White Salt, Title page – To the reader
White Salt: OR, A Sober Correction OF A MAD WORLD, In ſome Wel-wiſhes to GOODNESS.
By John Sherman, B. D.
St. MARK. 9.50.
Have Salt in your ſelves, and have peace one with another.
foreign. Ar.
LONDON, Printed by E. Cotes, for R. Royſton at the Angel in Ivie-lane, 1654.
To the Reader.
READER,
ON purpoſe I would not have thee look for any thing in this paper: for, the Kingdome of heaven commeth not with expectation. Yet, if any read it, he ſhall not loſe much time; for he ſhall ſoon have done: and if none read it, I have not lost much time; for, being ſhort, it was not long in doing.
The deſign of it is ſuch, as I deſire the ſucceſſe of it may not differ. It is thus. The world is now old, and earthy. It is cold and dry; and hath need to be made warm with Charity, and moiſt with Repentance. And God is wont to make uſe of mans morall ſuaſion, to work himſelf effectually by. But upon whom this lot ſhall fall, whoſe lot is it to underſtand? Where is he that ſhall dip his pen in diſcretion with ſweet reproof, as Jonathan did his rod in honey, to enlighten the eyes of the people, as he did his own? I dare not aske the queſtion, Maſter Jeſu is it I that ſhall do thee this ſervice? Could this be done by me, and were there two felicities; this ſhould be my ſecond. The men of this age rejoyce in goods, but oh the joy of doing good! Is there no balme in Gilead? is there no Phyſician there? Alas! why is there not a Colledge of Divines to conſult the publick cure of theſe ill humours? Ʋntill there be ſuch, every one may exerciſe a generall duty without any need of a revelation; and though none is bound to convert, yet every one to endevour it.
And therefore, though I know nothing in my ſelf towards this end, yet am I not, me thinks, thereby juſtifyed in my neglect; ſince infirmities are of uſe to Gods glory. And if he will do us the honour, to honour himſelf by them, we have reaſon to be glad that we had them for him. O my Saviour, ſince I have nothing elſe to ſerve thee with, let me ſerve thee with them.
If any one then, or every one finds the defects of this piece, he ſhall not finde me to be of another opinion. Here's no depth of judgment; no ſtrength of reaſon; no curioſities of phanſie; no patneſs of hiſtory; no fringing of the margent with variety of choiſe reading. Such things I do not pretend to Others make the world more learned. Would I could make it more good.
Neither is there ſuch uſefulneſſe of exact Scholarſhip in this morality; as alſo is it not now ſo much in faſhion. Yea, it may ſeem now ſeaſonable, becauſe we have ſometimes to do with them which do not love their enemies, whereof Learning is one. So that I am in the more capacity to be loved, becauſe I have as little in me of that againſt them, as I have of malice.
Let them do what they will to me, it is more then they can do to make me their enemy. Am I become your enemy, becauſe I tell you the truth? as St. Paul ſa…d. It is naturall to men, as the Hiſtorian notes, to hate thoſe whom they have wronged: yet is it neceſſary for Chriſtians to do well to their enemies, becauſe they love them. And if we love virtue, we hate no man: becauſe we are more afraid that men ſhould do evill, then that we ſhould ſuffer it. We do not deſire that they ſhould have their deſire upon us in our confuſion: but we do deſire to have our deſire upon them in their converſion.
This Goodneſs is the theme which I would commend to all Chriſtians, who cannot conſtrue that name without it. Certainly thoſe who have taken the ingagement of the Goſpell, ſhould be obedient to the Law. And why ſhould Righteouſneſs be ſo far from Piety, and Piety from Righteouſneſs in the Subject, when he is not a right Chriſtian, in whom both do not dwell together? Indeed he that hath righteouſneſs and no true piety, is as an Heathen: and yet he that hath but a ſhew of piety and no righteouſneſs (and he that hath no righteouſneſs, hath but a ſhew of piety) is worſe then an Heathen. Oh that we had one heart for the two Tables!
Had we had this Goodneſs which is ſpoken for, we had not had a Church more miſerable then can be ſpoken. Goodneſs is then reall, when the principle of it is in the heart, and the end of it not on earth. And had we ſo intended it, the Goſpell would not have been pleaded to deſtry Polities, or Churches. St. Cyprians rule and ſaying would have ſaved us this harm, Mali non poſſunt obeſſe bonis, ſed boni poſſunt prodeſſe malis, The bad cannot hurt the good, but the good may do good to the bad. Had we been good, we would have loved them, till they had been better; and then have loved them better, becauſe they were better: but Goodneſs is not belonging to the nature of Separation, one or other.
Some parts of Goodneſs I have not purſued, as Charity; which is part of our obedience to God. Indeed there is no neceſſitie any thing ſhould be ſpoken for this part of a clear and pure converſation. Neither needs any thing be ſaid against Ʋncleanneſs; which doth ſo foully and enormouſly profane the temple of the holy Ghoſt; and therefore, like filth, ſhould be ſwept out with the beſome of ancient Diſcipline. It is a ſin which the Sun will not look upon; and they aſhamed to be ſeen when they do it; therefore doth not ordinarily, as other ſins, come into open rebuke: And ſince it is a ſin againſt the body, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, it makes naturally its puniſhment in it. So that I had no great reaſon to ſay much againſt this vice, whith is plainly beſtiall, but hardly diſcovered.
So thou haſt the project of this Script: with the eaſing of my mind in the diſcharge thereof. Who can endure to ſee his Nation and the Church in the duſt before him? And why ſhould we not redeem our own miſery (may ſome thinke) when we can never be ſafe till men be good?
This is all towards a Preface; which according to art, ſhould be laſt made: and I was not very forward to it. Is is but as the cackling of the hen when an egge is laid; and in this regard I ſhould have made none, for here's nothing laid. More might have been, it may be, had we not been driven out of our neſt. If any thing ſeem to be amiſſe, take it with a grain of Salt. If any thing ſmart, that is not my fault.
No more. Love thy enemies; whereof I am none. And if thou doeſt love thy enemies, thou wilt certainly love him who deſires no greater favour then to think ſo well of him, as to let him do thee good.
Now I leave it to thee, and thee to God. Farewell.
J. Sherman.