Armor of Proof, Section 31
§. 31.
O…. But I hear none boast so much of peace, as the ungodly; nor none … with contention, as the religious.
…. B…ast of it they may, but it is apparent that the way of peace they have not so much as known: indeed, they have some kind of agreement among … so have Serpents, and Beares, and Wolves: it is a rare thi…g, to see one Wolf devour, or fight with another: yea, they have made a covenant with death, and are at agreement with Hell, Isai. 28. 15. and yet: as ther… is no peace to the wicked, Isa. 57. 21. so there is no peace among the …, fo… every combination in evil, is rebellion, and not peace; rather a conspira…y, … a concord; like the agreement of Absalom and A…hitophel, … against David; or of Herod and Pilate, conspiring against Apostles, plotting against Paul, so meeting in malice to do … dissention is better then such a wicke… peace.
Neither can any wonder, that wicked men do so conspire in evil, that there is such … in the broachers & abbettors of it; if he but take notice of those …, which b…ing many in substance, were yet one in name, action, habitation, even a wh…le Legion in one man, Mark, 5. 9. all the praise of concord is in the …; if that be holy, the consent is angelicall; if sinfull, develish; true … with God, war with our lusts, Rom. 5. 1. and 7. 22. 23. … with …, war with vice: whereas they have peace and are at league with … but are at war wit… G…d, and good men all at once: but a just war is a … better, then such an ill conditioned peace; yea, it no way deserves t…e name of peace, except we be at enmity with the Serpent, at unity … so to be at peace with men, as that we do not war with God and his graces: peace must be followed with holinesse, Heb▪ 12. 14 Wherefore … joyneth …aith, peace, and truth together, Zach. 8. 16. and St. Paul, peace and righteousness, peace and edification, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, Rom. 14. 17. 19. 20. &c. Thus the Scripture sets us our bounds for peace, which we may not passe; and shews that ungodly men are not guilty o… this grace; that they do but talk of peace, not practise it.
But suppose we could enjoy peace in their company; ye… we can never expect to have … loves: for d…unkards only love drunkards, and one wicked man another; but care not a rush for any that are good: being like Phalaris the Tyrant, who would never grant any request, except it were to a dissolute woman, but such he never denied. Likeness we know is the cause of love, and lov… the cause of likeness; whereas the believer and the unbeliever are altogether unlike; the one being crucified and dead to the world, Gal. 6. 14. but mad… alive in Christ, 1 Cor. 15. 22. The other being spiritnally dead, even while they alive. 1 Tim. 5. 6.
We seldome see different dispositions entirely loving: for hence growes the height of friendship, when two similary souls do blend in their commixions, and hence it is, that two friends are said to come into Vulcan's shop, to beg this boon of him: that he would either beate them on his Anvile, or melt them in his Fornace both into one, the which he granted. I'ts likeness that makes the true love knot of friendship: when we find another of our own disposition, it appears the same soul in a divided body. Natu…e that makes us love our selves, makes us, with the same reason, love those that are like us. A friend is a more sacred name, then a Brother, Pro. 18. 24. For what availes it to have the bodies from the same original, when the souls within them differ?
And yet some (R…hoboam-like) passing over the religious, will joyn themselves with ungodly persons; like as some put away honest wives, and go to harlots: wherein they deal as wisely, as if a man should cast away his fleshly leg, and set on another of wood. Causa patrocinio non bona pejor crit.
Or admit thou shouldst enjoy a wicked mans love; it is but mercenary, base, and inconstant, and so not worth the having. Indeed, there was never such abject and servile prostitutions of presentations, as life, soul, devotion, adoration, servant, slave, &c. as there is now amongst our drunkards and roarers, and what love they expresse to one, they professe to all; every one they know, or salute, is their friend: but friendship so distracted, like as the River Ganges was by Cyrus, into 365. brooks, both looses her name and nature: a lover of so many, never loves any.
Or, admit a drunkard do love thee: either he loves thee for his own sake, because he hath some pleasure, or profit, or credit by thee, (as prosperity procureth friends, no lesse then adversity proveth them) which is, with Craterus, to love the King, rather, then with Ephaestion, to l…ve Alexander: now I do not hold him worthy thankes, that profes…eth mee kindnesse for his own ends.
Or secondly, he loves only thy body or natural parts, which is but the worst peece of thee; and love to th… body, is but the body of love; the soule of love, is the love of the soule.
Neither doth he truly love, that loves the body more then the mind and soul, or common gifts before saving graces; this love as it is never long liv'd, so it is of: but feigned; as you shall have drunkards and dissembling polititians salute one anothe…, with God save you, at their meeting; and wish one another hanged, at their parting; Italian-like, they will be glorious and complemental in their invitations, but if you accept of their offer, they will hate you for it ever after. A drinking f…iendship, is but a drunken friendship: and beleeve it, thou wilt find those friends firmest, that thy vertues purchase thee: these will love thee, when thy wealth is gone: whereas those that be won without desert, will also be lost without a cause: you need but be an Arbitrator between two such friends to make them both your enemies: things that differ in their end, will surely part in their way: now thy end, is to gain him; his end, to make a gain of thee: for let the passage of profit be stopt, his love is likewise at a stand: … you deserved never so well from him, the deniall of one favour, nay, a… health, shall drown the memory of many fore-performed ones: which is all on… as if for the abortion of one child, a man should kill all the former issue whereas the good mans thanks for old favours, lives even in the blows of injury or can you not feed these vermine as you have done, away they go; like a Su… Dial, you shall be no longer regarded, then you are shined on by prosperity yea, Rats run not faster away from an house on fire; nor lice from a dead body then they from poverty: and if ever it be your misery to stand in need of them look for no other requitall, then Iob had of his friends, whom he compares to a deceitful Brook, which in winter is hard frozen with cold, in Summer dried up with heat; between winter and Summer passing away, alwayes deceitful, never of use, Iob 6. 14. to 19.
Yea, a man may say of such friends, as a learned Antiquary said of Rumn… Marsh, bad in Winter, hurtfull in Summer, never good: nay, this comparison falls short, for thou hast sped well, if such friends prove not dangerously hurtfull, as well as helplesse. Have I not known some of them resemble th… Snake, which when a kind Husbandman had taken out of the cold, and cherished in his bosome, and she had recovered her lively heate, and was grown lusty, singled out him ungratfully to trie her first sting upon? or a Promotor, that in Lent eats flesh at your table, and yet is the first that accuseth thee to the Magistrate. If Ziba be waxed great under Mophiboseth, he will give him a lift fo… …ll he hath. A promoted Begger hath not seldome renounced his advancer.
And what else can be looked for from them? They cannot make conscience of civill duties, who make none of divine. If a man have cast off his God, he will easily cast off his friend. They that have broken their faith with him, will keep no faith with us, When Religion is once gone, humanity will not stay long after.
I take leave of this point, with a caution. Reveal to such men no secrets; for he that now loves thee dearly, may come to hate thee deadly: nor beleeve a word that they say; for they are like Antigones, who never denied any sute, that was asked; but withall, never performed any thing that he granted; for what they promise when they are drunk, they forget when they are sober; or like Saul, who being perswaded of David's worth and loyalty, sweares, as the Lord liveth he shall not die, 1 Sam. 19. 6. yet within four verses, for all his oath, he darts a Speare at him, intending to nail him to the wall; and in the next verse, hee sends messengers to his house to kill him; or like the Councell of Constance, who made promise to Iohn Husse of a conduct and safe return; yet, like forsworn persecuters, put him to death.