Conflicts and Comforts of Conscience, Treatise · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. The fifth Conflict with an euill name.
AS of all outward good things, none is comparably so gratious, so louely, as a good Name, being as a pretious Oyntment poured foorth: So of all outward euills (specially to him, that would ascend the Mount of Honour by the steps of Vertue) none so ruthfull, so odious, as an ill Name. And of all other Iewels, a good Name is rarest to be found, farre sought, and deare bought, suddainly lost, and seldome or neuer recouered, but with extreame difficultie, nor then neither. Which haply is the cause, that so many will not hazard so much toyle to attaine that, which possessed, at the best is but like the purest Christall Venice glasse, or China vessel, which fetcht from farre, dum splendet, frangitur, many times broken in the washing, and when most bright, most brittle. And many can content themselues with the Bristow Diamond, or a painted Rubie, rather then goe to the price, or perill to fetch the true Indian Diamond. Forasmuch as a good Name, like the purest garment, may be moth-eaten with enuy, and like the innocent Sheepe conuersing among the bushes, looseth here a locke, and there a locke, and like the wholsome streame poysoned with the tongues of mad Dogges, or Serpents, lapping in it, or meeting with some muddy soyle, looseth of its natiue sweetnesse, and clearnesse: But on the contrarie, the ill name, the further it goes, the more it is augmented, as a selfe-murthered corps buried in the open field betweene sundry highwayes, where euerie passenger casts his stone of infamie, and detestation vponupon the heape, in perpetuam rei infamiam. So that of all wounds this is the most incurable, ludibrium Medicorum. The Prouerbe is, As good bee halfe hanged, as hauehave an ill name. Which hath beene the cause, that many being oppressed with the shame of it, and out of hope of any likely remedie, hauehave gone and hanged themselues out-right. Yea, among the Heathen, an ill name hath beene so detestable, as on a time,A. Gall. Noct. Att. l. 18. c. 3 when one in Lacedemon, of a notorious vicious life, but wittie, and one that could speake well, in a dangerous exigent of affaires, gaue such aduice, as all the Citizens applauded it, and would hauehave it presently enacted and decreed vnderunder his name (as the manner was) thereat one of the nobler Senators starting vp, with a spirit full of indignation, vttered these words, What meane you, O yee Lacedemonians, or what hope is there, that euer this Citie and Weale-publike should long continue in safetie, if wee shall vse such corrupt Counsellours? If that his sentence bee good and honest, I pray you let vsus not suffer it to bee stained with the reproach of a most filthy Authour. And hauing said this, he chose a man among the rest for courage, and vprightnesse, but of a poore speech, and vneloquent, and commanded him, with the consent and request of all, to pronounce the same sentence, in as good termes as he could, that without mention of the former, this Decree of the people might bee recorded in his name onelyonly, in regard he recited it anew. And thus as the sage Senatour counselled, it was done.Sic b…n… sententia mansi…, …urpis au…or mu…atus est. So the good sentence stood good, but the infamous Author was changed. And euer, Gratior est pulchro, veniens è corpore virtus. And in Sacred storie, Dauid must not build the Temple, because hee had beene a man of blood in so many battels; nor must Moses hauehave the honour to This was in a mystery Moses sinning was the Law broken, which could not bring Moses thithercondu…t Israel into Canaan, because (by his owne humble confession) hee had dishonored the Lord by his vnbeleefe, at Meribah. And Salomon in his boo…e of repentance, in dislike of the vani…es hee had committed being King, stiles himselfe, The Preacher, not Salomon the King; saying onelyonly, I the Preacher hauehave beene King in Ierusalem. On the contrary, Ioab would not send the newes of Absolons death by good Ahimaas, but by Cushi. And when Dauid heard of two comming running to bring newes, and the one Ahimaas, he promised to himselfe good tydings, for saith he, He is a good man, and bringeth good tydings. So preiudiciall is the person to the cause, good or bad, for the very name sake.
Now it hath beene the lot euen of Gods dearest Saints, to be ill reported of. Iohn the Baptist was reported for a Daemoniaeke, or one possessed with a diuel: yea Christ himselfe, the innocent Lambe of God, in whose mouth was no guile, yet escaped not scot-free, but was famed for a wine-bibber, a friend of Publicans and sinners, also a sedicious person, and I wot not what. And Dauid heard of Shimei, Come out thou man of blood, thou sonne of Belial; as much as, Thou bloud-shedder, thou debosht person; yea, the drunkards made songs of him. And Iob complaines,Iob 17.6 He hath made me a by-word of the people, and I am as a Tabret vntounto them. And Saint Paul heard,2 Cor. 6. One that stirreth vp sedition. And hee went through euill report, and good report, as a deceiuer, and yet true.
OnelyOnly the difference is, how the ill name is deserued, how iustly or vniustly raised. And although by reason of the worlds vnreasonable malicious enuy against true vertue, generally Gods Saints are falsely reproached: yet it may so fall out, as euen the holiest man, may iustly and worthily fall into an euill report. Who holier than Dauid? yet it was his case, which Shimeis railing did in part at least reflect vponupon, calling him, a man of blood, and sonne of Belial, murtherer, and adulterer. For Dauids adultery and murther were not so closely carried, but men might easily take notice of it, howsoeuer the maiesty of his person & place might somewhat smother and smooth it ouer, by keeping mens tongues in awe: yet it was so known already, as Nathan tels him, he had giuen the enemie cause to blaspheme. So that the very Philistins had notice of it, much more Dauids owne people and Court.Gloss. O… din. And the Hebrews say, that Achitophel …ooke part with Absalon, in reuenge of Bathshebas chastity and honour, because she was his Neece. This being so, what a torment was it to poore Dauids heart, thus to be reported, thus reputed, seeing he had so deepely and … dese…ued it? seeing Dauid ▪ …as no prophane Prince, whose lust was his law, or who held it as his priuiledge to be vniust, in taking away the wife or life of any of his liege subiects, as though he might sinne by authority, or adultery were but a tricke of youth, and veniall in Court; or the manner of making away Vriah a politicke deuice, to make a fairer way to his lustfull ends: but as he was a sacred person, a King anointed, a holy Prophet, and Saint of God, so nothing could so excruciate and vexe his noble spirit, then thus to see the crowne of all his graces cast in the dust, the beauty thereof defaced, Gods name dishonoured, his owne name disgraced, religion reproached, and such a brand of infamy inusted on Dauid… name, and that imprinted in sacred Record, neuer to be blotted out, as it were in capitall letters, Sauing in the matter of Vriah.
Now tell me brother, thou that art in estimation for wisdome and glory, in whose estimate nothing is so precious, as a good name, to hauehave a good report with all good men: in case, through some folly thou hast made shipwracke of thy credit, and so of all that fraight of graces, which thou hast toyled about all thy life, now thy sincerity is censured for hypocrisie, and all turned topsie turuie: What wilt thou doe? Now thou maist finde, that a good conscience wounded, may more easily be cured with God, then thy credit, once crackt with men; the cure whereof depends vponupon as many Physitians, as there are men in the world; whereof though some few possest with diuine louelove, may be willing to licke it whole with their tongues, or as the noble Emperour Constantine, who said, that if he did with his eyes see a Bishop to defile another mans bed, hee would cast his purple robe ouer it, least therwith any should be offended: as he threw the bundle of the Bishops mutuall complaints at the Councell of Nice, into the fire, saying it became them to pardon one another, sith all needed pardon of Christ: Yet the most will out of the superfluity of maliciousnesse not sticke to invenome it the more with their Serpentiue tongues and teeth.