The Christian Governor in the Commonwealth and Private Families, Exposition 1 · Part 9
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.
BEfore the Prophet had sayd that hee would follow the good;Vers. 3. here he sayth, and makes faith for himselfe, that he will hate the euill, and not some euill, but all wickednes: for, not to set a thing before our eyes, is, in common speech, to l…ath it, or with dislike, to turne from it. And here we hauehave the matter that he speaketh against, eueryevery wicked thing and obi…ct, by which it is carryed to the heart, the eye. By wicked thing, or Beli…l, the Interpreters (some of them) vnderstand the Man of Belial, or Man of wickednes; as if the Prophet should hauehave sayd that he would not abide to looke vponupon any such. But I take it to be meant of the thing that is naught, though with a reference to the person that is naught also: and so the Prophets meaning is, that hee will, when euill is in sight, turne away from it, as from carion: for a man cannot rightly doe iustice, till he perfectly hate iniustice, nor louelove the good, till hee abhorre the euill. Neyther doth he say and promise for some euill, that he will be against it, but his chalenge is to all euill, that his eyes should not behold it in any.
Doct. 1.From whence this point of doctrine may be gathered, that a true Christian must retrayne, not from some euils onelyonly, but from all wickednes. He must not set any euill thing before his eyes; or, if any such thing come in place, eyther not see it, or see it with griefe. The Apostle Iames, shewing that no corruption, in any manner, is to be fostred in Christians, biddeth them to lay apart all filthynes, Iam. 1.21 not some, but all; nor some way, but by all meanes. The Apostle Paul goeth farther, who, writing to the Thessalonians, and to vsus in them, would hauehave, and bidde…h them to abstaine from all euill, and appearance of euill, 1 Thes. 5.22. They that follow Christ, leaue all to follow him, Luk. 18.28. And he that found the treasure, sold all to buy it. Mat. 13.44. And he that proueth Masteries, abstayneth from all things, 1 Cor. 9.25. Now what is it to leaue all for Christ, but to abandon the world, and all worldly desires, that vve may be Christs? And what to sell all for saluation, but to giuegive all in the bargaine, that we may be saued? And what to abstaine from all things, but to renounce all euill things, for the mastery and reward of life? Againe, he that willeth vsus to cast off the old Man, willeth vsus to cast him off with his works, Eph. 4.22. Colos. 3.8.9. His workes are sinnes, and to cast off all his workes, is to cast off all sinne: the like, Heb. 12.1. & 1 Pet. 2.1: for what is that that pr…sseth downe, but sinne? and to cast away eueryevery pressing thing, is to refrayne, not a few, or many, but all sinnes. And vvhat doth Saint Peter meane by laying aside all maliciousnes, and all guile, and dissimulation, but a resoluing to lay away, not some iniquitie, but eueryevery sinne and iniquitie?
The Reasons.
It is our calling and dutie (as vve are Christians) to please God in eueryevery commaundement; and therefore it is against our Christian dutie and vocation to offend God, by sinne, in any. What Master will allow a Seruant, who in some things shall serue him carefully, & in other some be carelesse of his commaundements? and vvill our Master in heauen commend vsus, or discharge vsus, because vve hauehave done some things vvell, hauing offended and done vvickedly in many? What though thou be no Thiefe, nor Murtherer, nor Fornicator, nor Swearer, nor Drunkard; if thou breake the Sabbath, thou hast grieuously offended: for as one disease may bring death as well as many: so this one sinne (vnput off, and vnrepented of) may damne thee as well as many sinnes may. Secondly, eueryevery sinne is a dishonour to God: but vve Christians are bound, not onelyonly to honour God, but to abstaine from his dishonour; as it is the dutie of good Subiects, not onelyonly to doe the King reuerence, but to do nothing to his reproach. Thirdly, God is of pure eyes, and cannot see euill; so saith the Prophet Habaccuk, Chap. 1.13. where he saith (simply) euill, and not (definitely) this, or that euill: as if he had sayd, God can see no euill; and therefore he must abstaine from all euill, that vvill see God. No Lazar is more loathsome to Man, then sinne is to him. A sore eye offends a sound eye; and much more an euill eye, Gods pure eyes. It is a true doctrine (therefore) that Christians must not thinke it enough to auoyde some sinnes, except they abstaine from all iniquitie.
Vses.
