Father Father I know them not Christ will neither know them nor any of their religious Acts nor acknowledge any thing they have done for him As the Psalmist speaks of dead men They are forgotten and out of mind and their place shall be known no more so it is with such as shall condemn wisdom and deny Christ when they shall cry Lord Lord have we not done this He will be ashamed of such as call him Lord before his Father Chrysostome on that place I know you not said he had rather be stricken through with a thousand thunderbolts than to hear Christ say I know you not Christ will not own any good work or good duty of theirs who have condemned or denied him and his ways all their prayers shall be forgotten as if they had never prayed yea all their duties shall but aggravate their torment he will say to his Father Give double torment to those that have condemned wisdom and yet prayed to Thee in my name 5. Christ will accuse them before his Father These are the persons that would not feed me when I was hungry that when I was thirsty would give me no drink that being a stranger took me not in that when I was naked Matt. 25.40 41. cloathed me not that when I was sick and in prison visited me not these are the men that did basely condemn my ways and shamefully deny me before such and such men This is Judas that betrayed me into the hands of the Jews These are the persons that by their cowardise or covetousness betrayed my truth my worship my religion into the hands of sinners Brethren I know you abhor Judas his fact and would not for a world stand in Judas his coat before God at the day of Judgement Let me tell you to betray the truth of Christ to condemn true wisdom will be reputed as great a sin in that day Nay Christ will not only accuse such but he wil cast them out of his presence and destroy them before the blessed presence of his father he will cast them out from the presence and from communion with Angels and Saints into hell torments Depart ye cursed of God and Christ ye that condemned Religion Depart ye cursed of Angels and of your own Consciences into hell torments What is that worm there that never dieth but thy Conscience of denying and condemning Wisdom 6. Consider the hainousness of the fact what a sin it is to condemn Wisdom and Religion In denying Wisdom you deny Christ himself in condemning Religion you condemn him It is his religion his truth his worship his ways which you condemn therefore in condemning these you condemn Christ himself You condemn him whom God the Father hath justified and glorified and witnessed a good confession of him before men This is my well beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased you condemn Christ whom all the Angels adore it is their glory to be his Ministring Spirits in condemning him you condemn the infinite love of God for so God loved the world that he gave his son you deny the Lord of glory the Prince of life the King of Kings the only Saviour You reject the blood of Christ his blood which is more worth than rocks of Pearl than mountains of Gold yea more than if God had given an heaven full of Angels or a world of Creatures for you O what a great sin is it to condemn him who hath bought Thee with his own blood who suffered the wrath of God for us and purchased many glorious priviledges for us To deny or disown a friend that hath been kind and bountiful it is shameful for a Child to deny his Father it is unnatural but for a man to deny or condemn Christ who died for him condemn his redeemer and Saviour it is worse than unnatural if worse can be 7. Look upon the goodness of wisdom A man can have no better than God's truth to maintain and to acknowledge the word of life and salvation no outward means but the Gospel to bring us to Salvation to condemn these we condemn the means of salvation The men of Sodom shall rise up in judgement against the men of Bethsaida the men of Niniveh against the men of Capernaum because they repented at the preaching of Jonas the Bastards of Babylon shall rise up against the daughters of Zion in judgement the Papists shall rise up in judgement against many Protestants for they will not condemn nor betray the Cause of Anti-christ but these men put Christ to open shame and expose the wisdom of God to a world of contempt in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation CHAP. XI An use of exhortation to justifie Wisdom Vse 2 BE exhorted now my Brethren to justifie Wisdom thereby ye shall shew your selves to be the Children of Wisdom stand up in the defence of Christ and religion be not ashamed of him not of his Gospel be ready and willing to suffer any thing for his sake if thou art called thereunto rather die for him a thousand deaths suffer a thousand torments rather than deny him once if ever ye look to have Christ own you to have his Father own you and his holy Angels in all their glory to own you then beware of condemning wisdom plead for his truth justifie wisdom reliove the