The Amendment of Life, Book 1 · Chapter 6
The fifth Folly. To iudge of mans felicitie or miſerie by the outward apparance. Chap. 6.
THe fifth folly reſteth, In iudging a mans felicitie or miſerie by the outward apparance. This folly is ſo much the rather to be noted, as it is more common, euen in the children of God, and the rather to bee reiected, as it is the more pernitious. The Prophet and author of the 73. Pſalme, confeſſeth that himſelfe was ouertaken with this folly, eſteeming the wicked, by reaſon of their proſperitie, to hauehave beene bleſſed, and contrarywiſe, ſuch as walked in pureneſſe and holyneſſe, drinking vp tribulations in abundaunce as water, to hauehave beene accurſed. Yea, hee acknowledgeth that the outward proſperitie of the wicked, and the afflictions of the righteous, dyd ſo trouble him, that his feete had almoſt ſlipped to ioyne with the wicked: that hee thought there had beene no prouidence in God, and that therefore it was loſt labour to ſerue him in holyneſſe. But afterward hee plainely confeſſeth, that this was an extreame folly, that hee was almoſt become a brute beaſt, that hee knew nothing, and that in the ſight of God he was but a beaſt. Ieremie touched with the ſame errour,Iere. 11.7 entereth into argument with God, demaunding why the wicked ſhoulde proſper, and the righteous bee in tribulation.Io…. 11 6.7 Pſal. 22.2 Pſal. 13.2 Pſal. 79.5 Pſal 77 10. Eſa. 49.14 Iob alſo confeſſeth, that it troubled him and made his fleſh to tremble. How often doth Dauid complaine, reſting onelyonly vppon the outwarde ſhew of his troubled eſtate, as if God had forſaken him, as if hee had forgotten him, as if hee had beene angrie with him, as if hee had withdrawen his grace & mercy from him? The Church of Iſrael, conſidering her afflictions, entered into opinion & complaint, that God had forgotten & forſaken hir To be briefe, al men naturally hauehave reſpect to the outward apparance, deeming ſuch as doo proſper to be bleſſed, & the afflicted to be accurſed.
2 This peruerſe iudgement proceedeth of another folly and abuſe, euen this: That wee imagine that all grace, ſauour, bleſſing, and felicitie, reſteth onelyonly in honour, riches, and carnall commodities. But as this ſparke of the image of God ſometimes giueth light to our mindes, that all thinges depende vppon Gods prouidence, yet fall wee into this errour, to thinke that God in his wrath and diſpleaſure reiecteth all thoſe that are afflicted, and that contrarywiſe hee loueth and fauoureth ſuch as doo proſper: and thereof wee conclude, that the afflicted are accurſed, and the wicked bleſſed. As for others, who attribute all to fortune and aduenture, and knowe no other good or felicitie but this lyfe, they lykewiſe fall into the ſame errour, as thinking all that proſper in this lyfe to bee bleſſed, and the afflicted to bee accurſed. And this cauſeth the wicked to flatter and harden theyr heartes in all iniquitie. Much lyke to the Sicilian tyrant, who when he had deſpoiled the temple of all the golde therein,Dioniſius. hauing a fayre winde vponupon the ſea, ſayd, You ſee that the immortall Gods doo fauour ſacriledge and Church-robbers. The lyke blaſphemies doth the prophet Malachie attribute to the wicked in his dayes, ſaying: It is in vaine to ſerue God, Malach. 3.4.and what profite is it that wee hauehave kepte his commandements, and that wee walked humbly before the Lorde of hoaſtes. Therefore wee count the proude bleſsed, euen they that worke wickednes are ſet vp, and they that tempt God, yea, they are deliuered. Beſides, what is the reaſon that many hauing knowledge of the truth, doo yet reſt plunged in idolatrie? And others alſo that had forſaken it do returne therto, but euen that conſidering of the outward apparance of Idolaters, inioying their goods, dignities, and carnall commodities, and the afflictions of ſuch as followe Ieſus Chriſt, they thinke them to bee more bleſſed than thoſe that carrie the croſſe of Chriſt?
