Satan at Noon, Animadversion 10
Animad. 10.
Upon this Doctors pretence of Holineſſe, height of mortification, abſtractedneſſe from the world, living on the tree in the midſt of Paradiſe, &c.
Anſ. This is not the way of Gods Saints: Abraham is duſt and aſhes, Jacob leſſe than the leaſt mercy. Job abhors himſ…lfe, David cryes out, Lo…d who am I? Peter calls himſelfe a ſinfull man, and Paul, the leaſt, leſſe than the leaſt of Sa…nts. Thus did not the Fathers or Martyrs boaſt of, but complaine againſt themſelves. The richeſt Mines lye loweſt, and the deepeſt rivers make the leaſt noiſe. But he muſt praiſe himſelfe, or elſe who will, that knowes God? and how how ſhould he be like his predeceſſors, of ancient and later times? As
Simon aEpiphan. contr. haer. pag. 18. Tom. …. lib. 1.Magus, a horrid blaſphemer of Chriſt, a ſink of filthineſs and Luſt, a man of very ſlender parts, and a ſhallow judgement, and ſo fell to deceive the people by Magicall tincturation (as the Doctor phraſes it) he bewitched the people of Samaria.
This wretch gave out, that he was ſome great one, he called himſelf the power of God, and gave out, that he came downe from on high, and the people preſently ſaid ſo, even from the leaſt to the greateſt, they ſaid, this man is the great power of God, Acts 8.10. yet Peter tells him, he was in the gall of bitterneſſe and bond of iniquity ver. 23. he kept a Harlot whils he lived, and was brui ed to pieces when he dyed.
The falſe Apoſtles andbIdem Haer. 31. pag. 56. Tom. 2. lib. 1. Gnoſticks by what name ſoever diſtinguiſhed from their ſeverall ring-leaders, how did they vaunt themſelves as the knowing men of the world, and the spirituall ones, ſoaring in their notions? they had their myſticall ſtuffe, and unintelligible words, but very Caterpillars of Hell upon every green herbe, let the*Gal. 3. Phil. 3. 2 Pet. 2. 1 John 2. Jude the whole Epiſtle. Apoſtles, Paul, Peter, John and Jude, be conſidered, ſpeaking their unerring judgement of them, they called them Witches, Dogs, ungodly, wanton, bruit-beaſts, preſumptuous, ignorant, curſed Children, Antichriſts, Lyars, filthy Dreamers, deſpiſers of Government, for whom is reſerved the blackneſſe of darkneſſe for ever.
This vaunting of heigths hath ever been the way of Heretiques, Epiphanius obſerved long ſince, that the Gnoſticks of all ſizes, and all the reſt Dignitate &c. they boaſted themſelves with honourable titles, to convey their poyſonous Doctrines, and Calvin of late, ſub praetextu nominis, &c. they labour to raiſe an eſteem to themſelves, and ſo to ſeduce the ſimple, under the pretence of ſanctity.
Thus did Antonius Pocquius hear him ſpeake for himſelf as one raiſed of God in theſe Laſt dayes, thus, we are now taught of God, I underſtand nothing, for God is my underſtanding, thanks be to God by the ſpirit of renovation, I am raiſed from the Dead, I am quickned with Chriſt, called with Angels, I am paſt the Law, an heire of Immortality, our Soules are the ſecret dwellings of Divinity, the world is burnt up in me by fire, &c. You will ſay, what was this Pocquius? ſure a holy man, yes, if you will take his own word, but heare what Mr.cFurcifer, nebulo, impius, infal x, poreus, very often, Calv. Inſtr. ad. lib. cap. 23. his cenſure of Pocquius. Calvines cenſure was of this high-flown Meteor, this Sathan, transforming himſelfe into an Angel of light.
Calvin terms him a rake-hell, a villain, ungodly, unlucky, a Swine, &c. yet Calvin was a man of ſingular patience and meekneſſe, inſomuch (as Epiphan. ſaid of himſelfe, that he did compell himſelf to write the blaſphemy and filthineſs of Heretiques for the good of future generations) ſo did he even force himſelfe to rehearſe the ungodly, and uncleane practiſes of the Libertines, to name their perſons, and to ſet ſuch deſerved brands upon their names, for the glory of the Lord Jeſus, and ſaving ſouls from being taken in the ſnare of the Devil.