members of Christ boldly and freely testifie what ye hold and believe in matters of religion constantly affirm this is Christ's Doctrine this is Christ's Religion this and none else is the pure worship of God in Christ Witness a good Confession with your mouths what ye believe in your hearts of Christ and his Doctrine It is not an Arbitrary duty but necessary If an Arian should ask what believest thou concerning Christ Thou must answer I believe him to be very God though all the world were Arian or if a Papist should ask Thee concerning Christ in the Sacrament Thou shouldest answer I believe He is not there bodily Some think it enough if they believe Christ's truth and Religion in their hearts and as for outward affirmation and justification of it in plain words it is rather superfluous at least Arbitrary not necessary No this is not sufficient A man that believeth in his heart his mouth must shew forth his faith If he be perswaded in his heart that this is truth and that is truth he must testifie it in his words As the Apostles they believed in heart that Christ was the Messiah was the Christ and they did confess it with their tongues Thou art Christ the son of the living God This is Jesus the God of glory the Prince of life whom the Jews slew and hanged upon a tree S. Paul did believe the Resurrection and he did justifie the Doctrine of the Resurrection before a whole Council Act. 23.6 Many account it a peice of singular Wisdom either to silence or to dissemble the truth they had rather be accounted Wise and Wicked than Simple and Religious they had
rather be esteemed as Neutral between Christ and Anti-christ than openly to confess and justifie him veritas sâ—lummodo abscondi erubescit truth only is ashamed to be hid If you believe that Religion which you profess you must be ready to justifie it before all the world Be ready to speak for Christ upon all occasions to plead for his Gospel and Worship in all places Our Saviour wheresoever he came would in all companies in all places upon all occasions testifie himself to the people All Paul's preaching and writings were nothing else but a confession and testification of Christ S. Bernard reckoneth the name Jesus to be found five hundred times in Paul's Epistles as who could not speak of Christ sufficiently his Tongue his Pen the Pulpit the Prison the Bar the Judgement hall preached Christ CHAP. XII Of the special seasons when we ought to justifie Wisdom NOw let us consider the special times when we ought to justifie Wisdom 1. When men shall attempt to draw us off from Christ and his Religion then must we justifie wisdom Had we Balak to offer as much to us as to Balaam an house full of Silver and Gold or as the Devil did to Christ all the glory and riches of the world if he would but fall down and worship him so to us if we will fall from Christ our profession his truth and holiness if then we answer from the heart Crucified to these things as Balaam did from the tongue his heart longing after the proffer we will not go beyond the word of the Lord for an house full of Silver and Gold this wonderfully justifies wisdom Such as justifie Christ and Religion do look upon these outward things with contempt and scorn when as men that condemn wisdom look upon them with admiration and affection judging themselves men if they can get these things below When the Emperour Valens offered Basil great preferments telling him what a man he might be Basil answered offer these things to children not to Christians they are but bables in a Christian's esteem So when some bade stop Luther's mouth with preferment one of his Adversaries answered Germana illa Bestia non curat aurum That German Beast careth not for Gold his Spirit was too Divine and Heavenly to be tempted with Gold Earthly hearts would soon have been taken with such offers 2. When wisdom is vilified and Religion is in disgrace contempt or trouble then for a man to stand for Christ and Religion this is a time to justifie wisdom when the more disgrace is cast upon Religion we burn with greater Zeal and love to Christ Shimei and Mephibosheth were both tried in Davids troubles while David was in his prosperity both honored him but when Absalom rebelled and David was fain to flee for safety yet then Mephibosheth sticks close to David and Shimei shewed his false heart railing upon him So long as Christ was working miracles feeding the people miraculously with loaves he was followed and justified by them to be a Prophet or Elias or the Messiah but when Christ was vilified before Pilate and misused then they condemned Christ and cried out Away with him Crucifie him Crucifie him When Religion is at the lowest ebbe clad with disgrace trouble and contempt this is a time for a Christian to justifie wisdom 3. When the truth 's of God are overborn with errors and Adversaries then to stand for the truth oâ— God is to justifie wisdom When we stand resolutely for the least truth of Christ as the Godly