are not left here to Prudence or to Do it or let it alone as they see Cause but are bound in Conscience to Do the thing and if thereby they are like to Do no more yet is the keeping of the Commandment it self or the Doing of their Duty a sufficient Purpose Besides when men are Doing their Duty though there is little Appearance of any effect on others yet will it be like to do more Good among them than they are apt to think or are aware off For when they have discharged their Part by doing of their Duty God will manage it as to Events and make it turn to more use for the Ends of Religion anâ— hiâ— own Glory than they ever Dreamed of It is then out of their Hands and Care and in the hands of Providence which will thereby stop some from being ill and others that are ill already from going on without Check and Remorse and growing worse Truth and Goodness though Ordinarily driven out thence by Prejudice Interest and vile Affections are most Natural and near akin to all our Souls and so have a secret hank upon us and a hidden Friend that lurks in all our Bosoms And this the Providence and Spirit of God strikes upon by our Profession or Practice thereof before their Eyes operating thereby on some at this time and on others at that on some more on others less according to his own good Pleasure and their Predispositions So working much Good and many blessed Effects that pass betwixt himself and them whilst we are insensible of any and think of nothing less Our Free Practice and Profession at such times as he requires and calls for them but worldly men say we shall do no Good with them he uses to Encourage and Strengthen the hands of the Strong to Establish the Wavering to call back the Stray'd Sheep and to lift up those that fall to work Remorse in its Deserters and Fear and Faintness in its Persecutors to retrieve a Truth or Duty when to Humane Eyes 't is almost lost and to beget anew a Respect and Reverence for it when it was all in Disgrace and seemingly quite Exploded The Practice of a Right Good thing tho' but by a very few will quickly draw in more Though only ten among us should appear for Doing a Duty says St. Chrysostom yet would these ten quickly be made twenty those twenty fifty that fifty an hundred that hundred a thousand and that thousand the whole City And as by lighting up of ten Candles a man may easily fill all the whole house with Light So also in Spiritual Good Deeds if only ten of us Do our Duty we shall kindle one intire flame through the City yielding Light to them and bringing Security to us For the Nature of Flame it self when fallen on combustible matter is not so sure to kindle still and seize the wood that lies next to it as the zeal of Virtue fallen into a few Souls is by going on and still inflaming more to fill the whole City Thus doth God when we put it into his Conduct do Great Good and accomplish great Effects by our discharge of our Duty when we thought nothing could be hoped from thence Thus in all times he has done and daily still doth and will do in the World the Experience of all Ages and the Successfulness of Generous and Brave Asserters of seemingly destitute and unfriended Virtue frequently witnessing on that side And in confidence of this or however if that should fail in Discharge of their own Good Conscience Good men in all times have been careful still to Confess the Truths of God and Do their own Duty when there were the fewest that seemed capable of being thereby wrought upon and they had none to stand by them but strove altogether against the stream having the whole World to oppose them As Noah wrought Righteousness Elias was zealous for the true God Jeremy was an asserter of his Mind and Precepts and many other Holy Men and Prophets yea our Blessed Lord and his Apostles were the undaunted Preachers and Practisers of Decryed Godliness in the most Degenerate Deriding and Persecuting Ages when they seem'd to have the fewest prepared Hearers or Spectators all many times appearing ready to contradict and few or sometimes none to stand by and back them as I formerly noted 3. Thirdly We must not say Christian Duties are unseasonable when they Do not suit with some Designs carrying on or are against some Seeming and much Desired Good of Church or State This is the way of Worldly Wisdom which when any Truths or Duties hinder some worldly Good they are pursuing for Religion or the Kingdom bids the Professors thereof to â—eep their Practice and Professions of them for some fitter time If these are Truths and Duties say they at such times let them give way to Publick Good and the Advancement of true Religion which are of more importance And let those that believe them take care whilst they embrace these to approve themselves withall as Good Members of the Publick whereof they all receive the benefit by seeking and setting on not retarding or obstructing the Good of Church or Common-Wealth You may shew your care of them will they suggest when it will be as a Good so a Wise and Prudent care and hinder no Greater thing But never bring them in play now to stop the Great and much and Generally wish'd for Good that is going on For this is a Critical time for it and if this opportunity is over-pass'd the like may never return again But are not we all Disciples of Christ and Professors of Religion as well as Members of a settled Church and Kingdom And must we not first take care to acquit our selves as Good Christians before we seek how to shew our selves Good Statesmen and Politicians Is it not our Profession to be more for another World than for this And may such Professors go out of the way of being happy there when that serves to make themselves more happy here A Good Christian must never be wanting to his own Duty or go beyond it to Do Good to any nay to a whole Nation And so must never think of setting aside the Season for Discharging his Duty for a Season of serving of the Church or Nation He must never slip the Season of shewing himself Good for a Season of making himself or others Secularly Fortunate or the Season of Practsing and Professing as the Servant of Christ for the Season of serving any Interest or Condition though never so Great and Publick in this World There is no Doing Evil that Good may come Good publick or Good private as I have shewed before Besides 't is not for a Good man to think of Doing Good to a Church or Nation by Evil-Doing The Greatest Good to them in his Opinion is to engage God for them And that must be by keeping his Commandments and practising and professing them as we have
the World both formerly and at this day is much more successful in making the Minds of men to miss of Truth than in carrying them to find it Wise Care therefore for the Honour of God and Religion or Spiritual Prudence requires that we should not change our Doctrines on an apparent Change of Interest unless we make out before men as plain an appearance of Truth in the Exchange as there is of Interest that we may not seem to hold it true because it is for our Interest or to be led more by Interest than we are by Truth And therefore when once good men see their Errors it highly concerns both themselves and Religion instantly to renounce them not for Advantage but for the Truths sake And not stay till the Course of this World turns and they may hope to get as much by Disclaiming as before they had by Professing them For otherwise the World will be but too apt to judge them not Religious and Conscientious but Secular and Self-ended Penitents who will never see and repent of their Errors and Evil-doings whilst they bring them in present Advantage Or whom Reasons of Truth and Duty could never bring to Repentance till Reasons of fleshly Interest struck in therewith but who can readily repent of any ways as soon as once they turn to Loss and they are evidently call'd to suffer for them And on the other hand we must be wary how we censure others when we see them change from their former Judgments and stay to heaâ— their Reasons before we presume to tax their Sincerity in the Exchange When the Interest is apparent the By-standers have an appearance of Interest at first sight but have not the appearances for Truth till the Person that made the Change has opportunity to make known to them how the new Truth appear'd to him This indeed is a Temptation to those that take up with what comes next and are confident of the Evidence of their own and the little appearance on the other side to be too often hasty and hard in their Censures But one man must not be rasâ— to judge of the Appearances of Truth to another but wait to hear them from himself And after 〈◊〉 has heard them not presently conclude a way could not thereby appear true to him because on the same Evidence it doth not nor really ought to appear so to himself That the thing is not true he may safely say not that the other could not think it so For all mens Judgments are not equally wrought upon by the same things and that may seem good Proof to some which doth not so to others So that as to the Censure of particular Persons especially whilst they keep true to their New Principles not still as necessity calls out-running their own Pretences it is good and safe ordinarily to be slow in passing our Judgments and leave them to their own Judge who sees their Hearts and to whom each of them stands or falls But in General when the Arguments of Truth are not as apparent as those of Interest in the Change and the Parties by all their Study could never see the Truth pretended whilst they were like to lose by it but see it clearly yea and that perhaps without much Study when once it makes for their Profit the World is very suspicious that 't is Interest more than Evidence which opens their eyes and a great Scandal comes upon Religion by such Changes Such men are wont to preach up say the World what stands them in stead not what they themselves really believe and think All colour whereof St Paul was careful to remove from himself when his Calumniators suggested this of him to the Corinthians For having professed his Simplicity and godly Sincerity without fleshly wisdom more abundantly towards them we write no other things unto you saith he than what you read or acknowledge and I trust you shall acknowledge even to the end 2 Cor. 1.12 13. That is as Theodoret comments We do not preach one thing to you and think another as some endeavour to calumniate us For what I taught when present I write now being absent and hope I shall always be found preaching and saying the same to the end But now opposite to this is the way of worldly Wisdom It is still for seeing Truth in that which is advantageous and convenient for it And willing to be beat out of any Duty or Doctrine when it comes to lose by it It first considers the Gain and Convenience of a Case When it sees what makes most for that it resolves that side is to be held and then casts about to find a Reason or Pretence for it And any thing is a good Reason for a Way to those who before-hand are resolved to take it It blames or commends condemns or justifies as a corrupt Party not as aâ— equal Judge Self-Love steers all its Determinations And following all its windings it is neveâ— true to the Reality of the thing but to its owâ— Concern therein Which being differently affectâ—ed by any ways at different times it accordingly either applauds or decryes them and has one Judgment of them when they are in our owâ— Case and another when they are in our Neighbours Contrary to all good Reason and truâ— Wisdom which if it come from above is withoâ—â— Partiality and without Hypocrisie as St. James say Ch. 3.17 Which therefore if obeyed and followed would make us as true and constant to 〈◊〉 good things so true and constant to our selves in loving and commending them Never to blame that in one which we cry up in another Never to acquit that in our selves which we accuse in ouâ— Neighbours And when we advance any Tenets as true or any things as just as reasonable as religious always to allow as much Truth to the Tenets and as much Justice Reason and Religion to the Things when they happen to serve our Brethrens Purpose as we claimed to them before when they served our selves 5. A Fifth Rule of Christian Prudence for this Purpose is not to be glad of any Temporal Advantage by ill things and whilst we reap the Profit to be content with the wickedness By the ill done Religion suffers tho what is so ill and dishonourable for Religion happen to be useful for our Interest in this World and make us Gainers And if we can be content for our own Gain to have it damnified it shews we are not so much for it as for our selves but are Free to have it truck'd away and given up for our own advantage Spiritual Prudence therefore which proposes the Honour and Interest of God and Religion in the first place and sets 〈◊〉 before our selves will not be bribed by any thing to inrich our selves by their Loss or Glory in their Disgrace or be pleased in what is to their Prejudice Indeed if a Good thing is Done tho with an ill mind he that is wise for God and Religion may
opportunity But never breaking them or setting them aside to make use of some Worldly opportunity If we would Do Good to Church or State to Do this wisely we must Do it under God not by setting up against him So we must not throw out his Service as an unseasonable thing when an opportunity is offer'd us to serve the Publick by refusing to serve him when he calls The Thoughts of Doing Good i. e. Temporal Good or that of outward Settlement to the Publick if by Breach of Duty or omission thereof when call'd by him to Discharge it is a Temptation And the Doing it that way is endeavouring to be wise against God and setting up Policy against Religion which if God must give Succâ—ss is not like to speed or in the Event to procure Good to them Near a kin to this is thinking it no Season to Condemn and Fault things as we did whilst they served others when they come to serve our selves This is the way of this World if not to commend yet to connive at any Error or Wickedness whilst it gets by it It is pleased if not with the Wickedness yet with the Advantage and had rather bear the Sin for the Profits than want and Condemn the Profit for the Sins sake So it will not open its mouth against Errors whilst 't is getting or against Sins and breach of Duty whilst 't is served by them being not so much offended with their falsness or wickedness as pleased with their usefulness or convenience Though most loud at others it is silent then and would have others too to be silent and not cry out against them at such â—imes And this is meer Wisdom of this World or being Wise for Worldly Things which lies in getting or taking worldly Advantages however they come by them and can brook what Religion most abhors whilst it brings in what Flesh and Blood best approves Which plainly shews that a man has not so much of Religion as of this World and Self-Design nor is acted so much by Conscience as Convenience Thus must we be Careful that the Pretence of unseasonableness do not carry us to smother our Belief of any Truth or our Practice of any Duty when God calls us to shew them forth on any Pretence of hazard to our selves of unprofitableness to Religion or our Neighbours or of their being a hindrance to any Good that doth come in to our selves or is sought to be brought about for the Church or State The Truth is in Points of direct and express Duty the part of Prudence lies more in sight and Discerning than in Choice of Seasons In Matters that are not of Direct and Determinate obligation there is more Room for Discretion in the timing of them and in Resolving both whether and when to Do them For Free things which are not Determined by the Law of God