A Preparative to Contention, Book · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
The mal-contented Papiſt, his practiſe, purpoſe, and daily expectation, how he muſt be pacified.
THe maleuolent diſpoſition of the trayterous limbes of Gog; lurking heere in ſecret (as the curſed Cham, betweene Shem and Iaphet) is ſuch,Gen. 9 25. Iud. 14.15. and 16.5. that with the Philiſtines, they doo not only plough with Samſons Cowe, to finde out Samſons riddle, but alſo do labour to perſwade Dalila, to ſearch out the ſtrength of Samſon, to ſhaue off his hairy lockes, and to betray him into the hands of his mortall enemies. VnderUnder a cloake of ciuill obedience,Mat. 22.21. Ioh. 19.12. they pretende Caeſars wealth; but yet,Brutus and Caſſius were the chiefe conſpirators and murderers of Iuli-Caeſar, but Octauius reuenged it on them. Plutarch. Sueton. Luk. 19.14. Gen. 29.41. reteining in heart their inueterated malice againſt the Religion, gouernment, and the ſtate of Caeſar, they do with Brutus and Caſsius contriue ſhrewd matters, not conſidering, that God (when it ſhall pleaſe him) will raiſe vp an Octauius, to reward them in the ende. But this thing being leaſt thought on (whatſoeuer they ſhew) they like & louelove Caeſar, as they did their lawful Lord, who ſent a meſſage after him, ſaying: VVee will not hauehave this man to raigne ouer vsus. And their louelove and affection towards their brethrē, wel reſēbleth that of Eſau towards his brother Iaacob, who wiſhed for his fathers funeralls, that he might be reuenged on Iaacob his natural brother. To effect and haſten all theſe matters,2. Sam. 15. Abſolon with his faire flattering tongue, beginneth to ſteale away the hearts of the people from Dauid their lawfull King. Achitophel with his craft & ſubtiltie, is ready to counſel vnthriftily, the high Prieſts offer largely, and finally, Iudas Iſcarioth is the man (or rather the diuell) which is appointed the executioner of this tragedie, and he (for his owne filthie lucre) intendeth to betray his liege Lorde (yet with a kiſſe, vnderunder a ſhewe of louelove and friendſhippe) into the high prieſts handes, to bee crucified. This is that they gape for, this is their expected Iubelie and golden day, wherein they determine as bloud-thirſtie butchers, to embrew their ſeruile handes in ſoueraigne and innocent bloud: and thereupon to become prickes in out eyes, whippes to our ſides, ſcourges to their owne Nation, and deſtructions to themſelues, and their own mothers children. Theſe bee (indeede) the fruites of their holie vowes and religious profeſsion! With theſe and ſuche high pointes of diuellſh ſeruice, they adulate their moſt holie father, and thinke that therein they pleaſe the moſt high God, and merite to themſelues eternall life.
Zopirus.Zopirus the Perſian (as Herodote reporteth it) though an Heathen man, was contented to ſuſtaine the cutting off, of his noſe, his eares, and his lips, to further the enterpriſe of his liege Lorde Darius, againſt proude Babilon: the like (in a manner) is ſaid of that famous Vliſſes, Vliſſes apud Homer.for the behoofe of his Countrey men againſt the Troyans: But theſe perſons, being enemies to God, rebelles againſt their Prince, and falſe Traytours to their owne Nation, are preſt and readie,Dolon Verg. li. 12. Aeneid. Pſal. 137. rather with Dolon the Troyan, to betray all, and with the diſſembling Edomites to prouoke the enemies of Iſrael againſt Iſrael, (when an opportunitie ſhall bee offered them) then to ſuſtaine anie loſſe, or to do any good for any of them all.
The Papiſt his obedience.2. Albeit theſe craftie Foxes ſo long as they be tyed in Chaines, ſeeme familiar and tame: yet let them once catch an opportunitie of eſcape, and they runne with all haſte to the wood againe. And although theſe rauening Wolues being faſt haltered to the tree, can counterfayt the little ſchollers in the Schoole,Obedientia vulpina, & lupina, non columbina. and learne to ſpell P.a.pā.t.e.r, tēr: yet when they ſhall ſee the harmeleſſe Lambes leaping within their reache, they will quite forget to ioyne ſillables, and to ſay pater: but they will crie out, Agni, Agni, Lambes, Lambes, and catch them for their praie.
