Jewish Hypocrisy, Chapter 1
CAP. I.
1. Sin is a madneſs which undoes us, and yet pleaſes us till we come to our ſelves. 2. All men are miſerable ſick of it when they ſee it. 3. But there are many bad Phyſitians. 4. And moſt are unwilling to be throughly healed. 5. And many take that for healing, which doth but feed the diſeaſe. 6. Witneſs to all this our own Nation. 7. The way propoſed for finding out a remedy for us.
1. IT is the common acknowledgement of all ſober perſons, that ſin is the ſickneſs, or the ill habit of our ſouls. And the great Hippocrates, who underſtood the diſtempers of the mind as well as of the body, thinks that this ſickneſs is but of one kind,foreign. Hippocr. in Epiſt. ad Senat. Abder. and may be called A violent madneſs, ſtrangely diſtracting the reaſon from the true uſe of it ſelf, by fond opinions and abſurd fancies that impoſe upon it. In this frantick ſtate men give ſo many fatal ſtrokes to their own immortal ſouls, that it grieves all men who are not in the like manner alienated from themſelves, to ſee the blood of them ſo barbarouſly ſpilt, and ſo many ſilly creatures periſhing by their own hands. But the ſinners in the mean time are tickled with their own life-blood, and laugh as mad men do when they are making away with themſelves, till their reaſons can be delivered from the impoſtures of thoſe carnal imaginations, that like ſo many Devils have got poſſeſſion of them. As a man that is in an hot purſuit of his deſired conqueſts and ſpoils, doth not feel the ſmart of his wounds, till he come to be cold, and have the ſpirits ſetled in his blood: So is it with a ſinner, who perceives not the wide breaches, and the gaping wounds that ſin makes in his ſoul, nor complains of any grief and pain that it creates him, while he is in an eager chaſe of his beloved luſts, till he hath done his fierce purſuit, and in cool thoughts quietly reflects upon his folly. And when he is (as we ſay) in his cold blood, not enraged with his paſſions, nor pricked forward by the heat of his burning affections, he ſees that every ſin which he committed gave a ſlaſh to his ſoul, and opened a door to let out his precious life. Then, as the wounded man calls for a Chirurgion, and is as impatient for ſomething to lenifie and aſſwage the pricking of his ſore, as before he was to run into the encounter: ſo is the ſinner deſirous that ſome applications may be made for his cure, and that ſome balſam may be found out for to give him healing, which will be more grateful to him then all the pleaſures of his ſinful enjoyments.
2. All this you may eaſily ſee verified, not only in particular perſons,Iſa. 57.5. but in whole Nations. When Judah inflamed themſelves with idols, and was ſo mad upon them (as another Prophet ſaith of Babylon, Jer. 50.38.) that they burnt with filthy deſires after thoſe ſpiritual adulteries, and debaſed themſelves even unto hell: ver. 9.It was but a ſport unto them, and they conſidered not of what a deadly diſeaſe they laboured. As Tholoſanus calls a diſeaſe diſſolutio foederis in corpore, the diſſolution of the covenant or agreement that is in the body; the ſetting of the parts at odds one with another: So we may ſay of all ſin, but eſpecially of Idolatry, that it is a breach of the peace with God, a renouncing of the Covenant that is between us, a proclaiming of open war with heaven. And yet for all this, thoſe mad ſinners uſed to cry Peace, Peace, to themſelves (as the Prophets frequently tell us) when there was no Peace at all.ver. 10. Though they had quite wearied themſelves in the greatneſs of their way; yet they ſaid not there is no hope: i. e. by following ſo many lovers, they were become like an harlot, laſſata ſed non ſatiata; tired, but not ſatisfied. They did not ſay (as the vulgar Latine renders it) Quieſcam, I will reſt, I will ceaſe all this toil and labour, whereby comes no good, but much hurt to me. But when God had let them blood, to take down their inflammation, & made them feel the ſmart of their ſins by many ſharp judgements, then they began to roar like bears, and to mourn ſore like doves; then they ſaid, their tranſgreſsions were with them; and as for their iniquities, they did know them; as you may read in Iſa. 59. v. 11, 12. When the whole head was ſick, and the whole heart was faint, when there was as many ſores as parts, and their body was one great wound;Iſa. 1.5, 6. then they cry as ſo many Lazars for the balm of Gilead, and ſay with Jeremy, Heal me O Lord, and I ſhall be healed; ſave me, Jer. 17.14.and I ſhall be ſaved.
3. But as there are many Mountebanks that pretend at a two-penny charge to give ſoveraign balſams for all wounds; and for as much more to cure I know not how many deſperate diſeaſes: So are there Phyſitians of no value, that undertake the cure of ſick ſouls by merry company, pleaſant books, faſting from their ſins for a day or two, or by ſome ſuch trifle; and to reſtore the collapſed ſtrength of a ſick Nation by their politick receipts, their changes of government, their craft in managing affairs, and an hundred ſuch little and feeble devices.
