to me are unholy quarrelsome given to strife debate and contention falling out with their Neighbours making causeless disturbance in the Town Place or House where they dwell I do this day disown them and indeed I fear 't is they who have in part exposed me to reproach and contempt in these evil dayes I am accused also with Sedition and Faction and for being the chief ring-leader of Sects c. But I may well say with my old friend St. Paul who was accused by Tertullus in like sort being called a pestelent Fellow and a mover of Sedition c. Acts 24.5 I am clear from this evil Charge neither can they prove this Accusation against me I have been travelling up and down in most parts of the earth for almost six thousand years and 't is strange were I really guilty that none should come forth and prove it against me Therefore know ye that the Doctrine I True Godliness the Off-spring of Jehovah the darling of Heaven do and ever did teach upon this account is this viz. That Husbands ought to love their Wives Wives to obey their Husbands Children to honour their Parents and Parents to carry it wisely towards their Children and to bring them up in the fear and nurture of the Lord. Servants to obey their Masters and Masters to carry it well towards their Servants and Neighbours to live in love one with another and Subjects to obey their Prince Did I not ever teach this Doctrine viz. That all Men ought to be subject to Principalities to obey Magistrates and to be ready to every good work Tit. 3.1 And if Christians at any time are by their Superiors required to do such things that they conceive are contrary to the Word and Will of God then I bid them patiently to suffer and not to resist but to learn of my blessed Master who when he was reviled reviled not again and when he suffered he threatned not But palpable 't is if men are bound to submit to their Superiors in all things in Divine matters whatsoever then the Apostles were faulty who in spiritual things cry'd out Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken to you rather than God judg ye Besides this would cause Persecution for ever to cease and charge all the Martyrs in every Age of the World not only with disobedience but also with folly and then also it would follow whatsoever Religion in any Nation the chief Magistrate thereof does set up must be subjected to which sure no wise man will say ought to be done therefore I am for rendring to Caesar the things which are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods Mark 12.17 But these things are not the whole cause of my Lamentation but there are many other reasons Alas I am not only abused and laid under reproach and infamy by my open enemies but also basely slighted by many of those who pretend love and respect to me most indeed now a dayes do but complement me they speak me fair to my face but their hearts are not with me Was there ever more Godliness professed and less practised and more without doors and less within Did ever Pride Covetousness Vain-glory Self-love Slavish-fear Carnality and Luke warmness attend any People who called themselves Christians Saints and Members of Christ as in these days There are some who profess love to me that I am ashamed of they do me more wrong than the open profane I may cry alas and call long enough upon many in these dayes nay beg as it were upon my bare knees to be entertained by them and all in vain for they will not mind me nor take me in I meet indeed with nothing but feigned promises from the most of people I will open to you Sir I intend to let you in I am resolved to embrace you hereafter c. And thus I am put off and slighted from day to day O How long have I waited at the doors of some of these deceived Souls even till they are grown old and all to no purpose for I have seen death often seize and carry them away before I could get into their houses that so I might save them from Hell where now 't is to be feared they are O with what unkind dealings do I meet withal Is it not sad that Vice and Vngodliness should be by many so countenanced and I hated resisted and contemned in every place almost by every body for Riches contemns me Poverty dislikes me Youth derides me Old Age will not know me Legalist miscalls me and Formality playes the hypocrite with me and the Babylonians seek to take away my life I have a multitude of enemies and but a few friends But in the midst of my Lamentation the thoughts of those glorious promises of God concerning what he hath said of me in the latter dayes does revive my heart for though I have few to plead my cause or to clear my innocency and am like to be run down by Apollyon and his spurious Off-spring Lust and Vngodliness yet I see my day is a coming when sin shall be ashamed and iniquity stop her mouth Psal 107.42 When the Holy of the Lord shall be esteemed honourable and it shall be a reproach to be wicked Though I am now slighted I shall then be prized Jehovah will make my Glory to shine forth In the midst of all Nations and my Children shall flourish in every place and in that day none shall dare to open their ungodly mouths against me nor shall I need to travel up and down to seek for entertainment For the knowledg of the Glory of the Lord shall cover the Earth as the Waters do the Sea In that day there shall be upon the Bells of the Horses Holiness unto the Lord and the Pots in the Lords House shall be like the Bowls before the Altar Yea every Pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be Holiness unto the Lord of Host and all they that Sacrifice shall come and take of them and seeth therein and in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite in the House of the Lord of Hosts Zach. 14.20.21 Nay and this also adds to my joy in the midst of my sorrow this longed-for-longed-for-day is near and hastens greatly 't is but a little while and there will be a great alteration in the World the Angel who enlightens the Earth with his Glory will suddenly cry Babylon the Great is fallen is fallen Rev. 18.13 2. CHAP. VIII Shewing how True Godliness after this Travelled towards the City Jerusalem near to which was a small Village called Religion in which dwelt one Mr. Legalist at whose Door he knocked shewing the Cause also why he did not entertain him GOdliness having hitherto happily escaped with his Life thought it now full time to leave those Parts where he had Travelled up and down a great while and suffered many hardships being generally baseâ—y slighted and contemned by all wheresoever he came and
