The Height of Israels Heathenish Idolatry, Section 2 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. The laſt … of the former maine doctrine, whereby is manifeſted … Malice, Pride, and Sle…ghts of Satan in himſelfe and … and firſt his Malice.
I … then ſee if wee cannot finde Satan euen among … ſelues: we may know a Lyon by his pawes, and … Deuill by three eſſentiall ſpeciall notes and markes, which now we come in the fourth place to obſerue by way of inference from our former diſcourſe:… and they are theſe; … h…s M…e againſt vsus men. Secondly, his Pride againſt God. Thirdly, his deuilliſh Sleights and Suttleti…s as helpes to accompliſh the other two: where we finde any of theſe, there wee may ſay is a deuilliſh quality, there the Deuill reignes as God.
…Firſt, we may take notice of his extreame malice againſt mankind; and it hath ſhewed it ſelfe to be bent both againſt the …oules and bodies of men. Firſt, againſt their ſoules by ſeducing them, by withdrawing them from the ſeruice of the true God, and by requiring ſeruice and ſacrifice to be performed to the creature, to themſelues Gods vtter enemies: this ſeruice no good Angell, no good man will accept from vsus, becauſe they truely louelove vsus, as is proued: the Deuill accepts it becauſe he truely hates vsus.
…Secondly, againſt their bodies by his ſtrange cruelty, which was ſuch, that nothing pleaſed him better then the ſhedding of mans blood, and that in abundance, and the more noble the blood was, the more accceptable to him … the ſpilling of it: ſo that not contented with the blood of the Gentiles, hee coueted much alſo, and eſpecially after the blood of Gods people the Iewes, who had God more eſpecially for their Father, and the true Church for their mother; and he alſo preuailed, as in my text: by this meanes he diminiſhed the Kingdome of God, and inlarged his owne.
This murtherous affection which he beares againſt vsus men, and eſpecially againſt the true Church and Saints of God is as ancient as man himſelfe is: for no ſooner were our firſt parents placed in Paradiſe, in a place and eſtate of happineſſe, which they ſhould hauehave tranſmitted vntounto vsus their poſterity but Satan enuious of our good, maliciouſly depriues them and vsus of it,Iohn 2 … being to this reſpect a murtherer from the beginning. Now that which is bred in the bone (we vſe to ſay) will hardly euer out of the fleſh▪ ſo it is with Satan; for ſince that time hee neuer ceaſeth but goeth about diligently like a roaring Lyon ſeeking whom he may deuoure.
Now wee muſt not looke to find and eſpie this deuouring beaſt in his Lyons skin he is wiſer then ſo: wee ſhall finde him then often in the habite and skin of a Lambe, …ffecting his malicious purpoſes by men like our ſelues,And … whom he vſeth as his inſtruments. Where then, and in whom we finde any ſuch cruelties, there we may conclude …an inſtrument of Satan, or there is the Deuill himſelfe incarnate, there he ſits as God. As for example: When in the time of the ten perſecutions, the godly Chriſtians by heatheniſh Emperors and their officers were caſt into priſon, there we may ſafely ſay, with our Sauiour Chriſt,… the Devill hath caſt them into priſon: for we may iudge of the Deuill … of falſe Prophets, you ſhall know them, ſaith our Sauiour, by their fruits.
