Englands Unthankfulness Striving with Gods Goodness, Division 2 · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV.
… §. ANd so by this time, I hope thou seest sinne in thy selfe; be it but as the man, (halfe restored to his sight) saw men walking as Trees: …d that thou art not so pure, as thou tookest thy selfe to be. For certain… these are not the thoughts, words, and actions of one that hath kept all … Commandements: that hath so good a heart, and meaning, and so strong saith; that loves God, and the people of God as thou pretendest. Yea, I …pose, let these things touching enmity; be but wel weighed, and laid to …; they will convince thee, and ninty nine parts of the Kingdome with …ce, (who also thinke themselves good Christians) that they are in a most …esperate, and damnable condition: even haters of God, and …sighters …gainst the Lambe; and all that are one his side; that are called, and chosen, …: that keepe the Commandements of God, and have the testimony … Iesus, as it is Revel. 12. 17. and 17. 14. But I have yet more to tell …hee, of the transcendent baseness of thy wicked and deceitefull heart.
2. §. Thou hast, (as thou well knowest) gone to Church, and heard the Word preached, and read, this twenty, thirty, or forty yeare,: and yet …hou knowest no more savingly, then the childe in the wombe: art as …norant …s a beast. Thou knowest not experimentally, the first principles of Reli…ion, in the midst of so much light, and meanes of grace. Nor … th… able to yield a reason of the hope that is in thee. And yet let …a Minister that knowes thy ignorance; and that thou art so farre from being holy, that thou hatest holinesse in others: deny thee the Sacrament; out of conscience, and love to thy soule: thou wilt hate him, as Ahab ha…ed Eliah; detaine his dues from him; and take all occasion, to spit out thy spleene against him. Thou hast heard the Gospell, day after day; and yeare after yeare: which is the strong arme of the Lord; and the mighty power of God to salvation: The Sword of the Spirit, and like as a fire, or an Hammer, that breaketh even the Rocke in pieces. And that irresistible Can… shot that is mighty to breake downe all the strong holds of Sinne and Sa…. Quick, and powerfull, and sharper then any two edged sworde: and which piereeth even to the dividing asunder; of the soule, and spirit, …d of the joy… and marrow: and to the discerning of the very thoughts, and secret inte… of … heart. And yet hast stood it out, and resisted instead of submitting to Chri… call: even refusing the free offer of grace, and salvation. In so much t… thy heart, and conscience is word proofe, thunder proofe; Yea, judgem… proofe: so that nothing will doe good upon thee, should Christ send o… to thee from the damned in Hell, or from the glorified soules in Heaven, warne, and invite thee to repentance. Yea, if thou beest never so clea… convinc…d from the Word: that thou art in a dangerous, and damnab… condition; (as possible it is I may doe▪ before I have done with thee) … thoughts thereof presently passe away, like the sound of a Bell that is … ▪
3. §. Now thou art waxen fat, with the good blessings of God: th… spurnest with thy heele; and forsakest God hat made the…: not regarding … strong God of thy salvation: but provokest him with strange Gods, and … abominations. Christ hath raised thee from a begger, to be one of the be… in thy Parish: but how dost thou requite him? Thou wilt not (if it b… possible) suffer a godly, and conscientious Minster to be chosen; or to … bide where thou hast to doo. But to bring in one, that will flatter … and flour holinesse; discourage the godly, and incourage the wicked, thou w… use thine owne, and all thy friends utmost ability. When thou wante… never so little, thou canst murmur: but thou injoyest millions of merci… (farre beyond thy desert) which thou never cordially gavest thanks s… Thou hast made vowes, and promised amendment, when the rod w… on thy back: but never cardest to perform the same, when thou were … leased. Thou wouldst be taken for religious, (at least upon occasion) b… thou makest no conscience, or reckoning of it; but when it may brin… thee in profit, or procure thee esteeme: and then it shall serve thee as Stalking Horse, that thou maist the better deceive unsuspected.
4. §. Thou art so farre from suffering, for a good conscience: that (… thou maist injoy thy immunities, have the favour of great ones, and gain… well by it) thou art for, and wilt conforme to any religion the Stat… shall establish, were it Popery it selfe: resembling shel-fish, that increase whe… the Moone increaseth, and decrease as it doth.
Thou art a pretended lover of Peace, but a profest hater of truth. Yea thou thinkest that honesty, and religion, consists onelyonly in quietnesse, an… living peaceably amongst thy Neighbours. And that there is no wisdome but in a dull indifferency: nothing praise-worthy, but discretion, and moderation. And therefore thou preferest a quiet prophanesse, before a zealous devotion.
5 §. Thou art very partiall, and no lesse defective in thy obedience … all for observing the second Table, without respect to the First: or all for outward conformity, not at all for spirituall, and inward holinesse of the heart. Thou makest conscience of great matters, nor of small: (as thou countest them, for no sinne is small but comparatively.) Thou wilt not …re bloody oathes; but faith, and troth is nothing with thee. Thou … not justifie, or defend lying: yet thinkest thou maist lie a little, … advantage: or bid thy servants say, thou art abroad; when thou art …ome. Thou art no accustomary deceive…, at least while thou hast plen… but rather then not have to maintaine thy selfe with credit; thou … lie, deceive, p…ostitute thy chastity; sell thy conscience, and what …: poverty will constraine thee to steale. Nor art thou a common …derel, for thy owne credits sake: but to lessen thy owne shame, and …me; thou wilt traduce one thou hast wronged, and as much abuse him … his credit, as thou hadst formerly done in his substance. Thou ar… kind … thy Clients, or Customers: but woesully cruell to thy Debtors, the poore, … servants: and yet lookest to have thy Lord and Master in Heaven merci… to thee. Thou wilt not be drunk, but thou wilt go five or ten times a day … the Tavern, or Alehouse, to please a friend or customer; and their spend, …d drinke (without being athirst) as much as would keepe six of Christs …or members from star…ing: and how wilt thou answer this another day.
6. §. Thou wilt follow the example of the greatest number, or the grea…st men, or the greatest Scollars, or of thy fore-fathers: though without or …ainst the written word. Or thus, Thou squarest thy life by other mens lives …hout respect to Christs life; like some foolish Sexten, that sets his Clock by …hers Clocks, without looking to the Sun. Or else thou leavest the most safe …d …ing guide of Gods Word, to follow the decei…able guide, of thine …ne carnal reason: like an ignorant Pilot, that sailes without a compasse.