Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	accuser_n	false_a	good_a	58	3	2.1572	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67743	The cause and cure of ignorance, error, enmity, atheisme, prophanesse, &c., or, A most hopefull and speedy way to grace and salvation, by plucking up impediments by the roote reduced to explication, confirmation, application, tending to illumination, sanctification, devotion / by R. Younge ...	Younge, Richard.	1648 (1648)	Wing Y143; ESTC R16605	116,892	303

suffer little but the lash of evill tongues but were wicked mens powers answerable to their wils and malice they would deliver us up to be afflicted put us out of the Synagogues excommunicate and kill us as our Saviour shewes Iohn 16.2.33 and Mat. 24.9 Yea their enmity and hatred would be so virulent and bitter that the brother would betray the brother to death the Father the Son and the Children would rise up against their Parents and cause them to dye the kinsman against the kinsman and the friend against the friend only for professing Christs name being religious as himselfe affirmes Math. 10.34 35 36. Luke 21.16.17 Neither is it strange for this was one of the endes of Christs comming into the World as appeares Mat. 10.34.35 where himselfe saith Think not that I am come to send Peace but the sword meaning between the seed of the Serpent the Seed of the Woman for I am come to set a man at variance against his Father the daughter-in-Law against the Mother-in-Law and a mans enemies shall be they of his owne houshold Luke 12.51 52 53. Neither want we precedents of this For by whom was upright Abel persecuted and slain but by his owne brother Caine Who scoffed at righteous Noah but his owne son Cham By whom was that vertuous and religious Lady Barbara put to death for imbracing the Christian Faith but by her owne Father Dioscorus Who made Serena the Empresse a Martyr for her faith in Christ but her owne Husband Dioclesian Who helped to burne Bradford but Bourne whose life he had formerly saved And lastly by whom was our Saviour Christ betrayed bu● by his owne Disciple Iudas SECT 21. 8. FOr the time to come As this strife and enmity in the wicked against the Godly was early in its entrance taking its first being in the beginning of time and hath constantly continued hitherto so it will be long in continuance and endure to the end of time as the Scripture shewes Yea the last remnants of time are likely to have the most of it because as in them love shall wax cold Math. 24.12 so as love groweth cold contention groweth hot More expresly the Holy Ghost foretels That in the last dayes shall come such perilous times that all who will live godly shall suffer persecution and that toward the end of the World there shall be scoffers false accusers cursed speakers fierce despisers of them that be good such as shall turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and deny God the only Lord and our Lord Iesus Christ And being fleshly not having the Spirit they shall speak evill of the things which they know not And whatsoever things they know naturally as bruit beasts which are without reason in those things they shall corrupt themselves And that many shall follow their damnable wayes whereby the way of truth shall be evill spoken off And that as Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses so these also shall resist the truth being men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the Faith being before of old ordained to condemnation 2 Tim. 3.1 to 13. 2. Pet. 2.2 3.3 Iude 4.10 16 18 19. And so much of the continuance Now to wind up with a word of Application If it be so that all the Godly that have gone before us have been envyed hated traduced nick-named and persecuted by wicked men and all that come after us shall be let no particular member of the Church look to faire better then the whole body we see the Patriarchs went this way the Prophets this way the Apostles this way the Martyrs this way this way went all the Saints and servants of God and do we look for an easier way Yea if the dearest of Gods Children in former ages have suffered so much for Christ beene put to such cruell deaths and torments for keeping of a good conscience let us praise the Lord who hath dealt with us farre otherwise and pray for good Magistrates to whom next under God we owe the thanks Yea if our Fore-fathers so willingly underwent those fiery tryals let none for shame shrink-under the burthen of an aiery tryall only 2. If the brother persecute the brother the son the Father the Parent his Childe the Hnsband his Wife the Disciple his Lord thinke it not strange to be persecuted of any for lightly they which are not persecuted are persecutors themselves SECT 22. Quest. HAving proved the Continuance of this Enmity in all ages now tell us what be the Signes and Properties of it Ans. They are either Mentall Verball or Actuall The first whereof are inward and secret the two later outward and manifest Quest. What are the mentall properties which you call inward