of Religion but onely as matter of decency for decency hath much of its perfection from men but Religion hath all its perfection in and from it self and as God is proved to be all-sufficient from himself because he made all things for himself Prov. 16. 4. for even the wicked though without the order of particular yet are within the order of universal providence For God wills himself and his own goodness onely as the end but all other things as ordered to that end that is for himself and in relation to his own goodness So is it with Religion it admits of Ceremonies not for theirs but for its own goodness and thereby appears to be sufficient of it self without them If the shadow grow longer then the substance 't is an argument the Sun is yet either not at its heighth or past it so where Ceremonies are more looked after then piety and godliness it argues in men a defect of Religion and goodness God using the creature as an instrument doth not so use it for the want of vertue but for the abundance of his goodness non propter defectum virtutis sed propter abundandam bonitatis saith Aquin. par 1. qu. 22. So Religion using the ordinances of men doth it not for want of sufficiency in it self but to impart some excellencie to those ordinances Ut dignitatem causalitatis communicet to communicate to them so much vertue as to make them though not the essential yet the accidental causes of devotion in us and therefore we may no more reject such Ordinances then we may reject the helps of devotion Thirdly Gods perfection makes him not onely All-sufficient for himself but also for all things else besides himself Psal. 84. 11. For the Lord God is a sun and a shield a sun to give life and a shield to preserve it The Lord will give grace and glory grace to our sanctification glory to our salvation that is a full sufficiencie for this life and for the next And no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly that is he hath already given all good things that we were able to receive and when we shall be able to receive the rest he will give them too for he will withhold none according to that of the same Prophet Psal. 145. v. 16. Thou openest thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing scil whether it be living in earth or in heaven So is true Religion not onely sufficient in and for it self but for us also for what other reason can be given why so many men are contented to lose all that they may keep their consciences but onely this That Religion wants no perfection in it self and brings them that follow it to enjoy the perfection that is in God The third branch of Eternity is Omnisciency and God in that he is Eternal is also Omniscient Now the Omnisciencie of God consists in these two things First in that he fully knows himself Secondly in that he fully knows all other things in and by himself First God fully knows and understands himself the whole compass of his own minde and intentions what they are have been or ever shall be because eternitie is present to its self hence it is said Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world Acts 15. 18. and this is a propertie not belonging to the Angels and much less to men the Angels know what their intentions have been and still are but not what they shall be for ever because then they could comprehend Infinity which cannot be in the understanding where it is not in the essence but as for us men we know not what our intentions have been Remember not the sins of my youth Psal. 25. 7. q. d. I have forgot them O do not thou remember them nor what they are Jer. 17. 9. The heart of man is deceitfull above all things and indeed never more deceitfull then when it labours to deceive it self nor what they shall be the best way concerning those is to say with the Psalmist Keep thy servant Psal. 19. for he that cannot tell what he shall resolve to morrow can less tell what he shall resolve all his life but God knows all his intentions from the beginning to the end so that he alone fully understands himself Secondly God fully knows all other things in and by himself this is a truth acknowledged by the father of lies though therefore acknowledged that it might be abused as truth is still by all the devils instruments Gen. 3. 5. Ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil that is all things for they were either good or evil the looking-glass of eternity in it self representing all things to it self Good things by their proper forms and resemblances Evil things by the contrary good Bonum in se per speciem malum non per privationem in se existentem sed per bonum oppositum Aquin. par 1. qu. 14. Thus the Lord is a God of knowledge 1 Sam. 2. 3. as fully knowing himself and as fully knowing all other things in and by himself So also is Religion a thing of great knowledge cares not for an implicite faith in the knowing no more then in the assenting part cares not for a faith which doth not know for it self no more then for a faith which doth not assent for it self and so is in effect omniscient because it makes us know our selves and know our God that is in the serpents words Know good and evil for we know evil in knowing our selves and we know good in knowing our God First Religion is in effect omniscient because it makes us know our selves nothing else cares to look after the deceitfulness of the heart but sure nothing else can finde it out no man knows so much of himself as he that is religious he knows his own heart his own thoughts what they have been exceeding sinfull what they are very penitent and in some sort what they shall be very perseverant for upon supposition of Gods grace he can promise to himself a perseverance in the way of godliness This you will say is a comfortable doctrine and I doubt not but if you addict your self wholly to your devotions to have a constant communion with God but you will finde it as certain as 't is comfortable For if natural reason makes men very knowing that well improve it though it be but the dim light of men how much more doth Religion make men knowing that rightly use it since it is no other then the glorious light of God so that to live but one day according to the rules of piety and devotion will make a man more truly wise then study without piety will make him though he be a constant student very many years The prophet David tells us this Psal. 119. v. 98. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser then mine enemies but lest any should say That may easily be that a good
