ratifies the Wise mans observation in Rome-heathen and Lampridius in Rome-Christian Whether we begin our accompt from the Law of Nature amongst the Nations or from the promulgation of the Gospell Images were not from the beginning Wisedome 14. ver 12. But after the Church which during the time of her infancy had kept her virginitie vnspotted began in her full age to play the harlot in vowing in praying in erecting Altars and Temples to Saints the instinct of her impurity did lead her to vse Images as secular wantons doe lascivious pictures for provoking lust They were rather the fewell than the beginning or first kindling of Rome-Christians spirituall whoredome Her down-fall into these dregs of Idolatrie or soule acts of more than brutish bestialitie was the iust reward of her wantonnesse with the Saints after shee had beene betrothed to Christ That which shee falsely pretends for her excuse is vsually true of secular adulterers or adulteresses These for the most part delight in pictures for their prototypons sake with whose liue beautie they haue beene taken And yet many deprived of their Minions reall presence by death or other separation haue been so besotted with doting loue of their resemblances as to loath the company of their lawfull Consorts Howbeit no vnchast doting lover did ever tye his fancie with so many loueknotts vnto his Mistris picture as the Romanist doth his soule and spirit vnto the Images which he adores The maine bond is Religion it selfe the lesser cordes are kissing bowing kneeling imbracements and powring forth his very heart before them Besides all these he suffers this peculiar disadvantage in respect of secular doteards these cōmonly haue seene their feature whose true resemblances they ioy in the Romanist never had any acquaintance by sight or other sense with the persons of those Saints vnto whose Images he makes all this loue but frames these materiall and visible representations of them out of his owne braine or fancie These and the like circumstances were they duely examined by the rules of true Philosophie or knowne experiment how quickly the pursuite of ordinary meanes doth in most cases alienate our desires from the end vnto which we seeke to be directed by them it would appeare to be without the compasse of any morall possibilitie that the Images which these men make their visible spokesmen vnto the Saints should not play false with both parties and betroth the soules of doating suiters vnto themselues or rather vnto the devill whose stales indeede they are 2. But what if some honestly minded vnderstanding Papist should solemnely sweare vnto me that he loues S. Peter not his Image or S. Peter himselfe much better than the Image which he loues onely for his sake shall not his religious oath be taken before any mans coniecture concerning his owne affections Can any search his heart better than his owne spirit can I will in charitie beleeue that he speakes and sweares as he verily thinkes and is perswaded But if out of like Christian charitie though not towards me yet towards himselfe he will giue me leaue to vnsold some practique fallacies with which his sceptique Catechizers seldome meddle I shall giue him iust reason to mistrust his owne thoughts or perswasions as altogether groundlesse and vncapable of any solid truth Can the most devout Franciscan or Benedictine conceipt either the truth or fervency of his loue vnto S. Francis or S. Bennet more strongly than the latter Iewes did the integrity of their zeale to Moses For that Moses sake which they had made vnto themselues they would haue died with greater patience than a Fryer could suffer imprisonment for S. Francis But from the true Moses and his doctrine no Heathen vnder the Sunne were so farre alienated in affection as were his successors in place and kinsmen according to the flesh the sonnes of Aaron and Levi. To haue enstamped their soules and affections with his true and liuely Image whereto alone so great loue might be safely tendered the onely way had beene to haue layd his sacred rules vnto their hearts to haue worshipped God in spirit and in truth as he did Quite contrary they fastned their proud affections vnto that false picture or Image of Moses which had surprised their humorous fancies before they had seriously consulted their hearts or examined their imaginations by the rules of his doctrine 3. And whether wee speake of Adultery carnall or spirituall the first acts of both are alwayes committed within vs betweene the fancie or imagination and the corrupt humor which sets it a working every predominant humor or corruption of the heart delights to haue its picture drawne in the braine The fancie is as a shop of devises to adorne it and so adorned it growes mad with loue of its owne representation as Narcissus did with his shadowe Thus corruption of heart and humorous fancie pollute each other before they can be polluted by any externall consort whose vse is onely to accomplish