Ten Sermons Upon Matthew 6:1-4, Sermon 4
THE IIII. SERMON.
PROV. 6.13.14.
He maketh a signe with his eyes, he signifieth with his feete, he instructeth with his fingers. Lewd things are in his hart.
WE hauehave heard before of Belials froward mouth,Of blind gestures. and how he is to be discerned thereby, for a lawlesse, and a vaine man. Now it remaineth that we consider of his outward gestures, and then of the internall shop of his heart, and the stuffe that he keepeth there, together with the matter that he frameth of the same. And first for his outward gestures, they are such as (if we marke them well) do shew that all his behauiour is counterfeit. The meaning is, that the man of Belial, and the vaine man, is very cunning, and skilfull both in playing the hypocrite before God, and also in practising of other lewdnesse before the world. In actions religious (wherein consisteth the outward seruice of God) he counterfeiteth very cunningly,He cōuterfeiteth in religion. making great signes & shewes of deuotion & piety, by eleuating, or lifting vp his eyes vntounto heauen, as the Pharisee did, and by running a pace, or making great expedition to the Temple, as Ezechiels auditours did, and by turning ouer with his fingers the Bible to places alledged by the Preacher, &c. All which be signes, and instructions vntounto the world, that he or she that doth so, is very deuoute, and godly, and hauehave their harts wholly possessed with the louelove and feare of God, and their minds employed about the study and practise of righteousnesse, sincerity, and honesty. All which gestures may well beseeme the godly, whose harts indeed are vpright with the Lord: but as for Belial, and Ish-auen, they are odious in them, because when they make such signes, and giuegive soorth such shewes and instructions, the Lord seeth, and telleth vsus here in our text, that leud things are in their harts. They are only signes without the things signified, like an Iuy-bush ouer a doore, where no wine is in the house. The wicked that make them, are like the wicked Scribes and Pharises, who vnderunder colour of long prayer, studied how to deuoure, yea deuoured indeed (as Christ saith) widowes houses. They are also not vnlike to players on a stage, who come forth with long beards and side gownes, like graue Senators and wise Counsellors, when notwithstanding there is neither grauity nor wisedome in them. And as Belial playeth the counterfeit in religious exercises, to couer (with signes of holinesse) the leud things of his hart: so also in his ciuill conuersation and dealing amongst men,He counterfeiteth in ciuill affaires. doth he (by making shewes and signes in his outward gestures, of that which he hath not) couer much leudnesse, and practise much mischiefe. What was the kisse of Iudas but a signe of louelove? yet treason was in his hart, and couered therewith. What were Ioabs courteous embracings, and kind salutations: but signes vntounto Abner of a kind friend? yet murther was in his hart, and couered therwith.Pro. 7.14. What is the harlots talking of paying her vowes, and offering her peace offerings: but a signe of a godly woman? yet euen then is leudnesse in her heart, and it is couered therewith. How many in the world do make signes with their eyes and countenance of great louelove and kindnesse, with bending the body to embrace, and hastening their feete to meete euen those whom they hate in their heart? How many againe hauehave put finger to the eye, and seemed to weepe, and taken vp great lamentation, with wringing of hands, and refraining their meate, with other signes of griefe and sorrow, for the hurt, and death of some, whose death perhaps they hauehave procured, & for whose losse they laugh and reioyce in their harts? What signes of humility also shall we see, or not see, euen in the proudest persons that are? what signes of grauity, in the lighest and vainest? what signes of charity in the cruellest? what signes of liberality from the most niggardly? and what signes of manhood & valour, euen in the most cowardly persons that are? Long lockes, sterne countenances, bigge lookes, great bragges, monstrous oathes, cruell threatnings, and like Saule breathing nothing but slaughter, as if they were more then Lions, and when it commeth to the triall they are lesse then men: like empty vessels, which make the greatest sound when they are empty. Of all which, with many moe the like, it may be sayd, as it is in our text, They make signes with their eyes, they signifie with their feete, & instruct with their fingers, but leud things are in their harts. And againe, as the man of Belial and vaine man, doth oftentimes play the counterfeit both in religion and ciuility, making signes of that which is not in him, yea only to couer the leudnesse that is in him: so sometimes also doth he both openly declare by signes and gestures, the vanity and lightnesse of his heart: and as cunningly likewise by signes and gestures both practise, and also teach mischiefe and leudnesse, when he is amongst his companions. And certainly, when the outward gestures of the body, and the parts thereof are not according to simplicity, it must needs proceed from some euill that is in the hart.
