The Christian Warfare Part 2, Book 2 · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIIII.
Of the manifold miseries vntounto which all estates of men are subiect.
ANd thus hauehave I shewed the miseries of all§. Sect. 1. Of the miseries incident vntounto single life and wedlocke. ages. The like also may be said of al estats and conditions of men, which are all so ful of wretchednes, that eueryevery one hauing experience of their owne euils, wish rather to be any other then that they are; wheras if all should bring their miseries to a common banke, and plainly discouer them to open view, offring to exchange estates with one another; euen those who most complained of their condition, as being more wretched then any other, seeing the common miseries incident to all degrees of men, no lesse grieuous then those which they sustaine, would contentedly take their owne againe, and willingly depart without any desire of commutation. For there is no estate which hath not miseries eno… attending on it, to make them wretched who liue in it, if they be not strengthened with present patience, and hope of future happines: there is none in the world so happie, who if they compare their hony with their gall, and their comforts with their crosses, hauehave not iust cause to complain of their vnhappines. For doth a man leade a single life? why then as he hath not the cares, so neither the comforts of wedlocke; and as he is priuiledged, hauing none to care for, so he is punished, hauing none to care for him: as he hath few to bring vntounto him want, so if he be in need, he hath as few to relieue him; as he hath no children to trouble him, so neither to cheere and refresh him, when he is otherwise troubled: to say nothing of his solitarinesse vsually accompanied with sad melancholie, of the losse of halfe his kindred and friends which by mariage are doubled, of the continuance of his life and memorie in his posteritie; of the troublesome conflict which he continually hath against his owne concupiscence, of the discontents which he endureth, whilest either setting his feet vnderunder another mans table, …e is faine to eate when they are an hungred, to go to bed when they are drowsie, to make their appetite the rule of his diet, and to be subiect to their orders; or keeping a house without an huswife, and wanting an helper, which is as it were the one halfe of himselfe, he is subiect to receiue many indignities from his seruants, and to hauehave his estate wasted, and hauocke made of all, by those to whom he giueth food and clothing. On the other side, doth a man liue in the state of mariage? then surely as he hath some comforts, so also many troubles: for besides his paines and care in prouiding for, and gouerning of his familie, he hath many crosses in his chiefest comforts; for hath he a good wife? he feareth to lose her, and is tormented with her losse: hath he a bad one? she is as a continuall dropping to his bed, and as a cotidian ague to his bones? hath he no children? then with the holy Patriarch he complaineth, that all he hath is nothing, hauing no heires of his body, to enioy his labours. Hath hee but one? commonly he spoileth him with cockering, and by ouerlouing him he maketh him vnworthie louelove, and is more troubled with feare of losing him, then comforted with enioying him. Hath he many? then commonly some vndutifull and rebellious, by whom hee is more vexed and grieued, then pleased and delighted in all the rest. Hath hee few seruants? then also small attendance: hath he many to doe his worke? then also many to whom he must pay wages, many mouthes to feed, many businesses to ouersee, and hauing many to rule, he hath so much the harder taske if he gouern well.
The like also may be said of other states and conditions:§. Sect. 2. Of miseries incident to diuers estates, publicke and priuate. for doth a man leade a priuate life? he is subiect to contempt, iniuries, and oppressions of those who are in authority. Is he a publicke person? he is as it were openly vponupon the stage, obnoxious to the censures of the basest people, liable to their slanders and euill reports, exposed to many dangers, turmoiled with much labour and many cares, enuied of his inferiours, and hated of the most, if they cannot serue their owne turnes by his authoritie. Is a man of meane qualitie?Eccl. 9. 16. 17. his vertues, wisedome, and good parts, passe and perish vn…ewarded, yea vnobserued, as the Wise man noted. Is he noblie descended? he is exposed to more tentations, more prone to fall into many sinnes, and being ouertaken, the greatnesse of his birth doth but aggrauate the greatnesse of his fault. And as hee beareth a great port, so hee is at great charge to maintaine it, at great care also to furnish himselfe with meanes. And if hee come short, his state ouermatching his ability, then are his cares multiplied and increased according to his imployments and occasions, wherein hee is defectiue; then is he as bare and discontent, as hee who carying a low saile possesseth least, and all his pompe and greatnesse is nothing else but proud penurie, and glorious beggerie. Is a man in the state of subiection? his life and lands, body and goods, are at his Soueraignes command; and if conscience and religion restraine him not, his frowne is as a sword, and his displeasure bringeth death. Is he seated in the royall throne? the greatnesse of his command, doth but adde to the greatnesse of his care and paines; encreaseth his feares, and exposes him to greater dangers, not onelyonly of fo…raine force, but also of secret conspiracies, and hidden treacherie. Doth a man liue as a merchant? hee liueth (as one saith) neither among the liuing nor the dead, there being in his best health but an inch betweene him and death; his person and goods are often at the merciemercy of the vnmercifull seas, and more mercilesse pyrats; and standeth at the deuotion of forraine potentates, and barbarous people. Is hee a tradesman? his honesty dependeth vponupon the credit of other men, failing when it failes; his state is continually endangered with bad debters, who decaying, bring him also to ruine, and vsually he is so prodigall in giuing credit to others, that in the end he leaueth not any for himselfe. Is hee a lawyer? he selleth his breath, if not his honesty and truth; hee loseth his peace in finding his profit, and spendeth a great part of his time in wrangling and contending, whilest hee pretendeth to accord differences, and decide controuersies. Is he a husbandman? his life is a continuall toile, and after all his labour he is still in feare of losing all by vnseasonable weather, one while complaining of rain, and another of drought, now of too much heate, and soone after of frosts and cold; one yeere of mildewes and blasting, and another of wormes, cankers and caterpillers. In a word, there is in this world no mans estate so happie, but besides the innumerable miseries which are incident to all mankind, he hath many euils proper and peculiar to his particular calling and condition.