the delight conceived or to confirme this internall combination betweene the heart and the braine and this service every visible or sensible object well suited to delightfull fancies succesfully performes As imagine the Iewes might haue had some gaudie picture of Moses in the Temple wherevnto they might haue made daily profession of their loue by kissing kneeling and other like tokens which the Romanists vse vnto the reliques and Images of every supposed Saint how would this practise haue fortified their foolish imaginations every kisse bestowed vpon his picture would haue beene as a wedding ring or visible sacrament for confirming the internall league betweene their corrupt affections humorous fancies But Image-worship was a brood of impietie so base and vgly that the devill durst not so much as mention the match betweene it and the latter Synagogue though he haue espoused the moderne Romish Church vnto it Howbeit so inevitable are his entisements vnlesse we abandon all familiaritie with his visible baites when we come to doe our homage to God he hath stollen away the Iewes hearts from God and his servant Moses by drawing them to such dalliance with the booke of the Law as the Papists vse with the pictures of Saints Kissing and solemne adoration of Moses his writings vpon no other occasion than for testification of their allegiance to God by reverencing them are held no acts of wantonnesse no whorish tricks by the faithlesse Synagogue And to speake the truth her protestations of chast and loyall loue to God and his servant Moses will sway more with every indifferent arbitrator than any oath or other assurance which the Romish church can make of her fidelitie to Christ or sincere respect to those Saints whose liuelesse Images shee adores with no lesse devotion than the Iew doth the dead letter of the Law For though no protestation may be taken against a fact yet the fact is more apparantly idolatrous in the Romanist in as much as bowing down to carved Images kissing or worshipping
seemes to me an obiect worthy deeper speculation of the observant that albeit some Atheists may so farre abortivate or dead the seedes of religion sowen in their soules as that they shall never bring forth any expresse thought or liue apprehension of their Creator yet can they not vtterly evacuate nature of their remainder Either in their speeches actions or resolutions they still bewray some corrupt reliques of celestiall infusions And as wine and strong waters which through ill keeping haue lost their natiue force and proper relish become most loathsome vnpleasant so the imbred notions of God and godlinesse after they be themselues tainted doe sublimate the corruptions of nature with which they mingle into a kinde of rancor more than naturally irreligious such as the Psalmist calls the poyson of Aspes In all the contentious quarrels vsually pickt by dissolute and godlesse persons against men of religious and vnspotted life there appeares a root of bitternesse supernaturall or diabolicall The pietie that shines in the one the other holds in execration and persecuteth with such a kind of zealous hate as true pietie doth execrable villanies If they be men of better place which be thus badly minded they exact respect and dutie in such straines of passion as if it were sacriledge to deny it them albeit in other cases nothing to them is sacred or worthy of religious esteeme The threates likewise of revenge breath'd out by them in their braver humors are vsually besprinckled with some flowing notions of a divine Maiestie whereof in this humor onely they are apprehensiue because the personall offence committed against their dignities cannot seeme so great as they desire to make them without deriving Gods right or soveraignty vpon themselues or making him sharer in their wrongs 7. Of some affinitie or rather of the selfe same progenie with this observation is that sweete discourse of S. Austine wherein he proues the desire of peace to be so deeply implanted in every mans soule as spirits most turbulent and vnquiet can never vtterly shake it of but rather of necessitie though preposterously follow it even in such seditious and tumultuous broyles as wilfully and causlâ—sly they haue kindled What Kite is there so much addicted to solitude in soaring after his prey which hath not his mate whom he helpes in hatching and cherishing their common brood which preserues not the lawes of domesticke societie with his female consort with as great peace as he can How much more is man led by the lawes of nature to mainteine peace as farre as in him lyeth with all men when as even wicked and naughtie men will fight for the welfare of them and theirs and would if it were possible that all men and all things els might do them service vnlesse they conspire together for their peace either through love or feare Thus doth pride though preposterously imitate God it hateth equalitie with all fellow creatures vnder God but