the blind fury of our lusts it comes into vs to quench their heat and to abate their rage It giues vs also sober counsels by restrayning our senses vnder discipline and custody so to put off the dangerous temptations which by the senses would breake in vpon vs. But these men haue a contrary busines they kindle that which the Spirit quencheth they set fire on the body which is the house of the soule they giue life vnto that which is mans death and striue to kill men better that are already too much dead in sinnes and concupiscences Brokers for the Deuill that make wares for hell and the returne of their merchandise is the soules of men But leaue off this needlesse as well as wicked Trade Lust is as good an euill Painter as your selues it needs no obiects nor representations for it selfe chuseth obiects fast enough and makes to it selfe too many imaginations and pictures But if you will shew the excellence of skill doe something of rarity and make such Images that may fright away Lust by the apparition of torments and miseries attending it or may perswade Temperance by some liuely patternes and characters of Sobriety and the excellent benefits following it Another kinde of Representation and which is done most to the life is that which is done most by the liuing so that life it selfe dwells in that Representation Hence things so represented though past are freshly animated by the spirits of others and liue in them againe and that so naturally that they seeme not to be others but the same and not so much to bee the second as the first And surely if this Representation were of profitable commendable things in a profitable and commendable manner I doe not see how it can be condemned except a thing may be condemned for being profitable or for being a Representation The first no man will affirme and I thinke the latter can hardly bee defended for the personating of others may be patterned euen by Diuine examples One Prophet takes to him the representation of a foolish Shepheard another of a man wounded by him whose prisoner he set free a third of a man fettered in chaines and all these to teach more liuely and to mooue more forcibly But such great abuses haue defiled this kind of Representation that it hath not onely left the true and naturall profit of it but it hath seemed to many graue and godly men rather fit to bee taken away then hopefull to be cured On the other side I see no hope of the taking away and therefore I desire it may bee cured and to that end am willing to shew the chiefe corruptions of it so that eyther the diseases may bee healed or the whole may abstaine from being infected A first Abuse of this kind of Representation is in the person represented when such are represented for pleasure whose representation to wise men is lothsome or to weake men is dangerous I should here beginne with the transfiguring of men into fooles so to make men merry with the deprauation and abasement of a Creature made to Gods Image yea of the very Image of God in that Creature For this feeds that euill humour and condition of foolish men that vseth to reioyce in folly and make it selfe merry with that which makes a wise man eyther angry or sorry But the world is inexorable in this point and they will not haue the foole taken from them but wil needs delight in their like and therefore I will passe to points of more hope and greater possibilitie A second Fault in this kind is the Representation of Women by Men which I thinke is a most dangerous and pestilent Spectacle I need not goe to the old Law for proofe but only appeale to new and lamentable experience and desire the confession of them that know the times whether the shape of a woman hath not made masculine loues and whether the maide hath not procured loue to the boy I am loth to speak of that wherof the very speech is lothsome but it may not bee that sinnes should haue priuiledge to prosper because they are lothsome to be mentioned but euen because they are lothsome they should the more terribly be reprooued But I will goe a middle-way betweene saying all and nothing and wish that there were not so much merchandize of Play-boyes nor so much counterfeiting intisement to that trafficke Sure I am in some Countries at some times the purchase and attendance of a play-boy hath been a speciall ornament and if there bee faults issuing of this fountaine I onely say thus much That for such Lands vse to spew out their Inhabitants Heauen raynes down Hell on Earth and men of Earth goe downe aliue to Hell A third Fault is when the persons of men eyther holy by profession or conuersation are brought forth to the mockes and scornes of prophane Herods In such God himselfe is sacrilegiously derided while eyther his functions or graces are turned into laughing stockes It is a cursed laughter that laughs at him by whom we laugh and he who made laughter doth also make weeping and as certainly as they now laugh and his Spirit is grieued so hereafter will hee laugh and they for griefe shall weepe and that weeping shall be eternall for it shall be caused by a worme that dieth not and a fire that neuer shall be quenched A second sort of Abuse is when euill speaches that corrupt good manners are represented Of these I will name three sorts A first is rotten and filthy language wherein one defiles his owne tongue that he may defile another mans eares he takes the fire of his owne lust and by his tongue flings it in at the windowes of the eare to set young or youthful souls on fire And left this poyson should doe no harme filthinesse very often is conserued and sugred in wit that death may be sure to be swallowed and that the filthinesse may enter and pierce the deeper being poynted by the sharpnesse and pleasantnesse of wit Surely such men become deuills vnto men and turne wit into temptation peruerting that excellent issue of the Soule to bee a Factor for the Flesh yea to carry errands of beastlinesse between Flesh and Flesh the inuenter and the hearer Yea the Soule by this meanes becomes a destroyer of Soules for while it foldeth vp the Flesh in sweetnesse it killeth the Soule that made it and the Soule that heares it if with hearing it be loued as it will be if wit can doe it But besides this lowe debasing of so high and excellent a power of the Soule Let mee tell them for an aduantage that it is often the signe of an hungry and needy brayne for as filthinesse sometimes borrowes of wit to make it handsome so a bad wit often borrowes of filthinesse to make it selfe toothsome for a little wit with a great deale of filthines hath often among vulgar and muddy eares more fauor then much wit if it
