The Mischiefs of Self-Ignorance, Part 17
2. THE ſecond extrinſical Hinderance of ſelf-knowledge, is, Proſperity and the Flattery that uſually attendeth it. The one diſpoſeth men to be deceived, and the other putteth the hood over their eyes, and tells them the falſhoods which deceive them.
When men proſper in the world, their …inds are lifted up with their eſtates; and …hey can hardly believe that they are in…eed ſo ill while they feel themſelves ſo …ell; and that ſo much miſery is joyned with …o much content and pleaſure. They cannot …aſte the bitterneſs of their ſin, and Gods diſpleaſure, while the ſweetneſs of worldly de…ghts & honours is in their mouths. The Rich …an in Luk. 16. its like would have given … man but an unwelcome entertainment, …hat had come to tell him that within a few days or years he ſhould lie in hell, and not …e able to get a drop of water to cool his …ongue! What need we doubt of that, when his five Brethren that he left on earth behind him, would not be perſwaded (to know their danger of thoſe flames, and to uſe the neceſſary means to ſcape them) though one had come to them from the dead! Luk. 16.31. You plead againſt their feeling, when you tell them of their miſery, when they feel proſperity: Their fleſhly appetite and ſenſe, which is in them the reigning faculty, doth tell them they are well and happy: and that which muſt confute this, and tell them they are miſerable, muſt be an inward ſenſe of the ſin and diſeaſes of their ſouls, and a foreſeeing Faith that muſt look before the… unto eternity, and fetch its proofs fro… the word of God, and fetch its motive from another world: And alas, they hav… no ſuch inward ſenſe, nor no ſuch Faith … can prevail againſt their their ſenſual feel…ing. And therefore it is a matter of lamen…table difficulty to make a proſpering ſinne… well acquainted with his miſery. He … drunken with fleſhly pleaſures and con…tentments: And when the drink is in a mans head, you can hardly make him ſenſi…ble of his miſery, though he be a beggar or a priſoner, or were to die within a week▪ The Devil is therefore willing to reach hi… ſervants as full a cup of proſperity as h… can, that their drunkenneſs may keep them from the true uſe of their reaſon; Fo… if they once come to themſelves, they wil… come home to God. When miſery brought the Prodigal to himſelf, he reſolveth preſently of going to his Father, Luk. 15. The buſtle of his worldly buſineſs, and the chattering vain diſcourſe, that is in his ears, and the mirth and ſport that takes him up, will not allow him ſo much of reaſon as ſeriouſly to conſider of his ſouls condition. Alas, when poor men, that muſt labour all day for food, and …ayment, can find ſome time for ſerious converſe with God and with their Conſciences; the Great ones of the world have …o ſuch leiſure: How many are going …pace towards Hell, and ſay they cannot …ave while to bethink themſelves what …ay they are in, or whether it is that they are going! That which they have all their time for, they have no time for, becauſe they have no hearts for it. Proſperity doth ſo pleaſe their fleſh, that they can give no heed to conſcience or to reaſon: It doth ſo charm their minds, and enſlave their wills to ſenſe and appetite, that they cannot abide to be ſo Melancholy is to prepare for death and judgement, or to conſider ſeriouſly how this will reliſh with them at the end: nor ſcare to remember that they are men, that ſhould rule their ſenſes, and be ruled by God, and that have another life to live.
And as Proſperity in it ſelf is ſo great a Hinderance to the knowledge of your ſelves, ſo Flatterers that are the flies of ſummer, are always ready to blow upon the proſperous, and increaſe the danger. What miſerable men are extolled as wiſe and virtuous and Religious, if they be but Rich and Great! Their vices are masked, or duplicate page duplicate page extenuated, and made but little human frailties: Though they were ſwiniſh glut…tons or drunkards, or filthy fornicator… or meer fleſh-pleaſing ſenſual bruits, tha… waſte moſt of their lives in eaſe and ſports and eating and drinking and ſuch delights yet with their flatterers all theſe ſhall g… for prudent, pious, worthy perſons, if they can but ſeek when they have done, to mock God and their conſciences with ſom… lip-ſervice and lifeleſs carcaſs of Religion▪ O happy men if God would judge of them as their flatterers do; and would make a… ſmall a matter of their wickedneſs, and as great a matter of their out-ſide Hypocritical heartleſs worſhip! But they muſt be greater then men or Angels, and higher then either earth or Heaven, before God will flatter them. When they can make him afraid of their high looks or threatnings, or when they can him put in Hope of riſing by their preferment, then they may look that he ſhould comply with their paraſites, and complement with his enemies, and juſtifie the ungodly; but not till then. O did they conſider, how little flattery doth ſecure them, and how little the Judge of all the world regards their worldly pompe and ſplendor, yea how greatly …heir greatneſs doth aggravate their ſin and …iſery, they would frown their flatterers out …f doors, and call for plain and faithful deal…s. Of all the miſeries of worldly greatneſs, …is is not the leaſt, that uſually ſuch want …e neceſſary bleſſing of a glaſs that will …uly ſhew them their faces; of a friend at …and that will deal plainly, and juſtly with their ſouls. Who tells them plainly of the odiouſneſs, and bitter fruits of ſin? and of the wrath of God and endleſs miſery? How few ſuch true and faithful friends have they? and what wonder! when it is a carnal inducement that draweth men to follow