The Hypocrite Discovered and Cured, Book 2 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. The third Medicament. Reſolution for God and the truth.
3. BE throughly reſolved for God, Reſolution an help againſt Hypocriſie.and for the truth which ye take up to profeſſe. Let reſolution chaine ye as Ʋliſſes was to the maſt of the ſhip, that he might be ſecured from the chauntings and enticings of the Syrens. 'Tis becauſe men are not tyed to God, that they leape over-boord ſo often; being fondly allured to leave God and haſten to the embraces of ſeeming beauties. Remember therefore frequently the vow made in Baptiſme. A triple cord that was which would not be eaſily broken if men would tye it hard upon them. Ye then were bound, to faith, to obedience, to renounce the Devill, the world and the fleſh. Tit. 2.12.The Goſpell calls upon you to doe it again. The grace of God which hath appeared unto you, teacheth you to deny ungodlines and worldly luſts, to looke as ſtrangers upon them, to ſhake hands with them, foreign.to be of a denying behaviour and to ſay no to all ſuch like provocations. Renew covenant often with God, get ſtronger ropes and tye them with a ſure knot that they may not ſlide. We bind men becauſe their words are not to be truſted. Hypocrites doe breake their words. They are full of proffers and profeſſions of love and honour and ſervice. They offer as Zarah did, but they draw back their hand, Gen. …8.28, 29.yea though a ſcarlet thread be tyed about them, though there hath a ſenſible notice been taken of them. Be ſo reſolved as to take an oath upon it, Pſal. …19.106.with David; I have ſworne and will performe it, that I will keep thy righteous judgements. See how ſolemnly they lift up an oath in Ezra's time; Let us make a covenant with our God according to the counſell of my Lord, Ezra 10.3, 5.and of thoſe that tremble at the commandement of our God, and let it be done according to the law. And they ſware. But if as that profane man ſaid, oathes may be played with as children doe with chuckſtones; then there muſt be ſome ſignall ratification; We make a ſure covenant and write it, and our Princes, Levites and Prieſts ſeale unto it: Be reſolved, be of Luthers mind, to goe thorough howſoever; or elſe you will be driven in with the next ſtorme, and run away at the ſight of the firſt enemie. Be ballasted with reſolution, and then ye may endure the beating waves. Reſolution keeps Ruth with her mother, Orpah is the hypocrite that complements with God, but likes Moab better where ſhe ſaw a certaintie. Reſolution makes a man a rock that beats back the darts of tentation ſhot againſt him, a rocky promontory that waſhes not away though the ſurges beate upon him continually. What a ſtrong rock was St Baſil the great when the Emperour Valens had brought over many Biſhops to Arrianiſme, partly by faire words and preferments, partly by impriſonments and others terrours, only Baſil would not turne. He ſent a great Courtier to him, who advis'd him to yeild to the time, and not ſleight the friendſhip of the Emperour, nor the greater preferments he might have. Socrat. Hiſt. l. 4. c. 26. Sozom. l. 6. c. 16. Theod. l. 4. c. 19.To that, Baſil anſwered, That 'twas for children to be wonne with ſuch toyes, and as for the Emperours friendſhip, it was not to be accounted of, if it muſt be bought with impietie. The great man being moved, began to threaten him with baniſhment, tortures and death. Baſil anſwered, the earth is the Lords, and the fullneſſe thereof; as for tortures what can they doe upon ſuch a poore thinne body as mine, nothing but skinne and bone. Another time, Euſebius Governour of Pontus being much enraged againſt this ſame Baſil, told him he would teare his very liver out of his bowells: Truely, ſaid St Baſil, You ſhall doe me a very good turne in it, to take out my naughty liver which inflames and diſeaſeth my whole body. And this reſolvedneſſe is much fortified by vowes, which bind men ſtrongly, as we ſee in the caſe of the Gibeonites, Ioſh. 9.19, 20.and of the Benzamites; becauſe vowes or oaths made before God, Iud. 21.2, 6, 7, 14, 19, 20.which may not wilfully be broken without incurring Gods great diſpleaſure, and the judgments under which he that ſweares layes himſelf, in caſe he breaks his oath; for vowes are deliberate and reſolved promiſes, according to the definition