seekes to exercise dominion over them in Gods stead So then it hates that iust peace which is of God and loues its owne unrighteous peace but not to loue some one kinde of peace or other it cannot choose For 〈◊〉 is so contrary to nature as to 〈◊〉 out all print of natures lawes Those as the same Father addes which disturbe the peace wherein they liue doe not simply hate peace but rather covet to change it at their pleasure It is not their will then to haue no peace but to haue such peace as they will In like manner the Foole of Fooles the irreligious Politician when he wisheth in his heart there might be no God desires himselfe might be as God The observances which he exacts of his inferiors are many times such as naturall reason not infatuated may easily discover to belong vnto a greater power than he is capable of whose authoritie he abuseth as vngracious servants doe their gracious Lords and Masters CHAP. VIII Meanes for preventing infection of Atheisme or irreligion In what temper or constitution of minde the ingraffed notion of God and goodnesse doth best prosper That affliction giues vnderstanding in matters sacred with the reasons why it doth so 1. THe chiefe causes of Atheisme being discovered the meanes to prevent it cannot be difficult and these consist in this â—iple care First To preserue the heart or fountaine pure cleane from all mixture of earth or dregs of lust in which the image of God either cannot be imprinted or will quickly be defaced Secondly To keepe it calme and free from agitation of boysterous or tumultuous passions whereby the representation of impressions acquired or naturally inherent are alwayes hindred Thirdly To avoyde the intangling loue of wrangling arts whose impertinent curious disquisitions wooven for the most part with obscure perplexed termes sâ—re as a cataract vpon the eye of reason intercepting its rayes from piercing into the heart that being a deepe into whose bottome ordinary sights without these helpes as well for right proposall or representation of the obiect as for the right qualification of the facultie cannot diue To the set the Reader may adde the qualities before required for the right growth of faith Whatsoever hindreth it must needs hinder all beliefe of the true God and whatsoever is availeable for furthering it must needs be alike availeable for raising beliefe of Gods existence his goodnesse or other attributes But of that puritie of heart wherein the right and perfect representation of the divine nature is onely seene wee are to speake more particularly in the last part of this Treatise 2. Besides avoidance of these generall incumbrances a peculiar disposition or temper there is wherein the common notion of the Deitie or divine power giues a more sensible Crisis of its inherence in our soule The nature of which disposition cannot better be expressed than by a temper contrary to the gyantly vastnesse of minde or vnrelenting stubbornnesse of heart It is well observed by the Examiner of wits that he which is by nature vnapprehensiue of danger is neerer allied vnto foole-hardinesse than to fortitude seeing the truely valourous will in many cases be afraid though not affrighted out of their wits or farther deiâ—cted than occasions require Howbeit the valour it selfe so much magnified amongst the Heathen or with the world to this day is no fit consort for Christian humility rather to be reckoned amongst the mightie things which God hath purposed to confound than with the weake which he hath chosen to confound them The true reason why it was so much extold aboue other vertues was not the great Philosopher being judge because it was by nature better or did internally more beautifie the parties minds where in it rested but because it did much benefit others The disposition which now wee seeâ—e is somewhat lower more apprehensiue of death of danger or other humane infirmities â—pter to be stricken with feare at consciousnes of internall evils than to be driven vpon imminent perils by
them are expressely forbidden by Moses his Law as acts of open and palpable adultery The last and most miserable sanctuary whereto these malefactors closely pursued are glad to betake themselues is That this commandement Thou shalt not bow downe to them was meerely ceremoniall and concerned the Iewes onely not Christians Our Saviours manifestation in the flesh hath manifested the Synagogues pretended loue to God and his Law to haue beene but carnall false and idolatrous being indeede a loue onely of their owne humorous superstitious fancies Now the symptomes and signes subsequent as well as antecedent being the same in the Romish Church sufficiently testifie her disease to be the same but more dangerous because it is morbus complicatus Her whole Religion wee may without offence to God or wrong to it though not without some distast to her children fitly define to be a mixture or complication of Iewish vaine-glorious delight in worthy Auncestors and