Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A50414
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A sermon against false prophets preached in St. Maries Church in Oxford, shortly after the surrender of that garrison / by Iasper Maine ...
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Mayne, Jasper, 1604-1672.
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1647
(1647)
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Wing M1474; ESTC R6997
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24,686
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32
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speaks in his Meteors Fires which shine onely to lead Travellers out of the way Once more put the case that the Priest should have usurped the Throne and Mercy-seat of God and when the people came to enquire should have placed himselfe between the Cherubins and should from thence have uttered such false pleasing Oracles as he knew would most suite and comply with the humour and Interest of the Inquirers Had not this been most insolently to thrust himselfe into the place of God and for that time to depose him from his 〈◊〉 or holy Place and to assume his businesse and peculiar Office to himselfe Nay had not this been the way in time to draw the same bad report upon him which once passed upon the Oracle at Delphos Apud Apollinem ut mihi videtur mendacia eâ—…untur men paid for lyes at Delphos and sacrificed to Apollo to be cozened and deceived That this was the sinne of these Prophets here in the Text is evident from the words of it and from their coherence with the rest of the Chapter Who as if they had entred into the same secret compact with God as they had with their other Complotters of those times made no other use of their profession but onely to humour great men and to make Sale and Gaine of their Prophecies Enthusiasmes and Visions and Dreames and Revelations were uttered as some Mâ—…chanick men utter their Commoâ—…ities to him that would give most The Sanctuarie in plaine termes was made a place of Merchandize onely the VVare was Spirituall And the difference between Simon Magus's bargaine with the Apostles and the Bargaine here in the Text was onely this that here both parties consented The one sinisterly bought the othâ—…r sinisterly sold the holy Ghost An offence my Brethren so directly against the Truth and â—…eracity and Majesty of God so neere â—…if not out-right that never to be pardoned sin against the holy Ghost that I am sorry I must say that all the dâ—…fence that can be made for it is that our 〈◊〉 have brought forth prophets who have taken the same course For now as if the Scripture were in a perverse preposterouâ—…sense the second timâ—… to be fulfilled that the Foolish things of the world shall confound the wise and that lyes and fictions and things that are not shall bring to nought Realities and Truths and things that are he is not onely thought to be the holiest man who can lye most in a holy Cause but he thrives best and makes the best spirituall Markets who most belyes God to his Glorie To what unweighed aâ—…ry scruples and vanities is he entitled How is his Scripture for want of learning to understand it aright abused and made the bellowes to blow a fire fit rather to be quencht by the repentance and teares of the Incendiaries and feeders of it How many are there who daily urge text for Bloud-shed and undertake to prove the slaughter of their Brethren I had almost said of their lawfull Prince and Soveraigne too warrantable by the VVord of God What bold Libell or Pamphlet hath not for some yeares railed in a holy style And what Sermons have not been spiced with a a holy sedition Hath it not even to the ruine of one of the most flourishing Kingdomes of the world beene made a piece of Religion to divide it against it self to divorce a King from his People and his people from their peace Have not men been taught that they cannot give God his due if they give Caesar his And that the onely way left to preserve in themselves the grace and favour of the one is quite to deface and blot out the image and superscription of the other And have not the Teachers of these strange unchristian Doctrines delivered them to the people in the holy stile of Prophets Have they not called a most unnaturall civill VVar the burden of the Lord Have they not quite inverted the injunction of the Apostle and turning his affirmative into their negative have they not directly contrary to his word said Thus saith the Lord honour not the King My brethren let me speake freely to you as in the presence of God who knowes that I hate the sinne of these Prophets here in the Text too much to flatter Or if I would be so irreligiously servile you your selves know that the present condition of things is at too low an ebbe for me or any man else to hope to thrive by such a false Engine If there be such a thing as a VVaking providence over the actions of men wich I confesse an unresolved man in such irregular times as these might be tempted to question or if there bee such a thing in nature as Truth with a promise annext to it by the God of Truth that first or last it shall prevaile unlesse by a timely and seasonable repentance of their abuse of the Name of God and of their many bold reproaches throwne upon his Annoynted they divert their punishment Something me thinks whispers to me I dare not be so confident of my owne infallible sanctity as to call it the Spirit of God but something whispers to me and bids mee in the Prophet Ezechiels words in another place Prophecie against these Prophets and say * VVee to the foolish Prophets who have followed their owne spirit and have seen nothing Because with lies they have made the heart of the Righteous sad whom the Lord hath not made sad and have strengthned the hands of the wicked that he should not returne from his evill way Or if this will not awake them but that they will still be guilty of the sinne of these Prophets here in the Text they must not take it ill if not I but the holy Ghost which they so much â—…oast of by whom they so confidently pretend to speake passe this sad sentence on them and their complyers by the mouth of two other Prophets 1. As for their complyers if any such there have been who have said to the * Seers See not and to the Prophets Prophecie not unto us right things but speake to us smooth things Prophecie deceit let them heare with trembling what the Prophet Esay sayes in his 30. Chapter at the 12. and 13. Verses Because sayes he ye despise my word and trust in oppression and perversenesse and stay thereon Therefore thus saith the holy one of Israel This iniquity shall bee to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out in a high wall whose breaking commeth suddenly at an instant The meaning of which propheticall judgement will be easily understood of any who shall consideringly marke the beginning and progresse of the Chapter to the context where 't is uttered and denounced Next as for the Prophets themselves who for poore low earthly interests and respects have suffered themselves to be mis-led let them with confusion of face heare what the Prophet Jeremy sayes in the 23 Chapter at the 32. verse A place no lesse remarkable