Holinesse Mat. 5.16 Fourthly let men know renounce as an extreme folly that temporall Thrift which causeth an eternall losse Surely if that Lord who is Wisedome it selfe commended the Steward for a Wiseman that abated his temporall Reckonings to increase his eternall Rewards hee cannot but disprayse for a Foole that man that wil increase a little perishing vanity that hee may decrease an exceeding weight of eternall glory Whereas a hundred abated heere would increase a thousand hereafter this man by a most foolish thrift will saue fifty here that hee may lose fiue hundred hereafter Ill Husbands they are in the midst of their good husbandry and the Husbandmen of this generation shall rise in iudgment against them for these will not sow sparingly that they may reape sparingly but with a full hand do sow that with a full hand they may mow Let vs therefore pray the Lord of the Haruest he that as he increseth our seed will also increase our sowing that as he outwardly ladeth vs with the bounty of his blessings he will inwardly fill vs with the bountie that giueth these blessings that partaking of his good things wee may also partake of the goodnesse that bestoweth them Then by the same goodnesse which gaue vnto vs shall we giue vnto others the goodnes of God supplying vs both within and without inwardly giuing vs the power of giuing and outwardly giuing vs the matter of giuing And to these men that are filled with this goodnesse the Mother of good Workes is especially recommended that saying of S. Paul Hee that prouides not for his owne is worse then an Infidell To such I say it belongs who are likely to stray too farre on the right hand of Bounty and not to such who most commonly abuse it for the defence of their left-handed Parsimonie This place is to limit those that are excessiuely good not to stop and bound those that are not yet good enough Wherefore goe on boldly a good way farther for there is yet a good distance betweene this place and thee except thou art in doubt of being too good There is yet a third sort which I would only name and I wish that there might be no Examples of such hereafter knowne in Gath nor spoken of in Ashdâ—d and that is when they that beare the true marke of God in their foreheads and haue ript off the Badge of worldly loue from their harts yet in some sleepe of their consciences the enemie soweth some Tares of worldly Lust Couetousnesse or Ambition Dauid sinned in one kind and no doubt men of perfect hearts sinne in other kindes and single Actions of sinne issue from them that haue an habite or rather a nature of Grace God hath left the Canaanite in vs to exercise vs to humble vs that wee may haue an Enemy to fight against before we weare the Crownes of Glory and that we may haue a patterne of our corruption to humble vs as the Valleyes before we receiue his showres of Grace and Mercy from those hils from whence commeth our Saluation What remaynes but that we fight like men for the killing of that old man which fighteth to kill vs While we stand let vs stand in humility taking heed lest wee fall and this humilitie which makes vs take heed lest wee fall will best keepe vs from that falling whereof wee are to take heed And if wee doe fall as what man lineth that sinneth not let vs rise by giuing our hand to Christ in Faith and Repentance who by his bloud washing vs and by his Spirit quickning vs will raise vs againe set vs on our feet That we may run the way of his CoÌ„mandements Neyther let the wicked in the fals of the Godly magnifie themselues and despise the other as such Pharisies vse to do for though these two did the same kinde of fact yet the fact is different The godly man fals by infirmitie as by the weight of his body or slip of his foote the wicked fals with the swinge of his will as if hee ran his head against the Rockes The godly man hates his owne fault and ariseth from it the wicked man neuer truly hates it neuer heartily forsakes it Yea the godly man is bettred by his fals and by falling stands the more strongly because the more humbly and warily And finally though hee passe by some particular frailties yet vpon the whole he is still better and growes from strength to strength vntill he appeares before God in Sion CHAP. XI An Errour that forbids men though mortally diseased to be cured by a sicke Physician THere is an Errour which though it possesseth not many yet some it possesseth strongly and this is a great mischiefe belonging to it that they thinke themselues better then others for being deceiued and so they become angry with those that would cure them because they seeme to indeauour not to take away an Errour from them but to depriue them of their Eminence Their misbeliefe is this That none but sanctified Preachers can teach vnto Sanctification and Saluation And first for a generall remedie I desire these men to consider that as in naturall so in spirituall fiâ—e there are two things of especiall and inseparable vse the one is Light the other Heate Let the heate of Nature make a mans body neuer so actiue and able yet if the eyes be shut vp so that this heate by the inward light which it makes cannot entertayne the outward light the more actiue and stirring this man is the more hee stumbles and the more hee fals Euen so in the things of Grace if a man will separate heate from light hee diuorceth those â—hat in the spirit are ioyned together and therefore it is likely that such are Saint Iudes men separaters sensuall not hauing the spirit For where the spirit is there light is the guide of heate and such are led by euident Truth not by blind violence But to meete with their Errour more particularly I will first lay my foundation and it is this An assured discouery of the true cause of mans Saluation Not to runne into by-wayes the true way to life is Christ The Way the Truth and the Life Christ our life shall appeare saith Paul and againe Our life is hid with Christ in God More particularly Christ entring into man doth abolish the olde man which is the bodie of Sinne Death and giues vs the new man wherein is included a right of Inheritance vnto Life Eternall The bodie of sinne by sinne had bound vs vnto death and by Dominon had bound vs to sinne but Christ Iesus entring into vs by his Spirit by his Death freeth vs from the Death to which we were bound and by his sanctifying Grace freeth vs from that Dominion by which wee were bound vnto sinne So from henceforth neyther sinne nor death haue dominion ouer vs but the free and freeing Spirit of Christ dwels in vs whereby we are sonnes and heires of Life Eternall Rom.
