shall perish As the Relative lookes to the wicked man himselfe Observe An untimely death is the portion of a wicked man He shall be accomplished in a day that is not his or before his proper day In opposition to which Eliphaz had promised Chap. 5. That a godly man shall come like â—sheafe of Corne into the Barne fully rype Now saith he This wicked man shall be like untimely fruit accomplished cut off and perishing before his time We have such an Expression Eccl. 7.17 Be not righteous over much neither make thy selfe over-wise why shouldest thou destroy thy selfe Be not over much wicked not that there is any mediocrity in wickednesse or that a man can be wicked in due proportion but saith he take heed of high actings in wickednesse why shouldest thou dye before thy time Some wickednesses lye close men live and continue in them long unseen others are so open and abominable that their actors are abnoxious to the hand of Justice He that is wicked overmuch that is extreamely wicked shall be cut off some way or other before his time Quarrellers dye by the Sword Drunkards dye by surfet Adulterers decay into filthy diseases Sorcerers are killed by the Devill Malefactors of all sorts are cut off by the sentence of the Magistrate Most desire to live long and yet they take a course to make their lives short they forget that short way to long life Psal 34.12 That promise Isa 65.20 stands opposite to this threatning There shall be no more there an infant of dayes Implere dies ad longam faelicemque senectam pertinet vel denotat illam aetatis maturitatem quae non annorum numero sed pietatis perfectione definitur nor an old man that hath not filled his dayes A good man fills his dayes a wicked man shall be accomplished or there shall be an end of him before his day both before that day which he would live to according to the course of his desire and before that day which he might live unto according to the course of nature Besides a wicked man never fills his dayes though he be full of dayes he that is not prepared for death how old soever he is dyes before he is rype he is rype for destruction but he is neither rype nor fit for death The youngest Saint that dyes dyes rype though he dye before he come to that estate Pii licet aetate juvenes senes sunt moribus wherein nature useth to crop men off yet he as the Apostle speaks Ephes 4.13 is come to the fulnesse of the stature of Christ Secondly Referring these words unto the estate of a wicked man it shall be accomplished or cut off before the time that is his pomp and greatnesse all that he hath gotten together of which he spake in the precedent part of the Chapter shall be scattered suddenly Hence Note Wicked men often outlive all their worldly enjoyments Some live to be their owne Executors they dispose or rather dissipate all they leave nothing when they dye for others The pride of wicked men shall have a fall their present possessions and future hopes shall come to nought Prov. 3.16 Solomon tells us that Wisedome hath length of dayes in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour We may say of sin Shortnesse of dayes is in its right hand and in its left hand poverty and disgrace The former point saith that a wicked mans dayes are short he shall be cut off before his time death cuts him off The latter saith his pomp his riches and honour all these shall be cut off before the time We have seen some who have raised great estates by sin and they have seen an end of all in misery Thirdly Taking the Antecedent to be the designes and contrivements of the wicked man Hence Note The counsells designes and contrivements of wickedmen doe often prove abortive They are accomplished before their time Their plots break out before they are ripe and then all 's spoyled So it was with the Powder Plot it was accomplished before the time it was discovered before it could be acted we have often seen grand designes layd in the dust crusht in the shell and nipt in the very bud As the Prophet reproves some for staying too long in the place of breaking forth of Children Hos 13.13 That is they have let their purposes dye under tedious consultations or irresolutions for acting So we may deride others for staying too little in the place of breaking forth of Children God in judgement hastens them to action before their designes are fully matured by consultation It is accomplished before his time And his branch shall not be greene In the close of this Verse and in the next Eliphaz in severall metaphors prosecutes the declining condition of wicked men His branch shall not be green 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sig. manum ramum rami sunt veluti brachia manus arboris His branch Or his hand shall not be green so the word signifies properly And that some understand in a figure his hand shall not be green that is himselfe shall be unapt and unfit for work When an arme is dryed up or a hand palsied it is unserviceable The hand of a godly man is green he is laborious and fit for labour the hand of the wicked man as it is alwayes sinfully dried up in reference to the doing of any good so it is often judicially dryed up lest it should do hurt his hand shall not be green that is he shall not have power to do that evill which he would When Jeroboam put forth his hand from the Altar c. his arme dryed up so that he could not pull it in againe to him 1 Kings 13.4 His hand his arme was not green he could not use it to hurt the Prophet