Now, this noting and marking of a lawlesse person by his gestures, & externall behauiour, doth teach vsus many very profitable lessons worthy our best consideration.
1 The seuere precisenesse, and precise seuerity of the word of God, which looketh into the very gestures of the body: as the motion of the eyes, of the feete, and the fingers, &c.
2 The tyranny of sin, which exerciseth all the parts of the body, domineering ouer the whole man.
3 The nature of hypocrisie, and how it is descried in the outward parts, and gestures of the body.
4 The cunning of the wicked, who can teach sinne, and set forward mischiefe and leudnesse, euen by signes and gestures.
5 Lastly, the aptnesse and pronnesse of our nature to learne euill, euen by signes▪ gestures, and dumbe shewes.
Of eueryevery one of these a little: and first, of the strictnesse, and seuere precisenesse of the word of God, in marking and noting the very motions of the body, and eueryevery part thereof. The Lord we see plainly noteth the very gestures of the body,EueryEvery mē ber of the body is bound to his good behauiour. as well as the words of the mouth, and actions of our life: yea he teacheth vsus not onelyonly how to liue, and how to speake, but also how to go, and to moue our bodies: eueryevery part and member is set to schoole, and bound to his good behauiour. Euen as in the building of the tabernacle, and materiall Temple, there was nothing left to the discretion of them that built it, but a patterne was giuen them by God for euerything, euen to the very pinnes, and ash-pannes, and flesh-hookes, &c. So, in the spirituall building of our bodily tabernacles, and temples of the holy Ghost, nothing is left to our wils and discretions, but euen from the very thoughts of the heart, to the outward gestures of the body▪ yea to the very mouing of the eyes, the fingers, and the feet, the Lord hath set downe an order in his holy word: and whosoeuer breaketh that order is noted for it by the Lord: but who soeuer wilfully neglecteth it, and setteth the same at naught, is also branded for a man of Belial and vaine person, whose heart is full of lewd things▪ and whofe destruction commeth both speedily and suddenly vponupon him. Caines countenance cannot be cast downe, but the Lord will note it,Gen. 4.6. and search out the cause thereof, Gen. 4.6. to be an enuious eye, and a bloudy heart against his brother for his goodnesse: to shew, that we must looke vntounto our very countenance, least wrath and enuy be espied therein.Pro. 7.13. The harlot is noted well inough for her impudent face, and thereby is she also noted for a harlot: to teach women and maidens to watch ouer their countenances and outward behauiour, that there appeare not too much boldnesse and lightnesse therein, because thereby they are discerned, either what they are, or what they would be.Esa. 3.16. The proud women of Israel, could not walke as they did with their neckes stretched out, nor counterfeit a minsing gate, but the Lord doth note them for it: and doth he not note the daughters of England for the same things aswell as the daughters of Ierusalem? The Pharisees could not disfigure their faces when they fasted, but our Sauiour Christ would surely marke it,Mat. 6.16. and hauehave it recorded in his word to their shame, and the admonition of all others. We are become a laughing stocke (saith the Church of God being in captiuity) and a nodding of the head vntounto the Heathen:Psal. 44.13.14. to shew, that the very fleering of the countenance, and the nodding of the head in contempt and despite of Gods people, must be answered for before the Lord, aswell as reprochfull speeches, and bloudy actions. And amongst other signes of contempt and reproch shewed by the Iewes against our Sauiour Christ at his death,Mat 27.39. this is noted by the Euangelist for one, that they wagged their heads at him. So, the man of Belial cannot worke his feates by signes and gestures, but the word of God will take notice of it, and tell all the world, that He maketh a signe with his eyes, he signifieth with feete, instructeth with his fingers. And according to this rule must we liue: by this card must we saile, making (as the Scripture teacheth vsus) straite steppes vntounto godlinesse. So farre are we from teaching men liberty to sinne (as the wicked Belials of popery slanderously charge the Preachers of the Gospell) that we allow not men so much liberty as to make signes to any euill purpose,Against the slander of Papists. but to carry euen the outward parts of the body, and the motions thereof, in such sort as they be neither offensiue, nor infectiue, but according to sobriety and simplicity. For this is one chiefe end why the grace of God hath appeared (sayth the Apostle to Titus) to teach vsus not onelyonly to denie vngodlinesse and worldly lusts, Tit. 2.11.12▪but also to liue soberly, godly and righteously in this present world. Which sobriety mentioned by the Apostle in that place, is opposite vntounto all lightnesse, and scandalous behauiour which appeareth as well in the gestures of the body, as in other things.
