Body of Divinity, Book 4 · Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII. Of Sedition, Self-love, Self-seeking, Slander.
SEDITION.
SEdition is a sin whereto people are much inclined.Vide Scult. Annal. Dec. 1. p. 239, 240. Nihil unquam magis detestatus sum quam seditionem, nec adhuc ulla in re mecum pugno. Eras. epist. l. 28. Floriano Motino. See 2 Sam. 20. 1, 2.
It is to leave our present Governours which rule us according to law, and follow other Governours who rise up of their own accord: to leave a David and follow a Sheba.
The Israelites raised sedition against David by means of Absalom and Achitophel, and proceeded so farre in their rebellion that they brought it to a pitcht field, and would not give over till their Captain with twenty thousand more were slain in the battell, 2 Sam. 19. Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, stir up a great multitude against Moses and Aaron. At another time of themselves they rose against Moses, and were ready to stone him because they wanted water. At another time they cry to have a Captain and return back to Egypt.
M. Hobbs in his Rules of government c. 12. reckons up these two (among other wilde ones) as seditious opinions, that the knowledge of good and evil belongs to each single man, and saith, Legitimate Kings make the things they command just by commanding them, and those which they forbid unjust by forbidding them, This is to make Subjects beasts and the Magistrate God: 2. That faith and holinesse are not acquired by study and naturall reason, but are supernaturally infused and inspired unto man: which if it were true (saith he) I understand not why we should be commanded to give an account of our faith, or why any man who is truly a Christian should not be a Prophet. This opinion is so contrary to Scripture and the judgement of all sound Divines, that I need not spend time to confute it, See Phil. 1. 29. Eph. 1. 8. Heb. 12. 2. One indeed saith, the habits of Faith, Hope, and Charity, are infused after the manner of acquisite, God having ordained not to infuse them, but upon the means of hearing, praying, caring, studying, and endeavouring. Some say, therePlaiser's Apello Evangelium. c. 11. are no graces wrought in us but severall actings of the Spirit, as the Spirit acteth with us, where grace is wrought we need the Spirit to excite and draw it forth, but the Scripture is plain for infused habits, grace is called a good work in us Phil. 1. 6. the Law written in our hearts: God is said to shine into our hearts, 2 Cor. 4. 6. we are said to be partakers of the divine nature, 2 Pet. 1. 4. See Eph. 2. 10.
1. It is a sin it is plain by Scripture, how severely did God punish it in Korah and his accomplices, making the earth to gape wide and swallow them up! Solomon condemns it, saying, meddle not with such as be given to change; Gal. 5. 20. yea it is a great sin, as is evident, 1. It is contrary to the light of Scripture, in the Law he that cursed, that is, railed upon, or used ill wishes against the Ruler of his people, was to be put to death, how much more then he that shall rise up against him! The Scriptures of the New Testament are full of precepts for duty and subjection, Rom. 13. 1. 1 Pet. 2. 13. 14. Give unto Caesar that which is Caesars, saith our blessed Saviour, Give to every one his due▪ fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour belongeth, You must needs be subject for conscience sake; And the Apostle willeth Titus to put them in minde to obey principalities, and powers, and be subject to Magistrates, and ready to every good work; as if a man were unfit for any good work, if he be not duly subject to authority.
The Jesuites are still tampering about Kingdomes, Monarchies, Common-wealths, and temporall States, how to bring them into mutinies, contentions, seditions, rebellions, and uproars. Watsons Quodlibets of Religion and State, Quodl. 5. Answer to the fourth Article. They are like unto Aesops Trumpetter who being taken in war made his lamentation, saying, that he never drew his sword against any, nor shot at any: but the enemy answered, Thou hast animated others, thou hast put courage, rage and fury into all the rest. Saint Peter and Iude do blame them which despise government and speak evil of them in authority.
Secondly, It is contrary to the light of nature, for even among those Nations which never had any divine revelation, yet the necessity of duty to Magistrates was alwaies maintained as a thing which they perceived absolutely requisite for the welfare of humane societies, seeing without government the societies of men could never continue in a good estate. No man could possesse his own goods, enjoy his own lands and house, live comfortably with his own wife and children, or give himself to any profitable calling and endeavour.
Thirdly, It is contrary to those principal vertues by which all men ought to govern themselves in the course of their lives, unlesse they will be bruitish, appetite ruleth beasts, reason ought to guide man, and a setled habit agreeable to right reason; Now the main and fundamental vertues are religion, justice, charity and prudence, against all which sedition doth evidently oppose it self.
