The Cause and Cure of Ignorance, Section 28 – Section 32
SECT. 28.
3. WIcked men manifest their enmity against the religious,7 They carry tales of us to the Rulers. by carrying tales of them unto others: as Cham carried tales to his brethren of Noahs nakednesse, his tongue was the trumpet to sound forth his Fathers shame, Gen. 9.22. Thus Doeg carried tales to Saul of David, and Ahimelech, 1 Sam. 22.9, 10. and the Zip…ins, two severall times brought tidings to Saul, where David had hid himselfe, to the end Saul might slay him, 1 Sam, 23.19, 20. & 26.1. And those Libertines, with other suborned men against Steven, to the Counsell of Priests, Acts 6.8. to 15.
And of this burthen many amongst us are in continuall travell. For how frequently doe debauched Drunkards, and incorrigible sinners (resembling their father the Devill, who both by name Revel. 12.10. and by nature, Iob. 1.7, 8, 9. is a continuall Accuser of the brethren) carry tales to their fellowes, of such as will not consort with them? yea, of their faithfull Ministers, especially if hee thunders in his doctrine, and lightens in his conversation, as Gregory Nazianzen speakes of Basil? Yea, and thinke they doe as good service in it, as Secretaries, and Espialls of Princes, do to the State, when they bring in bills of intelligence?
Charge us with many things but proove nothingBut doe they, as they ought, with an upright minde tell both our vertues and vices impartially, as Swetonius writeth of the twelve Caesars, and so leave the upshot to collection? No, but rather, as the Iewes did by Paul, Acts 24. charge us with many things, as that we are pestilent fellowes, movers of sedition, and maintainers of Schisme, but proving nothing, verse 13. And indeed, how should they, when every word they speake is a slander? Or if otherwise, they look on our infirmities, they looke not on our graces,They passe over our good partes on our repentance? No these Flyes skip over all a mans sound parts, I meane his excellencies; to fasten on a scab, or ulcer; resembling our Prognosticators, that are more diligent to make mention of foule weather than of faire; stormes and thunder they much harp upon, but calme and serene dayes passe them un-observed: whereas an ingenious nature would passe over the evill where he findes more good; considering wee are full of faults by nature; good, not without our care and industery; for a minde well qualified, is often beholding to the industry of the owner: and Vlysses as Homer relates, was so applauded for the accutenesse of an ingenious minde, that men spared to object unto him the deformity of his body.
But these contrarily, for want of matter to expect against, will coyne it of their owne heads.They will coyne matter to accuse us. And that they may deliver themselves with the greater Emphasis, will affirme as that Gymnosophist in Plutarch did, of those Orators to Alexander, That every one of them doth exceed his fellowes, and sweare that the matter is so cleare and manifest, that all the Towne rings of him (meaning the good fellows of the Towne) and to speake truth, the parties faults are so cleare and evident, that you may see them as well in the darke, as with a candel, as appeares by the sequell. For …re there not some godly and faithfull, both Christians and Preachers, that have beene often (I say not ninety five times) accused by them, as Aristophanes was by the Athenians, and every time found innocent? though no thankes to their accusers, for they indeavour all they can to corrupt such as heare them, and fore-stall their judgements against the good and goodnesse.
How to heare the tale-bearer.O that men were so wise, as to heare the tale-bearer with indignation, examin before they trust, beleeve his reports, if infallibly true, with unwillingnesse, acknowledge it with griefe, hide our neighbours faults with honest excuses, and bury them in silence: for commonly it fares with the first relator, as it doth with a stone throwne into the water, which of it selfe makes but one circle, but that one begets a hundred, and so both offends and infects many others, but alwayes prooves himselfe to be uncharitable. It were good for other men if tale-bearers would consider this, but better for themselves.
True,No musick so sweet as to heare well of themselves ill of the religious. the wise and honest are able, as so many Angels of God, to discerne truth from slander; though to the grief of many good hearts, no musick can be so sweet to the eares of others, as to heare well of themselves, ill of the Religious.
And these, as they often set the former on worke, so they are resolutely opinionated in beleeving of lyes (as Saint Austin speaks of the Priscillianists) whereby they supererogate of Satan.