An instruction to deale roundly both vvith small and great sinnes:Vse 1. vvith our good vvill vve vvill not leaue a weede in our Gardens. O that vvee had the like care and good will for the Garden of our hearts, to suffer no weede of sinne to grow in it! A little deformitie in our face troubles vsus; and should it not as much concerne v…, vvhen vve perceiue any little deformitie in the face of our soules? Is not he that is Lord of the bodie, Lord of the spirit also? hee hath payd for both, and will he not be glorified in both? 1 Cor. 6.20. That God may be thus glorified, consider to what sinne, or speciall sinnes thou art most inclined by nature or education, and take the armour of God vntounto thee, for it or them. Men fortifie vvhere the batterie is hottest, and vvhere the enemie is most like to enter; & not where there is no assault, or feare by weaknes. So doe thou watch ouer thy selfe in that, or those corruptions of thy soule, in which Sathan is most busie to force thy heart, and thou most readie to open vntounto him. That which is thy sinne, spend time about it, and cry fie vponupon it, and not onelyonly vponupon Drunkennesse, Whoredome, Blasphemie, when these are not thy sin…: Pride (perhaps) groweth in thee, perhaps Couetousnes is thy sinne, peraduenture both: or if these be not thy speciall sinnes, (and yet who can say his heart is cleane from these?) peraduenture, Impatience, peraduenture, Rage and Malice are, Here thy enemy assaileth thee, and here, and in these, thou must take thy armour against him, and prouide for his comming.
Vse 2.A reproofe to those who put the Diuell away in some sin… & yet bring him backe, and make much of him in other sinnes. In Drunkennes (it may be) they can take heede of him, or in the sinnes of Whoredome, and raging blasphemie, but he Inneth, nay, dwelleth with them in Couetousnes, Oppression, and Sacriledge; with Herod, they will heare their IOHNS in many things, Mark. 6.20. but not in the Herodias, of any beloued sinne, nor in those things that shall offer to touch the quicke of their sinnes, as in their brothers wife. EueryEvery one must hauehave his peculiar sinne, or Rimmon, that he must be spared for, 2 King. 5.18. and therefore some hauehave a Rimmon of Drunkennesse, some of Fornication, some of Pride, some of Recusancie & the prophane contempt of our assemblies to bow in: spare them for these, and they will heare you for other matters patiently and gladly, while you touch any other sinne: but hauehave we not read, how great a thing a little fire kindleth? Iam. 3.5. Sathan careth not how he possesseth vsus, whether by one sinne, or by many, by Whoredome, or by Pride.
A defence for those that make someVse. 3. sound conscience of striuing to some puritie of body and minde by Dauids example here. Our Sauiour saith, Yee shall be perfect, as your heauenly Father is perfect, Math. 5.48. His meaning is, though this cannot be, yet such you must striue to be; or to be in like manner, though not in the same measure, perfect. They that thus doe, are nick-named, Precise: but eueryevery Christian hath warrant, and receiueth commandement to be so precise. While we dwell in flesh, wee shall be imperfect; but we must labour to be perfect … and we shall hauehave corruption, but we must striue against it. No strife, no victorie … no victorie, no Crowne.
Doct. 2.The obiect: and that which carrieth wickednes to the heart, is heere sayd to be the eye; not that it alone doth so, (for all the outward senses hauehave their part and hand in this trespasse) but because the eye is chiefe of the senses that so offend.
From whence wee learne, as to keepe the heart (principally,) Pro. 4.23. so to watch ouer the senses that streame vntounto it, that they serue not the turne of sinne. A Christian must keepe his heart to God against his owne eyes, and the treason (as I may say) of his outward senses. This made Iob to make a bargaine with his eyes, Iob 31.1. as if he should binde them from seeing; that is, from seeing vnlawfullie, by some thing receiued. So vvhen Christ our Sauiour biddeth vsus to plucke out our right eye, and to cut off our right hand, Math. 5.29.30. his meaning is, that wee should plucke out, and cut off the offence, not the member; as in the eye, the wantonnes of seeing, and in the hand, the violence of doing: and so we should serue eueryevery member that offendeth, though it were our right eye, and our right hand, when they be weapons to sinne, or fewell to the fire of that sinne that is in our bodyes: for if we will not be Adulterers, wee must pull adultery out of the eye; that is, the eye must not be our Broker, nor driue the bargaine betweene the heart and the sinne that is so committed. If we would not be vncharitable, we must take away the occasion of it from the eare, and receiue no false report: for, the easie care is a confederate with the lying tongue, when our neighbour is slaundered. If we would not hurt our Neighbour, we must binde our hand to it good a bearing toward him: for when we strike hastilie, the hand is the Murtherer; that is, the instrument of murther, or the weapon of our wrath in that action. If we would not offend with our tongue, we must hold it in with a bridle; or, set a watch before our mouth, and keepe the dore of our lips, that our tongue may be peaceable: for when we giuegive it libertie, it becommeth Slaunderers hyreling. And if we would not sinne by intemperance, and excesse, wee must not labour to please… our taste, nor to fill appetites eye with varietie, but be carefull to dyet and sti… it to that with is sufficient, keeping it low, that it ryot not: for when it is made vvanton with feeding too curiously and with too much nicenesse, it must needes proue a Glutton and Drunkard too.
The Reasons.