Religion tieth our souls to God, and commandeth us to give him his due, God is not duly feared and honoured if his Ordinance of Magistracy be despised.
2. Justice bindeth us to men, and requireth to give every man his due, which we do not if we deny subjection to the Magistrate, by whose power all men else should be helped to the attaining of their right.
3. Charity bids us do good to our neighbours as to our selves, and how will he do good to other neighbours, who will not perform his duty to his Governours who are appointed for the common good?
4. Discretion and prudence advise to take that course which is most requisite for our own and the common happinesse, seeing no member can be long safe if the whole be not kept in safety. It is quite contrary to the common welfare, and consequently to a mans own at length, that the body be rent asunder with sedition.
Fourthly, It is a great sinne, since it proceedeth from bad causes and produceth ill eff…cts; Ambition, envy, and discontent at the present estate, and foolish hopes to have all remedied by a change, are the mothers of sedition. 2. The effects of sedition are lamentable; where envying and strife i…, there is sedition and every evil work, James. Envying and strife likely bring sedition, and sedition cometh accompanied with every evil work, viz. with civill war which puts the sword into the hand of the multitude, and makes them bold to kill, spoil, bu…n all which lies in their way without difference or respect of persons, religion and justice are exiled, and fury and passion do what they please. The reason why men are so prone to this sin, is because they are naturally full of those vices which are apt to breed it, viz. ambition, envy, discontent, fond hopes.
Self-love.
It is a vehement and inordinate inclination to ones own content in things carnall,Ignorant men and those that are raised from a mean condition are apt to think too well of themselves. God and Nature teach us to love our selves. Matth. 19. 10. thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self, self in subordination not in opposition to God regular self. Zanchius in Eph. 5. 28. See D. Gouge on that place. earthly, and sensuall, 2 Tim, 3 2. See 2 Cor. 12 7.
There is
1. a naturall foreign or self love, by which every one from the instinct of nature loves himself, his own body, soul, life, Eph. 5. 29. the Scripture doth not condemn this.
2. A divine self-love by which every one that is born again by the holy Ghost from the instinct of the Spirit, loves himself, as is fit…ing, to the glory of God and good of the Church, these two kindes of self-love were in Christ.
3. A devilish self-love, whereby one by the instinct of corrupt nature and inflamed by Satan, so loves himself that he loves no other truly, and seeks only his own things.
Effects of it.
1. To praise our selves, Prov 27. 2. and boast of our selves as the Pharisee.
2. To be imbittered against reproofs.
3. To attempt things above our power and place.
Remedies against Self-love.
We should love our best selves, Mat. 6 33. Luke 10. 42. and consider what reason we have to love God above all.
The right knowledge of God and our selves will cure this corrupt self-love. Consider the basenesse of our originall, and our evils as well as excellencies, and the purity of God, Iob 40. 4, 5.
It is lawfull 1. To will our temporal good with moderation.
2. To prefer our necessities before the necessities of others, to defend our own lives rather then the lives of others, unlesse he be a Magistrate, Thou art better then ten thousand of us. 3. To maintain our reputation and just priviledges.
Self seeking.
It is an evill at all times to seek great things to a mans self.Self is the great Idol, self-conceit, self-love, and self-seeking: Self-conceit in the understaning, self-love in the affections, and selfseeking in the whole conversation.
Reasons.
1. God hath written a Treatise *Ecclesiastes.of purpose to take men off from the creature.
2. There are divers commands to the contrary, Phil. 4. 5. prohibitions, Mat. 6. 21. sharp reproofs Eph. 5. …am. 4. 4.
3. God is much delighted with such a disposition of the soul, as it is taken off from creature-comforts. Psa. 131.
The greatnesse of this evil.
1. It is the root of all other sins, the first sin that came into the world.
2. It is an errour circa finem, nay, an errour concerning the utmost end, therefore the more dangerous.
3. Self as standing in opposition to God, is that against which all the curses of the Law are denounced, Isa. 22. 16, 17. and 23. 8.
4. For these self-seekers only the torments of hell are prepared, Cesset propria voluntas & non erit infernus, Bern. God hath ever set himself against self-seekers to destroy them and their house, Prov. 19. 21. Isa. 44. 25. Psa. 33. 10. Isa. 59. 5, 6. Ier. 22. 13. Hab. 2. 9.
This is especially evil in the calamities of the Church, Numb. 14. 11, 12. what is this self compared with the Churches good? this is condemned in Baruch, it is unseasonable. We reade not of any Saint in the Scriptures given to covetousnesse. 2. Hypocrites were given to it, Saul, Demas, Iudas.