But what is the end of these tale-bearers, The tale-bearers end.and informers against good men? Follow them to their ends, and you shall see, that if ever the Lord open their eyes to see this their fact, they are even in this life rewarded with the strappadoes of an humane soule, rackt in conscience, and tortured with the very flashes of Hell fire, and not seldome forced to lay violent hands upon themselves, being never well, nor in their owne place, till they bee in Hell, Acts 1.25.
SECT. 29.
3 They give divelish councel against us.4. IT is their manner to perswade and give devillish counsell to others, like themselves, to persecute the godly, as Balaam gave w…cked councell to Balack against the Children of Israel. when he could not be suffered to curse them, Revel. 2.14. Th…s the Princes and Rulers did to Zedekiah the King against Ieremiah, saying, Wee beseech you, let this man bee put to death for thus he weakneth the hands of the men of Warre, &c. Ier. 38.4. and the Iewes of Thessalonica to the people of Berea against Paul, Acts 17.13.
That the enemies of the Crosse of Christ, are still accustomed to deale after this manner with the religious, I need not demonstrate; plain things, which our selves are daily witnesses of, need no proofe. OnelyOnly note their matchlesse malice herein;They dazell mens eyes with false accutions. who, that they may be sure to prevaile, first dazell their friends eyes with false accusations against us, as true and certain, as that Naboth did blaspheme God and the King; and their associates are as sure of it, as Darius was, that the Idoll Bell did eate and drinke every day forty Sheep, twelve Kakes, and six great pots of Wine, because threescore and ten of the Priests gave it out so: And that their mortall enmity may be taken for a zeale of the Churches good, as Iudas would have his covetousnesse taken for Charity, Iohn 12.6. And the Pharisees their Cruelty thought Piety, Matth. 23.14. All the reproaches that the Devill, and these his Scavengers, can rake out of the Channels, of Hell,Their matchlesse malice in slandering us. shall be flung in our faces, the worst language that hath ever been dipt in the forge, or tipt at the fire of Hell, shall be bestowed upon us; wherein they resemble those ancient enemies of the Gospel, who clad the Martyrs in the skins of wild Beasts, to animate the Dogs to teare them.
This evill world hating true Christians (as it did Christ) without a cause; readily takes up Arms against the most innocent, and so cloathing them with pretended causes, to colour that her hatred, (For as no man loves evill, but under the shew of good: so no man will appeare to hate what is good, but under the appearance of evill.) Truth it selfe is arraigned, as a deceiver: And he by whom Kings reigne, represented as an enemy to Caesar: and under such representations to the people, he is crucified by them.
The Prelates more ready to yeeld their ayd then the rude rabble to aske it.Though perhaps this is more then needs, for not seldome the counselled are more ready to yeeld their ayd, then they are to ask it; being of Maximinus his humor, who seeing none offer themselves, set on work certain vile persons to accuse the Christians of heynous crimes, that so he might persecute them with more shew of reason; for that one may supply the others defects, the first finds an head, the second a tongue, the third hands: As Vlysses may contrive, but Diomedes must thorow with it: so altogether deale with the poore Minister, or Christian, as the Soldiers did with Christ, first blind him, then strike him, and last ask him, Who is it that smote thee? And he may answer the best man of them, It was thou, O mine enemy, thou wast an Achitophel in the one, a Doeg in the other, a Belial in both. And let such men know, that this their instigation will end at last, either in anguish or confusion, teares or torment will become their recompence.
SECT. 30.
5. IT is the manner and custome of wicked men to scoffe at the righteous,9. They flout and scoffe at the godly. as Ishmael scoft at Isaac, Gen. 21.9. Rabshakeh at Hezekiah, and his people, 2 Kings 18.27. And the Philosophers at Paul, Acts 17.18 to 21.
