Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 166 – Section 167
§ 166.
SIxthly and laſtly, he muſt do, touching his ſpirituall eſtate, 6 Go to counſell.as worldly men do, touching their temporall poſſeſſions: goe to counſell, take adviſe of the Learned, (I meane the Miniſters) when hee is in any doubt: as who knowes the ſpots of his owne face, but either by the reflection of a glaſſe, or by the relation of others? and in a worke of great conſequence, it argues the candor and modeſty of a man, to deſire a coadjutor.
Now the Priests lippes, ſaith Malachi, preſerve knowledge; and the people ſeek the Law at his mouth, for hee is the meſſenger of the Lord of Hoſts, Mal. 2.7.
Yea, there is uſe to bee made of our friends, private Chriſtians, we ought to borrow our friends eyes; and lend them ours; for that we do not more love our ſelves above others; then we ſee others better then our ſelves; we can more eaſily ſee a moate in anothers eye, then a beame in our owne, Matth. 7.3,
It is not amiſſe ſometimes to goe from home, to heare what newes there is at home: as Tarlton told the Queene, hee was going to London, to heare what newes at Court: ſo a wiſe man will gather much knowledge of himſelf, from others obſervation; lookers on many times ſee more, then the actors doe. Tully ſaid, hee could better heare the newes of Rome at Antium, then at Rome it ſelfe; neither can Paris tell more newes of France; or Madril of Spaine, then our Exchange in London of both. Yea, what Traveller is able to ſpeake ſo much of forraigne parts, as hee that lookes no further then his ſtudie.
Beſides, every man in his owne cauſe is a party, and therefore partiall; ſo that hee which learnes of none but himſelfe, hath a foole to his teacher: yea, Salomon, no leſſe then nine times, brands him for a foole, who refuſeth admonition.
But herein obſerve one caution: neither adviſe, nor conſult with brutiſh ſenſualiſts; for their knowledge is ignorance; their wiſdome, folly; their ſight, blindneſſe, &c. they neither conſider what reaſon ſpeaketh, or religion commandeth, but what the will and appetite affecteth: for will is the axeltree, luſts and paſſions the wheeles, whereupon all their actions are carried, and doe runne; appetite being their lord, reaſon the ſervant, and religion their ſlave; whereas religion ſhould govern their judgments, judgment and reaſon their wils, and affections, as Adam ſhould have done Eve,
Theſe are the ſix ſteps which lead up to the palace of wiſdome; anſwerable to thoſe ſix ſteps which led up to Salomons Throne; which all muſt aſcend by, that meane to enter: the more of them you have aſcended, the nearer you are to heaven,
If you have once attained this precious grace of ſaving knowledge, you will (as much as in you lies) imploy the ſame, to the glory of the giver. There be ſome that care, not to know; and there be ſome, that care for nothing elſe but to know; many ſtrive after, and pray for knowledg, but why? they would be wiſer, not holier by it: it is their owne honour they ſeek, not the honour of Chriſt: if they may bee thought great Rabbies, deep and profound Schollers, this is the height of their ambition; though neither the Church be benefited, nor God glorified by it, whereas they ought the contrary. For, as the grace of God is the fountaine from which our wiſdom flowes, ſo the glory of God ſhould be the Ocean to which it ſhould runne: it is derived from the one, and muſt bee directed to the other. Yea, that God may be honoured by our wiſdome, is the onelyonly end for which he gives us to be wiſe; and for default of this end, he not ſeldome curſeth the meanes, whereby many ſtriving to expell ignorance, fall into error; as an Empirick to cure one diſeaſe; cauſeth a worſe.
If you would know in ſpeciall, whom they are, that in uſing their gifts, ſeek not the glory of God; you may diſcern them by theſe marks. Firſt, they will have al the talk, whereſoever they come, like Parrats. 2. They contemne others, like the Phariſies. 3. They will be wiſer then God, and not ſubmit their judgements and opinions to his word, like the Romiſh Pontifician Doctors, who becauſe the commandement thwarts their opinions, and ſtands plainly forbidding images; that images may ſtand, they forbid the Commandement. 4. They ſpurne at him which tells them of their faults, like Abner. 5. They jump with their ſuperiours in every thing, like the Herodians. 6. They turn with the time, like Demas. 7. They ſeek their own credit, by the diſcredit of others, like the enemies of Paul. 8. They love to heare their own praiſe, like Herod. 9. Above all, they would have their owne wills, like Iezabel; let theſe men denie it if they can. Yea, I would faine know what fruit, or effect theſe mens knowledge hath in them, except it bee to enable them to diſpute, and diſcourſe, to increaſe wit, or to increaſe wealth, or to increaſe pride? whether the utmoſt of their ayme be not to enrich, dignifie, and pleaſe themſelves; not once caſting the eye of their ſoules at Gods glory, or their neighbours good? as let any fluent Herod, or eloquent Turtullus tell me, whether his knowledge puffs him not up, as if he had eaten a Spider; and whether he ſeekes not more the praiſe of his wit, then the profit of his ſoule, and feares not more an affront from his ſuperiour, then he feares hell.