but Madnesse and not against that Fellowship which is truely good but against that which passing vnder the name of good is full of all vice and wickednesse There is an honest and cleane Mirth which Oyle to the bones as the Wiseman sayth and this if the World could find the Salt of the World would not correct and chasten And indeed this alone deserues the Name of Mirth for the sport of sinne is a laughter at things lamentable and a ioy in stead of sorrow and is so vnseparable from sorrow that if it haue not the sorrow of temporall Repentance it shall haue a far greater sorrow of endlesse penance True it is that God at first gaue his creatures to man to be inioyed and now especially to Christians is that right renued so that Christianitie is so far from taking them from vs that it only giues them truly to vs. Againe God delighteth not in the sowrenesse of face in hanging downe the head like a Bul-rush in tormenting the body which though with some they may be esteemed as good out-sides of Religion and as Paul termes them shewes of Godlinesse yet of themselues they are of no value with God There is nothing in vs louely to God but righteousnesse and that which aduanceth it and there is nothing odious to God but sinne and that which serueth it If therefore the Creatures of God be vsed toward the aduancement and incouragement of Gods seruice in vs wee please him in their vse yea wee offend him in their neglect And the speech of Ionathan concerning Sauls forbidding of meate will God himselfe vse against vs these men haue troubled the Land for if they had eaten they had done greater seruice against the Enemies of God And for ioy it selfe we may see that God hateth it not For hee himselfe in the old Law appointed many feastes in which there was a plaine precept of Reioycing And in the new Law Paul telles Timothie that God giues vs all things abundantly to inioy and in the Acts hee testifieth that God filleth vs with food and gladnesse But our Mirth must bee wise and reasonable as becommeth those that are men and not Apes euen Creatures stamped with the Image and Character of God And too true it is that the Mirth of Man as the Wrath of Man seldome keepes such a measure that it fulfills the will of God Yet this cals for Watchfulnesse and measure vnto Mirth but sets not vnlawfulnesse on it if it bee measured and decent I denie not but Sadnesse is sometimes necessarie in Religion but not as it is Sadnesse but as Sadnesse is a Rod vnto Vice and as by humbling the Flesh it aduanceth the Spirit Sadnesse hath no worth by it selfe neither is it in Religion the end of it selfe but euen Sadnesse it selfe tendeth to Ioy. Religious men by Sadnesse walke vnto Comfort and indeed Comfort is an assured fruit of Spirituall Sadnesse Sorrow for sinne endeth in the ioy of forgiuenesse and sadnesse of meditation endeth in the ioy of Diuine contemplations So are we made merrie by Sadnesse and the weed of sorrow changeth it selfe vpon vs into the garment of gladnesse And this high priuiledge of Ioy hath a Christian aboue a Carnall man that whereas the Man of earth being sad is onely sad and sad vnto sadnesse the Christian being sad is sad vnto ioy How must not then a Christian bee a most ioyfull Creature whose very sadnesse endeth in ioy yea it is a means of procuring and making ioy Fleshly mirth endeth in sadnesse and spirituall sadnesse endeth in mirth and so if that be well that ends well the sadnesse of a Christian is better then the mirth of a Heathen There is yet a third Obiection That Religion is attended with opposition and persecution and these are terrible things to flesh and bloud I answere that if this bee so yet is Religion a ioyfull thing For these are not in Religion but after Religion and indeed they are qualities of Irreligion Religion it selfe is busied about excellent things as vnion with God conformitie to God fruition of God and persecution and opposition comes from Irreligion Atheisme and Malice Religion must needs be the more excellent because it hath such Enemies as wicked men and wicked spirits as one commended Christianitie because Nero persecuted it If great Armies come to conquer a Land it is likely to be a Land of pleasure and fertilitie for barrennesse and worthlesnesse seldome call for Conquerors Enuie the Deuills torment and pleasure seeth some invaluable ioy which he would take from vs by outward vexations but certayne it is that as it is a ioy whose fulnesse is beyond the reach of Mans heart so the fastning of it is aboue the reach of the Deuills hand for nothing can reach high enough to take it from vs. Yea when he reacheth to it by the persecutions of the bodie hee increaseth the ioyes of our soules for as tribulations abound so doe consolations abound also So in this point is a Christian also a most ioyfull Creature whose afflictions breed consolations and whose enemies are instruments of comforting them euen by afflicting them So in all things are wee more then Conquerors Ioy is our part which nothing may take from vs but all changes by an vnchangeable Law doe worke our Ioy. Therefore doth the Christian enioy tribulations and takes them for aduancements yea the disciples of Christ reioyce in their sufferings for Christs sake as testimonies of worth and estimation with their Lord. So a Souldier takes pleasure in that which to an ordinarie man is a terrour yea hee inioyeth his scarres and wounds as markes of valour and steps vnto Honour And as the sight of future aduancement doth cheere vp the Heauenly Souldier so doe the present ioyes of the Spirit of