Seven Treatises, Treatise 2 · Chapter 9
CHAP. 9. Of the ſecond kinde of euils or ſinnes to be renounced, namely outward.
Outward wickednes to be renounced.TO reioyce either about their ſaluation, or the goodnes of their heart, if their behauiour be ſtained with outward wickednes, & their holie profeſſion blemiſhed with open and ſhamefull ſins, is vaine: which is the more to be marked, ſeeing many boaſt that they hauehave good harts to God, whē their liues are wicked.1. Sam. 7.4. Vide Iudg. 10.14. Hoſ. 14.1. When Samuel willed the people to trie their repentance to be ſound, he willed them to put away Baalam and Aſhtaroth, that is, their ſtrange gods, and ſhamefull Idolatrie which they had delighted in. And Paul telleth the Corinthians, that they muſt clenſe themſelues from all filthines of the fleſh, 2. Cor. 7.1.as well as of the ſpirit. But the leſſe ſhall be needfull to bee ſaid of this, ſeeing the whole courſe of the Scriptures, both doctrine and examples, as alſo common reaſon doth teſtifie the ſame, that none can proue their hearts vpright, if their behauiour be offenſiue and euill.
2. Pet. 2.20. Beleeuers must forſake their former ſinnes.For doctrine firſt, that of S. Peter doth plainly ſhew it, where he ſaith, If a man after he hath profeſſed a Chriſtian courſe by acknowledging the forgiuenes of his ſinne, and the hope of euerlaſting life, ſhall yet be intangled againe in his old ſinnes, and ouercome of them, the latter end of that man is worſe then the beginning: for it had been better neuer to hauehave acknowledged the way of righteouſnes, then afterwards to turne from the commaundements giuen vntounto him: And they that do ſo, are moſt fitly compared to dogges which returne to their vomite, and to ſwine which hauing been waſhed, Iam. 1.25.doe wallow againe in the mire. S. Iames alſo is bold to ſay, that if the tongue onelyonly be vnbridled (be the reſt of the life reformed how it can) euen that one diſorder in a man profeſſing the Goſpell, ſhall be enough to teſtifie againſt him, that his religion is nothing worth, but vaine. If his religion be in vaine, he can neither hauehave any part in ſaluation, nor in a godlie life: How can we which are dead to ſinne (ſaith the Apoſtle) liue any longer therein? Rom. 6.2.The reaſon is, ſeeing they which are dead to ſinne, are ſo made partakers of the power, vertue and grace of Chriſt, that naturall corruption hath loſt here force to bring foorth bitter fruites. So that neither men can profeſſe religion without caſting away their old behauiour, but they muſt be diſſemblers▪ neither can they bee truly godly, but they muſt endeuour to walke free from offenſiue euils (this alwaies prouided, that theſe offenſiue euils be ſuch, as are knowne of the parties to be ſinnes.)
As for examples, they are many and cleere,Examples. which ſet this truth plainely before our eyes. When Ioſeph ſaw that he could no otherwiſe keepe fauour with his miſtreſſe, & hold ſtill many other liberties, which in his place he did inioy, vnles he would defile his body, & giuegive ouer himſelfe to her whooriſh demaund: becauſe he was a godly man, he would neuer conſent;Geneſ. 39.10. although he brought vponupon himſelfe thereby, vtter diſpleaſure, and for ought he could ſee, perpetuall miſery: How can I (ſaid he) doe this great wickedneſſe, and ſinne againſt God? Moſes being a very man of God, refuſed, when he might hauehave inioyed it, to be called and counted the ſonne of Pharaohs daughter an idolater,Hebr. 11.24. and choſe rather to leade an hard life with the people of God in the wildernes, then to liue in ſinfull pleaſures for a ſeaſon.Luk. 19.2. Zaccheus one of the chiefe tole-gatherers, an infamous man counted by the very multitude (in ſo much that they thought hardly of it, that our Sauiour Chriſt would goe into the houſe of ſo bad a man) yet when Chriſt had conuerted him, whileſt he abode that day with him, and for proofe thereof, had pronounced of him openly, that he was that ſame day made the ſonne of Abraham, who at his entring in vntounto him, was a manifeſt oppreſſor, and poler of the people, what did he? A thing ſeldome ſeene in ſuch as hauehave their hearts nailed to their goods, and hauehave their whole delight taken vp in them: He reuenged himſelfe vponupon his couetous, and miſerlike minde, and his greedy deuouring of other mens goods: and as ſweete as they had been to him in times paſt, yet to ſhew how this ſinne was in account with him, he giueth halfe of them to the poore: and made restitution with the rest fourefolde, to ſuch as he had wronged.
Oh worthy example to all oppreſſors, or Vſurers! with whom all is fiſh that commeth to net: and which (whoſoeuer ſmart for it, begge, complaine, yea and pine away for very ſorrow of that which they hauehave loſt) will not forgoe any peece of their appetite: herein comming behinde Iudas the traitor. Oh happie Zaccheus! who haddeſt learned in ſo ſhort time,Luk. 7.37. that which many of thy companions in ſinne, as greedie as thou wert, as vnmercifull to the poore, as violent in drawing from others, to the inriching of themſelues, can neuer learne in all their life time. Full truly doe they verifie the Scripture, which ſaith, It is as eaſie for a Camell to goe thorough a needles eye, as for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of God: Well it were with them, if they could learne of thee to caſt vp their gorge, and to ſet leſſe by that, which aboue all things, yea aboue God himſelfe, though to their owne perpetuall ſhame and woe, they hauehave made their delight.
But I muſt proceede. To ende therefore with laying forth any more examples: how forcible is that of the woman in the Goſpell of S. Luke, who hauing been (as Zaccheus had) a woman of notorious life; yet when ſhe ſaw that her many and great ſinnes were forgiuen her, had her vnchaſte life in ſuch deteſtation, that in token thereof, ſhe made her eyes which had allured men to vncleaneneſſe, a baſen of water to waſh Chriſts feete, and her haire of her head, which had been abuſed to the ſame purpoſe, (now in token of vtter renouncing ſuch vngodlines) a towell to wipe his feete: and yet this deteſtation is not ſaid to hauehave been ſhewed toward ſinnes, which had not greatly troubled them, but they were thoſe, which had ſtucke moſt neere them.
Now if theſe with many other could not allow their ſinnes, which by nature they loued, and by cuſtome they had long lien in, we need not doubt, but that other, leſſe inticing them were much further from them, and renounced of them: that it may truly be concluded, that the beleeuer in Chriſt forſaketh his olde ſinnes, though they were neuer ſo pleaſant vntounto him.