to bee found of an vpright euen a spirituall conuersation and their followers should wee bee that so follow the followers of Christ. Neyther must that backward reasoning be heard among Christians to argue from their own apprehensions or vertues therby to proue what is Truth and Goodnesse which is to reason from themselues to Christ but they must reason from Christ to themselues they must say This Christ did therefore I must doe so and not this I do therefore Christ did so For that were to make thy selfe Christ and Christ a Christian. Yet this many doe and from their owne inclinations fashion the shapes of paternes to themselues not themselues to them And as we must conforme our selues to the deeds of the Spirit so we must to the words of the Spirit and to doe both wee our selues must be spirituall euen the freemen of God Vpon which is grounded the third Rule which is this That euery Saint and sonne of God by the ayde of the Spirit inwardly freeing him and outwardly teaching him must striue to haue an vniuersall libertie of soule free and inclinable to the approouing of all Truthes and to the loue and practice of all goodnesse I say this is a great and glorious liberty of the sonnes of God and of them alone that their soules being liâ—ted vp from the hinges of the flesh and new fastned to the spirit thereby they haue a freedome to mooue whensoeuer the Spirit moues and to loue whatsoeuer the Spirit loues All Truthes are gladly receiued all Goodnesse is highly esteemed bee it in a Complection different yea contrary For this Freeman of God must haue the liberty both of his Iudgement and Will hee will be bound Prentise to no Sect partiality or piece of Truth or Goodnesse but will bee as large as Truth and Goodnesse it selfe And if you will know his Sect the truth is he is only of the Sect of Truth and Goodnesse And that is no Sect. For these he approues wheresoeuer he finds them in what Complexion Religion or Nation soeuer and it seemes Saint Peter himselfe was of this Sect yea God himselfe fauoureth it for Saint Peter saith that of a Truth he perceiued That God in all Nations accepted those that feare him and worke Righteousnesse Therefore henceforth Let no man tye himselfe to a part by some corporeall likenesse or preiudice of birth or education and so separate himself from the whole but let euery true Christian bee a true Catholike euen an vniuersall thing entertayning Truth and Goodnesse in all persons and Complexions yea entertayning all persons and Companies if there bee Truth and Goodnesse in them For let the great and little Sectaries Romanists and Separatists know That the name of Catholicke is most properly his whose iudgement is free to the receite of all Truths but especially and actually of the Fundamentals of Saluation and whose will is free to the imbracing of all persons indued with sanctified Goodnesse issuing from the knowledge of Truth The true Saint is a louer of all sanctifying Truth and a louer of all that are sanctified by the Truth This Saint Iohn testifies when he boldly assumes That the elect Lady was loued in the Truth of all them that loue the Truth Therefore let men boast of singularity and separation that is fearfull to mee which is to them preeminence For they that cut off Saints from them cuts themselues off from the Communion of Saints Yea let not a difference in small Truthes make separation It may bee that Complexion hath only made this difference and hath made him or thee I know not which too straite or too large but take heed that thou doe not for a difference in Complexion separate thy selfe from thy owne Brother The great and certaine Truth and mayne Goodnesse that are in him are more strong to bind thee to an vnion then the difference in small Truths and Duties be to make a Diuision Yea that great Goodnes that is in him except with the Pharisies thou thinke better of thy selfe then others may make thee to suspect thy selfe rather then him And suspect thy selfe and spare not if thou dost not finde in thy selfe this vniuersall liberty of soule which approues all solid truth and sanctified Goodnesse in any person yea loues the persons of that Truth and Goodnesse Let not the flesh part what the Spirit hath ioyned together let not the difference of bodies put a-sunder what the vnity of Grace hath conioyned neyther doe thou know men hereafter according to thy owne flesh but according to Gods Spirit But if thou wilt try whether thou doest make a true spirituall discord see whether thou dost equally make it with men of thy owne Complexion Constitution if they be voyd of Truth and Goodnesse and whether thou dost loue and entertayne any Truth and Goodnesse though he be neuer so much outwardly different that professeth it But if thou sticke at eyther of these thou art not yet a Freeman of the Spirit but a slaue of thy flesh thy loue and hatred are thy owne and not Gods And surely so it appeares in many of this kind for a spirituall hatred dwels in a spirituall heart and a spirituall heart is a charitable heart and a charitable heart euen where it hates there it wisheth that it might haue cause to loue Accordingly these spirituall and charitable haters of Vice rather then Person seeke the amendment of those that they hate they striue as much as is lawfull and possible to liue in peace with all men they attend if at any time they may recouer them from the snare of the Deuill But the Complexionary Zelots think more of Confusion then Conuersion they seeke out Reasons to maintayne a Rent and Difference and to account men of Infirmitie Enemies rather then Brethren and except a man will presently bee saued they will presently damme him But wisdome is iustified of her Children this is the wisdome of the Spirit euen to vnlade our selues of the flesh to free our selues from all the preiudice burden and bondage of it and to dwell in that pure peaceable and vniuersall spirit which entertayneth gladly all Truth and loueth willingly all Goodnesse yea where they are not it wisheth they may bee and expecteth vntill they be But before I leaue this subiect I must both magnifie and pitty the Man truly spirituall He ought to be magnified because hee that is mighty hath magnified him and hath set him in a high degree The Knife of the Spirit hath ript off the flesh from his soule and the flesh doth no more command him but he is a spirituall Freeman His soule is free from darknesse by a maruelous euen a Celestiall Light and his will is free from the bands and chaines of the flesh by a seuering cutting and absoluing Spirit Hee is taller then the sonnes of men and as much higher then they as the Spirit is higher then the flesh and by that step of aduantage hee lookes into Heauen which
