The Reasons of the Christian Religion Part 1, To the hypocritical reader
TO THE HYPOCRITE READERS; Who have the Name of Christians, and the Hearts and Lives of Atheiſts and Ʋnbelievers.
IT is the great Mercy of God to you, that you were born of Christian Parents, and in a Land where Chriſtianity is the profeſſed Religion, and under Governours and Laws which countenance it: But this which ſhould have helped you to the intelligent and ſerious entertainment of Religion, hath been abuſed by you to detain you from …t: You have contented your ſelves to have Religion in your Princes, and your Parents Precepts, in Libraries and Laws, and to ſay over ſome of theſe by …ote; whileſt you baniſhed it from your Hearts and Lives, if not alſo from your ſober thoughts and underſtanding! And having indeed no Religion of your own (becauſe the labour of underſtanding and obeying it, ſeemed too dear a price to purchaſe it) you …ve thought it moſt ſerviceable to your quietneſs and your reputation to ſeem to be of the Religion of your Parents or your King, be it what it will. This is indeed the common courſe of the rude and irreligious Rabble, in all Nations of the World. O that I might be your effectual Monitor, to awaken you to conſider what you have been doing? and yet if you are Men, to ſuffer your Reaſon to look behinde you, within you, and before you, and ſeriouſly think what it is to be in Heaven or Hell for ever, and prudently to manage your own Concernments! Can you think that that man hath any Religion who hath no God? Or hath he indeed a God, who preferreth his luſt, or wealth, or honour, or any thing in the World before him? Or that is not devoted to his Obedience and his Love? Is he a God that is not better than the Pleaſures of the Fleſh and World? Or that is not greater than a mortal man? or is not fully ſufficient for you? Did you know what you did when you owned your Baptiſmal Vow and Covenant? which is when you uſurp the name of Chriſtians, and joyn in viſible communion in the Church? Do you know what it is to believe that there is a God, and a Life to come, and to renounce the Fleſh, the World, and the Devil, and give up your ſelves to a Saviour and a Sanctifyer? Or can you think while you are awake and ſober, that Perfidiouſneſs will ſave you, and be taken by God inſtead of Chriſtianity? will God accept you for a perjured Profeſſion? to be that and do that which never came into your hearts? Is Hypocriſie a Virtue? And will Lying bring a man to Heaven? Chriſtianity is ſuch a Believing in Chriſt, to bring us unto God and everlaſting Glory, as maketh the Love of God the very Nature of the Soul, and thankefull obedience its Employment, and a Heavenly Minde and Life to be its Conſtitution and its Trade; and the Mercies of this Life to be but our Travelling-helps and Proviſions for a better; and the Intereſt of fleſhly luſt to be eſteemed but as droſs and dung. Is this the Life which you live, or which you hate? I beſeech you Sirs, as you regard the reputation of your Reaſon, tell us why you will profeſſe a Religion, which you abhorre? or why will you abhorre a Religion which you profeſſe? why will you Glory in the part of a Parrot, or an Ape, to ſay over a few words, or move your Bodies, while you deteſt the humane part, to know and love and live to God? Do you live only to treaſure up wrath againſt the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God, who will render to every one according to his deeds? Rom. 2.5, 6. Do you profeſſe your ſelves Chriſtians only for ſelf-condemnation; to be Witneſſes againſt your ſelves in Judgement, that you wilfully lived unchriſtian lives? What is there in the World that you are ſo averſe to, as to be ſeriouſly that which you profeſſe your ſelves to be? Who hate you more than thoſe that are that in heart and life, which you call your ſelves in cuſtomary words? or that are ſerious in the Religion which you ſay your ſelves you hope to be ſaved by? Read Matth. 23.29, 30, 31. why do you honour the dead Saints, and abhorre the living? and would make more Martyrs, while you keep Feſtivals of Commemoration of thoſe that others made? Quae eſt illa Juſtitia ſanctos colere, & ſanctitatem contemnere? Primus gradus Pietatis eſt Sanctitatem diligere. Chryſoſt. in Matth. 24. Chriſt hath not more bitter Enemies in the World, than ſome of you who wear his Livery: Turks and Heathens are more gentle to true Chriſtians, and have ſhed leſſe of their blood than Hypocrite Chriſtians have done. The Zeal of the Phariſees conſumed many, whom the Clemency of the Romans would elſe have ſpared. Be it known to all the Infidel World, who deteſt Chriſtianity becauſe of your wickedneſſe, that you are none of us; Chriſt renounceth you, Matth. 