The True Christians T est, Part 2 · Meditation 40
MEDITAT. XL. Of the Ingratitude and Perjury of Worldly Love.
THe next abominable thing that I can think of, is Ingratitude: A thing ſo abominable, that the very Heathen by the light of Nature every where ery out upon it with the ſharpeſt invectives imaginable. I need name none of them, having once quoted that famous Aphoriſm of theirs, Qui Ingratum dixerit omnia dixit, Call a man ungrateful, and you call him all that naught is. But yet there are degrees here, and ſome kind of Ingrati…de is more abominable than other: Of all the kinds, ingratitudes towards God is the worſt; and or all Ingratitude towards God, the giving away of the Heart is the worſt; and to give it to ſuch … vile thing, a hurtful thing, and his Enemy too, makes it ſtill worſe. God has given us all the good we have, yea even that good that is given us by our Parents, Tutors, Patrons, Benefactors, he is the D…r of it. And for all this he looks for nothing from us but that we ſhould love him: And is it no… Monſtrous Injuſtice and Ingratitude, to deny him that. He gave us theſe very heart…; and ſhall we go and give them to his and our own profeſt Enemy? Talk no more of the abomi…neſs of the graceleſs Lads that kill'd their Maſters with their Pen-knives, of Abſ…lom taking up Arms againſt his Father, of Rebellious Subjects purſuing their King to death, by thoſe very Swords … put into their hands, of the Churl that denied a Meals Meat to him that had kept all his Flock in the Wilderneſs: one covetous Man out does them all, and every Predominant Lover of the World, … denys his heart to the God that gave it him, is … abominable than all they. It was a very cut…ng Reflection that our Saviour made upon the ungrateful people, amongſt whom he converſt, I have done many good works am…ng you, for which of theſe is it, that ye ſtone me? And what ſhall he be able to anſwer, to whom the Father of Mercies ſhall put this Queſtion; I have made thee what thou art, I have given thee what thou haſt; for which of theſe Mercies is it, that thou hateſt me? If it be anſwer'd, Nay Lord, wherein did I hate thee? It will ſoon be reply'd, to the Eternal ſilencing of the ungrateful Wretch, in as much as thou didſt not love me, thou hated'ſt me; thou didſt not love me, for if any man love the World, the love of the Father is not in him. But I will adjourn the further Proſecution of this to ſome following Meditations, concerning motives to the Love of God, and conſider the laſt abominable thing, which the Love of the World is, and that is Perjury.
The Jews of our Saviours time, had very broad Conſciences, and many fowl things they made a ſhift to ſwallow, ſuch as Revenge, Hatred of Enemies, Neglect of poor Parents, and the like; yet Perjury was ſuch a Morſel as they could never get down: though they had made void many of the Commands of God, yet for ſtark ſhame they left this ſtanding in its full force, Thou ſhalt not forſwear thy ſelf, but ſhalt perform to thy Lord thy Vows. What Opinion the Heathen had of Perjury, appears by the ſtrange puniſhments that they ſay the gods inflicted upon Laomedon King of Troy, for falſifying the Promiſſory Oath that he had made to Neptune and Apollo; which vengance did not onelyonly light upon him and his Age, but reacht unto poſterity. So that many years after, they cry'dout, Laomedonteae luimus perjuria Trojae. Herod, that could digeſt Murder and Inceſt (hard bits one would think) yet boggled at Perjury; though the Oath was a raſh one and made but to a Girl, and that upon no valuable conſideration neither, yet his ſtomach (as vitated as it was) ſo nauſeated Perjury, that he would perform it. It ſeems it was accounted by them an abominable Blaſphemy, to call God to Witneſs to a lie, to make truth it ſelf a lyar; but let the promiſe be made to whom it would, how much more abominable muſt it needs be, when that promiſe is made to God? That is at the ſame time, to defraud and blaſpheme the Majeſty of Heaven: And ſo do all they who ſolemnly in the preſence of God covenant and ſwear to fight under his Banner againſt the World, and afterwards turn to the World, and enter into a Covenant of Friendſhip with that which they had once declar'd their deadly Enemy. Mercury in the Fable, ſtomach'd …t grievouſly, that Battus ſhould betray him to himſelf—Et me mihi perfide prodie, Me mihi prodis Certainly more intollerable affront cannot be put upon the Majeſty of Heaven, than that men ſhould ſwear by him to him, and then forſake him; making themſelves at once guilty of Fraud and Blaſphemy, which all the Lovers of the World do
If now there be anything abominable in Idolatry, Adultery, Blaſphemy, Sacrilege, Ingratitude, Perjury, the Predominant Love of the World muſt needs be abominable even to amazement, which is really all theſe; and what needs, what can be ſaid more to diſſwade us from it?
O Merciful God, who alone canſt effectually deal with the Hearts of Men, perſwade us thorowly of the undefiling Nature of thy Love, that we may make it our great ſtudy, to keep our ſelves unſpotted of the World.