David George of Delph, in the Netherlands, an Impoſtor, a pattern both of deteſtable Hereſies, and abominable filthineſſe,…parbemius in his naration of the Original of Sects, pag. 21. he gave himſelfe out for the Chriſt of God, he called the Scriptures imperfect, nay, childiſh and carnall; he cozened his Diſciples of their Money, he pretended perſecution for the ſake of Chriſt, (as this Doctor doth in his book) and although a man would think that no perſon could be ſo irreligious, or irrationall to entertain his horrid Doctrine, yet a very great multitude were ſeduced by this vile wretch, his meanes of ſeducing were theſe three: 1. A crafty way of inſtilling his opinion into others, creeping into mens mindes by little and little through ſubtile and wary inſinuations, for he would not reveale his horrible myſteries, but to thoſe who were totally his owne; 2. by counterfeiting a comely, majeſticall kinde of countenance; but 3. and chiefly by an outward ſhew of a holy life, and a mortified converſation, and his frequent and ſeemingly *M…re auſtere than any Gapucian, faſted three dayes together. Ruther Sur. cap 4.fervent pouring out his prayers unto God; at laſt when his Vizard began to be torne from his face, by ſome of the Netherlands, who knew him, who fled to Baſil for ſuccour, this wretch partly through the gnawings of a tormented conſcience, and partly through fear of the civill Magiſtrate, pined away and died miſerably, in the year, 1556.
Henry Nicholas, whoſe Blaſphemies are juſtly accurſed to the pit of Hell, and whoſe ſecret whoredoms and filthineſſe were at laſt detected, yet how did this man pretend auſterity, holineſſe, perfection? giving out in his gibberiſh, that he was anointed in the hoary age, of the holy underſtanding, at the beginning he watched divers nights, and faſted, and prayed, and praiſed, and then came to viſions, and thence to the Devill.
Fauſtus Socinus, that wretched Caitiffe, and incarnate fiend, who made it his buſineſſe to confute that inveterate figment, (as he calls it more then Satanically) of the Deity of Jeſus Chriſt, yet this man alſo pretends much meekneſs & modeſty, uſing towards thoſe that did deteſt and oppoſe him, the ſweet compellation of Brethren, and that in ſuch a ſweet way, (as many now adayes do language it toward blaſphemers) he would commend Luther, Oecolampadius & others, and as it were by a ſide winde of their commendations, ſaile into the port of his own ample praiſes, he†Dr. Cheynect riſe and groath of Socianiſms. pretended to be a reformer of the reformers, nay, of the reformation it ſelfe, he looked on other men, and gave it out amongſt his Proſelites, as low men (as the Doctor calls the Miniſters of a narrow ſtamp) he ſaith that God in this laſt age intends to make many new and glorious diſcoveries, and ſlily intimates, as though he were the man ordained of God to erect the temple of Chriſt: many more might be named, but theſe are too many, and truly we ſhould admire at our own folly, in being ſo copious upon this ſubject, but that we cannot chuſe but ſtand amazed at the indiſcretion of many profeſſors, eſpecially in ſuch a day of plentifull light, who doe unawares plead for, and give countenance to horrid Blaſphemers, becauſe they walke under the notion and ſhew of holineſſe, and pretended mortification, as if we had no Bibles to informe us, that Wolves, devouring wolves ſhould come in Sheeps cloathing, and falſe Prophets ſhould carry their matters with ſo much ſpeciouſneſſe, that they ſhould bid faire, nay and ſhould doe it too (if it were poſſible) namely deceive the very elect, the Devill is never ſo much a Devill as when he is white, he knowes full well that he can doe nothing to any purpoſe for his owne Kingdome, but in that colour, we deſire to have a raiſed eſteem of the leaſt dram of true holineſs, we ſay that Rubies and all that can be named or imagined, are not comparable to it; we ſay as Luther, that one ſingle gratious worke, is more worth than the whole world, onelyonly it is a trouble to our Soules, to ſee people cheated into, and hardned in damnable opinions by ſuch ſhewes and pretences: we believe there can be no reall holineſſe, without the ſound and right knowledge of Jeſus Chriſt; we conclude this for theſe dayes, with that ofdAdverſus Franciſc. p. 570. Calvines in his dayes, they have mortification often in their mouths, but their mortification is this, viz. they have no ſenſe of good or evill.