Iſa. 29.15.But woe vntounto them (ſaith the Prophet) that ſeek deepe to hide their counſelles from the Lord: for their workes are in darkeneſſe, and they ſay, who ſeeth vsus? and who knoweth vsus? your turning (in your deuiſes) ſhall it not bee eſteemed, but as the Potters claye, and that within a verie ſhort time? Yea, I doubt not, but that the Lord wil ſo work, that they ſhall be, (as they hauehave bin heretofore) preuented of their bloudy purpoſe, by this, that the Lord our God will perſwade Samſon to take theſe Foxes,Iudg. 15.4. and to tye fier-brandes to their tayles, and to ſende them home to the ſpoyle of theſe vncircumciſed Philiſtines: that thereby they may feele the force of that fierie lawe.Deut. 33.2. Iudg. 15.16. For one Samſon (one true Nazarite, hauing the aſsiſtance of Gods ſpirite) ſhall do more with the ſeelie Iawe-bone of an Aſſe, then a thouſande of thoſe vncircumciſed Philiſtines, with all their worldly power, fleſhly deuiſes, and diuelliſh practiſes. Neither ſhall their deuiſes proſper, ſo long as God is with vsus, as to whome the Prophet ſaieth in the name of the Lorde:Iſa. 8.10. Breake downe (O ye people) and yee ſhall be broken downe: hearken to, all ye of farre Countries: Muſter ye, and ye ſhall be broken downe: Prepare ye, and ye ſhall be torne in peeces. Take your counſell togither, yet ſhall your counſell come to nought: determine the mattter, yet ſhall it not proſper: for God is with vsus.
And if that the horribleneſſe of our owne ſinnes, and a generall Apoſtaſie from the Lorde,We are to beware that our owne ſins occaſiō not our enemies to triumph ouer vsus. prouoke not his iuſtice to a deadly hatred of vsus and our liues (as the tranſgreſsions of Ephraim and Iuda, before the Babilonicall captiuitie prouoked him, (which the good Lorde in his merciemercy forbid) the *Ruſticus expectat d… defluit …Ruſtick may gape long inough for the ſtaie of the ſtreame, which yet will runne without fainting.Iſa. 29.9. Rom. 10.19. So let them wayte (beeing prouoked to enuie by them that feare God, and that liue in true obedience to his Annointed) vntil their ſpightfull eyes fall out, theyr yearning bowelles breake, and their faynt ſoules be ſwallowed vp with vaine dreames and friuolous expectations. In the meane time, let them not imagine, that their cloſe iuglings in hucker-mucker,Iſa. 29.16. can couer their treacherous deuiſes and conſpiracies from the Lord, when hee ſeeth all: nor can bleare the eyes of his Annoynted, when Eliſha deciphereth all: nor may couch that in ſecrecie from the ſight of all men, when they themſelues (much lyke vntounto them which daunce in nets) demonſtrate all.
It is more hard to root them out, then it is to finde them out.3 Though Caeſar ſayde of the Scythians, that it was an harder thing to finde them out, then to vanquiſh them: yet of theſe may we ſay, it is nothing ſo difficile to finde them out (notwithſtanding their great diſsimulation and monſtruous hypocriſie,) as it is to roote them out, or to expel them. For as the Iebuſites preſumed to dwell with the children of Iuda in Hieruſalem, Ioſua 15.63.and the inhabitants of Hieruſalem could not caſt them out from among them: ſo preſume theſe Gogites to inhabit amōg the true ſubiects, and are ſo friended and fauoured, ſo rooted and eſtabliſhed, as they cannot eaſily be expelled and caſt out. Howbeit, whether they be in preferment before many others, as Hamā was in the Court of Ahaſueroſh, or bee put vnderunder tribute, as the Canaanites were vnderunder the children of Manaſſes and the Ephramites, How to know them.they may eaſily be diſcerned (as I ſaid) and that partly by their faces, and partly by their languages, beſides their common practiſes, in like ſort as the trees are knowne by their leaues and fruits. For firſt their cankred hearts cannot but yeelde forth at time and times ſuch a countenance as Cayn ſometime expreſſed towards Abel his brother,Gen. 4. when the Lorde ſaid to him: VVhy art thou angry? and why is thy countenance abated? If thou doeſt well, ſhalt thou not receiue? and if thou doſt euil, lieth not thy ſinne at the doore (to be ſeene?) The Samaritanes knewe that Chriſt was a Iewe by his face, which was full bent towardes Ieruſalem.Luk. 9.53. But on the other ſide, we know theſe Gogites to be not Iewes, not true Chriſtians, but bond men to Pharao, and captiues to Nabucadnezar, by that that their faces are not bent towardes the land of Canaan, nor towards Ieruſalem, but they looke backeward towards Egypt, and towardes Babilon, as ſuch as rather louelove bondage before freedome, & captiuitie before redemption. And that ſome which hauehave beene happily drawen from thence againſt their wils (as thoſe Iewes who hauing libertie granted them to returne home with Zorobabel, did ſet the land of the liuing at naught) they doo yet looke with ſterne faces and eager countenances againſt their brethren, and waite but for paſports to be ſent packing. And ſurely an happie thing were it for the right Iſraelites, if they were once gathered and caſt out, being as noyſome to the true ſubiects as ſtones, brambles, and buſhes, in the Lordes vineyard,Iſay 5. and as tares that grow in the field among the corne.