or that are not directly injoyn'd but may indirectly some more and some less be serviceable to and promotive of that which is or that are free and undetermined expressions and instances of General Laws Such Free Things I say and Free-will Offerings are most properly matter of Prudence being left to Prudence and not determinately bound on Conscience And in these there is a proper Choice of Seasons which men may embrace or let slip either Doing that thing or another now or at another time as they see cause But in things expresly required by God and Points of Direct Duty there is not the like Choice of Seasons or Room for Discretion For whensoever God calls us to them and they are put upon us either by the Authority of Superiors or by any occasion with our Neighbours or other just Call of Providence giving us opportunity for them or perhaps laying us under a necessity either of Professing or Dissembling them or Practising them or what is Repugnant to them We are then under a necessity and Obligation of Discharging and have no Liberty to let them alone For Matters of express Duty we are bound to perform as oft as God calls us to perform them Whensoever he calls we have no power to refuse And this Call is by his Providence as that brings us under opportunities and puts us upon Practising or Declaring our selves And what time Providence shall allot and fix on for these is at God's Choice not at ours He is Free when he sees best to give the Calls but when once he doth we are under his Command and never free to set them aside or refuse obedience So our Part is only a Duty and Necessity to see and embrace the Seasons he chuses and God's part is to have the Liberty and Discretionary Power to chuse them And therefore the Wisdom and Prudence to be shewn in Choice of these Seasons is God's Wisdom and not ours His Providence takes care of that and 't is a wise Providence that never calls us to the Profession of necessary Truths or Practice of necessary Duties but at wise and fitting Seasons which best fit his Purposes though they least fit ours So that whensoever he Calls us to them we are eased of that care of Deliberating about the seasonableness of them In Free things we are left to Chuse the Seasons our selves and may let go a worse in hopes of a better But in necessary and bounden Duties God's Call must always be our Season and we are only to discern and take it not left to Chuse and Deliberate upon it God having already made that Choice to our Hands 2. Secondly In Execution of our Purposes Christian Prudence is for Tempering what we Do to Circumstances i. e. For considering Place and Persons and Instruments and manner of acting and the like and so to suit all as may best serve our Design and set off the thing Done so as may give us most Help and Advantage from all and least Hurt or Hindrance from any of them This attention to Circumstances is that Circumspection which is so much spoken of and is implyed in Prudence which St. Paul calls for when he exhorts the Ephesians to walk not as Fools but as Wise as I noted before Eph. 5.15 Walk in wisdom says he again to the Colossians towards them that are without calling them to such Prudence in their Carriage towards and before such as consider'd the Principles and Dispositions of those they conversed with Col. 4.5 Let your speech says he in that place be with Grace and seasoned with Salt i. e. Savoury and Prudent and so seasoned and temper'd on every occasion as if most fit that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man or to give each such an Answer as may be proper for him and the occasion v. 6. This tempering what we Do to Circumstances and Distinguishing of Persons and Places and the like is a Great point of Prudence And Christians in their way must take care as they are able to adorn themselves therewith as well as others Endeavouring when they Do their Duty
Case of Vsury permitting it not under the Name of Vsury but of the Contract Mohatra i. e. Selling any Person that wants Money any Commodities on Trust at a Great Rate and he presently Selling them again for ready Money to the same Person at so much less as the use would come to Or by nice and vain Distinctions eluding all the Force of a Duty by limiting it to some such Bounds or making it to bind only for such Reasons as they will be in little need to transgress Or running it into such thin and subtile Notions till they have lost both it and themselves Or by the Plea of Favourable Circumstances which in Carnal Estimate call for Ease and Indulgence and which they are most Liberal in Granting at God's Cost to save themselves Or by Shifting of Intentions confining the Malignity thereof to Doing it for certain Ends which they can easily Evade by proposing other Ends therein to themselves The main Study and Boasted Subtilty of their Casuistry lies not in Explaining but in Defeating Moral Duties in Spreading Plasters for all Sores and inventing Salvo's for Sins And instead of Instructions and Inforcements how to keep venting among their Disciples Palliations and Devices to shew them how without Sin they may break God's Commandments In Sum not to lengthen out this Point by any more Particulars they are extreamly tender of Fleshly Wants and Necessities But this as they that are for more Flesh than Spirit shewing no tenderness far God but making as bold as may be with Religion and its Duties Theirs is an accommodating and complying Theology and their Great Care is not to bear but to avoid and shift off the Cross and temper and bring Down the Strictnesses and Severities of Christ to the Pitch and Measure of a Fleshly Mind And this wicked Policy or Suiting the Rules of Morality and Holiness to Carnal Ends and Inclinations they call Religious Wisdom or being wise to retain or multiply the Followers to serve the Ends and Interest of the Lord Jesus It would be too long to annex particular Sayings and Proofs of all these and other such like Opinions and Maxims of Fleshly Wisdom advanced by some or other of these Carnal Politiâ—ians They who list may see enough from their own Authors or without giving themselves trouble to look further for them in the Mystery of Jesuitism or Provincial Letters and in the several Extracts of Propositions from the Jesuits Writings in the Additionals Thus are the foresaid Rules and Worldly Maxims Declared against in the Preceding Chapters no better than Jesuits Principles which Secular Reason and Carnal Interests and Self-Ends are ready enough to Suggest to Fleshly Natures of all Sects and Parties but which they above all others have cultivated to Perfection So that as these Rules of Fleshly Wisdom take Place and come in use the Jesuit creeps in and revives amongst us And if Jesuits Morals must come in to Drive out Popish Superstitions and Idolatries as much and as bad Popery will come in at the Back Door as goes out at the Fore-Door and there will be no Deliverance from Popery that way to boast of I have an hearty Aversion to Popery whilst I pity their Persons and am I thank God ready to perform all that is Just and Charitable to them at the same time mightily condemning their Persuasion as a most corrupt Religion Accordingly I think it a mighty Preservation to be kept by God's Grace and Good Providence from those most Dangerous and Mischievous Errors or from all violent Temptations to them But I confess I am for keeping out Popery or any other ill Religion only by Orthodox Tenets and true Christian Practices Which God be thanked whatever it is of too many of its Members is the way of this Church in all her Authentick Doctrines and Offices that set as much by Good Life as by Orthodox Belief and are not more for Professing Truth than for Practising a strict and inviolable Morality and Holiness As all her Children and Sons must be too who will not Revolt or break off from her Principles And I think it a most lamentable Unhappiness for Men in their Zeal against so blame-worthy a Religion to run headlong into some of its most heinous Vices and even when they are opposing it with the greatest seeming Fierceness from sound and intire Protestants to become in Truth Part-boyl'd Romanists or Drive out Popish Superstitions by the use and help of Jesuitish Immoralities Which really is Done as I have shewn as often as the fore-condemn'd Rules of Fleshly Wisdom and others like unto them do find Place amongst us FINIS A Catalogue of BOOKS Printed for Jo. Hindmarsh PArey's Surgery Davela's History of the Civil-Wars of France Evelin's Sylva Saunderson's Sermons Bishop Brownrigg's Sermons Snape's Anatomy of an Horse Dr. Rawleigh's Sermons Dr. Outram's Sermons Mackenzie against Stilling fleet Discourse of Primogeniture Practical Rule of Christian Piety L'Estrange's Tully's Offices Doctors Physician or Dialogues concerning Health The whole Art of Converse Arbitrary Government display'd Hudibras Fourth Part. Alamode Phlebotomy or a Discourse of Blood-letting Eutropuis in English or a Breviary of the R. History Chalmer's Spelling-Book Behn's Miscellany Poems The Whole Duty of Man in French The Works of Mr. John Oldham Tate's Miscellany Poems Maimburg's Prerogative of the Church of Rome The History of Count Zozimus Discourse of Monarchy The French Bible The Testament in French Titus Andronicus Majestas intemerate Dr. Pelling's Apostate Protestant Dr. Curtis's Sermon Dr. Allestree's Sermon Sheridon's Case Gouges Principles Spirit of Meekness Stafford's Tryal The History of Passive Obedience Compleat 3 Parts The Case of the Afflicted Scotch Clergy History of the Scotch Persecution Don Sebastian Modern Policy Rebels Catechism writ by Doctor Heylin Scotch Memorial Proteus Ecclesiasticus Answer to Obedience and Submission to the present Government Demonstrated from Bishop Overall Perjur'd Phanatick Essay on Pride Dr. Talbor of Agues Venice Preserv'd a Tragedy Elliot against Oates The History of Edward the Third a Tragedy The Mistake or False Reports A Play Slainees Sermon Hindmarsh's Sermon Hool's Vocabulary Erasmus Colloquies 24 s. Ingratitude of a Commonwealth Aristella Castalio's Latine Testament City Politicks Plays Sir Courtly Nice Plays Banditti Plays Dame Dobson Plays The Poets Complaint of his Muse by Mr. Otway Seneca's Morals Martin's Letters Disappointment or The Mother in fashion a Play Rolls's Loyalty and Peace Hesketh's Sermon Robert's Sermon Loyal Satyrist Vindication of the Church of England Pelling's Good Old Way FINIS * Ad Nicom l. 2. c. 6. †De prospera adversa Fortuna de Prudentia Conc. 21. Tom. 3. p. 582. * The wise Servant made Ruler 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the same as prudent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 24.45 As the wise as serpents 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 10.16 and wise virgins Mat. 25.2 * Joh. 3.20 * Mat. 13.9 43. c. 11.15 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †1 Sam. 10.27
which are those paths the Wisdom of God sees necessary to perfect and spiritualize our Natures and which the Goodness of God has prescribed to lead us to himself and to the Regions of eternal Life Whatsoever God in his holy Gospel calls us to profess or practise that is the way to the World above And if we hope to arrive safe there and attain the Glory and Blessedness thereof whatever hardships occur or accidents befal us therein we must never go out of the way When upon any consideration we turn out thence all our steps are wrong and will never be right till we return into it again The way to make the most of this World and secure to our selves the greatest ease advantage and injoyment in our passage are the Rules of humane Prudence and worldly Wisdom And as we are call'd upon to hold on constantly in the former by the more still voice of Conscience and the Laws of God So are we reminded to make use of these later as occasion serves by the more importunate cravings of our sensual Nature and Necessities and the more loud voice of Flesh and Blood Now as our fleshy Nature and Necessities require so doth Religion allow us to serve our selves of these Rules of Humane Prudence so long as we keep within a due compass That is whilst we betake our selves only to such ways of external quiet and injoyment in this World as go not out of any way of Religion or path of Happiness leading to another World Whilst the Rule of Wisdom is only such as affords ease or comfort in our passage but doth not carry us out of our way or stop our progress When be sent out his Disciples as sheep in the midst of wolves be wise says our Lord to them as serpents so long as they took care first to keep as innocent or simple and plain-carriaged as doves Mat. 10.16 But fleshly Nature is glad of any way that affords ease here however it hinders or misleads us from the paths of those greater Joys which we should all seek to secure and prepare for hereafter It runs to them and that with greediness So that when any Duty of Religion gainsays it and calls another way there is a tryal of our Love and Affection for the two Worlds When any way of Righteousness for instance becomes burden'd with the Cross and a way of worldly and unrighteous Wisdom can avoid it or it may be lead to be not only safe and easie here but seemingly happy and prosperous then doth God make a tryal whether Religion or Flesh and Blood have most Force whether this or the next World are of greatest weight with us Worldly Reproaches and Persecutions upon a Duty are the true Test of its worthy and faithful Votaries and discover who they are that set it above this World And God is careful in the course of Providence still to annex worldly sufferings to some Duties of Religion or other to separate the impure dross from the pure Gold the light chaff that a storm of Persecution can drive away from the solid Wheat and as a Touch-stone to make manifest who are those truly worthy and sincere minds that will love and steadily practise any Duty when left to it self and stript of all external Bait of worldly inducement There must be Heresies saith St. Paul which as they increase grow still into Factions and Persecutions against the Orthodox that they who are approved may be made manifest 1 Cor. 11.19 To be ready to approve our selves to him in such Tryals it highly concerns us all to understand clearly what are the ways of fleshly Wisdom that at such times we may take more care to keep back from them There is the more need to be clear in this before-hand because the time of determining and practising is not the fittest for deliberating upon it For Flesh and Blood starts first and calls loudest on such occasions It presents variety of these ways to our minds And tho the ways are wrong yet through the biass of fleshly inclinations our minds are leaning and very willing to believe them right The generality of Mankind are prone to see and assent on that side which appears most safe and consistent with this present World They are apt to bid a hearty welcome and listen to any one that speaks for that way and are easily convinced by him being willing to be Deceived and 't is well if not active to Deceive themselves into such a persuasion And when Flesh and Blood are like to be so busie and powerful on such occasions to recommend such ways of worldly Prudence it is very necessary our Minds and Consciences should not be without their Armour but have clear convictions of their folly and unlawfulness to oppose against them To afford some Help in this Point to such sincere Tempers as would be thankful to be shew'd a losing Truth and glad to approve themselves to God on such occasions I shall offer something tho imperfect to set off the way of true Wisdom and to shew what are the limitations of Religious Prudence and what the contrary liberties of fleshly Wisdom or worldly Craftiness That so they may not err for want of information when in course of Providence they are brought on such Tryals CHAP. I. Of the Nature of Christian Prudence and how seen in chusing Right Ends. WIsdom or Prudence at large is being wise for our selves or seeing and following what Reason sets off as best for us It is Reason contemplating not the mere Truth of things which is Science but their Goodness and Desirableness or what are best for us to seek or practise And about this Practice it considers not only how to do things skilfully which is the consideration of Arts but how to do them profitably respecting either their future accountableness for Rewards or Punishments or implying moral good or ill and being directed by or promotive of any Virtues or their worldly usefulness and advantage to the end we are driving on or have to serve in this Life It notes Reason not only contemplating these things but influencing and effecting them For Prudence speaks the commendableness of several Powers It carries with it the virtue of our Wills as well as of our Understandings and besides the skill to see what is good for us includes also such influence over our other Powers as makes them follow it and take up therewith A man may be a knowing man that acts against the true Dictates of his own Reason But he only is a truly wise and prudent Person who follows and is guided by them And accordingly the wicked tho otherwise of never so much Knowledge are call'd Fools in Solomon's Proverbs and other Scriptures Thus is true Wisdom or Prudence the same as Reason well applied to Practice or Reason directing and influencing us unto what is profitable and best for us in any case Now this takes in the greatest variety of matters even all the managements