and secret Ans. They are foure in number It being their manor 1. To envy the good Estate of the Godly 2. To contemne the meane Estate of the Godly 3. To rejoyce at the evill Estate of the Godly 4. To hate them First it is 〈…〉 ner of wicked men out of Enmity to envy the vertuous and good estate of the godly For envy shall lead the Troope as Iudas lead the Souldiers and it may challenge the first place in the right-hand file as pride doth in the Popes Catalogue of the seaven deadly sinnes because it was the eldest and first borne sin that ever was in the Devill after he was cast out of Heaven and the first that ever he begate upon our nature after we were cast out of Paradice which makes St. Austin therefore call it as by a kind of excellency the Devills sin Thus Caine envied his brother Abel Gen. 4.5 Saul David 1 Sam. 18.28.29 and those unbeleeving Iewes Paul Acts 17.13 The wicked take as much delight to see the vertuous life of an holy man as sore eyes do to look upon the Sunne How contrary are good Angels and evill men The Angels rejoyce at that whereat these powte and stomack they are ready to cry and burst for Anger at that which makes musick in Heaven But why is it These Antipodes to vertue having lost all good themselves are vexed to see it in another a true note to know the Serpents Seed by for it is the Devils cognizance 1. Iohn 3.14 15. as Love is Christs Iohn 13.35 And as it is the very Lees of vice so it hath a punishment answerable for by a just judgement of God their owne malice turnes back into their owne bowels as it is Psalm 7.14 15 16. and slayeth them as the swords of Gideons enemies kild themselves Iudges 7.22 For that none might have cause to envy the envious man againe but all to pity him envy it selfe is a fire which consumes that fuell a Worme which gnaweth that gourd a viper which eats through those bowels a Moath which fretteth that garment wherein it is bred nourished and maintained it is the consuming of the flesh and rotting of the bones Prov. 14 30. And for hereafter if wicked men thus envy the

it was the Devills mind in her mouth his heart in her lips when tempted to eate the forbidden fruite Nor did David once dreame that it was Sathan which moved him to number the people 1 Chron. 21.1 Much lesse did Peter who so dearly loved Christ imagine that he was set on by Sathan to tempt his own Lord and Master with those affectionate words Master pity thy self for if Christ had pitied himselfe Peter and all the World had perished Yet hee was so which occasioned Christ to answer him get thee behind me Sathan Mat. 16.22 23. Whence we may argue that if Sathan can make the best and wisest of Gods children and servants who hate the very appearance of evill 1 Thess. 5.22 Iude 23. Eph. 5.27 2 Pet. 3.14 Iam. 1.27 have the eye of faith and the spirits direction and know the minde of Christ 1 Cor. 2.12 13 15 16. Iohn 10.14 above others to doe him such service unwittingly and besides their intention how much more can he prevaile with and make use of his owne servants and children that delight only in wickednesse and have not the least knowledge of or ability to discerne spirituall things 1 Cor. 2.14 2 Cor. 4.4 1 Tim. 4.2 But will you know how it comes to passe that you call evill good and good evill put darkenesse for light and light for darkenesse bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter that you justifie the wicked and take away the righteousnesse of the righteous from him Isai. 5.20.23 And so fight under Sathans banner against Gods people And yet take your selves to bee not Sathans but Gods servants I will shew you five maine Reasons of it I pray marke them First So long as you are in your naturall condition you have eyes and see not eares and heare not hearts and understand not spirituall things As Christ himselfe plainly affirmes Matth. 13.15 and his Apostle Acts 28.27 and before them both the Prophet Isay chap. 6.9.10 And the reason of that is you have a vaile or curtaine drawne over your hearts which is never taken away untill ye turne to the Lord by repentance at which time it is taken away as you may reade 2 Cor. 3.14 15 16. Rom. 12.2 1 Cor. 2.14 15 16. Secondly long custome and the commonnesse of this sinne hath taken away the sense of it 1 Tim. 4.2 Heb. 3.13 Yea quite turned it from a sin and that the greatest to a vertue As how many in this land for all they are Traytors to God and take up armes against all that worship him in spirit in truth would yet be counted and are so by the blind world not onely honest men but good Christians Whereas if it were not so common and in fashion they would be counted very Atheists and Devills and so they are accounted of all but them that are Atheists How many that scoffe at traduce and nick-name the conscionable Puritans and hate them even for the graces of Gods spirit which shine in them would yet be counted Religious men whereas if it were not so usuall and that custome had not bleered mens minds it would bee counted no better than open rebellion and blasphemy against God so it is counted by all but them that use it This sin is counted no sin and yet it is the most desperate sinne and does more hurt than all his fellowes Thirdly To helpe forward when God sends to you his Gospell thereby to cure and save you you will not be cured Jer. 51.9 Yea you so hate the light of the Gospell that you shun it all you can least your deeds should be reprooved John 3.19 10. Or else you stop your eares and shut your eyes least you should see with your eyes and heare with your eares and should understand with your hearts and should he converted and Christ should heale you as himselfe affirmes Matth. 