Bishops and other holy Martyr's did in Queen Mary's days Quisquiliae veritatis sunt pretiosae that died many of them for truth's of a lesser size so dear was truth unto them Herein the Children of Wisdom do resemble God who prizeth the least tittle of his word as dearer than heaven and earth It was a noble resolution of Skammah he would not suffer the Philistines to have so much as one piece of ground in the land of Israel 2 Sam. 23.11 A resolute Christian that loveth truth will not suffer the enemies of truth to get the least ground of truth uno absurdo dato mille sequuntur Let but one absurdity be granted a thousand will follow The children of wisdom know but one Lord one Faith one Gospel in truth and indeed if any other be obtruded they reject it as spurious Gold cannot endure the least quantity of Latten to be mixed with it nor Silver of Tin No more will truth endure the least mixture with any adulterous wares nor will the children of wisdom take Alchymy for currant Coyn although it bear the Stamp of the King's Image and Superscription If once they discover this Stratagem of Saran or any of his Ministers they will not give place by Subjection or admixtion no not for an hour that the truth may abide with them In this case it was that S. Paul Gal. 2.5 withstood not only those of the Circumcision but even the holy Apostle Peter and that to his face who though free from errour in Doctrine yet gave offence by his practice in favour of the Jewish Ceremonies and went not with a right foot according to the truth of the Gospel but admitted those obsolete Rites to approach too near it A little chink in a ship may let in water enough to sink a Ship of a thousand Tun so if heresie get in never so little within the Ship of the Church it may soon sink it into the Sea of Errour If Charles Martel and Pipin his Son be admitted to steer with the Kings of France they want but the Popes title or a New coyn'd distinction to get an absolute Soveraignty so the unsound Christian knows if he can but introduce a companion that will prove a Rival that in the end will thrust truth out of doors 4. When Christ and Religion is forsaken by the greater multitude in the world yea within the verge of the Church then is a time to justifie wisdom Religion in its purity is condemned by the most as humorous factious as a singular way Now for a man to Swim against the strong stream of the multitude to walk in the way of Religion though he walk alone without Company this is a time to justifie wisdom Thus one Elijah justified God and his worship against a whole Kingdom of Idolaters one Micajah against four hundred false Prophets Christ and his Apostles withstood the whole Jewish Synagogue VVhen the multitude go against Christ he looketh that his Disciples should go against them If the multitude be profane they must be strict and not live according to the course of the world If the multitude of the Jews follow the traditions of the Elders the Apostles must follow the Rule of God's word VVe are not to follow the multitude but to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth the multitude leads to hell Shall we follow them It is for beasts to follow the herd for an Hog to follow the herd of Swine for
apparel was as the ordinary sort of peoples was he went to a feast at Matthew's house and dined with Simon the Pharisee he went also to a marriage at Cana in Galilee at which feasts men are most merry 3. Christ did much differ from John in his Preaching and reproving sin The Son of man was a Son of consolation I am come saith he to save sinners to seek and save that which was lost Son be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee He came to preach mercy righteousness and salvation to allure and with a gentle hand to draw men from sin to holiness likewise in his reproofs he was more mild and sweet than John was he had mild severity in his reprehensions this was Christs piping and dancing his sweet and gracious way to win men to himself But did the Scribes and Pharisees dance after Christ's pipe See how blasphemously they miscalled him they say Behold a man gluttonous a Wine-bibber a Friend of Publicans and sinners 1 Such a one as did allow men in such riotous courses a soothing flatterer of ungodly men for so the word Friend is here to be understood a Friend of Publicans and sinners CHAP. II. From hence I shall draw divers conclusions 1 THat Christ useth divers means and worketh after divers manners to convert and save untoward stubborn perverse sinners he pipeth and danceth this is for mercy he hath compassion on us under our miseries and sinful infirmities he mourneth and lamenteth and denounceth judgements against the obstinate sinner sometimes he makes use of the whip of the Law as Christ came into the Temple with Whip-cords Sometimes he strives to allure and draw men with the cords of Love he becometh all things to us he doth apply himself as it were to the crooked conditions of stubborn sinners