Now if any think that christianity, & the true feare of God§. Sect. 3. Of some speciall worldly miseries peculiar to true christians. will exempt men from this miserie, and aduance vntounto happinesse; let him know, that howsoeuer this estate doth bring with it such inward comforts, as will not suffer them by miserie it selfe to be made miserable, yet in respect of freedome from the miseries of this life, they hauehave but little priuiledge aboue others, and as little preferment in worldly happinesse; so as they may truely say of their felicitie, as Christ of his kingdome, that it is not of this world, but reserued in the heauens. Yea rather (setting aside our spirituall comforts, and future hopes) that they of all men are most miserable, as1. Cor. 15. 19. the Apostle speaketh. For besides that they hauehave a large share in those miseries which are commonly incident to other men; they hauehave certaine others proper and peculiar to themselues; for no sooner hath our Sauiour Christ chosen themIoh. 15. 19. out of the world, but presently it professeth against them open emnitie, it enuieth their prosperity, and plotteth their ruine; it scorneth, derideth, backbiteth and slandereth them; it wrongeth, oppresseth, afflicteth and persecuteth them, haling them before the iudgement seates, accusing, condemning and killing them for the profession of Gods truth. So that our Sauiour Christ might well say peculiarly of them aboue others, that in the world they shall hauehave trouble; becauseIoh. 16. 33. none in the world are so troubled. VntoUnto these we may adde the griefes which their righteous soules doe suffer in seeing the abominations committed by these cursed Sodomites among whom they liue; as when they behold Gods worship neglected, and idolatrie erected, some adoring images, and some making an idoll of the world; the holy name of God blasphemed, his Sabbaths prophaned, authority despised, gouernment disordered, murthers committed & pardoned, the whole land defiled with tolerated filthinesse. When they shall see all preferments attained by bribing and corruption: In the places of iudgement, iustice peruerted, truth wrested, equitie contemned, the guilty acquitted, the guiltlesse condemned, wrong maintained and right suppressed; and all things caried with fauour and respect of persons. And among priuate men cruelty and oppression bearing sway, eueryevery shop full of lying and deceit, eueryevery street full of pride and vanity, and almost eueryevery man abhorring simplicity and faithfull dealing, and affecting the art of dissimulation, hypocrisie, trecherie, double dealing, complementall friendship, and disguised emnitie. What a griefe, I say, must this needs bring to a child of God, to see his heauenly father thus dishonoured, and his lawes neglected, and troden vnderunder foot? yea when hee shall behold those most aduanced and respected in the world, who most dishonour God by running on in the course of wickednesse? when he shall see him who hath vsed most deceit most enriched, and hee who is most rich most esteemed, the world measuring his goodnesse according to his goods, and not his vertues; when hee beholdeth the oppressour, extortioner, vsurer, who should stand at the barre, sitting on the iudgement seate; the rich foole made a magistrate to rule others, who hath not wit enough to gouerne himselfe; the poet and player more esteemed then the painfull preacher; the ambitious aduanced, hauing nothing to raise them but their pride and impudencie, whereby they hauehave resolued that they will rise; the humble, though neuer so worthie, neglected and kept vnderunder; audacious boldnesse hauing free entrance, when as modesty is repelled and excluded; the parasite and flatterer much esteemed, and hee who faithfully admonisheth and speaketh the truth from his hart, hated and disgraced. But besides the griefe which the faithfull sustaine in beholding the sinnes of professed worldlings, they are much more vexed with the scandalous liues and exemplarie sins of those who are the professours of Gods true religion; whenas they who daily heare the word, make conscience of an oth, abstaine from the vnprofitable corruptions of the time, and make some outward reformation in their familie; are neuerthelesse as proud and phantasticall in their apparell, as vnfaithfull to their friend, as false in their word and promise, as deceitfull in their dealing, as backeward in all workes of mercy, and as couetous in all their courses, as the prophane contemners of all religion. Seeing these sinnes doe more dishonour their heauenly father, as being committed by those who are of his owne family, and tha… against the light of knowledge, the often admonitions of Gods spirit, and checkes of their owne consciences: And also doe more disgrace them who are professours of the same truth; whilest they besprinckle them with their filth, and dim the light of their holy conuersation with the duskish smoke of their discouered wickednesse; causing them to bee suspected of the same crimes, because they are of the same profession, and exercise themselues in performing the duties of the same religion. Besides all which griefes which hauehave an outward ground; they hauehave inward causes of much miserie, trouble, and bitter sorrow. For they are continually exercised in that dangerous conflict against the spirituall enemies of their saluation; Satan daily like a roaring Lion seeketh to deuour them, by suggesting into their minds wicked temptations, wherby he allureth them to lose their soules by sinne, for the hire of some worldly vanities; the world maligneth them, and allureth them vntounto euill by offering some pleasing baits, or discourageth them from that which is good by troubles and persecutions: the flesh lusteth continually against the spirit, and maketh them to do the euill they hate, and to neglect the good which they like and louelove. In which spirituall warfare they are alwaies troubled, and often foiled, being ouercome with tentation, and led captiue vntounto sin. And this is the last and greatest miserie wherewith the faithfull are in this life afflicted and molested, in that they are through the strength of their enemies, and violence of their owne corruptions, often besides their purpose ouertaken of sinne, and thereby offend their gratious God, whose displeasure they shun as the greatest euill.