surely that we may farther see the absurditie of this Pride wee can vse no better meanes for the begetting of Humility then the consideration of those excellencies on which the Flesh vsually begetteth Pride For doest thou enioy a great measure of Gods chiefe Graces Doe but as Iacob did Take but one of the least of these Graces and set them in one balance and thy selfe in the other and the voice of Humility cannot but break out of thy mouth Lord I am lesse then the least of thy blessings If with Dauid in one sight thou beholdest thy own naturall corruption misery and the great workes which God hath wrought both in thee and for thee Humility must speake out of thy mouth as it did out of Dauids Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him and the sonne of man that thou regardest him And thy Psalme shall beginne and end not in thy owne excellence but in the excellence a Psal. 8. of God Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth Surely if thou takest a true account of what thou hast receiued of God thou hast taken a true account of what thou owest him now the more thou hast receiued the more thou owest and the more thou owest I hope thou wilt not bee the more proud but the more humble Though God alloweth thee enioying of his graces yet thou owest him the seruice glory of them therefore think as well of the greatnesse of thy obligement as of the greatnesse of thy exaltation by them The more graces thou hast receiued the more seruice doth God exspect and a larger account And though the man that sits downe and swells in Spirituall excellencies seemes to be at his Rest and iourneys End yet be not thou emulous of him for hee hath taken his reward before his time The true and kindly reward of Spirituall graces is a Spirituall happinesse which being put ouer to another life which also is Spirituall he is altogether short of it who in this life indeauours to find it Hee that in Spirituall graces aymes at temporall rewards as his chiefe ends this man makes the Spirit a drudge to the Flesh he makes the Israelite to build Towers for the Egyptian he hath begunne in the Spirit and ends in the flesh and woe be to him whose end is worse then his beginning 2. Pet. 2.20 But let Spirituall honour and aduancement be vsed and employed by the same Graces by which they were gotten and let Grace then florish and fortifie most when it is most manured dressed and encouraged The higher Grace is aduanced and rewarded the more power and the more matter it hath for good workes A man truly Spirituall knowes his owne dignitie and nobililie that he is a sonne of God a Citizen of Heauen an inheritour of a kingdome and hee doth not value any worldly honour equall with this Therefore for any outward additions hee will not abate his inward excellence neither will he giue away the greater for the meaner But he sayth to outward dignities as God sayd to the Prophet Let them returne to thee but returne not thou to them He will haue outward things by a Spirituall vse to become Spirituall but he will not suffer himselfe who is Spirituall by Carnall things to be made carnall If Religion beget wealth he will not suffer the daughter to eat vp the mother but the mother commands the daughter keepes her in obedience to that which bare her otherwise it were a most notable sacriledge to take the things of the Spirit from the Spirit and to giue them to the flesh and the very prophanenesse of Belshazzar to drinke carnall carowses in the spirituall Vessels of the Temple But let vs remember the hand of God was against him on the Wall and the hand of God was quickly vpon him with a finall ouerthrow Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord let vs striue to please him let vs feare to offend him and this shall wee doe if we follow our Sauiours counsell by giuing the things of God vnto God Neyther let any man thinke it an easie thing in outward aduancements to continue inwardly spirituall or to vse outward things in a spirituall manner For prosperity hath bin found a most dangerous temptation and it requires great care and a strong spirit rightly to mannage it There is ancient league betweene our flesh and the World the knot where of though it bee cut by the Circumcision of the spirit yet the smiles and glances which the World casts on vs in outward glory and prosperity doe easily awake the loue that was layd to sleepe and entise the flesh to renew her first Friendship with the World Therefore hath hee need of the faith of Moses that will refuse the pleasures of sinne and change them for the coldnes and abstinence of Mortificatiō But let him with Moses haue an eye to the recompence of the reward and that sight will make him resolute Let him remember the good Seruant who the more Talents hee receiued of his Master the more hee increased not to himselfe but to his Master And the more Talents he increased to him the more Cities he receiued of him Let him with Saint Paul not looke on the things that are seene but on the things that are not seene because the things seene are but temporall but the things not seene eternall and then if hee be wise hee will vse things temporall for the aduancement of things eternall and not lose things eternall by a carnall fruition of things temporall To conclude if the man that hath inward Graces by those Graces haue gotten a spirituall Eminence that hee shines as a greater Starre from which the lesser differ in Glorie let him indeauour to preserue and increase his excellence as well as to obtayne it This shall he doe if hee adde one Grace more to the rest of his Graces and that is Humility For Humility is a Grace that is the keeper of Graces yea it is an increaser of them So a Christians chiefe way of aspiring is by Humility and by lownesse to be exalted On the otherside if Grace be followed by Pride Pride lessens that wherein it seekes to fasten her rootes so that the more proud a man is of Grace the lesse cause of Pride he is likely to haue for Grace will lessen as Pride increaseth Againe hath thy inward excellence receiued the addition of some outward Dignitie let the spirit that got it command it doe thou make it spirituall and let it not make thee carnall Doe not thou lose that which thou art for that which thou hast but bee thou still thy selfe and let the things of Nature bee the seruants of Grace Be thou still spirituall in thy affections in thy actions for if thou abide in the spirit thou abidest in thy excellence and if thou goe from the spirit to the flesh thou goest downe really though thou mountest imaginarily for the top of the flesh is too bad
to be the footstoole of the spirit But if thou abide constant in the spirit thereby art possessor of thy owne soule and a commander of things transitorie thy sowing to the spirit shall make thee to reape of the spirit and thy Haruest shall bee life euerlasting Thou shalt also stop the mouthes of them that speake euill of Dignities and for the abuse would take away the vse Thou shalt bee called a builder of Sion and a repayrer of the breaches of Ierusalem But on the otherside They that sow to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption They that build vp a Babell shal be stricken with confusion They that partake with the Harlot in her sinnes shall partake with her in her plagues and * Reuâ— 18 7 8. one of her chiefe sinnes is Pride and her plagues are Mourning Famine Death and Fire Their soules shall be banished from the Tree of Life which is the extremity of hunger They shall be sent into weeping and gnashing of teeth which is the most bitter mourning and to the second Death where the Worme dyeth not and the fire neuer shall be quenched CHAP. XIII A double fault in teaching one that fretteth the whole flesh the other nourisheth the proud flesh one thinkes to saue men by angring despising them the other will not saue them rather then offend them OVr Sauiour CHRIST sayth Wâ— to you when all men speake well of you and Saint Paul sayth I seeke to please all that by all meanes I may winne some In these two Sayings there is a shew of Contrariety between the Master and the Seruant Christ accounts them accursed with whom all are pleased and yet Paul striues to please all though those with whom all are pleased bee accursed And according to the misinterpretation of these two places haue risen two Errours the one of them that thinke their Ministery neuer well set on worke or sufficiently confirmed vntill it hath stirred vp the whole World against them The other of them that thinke it the chiefe discretion of their Ministery not to speake any thing which by a reproofe of euident sins may hazard the loue of any of their hearers But Verity being euer the Companion of Vnity and Christ and Paul speaking both infallible Verity they are certainly at Vnity Now this Verity like a right Line will plainly shew the crookednes of both these Errours and this Vnity will condemne their contentiousnesse that fal out about the defence of Errours Christ speakes not to this end that the Ministers should labour for hatred or striue that men should speake ill of them but he sayth That the ill speeches of men are ordinary consequents of a faithfull Minister yea a faithfull man Hee doth not tell the Ministers that they should follow hatred but he tels the Ministers that hatred will follow them Hee doth not set the Minister by the eares with the World but hee saith the World will take the Minister by the eares Hee is of Saint Pauls minde that he would haue the Minister in all indifferent things to please all but yet he denounceth that though such courses be taken of pleasing yet the very exercise of the Ministery will mostly get displeasure And heereof no better example then Paul himselfe with whom though striuing to please all yet the most of all were much displeased So that both these Sayings may bee harmoniously contracted into one sentence Striue to please all that you profit some yet striuing to please all be ye sure that some will bee displeased For the Seed of the Serpent will hate Seed of the Woman and the World that only loues her own