England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 3
1. Coloſs. 13. Power of darkneſſe.
I Do approve this tranſlation, and poſſibly might joyn iſſue with it, and do well; but give me leave rather a little to touch a more ſtrict tranſlation according to the originall. The word which is here tranſlated power, is foreign, which ſignifies licentia, a generall leave, ſuch a kind of libertie wherein one is freed to do what he will, of one hand or the other. So the Apoſtle uſes the word to the Corinthians: If a man eat or not eat, he offends not, onelyonly (ſaith he) uſe not your foreign, licence, in this caſe to offence. As this may be a genuine ſignification of the word, ſo I believe it may give here a genuine ſenſe: Who hath delivered us à licentia tenebrarum, from the libertiniſme of darkneſſe and blindneſſe, the lawleſneſſe of Gentiliſme; for darkneſſe here notes the rude eſtate of the Gentiles, their rudeneſſe, in ſacred letters, made them a looſe lawleſſe generation.
Ignorance pollutes the will.That I may have the favour to be candidly received in this reading of the text, I would note this to you to ſtand on, That darkneſſe makes looſneſſe, ignorance of the word of God makes a lawleſſe ſoul, a Gentile. Nature is powerfull as truth is wanting; for corruption puts no yoke upon her ſelf, but doth what ſeemeth good in her own eyes, when nothing to contradict. Nature yields up all to will, ſoul, body, gifts, parts, and that's the God ſhe ſacrifices to of her ſelf, and to none elſe when ſhe hath no light; As you have yielded your members ſervants unto uncleanneſſe, and to iniquity unto iniquity, Rom. 6.19. Nature yields up to will, will yields up to iniquity, one iniquitie yields up to another iniquity, a leſſe to a greater, and this is the progreſſe of fallen man, till all be yielded up to the devil, and himſelf to hell. Nature acknowledgeth no ſupreme but Iuſt, luſt is a king of her own crowning, to this though never ſo baſe, though never ſo unclean, all ſhall ſerve, and to none elſe; As you have yielded up your members ſervants to uncleanneſſe, &c. Nature is as licentious as hell, darkneſſe is her ſupreme, and the prince and power which onelyonly leads her.
The fleſh hath reaſonings, if the ſpirit cannot anſwer them,The practice, underſtanding. the ſoul is overcome by the power of darkneſſe, that is, darkneſſe is put for light, bitter for ſweet, and this in a way of argument; for nature is looſe, and yet a juſtifier of her ſelf in her way, by ſome blind mediums or other, which is the damning power of darkneſſe. If we ſay we have no ſinne, ſaith the Apoſtle, intimating that nature can argue for it ſelf; the old man hath a tongue in his head, though ſcarce any brains or eyes, and he will ſpeak for himſelf: the grave can open her mouth and ſpeak, as rotten as 'tis; this is a voice from the dead, ſinne ſaith 'tis no ſinne; and who can ſtand up and ſay 'tis, when the ſoul hath no light, when there is no ſunne in the heavens, but all powers of the ſoul in darkneſſe? Darkneſſe calls not it ſelf ſo, the crow is beautifull to himſelf, the blackmoore fair in his own eye; ſinne ſaith 'tis no ſinne, this is foreign, looſneſſe,, and lawleſneſſe with a witneſſe, licentiouſneſſe proteſted.
Darkneſſe pollutes conſcience, conſcience erroneous:The conſcience. the ſoul is looſe indeed, the man will then kill Saints, and call them devils, the man will kill and ſlay whom he ſhould not, and think he doth God good ſervice. Conſcience polluted, judgement is reprobate; judgement reprobate, the life is ſo; judgement misjudging, and Samſons both eyes be out, and all in thick darkneſſe, and how ſtrong ſoever other limbs and parts be, yet you may lead the man whither you will, and ſet him to grind, or to what ſlaverie elſe you will, till the man hath killed himſelf: this is licentia inſana, mad libertie, bloudy looſneſſe. Corruption is infecting, and one facultie defiles another; corruption works unto deſperate lewdneſſe, when conſcience carries the man to do wickedly; this perſon will kill men, and kill Chriſt in men, Why doſt thou perſecute me? How long will you reſiſt the holy Ghoſt.