to be the footstoole of the spirit But if thou abide constant in the spirit thereby art possessor of thy owne soule and a commander of things transitorie thy sowing to the spirit shall make thee to reape of the spirit and thy Haruest shall bee life euerlasting Thou shalt also stop the mouthes of them that speake euill of Dignities and for the abuse would take away the vse Thou shalt bee called a builder of Sion and a repayrer of the breaches of Ierusalem But on the otherside They that sow to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption They that build vp a Babell shal be stricken with confusion They that partake with the Harlot in her sinnes shall partake with her in her plagues and * Reuâ— 18 7 8. one of her chiefe sinnes is Pride and her plagues are Mourning Famine Death and Fire Their soules shall be banished from the Tree of Life which is the extremity of hunger They shall be sent into weeping and gnashing of teeth which is the most bitter mourning and to the second Death where the Worme dyeth not and the fire neuer shall be quenched CHAP. XIII A double fault in teaching one that fretteth the whole flesh the other nourisheth the proud flesh one thinkes to saue men by angring despising them the other will not saue them rather then offend them OVr Sauiour CHRIST sayth Wâ— to you when all men speake well of you and Saint Paul sayth I seeke to please all that by all meanes I may winne some In these two Sayings there is a shew of Contrariety between the Master and the Seruant Christ accounts them accursed with whom all are pleased and yet Paul striues to please all though those with whom all are pleased bee accursed And according to the misinterpretation of these two places haue risen two Errours the one of them that thinke their Ministery neuer well set on worke or sufficiently confirmed vntill it hath stirred vp the whole World against them The other of them that thinke it the chiefe discretion of their Ministery not to speake any thing which by a reproofe of euident sins may hazard the loue of any of their hearers But Verity being euer the Companion of Vnity and Christ and Paul speaking both infallible Verity they are certainly at Vnity Now this Verity like a right Line will plainly shew the crookednes of both these Errours and this Vnity will condemne their contentiousnesse that fal out about the defence of Errours Christ speakes not to this end that the Ministers should labour for hatred or striue that men should speake ill of them but he sayth That the ill speeches of men are ordinary consequents of a faithfull Minister yea a faithfull man Hee doth not tell the Ministers that they should follow hatred but he tels the Ministers that hatred will follow them Hee doth not set the Minister by the eares with the World but hee saith the World will take the Minister by the eares Hee is of Saint Pauls minde that he would haue the Minister in all indifferent things to please all but yet he denounceth that though such courses be taken of pleasing yet the very exercise of the Ministery will mostly get displeasure And heereof no better example then Paul himselfe with whom though striuing to please all yet the most of all were much displeased So that both these Sayings may bee harmoniously contracted into one sentence Striue to please all that you profit some yet striuing to please all be ye sure that some will bee displeased For the Seed of the Serpent will hate Seed of the Woman and the World that only loues her own will hate them that are not of the World But that we wander not on eyther hand into these diuers Errors let vs find out the right paths of truth euen the true Lawes of pleasing and displeasing In pleasing let this bee the first Law That Ministers are to propose a good end in their pleasing they must not please men to their damnation nor please them to Gods dishonour nor for their owne vaine glory but they must please them to saue them and to bring them to serue and glorifie their Creator Secondly they must please them in things lawfull euen in things good or at least indifferent They may not please them in euill that good may come thereof neyther may they sooth them in their sinnes which is to edifie the Kindome of Satan but if there bee at anytime a conniuencie at no hand may there be a combination nor incouragement it must bee for the more profit euen to watch a better oportunity And still be it prouided that no perfect peace by any meanes be made with sinne Aboue all let a Minister striue to please in holinesse of life for the beautie thereof hath often stolne away the hearts of the gain-sayers and gained their affections euen against their wils Yea let his Gesture haue an amiable comelinesse befitting one that is a Man of God And such is a graue Humility euen without Pride or Basenes not carnally but spiritually both confident and humble Thirdly let them please them in the wisdome and discretion of their Dispensation Let them giue the great Ones their Honours and Respects let Festus be called Noble and let King Agrippa haue his commendations of beleeuing the Prophets for this is not to giue Titles or to call good euill but to speake truth and to giue honour to whom honour belongeth A wicked Man may be outwardly honorable and thou mayst not rob him without because hee is alreadie robbed within Thou mayst cast him downe by spirituall iudgement but not degrade him of his temporall dignity thy weapons are spirituall not carnall and thy Masters Kingdome is not of this World If