nourishing him with the cup of pleasure and feeding him with the bread of Heaven I would fain know how he could better have express'd the Care of his Government what greater Tenderness could he possibly shew them than by Respecting them so much in this Life as to allow them a sort of Anticipation of the Blessedness hereafter X. But perhaps it will be answer'd here that 't is true that a long time ago God was thus careful of Mankind but now a days he do's not at all trouble himself with it Pray how come we to be of that Opinion Because it may be we are not every day fed with Manna as they were then when we are provided with plentiful Crops of Corn Because the Quails do not fly in our Faces to be catch'd when we are supply'd with all sorts of Birds Beasts and Cattle Because we drink not Water flowing from hardest Rocks when we have Cellars Stor'd with choisest Wines Beside I am confident that even we our selves who think they were so much the Care of God and that we are neglected by Him should he instead of what we now enjoy give us those Things they had would certainly refuse the Offer We would never part with what we have at present to be possess'd of what they had not that we have better Things now than that People then enjoy'd but because they who were thus daily fed by the hand of God and Heaven preferr'd their former Gluttony to their present Provisions grew sullen and afflicted with the base Remembrance of fleshly Dyet and lewdly hanker'd after Leeks and Onions not that their former Food was any whit the better but because they were just in the same Condition that we are now They abhorr'd what e're was present and lusted for what was not We commend the Things of that Age more than of our own not that we had rather have them if 't were put to our Choice but 't is a Vice common to Mankind our Desires are always roving after what we have not As one says well Other Men's Goods please us and â— Syrus ours please other Men. Beside 't is almost universally true of us All that there 's not one of us but is guilty of Ingratitude toward God and 't is a kind of Original Sin which taints us all we are still lessening God's love and goodness lest we should own our selves too much his Debtors But enough of this 't is time to return where I left off altho' I doubt not but I have sufficiently prov'd my Proposition yet I shall add somewhat more because I judge 't is safer to use more Proofs than what are barely needful than to destroy a Cause perhaps by being short in using too few XI The Israelites having been some time deliver'd from the Yoak of Pharaoh revolted at Mount Sinai and are forthwith corrected by the Lord for their Folly For so it is written And the Lord plagued the people because Exod. 32. they made the Calfe which Aaron made v. 35. How could God Almighty execute a more evident Judgment on the Offenders than that Punishment should immediately follow the Transgression But why since all the Congregation were guilty was not Sentence pass'd alike on all Because the God of mercy drew his Sword of Judgment against some that others might amend by their Example and that he might shew at once to all his Justice in destroying and Mercy in preserving 'T was Justice that chastis'd them and 't was Mercy that spar'd them altho' both in a different manner for Mercy here had greater share than Justice Because the Lord being always most compassionate is ever more inclind to Mercy than to Vengeance and altho' at that time in punishing part of the Jewish Host the Divine Justice made use of Judgment and Severity yet at that very time his Mercy saved by far the greater part and that out of meer Compassion to their mighty Numbers lest the Punishment should have destroy'd all whom the Guilt had infected However we read that God's Justice is inexorable toward some Persons and Families as in the Case when the People rested on the Sabaoth-day he who presum'd Numb 15. to gather Sticks was order'd to be slain v. 36. For altho' the Act it self was innocent yet the Day on which he did it made it Criminal So in the Case of two contending Parties one who blasphem'd was put to death For thus 't is written Behold the Son of an Israelitish Levit. 24. Woman whose Father was an Aegyptian v. 10. went out among the Children of Israel And this Son of the Israelitish Woman and a Man v. 11 of Israel strove together in the Camp And the Israelitish Woman's Son blasphem'd the Name of the Lord and cursed and they brought him unto Moses And a little after And they put him in ward that the mind of the Lord might be shewed v. 12. them and the Lord spake unto Moses saying Bring forth him that hath cursed without the v. 13. Camp and let all that heard him lay their hands v. 14. upon his Head and let all the Congregation stone him Is not here a plain and manifest Judgment of God and a Sentence in a heavenly Tryal pass'd according to the form of Humane Examinations For first the Offender is seis'd in the next place he is brought before the Judgment-seat then he is accus'd then sent into Prison and last of all punish'd by a Sentence from above And not only punish'd but condemn'd in a Tryal by Witnesses that it might appear that 't was Justice that convicted him and not meer Power that the Example might contribute to the Amendment of all that no one in after-times should dare to do those things that all the People had punish'd in one This is the Method and the Justice with which God does both now act and with which he ever has acted that the punishments inflicted on single Persons may tend to the Amendment of all So it was in the case of Nadab and Abihu both of the Priesthood Numb 26. v. 61. when they were consum'd with Fire in whose destruction God had a mind to manifest not only his common Judgment but a 1 Chron. 24. v. 1 2. very present sudden and unexpected one For thus saith the Scripture That when fire came out from before the Lord and consumed Levit. 9. v. 24. upon the Altar the Burnt-offering Nadab and Abihu the Sons of Aaron took either of them his Censer and put fire therein and offer'd Levit. 10. strange fire before the Lord which he commanded v. 1. them not And there went out fire from the Lord and devour'd them and they died before the Lord. v. 2. By this God would shew that his hand is always stretch'd over us and that the Sword of Vengeance hangs over our heads since we see that he punish'd the Sin of these Men in the very Act The Fact of these
by His long-suffering permitted others and pass'd a just Sentence on the rest However it may be there are some still may think that it is not sufficient for me to have prov'd my Assertion by a few single Instances let us see therefore whether I cannot prove the same thing thro' all the Race of Mankind When therefore the Number and Iniquities of Mankind were equally increas'd God seeing says the Sacred Scripture that the Wickedness of man was great in the Earth and that every imagination of the Gen. 6. Thoughts of his Heart was only evil continually it repented the Lord that he had made Man on V. 5 6 7. the Earth and it griev'd him at His heart And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from off the face of the Earth Let us consider here how much the extraordinary Care and strict Justice of the Lord is shewn in all these Particulars And first he says God seeing Secondly it grieved him at his heart Thirdly I will destroy says he man whom I have created By the Expression in this place of God's seeing all this is shewn his great Care By the other of grief his terrible Wrath By that of punishing the severity of his Justice It therefore repented God says the Scripture that he had made man on the earth Not that the Almighty is liable to such Motions or subjected to any manner of Passion but the sacred Writings that they may the more plainly convey the Meaning of the Things Recorded delivering them to us in our own way after the manner of Men by the Expression of God's repentance do demonstrate to us the Greatness of His Anger Now God's Wrath is the Punishment of the Offender But what follow'd after this When God locked upon the earth it goes on and behold V. 12 â—â— it was corrupt he said unto Noah the end of all flesh is come before me for the earth is filled with violence thro' them and behold I will V. 30. destroy them with the earth It follows The Gen. 7. v. 11. Fountains of the great deep were broken up and theÌ„ windows of Heaven were opened and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights And a little after And all flesh died V. 21. that moved upon the earth And again And Noah only remain'd alive and they that were with him in the Ark. Here now I would fain V. 23. know from them who would have it that God is altogether regardless of Things here below whether or no at that time they think God did either regard or judge Things on the Earth For I am of Opinion that he did not only barely judge them but passed as it were a double Sentence upon them Because when on the one hand he preserv'd the Righteous he shew'd himself merciful and their Rewarder and on the orher hand by his punishing of the Ungodly he shew'd the strictness of his Justice But perhaps these things because transacted as it were in another Age before the Flood may not have so great Weight among some of the weaker Sort as they ought to have as tho' there were some other God at that time or else that He afterward grew sullen and would not take the same Trouble that he had done before I could by Divine Assistance prove what I have said thro' all Ages since the Flood but the Greatness of the Number will not admit it and besides some few of the most considerable Instances may suffice For since 't is beyond all doubt That the God of the first Men and of their Posterity is the very same that must be expected in the Government of the Posterity which we find by Instances to be true in that of our Fore-fathers VIII When therefore after the Universal The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha Deluge God had blessed Mankind and the Fruits of that Blessing appear'd in their extraordinary Encrease The Lord called to Abraham out of Heaven and commanded him to Gen. 12. leave his own Countrey and go and find out another Here he is call'd he obeys he arrives at it is placed in it from Poverty becomes Rich from a perfect Stranger becomes Powerful from a contemptible Vagabond to be Great and Honourable But lest these things which were given him might seem to be purely the Effects of God's Bounty and not any Encouragement of his Obedience he who was thus prosperous and successful afterward underwent the Tryal of Adversity For he afterward liv'd in Trouble Hazards and Dread of his Life was tormented with Travelling from place to place fatigu'd in Banishment every where affronted depriv'd of his Wife God order'd his Son to be Sacrific'd the Father obeys and offers him as far as was possible in the Sincerity of his Intention He 's again banish'd again in fear of his Life envy'd by the Philistines robb'd by Abimelech These were mighty Misfortunes and yet his Comforts were as Great For tho' his Afflictions were many yet the Lord deliver'd him out of all In all these Transactions 't is easie to observe that God was an Overseer an Inviter a Guide was Solicitous a Promiser a Protector a Rewarder a Prover a Patron a Revenger and a Judge He was an Overseer when out of many he chose him alone whom he saw to be better than the rest An inviter when he call'd him from his own Country A guide when he brought him into an unknown Place He was solicitous when he visited him under the Tree A promiser when he assur'd him of Things to come A protector when he protected him among a strange People A rewarder when he enrich'd him A Patron and advancer when he advanced him above all A revenger when he reveng'd him of his Adversaries And a Judge because in the Act of his Vengeance he judged them To this Story of Abraham God immediately subjoyns and says The Cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is great and their Sin is Gen. 18. very grievous The Cry says he of Sodom v. 20 21. and Gomorrha is very Great The way of speaking that Sins do cry is remarkable For doubtless the Cry of Sinners must be great since it ascends from Earth to Heaven But why should he use such an Expression as that the Sins of Men do cry Because God says that his ears are wounded with the Cries of Sins to hasten the Punishment of the Sinner And a huge and mighty Cry it must be when the long-suffering of God is so overcome by the Cry of Sins that he is forc'd to inflict Punishment on the Sinner The Lord does therefore here shew how unwillingly he inflicts Punishment on the greatest Trangressors when he says that the Cry of Sodom is come up to him as much as if he had said my Mercy does mightily incline me to spare them but the Cry of their Sins does even force me to punish them But when he had said thus what was the Consequence Why Angels are