will hate them that are not of the World But that we wander not on eyther hand into these diuers Errors let vs find out the right paths of truth euen the true Lawes of pleasing and displeasing In pleasing let this bee the first Law That Ministers are to propose a good end in their pleasing they must not please men to their damnation nor please them to Gods dishonour nor for their owne vaine glory but they must please them to saue them and to bring them to serue and glorifie their Creator Secondly they must please them in things lawfull euen in things good or at least indifferent They may not please them in euill that good may come thereof neyther may they sooth them in their sinnes which is to edifie the Kindome of Satan but if there bee at anytime a conniuencie at no hand may there be a combination nor incouragement it must bee for the more profit euen to watch a better oportunity And still be it prouided that no perfect peace by any meanes be made with sinne Aboue all let a Minister striue to please in holinesse of life for the beautie thereof hath often stolne away the hearts of the gain-sayers and gained their affections euen against their wils Yea let his Gesture haue an amiable comelinesse befitting one that is a Man of God And such is a graue Humility euen without Pride or Basenes not carnally but spiritually both confident and humble Thirdly let them please them in the wisdome and discretion of their Dispensation Let them giue the great Ones their Honours and Respects let Festus be called Noble and let King Agrippa haue his commendations of beleeuing the Prophets for this is not to giue Titles or to call good euill but to speake truth and to giue honour to whom honour belongeth A wicked Man may be outwardly honorable and thou mayst not rob him without because hee is alreadie robbed within Thou mayst cast him downe by spirituall iudgement but not degrade him of his temporall dignity thy weapons are spirituall not carnall and thy Masters Kingdome is not of this World If thou doe otherwise rayle on the Pope as much as thou wilt thou art surely a limbe of him for he robs men wholy of temporall honour for spirituall offences and thou robbest them in part Eccl. 12.12 But thou shalt prooue thy selfe an ill Fisher for soules if thou wilt not bayte thy doctrine or behauiour with that sweetnesse or ceremony by which the fish will byte the better and be the sooner caught In summe know the estate of thy Flocke in particular to bee to euery one a seuerall Man in thy priuate conuersation and still one man in the publike Be that to euery Man by which thou mayest winne him most For thou must bee all for gaine a true Worldling but of another World Thirdly in indifferent things as lawfull and decent recreations allow them yea sometimes therein ioyne with them God that filleth vs with food and gladnesse allowes these blessings especially to his blessed ones the rest haue it by stealth Let vs not make the gate of Heauen narrower then God hath made it neyther let vs make Religion a ghastly thing by vnnecessary opposing of Nature for the businesse of Religion is not to crosse Nature created but Nature corrupted euen our Corruption not our
THE DISEASES OF THE TIME Attended by their Remedies By FRANCIS ROVS LONDON Printed by William Stansby for Iohn Parker and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the three Pigeons 1622. TO THE RIGHT Worthy and my truely honorable Friend Sir Beniamin Rudyerd Knight SIR I Doubt not but diuers doe direct the Dedications of their Heauenly Labours according to earthly respects But incongruous and vntunable Dedications haue euer been harsh to my Iudgement and it hath grieued mee much when I haue seen a heauenly pâ—arle offred to the hand but trodden on by the foot of an earthy and sensuall Patron To auoyd this Incongruity I thought it best â—o dedicate a Worke that concernes the prosperity of the Church of Christ Iesus to a louer of the same Iesus of the same Church and the same Prosperity For such a one beares the face and presence of Iehosaphat which being seene incourageth a Prophet to speake and not seene dotâ— make him speechleâ—se And surely I doe but testifie the Truth when I say that by ancient and inward knowledge I haue beene assured of your loue vnâ—o Sion and your wâ—l-wishâ—â—g to the prosperity of Ierusalem And euen from this Root of Heauenly Loue doe I beleeue that our particular Friendship hath suckâ— most part of its nourishment which I thinke the rather because it hath beene hitherto durable whereas worldly Friendships do vsually alter with worldly Changes Wherefore as to a louer of Gods House I present vnto you these parcels of Purple and blue Silk which I haue consecrated toward the reparation of the Tabernacle And I desire that when you receiue these words from mee I may receiue Prayers from you that God will daily adde to the Beauty of his Church and that hee will prosper these and the like Workes that indeuour to increase it Neyther shall your Prayers be altogether vnrequited for I will offer vp my hearty desâ—res for your inward and outward Aduancement and that as you grow outwardly in the World you may grow inwardly in Christ Iesus For growth in Christ is the growth of a holy happinesse that shall flourish for euer But growth out of Christ is the growth of Fuell euen of an euer-burning but a neuer-dying Miserie Yours in the best that is in Christian affection Francis Rous. A Light in the Porch for him that enters I Confesse the World is very tedious in the Multiplicity of his corruptions and it would make a worke of the like tediousnesse if all the particulars of the one should become the contents of the other But I haue by diuers winnowings abated the Heap desiring to set some shape if not on the Matter for Vice cannot bee made handsome yet on the manner of handling it Ordinary Vices which haue ordinary if iust Cures I mostly omit leaue the World to practise on themselues that which they know already Other euils there are which for their insolent growth scorne to bee slaine by a Pen but like the Princes of Midian they call for Gideon himselfe euen the power of the Magistrate to fall on them These being generally referred to their proper cure yet if some bee touched for I haue heard of a Gyant slayne by a Sling and a stone they are incountred with the kindly Weapons of this Warfare euen Spirituall and not Carnall Another sort of Euils like the Plague by comming abroad infect farther become Documents of Vice and not Reproofes And I wish there were not another sort of Diseases like the same Sicknesse which taking the Ayre in a Worke of reproofe may strike backe to the heart of the same Worke and make it to dye like Ieremies Roll if it meete with that kind of humour which vseth to cast away all if any one thing differ from it In such a Case Addition may bring forth Substraction and a little more in the writing may cause a great deale lesse in the reading Lastly there are other Vices which heretofore in some Meditations I haue discouered for which the labour of Repetition may be saued But what sayth the Man of Exception Are not these the Times of Light and Purity and therefore how can there be many faults where there is so much Light Surely I willingly and thankfully acknowledge the purity of our Doctrine and am assured that in many it hath brought forth the purity of Heart and Life But I say euen because the Light is so cleere therefore doth sinne the more appeare and appearing is the more to be blamed For the more light the more Direction and the more Direction the more shame and sharper reproofe belongs to the strayer Againe the more light the more manifestation and the more manifestation the more sinnes appeare yea sinnes appeare the more sinfull So in some sense Light may be said to increase sinnes but that is not in their number but in the knowledge of the numberer Therefore must our Light discouer those to be 〈◊〉 which ancient Ignorance accounted to be none and the Manhood of a Christian mâ—â— tâ—e vp to that height of Vertuâ— which his child-hood could not reach vnto yea perchance did think it vnpossible or vncomely Againe where the Deuill hath lost much there hee labours much for the recouery of his losses and the Husbandmen not being stil awake prosperitie often inticing to seâ—urity the Enemy finds times to sow his tares so that the good dayes of Iosiah had matter of reproofe for the Prophet Zephaniah and the flourishing Church of Thyatira was taxed for a mixture of the Seruants of Iezabel Lastly it is an obseruation of secular Policie That all States with time gather rust and therfore by often reuiews they are to bee reduced to the first grounds of Vertue and Iustice which setled their Foundations This is no lesse true in the Church and if any doubt of it let the Church of Ephesus resolue him There was no long time betweene the planting of that Church and the receiuing of the Reuelation Of their first Estate Saint Paul a Master-workman in that Plantation testifieth that their Faith in Christ and Loue to the Saints made him incessantly to giue thankes to God for them And of their second Estate at the time of the Reuelation Christ restifieth that this Church was fallen from her first Loue and her first Workes Therefore the Church and euery member of the Church out of the experience of humane frailty by contiunall turnes should suspect and examine themselues to see what the Flesh hath gotten vpon the Spirit and so with Ephesus remembring from whence they are fallen returne and amend and doe the first Workes Thus it appeares that there is matter of reproofe euen in the purest Churches and if where there is matter there reproofe should bee denyed this were to encourage Diseases and to forbid Physicke Surely there is at this day a libertie yea a necessitie of reproouing and it dyed not wholly when Iohn Baptist dyed but the House of God
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
