North and South or as are life and death And the demands of the one from the other are as contrary too and must be so And it is as impossible for man nay for all the men on the earth to make a good understanding betwixt these two Reformation and the Heart as to bring the North and the South together those two poles which stand at an eternall opposition or to make an agreement betwixt the Temple of God and Idolls fire and water life and death Jer. 17. my heart tells me and though he be the greatest imposture in the world yet you and I may beleeve him now as you will beleeve the words of a dying man for then hee is serious that reformation is a kinde of killing it is a mortification a crucifying the words sound like Latine more plainly it is a death it defiles my Idols it starves my gods you may say to him that will reforme you indeed nay if the heart be not over powred then you will say as the Israelite did intendest thou to kill me And hee will answer if hee meâ—nes to doe his office to purpose yes that he will he will kill thee if he can he hath a mind to it he will kill in me and thee that which we call selfe nay he will deale cruelly with us he will plucke away our gods which are as deare unto us as our right eye and arme This is a killing a death sure enough 1 King 22 Truely the heart is so contrary to it to reformation I meane as the bad King was to the honest Prophet one against foure hundred the heart hateth it and will oppose it while it hath a being in it selfe why for saith the heart Reformation intends no good concerning mee but evill though indeed it intends nothing but good to me For it would defile my Idols and starve my Gods but that is a death I can no more heare of it than Pilat could what truth was he asked the question Joh. 18.38 what is truth and turned his backe upon it not staying the answer and so did most contrary to truth so will the heart doe The heart may aske what is Reformation what is it to d file an Idoll But the heart will not abide the answer I would be understood in this point and that a child in understanding might conceive me thus If reformation comes towards the heart it seemes to march furiously like Jehu slashing and killing where it comes as if it would not spare any one Image or Image server It will cast downe all the Idolls before the eyes and cast out all the gods out of the heart Death seemeth to march along with it where it comes for it takes away all life from the course of the world wherein I walked All delight from the beggerly rudiments and old customes of the times wherein before I tooke pleasure it drawes forth my hand to remove the stumbling blocke before my eyes and commands my heart to defile all my Idolls there and that is a perfect death indeed I say a perfect death so farre as reformation is perfected and the heart flies from it as from death it cannot abide so much as to
to the mind of God and understanding of the Godly THis will suffice for the former yeare and fill up two Columnes of the Pillar But what hath the Lord done for His people this present yeare which may now be recorded with rejoycing We must answer what ever adversary or friend saith to the contrary Great things therefore must the Citie continue the Records for behold mercies after mercies and loving kindnesses have followed loving kindnesses as the waves of the Sea It is asked where are they for hearke what a great Clerke saith and a Master in Israel Things are as they were nay much worse reformation of corruptions hath beene endeavoured with much zeale and diligence yet the end not attained Nay in some respects it is so farre set backe that in my understanding the state of Religion hath never beene worse since the first reformation then this present yeare What respects these follow in respect of first the greatnesse of destractions which have divided us all one from another then Secondly multitude of Sects and Sectaries c. Thirdly dishonours done to the service of God with so much scorne and scandall to Religion that in forraigne parts they question whether all this time we have had any so abruptly he breakes off Upon easie search we may finde these words towards the end of a Sermon printed very lately at Cambridge I must ponder them whether they hold weight at the Sanctuary whether the Doctor speake according to his charge as the Oracles of God 1 Pet. 4.11 I say I must doe it for it is much against my spirit to fill up this yeare with Ciphers to make it a Leape yeare as if God had done nothing this yeare worthy to be written upon the Pillar the Citie stands charged to raise up now to the glory of her God We take then a second view of the Doctors words he saith Obj. Notwithstanding the much zeale of our Nobles and worthies he meanes and diligence things are much worse then they were Answ Here is a confusion indeed for here is much zeale and as much diligence and yet things much worse I hope things are but in an appearance so but I answer the much zeale first where that is there will be much diligence I will be pretty confident the Doctor doth not fault the zeale as too much But as the man of God a Master and Seer in Israel greatly affected with the House and Cause of his God hee would have commended the reformers zeale the more if it had beene much more more hot and boyling against the light Prophets and treacherous Priests their Idols and Idoll services That is his meaning we hope and we must deale tenderly therewith as with the eye and conscience and give the fairest interpretation thereof That it grieves him to the heart that the successe answers not that the end is not attained the filthinesse is not carried out of the Temple nor are those Priests cast out thence nor are their Idols defiled But touching all this he can consider and comfort himselfe in these words That as God hath accepted a zeale for the building of His house though nothing was done there 1 King 8.18 so will He accept much zeale for the reformation of corruptions there though the end bee not presently attained Surely the Lord takes it kindly that it was in the hearts of the reformers to do yet more for Gods house and to shew much zeale there Let reformers quit themselves in point of zeale and deligence that they have laboured in singlenesse of affection and uprightnes of heart then though their end should faile and the time should be deferred yet they shall not faile of comfort Men must part their care so as to take upon them onely the care of dutie and leave the rest to God They must make good their ends and the meanes they have used in confident assurance that God will make good the issue and turne all to the best And this is a comfortable consideration even now for they that have given all diligence about Temple worke have not lived to see the end attained And hee that had shewed much zeale there thought verily that his very zeale for God and His house would occasion his death Good man he thought himselfe left alone upon the earth 1 King 19. and O that his good Lord for whom hee was so jealous would take away his life and not leave his soule among Lions for them to teare the Cawle of his heart so dismaid and heartlesse have good men beene sometimes when they have beene upon Temple-worke contending for God against Baall and his Priests But note wee this here That never any man from that time to this day did comment upon Elijahs zeale saying It was too much and he was served in his kind that would contend with Princes and beare up against winde and tide No man was so mad and left of his wits and destitute of understanding that would blame the Prophets much zeale and diligence for God and His House when he was in his fainting fits No There is no other use of all this but that which the Apostle makes for the comfort of all those that have much zeale and are jealous for the Lord of Hosts Heb. 10.35,36 Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward For yee have need of Patience that after you have done the will of God ye might receive the promise This is the Cordiall Reformers must take after they have taken much paines and have beene very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts when yet things in appearance seeme much worse In the second place I must answer those men who may be charitable men too yet not acquainted with the Doctors Zeale about Cloysters and Cloyster-men those Abbies and Abby-lubbers who eate the fat and drinke the sweet caring for the body onely and no farther what betides to the precious soules I say not acquainted with the Man and his known zeale concerning these places and persons they may read the Doctors words backwa d as if the much zeale of the Reformes grieved the Doctor more then the end not attained And that is it which pincheth others also and so they lay the blame upon much zeale that things are worse worse To these men I answer I hope not so things doe but seeme so to be in a worse condition then formerly but suppose they are so shall we blame Reformation or Reformers for this their much zeale and diligence God forbid If there bee any want as sure there is in the best man living it is want of zeale and of double diligence for the service of God which we shall never call the Liturgy The want if any is this that they have not wrought through worke in Temple-worke and for the cause of God That they have not carried out the filthinesse out of the temple which is the prime and chiefe worke ever and cast out those