Zech. 11.17 The wicked Idoll Shepheard is threatned His arme shall cleane be dryed up and his right eye shall be utterly darkned that is He shall neither have counsell nor strength he shall neither be able to advise nor to act his eye shall be darkned so that he shall not be able to see his way his arme shall be dryed up he shall not be able to attaine his end Psal 75.5 None of the men of might have found their hands as we say of a man that goes lamely or lazily He cannot finde his feet so of a man that acts lamely and lazily or of a Souldier that fights faintly and cowardly He cannot finde his hands or in the language of the Text His arme or hand is not green We translate metaphorically so the word signifies not a hand but a branch because a branch or bough of a Tree puts forth from the body of it as the hand or arme is stretcht from the body of a man by this branch we may understand either of those two things noted before First The estate of the wicked man for that is as a branch shooting
Eloquar an sileam Quid agam si locutus fuero c. Vulg. and therefore trembles out his Preface in such vvords as these Shall I speake or shall I be silent Shall I open my lips or shall I forbeare Jobs paine received no check vvhich way soever of these he tooke and therefore it seemed vaine to attempt either Though I speake That is If I stand up in my just defence to answer and take away your objections yet my greife is not answered Nunc eo res redierunt ut quo me vertam nesciam aut quid agam nam nec loquendo nec tacendo quicquam proficio Merc. that is as busie with me and as talkative as ever it was yea then you object my impatience under sufferings as an argument of my sin And though I forbeare That is If I byte in my paine and speake not if I stand mute as attentive to heare you speake yet my sorrow moves not yea then you judge my silence an argument of my secret guilt and that all is true which you have sayd against me because I say nothing for my selfe Thus What am I eased sayth the Text in our translation The Hebrew saith What goeth from me That is What of my paine what of my sorrow goeth away from me when I cease or forbeare to speake So that The generall sense of this Verse is to shew that his troubles were past hope of redresse they found no cure none by speech none by silence Griefe is sometimes eased by speaking sometimes by silence eyther our owne or others To say nothing is a medicine for some mens sorrow the sorrow of others cannot be medicin'd but by saying much A playster of words hath cured many a wound and the more words have been used the more some wounds have festered and the anguish of them hath increased Hence Observe There is no meanes of remedy left for that evill which is not remedyed by the use and tryall of contrary meanes If neyther speech nor silence ease a mans minde what can We finde such a kinde of arguing though in a different case used by Christ Matth. 11.16 17. Where when hee would shew how impossible or at least how extreamely difficult it was to please the Jewes they vvere a humourous people and let a man put himselfe in what posture he would they would finde some fault or have somwhat to object against him Wherunto saith Christ shall I liken this generation they vvere so untoward that Christ speakes as if he vvere straitned how to finde out a fit comparison for them or could scarse tell to vvhat they vvere like yet he tells us They are like unto Children sitting in the Markets and calling to their fellows saying Wee have piped and yee have not danced we have mourned to you and yee have not lamented When a man vvill neyther mourne vvith us nor rejoyce vvith us vvhat shall we doe vvith him How shall vve please him For vvhat company is he fit That such vvas the tendency of this similitude appeares plainely in the application vvhich Christ makes Vers 18. For John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he hath a Devill They did not like the mournefull austere course of John The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they sayd Behold a man gluttonous and a Wine-bibber a freind of Publicans and Sinners They did not like the free converse of Christ When a people are of this spirit or at this lock that neither a man vvho is affable and courteous ready both to receive and give civilities is welcome to them nor yet he who is austere and reserved close and strict in his way can give them any content who or what can content them When neyther piping nor mouring when neither dauncing nor sorrowing takes with us what can When we would describe a person whose troublesomenesse of spirit seemes unanswerable we say of him He is quiet neither full nor fasting that is he is never quiet or nothing can make him quiet Abraham saith to his Nephew Lot Gen. 13.8 9. Let there be no strife I pray thee betweene me and thee and betweene thy Herd-men and my Herd-men for we are brethren c. If thou wilt take the left hand then I will goe to the right or if thou depart to the right hand then I will goe to the left Now as it is an argument of the sweetest spirit and fayrest disposition when a man is ready to take eyther hand rather then breake the peace so it argues the sowrest spirit and most untractable disposition when a man will neyther goe to the right hand nor to the left when he will neither move forward nor backward when he will neither give nor take neyther buy nor sell there is no dealing with such a man for he wavâ—s all the wayes of