thou doe otherwise rayle on the Pope as much as thou wilt thou art surely a limbe of him for he robs men wholy of temporall honour for spirituall offences and thou robbest them in part Eccl. 12.12 But thou shalt prooue thy selfe an ill Fisher for soules if thou wilt not bayte thy doctrine or behauiour with that sweetnesse or ceremony by which the fish will byte the better and be the sooner caught In summe know the estate of thy Flocke in particular to bee to euery one a seuerall Man in thy priuate conuersation and still one man in the publike Be that to euery Man by which thou mayest winne him most For thou must bee all for gaine a true Worldling but of another World Thirdly in indifferent things as lawfull and decent recreations allow them yea sometimes therein ioyne with them God that filleth vs with food and gladnesse allowes these blessings especially to his blessed ones the rest haue it by stealth Let vs not make the gate of Heauen narrower then God hath made it neyther let vs make Religion a ghastly thing by vnnecessary opposing of Nature for the businesse of Religion is not to crosse Nature created but Nature corrupted euen our Corruption not our
Vice flyes maynly at the face of this Image and seekes to scratch it out of the soule and so to leaue man as base and dishonorable as the Beasts whome man despiseth most So is this excesse a notable kinde of murder for it kils that which is indeed the man euen Reason and Vnderstanding And as it is thus contrary to the Creation by defacing that Image of God which the Creation planted in vs so it is also contrary to Regeneration and the recouery of that decayed Image So is it a murder of the second Adam in vs as well as of the first euen a murdeâ— of life eternall The new man saith Paul is created in knowledge and true holinesse but drunkennes it is a foule word and an honest eare is troubled with the sound of it quencheth the shining Lampe of knowledge and the spirituall fire of holinesse and leaues the soule of man as den of darkenesse and vncleannesse It thrusts a finger into the very eye of the soule euen the vnderstanding and puts it out and it leaues such a drosse and muddinesse on the will that it growes base and downward the fiery mountings of the spirit being quenched by the fogs and cloudes of moysture Namque affigit hums diuinae particulam Aurae Such lamentable effects of excesse you shal ordinarily see in these thirsty men or men-fishes for their life is only in liquido they haue commonly rebated and dull vnderstandings and base grosse and muddy affections They loue base company base places and base courses But if it be not yet odious enough behold the Monster it selfe as you go in the streets for you can hardly misse him and that will best affright you A certaine thing it is that perchance was lately a man but now hath nor soul nor body That little mouth of his hath swallowed downe his whole selfe he is intombed in his owne bowels and that which is buried in him is his Sepulchre Hee is now only Belly Foolishnesse and Sicknesse his panch hath buried the Wine and in the Wine is his wit buried his soule his hands his feet and perchance his last wealth Thete can be nothing sayd of him now but that hee is a meere Caske the shell of wine yet worse then that a Caske that marres the Wine and it selfe is marred by it You may strike him if yee will he feeles it not for he is dead as well as buried and whosoeuer would speake with him he must stay till hee come home for the drinke hath turned him out of doores But to what end doe I cast away my words If I speake to such a one I speake to the dead and how can hee heare And if I speake to the liuing He is not such and hee hath no need of my speaking Surely I will here take vp the saying of Salomon of the other generall death That it is good to see the house of death because the liuing shall lay it to his heart So though I haue small hope of the dead in excesse A Lazarus of that kinde being very seldome raysed vnto life yet let the liuing behold this house of death and hee may lay it to his heart Let those that stand by the falne take heed least they fall Let the vglinesse which they see abhorre in others make them striue not to bee that which they doe abhorre Beware of Wine because it tempts to excesse and therefore handle it with feare I speake now chiefly to them that excuse themselues by being ouertaken because it hath a sting in it But especially beware of excesse for without this sting the wine will hurt thee Be an equall Iudge betweene thy taste and thy whole selfe euen thy body thy soule yea Grace the soule of thy soule Bee not partiall to thy base sensuality but rather â—â— thy selfe and fauour those excellent things Gods Grace thy owne soule and bodie Abate that which would abatâ— thee and lose any thing rather then thy selfe A third dehortatiue is thâ— consideration of persons for the persons whom hee dehorteth are men and Christians and such of all other it worst becommeth A Swine oâ— a Heathen or a Heathens fellow a Swaâ—geret it becomes somewhat kindly But men of vnderstanding seruants members of Christ Iesus it fits by no meanes yea it is a miserable incongruity A man that hath some remnant of Gods Imaâ—e yea which is more that hath Gods Image renued in him yea is bought and brought to the wearing of this Image by the preciouâ— bloud of the Sonne of God that such a one should defile and deface Gods Image in himselfe this is a great absurditie Therefore hee coniureth them by their Manhood and by their Christanity that they would not put on this wilfull madnes by which both Manhood and Christianitie may be lost Christ hath dyed for thee doe not spoyle him with thy drinke for whom Christ dyed Doe not thou defile with thy Wine that which Christ hath washed with his bloud and where Christ indured so great a paine as accompanyed the shedding of his bloud and nayling on the Crosse for thy saluation doe not thou shed thy Wine vpon thy selfe to procure thy owne damnation Surely thou preferrest Wine before the bloud of Christ and before the Spirit of Christ. Thou art not a Christian but