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A67761
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A leafe from the tree of life wherewith to heal the nation of all strife and controversie, and to settle therein peace and unitie / by R. Younge ...
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Younge, Richard.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing Y166; ESTC R16742
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22,659
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19
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mis-spend his time haunt Taverns play the good fellow and do as the rest do he shall have the approbation and good word of the greatest number Yea if none would be precise in their actions nor reprove others for their evill courses if they would but be prophane and wicked and make no bones of sin their malice would cease and we should not have a Roundhead or a Phaâ—â—tick in all the world Neither is Christ a sign to be spoken against of many in Babylon or Assyria but of many in Israel Luke 2. 34. where Religion is profest publikely Yea when sincerity is wanting the neerer the line with any opposition the greater eclipse The Gadarens but besought Christ to depart his own countrymen drave him out and cast him down headlong Luke 4. 29. And who was his greatest enemy but his greatest friend even one of his houshold Chaplains and who but Jeremics familiars watched for his halting Yea commonly vertue fares hardest from such as should and seem â—o uphold her for the chief Persecutors of Christ and his followers are not prefest Atheists or Turks or Jews but such as hold some great place in the Church And intruders upon other mens right can endure any man how bad soever rather to live by them then the servants of him whom they intrude upon as you may see Matth. 21. 33 to 39. where those farmers of the vineyard did not kill the theeves robbers and spoilers of the vineyard but the servants yea and the son too and the end of all was that they might take the inheritance And indeed it hath been the complaint almost of all that have written that they have suffered most from such as profest the same Faith and Religion with them And so much touching the main difference between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman CHAP. XIII I Might go on and shew you that as they hate and persecute the godly because they do wâ—ll so likewise because they fare well and are accepted before them As why was Cain wroth with his brother Abel and after â—lew him as affirmeth the holy Ghost but because the Lord had respect unto Abeâ— and to his offering but unto Cain and his offering he had no respect Gen. 4. 4 5. Why did Esau hate Jacob and purpose to kill him but because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him Gen. 27. 41. Isaac's blessing bred Esau's hate Again wherefore did the Philâ—â—â—ines and Abimâ—lech envie Isaac stop up his wells and banish him from them but because the Lord so abundantly blessed Isaac as appears Gen. 26. 12. to 18. Wherefore did Josephs Brethren hate him not being able to speak peaceably unto him and after sell him into Egipt but because his father more favoured him and they feared he should reign over them Gen. 37. 4 to 9. If Joseph be his fathers darling he is his brethrens eye-sore Wherefore did Saul persecute David and pursue after him from place to place to take away his life but because he was so praised and preferred of the people before himself and the Lord was with David and prospered him in every thing he took in hand 1 Sam. 18. 12 13 28 29. Davids successe is Sauls vexation yea he findes not so much pleasure in his Kingdome as vexation in the prosperity of David And lastly for I passe by the Elder Brothers envie in the Parable against his younger Brother when his Father so royally entertained him at his return Luke 15. 28. which is meant of the Jewes envying the Gentiles conversion and many the like instances Why was Eliah wroth with his younger brother 1 Sam. 17. 28. but because he should be more exalted And I doubt whether Davids brethren were more glad that Goliah was slain or angry that he was slain by their brother For envie is sick if her neighbour be well and the good mans honour is the envious mans torment as it fared between Haman and Mordecai as hereafter the glory of Christ shall add to these Reprobates confusion when they are driven to confess this is he whom we once had in deâ—ision Luke 13. 28. I might also apply all this to many in our times As why do many mens hearts rise against every holy man they meet as some stomacks rise at the sight of sweet meats Why do all drunkards and vitious livers hate the religious and so belch out their enmity and spleen against them in raising and spreading of slanders as they do but although partly to rescue themselves from contempt and to procure a contrary esteem by pâ—tting a foul and ugly vizard upon vertue and decking up vice in a gorgeous and comely attire yet chiefly because they partake of the divine nature and are one with the Father and the Son John 17. 14. 21 22. 2 Cor. 6. 18. I might I say be large upon this and many the like but I must only mention them CHAP. XIV SEcondly Another cause is their Ignorance They shall hate and persecute you yea they shall excommunicate and kill you for my Names sake saith our Saviour to his Disciples because they have not known the Father nor me John 16. 2 3. and 15. 21. And again they are an offence unto us because they understand not the things which are of God but the things which are of men Matth. 16. 23. And are deceived because they know not the Scriptures neither the power of God Matth. 22. 29. Luke 19. 42. This the Apostle confesseth to have been the cause of his persecuting the Church 1 Tim. 1. 13. Who so soon as he was enlightned with the saving knowledge of the truth changed his note with his name and preached that saith which before he persecuted Yea the most ugly and monstrous wickedness that ever was hatched or brought forth into the world calleth ignorance mother Had they known says the Apostle they would not have crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. Acts 3. 15 17. Father forgive them saith he of his murtherers for they know not what they do And why have the Kings of the earth in all ages â—nded themselves together against the Lord and against his Christ Psal. 2. 2. â—ut because they knew him not Joh. 15. 21. they see no more then the bark or outside of spiritual things 2 Sam. 6. 16. And the flesh Satans ready instrument will be ever sugesting to them strange surmises touching what the Reliâ—â—ous either say or do as is evident by what is recorded of Michal 2 Sam. 6. 16. of Nicodemus Joh. 3. 4. of Festus Act. 26. 24. and lastly of Paul before his conversion 1 Tim. 1. 13. It is the nature of ignorant and carnal men that walk after the flesh in the â—â—sts of uncleanness whom Saint Peter calls brute beasts led with sensuality to â—â—ak evil of the things which they understand not 2 Pet. 2. 12. especially in judging acts of zeal and piety their opinion still lights upon the worst sense like them in Act.