dealing Thus also we conclude a people incorrigible who continue in their sins whether God smite or heale whether he deliver them from or deliver them up into the hand of judgements because these are the utmost bounds or the extreames of all those providentiall dispensations which God useth at any time to turne a people from their sin Againe Wee say they are unperswadeable whâ—m neyther faire meanes nor foule can reduce speake them faire they are naught speake them foule they are naught still promise them good they remaine evill threaten them with evill they will not be good You may carry it out in all experiments wheresoever you finde an evill frame of minde or body or of affaires which mends not or doth not alter for the better by the application of the other contrary when the former hath been applyed without successe you may write under it as to humane helpes This is a desperate case a distemper incurable Yet further Job in these words reflects upon his Freinds as if he had sayd Some men by complaining and opening their soares to those who visit them in their affliction finde their Freinds releeving them presently with sound counsell and powring the oyle of consolation into their wounded spirits but alasse it is not so with me for whether I speake or hold my peace it is all one yee are all against me and are neither perswaded by my speech nor by my silence to apply proper remedies for the asswaging of my griefe or the easing of my paines Hence Note It is the duty and should be the care of those who visit Freinds in affliction to pick somewhat out of what they say or at least to take occasion from their silence to administer consolation to their grieved mindes When the Servants of Benhadad came to Ahab to sue for their Masters life the Text saith 1 Kings 20.33 The men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him that is whether any word of hope would come from Ahab and they did hastily catch it And Ahab had no sooner sayd He is my Brother but they catcht at this as a word of comfort they had what
him yet Faith saw God his Redeemer in this assurance that he also should behold him with an eye of sense I shall see him with these eyes Hence Observe First That God dealeth with those whom he loveth dearely as if he hated them Secondly They whom God doth love may be under a present apprehension that God hates them I only name these points as arising from this place they have been handled Ch. 13.24 Ch. 14.13 upon those words Vntill thy wrath be past and therefore I stay not upon them here Thirdly Note God to sense doth seeme to excercise a kinde of cruelty even the cruelty of wilde Beasts towards those whom hee dearely loves What are tearing and gnashing of teeth What is the sharpening of the eye Is not any one of these much more all these in one the discovery of cruelty Job saith all this and doth not Hezekiah say as much Isa 38.13 I reckoned till morning that as a Lyon so will he breake all my bones from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me We finde God taking upon himselfe those similitudes not onely in reference to his Enemies but also to his owne people for as he deales with the wicked when they provoke him so in proportion with his owne Outward dispensations make no difference I will take vengeance I will not meet thee as a man Isa 43.3 that is I will not shew so much as any humane pitty or compassion much lesse Divine but I wil meet thee as a Beast Thus God threatned to deale with Babylon and thus he appeares to deale with Sion with the choisest Sons and Daughters of Sion And thus he professed Hos 5.14 For I will be unto Ephraim as a Lyon and as a young Lyon to the House of Judah I even I will teare and goe away I will take away and none shall reseue him Job having shewed what hard usage he had from God himselfe who appeared as an enemy proceeds now to shew what hard and course usage he had from men who were indeed his enemies into whose hands God had delivered him Vers 10. They have gaped upon me with their mouth they have smitten me upon the cheeke reproachfully they have gathered themselves together against me The person is now changed as also the number before it was He now They And who were they We have no Names to give them onely in generall These were the instruments which God let loose upon him his Freinds say some his Enemies say others Whosoever they were doubtlesse they were either downe right Enemies or Enemy like Freinds their owne behaviour speakes them so They have gaped upon me c. He varies or heightens their enemy-like behaviour by three expressions First They have gaped upon me with their mouth Secondly They have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully Thirdly They have gathered themselves against me I shall open them distinctly First They have gaped upon me with their mouth Gaping with or opening the mouth implyes two things First Scorne and derision Lam. 2.16 All thine enemies have opened the mouth against thee they hisse and gnash the teeth they say we have swallowed her up certainely this is the day we looked for The Church in affliction was afflicted with scornfull gestures Secondly As gaping with the mouth notes scorne so also cruelty he that gapes at another tels him though he say nothing that he could devoure him and eate him up as we say Without Salt Such a one shewes that hee needs no Sauce Psal 22.13 They gaped upon me with their mouthes as a ravening and roaring Lyon A Lyon gapes