a Gadaren or rather the Hogge of the Gadarens now in carrying by the Deuill into the Deepe if thou preferre a Swinish pleasure before the most precious bloud of the Sauiour of the World Therefore behold thy dignity and that may suffice thee Thou art elect according to the fore-knowledge of God by the sprinkling of the bloud of Christ and the sanctification of the Spirit and is there a greater excellencie then this to bee a sonne of God so freely elected so preciously redeemed so diuinely sanctified And now put this filthinesse by the side of it a lothsome and odious comparison I confesse but profitable by the lothsomenesse and can any man indure to loose the Trinity that hee may gaine Sensuality to leaue to be a Saint that hee may be a Beast to lose Heauen that he may gaine Hell Me thinkes a man had neede bee drunke before-hand in this case to make a choice of Drunkennesse And now Paul passeth from the Vice to the Remedie An admirable fit and soueraigne Remedie as which helpeth it three wayes First by a contrariety for cures are most commonly by contraries and as excessiue wine hath bin shewed to be contrary to the spirit so is the spirit to it Secondly by a conformitie with it but excelling it and so the eminence of it calleth vs away from that which is meaner to that which is more precious as the offer of gold calls vs from siluer or brasse Thirdly by a priuiledge wherein it differs from it as not hauing the danger of wine which is excesse for there is no excesse in the spirit but excesse is a vertue in it and the greater measure the more commâ—ndation Now
that thou mayst be glad to bâ—e cured of this Vice by the contrariety of the Spirit see wherein the contrariety consists The surfet of wine makes darknesse in thy Vnderstanding and the Spirit light It makes brutish sensuality strong and heauy vpon the Will and affections and the Spirit exalts and purifies the Will by a cleane and celestiall grace Now if I leaue it to thy choyce whether thou wilt come out of Darknesse into Light from a seruile sensuality a true equality with Beasts into the glorious liberty of holy cleane and heauenly Minds I know thou wilt tell mee that there is no doubt in this choyce but that Light is farre better then Darknesse and a heauenly Mind is farre better then a sensuall Then doe but beleeue what thou sayest and doe what thou beleeuest and thou art cured Preferre in thy workes as well as thy words the light of the Deity shining on thy Soule before the darknesse of excesse sent vp from the grosse vapors of Moysture Bee thou farre more glad to haue thoughts of Purity thoughts of Felicity thoughts of Eternity then the beastly imaginations of filthy Lusts inflamed in thy Soule by the Lake of Brimstone that lies in thy Bowels Let neither the colour nor the tast of Wine be thought a fit counterpoyse to those excellencies of the Spirit but when Wine would tempt thee by them call him Mocker and tell him that pleasure is but a pretence but darknesse sensuality and eternall death is the drift of it Tell it thou hast a Light in thee more precious then the light of the Sunne the Father of Wine yea more excellent then any Creature and thou wilt not change this excellent light into darknesse for so small a price as a sight and a tast Say thou hast a quickening and purifying flame of heauenly Fire sent downe into thy heart and thou wilt not quench it for the World by the inundation of a brutifying Moysture And hauing chased away this tempting Ammonite that will not make peace with thee but by pulling out thy best eye retire into the Light and Vertue of the Spirit inflame it blowe it kindle it by Meditation by Prayer by Reading and the increase of this Light and Vertue wiâ— increase in thee loâ—hing of the Darknesse and Beastlinesse of excesse The Light of the Spirit and the graces therof will bee so highly precious in thy sight that thou wilt wonder that any man should goe downe from that Heauen of the Soule into the darke and miry Dungeons of a stupiâ—ied sightlesse filthy sensuall and sencelesse Mind Thou wilt admire that a man should wilfully put out so glorious a Lampe as the Light of the Spirit and that a man should quench that fire by which in some measure he is partaker of the Diuine Nature and all this to get into him the nature habite and condition of a Swine an Ape a Goat or a Lyon Wherefore take heed to the new Creature of God created in knowledge and holinesse which is farre more glorious then all the old Creatures Let that by all meanes bee preferred in its dignitie and supremacie let all Creatures serue it for so the Creator allowes but let it selfe bee brought in bondage to nothing Let it be kept bright and pure for the seruice and pleasure of the Creator who therefore beautified Man with a likenesse to his owne Heart that his heart might take pleasure in that likenesse And if the chiefe pleasure which God takes on Earth be this Beauty of Man then man himselfe should take his chiefest pleasure in prâ—â—eruing and adorning this Beauty Otherwise hee is an vngratefull Wretch not caâ—ing to gratifie the Creator with the pleasure of his owne Gifts and hee is an ignorant Foole for not taking a chiefe pleasure in that wherein the highest Wisdome is especially delighted But whosoeuer is the truly begotten sonne of that supreme Wisedome cannot but loue and cherish the Wisdome and Graces of the inner Man wherein stands the beautifull Image and likenesse of the most glorious Father And whosoeuer loueth and cherisheth it cannot but hate and abhominate that Excesse that casts blacknesse and filth on so bright rauishing and celestiall a Beauty Neyther doth here the Spirit of God bid vs to our losse but which is the second Remedie euen in those things wherein Wine is desirable the Spirit offers vs aduantage If the Wine bee pleasant to the eye the sights of the Spirit are farre more excellent for they are such as eye hath not seene The Spirit of God reueales sights vnvtterable and our soules anoynted with that eye-salue Looke into heauen and see him that is inuisible Glorious and delectable are the Contemplations of the