A LEAFE From the TREE of LIFE Wherewith to heal the NATION of all Strife and Controversie and to settle therein PEACE and UNITIE By R. Younge a Roxwell Bee whose sting is as Soveraign as its Honey is sweet and whose Enemies have no less cause to love him then his Friends Sold by James Crump in Little Bartholmews Well-Yard and Henry Crisps in Popes-Head-Alley 1661. CHAP. I. Reverend Sir SOme time since I heard you upon Jer. 51. 9. We would have healed Babilon but she would not be healed c. What change it hath wrought in me I forbear to mention But certainly Satan and the World fear they have lost the one a subject or prisoner the other a â—imbe or member ever since for whereas they never molested me formerly now as if I were rescued out of Satans clutches that Lyon foams and roars â—nd bestirs himself to recover his losse And as for my old acquaintance they so envy to see themselves casheâ—â—ed and so mortally hate me for that I will no longer continue miserable nor run with them as I have done to the same excesse of riot 1 Per. 4. 4. â—hat they make me weary of my life as the daughters of Heth did Rebechah Gen. 27. 46. Yea I am so scoft at and scorned both by Parents Friends and Enemies â—hat it not only hinders me from doing the good I would or appearing the â—ame I am but it almost beats me off from being religious back to the world And certainly he must be more spirit then flesh that can contentedly make himself contemptible to follow Christ be pointed at for singularity endure so many base and vile nick-names have his Religion judged hypocrisie his godly simplicity silliness his zeal madness his contempt of the world ignorance his godly sorrow dumpishness and the like malicious and mischievous constructions made of whatsoever he speaks or does For my part I could better abide a stake God assisting me then the mocks scoffs and scorns which every where I meet withall It is death to me to be mockt as it fared with Zedekiah Jer. 38. 19. Nor is there above Hell a greater punishment in my judgement then to become a Saâ—â—io a subject of scorn as Sampson I doubt not found Alcibiades profest that neither the proscription of his goods nor his banishment nor the wounds he received in his bâ—ly were so grievous to him as one scornful word from his enemy Ctesiphon Yea doubtlesse our Saviours ear was more painfully pierced then either his â—rows or hands or feet It could not but go deep into his soul to hear those bitter and girding reproaches from them whom he came to save A generous â—ature is more wounded with the tongue then with the hand CHAP. II. Minister I Grant there is no such rub in the way to Heaven as this Satan hath not such a tried shaft in all his quiver he gets more now by such discouragements and the â—eproaches that are cast upon Religion then he did formerly by fire and faggot for then the blood of the Martyrs was found to be the seed of the Church Others Phaenix like springing out of their ashes Whereas now multitudes of souls are scoft out of their Religion by wicked men many being apt with Peter to deny their Religion when they come in company with Christs enemies and with David to dissemble their faith when they are amongst Philistines lest they should be mockt have so many frowns and frumps and censures and scoffs be branded with that â—dious and stigmatical name of an hypocrite c. Yea S. Austin confesseth that he often â—elied himself with sins which he never committed lest he should be unacceptable to his sinfull companions which makes our Saviour pronounce that man blessed that is not offended in him Matth. 11. 6. But for all that a wise man will not be scoft out of his Money nor a just man flowred out of his Faith The taunts of an Ishmael shall never make an Isaac out of love with his inheritance Yea for a man to be scoft out of his goodness by those which are lewd is all one as if a man that seeth should blindâ—old himself or put out his eyes because some blinde wretches revile and scoff at him for seeing Or as if one that is â—ound of limbs should limp or maiâ— himself to please the criple and avoid his taunts And know this That if the barking of these currs shall hinder us from walking on our way to Heaven it is a sign we are most impotent cowards Yeâ— if our love be so cold to Christ that we are ashamed for his sake to bear a few scoffs and reproaches from the world it is evident we are but counterfeits such as Christ will be ashamed of before his Father and his holy Angels at the latter day Mark 8 38. For for the comfort of all that are single and honest-hearted notwithstanding all the scoffs and scorns of Atheists and careless worldlings all their perswasions and persecutions they shall both lose their labours and themselves too in the end Well may they intend and also do their utmost to flout us out of our Faith that so they may slay us with death eternal and speed thereafter As God that regards not so much what is performed as what was intended and measures what we do by what we meant to do as in the case of Abrahams offering up his son and those Jews who only thought they had killed Paul Acts 14 19. but they shall be no more able to hinder the salvation of any one whom God hath chosen to his Kingdome of grace and glory then Saul with his Courtiers could hinder David from attaining the promised Kingdom of Israel Psal. 129. 1. Rev. 13. 8. The windes may well â—osse the ship wherein Christ is but never overturn it If Christ have but once possest the affections there is no dispossessing him again The League that Heaven hath made Hell wants power to break Who can separate the conjunctions of the Deitie Whom God did predestinate saith Paul them he also called and whom he called them be also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified Rom. 8. 30. They shall sooner blow up hell with trains of powder then break the chain of this dependent truth No power of men or devils is able to withstand the will of God it shall stand firmer then the firmament A fire in the heart overcomes all other fires without as we see in the Martyrs which when the sweet doctrine of Christ had once got into their hearts it could not be got out again by all the torments that wit and cruelty could devise CHAP. III. Convert BUt how should I a novice a punio a white-liver shake off this slavish yoke of bondage and fear in which Satan for the present holds me Minister By well observing what the Scriptures in this case hold forth for the encouragement of all that thus suffer I will commend to your serious consideration only