Englands Unthankfulness Striving with Gods Goodness, Division 2 · Chapter 13
CAAP. XIII.
1. § BUt least this should not sufficiently beare thee off from thy conceited righteousnesse, or selfe purity: see how many severall waies, thou hast added actuall sinne, and guilte unto originall. And then except thou hast seeled eyes; thou wilt acknowledge thy selfe of the number; of those ignorant, unbeleeving, ingratefull, and wicked wretches before spoken of: and not any way worthy to be called a Christian. Yea, minde well what I say, and thou wilt finde, that I have learn'd from Gods Word, to know thy heart, better then thy selfe. Whereof many instances.
Thou art so stupidly sottish, that thou thinkest, yea wilt professe; that thou lovest God, and Christ; and yet hatest all that any way resemble him. Canst here him blasphemed, reproached, and dishonoured, without being once stirred or moved at it: and wilt choose rather to disobey God, then displease Great ones. Thou lovest the praise of men, more then the praise if God: And fearest more the worlds scornes, then His a…ger. When Gods cause is in danger; thou art either a ne…er, or an adversary. For thou wilt not helpe the Lord against the mighty. Thou hadst rather the wicked should bare rule, or be… exalted then the godly. Yea, the one rejoycest thee, the other grieves theee. Thou art an enemy to Reformation, and oppose… it all thou canst. And could these things possibly he, if thou didst in the least degree love God?
2: §. But besides all this, Thou dost continually murmur at the passages of Gods providence; especially when thou wantest ought. Thou lovest God dearely, but canst not afford to speake a word for him: and likewise his Children intirely; but instead of justifying them, or speaking in their defence; when thou hearest them reviled, slandered, and slighted by wicked and ungodly men: thou wilt be as forward as the best, to flout and slander them. Though thou makest those sinnes thine owne, which thou dost not some way reprove. For to be a doer of ill, or no hinderer; is much about one, in Gods account. Thou lovest his Word too: but thou wilt turne thy backe upon it, or spurne against it; when it crosseth thy corruptions. Againe.
3. §. Thou foolishly thinkest, that thou beleevest in Christ with thy heart, and …er art ashamed to confesse, or professe his name with thy mouth; which is impossible; for profession, and the truth of Religion are inseparable, Rom. 9. 33. and 10. 9. 10. 11. Yea, thou art loath to doe ought, appertaining to Religion; that might difference thee from the multitude: or make thee noted for singular. Thou owest God some good will; but thou darest not be knowne of it: Thou art dumbe to any good, and holy conference; but to any thing else, thou hast wind at wil, and tongue enough: not having the wit to consider, that the fearefull shall goe first, and before other sinners, into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, Revel. 21. 8. and that Christ will be ashamed of them hereafter in heaven: that are ashamed of him now on the earth, Luke 9. 26.
4 §. Thou art of a reprobate judgement; touching zeale, and holinesse: thinking good evill, and evill good. Then justifiest the wicked, and condemnest the just. Thou hast strange conceits, and base though…s of the best men: thinking their life to be madnesse: Deeply censuring, and condemning the generation of the just, and their waies, counting them factious and rebellious Enemies to the State, and troublers of Israel: As Ahab counted Eliab, Thou callest our religion Puritanis…e, our conscience of sinne Hypocrisie, our profession dissimulation, our prudence policie, our faith, and confidence Presumption; our zeale of Gods glory, to be pride and malice: out obedience to Gods Lawes, rebellion to Princes: our execution of justice cruelty, &c.
If thou hearest of oue, that is grievously afflicted in body, or estate; or troubled in minde for his sinnes: as commonly all are at their first conversion: O then he is a greater sinner then other men; he hath done, or committed some strange thing, and God hath found him out. If they be any thing devoute, or forward to admonish others: then they are beside themselves; as our Saviour was thought to be by his Kinsfolke: and St. Paul by Festus, Marke 3. 21. John 10. 20. Acts 26. 24.
