The Protestant Mirror, Illustration – Colophon
The Carefull RESIDENT
The Careleſs NON-RESIDENT
The Proteſtant Mirrour, in proper Poſtures and Principles: OR, The Careful Reſident, and the Careleſs Non-Reſident.
The Tryal of DOCTRINES, Its Neceſſity, and the Sure way: For the Service of the Church, and Strengthning of Believers.
By Samuel Hieron, Miniſter of the Goſpel.
THe courſe of ſeeking Holy Knowledge, at the mouths of thoſe, whoſe Lips by their calling ought to preſerve it, is tearmed by Solomon, a buying of the Truth. As therefore in buying, it is every mans Wiſdom to conſider the Wares which are tendered to him, how they are conditioned, and (as Chryſoſtom ſaith pithily to this purpoſe) To go from Shop to Shop, and from Chapman to Chapman, to look where he may have the beſt, before he make a through bargain: ſo it ought to be the care of a prudent Chriſtian, to conſider of particulars, which are taught, before he give them entertainment. Take heed how you hear, ſaid our Saviour; doth not this take heed in hearing intend a tryal of things heard?
Some purpoſe to deceive, whom the Apoſtle tearmeth Lyers in wait to deceive, and whom he compares (according to the nature of the Greek Word uſed) to Cheaters and falſe Gameſters, who have devices by cogging Dice, to deceive the unskilful. Theſe ſpeak perverſe things, and privily bring in damnable Hereſies. It hath been an antient practice of the Devil, to be a lying ſpirit in the mouths of ſome Prophets; There have been ever ſome miſleading leaders, cauſers of the people to err by their lyes; and Saint Peter hath aſſured us, that in this particular, the latter times will-hold proportion with the former: Still there will be ſome Seeds-men of Tares amongſt them that ſow the purer Wheat, ſome temperers of Leaven, with the ſweet Lump of Gods ſacred Truth.
A Man might ſo lap up the poiſonous drugs of Popery, and ſo gild them over with the ſeeming Allowance of Scripture, and of hore-headed Antiquity, that even the greateſt part would ſoon ſwallow them down without ſuſpition.
We diſclaim all Lordſhip over your faith, We are ſet on Work, for the ſervice of your Faith, not for commanding it. We leave it to Papiſts to Tyrannize over Mens Thoughts in matters of Religion, and to require the people to lap up their faith in the general believing of the Church. We deſire you to Try, we beſeech you to enquire, we would fain bring you to ſtand in the ways and ask, we know you can never till then have ſtabliſhed hearts.
The main Touch by whch all Doctrine muſt be tryed, and by which it muſt either ſtand or fall, is the will of God revealed in the ſcriptures. Bring them to the Law, and to the Teſtimony, (ſaid the Oracle of God of old) and conſider whether they ſpeak according to that word. By this our Saviour himſelf was content to be Tryed: by this the preaching of Paul and Silas at Theſſalonica was tryed: Religious Doctrines are Gods matters, and ſhall we have a better then God to be tryed by, in the things of God? and how ſhall we know what is Gods mind in a matter of Doctrine, but by the Scriptures? Excellent ſpake he, who called the Scripture the Heart and Soul of God; and he who affirmed that God hath left for us in the Scriptures, a Fortreſs againſt Errors. Let Papiſts (if they will needs) perſiſt in their blaſphemous diſclaiming the tryal of the Scripture, accounting Traditions to be the Touchſtone of Doctrine, and foundation of Faith.
We will ever account them the Divine beam; and the moſt exact ballance, and approve that courſe of that great Conſtantine, exhorting the Fathers aſſembled in the Nicene Council, to take the reſolution of things in queſtion, out of the divinely inſpired Writings.
And let Men learn here by the way, how neceſſary it is for them, if they would be rightly grounded in religion, to be well acquainted in the Scriptures. Our Saviours rule can never fail, You are deceived, not knowing the Scriptures. God forbid, we ſhould under any pretext diſhearten you in your care to turn over Gods Book. Let profaneneſs, and Popery caſt reproaches, upon diligence and ordinarineſs; herein we the Miniſters of Chriſt, ſhall rather call upon you as Chryſoſtome of old did upon his hearers, Hear, O ve men of the World, get you Bibles. It is (ſaith another of the Antients) of all torments, the greateſt to the Devils, if they ſee a Man given to Reading of the Scriptures.
We wondred of late times, to ſee ſo many not ſimple people onelyonly, but Learned Clerks and Rabbies, to turn Papiſts, we needed not, if we had conſidered, that their hearts were gone to Rome before, and now their heads followed after. Were they well examined, many of them, it would be found, they firſt put away a good conſcience, before they made ſhipwrack of the Faith; their hearts betrayed their heads. Many of them were (its known they were) Covetous, Ambitious, Ʋoluptuous; and Popery hath baits of all ſorts to catch them: that great Harlot and Mother of Fornications, hath a Golden Cup, full of Preferments, Profits, Pleaſures, and this made mens heads Drunk and Giddy, to embrace the groſſeſt Errors and Obſurdities for Truths.
Chriſt cannot be taken nor overtaken, Hunt and Catch, and lay Snares who will; Saul, Judas, or all the Violent Crafty Hypocrites in the World. A Bow of Steel is broken by his Hand: Hell is naked before him; not onelyonly open, but naked as a thing without all ſtrength or force to hurt.
When the Kingdom is deſtroyed by hearkening to flatterers and ſelf-ſeekers, what will ye do? If you ſhall to pleaſe fawning Men, or froward men, diſpleaſe God, and betray all into the hands of his wrath, what will theſe unworthy perſons advantage you? when the guilt of the blood of thouſands, lies upon your conſciences, will you ſend them for thoſe Clergy-men, or States-men, which miſlead you? why, you may, and miſerable comforters will they be.
