Passions and urge the Patient to Jealousies Railings Fightings which end in Wounds or Death And therefore Pittacus ordained a double punishment to such as were drunk and committed outrages during their drunkenness one for their drunkenness and another for the mischiefs done by them Drunkenness therefore is styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Divel that we invite to come unto us A Madness that we bring upon our selves Callicles in the Comedy did well convince Dinarchus when he prayed for Pardon saying Quod animi impos vini vitio fecerim Excuse me It was my Wine not I did this Non placet in mutum quicquid conferri quod loqui non potest Nam vinum si fabulari possit se defenderet Non vinum moderari sed vino solent Qui quidem probi sunt verùm Qui improbus est sive bibit sive idem caret Temeto Tamen ab ingenio est improbus That is I like not your answer That you should lay the fault upon the wine A dumb thing that cannot speak for its self for if it could it would defend its self well enough Blame not the Wine then for Wine does not govern a good man but a good man governs the Wine But he that is wicked is wicked from within whither he drinks or no. If you ask me concerning the Reasons Chap. 16. Extraordinary Visitations why the above mentioned Persons are so extraordinarily visited I answer I cannot tell for Reasons are best known to God himself and those most just though hid from us Certainly they are plagued not for their extraordinary Sins nor yet of their Parents but that God might shew his Glory and make his mighty Works to be seen and to humble us for our Preservation from such grievous miseries for our Deserts that we have To render us thankful for his free Grace and Love and to make us careful and fearful to offend least such or worse things come unto us And that we should not insult over their woe nor tread upon them that are down and add sorrow to their sorrow but rather fear and tremble at the mighty works of God and repent for fear we should all likewise perish Learn therefore to pitythose harmless distressed Creatures Chap. 17. Pity and Charity O pity them all you that are their friends All you that are Christians yea All that are men Shake not your heads and mock not as the Jews mocked Christ upon the Cross Say not in the Pride and Error of your minds doubtless these Persons were sinners more then ordinary or else God would never have so extraordinarily afflicted them Judge not that ye be not judged Be not like unto Jobs friends that because God had deprived him of all worldly comforts therefore they charged him to be an Hypocrite These were miserable Comforters Physitians of no value Remember your Saviours words Think not that those whose bloud Pilate had mingled with their Sacrifices or those on whom the Tower of Siloam fell were sinners above all others that dwelt in Jerusalem because they suffered such things I tell you nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy for though I do fall yet I shall rise again They that go forth weeping bearing good seed shall doubtless come again rejoyeing bringing their sheaves with them And greater shall their Reward be in heaven Put on therefore as the Elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of mind and above all things put on Charity which is the band of all perfection Pity the condition of those whose Infancy Youth and Beauty are assaulted with Consumptions Poxes Lameness Madness and Death which is the last Punishment whose Prime and Golden yeers are cut off and all their Wits and Parts turned into folly Alas the budding Tree and the Tree laden with mature fruits suddehty wither and dye The fairest flowers are cropt in their full glories The Sun sets at Noon day And yet they are either altogether innocent as Infants or setting humane infirmities aside more righteous then other men and yet they are plagued more then other men But do not you therefore condemn the generation of the Just because the hand of God is upon them I say therefore that except you have suckt the breasts of Tygers and partake of the nature of the savage Beasts in the wilderness you cannot but stop your uncharitable censures and leave them to that God that made them and will save them and look you to your selves And now before I take off Pen from Paper I think fit to add one word more for the use of this Doctrine delivered which is To take off all Disputes if it were possible and that the minds of proud contentious and interessed men would bear it concerning the great noise that is made of Infallibility Supremacy the Light that is in us maintained either by the Pope Presbyter Independent or Quaker as also those endless wranglings of Schoolmen or Casuists which make up such heaps of confused Volums to the distraction of Churches and States for Jews Turks and Heathens to laugh at For if Faith be the ground of all Justification