The Holy Life and Happy Death of John Bruen, Chapter 51
CHAP. LI.
AND here I thinke it will bee well worthy our labour and paines, if (for the better confirmation hereof) we meaſure this Gentlemans life by this line of heavenly wiſdome, and take a ſpeciall view of theſe jewels of grace, which being attendants upon it, in his perſon, did much beautifie and adorne that which now we ſpeak of, his holy and religious converſation.
He endeavoured to be pure.Firſt therfore according to this wiſdome which God had given him from above, he endeavoured to make his converſation pure and holy, anſwerable to that religion which he did profeſſe, which by the teſtimony of the Holy Ghoſt, is pure and undefiled before God and the Father, and (as here it is ſaid) it is firſt pure. He was no doubt well atquainted with his naturall corruptions,Pſal. 51.5. Rom. 7.20, 23, 24 Act. 1….15. paſſions, and pollutions of ſinne, both originall and actuall, inward and outward, ſpirituall and corporall, and knew that though hee ſhould waſh himſelfe with ſnow water, yet could he not ſay, My heart is clean,2 Cor. 7. 1 Job 9.30.31. Zac. 13. 1. Ezek. 36. 26. Rev. 1.6. Rev. 7.14. 1. Cor. 6.11. 1 Pet. 1.15. I am cleanſed from all my filthineſſe, ſo long as he did bear about with him a body of ſin and of death. And yet he knew as well alſo, that the Lord having opened the fountaine of Grace unto him, and powred cleane water upon him, and waſhed him in the blood of Chriſt both for the remiſſion of his ſinnes, and for purging away the pollution of them, He was no longer to be held polluted and uncleane, but holy and pure in his perſon through Chriſt, and ſo ought to ſtrive, to be more and more, in all manner of holy converſation.
And therefore hereunto,Act, 24.16 hee did ever moſt carefully and conſcionably endeavour himſelfe, that being eſpouſed to one husband,2 Cor. 11.12. hee might preſerve and preſent himſelfe as a chaſte virgin unto Chriſt Jeſus.
1 Pure in heart. Mat. 5.8. 2 Cor. 7.1. Eph. 4.28.To which end he laboured to bee, firſt Pure in heart, knowing that Bleſſed are the pure in heart, for they ſhall ſee God. And this he did by faith and repentance, and the helpe of Gods ſpirit every day, purging out old ſins, and renewing the beauty of former graces.
2 To be pure in hand, free from all iniquity and injury, and ſo waſhing his hands in purity,2 Pure in hand. 1 Tim. 2.8. and innocency, he was ever ready, in every place, to lift up pure hands unto God, and to compaſſe his Altar.
3 Pure in tongue. Eph. 4.29. Eſa. 19.18 Pſal. 37.30.3 To be pure in lips and tongue, never ſuffering any rotten ſpeech, or unſeemely word to fall from him; but having his language as pure as the language of Canaan, his tongue did oftentimes ſpeake of judgement, and his ſpeeches were ſometimes as the very Oracles of God.
4 To be pure in his ſenſes,1 Pet. 4 11 Aug. Conf. lib. 10. Cap. 34. Iob. 31. 1. Pſal. 119.37. his eyes hee made a covenant withall, to reſtraine them from wanton lookes, and to ſhut up thoſe windowes againſt all ſpectacles of vanity. And then only or eſpecially to open them, when they might ſerve as neceſſary lights unto the body, or to behold the workes of the Lord, that ſo he might be the better by them. His cares were circumciſed,Aug. Conf;. l. 10. c. 33. Rev. 2.7. Hoſ. 14.8. 1 Theſ. 4.4 nailed to the poſts of Gods houſe, bored by the ſpirit of grace, for audience and obedience, to heare what the ſpirit ſpeakes unto the Churches, What have I to doe any more with idols, I have heard him, I have obſerved him.
5 To be pure in his whole body,Iude v. 23. 2 Cor. 7.1 2 Tim. 2.21. ever preſerving, and poſſeſſing his veſſell in holineſſe, and in honor, and hating the very garment ſpotted by the fleſh.