3 What lykewiſe is the reaſon that ſo much people, yea, euen ſo many nations which profeſſe religion, doo giuegive ouer themſelues to vnlawfull traffique, to fraude, deceit, and other iniquities? Euen this, that they imagine that thoſe men which doo moſt abounde in riches and carnall commodities, albeit wrongfully gotten, are neuertheleſſe more bleſſed than the poore afflicted that walke ſincerely and vprightly. Our ſight is ſo thicke, and our eyes are ſo dimme, that we cannot penetrate beyond the outward proſperity, and come to the ſight of the iniquity that lurketh vnderunder the ſame, which is vndoubtedly accurſed by God, & bringeth forth miſchief notwithſtanding whatſoeuer colour it be ſhaddowed and clothed withall. We diſcerne onelyonly the proſperitie of the one, and the affliction of the other, but doo neuer looke to the cauſe and end of the ſame. We ſee the garment onelyonly and not the bodie, or the bodie, but not the ſoule, the outward worke, but not the workeman.
4 Let vsus therefore applie this to our purpoſe. In the firſt Pſalme it is ſaide, Bleſsed is the man that doeth not walke in the counſell of the wicked, nor ſtand in the waie of ſinners, nor ſit in the ſeate of the ſcornefull. And this may wee well beleeue, if wee but looke vponupon the wicked, the ſinners, and ſcornefull, eyther vponupon a ſcaffolde, or vponupon a ladder readie to be executed to the death, or caſt into hell. But if thou conſidereſt theſe wicked ones, theſe ſinners, and ſcorners, clothed in wealth, adorned with honour, reioycing in carnall commodities, thy minde will alter. For, caſting thy e…e vppon the garment, the delight of the fleſh, thou wilt thinke them bleſſed, yea, thou wilt not beleeue the doctrine of Dauid, who ſayth, thou canſt not bee bleſſed vnleſſe thou renounceſt the wicked courſe of the wicked and ſinners. Thou reſembleſt thoſe, who ſeeing a man in a goodly bed, ſerued with all dainties, and with ſound of muſicke, doo thinke him much bleſſed, but himſelfe contrarywiſe feeling the intollerable anguiſh of the gout or collike, will complaine as a miſerable and wretched man.
5 This folly alſo, to iudge by the outward apparance, is ſo much the greater, as that thereby wee doo conclude that wee are brute beaſts, voide of an immortall ſoule. Likewiſe, that beeing beaſts, wee are more miſerable than all other beaſts. Beaſts, fiſhes, or ſouls hauehave eaſier liues than men, eſpecially than the children of God, who aboue all other are ſubiect to tribulations. Theſe creatures wanting vnderſtanding, doo manye times paſſe ouer the whole courſe of theyr liues without feeling anie calamitie, vntill death, whereof likewiſe they hauehave no apprehenſion. They liue without care, ſorrow, or other paſsions that trouble man. And therefore if man, as beaſts, hauehave no immortal ſoule, theſe creatures are more bleſſed than hee, and conſequently, the wicked that liue at eaſe and in proſperitie, are much more bleſſed than the afflicted children of God, if after death they hauehave no feeling of good or euill. But if wee bee fully reſolued that man is not a beaſt, but hauing an immortall ſoule, is after his death to looke to go either to heauen or to hell, we will no longer by the outward apparance iudge that the beaſt, much leſſe the wicked man in all his triumph, is more happie than the afflicted children of God.Luke 16.19 If afflicted Lazarus, and the rich man, triumphing in pleaſures, had had no immortall ſoules, men might with ſome reaſon hauehave adiudged Lazarus accurſed, and the rich man bleſſed. But that iudgement is to paſſe vponupon beaſtes onelyonly. For as for them, beeing no beaſts, but endued with immortall ſoules, albeit the rich man was honourably buryed, and Lazarus with beggerie, yet the rich mans ſoule beeing caſt into hell fire, cryed out that hee was, and is accurſed: and that the ſoule of Lazarus beeing by the Angels lifted into heauen, was & is bleſſed. We read that Croeſus king of Lidia, inioying great abundance of wealth,Plu. in the life of Solon. and all other proſperitie that might make a man bleſſed in this worlde, on a time demaunded of Solon, one of the ſeuen wiſe men of Greece, whether he thought there were anie man more bleſſed than himſelfe. But Solon anſwered, that no man was to bee called bleſſed before his death. Rightly did Solon there reproue the folly of Croeſus, who thought himſelfe bleſſed in vncertaine proſperitie. As Solon lykewiſe being accounted ſo wiſe, ſhewed his follye, by ſignifying in ſuch an anſwere, that Croeſus had bene bleſſed if he had continued in ſuch proſperitie vntill his death. Yet if Solon iudged that Croeſus coulde not thinke himſelfe bleſſed in all his proſperitie, what would hee hauehave iudged if he had beene a Chriſtian, and had ſeene the change of Croeſus proſperitie, not into that calamitie that befell him when Cyrus afterward tooke him priſoner, but euen into hell and death euerlaſting? Might hee not, and that iuſtly, hauehave ſayd that Croeſus, notwithſtanding his proſperitie, euen albeit the ſame had ſtuck by him vntounto his death, was neuer bleſſed, but moſt accurſed.