leaue him vpon that oddes and referre him ouer to fight with one of his fellowes which is as well worth the killing as himselfe If hee rayle giue him an admonition for his rayling and doe thou beeing a Vine beare grapes though a Crab-tree close by thy side beare crabs To see a religious Man breake out into an equalitie of Furie with a Mad-man is iust as I haue sometimes seene a dogge of the Land run into the Sea when hee hath seene a water-spaniell the Embleme of a Ruffian to leape in before him Diuersos diuersa decent But if you aske wherein this excellent Valour of Christianitie doth expresse it selfe I will shew foure glorious vertuous and comendable kinds of fighting wherein Christians excell all other and cannot be matched The first is the fight of Confession or Martyrdome wherein the fire of the Spirit fighteth for God and his Truth against bodily fire and all other torments inuented by the spirit of darknesse And herein is the very strength of God in a chiefe degree expressed when by the supportation and incouragement thereof flesh and bloud stands still patiently yea ioyfully to be tormented yea consumed for his sake who made and redeemed it A noble and heauenly courage inspired from God and ayming to God who is the beginning and end of all solid worth and excellence In this fight man riseth aboue himselfe and being ouercome by the animating spirit he ceaseth in a manner to bee flesh and bloud and is all spirit and the spirit feeleth not torments neyther is the heauenly fire passiue to the earthly but actiue vpon it A second fight is a fight of Constancie and Patience in the ordinary Crosses and losses of this life or in those extraordinary which open Persecution ceasing cease not to be cast on true Christians by the Law of the first enacted enmity betweene them and the seed of the Serpent Philosophers had the applause of their Sectaries and many times of the People but a Christian is sure to haue the enmity of the world to whose fashions his course is a professed enmity Hee had need of courage not to bee ashamed of Religion among Ruffians Mammonists and Epicures to whom not to sweare not to coozen for profit not to bee drunke is called a Vice and the Vice is called Puritanisme But euen heerein the Spirit of God hardeneth and steeleth his Seruants that their faces are like Flint and themselues like brazen Walles and defenced Cities though otherwise soft in affection and true professors of meeknesse A third fight is a fight against Lusts and Passions wherein the Battaile is terrible and difficult and the Victorie more glorious then a Conquest of the World Salomon saith That he which ruleth his desires is greater then hee that winneth a Citie And humane Reason hath sayd that he that ouercomes himselfe is stronger then hee that ouercomes the strongest walles And a secret Reason there is that aggrauates the difficulty of this fight and that is because with the Armie of Lusts is conioyned an Hoast of Spirituall Principalities and Powers and he had need of a supernatural courage and power that must make warre with a King of Spirits Surely the greatest King of Spirits must bee in vs to resist and ouercome this lesser King And indeed accordingly greater is hee that is in vs then hee that is in the World And if the greater be in vs surely then are we greater then they in whom is the lesser Now let the Ruffian or Fencerly Gallant talke of his bold aduentures on the grasse and stubble and let him glory in beeing rashly or foolishly hazardous but in these subiects of wise valour he is but a Run-away and your true Christian is your only man I will fetch a Boy or a Woman that shall challenge the field of him and the place of meeting shâ—ll bee in a fire and the quarrell shall be for the honor of his Maker and Redeemer but I tell you before there is no hope of the Swaggerer â—hat he will come thither but if he came there is great hope he will certainly runne away if hee bee not bound the faster Yet it is wel knowne that many youthes and women in this fight haue right valiantly aduentured and giuen away their liues vnto death Againe for crosses and losses fetch mee one among all Philosophers and Heathens that can match Iob for misery and constancie the greatnesse of his misery magnifying the greatnes of his constancie because though it was excessiue yet it was exceeded by it And if you examine the third kind of sighting your Christian hath no fellow for noble and valiant Conquests obtained against himselfe and the infernall hoast of tempting spirits The slaughter of his owne lusts is his continuall exercise and hee is well skilled in that difficult Art wherein no Heathen euer could match him nor any man of one only birth and that is euen of expelling Generation by Regeneration the arte of driuing himselfe out of himselfe Hee sets one foot on the Spirit and with the other kickes the flesh out of doores and by spiritual flames consumeth carnall suggestions Againe if the Deuill offer him the Kingdomes of the Earth he despiseth them if he threaten to set open the gates of Hell vpon him he is confident hee shall not preuaile against him But take the Swaggerer at this fight and hee is most commonly a Beast and a Drudge to that Enemy against whom indeed hee should especially fight Hee is led vp and downe by the Nose like a Swine or a Beare by euery base Lust and Concupiscence as a Cup a Whore a Play and a Pipe and hee durst not but follow them Yâ—a hee is so very a slaue vnto Lusts that in sâ—eed of fighting against them he fights for them and the poore counterfeit valour hee hath is at no seruice readier then in defence of one of his Concupiscences Therfore if you meddle with his Harlot or his Cup his Scabbard is instantly pregnant and your life if you please may bee at his command But to leaue these Duellists and to come to Conquerours which is to come from the killers of men to the killers of Mankind surely in leauing them I doe not leaue them for I finde their slauery and basenes euen in Alexander Nabuchodonozer Slaues they are of Drinke of Ambition of Pride and thereby most euidently appeares the excellence of Christians and the basenesse of the sonnes of nature The naturall Man conquering the World is himselfe conquered of his affections and the Christian Conquerors that which conquers the Conquerors of the World But now wee talke of Conquests perchance some martiall man wil call me into question because hee findes not heere the commendable kinde of fighting for our Countrey and Nation or some cunning Arithmetician that being able to tel foure finds yet but three of my foure promised kindes of valour Wherefore to giue an Answere to any such Question I affirme that no man hath
neede of humane Inforcements Againe this is an excellent proofe that there is one generall Teacher by a Diuine Light illuminating the Church and it giues great comfort to the members of it that in some matters of Religion one man beeing many hundred myles distant or borne many hundred yeares after another receiueth some bright euident and glorious Truth which he seeth plainly to bee true and heauenly but receiueth it not of man by hearing or reading but of God alone by Meditation and yet he shall meet with another man so farre from him or with some workes of one so farre afore him which will tell the same Truths as being by that one Teacher also reuealed vnto them Againe there were among the Martyrs and Fathers men of as great and sound vnderstanding as any of these Wizards are yea they haue at first as much contemned and reiected Christ by their naturall knowledge yet at length they haue changed their minds and haue sought him as ardently as before they contemned him despitefully Now you cannot imagine that they would haue forsaken the light of their naturall Reason but that they saw a more glorious Light neyther would they haue spared their Candle but vpon the rising of the Sunne And surely these Seers doe as much wonder at the naturall mans not seeing as the not-seers at the seeing But the God of this World hath blinded their eyes that the glorious Light of the Gospell should not shine vnto them and this blindnesse cannot bee taken away by Arguments and being taken away Arguments are needlesse And this must bee thought the true Reason why in the Councell of Nice the Reasons of the learned Fathers could not preuayle with the Heathen Philosopher yet the playne narration of the Faith by a simple Priest preuayled The vayle of the flesh lay on his heart and their Reasons could not take it away but the Spirit of God tooke it away then the euidēce of a plain proposed truth perwaded him And indeed God only hath the Key which vnlockes the heart and that is the spirit Eloquence and Logicall Demonstration are not those Keyes which may open the Soule That which is fastned in our generation must be loosed by Regeneration the remedie must bee equiualent yea preualent to the Disease It may not bee a naked bare and vnactiue word that may cure the deed of excecation done to the heart but it must be an operatiue forcible and effectual word that speaks what it does and does what it speakes If such a Word say let there bee light there shall be light and then the light of our soules shall see the great Obiect of our Soules the perfect Light Christ Iesus But before this light and sight bee created in vs let that Infinite Light shine right into the eyes of blindnesse and darknesse the darknesse will neuer comprehend it And euen to them that see they will deny their sight and sweare that they are blind also But whither it be fit for vs to beleeue their blindnesse or our owne sight let euery man iudge In their owne wisdome they will hold That Sensus non fallitur circa obiectum And by that will prooue the Sunne shines or the Swan is white because the vnhindered fence hath apprehended it to be so And why should not wee enioy the same priuiledge and say much more That a soule clarified and illuminated by the purest spirit is not deceiued in spirituall Obiects but as Salomon saith it seeth more and more truely then seuen men on a Watch-towre and as Paul saith The spirituall man discerneth spiritual things Surely the spiritual eye as properly and as naturally seeth spirituall