them: It it is their wealth and honour, and their power to do men good or hurt in outward things, that makes their friends: They are attended by theſe flies and waſps, becauſe they carry the honeypot which they love: And God ſaith to his followers, Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world: If any man Love the world, the Love of the Father is not in him, 1 Joh. 2.15. And it is for Love of worldly things (even the luſt of the fleſh, the luſt of the eye, and pride of life, &c. which are not of the Father, but of the world, 1 Joh. 2.16.) it is for theſe that great men have their friends and followers for the moſt part: And therefore it is plain that the worſt ſort of men are ordinaril… their friends; For thoſe are the wor… men, that have not the Love of the Fathe… in them, but are the friends of the world and therefore the enemies of God, Jam… 4.4. And the beſt, though fit to be thei… trueſt friends, are ſeldom their followers as knowing that the attractive of th… ſenſual world, is a ſhaddow unfit to deceiv… thoſe that are acquainted with its vanity… and a ſnare unfit to take thoſe that hav… obſerved how Satan laies and baits the trap… and how they have ſped that have been taken in it. A deſpiſed Chriſt that hath the words of eternal life, is much more followed by men that have the heavenly reliſh. Such gracious ſouls whoſe appetites are not corrupted by the creature and their ſickneſſes, have more mind to flock after a ſpiritual and powerful meſſenger of Chriſt, that talkes to them of his Kingdom and the Righteouſneſs thereof, which they firſt ſeek, then to gape after the preferment and vain glory of proſperity. Chriſt that deſpiſed the offer of all the Kingdoms and Glory of the world, (Mat 4.8, 9.) doth teach his followers to deſpiſe them.
Seeing then the ordinary attendants of … proſperous, are the worſt of men, that … themſelves, and are purveying for the …ſh, what wonder if they be flatterers, …hat have neither skill nor will to ſpeak …at unpleaſing language of reproof, that …ould make the proſperous know themſelves! Oh how ſeldom (or never) do they hear, …hat the poor can hear from every mouth! …f a man of low degree be wicked, or offend, its enemy dare tell him of it, and his friend dare tell him of it, and his angry neighbour … companion will be ſure to tell him of it, and they dare tell him frequently till he amend, and tell him plainly, and ſet it home: But if great ones be as bad, and …ed more help, as having more temptation, yet alas they may ſin, and ſin again and periſh, for any body that will deal faithfully with their ſouls; except ſome faithful Miniſter of Chriſt, whoſe plaineſs is taken but for a thing of courſe. And uſually even Miniſters themſelves, are ſome of them ſo unfaithful, and ſome ſo fearful, and ſome ſo prudently cautelous, that ſuch perſons have no ſuch help from them to know themſelves, as the poorer ſort of people have. If we deal freely with them, and ſet it home, it will be well taken; if it offend, yet offence may eaſily be born as bringing no ill conſequents to our Miniſtery: but if we deal ſo with the great one… of the world, what outcries would it raiſe▪ and by what names ſhould we and ou… preaching be called! If it were not for fea… leſt ſome malicious hearers would miſunderſtand me, and miſapply my words, a… ſpoken of thoſe that we are bound to honour, and as tending to diminiſh the reputation of any of our ſuperiors (which … deteſt) I ſhould have ſhewed you all this in Scripture inſtances. When Haman could not bear the omiſſion one mans obeyſance, what wonder if ſuch cannot bear to be ſpoken to, as indeed they are! Not only an Ahab hateth one faithful plain Michaiah, becauſe he propheſieth not good of him but evil, (1 King. 22.8.) but Aſa that deſtroyed Idolatry, can impriſon the Prophet that reproveth him for his ſin, 2 Chron. 16.10. I will not tell you of the words that were ſpoken to Amos by the Prieſt of Bethel, Amos 7.10, 11, 12, 13. or to the Prophet. 2 Chron. 25.15, 16. leſt malice miſ-interpret and miſ-report me; For it is none of my intent to fix on any particular perſons, but to tell you in general, the lamentable diſadvantage that the great and proſperous have as to the knowledge of themſelves: how little plain dealing they have, and how hardly moſt of them can bear it: though yet I doubt not but it is born and loved by thoſe that have true grace: and that if David ſin, he can endure to hear from Nathan [Thou art the man] and this ſhall befall thee; and an Eli can bear the propheſie of Samuel and ſay. It is the Lord, let him do what ſeemeth him good, 1 Sam. 2.27. & 3.17, 18. and an Hezekiah can ſay, Good is the word of the Lord which thou haſt spoken, 2 King. 20.19. and Joſiah can bear the threatnings of Huldah. 2 Chron. 34. & 2 King. 22. And it is a double honour in perſons that have ſo great temptations, to love the plain diſcoveries of their ſin: But a Joaſh will ſlay even Zechariah the ſon of Jehoiadah that ſet him up: and a Herod, that hath ſo much religion as to [fear John, as knowing that he was a juſt man and an holy, and to obſerve (or ſave him) and when he heard him to do many things and hear him gladly, had yet ſo much love to his fleſhly luſt, and ſo little power to reſiſt a flatterer, as that he could ſell both the head of John and his own ſoul, for ſo pittiful a price as this, Mar. 6.20, 25, 27, 28. So true is that of Chriſt himſelf, duplicate page duplicate page Joh. 3.20, 21. For every one that doth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light leſt his deeds ſhould be reproved (or diſcovered) But he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifeſt that they are wrought in God.
