The Hypocrite Discovered and Cured, Book 1 · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIV. 10. The Symptoms of Hypocriſie, from the generall carriage. Hypocriticall Slanderers. Prying Cenſoriouſneſſe.
10. THe laſt kind of Symptomes that I propounded to conſider, are ſuch, as I had not particular titles to referre them unto, but as I looke upon the Hypocrite in his carriage and converſation in generall.
1. Hypocrites ſlanderers. Pro. 11.9.And here firſt I take notice of Slanderers, being warranted by Salomon to call ſuch hypocrites, An Hypocrite (ſaith hee) with his mouth deſtroyeth his neighbour. But 'tis done many times with a ſlie and privie blow; as if he were grieved alas, and had a Ladies hand, and were loath to touch his reputation hardly, or any wayes hurt him. He makes a ſigh, and an Alas, the Prologue of his calumnie. Mat. 23.Vehementer doleo, quia vehementer diligo; at que ſic cum maeſto vulto, procedit maledictio, as St Bernard deſcribes them. Theſe are vipers, Chriſt cals hypocrites ſo, that have their poyſonous teeth hid within their gumms. Graves they are that appeare not, but men walke over them and perceive them not, till they ſlip and fall in, few men can ſcape the mouthes of theſe Sepulchers; or if they ſpeake well at any time of others, 'tis but to advance themſelves, Luk. 11 44. C…ſar dum Pomperij ſ… atuas repo… ſuas ſlabiut.as Cicero ſaid when Caeſar erected the Status of Pompey.
But thoſe that I chiefly point at in this place, are that lying generation, who for ſome by-reſpects, making themſelves party to a ſide, endeavour to uphold it by making the adverſe ſide odious, by lies and ſlanders. Truly Religion never got any thing by lies, nor ever will doe. Let thoſe Romiſh Factors be Maſters of the whetſtone for thoſe many leud, diſgracefull libels againſt Luther, Calvin and other worthies. But for ſhame let not any of us ſet up in that ſorry trade. Lying Pamphlets doe ſtrongly uphold that cauſe which they labour to weaken. Sure they are not our friends, who would ſeeme to helpe forward the Reformation, by loading the oppoſite party with ſenceleſſe and childiſh ſlanders. I am not become a Proctor for the Papiſts, I know their malice and cruelty, Ireland is a woefull teſtimony of it; yea there is bloodineſſe even in their principles, and Rome is that Whore that is drunke with bloud; I confeſſe we have great reaſon to be very wary, and for my owne part I praiſe God for the prudent care of our great Senate to put us into a defence. But that which I aime at, is this, That thoſe childiſh reports that have been ſcattered up and down in many places, make our Adverſaries much ſport at our credulous weakneſſe, and confirme them, becauſe they know themſelves innocent in many of thoſe things that are reported againſt them. We have a ſaying, That we may not belie the devill; I am fure the Papists will count themſelves little beholden to me for making ſuch a compariſon; but they deſerve it: but yet as bad as they be, wee muſt all conſider that wee muſt account to God for all that we charge upon them. The obſervation will hold in the caſes of any others, as well as them. I will ſhew you only the face of one of theſe hypocrites, if the Story be not a falſe gloſſe. Otho Paccius a Lawyer, Io. Sleid. Com. ad an, 1528.privately admoniſhed Philip the Lantgrave of Heſſe, to looke to himſelfe, for he knew he ſaid, that Ferdinand the Emperours brother, and Brandenburge and Georg. of Saxonie, and ſome other popiſh Princes and Biſhops had covenanted together to waſte his and the Saxon Electors territories, and ſhew'd him a copy (as he pretended) of the Covenant, and promiſed to procure him the Originall. Whereupon the Lantgrave and the Elector (as they had good reaſon upon ſuch and ſo credible a ſuggeſtion) provide themſelves throughly and make ready for warre. And when all was in readineſſe, they publiſh the cauſe of their arming and ſtanding upon their guard, and diſperſe the copy of the pretended Covenant, and ſend unto the Princes and States therein named. But all the Princes cleare themſelves, and make it appeare to be a malicious ſlander; but eſpecially George of Saxonie, who was father in law to the Lantgrave, urges him to declare the authour of the report, or elſe he and the reſt would believe it was deviſed by himſelfe to put Germany into a combuſtion. The good Lantgrave (it ſeemes eſteeming Paccius to be an honeſt man, and that out of his care of Religion he had related nothing but truth) refuſed to diſcover him, expecting ſtill the originall draught. But when at length by the mediation of other Princes the buſineſſe was brought to an hearing, Paccius is brought before them, convicted of forgery and ſlander, baniſhed by the Lantgrave, and a few yeares after for another crime he loſt his head. As this ſtory delivers him, Paccius was a notable ſlanderous hypocrite, that had ſome ends of his own in all likelihood to work out by this report; if it were his owne ſlanderous invention, for it is only upon that ſuppoſition that I put his name into this liſt, which I note, becauſe ſome are willing to excuſe Paccius, that there was ſuch a Covenant hatch'd, & that Paccius being a Counſellour to George of Saxonie knew of it; but was after ſuppreſt, ſo that Paccius could not come to get the Originall into his hands, Poſſidon. in vita. Aug.nor make good proof of what he had reported. St Augustine could not endure a ſlanderer, but would ſharply reprove any ſuch that came into his company. 'Tis ſaid, he cauſed theſe two verſes to be writ over his Table, that they might be ſtill in the ſight of him and his gueſts.
