Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 132
§ 132.
OBjection. That the uſe their tongues only a frivolous excuſe.But thou haſt only uſed thy tongue againſt them; whereas ſome have ſhed the blood of the Saints. Well, ſuppoſe it bee ſo, yet what ſhould they ſuffer from thee, if they were at thy mercy? It is not ſo materiall what thou doeſt, as what thou deſireſt: the very purpoſe of treaſon, though the fact bee hindered, is treaſon: not the outward action, but the inward affection is all in all with God, who meaſures the work by the will, as men meaſure the will by the worke.
But to take only what is confeſt: the perſecution of the tongue is a greater evill, then thou art aware of. Wee reade that Chams ſcoffing only, brought his Fathers curſe, and God's upon that. And that their ſinne, which brought a ſcandall upon the holy Land, and made all the people to murmure againſt Moſes, dyed by a plague from the Lord, and was the cauſe that they never entered into it; they found it was no jeſting matter, Numbers 14.37. Now wee may judge of their ſin, by their puniſhment: yet their ſinne was not halfe ſo bad, as theirs is, who amongſt us, cauſe the way of truth to be evill ſpoken of; for this is either atheiſme, or frenzie, or blaſphemy, or rather all theſe; and thou ſhalt one day wiſh, with Hecebolus, that thy tongue had been rivetted to the roof of thy mouth from thy conception, rather then thou haddeſt ſinned ſo againſt the brethren, wounded their weake conſciences, and ſo riſen up againſt Chriſt, 1 Cor. 8.12. yea to be a ſcoffer, is the depth of ſinne; ſuch an one, is upon the very threſhold of hell, as being ſet downe in a reſolute contempt of all goodneſſe.
Beſides, ſome men will better abide a ſtake, Some can better abide aſt ake then others aſcoffe.then ſome others can a mock. Zedechiah could happily have found in his heart, to have harkened to the Prophets counſell, but that this lay in his way; I am afraid of the Iewes, leaſt they deliver me unto the Chaldeans hands, and they mocke me, Ier. 38.19. It was death to him to be mocked. A generous nature is more wounded with the tongue, then with the hand; yea, above hell, there is not a greater puniſhment, then to become a Sannio, a ſubject of ſcorne. Sampſon bore with more patience the boring out of his eyes, then the ludibrious ſcoffes of the Philiſtims; they made a feaſt to their gods, no Muſitian would ſerve, but Sampſon, he muſt now be their ſport, that was once their terror; every wit, every hand playes upon him, who is not ready to caſt his bone, and his jeſt at ſuch a captive? ſo as doubleſſe he wiſhed himſelfe no leſſe deafe, then blind, and that his ſoule might have gone out with his eyes: oppreſsion is able to make a wiſe man mad, Eccl. 7.9. and the greater the courage is, the more painefull the inſultation.
Alcibiades did profeſſe, that neither the proſcription of his goods, nor his baniſhment, nor the wounds received in his body, were ſo grievous to him, as one ſcornefull word of his enemy Cleſtiphon. Yea, O Saviour, thine eare was more painefully pierced, then thy browes, or hands, or feete; it could not but goe deepe into thy ſoule, to heare thoſe bitter and girding reproaches from them, Thou camest to ſave. And hereupon good Queene Eſther, in her prayers to God for her people, doth humbly deprecate this height of infelicity, O let them not laugh at our ruines. And David acknowledg'd it for a ſingular token of Gods favour, that his enemies did not triumph over him, Pſal. 41.11. Thou thinkeſt not tongue-taunts to be perſecution; but thou ſhalt, one day heare it ſo pronounc't, in thy bill of inditement. Iſhmael did but flout Iſaac, yet St. Paul ſaith, he perſecuted him, Gal. 4.29. God calls the ſcorning of his ſervants, by no better a name then perſecution: and whatſoever thou conceiveſt of it, let this fault be as farre from my ſoule, as my ſoule from Hell.
Alaſſe! this is no petty ſinne; for one malicious ſcoffe made Foelix nothing, day and night, but vomit blood, till his unhappy ſoule was fetcht from his wretched Carkaſſe. And Pherecydes did no more but give religion a nick-name (a ſmall matter, if thou mayſt be made judge) yet for that ſmall fault, he was conſumed by Wormes alive. And Lucian for barking, like a dog, againſt Religion, was by a juſt judgment of God, devoured of Dogs.
Yea, ſuppoſe the beſt that can come, namely, that God gives thee an heart to repent of it, before thou goe hence, and that thy ſoule hath her pardon ſued out in the blood of Chriſt, as it fared with St. Paul, that choſen veſſell; yet know, that thy body and mind ſhall ſmart for this ſinne above all: doe but heare the Apoſtles owne teſtimony of himſelfe, 2 Corinthians, 11.23. to 34: did he make havocke of the Church? the world made havocke of him for it; did he hale men and women to priſon? himſelfe was often impriſoned: did he helpe to ſtone Steven? himſelfe was alſo ſtoned: did he afflict his owne countrimen? his owne countrimen no leſſe afflicted him: did he lay ſtripes upon the Saints? the Iewes layd ſtripes upon him: was he very painefull and diligent to beate downe the Goſpell? he was in wearineſſe, and painefulneſſe, frequent watchings, and faſtings, in hunger, and thirſt, cold, and nakedneſſe, to defend the Goſpell, &c. Thus he endured when he was Paul, what he inflicted as he was Saul; and yet he did it out of ignorance, 1 Tim. 1.13. from whence we may argue, by way of conceſſion, thus.
If he that found mercy, felt the rod, which ſcourged him ſo ſmart: what ſhall their plagues be, in whoſe righteous confuſion God inſulteth? Pro. 1.26. Iſay, 1.24. If he who had his booke, felt ſo much paine; what ſhall they feele, that are ſentenced to eternall death? If he that did it of ignorance, and out of zeale, was laſht with ſo many ſtripes; what will become of them, that doe the ſame knowingly, and maliciouſly? If Chriſt will be aſhamed of them, when he comes to judge, that onelyonly were aſhamed to confeſſe him, when he came to ſuffer: how will he reject thoſe with indignation, that rejected him with deriſion? If the wretched Gergaſites, who repelled Chriſt for feare, are ſent into the fire: what doe they deſerve, who drive him away with ſcorne?