Some in their wanton and light behauiour are both offensiue to the godly,Our behauiour must be in Sobriety. and infectiue to the weaker Christians: these walke not according to sobriety. Some againe are as counterfeit both in matters of religion, and also in common ciuility, embracing, affable, courting, ducking, promising, and protesting &c. when there is no good meaning at all in them:Simplicity. these walke not according to simplicity. All which counterfeit behauiour the Lord noteth and condemneth, aswell as Cain for for the heauinesse of his countenance, when it bewraied the enuy and malice of his hart. And no maruell: for both charity and chastity are the worse for such gestures as are not in sobriety and simplicity.How charity is broken by signes. Charity is broken as well by a proud or disdainfull looke, as by a railing & slanderous, or reprochfull speech. As well by the nodding of the head, and fleering of the countenance, and winking of the eye, or putting out the tongue is charity broken, and wrath prouoked, as by the violence of the hand. As charity is broken,Chastity is assaulted by signes. so also is chastity assaulted that way, euen by leud signes and wanton gestures of the body, as wel as by plaine motions, and enticements of speech: both modesty and impudency, louelove and lust, will all appeare and shew themselues in the gestures and motions of the body, though the tongue sit still in silence, & say nothing, according to the saying of Salomō in another place of this booke:Pro. 17.24. Wisedome shineth in the face of the prudent. Many are ashamed to speake what they thinke, but yet by signes and gestures they will shew what they desire:Luk. 19.40. If these should hold their peace (saith Christ) pointing to his disciples which praised him) the very stones would cry. So, if the toung be silent, the eyes, the fingers, and the feete will speake. Therfore eueryevery member must be sanctified, & made a weapon of righteousnesse.
This seuerity of the word of God is it that troubleth all the world: It is counted too great precisenesse to liue so strictly: We cannot looke awry now adayes (say some) but we shall be told of it in the Pulpit. Ah (sayth another) the world is come to a good passe indeed, we must now go to the schoole of good manners againe;This precisenesse doth much trouble Libertines. we must learne of the Preacher how to go, and how to looke, and when to laugh, and when to be merry. These and such like speeches are rife in the world, but it is onelyonly amongst the men of Belial and Ishim auen, lawlesse and dissolute persons, vaine and foolish people, such as hauehave cast off Gods yoke from them: and like them that sayd of Christ.Luk. 19.27. Psal. 2.3. Psal. 12.4. We will not hauehave this man to raigne ouer vsus: come let vsus breake their bands asunder, and cast their cords from vsus: our tongues are our owne, we may speake what we list, who shall controule vsus? and so are our eyes too, and our fingers too, and our feete too, we will looke, and go, and gesture it as we list, and what hath any man to do with our gestures? These are right men of Belial indeed, whom the Lord (that sitteth in the heauens) doth laugh to scorne, and shall hauehave in great derision when destruction shall come suddenly vppon them in his wrath: yea he shall vexe them in his sore displeasure, and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell, if they be not wise vntounto repentance in time, euen before his wrath be kindled, yea but a little. This precisenesse that the profane Belials of the world hauehave in so much contempt,This precisenesse is called in Scripture circumspect walking. is nothing else but that circumspect walking which is commended and commanded vntounto vsus by the Apostle from the Lord in Ephs. 6. Walke circumspectly saith he, like wise men: as if our life were a iourney to be walked, vponupon a narrow bridge ouer a deepe water, ouer which there is no safe passage if a man go leaping, and skipping, and gazing about him, as those that wander and roue at scope in the wide fields:Why we must walke circumspectly. but we must looke to our feete, and to euerie step that we set, or else we are quickly gone, and being downe very hardly recouered againe, without Gods great mercy and grace.
So much for the first point. Now the second thing that we hauehave to obserue,The second point. is the tyranny of sinne, hauing once gotten possession in the hart: If lewd things lodge in the heart, surely they will take vp all the outward parts of the body to serue at their pleasure, and from one member to another will leudnesse fetch his continual walke.Sins walke. Therefore saith the blessed Apostle: Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies, to obey the lustes thereof, Ro. 6.12.13.neither giuegive you your members as weapons of vnrighteousnesse and vncleannesse. To shew, what a tyrant sinne is, who when he hath gotten hold in the heart of a wicked man, will domineere ouer his whole bodie, and eueryevery member shall serue as a weapon to fight withall in the defence of sinne, and to the offence of vertue.
