Englands Unthankfulness Striving with Gods Goodness, Division 2 · Chapter 10
The Character of a formall Hypocrite, or civil Justiciary: for they are so alike, that I am loath to part them. Nor will it be any wrong to either: for what the one is guilty of, the other is not free from. CHAP. X.
§. 1. NOw in pourtraying, delineating, or anatomizing these: First of of them. Secondly, to them.
Of them, thus much in generall. No men under Heaven, are in a more hopelesse condition (as I shall shew in the insuing pages) nor none thinke better of themselves. For if you will believe them, they neither breake the Laws of God, nor men: neither offend temporal Magistrates, nor Ecclefiastical Governours: they live unreproveably, …ay every man his owne; are charitable, chast, temperate, make conscience of swearing, lying, &c. They goe duly to Church, are fed with the spiritu…ll manna of Gods Word: yea, once a yeare, they receive the Sacrament, upon their knees: and that upon Easter day, or Good-Fryday. They pay thei Tythes, say their Prayers, so soon as they are entred into the House of God be the Minister speaking from God to them; or the People joyntly praising God, or praying to him, (a good signe to know an ignorant Formalist by) Perhaps they pray in their Families; yea, so holy are they, that they dare not passe through St. Pauls, with their Hats on: nor out of it, before they have kneeled downe to a Pillar: though they are in hast, and their company waite the while. And as touching their Diana, the Book of Common-Prayer; the Apocrypha, the Crosse, Surpless; the Ring, Rayles, High Altar, Holy-dayes, &c. I need not acquaint you, for their zeale is such, that they will lose Lawes, Libertie, Lives, Estates,; all rather then these shall not still be worshipped, and had in honour. Yea, they not onelyonly hate the conditions, but even shun the very company of those lewde and prophane wretches before mentioned. All which considered, if they be not good, and godly men; what will become of thousands?
2. §. These midle sort of men, (I meane for out-ward appearance; and …orme of Godlinesse) have a notable way to delude their owne soules; and to put off all reproofs, and threatnings: that is by comparing themselves, with such as are (in their repute) worse then themselves: counting none wicked, but such as are notorious for wickednesse. As for example, Because they are not so drunk as Nabal; they thinke themselves sober: Because not so proud as Haman, therefore they be humble; Because not so bloodily minded as Doeg; therefore they are mercifull: Because not so treacherous as Judas, therefore loyall. Because neither Gallowes, nor Pillory can take hold of them; therefore they are honest, and square dealers.
Nor can there be a more plausible deceit; For as the Swar by compared with the Blackemore, thinks himselfe faire: So civill men, looking upon the prophane, admire their owne holinesse.
Whence it is, that the more unrebukeable any naturall man is, the greater is the difficulty of his conversion. For as nothing is more easily broken, then that which is most hard: so notorious offenders, are nothing so hard to be convinced, and converted, as the civilly honest. The civill Iusticiary, is like the young man in the Gospell; that supposed he had honestly kept all the Commandements: who when he was bid to follow Christ, turned his bac… upon him. But the Loose Libertine, resembles Matthew the Publican, a notorious sinner: who was no sooner called, but he followed Christ.
3. §. But will these mens high thoughts of their owne, excellencie serve their turnes? No, but condemne them the rather. That civill Justiciary, Luke 18. 9. to 15. was not a Publican; and thereupon boasts himselfe extreamely: but he was a Pharisee like these men; which was a great deale worse; wherefore all can be done for them, will be in vaine: except I can first convince them of their selfe purity, and the great danger thereof: and after, of the… miserable impurity: both which must be done, (as I before intimated) … making manifest unto them, the secrets of their hearts in either. For the effecting whereof, I will not be sparing, either in paines, or prayer. As O that God would put words into my mouth: and add vertue unto those words. That he would give them hearts to minde what I shall say, but so much as it concernes them. For God alone, hath the key of the heart. Acts 16. 14. to whose blessing, I leave the successe, humbly beseeching the Almighty, that these lines, may not rise up in judgement against those Hazaels that shall read them, and be never the better: and so instead of …u in their sinne, prove a meanes, to increase their torment.
4. §. I begin with the first: Let a Minister come to thee, that art a Formalist, or civill Justiciary; and question with thee about thy estate; or aske thee how thy soule fares? and what peace thou hast? (admit it be upon thy death bed) what will be thy manner of answering? (especially, i… thou hast not been a notorious offender) art thou a whit troubled for sin, either Originall, or Actuall? Or wilt thou acknowledge thy selfe, to be in a lost condition without Christ? No, thy conscience is at quiet, and thou … at peace with thy selfe, and all the world: and thou thinkest God, no sinne troubles thee. Thou hast been no murtherer, no adulterer, no common drunkard: Neither hast thou beene an Oppressor. Yea wilt thou say; I doe not know that I have wronged man, woman, or childe. I have been a Protestant, and gone to Church all my daies, &c. as commonly they thinke be… of themselves, that have least cause. Yea, the true Christian, is as fearefu… to entertaine a good opinion of himselfe: as the false is unwilling, to be driven from it. They that have store of grace, mourne for the want of it: and they that indeed want it, chant their abundance.