Againe, let any ſtrong brain'd Achitophel tell me, whether hee had not rather ſeeme wicked, then ſimple? Any unrighteous Judge, or Lawyer, whether his whole ayme bee not the purchaſing of land, without either feare of God, regard of men, or the diſcharge of his duty and office.
Briefly, ſo many as are puft up with their knowledge, or doe not part with their ſinnes, ſhew, that they never ſought it for Gods glory, but for their own honour and glory; and certainly, if we ſeeke not Gods glory, in doing his worke; hee will give us no wages, at the latter end.
But to apply what hath beene ſpoken. The application of wha… hath beene ſpokenIf it be ſo, that God reveales himſelfe ſavingly to none but his children, the godly; and that none are ſoule wiſe, but ſuch as digeſt their knowledge into practiſe, and imploy their wiſdome to his glory that gave it, and the good of themſelves and others: then your objection, of what the world thinks (like a childs bubble blowne into the aire) is fallen to the ground, and diſſolved to nothing. Alaſſe! the world is no more fit to judge of caſes of conſcience, then a blind man is fit to judge of colours. Wherefore as the Orator would admit none but Rhetoricians, to judge of his Orations: ſo henceforward, admit none but ſpirituall men to ſway thee in ſpiritual matters, and follow our Saviours counſell, ſeeke to juſtifie thy judgement and practiſe to the children of wiſdome, of whom wiſdome is juſtified; and not to fooles, by whom ſhee is daily crucified. Only condole theſe blind mens diſaſters, and drop ſome teares in pity and compaſſion, for their great and greivous miſery. And ſo much for the objection.
§ 167.
NOw that I may ſaſten againe the thread of my diſcourſe, Admonition, not to make mercy a bolſter for continuing in ſinwhere I brake it; and fall in, where I left off; let your thoughts return with me to the Law (I meane, to the Law of Chriſt) and to the teſtimony alleadged, and explained from §. 142. to §. 154. and you will eaſily confeſſe, that Sathan hath hitherto gulled you, and all in your caſe; that he holds a paire of falſe ſpectacles before the eyes of wicked men, and thereby perſwades their deceitfull hearts, that the bridge of Gods mercy is farre larger then it is: and they give ſuch credit therunto, that while they thinke they are upon the bridge, they go beſides, and ſo are ſure, in the end, to fall, and be drowned in the waters of eternall deſtruction.
Wherefore if thou meaneſt to fare better, make not Chriſt a bolſter for ſinne, leaſt the plaiſter prove worſe then the ſore; nor Gods mercy a warrant for thy continuing in an evill courſe; for this is to ſin with an high hand, or with a witneſſe (as we uſe to ſay) which if thou doeſt, thou ſhalt alſo periſh with a witneſſe, Deuteronomy 29.19, 20, 21. I have heard of a woman, that preſumed ſo much upon her husbands love, that if he ſhould find her in the bed of incontinency, he would not harme her; but it proved farre otherwiſe, to her ſhame and ruine: and ſo it will fare with thee, in the end, for hee that deliberately reſolves to ſinne, doth what he can, to make himſelfe uncapeable of forgiveneſſe: yea, how ſhould the croſſe of Chriſt be a friend to them, that are enemies to his croſſe, Philip. 3.19. and trample upon him with their feet, becauſe hitherto hee hath borne the contumelies of their tongues, and exceſſes of their lives?
O what a blaſphemous imagination is this, againſt Jeſus Chriſt! to think that he came into the world to bee a patron of ſinne, or a bolſter, whereupon we may more ſecurely ſleep in ſenſuallity; and not to deſtroy the workes of the divell, 1 Iohn 3.3.8.9.10.
Oh that Chriſtians ſhould ſo live, as if the practiſe of the Goſpell, were quite contrary to the rule of the Law! but ſuch men ſhew what they are, for none but haſe minds, and perverſe diſpoſitions, ſaith Saint Bernard; will therefore be evill, becauſe God is good: and thoſe that belong to Gods election, wil never make that liberty which Chriſt hath purchaſed for them, with his precious blood; a cloak to cover their wickedneſſe; but rather a ſpur, to incite them to godlineſſe; they, for whom Chriſt dyed, will not preſumptuouſly laviſh on his ſcore not caring what they ſpend, becauſe he is able to pay for all: no, they will live as though there were no Goſpell; dye, as though there were no Law: and nothing ſo ſoone leades an ingenuous mind to repentance, as when hee conſiders Gods bountifulneſſe and long ſuffering towards him, Rom. 2.4. there is mercy with thee, ſaith David, what? that thou mighteſt be deſpiſed, blaſphemed? &c. no, (if you take him ſo, you miſtake him) but that thou mighteſt be feared, Pſalm 130.4. and the love of Chriſt conſtrained Paul to duty, 2 Cor. 5.14.