4. Now when both the one and the other ſee that theſe are but deluſive wayes of continuing our maladies, then they begin to ask after the method of the great Phyſitian, and to enquire what God would have them do, that they may be healed. But then as moſt men would be willingly healed of their wounds without any ſearching or launcing of them, and are contented if they be palliated and skinned over, though they will break out again, either there or in ſome other place: And as they are for outward applications, but cannot imagine that the cleanſing of the inward parts by purging phyſick to carry away bad humours, ſhould conduce much to a cure: So likewiſe it is with ſinful men, they are loth to have their hearts throughly ſearched, and ſuch ſevere and ſharp medicines that will eat away all the dead fleſh, all their baſe luſts and deſires, applyed: but they love ſmooth and oily things, that will mitigate the pains and aſſwage the grief, and flatter them into a meer conceit of a cure. They would not have the inward and more latent cauſe removed, nor the foulneſs of their ſouls medled withall; but they content themſelves with an outward amendment, and deſire only that the lips of their wound may be cloſed, that they may not cry out againſt them. A plaiſter of the blood of Chriſt they can well like that ſhall be clapt upon their ſore, and cool the rage and anger of their conſcience; but to be purified and refined by the Spirit of burning and judgement, is a way of healing that they are not willing to ſubmit unto. They would have a robe of Chriſts righteouſneſs caſt over them that ſhould hide the rottenneſs and putrefaction of their wounds; but his righteouſneſs in them which ſhould recover their health, and reſtore them to ſoundneſs, is a thing far from their deſires, if not from their thoughts.
5. But ſuppoſing that men are willing to undergo any thing for a cure, and fall into the hands of honeſt Phyſitians alſo; yet it is poſſible that they may not underſtand the whole cauſe of the diſtemper, and ſo apply but imperfect remedies, and adminiſter medicines proper but for one particular affect: By which means the diſeaſe may not only continue, but be increaſed, and turn into a worſe. For ſo it happens to many ſouls, who begin to think their condition is very bad, and reſolve for to amend, they are put upon the practice of ſome Religious duties, and are followed moſt with ſuch advices that make them think theſe are ſufficient to work their amendment. They eaſily imagine, that if they can but weep when they pray or hear a Sermon, thoſe tears have a rare faculty to waſh, ſupple and cleanſe all their ſinful wounds. But while they uſe not all Chriſts preſcriptions, they fall into a more dangerous diſtemper, and the hardeſt of all to be cured. The ſore eats deeper, the heart becomes rotten and unſound, & makes a man to labour with hypocriſie, of which few do ever recover. And ſo it is likewiſe with politick bodies; the corruptions which ſeem moſt notorious in the eyes of the preſent Governors, are commonly lamented, and in ſome degree reformed; but then under the comfortable ſhadow of that reformation, a thouſand other ſins walk ſecurely, and enjoy their freedom and protection, from having any hands laid upon them.
6. The ſtate of our Nation is at preſent ſo very ſick and weak, and ſo deſirous now we are of a cure; and yet ſo willing to have our hurt healed ſlightly, that the moſt ordinary underſtanding can apply what hath been ſaid unto its caſe and condition. Our ſins have brought us down under a great number of diſeaſes, and laid us upon a bed of affliction. Great gaps are made in our body, our bones are broken and ſore vexed; the laſt drop of our vital blood is ready to iſſue forth. If I ſhould but repreſent to you, how the treaſures of the Nation are exhauſted (which Stateſmen call its blood and ſpirits) it would make any heart ake, to ſee how pale and wan we look, without any colour in our cheeks. But beſides that Trading is dead, Juſtice alſo is ſore maimed; Charity and Love is broken; Piety is diſmembered; the very frame of our Government is diſſolved; and a whole deluge of miſeries threaten to flow in at theſe wide breaches.Jer. 8.15, 22. Long have we looked for peace, but no good comes; and for a time of health, but behold trouble. Is there no Balm for ſuch wounds as ours? Is there no Phyſitian in the Engliſh Nation? Why then is not the health of it before this time recovered?
Whether we have not tampered too much with State-Doctors, who ſought by meer power and worldly policy to ſettle our diſcompoſures, I leave to every ſerious man to conſider. And whether we have not been backward to take the advice of our ſpiritual Phyſitians, and to follow their directions, is a thing that may be ſoon determined. That which I ſhall enquire into, ſhall be this, whether even among the ſpiritual Phyſitians ſome have not been ſought unto, who conſidered not the chief cauſe of our maladies, but applyed thoſe things moſt unto us, which did accidentally feed our diſeaſes, and make them to be more dangerous. And ſo we ſhall find out what will compleatly remedy all our evils, and reſtore us to an healthy conſtitution again.
7. Now in this matter, I know not how to take a better courſe, then to imitate Phyſitians, who conſult not meer reaſon, but likewiſe the experience of former times. And where they find the ſame ſymptoms, and all indications of a diſeaſe, which an exact Author hath deſcribed, though many hundred years ago, they conclude the ſame remedies and medicines are to be uſed, which are conſigned to them by his Probatum eſt. I ſhall therefore ſearch into the records of divine Hiſtory, and obſerve what the ſtate of the Jews uſed to be, and what method they were wont to take for the healing of their Nation, when any publick calamity did befall them; and as Phyſitians truly ſay, Curatio indicat morbum; by their cure we ſhall certainly know what their diſeaſe was; and give a gueſs alſo at our own, both diſeaſe and remedy. But many ineffectual applications there were, which the holy Writ takes notice of, and therefore I ſhall divide my diſcourſe into two parts, and firſt ſhew you what things were not of ſufficient vertue to cure them, though otherwiſe they were good and healing. And ſecondly what God did particularly direct them unto, for a perfect recovery of their ſtrength when it was decayed, and a binding up of their wounds when they were ſorely broken.