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
any thing come neer to the worshipper which hath beene knowne to haue drawn the worship aside from God to it selfe And accordingly God in his Iealousie was very carefull that no Image should bee seene in Horeb lest what had beene seene should haue been represented what had been represented should haue beene worshipped But these Men presuming beyond their Maker haue apprehended and condemned this his needlesse Iealousie abandoning all feare in their Horebs euen in the places where the Law is or should be published haue set vp many Images before their ignorant and vntaught people euen â—tumbling blockes before the blind And all the remedie or satisfaction we can haue from them is this that they teach the people a distinction whereby they need not bee Idolaters But to what purpose is this when this distinction is not so vniuersally taught as the Images are seen neyther as before so vniuersally vnderstood neyther if vnderstood so generally followed by reason of Mans corruption which not being limited heretofore by a Diuine Commandement will lesse be limited by a humane Distinction Therefore should these offences bee wholly taken away from the places of worship yea if they were as vsefull as the brazen Serpent it selfe which was the Image of Christ yea for their sakes must let them be taken down for whom they are most set vp euen for the Lay and ignorant people for to these are they intended to giue most instruction and to these being least capable of the distinction they bring most destruction And here as we passe let vs take notice of a great danger in that Mystery of Iniquitie For the Teachers and Masters of that Art pretend at first to make good Christians but they endeuour at last to make ill subiects so that except there be some stop in the Disciples which can hardly bee when the eare is open to all that which the Church teacheth and the Priests are the mouth of the Church it is very hard to stay themselues within the iust bonds of Religion and subiection For if the Popes temporall power ouer Princes be both taught beleeued as it commonly is the more zealous he is that beleeues it the more dangerous hee is to the State where hee liues And lamentable patternes hereof may bee seene since ingenuous and good disposition haue bin Instruments in most barbarous Treasons and particularly in the greatest of all Treasons Thus I haue somewhat delineated the portrature of the Romish Church whereby it may be knowne both what a small Church of God is among them and what a large Synagogue of Satan what Temple of God and what false god sits therein So may wee distinguish betweene the good and the euill not condemning the good for euill neyther louing the euill for the good For such is the crafâ— of the Romish Circumcellions and Proselite makers that they goe about to make men euill by that which is good by the best of their Religion bring men to the worst Accordingly they do very much fish for men to the first sort of Religion by the second and sometimes by the best degree of the second though among the vulgar where the third wil serue they saue the labour of the second Yea many good soules seeing such Holinesse in some of the Workes of that Church as before in the second and third of the second they haue of themselues conueyed themselues into the first and so while they desired to bee made fellow-members of the Saints by vnion they haue with the same become subiects of the Popes Monarchy and so warfared at once to Christ and Antichrist which cannot be but by great losse danger We therfore to whom God hath shewed the deceitfulnesse of these strong Delusions though louing the vertues truthes and persons of those which among them receiue a iustifying and sanctifying Religion yet let vs not for loue of them cast our selues into a yoke of Tyranny Errour and Ignorance neyther for Sions sake thrust our selues into Babylon but rather flye from it It hath pleased Christ the true Head of the Church to set vs free from the counterfeit head and the cruell burdens thereof both spirituall and temporall Let vs therefore stand fast in the libertie wherewith Christ hath freed vs and not returne willingly into the yoke of bondage Whatsoeuer vertue and whatsoeuer Holinesse is among them the same is heere open to vs and with a great aduantage of freedome from abundance of Errours Superstitions and Deceits Now who would be so foolish rather to seeke Corne among a heape of Chaffe then to take it winnowed and clensed And who would seeke Relgion among a heape of Errours when hee may haue one purged and winnowed by the Fanne of Christ euen the breath and Word of God And let this be taken for a certayne truth That if we goe but by a generall experience and without an inquiring of this particular case we may find that in one thousand and fiue hundred yeares any Church will gather rust and mosse and tares For certayne it is that in all that time the Husbandman doth sometimes sleepe and as certainly as the Husbandman sleepes