7.22, 23. and we renounce you. They may as well hate Philoſophy becauſe ſome vagrant Sots have called themſelves Philoſophers, or have ſailed with Ariſtotle or Plato in the ſame Ship: They may as well hate Phyſick, becauſe many ignorant Women and Mountebanks have profeſs'd it? They may as well reproach us for Loyalty to our King, becauſe there are ſecret Traytors, that call themſelves his Subjects? What are you to Chriſtians, that we ſhould be reproached for your Villanies? O you Turks and Heathens, rather reproach us becauſe there are wicked perſons of your ſelves; for you are not ſo cruel Enemies to Chriſtians, as many of theſe Hypocrites are. Nullus enim Chriſtianus malus eſt, niſi hanc profeſſionem ſimulaverit. Athenagor. Leg. pro Chriſt. pag. 3. Nemo illic (in Carcere) Chriſtianus, niſi planè tantùm Chriſtianus: aut ſi aliud, jam non Chriſtianus. Tertull. Apol. c. 43. ſed dicet aliquis etiam de noſtris excedere quoſdam à regulâ diſciplinae. Deſunt tum Chriſtiani haberi apud nos: Id. ib. c. 46. Leg. Twiſſ. Vind. Grat. l. 3 E. 8. §. 6. p. 75. and my 5th Diſp. of Sacraments. If any man have not the Spirit of Chriſt, the ſame is none of his, Rom. 8.9. Luk. 14.26, 33. They are Spies in his Army: They are Abſaloms, Chams and Judas's in his Family. Try them by the Character that Chriſt hath given of his true Diſciples: and if they be ſuch, then tell us of their Lives and ſpare not. They are not of us, while they are among us. 1 John 2.19. They are more of your party than of ours, If the Minde, Heart, and Life, be more of the Man, than the tongue and knee. What if a Celſus, or Porphiry, or Epicurus had called himſelf a Chriſtian? Muſt Chriſt be anſwerable for him? Is it not enough that they abuſe him by their hypocriſie, and living contrary to his Laws, but he muſt be accuſed for their Crimes, which he ſo ſtrictly forbiddeth, and for which he will caſt them into Hell for ever? would you have him do more than this is to diſclaim them? Were they indeed Chriſtian Princes, Barons, Prieſts and People, of whom Abbas Urſpergenſis ſpeaketh, Chron. pag. 32. Ut omnis homo jam ſit perjurus & praedictis facinoribus implicatus; ut vix excuſari poſſit, quin ſit in his ſicut populus, ſic & Sacerdos— Et p. 321. Principes terrarum & Barones, arte Diabolicâ edocti, nec curabant Juramenta infringere, nec Fidem violare, & jus omne confundere? were they Chriſtian Knights that Eraſmus ſpeaketh of, Colloqui Pap. 485. Ni ſis bonus aleator, probus Chartarius, Scortator improbus, potator ſtrenuus, profuſor audax, decoctor & conflator aeris alieni, deinde ſcabie ornatus Gallicâ, vix quiſquam te credet equitem. It was Cotta's proof, that there are Atheiſts, in Cicer. de natur. Deor. li. 1. [What ſhall we ſay of the Sacrilegious, Perjured, and Ungodly? If Carbo, &c. had thought, that there are Gods, he had not been ſo PERJƲ RED and ƲNGODLY.] What more neceſſary to ungodly men (whatever they call themſelves) than to convince them that there is a God, and Life to come? Chriſt will not care for their Image of Religion, or deceitfull Promiſes and Profeſſions: All wiſe men are of Solon's minde [Probitatem jurejurando certiorem habe] Laert. in Sol.
Believe it, Hypocrites, your fornications, gluttony, drunkenneſſe, idleneſſe, covetouſneſse, ſelfiſhneſſe, or pride, will finde no Cloak in the day of Judgement, from the Chriſtian name. You might better cheap have been ſenſual and wicked at a further diſtance, than in the Family or Church of God. Nihil prodeſt aeſtimari, quod non ſis: Et duplicis peccati reus es; non habere quod crederis; & quod non habueris ſimulare: Hieron. Ep. ad fil. Maur. Or ſuppoſe your Lives are more civilly and ſmoothly carnall? To do no harm, is too little to prove you Chriſtians: Much more to do evil with ſome bounds. Nullum eſt aliud latronum beneficium, niſi ut commemorare poſsint, iis ſe vitam dediſſe quibus non ademerint. Cicer. Phil. 2. Non eſt bonitas peſsimis eſſe meliorem. Senec. My reaſonable demand is, that you will be what you call your ſelves, or call your ſelves as you are. I am not inviting you to a new Religion, nor to a Sect; but to be really and ſeriouſly what you are nominally, and what you have vowed and profeſſe to be: Jeſt not with God, and Heaven and Hell. You may mock your ſelves, but God will not be mocked. At laſt turn back, and ſtudy what that Religion is which you profeſſe: Review your Baptiſmal Covenant; and be true to that, and I have done. And caſt out of your way the common block of hating thoſe whom you ſhould imitate. Ita comparatum eſt, ut virtutem non ſuſpiciamus, ne que ejus imitandae ſtudio corripimur, niſi eum in quo ea conſpicitur, ſummo honore & amore proſequamur. Plutar▪ in Cat. Ʋtic. It was one of the Roman Lawes of the 12 Tables, [Impius ne audeto placare donis iram Deorum.] Repent and pray, was Peters Counſel to one of your Predeceſſors, Act. 8.22. Judas hath a Kiſs for Chriſt; but it is hearty love, and a ſober, righteous, godly life, which muſt be your evidence. I have faithfully warned you; The Lord have mercy on you, and convert you.
R.B. Octob. 31. 1666.
Cujus aures clauſae Veritati ſunt, ut ab amico verum audire nequeat, hujus ſalus deſperanda eſt. Cic. Rhet. 1.
Prov. 28.9. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law, even his Prayer ſhall be abominaton.
Antiſthenes civitates tunc interire aiebat, cum bonos diſcernere nequeunt à malis. Laert. in Antiſth.
1 John 3.8. He that committeth ſin, is of the Devil: For the Devil ſinneth from the beginning: For this purpoſe the Son of God was manifeſted, that he might deſtroy the works of the Devil.