Saints euen such that they grow rapt by the sights which they behold and are loth to come downe from that high Tabor of Vision into the low and base valley of outward and grosse conuersation The light of the body is the eye but the eye of Man is the Soule The Spirituall sight is mans most excellent Sight and Spirituall obiects are his most excellent obiects When we see outward things wee see but that which beasts may see with vs but when we see Spirituall things we see that which none but Men and Angels can see wherefore be thou filled with the Spirit wherby thou mayst see the true and kindly obiects of Men and Angels and dwell not in thy outward eies wherin Beasts may excell thee By thy inward sight thou shalt in some measure behold God thy chiefe Felicity the loue of God in Christ Iesus giuen for our Ransome the admirable Graces and Vertues of a holy and sanctifying Spirit In summe thou shalt see such diuine Sights that thou wilt not giue thy Contemplations for a Kingdome For at what price will a heauenly Soule sell his Meditations a Gregor in ps pâ—niâ— 4. Sion is by interpretation a Watch-towre and Sion is a type of the Church The Church of God stands on a Watch-towre and it sees more then seuen men on a Watch-towre and as her height is exalted on the towre of contemplation so her foundation is setled beneath on the Rocke of stability So as shee sees farre by her height shee is also stable by her foundation which amounts to this That Sion is a Watch-towre that cannot be remooued from her Contemplation Now if this heauenly Sight bee the most excellent Sight of Man dwell no longer in thy outward eies to behold eyther the colour spright or motion of Wine or of any earthly obiect But in the stedfast Watch-towre of diuine Contemplation behold sights worthy of a Creature indued with a heauenly Soule Scorne to dwell in an equality with Beasts when thou mayst come into a parity with Angels and if thou wilt needs looke on Wine Looke on the new Wine of the kingdome of Heauen which Christ now drinkes aboue and for which hee hath left the old hauing professed that hee will drinke no more of it But of this
to perish by it While thou fitst at thy wine the wine seemes to thee to be still the same because it is still of the same colour and the same taste and taken out of the same Vessell but I tell thee that the wine at the fourth or fifth draught is not the same that it was at the first or second The wine at the first or second draught perchance was comfortable or physicall but at the fourth or fifth it is furious and vnholsome It refresheth thy spirits at first but it destroyes them at last and so the same wine which was at first thy comfort is at last thy poison Therfore hold thy hand from wine when it beginnes to bee poyson know the time when it changeth and take heed thou keepe thy selfe on this side of the Change On this side thou art Master both of it thy selfe and thou mayst rule both thy selfe and it beyond the wine will be thy Master and thou shalt doe what it pleaseth Then shall thy mouth speake lewd things and by speaking or not speaking it shall proclayme thy shame Wherefore if thou loue thy liberty if thou loue the possession of thy selfe stop thy appetite betweene the wine that refresheth and the wine that destroyeth And that thou mayst bee the more strong in this power of Abstinence with a purified soule thirst after the wine of the Spirit with which they that thirst shall be filled and with which they that are filled doe scorne both the thirst and fulnesse especially the excesse of earthly wine Thus haue I made a Whip of a twice threefold Cord out of this exhortation of S. Paul there withall to whip these deuourers of drink not out of the Temple but into the Temple from the Chappels of Satan I wish they would in this point bee Papists and whip themselues also if not withall yet with some of these cords that so by such wholsome wounds their euill might be purged I confesse I haue left out one word of this verse which word seemes to be the occasion of the whole Verse and it is the word drunken I might say for an Answer that I wish it were wholly left out in deeds as it is heere in words but if that will not serue for an Answere Let it be this The matter of the word is the subiect of this Discourse and the word excesse reacheth close vnto it But for the word it selfe as I haue for the most part auoyded the lothsome naming of it So I desire that the lothsomenesse of the name may make the owners leaue it and intreat them to this end to preach sometimes to themselues and their Sermon shall bee only an houres repetition of this word Drunken I doubt not but the beastly sound of it in the eare the muddie cadence of it on the tongue will bee so fulsome so odious to them that in the vglinesse of the word beholding the lothsomenesse of the deed they will hate and anoyde the deed whereof the word is so abominable CHAP. XVII Certaine false Appetites that distaste the Food of life though drest in it owne kind if not drest to their owne minde THere are at this day many seuerall tastes that affect seuerall manners of deliuering the Word of God Some affect roughnesse some verball Rhetoricke some a short and sandy Eloquence The first pretends for himselfe that the profit of the Word consisteth in supernaturall power not in humane elocution and that the intising words of mans Wisdome rob that diuine power of the glory of conuersion But the man of the man of this opinion must know first that he findes no precept of rusticitie harshnesse or roughnesse of speech in the Scripture Secondly on the contrary hee shall find in the Preacher Prophets and Apostles yea in Christ himself pleasant words delightfull comparisons perswasiue exhortations often very eloquent and moouing expressions Thirdly God speaking by man vnto man though the power of God be the very effectuall cause of conuersion only baptiseth with fire yet the outward powerful expression ioyning and conspiring with the inward conuerting power may giue a degree thought not a being and may blow the fire which the Spirit kindles The Spirit in the speaker or