at his prey to devour it Job often complaines both of the contempt and cruelty of many against him and their gaping upon him includes both which are also againe intimated in the next clause They have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully Some render it Reproaching me they have smitten me on the cheek Smiting on the cheek is taken two wayes Literally Metaphorically What literall smiting is all know and most have felt but had Job any about him who used him thus rudely I conceive not and therefore we may understand him metaphorically So smiting on the cheek is to reproach And these words They have smitten me on the cheek reproachfully are no more nor lesse then They have reproached me To smite on the cheek is a thing so reproachfull that by an Hebraisme Percutere maxillam Hebraica locutio est quae significat gravissima contumelia aliquem afficere it signifieth to reproach Lam. 3.30 He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him which is expounded in the latter clause by this he is filled full with reproach The sufferings of Christ which were full of reproach are thus Prophesied I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the haire I hid not my face from shame and spitting Isa 50.6 Christ was smitten on the face literally Matth. 26.67 Then did they spit in his face and buffeted him and others smote him with the palmes of their hands Hee was smitten also tropically being put to open shame and disgracefully dealt with That of the Apostle cleares this sense 2 Cor. 11.20 Yee suffer a man to bring you into bondage if a man devoure you if a man take of you if a man exalt himselfe if a man smite you on the face that is If he disgrace you So the Apostle expounds it Vers 21. I speake concerning reproach Paul Chap. 12. had a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him to cuffe or smite him with the fist so the word signifies what that was at least in part hee explaines Vers 10. I will therefore take pleasure in reproaches Thus the Prophet describes the dishonour which should be put upon the Judge Micah 5.1 Now gather thy selfe in Troops O daughter of Troops he hath layd seige against us they shall smite the Judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek that is The Enemy shall powre contempt upon thy Kings and Princes Cum aliquis propter gravem aliquam ignominiam pudefit licet vis omnis absit plaga verberari dicitur in maxilla Sanct. in Mic. c. 5. v. 1. in which sense they may be sayd to be smitten upon the cheek though no rod nor hand touch them And some interpret that Mat. 5.39 If any man smite thee on the right cheeke turne to him the left also not of hand but tongue smiting or of suffering reproach As if Christ had sayd If any one disgrace thee a little beare it yea though he should disgrace thee a great deale more yet beare it Smiting upon the right cheek notes a lesser injury received When a man smites another on the right cheek he smites with his left hand the left hand strikes the right cheek and the left hand is the weaker in most and gives a weaker blow If thou receive a blow on thy right cheek with the left hand turne the other and let him smite thee with
King saith Christ Luke 14.31 going to make Warr against another King doth not first sit downe c. As if he had sayd The Kings of the Earth are not so foolish so brainlesse and counsellesse to contend with those whom they cannot match they will hardly venture a Battell with ten thousand against twenty thousond they will rather make a disadvantageous Peace then proceed in a Warr upon such disadvantages The King of Israel reproved the challenge which the King of Judah sent him by the Parable of the Thistle in Lebanon aspiring to match with the Cedar in Lebanon 2 Kings 14.9 What 's a Thistle to a Cedar Then what is man to God See then what a reasonlesse yea senselesse creature man is who will needs goe out against God to Battell though all the number he can muster is not onely as disproportionable as ten thousand to twenty thousand as a Thistle to a Cedar but more then one single man is to a Million of men or then a bruised Reed to the strongest Oake God with ease made all the power of man alone and he though alone can more easily destroy it it cost him but the speaking of a word to set it up and he can pull it downe with yea without a word speaking Many men have been styled The great The strong The mighty But no man ever durst owne this style The Almighty This title of God in the Text The Almighty should make the mightiest of men the Nimrods of the World afraid to meddle yea to think a thought of medling with God The absurdity of men in strengthening themselves against the Almighty may appeare yet more distinctly in three particulars First He that is Almighty is stronger then All there cannot be two Almighties Hence the Apostle argues 1 Cor. 10. Will you provoke the Lord to anger are you stronger then he It is base and cowardly to provoke those that are weaker then our selves it may give us trouble enough to provoke those who are as strong as our selves but it is either madness or desperatnesse to provoke those who are stronger then our selves And when the Apostle demands or rather expostulates Are yee stronger then he His question cals for this positive assertory answer we are infinitely weaker then he and therefore there is no prevailing against him not onely not in all things but not in any thing It is possible for a weake Enemy to prevaile