13.15 And what is light to him that will shut his eyes against it Or reason to him that will stop his eares from hearing it Fourthly Here upon because you will not receive the truth in love that you might be saved for this cause God gives you up to strong delusions that you should beleeve a lye That all of you might be damned who beleeve not the the truth but take pleasure in unrighteousnesse They are the very words of the Holy ghost 2 Thess. 2.10 11 12. of which see more Rom. 1.21 to 32. Fiftly and lastly Sathan the God of this World hath blinded your mindes that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ which is the image of God should not shine unto you 2 Cor. 4.3 4. Ephes. 2.2 2 Thess. 2.9 10. 1 Tim. 4.2 For as Sathan is the Prince of darkenesse so hee rules in the darkenesse of the understanding dealing with wicked men as Faulkoners do with their Haukes who that they may carry them quietly and doe what they list unto them First blinde their eyes with a hood Neither could men else hear the Gospell day after day and yeare after yeare which is the strong arme of the Lord and the mighty power of God to salvation Rom. 1.16 and the sword of the spirit Ephe. 6.17 and like as a fire or an Hammer that breaketh even the rocke in peeces Ier. 23.29 30. And that irresistable Cannon shot that is mighty to beat downe all the strong holds of sinne and Sathan 2 Cor. 10.4 quick and powerfull And sharper then any two edged sword and peir●eth even to the dividing asunder of the soule and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and to the discerning of the very thoughts and secret intents of the heart Heb. 4.12 And stand it out even refusing the free offer of grace and salvation Neither could they other then hate sin love holinesse For besides that any wise man would rather be saved than damned Plato a very heathen could say that vertue if it be clearly seene moves great love and affection Yea if wee could descerne good from evill perfectly that subtile Serpent could deceive no longer And because hee cannot force men against their wills which leaves us without excuse for though that old Sheba blowes many an inticing blast to carry us away from our true allegiance to Christ Iesus our King yet the minde of man is not capable of a violation either from man or Sathan therefore he useth his utmost pollicy to perswade us And by desception of our reason whereby we mistake vertue for vice and vice for vertue hee cheefly prevailes For no vice could ever bee loved but for the seeming good which it makes shew of And Sathan is so cunning a Sophister and so dexterous a Retoritian in perswading that hee desires no more then to bee heard speake As what thinke you if that old Serpent and Sophister did so easily perswade Eve by himself and Adam by her to beleeve what hee spake though they had heard God himselfe say the contrary immediatly before what hope

58. chap. and 66.3 1 John 3 12. Matth. 7.22 23. Againe doe you pay God his dues also doe you repent and beleeve the Gospell precepts and menaces as well as promises doe you declare your faith by your workes doe you pray by the power of the spirit and with the understanding also 1 Cor. 14.15 doe you receive the word with good and honest hearts reade conferre and meditate upon it and also bring forth the fruits of it in your lif and conversation doe you sanctifie his Sabbaths and see that all under you doe the same love his children promote his glory and strive to gaine others to imbrace the Gospell instruct your children and servants and teach them to feare the Lord doe you feare an oath hate a lye c love zeale and devotion in others make conscience of evill thoughts vaine and unprofitable words grieve for your unprofitablenesse under the meanes of grace for the evill which cleaves to your very best actions and for sins of omissions c No you may bee good morrall honest men but none of these graces grow in the Gardens of your hearts You have a forme of godlinesse but you deny the power of it and are reprobate to every good worke 2 Tim. 3.5 Titus 1.16 Yea have you not strange conceits and base thoughts of the best men doe you not deeply censure condemne the generation of the just and thinke the worse of a man for having of a tender conscience doe you not envy hate scoffe at nick-name raile on and slander the people of God and mis-consture their actions and intentions watch for their halting and combine