neglect any thing that will occasion present Damage but it knows not how to omit what promises any removal or abatement of it Worldly Wisdom is wise for worldly Goods but wise â—gainst worldly Evils and never Free to serve 〈◊〉 Spirit against the Flesh to seek the Honour â—f Religion by worldly Disgrace or to Advance â—nd inrich it by its own Loss and Impoverishâ—ent 4. In Pursuit of this End of the Honour of Reâ—igion it is another Rule of Spiritual Prudence â—ot to change our Doctrines as we change our Inteâ—ests or to do alike our selves to what we have â—â—udly condemn'd in others To maintain for inâ—â—ance the indefeasible Power of Princes whilst â—hey are of our Religion but of the People â—hen Princes are of a contrary Religion To â—reach up Toleration and Temper and Liberty â—f Conscience whilst we are under and kept â—own but as mere Hot-spurs to decry all Temâ—er and screw up all to our apprehension shewâ—ng no tenderness to other mens Consciencâ—s â—hen we are in place to Lord it over them To Call any thing a Publick Grievance in Government while our Rulers do it but to pretend â—nd plead Necessity for it when the Power is got into our own hand For a Jew to condemn a Heathen that he robs God of his due Honour by Worship of Idols and yet not condemn his own Robbery in committing Sâ—criledge Rom. 2.22 For Christians to cry out of the Jews for distinguishing away the Commandments and making void as our Lord says and shews they did in several instances the Law of God through their Traditions and Expositions and yet to justifie and cry up themselves whilst to all appearance they seem to take the same Liberties and are Doing the same things For any Protestants to condemn the Papists foâ— Deposing Heretical Princes and yet to be for Dâ—â—throning their own for his Zeal in a False Reâ—ligion To accuse them for holding it lawful 〈◊〉 do evil that good may come and yet be ready 〈◊〉 Do the same themselves when they think it neâ—cessary for the Church or Nation To blamâ— their Liberties in any Breach of Faith Justice 〈◊〉 Charity towards Hereticks and yet take Libeâ—â—ty neither to keep Promise nor do Justice noâ— shew common Charity and Humanity to meâ— of those Opinions which are most displeasing 〈◊〉 themselves To upbraid them lastly for thinkâ—ing to excuse their False appearances in Word 〈◊〉 Practice when that may save the things of thiâ— World by Aequivocations and Mental Reservations i. e. inward Reserves of intention and limitations in their own minds tho in their Practice they shew none but appear the same as others and yet when they are brought in streights for their Consciences to use like deceitful Artifices and take the same Liberties to bring themselves off This is saying and gainsaying as it serves our Turns and Doing what we condemn in others or what is so like it that the By-standers are not able to distinguish it and making the same thing a Vice when used in our Neighbours case but a Virtue when used in our own But now this Change of Doctrines as we change Interests or doing the very same or like to what we Condemn is apt mightily to reflect upon the Honour of Religion As if its Principles stood not upon intrinsick Truth but external Usefulness as if we held things true while we gain by them and they make for us but begun to hold them False confessing our eyes are open and that we see the Error of them when once we are brought to lose thereby and they make against us This is as if gain were Godliness and seems as if what in these Tenets we seek to set up were not the Honour of God but the Interest of this World not Truth but our Selves Which Reflections are such that Religion cannot fall under a sorer Disgrace or a more hurtful Prejudice And therefore Spiritual Prudence which professes to be wise for it is especially careful to Prevent such turns of Doctrine and Practice according to the turn of worldly Interests which would give men Ground or Occasion to pass such Reflections on it 'T is true good and wise men may change their Opinions And as they grow Older Mortal and Fallible Understandings may be allowed to grow wiser And when we discover Errors we must not after that obstinately adhere to them because we have formerly believed and professed them Constancy in former Opinions must not be obstinacy in former Errors and when we Discover a New Truth we must not Deny it because we condemned it before but be glad to profess it now we see it and sorry we saw it no sooner Nay if it happen to make for our interest we are for all that to receive and profess it For Truth is Truth and will Challenge both our Belief and Profession whether it make for us or against us Our Interest must not make us take Falshood for Truth but withal it must not hinder us from owning and embracing Truth it self for Truth It would be a strange Return to a Profitable and advantageouâ— Truth to be Foes to it because it is a Friend to us and therefore to Deny it because we are like to be the better by it So that if it is a real Truth we Profess now good and wise men must Profesâ— it tho they gain by it and tho it be contrary to what they Professed formerly And 't is no Scandal to Religion but the Command and Crediâ— thereof to have men thus exchange their Errorâ— for Truth or that which was not Religion nor honourable to it for that which really is But then this Change must be made upon manifest Appearance and sufficient Evidence of Truth 'T is justifiable and Honourable when 't is an Exchange for Truth not for Interest And therefore that which justifies it must be the Evidence of Truth being got by the Exchange 'T is the Suspicion of Interest that occasions all the dishonourable Reflections and the Demonstration of Truth must clear them And therefore on such Changes the Discoverers of the New Truths must discover new Reasons and produce better Proofs for them than they had for their old Errors They must bring new Arguments which whilst they were of a contrary Belief were not urged to themselves Or carry the old ones further than they had met them improved by others and shew the weakness of those Answers they were wont to give to them or of the Arguments they used to offer against that side which they now take And this they are the more obliged to do with clearness of Argument and Reason in apparently advantageous Changes because in the Constant Sense and Experience of the wise World Interest is not held the best Inlightner of our Minds It s Power is not so much to make us knowing as willing not so fit to carry our Understandings before our Wills as to make our Wills out-run our Understandings and in the constant Experience of
also Reverence viz. that which corrects Fatherlike and gives Demonstration and keeps to the old Way not rejoycing in Innovation Not that Multitude which is hired by Gifts and Flatteries or hurryed aside by Ignorance and Unskilfulness or which is lapsed by Fear and Terror or that prefers a Momentany Enjoyment of Sin to eternal Life says that Good Father to those who took the judgment of the Multitude for 〈◊〉 Proof and Evidence of Truth Thus has it been the care of Good Men in all times and must be ours when God shall call us to the Tryal if we will be their true followers to stick firmly to their Duty whether with or without Company They were resolved to adhere to it tho all the World did Desert it They had Determined beforehand to sacrifice every other Interest to that and to stand or fall with it And therefore wheresoever it called they readily followed not considering whether it were with the Cry or against it whether any body else went along to back them or all stay'd behind Whaâ— the Poet said in the Character of the Good and Upright Man that neither the Madness and Heat of the Rabble calling for an ill thing nor the Face of â— Tyrant Menacing and Commanding it can shake 〈◊〉 virtuous Stedfastness is a Pitch that whilst otherâ— content themselves to talk of they still made visible in their Practice I add in the last place concerning all the forecited Ends of Christian Prudence that tho being Flesh as well as Spirit we are allowed to have other lower Ends yet is it one of its Rules when we cannot serve both to give up the inferior to serve the main End It will part with our Worldly Goods and Convenience to preserve all the foresaid Ends of Duty and Innocence of the Honour of Religion and a good Conscience and forego any Good of our Bodies for the Greater Good of our Souls This is implyed when this Prudence is recommended and required by our Lord under the Name of the wisdom of the Serpent Mat. 10.16 For his chiefest care as has been commonly noted is to save his Head And as the Serpent says S. Chrysostom upon the Place gives away all first tho it be his Body it self to be Cut in pieces that he may thereby Preserve his Head safe in like manner says our Lord be thou ready to Surrender up all things tho all thy Possessions tho thy Body yea tho thy Life it self to preserve thy Faith For that is the Head and Root of all And so long as that is kept tho thou losest all the rest yet shalt thou recover all again with Greater Magnificence at last Requiring thee to shew the Wisdom of the Serpent â—e warns thee not to lose what is of most account and when a Blow doth come never to receive it in a Principal or most Vital Part. And this is a Rule of Worldly Wisdom too to give up what is of less account for the Preservation of what is of more But its Fault here is to subject Spiritual to Temporal Ends as may be seen in all the Preceding Instances thereof which in all Right and Reason ought to be set above them CHAP. IV. Of not Doing Evil that Good may come AS Christian Prudence is in the first place to fix the Mark whereat we are to aim and to see and set out to us Right Ends So is it 2. Secondly to pursue those Ends only by fit and Christian Ways Prudence is most taken up in Choice of Means appearing either in Sagacity and Acuteness by Discerning them instantly or in Counsel when it Discovers them by Thought and Study And opposite to this is Imprudence which has no Due Understanding or Consideration about Ways and Methods and doth not either see or stick to those Means which are fittest for the Ends it aims at Sometimes it misses them through inordinate Haste not staying to take Counsel or Deliberate which Course is best As it happens when Men are push'd on rashly by their own Will or Passion not taking time and pains first to reflect with themselves and call to mind former Experience and past Success of the same Course or view present things and Circumstances or consider what may be the Effects and Consequences or Reason and Compare one thing with another or where there is need thereof shew Docility and Regard to other Mens Skill hearkening to a good and wise Adviser These and such like are the orderly and intermediate Steps whereby the Mind should proceed from Proposal of a thing to pursuit thereof and Guide it self as need requires in consulting about the Fitness of Ways and Methods And when without such orderly Process in a Case that needs it it fixes on a wrong way in haste at the impulse of its own Will or Humor or of some external impellent without having taken Counsel about it This uncounsell'd Choice or inordinate haste in fixing is call'd Precipitancy And this where it is not only a blind Festination but bears with it a plain Contempt of known Laws and Rules which should have kept it in or such an headstrong Motion as is a clear Effect of Pride and Presumption is call'd Temerity At other times when it stays to Consult about them Imprudence misses the right Way and Means by not viewing sufficiently but Contemning or Neglecting the Circumstances of things especially those that are necessary to form a Right Judgment of them Which act of Imprudence is called Inconsiderateness Or lastly when it has done all in point of Deliberation a third Act of Imprudence about the means is not to stick to what has been once Resolved upon or be stedfast in Right Purposes which is Inconstancy Precipitancy is a Fault and Defect in Consultation Inconsiderateness in Judging and Inconstancy in point of Persisting or Sticking to what had been well fixed or judged before Now as Prudence is thus taken up in Choice and Use of means so is Christian Prudence in the Choice and Use of such only as are fit for Christians As Prudence it must Direct to fitting Means And as Christian to such as are agreeable to the holy Religion and Laws of Christ Jesus One part of this and that of Great Wideness and Importance is to see what Ways and Means are fittest for the Attainment or Encrease of all particular Virtues All Duties have their proper Means which make way for their Performance and Hindrances that do obstruct it And 't is the Part of Prudence in one that would be wise to Do his Duty to Discern and Direct what these Means are in the Case of each that seeking them always in wise and right ways he may labor after them with the more Success To shew what these are through all particular Virtues what Means are best accommodate to their several Natures or to our Needs and Temptations in the Exercise or Discharge thereof is besides my preseâ—â— purpose and may be learned as occasion requireâ— from those
