Meditations, Meditation 51 – Meditation 52
51
A great burthen of this Iland is blasphemy, & the prophanation of the name of God: a heauy, yet vnprofitable sinne it is, by which God is dishonoured, and man damned at a very low rate. So doth this people sel himself for nothing, and as seekers of death, rather then they will not die, they will anger God of set purpose, and without profit procure their owne destruction. Surely, as it hath bin well obserued, this sin hath a more pure corruption and venome in it, then most of his fellowes; for other sinnes hauehave commonly some sensible profit or pleasure to Midwife them into the world: but this in it selfe is neither pleasing nor profitable, but issueth out of the meere prophanenesse of hart, euen of a carelesnesse and contempt of God. For how can it be, but God is exceedingly despised and neglected, when his name is vsed to make vp idle places of a hollow or vnfilled sentence, or to vent or vtter with some grace & force the choler & malice of a displeased man: But be it knowne to thee, O man, of what sort or degree soeuer thou bee, that God made thee to serue him, and in part of seruice to feare and sanctifie his name; & indeed thou art not of thy self worthy to serue, or to name him: How then darest thou to make him and his name to serue thee, thy prophane discourse, & thy rash and vntempered anger? It was written anciently, Holines to the Lord; and surely where God is, holinesse is about him; where God will bring any to him, hee puts holines vponupon them; and where his very name is, he will hauehave holinesse applied and appropriated to it. Therefore his name must bee brought foorth onelyonly in holy vses, and an extreamely vnfit match it is, to ioyne the holiest name with the vnpurest and prophanest passions and speeches. If thou wearest but the vizard of a Christian, and a man should aske whether thou canst say the Lords Prayer, and the ten Commandements, thou wilt extremely scorne the question. But assure thy selfe, that God infinitely more scorneth, that in that prayer, one should offer vp a petition to him, that Gods name should be hallowed, who cares not whether hee hauehave his petition granted or not, yea many times takes paines to make it void. And much he scornes that any shold say his commandements, that care not to doe them; and that the same tongue which saies, Thou shalt not take the name of God in vaine, shold presently take the same name in vaine, and so bee contrary to it selfe, giuegive the lye to it selfe, and dishonour the name which it falsely pretended to reuerence. But if thou wilt needs louelove this sinne more then God, the same God who now endures thy blasphemies with a limited patience, wil one day when that patience is come to the full bounds thereof, ransome his name from thy vnhallowed throate; and he who is a consuming fire shall make eueryevery touch of his name to burne in thy bowels. Then it shall bee felt, though not now beleeued, that God is still actiue, and either sanctifies or consumes wheresoeuer hee is; and if he hauehave been in thee much but not sanctifying, he shall be in thee much also, but consuming. Hee is too strong for vsus, and so cannot suffer of vsus; and though he seeme to doe it by being taken at will into our licentious mouthes, yet it is but as the taking of a coale or hooke, which burne, and bite, & take the takers: so thy owne wicked words shall fret into thee and become thy snare and consumption. But that eueryevery one may know his part and interest in this sin, and the iudgement of it, the different degrees thereof doe readily appeare. There is one sort of prophaners that keepe open house of blasphemies, and the name of that God which dwells not in their hearts, yet issueth still at their mouthes: these are in the depth of Satan, and be the eldest sons of hell. And it is to be wondred if they beleeue not that there is a God, how they speake so oft of him; and if they beleeue God to be, how they feare not to dishonour him: who if hee be, must needs bee iust to himselfe, and take his owne part against those that thus abuse his name. Another sort there is of them that leauing the name of God, yet vse other names and words in stead thereof, and so by an euill idolatrie, translate the honour of God to creatures or imaginations of their owne. A third sort is of such as in eueryevery idle exclamation or admiration, at any vnusuall or odde matter, take vp the name of God, altogether vnprofitably and vnseasonably: who is not to be named but with reuerence, and for the bettring of our selues or others. For as oft as we are not the better for naming him, wee are the worse. These wil sometimes say, if thou admonish them, that they meane no ill; but they must neither meane ill, nor doe ill; and because by carelesnesse & vnwatchfulnesse of speech this often happeneth, let those that feare God, watch their mouth, that they offend not with their tongue. And generally let al those whom God hath mooued to glorifie him, and to speake good of his name, teach the same to their children, that we may leaue a godly seede behinde vsus in our roome; it being a complaint of this time, that childrē too much learne to speake English and oathes together, and so to blaspheme God almost as soone as hee hath made them.
52
Custome of euill hath sundry great euils belonging to it; one that it selfe is a long succession of wickednesse, and offence against God: Another, that growing into familiaritie with men, at length it comes to the reputation of no vice, if not of a vertue. A third, that it takes roote and establishment by continuance, and growes so stiffe and immoueable, that it is like the lawes of the Medes and Persians which may not bee altered. This course and sway it hath both in the liues of particular men, and great Churches, and that to so great a conquest of mens iudgements, as well as their actions, that they hauehave enacted a law, that an euill well setled ought not to be remooued. This the Church of Rome practiseth; but as we see in the thing it selfe, that it is a wisedome which ascendeth from below, and is diuellish and sensuall: so by the consequence of it wee see it is temporally dangerous to them that hold it; For this position brought that Church to this present weaknesse. Ambitious and commodious errors had crept into that Church, to which, time had giuen such strength and estimation, that it was a very especiall wisedome to holde them vntouched and vnmooued. But they that denie iust things, often prouoke to the taking away of them and more; as tyranny often hath driuen away kingdomes. And somwhat accordingly, while they would keepe their errours, they hauehave prouoked men to take from them that which once was held lawfull, though as things now stand, they may seeme to hauehave lost edification. So with their supremacy, they hauehave lost Patriarchy, & the ten tribes are rent from that Rehoboam which wold not ease the burden of his fathers. This may serue for an example euen to our Churches, whereby they may learne, not to establish themselues by establishing any sinfull corruption, if any such shall appeare: for that very corruption by which men shall thinke to strengthen themselues, is likely to prooue their canker and destruction. This was the iustice of God of old against the Calues of Ieroboam, and of late against the whoredome of Rome. Therefore according to wise Salomon, be not wise in your owne eyes, but feare the Lord, and depart from euill; Let all your wise policies bee grounded, or at least subordinate to true pietie. Doe not by defending a knowne sinne, giuegive a handle to a rough amender, who taking a Church by the blemishes thereof, may perchance pull out them and the sound flesh which hangeth to them. The Ancients knew the corruptnesse of mankinde, that it still brought forth tares among wheate; and therefore appointed generall and particular Synods for the rooting vp of them; our age is latter, and therefore worser: if wee grow in diseases, let vsus not abate in the remedies. If we cannot hauehave generall Councels, let vsus make true vse of our nationall sinods by serious examining in them, not so much what euill customes it might seeme policie to maintaine, as what customarie drosse it were true and spirituall wisedome to refine. In like sort, a remedy of euill customes is needful to eueryevery member of the Church; If thou hast done euill, amend that which is past by future goodnesse, and adde not to thy vomits, returning. But let all especially shun and kill the beginnings of such wicked customes; for the more they continue in them, the stronger they make a chaine for themselues: so that at last they are mightily enthralled thereby, and are still further from escaping.