consolation As the bodie is pricked or scourged without the heart is bathed within in the celestiall oyle of ioy and gladnesse The comforts within rise according to the suffrings without yea with them by them and aboue them God the Creator is within comforting and they are but Creatures that are without afflicting and how shall wee not bee full of Courage of Comfort since hee that is in vs and with vs is so infinitly greater then hee and all they that are without vs and against vs But as the Carnall Man hath had leaue for his obiections against Religion so I desire leaue of him a little to question the ioyes of his Carnality For I am in great doubt that many sinners haue more trouble and worke to be damned then many Christians to be saued I say it falleth out by Diuine Mercie on the one and Iustice on the other that if some righteous men haue the Deuill for a hard Enemie some sinners haue him also for a cruell Master Generally the peace of the wicked is fearefull hollow interrupted and finally ending in sorrow If Affliction come to him as the first Curse giues some taste of it selfe vnto all hee receiueth the
Surely the Deuill is the same heere that he is in the Indies he sets as heauie taskes on them that will bee so kinde as to beare them for euen here also men must sacrifice to him the best endeauours and affections both of soule and bodie in Ambition Couetousnesse and other toylsome Vices and at last the very soule and bodie themselues must bee sacrificed in an eternall fire But bee yee weary of your gods O yee Heathen Christans and serue the true God who desires no other businesse but Holinesse and Righteousnesse and hath ioyned there with the ioyes of his heauenly and most comfortable Spirit and hath annexed thereunto the ioyes of an eternall and most glorious Kingdome And let no man hereafter be afraid of Religion because of sadnesse for by so doing he may condemne his sight or taste that discernes or rellisheth not the ioyes thereof but then whiles Religion is still one and the same euen a most glorious and comfortable thing Therefore let the Nouice or Apprentice of Religion especially desire the grace of that Spirit which is the Author of Religion to open his closed eyes to lighten his darknesse that hee may see the brightnesse and beautie of Religion and withall let him intreat the strength and supportance of the same Spirit to support stablish him in the beginnings of this new Arte and Science of Ioy both because the beginnings of all new Sciences require labour and constancie and because our Enemie the Deuill knowing the excellencie of these ioyes grudgeth them to Mankind and therefore mightily striues to tyre men in the verie entrance thereof But bee yee assured that if yee once come to be freemen in Religion being made free by the Spirit of Christ Iesus you will be rauished with the sweetnesse of God and your hearts wil pant for his ioyes as the Hart doth for the streames of waters you will bee inforced to say That the strongest is the sweetest that his ioyes alone are pure and cleare and that the ioyes of the flesh which you dranke so greedily heretofore are but puddle and mudde Though the laughter of folly perchance were lowder as the fire of Thornes yet the solid and massie ioyes of the Spirit are stronger and giue more true and kindly heate to the heart and soule For certain it is in Diuinitie as it hath beene discouered by her seruant Morallity sound ioy is a solemne thing And conuertibly may wee say Solemne ioy is your only sound ioy Wherefore let solid wise and sound Spirits seek this solid pure and weightie ioy suffering these light loose and muddie ioyes to bee as most often they are the companions of folly and brutish sensuality And herewith let your sowre Pharisies and Monkish Heraclites receiue an admonition that they doe not act Religion in the Vizard of vgly sowrenesse nor dogged austerity Religion is a louing and a louely thing and the Picture of it ought to bee like it selfe It is made all of light loue and light and loue are comfortable and amiable things cheerefully communicating themselues to others and alluring the eyes and hearts of others to behold and partake them If Religion then bee a drawer bee not thou a driuer neyther doe thou scarre away with thy grimnes those whom Religion would allure with her beauties There is a cheerfull grauitie as well as a light mirth or a lumpish terriblenesse and it were good for the paternes of Religion to looke as like it as they may I confesse one looke fitteth not all occasions but I ayme a generall seemlinesse leauing particular changes to bee framed by their particular occasions And though sorrow for sinne bee a vertue yet the publike shew of it except it bee in a publike cause is not still a vertue for it is a vertue many time to couer this Vertue Christ himselfe counselling to couer the humiliation of Fasting with the anoynting of the face But due exceptions being allowed the Christians charge is Reioyce continually he is enioyned to be amiable and of a winning conuersation that without the word some may bee wonne by their Eyes that are not yet by their Eares CHAP. IIII. That Religion is the true Roote of Valour and Power against the waking Dreames of the Philosophicall Wizard and the angry Rufâ—ian THere hath bin an ancient slander cast vpon the Christian Religion and it is now eyther nourished or reuiued that Christianity begets cowardize and kills fortitude And that it is a slander I hope it shall plainly appeare but in the meane time I desire the carnall gallant to wipe his