And to this day the world is too full of scoffing Atheists, and mockers of Piety. Michal was barren, yet she hath too many children, that scorn holy exercises; every houshold almost hath some in it, if not many, of the brood of Cham and Ishmael: so that if any one refrain from impiety, refuse to doe as the rest in all excesse of ryot,They so hate righteousnesse, that they hate men for it. he is made both their prey and laughing-stock: Yea, if he be so bold as to preach righteousnesse to them, by voyce or by example, there is instantly some Tobiah, or Sanballat, steps up to flout him. They so hate righteousnesse, that they will hate a man for it, and say of good living, as Festus did of great learning, it makes a man mad. But they cannot know who are sober,They think us mad, we know them to be mad. that are mad themselves. Achish and his Courtiers thought David mad, yet he was the wisest man amongst them. Yea, as old men answer young men, You thinke us fooles, but we know you are not wise: so answer we these, You think us mad that are so hot against sinnes, but wee know you mad that are so cold for your soules.
Dogges will bark at the Moone: and what all men commend, you have some Thersites take delight to blast. Lot vexed himselfe because hee saw men bad: these, because men are good: not because Gods Law is broken, but because others keep it better then themselves.They are zealous against all that are zealous. But these are brinish & ill made candles, which so sparkle and spit at others: it is a cursed zeale in these men, to maligne the good zeale of all men.
But let them alone, they need no help to be miserable:They scoff at us, God laughes at them. for as they scoffe at us, so God laughs at them, He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision, Psal. 2.4. Yea, Judgements are prepared for these scorners, and stripes for the backs of these fooles, Prov. 19.29. God shall raine down fire and brimstone upon such scorners of his word, and blasphemers of his people as thou art, said Mr. Philpot the Martyr, to mocking Morgan and the rest of his persecuters.
If they smart not here, as Cham did, whose scoffing only brought his Fathers Curse, and Gods upon that: And the two and forty children who were devoured of wilde Beares for scoffing at Elishas bald head,Their punishments. 2 King. 2.24. and Foelix, who for one malicious scoffe, did nothing day and night but vomit blood, till his unhappy soule was fetcht from his wretched carkasse: And Pherecydes, who was consumed by worms alive, for giving Religion but a nick-name; a small matter if thou mayst be made Judge. And Lucian, who for barking against Religion like a Dog, was by a just judgement of God, devoured of Dogs.
For this let me tell them,No greater Argument of a foule soule what ever the D…vil blinding them, they think there cannot be a greater Argument of a foule soule, then the deriding of religious services: Yea, to be a scoffer, is the depth of sin: such an one is upon the very threshold of Hell, as being set down in a resolute contempt of all goodnesse.
SECT. 31.
10. They use to nick-name the godly.6. IT is their manner and property to nick-name the godly, as Ahab nicknamed Eliah, the troubler of Israel, 1 Kings 18.17. The wicked, Iob and David hypocrites, Psalm 35.13.14. Iob 4.6. to 11. The Courtiers, Ieremiah an enemy to the Common-wealth of Israel. The Iewes, Paul a factions and seditious fellow, Acts 24.14. Yea, they tearmed all the Disciples Sectaries, Schismatickes, subverters of the State, &c. 1 Cor. 4.9.10.
It is the Devill that speakes in and by them.And the same Devill, who spake in Ahab, and those wicked ones of old, now speaks in our loose Libertines, who nickname the conscionable, Puritanes, and seditious persons: For doe but examine who they be which cast these aspersions upon the godly, and you shall find, that the hand of Ioab, I mean the Devill, is in this businesse. Alas, poore soules! they are but set on by that subtile Serpent, as Zebede was by her sonnes, Matth. 20.20. Mark. 10.35. It is but his heart in their lips.
And Satan hath ever found it infinitely successfull,Nothig hath proved more successfull to Satan, then lies. to give every vice a title, and every vertue a disgrace; for still hee hath found, that the rude and unstable multitude, onelyonly look upon the vizard and out-side of things, which he pleaseth to put upon them, and so judge according to appearance, not righteous judgement.
