Meditations, Meditation 64 – Meditation 66
64
A dissembler & hypocrite, is a thing most odious to God, and so should he be to men, especially to himselfe, who next to God knowes best how wicked himselfe is. First, he is a perpetuall lyer, & his outward profession, is nothing but a continuall publisher, and perswader of vntruth. It tels eueryevery one the man is honest that shewes it, and lies all the while. This lying in deeds, is at least as wicked as lying in words, & accordingly should be hated. Againe the dissembler is an idolater, for he sets man in the place of God, and God in the place of man. His best side he shewes to man, & that is his outside; and the worst side, he turnes to God, and that is his heart: Accursed man that seekest to please him who is but thy fellow, and neglectest him who made both thee and him, euen the Almightie, Lord of all things. That God who is ielous and will not giuegive his honour to another, cannot but be highly offended with thee, for preferring man before him; and to him shalt thou giuegive an account for this corruption and withdrawing of thy heart, Gods chiefest part. Thirdly, the dissembler is an idoll, for he being nothing in the world stāds vp to bee worshipped. By his outward shew he calles in the countrey to reuerence him for the goodnes which is not in him, he sets himselfe vp on horse-backe as Haman wold hauehave done, his hollow profession crying before him; This is the man, whom God will honour. But this man, the whiles is the very man whome God especially hateth, and whom with Dagon he will cast downe on the threshold of hell gates, breaking him in pieces, when none shall deliuer him. And this fits wel with him, for now hee is not a whole man; but pieces of two men tied together, the outward piece is a piece of an honest man; the other and that the greater piece, is a piece of a Reprobate, or rather of a diuell. Lastly, he is a very foole, for of that which is good hee chuseth onelyonly to hauehave the appearance, and of that which is naught to hauehave, a full and whole possession. Thou foole, if the shew of goodnesse be so good, is not the thing it selfe much more good? & if the shew of wickednes be odious, is not the wickednesse it selfe much more odious? But thou vnwisely art contented to be rotten, corrupt, and filthy, so the world see nothing in thee, but an outward painting of purity, and cleannesse; so thou maist be to them a perfume, thou wilt be to thy selfe a kennel. But rather turne from thy wickednesse, and liue; get the reall possession of that, whereof the very appearance is so beautifull and pleasant; let the shew make thee in louelove with the thing, & get a roote to thy branches. Otherwise thy vizard shall bee pulled from thee, and thou shalt bee stript of thy shewes, & be condemned for that which thou art. Thou shalt be far away from these whom thou representest, and shalt be placed among such as thou art indeede: there shal be taken from thee, that which it seemes thou hast, and thou shalt bee cast into vtter darkenesse. Surely if to men the looking asquint of the eies, be ill fauoured and vnpleasant, much more ougly vntounto God is this squinting of the soule while it casts the eye on goodnesse, but the sight on wickednesse: Therefore reconcile thy self to thy selfe, become one man and differ not in thy selfe: for if thou agree with thy selfe, bringing thy inside to be one with thy outside, then wil God agree wt thee, and this saying shall concerne thee aswell as others: Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. But if thou plough on with thy oxe and asse together, thou goest on in that, which is an abhomination to the Lord, thou heapest vp wrath against the day of wrath; thou hast no portiō in ye blessednesses which belōg to the right eous, but in ye many woes denounced against ye Scribes & Pharisies Hypocrites.
65
That image & Character wc eueryevery man beares in this life, the same also shall he beare in the resurrectiō. He that in this life beareth the image of God, shall in ye resurrection appeare in that image; & he yt beares only the image of darkenesse & corruption, euen the likenesse of the old Adam, in the same lothsome and deformed shape shall hee appeare before God sitting in iudgement. For God doth regenerate and new create man onelyonly in this world. They that be not changed here, and made like vntounto Christ, doe let passe the time of Regeneration, and so they hauehave the stampe of sinne in their foreheads vnremooueable for euer. Now in that great and terrible day, what difference shall there be in the twofold apparance of these different sorts? The sonne of God new made by his Spirit, shal appeare in the image and likenes of God his Father, with light in his vnderstanding, righteousnesse in his will, and holinesse in his affections: To him it shall be said, Blessed is the pure in heart, he shal see God; for God delighteth to see him, euen his owne likenesse in him. But the sonne of flesh shall appeare, foule and blemished in his vnderstanding, corrupt and froward in his will and affections; and in stead of representing hee shall bee contrarie and crosse vntounto God, and ougly in his cōtrarietie. And then is his very presence lothsom to the Iudge of purest eies, he is a toad or serpent made and taken to bee destroied. His ouglinesse kindleth the wrath of God against him, which burneth and driueth into the bottom of hell; Lord, when thou raisest vsus vp, thou shalt make their Image despised. Therefore while it is to day, while it is the accepted time, let the sonne of man make hast to become the sonne of God; Let him put off the goate which he is, and put on the sheepe that he should bee; let him get a cleane heart, and a right spirit within him. And because this only commeth of God, let vsus seeke onelyonly to him; and because God hath told vsus by his Sonne that he will be ouercome by importunitie, let vsus seeke importunately stil begging, following, and vndeniably soliciting him, vntill hee giuegive the holy Ghost to them that aske him. Then shall wee with Symeon, bee full of peace at our departure, being assured to see saluation; there shall wee with Paul, bee alwaies bold euen at our remoouing, being certaine of a better tabernacle in heauen; then shall wee comfortably approch to the Throne of God, who wee know will acknowledge vsus for sonnes by his marke in our foreheads, and will call vsus in vntounto the Supper of the Lamb. But then they yt appeare in the shape of dogs, their place shall be without from the presence of God and the Lambe for euermore, where their worme dieth not, and their fire quencheth not. They that are the kindreds of the earth, and not of heauen, shall waile before God, and theirs shall be eternall weeping and gnashing of teeth. The goates shall bee set on the left hand, God will behold them scornefully, and afarre off; they shall be called cursed, and they shall be driuen from God into euerlasting fire, there to accompanie the diuel and his Angels, whom in this life they hauehave associated and resembled.
66
The hard things, are often most excellent, for our businesse in this world is to striue against flesh & blood, which is not a matter of ease. Among diuers combats therewith, they hauehave not the least, who are in the stead of a father and mother. The hardnesse hereof is, that such standing in the place of natural parents, should do that right to the child in cold reason, which the other would doe in the heate of affection. Now men saile with affection, but row hard with reason, yet the worth and reward counteruaile the labour. It must needs be a matter of excellent worth: for God is the God of the fatherles, and hee ioyneth with God that helpeth them; hee is Gods instrument, and hath a deputiship vnderunder God; as for the reward, mercy procureth mercy, temporall, eternall. Thou maist well hope, that God who is pleased with thy goodnesse to the children of others, will raise vp the goodnesse of others to helpe thy children; and himselfe will become a father vntounto thee and thine. But if thou liftest vp thy hand against those, whom God hath taken into his protection, feare thou the Iudgement without mercy, for shewing no mercy; and that while thou art a very father in law to others, God will be a father in law to thee and thine, which makes men of al others the most miserable Orphans.