labour that they may be strengthened by piety and godliness yet will I not enter upon a particular enumeration of Gods communicable Properties I have been too long already upon this argument much less upon a particular explication of them for it will be sufficient for my purpose which is the advancement of the true Religion in the hearts and lives of men if I briefly insist onely upon these three to which all the rest may be reduced and they are Truth in his Understanding Goodness in his Will and Purity in his Action for we cannot better consider Gods Activity then in the Purity of his Action unto which we must also annex a short discourse of Liberty as belonging to all three that is to say to Understanding and Will and Action And these three Properties of Truth Goodness Purity as they are eminently in God and evidences of his perfection so are they also eminent in Religion the service of God And first of the Truth of God and of Religion God is true by a metaphysical and by a moral Truth First By a metaphysical Truth as having the true knowledge of all things Psa. 139. 2. thou understandest my thoughts long before God understandeth our thoughts before they are the angels not when they are and therefore they are defective in truth because defective in understanding for Truth metaphysically is a conformity of the thing with the understanding and accordingly our blessed Saviour is particularly called the Truth as being the Omniscient Wisdome of God and the eternal Understanding of the Father even as the holy Ghost is the eternal Love both of Father and Son Secondly God is True by a moral Truth as having his Affection Expression Action agreeable to his knowledge and that in three respects 1. As Truth is opposed to Falshood for God neither wills nor speaks an untruth 2. As Truth is opposed to Dissimulation for God neither dissembleth nor deceiveth 3. As Truth is opposed to Inconstancy for God changeth not his judgement in truths declared or determined he changeth not the event in truths foretold or prophesied for in promises he keeps his word and his truth if man perform the conditions in threats he may not keep his word and yet keep his truth because they are but conditional And as for deceiving the Prophets Ezek. 14. 9. and 1 King 22. 23. we generally and truly answer Tradit diabolo decipiendos he delivereth them over to the devil to be deceived by him so saith the Text Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lie that they all might be damned who beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes. 2. 10 11 12. a text that gives us a fearful but yet a full account of all those strong delusions among men which led directly to the Father of lies the first step was a voluntary unrighteousness in not loving the truth the second step is a strong delusion in beleeving a lie the third step God keep them from treading in that who have trodden in the two former is a necessary damnation both for not loving the truth and for having pleasure in lies but still God is true though every man be a liar for God deceiveth the Prophet Ez◠14. 9. as he hardeneth the heart Exod. 10. 1. permissivè non efficienter permissively no◠efficaciously by not inhibiting or not purging those ill qualities that are already is the heart not by infusing any ill qualities into it and therefore though he saith I have hardened Pharaohs heart yet he saith unto us Harden not your own hearts and accordingly he threatneth in Ezekiel to destroy such a prophet from the midst of his people whose heart was hardned so fa◠as to deceive himself and others whereas he could not in justice destroy him onely for being that which himself had made him nay this permission is most plainly set forth in that parable of 1 Kin. 22. for all that God doth there is onely to let the evil spirit go forth that is not to inhibite him from going and deceiving not to send him down from heaven For it is evident that the evil spirit never did and never can come into heaven again since he was first thrown down from thence And thus briefly God is True Metaphysically and Morally Metaphysical truth consisting in the right apprehension of things as they are in themselves Moral truth in the right affection and profession of things as they are apprehended and this profession is either in word by veracity or in action by sincerity or in continuance of action by constancy so that moral truth is opposed to falshood because 't is the same with reality to dissimulation because 't is the same with sincerity and to wavering and floating because 't is the same with certainty And this same metaphysical and moral truth is also in Religion passing from the Master into his service for the Father seeketh such to worship him who worship him as he is that is who worship him in spirit because he is a Spirit and who worship him in truth because he is the Truth S. John 4. 