to draw them to himself 2. Hence ye may note the variety of gifts in Ministers for the conversion and edification of men Some are Boanerges like John Baptist some Barnabas's like Jesus and both for the Salvation of men's souls As God did furnish Bezaleel and Aholiab with skill and wisdom for the building of the material Temple Exod. 35.30 c. So likewise in raising up Instruments for the service of his Church he furnisheth men with diversities of gifts for the same for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery and for the edifying of the body of Christ 3. Note the horrible perversness of men in making ill constructions of Gods using various means for their good they disgrace the preaching of the Law and abuse the preaching of the Gospel and so by their own wilful corruption do more ensnare themselves in their infidelity and impenitency therefore wicked men shall be their own judges how just God is in their damnation and they left inexcusable I come now to the words of the Text. But wisdom is justified of her children As if he should have said neitheir John's mourning nor piping is altogether in vain though the Scribes in their obstinacy reject the wisdom of God and will neither dance nor mourn Though wicked men stubbornly defame and disgrace Christ in his truth and ordinances and bring up an evil report upon the ways of Religion and Holiness yet there are some poor Publicans and sinners that dance after Christ's piping and lament after John's mourning such as receive and entertain wisdom that stand for Religion that justifie God in his truths and ordinances by faith and obedience Wisdom is justified of her Children CHAP. III. SECT I. The main conclusion which I shall draw from these words and which I shall insistion is this THat there are some that justifie wisdom in the worst of times Observ Before I shew how they do thus justifie wisdom I must enquire 1. What is meant by Wisdom 2. What by Justifying 3. Who are the Children of Wisdom I. We are to enquire what is here meant by Wisdom 1. By wisdom some understand Divine Providence it is confessed that the Wisdom of God is admirable in all his Providential Transactions but no ground appeareth from the context that this can be the meaning of Wisdom in this place 2. By Wisdome some understand Christ himself who is called the Wisdom of the Father and in whom are hid all the treasures of Wisdom Colos 2.3 The Scribes and Pharisees looked upon Christ as an unlearned man as a simple Carpenters Son believers looked on him as their treasure of Wisdom they embraced him as the Messiah 3. By wisdom some understand God's purpose and Counsel of saving man by Jesus Christ and this is called the Wisdom of God 1 Cor. 2.6 Howbeit we speak Wisdom among them that are perfect c. We speak the Wisdom of God in a Mystery even the hidden Wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory vers 7. None but the Infinite Wisdom of God could find out this way for the Salvation of Man-kind 4. Others by Wisdom understand true Religion the external means of Salvation and of Faith in Christ as the Preaching of the Gospel the use of the Sacraments and all the ways and courses which God useth for the conversion of men to Christ as the preaching of the Law the preaching of the Gospel c. Some men are pleased in having the terrours of the Law preached to them therefore he provideth a John to preach that and he must mourn others are pleased with the preaching of mercy of Free-grace therefore God sent his Son Some are are pleased with an austere life God therefore gave austerity of life to John others again delight in popularity and familiar converse Christ is very affable and familiar God sets up mourning set up dancing and both to bring men to Repentance That you may see this is the meaning of wisdom in this place consult Luk. 7.29 And all the people that heard Christ and the Publicans justified God being baptized with the baptism of John vers 30. But the Pharisees and Lawyers rejected the Counsel of God against themselves being not baptized of him They rejected 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Counsel of God determining to save by his Word and Ordinances and then followeth this very Parable and similitude mentioned before my Text in Matthew And the Lord said Whereunto shall I liken the men of this generation and to what are they like They are like unto Children sitting in the market place and calling one to another and saying we have piped unto you and ye have not danced we have mourned to you and ye have not wept for John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine and ye say he hath a Devil The Son of man is come eating and drinking and ye say Behold a Gluttonous man and a Wine-bibber a friend of Publicans and sinners But Wisdom is justified of her Children The Scribes and Pharisees rejected the external means of salvation counted the preaching of Christ foolishness would not be baptized but many Publicans and sinners