eyes clouded with the myst of fleshly Humour that what doth appeare may also appeare to him for except he bring sight it is to no purpose for mee to bring Light As for the Philosopher hee is so wise already and broad-sighted like the bird of the Night that if I should perswade him to looke wider and clearer hee would become blinder by Anger then he was before by Error and therefore leauing him as being wise if his owne conceit bee true I beginne with the description of Fortitude True Fortitude is an habituall strength and resolution of the Minde which eyther leades a man constantly to a iust and reasonable aduenture of danger or when he is ouertaken by them sustaynes him constantly in them Now this true Resolution doth spring from Reason and by Reason is brought forth into Action So is true Valour wise and not blind for it is the Valour of a Man and not of a Beast Then heere are cut off all those rash Braueries and brutish Valours that bestow their owners vpon euery Swaggerer when hee pleaseth to call for their liues by some wilde looke or verball Iniurie Surely the reasonable Man is led into dangers eyther by Diuine prouidence or precept when GOD bids him vndertake dangers or bids dangers ouertake him Hee acknowledgeth no owner of his life but the giuer of it and he will then onely aduenture it when hee may shew the warrant of the giuer for he knowes himselfe to bee accountable and therefore will so carrie himselfe in dangers that hee may fayrely passe his account And surely a strange thing it is because some wilde beast is rude and vnmannerly therefore some honest and ciuill Man must hazard his Life or else the Countrie will not be contented For what hath the ciuill Man done why he should set his life in a ballance with a Russian If the Ruffian hath wronged him he ought to bee punished and the wronged ought not to hazard himselfe in an equall subiection to punishment with the doer of wrong neither because he is wronged in his Name is it Reason he should bee farther wronged in his Limbes or Life for in these Recreations the blind sword doth as often punish the wronged as the the wronger The wager is vnequall to lay the life of a Christian against the life of a Ruffian and farre more then an hundred to one and therefore hee may well
of Adam to bee voluntarily certain As for Necessity there is not a Necessitas actina and therefore if there bee any it must be Necessitas ociosa and surely it seemes idle to talke of an idle Necessitie For as causa sine qua non is called stolida causa so I see not why Necessitas per quam non may not bee called stolida Necessitas Seuenthly God is free to make Adam free euen to leaue him in an aequilibrious estate with a possibilitie to bee ouerâ—eighed by temptation is hee listed Hee might by his free-will haue taken the Tree of Life and Stability as well as the Tree of Death and Apostasie and so he was thereby as neere to Happinesse as to Miserie But that God should stablish him as he doth the Elect he was not bound for he that binds God must giue first vnto God now the Creature cannot giue first vnto the Creator for he must be before he can giue and euen that being which is mans first hee must first receiue from his Creator So is hee first a Debter in his very being and a man by one Debt cannot make title to another Eightly though God is said to harden yet hee doth it not by influence of corruption or supply of vice but God herein is most absolutely cleere for hee doth it by not-doing And if God doe not in sinne how can hee be accused of doing sinne if God will that Pharaoh shal be hardned let him but keep in his breath euen his blessed Spirit by which hearts of stone are made hearts of flesh and then fleâ—h will of it selfe and by the helpe of Satan turn into stone God is not the cause of sin no more then the Sunne is the cause of Ice The Sunne is properly a destroyer and dissoluer of Ice and God is a dissoluer of the sinfull workes of the Deuill But when the Sun withdrawes his beames by his nightly and winterly departures the cold hardens the waters which the Sunne forsakes So where God hideth his face and contracts his spirit there temptation hardens He doth not put the hardnes into the heart but hee leaues the heart and hath nothing to doe with it and then where God doth nothing to soften there will quickly enough be done by sinne and Satan to harden Therefore when we are hardened Let vs rather complaine that God doth nothing then that he doth something in vs. Ninthly though the Children of Adam be necessarily sinfull yet they may be iustly punished because necessary sinning came from voluntary sinning For this necessitie of sinning came not from God but from their owne Father but this free-will brought vpon them this necessity And surely if they had beene in his place they would likewise haue done the same for Adams Children would haue beene no better then their Father the print no better then the stampe When God gaue a power of leauing a righteous seede hee may call into Iudgement the seed which he finds vnrighteous and he may be angry with sinne wheresoeuer he findes it because he gaue a power that there shold bee no sinne at all Wee doe the same and allow the same and yet question what we doe and allow In a Snake and Toade we make no question whither they could chuse but bee venomous but without any question we kill them only for being venomous neyther may we excuse it because we made not their venome for neyther did God make the venome of sinne And surely sinne is like poison in the sight of God and wee may rather