so certainly doth the Enemie sow his Tares The Church of the Iewes before Christ if we giue Rome her owne asking was as very a Church and as infallible a Church as only a Church as the Church of Rome In Iury was God only knowne to them were only committed the Oracles and to them were the promises made yet we see what drosse and Tares grew vpon that Church euen in short returnes and if you will see it do but marke what scouring and clensing fell to the lot of the two good Kings Hezekiah and Iosiah and at last to our Sauiour Christ himselfe who was fayne to sweepe the Temple with a Whip and to smite the Doctors of the Temple euen the Scribes and Pharisies with the rod of his mouth Mat. 5. yet this while the Church of Rome is pure and spotlesse neyther in all these yeares since Christ is there any Errour in their Doctrine But the truth is that she is no other then the Church of Iudea yea of Laodicea She is blind miserable and naked but only shee saith and will haue it said That shee is rich and hath need of nothing She is not without faults but shee will bee without correction Hauing faults she will haue them to bee no faults that where there be no faults there may be no amendment Surely this is the top of the misery of that Church as it is to vs a chiefe Iustification of our departure from them that they haue left themselues no leaue or power of amendment For they haue sealed their errors first vnto them by a Councel the seale of the Popes infallibility being set thereto So are they bound eternally to the loue and defence of their Errours and must still erre that they may not seeme to haue erred But this carnall policie is likely to bee their
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
I doubt was the Disease of Montagne who professeth that hee continued in the Romish Religion because if he left that hee beleeued he should run through all and neuer bee at rest So hee kept that Religion it seemes for his owne sake and not for the goodnesse of the Religion because he would find rest not because hee had found the Truth But much better doe they that by the Spirit imbrace true Religion because by the Spirit they discerne it to be true Such men seeke Truth rather then rest for hauing found Truth they know rest comes in vpon the Bargaine They follow that truth which is followed with rest but they by no meanes will follow that rest which is diuorced from Truth They seeke for Truth and Truth giues them rest but the other seekes for rest though rest hold him in Error So he is resolued to be sure of his rest though he be not sure of his Religion But as this is a Bastard holding of Religion so is it a bastard rest for it is a wrong rest that is grounded on Error and Truth only giueth a true rest By the same reason might a Pagan or Mahometane stablish himselfe in Paganisme and Mahometisme because Custome hath giuen each of them a Restinesse in their Religions But let that man who desireth by a right hand to recâ—â—ue the Truth and from the Truth to receiue rest and with that rest safety from Errour Let him I say lift vp his eyes on high Beccause he hath his Chaire in Heauen who teacheth the hearts on Earth Let them vehemently intreat God that by the Spirit which only knoweth his counsels he will reueale his counsels that by the Spirit which gaue the Word to the Speaker hee will fasten the Word in the Hearers and that by a spirituall and heauenly minde they may discerne and hold Spirituall and Heauenly Truth And this let them doe importunately and vnâ—essantly Importunately both in regard of the weight of the Petition for the very weight of our Saluation lyes on this spirituall receiuing of Religion and in regard of the efficacy of Importunity to which Christ hath promised the holy Ghost Luke 11.8 13. Vncessantly because God may delay thee yet hopeful that he wil not finally deny thee He calleth some at al houres it is to no purpose to goe from him for hee only hath the words of eternall life and hee only can giue them to thee and settle them in thee A second reason of difference in Religion is difference of Complexion for many times that is called a Warre of Religion which is but a War of Complexion And surely pitty it is That the Religion of many or at least the zeale of it is but their Complexion and yet they thinke themselues to excell all others in the zeale of Religion when they doe but exceed them in the heate of Complexion And yet vnder this forged Banner of Religion they combate boldly with other Complexions yea sometimes with the Spirit it selfe the true and only roote of true Religion For indeed it fals out that Complexions being different by their difference they fall into discord and not so only but they are at difference with the Spirit it selfe both because the Spirit is of no Complexion and because the Spirit vpon occasion maketh vse of any Complexion which when it doth it gaines the displeasure of that Complexion which is contrary to that whereof it makes vse So by seuerall turnes euery Complexion combateth with the Spirit in