things as the bodily eye doth bodily things yea it should doe it better and more assuredly because this spirituall sight came more newly immediately from the Maker but our fight comes from him to vs through many men and many infirmities of those men much soyled and dimmed And here comes in fitly to be answered a second Obiection which is an Imputation of captiuitie vndergone by our vnderstandings in the matter of Faith To this I answere That in true Religion it is not a brutish captiuitie by which the vnderstanding yeelds vp her eyes to be put out herselfe to bee blindfold but the vnderstanding receiuing a better sight yeelds vp the worse and so doth not loose her light but change it for a better yea it changeth captiuitie for freedome for euen that blindnesse that captiuated is is led into captiuity but the vnderstanding is more free then before as an eye that is freed from blindnesse For the Sonne by his Spirit hath freed vs from that naturall darknesse wherein we were borne 2. Cor. 3 16 17. But they will re-inforce this Obiection from the vsuall forme of teaching young or new Christians Their first instruction they say is to beleeue and they take Credo for their beginning But do Christians herein otherwise then other Teachers of Sciences It is knowne for a Maxime without the bonds of Religion Oportet discentem credere Hee that learnes an Arte must at first beleeue the Teacher of the Arte and then after being skilfull in his Arte hee may looke himselfe into the truth of his Art So in Christianity at first Religion must be receiued vpon trust but this is by Learners only not true and formed Christians The Church must at first teach her Children vntill they be taught by Christ and then indeed they are only true and formed Christians when Christ himselfe hath taught them Some of the Samaritans beleeued the woman at first concerning Christ but being taught by Christ they went beyond that beliefe and beleeued himselfe and they adde their Reason Wee now know that he is the Christ. So is Knowledge still the kindly foundation of our Religion which heerein out-strips other Arts. For the yong beginners must at first beleeue the Artists themselues and proceeding farther must generally vpon trust beleeue principles which they hold most from Aristotle who as the Doctor saith in his Preface is often contrary to himselfe and exceeds in grosse absurdities all them that went before him And if some transcendent spirits shake off trust and authority and search the Fountaines of things they find that the Principles themselues are indemonstrable and what cannot be demonstrated I hope must bee taken vpon blind beliefe But this fauour they will not allow vnto Christians neyther doe wee much desire it for we see and know our selues what we beleeue whereof wee affirme and wee see by the highest purest and most vndeceiueable light and we want not the Glow-worm of demonstration to tell vs that wee see the chiefest Light Christ Iesus by our Faith and the light which wee see is the same Light by which wee see Herein only is the trouble that we cannot communicate our sight vnto blindesse and they will not allow vs to beleeue by seeing what for want of seeing they cannot beleeue Therfore when with Stephen
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
destruction for the Church of God seeing her desperatenes hath nothing left but to cry continually Come out of her my people that yee bee not partaker of her plagues And God himselfe seeing her in the same remedilesse case that he saw Iuda and Israel 2. Chron. 36.16 beeing still the same God will no doubt vse the same Iustice and according to his owne Word will send downe that Angell of Power which shall lighten the Earth with his Glory and cry mightily with a loud voyce Babylon the great is fallen is fallen and become the habitation of Deuils and this is the reason of her torments because she faith I sit as a Queene and am no Widdow and shall see no sorrow But if withall some plaine particulars bee desired by which men without labour may see that they haue erred who cannot erre and therefore erre againe in saying they did not erre before not to referre them to the large Treatises of these Controuersies let them consider some few positions which are direct Oppositions to the Word of God S. Iohn sayth 1. Ioh. 1.7 The bloud of Christ purgeth vs from all sin Bellarmine sayth Iudic. de lib. concord That good Workes deserue remission of sinnes Saint Paul sayth 1. Cor. 1.15 That when the people vnderstandeth not he cannot say Amen neyther is edified Vers. 16 17. and withall commands That all things should bee done to edifying and to that end that when a strange tongue is spoken one should interprete or otherwise the speaker in an vnknown tongue should hold his peace Verse 16 17 18. But the Councell of Trent sayth in the Decree of the Sacrament cap. 9 That whosoeuer holds that Masse should bee said in the vulgar Tongue let him be accursed Againe the Commandement saith That no Image shall bee worshipped but Bellarmine sayes they may be worshipped and Azorius sayes with the worship of the sampler and so the Crucifixe with the worship of Christ. Christ sayth That the Apostles shall not bee like the Princes of the Earth in Dominion but the Papists say That to the Pope is giuen all power and the vse of both Swords yea they are set aboue Princes And surely to sum vp these foure points together Idolatry magnifying of their owne Merits staruing of Soules and intolerable Pride their Corruption is abominablyeminent so that it must bee a blinde man that seeth it not and a Whores fore-head that confesseth it not And assuredly for foure transgressions and for fiue if not fiftie God will certaine punish them especially for these crying ones by which God himselfe hath his honor communicated to Stockes the Son of God hath this honour diuided with the sonnes of men Those which are called Gods are subiected to the pride of the Man of Sinne and the Church of God for whom Christ dyed and shed his bloud hath their bloud spilt by ignorance and not knowing the Councell of God Acts 20.27 So by these short patternes we may know what kind of stuffe their Religion is made of yea to what a Religion they haue tied themselues by the sacred and fearefull bands of Canons Curses Since then they haue bound themselues to their diseases what remaynes to vs but this Curauimus Babylonem non est sanata abeamus quisque in terram suam Come out of her come out of her my people that ye be not prtakers of her sinnes and that yee receiue not of her Plagues CHAP. IX A cure of that Monasticall Melancholy that cuts off a Christians hands and turnes him all into eyes CHrysostome speaking comparatiuely of an actiue contemplatiue life * De Sacer. lib. 6. preferreth â—he vertue of the actiue before the conteÌ„platiue of the Priest before the Monke as of a King before a priuate Man For hee saith the contemplatiue Man sayleth in the Harbour and passeth a good life but it is in safety and quietnesse But the actiue Man goes through the World and yet is none of the World he meetes with tentations fights with them and ouercomes them he steereth his course aright through stormie and tempestuous Oppositions Againe he sayth that the Minister labours with his minde the Monke with his bodie On the other side Gregory * Moral in Iob l. 6. c. 18. Ezek. l. 2. Hom. 3. preferreth the Contemplatiue before the Actiue and to prooue it saith that the Contemplatiue Man enioyeth his Creator is already in Heauen the World is trodden vnder him and he feasteth on Blessednes so that he is as farre aboue the Actiue as Heauen is aboue Earth as blisse is aboue this miserable and sinfull World Now there beeing but one Truth how shall wee find this one Truth in this seeming diuersitie of Opinions For Truth is only to bee found in Vnity and not in contrarietie Yet by the Candle of Gods Spirit and Word let vs seeke this Groat of Truth that otherwise may bee lost in the darke First true it is which Gregorie sayth That Contemplation is heerein more excellent then Action That Contemplation seemes to gather the fruit and Action but to sow it So as gathering is more excellent then sowing so Contemplation seemes to exceed Action And as attayning the Hauen is more comfortable then tossing in the Sea so Contemplation is farre sweeter then Action But yet on the behalfe of Action must we consider two assured Truthes First that this World is made for another World and it is not the place of Rest but the way to Rest and our busines in this World is to prouide for a happinesse to be enioyed in another World Then though enioying in it selfe bee better then working yet vpon this consideration of circumstances it may bee better to worke then to enioy For if working here increase our enioying hereafter and enioying heere diminish our enioying hereafter doubtlesse it is better to worke in this place of working that wee may enioy in the place of enioying then by imperfect enioying here in a place of working hereafter to diminish our ioyes in the place of perfect enioying To gather fruit in an vndue time abateth of the bignesse and sweetnesse We must not think to haue our Heauen here but wee must labour in the sixe dayes of this life to enioy an eternall Sabbath hereafter We must heere bee turners of our Talent that being faithfull in little we may rule ouer much and not thinke that binding vp our Talent we may be idle heere and glorious hereafter we may not imagine that man had a body giuen him to liue only in his soule but the Maker of the body will also haue the seruice of the body and that not in workes of Pietie alone but of Charity also euen of mutuall helpe and benefit as being part not of a Separation but of a Communion of Saints Therefore though Peter thought it good to bee still in the contemplation of Glorie and would faine haue built Tabernacles therein Yet Christ carries him downe againe from the Mountaine of Vision into the
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
