Englands Unthankfulness Striving with Gods Goodness, Division 2 · Chapter 18
CAAP. XVIII.
1. §. THou dost indeed frequent the House of God; at least in the forenoon, accompanied with a great part of thy Family. Yea, thou wilt joyn with the Congregation, in praying, singing, and hearing; and therein seene more devoute; in lifting up thine eyes, elevating thy voice, sighing, &c. then ordinary. Againe, if Authority command a …ast to be kept; thou wilt observe it with the rest of thy Neighbours: yea, with those Hypocritical Iewes, Esay 58. 5. thou wilt hang d…n thy head like a Bu…rush; when yet thy heart is lofty enough. And fall thou wilt from meat by all meanes; which is but the shell, o… …utside of fasting: but not from sinne, the kernell, or soule thereof. When thou hearest the name of Iesus read, (be it but the Sonne of Syr…ck) thou doffest thy …at, bowest thy Knee, and perhaps scrapest such a …g, as shall disturb the whole Parish. When the Gospell is read, (after the old manner,) th…u standest up all the while: (but fittest prayer time.) And so when the Creed was wont to be pronounced, or rehearsed; which denotes, that then wilt be ready to justifie, stand too, and maintaine those Cannons of thy faith, against all opposers; when none oppose them more then thy selfe. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper, thou so adorest: that the onelyonly receiving it, makes thee as holy as David: though thou differest not from a Beast, more then in speaking. Then wilt sing in the words of the Psalm…st, Unto thee O Lord, doe I lift up my soule, Psal 25. 1. when thy soule can no more mount up in meditation of heavenly things, then a Cow is fit to flie. Againe, thou cryest out, As the heart brayeth after the Rivers of water, so panteth my soule after thee O God, Psal. 42. 1. Thy word is more sweet unto my mouth, then the honey, and the honey Comb, &c. Psal. 119. when thou more regardest the getting of five shillings in money; then the joy of the Holy Ghost, or the peace of conscience: and more prisest the filling of thy Barnes, and Belly, then the bread, and water of life; Or the light of Gods countenance. For all thou dost, is onelyonly in formality, and out of custom. Thou prayest, that Christs king dome may come; and his will be done on …earth, as it is in Heaven: when thou h…test nothing more, then to be governed by his Lawes, or ruled by his Septer. Finally,
2. §. Thou adorest Christ so often as thou commest to Church; as it were with an Ave Rex in thy mouth: but scoftest, and jeerest at him in his Members, when thou art out of it.
For notwithstanding all this thy profession, zeale, and devotion: none more malicious, in scossing at Religion: or in accusing, and persecuting the godly, then thy selfe. Nor can any place, except H…ll, yield a worse enemy to the cross of Christ then thou art▪ hadst thou power, and opportunity … effect thy wicked will, and wishes. Neither was our Saviour in j…t, when he prefe…ed Theeves, and Harlots; before the Scribes, Pharisees, and Elders: who we… me… ju… of thy temper, Mat. 21. 31. & …. ….
I … that … of other sinnes, thou maist fall short of, and be more … the… Theeves, Harl…ts, …kards: But in this sinne, thou art inferiour … n…e Or thou maist differ from them in many things; but n…r in this: as so▪ instance, …, and Ishmael, Moab, and the Haga…, Ge… …, and A…n Am…eck, and the Philist…s; the men of Ty…e, and Ashar, had … G…ds: yet all conspired against the true God, Psal. …3. 5. to …. … … Ephraim, and Ephraim, against Man…s; but bo…h against I…ah. …od, and Pilate; two Enemies will agree, so it be … Christ… … …ill fall in one with another, …o fall out wi…h God The Sad… ces, Pharisees, and Herodians, were Sectaries of divers, and ad…erse f…ctious: … all of them joyne against our Savi…ur, Mat. …. The …, …, A…exandrians, Sile…s, and As…s, diff…r th…y never …, will joyne … dispute against Stephen, Acts …. 9. The lust of the Rulers was envy, Hered, was curiosity, Pilate: popularity, Iudas cove…eousnesse, the Souldiers cruelty: yet were they all consederate against Iesus▪ All the … ble of the Iews hated Christ, (and cryed out, let h…m be … … non… like the Scribes, Pharisees, Priests▪ and Elde…s. So now with … all th… are unregenerate, pr…phane, and loose persons, civill, and morall men; doe inveterately hate Christs members for his sake, and s…uily intreat them, but none like those, that have a …orme of godl…nesse, and deny t…e po…er …here of. That serve God according to the prece… of men; as doe fo…ll …, civill Iusticiaries, and … Ministers. For if you obse… Religion hath e…ver … most …rom those which pretend, and … up…old her. And n…ne have beene s… bitter enemies to the g…y, as tho… th…t … the same Faith, and Religion with them, as almost all t… … … h…ve written, … complained What saith Iustin Mar…yr of hi… … the Cr…fix, that are the greatest enemie… to the …ss of Christ. And … of his; They wor… the dead saints, in a cold profession; while they worry the living in a cruell …secution. And Sr. Austin of his? a Christian in name will most maliciously …e at a Christian indeed. And Nazianzen … his; Christ is …oned by ma…er, the… are called Christians. So that if the Bramble were made the King … Trees, the Vine could not meet with worse usage. And the reason is, …hen sincerity is wanting, the neerer the …ine with any opposition, the greater Eclips. Who was the greatest enemy to Christ? but his greatest …end, even one of his houshold Chaplaines: And who but Ieremiahs familiers, wa…ched for his halting. Of all the persecuting Emperours, none were … serpentinely malicious, as Iulian, who had formerly profest himselfe a Christian. Those that are openly prophane, doe more publikely professe their enmity; and make a greater noise like Shimei; but civill and mor all … resemble Balam, who would no… curse, but he would advise: and his counsell is worse then a curse: for his curse had …int none but himselfe, whereas his counsell cost the blood of four and twenty thousand Israelites; which may most fitly be applied to our late condition: for who have been the ince…diaries of this bloody, and worse then savage civil warre, in all the three Kingdoms; not men of the Sword, not uncivil ones: but principally the learned Prelates, Civilians, and Moralists; meerly out of a mortall hatred, and enmity which they bare against zeelous Christians, and Orthodox Ministers; their sincerity, the power of Religion and Reformation; though they cunni…gly pretended the good of the Church; and of the Protestant R…ligion. Ulisses contrived all, though Dio…edes must goe through with it: the one plaid the part of Achitophel, the other of Doeg; whereof the best was a Belial.