6 Plato, a Heathen, confirmeth the ſame by a notable diſcourſe,Plut. in his conſolation to Apolonius which Plutarch indeauouring to comfort Apollonius vppon the death of his ſonne, doth alleadge. This euermore, ſayth hee, was one reſolute opinion, that whoſoeuer departed this lyfe & had liued vertuouſly, at his death he was tranſported to the Ilands of the bleſſed, and there feeling no inconuenience, inioyed ſoueraigne felicitie. And contrarywiſe, they which liued wickedly and vniuſtly, were ſent into the priſon of iuſtice and vengeaunce, called Tartarum. At the firſt, ſentence was awarded by liuing Iudges, and while men were yet aliue, but the ſame daie that they were to die. Howbeit there grewe ſuch abuſe heerein, that complaint was brought from the Ilandes of the bleſſed, that ſome were ſent thether, that had beene wicked and peruerſe liuers. And thereuppon was the occaſion of ſuch abuſe examined, which was ſounde to proceede of this, that iudgement was giuen while the men yet liued, clothed with honourable carcaſes, wyth riches, nobilitye, and other lyke qualities. In reſpect whereof they found many witneſſes, who making their apparaunce before the Iudges, affirmed for them that they were men that deſerued to paſſe to the ſayde Ilandes of the bleſſed. The cauſe of the errour once found out, it was decreed, that from thence forth ther ſhould no iudgement paſſe vntill after death, when the ſoules ſhould bee depriued of theyr bodies, and that alſo not by men yet aliue, and ſubiect to bee abuſed by the outwarde ſhew, but by ſpirites who ſhould ſee nothing but the ſpirits and naked ſoules of thoſe whom they were to giuegive ſentence vppon, to the ende that they which in this world had wrought wickedneſſe in theyr honourable bodies, clothed with nobilitie, riches, and ſuch other qualities, might bee ſent to tormentes: and contrarywiſe, that they who during theyr liues had kepte righteous, h…lye, and vertuous ſoules, albeit in poore, abiect, and afflicted bodies, might paſſe into the Ilandes of the bleſſed. This was the diſcourſe of a Heathen man, who had attained ſome ſight of the truth, albeit intangled in ignorance and errour, yet fitly confirming our argument, namely, that wee muſt not iudge of mannes felicitie or miſerie by the outwarde apparance.