of Heathenish grosse and palpable superstitious worship of their Images in whose memorie shee so delights The brasen Legendaries by how much more they are in other cases vncapable of any trust yeeld vs so much greater plentie of canonicall proofe for evincing the truth of this definition or observation concerning the originall matter of Rome-Christians disease So great is the multitude of her Saints so prodigious are the manifold miracles wherewith shee graceth every Saint in particular whilest he lived or his image after his death and all avouched with such confidence that if the old Roman which cut a whetstone in pieces with his pen knife were to arbitrate betweene the Legendaries the latter Iewish Rabbines and the Poeticall Encomiasts of heathen Gods or Heroikes and were bound to reward every one according to his deserts he could not bestowe lesse than nine parts of ten vpon the Legendaries The symptomes notwithstanding of this vanitie hath beene perpetuall crueltie as well in the Romanist as in the Iew. The distempered zeale which the one bare vnto a Moses of his owne making and magnification did empoyson his soule with deadly hate of the true prototypon exhibited in presence of life and of his Disciples which were the liue Images of Moses and Abraham Abrahams sonnes as truely by reall likenesse of holy life as by descent of bodie The flames of the others wild and ill-kindled loue to such dead Images of Christ and his Saints as he hath fashioned to please his fancie hath caused his stonie heart to boyle over with vnstaunchable bloudie malice against the liue-images of Christ and truest successors of his Saints against all within these thousand yeares that would not run a whoring with them after their imaginations As Antiochus Epiphanes was an illustrious type of the Romane Antichrist so his short and furious persecution of the Orthodoxall Iewes was but a Map though an exquisite one of the Papacies continuall jealous rage against all that will not bow their knees vnto the Idols or offer sacrifices vpon the Altars which they haue erected to vnknowne Gods in holy Temples 4. This carnall vaine-glorious loue whether vnto imaginary Patriarcks in the Iew or to fancied Saints in the Romanist did never swell so much in either as when themselues were most vnlouely in the sight of God and his Saints Both begunne to be most affected with their worthy Auncestors prayses when themselues were least prayse-worthy As it commonly falls out in other cases from a secret instinct or working of hypocrisie they sought to stuffe their fancies with imaginations of their holinesse from whom they carnally descended that as fresh colours bring some comfort to sore eyes or gentle plaisters ease to festered wounds so the reflex of their Auncestors integritie vpon their hearts might in some sort allay the smart of their galled consciences And their consciences by this meanes finding ease afterwardes being lulled asleepe with the continuall sweete sound of others prayses they dreamed the substance of that holinesse to be rooted in their hearts whose shadowe or representation floated in their braines as the Philosopher obserues that a drop of sweete Phlegme tickling the tast in slumber or light sleepe makes men thinke they swallowe honey or that they are glutted with sweete meates For wedging in this selfe-deceiving fancie and perpetuating the pleasant phrensie whereinto the Iew and Romanist had cast themselues the visible monuments of Prophets and Saints did the old serpent very great service To embolden the Iew in cruell practises against our Saviour and his disciples he could devise no fitter sophisme than to employ them in adorning the tombes or other like testifications of loue vnto the Prophets reliques whom their Fathers had slaine being by this meanes perswaded that they loved the Prophets themselues and their doctrine much better than their Fathers had done they could not easily mistrust their hate of our Saviour for vniust For if he had beene a true Prophet would not they which loved all other Prophets and justified them before their fathers haue loved him and maintained his doctrine The conclusion of these Fallacious collections was that from this vaine confidence or presumed freedome from guilt of their fathers sinnes they came by degrees to make vp the full measure of them in crucifying the hope of Israel The like successe hath the same fallacie had over Rome-Christian shee by adoring the Images and reliques by lavish garnishing the monuments of those Saints which Rome-heathen had persecuted with fire and sword hath beene fet over by the great Tempter to accomplish and consolidate that mystery of iniquitie whose shape or surface the irreligious tyranny of Rome-heathen had drawne in bloudy lines For mistaking this strong internall affection which shee bare vnto her owne fancie and by consequent to Saints of her owne imagination and to their reliques for an vndoubted pledge of great zeale vnto