Quiſquis amat dictis abſentum rodere vimm,
Hanc menſam vetitam noverit eſſe ſibi.
Which I will Engliſh thus,
Who ſo delights the abſent to diſgrace,
Let that man know that here he hath no place.
And I wiſh that St Auguſtines practiſe would be taken up by great ones, and by all, not to ſuffer the good names of men to be traduced and fed upon at their tables, but to bid them obſerve the verſe or be gone.
2. Prying cenſoriouſneſſe.Cenſoriouſneſſe is a kin to ſlander, and one of the moſt ſpeciall ſignes by which our Saviour directs us to know an Hypocrite. He will be medling with the mote that is in his brothers eye. Let us conſider the place, Mat. 7.1, 3, 4, 5. Jo. Camer. Myrothec. ad Rom. 14.4.Judge not that yee be not judged. 'Tis not ſimply forbidden unto us to judge others, but a ſupercilious, ſevere damnatory, partiall judgement. Why beholdeſt thou the mote (the ſmaller and leſſer errour, the fault that like a Mote cannot be ſeene, but in the Sunne-beames, Ʋide Cypr. Epiſt. 1. mihi, p. 8. ….that cannot be devided, that is ſo light it may be blowne away) in thy brothers eye (that is in thy brother) but conſidereſt not the beame (the great, the evident notorious fault, the great ſinne, that hath ſuch a bulke, that it may be ſeen in the darke; ſo great that it may be devided, being multiplex peccatum, a ſinne containing other ſinnes in it, as a beame may be cut into many peeces; a ſinne ſo great that it ſerves to the building up of wickedneſſe, ſo great that it cannot be blowne away, nay ſcarce haled and tugged forth) that is in thine owne eye (that is in thy ſelfe:) Thou hypocrite firſt caſt out the beame out of thine owne eye. Io Wilhel. Kirchofij Farrago.Yee ſhall hardly find the man that is not curious in other mens faults, blind in his owne. A Cardinall and the Abbot of Fulda were once travelling together towards Ʋlma, either of them were attended with 30. horſe-men compleatly armed. My Lord, ſaid the Cardinall, doe you thinke St Bennet who was the authour of your order went thus attended. The Abbot preſently replied upon him, and demanded if St Peter ever rode in that ſtate as his father hood did. Thus each of them was buſie with one anothers eye. Life of Guzman. de Alfan. par. 1. l. 3. c. 5.That Divine Spaniard as his Countrymen and others us'd to call him, in his pleaſant but moſt uſefull fiction, of the life of Guzman, makes his Rogue wittily diſcourſe of the unconſcionableneſſe of the Genowaies and their prying in others lives, That when they are young and goe firſt to Schoole, they play away and loſe their conſciences, which the Maſter finding, he layes them up carefully in a cheſt, but becauſe he hath the keeping of ſo many, and they mixed one with another, he gives to his Schollers when they goe away ſuch conſciences as come firſt to hand, which they take to be their own, but are indeed ſome bodies elſe. Whence it comes to paſſe that no man bearing his own conſcience in his own boſome, every man lookes and pryes into that of another mans. I ſaid before by way of prevention, that no man might object it unto me, that it is but a fiction, and ſo let it be; but there is a good morall of it; Ridentem dicere verum, quid vetat?and we have need ſometimes of theſe pleaſant men to tell us the truth, that we may underſtand our ſelves the better. But the Spirit of God that can beſt diſcover things unto us, tells us that this cenſoriouſneſſe ariſeth out of ſelf conceit, They are a generation that are pure in their own eyes, Pro. 30.12, 13.though they be not waſhed from their filthineſſe; and out of pride, as it follows in that place in the next verſe; A generation, Oh how lofty are their eyes, and their eye-lidds are lifted up. The Romiſh orders of Fryers, among others are this lofty generation, that have a good conceit of themſelves, but ſcarce of any elſe; which appeares by a Picture which the Monks of Sconbuch in the Dukedome of Wittenburg ſet up. Willh, Bidem. bach. in libro cui Tit. Papatus abnegatus.They painted a great Gally floating upon the waves, upon which they ſet theſe words, The holy Christian Church, in the foredeck ſate only the Pope, Cardinals, and Biſhops, upon the rowing ſeates ſate Prieſts and Monks, with their oares; but in the ſea under the ſhip, were Kings, Princes, Nobles, Merchants, Lay-men of all ſorts, to ſome few of whom ſome Fryers let down a cable and drew them up, the reſt periſht. Their meaning was, that none are ſafe, or in the ſhip, but ſuch as by their merits they help. Theſe are ſome of the generation whoſe eye-lidds are lifted up. But there are many more of this brood beſides them; Hypocriticall mockers in feaſts, as the Pſalme ſpeakes; Iſal. 35.16.men partiall to themſelves, that put all their own faults in the bag that hangs behind out of ſight; but they are never without matter againſt others; and are ſtill complaining of the bad times, but