7 This folly of iudging by the outward apparance, doth yet proceede farther. For it can take no place, (at the leaſt wherein to ſtay and ſettle it ſelfe in mans heart) but onelyonly among thoſe that denie Gods prouidence, namely, thoſe that thinke there is no righteous God, that adminiſtreth iuſtice. For confeſſe that there is a God, and that hee is righteous, and thou canſt not iudge of mans felicitie or miſerie by the outward ſhew. Thou canſt not (I ſaie) iudge whether hee that liueth in proſperitie be bleſſed, or another in affliction curſed. For ſith moſt vſually the wicked do proſper in this lyfe, and contrarywiſe the children of God hauehave moſt trouble, what ſhould become of Gods iuſtice, whoſe nature is to rewarde euill to the wicked, and good to the good? A certaine Biſhop of Verdune, in his Chronicle reporteth, that one Almauri, king of Ieruſalem, on a time demanded of a certaine Doctor, howe he could proue another life after this. The Doctor asked him whether he beleeued there was a God: Which when he had graunted, It ſufficeth, ſayd the Doctor. For if there be a God he is righteous: if hee bee righteous, he muſt adminiſter iuſtice, in rewarding the good and puniſhing the wicked. Nowe thy ſelfe, ſayde hee, haſt knowen ſuch a wicked man, who alwayes liuing in pleaſure and honour, ſlept in peace. Thou kneweſt ſuch another, a verie good man, in continuall tribulation, euen to the death. If therefore there bee a righteous God, it cannot bee choſen, but there is another lyfe, wherein this good man reſteth nowe in bliſſe, and the wicked man in woe. Whether this was a true reporte, or but a fiction for example and doctrine, yet doeth it ſurely moſt playnelye teach vsus, that hee that by outwarde proſperitie iudgeth a man to be bleſſed, and by tribulation to bee accurſed, denyeth a God, in that hee denyeth his iuſtice. The doctrine of this hiſtorie or example doeth Saint Paul alſo confirme, ſaying, That the tribulations of the faithfull, layde vppon them by the wicked that are in proſperitie, are a manifeſt teſtimonie of the iudgement to come, farre other than the fooles do by the outward apparance imagine. The reaſon hee alſo addeth, ſaying:2. Theſ. 1 For it is a righteous thing wyth God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you, and reſt to you that are troubled. Which iuſtice if it be not executed in this life, he concludeth, that it ſhal be in the latter comming of Ieſus Chriſt to iudgement.
8. It is blaſphemie againſt God, ſayth Dauid, to ſaie that he will not regard mans tranſgreſsions, to puniſh them according to his iuſtice. Wee will not therefore ſaie,Pſal. 10.13. that the ſinner liuing in pleaſure, alreadie condemned in the ſight of God, and waiting but the houre of eternall death, can bee bleſſed, or more bleſſed than the faithfull and troubled man, who walketh through tribulations, to take poſſeſsion of the kingdome of heauen. For if by outward apparance wee iudge the wicked man that is in proſperitie, to be bleſſed, and the good man that is in affliction, accurſed, we ſhall aboliſh Gods iuſtice, yea, euen God himſelfe. And this is the rather to bee noted, to the end that when the children and ſeruants of God doo finde themſelues ſometime pricked with this temptation, they may the better ſtand vponupon their gard, with conſtancy to reſiſt the ſame.
9 Some men in olde time reiected the booke of Eccleſiaſtes,Philaſt in his catal. of heretikes. c. 132. Iac. Chriſoſt. polit. in the preface before the com. on the Canticles. thinking that Salomon wrote it in his olde age, after hee had beene carryed awaie by the multitude of his wiues. Alleadging, that in that booke hee placed mans ſoueraigne and chiefe felicitie in the pleaſures and luſtes of the fleſh, as if there were no other lyfe after this. Some Epicures lykewiſe in our time, doo abuſe it to the lyke purpoſe, alleadging that there is nothing better than to take pleaſure, for at death they ſee not what becommeth of the ſoule of man no more than they do of beaſtes, wyth many other ſuch lyke ſpeeches, which tend to that purpoſe. But they themſelues are in deede verie beaſtes, ſo to vnderſtande and miſconſter it. For Salomons meaning tended rather to confirme the ſame which wee doo ſeeeke to mayntayne, namely, that no man may by the outward ſhew iudge of mans felicitie or miſerie, becauſe all things fall out alyke to the one and to the other. And that is his meaning, where he ſaith, Man knoweth not eyther the louelove or hatred of God toward him, Eccleſ. 