Sinners was scarce committed before the Penalty reveng'd the Sin but that is not the only remarkable Thing in this Affair since there are many others For in these Men it was not so much a wicked Heart as a too rash and unadvised Easiness that was punish'd which is a Declaration from God himself of what punishment those are worthy who dare Sin in open Contempt of the Divine Majesty when these Men are thus smitten who offended meerly for want of Consideration And how heinous a Guilt they would contract who should act expressly against God's Commands when these were so severely scourg'd who wanted nothing but a Command for their Actions Further by this God provides for our Amendment setting before us so wholesome an Example by which all of the Laiety may undestand how greatly they ought to dread the Wrath of God since neither the Merits of the Father could deliver nor the Privilege of the sacred Ministry free even the Sons of the High-Priest from immediate Punishment But why do I speak of the Inconsiderateness of these Men which in a manner affected God himself and tended to the lessening his Honour Miriam Numb 12. v. â— speaks against Moses and is punish'd and not only barely so but in a Judicial way For in the first place she is summon'd to appear in Judgment Then she is convicted and in the last place punish'd In the Reproof given her there was the force of a Sentence in her Leprosie she was put in the State of a real Offender and this Censure did not only humble Miriam but Aaron also For tho' it was not meet that the High Priest should be deform'd by Leprosie yet nevertheless the Chastisement of the Lord was upon him and not only so for Aaron as Partaker in the Crime is chastis'd in that very Punishment which Miriam suffer'd for the punishment is laid upon Miriam that Aaron may be confounded with the Guilt But that we may further understand how inexorable God is in his Judgment in some cases we shall see that he will not hearken to the Intercession even of the offended Party Thus we read that the Lord said unto Aaron and Miriam Wherefore Numb 12. v. were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses And the anger of the Lord was v. 9. kindled against them and he departed And behold Miriam became Leprous white as Snow v. 10. And Moses cry'd unto the Lord saying Heal v. 13. her now O God I beseech thee And the Lord said unto Moses if her Father had but spit in v. 14. her face should she not be ashamed seven days Let her be shut out from the Camp seven days and after that let her be receiv'd in again What I have said on this head and part of my Discourse is sufficient for it would be endless to enlarge upon all when the very naming them would be sufficiently tedious without staying to make Discourses upon them However I shall add somewhat more XII The Israelites repent that they left Aegypt they are smitten for it they murmur at the great Fatigue of their Journey they are afflicted for it They long for Flesh and are scourg'd for it Being weary of feeding every day on Manna they desire to glut themselves with Dainties their craving Appetites are gratify'd to the full but whilst their Bellies are cramm'd they are tormented For while says the Scripture the meat was yet in their mouths the heavy Wrath of God came upon Psal 78. v. 30 31. them and slew the fattest of them and smote down the chosen Men of Israel Og rebels against Deut. 3. v. 3. Numb 26. v. 9 10. Moses and is destroy'd Core reproaches him and is overwhelm'd Dathan and Abiram murmur and are swallow'd up For the Earth open'd and swallow'd up Dathan and cover'd the Congregation Psal 106 v. 17. of Abiram Two hundred and fifty Principal Men likewise as the Scripture testifies who were by name call'd to Council Numb 16. v. 2. made an Insurrection against Moses And at the time of their withstanding Moses and Aaron they said it is sufficient for us that alâ— the Congregation are holy every one of them Wherefore then lift you up your selves above the Congregation of the Lord And what followed v. 3. Why fire came out from the Lord and v. 35. consum'd the two hundred and fifty Men that offer'd Incense But after all these mighty Things they receiv'd no Advantage from Heavens care they were often under the Rod but still without Amendment For as we at this time are every day scourg'd yet are nere the better so they under all their Chastisements continued still the same For what says the Scripture The day following the whole Congregation murmured v. 41. against Moses and Aaron saying Ye have killed the People of the Lord. And what then Fourteen thousand and seven hundred Men were destroy'd in a trice by Fire from Heaven But how comes it since all the People had transgress'd that they di not all likewise share in the Punishment especially considering that in the Rebellion of Corâ—h beforementioned not a Soul escaped How comes it to pass that in that case God would destroy the whole Body of the Offenders but in this only some part of them Because God is plentiful both in Mercy and Justice and of his Essential goodness forgives many times as well as exercises Severity in Vindication of his Justice And therefore in that Case his Justice took place that by punishing all the Offenders it might tend to the Reformation of all that saw or heard it But in this he exercises Mercy lest a whole People should be destroy'd And yet when he had used them with so much Compassion and saw the often repeated Scourging of a part only of the offending Multitude had so little Success at the last he utterly destroy'd them all The Consideration of which should both make us tremble and spur us on to Amendment lest we who neglect to reform our selves from their Example come to the same miserable End that they did For what became of them is plain beyond all doubt for seeing that the Chief Design of bringing the Children of Israel out of the Land of Aegypt was purely that they might possess the Land of Promise only two holy and good Men of all that vast Body entred into it For thus says the Scripture The Lord spake unto Moses Numb 14. v. 26 27. and Aaron saying how long shall I bear with this evil Congregation which murmur against me As truly as I live saith the Lord as you have V. 28. spoken in mine ears so will I do unto you your Carcasses shall fall in this wilderness And afterward But your little ones which you v. 31. said should be a Prey them will I bring in and they shall know the Land which ye have despised But as for you your Carcasses they shall fall in this wilderness And what
follow'd They v. 32. all died and were cut off before the Lord. What is there now in all these Instances where God is not Would you see him a Governour Behold he rectifies Things present and ordereth what shall be for the time to come Would you see him a severe Judge Loe he punishes the guilty Would you behold him just and merciful Loe he spares the Innocent Would you see him Universal Judge Behold he is Judgment it self For as a Judge he reproves us and as a Judge he rules us As a Judge he passes Sentence as a Judge he destroys the guilty and as a Judge he rewards the Innocent SALVIAN of GOD's Government c. BOOK II. Of God's Governing the World How God's Ears are always open to the Righteous How Great things David suffered An Example of Repentance and the Advantages obtained thereby THE Examples I have before produced Of God's governing the World are sufficient to prove that our God is ever a most solicitous Regarder a most merciful Governour and a most just Judge Notwithstanding which some of the weaker Sort may yet think if things are now order'd by God as they were heretofore in those days How comes it about that bad Men prevail and that the Good are in distress in those days the Wicked felt the weight of God's Wrath and the Righteous his loving Kindness but now the Righteous in some sort seem to experience his Wrath and the Wicked his Favour I shall give an Answer to all this presently But now since in the foregoing Book I engag'd to prove these three Things to wit The Presence of God His Government and Judgment by these three Topicks of Reason Examples and Testomony and having already gone thro' the two first it remains that I manifest the same by Testimony although in strictness the Examples I have produced already ought to pass for Testimony for that is rightly call'd Testimony whereby the Truth of things is prov'd But which of the abovementioned Three shall I begin to prove first by this Testimony whether God's Presence His Governing or His Judging His Presence I think whether he govern or judge for without doubt he ought to be present before he can exercise either the one or the other The holy Scripture in it's sacred Pages speaks thus The eyes of the Lord are in Prov. 15. v. 3. every place beholding the evil and the good Here you have him present here you have him beholding and watching in every place by his Care and Providence For therefore is it said that he considers both the Good and the Bad to shew that nothing can be neglected by him who so narrowly views every thing But for a further Understanding of the Matter hear what the same holy Spirit testifies in another part of Scripture The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him To deliver Psal 33. V. 17. 18. their Soul from death and to feed them in the time of Dearth Here is a reason given why God is said to behold good Men namely that he may preserve and protect them For 't is from the Propitious eye of Heaven that Mankind ought to date their preservation So the same holy Spirit in another place The Psal 34. V. 15. eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their Prayers See here with how much goodness the holy Scripture represents God dealing with his People For in that it says The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous it shews the Affection of the gracious Beholder in that his ears are open unto their Prayers is demonstrated the Liberality and Bounty of the Hearer In the Expression that God's ears are always How God's ears are always open to the Righteous ready to receive the Prayers of the Righteous is meant not only bare Hearing but a kind of Condescension likewise But how are God's ears always open to the Prayers of the Righteous How but because God always hears and always grants their Petitions as soon as ask'd Our Lord's ears are always ready to hear the Prayers of his Saints always attentive And Oh how trebly blessed and happy should we be were we as ready to obey and do the Will of God as we read here that God is ready and willing to hear us But you 'll say it may be that what we read of God's beholding the Just does not help my Cause at all Because that cannot be call'd a general Beholding which is restrain'd by a particular Favour to the Just only It is but a little before where the Text is produc'd which says The eyes of the Lord behold the evil and the good However if a further Proof be desir'd mind what follows for thus it subjoyns The countenance of the Lord is against Psal 34. v. 16. them that do evil to root out the remembrance of them from the earth Here certainly is no room left for Complaint that God do's not also behold the Unjust but notwithstanding this general View he takes of both yet he beholds them with a vast difference as to their Merits he beholds the Good that he may preserve them but the Bad that he may destroy them among whom you who have the Courage to deny that God beholds Mankind must expect your share For know that you are not only seen by the Almighty but acknowledge that your destruction is inevitable For since the Countenance of the Lord is upon them that do evil to root out the remembrance of them from the Earth it is of necessity that you who wickedly deny the Countenance of God to behold any thing should perceive the Wrath of the Beholder in your Destruction And this shall suffice for the first thing which is of God's Presence in and his beholding of Humane Affairs II. Let us see now whether he who beholds them governs them certainly so for the main Reason of His Beholding is in order to His Governing for he do's not regard and mind them only in order to neglect them when we understand that he do's not neglect by the very Act of his minding them especially since holy Writ witnesses as above that God beholds the Wicked in order to their Destruction and the Good for their Preservation And in this very Thing the Dispensation of God's Government is manifested for the Justice of Government do's entirely consist in this to deal with every Man according to the measure of his Deserts But let us view a plainer Testimony in this Matter The holy Ghost says to God the Father in the Psalm Hear O thou shâ—pherd of or thou who governest Psal 80. v. 1. Israel The word Israel signifies seeing God whom yet all faithful Christians may behold in their Heart and by Faith and altho' God be the Ruler of all Men yet those are said more peculiarly to be govern'd by him who do more peculiarly deserve the Benefit of the Divine ear So that you whoever you are if so be
you are a Christian must of necessity believe your self to be govern'd by God But if you do not believe with other Christians that you are govern'd by God you must of necessity know that you are separated from all other Christians But if you desire to be inform'd as we have hinted above what is the State of all Mankind in general and not of the Christians in particular the Holy Scripture will solve your Doubt which affirms that all things are continually and without intermission order'd and govern'd by God For he loveth Council and Discipline Nor is there any other God whose Care is Wisd 12. v. 15 18. Universal For so much then as thou art righteous thy self thou orderest all things righteously and orderest us with great favour Here you see God always disposing Affairs and always governing and besides there is not only in this place a Declaration of his Governning but also an Exaltation of Humane Nature For in the words Thou orderest us is the Force of God's Power but in those with great favour is the height of Humane Honour So in the Prophet Do not I fill Heaven and earth saith the Lord And He himself declares Jer. 23. V. 24. why he fills all things Because I am with you says he and will save you God Jer. 42. v. 11. do's not only barely declare his Power and his filling all things but shews the Efficacy and Benefit of such his filling For the Divine filling brings this Advantage with it that it saves every thing which it fills And therefore the holy Apostle St. Paul in the Acts of Acts 17. v. 28. the Apostles says In him we live and move and have our Being Certainly he is more than a bare Disposer of Life in whom is the Principal of Motion of the Creature that lives For he do's not say that we are mov'd by him but in him thereby informing us that the Substance of us All is engraffed in the Divine Perfections Because we plainly live in him from whom we receive even our very Existence So our Saviour himself in the Gospel Loe I am with you alway Matth. 