Gods Arraignment of Hypocrites, Religious tract 2 · Chapter 7 · Part 3
Application of the whole ſentence in the two laſt verſes.
Want of conſideration makes men forget God, and both theſe are forerunners of Gods vengeance, and euerlaſting deſtruction: therefore the admonition is to all wicked and godleſſe men, that betimes they arraigne themſelues, call a Iurie, try their wayes, and examine their own hearts how they ſtand with God: for it ſeemes their eſtate is verie lamentable. Firſt, in that they are ſtyled forgetters of God, and he that forgets God, cannot but forſake God: Ier. 2.12. Oh yee heauens, be aſtonied at this; be afraid and vtterly confounded, for my people hauehave commited two euills: they hauehave forſaken me, the fountaine of liuing waters, to digge them pits, euen broken pits that can hold no water. Oh generation, take heede to the word of the Lord, conſider in your minds, ponder in your hearts, and obſerue in your waies, whether the Lord hath bin as a wilderneſſe vntounto you; or as a land of darkneſſe? Oh conſider what a miſcheife you hauehave procured vntounto your ſelues, in that you hauehave forſaken the Lord your God, which hath lead you by the way, and hath bin as a familiar friend vntounto you; nay as a prince to command heauen & earth to giuegive you ſafe-conduct through all the dangers and perills that might befall you: Can a maid forget her ornament, or a bride her attire? yet you for whom I hauehave done all this, hauehave forgotten me dayes without number. But if you will not conſider, then aſſure you ſelues, that your owne wickedneſſe ſhall correct you, and your turnings backe ſhall reprooue you: know therefore and behold, that it is an euill thing, and bitter, that you hauehave forgotten the Lord your God, and that his feare is not in you: and if you will not know and behold, then aſſure your ſelues that I will teare you in peices, and there ſhall be none to deliuer you: though you ſhould waſh your ſelues with nitre, and take much ſope, yet your iniquitie ſhall be marked before mee; ſo that I will neuer forget your tranſgreſſion, but will viſit them vponupon you for euer and euer in the place of eaſleſſe and endleſſe torments.
For my Saints in whom I delight, come let vsus reaſon together: Though your ſinnes were as crimſin, they ſhall be as white as ſnow: though they were red as ſcarlet, yet ſhall they be as wooll: waſh you therefore, make you cleane; take away the euill of your works from before mine eyes, ceaſe to doe euill, learne to doe well, &c. conſent and obey, that ye may eate the good things of the land: for the mouth of the Lord hath ſpoken it: he that offereth praiſe ſhall glorifie me, and to him that diſpoſeth his way aright, will I ſhew my ſaluation. Neither let the ſlanders, reproches, and diſgraces of the world withdraw you from your honeſt conuerſation: for the world is but as a begger, that while the trauailer ſeemes to looke vponupon him, cryes nothing but good your worſhip; but as ſoone as his back his turned, and the hope of his gain is gone, conuerts his reuerence into railing, his bleſſings into curſes, and good prayers into damnable execrations; but I hope the honeſt man is neuer the worſe: ſo the world as long as we can ſmile on it, we ſhall hauehave many good words and kind ſalutations; but when we giuegive ouer to runne into the ſelfeſame exceſſe of riot with them, then ſhall we hauehave them ſpeake all manner of euill of vsus: when the towne is on fire, the bells ring out and make a ſtrange and an vnaccuſtomed iangling, and eueryevery one cryes out to his neighbour for a paile of water to quench the fire withall: ſo if any Chriſtian be fired with a louelove of God, and make his houſhold burne in the feruencie of the ſpirit; the flame of this fire doth ſo trouble his next neighbour, that eueryevery time he heares them at their accuſtomed prayers, or ſinging of pſalmes, he is ſo troubled in mind, and affraid of his owne houſe, that he cannot be quiet vntill he rings all his bels backward-way, and gather together as many as he can with their pailes of water to quench this fire: for alas, as long as he ſees or hears of this fire, he is afraid leaſt the fire of hell ſhould kindle in his conſcience, and ſo depriue him of all his peace and quietnes that he labours to maintaine by his prophaneſſe and wretched liuing: but whoſoeuer thou art that haſt gotten this fire of Gods grace into thine owne houſe, let it burn outward; if it burne thy neighbours houſe, God ſhall forgiue thee, & I know no law againſt thee: this I am ſure of, that if to conuert one to righteouſnes, ſhal cauſe a godly man to ſhine as the ſun in the firmament, much more if thou conuert a whole houſehold: theſe fires are no dangerous fires, and I am afraid, for want of theſe fires, the Lord hath kindled many fires in our land within theſe few yeers: This fire I tell you would not only quench theſe fires among vsus, but the fire of ſinne within vsus; yea, and that moſt fearfull fire of all the reſt, euen the fire of hel. Chriſtians muſt reſerue the top of their affections for God: in other obiects feare exceeds, here no extraſie is high enough: a man of ſpirit, cannot brooke a ſluggard in his worke; and a ſlouth full meſſenger is as vinegan to the teeth, and ſmoake to the eyes: ſharpneſſe of wit counts dulneſſe, tediouſnes; now the Lord is all ſpirit, and meanes thou to ſerue, and yet not in ſpirit and truth: the angels his ſwift meſſengers are flow and cold enough; and therefore thinks thou that God will take pleaſure in thy drowſieand heauie ſeruice? men chooſe the forwardeſt deere for the game, and the liuelieſt colt for the rod: and therefore thinke not but God