and Assurance Chap. 18. Fâ—â—â—dation What need all those heart burnings and separations about the Notion of the True Church Seeing all that hold the faith of Jesus Christ are the members of Christ all the World over though they differ about Consequences and Superstructures and forms of Discipline or external Worship If any man shall build upon that precious Foundation Gold or Silver or precious Stons Wood Hay Stubble every mans work shall be made manifest 1 Cor. 3.1.12 c. For the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is If any mans work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward If any mans work shall be burnt he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire And other foundation can no man lay then that is layd which if Jesus Christ We all agree in the main Foundation and therefore we might all hold the unity of the Spirit in the Band of Peace Therefore all other unnecessary Questions that engender nothing but strife do vanish of themselves and it will be found sufficient to hold to those few things that are necessary for saving Faith and Life and to trouble the people of God with no more Controversies Let all subtle Factious and Seditious spirits pack up their bundles of Trash and be gon We give them to understand that we have no such custom nor the Churches of God We have enough to secure us for Heaven hereafter and for Peace while we live here Here is a safe and a short way propounded for happiness if they will take it From henceforth let these Dividers look to themselves and Teach nothing but the Scriptures for Doctrine and the Laws of
pleased He intended farre higher Duties unto which he led them by the hand if they had had the wit to observe it according as the Prophets did often hint unto them But they rested in the Letter and in the worke-daies and would not understand what God farther intended no not when they were sorely slasht in the Babilonish Captivity nor in the time of the Maccabees nor under the sore Yoke of Antiochus nor yet of the Romans when the Gospel began to dawn nor yet in the dayes of Christ himself and his Apostles when the cleer day-spring from an high did visit them and that God did fully reveal what worship he meant should continue for ever and that all their rude and beggarly elements should be laid aside as being added only because of Transgressions till the Promised Seed should come It was therefore necessary that the Patterns of things in the Heavens should be purified with these Heb. 9.23 but the heavenly things themselves with better Sacrifices then these But still they stumbled at the Old stumbling-stone of a Temporal Covenant established upon Temporal Promises and commanding Temporal Services And from hence many Christians first taken from the Nation of the Jews and afterwards from all the Heathen Countries have erred exceedingly Partly by mixing Judaisme and partly by mixing Paganisme with Christianity which both of them are not out of us unto this very day although the Apostles made it their business as they had then too much occasion to overthrow these two maine errors from whence all other Heresies have been derived and that Christ himself did so much speak against the continuance of the Jewish way and the Introduction of Heathenish customs by Preaching a more Spiritual Law and declaring Eternal Promises All though God hath winked at the Nonage of the Jews and the Ignorance of the Gentiles Chap. 9. Châ—iâ—â—â—anisme yet now God will have all men every where to aspire to perfection and learn better things commanded in a better Covenant that is established upon better Promises especially in the dayes of Adversity when we are pinched with long and sore Warrs with plagues of Fire and Water and sundry kinds of Death It is high time now for the World to grow wiser to come off from the Vanities and Pomps of this Life and walk highly with God in the Spiritual Exercise of Faith and Repentance Away then with this Loose and Carnal way of Living This will not do The Gospel calls for higher things 1. This Loose and Carnal Life will never satisfy the Conscience nor please God 2. This formal and outward Worship will not serve the Turne You must come up to the pure Gospel-way to the life of Faith and to the worship of the spirit or you can never please God Be honest and just in your words and Actions Be dutiful and obedient to the Laws Be decent and orderly in Gods Worship But still I shew you a more excellent way This is to be done and you are not to leave the other undone For thus it becometh us after Christs own Example To fulfil all Rigteousness To offend none but to give unto Caesar the things which are Caesars and unto God the things which are Gods APPLICATION I have set before you two wayes Faith and Sight Spirit and Flesh choose therefore the better part that shall never be taken away from you 1. Cherish the