if any means serve the Flesh and be desirable upon that account it little troubles or concerns it self whether it savour of Veracity or Deceit whether in the account of Conscience and Religion it be good or bad Now this virtuous Simplicity is an undisguised and invariable Tenour of Truth and Innocence It excludes all doing hurt and is especially opposite to all the ways and Methods of Deceit It speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nazianzen marks of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Simplicity of his Father i. e. undisguisedness of Soul and unfallaciousness of Manners or Conversation Whatever it seems it is and it never is what will vex or harm others It is â—eracity without Lyes Singleness without Double-dealings or corrupt Mixtures Openness without studied Concealment and close Reserves of what it is call'd to profess Plainness without amusing or misleading Dress of what it professes and Harmlesness without doing any Wrong or Hurt to others Such an uniform Veracity and Undeceitfulness both of Mind and Carriage is that Simplicity which Christian Prudence requires of us And which God calls for when he bids us to throw out all Deceit Mar. 7.22 to lay aside all Guile and Hypocrisies 1 Pet. 2.1 to be no Deceitful workers 2 Cor. 1â— 13 And declares him only to be fit to stay in God's Tabernacle and dwell in his holy Hill who speaketh the Truth in his heart or whose words never go against the thoughts and intents of his Heart but always express and bear out what is there Psal. 15.1 2. 1. The First thing implied in virtuous Simplicity which Christian Prudence injoyns is Veracity in opposition to Falshood and Lyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesychius explains by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being sincere by being true or veracious Simplicity bottoms all on Truth which it never tempers or brews together or daubs over with Falshood He that is for Simplicity in Truth must needs abhor Lyes never speaking contrary to what he thinks which sure is not to speak the Truth in his heart as God requires nor giving in a False Testimony of Persons or Relation of things 1. This will exclude all spontaneous use of False Speeches when of themselves men are ready to frame or tell Lyes for Ends. Contrary to the Rule of Spiritual Wisdom which every where most plainly forbids Lying and says Lye not one to another Brethren seeing ye have put off the Old man Col. 3.9 and tells us of the Lake of Fire for those that love and make Lyes Rev. 21.8 27. And also all speaking Lyes out of Fear or Compliance when for escaping Rebuke or soothing men any Persons expresly assent to things against their own Judgments or say and unsay in different Companies Thus to the Deacons who going about from house to house were like to be under the Temptation to say and unsay or speak different things as might best suit with different Companies St. Paul gives it as a particular Charge not to be double-tongued 1 Tim. 3.8 Nâ—t double-tongued that is says Theophylact 〈◊〉 thinking one thing and saying another or saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one thing to one and another thing to another And to the Ephesians that putting away lying they speak every man truth with his neighbour as being members one of another forbidding Lyes not only in direct Assertions but in Soothing and Dissimulation against those as Grotius observes who to curry Favour with Jews or Gentiles were apt to speak contrary to what they thought Eph. 4.25 'T is not for such virtuously simple Persons to speak Lyes in Officiousness or with intent to hurt none but to do others a kindness For ill is not to be done that good may come of it and therefore to do others a kindness they may no more break this than they may any other Precept The Rule of Kindness to our Neighbour is to love him as our selves but tell a Lye we dare not for the sake of our own Advantage and so not for his Nay we must not tell a Lye in hopes to do good thereby to Religion or for the sake of God himself This really was the Case of Job's Friends They were forgers of lyes against him Job 13.4 But all those were officious Lyes or out of their Officiousness as I before noted to God himself And yet Job's was a just Reproof against them Will ye speak wickedly for God and deceitfully for him v. 7. Veracity or speaking Truth we must carefully practise not only for its Usâ—fulness or doing Kindness but for the Truth 's sake We must bear a conscientious regard to it as it bears the Image of God wherein we were at first formed and whereto we are renewed in Christ. Put on the new man says the Apostle which after God is created in true Holiness or the holiness of Truth Wherefore putting away lying speak every man Truth c. Eph. 4.24 25. God is the God of Truth and of Veracity or true speaking And the Devil God's grand Enemy is particularly noted as the Father of Lyes and a Spirit of Falshood And as the Authors and Heads themselves are so are their Children distinguish'd by the same They that love and speak Truth are Children of the God of Truth as they that love and utter Lyes are Children of the Father of Lyes For his Children they are as our Saviour told the Jews whose works and lusts they do And he abode not in the Truth from the beginning because there is no Truth in him When he speaks a Lye he speaks it of his own for he is a Lyar and the Father of it Joh. 8.39 44. Veracity then or speaking Truth is what we are bound to not only as beneficial to our Neighbours but as resembling God or bearing his Image and being a Divine Perfection And accordingly this is the injunction of the Scriptures not to lye one to another whatever be the Pretence to speak as the Psalmist says that Truth which is in our heart not that Falshood which makes for our Brother's convenience To put away all guile and hypocrisies which admits not of retaining any to serve turns as St. Peter says 1 Pet. 2.1 Some indeed have fetch'd a Plea for Officious Lyes from the Case of the Egyptian Midwives or the Practice of David in his Distress when he fled from Saul or other Scripture-instances But the Practice of a Good Man is no Argument a thing is well done if it be visibly against the Rule of Well-doing No not tho it have encouragement from God as in the Case of the Midwives whose houses God built for their sparing the Israelitish infants For in such mixt Actions a Gracious God is prone to reward the Good which is predominant and over-look the ill which is compassionably interwoven with it as he did with the Midwives if they spoke falsly recompensing their Charity not their officious Falseness Not to dispute whether what they said was really false
or no as may be justly questioned in some instances usually alledged in this case particularly the Midwives Answer to Pharaoh 2. But besides this Instance of Veracity or not lying in Words there is also another Part of it which Christian Simplicity takes care of too and that is not to tell a Lye or deceive in Actions There is a Signification in several Actions as well as there is in Words and Expressions Some 't is true are more arbitrary and unsetled in their meanings and may signifie as men please But others are of more fixed and stated Significations I mean not only as Natural Signs and Indications of our Approbation or Dislike or other inward Sentiments But there is also as good Authority of Law or Institution or common and received Use and Custom to settle the Signification of some Actions as there is for Words themselves And accordingly in all reasonable Apprehension men are as much understood to have professed or declared things by some Actions and in all Courts shall stand as firmly bound by them as if they had utter'd the same things with their Mouths And being there is equally a setled Signification in Actions there is also room for our being true or false for affirming or denying in them as well as there is in words themselves Thus the Scripture mentions those who deny God in their works Tit. 1.16 And if my mouth hath kissed my hand the known and received Profession of Worship to the Sun or Moon saith Job I should therein have denied the God that is above Yea says he it had been an iniquity to be punished by the Judge or as good a Declaration of his being an Idolater whereof the Judges then took Cognizance as if he had professed so with his Lips Job 31.26.27 28. Thus they thought and believed in the Primitive Church teaching that men might confess or deny with other Faculties as well as with their Tongues by complying in Actions as well as by verbal Declarations If says the Ancient and Learned Author of the Commentary on St. Matthew whom for his Skill in expounding Scripture Erasmus in his Preface to the Reader Equals to St. Chrysostom himself If any one says he shall say unto thee Thou shalt not eat of things offer'd to the Idol but only view and behold the Idols how beautiful they are If thou lookest upon them on such a provocation thou hast denied Christ with thine eyes Not that 't is any thing to look on an Idol but herein is the Sin to look on such an invitation And if thou shalt refuse to look by such Refusal thou confessest Christ. Therefore it is written Turn away thine eyes lest they behold Vanity Psal. 118. But if he shall say to thee I ask not that thou shouldst look upon the Idol only listen and give ear how that Gentile blasphemes Christ that he may glorifie his own Gods if thou standest to hearken with thine ears thou hast denied Christ. If he shall say to thee I seek not to have thee hear Christ blasphemed but lo how they are offering Incense to the Gods only stand and receive the Odour of that Incense if thou comest near and smellest it by thy Smell thou hast offended Christ. Again if he says to thee Do not chew the flesh with thy teeth but only seem as if thou didst and feigâ— thy self to eat of the Sacrifice if thou shalt feign a Taste tho thou dost not taste it by thy Taste thou hast that way denied Christ. But if thou wilt not feign thou hast therein confessed him as Eleazar who by eating flesh that was really of his own provision would not fallaciously make as if he had eaten that of the Sacrifice commanded by the King 2 Macch. 6. If he shall say to thee I would not have thee feign thy self to eat of the Sacrifice but only touâ—h the Idol with thine hand or hold an 〈…〉 if thou touchest or handlest it by thy touch thou hast denied Christ but if thou refusest by thy Touch thou hast confessed him as it is written If there be any iniquity in my hands For all the Faculties and Members either of thy Soul or Body God hath created not only with an Eye to thee for use but also to himself for his own Glory And since men may thus affirm or deny in their Actions as well as in their Expressions they may be alike true or false shew Veracity or Lying in both We may do a Lye as well as tell a Lye and deceive by working no less than by speaking as the Scripture tells us of working Deceit Psal. 101.7 and of Deceitful workers 2 Cor. 11.13 calling those False Apostles So who as Chrysostom notes assuming only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Person and outward appearance of Truth thus acting a Part served the Purposes of Errour all their fair shews being only acting a Part to deceive men And as this is true of Facts so likewise of Non-Facts or Omissions in things which we are bound to do and profess The not doing these as I formerly noted when we are called to them signifies our being ashamed of them or denying them as the same would be signified by our Expression Confession of a Duty may be by our Practice as truly as by our Words and Denial thereof may be by the same And therefore if we refuse to do it when God gives us a just Call thereto in our visible Practice we disown tho it may be at the same time inwardly in our hearts we joyfully embrace it Now Christian Simplicity will not allow us to falsifie any of these ways As we may not lye concerning any of the Articles of Faith So neither concerning any of the Duties or Laws of Practice And as it is against the Duty of speaking the Truth in our heart to speak against what we inwardly believe of them in Words so likewise to do against it in Actions Truth must be kept in Doing as well as in Speaking the same Sincerity shewn in the use of either Sign since both are of fixed and instituted Signification Among significant Actions there is more particularly a Signification in the Observance of Days which are known and plain Professions of what is aimed at in such Observations To observe a Day of Thanksgiving for instance for any Event is to profess that we are glad of that Event and thankful to God for it To observe a Day of Fasting if it be impetratory or for obtaining something future is a Profession that we are desirous of that future thing and would ingage God to bring it about Or if it be chiefly penitentiary and for bewailing something past that we are sorry for it and seek to appease his Wrath provoked thereby Now if men would deal with the Simplicity of Christians in these Observances unless in heart they are inwardly affected as the keeping of these Days testifies and rejoyce or desire as such Observance professes they should not joyn or
go along in the keeping of them For the Signification of these is most express It is instituted and fixed upon them by Laws and Edicts The same Authority that calls men to meet together at these times appoints the Signification and tells them the Reason why Here then is an instituted Signification in these Assemblies that has Authority and Law to stand upon And whatever men inwardly intend this is externally professed by their resorting to and joyning therein And accordingly by such Resort or Refusal of it they are understood to testifie and declare their Concurrence or standing off from what is thereby signified or professed in the Account both of their Rulers and of all others They rate the Neglecters not as prophane or irreligious but as disaffected Persons These Assemblies are a Test not of Religion and Devotion but of Parties and Times So Refusal speaks Dissent from the Signification appointed as assembling doth Approbation and Concurrence therewith And all People are ready to say such a Person is for the Design and Signification thereby carried on because he kept the Day and met at the Assembly held thereupon Now the Authority of Laws or Edicts and Custom or received Use are among the chief things that fix and settle Significations And since they fix such Meanings in these Days and Assemblies the Observance or Refusal thereof in us are in the Nature of Professions either as Affirmations or Denials And according as they declare either that Truth which is in our Heart or what is contrary to it our Profession thereby is either true or false If we meet at the Assembly which is to use the Sign and at the same time have inwardly no such Meaning this is to signifie and profess what we do not mean which is not Sincerity but Dissimulation We profess to desire what is sought in the Institution of the Day by our outward Act when in Heart we do not desire it or to be glad of an Event when really perhaps we are sorry for it which is only to put on a false Person and act a Part to be an out-side Complier but a real Hypocrite This Profession by outward Observance of such Days and Assemblies of what is contrary to our Heart and inward Sentiments 1. Is contrary to the owning of Duties which Goâ— requires or to the Part of Confessors If a thing is against any Rule of Religion it is against Religion to desire it And if it is against Religion to desire a thing it is a Duty of Religion not to desire it And if it is our Duty not to desire it we are bound not to smother and conceal but profess that Duty when called thereto Now when an ill thing or Breach of Duty 〈◊〉 upon us our Confession is testifying against the illness either in Words or in Practice by ouâ— Refusal thereof We betray the Cause of Dutâ— in going along which is to transgress it in visible appearance and seem to the World as if we disbelieve or have thrown it off but we assert it by our refusing Qui fallaces in excusatione praâ—stigias quaerit negavit He that seeks to bring himself off by a fallacious Sleight or jugling Trick and by seeming to comply with the Persecutors when he diâ— not therein has denied Christ say the Clergy of the Church of Rome speaking of the necessity of confessing him When the meaning of any Days or Assemblies therefore is to profess