choaked for ever As on the contrary if a man do the thing which good is the conscience gives testimonie of Gods acceptance and therewith boldnes before him making him chearfull even in the sorrows of the world quiet in its turmoyl and happy in all extremitie of torments and withall satisfying him with the testimony from within himself against mens unjust accusations This Conscience makes a man eyther a conquerer over the whole world or a craven and ready specially in danger and being wakened to thrust his head in a hole But now the comforts are not greater in having this good conscience then are the dangers in mistaking it Many do craftily pretend it without cause merely for their credits before men whose hearts condemn them before God and whom God who is greater will condemn much more Many more are securely presumptuous and being ready to beleev that which they wish true are bold upon their good conscience so deemed not because they know and try themselvs and their wayes before the Lord by his word as they ought but because they know not nor will know and examine them And this is the vulgar conscience of ignorant persons that are free from those grosser sins which the light of nature condemns and of some others also not without understanding being of bold spirits and stout hearts and which will not easily be in fault eyther before the world or God himself There are besides these whose consciences are benummed and seared with an hâ—at iron who by practising at first and continuing after in sins against their naturall conscience have obteyned from the Lord this miserable priveledg and seal of their condemnation that their mindes should be voyd of understanding and hearts of sense and feeling even of heynous sins in time Better sayd the godly martyr sit in the stocks of this world then of an ill or accusing conscience And yet better a conscience accusing if not desperately then benummed and without feeling The dead flesh must be eaten out of the wound and sorenes come before soundnes so must a benummed conscience become accusing before it can become excusing aright The larger conscience the better if rightly informed To know that to be lawfull for me which indeed is lawfull is the perfection of understanding and strength of fayth as on the other side to be ignorant of it is to be weak both in knowledg and fayth But we must here put a difference between the conscience it self and the use of it for the largest use of conscience is not alwayes best though the judgment be Some things are so commaunded as they absolutely bynde conscience as to love God and our neighbour c. Some things again are so commanded in the generall as for example the obedience of the Magistrate keeping peace with all men and the like as yet they have this particular exception If we can without sinning on our parts for we must not do evill that we may do good But yet in these cases we are to be as large as we can and to go as far as possibly we can see it lawfull in conscience of the commandement of God Other things are in their kinde indifferent and such as we perform for our profit pleasure credit or other worldly commoditie In these we are to use lesse liberrie of conscience and to take heed that we give not the divell advantage by some blast of temptation or other to blow us into the ditch if we go to near the side of it And in observing this difference we have a conscionable use of our conscience It is a great question whether an erroneous conscience be to be followed or no and as ill resolved by many affirmatively after much dispute Not to follow it is evill and to do or leav undone that wherein the man so doing or not doing condemns himself and therein hath God also condemning him To follow it is for the blinde to follow the blinde the blinde person his blinde conscience into the ditch and to have God condemning him in his word though he justifie himself Besides then the violation of the conscience which is alwayes evill and a by-path on the left hand and the following it in evill as a by-path on the right which is sometimes worse then the former as in sins against the light of nature there is a third and midle way safe and good and that is the informing of the conscience better by Gods word and following it accordingly unto which also every person is bound for the duties of his generall and speciall calling It is the first dutie of a man to inform his conscience aright and then to follow the direction which it gives A good conscience is as the ship in which fayth sayleth to heaven and which they that put away make shipwrack of fayth We must therefore first get a good conscience by the sprinkling of the heart with the blood of Christ from the guilt of sin and with his spirit from the filth thereof and having got it must keep the same with all care and tendernes specially by eschewing presumptuous sins in which is much transgression and by which the conscience is wasted and consumed as iron by the rust We offend too much alasse through ignorance and infirmitie let us not ad to provoke the Lord by sinns against conscience in which we sin against a double voyce of God first speaking in his law and secondly in our own hearts Where this is no marvayl though the voyce of fayth and witnes of Gods spirit cease and that the conscience so violated excuse not but accuse CHAP. XLVIII Of Prayer NO christian exercise hath so many counterfeyts as prayer which whilst all would seem to practise few in truth experimentally know We may say prayers sing prayers and read prayers and hear prayers and yet not pray indeed Yea we may out of a kinde of naturall instinct by reason of the indissolible relation between the creature and creatour be caryed towards God so far as to appeal unto him or heartily wish good from him wherein as one sayth the soul gives testimonie to God and yet be far from praying aright that is from making known our requests to God according to his will with fayth in his love and the feeling of our own wants in our hearts And the reason why this true prayer is not every mans work is because God must first work it in mens hearts by powring upon them the spirit of grace and supplication thereby to teach them both what to pray as they ought for matter and how for manner and without the hand-leading of which spirit we dare not in truth approach unto God but do by reason of the guilt of sin flye from his presence as Adam did how nigh unto him soever we seem to draw Where with the Apostle I speak of making our requests known to God my meaning is not
that we pray to the intent to inform God but our selvs both what our wants are which we desire supply of and from whom also we expect it nor yet to move God to doe that which before he purposed not as one man is moved by the importunity of another but to move our selvs and make our own hearts beleev the performance of that which God before both purposed and promised for therefore David found in his heart to pray unto God to establish his house because God had revealed unto him that he would build his house And if we look for this honour at our childrens hands that they should ask of us such things as they want and as we purpose to bestow upon them how much more is it agreeable to our duty and Gods right that we by prayer begg at his hands all good things both purposed and promised by him afore hand By this all things are sanctified to our use which are sanctified in themselvs by the word of God by it we have spirituall right to our dayly bread in what aboundance and by what naturall or civill right soever we possesse it before by it we obteyn many good things of all sorts at Gods hands unto which we could atteyn by no art or industry or other help as the favorites of kings get more by begging then any other can do by any other facultie Besides as by conversing with men we do by litle and litle learn their manners and have bred between them and us a certain mutuall affection so by our conversing with God in prayer we learn the manners of heaven and feel encrease both of love in us to God and of God to us Lastly by prayer we obteyn with the good things prayed for the confirmation of our fayth in Gods goodnes towards us whereof he giveth us testimonie in hearing and granting our requests put up unto his majestie And in this respect a good thing receaved by prayer hath a double good in it God is to be invocated not onely with the heart and with the tongue but as one speaks with the hand also as Asa and the men of Iudah prayed to God and fought with their enemies And for us to ask any thing at the hands of the Lord which withall we do not offer our selvs ready instruments to effect and bring to passe is to tempt Gods power and to abuse his goodnes To pray for that which we desire not is to mock with his majestie as Austin confesseth of himself that in his youth he begged of God chastitie and continencie but was affrayd lest he should be heard too soon of him All things live by heat and the life of prayer stands in the heat of earnest and fervent desire And how should we make account that God should hear us if we hear not our selvs or look that God should be mindefull of us if we our selvs mynde not with intention of thought and desire what we ask of him I sayth the Father prayed when I was litle with no litle affection that I might not be beaten in the school But how many grown men pray but with litle if any affection that they may not be beaten in hell Our prayers must be earnest as well for small things as great temporall as eternall but with difference of degrees of earnestnes according to the degrees of goodnes or necessity of the things prayed for But as for fayth our very degree should be the same whatsoever the thing be which we pray for according to Gods will seeing the truth of his promise upon