that truth which they professed her conscience became so seared with this wild-fire that shee persecuted all that did controll her without remorse or scruple as greater enemies to Religion than Heretickes or Infidells And thus the Romanist as well as the Iew by reiecting the written word for the rule of life haue kindled the Almighties wrath and indignation by those very sacrifices which without his warrant they instituted to appease it Both of them presumed their zealous costs vpon Saints monuments should either supererogate for their predecessors sins or cleare all reckonings betweene God themselues for any wrong done to his servants This triumphant confidence in exercising remorslesse crueltie vpon all without exception that contradict her idolatrous doctrine vpon presumption that they are sacrilegious contemners of Gods Saints is that which the Propheticall Apostle termes drunkennesse with the bloud of Saints shee hath drunke so deepe of the cup of abominations that shee takes bloud for milke and feedes on it as on the foode of life Thus much of the originall the effect and Symptomes of Romish Phreneticall zeale to Images CHAPTER XXXIII By what meanes the publicke
to permit their daily worship vpon these mentioned or like occasions was from the beginning most vnexpedient and vnlawfull To continue or authorize it so begun is Idololatrical And yet as well the very arguments which some pretend for their religious vse as the circumstances of the time wherein their broken title prevaild perswads me they could never haue gotten readmission into the Church but from such indulgence to Heathen Converts as Gregorie graunted to our Forefathers Gregorie himselfe as well blames their superstition for worshipping images in the Church as Serenus for breaking the images because they had beene worshipped He aggravates his fault nor doth that mistaken example of Ezekia's crushing the brasen serpent any way warrant the exercise of Serenus zeale that he had his habitation amongst the Gentiles quibus pro lectione pictura est Lib. 9. Epist 11. lib. 7. epist 110. But now that custome by the analogie of lawes politique hath confirmed their auncient dignities vnto them the lawfulnesse of their religious service is by their worshippers justified partly from reason partly from instances of like practises in the Patriarchs and other godly men CHAPTER XXXIIII Of the disagreements betwixt the Iesuites themselues in what manner Images may be worshipped 1. BELLARMINE and his second Sacroboscus with most others of Aquinas his latter followers will haue the worship or adoration to be terminated immediately to the Image and accomplished in this termination although so terminated it redound vnto the honour of the partie whose image it is That is as they expresse themselues although they worship the image of God or a Saint onely with reference vnto God or the Saint yet they neither worship the image of God with the same worship wherewith they worship God immediately in spirit nor the image of any Saint with the same worship which they would exhibit to the Saint himselfe were he present This explication they further illustrate by this similitude As to be sent in Embassage by a King puts greater honor vpon the Embassadour for the time being then would fit his meere personall worth and yet invests him not with honour royall so the Image of God for the reference it hath vnto his Maiestie is worthy of greater honor than the stuffe or workmanship is capable of yet vncapable of that honour which is due to God Some of them adde withall that albeit the actuall worship which they performe vnto the Image may perhaps proceed from the same habit of Latria wherewith they worship God yet it doth not follow in their opinion that they should worship the Image cultu Latriae The acts whatsoever the habit be are much different and must be exprest in diverse termes especially seeing in this subiect not onely errour it selfe but every least shew of errour ought with carefulnesse to be avoyded At in vitium ducit culpae fuga si caret arte Their vnscholasticke warinesse to avoyde offence in the words wherewith they expresse their doctrine drawes these factions and their followers to commit reall Idolatrie in the practise as Vasques copiously and very acutely prooues against Bellarmine Vasques lib. 2. Disp 8. cap. 8. c. His arguments we shall by Gods assistance be able to make good against any solution or evasion that can be brought by the Cardinalls favorites Sacroboscus would faine haue said somewhat to them but he had so accustomed himselfe to play the scoffing mimicke with the reverend Doctor Whitaker that he could not leaue his wonted lightnesse when he met with his fellow Iesuite Hate and loue sayth he of divers obiects as of good and evill are from one and the same habit and yet hate is not loue nor loue hate No more in his opinion would it follow that we should worship Gods image cultu latriae albeit the act of worship