The tyranny of sinne described.When a tyrant raigneth, no man that is vnderunder him is his owne man, no man can say what is his owne: so where sinne raigneth (the most cruell, subtill and vnsatiable tyrant that euer was, is, or can be) eueryevery member of the body, and eueryevery cogitation and affection of the soule, is held in most miserable bondage and slauery nothing is free to serue the Lord, but all are at Sathans becke, and ready to obey his suggestions. This tyrant wil not be closed vp in the heart, but will looke out at the eyes as at a window, & will walke abroad: nay rather be caried abroad like a Pope vponupon mens shoulders: the hand must feele, and reach him that which he liketh, and giuegive what he will bestow, and where he will bestow it, and strike whom he liketh not: The eye must seeke out such pleasures as he delighteth in, and the tongue must call for them. Yea, of such bewitching power is this tyrant sinne, that he poysoneth like the Crocodile with his very sight and countenance: he hath greater power ouer his seruants the members of the body: nay his seruants the members, hauehave greater power ouer others, then the Centerion in the Gospell had ouer his souldiers: I say to one come, Mat. 8.9.and he commeth, to another go and he goeth (saith the Centurion:) but this tyrant doth but looke vppon men, and they feare him: he doth not fawne vponupon men, and they affect him: he doth but make a signe with his eyes, and signifie with his going, and instruct by holding vp of his finger, and it is inough to make men go and come at his pleasure.How sinne entreth. And all his fawning & flattering, & terrifying of mē, is for nothing else in the world but to get in to a man, and to raigne ouer a man which he can easily do. He can by little and little, yea with a little intreating (where Gods grace is not to make resistance) enter in at the eye, or at the eare, or by touching the body, and tickling the senses, and so from thence into the heart, and there he sitteth like a commander, and a cruell tyrant, euen ouer al those members and affections, by which he was first let in, and which first gaue him any entertainement. Adonijah begged onelyonly Abishag the Shunamite to wife when Dauid had done with her: a small request in shew, but he had a further reach: his mind was to the kingdome, which wise Salomon perceiued well inough: So Sathan will request but a little dalliance with the fingers, and will but borrow they feete to carry him to such a place, & such a place to heare, or see a play, or the like vanity, and thy countenance to braue or beard such & such: or thy eye, to looke out at: as theeues that will craue a standing in a mans shop to see some straunge sight, when they meane to rob and steale:Of the subtilty of sin. a small request in shew. But sinne is deceitfull, and Sathan is an old subtill serpent, trust him not, he hath a mind to a kingdome, and that is, to rule like a hellish tyrant in thee & to get all the members of thy body, and all the affections of thy soule from out of Gods seruice into his slauery and subiection: and this can none espie, but those that hauehave heauenly wisdome as Salomon had. And therefore as Adonijah made his subtill request against his owne life, when wise Salomon had espied his treachery: so let all wise harted Christians (who by the light of this doctrine hauehave receiued any inckling of the subtill pollicy of sinne and Sathan, in entring: and of their tyranny being entred into the heart) desire of God by continuall and earnest prayer, that through the gracious assistance of his blessed Spirit (his feare keeping the passage) all these fawning & treacherous motions solicited in the vnsanctified gestures and behauiour of the body,We are to pray against the trecherous motions to sinne. may be made against their owne life, that is, that they may be so crushed and checked at the first, that neither eye, nor eare, nor hand, nor foote, nor tongue, nor looke, may euer hauehave any list, or ioy to serue sinne, or Sathan, or the man of Belial any more. And so much briefly for the tyranny of sinne, which hath all the parts of the body at commandement.