be ouer cleanly But let the best striue to please the best and I know there are wits of that excellency that can giue sufficient delight by cleane and cleare conceits euen such as flowe from pure wit and borrow no bastardly generation of the filth and mudde of the basenesse shame and corruption of Man And I know there are also neat and noble Auditors that relish wit best by it selfe when it is not farded nor tainted with the mixture of slime and drosse And I doe not see but the chaste wife of one whose friendship while he liued might haue brought me into suspicion of partialitie but now he is gone against my will doth leaue mee at liberty to commend him hath beene as faire and amiable as the Venus of many deckt vp with the colours and payntings of lustfull and incendiary wit A second Fault in representatiue speaking is the vsing of holy words to prophane ends or in a prophane manner Oathes are sacred prayers are holy and the name of God glorious yet they must serue the recreation of Man and man must be delighted though God be blasphemed A fearfull thing it is for Man to delight himselfe in that wherein God is dishonoured If there were no other thing but the abuse of Gods name of sentences of Scripture and such holy things this were enough to make Playes of this nature and such are most abhominable to euery good Christian. For I tell thee this That if thou art a Christian thou art like vnto Lot and thy righteous Soule will be vexed with the dishonour of thy God Now if thou art vexed therewith how canst thou goe to bee vexed Canst thou take delight in vexation and wilt thou giue money for it And if thou beest not vexed then art thou no good Christian. Againe if thou be a Christian God is thy best friend and wilt thou go where thou thinkest thy best friend shall bee abused and thou must hold thy peace Take heed for Gods sake that thou take not delight there wher thou shouldest bee vexed and take heed for thy owne sake that if thou must needs be vexed that thou goe not to seeke vexation I might here adde for a third Fault â—he scandalous deprauations and detractions which diminish the honour of some to adde to the pleasure of others yea beyond this the doctrines rather then reproofes of vices the prodigall expence of time the stuffe of which life it selfe consists but I wish the former faults were first amended and the amendment of those would best giue encouragement to a farther cure Sure I am as the case now stands that generally these Theaters are the Churches of Satan and doe by the meanes fore-mentioned edifie vnto damnation While the Preacher workes for Heauen the Player playes for his working is playing for Hell and many Soules receiue there those lessons of Darkenesse which leade them stedily vnto eternall darknesse And if exhortations may not preuaile I wish Authoritie would and that at least the same course may bee taken for the Scene that is for the Presse that nothing might be acted but that which first had beene examined that so if this Representation shall be thought fit to remayne yet at least the foule spots and corruptions of it may be cleared that so it may bee restored to all possible beauty and become if not profitable yet infinitely lesse hurtfull CHAP. XV. Of the Pharises Disease the Loue of vppermost seats THE Emphasis lies in the word Loue for to loue prelation out of a tumour of the Flesh is a sinne but to receiue it humbly being iustly giuen may be a worke of the Spirit Our Sauiour consutes not superiority and inferiority he is not the Author of confusion but of order but that which he condemnes is the lifting vp of the heart in pride and the proud hearts lifting vp of the body in place If therefore thou seest the Disease learne also the Remedies and if thou art not yet prouided I will helpe thee a few In the First place That thou mayst cure thy selfe by contraries by true iudgement and humility grow first into patience and after into liking with the lower place Let thy iudgement tell thee that there is no oddes in the place but in the minde for the same place doth please or displease as the minde likes or dislikes it I haue knowen a man take a pleasure if not a pride in sitting lowest if thou doe the same thou shalt find the place will do nothing to thee to discontent thee Secondly Know that the true height of a man is eminence in vertue and an especiall vertue is humility and humility is very much expressed in a good digestion of inferiority So if thou art high in vertue sitting lowest thou sittest highest yea by sitting low thou dost sit high for humility doth exalt thee Surely the true excellence of man is vertue guided by knowledge and indeed otherwise it is no vertue for wherein a man is more excellent then other creatures therein is one man more excellent then another man By how much a man riseth aboue the creatures toward the Creator by so much is his excellence increased and so farre euery man excelleth another as he goes beyond another in the Image of God Therefore striue thou for that which makes thee inwardly higher though thou be outwardly lower for if in this thou excellest thy Neighbour thou art higher then he in worth though lower in place So a pearle is richer then gold though in a pendent the gold sit aboue the pearle And we say often that a valiant short man is a taller man then a long coward so that he is aboue him in worth though below him in stature And no lesse is it thought that a consequent Lady is preferred before an antecedent Vsher. Thirdly Know that this present order is but an orderly confusion inforced by necessity sorting with the confused misery of the fal of Man It was not the appointment of Gods first Creation that Princes should goe on foot and Fooles ride on horsebacke but by Adams fall rich folly takes place of poore wisdome The heart of Man is deceitfull and inward excellence cannot truly be iudged therefore outward stuffe for the present is vsually the dull touchstone of eminence and where there can be no better the worst must serue But here meets me a case that is vanity it selfe and vexation of spirit Two men there are of equall meanes the one liues like a Man and a Christian and equalls his meanes by his exspences in hospitality seruices of his Countrie reliefe of the poore The other hee is neyther Man nor Christian doth nothing for God nor his CouÌ„trie but by sacriledge oppression and extortion robbes God and the Countrie yet by this no goodnesse yea by his wickednesse he trebleth his goods and farre surmounteth the other Now let any man tell me which of these should bee taken for the better Man whether the worse man or the better Surely
words and the out-side of speaking with a neglect of the inside such a one is a Pharisie in words as the ancient ones were in deeds Against these especially doe the Reasons of the first oppose for these goe about to intice men and to slacke their affections with Eloquence not to turne them not to conquer them with power These draw men to themselues rather then to Christ for their hearers if they bee not of the wisest as most are not commend the Sermon much and the Preacher more and Christ least of all And indeed they leaue their audience commonly as they found them for profit but somewhat better for pleasure Their mishap is this that the eare is not the soule for if it had beene so then so many soules by them had beene gained as hearers were pleased Surely this eare-teaching or eare-scratching pierceth not home but it is like an Arrow without an head It hath indeed the woodden head of the flesh but it wanteth the mettall and steele of the spirit by which it should enter into the heart and diuide betweene the soule and the Spirit Let these men therefore remember that the Kindome of God though it may be aduanced by words that make power euident yet it consisteth not in words but in power The spirit speaking though in course and plaine words may saue a soule but the top of humane Eloquence not edged with the spirit will neuer enter in deepe enough to saue the hearers The third sort affect a language of ends and such a stile as is all of inlayings They are full of short breathes and if they perswade you not on a sudden they haue done Againe they darken the sence by not allowing it room enough Surely it hath beene a misery of these latter times to affect both in Latine and English such a speech of parcels that hurts the memory trauailes the vnderstanding doth both nibble and sting the will not gripe it not lift it not weld or manage it When the memory would claspe it it is all one as if you did claspe a handfull of sand the harder you squeese it the more it flits When the vnderstanding beholds it eyther it is payned in opening the fast and hide-bound shels of it or if it haue some ease in that kind it spyes but a short glimpse of Light and but a Gloworme of Reason and bee the way neuer so darke it must be content with that flash of Lightning When the wil and affectons meete it they rather finde in it the taste of an Epigram then of a doctrine of sawce then of meate And if there bee any strength in it yet it is so bound in by breuity that it giues but a plucke to the will and drawes it not by a continued might so if the mind will not be moued with the pange of a sentence it may scape well enough from this kinde of teaching Surely these minutes of stile and littlenesses in discoursing doe not well expresse Maiesty and Power And that should they striue to expresse who are the mouthes and pens of the highest Maiesty and the highest Power Againe in regard of the hearers or readers that which should enter with power should issue with power that which should goe to the heart should issue from the heart and not bee only a flash or fire-worke of the braine And now that I may the better free my Reader and my selfe from mistaking and being mistaken I am ready to tel him what I intend not and what I intend First I intend not to lessen their deserued estimation and so their edification whose naturall gift is a cleere and concise expression I know there are of this sort that merit good Readers and haue many of them and I wish them prosperitie in the Name of the Lord. Such