writer according to his degree commonly stirreth inflameth and exalteth the Spirit in the hearer and that so much the more strongly by how much more swift forcible penetratiō ithath through the outward man into the inward Now a cleere sound and masculine expression openeth wide the doore of the vtter man so that the spirituall meaning contayned in the words passeth in fully strongly and swiftly And so the actiue vehemence thereof doth as it were struck hard on the soule and leaues a print thereon The Word is the Looking-glasse bearing the Image of the Spirit that speaketh and therin is the Spirit speaking discerned by the Spirit hearing The more this spirit is discerned the more beauty and so the more loue and so the more power Now the cleerer the Glasse is the more discerning therefore the spirit made more excellent in an euident word is more louely and more powerfull Surely if we could see spirituall thoughts in their Primitiue beauty without the grosse mediation of words their excellence would rauish vs their glory would command and master vs. But now thoughts shining to vs thorow the Lanthorne of words the cleerer the Lanthorne is the more bright and cheerfull is the Light and the thicker it is the lesse doth it direct and the lesse doth it comfort Fourthly besides the benefit of euidence handsome expression helpes the memorie and God speaking to man by man no doubt well knowes their mould to whome hee speakes and is willing that all fauour especially by the Ministerie of man Rom. 6.19 should be done vnto man and that words should be fitted to the best aduantage of Nature A Parable of Christ a tuned and proportioned Psalme of Dauid a Prouerbe of Salomon yea one of the Fathers harmonious Sentences sometime take more hold of the memory then a rough and ragged exhortation Yet I speake not this that I may vse Pauls words to shame them that haue not to condemne Moses Exod. 4.10 for want of vtterance but to exhort others from condemning and that they doe not condemne but desire the more excellent gifts for God gaue Moses Aaron euen to diuine knowledge an eloquent vtterance God hath giuen diuers gifts vnto men all to edification now all together shall edifie most if the higher imploy their Talents not condemning but incouraging the lower if the lower exercise their gifts rather imitating thē enuying the higher But in imitation let euery Man hold this Rule That he imitate no further then his strength will make it good Otherwise while he seekes to be another and leaues to be himselfe being short of the other he loseth both himselfe and the other euen what he would be and what he might be The second is a hunter of meere
his matter only striues to take away his sinne this Inferiour hath in nothing disgraced the Superiour for in the manner he hath giuen him respect and in the matter hee offers him Amendment So vpon the whole hee hath not disgraced but graced him in respectiue words and in profitable matter And surely a man so reproued may if he please be more honorable after reproofe then hee was before if by the reproofe he become better then he was before Naaman was an honourable man but a Leper and at first hee tooke exceptions to the Prophet because he came not out to him but sent him health in a manner that distasted him But if Naaman had continued in his anger he had continued a Leper whereas by hearkning vnto the Prophets direction hee returned honourable as hee was before and healthy which hee was not before Surely euery man though neuer so honourable hath a spirituall Leprosie and if a Prophet aduise him to wash and be clean by refusing it hee may continue an honourable Leper but by obeying it hee may haue spirituall health added to his temporall honour Wherefore let euery man doe that for the health of his soule which this mighty man did for the health of his body let him wash according to the words of the Prophet Christs businesse is to wash vs in this world that he may present vs spotlesse to his Father in another world As hee washeth vs chiefly by his owne Bloud Spirit so he washeth vs ministerially by his Word by his Sacraments by his Keyes for by these the Bloud and Spirit which wash vs are more neerly applyed and more fully communicated Therefore loue and embrace the outward meanes of thy inward puritie and take willingly not one but all the helpes that may beautifie thee Some thinke it too much to bee hearers of the Word of Christ and cry out that preaching indeed a foolishnesse to such but a foolishnesse that saues others hath turned the world vpside downe Act. 17.6 Another can indure preaching because hee can indure to sit at his ease while the preacher takes paines in vttering that for which before hee tooke paines in gathering but the Sacrament he will take but once in the yeere and not once except his Charitie fall out right with the time of the yeere A third will indure both Word and Sacrament and with Herod will doe some things gladly but if hee bee threatned with a binding in Heauen for vnlawfull Lust Iohn Baptists head must dance from his shoulders But ô thou man whosoeuer thou art that desirest to see the face of God giue leaue vnto God to sit thee for his presence by all his meanes of washing and clensing For there is nothing purer then our God of purest eyes and there is nothing fouler then a man of naturall corruption therefore thinke no washing too much to bring the most defiled thing on earth to the purest Essence in Heauen Beleeue that Christ knew the glory of God sufficiently for he came from it immediatly to vs and that he knew sufficiently the filthinesse of Man for hee came to wash it with his bloud and therefore let no man thinke that hee hath prescribed any thing too much to bring vs from so great a filthinesse to so infinite a Glory Wherefore let no man limite the Highest and tell him the Word and Sacraments might haue serued for his clensing but yeeld to his Wisedome which hath thought chastisement sometimes as necessary as food Therefore bee thou like Dauid and be not better then he who was both a Saint and a King and then shalt thou say with Dauid That