23 24. The worship in spirit points at the metaphysical truth of Religion which requires a true apprehension of God the worship in truth points at the moral truth of Religion which requires an Affection Profession Action agreeable to that true apprehension and for both these hath our own Church taught us to pray Collect 7th Sunday after Tri. Graff in our hearts the love of thy Name Increase in us true Religion nourish us with all goodness and of thy great mercy keep us in the same Do you look for the metaphysical Truth of Religion 'T is in the knowledge of Gods Name which must be presupposed before the love of it since no man can love what he doth not know that you know God by his true Name such as himself hath proclaimed Exod. 32. 5 6 7. or that you apprehend God as he is not set up to your self an idol in stead of God as do all those who worship not the Father by the Son in the unity of the Spirit Again do you look for the moral truth of Religion 'T is in the love of Gods Name that you love him according to your knowledge or that you have your affection agreeable to your apprehension for to know God and not to love him is in effect to proclaim you do not truly know him since the same God is the first Truth and ground of our knowledge and also the last good and cause of our love and you may here likewise finde this moral truth of Religion in all respects First in its Reality for it is the very true Religion opposed to falshood or superstition 't is indeed Gods Name Secondly in its Sincerity or Fidelity for it is all Goodness not onely in the tongue but also in the heart
and in the hand as Truth is opposed to Dissimulation or Hypocrisie Thirdly in its certainty or perseverance And of thy great mercy keep us in the same as Truth is opposed to uncertainty or to levity and inconstancy Religion then hath and must have a two-fold truth the first consists in a right apprehension whereby we believe the thing as it is the second in a right affection profession and action whereby we love and profess and do the thing as we beleeve and there cannot be a more religious prayer invented by the wit of Piety nor a more affectionate prayer practised by the zeal of Charity then that which is so remarkable both for its Piety and for its Charity in our own Church Collect 3. Sunday after Easter Almlghty God which shewest to all men that be in errour the light of thy Truth to the intent that they may return into the way of Righteousness there 's its piety towards God rightly descanting upon Gods intent in shewing the light of his truth to make men righteous not to make them inexcusable These things I say that ye might be saved S. Joh. 5. 34. not onely convinced saith our blessed Saviour and yet he spake to those who had not the love of God v. 42. Grant unto all them that be admitted into the fellowship of Christ Religion that they may eschew those things that be contrary to their profession and follow all such things as be agreeable to the same there 's its charity towards men affectionately desiring that as they have a Christian Communion so they may also have a Christian conversation lest their unchristian conversation destroy and disanull their Christian Communion which without doubt it hath done already in many ages of the Church and will do still to the worlds end unless God in his mercy fill our hearts more and more with this true piety towards himself and with this true charity one towards another And for this cause the Commandments are in the judgement of some Divines accounted practical Articles of the Christian Faith because if these be left out in our conversation what is true in it self of our Creed is as it were false to us since either our profession gives the lye to our apprehension and affection or our action to our profession for this is the difference betwixt speculative and practical truths speculativè practicè credibilia those things that we must believe speculatively and those that we must believe practically the first which are summed up in the Creed are truly believed if there be a conformity of the thing with the Understanding but the second which are summed up in the Decalogue are then onely truly believed when there is a conformity of the affection and of the profession and of the action with the belief thus they that worship Images do expunge the second and they that resist Magistrates do expunge the fifth Commandment if not out of their books yet at least out of their Faith in their Books they may be true believers but in their Lives they are in these particulars little less then Infidels Now see in what a miserable condition is the irreligious miscreant who so beleeves as to make void his own faith and so receives the truth as to make the truth it self a lie to him either for want of a sanctified affection in not loving it or for want of a sanctified action in not practising it and hence we may likewise see and must confess that not he who knows most of the doctrine of Faith is the best Beleever but he that most loves what he knows in speculatives and he that most practises what he knows in practicks so that a great Scholar may fully know the truth and yet to him it may be as a lye because he loves it not for to him it is what he desires it should be contrariwise an ignorant peasant may not fully know the truth and yet to him it may be the saving truth because he loves it for what is wanting in his head is made up by his heart O my soul glory not in the knowledge of Christ but in the love of that knowledge glory not in thy learning if thou art Mistress of any but in thy Religion to which