The Cause and Cure of Ignorance, Section 53 – Section 54
SECT. 53.
BUt thou hast plenty of excuses to pacify thy blinded and benummed conscience:Some of the… excuses. Yea, thou wantest not some carnall reasons to make it good, as an easie in…ention may put false matters into true Sylogismes: And amongst the rest, thou wouldest not have men singular: wherefore that they may have lesse zeale and more temper, thou seekest to allay their heat with frumps, and scoffes, and taunts, and jeeres; as how often doe we hear remisse professors strive to choake all forward holinesse and zeale by commending the golden meane? For carnall men (who cleave as close to custome, and example of the greatest number, as clay to a Cart Wheele) thinke every one exorbitant, that walketh not after their rule,Singularity our great and grevious crime. 1 Pet. 4.4. As the Sodomites thought of Lot, Gen. 19.9. the hundred and twenty Governours of Daniel, Dan. 6.11. and the Caldeans of Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, Dan. 3.10. to 30. Daniel of all Darius his servants was so bold as to pray three times a day, not in contempt of the King of Babilons decree, but in zeale and obedience to the God of Heavens command: the Governours …ranging at it, accuse him, and say, this Daniel which is of the captivity, regardeth not thee O King, nor the Decree which thou hast signed; but doth so and so: wherfore command we pray thee, that he be cast into the Lyons den, for no decree, nor statute which the King establisheth may be altered, Dan. 6. Again, what disorder is this that I heare of you,To obey God rather than men great disorders saith Nebuchadnezzer to Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego: will you not serve my Gods, nor worship the golden Image that I have set up, Dan. 3.14. who answered no, be it knowne unto thee O King, wee are not carefull to answer thee in this matter: they were all as stiffe as if they had eaten a stake, and they could not bow to an Idoll: as the godly have been in all ages, not being able to wheele with the times. Yea, they that truely fear God are usually as immoveable as the Sun in its course, because they thinke, and speak, and live by rule, and not by example, and hold themselves as fast tyed, as if they had the oath given them, which the … solemnly presented to their Judges, … to sw…rve from t…eir consciences wh… …mmand soever they should … themselves to the contrary … strictnesse is a great eyesore … men: who hate singularity, almost as they doe sanctity, which makes them so cry it down.
Common protestants can be of any religion.And no marvell, for these men, and so all Protestants at large, so scorne to be singular, that they will conform to any Religion the State shall establish: yea, should they be commanded to worship a Calfe with the Israelites, Exod. 32.4. or a golden Image with the Chaldeans, Dan. 3.7. They would instantly doe it; as the times of Queene Mary, witnesse: Good honest men, let them injoy their communities; peace, and plenty: any Religion shall serve their turne. They are as indifferent as Doctor Kitching, who being Abbot, was first the Popes sworne Servant: then an halfe Papist, King Henry having cast off the Pope: a Protestant under Edward the sixt: a downe right Papist with Queene Marie: And a Parliament Protestant againe, when hee tooke the Oath of Supremasy under Queene Elizabeth. Of whose faith I take most Protestants at large to be; For let them hear of a change in Religion, it shall never a whit trouble them: What cares a stupified worldling, for the removall of our Candlestick? What is it to him if the superstition, and blindnesse of Popery did over-shadow the Land? and turne day into night: It is nothing to him, if he can but see to get money. Light or darknesse, Scripture or tradition, the King or the Pope, Christ or Antichrist, are all one to him; to heare a Sermon, or see a Masse, he likes them both alike.
Perhaps they may thinke better of themselves;Yet none think better of them selves. and untill they be put to it, resolve stoutly: but a temporaries Religion, and flashes are but like Conduites running with wine at the coronation: that will not hold, or like a land flood, that seemes to be a great Sea, but comes to nothing.
Now these are the men (if you observe them) that cry out so against singularity: which imputation, together with their extolling the meane, is a cunning discouragement,How Satan playes the S…phister. but it is the Devils Sophistry; for the meane of vertue, is between two kindes, not betweene two degrees: it is a meane grace, that loves a meane degree of grace.
Yet this is the onelyonly staffe, with which the World beates all that are better then themselves.Discresion eates up devotion. What will you be singular? Or are you wiser then all? Or what is this but want of discretion? And to speake truth, that which worldly men call discretion, eates up all true wisedome: Their discretion and moderate stayednesse, devoures all true honesty, and goodnesse. But shall Lot▪ leave his righteousnesse for such an imputation of singularity? Or shall he not depart Sodom, because the whole City thinkes it better to stay there still? Shall Noah leave building the Arke, and so himselfe, and his whole houshould perish, because all the World else thinkes him hairebrained? Or must the name of a Puritan, dishearten us from the service of God? No, but as Saint Paul said in his Apollogy, Acts 24.14. after the way which they call heresie, so worship I the God of my Fathers: so wee in this case, After the way which prophane men call Puritanisme, let my soule desire to serve Iesus Christ.
SECT. 54.
Ob. I Grant (will the more moderate worldling say) in such cases wherein the word of God is expresse, singularity is not lawfull onelyonly, but laudable: But (which makes my spleene rise) they will not conforme to things indifferent
Answ. Goodmen may differ in many things; yet agree in the main,A seduced heart deceives thee in so saying, why else doest thou cast the same aspersions, upon such as are conformable.
But admit they onelyonly are thornes in thine Eyes▪ doest thou well to hate al that are not of thy own judgement, or that have tenderer consciences then thy selfe? No, for honest and good men may differ in opinion, not only in things triviall, but in matters of great moment; provided they agree in the fundamental articles of the Catholique faith, and yet may, and ought to continue brotherly love and communion, as members of the same mysticall body: as many examples witnesse, both of eminent Christians, and Fathers of the Church: as also our Saviours words, who speaking of the fundamentall poynts, penneth the league thus, He that is not with us, is against us, but o… poynts not fundamentall thus, He tha… is not against us, is with us. Wherea… these differ from thee (if thou beest a true Protestant as thou wouldest bee thought to be) in nothing materiall, for there is a vast difference,A vast difference between another discipline, and another Doctrine. between another discipline, and another doctrine: and they little differ, that agree in matter. Only their consciences are not so large as thine: and thou thinkest those things indifferent, which they cannot assent unto though they take more paines to satisfie and informe themselves then thou doest. But admit they be things of an indifferent nature,That indifferent to one, that is not so to another, even actions of indifferency, when once they are felt to trench upon the conscience, lay deep obligations upon the soul, even whiles they are most slighted by carelesse hearts: there being no lesse difference in consciences, then stomacks, of which some will digest the hardest meats, and turne over substances not in their nature edible, whiles others surfeite of the lightest food, and complaine even of dainties.
And indeed,…o be scrupulous … ill signe. every gracious heart is in some measure scrupulous, and findes more safety in feare then in presumption: And certainely, in cases of a doubtfull and questionable nature, it is ever good to take the surest side, and which draws neerest to probability. Many things are of so questionable a nature,In cases of a doubtfull nature, we should take the surest side. that much may be said on either side: Now if I chuse that side, on which I am sure I shal not sin, I deserve to be excused, rather then censured; if I use them it is possible I may sin, it may be they are not sinfull: yet I am not so sure of it that I shall not sin if I use them, as I am sure I shall not sin, nor break any of Gods Commandments if I doe not use them. This I may be bold to build upon, He that sayles amongst Rocks, it is possible hee may escape splitting, but hee is not so sure to keep his Vessell safe, and whole, as he that sayles in a cleare Sea, where no Rocks are at all.