life of Nature by Temperance Sobriety and Chastity 2. Regulate the life of sense by Reason Prudence and Moderation 3. Order the Moral life by Virtue Justice Obedience and Honesty 4. Maintain the Civil Life by dutiful submission to Rulers and their Laws for the publike Good 5. Keep the Spiritual Life above all by Faith 1. Which may Sanctify Nature Sense Morality and Laws 2. Which may transcend all carnal Profits Pleasures Honours Arts Powers Glories Liberties Beauties Friends Health Peace Orders c. 3. Which may overcome all Carnal Pains Wants Shames Ignorances Weaknesses Disgraces Deformities Enemies Diseases Warrs Bondage Confusions c. 4. Which may regulate all Passions of Love Hatred Hope Despair Joy Grief c. 5. Which may sublimate all Faculties Understanding Will Memory Conscience 6. Which may arrive at the height of true Wisdome Peace and Tranquility of Minde 1. By exemption from vulgar Errors Vices and Passions 2. By aiming at Universal Liberty in Judgment and Will still submitting to Faith 3. By learning true essential simple honesty and plainness of Spirit 4. By Practicing true Piety 1. Free from Jewish worship 2. Free from Heathenish Idolatry This is the high and noble way of the New Testament of Jesus Christ which is of the spirit that giveth life not of the Letter that killeth Thus we overcome sin from ruling in our mortal Bodies that we should be obedient unto the lusts thereof Thus we overcome the Temptations and miseries of the World Thus we overcome the Devil and bruise Satan under every one of our Feet and through Jesus Christ are more then Conquerors And thanks be to God which giveth us this victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Look therefore on things Spiritual and not on things Carnal Chap. â—0 Faith on things Eternal and not on things Temporal For the things that are seen are temporal and carnal but the things which are not seen but believed are Spiritual and Eternal Believe your sins are blotted out of Gods Book for so they are when forsaken Though you cannot see your Pardon sealed by Gods spirit by your sense yet by your Faith you may see it Believe the Peace of God of your own Consciences though the sense discern it not yet your faith may Believe the Judgments of God are escaped and shall not hurt you though you feel present pain in the Flesh as is needful for you Believe the Devil is overcome though he sift you as the wheat is sifted yet Christ hath prayed for you that your Faith shall not fail you and his Grace shall be sufficient for you Believe you shall live though you die and see corruption for you shall die in Faith This is Faith to believe above sense above hope and contrary to hope the judgment of flesh and bloud This is Faith To be present with God in the Spirit though you be absent from him in the Flesh This is Faith to rejoice in Misery to glory in Tribulations to be ravished with Spiritual comforts during the enjoyment of Temporal To find Rest in God in the midst of Trouble to rest upon Gods Promises of Pardon and Blessedness in the midst of Sins and Miseries I will believe though I see not nor feel not any comfor This shall be my joy comfort in believing I will believe though I can give no Definition nor Reason for my Faith I will live in the Spirit though I live in the Flesh for I do not live after the Flesh I will worship God in the Spirit though I use a Forme and outward Ceremony I will Eat
comforts to themselves but are as it were without God in the World 4. I finde some that are open and profane Ranters Cursers Swearers Drunkards Fighters Revellers and slighters of all Religion Laws and Authorities unprofitable burdens of the Earth consumers of the precious things put forth by the Sun and of the precious things put forth by the Moon the enemies and shame of Mankind and to their own Bodies and Souls I wish these men would better consider bethink themselves and examine in what a fearful and hopeless condition they are in with God and Man For their Actions stink in the nostrils of God and he will blast them with the breath of his displeasure For there is no comfort nor safety in their Actions being inhumane and barbarous A modest man that comes into their company and hears their roarings yellings blasphemies and lewd speeches and sees their antike Garbs and monstrous behaviour thinks himself in the Suburbs of Hell or rather in the Court of Beelzebub Therefore these men of all men have the least hopes of any reward in this World or in the World to come For if there be any Dignities Offices or Trades to manage they are most unfit for them Nor can the Gates of honor without great injury lye open to these men who defile their families and shame and undoe the Nation And if there be any Reward in Heaven they are sure never to come there and if there be none they are unworthy to be rewarded here So that they are the very scum and dross