sometimes upon a mighty Enemy The Romans who commanded the world for many ages and were too strong for any Nation did yet receive some foyles though they were never conquered yet they were somtimes worsted not only by surprisals and Ambuscadoes but in the open field and even petty Princes gave checks for a while to some of their designes But El-Shaddai the Almighty God never received any defeat nor is he within the possibility of a surprize Secondly Not onely cannot the Lord be defeated but he cannot be endammaged he never lost as we say so much as a haire of his head nor did he ever suffer so much as the scratch of a Pin. The Romans obtained some Victories with such extreame losse and hazzard that it hath been sayd Two or three more such Victories would utterly undoe them they who were never defeated or foyled have yet been greatly endammaged in Battel and their clearest gains have not bin without some losse but the Almighty never lost the worth of a thread or drop of blood in all those innumerable Victories which he hath gained Thirdly Man cannot so much as hinder or retard the designes of God He transcends all the impediments and throws open all the Barracadoes that are set in his way He will worke and who shall let him Isa 43.13 There is no putting of a barr in his way and therefore if any should answer the question Who shall let it Yes there are some will let it the great men the Nobles of the Earth say no they will let it But they shall not saith God in the next Verse Vers 14. For your sake speaking to his people in Captivity I have sent to Babylon and have brought downe all their Nobles The Originall word for Nobles signifies also Barrs the Barrs of a door or Castle gate as we put in the Margin of our Bibles to note that Nobles and great men should be the strength of a People and a stop to the entrance of any evill among them but if in stead of that they prove like Barrs onely to hinder the good of a People and to lye crosse in all publike proceedings then the Lord the Lord of Lords and King of Kings brings them down and breaks them all to peeces I will worke and who shall let it The Nobles the Bars shall not though Bars of Iron to Gates of Brasse It was sayd in opening the words that stretching out the hand is the posture of a madd man Consider this and then say Is it not the maddest madnesse to stretch out the hand against God or to strengthen our selves against the Almighty to oppose him against whom it is impoâ—sible not onely to prevaile but to doe him the least hurt or give him the least check or stop in his way If wee should see a man set his shoulder against a Wall of Brasse or blow a Feather against it hoping to overturne and batter it downe would not we say this man is either a Fool who never had the use of reason or a Mad-man who hath lost his reason He that opposeth the counsells and wayes of God can no more overthrow them then a Feather can a Wall of Brasse or the touch of a little finger the strongest Tower The Psalmist represents us with these simple attempts Psal 2.1 2 c. Why doe the Gentiles rage and the people imagine a vaine thing The Kings of the earth take counsell c. Come let us breake their bands and cast their cords away from us What followes He that sits in Heaven shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision He sees how poore how inconsiderable these motions and commotions both of the Many and of the Mighty are to give check to that Decree of his Almightinesse to set his Son upon the holy Hill of Sion Eliphaz hath not yet done with his description of the impotent rage of man against the Almighty God O sinfull vaine man whither wilt thou goe What wilt thou doe next The next Verse tells us Vers 26. He runs upon him even on his necke upon the thick Bosses of his Bucklers This 26. Verse is an amplification or aggravation of the madnesse of a wicked man who when he hath strengthened himselfe against God as he thinks and hopes sufficiently then he runs upon him c. Eliphaz carrieth on the metaphor of a Battell which before it is fought Armies are mustered and drawne up in view of each other and then to shew their courage they stretch out their hands draw their Swords and as soone as the Signall
the right hand let him give thee a smarter a hander blow that is If a man disgrace thee a little reward him not with disgrace but prepare to beare a greater turne the left cheek And the reason of this was because slaves and condemned persons were thus smitten as also such as were supposed to speake irreverently to the Magistrate Hence it was that when Paul had spoken freely to the Councell saying Men and brethren I have lived in all good conscience before God untill this day presently Ananias the high Priest commanded those that stood by him to smite him on the mouth Acts 23.1 2. In which case Christ himselfe was smitten by an Officer that stood by John 18.22 From all which Scripture testimonies it is more then manifest that to smite a man on the cheek is to disgrace because they who fell under disgrace were usually smitten on the cheek and this I take to be the most suitable interpretation of Jobs complaint in this place They smite me on the cheek reproachfully Hence Observe First The best Saints on earth have been smitten and deepely wounded with reproach God himselfe gave an honourable testimony of Job there was none like him he had no peere on earth for holinesse and uprightnesse yet men gave testimony against him as if he had