The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. A survey of the Mischiefs arising from Disputes, in reference to Civil Peace.
AND now sure we cannot but conclude our Contentions highly injurious to Christianity, that thus assault it both in the Practick and Theory: And indeed how fierce soever our quarrels are with one another, the heaviest blows are sure to fall on that, which as in its constitution is of the most Pacifick temper imaginable, so it has the common fate of reconcilers to suffer from all parties. But Godliness having the promise as well of this life as of that which is to come, it often happens that there is such a consent between our spiritual and secular Concerns, that the Mischiefs that oppress the one do reflect on the other: And indeed Religion when entire and united, is one of the best bonds of Civil as well as Ecclesiastical Peace, (as even those attest, who defying all other ends of it, do yet admit it a useful state Engine;) from whence 'tis consequent, that the distractions and divisions in that must have proportionably a contrary influence, and infect communities with Discord, Tumult and Disorders. And this is an effect with which I think not unfit to bring up the rear of the foregoing Mischiefs, it being not so purely Secular as not to suit our present subject; for outward order and unity can never be so innocently disturb'd, but that Christianity must be wounded in it also: And besides, it may perhaps obtain more consideration than the former, as being of a nature wherein the generality of men will think themselves the most concern'd; for though there be many that can look on the ruine both of Christian practice and profession, with Gallio's indifference, Acts 18. 17. and care for none of those things, yet when the siege draws closer, when they find themselves begirt in their worldly interests, and that the same Deluge that overwhelms Churches, may bear down Palaces also, perhaps they may think the matter not so contemptible. And first, as to the truth of the observation the World has too long groaned under the Experiment to need farther proof. That bitterness which first tainted the waters of the Sanctuary, hath from thence diffus'd its self into our common streams, and like the Aegyptian Plague, left none uncorrupted: For whether we look upon Families, Neighbourhoods, Kingdoms, any the least, or any the greatest Societies, we find the miserable Trophies of our holy Wars, in Factions and Confusions; I wish I could not say Rapine and Blood also. For the first of these, the domestick Jarrs caus'd by different Opinions, the Instances are numerous, or rather innumerable, which our own age and nation affords us. How many Servants have on this score been at defiance with their Masters? Children with their Parents? nay, Wives with their Husbands? Such an unhappy force is there in mistaken Zeal, that it dissolves the closest bonds, violates all obligations natural or civil, while under pretence of service to God, like the Pharisees Corban, it evacuates all duty to man; and this has made such ruptures and divisions in Families, that that delightful prospect the Psalmist so much commends, that of Brethrens dwelling together in unity, Psal. 133. is scarce any where to be met with; but instead of that, such rancor and bitterness, treachery and malice, as if men either mistook Christs prediction, Luke 12. 52. for a precept, or at least were willing to advance his Prophetick Office upon the ruine of his Kingly, and to verifie his praesage by breaking his command. And as the Oeconomical order and peace is thus disturb'd, so if he that misses quiet at home should seek for it abroad, he will soon find himself disappointed, and discern that as the societies grow greater, so do the disorders also, and that private Strifes do as much combine to make parties and factions, as Families do to make Cities and Corporations. By this means that mutual communication by which the Members of civil bodies should not only benefit one another, but secure the whole is interrupted, and men live not as neighbours but spies, always upon designs of Entrapping and Ensnaring, for while they look on one another as enemies to God, they think that rescinds all obligations of friendship among themselves, and when Religion bears the Standard, the War will be concluded necessary and honourable. But though it be so in imagination only, 'tis sure there are some, who make it really profitable; for as in most Camps, the greater Number are attracted rather by hope of booty than concern for the cause; so here, many men list themselves under one Party, that they may have pretence to prey upon the rest. And to that End several very commodious Axioms have been taken up. As that no faith is to be kept with Hereticks; that Dominion is founded in Grace, &c. by such measures as these the goods of the Aegyptians become lawful prizes to any, that please to call themselves Israelites; and indeed Iews they may be call'd in that notion we vulgarly use it of unjust and cruel extortioner: But sure not such Israelites as Christ defines Nathaniel, Io. 1. 