although he trusteth thus to his own Righteousness yet I could pick many holes in his Coat for he is a very worldly proud and passionate person nay and he himself confesseth he is a Sinner and yet would be justified by the Law whereas you know the least Sins Lusts of the Heart and evil Thoughts are a breach of it and the smallest breach is Death and eternal Wrath without a compensation made to offended Justice and none was able to do this but Jesus Christ and none have the blessing of his undertaking but such only who do believe Godli You seem to have a good understanding and can talk well but how comes it about you let me stand all this time at your door is this your kindness to me what signifies your knowledg and parts except you entertain True Godliness Legal I have opened you may perceive to you already you are in my affections and I will further open to you pray come in Godli Nay do not mistake your self you have opened to me in one respect but not in another you seem to like my form but not my power my external Rites but not my internal Life I am indeed received into your Head but not into your Heart I may be in your Judgment worth embracing but your will consents not to receive me you like my Garb but love not my Person you are I know a Professor of me but not a Possessor of me The truth is I Suspect you Formal Suspect me Sir for what Godli That you have one or two implacable Enemies of mine hid secretly in your House Formal Who I Sir God forbid I should hide any cursed Enemies of True Godliness Who are they pray tell me their Names Godli Old-Man Carnal Affections and Hypocrisie Formal As touching the Old-Man there is no Christian you know can be quite rid of him but God forbid I should shew him any countenance And as to Carnal Affections in this you do mistake for my Affections are spiritual But why should you think I harbour Hypocrisie in my House I will assure you there is none in all the world I hate more than this base Fellow for I know God abhors him and shall I shew countenance to him Lord far be it from me Godli Nay Formalist be not too confident 't is not your bare denial of it which is sufficient to acquit you of the suspicion I have of you upon this account but since you deny it I will see if I cannot find him out for you have a certain Officer in your House whom I am sure can make a righteous decision if he be not basely corrupted and blinded by your pretending so much Love and Zeal to seeming Holiness I know he will not flatter any man but speak according to his Light and Knowledg impartially at all times Sir I will appeal unto him Formal What is his Name Godli His Name is Conscience Vpon this Conscience was called and enquired of after this manner Godli Conscience I do require you in the fear of God to answer me a question or two concerning your Master Doth he nor secretly lodg and hide one in his house called Hypocrisie for I very much suspect him herein to be guilty What do you say Conscience Sir if you please to give me his Character or give me some certain signs of his behaviour and proprities whereby I may know him I will faithfully discover all that I understand as touching this matter Godli Conscience I thank you you speak like an honest man and indeed I have alwaies found you impartial according to your Light I will then give you such a Description of this subtil and deceitful Enemy of mine that you cannot well mistake and this I shall do by propounding a few questions to you Sir was he ever throughly wounded in the sense of sin as 't is sin being convinced of the ugly and abominable Nature thereof there being nothing in all the world more hateful to God than that not only convinced of the evil which does attend it or is the fruit of it but also of that cursed evil there is in it it being utterly contrary to the holy and pure Nature of God a breach of his Law and that which hath made a breach between God and Man and basely defaced the Image of God in him and is the absolute cause of all that abominable enmity that is in his heart against God and Me his Blessed Offspring and also makes man in love with the waies of the Devil nay to be like the Devil conformable to him and to do his will Secondly Is there no one Sin that secretly he loves and lives in the evil habit never being broken have you nor found him now and then telling Lie for his advantage sake or in telling of tales or stories adding to them to please the company or to excuse himself when accused of this or that that so he may gain credit Is he not sometimes overtaken by Drunkenness Is he not proud minding more the Honour praise and applause of men in what he doth in Religion than the praise of God Is he not Covetous Doth he give according to his Ability to the poor Doth he not rob God to serve the World I mean neglect hearing of Gods Word and other indispensable Duties for worldly Profit sake and so prefer the World above the Word Doth he never in Trading offend you in speaking better of his Commodities than they deserve Is not the World more in his love and affections than God and Jesus Christ Does he alwaies give good and just weight and measure and not take unlawful profit Doth he not make gain of Godliness and use Religion as a Cloak to cover his secret sins Doth he concern himself for the interest of the Gospel and by his open-heartedness shew upon that account he loves Christ above Son or Daughter Is he resolved to part with all rather than to sin against God and to offend you his poor Conscience Doth he see more evil in the least Sin than in the greatest Suffering Thirdly Doth he desire as much to have his Sins mortified as pardoned to be made holy here as well as happy hereafter Is he as much in love with the work of holiness as with the wages of holiness Doth he love the word of God because of the purity of it Is he willing to bear the Cross as well as wear the Crown to be with Christ in his Temptations here as well as with Christ in his Exaltations hereafter to live to God on earth as well as to live with God in heaven Fourthly Is he the same in private as in publick Doth he not rest satisfied upon the bare performance of Duty not minding whether he hath met with God or not Doth he pray in private as if men saw him and in publick as knowing God sees him Doth not his satisfaction more lie in his asking of God than in his receiving from God Does he not seek more