9.1 Eccle. 3.19if he wil iudge by the outward ſhew. Then hee paſſeth to beaſts, ſaying: No man ſeeth what becommeth of the ſoules either of man or beasts, namely, with bodyly eyes.Eccl. 8.12.13. But when he addeth, that It ſhall bee well with them that feare the Lord, and doo reuerence before him: but it ſhall not be well with the wicked, hee ſhall be like a ſhadow, becauſe hee feareth not before God. When alſo he exhorteth to keepe Gods commandementes, proteſting that it is the whole duetie of man, and that concluding his ſpeech, hee ſaith,Eccl. 12.13.14 that God will bring euerie thing to iudgement that man hath done throughout the whole courſe of his life, withall adding, that the ſpirite ſhall returne to God that gaue it. Hee doth ſufficiently ſhew that hee beleeued the immortalitie of the ſoule and the lyfe euerlaſting. But where hee ſeemeth to commend thoſe that take theyr pleaſures,Eccl. 5.17 ſaying, It is comely to eate and drinke cheerefully: hee meaneth in the common opinion of the fooliſh and vnaduiſed, who reſting vppon this lyfe, and the iudgement of felicitie or miſerie by the outward ſhew, without remembring that mans ſoule is immortall, d… imagine him to be as a beaſt, among whom ſuch as are beſt vſed are moſt happie. Howbeit as man is a creature of much more excellencie than a beaſt, and yet if we regarde but the outwarde ſhew of this lyfe, the beaſt is much more happie than man. So we muſt neceſſarily beleeue that there is another lyfe after this, and therfore conclude, that it is meere folly to iudge of mans felicitie or miſery by the outward ſhew.
Pſal. 37.10 Neither is it in vaine, that Dauid ſo earneſtly exhorteth vsus to take heed of this folly and error, to iudge by the outward ſhew: as alſo he is neuer weary of admoniſhing vsus, not to enuy thoſe who outwardly ſeem happie, but conſtantly to depend vponupon the Lord, and to walke vprightlie in his ſight. And in deede this iudgement by the outward ſhew, is not onelyonly repugnant to faith, but vtterly aboliſheth the ſame: and not faith onelyonly, but alſo hope and deſire to walke in the feare and obedience of God. The Apoſtle to the Hebrewes ſayeth, that Faith is the ground of thinges which are boped for, Heb. 11.1.and the euidence of things which are not ſeene. Saint Paul alſo teacheth vsus, that hope is of thinges which wee ſee not. Nowe the foundation and obiect of faith is the worde of God,Rom. 8.23 pronouncing and aſſuring vsus, that the righteous and holye, ſuffering perſecution for his name, are happie, well beloued, and bleſſed of God: yet canſt thou not ſee this but with the eye of faith: and therefore, in iudging of a man with thy bodily eye to be accurſed in his tribulations, thou doſt aboliſh faith. Hope is founded vponupon the promiſe of celeſtiall, ſpirituall and eternall goods to come. If therfore when thou ſeeſt a faithfull man in trouble thou preſently doſt iudge him to be accurſed, thou doſt aboliſh hope, which regardeth not the time preſent, but to come. Againe, if we were to depend vponupon the externall iudgement and to ſay that the wicked that are in proſperitie, are bleſſed: who will diſpoſe himſelfe to endure pouertie, and other afflictions, by walking vprightly and in holineſſe? Nay, will not all men rather apply themſelues to fraud, iniury, extortion and other iniquitie, ſith ritches, honour, and other carnall commodities will redound to their bliſſe and felicitie?