those whose Religion is Complexion and whose Complexions are not commanded by the Spirit the true Author of Religion This in patternes will more euidently appeare Set before you a man of Choler his humour is hote and this heate being applyed to Religion hee calleth Zeale Then hee inferres the more heate the more Zeale the more Zeale the more Religion Hence he blowes that fire of his flesh vntill hee hath kindled in himselfe some flame of Intemperance or perchance hath set the House of God on fire about his Eares On the otherside behold a Phlegmatick His Complexion preacheth to him that Religion consists all in Quietnesse and liuing peaceably among his Neighbours Therfore he prayseth Moderation so much that his Religion takes cold and hee loues an easie Ignorance more then a diligent Knowledge He is dully patient in dishonour done to God hee is contented with quiet prophanenesse and well setled Superstitions Whence I guesse this man to haue beene the first father of this Position Malum bene positum non debet moueri But now as wee haue seene these two asunderâ— so bring them together and you shall presently see a battaile But the Cholericke man is first in the coâ—baâ—e and hath the Phlegmaticke by the coller â—re hee be aware At the first â—low he denounceth damnation to him for key-coldnesse â—or doing Gods worke negligently for his vngodly Patience for man-pleasing for temporising and at last he cals him Formalist On the other side the Phlegmaticke when he is awaked by the clamour of the Cholericke cals him an angry Gospeller a Fyer-flinger a Schismatick a Sower of dissention and perchance a Puritan though that word sometimes bee also bestowed on the very grace of the Spirit Besides if the Phlegmaticke be throughly spurred by the Cholericke so that hee arise to any height from the cushion of his Flesh hee will then looke ouer into the life of the Cholericke and tell him his discoueries Hee will say that all his heat is not zeale because hee is as hote in his owne quarrels as in the quarrels of God yea in matters of Earth as much or more then in matters of Heauen that he will sooner bee reconciled when God is offended then when himselfe is touched that his heat is not spirituall because it hath Pride ioyned with it and that out of Pride hee pretends to pull downe Pride and that hee is angry with dignities because he hath them not and that if hee had them he would presently bee at friendship with them Thus doe we see these two in a miserable and vehement conflict where it is pitty to leaue them long But another spectacle calls vs aside from which being returned I shall desire to part them by that Spirit of Loue which puts asunder those that come together in combates and brings together by Loue those that went asunder in Hatred The first Man that I take notice of in this new spectacle is of a Sanguine Complexion This man being of a pleasant constitution will haue a pleasurable Religion He thinkes that the Text Reioyce continually is to be taken litterally and strictly and hee will not endure any doctrine that may not manifestly arise from this Text. He likes wel pastimes recreations on the Sundayes though Seruice be the shorter and he sayes That some Ales with a little spice of Drunkennesse maintayne Loue. Hee vnderstands not the word Mortification but thinkes it is killing of a mans selfe and he is neuer in
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
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
Holinesse Mat. 5.16 Fourthly let men know renounce as an extreme folly that temporall Thrift which causeth an eternall losse Surely if that Lord who is Wisedome it selfe commended the Steward for a Wiseman that abated his temporall Reckonings to increase his eternall Rewards hee cannot but disprayse for a Foole that man that wil increase a little perishing vanity that hee may decrease an exceeding weight of eternall glory Whereas a hundred abated heere would increase a thousand hereafter this man by a most foolish thrift will saue fifty here that hee may lose fiue hundred hereafter Ill Husbands they are in the midst of their good husbandry and the Husbandmen of this generation shall rise in iudgment against them for these will not sow sparingly that they may reape sparingly but with a full hand do sow that with a full hand they may mow Let vs therefore pray the Lord of the Haruest he that as he increseth our seed will also increase our sowing that as he outwardly ladeth vs with the bounty of his blessings he will inwardly fill vs with the bountie that giueth these blessings that partaking of his good things wee may also partake of the goodnesse that bestoweth them Then by the same goodnesse which gaue vnto vs shall we giue vnto others the goodnes of God supplying vs both within and without inwardly giuing vs the power of giuing and outwardly giuing vs the matter of giuing And to these men that are filled with this goodnesse the Mother of good Workes is especially recommended that saying of S. Paul Hee that prouides not for his