28. v. 20. even unto the end of the world He did not only say that he was with us but that he was with us always And do you ungrateful Man venture to say that he who is always with us do's neither regard nor care for us What do's he stay with us for no other end but to despise and neglect us How are these Things consistent that he should afford us his Presence out of Love and yet hate us by his Neglect For he says Loe I am with you always even unto the end of the world We put a very pretty Meaning on the loving-kindness of God by slandering him for neglecting us when at the same time he openly declares that he do's never leave us He would by this shew us that he would never depart from us in Affection and Protection because his Presence should be always with us And we convert this Divine Charity into Contempt of us and change these Marks of Love into Arguments of Hatred For this His saying that he would be always with us we make a Testimony of Hatred rather than of Love For if the Lord had said he should be absent there would be less Reason to accuse him of disregard in Absence It shews a much greater Slight and Contempt if he should always neglect us who always remain'd with us 't is great aggravation of Hatred to us if he should stay with us only for this End always to let us have his Presence and yet never to love us Far be it from us to have such Thoughts of the most Loving and merciful God that he should be always near us only that by such nearness he might slight and neglect us the more and far be it from us to speak it I am perswaded there is scarce such a Varlet to be found among all Mankind that desires to be near another Man purely because he do's not love him and that would covet to enjoy his Company meerly that he might have the better opportunity to hate and despise him Let therefore Humane Nature either inform or convince us For if we do not desire to be with any Man unless such as we have Respect for and because we have such respect we endeavour that our Company may be as grateful and advantageous to him we do so love How come we then to take away that from God which you must allow to a wicked Man and to depress him beneath even the very worst of Men that he should tell us that he would be always with us that he might use us with the greater Scorn and Contempt But enough of this III. It remains that since I have prov'd by How great things David suffered Testimonies of holy Writ that all things are order'd and govern'd by God I should shew in like manner that many things in this world have been adjudged by him When holy David was abus'd and affronted by Nabal the Carmelite he forbore to resent the Injury and had his Cause immediately avenged by God When therefore his Adversary was dead and smitten by the hand of Heaven he spoke after this manner Blessed be the Lord 1 Sam. 25. v. 39. that hath pleaded the Cause of my Reproach from the hand of Nabal When his Son became his Persecutor and turn'd him out of his Kingdom the Lord as Judge in a short time avenged his Cause and not only barely avenged it but in a much higher degree than he in whose Vindication it was would have had it that God might shew that the Injustice done to the Injur'd and Oppressed is more grievous to Himself than to those that bear it For he who punishes beyond the Desire of the Injur'd Party shews plainly that such overplus of Correction is in his own Quarrel His undutiful Son therefore being snapp'd up by the growing Gallows holy Writ relates the Account then given of this Punishment that fell upon him from above Thus Tidings my Lord the King for the 2 Sam. 18. v. 31. Lord hath avenged or judged for thee this day of all them that rose up against thee IV. Here you see not only from the nature of Things and Examples as I shewed before but also from the very Name and Term of Judgment how the Scriptures prove by holy Witnesses that God do's Judge even in this present World But you think it may be this was a singular Instance a particular Favour granted to so Great and Good a Man that God by his Judgments should deliver him from his Adversaries The whole day would not be sufficient for me to â—â—eak of the Sentences and Judgments pass'd by God in this present World However that you may plainly discern that he do's not pass his Censures and Judgment so much for the sake of Persons as the Justice of their Causes pray mark how the same God as
Judge who so constantly gave Sentence for David has often in other Cases given it against him and this not in the Concern of Numbers of People or which perhaps might seem to incline God Almighty that of holy and good Men but in the Cause of a single Person and he an Alien too and where in all probability he would not have born so hard on so great a Man if his Cause had not condemn'd him Having kill'd Vriah the Hittite a Gentile and a Foreigner the Word of the Lord comes to David Thou hast killed Vriah the Hittite with the Sword and hast taken his Wife to be 2 Sam. 12. v. 9. thy Wife and hast slain him with the Sword of the Children of Ammon Now therefore the Sword shall not depart from thine House v. 10. Behold I will raise up evil against thee out of v. 11. thine own House and I will take thy Wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy Neighbour and he shall lye with thy Wives in the sight of the Sun in that thou didst it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the Sun What say you to this you that are so far from believing that God do's exercise Judgment in this World that you don't think he minds it at all Don't you see that God's eyes were present at this private and single Sin of David's So that you who I suppose comfort and solace your self in your Wickedness with the hopes that God do's not at all weigh any of our Actions do by this find that Christ plainly sees you and is ready to pour down Vengeance on your Head for 't was not possible for David a holy Man to conceal one single Sin committed with all the privacy imaginable nor by the Merit of all the good Works he had ever done to free himself from present Punishment For what says the Lord to him I will take thy Wives before thine eyes and the Sword shall not depart from thine House Here you see how quick a Sentence is pass'd on so Great a Man for one single Fault his Condemnation immediately follow'd his Crime a Condemnation with a Punishment not to be deferr'd but immediately affecting the guilty Person leaving none of the Guilt to be answer'd for hereafter And thefore he did not say because thou hast done this Thing thou shalt feel God's future Judgment and shalt be tormented in Hell-fire hereafter but thou shalt be punish'd in this World and shalt immediately feel the Sword of God's Wrath hanging over thy head And what Example of repentance was the Effect of this Why the Criminal acknowledges his Fault is humbled suffers Compunction Confesses Mourns and Repents throws by his Royal Gemms puts off his Massy Embroider'd Robes uses no Purple lays by his Diadem changes his Habit and his Heart casts off the Crown with all its Gay Attendance becomes a formal Penitent and flies for Refuge to a mean Attire is wasted with Fasting and dry'd up with Thirst is drain'd with Weeping and shut up in Secret And yet so Renowned a Prince as this greater in Piety than in Power extraordinary deserving in all his former Conduct when he prays and sues with so much Court yet cannot be forgiven However he gain'd that mighty The advantage of repentance Great Advantage from his Repentance that he was not adjudged to Eternal Punishment altho' he could not escape in this World For after all thus saith the Prophet to him Because 2 Sam. 12. v. 14. by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the Enemies of the Lord to Blaspheme the Child also that is born unto thee shall surely die Beside the severe Penalty inflicted in taking away the Child God seems so to have order'd it that the fond Father should have the tenderest Sense of the Judgment that the Father himself who griev'd and fear'd the Loss should be the very Cause of the beloved Infant 's Death and even the Crime that brought him into the World the Occasion of throwing him out of it V. This therefore was the first step of the Divine Judgment the first but not the only One for there follow'd a whole Series of Troubles and Afflictions and a continued Chain of Misfortunes never after departed from his Family Tamar is ravish'd by Amnon 2 Sam. 13. Amnon is murder'd by Absalom A Grand wicedness was committed by one Brother but yet a greater by the other in Revenge of it And David the Father a Sufferer in both their Crimes two of his Sons transgress and he loses three Children by the Offence Tamar loses her Virginity and in Amnon's Murder the loss of Absalom is bemoan'd And 't is not easie to guess which of his two Sons Loss the indulgent Father took most to heart whether his who fell by his Brother's hand in this World or his who perish'd eternally by his own in the other And now according to the Word of God after this there follows a whole heap of extraordinary Misfortunes the Father is for a long time beset by his Son is abdicated and driven out of his Kingdom and to save his Life sneaks off like a Fugitive The Son would puzzle half Mankind to tell whether he were more lewd or cruel For when he fail'd to kill his Father by base Patricide he throws Dirt upon him by Incest and by such sort of Incest which beside the Sin was industriously design'd to express and exalt the Villany for that very Wickedness which is most abominable tho committed with the greatest Secrecy this Persecutor of his Father acted openly that not only his absent Father might be dishonour'd by the prodigious Sin but also the eyes of the whole City be defiled with his publick Incest If to this we add the manner of his Flight how hard it was when so Great a King of so Great Fame greater than all his neighbour Kings and above the World fled from his own Children and Subjects with scarce a Servant to attend him become now in comparison of what he was lately a Beggar and deserted flying in Fear in Disgrace in Sorrow going as the Scripture says with his Head cover'd and barefoot 2 Sam. 15. v. 30. Beside these driving from himself the Thoughts of what he was formerly living now as it were after himself become so low which is grievous to a Prince as to be liable to the Affronts of his own Servants or which is still more grievous to need their Pity so that Siba now might bring him Victuals nor Simei fear to curse him publickly 2 Sam. 16. v. 1 7. being by God's Judgment so much alter'd from himself that one single Enemy might openly insult over him whom all the neighbouring World before trembled at VI. Where are they now that deny that God regards Humane Affairs Behold how often the Scriptures have inform'd us in the person of this one Man not only that God do's regard them but that he do's adjudge
them likewise And to what end do's it inculcate all these things but that we might know and understand that God's Justice and Judgment in this World will ever be the same they have been And we therefore read that holy and good Men were formerly chastis'd by God's Judgment that we might know that we our selves are to be judged by God as Judge even in this World For as God is everlasting so is his Justice As the Lord's Omnipotence will never fail so neither will his Judgment ever change as God is of right eternal so his Justice has no end And therefore all those who are remarkable for their Piety in the holy Scripture when they were in any imminent Danger or cruel Persecution always call for God's present Judgment So says the Psal 43. v. 1. just Man in the Psalm Give Sentence with me O God and defend my Cause against the ungodly People which lest it might be apply'd to God's future Judgment he adds Deliver me from the deceitful and wicked Man He certainly desires God's present Judgment who prays to be deliver'd from the hands of his Persecutors and being conscious of the goodness of his Cause he do's not so much pray for the help and assistance of God as his Judgment because the best assistance that can be given to a good Cause is when it is rightly judg'd So in another place very plainly Plead thou Psal 35. my Cause O Lord with them that strive with v. 1. me and fight thou against them that fight against me Lay hand upon the shield and buckler and v. 2. stand up to help me You see likewise in this place there is no provocation to any future Severity or Tryal but to the Justice of the present Judgment For this is all he says Lay hand upon the Shield and seise the Sword the Shield for Protection and the Sword for Revenge Not that God in the exercise of his Judgment stands in need of any such Furniture but because in this World the names of such frightful Things are the Instruments of frightful Judgments he speaks to a Humane Understanding in the Language of Humane things because he pray'd to be judg'd and aveng'd of his Adversaries he express'd the Greatness of the Divine Vengeance by Instruments of earthly Cruelty Lastly this same Prophet does elsewhere declare the difference there is between God's present and his future Judgment For he mentions the exercise of a Psal 9. v. 4. present Judgment in these words Thou sittest upon the Throne who judgest righteously And of the Psal 96. v 13. future and eternal Judgment he says He shall judge the World righteously And again He shall judge the People in Truth Here he uses the very Words of the present and future time or tense to distinguish the time of each Judgment That he might shew the present Judgment he puts Thou judgest or thou doest judge and that he might distinguish the Future from the Present he adds He shall or he will judge And thus I have sufficiently prov'd God's Providence his Government and Judgment by Reason Examples and Testimony Especially since the following Discourses tend all to the same Purpose Now if it shall please the Great God whose Cause I am pleading to grant me Strength to go thro' with it I shall attempt to produce what the Adversaries use to object against it and at the same time Confute them SALVIAN of GOD's Government c. BOOK III. The State of the Good much harder than the Bad. Of the just Judgments and Councils of God which are unknown Of what Faith is How few or none are faithful towards God What Murther is Of what it is to imitate Christ Of Law Suits to be avoided And how God is to be Obeyed in all things How few or none Obey Him as they ought to do The Errors of the Rich. The Name of Holiness without Good Manners profiteth nothing 1. THUS far all is well the Foundations of the Work are laid which I have begun with a Pious Design and undertaken purely out of the Love and Duty I owe the Great God and therefore they are not laid in mouldring Mortar nor raised with fading Stone but strong as Heavens Expence and firm as God's own Art and Skill can make them such as He himself speaks of in the Gospel which neither boisterous Winds can shake Matth. 7. v. 25. nor Deluges overturn nor washing Rains throw down For since the Hand as it were of the Sacred Volumes has order'd the Work and the Cement of the holy Scriptures has join'd it 't is of necessity that thro' the Assistance of our Lord JESUS CHRIST this should be as lasting as the firm Materials which compose the Building And therefore it gains this Strength from its Originals and can never be pull'd down so long as they are safe For as in earthly Buildings none can throw down the Walls unless he moves the Stones and Mortar so none can stir the Building I have raised unless he first destroys that of which it is made and perfected which being not to be weakned by any means whatever I may very well presume upon the Stability of the Building since it's Bottom is laid on immortal Supporters The Question then is since Things are thus The State of the Good much harder than tke Bad. if all things in this World are order'd by the Care Government and Judgment of God How comes the Condition of a Vandals Huns Franks Goths c. who then over-ran the Roman Empire Barbarians and Aliens to be much better than ours And why among our selves is the State of the Good much harder than that of the Bad Why are the Righteous cast down and the Wicked lusty and strong Why do's all the World submit to wicked Men and chiefly wicked Powers I could with Reason and Consistency answer that I know not the Secrets of God and am altogether a stranger to his Counsels Of the just judgments and Councils of God which are unknown The Words of Scripture are sufficient Proof to me of this Reason God himself says as I have prov'd in the foregoing Books that he does both Behold Govern and Judge all things If you would know what you are to hold to you have the holy Scriptures 't is the Perfection of Reason to stick to what you read there But I desire you would not ask me for what Reason God does the Things we are speaking of I am but a meer Man I do not understand the Secrets of God Almighty I dare not pry into them and therefore dread to attempt it because I take it to be no less than a Sacrilegious Rashness to endeavour to know more of those Matters than you are permitted to do It ought to satisfie you that God has declared that all things are dispos'd and order'd by himself Why do you ask me why one is Great another Mean why one is Miserable another Happy one Strong