11 By the premiſſes we may ſee, what a dangerous and pernitious folly this is, to iudge of mans felicitie or miſerie by the outward ſhew, wherby we aboliſh the immortalitie of the ſoule, God and his righteouſneſſe, ſaith, hope, and all care and deſire to walke in the feare of God. That we may therefore Amend our liues, let vsus hereafter be better aduiſed, and iudge of mans felicitie or miſerie, not after the outward ſhew,Mat. 5. but according to the infallible and aſſured teſtimonies of Gods word. Thus when the eare ſhall heare theſe ſentences. Bleſſed are you poore in ſpirite: Luk. 6.28. Amos. 6.1.that hunger and thirst: and that mourne: Bleſſed are you when men hate you and caſt you forth, and ſay all manner of euill againſt you for the ſonne of mans ſake. Againe, Woe be to you rich men, woe be to you that be ſatisfied and reioyce: wee bee to you that liue at eaſe in Sion. Faith will iudge according to Gods word, that the faithful in affliction are bleſſed, and the wicked in proſperitie moſt accurſed. Yet if the eye beholding the ritches, honour and commodities of the wicked, ſhoulde iudge them to be happie: faith leaning to the teſtimonie of Gods word will beate downe and ſuppreſſe the falſe iudgement of the eye, concluding that it is meere folly to iudge of mans felicitie or miſerie by the outwarde ſhewe: And albeit the worlde and the fleſh doe cry out to the contrarie, yet will we harken to, and ſtedfaſtly holde this ſentence pronounced by him who is trueth it ſelfe, ſaying, Say yee, it ſhall bee well with the iust, for they ſhall eate the fruite of their workes. but woe bee to the wicked, Eſa. 3.10, 11.who ſeeketh after iniquitie, for the rewarde of his hand ſhall bee giuen vntounto him.
10 Let vsus remember the contents of the 92. Pſalme, where Dauid exhorteth vsus to praiſe God, to declare foorth his merciemercy and truth, to reioyce in his workes, to crie out that they are glorious, & his thoughts very profoūd. What thoughts & works? Euen that the wicked doe ſpring vp like graſſe, and all workers of iniquitie doe flouriſh that afterward they may bee rooted out for euer. And heereof to giuegive vsus the more aſſurance, directing himſelfe to God,Pſal. 92. he ſaith. For loe thine enemies O Lord, for loe thine enemies ſhall periſh, and all workers of iniquitie ſhall bee deſtroied. But the righteous ſhal flouriſh like a Palme tree, & ſhal grow like a Cedar in Libanon. Such as be planted in the houſe of the Lord, ſhall flouriſh in the courtes of our God. They ſhall bring foorth fruite in their age, they ſhall bee fat and flouriſhing. To declare that the Lord is righteous, and that no iniquitie is in him. And in as much, ſaith hee, as man, reſembling a brute beaſt, knoweth nothing, and that the foole vnderſtandeth not this worke of God, hee is the more diligently to meditate vponupon this Pſalme, which, as the inſcription importeth, is a Canticle for the Sabaoth, wherein Dauid ſheweth that we are to reſt from all other cogitations, that with quiet mindes we may meditate vponupon this doctrine. Entring, as in another place he ſaith, into the Sanctuarie of God, & in his word conſidering the accurſed end of the wicked that liue in pleaſures, and proſper in wicked conſciences: Whome God hath ſet in ſlipperie places and cauſed to ſall headlong: Pſal. 73.how ſuddenly they are deſtroyed and horribly conſumed. As a dreame when one awaketh: whē thou raiſeſt vsus vp thou ſhalt make their image diſpiſed. Wherupon he concludeth that it is good to be alwaies with God, and to be guided by his counſell, with aſſurance that hee will receiue vsus into glorie. And therefore with him let vsus ſaie. Whome hauehave I in heauen but thee? And I hauehave deſired none in earth with thee: For loe, they that withdraw themſelues from thee, ſhal periſh, thou ſhalt deſtroye all them that goe a whoring from thee. But as for me, it is good for me to draw neere to God, hee is my comfort: I hauehave put my truſt in the Lord that I may declare all thy workes. Let vsus therefore repoſe our ſelues in this onelyonly wiſedome: to beleeue in him that knoweth bothe the outſide and the inſide, thinges preſent, and thinges to come: who onelyonly is our competent iudge and faithfull witneſſe, and cannot lye: Beholde how without leaning to the outwarde ſhew, we may conclude that the ſinner in all his proſperitie is accurſed, and the faithfull in affliction bleſſed, likewiſe how the contrarie opinion is like vntounto chaines and ſtrong roopes to draw men to liue as the wicked and prophane perſons.1. Cor. 15.18. Thus by conſideration of the premiſes, breaking a ſunder theſe curſed roopes and chaines, wee may bee encouraged to perſeuere in good workes, as knowing that our labours ſhall not bee in vaine before the Lord.