hearts and lives This is to justifie God his image his holiness to justifie Christ in his members in owning them we own Christ as it was said of Lot in entertaining of strangers he entertained Angels into his house so in loving honouring delighting in Gods people for holiness sake we do it to Christ himself When men are ashamed of Paul the Prisoner of Christ when men regard not holiness nor esteem of men for their spiritual worth but deal with them as the malitious Pharisees with Christs Disciples cast them out of their Synagogues for believing in Christ this is not to justifie but to condemn and deny Christ in his members Scaliger tells us of a tree unto which when a man cometh ramos constringit it closeth her leaves and branches but when he departeth ramos pandit then it opeâ—eth her leaves and branches Many men are like this tree when godly men who have the reproach of Christ upon them come neer them and do desire their favour and help and their conditions be made known to them they shrink up themselves and are inwardly vexed counting it a disgrace to have such come neer them but when they are gone they begin to be pleasant This is an adulterous generation that are afraid to justisie Christ in his members so would they do even to Christ himself 4. We justifie wisdom when we live according to the Power and Putity of that Religion we Profess when our lives are a Grace or Ornament to Religion when we live according to those things we believe and make open profession to the world we do believe them we profess our selves to be the members of Christ let us justifie Christ our Head by our obedience to him we profess our selves the Spouse of Christ let our conversations justifie Christ our Husband we profess our selves the Sons of God let us justifie him to be our Father in all Holiness and Purity his Image in us must justifie it We profess Religion let us justifie Religion by expressing the Power of it in our lives and conversations that we may cleer Religion from the false imputations and slanders which the enemies of Religion and godliness cast upon it You know how apt the world is to blame Religion they are ready to say and do say none are worse than Professours of Religion their Religion is nothing but words and shews and empty forms we had rather deal with Papists or with any other than with these men they are so unconscâ—onable the world is full of those slanders let us justifie our Religion by walking as becometh the Gospel It is not our duties that do so much justifie Religion but it is our holy just pure unblameable and fruitful conversation this justifies our Religion and Christ by it this makes men to Justifie us and say God is in them of a truth it makes the Christian Religion lovely and beautiful even in the eyes of the profane If our Religion be only in words in duties in outward forms we condemn Religion and condemn Christ and Justifie the slanders which the wicked Rabble do cast upon the profession of Christianity 5. We justifie wisdom in justifying God in all his Divine-truths in his commands by pure and entire obedience to all as well as to any one command we condemn God in disobeying but one command in his promises by cleaving to God even then when to present sense Gods Providences seem to cross his promises we justifie Gods faithfulness and truth in his word in his thre tenings when we tremble at his word we justifie Gods justice in truths concerning hell when we leave such courses as hurry men thither we justifie God in truths concerning heaven by setting our faces hearts and courses upon and toward heaven in his truth concerning the day of judgement by loving and looking for the appearing of Christ when in all these we live as men that do believe there is an heaven and hell death and judgement to come but the children of disobedience do belye God in these things CHAP. VI. MOreover the Children of wisdom do justifie wisdom in the worst of times the children of this world take Religion to farm they will be tenants at their own will not at their Lord's they will hold it no longer than themselves please and throw up all in a bad year and when they think their bargain too hard they lay the key under the door go their way and leave their Lord to go look his rent when persecution ariseth because of the word by and by they are offended and in time of such temptation they fall away Matth. 