desires oâ— affections against any part of Duties or Religion if we could act like carnal Complyers we shall visibly Practise as others Do and seem to desire where we Do not But if we would discharge the Part both of Sincere Christians and of Right and Acceptable Confessors we shall own the unlawfulness of the thing and give our Testimony against it by openly Refusing We shall not pretend to Do or make other men think we Do what in Conscience we dare not Do but dare to Practise and Profess what our Duty and Conscience is 2. It is judged insincere by our selves in the like Observance of Days or Meetings on such Occasions The Festival of Christmas and Easter for instance are appointed as Professions of Joy for the Birth and Resurrection of Christ. And would not the common Sense of Mankind say he did greatly Prevaricate who would come to observe either of these and yet did not believe it The Thirtieth of January is a Profession of Shame and Sorrow for the Murder of our late Martyred Sovereign And should we not call it Hypocrisie for any person to appear there who did not in Heart condemn but justifie that Murder and think it well done The Fifth of November is a Profession of Gladness for the Discovery of the Powder Treason And would not he dissemble notably in appearing at that Days Assembly who is inwardly sorry for the Miscarriage of it and heartily wishes that Plot had gone on Take it in any Case then where we have no Temptation to mislead or particular Concern to byass us and this Complyance in outward Observance where the Signification is contrary to our inward Sentiments is Dissimulation and Hypocrisie our selves being Judges And how can we hope to clear our Sincerity and Simplicity therein before any just and indifferent Judge when makâ— us but once indifferent and no longer Parties and we are all ready to condemn the Falsenesâ— of it our selves 3. It was so judged and esteemed in the Primiâ—tive Church as appears by their Dealing with the Observers of Jewish or Gentile Fasts or Festivals Those Days were of fixed and received Signifiâ—cations And the Observance of those Times was a known Profession of what was signifieâ— by them And therefore when any Christian who had nothing of the Jewish or Gentile Apâ—prehensions did externally joyn as several did in their Observation they could only publiâ—â— their own Hypocrisie therein The only way they had to bring themselves off from being Aâ—postates was to say they still retained their own Faith and tho they might use the Jewish 〈◊〉 Gentile Sign together with them yet they haâ— nothing of their meaning and intention Which is no better than to say in other words that whilst they believed one thing they professed aâ—nother And accordingly such Persons were censured for their scandalous and dissembling Compliances by the Apostolical Canons as they were also by the Council of Laodicea afterwards For further Proof hereof and also to set off by more Instances this part of Simplicity of 〈◊〉 Deceiving by Actions I observe that 4. It was rejected as Deceitful and Dishonest Carriage by the Pious and Good People among the Jews When old Eleazar was required on Pain of Death to eat of unlawful Meats his old Acquaintance that had the Charge of that wicked Feast took him aside and besought him to bring Flesh of his own Provision such as was lawful for him to use and make as if he did eat of the Flesh taken from the Sacrifice commanded by the King
things but when pressed to procure or speed on ill ones they become themselves a grand Impiety the vilest Prostitution of the most Sacred things and so many horrible Prophanations But the Effect of all this must only be to make men consider well the lawfulness of the things or ends they set on by their Prayers their Fastings or Thanksgivings If they are appointed only for what is good they are an excellent means of Success as well as Ministery of Religion But if in any Case men see they are pressed to ill purposes there they must not pretend to comply with or meet at them The very Meeting for what they cannot pray or assist in is but in the Presence and House of God to mock both him and their Brethren and shews not so much of Devotion as of sinful Fear Hypocrisie or Dissimulation Thus is it the Care of true Christian Simplicity not to decieve or tell a Lye in Actions more than by False Speeches and Expressions It will neither falsifie in Words nor Practice It is not for declaring and professing that in Deeds which we never think of in our Hearts being equally against that whether it be Word or Action which is equally deluding Deceit is the thing which it seeks to shun as St. Paul intimates when he opposes speaking the Word of God as of Sincerity to Corrupting or as 't is in the Margin Dealing with it deceitfully 2 Cor. 2.17 And as S. Chrysostom notes when he explains not in worldly Wisdom that is there opposed to Simplicity and godly Sincerity by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. not deceitfully Chrysost. in 2 Cor. 1.12 And Deceit may be brought about as effectually by Carriage as by Words and Expressions which therefore Simplicity takes care to prevent in both I add lastly upon this Point as it will not stoop either by Word or Deed to utter Lyes it self So neither will it make use of others Falshoods or have the like done by them for its Advantage Under the sharp Tryals and pressing Necessities of the Primitive Persecutions the Libellatici had got a Trick as I observed by bribing and corrupting the Officers of Courts to buy Certificates of their having done Sacrifice to Idols when in truth they had not This was a very false and wicked Artifice against the Practice of Truth and the Spirit of Confessors shewing too little care of the Honour of God and Religion or of their Brethrens Souls and too much of their own Dangers And accordingly as I have shewn fell under the just Censures of the Church in the Primitive Times CHAP. VI. SECT II. Of Christian Simplicity and Sincerity 2. A Second thing implied in that Christiâ—â— Simplicity which Spiritual Prudence injoyns is Singleness without double Dealings This is one thing which the Scripture notes by Simplicity Servants says St. Paul obey in all thingâ— your Masters in the flesh not with Eye-service a men-pleasers but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Simplicity of heart i. e. as our Translation renders it in singleness of heart not having one heart or mind to youâ— work whilst their eye is over you and another when 't is off you Col. 3.22 And accordingly Craftiness or worldly Wisdom which is opposite to Simplicity and made so by St. Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 is sometimes set off by Duplicity Haec eadem Duplicitas this same Duplicity says St. Gregory the Great speaking of the Wisdom of this World which he makes the opposite to the Simplicity of the Just Job 12.4 And non versantes in astutiaâ— not walking in Craftiness 2 Cor. 4.2 St. Chrysostom explains by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. being free from all Duplicity and really being such as we seem to be Truth is but one and always the same but Falshood is various and multiform And as there is this Singleness in Truth it self so should there always be in the exhibitions or appearances which we make thereof Our inward thoughts and outward appearance betwixt which Moral Truth lies must bear its Picture and Character 〈◊〉 having but one stamp or being all of a piece â—nd this Simplicity secures preventing any â—iscrepancy between our Minds and Expressions 〈◊〉 our having two Faces more than Truth it self 〈◊〉 It allows us not to have one thing in our â—wn Breasts and to make shew of another to â—ur Neighbour To give out this for true at one â—ime and as that happens to serve our Turn 〈◊〉 contrary to be as true at another This is â—ot to be the same man within and without 't is â—ot to be one and the same to morrow which it was to day but is the sustaining of a twofold Person Whereas Singleness excludes all Duplicity it can be but one And accordingly Simplicity which lies in maintenance of such Singleness must be and shew but one thing and always say and seem the same In the Question of true or false good or evil it must not be vaâ—ious according to difference of times and places and Favour or Dislike Desire or Fear help or obstruct the same thing as a Truth or â—rrour Vice or Virtue as it differently serves â—r hinders our Convenience This is not to â—hew Simplicity to be and appear one and always the same or of a single heart But is plainâ—y to act a double Part yea perhaps innumerable Parts such a man being like to change his Part as oft as there is occasion for it This Singleness is much the same with Unmixâ—dness or Purity which is another thing the Scripture means by Simplicity Thus St. Paul warning the Corinthians against the false Apostles expresses his Fear lest by them their minds should be corrupted from the Simplicity that is in Christ 2 Coâ—â— 11.3 The Corruption endeavour'd by the falsâ— Apostles was the bringing into Christianity Fâ—â—reign Tenets some Philosophical and Heathenisâ— some Jewish Opinions And so to preserve 〈◊〉 Simplicity that is in Christ against this is to preâ—serve the Purity and Unmixedness of the Gâ—â—nuine Christian Doctrines And this the Apoâ—stle did that having espoused them to him as 〈◊〉 Husband he might be able to present them a chast Virgin to Christ v. 2. He had espoused theâ— to him to learn of him alone as their sole Mâ—â—ster And this Espousal as a chast Bride theâ— would keep inviolate in admitting of no oppâ—â—site Doctrines from a Foreign hand or going 〈◊〉 learn of any other Thus also when he bids 〈◊〉 that giveth to do it with Simplicity i. e. with purâ— and unmixt intention merely for Charity 〈◊〉 for Self-Ends or Vain-Glory Rom. 12.8 〈◊〉 aliorum captans Gloriam sed ejus qui indiget 〈◊〉 subveniens Not doing it to win Glory but to relievâ— his poor Brothers necessity as Theodoret commentâ— Thus also is that of our Saviour If thine eye 〈◊〉 single or simple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy whole body shall be full 〈◊〉 light by the singleness of the Eye which guide and directs us noting the Purity of Consciencâ—
and Intentions not mixed or corrupted by imâ—pure Affections Mat. 6.22 Luk. 11.34 Anâ— St. Peter's sincere milk of the Word is the samâ— unadulterate or not having any thing else mixâ— with it 1 Pet. 2.2 Agreeable to this is St. Bâ—â—sil's Explication who to the Question What 〈◊〉 sincere Answers I account that to be sincere which is unmixt and perfectly purified from all that is contrary to it And that of Guidas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or sincere is that which is pure and unmixt with any other And Theophylact who on Phil. 1.10 expounds that ye may be sincere by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. or that ye may receive no spurious Tenet under the pretext of Charity And this also is another Part of Simplicity to be pure from all Adulteration or mixture of the contrary 'T is an expression of the singleness thereof not to have one end in Truth but another in Appearance and not to pretend much concern in a thing to serve others when really it is most to gratifie and serve our selves And so 't is too to preserve our Thoughts and Affections clean and not to suffer them to be undermined or corrupted by their Contraries Not to have our Love of God for instance adulterated by the intermixture of worldly Love which in any Competition will secretly draw us from his Service for this World's sake Nor our Fear of him twisted with our Fear of men or our Love of our Neighbour with Love of our selves and seeking thereby our own Self-Ends or our Designs of good Actions with Designs of Vanity and Applause or our Pursuits of Publick Good with the Pursuit of Private Passions or our Pretences for Religion with intentions for our selves Under this mixture of such opposite Passions and Intentions we are not single and all of a Piece And which is worse that fair side which is uppermost and openly given out is weakest and the contrary which is mingled therewith and lurks under it when it comes to the Tryal is like to prevail over it This is haâ—ving as one thing which appears so another which appears not and so not being single 〈◊〉 what it shews but divided or twofold Now as for this Singleness or Unmixednesâ— of Simplicity it excludes our being of a doublâ— Heart or Mind of a double Tongue or of a doublâ— Practice 1. First It excludes our being of a double Mind or Heart It allows not of a double Mind or of a Duplicity of Thought or Intention We must not profess 〈◊〉 seem for instance to think what we do noâ— think or to believe a thing whilst we see no Reason to believe it or much Cause to believe otherwise or not to see what is made plain to us because it makes against us or to be ignorant of what we very well know because wâ— have no mind to acquit our selves or act according to our Knowledge We must not put 〈◊〉 an appearance of Conscience for or against any way when it has no hold upon our Consciences and our Zeal either for or against it is noâ— really on account of Conscience but of 〈◊〉 and mere humane Affections or pretend we scruple a disgustful thing only when we havâ— no mind to do it or are satisfied in Conscience of a profitable or pleasing one tho we cannot act it without Regret and till frequent curbing has made it silent without our Conscience flying in our Faces We must not give out Intentions of what we never design or pretend one thing whilst we intend another seem to be acted by Zâ—al for God or Religion when 't is all 〈◊〉 most for sensual Passion or Secular Design 〈◊〉 for the Publick when 't is for some private End or for the Love of Goodness when 't is for the sake of Vanity or the Love of Applause or for Fear of God when 't is only for fear of sufâ—â—ring or to serve our Neighbour when 't is onâ—y to serve our selves of him These and such 〈◊〉 are not to preserve a Simplicity or Singleness of Thoughts and Intentions but to have them of two sorts one within and another without us To be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or of two Souls as St. James â—â—eaks Jam. 1.8 who calls upon such Double-minded to purifie their hearts or to change those corrupt Mixtures for purity and singleness of Thoughts and Intentions Ch. 4.8 And is contrary to that Purity of Intention our Saviour and St. Paul require when they injoyn us to have 〈◊〉 Eye or Intention single and to give with Simplicity i. e. a Design not of Vain-glory but of Charity as I noted before Yea it forbids as being thus of two Forms or double in our Thoughts and Intentions of any â—hing at the same time So of appearing double â—nd divided in our Thoughts and Intentions â—bout true or false good and evil if taken at different times For Truth and Virtue are unchangeable things and the same at all times What they are to day they will be to morrow and every day and not chop and change as our Humor Interest or Convenience doth To preserve this Singleness then we must add Constancy to Truth and be the same for it at all times and places Wo be to the Sinner says the Son of Sirach threatning the impatient and unbelieving Temporizers that go two ways Ecclusâ— 2.12 If we see a thing to be true when 〈◊〉 makes for us we must see it as true when 〈◊〉 comes to make against us If it is matter of Conscience when it advances it must be matter oâ— Conscience still when it afflicts or depresses us If it was not plain whilst we lost by it it muâ—â— not presently become plain when we are to profit by it if it were not to be seen whilst it served others it must not be more manifest and discernable to our sight when it comes to serve our selves If it be our Intention to serve God we must intend to serve him when we are called to suffer for him as well as when to reign by him If to stick to the Rules of an holy Religion and to be the Lovers and Followers of any Virtue then when it is a losing and persecuted as well as when it is a getting Virtue when 't is vulgarly decryed as well as when it iâ— applauded and cryed up If to be just and charitable to our Brethren then when we have 〈◊〉 well as when we want the opportunity of shewing forth our Justice and Charity when thereby we only serve them as well as when we serve our own Ends by serving theirs when the Worlâ— knows not as well as when it knows what we do and when it can only serve the Purposes 〈◊〉 Chaâ—ity and Justice as well as when together with them it serves also the End of Credit and Popular Applause This Constancy in the same true Thoughts and good Purposes is necessary to maintain and keep up this Singleness of our Minds not only at some one but