with others against them doe you not with Festus account zeale madnesse and religion foolishnesse with Michal For men of the world think the Religious fooles and madde-men but the Religious know them to be fooles and madde-men Doe you not sharpen your tongues in gall and dip your pens in poyson to disgrace the graces of God in his children yea have you not beaten off many from being religious by your scoffes and reproaches and made them resolve against goodness and staggered others that have made some progresse in holinesse yes every place where you come and all that you are conversant withall can witnesse it Yea you hate zeale and devotion so invetterately that you can in no wise bear with it in others I speake not by rote for would I be so uncivill as you are or doe by you as you by others I could name hundereds of you though you will not confesse it when taken in the manner but justifie your so doing by many collourable pretences For poore soules you are so ignorant of Sathans wiles Ephes. 6.11 That with Saint Paul before his conversion you persecute the Church of God even out of zeale to the traditions of your fathers Gal. 1.13 14. Phil. 3.6 Which is the case almost of who not for this sinne is so epidemicall that take forty men where you please City or Country As they dwell passe the streets or sit in their pues and nine and thirty of them are malignants to the power of religion You will say it is a big word but I have warrant for it doth not our Saviour say you shall be hated of all men and nations for my names sake Matth 10.22 and 24.9 which infers that all who are not hated for religion are haters of religion Neither is Christ's name any where more spoken against then in Israel Luke 2.34 where all professe themselves to bee Gods people The like place you have Matth. 5.11 And what is meant by these words I will put enmity betweene the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman Gen. 3.15 but that all men living are either the womans or the serpents seed As for other sins one man is given to lust another to intemperance a third to swearing a fourth to cousening some to more than one some to all of them but who is not tainted with this sinne who is not an open or secret enemy to holinesse by reason of that generall contempt which is cast upon professors Yea who is there even of those that have resigned up their pride and their lust and their lying and their co●sening or what other sinnes they have beene prone to with whom this sinne doth not remaine as though they had a dispensation for this evill Yea and thinke they doe wond●rous well in it for they delude themselves with a multitude of mispris●ons and false surmises against the godly the soules of most men being drowned in their senses and carried away with weake opinions raised from vulgar mistakes and shadowes of things And which is worst of all they have so hardned their hearts and so seared their consciences with accustomary using it even from their infancy that a man were as good speake to a stone Ezek. 11.19 as admonish them of it having Pharoah's curse upon them an hard heart and a seared conscience And a bruit beast is as capable of good councel as they Yea braying in a Morter as Solomon speakes would not alter them Prov. 27.22 Neverthelesse though they resemble those Beasts that went into the Arke uncleane and came out againe uncleane yet it shall comfort me that I have done my best to plucke up this infectious weede out of mens hearts that I have hopefully ministred unto them whom I cannot cure And that I have brought water enough to wash these Blackamores white if it were in the power of water to do it Besides I did it as well for the godlies sake as for theirs I considered how my selfe was formerly forestalled with prejudice against goodnesse and how extreamly I mis-judged both actions and persons by reason of that generall contempt which was cast upon Professors which for many yeares hindred me from entering upon a religious course Yea when God of his free grace and good pleasure had brought me out of darknesse into his marvellous light and touched my heart with the load-stone of the Gospell that I was not beaten off againe from ever being religious through the daily scoffes and reproaches which in every place I met withall for refusing to doe as others with whom I was conversant no reason can be rendered but that of the Apostle whom he did predestinate them he also called and justified and saved Rom. 8.30 And O the depth Rom. 11.33 Wherefore when once my judgement was cleared and my prejudice cured by the sage councell of a friend and by pondering these few scriptures 2 Tim. 3.12 Mat. 10.22 23. c. and 24 9●● Luke 2.34 and 4.29 Iohn 15.20 Gen. 3.15 1 Iohn 3.13 1 Pet. 4.12 13 14. Luke 14 27. and 6.26 Mat. 5.10 11 12. Phill. 1.28 29. Both of them being driven home or set on by the rodde of affliction By Gods grace I not onely shooke off this slavish yoke of bondage and feare in which Sathan for the present held mee But probably

