Englands Unthankfulness Striving with Gods Goodness, Division 2 · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII.
1. §. BUt least … have not yet spoken enough to convince and shame thee: I will shew what a Christ… th… ▪ ….
All thy Religion is either superstition, or …, or Hypocrisie: as I could l…ely and plentifully demonstrate. And i… were a good deed to set downe, or … a … or all thy …, …, …, and superstitious …: which thou … childishly … confidence in: and tell the … of the…. And I could find in my heart to doe it; but a touch will be sufficient, having already said more th…n enough; were it spoken to one not …, and inco…gible.
2. §. To pa…y the most, and give you one instance of ten: Instead of serving God … spirit, … (… all that are wise hearted; doe live, and believe and …, and …, and hope, and feare, and love, and worship God in such … ▪ as his Wor… prescribes: thou servest God by the precepts of men, and … displeasure, as thou breakest their traditions. Yea, th… … more zealous, for a bare vizard of Discipline, then for soundnesse of Reformation, or Doctrine: Or all for Ceremonies, and circumstance: not at all for substance. An apparant Hypocrite, thou lookest to small things; as the Cross, Surpl…e. Holy doyes, &c. which are but the commandments of men; and overlookest the great things of Gods L…e, as the Sabboth, the …st and second Commandement; the due administration of the Word and Sacraments. But O simple soule! that art not able to make a difference between Gods Lawes, and … …aditions. But like that Foole, thou thinkest thy self as fast bound with a Rush, as with a Rope. Yea, thou didst when time was, honour the Prela…es, more then thou honoredst God, and stoo…est more upon their Ecclesiastical C…ous, then his divine com man is: and fearedst more their High Commission, then thou fearedst Hell. Thou art worse then those Hypocrites, the Scribes and Pharisees, who made conscience, and were very punctuall in tything of Mint, Annis, and Cummin: while they neglected the weightier matters of the Law; as judgement, …nd mercy, and fidelity, without any straining of their consciences. For Mint, and Annis, and Cummin, were injoyned by God himselfe, as well as those greater matters. Yea, thou dost worse then straine at Gnats, and swollow Camels; stumble at strawes, and leap over blocks. For thou art more severe against the breach of an Holy-day; (which had its rise from I…ollatrous Heathens, and Papists; and not from Gods Word) especially Christmas day; then for the breach of the Sabbath. And makest farre more conscience of keeping Holy dayes, then of keeping those dayes holy. The precept of Lent, thou more strictly observest; then any in the Decalogue. Neither should it be better here, then it is in Rome, where the Iewes, enemies to the very name of Christ, doe live in peace: but the faithfull Christian… are burned: mightest thou, and such other formal Hypocrices as thou art, have their wills.
3. §. Againe, thou thinkest thy selfe sanctified by outward performances: and preferrest outward priviledges, before inward graces: being like those Hypocrites, Jer. 7. 4. who injoying the Oracles of God, and having received the cognizance of circumcision; could boastingly cry ou…, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord: when they even hated the Lord of that Temple, Esay 66. 3. 4.
Thou hast a forme of godliness; but in that thou denyest the power thereof; thou art the worse for it. Thou drawest ne…re unto God with thy mouth, and honourest him with thy lips: but because thy heart is far from him, …hou art stiled an Hypocrite, both by Esay, Chap. 29. 1…. and our s…viour Ch…ist, Mark, 7. 2. to 14. Math. 15. 7. to 10. And well thou deservest to … stiled: for there is as much difference betweene thee, and what then pretendest, and thinkest thy selfe to be: as there was between David, and Michaels Image of Goats hair.
4. §. Againe, thou art notoriously superstitious: for wanting the true feare of God, and the feare of sinne; which would dispell all other feares: thou art grievously, and perpetually perplexed, and troubled with, false, fond, and foolish feares. As for instance, Thou most fordidly, and slavishly fearest, and obervest; the flying of fowles, the signes of Heaven, the crossing of an Haire, the croaking of a Rave…, the howling of a Dog, the dreaming of dead friends: perhaps eating of an Egge in Len…, or flesh on a Fryday, racks thy Conscience. Childermas day, the Salt sel or falling toward▪ thee, or stumbling at a Threshold; presages strange things to thee. Or not crossing thy bre…st before thou goest abroad. And what E…ra Pater speakes, is more surer to be accomplisht then Christs Prophesie in the Revela…ion. Yea, thou art so besotted, and bewitcht with this kinde of superstition, and Idolatry, Witch-chraft rather) that thou thinkest thou prosperest better, in observing these divilish fopperies; then if thou shouldest serve God: Like those Idollatrous Jewes, Jer. 44. who told the Prophet, that they had found by experience, that their serving of God had undone them: whereas, when they burned Incense un…o the Queene of Heaven; and powred out drink Offerings unto her, and made Cakes to worship her: They, their Sons, their Kings, a…d their Pri…ces; had plenty of all things, were well, and saw no evill. But when ever they left her, to worship the true God, they wanted all things, and were co…sumed by Famine, Sword, &c. Jer. 44. 15. to 20. Here was a whims…e able to make the Prophet sick to heare it: And yet thus it fares with thee, touching what I have named, and many the like, which I forbeare, or rather … ashamed to name. Nor canst thou deny; but thou dost absolutely feare, that thy serving of God, would prove thine undoing.