thou oughtest to be a servant learning may make a man wise to ostentation but 't is onely Religion can make him wise to salvation Do not then with Pilate ask thy Saviour what is truth and then go away without his answer much less mayest thou turn to those Jews that help to crucifie him for if thou know these things happy art thou not because thou knowest them but if thou do them thy happiness consists not in knowing Christ but in practising him nor is it possible for a man to be long defective in his practise and not to be defective also in his knowledge since what is sinfull in the deliberate action is sinfull in the will and what is sinfull in the will is erroneous in the judgement or understanding and this is the reason that a man may be a heretick not onely in credendis but also in agendis not onely in Articles of Faith but also in Duties of Life nay indeed he cannot easily be a heretick in the Duties of Life and still remain truly Orthodox in the Articles of Faith as for example he that prays to a Saint or Angel in stead of God directly overthrows the first Commandment but indirectly also the first Article of his Creed I believe in one God for Prayer is a Sacrifice that may be offered onely unto God again he that wilfully dishonours his Governours whom God hath set over him directly overthrows the fifth Commandment but indirectly also the ninth Article of his Creed I beleeve the Holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints for being a Lover of division he is not a true beleever of that Communion and this we may take for a general doctrine fitter to be received then opposed First that any practical errour which is against our duty towards God doth tend to a speculative errour against some part of the Creed which concerneth God as he that doth not honour God as God doth in effect deny him to be maker of heaven and earth therefore saith the Psalmist O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our maker as if we could not truly beleeve him to be our maker if we will not worship him with all possible reverence and fear Secondly that any practical errour which is against our duty towards our neighbour doth tend against some Article of the Creed that hath relation to men as he that will not be subject to the authority of his lawfull governours Civil or Ecclesiastical doth in effect deny The Catholick Church and the Communion of Saints Thirdly and lastly that any practical errour against the duty which a man oweth unto himself doth tend against some Article of Faith that concerns himself as he that is a common
that is wary and timorous in the choice of his tenents though he may be thought an enemy to his own knowledge yet he cannot be thought an enemy to Gods truth for though he may stick a while at the embracing of some divine truths till they appear to him to be so yet he cannot easily obtrude any untruths for truths and God will sooner pardon the infirmity of a man in sticking at a truth then the presumption of a man in obtruding an untruth for the first shews himself as a man subject to doubtings not able to command his own faith but the other would fain be accounted little less then a God in making himself not the Interpreter but the Authour of truths and so challenging a dominion over the faith of others which however ought not to dishearten us from knowing the doctrine of any Christian Church for as of old it derogated nothing from the truth of God that some Prophets did tell lies in his Name so neither doth it now derogate from the truth of Religion that there is so much mixture of mens inventions or surmises with that truth But we must say of all these tares that an enemy hath sowed them whilest men slept and yet we may not think Gods Providence over his Church either careless in not looking after it or defective in looking after it to little purpose as if he that is the keeper of Israel did sleep when Israel most needed keeping for the Apostle hath said Oportet haereses esse inter vos 1 Cor. 11. 19. there must be sects or heresies amongst you that they which are approved may be made manifest as if he had said That must be for which there is a good reason why it should be and there is a good reason why there should be heresies amongst you nay indeed two good reasons the one on your parts that you may be tried or proved the other on Gods part that they which are approved may be made manifest to set forth the power and glory of Gods truth which like the Sun shines the more gloriously when it hath broken through some great cloud that opposed it for so much is true even of that wicked objection Rom. 3. 7. If the truth of God hath more abounded through my lye unto his glory why yet am I also judged as a sinner 't is most certain the Truth of God doth often more abound through our lies to his glory and yet the Objection is so ungodly and unreasonable why am I judged as a sinner that the Apostle doth not think it worth the answering but onely silenceth such a desperate and prophane Disputant with a damnabitur that he is like to be damned for his pains v. 8. whose damnation is just for no argument so fit to confute him as damnation who will needs plead or dispute for the devil Will ye plead for Baal will ye save him he that will plead for him let him be put to death Jud. 6. 