tremble they have both faith and feare whereas thou hast neither feare nor faith If you be Christians there is an hell in your Creed if there be an hell How dare you teare Heaven with your bla●phemies and bandie the dreadfull Name of God in your impure mouthes by your bloody o●thes and execrations How dare you ex●rcise your saucy wits in prophane s●offes at religion and disgrace that blood whereof hereafter you would give a thousand worlds for one drop It is no light or sleight offence to contemne the brethren of the Son of God but thou fightest against the very graces of Gods Spirit where-ever they appeare and notwithstanding thou didst vow in thy baptisme to fight under Christs banner against the world the fl●sh and the Devill and to continue his faith●ull souldier and servant unto thy lives end as good reason since he laid downe his life to redeeme thee and hath ever since protected and provided for thee for a very Dog will fight for his master that feeds him thou contrarily takest part with the world the flesh and the Devill his mortall enemies and takest up armes to fight against Christ. Againe if there be an hell and but a tithe of them Christians who call themselves so what meanes our grinding of faces like edged tooles and our spilling of blood like water What meanes our racking of rents our detention of wages our incredible cruelty to servants our inclosing of Commons ingrossing of commodities our griping exactions with streining the advantages of greatnesse our inequall levies of legal payments our spightfull suites griping usury our bouzing and quaffing our bribery perjury partiallity our sacriledge simonaicall contracts and soule-murther our scurr● prophanesse cousoning in bargaines breaking of promises perfidious underminings pride luxury wantonnesse contempt of Gods Messengers neglect of his Ordinances violation of his dayes c When if the Word of God be true we need no other ground of our last and heaviest doom than ye have not given ye have not visited c. Mat. 25.41 to 46 Certainely if the tythe of us be Christians which call our selvrs so there are abundance of Christians in hell For what eyes can but runne over to see for the most part what lives men leade There was a woman much spoken of in some parts of this Land that lived in a professed doubt of the D●ity yea even after Illumination and Repentance she could hardly be comforted she often protested that the vicious and offencive life of a great learned man in the Towne where she dwelt did occasion those damned doubts in her minde And we reade that Linacre reading upon the New Testament the fif●h sixth and seaventh Chapters of Saint Matthews Gospell and comparing those rules with Christians lives hee threw downe the booke and burst forth into this protestation Either this is not God's Gospell or we are not Christians Let any man looke upon the lives of most men and then say whether the argument be not without all exceptions Or let any compare Christians that live now under Christian Governours with those that lived formerly under Heathan Persecutors and it will force them to confesse the same Athenagoras told the Emperor in the Primitive times that there was not one of the Christians evill manured unlesse it were such as dissembled themselves Christians for some by and sinister ends And Tertullian saith of the Christians in his time non aliunde noscibiles quam de emendatione vitiorum And Chrisostome speaketh of many in his daies whose lives were angelicall they so walked up to their principles It is the abstract of Religion to imitate him whom we worship neither are we worthy to be called Christians except wee be like him in workes Wee are not like Christ except we doe whatsoever God commands and suffer whatsoever he inflicts Now we are naught at doing but when it comes to suffering we are gone it is the happinesse of these cold times that wee are not put to the hot fire for tryall of our faith and love if the Wheele should turne which the mercy of God forbid how many would turne from Christ rather than burne for him Alasse the greatest number are like Orbilius the Grammarian who not onely forgot the Letters of his Book but even his own name for they not only forget what is written in Christ's Gospell but they forget also that they are Christians can be of any religiō for a need which shewes their hearts are truely of none True Gods seede is sowne but the Devills fruit comes up and like the Iewes we bring Christ Vinegar when he thirsts for Wine But what a shame What a prodigy is this We are bound to praise GOD above any Nation whatsoever for what Nation under Heaven in●oyes so much light or so many blessings as we above any creature for all the creatures were ordained for our sakes and yet Heaven Earth and Sea all the Elements all the Creatures obey the Word of God onely men for whom they were all made ingratefully rebell against it The which as it mightily aggravates our unthankfulnesse so when time comes it will gall our Consciences to death Yea when we shall consider that Christ hath removed so many evils from us