Four Treatises Dissuading from Four Heinous and Common Sins, Treatise 3 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. The ſins of the people indanger the Common-wealth.
AS when the great bodie of the Common-wealth is throughlie purged from the noiſome dregs of ſinne,§. Sect. 1. The ſins of the people cauſe the land to vomit out her inhabitants. wherewith it is oppreſſed and ſurcharged, it ſucketh plentifully, and as it were with a good appetite, Gods liberall gifts and bleſſings like wholeſome food, the which it diſtributeth to all the particular members thereof, for their nouriſhment and preſeruation: ſo contrariwiſe when theſe groſſe humours of iniquitie and corruption do ſuperabound, and are not purged either by the repentance of the offenders, or the due execution of iudgement, and inflicting of deſerued puniſhment vponupon thoſe who ſtubbornly perſiſt in their wickedneſſe; it hath no power or facultie to receiue Gods benefits, or to communicate them vntounto the people for their ſuſtenance and reliefe. Yea rather it waxing eueryevery day more ſicke, partly with the intolerable waight of ſinne, and partly being depriued of the comfortable beames of Gods louelove and fauour; like a ſicke bodie ouerburthened with crude and corrupted humours it ſeeketh to eaſe it ſelfe; and becauſe the people will by no meanes be cleanſed from their ſinne, the countrie laboureth to cleanſe it ſelfe, both of it and them, and ſpueth out all his inhabitants, that together with them it may be disburthened of their corruptions.
Now amongſt all other ſinnes wherewith the land is defiled,§. Sect. 2. Magiſtrates and Miniſters muſt ioyne their forces in ſuppreſſing whoredome. and the ſtomacke of the common-wealth ſo ſurcharged, that it can no otherwiſe eaſe it ſelfe, but by vomiting out all the inhabitants, the ſinnes of vncleannes doe hold the chiefe place. And therefore as it behooueth the Magiſtrates in zeale for Gods glorie, and in louelove to their countrie,Leuit. 18.25.27.28. to draw out the ſword of iuſtice for the puniſhment of theſe ſinnes, that hereby they may preuent the ſword of Gods vengeance, which otherwiſe will puniſh the whole land; and to purge the countrie, either by reforming the faultie, or inflicting on them deſerued puniſhment; ſo alſo it becommeth Gods faithfull Miniſters to aſſiſt the ſword of the Magiſtrate with the ſword of the ſpirit; and as he reſtraineth them from theſe ſinnes for feare of temporall puniſhment, ſo they are to labour that they may abſtaine from them for conſcience ſake, euen then when as in reſpect of their cloſe acting of their vncleanneſſe they are ſecured from all danger of the law.
In conſideration whereof,§. Sect. 3. That our land is exceedingly defiled with whoredome. I thought it my dutie (being called to this function, and appointed by the Lord to bee a watchman to tell the people of their ſinnes) to ſpeake and write againſt theſe filthie vices of whoredome and vncleannes; and that the rather, becauſe ſinnes of this kind, in theſe latter times are exceedingly increaſed in this our countrie. And howſoeuer the grand ſinckes and filthie ſewers of the land, the common ſteues, which heretofore were to the ſhame of religion either licenſed or tolerated, are now by the laudable care of our Magiſtrates taken away, ſo as our countrie is not ſo noyſome through the confluence of the common filth, nor the vncleanneſſe ſo great an eyeſore, becauſe it doth not as in former times lie open to publike view; yet the filthineſſe of our people is not cleane purged with the cleare ſtreames of true repentance; but rather the common ſincke is deuided into many filthie channels which runne ſecurely into priuate houſes, and make euerie corner noyſom and infectious, eſpecially in the outparts and ſuburbs of our greateſt cities. And though the common peſt bee eaſed and emptied of theſe perſons infected with ye contagious plague of vncleaneſſe, yet the danger is neuer the leſſe, ſeeing they are not cured of their diſeaſes, but onelyonly remooued and ſcattered in the garden houſes; where they lie hid from thoſe onelyonly which ſhould reforme or puniſh them, and not from thoſe who may be infected or corrupted by them: yea in truth the perill is hereby accidentally increaſed, becauſe the contagion is diſperſed into many places; into which many of our people vnwittingly reſorting are infected at vnawares, and fall into the ſecret ambuſhments of theſe filthie harlots when they leaſt ſuſpect any danger: and thoſe who are ill diſpoſed hauehave no leſſe free acceſſe to theſe places, then they formerly had to the common ſtewes, and with leſſe feare of ſhame, or note of infamie, becauſe their haunt is now more ſecret and vnſuſpected. So that theſe vnſauorie ſinckes are onelyonly ſtirred in, but not cleanſed; and theſe corrupt humours in the bodie of our State, are onelyonly a little mooued, but not remooued and purged away.