at different times and under the several Changes and Turns of worldly Temptation and Convenience Without this when our mind is single at any time and in the right it would not be stable and stedfast therein but on any Change of Humor or Advantage put on a different Form and appear quite another thing Which is to have two Minds or two Consciences Beliefs and Intentions suited to two different times And this Inconstancy and Instability St. James particularly taxes in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Double Souled Persons A Double minded man saith he is unstable in all his ways Jam. 1.8 Again this Singleness allows not as of a Double mind against Duplicity of Thought and Intention So neither of a Double heart against Duplicity of Will and Affection It never seems to be pleased with what is displeasing to it or to have a good Will to a thing when it bears an ill Will against it or to go willingly and by Choice in a Business where it goes against its Will and merely in Submission It doth not appear to love what it really hates or to admire what inwardly it slights and contemns to be thankful or glad of that which truly gives it sorrow and is a trouble to it or to be sorry and afflict it self for a thing when really it rejoyceth at it to desire or pray for any Event when its Heart is averse thereto and flyes from it or to hope for any issue which within it self it fears or to fear any which in very deed it covets It is no Part or Proof of this Singleness to pretend we have given up our Wills to God's when we will not rest under his Will in any unpleasing Case but make our own Wills take place of his or our Heart to God and Religion when 't is not so much to him as to this World nor is tyed so fast to the Duties of Religion as to the worldly Conveniences and Advantages about Religion Or to pretend that we love God above this World when our Hearts are ready to sin against God to save the things of this World or that our chief Care and Concern is for the Joys of Heaven when we are ready to go out of any way that leads thither to keep what we have here on Earth or that our Heart is in the first place to keep Innocence when it will chuse rather to sin than suffer and is not so much for keeping innocent as keeping safe And these and such like shew not a single but a double Heart One in Pretence and Appearance and another in Reality and Truth one that is for God and a good thing and another that can be as much against them which are quite opposite to Simplicity and Singleness of Heart Or if our Heart is truly affected to good and ill as it shews and but one way at once yet would it be a double Heart still if it is not constant in these Affections whilst there is the same Cause but double and divided now one way and anon another if taken at different times As it is when we love any virtuous ways or things whilst they serve our Turn and grow averse to them as soon as that Turn is served set much by them whilst they suit our Ends but are set as much against them when once they begin to oppose them In a word seem pleased or offended love or hate hope or fear slight or admire desire or turn away from the same things being now all for them and then all against them according as they suit our uncertain Turns or Interests When we do thus by any Truths or Virtues we have not one single Affection for the ways we would be thought to approve but are sometimes on and sometimes off Our Hearts are not at unity with themselves nor true and constant to their own Motions So that no hold is to be taken of us and men know not where they will have and where they will miss of our Hearts And this is not to shew Simplicity but Double heartedness An Heart as to love so to hate the same thing at different times that goes not all one way but on different Turns not of the things but of our own Convenience and Affairs is contrarily affected towards them An Heart in shew that is set on the Goodness or Truth of the things themselves but in Reality on our own Interests under that Cover and serving of our selves by them Which plainly is harboring of a Double Heart and betrays us unavoidably into the going two ways threatned by the Son of Sirach and into that instability which St. James condemns in the Double-minded Like as also the Scripture says of the men of Zebulun who came over to David without any hankering after or Reserves for the House of Saul that they were not of a double heart 1 Chron. 12.33 Or as 't is expressed v. 38. that they came to him to Hebron with a perfect heart And this Duplicity or Division of Heart in any Duties is opposite to that Integrity of heart which God requires in his Service Telling us that in the way of his Commandments we must love and serve him with all our heart Deut. 10.12 Mar. 12.30 and walk before him with a perfect heart 1 King 8.61 Isa. 38.3 2. Secondly This Singleness of Simplicity excludes our being of a double Tongue against Duplicity of Talk and Expression Neither at any time used we flattering words courting your Favour by speaking pleasing things more agreeable to your Humor or Necessities than to our own Sentiments says St. Paul setting off his own Simplicity and sincere Dealing among the Thessalonians 1 Thess 2.5 It is not for speaking one thing to a mans Face and another behind his back for talking one way in publick and the quite contrary in private or among those who are of the same Judgment for talking still as the Company doth owning all as right and assenting to quite contrary Discourses as it falls in Company contrarily affected in the matters discoursed of It doth not speak differently of the same things only as that differently happens best to suit our Purposes as if there were nothing in the celebrated Names of true and false good and ill but our Convenience It doth not commend a thing for instance when we are about to sell and disparage it when we come to buy it or cry up a thing as a Virtue when it serves our selves and condemn it as a Vice when it serves others or give out the same thing as mere Necessity if done by us when we are over others which we accused as malicious infringement and intolerable Usurpation when others did it whilst over us It will not magnifie Moderation when we are down and stand in need thereof and speak against it as loathsom Lukewarmness or Treacherous Neutrality when we get up and are in Place to shew it Nor condemn justly all Bloody Persecuting Injurious and Despoiling Zeal in Papists and yet
they Patronize by their own Sincerity and Fairness They must never teach us how to cozen or insnare others They must never lie in Quirks and evasive Senses which Deceitfulness of the Laws themselves will ungird and prostitute them and only teach People how to cheat in their Obedience It will cut off the Simplicity of Obedience and call Subjects only to the invention of Subtleties to out-wit Laws instead of observing them For Laws are not kept but cozen'd and abused by evasive Glosses 〈◊〉 that this Simplicity as it must be most in â—â—â—mises chiefly when backed by solemn Oaths 〈◊〉 more especially when these are made by 〈◊〉 or Magistrates who are Sacred Persons 〈◊〉 most especially when they are made also in â—â—â—dience to Laws and in Words prescribed by 〈◊〉 â—aws themselves 〈◊〉 now contrary to all these Ways and 〈◊〉 of Simplicity is the Way of Worldly 〈◊〉 It may sometimes be for taking things 〈◊〉 and by bare-faced Violence where it 〈◊〉 â—ower enough But it s ordinary Method is â—â—â—ctise more covertly and its great Instruâ—â—â—â— is Craft and Deceit When there is need 〈◊〉 it is not apt to stick at forging a 〈◊〉 Lye and unpalliable Falshood to bring its 〈◊〉 about But where it practises with more 〈◊〉 facedness it will deceive as effectually by 〈◊〉 but deceitful Truths which are only 〈◊〉 Truths but real Falshoods Sometimes 〈◊〉 the end it may be mistaken it will hide it self 〈◊〉 Mist of Words At others it will play upon 〈◊〉 Faith of Men by Ambiguities of Words and â—â—â—â—ences expecting they will bite at one meanâ—â—â—â— whilst it reserves another to it self Or if 〈◊〉 doth not fall upon them to deceive directly iâ— will lead them about craftily by a Circle of Words or Circumlocutions intermixing secretly 〈◊〉 and false and laying Snares till it has got them within the Compass of Deceit at last It will be open in so much as shall serve its turn and artificially conceal what makes against it It represents things not as they are in themselves but in such Dress as best suits its own purpose amplifying or detracting palliating or disguiâ—sing not so as sets off its own Thoughts but 〈◊〉 Convenience Or if it is so nice as to boggle at the Abuse of Words it will more easily swallow a like Juggle and Deceit in Actions It will give the outward Appearances without inward Realities seem to be what it is not and not to be what it is Do in all things like those that profess what it thinks not or that denies what it really believes The outward Shews of its Belief or Expectations Mind and Judgmentâ— of its Desires or Affections what pleases or dislikâ—â— it are not the true Draught of its inward Sentiments but only of its outward Interests It pretends what it gets by not what it really is or believes and seeks it self not what it shews in all its Pretences Its Appearances are Hypocrisie its secret end still self-design its Method not Truth but Delusion not harmlesness to others but preventing tho by any Loss of theirs all Harm Dissatisfaction or Disappointment to it self So that instead of being true and single plain and open innocent and undesigning a worldly wise Man is all Lyes and Falshood Trick and Deceit full of Turnings and Windings Shifts and Evasions Mists and false Colors meer Shews and Pretences pretending and appearing one thing but being and intending another and never true to what he seems further than that happens to run true to his own self-ends and carnal Convenience He is not fixt to any just and â—â—nest Principles but is for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for accommodating his manners to serve turns 〈◊〉 for being quick-sighted at serving his own Adâ—â—â—tage by Deceit as I noted from S. Basil. By 〈◊〉 which deceitful Shews and false Seemings 〈◊〉 the Injury to Truth he violates Charity 〈◊〉 Justice oftentimes drawing Men in thereby 〈◊〉 their Prejudice And abuses Confidence 〈◊〉 to an ingenuous Spirit should lay on one 〈◊〉 highest Obligation working their harm by 〈◊〉 very Faith and Trust they repose in him 〈◊〉 for the most part highly abuses good things 〈◊〉 and that virtuous forwardness well meaning 〈◊〉 have to promote them whilst under a false 〈◊〉 and Shew thereof he steals away their â—â—ncurrence to his own unlawful Purposes or 〈◊〉 Self-Designs CHAP VII Of not discharging Relative Duties for ends of Religion or of our own Ease THE other Instance which I mentioned of Doing ill to bring about some Good desired in throwing off Relative Duties And this is another Care of Spiritual Prudence viz. in the Second Place that in any Relations when 〈◊〉 grow burdensome to us for ends either of Religiâ—â—â— or of our own Ease it doth not admit of any Discharge of Relative Duties God both in Nature and Scripture has required us as to be just to all Men so to be Grateful to our Benefactors and Dutiful to our Superiors to honor obey and keep subject to our Parents our Princes and other Powers whom he has placed over us 1. And these Duties and Returns he calls for towards them whatever their Religion be whether true or false Be they Christians or Heathens Jews or Mahometans true Worshipers or Idolaters Children must honor and obey support and succor their Parents and Wives their Husbands and Servants their Masters and Subjects their Sovereigns These are among those things which Nature it self has writ in all Mens Hearts and wherein as S. Paul says they that 〈◊〉 not the written Law are a Law unto themselves their own Consciences bearing witness to them without the need of any further Revelation 〈◊〉 their thoughts accusing or excusing them according as they have kept or transgressed them Rom. â— 14 15. So that if the Relatives were all 〈◊〉 yet their natural Conscience without the 〈◊〉 of Scripture would teach one to call for at this Duty and another to shew and pay it 〈◊〉 accuse them if they did it not Accordingly when the Apostles went out to 〈◊〉 among Heathens and to proselyte those 〈◊〉 Relations were Worshipers of false Gods 〈◊〉 set up unclean Spirits or Devils for Gods 〈◊〉 do not in the least exempt them from any â—â—lative Duties towards such Idolaters but 〈◊〉 a greater Heartiness and Conscientiousness 〈◊〉 the due Discharge thereof Children obey your 〈◊〉 in all things as what is well-pleasing to the 〈◊〉 saith S. Paul Col. 3.20 And Servants 〈◊〉 in all things your Masters according to the Flesh 〈◊〉 all things in singleness of Heart as to the 〈◊〉 as serving therein the Lord Christ Vers. 22. 〈◊〉 Wives be in subjection to your own 〈◊〉 says S. Peter yea to those that obey not the Word but are to be won by the Wives good Conversation without the Word 1 Pet. 3.1 Honor the King says he again and submit your selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lord's sake whether to the King as supreme or unto Governors as sent by him c. 2.13 14 17. Ye