delights in the quickeſt and cheerfulleſt ſeruitors at his table: Chriſt ſaies to Iudas, that which thou doeſt, doe quickely: and God commanded that the necke of the conſecrated aſſe ſhould be broken, rather then offered vp in ſacrifice: it was rather a curſe then a bleſſing, that Iſſachar ſhould bee a ſtrong aſſe: now an aſſe is the Hierogliphick of heauines; & therefore their ſeruice was vnfit for Gods houſe: Iudah muſt bee as a lyon, that neuer comes without ſpoile; and ſo muſt all the people be that Shiloh hath gathered together, ſince that ſcepter of power and dignitie departed from Iudah. Eliſha the Prophet of the Lord, is called the horſmen and chariots of Iſrael; and ſo muſt good Chriſtians be as a fiery chariot, and a readie horſe-man; nay, in the plurall number, horſemen and chariots; too ſtrong and ſwift for all thoſe that ſhall followe them. The ſluggard, hee cryes a lyon is in the way; but tell Sampſon and Dauid ſo, and they wil out to meete him: Tell a timorous magiſtrate of ſome dangerous oppoſite, and he will ſeeke to pleaſe; yet let Nehemiah heare but of a Samballat, and he will preſently crie for ſhame, ſhall ſuch a man as I feare? Tell Caleb of Anakims, and he will bee ſo haſtie as that nothing ſhould hold him, let vsus goe vp at once: Let Agabus bind Paul, or let him heare that in euerie city bands await him, and he will not long delay their expectation; nay, he is not onelyonly readie for bands, but death too: Tell Inbentius hee muſt lay downe his life, and before you hauehave ſpoken, hee hath laid downe his cloathes: Tell Luther of enemies in Wormes, and he will go, though all the tiles of their houſes were deuils to pull him in peices. Prou. 30. Agar ſpeakes of fowre things ſtately in their kind: Iob. 39.40.41. heares God ſet foorth his maieſtie, by the horſe, and Leuiathan, &c. to the fowre firſt, I adde a fift, comprehending and excelling them all: namely, the true Chriſtian, ſtrong and bold as a lyon: ſwift as the grey-hound in the wayes of Gods commandements: as nimble as the goate, to climbe the ſteepe and craggie rockes in this world; like Ionathan and his armour bearer that crept vponupon their hands and feete the ſharpe rockes to fight againſt the Philiſtims. Laſtly, victorious Kings to ouercome the world, and his luſts: Leuiathan laughes at the ſpeare, and the horſe neight at the trumpet: ſo theſe valiant champions, to take the kingdome of heauen, feare neither the noiſe of the world, nor the glittering of the ſpeare; but through fire and water, carrie their liues in their hands, embrace ſtake and faggot; ſay to father and mother, I knowe you not: to carnall counſellers and friendly enemies, get you behind me Satan: ſurely if Chriſtians were not ſome admirable perſons, the deuill and the world would not ſo hate them; and except they were extreamely wiſe, they ſhould neuer be counted for ſuch madmen, 2. Cor. 5.13. Feſtus makes a mad obiection, as though much learning ſhould make a man looſe his wit; but Paul makes a ſober anſwer, Oh noble Feſtus, I ſpeake the words of truth and ſobernes. Truely a Chriſtian can neuer be in his right wits, till he ſeeme to the world to be beſide himſelfe. But you will ſay, it were well if you could keepe a meane, for that is the golden rule wherein vertue conſiſts: but I anſwer you, it is a meane betwixt two kinds, but not degrees; for vertue is an extreame to vice; and he that cannot be as hote for vertue, as men are for their vices, is not worthy of her: Take heede I beſeech you, of this philoſophie; for Ariſtotle neuer knew any ſo meane vertue, as moſt profeſſors count it now a dayes. But you will ſay againe, ſome diſcretion would do well: I anſwer, ſuch diſcretion as the world likes of, I am ſure will eate vp all zeale; of the two extreames we ſhould moſt feare luke-warmeneſſe; and as one hath ſaid wittily, rather let your milke boyle ouer, then bee rawe.
But alas, now the world hath left off reaſoning with Gods people, and are directly fallen to ſcoffing, young Saints will prooue but old deuills; theſe hot-ſpurres will ſoone runne themſelues out of breath, theſe ſingular followes are ſo odde and puritane-like, that they are fit to liue in no ſocietie: yet for all this, may a good Chriſtian ſay, with that which moſt call puritaniſme, I deſire to worſhip God; for what is the fault in theſe men? is it becauſe they hauehave a delight to heare Gods word, vſe prayer, conference, and other good meanes of their ſaluation? no, all theſe they confeſſe are good; but becauſe they are hypocrites: alas God knowes the heart, and therefore go on; for if your hearts be good, euen theſe ſcoffers will they nill they, ſpeake well of you: I am ſure, Chriſt calls for ſingularitie, and preſſeth and vrgeth it; what ſingular thing doe yee, or what odde thing doe yee? ſhall Gods peculiar people doe nothing peculiar? I beleeue none ſhall euer pleaſe Chriſt, till they appeare at oddes with the world; ſtrange and preciſe, and yet for all this need not be ouer iuſt: God hath bidden vsus dispoſe our wayes aright; and the Lord graunt wee may doe it, and then wee ſhall not neede to doubt, but the Lord in his good time will ſhewe vntounto vsus the perfection of our ſaluation. Amen.
foreign.
Newes to the world of Gods arraignement-day,
And yet no man, what hauehave I done will ſay?
The euidence is cleare, Gods patience paſt,
Expect no leſſe then iudgement at the laſt.
Worlds pompe ſoone paſt, that paſtime turnes to paine,
And paine, paſt-time, makes ſorrowes to remaine.
That rod is good, in Gods appointed time,
Which to our good, his praiſe, conuerts each crime.
Learne by the rod, in heart to kiſſe the hand,
This makes a fathers louelove, faſt euer ſtand.