Sin Stigmatized, Part 2 · Section 180 – Section 181
§ 180.
THirdly, 3. The world begins with milk, ends with a bammer: Chriſt keeps back the good wine until afterwardsthe world like Iael, beginns with milke, and ends with an hammer; whereas Chriſt keepes backe the good wine untill afterward, and makes his ſervants break their faſt with the rod. Yea, he that offered our Saviour all the kingdomes of the world, and the glory thereof, is ready to yeeld a man more then hee ſhall require, as the ſame Iael did Siſera; for, as when he ask'd her water, ſhe gave him milk; when he only deſired ſhelter, ſhee made him a bed: and when he beg'd but the protection of her Tent, ſhe covered him with a mantle, giving him more then he asked, but withall, more then he expected: ſo deales Sathan and the world with a poore ſoule. The divill is like a late Emperor of Turkie, who married his owne daughter to a Baſha on the one day, and then, after a nights pleaſure, ſent for his head the next morning: for here, he is a tempter; hereafter a tormenter. And herein Chriſts ſervants and the divels differ: this life is our hell, and their heaven; the next ſhall be their hell, and our heaven, Pſal. 17.14. Matth. 5.4. Luke 6.21. Iohn 16.20.
Indeed, our outward afflictions here are ſo ſweetned with inward conſolation, that this world may rather bee called our purgatory: for a Chriſtian here, in reſpect of his manifold troubles, and ſweet conſolation in Chriſt, ſeemes half in hell, and halfe in heaven, as Petrus Tenorius, Archbiſhop of Toledo, cauſed King Salomon to be painted upon the walles of his Chappell, after he had a long time conſidered the waighty reaſons on each ſide, whether he were damned, or ſaved: or as the Papiſts feigned Eraſmus to be, for that he was halfe a Proteſtant, halfe a Roman Catholike: but this inward conſolation is hidden to the world.
4. Fourthly, 4. The divell can delude their fancy and judgement of natural men.the divell and his inſtruments can ſo delude the fancy and judgement of a naturall man, that as he ſees nothing deſireable in a religious life, ſo hee ſhall give no credit to, nor believe any thing that the godly ſhall affirme. As for example. Let us tell one, whom they have converſt withall, how ſweet a religious life is, and how farre the light of God's countenance, the peace of conſcience, and joy in the Holy Ghoſt; doth ſurpaſſe all earthly felicity; he will not believe there is any ſuch thing, becauſe it tranſcends his conceite: as a poore labouring man in the countryſaid to his neighbour, he believed not there was any ſuch ſum, as a thouſand pounds of money, though rich men talked ſo much of it: they will believe no more, then what comes within the compaſſe of their five ſenſes, for they are all the Articles of their faith. But they are ill diſcoverers, that think there is no land, when they can ſee nothing but Sea. Yea, viewing the godly but with natures eye, they thinke both God and nature envies them of all others, and that moſt men are deluded with a poyſonous lye, in making only the vertuous happy.
But in caſe we ſay with Steven, that we ſee Chriſt Ieſus ſitting at the right hand of God; theſe blind wizards are ready to throw ſtones at us, for confeſſing what wee ſee, or for ſeeing what is hid from them.
Againe, let them ſee a man carefull to avoid the ginnes and ſnares of Sathan, which are laid in every place to take his ſoule; they will judge and call him a ſcrupulous fellow, for watching againſt that, which they neither ſeenor feare; as wonder is the daughter of ignorance. Indeed, as country men will rather believe the reports of travellers, then go to ſee it: ſo they will believe theſe things, rather then be troubled, or much trouble themſelves about them.
