The Cause and Cure of Ignorance, Section 51 – Section 52
SECT. 51.
AS let mee appeale from their tongues to their hearts,We may appeale to them…elves who are the honester men. and from their mouthes to their consciences, whether this be not the greatest cause of their quarrell, We refuse to pledge them in their wicked customes. Or we will not breake Gods Law, to conforme to theirs. It faring betweene us and our adversaries; as betweene Socrates, and the Athenians: who said unto them in his apollogie, I love, and imbrace you, O Athenians ▪ but yet I will obey God rather than you. Yea, may not all see (saving such as the P…ince of darknesse hath blinded) that those for the most part, whom the World speakes so basely of, are before men, in respect of any scandalous offences or open crimes, unblamable, and may say with the Lamb, whom they follow, Which of you can rebuke me of sinne, though with Paul, 1 Tim. 1.15. they think themselves the worst of sinners? And doe not their adversaries know, that the men whom they terme Puritans, are honester men, and more righteous than themselves, as Pharoah was forc'd to confesse touching Moses? Exod. 10.16, 17.They think not as they speak. And Saul touching David? 1 Sam. 26.21. Yea, I know they are perswaded well of them, even when they speake most to the contrary, though I expect not they should use them thereafter. We know Pilate judged Christ guiltlesse, but yet he put him to death. And Festus acknowledged that Paul was without crime, yet he left him in prison. I dare say Tertullus knew that he lyed, when hee called Paul a Pestilent fellow: his conscience could not chuse but answer him, Thou lyest in thy throat Tertulus, Paul is an honester man than thy selfe. And must not these mens consciences tell them, that the same they accuse so, are in their lives the most unreproveable of the Land? Yea, I will appeal to their greatest adversaries, whether the Protestant at large, or those who are called Puritans, be of the purest Religion, and most reformed to the Primitive Church? For not seldome are wicked mens judgements forced to yeeld unto that truth, against which their affections maintaine a rebellion▪ And yet, as if they would stamp Gods Image on the Devills drosse, and the Devills Image on Gods silver, they justifie those actions and persons, which God condemnes, and condemn those which he justifies.
True these enemies to holines spare not to cast asper…ions on us,They asperse us out of policy. else how should they worke their wills? How should Naboth be cleanly put to death, if he be not first accused of blasphemy? 1 Kin. 21.13. and the like of Ioseph, Eliah, Ieremiah, Susanna, Paul, Stephen, and our Saviour Christ himself But if you marke it, they are as guilty of the crimes whereof they be accused, as Ioseph was, in forcing of his Mi…tris, or as Naboth and the rest were, of those things which were layd to their charge.
I speak not of those monsters, those white Devills who make Religion a stalking Hor…e to villany. I know too many dishonour God, by wearing of his livery. But what was Satan to the children of God, Iob 1.6. though hee thrust himselfe into their company? Or what wise man will tax all the Apostles because one was a Iudas. To tax all for the faults of a few, is only the art of a fool.To argue, because some are so and so, therefore the rest are alike, is a saplesse reason, only becomming a foole. An argument, that deserves rather laughter, than beleife.
Yet most men are … fooles,Most m…n fooles and beasts. or rather brute beasts, led with sensuality, and made to be taken and destroyed, as Saint Peter speaks, who because they love to speake evill of the way of truth, 2 Pet. 2.2.12. If they see but an hipocrite discover himselfe, they not onelyonly harden themselves in their sinnes, and, as it were, breake their owne necks at this stumbling block, being Satans trap, set on purpose to catch their blinde soules in, but condemn all the rest of his profession to be such as he is, save that they dissemble their hypocrisie more closly & cunningly; which is as equal and …u…t, as it was for Simeon and Levi to murder all the Sechemites for the offence only of Hamors Son. But as all are not theeves that Dogs bark at; so all are not hypocrites which they terme so. But admit there were more than there are: the faults of many, should not make us uncharitable to all: Nor the goodnesse of some, make us credulous of the rest.
SECT. 52.
INdeed, as all our enemies are not alike witty,The Character of a malicious scoffer. so they are not alike malicious, for some transcend this way, as Doeg did the rest of Sauls servants another way, you shall know such an one by these few markes; his hatred is so inveterate and universall, that hee spends all his wits in frothy scoffes, and invectives against the whole people of God? and as if the door were not wide enough except he set open all the windows, and break downe the walls to let in this infectious ayre, his tongue scrues something against the religious into all discourses; and when his owne invention failes, it shall be supplyed with what he hath heard: for as the Papists never found any error spued out by the Ancients, but they have licked it up, superstitiously to abuse the same: so he never heares of any scoffe, slander, or devillish invective formerly devised, but he licks it up, that he may spit it out againe in the face of some Professor, or on the other side poyson those with whom he doth converse; being to his company like a mad dog, that so biteth every one he meets, that they become madde too, and as apt to bite others as himselfe; or in case he meets with another like himselfe in wit and malice, it may bee said of them, as Diogenes spake of two ill conditioned women, when hee saw them talking, See how the viper and the Aspe are changing poyson. And nothing so tickles the spleen, or glads the heart of such, as that discourse which may most shame profession, disgrace Relion, and dishonour God. But, O that ever those tongues, which dare call God Father, should suffer them…elves thus to be moved and possessed by that uncleane spirit! Or that ever the church should own such for her children. In the Primitive times, the Church would have denied her blessing to such a Sonne, that should have thought himselfe disparaged by serving Christ, and wearing of his livery, although hee had not scoft at others:How strangely wicked men gull themselves yet this man flatters himself that he is a Christian; yea, you cannot beat him from it, but that he is as good a Christian as the precisest, and shall goe to Heaven as soone. But let him that reads, consider whether it be not a fearefull thing, to lend to Satan the heart for devinng, the tongue for uttering, and the eare for hearing of calumnies, and all this to disgrace the grace of God in his children, and make it fruitlesse to themselves and others. O impiety to be abhorred: Such sport on earth is only sport for the Fiends in Hell, and let them look to it, for such joyes may chance to cost them eternall mourning; yea, certainly, if the infernall Tophet be not for them (in case they repent not) it can challenge no guests; for I may well say unto such an one, Many sinners have done wickly, but thou surpassest them al; thine is such a superlative, such a soul murthering sin, that no other sin can paralel it.