owne is worse then an Infidell To such I say it belongs who are likely to stray too farre on the right hand of Bounty and not to such who most commonly abuse it for the defence of their left-handed Parsimonie This place is to limit those that are excessiuely good not to stop and bound those that are not yet good enough Wherefore goe on boldly a good way farther for there is yet a good distance betweene this place and thee except thou art in doubt of being too good There is yet a third sort which I would only name and I wish that there might be no Examples of such hereafter knowne in Gath nor spoken of in Ashdâ—d and that is when they that beare the true marke of God in their foreheads and haue ript off the Badge of worldly loue from their harts yet in some sleepe of their consciences the enemie soweth some Tares of worldly Lust Couetousnesse or Ambition Dauid sinned in one kind and no doubt men of perfect hearts sinne in other kindes and single Actions of sinne issue from them that haue an habite or rather a nature of Grace God hath left the Canaanite in vs to exercise vs to humble vs that wee may haue an Enemy to fight against before we weare the Crownes of Glory and that we may haue a patterne of our corruption to humble vs as the Valleyes before we receiue his showres of Grace and Mercy from those hils from whence commeth our Saluation What remaynes but that we fight like men for the killing of that old man which fighteth to kill vs While we stand let vs stand in humility taking heed lest wee fall and this humilitie which makes vs take heed lest wee fall will best keepe vs from that falling whereof wee are to take heed And if wee doe fall as what man lineth that sinneth not let vs rise by giuing our hand to Christ in Faith and Repentance who by his bloud washing vs and by his Spirit quickning vs will raise vs againe set vs on our feet That we may run the way of his CoÌ„mandements Neyther let the wicked in the fals of the Godly magnifie themselues and despise the other as such Pharisies vse to do for though these two did the same kinde of fact yet the fact is different The godly man fals by infirmitie as by the weight of his body or slip of his foote the wicked fals with the swinge of his will as if hee ran his head against the Rockes The godly man hates his owne fault and ariseth from it the wicked man neuer truly hates it neuer heartily forsakes it Yea the godly man is bettred by his fals and by falling stands the more strongly because the more humbly and warily And finally though hee passe by some particular frailties yet vpon the whole he is still better and growes from strength to strength vntill he appeares before God in Sion CHAP. XI An Errour that forbids men though mortally diseased to be cured by a sicke Physician THere is an Errour which though it possesseth not many yet some it possesseth strongly and this is a great mischiefe belonging to it that they thinke themselues better then others for being deceiued and so they become angry with those that would cure them because they seeme to indeauour not to take away an Errour from them but to depriue them of their Eminence Their misbeliefe is this That none but sanctified Preachers can teach vnto Sanctification and Saluation And first for a generall remedie I desire these men to consider that as in naturall so in spirituall fiâ—e there are two things of especiall and inseparable vse the one is Light the other Heate Let the heate of Nature make a mans body neuer so actiue and able yet if the eyes be shut vp so that this heate by the inward light which it makes cannot entertayne the outward light the more actiue and stirring this man is the more hee stumbles and the more hee fals Euen so in the things of Grace if a man will separate heate from light hee diuorceth those â—hat in the spirit are ioyned together and therefore it is likely that such are Saint Iudes men separaters sensuall not hauing the spirit For where the spirit is there light is the guide of heate and such are led by euident Truth not by blind violence But to meete with their Errour more particularly I will first lay my foundation and it is this An assured discouery of the true cause of mans Saluation Not to runne into by-wayes the true way to life is Christ The Way the Truth and the Life Christ our life shall appeare saith Paul and againe Our life is hid with Christ in God More particularly Christ entring into man doth abolish the olde man which is the bodie of Sinne Death and giues vs the new man wherein is included a right of Inheritance vnto Life Eternall The bodie of sinne by sinne had bound vs vnto death and by Dominon had bound vs to sinne but Christ Iesus entring into vs by his Spirit by his Death freeth vs from the Death to which we were bound and by his sanctifying Grace freeth vs from that Dominion by which wee were bound vnto sinne So from henceforth neyther sinne nor death haue dominion ouer vs but the free and freeing Spirit of Christ dwels in vs whereby we are sonnes and heires of Life Eternall Rom.
