The Sinfulness of Evil Thoughts, Treatise · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of Politick thoughts.
HItherto I have given you a proſpect and view of your enemies, but you have ſeen onelyonly the outſide, or utmoſt part of them; There are many more companies yet undiſcovered, and more then I can reckon: But you ſhall ſee ſeverall troops more marching with their ſeveral colours. Whereof the firſt is a deſperate company of Po…itick, ſubtle and irreligious thoughts (a pack of as dangerous enemies as God and his Church hath ever had to do with) whoſe deſigne is not by open force to aſſault, but by Stratagems to undermine religion and blow up the Church, and by killing the Heir, to make themſelves maſters of his inheritance. They are no mean ones, they who are of this company, but they are the Kings and Rulers of the world, who do conceive theſe thoughts, and appear in theſe deſignes againſt the Lord and his Sic & nostri principes jam nihil aliud agunt quam ut ſint malidicti a Deo. Luther. Our Princes make it their onelyonly work to get the curſe of God.anointed: And generally all the Grandees of the world do make it their buſineſſe to Modell and ſubordinate religion to their own intereſt and State ſecuring policy. All the ſheaves in the field, and the Sun, Moon, and all the Stars in heaven too, muſt ſtand up and do obeiſance to this ſheafe, and if it be poſſible Pharaohs and the impoſtors rod muſt devoure Aarons rod, and then the work is done. Come let us deale wiſely ſaid Pharaoh (ſubtilly and perfidiouſly Steven calls it Act. 7. 19.) or we ſhall be foiled and overmaſtered. This people muſt be kept down and brought under. Jeroboam had his head full of theſe irreligious thoughts and projects, a famous maſter of this piece of King-craft, he made Iſrael ſin, and all the Kings of Iſrael, yea he hath made all the Kings of Chriſtendome, and Potentates of the world to ſin, few or none to this day like Joſiah, turning to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his ſoul, 2 Chron. 34. 2.not turning to the right hand, nor to the left; but though like Jehu and ſome others, they 2 King. 10. 31.have deſtroyed Baal and Popery, yet from the ſin of Jeroboam few or none have tutned away. He ſaid in his heart, the text ſaid, 1 King. 12. 26, 27, 28.this people will fall from me if I look not well about me, to handle the matter wiſely, and moderately in matters of religion, and worſhip of God. Purity of religion ſettled and followed, may ſecure a heavenly Kingdome, but it hazzards (thinkes he) all earthly Crowns; therefore he modells religion to the juſt temper of his intereſt, and ſeekes out new Prieſts fit to match the temper of his religion, and out muſt all that can not conform, even all the ſons of Levi, the rightfull conſecrated Prieſts; And then ſeconded he is by all the people, Tag and 2 Chr. 11. 14.Rag knowing no other religion, and ſearching no other Bible but the mind and pleaſure of their leader. The King indeed ſets up his Golden calves, the meaner ones (the calves of the people as they are cald) had none ſuch, but the meaneſt of them that Pſal. 68. 30. 2 Chr. 13. 9.could bring a young Bullock, or a Ram was ſufficiently qualified and had enough: They were inſpired preſently, without any manner Ordination and deſerved more countenance from Authority, than thoſe rigid Church-men, the ſons of Aaron. But what came of it? Did it not become ſin to the Houſe of Jeroboam, to cut it off; though 1 King. 14. 34.he had ſuch a notable head-piece, as no man had a ſtronger, and was noted to be of ſo active and induſtrious a ſpirit, and had ſo cunningly wrought himſelf into the people, till he was got into the ſaddle. This is the deſign of Anti-Chriſt, and is that great myſtery of iniquity, which is ſtill at work in the great Ones of the world, who think they have no other ſtone to ſquare, but that which is cut out of the mountain, and then all is their own; Let us break his bonds aſunder, Dan. 2. 45. Pſal. 2. 3.and caſt his cords from us. But hath not this alwaies proved a burdenſome ſtone to thoſe who have lifted at it? This is indeed the Zach. 12. 3.Maſter-piece and grand Deſign of Satan himſelf, who goeth not about to deny a God out and out, but all he aimes at, is to deprive God of his pure Worſhip. He is not an enemy to Religion, he wiſhes there were many more Religions in the world, and would have all countenanced, but the true one only: That every people may walk after the way Mic. 4. 5.of his God, and every perſon after the light of his Conſcience, as ſometimes it hath been, when Religion was wholly loſt and buried in ſuch a multitude and medley of religions: Read 2 King. 17. 29, 30. 31, &c. Oh how much is it to be lamented, that a people who have had God ſo nigh unto them, and have had ſuch righteous lawes and ſtatutes as no Nation in the world, ſhould be ſo fickle and unconſtant! When we may paſſe over all other Nations, and they will not change their Gods, or their religion, that Iſrael ſhould Jer. 2. 10, 11.change their glory for that which cannot profit. How quickly as Moſes oft complained were Deut. 9. 12. 16.Iſrael turned aſide. Soon after the Tabernacle was ſet up in a manner, they were contriving and imagining to alter religion, and to rid themſelves of God, and his Impoſitions. For I know their imaginations Deut. 31. 20, 21.ſaith the Lord, which this people imagine againſt me even now. And after, when they had had that famous Temple ſet up, to which ſo many promiſes were made, Solomons head was no ſooner laid, but they were deſirous of a new form of Government and Religion too. But it coſt them dear, it filled all with ſuch Rents as never could be made up again. Be wiſe therefore, O ye Pſal. 2. 10.Kings, and be warned you great ones of the earth. Think not your houſe is to be built upon the ruines of Gods houſe. The Philiſtines ſhouted once when they had taken the Ark, as if it had been the greateſt conqueſt they could have had: But how long did it laſt? 1 Sam. 5. and 6. chap.A ſweeping plague followed, and they had ſoon enough of it, and were glad to return the Ark whence they had taken it, and to rid their hands of it, as faſt as they could.