men are themselues when they write and not others and if they should bee forced from this kind they should like Diamonds bee lessened by new fashioning and I thinke verily that wherin a man strength lyes therein should he glorifie his Creator and not by going out of his strength seeke to serue and glorifie God by his disability And this doe they commonly who leaue that Character whereunto they were fashioned and reach after another but reach not to it To such the Apostles counsell is good Physick Let euery man vnderstand according to sobriety and his owne measure But secondly I intend to shew and proue that a continuall Discourse or Treatise made all of parcels though it may haue good things in it yet it is not the best kind of Language for edification And besides the reasons shewed before that it often darkens the matter that it hurts the memory that it wants the power and maiesty which the Word of God both requireth and deserueth to make vp an absolute proofe I will adde a most absolute example and the reason of the example The example is Saint Paul that strong Writer of Epistles as the very malice of his Enemies did confesse who knew the best kind of deliuering Diuinity 1. Cor. 2. and both told it vs in writing that spirituall things must be fitted with spirituall words and as there he saith in writing practised that which he told vs. If you will see his practice search his Epistles and among them that to the Romanes which indeed is a Master-piece There you shall see that his manner of teaching is deepe in knowledge strong in reasoning pregnant in expression powerfull in perswasion Hee doth not trusse vp his words too close neyther doth hee thin them so much that they can scarce be discerned but to a full and substantiall matter he giueth the fulnes of speech and expression Yea where hee seemes most to excell hee sometimes doubles and makes returnes and giues two or three sights or countenances of the same matter that our knowledge and memory may bee assured and that hee may not bee thought to grudge vs his matter by grudging vs words And yet Epistles I thinke may best pleade breuity Besides in his perswasions and exhortations he expresseth vehemence of affection and ferour of spirit which small ends doe smally and weakly performe And secondly if wee will search into the reason of this Example by searching what is spirituall we shall find that the Spirit worketh mans conuersion especially by light and power as hauing to doe with a darke and impotent Mankind and therefore it expresseth it selfe best makes it selfe most euident by a lightsome and powerfull speech euen words of brightnesse and feruour So both by Pauls example and the reason of that Example I haue fetched the patterne of most profitable Language If yet you would haue more proofe behold also noble Esay the very primate of the Prophets and the Ambassadour of God whose tongue was touched with the fire of Heauen This great Prophet doth not vsually skip and leape in the short steps of broken Sentences but he walketh with Maiesty in the full paces of an expressiue iust
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
lusts or of present pleasures or of naturall apprehensions The man of the spirit is Iaacob a spirituall discerner a heauenly Citizen of a sanctified reason of a diuine or godly will of affections set on high But the wretched Antiquity of this contrariety and contention reacheth beyond Rebecca euen to the beginning of dayes when Time it selfe was not a weeke olde For euen in Paradise it was enacted as a punishment on the sinne of Man euen the trouble and vexation of a perpetuall Enmity Therefore as it was early in Antiquity beginning in the beginnings of Time so it is like to be laâ—e in continuance and to indure to the end of Time And no doubt these last Remnants of Time are likely to haue most of it for in them loue doth waxe cold and as loue waxeth cold contention groweth hote Therefore let euery Christian take to himselfe a twofold care One is that the more euill the dayes are the more hee striues to redeeme both his time and himselfe from the euill of the dayes As the Infection increaseth so is it fit hee should increase his Preseruatiues A second is That since in contention of two parts there is but one part that hath the Right hee must striue to bee on that part which hath the Right The Flesh hath no right to hate the Spirit much lesse to persecute it for therein Darknesse persecuteth Light Corruption Cleannesse an earthly and sensuall grossenesse a Diuine and Spirituall Puritie But good right hath the Spirit to hate the Flesh for no man can forbid Light to chase away Darknesse Purity Grosnesse Cleannesse a spotted Corruption Yet so giddie is man growne by his Fall that the Flesh iustifies it selfe in the Opposition of the Spirit and the Spirit is condemned for opposing the Flesh. And as this is done by those that are without against those that are within so is it done by those that are within one against another and in that degree of heate which is proportionable to the degree of the Flesh that possesseth eyther their Iudgements or Affections For euen within the visible church the flesh possesseth the Iudgements of many and fasteneth Errors vpon them and the flesh the whiles takes it selfe for the Spirit and therefore will erre by Authority Yea this counterfeit spirit fighteth with the true Spirit and by Religion would condemne Religion and vnder the shew of Truth striueth against Truth it selfe And if you will ghesse only by heate and vehemence you will hardly find out which is the Truth yea sometimes you shall haue the more heate with the lesse Truth For Error hath many times the oddes of contentious Egernesse which shall the lesse deceiue vs if wee carry about vs Saint Pauls little note That the true Churches of God haue no such custome as contention Yet my businesse at this time is to find out such within the pale of the visible Church not medling with those that are without and to search for them in that Dragge-Net which taketh vp both good and euill And I wish that by my finding them they may learne to find themselues that so finding themselues carnall they may striue to bee spirituall and so by beeing once found in the flesh they may euer hereafter bee found in the Spirit A first way by which the flesh becomes extremely Religious and by the Extremity of Religion extremely quarrelsome is custome For too true it is that many are Christians and this or that sort of Christians by custome and anticipation Christians I call them because they are such in the opinion of themselues and others yet must I needes tell them that true Christianitie is not fastened to the heart by custome and preiudice but it is knit vnto it by the Spirituall bands of illuminating and sanctifying Grace True it is that man hath in him by Nature an Instinct of Religion euen an Inclination to feare serue some Higher Power and this generall Inclination is coÌ„monly specificated by Birth and Education which by Custome knit a Religion to this Instinct which knot of Nature is many times mistaken for the knot of Grace Now this Religion so taken in by Nature is commonly violent peremptory and dangerous strongly opiniated of it selfe and as strongly hating all Religions different or opposite The Reasons of the violence of this Bastard Religion is diuers First because the Religion it selfe being naturall the affections and passions which are mooued by it are also natural now it is truly obserued that the motions of nature are commonly more vehement I am sure more tempestuous turbulent then those of grace Quicquid agit Natura valde agit Nature marcheth furiously in the execution of her purposes and the satisfaction of her desire But grace is little like a graine of Mustard-seed or shee is by her difference from Nature forsaken of it in her actions and affections so that the body often either tarries behind or comes slowly toward her for the seconding of her purposes or she is more orderly peaceable and temperate which is indeed the Character of her in S. Iames 3.17 A second reason of this violence may be because custome is a thing strongly rooted in the heart and the sinewes by which it is fastened are extremely sensible Therefore if you would cut away a custome you cut the heart it selfe and if you will pull it vp you pull out the heart and all with it Thence it was that Alexander could not perswade the Indians to bury their Parents hauing still vsed to incorporate them Neither could hee perswade the Graecians to swallow downe their Parents being euer vsed to interre them And heere by the way an Answer fitly ariseth to a twofold Obiection of ancient or * char moderne Pagans One is That it is a fearfull thing to see the strong diuersity of Religions in the World mayntayned by equall constancie and assurance from which eyther is inferred or deduced by the Master or Scholler that where there are so many and euery one denyed by all the rest they may bee all false because all are seuerally denyed But this followes not for first I haue shewed a reason of the manifold diuersity of Religions and the equall violence in their Professors As many Religions as Custome hath deliuered to Mankind so many are vsually retayned strongly maintayned But yet the diuersity of Errours cannot annihilate the vnity of Truth but Truth which is indeed but one may and shall stand iustified by her selfe and her children though the numberlesse variety of Errours may bee iustly confuted and ouerthrowne Though the Heathen haue as many Gods as Cities and not one of them true yet this hinders not but that there may bee one true God that made Heauen and Earth which euen by diuers Heathens hath beene confessed A second Obiection is this That Religion hath beene the Authour of many cruell outrages Tantum Religio potuit suadere malorum Que peperit saepe seelerosa asq impia facta But henceforth