4. Beſides this, they decipher themſelues by their tongues: for when they ſhould ſay Schibboleth, they ſay Sibboleth, & their languages be mixt with Aſdod, Iudg. 12.6. 2. Eſr. 13.24.Ammon, and Moab, neither are they able pronounce in the right Iewiſh language. Whereas the talking of the right Chriſtian is wiſedome,Eccle. 27.11.13. their talk is abhomination, for thereby they endeuour to prophane the glorie of the Goſpel, to blemiſh the credit of the Lords annointed, and to corrupt the manners of the true ſubiects. By the which our moſt noble ſoueraigne Princeſſe is iuſtly mooued to complaine of them, as Moſes did of thoſe old Iſraelites, ſaying: I know thy rebellion, and thy ſtiffe necke, while I am yet aliue with you this day, ye hauehave beene diſobedient to the Lord, and how much more will ye be diſobedient after my death? Such (indeede) are they founde to be, and knowne well to be, howſoeuer they change their ſuits to dazle mens eyes, of whom we may beware, for whiles they be not expelled, by their vnhappie example and leauen of vngodlineſſe, many ſimple ſoules laden with ſin, ſtand ſuſpenſiue in the matters of religion: & others make queſtion, whether it were better for them, either to lurke at home in hope of longer life,Verg. or elſe with Achilles to batter the walles of proude Troy in the ieopardie of life. Others think, that though Nabucadnezzar which captiued them, is cruell and greeuous to be ſerued, yet hee which commeth after him (namely Baltſazar) may be a bon companion for their purpoſe.2. Cor. 39.22 And all the whiles they conſider not that God will ſtirre vp Cyrus the Perſian to inuade proude Babilon, and to deſtroy Baltſazar with al his laſciuious concubines, and carnall companions. Neither is there any wiſedome, ſtrength,The deſire of the true Proteſtant, for the pacification of thoſe papiſts. counſell or policie againſt the Lord God. To ſtriue againſt God is to labor againſt the ſtreame.
5. Oh that the Lord would yet perſwade them as he did Iaphet, to dwell and ſerue gladly with good contentation within the happie Tabernacle of Shem. Oh that he would either in his iuſtice extirpate and roote out all cankered Cananites from his vineyard,Gen. 9.27. Mark. 7.26 or that he would grant them grace in time to reuert and repent with the Syropheniſſan, and quiet their giddie heades, if not for any louelove to the Lord and his annointed, yet (at the leaſt) for feare of that fearefull lot which he caſteth forth for their choyſe and heauie portion which will not repent. Oh that the learned and wiſe magiſtrates in the commonwealth, and the faithful paſtors in the church, wold both ioyne together, duly to obſerue, rightly to detect, and timely to expel theſe blaſphemous Gogites, that the glory of the ſon of God be not derogated, & the ſafetie of his annointed bee not endangered through the peſtilent practiſes of ſuch troubleſome tares, neither that the ſounde ſheepe bee infected through the contagion of ſcabbed Goates.
This is Solomons counſaile, or rather the aduiſe of the holy ghoſt in ſuch a caſe.Cant. 2.5. Get vsus the foxes (and to teach that this muſt be done betimes, yer much hurt be done, he ſaith againe) yea the little foxes that hurt the vines. Alſo Paul perceiuing that certain falſe Apoſtles were crept in among the Galathians whom hee had now long time taught in the truth of the Goſpel, and that they had corrupted the pured doctrine to the offence of the church,Gal. 5.12. Mar. 9.43. hee preſcribed them this medicine. VVould to God (ſaid he) they were cut off which diſquiet you. And our ſauiour teacheth. If thy right hand hinder thee, cut it off and caſt it from thee. Such a thing reſpecteth the Poet.
VVith knife cut off (diſpairing cure) the foiſtred ſore:Immedicabile vulnus Eaſe recidendum, ne pars ſyncera trahatur.
That it thoſe partes which yet are ſound, may hurt no more.
In this buſines, if both the magiſtrate and the miniſter ſhall be negligent, yet will the higheſt of all come downe to viſit his Church, and ſend deliuerance to the ſame by ſome other meanes (as Mardochai ſaid to Heſter) when they and their families ſhall no be holden guiltleſſe.Heſt. 4.14.