which our fayth resteth is the same in all things small and great and alwayes infallible We ought as wel and as much to beleev a small thing as a great if God have promised it and as he hath promised because his truth and power are as great in performing all things though with different degrees of his love He hath not absolutely promised temporall good things in the particulars and so sometimes denyes them in love to his children as seeing them unfitting for them and sometimes again he grants the desires of his enemies in wrath and indignation as he did of the rebellious Israelites desiring quayls Besides if the Lord should not sometimes grant unto his that ask them the good things of this life even plenteously men would think they belonged not to him If he should grant them to all and alwayes it would be thought that for them and them alone he were to be served and so in serving him men should not be godly but covetous But above all things we must take heed we ask nothing evill of God for that were to transform and turn him what in us lyes into Sathan himself Whosoever sayth one will bring his enterprizes to good effect must begin with prayer to God and end with praysing of him And he that begins not his work in that manner specially being of any difficultie or weight is in danger if it succeed rayther to end in his own prayses then in Gods And if it succeed not he may thank his own prophanenes in passing by God And as we are to pray upon all occasions so specially in the time of trouble as children are alwayes running to their fathers but cheifly when they get hurt or fear danger Then even hypocrites are forced to God and this partly out of a naturall desire of releif and partly by a naturall perswasion of the power and goodnes of the creatour by which he is able and willing to help his distressed creature and so Ionahs maryners in the extremitie of the storm went every one to his God But as God is a sanctuarie to flye unto for his faithfull servants in the time of need whither he leads them by his holy spirit given them so is it not fayth but impudency for hypocrites and such as in their quiet prosperous estate have not hearkned to God speaking to them in his word and works to presse upon him in their affliction for help and succour without true and unfeyned repentance and sorrow as well yea more for sin then punishment accompanying it And though they call upon him he will not answer though they seek him early they shall not finde him And if he that stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poore shall crye himself and not be heard how much more he that stops his ears against the Lord calling and crying unto him in his word The prayers of such are abhominable and sin And how miserable must his state needs be unto whom that becomes sin by which the godly obteyn remedy against sin and all other miseryes A readines to pray earnestly to God for good things the same improved accordingly is a kinde of pawn from heaven to him that hath it that he shall receav the good things prayed for both because all true prayer is by the teachings
a great evill be committed in a small matter Hereupon he that but gathered sticks on the Sabaoth with a high hand viz. in contempt of Moses and of God in him was to be stoned to death without mercy The sin is also greater as the temptation or occasion is lesse and therefore the rich man that having many sheep of his own took his poore neighbours lamb to enterteyn his stranger withall was adjudged worthy of death whether we take the words as they seemed to David or as Nathan meant them Likewise the forecasting of evill exceedingly aggrevates it as with him who devised mischeif upon his bed and after set himself in a way to practise it Others are overtaken by sin but such overtake sin So doth it not a litle if men sin that they may sin as it seems many swear that they may swear and as Austin confesseth of himself that being a boy he stole apples and cast them away when he had done He stole that he might steal Lastly sin becomes more sinfull if it have scandall and offence of men or other damage joyned with it Yet even for the least sin if any sin by any being against Gods infinite majestie may be accounted litle if God should presse the same upon the conscience and suffer Sathan to urge it to the full it would be a burthen intollerable and such as neyther the heavens could bear for the angels that sinned were cast from thence nor paradise for Adam for transgression was driven from thence nor the earth for that swallowed up Dathan and Abiram for their sin neyther could any men or angels undergo it without being born down into the bottom of hell by it and there onely it rests as in its proper center Happy are they who in the sense and feeling of the intollerable burthen therof come to Christ by fayth that he may ease them The sin against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven in this world or the world to come is not onely committed by them who have sometimes professed the gospell but by others also though never coming so far but being convinced of the truth thereof do maliciously hate blaspheme and persecute it and therein sin against the work of the Holy Ghost in their own hearts And this Christ insinuates against the Scribes Pharisees who yet never came to professe Christianitie The reason of the 〈◊〉 of this sin is not any deâ—ect eyther in the mercy of God or merâ—â—s of Christ as though the evill in it were greater then the good in them but for that God hath sâ—t those boâ—nds of his grace and mercy that he will never voâ—câ—â—afe fayth and repenâ—â—â—ce to that person who once so despyteth his spirit in that its holy work And considering how oft the Scriptures speak of this sin not onely for warning of persons in themselvs but also for direction â—oâ—ching others so â—inning it is to be feared that the same is more ordinarie where the gospell is preached then the most make account of and that many malitiously haâ—eing and persequuting specially after some singular profession made and forsaken true and conscionable gospellers would do the same by the gospell it self if they were not restreyned by fear of men and shame of the times The Lord oftens punisheth men in the same kinde wherein they have sinned and causeth to be â—eaâ—â—d unto them with the measure wherewith they meat to others Thus he drâ—â—â—ed Phâ—raoâ— in the sea who had formerly drowned the Israelitish infants and served king Aâ—oâ—â—bezek as he had served other kings before And this God doth to make his justice the more conspicuous and that mens punishments may be as glasses wherein their sins may be seen more clearly if not for their repentance yet for the warning of others When I seriously weigh and consider the fearfull greivous punishments which God so good and gratious hath partly exequuted in this life as upon the old world Sodom and Gomorrah Corah and his company and the like and partly threatned as in the end of this life in the soul so in the end of the world both in soul and body and the same for measure intollerable and endles in continuance Lord think I what sin can procure such punishment But when on the contrarie I consider the horrible contempt of God his word even in them to whom it is dayly and diligently offered Lord think I what punishment can be sufficient for such sin What is it then Man is fearfully wicked in sinning and God fearfully just in punishing where by fayth and repentance mercy is not obteyned My flesh trembleth for dread of thee and I fear for thy judgments CHAP. LIII Of Rewards and punishments by men MEN that are able and ready accordingly to reward the vertues of good men and well-deserving do therein not onely give them and God in them their due but doe give others incouragement also to apply themselvs to vertuous courses which finde so good acceptance and reward at mens hands specially at theirs who are of place and abilitie in the world Whereas on the contrarie for such to favour wicked and leaud persons is really to invite and perswade men to evill and litle better then plainly to hyre both them and others to doe naughtily The former in that their approbation and remuneration of goodnes and vertue bear the Image of God who plenteously rewards the well-doers the latter plainly resemble the divell who offered Christ the glorie of the kingdoms of the earth if he would fall down and worship him It is a known and approved saying that by rewards and punishments societies are preserved And of these two though occasion of rewards be more to be desired yet the exequution of punishments is more diligently to be looked unto for the preserving of humayn societies The reason is because whereas vertue as the phylosopher sayd rewards it self or more truely if it be true expects it reward from God vice and vileny on the contrary can be restreyned in the most and worst onely by the fear of punishment Neyther serv humayn laws to make men good but to keep them from such outrages and extreamities of evill as into which otherwise they were in danger to break The speciall use of the law of God it self where by his spirit he puts it not in mens minde and writes it not in their hearts is to restreyn lawlesse persons as murtherers whoremongers and the like how much more of mens There is then a mercifull crueltie when men save by severitie the persons themselvs that are punished and others also the punishment reaching to one or a few and the fear and warning to many There is on the other side a cruell mercy when men by spareing spoyl both the persons offending and others who by their impunity take boldnes to offend This foolish pitty spoyls the cittie if the magistrate use it so doth the