ever carry them to share in other mens Guilt and partake in what not only the Law of God but their own Consciences do condemn Besides the immediate Actors who perform the Execution thereof these following are all Partakers in any impious or unrighteous thing against either God or Men and share the Guilt among them â— First he shares in the Guilt qui jubet that 〈◊〉 and Commands it which is the Guilt of 〈◊〉 as of a Magistrate Master or Parent 〈◊〉 commanders of an evil thing are not only 〈◊〉 but Authors of the wickedness they 〈◊〉 Not only their own Motion lies at their 〈◊〉 as proceeding from the naughtiness of 〈◊〉 own Hearts but also the wickedness of 〈◊〉 For their Subjects move not of themâ—â—lves nay if they make conscience of what 〈◊〉 do they must first force both their inclinaâ—â—â—ns and their consciences but only in dread 〈◊〉 their Power and Command or meerly in Oâ—â—dience And therefore to them doth the 〈◊〉 of God more eminently and especially 〈◊〉 such Actions As the slaying of the 85 〈◊〉 to Saul who commanded others to do 〈◊〉 And the Murther of Vriah to David and 〈◊〉 Naboth to Ahab and Jezabel because by 〈◊〉 Letters they had required and given Order 〈◊〉 them But this Guilt of Superiors is then most â—â—â—eing and consummate when shewn not only in Personal mandates but in establishing wickâ—â— Constitutions or publickly decreeing and â—â—quiring from all their Subjects any impious unrighteous or otherwise unlawful things so propagating ungodliness and breach of all good Conscience among all their Subjects that have not the Piety or Spirit to stand out against their sinful Injunctions Wo unto them that Decree unrighteous Decrees says God Is. 10.1 Upon them lies not only the load of their own Personal Guilts but also the Guilt of all their Subjects in such Actions Whose Criminal Compliance and Obsequiousness though it fall upon themselves yet doth not rest there but reboundâ— back from each to their unrighteous Rulers since it was only in regard to them and in 〈◊〉 of their Power and Displeasure that they became Guilty So that in them who were at the head of the wicked Act and would force all the rest yea though against their own Mind and Conscience to transgress therein doth the Guilt of each Offender concenter and unite As the Guilt of all Israel in following Jeroboam's Calves and Vnrighteous Worship did 〈◊〉 him who as the Scripture says made Israel to sin thereby and set up and by Law enforced that impious and idolatrous Worship So that in truth the greater the numbers are that comply with such Decrees and perform their unconscionable and unlawful injunctions the more have such Imposers of wickedness to throw guilt upon their heads and to heap up Vengeance for them and their Posterities And their only true and real Friends though here they are persecuted as their worst Enemies are they that honestly and religiously stand out and stick true and firm to the Truths or Laws of God against them For whilst all others against the Great Day of Audit are placing new Debts to their Score and inflaming the final Reckoning these spare them And by preserving their own uprightness hinder more Guilt and Condemnation from being set to their Account who without any addition from them are like God knows from 〈◊〉 compliances of others their seeming friends â—â—erein but real Destroyers to have infinitely â—â—re than ever they will be able to bear or â—â—count for 2. Secondly he pertakes in the Guilt qui non â—â—hibet who when he is in Place and Station for 〈◊〉 doth not duely shew himself to stop and preâ—â—â—t it 1. Sometimes Men have the Power in their 〈◊〉 hands as Eli had both as a Magistrate and 〈◊〉 over his Sons either to Cure and Reâ—â—ess or exemplarily to punish their shameful â—â—ings And if they neglect to use this Power 〈◊〉 Restraint or Punishment they partake in their Sins which such impunity has encouraged Thus God charges Eli with his Son's wickedness and punishes him for it as well as them And tells the Magistrates that any ways connive 〈◊〉 him that gives his Seed to Moloch and do not 〈◊〉 him that he will set his face not only against that Man but against his Family or the People of his Place the word Family sometimes as Jer. 8.3 Mich. 2.3 signifying the sâ—me as People the People of a place antiently â—â—ing reckon'd to some one Family as if they hâ—d all sprung from it as Gen. 10.2 3 4 5 c. Contra Auxiliatores vel obfirmatores ejus as 't is render'd in the Chaldee Paraphrase i. e. against themselves who by not punishing may be said to confirm the ungodly in his impiety as Grotius there notes And all that go a whoring after or as the Septuagint Consent to him as by conniving and not punishing they were interpreted to do Lev. 20.4 5. And St. Paul blames the Pastors at Corinth as coming in for a share of Guilt with the incestuous Person because they had not mourned to have him taken away i. e. proceeded to Excommunication which in those days used to be with Mourning and Lamentation as at Funerals 1 Cor. 5.1 2.6 Such also was the case of Gallio the Deputy of Achaia who when he sat to keep the Peace and do Justice suffer'd Softhenes to be beaten even before the Judgment Seat by a Popular outrage and cared for none of those things as the Text says Acts 18.12.17 When Rulers can look on and see ill things done without exerting the Power they are intrusted with to curb and restrain them or give liberty and connivance as Gallio did nay perhaps encouragement to Rabbles to act their Outrage and unjust Violence either for punishing or curbing those they would willingly see brought down by not giving check to these wickednesses they make them their own and become answerable to God for them 2. Sometimes as when 't is lodged in a certain number or Body of Men they are only sharers in Power and to act in Concurrence with others by common Consent and Opinion And each one partakes here in any unlawful thing that passes among them unless he openly interpose and protest against it or visibly manifest his dissent from it For what is decreed or done at such Meetings is all by their Authority and in all their Names And when the Debate comes whether any particular thing shall pass as their Act or no they sit there to speak their minds And if they gainsay it not it goes as if it were their mind and by such silence it comes to â—ffect and they give as much Authority thereto as if they had expresly consented If an unrighteous thing is proposed and waits for their consent if they suffer it to pass on without their denyal it appears they were either for promoting or permitting it They did not prohibit it when they could and when they were put thereupon And qui
take part thereof in Will and Affection And this is one thing whereby the Scripture expresses Saul's Partaking in St. Stephen's Murder And Saul was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 approving and well pleased with it or Consenting to his Death Act. 8.1 It is what the Apostle so severely Censures in the Romans that what ill they did not act themselves they were glad of and had Complacence in when they saw or heard it done by others Not only Do the same but take Pleasure in those that Do them Ro. 1.32 Quid refert says Cicero â—rum voluerim fieri an gaudeam Factum 'T is the same thing whether a man wills before to have a thing done or rejoyces in it when it is done The Will in both is the same And if he did not will it before the Fact that was only as not being informed thereof or asked the question He that Praises it He is as Guilty that Applauds as he that Perswades to it says Cicero Nay he comes in deeper than a meer Actor and turns Factor for it For to Praise is both to justifie and take part with him that did it and to recommend and take part before hand with any other that shall do it It sets off the Wickedness not only as an innocent but as a worthy and honourable thing So to make the Offender instead of turning Penitent to grow Proud thereof and to draw in others men beng naturally covetous of Honour to Do the same And he that looking on one side will Praise the Evil looking on the other will be as ready to Vilifie and Expose the contrary Good So that such Commenders and Extollers of Unlawful Acts in the degrees of Guilt may bid fair for the top of David's Scale viz. to sit down in the Seat of the scornful Ps. 1.1 And thus a Commender partakes not only when he Signalizes himself and is particular in Praises but if he strikes in with the common Cry and bears a part in the popular Voice when it is unjustly loud to cry up ill or to cry down any virtuous and good things Had we been in the days of our Fathers say the Scribes and Pharisees we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets viz. By joyning in the general Cry and Clamours for their Blood or Applauses of those that shed it Mat. 23.30 And St. Paul gives it as one instance of his partaking in the death of the Saints that when they were put to death he Concurred in the Popular Acclamations and bore his part in the Common Cry or gave his Voice against them Act. 26.10 Thus easily and unwarily may rash or timorous and complying Persons in Hot and Violent Times plunge themselves in guilt by Applauding as the number doth and speaking well as others about them do of any impious or Unjust Ways or Acts which those times shall happen to be fond of Next to him that thus Praises and Extols I add him that Justifies and Defends it Such men will maintain it if not as meriting praises yet however as innocent and blameless To become thus a Pleader and Advocate for any wicked or Unjust Act is highly to take the part thereof It has many Partakers on account of good will and inferiour assistance among those that cannot pretend to be the Patrons and Defenders of it He that will undertake to Defend is no whit inferior to him that Commits a Fault nay in great respects beyond him In as much as he that Commits it may be carried on against his mind by temptation and infirmity of passion but he that Defends it is for it in mind and judgment Next to this he Partakes who though he doth not come openly and fully to Defend yet â—isibly Countenances and Approves it so far as he joyns his will and carriage his opinion and suffrage to the Offenders so far he partakes in the Offence Every expression of Approbation in proportion to its degree puts him into the Evil-doer's Cause and makes it his own Now such Countenance and Approbation it is when they are kind and friendly as I noted in Saluting Entertaining or going out to Meet him as he goes about the Evil Thing Do not Salute or bid him God speed nor receive him into your houses that ye partake not with the bringer of false Doctrine was the Rule given by St. John When they look on in the Act without any shew of Horror or Dislike and as Men pleased and delighted with it This is to shew Favour to an ill thing which is to partake with it Accordingly St. Paul gives this as one instance of his being a Party to the death of St. Stephen that he was standing by or looking on with Liking as one Consenting to them Act. 22.20 And therefore he directs us when we are present thereat to manifest Dislike or Reprove them in a Work of Darkness that we may have no fellowship with it Eph. 5.11 And thus the Fathers taught the Christians about communicating with the Sins of the Heathen Shows or Spectacles We think it no great difference says Athenagoras whether a man be a Pleased Spectator or an Author of the Murther Whilst Willingly and with Approbation they behold them they act over all the things that are done by seeing and assenting to them says St. Salvian When they would put on the outward dress and appear like him that doth it This is in appearance to partake with the sin though in heart they are against it And accordingly to the World they appear as Actors therein and are reputed as Parties to it They go Halting indeed and it may be are not what they seem But though they do not admit the whole they take part therein the outward shew and form though not the inward Sentiment and Approbation This it to Do what Elihu justly reprehended but unjustly fasten'd upon Job to go in company with the workers of iniquity and walk with wicked men or to borrow their shape and say and Do shew and seem as if a man were one of them Job 34.8 Thus did the Judaizing Gnosticks who to avoid Persecution said they were Jews and seemed zealous for Moses but inwardly were not nor kept the Law as St. Paul also notes Rev. 2.9 Thus also as I formerly observed were the Libellatici of the Primitive Church who though in truth they had done no such thing yet sought to be numbred and pass among those that had done sacrifice to Idols But besides the insincerity hereof which I have shew'd above this is plainly to take part with those ungodly ways giving them the visible part and appearance whilst the invisible is Reserved to God It is Halting between two Opinions as if God who in point of Worship declares himself a jealous God would in that Worship admit Error and Wickedness to go halves with him and be his Partners carrying away the outward whilst he doth the inward Service Lastly he shares in the
all to pare away part of the Obligation and to perform no more than in their present Circumstances may be tolerably suitable and the Flesh will consent to They will urge the Circumstance of the Person Another man say they might Discharge the Duty more fully in this Case But as for me Men must consider my Relation how I am joyn'd in Affinity or Blood my Obligations how Great Favours I have received or the Necessity of my Condition and my Dependance for Support or Interest on those who are warm and zealous for another way So that it is not to be expected from me that I should keep so fully and invariably to the Duty as another Person of more easie and agreeing Relations Obligations and Dependance may do And the Circumstance of the Place Were I in a Place says a mind that retains too much of this World where this or that Duty would go down where the due Discharge of it would be like to be quietly received or where the Minds of men were any ways impressible to give some appearance of its doing good upon them much more Fidelity might be shewn therein But I live where the Spirits of Men are in a Ferment where the Duty is Generally Decryed or bitterly Persecuted and the Practice thereof instead of procuring any Religious Regard from the Beholders provokes only their outrage against the Practisers thereof So I am forced to Sail as near the Wind as I can that I may not endeavour both against Wind and Stream I omit what will not be endured and practise what will and this meerly to content the People as forced on by the press of a Crowd one Man being unable to withstand a whole Multitude And the Circumstance of the Instruments or Auxiliaries Though they would discharge the Duty fully were they left to themselves yet now they are upon Designs and must consider not only what will pass with themselves but with their Complices They must keep in with their Humane Succors and therefore they must abate of their Religious Duties lest standing too stifly and inflexibly for them they disoblige and lose their Patrons or Auxiliaries It is well say they if by a Man so linked in some part can be performed whilst some part is abated Some part must be yielded to gratifie their Interests or their Principles some to keep those of wrong and some to keep the loose and immoral or those of no Religion And the Circumstance of the End They would as please God in the Duty so profit his Church thereby And a Duty happens at some time not to suit the interest of their Party in Religion If they will abate or infringe it they may set up or keep up themselves but if still they will faithfully discharge it as they ought in all appearance they must become subject and truckle under others To deduct something in the present Circumstance is most safe or serviceable for that Party of Christians they espouse which they call God's Church And in this strait they think they should not be censured if they practise so much as is serviceable and lay the rest aside And the Circumstance of the Time admitting no season for the full practice of any Duties or profession of any Truths when there is hazard in them or no probability of doing Good by them or they are like to be impeditive of some designed Good or much desired Settlement to Church or State of which I spoke before Thus is Worldly Wisdom for making bold with its Duty to save its Worldly Concerns and for tempering Duty to the present Circumstances by abating it and by parting with so much thereof when it retains the rest as all its Circumstances consider'd shall make it draw least inconvenience after it from any of them Which is nothing else but setting up this World above Almighty God and our own Convenience above his ways Whereby however we may promise our selves to pass for Worldly Wise we shall be sure to appear ill Christians as I think is clear enough from the foregoing Chapters I speak not this of abating in Discharge of our Duty thus to Circumstances where Circumstances really make Abatements I know there is not so much due from us in some Circumstances as there is in others For some Circumstances are incapacities and these abate so far and so long as they