Armor of Proof 2, Chapter 1 – Chapter 4
PANOPLIA: OR, Armour of Proof FOR A WEAK CHRISTIAN, Againſt the worlds envy, ſcoffs and reproaches. Together with the Doves Innocency and the Serpents ſubtilty, upon Gen. 3.15. The third Impreſſion. By R.J.
CHAP. I.
Reverend Sir;
SOme time ſince I heard you upon 1 Cor 6.9, 10. Be not deceived, neither Fornicators, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Revilers, nor no unrighteous perſons, ſhall ever inherit the Kingdom of God. What change it hath wrought in me, I forbear to mention: But certainly Satan and the World fear they have loſt, the one a ſubject or priſoner, the other a limbe or member ever ſince: for whereas they …er moleſted me formerly; now as if I were reſcued out of Satans clu…es, that Lyon foames and roares, and beſtirs himſelf to recover his loſſe.
And as for my old acquaintance, they ſo envy to ſee themſelves caſheered, and ſo mortally hate me, for that I will no longer continue miſerable, nor run with them (as I have done) to the ſame exceſſe of riot, 1 Pet. 4.4. that they make me weary of my life, as the daughters of Heth did Rebecka, Gen. 27.46.
Yea I am ſo ſcoft at and ſcorned, both by Parents, Friends and Enemies, that it not only hinders me from doing the good I would, or appearing the ſame I am; but it almoſt beats me off from being religious back to the world.
And certainly he muſt be more ſpirit then fleſh, that can contentedly make himſelf contemptible to follow Chriſt; be pointed at for ſingularity, endure ſo many baſe and vile nick-names; have his Religion judged hypocriſie, his godly ſimplicity fillineſſe, his zeal madneſſe, his contempt of the world ignorance, his godly ſorrow dumpiſhneſſe, and the like malicious and miſchievous conſtructions made of whatſoever he ſpeaks or does. For my part, I could better abide a ſtake (God aſſiſting me) then the mocks, ſcoffs and ſcornes which every where I meet withall. It is death to me to be mockt; as it fared with Zedekiah, Jer. 38.19. Nor is there above Hell a greater puniſhment in my judgement, then to become a Saunio, a ſubject of ſcorn, as Sampſon (I doubt not) found. Alcibiades profeſt, that neither the proſcription of his goods, nor his baniſhment, not the wounds he received in his body, were ſo grievous to him as one ſcornfull word from his enemy Cteſiphon.
Yea doubtleſle our Saviours ear was more painfully pierced, then either his brows, or hands, or feet. It could not but go deep into his ſoul, to hear thoſe bitter and girding reproaches from them whom he came to ſave: A generous nature is more wounded with the tongue then with the hand.
CHAP. II.
I Grant there is no ſuch rub in the way to Heaven as this;Miniſter Satan hath not ſuch a tried ſhaft in all his quiver: he gets more now by ſuch diſcouragements, and the reproaches that are caſt upon Religion, then he did formerly by fire and faggot; for then the blood of the Martyrs, was found to be the ſeed of the Church: others (Phaenix like) ſpringing out of their aſhes: Whereas now, multitudes of ſouls are ſcoft out of their Religion by wicked men; many being apt with Peter to deny their religion, when they come in company with Chriſts enemies; and with David to diſſemble their faith when they are amongſt Philiſtius, leſt they ſhould be mockt, have ſo many frowns, and frumps, and cenſures, and ſcoffs; be branded with that odious and ſtigmaticall name of an hypocrite, &c. Yea St Auſtin confeſſeth, that he often belied himſelf with ſins which he never committed, leſt he ſhould be unacceptable to his ſinfull companions; which makes our Saviour pronounce that man bleſsed that is not offended in him, Matth. 11.6.
But for all that, a wi… …an will not be ſcoft out of his Money, nor a juſt man flowted out of his Faith. The taunts of an Iſhmael ſhall never make an Iſaack out of love with his inheritance. Yea for a man to be ſcoft out of his goodneſſe by thoſe which are lewd, is all one, as if a man that ſeeth ſhould blindefold himſelf or put out his eyes, becauſe ſome blinde wretches revile and ſcoff at him for ſeeing. Or as if one that is ſound of limbes, ſhould limp or maim himſelf to pleaſe the criple, and avoid his taunts, And know this, That if the barking of theſe currs, ſhall hinder us from walking on our way to Heaven, it is a ſign we are moſt impotent cowards: Yea if our love be ſo cold to Chriſt, that we are aſhamed for his ſake to bear a few ſcoffs and reproaches from the world, it is evident we are but counterfets, ſuch as Chriſt will be aſhamed of before his Father and his holy Angels as the latter day, Mark. 8.38. For, for the comfort of all that are ſingle and honeſt-hearted, notwithſtanding all the ſcoffs and ſcorns of atheists and careleſſe worldlings, all their perſwaſions and perſecutions, they ſhall both loſe their labours and themſelves too in the end. Well may they intend, and alſo do their utmoſt to flout us out of our Faith, that ſo they may ſlay us with death eternall, and ſpeed thereafter; (As God that regards not ſo much what is performed, as what was intended, and meaſures what we do by what we meant to do; as in the caſe of Abrahams offering up his ſonne, and thoſe Jews who only thought they had killed Paul, Acts 14.19.) but they ſhall be no more able to hinder the ſalvation of any one whom God hath choſen to his Kingdom of grace and glory, then Saul with his Courtiers could hinder David from attaining the promiſed Kingdom of Iſrael, Pſal. 129.1. Revel. 13.8. The windes may well toſſe the ſhip wherein Chriſt is, but never overturn it. If Chriſt have but once poſſeſt the affections, there is no diſpoſſeſſing him again. The League that Heaven hath made Hell wants power to break. Who can ſeparate the conjunctions of the Deitie? Whom God did predeſtinate, ſaith Paul, them be alſo called; and whom he called, them he alſo juſtified; and whom he juſtified, them he alſo glorified, Rom. 8.30. They ſhall ſooner blow up hell with trains of powder, then break the chain of this dependent truth. No power of men or devils is able to withſtand the will of God, it ſhall ſtand firmer then the firmament.