Gods rod and his staffe doe comfort thee as well as that hee maketh thee to lye downe in greene pastures and leadeth thee by the still waters So to summe vp all Let the dispensers of Christs ordinances and his spirituall Stewards giue to all his seruants due meat in due season Let them take the Towell and the Basin wherewith once Christ washed and wiped his Disciples feet and at this day wash the feet euen the spots of his blessed spouse Hee hath told you that he did it to giue you an example if yee follow not his example you goe about to make his giuing of it in vaine Wash them with the Word for Christ hath testified Now are yee cleane by the Word Wash them with the Sacraments for the bloud of Christ and the Spirit of Christ the chiefe meanes of our Spirituall clensing are thereby communicated to vs. Wash them with the rod of censure and chastisement which purgeth out the euill by the blunesse of the wound and by the destruction of the Flesh saueth the Spirit in the Day of the Lord. 1. Cor. 5.5 And let the Flocke of Christ striue for the vtmost cleannesse and not for priuiledges of vncleannesse for as they are purified they shall bee glorified the more white wee are here in Grace the more bright wee shall bee in Glory And let euery man though outwardly great seeke to make himselfe as much within as hee is without and to that end let him incourage his spirituall father freely to tell him the sinnes that binde in Heauen that hee may bee freed from them whiles hee is here on Earth And let euery great one that meanes to bee saued account it an especiall benefit if he meet with a messenger of God Iob 33.23 which may by wholsome admonition take from him those sinnes which may loose or lessen his saluation For it is a certaine Trueth that as the more purity the more glory so the more spots the lesse glory and the greater damnation Now vnto him that hath loued vs Reuel 1. and washed vs from our sinnes in his own bloud and hath made vs Kings Priests vnto God his Father To him be glory and dominion for euer and euer CHAP. XIX The Discouery of some mayne Causes of Warres and Wounds in the Church and the meanes of their Cure THat the Church and Rebecca are alike and that the Wombe of both is lamentably peruerted into a place of wrestling griefe though vnwilling canâ—ot but confesse it because Contention is so violent that it will not suffer it to bee hidden Therefore a question as fitly ariseth from the Church as from Rebecca if it be so why am I thus Though she desired to be fruitfull yet shee loued not to bee a breeder of quarels and therefore preferred a quiet sterility before a coÌ„tentious fruitfulnesse And to this question of both there is fitted an Answer for the satisfaction of both There are two Nations in thy Wombe and two kind of people come from thy bowels one visible Church one woÌ„be and the same bowels yet two sorts of people and not two only in distinction but two in contrariety of disposition The difference of their inclinations makes a diuision in their affections and this diuision is inflamed into opposition and contention The man of flesh is Esau a strong Hunter of carnall
liue one by another and that for one man to fret out all others and to liue by himselfe is in humane That Charity in one sight regards the benefit of another with her owne That in Vsury vsually the benefit goes most if not all of one side yea sometimes the benefit of the one riseth out of the losse of the other Now where these things are there such lending is the cause of fretting and vndoing So it remaynes they must eyther grant what they first denyed that men may fret and vndoe one another or else they must condemne their lending which is so fretfull and iniurious In briefe let vs first worke vpon mens Iudgements by informing them and not presently at the first sight flye on their wills and affections to racke and force them Againe where there are great and little faults to bee amended let vs not bee more busie for the little then the great nor equally importune an amendment of all together For verily I beleeue good occasions of Reformation haue beene lost because too many faults haue beene brought together to amendment yea little and doubtfull faults and such as might be healed with a good construction haue beene brought in equally vpon the File with those of greater moment And what doth this course doe but magnifie the tediousnesse of the worke and increase the difficulty of it What doth it but bring this answere to vse That changes are dangerous and euills well setled are better then much vnsetling by much amending What doth it but bring a doubt that nothing will satisfie since faults seeme more to be sought then found But I wish that alwaies there might bee an aduised and temperate demand in matters of Reformation and though it bee vnaduisedly demanded yet there may be giuen a iust and solide answere and such as might regard to please God by mayntayning the purity of his Spouse the Church rather then to satisfie or vnsatisfie the indiscretions of men Let Gods cause euer be maintayned whether proposed or opposed by our owne enemies A third fault of indiscreet Zeale is That it is censorious and passeth easily into condemnation both of things persons Not to speake of indifferent things too often censured I say some men and some matters are condemned eyther not heard or not vnderstood and yet the Heathen Romanes vsed not to condemne any before hearing and much more wee that are Christians ought to know those things whereof wee affirme There are heights of Dispensation which meane vnderstandings reach not vnto and yet for such sometimes they despise dominion and speake euill of Dignities Christ is censured for being among the sicke yet a Physician for the waste of a precious Oyntment yet going to buriall So the blame which belongs to their owne incapacity they cast on that which deserueth commendation and that which is in it selfe good is by them called euill only because they are not wise enough to see the goodnesse of it Againe there are many good actions of good men that by censorious Zeale are taxed as euill