31. what a shame is it for us Christians that Baal should have so many to plead for him and God so few that Superstition and Faction should so much outstrip true Religion the professours of the one for they both meet in the same Baal though they are so far asunder in themselves going as much beyond the professours of the other in zeal as they come short of them in truth and yet still since superstition and faction must needs be judged as sins why should they not be judged as sinners that maintain them for neither should we finde a Disputant to defend it if both be sins neither should we find an advocate to plead for it if both alike uphold the worship of Baal and yet there are and will be swarms of such Advocates multitudes of such Disputants notwithstanding Joash hath said Let them be put to death that so plead and S. Paul hath moreover said their damnation is just that so dispute for neither death nor damnation can silence the perverse disputings of men of corrupt mindes and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godliness wherefore St. Pauls advice to Timothy is from such withdraw thy self 1 Tim. 6. 5. and we are little beholding to the Latine Translation for taking no notice of this so necessary a text yet God forbid we should therefore think it ought to be expunged out of the Greek Copies wherein both Latine and Greek Church so joyntly agree or else out of our own practise and observation S. Pauls advice in controversies or rather corruptions of this nature is From such withdraw thy self not against such oppose thy self he adviseth us rather to have no communion with them then to maintain disputations against them for as in carnal uncleanness the onely way for a man to have a clean body and a chaste soul is to flee fornication 1 Cor. 6. 18. not to resist it so is it also in this spiritual uncleanness which makes men go a whoring after their own inventions we must rather avoid the temptation then think to overcome it rather shun the Disputants then think to answer their disputations for men whose faction is above their Religion will never be silenced by arguments of Religion and men whose Interest is above their conscience will never give any ear to the plea of Conscience and this reason is in effect given by S. Paul himself why in such a case it is better to withdraw then to withstand v. 3. For saith he if any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholsome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godliness he is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words as if he had said There is little hopes of doing good upon such a man for if he would have hearkned to any wholsome words and not onely to flattering speeches he would have hearkned to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ we may say to those words which Christ spake in his person S. Matth. 22. 21. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods for those words alone if rightly followed would suffer no man to be a Pharisee that is a Separatist either in Church or State for if men did give Caesar his due there could be no sedition in the state if they did give God his due there could be no schism nor heresie in the Church but we must say to those words which Christ spake in his doctrine whether immediately by himself or mediately by his Apostles if such a Pharisee would have hearkned to wholsome more then to pleasing words he would have hearkned to the words of Christ which he delivered both in his person and in his doctrine and if he would have received any doctrine but that which complied with his worldly interest he would have received the doctrine which is according to godliness but since he will neither hear the one nor receive the other 't is
to little purpose to labour his conversion For first he is ignorant in his understanding knowing nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Oecum for he who knows not that which he ought to know is as if he knew nothing nay he is much worse not onely possest with ignorance but also with a kinde of devil as saith the same authour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that will not know God cannot but know the devil he that will not receive Christ and his wholsome words into his understanding shall not be able to keep the devil and his poisonous dictates out of it Secondly he is pertinacious in his will which appears from his contradiction from his obstinacy from his ambition His contradiction is discovered in that he teacheth otherwise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Oecumen he teacheth other things then those which of right are to be taught we may say he first teacheth otherwise then the Christian Church opposing his novelty against her antiquity but at last he teacheth otherwise then himself opposing his own novelty with new and worse novelties his obstinacy appears in this he will remit nothing of his humour either for truth or peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 others may come nearer him but he will not come nearer them he will not approach or as we render it he will not consent to wholsome words for if he draw near to the truth with his lips yet his heart is far from it Lastly His ambition and haughtiness of minde is seen in that he is proud he scorns to be a follower of any but will be a leader of all and takes more pleasure because more pride in being head of a faction then in being an inferiour member of Christ which shews his blindness that he sees not the blessing of those who are of Christs communion as well as his perversness that he will not joyn with those communicants and accordingly the Apostle here useth a word that hinteth both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is he is blinded as it were with smoke for so Ulpian upon Demosthenes descanteth that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some derive it from darkening the sight with smoke there 's his blindness again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the same