do those things which God forbids we tread his Commandments under our Feet and therefore it is very wickedly done of us to accuse God of dealing Severely by us in our Calamities we should only blame our selves For when we commit those Faults which are the occasion of our Distresses 't is we our selves that are the Authors of our Misfortunes Why then do we cry out of the Sharpness of our Punishment Every one of us is his own Tormentor so that that of the Prophet is said to all of us Isai 50. v. 11. Behold all ye that kindle a fire that compass your selves about with Sparks walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that ye have kindled For all Mankind run headlong into eternal Torment in the way here describ'd by the Scripture first of all they kindle a fire then they add more fuel and force to it and afterward enter into the flame theâ— have provided When therefore do's a Man first of all kindle Everlasting Fire for himself Why when he do's first of all begin to sin But when do's he add Force to the Fire When he heaps one Sin upon the head of another And when do's he enter into Everlasting Fire When by an overplus and superfluity of daily Sinning he hath fulfill'd the remediless Summ Total of his Iniquities as our blessed Saviour said to the Great Men of the Jews Fill ye up Matt. 23 v. 32 33. then the measure of your Fathers ye Serpents ye Generation of Vipers They were not far from the Complement of their Sins to whom our Lord thus spoke that they should fulfil their Iniquities and doubtless for that Reason because they were not worthy of Salvation they might compleat their wickedness in order to their Destruction So in the old Law when it makes mention that the Iniquities of the Amorites were fulfill'd it tells us that the Angels spoke thus to Lot Whosoever thou hast in this City bring them out of Cer. 19. v. 12. 13. this place for we will destroy this place because the Cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it That most profligate People had for a long time lighted the Fire by which they perish'd and therefore when they had fulfill'd their Iniquities they roasted in the Flames of their own Crimes for they had so very highly offended God that they endur'd that Hell in this world which is to be felt in the other IX But some one may say there are none who deserve to be destroy'd as they were because there are none guilty of the Impurities they were Perhaps that may be true But what shall we make of that which our Saviour says that all they who despise his Gospel are much worse than them For thus he says to the People of Capernaum If the mighty works Luk. 10. v. 12 13. had been done in Sodom which have been done in thee it might have remain'd unto this day But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable in the day of Judgment for Sodom than for thee He says here that the Sodomites are less Culpable than those who neglect the Gospel and therefore this is a most plain Reason why we who do neglect it in many Instances ought to dread something worse especially considering that we will not now be satisfied with the usual and familiar Vices The customary ways of Sinning are not sufficient for many now They are not contented with Brawlings Calumnies Rapine Drunkenness Rioting Cheating Perjury Adulteries Murders no nor all of them together altho' most barbarously Inhumane yet in Fact most injuriously inflicted on many unless in the height of their Fury they lay their Blasphemous hands even on God himself For as the Scripture says of the ungodly Psal 73. v. 9. v. 11. They set their mouth against the Heavens and their tongue walketh thro' the Earth And they say how doth God know and is there knowledge in the most High And in another place Psal 94. v. 7. The Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it And to such as these we may very aptly apply that of the Royal Prophet Psal 53. v. 1. The Fool hath said in his heart there is no God For they who affirm that God sees nothing had as good at the same time take away his Subsistence and when they say he has no Sight they had as good say he has no Being For altho' no very wicked Action can be consonant to right Reason because Reason and Sinning are inconsistent yet in my Opinion there is no wickedness so very wild and unreasonable as this For what can savour more of Frenzy than that a Man should acknowledge God to be the Creator of all Things and yet to deny that he governs them that he is the Former and Maker of all Things and yet that he neglects his own Handywork As tho' the Chief End and Design of making them was purely â— How God is the giver of all things and his love towards us who merit nothing but death to disregard them Now on the contrary I assert that he had so Great Care of all his Creatures that I will prove that he exercis'd it even before the Creation The very Thing it self shews it plainly For he had never made any thing unless he had some Thoughts of it beforehand for we do not see any part of Mankind so very dull to undertake or go through with any thing that he may never mind it when he has done it For he who cultivates his Field do's it for that End that he may preserve it in that order He who plants a Vineyard do's it with Design to keep up the Plantation He who begins to raise a Flock do's it with Design to take care of their Increase So he who builds a House or lays the Foundation of one altho' at that time he has not a Dwelling ready for him yet he undergo's the Charge and Pains of Building in hopes and prospect of his future Habitation But why do I mention this in Man since even the smallest Insects direct their Actions with the Instinct of what is to come Thus the Ants in their subterranean Cells lay up what various Fruits they can and gather all their Stock in order to preserve their Lives So Bees when they lay the Foundation for their Honey-Combs or gather that which comes from the Flowers to what end do they desire the Thyme but with desire and hope of Honey or fly from Flower to flower but out of love to their future young Ones Hath God then who hath implanted in the least of Creatures such Affections for their own works depriv'd only himself of the love of his Creatures especially since all the Passion we have for good things descends to us from his good Love alone For he is the Fountain and Original of All things 't is in him as the Scripture
says we live and move Acts 17. v. 28. and have our Being 't is for him we receive all that Affection with which we love every thing that is ours For all the World and all Mankind are the Goods of their Creator and therefore from that Affection with which he has made us love our Goods and Relations he would have us understand how much it is that he loves his Goods and Relations For as as we read The invisible things of him are clearly Rom. 1. v. 20. seen being understood by the things that are made so he would have us understand his Love toward us by that which he hath implanted in us for every thing that 's ours And Ephes 3. v. 15. as as it is written he would that the whole Family in Heaven and Earth should be nam'd from him so 't is His Pleasure that the Tenderness of a Father in Him should be acknowledg'd by us But what do I say of a Father Yea rather much more than that of a Father For that Saying of our Saviour in the Gospel proves it so For God so loved the World that John 3. v. 16. he gave his onely begotten Son for the Life of the World And the Apostle says God that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all Rom. 8. v. 32. how shall he not with him freely give us all things X. This then is what I have said before that God loves us more than any Father does his Child For 't is a plain sign that he loves us beyond the Love of Children because for our sakes he spared not his own Son And what 's much more a righteous Son an onely begotten Son and that Son God Nay and that which heightens it 't was for us wicked ungodly most unrighteous us Who can sufficiently value this Love of God toward us since God's Justice is so Great that it is not capable of admitting the least shadow of Injustice For according to Humane Reason that Man would do a very unjustifiable Act who should cause a very good Son to be destroy'd for the sake of very bad Servants But in this the inestimable Love of God and his admirable Power is seen that the Greatness of his Justice cannot be comprehended by Man but rather in our weak Sight the greatest Justice seems almost a sort of Injustice And therefore the Apostle that he might shew us the Immensity of the Divine Mercy says thus For when we were Rom. 5. v. 6. yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly for scarcely for a righteous man will one die This one Sentence plainly shews us the great loving-kindness of God for if it be hard to find one who will lay down his Life for the best Cause Christ has demonstrated the Mighty Work he did for us when he died for our Iniquities But in what follows he gives us a Reason why our Lord did all this God commendeth his love toward us in that while v. 8. we were yet Sinners Christ died for us much more then being now justified by his Blood we v. 9. shall be saved from Wrath through him He commendeth it in this that he died for Sinners For the unworthiness of the Party who receives it adds a greater Value to the Favour and therefore he says God commendeth his love toward us How does he commend it Because he bestow'd the Blessing on those who did not deserve it For if he had given it to holy and deserving Men he would not have seem'd to have bestow'd a Favour he was no way oblig'd to but rather to have discharg'd a Debt What therefore do we give in Return for these so Great Mercies or rather what ought we in Duty to return Why in the first place that which the holy Prophet restifies that he did owe and was resolv'd to pay when he says What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me I will Psal 116. v. 12. v. 13. take the Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. This then is the first Return that we should give Death for death all of us be ready to lay down our Lives for him who so freely died for us altho' our Deaths will be of infinitely less Value than His So that if we should suffer Death we shall not by any means discharge the Debt However if we cannot pay the Whole we shall seem in some sort to do it if we take care to discharge it as far as we can This then as I said is the first Return Now the second is that if we cannot pay the Debt by Death we should pay it by Love For so our Saviour himself as the Apostle says would recommend his Love to All that by the Example of his Mighty Loving-kindness he might draw them to the exercise of mutual Love and Charity And as it is reported of those c Loadstones Gemms and Rarities of Nature which being plac'd near to Iron be it never so hard will take it up with almost a kind of Affection so he the purest and greatest Gemm in the Coelestial Kingdoms design'd that by his Descent from Heaven he might joyn himself nearer to us tho' hard as any Steel that so he might move us to his Affections as it were by the hands of his own Love so that making Acknowledgment of his Gifts and Favours we might understand what it was fitting for us to do for so good a Master when he had done such Mighty things for so bad Servants and so that Saying of the Apostle might be fulfill'd That for his Rom. 8. 36. 38. sake we should be kill'd all the day long and that neither Tribulation nor Distresses neither Persecution nor Famine nor Nakedness nor Sword should be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. XI Seeing then that we are indebted to our Lord in all these Particulars let us see how well we pay him and what Returns we make Why all those Vertues which I have named above every thing that is Base and Unworthy every thing that will affront God such as wicked Actions debauch'd Morals Drunkenness Gluttony Bloody-hands filthy Lusts greedy Desires and every Wickedness that may more easily be thought of than express'd For it is a Shame as the Apostle says Ephes 5. v. 12. even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret But this is not all For these things have been done formerly as well as now But it is sad and lamentable that we add new Sins to the old ones and not only new but heathenish and monstrous ones and such as were never heard of before in the Churches of God venting prophane Speeches against God and blasphemous Slanders as that God is regardless supine negligent and not at all governing the World and consequently merciless and untrue to his Promises inhumane hard and cruel For he who