proceed from the same habit wherewith we worship God himselfe The grounds of his illustration haue no coherence with the point which he intended to illustrate We may rather thus retort Though neither loue be hate nor hate loue yet if the loue of any spirituall good be truely religious the hate of the contrary evill must needs be religious likewise because they proceede from one and the same habit of religion So if the acts wherewith we worship Gods image for the reference which it hath to him proceed from the same habit of Latria wherewith we worship God men must of necessitie worship the Image as well as God cultu Latriae The rules which Bellarmine and others set for worshipping Images doe by Vasques his verdict teach the people to act Idolatrie And the method which Vasques prescribes for ratification of this error is by Sacroboscus his testimony so scholasticke and hard that ordinary capacities cannot follow it Were it not the part of a wise religious moderator such as the Pope professeth himselfe to be to cut of all occasion of subtile disputes about the manner of worshipping Images by vtter abandoning the matter it selfe or substance about which they contend or at the least to inhibite the people from all practise in this kinde till their Schoole-men could agree about the rules or patterne which they were to follow None of them I thinke hold the worshipping of Images to be in it selfe any necessary part of religion but necessary onely from the Churches iniunction All the generall that can be pretended for the conveniency of it can no way countervaile the danger that will necessarily ensue vpon the practicall mistakings of their Schoolmens prescripts yet the one partie must of necessitie erre in prescribing the manner how Images must be worshipped The manner as Vasques and some other more auncient thinke is thus It is rightly said that even the Image is worshipped and yet not worshipped after what manner we list but in as much as the prototype is represented in it Whence albeit the Image be worshipped yet is not the Image it selfe the cause why it is worshipped but the thing represented by it and contained in it is the cause or warrant of the adoration And in as much as one of these is not altogether divided from the other for albeit the prototype be in it selfe one thing and the image another yet in as much as the prototype is conspicuous in the image it is not segregated from it so the worship of them both is not divided but is one and the same as is apparant from the sentence of the Philosophers For they teach that one and the same motion is terminated to the image and to the obiect whose image it is by reason the subordination betwixt them is such as to make but one entire Teâ—me of the motion and the motion takes its vnitie or identitie from the vnitie or identitie of its Terme Therefore it must be granted that faithfull people in the Church doe not onely worship before the image as some desirous perhaps to speake cautelously affirme but that they worship the very image without
their purposes or affections change they are so ready to sing Canticum novum ditties so strangely contrary to their late passionate songs that no devise can better emblazen the inconstancy of their boysterously blind perswasions than Polyphoemus as the Poet pictures him in his woeing fit Candidior folio nivei Galataea ligustri Floridior prato longa procerior alno Spendidior vitro tenero lascivior haedo Laevior assiduo detritis aequore chonchis Solibus hybernis aestiva gratior vmbra Nobilior pomis Platano conspectior alta Lucidior glacie maturâ dulcior vua Mollior cygni plumis et lacte coacto Et si non fugias riguo formosior horto This was his note whiles his loue did kindle in hope much changed with alteration of his possibilities Saevior indomitis eadem Galataea iuvencis Durior annosa quercu fallacior vndis Lentior salicis virgis vitibus albis His immobilior scopulis violentior amne Laudato Pavone superbior acrior igne Asperior tribulis faeta truculentior vrsa Surdior aequoribus calcato immitior hydro Et quod praecipuè si possem demere vellem Non tantum cervo claris latratibus acto Verùm etiam ventis volucrique fugacior aura 6. Is it not a miserable condition whereunto the vnconstancy of humane passions seekes to bring the inflexible rule of truth vsually wrested to hold as exact consort with our Palinodies or recantations as with our first approved lessons although the one be more dissonant to the other than the latter part of Polyphoemus his song was to the former For without some apprehension of consort with Gods word no dogmaticall assertion can be conceived or maintained as true by any Christian though a Christian onely in his owne conceit So true it is which was before generally observed and often intimated that even the worst of Heathenish humors for the most part alter onely their course not their nature in those parts of the world which of heathens haue turned Christians As the Sea-water