Critick This word is derived from Typhon one of the Giants that was so mad with pride as to raise war against the gods wherefore we say of a proud man that he is as that Typhon there 's his perverseness Thus far a heathen Critick may be alledged to interpret this strange word here used by S. Paul but the Christian Divine who knew that this warring against God which was but a fable in the Giant was a truth in the devil gives us this gloss 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this kinde of pride that first swells against the true Church and at last against the God of truth is a very great friend and companion of the devils so that the proud heretick and the perverse schismatick for they cannot well be parted though they are very ill joyned under a pretence of finding a new way to heaven hath brought himself directly to hell gate and being once there the devil will not easily suffer him to go from thence but he will forthwith teach him to spend all his time and zeal upon idle questions fit for none but those that dote and upon quarrelsome disputations fit for nothing but to beget new disputes and endless contentions for if you once turn Questionist in stead of Dogmatist seeker in stead of beleever you must needs fall into logomachies strifes of words as endless as needless therefore the Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sick about questions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Oecum see here To be a seeker is indeed to be sick so to be sick in minde and that in Tullies language is to be mad Nomen insaniae significat mentis aegrotationem morbum Cic. 3. Tuscul. for madness is nothing else but a sickness of the minde and we cannot deny this if we observe the course of such a man which is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to spend time but to mispend it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diogenes appellat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euclidis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Laertius Diogenes theCynick called Plato's Schooling meer fooling and said to be Euclide's Scholar was to be in choler but S. Paul hath found out an expression that in one word speaks more then both these though with less acrimony and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a second strange word here used by the Spirit of God to shew here is set forth as strange a monster such devices and trifles as are meer new nothings whereby men do onely deceive themselves and seek to deceive others for so Oecum readeth and glosseth the word out of S. Chrysostome inverting the Prepositions and reading not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and withal enlarging the sense for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an ill use of study and disputation not to confirm the judgement but to unsettle it not to discover the truth but to dissemble it which mischief may go no further then him alone who is guilty of the sin but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is this same mischief as it seeks to corrupt and infect others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Oecum the infecting others with this itch of vain disputing for as a scabby sheep rubbing against those that are sound of the same flock infecteth them with his touch so do these men that have itching ears rambling heads and hollow hearts infect others by their conversation saith S. Chrysost. and from him Oecumenius All this considered 't is easie to see the reason why S. Paul said to Timothy From such withdraw thy self he commands him as a Bishop to rebuke some Presbyters cap. 5. v. 19 20. which shews his jurisdiction over them but breaks not his communion with them but he must have nothing at all to do with these 't is Oecumenius his observation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he saith not converse with such a man and oppose him converse with him according to your Christian Communion and oppose him according to your Episcopal Jurisdiction but wholly depart from him after one or two admonitions which is supposed from cap. 1. v. 3. where Timothy is commanded to charge them not to preach other doctrine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word used here for you shall never make that man your convert who hath made mammon his God and this indeed is the chief reason of the great distemper and greater disturbance in Christendome that many men are mammons rather then Gods Chaplains and therefore are more ready to plead for Baal that is for their own lording it over their brethren then for God more for Belial that is for their own licentiousness then for Christ hence it is we have fiercer disputations against men then for God
also conformable thereto in our lives either by our obedience or by our repentance so saith the Psalmist Psal. 119. V. 104. Through thy precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way as if he had said Through thy word I get the knowledge of the saving truth and that makes me avoid and abandon whatever is destructive of salvation for every way is a false way that leads from truth and from the God of truth wherefore the Greek translation thus renders the latter part of the verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I hate every wicked way for a false way is a wicked way and a wicked way is a false way the Urim and Thummim being inseparably joyned together so that what is against the light of the truth is also against the perfection of life and indeed the way of wickedness is a false way according to Aristotle's own determination of falsity who in the fifth of his Metaph. cap. 29. saith that things