13.21 But to the children of wisdom Religion is their Free-hold their Fee-simple a purchase bought even of Christ himself who hath a good title and will not deceive the purchaser but though in the opinion of a worldling he sells dear yet such a peny worth as he that knows the worth of it will part with all that he hath for it rather than go without it When Christ and Religion are in a triumphing posture then will worldly professours take branches of Palm-trees and go forth to meet Christ and with the multitude cry Hosanna to the son of David Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest but if once they find Christ to be apprehended and led away to the High-priests Palace and there to be spit on in his face and buffetted they will with Peter deny him and say we know not the man and if this be not enough they will bind it with an oath that the world may be satisfied they are none oâ— his company but the children of wisdom do receive the Gospel with much affliction If the Gospel be in a suffering condition they will be partakers of the afflictions of the Gospel according to the power of God 2 Tim. 1.8 when they took up Religion they were resolved that some trouble would meet them in that way and will now stick to it though they lose all that they have for it The Religion of worldlings is as the dew which is but sudor terrae the earths cold sweat that is soon licked up the Religion of the true Christian is as rain from heaven that sticks by the earth the one wets not a fleece the other watereth the ground the one serveth only for frogs snails and Grashoppers the other soketh the root and maketh it to bring forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed and receiveth a blessing from God Heb. 6.7 CHAP. VII The Reasons of the point 1 TAking wisdom for Gods way of Salvation in and through Christ there is great wisdom to justifie this Reas 1. Because the only wise God hath thought this to be the only way and means of Salvation The way of God is of all ways the most justifiable in the wisdom of God there is not the least shadow of folly Gods wisdom yea the whole glory of God cannot appear in any way more than in
Religion and holiness that they so slightly esteem it as unpleasant and unprofitable If there were folly in Wisdom if any thing unworthy a mans praise imitation love and liking there were some shew of Shrinking from it but who can charge the wisdom of God with folly who can espy spots or darkness in the Sun who can espy blame in Gods holiness or errour in his most glorious truth The Ephesians could stand for their Diana the Philistines for Baal zebub the God of Ekron wicked men can stand for their Lusts Worldlings for Mammon Hereticks can stand for their Errours and shall God have none in all the world to stand for him and justifie heavenly Wisdom CHAP. IX Use 1 THe first use of this point may be for terrour to all Pharisaical and other profane persons who condemn the wisdom of God himself preferring their own folly their lusts and ways above the wisdom of the only wise God their own righteousness above the righteousness of Christ himself Was there ever such an impiety heard of that men should sit like Judges and condemn God the the just Judge of all the world Christ the merciful Saviour the Holiness and Religion of Christ Innocence it self Here I will shew how moral and profane men do condemn wisdom 1. When men justifie themselves by their good works their civility their legal righteousness The Scribes and Pharisees were the Peevish Children that would neither dance nor mourn after John and Christ these did and all Moral men do condemn the wisdom of God in saving man by the righteousness of Jesus Christ this is to depose Christ and to set the Crown of Salvation upon their heads making themselves their own Saviours their menstruous clothes more glorious than the Robe of Christs righteousness their fig-leaves more than the garments of salvation which God hath made for them and put Christ out of his Office making a Christ of themselves what blaspemy is it of the Papists who place the Virgin Mary above Christ and most blasphemously pray to her to command her Son to do this or that for them Thou Mother of God command thy Son to hear me There is the like blasphemy found in the hearts of all civil moral men they do place their righteousness above Christs righteousness as if that should command God to open the gates of righteousness that they may enter in thereat O vain men be proud of your own folly and wrap your selves up in your rags and build as high a tower of duties as you can and lay stone upon stone duty upon duty good work upon good work the day is coming when God will justifie this wisdom and tumble you headlong O ye self-justitiaries with all your righteousness into hell your Tower of duties will be but a Babel of eternal confusion and not one stone not one duty shall be left upon another that shall not be a very abomination of desolation 2. We condemn wisdom when we backslide from our professed Religion abjure Christ in his truth set up errour instead of truth or follow profaness and embrace the world in stead of holiness and embracing Christ Is not this a justifying of profaness a justifying of errour and of the world and a condemning of Christ's Religion truth and holiness Now consider 1. This is an upbraiding of Christ as if he were not bountiful enough to engage the hearts of men to follow him as if Great Diana of the Ephesians were far more excellent than the Lord or the Jews Queen of Heaven were better than the