and conferred so many good things upon us that they are beyond thought or imagination and that our recompence of his love hath been onely to do that which he hates and hate those whom he loves it will make us speechlesse like him in the Gospel who wanted his wedding Garment as neither expecting mercy nor daring to aske it for know this that thy own Conscience will once sting thee like an Adder to thinke what Christ hath given and what he would have forgiven thee if thou would'st but have repented to thinke how often thou hast been invited to Heaven how easily thou mightest have escaped Hell how often Christ by his Embassadours offered thee remission of sinnes and the Kingdom of Heaven freely if thou wouldest but believe and repent and how easily thou mightest have obtained mercy in those dayes how near thou wast many times to have repented and yet didst suffer the Devil and the World to keep thee still impenitent and how the day of mercy is then past and will never dawn again For the same Devil that now shuts your eyes and labours to keep you blinde during the presumption of your Life will open them in the desperation that shall wait on you at death or in Hell as it fared with the rich man who when he was in Hell lift up his eyes to Heaven but never before Luke 16.23 Those scorching flames opened them to purpose sinne shuts up mens eyes but punishment opens them Satan seldome lets us see our folly till we be plunged into some deep extremity but then he writes it in capital Letters and pines it on our foreheads like one riding to the Pillory especially on our death-beds hee shewes us all our sinnes in

as their hearts Well for the innocent that the wicked cannot keep their own councell They are forced to give us warning that wee may prevent them 15. They will undermine us in talke that they may betray us Their cunning in this case And dissimulation They have borrowed this craft from Satan who sets them on worke B●ware we trust them not 16 They manifest their enmitie against the religious by their gestu●e As the tongue speaketh to the ear so the gesture speaketh to the eye 17 They will withstand and contrary the truth by us delivered They will cavill against the very word and oppose the messengers They fly the light A powerfull Minister most opposed Strong braines too wise to be saved An humble man will never be an here●ique Nor will they be appeased They will hate us because they have hurt us They neither hear him themselves nor suffer others They adde to their own reputation by det●acting from others 18 They combine together and lay devilish plots to destroy the godly The manner of their consultations They will easily finde occasion For our serving of God shall be sufficient Or saving of soules They com not to be caught by a Minister but to catch him But are taken in the snare they spread for others 19 They are proane to imprison the godly Not for any crime But to prevent further dispute And other the like reasons 20 Their usuall way of confuting is with fists Their Arguments are all steel and iron 21 They will hurt maime the godly Their malice makes them like beasts or ●●ocks 22 usuall with them to murther the Saints Instead of arguments they take up armes They are savage and bloody Of which five reasons 1 Reaso● 2 Reason 3 Reason 4 Reason 5 Reason Our Saviour suffered two twenty wayes of ungodly men 4 Mental Properties 11 verball Properties 7 Actuall Properties It was for his zaale purity and holinesse Severall uses of their enmity 1 Use. 2 Use. To informe us whether we be children of the devill or members of Christ. Comfort for such as suffer 3 Use. Let non look to fare better than Christ. 11 Cause● 1 The contrariety of their natures All true beleevers the children of God All natural men children of the Devill Impossible the good and bad should agree Naturall men can agree with any so they be not Religious Yea differ they in other thngs they will joyne against the Godly Many Wives Children and Servants hated for being religious Hatred fo● religion the most bitter and implacable agreement in some points does but advance hatred the more We cannot anger them worse then to doe wel Wherein this contrariety consists They differ in their judgements 1 Touching Wisdome 2 Touching happinesse 3 touching fortitude 4 touching sin 5 touching holinesse Secondly they differ in their passions affections Thirdly they differ in their practice Wicked men persecute the godly for being better then they Of which many examples The same applyed Where Christ comes ther will be opposition Nothing more contemned then goodnesse Would we accompany them in evill their malice would cease We may appeale to them●elves who are the honester men They think not as they speak They asperse us out of policy To tax all for the faults of a few is only the art of a fool Most m●n fooles and beasts The Character of a malicious scoffer How strangely wicked men gull themselves Some of the● excuses Singularity our great and grevious crime To obey God rather than men great disorders Common