Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 2 · Commandment 9 · Exercitation 9
EXERCITAT. IX. Againſt Flattery. Commandement. IX.
1. Theſ. 2.5. For neither at any time uſed we flattering words, as yee know.
THe ſinne of flattery is a bearing of falſe witneſſe againſt our neighbour, ſmoothing him up,Flaterie is a bearing of falſe witneſſe againſt our neighbour. and making him beleive that he hath ſuch things in him which are not in him. 1. Tim. 3.8. The Apoſtle calleth theſe bili…gues, when they ſpeake one thing and thinke another; and the Hebrewes ſay that cor & lingua ſunt duae lances unius ſtaterae, the tongue is as it were another heart; and therefore hee that ſpeaketh that which hee thinketh not, hee ſpeaketh with a heart, and a heart; of all ſorts of monſters; theſe are the greateſt. There have beene men found who have had two heads, but never one found having two hearts. He that rebuketh a man, afterwards ſhall finde more favour, than hee that flattereth with the tongue. Prov. 28.23. Targum paraphraſeth it, praedividento linguam ſuam. Salomon compareth the faire ſpeeches of a flatterer to a potſhard of clay laid ov…r with ſilver. Prov. 26.23. Clay and ſilver are not ſutable; ſo neither are faire words and evill deedes.
Two ſorts of flatterers.There are two ſorts of flatterers; firſt, the baſer flatterer, and then the cunning flatterer; the baſe flatterer is hee who flattereth onelyonly for his belly. Pſal. 35.16. Sanniones placentae, hypocriticall mockers in the feaſts; for as R. Salomon witneſſeth, they who delighted in flattery, uſed to give their flatterers caikes baked with honey to make them the more to flatter them, and to make them ſpeake evill of others; therefore Gnug which ſignifieth a Paſtie, it ſignifieth likewiſe a flatterer and a backbiter:foreign ſanniones placentae vel cibi. hence Daniel uſeth this phraſe, comedere accuſationes. Dan. 3.8. becauſe when their maſters threw a paſtie to them,foreign then they traduced others; and therefore the devill in the Syriack tongue is called Akal kartza comedens accuſationes. Mat. 4. and the Greekes called theſe foreign, Thoſe flatter the poore for bread. Iob. 22.
Flatterers are either groſſe or cunning.Thoſe flatterers againe are either groſſe and palpable flatterers or more ſmooth and cunning.
The groſſe flatterer, ſuch were the flatterers of Herod, who cryed, Act. 12. The voyce of God and not of man; ſuch were theſe, Eſay. 32. who called darkeneſſe light, and light darkeneſſe; ſuch were the flatterers of Dionyſius, when hee did ſpit, they licked up his ſpittle and ſaid, it was ſweeter than Nectar and Ambroſia.
There are other ſort of flatterers who are more cunning, David compareth the words of ſuch flatterers to butter and oyle, Pſal. 55.21. When the Iewes invited any to a feaſt, they did two things to them; firſt, they powred oyntment upon their heads, and then kiſſed them; yee ſee that Mary Magdalen powred oyntment upon Chriſt and kiſſed his feet. Luc. 7.38.
Thoſe cunning flatterers are of two ſorts; firſt, foreign, and ſecondly, foreign; Rom. 16.18.
Cunning flatterers of two ſorts.foreign, are thoſe who promiſed great things, but performe nothing indeed; ſuch was the offer of the devill to Chriſt, if he would fall downe and worſhip him hee would give him all the world: And ſuch was the flatterie of Rabſache to the Iewes, if they would yeeld to Senacherib, they ſhould have ſuch and ſuch commodities.
foreign, are theſe who give faire ſpeeches, but their chiefe end is onelyonly to deceive: ſuch was the flatterie which the Pythonie uſed to Paul and Barnaboas, Thoſe are the ſervants of the living God. Act. 16.17.
This flatterie is hardly diſcerned from friendſhip;Flatterie heardly knowne from true friendſhip. as hypocriſie is hardly diſcerned from religion; and as hypocriſie is the ape of wiſedome, ſo is flatterie the ape of friendſhip; and as ſome grains grow up with the wheat, and are hardly ſeparated from the wheat, being of the ſame bigneſſe and quantity with the wheat, they are hardly ſeparated from it; ſo a flatterer is hardly diſcerned from a true friend.
A flatterer differeth from a true friend; firſt,The difference betwixt a flatterer and a friend. the flatterer Differ. 1 hath the perſons of men in admiration becauſe of advantage; Iude. verſ. 16.2. Pet. 2.3. but a true friend ſeeketh not theirs but them; the flatterer through covetouſneſſe with fained words maketh merchandize of men, but a true friend never ſelleth his friend.
A true friend neither followeth men in all, nor prayſeth Differ. 2 them in all, but onelyonly in the beſt things: good men converſing with wicked men, may ſometimes drinke in ſome of their cuſtomes, as they who looke upon ſore eyes, their eyes become ſore. So Ioſeph learned to ſweare by the life of Pharaoh; but the flatterer becauſe he cannot follow the vertues of thoſe whom he flattereth, he ſtudieth to follow them in their vices; theſe are fitly compared to bad painters when they goe about to paint a beautifull face in which there is ſome blemiſh, they can cunningly expreſſe the blemiſh, but they cannot paint the beautifull face.