blessed God of Heaven 2. It is an upbraiding of his truth as if the traditions of Scribes and Pharisees the vain janglings and disputes and errours of corrupt minds were better than the Oracles of God and the Counsels of God displayed in his word in justifying the errours and traditions of men what do we but condemn the Wisdom of God for foolishness it self yea my Brethren Backsliders do the greatest mischief in the world they do not only condemn Christ and Religion themselves but as the Scribes and Pharisees did suborn false witnesses to accuse him So backsliders do suborn others to condemn Christ and Religion they harden their hearts against Christ and his ways There are many in hell perhaps O Thou backslider that curse thee for their condemnation they had not spoken evil of Religion nor condemned godliness as they did had it not been for thy Apostacy 3. We condemn Christ when we will not suffer him to rule and reign over us as King and Lord when we draw away our neck from the yoke of his holy and righteous Law We put a Kingly Crown upon the head of Christ when we obey him and suffer our whole man to be ruled by his Spirit according to his word but disobedience is a deposing of Christ a depriving him of his Kingly Crown VVe will have no King but Caesar said the wicked Jews when Pilate condemned Christ to die and profane men cry we will have no King but our Lusts or the Devil rather our Lusts are his Law our fulfilling them is subjection and obedience to him Oh how many are there that perform one part of obedience to God and think that enough If they have some shew of godliness it is without justice and honesty they have no care of their word and promise if they have honesty it is without piety they make no conscience of prayer in their closet nor in their family they can dispence with it a week a month or two perhaps together if they have any good desires and purposes they come to nothing Whence that saying There are more good purposes in Hell than in heaven not as framed there but as carried thither for want of being effected upon earth Are there not many that are superficially good but really evil Abel and Cain both Sacrificed and both to the same God the Publican and the Pharisee both did the same Act they prayed and in the same place the Temple and to the same Lord yet was Cain rejected and the Pharisee not justified because though they performed the same act yet not with the same heart and will 4. A scandalous profession of Religion is a condemning of wisdom a scandalous conversation gives not only a lie to our profession but also it justifieth the foul aspersions which wicked men cast in the face of Religion and the Professours of it Strictness of Religion is termed by profane men hypocrisie It is said of Davids gross sins that he caused the enemies of God to blaspheme thus doth every loose professour he causeth the way of God to be evil spoken of Religion is ill reported of for his sake Chrysostom hath a comparison If an Oratour make an ill speech or an Artificer a bad piece of work Men will not condemn Rhetorick for his Duncery nor Art for the Workmans want of skill But it is otherwise in Religion if professours live ill then men presently blame religion as if that were
the cause of lewdness Salvian lib. 4. brings in the heathen thus railing upon Christ for the wickedness of those that professed themselves to be Christians Sanctaâ—ab illis fierent si Sancta Christus docuisset Lo what manner of men they be that worship Christ it is false that they have a good Law as they say they have for if their Master taught them well they would live holily if they learned good things themselves would be good doubtless such is the Sect as are the Sectators and followers of it A little after he brings in the Pagans thus speaking Vide Christianos c. Look upon the Christians see what they do and by that you may easily know what Christ their Master teacheth them By this we may collect how ill the bad lives of Christians made Pagans judge of the Christian Religion and by consequent what a shadow the evil conversation of professours may occasionally cast upon their profession though in it self never so pure and glorious So then when wicked men do blaspheme God by reason of your flagitious and filthy lives you defame the Christian name and are the occasion of their horrible blasphemy Moreover hereby you give the wicked occasion to condemn all the godly they are all so is the worlds Logick hereby also you block up the way and keep off others from the profession hardning and justifying the wicked in their sins 5. Men condemn wisdom when they draw Arguments from outward blessings that God approveth of their courses which his word condemneth As Leah called her fifth son Issachar as a reward from God for giving her maid to her husband Genes 30.18 So these men take wealth and honour too kindly from God abusing both his patience and bounty by looking upon them as a reward of their wickedness and