The Cure of Misprision, Section 29 – Section 32
Sect. 29.
Which being ſo, may make thee of another mind: that is to thinke much better of them whom thou condemneſt, and far worſe of thy ſelfe, 1. Better of them, for no mortall creature can be ſo vigilant, or Argus eyed: but ſometimes he may be ſurpriſed by an enemie. Sometimes grace is aſleep in the holieſt, and warieſt breaſts, while they are miſcaried by their paſſions to their coſt. To be alwaies, and unchangeably good: is proper only to the glorified ſpirits in Heaven. For in the Church militant here below a man may be a good Archer, though he doe not alwayes hit the marke. Yea, it hath ever been held, that a few times hitting, countervailes often times miſſing.
2. Worſe of thy ſelfe. For have they committed ſuch and ſuch ſinnes, and ſo broken their promiſe and vow made unto God in baptiſme? It was full ſore againſt their wils, but thou never hadſt the leaſt deſire to performe thine: Yea, it hath ever been thy whole delight to breake the ſame. And certainly he is an honeſter man, that owing a great ſum of money and promiſing payment thereof, payes what he is able though he fall never ſo ſhort of it: then he who owing the like ſum, & making the like promiſe, is ſo far from paying what he ſhould▪ that he ſquanders away what he hath, and never intends to pay a farthing.
Are their ſins in them, great ſinnes, as great in them as in thee, what then? There is ſinne in the regenerate, there is nothing but ſinne in the unregenerate. Even the Spouſe in the Caticles juſtly complaines of her blackneſſe, yet ſhe is faire among other women. Cant. 5. Though the Publican was not ſimply, and ſufficienrly juſtified: yet he was rather juſtified then the Phariſee. Our good actions cannot iuſtifie us, becauſe in them the fleſh luſteth againſt the ſpirit: Nor yet can our ill actions condemne us, becauſe in them the ſpirit luſteth againſt the fleſh.
Wee are all bound to keep the Law, and might have kept it perfectly had it not been our own fault. But ſince the Fall we cannot keep one tittle of it: ſo ſinne we mu…t of neceſſity, and the wages of every ſin is death by that law: yet no neceſſity of dying the death, except we love death more then life. For God in his infinite wiſedome and goodneſſe, hath not only found out a way to ſatisfie his juſtice, and the law▪ but given his only begotten ſonne to dye for us, and to redeeme us, that whoſoever beleeveth in him ſhould not periſh but have everlaſting life. Iohn 3. 16. A mercy offered and a way found out: that may aſtoniſh all the ſons of men on earth, and Angels in Heaven.
But are we beleevers or unbeleevers? this is the maine of all: for
Firſt, God eſteemes of faith above all other graces, deeds, or acts of ours; John 6. 28. 29.
Secondly, If we are beleevers, we have Chri…t for our ſur ety, and he hath redeemed and delivered us from the rigor and curſe of the Law, Gal. 3. 13. and 5. 1. Rom. 7. 6. and 10. 4. Neither are we any longer under the law but under grace. Rom 6. 14. and ſhall be iudged by the perfect law of liberty, Gal. 5▪ 1. James …. 25. Becauſe Chriſt hath ſufficiently ſatisfied his fathers juſtice, for all the ſinnes of the faithfull: and paid our debt even to the utmoſt farthing, Iſay 53. 4. 5. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Heb. 9. 26. 1 Pet. 2. 24. Rom. 3. 25. 26 1 John 1. 7 9. Yea if we lay hold on him by a lively faith, our ſins are his ſinnes, and his righteouſueſſe our righteouſneſſe, Jer. 23. 6. Pſal. 4. 1.
Not that we may ſinne the more freely: for even to beleevers the Law is given, that grace may be required: and grace is given that the law may be fulfilled, by us evangelically, for us by Chriſt (whoſe righteouſneſſe is ours) perfectly. The Law is a glaſſe to ſhew us our ſpots, the Goſpel a fountaine to waſh them away. Wee looke upon the Law to keepe us from preſumption, and upon the Goſpel to keep us from diſpaire.
True every ſinne a beleever commits deſerves damnation, but no ſinne ſhall condemne but the lying and continuing in it. Secondly, ſo our failings be not willfull, though they be manyand great, yet they cannot hinder our intereſt in the promiſes of God. For God that worketh in us both the will and the worke: Will accept the will for the worke, and that which is wanting in us, Chriſt will ſupply with his owne righteouſneſſe. He reſpecteth not what we… can doe, ſo much as what we would do…: and that which we would performe and cannot, he eſteemeeth as though it were performed.
