The Christians Apparelling, Part 3 · Section 49 – Section 51
Par. 3. §. 49
ſtronger then other in Gods children, which, by reaſon of long continuance and familiaritie, or of bribes, of pleaſure, gaine, or worldly content, which it hath giuen the ſenſuall part, hath got deeper hold, and more poſſeſſion of the heart, this is that, which they (being once truly regenerat) moſt of all hate, moſt violently oppoſe, and labour by all good meanes to roote out, to ſubdue, to kill and mortifie: not that they neglect, or ſpare leſſer ſins, taking themſelues to hauehave a like charge from God concerning all ſinne, as King Saul had againſt Amalek, to whom it was ſaid,1 Sam. 15.3. Go and ſmite Amalek, and vtterly deſtroy all that they hauehave, and ſpare them not, but ſlay both man and woman, infant and ſuckling, oxe and ſheepe, camell and aſſe. The hatred of the godly being bent againſt ſinne, as it is ſinne, is vniuerſall againſt all ſinne; yet moſt eſpecially it ſhews it ſelfe againſt ſuch ſinnes as are ſtrongeſt, and as which moſt of all oppoſe & withſtand the worke of the ſpirit in them. The godly man hating ſinne ſincerely, ſhewes ſo much by moſt hating that ſinne which in him is moſt hatefull to God. EueryEvery ſinne hee accounts as a deuill, yet as among deuils there is one Maſterdeuill, moſt hating him, and moſt hated of him: ſo there is commonly ſome maſter-ſin or other, which as it is ſtrongeſt in him, ſo is it moſt ſtrongly ſet vponupon, and either fired out of him by the ſpirit of zeale, or ſtarued by abſtinence, faſting or moderating his affections about the things of this world, which vſed to feed and ſtrengthen it. Thus he not onelyonly ſtrengthens himſelfe to reſiſt the violent motions of his ſtrongeſt corruption, the ſpirit in him being like fire, which reſiſts and runs againſt the wind, & growes more violent and fierce thereby; but moreouer hee ſtraines and ſtriues to lay & loune theſe ſtormy winds of temptation, if by no other means, yet by powring out ſtrong cries to Chriſt his Sauiour, whom both winds & the ſea obey, who accordingly rebukes thoſe winds, ſo that a great calme is preſently in that ſoule. Thus he neuer giues reſt vntounto his ſoule till thus he find it.
Which the hypocrite ſpareth.But now the formall Chriſtian hauing ſome beloued ſin or other in him, which brings him gaine in the world (ſuppoſe it be lying, falſifying of wares, ſcant weights & meaſures, or the like) or pleaſure, (ſuppoſe it bee wantonneſſe and whoring, or elſe gaming, or miſſpending his whole, or the beſt and moſt of his time in company-keeping, or in hawking, hunting, &c.) or preferment (ſuppoſe it be a ſeruile dependance on great mens euill humours, and a conforming himſelfe thereunto in hope of preferment in Church or Commonwealth, or flattery, bribery, Simony, &c.) hee loues this ſin to well to part with it; ſpare him but this ſinne, and he will ſpare you any other wherunto he is not ſo ſtrongly tempted by the aforeſaid bayts of profit, pleaſure, or preferment: Let but John (in his preaching) ſpare Herod, and allow him his whore, and Herod will ſpare his head, yea do many other things at Iohns preaching: let Iudas hauehave the bag, and in other things,Mat. 2….21.22. to the world and eye of charitie, he will liue vnblameable, ſo that in caſe of queſtion, the other Apoſtles will eueryevery one ſooner ſuſpect himſelfe then Iudas. Eſter. 3.5. &c.Let proud Haman hauehave but Mordecai his cap, and his proud humour fed, and the Iewes may liue peaceably by him: let Abſalom be but King and iudge in the land, and (if you will beleeue him) eueryevery man ſhall hauehave Iuſtice done him. 2 Sam. 15.4Thus let that young man in the Gospell, keepe and hold his poſſeſſions, when Chriſt calleth for them, and hee will keepe all the Commandements elſe, as he had done from his youth. If an hypocrite ſeeme to oppoſe and ſet himſelfe againſt ſuch ſinnes as are his boſome ſins, it is no otherwiſe at the beſt, then it is with many amongſt vsus, who though they beare the name of Proteſtants, and ſo would bee taken, yet Papiſts as, Papiſts, are not ſo hatefull to them, but that though they can now & then diſclaime Popery, yet they can better abide them, and conceiue of them, and giuegive them better reſpect, then ſome other of the ſame religion and profeſsion, (though in greater ſinceritie) with themſelues: whereas the ſincere Proteſtant, though he truely hate and abhorre all ſchiſme and faction, yet hee moſt of all hates and abominates the hereſie and Apoſtaſie of Popery, & leaſt affects the perſons of ſtiffe Papiſts, as they are Papiſts. So ſinners may ſeeme to condemne themſelues for ſuch ſins of theirs, as yet inwardly they more truly affect then the contrary graces. Howſoeuer, if any euill bee ſubdued or kept vnderunder in them, it is not their beloued ſinne, but ſuch as whereunto they are leaſt of all tempted, which