bless God for that for which they are indebted to the Devil Thus when through covetousness the shepherds of Israel made Merchandise of the flock of the slaughter slaying them yet not holding themselves guilty they sold them and said Blessed be the Lord for I am rich Zech. 11.4 5. As impious Domitian thought the gods favoured Sacriledge because he had such a good gale of wind and weather after he had robbed their temples so these men think God likes well enough of prosperous wickedness because he doth not presently avenge it 6. When men bear themselves upon their civil behaviour in opposition to religion they condemn wisdom It is pity so fine a thing and in these days so rare a thing as Civility should be so much abused as we should have occasion to find-fault with it But by experience we find that even Civility the counterfeit of grace hath given occasion to profaness to rise up in arms against Religion This is dangerous both to the Civil man himself and to others To himself because he useth it as a strong fence to ward off religion he justifieth himself and condemneth true wisdom because he seeth not that black outside in himself which perhaps is visible in some professours of religion And because he seemeth neer to the Kingdom of God he never careth to come to it being like a parallel line that keepeth a scantling with the way of wisdom but never meeteth with it It is dangerous to others because as one well noteth he objecteth himself as a Paragon to the view of the world to pull down the price of true wisdom Thus as the Egyptian sorcerers by counterfeiting the miraculous works of God hardened the heart of Pharaoh so the meer civil man by some resemblances of good actions without holiness is an occasion that many do contomn true wisdom and condemn the generation of Gods Children These are the days wherein civil and moral men do justifie themselves because though they be not really good yet comparatively and in their own eye especially they are less evil than many professours But proud Moralists are either ignorant of or else they disdainfully overlook those choyce excellencies that are in the Children of Wisdom and therefore if they are not Atheists in profession which giveth a large scope to worldly wisdom they encline to Popery which puts on a garb of Ceremonious gravity but never troubleth the Conscience with the power of true wisdom Such a kind of religion as this may make him carry the fruits of the land of promise upon a dry staff as the Spies did but never to bear them from a living root CHAP. X. Now let us consider the aggravations of this sin of condemning wisdom any manner of way 1 BY condemning the wisdom of God in Christ you make the wisdom of God who is only wise to be foolishness as if you could have found out a better way then of Salvation by Jesus Christ You vilifie the infinite merits righteousness and sufferings of Christ an infinite Saviour as if your prayers and negative holiness were of more merit than Christ yea you play Pilate you set in judgement and condemn Christ 2. In condemning true wisdom and holiness you condemn your own happiness for holiness is the way to happiness you condemn your life your comforts your grace your glory your redemption your adoption your own souls 3. Ye that condemn Wisdom you shall be condemned in your own Consciences thus it was with Judas and thus it was with Spira after he had been at Mass and read his abjuration of the truth he thought he heard a direful voice speaking to him in these words Thou wicked wretch Thou hast denied me Thou hast renounced the Covenant of thy obedience hast broken thy vow hear Apostate bear with thee the sentence of thine eternal damnation What was this but the dreadful voice of his accusing Conscience for denying Christ and condemning Wisdom With what horrours griefs impenitency and despair are their souls filled that deny Christ and condemn religion they are no other than men living in hell What tongue can express the inward horrours of Judas for betraying Christ What the High-priest said to him the same did his conscience did God say to him so that out of a cursed envy of the condition of the damned he hung himself Oh! how doth God many times deny to such persons all hopes of mercy all power to repent to believe that they might be recovered out of that sad condition Thus Spira said of himself My heart now is estranged from God I cannot call him Father all good motions are quite gone my heart is full of hatred and blasphemy against God I grow more and more hardened in heart I cannot believe I cannot Repent I cannot Hope At the time of their death when in the anguish of their souls they shall call for mercy pardon and the salvation of their souls mercy pardon and salvation shall be denied them 4. Christ will not own them before his Father who condemn Christ and his ways though they should scrape acquaintance with him Lord we have prayed prophesied and professed thy name yet he will say to his