hand of his providence bend their hearts by mutuall affection unto thee at least so far as is good for thee and wherein they are inflexible and defective he will make supply out of the aboundance of his love and goodnesse that so it may be verified which is written With the same measure that ye meet with all it shall be measured to you again To conclude this point Let the grace of God herein specially triumph over our corruption that whereas by nature we would be loved of them whom we hate by grace we may love them Which hate us And this is a great work of grace in deed and yet most necessarie for all Christs Disciples We must not be like the Pharisees who in stead of enlarging their own affections streightned the Law of loving their neighbours unto such as loved them or dwelt within a certain compasse of them but we must account all our neighbours that need pittie or help from us and our Christian neighbours and brethren also if the Lord have receaved them though they be neither minded in all things as we are nor towards us as we are towards them Lastly as Faith is to rule Love that it prove not lust and Hope that it prove not presumption so also must it Reason and Sense in all their operations which it no way abolisheth but orders and sanctifies And as in Nature the denomination is from the predominant qualitie so is it in our course of life To live by Reason is to live the life of a man To live by Sense is to live the life of a beast But to live by Faith is to live the life of the Son of God and to be in its effects partaker of the Divine nature and that not onely in the reasonable but in the sensitive faculties also For these three Faith Reason and Sense being all Gods works in a man cannot be contrarie in their right use one to another neither can any thing be true in one which is false in another neither doth or can any one of them destroy another but use order and perfit it Reason Sense and Faith both Sense and Reason For Faith comes by hearing at the first and is nourished and encreased both by hearing and seeing and by the benefit of all other Senses afterwards Neither can it possibly either be begot or nourished or encreased but by the discourse of Reason ordered and sanctified by the Spirit of God Which Spirits work is so effectuall as it makes even the meanest powers of nature created in a man to serv effectually for the furthering of the highest works of supernaturall grace Sweet is the harmonie of all the powers and parts both of the Soul and bodie of a sanctified person Reason is that wherein man goes before all other earthly creatures and comes after God onely and the Angels in Heaven For whereas God and Nature hath furnished other Creatures some with horns some with hoovs others with other Instruments and weapons both defensive and offensive man is left naked and destitute of all those but may comfort himself in that one endowment of Reason and providence whereby he is enabled to govern them all Now who would not strive to excell other men in that wherein men excell all other Creatures How much more in that to which few men attain true faith and the life thereof CAP. XI Of Atheism and Idolatry SOme are Atheists in opinion others in affection but many more in conversation of life There are but few of the first coat and which can so wholy blot out the remainders of Gods Image written by Creation in their hearts as to leav them altogether emptie and devoyd of the knowledg conscience and reverence of a Divine Majestie and which come to conclude roundly in their hearts that there is no God Yet some without doubt in time and by degrees proceed from Atheism in conversation to Atheism in affection and from Atheism in affection to Atheism in opinion and judgment Men civilly honest seldom or never become Atheists in perswasion but lewd and flagitious persons do who being pursued by the furie of an accusing conscience for hainous evils wish and no marvail that there were no Iudg in Heaven to condemn them and so come at last to be perswaded in themselvs of that which they gladly would have true and are justly left of God to such horrible delusion that so sinning without fear they may perish without remedie And this is the reason why there are more Atheists in opinion in our dayes then of old even because so many are more bent upon mischief and liveing wickedly in this world bear themselvs in hand and so get to beleev that there is no justice in the world to come Another reason is the proportion of wit to which our Age is come above the former In regard hereof it is that Atheism though dissembled and concealed by the same ungracious wit which begets it is a thousand times more to be feared in the Land then Papism Men have too much wit to become Papists in any generallitie and just enough to fit them for Atheists if Gods powerfull hand restrain them not The verie simple dare not become Atheists but are more in danger to prove superstitious and to beleev everie thing the verie understanding hardly can but have by sound reason and sad thoughts will they nill they some acknowledgment of a Divine Majestie forced upon them But persons of froathy wit and vicious life are fitly tempered for the impression of Atheism for the Divel Atheism is incomparably worse and more odious then Idolatry as it is more intollerable in a State or Kingdom to enterprize the overthrow of all Kingly Power and Soveraigntie then to detract how much soever from the lawfull Kings or Magistrates due honour and to give it to a Stranger Besides whereas Idolaters and superstitious persons having in them some reverence of a Divine Power are thereby both restrained from many mischiefs and provoked to many good actions the Atheist wanting both this Divine restraint and motive both runs riot in wickednesse and villanie and is barren of all good things neither doing good nor forbearing evill further then for meer fear or shame of men Atheists use to be verie confident in their assertions as the Orator observs in Vellejus partly lest they should seem unto others to doubt or fear that there is a God who will punish heir impieties and partly to encourage themselvs in their wickednesse as fearing lest they should be drawn into some conscience and aw of Gods Majestie It is oft true in this case amongst others that the most cowards are the greatest boasters Idolatry either makes that to be God which is not or God to be that which he is not It is exercised either in intending Divine worship so known to be to that which is not God or in intending a devised worship to the true God
to the knowledg of God This knowledg we must seek with all earnest diligence and store it up carefully in the treasurie of our hearts that knowing God we may love him and trust to him and fear him and honour him that as the Daughters of Ierusalem though before marvailing what ailed the Spouse of Christ to be so affectioned towards her beloved and so earnestly to seek after him as she did when they once came to take knowledg of his perfit beautie would then seek him with her So we knowing God specially in the face of Christ Iesus may so be ravished with love of his Majestie as to have our whole heart set to seek and find him in whose presence is satietie of joyes evermore CAP. II. Of Gods love GOd loveth himself first and most as the cheifest good and all other good things as he communicates with them lesse or more the effects of his own goodnesse And from this infinit love of his own infinit goodnesse is it that he so severely punisheth some Creatures though the Work of his own Hands which he alwaies loveth For first The Creature by sin violating Gods Holinesse and despising his authoritie in his righteous Commandments and so going on in impenitencie and unbelief and withall it being impossible that Gods love of his own Holinesse and Iustice and the honour of the same and the love of the Creatures happinesse so obstinatly dishonouring him should stand togither it cannot be but that the latter must give way to the former and greater and the Creature so sinning become miserable rather then God forgetfull of his own honour and glorie God reveales his glorious Majestie in the highest Heavens his fearfull Iustice in the Hell of the Damned His wise and powerfull Prouidence is manifest through-out the whole World but his gracious love and mercie in and unto his Church here upon Earth which he therefore hath chosen and taken near unto himself that in it might be seen the riches of his glorious grace And albeit all things in God are infinit and one yet are the effects of his love more wonderfull and excellent then of any other his Attributes as appeares in that his greatest and strangest work of giving his only begotten Son to the cursed death of the Crosse for his Enemies out of his love and mercie This the Scriptures and worthily call a great mysterie and which for the rarenesse of it was not onely hidden from the Sons of Men but also from the verie Angels in their perfection of created knowledg Which manifold grace and wisdom of God they therefore desire to look into and learn by the Church Love in the Creature ever presupposeth some good true or apparent in the thing loved by which that affection of union is drawn as the Iron by the Load-stone But the love of God on the contrarie causeth all good wrought or to be wrought in the Creature He first liveth vs in the free purpose of his will and thence worketh good for and in us and then loves us actually for his own good work for and in us and so still more and more for his own further work And hence ariseth the unchangablenesse of Gods love towards us because it is founded in himself and in the stablenesse of the good pleasure of his own will And although the arguments of comfort be great which we draw from the certain knowledg of our love to him yet are those infinitely greater which are taken from the consideration of his love to