Thus our Sauiour himſelfe concludeth againſt the Iewes who daily went about to kill him, thinking and alledging that otherwiſe their kingdome could not ſtand, thus ſeeking by his ruine to eſtabliſh their owne kingdome, ſaying,… If we let him thus alone all men will be e…n… in him, and the Romanes will come and take away both our place and the Nation. Hereupon they ſought to kill him, both they and the Deuill by them. But our Sauiour concludes, that euen in this regard, they were the ſonnes and children of the Deuill, ſaying,… If ye were Abrahams childr…n (as yee pretend) y… …oul… doe the workes of Abraham: But now yee ſeeke to kill me, …a man that hath told you the truth which I hauehave heard of God▪ this did not Abraham: ye doe the …eed of your father, — ye are of your father the Deuill, and the luſts of your father ye will doe, he was a murtherer from the beginning, &c. And ſurely we may as firmely conclude againſt all ſuch, as vponupon like grounds goe about to eſtabliſh and vphold their kingdome of Antichriſt, by ſhedding the innocent blood of harmeleſſe Proteſtants, and eſpecially of religious Kings: thinking that both Kingdomes cannot ſtand together, theirs and Chriſts.Practiſing … Hereupon they moſt deuiliſhly practiſe and moſt ſhameleſſely, by writing, excuſe, yea warrant and giuegive allowance to the murthering of Chriſtian Kings and Princes: witneſſe that bloody butchery not long ſince practiſed vponupon the perſons of two Kings of France ſucceſſiuely, Henry the third, and Henry the fourth, (who both being popiſh, were not thought popiſh enough) and their Apologies written in excuſe of Iohn Chaſtel who attempted to kill Henry the fourth, which after, villanous Rauiliac performed. Inſtances of Popiſh practiſes, cruelties and attempts in this kind, there might be giuen many, not onelyonly in forraigne nations, but euen in our owne; witneſſe their Spaniſh nauy which in the yeare 1588. was ſent to ſubdue the whole nation, and came prouided of all cruell inſtruments of death and dolour which could be imagined. Witneſſe alſo their many attempts vponupon the perſon of the late Queene Elizabeth of happy memory, as alſo of our gracious Soueraigne King Iames. But that which ſwallowes vp the mention and remembrance of al the reſt, was the Pouder-plot, ſuch a ſtrange and malicious plot, as for ſtrangeneſſe could neuer hauehave by any Poets faigned inuention beene imagined; and for maliciouſneſſe neuer hauehave proceeded from any mans ſoft, harmeleſſe, and relenting heart. From whence then but from that ſubtile Serpent, and deuouring Lyon, great Beelzebub, our vtter enemy, their great god? for ſo we may conclude againſt them, as our Sauiour before againſt the Iewes in like caſe, that herein they doe not the workes of Ieſus, whoſe name they take vponupon them, but the workes of their father, that is, of him whoſe luſts they do, and who hath bin a murtherer (of the Saints) from the beginning, that is, the Deuill, whoſe inſtruments herein they were: in which regard I may ſay and conclude of the firſt inuenter of that plot (which was Cateſby) in regard of his deſigne and attempt, that which Socrates writes of Neſtorius, that he was,Socrat. lib. 7. cap. 29. totius diabolicae nequitiae capax inſtrumentum, vere que totius Eccleſiae (Anglicanae) incendium: a large receptacle and inſtrument of all deuiliſh wickedneſſe, and the very firebrand of the whole (Engliſh) Church.
And thus hauehave we ſeene how Satan is ſtill himſelfe, and cannot forget to be cruell, and that now he reignes as god alſo in this regard, as well as in former times. Heretofore indeed he by Oracle publikely commanded the killing of men, and was obeyed; but God be thanked, our Sauiour Chriſt by his comming hath put him to ſilence in his perſon: yet now he teacheth the ſame leſſon, and is alſo obeyed in this, as in many things elſe. For we know there are doctrines of deuils, whereof theſe laſt times are in danger, and there are Doctors of deuils, which ſay they are Chriſtians, and Ieſus his diſciples, calling themſelues Ieſuites, yet are they not, but the Synagogue of Satan. Theſe are they by whom eſpecially Satan exerciſeth his malice, both againſt mens ſoules by ſeducing, and their bodies by killing them: by both Satan goes about ſeeking whom he may deuoure, and that not only in his owne perſon, but in the perſon of his inſtruments, eſpecially Ieſuites, and