The True Christians T est, Part 1 · Meditation 53
MEDITAT. LIII. Of Curſing.
AS a Species of Revenge, or at leaſt a Product of a revengeful mind, I may here ſeaſonably meditate a little upon Curſing.
There is a ſolemn Curſing, or delivering up to miſchief, performed by Church-Cenſure; which is a kind of revenging of God's quarrel, a Diſcipline that he himſelf has committed into the hands of Men, which they muſt take heed to uſe for him, not for themſelves. The greateſt thing, for ought I know, that God has committed into the hands of men.
This is eaſily, but wretchedly perverted, when the Miniſters of it revenge their own Cauſe and Quarrel, ſerve their own intereſt, and not Gods: Gratifie their own Luſts, more than the Will of God; when they had rather that men ſuffer'd, than were reform'd; were damn'd, than amended.
There is an Extraordinary and Prophetical Curſing, proceeding from an extraordinary motion of the Holy Spirit; found only in pure minds, and yet but ſeldom in them neither: Such was Eliſha's curſing the ill-bred Children, 2 Kings 2.
Thoſe paſſages of David in the Pſalms, I rather take to be a Prophetical Denunciation, than a Curſing of the Wicked. Let us be ſure we know what ſpirit we are of, before we adventure to imitate theſe inſpired men.
And alas! Why ſhould we curſe the Wicked, who are haſtening to greater Evil than we can wiſh them! Beſides Charity would rather command us to pity them, and pray for them: So did Christ Jeſus, ſo did holy Stephen, ſo did St. Paul for his Judge Agrippa; and his Perſecutors the Jews, Acts 26. 29.
There is an extraordinary Self-curſing by way of Proteſtation, to be uſed ſparingly, in weighty matters. I refer this to extraordinary Swearing.
There is a prophane Curſing. And this is either extraordinary or ordinary, and both ſymptoms of a worldly mind.
Extraordinary prophane Curſing is, when People in cool blood, knowing what they ſay, from a malicious mind, and ſometimes with great ſolemnity of kneeling down, lifting up their hands, putting off the Hat, do imprecate miſchief upon a perſon that has wrong'd them, or offended them. This, when it is done in its Formalities, looks like a Sacrament of the Devil, an Ordinance of Hell, a kind of an Exorciſm: But a horrible preſumption certainly it is; a preſcribing to Infinite Wiſdom, a taking of Gods Work out of his hands, an uſurpation of Divine Prerogative. Wicked, bold man; How dareſt thou take upon thee the government of the world, and judge any man before his time? Dar'ſt thou imploy the Almighty in a work, wherein he takes no pleaſure; engage Love it ſelf to act againſt his own nature unmercifully? To pray God, not to have mercy upon man, is the higheſt blaſphemy: It is as if one ſhould pray him to ceaſe to be God.
Ordinary prophane curſing, is either of our ſelves, or others; and each is threefold; upon ſlight occaſion, upon none at all, or worſe than none.
Firſt of our ſelves: When men upon every ſlight occaſion, to confirm every inconſiderable truth, which it is no great matter whether it be believed or no, or may as well be confirm'd and believ'd by a bare aſſertion, will wiſh they may never ſee the Sun more, never open their hands more, that the drink might never go through them, the meat might be their poyſon, that they might never ſtir more, might be hang'd, that God would judge them, or that they might never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, if ſuch a thing or ſuch a thing, be not ſo, or ſo. This I'm ſure is more than Yea and Nay; it is highly fooliſh, and indeed prophane.
Mans knowledge is fallible, his Memory frail, Senſes deceitful: And if this thing ſhould prove otherwiſe, then thou wicked man, out of thy own mouth thou ſhalt be condemned; ſo ſhall thy Judgment be.
There are inſtances of Gods taking ſuch men at their words, but I need not inſiſt upon them. It is an argument that men ſtand not in awe of God, when they dare invocate his Judgments, and challenge his Juſtice.
Secondly, But when upon no occaſion at all, to confirm nothing, men will dare God to damn them; oh horrible and impudent impiety! Theſe men have not ſo much mercy for themſelves as the devils: They pray'd that they might not be tormented before their time, theſe pray that they may. Of theſe ſure, if of any unbeleevers, it may be properly ſaid, that they are condemned already.
Thirdly, It is worſe than no occaſion, when men uſe cu…ſing in deſign, to commend themſelves to acceptance, as an ornament and imbelliſhment of ſpeech.
Secondly, Of others.
1. When ever and anon, upon every ſmall provocation or offence, men will paſſionately call for venveance, lay the Pox or Plague upon others, or it may be ſend men to the devil, upon no other errand, but to tell him, they are making haſt after them.
2. When upon no provocation, in no paſſion, but in a familiar jocular way, men curſe one another; nay with the ſame breath, curſe their friend, and ſwear how much they love him.
3. It is by ſome reputed a piece of familiarity: You muſt take it as a kindneſs, eſpecially if you be an inferiour, that they will be ſo great with you, as to curſe you Sic ſ…lent beare amicos.
There is another ſort of prophane curſing inferior to all theſe, a curſing in Short-hand. Many men are aſham'd to curſe in words at length, but boggle not to do it in Characters and Abbrevations. If theſe men know the true original of theſe Characters, and the meaning of them, it is all one as if they ſpoke in words at length. If they do not, but yet ſuſpect them, it is bold, it is an adventuring upon an appearance of evil, which is flatly forbidden. Suppoſe they ſuſpect nothing of this meaning in theſe common words: If they have no meaning, they are idle words; and that is bad enough. And if they profoſs ſincerely, they know not what they mean, they proclaim themſelves fools, that know not what they ſay. It is a miſerable ſhift to embrace fooliſhneſs and madneſs to avoid prophaneneſs.
But it is to be ſuſpected, that they that mince the matter, do know the meaning of theſe characters well enough; how elſe could they apply them ſo patly, ſo ſeaſonably as they do? One may know they ſtand in ſtead of a curſe, becauſe they come in the order and place of one. When I hear a man ſay a pound on him, or a ſhackle on him, for I am much beholden to him, and he has much befriended me; then I will believe he knows not what he ſays.
It ſeems to be cleanly and charitable to wiſh men in Heaven, and that God had them: But I have heard it come out of as prophane mouths, and with as ſpiteful a deſign, as any curſe.
Bleſſed God, who bleſſeſt us daily; communicate to us of thy gracious nature, that we alſo may bleſs and not curſe! let us never preſume to reckon our ſelves a part of Chriſts purchaſe, till we find our ſelves actually redeemed from our vain converſation received by tradition from our fathers!