us as being not onely the ground of the other but in him also infinite and vnchangable And hereupon it was that the Sisters of Lazarus seeking help for their sick Brother sent Christ word not that he who loved him though that were not nothing but that he whom he loved was sick As by the hand of a friend reached unto us we are made partakers of the strength of his whole body to hold or help us up so by the hand of the love of God reached down from Heaven in the Gospel we become interessed in the most comfortable apprehension and happy use of all other his attributes whatsoeuer The more wise powerfull holy glorious eternall and infinite God is the more happy are we by means of his love and mercy in Christ which moveth him to use and improve them all for our good and to communicate them with us as his friends in their effects so far as serves for our happinesse He whom God loves though he know it not is an happy man He that knows it knows himself to be happy Which caused the Apostle to make in his own name and in the names of all the beloved of God that glorious insultation over all the enemies of his their happines that they could not seperate him or them not from the power or wisdom or holinesse but not from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus From this love of God as from a Spring head issueth all good both for grace and glory Yea by it which is more all evill by all Creatures intended or done against us is turned to good to us By it our afflictions work together with our election redemption vocation c. for our good By reason of it the stones of the Feild are at league with us the beasts of the Feild at peace with us yea even the very Sword that killeth us the Fire that burneth us and the Water that drowneth us is a kinde of Spirituall and invisible league with us to do us good Vpon the knowledg of this love of God shed abroad into our hearts by the Holy Ghost is laid the foundation and ground-work of whatsoever good thing we return again unto God with acceptation at his hands Vpon this we do build our Faith and confidence in him By this our cold and frozen hearts are not onely thawed but inflamed also with love again to him and to men for him As the Earth being heated by the beams of the Sun beating upon it reflecteth heat again towards the Heavens upon all the bodies between it and them Lastly from hence arise all the pleasing services wherewith we present his Majesty For howsoever we ow our selvs and whatsoever we are or can do vnto him as our gracious and powerfull Creatour absolute Lord yet can we do nothing heartily as we ought but from the Faith feeling of his love in Christ by the motion of the Spirit of a sound minde given unto us But being once drawn sweetly by the coards of Gods goodnes love we readily pleasingly follow after him as being debters and constrained not by necessity but w ch binds more strongly by love The tokens of this love of God in Christ are not onely by us highly to be prized but carefully to be discerned lest we bring our selves into a fools paradise and grow presumptuously secure which is the fore-runner of suddain and
equall order of God is perverted everie where by mans iniquitie and they who are lesse able must still be adding to the greaters heap so as if accounts were diligently kept it would be found in most places of the World that the meaner sort bestow more on the better able then these of them When I consider what good the rich and mightie otherwise in the World might easily do if they had hearts answerable and how little they do for the most part it seems horrible unthankfulnesse and iniquitie in them and matter of indignation against them But then on the other side when I consider how little good I my self do in my meannesse and others my likes to that which I should and might do if I did my utmost I finde reason to be most angry at my self and mine own unprofitablenesse and to be glad and thankfull that so much good is done by the other as is In benefits and good turns done and receaved it is the best and right order that he who doth them should forget and conceal them and he remember and speak of them that receavs them And therefore the first of the three Graces is so ordered as ever to look forward for the doing of more good and never backward to upbraid with good done which where it is used takes away the grace of the kindnesse and is as unpleasing as the after-upbraiding of meat in the stomack eaten with delight The other two ever look towards the first to signifie in how continuall remembrance benefits receaved should be born Which accordingly to acknowledg with thankfulnesse is a ready way to procure further good as from God who specially delights in a thankfull heart and would have a reflux of his blessings to keep them sweet as waters are by flowing to and fro so likewise from such men as either are or would seem to be like unto God in goodnesse and bountie To use to speak much of mens unthankfulnesse even where their hath been great fault that way for benefits receaved both argues a minde not so free in well-doing as is meet and that looks too much for thanks from men and too little for reward from God and is withall a course for a man to quench his own charitie and forwardnesse in other mens unthankfulnesse It is a more blessed that is both a more comfortable thing and that wherein a good work is more properly performed to give then to take to do then to receav good and so all good men should strive both to be able and willing so to do Yet should a good and wise man as God sends occasion be indifferent to either Neither can he in truth do kindnesse as he ought that is not willing to receav kindnesse as he needs It comes partly from a suspitious but specially from a vain-glorious heart that some who are forward in affoarding kindnesse can yet scarse though there be just occasion have the like fastened upon them Such desire to be too like unto God who doth good to all but receavs none back again from any But the verie greatest must remember that he is not God but man and so stands need of other men The head cannot say to the foot I have no need of thee Besides to refuse a kindnesse offered is to shame it as a ball ill sent and let fall to the ground Neither hath a true Christian any cause to be ashamed of his condition in receaving good from others seeing that as in doing good he is in Gods place so in receaving it in Christs stead CAP. VI. Of Equabilitie and perseverance in well-doing WHatsoever is done for God saith one is done equally and the Apostle more fully The grace of God teacheth us to denie ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly in our selvs justly towards others and holily towards God True goodnesse is comly and well proportioned in all the parts whereas the counterfeit is still at jar in it self and like the patches of a beggers cloak A wise man should be a wise man at all times and in all things and so should a good man be a good man Otherwise when a good thing is done specially if it be not ordinarie the goodnesse seems rather to arise from some other motiue from without then from within the person doing it Besides what strange thing is it to see a Stone fall downward or a Spark fly upward So nor to see a fool do foolishly or a lewd person like himself But for a wise man to do foolishly or a good man wickedly is not onely hatefull but monstrous He that hath not in him all Christian graces in their measure hath none and he that hath any one truly hath all For as in the first birth the whole person is born and not some parts so is it in the work of regeneration the whole person is born again though not wholy There is but one Spirit both of Faith and Hope and Love and Humilitie and Patience which all have that are Christs and If any have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his This Spirit though God but drop as it were into some and pour into others with a full hand so as one Christian far exceeds another in degree of graces yet are the habits of all graces and that as I conceav equally one with another though not equall to those in other men infused at once into the same mens hearts by that Spirit but so as in time by diuers occasions and means both the habits or graces themselvs and the excercise of them inward and outward have their different encrease in the same persons till ech have attained to the degree of grace allotted to him and serving for the preparing of him for the glorie prepared for him of God Perseverance in good is not any particular grace or vertue but the consummation and store-house of all vertue and goodnesse Evill men stand need of all graces the good onely of this of perseverance without changing to the end that they loose not the things which they have done or suffered but that they may receav a full reward and in due season reap if they faint not Where I speak of the necessitie of not changing I mean that changing which is either to the contrarie reigning evill or to a totall want of true goodnesse Otherwise even Nature which works most necessarily may have its most naturall work interrupted and changed for a time and yet not be destroyed witnesse the fire in Nabuchadnezars furnace which though it retained in it both the nature and heat of fire yet did not burn the three Confessours which were cast into it How oft do men though remaining in nature reasonable Creatures perform acts plainly unreasonable and brutish thorough ignorance or appetite How much more is it possible that a man though not wholy destitute of Gods grace may through the remainders of his corruption advantaged