And indeed there is none that more oppoſeth Micaiah then Zedekiah; as being concerned for the honour of his flattering propheſie, to bring plain dealing into diſgrace. It is he that ſmiteth him and ſaith, which way went the ſpirit of the Lord from me, to ſpeak unto thee, 1 King. 22.24. As Plutarch compareth the flaterer to a painter, that having made a picture of Cocks which was very bad, he bid his boyes be ſure to keep the living Cocks out of ſight, leſt their appearance ſhould ſhew the faultineſs of his picture: ſo ſaith Plutarch doth the flatterer do what he can to keep away plain-dealing faithful friends, leſt his fraud and falſhood ſhould be detected by them: But ſaith Solomon, Prov. 28.23. He that rebuketh a man, afterward ſhall find more favour then he that flattereth with the tongue. And Prov. 27.6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend: but the kiſſes of an enemie are deceitful. When proſperity is vaniſhed, the flatterer and the faithful dealer will be better known. Deceitful prosperity, and deceitful men, will at once forſake you. None of them will admire or applaud you when you are low, and the tide is gone, and hath left you in contempt: Theſe kind of men will be as ready as any to reproach you; As Shimei that honoured David in his proſperity; but curſeth him and revileth him as a Rebel againſt Saul, and caſteth ſtones at him, when he ſaw him flying in diſtreſs. Plutarch likeneth flatterers to lice, that forſake the bodies of the dead, becauſe the blood is gone that did maintain them. Commonly men in miſery or at death, have better thoughts of faithful plaineſs, & worſe of ſmoothing man-pleaſers, then before.
But whom can the proſperous blame ſo much as themſelves, if they are undone by the deceit of flatterers? It is their own choice: They love to have it ſo: They will not endure faithful dealing. When they contract thoſe diſeaſes which will not be cured without bitter medicines, they hate the Phyſicion that offereth them: Their appetites and ſenſual luſt, and not their Believing-Reaſon, doth chooſe their work, their pleaſures and their company, and preſcribe what language muſt be ſpoken to them. And he that reſolves to caſt away the remedy, and will pleaſe his appetite and fancie, come on it what will, muſt take what he gets by it, and bear the endleſs wrath of God, that could not bear the neceſſary warnings and ſelf-knowledge that ſhould have prevented it; Did theſe men hate ſin and the meſſengers of Satan, they would not hate the Juſtice and meſſengers of God. But while they damnably Love fleſhly pleaſures, they cannot ſavingly Love the word that chargeth them to let go thoſe pleaſures; nor the perſons that croſs them in the things they love. And thus poor worldlings are ruined by their own deſires: It ſeemeth ſo ſweet to them to live in ſin, that they cannot endure to know the bitter fruits of miſery, which it will at laſt bring forth: They are conquered by their fleſhly luſts; and therefore they hate the meſſengers of that ſpirit, which would fight againſt them. Satan doth perfect his former victories in them, by diſpelling or diſperſing the auxiliaries of Chriſt, that were ſent for their reſcue and relief. They live as if they were purpoſely made great, that they may be able to drive away the meſſengers of ſalvation, and to keep the voice of mercy far enough from their ears: and to command that which the Gaderenes did intreat, that Chriſt would go out of their coaſts, Mark. 5.17. becauſe they would not be troubled with him: They ſo much love the way to Hell, that they cannot abide to be told whither it leadeth them; and therefore they come thither before they are aware; and muſt know themſelves by the unquenchable fire, becauſe they would not know themſelves by the diſcovering recovering Light. And thus by Proſperity and flattery, Satan purſues and wins his game.