The Cure of Misprision, Section 47
Sect. 47.
Secondly, what good thing can wee doe, without being cenſured by them. I wept, ſaith holy David, and my ſoule faſted: but that was to my reproach: I put on ſack-cloth alſo, and I became a proverb unto them: Pſal. 69. 10. 11. ſee more 1 Sam. 1. 7. 10. to 15. and 17. 28. Job. 4. 6. And when hee undertooke Golia, that he might bring honour to God, and take away the ſhame from Iſrael: it is only in the pride and malice of his heart. 1 Sam. 17, So if Mary anoint our ſaviours feet with the precious ointment: ſhee is accuſed of profuſenes. If Daniel pray to his God, it is in contempt of authority, Dan. 6. If Chriſt caſt out Divels, it is but through Belzebub the Prince of Divels. If his Apoſtles preach the Goſpel, it is but a new Doctrine to pervert the people. If Paule preach not himſelf, nor in the inticing words of mans wiſdom, he is but a babler. When Luther dealt againſt the Pope, by and by, they cry out, hee could not come to that preferment hee deſired: which was the Prelats plea, when any Zealous Miniſter ſpake againſt Pluralities, ſuperſtitious Ceremonies, and other vices and abuſes in the Clergie. Yea, though they loſt their livings, it was but to augment their maintainance by lying in a Priſon.
Thirdly, and laſtly, you cannot admoniſh them of their ſwearing, drinking, ſabbath breaking &c. without being called Puritane: which in their language is an hypocrite or diſembler: yea worſe, as being of a larger extent as I ſhall after ſhew: I grant moſt that uſe the Name, know not what it ſignifies; yea ask what themſelves mean by it, they are not able to tell you.
And no marvell, they ſhould take admonition the chief office of friendſhip ſo ill: for poore ſoules they think we take too much upon us: as Korah, and his company twitted Moſes Numb. 16. 3. Neither know they how ſtrictly God commands, and requires it, Levit. 19. 17. Heb. 3. 13. 2 Tim. 2. 25. Theſ. 3. 13. Ezek. 3. 18▪ to 22. 2 Pet. 2. 7. 8. Whence, as the chief Prieſts anſwered Judas, What is that to us? ſo theſe prophane perſons, will blaſpheme God, tear Chriſt in peeces, and more then betray, even ſhed his innocent blood; digging into his ſide with oaths, and ſay when told of it, what is that to us? They might as well ſay, what is Chriſt to us? what is heaven to us, or what is ſalvation to us? For to us the one cannot be, without the other: we ſhall never inherit part of his glory in Heaven, if wee doe not take his glories part upon Earth. And with God it is much about one, whether we be a doer of evill, or no hinderer. For if we muſt not ſee our Neighbours Ox, nor his ſheep go aſtray, or fal into a pit, but we muſt reduce him▪ and help him out of it. Deut. 22. 1▪ We are much more bound, to keep our neighobur himſelf from droping into the bottomleſſe pit of hell. And what know we, but we may win our Brother, and ſo ſave his ſoul? Mat. 18. 15. like Eugenia who being the naturall daughter of Philippus: became ſpiritually the mother of her owne Father, and begat him a new to the grace of Chriſt, he being an Infidel before, as Euſebius notes. And no man but ſtands in need e of admonition: for graces like good hearbs, will not grow of themſelves: where as vices like weeds need no ſowing.
Or in caſe wee prevaile nothing, yet wee are diſcharged. 1 Cor. 5. 2. and hee who requires it at our hands, will returne the ſame into our owne boſomes Jſa. 49. 4. 5. Pro. 11. 18. and 25. 22. And yet we are blamed for ſo doing, and thought contentious. They may as well tell me, if it had been ſaid to Adam▪ before he eat the forbidden fruit▪ to Iudas before hee betrayed his Maſter, to Jezabel before ſhe plotted Naboths death, &c. Take heed what you do: that this had beene a… ill office, and that in following ſuch councell, they ſhould have had cauſe to repent themſelves. But Oh the many and fooliſh miſpriſions, of carnall minds.
As how are they miſtaken in their opinion of peace, (like Ahab, who thought Eliah a turbulent, troubler of all Iſrael: becauſe he did as God commanded him, and would not flatter them in their ſinnes, to their utter deſtruction) for true peace is, to have peace with God, War with their and ou… luſts, Rom. 5. 1. and 7. 22. 23. Where as they would have us, to be at peace, and in league with their ſins: at war with God and our conſciences.
Yea it no way deſerves the name of peace, except we be at enmity with the ſerpent, and all his works of darkneſſe, Peace muſt be followed with holines, Hebrew. 12. 14. Wherefore Zachariah joyneth Faith, Peace and truth together: Zach. 8. 16. And St. Paul peace and righteouſneſſe, peace and edification, peace and joy in the holy Ghoſt, Rom. 14. 17. 19. &c. Yea, St. Pauls uſuall ſtile in all his Epiſtles is, Grace and peace: as if onelyonly where grace is, there peace is: as where the fire is, there heat is.