The third point.Now come we to the third point, and let vsus see how the sinne of hypocrisie in particular, doth breake foorth and appeare in the very externall behauiour & gestures of the body at one time or another.How hypocrites are deceiued. Sin is like poyson. Hypocrites are greatly deceiued, who thinke to do well inough, so long as they can keep their harts secret (for so they imagine:) but all sinne in generall, and hypocrisie in speciall, is like poyson, and leauen. Now if poyson be drunke into the bowels, it cannot be kept there frō his working, but it wil breake forth and make the whole body to swell, & the very nailes of the fingers, & haire of the head, will tell that poyson is within.And like leauen. And leauen (though it be but a litle in quantity) being buried in a great lumpe of dough, will hauehave his operation, in such sort that eueryevery part and crumbe of the whole lumpe shall taste of it, so that by the very taste of it, a man shall be able (that hath a sound taste) to say, surely here was leauen. And therefore saith Christ: Take heed and beware of the leuen of the Pharisees, Luk. 12.which is hypocrisie: as if he should say: take heed of hypocrisie, for it is like leuen, it will not only sower, and make vnsauory all your actions before God, but it will breake forth, & by the very taste of your deeds it will be perceiued of men. Yea this poyson will appeare in your faces and gestures: for all will be distempered and out of order. It may be that Belial may with his cunning deceiue some: but the seruants of God, which hauehave the spirit of discretiō cannot so easily be deceiued.1. Kin. 14.6. Ahijah knew Ieroboams wife before he saw her, though she came in disguised apparel: that could he do because he was a Prophet: now though we be not such Prophets as he was, yet (folowing the directiō of Gods word) we may easily discerne an hypocrite if we cō uerse lōg with him, & marke him wel. By one letter missed in the pronuntiation of one word,Iudg. 12. Slubboleth the Ephraimites were knowne frō the Gileadites: so many times, by one word in a sentence, or by one sentence in a sermon, or in a booke, or by the very style and phrase, a man may easily discerne the humour and disposition of a man: & by such a little matter it will be no hard matter to coniecture whether he hath borrowed any popish tooles & patternes to forge his worke by, & so whether he be inclined to popery or no. When Peter was familiar both with Iewes & Gētiles, & soothed vp both sides in their contrary opinions, Paul thought him not sound. So likewise, whē we see men professing the Gospel, to be alike familiar both with Papists & Protestants, & giuegive the right hand of fellowship as soone to the one as to the other, & to cōmend the Church of the one to be no lesse the family of Christ then the Church of the other, we may iustly suspect that they are not so sound as they should be.Halting & iudgling in Gods matters will easily be espied if mē be awake. Act. 24.27. Pro. 7.10. &c. 2. Sam. 16. Oh their halting & iugling, wil easily be espied if men be awake. Let Felix pretend what he wil: yet by his often sending for Paul, & by his oftē cōmuning with him, with so many sleeuelesse messages sent to him, it will easily be perceiued that he looketh for a bribe. Let the close harlot prate neuer so much of religiō, yet by her impudent behauior it will appeare what she is, & what she desireth. Let Absalō pretēd what he list, vows made at Hebron, &c. yet by the greatnes & gallantnes of his traine it wil be no hard matter to gesse wherabout he goeth, & that his vow was to play the traitor, ex pede Herculē, ex vngue leonē: Hercules was known by his footsteps, the lion is known by his paw, though he shew nothing else: the wolse by his howling, though he be clothed in a sheeps skin: & the asse (howsoeuer he be disguised) by his braying, & by the length of his eares wil be known to be but an asse.The hypocrisie of popery how it is discouered. So in Popery the nūber of duckings, crossings, eleuatiōs, kneelings, stādings, turnings, & windings, do shew, that Balaam & popish Balamites, are but hipocrites, to build so many altars, & to offer vponupon thē as they do, as though they knew not without al those ceremonies what they shold do; & only to blind the eies of the foolish king of Moab & his people.Num. 23. But Balaam hath not in all points so much wit as his asse which beareth him: the mouth doth not alwaies bewray the hart, yet it is true prouerbially that Christ saith in Mat. 12. Out of the abūdance of the hart the mouth speaketh. And there are other signes also to know a mā of Belial by (we see) as well as by his mouth: his hypocrisy wil break out into gestures:It is a fault in Christians not to marke how God doth note out the wicked. Pro. 10.10. All these notes must be taken together. whē he hath so many irōs in the fire he cannot plie them all well. A fault surely it is in Christians, not to marke those things which God hath set down for marks of a wicked mā, & therfore they are