protestants can be of any religion Yet none think better of them selves How Satan playes the S●phister Discresion eates up devotion Goodmen may differ in many things yet agree in the main A vast difference between another discipline and another Doctrine That indifferent to one that is not so to another ●o be scrupulous 〈◊〉 ill signe In cases of a doubtfull nature we should take the surest side they woul●●●our us ou● of our faith And effect the same did not God support us To be a Christian requires fortitude Good men will hold their profession though they lose their lives If we cannot concoct evill words we would nev●r endure blowes To be scoft out of our goodnesse how rediculous The most will doe as he most to Satan gets more by subtilty than by violence Some will better abide a stake than others a mock Tongue-taunts in G●ds account is per●ecution None but the desperately wicked wil malice an other for goodnesse 4 They are wroth with us becu●se we fare better then they Of which many examples The good mans honour the envious mans torment Application first to unhollowed Ministers They cry up practise to cry down preaching This sore will not endure rubbing Application thereof to the rabble A second cause is ignorance Proved 1. by testimonies 2 By examples Wicked beholding to the godly for their lives Malignants as witlesse as wicked 3 By experience The more ignorant the more malicious They allwaies make the worst construction of things ignorance causeth su●pition su●pition hatred c. Ob. That great scholers and wisemen doe the same answered Their actions prove them ignorant The first part of conversion is to love them that love God Many that have a depth of knowledge are not soule-wise Examples of many wise in the worlds esteem but fools in Gods account With God the greatest sinner is the greatest fool and he most wise that is most religious God regards not braine knowledge except it seize on the heart also Rightly a man knows no more then hee practiseth Saving knowledge described That the meanest beleever knows more then the profoundest naturian In what sense the word ca● worldly men wisemen What knowledg is peculiar to the godly and what common to them with Hipocrits Naturall men want both the light of the spirit and the eye of faith No attaining supernatuaral kuowledg by any natural means Saving knowledg given to none but good men Of which many instances Divine assistance in time of tryall The same further amplified They that would have this talent must resolve to improve it The way to obtaine true wisdome Instruction from the premises 1. For all naturall men 2 For such as speake evill of the way of truth When they doe worst they think they doe well 3 For Gods people A fourth Use. A fifth use A sixt use A seventh use The third cause is unbeleefe Prov●d 1 By testimonys 2. By examples Men think they beleeve but doe not Evidences of mens unbeleife The woful reward of Persecutors Why Persecutors are not punished here But they blesse themselves and think to speed as well as others Did men beleeve the word they durst not live as they doe Natural men feare visible powers but not the invisible God None so confirmed in Atheisme but feare in time of danger At least on their death beds they con●esse a God Vengance makes wi●e whom sin makes foolish Atheists on earth but none in hell To consider before it prove too late The most grounded Atheisme h●th a m●xture o● bele●fe Atheists would give all they have to be sure there were no hell They doe and yet do not beleive a God c. Their convicted consciences shal but witnesse against their unbeleefe Men may doubt but the devils beleeve a judgement to come Fire and b●imstone shall confute all Athe●sts They that beleeve not the threa●s can yet pre●ume upon Gods mercy The devill and sin do infatuate and besot the wicked A carnall heart is flint to God wax to the Devil Carnall men believe the promises but not the precepts nor threats Hard for men to believe their own unbeliefe Wicked men either presume or despaire Notes of triall touching beliefe and unbeliefe H●w men may examine themselves Men would never do as they do if they thought they shold be called to an account Most men beleive not an hell proved undeniably Did men beleeve what God hath already inflicted on the Angels old World Sodom c. they would not live as they doe Admonition to bew●r before it proves too late Fruits of Atheisme wherewith the land abounds If a tithe of us are Christians then there are milions of Christians in hell How far we come short of Primative Christians Most men can be of any religion which proves they are truly of none How Gods goodnesse aggravates our wickednesse Mens eyes will be opened on their death-beds or in hell Good councell for Scoffers eight other causes of hatred and persecution 1 Speaking of truth 2 misprision 3 Example of the multitude 4 seperation 5 The preaching of some Ministers 6 The scandalous lives of some professors 7 Flocking after sermons That they may have more company here in sin and hereafter in torment Conclusion