the prey the other gave a Blessing to it The one destroyed Soules the other excused the Murder The one committed Sacrilege the other made it Plaâ—…sible Or if you will have me expresse my selfe to the true Historicall Importance of this Text the one grinded the faces of the poore and polluted themselves both with private and and publique Oppressions the other gilded and palliated and veyled and dawbed them Complanabant sayes one Gypsabant sayes another Translation The Prophets did smooth and sleek and put a faire crust upon them The words are diverse but have all one Sense For first whether we expresse their palliation of Sinnes by dawbing which is the word here used by our English Translators and answers to Saint Jeromes Obliniebant in the Latine and the Septuagint {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in the Greeke 't is a Word if a learned Interpreter well skill'd in the Originall have not deceived me taken from those who deale in Oyntments And the meaning of the place is That as some skill'd in such Confections have at times been hired to disguise deadly Receipts in fragrant Smels and so have coâ—…veyed poison in a perfume and cloathed Death in the Breath and Ayre of an Odoriferous Sent so these Prophets here in the Text among the other Abuses of their Calling changed one of Solomons best Proverbs into one of the worst Compliances Which was that by the Opinion of their Holinesle among the people they made some mens Ill names passe as 't is there said of Good like a pretious Oyntment powred forth Perfumes and Odours were put upon Ambition and Avarice And Gods Lawes were a while taught to forget their stile And those Commandements were made most to defend the men who did most violate transgresse and break them Or next whether we use the word sleeke 〈◊〉 smooth 't is a word taken from those who use the poliâ—…hing toole or file And the meaning of the place will be That as such Artifiâ—…ers doe ordinarily fileâ—…ude rough mishapen matters into decent figures and foâ—…mes and by the Repetition of their instrument and application of it artificially to the same place doe raise a Glasse and Lustre there where there was before onely a deformity and shade so these Prophets dealt with the publick Sins of their times Rapines and Oppressions were filed and polisht into the soster names of just levyes and supplyes Murthers also and Bloud-sheds together with the Cries of Widdowes and Teares of Orphans were smooth'd and glazed into the milder appearances perhaps of publique Utility necessity of State In briefe these Prophets here in the Text dealt with some mens vices as the Philospher would have us deale with ouâ—…Affections transformed and wrought them into Ornaments and vertues Or lastly whether we use the word Gypsabant 't is a word taken from those who deale in playster And the meaning of the place will be That as such Artificers by laying a new Crust upon old Decayes doe many times make a falling building seem strong and to the certaine danger of the dweller doe so veile and cover aged Walls as to disguise Rottennesse and make a ruine seem habitable So these Prophets dealt with the sinnes of their times They whited Sepulchers and adorned Rottennesse and putrefaction Wicked designes had a faire crust put upon them And ruinous projects were supported with splendid holy Colours If you will have mee speak more home to the minde of the Text some ambitious men built Houses on the Sand and some flattering servile Prophets dawbed them with weake untempered morter Which discovers to us the frailty and unsâ—…undnesse of all such proceedings as are not built upon Justice or Truth those two immoveable Rocks of the Scripture And leads us on to the next part of the Text For the clearer understanding and interpretation of which words it will be necessary that I once more briefely reconcile the severall Translations of them That which we in English doe read untempered morter a very Classicall Interpreter of the Bible reads thus Prophetae ejus linebant eos insulso Her Prophets have dawbed them with a thing which is insipid or which hath no salt in it From whence some have made this exposition of the place That though the thing with which these Prophets disguised the foule actions of their times were Holinesse and Religion and though it be true that we may say of Religion as Christ said of the Teachers of it that it is the salt of the world yet this salt sprinkled upon forbidden enterprizes leaves off to be salt and loseth its savour To speak yet more plainly to you Holinesse it selfe applyed to wicked designes leaves off to be Holinesse And they who put sanctity to that vile use to serve onely as the paint to make the unlawfull projects of others seem faire adde thus much guilt of their owne to the others that they turne Religion it selfe into their crime And I may confidently say that they had beene much more innocent if in such forbidden cases they had beene lesse holy Saint Jerome translates the words thus Propheta obliniâ—…bant eos absque temperamento The Prophets dawbed them with a thing which would not piece or unite or make a mixture From whence some have given this Interpretation of the place That however religious pretences may be found out to mâ—…sk irreligious deeds and however Holinesse may be made the verâ—…lion to impiety yet there can never such a mixture or composition passe between them that it shall cease to be Impiety because it hath piety joyned to it But rather as gilt upon false coine makes it so much the more counterfeit or as Tinne silver'd over is so much the more Treason because 't is silver'd over and Copper so much the more deserves hanging because it weares the Kings Image and the Inscription on it is written in golden Letters So 't is with bad actions silver'd over with Religion they are so farre from becomming good that they double their iniquity and become so much the more counterfeit And as the spirit of Delusion is so much the more the spirit of Delusion when hee transformes himselfe into an Angel of Light so foule projects are never fouler then when there is a glory and lustre put upon them In all such disproportioned Commixtures where the worâ—…e is sure to vitiate and corrupt the better we may not onely ask the Question What agreement there can be betweene light and darknesse or what fellowship Christ can have with Belial but we may boldly pronounce that light thus joyned with darknesse loseth its rayes and becomes darknesse And that Christ thus joyned and matcht with Bâ—…lial degenerates into a Deceiver and becomes Belâ—…al too The third and last translation of this place which our English Translators have followed is that of Vatablus who renders the words thus 〈◊〉 ejus linâ—…bant eos Into infirmâ—… Her Prophets that is the Prophets of Jerusalem have dawbed them with infirme