is no lesse salt in the reciprocation or stanch than while it boyles or over-flowes the bankes And if it be not tedious to resume the burden of this discourse As the common notion of Gods goodnesse occasioned the heathen to conceit every procurer of any good much affected for a God so this affectionate loue of divine truths in generall fastens our vnpurified perswasions vnto whatsoever we vehemently loue or much affect as to a truth divine or practice either warranted or commended to vs by the word of God Loue or hatred towards any object divine or humane if it be vnpurified affectionate or excessiue is alwayes prone either to slaunder divine justice where men are faultie or to miscensure mens actions in cases overruled by divine justice Priamus doting affection towards his vnlawfull daughter-in-law misswayed his minde to accuse the gods as authors or direct causes rather than to suspect her as any occasion of the evills which he feared or suffered And that vnpurified affection which many beare vnto truths or goodnesses divine confusedly apprehended will not suffer them to see or acknowledge Gods speciall providence in their punishments Ready they are at all assayes to inveigh against or meditate revenge vpon their brethren for chastisements appointed to them by the finger of God though executed by the hand of man God is too good to be the author of evill vnto them though of evill onely temporall That is in the true resolution of their secret thoughts they are so well perswaded of themselues that nothing to their apprehension is borne or bent to doe them harme besides the envy or malice of other men Every portion of Scripture which reproues or forbids malice doth by their interpretation in this taking condemne all such of malice or envy as any way vexe or displease them 7. What poysonous humor can wee condemne in any Heathen whose very dregges are not incorporated in the grand tyrannous monster of our times faction I meane with its members To eares animated with the spirit of this blind beast the least iarre in opinion though concerning matters of greater difficultie than consequence and better able to abide long search than speedy determination sounds as a deadly heresie alreadie condemned by Gods owne mouth Not to consort with these men in their occasionlesse vociferations against others presumed errors is in their verdit to be backward in religion to renounce the vnitie of faith to giue our hearts to the enemy As he that in singing obserues due time or a constant tone amongst such as regard neither but following the eare rise and fall with most or sweetest voyces shall by immusicall hearers be censured as the author of discord No sect or profession almost throughout any age but hath beene haunted with one or other violent humor with whose tincture if a man can cunningly temper or colour his discourses he may vent whatsoever he pleaseth albeit compounded of the very lees and refuse of that heresie which he seemeth most to oppugne Blasphemy breathed from some mens mouths so it be spiced or interspersed with holy phrase is suckt in as greedily by their followers as if it were the Spirit of life the very poyson of Aspes distilling from others lippes so it be tempered with the infusion or expression of propheticall fervencie in reproving sinne doth relish to their factious consorts as the quintessence of zeale Finally whilest one factious minde inveighs against his opposites bitternesse it selfe becommeth sweete to his associates but if an indifferent man shall lift the doctrine refute the error or reproue the passions of the one or other his discourses though seasoned with the spirit of meekenesse of sinceritie and judgement breeds a grievous disgust in both 8. The true originall or roote of this accused partialitie in putting good for evill and evill for good hony for gall and gall for hony will better appeare from a more particular inquiry or Philosophicall search of the meanes by which it comes to passe That the selfe same sence or exposition of Scriptures which ere whiles did most offend should forthwith best please the very same parties And lest I should giue offence to any Christian Reader the instance shall be chiefly in those with whom all Christians are justly offended CHAPTER XLVI Shewing by instances of sacred Writ that the same sense of Gods word which sometimes most displeased may shortly after most affect or please the selfe same parties with them manner how this alteration is wrought 1. ACtuall fruition of excessiue pleasure either hinders the working or dulls the apprehension of inherent griefe So doth satisfaction of vehement desires because most pleasant drowne all taste of petty annoyances and dead the impression of such vngratefull qualities as accompany the qualitie eagerly afected Extremitie of thirst will make a man to be in charitie almost with any kinde of moysture and cover a multitude of faults in drinke of which no one but would be very offensiue