The Ram was caught behind him, Geneſis 22. 13. The pleaſure of the Lord doth proſper at his pleaſure, and as his pleaſure; ſometimes before us, that is, in ways which we can reach, and ſerve Gods providence in; ſometimes again, behind us, that is, in ſuch ways as we cannot reach, to lend him the leaſt Concurrence in, to teach that our expectation ſhould be purely plac'd upon his word, and that we ſhould ſay to our Souls in all ſtraits, The pleaſure of the Lord ſhall proſper in his hand. Abraham had no hands behind him, neither do men ordinarily go that way to catch things, yet there was the Ramm caught.
If ever England ſhine, or any Inſtrument in England, 'twill be as in his hand, by whom alone all ſhall proſper. Expectation pure, the Spirit is ſolid, very high, and yet very low, never at a loſs.
Nothing makes the way of a Mans Spirit ſo wide and ſweet within him, as fidelity to God and to his Conſcience; 'tis ſo in bigger bodies, nothing makes the way of a Kingdom more quiet and proſperous within it ſelf, then faithful dealing with God, and the advantages it hath by his hand.
Is God amongſt us? Iſrael wants water, Amalek waits to give battel, and this great ſtraight made that great State fall a chiding of God and one another. Is God amongſt us? The place was called for this, Maſſah, Meribah (i.d.) ſtriving and chiding. The bigger Bodies are, with the greater difficulties they move; now when great difficulties, make great impatience, towards God and towards one another, this and not our ſtraights indangers all.
I know nothing wherein a wiſe Chriſtian hath more cauſe to fear himſelf, that his love nor his zeal is not ſo ſervent as it hath been.
The Ship-wrack'd CLERK Whoſe Heart was gone to Rome before his Head: Drawn to the Life by his own PENSIL.
That the Presbiterians were ſuch Perſons, as the very Devil Bluſh'd at them; and that the Villain Hamden grudged, and made it more Scruple of Conſcience, to give Twenty Shillings to the KING, for ſupplying his Neceſſities by Ship-Money and Loan, which was His Right by Law, than to raiſe Rebellion againſt Him: And that the Presbiterians are worſe (and far more Intollerable) than either Prieſts or Jeſuits.
That a Presbiterian Brother, qua talis, was as great a Traytor by the Statute, as any Prieſt or Jeſuit whatſoever.
Mr. Thompſon in his Preaching inveyed bitterly againſt Subſcribing Petitions for Sitting of this Parliament, ſaying, That it was like the Seed of Rebellion and like to Forty One; and that the Devil ſet them on work, and the Devil would pay them their Wages; ſaying, That before he would ſet his Hand to ſuch Petitions, he would cut it off, yea, & cut them off.
Mr. Thompſon comes to this Informant, Mr. Rowe, and claps his Hands on his Shoulders, ſaying, Hah Boy, had Queen Elizabeth been living, you needed not to have been Sword-bearer of Briſtol. The ſaid Rowe asked him why? He replyed, She loved ſuch a luſty Rogue (ſo well) as he was, and he would have been very fit for her drudgery at White-Hall.
Mr. Thompſon ſaid Jan. 30. 1679. in the ſame Sermon, There was a great noiſe of a Popiſh Plot, but, ſays he, Here is nothing in it but a Presbyterian Plot; for here they are going about to Petition for the Sitting of the Parliament, but the end of it will be to bring the Kings Head to the Block, as they have done his Father.
Mr. Thompſon ſpeaking concerning the Meeters in private, ſaid, He would hale them out and fill the Goals with them, and hoped to ſee their Houſes afire about their ears in a ſhort time; and this, he the ſaid Thompſon, doubled again and again.
Thompſon ſaid, If he were as well ſattisfied of other things, as he was of Juſtification, Auricular Confeſſion, Penance, Extream Ʋnction, and Criſme in Baptiſm, he would not have been ſo long ſeparated from the Catholick Church. And further affirmed, That the Church of Rome was the True Catholick Church.
Further, he hath heard him ſay, The King was a Perſon of mean and ſoft Temper and could be led eaſily to any thing, but yet a Solomon in vices; but that the Duke of York was a Prince of a brave Spirit, would be faithful to his Friends, &c.
And that in Diſcourſe, he commended the Romiſh Clergy for their ſingle Life, and is himſelf ſo; and did at the ſame time Vilify and Rail at the Engliſh Clergy for Marrying; ſaying, It was better for a Clergy-Man to be Guelt, then to Marry; and that the Calviniſts in France were Lecherous Fellows, &c.
He further ſaid in the Pulpit at St. Thomas's, That after Excommunication by the Biſhop, without Abſolution from the Spiritual Court, ſuch a one was ſurely Damned; and he would pawn his Soul for the Truth of it.
O! when ſuch Clergy at the Dreadful Day,
Shall make their Audit; when the Judge ſhall ſay,
Give your Accompts; what, have my Lambs been Fed?
Say, do they all ſtand Sound? is there none Dead
By your Defaults? come Shepherds, bring them forth,
That I may Crown your Labours in their Worth.
O what an Anſwer will be given by ſome,
We have been Silent, Profit ſtruck us Dumb;
To ſay the Truth, Great Judge, they were not Fed,
Lord, here they be, but Lord, they are all Dead.
Ah Cruel Shepherds! could your Conſcience ſerve,
To Fleece your Flock, and then to let them Starve!
Finis.
LONDON, Printed for Tho. Croſs, Seignior; in Harp-Court, neer Fleet-Bridge, 1681.
End of the text · Samuel Hieron, The Protestant Mirror (1681)