Neither doth the Devill onelyonly gain by fastning reproachfull nick-names upon the religious, but his servants gain too; much like the Thiefe, who meeting with a full purse, not onelyonly takes it away, but returnes a stab: For in making vertue contemptible, and in depraving the godly, they are at least upon even ground with them, if they have not the better: For were all the world ugly, deformity would be no monster. Among the Myconians baldnesse is no unseemly thing,Wicked men think to grace themselves by disgracing the godly. because all there are born bald: and hereupon infamous persons love to mitigate their owne shame, with others discredit. As AEsops Fox, when she had lost her taile, would have redeemed her shame, by perswading all her fellow-Foxes to cut of theirs; yea, by despressing the good, they may possibly get the start of them. Even Heliogabulus, that beastly monster, thought to make hims…e the sole God, and be only worsh…pped, by banishing all other Religions o…t of the World.
…t let these depravers take heed, lest im…ting the fact of Censor Fulvius, wh… untiled Iunos Temple to cover his ow… house, they partake of the like judgement, run mad, and dye despairing▪
SECT. 32.
11 They revile and raile on the godly. Because the Law bindes their hands they smit with their tongues.7 IT is their manner to revile and rayle on them, as Goliah reviled and rayled on the Host of Israel, and their God, 1 Sam, 17.45. Shimei, upon David, calling him murtherer, and wicked m…n, 2 Sam 16.7. And likewise the mig…y men, Psal. 31.13. And the Iewes up…n Paul and Barnabas, Acts 13.45.
Calumny is every good mans Lackey, which followes him wheresoever hee goes; for the Devill hath his servants in every corner; and rotten Lungs can never send forth sweet breath. If the Law bind their hands, yet they will be smiting with their tongues: and if the Law keepe them in awe for smitting on the mouth, yet they will doe what they dare,, they will smite with the mouth.
It is with these men,They speak evill of us because they cannot do evil to us. as it was with Zoilus, that common slanderer, who being demanded why hee spake evill of such and such, answered, because I cannot doe them evill: or else, like another Parisian Vigils, wee should feele their swords, before we heard their alarums. When the Devills hands are bound, he vomits a flood of reproaches with his tongue Revel. 12.15. What say they? Since we cannot attaine to their vertues, let us revenge our selves with rayling against them.
It is not for nothing,How fitly they are termed dogs. that wicked men are so often is Scripture called Dogs, as Psalm. 59.6. deliver my soule, or my darling, from the power of the Dog: and they make a noyse like a Dog, and goe round about the City, Beware of Dogs, saith S. Paul, Philip. 3.2. which either grin with malice, or barke with reproaches, or bite with mischiefe.
But blessed be God, although some of these Dogs have teeth like swords, and jaws like knives, as Solomon speakes, Prov. 30.14. And smite cruelly, as Ieremy complaines, Chap. 18.18. which deserve, like Shepheards Curres, to have their teeth beaten out,Their words are to bee …lighted. to prevent their biting; yea, and their chaps muzled, for feare of opening; yet most of them are tooth-lesse Curres, which though they barke, yet they cannot bite; and cowardly Curres, for if you note such an one, he seldome unbuttons his tumoured brest, but when he finds none to oppose the bignes of his looks and tongue.
And for such our only way is, either to slight them, as King Philip did Nicanor in the like case; who being told by Smitichus of his evill reports and raylings, answered, Nicanor is not esteemed by the worst in Macedonia.
Or else stop their mouths with some good turne, as AEneas, in the fiction, cast Cerberus the hell-hound a sweet morsell, that hee might not barke against him. The doore, when it hath been oyled, leaves creaking; and this is good policy: for barking Curres oft-times great mastiffs wake.
But as if the tearme of Dogge, were of too narrow extent,Foule m…uthed men and women are devills in the Scripture phrase. the Scripture elsewhere calls them Devils. Saint Pau…, 2 Tim. 3.3. (as Bishop Andrews observes from the Originall) foretels, that in the latter dayes there shall bee men Devils, foule mouthed men, evill speakers, and 1 Tim. 3 11 he speaketh of women-devils, whose speeches are calumnious. And wherefore is the Devill called by that name, but by reason of his foul mouth in defaming? Yea A Calumny, saith one of the Fathers, is the Devils minde in the mouth of a man, Satans heart in their lips.his arrow shot by mans bow; he lendeth him his lyes and malice, and borroweth his tongue to utter them because the Devill wants a tongue.
I close up this point with those words of the Prophet, either convert the persons or confound the lying lips, O God, that speake against the righteous.