Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 109 – Section 111
§. 109.
QUeſtion. Sathan works men by degrees to this height of impiety and not all at once.But how doth Sathan work men to this height of impiety?
Anſwer. Not all at once, but when cuſtome of ſinne hath deaded all remorſe for ſinne. A man at firſt goes into ſinne, as a young ſwimmer into the water, not plunging himſelfe over head and eares at firſt daſh, but by degrees, till he come in profundum, and then contemnit.
The imbellick Peaſant, when he comes firſt to the Field, ſhakes at the report of a Musket; but after hee hath ranged through the fury of two or three Battels, he then can feareleſſe ſtand a breach, and dares undaunted gaze death in the face: ſo the firſt acts of ſinne, are for the moſt part trembling, fearefull, and full of the bluſh; it is the iteration of evill, that gives forehead to the foule offender: it's eaſie to know a beginning ſwearer, he cannot mouth it, like the practiſed man; he oathes it, as a cowardly Fencer playes, who as ſoone as he hath offered a blow, ſhrinks backe, as if his heart ſuffered a kind of violence by his tongue; yet had rather take a ſtep in vice, then be left behind, for not being in faſhion.
The firſt time the Fox ſaw the Lyon, he feared him as death; the ſecond, he feared him, but not ſo much; the third time, he grew more bold, and paſſed by him without quakeing. There is no man ſuddenly very good, or extreamely evill, but growes ſo: as a River is ſmall and foredable at the head, but greatens as it runnes on, by acceſſion of new waters. Salomon firſt takes two wives, then three, then hundreds; and having once got beyond the ſtakes of the Law, and all modeſty, he is ready to loſe himſelfe amongſt a thouſand bedfellowes.
As men eate divers things by morſels, and digeſt them with eaſe, which if they ſhould eate whole, would choake them: ſo fares it with ſinners. We deale with our conſciences, as with our Apparell, when we have got on a new ſute, freſh and faire, we are very chary of abuſing it, we take heede where we ſit, what we touch, or againſt what we leane; but when it is once growne a little old, ſoyled and ſullied, we have no ſuch regard of it, we little paſſe what we doe with it, nor minde where we caſt it; ſo the uxorious husband, at the firſt idolizeth his wife, no noyſe muſt diſturbe her, the cold wind muſt not blow upon her, the Sunne muſt be ſhaded from her beauty, her feete muſt ſcarce touch the earth, nothing muſt offend her, ſhe commands all, her will is a law; it may be, after a while none of all this, but the contrary: even ſuch is our dealing with conſcience; as we ſee in David, who at firſt was ſo tender of it, that the lap of Saul's garment onelyonly troubled him to the heart; but giveing way to his owne corruptions, and Sathans temptations, to what a height of ſinne was he riſen? at firſt he onelyonly looſed the raynes to idleneſſe; from idleneſſe, he proceedes to luſt; from luſt, to drunkenneſſe; from drunkenneſſe, to murther, &c. Murther ſhall be imployed to hide adultery, the fact which wine cannot conceale, the ſword ſhall; yea, what a brood of ſinnes hath the Devill hatched, out of this one egge of Adultery; Vriah ſhall beare his owne Mittimus to Ioab, and be the meſſenger of his owne death; Ioab muſt be a traytor to his friend; the Hoſt of God muſt ſhamefully turne their backes upon their enemies, much blood of Iſrael muſt be ſpilt, many a good Souldier caſt away, that murther muſt be ſeconded with diſſimulation, and all this, to hide one Adultery.
O how many, by this meanes, have declined from avigorous heate of zeale, to a temper of lukewarme indifferencie; and then from a careleſſe mediocrity, to all extremity of debauchedneſſe; and of hopefull beginnings, have ended in incarnate Devills! reſembling Domitian, who (when firſt choſen Emperour) did ſo abhorre cruelty, that he would not ſuffer any beaſt to be kill'd for ſacrifice; yet after by degrees, and when cuſtome had brought an habit, he thought no cruelty too much, to put in execution againſt men: or Dioniſyus, who ſo long as he was beloved, and well reported of, was a good man; but when the priuy talke to his defamation came to his eares, he fell by degrees to exerciſe all manner of cruelty: or Nero, who at firſt being required to ſigne (as the manner was) the ſentence of a criminall offendors condemnation, earneſtly wiſhed of God, that he could not write, rather then be forced to doome a man to death; and yet after, became the moſt lively Image of cruelty that we reade of.
Vice is a Pere patetike, alwayes in progreſſion; yea, both grace, and ſinne, are of a growing nature: for as it is in wealth, he that hath much, would have more: ſo in vertue, and vice; but evill men eſpecially, and deceivers wax worſe and worſe, deceiving, and being deceived, 2 Tim. 3.13. they goe firſt over Shoes, then over Bootes, then over ſhoulders at length over head and eares in ſinne, as ſome doe in debt.
§ 110.
O The dangerous and inſenſible inſinuations of ſinne! Custome of ſin tokes away the ſenſe of ſinif that crafty tempter can hereby worke us but to one dram of leſſe deteſtation to a familiarity in evil, he promiſeth himſelfe the victory.