The outward senses are the Conduill of sinne, not onelyonly by carrying from the heart, but by bringing to it. And therefore we must take heede, what they carrie out, and what they bring in. Secondly, to offer our bodyes to God, in the dialect of Saint Paul, Rom. 12.1. vvhat is it, but by care and diligence, to giuegive the bodily senses in the sacrifice of new life vntounto him? Thirdly, there could be no murther in act, if there were not an hand to kill: nor adultery in act, if there were not eyes to see, and eares to heare vvhat is vncomely to be spoken, and wicked to be done: nor slaunder in act, if there were not a tongue to report, and itching eares to receiue a wicked tale: nor Gluttonie in act, or Drunkennes acted, if the sense of taste were as it should be, and not corrupt through lust; as it is in fleshly men.
Vses.
A reproofe to those,Vse 1. who say there is no hurt in seeing, and that words are nothing, whereas vice hath a great entrance into the heart by these windowes. But could the Apostle speake of eyes of adulterie, 2 Pe…. 2.14. if there were no hurt in seeing? and if words were nothing, would chaste Ioseph hauehave so carefully kept his eares vnderunder locke, from his M…stresses vnchaste talke, Gen. 39.10. The bodie may cease to sinne, for want of occasion, or through weaknes: but the wanton eye, as it seldome wanteth occasion, so it ceaseth not to commit Adultery eueryevery where by vnchaste and wanton looking, 2 Pet. 2.14. So when the body is innocent, the eare may become an Adulterer, and the tongue a Harlot, by reading, or hearing read some LoueLove-booke, or LoueLove-songs, with the match whereof… lust may soone be prouoked, and wantonnes take fire. Therefore the Prophet speaketh of the turning away of his eyes from vanitie, Psal. 119.37. His meaning was not, that he vvould giuegive his eares libertie, or lay no raines vponupon his hands and tongue; but that he would see that the scoutes of the heart, the outward senses, should (all of them) be preserued from the poyson of conspiracie with sinne; knowing that where coun…ell is giuen to kill the Kings Guard, there a deuise is set to kill the King himselfe: for the outward senses are the Centinels or Guard of the heart; if Sathan can corrupt these, he will easily corrupt the heart it selfe, and take it, taking these. Achan & Achab saw by the eye what the heart rued Ios. 7.21. & 1 King. 21.1.2. &c. And a Iudge, in matters, may vse his eares, but must hauehave no eyes to see a gift, Deut. 16.19. For a gift, (I say not a filthy bribe) though somewhat innocently, yet because inconsiderately at first receiued, begetteth (oftentimes) an vnknowne errour of corruption in the receiuers, which, as a Clocke in the pocket, though it bee silent for a while, striketh at a fit houre. Besides, rewards (though not bribingly taken, yet taken where wee hauehave no calling to receiue) hold the receiuers captiue to the giuer, and so, as they cannot be their owne men, but must see with other mens eyes; heare with other mens eares, and vse other mens tongues in the iustice of a matter. And therefore it concerneth Christian Magistrates, with Abraham to life vp their hands to the God of heauen, against all those who shall seeke thus to pin vponupon them a false sentence in a matter, with a mocking gift, Gen. 39.17. lest it be said that such hauehave enriched Abraham, Gen. 14.22. for such P…s hauehave Nedles points, and will (one day) pricke the conscience in the veine of despayre, with torments of second death. Men must learne (therefore) I meane men in authoritie, as to hate a bribe, so to suspect the inchauntment of a gif…. And where iustice must be the girdle of the reynes, that must be obserued, which our Sauiour, sending the Tw…lue abroad, sayd vntounto them; Possesse no m…ny in your girdles, lest iustice hang too much of that side that the bag hangeth.
Vse 2.A second vse is, to shew vsus that all the fault is not in the heart, when it becommeth wicked and vicious: for (as one saith) the heart is a spring that hath not onelyonly spouts to send out, as a Cond…it, but pipes of sense wherewith it is fed. And (therefore) as they gather ill that transferre all fault from the heart to the sensitiue powers; as of Seeing, Hearing, Talking, Taste, and Handling; so they reason badly, who, because the heart is the life of these, and the fountaine of motion to these, doe (therefore) lay all blame vponupon the heart, for the corruption that these receiue else-where, as from their originall impuritie, and the corrupt examples of Men. Also, as they reason not sufficiently, who (because bad fellowship draweth into sinne) say, If I had neuer knowne such company, I had neuer knowne such sinne: (for if their hearts had beene good, the company could nor hauehave been euill, that is euil to them:) so they reason ill, who (because ill company is not the whole, or principall cause of our errour, but the heart, that is onelyonly euill continually, Gen. 6.5. hold, that it is no cause at all, & that the heart receiueth no impression of errour from the stampe of lewde fellowship, 1. Cor. 15.33. So much for the Prophets promises concerning himselfe: they which concerne others, follow.