Gods prerogative is,
1. To have high esteem from the creature as the chiefest good, to this self-love is opposite.
2. To give Laws to the creature as an Absolute Soveraign, to this self-dependance is opposite.
3. To have the trust of the creature as an Independent essence, to this self-will is opposite.
4. To be the utmost end as the Supream cause, to this self-seeking is opposite.
Signs of it.
1. When one puts himself on the profession of Religion for some worldly advantage, Gen. 34. 22, 23. Iohn 6. 26.
2. When men are enemies to Christs Crosse, Phil. 3. 18, 19.
3. Envy to others. Gal. 5. 26.
Remedies against it, Consider,
1. The greatnesse of the sin, God should be the chief end, to set up self in his room, no man lesse enjoys himself then he that seeks himself.
2. You will have the greater judgement, Mat. 23. 14.
3. Frequently pray against it, and cast back the praises given to thee unto God. Phil. 2. 21. May not our things and the things of Christ consist together-
1. All men are not Christs nor led by his Spirit.
2. Many that professe themselves to be Christs, are none of his, Rev. 3. 4.
3. Those that are spiritually quickned keep not close to Christ, See Mat. 12. 30.
Slander.
Slander is a great sin, Psa. 52. 3. Rom. 1. 29. It was the sin of Ziba, Haman against Mordecai, Detractio est alienae famae per verba denigratio, Aquinas 2•. 2ae Quaest. 68. Art. 1. the smiting of a mans good name, the Latines call it detractio, because it is aFalse accusers, 1 Tim. 4. David was slandered by Saul, Christ was called a glutton, drunkard, a companion of Publicans and sinners, yea, an Impostor and deceiver, and what not? but he bare all▪ and we never reade of any complaints he made for this abuse. Regium est male audire cum bene feceris. Slandering is against the fifth Commandement, because it robs him of the honour and dignity which is due unto him: against the ninth Commandement, because it blemisheth the good name and fame of another: and the sixth, it is contrary to charity. Iesabell took away Naboths life by a slander. kinde of theft, in that it stealeth from a mans good name. See Ames. de Consc. l. 5. c. 15.
The cause of it is flattery, envy, and twatling, uncharitablenesse, or malice, or both is the prime cause of it, uncharitablenesse is the bare absence of charity, malice is a disposition quite contrary to charity, either because a man loves not or hates his neighbour. Charity doth no evil, we should do as we would be done to.
The effects of it are bad, it sets one man against another, and so doth mischief to both, slanderous tongues that told Saul in secret David sought his hurt, made him to persecute him so vehemently. The slanders of Haman caused Ahashuerus to make a Decree for the destruction of all the Jews in his Kingdom, Iosephs Mistresses slanderous accusation brought him into much trouble.
Principall parts of slander.
There are four principall parts of slander.
The 1. and worst, when a man doth purposely forge a lie against his neighbour, without any so much as shew or ground, as Mephibosheth was served by his naughty servant Ziba, and as David himself was served by the bad Courtiers about Saul.
2. When there hath been such a thing done or said, but he misreports it, adding or diminishing, wresting and perverting it, and so makes it seem evil that was not so in the intention and practice of the doer, as they wrested our Saviours words to a blasphemous sense.
The third kinde, when one reports a false report that he hath heard and taken up upon trust, as Tobiah said it was reported, and such a one did speak it, that Nehemiah meant to rebell.
4. When men complain of a good deed as if it were ill to them that will account it so, as the enemies of the three children accused them to Nebuchadnezzar, and those that told Iesabel of Obadiahs hiding the Prophets.
Helps against it.
1. Speak nothing of any man that tends to his hurt and disgrace, of which you are not certain, which you cannot prove to be true, Report is a lyar, therefore trust it not.
2. Though you do know any evil of your neighbour, yet report it not but when duty bindes you, and only to such as duty bindes you, I mean chiefly of private faults, or of publike, if they be such as cannot be made better by speaking of, nor do good to others by being known.
3. Be not tatlers, persons full of tongue, apt to be still speaking, he that speaketh much, will speak much evil, and among the rest, some slanders, when other talk faileth he will fall upon the faults of men.
4. When you talk, forbear medling with other mens matters, be not busie-bodies. He that 1. is of few words, 2. When he speaks medleth as little as may be with others matters, 3. Forbears to talk of their faults, but as much as he must needs by the bond of duty, and then is sure to say nothing but what he knows and can prove, that man shall not prove a slanderer. Make not your selves petty Devils by slandering and false accusing, many have learned that evill precept of accusing boldly because something will stick.