The Diseases of the Time, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. A double fault in teaching, one that fretteth the whole flesh, the other nourisheth the proud flesh; one thinkes to saue men by angring & despising them, the other will not saue them, rather then offend them.
OVr Sauiour CHRIST sayth, W… to you when all men speake well of you: and Saint Paul sayth, I seeke to please all, that by all meanes I may winne some. In these two Sayings, there is a shew of Contrariety between the Master and the Seruant. Christ accounts them accursed with whom all are pleased; and yet Paul striues to please all, though those with whom all are pleased bee accursed. And according to the misinterpretation of these two places, hauehave risen two Errours, the one of them that thinke their Ministery neuer well set on worke, or sufficiently confirmed, vntill it hath stirred vp the whole World against them: The other of them, that thinke it the chiefe discretion of their Ministery, not to speake any thing which by a reproofe of euident sins may hazard the louelove of any of their hearers.
But Verity being euer the Companion of Vnity, and Christ and Paul speaking both infallible Verity, they are certainly at Vnity. Now this Verity like a right Line will plainly shew the crookednes of both these Errours: and this Vnity will condemne their contentiousnesse that fal out about the defence of Errours.
Christ speakes not to this end that the Ministers should labour for hatred, or striue that men should speake ill of them but he sayth; That the ill speeches of men, are ordinary consequents of a faithfull Minister, yea, a faithfull man. Hee doth not tell the Ministers that they should follow hatred, but he tels the Ministers that hatred will follow them Hee doth not set the Minister by the eares with the World, but hee saith, the World will take the Minister by the eares. Hee is of Saint Pauls minde, that he would hauehave the Minister in all indifferent things to please all, but yet he denounceth that, though such courses be taken of pleasing, yet the very exercise of the Ministery will mostly get displeasure. And heereof no better example then Paul himselfe, with whom though striuing to please all, yet the most of all were much displeased. So that both these Sayings may bee harmoniously contracted into one sentence, Striue to please all that you profit some, yet striuing to please all be ye sure that some will bee displeased; For the Seed of the Serpent will hate Seed of the Woman and the World that only loues her own, will hate them that are not of the World. But that we wander not on eyther hand into these diuers Errors, let vsus find out the right paths of truth, euen the true Lawes of pleasing and displeasing. In pleasing let this bee the first Law, That Ministers are to propose a good end in their pleasing; they must not please men to their damnation, nor please them to Gods dishonour, nor for their owne vaine glory; but they must please them to saue them, and to bring them to serue and glorifie their Creator.
Secondly, they must please them in things lawfull; euen in things good, or at least indifferent. They may not please them in euill, that good may come thereof, neyther may they sooth them in their sinnes, which is to edifie the Kindome of Satan, but if there bee at anytime a conniuencie (at no hand may there be a combination, nor incouragement) it must bee for the more profit; euen to watch a better oportunity; And still be it prouided, that no perfect peace by any meanes be made with sinne. Aboue all, let a Minister striue to please in holinesse of life; for the beautie thereof hath often stolne away the hearts of the gain-sayers, and gained their affections euen against their wils. Yea, let his Gesture hauehave an amiable comelinesse, befitting one that is a Man of God. And such is a graue Humility euen without Pride or Basenes, not carnally but spiritually, both confident and humble.
Thirdly, let them please them in the wisdome and discretion of their Dispensation. Let them giuegive the great Ones their Honours and Respects, let Festus be called Noble, and let King Agrippa hauehave his commendations of beleeuing the Prophets, for this is not to giuegive Titles or to call good euill, but to speake truth and to giuegive honour to whom honour belongeth.
A wicked Man may be outwardly honorable, and thou mayst not rob him without, because hee is alreadie robbed within. Thou mayst cast him downe by spirituall iudgement, but not degrade him of his temporall dignity; thy weapons are spirituall not carnall, and thy Masters Kingdome is not of this World. If thou doe otherwise, rayle on the Pope as much as thou wilt, thou art surely a limbe of him; for he robs men wholy of temporall honour, for spirituall offences, and thou robbest them in part.Eccl. 12.12. But thou shalt prooue thy selfe an ill Fisher for soules, if thou wilt not bayte thy doctrine or behauiour, with that sweetnesse or ceremony by which the fish will byte the better, and be the sooner caught.
In summe, know the estate of thy Flocke in particular, & to bee to eueryevery one a seuerall Man in thy priuate conuersation, and still one man in the publike. Be that to eueryevery Man by which thou mayest winne him most; For thou must bee all for gaine, a true Worldling, but of another World.
Thirdly, in indifferent things, as lawfull and decent recreations allow them; yea, sometimes therein ioyne with them. God that filleth vsus with food and gladnesse, allowes these blessings especially to his blessed ones, the rest hauehave it by stealth. Let vsus not make the gate of Heauen narrower then God hath made it, neyther let vsus make Religion a ghastly thing by vnnecessary opposing of Nature, for the businesse of Religion is not to crosse Nature created, but Nature corrupted; euen our Corruption, not our Creation. Yet in Recreation both Decency and Sobriety must bee regarded. Besides, thy presence may restraine or reform sinne; But indeed if there bee anvnreformable course of sin, as blsphemy, &c. I know not well how to allow any patience of wickednesse, neyther how the conuersation of the Sodomites can be at the same time vntounto Lot both a recreation vntounto his minde, and a vexation to his soule.
Lastly, please them by outward profiting them. If almes, hospitality, a milde exaction of dues may winne them, shew with Paul, that thou seekest not theirs, but them. And now as concerning a generall displeasing, farre be it from vsus to make it eyther a vertue or a touchstone. It is not to be prosecuted as a businesse, nor taken for a marke. Christ indeed makes generall pleasing an ill signe, but generall displeasing hee makes not an infallible good signe, for euen the wicked Iewes, as Paul sayth, are contrary to all men, Yea to all men they are a reproch. But the true and laudable displeasing must bee imposed, not sought and imposed for duties absolutely necessary, and performed in due manner. It must be for the profession or practise of that Truth, which to conceale will be to the losse of Gods glory, or for the reproofe of those sinnes which the same glory cannot suffer to bee vnreprooued. Yet must these things bee done with a hearty desire, that they may please since it is a true Rule, That it is a foolish kinde of Rhetoricke to alien his affections, whose iudgement thou seekest to gaine; And most That a Christian ought to seeke peace with all men, and to doe all things in louelove. Vnauoydable and imposed persecution is the Crowne and reioycing of a Christian, and he is neerest the twelue Thrones, that is neerest the Apostles in necessary losses for Christs sake. But let vsus not snatch such glory out of Gods hands, nor with the sonnes of Zebedee, intrude our selues into the right and left hands of Christ, for they only shall hauehave these seates to whom they are appointed of the Father. If God call vsus to Confession or Martyrdome, let vsus runne to it, or at least run to him by Prayer that he will enable vsus to run, and that so wee may obtayne. But if God call not, but wee runne without his call, let vsus know, That that running makes Confessors and Martyrs of the Deuill.