Ignorance Satans proper advantage.Finally, darkneſſe is the devils element, and things are powerfull in their own element: Sathan can lead a world of blind ſouls at once whither he will: Sathan and corruption are the councel of State in dark ſouls, both conſulting and conſenting, and they diſcern neither; and when theſe two carry all, the ſoul is under a full power of darkneſſe, and a generall liberty. Sathan hath a kingdome, and tis a kingdome of darkneſſe; the devil is in his kingdome in a dark ſoul, and a king in his kingdome rules all. Kings give laws in their kingdome; What Satan and the fleſh ſay, is a law to a blind ſoul; how looſe then muſt the life needs be! There is a law in the members, and the execution of this law is not accounted rebellion, where the eyes be out, and the man in the dark. Dark ſouls are as obeying as the devil is commanding; he that follows the Lambe whereever he goes, is very holy; and ſo he that follows the wolf, the devil, whitherſoever he leads, you may conclude is very unholy, very licentious, and under the power of darkneſſe.
Ʋſe. To the dark Church of England I will ſpeak a word from this point: Thy darkneſſe hath made looſneſſe, and lawleſneſſe bloudy deſperate gentiliſme and heatheniſme; thy children are riſen up againſt thee to kill thee, for keeping them without light. O Engliſh earth, drink not up the bloud of thy ſlain; take the bloud of thy body, and the bloud of thy ſoul, and throw it in the face of Biſhops, Deans, Prebends, Parſons, Vicars, Curats, and all of that kind, which have and do keep thee in blindneſſe, and taught thy children to kill Chriſt, and one another. For ſome years together looſneſſe in tenets, looſe doctrines and pamphlets filled the kingdome, directed againſt the Sabbath, and other main parts of Chriſts will: Prelates brains hatched nothing but toads, they crept out of their mouths all the land over, and then I did ſadly foreſee what all was drawing too apace; looſe tenets make a looſe life. When I ſaw mens gifts and parts under the power of darkneſſe, I did believe that their perſons and fortunes would not be long behind; toads and ſerpents when they are generated muſt live, who ever be ſtung and poiſoned to death. Unhappy Prelates! muſt England bleed and die rather then your pompe? all her bloud yet cries againſt this generation. Was not this the deſire of that company of men (I would not have them now imitated by any other) to throw down light every where, and keep the kingdome in darkneſſe, and ſo in looſneſſe, that every one might riſe up one againſt another to accompliſh their will, even children againſt father, to cut the throat of purity and Puritans through the land?
To you more particularly let me ſpeak from this point: See here the ſpring of your neutrality, you are dark; you can do any thing becauſe you know nothing. Truth hath the power of God in it; your hearts bend any way, becauſe you cannot ſet up God before them: Sinners, how have ye heard? and what have you learn'd? Your courſe ſpeaks you looſe to Chriſt, and to many Chriſtians, what does it to your own conſciences? Have ye light? what, and live looſely? Then you withhold the truth of God in unrighteouſneſſe, and you will ſuffer doubly, namely for the abuſe of light and conſcience. A Libertine againſt light fights deſperately againſt conſcience, or elſe hath kill'd it quite. God is very angry with a man that is a ſinner in the day. O that thou hadſt known in this thy day: ſinners in the day provoke God much, and will be beaten with many ſtripes. The prophet Eſay ſpeaks of darkning light in the heavens thereof, Eſay 5, 30. Libertines againſt light, darken the ſunne in the heavens thereof; they can ſnuff out the ſunne that ſhines in their ſouls, as one ſnuffs out a candle, they pull the ſunne out of heaven, to make pleaſure to themſelves in the dark, and make as if they knew nothing, what they do. Your hypocriſie is reigning, and if not lookt to, twill be ruining quickly; theſe do not periſh for want of knowledge, but for want of conſcience.