wonder how his mercy can indure it in so many then how his Iustice should punish it in any A Traytors children are impouerished by Lawes for the offence of his parents and when wee see an oppressor murderer or extortioner we exspect it as a necessary piece of Diuine Iustice That his third heire inioy not his estate This is the summe God is pure and righteous Man is sinfull without Gods partaking a Righteous God may punish sinfull men whose sin he hath nothing to doe with but he findes it contrary and offensiue to him Lastly in these and the like depthes of God let no man wade aboue his stature Euery Man should vnderstand according to sobriety that is according to the measure which he contayneth Let not the Homer teare it selfe in pieces by stretching it selfe to be an Ephah but let euery member for the members are different aspire to his proper fulnesse and though they reach not to such Mysteries they may conuerse in poynts of more absolute necessity to saluation and larger edification as our graffing into Christ Iesus by Faith and our growth in him by Loue the stablishing of our hearts in the hope suggested by the earnest and testimonie of the sanctifying Spirit These things are maine generall and absolutely necessary imployments and concernments in our way to Heauen and in them especially must wee spend our meditations And for the rest no doubt to their vnderstanders they are full of edification yet all men cannot ceceiue them Therefore let euery man receiue that which is meet for his measure according to that which hee hath not according to that which he hath not nor cannot haue Miserable it is to see as I haue seene it a man possessed by pieces of this secret rather then possessing them and so vttering his distractions rather then resolutions that one might pitty his amazement sooner then conceiue his meaning But I haue shewed you a more excellent way CHAP. VIII Of the small health and great vnhealthinesse of the Romish Church wherein most conspicuous is a Wenne growen to the likenesse of a Head WHosoeuer doth consideratly behold the mayne body of the Romish Church may finde therein three sorts of Religion The first may bee called Religio Curialis the Religion of the Court which is indeed nothing else but Pollicy paraphrasing Diuinity and an vnkindly froward Alchymie by which grosse things are drawne out of pure things the flesh is limbecked out of the Spirit and worldly pompe and supremacie is extracted out of a doctrine that preacheth sufferings patience and humility An inconsequent conclusion and farre vasutable to the premisses and like though contrary to the ancient Centones wherein out of the Heathen workes of Virgill is gathered the Christian story of our Sauiours incarnation and passion But these contrarily though in the same way out of the Christian and Spirituall Doctrine of the Gospell draw a Heathen Secular and Carnall Empire euen a perfect story of a Man of sinne and of one that sitteth as God in the Temple of God The Pope hath gotten a Monopoly of of heauen and earth and none may trade in eyther without some tribute to his supremacie Thus is the Scripture brought to speake the Language of Babell by a most cruell racke it is forced to deny it selfe Christ is set on worke to set vp Antichrist And whereas it is openly sayd Vos autem non sic by distinctions metaphors and
aboue the Old by writing Gods Word in our hearts which the old Law could not performe Secondly I desire that the Ministers would turne away the eyes of the people from their goodnesse as the cause of their Saluation saying with the Apostles Why gaze ye on vs as if we by our owne power or vertu had made you whole The God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob hath glorified his Sonne Christ Iesus and his power not our goodnes doth giue this perfect soundnesse Thirdly I desire that Hearers would not refuse Christ Iesus liuely offered and described vnto them though they know not the holinesse of the Preacher Let not any turne the Church into a Iudgement seat and censure their Ministers Life while they should heare his Doctrine This is to bee Iudges and not Hearers I wonder what such Hearers would doe if they had beene in Israel when Salomon preached after his many scandalous sinnes which made his Sanctification doubtfull to many But let the same Salomon aduise thee Bee not rash with thy mouth but bee more neere to heare then to offer the sacrifice of fooles Say with Samuel Speake Lord for thy seruant heareth and not Heare Lord for thy seruant speaketh and what speakes hee damnation of the Preacher Let vs rather looke on our own miseries and defects then on the Ministers and then we shall haue more mind to seeke our own cure from the Word then to examine whether hee bee sicke that would cure vs. Let vs not doubt but if the seed be good and the ground bee good it will bring forth much fruit whatsoeuer becom of the Sower CHAP. XII Spirituall Wickednesse in high places and the Remedie of it IT hath beene a great cause of the miserie of the Church in generall and of the members of the same Church in particular that spirituall exaltations haue begotten carnall gloriations and that the Flesh hath lifted it selfe vp by the increases of the Spirit as the Froth mounts by the flowing of the Water And how can it chuse but draw Misery when it procures an Almightie Wrath which Wrath is attended with an equall Vengeance And if any would doubt how it should procure so terrible a Wrath let him but behold the mis-shapen vglinesse and absurd inconsequence of this Sinne and it cannot