by occasion of temptation practise some particular and the same grosse evils Out of which in time he recovers himself by repentance Who not foolish himself will say that David was simply a fool even when by occasion of speciall temptation of Satan he did a verie foolish act in numbring the people We are not therefore to measure a persons state by some one or few acts done as it were by the way and upon instance of some strong temptation but according to the tenour and course of his life Els what wise man should not be a fool also Or what fool should not be a wise man What Nabal should not be liberall yea bounteous when he makes a feast like a King A Rebell lurking in a Kingdom may by some advantage watched and taken prevail against the lawfull King in a conflict or two and yet for all that not raign in the Kingdom so may the treacherous flesh lurking in a Spirituall man get the masterie in some combat and yet not therefore drive the Lord quite out of his Kingdom there Yea the same flesh ever lusting against the Spirit even in them which are led of the Spirit and leading them into captivitie to the law of sin doth oft so far prevail in them as to captive them in some particular by-paths both of judgment and practise not so easily discerned all their life long For who can understand his errours And for these particular enormities whether actions or courses of godly persons howbeit considering them in themselvs and in their externall acts there appear in them no difference from those of the same kind practised by men utterly godlesse yet is there a great difference in Gods ey not onely in the person of the doer in Gods account but also in his own heart and affection even in the verie doing of them In which the Lord sees the inward struglings of grace though alas too weak by the persons default tending and bending the clean contrarie way and therein plainly differencing the doer from the profane contemners of God doing the same things in whom there is either altogether peace without any strife and resistance whilst the strong man keeps the house or that resistance which is meerely of naturall conscience terrifying with fear of punishment onely without the hatred of sin which is though too weak and feeble in the other Although it be a greater work of grace to become of vicious and evill good and vertuous then so to continue or to grow therein yet considering the mightie and many enemies of our salvation and the great stumbling stones in our way and with these the heavie clog of our own corruption which we draw after us it will be and is found a matter of no small difficultie not to be wearie of well doing nor to faint before we come to reap in due time that which we have formerly sown to the Spirit And this the experience of all ages confirmeth in which there are few which do the first works and leav not their first love fewer that bring forth more fruit in old age and are fat and green And yet we know that albeit of the labourers in the Vineyard who receaved ech his pennie some entered sooner and some later and some not till the very last hower of the day yet all continued their labour till the evening So for our selvs we must make account that at what time soever any begins onely he that continues to the end shall be saved And indeed it is a great honour to God when a good man notwithstanding all discouragements either from within or from without persevers in the course of goodnesse begun and gives not over till he come at the Goal how tirering soever his way be Such a one shews that the Lord is faithfull and that there is no unrighteousnesse with him To which purpose the saying of Polycarpus is verie remakable who being provoked by the Proconsul to blaspheme Christ answered that he had served him now eightie and sixe yeeres and had never had hurt by him in any thing why then should he speak evill of him On the contrarie he that departs from the Lord in the course of godlinesse formerly held greatly dishonours him as the Servant doth his Master in leaving him before his time be out Such a one makes shew as if out of judgment and experience he disliked goodnesse and therein really accuseth God as if he had found some evill in him or at least not that good which he promised and the other expected And to that purpose the Lord in great indignation expostulates with the Iews and asks What iniquitie they or their Fathers had found in him that they were gone from him after their vanities It is dangerous in course of Religion and godlinesse to fall forward by errours preposterous zeal or other misguidance yet not so much as to fall backward by an unfaithfull heart The former may break his face thereby and loose his comfort in a great measure both with God and men but the latter is in danger utterly to break the neck of his conscience as old Ely brake his neck bodily by falling backward from his seat and dyed Are there not many Elyes in all Ages And as the least declension from God is dangerous so is totall desperate neither will God ever forgive that sin or give repentance to any so sinning but hath utterly excluded everie such a one out of the otherwise infinite bounds of his mercie in Christ. The Preaching of the Word of God is the means to beget Faith and grace but for the nourishing and encreasing thereof we must therewith joyn the observation in our places of whatsoever Christ hath appointed his Apostles to teach in the vse whereof as the sanctified means for the obtaining of that end we shall keep our selvs in the fear of God and not fall from our stedfastnesse and withall grow in grace and in the acknowledgment of the Lord Iesus if not in bulk yet in firmnesse as when the body leavs growing in bignesse it knits better then before Neither indeed can we be safe from being drawn away from God otherwise then by continuall drawing nearer unto him For our way to Heaven is up a hill and we drag a Cart load of our corruptions after us which except we keep going will pull us backward ere we be aware The Holy Ghost in those vehement exhortations of the faithfull to perseverance inforced with so many promises and threatnings both shews therein mans pronenesse and danger in himself to fall away and also affoards the means by which God will preserv his sanctified ones from Apostacie using the same as Evangelicall conducts of grace for his working of that perseverance in them which he requires of them and that rather by our being apprehended of Christ as the Apostle speaks then by our apprehending him As the Father leading his weak Childe in
a flipperie way bids him hold him fast by his hand lest he fall which he also puts forth unto him yea wherewith he takes hold of the Childe that so by communicating his strength with him he may stand and not fall The Lord that saith unto his Seek ye my face and gives them a heart to answer Thy face Lord do we seek gives ech of them also when he warns them to stand fast and not to fall away and the like to answer effectually Lord by these thy Commandements thy Seruant is warned to stand fast and to beware lest I fall away as hypocrites do And whensoever God either promiseth unto men or purposeth in himself absolutely an event touching any his good work in or by them he withall both purposes and promises and accordingly affords them both means conuenient and skill and will to use them and therewith an answerable blessing upon them for infallible successe In regard of this grace of perseverance the truly godly haue an advantage above Adam in innocencie He receaved to himself at the first his portion of grace and goodnesse from God being made after his Image and full freedom and power both to use and encrease it But instead thereof he soon mispent and lost all by transgression God therefore as a gracious and wise Father hath prouided better against our misgouernment and made Christ Iesus our Head and Feoffer of trust for our state of grace that he in whom dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily might still furnish and supply us as we have need lest we having all put into our own hands as Adam had should mispend and cast away all as he did And so the same Christ our Lord and Head partly by his mediation and intercession with the Father partly by the continuall supply of his Spirit assisting us in our weaknesses and recovering us in our falls and partly by his Divine power restraining the enemies of our Saluation most faithfully preservs us in the grace of God not suffering the living members of his body to be plucked from it nor the habitation of his holy Spirit wholy and for ever to be possessed by his and his elects enemie Satan The Scriptures speak of mens falling from the grace of God as they do of their receiving it When the Apostles entitle particular Churches or persons Saints sanctified in Christ partakers of the heavenly calling and such as in whom God will perfit the good work begun in them untill the day of Christ as it is meet to speak and judg of them all they do not so judg and speak in respect of the inward truth of the things as certainly being in their hearts which they neither did nor could ordinarily know for God onely knoweth the hearts of all the children of men the things of a man no man knoweth save the Spirit of a man which is in him but according to the outward appearance and profession made in word and deed So when they speak of the falling away of particular Churches or persons from God they are to be understood as they mean and mean as they know that is according to the outward appearance and profession which men formerly have made and then do make leaving to God and mens selvs which onely know them the inward and hidden things of the heart which too many causlesly make shew of sometimes deceaving themselvs and sometimes others and sometimes both till the time of revelation of hidden things come And whereas weak Christians might unhappily stumble at the revolt from Faith and holynesse formerly professed by many as if there were not that stablenesse