47. without guile: For having thus consecrated their frauds, and found an expedient of serving God and Mammon together, there is no piece of deceit either too big, or too little for them; no transaction so important, which can oblige their fidelity; none so trivial as to discourage their rapine: Opportunity is the only measure and rule of their attempts, by this means no Obligation of Contract, no Laws of Commerce can escape unviolated, every thing is lawful that may weaken the wicked, and that zeal which makes men Saints in the Church or Conventicle, can make them Thieves in the Shop or Market. Thus is Piety made an Engine of rapine, and by these religious riots, all boundaries wherewith Laws or Equity have fenc'd mens distinct properties, are thrown down: And sure this is a most carnal consequent of our spiritual debates, and bids fair towards the reducing us to that state of common Hostility, which some have phancied to be the Original condition of mankind: For it renders commerce so dangerous, that men may within a while think it safer to trust their own strengths, than to the shelter of those Laws and Civil compacts, which they see so avowedly evacuated. And upon this account, though the Injury be immediately done to private persons, it becomes a publick mischief: Yet alas, these are but the more moderate effects of our Dissentions; they afford more expedite and compendious ways of publick ruine; the defrauding or undermining of a few Neighbours, are petty prizes for those that think they have the sole right to the Creature, and are those Meek who are to inherit the Earth, and every such acquest only serves to flesh them for a farther chase. The spoils of a broken Kingdom will afford something worth the scrambling for: And nothing more fit to break it than a pretence of Religion, which like the stone that smote Nebuchadnezzars Image, has shivered the most goodly Monarchies. And accordingly, we see no Engine is more constantly us'd by men of Seditious spirits, to disturb and subvert Governments: Indeed there can be nothing so advantageously fitted for the purpose. For should such persons unmask their design, and shew it in its native ugliness, should they avow the shaking of a Kingdom meerly to establish themselves in a condition of wealth and grandeur, the new moulding of a Government only that they might shape their own shares in it, 'twere impossible they should find any abettors; for though the multitude are always in preparation for change, yet 'tis not on Intuition of benefit to some private persons, but of somewhat wherein themselves may partake: Nor is even the madness of the people mad enough, to expose all their own interest, and most important concerns only to promote those of others. It has therefore always been both the rule and practice for such designers to suborn the publick interest to countenance and cover their private; to cry up Diana to secure their own gain, and to make the seduced Populacy like the Iackeal to the Lion, hunt that prey which themselves mean to devour. And of all those artifices by which such Incendiaries have set Kingdoms in a flame, none has been more universally succesful than the praetext of Religion, which is thought so creditable a cause to engage in, as can convert the infamous titles of Rebel and Traitor into those of Patriot and Saint, and consequently, take off all discouragement arising from the disreputation of such an enterprize: And no less potent is it in solving the scruples of its unlawfulness; for by a dexterous anticipation, it makes Conscience a party, that it may exclude it from being judge, and by that one fallacy of supposing Religion to be a just ground of quarrel, make way for all the wild consequences deducible from that false principle: And indeed where that is throughly fastned, the mischiefs are not only great but incurable, & yet the more so by how much the person is more zealous. For alas, what will it avail to tell such a man, 'tis a sin to fight against his King: when he will tell you 'tis a greater not to fight for his God: That he contracts a heinous guilt in violating the peace of the Church, when he with as great confidence believes, he merits in propagating its truth. That he is accountable for the bloud of his Brethren; when he thinks he has like the Levites, Ex. 32. consecrated himself in it, and offer'd it an acceptable sacrifice to God. Thus unhappily are these men fortified in their sin, by presuming it their Vertue, and while the furious zeal of such is made subservient to the wicked craft of others, 'tis a most apt instrument of publick Mischief, there being no attempt so desperate, which such may not be put upon, who are methinks us'd as Hanibal is said to have done those Oxen, whose horns he first fired, and then sent them to disturb the Roman camp: These men as those beasts are found very useful for the molesting of others; but commonly all they acquire to themselves, is the smart of their own flames. Few of those who thus in the simplicity of their heart follow an Absolom or a Sheba, that do not either miscarry together with the design, or else live to discern how much their credulity was abused; and that both religion (however pretended) and those that fought for it, were only made properties to promote the lusts of those who despised both. But 'tis unnecessary to insist farther on the effects of such religious Fury, of which we of this Nation have had so many and so costly evidences, as far transcend the most tragical descriptions. God grant we may never have other than our past