as I say now We then judge our selves to be much better than All the rest of the World nor do I who assert that the Romans are in some Things worse deny but that in some Things they are much better For our Lives and our Sins as I said are worse but then we have the Advantage without comparison by our Catholick Law But then we should consider 't is no Thanks to us that our Law is good but that our Lives are bad is wholly owing to our selves And what do's it profit us that the Law is good when neither our Lives nor Conversations are good For the good Law is the Gift of Christ but a bad Life is from our own Faults Nay we are by so much the more blameworthy if we are possess'd of a good Law and yet are bad regarders of it I should rather say since we are wicked we are no regarders of it for he that observes it ill regards it not at all Neither do's he respect a holy Thing who does not respect it holily and so by this means the very Law which we so esteem becomes our Accuser XIV Laying aside therefore the Priviledge Of the Barbarian Errors of the Law which either helps us nothing at all or else do's most justly condemn us let us compare the Lives Inclinations Manners and Vices of the Barbarians with our own They are unjust so are we they are covetous so are we they are faithless so are we they are griping so are we they are lewd and so are we in short they are guilty of all sorts of Wickedness and Debauchery and so are we But perhaps it will be answer'd to this If the Barbarians and we are alike vicious Why are not we upon the level with them in Power For since the Wickedness and the Guilt is a like we ought either to be as Powerful as they are or they should be in as mean a Condition as we are That is true and by this 't is manifest that they are the more wicked who are the more weak How do you prove that Because as I have said above I have shew'd that God does all things in Justice and Judgment For if as the Scripture says The Prov. 15. v. 3. Rom. 2. v. 2. eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good and according to the Apostle The Judgment of God is according to truth against all evil Persons We our selves see that since we do not leave off to do evil things by the just Judgment of God we feel the Punishment of such Evil Doings But say you the Barbarians do the same things we do and yet they are not near so miserable as we are There is therefore this difference that altho' they do the same things we do yet at the same time we offend much more heinously For their Vices and ours may be alike and yet in those same Vices our Sin must of necessity be much more weighty For since as I said before b pag. 2â— all Barbarians are either Pagans or Hereticks that I may speak first of the Pagans since their Error is the Antienter the c See the great Geographical and Historical Dictionary in English for all these and their Titles Saxons are cruel the d Franks treacherous the f Gepids inhumane the f Huns lewd in short the Life of all Barbarians in general is Vice it self But it does not follow from thence that their Vices and ours have the same Guilt Shall a Hun's Lewdness be look'd upon as Criminal as ours or the Treachery of a Frank be as Blameable as in one of us Shall the Drunkenness of an g Alan be Censur'd as much as that of a Christian or the Thievery of an Alban be condemn'd as much as the Thievery of a Christian If a Hun or a Gepid cheat you it is no Rarity because he knows nothing of the Sin of Cheating If a Frank forswear 't is no new thing with him who takes Perjury to be only a different way of speaking and not at all a Crime And what wonder is it that Barbarians should believe thus who know neither God nor his Laws when almost the greater part of the Roman Empire have the same Thoughts and know they sin at the same time For not to speak of any other Sort of Men let us take a view only of the Companies of Merchants and Traders who now fill the greatest part of every City and see whether their Life be any thing else but continual Plodding how to cheat and downright thread-bare Lying or if they do not take those words to be utterly lost which do not bring some Advantage to the Speaker Those men have so Extraordinary a Respect for the Honour of God which forbids common Swearing that they look upon every Man's Perjury to be of singular Advantage to them Can we think it strange then that Barbarians should cheat who know not the Sin of Cheating For being utterly ignorant of God's Commandments they do nothing in Contempt of them for he who knows not the Law can do nothing wittingly against it This then is peculiarly our Guilt who read God's Laws and yet always take care to transgress them who boast that we know God and yet contemn his Precepts and Commands And so by despising Him whom we fancy and boast that we serve that very Thing which seems design'd for the Worship of God becomes an Abuse and Affront to His Majesty XV. But to say nothing of other Sins at Christ's Name abused present where will you find any among the Laiety bating some few who have not always the Name of Christ in their Mouths to Forswear themselves by So that this is become the most common Oath among the Nobility as well as Common People By Christ I 'll do it By Christ I 'll perform it By Christ I 'll say nothing else By Christ I 'll do nothing else In short the Matter is come to that Pass that as I said before of the Franks the Name of Christ seems now not to imply the Sacredness of an Oath but only a sort of Cant in speaking For so little is this Name regarded by very many that they never design less to do a thing than when they swear by Christ they are resolv'd to do it And when the Scripture says Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord Exod. 20. v. 7. Deut. 5. v. 11. thy God in vain we are come to have that mighty Veneration for Christ that among all the Vanities and Follies of the Age scarce any thing seems so contemptible and vain as that sacred Name For there are many who swear by Christ that they will do not only some trivial idle Business but the greatest of Villanies with such 't is the common Form of Speaking By Christ I 'll take away such a Thing By Christ I 'll slay him By Christ I 'll murder him And so far are they arriv'd that if they have once sworn
evil spoken of 'T is of us that what I mention'd above is said Lo what sort of People they are who worship Christ Their Pretence of Learning only good Things is Sham and Falsehood as well as their Brags of the Excellency and Holiness of their Law For if they learn'd what was good they would be good themselves for such is the Religion as are the Professors of it Undoubtedly they are such as they have been taught to be It is plain therefore that the Prophets they have do teach uncleanness that the Apostles they read have publish'd wickedness and the Gospels they are principl'd in do instruct them in such Actions If Christ had taught them holy Things his Followers would certainly live holy Lives One may guess what a One he is who is worshipp'd by the Practice of those who worship him How can the Master ever have been good whose Disciples we see are so very bad For from him they are call'd Christians 't is him they hear and him they read Any one may easily understand the Doctrine of Christ Look and see the Christian's Actions and you 'll presently perceive what 't was that Christ taught But what wicked and base Thoughts the Heathen always had of our Lord's Religion may be learn'd from the most Cruel Tortures of their barbarous Persecutors who believ'd that in the Christian Sacrifices there was nothing but Impurity and abominable Wickedness For they thought the very beginnings of our Religion came from two of the greatest Villanies from Murder and then which is worse than Murder from Incest not from Murder and Incest only but which is still more wicked from the Incest it self and Murder from the Incest of pious Mothers and the Murder of their innocent Babes which they believ'd were not only murder'd by the Christians but eaten also and all this to pacify their God as tho' any thing could have more offended Him An odd sort of Expiation of ones Sin by another as great or greater To recommend a Sacrifice by those Things which the Lord does most abhor and as if it could be worth our while to gain eternal Life if possibly it could be compass'd by such monstrous Wickedness XVIII We may from hence perceive what sort of People the Heathen took the Christians to be who worshipp'd their God with such Sacrifices or else what sort of God it was they pray'd to who taught them such sort of Duties But how came they to have such Apprehensions of us How should it be but from those who bear the Name of Christians but in Reality are not who by their Sins and Wickedness disgrace their Religion who as the Scripture says Profess that they know God but Tit. 1. v. 16. in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate by reason of whom we read the way of Truth 2 Pet. 2. v. 2. is evil spoken of and the most holy Name of our Lord God is violated by the evil Tongues of sacrilegious Men But how heinous and particular a Sin it is to cause the sacred Name of God to be blasphem'd among the Gentiles we learn from the Example of h See Book the Second holy David who when in consideration of his many righteous Actions he was thought worthy to escape eternal Punishment by only one Confession of his Fault yet could not obtain pardon of this Sin tho' he sought it by the Mediation of Repentance For when Nathan the Prophet had said to him after he had acknowledg'd his Fault The Lord hath put away thy Sin thou shalt not die he adds immediately 2 Sam 12. v. 13. v. 14. Howbeit because by this Deed thou hast given great Occasion to the Enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the Child also that is born unto thee shall surely die And what follow'd after Why his Crown cast off and Jewels laid aside his Robes put by and all his Royal Ornaments remov'd instead of these he became Solitary Pensive shut up cloath'd in Sackcloath all moist with Tears and cover'd over with Ashes he begg'd the Life of the young Babe with such a Crowd of Lamentations and assaulted the God of Mercies with so great Prayers and Addresses but after all these Prayers and Supplications it was not to be granted when yet which is the most powerful Help in Prayer he pray'd in Faith that what he ask'd of God he should obtain By which we may see that there is scarce a Crime of deeper Dye than to give occasion to the Gentiles to blaspheme For he who sins grievously without the Blasphemy of others only draws Damnation upon himself But he who makes others to blaspheme carries them headlong with him to Destruction and 't is of necessity that he be guilty for so many as he drew with him into Sin But this is not all For whatsoever sinner do's so offend as not to cause others to blaspheme by such Sin he has only upon himself the Guilt of his own Transgression but the most holy Name of God does not suffer by the Sacrilegious Tongues of Blasphemers But he who by his Sinning causes others to blaspheme do's necessarily make his Sin above the standard of common Humane Crimes because he offers the greatest Injury imaginable to God himself by the encouraging such a Multitude of Blasphemers XIX This then as I said is a Malignity peculiar to the Christians because God is blasphem'd only by those who learn what 's good yet practise the quite contrary who as the Scripture says confess God in their Words but Tit. 1. v. 16. deny him by their Deeds who as the same Apostle says Rest in the Law and know his will Rom. 2. v. 17 18. c. approve the things that are more excellent who have the form of Knowledge and of the Truth in the Law who preach that a man should not steal and yet steal who read that a man should not commit Adultery and yet commit the Sin who make their boast of the Law and yet by breaking of the Law do dishonour God And so by this the Christians become much worse who ought to be much better For they do not give proofs of what they profess but rather contradict their Profession by their bad Morals And wickedness committed under a good Title is more Damnable and a holy Name enhances the Guilt of the Sinner So our Saviour in the Apocalypse speaks to the lukewarm Christian Rev. 3. v. 15 16. I would thou wert cold or hot so then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spew thee out of my mouth Our Lord commands every Christian to be fervent in Rom. 12. v. 11. Spirit for thus says the Scripture That we may be servent in Spirit serving the Lord. 'T is in this Fervour of Spirit that the Heat of Faith and Religion is shewn he who has a great deal of this Heat is reckon'd to be fervent and faithful he who has nothing