A fire in the heart overcomes all other fires without: as we ſee in the Martyrs, which when the ſweet doctrine of Chriſt had once got into their hearts, it could not be got out again by all the torments that wit and cruelty could deviſe.
CHAP. III.
BUt how ſhould I a novice, Convert.a punie, a white-liver, a milkſop, ſhak off this ſlaviſh yoak of bondage and fear in which Satan for the preſent holds me?
Miniſter. By well obſerving what the Scriptures in this caſe hold forth for the encouragement of all that thus ſuffer. I will commend to your ſerious conſideration only ſix things, and I pray minde them well; for Virgil moſt excellently and profoundly, couples the knowledge of cauſe, and the conqueſt of all fears together.
Firſt obſerve, that grievous temptations and perſecutions, do alwayes accompany the remiſſion of ſinnes. That all men, as Auſtins ſpeaks, are neceſſitated to miſeries, who bend their courſe towards the Kingdom of Heaven: neither can Gods love be enjoyed without Satans diſturbance. Yea the world and the devill therefore hate us, becauſe God hath choſen us. If a convert comes home, the Angels welcome him with ſongs, the devils follow him with uprore and fury, his old acquaintance with ſcorns and obloquie, as you ſufficiently finde. Godly men are thorns in wicked mens eyes, as Job was in the devils, becauſe they are good, or for that they are dearly beloved of God. If a mans perſon and wayes pleaſe God, the world will be diſpleaſed with both: whence we are ſo often foretold and forewarned of it, that we may be the better forearmed and prepared to entertain it: All that will live godly in Chriſt Jeſus, ſhall ſuffer perſecution, 2 Tim. 3.12. Ye ſhall be hated of all men and nations for my Names ſake, Matth. 10.22. and 24.9. Behold I ſend you forth, as ſheep in the midſt of wolves. Matth. 10.16. and many the like. Whence alſo thoſe many and ſtrong encouragements in the word, which may ſerve as ſo many flaggons of wine, to comfort and ſtrengthen us againſt whatſoever we meet withall in the world: Bleſſed are they that ſuffer perſecution for righteouſneſse ſake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven, Matth. 5.10. Bleſsed are ye when men ſhall revile you and perſecute you, and ſay all manner of evil againſt you falſly for my ſake. Rejoyce and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for ſo perſecuted they the Prophets which were before you, ver. 11, 12. Rejoyce, inaſmuch as ye are partakers of Chriſts ſufferings; that when his glory ſhall be revealed, ye may be glad alſo with exceeding joy. For if ye be reproached for the Name of Chriſt, happy are ye. For the ſpirit of glory and of God resteth upon you, which on their part is evil ſpoken of, but on your part is glorified, 1 Pet. 4.12, 13, 14. Loe here is reward enough, for all that men or devils can do againſt us; which hath made thouſands even ambitious to imbrace the flames. Your cruelty is our glory, ſaid the Martyrs in Tertullians time to their perſecutors, for the harder we are put to it, the greater ſhall our reward be in Heaven. It is to my loſſe (ſaid Gordius the Martyr) if you bate me any thing of my ſufferings: See more Phil. 1.28, 29. Rev. 2.13.
And ſo much to ſhew, that he refuſeth to be an Abel, whom the malice of Cain doth not exerciſe, as Gregory ſpeaks: For it is an everlaſting rule of the Apoſtle, He that is born after the fleſh, will perſecute him that is born after the spirit (Gal. 4.29) not becauſe he is evill, but becauſe he is ſo much better then himſelf, 1 Joh. 3.12. Becauſe his life is not like other mens, his waies are of another faſhion, Wiſd. 2.15.
CHAP. IV.
SEcondly conſider, That as wee are every where in the word forewarned of it, ſo it is not our caſe alone; for ſearch the whole Bible over, and you ſhall not finde one holy man mentioned, without mention of ſomething he ſuffered from ungodly men; as it were eaſie to inſtance, how Abel, Lot, Noah, righteous men; Abraham the father of the faithfull; Iſaac, Jacob, Ioſeph; Patriarchs and Fathers of the Church; meek Moſes, upright Samuel, Job that none-ſuch, all the Lords Prieſts, Prophets, Apoſtles; yea the harmleſſe Babes, and our Saviour Chriſt himſelf did ſeverally ſuffer from wicked and ungodly men. Yea never man came to Heaven, but firſt he paſt through this purgatory. God had one ſonne without ſinne, but never any one without ſuffering. Which makes our Saviour ſay, Woe be to you when all men ſpeak well of you, that is, when evil men ſpeak well of you; for ſo did the Jews of the falſe Prophets, Luk. 6.26. Wherefore marvell not though the world hate you, as St John ſpeaks, 1 Joh. 3.13. Neither count it ſtrange, as St Peter hath it, concerning the fiery triall, which is amongſt you to try you, as though ſome ſtrange thing were come unto you, 1 Pet. 4.12. For Chriſt and his Croſse are inſeparable, Luk. 14.27. Whence that diſtinction of Luther, that a Chriſtian is a Croſſe-bearer. He that will be my diſciple, let him take up his croſſe daily and follow me, Luk. 9.23. and 14 26, 27.