but anger his eyes and much more the pure eyes of a most holy God who cannot abide to sowe good seed and to reape Tares to plant the noblest Vines and to gather the sowrest grapes But first let vs consider this sin how it growes and then how vgly it is when it is growne This Sin comes to his growth thus When God out of the riches of his Grace powreth on man the gifts of his Spirit by which he riseth vnto a spirituall excellence and perchance thereby to some outward dignitie then the Flesh mounts vp straight to mannage and enioy the fruits and issues of the Spirit So what hath beene gotten by the Spirit hath beene eaten and digested by the Flesh and so Grace haue beene brought to nourish her whom she should chiefly haue slayne This is the infirmitie of wretched Mankind Sinne is so fast wouen into our Flesh and among sinnes especially Pride that the Flesh most vnsensibly will bee proud when her Foe the Spirit prospers though indeed the prosperitie of the Spirit by the kindly operation of it should bee the destruction of the flesh Occidat modo imperet sayth the Flesh I will aduenture my life so there may bee that excellence by which I may aduance my Pride And as this is strong in the Roote so it hath beene generall in the Fruit it hath spred his effects from the Cedar of Lebanon to the Hisfop on the wal frō him that ascends aboue the clouds and will be like vnto the most High to the lowly shrub that growes in the humble Vale. For this very Sinne hath puft vp the Man of sinne vnto his monstrous hugenesse that he is growne to hee the king of the children of Pride and this infirmitie indangered the most humble St Paul who gloried in distresses so that hee had need of buffetting In the one the Hornes of the Lambe defend and maintaine the mouth of the Dragon and in the other the transcendence and abundance of Reuelations which were aboue the vtterance of Man might haue lifted vp his conceit to haue thought himselfe to bee more then a man And as I can hardly thinke any prouder then the king of Pride so I can scarse thinke any humbler then St Paul and therefore I thinke all men haue a degree of this Corruption and that more or lesse as they approch i◠likenesse to the pride of the man of sin or as they com neer to the humilitie of blessed St Paul And let not men altogether look vpward or outward to find this sinne either aboue or without them but let them looke into themselues and they may find as much Geometricall Pride in themselues as they doe Arithmeticall Pride in others as much Pride proportionably to their Low places and Graces as others haue to their Higher gifts and Dignities Yea it was not true only in the Time of Diogenes but it is true now also That sometimes a greater Pride below goes about to pull downe a lesser Pride aboue Yet I must needs confesse that a little Pride aboue is in this more offensiue because more conspicuous and there an example of Pride doth most harme where a patterne of Humility would haue done most good But now let vs goe aside to behold the vglinesse of it and perchance the very sight of it may serue for a Remedie What is more monstrous then that which is most vnreasonable and what is more vnreasonable then on Christ to build Antichrist on the Spirit to graffe the Flesh and vpon Grace to mount the corruption of Nature What agreement hath a carnall tumour with Spirituall excellence what interest hath Corruption in Sanctity the Old Man in the New Wherefore let the house of Israel bee the Flesh and the house of Dauid the Spirit and then Israel may truly say What portion haue wee in DAVID and what inheritance in the Sonne of ISHAI Neyther let any thinke that the height of the Flesh can be any grace or preseruatiue to the eminences and dignities of the Spirit For Pride cannot procure safety or prosperity since it drawes the resistance of God and the hatred of men But there is a Spirituall vigour and authoritie which agrees both with humilitie and eminence and this keepes men in a true state of minde free from that Pride which makes a man the enemie of God and free from that basenesse which makes a man the scorne of men For wee may not thinke of an humilitie which is opposite to the dignitie of the Spirit yee true Nobilitie of the Soule nor to dispensatiue vigor for vertues are not contrary but on that which is contrarie to a carnall Tumour a needlesse swelling a weed of the Flesh. And
Wine more hereafter Secondly If thy tast delight thee how much is that exceeded by the delights of the Spirit The Church confesseth that the kisses of Christ Iesus who kisseth his Church by the Spirit are pleasanter then Wine Quam dulcia faucibus meis eloquia tua sayth Dauid Hee is fayne to aske how sweet because he cannot tell nor expresse the sweetnesse of it What is sweeter then hony sayth Samson and yet Dauid sayth The Word of God being tasted by the Spirit is sweeter then hony How many Saints haue left their meat and drinke for the Wine of the Spirit How many haue beaten downe their bodies by abstinence that they might the more fully tast the Sweetnesse of God Wherefore if thou wilt indeed tast sweetnesse get thee a Spirituall tast receiue the Wine of heauen giuen by Christ Iesus the Wisdome of God For he it is that Pro. 8. calleth the sonnes of men promising to fill them with delights vers 31. And surely those must needs be the chiefe delights which issue from the taste of the Deity which is the vppermost Sweetnesse Wherfore desire thou rather to taste God in himselfe then in his Creatures for that is the highest pleasure of tasting which flowes from