will not be perſwaded that themſelves are the men that help to make them ſo, which offers unto us the obſervation of another Symptome; That hypocrites will not endure to be reprehended, they will not ſee that ought is amiſſe, From the dayes of your Fathers ye are gone away from mine Ordinances and have not kept them, Mal. 3.7.Return unto me and I will returne unto you, ſaith the Lord of hosts. But ye ſaid wherein ſhall we returne. Your words have been stout againſt me, ſaith the Lord, yet ye ſay, what have we ſpoken ſo much againſt thee? 1 Sam 15.15.Saul the hypocrite played thus with the Samuel and even would have mockt God too; nothing was amiſſe with him, he had performed all the commandment: and after he was convinced by the lowing of the Oxen, and the bleating of the Sheepe, by the beaſts noyſe rather then the Prophets words; yet he is at it againe, in the 20th. verſe, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord ſent me. So truely doe we find that of the Son of Syrach verified in Saul; A ſinfull man will not be reproved, Eccluſ. 32.17. ver. 15.but findeth an excuſe according to his will: and ye ſhall find a little before, that this ſinfull man which he ſpeaks of, is the hypocrite who is offended at the Law; for as Chriſt ſpeakes, Joh. 3.20, 21.he comes not to the light leſt his deeds ſhould be manifeſt: Such as are ſincere, are of Davids mind, Search me O God, Pal. 13….23, 24.and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts, and ſee if there be any wicked way in me; or any way of paine and griefe. It would even trouble and diſquiet me to doe amiſſe. And he is willing to let others ſearch him alſo. Let the righteous ſmite me, Pſal. 141.5.it ſhall be a kindneſſe, let him reprove me, it ſhall be an excellent oyle, which ſhall not breake my head. Sr Anthony Cope was of Davids mind, for as in his prayers with his family, Mr. Harris, Samuels fun…r. Epiſt. to Lady Cope.he would ſhame himſelf moſt, in his confeſſion of his own moſt ſpeciall ſins; ſo he would deſire Miniſters not to favour his corruptions, but to tell him and ſpare not. But the guilty hypocrite endures not this, they love not a ſearching miniſtery, plain dealing Sermons. Ms. Addit. to Goodw. Cat. in Landoffe.Sr John Harrington reports of Biſhop Goodwin, that preaching at an Aſſize before the Judges, of Dives and Lazarus, (as he was wont ſtill to be ſharp againſt the vices of the times, ſo in that Sermon among other things) he ſaid, that though the Scripture had not expreſt plainly, yet by his cloaths and his fare, he might be bold to affirm, that Dives was at the leaſt a Juſtice of peace, and perhaps of Oyer and Terminer. This ſpeech was ſo ill taken by ſome guilty conſciences, that a great matter was inforced to be made of it, and that it was a dangerous and ſeditious ſpeech. Reverend Muſculus found this ſpirit in the Anabaptiſts. He was forced through poverty, when he firſt left the Romiſh Church, for his conſcience, to hire himſelfe with a Taylor, and wrought with him at his trade: Adam in vitae Muſc. p. 373.This man he found to be an Anabapriſt, a notable hypocrite, one that pretended much piety, but was no way anſwerable, but only a great talker. Muſculus could not hold, but muſt needs reprove him, and among other things, finding that he was idle, and neglected his calling, he urged him with that of Paul, He that will not worke let him not eate. But the Anabaptist was too proud to receive a reproofe, and poore Muſculus was thruſt out of his doors.
And as in the matter of private reproofes, ſo the hypocrite cannot endure the ſeverity of Church cenſures. Hiſt. Mad. Cent. 2.Aquila the Antient Greek Tranſlator of the Bible, fell from Chriſtianity to Judaiſme, being angry at a ſentence of excommunication againſt him. 'Tis a notable paſſage which was made known to the Commiſſioners in Qu. Elizabeths time, of one W: Dangerous poſitions, &c. Book. 3. ch. 18.a Miniſter that was then very active in a private way for the ſetting up of diſcipline, yet when himſelf had given a great ſcandall and was proceeded againſt according to the wholeſome ſeverity of their own Orders, he brake out, and railed againſt Mr Feild and ſome other Miniſters, and would not be held to thoſe rules that himſelf had had an hand in compoſing. Upon ſuch an occaſion as this it was that Santangelus the Lawyer of Burdeaux fell out ſo foulely with the famous Camero, and the reſt of the Miniſters of the Proteſtant Church, Cameron. Stellitentic. in Ep.becauſe he was convented before their Synod for ſome delinquencie.
I have now done with the Symptomes, haply more pulſes might be felt and more urines viewed: but theſe ſhall ſerve, which may be of uſe to occaſion in others a more full diſcovery and knowledge of this great diſeaſe and dangerous; which opens the way to the ſecond Booke, in which I am firſt to conſider the Prognoſticks.