satisfaction and comfort in the Gospel and grace thereof which it promiseth the Lord in great wisdom and mercie removes this stone of offence out of their way by intimating plainly that those Apostates were never truly and throughly made partakers of the Gospels grace from the former profession whereof they had unfaithfully declined Thus the Holy Ghost teacheth that the ground what shew soever it made in which the seed sown was either withered by persecution or choaked by worldly cares or pleasures and which brought not forth fruit to the harvest was never good but either stonie or thornie ground that they whose Faith was overthrown were not vessels to honour but to dishonour nor truly built upon the steadie foundation of God nor of them who had the seal of his Spirit nor were of his known ones that those who fell away and crucified to themselvs the Son of God afresh were but formerly as the earth which drinks in the rain which comes oft upon it and yet brings not forth hearbs but thorns and briers that they who bring in damnable errors and they who follow their pernitious waies both the one and other departing from the holy Commandment delivered unto them and turning the grace of God into wantonnesse were at their best but as dogs though having for a time cast up their stomack and vomited and as Swine washed from their mire and as Iude saith ungodly men of old ordained to that condemnation and crept in to wit into the Churches unawares and to conclude that they which went out from the Apostles and Churches by heresies and profanenesse were not to wit truly and indeed of them before Thus Gods wisdom and mercie provides a shield of Faith against the fierie darts of mens hypocrisie and perfidiousnesse wherewith otherwise the tender hearts of weak Christians might be deeply wounded by Satan CAP. VII Of Religion and the differences and disputations thereabout ONely men of all Earthly Creatures are capable of Religion which is also so naturall unto all men how barbarous soever that rather then any Countrey Citie or Family would want whereon to bestow their devotions they would worship they know not what yea which is more that which they do know not onely to be base and vile as stocks and stones but also hurtfull and evill As then Religion in the generall is naturall and false Religion of corrupt nature so is true and Christian Religion by supernaturall revelation For how can that worship of God please him which is not according to his will And who knoweth Gods will but by revelation of his Spirit But vain men are readie to deem God like themselvs imagining that the things which please them please him as well Herevpon the Heathens have devised to themselvs Gods and Goddesses of Theft Murther and all manner of filthinesse And even Christians in name at least because the Kings and Lords of the Earth account themselvs honoured by their Subjects when they entertain them with pompous shews and pageants of wittie devise are readie fondly to imagine that their wittie specially stately devises and fancies please the Lord himself as they do them and therein denie unto him his two properties of simplicitie in the things and power in appointing them But if we will give God his
due in Religion we hust have him both for the Object and Appointer of our worship The Apostate Israelites of old and Antichristians since are said to have worshiped Divels not for that they did at least ordinarily direct their worship unto Divels but for that at least more commonly they followed their suggestions in the devised manner of worshiping though even the true God As in directing our worship unto him alone we honour and acknowledg his Majestie and Fatherhood as being our Father in heaven so in receaving it from him as the onely Institutor we honour and acknowledg both his love in providing and his wisdom in contriving and his authoritie in commanding the manner of his service and means of our salvation thereby This Religion is the means of Gods worship and withall of mans happinesse which two main ends God in great wisdom and mercie hath joyned togither inseperably that the desire of the latter might provoke to conscience of the former and the exercise of the former effectually promote and further the obtaining of the latter And this being the onely way to happinesse ought to be common to all men rude and skilfull base and honourable high and low And so all Chistians are one in Christ and Christ one in and unto them For though the terrene and worldly state of the persons who are Christians be verie different yet is their Spirituall estate of Christianitie all one There is one Lord Christ through whom and one Faith by which they are justified and that equally one Spirit by which they are sanctified though in different degrees One calling of God begun and perfited by the same Gospel and Ordinances thereof No mans highnesse of worldly estate can set him above the lowest part of it or them nor anyes mean-nesse keep him down from flying as high a pitch of Christianitie as any other An afflicted outward state stands in need of Religion to sustain it a prosperous to perfit it in eternall happinesse besides the moderating of it in the mean while And seeing our Religion is to God alone and onely the manifestation of it to men we ought to be alike grounded in it and resolved of it and zealous for it whether we enioy the fauour of the times or the contrarie All things requisite for the performance of Religious exercises are not parts of Religion but some are of naturall necessitie others for civill order and comlinesse The former need neither be taught nor commanded being imposed by absolute necessitie which is the strongest Law and most pressing Master that may be The other are such as without which all exercises of Religion would be confused and unorderly and like the Chaos which God made in the beginning void and without form and whose face darknesse covered For these the generall rules of the Word with common sence and discretion are sufficient Notwithstanding though things be not therefore comely and orderly because they are done of custom or commanded by authoritie but are therefore both used and commanded lawfully because they are comely and orderly yet if either custom commend or authoritie command things that are such indeed wise godly and peaceable men should hold themselvs even therefore the more bound unto them Religion is the best thing and the corruption of it the worst neither hath greater mischief and villanie ever been found amongst men Iewes Gentiles or Christians then that which hath marched under the Flag of Religion either intended by the seduced or pretended by Hypocrites The Iews in zeal of God such as it was persecuted Christ himself to the death and Saul in a kind of zeal of the Law was no lesse then a blasphemer persecuter and oppressor Pompey the Roman having erected that arcem omnium turpitudinum would not call it the stage or stews as it was but the Temple of Venus And what shall we think of the Spaniards Romish zeal who by their own Bishops relation in his first instance of Spanish cruelty hanged upon one Gallows thirteen innocent Indian women in honour of Christ and of his twelue Apostles But God is not pleased with good intentions exercised in evill actions much lesse either pleased or deceaved with the vizzards of impietie and inhumanitie But as he will repay unto the wicked according to their evill works of all kinds so will he render double vengeance unto them who under the liverie of Religion seek countenance for impietie and wickednesse A man hath in truth so much Religion as he hath between the Lord and himself in secret and no more what shews soever he makes before men and makes sound proof of his Religion both before God and men so far as he is forward and readie to everie good work especially to the works of mercie towards them that need Pure Religion and undefiled before God the Father is this to visit the fatherlesse and widows in their affliction and to keep a mans self unspotted from the World There are many civill Hypocrites who if they converse honestly and kindly with men presume of great acceptance from God though they have little care to know his will in his Word and lesse to observe his Precepts and Ordinances of Worship There are also Religious Hypocrites not a few who because of a certain zeal which they have for and in the duties of the first Table repute themselvs highly in Gods favour though they be far from that innocencie towards men specially from that goodnesse and love indeed which the Lord hath inseperably joyned with a truly-Religious disposition Such persons vainly imagine God to be like unto the most great men who if their followers be obsequious to them in their persons and zealous for them in the things which more immediately concern their honours and profits do highly esteem of them though their dealings with others specially meaner men be far from honest or good But God is not partiall as men are nor regards that Church and Chamber Religion towards him which is not accompanied in the House and Streets with loving kindnesse and mercie and all goodnesse towards men Such are also stuffed with selflove in their verie service of God and do but flatter him for their own advantage For if they love not and that in truth and deed their brother whom they see how can they love God whom they see not Besides they sacrilegiously divide the two Tables of the Law one from another making the two great Commandments which Christ saith are like one to another to be unlike in effect In these Pharisaism lives and Faith is dead who as they shame Christianitie and Christ in it what in them lyes so shall their recompence from him be answerable at that day when everie man shall receav honour or shame according to the works specially of mercie and goodnesse that way which he hath done or not done in the flesh The common saying As good never a whit as never the better