And this commeth to paſſe,§. Sect. 4. The cauſes why whoredome ſo aboundeth. not onelyonly becauſe wee being in our owne natures too too corrupt, hauehave this corruption much increaſed by the example of forraine countries, into which our youth trauelling, learne their vices ſooner then their language, and leauing the fragrant flowers of their vertues vntouched, doe beetle-like ſucke in the dung of their corruptions; but alſo becauſe the minds of our people continue ſtill ſomewhat ſowred with the leauen of the popiſh doctrine and practiſe, which paſſe ouer theſe ſinnes of vncleannes as being ſlips of youth, and but veniall faults of ſlight regard, which may be clenſed and done away by auricular confeſſion, and the vndergoing of ſome ſmall penance at the prieſts appointment, who is oftentimes more faulty and filthie then themſelues. And to theſe we may adde the too great mildnes of our lawes, which impoſe ouer light puniſhments vponupon theſe hainous ſinnes; as the ſtanding in a white ſheete, or at moſt a few ſtripes with a whip, which notwithſtanding is oftentimes not inflicted, partly through the careleſnes or conniuencie of Magiſtrates, and partly through the negligence or corruption of vnderunder officers; or elſe at leaſt is turned from a perſonall puniſhment, which ſhould be for the example of others, into a penall or purſe mulct, which for the moſt part is conuerted to their owne vſe who doe impoſe it.
And yet I will not denie that though wee hauehave many corruptions in this kinde, both amongſt the offenders,§. Sect. 5. The popiſh crew moſt culpable of this ſin. and alſo the puniſhers; our State neuertheleſſe is much better then it is in other places vnderunder the gouernment of the whore of Babylon, the Antichriſt of Rome; where ſtewes are publikely erected and tollerated: for much better and more pardonable for the land it is, when ſinne lurketh in ſecret corners, then when it dare ſhew it ſelfe in the open ſtreets, without feare or ſhame; when through careleſnes it is not ſeene, then when it is tollerated and impiouſlie maintained, when it is not puniſhed through negligence or corruption of ſome few, then when the whole State doth countenance it, and maketh it ſecure by giuing vntounto it a patent of impunitie.
On the other ſide,§. Sect. 6. VVe are not to be excuſed though we be not ſo bad as the Papiſts. we muſt needs grant that our ſtate is not yet ſound, though we be not ſo deſperately diſeaſed; and that we are not in good caſe, when as wee bee not drenched and diued into the loweſt bottom of ſinne and condemnation: for in reſpect of the meanes which God hath long plentifully affoorded vsus, wee ought to hauehave brought forth farre better fruites then thoſe that want them; and hauing long inioyed the bright ſunſhine of the Goſpell which hath cleerelie diſcouered the workes of darkeneſſe, wee ſhould walke like children of light, and not ſtill remaine in the ſhadow of death with thoſe vntounto whom this light neuer ſhined, vnleſſe we will make our condemnation more fearefull then theirs, when as our knowledge doth ſerue for no other vſe but to aggrauate our ſinne.
And therefore let vsus ſtriue to goe as farre before others in a godlie life, as we are aduanced aboue them in Gods ſpirituall priuiledges, labour to keepe our bodies much more pure and vndefiled, as from all other ſins, ſo eſpecially from theſe polluting ſinnes of whoredome and vncleanneſſe, that we may preſent them holy and vnblameable at the great day of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, when hee ſhall come in glorie and power to iudge both quick and dead.