for suitable words in Prayer than for a suitable heart Doth not he study more for acute expressions to affect the hearts of others than to meet with powerful impressions upon his own Doth he not lengthen his Prayers before others and hurry them over in private Doth he as much endeavour after what he needs from God as that which he seeks of God Fifthly Can he bear reproofs kindly for his faults and take them patiently nay and esteem him his greatest friend who deals most cordially with him is he ready to take shame to himself and give glory to God Can he be contented in the waies of God though he meets with little sensible comfort from God nor outward respect from Saints Sixthly Doth he as much desire to have his heart filled with Grace as his head with knowledge Doth he take as much care to make the Glory of God his end in what he doth as the Command of God his ground in what he doth Seventhly Is he not more severe in pressing the lesser concerns of Religion than in urging the greater Doth he not require those Duties of others which he himself is loth to practice Is he not more curious to know other mens conditions than his own Eighthly Hath he received a whole Christ with a whole heart First A whole Christ comprehends all his Offices and a whole heart comprehends all his Faculties Hath he received Christ not only as a Priest to die for him but also as a Prince to rule over him Doth he obey all God's Precepts as well as believe all God's Promises 2. As to his Faculties his understanding may be somewhat enlightned but his affections may be carnal and his will oppose me being averse to True Godliness Is not his Heart divided Come Conscience I do now command you in the presence of the great and dreadful God who searches all hearts to make a righteous decision tell me plainly Is my Enemy Hypocrisie here or no By these brief Hints you may easily know him Conscience Sir I must confess Hypocrisie is here now I have found him out nay Sir and he hath hid him secretly in his House ever since he came to live in this Town Religion he is seemingly holy but really wicked he loves the Face of Holiness but is without the Grace of Holiness his greatest care has been to wash the outside of the Platter if he can but keep his name from being reproach'd by men he cares not though his Heart be grievously defiled before God Should I tell you of all those Lusts which he harbours in his heart and what favour he shews to that Old-Man you mentioned before I should quite shame him he is a Saint indeed abroad but a Heathen to say no worse at home he prays hears and reads but 't is to keep up his Credit Name and Esteem amongst many Christian men of this Town for I have often found him very weary of these Duties God knows it as well as I Nay Sir he would seldom pray at all were it not to quiet me for he doth not love my lashes besides he performs them with a sad cold dead carnal and lifeless spirit he is much for the lesser things of Religion as you minded he keeps a mighty stir about Mint Anise and Cummin but quite neglects the greater and more weighty things nay there is one thing more I will tell you as he does not love strict Godliness himself so his heart is ready to rise against all such who outdo him Sir he is a meer Dissembler yet he would be thought as religious a man as any in the Town I find him also much abroad finding of faults in others or spying the more that is in his Brothers eye but never minds the beam that is in his own nay and he is ready to fall out with many good Christians because they will not follow him in Habit Mode and Gesture c. In a word most of all those black Marks of this deceitful Villain Hypocrisie you hinted at I find in him also Godli Conscience say no more I see was not mistaken and now Formalist are not you a wretch to pretend kindness to me and secretly thus to entertain one of my worst Enemies Sir 't is you who have brought so great a reptoach upon this poor Town* and on all its Inhabitants Nay and 't is through your means I am so basely villifi'd and condemned by that blind Fellow Ignorance for he is ready to conclude that all my Friends and true Fovourites are such as your self viz. meer loose and Formal Hypocrites Besides you are like to be undone and perish for ever unless you do the sooner turn this vile Enemy of mine out of doors for I expect no other but that you will in a little time fall into Apostacy but should you die first yet assure your self you will be damned for Hell is indeed prepared for such as you are you are poor Creature in the worst condition of all men for the wicked hate you because you pretend so much love to Religion and Godliness God also and all good men hate you because you are not real but only pretend love to them being not sincere and upright in your Profession Formalist At this began to be very angry being greatly offended at True Godliness for he could not endure to see his State ript open nor did he like to hear of his present nor future misery being perswaded by Mr. Vain-hope Vnbelief and Good-Opinion to think his condition for all this might be safe enough however Vain-hope told him though at present his state might be doubtful yet he should have many daies on earth and that he might repent and set all things at rights before he died whose word and promise he adventur'd to take and so bid True Godliness be gone at this great grief seem'd to seize upon True Godliness and and no mans state in all his Travels he did indeed more lament and his Soul being almost overwhelmed with sorrow he broke out to this purpose and departed Passion o'reflows why melt I thus with grief For him whose trayt'rous Heart denies relief But what could I expect false wretch from thee Who harbour'st in thy House Hypocrisie A feigned Friend's worse than an open Foe And unto me oft-times more wrong does do Of all to whom I am by Jesus sent O're thee O Formalist I do lament I know there 's cause were things consider'd well Thou suffer'st here and yet must go to hell Hated of God and man what can be worse Than th' wrath of man and great Jehovah's Curse Farewel poor Soul is this thy love to me Must I begone adieu adieu to thee CHAP. X. Shewing how Godliness travelling further into the Town called Religion saw abundance of People who had been great Professors getting away out of the Town as fast as they could Shewing also what Discourse he had with one of them wherein the Nature and Danger of Apostasie is plainly opened