reliev its Father Faith in time of need whereupon the Apostle saith of the Faithfull that if they had hope onely in this life they were of all men the most miserable For what availeth it a man in miserie to beleev eternall life if he had not hope in time to obtain it and therewith freedom and redemption from distresse But we have therefore comfort in beleeving because we have hope of enjoying in due time Love is the affection of union in regard of the loving and of well-wishing in regard of the Creature loved And Divine love is the affection of union with God in his grace and glorie in which mans happinesse consists and with the Creature according unto God Faith is the root and Love the sap spreading forth it self for the fruits of good works throughout all the branches of our lives Faith the beginning and love the end of our conversation By faith we live the life of the Son of God and receav all good from him by Love we are moved and perswaded to use what we have to the good of men and prayse of God And whereas Faith makes a man some great thing richer then the richest and Lord of the whole World Love makes him a Servant unto all men in humbling and applying himself unto them in all lawfull things for their good Now albeit Love have these two prerogatives First that it perswades most effectually and immediately to the use and imployment of all the good things which we have receaved from God to the benefit of others and secondly that whereas Faith and Hope are determined formally in this life and ended in sight in the life to come Love abideth there also and that in these two respects the Apostle ascribes an excellencie and chiefnesse to Love above the other Yet herein Faith hath his singular preheminence that whereas by Love we and what we are become Gods and mens for God by Faith not onely all other things but even God himself becomes ours for all-sufficient good unto us as he saith I am thy God all sufficient By it the will and Word of God is ours for our instruction and direction his righteousnesse ours for our justification his Spirit for our sanctification his power for our protection and his glory for our happinesse in the fruition thereof This Faith in Christ is a gift supernaturall not onely in regard of nature corrupted but even created which therefore is not so properly repaired in men by grace as are some other vertues but after a sort new built from the ground as directing to that attribute in God primarily for its object whereof Adam in innocencie had no need which is mercie through Christ against the miserie of sin and punishment Vnto this Faith most precious promises are made and most excellent things affirmed of it And that not onely for the excellencie of the grace in it self which yet is great and greatly honoureth God in his truth which it beleeveth in his power as able and love as willing to bestow all good things upon us but specially for an attractive and applying facultie which it hath above other vertues to make God ours and all Creatures with him according unto God as is aforesaid To beleev in Christ is to receav him and the promises touching him And hereupon it is said of that cloud of witnesses that by faith they quenched the violence of fire stopped the mouths of Lyons put to flight the armies of alients c. The reason whereof seems to be for that as by justifying Faith they applyed the righteousnesse of God to salvation so by the Faith of myracles they apprehended and applyed the infinite power of God to the producing of those supernaturall effects The strength of true Christian Faith the Divel knows to his cost as that by which he the Prince with his whole Armie the World hath been so often foyled and overcome For being by Faith perswaded that in doing or suffering according to the will of God we please him and are under his protection and blessing we stedfastly persevere in well-doing and patiently endure all things for his names sake whereupon he specially in the day of their distresse assaults the Faith of the godly that that might fail as knowing that if the root of Faith be shaken loose the fruit of good works will wither Faith therefore must as a welcome passenger be well carried and conveied through the Sea of temptations in the Vessell of a good conscience that it suffers not shipwrack by the leaks of an evill directed by the chart of Gods Word and promises rightly understood that it run not a wrong course and having ever in a readinesse the sure and stedfast Anchour of Hope against a stresse and continually gathering into the out-spread sails of a heart enlarged by prayer and meditation the sweet and prosperous gusts of Gods holy Spirit to drive it to the desired Haven This Faith if it be not grounded upon Gods Word is fancie if it receav not the same Word in everie part but where it lists it is sawsinesse if it work not as well yea more in an afflicted state as in a prosperous it is nothing but fleshly presumption if it be not fruitfull in all good works as we have opportunitie and are able it is dead and will in the end like the Faith of the Divels affoard onely matter of trembling Lastly it must be firm and not ambiguous or going by peradventures els it is not faith but opinion Yet are we not here to imagine an Idea of faith free in this infirmitie of our flesh from doubting The tree may stand and grow also though shaken and bended with the wind so may Faith hold its both standing and life notwithstanding such doubtings as the flesh ever lusting against the Spirit mingleth with it Against which weaknesse and imperfection of our Faith we have this firm comfort that we are not saved for no nor by the perfection of the instrument which Faith is but of the object Christ which it apprehendeth and so may with a true though palsie hand of faith receav and keep both Christ and all his benefits This weaknesse and disease of Faith we must not commend as Papists do nor nourish like secure persons but cure with all diligence by the holy and diligent use of the Ministrations sanctified of God and given by Christ for the perfiting of the Saints and edifying of the body till we attain in the unitie of faith and acknowledgment of the Son of God unto a perfit man according to the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. Also we must nourish Faith by frequent meditations of Gods love and promises in Christ and of the gracious effects of them and must as the Prophet and Apostle teach us live by it both doing in faith and assurance of acceptance at Gods hands what we do not onely in
as his Lord though he were owner of little or nothing considering how he had the use of his gardens and galleryes to walk in heard his musick with as many ears as he did hunted with him in his parkes and ate and drank of the same that he did though a litle after him and so for the most other delights which his Lord enjoyed And in truth what great difference is there save in the proud and covetous minde of a man whether he himself or another be owner of the good things whereof he with him hath the lawfull use and benefit Distinction must be put between the things themselvs and their casuall and personall abuses otherwise the natures of the things can neither be rightly conceaved of nor expressed Neyther doth the abuse of good things so take away or make forfeyture of the use as that the counsayl of Lycurgus is to be followed who would have the vines cut down because men were sometimes druncken with the grapes Yet may the abuse of a thing be so common and notorious and the use so small or needlesse as better want the small use then be in continuall danger of the great abuse of it The best things abused become the worst both naturally and morally by reason of a greater force in them then in other things which we must not therefore superstitiously disavow or cease to account the best as they are but we must thereby be warned to use them the more warily that we may enjoy their full goodnes and not prejudice them by abuse Otherwise we shall be lyable to the curse of a greater then A istippus who wished a plague upon those wantons who by their abuseing it had defamed a sweet oyntment wherein he took delight All evil stands in the abuse of good And good things are abused commonly eyther when they are unmeasurably used as it is said of wyne that the first cupp quenches thirst the second procures chearfulnes the third drunkennes and the fourth madnes or by applying them unaptly or to wrong ends or persons as when one offers light to the blynde or speech to him that is deaf or wisdom to a brutish man or as when cowards fight with their tongues and swash-bucklers dispute with their swords or in regard of their supernaturall use when we referre not all to the glory of God and our own and others eternall good and welfare which are the utmost ends of all things CAP. XXIX Of Riches and Poverty IT is the first degree of riches to have what is necessarie the next to have what is enough And indeed he is a rich man who wants no outward means wherewith to mainteyne himself and his plentifully in that state of life in which God hath set him whether high or low and he poore on the contrary to whom that proportion is wanting And hence it comes to passe that there are poore kings and rich coblers poore landlords and rich tenants as there are warm dayes in winter and cold in summer respecting the season of the yeare Besides if a person have the possession and not the use of riches and be sick of that disease which Salomon saw and experience of all ages confirms to be common among men namely of a man to whom God hath given riches wealth and honour