therefore was or is but weake in them. Thus like a coward (who not daring deale with a Captaine or ſtrong ſouldier, will yet ſet vponupon a wearied, weak, or wounded enemy, and inſult ouer him tyranouſly, and thence would bee taken to be valiant) ſo the ſeeming Chriſtian, would be taken for ſincere, becauſe of his repreſsing of ſome leſſer euils in him, (which yet is no true mortification) eſpecially when he ſhall alſo conforme outwardly to the beſt duties; yet there is ſome ſtrong man within, with whom either for feare he dares not, or for louelove hee will not deale: either it will coſt him too much paines, ſorrow, diſquiet in diſlodging him, or his louelove to him, that is, to his ſinne more then to himſelfe, will not let him mortifie it: hee will reſolue rather to giuegive it life & lodging with him; thus he deales with his ſinnes; as Saul with the Amalekites, 1 Sam. 15.8.9.who hauing a charge to deſtroy all, yet hee ſpared the greateſt, their King Agag; and the beſt of the Sheepe, & of the Oxen, & of the fatlings and the Lambs, and all that was good, and would not vtterly deſtroy them: but eueryevery thing that was vile and refuſe, that they deſtroyed vtterly. This was partly through feare of the people, whom herein he feared more then God; partly, for louelove of the prey, becauſe it was fat and good. Yet hauing done ſomthing which God commanded,verſ. 13. he comes with his bragges, I hauehave performed the commandement of the Lord. Thus, the fatteſt, as I may ſay, & moſt contentfull ſinnes to the fleſh, yea Agag, the King of Sinnes, ſhall bee ſpared and ſuffered to liue and raigne in the Hypocrite, whiles yet, abſtaining from leſſer euills, and conforming outwardly to good duties, he muſt bee taken to doe righteouſneſſe and all that God commands.Par. 3 §. 50 Iſa. 58.2.3. &c.Thus vnſound and weake at once doth the Hypocrite ſhew himſelfe.
Section. 50.
Secondly, but much more briefely, Gods ſpirit,2 Hee aſſayles couragiouſly. where it is indeed, as it eſpecially ſingles out a mans ſpeciall corruption, ſo it aſſaults it valiantly and couragiouſly, yea with a reſolution neuer to giuegive ouer, though he be now and then foyled and beate downe by it; he will ſooner loſe his life then euer yeeld himſelfe a ſlaue to Satan or to his ſinne; his reſolution and purpoſe ſhall be firme againſt it, and his endeauours will bee anſwerable. Whereas the cowardly Chriſtian, hath at beſt but halfe wiſhes, faint reſolutions, weake purpoſes againſt his ſinne, and accordingly his indeauours are either none, or ſuch as whereof hee ſoone wearies, when hee comes to any hard incounter, as to pulling out of a right eie, or cutting off a right hand of offēce, where the fleſh will both plead hard and long for it ſelfe,Par. 3. §. 51. & make a ſtrong head of oppoſition. This makes him cowardly to yeeld, and reſolue rather to become a ſlaue to ſinne, to obey it in the luſts of it, and to ſwimme with the ſtreame of the world and of his owne corruptiō, then to toile, vex and tewe himſelfe, in ſtriuing againſt the ſtreame.
Section. 51.
And thus thirdly, the ſpirituall man labours by the grace of Perſeuerance to ſhew himſelfe cōſtant, 3 Conſtantly.to be a victour & conquerour, at the laſt, to ouercome and to keepe Chriſts workes vntounto the end: he reſolues neuer to ſuffer the ſolicitations of ſinne and ſinfull men to weary him out,Reuel. 2.26. ſo that by giuing ouer he ſhould loſe his Crowne. Wherefore he armes himſelfe againſt the allurements of his ſin, by hauing in a readineſſe theſe twelue parts of Spirituall Armour, which he makes vſe of by ſeaſonable meditation. 1. The ſhortneſſe of the pleaſure which is in ſinne,Ioh. Pici Mirandulae 12 arma ſpiritualis pugnae. and that ſmall content it can giuegive him. 2. The companions of it, loathing, & anguiſh of ſoule. 3. The loſſe of a greater good, Gods fauour, &c. 4.Twelue pieces of ſpirituall armour againſt ſin. The vanity of this life, being but a very dreame and ſhadow. 5. The ſudden & vnlooked for approach of Death. 6. That juſt cauſe hee hath to ſuſpect himſelfe of impenitencie and vnſoundneſſe, if hee giuegive way to ſinne, 7. The eternall reward of well-doing, with the eternall puniſhnent of ſinne. 8. The dignitie of man. 9. The peace of a good Conſcience. 10. Gods multiplyed and daily benefits. 11. The croſſe and ſufferings of Chriſt for vsus.. 12. The Teſtimonies and witneſſe of ſo many Martyrs, and the examples of all the Saints.
Theſe, well pondered, keepe & arme him againſt ſinne, ſo that he reſolues neuer to yeele himſelfe to be the ſeruant of it (as doth the Hypocrite and profane perſon):Par. 3. §. 52 And though he, in ſome hard incounter,How the ſound Chriſtian carries himſelfe. be ſometimes foyled, yet that is not ordinarily: howſoeuer, he quits himſelfe like a man, whether he be foyled, or whether he reſiſt and ſtand out againſt this or that temptation.