are said to be false 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either because they are not in being so a Chimaera or a castle in the air is said to be false or because they make a false appearance and beget in us false apprehensions and so a glass that represents those colours and those proportions which are not in the object is called a false glass In both these respects is the way of wickedness properly said to be a false way both because it is defective in a true being for it is a meer non entity and also because it is excessive in a false being making a false appearance and begetting in us false apprehensions as if it were pleasant and profitable when as it is the onely cause of all our wo and misery of all our punishment whether of sense or of loss And it is observable that every irreligious man hath in himself these two properties of a liar a wilfull liar which is the falsest of all false men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first he loves and embraces that which is false and secondly he desires to propagate and derive it to others so the irreligious man whether he be irreligious out of superstition or out of faction delights in the errour of his own way and desires to bring others into the same perdition as we finde it spoken by the mouth of truth S. Matth. 23. 15. That Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites compass sea and land to make one proselyte and when he is made they make him twofold more the childe of hell then themselves factious men and hypocrites are much more zealous for their own new and false opinions then for Gods eternal and undoubted truth so that were there nothing else in impiety and irreligion but onely its own falseness yet that alone were enough to make it eternally odious to God the God of truth and to the godly man the lover of truth for God cannot but be true even as he cannot but be God and as he is God he is truth for God is truth and for this reason some Schole Divines do answer negatively to this question Whether God can dispence with a lie as he can with the other commandments and the reason is because in his own essence he is truth so the master of Advertencies upon S. Chrys. and the four Doctours of the Church S. Hierome S. Ambrose S. Augustine and S Gregory An Deus possit in mendacio dispensari sicut in aliis praeceptis Decalogi Negatur Quia ex sua Essentia est Veritas But we may go much further because the truth will go along with us for not onely the ninth Commandment which requires us to be true men is indispensable but also all the rest of the moral Law which requires us to be good men for indeed we cannot be one without the other therefore is all the moral Law alike indispensable that is all that is intrinsecally moral by its own nature whereby we do not onely obey God but also imitate him and not extrinsecally moral being made so by Gods command or by Divine precept whereby we onely obey God but do not imitate him and the reason is because all that is contrary to what is intrinsecally moral is a lie and consequently contrary to the truth of God and God cannot will not dispence with his own truth And this is the cause that whatsoever is evil in it self is necessarily displeasing unto God and that indeed under a twofold reason for as it is evil in it self and defective in a right being so it is opposite to his goodness and as it is a lie and redundant or excessive in a false being by a counterfeit appearance and representation so it is opposite to his truth Men may and do too much out of stomack and animositie oppose one another in matters of disputation but 't is out of some spice of atheisme if they wilfully oppose Gods undoubted truth in matters of Religion either speculatively by going in a false way or practically by going in a wicked way The next communicable property in God is Goodness in his Will which appears in that he hath been so diffusive of himself in communicating his being to the creature therefore is our creation put as a ground of our thankfulness and thanksgiving Psal. 149. 2. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him which could not be if God had not created us out of his Goodness to give us a good being to make us the object of his mercy but out of his power that by his absolute dominion he might give us an everlasting ill being to make us the object of his justice Therefore 't is an excellent position of the Protestant Divines in Colloquio Mempelgertensi recited by Osiander Neque ex lege neque ex ratione humana sed ex solo Evangelio de praedestinatione electorum judicandum est That neither out of the law nor out of humane reason but onely out of the Gospel can we rightly judge of the predestination of the elect and the Gospel condemns none for reprobates but those who despising the riches of Gods goodness and forbearance by their infidelitie and impenitencie heap upon themselves damnation But let us more particularly consider this Goodness of God both in regard of it self and also in regard of us First In regard of it self and so it is an essential and universal Goodness demonstrable these three ways per viam efficientiae per viam sufficientiae per viam eminentiae as saith Bonavent by the way of efficiencie for he made all that is good by the way of sufficiencie for he satisfieth the desire of all with good by the way of eminencie for all that is good being made by him is most eminently in him that made it Secondly Consider we this Goodness of God in regard of us and so 't is the rule or exemplarie cause of all goodness in man for our good of Nature is according to the image of God the Father our good of Grace is according to