Sect. 30.
Heare this all you that beleeve, and cry out Oh the depth! But let all unbeleevers (ſuch as cenſure the Saints as before is ſhewed) hang downe their heads, and know to their ſorrow: That except they become new creature…, Chriſt ſhall profit them nothing▪ Gal. 5. 2. For being out of Chriſt they are bo…nd to ke…p the whole law. Gal. 5. 3. Or ſtand liable to ſuffer the penalty thereof for not keeping it. For though this be the condition of the New Covenant, Beleeve and thou ſhalt be ſaved: yet all that they have to truſt unto is, Doe this and live, Rom. 10 5. And curſed is every man, that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them. Gal. 3. 10. And I wiſh they would ſeriouſly thinke of it.
Indeed put yee off, concerning the former converſation the old man, which is corrupted through the decieveable l…ſts, and be renewed in the ſpirit of your minds, and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteouſneſſe and true holyneſſe: Epheſ. 4. 22. 23. 24. and then all the former promiſes, and priveledges will belong unto you▪ but not before. And ſo much to make thee wiſer, now to make thee better.
Secondly, It may cauſe thee to ſinke down with ſhame to conſider, that thou haſt taken incouragement from the ſinnes of Gods people, to goe on more ſecurely in thy evill courſes. They ſinned, and God pardoned their ſinnes, not to make others preſume to doe the like: but to keep others from preſuming on their owne ſtrength, or from diſpairing in caſe they ſhould through humaine frailty fall into the like.
Neither did God ſhew mercy to them, that himſelf might be more diſhonored, but to gain therby more glory to himſelfe. As for example, God could have ſent Nathan ſooner to David, and checked him in his firſt project of ſinning: So had Bathſheba beene chaſt, Ʋriah alive, and himſelfe guiltl eſſe of murther: But that almighty wiſedome, knew how to win more glory by the permiſſion, then by the prevention. By the permiſſion of one ſinne▪ to prevent milio…s; how many thouſands had preſumed on their owne ſtrength, if ſuch a Champion had not falne? How many thouſand, had diſpaired in the conſideration of their owne miſdeeds, and weakeneſſes: if ſuch ſinnes had not found remiſſion? It is happie for all after times, that we have ſuch preſidents: ſo holy ſinners, ſo ſinfull penitents, there falls have taught us by whom to ſtand.
Sect. 31.
But to ſtop thy mouth (for I have little hope to convince thy iudgement) I would ſeriouſly know? Whether thou wilt conclude that Noah, Lot, Abraham, Jacob, Ioſeph, Aaron, David, and Peter were all Hypocrites: which by conſequence thou doeſt, if perceiving a man to fall once, or twice into ſome groſſe ſin, thou preſently condemneſt him for an Hypocrite. Yea herein thou doſt cloſely maintaine thoſe old and foule heriſies of the Catherines, Pelagi…ns, Donatiſts, Novations, Carpocrations, Jovinians Adamites, the Bagadors in Almaine, Ebian, Giſelburtus and their followers: who fondly held that Gods people were regenerate into a pure & Angelical eſtate: having their wills as free as Adam before his fall. Yea, that they were as innocent and as free from originall, and actuall ſinne as Chriſt himſelfe, (the opinion of our braine ſicke Antinomi…ns, and Familiſts. Which proves thee a Puritan in thy iudgement, though in thy Practice thou art an Athieſt. Whereas thoſe whom thou calleſt Puritans, abominate all opinion of ſelfe purity and righteouſneſſe; as well knowing that nothing can be more ridiculous, nor repugnant to wholeſome doctrine, the mercy of God, and a mans owne ſalvation. Wherefore thou ſhalt doe well, to be more ſparing in thy cenſures, and more warie whom thou condemneſt of hypocriſie.