so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desyreth and yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof I would not call him but rayther his chests and storchouses rich seeing he as well wants that which he hath in regard of its use and end as that which he hath not A freind of myne in the university was wont to tell me merily and wittily that surely there was something in this mony more and better then he and I saw seeing such a great wise and learned man whom he would name loved it so well and such another as wise and learned as he as well as he and so a third and a fourth He knew well ynough it was not any good in it which we saw not but lust and filthy coveteousnes in them whose learning and wisdom should have taught them to despise and haâ—e such basemyndednes And in truth if in any other thing basenes of mynde is seen in the love of mony and so they are justly contemned in the eyes of others that are enamoured of it Some do make theyr belly theyr God and those are men of an abject spirit others their riches for covetousnes is idolatry and that in a special work of devotion by trusting to them which no man doth to his belly yet is the covetous of the two the more vile and servs the baser God for the life belly for which food is are better then food and yet food for the belly is the best part of riches and that of which alone Adam in innocency stood need If men were not above measure infatuated with sensuallitie they who know inward good things would not affect outward inordinately That fools and idiots that know no better things should love mony is not strange For oxen love grasse and swyne draffe and every creature naturally the best thing which it knows But that wise and learned men and they who know the good things of the minde specially the good things of God in his word should so doat upon it is most vile and monstrous Some love mony for it self and for the bare possession of it and because they delight to tell their pence but that is the case of few of learning or wisdom But as mouls by digging in the earth rayse up hils so do they hope to clyme up by this basenes as being set a work this way by ambition for the most part which too often breeds in the breasts of men rarely endowed as the cancker doth in sweet flowers For such men esteeming themselvs worthy of account in the world for their excellency and perceaving riches the readyest way to procure it or make way for it they lay hold thereof with both hands and being seduced with the love of mony for that end do for the getting and keeping of it peirce themselvs through with many sorrows The blessing of the Lord maketh rich If wealth come by inheritance it is Gods blessing that a man is borne of rich friends and not of beggars If by mens free gift it is his blessing that hath made them able and willing to do us good If goods be gotten by industry providence and skill it is Gods blessing that both gives the faculty and the use of it and the successe unto it And as riches are in themselvs Gods blessings so are we to desire them of him and to use lawfull diligence to get them for the comfortable course of our naturall and civill state For though we are to be able to bear poverty if God send it yet should we rayther desire riches as a man though he can go
do nothing simply evill to please men for that were to prefer them before God nor betray the truth to gratifie them so better scandall arise then truth forsaken yet are we not onely to do or leav undone things of indifferent nature wherein we have libertie for the preventing of offence and so to depart from our own right but withall both to do divers things which out of the case of offence were sin as Paul circumcised Timothy and for a time also to forbear both the publishing and practising of some truth to the which in time we do ow testimony both wayes Others on the contrarie are so full of charitie towards men and fear of offending them as that for and sometimes under pretence thereof they will both adventure to do many things which God plainly enough forbids and neglect the practise of other things commanded them and all Christs disciples in his gospell Many pretend the weaknes of others where in truth they shew their own weaknes others that they would do such and such things to which indeed both conscience of God and duty to men bindes them but for offence And what is this offence many times Surely oftens nothing els but the waspishnes of some peevish and imperious persons caryed against others with hatred or contempt or envy or divers of those passions But this is not to respect the weak in fayth but the strong in passion To be offended at good things in men which is the propertie of an evill minde is to be offended at God in men To be offended at things indifferent is to be offended as it were at men in men But to be offended at evill in men in due manner and measure is to be offended at the divell in men In this last case no man should think much at due opposition and reproof seeing it is not properly against him but against Sathan in him Readines to take offence and exception at and against other men in their faylings shews eyther weaknes of understanding in the offended when they discern not eyther of mens temptations under which they lye or what they may and ought to bear in their brethren Or it shews pride which makes men eyther out of envy apt to bark at others upon every small occasion or to despise them in their wants and weaknesses through over-valuation of their own excellencie whereas on the contrarie they should support them that they sinck not under the burden of their infirmities or els it comes from hypocrisy out of which many seek to cover both from other mens eyes from their own also their proper beam-like corruptions by quarreling at the moats in their brothers eye I never knew any more forward to take offence then such as were most apt to give it nor any more hardly brought to bear with saylings at the hands of others then such as stood in greatest need to have both God and men to bear with no small things amisse in themselves Oh hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own ey and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the moat out of thy brothers ey None should plead his own offence against a thing but his reason nor say this should not be done because it offends me but it offends me because it should not be done being contrary to the word of God To say to another do not this because it offends God shews love to God and do not this because it offends others love to men But to say do it not because it offends me without rendring further reason against it is from playn self-love and is an absurd and insolent request and motion All should take care not to offend one another but none should look much not to be offended by others for that is to nourish weaknes in himself and to provide trouble and disquietnes for himself before hand CHAP. XLVI Of Temptations GOD tempts a man and Sathan tempts him and one man tempts another Gods temptations are as he is good and for good and no other thing but so many tryals of the fayth patience love wisdom and obedience of his creatures not that he might know them for he understands the thoughts a far of but that they might have use make manifestation of the grace of the heart in outward acts that others might know them and they themselves or that by accident as they speak the contrarie vices of unbeleif impatiencie and the like might be discovered where they lye hid which is good also It is good on Gods part and for his church that mens naughtines where it is should in its time be discovered Where also we gather it to be our Saviours meaning to teach his disciples and us all in them to pray against temptations as they are provocations unto sin but not as they are moderate tryals of fayth and therewith that our heavenly father would so sweeten the bitternes of them with the sprinklings of the sence of his love in Christ as that they may not be excessive or intollerable Sathans temptations on the contrarie are as he is evill and for evill and sin eyther outwardly by fitting of objects or stirring up of instruments or provyding of furtherances of evill of all sorts or in regard of the heart and soul by suggestion of evill thereto together with the so disposing and stirring up of the humours of the body as that they may be ready instruments for the myndes inordinate passions And albeit he cannot compell eyther the understanding to assent or the will to consent or the affections to liking and so not the body to the acting of evill yet being a spirit he is undoubtedly able to unite himself in his suggestions with our spirits after an unknown manner and the same also verie perswasive specially with such as upon whom he is by the Lord in anger let loose for the punishment of former sins by latter So we read that Sathan filled the heart of Annanias entred into the heart of Iudas works in the children of disobedience and blyndes the minde of the unbeleevers Notwithstanding all which his both power and mallice seing he can doe nothing to hurt but by the permission of God and power which he hath from him and that justly given though on his part unjustly used we are still to remember the good counsayl by one given us which is never to fear the power of the divell more then the offence of God This were to fear the exequutioner more then the judg Though a man cannot be drawn away but by his own concupiscence yet may he be tempted otherwise and be compelled to suffer temptations which is humayn and divelish onely to be overcome of them by assent consent or liking And where none of these three is there is the divels sin and but mans crosse as one sayth in the temptation If the thought of evill arising in the heart be such as unto which