chance to be present at a Robbery you are not stain'd by the Fact because you abhor it inwardly They are only the Uncleannesses of publick Sights which make the Actors and Spectators culpable alike For whilst those who see them do approve and see them willingly they do All by such Sight and Approbation act them So that that of the Apostle do's truly in a peculiar manner fall Rom. 1. v. 32. upon them that they are worthy of death not only they who do such things but also they who consent and have pleasure in them that do them And therefore in the Representations of Fornication all the whole Body of the People are mental Fornicators and they who it may be came clean to the Play return Adulterers from the Theatre But it is not only then when they return that they are Fornicators but even when they come For for that very Reason that any one desires an obscene Thing whilst he hastens to such Unncleanness he is unclean IV. Things being thus loe what are the Actions of all the Romans or at least of almost all And since they are such we who do these fine things complain that we are neglected by Heaven and say that we are deserted by our God when 't is we our selves that leave him For let us suppose that our Lord had a mind to regard us tho' we do not deserve it let us see whether he could do it There are many thousands of Christians every day at the beastly publick Shews Can God think we look upon such People as they are Can he regard those who revel in the Cirque and fornicate in the Theatres Or have we a mind and think it very fitting that when God beholds us in the Cirques and Theatres he should be a Spectator of the Sights together with us and should look upon all the Uncleannesses of the place as well as our selves One of the two must necessarily be done For if he vouchsafes to behold us it follows that he must likewise behold the things where we are or if which is most certain he turns away his eyes from them he turns them likewise from us who are present at them And tho' matters are thus yet we do all this that I have mention'd and that without ceasing What do we think we have such a God as the old Pagan Theatres and Cirques had For they did all these things heretofore because they thought they were very pleasing to their Idols But on what account can we pretend to do these things who certainly know that they are odious to our God Or at least if we are sure that these Filthinesses are pleasing to God I am not against the continual acting of them But then if we find in our own Consciences that this is what God abhors that he abominates them that as there is in them the repast of the Devil so they are an Abuse to God how do we pretend we worship God in His Church when we are continually serving the Devil in these obscene Plays and that wittingly and knowingly advisedly and on set purpose And what hope and confidence then can we have in God who offend him not by Accident or Imprudence but like those antient Gyants who we read madly attempted Heaven and endeavoured to step into the Clouds So we by the Affronts which all over the World we offer to God do as by universal Consent offer Violence to Heaven To Christ then O prodigious Madness to Christ we offer the Games of the Cirque and Mimickries and then chiefly when we have receiv'd some Favour from him some Blessing is bestowed upon us or when he has given us Victory over our Enemies And what is this but to offer Injuries to ones greatest Benefactor or scurrilously to abuse one who treats us civilly or to wound the very face of one who would salute us For I desire to know of the Rich and Great Men of this World of what fault they take that Servant to be guilty who devises Mischief against a kind and loving Master who offers Abuses to him who deserves well of him and for the Liberty which he has gain'd returns only Injuries and Affronts He will doubtless be thought guilty of the greatest Crime who returns Evil for Good who ought not to have return'd so much as Evil for evil But this is what all we who are call'd Christians do By our Impurities we provoke a most merciful God against us by our Uncleanness we offend him who has tenderness for us and by our Injuries wound him who obliges and courts us V. To Christ then O prodigious Madness to Christ we offer Cirque plays and Mimickries we render to Christ for all the Benefits we have receiv'd from him the Filthiness of the Theatres to Christ we offer the Sacrifices of these most abominable Pastimes Undoubtedly our Saviour became incarnate for us that he might teach us this Certainly he preach'd this either by himself or his Apostles For this he underwent the Shame of his Humane Nativity and took upon him the debasing Principles of an earthly Birth For this he lay in the Manger and had Angels ministring unto Him whilst he lay there For this he would be wrapp'd in Swadling-Clouts who rul'd Heaven in Robes of Glory For this he hung upon the Cross whom all the World even hanging dreaded Who says the Apostle though 2 Cor. 8. v. 9. he was rich yet for our sakes he became poor that we through his Poverty might be rich And when says he he was in the Form of God he Phil. 2. v. 6 8. humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross To be sure Christ instructed us in these Matters when he underwent all these things for our sakes We make most admirable Returns to His Passion who having receiv'd Redemption by His Death requite him with a most Scandalous Life For the Grace of God says the blessed St. Paul Titus 2. v. 11 12 13 14. hath appear'd to all Men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World looking for that blessed Hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good works Where are they who do these things for the which the Apostle says Christ came into the World Where are they that deny worldly Lusts where are they who live soberly righteously and godly where are they who by their good Deeds shew that they look for that blessed Hope and by the Innocence of their Lives demonstrate that they for that Reason expect the Kingdom of God because they are fit and qualified to deserve to receive it Our Lord JESUS CHRIST came he says to purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good works Where is that pure People where is that acceptable
sufficiently miserable when your City was destroy'd but now I see you are much more miserable since you desire these wicked Shews I thought before truly that you had only lost your Goods and Estates when you lost your Town I could not imagine that you had lost your Senses and Understanding likewise You desire Theatres then and Petition for a Cirque from the Princes For what State I beseech you for what People for what City For one that is burnt and destroy'd for a People that are captivated and murder'd who are either lost or in Mourning of whom if any thing remains 't is nothing but Misery who are either dejected with Sorrow exhausted with Tears or fainting for the Loss of Friends among whom you can scarce tell who had the harder Fortune those who were kill'd or those who survive For the Miseries of those who remain are so Great that they exceed the Infelicity of the Dead You City of Treveris then petition for publick Pastimes Pray where will you play ' em What upon the Graves and Ashes upon the Blood and Bones of the Slain For what part of the City is there that has not some of them Where is not Blood shed where are not Bodies scatter'd where are not the mangl'd Limbs of the Slain There are every where signs of a Vanquish'd City the Horror of Captivity and the Image of Death The miserable Reliques of the People are lying on the Graves of their Dead and yet you ask for the Pastimes of the Cirques The City is all Sooty with its late Burning and you would put on the Face of Mirth Every thing in it is sorrowful but you are joyful But beside all this you provoke God by these most Scandalous Fopperies and stir up His Displeasure by these worst of Superstitions I do not truely wonder I do not any longer admire that so many Evils have fallen upon you for since you have not been amended by three Ruines I think you very well deserv'd to feel the See p. 27. Fourth XVI I have drawn out this Matter the How God sometimes chastises us with Hardships and sometimes he indulges us with Tranquility and Ease longer that I might shew that all the Evils we endure do not come upon us by the Carelesness or Neglect of God but that we bear them by His Justice by His Judgment by His most righteous Dispensation and most justly Retribution and that there is not any one Part of the Roman Empire or of any thing that bears that Name how severely soever they have been punish'd from above that have ever been Reform'd by it So that we do not by any means merit the Enjoyment of Prosperity because we are not made better by Adversity And yet as unworthy as we are we sometimes receive Good Things For our Good God like a most tender Father altho' he suffers us sometimes to be humbled for our Iniquities yet he does not leave us long under the Affliction and therefore to shew His Government he does sometimes Chastise us with Hardships and other times again to shew His Tenderness he Indulges us with Tranquility and Ease For as the best and most Skilful Physicians suit different Remedies to different Distempers and Cure some by Sweet Medicines and others by Bitter recover some by Causticks and Burning and others by gentle emollient Applications to some they use Cutting and Scarifying and on others pour the smoothest softest Oyl and yet it is but the same Health that is procur'd by all these Various Methods Even so our God when ever he uses Severity towards us Cures us as it were by Causticks and Scarifying and when he refreshes us again with Ease and Prosperity he Comforts us as it were with Oyl and emollient Medicines For His Design is to bring us to the same Health and Welfare by the help of different Remedies Good Words are us'd sometimes to mend the worst of Servants whom Correction will do no good upon and Kindnesses have made them submit to their Masters when Stripes wou'd never do it So Sugar-Plums and fair Words will bring those little testy peevish Brats under Government who would never submit to Threats and the Rod. By which we may understand that we are worse than the worst of Servants and more foolish than the filliest Children since Punishment does not amend us as it does bad Servants nor fair Words change us as they do young Children XVII And now I think I have sufficiently prov'd that no Part of the Roman Empire were ever amended by the Punishments inflicted on them It remains that I shew likewise that they have not been reform'd by God's Bounty and Loving-kindness But what are the Bounty and loveing-kindness of God What should they be but our Peace and our Quiet and a Prosperous Tranquility the Foundations of all our other Joys and Satisfactions But since the Matter requires it I shall mention somewhat in particular As oft then as we are in Fear in Straits or Dangers when either our Cities are besieg'd by the Enemies or our Provinces wasted by Plunder or any Parts of the Common-wealth are in Trouble and Distress and we Pray to Heaven for Assistance if by the Divine Help and Pity the Cities are sav'd or the plundring ended or the Enemies routed and all Fear by the Favour of Heaven remov'd what is it that we do after all this I presume we endeavour to recompense to our Lord God the Benefits we have receiv'd from him by Worship Honour and Reverence For that follows of Course 't is but what is Common among all Mankind that we should return Thanks to those who have lent us Favours and give again to those who have formerly presented us So then it may be we do and dealing with our God at least after the returns used among Men when we receive Good Things from Him we return Good Things to Him We haste immediately to the House of God prostrate our selves on the Ground Pray to Him with Joy and Tears together we Adorn the Sacred Building with our Presents and load the Altars with our Offerings and because purely by His Favour we our selves keep Holy-day we put the Church it self in the same chearful Dress or at least which is as pleasing to Him we renounce our former Sins we slay the Offerings of Good Works and for our new Joy Offer the Sacrifices of our new Conversation we proclaim a Holy War against all manner of Uncleanness we shun the Madness of the Cirques we Abominate the filthiness of the Theatres we Vow a New Life to our Lord and for the obtaining of His perpetual Protection we Sacrifice our selves to God XVIII Seeing then that what I have said ought to be done for fresh Favours receiv'd from God let us see what is done They hast forth with to the Plays they fly to their Follies and Madnesses all the people are dispersed in the Theatres and behave themselves like Madmen in the Cirques He bestows good things on
Captivity and having the Fear of Death upon us burst into Laughter You would think all the Romans were satiated with the Herbs of * A proverbial saying for a foolish laughing with sorrow in the end Sardinia They die Laughing And therefore almost in all Parts of the World Tears follow our Laughter and even at present that Saying of our Lord is come upon us Woe unto you that laugh for you shall Luk. 9. weep II. But it may be since I have spoken so Of Gods Goodness in desiring nothing that is either heavy or burthensome for his peculiar favour 's conferred upon us long of the publick Sports and Uncleannesses some one may be apt to think that we are worse than the Barbarians only in this because they do no such things and 't is only we that do them but as to the wickedness of Carnal Lusts and the filth of Abominable Fornication that we are not by any means so Bad. Let us if you please compare the Romans in this Particular with the other People And really I cannot tell whether they can be more rightly compar'd to any than to those whom God having plac'd in the very heart of the Commonwealth has made Lords and Masters of the Roman Soil But altho' nothing can be argu'd of the Judgment of God yet seeing he has taken away from us a great Part of our Possessions and given them to the Barbarians let us consider whether what he has taken from us and given to them he can be thought to have done by a just Judgment Every one knows that the Aquitanes and the * The inhabitants of what is now call'd Gascoine and Guienne in France Novem-Populi had the very Marrow of almost all Gaul and the Breasts of all its Plenty and not only of Plenty but of what is sometimes preferr'd before it of Delight Pleasure and * People of Languedock and Gascoine Beauty The whole Country there was so intermixt with Vineyards and curious flowry Meads chequer'd with various Tillage planted with Orchards or the pleasantest Groves water'd with Fountains or flow'd between by Rivers or cover'd all over with Harvests plenty so that the Possessors and Owners of that Country seem'd not so much to enjoy that Portion of the Soil as the very Resemblance of Paradise And what after all this Undoubtedly they ought to be more dutiful toward God whom he had thus in a peculiar manner enrich'd with such an Abundance of His Favours For what is more rational and fitting than that they whom God by His Blessings seem'd particularly willing to oblige should likewise in an especial manner endeavour to please him by Honour and religious Service especially considering that God requires nothing that is heavy or burdensome from us God do's not call us to the Plow or the Spade not to Till the Earth nor to Dig and Delve in the Vineyard nor do's he require so much of us as we do from our Servants For what says he Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give Matt. 11. v. 28 c. you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your Souls For my yoke is Of what God requires of us easie and my burden is light Our Lord therefore do's not invite us to Labour but to Refreshment For what does he require of us what does he command us to perform but only Faith Chastity Humility Sobriety Mercy Holiness all which do not burden but beautifie us And not