Yea, (whereas the Law is spirituall, and binds the heart from affecting; no less then the hand from acting) thou art so blinde, and ignorant: tha… thou thinkest the Commandement is not broken, if the outward grosse sinne, be for borne: whence it is usual with thee, to brag of a good heart, and meaning; of the strength of thy faith, and hope; of thy just and upright dealing, &c.
Yet, in case thou dost abstaine from notorious sinnes: what should hinder, but thou art an excellent Christian: if God be not beholding to thee, for not wounding his name with Oathes; for not drinking, and playing out his Sabbaths: for not rayling on his Ministers; for not oppressing and persecuting his poore Members.
5. §. Perhaps thou wilt in generall, or in grosse acknowledge: that thou art a great sinner: But come to particulars, thou canst not tell in what. Thou never brakest the first Commandement, of having many Gods: for thou art no Papist, nor Idolater. Thou never brakest the second, for thou worshippest God aright. Nor the third: for thou hast been no common swearer, onelyonly a few petty Oathes. Not the fourth; for thou hast every Sabbath gone duly to Church. Not the fifth: for thou didst ever honour thy Parents; and art as loyall a subject as may be. Not the sixt: (for like the young man in the Gospell,) thou darest justifie thy selfe to Christs owne face, that thou hast kept it from thy youth; for thou didst never murder any man; though others finde, that thou never goest without enmity in thy heart; against such as are more godly, and sincere then thy selfe; but to thy unseeing eyes, that is no man-slaughter. Not the seventh; for thou perceivest not, how the lust of the eye should be a sinne, so long as thou lyest not with thy Neighbours wife. Not the eighth; for (though thou hast cousoned an hundreth indirectly; yet) thou never stolest ought from any man. Not the ninth; for thou Makest conscience of perjury, though none of back-byting, and slandering thy Neighbour; As for the tenth; that perhaps makes thee at a stand, till thou hearest what is meant by, Thou shalt not cover: and so by consequence, thou provest that thou didst but lie and dissemble, when thou didst acknowledge thy selfe a sinner. For indeed and in truth; thou thinkest thy selfe noe sinner, or almost: for thou hast kept all the Commandements.
Nor is it any hard matter, to draw it out of thine own mouth; before an hundred witnesses: for let but this question be asked thee: Art thou proud? thou wilt answer, no not I; none are proud but fooles; and thou hatest a proud man, &c. which implies, that thou art as righteous as Christ himselfe; or Adam in the state of innocency. For he that can cleare himselfe of this sinne; may easily cleare himselfe from all other sinnes. So that thou art pure in thine owne eyes: hast one sinne to repent of, but much good to … of; which … condition worse, then the wickedest mans alive. For Christ that came to save all weary, and heavy la…en sinnes, (be they never so wicked) neither came to save, nor once to call thee, that hast no sinne; but art … enough without him Mat. 9. 13.
Om … tells thy brethren, the Scribes and Pharisees; who counted then, … that … and Harlets, should goe before them into the Kingdome of Heaven, Mat. 21. 31, 32. And you well know, that God preferred the penitent …, that trusted in his merciemercy: before the proud Pharisee, that trusted in his owne merits, Luke 38. 10 to 15. Yea, the Publican condemning himselfe; was justified, and saved: whereas the Pharisee, justifying himselfe, was evelastingly condemned.
6. §. Nor can Christ profit thee any thing, untill with St. Paul; (who before his conversion, was such another) thou seest thy selfe; even the greatest of sinners; findest thy lelse in a lost condition: And that thy sinnes even drive thee utterly to dispaire of all other helps; as himselfe affirmes, Mat. 9. 12. 13. Luke 1. 53. Gal. 5. 1. 107. And (which I would have thee minde) untill Christ is become thine by regeneration, and a lively saith: thou art bound to keepe the whole Law; actually, and spiritually: with thy whole man, thy whole life: or else suffer eteruall death, and destruction of body and soule, for nor keeping it. Whereas all that can truly claime a part in Christ, are freed both from the rigor, and penalty of it, 1 Cor. 1. 30. Because Christ hath done, and suffered; satisfied and merited all for them, Rom. 10 3. 4, 5, 9, 10. a happy condition, a blessed change, Rom. 8. 1. to …. and 9. 30. to 34. … Cor. 5. 1…. 21. which yet may soon become thy …: hadst thou the wit to renounce thine owne righteousnesse; and seeke to be justified onelyonly by the saith of Christ, and his righteousnesse. As Paul hath taught thee, by his owne example, Phil 3. 7, 8, 9. Gal 2. 16, 19, 20 21. Wherefore, if thou hast an …, he are what I shall say unto thee out of …. For … knowledge and application of this point: is in effect al…n all.
