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
speech Without which we who now make rationall assemblies and Common-wealths had been only a rude discomposed multitude and Herd of-men Nay without Language to expresse our selves and to associate our selves to one another in Discourse every man had been thus like the first that he had been alone and solitary in the world For where commerce and entercourse and exchange of minds is denyed and where all that passeth between us of men is that we are Alter alteri spectaculum onely a dumbe speechlâ—…sse shew and spectacle to one another meetings and numerous Assemblies are but so many unpeopled Wildernesses and desarts And where all that we enjoy of one anothers company is onely the dull sight and presence every one of us may reckon himselfe single in a full theatrâ—… and crowd As â—…peech then was at first bestowed upon us that we might hold conversation and discourse with one another so there was a Law imposed upon us too that wee should not deceive one another by our â—…ppeech {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 'T is Aristotles definition of speech which hath a piece of commutative Justice iâ—… it Words sayes he are the images of thoughts That is sayes the Divine they alwayes ought or should be so The minde is thereby enabled to walke forth of the Body and to make visits to another separated divided mind Our Soules also assisted by Speech are able to meet and converse and hold entercourse with other Soules Nay you must not wonder at the expression if I say that as God at first conveyed our mâ—…nds and Soules into us by breathing into us the breath of Life so by Speech he hath enabled us as often as we discourse to breath them reciprocally back againe into each other For never man yet spoke Truth to another and heard that other speake Truth back againe to him but for that time the saying of Minutius Felix was fulfilled Crederes duas esse animas in â—…odem corpore there were enterchangeably two â—…ndes in one Body But this as I said before is onely when Truth is spoken Otherwise as the Question was askt of fire Igne quid utilius What more usefull gift did God ever bestow upon us then Fire And yet the same Poet tells us that some have imployed it to burne Houses So we may say of Words Sermone quid utilius What more beâ—…eficiall gift of nature did God ever bestow upon us then Speech 'T is the thing which doth outwardly distinguish us from Beasts and which renders us like the Angels who discourse by the meere Acts and Revelation of their wills transparent and Chrystall to one another But then Speech mis-imployed and put to a deceitfull use may turne Chrystall into Jet And put into a Lye may raise a shade and cloud of Discourse and Obscurity there where there should be onely a Transluccncy and clearenesse In short some men like the Fish which blacks the streame in which it swims and casts an Inke from its bowels to hide it selfe from being seen make Words which were ordained to reveale their Though s disguise them Aâ—…d so like the Father of lies deale with their hearers as â—…e dealt with our first Parents appeare to them not in their owne but in a false and borrowed Shape And thereby make them imbrace an Imposture and Falshood in the figure and Apparence of a Reality and Truth An offence so fit to be banisht out of the World that after I have said that two thus talking and deceitfully mingling Speech are some thing more then Absent to one another After I have said that the lyâ—… is injurious to things as well as persons Which carry the same proportion to our minde as Colours doe to our eyes And have a naturall aptnesse in them to bee understood as they are but are for that time not understood because not rightly represented I must say too that there is injustice done to humane society Since in every untruth that is told and beleeved one mans Lye becomes another mans Error whereby a piece of his naturall Right is taken from him which Right is by the Casuists call'd Judicandi libertas Hee is disabled to make a Right judgement of what he heares His beleefe betraies him And the Speaker thus fallaciously conversing with him is not for that time his companion but his deceiver But when Religion shall be joyned to a lye and when a Falsehood shall be attir'd and cloathed with Holinesse When they whose profession 't is to convey Embassies and Messages and voices from Heaven shall convey onely cheats and delusions and impostures from thence though I cannot much blame the credulity of the Simple who suffer themselves to be thus religiously abused and like men who see Juglers thinke their money best spent where they are best cosened yet certainly the deceivers themselves doe adde this over and above to the sinne of Lying that whereas others hold onely the Truth of things these men hold the Truth of God in unrighteousnâ—…sse And such it seems were these Prophets here in the Text Who the better to comply with the Publique sâ—…nnes of their times did put untruths and falshoods to the same holy use that others did sacred Inspirations and Dreames Fictions the bastard creatures of their owne corrupt fancies were delivered as Prophecies infused into them from Heaven and he who fained most and could lye with the most religious Art was thought to have the greatest measure of the Spirit Prosperous successes were foretold to wicked undertakings and the Prophets dealt with the people as some bold Almanack makers deale with us coyn'd foule or faire weather as they pleased to set the times and then referred it to casualty and chance to come to passe And can I passe over this part of the Text and not say that there have been such Prophets among us in our times Unlesse things should come about againe that the devill should the second time get a Commission to become a lying Spirit in the mouth of the Prophets with a promise from the Almighty that hee should prevaile too were it possible that so much cosenage should so long passe for so much Truth Have we not seene the Prophet Micah's propheticall curse fulfilled upon this Kingdome 'T is in his 2. Chap. at the 11. ver. where he sayes that if a man walking in the Spirit aâ—…d falshood doe lâ—…e he shall be the Prophet of this people Certainly my Brethren when I consider how much Romance how much Gazette how much Legend hath for some yeares past for Sermon When I consider even with teares in my eyes the many false aspersions stuck upon our defamed wronged Vniversity by some who even against the light of their eyes as well as Consciences have charged the Breasts that gave them suck with infected poyson'd milke And have belyed their spotlesse Mother as if she were turned Strumpet or as if 't were grown a place from whence pietie and gifâ—…s and true Religion have long