only so but they do therefore adorn this present Life that they may much more adorn that which is to come O the Goodness Loving-kindess and inestimable Mercy of God who gives us in this present Life the Blessing of Religion for that very End that he may hereafter reward the very Things that he gave us Such certainly without all question the Aquitanes ought to have been And truly as I said in a more especial manner because they receiv'd more especial Favours from the hand of God But what after all these What follow'd What but every thing the quite contrary For as they were the richest in all Gaul so they were the most Vicious For there was no where greater Voluptuousness no where lewder Lives nor no where more corrupt Discipline This Return they made the Lord for His heavenly Favours that as much as He by His loving kindnesses endeavour'd to draw them to him that he might have mercy upon them so much on the other hand by their detestable Actions they labour'd to exasperate Him III. But it may be this is false and is rather Of the vices of the Aquitanes spoken invidiously than truly I shall not make use of any far-fetch'd Proof as Orators and others in their Causes are us'd to do by producing to justify it only some few and those strangers and not legal Witnesses I will only ask the Parties who have done the Fact I have told an untruth if they deny it For they confess it and which is worse they own it so as not to shew the least Sorrow in the Confession For they have the same Mind now in the Confessing it as they had before in the Acting it As then they were not ashamed to commit the Wickedness so neither now do they in the least repent that they had done those Wicked things Excepting however some very few Holy and Eminent Men who as one of their Number says Redeem'd their Crimes by scattering their Coin Excepting I say those I speak of whom in that Universal Stanch and Filth of Vices I believe only to have been guilty of the lesser Crimes since they deserv'd to be reform'd by Heaven For he does not in every Respect offend his Lord for whóm Mercy is reserved And in short I am of Opinion that he had always his Eye upon God in the midst of his Mistake who could obtain the Blessing from Him that he might continue no longer in it But the rest and Most and Richest were almost all the same their Guts were almost one bottomless Pit And all their Lives one continued Brothel-house But what do I mention the Brothel-houses I take the Bawdy-house to be much less faulty For the Harlots who are there never knew the Bond of Marriage and so they do not pollute what they never knew They do indeed deserve to be punish'd for the Sin of Unchastity but yet they are not guilty of the sin of Adultery Beside there are not many Brothels and there are very few Queans who have damn'd themselves to that cursed way of Living But among the Aquitanes what City was there in the Richest and Noblest part of it which was not like a perfect Stews Where was there a Rich Man of Power who did not live in the filth of Lusts Who did not plunge himself in the nasty stinking Jaques Who was true to his Bed Nay as far as lying with
them goes who has not reduc'd his Wife into the Number of his Maid-servants and debased the Sacred Obligation of holy Wedlock so far that no one in the Family seems Meaner in the Husbands Eyes than she who was Chief by the Honour of her Marriage IV. But perhaps some one or other thinks that it was not so bad to the full as I represent it for that the Mistresses of the Family had their Right there and that they posses'd all the Respect and Power due to Mistresses Many of them truly had their Governing Power entire but scarce one of them their Bed undefil'd And we are not now enquiring what is the Power of the Women but of the Baseness and Immorality of the Men. Altho' neither can Psay that That Mistress of the Family has her Power entire there because whoever she be that has not her Matrimonial Dues safe and unviolated neither has she her Power entire For that Mistress of the House is at very little distance from the meanest of her Servants where the Master of the Family is the Husband of the Maids But who of the Wealthy Aquitans was not this Whom have not their most impudent Maid-servants rightly call'd either their Adulterer or their Husband For they were Jerem. 5. v. 8. as the Prophet says As fed Horses every one neigh'd after his Neighbours Wife And they of whom we thus read in the Scripture as I beleive offended with a much less Crime and a much less Number and Repetition of them But these like true fed Horses did not neigh after a few but after all their little Slaves that is after their own Herds and like those Animals who are call'd the Husbands of the Flock Goats rambling in the frenzy of boyling Lust they fly upon the first Female the burning Fury of their Lewdness leads them to Here seeing Matters are thus I would ask of any considering Person what sort of Families does he think were there when they had such Masters How great must the Corruption of 〈◊〉 Servants be where that of the Master is so large For when the Head is Distemper'd nothing in the Body is sound nor does any one Limb perform its Office when the Principal is out of order For in his Family the Master is as it were the Head of the Body and his Life is the Rule which all the others live by And this is the Mischief in this Affair that all do more willingly follow the worse Examples and ill Instruction will sooner spoil those who are Good than good Advice Reform those who are Bad. But besides seeing that the Good and Honest Masters of Families cannot make their Servants Good what a lamentable Condition must those Families be in where the Masters are the Patterns of Lewdness Altho ' in this Case there was not only bad Example but a sort of Force and Necessity because the Maid-servants were forc'd to comply with their most unchaste Lords against their Will and the Lust of the Master necessitated the Servant By which we may see how great the filth and nastiness of their Lusts were that it was not possible for the Women tho' they desir'd it to live Chaste under such lewd Masters V. But it may be this is very difficult to be prov'd and there are no footsteps at all lest of the past Filthinesses and Villanies Nay there are even now many of them altho' they have lost their Country and in comparison of their former Plenty live Poorly yet are even worse than they were before They are worse more ways than one because altho' they do the same things they formerly did yet they are so much the worse in this that they do not leave off their sinning For if their present Wickednesses are not greater in their kind yet they are more and for that reason tho' they do not increase in the newness of their Crimes they sufficiently add to the Number Add to this that they do these things in old Age and now they are Poor For both are an aggravation of the Crime Because it is less strange to see Young men and Rich men Sin But what Hope or Remedy is there for them who are not reclaim'd from their habitual Impurities neither by Misery and want nor by the Conclusion of their Lives For suppose that an Idle presumption of long Life or the hope of repenting some time or other does Comfort some Is it not altogether Monstrous that any should be vicious even at the time of Death Things being thus Is there any thing more can be said Yes 't is a further Addition that many do these Things at this day in the midst of the Enemies and being Captives in daily Danger and Fear and when by reason of their most impure Lives they were deliver'd up by God to the Barbarians yet they do not leave off those Impurities even among those very Barbarians VI. But perhaps their Enemies among whom they are are such sort of Men that they are pleas'd with such kind of Doings and would be mightily offended if they should see the Romans chaste when they themselves are unchaste Which if it were so yet other Men's Wickedness should not make us wicked because it concerns every Man much more to take care that he be good than it can any other Man that he be bad and to take more Pains to please God by Honesty than to humour Men by Impurity And so admitting that any one did live among unchaste Barbarians he ought rather to follow Chastity which makes for himself than unchastity to please his impure Enemies But what addition is there further to our Wickednesses Why we are unchaste among chaste Barbarians Nay further the very Barbarians are offended with our Ledwnesses There is no Whore-Master Goth permitted among the Goths 't is the Romans only to the prejudice of their Name and Nation who among them are suffer'd to be lewd What hope is there then for us I would fain know before God We love Unchastity the Goths abominate it we shun Purity they court it Fornication among them is Criminal and Dangerous with us 't is Creditable And do we think we are able to stand before God do we think we can be safe when every Sin of Impurity and every Filthiness of Unchastity is admitted by the Romans and punish'd by the Barbarians I desire to know in this place of those who take us to be better than the Barbarians let them name me the smallest Number of Goths who do any thing of this or let them mention any of these Crimes that All the Romans or almost All of them do not practice And do we wonder then if the Lands either of the Aquitanes or of all of Us be given by God to the Barbarians when those places which the Romans had defil'd by their Uncleanness the Barbarians now purifie by their Chastity VII But it may be this is only among the Aquitanes Let us pass then to other Parts of the World lest we
in Title and Profession who as they were prophane in their Error so they were in their Names For Paganism is more tolerable and less wicked in those whose Profession it is But that is more pernicious and wicked that many of those who had publickly profess'd Christ yet in their Mind serv'd the Idols For who was there of those who were call'd Christians who did not worship that She-Idol either after Christ or which is much worse before Christ Who enters the House of God that is not full of the Incense of the Sacrifices offer'd to these Devils and with the stanch of the Devils themselves ascends God's Altars so that it had not been near so great a Crime not to come to the House of God at all as to come thus For the Christian who does not come to Church is only guilty of Negligence but he who comes in that manner of Sacrilege And 't is a much less Offence not to give God the Honour due to Him than thus to injure and affront Him And so for that Reason they who have done these things have not given any Honour to God but rather have taken it from him For they have in some sort perform'd the Service of the Church to the Idol already For the performance of the Duty at the second place redounds to his Honour to whom the first and chief Devotions are offer'd See here what was the Faith what was the Religion what was the Christianity of the Africans and especially of the Great ones They were call'd Christians to the dishonour of Christ When the Apostle cries aloud Ye cannot drink the Cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils Ye cannot 1 Cor. 10. v 21. be partakers of the Lord's Table and of the Table of Devil's It was not enough for them that with the Cup of the Lord they might drink the Cup of Devils unless they preferr'd it to the other Neither was it sufficient for them to compare the Table of Devils to the Table of our Lord unless after the performance of their infamous Superstitions coming to the Church of God by the Instigation of the Devil himself they breath'd out their abominable Incense upon the most holy Altars of our Lord. III. But say you all did not do these things How it is a kind of Sacrilege to hate the worshipers of God but only the Great and Powerful ones Granting it to be so Yet seeing that the richest and greatest Families fail not to draw the Mobb after them you see that the whole City is defil'd by the Sacrilegious Superstitions of a few Great ones I suppose no body doubts but that all their Families were like the Masters of them if not worse for so they are generally And seeing that even vertuous Masters have often very bad Servants we may easily guess what all those Families were since the wickedness of the Masters make those servile Creatures worse who were already bad enough of themselves Well I allow that what I have spoke of belong'd only to some Great and powerful ones But what were those things any whit less that were common to All both high and low Such as Hatred and detestation of all holy Men For it is a kind of Sacriledge to hate the Worshippers of God For as if any one beats our Servants he does in some sort beat us by injuring our Servants and so if a Man's Child is Chastis'd by another Person the Father's Affection is a little uneasie with the Child's Stripes Even so when any Servant of God is abus'd by any one God Himself is affronted as our Lord Himself said to his Apostles He that receiveth you receiveth Me Matt. 1â— v. 40. and he that despiseth you despiseth Me. For our most compssionate and loving Lord shares both Honour and Abuses in common with His Servants lest any one when he injures a Servant of God should only think that he injur'd the Man when without all question there is an Affront to God joyn'd with the Injuries done His Servants God Himself with the most tender Affection testifying as much to His Servants in this wise For he that Zachar 2. v. 8. toucheth you toucheth the apple of my eye That he might express the Tenderness of His Love he mention'd the very tenderest Part of Man's Body that so we might perceive most plainly that God is as much injur'd with the least Contempt offer'd His Saints as the Sight of a Man's Eye is hurt with the smallest Stroke The Africans then abus'd and hated the Servants of God and in them God Himself IV. But it is ask'd it may be how this Hatred of theirs can be prov'd The same way that the Jews Hatred of our Saviour may be prov'd when they said to Him Thou art a Samaritan and hast a devil when they derided John 8. v. 48. Him blasphem'd Him spit in His Face and grated their Teeth at Him So that our Saviour Himself who endur'd all this says in the Psalms All they that see me laugh me to Psal 22. v. 7. Scorn they shoot out the Lip and shake the Head And in another place They tempted and derided me and gnash'd their Teeth upon Jerem. 20. v. 7 8. me Just thus is the Hatred of the Africans toward the Monks that is holy Men of God prov'd For they derided them slander'd them rail'd upon them and abhorr'd them and did almost every thing against them that the impious Jews did formerly against our Saviour before they came to the shedding of His most precious Blood But say you they did not put these holy Men to Death as we read the Jews did formerly Whether they slew them or no I know not I do not say they did But however this is an admirable Excuse that they only wanted that of the heathen Persecutors in them which is the utmost Thing persecution it self can do Let us suppose then that these holy Men were not slain there But what shall we make on 't when we see that they are not far from Slaying of them who hate them so as to be willing to slay them especially since our Lord says Whosoever hateth 1 John 3. v 15. Matt. 5. v. 22. his Brother without a Cause is a murderer Altho' they did not persecute these Servants of God without a Cause For who can say they persecuted such Men without a Cause who differ'd from them in all the Particulars of their Lives and Manners in whom they saw nothing of their own Conversation because the others were wholly devoted to God And such diversity of inclinations is the greatest cause of Discords for it very rarely happens if ever that any one can fancy that in another which he dislikes in himself And therefore they did not hate them as I said without a Cause in whom they saw every thing opposite and contrary to themselves For they liv'd altogether in Wickedness these Men in Innocence they in Lust these in Chastity they in the Stewes