of the World and it had been better for them if they had never been born or been like the untimely fruit of a Woman that had never seen the Sun Qu. Who then are they that are in the Faith or have Faith or are in Christ and no Reprobates Answ Onely they that work Righteousness and so shew their Faith by their Works being truly honest and just to God and Men. It is hard for the World to know a true Believer from a false because of Hypocrisy A vizard and Disguise of Religion may cover black Deeds fair Speeches looks and actions may almost deceive the very Elect. But 't is easy for a man to know himself whither he be a Hypocrite or no if he will but try St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self If there had been any thing he might have known it Thine own heart knoweth Eccles 7.22 that thou thy self hast cursed others So thine own heart knoweth whither thou believest or dissemblest 1 Cor. 2.11 Who knoweth the things of a Man save the spirit of man which is in him 1 King 2.44 The King said to Shimei Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to Ob. Say not as the vulgar do to abuse the Scripture and themselves The heart of man is deceitful and Desperately wicked Jer. 17.9 and who can know it Answ I who indeed besides God and your selves No man living can you carry it so cunningly It is an easy matter to cheat the World but it is not so easy to cheat God or your own consciences God is not a man that he should be mocked neither is he the son of man that he should be deceived and the conscience is Gods vicegerent a faithful Register a witness that will speak the truth the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth one day You need not therefore be ignorant of your selves nor cheat your selves unless you will You are willing to be deceived therefore you are deceived it is your own fault Never tell me you cannot tell your own heart you may tell it well enough if you would examine it The Soul hath a faculty not only to know but to know what she knows and to reflect upon her own Actions I can tell I hope very well whither I be honest or no I and no body else can tell but I if I be cunning to hide dishonesty from them But yet they may at last find me out 't is a thousand to one else if they live long enough by me and try me much and mark me well There is nothing so secret but at last it shall be revealed and that which is done in Closets shall be shewen upon the house tops What do men think that are Hypocrites Alas it is a poor silly business If there be a God as there is he must know all and if there should chance to be a Heaven as there will be they shall be sure to be shut out They had as good put off their vizard and lay aside their painted veil and speak and do plainly and be at open defiance with God and never make mention of his name within their mouths for their labour is in vain to Preach of him and Pray to him in whom they believe nothing at all The humour of these men is very strange to take such pains to no purpose at all Yea but they have worldly ends thereby to be counted Religious that they get Riches and Honour Very well then they have their Reward but 't is a poor one yet it is such as they like much good it cannot do them nay much harm will accrue thereby 1. For God will condemne them much more 2. Men will not love them though they may fear them Men count them as they are false and scorne them in their hearts for their baseness 3. They must shortly Dye and then to what purpose is all this closeness plotting and contriving to get a little Pelfe together and to be revenged and have their Wills for shortly their Enemies and those they have oppressed will dance upon their graves their Names shall stink and rot and their own seed if not strangers throw away what they have unjustly gotten Is it not far better and safer to be plain and down right honest And then Amongst good men a man shall be sure to be beloved and God will certainly reward him Beloved bethink your selves and be as you profess and seem to be Here are Sermons Prayers Communions Bibles and other good Books What then Will this do the work to use all these One thing is wanting and then all is done Hear Pray Receive Read give Almes c. in sincerity and humility What is it to be a great Talker of God and with God in Preaching Praying c. when the heart is not right with God all this while What is it to be a great Disputer and Contender for Religion and the Ceremonies thereof only to get applause and profit thereby What will all this availe at the hour of Death or at the Day of Judgment At the hour of Death they say they care not they must and they can but dye At the day of Judgment they pass not for that for they believe no such thing Let them but alone till that Day and they shall do well enough they will venture that Well then if it be so let them go as they are and Gods Vengeance will