experiences to measure them by: But certainly there is little reason to be secure, so long as the root of them, our speculative differences daily encrease; for unless we could suppose an Age of such innocence, that there should be none who would take and undue Advantages, 'tis sure there will be enough given: And indeed when we reflect upon our past Distractions, and consider how trivial the matter of most of those Debates was, whose manner has been so cruelly solemn; how our slightest problemes have been writ in bloud, that many Thousands have been made naked to keep the Surplice off a few mens backs, and we have pulled down our Churches in displeasure at the windows, when I say these and a Thousand the like are considered, we must conclude that there can never want Occasion to them that (in the Apostles Phrase) desire Occasion. The lightest distempers in the Chuch being contagious, and most apt (when fomented by ambitious designers) to beget an universal Plague in the Common-wealth. And now who can without horror consider these miserably perverted effects of Christian Religion, that that which was design'd the most inviolable bond of unity, should like those curles of entangled snakes with which Erinnys is said to have infuriated Athemas and Ino, become the fatal incendiary of the mortallest hatred. That that Oeconomy which was meant to regulate, should be the Instrument of confounding and embroyling the World; and a Gospel of Peace should thus be made the Incentive to war, and create fiercer quarrels than those it was to have compos'd. To turn the Grace of God into wantonness, is justly branded as a great Crime, but sure to turn it into malice is yet a greater. And though every sin offers violence to our religion, yet this is of all others the most barbarous, thus to make it Assassinate its self, become a kind of Felo de se, and contribute to its own ruine. And that this is the case, is I presume sufficiently evident in all the foregoing instances, which as they are most obviously the effect of our eager Disputes, so are they no less visibly destructive to Christianity in all its interests, leaves it neither root nor branch, neither inward Vigor, nor outward Luster; so at once rendring it both unfertile and unamiable. 'Twas a piece of hostile Severity against Moab, to fill the land with stones, thereby to render it barren, 2 King. 3. 25. The slingers went about, and smote it: but what that suffered from profest Enemies, the Church daily sustains rom those that call themselves her best friends. Our Benjamites are so in love with their skill of slingling to a hairs breadth, their nice Criticisms, Distinctions, and Subtilties, have cast abroad so many stones of contention, that the Church is become perfect quarry, utterly steril and unfruitful, as to all those good works for the production whereof, she was so peculiarly fenced and cultivated by God; nay, 'twere well if barrenness were the worst, and that she had not on the other side acquir'd an unhappy degenerous fertility: But what a numerous and accursed Issue spring from this unpeaceable temper, the foregoing considerations do too sadly demonstrate; and I doubt not every attentive Observer will be able to add more (though not truer) Instances; and besides to discern that this spurious brood like that of Hagar is grown so wantonly insolent as to despise the right heir of the Promise. The true Gospel Graces of Meekness, Peaceableness and universal Charity are accounted Earthy phlegmatick qualities, we disclaim that Holy Ghost which descends in the appearance of the Dove, nay or in fire either, unless it be like that of Elijah, to consume all that disgust us. Nor do we measure our Religion so much, by the opposition it makes to our lusts, as to those whom we first make, and then call our enemies. Thus miserably have we changed the Scene, and by calling evil good, and good evil, have accumulated injuries upon our oppressed Christianity, not only rob'd it of its rule, but of its reputation also. And do we daily thus see Ishmael mocking Isaac, and shall we not think it time to cast out the Bond-woman and her Son? shall we for ever cherish this generation of Vipers to tear out the bowels of our common Mother? I pray God the Question have not as much of praesage as expostulation. For if we consider the present state of things, how our contentions plead not only right but prescription, there seems not much hope of dispossessing them, and yet less, when 'tis remembred, how they have entwisted themselves, not only with the passions, but interests of men; two such potent Abettors as will buoy up the most forlorn cause. The truth is, there are many subterraneous springs which feed this Ocean, and though religion and piety be on all hands demurely pretended, yet as we have seen the effects of our debates very disconsonant to such a Profession; so if we examine the originals and causes, we shall find them for the most part as widely distant. It may not be amiss to take a short view of some of them; for though I cannot hope the discovery of the Causes will contribute to the general cure, yet perhaps it may prove Antidote to some particular persons, who will be the less apt to admire the verdure of the leaves (the flourishing appearances of zeal and piety) when they find both fruit and root of so poisonous a quality.