to think so to whom God himself speaks after this manner My grace is V. 9. sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness We must therefore take care not to be griev'd at any Affliction from such Weakness since we see that 't is the Original of Strength For be it what it will they who are truly Good are to be esteem'd happy and in the greatest Distress none are more happy than those who are in such Circumstances as they would be There are some indeed who pursue Baseness and Obscenity and in their own Opinion think themselves happy because they obtain what they desire but in reality they are not so because it was their Duty to detest those things they desired But the truly Religious are far happier than all of them because they both enjoy what they desire and cannot possibly be possess'd of better things than those they do enjoy So that Labour Fasting Poverty Beggary and Sickness are not troublesome to all that bear them but only to those who bear them unwillingly and whether they seem heavy or light it proceeds from the opinion of him who bears them For as there is nothing so easie but is troublesome to him who does it unwillingly so there is nothing so heavy which will not seem light to him who undertakes it chearfully unless it may be we think it was a Burden to those antient Hero's the a See Eachard's Roman History part 1. p. 97. c. Fabij b The same p. 174 175 c. Fabritij and c p 105 106 c. Cincinati that they were poor when they themselves would not be rich but plac'd their whole Study and Endeavours to advance the publick Interest and by their own voluntary Poverty to enrich the Common-wealth Can we think they underwent that frugal and hard Way of living with Grief and Whining When they fed on the most ordinary Country Dyet before that fire at which they had dress'd it and took not even that until the Evening Do we think they were troubled that Loads of Gold did not oppress their rich and craving Consciences when they had restrain'd even the use of Silver by a Law Or that they thought their Appetites and Desires abridg'd because they had not Heaps of golden Treasures when they judg'd a d Corn. Ruffinus Eachard's Roman History part I st p. 179. Grandee unworthy of the publick Trust because he had to the value of ten Pounds in Silver They did not doubtless then despise a mean Attire when they cloath'd themselves with a short and coarse Garment when they were taken from the Plow to the Magistracy and when appearing in all their Splendor would wipe the Sweat and Dirt from off their Faces with the richest of their Robes 'T was such poor Magistrates as these that made a rich Common-wealth but now a rich Government makes the Publick poor tho' 't is certainly the greatest Stupidity and Frenzy to think that private Estates can hold when the Publick is Beggarly and Starving Such were the Brave antient Romans and so they contemned Riches altho' they knew not the true God even as those now despise them who follow our Lord. But I need not insist so much on those who in order to the enlarging of their Dominions despised their own private Interest for the sake of the Publick who altho' their private Fortunes were small yet had large Shares in the publick Treasure Since e Crates Bias. Diogenes c. several of the Philosophers of Greece without any manner of respect to the Publick have renounc'd all Title to almost all their Estates meerly out of a desire of Fame And not only so but have advanced their Precepts so far as to contemn all sense of f All the Stoicks in general Pain and Death it self affirming that a wise Man is happy in the midst of Fetters and Torments and that the Power of Vertue is so great that it is not possible for a good Man to be otherwise than happy If therefore these Men are not esteem'd by many now to have been miserable who yet reap'd no other Advantage by their Sufferings but only the present Reputation of them By how much more are Religious and Holy Men not to be accounted so who have both the Joy and Comfort of their present Faith and shall hereafter be rewarded with future Bliss III. One of these Gentlemen whom I am The Contempt of Riches â—nd the profit of Infirmity now confuting once ask'd a certain holy good Man who embrac'd the Truth that is that God govern'd the World and that it was absolutely necessary for the good of Mankind that he should sit at the Helm Pray if it be so says he will you tell me how you came to be sick and weakly His meaning was this viz. If you think that God orders and disposes all things in this present Life how comes such a Man whom I know to be a very Villain to be Lusty and Strong and you whom I verily believe to be good and vertuous to be sickly and infirm Who can for bear admiring the deep reach of this Man who thinks the Piety and Vertues of the Righteous worthy of such mighty Rewards that they ought in this present Life to be recompensed with healthful and robust Constitutions However I reply not only on the behalf of this One but of all good Men in general and to the Question how good Men come to be weak and infirm I answer briefly because righteous Persons labour to keep their Bodies under lest if they were vigorous and robust it should be difficult for them to be so good as they are For I guess that all Mankind become strong and lusty by eating and drinking plentifully And on the other hand they grow weakly by Abstinence Temperance and Fastings And therefore what wonder is it if those Men are weak and infirm who refuse to make use of the Means by which others become healthful and strong However they have good reason for such Conduct since St. Paul says of himself I keep under 1 Cor. 9. V. 27. my body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a Cast-away If this Great Apostle thus desired to pull down his Body it can be no great Wisdom to nurse it up If he dreaded a robust Constitution there is no good Christian that would reasonably covet it And therefore this may pass for a sufficient Reason why some devout Christians are both infirm and desire to be so but that is no Argument to think that good Men are neglected by God when for that very Reason we trust they are more belov'd by him We read of the Apostle Timothy that he was of a very weak Constitution but shall we thence conclude that he was neglected by our Lord or that by reason of his Infirmity he was less acceptable to Christ when the Reason of his being
so was an Endeavour to please him And when St. Paul saw him very much weakned by frequent Sicknesses he suffer'd him to 1 Tim. 5. V. 23. make use of only a very small quantity of Wine that is he would have him take care of his Health but not to pamper the Flesh so far as thereby to make it unruly But for what end did he thus Without doubt for the Reason he Galat. 5. V. 17. himself gives because the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye do not the things that ye would A certain Author on this place said not indiscreetly if we cannot do our Duty as we desire by reason of the Rebellion and unruliness of the Body it must be humbled and pull'd down that the Duty may be done For says he The infirmity Salvian Epist 5. of the flesh puts such an Edge on the Vigour of the Mind that when it is indispos'd all the Powers of the Body are transferr'd into the Faculties of the Soul the inward Parts do not broil with base Lusts no secret Incentives inflame the distemper'd Mind the wandring Senses do not ramble and play the Wanton with a thousand tempting Objects but the Soul alone as Sovereign Mistress in a distemper'd Body is merry and joyful and triumphs over the Flesh as if her Enemy were overcome This then which I have set down is the Cause of good Mens Infirmities and I believe by this time you are of my Opinion too IV. But it may be you 'll say there are greater How Cain slew his Brother Things than these viz. That they suffer grievous and cruel Hardships that they are cast into Prisons that they are put to Torture and that they are slain All that is true But in this what do we more than both the Prophets who were carried into Captivity and the Apostles also who endur'd Torments And yet notwithstanding we do certainly believe that God Almighty took extraordinary Care of them even then when they suffer'd those Hardships for his Service But perhaps for this very Reason you 'll pretend to prove that God does not regard the Things of this World now but reserves them entirely to his future Judgment because for the most part good Men suffer all the ill Things and the Bad inflict them I must confess the Assertion seems not to savour altogether of Infidelity because it does so plainly own God's future Judgment But we maintain that Mankind are so to be judg'd by Christ as that at the same time we believe that God does now dispose and order all things as he thinks most fit and convenient and we affirm that he will sit as Judge in the future Judgment but so that at the same time we teach that he does always exercise Judgment in this World For since God does always govern he does always judge because Government it self is the exercise of a Judicial Power How many ways would you have this prov'd Whether by Reason Examples or Testimony If by Reason who is there so void of common Sense or so great a Stranger to the Truth we are discoursing of that does not see and acknowledge that the most beautiful Frame of the World and the inestimable Magnificence of superior and inferior Things are all govern'd by the same glorious Being which created them that he that form'd the Elements is still their Moderator who as at first he made all Things by his Authority and Power so he still rules them by his Providence and Wisdom Especially when in transacting all our own Affairs nothing can be manag'd without Prudence and that every thing has it's Safety and Success from Wisdom and Forecast as the Body has it's Life from the Soul So that in this World not only Empires and Provinces Civil and Military Affairs but even the smallest Offices and private Families nay the very Beasts and the most minute and contemptible of our Domestick Creatures are not to be manag'd without Conduct and a prudent and orderly Disposition And without doubt 't is the Will of God that thus it should be that all Mankind might rule the several Parts alloted them after the Pattern set them by him who so wisely steers the whole But say you things were thus order'd and dispos'd in the beginning of the Creation But when God had made the Universe and perfected all things therein he abandon'd all further Care of earthly Matters and renounc'd it I warrant you to avoid the Drudgery he remov'd it far enough from him or was asraid of being tir'd with it or being taken up with other Matters he left part of the Creation to it self being unable to look after the whole V. You say then that God has left all Care The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha of mortal Matters If so pray tell me to what purpose serves Religion What reason have we to worship Christ or what hope of gaining his Favour For if God does not at all regard Mankind in this World to what end do we daily lift up our hands to Heaven why do we by frequent Prayers implore God's mercy why do we run to the Churches and why prostrate our selves before the Altars The very Reason of all Prayer is destroy'd if we have not hope of obtaining what we ask And therefore you see the Vanity and Folly of such an Assertion which if it should be admitted does utterly destroy all the Foundations of Religion But it may be you 'll fly to this Excuse and say that we worship God now out of Fear of his future Judgment and that we labour to pay him all the present Service we can that we may obtain Mercy and Forgiveness in the World to come What means St. Paul the Apostle then by his commanding and ordering that Supplications Pray 1 Tim. 2. V. 1. ers Intercessions and giving of Thanks should be constantly every day offer'd to our God in the Church And for what Reason did he order thus But for that which he tells us that we may lead a quiet and peaceable Life in all V. 2. godliness and honesty Here we see he commands us to offer Supplications and Prayers for Things of this present Life and he would never have given such a Command if he were not confident that we should obtain them How therefore does any one think that God's ears are open to Prayers offer'd for the Good things of the other Life but are clos'd and shut up to those of this Life Or how come we in our Prayers in the Church to beg of God present Security if we think we are not heard at all There are therefore no Prayers to be offer'd for our present Safety and Prosperity but rather that the Modesty of the Petition may procure Audience for him that prays it may be convenient to address himself thus Lord we ask not for Prosperity in this Life nor for the good things