let the Obiector cease from this Language for here I haue brought him to the Damme of these Monsters This customary naturall vnnaturall Religion is the very Mother of them For Nature hauing receiued a Religion by custome this Religion like a Spirit possesseth it and driues it headlong like the Gadaren Swine into desperate actions Nature growes mad vpon a Religion knit by custome to her instinct and in her violence shee thinkes the Extremity of Deuotion to be the very Marke of Perfection Therfore shee goes furiously onward and ouerthrowes all that stands in her way thinking then shee pleaseth God best when she is most furious in his seruice and therefore sometimes she will do Massacres and Murders that shee may bee sure to haue serued him sufficiently So mad and brutish is this carnall Deuotion that it thinkes to please the Iudge of the World by those cruelties which a iust man doth lothe and detest And detestable as it is to good men so much more to true Religion which is the Doctrine of Goodnesse and hath beene before described to be peaceable and temperate Therefore farre bee it from any man to accuse true Religion of that which it selfe doth accuse But let this Brat bee brought to the true Dam of it and that shall be found to be the flesh but neuer the Spirit The Spirit maketh Sheepe and not Wolues 〈◊〉 hath armed many with Patience to suffer Tyranny but hath taught none to bee Tyrants Quem videris gaudentem sanguine Lupus est Whosoeuer delights in bloud for conscience sake is a Limbe of Antichrist the great Wolfe of of the Church the Flocke of Christ. But let vs hasten from this diseased Religion and seeke out a Remedy euen a Remedy for this Deuotion of Custome which Custome is an equall Nurse to all Religions A Nurse it is to all Religions a like Mother of most vnlike Children The vnity of the Mother cannot reconcile the Differences of the Children but like the Earth shee nourisheth all Herbes euen of contrary qualities But this while the Contention of these Children is most foolish for each striueth to be right heire when not one of them is lawfully begotten Therefore a first Remedy for these Bastard Religions is to know the Whoredome of their Mother and a second to know the true Father of true Religion The falshood of the Mother hath been already expressed but it must be known as well as told they must take notice of it as well as heare of it And let them take this for an assured signe of a Whorish Mother of Religion when they finde the same and no other Fountaine of Religion but that which will serue to beget a Religion contrary to that which is held If thou holdest thy Religion because thou art accustomed to it for carnall Reasons and by a common hand thou holdest not Religion truely yea though thou hold the true Religion But because Truth best reproueth Falshood and Rightnes Crookednesse I will set forth the true Father of true Religion that the Adulterous Mother may the better bee knowne and auoyded God is a Spirit and therefore the Religion that pleaseth God must be spirituall But man is carnall defiled by a carnall Generation and therefore can neyther know nor giue vnto God a spirituall Seruice Therefore is it needâ—ull that the supreme Spirit teach this carnall man a spirituall seruice which his Carnality cannot find out Yea farther it were 〈…〉 giue him a spirituall Vnderstanding to discerne and approue a spirituall Seruice being â—aught vnto him which flâ—sh and bloud cannot doe So wee see there is need of a spirituall Doctrine and a spirituall Mind Man hath nothing in him to please God withall Hee is all Darknesse and Pollution therefore God must send from Heauen thaâ— which hee will haue man to send acceptably vnto Heauen Man that is now most contrary to God must be conformed to him before hee can receiue from God and returne to God a Seruice conformable vnto God So it remaynes that true Religion must bee a spirituall Doctrine taught by God vnto Man and the true meanes of receiuing a spiritual Doctrine is a spiritual Mind This is the right hand of Religion and Nature is the left and these right-handed Men are the only true receiuers of true Religion For a spirituall Minde meeting with a spiritual Religion by Vniformity grow to an Vnity they kisse imbrace and claspe one another and the gates of Hell cannot plucke them asunder The Spirit that gaue the Word seasons the Heart and the Heart meeting the Word borne of the same Spirit with it selfe ioynes it selfe to it in a brotherly Affection and Vnity Now this only true admittance of true Religion hath notable Priuiledges annexed to it which are both markes of Excellence Difference aboue and from other false meanes of receiuing Religion One excellent and necessary Prerogatiue is this That the spirituall Man hath God for his Teacher hee learnes the counsels of God of that Spirit which only knoweth Gods Counsell and only acknowledgeth it Hee holdeth diuine things by a Diuine hand and receiues them from the Deity it selfe Though his outward Man receiue Elements and Rudiments of Religion by Birth or Education yet his inward man receiueth them by Heauenly inspiration the same Spirit which mooued holy men to speake moouing holy men to heare and beleeue For in the Saints the Spirit of God is the last resort rest and Pillar of Truth and how can they but beleeue when a spirituall Mind plainly discerneth the Truth of spirituall things It hath also a second priuiledge of safetie and in that safety a third of rest and quietnesse For a Religion being once â—ruly discerned approued knit to the heart by the Spirit the Spirit which leades vs into the Truth doth stablish vs in the Truth by the same Light by which it shewes vs the Beauty of Verity it discouers the deformity of Errour yea it will ioyne hands with no Religion but that which is kinne to it Shew the Spirit the whole Millaners shop of Religions which Mountebanke Satan hath set to sale in the world none of them wil fit his hand though neuer so much flourished ouer with the imbrodery of humane wit and earthly Glory The Spirit which gaue the Word will acknowledge no other but the Word of the Spirit My Sheepe sayth Christ heare my voyce but a strangers voice they will not heare Iohn 10. And now what an admirable priuiledge of rest and quietnesse is hereunto annexed The carnall man if he escape the Restinesse gotten by Custome or imposed by Authority hee runneth like the dispossessed spirit through all places both wet and dry seeking rest for his Religion And how can hee finde rest since there is no true rest but in the Truth and that Truth being hidden from flesh and bloud all other Religions that appeare are but Errors and who can blame a man to run from an Error as soone as hee hath found it This
very character is Cholericke for it is a Locust that hath the tayle of a Scorpion and a sting in his tayle c. Reu. 9. But for Phlegmatickes there are no patternes like the Monkes whose Life in generall is paine by ease and labour in eating And in this payne and labor they expresse a wonderfull patience This is the man whom that excellent pensill of the Spirit Saint Paul describes weeping whose end is damnation whose god is their belly and whose glory is their shame And if you will see the face of Melancholy behold your Anchorite or Stillite who often by a fullen humour falls out with the world and falls into a corner and at best vndertakes voluntary temptations that hee may escape necessary ones This man also Saint Paul describes when hee calls his Religion a shewe of wisdome in wil-worship and humilitie and punishing the body And these differences haue also bred oppositions among them The Popes turning Religion to be a Pander for pride lusts and pleasures is condemned by diuers as Barnard Cassander Mantuan c. The Iesuite is condemned by the Priest yea by the founder Romanists for being too pragmaticall and the whole world cryes out on the Monckes and the Poets make songs on them But the Melancoly Christian seemes most reuerent as hee doth among vs yet they haue beene censured by men of Iudgement as Cornelius Agrippa de vanit sci cap. 62. and Barnard in Cant. sermo 35. and others who condemn that life which liues to it selfe profiteth not others and runnes into Salomons Vaesoli And no doubt by the lawes of flesh and bloud the Pope in his glory cannot but laugh at their Penury and he that reioyceth in his gayne by Fabula de Christo which was the blasphemous speedy of an impious Pope must needs thinke them mad that loose thereby eyther pleasure or profit No doubt as fitly by the Pope may be giuen to these men of penance that saying which was bestowed on the common people that sought a fatherly benediction Quando populus hic decipi vult decipiatur Againe the Philosophers had Sects agreeable to different Complexions The Epicure fitted eyther the Sanguine or Phlegmaticke the Stoicke and Cynicke the Cholericke and Melancolicke So much in all men that are meerly naturall doth the Body worke on the Soule and the Soule by the same blindnesse which it suffers from the Body hath this defect that it sees not that it is blind and therefore beleeuing that it sees it calls that an opinion which is indeed but a preiudice Now the Remedie of this Disease as of others is by contraries Surely as these Complexions of the Flesh in their extremities fight with the Spirit so doth the Spirit with them and therefore the Remedie of the Flesh is the Spirit and wee shall bee safe from the extremities and superfluities of the Flesh if wee keep our selues in the vprightnesse vnpartialnesse and indifferency of the Spirit Now this shall wee performe if wee be guided by certaine rules whereof it may be truly sayd that hee that keepeth these rules keepeth his way and he that keepeth his way keepeth himselfe in the Spirit and hee that keepeth himselfe in the Spirit keepeth his Life And most true it is that they that walke by these rules peace shall bee vpon them for they are the very Israel of God The First of these is this That euery man truely iudge himselfe his Complexion and Constitution in the outward glasse of the eye and the inward glasse of the soule so to find out the exuberant abounding and reigning Complexion and that being found to bee farre from fauouring and defending it in the