Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 107
§ 107.
A Wicked man can agree with all that are wicked, be they Papiſts, or Turks, They can brooke all conditions of men, ſave practiſers of piety.or Athieſts, prophane and looſe perſons, for all theſe agree with him in blindneſſe and darkneſſe, yea, they are all, haile fellow well met; but with ſincere Chriſtians, and practiſers of piety, he cannot agree; the Religious ſhall be ſure of oppoſition; becauſe their light is contrary to his darkneſſe; grace in the one, is a ſecret diſgrace to the other.
Yea, let wicked men bee at never ſo much odds one with another, But the Religious ſhall be ſure of oppoſition.yet they wil concurre and joyne againſt the godly. As for example. Edom and Iſhmael, Moab and the Hagarins, Gebal and Ammon, Amaleck and the Philiſtims, the men of Tyre and Aſhur, each had ſeverall gods; yet all conſpire againſt the true God, Pſalm. 83.5. to 9. Manaſſes againſt Ephraim, and Ephraim againſt Manaſſes; but both againſt Iudah. Herod and Pilat (two enemies) will agree, ſo it bee againſt Chriſt; they will fall in one with another, to fall out with God. The Sadduces, Phariſies, and Herodians were Sectaries of diverſe and adverſe factions, all differing one from another; and yet all theſe joyne together againſt our Saviour, Matth. 22. the Libertines, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, Cilicians, and Aſians, differ they never ſo much, will joyne in diſpute againſt Steven, Act 6.9. Herod neither loved the Iews, nor the Iewes Herod; yet both are agreed to vex the Church.
Thus wicked men, like Sampſons Foxes, though they be tyed taile to taile, yet they joyntly ſet on fire and burn up the Barley field of Gods Church.
I cannot think of a fitter Emblem of a naturall man, then Lyme, which agreeth well with all things that are dry, and of it's owne nature; but meeting with water (a thing directly oppoſite) it breaks, burns ſwels, ſmoaks, crackles, skips, and ſcatters, ſo nature will give a man leave to be any thing, ſave a ſound Chriſtian, and agree well with all others, bee their conditions never ſo contrary, provided they agree in the maine, are all ſeed of the ſame Serpent: but let the naturall man meet with one that is ſpirituall, they agree like heat and cold; if the one ſtayes, the other flies; or if both ſtay, they agree like two poyſons in one ſtomack, the one being ever ſick of the other, bee they never ſo neere allied.
And no marvaile; for though they dwell in the ſame houſe, yet they belong to two ſeverall Kingdomes; and albeit they both remaine on earth, yet they are governed by two ſeverall Laws; the ones Burgueſhip being in Heaven, Phil. 3.20. and the other being a Deniſon belonging to Hell; as Iriſhmen are dwellers in Ireland. but Deniſons of England, and governed by the Statutes of this Kingdome.
Neither is it ſtrange, that wicked men ſhould agree one with another; Not ſtrange that wicked men ſhould ag…eſs wellfor even ſavage beaſts agree with themſelves, elſe the wildernes would ſoone be unpeopled of her foure footed inhabitants: we know the Lion, is not cruell to the Lion; nor the Leopard, to the Leopard; nor one Tiger, to another; nor the Dragon, to the Dragon, ſaith Ariſtotle, but every one will fight with, and againſt the Lambe; one Crow never puls out another Crows eyes; one Wolfe will not make warwith another; but every Wolfe will make war with a Sheepe: yea, the Snakes of Syria, the Serpents of Tyrinthia, and the Scorpions of Arcadia, are gentle and ſparing to them of their naturall ſoyle, though cruell to others, as Plinie reports.
Yea, even Divels themſelves, while they ſo mortally hate, and violently oppoſe God, and his Image in all the ſonnes of Adam, are not at enmity with themſelves, but accord in wickedneſſe: and Iudas, the very worſt of men, he that would be falſe to his owne Lord and Maſter, would yet be true to his chapmen, the high Prieſts: even evill Spirits, and the worſt of men, keepe touch one with another.