And then being upon a ſure ground, that thou haſt light upon one that is ſo indeed, favour him not, but uſe him as ſometimes Jnnes of Court men, doe a Cheat, or a Bayliffe, or worſe if thou canſt, for thou canſt not uſe him worſe then he deſerves: For though Hypocriſie comes neareſt to vertue, in her outward habit, and deporment: yet ſhee is the worſt of vices. For as the beſt things corrupted are the worſt, ſo diſſembled piety, and fained ſanctitie, is double iniquitie, and far worſe then open impiety, as St. Auſtine ſpeakes. And therefore Hypocrites, ſhall have a double portion of vengeance, the loweſt and deepeſt place in Hell, as our Saviour intimates. Mat. 23. 14.
Thirdly, take heed that in calling another Hypocrite, thou condemneſt not thy ſelfe: for ſo thou doeſt, if thou art guilty of the ſame crimes which thou layeſt to his charge, Rom. 2. 1. 3. And with what judgement thou iudgeſt, thou ſhalt be iudged, and with what meaſure thou meeteſt, it ſhall be meaſured to thee againe, Mat. 7. 2. Wherefore thou Hypocrite Firſt cast out the beame out of thine owne eye, and then thou ſhalt ſee cleerly, to caſt out the moate out of thy br… thers eye. Mat. 7. 5.
When thou ſeeſt thy brother ſlip, firſt reflect upon thy ſelf, and ſay with Plato am not I ſuch an one? or with Auſten may not I doe the like? for he that will caſt a ſtone at an offender, muſt be free himſelf: before Samuel doth charge Iſra…l with their ſinne, he clears his own innocency. 1 Sam. 12. And were it not ſtrange, that the witch ſhould tell the jugler hee hath a bad conſcience. Or that the hypocrite ſhould raile at the Player, or the Vſurer challenge the theefe. Or if ſo, will they not retort this anſwer, Phyſitian heale thy ſelfe▪ Luke 4. 23.
And ſo much touching the ſecond miſtake of theſe ſhallow brains, in judging their neighbours.
Sect. 32.
3. Thirdly, theſe raſh ſpirits out of a blind and uncharitable pride, are ſo deſparately cenſorious, that they will not only count their brother an hypocrite for infirmities; ſo reſembling Jobs friends: but in caſe they obſerve ſome glorious profeſſor, to f…ll into any notorious ſcandall, as David did into Adultry, and murther, or prove himſelfe an hypocrite, by utterly falling away, as Demas, that turned back to the imbracing of this preſent world: inſtantly they conceive a hard opinion of all the reſt: and are ſo foreſtalled with prejudice againſt the religious, that they reſolve never to …ee religious ſo long as they live: for what ſay they? theſe are your profeſſors, theſe your Puritans▪ that under a colour of religion, are ſo …alſe in their words, and ſo unjuſt and unmercifull in their dealing, that whoſoever puts any truſt in them, is ſure to be deceived▪ God bleſſe mee from their religion &c.
So that he does not only condemne the perſons of all good men, for the faults of a few that are bad, …ut their religion too: wherein God himſelfe, and …is word ſuffers.
1. But O ye ſottiſh ſenſualliſts, are you ſo ignorant, as to thinke it any new thing? Hath it beene otherwiſe in any Age, or ſtate of the Church? Was Paradice it ſelfe without a Serpent? When there was but four perſons in the world that offered ſacrifice, was not one of them a murtherous Cain? Of eight ſoules in the Arke, (a figure of the Church) was not one an impious Cham? Was the houſe of Ely, without Hophny, and Phineas ſons of Belial? Was not Saul among the Prophets? And Judas among the Apoſtles? Were there not five fooliſh Virgins, aſwell as five wiſe? Was there not one Gueſt at the Lords Table, who had not on his wedding garment? Is not the church compared in the ſcripture to a field of wheat mingled with Tares? To a draw net caſt into the Sea, which gathereth of all kind of Fiſhes good and bad? &c. How then can it bee expected that the Viſible Church now, ſhould be without hypocrites in it? who pretend to worſhip God, when they intend no…hing leſſe.
2. Againe, is it any more then the holy Ghoſt hath abundantly foretold, and forewarned us of? to the end we might not bee offended at the ſame. Gal. 2. 4. Matth 7 15. and 24. 24. 2 Cor. 11. 13. Rev. 2. 2. Rom. 16 18. Titus 1. 11. 1 Tim. 6. 3. 4. 5▪ Yea our ſaviour ſheweth, that there ſhould bee ſuch hypocrites, and ſo many of them, that if it were poſſible, they ſhould turne the very elect out of the way: as now they have done thee.