generally the popiſh faction. Theſe ſeeke firſt to ſeduce, and where they ſpeed not ſo, they proceed to the ſecond. They firſt compaſſe ſea and land to make proſelytes, to withdraw men from their obedience and loyaltie to God and their lawfull Kings: if they preuaile not thus, then preſently they proceed either to fire and fagot, if power and authoritie be in themſelues, or elſe to ſecret practiſes, tending to no leſſe then death and deſtruction. And here we may obſerue the rage and zeale of the wicked, which is not zealous enough vnleſſe it end in blood. Thus the Iewes dealt with our Sauiour Chriſt, who not content that he ſhould be whipped by Pilate, and mocked by themſelues, they muſt needs crye, Away with him, and againe, away with him, Iohn 19.1-6-15.crucifie him, and againe, crucifie him. So they dealt with Saint Paul, Philip 3 6. Acts 21.4.who himſelfe while he was a blind Phariſie perſecuted the Church, yea vntounto the death; but being once a true conuert, he was perſecuted himſelfe, and oftentimes whipt. Yet this being not enough, ſee the rage of the Iewes againſt him:Acts 22 … for more then forty men bound themſelues with a ſolemne oath, that they would neither eat nor drinke till they killed Paul. So now adaies curſing with Bell, Booke, and Candle, diſgraces, wrongs, iniuries, and excommunications are not enough; our enemies crie ſtill for fire and faggot. This our Sauiour hath foretold vsus of, Iohn 16.2. They call preſently with the raſhly zealous diſciples of Chriſt, for fire from heauen, to conſume vsus at once, and when our Sauiour denies them this, they will fetch it from the vaults of hell it ſelfe but they will hauehave it. Herein plainely manifeſting whoſe children they are; for euen ſo doth their father and maſter: for whom he hath any hand ouer, he labours to ſerue as he did that Lunatick whom he poſſeſſed, whom oft times he caſt into the fire, Ma… …and into the water to deſtroy him. And as he did with the Heathen and Iſraelites in my text, nothing could pleaſe him vnleſſe they made away with, and ſacrificed themſelues and children to him.
From this raging and furious malice of the Deuill in his owne perſon and in his inſtruments, we may yet make further vſe.
And firſt, if the Deuill bee now ſo maliciouſly bent againſt mankind,… Satan … and with ſuch ſauage crueltie vſe them now that euen profeſſe his ſeruice (as did the Heathen and theſe Iewes) what ſhall we then thinke will be his furious rage when in hell he ſhall hauehave full power ouer the damned: when his fury ſhall be exaſperated with the preſent ſence of Gods horrible iudgements on himſelfe? Oh then, let this at leaſt make vsus feare all our wayes wee tread in, with Iob. leſt we ſet our feet in thoſe broad pathes of ſinne and vngodlineſſe, which lead to ſuch horrible ſlauery, as from which there is no redemption, and leſt thus wee fall into the pawes of this inraged Lyon.
Hence againe, we may ſee how little reaſon we hauehave to be ſecure, hauing ſuch a watchfull and a ſpitefull aduerſary, we hauehave no ſecurity but in God onelyonly, and no hope to preuent his malice but as in God ſo in the vſe of ſuch …eane… as God would hauehave vsus vſe to this purpoſe, which are our ſpirituall armour, deſcribed Eph…ſ 6 13.14. &c. where we may note, God would hauehave vsus reſiſt and not turne our backs, inaſmuch as he hath appointed no defence for our backe parts if we flye, but for our fore parts if we reſiſt; he tels vsus of a Breſt plate of righteouſneſſe, of a Shield of faith, Helmet of ſaluation, Sword of the ſpirit.
Thirdly, beares the Deuill ſuch hatred againſt vsus? what reaſon then hauehave wee to louelove him? let vsus then beare him and his inſtruments like hatred, yet w…th this difference, he hates vsus in our perſons, let vsus hate him and them in their practiſes and profeſſions. Dauid could ſay, Doe not I hate them that hate thee? yea, I hate them with a perfect hatred Yet ſurely Dauids hatred of them was holy, and ſo ſhould ours be. We are ſaid in Scripture, to louelove God when we keepe his commandements, and to hate him when either wee hate what hee loues, or when wee doe not what hee commands, but the contrary which hee forbids. Let vsus thus hate the Deuill and wicked men, that is, let vsus hate what he and they ſo much louelove, namely ſinne, and be contrary vntounto them in their commands, prohibitions, perſwaſions, and allurements.