The Cause and Cure of Ignorance, Section 67
SECT. 67.
Men think they beleeve, but doe not.TRue, this might seeme an absurd position, if I should presume upon an Appeale to their owne blinded consciences; for they thinke, they believe in God, and the Scriptures, as wel as the precisest: and so did those Iews, Iohn 5. which persecuted Iesus, and sought to slay him, thinke they beleeved Moses writings: but it is plain, they did not, by Christ's answer to them, who knew their hearts better than themselves: his words are, Had ye beleeved Moses, yee would have beleeved me, for he wrote of me: but if yee beleeve not his writings, how should ye beleeve my words? ver. 46, 47, And againe, Ye have not my Fathers Word abiding in you, for whom he hath sent, him yee beleeve not, Ver. 38, 39. So bring these, that persecute any of Gods Children for well doing, to the tryal, and their owne consciences shall testifie before God, that they neither beleeve the Old Testament nor the New.
For did they beleeve that the godly are unto God as the Signet upon his right hand, Evidences of mens unbeleife.Jer. 22.24. Zach. 2.24. Yea, as the Apple of his owne eye. Zach. 2.8. and that whatsoever wrongs and contumelies are done to his Children, he accounts as done to himselfe, Psalm. 44.22. and 69.7, and 74.4, 10, 18, 22, 23, and 83.2, 5, 6, and 89, 50, 51, and 139, 20. Prov. 19.3. Rom. 1.30 and 9.20, Matth. 10.22. and 25.45. Luk. 21.17. 1 Sam. 17.45. Esay 37.4.22, 23.28. and 45.9. and 54, 17. Act. 5.39. and 9.4, 5. Iob 9.4. 1 Thess, 4.8. Iohn 15.18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25. Num. 16.11. 1 Sam. 8.7. They durst not hate, revile, slander, deride, nicke-name and persecute them, as they doe.
The woful reward of Persecutors.More particularly, did they really and indeed beleive God, when he saith in his word, that whosoever shal offend one of those little ones, that beleeve in him, it were better for him rather that a Milston were hung about his neck, & that he wer cast into the sea, Marke 9 42. That he will destroy them for ever, and roote them out of the Land of the living, whose tongues imagine mischeife, and are like a sharpe Razer, that cutteth deceitfully, loving to speake evill, more than good, Psalm. 52.2. to 5. That hee will confound such as persecute his Children, and destroy them with a double destruction, Jer. 17.18▪ Yea, that he will render unto their enemies seaven fold into their bosome, their reproach, wherewith they have reproached the Lord, Psalm. 79.12. In fine, that he will rayne upon them snares of five and brimston, with storms and tempests, Psal. 11.6. and after all, cast them into a furnace of fire, where shall be wailing and guashing of teeth, for evermore: when the just, whom they now dispise, shall shine as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father: They durst not doe as they doe to the godly. Yea, if they did beleeve but that one place, 2 Kings 2.24. Where God caused two and forty little Children to be devoured of wild Beares, onelyonly for nick-naming Elisha, they durst not nick-name the religious as they doe.
Indeed God doth not alwaies,Why Persecutors are not punished here nor often so eminently punish Persecutors in this life as here it fared with these children: or as it did with Lucian, who for barking against religion like a dog; was by the just judgement of God devoured of dogges, Or as it did with Nighti…gall, parson of Crondall in Kent: who was strook dead in the Pulpit, while he was belching out his spleen against Religion and Goodnesse. Or as it did with Stephen Gardiner: who would not sit downe to dinner, till the newes came of the good Bishops burnt at Oxford. But then came out rejoycing, and saying to the Duke of Norfolk; Now let us goe to dinner: but it was the last that ever he are, for it. Or as it fared with Arundal Arch-Bishop of Canterburys: and Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester in their times: who putting to silence, both the word of God and those that purely preached it: were themselves put to silence, and so smitten in their tongues that they could not swallow their meat, nor speak for a good space before they died. True some flagitious persons God punisheth here: least his providence; but not all, least his patience, and promise of a generall judgement should bee called in question.
But they blesse themselves and think to speed as well as others.But, alasse! they are so farre from beleeving wha… God threatens in his word, against these sinnes; that they blesse themselves in their hearts, saying, we shall have peace, we shall speed as well as the best, although we walke according to the stubburnnesse of our own wills; so adding drunkennesse to thirst, Deut. 29.19. Yea, they preferre their condition before other mens, who are so abstemious, and make Conscience of their wayes; even thinking, that their God deceiveth them with needlesse feares and scruples, as once Rabshekab would have perswaded the Iewes, touching their trust and considenec, 2 Kings 18.22, 25, 30, 32 33 35.
Did men beleeve the word they durst not live as they doe.Yea, how …'st possible, that any wicked man should beleive what is written of God in the Scripture, especially touching his justice, and severity in punishing sin, with eternall destruction of body and soule? For did they really and indeed beleive God, when he saith, that his curse shall never depart from the house of the swearer, Zac. 5. They durst not sweare, yea and forsweare as they doe; much lesse durst they take a pride inoathing of it, resembling Ballio the baud in Plautus, who was not ashamed, but even proud of Carting. Yea, which is worse, reprove a swearer, and hee will sweare the more to spite you: Which were not possible; if beleeving God, they did not, what in them lies, give themselves over to the Devill.
Againe, did they beleeve, that neither fornicacors, nor Idolaters, nor adulterers, nor theeves, nor murtherers, nor drunkards, nor swearers, nor raylours, nor lyers, nor covetous persons, nor extortioners, nor unbelevers, nor no unrighteous men shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven; but shall have their part in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death, 1 Cor. 6 9, 10. Revel. 21.8 they durst not continue in the practice of these sinnes, without feare, or remorse, or care of amendment. Did they beleeve that except their righteousnesse doe exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees, they shall in no case enter into the Kingdome of Heaven, Matth. 5.20. And that without holinesse no man shall see the Lord, Heb. 12.14. with many the like, it were impossible they should live as they doe. Yea, if they did in good earnest beleeve, that there is either God, or Devill, Heaven, or Hell, or that they have immortal soules, which shall everlastingly live in blisse, or wo, and receive according to that they have done in their bodies, whether it be good or evill, 2 Cor. 5.10. they could not but live thereafter, and make it their principall care, how to be saved.
Natural men feare visible powers but not the invisible God.But, alasse! they beleeve what they see, and feel, and know; they beleeve the Lawes of the Land, that there are places and kindes of punishment here below, and that they have bodies to suffer temporall smart, if they transgresse; and this makes them abstaine from murther, felony, and the like: but they beleeve not things invisible, and to come; for if they did, they would as well, yea, much more, feare him that hath power to cast both body and soul into hell, as they doe the temporall Magistrate, that hath onelyonly power to kill the body: They would think it a very hard bargaine, to win the whole world, and lose their owne soules, Luk. 9.25.
But, alasse! if visible powers were not more feared than the invi…ble GOD, and the Halter more than Hell (naturall men being like beasts, that are more sensible of the flash of powder, than of the Bullet) the World would be over-runne with outrage: Whereas now, even the worst of the Serpents seed, by reason of Authority, are kept in a meane between Devils & Christians; so living like beasts because they think they shall die like beasts, without any answer for ought they have either acted, or left undone.