been the scumm of the World for unholinesse and hypocrisie David a man after Gods owne heart was not onely reproached but a reproach among all his Enemies but especially among his neighbours or neerest Freinds both in habitation and relation and he heard the slander of many Psal 31.11 13. The word of God was made a reproach to the Prophet Jeremy Chap. 20.8 And the spirit was made a reproach to the Apostles Acts 2.13 Others mocked saying These men are full of new Wine When indeed they were filled with the holy Ghost Vers 4. Drunkards made Songs upon David but the Apostles were sung about for Drunkards We are fools saith Paul that is We are so called and accounted for Christ and being defamed or as the word bears blasphemed to speake against any thing of God in Man is blasphemy as well as speaking directly against God we entreat And to shew that this was no prick with a Pin or small scratch upon their credit which made him complaine hee tels us what this fame did amount unto We are made as the filth of the World and as the off-scouring of all things unto this day 1 Cor. 4 13. The whole World lieth in wickednesse which is a morall filthinesse so that to be the filth of the World is to be the filth of filthinesse the filth of a cleane thing is bad enough what then is the filth of a filthy thing The off-scouring of any thing is base then what is the off-scouring of all things which must needs include the basest things These Apostles who were the ornament and glory the purest and most refined peeces of the whole inferiour World were yet made not that these reproaches did at all change them from what they were in themselves but they made them to be in the opinion of others what they least of all were the rubbish and the refuse the sweepings and the drosse of the whole World The Apologies of Tertullian and others doe abundantly testifie what reproaches the Primitive Christians suffered both in reference to their practice and worship Athanasius was called Sathanasius as if he had been a Devil incarnate by the Abbettors of the Arrian Heresie which he stiffely opposed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est stercoreus hinc Coprion scarabeus a luto scilicet Bech de Orig. Ling. Lat. And some who were displeased with the Opinions and Writings of Cyprianus called him in contempt Coprianus or one that gathers dung as if his Bookes were nothing but dung heaps How Luther Calvin and other Reformers of the former age were smitten reproachfully both by the tongues and Pens of the Popish Party is knowne of all these parts of the World And how much this trade which is indeed the Devils trade of slandering the footsteps of Gods annoynted ones is continued unto this day we have but too much evidence A man can scarse appeare indeed for God but he is thus smitten on the cheek by men Religion and the power of godlinesse have ever been an occasion of contention and for the most part to smite with reproach hath been the manner of contending There are not many enemies of good men who have a Sword to draw against them but all the Enemies of good men have ill words enow at command to throwe against them and of them they are seldome sparing And though which is bad enough yet no better can be expected of them this trade of reproaching be driven most by evill men against those who are good yet which is farre worse wee may learne from this instance betweene Job and his Freinds for even they did not spare to reproach him that which shall be A second Observation A good man may so farr forget himselfe as to speake reproachfully against his Brother Yea the reproaches of Professors one against another have been as they are the saddest so the sharpest and bitterest reproaches They who agree in most things take it most unkindely when they differ in any thing and are more ready to revile one another about the points wherein they differ then to blesse God for those wherein they are agreed The Papists did not more reproach Luther and Calvin whose judgements concurred in opposing them then Lutherans and Calvinists have reproached each other where they are opposite in judgement The corrupt remaines even in good men tell them that whosoever differs from them stands in their light and obscures their excellency and therefore that themselves may shine the brighter in what they hold they little care when master'd by selfe and passion how obscure yea foule they render them who hold the contrary While Infidels reproached Christians it was the glory of Christianity and while the wicked reproach the godly it is the glory of godlinesse but while one Christian reproaches another the glory is departed from godlinesse Is it not enough that the Servants of God are thus smitten by the world must they needs smits their fellow-Servants and revile those who are upon the maine in the same way of God wherein they are onely because they are not fully in their way Yea when possibly they may be in a higher and more perfect way then they Is it not enough that the Bryars and Thornes which are among the Lillyes teare and scratch them Shall the Lillyes degenerate into Bryars and Thornes one towards another Or if at any time a Lilly of the one side teare and be harsh should not the Lilly on the other side be kinde and gentle If Israel transgresse let not Judah offend too Luther was often at Sharps with Calvin but Calvin professed and that was a Noble profession Though Luther call me Devill yet I will honour Luther as