and yet are only knowne in some out-side of probability but the inside wherein the life of the action lyes is not knowne The Iewes were in a rage with Peter for going to the Gentiles yet when the cause was knowne his fault was found to bee a Vertue The Reubenites Gadites and halfe Tribe of Manasseth were indicted of Apostasie for building an Altar but that which was thought to bee Apostasie was indeed a memoriall and meanes of cleaning to the true God Wherefore let vs not be hastie to iudge according to apparances but let vs take time to iudge righteous Iudgements For if thou iudge another rashly and falsly GOD shall iudge both him and thee truly He shall iudge ouer the matter againe and shall acquite him whome thou condemnest and shall comdemne thee for condemning him So thy iudgement of another shall returne vpon thy selfe And surely in this point Let euery good Conscience comfort it selfe in it selfe and passe little to be iudged by another in that which another knowes not for thou standest to the Iudgement Seat of the Highest Wisdome and Mercie and not to the Barre of humane Ignorance or Malice Fourthly indiscreet zeale is often in the flesh when it thinkes it is in the Spirit yet will not beleeue it and so will not be cured First I noted that by following heate to farre it outgoeth the Spirit and runs out into the flesh And now I obserue that it being gotten into the flesh it still beleeues it selfe to be spirituall and so in steed of retyring it fortifies it selfe there Hence it comes that many fleshly contentions are mayntayned by Scriptures yea Sermons and Scriptures are fitted to passions not passions to Scriptures So flesh and bloud fights carnally with spirituall Weapons yea which is fearefull turnes spirituall Weapons into carnall Malice sometime rayleth in Scripture Phrases and beateth his Enemies with Diuinity and thinkes it may speake what it will so it bee in the words of Scripture if it haue a seeming opposition of vice it cares not how angry it bee though indeed Pamphlets of that kind be no other then Libels and Sermons then Philippickes Yet this abuse of Diuinitie shall bee maintayned by Diuinitie and so she is miserably forced to iustifie and continue her owne wrongs But let Baal plead for himselfe let not God be forced to speake for Baal nor the Spirit for the flesh Adde not sinne vnto sinne It is a sinne great enough to come out of the Spirit into the flesh and to turne the busines of God into a Quarrell with men doe not adde this other sinne of abusing the spirituall Word vnto the mayntenance of thy fleshly contentions so by the Spirit to fight the battayles of his Enemy the flesh But to draw to a Conclusion Let all true Christians striue that their Workes bee the true Issues of Zeale maâ—ryed with Discretion for such Workes are the acceptable Salt and sauoury Sacrifices of Wise-men and not the loth some Sacrifices of Pooles Let them know that the fire of the Spirit the Mother of all true Zeale hath light in it aswell as heate and the heate should follow the light and not goe before it otherwise if the heate goe before the light or without it it may set on fire where it should but warme and so may breed a Confusion whereas the businesse of it is edification Let vs by ioyning the wisdome of Serpents with the innocencie of Doues become those excellent and perfect Stewards whom the Lord commends both for being wise and faithfull whose faithfulnesse giues meate to the Seruants and whose Wisedome doth it in season euen in fitnesse of manner measure and order And farre bee it from any sound Christian to put a Diuorce betweene that incomparable payre whose Marriage was in Heauen Zeale and Discretion or to thinke that one alone of them can bee a sufficient Parent of good Workes Much lesse let any man if hee find these separated by wretched Diuision seeke to bring them together in a more wretched Contention The parting of so louely a couple is lamentable but a malicious meeting of them is far more dolful For by their own good nature they incline to loue and vnity and therefore cursed is that Malice that changeth into Enmity the most excellent Vnity Hee that sets Vertues by the eares is as he that sets Brethren by the eares yea as one that makes Quarrels betweene Men and their Wiues Surely if the Peace-makers be blessed being the Children of the most High then such Quarrel-makers bee accursed and are the Children of the Lowest euen the most infernall spirit To conclude Let vs as the new borne sonnes of the Spirit lay aside all Maliciousnesse and lust of Contention which are the vices of the old man and expresse the true Vertues of a godly Nature receiued with the new man euen Charity Peace and Vnity Let not the difference of Education or Complexion or the vnkindly opposition of Zeale Discretion bee powerfull to a separation where the Vnity of one and the same Spirit hath made a coniunction But let the Spirit bee more followed leading vs to loue then the flesh prouoking to hatred And surely if wee bee not in loue wee are not in the Spirit for whosoeuer is in the Spirit is in loue yea hee is in loue with loue And as loue is commended by the Author of it which is the Spirit so it is also praysed by the excellent fruit of it called Edification for by loue the members of Christ cherish each other and by that cherishing increase in their growth Besides as Sion inwardly prospereth by loue so by the loue of Sion Babylon decayeth For the more Loue and Vnity in Sion the more strength the more strength in Sion the more terror yea the more ruin of BabyloÌ„ WheÌ„ the Banners are brought into the Vnion of an Army then they are terrible Cant. 6. And when Israel ioynes together in the Vnity of a Shoute then are the wals of Iericho most neere to their Downfall CYPRIAN de Vnitate Ecclesiae Pacificos esse oportet Dei filios corde mites sermone simplices affectione concordes fideliter sibi vnanimitatis nexibus coherentes Et post Erant perseuerantes omnes vnanimes in oratione ideo efficacibus precibus orabant ideo impetrare cum fiducia poterant quodcumque de Domini misericordia postularunt FINIS