the taste of the sweetnesse of the Highest Thirdly If thou desire Wine for the cheerfulnesse and ioy which it breedeth know that the Spirit of God is the Fountaine of Consolation and then chuse thou whether thou wilt drink of the streame or of the fountaine The Spirit of God hath in it the ioy and comfort of Wine Yea Wine hath his ioy and comfort from the Spirit for the Spirit of God as once by miracle so still by course of Nature turnes water into Wine But there is another euen a new Wine in the kingdome of God and this is the best wine A new Wine it is to vs but not in it selfe new to vs because wee were first filled with the old Wine of our fall and secondly with this Wine of excesse and after wee come to drink this wine of regeneration and glorification So it is new to vs but it is old in it selfe as flowing eternally from an eternally from an eternall Deity This is the true Wine which recoyceth the heart not of the body onely but of the soule also to which the outward Wine connot reach This is the Wine of blessed Spirits the drinking whereof is the cause of those vnvtterable ioyes which dwel in the dwellers with God In this the Spirit giues not some grosse and bodily relish thereby to become comfortable to the bodily part of Man but in this the Spirit communicates the sap tast and relish of its owne primitiue sweetnesse vigour and cheerfulnesse so that wee doe not so much tast comfort as the Comforter himselfe In the drinking of this Wine shew thy manhood Drinke deep and true healths for with this drinking is ioyned true and eternall health The more thou drinkest of this the wiser the holyer the more sober thou art for in the same Spirit wherein is cheerfulnesse is also Wisdome and Vertue The tast of this Wine is a bequeath of dying Christ Iesus to his beloued Spouse the Church whom he comforteth and supporteth with the flagons thereof in his absence before the Day of his great Marriage where it shall bee giuen in fulnesse And the comforts of it are sufficient to strēgthen vs against all sorts of griefe yea they make vs cheerfully to scorne and despise the pleasures of sinne they make vs to looke on death with disdayne as vpon a Snake whose fling and teeth are pulled out Death where is thy sting Graue where is thy victory They make vs to long for heauen and stirre vp the stomacke of the soule by these measured tastes of God to tast him perfectly in a most blessed full and eternall fruition But perchance thou wilt tell mee that thou tastest no such sweetnesse in God thou hast heard him spoken of in Churches and Pulpits and thou sayest thy prayers as others doe and yet thou perceiuest no such matter as I talke of Surely I must confesse This Wine is not for euery mouth neyther is euery mouth for this Wine The holy Wine must be put into holy Vessels for it is farre holyer then the shew-bread for the receiuing whereof Abimelech would that the young mens Vessels should be cleane The corrupt and lustfull Flesh as it tasteth not this Wine no more doth this Wine indure to be tasted by it this fruit of the tree of Life cannot be receiued but where the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and euill is spit out and denyed The louers of Egyptian Onions are no true tasters of celestiall Manna therfore striue to cast out the old Man corrupt with deceiuable Lusts which makes thy taste grosse and earthly and then thou shalt taste the sweetnesse of God and his consolations And hauing tasted it thou shalt despise the tast of thy former gluttonies and drinkings and thou shalt say with Dauid Thou hast put more ioy into my heart then formerly there was when the Oyle and Wine were plentifull This is a priuiledge of Saints bee thou a Saint and inioy the priuiledge Thirdly for drunkennesse had need to be haled out with a three-fold cord behold a benefit of this Spirituall wine which the other wanteth yea behold the same thing commendable in the one damnable in the other and that is excesse Thou must drinke too much of the outward wine but canst not drinke too much of the inward and therfore if thou loue safety better then danger loue the wine of the Spirit rather then the fruit of the Vine If thou knowest a Physitian that heales all that he meddles with and another that hath killed as many as he hath vndertaken doest thou not shew thy folly to preferre the killer before the sauer Surely the spirit saues all that it vndertakes and wine hath slaine many soules and bodies by excesse O loue life and seeke not death by the errours of this life Drinke the Spirit without feare but drink wine still in feare thou mayst not feare in the drinking of the spirit except thou wilt feare increase of comfort of light of holinesse Thou canst not drinke freely of wine without feare except thou do not feare the losse of light the losse of reason of goodnesse of thy whole selfe The spirit by how much it groweth in thee the wiser the better the more larger thou art But by how much more thou drinkest the wine of excesse the foolisher the wickeder the lesser thou art Therefore when thou takest the Cup of Saluation open thy mouth wide that it may bee largely filled but when thou takest thy cup of wine know it is a cup of danger and let in danger as sparely as thou mayst It is the saying of a Wiseman Hee that loueth danger shall perish in it and surely hee that loueth wine loueth danger and therefore hee that lowine is likely
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
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
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