5. §. Thou condemnest, and cryest out upon their profession; when thy spight is at their Religion; as what needs so much profession? Cannot men serve God in secret? Yea, their much hearing troubles thee: therefore thou callest upon them to heare lesse, and practise more: when thy crying up practise, is but to crie downe preaching. As the Papists extll St. Iames, that they may disparage St. Paul.
If thou hearest of a professer of Religion; (for otherwise thou hast no quarrell against him,) that through humane frailty, does over-shoot himselfe, or is overcome in a fault: thou wilt for this bare, single act; most unjustly, and uncharitably judge him, to be a dissembling Hypocrite, as Iobs Friends dealt by him. Yea, even the least oversight, or in discretion in a professor: prevailes more with thee, to make thee speake evill of him; then much good can doe, to make thee speake well of him.
Yea, in case thou hearest of an eminent Professor▪ that proves himselfe an Hypocrite: thou wilt instantly conceive, an hard opinion of all the rest; and say these are your religious men; that under a colour of holinesse, play the villaines. God blesse me from their religion, &c. And indeed thou so fore-stallest thy selfe with prejudice, against the religious; cause, or no cause: that thou resolvest never to be religious, so long as thou livest. Yea, thou wilt judge the godly Hypocrites; for some disaster, or accident that befalls them, as the Barba…s did Paul, Act…, 28. 3. 4. and those three of Iob Chap. 8. 13. &c. Yea, for doing, or not doing even things indifferent; as if they will sit at the Lords Table or not bowto the Altar; …r not be uncovered at the name of Jesus; or not were a surplice; or omit …o crosse the fore-head in Baptizme; or to observe Holy-dayes, as they call them; and many the like, therein resembling the Pharisees; who censured our …iour, and his Apostles; for no… washing their hands, as oft as they did eat bread. And (which proves thee to be, a hater of God, and good men onelyonly:) …hou wilt censure things indifferent in Gods people, but passe by hainous …imes in other men.
6 §. Yea, rather then not censure the religious, thou wilt accuse them for their vertues. As what can they doe, or leave undone; but thou wilt strangely censure them, as if they refuse to Oath it, then they make great conscience of swearing; but none of lying, and cozening: and therefore are not to be believed. If they be carefull of their society, thou wilt tax, and stout them; with stand farther off, for I am holier then thou.
Againe, If a mans conscience be tender: and he makes scruple of small matters: O then he stumbles at strawes, and leaps over blockes: straines at Gnats, and swallowes Cammels.
7. §. And as is thy censuring, such is thy envy, and hatred to the Godly; and why? but because they either doe better, or fare betrer, or are better esteemed then thy selfe. Yea, even a good Conscience, and sticking close to the word; is the onelyonly thing that raiseth thy spleen, and is the whetstone of thy malice, as it faired with Annanias, touching Paul, Acts 23.
This makes thee persecute honest, and Orthodox Christians: and say thou meanest base, and dissembling Hypocrites. Yea, even while thou caleft them so, and perhaps in some sence thinkest so, thou dost thinke, and know, and thy conscience now knowes, and thinkes to the contrary. A horrible stupidity, and blockishnesse: that none are lyable too, but such as the Devill hath blinded. But because their is no other way, to cure thee thereof: but by thus, shewing thee those secrets of thy heart, which thou couldest not have thought, God himselfe had been privy too. I will proceed, though small is my hope of thy amendment. Thou canst love any that are not religious; but thou hatest zeale, and devotion so inveterately, that thou canst in no wise, bare with it in any. Yea, thy Religion is, to oppose the power of Religion; and thy knowledge of the truth, to know how to argue against the truth As thou canst most wisely, and subtilly; (being prompted by Satan) argue against Gods people, and goodnesse it selfe: taking all occasions so to doe; though under other notions, and pretences, though thou hast not a word to speake for them, or it▪ whence it is, that the power of religion. and the people of God, are every where spoken against as the chief Jews told Paul, Acts 28. 22. yea, whatsoever Sect or Heresie, thou pretendest: doe but ask thy owne couscience, whether thou dost not hate them; even for the graces of Gods spirit, which shine in them? and whether thou dost not carry an aking tooth against every godly man thou knowest and judge their thoughts to bee evill, when thou canst not tax their lives.