of them which we find in the Caſuiſts, Fred. Balwin. de Caſ. l. 2. c. 8. Azor. To. 1. Inſtit. l. 11. c. 14.That they are promiſes made to God out of the judgment of reaſon and purpoſe of the will: So that theſe three things are in a vow, deliberation, purpoſe and a promiſe; they doe therefore moſt ſtrongly bind ſuch as enter into them. There are ſome that have doubted whether we may vow at all to God, becauſe God loves and requires a free ſervice, not neceſſitated by vows, becauſe men unneceſſarily by them put themſelves into a further ſnare, becauſe we owe all to God without vow. But though we owe duty, we are many times ſlow in performance, and we may with Jacob quicken our ſelves by vowes; Gen. 28.21.neither doe they hinder us from performing a free ſervice, for they are to be made ex propoſito voluntatis, with our own will: neither are we further inſnared by them, then by the precepts of God, when we make them in Gods ſtrength and expectation of his grace to aſſiſt, and but for a time, and in things lawfull and poſſible unto us. We had need to fortifie our ſelves ſtrongly, becauſe of many aſſaults againſt our ſinceritie; to ſet our foot faſt, becauſe of the many ſhuffles the world will put upon us. And that we may reſolve for God and truth, labour with good judgment to ſee reaſon, to chooſe that ſide, and then to reſt in the choice made. Be not alwaies in chooſing, pitch ſome where. And what is more lovely, more worthy of choice then God and his truth? Let our deſires therefore be towards God and his name, and then even dangers themſelves will not remove us from him, or make us unfaithfull; as we heare the Church ſpeaking in the Prophet, Iſa. 26.8, 9.Yea in the way of thy judgments have we waited for thee, the deſire of our ſoul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee: with my ſoul have I deſired thee in the night, yea with my spirit within me will I ſeek thee early. Let our by as be to God. The hypocrite when he makes faire towards God, runs againſt by as. All outward acts of approaches and addreſſes to God may be made by hypocrites; there is no externall thing but a Painter may draw it and colour it with his pencill; But love, unfeigned love, which will bind ſtedfaſtly and make the ſoul cleave unto the Lord with full purpoſe, is above and beyond the art of painting. Cant. 8 7.Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it; If a man would give all the ſubſtance of his houſe for love, it would utterly be contemned. See God worthy to be preferred, and love him truly; and that love will keep you true to him; ſo that if the world doe offer her ſelf with her rich dowrie, and ſhew you her beauty and her wealth, ſhe ſhall not be able to entice you from him, or winne away your love and your hearts. David made this choice, Pſal. 73.28. 2 Sam. 6.22.It is good for me to draw neare to God. And he kept to this choice, though he were ſcoft at for it; If this be vile, to ſerve and honour God who advanced me, I will yet (ſaid he) be more vile then thus. He was not, he would not be aſhamed of his zeale. I will only remember the carriage of another Prince to beare him company, who ran thorough greater diſcouragements then flouts, that he might hold to his choice. I meane John Duke of Saxonie, Cyriac. Spangenberg. in Chron. Manſfield. ad An. 1531.who to uſe my authours words, might have had all that the world could afford, if he would not have been a Chriſtian, but not reſpecting many calamities, yea the danger of death it ſelf, he heroically defended the ſincere religion, againſt all the Devils and the Pope, in three puhlike Imperiall aſſemblies. And when it was told him he ſhould looſe the favour of the Pope and the Emperour, and of all the world, if he ſtuck ſo faſt to the Lutheran cauſe; Here are two wayes, ſaid he, I muſt ſerve God or the world, and which of theſe doe ye think is the better. And ſo put them off with this pleaſant indignation. Neither would he be aſhamed to be ſeen which way he choſe to goe, for when at the publike aſſembly of the States of the Empire, It was forbidden to have any Lutheran Sermons, he preſently prepared to be gone, and profeſt boldly, He would not stay there where he might not have liberty to ſerve God. He was reſolved for God. And I brought the example for a probatum eſt upon this Medicament, that reſolution will keep us cloſe to God.