Differ. 3 There is a double faculty in the minde of man; the brutiſh faculty, and the reaſonable; a friend helpeth alwayes the reaſonable faculty, but the flatterer the brutiſh faculty; and as there is ſome meat which nouriſheth a man and feedeth him, and there is other meat which puffeth up the fleſh onelyonly, and breedeth unwholeſome humors: ſo the true friend ſtandeth for the reaſonable faculty to edifie it, but a flatterer ſerveth the brutiſh faculty and puffeth up the man.
Differ. 4 A true friend will not ſpare to reprove him whom he loveth, but a flatterer dares not reprove a mans vices. Sometimes he findeth fault with ſome trifle in him, that he may flatter him the more in his predominant ſinne; as that hee hath not regard to his health, and that his haire is not well combed or ſuch; but hee never reproveth him if he be an Atheiſt, a drunkard, or a ſwearer; he is like unto a Phyſitian who having a patient troubled with the ſtone, he will paire his nayles or cut his haire; but he will never touch his ſore.
The cunning flatterer differeth much from the groſſe flatterer.The cunning flatterer differeth much from the groſſe flatterer; the cunning flatterer marketh the predominant ſin of him whom he flattereth; but the baſe flatterer flattereth him in every thing. Secondly, the cūning flatterer differeth much from the groſſe flatterer; the cunning flatterer is like the ſubtile idolater, the ſubtile idolater changeth the names of things; ſo doth the ſubtile flatterer; he calleth his Idoll his Image, ſo doth the ſubtile flatterer, if the man bee prodigall whom he flattereth, he calleth him liberall; and if he be covetous, he calleth him a good husband. The ſubtill flatterer hath Eſau's hands and his voice, but the baſe flatterer hath onelyonly his hands but not his voice.
Remedies againſt flatterie.Now to free us from this vile flattery, it is fit that we praiſe men rather when they are dead, than when they are alive. Eccleſ. 4.2. Wherefore I praiſe the dead which are already dead, more then the living which are yet alive. So David praiſed Saul and Ionathan after they were dead. So the widdowes ſhew the coats and garments which Doreas made while ſhee was with them, Act. 9.39. Secondly, rather to praiſe them behinde their backes, then in their faces, ſo the Iewes commended the Centurion to Chriſt behinde his backe, Luc. 7.4.
Of all ſorts of flatterers the preacher is moſt dangerous when hee flattereth and humoureth the people in their ſinnes, Malac. 2.9. ſuſcepiſtis perſonas in lege, Suſcipere perſonas in lege quid. Of all flatterers a flattering preacher is worſtthat is, for gaine and for feare yee ſpared the rich and great men, and then ye cauſed men to ſtumble at the law, and yee corrupted the covenant of Levi; this ſinne Ezekiel called dawbing with untempered morter, Ezek. 13.15. and Gregory expreſſeth the compariſon this wayes, when a dawber or plaſterer cometh to an old ruinous houſe, he maketh the indwellers beleeve that it is ſound worke, and that they may dwell ſafely in it: ſo thoſe dawbers promiſe ſalvation and ſecurity to the wicked, and then diſtruction and ruine cometh ſuddenly upon them; the Apoſtle calleth this foreign, to mixe water & wine together, as the Vintner for gaine mixed water & wine; ſo the falſe teachers take the acrimonie from the word, when they reprove not becauſe of gaine. So Eſay 1. the city is become a harlot, as the harlot for delight abuſeth her body, but not to beget children; ſo the avaratious paſtors delight not to beget children to the Lord, but they doe all for gaine, that they may make themſelves great men. So Ezek. 13.18. Woe be to the women that ſow pillowes to all arme-holes, and make kerchiefes upon the head of every stature to hunt ſoules: Will ye hunt the ſoules of my people, and will ye ſave the ſoules alive that come unto you? the women who gave themſelves out for Propheteſſes did uſe to hang Phylacteries & foreign, about the necks of the people, perſwading them, that would ſave them from all inconveniences, and they ſaid, that then they might ſleepe ſecurely, as if a pillow were under their head, then they did hunt and catch the ſimple ſoules, and made a prey of them, and ſo they polluted the name of the Lord for a bandfull of barley, and pieces of bread, Nam Orgyorum merces crat fragmen panis hordeacei: they would ſell the people for the baſeſt things, which the very prieſts of Bacchus were content with.
Concluſion.The concluſion of this is; Prov. 27.21. As the fyning pot for ſilver, and the furnace for gold; ſo is a man to his praiſe: that is, as the fyning pot taketh away the droſſe from the ſilver, and the furnace purifieth the gold; ſo a wiſe man taketh away the droſſe of flattery from his ſpeeches, and purgeth them from all corruption: then they are like a Veſſell for the fyner, Prov. 25.4.