6 To be pure in the whole man, both ſoule and body, which he performed very effectually, when clenſing himſelfe from all filthineſſe of fleſh and ſpirit,Amaremte Juelle ſi nō eſſes Zuinglianus: …e eticus fide, vitâ certè videris angelus: honcſlus es at …heranus, Aumph…i… vita …u…llis Heb. 12.16. 1 Ioh. 3.12 Gal. 4.29. Iſa. 36.4.7 2 Pet. 2.8. Iſaiah. 5….…5. he became a veſſell of honour, ſanctified and meete for his maſters uſe, and prepared unto every good worke.
And thus according to that wiſdome which was given him from above, hee became firſt pure.
But here, ſome man will thinke, that, to bee ſo pure in heart, and life, word and deed, as you ſpeak of him, to his great praiſe, will bee returned back, both upon him and you, to his juſt rebuke, and your farther blame.
For, are not we now fallen into thoſe times, and are wee not compaſſed about with ſuch prophane Eſaus, murthering Caines, ſcoffing Iſmaels, railing Rabſekahs, filthy and curſed Sodomites, that a man can hardly refaine from any wickedneſſe, but he makes himſelfe a prey, as the Prophet ſpeaketh, nor ſeeketh after any goodneſſe, but they will bee ready to vexe and perſecute him,Pſal. 38.20. and will needs be his adverſaries, becauſe hee followeth the thing that good is? Doubtleſſe, it may be ſaid of us,Hermodorus E phe ſo pulſus quod f…ugi eſſet, Cic. Tuſc-Quaeſt. l. 5. Sic Ariſtides Oſtraciſmo pulſus Athenis Ostraciſm. Ariſt. Polit. lib. 3. c. 9. Tertul. in Apoluget. cap. 2. Ego Lucium virum ſapientem repentè factum Chriſtianum, defero. Tertul. ib. 1 Cor. 4.13. Iſa. 8.18. Luc. 2.34. for many perſons and places, as once it was of Rome, Omnia cum liceant, non licet eſſe pium, All things are there lawfull, only to be a godly and a good man, is held amongſt them to bee unlawfull.
So Tertullian hath obſerved it, to be the ſtreyne and manner of thoſe times, Cajus Sejus bonus vir, ideo tantum malus, quia Chriſtianus, Cajus Sejus is a good man, therefore evill only becauſe hee is a Chriſtian.
And even ſo the caſe ſtands with us at this day, and that in our Iſrael, where the children of God that deſire to be (as their father is, and they are charged to be) pure and holy, are no better eſteemed, but foreign even as filth of the world, and off-ſcouring of all things, even untill this day. Or at the beſt but as ſignes and wonders in Iſrael, and markes to bee ſhot at, as Christ himſelfe was foreign, a Butt or marke to bee ſhot at, by ſuch as bend their tongues like Bowes, to ſhoote out their arrowes, even baſe and bitter words againſt him. The Diſciple is not above his maſter, nor the ſervant above his Lord, if they have called the maſter of the houſe Beelzebub, Mar. 10.24.25.what better language can we expect from them, being his poore ſervants in the ſame houſe?
But what good reaſon have theſe vaine or vile perſons, to open their foule mouths ſo wide againſt purity in religion, and holineſſe of life, and converſation? One of their beſt, is that which they have borrowed of their father Caine, and which he was taught of his father the Divel, when hee ſlew his brother. And what was his reaſon, wherefore ſlew he him? Becauſe his own workes were evill and his brothers good.1 Ioh. 3.…2. Is it then your antipathy againſt goodneſſe, and your enmity againſt the godly for their holineſſe, that provokes you to ſwell againſt them, and ſo much to ſplene and ſpite them, that you reproach and revile them,Act 7.54 and are ready to burſt with anger, becauſe you cannot wreake your malice upon them?Iſa. 57.3, 4. Gen. 3 15 … Kin. 21 10. 2 Cor. 6.18. Gal. 4.29.30. If this be your reaſon, of this your cruell dealing; then judge you your own ſelvs of what breed you are. Are yee not rather of the ſeed of the ſerpent, than of the ſeed of the woman? Are yee not rather ſonnes of Belial, than the children of God? And are ye not rather the children of the bond woman, with ſcoffing Iſmael, than children of the free woman, with holy Iſaac.