things of God which is the vsuall manner of flesh and bloud But rather on the contrary let him suspect and stoppe himselfe in that way to which his inclination ouer-hurries him and condemne his errour when he goes astray and hauing condemned it returne backe to his true way Surely in this we must imitate the Nauigators The Nauigators know the right Line that leades to their intended Hauen and to that Line by the Compasse they set the course of the Shippe But if contrary windes ouer-rule them turne them from this right proposed Line to any one side then they reckon how farre they haue gone on the one side and by another returne they requite it and so bring themselues againe into their right intended way Doubtlesse our Life is a Voyage our Hauen is the Citie of God the Line of our course is Sanctification and the Spirit is our Compasse This Spirit pointeth vs our way and our Soules must resolue to run in that way But it so falls out that the tempests of the Flesh of Complexion of exorbitant Constitution carries vs aside what remaynes but that wee find out this Errour and finding it allow a returne as long and as large as our wandring But farre be from vs that foolish and dangerous Custome of those blind Soules who being hood wincked by Humour and Complexion doe make their Humors and Complexions the Guids of their Soules and not their Soules guided by the Spirit the Guide of their Humours Yea they thinke that Humor is the Spirit and so they erre by authority and are therefore farre more incurable This is to make the winde the Guide of the Shippe and not the Compasse and surely such men shal be sure neuer to come to their pretended Hauen For the end of the Flesh is Death and the fruit of the Spirit onely is Life Neyther is it hard for each man to finde out the superfluities of his flesh and to correct them if hee follow the Second Rule which is this Man must not compare himselfe with himselfe nor measure himselfe by himselfe for euery man is as tall as his own measure and he cannot thereby finde out his shortnesse or tallnesse But Man must seeke out for his patternes both the words and persons of men truly sanctified or rather the words and deeds of the Spirit speaking and liuing in them euen such whose vnpartiall vprightnesse hath wholly giuen them vp from the Flesh to the Spirit The chiefest is Christ himselfe whose vpright temper rectified and guided by an vnmeasured Spirit setleth him in a perpetuall equilibriousnesse apt vpon occasion to the effects of any Complexion yet vnapt without to be led by any of them Next to Christ are his Apostles And among them most conspicuous and most knowne in S. Paul In him shall yee see the reasonable vse of each Complexion while he chideth the Galathians and Corinthians while he reioyceth for the Romanes while he expresseth a feruent loue to Timothy and many other Saints yea to his owne Nation wishing with his owne perill that they might bee saued while he speakes weeping of those whose end is Damnation and being still one and the same man he is full of anger when Elimas resisted him and full of patience when the Iewes afflicted him And euen at this day are there paternes
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
they see not Hee is inwardly and really more noble for he hath a free large and emancipated soule which they haue not Hee is more powerfully valiant for hee fighteth the battailes of the Lord against spiritual powers and against the whole Kingdome of darknesse But with this honour that is to be magnified is adioyned a misery to be pittyed For as he fighteth for God against the World and the Prince of the World so the World with all the Complexions thereof yea with the Prince thereof fight together against him His Sword is against euery man and euery man against him and though hee be not euill but a true Israelite in whom is no guile yet therefore the euill World hateth him because hee is not like them Surely the quarrell of the World with the sonnes of God is not because they are naught but because they are vnlike and vnlikenesse is to them as sufficient a cause of debate as wickednesse Yea where there is an vnlikenesse there false wickednesse shal be imputed that which of it selfe is faultlesse may seeme iustly to be condemned as being guilty of that which is truly faulty Because they are vnlike they are hated and because they are hated they must be accused To say truth they are not hated because they are wicked but they are made wicked because they are hated Now this slanderous odiousnesse arising from vnlikenesse is thus hatched Eyther because a man beleeuing fully his owne rightnesse makes himselfe a rule vnto others condemnes them when they swerue from this Rule or because viewing his owne crookednesse in a comparison with a goodmans righteousnesse he finds this comparison of righteousnesse to bee a checke and reproofe to his crookednesse But whatsoeuer the cause is Too true it is That vnlikenesse hath made many Quarrels betweene them and these Quarrels of vnlikenesse too often flow from the opposition of Complexion against Sanctification The sanctified man beeing free from all Complexions yet sundry times vpon sundry occasions serues himselfe of sundry Complexions then commonly hee is censured by the seruants of those Complexions that are contrary to those that are his Seruants For indeed the spirituall man is the Lord of Complexions but the carnall is their seruant Hence as they fight among themselues so most commonly they fight all with him For the spirituall being of no faction nor seueraltie but affecting vniuersall Goodnesse serues himselfe of the goodnesse of each Complexion and refuseth the vices and extremities of it So by reason son of his different temper from all hee hath Enemies of all being Virtus in medio vitiorum Hence the Stiptick and hide-bound or angry Christian when he sees the spirituall man conuersing with Sinners though perchance with hope of edification and cure or some euidence of smoking grace hee cryes out against him and cals him good-fellow an eater with Publicans and Sinners If hee see him vsing some lawfull comfort recreation he cals him a Glutton a Drunkard a Libertine If he see him conuersant with men of the contrary Faction or excusing a Ceremony for the loue of Peace he doubts of his Saluation and holds him to bee fallen from the Faith and takes him for little lesse then one of the damned If the sociable sanguine and neighbourly Christian see the spirituall man with a notable difference to affect those that excell in Vertue to condemne the Drunken meetings of carnall Feastings the lasciuious gestures of dancing prouocations the beastly mirth of Tongues tipt with filthinesse the prophanations of times consecrated to diuine vses the contempt of Gods Word and the carelesse burying it in fleshly recreations He cryes out vpon his purity and defies it and sayes too much Religion hath made him madde If the Lazie Phlegmaticke heare the right Christian cry aloud to the sleeper in security Away thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead if hee see him painfull in studie abstinent in fasting not slothfull in seruice but zealous to good workes angry with Sinners and reprouing them for their amendment he accounts him a busi-body one that hates his owne quietnesse and hee sayth as Acts 17.6 These men that haue turned the World vp-side downe are come hither also Lastly your melancholy man he is angry also with the Communion of Saints with the Physicians beeing among the sicke with the peace of the godly if their Coates bee not all of one fashion or if one haue a dust on his Coate which the other hath not He condemnes the spirituall man for being at Feasts of Loue for drinking a little Wine though hee haue an infirmity in his stomacke and hee is angry with any visible glory of the visible Church If the true Christian receiue any preferment he holds him a Demas and one that hath forsaken Paul and hath imbraced the World and if hee conuerse with any that are lesse hide-bound then himselfe though perchance more honest hee takes him for a Formalist and a Time pleaser So the spirituall man scapes not his blowes neyther and thus hee is beaten of all sides But though this to many be a great disheartning to bee as Ieremy a man against all men and all men against him yet to the Children of Wisdome it is a Testimoniall and incouragement That is indeed true Wisdome which is contrary to the corruption of all humours and by reason of this contrariety is refused of all both piping merily and mourning dolefully Carnall mirth hateth spirituall sadnesse and carnall sadnesse hateth spirituall mirth yet the wisedome of of the Spirit is still true Wisedome euen the Wisedome of God and is iustified still both by the Father and the Children Therefore stand thou strong in the path of the Spirit and let this opposition on all sides bee vnto thee a testimony and approbation that thou art on no side but in the midst Thy businesse is to turne neyther to the right hand nor to the left though terrours assayle thee both on the right and on the left keepe thou the narrow way of Verity that leadeth to Eternity Thou art going to Canaan looke aswell for vnkindnesse of thy Cousin the Edomite a seeming professor as of thy Enemy the prophane Amalakite Thou artfighting a good fight for the Crowne of Righteousnesse expect to be in perils not only by Robbers but in perils by false Brethren the Crowne when it comes will pay for all Lastly I note one Combate of the flesh yet seeming to bee of the Spirit and that is the Combate betweene Zeale and Discretion A Combate I confesse which I grieue to speake of for it is the falling out of Brethren or rather of Man and Wife I had much rather to contemplate how blessed is the Marriage and vnity of these two and how faire and beautifull is their issue Surely the fruits of this Vnion are farre more glorious then the Apples of Gold with Pictures of Siluer For it is the absolutenesse of each holy Worke when it is fashioned by the Zeale of
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