incapacitate Impossibilium says the Moral Rule nulla est obligatio No Man is tied to impossibilities And therefore where we owe never so much Duty we are not bound to an actual exercise and discharge thereof whilst we are not in capacity So far as it is Providentially out of our Power and so long as it is so our actual Discharge thereof is under a Suspension 'till by Degrees it come to be in our power again which always brings back with it a like gradual Return of our Obligation But I speak of their tempering their Duty in these Abatements to Circumstances of Worldly Convenience where there is the same State and Foundation of their Religious Obligations as at other times We must not abate our Duties whose Ground and Obligation is still the same and which we have Power and Opportunity to Practise if we dare run Hazards and sustain Inconveniences and Losses for them to temper them to the external Ease and Convenience of Place or Persons or other present Circumstances Which in this tempering is not to respect the Obligation of Circumstances but only the Fleshly Ease Convenience and Advantage of them 3. This Tempering to Circumstances must lie only in our not unnecessarily provoking Men whilst we do no ill our selves not in our carrying on the unreasonable or ungodly wills of others It is â—ne thing to temper our selves to the Necessities of things another to the Lusts or Vices of Persons one thing to suit their innocent wants or ways another to set on their wickedness This is to have Fellowship with the works of Darkness to partake of other Mens Sins and Sin along with them for Company So that we must never talk of tempering our selves to Circumstances by putting our selves into other mens ill circumstance or by complying in any ungodly or ill things If ill things then are driven on by the violence and press of People or the Power of Rulers if all seem to Conspire together and Combine to oppress an innocent Person or to explode an Excellent and Good thing to pull down what is Right and set up what is Wrong to seek safety by what is Sinful or Publick Good either of Church or State by Doing Evil it must not be thought any part of our Prudence to temper our selves to their Ungodly Wills by Compliance by striking in and countenancing by being or seeming to be for them by crying up or carrying on or going along therewith If we would seek to be truly Good rather than falsly to appear Wise Religion is not for such ebbs and flows for being fast and loose with virtuous or
and know not the Day of my Death said the Patriarch Isaac Gen. 27.2 And therefore the way of God's Saints when Men laid wait for them was not as he goes on to obtrude themselves upon their Persecutors as not knowing the time appointed them by the Divine Providence But their time being in God's hand they expected the Finishing and Course thereof Wandering about in the mean season or hiding themselves in Caves of the Earth 'till the Determined time of their Death came or till God who is the Determiner of their times would manifest it to them either preventing and disappointing their Persecutors or Delivering them into their hands as seemed most fit and seasonable to him This Caution and Flight in Persecution as he adds was not to be called Cowardise but was an Exercise of their Fortitude and Patience For in their Flight they did not nourish and indulge Fears of Death but fortified their minds against it They shew'd Fortitude and Tolerance and Gave a Proof of Passive Valour which is best seen not in being suddenly Cut off but in tedious Sorrows which so highly enobled Jobe 's Patience Their Care was 〈◊〉 he pleads neither to Fear the time of Death when it was present nor to anticipate that time â—hich God's Providence had Decreed for it or â—esist the Divine Dispensation whereto they knew â—ssuredlâ— they were Reserved that so they might not â—e 〈◊〉 as being by their own rash Actings the â—â—use of their own Fall 〈◊〉 was it without Fruit either to themselves or the Church of God Their Flight saith he was not idle in as much as they Preached the Truth when they fled and never forgot to seek the Profit of others under all the Hardships which they sustain'd themselves When flying they hid themselves they were by God's Dispensation only reserved this way as Physicians for the wants and use of those that stood in need of them In Sum the Rule of Christian Prudence for us all as he observes when we are sought for in Persecutions is not to be rash and Precipitate in tempting God but to fly and hide our selves and wait till the appointed time of our Death comes or till our Great Judge shall allot that for us which seems best to himself But when he allows us this Liberty he would have us to stand alwaies ready and prepared in our minds when either our appointed time calls us or we are taken up and apprehended by our Persecutors to stand and strive for Religion and the Church even unto Death And thus the Martyrs did in Persecutions Whilst they lay hid in Dens and Secret Places they confirm'd and fortified their own minds and when Discovered and Apprehended they bravely Suffer'd at the Stake But if some of them voluntarily surrendred themselves to their Persecutors they were not carried on to this as he adds by inconsiderate Zeal or Rashness but professed every where and before all that this promptitude and Free Oblation of themselves proceeded from the Holy Ghost Thus is there Place by the Permissions of Religion for the Servants of Christ to saâ—â— themselves by Flight in Persecutions And this for Pastors as well as People â—hen the Persecutions of the Pastors is Personal For then to save themselves they may Depart from the Churches they Conducted or from the Followers they had gathered as St. Peter did upon Herod's Design against him from Jerusalem and St. Paul when laid wait for there from Damascus and Jesus himself from Jerusalem or Jury or other Places as Designs were laid for his Life by the Jews Yea tho' by this Flight of theirs some innocent men as Petrus Alexandrinus observes be accidentally brought in Trouble and suffer for their Sakes As Gaius and Aristarchus were as he Notes for St. Paul the Guard of Souldiers for St. Peter the innocent Infants for our Saviour Christ and Zacharias the Father for John the Baptist when his Mother Elizabeth fled with him from Herod all of them unblamed notwithstanding on the account of their Flight such things followed But when the Persecution is common of the â—locks as well as of the Shepherds and whilst the Flock it self stays and is like to be left Destitute and Unprovided or much Scandalized and Dispirited by their Departure there it seems as if the Pastors had not the same Allowance For when Dangers are Common to the People as well as to the Priests the Leaders themselves should by no means be among the foremost in Fears and backwardest in Tryals They that in times of Peace have been the Preachers of Faith and Fortitude of Resolution and Constancy when trouble comes should be the first Patterns and Examples thereof among their Flocks and take especial care lest by the hastiness of their Flight and excess of Fear they Disgrace their former Sermons and fall under that smart Censure which Tertullian past on several Pastors in his days viz. that in Pace Leones in Praelio Cervos i. e. out of Dangers they were as bold as Lyons but in danger as timerous as Harts and like them all for trusting to their heels The Pastors stand charged not only with the Care of their own Bodies and worldly Interests which the permission of Flight secures but with the Charge of the Church being most Solemnly intrusted with the care thereof and watching for their Souls as they that must give account as St. Paul says And therefore at such times it behoves them to consider not only how their Flight would serve their own Temporal or Private Wants but also how it would Comport with their Publick Trust and Office and suit with their Charges Spiritual Necessities Whether it be like to leave them quite Destitute without necessary Helps or Instructions or Hope and Expectation of Spiritual Ministrations Whether it is like to trouble the Spirits and weaken and faint the hearts of their People and turn those out of the way whom the Presence Direction and Exhortation of a Spiritual Guide would have kept firm and constant therein encouraging them to yield to a Persecutor's Threatnings when they see they are so formidable as to shake the very Pillars of the Church and make the Leaders shift for themselves And accordingly our Saviour though when the Pastors are specially Persecuted he gives liberty of Flying yet in a common Persecution when the Wolf i. e. a Wolfish Persecutor Comes to snatch and scatter the Sheep as well as the Shepherds he tells us to flee for himself and leave the Flock without any Guard or Provision is the mark not of a Good Shepherd but of an Hireling The Good Shepherd saith he when the Wolf cometh is not so careful for himself as for his Charge and Giveth or staketh down his Life for the Sheep i. e. is ready to expose and hazard it for their sake Joh. 10 11 12. The Good Shepherd he distinguishes not only from Thieves and Robbers who seize those Flocks which
to an unlawful Expedient is absolutely the wisest and the likeliest course which in Pursuing these Ends a Prudent man can take For doth not all Driving Trades and management of Business and carrying on of Projects and Designs lye in Dealing with others And is not all Dealing where men dare Trust and can Confide And doth not all Trust and Confidence depend on Uprightness No man is willing to be Deceived or Cozen'd Wrong'd or Outwitted And therefore if they suspect any to be a Crafty Person Men are loath to Deal with him Or in Dealing being still suspicious of Design they are slow and difficult to Grant him any Reasonable thing whereof they would make no Scruple to another Person If they find a man to be a man of Tricks having had to do with him once they will be wary how they come to have to do with him a second time Dishonesty and Unlawful Ways may serve a mans turn in some one Act. But it will Disserve him in an hundred for that one in those that are to follow and is mere Folly if we look forward incapacitating him for being trusted and rendring him it may be the more unfit to carry on any Bargain or Business all his Life afterwards For a man that lives by Trade or Business is not only for Doing this one Day but many Days Not for Living by one Customer or Dealer and for having all his End on him at once but for so using him once as that he may hope to have him often for so Dealing by that one as may Encourage and Draw in many more to Deal with him And this Wisdom or Providence that looks forward a man quite Contradicts that uses any Dishonesty or Unlawful Means to serve a Turn at present Tricks for a while may lye hid and so long they stand a worldly mind in some stead to the Ends of this World but this uses not to be long and sooner or later they are for the most part discovered A Lying tongue is but for a moment Prov. 12.19 He that walks uprightly walks surely says Solomon But he that perverteth his ways or hath recourse to Dishonest and Unlawful Methods shall be known i. e. a little time will discover him Prov. 10.9 And when once discover'd his way is hated and he is not trusted And then by catching unlawfully at a little gain or success in one act he loses all that he lawfully might have had in all the Scores of Opportunities which keeping in honest ways would have brought him of getting or succeeding in the like matters afterwards Besides by the just Providence of God this way of serving our worldly Ends by Vnlawful Methods is wont to be Defeated The ill Means used to Divert an Evil he over-rules to bring and pull it down upon them as the killing of Christ to bringing in the Romans the compliances of the Gnosticks to involve them in Destruction with the Jews the Sale of Joseph to bring his Proud and Wicked Brethren to pay him Homage though all these as I formerly noted were intended and wickedly resorted to by the Actors for quite contrary Purposes When to compass an End Men flye to an Evil and Forbidden Thing that sets God and Providence against them And they are like to have but little cause to boast of their Gettings or Success whilst he sets himself to blast all they Project and to undo what they are unrighteously a Doing 2. Secondly In Course of Converse or Business Spiritual Prudence keeps the Wisdom of this World from letting fall or being wanting in any Duties It Drops none as I said above to save it self from Persecutions much less should it omit them to suit it self to Turns and Companies This Men are very apt to Do in the usual Method of this World They are called in Worldly Companies and in the Course of Worldly Business to express their Regard for many Duties It may be the Name of God is blasphemed or some Truth of his run down or some Virtue Dishonoured and we stand by and hear it Or some Innocent and Good Men Good Ways or Good Things are loaded with Reproach and Accusations which we know to be False Or intemperance is carried on with an expectation of our Presence or Concurrence therein or the like Now here the Suggestion of Worldly Wisdom is out of Bashfulness to keep silence and not to shew uneasiness at the Reproach of God or Goodness or Good Men for fear of Displeasing and giving offence And to Countenance intemperance or it may be in part at least to share therein rather than break Company or incur the Censure of being Rude Morose Unsociable or the like But Spiritual Wisdom sets the Honour of God and the owning of Virtue and the assertion of Truth of the Goodness of Things or of the Innocence of Persons at an higher Rate than these Worldly Considerations And therefore it will not be wanting to manifest and shew forth the Honour it has for God the Justice it bears to Men the Conscionable Regard it has for every Virtue and the Conscientious Fear it has of every Sin when it is call'd to manifest its Like or Dislike its Concurrence or Dissent on any just Occasion Not being for suffering Sin upon much less Countenancing it in our Brother Lev. 19.17 and requiring us to have no Fellowship with the Works of Darkness but rather to reprove them where we meet them as St. Paul says Eph. 5.11 So to bear out Christ's Truths and Laws and to bear up his Name not only in Secret but in Life and Conversation The better to Discharge and Facilitate this I think it would be an Excellent Rule of Spiritual Prudence for all true Christians to make open and ordinary Professions of strict Virtue Not falsly giving out what Virtue we have not Nor affectedly bringing into Company what we have when we need not But on the other hand not being ashamed or afraid to Profess what we really are and all that strictness which it becomes Christians to have or they ought to Practise when there is occasion for us to shew our selves It would be very fit I think for all Christians to appear to have and to keep about them the same sense of Things in Conversation which they appear to have at Church Professing still to like and approve here what they pretend to like and approve there And shewing their Godly Fear and Dislike of the same things when they meet them Proposed or Practised before Men as they did when they heard them Discoursed of and Represented before God And for all Ministers to appear visibly to think and to say the same of all Matters in Company as they do in their Pulpits Shewing the same Sentiments of Things in Liking or Disliking allowing or rebuking them and giving them the same reception when they meet them in Practice as they did whilst far off and whilst warning against them in Discourses And the benefit of this to all would be