Cuſtome brings ſinne to be ſo familiar, that the horror of it is turned into delight; and as men doe at firſt leſſe like ſinne, ſo with continuance they doe leſſe feele it: frequency in ſinne, takes away the ſenſe of ſinne; as a man may looke ſo long upon the Sunne, that he ſhall become blind, and then he is not ſenſible of any light it hath; or heare a great noyſe ſo long (as they which live neare the fall of the River Nilus) that it may make him ſtarke deafe: for even ſo it fares with the notoriouſly wicked, who being familiarly accuſtomed to all manner of lewdneſſe, can commit foule ſinnes with leſſe touch of conſcience, then others can heare of them: as you ſhall have Blacke-ſmiths that are uſed to the frequent and dayly handling of hot Iron, hold a ſcorching fire brand in their hands, and laugh whilſt another would rore out; Eſtrich-like, they can concoct Iron, and put it off, as eaſily as another weake ſtomacke can doe jelly. Oh hovv the ſoule, that takes a delight in levvdneſſe, is gained upon by cuſtome!
Neither vvill any meanes reſtraine ſuch a Sampſon, for let him be bound vvith greene vvithes (the ſhame of men) they vvill not hold him; with new Ropes, (the feare of authority) they will not hold him; vvith the pinne and vvoofe (of Lavv and Goſpell) none of theſe vvill hold him.
Indeed, for a time ſhame it ſelfe may hold them in, though ſinne holds them under; but ſhortly after they have brazen faces, ſo bloodleſſe, that they cannot bluſh; and then farewell all good.
There is ſome feare to offend, ſome knowledge of good and evill, ſome remorſe, ſome conſcience, while ſhame laſts: but if ſhame once depart, knowledge goes, and feare goes, and remorſe goes, and conſcience goes, none will tarry behind ſhame; at leaſt, where the feare of God (which is the bridle and curbe to ſinne) is abſent, all vices will there be preſent and abound; and when they are once cruſted over with perſeverance, no hope of returning: like as the Tortiſe (delighting in the Sunne) ſwimmeth on the top of the water ſo long, untill the heate hardeneth her ſhell, that ſhe cannot ſinck, and then ſhe is taken. Wherefore let not this point part with us, till it hath taught us two things, to wit, to make conſcience of ſmall ſinnes; not to reiterate, or allow our ſelves in the practice of any knowne ſinne.
§ 111.
ANd ſo you have the maine ground, Againe, God hath proclaimed an enmity betweene the wicked and the godly, for ſo long as the world endures.foundation, roote, or ſpring of their oppoſition; which yet is not all, for, admit their natures were not contrary, this alone were omni-ſufficient, God, from the beginning, hath proclaimed an enmity between the ſeede of the Serpent, and the ſeede of the woman, which is irreconcileable and endleſſe: for as it hath beene from the beginning of time; ſo it ſhall laſt to the end of all time: when time, ſaith one, began this malice firſt began; nor will it end, but with the lateſt man. It is an everlaſting act of Parliament, like a Statute in Magna Charta, Gen. 3.15. where even in Paradiſe, Iehova, the eternall God, and Lord of Hoſts, ſaith unto Sathan, I will put enmity betweene thee, and the woman; and betweene thy ſeede, and her ſeede; hee, or it ſhall bruiſe thine head, and thou ſhalt bruiſe his heele; whereby Sathans ſeede, is meant the wicked of all ages; and by enmity, bitter, immoderate, inveiterate, irreconcileable, and endleſſe hatred, and diviſion, oppoſite to that amity and familiarity, which formerly had beene betweene the Woman and the Serpent; as Expoſitors univerſally conclude.
So that there was a twofold kingdome ſet up in this world (both ſpirituall) a kingdome of ſinne and darkeneſſe, Sathan is their King and they muſt ſeeke his wealth and honour all they can and ſtrive to enlarge his kingdome by winning all they can from Chriſt by a continuall warre and skirmiſh.and a kingdome of light and holineſſe; the King and cheife commander of the one, being Sathan, the Prince of darkeneſſe, the god of this world, and chiefe of evill Spirits; his ſubjects, all unregenerate men: and the King of the other, being Chriſt, called in Scripture, the wonderfull Counſellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and Prince of peace, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, Iſay, 9.6. Rev. 17.14. who is alſo the chiefe of men, even the chiefe Sonne of man; his ſubjects, the godly and regenerate alone: betweene which Kings, and their Regiments, God himſelfe having proclaimed a perpetuall warre, ſaying, I will put enmity betweene the one, and the other, how can we expect leſſe? for with God, neither doth his word diſagree from his intention, becauſe he is truth it ſelfe; nor his deede from his word, becauſe he is power it ſelfe; God is not as man, that hee ſhould lye, neither as the Sonne of man, that hee ſhould repent: hath he ſaid, I will put enmity betweene the men of the world, and his owne people, and ſhall he not doe it? or, hath he ſpoken the word, and ſhall not he accompliſh it? Numb. 23.19. Heaven and Earth ſhall paſſe away, but one jot, or tittle of his word ſhall not paſſe, till all be fullfilled, Math. 5.18. So that to be without temptations, reproaches, and perſecutions, we may rather wiſh, then hope: for what peace can wee looke for, betweene the ſeede of the Serpent, and the ſeede of the woman, ſince God himſelfe, from the beginning, hath ſet them at enmity? yea, once to expect it, were an effect of frenzie, not of hope.