Againe, let God, by his Embaſſadors, offer them the Kingdome of heaven upon faire and eaſie tearmes, they will none of it, yea, they will ſlight it: as the golden Indies was offered to diverſe Princes, and they vilipended it, becauſe they never ſaw it, yet the wealth was worth their labour, that undertooke it: and ſo in al other caſes, worldly hearts (eſpecially being thus deluded) can ſee nothing in actions of zeale, but folly and madneſſe; untill we be borne againe, we are like Nicodemus, who knew not what it was to be borne againe, Iohn 3. Untill we become zealous our ſelves, wee are like Feſtus, who thought zeale, madneſſe, Act. 26. untill wee bee humble our ſelves, wee are lie Michal, who mocked David for his humility, and thought him a foole, for dancing before the Arke, 2 Samuel 6.16 yea, it was true then, and it is true now, and it will be true alwayes, which S. Paul obſerveth, 1 Cor. 1.18. that to ſuch as ſhal periſh, or are, for the preſent, in a periſhing condition; religion, ſhall ſeeme fooliſhnes; piety hath no reliſh to a brutiſh mans palate, but diſtaſtfull; and indeed, how ſhould they like the food, which they never taſted; or bee in love with the party of whom they have not the leaſt knowledg? For, as to ſpeake is only proper to men: ſo to know the ſecrets of the kingdome of heaven, is only proper to believers. Senſe, is a meere beaſts; reaſon, a meere mans: divine knowledge, is only the Chriſtians.
§ 181.
FIfthly, 5 Foreſtal them ſee with prejudice that they ſhall reſelve againſt being religious.the World and the Divell can ſo forestall mens judgements with prejudice againſt Gods people and goodnes, that they ſhall reſolve never to be religious, ſo long as they live: as how many, by reaſon of that generall contempt, which the divels inſtruments caſt upon religion, are both hindred from good, and hardened in evill, to their owne ruine and deſtruction? 1 Pet. 2.7, 8. Yea, this makes them become more impudent, ſtupid, and inſenſible then Salomon's drunkard, for, as touching admonition, they are like the deafe Adder; tell them what God ſaith in his word, they will ſtop the eare with the tongue, by ingroſſing all the talke; neither is it the higheſt eloquence of the beſt Preacher; can make him fit for heaven, for they reſolve againſt yeelding, and words are vagabonds, where the perſwaded hath an evill opinion of the perſwader. Oh this is a difficult devill to bee caſt out even like that we reade of, Mat. 17.16. for as all the Diſciples could not caſt out that Divell, no more can all the Preachers this: yea, certainly where Sathan hath once ſet this his porter of prejudice, though Chriſt himſelfe were on earth, that ſoule would never admit him, take no good from him, no, not ſo much as think well of him, as we ſee in the Scribes and Phariſies, who made an ill conſtruction of whatſoever he did or ſpake; for when he wrought miracles, he was a Sorcerer; when he caſt out divels, it was by the power of divels; when he reproved ſinners, he was a ſeducer; when hee received ſinners, he was their favourer; when he healed the ſick, he was a breaker of the Sabbath, &c. And even ſo it fares with theſe men: for, as an ill ſtomacke turnes all it receives into ill humours: or, as the Spider converts every thing ſhe eates: and the Viper every thing ſhee touches into poyſon: ſo they, whatſoever they heare, or ſee in the godly. In fine, as Beggers with Scumea make their owne fleſh raw: ſo theſe with prejudice make their owne eyes blind: whereby it fares directly with ſuch an one, as it doth with the Serpent Regulus, no charming can charme him: for prejudice, 6. If gentle perſwaſions wil not ſe…ve they will compe… by violencelike the goddeſſe Adrasteia (or Sorceres rather) takes memory, wit, and grace, from all that entertaine it, and leaves them in Pyrrhon's condition, who would not believe what his eyes ſaw, and his eares heard.
Sixthly, they have a great advantage of Gods ſervants in this, when they have tryed in vaine all faire meanes, they can uſe violence; as it is the uſe and manner of all thoſe that are agents for vice, factors for the divell, firſt to uſe gentle perſwaſion, but if that will not ſerve, compulſion. They handle us, as once that Praetor did a Souldier, who to make him renounce Chriſt, firſt (as Ierome notes) impriſoned him in his owne houſe, allowes him a chamber vvell furniſhed, ſoft lodging, dainty cheare, vvine, muſick, all delights; vvhen this vvould not do (yet Lord, how many are thus prevailed vvithall to leave their Saviour) then hee caſts him into a darke dungeon, loades him vvith irons, ſtarves him vvith the hungry allowance of husks and puddle vvater; vvhen nothing would do, he burnes him: or as Bonner handled the Martyres, whoſe cuſtome was, firſt to allure them vvith faire promiſes of honours, favours, preferments, &c. if that vvould not do, ſend them to Smithfield; for as bloody as he was, hee had ſometimes in his mouth butter and oyle, as vvell as fire and faggot.