deceiued. Iacob gathered by Labans countenāce, that his hart was not towards him. Iehoram gathered by Iehues marching, that he came not peaceably, & Salomon taketh the winking with the eye for a note of a man that worketh or soweth sorrow and trouble. But as we hauehave al these marks here together, so we shall do wel to take them all together, and not to iudge of any man by one of them alone, and then we shall be sure not to be deceiued: for a man may be by nature hasty, and soone displeased, & yet not a man of Belial: another may be earnest in contending for some point that he imagineth to be truth, & yet no mā of Belial: another may somtime against his will, through humane frailty imagine euill of a thing that was well intended, & yet not man of Belial: another may be a meanes vnawares of some strife & contention, whē perhaps he intended the cōtrary, & yet no man of Belial: and another may hauehave a naturall imperfection & weaknesse, of winking with the eye, or looking downward or another way in talke, & yet no mā of Belial: another may be merily & pleasantly conceited, & yet no Ish-auen, no vaine man. And lastly another may be somwhat stiffe in his opinions, & hard to perswade, & yet no man of Belial. But this is for certaine: he that is lawlesse, & incorrigible, wilful, obstinate, & inflexible, he whose wil must stand for a law, against al reason and force of argument, he is a man of Belial: he that delighteth in dūghil & filthy vain sports, & spēds his time vnprofitably, as one that hū teth after the wind, & pursueth the smoke: he that walketh with a froward mouth, & hath no care to vse his toung to the praise of God, & benefit of his neighbour: he that counterfeith signes of that which is not in him, & which he desireth not to be in him: & he that is cunning to couer a leud heart with counterfeit gestures, & in like manner to practise & teach leud things: & he that imagineth euill cōtinually, & knowes not how to giuegive a good interpretatiō of any thing, & withal delighteth in stirring vp of strife: he (I say) that is thus broken out, hath assuredly Gods markes vponupon him, & may be knowne therby, to be a man of a leud hart, a man of Belial, & Ish-auen, a vaine man, whose destructiō approcheth with speed, & suddē ly shall fall vponupon him without recouery. And so much for the nature of hypocrisie, and how it may be discouered in the gestures of the body.
The fourth point.Now in the fourth place we are to consider a litle of the cunning of the mā of Belial, which is so great that he can practise sin, & declare his mind by signes & gestures: for sometime they are ashamed, or afraid to speake what they thinke, or to craue what they desire. But whē they make signes with the eye, they signifie with their feet, and instruct with their fingers, that is, they shew their mind by signes, very painfull they are, but it is to their owne destructiō: & very busie to set forward Sathans businesse, but to their owne shame & confusiō.The wicked are cunning and painefull to their owne confusion. Very wise they are in their generations, subtill as serpents, & crafty as foxes. This may teach vsus to be as wise as they, to hinder sin by as many meanes as they do further it by. Whē Rabsakeh came to raile, & did raile vponupon the God of Israel, & to blaspheme the name of the Lord the most high, what did the seruants of king Hezekiah? did they reproue him by words? No, least they should cause him to blaspheme more: and because such a dog (or diuell rather) was not to be spoken vntounto, by signes & gestures they shewed their dislike & hatred of his blasphemies,Esa. 36.21. & 37.1. in tokē of griefe they rent their clothes. Esa. 36.21. & 37.1. If men shold now a daies vse to rent their clothes whē they heare Gods truth reuiled & his holy name blasphemed, what ragged congregations should we hauehave in eueryevery place? I suppose that few or none shold come to the Temple with a whole garment vponupon his backe. But if the blasphemers flesh might be (by a law established) rent & torne aswel as mens garmēts were, I suppose it were a good way to make their nūber lesser: & surely I thinke that by that ceremony of renting garments, was shewed that the blasphemer was worthy to go naked, or to hauehave his flesh rent & torne in peeces, or both. When Ionathan would instruct Dauid his friend, of Sauls wrath against him, he did it by signes, giuē him in the shooting of certaine arrowes, & the order of taking them vp againe. When our Sauiour Christ would shew how litle he regarded the tēptations of those which accused vntounto him a woman taken in adultery, & how vnworthy they were to be answered,Ioh. 8.6. We may reproue sinne by our gestures, How vain… men shew their dislike of the truth. Especially at Sermons he turned another way, & wrote or scribled (as we say) on the groūd, as one not minding what they said. So might we also reproue foolish and vaine people, aswell by our gestures as by plaine speeches, if we were but halfe so wise for God as the wicked are for the diuell: for they if they like not the truth, or the man that deliuereth it, they will shew their dislike by whispering, or fleering, or turning their backes, & giuing deafe eare, as we see at Sermons, where somtime you shall hauehave a Church-papist, or a Libertine Protestant, or one that hath an itch in his eares, and is somtime curious to please, who whē they heare a man, or a matter which they like not, they will not speake, for that they know is dangerous, but they wil either fall to whispering with their next fellowes, or to laughing, or to frowning & outfacing the Preacher, or fall asleepe, or reade vponupon a booke, or go out of the Church: but such is our simplicity, that if one way be taken from vsus, we hauehave not another. The forcible working that is in outward signes & gestures of the body,The force of outward signes and gestures. with the setting or changing of the countenance, we may somewhat perceiue, if we consider, how the mouing of laughter doth not a litle embolden fooles, iesters, & mery cō ceited companions, still to feed that parties humor with iests & odde cō ceits whom he hath moued ther withall: & it is their glory whē they hauehave done, to tell how they made the Queene to laugh, or the Councell to laugh, or the graue Iudges, or such a great man, or such a one to laugh, or any one whō they would delight: & on the contrary there is no such cut or disgrace to the forenamed iesters, &c. as whē they perceiue no change or alteration of mens countenances at their fooleries: yea then are they quite done, as if a dampe had put out their light. And so much briefly may suffice for the cunning and wisedom of the wicked, working their feates by signes, with the vse that we may make thereof.
The fift point.Now last of all in a word let vsus but obserue the aptnesse of our nature to learne that which is euil. A word to a wise man (they say) is inough, but a winke (we see here) to a wicked man, is inough: for all our wisdom (naturally) is in sin. When we are children, we no sooner heare an oath, but we learne to sweare: we no sooner heare a lye, but we beleeue it: we no sooner heare a foolish tale, but it is our own. Yea in any euill custome, or practise, a winke, or a signe with the finger is inough: so wel doth our nature and such things agree together. But when the word of God is taught neuer so plainly, & the principles of true religiō proued neuer so soundly & strongly, by all the demonstrations in the world, we cannot learne, not beleeue,The pronenesse of men to euill, and vntowardnesse to learne the truth, is a great cause of Anti-christs aduancement. nor beare any thing away in comparison. And this towardnes & pronnesse vntounto euill & error, hath set vp the kingdom of Sathan & Antichrist in his throne: how many wold rise at midnight to go heare an idolatrous & blasphemous Masse, that wil not stir out of their dores in the day time to a fruitfull & comfortable Sermon? When Patriarches & Prophets came, mē had no list to heare thē, nor to folow thē, because they brought spirituall things which are not sauoured of flesh & bloud: but whē Anti-christ came, with a number of masking & mumming Masse Priests, in all glorious shew to the eye, with piping & singing, with belly cheare, with their Robinhoods, & morrice dances, & all their relegiō like a stage play, ful of carnal delights, & bewitching vanities, thē mē wold run, & heare, & follow, & thinke nothing too much, or too deare to vphold that filthy Sinagogue (or sinke rather) withal.Those that are apt to learne lies, shall be giuen ouer of God to beleeue lyes. Therfore whē mē were so apt to learne lyes, & so dull & vntoward to learne the truth, God gaue thē ouer to beleeue lies. Oh how many could then learne many lessons & praiers in Latin, whē they vnderstood not one word that they said, but might hauehave called for a curse aswell as for a blessing, & might say Amen to a praier made to the diuel aswel as made to God for ought they knew, which now can learne nothing for their soules health in English? Well, let vsus take heede that we continue not stil so vntoward to serue God, & to learne his most glorious will, least God giuegive vsus ouer againe in his iust iudgemēt to walke in ignorance,Mens inclination to popery maketh Papists and popery to grow. & to beleeue lies. Popery groweth apace in many places, & Papists are very bold: doubtlesse they see (it is to be feared) too much inclinatiō, & aptnes both in som teachers, & much of the people to receiue their Popish trash again, & that is the matter. Popish pictures shew thē selues in eueryevery shop, & street almost, & many think there is great deuotiō stirred vp by the sight of thē: yea they hope of a mery world towards. And doubtlesse the Papists cannot brew so fast, but (as they hope) others will be as ready to drinke. Well, the Lord in mercy looke vponupon vsus & our Christian gouernors, that we may be more & more forward & apt to the embracing, & setting forth of his holy truth & Gospell to our liues end.
Amen.
Now let vsus pray.