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
Creation Yet in Recreation both Decency and Sobriety must bee regarded Besides thy presence may restraine or reform sinne But indeed if there bee anvnreformable course of sin as blsphemy c. I know not well how to allow any patience of wickednesse neyther how the conuersation of the Sodomites can be at the same time vnto Lot both a recreation vnto his minde and a vexation to his soule Lastly please them by outward profiting them If almes hospitality a milde exaction of dues may winne them shew with Paul that thou seekest not theirs but them And now as concerning a generall displeasing farre be it from vs to make it eyther a vertue or a touchstone It is not to be prosecuted as a businesse nor taken for a marke Christ indeed makes generall pleasing an ill signe but generall displeasing hee makes not an infallible good signe for euen the wicked Iewes as Paul sayth are contrary to all men Yea to all men they are a reproch But the true and laudable displeasing must bee imposed not sought and imposed for duties absolutely necessary and performed in due manner It must be for the profession or practise of that Truth which to conceale will be to the losse of Gods glory or for the reproofe of those sinnes which the same glory cannot suffer to bee vnreprooued Yet must these things bee done with a hearty desire that they may please since it is a true Rule That it is a foolish kinde of Rhetoricke to alien his affections whose iudgement thou seekest to gaine And most That a Christian ought to seeke peace with all men and to doe all things in loue Vnauoydable and imposed persecution is the Crowne and reioycing of a Christian and he is neerest the twelue Thrones that is neerest the Apostles in necessary losses for Christs sake But let vs not snatch such glory out of Gods hands nor with the sonnes of Zebedee intrude our selues into the right and left hands of Christ for they only shall haue these seates to whom they are appointed of the Father If God call vs to Confession or Martyrdome let vs runne to it or at least run to him by Prayer that he will enable vs to run and that so wee may obtayne But if God call not but wee runne without his call let vs know That that running makes Confessors and Martyrs of the Deuill CHAP. XIIII The Diseases of Representation which infect by the eye and eare IT was a cleere Truth which the Poet said That pierceth deeper into the heart which enters by the eye then that which enters by the eare Heereupon growes the excellence of representation which as it hath beene vsefull so it hath beene also in great vse and the vsefulnesse of it hath beene so eminent that men haue imployed the strength of their wits to turne Eares into Eyes euen to fasten on their imaginations the same character shape by hearing which hath bin beheld by seeing So that though the outward gates were diuers yet by that diuersity almost the same inward apprehension and knowledge eyther of persons or actions are receiued into our mindes Hence is it that the Poet Orator or Historian describes a person or a quality with such lif that though the Eare heare but words yet the Eye sees the things at least thinkes it sees them And by this liuely portrature of wit the matter is so euidently presented to the imagination and so stedily riuitted to the memory that it is our owne and pregnantly readie for vse vpon euery occasion But this vse hath bin likewise poysoned with abuse and that excellent Pensill of the Soule wit and conception which should haue paterned and fastned vertue to our affections in her truely amiable feature and haue stripped vice before our eyes into her natural vglinesse contrarily it hath giuen a painting of Pleasure vnto Vice and made it louely by the adornment of wit which of it selfe is most foule and abominable So in steed of being helpfull to the minde by a vigorious impression of vertue it hath beene made a stampe of the Deuill mightily to print vice into our soules by representing the Images of Death vnto Life Another kind of representation of the manuall Pensill hath also beene vsefull for the liuely expression of persons actions and stories In the Histories of Martyrs this hath conueyed their sufferings to the mindes of men with a mighty current that the dead similitude hath set life in the affections and that which moued not it selfe yet moued the beholder both to compassion and indignation But this kind also hath bin abused and that most grossely vnto spirituall corporall vncleannesse It hath been abused to Idolatry eyther while that which is worshipped is painted or that which is painted is worshipped To paint the God-head which only for it selfe is to bee worshipped is a dumbe blasphemy and a silent Lye It sayes God can bee represented by colours or that hee is visible to the Eye and so makes vs beleeue we see what indeed cannot be seene So to speake truth it shewes to vs what God is not and not what he is not a likenesse but an vnlikenesse of God and whereas they pretend it to bee Gods Picture it is meerly a Picture of not God A grosse fault it is also to worship that which is painted For though the body of Christ himselfe to be pictured and yet I neuer knew any sound proofes that hee hath a true Picture yet may not the Picture bee worshipped with the honour due to Christ. Though his Humanity may be worshipped yet that is for his vnion with the Deity euen a true reall and hipostaticall vnion But the vnion betweene the Image and the patterne is only Imaginary not reall or hypostaticall so that while we may well say wee worship Christ because he is God wee cannot say wee worship the Image because he is Christ. A farre more reall vnion there is betweene the Saints Christ euen the members and the head for Christ sayes The Father is in him and hee in them yea if Christs Prayer be heard we are one with him yet because it is not a personal and hypostaticall vnion with the God-head euen Peter himselfe forbids Cornelius to worship him Therefore farre be it that a bare likenesse should deserue worship when a reall and participating vnion doth not This Pensill of the hand hath bin also a Factor for vncleannesse while it presenteth incendiary spectacles to the eies of humane frailty Surely Concupiscence is a free horse and wanteth not sharpe spurs but a strong bitte it is readie of it selfe to carry away the soule and breake her necke by a high fall into a low place euen as low as Hell But these men least damnation should not be swift enough set wings on her armes and spurres on her sides that shee may flye away with the soule by an extreame and irreuocable celeritie Thus are they quite contrary to the Spirit of God for that sees and pitties
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