8. §. Thou art an affected scoffer at Religion: like Chan, and Ishmael. Yea, thou dost nickname, raile on, and slander the people of God, misconstrue their actions, and intentions; and narrowly watch for their halting: Thou rejoycest at their secret infirmities, or miseries; and at the open scandals of Hypocrites. Thou art grieved at their good, especially a… their gifts and graces. Thou wilt beleeve any false report of them (be it never so unlikely,) and that from the Devils servants. Thou wilt not suffer wholsome Doctrine; but carpe and fret against the good Word of God: if it be an untoothsome truth, though never so wholesome.
9. §. Thou contemnest that preaching which awakens mens Consciences; workes upon their affections, and saves their soules. And applaudest such Corinthian Preachers; as tickle the eare onelyonly, and please the …ce. For let some Boanerges thunder out the judgements of God against …n … and threaten their destruction, if they amend not their lives. As Ionah, when in three dayes, he converted that great City Nineveh: Or disc… ▪ their most secret thoughts, as Christ did to the … of Sama…, Iohn 4. Or drive an application home to their Consciences, touching some one sinne of theirs: as Iohn Baptist dealt with Herod: Or as Peter with the Iewes, when he converted three thousand at one Sermon: and five thousand … another, Acts, 2. 41. and 4. 4. Thou wilt most bitt…rly inveigh against …, for preaching nothing but Law and damnation: saying that such Sermons are not to be heard: for they onelyonly drive men to dispaire. But … when Mr. Rogers (spoken of in the Booke of Mar…yrs) preaching after th… manner, heard one of his Auditors crie out, I am damned, I am damned; cryed out as fast, I would their were more of you damned; I would there were more of you damned. So say I, I would there were more such preaching I would there were more such dispairing. And thrice h…ppy were it for thee, if thou didst so dispair, if thou wert so damned also. For thou hast no other way to be saved, (in all probability) if ever thou bee… saved: No other way to go to Heaven, but by the very Gates of Hell; as I could make plaine to thee, if time would permit. And yet thou forsooth, wilt persecute a Minister to the death, for shewing thee the way to eternall life, as the Iewe… served our Saviour, John 7. 7. and the Prophets before him, and Apostles after him, Prov. 15. 12. Amos 5. 10. Mat. 23. 37. Gal. 4. 16. 1 Thes. 2. 16. Act. 4. 17. 18. & 7. 27. and 19, 28. 1 King. 22. 8. Iohn 3. 19. 20, 21. Psal. 83. 2. to 10. Mat. 26. 4. Marke 3. 6. Revel. 12. 10. And which is more strange th… all. Thou wilt all these waies which I have laid downe, persecute Christ in his Members; and yet thinke, thou dost God good service therein, and deser Vest great praise, for thy so d…ing. Here is blindnesse, and blockishnesse with a witnesse: to thinke that the Father will take it for a sa… … to see his onelyonly Sonne, most maliciously murthered, in his owne sight. 10. §. Againe, whereas a good man, is so farre from taking offence …n none is given; that he will not be offended, when offences come; …t the scandalous lives of Professors, or at the multitude of Heresies, that … daily broached; though they grieve his very soule; but when strange …gs happen, he makes a wholsome construction thereof. Thou art not …ly hardned thereby, to thine owne destruction; but even as an ill …ack, turnes all it receives (even the wholsomest meates) into ill hu…urs; or as the Spyder converts, every thing she eates into poyson: so …, whatsoever thou hearest, or seest in the godly: (even their very ver…, and graces) so blinding thy selfe with thine owne prejudice; that …ou wilt not beleeve what thine eyes see, and thine eares heare.