7. §. The sole perfection of a Christian, is the imputation of Christs righteousnesse, and the not imputation of his owne unrighteousnesse, Rom. 10. 4. And … Christ … …nner, onelyonly by the imputation of our sinnes: so we are just one… by the imputation of his righteousnesse. Our g… …, (were … so many and rare) cannot justifie us, or … any thin… … …ds; it is onelyonly in Christ that they are accepted; and … for Christ that they are rewarded Yea, the opinion of our own …, is so farre from saving us, that it keeps us from all possibility of being saved: and makes us as hatefull to God, as the Devils themselves, as is e…dent by Ma…. 2. 17. Luke 1. 53. Nor can any soule, he so dangerously …: at thou which art least sensible of thy being sick. Yea, it puts thee out of all possibility of being bettered: for what we presume to have attained, we seeke not after. Whereas otherwise, thou mightest become good: if thou diddest not at present so thinke thy selfe. And indeed, this conceited righteousnesse; or this opinion of being in case good enough: is the chiefe and onelyonly cause of all unrighteousnesse. And many a man, had proved good; if he had not so thought himselfe. A man must know himselfe sicke, before he will seeke to the Physitian. Untill Paul was humbled to the very ground, even trembling, and astonied: he never asked Lord what wilt thou have me to do. And the like of those converts, that were pricked in their hearts, at Peters searching Sermon, upon their being convinced, that they were the murderers of the Lord of life, Acts 2. 36, 37, 38. He is no way fit for absolution: who finds not himself worthy of condemnation. We shall finde no sweetnesse in Christs blood; till we feele the smart of our owne sinnes.
8. §. But thou art so far from this; that thou braggest of thy saith, works, and good meaning: that thou never doubtedst in all thy life, and that it were pitty thou shouldest live, if thou didst not believe in Christ, and hope to be saved by him. The usuall expressions; of formall, and civill Iusticiaries: who know not what saith means: for that perswasion only, which followes sound humiliation is faith: that which goes before it, is presumption. And as Ambrose speakes; none can repent of sinne, but he that believes the pardon of sinne: nor none can believe his sinnes are pardoned; except he hath repented. Besides, how easie a matter soever thou thinkest it is to believe: he that goes about it, shall finde it as hard a worke to believe the Gospell, as to keepe the Law: and onelyonly God, must inable to both. And yet so sarre, as we come short of either: so far sorth, we have just cause to be humbled If we consider how God made us, and how we have unmade our selves.
9. §. But thine owne mouth condemnes thee, in saying thou never doubtest in all thy life: for who never yet doubted, never yet believed. Yea, who never yet doubted of their salvation: their salvation is not onelyonly to be doubted of; but even to be dispaired of, untill they have that vaile, or curtaine; which is drawn over every natural mans heart, (2 Cor. 3. 14. 15. 16.) taken away by repentance; whereby they shall see sinne, in every thing they thinke, or speake, or doe. And that their very righteousness, is no better then a menstruous cloath, Esay 64. 6. And untill thou findest it thus with thee: know, and take speciall notice of it; that Satan hath none so sure, as those whom he never yet assaulted That so long as thou remainest unregenerate; thou art so blind, and dease, and dead in sinne, and in soule: that thou canst no more see, thy spirituall filthinesse, then a blind Ethiopian can see his blacknesse, or then a dead m…n, can feel the waight of a burden, when it is laid upon him, Mat. 13. 15. Acts 28. 27 Esay 6. 9. 10.
10. §. So that however thou applaudest, and preferrest thy selfe before other men; saying I am no dissember: yea, I hate the Hypocrisie of Professors; I doe not justifie my selfe, and dispise others like the Puritanes. I am not factious Schismatical, singular, censorious, &c. I am not rebellious, nor contentious, like the Brounists, and Anabaptists. I love an honest man with my heart, &c. And as touching a good conscience; I was never yet troubled in minde, as many scrupulous fooles are, and the like (which to heare thee, would amaze a man:) it is no other, then if a Begger should dreame, that he is a King: or a Traytor, that he should be crowned, when he is to be Beheaded. The case of Laodicea, Revel. 3. 17. The young man in the Gospell, Luke 18. 20. 21. And that cackling Pharisee, Luke 18. 11, 12. who had all the very same thoughts of themselves, that thou hast. And yet God abhorred them the most of any.